The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-02-09

y
person. When he reached headquar-
ters, was sent for, and as stood
before him and two or three head
quarters officers General Malone
asked:
Captain Thorn, this man claims
to belong to your company. Is he
a member or not!''
eyes, sir, was the prompt reply.
"What's his names"
"John Wakefield, sir. -
"When was he captureds''
"Four days ago, along with sew
eral men. !"
care you positive that this is
your MANI"
"Certain, sir. knew him before
he enlisted, and he has been in my
company for year.
That settled it. We were dismiss
ed, and followed Captain Thorn to
the regiment. On the way I related
the particulars of my capture and
escape, and he seemed considerably
puzzled that General Malone should
have been so suspicious of me. There
were about 40 men in Company D.
They all gathered around me as I
appeared and gave me welcome, and
young man named David Ganny,
who had been Wakefeld's terminate,
put his arms around me and shed
tears in his gladness over my return.
Ihad learned my part so thorough
ly that I was sat home'' from the
first. Next day I met every member
of the company, officers included,
and where used names I made no
mistake. I fell into the routine with
the rest, and after three days the
curiosity of all had been satisfied.
You may say it was a wonderful
thing that I could thus pass myself
off ard escape all suspicion, but I
am only telling you what was known
to General Grant himself. My or
ders were to ascertain Lee S strength
on a line about four miles long.
How | was to accomplish this after
entering the Confederate lines was
left for me to decide. Wakefield told
me that he had a cousin in the Sew
enth Virginia, young soldier named
John Winslow. He had visited him
whenever opportunity offered. and
this was good excuse for me to get
out of camp. l got permission from
my captain to go, and in hunting up
the Seventh Virginia / took care to
miss it and cover the whole front
and have look at guns and fortifi-
cations. 1 found Winslow at last,
but his greeting was far from cor
dial. The two had evidently quar-
relied about something on which l
was not posted. He was SO sulky
and unfriendly that was about to
cut my visit short when he gave me
a searching look and exclaimed:
"Why, you are not John Wake
field at all!'
''Then who am I?' I asked, with
q laugh.
81 don't know, but you are GER
tainly not my cousin John. You
look like him, but you are not he
1t was queer that he alone should
have suspected me, but something
in my speech, walk or look warned
him that l was a counterfeit. |
laughed at him in good natured
way, hoped l would find him in a
better humor when l called again
and started for my regiment, but |
had not gone a quarter of a mile
when Twas overtaken, put under az
rest and an hour later was once
more in the presence of General Ma
hone.
lam sure that the general had
doubted me from the first. Indeed,
after the war he told me as much
and added that he was not quite sat
isfed even when my captain SO
thoroughly identified me. I was
followed to his tent by Winslow,
who boldly proclaimed that was
pot John Wakefield.
Then all the officers and half
dozen men of the company, includ-
ing my terminate, were sent for, and
the general heartily entered upon
the work of trapping me. My life
was the stake being played for, and,
though was terribly anxious as to
the outcome, as you may believe, l
believe I displayed all the GOODNESS
and nerve which my best friend
could have hoped for.
Every officer and every man
promptly identified me as John
Wakefield, but to offset this Win
slow said that his cousin had scar
ON the neck which could not be
found on me. denied the scar, and
then my captain was requested to
ask me certain questions which the
general suggested or wrote out. In
reply gave tho Christian name OF
father. mother and sister as we'll as
a number of uncles, aunts and cous-
ins. | gave the names of many
streets in Montgomery. Ala. the