Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-11

picked out good horses-and there were
pieE9y OF them. for Dow had helped him.
ssi from the best studs in Louisiana.
we mounted these men, tying their feet
together under the horses, and stood
around waiting for Dow himself. OF
course, dad not know whether to believe
.naI the general had gone away Tempo
fafiiy or had got out of our crap entirely
ana, as our danger grew with every mo-
neht delay. you may believe | was in a
qui'huary whether to wait any longer or
not. FINALLY tackled an freshman whom
we mad among the prisoners 1t seems
that ! got the right man. for he cherish he'd
grudge. 50 he said, against Dow because
the latter wouldn't divide the spoils of
| war.
This Irishman told me that Don had
gone over TO the house of DR.. b. B. Bar,
nett, only half a mile away where two
New York colonies We're imprisoned for
| trying TO dissuade their men from re-
enhsung The Barnett house was dis
| tinctly visible from the Cage house. and
the fields between the two glimmered
with the WHITE tents of the Federal SOL
dierS. waited almost an hour before
Gen. DOW rode up alone. Before he could
t nlshount l was at his horses side. and
mad my cooked siX-shooter damned with
what | fancy was unpleasant insistence
into the generals abdomen.
IN YOU surrender quietly. general.
| YOU?
oh. | surrender he exclaimed
suppose it was somewhat disconcerting
| 10 Feel the sudden pressure of that sin
| shooter.
Il told my men to disarm him. and we
led his horse back to the fence where the
| others We're waiting. While | had been
| waiting Tor the general to return. by the
way, l had taken his papers and a fine
| presentation sword which now hangs in
my villa in Capri. Italy | had every
! thing we wanted. the other prisoners
were IN their horses, and, with the gem
| eriA III our hands there was nothing
more to wait for, we set off at once
| we walked our horses white we were in
SIDE the lines, then put them at a gallon
| toward Centcrvile. Miss. We had to
SKIRT their lines for some time, and every
| httle while We would come to a road
| Wnlch struck ours at right angles and
| which came from their camp At these
| places | would send one of our men up
| the cfosSroad a quarter of mile so that
| ne could give us warning of the approach
| OF the enemy and we stopped to breathe
| our horses.
early in the morning we stopped at Il
| Plantation for breakfast, and we had Il
good one. | assure you. The planter was
| so pleased with us for having captured a
| leading Federal general that he killed all
| ms chickens and gave us the best Of
everything h" had. When I went out to
| take our horses again. one OF my men
pulled out fine gold watch to see what
| time it was ! asked him where he get
the watch and he said he had taken it
|
| things, He said Dow had been taking
| our property for long time, and he saw
| no reason why the tables shouldn't be
| turned. | made him give the watch back
to Dow. but, with the consent of the
| colonel at Centerville. each of my men
| received something as souvenir of the
capture; a souvenir which was well earn
ed, think. One had the horse, another
| the saddle. another the pistols, and SO on.
l was allowed to keep the sword | spoke
| of. and it now bears two inscriptions:
| Presented by business men and manu-
| facturers of Portland, Me. to Col. Neal
| Dow 18th Maine Regiment and Pre-
scented to Lieut.. Col. John G. Mackowen
| for entering the Federal lines near Port
| Hudson. June g. 1853 with live men. and
capturing Gen. Neal Dow ami guard ut
his headquarters.
| Dow was sent. the next morning, to
the Jackson & Great Northern Railway
nlow the Illinois CentraD, then to Mo-
bile and afterward to Libby prison,
| where after nine months, he was ex-
changed for Gen. FitZhugh Lee.
| "Candlers account of the way in which
he captured Dow is Inconsistent with the
real facts in other details besides the in
dividuality of the man who performed
| the exploit. Gambler claimed that Gen.
| Dow was severely wounded near Vicks-
burg in the summer of 'G3 and was hid
ing in the house of Union sympathizer,
seven miles from HaZehurst. Miss The
inventive Mr.. Gambler asserts that, pilot
and captured Dow. whose arm was then
in Il sling. He carried Dow. so he says,
from Hazlehurst to Montgomery. Ala.
| where mob tried TO hang the general.
AS a matter of fact, Dow was not at the
siege of Vcksburg, but al that of Port
| Hudson. He was not wounded in the
arm but he had received a slight flesh
wound in the leg, which was completely
healed when ! captured him. He was
not captured at Hazlehurst. but So miles
east of the Mississippi river. back of Port
| Hudson; and he was taken. not to Mont
gomery, but to Mobile. Also, the man
who planned and carried out the capture
was not named Gambler, but MackoWell,
and I can prove it.
strangely enough" concluded DR..
MacKowen. Gen. Dow and | had not
seen the last of each other when we part
ed at Centerville in '63. After the war
went back to Dartmouth where ! had
been at college when the war broke out.
| took my degree there and then went to
Montreal and took asteamer Tor England
There was Il good deal of trouble then
| over the Alabama claims. and England
hal sent over several detachments OF
troops to have them conveniently placed
in Canada in case of serious develop
ments. a number of the officers were
going home on a furlOugh, and quite II
crowd of us We're discussing recent events
one day when certain elderly American
| of the party became very angry with me
and stalked off in rage, refusing to dis
| cuss matters any further The elderly
and irascible gentleman proved to be
Dow himself He did not recognize mo,
nor did | know him. At the time Of the
capture | was wearing beard and Gen.
Dow was shaver. When we met on
board the vessel he was wearing beard,
while / had only u mustache.
"A few years later, however, ! ran
across him in front of Magny III PARIS,
and that time we recognized edcn othrr.
Reminding HIM that we had not break
tasted together since 1868. asked INN to
go into M&gny's with me and have some
OF the hest soup in Paris. L was as cor
dial as knew how to be, but "a" general
declined my invitation. ! saw Inn once
more in San Francisco. He was WITH j.
r. Barnum. and he didn't seem 10 care 10
| introduce me; was not in TACT, WhaI YOU
might call at ease with me.
at would really put an enc 20 very
entertaining fad f my incontrovertlbie
claim to be the only original DOW captor
should discourage these imaginative gen
tlemen who seem determined to 80 on
capturing Dow SO long as there are pa
pers that will print their stories ana peo-
pIe who will read them. There seems TO
be a fascinati ton about the exploit when
tempts men to indulge their fancles along
that line Now that the poor old lelioW
is dead however. it seems as IL tney
ought to let him alone. I'm sure wish
they would | know | don't want to nave