Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-01-01

mystery, and it was planned to surprise
McClellan's outposts and destroy his
right wing at blow. In the minds Of
Leo and jackson Mcclellan was resting
secure that McDowell's army at Fred
erieksburg was nearest in touch with
his and ready to march to his aid that
Jackson was still in the Shenandoah
valley and Richmond prize to fall nm
der the attacks which he began to make
ON June 20. On the goth Lee attacked
the Federal right wing under Fitz John
Porter at Mechaniesville, and the next
day with jackson renewed the attack
at Gaines Mill, losing in the two bat
ties over $1,000 men.
In place of giving the enemy fatal
surprise, as Jackson had done in his
valley campaign, both Lee and Jackson
met with terrible repulse. Mcclellan s
army was still in position and able to
hold its own during the week of battles
which ended in another terrible repulso
of the Confederates at Malvern Hill on
July l. Generals Mcclellan and Porter
state briefly in their narratives of the
campaign that warning came on the
night of June "a through Confederate
deserter that jackson S army was NOV
ing to attack Porter's right flank and
was already in the vicinity Porter at
once prepared warm welcome for the
hero of the valley. He fought on the
26th and 27th against odds Of two to
one and so effectually paralyzed the col
umns of Lee and Jackson that they did
not strike another blow in three days.
Recently the compilers Of the official
war records have unearthed document
which reveals the source of Porter $
warning. 1t came through boy who
doubtless entered the Federal lines from
Jackson's camp as a spy, but made a
worse than FOOLS errand of his delicate
mission Tho late General Farnsworth
of Illinois was the first to see through
the would be spy's real character. On
the cath of June he sent him under
guard to General Porter with the fol-
lowing note:
GENERAI.-I send you a young man who (ae-
cording to his story was in army and
taken prison at Winchester, escaped at Lynch
burg and made his way to Richmond and from
thence to the lines of my pickets He is
either spy, scout or deserter from the rebels
Colonel Eighth Illinois Cavalry.
General Porter found the boys story
very weak and that he knew more
about Jackson's army than about the
northern cities where he claimed to
have resided. Acting upon the vague
hint, he saved the army from another
Charlottesville disaster, Meanwhile
the boy, who gave the name of Charles
Rian, was taken in hand by the secret
service men and confined under the pro-
vost guard at headquarters His story
was written out by Pinkerton. 1t will
appear in full in the supplementary
volumes of records.
Rian stated that he was II years old,
born in Iowa, and during childhood re-
sided in Albany and New Orleans. Lat
er he lived i'll Baltimore, and, when the
war broke out in New Orleans. He
then went to Baltimore again and to
Brooklyn. He returned to Baltimore
and Joined the First Maryland Federal
REGIMENT in March, three months be-
fore his appearance at the picket lines
before Richmond He said that he was
at Winchester and Front Royal i'll May
and taken prisoner; escaped at Lynch
burg through tho aid of some young la
dies. From Lynchburg he went to Rich
mond, and having changed his Federal
suit for nondescript one, mingled with
the soldiers.
Having heard that Jacksons army
was at Gordonsville, Rian said that he
made his way there in order to see for
himself and get information for McClel-
Ian. However, he found that while
jackson was at Gordonsville re-enforce-
ments were going to him from Rich
mond. From Gordonsville the boy trav
eled on foot 40 miles to Ashland, off ON
Porter's right flank, and then set his
face toward the Federal pickets. In Or
der to get aid from the citizens on the
way he passed himself off as a Confed-
crate scout He wore a straw hat, oiti-
zen's coat and trousers procured in
Lynchburg. Upon his person was found,
when taken, printed sheet torn from a
pamphlet, having written on the margin
these words:
srELroN-say to him DR.. Lumplins is well
in Richmond.
McClellan's detectives knew that DR..
LumpEins was a jealous Confederate
who had lived between Meohanicsyille
and Ashland until the Federal army
reached the vicinity and then moved to
Richmond The boy said that the mem
olandum had been given him by one Of
the girls who aided his cscapeat Lynch
burg. He was to have delivered it to a
party in Lynchburg, but had not done
so.
RAMS account Of getting into the
Federal lines was very plausible. He
said, farmer told him how the lines
hay. and that lie encountered a Confed-
eIate., picket in forest, who fired at
him. lie rap from the picket, and the
picket sfaft6d in an opposite direction.
Rian passed the whole night wandering
about, stumbling upon camps which he