A Yankee Trick

A correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette narrates the following incident as having occurred recently down on the Tennessee River:–

A rebel Captain was taken by a Yankee ruse that must have struck him as exceedingly unchivalric.  He was out on picket duty.  One of our scouts came suddenly on him at a point where two of his pickets were posted.  Fortunately the scout was quick witted, or the capture might have been on the other side.  “Who are you?” he boldly inquired of the first rebel he reached.  “I’m a picket.”  “Well, so am I, but a little off my post, looking around for the Yankees.”  “Where is your post?” asked the Captain; “You’ve no business to be away from it.”  “Come this way and I’ll show you,” responded the scout.  The moment he got out of sight of the two privates he quietly informed the officer that he was a picket on the other side, and would have to take him along!  And he actually marched the Captain in, sword, pistols, shoulder-straps and all.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, March 31, 1862, p. 2