Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1902-05-29
SHERIDAN'S
SPIES
A War Story
A War Stor,

;;f;sGtt
F." HE winter Of ls64-65 in the Army
of the Potomac was not mark
ed by any. particular liveli
IN ness. and the soldiers, suffer
ing with camp ennui and hav
ing growled out every subject that le
ultimately or illegitimately comes un
der the soldiers province to growl, now
looked anxiously as spring approached
for everything that Indicated activity
Finally it came and eliminated in the
surrender at Appomattox.
General Sheridan. with about 10000
sabers. had been doing a little raidine
and a good deal OF heavy standing
around up in the Shenandoah valley
where Early. with a small force. made
feeble attempts to keep house occasion
nlly-just enough to be nuisance and
not enough 10 keep Phil busy, and that
gentleman was mad accordingly.
Ii was, then. with no little pleasure
that Sheridan received an order to
make a break up the valley and pounce
on Lynchburg II possible. He was ly-
ing at Winchester when the order came,
and after waiting a few days fer the
mud to become fordable he started
with two divisions of cavalry. travel
Ing as light as possible. Three days
after he was In Staunton, while Early
stepped back to Waynesboro and be-
gan to dig intrenchments- Sheridan
rode after him. looked at his new works
and rode over the top of them without
even the courtesy OF reconnaissance.
which wasn't complimentary to Early's
engineering He also captured a cou-
pie OF full batteries. 1,G00 Confederate
prisoners. 200 wagons and II battle
flags. which made him feel so good that
lie was put down as having remarked:
I'll make Mr. Early get up Early er
than he ever did in his life before I'm
done with him. or else I'm not intimate.
ly acquainted with myself" which
atrocious pun is believed to have caused
the Confederate chieftain to toddle pre-
cipitately over to the James river coun-
try.
On the Sd Of March Sheridan was at
Charlottesville. where he organized q
railroad strike and tore up the Lynch
burg and Richmond road shamefuly.
Then he ciphered around the country
about Scottsville. New Market and
Duiquidsville. destroying canal locks,
burning bridges and making himself
generally Interesting until the 10th,
when he brought up at Columbia. Flu
wanna county. where he made the dis
covery that the Confederacy had been
SO liberal in making bonfires out of
bridges that be couldn't go chassez-ing
down south TO join Sherman. as be
wanted to. and that his men and
horses didn't have any more to eat than
they wanted. and that there were only
two things that he could do. One of
these was 10 go back to Winchester.
whence he came, which he firmly de-
clined to do. upon the principle that he
would never return upon road he had
spoiled himself, and the other was to
slide around Richmond to the White
House on the Pamunkey, get foraged
and rationed up and then 60 across the
peninsula 10 join Grant.
This latter plan was excellent, but
there was nothing to meet him at the
White House but the bleakness OF desc
laiion.
And yet, singular as it may seem. this
did not shake the soul Of Sheridan to
any serious extent. He simply remark
ed:
Its Internal cold. amt It? Where's
that man Hogan?'
james Hogan was produced and stood
before the general.
"Who is here with you. Mr.. HoganT
''Archie Morgan. SIR
We'll. If put you and Morgan across
the James river yonder, can you go
down to City Point and tell General
Grant | want forage and rations for
this command sent to White House in
side of a week7"
Yes. sir
Then go and do it. and the quicker
you get to City Point the better it will
be for all of U.s."
This was on the afternoon OF March
10 Columbia is in Fluvanna county.
on the outside Of the horseshoes Of the
James river. some forty miles as the
bird files above Richmond and distant
from City Point by the nearest practi-
cable road not less than seventy-fve
miles, and this through the enemy's
country and directly around General
Lees army at Petersburg.
As soon rs dusk settled down pom
toon was showed into the water. and
the two men. with their horses, were
set across into Cumberland county In a
piece of brushwood. They stripped off
the big overcoats they wore and stood
before the pontooners a Confederate
major and his orderly with cavalry
straps on. Then the pontooners took
The overcoats and their astonishment,
leturned to camp and left Morgan and
Hogan to such fate as the gathering
darkness and the enemy's country
might have in store for them.
Striking the main road at Carriers
VILE, they kept down through Cum
berland county to the Court House. then
on into Amelia county, and o'clock
the next morning found them on the
Richmond and Danville railroad at
Amelia Court House. At daylight they
struck Mansboro. which boasted of an
old fashioned Virginia tavern. at which
they determined to feed themselves and
their horses.
Stirring up the landlord. they filled
him with n plausible story of impor-
tant business and long ride, with
which he was perfectly satisfied.
During the two hours they stopped
here they saw only two stray soldiers
and one mounted officer. all Of the Con-
federacy, but who seemed to care more
for their morning snifter Of corn whis-
ky and molasses than they did for the
strangers.
The officer merely paused in his drink
to ask the usual question, "Wha air
you uns gwine?" and was perfectly
with Morgan's "Down on the
right, yander," as he observed: "Sorry
I'm a-gwine t'other way. All day to
you"
AS soon as the horses were refreshed
they started again into Dinwiddle coun-
ty, crossing the Southside railroad at
Ford's. then down the Stony Greek val
ley to Dinwiddie Court House. 1t was
near the middle Of the afternoon. and
they put up again, and as there was no
scarcity of people about, both Confed
crate soldiers and citizens. they put on
all the cheek of which they were capa-
BILE. coolly disarming suspicion by an
assumption of authority and knowl-A
edge that left no room for question. =
HoCon'c ctorv yoS fhat ha had her