MY FIRST SECRET EXPEDITION--MY WORK AMONG CONTRABANDS--PICKAXE, SHOVEL
AND WHEELBARROW--COUNTING THE GUNS IN A REBEL FORTIFICATION--A CHANGE
OF WORK--CARRYING WATER TO THE REBEL SOLDIERS--GENERALS LEE AND
JOHNSON--THE REBEL FORCE AT YORKTOWN--A COUNCIL OF WAR--TURNING WHITE
AGAIN--A REBEL SPY--LIEUTENANT V.'S MURDERER--ON PICKET DUTY--MY
RETURN TO OUR LINES--I PUT ON UNIFORM AND MAKE MY REPORT.
After supper I was left to my own reflections, which were anything but
pleasant at that time; for in the short space of three hours I must take
up my line of march toward the camp of the enemy. As I sat there
considering whether it was best for me to make myself known to Mrs. B.
before I started, Dr. E. put his head in at the tent door and said in a
hurried manner: "Ned, I want you to black my boots to-night; I shall
require them early in the morning." "All right, Massa Doct'r," said I; "I
allers blacks de boots over night." After washing up the few articles
which had taken the place of dishes, and blacking the Doctor's boots, I
went to seek an interview with Mrs. B. I found her alone and told her who
I was, but was obliged to give her satisfactory proofs of my identity
before she was convinced that I was the identical nurse with whom she had
parted three days previously.
My arrangements were soon made, and I was ready to start on my first
secret expedition toward the Confederate capital. Mrs. B. was pledged to
secrecy with regard to her knowledge of "Ned" and his mysterious
disappearance. She was not permitted even to tell Mr. B. or Dr. E., and I
believe she kept her pledge faithfully. With a few hard crackers in my
pocket, and my revolver loaded and capped, I started on foot, without even
a blanket or anything which might create suspicion. At half-past nine
o'clock I passed through the outer picket line of the Union army, at
twelve o'clock I was within the rebel lines, and had not so much as been
halted once by a sentinel. I had passed within less than ten rods of a
rebel picket, and he had not seen me. I took this as a favorable omen, and
thanked heaven for it.
As soon as I had gone a safe distance from the picket lines I lay down and
rested until morning. The night was chilly and the ground cold and damp,
and I passed the weary hours in fear and trembling. The first object which
met my view in the morning was a party of negroes carrying out hot coffee
and provisions to the rebel pickets. This was another fortunate
circumstance, for I immediately made their acquaintance, and was rewarded
for my promptness by receiving a cup of coffee and a piece of corn bread,
which helped very much to chase away the lingering chills of the
preceding night. I remained there until the darkies returned, and then
marched into Yorktown with them without eliciting the least suspicion.
The negroes went to work immediately on the fortifications after reporting
to their overseers, and I was left standing alone, not having quite made
up my mind what part to act next. I was saved all further trouble in that
direction, for my idleness had attracted the notice of an officer, who
stepped forward and began to interrogate me after the following manner:
"Who do you belong to, and why are you not at work?" I answered in my best
negro dialect: "I dusn't belong to nobody, Massa, I'se free and allers
was; I'se gwyne to Richmond to work." But that availed me nothing, for
turning to a man who was dressed in citizen's clothes and who seemed to be
in charge of the colored department, he said: "Take that black rascal and
set him to work, and if he don't work well tie him up and give him twenty
lashes, just to impress upon his mind that there's no free niggers here
while there's a d--d Yankee left in Virginia."
So saying he rode away, and I was conducted to a breast-work which was in
course of erection, where about a hundred negroes were at work. I was soon
furnished with a pickaxe, shovel, and a monstrous wheelbarrow, and I
commenced forthwith to imitate my companions in bondage. That portion
of the parapet upon which I was sent to work was about eight feet high.
The gravel was wheeled up in wheelbarrows on single planks, one end of
which rested on the brow of the breast-work and the other on the ground. I
need not say that this work was exceedingly hard for the strongest man;
but few were able to take up their wheelbarrows alone, and I was often
helped by some good natured darkie when I was just on the verge of
tumbling off the plank. All day long I worked in this manner, until my
hands were blistered from my wrists to the finger ends.
[Illustration: DISGUISED AS A CONTRABAND.--Page 113.]
The colored men's rations were different from those of the soldiers. They
had neither meat nor coffee, while the white men had both. Whiskey was
freely distributed to both black and white, but not in sufficient quantity
to unfit them for duty. The soldiers seemed to be as much in earnest as
the officers, and could curse the Yankees with quite as much vehemence.
Notwithstanding the hardships of the day I had had my eyes and ears open,
and had gained more than would counterbalance the day's work.
Night came, and I was released from toil. I was free to go where I pleased
within the fortifications, and I made good use of my liberty. I made out a
brief report of the mounted guns which I saw that night in my ramble round
the fort, viz.: fifteen three-inch rifled cannon, eighteen four and a
half-inch rifled cannon, twenty-nine thirty-two pounders, twenty-one
forty-two pounders, twenty-three eight-inch Columbiads, eleven nine-inch
Dahlgrens, thirteen ten-inch Columbiads, fourteen ten-inch mortars, and
seven eight-inch siege howitzers. This, together with a rough sketch of
the outer works, I put under the inner sole of my contraband shoe and
returned to the negro quarters.
Finding my hands would not be in a condition to shovel much earth on the
morrow, I began to look round among the negroes to find some one who would
exchange places with me whose duty was of a less arduous character. I
succeeded in finding a lad of about my own size who was engaged in
carrying water to the troops. He said he would take my place the next day,
and he thought he could find a friend to do the same the day following,
for which brotherly kindness I gave him five dollars in greenbacks; but he
declared he could not take so much money--"he neber had so much money in
all his life before." So by that operation I escaped the scrutiny of the
overseer, which would probably have resulted in the detection of my
assumed African complexion.
The second day in the Confederate service was much pleasanter than the
first. I had only to supply one brigade with water, which did not require
much exertion, for the day was cool and the well was not far distant;
consequently I had an opportunity of lounging a little among the
soldiers, and of hearing important subjects discussed. In that way I
learned the number of reinforcements which had arrived from different
places, and also had the pleasure of seeing General Lee, who arrived while
I was there. It was whispered among the men that he had been telegraphed
to for the purpose of inspecting the Yankee fortifications, as he was the
best engineer in the Confederacy, and that he had pronounced it impossible
to hold Yorktown after McClellan opened his siege guns upon it. Then, too,
General J. E. Johnson was hourly expected with a portion of his command.
Including all, the rebels estimated their force at one hundred and fifty
thousand at Yorktown and in that vicinity.
When Johnson arrived there was a council of war held, and things began to
look gloomy. Then the report began to circulate that the town was to be
evacuated. One thing I noticed in the rebel army, that they do not keep
their soldiers in the dark as our officers do with regard to the movements
and destination of the troops. When an order comes to the Federal army
requiring them to make some important movement, no person knows whether
they are advancing or retreating until they get to Washington, or in sight
of the enemy's guns, excepting two or three of the leading generals.
Having a little spare time I visited my sable friends and carried some
water for them. After taking a draught of the cool beverage, one young
darkie looked up at me in a puzzled sort of manner, and turning round to
one of his companions, said: "Jim, I'll be darned if that feller aint
turnin' white; if he aint then I'm no nigger." I felt greatly alarmed at
the remark, but said, very carelessly, "Well, gem'in I'se allers 'spected
to come white some time; my mudder's a white woman." This had the desired
effect, for they all laughed at my simplicity, and made no further remarks
upon the subject. As soon as I could conveniently get out of sight I took
a look at my complexion by means of a small pocket looking-glass which I
carried for that very purpose--and sure enough, as the negro had said, I
was really turning white. I was only a dark mulatto color now, whereas two
days previous I was as black as Cloe. However, I had a small vial of
nitrate of silver in weak solution, which I applied to prevent the
remaining color from coming off.
Upon returning to my post with a fresh supply of water, I saw a group of
soldiers gathered around some individual who was haranguing them in real
Southern style. I went up quietly, put down my cans of water, and of
course had to fill the men's canteens, which required considerable time,
especially as I was not in any particular hurry just then. I thought the
voice sounded familiar, and upon taking a sly look at the speaker I
recognized him at once as a peddler who used to come to the Federal camp
regularly once every week with newspapers and stationery, and especially
at headquarters. He would hang round there, under some pretext or other,
for half a day at a time.
There he was, giving the rebels a full description of our camp and forces,
and also brought out a map of the entire works of McClellan's position. He
wound up his discourse by saying: "They lost a splendid officer through my
means since I have been gone this time. It was a pity though to kill such
a man if he was a d--d Yankee." Then he went on to tell how he had been at
headquarters, and heard "Lieutenant V." say that he was going to visit the
picket line at such a time, and he had hastened away and informed the
rebel sharpshooters that one of the headquarter officers would be there at
a certain time, and if they would charge on that portion of the line they
might capture him and obtain some valuable information. Instead of this,
however, they watched for his approach, and shot him as soon as he made
his appearance.
I thanked God for that information. I would willingly have wrought with
those negroes on that parapet for two months, and have worn the skin off
my hands half a dozen times, to have gained that single item. He was a
fated man from that moment; his life was not worth three cents in
Confederate scrip. But fortunately he did not know the feelings that
agitated the heart of that little black urchin who sat there so quietly
filling those canteens, and it was well that he did not.
On the evening of the third day from the time I entered the camp of the
enemy I was sent, in company with the colored men, to carry supper to the
outer picket posts on the right wing. This was just what I wished for, and
had been making preparations during the day, in view of the possibility of
such an event, providing, among other things, a canteen full of whiskey.
Some of the men on picket duty were black and some were white. I had a
great partiality for those of my own color, so calling out several darkies
I spread before them some corn cake, and gave them a little whiskey for
dessert. While we were thus engaged the Yankee Minnie balls were whistling
round our heads, for the picket lines of the contending parties were not
half a mile distant from each other. The rebel pickets do not remain
together in groups of three or four as our men do, but are strung along,
one in each place, from three to four rods apart. I proposed to remain a
while with the pickets, and the darkies returned to camp without me.
Not long after night an officer came riding along the lines, and seeing me
he inquired what I was doing there. One of the darkies replied that I had
helped to carry out their supper, and was waiting until the Yankees
stopped firing before I started to go back. Turning to me he said, "You
come along with me." I did as I was ordered, and he turned and went back
the same way he came until we had gone about fifty rods, then halting in
front of a petty officer he said, "Put this fellow on the post where that
man was shot until I return." I was conducted a few rods farther, and then
a rifle was put into my hands, which I was told to use freely in case I
should see anything or anybody approaching from the enemy. Then followed
the flattering remark, after taking me by the coat-collar and giving me a
pretty hard shake, "Now, you black rascal, if you sleep on your post I'll
shoot you like a dog." "Oh no, Massa, I'se too feerd to sleep," was my
only reply.
The night was very dark, and it was beginning to rain. I was all alone
now, but how long before the officer might return with some one to fill my
place I did not know, and I thought the best thing I could do was to make
good use of the present moment. After ascertaining as well as possible the
position of the picket on each side of me, each of whom I found to be
enjoying the shelter of the nearest tree, I deliberately and noiselessly
stepped into the darkness, and was soon gliding swiftly through the forest
toward the "land of the free," with my splendid rifle grasped tightly lest
I should lose the prize. I did not dare to approach very near the Federal
lines, for I was in more danger of being shot by them than by the enemy;
so I spent the remainder of the night within hailing distance of our
lines, and with the first dawn of morning I hoisted the well known signal
and was welcomed once more to a sight of the dear old stars and stripes.
I went immediately to my tent. Mrs. B. was delighted at my return; she was
the only person in camp who knew me. Jack was sent to the quartermaster's
with an order for a new suit of soldier's clothes. When he saw they were
for me, on his return, he said: "Hi! dat darkie tinks he's some. Guess he
don't cook no more for Massa Doct'r." After removing as much of the color
as it was possible for soap and water to do, my complexion was a nice
maroon color, which my new costume showed off to good advantage. Had my
own mother seen me then, it would have been difficult to convince her of
our relationship. I made out my report immediately and carried it to
General McClellan's headquarters, together with my trophy from the land of
traitors. I saw General G. B., but he did not recognize me, and ordered me
to go and tell A. to appear before him in an hour from that time. I
returned again to my tent, chalked my face, and dressed in the same style
as on examination day, went at the hour appointed, and received the hearty
congratulations of the General. The rifle was sent to Washington, and is
now in the capitol as a memento of the war.
Do my friends wish to know how I felt in such a position and in such a
costume? I will tell them. I felt just as happy and as comfortable as it
was possible for any one to be under similar circumstances. I am naturally
fond of adventure, a little ambitious and a good deal romantic, and this
together with my devotion to the Federal cause and determination to assist
to the utmost of my ability in crushing the rebellion, made me forget the
unpleasant items, and not only endure, but really enjoy, the privations
connected with my perilous positions. Perhaps a spirit of adventure was
important--but _patriotism_ was the grand secret of my success.
Being fatigued, and the palms of both my hands in raw flesh, I thought it
best to wait a few days before setting out upon another adventure.
While I was thus situated I made a point of becoming acquainted with
Nellie, my rebel captive. She was trying to make herself useful in the
hospital, notwithstanding her hand was very painful--often waiting upon
those who were suffering less than she was herself. Her pale, pensive face
and widow's weeds seemed to possess peculiar attractions for Doctor E.,
and her hand was a bond of mutual sympathy between them, and afforded many
pretexts for a half hour's conversation.