The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-17
4 IMIlPERIgIHIAlBLE DEEDS
| of EX-COINFEDlERATES


whereupon they threatened putting
their bayonets into me, and would if their
officers in charge had not prevented it.
We had about one mile to march to a
transport that had regiment of infan-
try on board, lying at Church's Island
marsh road i'll the Albemarle and Chesa-
peake Canal.
| had ample time to tell a yarn in the
presence of Mr.. Knight, that we both
might say the same thing. They want
ed to know how | came with the officers
coats, bayonets and cartridge boxes on
board. | told them that i had been to
Indian Town to get corn and there were
so many Federal troops there that the
people would not haul it to me, and
that while coming out of the river | saw
these coats, bayonets and cartridge
boxes lying ON the edge of the river and
took them on board. We then reached
the transport and they took us on board.
There we found several citizens prison
ers / appeared social, as | knew that
was no time to show guilt BY this
time it was 8 or 10 o'clock at night.
They put us in the hole with several
other prisoners that / knew. | did not
sleep that night, but lay beside my old
mouth to his ear, and posted him what
to say, and to stick to the yarn he had
heard me tell / knew if they found out
what we had been doing that we would
be in a critical condition, and the Maple
Leaf officers, too. Next morning there
was an investigation. We were taken
up before the colonel, and we both told
one story exactly, about finding the
coats, hayonets and cartridge boxes on
the side of Indian Town Creek, and |
supposed some were trying to make their
escape and swim the creek and left them.
l asked the colonel if he would have
taken them on board if he had found
them as we did. He said he thought
he would. Then they called the regi-
ment in ranks and started out to pillage
and forage and l suppose to try to get
any information they could concerning
the officers they were in search of. They
took my old friend, Dempsey knight,
with them, and several times during the
day | got permission to talk to the col
onel, and told him l was only fifteen
years of age. Ny object was to get
him to release me. He told me that |
was to be kept a prisoner during the
war, and that they would drag for the
articles that they supposed we had put
overheard. / told them to do SO il they
wanted to, but that we had put nothing
overheard. They did not drag, for they
did not have tackling enough to drag
with. | talked right much to the colonel.
and he asked me right many questions.
| never told him but one thing true dur
ing the time. He had an old citizen on
board, and he asked me if he was a
Union man, and | told him that report
said So Soon after II O'Clock the regi-
men returned, bringing Mr.. knight, with
tears in his eyes. As soon as he got "a
chance to say anything to me he told me
that they were going to kill us. | told
him they would not, for it would take
more of their necks to pay for it if they
did. While they had him out they hung
him twice to a limb, and let him hang
until lie was almost dead before they
cut him down. The old fellow was weak
and badly bruised with the line. They
were trying to make him tell all he knew
il he knew anything About o'clock
in the evening they turned me loose
Then they hung him again on board the
transport, and when they cut him down
he was nearly dead. AS soon as he
came TO he jumped overheard and tried
to drown himself, but they pulled him
in with boat hooks. Then they released
him, because they had sufficient evidence
that he knew nothing. ] went TO my
home after they released me and asked
if they had seen anything of my brother
b. L. McIIarney, and they said they had
not. | told my mother to watch for me
while ] ate something.
| learned from friend that two or
three Confederate officers were back of
Captain Dempsey Walkers, and he was
feeding them, so | went to them and
stayed all night with them, and told them
my story. Next day | learned that the
officers and my brother were near Caleb
Sandelrlin's, in Coinjock backwoods.
During that day my brother procured
/ boats sufficient to carry them, and that
night we took them on board at Captain
Joe Grggs' Landing, near Coinjock
cross roads, and started for the Confed-
crate lines, which were on the west side
Of Chowan river.
We went through the Albemarle and
Chesapeake Canal, where / had been
captured two nights before that. When
we got in North River it was squally,
so we went into "a place known as Duck
Pond. place about FIVE miles from
North river bar to hide the next day.
My brother, b. f. McHarney, was i'll
charge of one boat, Peleg Walker in
charge OF another. Gus Mitchell, from
Camden, and Thomas Guard assisted us
| also Next evening about 5 o'clock
we made sail. as we saw no danger
ahead But in short time we were
near Camden Point, and we saw two or
three boats loaded with men. We We're
rapidly approaching them, and soon dis
covered they were Buffaloes from the
| lower part of Camden county.
They were men who stole, pillaged,
robbed and burned the houses of citizens
and murdered them. As we drew near
| they used every means in getting out OF
our way After we crossed North river
bar the wind blew stiff breeze from
the north, and soon our boats were sepa'
rated, and as the night was dark we
could not see each other. But next
morning before sunrise all our boats
had reached Wards Landing in Yeopim
creek. branch from Albemarle Sound
There we learned that it was dangerous
to go any further by the water route, as
/ the mouth Of Chowan river was strictly
4 guarded with Federal gunboats. My