The National tribune., 1902-03-13

sent up the Tennessee River. On Oct. 90,
while at Iuka, Gen. Sherman learned that
Capt. Phelps, Z. s. Navy, had arrived
at EastpOrt with two gunboats.
On Oct. "a Gen. Sherman learned Of
the assignment of Gen. Grant to the COM
mand of the Military Division of the Mis-
sissippi, including the Departments of the
Ohio, the Cumberland and the Tennessee;
of Gen. Thomas having superseded Gen.
Rosecrans: of Gen. Grants presence at
Chattanooga, and of his own assignment
to the command of the Department of the
Army of the Tennessee. And on the
same date he ordered the Fourth Divi-
sion to cross the river at Eastport by aid
of the gunboats and march to Florence.
Ala. Sherman now had one division on
the north side of the river, and three di-
visions on the south side of the river, and
was actively engaged in repairing the rail
road bridge at Bear Creek.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE FAMOUS SCOUT.
Here, on Oct. 81, as Gen. Sherman sat
OH the porch of house, an interesting
event occurred The General was ap-
preached by dirty, meanly-dressed,
dark-haired individual, who made inquiry
for Gen. Sherman; upon being assured
that he was in the presence of the man
he was searching for, he produced two
letters-one from Gen. Blair, at Tuscum-
bia, and another, which was Il telegraph
message sent through Gen. George Crook,
commanding at Huntsville, Ala This
was the message to Sherman: Drop all
work on Memphis & Charleston Railroad,
cross the Tennessee and hurry eastward
with all possible dispatch toward Bridge
port, till you meet further orders from
me.-U. S. Grant"
This message was delivered by CorpT
Pike, who was sent with it by Gen. Crook
| i Al.
The Corporal informed Gen. Sherman
that he padded down the river over
Muscle Shoals, was fired at by guerrillas,
and for safety threw the dispatch into the
river, having inclosed it in q bottle, and
recovered it at Tuscumbia, where some
of Gen. Blair's troops had fortunately
found it floating in the river.
Gen. Sherman leaves an interesting rec
ord of Corp1 Pike.
Gen. Sherman says of him: "This
Pike proved to be a singular character;
his manner attracted my notice at once
and L got him horse, and had him travel
with us eastward to about Elkton, whence
l sent him back to Gen. Crook at Hunts
vile; but told him if could ever do him
personal service, he might apply to me-
The next Spring, when l was in Chatta-
noOga, preparing for the Atlanta cam
paign, Corp1 Pike made his appearance
and asked fulfillment of my promise.
| inquired what he wanted, and he said he
wanted to do something bold, something
, that would make him hero. | explained
to him that we were getting ready to go
for Johnston at Dalton; that | expected
to be in the neighborhood OF Atlanta
about the Fourth of July, and wanted the
bridge across the Savannah River at Au-
gusta, Ga, to be burnt about that time,
to produce alarm and confusion behind
the rebel army. l explained to Pike that
the chances were three to one that he
would be caught and hanged; but the
greater the danger the greater seemed to
be his desire to attempt it. l told him
to select companion, to disguise him
! self as an East Tennessee refugee work
his way over the mountains into North
Carolina, and at the time appointed float
down the Savannah River and burn that
bridge. In a few days he had made his
preparations and took his departure. The