Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 June 1884 — A War Story. [ARTICLE]

A War Story.

At the time of the outbreak of the rebellion, Major-General David E. Twiggs, a Louisiana man, was in charge of the Military Department of Texas. A large portion of the regular army was serving within that department, distributed in small bodies over an immense tract of country. The Government was persuaded that Twiggs secretly acted in concert with the Texas authorities, and suffered them to beleaguer the Union troops in every direction, so that no measures could be taken to prevent their surrender in detail to overwhelming numbers. Thus very nearly all the officers and enlisted men were put under a strictly worded parole not to serve in any capacity during the whole war, unless exchanged. Some, but not all of the immediate staff serving under Twiggs, were staunch in their loyalty to the Union, and they did what they could under the’adverse circumstances which enveloped them. S —-— ~

Among these was one of the best of men, Major Wm. A. Nichols, Assistant Adjutant-General. As chief of the staff he could do much by foreseeing and providing for emergencies before they occurred. It was through his contrivance that a valuable battery of artillery escaped from the State and was given to the Government. In a note to Major-General E. D. Townsend, dated March 7, 1862, Major Nichols says: “I send you a spool of cotton to show what shifts we were put to. It contains an order to French (William H. French, who commanded the battery) to ‘cuidar’ (take care) for his guns—find it.” The spool of cotton presented the appearance of any ordinary one; but on removing the label pasted over the end and concealing the hole which passes through the center of the spool, I discovered a small roll of thin paper, on which was written the following order:

Headquarters Department of Texas, San Antonio, Feb. 10,1861.—The .Commanding Officer, Fort Duncan: Sir: Move instantly with the artillery companies upon Brazos Santiago; take your arms, guns and necessary equipments and camp equipages; leave your horses on embarkation. The formal orders have been intercepted. Texas will demand the guns of the batteries. A steamer will be ready to take you by sea. Not only were the movements of the army closely watched by the Texans, but some of Twiggs’ staff took service against the Government and did all in their power to wrest everything of value from the loyal officers and convey it to the Texan authorities. In order to evade such vigilance, the wife of Major Nichols managed to send the spool containing the order to the wife of the British Consul at Eagle Pass, inclosing it in a letter, in which she asked that it be conveyed to Major French. The lady despatched it by a Mexican boy, who safely delivered it, and French’s sagacity guided him to its real objects. He skillfully eluded the beleaguers and saved all their guns;—P/iiZatZelp/iia Inquirer. ~