The Greensborough Patriot
April 24, 1862
Page 4
Good For Dick—At the
battle of Elkhorn, a mess composed of Lieut. Jett. Ed. Smith, and several
others of this vicinity, had for a servant a negro boy named Dick, belonging to
our esteemed fellow citizen, Thos. Smith, Esq.
Before going into battle, the boys not wishing to be robbed by the
Hessians, left all their money, about $500, in the hands of Dick as their
banker, and ordered him to stay with the rear guard and baggage. The battle raged long, and Dick became very
uneasy about his mess missing their regular meals, in the midst of such sharp
exercise. At length he loaded himself
with provisions, and went to take them their dinner. He fell into the hands of the enemy, and
found himself a prisoner. Dick affected
to be delighted with the circumstance, and told them that he was a Union man,
and belonging to one of the best Union men in the world “old man Smith, about
twenty miles off.” (The distance is 250
miles.) They kept Dick along without
searching him, and at Bentonville, one night, Dick saw his chance and
“vamoosed.” He came into the mess with
the money all safe, and with a fine overcoat for himself, which he “found” just
on leaving.