The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1914-08-27
A CIPE TER !,
DlSP ATCEI'
By WILLIAM CHANDLER

01nSASnt OouIederdIe FORCES. ana II;
they should make a simultaneous at
tack upon us they would crush u.s..
But communication between the two
was difficult since we were in u valley
with high mountains on either side.
and, realizing that we must keep our
enemies apart. we threw out line of
plckets on either side of us extending
as far up the mountain as passage
was possible
was in command of about 800 men.
MY information was that the force
southwest Of us consisted of about 600,
and that on the northeast of us num-
bered about 1000 men. 1t was evil
dent that If compelled to fight one OF
these forces in our front and another
In our rear there would be nothing left
of us. If the Confederate commander
south of us. Colonel B.. had been as
enterprising as he should have been
and attacked us doubtless the force to-
the north. hearing his guns. would
have joined in the fight But the colo
mel seemed to prefer certainty and
sent one courier after another to Major
L.. ordering him to attack us on
specified day and hour Every one of
these couriers we captured. One bore
message in writing. The others Ell
Their carried no messages or. if they
did, managed to get away with them
without our knowing it,
Finally we were reduced to our last
raton-we had onl" three days. rations
to start with-and even If not attacked
we must soon surrender. When / was
contemplating asking for terms my
pickets sent in to me negro who had
been caught trying to steal through
the lines far up on the mountain. He
was as stupid looking man as ever
saw. and my surmise that he was not
shamming proved correct. Indeed, 1t
/, was probable that he had been select
ed to do the work he was intrusted
with because he was SO stupid that he
would not likely be taken for the bear
er of an important message from one
officer to another.
l directed that he be searched and
anything found on him be brought to
me- My orderly, who did the search
ing. brought me pOcketknife. a small
| piece of tobacco and dirty piece of
! paper that proved to be q receipt for
| % cents paid for chicken feed. l
threw the paper down as unworthy Of
attention. but took it UP again and,
! getting more light on it. noticed GER
i tain marks on it in pencil that looked
as if a newly hatched chicken had
been walking over it. These tracks
! were on two lines on the back OF the
receipt. the one on the upper edge of
the paper. the other lower down. !
confessrs1 was much puzzled by. them.
l called in several of my officers and
asked If they could make anything
out of them. Lieutenant Budd sug-
/ Gested that they might be parts OF LET
ters This view was soon voted cor.
rect by the rest OF us. But of what
| letters they were parts we did not
: know and made no Roadway in discov;
| ering.
t Budd said that If would let him
take the paper to his tent he would
try to study the matter out. L gave
him permission. and In an hour he re-
1 turned with the puzzle solved. The
! paper had been wrapped about a round
| stick. probably Il rnler for line max
ing. and message had been written
where the upper edge had soverlapped
half of each letter being on the edge
and half on the paper over which the
edge Tapped. When adjusted on z
! stick like the one on which the mes
sage had been written it was perfect
~ plain. When the paper was I'm
rolled the upper parts Of the letters
were separated from the lower parts
I The message was addressed to Major
L. and read thus:
Attack the force south of you at dawf
on Tuesday next When hear your gum
will take the enemy in rear.
was delighted with the informa tior
had received. and it occurred to me
that might turn it to account. Nigh
=. not rub out the message and write
another one in it's place? The negro
had undoubtedly been given the mes
sage and shown how it was to be de
ciphered. but probably he couldn't reat
il himself and did not know what j
was. directed Budd to test the man!
capacity to read and he reported tina
he didn't know one letter from anoth
err. This decided me. resolved Il
send Major T.. orders. Of my own choos
ing in Colonel BIS name. Rolling tn
message on the stick. 1 wrote the FOL
lowing: &
March on receipt of this southeastern
Though the pa directly in your rear an
Join me at r.. whence our commands pro
coed 10 Richmond
J. signed the colonel's name TO tn
message and sent for the negro. ask
ed him IL number of questions as t.
where and why he was going nortl
and why he didn't come to me Tor
pass instead of trying to steal through
my lines. He told Il pitiful story abou
sick wife and starving children. and
pretending to be- moved by it. hand
ed him back his knife. his Tobacco" am
his receipt and told Rudd to see hin
through the lines