Mistaken for a Rebel

NASHVILLE DISPATCH
February 26, 1863
p. 2, c. 1

Some rather amusing incidents are told at the expense of some of our ladies. The New Albany (Ia.) Ledger, of the 21st inst., publishes the following extract from a private letter from Nashville:

"A few days since two of our men were walking along the streets of Nashville. They belonged to a regiment which had gone there as an escort to a supply train, and while the wagons were being loaded, had gone for a stroll. One of them was dressed in a blue uniform, and carried his musket; the other had on him a secesh coat, which he had picked up on the battle-ground, and wore long, black hair; and, indeed, looked, to a stranger, more like a secesh than the honest soldier he is; when, as they passed by a fine house, in the door of which was standing a very pretty young lady, she suddenly cried out, "O, soldier, soldier, won't you let that man—he is a poor soldier of our army, the Southern army—whom you are guarding, come in? I know he wants something to eat. Isn't he a Texas Ranger?" "Yes," said the man with the gun, "we captured him only the other day. Go in, old fellow," giving him the wink. The supposed Ranger went in and quickly returned with his arms full of pies, cakes, nice bread, a bottle of good liquor, and a lot of good things generally. "Move on," said he with the gun; and so they moved on to the first convenient place, where they sat down and enjoyed a hearty meal, and carefully washed it down with the good liquor."

An incident has been related to us of a lady who concealed an escaped rebel prisoner (as she supposed) for two days, furnished him an entire new suit, and sent him rejoicing on his way to Dixie. That man was a detective!

Another lady had a permit to take a number of specified articles for family use out of the city. She thought she might make a handsome speculation by taking with her a bolt of grey cloth, which could be sold for a round price down in Dixie, and finding a gentleman who was as enthusiastic a rebel as herself, she soon struck a bargain with him to carry it to a given point beyond the pickets. That man was a detective, and of course the bolt of cloth was a prize.

Still another lady, with the assistance of a gentleman of rebellious proclivities, though a stranger to her, paroled a Federal soldier, for which she was to receive his gun and horse and equipments. A day or two afterward she had a polite invitation to visit the office of the Chief of Army Police.

Davy Crockett had a motto: "Be sure you are right, then go ahead." Where ladies practice this motto the detectives will not interfere with them.