my saddle and bridle told the men to
row back to camp, and going up across the fields went into the stable and
without difficulty found the horse. Saddling and bridling him, I mounted
and rode out past the house where I saw some ladies but did not speak to
them. That horse was a beauty, and he went over fences, ditches, etc.,
like a bird. His color was a dark bay. A creek runs into the James River
between the Wilcox plantation and Fort Powhatan and I had to ride about a
mile back into the country before I could find a ford. I put the horse on
a gallop to the ford, crossed and started back toward camp; when across
the fields to the right, on a converging road, I saw a squad of
confederate cavalry. It was a race for the fork of the roads, but I was
the better mounted and got there first and came into our lines flying. One
of the men said, "For God's sake, Lieutenant, don't come in that way
again, we came near shooting you." I tied my prize to the picket line and
felt that I had done a good thing.

When we first went there Colonel Kiddoo was in command, but he had been
superseded by another. About 6 o'clock an orderly appeared and gave me an
order to report at headquarters, and upon so reporting, the Commander
opened on me with "I understand you have been outside the lines without
leave." I said, "Colonel Kiddoo gave me a standing authority to scout as I
deemed proper," whereupon I was informed that said authority was revoked.
Then the Commander said, "I understand you stole a fine horse and brought
him into the lines," to this I said, "I could prove that he was a
confederate cavalry horse and I did not need any authority to capture
him." Whereupon he said, "Have that horse here at my headquarters
to-morrow morning at 9 o'clock." and I went back to camp determined to, in
the morning, take the worst horse from the picket line and send him up to
headquarters, but that night a courier rode into our camp with orders to
go on board the steamer on which he came, then lying at the landing, and
report to our regiment at Bermuda Hundred. I took the horse up the river
with me and about midnight we joined the regiment and soon had our picket
line stretched and the horses fastened and stable guard mounted. I saw my
prize beauty securely fastened and went to bed. The first thing the next
morning I went out to see him, and he had disappeared. The stable guard
swore that no horse got loose and no human being approached the line
during the