First of all, the gray-clad soldier that came and spoke with you today, he was actually a Federal Scout. He was working with the North to get you to come to Owl Creek Bridge. An hour, after nightfall, the gray-clad soldier passed by your plantation again and went back northward from which he had come.
Furthermore, the North needs you to come to the bridge because they want you to try to burn it down. That is why they sent the Federal