We have been shown an interesting letter from George Rhodes of Co. F, 112th, to his mother in this place, giving the particulars of his capture and parole by the rebels. Our readers are all doubtless acquainted with the circumstances of the capture of a scouting party under Capt. Dow from the 112th at Lexington, Ky., some time ago. Rhodes was in that party. We should publish the letter entire, but it is so late now that it has lost a great deal of interest; it is dated March 2d, and we will quote a passage from it, at all events:
“On Sunday the 22nd, dispatches were received in town to the effect that they {the rebels) had appeared before Richmond (Ky.) in force, and the Federal force at that place, only about 75 or [300] in numbers, was retreating toward this place.
Sunday night at 12 o’clock the 4th relief was called up to report at the provost marshal’s office immediately, with guns and equipments in good order, and I being a member of this relief was one that had to go. We went to the provost’s where we found enough more to amount to fifty men, were marched to Gen. Gilmore’s headquarters, mounted on horses, reported again at the provost’s, were divided into three squads, two of 10 each, and the balance of us went together under command of Capt. Dow, of Co. A. of our Regiment. We went out three miles on the Richmond pike, when we all stopped except the Captain and three men, and were ordered to await his return, which was not until after sunrise next morning. He had left two of his men as pickets about three miles ahead of us, and wanted four of us to go not less than one mile farther on the road and take a position where we could see down the road, and if we saw a body of horsemen coming to “skedaddle” for town and give the alarm as quick as possible. Myself and Henry Ackley of our company and two of company I volunteered to go. We took our position on a hill where we could command the road for about a mile ahead, and we waited the approach of the “rebs.” We staid there until about four o’clock without any breakfast or dinner. One of the boys got tired and hungry and started for town about three o’clock; he had been gone about an hour when we heard five shots fired at the station of pickets ahead of us. We were on the look-out for something to come off then right away, but could neither see nor hear anything more that indicated the presence of an enemy. Pretty soon, however one of the pickets came back to us wounded in the leg – a flesh wound only. We helped him on a horse and was about starting for town, when he said he would like to know hat had become of the man that was with him. We started down the pike to see if we could discover anything of him. We were surprised on looking around at the moment of starting, to see a body of twelve or fifteen mounted men come on to the pike between us and town. The wounded man and myself started down the pike in double quick time, and the “rebs” close after us. After a chase of about a half a mile they rode upon us, firing several shots at us. We saw they were on the road ahead and behind us, and that there was no chance of getting off the pike, so we were obliged to surrender without a chance of firing a single shot at the scamps. They put me on an old plug of a horse and we started for their camp.”
The boys were paroled the next day and returned to the 112th, from there they have been sent to St. Louis to be exchanged. – Capt. Dow and some twenty-five men of the 112th were taken and paroled at the same time.
– Published in the Stark County News, Toulon, Illinois, Thursday, March, 19, 1863
“On Sunday the 22nd, dispatches were received in town to the effect that they {the rebels) had appeared before Richmond (Ky.) in force, and the Federal force at that place, only about 75 or [300] in numbers, was retreating toward this place.
Sunday night at 12 o’clock the 4th relief was called up to report at the provost marshal’s office immediately, with guns and equipments in good order, and I being a member of this relief was one that had to go. We went to the provost’s where we found enough more to amount to fifty men, were marched to Gen. Gilmore’s headquarters, mounted on horses, reported again at the provost’s, were divided into three squads, two of 10 each, and the balance of us went together under command of Capt. Dow, of Co. A. of our Regiment. We went out three miles on the Richmond pike, when we all stopped except the Captain and three men, and were ordered to await his return, which was not until after sunrise next morning. He had left two of his men as pickets about three miles ahead of us, and wanted four of us to go not less than one mile farther on the road and take a position where we could see down the road, and if we saw a body of horsemen coming to “skedaddle” for town and give the alarm as quick as possible. Myself and Henry Ackley of our company and two of company I volunteered to go. We took our position on a hill where we could command the road for about a mile ahead, and we waited the approach of the “rebs.” We staid there until about four o’clock without any breakfast or dinner. One of the boys got tired and hungry and started for town about three o’clock; he had been gone about an hour when we heard five shots fired at the station of pickets ahead of us. We were on the look-out for something to come off then right away, but could neither see nor hear anything more that indicated the presence of an enemy. Pretty soon, however one of the pickets came back to us wounded in the leg – a flesh wound only. We helped him on a horse and was about starting for town, when he said he would like to know hat had become of the man that was with him. We started down the pike to see if we could discover anything of him. We were surprised on looking around at the moment of starting, to see a body of twelve or fifteen mounted men come on to the pike between us and town. The wounded man and myself started down the pike in double quick time, and the “rebs” close after us. After a chase of about a half a mile they rode upon us, firing several shots at us. We saw they were on the road ahead and behind us, and that there was no chance of getting off the pike, so we were obliged to surrender without a chance of firing a single shot at the scamps. They put me on an old plug of a horse and we started for their camp.”
The boys were paroled the next day and returned to the 112th, from there they have been sent to St. Louis to be exchanged. – Capt. Dow and some twenty-five men of the 112th were taken and paroled at the same time.
– Published in the Stark County News, Toulon, Illinois, Thursday, March, 19, 1863
