Soon after I joined my regiment, the army advanced to the Yacona River, and the brigade to which I belonged was made the advanced post of infantry, and was stationed three miles south of the river. I had been with the brigade but a few days, when General Leggett requested me to make a trip to Grenada, a distance of thirty-two miles. As General Grant's army had advanced, General Price's army had been forced back, and the movements of the Federal forces had been so skillfully managed as to cause Price, after evacuating his strong position at the Tallahatchie River, to make a hasty and rapid retreat to Grenada, which place he then occupied. General Leggett wanted me to find out the strength and condition of Price's army; of what his force consisted, and, if possible, what were his intended movements. I started out on foot, disguised like a rebel soldier, with a pass to Colonel Lee (since Brigadier-General), of the 7th Kansas Cavalry, stationed five miles in advance of the infantry, at a railroad station called Water Valley. I carried with me a request to Colonel Lee that he would pass me through his lines, if it would not interfere with his arrangements. The Colonel detained me over night, and then passed me through. I went on through Coffeeville, and to within a mile of Grenada, without being molested. Not liking to venture in on the direct road from Water Valley, I turned to my left when within a mile of the place, calculating to enter the town on some other road. I had proceeded but a short distance, when I met three soldiers, dressed exactly like rebel soldiers, who captured me and made me turn back. When we came back to the Water Valley road, I was surprised to find that I was being taken toward Water Valley instead of Grenada. I then found that I had been captured by soldiers belonging to _the 7th Kansas Cavalry_. I tried to make them believe that I was a Federal soldier, and was scouting for the Government, but it was of no avail; they were not to be _persuaded_ out of their prisoner. We had traveled but a few hundred yards after taking the Water Valley road, when we met a negro, who was riding a splendid mule, with a nice saddle, bridle, and spurs, and was carrying on the mule, in front of him, a sack of corn-meal. "Halt, you black devil!" said one of the soldiers. "Get off from that mule and let white folks ride!" The negro dismounted and turned over his establishment to me, and then, shouldering his meal, he resumed his way. I mounted the mule with a somewhat lighter heart than I had had at the prospect of walking all the way back. When we arrived at Water Valley, I was taken to Colonel Lee, who, on inquiring of the soldiers where they caught me, elicited the fact that they had _ran away from camp and gone to Grenada without leave_. "Go to your quarters, men," said the Colonel; "I'll take care of your _prisoner now_, and take care of _you in the morning_."