Year: 1862

A gallant young soldier, whose name
for sundry good reasons we shall not at
present make public, tells us the following
adventure which happened to himself,
while cut on picket duty in one of the
Border States during our present intestine
strife.


"There had been pretty severe skirm-
lsh with the enemy the day previous, y
said the narrator, ''and he had fallen back
a few miles to a stronger position, from
which it was feared he would make a
sudden dash forward upon our lines, to
attempt the recovery of what he had lost.
1t was necessary, therefore, that the Union
scouts should approach him closely, to
keep watchful eye upon all his move
ments, and if possible gather some secret
information of his real design and when
the cavalry to which belonged was de-
,ailed for this important and perilous ser
ce, it was more than limited that who
CN Cl OptdiHSu llS AlOS1 NcluttOIc llllOi
ton, by whatever means, should not go
un. eward ID. This naturally excited a
spirit of emulation among our men, and
| if the secret history of that detachment
were to be written, venture to say that
as many true heroes of daring exploits
would be discovered for its numbers, as
among any which the war has produced.


''But that is neither here nor there
[ set out to tell you about myself, and
here you have the story for what it is
worth.


"More than once through the day small
parties of our men, at different times and
ia different places had had brush with
the pickets of the enen y, and somebody
had been hurt ON both sides. AS for my
self, had become separated from m,
c )mpanions-I will not say undesignedly
for the spirit of adventure was rife
within me-striking off into the country,
in order, if possible. to gain the rear of
he enemy by a circuitous route, rode
about five miles, up hill and down, through
o pen fields and thick woods, and came
about Gu k insight of an old mill, that
was turned by little stream, that hob
bled over rocky bed through rather
picturesque valley. Th, mill was on the
r., of bo Il ,
line between me and where I first came
in sight of it, was little pond, made by
pleasing murmur, and beyond it narrow
road Or horse-path came down from the
opposite hill, and left in the same manner,
III the form of a magnet. On that side oi
the stream, for considerable distance
up and down, the country had been clear
ed, and was under cultivation but from
where l was thick woods reached down
TO the water, and line of dense bushes
Iringed its banks.


Riding down to these bushes 1 tied
my horse in thicket, and fed him with
some grain had brought with me and
then after regaling myself with some cold
meat and bread, set off, armed with q
brace of revolvers, to see what discove-
ries could make on the other side of the
S ream.


"From the known position Of the ene-
my, and the course l had taken, I thought
t not unlikely that on the other side
of the opposite hill I should come upor
his outer line of sentries-in which case
if could manage to secure one or two
of these without creating alarm, there wa;
NJ telling how important to our cause
mis sht be the result of my rather wild ad
venture for once within the enemy:
lines, and favored by the darkness, l hop
ed to be able to gather some valuable in
formation concerning his designs, hi
strength, and his weakest points.


"When l left my covert, it was quite
dark, with some low, driving, clouds ove1
head, and the damp feel of coming rain
had to grope my way carefully to
point below the dam, where l was able t,
cross the little stream without difficulty
Passing up the bank, alonside of the mill
which ascertained was closed, locked
and unoccupied, I assembled the hill b,
one of the paths mentioned, and founc
myself in a travelled road, within sigh
of the dark, shadowy figure of a sentinel


who was slowly pacing to and fro.
Fortunately he did not perceive m


when I first made my appearance, and il
moment I was concealed behind som


rocks and bushes, and rapidly consider
ing what should do next In the dis
tance l could see the sparkle of campfres
; and this proved my previous conjectur
right-that my course had led me rount
to either flank or rear Of the foe. Nov
if l could fairly get within the lines at S
early an hour ia the evening. thought


might venture right into the camp, min