Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-02-09

Smithville, where the Confederate headquarters were located. Hiding his boats, with their crews. within twenty five yards of a Confederate shore bat tery, he went with but two companions to the house occupied as private quar- ters by General Hebert and on the way passed through the main street of the village. Around the house there were 1,200 Confederate soldiers sleeping in their barracks.
 It was fully midnight before the house grew still and the lights went out. Cushing left his comrades on watch at the porch and, entering the unbolted door, crept upstairs to the generals room, which had been located for him by a negro familiar with the premises. With his hand on the gener- al's door he was startled by a crash be- low-and loud outcry from one of his men. Springing down tbe steps, he dis covered that his comrades, in overcon- fdence, had alarmed the adjutant gen. eral, who hoisted window and sud- denly brought 1t down with bang up on Yankees revolver and the wrist of Yankee arm which held the ugly weapon in his very face.
 The alarm was out, and Cushing must act quick or lose the game. He instant ly leaped into the room with a lighted taper and dragged from the bed dazed sleeper, who ppoyed to be Hebert's chief engineer, Captain Kelly. From Kelly he learned that the chief was not in his usual place that night. X
 The Confederate adjutant general, after encountering the revolver at the window, had taken precipitate flight from the scene of danger, leaving the drowsy and luckless captain as the next best substitute for the more distinguish ed prisoner to grace the Yankee admi- raPs board next morning. Hebert's headquarters desks were rifed of official papers and plans, and while alarm cries sounded through the camp and drums beat the long roll in the forts Cushing and party, with the surprised Captain Kelly under guard, were in the middle of the river dropping down stream as noiselessly as they came.
 When Hebert reached his quarters the day after the midnight visit he was met by an orderly bringing in from a flag of truce at the outposts the follow. ing message of regret:
 My Dear General-I deeply regret that you were not home when called. in- close my card. Very respectfully.
 w. B. CUSHING.
 Cushing's nerve at the trying moment of execution was fully equal to his bold ness in planning, and this combination of traits was just the service needed in the peculiar warfare of the North Car olina waters. His services were not, however, solely those of free lance. Ordinarily he was on routine duty, ac- cording to his rank, sometimes volun- teering and sometimes being chosen by his superiors for fugitive exploits Some months before the raid on General He bert he had passed over the same route in cutter with two officers and fifteen men, gliding by the forts and Hebert's camp without discovery. On this trip, which was also undertaken in the night, his boat nearly collided with Confederate blockade runner putting to sea from the port of Wilmington and also with Confederate guard boat en- countered in the river.
 The night was very dark until the cutter came to a fortified bluff known as the Brunswick batteries, when the moon suddenly emerged from a cloud and disclosed the strange craft to the enemy's sentinels on shore. Firing a few shots at the cutter, the sentinels alarmed the sleeping garrison. Cush- ing directed his men to pull for the op- postte shore, out of range, and proceed up the river. Before reaching Whining ton, which was the destination of the raiders, the boat was beached and se- creted in marsh, and the party lay all day in hiding, watching the passing blockade runners.
 After dark on the second night the cutter again took to the wave and cap. tured two rowboats filled with men, who proved to be fishermen from Will mtngton. Cushing promptly impressed the strangers as guides and with their aid reconnoitered all the forts and bat teries along the river. In his wander 1ngs along shore Cushing struck the highway between Wilmington and Fort Fisher. the famous Confederate strong hold at the mouth of Cape Fear river, and lay in wait to capture the enemy's mail between those points. The carrier from Fort Fisher was secured, but the Wilmington man, on approaching the strange party, suspected mischief and turned back. Gushing mounted the horse of the captured postnan and