L. P. Brockett, The camp, the battlefield, and the hospital: or, lights and shadows of the great rebellion

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[63] to them. They did so, and when completely surrounded, gave up their arms, Gray joking with them freely. No sooner were the arms delivered, than a part of the rebels changed their manner, and began to abuse them, a man by the name of Chamberlain, a renegade from Massachusetts, who it seemed owned the bloodhounds, swearing that if they had shot one of the dogs he would kill them. They now set out on their return toward Augusta, or rather toward Edgefield, S. C., and stopped at the house of a Mr. Serles, who treated them kindly, and endeavored to pacify the drunken crowd who were taking them along, as did his wife; but his two daughters went among the gang, and begged them to hang the two Yankees. “Don't let them live, men! Don't let them live!” they said, and by their urgency they had soon “fired the Southern heart” up nearly to the point of murder. Mr. Series exerted himself to the utmost, however, to quiet them, and they finally were allowed their supper, and moved off to the house of Lieut. Col. Talbot, one of their captors. Here they were allowed an hour or two sleep, and on awakening in the morning, found that the party who had captured them had all left, and that they were in the hands of a party of drunken militia, who did not regard themselves as bound in any respect by the stipulations of their captors. These brutes roused them up, tied them very securely, and then marched them to the woods near by, and made preparations to hang them. They began with Pike, and having their rope ready, asked him if he had any confession to make?

“No,” was his reply I have nothing to confess to you.