Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-07-10

" slunbering amid pillows of blankets,
and Mosby, walking up and shaking
him, told him to get up. Hearing the
name of Mosby family in his dreams,
Stoughton sleepily inquired, Have
you got Mosby?" supposing it was one
of his own scouting parties come to
report the capture of the ranger leader,
| but he was scared into life when, with
a rough shake and slap, the Confed-
crate Informed him that "MoSby has
got you
There Is 40 use in resisting" re-
marked Mosby, coolly. cit means, sir,
that you are my prisoner, for Stuart's
cavalry is in possession of the place"
| Knowing it fruitless to struggle against
such force, Stoughton arose and
dressed hurriedly, guarded all the
while by the Confederates, who also
secured the rest of the staff officers in
the house. Placing the general between
two of his men, Mosby returned to the
| green, where he met the rest of his
men, who had been on foraging ex-
| petition about the town. On taking
an account of what had been gathered
in it was found that, besides Brigadier
| General Stoughton, they had secured
two captains thirty other prisoners,
| together with their arms, ammunition
and fifty-eight horses.
The return trip was safely made,
though the party, whose prisoners were
stronger in number than their captors,
were fearful that some outcry might
be made that would awake those of the
foe who were slumbering. AS soon as
they were out of earshot of the town
they set out at brisk pace and about
dawn passed within 200 yards of the
| Federal fort at Centerville. The grim
mouths of the cannon could be seen
looming up in the dim light and one
| prisoner, Captain Barker, of New
| York here made a break for liberty,
but was brought back by timely shot.
Passing beyond the reach of the forti-
| fications, Mosby's men struck out at a
rapid pace for their own lines, and
were soon safe from any interference,
delivering up their prisoners to the
| Confederate authorities.
Another exciting and very remunera-
tive adventure of the rangers was when
they captured a Federal pay train,
from which they secured a large
amount of greeabacks. 1t was in Oc-
tober, 1864, that Harry Heaton, one of
the scouts, came and informed Mosby
that there was a fine opening in the
valley on the line Of the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad, so party was secured
and they set out across the mountains
for Duffield station, at which place the
pay train was to pass, reaching the
| spot just before it was due Obstruc-
lions were placed upon the track, so
that when the express came dashing
down it came to an abrupt stop.
A guard was placed over the engine
and the rangers entered the cars. On
board were two Union paymasters, hav-
| ing in charge the money for the troops,
the amount reaching $4,000, which
was secured by West Aldridge,
one of Mosby's men. Aldridge promptly
reported his luck to Mosby, and when
the full sum was collected it was equal
| ly divided out among the men, Mosby
refusing to accept any share. The pas
| sengers were relieved of their funds,
which went as individual spoils. Then
| the cars were set on fire, and the band
went back with twenty prisoners and
| fifteen horses, besides the money and
| the two paymasters, the latter being
sent on to prison. One of the paymas-
ters was a brother to General Ruggles.
Another time a train was captured
near Catlett's station, on what is now
the Southern Railroad. Lee was max
ing his preliminary preparations for his
Gettysburg campaign, Hooker was COW
ering Washington, while Pleasanton's
| Cavalry Corps was stationed on the
river about fifty miles from the capt.
| tai General Stuart had sent to Mosby
| by Captain Fountain Beattie a small
| mountain howitzer, and it was deter
mined to use it in an attack on the
railroad, which was employed by the
| Union army for the conveying of troops
| To cripple this service would be a great
| aid to the Confederacy. SO the tele
graph lines were cut, a rail removed
and with the howitzer on the bank the
| men waited for the train. In a few
minutes it came booming along, then
gIided from the track, while the infan-
| try guard fired a voIley. In moment
shell from the gun went crashing into
the boiler, at which the troops desert
ed. The hay on board fired up and
burned brightly, while the escaping
steam made noise like that of In
ferno's caldrons. The cars were loaded
with fine suffers stores, and all of this
was secured by the hungry rangers
Philadelphia Times.