Year: 1874




w think it might have been the
COW that the boys were chasing around in
the afternoon"


After some further remarks, the whole
group arrived at the same conclusion, and
turned about and retraced their steps. 1t
was evident to me that was close upon
Confederate camp, and probably quite near
to the clearing mentioned by Colonel Dew
ins. 1 had been stumbling along without
any fixed plan, narrowly escaped capture,
and now saw that it was time to arrange
details. Deserters were hardly known
then and SO it was not wise to play that
game. My scout was ended, and any
further movement would make spy of
me. To go into camp without some plaus-
ible mission would be to sacrifice my lib
erty in moment, and finally decided to
personate farmer, either anxious to dis
pose of forage or desiring to enlist as a
many farmers trying to bargain with the
quartermasters for the sale of provender,
horses, or beef, and had no doubt that such
characters were frequent in the Confeder-
ate camps. The first thing necessary was
to choose name, locate "my farm"
and then, after getting within the camp,
"cheelk" must alone be depended on to
carry me through. 1t would look little
strange for farmer to be prowling around
the outskirts of camp at night, and so 1
must crawl softly away beyond hearing of
the picket, and lay by until after daylight.
Without once rising up, crept off dis
tance of forty rods, and, still on my hands
and knees, was working around the top of
a fallen tree, when was hailed by another
picket, who stood beside tree not fifteen
feet away. After shouting "Halt ~ he
started towards me. AS heard his foot
steps and caught glimpse of his form,
rose up in considerable fright, and bolted
right ahead towards the clearing, instead
of running back up the river.


The soldier shouted three or four times
more, but neither pursued nor discharged
his musket ran for some distance, and
had just reduced my pace, when saw a
camp sentinel before me, and caught the
CLEAN of tents beyond. The man had heard
me approaching, and stood leaning on his
musket l was so close upon him before
seeing him that there was no other way
but to keep right ahead, and passed with
in foot of him, saying:


"It amt any use to go foraging after
chickens any more"


He laughed as he raised his gun to his
shoulder and wheeled about, and had no
other idea than that was Confederate
soldier, just returning from trip to some
farmhouse. Having passed the pickets,
he had no business to suppose me an in
truder. Knowing nothing about the camp,
where to go, or what next to do, l kept
walking on among the tents, and just after
crossing the clearing, l came upon two Oh
three hundred bales Of pressed hay, which
were guarded by a sentinel sitting on the
topmost bale. Soldiers were lying on the
bales, beside them, and on the ground
around, and as soon as noticing the sen.
tinel, dropped down among the sleepers,


It was now getting daylight, and soon
after stretching out turned over and took
look at the nearest man. He was dressed
in citizens clothes, and ragged ones al
that, and it was easy to see that he was moi
soldier. If not, what was hep Taking Q
closer look, saw bundle under his head
and by little careful maneuvering, got
the package away, his head slipping dowr
on the loose hay. 1t was a soldiers hayer