"Mr. Hinds, if you don't give me a 'Narrow Escape' for the Register, you'll have one on the spot, for my orders from the Editor are to let no guilty man escape."

"Well, if that's orders, I am ready to report for duty, as I always want to be an obedient soldier. I didn't have any very 'Narrow Escapes', but I'll give you two."

"Perhaps if you put them together they will be narrow enough."

"But don't you want your shoe half-soled? I'm not very busy today and can work while I talk."

"I was a member of the 7th W. Va. Infantry, under Col. Snider. It was at the battle of the Wilderness. We were at Stevensburg, in Winter quarters, and were called to carry ammunition to the front. Twelve of us volunteered. I had about 500 rounds in a coffee sack. A lieutenant came to pilot us. He said he belonged to Hancock's staff, but I doubted it, and subsequent events confirmed my doubts.

He directed us to the left of the Second corps, but we went to the Fifth.

Here we met the skirmish line. One of the skirmishers asked where we were going. I told him, we were going to the front with ammunition. "Why you are at the front, man," said he. Our (?) Lieut. was about fifty yards in the rear. He came up and directed us to go ahead.

"We are at the front now," said I. "Do as I bid you," he answered. I said, "I can go as far as you can."

We went about two hundred yards, and ran right into the rebel pickets. They could have captured all of us if they hadn't been in such a hurry to halt us. One of them poked his head out from behind a tree and shouted "Halt!" John McCain and I were in advance. I said, "We're in for it, John." Our Lieut. was still in the rear and ran toward camp. They fired three or four volleys at us.

At first, we were not more ten steps from them. Some of the boys took their ammunition back; some didn't. I belonged to the latter squad, but I took myself back. I was not so anxious about myself but I didn't want our Lieut. hurt.

"The second escape was after the battle of Antietam. I was detailed to carry dispatches for Gen. Kimball, 1st brigade Sommer's corps. I was having some leisure time and making the most of it. Several families lived on the Blue Ridge near Harper's Ferry. I had made the acquaintance of an interesting young lady on the Ridge and was a frequent visitor at her house."

"What did your wife say to that?"

"Oh I was a young man; the married men didn't hunt up sweethearts. After this I went to Fredericksburg and Gettysburg. After coming back, I went to renew my acquaintance; I got about half way up the ridge and within two hundred yards of the house when I saw some persons leaving. I came up and saw the young lady standing at the gate. She said, "Little Yank, you are in for it now." "How so?" "You are inside the rebel picket lines." I talked with her some time and then told her I would cross the mountain. I crawled along and all at once I heard the pickets talking. I slipped back to the house and told her I couldn't get through and asked her what to do. She said she would hide me till morning. Her parents did not know I was there. She hid me in a back room. I was tired and slept soundly till next morn. Then I crossed the mountain within speaking distance of the rebels. I saw one of them shoot one of our teamsters who was out after his mules. I got into camp just as they were preparing to leave."

"What's the charge?"

"For 'escapes' and shoe both, a quarter. For shoe, only twenty-five cents."

"Here is a quarter as I have both."

"Good day."

SOURCE: Ironton Register, March 31, 1887