Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-05-15


ing my gun. l then poured down an
other charge of powder and nine buck
shot. then mounted the horse and
started, after my father had told me
to tell the people to hide out their
horses.
had not gone but short distance
until, to my delight, l met up with
Samuel C. Graham, on the same err
rand that 1 was, he having learned
the news through the same source
my father had.
We were not long in setting the
neighborhood in high pitch of ex-
citement, and sending the blaze into
other parts. We then returned and
found seven or eight of the fathers of
the neighborhood standing in the read
in front of my fathers home, with
anxious faces, discussing the situa-
tion. Esquire Robert Graham, the
father of Sam, was the acknowledged
leader.
We soon learned from conversation
that pilfering was believed to be the
object of the Yankees. Just at that
moment some one else came up-at
this late day l do not remember who
and stated that he had understood
that the Tazewell Troopers were in
camp somewhere near the head of
Abbs Valley. After a few questions
had been asked as to how the news
had been conveyed, ETC., the ques
tion was then asked who would 90 to
Abbs Valley and hunt up the Taze-
well Troopers, and notify them and
bring them back into the neighbor-
hood?
The words had scarcely lied away,
when Sam and myself both answered,
1--WE will CO." A few words of in
struction as to where we would prob
ably find the Troopers, and we were
oc at a brisk gait. 1t was then dark,
the moon still below the horizon, but
the stars We're shining dimly through
the murky skies.
The head of Abbs Valley was about
five miles north of our home. The way
was nearly all through woods, and
two large ridges to cross. We had
reached the top of the Big Stoney
Ridge. 1t was then, as with one ac-
cord, we both reined up our horses at
the same time, as if to survey the
deep, dark gorge that lay between us
and the top of the Valley ridge. A
wild cat, or some other varmint, per-
haps, which had stopped for us to
pass, bounded off down the mountain
and was soon out of hearing. 1t was
then that Sam spoke, and said to
me: "Has it ever occurred to YOU.
that we are just as apt to ride right
into the hands of the Yankees as we
are to find the Tazewell Troopers ?"
At that moment 1 did not answer.
could not. 1t was like a flash of
lightning. 1t put every faculty of
my being into action, even my heart
seemed to swell within. The entire
custom of war seemed to stand up
before our faces, in proof of tn e
truth of what he had said, and more,
the geography of the country, the
place where the Yankees had been
seen, and where the Tazewell Troop
ers were supposed to be in camp, all
went to establish the assertion that
Sam had made, and the Tazewell
Troopers, and not pilfcring, was the
object of the maneuvering of the
Yankees.
1t, was after the above flash had
come into our minds that I said to
Sam, as we had assumed the role of
soldiers, a soldiers fare we must
accept.
1t was then and there that we
passed through the gate that either
makes or unmakes true soldier. 1t
was then and there, on the top of the
Big Stony Ridge, that we laid our
lives upon the altar of the grand
old country in which we lived.
We then passed on down into the
dark gorge that lay between Stony
Ridge and the Valley ridge, with
eyes and ears wide open, though we
could not see anything but foxfre.
About the time we got to the sulphur
spring in the deepest part of the
gorge, two old owls got into very
exciting conversation as to "who, who
we were," and "where, where are you
going?" though we did not accept
their conversation as an omen, from
the fact we had often enjoyed the
same kind of conversation while liv-
ing in the woods with them.
We soon reached the top of the
Valley ridge. The moon was just be-
ginning to show itself above the east
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