Secrets of the Late Rebellion, Now Revealed for the First TimeFreese, Jacob R.
History
Secrets of the Late Rebellion, Now Revealed for the First Time
Freese, Jacob R.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1861-1865
suiting the action to the word, both were soon in bed, and snoring away
for dear life.
For some cause or other, guide No. I did not put in an appearance next
night, and our travellers were obliged to keep themselves concealed for
another day. The following night, however, he came, and between nine and
ten o'clock the three slipped out of the back-door of the hotel, made
their way to the boat, which was in waiting about a mile up the Potomac,
were rowed across by the guide, then walked about a mile to a negro-hut,
and then about three miles more to a-farm-house. Here horses were
procured, and then for about thirty miles, mostly through private lanes
and pig-paths, through woods and over fields, over torn-down fences and
through open gates, they trudged along until they reached the farm-house
of Dr. Carrico. It was now nearly daybreak, and our travellers were
thoroughly tired out. The Doctor, who was in the pay of the Confederacy,
though within the Union lines, and nominally a "Union man," received the
travellers with open arms, and in a little while had them safely tucked
away in bed-chambers, where the eye of no chance Union soldier or
visitor could see them.
Here they remained until the next night. Then with a new guide (guide
No. 2 having returned with the horses) they left Dr. Carrico's shortly
after nightfall, and, upon horses furnished by the Doctor, rode about
thirty-two miles to the farm and mill of Mr. Henry Budd. In this long
ride, like the other, most of the way had to be made through private
roads and pig-paths, as Union forces were in all that country, and
on the public highways there was danger of meeting Union cavalry or
infantry, as patrols or sentinels, at any moment. It was about three
o'clock in the morning when they reached Budd's mills. Just before
reaching there our travellers dismounted, and the horses were slipped
into Budd's stable, as there was a Union sentinel at this mill who could
not be passed on horseback, and with whom some diplomacy had to be
used to get by at all. To effect this, the Colonel, Lamb, and Waddell
approached as near the mill as possible, and then secreted themselves,
while the guide (No. 3) went forward to interest the sentinel in
conversation, until they could slip by. The guide knew everybody in that
neighborhood, and fortunately, knew the sentinel, so that with lively
conversation, and an occasional drink from a well-filled canteen, he
soon had the sentinel so engrossed that the three travellers stepped
across the mill-race, slipped around on the other side of the mill, and
soon were a good half-mile beyond the sentinel. Here they waited in a
woods for their guide to come up. He, on the plea that he was going to
see an "uncle", on the other side, got away from the sentinel erelong,
and soon after overtook the three travellers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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