The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1912-11-07
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TAKEN PRISONER BY A BOY
Major 5igeIow, Now Resident Of CHI
cago, Relates Wild Exploit Of
His Younger Days.

This incident. told by Maj. E. A.
Bigelow, now a resident OF Chicago.
took place when the narrator was
boy Of Is years in Sherman's army
on the march northward after the
march to the sea. At 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 at
Pocotelligo a negro came into our
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 to go out and get
those cattle and incidentally as many
confederates as possible.
Il was not on duty that day, but 1t
was a beautiful morning, and so I
asked and received permission to go
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 1t had not occurred to me to take
my reviewers, saber or any other
weapons of defense. Less than a mile
from camp we turned into beautiful
level road hordarad IN aooh OIda hu
large live oak trees, and l bantered
one Of the orderlies for race. on
we dashed. He was soon distanced
or was called back; at any rate,
plunged ahead, thinking Of nothing
except the exhilaration of the ride.
"rhe 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 l was fast
approaching. At the intersection /
ran plump into three mounted con-
federates. 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 decided would go after them
as If 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
fhnfYs honlyo thn thirI
had a gun lying over his arm ready for
action. I pushed my horse hard
against this man, calling out, Give
me that gun,' and took 1t out of his
hands. 1t was loaded. Until l had
possession of it was absolutely
helpless. then had the drop on them,
but, Notwithstanding this, one of them
wheeled his horse, dashed down the
road and away. l made no effort to
stop him. In fact, I felt rather re-
lieved. There was an uncertain quan-
tity, but was certain could hold the
other two until the trops came up.
This did easily, but could not refrain
from joshing them for surrendering to
15-year-old 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.
1.-The confederates did not propose
to give up their cattle without fight,
but 1t developed into nothing more
than brisk skirmish. After we struck
the enemy we formed in an open pine
forest. and two companies Of Indians
from the 18th Wisconsin were 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 q
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 q
lark. l did not stop to think at any
time that l was in great danger, yet
they could have killed me at sight or
had me prisoner for the asking"