Surround Us!

After the recent advance of our army upon Bragg at Tullahoma, and his retreat, the Pioneer Brigade pushed on to Elk River to repair a bridge. While one of its men, a private, was bathing in the river, five of Bragg's soldiers, guns in hand, came to the bank and took aim at the swimmer, one of them shouting: “Come here, you___ Yank, out of the wet!”

The Federal was quite sure that he was “done for”, and at once obeyed. After dressing himself he was thus accosted:
“You surrender, our prisoner, do you?”
“Of course I do.”
“That’s kind. Now we'll surrender to you!” and the five stacked arms before him, their spokesman adding:
“We've done with 'em, and have said to old Bragg, “goodbye!” Secesh is played out. Now you surround us and take us into your camp.”
This was done accordingly; and is but one of hundreds of instances of wholesale desertion coming to the knowledge of our officers in Lower Tennessee.

Amusing Instance of Rebel Desertion. From the book, Pen Pictures by Ledyard Bill, 1864.

Neat little incident published in the spring of 1864. It appears mainly to be a propaganda piece to encourage the Northern population. Books like this are not always factual nor are they completely false. They contain nuggets of truth but seldom give references for verification of the incidents described. They are still entertaining to read though.

The Picket

Sources

 

Pen Pictures, Bill, Ledyard, 1864 http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006568336

Sketch, Prisoners captured at Woodstock, Virginia, 1862. Edwin Forbes. Three of the men are marked as being from the 3^rd Virginia Cavalry, and the man on the right is from Ashby's Cavalry.

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/drwg/item/2004661887/