Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1906-08-25
A MARROW ESCAPE.
Division Mail Carrier Picks Up Thor.
ouehbred Horse That Carried
Him to Safety.

This is the narrative OF Private
j. He had heard great deal said
about escapes; and as soon as he
could get a chance. he related this,
in the American Future. which GER
tainly has a smack OF the real thing:
All through that campaign l had
acted as mail carrier for a division
OF the Sixth corps. Everybody in the
division knew me. and never had
any difficulty In getting all the help
that / needed from time 10 time II
could tell great deal about what
happened. both at the front and the
rear. between that July and Novem-
Der II was nay business 20 get the
mail for my division separated from
that OF the rest OF the corps. when Il
could be done. as quick as possible.
and 70 make regular trips back with
the outgoing mail. Many adventures
happened TO me IA this business:
none quite so stirring as that OF the
early morning OF October 10. 1864.
For two days previous had been
AT Winchester. A mail was expect
ed. and. as usual. I was on hand 10
get what belonged TO my division. III
got IL on the evening OF the 18th.
after dark / knew that Gen. Sheri-
dan had arrived from Martinsburg
that day on hts way back TO his army.
and that he was passing the night at
Winchester. Everything was quiet at
the front. according 20 reports that
had come in that morning. The nat
ural and ordinary thing would have
been for me 10 walt In peace and
~
sleeping In a good bed. eating some
thing better than rations that night
and the next morning. and then fall
ing In with the generals escort after
breakfast, and riding up TO the front
with them.
AS II happened. should have made
about the same progress that did.
had adopted this course. and. with
somewhat different adventures.
should have got my mail up 70 the
division about the same time.
don't know what IL was moved me
TO make night journey OF il, unless
IL was that l was not sleepy. and felt
a great deal more like riding than
sleeping. IN that restless kind OF
condition. IL occurred TO me that
might just as well get the mall ND
20 the front az daybreak as six hours
later. and acted promptly on the
Idea My horse was a poor con-
demned animal that the Quartermas-
ter had furnished me some weeks be-
tore' claiming that IL was the best
ne could DO for me. ! have no doubt
ne lied. but time has softened his Of
Tense, II II has not entirely wiped II
out OF my recollection OF those DAYS.
That animal was knee-sprune. and
could not be depended upon for more
than two miles and a half per hour
| had tried my best TO make an even
exchange with some OF the cavalry
ana oTderlies when they were not
lookng). but either they were too
sharp. or / was too duh. and the swap
was never effected. My Rosinante
was well known all through the COM
mand. and l became the subject OF
much good humored banter ON his
account.
calculated that by starting from
Winchester at ten O'Clock that even
ing l could pass over the Is miles be-
tween that place and the camp of the
army by sunrise. There was soma
risk of guerrillas. but I had learned |
something Of their ways, and was not
fearful OF their lurking along the Val |
ley pike that night
SO / started. reckoning without nv
host. 1t seemed 10 me that my poor
old mount never went so slow. With
cifhculty i was able to get him on q 1
walk for three minutes at a time. |
The night was cold and clear until |
about four o'clock. when fog began
20 rise. passed through Midtown.
Kernstown. Newton and Middletown.
all places that the veterans OF the
Shenandoah campaigns will recognize
by their names.
Just beyond Middletown heard a 1
noise of musketry away over to the
left. I stopped a moment and then
rode on, thinking II was only some
casual picket firing A half mile fur
Their | heard a vOlley from the same
direction. then faint sound OF what
We used to call the confederate yen."
was riding nearly in the direction
OF the sound. ana I now turned sharp /
on TO the right. short distance L
over the meadows in that direction |
i saw small shed. and, obeying an
impulse. ! rode into H. merely
wanted to stop and think what to do, |
as 1t was pretty plain to me that an
attack had been made by the enemy,
and that battle woull follow.
In the shed there wal "a horse. With
no equipments but headstan and /
bride. and fastened by the latter. I'll
was just light enough for me to see.
and my eyes devourcd the animal II |
was Virginia thoroughbred: as
handsome piece OF horse flesh as I |
had ever seen.
How did ne come there? You must
ask some other person: ] don't know
can only suppose that, az Mosby was