The National tribune., 1902-09-25
AYERELL'S RIDE.
Three Hundred Miles Through
the Enemy's Country to Warn
Emory.
BY S. B. EVANS.

"Who shall we send to Fort Arbucklt
to warn Emory and bring him back, where
we can use him and his 1,200 troops fol
| the UniOn!'
| This was question brought before the
council of war ut Washington in the
Spring of 1861, the next day after the
fall of Fort Sumter. 1t was a serious
question in the presence of so mucl
| treachery, and when so many officers OF
the army. recreant to duty, had either
openly joined in the secession movement
or were only waiting a favorable oppor
tunity to do so. Many of the officers were
Southern born and sorely divided in Opin
| ion as to whether their loyalty was due
| to the State or to the Nation.
Washington society was favorable to
the South; the highborn danes of the
Capital We're adverse to the new regime
with Abraham Lincoln as the leading fig
ure. 1t was questionable to be opposed
| to slavery, and the South had made itself
believe that Lincoln was to enter into a
crusade and bring about its abolition.
This was the undercurrent of thought
even in the North; but Lincoln, we now
know, would not have gone beyond the
Constitution and slavery would have been
preserved during his Administration, had
uOl W III CtHlc w WIS
ed with secession after Lincoln was inau-
gurated, and until after the fierce war cry
went out after the fall of Sumter there
was stronger sentiment expressed for
secession i'll the Capital than for the I'm
ion. The hotel corridors were thronged
with Southerners who openly spoke for
the rebellion and predicted that Ben Nc
Culloch would ride into town some day
and drive old Abe and his Cabinet into
the Potomac.
When the news came from Charleston
that fatal day, there was general clear
ing up of the atmosphere; Union men no
longer held their peace, and the secession
lists were silent, amazed at the uprising
of loyalty. 1t is also true that when the
crucial test came there were many who
had sympathiZed with the South who
changed their views very suddenly.
The telegraphic dispatches, short but
graphic, came through rebeilious terri
tory, but they were i'll the main truthful;
they told how Beauregard made the last
demand for surrender and Maj. Andersons
brave reply. The fire opened from Suli-
vans Island, Fort Moultrie, and the float
ing battery Oh the morning of April II
at 3:2O O'Clock. Sumter did not reply un-
til z, o'clock. The jerky kilograms told
how the eccentric Wigfall, proceeding in
an open boat, entered the fort through an
embrasure, and in the name of humanity
and the State of South Carolina asked
that the flag be lowered. South Carolina
went wild over the capture, but it set the
North ON fire. All this has been recorded
in history, but there happened about that
time an incident of the grand uprising
and rally for the Union that escaped at
tentiOn then and remained untold until
now. 1t was an event that illustrates the
straits of the Government at that time
and the heroism of one Of its defenders
who was Lieutenant then and afterward
won fame as a Division Commander
There was consultation at Gen.
Scotts headquarters in Washington as to
what should be done to concentrate the
few Regular troops of the army. There
was a post at Little Rock and an arsenal,
and these fell into the hands of the
rebels. Twiggs was known to be dis
loyal, as well as number of minor Off
GERS, but Emory, whose integrity was not
had command of ], 200 men
at Fort Arbuckle, away down on the
frontier of Indian Territory and Texas.
Missouri was ablaze with secession, and
the only practicable way to reach Emory
was through Missouri, thence to Fort
Smith, Ark, and on through the Indian
country. With Emory were Sam Stur-
gis, Delos b. Sackett, Crittenden, E. A.
Carr, Collins, Gilbert, none of them Gen
erals then, but plain Lieutenants or Cap
tainS.
Send Averell through by way of st.
Louis and thence down to Arbuckle. 1t
will be hard trip and full of danger, but
Averell can do it if any one can.' This
was said by veteran officer who had
been with Averell in the West
Yes, Averell would do it if he were
in health, but he has scarcely recovered
from that bullet wound he got in that In
dian fight in New Mexico, and is now
merely able to be up and around" This