Four Years a Scout and Spy: "General Bunker", One of Lieut. General Grant's Most Daring and Successful Scouts, Being a Narrative of ... the Experience of Corporal Ruggles During Four Years' Service as a Scout and Spy for the Federal ArmyDowns, E. C. (Edward C.)
History
Four Years a Scout and Spy: "General Bunker", One of Lieut. General Grant's Most Daring and Successful Scouts, Being a Narrative of ... the Experience of Corporal Ruggles During Four Years' Service as a Scout and Spy for the Federal Army
Downs, E. C. (Edward C.)
Ruggles, Lorain, 1823-1902; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
Fearing to make any disturbance that might spoil my plans, I proceeded
on my way, without obtaining the desired information. At the next house
I inquired again for Mr. Perry, but the occupant refused to inform me.
These refusals increased my suspicions that he was not all right. Not
knowing certainly but that I was already at his house, I distributed my
men among the negro-quarters in the yard, to capture any persons that
might attempt to escape. It was time for daylight to make its
appearance, but a dense fog had arisen, which made it difficult to see.
Having arranged my men to my satisfaction, I returned to the door of the
house, which I found open, and was met by an aged woman, who told me
that her name was Tabitha Perry, and that she was grandmother of W. S.
Perry, and that W. S. Perry lived in the next house.
While I was engaged in conversation with the old lady, two men were seen
to run out of one of the out-buildings that stood in the yard; the
density of the fog prevented shooting them, or observing whither they
went; so, they made their escape. On examining the building they were
seen to emerge from, it was found to have the appearance of being nearly
filled with cotton-seed, but in the center of the building there was a
large vacant space, and in it was a bed that was yet warm from the
animal heat of the persons that had occupied it.
We then searched carefully all the buildings in the yard, but without
success. From there we went to the residence of W. S. Perry, only a
short distance from the residence of the old lady. We found Mr. Perry at
home, and arrested him. In searching his house, we found considerable
quantities of goods, that looked as if they might have been remnants
from some dry goods store; or, what is more probable, the booty of some
band of outlaws.
We captured at W. S. Perry's one horse and two mules, and at the old
lady's house one horse and one mule. The bed that we found in the
cotton-seed at the old lady's we gave to the niggers on the place,
except two quilts that we used to put upon the mules' backs, to ride on.
Very much against Mr. Perry's wishes, I compelled him to furnish myself
and men with breakfast, which was no more, perhaps, than he would have
done willingly to as many guerrillas, if we had not been seen in the
neighborhood.
When breakfast was over, we commenced our return to camp, taking with us
our prisoner and captured property. The men were much in need of saddles
and bridles, with which to ride the captured mules and horses, and
requested the privilege of taking them if they could be found; to which
I consented, providing they could be found on the premises of the man
who refused to give me information about Perry. The man's name, I had
learned, was Dougherty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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