The Benson signal., 1917-08-11

y T.! r; ~ - >!" -
honeSt-loOking corsages and innocent
looking bustles carried many q military
secret.
Scout Spies Of the North.
Archie" Rowland was one Of the
most daring and successful scout spies
of the Northern side. He and his pals
formed the nucleus of Sheridan's Sc
cret service organization in the valley
Of the Shenandoah. This organization,
recruited up to 40, under command Of
III. II. Young, became the most noted
and efficient Of the Federal army.
Rowland tells how he volunteered
for this service. ''My company had
been on ordinary scout duty for some
time. But when we were drawn up In
line and the captain asked for vOiun-
teers for extra dangerous duty,
looked at Ike Harris and Ike looked at
me, and then we both stepped forward.
We were both boys and wanted to
know what was the extra dangerous
duty and when we found out we
hadn't the face to back down. They
took us to headquarters and gave us
two rebel uniforms-and we wished
we had not come"
These men were expected to deceive
pickets by the uniform and capture
| them so that the main body could be
surprised; or ride up to a Southern
citizen, man or woman, ask for infOr-
nation and depend upon the deception
to get all the person knew. One of
their great dangers was that Of meet
| ing death at the hands Of their own
men. Often discovered and hard
pressed by the enemy, they would flee
in their gray uniforms for safety to
their own lines, only to be met by a
murderous volley from their own mis-
taken pickets.
! Ten of YOung's command of 40 were
lost, none by the natural death of a
soldier and none in the colors for
which he died. Two were hanged by
their own halter straps.
"Aristocracy of the Army"
But they had privileges beyond any
others in the army. They were free
from all camp drudgery, guard and
picket duty, and from camp discipline.
They lived together in the headquar-
ters, ate the best the land afforded.
Each had four picked horses. They
were paid according to the value Of
their information, and the secret serv-
ice chest was prodigal with their ex-
pense accounts. They were the aris-
tOcracy of the army.
On the reverse Of a certain little
bronze star are these words: The
Congress-to Archibald Fl. Rowland,
Jr.-for Valor."
John Beall, privateersman, with Bur-
lev and Maxwell, were on the Potomac
and Chesapeake what Mosby was on
land. Beall cut the submarine tele-
graph cable under the Chesapeake and
destroyed lamps and machinery of
lighthouses. Meeting Burley by sur
prise in Toronto, Canada, they turned
into a private room and shut the door.
Then Beall slowly said: "Burley, !
want you-fOr my lieutenant. 1t Is my
old plan at last. / am to capture the
Michigan, free the Johnson island
prisoners, burn Sandusky, Cleveland
and Buffalo"
The services of Harry Young were
so esteemed that when Sheridan said,
81 want him." General Edwards re-
monstrated, II would rather you would
take my right arm" One of his SOL
diers said, 1--WE think God Almighty Of
him.
And there were Bowie, william, G.
S. A" Landegon, the Phillipus-fa-
ther and sOn-and Timothy Webster.
spy.
1t was Timothy Webster who insinu-
ated himself into the confidence of the
would-be assassins in Baltimore and
frustrated the plot against Lincoln's
life. Allan Pinkerton gives him the SUI
preme credit: "He, among all the force
who went with me- deserves the credit
of saving the life Of Lincoln, ever more
than l do"