Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-12-27
SHERIDAN'S SCOUTS,
Archie" Rowland Recalls Shenan-
doah Valley Days, Also Famous
Ride.


Ride.
II wanted to stay with Averel1;
begged to stay. He said he was sor-
ry TO lose me. but that | would have to
go. / went accordingly. I had never
seen Gen. Sheridan, never had him
described. Averell and Milroy were
big men-Somehow l expected to find
another big man; he was big only in
fight. SHERIDAN was but five feet five)
He was pointed out to me in front of
headquarters, and / went up and sa-
luted He looked me up and down.
Il asked Gen. Avereli for his old
est scout, was all he said.
ct am his oldest in point of service
in knowledge of the Valley 1 an
swered.
How old are you? How long
have you served? he inquired. 1 was
nineteen, l told him, and had secuted
for over two years in the Valley. He
took me into headquarters and
pumped me for an hour and half;
then sent me for four or five good men
quick as you can get them L got
Jack Riley, Dominic ia Fannin, Jim
White, Alvin Stearns, and John Dunn.
to Sheridan from the Army of the
Potomac"
These men, and two or three others.
seem to have been the nucleus of
Sheridan's scouts in the Valley of the
Shenandoah-the SecretfService organ
ization which a little later, having been
recruited up to forty, under command
of Major H. H. Young, became the
most efficient the most noted in the
Federal army. 7
Months afterward Gen Sheridan
asked me what L supposed he saw
when L first reported to him: Two
big brown eyes and a mouth, Row
and; that was ALI 1 weighed less
than a hundred and forty then-you
mightn't believe it now-and / was six
feet tall. He had that way with US,
that easy friendliness; we would have
done anything for him. He was a fine
mani"
Silence fell; he stared unseeing out
of the window, musing: the office, and
me, and the stenographer with poised
pen, l saw he had quite forgot. And
| enyied him that inner sight of the
great dead leader-the chance to live
over. again in memory his close SER
vice with Philip II. Sheridan, the beau
ideal of the war. ee
Presently he began again, slowly:
General Sheridan was the best Of
| ficer by all odds that | have served
un6er. He stood by his scouts in ev-
erything, 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 Major Young
| took command-and he personally re-
ceived our reports. He was impulsive,
but not in the least the rough bully
| that some writer's have tried to make
him out. I saw him very angry only
once-and that was at me. CThe chuc-
kle left no doubt as to how it had
come out.) 1t was on the James Riv-
/ er Canal Raid, one very dark night
| just after a storm-it did nothing but
storm those days (early March, OBJ
| that a party of us scouts found, I'M
guarded, great warehouse containing
about three hundred thousand dollars
of supplies. We galloped back, and 1
was sent in to Sheridan to report.
Did you burn them?' he asked
sternly.
why, General said, I'VE did not
have orders He was getting mad
der all the time; and at last he roared:
Orders hell. Why didn't you burn
those things-why didn't you Think
| 1T was only a couple of days after
ward that we ran across more stores.
lOf course we burned them. When L
came to that part of my report about
finding the stores he gripped the arms
of his chair and, leaning forward,
Iasked, You didn't burn those?'
/ Eyes | said proudly. i set them
on fire.
"He leaped from his chair and
shouted: What in hell did you burn
those for! I am going up that way
Ito morrow He kind of glared at me
flor a moment, and then he remembered
the last time l had reported to him, and
he burst into big laugh.
after Gen. Sheridan came to the
Valley I made several uneventful trips
into the enemy's lines. unless he es-
capped by hairs breadth any trip
Twas 'uneventiful,' and he could not
be got to say much about IT'D The
might before Cedar Creek I had got
in from a hard trip to Moorefield and
Romney; Sheridan was away, and
came back to scouts headquarters
and went to sleep. About A. M. OF
later was Weakened by Dominic Fan
min and Alvin Stearns getting in. and
+ idamning Crook right and left. They