The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1909-08-05
THE CAPTURED SCOUT.

war; His story of the capture OF Row
and the famous scout, and his escape
shows the sort of courage this hazardous
calling required. The story is gwen III
Rowand's own words. :,
"'Well.' he went on. was captured
that raid-for the first and last Time
Four of us were started IN th' fate az
ernoon. about dark, to get tnrouSll
3rec<inridges lines and bring back zen
Dufie. whose brigade had been sent 10
90 around Lynchburg. We did not know
then that Hunters scouts had trleo 10
Get through and had been driven PACK.
We rode for some hours, and then, about
half past 10, spied light in house; we
rode up and asked for something to eat
Offering to pay. There was a woman
sitting up with sick child; she looked
a. our gray uniforms; then, her eyes
shining, "Pay?" she said. Il do not
charge our boys anything!" The other
two were left outside to watch; Town
send and 1 went in. The woman gave
us bread and cold meat, and milk to
drink; we thanked her and went out to
take our turn at watching while the
others ate. The men were gone. There
was a fence about twelve feet from the
house. and from behind the fence came
the order to surrender; it was very
dark. but we could see dozen heads
above the top of the fence and the CLEAN
of the leveled carbines.
"'Are you Yanks?' / called.
"No!' s
"sOh'-as though relieved. That's all
right, then; we surrender They came
in and took away our revolvers. Then
remembered that in my pocket there
was a pass, naming me as scout and
passing me through the Union lines at
all times; I managed to get the small
pocketbook, and by flip of my fingers
shoot it up my sleeve and hold it in the
hollow of my arm Then they took us
into the house and the inquisition be-
gam
"'See,' he said, getting to his feet
and moving swiftly about the room
Here is the fireplace, a big one, and
there is window-there where that one
is: and there another one, and here is
the door into the hall-open, and there
* one into the next room that is closed.
And here am I with the light strong on
nv face. so that they could see the
flicker of an eyelid or the twitch OF a
muscle. and the captain, with his back
to the light, sits facing me, with our
chairs close together. Townsend and
scout. close facing too, are over there
more in the shadow.
"Townsend and never even glanced
at each other, but each strained his ears
for the others answers. If we had been
examined separately, we would have con-
tradicted each other in something, and
been hung. But we kept our stories
straight. Townsend was in grave
danger. because he was a deserter from
the Confederate General Jenkins COM
mand and the man who was questioning
him was one of Jenkins scouts; but that
very fact saved him. for he was so well
posted that he quickly allayed suspicion.
".We were couriers from McCausland
Il told the captain-with verbal mes
sages. Why were they not written =
ask McCausland that As to what the
messages were, that was different; they
| were for Gen. Breckenridge at the Rock
fish Gap, and could not be told to any
captain met in the road who asked for
them. Describe Gen. McCausland?
Certainly; and the number of his regi-
ments and the number of guns-(that
was easy; I had been in his camp two
nights before!)
".eThe scout examining Townsend
called over. "This man is all right, Cap
tain" But the captain shook his head
over me-he was troubled; something
did not ring quite true. "Where are
you froa?' he sharply asked. "Lewis
Countv-West Virginia. told him. In
Weston? Yes; I know Lawyer Jackson,
and old Doc Hoffman, and Describe
them. Sure! (You see, we had been
camped there in August and September,
1921
envy name is Hoffman, the captain
, said. lee Hoffman, of Hampton's
Legion He was still looking at me with
frown' of perplexity, and I laughed in
his face. you think I am a deserter?'
I asked. No, I don't. l don't under
stand you-you puzzle me. You are a
| Southerner-you are no Yankee, am
sure of that Then to make sure what
we are, you had better send us under
guard to Breckinridge's headquarters
It was that that shook down his last
doubts. Z have letter. he said, abrupt
ly, 'for Gen. Breckenridge. Take it and
get through as quick as you can.
Hurry
"Hurry!' I sneered. We'll need to!
you've kept us here an hour and half
now We took the letter. 1t is the
one found on page 759, vol. xxxvii, of
the Official Records; it begins: New
Fairfield, Va, June IL, '64.. 1 1 pm. Maj
Gen. j. C. Breckenridge General:-The
enemy are now at Lexington, camped;
not moving to-day.
"sRowland gleefully gave this letter to
Gen. Averell next morning, but not be
fore he and his companion had again
come near to being hanged"
Mr.. Beymer gives an interesting
picture of Gen. Sheridan, as seen through
the eyes of Rowand the scout. Rowand
is telling his own story.
"'Gen. Sheridan was the best officer
| by all odds that I have served under.
He stood by his scouts in everything and
they one and all would have gone TO
any ends to get for him the information
that he desired. He himself gave his
orders to us-his "old' scouts, that is
those of us who were with him before
Mai. Young took command-and he per-
sonally received our reports. He was
impulsive, but not in the least the rough
bully that some writer's have tried to
make him out. / saw him very angry
only once and that was at me- 1.-The
chuckle left no doubt as to how it had
come out.) TT was on the James river
canal raid, one very. dark night just
after storm--it did nothing but storm
those days (early March, '65)-that a
party of us scouts found, unguarded, a
great warehouse containing about $780,
| OO0 Of c,1nplioc Wo Oo 11oppd hack and