The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-11-15
STQR,!lIESAq
CAMPNk 'M
AND WAR u
TAKEN PRISONER BY A BOY
Major Blgelow, Now a Resident Of Chi
easo, Relates Wild Exploit Of
Hls Younger Days.


This incident, told by Maj. u. A
Blgelow, now a resident OF Chicago
took place when the narrator was Q
boy OF Is years in Sherman's army
on the march northward after the
march TO the sea. Al that time Mai
Bigelow was an orderly, enlisted IN
the 6Sth Ohio infantry regiment The
story he tells Is as follows;
"The morning after our arrival al
Pocotelligo a negro came into ou
headquarters quite early and inform
ed the general that there were sew
eral companies OF confederates camp
ed two or three miles out, and that
they were there TO guard a herd OF
cattle, which had been collected IN
that locality, The general immediate
ly ordered the 18th Ohio and the 18th
Wisconsin infantry 10 go out and get
hose cattle and incidentally as many
Gonfederates as possible.
81 was not on duty that day, but n
vas a beautiful morning. and 80 ]
asked and received permission to &C
with the foraging party We soon
started out with our negro guide. !
had NOT heard anything about our be
ing likely to met any confederates
and II had not occurred to me to take
my reviewers, saber or any other
weapons of defense. Less than mile
from camp We turned into a beautiful
level road, bordered on each side by
large live oak trees, and l bantered
one OF the orderlies for a race. on
we dashed. He was soon distanced
or was called back at any rate, !
plunged ahead, thinking Of nothing
except the exhllaration Of the ride.
THE road / was on was a bride
path screened on each side by heavy
underbrush; hence my movements
were unnoticed by cavalrymen com
ing down the turnpike that / was fast
approaching. At the intersection
ran plump into three mounted con.
federates. l was up against the real
thing and had to think, plan and act
on the instant. was then so far away
from the command that any immediate
relief from the source was impossible,
and so I decided would go after them
as II ! had a company at my back
Yelling with al my might, Forward,
men, forward | dashed up to them
and demanded their surrender
1.-TWO Of them had carbines swung
over their backs and the third one
had a gun lying over his arm ready for
action. I pushed my horse hard
against this man, calling out, Give
me that gum and took IL out OF his
hands It was loaded. Until | had
possession Of 1t was absolutely
helpless. / then had the drop on them,
but, Notwithstanding this, one Of them
wheeled his horse, dashed down the
road and away. / made no effort to
stop him. In fact l felt rather re.
lieved. There was an uncertain guam
tity, but was certain l could hold the
other two until the trops came up
This I did easily, but could not refrain
from joshing them for surrendering to
a 15-yearold kid, who did not have as
much as a penknife to defend him
self In due time the troops arrived
and turned over my men, their horses
and equipment.
"The confederates did not propose
to give up their cattle without a fight,
but 1t developed into nothing more
than a brisk skirmish. After we struck |
the enemy we formed in an open pine |
forest, and two companies Of Indians
from the 18th Wisconsin we're deploy- |
ed as skirmishers. They regarded 1t |
as lark, and their lodging antics and !
funny Indian calls created no end OF
merriment among the troops. The re.
suit was we succeeded in getting a
part of the cattle and returned to
Pocotelligo, but the only confederates
we brought in were the two who sur
rendered to a boy orderly out for a
lark. l did not stop to think at any
time that l was in great danger, yet
they could have killed me at sight o.
had me prisoner for the asking"