USA > Iowa > Humboldt County > History of Kossuth and Humbolt counties, Iowa : together with sketches of their cities, villages, and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 42
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"Wonder what dat is?" said one; "don't act like coon. Reckon we better let dat alone."
"Reekon so, too. Come heyear Cæsar!" and whistling off the dog, they passed ou, greatly to our relief.
As soon as they were fairly out of hear- ing, we started on through the woods, taking a northwesterly direction, stopping occasionally to consult the compass and reassure ourselves as to direction. Through the brush, over fallen trees, now in quag- mire, now ou ridges, among the stolid pines, we toiled ou. At length we found a road running in the direction of our march, and striking into it with acceler- ated pace that amounted almost to a double-quiek, with hearts cheered by our successful escape from the train, and with high hopes of final success, on and on we traveled. No words were spoken above the breath, and they only such as were actually necessary, from the leader to guide those in the rear. The leader, with body half bent, listening intently to every sound, and straining his powers of vision
to their utmost capacity, and as any un- usual noise attracted his attention, by a low "hist!" halting those following, while he went forward, carefully to reconnoiter the ground, and then at the word, again forward; like specters, we flitted over that lonely road. So eager were we that day- light found us somewhat unprepared. We were in a cultivated country; corn fields on both sides of us, a house in plain sight; on our left, in a field, was a thicket, with a corn field on one side running quite up to the thicket. Leaving the road, we struck across the field and gained the thicket, fortunately, without being dis- covered, except by a house dog, that barked furiously at us uutil out of sight, and then with a growl, sought his kennel again.
Selecting the densest part of the thieket, we spread our coats upon the ground, and after consulting our compass and map and guessing at our location, and finding that we had traveled, as nearly as we could judge, about twenty-five miles, drew our blanket over us and were soon sound asleep -with the exception of one who was de- tailed to stand guard.
Our sleep was of short duration, how- ever, for as the sun came up, the horus, from all sides of us, calling the negroes to their labors, the crowing of the cocks, and all the customary sounds on a south- ern plantation, in such close proximity, warned us that we might be accidentally discovered at any time, and rendered us sufficiently anxious as to-preelude the por- sibility of sleep, until we had become ac- customed somewhat to our peril, and the nervousness, so to speak, had in a meas- ure passed away. It was only the knowl- edge that we must sleep to be able to keep
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awake when the friendly darkness should again shield us from sight, that induced us to even try to secure this much needed means to recuperate our exhausted physi- cal powers.
Thus watching and dozing, by turns, the long day at length came to an end. As soon as it was dark, we were fortunate enough to find some corn and beans, not yet quite hard. This we secured, and building a small fire, and shielding it from observation by surrounding it with a screen made of our coats and blanket, boiled the food in the kettle and ate heart- ily of the nutricions succotash. Thus in- vigorated, we again started on our journey toward our lines. Passing through the corn field, we reached the road again; our hearts were light and our courage redonh- led. It was evident that we were not pursued; if we had been, we would have been everhauled during the day, and we intended to put a good thirty miles more between ourselves and our starting-point before morning.
We had been on the road about an hour when ahead of ns, apparently in the road, a light was discovered. A halt was called and this phenomenon discussed in all its hearings. Why should a fire be kindled in the road? Was it an outpost of the enemy's cavalry? Was it the negroes building a fire for fun? Was it a guer- rilla party out on a scout? Or was it that the conntry had been notified of our es- cape, and the inhabitants looking for us? Without arriving at any definite conclu- sion, it was decided, at all events, to flank the danger, whether real or imaginary, hy making a detour around the suspected point. Acting upon this decision, we left
the road and took to the brush, in the fol- lowing order: First, myself, followed by Spencer, Hatcher, Vliet, Gough, one fol- lowing the other in single, or Indian file. We had thus progressed perhaps forty rods, when our onward course was ar- rested hy something moving through the brush in our front. I immediately halted, and, hy a low "hist," notified those in the rear of danger ahead, then throwing my- self upon the ground, cantiously crawled forward to reconnoiter. I soon discov- ered an object resembling a man cautionsly picking his way through the brush toward us. Occasionally he would stop and ap- parently reconnoiter and then again cau- tiously advance. It was just opposite the fire in the road-distant from it perhaps thirty rods. Could it be that there was a picket line here, away so far from the con- tending forces? At all events, he was so close to us that he must have heard us. Was he watching to get a shot at us? I could feel the hair rise on my head as I contemplated this probability, as he was not more than a rod from us.
What was it best to do? After think- ing it all over for sometime, I decided upon the desperate plan of attacking him, and, by a sudden assault, to disarm him if possible and trust to Providence for the result.
Slowly and carefully I raised to iny feet, and with a mental prayer for suc- cess, dashed upon an overgrown hog that was peacefully following his legitimate business of gathering acorns,
It is difficult to determine whether the relief afforded by the discovery of his hogship was adequate compensation for the sudden letting down from the feeling
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of desperation to which we were wrought up but a moment before, or whether our first sensations combined more of the horrid than the ridiculous. The fact is we were too frightened to laugh, and alto- gether too much relieved to be angry.
But a moment was lost in contempla- tion of our situation. I gave the signal to move forward, and started. I heard my companions following, and safely passing the fire that had first alarmed ns, soon regained the road.
I may as well say right here that we never found out what that fire did mean, or for what purpose it was kindled. We ouly know that, be the purpose for which it was built what it may, it resulted dis- astronsly for our little party, as the sequel will show.
Upon reaching the road it was dis- covered that two of the party were miss- ing. Vliet and Gough were absent. What could it mean? Had they been intercepted and taken prisoners? Could it be that they had voluntarily cast loose from us, and taking this course to do it?
There was one circumstance that squinted that way. Early in the evening Vliet had both compass and map. Just after we discovered that fire, he had re- turned them to me, with the remark that, should we get separated, he could get along better withont the compass than I could; but, in justice to my companions and to myself, let me say that that thought found no lasting resting place in our minds. We knew both Vliet and Gough too well to believe that they would par- sue such a course, if they had for any reason concluded to divide the party, they
would have told us of their plan, man- fully, and not have deserted us.
It was decided at once to institute a search. We dared not halloo, nor make any uunsual noise to attract their atten- tion. It must be a still hunt. So, leaving one to watch the road, the other two took the back track, and retraced our steps to where we had discovered the swine. We searched bushes and thickets thoroughly, but without being able to discover them.
After spending at least two hours of precious time, we were compelled to abandon the pursuit as hopeless, and re- turned to our companion in the road.
He had watched closely, but had failed to discover anything, and we were com- pelled to feel the thought that our party was broken in two, that we were sepa- rated. Shall we ever meet again? If we do, will it be under the stars and stripes, or within the walls of a prison pen?
With saddened hearts our party of three, Spencer, Ilatcher and myself, again started on our lonely journey, doubly lonely now. Ruminations upon our un- fortunate separation so occupied our minds that we became less watchful of our own immediate surroundings than had been our custom, or as safety required. The result of this state of mind might have proved disastrously had we not been rudely aroused from our useless re- grets by the sudden need to exercise all our faculties for our protection.
An abrupt angle in the road had con- cealed from us the approach of a man, until suddenly, without warning, we were standing before him face to face. He halted immediately. So did we. There was no time for concert of action, and
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for a moment I was at a loss what to do, when Spencer took the iniation by asking:
"Where are you going?"
"Ober to Miss Clemen's plantation,' was the reply.
The dialect disclosed what the dark- ness concealed, the fact that he was a negro.
The reader will recollect that we were in the interior of the enemy's country, that every white man, almost withont exception, was an enemy, who would not only esteem it a duty, but a privilege, to either capture or kill us at the first oppor- tunity. And we did not then know that the negro could be trusted. Stories had been industrionsly circulated among us by the rebels that the negroes were sure to be- tray us if we attempted to escape, and we had started out with the determination to trust no one, neither white nor black. Notwithstanding this, it was a great relief for us to find our new acquaintance was a negro. We pursued the conversation, however, but little further, and cautioning him not to be caught out again so far from home without a pass, we started on our way and he on his.
As soon as he was fairly out of sight and hearing, we left the road and plunged again into the woods.
When fairly clear of sight and hearing from the road, a halt was called for the purpose of holding a consultation over our affairs.
We had met one negro, and while we had not trusted him any further than we could possibly help, yet we were all of the opinion, from his manner, that he mis- trusted that we were not southerners. Our dialect would be sufficient of itself to
betray us. We had seen enough of negro shrewdness to know that, if the news of our escape from the train had been circu- lated, as we had every reason to believe it had been, he would be at no loss to guess we were Yankees.
After a full discussion of the matter, we concluded to take the first road run- ning in our direction, and run our chances of the negro's betraying us. We resolved further, that in case we came across another negro, we would tell him freely that we were Yankees-this, of course, to depend upon whether we should have reason to believe this man our friend.
Consulting our compass, and from it assuring ourselves of our proper direction, we traveled on through the woods, per- haps five miles.
At length, finding a road running in the direction of our line of march, we pursued our journey withont further adventure until the near approach of daylight warred us to again seek shelter of the friendly wood, where we could find a thicket sufficiently remote from roads, and dense enough to afford us shelter from observation by any passing wanderer. We were successful in finding the desired haven, and throwing ourselves upon the ground, were soon sleeping soundly.
So ended our second day's or rather night's march. We had traveled as nearly as we could judge, only about fifteen miles. Thus far we had been traveling in a north- westerly direction, through the parishes of Orangeburg and Lexington, nearly on a parallel line with the railroad running from Keyesville to Columbia, about ten miles south of the railroad.
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We had as yet selected no particular point in Sherman's lines as our goal, as we were, in faet, at a loss to know what place to select. When we last heard from our forces, Sherman had taken Atlanta, Hood had succeeded Johnston in command of the rebel army, and had commenced his celebrated movement to flank Sherman out of Atlanta, in fact out of Georgia; and we were left to conjecture to what the effect of the movement would be.
Atlanta was the nearest point, but we were not by any means sure that Sherman still occupied that place.
We finally concluded to make for the nearest practicable point on the line held by Sherman between Atlanta and Chatta- nooga, and our approach to what was Sherman's lines on the 2d of October to gather such information as we could from the negroes, and be governed accordingly.
We had thus far been moving in a northwesterly course, and were, as nearly as we could calculate, about twenty or twenty-five miles southwest from Cohim- bia.
We now concluded to make our conrse a little north of west, so as to head off some of the streams running into the Sa- luda river, until we should strike the Sa- vannah river.
On the approach of darkness we again started on our third night's march.
Nothing unusual occurred until about two o'clock in the morning. We had traveled on a turnpike road, part of the time through a cultivated country, and part of the time through a forest of stunted pine, the second growth of timber upon abandoned plantations. We had just passed a large plantation when we
suddenly came upon a pedestrian, wend -. ing his way in a direction opposite to our own.
We were too close before seeing to avoid him and boldly approached him. To our great joy he proved to be a negro.
By this time we were both hungry and faint. The last crumbs of our rations had been eaten hours before. When and how we were to procure more, was a problem difficult of solution. We had tried several corn fields, but had been unable to find anything but perfectly hard corn. We had gathered some of this, and had de- termined to boil it and do the best we could. Naturally, then, when we discov- ered our new acquaintance to be a negro, our first thought was to ascertain if there was any prospect of supplying our larder with something more palatable than hard corn, always providing he should upon further acquaintance, prove our friend. Notwithstanding our desperate situation as to the matter of food, and the fact that we had deliberately determined to trust the first negro we should meet, our inter- course to a looker on, would have been strangely cautious on both sides.
Our conversation, as nearly as my recol- lection serves me, was substantially as follows :
Yankee-"Well, boy, where are you trav- eling so late at night?"
Negro-" Been ober to see my wife, massa."
Yankee-"Where does your wife live?"
Negro-"Down about a mile from nine- ty-six."
Yankee-"Ninety-six. Let's see ; that's on the railroad, isn't it ?"
Negro-"Yes ; reckon it is."
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. Yankee-"Whose boy are you?" Negro-"Massa Gen. Haygood's."
Yankee-"That's his plantation about a mile down this road, is it not?"
Negro-"Yes ; dat's massa's plantation whar de big house is."
Yankee-"Well, boy, what do you think of the war now going on ? Your master is in the army, I suppose ?"
Negro-"Yas, massa, in de army. I dunno jes wot I does tink bout it."
Yankee-"Well, you know that the Yan kees are trying to make you blacks all free, don't you?"
Negro-"Wall, I hab heard dat dey war."
Yankee-"Do you want to be free, or had yon rather be as you now are, a slave?"
Negro-"Well, massa, I don't 'zactly know. 'Spect every man likes to own his- self."
Yankee-" Well, now, supposing you found a man on his road toward liberty, that had been a slave or a prisoner, would you help him, or would you betray him?"
Negro-"Who is you, massa? . What for you ask such queer questions?"
Yankee-" Suppose we tell you-sup- pose we put our lives in your hand, will you betray us ?"
Negro-"No, I reckon not ; but who is you?"
Yankee-"We are Yankee officers, and have been in prison. We are now trying to get through to our lines, and want you to help us."
Negro-"'Fore God, massa, is dat so?"
Yankee-"Yes, that is so. We have started for the Yankee lines in Georgia. Now you won't betray us, will you, when you know we are trying to help you and
your people, and to give them their lib- erty ?"
Negro-"'Fore God, massa, if yon is what you say you is, I will do every ting for you. Tell me, massa; wot ken I do?"
Yankee-" The first thing is something to eat, and next, we want to know whether you have heard that any Yankees escaped from the train, when we were being taken from Charleston to Columbia."
Negro -"Yas sir, I hab heard all 'bont dat, and dey has been huntin' de country all ober for you, and (taking a tin-pan from his head) my wife hab made some biled bacon and greens for me to take home wid me, and you's welcome to dat, if you want it."
We stood upon no ceremonies, but seat- ing ourselves upon the ground, we greedily devoured the poor negro's boiled bacon and greens, with a relish that an epicure might envy. It was astonishing the ra- pidity with which we stowed away six quarts of greens and bacon, and yet truth to tell, the supply was not equal to the demand, and if there had been another panful, I venture to say it would have fol. lowed the same downward road traveled by its predecessor, without any extra effort on our part. So having swallowed the man's dinner, and obtaining from him all the information that it was in his power to impart, with thankful hearts, and with conrage and physical vigor renewed, we again started on our way.
But the night was not to pass away with- out our experiencing a reverse almost commensurate with our former good fortune. Hatcher, as the reader will remember, was when we left the cars, almost destitute of boots. The old
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pair he started with had become almost useless ; the soles were nearly or quite gone. Still they were vastly better than none, when traveling through brush, but when in the smooth road he could do bet- ter barefoot, and when we met the negro, he was carrying his boots in his hand. Strange to say, when we again started on our journey, he left them lying beside the road where we had eaten our nocturnal dinner, and had failed to discover his loss nutil many miles stretched their weary length between us and the forgotten prop- erty. It was so near daylight when the loss was discovered, that we did not dare to retrace our steps for fear of being dis- covered. Poor Hatcher was discouraged. To attempt to travel across two States barefooted, looked like an impossibility. If we only had Vliet's long boot legs, the problem would not be so difficult of solu- tion. The hard disagreeable fact stared us in the face. Hatcher must be supplied with something to cover his feet. To attempt to obtain it from the negroes, we knew it to be a hopeless task. A pair of shoes was, to the best treated of them, something to be hoped for, prayed for and and when obtained, preserved with the greatest care. Even the whites were driven to extremities for clothing of every description, and shoes were more espe- cially hard to obtain at any price. There was no hope of obtaining them in that way.
What should we do? I say we, because we had started out with the agreement that we would, under any and all circum- stances, keep together. If one fell sick, the others were to remain with him, giv- ing him the best care we could until he
was able to travel, or died ; but that we would, under no circumstances, give our- selves up, or voluntarily abandon the at- tempt; so that the misfortune of one, was the misfortune of all.
Something must be done. An inventory of stock was taken. I had a pair of badly worn shocs; Spencer had a boot and a shoe; we had a kettle made from the paint keg, and the new linen sack. Here were the materials from which a pair of shoes was to be constructed, and we ac- complished the feat. An inventory of tools, one needle and a jack knife. A close inspection of the sack showed that it was strong, new, and that the ravelings could easily be converted into stout thread. There was leather enough in Spencer's one boot leg to furnish the soles, and material enough in the sack to make the uppers. It was amusing to see the rapidity with which Hatcher's face short- ened up, as one difficulty after the other was overcome. It took the combined mechanical skill of the party to fashion and fit them; before night we had accom- plished the fcat. Hatcher had by far the best shoes in the party ; and, if we had only been supplied with rations, we should have started out that night in better con- dition for a night's march than when we jumped from the train.
But the fact was, we were hungry, and we found after an hour's march, that we were getting faint. Provisions must be had in some way; so leaving the road, we struck into a plantation in hopes of find- ing either corn or sweet potatoes. We were fortunate enough to secure some hard corn, and a quantity of a species of bean, the like of which I never saw at the
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north. They are called peas, by the natives, but there is nothing about them, either in growth or appearance, that re- sembles a pea, and they don't taste like a bean; but, be they what they may, they are nutritions, if not palatable. Build- ing a fire in a hollow, and then making a screen of our blankets and coats, to pre- vent the light from being seen, we pro- ceeded to cook our corn and beans. We soon discovered, however, that while it was an easy matter to cook the beans in this way, hard corn has a perverse dis- position to remain hard corn, however much you may boil it, and while our sup- per served a very useful purpose, it was nothing to boast of in point of palata- bleness. In fact it was what would be deemed by people generally, a very poor supper, and made our jaws ache in the effort to masticate it. We lost at least three hours in finding, cooking and eating our supper ; so that daylight found us only about eighteen or twenty miles from our shoe shop of the day before.
We knew that the people had been notified of our escape, and that in all probability there were parties even then, searching for us. We knew also that they had not as yet been able to get upon our trail. Every consideration of prudence would demand that we should remain con- cealed in the day-time, and we fully in- tended to do so, but as the long day slowly dragged to a close, we became im- patient and concluded to risk a start be- fore dark, traveling outside of any road, and thus make up for lost time. We were anxious also to find a negro, if pos- sible, and procure something to eat, more palatable than boiled corn.
So taking our course by the sun, we left the road and plunged into the woods. After traveling perhaps four or five miles in this way, we were somewhat astonished at hearing voices not far from us, and hastily concealed ourselves in a thicket. What was our astonishment to see two white men pass us not more than a rod from our place of concealment. After they had passed on, we discovered that we had been traveling nearly on a par- allel line with a well traveled road, and probably had not been out of sight of it for a mile back, judging from the direc- tion of the road as far back as we could see, and comparing the direction with the one we had been traveling. Here was a dilemma. Had they discovered us, and gone on, making no sign, with a view of getting arms and returning for us, or had we been fortunate enough to escape ob- servation ?
It was evident that in case they had discovered us, our only safety lay in im- mediate flight. So taking an entirely new direction, we came to an open cul- tivateri country. Beyond a field in our front we could see a wood; we determined to risk crossing the field, and then change our course again. Skulking behind thick- ets, we at length succeeded in reaching the friendly shelter of the woods once more, but not without being seen.
At the corner of the field, near the woods, was a cross-roads, and near by, a church. We could see neither roads nor church until reaching the ferry, and then it was too late to return. The first inti- mation that we had of the existence of either, we were in full view of the church, situated to the left of our line of march,
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and notwithstanding that by our reckon- ing it was not the Sabbath, it was filled with people, and some kind of religions services were being held.
It was only a few rods, and we would be out of sight, but we were not fortu- nate enough to escape observation. We could see two or three finger ends pointed at us, and it was evident that we attracted innch more attention than we were at all ambitions of receiving just at that time.
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