ls by a cross-road leading to
Irwinville; and as Davis appeared to be in the habit of travelling away
from the train, it seemed not improbable that he might be found on a
road parallel to the one the train was following. Accordingly, that
nothing on his part should be left undone to effect the capture of the
fugitive, he selected thirteen of the best-mounted men from each company
of his command, and determined with them to follow the road to
Irwinville, at which point, if Davis should not be fallen in with on the
way, he could communicate again with Harnden. Captain Hathaway, in
command of the remainder of the force, was left at Abbeville, with
orders to patrol and picket the river.

All things being arranged, we pushed rapidly for Irwinville. This was
also a beautiful moonlight night. The dust having been laid by the rain,
and the air bracing, the horses stepped out at a free and steady pace,
that brought us to our destination about two o'clock, A. M., of the
10th, but neither finding Davis on the road, nor, to our surprise, the
Wisconsin regiment in the town. Without any unnecessary disturbance, we
halted to gather information,--the men, meanwhile, sliding from their
horses, to catch, for the moment, a bit of sleep. In the midst of this
quiet a woman began to scream, and an officer near went to learn the
cause. She complained that some of the men, "Burners," had got into her
smoke-house and were appropriating her hams. This was speedily
rectified, but not her disposition to talk and scream. She said,
"There's a camp of our men out there, two hundred of them, and they will
pay you'ns for pestering me!" And she screamed as if she would alarm the
camp. About this time, a negro boy belonging to the woman was pulled out
of bed, and having "allowed" that he knew of this camp, and had been to
it, he was promptly taken to the head of the column to serve as a guide.
Pritchard, convinced that he had found Davis's camp, and determined to
make sure of his capture, sent Lieutenant Purinton with twenty-five
dismounted men to gain the other side of it, in order to prevent escape
in that direction when he should charge in from this side; he also moved
his command forward about a mile, and then quietly waited for day to
break. The realization that we were near to, and probably would seize,
the head of the Confederacy, and thus destroy at once the political
organization and rallying-point of the thing, made us all tremble with
anxiety.