Year: 1863

was, "Who comes there?" Friends"
said |, and then started and ran, the 9th
ers following. They fired some FIVE or
six shots at us, but did not hit me to
hurt me any: ball or buck shot just
grazed my right thigh, enough to make
it smart few minutes. We all got sep
arated before we had run ten feet. saw
one of the boys fall. but whether he was
hit or whether he stumbled and fell | |
do not know. [ am afraid he is killed
though, for have seen nor heard nothing
from him since. .r.f


| ran about ten rods and then dropped
down and laid still until | found | was
not followed, when got up and crawled
off as still as Lcould. | went down the
river a couple off miles and then hid in
the brush until the next night, when |
swan the river and went up within
half mile of Front Royal where | again
hid in the brush, calculating to watch the
next day and see if any of onr troops
we're there. The first thing | saw in the
morning was company of rebel cavalry
going down the pike; this showed me at
once that our troops were not there, and
my only show was to either 90 and give
myself up or strike for Harper's Ferry.
was so lonesome that did not know
what to do; | did not know whether the
other two boys were killed, or what had
become of them. | finally concluded
that would strike for Harper's Ferry
so at night started out, but my feet
were so sore that | could not travel, and
did not get more than 5 or miles in all
night, So | came to the conclusion that if
| could get skiff | would try and get
down the river that way-although the
river was full of falls and rapids ]
crawlcd mp on point of the bluff just be-
fore sundown one night, and discovered a
skif lying on the other side of the river !;
this thought was my best chance, so at
dark | crawled down to the bank of the
river and was waiting for everything to
get still, when a man jumped into the
sklff and crossed over to where | was lay
ing | kept quiet and he passed on up to
house about fifty yards distant After
he had gone jumped into the skiff and
started down stream. The skiff was an
old one, and leaky, and | had to use my
hat to bail it out. Abont one o'clock
discovered tina. was followed by party
on each side of the river padded
along Just as though did not suspect any,
thing, but kept close watch of my pursu-
ers. l could see them every few minutes
when there would be an opening in the
bushes on the bank, padded along un-
til | came to an island of pretty good
size, when run close up under the shade
of the trees jumped out on the bank and
let the skiff float along. | then went back
up to the heal of the island and swan
the river, crossed in the rear Of my pur-
suers and put for the mountains. dou't
know how long they followed the skiff


but | guess they felt cheap when they
found the bird had flown. The next night
| crawled a few miles farther, but there
was stone-bruise coming on my heel and
it was getting so bad that | could not
walk. laid in the woods here two days
and two nights just getting far enough to
find what black berries | wanted to eat.


The evening of the 9th I.saw skiff on
the opposite bank, and thought if could
get it could get to our lines by morning,
as it could not be more than twenty miles.


/ waited until dark and then swan the
river and got the skiff, which proved to
be very nice and light one. | got along
very well until about two o'clock, when
came to some rapids; | finally got past
them after swapping five or six times and
running over falls of seven or eight feet.
I At daylight came in sight of the noun.


tains on the Maryland side, knew that


as soon as | saw them, and | knew that


it could not be more than five or six mile:


to Harper's Ferry; 50 | kept on after day
light, passing over several falls and get


ting my boat filed several times.