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
At Wilson's they procured horses, and rode about eight miles to a grove.
There they dismounted, as it was dangerous to travel the public road
farther, and sending the horses back with the guide, the two trudged
along on foot, over fields and through by-paths for about five miles,
until they reached Mr. Joseph Berry's. Here they stayed all day, and
at night rode on horseback, about seventeen miles, to Mr. Frederick
Hutchings. At this farm-house they again changed horses, and then rode
six miles farther to Nathan Allen's. Again they changed horses, and then
rode about fifteen miles to Budd's mill. It was now near morning, and
for the balance of the day they remained concealed in Mr. Budd's house.
When night came, they managed, as the Colonel had before, to pass the
sentinel at the mill, and then walked four miles to Mr. Brisco's. Here
they obtained horses and rode eleven miles to Dr. Charles Worthington's.
Here one of the outside Union sentinels was stationed. The guide knew
him personally, and slipped one hundred dollars in gold into his hands.
The sentinel became suddenly stone-blind, and our travellers passed by
without difficulty. They were now within the Confederate lines, and no
longer in fear of arrest.. After a short walk they procured horses, and
then a ride of nineteen miles brought them to Randolph's, at China Grove
station. This route, it will be seen, varied some little from that
taken by Messrs. Lamb, and Waddell. A change of Union troops and
sentinel-stations made a change of route sometimes necessary. The
conductors of the line, Colonels Abercrombie and Killgore, had no less
than five different points at which they crossed the Potomac, and at
each point, look-outs and guides were all the while in waiting and all
the while in the pay of the Confederacy.
At Randolph's, Colonel Abercrombie laid aside his disguise and again
assumed his uniform; Lord Brewerton brushed up as best he could; both
took seats in the next passing train; and in a few hours thereafter were
at the Ballard House, in Richmond. No sooner was Lord Brewerton in his
bed-chamber than he kneeled (inviting the Colonel to do the same) and
offered up a most earnest prayer of thanks to God for his deliverance
from dangers, and for the safety which had attended him thus far in his
travels.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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