Year: 1862

who were in special danger) creeping down
stairs and out to some hiding place. I
remember coming back to the porch and
hearing one of my cousins asking for her
baby, and then rushing down the hill almost
among the men, where they had stopped
at the spring house, TO take the child QUO
of danger. Then one of the secession ladies
came out and said she would go down and talk
to the men, and so my cousin turned back with
her and went down TO the spring. 1t was ev-
ident st once that they knew the lady to be of
their own party, and, though they had been
trying TO persuade the servants they were Un-
ion soldiers, there was no doubt they were
come to arrest Uncle Robert, and to carry out
their threat to hang him, but they said they
ment no harm to US, and whether they respect
ed the house on account of the seeessionists in
it, or whether they pitied defenseless group
OF women and children so it was that they
turned and rode away, ten of them who had
ridden up toward the house turning back with
the rest They left a horeman at each end OF
the yard as pickets, and forty of their number
(there we're near one hundred in alll camped
that night in wooG just at the side of US,
waiting still for "old Bob Breckinridge," as
they called him. They were wild locking
set. l hope l may never look on their like
again, and that have had my last glimpse OF
Texan Ranger.


As soon as they had left the yard, three
messengers were sent by different routes, to
turn Uncle Robert back, and it was not till
they had been turned back and threatened
with shooting by the rebel piokets, who caught
them several times, that one, taking wide
circuit got past them, and, by Gods mercy,
reached the turnpike just as Uncle Robert
was passing it and SO saved his life. From
that time till we returned to town, two days
after, we sent and received constant notes to
and from town by these faithful servants, but
under constant terror of detection. There were
spies sll about US, and if it was known that
we were sending information to headquarters
in town, we should never send any more
Tha. night force was already to come out
from town and take these men of whom we
had written them, and Just at the last minute
the officer in command at Lexington refused
to let them go, and when men, whose
wives and children were out with us, implored
him to give them men, or let them collect
the men themselves, he refused. 1t was whis-
pered that he was traitor, and the next day
a new commander was sent but the men had
escaped from our neighborhood and Joined the
band further on; but all through that night
we waited and listened for our soldiers from
town, while from the camp in the woods came
the oaths and shouts and pistol shots of Nor.
gan's men, who had US at their mercy. We
made our preparations for flight or hiding
stitching our money in our clothes, burying
our valuables, and burning our notes; then we
took all the guns that were in different part:
of the house into our own rooms, that at least
they might not be used against US, and locked
ourselves into our rooms. That night and tht
next / want to forget. We knew that we were
watched, and / heard footsteps and signals al
around the house till morning dawned. ThC
| door of one Of our rooms Ton the ground floor
opened on the yard, and hands were gropinE
about the window shutters all night long.
knew this, as / sat at the window doing pickle
duty, listening and watching, with a despair
ing, dogged feeling that, if they killed us, a
least we should know when they were coming
Both of the ladies in the room with me wer


invalids, and slept from time to time, over
come with fatigue and excitement and l can
not tell you how cruel it seemed to have +


wake them every now and then, to let then
know of some new sound or intimRtion O
danger, that they might be prepared. Oh
they were nights to drive person crazy, an


was thankful that did not know, till man
/ days after, that our worst fears were true; ths
1 four pickets were in the yard one night, an


six the next, watching US and coming, as W


know, clese up to our doors and windows.