The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1902-01-23

Invent into the service late" said NJ
]. CrOthers. Il enlisted i'm February,
1864, at Lakeport. Mich. and was sent
As recruit to Company G, Sixth Mich
igan Cavalry. In August Of the same
year was under Custer in the opera
tons about Petersburg. In October
was detailed as cOmmissary guard un-
der Captain Brewster, and i'm NOvem-
Der went from Winchester to Cedar
Creek alone to get my horse from
Lieutenant Cook. Up to this time my
experience had been along usual lines.
but when l returned l was sent on an
expedition as full Of unusual adven-
ture as came within the experience Of
men in the ranks.
Henry Brewster. brother of Captain
Brewster. had come on from New York
to camp, and desired to visit the bat
tle-grOund Of Cedar Creek. Captain
Brewster asked me il the road was
clear. / said l found it so that day,
but 1t might not be clear tomorrow
He asked me then to join him and his
brother and several others who had
planned to visit the battlefield. l
agreed to this, but didn't like the job.
We started about 8 a'clock the next
morning. Nov 4.
"Out u few miles we found General
Ager posted on one side OF little
town In an orchard with about 100 men.
There were two ambulances ready to
pass, and was told Alger was laying
a trap for Mosby. This indicated to
me that the road to Cedar Greek was
not good road to travel. but Captain
suggested we move ON. We started.
and had gone only about a mile when
we met ten Of MOsby's men dressed in
the Union uniform, with Doc Richards
In charge.
1--WE were taken completely by sur
prise. and were prisoners before we
realized that the men In blue were Mos
by's rough riders. They took us to the
town Of Ferris, in Louden valley, up
through Ashka's gap, and kept us there
until Sunday. Nov. 6. Then they march
ed US to RectortOwn, and at II o'clock
they told us to get in line. By this
time Mosby's whole command was
present.
when the fourteen Of us had been
formed In line. General Mosby stepped
out, took his hat OF, and said: Gen
eral Custer hanged seven Of my men
at Fort Royal the other day and pinned
a paper on the collar Of the officer in
command. saying, This Is the fate Of
MOsby's men," propose to hang
seven Of you As a matter of fact, Gus
ter's note did not read that way, but
to this effect: 4 hang these men for
shooting the advance guard after they
had surrendered but. Of course. we
could make no explanations MOsby
had his own plan for selecting the seven
men to be shot. Among the unlucky
ones was boy not more than 16 years
old. who. after they had tied his hands.
explained that he had enlisted to sup
port his mother. who had but one arm.
and said he never had fired q gdh In
his life.
This caused some commotion. but
we were put in line again and fourteen
pieces Of paper, thirteen blanks and
one number. were put in the hat, and
the hat passed along the line. The last
man In the line got the number. He
belonged to the Third Indiana Battery.
Captain Brewster was next to the un-
lucky fellow. and l came next to Cap
tain Brewster. But it so happened that
both of US drew blanks each time
Captain brewster escaped at Sperris-
Vile. His brother was sent to Libby
and I went with him.
"Out of the seven selected for execu-
tion Mosby's men hanged three and
shot three. George Saul was the only
man Of the doomed seven to get away.
He lives now in Michigan. or did live
there a few years ago. He. like my
self, probably counts that attempt to
visit the battlefield Of Cedar Creek as
the most trying experience Of his army
life. Mosby tells different story Of his
capture of our men, but he didn't know
half as much about our particular
squad as did Some Of our boys have
told me that he treated prisoners very
well, and that he was a very good sort
of a fellow. But he didn't treat us
we'll"
II know" said the Major, "that Mos
by did treat some Of his prisoners in a
way to have them remember him
gratefully. and some Of them lived to
be Of good service to him In later years.
But the most interesting case Of kind
ness to prisoners coming back In kind
ness was that Of Major E. A. Burke. for
so many years prominent In New Or
leans. During the war he was In COM
mand of detachment Of COnfederates
that captured part Of the Sixth Mas
sachusetts regiment
Burke treated the prisoners as kind
" as circumstances would permit, and
parted from many Of them with ex-
pressions Of courtesy and regard. After
the war he went into the newspaper
business In New Orleans. and for years
did not hear Of or hear from any Of
the men he had befriended. But at the
time Of the disastrous food In Southern
Louisiana Major Burke. as chairman
of the relief committee. received one
lay a dispatch from Boston authoriz-
ing him to draw at sight for $4,000.
This was one Of the earliest re-
,pOnses to the call for help. and it
touched and encouraged the chairman
,f the committee. Two hours later
came another dispatch from Boston, !
Major Burke to draw for |
mother $4,000. In few hours third |
lispatch came. donating another S1O.-
700. With this last offer was flashed
,ver the wire. from Boston, The Sixth |
remembers the kindness
Il Major Burke know that that was
me Of the most delightful memories Of
Major Burke In the later years Of his
ife."
Speaking Of prisoners" said the
Captain, there was a case at Lexing
on, Mo-, where Mulligan was be-
ieged. In which one Of our boys sur |