The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-05-12
Fleeing Conscripts.

| B, 33d Mass, Hamilton, o.
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Fleeing Conscr1pts.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: live in
Bradley County, Tenn; have tried to live
here ever since 50; being a loyal man l
had to fee for my life, go into the rebel
| army as a conscript, or be murdered for
| resisting / fled. The great majority of
the people were loyal, but there was a mis-
chievous, hard lot among the minority that
was disloyal, and that element of the dis
| loyal minority terrorized and controlled the
community. A little Jew came to our town
and parked about the streets, trying to
raise recruits for the rebels, but he &C
complished nothing. But in the Summer
| Of 81 q hard citizen named Bill Brown
| became an active rebel leader and organ
lied company Of congenial thugs, and
! took charge Of Cleveland and all the region
| to which they could march within day or
| two. A lower-down lot of low-down ras-
Gals, robbers, sneaks, murderers and viii
lains of every grade of low and desperate
vllainy could not be congregated than
was the aggregation Of Bill Browns rebel
organization. that. for the rebel Govern
ment, patrolled the County of Bradley,
Tenn. What q Government it must have
been, to resort to such men to administer
and shOtguns Of the citizens, and left them
| thus utterly defenseless.
Union men had u sort of semi-OrganiZa-
| ton as necessary precantion for self
protection and spreading notice of dangers
discerned approx ching. Their occasional
meetings We're in darkness, in forests,
where only whispers were ventured. The
community was, pilfered, not once only,
but repeatedly; often what could not be
consumed or conveniently conveyed to
market for sale was wantonly destroyed.
Union men were dragged from their beds,
| torn from the arms of their pleading fam
lilies, and planted in the ranks Of regiments
at the 'front.' and their helpless wives and
children were harassed. tormented,
robbed and afflicted continuously, in their
absence. AS long as a man was able to
command cash and would pay Bill Brown
regularly stipulated sum, he would not
be otherwise disturbed; but when his
money was all In, he had to levant, or go
into the rebel, army--or hang!
| 1t was BY no means easy to levant: OF
| course, Billy Browns band. of butchers
and burners knew every rebel sympathiZer;
all the rest-all. indeed, who did not help
them-were called Lincolntes or Lincoln
tiers. and these were watched. II they
were known to be absent and their where
| abOuts were not known, notice was given
at all the outposts, and they were
watched for on all the lines of escape to
the Yankees. To be captured when refu-
ranks-if the refugee was allowed to live
until they could get him to Tuscaloosa.
Nevertheless, a good many did succeed N
getting through TO the boys in blue.
Many from this county were conscriptesl
to the Both Tenn, which was at Knox
ville and along the East Tennessee, and
Georgia Railroad and a good many Of
4 hn,r,
gained company in the regiment for es-
cape, when the command was sent to
Cumberland. 1t was an odd fact that
when arms were issued to these men at
Knoxville, many of them received their
| once squirrel rifles and other like weapons
of the chase that Bill Brown had stolen
| from them at home. months before.
When Zollcoffer was killed at Mill
| Spring, about Feb. Is or 10, go, a lack
Of order in that part of the army followed
| for some reason, and as Gen. Thomas
! with his Yankees was SD near, there was
| hope of successful efforts at escape, not
| wthstanding that the lines of escape were
yet more heavily guarded than usual.
| Ten of us started on March l. CO. and
underground railroad system in existence.
and refugees always could know in adj
| vance to whom>it would be safe to appeal
for help or guides. Orten Shipley was the
| friend who concealed us the first day. We
found six others under his care when we
arrived. He guided us to a safe crossing
| and we proceeded to a family named Nc.
Knight, who Toasted us on chicken and
| encouraged us. We had to be very secret
and our escapes were often very narrow.
| Had it not been for these friends we must
incvitab bly, have failed. A man named
Shaver brought us food in abundance and
guided us to some others who were seek.
|
worst of all, snow fell and hindered prog
ress by making it impossible to proceed
without leaving a toO-vsible trail. When
we reached our friend Morgan-of the I'M
| foreground systenl-at the Sequa tche
River, we learned that he had just been
| formally warned that he was to be hanged
| for his next offense--the offense being aid.
direction and guidance for refugees. But
| he allowed us to find shelter from the
storm in his barn. In the night we turned
back short Instance and took another
road. rs iti waE not possible to get on by
that rOuteiohndi as the river was impass-
able we ha& lie in concealment for sew
eral days, ddufihg which the storm con-
-tinued; .theiY affer the storm, till the floods
somewhat '1'eceded, we harbored in al
abandonedsh house on ridge. in forest
remote from the highway. 1t was peril
GUS but inevitable, unless we voluntarily
returned toy tile rebel ranks. Twice We
essayed passage of the Sequatchie, and
4 failed and rwafted. For the third attempt
conducted by al guide, we went up the
river aboutna iAaile: The stream was now
within it's banks, but filled with much ice
and too deep 1ahd swift to wade There
4 was no ferry-Abnly skiff, and that. we
found, wasiOn"4he other side of the river
John Ronines stripped. got OH horse and
went over afteFthe skif, which he brought
over, and The served as ferryman, takins
us over two or three at a time, risking life
Of all on board at every trip forth and
back Nor, knowing how important even
a second of time might be. did he delay tc
recover his clothes until we were al
across. -, t-t ,nt -i -.
In three hours we were at the top OF
the Cumberland Mountains. and stopped
to rest, feeling then pretty SAFE We trav
eled all that day and all that night
SAMUEL II. HUMBARD, Co. +, LIST Tenn
Cav, Cleyeand,' Tenn. .~-
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