The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-11-15

Ny account of how | was made
prisoner (said a comrade) Will be
brief one. The affair was exciting
enough; but ii began and ended so
quickly that l have hardly got over
the surprise of it yet. | was captain
On the staff of General Emory, COM
handing the Nineteenth Army Corps.
On the morning of the 10th of October.
1864, we were reused up before day
light by the heavy firing over on the
left. Something was evidently wrong.
and we had our horses saddled at once.
We occupied, with Sheridan's staff, the
stone house-the 'Hite House." | have
since heard it called-in rear of our
First Division. l was dispatched over
to the pike" to see what the trouble
was and report. l did not reach the
pike" Immediately there was a great
deal between me and 1t to prevent, and
as for reporting" l never saw the
Nineteenth Corps again till the next
spring.
The morning was foggy, and it was
impossible to see a man at that hour
more than a few rods of, but l could
see the flashes of the muskets of some
Of the regiments of our corps, and
met fugitives from the Eighth In large
numbers going to the rear. A great
| noise of shooting. and a yell that was
never made by any but Southern SOL
dlers was heard from the left, and I
saw enough, besides what these fugi-
tives told me, to be sure that there
was an attack and a panic IN the
| Eighth. 1t would have been well for
me if 1 had been satisfied with what
had thus far discovered, and had
gone back to headquarters with the
report. l should certainly have found
headquarters in the saddle" and
they were never so near me again
that morning. But ] wanted to do
my whole duty. l was anxious to see
the whole trouble with my own eyes,
that l might make a faithful report
and on l went.
TO avoid the streams of fugitlves, ]
bore well off to the left, intending to
reach the pike rather below the line OF
their hasty retreat. | had not ridden
half way to the pike when came SLAP
on four soldiers. The meeting was sc
sudden. in the obscurity of the fog
that they seemed to rise out of the
ground. At glance | saw that they
wore gray. and that each Of them had
a musket.
can see now that if | had acted
with the. greatest promptncss l Nigh
have wheeled and galloped back unin
jured before fine aim could have
been taken at me: and then again
might have been knocked dead off my
horse trying It. was not quicl
enough to take the risk. l pulled up
and their muskets quickly covered me
They saluted me as "Yank," or
derlng me to dismount, and conveyin:
their wishes to me in explicit language
They had the controversy all their owl
way. and | yielded without trying Il
argue the question. | got down. ant
was taken to the pike, and up it to
ward Fishers Hill. TO place wher'
many Union prisoners had alread,
been collected. The nur1ser was swellet
TO twelve hundred by night. and W,
were started up the. valley on the lon;
way TO Richmond before Sheridani
cavalry could overtake US.
| That (said another comrade) re
minds me of what happened In plail
sight of our picket line, off on the left
linear Hatcher's Run, before that BATH
had been fought
\ Our major was in command OF tina
part of the line. He had come on
from the reserve with a sergeant, an,
took the notion to 60 beyond the lin
and see what he could see. 1t wouli
nor have been wise thing for horse
man to do. They were afoot, and |
was positively foolish. But they wen
full of big head, to tell the truth.
The country was clear In front
there being nothing but some scattering
timber to break the view for perhap
three hundred yards. l was one O
the pickets, and l watched the majo
and sergeant as they strolled along on
TO the front. probably suspecting n
danger.
What followed | got partly from m,
own observation and partly from tn
account of the major when he came in
AS he and the sergeant approache,
low stone wall, being not more thai
twenty feet from it, three musket
were thrust over it at them and
voice shouted: Surrender, Yanks. O
we'll shoot!''
The sergeant at once threw down hi
gun. He was captnred, of course, an,
sent to the Libby.
Not so the major.
l know the man pretty well. and
think / can tell what flashed throug
his mind on that stern hail. and tn
discovery of what was before him.
1t probably occurred to him that b
was where he had no business to be
that the months of weary captivit
before him would be followed by a
official inquiry as to what he wa
doing out there, and that some sever
punishment, IL not cashiering awaite
his exchange
He resolved TO run for it. He mus
have appreciated the fact that tn
chances were nine to one against him
but the reasons that I have state
made him desperate. l saw him whil
and rush for our line l heard the n
ports OF three muskets together, an
they were aimed SO low that one of tn
balls plowed the dirt in front Of m,
/ saw the majors hat fall from hi
head. / supposed 1t was blown or
the wind, In It's fight, but l learne
better few months later.
We opened fire, Of course, to cove
his retreat. The Confederate scout
got Off with the sergeant as a prisoner
we did not dare to leave our posts t
pursue.
The major was good deal flustere
when he got In. by mighty" b
said, that was a close one" l thin