Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-08-20
Civil War Stories
The Captured Scout.


one of the Union scouts in the Civil
War. His story of the capture Of Row.
and, the famous scout, and his escape
shows the sort of courage this hazard
Gus calling required. The story is
given in ROwand's own words.
WELL he went on, I was captured
that raid-for the first and last time.
Four of us were started in the late
afternoon, about dark, to get through
Breckinridge's lines and bring back
General Duffie, whose brigade had
been sent to go around Lynchburg We
did not know then that Hunters
scouts had tried to go through and
had been driven back. We rode for
some hours, and then, about half past
10, spied light in a house; we rode
up and asked for something to eat
Offering to pay. There was woman
sitting up with sick child; she look
ed at 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;
Townsend and I 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; 1t
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.
MOT
"Oh-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; l managed to get
the small pocketbook, and by flip
of my fingers shoot it up my sleeve
and hold 1t in the hollow OF my arm.
Then they took us into the house and
the inquisition began.
See, he said getting to his feet
and moving swiftly about the room
Here is the fireplace, big one, and
there is q window-there where that
one is; and there another one, and
here is the door into the hall-open,
and there Is one into the next room
that is closed And here am | with
the light strong on my face, so that
they could see the flicker Of an eyelid
or the witch of muscle, and the cap
tain, with his back to the light, sits
facing me. with our chairs close to-
gether. Townsend and scout, close
facing, too, are over there more in the
shadow.
Townsend and I never even
glanced at each other, but each strain
ed his ears for the others answers. II
we had been examined separately, we
would have contradieted each other in
something, andLbeen hung. But we
kept our stories straight. Townsend
was in grave, danger, because he was
a deserter from the Confederate Gen
eral Jenkins command, 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.
1--WE were couriers from McCaus-
land-I told the captain-with verbal
messages. Why were they not writ
ten?-ask McCausland that! AS to
what the messages were, that was diff
ferent; they were for General Brock
inridge at the Rockfish Gap, and
| could not be told to any captain met
in the road who asked for them. De-
scribe General McCausland? Certain
ly; and the number of his regiments
! and the number of guns-(that was
easy: l had been in his camp two
nights beforeD
1.-The scout examining Townsend
called over, This man is all right,
! Captain But the captain shook his
head over me-he was troubled; some
| thing did not ring quite true. Where
are you from?' he sharply asked.
Lewis County-West Virginia." l told
him. In Weston? Yes; l know Law
yer Jackson, and old Doc Hoffman,
and Describe them, Surel (You
see, we had been camped there in Az
! gust and September, '62.)
"'My name is Hoffman, the captain
said Lee Hoffman, Of Hampton's Lee
gion.' He was still looking at me
with a frown of perplexity, and
laughed in his face. You think / am
deserter?' l asked. No, | don't. l
don't understand you-you puzzle me.
You are a Southerner you are no
| Yankee, l am sure of that Then to
make sure what we are, you had bet
ter send us under guard to Breckin-
ridges headquarters. 1t was that
that shook down his last doubts. i
have a letter. he said, abruptly, foc
/! General Breckenridge. Take 1t and
get through as quick as you can
I Hurry
J Hurry! ] sneered. Web Feed
! to!-you've kept us here an hour and
| half now We took the letter. IT
is the one found on page $50, vol.