Daring and Suffering Part 14

[7] Hawkins and myself a.s.sociated, and made good our escape. We think all our party escaped to the woods. Whether any were afterward caught by the rebels, we know not. We traveled by starlight for more than three weeks. After twenty-one days of fatigue and hunger-living most of the time on corn or persimmons-occasionally a few raw sweet potatoes or a head of cabbage-dodging the rebel pickets and cavalry, climbing mountains, dragging through brush, and wading streams, we finally were so fortunate as to meet some Union men in the c.u.mberland Mountains. We met them, three in number, in the woods, and asked them to give us some supper, stating that we had no money, but we belonged to the rebel army, had been sick and left behind, and were now on our way to rejoin our regiments. They refused to supply our wants, and finally openly declared themselves to be Union men. When we became satisfied that they were all right, we made known our true character, and warmer friends were never met. They lodged and fed us, then piloted us to another Union man who did the same, and he to another; thus we were pa.s.sed from one to another till we arrived at Somerset, Kentucky, where we procured transportation to our regiments.-Extract from an Account published by D. A. Dorsey.

[8] I do not pretend to justify the falsehoods recorded in this book. But it is better to give a true narrative, and bear the censure awarded by the reader, than to increase the guilt by omitting or misrepresenting facts.

[9] My impression of Southern feeling is very different from Vallandigham's. But the Union men were my friends. Were they his?

[10] It was a malicious falsehood. All were safe.

[11] A letter was received from one of them by my father a short time ago. He had not heard of our release, but described our parting, and gave a rumor which he had heard of our subsequent execution.