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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field, by Thomas W. Knox
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field
+       Southern Adventure in Time of War. Life with the Union Armies, and
+       Residence on a Louisiana Plantation
+       
+
+Author: Thomas W. Knox
+
+Release Date: April 17, 2004 [EBook #12068]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Michel Boto and PG Distributed Proofreaders
+
+
+
+
+CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD:
+SOUTHERN ADVENTURE
+IN
+TIME OF WAR.
+
+LIFE WITH THE UNION ARMIES,
+AND
+RESIDENCE ON A LOUISIANA PLANTATION.
+
+BY
+THOMAS W. KNOX,
+HERALD CORRESPONDENT.
+
+WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+1865.
+
+
+
+
+TO
+THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PRESS,
+WHO FOLLOWED THE
+FORTUNES OF THE NATIONAL ARMIES,
+AND RECORDED
+THE DEEDS OF VALOR THAT SECURED THE PERPETUITY OF THE REPUBLIC,
+THIS VOLUME
+IS SYMPATHETICALLY INSCRIBED.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE REBEL RAM ARKANSAS RUNNING THROUGH OUR FLEET.]
+
+TO THE READER.
+
+A preface usually takes the form of an apology. The author of this
+volume has none to offer.
+
+The book owes its appearance to its discovery of a publisher. It has
+been prepared from materials gathered during the Campaigns herein
+recorded, and from the writer's personal recollections.
+
+Whatever of merit or demerit it possesses remains for the reader to
+ascertain. His judgment will be unprejudiced if he finds no word of
+promise on the prefatory page.
+
+NEW YORK, _September 15th, 1865_.
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+THE RAM _Arkansas_ RUNNING THROUGH OUR FLEET ABOVE VICKSBURG
+HAULING DOWN A REBEL FLAG AT HICKMAN, KENTUCKY
+THE OPENING GUN AT BOONEVILLE
+THE DEATH OF GENERAL LYON
+GENERAL SIGEL'S TRANSPORTATION IN MISSOURI
+SHELLING THE HILL AT PEA RIDGE
+GENERAL NELSON'S DIVISION CROSSING THE TENNESSEE
+RUNNING THE BATTERIES AT ISLAND NUMBER TEN
+THE REBEL CHARGE AT CORINTH, MISSISSIPPI
+ASSAULTING THE HILL AT CHICKASAW BAYOU
+STRATEGY AGAINST GUERRILLAS
+THE STEAMER _Von Phul_ RUNNING THE BATTERIES
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+ANTE BELLUM.
+
+At the Rocky Mountains.--Sentiment of the People.--Firing the
+Southern Heart.--A Midwinter Journey across the Plains.--An Editor's
+Opinion.--Election in Missouri.--The North springing to
+Arms.--An amusing Arrest.--Off for the Field.--Final
+Instructions.--Niagara.--Curiosities of Banking.--Arrival at the Seat
+of War.
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+MISSOURI IN THE EARLY DAYS.
+
+Apathy of the Border States.--The Missouri State Convention.--Sterling
+Price a Union Man.--Plan to take the State out of the Union.--Capture
+of Camp Jackson.--Energy of General Lyon.--Union Men organized.--An
+Unfortunate Collision.--The Price-Harney Truce.--The Panic among the
+Secessionists.--Their Hegira from St. Louis.--A Visit to the
+State Capital.--Under the Rebel Flag.--Searching for Contraband
+Articles.--An Introduction to Rebel Dignitaries.--Governor
+Jackson.--Sterling Price.--Jeff. Thompson.--Activity at
+Cairo.--Kentucky Neutrality.--The Rebels occupy Columbus.
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES.
+
+General Harney Relieved.--Price's Proclamation.--End of the
+Truce.--Conference between the Union and Rebel Leaders.--The First Act
+of Hostility.--Destruction of Railway Bridges.--Promptness of
+General Lyon.--Capture of the State Capital.--Moving on the Enemy's
+Works.--The Night before Battle.--A Correspondent's Sensation.
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE FIRST BATTLE IN MISSOURI.
+
+Moving up the River.--A Landing Effected.--The Battle.--Precipitous
+Retreat of the Rebels.--Spoiling a Captured Camp.--Rebel Flags
+Emblazoned with the State Arms.--A Journalist's Outfit.--A Chaplain of
+the Church Militant.--A Mistake that might have been Unfortunate.--The
+People of Booneville.--Visiting an Official.--Banking-House
+Loyalty.--Preparations for a Campaign.
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+TO SPRINGFIELD AND BEYOND.
+
+Conduct of the St. Louis Secessionists.--Collisions between Soldiers
+and Citizens.--Indignation of the Guests of a Hotel.--From St.
+Louis to Rolla.--Opinions of a "Regular."--Railway-life in
+Missouri.--Unprofitable Freight.--A Story of Orthography.--Mountains
+and Mountain Streams.--Fastidiousness Checked.--Frontier
+Courtesy.--Concentration of Troops at Springfield.--A Perplexing
+Situation.--The March to Dug Spring.--Sufferings from Heat and Thirst.
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE BATTLE OF WILSON CREEK.
+
+The Return from Dug Spring.--The Rebels follow in
+Pursuit.--Preparations to Attack them.--The Plan of Battle.--Moving
+to the Attack--A Bivouac--The Opening Shot.--"Is that
+Official?"--Sensations of a Spectator in Battle.--Extension of
+Distance and Time.--Characteristics of Projectiles.--Taking Notes
+under Fire.--Strength and Losses of the Opposing Armies.--A Noble
+Record.--The Wounded on the Field.--"One More Shot."--Granger in his
+Element.--General Lyon's Death.
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE RETREAT FROM SPRINGFIELD.
+
+A Council of War.--The Journalists' Council.--Preparations for
+Retreat.--Preceding the Advance-Guard.--Alarm and Anxiety of the
+People.--Magnificent Distances.--A Novel Odometer.--The Unreliable
+Countryman.--Neutrality.--A Night at Lebanon.--A Disagreeable
+Lodging-place.--Active Secessionists.--The Man who Sought and
+Found his Rights.--Approaching Civilization.--Rebel Couriers on the
+Route.--Arrival at Rolla.
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+GENERAL FREMONT'S PURSUIT OF PRICE.
+
+Quarrel between Price and McCulloch.--The Rebels Advance upon
+Lexington.--A Novel Defense for Sharp-shooters.--Attempt to Re-enforce
+the Garrison.--An Enterprising Journalist.--The Surrender.--Fremont's
+Advance.--Causes of Delay.--How the Journalists Killed Time.--Late
+News.--A Contractor "Sold."--Sigel in Front.--A Motley
+Collection.--A Wearied Officer.--The Woman who had never seen a Black
+Republican.--Love and Conversion.
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE SECOND CAMPAIGN TO SPRINGFIELD.
+
+Detention at Warsaw.--A Bridge over the Osage.--The
+Body-Guard.--Manner of its Organization.--The Advance
+to Springfield.--Charge of the Body-Guard.--A Corporal's
+Ruse.--Occupation of Springfield.--The Situation.--Wilson Creek
+Revisited.--Traces of the Battle.--Rumored Movements of the
+Enemy.--Removal of General Fremont.--Danger of Attack.--A Night of
+Excitement.--The Return to St. Louis.--Curiosities of the Scouting
+Service.--An Arrest by Mistake.
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+TWO MONTHS OF IDLENESS.
+
+A Promise Fulfilled.--Capture of a Rebel Camp and Train.--Rebel
+Sympathizers in St. Louis.--General Halleck and his Policy.--Refugees
+from Rebeldom.--Story of the Sufferings of a Union Family.--Chivalry
+in the Nineteenth Century.--The Army of the Southwest in
+Motion.--Gun-Boats and Transports.--Capture of Fort Henry.--The Effect
+in St. Louis.--Our Flag Advancing.
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+ANOTHER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI.
+
+From St. Louis to Rolla.--A Limited Outfit.--Missouri Roads in
+Winter.--"Two Solitary Horsemen."--Restricted Accommodations in a
+Slaveholder's House.--An Energetic Quartermaster.--General Sheridan
+before he became Famous.--"Bagging Price."--A Defect in the
+Bag.--Examining the Correspondence of a Rebel General.--What the
+Rebels left at their Departure.
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE FLIGHT AND THE PURSUIT.
+
+From Springfield to Pea Ridge.--Mark Tapley in Missouri.--"The
+Arkansas Traveler."--Encountering the Rebel Army.--A Wonderful
+Spring.--The Cantonment at Cross Hollows.--Game Chickens.--Magruder
+_vs_. Breckinridge.--Rebel Generals in a Controversy.--Its Result.--An
+Expedition to Huntsville.--Curiosities of Rebel Currency.--Important
+Information.--A Long and Weary March.--Disposition of Forces before
+the Battle.--Changing Front.--What the Rebels lost by Ignorance.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE.
+
+The Rebels make their Attack.--Albert Pike and his Indians.--Scalping
+Wounded Men.--Death of General McCulloch.--The Fighting at Elkhorn
+Tavern.--Close of a Gloomy Day.--An Unpleasant Night.--Vocal Sounds
+from a Mule's Throat.--Sleeping under Disadvantages.--A Favorable
+Morning.--The Opposing Lines of Battle.--A Severe Cannonade.--The
+Forest on Fire.--Wounded Men in the Flames.--The Rebels in
+Retreat.--Movements of our Army.--A Journey to St. Louis.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+UP THE TENNESSEE AND AT PITTSBURG LANDING.
+
+At St. Louis.--Progress of our Arms in the Great Valley.--Cairo.--Its
+Peculiarities and Attractions.--Its Commercial, Geographical, and
+Sanitary Advantages.--Up the Tennessee.--Movements Preliminary to
+the Great Battle.--The Rebels and their Plans.--Postponement of
+the Attack.--Disadvantages of our Position.--The Beginning of the
+Battle.--Results of the First Day.--Re-enforcements.--Disputes between
+Officers of our two Armies.--Beauregard's Watering-place.
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+SHILOH AND THE SIEGE OF CORINTH.
+
+The Error of the Rebels.--Story of a Surgeon.--Experience of a
+Rebel Regiment.--Injury to the Rebel Army.--The Effect in our own
+Lines.--Daring of a Color-Bearer.--A Brave Soldier.--A Drummer-Boy's
+Experience.--Gallantry of an Artillery Surgeon.--A Regiment Commanded
+by a Lieutenant.--Friend Meeting Friend and Brother Meeting Brother
+in the Opposing Lines.--The Scene of the Battle.--Fearful Traces
+of Musketry-Fire.--The Wounded.--The Labor of the Sanitary
+Commission.--Humanity a Yankee Trick.--Besieging Corinth.--A
+Cold-Water Battery.--Halleck and the Journalists.--Occupation of
+Corinth.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+CAPTURE OF FORT PILLOW AND BATTLE OF MEMPHIS.
+
+The Siege of Fort Pillow.--General Pope.--His Reputation for
+Veracity.--Capture of the "Ten Thousand."--Naval Battle above Fort
+Pillow.--The _John H. Dickey_.--Occupation of the Fort.--General
+Forrest.--Strength of the Fortifications.--Their Location.--Randolph,
+Tennessee.--Memphis and her Last Ditch.--Opening of the Naval
+Combat.--Gallant Action of Colonel Ellet.--Fate of the Rebel
+Fleet.--The People Viewing the Battle.--Their Conduct.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+IN MEMPHIS AND UNDER THE FLAG.
+
+Jeff. Thompson and his Predictions.--A Cry of Indignation.--Memphis
+Humiliated.--The Journalists in the Battle.--The Surrender.--A Fine
+Point of Law and Honor.--Going on Shore.--An Enraged Secessionist.--A
+Dangerous Enterprise.--Memphis and her Antecedents.--Her Loyalty.--An
+Amusing Incident.--How the Natives learned of the Capture of Fort
+Donelson.--The Last Ditch.--A Farmer-Abolitionist.--Disloyalty among
+the Women.--"Blessings in Disguise."--An American Mark Tapley.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+SUPERVISING A REBEL JOURNAL.
+
+The Press of Memphis.--Flight of _The Appeal_.--A False
+Prediction.--_The Argus_ becomes Loyal.--Order from General
+Wallace.--Installed in Office.--Lecturing the Rebels.--"Trade follows
+the Flag."--Abuses of Traffic.--Supplying the Rebels.--A Perilous
+Adventure.--Passing the Rebel Lines.--Eluding Watchful Eyes.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE FIRST SIEGE OF VICKSBURG.
+
+From Memphis to Vicksburg.--Running the Batteries.--Our Inability
+to take Vicksburg by Assault.--Digging a Canal.--A Conversation with
+Resident Secessionists.--Their Arguments _pro_ and _con_, and the
+Answers they Received.--A Curiosity of Legislation.--An Expedition up
+the Yazoo.--Destruction of the Rebel Fleet.--The _Arkansas_ Running
+the Gauntlet.--A Spirited Encounter.--A Gallant Attempt.--Raising the
+Siege.--Fate of the _Arkansas_.
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE MARCH THROUGH ARKANSAS.--THE SIEGE OF CINCINNATI.
+
+General Curtis's Army reaching Helena.--Its Wanderings.--The
+Arkansas Navy.--Troops and their Supplies "miss
+Connection."--Rebel Reports.--Memphis in Midsummer.--"A Journey due
+North."--Chicago.--Bragg's Advance into Kentucky.--Kirby Smith in
+Front of Cincinnati.--The City under Martial Law.--The Squirrel
+Hunters.--War Correspondents in Comfortable Quarters.--Improvising an
+Army.--Raising the Siege.--Bragg's Retreat.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE BATTLE OF CORINTH.
+
+New Plans of the Rebels.--Their Design to Capture Corinth.--Advancing
+to the Attack.--Strong Defenses.--A Magnificent Charge.--Valor _vs_.
+Breast-Works.--The Repulse.--Retreat and Pursuit.--The National Arms
+Triumphant.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+THE CAMPAIGN FROM CORINTH.
+
+Changes of Commanders.--Preparations for the Aggressive.--Marching
+from Corinth.--Talking with the People.--"You-uns and
+We-uns."--Conservatism of a "Regular."--Loyalty and
+Disloyalty.--Condition of the Rebel Army.--Foraging.--German Theology
+for American Soldiers.--A Modest Landlord.--A Boy without a Name.--The
+Freedmen's Bureau.--Employing Negroes.--Holly Springs and its
+People.--An Argument for Secession.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+GRANT'S OCCUPATION OF MISSISSIPPI.
+
+The Slavery Question.--A Generous Offer.--A Journalist's
+Modesty.--Hopes of the Mississippians at the Beginning of the
+War.--Visiting an Editress.--Literature under Difficulties.--Jacob
+Thompson and his Correspondence.--Plans for the Capture of
+Vicksburg.--Movements of General Sherman.--The Raid upon Holly
+Springs.--Forewarned, but not Forearmed.--A Gallant Fight.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE BATTLE OF CHICKASAW BAYOU.
+
+Leaving Memphis.--Down the Great River.--Landing in the
+Yazoo.--Description of the Ground.--A Night in Bivouac.--Plan
+of Attack.--Moving toward the Hills.--Assaulting the Bluff.--Our
+Repulse.--New Plans.--Withdrawal from the Yazoo.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+BEFORE VICKSBURG.
+
+Capture of Arkansas Post.--The Army returns to Milliken's
+Bend.--General Sherman and the Journalists.--Arrest of the
+Author.--His Trial before a Military Court.--Letter from President
+Lincoln.--Capture of Three Journalists.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+KANSAS IN WAR-TIME.
+
+A Visit to Kansas.--Recollections of Border Feuds.--Peculiarities
+of Kansas Soldiers.--Foraging as a Fine Art.--Kansas and
+Missouri.--Settling Old Scores.--Depopulating the Border
+Counties.--Two Examples of Grand Strategy.--Capture of the
+"Little-More-Grape" Battery.--A Woman in Sorrow.--Frontier
+Justice.--Trial before a "Lynch" Court.--General Blunt's
+Order.--Execution of Horse-Thieves.--Auction Sale of Confiscated
+Property.--Banished to Dixie.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+GETTYSBURG.
+
+A Hasty Departure.--At Harrisburg.--_En route_ for the Army of
+the Potomac.--The Battle-Field at Gettysburg.--Appearance of
+the Cemetery.--Importance of the Position.--The Configuration
+of Ground.--Traces of Battle.--Round Hill.--General Meade's
+Head-Quarters.--Appearance of the Dead.--Through the Forests along the
+Line.--Retreat and Pursuit of Lee.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+IN THE NORTHWEST.
+
+From Chicago to Minnesota.--Curiosities of Low-Water Navigation.--St.
+Paul and its Sufferings in Earlier Days.--The Indian War.--A Brief
+History of our Troubles in that Region.--General Pope's Expeditions to
+Chastise the Red Man.--Honesty in the Indian Department.--The End of
+the Warfare.--The Pacific Railway.--A Bold Undertaking.--Penetrating
+British Territory.--The Hudson Bay Company.--Peculiarities of a
+Trapper's Life.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+INAUGURATION OF A GREAT ENTERPRISE.
+
+Plans for Arming the Negroes along the Mississippi.--Opposition to the
+Movement.--Plantations Deserted by their Owners.--Gathering Abandoned
+Cotton.--Rules and Regulations.--Speculation.--Widows and Orphans
+in Demand.--Arrival of Adjutant-General Thomas.--Designs of the
+Government.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+COTTON-PLANTING IN 1863.
+
+Leasing the Plantations.--Interference of the
+Rebels.--Raids.--Treatment of Prisoners.--The Attack upon Milliken's
+Bend.--A Novel Breast-Work.--Murder of our Officers.--Profits of
+Cotton-Planting.--Dishonesty of Lessees.--Negroes Planting on their
+own Account.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+AMONG THE OFFICIALS.
+
+Reasons for Trying an Experiment.--Activity among Lessees.--Opinions
+of the Residents.--Rebel Hopes in 1863.--Removal of Negroes to West
+Louisiana.--Visiting Natchez.--The City and its Business.--"The
+Rejected Addresses".
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+A JOURNEY OUTSIDE THE LINES.
+
+Passing the Pickets.--Cold Weather in the South.--Effect of Climate
+upon the Constitution.--Surrounded and Captured.--Prevarication
+and Explanation.--Among the Natives.--The Game for the
+Confederacy.--Courtesy of the Planters.--Condition of the
+Plantations.--The Return.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+ON THE PLANTATION.
+
+Military Protection.--Promises.--Another Widow.--Securing
+a Plantation.--Its Locality and Appearance.--Gardening in
+Louisiana.--How Cotton is Picked.--"The Tell-Tale."--A Southerner's
+Opinion of the Negro Character.--Causes and Consequences.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+RULES AND REGULATIONS UNDER THE OLD AND NEW SYSTEMS.
+
+The Plantation Record.--Its Uses.--Interesting Memoranda.--Dogs,
+Jail, and Stocks.--Instructions to the Overseer.--His Duties and
+Responsibilities.--The Order of General Banks.--Management of
+Plantations in the Department of the Gulf.--The two Documents.
+Contrasted.--One of the Effects of "an Abolition War".
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+OUR FREE-LABOR ENTERPRISE IN PROGRESS.
+
+The Negroes at Work.--Difficulties in the Way.--A Public Meeting.--A
+Speech.--A Negro's Idea of Freedom.--A Difficult Question to
+Determine.--Influence of Northern and Southern Men Contrasted.--An
+Increase of Numbers.--"Ginning" Cotton.--In the Lint-Room.--Mills and
+Machinery of a Plantation.--A Profitable Enterprise.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+WAR AND AGRICULTURE.
+
+Official Favors.--Division of Labor.--Moral Suasion.--Corn-gathering
+in the South.--An Alarm.--A Frightened Irishman.--The Rebels
+Approaching.--An Attack on Waterproof.--Falstaff Redivivus.--His Feats
+of Arms.--Departure for New Orleans.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+IN THE COTTON MARKET.
+
+New Orleans and its Peculiarities.--Its Loss by the Rebellion.--Cotton
+Factors in New Orleans.--Old Things passed away.--The Northern
+Barbarians a Race of Shopkeepers.--Pulsations of the Cotton Market.--A
+Quarrel with a Lady.--Contending for a Principle.--Inharmony of the
+"Regulations."--An Account of Sales.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII.
+
+SOME FEATURES OF PLANTATION LIFE.
+
+Mysteries of Mule-trading.--"What's in a Name?"--Process of Stocking
+a Plantation.--An Enterprising White Man.--Stratagem of a
+Yankee.--Distributing Goods to the Negroes.--The Tastes of the
+African.--Ethiopian Eloquence.--A Colored Overseer.--Guerrillas
+Approaching.--Whisky _vs_. Guerrillas.--A Hint to Military Men.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX.
+
+VISITED BY GUERRILLAS.
+
+News of the Raid.--Returning to the Plantation.--Examples of Negro
+Cunning.--A Sudden Departure and a Fortunate Escape.--A Second
+Visit.--"Going Through," in Guerrilla Parlance.--How it is
+Accomplished.--Courtesy to Guests.--A Holiday Costume.--Lessees
+Abandoning their Plantations.--Official Promises.
+
+
+CHAPTER XL.
+
+PECULIARITIES OF PLANTATION LABOR.
+
+Resuming Operation.--Difficulties in the Way.--A New Method of Healing
+the Sick.--A Thief Discovered by his Ignorance of Arithmetic.--How
+Cotton is Planted.--The Uses of Cotton-Seed.--A Novel
+Sleeping-Room.--Constructing a Tunnel.--Vigilance of a Negro Sentinel.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI.
+
+THE NEGROES AT A MILITARY POST.
+
+The Soldiers at Waterproof.--The Black Man in Blue.--Mutiny and
+Desertion.--Their Cause and Cure.--Tendering a Resignation.--No Desire
+for a Barber.--Seeking Protection.--Falsehood and Truth.--Proneness to
+Exaggeration.--Amusing Estimates.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLII.
+
+THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT.
+
+The Nature of our "Protection."--Trade Following the Flag.--A
+Fortunate Journey.--Our Last Visit.--Inhumanity of the
+Guerrillas.--Driving Negroes into Captivity.--Killing an
+Overseer.--Our Final Departure.--Plantations Elsewhere.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIII.
+
+THE MISSISSIPPI AND ITS PECULIARITIES.
+
+Length of the Great River, and the Area it Drains.--How Itasca Lake
+obtained its Name.--The Bends of the Mississippi.--Curious Effect upon
+Titles to Real Estate.--A Story of Napoleon.--A Steamboat Thirty-five
+Years under Water.--The Current and its Variations.--Navigating Cotton
+and Corn Fields.--Reminiscences of the Islands.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIV.
+
+STEAMBOATING ON THE MISSISSIPPI IN PEACE AND WAR.
+
+Attempts to Obstruct the Great River.--Chains, Booms, and
+Batteries.--A Novelty in Piloting.--Travel in the Days Before the
+Rebellion.--Trials of Speed.--The Great Race.--Travel During the
+War.--Running a Rebel Battery on the Lower Mississippi.--Incidents of
+the Occasion.--Comments on the Situation.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLV.
+
+THE ARMY CORRESPONDENT.
+
+The Beginning and the End.--The Lake Erie Piracy.--A Rochester
+Story.--The First War Correspondent.--Napoleon's Policy.--Waterloo
+and the Rothschilds.--Journalistic Enterprise in the Mexican War.--The
+Crimea and the East Indian Rebellion.--Experiences at the Beginning
+of Hostilities.--The Tender Mercies of the Insurgents.--In the
+Field.--Adventures in Missouri and Kentucky.--Correspondents
+in Captivity.--How Battle-Accounts were Written.--Professional
+Complaints.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVI.
+
+THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SOUTH.
+
+Scarcity of the Population.--Fertility of the Country.--Northern Men
+already in the South.--Kansas Emigrants Crossing Missouri.--Change of
+the Situation.--Present Disadvantages of Emigration.--Feeling of
+the People.--Property-Holders in Richmond.--The Sentiment in North
+Carolina.--South Carolina Chivalry.--The Effect of War.--Prospect of
+the Success of Free Labor.--Trade in the South.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVII.
+
+HOW DISADVANTAGES MAY BE OVERCOME.
+
+Conciliating the People of the South.--Railway Travel and its
+Improvement.--Rebuilding Steamboats.--Replacing Working
+Stock.--The Condition of the Plantations.--Suggestions about Hasty
+Departures.--Obtaining Information.--The Attractions of Missouri.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVIII.
+
+THE RESOURCES OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.
+
+How the People have Lived.--An Agricultural Community.--Mineral
+and other Wealth of Virginia.--Slave-Breeding in Former
+Times.--The Auriferous Region of North Carolina.--Agricultural
+Advantages.--Varieties of Soil in South Carolina.--Sea-Island
+Cotton.--Georgia and her Railways.--Probable Decline of the Rice
+Culture.--The Everglade State.--The Lower Mississippi Valley.--The Red
+River.--Arkansas and its Advantages.--A Hint for Tragedians.--Mining
+in Tennessee.--The Blue-Grass Region of Kentucky.--Texas and its
+Attractions.--Difference between Southern and Western Emigration.--The
+End. CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+ANTE BELLUM.
+
+At the Rocky Mountains.--Sentiment of the People.--Firing the
+Southern Heart.--A Midwinter Journey across the Plains.--An Editor's
+Opinion.--Election in Missouri.--The North springing to
+Arms.--An amusing Arrest.--Off for the Field.--Final
+Instructions.--Niagara.--Curiosities of Banking.--Arrival at the Seat
+of War.
+
+
+I passed the summer and autumn of 1860 in the Rocky Mountain Gold
+Region. At that time the population of the young Territory was
+composed of emigrants from Northern and Southern States, those from
+the colder regions being in the majority. When the Presidential
+election took place, there was much angry discussion of the great
+questions of the day, and there were threats of violence on the part
+of the friends of the "institution." The residents of the Gold Region
+were unable to cast their votes for the men of their choice, but their
+anxiety to know the result was very great.
+
+When it was announced that the Republican candidate had triumphed,
+there were speedy signs of discontent. Some of the more impulsive
+Southerners departed at once for their native States, predicting a
+separation of Dixie from the North before the end of the year. Some
+went to New Mexico, and others to Texas, while many remained to press
+their favorite theories upon their neighbors. The friends of the Union
+were slow to believe that any serious difficulty would take place.
+Long after the secession of South Carolina they were confident our
+differences could be healed without an appeal to arms.
+
+My visit to the Rocky Mountains was a professional one. During my stay
+in that region I supplied several Eastern journals with letters from
+Colorado and New Mexico. One after another, the editors of these
+journals informed me that letters from the Territories had lost their
+interest, owing to the troubles growing out of the election. Wishing
+to take part in the drama about to be enacted, I essayed a midwinter
+journey across the plains, and, early in February, stood in the
+editorial room of _The Herald_.
+
+I announced my readiness to proceed to any point between the Poles,
+wherever _The Herald_ desired a correspondent. The editor-in-chief was
+busy over a long letter from some point in the South, but his response
+was promptly given. Half reading, half pausing over the letter, he
+briefly said:--
+
+"A long and bloody war is upon us, in which the whole country will be
+engaged. We shall desire you to take the field; probably in the West.
+It may be several weeks before we need you, but the war cannot be long
+delayed."
+
+At that time few persons in the North looked upon the situation with
+any fears of trouble. There were some who thought a hostile collision
+was among the possibilities, but these persons were generally in the
+minority. Many believed the secession movement was only the hasty work
+of political leaders, that would be soon undone when the people of the
+South came to their senses.
+
+That the South would deliberately plunge the country into civil war
+was difficult to comprehend, even after the first steps had been
+taken. The majority of the Northern people were hoping and believing,
+day by day, that something might transpire to quell the excitement and
+adjust the difficulties threatening to disturb the country.
+
+Before leaving the Rocky Mountains I did not believe that war was
+certain to ensue, though I considered it quite probable. As I passed
+through Missouri, the only slave State that lay in my route, I found
+every thing comparatively quiet. In St. Joseph, on the day of my
+arrival, the election for delegates to the State Convention was being
+held. There was no disorder, more than is usual on election days in
+small cities. Little knots of people were engaged in discussion, but
+the discussions partook of no extraordinary bitterness. The vote of
+the city was decidedly in favor of keeping the State in the Union.
+
+Between the 7th of December and the 12th of April, the Northern blood
+warmed slowly. The first gun at Sumter quickened its pulsations. When
+the President issued his call for seventy-five thousand men for three
+months, to put down insurrection, the North woke to action. Everywhere
+the response was prompt, earnest, patriotic. In the Northern
+cities the recruiting offices were densely thronged. New York and
+Massachusetts were first to send their favorite regiments to the
+front, but they were not long in the advance. Had the call been for
+four times seventy-five thousand, and for a service of three years,
+there is little doubt the people would have responded without
+hesitation.
+
+For a short time after my arrival at the East, I remained in a small
+town in Southern New Hampshire. A few days after the first call was
+issued, a friend invited me to a seat in his carriage for a ride to
+Portsmouth, the sea-port of the State. On reaching the city we found
+the war spirit fully aroused. Two companies of infantry were drilling
+in the public square, and the citizens were in a state of great
+excitement. In the course of the afternoon my friend and myself were
+arrested, by a committee of respectable citizens, who suspected us of
+being Southern emissaries. It was with great difficulty we convinced
+them they had made a slight mistake. We referred them to the only
+acquaintances we had in the city. They refused to consider the truth
+established in the mouths of two witnesses, and were not induced to
+give us our liberty until all convenient proof of our identity had
+been adduced.
+
+To be arrested within twenty miles of home, on suspicion of being
+delegated from Charleston or Montgomery, was one of my most amusing
+experiences of the war. The gentleman who accompanied me was a very
+earnest believer in coercion. His business in Portsmouth on that
+occasion was to offer his services in a regiment then being formed.
+A few months later he received a commission in the army, but did not
+obtain it through any of our temporary acquaintances at Portsmouth.
+
+Our captors were the solid men of the city, any one of whom could
+have sat for the portrait of Mr. Turveydrop without the slightest
+alteration. On taking us into custody, they stated the grounds on
+which they arrested us. Our dark complexions and long beards had
+aroused suspicions concerning the places of our nativity. Suspicion
+was reduced to a certainty when one of them heard me mention my
+presence in Missouri on the day of choosing candidates for the
+Convention. Our purpose was divined when I asked if there was any
+activity at the Navy Yard. We were Rebel emissaries, who designed to
+lay their Navy Yard in ashes!
+
+On our release and departure we were followed to our homes, that the
+correctness of our representations might be ascertained. This little
+occurrence, in the center of New England, where the people claim to
+be thoroughly quiet and law-abiding, indicated that the war spirit in
+that part of the North was more than momentary.
+
+The West was not behind the Eastern States in the determination
+to subdue the Rebellion. Volunteers were gathering at Cairo, and
+threatening to occupy points further down the Mississippi. At
+St. Louis the struggle was active between the Unionists and the
+Secessionists.
+
+A collision was a mere question of time, and of short time at the
+best.
+
+As I visited _The Herald_ office for final instructions, I found that
+the managing editor had determined upon a vigorous campaign. Every
+point of interest was to be covered, so that the operations of our
+armies would be fully recorded from day to day. The war correspondents
+had gone to their posts, or were just taking their departure. One
+correspondent was already on the way to Cairo. I was instructed to
+watch the military movements in Missouri, and hastened to St. Louis as
+fast as steam could bear me.
+
+Detained twelve hours at Niagara, by reason of missing a railway
+train, I found that the opening war gave promise of affecting that
+locality. The hotel-keepers were gloomy at the prospect of losing
+their Southern patronage, and half feared they would be obliged to
+close their establishments. There were but few visitors, and even
+these were not of the class which scatters its money profusely. The
+village around the Falls displayed positive signs of dullness, and
+the inhabitants had personal as well as patriotic interest in wishing
+there was no war. The Great Cataract was unchanged in its beauty
+and grandeur. The flood from the Lakes was not diminished, and the
+precipice over which the water plunged was none the less steep. The
+opening war had no effect upon this wonder of the New World.
+
+In Chicago, business was prostrated on account of the outbreak of
+hostilities. Most of the banks in Illinois had been holding State
+bonds as securities for the redemption of their circulation. As these
+bonds were nearly all of Southern origin, the beginning of the war
+had materially affected their value. The banks found their securities
+rapidly becoming insecure, and hence there was a depreciation in the
+currency. This was not uniform, but varied from five to sixty per
+cent., according to the value of the bonds the respective banks were
+holding. Each morning and evening bulletins were issued stating the
+value of the notes of the various banking-houses. Such a currency was
+very inconvenient to handle, as the payment of any considerable sum
+required a calculation to establish the worth of each note.
+
+Many rumors were in circulation concerning the insecurity of a
+Northern visitor in St. Louis, but none of the stories were very
+alarming. Of one thing all were certain--the star of the Union was
+in the ascendant. On arriving in St. Louis I found the city far from
+quiet, though there was nothing to lead a stranger to consider his
+personal safety in danger. I had ample material for entering at
+once upon my professional duties, in chronicling the disordered and
+threatening state of affairs.
+
+On the day of my arrival, I met a gentleman I had known in the Rocky
+Mountains, six months before. I knew his courage was beyond question,
+having seen him in several disturbances incident to the Gold Regions;
+but I was not aware which side of the great cause he had espoused.
+After our first greetings, I ventured to ask how he stood.
+
+"I am a Union man," was his emphatic response.
+
+"What kind of a Union man are you?"
+
+"I am this kind of a Union man," and he threw open his coat, and
+showed me a huge revolver, strapped to his waist.
+
+There were many loyal men in St. Louis, whose sympathies were evinced
+in a similar manner. Revolvers were at a premium.
+
+Some of the Secessionists ordered a quantity of revolvers from New
+York, to be forwarded by express. To prevent interference by the Union
+authorities, they caused the case to be directed to "Colonel Francis
+P. Blair, Jr., care of ----." They thought Colonel Blair's name
+would secure the property from seizure. The person in whose care the
+revolvers were sent was a noted Secessionist, who dealt extensively in
+fire-arms.
+
+Colonel Blair learned of the shipment, and met the box at the station.
+Fifty revolvers of the finest quality, bought and paid for by the
+Secessionists, were distributed among the friends of Colonel Blair,
+and were highly prized by the recipients.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+MISSOURI IN THE EARLY DAYS.
+
+Apathy of the Border States.--The Missouri State Convention.--Sterling
+Price a Union Man.--Plan to take the State out of the Union.--Capture
+of Camp Jackson.--Energy of General Lyon.--Union Men organized.--An
+Unfortunate Collision.--The Price-Harney Truce.--The Panic among the
+Secessionists.--Their Hegira from St. Louis.--A Visit to the
+State Capital.--Under the Rebel Flag.--Searching for Contraband
+Articles.--An Introduction to Rebel Dignitaries.--Governor
+Jackson.--Sterling Price.--Jeff. Thompson.--Activity at
+Cairo.--Kentucky Neutrality.--The Rebels occupy Columbus.
+
+
+The Border States were not prompt to follow the example of the States
+on the Gulf and South Atlantic coast. Missouri and Kentucky were
+loyal, if the voice of the majority is to be considered the voice of
+the population. Many of the wealthier inhabitants were, at the
+outset, as they have always been, in favor of the establishment of
+an independent Southern Government. Few of them desired an appeal to
+arms, as they well knew the Border States would form the front of the
+Confederacy, and thus become the battle-field of the Rebellion. The
+greater part of the population of those States was radically opposed
+to the secession movement, but became powerless under the noisy,
+political leaders who assumed the control. Many of these men, who were
+Unionists in the beginning, were drawn into the Rebel ranks on
+the plea that it would be treason to refuse to do what their State
+Government had decided upon.
+
+The delegates to the Missouri State Convention were elected in
+February, 1861, and assembled at St. Louis in the following April.
+Sterling Price, afterward a Rebel general, was president of this
+Convention, and spoke in favor of keeping the State in the Union. The
+Convention thought it injudicious for Missouri to secede, at least at
+that time, and therefore she was not taken out. This discomfited the
+prime movers of the secession schemes, as they had counted upon the
+Convention doing the desired work. In the language of one of their
+own number, "they had called a Convention to take the State out of the
+Union, and she must be taken out at all hazards." Therefore a new line
+of policy was adopted.
+
+The Governor of Missouri was one of the most active and unscrupulous
+Secessionists. After the failure of the Convention to unite Missouri
+with the Confederacy, Governor Jackson overhauled the militia laws,
+and, under their sanction, issued a call for a muster of militia near
+St. Louis. This militia assembled at Lindell Grove, in the suburbs
+of St. Louis, and a military camp was established, under the name of
+"Camp Jackson." Though ostensibly an innocent affair, this camp was
+intended to be the nucleus of the army to hoist the Rebel flag in the
+State. The officers in command were known Secessionists, and every
+thing about the place was indicative of its character.
+
+The Governor of Louisiana sent, from the arsenal at Baton Rouge, a
+quantity of guns and munitions of war, to be used by the insurgent
+forces in Missouri. These reached St. Louis without hinderance, and
+were promptly conveyed to the embryonic Rebel camp. Captain Lyon, in
+command of the St. Louis Arsenal, was informed that he must confine
+his men to the limits of the United States property, under penalty of
+the arrest of all who stepped outside. Governor Jackson several times
+visited the grounds overlooking the arsenal, and selected spots
+for planting his guns. Every thing was in preparation for active
+hostility.
+
+The Union people were by no means idle. Captain Lyon had foreseen the
+danger menacing the public property in the arsenal, and besought the
+Government for permission to remove it. Twenty thousand stand of arms
+were, in a single night, loaded upon a steamer and sent to Alton,
+Illinois. They were conveyed thence by rail to the Illinois State
+Arsenal at Springfield. Authority was obtained for the formation of
+volunteer regiments, and they were rapidly mustered into the service.
+
+While Camp Jackson was being formed, the Union men of St. Louis were
+arming and drilling with such secrecy that the Secessionists were
+not generally aware of their movements. Before the close of the day
+Captain Lyon received permission for mustering volunteers; he placed
+more than six hundred men into the service. Regiments were organized
+under the name of "Home Guards," and by the 9th of May there were six
+thousand armed Union men in St. Louis, who were sworn to uphold the
+national honor.
+
+Colonel Francis P. Blair, Jr., commanded the First Regiment of
+Missouri Volunteers, and stood faithfully by Captain Lyon in all
+those early and dangerous days. The larger portion of the forces then
+available in St. Louis was made up of the German element, which was
+always thoroughly loyal. This fact caused the Missouri Secessionists
+to feel great indignation toward the Germans. They always declared
+they would have seized St. Louis and held possession of the larger
+portion of the State, had it not been for the earnest loyalty of "the
+Dutch."
+
+In the interior of Missouri the Secessionists were generally in the
+ascendant. It was the misfortune of the time that the Unionists were
+usually passive, while their enemies were active. In certain counties
+where the Unionists were four times the number of the Secessionists,
+it was often the case that the latter were the ruling party. The
+Union people were quiet and law-abiding; the Secessionists active
+and unscrupulous. "Peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must," was the
+motto of the enemies of the Republic.
+
+In some localities the Union men asserted themselves, but they did not
+generally do so until after the first blows were struck at St. Louis.
+When they did come out in earnest, the loyal element in Missouri
+became fully apparent.
+
+To assure the friends of the Union, and save Missouri from the
+domination of the insurgents, it was necessary for Captain Lyon to
+assume the offensive. This was done on the 10th of May, resulting in
+the famous capture of "Camp Jackson."
+
+On the night of the 9th, loyal parties in St. Louis supplied a
+sufficient number of horses to move the light artillery necessary to
+accomplish the desired object. On the morning of the 10th, Captain
+Lyon's command moved from various points, so as to surround the Rebel
+camp at three o'clock in the afternoon. At that hour General
+Frost, the Rebel commander, was surprised at the appearance of an
+overpowering force on the hills surrounding his position. A demand for
+surrender gave half an hour for deliberation. At the end of that time
+General Frost concluded to capitulate. The prisoners, less than a
+thousand in number, were marched to the arsenal and safely secured.
+
+This achievement destroyed Camp Jackson, and established the United
+States authority in full force over St. Louis. An unfortunate
+collision occurred between the soldiers and the crowd outside.
+Provoked by insults terminating in an assault with fire-arms, a
+portion of the German troops fired upon the multitude. Upward
+of thirty persons were killed or wounded in the affair. With the
+exception of this unhappy collision, the capture was bloodless.
+
+General Harney arrived at St. Louis soon after this event, and assumed
+command in Missouri. The agreement known as "the Price-Harney truce"
+was immediately made. Under an assurance from Governor Jackson that
+the State troops should be disbanded, General Harney promised that no
+hostilities should be undertaken, and attempted to cause the dispersal
+of the Union volunteers. The status of the latter had been so fixed
+that General Harney was not empowered to disarm them, and he so
+informed, the State authorities. His message announcing this read
+nearly as follows:--
+
+  "I have ascertained that I have no control over the Home Guards.
+                     "W. S. HARNEY, _Brig.-Gen_."
+
+This message was received at the Police Head-Quarters in St. Louis, on
+the morning of Sunday, May 15th. It was misunderstood by the parties
+who read it. They inferred, from the tenor of the dispatch, that
+General Harney was unable to restrain the Union volunteers.
+
+The most frightful stories had been circulated concerning the
+blood-thirsty character of these soldiers, particularly the German
+portion. Visions of murder, pillage, house-burning, and all the
+accompanying outrages committed by an unrestrained army, flitted
+through the minds of the Secessionists. The story spread, and gained
+intensity with each repetition. "The Dutch are rising; we shall all
+be slain in cold blood!" was the cry, echoed from house to house. Not
+less than five thousand people fled from the city on that day, and as
+many more within the succeeding twenty-four hours. Carriages,
+wagons, drays, every thing that could transport persons or valuables,
+commanded exorbitant prices. Steamboats were chartered as ferries to
+the Illinois shore or to go to points of safety, either up or down the
+river. Many persons abandoned their houses, taking with them only a
+few articles of value or necessity, while others carried away nothing,
+in their haste to escape.
+
+In a few days the excitement subsided and nearly all the refugees
+returned, but there are some who have never been in St. Louis since
+their remarkable hegira. In their determination to obtain their
+"rights," they entered the Rebel army and followed its checkered
+fortunes. Less than half of these persons are now alive.
+
+For a time after the appearance of General Harney's proclamation,
+there were no hostile demonstrations on either side. Governor Jackson
+had promised to disband the small force of militia at Jefferson City,
+but he failed to do so. The Rebel flag was flying in Jefferson
+City, from a staff in front of the Governor's mansion, and over the
+head-quarters of the Missouri State Guard. Missouri, through her State
+officers, was in favor of an armed neutrality, which really meant
+nothing less than armed secession.
+
+The Secessionists were quietly but earnestly at work to effect their
+object. They did not heed their promise to remain inactive. The Union
+authorities observed theirs to the letter. The Camp Jackson prisoners
+were paroled and restored to liberty. A portion of them observed the
+parole, but many did not. General Frost remained on his farm and
+took no part in the Rebellion until relieved from his parole, several
+months later. It is proper to add, that he was of very little account
+to the Rebels when he finally entered the field.
+
+While watching the progress of affairs in St. Louis, I determined upon
+a visit to Jefferson City. Though the Rebel flag was flying over the
+State Capitol, and the nucleus of the Missouri State Guard (Rebel) had
+its camp in the suburbs, the communication by railroad had not been
+interrupted. Taking the morning train from St. Louis, on the 27th
+of May, I found myself, at three o'clock of the afternoon, under the
+secession banner. The searching of the train for articles contraband
+of war was then a new feature.
+
+In the early days only the outside of a package was examined. If the
+"marks" indicated nothing suspicious, the goods were allowed to pass.
+Under this regulation, a large number of boxes marked "soap" were
+shipped on a steamboat for Lexington. So much soap going into Missouri
+was decidedly suspicious, as the people of the interior do not make
+extensive use of the article. An examination disclosed canisters of
+powder instead of bars of soap. The discovery was followed by the
+promulgation of an order requiring a rigid examination of all
+packages that might be of doubtful character. This order, with various
+modifications, was kept in force for a long time.
+
+In starting from St. Louis, I left a company of Union volunteers at
+the railway station. At Jefferson City I found the depot filled with
+the Rebel soldiers, or "neutrals," as Governor Jackson persisted in
+calling them. The particular duty they were performing I was unable
+to ascertain, but they bore unmistakable signs of being something more
+than a "neutral" body of men. Their camp was just in rear of the city.
+The Rebel flag, which floated above the camp, was recognized as the
+emblem of their neutrality.
+
+The proprietor of the hotel where I stopped held the reputation of
+an earnest friend of the Union, ready to Suffer any thing rather than
+sink his principles. He introduced me to several citizens, most
+of them, like himself, thoroughly loyal. We discussed freely the
+condition of affairs in Missouri.
+
+It was evident the State authorities intended war, as soon as the
+necessary preparations could be made. They were not quite ready to
+strike their first blow, but when they should be prepared, they would
+not hesitate a moment. Governor Jackson was exerting himself to the
+utmost to accumulate arms and military stores at various points in
+the State, where they would be of most value. In defiance of the
+truce between Generals Price and Harney, companies were being formed
+throughout the State, and were drilling for service in the field. Time
+was of great importance to the Rebels, and this they had secured by
+means of the truce.
+
+During my stay at Jefferson City, I met the three, men most prominent
+in bringing war upon Missouri. These were Governor Jackson, General
+Sterling Price, and Jeff. Thompson. Governor Jackson was elected in
+the previous December, before it was thought any serious trouble would
+grow out of Mr. Lincoln's election. He was not looked upon as a man
+of great ability, but no one doubted his desire to promote the best
+interests of the State. Those who knew him said his strength lay more
+in a public than in a private direction. He had few, if any, personal
+friends, and was considered dangerous when his passions were roused.
+Some said he was cold and treacherous, giving all around him a feeling
+of aversion. Even among the Secessionists, and those who should have
+been his ardent supporters, he was never mentioned with enthusiasm.
+
+Within two weeks from the day I saw him, Governor Jackson, by his own
+act, was a fugitive from the State capital. He never returned. After
+wandering in Arkansas and Louisiana, during the early part of the war,
+he died at Little Rock, in 1863, in a condition of extreme poverty.
+
+Of General Price, I heard many praises, even from those who opposed
+his course. He was said to be a man of warm friendship, of fair
+abilities, and quite popular among the masses of the inhabitants. He
+possessed much personal pride, and his ambition for public honor was
+very great. At the outset he deprecated secession, and prophesied a
+devastating war as the result. He was inclined to be loyal, but his
+ambition was greater than his patriotism. The offer of a high position
+in the Rebel service touched his weakest point, and carried him with
+the insurgents.
+
+In the Rebel service he never obtained much distinction. His principal
+successes were in saving his army after defeat. He displayed a
+capacity for annoying the Union armies without doing great damage.
+Though his oft-repeated promise of victory was never fulfilled, it
+served to keep many Missourians in the Rebel ranks. He was constantly
+expected to capture St. Louis. Some of the Rebel residents fully
+believed he would do so, and kept their wine-cellars ready for the
+event. Until the official announcement of the surrender of all forces
+west of the Mississippi, they did not abandon hope. General Price had
+given his promise, and, as they argued, was sure to keep it.
+
+Of Jeff. Thompson little can be said. Previous to that time he had
+been known as the mayor of St. Joseph, and a politician of some little
+importance in Northwest Missouri. He was famous for much gasconading,
+and a fondness for whisky and other material things. I could never
+learn that he commanded much respect. During the war the Rebels
+never trusted him with any command of importance. He made a very fair
+guerrilla, and, in 1861, gave our forces at Cairo and Bird's Point
+considerable annoyance. History is not likely to give him a very
+prominent place in the roll of distinguished military heroes.
+
+At this time Cairo was the most southerly point on the Mississippi in
+possession of the National forces. We could have occupied Columbus
+or Hickman, Kentucky, had not the sacredness of the soil prevented.
+Kentucky was neutral, and declared that neither party must set foot
+within her limits. Her declaration of neutrality was much like that
+issued by the Governor of Missouri. The United States forces were
+under great restrictions, while the Rebels could do pretty much
+as they pleased. General Prentiss sent a small expedition down the
+Mississippi, some sixty miles below Cairo. The Kentuckians were
+greatly enraged because our forces landed at Hickman and tore down a
+Rebel flag which the citizens had hoisted. It was an invasion of their
+soil, for which they demanded apology. A few weeks later the Rebels
+occupied both Hickman and Columbus, without any objection on the part
+of the neutrals.
+
+Columbus was made very strong by the Rebel engineers, and supplied
+with many heavy guns for its protection. At the same time, General
+Prentiss pushed forward the defenses of Cairo, in readiness for any
+attack by the Rebel gun-boats. For more than half a year Columbus
+was the northern limit of the Rebel domination of the Great River. On
+assuming command there, General Polk announced that Columbus was the
+throat of the Mississippi, and must be held at all hazards. The Rebels
+repeatedly urged the capture of Cairo, but it was never attempted.
+
+[Illustration: HAULING DOWN A REBEL FLAG AT HICKMAN, KY]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES.
+
+General Harney Relieved.--Price's Proclamation.--End of the
+Truce.--Conference between the Union and Rebel Leaders.--The First Act
+of Hostility.--Destruction of Railway Bridges.--Promptness of
+General Lyon.--Capture of the State Capital.--Moving on the Enemy's
+Works.--The Night before Battle.--A Correspondent's Sensation.
+
+
+On the first of June an order was received from Washington, relieving
+General Harney from command in Missouri. Captain Lyon had been
+promoted to the rank of a brigadier-general of volunteers, and was
+assigned to duty in General Harney's stead. On the 5th of June,
+General Price issued a proclamation, calling for the State Guard to be
+in readiness to defend Missouri against all enemies. The appearance
+of this proclamation was not altogether unexpected. It was far more
+satisfactory to the friends of the Union than to the Secessionists, as
+it showed the hostile position of Governor Jackson and his abettors,
+and gave an opportunity for proceeding actively against them. It
+demonstrated very clearly that the Secessionists were determined to
+make their actions correspond to their words.
+
+It was ascertained that, a few days before the publication of Price's
+proclamation, Governor Jackson was in consultation with an agent of
+the Rebel Government, who promised twenty-five thousand men, and arms
+and ammunition for fifty thousand more, if the State were fairly and
+unequivocally out of the Union. He had also conferred with an agent
+from the Indian Nation, with a view to putting several thousand
+Indians into the field on the side of the Rebels. General Lyon wanted
+an "overt act" on the part of the Rebels, before commencing actual
+hostilities. Price's proclamation was the thing desired.
+
+The troops in and around St. Louis were drilled as thoroughly as
+possible. Every day added to their effectiveness. Recruiting was
+pushed, trade with the interior was suspended, and boats passing down
+the river were made subject to stoppage and search at the arsenal.
+Every thing was assuming a warlike appearance. The Government was
+very tardy in supplying General Lyon's wants. In many cases it did not
+authorize him to do what was needed. Much of the money for outfitting
+the troops for the field was voluntarily contributed in the Eastern
+cities, or by patriotic men in St. Louis. In several things,
+General Lyon acted upon his own responsibility, under the advice and
+co-operation of Colonel Blair.
+
+On the 9th of June, Governor Jackson and General Price asked General
+Lyon to give them a safeguard to visit St. Louis. They wished to
+confer with General Lyon and Colonel Blair, upon the best means of
+bringing peace to the State and making an end of hostilities. The
+safeguard was granted, and, on the 11th of June, Jackson and Price
+reached St. Louis, and signified their readiness for the proposed
+conference. The meeting took place at the Planters' House, Governor
+Jackson declining to trust himself inside the walls of the arsenal,
+where General Lyon had invited him to be his guest. The interview
+began with many professions of goodwill on the part of Governor
+Jackson, and the assurance of his earnest desire for peace. He
+promised to disband the State troops, if General Lyon would first
+remove all United States troops from the limits of Missouri, and
+agree not to bring them back under any consideration. Of course, this
+proposition could not be entertained. A conversation then took place
+between General Lyon and General Price, but all to no purpose. Price
+and Jackson would do nothing, unless the United States troops were
+first sent out of Missouri. Lyon and Blair would not consent to any
+thing of the kind, and so the conference ended.
+
+Jackson and Price left St. Louis on a special train for Jefferson
+City, on the afternoon of the 11th. On the way up the road, they set
+fire to the bridges over the Gasconade and Osage Rivers, the former
+thirty-five miles from Jefferson City, and ninety from St. Louis,
+and the latter within nine miles of Jefferson City. If the conduct of
+these men had been neutral up to that time, this act made an end of
+their neutrality.
+
+General Lyon left the conference fully satisfied there was no longer
+any reason for hesitation. The course he should pursue was plain
+before him.
+
+Early in the forenoon of the 12th, he learned of the destruction
+of the bridges over the Gasconade and Osage Rivers. He immediately
+ordered a force to proceed up the road, and protect as much of it as
+possible from further damage. Within four hours of the reception of
+the order to move, the troops were on their way. On the next day,
+three steamers, with about two thousand men, left St. Louis for
+Jefferson City. General Lyon knew the importance of time, and was
+determined to give Governor Jackson very little opportunity for
+preparation.
+
+
+My first experience of a military campaign was on the expedition up
+the Missouri. I had seen something of Indian troubles on the Plains,
+in which white men were concerned, but I had never witnessed civilized
+warfare where white men fought against white men. A residence of
+several weeks in St. Louis had somewhat familiarized me with the
+appearance of troops at the arsenal and at the various camps in the
+city, but the preparations to take the field were full of novelty.
+
+I was on the boat which carried the First Missouri Infantry, and which
+General Lyon had selected for his head-quarters. The young officers
+were full of enthusiasm, and eagerly anticipating their first
+encounter with the Rebel battalions. Colonel Blair was less
+demonstrative than the officers of his regiment, but was evidently
+much elated at the prospect of doing something aggressive. General
+Lyon was in the cabin, quiet, reserved, and thoughtful. With Colonel
+Blair he conversed long and freely. Few others approached him. Outside
+the cabin the soldiers were ardently discussing the coming campaign,
+and wishing an early opportunity for winning glory in battle.
+
+To one who travels for the first time by steamboat from St. Louis in a
+northerly direction, a curious picture is presented. The water in
+the Mississippi above the mouth of the Missouri is quite clear and
+transparent. That from the Missouri is of a dirty yellow color,
+derived from the large quantity of earthy matter which it holds in
+solution. For several miles below the junction of the streams, the
+two currents remain separated, the line between them being plainly
+perceptible. The pilots usually endeavor to keep on the dividing line,
+so that one can look from the opposite sides of a boat and imagine
+himself sailing upon two rivers of different character at the same
+moment.
+
+Sometimes this distinctive line continues for fifteen or twenty miles,
+but usually less than ten. A soldier wittily remarked, that the water
+from the Upper Mississippi derived its transparency from the free
+States, from whence it came, while the Missouri, emerging from a slave
+State, was, consequently, of a repulsive hue. As Missouri is now a
+free State, the soldier's remark is not applicable.
+
+Steaming up the Missouri toward the State capital, we found the
+sentiment along the banks of the river strongly in favor of the Union.
+Home Guard organizations had been hastily formed, and were doing their
+best for the protection of the railway. Most of the villages along
+the Lower Missouri contained a strong German element, which needs no
+question of its loyalty. The railway bridges were thoroughly guarded,
+and each town had a small garrison to suppress any rising of the
+Secessionists. The conduct of the people in these villages was quite
+different from the course of those residing above Jefferson City.
+Where the inhabitants possessed no slaves, there was outspoken
+loyalty. In the most populous slave districts it was the reverse.
+Slaveholders declared that their interest lay in secession. There were
+a few exceptions, but they were very far in a minority.
+
+Our triumphal entry into Jefferson City was not marked by any
+noteworthy event. The Capitol was deserted. The Governor and most of
+the State officials had departed the previous day, in the direction of
+Booneville. We marched through the principal streets, and found many
+of the people delighted at our coming. We occupied the State House,
+and, of course, unfurled our flag from its cupola. A steamboat, seized
+at the landing, was pressed into our service for use further up the
+stream. An encounter with the Rebels was eagerly desired.
+
+We left a full regiment, a large force in those days, to retain
+possession of the place, and then pushed on in pursuit. The Rebels
+had disabled the railway, taking off nearly all the rolling stock and
+destroying a large bridge four miles west of the city. As the point
+where they had fled lay upon the river, we pursued them by water. At
+noon, on the 16th, General Lyon left Jefferson City for Booneville.
+Within twenty-four hours he fought his first battle in Missouri.
+
+It is slow work to proceed with a steamboat where one's way must be
+felt. Though we had only fifty miles to move, we advanced less than
+thirty before nightfall. Touching at a landing on the left bank of the
+river, fifteen miles below Booneville, a scout from the enemy's camp
+came easily into our hands. From being a scout of the enemy he became
+our scout, as he revealed in his fright all we wished to know. The
+enemy, confident of an easy victory, was waiting our approach, and
+expressed the most lively intention of destroying us all in the
+twinkling of an eye.
+
+Experience had not then demonstrated that there is little difference
+in the bravery of Americans, when well officered. Each side cherished
+the delusion that it had a monopoly of courage and endurance. One
+Southern man was thought equal to five Northern men in a fair contest,
+and if the former were given the advantage of a defensive position,
+any odds of numbers would be taken. There was nearly, though not
+quite, as much boasting on the part of our own press and people.
+The first severe battles made an end of the greater part of this
+gasconading.
+
+It is said the most trying moment on shipboard is when the deck,
+previous to an engagement, is sprinkled with saw-dust to receive the
+blood yet unshed. No man can know whose blood will be first to moisten
+that dust, or whose life will be passed away before the action is
+over. So on the eve of that first battle in Missouri, as I reclined
+in the cabin of our flag-boat, and saw the surgeons busy with their
+preparations for the coming day; as I saw them bring to light all the
+dreadful implements of their trade, and arrange them in readiness
+for sudden use--a coldness crept over me, and I fully realized we
+had earnest work before us. Since that time I have witnessed many a
+battle, many a scene of preparation and of bloody work with knife and
+saw and bandage, but I have never experienced a chill like that I felt
+on that early day of the Rebellion.
+
+The war has made us familiar with horrors. That which once touched us
+to the heart is now passed over with scarce a moment's thought. Our
+nerves have been hardened, our sensibilities blunted, our hearts
+steeled against suffering, in the terrible school through which we
+have passed.
+
+[Illustration: THE OPENING GUN AT BOONEVILLE]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE FIRST BATTLE IN MISSOURI
+
+Moving up the River.--A Landing Effected.--The Battle.--Precipitous
+Retreat of the Rebels.--Spoiling a Captured Camp.--Rebel Flags
+Emblazoned with the State Arms.--A Journalist's Outfit.--A Chaplain of
+the Church Militant.--A Mistake that might have been Unfortunate.--The
+People of Booneville.--Visiting an Official.--Banking-House
+Loyalty.--Preparations for a Campaign.
+
+
+Daybreak on the 17th found us slowly moving up the river toward
+Booneville. General Lyon sat forward of the steamer's cabin, closely
+scanning both banks of the stream. Four miles below the town his glass
+sought out two pieces of artillery, partially concealed in a clump of
+trees, and trained upon the channel by which we were to pass. At once
+our engines were reversed, and the boats moved back to a landing about
+eight miles below Booneville. A little before seven o'clock we were
+on shore, and our column of fifteen hundred men began its advance upon
+the Rebel camp.
+
+It was the story that has found its repetition in many a battle since
+that time. The enemy's pickets were driven in. The enemy, in line of
+battle, was discovered on a long ridge, and our own line was formed
+on a ridge parallel to it. Then we opened fire with our artillery (one
+battery was all we possessed), and received no response, save by a
+desultory discharge of small-arms. Next our infantry added its tenor
+notes to the bass of the field-guns; the Rebel forces melted steadily
+away, and the field was in our possession, twenty minutes after the
+opening shot had been fired.
+
+Once in retreat, the Rebels did not halt until out of harm's reach.
+Their camp lay in the line of retreat, but they made no stop in
+passing it. Following in the rear of our column, I entered the camp,
+and found many signs of a hasty departure. I found the fires burning,
+and dozens of coffee-pots and frying-pans filled with the materials
+for breakfast. Here was a pan full of meat fried to a crisp, from the
+neglect of the cook to remove it before his sudden exodus. A few feet
+distant lay a ham, with a knife sticking in a half-severed slice. A
+rude camp-table was spread with plates and their accessories, and a
+portion of the articles of food were carefully arranged. The seats for
+the breakfast party were in position, two of them being overturned.
+I could not help fancying the haste with which that table had been
+abandoned, only a few moments before. The tents were standing, and in
+some the blankets were lying on the ground, as if they had been
+very suddenly vacated. In one tent was a side-saddle, a neat pair of
+gaiters, and a hoop-skirt. The proper connection of those articles
+with the battle-field I was unable to ascertain.
+
+In that camp was a fine lot of provisions, arms, equipments, and
+ammunition. Saddles were numerous, but there were no horses. It was
+evident that, the hasty evacuation left no time for the simple process
+of saddling.
+
+Early in the day I had come into possession of a horse with a very
+poor outfit. Once in camp, I was not slow to avail myself of the
+privilege of supply. I went into battle on foot, carrying only a
+knapsack containing a note-book and two pieces of bread. When the
+fight was over, I was the possessor of a horse and all the equipments
+for a campaign. I had an overcoat, a roll of fine blankets, and a pair
+of saddle-bags. The latter were well filled from the trunk of some
+one I had not the pleasure of knowing, but who was evidently "just
+my size." Mr. Barnes, of the Missouri _Democrat_, was my companion
+on that occasion. He was equally careful to provide himself from the
+enemy's stores, but wasted, time in becoming sentimental over two
+love-letters and a photograph of a young woman.
+
+The flags captured in this affair were excellent illustrations of the
+policy of the leading Secessionists. There was one Rebel flag with
+the arms of the State of Missouri filling the field. There was a State
+flag, with only fifteen stars surrounding the coat of arms. There was
+a. Rebel flag, with the State arms in the center, and there was one
+Rebel flag of the regular pattern. The rallying-cry at that time was
+in behalf of the State, and the people were told they must act for
+Missouri, without regard to any thing else. In no part of the country
+was the "State Rights" theory more freely used. All the changes were
+rung upon the sovereignty of States, the right of Missouri to exclude
+United States soldiers from her soil, the illegality of the formation
+of Union regiments, and the tyranny of the General Government.
+
+The flags under which Missouri soldiers were gathered clearly blended
+the interests of the State with secession.
+
+Our troops entered Booneville amid demonstrations of delight from one
+portion of the inhabitants, and the frowns and muttered indignation
+of the other. The Rebels had fled, a part of them by land, and the
+balance on a steamboat, toward Lexington. Quiet possession obtained,
+there was time to examine into the details of the fight. We had lost
+twelve men, the enemy probably twice as many. The action, three years
+later, would have been considered only a roadside skirmish, but it
+was then an affair of importance. Every man with General Lyon felt far
+more elation over the result than has since been felt over battles
+of much greater moment. We had won a signal victory; the enemy had
+suffered an equally signal defeat.
+
+During the battle, a chaplain, provided with four men to look after
+the wounded, came suddenly upon a group of twenty-four Rebels. An
+imperative demand for their surrender was promptly complied with, and
+the chaplain, with his force of four, brought twenty-four prisoners
+into town. He was so delighted at his success that he subsequently
+took a commission in the line. In time he was honored with the stars
+of a brigadier-general.
+
+General Lyon was my personal friend, but he very nearly did me great
+injustice. Seeing myself and a fellow-journalist on a distant part
+of the field, he mistook us for scouts of the enemy, and ordered
+his sharp-shooters to pick us off. His chief-of-staff looked in our
+direction, and fortunately recognized us in time to countermand the
+order. I was afterward on the point of being shot at by an infantry
+captain, through a similar mistake. A civilian's dress on the
+battle-field (a gray coat formed a part of mine) subjects the wearer
+to many dangers from his friends, as most war correspondents can
+testify.
+
+While approaching the town, I stopped to slake my thirst at a well. A
+group of our soldiers joined me while I was drinking. I had drank
+very freely from the bucket, and transferred it to a soldier, when
+the resident of a neighboring house appeared, and informed us that
+the well had been poisoned by the Rebels, and the water was certain to
+produce death. The soldiers desisted, and looked at me with much pity.
+For a moment, I confess, the situation did not appear cheerful, but
+I concluded the injury, if any, was already done, and I must make the
+best of it. The soldiers watched me as I mounted my horse, evidently
+expecting me to fall within a hundred yards. When I met one of them
+the following day, he opened his eyes in astonishment at seeing me
+alive. From that day, I entertained a great contempt for poisoned
+wells.
+
+In Booneville the incidents were not of a startling character. I found
+the strongest secession sympathy was entertained by the wealthier
+inhabitants, while the poor were generally loyal. Some cases of
+determined loyalty I found among the wealthy; but they were the
+exception rather than the rule. Accompanied by a small squad of
+soldiers, myself and companion visited the house of a gentleman
+holding office under the United States Government. We obtained from
+that house several Rebel cockades and small flags, which had been
+fabricated by the ladies.
+
+With the same squad we visited the principal bank of Booneville, and
+persuaded the cashier to give us a Rebel flag which had been floating
+for several days from a staff in front of the building. This flag was
+ten yards in length, and the materials of which it was made were of
+the finest quality. The interview between the cashier and ourselves
+was an amusing one. He protested he knew nothing of the flag or its
+origin, and at first declared it was not about the building. According
+to his own representation, he was too good a Union man to harbor
+any thing of the sort. Just as he was in the midst of a very earnest
+profession of loyalty the flag was discovered.
+
+"Somebody must have put that there to ruin me," was his exclamation.
+"Gentlemen, I hope you won't harm me; and, if you want me to do so, I
+will take the oath of allegiance this minute."
+
+Soon after the occupation of Booneville, General Lyon sent a small
+expedition to Syracuse, twenty-five miles in the interior. This force
+returned in a few days, and then preparations were begun for a march
+to Springfield. Colonel Blair left Booneville for St. Louis and
+Washington, while General Lyon attended to the preliminaries for his
+contemplated movement. The First Iowa Infantry joined him, and formed
+a part of his expeditionary force. The Rebels gathered at Lexington,
+and thence moved southward to reach the Arkansas line, to form a
+junction with the then famous Ben McCulloch.
+
+The prospect was good that Central Missouri would soon be clear of
+Rebels. Our general success in the State depended upon occupying
+and holding the Southwest. General Lyon was to move thither from
+Booneville. General Sweeney had already gone there by way of Rolla,
+while another force, under Major Sturgis, was moving from Leavenworth
+in a southeasterly direction. All were to unite at Springfield and
+form an army of occupation.
+
+Preparations went on slowly, as the transportation was to be gathered
+from the surrounding country. Foreseeing that the expedition would
+be slow to reach Springfield, I returned to St. Louis. There I made
+preparations to join the army, when its march should be completed, by
+a more expeditious route than the one General Lyon would follow.
+
+At Booneville, General Lyon established a temporary blockade of the
+Missouri River, by stopping all boats moving in either direction. In
+most cases a single shot across the bow of a boat sufficed to bring it
+to land. One day the _White Cloud_, on her way from Kansas City to St.
+Louis, refused to halt until three shots had been fired, the last one
+grazing the top of the pilot-house. When brought before General Lyon,
+the captain of the _White Cloud_ apologized for neglecting to obey the
+first signal, and said his neglect was due to his utter ignorance of
+military usage.
+
+The apology was deemed sufficient. The captain was dismissed, with a
+gentle admonition not to make a similar mistake in future.
+
+At that time the public was slow to understand the power and extent of
+military law and military rule. When martial law was declared in St.
+Louis, in August, 1861, a citizen waited upon the provost-marshal, in
+order to ascertain the precise state of affairs.
+
+After some desultory conversation, he threw out the question:--
+
+"What does martial law do?"
+
+"Well," said Major McKinstry, the provost-marshal, "I can explain
+the whole thing in a second. Martial law does pretty much as it d--n
+pleases."
+
+Before the year was ended the inhabitants of St. Louis learned that
+the major's assertion was not far from the truth.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+TO SPRINGFIELD AND BEYOND.
+
+Conduct of the St. Louis Secessionists.--Collisions between Soldiers
+and Citizens.--Indignation of the Guests of a Hotel.--From St.
+Louis to Rolla.--Opinions of a "Regular."--Railway-life in
+Missouri.--Unprofitable Freight.--A Story of Orthography.--Mountains
+and Mountain Streams.--Fastidiousness Checked.--Frontier
+Courtesy.--Concentration of Troops at Springfield.--A Perplexing
+Situation.--The March to Dug Spring.--Sufferings from Heat and Thirst.
+
+
+The success of the Union arms at Booneville did not silence the
+Secessionists in St. Louis. They continued to hold meetings, and
+arrange plans for assisting their friends in the field. At many
+places, one could hear expressions of indignation at the restrictions
+which the proper authorities sought to put upon the secession
+movement. Union flags were torn from the front of private
+buildings--generally in the night or early morning. Twice, when
+Union troops were marching along the streets, they were fired upon by
+citizens. A collision of this kind had occurred at the corner of Fifth
+and Walnut streets, on the day after the capture of Camp Jackson. The
+soldiers returned the fire, and killed several persons; but this did
+not deter the Secessionists from repeating the experiment. In the
+affairs that took place after the battle of Booneville, the result was
+the same. Unfortunately, in each collision, a portion of those killed
+were innocent on-lookers. After a few occurrences of this kind,
+soldiers were allowed to march through the streets without
+molestation.
+
+About the first of July, there were rumors that an insurrection would
+be attempted on the National holiday. Ample provision was made to give
+the insurgents a warm reception. Consequently, they made no trouble.
+The printer of the bills of fare at a prominent hotel noticed the
+Fourth of July by ornamenting his work with a National flag, in
+colors. This roused the indignation of a half-dozen guests, whose
+sympathies lay with the Rebellion. They threatened to leave, but
+were so far in arrears that they could not settle their accounts.
+The hotel-keeper endeavored to soothe them by promising to give his
+printing, for the future, to another house. Several loyal guests were
+roused at this offer, and threatened to secede at once if it were
+carried out. The affair resulted in nothing but words.
+
+On the morning of the 11th of July I left St. Louis, to join General
+Lyon in the Southwest. It was a day's ride by rail to Rolla, the
+terminus of the Southwest Branch of the Pacific road. I well recollect
+the strange and motley group that filled the cars on that journey.
+There were a few officers and soldiers _en route_ to join their
+comrades in the field. Nearly all of them were fresh from civil life.
+They wore their uniforms uneasily, as a farmer's boy wears his Sunday
+suit. Those who carried sabers experienced much inconvenience when
+walking, on account of the propensity of those weapons to get between
+their legs. In citizen's dress, at my side, sat an officer of the old
+army, who looked upon these newly-made warriors with much contempt,
+mingled with an admiration of their earnestness. After an outburst
+of mild invective, he pronounced a well-merited tribute to their
+patriotism.
+
+"After all," said he, "they are as good as the material the Rebels
+have for their army. In some respects, they are better. The Northern
+blood is cold; the Southern is full of life and passion. In the first
+onset, our enemies will prove more impetuous than we, and will often
+overpower us. In the beginning of the struggle, they will prove our
+superiors, and may be able to boast of the first victories. But their
+physical energy will soon be exhausted, while ours will steadily
+increase. Patience, coolness, and determination will be sure to bring
+us the triumph in the end. These raw recruits, that are at present
+worthless before trained soldiers, distrusting themselves as we
+distrust them, will yet become veterans, worthy to rank with the best
+soldiers of the Old World."
+
+The civilian passengers on a railway in Missouri are essentially
+different from the same class in the East. There are very few women,
+and the most of these are not as carefully dressed as their Oriental
+sisters. Their features lack the fineness that one observes in New
+York and New England. The "hog and hominy," the general diet of the
+Southwest, is plainly perceptible in the physique of the women. The
+male travelers, who are not indigenous to the soil, are more roughly
+clothed and more careless in manner than the same order of passengers
+between New York and Boston. Of those who enter and leave at
+way-stations, the men are clad in that yellow, homespun material known
+as "butternut." The casual observer inclines to the opinion that
+there are no good bathing-places where these men reside. They are
+inquisitive, ignorant, unkempt, but generally civil. The women are
+the reverse of attractive, and are usually uncivil and ignorant.
+The majority are addicted to smoking, and generally make use of a
+cob-pipe. Unless objection is made by some passenger, the conductors
+ordinarily allow the women to indulge in this pastime.
+
+The region traversed by the railway is sparsely settled, the ground
+being generally unfavorable to agriculture. For some time after
+this portion of the road was opened, the natives refused to give it
+patronage, many of them declaring that the old mode of travel, by
+horseback, was the best of all. During the first week after opening
+the Southwest Branch, the company ran a daily freight train each way.
+All the freight offered in that time was a bear and a keg of honey.
+Both were placed in the same car. The bear ate the honey, and the
+company was compelled to pay for the damage.
+
+I have heard a story concerning the origin of the name of Rolla, which
+is interesting, though I cannot vouch for its truth. In selecting a
+name for the county seat of Phelps County, a North Carolinian residing
+there, suggested that it should do honor to the capital of his native
+State. The person who reduced the request to writing, used the best
+orthography that occurred to him, so that what should have been
+"Raleigh," became "Rolla." The request thus written was sent to the
+Legislature, and the name of the town became fixed. The inhabitants
+generally pronounce it as if the intended spelling had been adopted.
+
+The journey from Rolla to Springfield was accomplished by stage,
+and required two days of travel. For fifty miles the road led over
+mountains, to the banks of the Gasconade, one of the prettiest rivers
+I have ever seen. The mountain streams of Southwest Missouri, having
+their springs in the limestone rock, possess a peculiarity unknown
+in the Eastern States. In a depth of two feet or less, the water
+is apparently as clear as that of the purest mountain brook in New
+England. But when the depth reaches, or exceeds, three feet, the water
+assumes a deep-blue tinge, like that of the sky in a clear day.
+Viewed from an elevation, the picture is one that cannot be speedily
+forgotten. The blue water makes a marked contrast with surrounding
+objects, as the streams wind through the forests and fields on their
+banks. Though meandering through mountains, these rivers have few
+sharp falls or roaring rapids. Their current is usually gentle, broken
+here and there into a ripple over a slightly descending shallow, but
+observing uniformity in all its windings.
+
+My first night from Rolla was passed on the banks of the Gasconade.
+Another day's ride, extended far into the second night, found me at
+Springfield. When I reached my room at the hotel, and examined
+the bed, I found but one sheet where we usually look for two.
+Expostulations were of no avail. The porter curtly informed me,
+"People here use only one sheet. Down in St. Louis you folks want two
+sheets, but in this part of the country we ain't so nice."
+
+I appreciated my fastidiousness when I afterward saw, at a Tennessee
+hotel, the following notice:--
+
+"Gentlemen who wish towels in their rooms must deposit fifty cents at
+the office, as security for their return."
+
+Travel in the Border and Southern States will acquaint a Northerner
+with strange customs. To find an entire household occupying a single
+large room is not an unfrequent occurrence. The rules of politeness
+require that, when bedtime has arrived, the men shall go out of doors
+to contemplate the stars, while the ladies disrobe and retire. The men
+then return and proceed to bed. Sometimes the ladies amuse themselves
+by studying the fire while the men find their way to their couches,
+where they gallantly turn their faces to the wall, and permit the
+ladies to don their _robes de nuit_.
+
+Notwithstanding the scarcity of accommodations, the traveler seeking
+a meal or resting-place will rarely meet a refusal. In New York or New
+England, one can journey many a mile and find a cold denial at every
+door. In the West and Southwest "the latch-string hangs out," and
+the stranger is always welcome. Especially is this the case among the
+poorer classes.
+
+Springfield is the largest town in Southwest Missouri, and has a fine
+situation. Before the war it was a place of considerable importance,
+as it controlled the trade of a large region around it. East of it the
+country is quite broken, but on the south and west there are stretches
+of rolling prairie, bounded by rough wood-land. Considered in a
+military light, Springfield was the key to that portion of the State.
+A large number of public roads center at that point. Their direction
+is such that the possession of the town by either army would control
+any near position of an adversary of equal or inferior strength.
+General Lyon was prompt in seeing its value, and determined to make an
+early movement for its occupation. When he started from St. Louis
+for Booneville, he ordered General Sweeney to march from Rolla to
+Springfield as speedily as possible.
+
+General Sweeney moved with three regiments of infantry and a battery
+of artillery, and reached Springfield in five days from the time
+of starting; the distance being a hundred and twenty miles. He then
+divided his forces, sending Colonel Sigel to Carthage, nearly fifty
+miles further toward the west, in the hope of cutting off the Rebel
+retreat in that direction. Major Sturgis was moving from Leavenworth
+toward Springfield, and expected to arrive there in advance of General
+Lyon.
+
+Major Sturgis was delayed in crossing a river, so that the Rebels
+arrived at Carthage before Colonel Sigel had been reinforced. The
+latter, with about eleven hundred men, encountered the Rebel column,
+twice as large as his own. The battle raged for several hours, neither
+side losing very heavily. It resulted in Sigel's retreat to avoid
+being surrounded by the enemy. Wonderful stories were told at that
+time of the terrific slaughter in the Rebel ranks, but these stories
+could never be traced to a reliable source. It is proper to say that
+the Rebels made equally large estimates of our own loss.
+
+On General Lyon's arrival all the troops were concentrated in the
+vicinity of Springfield. It was known that the Rebels were encamped
+near the Arkansas border, awaiting the re-enforcements which had been
+promised from the older States of the Confederacy. General Fremont had
+been assigned to the command of the Western Department, and was daily
+expected at St. Louis to assume the direction of affairs. Our scouts
+were kept constantly employed in bringing us news from the Rebel camp,
+and it is quite probable the Rebels were equally well informed of
+our own condition. We were able to learn that their number was on the
+increase, and that they would soon be largely re-enforced. After three
+weeks of occupation our strength promised to be diminished. Half of
+General Lyon's command consisted of "three-months men," whose period
+of enlistment was drawing to a close. A portion of these men went
+to St. Louis, some volunteered to remain as long as the emergency
+required their presence, and others were kept against their
+will. Meantime, General Lyon made the most urgent requests for
+re-enforcements, and declared he would be compelled to abandon the
+Southwest if not speedily strengthened. General Fremont promised to
+send troops to his assistance. After he made the promise, Cairo was
+threatened by General Pillow, and the re-enforcing column turned in
+that direction. General Lyon was left to take care of himself.
+
+By the latter part of July, our situation had become critical. Price's
+army had been re-enforced by a column of Arkansas and Louisiana
+troops, under General McCulloch. This gave the Rebels upward of twelve
+thousand men, while we could muster less than six thousand. General
+Price assumed the offensive, moving slowly toward Springfield, as if
+sure of his ability to overpower the National forces. General Lyon
+determined to fall upon the enemy before he could reach Springfield,
+and moved on the 1st of August with that object in view.
+
+On the second day of our march a strong scouting party of Rebels was
+encountered, and a sharp skirmish ensued, in which they were repulsed.
+This encounter is known in the Southwest as "the fight at Dug Spring."
+The next day another skirmish occurred, and, on the third morning,
+twenty-five miles from Springfield, General Lyon called a council
+of war. "Councils of war do not fight" has grown into a proverb. The
+council on this occasion decided that we should return to Springfield
+without attacking the enemy. The decision was immediately carried out.
+
+The beginning of August, in Southwest Missouri, is in the midst of the
+warm season. The day of the march to Dug Spring was one I shall never
+forget. In Kansas, before the war, I once had a walk of several miles
+under a burning sun, in a region where not a drop of water could be
+found. When I finally reached it, the only water to be found was in
+a small, stagnant pool, covered with a green scum nearly an inch in
+thickness. Warm, brackish, and fever-laden as that water was, I had
+never before tasted any thing half so sweet. Again, while crossing the
+Great Plains in 1860, I underwent a severe and prolonged thirst, only
+quenching it with the bitter alkali-water of the desert. On neither of
+these occasions were my sufferings half as great as in the advance to
+Dug Spring.
+
+A long ride in that hot atmosphere gave me a thirst of the most
+terrible character. Making a detour to the left of the road in a vain
+search for water, I fell behind the column as it marched slowly along.
+As I moved again to the front, I passed scores of men who had fallen
+from utter exhaustion. Many were delirious, and begged piteously for
+water in ever so small a quantity. Several died from excessive heat,
+and others were for a long time unfit for duty. Reaching the spring
+which gave its name to the locality, I was fortunate in finding only
+the advance of the command. With considerable effort I succeeded
+in obtaining a pint cupful of water, and thus allayed my immediate
+thirst.
+
+According to the custom in that region, the spring was covered with a
+frame building, about eight feet square. There are very few cellars
+in that part of the country, and the spring-house, as it is called,
+is used for preserving milk and other articles that require a low
+temperature. As the main portion of the column came up, the crowd
+around the spring-house became so dense that those once inside could
+not get out. The building was lifted and thrown away from the spring,
+but this only served to increase the confusion. Officers found it
+impossible to maintain discipline. When the men caught sight of the
+crowd at the spring, the lines were instantly broken. At the spring,
+officers and men were mingled without regard to rank, all struggling
+for the same object. A few of the former, who had been fortunate in
+commencing the day with full canteens, attempted to bring order out
+of chaos, but found the effort useless. No command was heeded. The
+officers of the two regiments of "regulars" had justly boasted of the
+superior discipline of their men. On this occasion the superiority was
+not apparent. Volunteers and regulars were equally subject to thirst,
+and made equal endeavor to quench it.
+
+Twenty yards below the spring was a shallow pool, where cattle and
+hogs were allowed to run. Directly above it was a trough containing
+a few gallons of warm water, which had evidently been there several
+days. This was speedily taken by the men. Then the hot, scum-covered
+pool was resorted to. In a very few minutes the trampling of the
+soldiers' feet had stirred this pool till its substance was more like
+earth than water. Even from this the men would fill their cups and
+canteens, and drink with the utmost eagerness. I saw a private
+soldier emerge from the crowd with a canteen full of this worse than
+ditch-water. An officer tendered a five-dollar gold piece for the
+contents of the canteen, and found his offer indignantly refused. To
+such a frenzy were men driven by thirst that they tore up handfuls
+of moist earth, and swallowed the few drops of water that could be
+pressed out.
+
+In subsequent campaigns I witnessed many scenes of hunger and thirst,
+but none to equal those of that day at Dug Spring.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE BATTLE OF WILSON CREEK.
+
+The Return from Dug Spring.--The Rebels follow in
+Pursuit.--Preparations to Attack them.--The Plan of Battle.--Moving
+to the Attack--A Bivouac.--The Opening Shot.--"Is that
+Official?"--Sensations of a Spectator in Battle.--Extension of
+Distance and Time.--Characteristics of Projectiles.--Taking Notes
+under Fire.--Strength and Losses of the Opposing Armies.--A Noble
+Record.--The Wounded on the Field.--"One More Shot."--Granger in his
+Element.--General Lyon's Death.
+
+
+The return of General Lyon from Dug Spring emboldened the enemy to
+move nearer to Springfield. On the 7th of August the Rebels reached
+Wilson Creek, ten miles from Springfield, and formed their camp
+on both sides of that stream. General Ben. McCulloch was their
+commander-in-chief. On the night of the 8th, General Lyon proposed to
+move from Springfield for the purpose of attacking their position.
+The design was not carried out, on account of the impossibility of
+securing proper disposition of our forces in season to reach the
+enemy's camp at daylight.
+
+During the 8th and the forenoon of the 9th, preparations were made for
+resisting an attack in Springfield, in case the enemy should come upon
+us. In the afternoon of the 9th, General Lyon decided to assault the
+Rebel camp at daylight of the following morning. A council of war
+had determined that a defeat would be less injurious than a retreat
+without a battle, provided the defeat were not too serious. "To
+abandon the Southwest without a struggle," said General Lyon, "would
+be a sad blow to our cause, and would greatly encourage the Rebels. We
+will fight, and hope for the best."
+
+In arranging a plan of battle, Colonel Sigel suggested that the forces
+should be divided, so that a simultaneous attack would be made upon
+either extremity of the enemy's camp. The two columns were to move
+from Springfield at sunset, bivouac within four miles of the proposed
+battle-field, and begin their march early enough to fall upon the
+enemy's camp a little past daylight. We left Springfield about sunset
+on the 9th, General Lyon taking about three thousand men, while
+Colonel Sigel took less than two thousand. Exceptions have frequently
+been made to this mode of attack. Had it been successful, I presume no
+one would have found it faulty. It is an easy matter to criticise the
+plans of others, after their result is known.
+
+The columns moved by different roads to obtain the desired positions.
+The march was as silent as possible. The only sounds were the rumbling
+of wheels and the occasional clank of arms. No one was heavily
+encumbered, as we expected to return to Springfield before the
+following night. Midnight found us in a hay-field, four miles from the
+Rebel camp. There we rested till morning.
+
+On the previous night I had been almost without sleep, and therefore
+took speedy advantage of the halt. Two journeys over the Plains,
+a little trip into New Mexico, and some excursions among the Rocky
+Mountains, had taught me certain rules of campaign life. I rarely
+moved without my blankets and rubber "poncho," and with a haversack
+more or less well filled. On this occasion I was prepared for sleeping
+in the open air.
+
+One bivouac is much like another. When one is weary, a blanket on the
+ground is just as comfortable as a bed of down under a slated roof. If
+accustomed to lie under lace curtains, a tree or a bush will make an
+excellent substitute. "Tired nature's sweet restorer" comes quickly to
+an exhausted frame. Realities of the past, expectations of the future,
+hopes, sorrows, wishes, regrets--all are banished as we sink into
+sweet repose.
+
+At dawn we were in motion. At daylight the smoke hanging over the
+enemy's camp was fully before us. Sunrise was near at hand when
+the hostile position was brought to our view. It lay, as we had
+anticipated, stretched along the banks of Wilson Creek.
+
+Until our advance drove in the pickets, a thousand yards from their
+camp, the Rebels had no intimation of our approach. Many of them were
+reluctant to believe we were advancing to attack them, and thought the
+firing upon the pickets was the work of a scouting party. The opening
+of our artillery soon undeceived them, a shell being dropped in the
+middle of their camp.
+
+A Rebel officer afterward told me about our first shell. When the
+pickets gave the alarm of our approach, the Rebel commander ordered
+his forces to "turn out." An Arkansas colonel was in bed when the
+order reached him, and lazily asked, "Is that official?" Before the
+bearer of the order could answer, our shell tore through the colonel's
+tent, and exploded a few yards beyond it. The officer waited for no
+explanation, but ejaculated, "That's official, anyhow," as he sprang
+out of his blankets, and arrayed himself in fighting costume.
+
+Before the Rebels could respond to our morning salutation, we heard
+the booming of Sigel's cannon on the left. Colonel Sigel reached the
+spot assigned him some minutes before we were able to open fire from
+our position. It had been stipulated that he should wait for the sound
+of our guns before making his attack. His officers said they waited
+nearly fifteen minutes for our opening shot. They could look into the
+Rebel camp in the valley of the stream, a few hundred yards distant.
+The cooks were beginning their preparations for breakfast, and gave
+our men a fine opportunity to learn the process of making Confederate
+corn-bread and coffee. Some of the Rebels saw our men, and supposed
+they were their own forces, who had taken up a new position. Several
+walked into our lines, and found themselves prisoners of war.
+
+Previous to that day I had witnessed several skirmishes, but this was
+my first battle of importance. Distances seemed much greater than they
+really were. I stood by the side of Captain Totten's battery as it
+opened the conflict.
+
+"How far are you firing?" I asked.
+
+"About eight hundred yards; not over that," was the captain's
+response.
+
+I should have called it sixteen hundred, had I been called on for an
+estimate.
+
+Down the valley rose the smoke of Sigel's guns, about a mile distant,
+though, apparently, two or three miles away.
+
+Opposite Sigel's position was the camp of the Arkansas Division:
+though it was fully in my sight, and the tents and wagons were plainly
+visible, I could not get over the impression that they were far off.
+
+The explosions of our shells, and the flashes of the enemy's guns, a
+short distance up the slope on the opposite side of the creek, seemed
+to be at a considerable distance.
+
+To what I shall ascribe these illusions, I do not know. On subsequent
+battle-fields I have never known their recurrence. Greater battles,
+larger streams, higher hills, broader fields, wider valleys, more
+extended camps, have come under my observation, but in none of them
+has the romance exceeded the reality.
+
+The hours did not crowd into minutes, but the minutes almost
+extended into hours. I frequently found, on consulting my watch, that
+occurrences, apparently of an hour's duration, were really less than a
+half or a quarter of that time.
+
+As the sun rose, it passed into a cloud. When it emerged, I fully
+expected it would be some distance toward the zenith, and was
+surprised to find it had advanced only a few degrees.
+
+There was a light shower, that lasted less than ten minutes: I judged
+it had been twenty.
+
+The evolutions of the troops on the field appeared slow and awkward.
+They were really effected with great promptness.
+
+General Lyon was killed before nine o'clock, as I very well knew.
+It was some days before I could rid myself of an impression that his
+death occurred not far from noon.
+
+The apparent extension of the hours was the experience of several
+persons on that field. I think it has been known by many, on the
+occasion of their first battle. At Pea Ridge, an officer told me,
+there seemed to be about thirty hours between sunrise and sunset.
+Another thought it was four P.M. when the sun was at the meridian.
+It was only at Wilson Creek that I experienced this sensation. On
+subsequent battle-fields I had no reason to complain of my estimate of
+time.
+
+The first shell from the enemy's guns passed high over my head. I well
+remember the screech of that missile as it cut through the air and
+lost itself in the distance. "Too high, Captain Bledsoe," exclaimed
+our artillery officer, as he planted a shell among the Rebel gunners.
+In firing a half-dozen rounds the Rebels obtained our range, and then
+used their guns with some effect. The noise of each of those shells
+I can distinctly recall, though I have since listened to hundreds of
+similar sounds, of which I have no vivid recollection. The sound made
+by a shell, in its passage through the air, cannot be described, and,
+when once heard, can never be forgotten.
+
+I was very soon familiar with the whistling of musket-balls. Before
+the end of the action, I thought I could distinguish the noise of
+a Minié bullet from that of a common rifle-ball, or a ball from a
+smooth-bored musket. Once, while conversing with the officer in charge
+of the skirmish line, I found myself the center of a very hot fire.
+It seemed, at that instant, as if a swarm of the largest and most
+spiteful bees had suddenly appeared around me. The bullets flew too
+rapidly to be counted, but I fancied I could perceive a variation in
+their sound.
+
+After I found a position beyond the range of musketry, the artillery
+would insist upon searching me out. While I was seated under a small
+oak-tree, with my left arm through my horse's bridle, and my pencil
+busy on my note-book, the tree above my head was cut by a shell.
+Moving from that spot, I had just resumed my writing, when a shot tore
+up the ground under my arm, and covered me with dirt. Even a remove
+to another quarter did not answer my purpose, and I finished my notes
+after reaching the rear.
+
+It is not my intention to give the details of the battle--the
+movements of each regiment, battalion, or battery, as it performed
+its part in the work. The official record will be sought by those who
+desire the purely military history. It is to be regretted that the
+official report of the engagement at Wilson Creek displays the
+great hostility of its author toward a fellow-soldier. In the early
+campaigns in Missouri, many officers of the regular army vied with the
+Rebels in their hatred of "the Dutch." This feeling was not confined
+to Missouri alone, but was apparent in the East as well as in the
+West. As the war progressed the hostility diminished, but it was never
+entirely laid aside.
+
+The duration of the battle was about four and a half hours. The
+whole force under the National flag was five thousand men. The Rebels
+acknowledged having twelve thousand, of all arms. It is probable that
+this estimate was a low one. The Rebels were generally armed with
+shot-guns, common rifles, and muskets of the old pattern. About a
+thousand had no arms whatever. Their artillery ammunition was of
+poorer quality than our own. These circumstances served to make the
+disparity less great than the actual strength of the hostile forces
+would imply. Even with these considerations, the odds against General
+Lyon were quite large.
+
+Our loss was a little less than one-fifth our whole strength. Up to
+that time, a battle in which one-tenth of those engaged was placed
+_hors de combat_, was considered a very sanguinary affair. During the
+war there were many engagements where the defeated party suffered a
+loss of less than one-twentieth. Wilson Creek can take rank as one
+of the best-fought battles, when the number engaged is brought into
+consideration.
+
+The First Missouri Infantry went into action with seven hundred and
+twenty-six men. Its casualty list was as follows:--
+
+   Killed................................   77
+   Dangerously wounded...................   93
+   Otherwise wounded.....................  126
+   Captured..............................    2
+   Missing...............................   15
+                                           ---
+          Total..........................  313
+
+The First Kansas Infantry, out of seven hundred and eighty-five men,
+lost two hundred and ninety-six. The loss in other regiments was quite
+severe, though not proportionately as heavy as the above. These two
+regiments did not break during the battle, and when they left the
+ground they marched off as coolly as from a parade.
+
+At the time our retreat was ordered our ammunition was nearly
+exhausted and the ranks fearfully thinned. The Rebels had made a
+furious attack, in which they were repulsed. General Sweeney insisted
+that it was their last effort, and if we remained on the ground we
+would not be molested again. Major Sturgis, upon whom the command
+devolved after General Lyon's death, reasoned otherwise, and
+considered it best to fall back to Springfield. The Rebels afterward
+admitted that General McCulloch had actually given the order for
+retreat a few moments before they learned of our withdrawal. Of course
+he countermanded his order at once. There were several battles in the
+late Rebellion in which the circumstances were similar. In repeated
+instances the victorious party thought itself defeated, and was much
+astonished at finding its antagonist had abandoned the struggle.
+
+In our retreat we brought away many of our wounded, but left many
+others on the field. When the Rebels took possession they cared for
+their own men as well as the circumstances would permit, but gave no
+assistance to ours. There were reports, well authenticated, that some
+who lay helpless were shot or bayoneted. Two days after the battle a
+surgeon who remained at Springfield was allowed to send out wagons for
+the wounded. Some were not found until after four days' exposure. They
+crawled about as best they could, and, by searching the haversacks of
+dead men, saved themselves from starvation. One party of four built a
+shelter of branches of trees as a protection against the sun. Another
+party crawled to the bank of the creek, and lay day and night at the
+water's edge. Several men sought shelter in the fence corners, or by
+the side of fallen trees.
+
+Two days before the battle, ten dollars were paid to each man of the
+First Kansas Infantry. The money was in twenty-dollar pieces, and
+the payment was made by drawing up the regiment in the customary two
+ranks, and giving a twenty-dollar piece to each man in the front rank.
+Three-fourths of those killed or wounded in that regiment were of the
+front rank. The Rebels learned of this payment, and made rigid search
+of all whom they found on the field. Nearly a year after the battle a
+visitor to the ground picked up one of these gold coins.
+
+During the battle several soldiers from St. Louis and its vicinity
+recognized acquaintances on the opposite side. These recognitions were
+generally the occasion of many derisive and abusive epithets. In the
+Border States each party had a feeling of bitter hostility toward the
+other. Probably the animosity was greater in Missouri than elsewhere.
+
+A lieutenant of the First Missouri Infantry reported that he saw one
+of the men of his regiment sitting under a tree during the battle,
+busily engaged in whittling a bullet.
+
+"What are you doing there?" said the officer.
+
+"My ammunition is gone, and I'm cutting down this bullet to fit my
+gun." (The soldier's musket was a "54-caliber," and the bullet was a
+"59.")
+
+"Look around among the wounded men," was the order, "and get some
+54-cartridges. Don't stop to cut down that bullet."
+
+"I would look around, lieutenant," the soldier responded, "but I can't
+move. My leg is shot through. I won't be long cutting this down, and
+then I want a chance to hit some of them."
+
+Captain Gordon Granger was serving on the staff of General Lyon. When
+not actively engaged in his professional duties, he visited all parts
+of the field where the fight was hottest. Though himself somewhat
+excited, he was constantly urging the raw soldiers to keep cool and
+not throw away a shot. Wherever there was a weak place in our line,
+he was among the first to discover it and devise a plan for making
+it good. On one occasion, he found a gap between two regiments,
+and noticed that the Rebels were preparing to take advantage of it.
+Without a moment's delay, he transferred three companies of infantry
+to the spot, managing to keep them concealed behind a small ridge.
+
+"Now, lie still; don't raise your heads out of the grass," said
+Granger; "I'll tell you when to fire."
+
+The Rebels advanced toward the supposed gap. Granger stood where he
+could see and not be seen. He was a strange compound of coolness and
+excitement. While his judgment was of the best, and his resources were
+ready for all emergencies, a by-stander would have thought him heated
+almost to frenzy. The warmth of his blood gave him a wonderful energy
+and rendered him ubiquitous; his skill and decision made his services
+of the highest importance.
+
+"There they come; steady, now; let them get near enough; fire low;
+give them h--l."
+
+The Rebels rushed forward, thinking to find an easy passage. When
+within less than fifty yards, Granger ordered his men to fire. The
+complete repulse of the Rebels was the result.
+
+"There, boys; you've done well. D--n the scoundrels; they won't come
+here again." With this, the captain hastened to some other quarter.
+
+The death of General Lyon occurred near the middle of the battle. So
+many accounts of this occurrence have been given, that I am not fully
+satisfied which is the correct one. I know at least half a dozen
+individuals in whose arms General Lyon expired, and think there are
+as many more who claim that sad honor. There is a similar mystery
+concerning his last words, a dozen versions having been given by
+persons who claim to have heard them. It is my belief that General
+Lyon was killed while reconnoitering the enemy's line and directing
+the advance of a regiment of infantry. I believe he was on foot at
+the instant, and was caught, as he fell, in the arms of "Lehman," his
+orderly. His last utterance was, doubtless, the order for the infantry
+to advance, and was given a moment before he received the fatal
+bullet. From the nature of the wound, his death, if not instantaneous,
+was very speedy. A large musket-ball entered his left side, in the
+region of the heart, passing nearly through to the right. A reported
+wound in the breast was made with a bayonet in the hands of a Rebel
+soldier, several hours afterward. The body was brought to Springfield
+on the night after the battle.
+
+It was my fortune to be acquainted with General Lyon. During the
+progress of the war I met no one who impressed me more than he, in his
+devotion to the interests of the country. If he possessed ambition
+for personal glory, I was unable to discover it. He declared that
+reputation was a bubble, which no good soldier should follow. Wealth
+was a shadow, which no man in the country's service should heed. His
+pay as an officer was sufficient for all his wants, and he desired
+nothing more. He gave to the Nation, as the friend he loved the
+dearest, a fortune which he had inherited. If his death could aid in
+the success of the cause for which he was fighting, he stood ready to
+die. The gloom that spread throughout the North when the news of his
+loss was received, showed a just appreciation of his character.
+
+  "How sleep the brave who sink to rest
+   By all their country's wishes blest!"
+
+At that battle there was the usual complement of officers for five
+thousand men. Two years later there were seven major-generals and
+thirteen brigadier-generals who had risen from the Wilson Creek Army.
+There were colonels, lieutenant-colonels, and majors, by the score,
+who fought in the line or in the ranks on that memorable 10th of
+August. In 1863, thirty-two commissioned officers were in the service
+from one company of the First Iowa Infantry. Out of one company of the
+First Missouri Infantry, twenty-eight men received commissions. To the
+majority of the officers from that army promotion was rapid, though
+a few cases occurred in which the services they rendered were tardily
+acknowledged.
+
+[Illustration: DEATH OF GENERAL LYON]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE RETREAT FROM SPRINGFIELD.
+
+A Council of War.--The Journalists' Council.--Preparations for
+Retreat.--Preceding the Advance-Guard.--Alarm and Anxiety of the
+People.--Magnificent Distances.--A Novel Odometer.--The Unreliable
+Countryman.--Neutrality.--A Night at Lebanon.--A Disagreeable
+Lodging-place.--Active Secessionists.--The Man who Sought and
+Found his Rights.--Approaching Civilization.--Rebel Couriers on the
+Route.--Arrival at Rolla.
+
+
+On the night after the battle, the army was quartered at Springfield.
+The Rebels had returned to the battle-ground, and were holding it in
+possession. The court-house and a large hotel were taken for hospitals,
+and received such of our wounded as were brought in. At a council of
+war, it was decided to fall back to Rolla, a hundred and twenty miles
+distant, and orders were given to move at daylight.
+
+The journalists held a council of war, and decided to commence their
+retreat at half-past two o'clock in the morning, in order to be in
+advance of the army. The probabilities were in favor of the enemy's
+cavalry being at the junction of certain roads, five miles east of
+the town. We, therefore, divested ourselves of every thing of a
+compromising character. In my own saddle-bags I took only such toilet
+articles as I had long carried, and which were not of a warlike
+nature. We destroyed papers that might give information to the enemy,
+and kept only our note-books, from which all reference to the strength
+of our army was carefully stricken out. We determined, in case
+of capture, to announce ourselves as journalists, and display our
+credentials.
+
+One of our party was a telegraph operator as well as a journalist. He
+did not wish to appear in the former character, as the Missouri
+Rebels were then declaring they would show no quarter to telegraphers.
+Accordingly, he took special care to divest himself of all that
+pertained to the transmission of intelligence over the wires. A
+pocket "instrument," which he had hitherto carried, he concealed in
+Springfield, after carefully disabling the office, and leaving the
+establishment unfit for immediate use.
+
+We passed the dangerous point five miles from town, just as day was
+breaking. No Rebel cavalry confronted us in the highway, nor shouted
+an unwelcome "halt!" from a roadside thicket. All was still, though we
+fancied we could hear a sound of troops in motion far in the distance
+toward Wilson Creek. The Rebels were doubtless astir, though they did
+not choose to interfere with the retreat of our army.
+
+As day broke and the sun rose, we found the people of both
+complexions thronging to the road, and seeking, anxiously, the latest
+intelligence. At first we bore their questions patiently, and briefly
+told them what had occurred. Finding that we lost much time, we began,
+early in the day, to give the shortest answers possible. As fast as
+we proceeded the people became more earnest, and would insist upon
+delaying us. Soon after mid-day we commenced denying we had been at the
+battle, or even in Springfield. This was our only course if we would
+avoid detention. Several residents of Springfield, and with them a
+runaway captain from a Kansas regiment, had preceded us a few hours
+and told much more than the truth. Some of them had advised the people
+to abandon their homes and go to Rolla or St. Louis, assuring them
+they would all be murdered if they remained at home.
+
+In pursuance of this advice many were loading a portion of their
+household goods upon wagons and preparing to precede or follow the
+army in its retreat. We quieted their alarm as much as possible,
+advising them to stay at home and trust to fortune. We could not
+imagine that the Rebels would deal severely with the inhabitants,
+except in cases where they had been conspicuous in the Union cause.
+Some of the people took our advice, unloaded their wagons, and waited
+for further developments. Others persisted in their determination to
+leave. They knew the Rebels better than we, and hesitated to trust
+their tender mercies. A year later we learned more of "the barbarism
+of Slavery."
+
+Southwest Missouri is a region of magnificent distances. A mile in
+that locality is like two miles in the New England or Middle States.
+The people have an easy way of computing distance by the survey lines.
+Thus, if it is the width of a township from one point to another,
+they call the distance six miles, even though the road may follow
+the tortuosities of a creek or of the crest of a ridge, and be ten or
+twelve miles by actual measurement.
+
+From Springfield to Lebanon it is called fifty miles, as indicated by
+the survey lines. A large part of the way the route is quite direct,
+but there are places where it winds considerably among the hills, and
+adds several miles to the length of the road. No account is taken of
+this, but all is thrown into the general reckoning.
+
+There is a popular saying on the frontier, that they measure the roads
+with a fox-skin, and make no allowance for the tail. Frequently I have
+been told it was five miles to a certain point, and, after an hour's
+riding, on inquiry, found that the place I sought was still five, and
+sometimes six, miles distant. Once, when I essayed a "short cut" of
+two miles, that was to save me twice that distance, I rode at a good
+pace for an hour and a half to accomplish it, and traveled, as I
+thought, at least eight miles.
+
+On the route from Springfield to Lebanon we were much amused at the
+estimates of distance. Once I asked a rough-looking farmer, "How far
+is it to Sand Springs?"
+
+"Five miles, stranger," was the reply. "May be you won't find it so
+much."
+
+After riding three miles, and again inquiring, I was informed it was
+"risin' six miles to Sand Springs." Who could believe in the existence
+of a reliable countryman, after that?
+
+Thirty miles from Springfield, we stopped at a farm-house for dinner.
+While our meal was being prepared, we lay upon the grass in front
+of the house, and were at once surrounded by a half-dozen anxious
+natives. We answered their questions to the best of our abilities,
+but nearly all of us fell asleep five minutes after lying down. When
+aroused for dinner, I was told I had paused in the middle of a word
+of two syllables, leaving my hearers to exercise their imaginations on
+what I was about to say.
+
+Dinner was the usual "hog and hominy" of the Southwest, varied with
+the smallest possible loaf of wheaten bread. Outside the house, before
+dinner, the men were inquisitive. Inside the house, when we were
+seated for dinner, the women were unceasing in their inquiries. Who
+can resist the questions of a woman, even though she be an uneducated
+and unkempt Missourian? The dinner and the questions kept us awake,
+and we attended faithfully to both.
+
+The people of this household were not enthusiastic friends of the
+Union. Like many other persons, they were anxious to preserve the
+good opinion of both sides, by doing nothing in behalf of either. Thus
+neutral, they feared they would be less kindly treated by the Rebels
+than by the National forces. Though they had no particular love for
+our army, I think they were sorry to see it departing. A few of the
+Secessionists were not slow to express the fear that their own army
+would not be able to pay in full for all it wanted, as our army had
+done.
+
+Horses and riders refreshed, our journey was resumed. The scenes of
+the afternoon were like those of the morning: the same alarm among
+the people, the same exaggerated reports, and the same advice from
+ourselves, when we chose to give it. The road stretched out in the
+same way it had hitherto done, and the information derived from the
+inhabitants was as unreliable as ever. It was late in the evening, in
+the midst of a heavy shower, that we reached Lebanon, where we halted
+for the night.
+
+I have somewhere read of a Persian king who beheaded his subjects for
+the most trivial or imaginary offenses. The officers of his cabinet,
+when awaking in the morning, were accustomed to place their hands
+to their necks, to ascertain if their heads still remained. The
+individuals comprising our party had every reason to make a similar
+examination on the morning after our stay in this town, and to express
+many thanks at the gratifying result.
+
+On reaching the only hotel at Lebanon, long after dark, we found the
+public room occupied by a miscellaneous assemblage. It was easy to see
+that they were more happy than otherwise at the defeat which our arms
+had sustained. While our supper was being prepared we made ready for
+it, all the time keeping our eyes on the company. We were watched
+as we went to supper, and, on reaching the table, found two persons
+sitting so near our allotted places that we could not converse freely.
+
+After supper several individuals wished to talk with us concerning
+the recent events. We made the battle appear much better than it had
+really been, and assured them that a company of cavalry was following
+close behind us, and would speedily arrive. This information was
+unwelcome, as the countenances of the listeners plainly indicated.
+
+One of our party was called aside by a Union citizen, and informed
+of a plan to rob, and probably kill, us before morning. This was not
+pleasing. It did not add to the comfort of the situation to know that
+a collision between the Home Guards and a company of Secessionists was
+momentarily expected. At either end of the town the opposing parties
+were reported preparing for a fight. As the hotel was about half-way
+between the two points, our position became interesting.
+
+Next came a report from an unreliable contraband that our horses had
+been stolen. We went to the stable, as a man looks in a wallet he
+knows to be empty, and happily found our animals still there. We
+found, however, that the stable had been invaded and robbed of two
+horses in stalls adjacent to those of our own. The old story of the
+theft of a saw-mill, followed by that of the dam, was brought to our
+minds, with the exception, that the return of the thief was not likely
+to secure his capture. The stable-keeper offered to lock the door and
+resign the key to our care. His offer was probably well intended, but
+we could see little advantage in accepting it, as there were several
+irregular openings in the side of the building, each of them ample for
+the egress of a horse.
+
+In assigning us quarters for the night, the landlord suggested that
+two should occupy a room at one end of the house, while the rest were
+located elsewhere. We objected to this, and sustained our objection.
+With a little delay, a room sufficient for all of us was obtained. We
+made arrangements for the best possible defense in case of attack, and
+then lay down to sleep. Our Union friend called upon us before we were
+fairly settled to rest, bringing us intelligence that the room, where
+the guns of the Home Guard were temporarily stored, had been invaded
+while the sentinels were at supper. The locks had been removed
+from some of the muskets, but there were arms enough to make some
+resistance if necessary. Telling him we would come out when the firing
+began, and requesting the landlord to send the cavalry commander to
+our room as soon as he arrived, we fell asleep.
+
+No one of our party carried his fears beyond the waking hours. In
+five minutes after dismissing our friend, all were enjoying a sleep
+as refreshing and undisturbed as if we had been in the most secure
+and luxurious dwelling of New York or Chicago. During several years
+of travel under circumstances of greater or less danger, I have never
+found my sleep disturbed, in the slightest degree, by the nature of my
+surroundings. Apprehensions of danger may be felt while one is awake,
+but they generally vanish when slumber begins.
+
+In the morning we found ourselves safe, and were gratified to discover
+that our horses had been let alone. The landlord declared every thing
+was perfectly quiet, and had been so through the night, with the
+exception of a little fight at one end of the town. The Home Guards
+were in possession, and the Secessionists had dispersed. The latter
+deliberated upon the policy of attacking us, and decided that their
+town might be destroyed by our retreating army in case we were
+disturbed. They left us our horses, that we might get away from the
+place as speedily as possible. So we bade adieu to Lebanon with much
+delight. That we came unmolested out of that nest of disloyalty, was a
+matter of much surprise. Subsequent events, there and elsewhere, have
+greatly increased that surprise.
+
+After a ride of thirteen miles we reached the Gasconade River, which
+we found considerably swollen by recent rains. The proprietor of the
+hotel where we breakfasted was a country doctor, who passed in that
+region as a man of great wisdom. He was intensely disloyal, and did
+not relish the prospect of having, as he called it, "an Abolition
+army" moving anywhere in his vicinity. He was preparing to leave for
+the South, with his entire household, as soon as his affairs could
+be satisfactorily arranged. He had taken the oath of allegiance,
+to protect himself from harm at the hands of our soldiers, but his
+negroes informed us that he belonged to a company of "Independent
+Guards," which had been organized with the design of joining the Rebel
+army.
+
+This gentleman was searching for his rights. I passed his place six
+months afterward. The doctor's negroes had run away to the North, and
+the doctor had vanished with his family in the opposite direction. His
+house had been burned, his stables stripped of every thing of value,
+and the whole surroundings formed a picture of desolation. The doctor
+had found a reward for his vigilant search. There was no doubt he had
+obtained his rights.
+
+Having ended our breakfast, we decided to remain at that place until
+late in the afternoon, for the purpose of writing up our accounts.
+With a small table, and other accommodations of the worst character,
+we busied ourselves for several hours. To the persona of the household
+we were a curiosity. They had never before seen men who could write
+with a journalist's ordinary rapidity, and were greatly surprised
+at the large number of pages we succeeded in passing over. We were
+repeatedly interrupted, until forced to make a request to be let
+alone. The negroes took every opportunity to look at us, and, when
+none but ourselves could see them, they favored us with choice bits of
+local information. When we departed, late in the afternoon, four stout
+negroes ferried us across the river.
+
+A hotel known as the California House was our stopping-place, ten
+miles from the Gasconade. As an evidence of our approaching return to
+civilization, we found each bed at this house supplied with two clean
+sheets, a luxury that Springfield was unable to furnish. I regretted
+to find, several months later, that the California House had been
+burned by the Rebels. At the time of our retreat, the landlord was
+unable to determine on which side of the question he belonged, and
+settled the matter, in conversation with me, by saying he was a
+hotel-keeper, and could not interfere in the great issue of the day. I
+inclined to the belief that he was a Union man, but feared to declare
+himself on account of the dubious character of his surroundings.
+
+The rapidity with which the Secessionists carried and received news
+was a matter of astonishment to our people. While on that ride
+through the Southwest, I had an opportunity of learning their _modus
+operandi_. Several times we saw horsemen ride to houses or stables,
+and, after a few moments' parley, exchange their wearied horses for
+fresh ones. The parties with whom they effected their exchanges would
+be found pretty well informed concerning the latest news. By this
+irregular system of couriers, the Secessionists maintained a complete
+communication with each other. All along the route, I found they knew
+pretty well what had transpired, though their news was generally mixed
+up with much falsehood.
+
+Even in those early days, there was a magnificence in the Rebel
+capacity for lying. Before the war, the Northern States produced by
+far the greatest number of inventions, as the records of the Patent
+Office will show. During the late Rebellion, the brains of the
+Southern States were wonderfully fertile in the manufacture of
+falsehood. The inhabitants of Dixie invent neither cotton-gins,
+caloric engines, nor sewing-machines, but when they apply their
+faculties to downright lying, the mudsill head is forced to bow in
+reverence.
+
+In the last day of this ride, we passed over a plateau twelve miles
+across, also over a mountain of considerable height. Near the summit
+of this mountain, we struck a small brook, whose growth was an
+interesting study. At first, barely perceptible as it issued from a
+spring by the roadside, it grew, mile by mile, until, at the foot
+of the mountain, it formed a respectable stream. The road crossed it
+every few hundred yards, and at each crossing we watched its increase.
+At the base of the mountain it united with another and larger stream,
+which we followed on our way to Rolla.
+
+Late in the afternoon we reached the end of our journey. Weary, dusty,
+hungry, and sore, we alighted from our tired horses, and sought the
+office of the commandant of the post. All were eager to gather the
+latest intelligence, and we were called upon to answer a thousand
+questions.
+
+With our story ended, ourselves refreshed from the fatigue of our long
+ride, a hope for the safety of our gallant but outnumbered army,
+we bade adieu to Rolla, and were soon whirling over the rail to St.
+Louis.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+GENERAL FREMONT'S PURSUIT OF PRICE.
+
+Quarrel between Price and McCulloch.--The Rebels Advance upon
+Lexington.--A Novel Defense for Sharp-shooters.--Attempt to Re-enforce
+the Garrison.--An Enterprising Journalist.--The Surrender.--Fremont's
+Advance.--Causes of Delay.--How the Journalists Killed Time.--Late
+News.--A Contractor "Sold."--Sigel in Front.--A Motley
+Collection.--A Wearied Officer.--The Woman who had never seen a Black
+Republican.--Love and Conversion.
+
+
+After the battle of Wilson Creek and the occupation of Springfield,
+a quarrel arose between the Rebel Generals, Price and McCulloch. It
+resulted in the latter being ordered to Arkansas, leaving General
+Price in command of the army in Missouri. The latter had repeatedly
+promised to deliver Missouri from the hands of the United States
+forces, and made his preparations for an advance into the interior.
+His intention, openly declared, was to take possession of Jefferson
+City, and reinstate Governor Jackson in control of the State. The
+Rebels wisely considered that a perambulating Governor was not
+entitled to great respect, and were particularly anxious to see the
+proclamations of His Excellency issued from the established capital.
+
+Accordingly, General Price, with an army twenty thousand strong,
+marched from Springfield in the direction of Lexington. This point
+was garrisoned by Colonel Mulligan with about twenty-five hundred men.
+After a siege of four days, during the last two of which the garrison
+was without water, the fort was surrendered. Price's army was
+sufficiently large to make a complete investment of the fortifications
+occupied by Colonel Mulligan, and thus cut off all access to the
+river. The hemp warehouses in Lexington were drawn upon to construct
+movable breast-works for the besieging force. Rolling the bales of
+hemp before them, the Rebel sharp-shooters could get very near the fort
+without placing themselves in great danger.
+
+The defense was gallant, but as no garrisons can exist without water,
+Colonel Mulligan was forced to capitulate. It afterward became
+known that Price's army had almost exhausted its stock of
+percussion-caps--it having less than two thousand when the surrender
+was made. General Fremont was highly censured by the Press and people
+for not re-enforcing the garrison, when it was known that Price was
+moving upon Lexington. One journal in St. Louis, that took occasion to
+comment adversely upon his conduct, was suddenly suppressed. After a
+stoppage of a few days, it was allowed to resume publication.
+
+During the siege a small column of infantry approached the north bank
+of the river, opposite Lexington, with the design of joining Colonel
+Mulligan. The attempt was considered too hazardous, and no junction
+was effected. Mr. Wilkie, of the New York _Times_, accompanied
+this column, and was much disappointed when the project of reaching
+Lexington was given up.
+
+Determined to see the battle, he crossed the river and surrendered
+himself to General Price, with a request to be put on parole until
+the battle was ended. The Rebel commander gave him quarters in
+the guardhouse till the surrender took place. Mr. Wilkie was then
+liberated, and reached St. Louis with an exclusive account of the
+affair.
+
+While General Price was holding Lexington, General Fremont commenced
+assembling an army at Jefferson City, with the avowed intention of
+cutting off the retreat of the Rebels through Southwest Missouri. From
+Jefferson City our forces moved to Tipton and Syracuse, and there left
+the line of railway for a march to Springfield. Our movements were not
+conducted with celerity, and before we left Jefferson City the Rebels
+had evacuated Lexington and moved toward Springfield.
+
+The delay in our advance was chiefly owing to a lack of transportation
+and a deficiency of arms for the men. General Fremont's friends
+charged that he was not properly sustained by the Administration, in
+his efforts to outfit and organize his army. There was, doubtless,
+some ground for this charge, as the authorities, at that particular
+time, were unable to see any danger, except at Washington. They often
+diverted to that point _matériel_ that had been originally designed
+for St. Louis.
+
+As the army lay at Jefferson City, preparing for the field, some
+twelve or fifteen journalists, representing the prominent papers
+of the country, assembled there to chronicle its achievements. They
+waited nearly two weeks for the movement to begin. Some became sick,
+others left in disgust, but the most of them remained firm. The
+devices of the journalists to kill time were of an amusing nature.
+The town had no attractions whatever, and the gentlemen of the press
+devoted themselves to fast riding on the best horses they could
+obtain. Their horseback excursions usually terminated in lively races,
+in which both riders and steeds were sufferers. The representatives
+of two widely-circulated dailies narrowly escaped being sent home with
+broken necks.
+
+Evenings at the hotels were passed in reviving the "sky-larking"
+of school-boy days. These scenes were amusing to participants and
+spectators. Sober, dignified men, the majority of them heads of
+families, occupied themselves in devising plans for the general
+amusement.
+
+One mode of enjoyment was to assemble in a certain large room, and
+throw at each other every portable article at hand, until exhaustion
+ensued. Every thing that could be thrown or tossed was made use of.
+Pillows, overcoats, blankets, valises, saddle-bags, bridles, satchels,
+towels, books, stove-wood, bed-clothing, chairs, window-curtains,
+and, ultimately, the fragments of the bedsteads, were transformed into
+missiles. I doubt if that house ever before, or since, knew so much
+noise in the same time. Everybody enjoyed it except those who occupied
+adjoining rooms, and possessed a desire for sleep. Some of these
+persons were inclined to excuse our hilarity, on the ground that the
+boys ought to enjoy themselves. "The boys!" Most of them were on the
+shady side of twenty-five, and some had seen forty years.
+
+About nine o'clock in the forenoon of the day following Price's
+evacuation of Lexington, we obtained news of the movement. The mail at
+noon, and the telegraph before that time, carried all we had to say of
+the affair, and in a few hours we ceased to talk of it. On the evening
+of that day, a good-natured "contractor" visited our room, and,
+after indulging in our varied amusements until past eleven, bade us
+good-night and departed.
+
+Many army contractors had grown fat in the country's service, but this
+man had a large accumulation of adipose matter before the war broke
+out. A rapid ascent of a long flight of stairs was, therefore, a
+serious matter with him. Five minutes after leaving us, he dashed
+rapidly up the stairs and entered our room. As soon as he could speak,
+he asked, breathing between, the words--
+
+"Have you heard the news?"
+
+"No," we responded; "what is it?"
+
+"Why" (with more efforts to recover his breath), "Price has evacuated
+Lexington!"
+
+"Is it possible?"
+
+"Yes," he gasped, and then sank exhausted into a large (very large)
+arm-chair.
+
+We gave him a glass of water and a fan, and urged him to proceed with
+the story. He told all he had just heard in the bar-room below, and we
+listened with the greatest apparent interest.
+
+When he had ended, we told him _our_ story. The quality and quantity
+of the wine which he immediately ordered, was only excelled by his
+hearty appreciation of the joke he had played upon himself.
+
+Every army correspondent has often been furnished with "important
+intelligence" already in his possession, and sometimes in print before
+his well-meaning informant obtains it.
+
+A portion of General Fremont's army marched from Jefferson City
+to Tipton and Syracuse, while the balance, with most of the
+transportation, was sent by rail. General Sigel was the first to
+receive orders to march his division from Tipton to Warsaw, and he was
+very prompt to obey. While other division commanders were waiting
+for their transportation to arrive from St. Louis, Sigel scoured the
+country and gathered up every thing with wheels. His train was the
+most motley collection of vehicles it has ever been my lot to witness.
+There were old wagons that made the journey from Tennessee to Missouri
+thirty years before, farm wagons and carts of every description,
+family carriages, spring wagons, stage-coaches, drays, and hay-carts.
+In fact, every thing that could carry a load was taken along. Even
+pack-saddles were not neglected. Horses, mules, jacks, oxen, and
+sometimes cows, formed the motive power. To stand by the roadside and
+witness the passage of General Sigel's train, was equal to a visit to
+Barnum's Museum, and proved an unfailing source of mirth.
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL SIGEL'S TRANSPORTATION IN THE MISSOURI
+CAMPAIGN.]
+
+Falstaff's train (if he had one) could not have been more picturesque.
+Even the Missourians, accustomed as they were to sorry sights, laughed
+heartily at the spectacle presented by Sigel's transportation. The
+Secessionists made several wrong deductions from the sad appearance
+of that train. Some of them predicted that the division with _such_ a
+train would prove to be of little value in battle. Never were men
+more completely deceived. The division marched rapidly, and, on a
+subsequent campaign, evinced its ability to fight.
+
+One after another, the divisions of Fremont's army moved in chase of
+the Rebels; a pursuit in which the pursued had a start of seventy-five
+miles, and a clear road before them. Fremont and his staff left
+Tipton, when three divisions had gone, and overtook the main column at
+Warsaw. A few days later, Mr. Richardson, of the _Tribune_, and myself
+started from Syracuse at one o'clock, one pleasant afternoon, and,
+with a single halt of an hour's duration, reached Warsaw, forty-seven
+miles distant, at ten o'clock at night. In the morning we found the
+general's staff comfortably quartered in the village. On the staff
+there were several gentlemen from New York and other Eastern cities,
+who were totally unaccustomed to horseback exercise. One of these
+recounted the story of their "dreadful" journey of fifty miles from
+Tipton.
+
+"Only think of it!" said he; "we came through all that distance in
+less than three days. One day the general made us come _twenty-four_
+miles."
+
+"That was very severe, indeed. I wonder how you endured it."
+
+"It _was_ severe, and nearly broke some of us down. By-the-way, Mr.
+K----, how did you come over?"
+
+"Oh," said I, carelessly, "Richardson and I left Syracuse at noon
+yesterday, and arrived here at ten last night."
+
+Before that campaign was ended, General Fremont's staff acquired some
+knowledge of horsemanship.
+
+At Warsaw the party of journalists passed several waiting days,
+and domiciled themselves in the house of a widow who had one pretty
+daughter. Our natural bashfulness was our great hinderance, so that it
+was a day or two before we made the acquaintance of the younger of the
+women. One evening she invited a young lady friend to visit her, and
+obliged us with introductions. The ladies persistently turned the
+conversation upon the Rebellion, and gave us the benefit of their
+views. Our young hostess, desiring to say something complimentary,
+declared she did not dislike the Yankees, but despised the Dutch and
+the Black Republicans."
+
+"Do you dislike the Black Republicans very much?" said the _Tribune_
+correspondent.
+
+"Oh! yes; I _hate_ them. I wish they were all dead."
+
+"Well," was the quiet response, "we are Black Republicans. I am the
+blackest of them all."
+
+The fair Secessionist was much confused, and for fully a minute
+remained silent. Then she said--
+
+"I must confess I did not fully understand what Black Republicans
+were. I never saw any before."
+
+During the evening she was quite courteous, though persistent in
+declaring her sentiments. Her companion launched the most bitter
+invective at every thing identified with the Union cause, and
+made some horrid wishes about General Fremont and his army. A more
+vituperative female Rebel I have never seen. She was as pretty as she
+was disloyal, and was, evidently, fully aware of it.
+
+A few months later, I learned that both these young ladies had become
+the wives of United States officers, and were complimenting, in high
+terms, the bravery and patriotism of the soldiers they had so recently
+despised.
+
+The majority of the inhabitants of Warsaw were disloyal, and had
+little hesitation in declaring their sentiments. Most of the young men
+were in the Rebel army or preparing to go there. A careful search of
+several warehouses revealed extensive stores of powder, salt, shoes,
+and other military supplies. Some of these articles were found in a
+cave a few miles from Warsaw, their locality being made known by a
+negro who was present at their concealment.
+
+Warsaw boasted a newspaper establishment, but the proprietor and
+editor of the weekly sheet had joined his fortunes to those of General
+Price. Two years before the time of our visit, this editor was a
+member of the State Legislature, and made an earnest effort to secure
+the expulsion of the reporter of _The Missouri_ _Democrat_, on account
+of the radical tone of that paper. He was unsuccessful, but the
+aggrieved individual did not forgive him.
+
+When our army entered Warsaw this reporter held a position on the
+staff of the general commanding. Not finding his old adversary, he
+contented himself with taking possession of the printing-office, and
+"confiscating" whatever was needed for the use of head-quarters.
+
+About twenty miles from Warsaw, on the road to Booneville, there was a
+German settlement, known as Cole Camp. When the troubles commenced in
+Missouri, a company of Home Guards was formed at Cole Camp. A few
+days after its formation a company of Secessionists from Warsaw made a
+night-march and attacked the Home Guards at daylight.
+
+Though inflicting severe injury upon the Home Guards, the
+Secessionists mourned the loss of the most prominent citizens of
+Warsaw. They were soon after humiliated by the presence of a Union
+army.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE SECOND CAMPAIGN TO SPRINGFIELD.
+
+Detention at Warsaw.--A Bridge over the Osage.--The
+Body-Guard.--Manner of its Organization.--The Advance
+to Springfield.--Charge of the Body-Guard.--A Corporal's
+Ruse.--Occupation of Springfield--The Situation.--Wilson Creek
+Revisited.--Traces of the Battle.--Rumored Movements of the
+Enemy.--Removal of General Fremont.--Danger of Attack.--A Night of
+Excitement.--The Return to St. Louis.--Curiosities of the Scouting
+Service.--An Arrest by Mistake.
+
+
+The army was detained at Warsaw, to wait the construction of a
+bridge over the Osage for the passage of the artillery and heavy
+transportation. Sigel's Division was given the advance, and crossed
+before the bridge was finished. The main column moved as soon as the
+bridge permitted--the rear being brought up by McKinstry's Division. A
+division from Kansas, under General Lane, was moving at the same time,
+to form a junction with Fremont near Springfield, and a brigade from
+Rolla was advancing with the same object in view. General Sturgis was
+in motion from North Missouri, and there was a prospect that an army
+nearly forty thousand strong would be assembled at Springfield.
+
+While General Fremont was in St. Louis, before setting out on this
+expedition, he organized the "Fremont Body-Guard," which afterward
+became famous. This force consisted of four companies of cavalry,
+and was intended to form a full regiment. It was composed of the
+best class of the young men of St. Louis and Cincinnati. From the
+completeness of its outfit, it was often spoken of as the "Kid-Gloved
+Regiment." General Fremont designed it as a special body-guard for
+himself, to move when he moved, and to form a part of his head-quarter
+establishment. The manner of its organization was looked upon by many
+as a needless outlay, at a time when the finances of the department
+were in a disordered condition. The officers and the rank and file of
+the Body-Guard felt their pride touched by the comments upon them, and
+determined to take the first opportunity to vindicate their character
+as soldiers.
+
+When we were within fifty miles of Springfield, it was ascertained
+that the main force of the Rebels had moved southward, leaving behind
+them some two or three thousand men. General Fremont ordered a cavalry
+force, including the Body-Guard, to advance upon the town. On reaching
+Springfield the cavalry made a gallant charge upon the Rebel camp,
+which was situated in a large field, bordered by a wood, within sight
+of the court-house.
+
+In this assault the loss of our forces, in proportion to the number
+engaged, was quite severe, but the enemy was put to flight, and the
+town occupied for a few hours. We gained nothing of a material nature,
+as the Rebels would have quietly evacuated Springfield at the approach
+of our main army. The courage of the Body-Guard, which no sensible
+man had doubted, was fully evinced by this gallant but useless charge.
+When the fight was over, the colonel in command ordered a retreat of
+twenty miles, to meet the advance of the army.
+
+A corporal with a dozen men became separated from the command while
+in Springfield, and remained there until the following morning. He
+received a flag of truce from the Rebels, asking permission to send
+a party to bury the dead. He told the bearer to wait until he could
+consult his "general," who was supposed to be lying down in the
+back office. The "general" replied that his "division" was too much
+exasperated to render it prudent for a delegation from the enemy to
+enter town, and therefore declined to grant the request. At the same
+time he promised to send out strong details to attend to the sad duty.
+At sunrise he thought it best to follow the movements of his superior
+officer, lest the Rebels might discover his ruse and effect his
+capture.
+
+Two days after the charge of the Body-Guard, the advance of the
+infantry entered Springfield without the slightest opposition. The
+army gradually came up, and the occupation of the key of Southwest
+Missouri was completed. The Rebel army fell back toward the Arkansas
+line, to meet a force supposed to be marching northward from
+Fayetteville. There was little expectation that the Rebels would
+seek to engage us. The only possible prospect of their assuming the
+offensive was in the event of a junction between Price and McCulloch,
+rendering them numerically superior to ourselves.
+
+During our occupation of Springfield I paid a visit to the Wilson
+Creek battle-ground. It was eleven weeks from the day I had left it.
+Approaching the field, I was impressed by its stillness, so different
+from the tumult on the 10th of the previous August. It was difficult
+to realize that the spot, now so quiet, had been the scene of a
+sanguinary contest. The rippling of the creek, and the occasional
+chirp of a bird, were the only noises that came to our ears. There was
+no motion of the air, not enough to disturb the leaves freshly fallen
+from the numerous oak-trees on the battle-field. At each step I could
+but contrast the cool, calm, Indian-summer day, with the hot, August
+morning, when the battle took place.
+
+All sounds of battle were gone, but the traces of the encounter had
+not disappeared. As we followed the route leading to the field, I
+turned from the beaten track and rode among the trees. Ascending a
+slight acclivity, I found my horse half-stumbling over some object
+between his feet. Looking down, I discovered a human skull, partly
+covered by the luxuriant grass. At a little distance lay the
+dismembered skeleton to which the skull evidently belonged. It was
+doubtless that of some soldier who had crawled there while wounded,
+and sunk exhausted at the foot of a tree. The bits of clothing
+covering the ground showed that either birds or wild animals had been
+busy with the remains. Not far off lay another skeleton, disturbed and
+dismembered like the other.
+
+Other traces of the conflict were visible, as I moved slowly over the
+field. Here were scattered graves, each for a single person; there a
+large grave, that had received a dozen bodies of the slain. Here were
+fragments of clothing and equipments, pieces of broken weapons; the
+shattered wheel of a caisson, and near it the exploded shell that
+destroyed it. Skeletons of horses, graves of men, scarred trees,
+trampled graves, the ruins of the burned wagons of the Rebels,
+all formed their portion of the picture. It well illustrated the
+desolation of war.
+
+The spot where General Lyon fell was marked by a rude inscription upon
+the nearest tree. The skeleton of the general's favorite horse lay
+near this tree, and had been partially broken up by relic-seekers. The
+long, glossy mane was cut off by the Rebel soldiers on the day after
+the battle, and worn by them as a badge of honor. Subsequently the
+teeth and bones were appropriated by both Rebels and Unionists. Even
+the tree that designated the locality was partially stripped of its
+limbs to furnish souvenirs of Wilson Creek.
+
+During the first few days of our stay in Springfield, there were vague
+rumors that the army was preparing for a long march into the enemy's
+country. The Rebel army was reported at Cassville, fifty-five miles
+distant, fortifying in a strong position. General Price and Governor
+Jackson had convened the remnant of the Missouri Legislature, and
+caused the State to be voted out of the Union. It was supposed we
+would advance and expel the Rebels from the State.
+
+While we were making ready to move, it was reported that the Rebel
+army at Cassville had received large re-enforcements from Arkansas, and
+was moving in our direction. Of course, all were anxious for a battle,
+and hailed this intelligence with delight. At the same time there
+were rumors of trouble from another direction--trouble to the
+commander-in-chief. The vague reports of his coming decapitation were
+followed by the arrival, on the 2d of November, of the unconditional
+order removing General Fremont from command, and appointing General
+Hunter in his stead.
+
+Just before the reception of this order, "positive" news was received
+that the enemy was advancing from Cassville toward Springfield, and
+would either attack us in the town, or meet us on the ground south
+of it. General Hunter had not arrived, and therefore General Fremont
+formed his plan of battle, and determined on marching out to meet the
+enemy.
+
+On the morning of the 3d, the scouts brought intelligence that the
+entire Rebel army was in camp on the old Wilson Creek battle-ground,
+and would fight us there. A council of war was called, and it was
+decided to attack the enemy on the following morning, if General
+Hunter did not arrive before that time. Some of the officers were
+suspicious that the Rebels were not in force at Wilson Creek, but when
+Fremont announced it officially there could be little room for doubt.
+
+Every thing was put in readiness for battle. Generals of division were
+ordered to be ready to move at a moment's notice. The pickets were
+doubled, and the grand guards increased to an unusual extent. Four
+pieces of artillery formed a portion of the picket force on the
+Fayetteville road, the direct route to Wilson Creek. If an enemy had
+approached on that night he would have met a warm reception.
+
+About seven o'clock in the evening, a staff officer, who kept the
+journalists informed of the progress of affairs, visited General
+Fremont's head-quarters. He soon emerged with important intelligence.
+
+"It is all settled. The army is ready to move at the instant. Orders
+will be issued at two o'clock, and we will be under way before
+daylight. Skirmishing will begin at nine, and the full battle will be
+drawn on at twelve."
+
+"Is the plan arranged?"
+
+"Yes, it is all arranged; but I did not ask how."
+
+"Battle sure to come off--is it?"
+
+"Certainly, unless Hunter comes and countermands the order."
+
+Alas, for human calculations! General Hunter arrived before midnight.
+Two o'clock came, but no orders to break camp. Daylight, and no orders
+to march. Breakfast-time, and not a hostile shot had been heard. Nine
+o'clock, and no skirmish. Twelve o'clock, and no battle.
+
+General Fremont and staff returned to St. Louis. General Hunter made
+a reconnoissance to Wilson Creek, and ascertained that the only enemy
+that had been in the vicinity was a scouting party of forty or fifty
+men. At the time we were to march out, there was not a Rebel on the
+ground. Their whole army was still at Cassville, fifty-five miles from
+Springfield.
+
+On the 9th of November the army evacuated Springfield and returned to
+the line of the Pacific Railway.
+
+General Fremont's scouts had deceived him. Some of these individuals
+were exceedingly credulous, while others were liars of the highest
+grade known to civilization. The former obtained their information
+from the frightened inhabitants; the latter manufactured theirs with
+the aid of vivid imaginations. I half suspect the fellows were like
+the showman in the story, and, at length, religiously believed what
+they first designed as a hoax. Between the two classes of scouts a
+large army of Rebels was created.
+
+The scouting service often develops characters of a peculiar mould.
+Nearly every man engaged in it has some particular branch in which he
+excels. There was one young man accompanying General Fremont's army,
+whose equal, as a special forager, I have never seen elsewhere.
+Whenever we entered camp, this individual, whom I will call the
+captain, would take a half-dozen companions and start on a foraging
+tour. After an absence of from four to six hours, he would return
+well-laden with the spoils of war. On one occasion he brought to camp
+three horses, two cows, a yoke of oxen, and a wagon. In the latter
+he had a barrel of sorghum molasses, a firkin of butter, two sheep, a
+pair of fox-hounds, a hoop-skirt, a corn-sheller, a baby's cradle, a
+lot of crockery, half a dozen padlocks, two hoes, and a rocking-chair.
+On the next night he returned with a family carriage drawn by a horse
+and a mule. In the carriage he had, among other things, a parrot-cage
+which contained a screaming parrot, several pairs of ladies' shoes,
+a few yards of calico, the stock of an old musket, part of a
+spinning-wheel, and a box of garden seeds. In what way these things
+would contribute to the support of the army, it was difficult to
+understand.
+
+On one occasion the captain found a trunk full of clothing, concealed
+with a lot of salt in a Rebel warehouse. He brought the trunk to camp,
+and, as the quartermaster refused to receive it, took it to St. Louis
+when the expedition returned. At the hotel where he was stopping, some
+detectives were watching a suspected thief, and, by mistake, searched
+the captain's room. They found a trunk containing thirteen coats
+of all sizes, with no pants or vests. Naturally considering this a
+strange wardrobe for a gentleman, they took the captain into custody.
+He protested earnestly that he was not, and had never been, a thief,
+but it was only on the testimony of the quartermaster that he was
+released. I believe he subsequently acted as a scout under General
+Halleck, during the siege of Corinth.
+
+After the withdrawal of our army, General Price returned to
+Springfield and went into winter-quarters. McCulloch's command formed
+a cantonment at Cross Hollows, Arkansas, about ninety miles southwest
+of Springfield. There was no prospect of further activity until the
+ensuing spring. Every thing betokened rest.
+
+From Springfield I returned to St. Louis by way of Rolla, designing
+to follow the example of the army, and seek a good locality for
+hibernating. On my way to Rolla I found many houses deserted, or
+tenanted only by women and children. Frequently the crops were
+standing, ungathered, in the field. Fences were prostrated, and there
+was no effort to restore them. The desolation of that region was just
+beginning.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+TWO MONTHS OF IDLENESS.
+
+A Promise Fulfilled.--Capture of a Rebel Camp and Train.--Rebel
+Sympathizers in St. Louis.--General Halleck and his Policy.--Refugees
+from Rebeldom.--Story of the Sufferings of a Union Family.--Chivalry
+in the Nineteenth Century.--The Army of the Southwest in
+Motion.--Gun-Boats and Transports.--Capture of Fort Henry.--The Effect
+in St. Louis.--Our Flag Advancing.
+
+
+Early in the December following the events narrated in the last
+chapter, General Pope captured a camp in the interior of the State,
+where recruits were being collected for Price's army. After the return
+of Fremont's army from Springfield, the Rebels boasted they would eat
+their Christmas dinner in St. Louis. Many Secessionists were
+making preparations to receive Price and his army, and some of them
+prophesied the time of their arrival. It was known that a goodly
+number of Rebel flags had been made ready to hang out when the
+conquerors should come. Sympathizers with the Rebellion became bold,
+and often displayed badges, rosettes, and small flags, indicative of
+their feelings. Recruiting for the Rebel army went on, very quietly,
+of course, within a hundred yards of the City Hall. At a fair for
+the benefit of the Orphan Asylum, the ladies openly displayed Rebel
+insignia, but carefully excluded the National emblems.
+
+This was the state of affairs when eight hundred Rebels arrived in St.
+Louis. They redeemed their promise to enjoy a Christmas dinner in St.
+Louis, though they had counted upon more freedom than they were then
+able to obtain. In order that they might carry out, in part, their
+original intention, their kind-hearted jailers permitted the friends
+of the prisoners to send a dinner to the latter on Christmas Day. The
+prisoners partook of the repast with much relish.
+
+The capture of those recruits was accompanied by the seizure of a
+supply train on its way to Springfield. Our success served to diminish
+the Rebel threats to capture St. Louis, or perform other great and
+chivalric deeds. The inhabitants of that city continued to prophesy
+its fall, but they were less defiant than before.
+
+General Fremont commanded the Western Department for just a hundred
+days. General Hunter, his successor, was dressed in brief authority
+for fifteen days, and yielded to General Halleck. The latter officer
+endeavored to make his rule as unlike that of General Fremont as could
+well be done. He quietly made his head-quarters at the Government
+Buildings, in the center of St. Louis, instead of occupying a
+"palatial mansion" on Chouteau Avenue. The body-guard, or other
+cumbersome escort, was abolished, and the new general moved unattended
+about the city. Where General Fremont had scattered the Government
+funds with a wasteful hand, General Halleck studied economy. Where
+Fremont had declared freedom to the slaves of traitors, Halleck issued
+his famous "Order No. 3," forbidding fugitive slaves to enter our
+lines, and excluding all that were then in the military camps. Where
+General Fremont had surrounded his head-quarters with so great a
+retinue of guards that access was almost impossible, General Halleck
+made it easy for all visitors to see him. He generally gave them such
+a reception that few gentlemen felt inclined to make a second call.
+
+The policy of scattering the military forces in the department was
+abandoned, and a system of concentration adopted. The construction
+of the gun-boat fleet, and accompanying mortar-rafts, was vigorously
+pushed, and preparations for military work in the ensuing spring went
+on in all directions. Our armies were really idle, and we were doing
+very little on the Mississippi; but it was easy to see that we were
+making ready for the most vigorous activity in the future.
+
+In the latter part of December many refugees from the Southwest began
+to arrive in St. Louis. In most cases they were of the poorer class of
+the inhabitants of Missouri and Northern Arkansas, and had been driven
+from their homes by their wealthier and disloyal neighbors. Their
+stories varied little from each other. Known or suspected to be loyal,
+they were summarily expelled, generally with the loss of every thing,
+save a few articles of necessity. There were many women and children
+among them, whose protectors had been driven into the Rebel ranks, or
+murdered in cold blood. Many of them died soon after they reached our
+lines, and there were large numbers who perished on their way.
+
+Among those who arrived early in January, 1862, was a man from
+Northern Arkansas. Born in Pennsylvania, he emigrated to the Southwest
+in 1830, and, after a few years' wandering, settled near Fayetteville.
+When the war broke out, he had a small farm and a comfortable house,
+and his two sons were married and living near him.
+
+In the autumn of '61, his elder son was impressed into the Rebel
+service, where he soon died. The younger was ordered to report at
+Fayetteville, for duty. Failing to do so on the day specified, he was
+shot down in his own house on the following night. His body fell upon
+one of his children standing near him, and his blood saturated its
+garments.
+
+The day following, the widow, with two small children, was notified
+to leave the dwelling, as orders had been issued for its destruction.
+Giving her no time to remove any thing, the Rebel soldiers, claiming
+to act under military command, fired the house. In this party were two
+persons who had been well acquainted with the murdered man. The widow
+sought shelter with her husband's parents.
+
+The widow of the elder son went to the same place of refuge. Thus
+there were living, under one roof, the old man, his wife, a daughter
+of seventeen, and the two widows, one with two, and the other with
+three, children. A week afterward, all were commanded to leave the
+country. No cause was assigned, beyond the fact that the man was
+born in the North, and had been harboring the family of his son, who
+refused to serve in the Rebel ranks. They were told they could have
+two days for preparation, but within ten hours of the time the notice
+was served, a gang of Rebels appeared at the door, and ordered an
+instant departure.
+
+They made a rigid search of the persons of the refugees, to be sure
+they took away nothing of value. Only a single wagon was allowed, and
+in this were placed a few articles of necessity. As they moved away,
+the Rebels applied the torch to the house and its out-buildings. In
+a few moments all were in flames. The house of the elder son's widow
+shared the same fete.
+
+They were followed to the Missouri line, and ordered to make no halt
+under penalty of death. It was more than two hundred miles to our
+lines, and winter was just beginning. One after another fell ill and
+died, or was left with Union people along the way. Only four of the
+party reached our army at Rolla. Two of these died a few days after
+their arrival, leaving only a young child and its grandfather. At St.
+Louis the survivors were kindly cared for, but the grief at leaving
+home, the hardships of the winter journey, and their destitution among
+strangers, had so worn upon them that they soon followed the other
+members of their family.
+
+There have been thousands of cases nearly parallel to the above. The
+Rebels claimed to be fighting for political freedom, and charged the
+National Government with the most unheard-of "tyranny." We can well
+be excused for not countenancing a political freedom that kills men
+at their firesides, and drives women and children to seek protection
+under another flag. We have heard much, in the past twenty years, of
+"Southern chivalry." If the deeds of which the Rebels were guilty
+are characteristic of chivalry, who would wish to be a son of the
+Cavaliers? The insignia worn in the Middle Ages are set aside, to
+make room for the torch and the knife. The chivalry that deliberately
+starves its prisoners, to render them unable to return to the field,
+and sends blood-hounds on the track of those who attempt an escape
+from their hands, is the chivalry of modern days. Winder is the
+Coeur-de-Leon, and Quantrel the Bayard, of the nineteenth century;
+knights "without fear and without reproach."
+
+Early in January, the Army of the Southwest, under General Curtis,
+was put in condition for moving. Orders were issued cutting down
+the allowance of transportation, and throwing away every thing
+superfluous. Colonel Carr, with a cavalry division, was sent to the
+line of the Gasconade, to watch the movements of the enemy. It was the
+preliminary to the march into Arkansas, which resulted in the
+battle of Pea Ridge and the famous campaign of General Curtis from
+Springfield to Helena.
+
+As fast as possible, the gun-boat fleet was pushed to completion. One
+after another, as the iron-clads were ready to move, they made their
+rendezvous at Cairo. Advertisements of the quartermaster's department,
+calling for a large number of transports, showed that offensive
+movements were to take place. In February, Fort Henry fell, after an
+hour's shelling from Admiral Foote's gun-boats. This opened the way up
+the Tennessee River to a position on the flank of Columbus, Kentucky,
+and was followed by the evacuation of that point.
+
+I was in St. Louis on the day the news of the fall of Fort Henry was
+received. The newspapers issued "extras," with astonishing head-lines.
+It was the first gratifying intelligence after a long winter of
+inactivity, following a year which, closed with general reverses to
+our arms.
+
+In walking the principal streets of St. Louis on that occasion, I
+could easily distinguish the loyal men of my acquaintance from the
+disloyal, at half a square's distance. The former were excited with
+delight; the latter were downcast with sorrow. The Union men walked
+rapidly, with, faces "wreathed in smiles;" the Secessionists moved
+with alternate slow and quick steps, while their countenances
+expressed all the sad emotions.
+
+The newsboys with the tidings of our success were patronized by
+the one and repelled by the other. I saw one of the venders of
+intelligence enter the store of a noted Secessionist, where he shouted
+the nature of the news at the highest note of his voice. A
+moment later he emerged from the door, bringing the impress of a
+Secessionist's boot.
+
+The day and the night witnessed much hilarity in loyal circles, and a
+corresponding gloom in quarters where treason ruled. I fear there
+were many men in St. Louis whose conduct was no recommendation to the
+membership of a temperance society.
+
+All felt that a new era had dawned upon us. Soon after came the
+tidings of a general advance of our armies. We moved in Virginia,
+and made the beginning of the checkered campaign of '62. Along the
+Atlantic coast we moved, and Newbern fell into our hands. Further
+down the Atlantic, and at the mouth of the Mississippi, we kept up
+the aggression. Grant, at Donelson, "moved immediately upon Buckner's
+works;" and, in Kentucky, the Army of the Ohio occupied Bowling Green
+and prepared to move upon Nashville. In Missouri, Curtis had
+already occupied Lebanon, and was making ready to assault Price at
+Springfield. Everywhere our flag was going forward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+ANOTHER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI.
+
+From St. Louis to Rolla.--A Limited Outfit.--Missouri Roads in
+Winter.--"Two Solitary Horsemen."--Restricted Accommodations in a
+Slaveholder's House.--An Energetic Quartermaster.--General Sheridan
+before he became Famous.--"Bagging Price."--A Defect in the
+Bag.--Examining the Correspondence of a Rebel General.--What the
+Rebels left at their Departure.
+
+
+On the 9th of February I left St. Louis to join General Curtis's army.
+Arriving at Rolla, I found the mud very deep, but was told the roads
+were in better condition a few miles to the west. With an _attaché_
+of the Missouri _Democrat_, I started, on the morning of the 10th, to
+overtake the army, then reported at Lebanon, sixty-five miles distant.
+All my outfit for a two or three months' campaign, was strapped behind
+my saddle, or crowded into my saddle-bags. Traveling with a trunk
+is one of the delights unknown to army correspondents, especially
+to those in the Southwest. My companion carried an outfit similar to
+mine, with the exception of the saddle-bags and contents. I returned
+to Rolla eight weeks afterward, but he did not reach civilization till
+the following July.
+
+From Rolla to Lebanon the roads were bad--muddy in the valleys of
+the streams, and on the higher ground frozen into inequalities like a
+gigantic rasp.
+
+Over this route our army of sixteen thousand men had slowly made its
+way, accomplishing what was then thought next to impossible. I found
+the country had changed much in appearance since I passed through on
+my way to join General Lyon. Many houses had been burned and others
+deserted. The few people that remained confessed themselves almost
+destitute of food. Frequently we could not obtain entertainment
+for ourselves and horses, particularly the latter. The natives
+were suspicious of our character, as there was nothing in our
+dress indicating to which side we belonged. At such times the
+cross-questioning we underwent was exceedingly amusing, though coupled
+with the knowledge that our lives were not entirely free from danger.
+
+From Lebanon we pushed on to Springfield, through a keen, piercing
+wind, that swept from the northwest with unremitting steadiness. The
+night between those points was passed in a log-house with a single
+room, where ourselves and the family of six persons were lodged. In
+the bitter cold morning that followed, it was necessary to open the
+door to give us sufficient light to take breakfast, as the house could
+not boast of a window. The owner of the establishment said he had
+lived there eighteen years, and found it very comfortable. He tilled a
+small farm, and had earned sufficient money to purchase three slaves,
+who dwelt in a similar cabin, close beside his own, but not joining
+it. One of these slaves was cook and housemaid, and another found the
+care of four children enough for her attention. The third was a man
+upward of fifty years old, who acted as stable-keeper, and manager of
+the out-door work of the establishment.
+
+The situation of this landholder struck me as peculiar, though his
+case was not a solitary one. A house of one room and with no window, a
+similar house for his human property, and a stable rudely constructed
+of small poles, with its sides offering as little protection against
+the wind and storms as an ordinary fence, were the only buildings
+he possessed. His furniture was in keeping with the buildings. Beds
+without sheets, a table without a cloth, some of the plates of tin and
+others of crockery--the former battered and the latter cracked--a less
+number of knives and forks than there were persons to be supplied, tin
+cups for drinking coffee, an old fruit-can for a sugar-bowl, and two
+teaspoons for the use of a large family, formed the most noticeable
+features. With such surroundings he had invested three thousand
+dollars in negro property, and considered himself comfortably
+situated.
+
+Reaching Springfield, I found the army had passed on in pursuit of
+Price, leaving only one brigade as a garrison. The quartermaster
+of the Army of the Southwest had his office in one of the principal
+buildings, and was busily engaged in superintending the forwarding
+of supplies to the front. Every thing under his charge received his
+personal attention, and there was no reason to suppose the army would
+lack for subsistence, so long as he should remain to supply its wants.
+Presenting him a letter of introduction, I received a most cordial
+welcome. I found him a modest and agreeable gentleman, whose private
+excellence was only equaled by his energy in the performance of his
+official duties.
+
+This quartermaster was Captain Philip H. Sheridan. The double bars
+that marked his rank at that time, have since been exchanged for other
+insignia. The reader is doubtless familiar with the important
+part taken by this gallant officer, in the suppression of the late
+Rebellion.
+
+General Curtis had attempted to surround and capture Price and his
+army, before they could escape from Springfield. Captain Sheridan told
+me that General Curtis surrounded the town on one side, leaving two
+good roads at the other, by which the Rebels marched out. Our advance
+from Lebanon was as rapid as the circumstances would permit, but it
+was impossible to keep the Rebels in ignorance of it, or detain
+them against their will. One of the many efforts to "bag" Price had
+resulted like all the others. We closed with the utmost care every
+part of the bag except the mouth; out of this he walked by the
+simple use of his pedals. Operations like those of Island Number Ten,
+Vicksburg, and Port Hudson, were not then in vogue.
+
+Price was in full retreat toward Arkansas, and our army in hot
+pursuit. General Sigel, with two full divisions, marched by a road
+parallel to the line of Price's retreat, and attempted to get in his
+front at a point forty miles from Springfield. His line of march was
+ten miles longer than the route followed by the Rebels, and he did not
+succeed in striking the main road until Price had passed.
+
+I had the pleasure of going through General Price's head-quarters only
+two days after that officer abandoned them. There was every evidence
+of a hasty departure. I found, among other documents, the following
+order for the evacuation of Springfield:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS MISSOURI STATE GUARD,
+SPRINGFIELD, _February_ 13, 1862.
+
+The commanders of divisions will instanter, and without
+the least delay, see that their entire commands are
+ready for movement at a moment's notice.
+
+By order of Major-General S. Price.
+H.H. Brand, A.A.G.
+
+
+There was much of General Price's private correspondence, together
+with many official documents. Some of these I secured, but destroyed
+them three weeks later, at a moment when I expected to fall into the
+hands of the enemy. One letter, which revealed the treatment Union men
+were receiving in Arkansas, I forwarded to _The Herald_. I reproduce
+its material portions:--
+
+
+DOVER, POPE CO., ARKANSAS, _December_ 7, 1861.
+
+MAJOR-GENERAL PRICE:
+
+I wish to obtain a situation as surgeon in your army. * * * Our men
+over the Boston Mountains are penning and hanging the mountain
+boys who oppose Southern men. They have in camp thirty, and in the
+Burrowville jail seventy-two, and have sent twenty-seven to Little
+Rock. We will kill all we get, certain: every one is so many less. I
+hope you will soon get help enough to clear out the last one in your
+State. If you know them, they ought to be killed, as the older they
+grow the more stubborn they get.
+
+Your most obedient servant,
+JAMES L. ADAMS.
+
+
+In his departure, General Price had taken most of his personal
+property of any value. He left a very good array of desks and other
+appurtenances of his adjutant-general's office, which fell into
+General Curtis's hands. These articles were at once put into use by
+our officers, and remained in Springfield as trophies of our success.
+There was some war _matériel_ at the founderies and temporary arsenals
+which the Rebels had established. One store full of supplies they left
+undisturbed. It was soon appropriated by Captain Sheridan.
+
+The winter-quarters for the soldiers were sufficiently commodious to
+contain ten thousand men, and the condition in which we found them
+showed how hastily they were evacuated. Very little had been removed
+from the buildings, except those articles needed for the march. We
+found cooking utensils containing the remains of the last meal, pans
+with freshly-mixed dough, on which the impression of the maker's hand
+was visible, and sheep and hogs newly killed and half dressed. In the
+officers' quarters was a beggarly array of empty bottles, and a few
+cases that had contained cigars. One of our soldiers was fortunate in
+finding a gold watch in the straw of a bunk. There were cribs of corn,
+stacks of forage, and a considerable quantity of army supplies. Every
+thing evinced a hasty departure.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE FLIGHT AND THE PURSUIT.
+
+From Springfield to Pea Ridge.--Mark Tapley in Missouri.--"The
+Arkansas Traveler."--Encountering the Rebel Army.--A "Wonderful
+Spring."--The Cantonment at Cross Hollows.--Game Chickens.--Magruder
+_vs_. Breckinridge.--Rebel Generals in a Controversy.--Its Result.--An
+Expedition to Huntsville.--Curiosities of Rebel Currency.--Important
+Information.--A Long and Weary March.--Disposition of Forces before
+the Battle.--Changing Front.--What the Rebels lost by Ignorance.
+
+
+When it became certain the army would continue its march into
+Arkansas, myself and the _Democrat's_ correspondent pushed forward
+to overtake it. Along the road we learned of the rapid retreat of the
+Rebels, and the equally rapid pursuit by our own forces. About twenty
+miles south of Springfield one of the natives came to his door to
+greet us. Learning to which army we belonged, he was very voluble in
+his efforts to explain the consternation of the Rebels. A half-dozen
+of his neighbors were by his side, and joined in the hilarity of the
+occasion. I saw that something more than usual was the cause of their
+assembling, and inquired what it could be.
+
+"My wife died this morning, and my friends have come here to see me,"
+was the answer I received from the proprietor of the house.
+
+Almost at the instant of completing the sentence, he burst into a
+laugh, and said,
+
+"It would have done you good to see how your folks captured a big
+drove of Price's cattle. The Rebs were driving them along all right,
+and your cavalry just came up and took them. It was rich, I tell you.
+Ha! ha!"
+
+Not knowing what condolence to offer a man who could be so gay after
+the death of his wife, I bade him good-morning, and pushed on. He
+had not, as far as I could perceive, the single excuse of being
+intoxicated, and his display of vivacity appeared entirely genuine. In
+all my travels I have never met his equal.
+
+Up to the time of this campaign none of our armies had been into
+Arkansas. When General Curtis approached the line, the head of the
+column was halted, the regiments closed up, and the men brought their
+muskets to the "right shoulder shift," instead of the customary "at
+will" of the march. Two bands were sent to the front, where a small
+post marked the boundary, and were stationed by the roadside, one in
+either State. Close by them the National flag was unfurled. The bands
+struck up "The Arkansas Traveler," the order to advance was given,
+and, with many cheers in honor of the event, the column moved onward.
+For several days "The Arkansas Traveler" was exceedingly popular with
+the entire command. On the night after crossing the line the news of
+the fall of Fort Donelson was received.
+
+Soon after entering Arkansas on his retreat, General Price met General
+McCulloch moving northward to join him. With their forces united, they
+determined on making a stand against General Curtis, and, accordingly,
+halted near Sugar Creek. A little skirmish ensued, in which the Rebels
+gave way, the loss on either side being trifling. They did not stop
+until they reached Fayetteville. Their halt at that point was very
+brief.
+
+At Cross Hollows, in Benton County, Arkansas, about two miles from
+the main road, there is one of the finest springs in the Southwest. It
+issues from the base of a rocky ledge, where the ravine is about three
+hundred yards wide, and forms the head of a large brook. Two small
+flouring mills are run during the entire year by the water from this
+spring. The water is at all times clear, cold, and pure, and is said
+never to vary in quantity.
+
+Along the stream fed by this spring, the Rebels had established a
+cantonment for the Army of Northern Arkansas, and erected houses
+capable of containing ten or twelve thousand men. The cantonment
+was laid out with the regularity of a Western city. The houses were
+constructed of sawed lumber, and provided with substantial brick
+chimneys.
+
+Of course, this establishment was abandoned when the Rebel army
+retreated. The buildings were set on fire, and all but a half-dozen of
+them consumed. When our cavalry reached the place, the rear-guard of
+the Rebels had been gone less than half an hour. There were about
+two hundred chickens running loose among the burning buildings. Our
+soldiers commenced killing them, and had slaughtered two-thirds of
+the lot when one of the officers discovered that they were game-cocks.
+This class of chickens not being considered edible, the killing was
+stopped and the balance of the flock saved. Afterward, while we lay in
+camp, they were made a source of much amusement. The cock-fights that
+took place in General Curtis's army would have done honor to Havana or
+Vera Cruz. Before we captured them the birds were the property of the
+officers of a Louisiana regiment. We gave them the names of the Rebel
+leaders. It was an every-day affair for Beauregard, Van Dorn, and
+Price to be matched against Lee, Johnston, and Polk. I remember losing
+a small wager on Magruder against Breckinridge. I should have won if
+Breck had not torn the feathers from Mac's neck, and injured his right
+wing by a foul blow. I never backed Magruder after that.
+
+From Cross Hollows, General Curtis sent a division in pursuit of
+Price's army, in its retreat through Fayetteville, twenty-two miles
+distant. On reaching the town they found the Rebels had left in the
+direction of Fort Smith. The pursuit terminated at this point. It had
+been continued for a hundred and ten miles--a large portion of the
+distance our advance being within a mile or two of the Rebel rear.
+
+In retreating from Fayetteville, the Rebels were obliged to abandon
+much of the supplies for their army. A serious quarrel is reported
+to have taken place between Price and McCulloch, concerning the
+disposition to be made of these supplies. The former was in favor
+of leaving the large amount of stores, of which, bacon was the chief
+article, that it might fall into our hands. He argued that we had
+occupied the country, and would stay there until driven out. Our army
+would be subsisted at all hazards. If we found this large quantity of
+bacon, it would obviate the necessity of our foraging upon the country
+and impoverishing the inhabitants.
+
+General McCulloch opposed this policy, and accused Price of a desire
+to play into the enemy's hands. The quarrel became warm, and resulted
+in the discomfiture of the latter. All the Rebel warehouses were set
+on fire. When our troops entered Fayetteville the conflagration was at
+its height. It resulted as Price had predicted. The inhabitants were
+compelled, in great measure, to support our army.
+
+The Rebels retreated across the Boston Mountains to Fort Smith, and
+commenced a reorganization of their army. Our army remained at Cross
+Hollows as its central point, but threw out its wings so as to form
+a front nearly five miles in extent. Small expeditions were sent in
+various directions to break up Rebel camps and recruiting stations.
+In this way two weeks passed with little activity beyond a careful
+observation of the enemy's movements. There were several flouring
+mills in the vicinity of our camp, which were kept in constant
+activity for the benefit of the army.
+
+I accompanied an expedition, commanded by Colonel Vandever, of the
+Ninth Iowa, to the town of Huntsville, thirty-five miles distant. Our
+march occupied two days, and resulted in the occupation of the town
+and the dispersal of a small camp of Rebels. We had no fighting,
+scarcely a shot being fired in anger. The inhabitants did not greet us
+very cordially, though some of them professed Union sentiments.
+
+In this town of Huntsville, the best friend of the Union was the
+keeper of a whisky-shop. This man desired to look at some of our
+money, but declined to take it. An officer procured a canteen of
+whisky and tendered a Treasury note in payment. The note was refused,
+with a request for either gold or Rebel paper.
+
+The officer then exhibited a large sheet of "promises to pay," which
+he had procured in Fayetteville a few days before, and asked how they
+would answer.
+
+"That is just what I want," said the whisky vender.
+
+The officer called his attention to the fact that the notes had no
+signatures.
+
+"That don't make any difference," was the reply; "nobody will know
+whether they are signed or not, and they are just as good, anyhow."
+
+I was a listener to the conversation, and at this juncture proffered a
+pair of scissors to assist in dividing the notes. It took but a short
+time to cut off enough "money" to pay for twenty canteens of the worst
+whisky I ever saw.
+
+At Huntsville we made a few prisoners, who said they were on their
+way from Price's army to Forsyth, Missouri. They gave us the important
+information that the Rebel army, thirty thousand strong, was on the
+Boston Mountains the day previous; and on the very day of our arrival
+at Huntsville, it was to begin its advance toward our front. These
+men, and some others, had been sent away because they had no weapons
+with which to enter the fight.
+
+Immediately on learning this, Colonel Vandever dispatched a courier
+to General Curtis, and prepared to set out on his return to the main
+army. We marched six miles before nightfall, and at midnight, while
+we were endeavoring to sleep, a courier joined us from the
+commander-in-chief. He brought orders for us to make our way back with
+all possible speed, as the Rebel army was advancing in full force.
+
+At two o'clock we broke camp, and, with only one halt of an hour,
+made a forced march of forty-one miles, joining the main column at ten
+o'clock at night. I doubt if there were many occasions during the
+war where better marching was done by infantry than on that day.
+Of course, the soldiers were much fatigued, but were ready, on the
+following day, to take active part in the battle.
+
+On the 5th of March, as soon as General Curtis learned of the Rebel
+advance, he ordered General Sigel, who was in camp at Bentonville, to
+fall back to Pea Ridge, on the north bank of Sugar Creek. At the
+same time he withdrew Colonel Jeff. C. Davis's Division to the same
+locality. This placed the army in a strong, defensible position, with
+the creek in its front. On the ridge above the stream our artillery
+and infantry were posted.
+
+The Rebel armies under Price and McCulloch had been united and
+strongly re-enforced, the whole being under the command of General Van
+Dorn. Their strength was upward of twenty thousand men, and they were
+confident of their ability to overpower us. Knowing our strong front
+line, General Van Dorn decided upon a bold movement, and threw himself
+around our right flank to a position between us and our base at
+Springfield.
+
+In moving to our right and rear, the Rebels encountered General
+Sigel's Division before it had left Bentonville, and kept up a running
+fight during the afternoon of the 6th. Several times the Rebels, in
+small force, secured positions in Sigel's front, but that officer
+succeeded in cutting his way through and reaching the main force, with
+a loss of less than a hundred men.
+
+The position of the enemy at Bentonville showed us his intentions,
+and we made our best preparations to oppose him. Our first step was
+to obstruct the road from Bentonville to our rear, so as to retard
+the enemy's movements. Colonel Dodge, of the Fourth Iowa (afterward
+a major-general), rose from a sick-bed to perform this work. The
+impediments which he placed in the way of the Rebels prevented their
+reaching the road in our rear until nine o'clock on the morning of the
+7th.
+
+Our next movement was to reverse our position. We had been facing
+south--it was now necessary to face to the north. The line that had
+been our rear became our front. A change of front implied that our
+artillery train should take the place of the supply train, and _vice
+versâ_. "Elkhorn Tavern" had been the quartermaster's depot. We made
+all haste to substitute artillery for baggage-wagons, and boxes of
+ammunition for boxes of hard bread. This transfer was not accomplished
+before the battle began, and as our troops were pressed steadily back
+on our new front, Elkhorn Tavern fell into the hands of the Rebels.
+
+The sugar, salt, and bread which they captured, happily not of large
+quantity, were very acceptable, and speedily disappeared. Among the
+quartermaster's stores was a wagon-load of desiccated vegetables, a
+very valuable article for an army in the field. All expected it would
+be made into soup and eaten by the Rebels. What was our astonishment
+to find, two days later, that they had opened and examined a single
+case, and, after scattering its contents on the ground, left the
+balance undisturbed!
+
+Elkhorn Tavern was designated by a pair of elk-horns, which occupied a
+conspicuous position above the door. After the battle these horns were
+removed by Colonel Carr, and sent to his home in Illinois, as trophies
+of the victory.
+
+A family occupied the building at the time of the battle, and remained
+there during the whole contest. When the battle raged most fiercely
+the cellar proved a place of refuge. Shells tore through the house,
+sometimes from the National batteries, and sometimes from Rebel guns.
+One shell exploded in a room where three women were sitting. Though
+their clothes were torn by the flying fragments, they escaped without
+personal injury. They announced their determination not to leave home
+so long as the house remained standing.
+
+Among other things captured at Elkhorn Tavern by the Rebels, was
+a sutler's wagon, which, had just arrived from St. Louis. In the
+division of the spoils, a large box, filled with wallets, fell to the
+lot of McDonald's Battery. For several weeks the officers and privates
+of this battery could boast of a dozen wallets each, while very few
+had any money to carry. The Rebel soldiers complained that the visits
+of the paymaster were like those of angels.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE.
+
+The Rebels make their Attack.--Albert Pike and his Indians.--Scalping
+Wounded Men.--Death of General McCulloch.--The Fighting at Elkhorn
+Tavern.--Close of a Gloomy Day.--An Unpleasant Night.--Vocal Sounds
+from a Mule's Throat.--Sleeping under Disadvantages.--A Favorable
+Morning.--The Opposing Lines of Battle.--A Severe Cannonade.--The
+Forest on Fire.--Wounded Men in the Flames.--The Rebels in
+Retreat.--Movements of our Army.--A Journey to St. Louis.
+
+
+About nine o'clock on the morning of the 7th, the Rebels made a
+simultaneous attack on our left and front, formerly our right and
+rear. General Price commanded the force on our front, and General
+McCulloch that on our left; the former having the old Army of
+Missouri, re-enforced by several Arkansas regiments, and the latter
+having a corps made up of Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana troops. They
+brought into the fight upward of twenty thousand men, while we had not
+over twelve thousand with which to oppose them.
+
+The attack on our left was met by General Sigel and Colonel Davis.
+That on our front was met by Colonel Carr's Division and the division
+of General Asboth. On our left it was severe, though not long
+maintained, the position we held being too strong for the enemy to
+carry.
+
+It was on this part of the line that the famous Albert Pike, the
+lawyer-poet of Arkansas, brought his newly-formed brigades of
+Indians into use. Pike was unfortunate with his Indians. While he
+was arranging them in line, in a locality where the bushes were about
+eight feet in height, the Indians made so much noise as to reveal
+their exact position. One of our batteries was quietly placed within
+point-blank range of the Indians, and suddenly opened upon them with
+grape and canister. They gave a single yell, and scattered without
+waiting for orders.
+
+The Indians were not, as a body, again brought together during the
+battle. In a charge which our cavalry made upon a Rebel brigade we
+were repulsed, leaving several killed and wounded upon the ground.
+Some of Pike's Indians, after their dispersal, came upon these, and
+scalped the dead and living without distinction. A Rebel officer
+subsequently informed me that the same Indians scalped several of
+their own slain, and barbarously murdered some who had been only
+slightly injured.
+
+On this part of the field we were fortunate, early in the day, in
+killing General McCulloch and his best lieutenant, General McIntosh.
+To this misfortune the Rebels have since ascribed their easy defeat.
+At the time of this reverse to the enemy, General Van Dorn was with.
+Price in our front. After their repulse and the death of their leader,
+the discomfited Rebels joined their comrades in the front, who had
+been more successful. It was nightfall before the two forces were
+united.
+
+In our front, Colonel Carr's Division fought steadily and earnestly
+during the entire day, but was pressed back fully two-thirds of a
+mile. General Curtis gave it what re-enforcements he could, but there
+were very few to be spared. When it was fully ascertained that the
+Rebels on our left had gone to our front, we prepared to unite against
+them. Our left was drawn in to re-enforce Colonel Carr, but the
+movement was not completed until long after dark.
+
+Thus night came. The rebels were in full possession of our
+communications. We had repulsed them on the left, but lost ground,
+guns, and men on our front. The Rebels were holding Elkhorn Tavern,
+which we had made great effort to defend. Colonel Carr had repeatedly
+wished for either night or re-enforcements. He obtained both.
+
+The commanding officers visited General Curtis's head-quarters,
+and received their orders for the morrow. Our whole force was to be
+concentrated on our front. If the enemy did not attack us at daylight,
+we would attack him as soon thereafter as practicable.
+
+Viewed in its best light, the situation was somewhat gloomy. Mr.
+Fayel, of the _Democrat_, and myself were the only journalists
+with the army, and the cessation of the day's fighting found us
+deliberating on our best course in case of a disastrous result. We
+destroyed all documents that could give information to the enemy,
+retaining only our note-books, and such papers as pertained to our
+profession. With patience and resignation we awaited the events of the
+morrow.
+
+I do not know that any of our officers expected we should be
+overpowered, but there were many who thought such an occurrence
+probable. The enemy was nearly twice as strong as we, and lay directly
+between us and our base. If he could hold out till our ammunition was
+exhausted, we should be compelled to lay down our arms. There was no
+retreat for us. We must be victorious or we must surrender.
+
+In camp, on that night, every thing was confusion. The troops that had
+been on the left during the day were being transferred to the front.
+The quartermaster was endeavoring to get his train in the least
+dangerous place. The opposing lines were so near each other that our
+men could easily hear the conversation of the Rebels. The night was
+not severely cold; but the men, who were on the front, after a day's
+fighting, found it quite uncomfortable. Only in the rear was it
+thought prudent to build fires.
+
+The soldiers of German birth were musical. Throughout the night I
+repeatedly heard their songs. The soldiers of American parentage
+were generally profane, and the few words I heard them utter were the
+reverse of musical. Those of Irish origin combined the peculiarities
+of both Germans and Americans, with their tendencies in favor of the
+latter.
+
+I sought a quiet spot within the limits of the camp, but could not
+find it. Lying down in the best place available, I had just fallen
+asleep when a mounted orderly rode his horse directly over me. I made
+a mild remonstrance, but the man was out of hearing before I spoke.
+Soon after, some one lighted a pipe and threw a coal upon my hand.
+This drew from me a gentle request for a discontinuance of that
+experiment. I believe it was not repeated. During the night Mr.
+Fayel's beard took fire, and I was roused to assist in staying the
+conflagration.
+
+The vocal music around me was not calculated to encourage drowsiness.
+Close at hand was the quartermaster's train, with the mules ready
+harnessed for moving in any direction. These mules had not been fed
+for two whole days, and it was more than thirty-six hours since they
+had taken water. These facts were made known in the best language the
+creatures possessed. The bray of a mule is never melodious, even when
+the animal's throat is well moistened. When it is parched and dusty
+the sound becomes unusually hoarse. Each hour added to the noise as
+the thirst of the musicians increased. Mr. Fayel provoked a discussion
+concerning the doctrine of the transmigration of souls; and thought,
+in the event of its truth, that the wretch was to be pitied who should
+pass into a mule in time of war.
+
+With the dawn of day every one was astir. At sunrise I found our
+line was not quite ready, though it was nearly so. General Curtis
+was confident all would result successfully, and completed the few
+arrangements then requiring attention. We had expected the Rebels
+would open the attack; but they waited for us to do so. They deserved
+many thanks for their courtesy. The smoke of the previous day's fight
+still hung over the camp, and the sun rose through it, as through a
+cloud. A gentle wind soon dissipated this smoke, and showed us a clear
+sky overhead. The direction of the wind was in our favor.
+
+The ground selected for deciding the fate of that day was a huge
+cornfield, somewhat exceeding two miles in length and about half a
+mile in width. The western extremity of this field rested upon the
+ridge which gave name to the battle-ground. The great road from
+Springfield to Fayetteville crossed this field about midway from the
+eastern to the western end.
+
+It was on this road that the two armies took their positions.
+The lines were in the edge of the woods on opposite sides of the
+field--the wings of the armies extending to either end. On the
+northern side were the Rebels, on the southern was the National army.
+Thus each army, sheltered by the forest, had a cleared space in its
+front, affording a full view of the enemy.
+
+[Illustration: SHELLING THE HILL AT PEA RIDGE.]
+
+By half-past seven o'clock our line was formed and ready for action. A
+little before eight o'clock the cannonade was opened. Our forces
+were regularly drawn up in order of battle. Our batteries were placed
+between the regiments as they stood in line. In the timber, behind
+these regiments and batteries, were the brigades in reserve, ready
+to be brought forward in case of need. At the ends of the line were
+battalions of cavalry, stretching off to cover the wings, and give
+notice of any attempt by the Rebels to move on our flanks. Every five
+minutes the bugle of the extreme battalion would sound the signal
+"All's well." The signal would be taken by the bugler of the next
+battalion, and in this way carried down the line to the center. If
+the Rebels had made any attempt to outflank us, we could hardly have
+failed to discover it at once.
+
+Our batteries opened; the Rebel batteries responded. Our gunners
+proved the best, and our shot had the greatest effect. We had better
+ammunition than that of our enemies, and thus reduced the disparity
+caused by their excess of guns. Our cannonade was slow and careful;
+theirs was rapid, and was made at random. At the end of two hours of
+steady, earnest work, we could see that the Rebel line was growing
+weaker, while our own was still unshaken. The work of the artillery
+was winning us the victory.
+
+In the center of the Rebel line was a rocky hill, eighty or a hundred
+feet in height. The side which faced us was almost perpendicular, but
+the slope to the rear was easy of ascent. On this hill the Rebels had
+stationed two regiments of infantry and a battery of artillery. The
+balance of their artillery lay at its base. General Curtis ordered
+that the fire of all our batteries should be concentrated on this hill
+at a given signal, and continued there for ten minutes. This was done.
+At the same time our infantry went forward in a charge on the Rebel
+infantry and batteries that stood in the edge of the forest. The
+cleared field afforded fine opportunity for the movement.
+
+The charge was successful. The Rebels fell back in disorder, leaving
+three guns in our hands, and their dead and wounded scattered on the
+ground. This was the end of the battle. We had won the victory at Pea
+Ridge.
+
+I followed our advancing forces, and ascended to the summit of the
+elevation on which our last fire was concentrated. Wounded men were
+gathered in little groups, and the dead were lying thick about them.
+The range of our artillery had been excellent. Rocks, trees, and earth
+attested the severity of our fire. This cannonade was the decisive
+work of the day. It was the final effort of our batteries, and was
+terrible while it lasted.
+
+The shells, bursting among the dry leaves, had set the woods on fire,
+and the flames were slowly traversing the ground where the battle had
+raged. We made every effort to remove the wounded to places of safety,
+before the fire should reach them. At that time we thought we had
+succeeded. Late in the afternoon I found several wounded men lying in
+secluded places, where they had been terribly burned, though they were
+still alive. Very few of them survived.
+
+Our loss in this battle was a tenth of our whole force. The enemy lost
+more than we in numbers, though less in proportion to his strength.
+His position, directly in our rear, would have been fatal to a
+defeated army in many other localities. There were numerous small
+roads, intersecting the great road at right angles. On these roads the
+Rebels made their lines of retreat. Had we sent cavalry in pursuit,
+the Rebels would have lost heavily in artillery and in their supply
+train. As it was, they escaped without material loss, but they
+suffered a defeat which ultimately resulted in our possession of all
+Northern Arkansas.
+
+The Rebels retreated across the Boston Mountains to Van Buren and Fort
+Smith, and were soon ordered thence to join Beauregard at Corinth.
+Our army moved to Keytsville, Missouri, several miles north of the
+battle-ground, where the country was better adapted to foraging, and
+more favorable to recuperating from the effects of the conflict.
+
+From Keytsville it moved to Forsyth, a small town in Taney County,
+Missouri, fifty miles from Springfield. Extending over a considerable
+area, the army consumed whatever could be found in the vicinity. It
+gave much annoyance to the Rebels by destroying the saltpeter works on
+the upper portion of White River.
+
+The saltpeter manufactories along the banks of this stream were of
+great importance to the Rebels in the Southwest, and their destruction
+seriously reduced the supplies of gunpowder in the armies of Arkansas
+and Louisiana. Large quantities of the crude material were shipped
+to Memphis and other points, in the early days of the war. At certain
+seasons White River is navigable to Forsyth. The Rebels made every
+possible use of their opportunities, as long as the stream remained in
+their possession.
+
+Half sick in consequence of the hardships of the campaign, and
+satisfied there would be no more fighting of importance during the
+summer, I determined to go back to civilization. I returned to
+St. Louis by way of Springfield and Rolla. A wounded officer,
+Lieutenant-Colonel Herron (who afterward wore the stars of a
+major-general), was my traveling companion. Six days of weary toil
+over rough and muddy roads brought us to the railway, within twelve
+hours of St. Louis. It was my last campaign in that region. From that
+date the war in the Southwest had its chief interest in the country
+east of the Great River.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+UP THE TENNESSEE AND AT PITTSBURG LANDING.
+
+At St. Louis.--Progress of our Arms in the Great Valley.--Cairo.--Its
+Peculiarities and Attractions.--Its Commercial, Geographical, and
+Sanitary Advantages.--Up the Tennessee.--Movements Preliminary to
+the Great Battle.--The Rebels and their Plans.--Postponement of
+the Attack.--Disadvantages of our Position.--The Beginning of the
+Battle.--Results of the First Day.--Re-enforcements.--Disputes between
+Officers of our two Armies.--Beauregard's Watering-Place.
+
+
+On reaching St. Louis, three weeks after the battle of Pea Ridge, I
+found that public attention was centered upon the Tennessee River.
+Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Columbus, and Nashville had fallen, and
+our armies were pushing forward toward the Gulf, by the line of the
+Tennessee. General Pope was laying siege to Island Number Ten, having
+already occupied New Madrid, and placed his gun-boats in front of
+that point. General Grant's army was at Pittsburg Landing, and General
+Buell's army was moving from Nashville toward Savannah, Tennessee.
+The two armies were to be united at Pittsburg Landing, for a further
+advance into the Southern States. General Beauregard was at Corinth,
+where he had been joined by Price and Van Dorn from Arkansas, and by
+Albert Sidney Johnston from Kentucky. There was a promise of active
+hostilities in that quarter. I left St. Louis, after a few days' rest,
+for the new scene of action.
+
+Cairo lay in my route. I found it greatly changed from the Cairo of
+the previous autumn. Six months before, it had been the rendezvous of
+the forces watching the Lower Mississippi. The basin in which the town
+stood, was a vast military encampment. Officers of all rank thronged
+the hotels, and made themselves as comfortable as men could be in
+Cairo. All the leading journals of the country were represented,
+and the dispatches from Cairo were everywhere perused with interest,
+though they were not always entirety accurate.
+
+March and April witnessed a material change. Where there had been
+twenty thousand soldiers in December, there were less than one
+thousand in April. Where a fleet of gun-boats, mortar-rafts, and
+transports had been tied to the levees during the winter months, the
+opening spring showed but a half-dozen steamers of all classes. The
+transports and the soldiers were up the Tennessee, the mortars were
+bombarding Island Number Ten, and the gun-boats were on duty where
+their services were most needed. The journalists had become war
+correspondents in earnest, and were scattered to the points of
+greatest interest.
+
+Cairo had become a vast depot of supplies for the armies operating
+on the Mississippi and its tributaries. The commander of the post was
+more a forwarding agent than a military officer. The only steamers at
+the levee were loading for the armies. Cairo was a map of busy, muddy
+life.
+
+The opening year found Cairo exulting in its deep and all-pervading
+mud. There was mud everywhere.
+
+Levee, sidewalks, floors, windows, tables, bed-clothing, all were
+covered with it. On the levee it varied from six to thirty inches
+in depth. The luckless individual whose duties obliged him to make
+frequent journeys from the steamboat landing to the principal hotel,
+became intimately acquainted with its character.
+
+Sad, unfortunate, derided Cairo! Your visitors depart with unpleasant
+memories. Only your inhabitants, who hold titles to corner lots, speak
+loudly in your praise. When it rains, and sometimes when it does not,
+your levee is unpleasant to walk upon. Your sidewalks are dangerous,
+and your streets are unclean. John Phenix declared you destitute of
+honesty. Dickens asserted that your physical and moral foundations
+were insecurely laid. Russell did not praise you, and Trollope uttered
+much to your discredit. Your musquitos are large, numerous, and
+hungry. Your atmosphere does not resemble the spicy breezes that blow
+soft o'er Ceylon's isle. Your energy and enterprise are commendable,
+and your geographical location is excellent, but you can never become
+a rival to Saratoga or Newport.
+
+Cairo is built in a basin formed by constructing a levee to inclose
+the peninsula at the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
+Before the erection of the levee, this peninsula was overflowed by the
+rise of either river. Sometimes, in unusual floods, the waters reach
+the top of the embankment, and manage to fill the basin. At the
+time of my visit, the Ohio was rising rapidly. The inhabitants were
+alarmed, as the water was gradually gaining upon them. After a time it
+took possession of the basin, enabling people to navigate the streets
+and front yards in skiffs, and exchange salutations from house-tops
+or upper windows. Many were driven from their houses by the flood, and
+forced to seek shelter elsewhere. In due time the waters receded and
+the city remained unharmed. It is not true that a steamer was lost in
+consequence of running against a chimney of the St. Charles Hotel.
+
+Cairo has prospered during the war, and is now making an effort
+to fill her streets above the high-water level, and insure a dry
+foundation at all seasons of the year. This once accomplished, Cairo
+will become a city of no little importance.
+
+Proceeding up the Tennessee, I reached Pittsburg Landing three days
+after the great battle which has made that locality famous.
+
+The history of that battle has been many times written. Official
+reports have given the dry details,--the movements of division,
+brigade, regiment, and battery, all being fully portrayed. A few
+journalists who witnessed it gave the accounts which were circulated
+everywhere by the Press. The earliest of these was published by _The
+Herald._ The most complete and graphic was that of Mr. Reid, of _The
+Cincinnati Gazette._ Officers, soldiers, civilians, all with greater
+or less experience, wrote what they had heard and seen. So diverse
+have been the statements, that a general officer who was prominent in
+the battle, says he sometimes doubts if he was present.
+
+In the official accounts there have been inharmonious deductions, and
+many statements of a contradictory character. Some of the participants
+have criticised unfavorably the conduct of others, and a bitterness
+continuing through and after the war has been the result.
+
+In February of 1862, the Rebels commenced assembling an army at
+Corinth. General Beauregard was placed in command. Early in March,
+Price and Van Dorn were ordered to take their commands to Corinth,
+as their defeat at Pea Ridge had placed them on the defensive against
+General Curtis. General A. S. Johnston had moved thither, after the
+evacuation of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and from all quarters
+the Rebels were assembling a vast army. General Johnston became
+commander-in-chief on his arrival.
+
+General Halleck, who then commanded the Western Department, ordered
+General Grant, after the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson, to move
+to Pittsburg Landing, and seize that point as a base against Corinth.
+General Buell, with the Army of the Ohio, was ordered to join him from
+Nashville, and with other re-enforcements we would be ready to take
+the offensive.
+
+Owing to the condition of the roads, General Buell moved very slowly,
+so that General Grant was in position at Pittsburg Landing several
+days before the former came up. This was the situation at the
+beginning of April; Grant encamped on the bank of the Tennessee
+nearest the enemy, and Buell slowly approaching the opposite bank. It
+was evidently the enemy's opportunity to strike his blow before our
+two armies should be united.
+
+On the 4th of April, the Rebels prepared to move from Corinth to
+attack General Grant's camp, but, on account of rain, they delayed
+their advance till the morning of the 6th. At daylight of the 6th our
+pickets were driven in, and were followed by the advance of the Rebel
+army.
+
+The division whose camp was nearest to Corinth, and therefore the
+first to receive the onset of the enemy, was composed of the newest
+troops in the army. Some of the regiments had received their arms less
+than two weeks before. The outposts were not sufficiently far from
+camp to allow much time for getting under arms after the first
+encounter. A portion of this division was attacked before it could
+form, but its commander, General Prentiss, promptly rallied his men,
+and made a vigorous fight. He succeeded, for a time, in staying the
+progress of the enemy, but the odds against him were too great. When
+his division was surrounded and fighting was no longer of use, he
+surrendered his command. At the time of surrender he had little more
+than a thousand men remaining out of a division six thousand strong.
+Five thousand were killed, wounded, or had fled to the rear.
+
+General Grant had taken no precautions against attack. The
+vedettes were but a few hundred yards from our front, and we had no
+breast-works of any kind behind which to fight. The newest and least
+reliable soldiers were at the point where the enemy would make his
+first appearance. The positions of the various brigades and divisions
+were taken, more with reference to securing a good camping-ground,
+than for purposes of strategy. General Grant showed himself a soldier
+in the management of the army after the battle began, and he has since
+achieved a reputation as the greatest warrior of the age. Like the
+oculist who spoiled a hatful of eyes in learning to operate for the
+cataract, he improved his military knowledge by his experience at
+Shiloh. Never afterward did he place an army in the enemy's country
+without making careful provision against assault.
+
+One division, under General Wallace, was at Crump's Landing, six miles
+below the battle-ground, and did not take part in the action till the
+following day. The other divisions were in line to meet the enemy soon
+after the fighting commenced on General Prentiss's front, and made a
+stubborn resistance to the Rebel advance.
+
+The Rebels well knew they would have no child's play in that battle.
+They came prepared for hot, terrible work, in which thousands of men
+were to fall. The field attests our determined resistance; it attests
+their daring advance. A day's fighting pushed us slowly, but steadily,
+toward the Tennessee. Our last line was formed less than a half mile
+from its bank. Sixty pieces of artillery composed a grand battery,
+against which the enemy rushed. General Grant's officers claim that
+the enemy received a final check when he attacked that line. The
+Rebels claim that another hour of daylight, had we received no
+re-enforcements, would have seen our utter defeat. Darkness and a
+fresh division came to our aid.
+
+General Buell was to arrive at Savannah, ten miles below Pittsburg,
+and on the opposite bank of the river, on the morning of the 6th. On
+the evening of the 5th, General Grant proceeded to Savannah to meet
+him, and was there when the battle began on the following morning.
+His boat was immediately headed for Pittsburg, and by nine o'clock
+the General was on the battle-field. From that time, the engagement
+received his personal attention. When he started from Savannah, some
+of General Buell's forces were within two miles of the town. They were
+hurried forward as rapidly as possible, and arrived at Pittsburg, some
+by land and others by water, in season to take position on our left,
+just as the day was closing. Others came up in the night, and formed a
+part of the line on the morning of the 7th.
+
+General Nelson's Division was the first to cross the river and form
+on the left of Grant's shattered army. As he landed, Nelson rode among
+the stragglers by the bank and endeavored to rally them. Hailing a
+captain of infantry, he told him to get his men together and fall into
+line. The captain's face displayed the utmost terror. "My regiment
+is cut to pieces," was the rejoinder; "every man of my company is
+killed."
+
+"Then why ain't you killed, too, you d----d coward?" thundered Nelson.
+"Gather some of these stragglers and go back into the battle."
+
+The man obeyed the order.
+
+[Illustration: NELSON CROSSING THE TENNESSEE RIVER.]
+
+General Nelson reported to General Grant with his division, received
+his orders, and then dashed about the field, wherever his presence was
+needed. The division was only slightly engaged before night came on
+and suspended the battle.
+
+At dawn on the second day the enemy lay in the position it held When
+darkness ended the fight. The gun-boats had shelled the woods during
+the night, and prevented the Rebels from reaching the river on our
+left. A creek and ravine prevented their reaching it on the right.
+None of the Rebels stood on the bank of the Tennessee River on that
+occasion, except as prisoners of war.
+
+As they had commenced the attack on the 6th, it was our turn to begin
+it on the 7th. A little past daylight we opened fire, and the fresh
+troops on the left, under General Buell, were put in motion. The
+Rebels had driven us on the 6th, so we drove them on the 7th. By noon
+of that day we held the ground lost on the day previous.
+
+The camps which the enemy occupied during the night were comparatively
+uninjured, so confident were the Rebels that our defeat was assured.
+
+It was the arrival of General Buell's army that saved us. The history
+of that battle, as the Rebels have given it, shows that they expected
+to overpower General Grant before General Buell could come up. They
+would then cross the Tennessee, meet and defeat Buell, and recapture
+Nashville. The defeat of these two armies would have placed the Valley
+of the Ohio at the command of the Rebels. Louisville was to have been
+the next point of attack.
+
+The dispute between the officers of the Army of the Tennessee and
+those of the Army of the Ohio is not likely to be terminated until
+this generation has passed away. The former contend that the Rebels
+were repulsed on the evening of the 6th of April, before the Army of
+the Ohio took part in the battle. The latter are equally earnest in
+declaring that the Army of the Tennessee would have been defeated had
+not the other army arrived. Both parties sustain their arguments by
+statements in proof, and by positive assertions. I believe it is the
+general opinion of impartial observers, that the salvation of General
+Grant's army is due to the arrival of the army of General Buell. With
+the last attack on the evening of the 6th, in which our batteries
+repulsed the Rebels, the enemy did not retreat. Night came as the
+fighting ceased. Beauregard's army slept where it had fought, and
+gave all possible indication of a readiness to renew the battle on the
+following day. So near was it to the river that our gun-boats threw
+shells during the night to prevent our left wing being flanked.
+
+Beauregard is said to have sworn to water his horse in the Tennessee,
+or in Hell, on that night. It is certain that the animal did not
+quench his thirst in the terrestrial stream. If he drank from springs
+beyond the Styx, I am not informed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+SHILOH AND THE SIEGE OF CORINTH.
+
+The Error of the Rebels.--Story of a Surgeon.--Experience of a
+Rebel Regiment.--Injury to the Rebel Army.--The Effect in our own
+Lines.--Daring of a Color-Bearer.--A Brave Soldier.--A Drummer-Boy's
+Experience.--Gallantry of an Artillery Surgeon.--A Regiment Commanded
+by a Lieutenant.--Friend Meeting Friend and Brother Meeting Brother
+in the Opposing Lines.--The Scene of the Battle.--Fearful Traces
+of Musketry-Fire.--The Wounded.--The Labor of the Sanitary
+Commission.--Humanity a Yankee Trick.--Besieging Corinth.--A
+Cold-Water Battery.--Halleck and the Journalists.--Occupation of
+Corinth.
+
+
+The fatal error of the Rebels, was their neglect to attack on the 4th,
+as originally intended. They were informed by their scouts that Buell
+could not reach Savannah before the 9th or 10th; and therefore a delay
+of two days would not change the situation. Buell was nearer than they
+supposed.
+
+The surgeon of the Sixth Iowa Infantry fell into the enemy's hands
+early on the morning of the first day of the battle, and established a
+hospital in our abandoned camp. His position was at a small log-house
+close by the principal road. Soon after he took possession, the
+enemy's columns began to file past him, as they pressed our army. The
+surgeon says he noticed a Louisiana regiment that moved into battle
+eight hundred strong, its banners flying and the men elated at the
+prospect of success. About five o'clock in the afternoon this regiment
+was withdrawn, and went into bivouac a short distance from the
+surgeon's hospital. It was then less than four hundred strong, but the
+spirit of the men was still the same. On the morning of the 7th,
+it once more went into battle. About noon it came out, less than a
+hundred strong, pressing in retreat toward Corinth. The men still
+clung to their flag, and declared their determination to be avenged.
+
+The story of this regiment was the story of many others. Shattered and
+disorganized, their retreat to Corinth had but little order. Only the
+splendid rear-guard, commanded by General Bragg, saved them from utter
+confusion. The Rebels admitted that many of their regiments were
+unable to produce a fifth of their original numbers, until a week
+or more after the battle. The stragglers came in slowly from the
+surrounding country, and at length enabled the Rebels to estimate
+their loss. There were many who never returned to answer at roll-call.
+
+In our army, the disorder was far from small. Large numbers of
+soldiers wandered for days about the camps, before they could
+ascertain their proper locations. It was fully a week, before all
+were correctly assigned. We refused to allow burying parties from the
+Rebels to come within our lines, preferring that they should not
+see the condition of our camp. Time was required to enable us to
+recuperate. I presume the enemy was as much in need of time as
+ourselves.
+
+A volume could be filled with the stories of personal valor during
+that battle. General Lew Wallace says his division was, at a certain
+time, forming on one side of a field, while the Rebels were on the
+opposite side. The color-bearer of a Rebel regiment stepped in front
+of his own line, and waved his flag as a challenge to the color-bearer
+that faced him. Several of our soldiers wished to meet the challenge,
+but their officers forbade it. Again the Rebel stepped forward, and
+planted his flag-staff in the ground. There was no response, and again
+and again he advanced, until he had passed more than half the distance
+between the opposing lines. Our fire was reserved in admiration of the
+man's daring, as he stood full in view, defiantly waving his banner.
+At last, when the struggle between the divisions commenced, it was
+impossible to save him, and he fell dead by the side of his colors.
+
+On the morning of the second day's fighting, the officers of one of
+our gun-boats saw a soldier on the river-bank on our extreme left,
+assisting another soldier who was severely wounded. A yawl was sent to
+bring away the wounded man and his companion. As it touched the side
+of the gun-boat on its return, the uninjured soldier asked to be sent
+back to land, that he might have further part in the battle. "I have,"
+said he, "been taking care of this man, who is my neighbor at home. He
+was wounded yesterday morning, and I have been by his side ever since.
+Neither of us has eaten any thing for thirty hours, but, if you will
+take good care of him, I will not stop now for myself. I want to get
+into the battle again at once." The man's request was complied with. I
+regret my inability to give his name.
+
+A drummer-boy of the Fifteenth Iowa Infantry was wounded five times
+during the first day's battle, but insisted upon going out on the
+second day. He had hardly started before he fainted from loss of
+blood, and was left to recover and crawl back to the camp.
+
+Colonel Sweeney, of the Fifty-second Illinois Infantry, who lost an
+arm in Mexico and was wounded in the leg at Wilson Creek, received a
+wound in his arm on the first day of the battle. He kept his saddle,
+though he was unable to use his arm, and went to the hospital after
+the battle was over. When I saw him he was venting his indignation
+at the Rebels, because they had not wounded him in the stump of
+his amputated arm, instead of the locality which gave him so much
+inconvenience. It was this officer's fortune to be wounded on nearly
+every occasion when he went into battle.
+
+During the battle, Dr. Cornyn, surgeon of Major Cavender's battalion
+of Missouri Artillery, saw a section of a battery whose commander had
+been killed. The doctor at once removed the surgeon's badge from his
+hat and the sash from his waist, and took command of the guns. He
+placed them in position, and for several hours managed them with good
+effect. He was twice wounded, though not severely. "I was determined
+they should not kill or capture me as a surgeon when I had charge
+of that artillery," said the doctor afterward, "and so removed every
+thing that marked my rank."
+
+The Rebels made some very desperate charges against our artillery, and
+lost heavily in each attack. Once they actually laid their hands on
+the muzzles of two guns in Captain Stone's battery, but were unable to
+capture them.
+
+General Hurlbut stated that his division fought all day on Sunday with
+heavy loss, but only one regiment broke. When he entered the battle
+on Monday morning, the Third Iowa Infantry was commanded by a
+first-lieutenant, all the field officers and captains having been
+disabled or captured. Several regiments were commanded by captains.
+
+Colonel McHenry, of the Seventeenth Kentucky, said his regiment fought
+a Kentucky regiment which was raised in the county where his own was
+organized. The fight was very fierce. The men frequently called out
+from one to another, using taunting epithets. Two brothers recognized
+each other at the same moment, and came to a tree midway between the
+lines, where they conversed for several minutes.
+
+The color-bearer of the Fifty-second Illinois was wounded early in the
+battle. A man who was under arrest for misdemeanor asked the privilege
+of carrying the colors. It was granted, and he behaved so admirably
+that he was released from arrest as soon as the battle was ended.
+
+General Halleck arrived a week after the battle, and commenced a
+reorganization of the army. He found much confusion consequent upon
+the battle. In a short time the army was ready to take the offensive.
+We then commenced the advance upon Corinth, in which we were six
+weeks moving twenty-five miles. When our army first took position
+at Pittsburg Landing, and before the Rebels had effected their
+concentration, General Grant asked permission to capture Corinth.
+He felt confident of success, but was ordered not to bring on an
+engagement under any circumstances. Had the desired permission been
+given, there is little doubt he would have succeeded, and thus avoided
+the necessity of the battle of Shiloh.
+
+The day following my arrival at Pittsburg Landing I rode over the
+battle-field. The ground was mostly wooded, the forest being one
+in which artillery could be well employed, but where cavalry was
+comparatively useless. The ascent from the river was up a steep bluff
+that led to a broken table-ground, in which there were many ravines,
+generally at right angles to the river. On this table-ground our camps
+were located, and it was there the battle took place.
+
+Everywhere the trees were scarred and shattered, telling, as plainly
+as by words, of the shower of shot, shell, and bullets, that had
+fallen upon them. Within rifle range of the river, stood a tree
+marked by a cannon-shot, showing how much we were pressed back on
+the afternoon of the 6th. From the moment the crest of the bluff was
+gained, the traces of battle were apparent.
+
+In front of the line where General Prentiss's Division fought, there
+was a spot of level ground covered with a dense growth of small trees.
+The tops of these trees were from twelve to fifteen feet high, and had
+been almost mowed off by the shower of bullets which passed through
+them. I saw no place where there was greater evidence of severe work.
+There was everywhere full proof that the battle was a determined one.
+Assailant and defendant had done their best.
+
+It was a ride of five miles among scarred trees, over ground cut by
+the wheels of guns and caissons, among shattered muskets, disabled
+cannon, broken wagons, and all the heavier débris of battle.
+Everywhere could be seen torn garments, haversacks, and other personal
+equipments of soldiers. There were tents where the wounded had been
+gathered, and where those who could not easily bear movement to the
+transports were still remaining. In every direction I moved, there
+were the graves of the slain, the National and the Rebel soldiers
+being buried side by side. Few of the graves were marked, as the
+hurry of interment had been great. I fear that many of those graves,
+undesignated and unfenced, have long since been leveled. A single
+year, with its rain and its rank vegetation, would leave but a small
+trace of those mounds.
+
+All through that forest the camps of our army were scattered. During
+the first few days after the battle they showed much irregularity, but
+gradually took a more systematic shape. When the wounded had been
+sent to the transports, the regiments compacted, the camps cleared
+of superfluous baggage and _matériel_, and the weather became more
+propitious, the army assumed an attractive appearance.
+
+When the news of the battle reached the principal cities of the West,
+the Sanitary Commission prepared to send relief. Within twenty-four
+hours, boats were dispatched from St. Louis and Cincinnati, and
+hurried to Pittsburg Landing with the utmost rapidity. The battle had
+not been altogether unexpected, but it found us without the proper
+preparation. Whatever we had was pushed forward without delay, and the
+sufferings of the wounded were alleviated as much as possible.
+
+As fast as the boats arrived they were loaded with wounded, and sent
+to St. Louis and other points along the Mississippi, or to Cincinnati
+and places in its vicinity. Chicago, St. Louis, and Cincinnati were
+the principal points represented in this work of humanity. Many
+prominent ladies of those cities passed week after week in the
+hospitals or on the transports, doing every thing in their power, and
+giving their attention to friend and foe alike.
+
+In all cases the Rebels were treated with the same kindness that our
+own men received. Not only on the boats, but in the hospitals where
+the wounded were distributed, and until they were fully recovered, our
+suffering prisoners were faithfully nursed. The Rebel papers afterward
+admitted this kind treatment, but declared it was a Yankee trick to
+win the sympathies of our prisoners, and cause them to abandon the
+insurgent cause. The men who systematically starved their prisoners,
+and deprived them of shelter and clothing, could readily suspect the
+humanity of others. They were careful never to attempt to kill by
+kindness, those who were so unfortunate as to fall into their hands.
+
+It was three weeks after the battle before all the wounded were sent
+away, and the army was ready for offensive work. When we were once
+more in fighting trim, our lines were slowly pushed forward. General
+Pope had been called from the vicinity of Fort Pillow, after his
+capture of Island Number Ten, and his army was placed in position
+on the left of the line already formed. When our advance began, we
+mustered a hundred and ten thousand men. Exclusive of those who do not
+take part in a battle, we could have easily brought eighty thousand
+men into action. We began the siege of Corinth with every confidence
+in our ability to succeed.
+
+In this advance, we first learned how an army should intrench
+itself. Every time we took a new position, we proceeded to throw
+up earth-works. Before the siege was ended, our men had perfected
+themselves in the art of intrenching. The defenses we erected will
+long remain as monuments of the war in Western Tennessee. Since
+General Halleck, no other commander has shown such ability to fortify
+in an open field against an enemy that was acting on the defensive.
+
+It was generally proclaimed that we were to capture Corinth with all
+its garrison of sixty or seventy thousand men. The civilian observers
+could not understand how this was to be accomplished, as the Rebels
+had two lines of railway open for a safe retreat. It was like the old
+story of "bagging Price" in Missouri. Every part of the bag, except
+the top and one side, was carefully closed and closely watched.
+Unmilitary men were skeptical, but the military heads assured them it
+was a piece of grand strategy, which the public must not be allowed to
+understand.
+
+During the siege, there was very little for a journalist to record.
+One day was much like another. Occasionally there would be a collision
+with the enemy's pickets, or a short struggle for a certain position,
+usually ending in our possession of the disputed point. The battle of
+Farmington, on the left of our line, was the only engagement worthy
+the name, and this was of comparatively short duration. Twenty-four
+hours after it transpired we ceased to talk about it, and made only
+occasional reference to the event. There were four weeks of monotony.
+An advance of a half mile daily was not calculated to excite the
+nerves.
+
+The chaplains and the surgeons busied themselves in looking after
+the general health of the army. One day, a chaplain, noted for his
+advocacy of total abstinence, passed the camp of the First Michigan
+Battery. This company was raised in Coldwater, Michigan, and the
+camp-chests, caissons, and other property were marked "Loomis's
+Coldwater Battery." The chaplain at once sought Captain Loomis, and
+paid a high compliment to his moral courage in taking a firm and noble
+stand in favor of temperance. After the termination of the interview,
+the captain and several friends drank to the long life of the chaplain
+and the success of the "Coldwater Battery."
+
+Toward the end of the siege, General Halleck gave the journalists a
+sensation, by expelling them from his lines. The representatives of
+the Press held a meeting, and waited upon that officer, after the
+appearance of the order requiring their departure. They offered a
+protest, which was insolently rejected. We could not ascertain General
+Halleck's purpose in excluding us just as the campaign was closing,
+but concluded he desired we should not witness the end of the siege
+in which so much had been promised and so little accomplished. A week
+after our departure, General Beauregard evacuated Corinth, and our
+army took possession. The fruits of the victory were an empty village,
+a few hundred stragglers, and a small quantity of war _matériel_.
+
+From Corinth the Rebels retreated to Tupelo, Mississippi, where
+they threw up defensive works. The Rebel Government censured General
+Beauregard for abandoning Corinth. The evacuation of that point
+uncovered Memphis, and allowed it to fall into our hands.
+
+Beauregard was removed from command. General Joseph E. Johnston was
+assigned to duty in his stead. This officer proceeded to reorganize
+his army, with a view to offensive operations against our lines.
+He made no demonstrations of importance until the summer months had
+passed away.
+
+The capture of Corinth terminated the offensive portion of the
+campaign. Our army occupied the line of the Memphis and Charleston
+Railway from Corinth to Memphis, and made a visit to Holly Springs
+without encountering the enemy. A few cavalry expeditions were made
+into Mississippi, but they accomplished nothing of importance. The
+Army of the Tennessee went into summer-quarters. The Army of the Ohio,
+under General Buell, returned to its proper department, to confront
+the Rebel armies then assembling in Eastern Tennessee. General Halleck
+was summoned to Washington as commander-in-chief of the armies of the
+United States.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+CAPTURE OF FORT PILLOW AND BATTLE OF MEMPHIS.
+
+The Siege of Fort Pillow.--General Pope.--His Reputation for Veracity.
+--Capture of the "Ten Thousand."--Naval Battle above Fort Pillow.--The
+John II. Dickey.--Occupation of the Fort.--General Forrest.--Strength
+of the Fortifications.--Their Location.--Randolph, Tennessee.--Memphis
+and her Last Ditch.--Opening of the Naval Combat.--Gallant Action
+of Colonel Ellet.--Fate of the Rebel Fleet.--The People Viewing the
+Battle.--Their Conduct.
+
+
+While I was tarrying at Cairo, after the exodus of the journalists
+from the army before Corinth, the situation on the Mississippi became
+interesting. After the capture of Island Number Ten, General Pope was
+ordered to Pittsburg Landing with his command. When called away, he
+was preparing to lay siege to Fort Pillow, in order to open the river
+to Memphis. His success at Island Number Ten had won him much credit,
+and he was anxious to gain more of the same article. Had he taken Fort
+Pillow, he would have held the honor of being the captor of Memphis,
+as that city must have fallen with the strong fortifications which
+served as its protection.
+
+The capture of Island Number Ten was marked by the only instance of a
+successful canal from one bend of the Mississippi to another. As soon
+as the channel was completed, General Pope took his transports below
+the island, ready for moving his men. Admiral Foote tried the first
+experiment of running his gun-boats past the Rebel batteries, and was
+completely successful. The Rebel transports could not escape, neither
+could transports or gun-boats come up from Memphis to remove the Rebel
+army. There was a lake in the rear of the Rebels which prevented their
+retreat. The whole force, some twenty-eight hundred, was surrendered,
+with all its arms and munitions of war. General Pope reported his
+captures somewhat larger than they really were, and received much
+applause for his success.
+
+The reputation of this officer, on the score of veracity, has not been
+of the highest character. After he assumed command in Virginia, his
+"Order Number Five" drew upon him much ridicule. Probably the story
+of the capture of ten thousand prisoners, after the occupation of
+Corinth, has injured him more than all other exaggerations combined.
+The paternity of that choice bit of romance belongs to General
+Halleck, instead of General Pope. Colonel Elliott, who commanded
+the cavalry expedition, which General Pope sent out when Corinth
+was occupied, forwarded a dispatch to Pope, something like the
+following:--
+
+
+"I am still pursuing the enemy. The woods are full of stragglers. Some
+of my officers estimate their number as high as ten thousand. Many
+have already come into my lines."
+
+[Illustration: THE CARONDELET RUNNING THE BATTERIES AT ISLAND NO. 10]
+
+Pope sent this dispatch, without alteration, to General Halleck. From
+the latter it went to the country that "General Pope reported ten
+thousand prisoners captured below Corinth." It served to cover up
+the barrenness of the Corinth occupation, and put the public in
+good-humor. General Halleck received credit for the success of his
+plans. When it came out that no prisoners of consequence had been
+taken, the real author of the story escaped unharmed.
+
+At the time of his departure to re-enforce the army before Corinth,
+General Pope left but a single brigade of infantry, to act in
+conjunction with our naval forces in the siege of Fort Pillow. This
+brigade was encamped on the Arkansas shore opposite Fort Pillow, and
+did some very effective fighting against the musquitos, which that
+country produces in the greatest profusion. An attack on the fort,
+with such a small force, was out of the question, and the principal
+aggressive work was done by the navy at long range.
+
+On the 10th of May, the Rebel fleet made an attack upon our navy,
+in which they sunk two of our gun-boats, the _Mound City_ and the
+_Cincinnati_, and returned to the protection of Fort Pillow with one
+of their own boats disabled, and two others somewhat damaged. Our
+sunken gun-boats were fortunately in shoal water, where they were
+speedily raised and repaired. Neither fleet had much to boast of as
+the result of that engagement.
+
+The journalists who were watching Fort Pillow, had their head-quarters
+on board the steamer _John H. Dickey_, which was anchored in
+midstream. At the time of the approach of the Rebel gun-boats, the
+_Dickey_ was lying without sufficient steam to move her wheels, and
+the prospect was good that she might be captured or destroyed. Her
+commander, Captain Mussleman, declared he was _not_ in that place to
+stop cannon-shot, and made every exertion to get his boat in condition
+to move. His efforts were fully appreciated by the journalists,
+particularly as they were successful. The _Dickey_, under the same
+captain, afterward ran a battery near Randolph, Tennessee, and though
+pierced in every part by cannon-shot and musket-balls, she escaped
+without any loss of life.
+
+As soon as the news of the evacuation of Corinth was received at
+Cairo, we looked for the speedy capture of Fort Pillow. Accordingly,
+on the 4th of June, I proceeded down the river, arriving off Fort
+Pillow on the morning of the 5th. The Rebels had left, as we expected,
+after spiking their guns and destroying most of their ammunition. The
+first boat to reach the abandoned fort was the _Hetty Gilmore_, one of
+the smallest transports in the fleet. She landed a little party, which
+took possession, hoisted the flag, and declared the fort, and all it
+contained, the property of the United States. The Rebels were, by this
+time, several miles distant, in full retreat to a safer location.
+
+It was at this same fort, two years later, that the Rebel General
+Forrest ordered the massacre of a garrison that had surrendered after
+a prolonged defense. His only plea for this cold-blooded slaughter,
+was that some of his men had been fired upon after the white flag was
+raised. The testimony in proof of this barbarity was fully conclusive,
+and gave General Forrest and his men a reputation that no honorable
+soldier could desire.
+
+In walking through the fort after its capture, I was struck by its
+strength and extent. It occupied the base of a bluff near the water's
+edge. On the summit of the bluff there were breast-works running in a
+zigzag course for five or six miles, and inclosing a large area.
+The works along the river were very strong, and could easily hold a
+powerful fleet at bay.
+
+From Fort Pillow to Randolph, ten miles lower down, was less than an
+hour's steaming. Randolph was a small, worthless village, partly at
+the base of a bluff, and partly on its summit. Here the Rebels had
+erected a powerful fort, which they abandoned when they abandoned
+Fort Pillow. The inhabitants expressed much agreeable astonishment
+on finding that we did not verify all the statements of the Rebels,
+concerning the barbarity of the Yankees wherever they set foot on
+Southern soil. The town was most bitterly disloyal. It was afterward
+burned, in punishment for decoying a steamboat to the landing, and
+then attempting her capture and destruction. A series of blackened
+chimneys now marks the site of Randolph.
+
+Our capture of these points occurred a short time after the Rebels
+issued the famous "cotton-burning order," commanding all planters to
+burn their cotton, rather than allow it to fall into our hands. The
+people showed no particular desire to comply with the order, except
+in a few instances. Detachments of Rebel cavalry were sent to enforce
+obedience. They enforced it by setting fire to the cotton in presence
+of its owners. On both banks of the river, as we moved from Randolph
+to Memphis, we could see the smoke arising from plantations, or from
+secluded spots in the forest where cotton had been concealed. In many
+cases the bales were broken open and rolled into the river, dotting
+the stream with floating cotton. Had it then possessed the value that
+attached to it two years later, I fear there would have been many
+attempts to save it for transfer to a Northern market.
+
+On the day before the evacuation of Fort Pillow, Memphis determined
+she would never surrender. In conjunction with other cities, she
+fitted up several gun-boats, that were expected to annihilate the
+Yankee fleet. In the event of the failure of this means of defense,
+the inhabitants were pledged to do many dreadful things before
+submitting to the invaders. Had we placed any confidence in the
+resolutions passed by the Memphians, we should have expected all the
+denizens of the Bluff City to commit _hari-kari_, after first setting
+fire to their dwellings.
+
+On the morning of the 6th of June, the Rebel gun-boats, eight in
+number, took their position just above Memphis, and prepared for the
+advance of our fleet. The Rebel boats were the _Van Dorn_ (flag-ship),
+_General Price_, _General Bragg_, _General Lovell_, _Little Rebel_,
+_Jeff. Thompson_, _Sumter_, and _General Beauregard_. The _General
+Bragg_ was the New Orleans and Galveston steamer _Mexico_ in former
+days, and had been strengthened, plated, and, in other ways made as
+effective as possible for warlike purposes. The balance of the fleet
+consisted of tow-boats from the Lower Mississippi, fitted up as rams
+and gun-boats. They were supplied with very powerful engines, and
+were able to choose their positions in the battle. The Rebel fleet was
+commanded by Commodore Montgomery, who was well known to many persons
+on our own boats.
+
+The National boats were the iron-clads _Benton, Carondelet, St. Louis,
+Louisville_, and _Cairo_. There was also the ram fleet, commanded by
+Colonel Ellet. It comprised the _Monarch, Queen of the West, Lioness,
+Switzerland, Mingo, Lancaster No. 3, Fulton, Horner_, and _Samson_.
+The _Monarch_ and _Queen of the West_ were the only boats of the
+ram fleet that took part in the action. Our forces were commanded by
+Flag-officer Charles H. Davis, who succeeded Admiral Foote at the time
+of the illness of the latter.
+
+The land forces, acting in conjunction with our fleet, consisted of a
+single brigade of infantry, that was still at Fort Pillow. It did not
+arrive in the vicinity of Memphis until after the battle was over.
+
+Early in the morning the battle began. It was opened by the gun-boats
+on the Rebel side, and for some minutes consisted of a cannonade at
+long range, in which very little was effected. Gradually the boats
+drew nearer to each other, and made better use of their guns.
+
+Before they arrived at close quarters the rams _Monarch_ and _Queen
+of the West_ steamed forward and engaged in the fight. Their
+participation was most effective. The _Queen of the West_ struck and
+disabled one of the Rebel gun-boats, and was herself disabled by the
+force of the blow. The _Monarch_ steered straight for the _General
+Lovell_, and dealt her a tremendous blow, fairly in the side, just aft
+the wheel. The sides of the _Lovell_ were crushed as if they had been
+made of paper, and the boat sank in less than three minutes, in a spot
+where the plummet shows a depth of ninety feet.
+
+Grappling with the _Beauregard_, the _Monarch_ opened upon her with
+a stream of hot water and a shower of rifle-balls, which effectually
+prevented the latter from using a gun. In a few moments she cast off
+and drifted a short distance down the river. Coming up on the other
+side, the _Monarch_ dealt her antagonist a blow that left her in a
+sinking condition. Herself comparatively uninjured, she paused to
+allow the gun-boats to take a part. Those insignificant and unwieldy
+rams had placed three of the enemy's gun-boats _hors de combat_ in
+less than a quarter of an hour's time.
+
+Our gun-boats ceased firing as the rams entered the fight; but they
+now reopened. With shot and shell the guns were rapidly served. The
+effect was soon apparent. One Rebel boat was disabled and abandoned,
+after grounding opposite Memphis. A second was grounded and blown up,
+and two others were disabled, abandoned, and captured.
+
+It was a good morning's work. The first gun was fired at forty minutes
+past five o'clock, and the last at forty-three minutes past six. The
+Rebels boasted they would whip us before breakfast. We had taken no
+breakfast when the fight began. After the battle was over we enjoyed
+our morning meal with a relish that does not usually accompany defeat.
+
+The following shows the condition of the two fleets after the
+battle:--
+
+
+  _General Beauregard_, sunk.
+  _General Lovell_, sunk.
+  _General Price_, injured and captured.
+  _Little Rebel_,     "     "      "
+  _Sumter_,           "     "      "
+  _General Bragg_,    "     "      "
+  _Jeff. Thompson_, burned.
+  _General Van Dorn_, escaped.
+
+          THE NATIONAL FLEET.
+
+  _Benton_, unhurt.
+  _Carondelet_, "
+  _St. Louis_,  "
+  _Louisville_, "
+  _Cairo_,      "
+  _Monarch_ (ram), unhurt.
+  _Queen of the West_ (ram), disabled.
+
+
+The captured vessels were refitted, and, without alteration of names,
+attached to the National fleet. The _Sumter_ was lost a few months
+later, in consequence of running aground near the Rebel batteries in
+the vicinity of Bayou Sara. The _Bragg_ was one of the best boats
+in the service in point of speed, and proved of much value as a
+dispatch-steamer on the lower portion of the river.
+
+The people of Memphis rose at an early hour to witness the naval
+combat. It had been generally known during the previous night that the
+battle would begin about sunrise. The first gun brought a large crowd
+to the bluff overlooking the river, whence a full view of the fight
+was obtained. Some of the spectators were loyal, and wished success to
+the National fleet, but the great majority were animated by a strong
+hope and expectation of our defeat.
+
+A gentleman, who was of the lookers-on, subsequently told me of the
+conduct of the populace. As a matter of course, the disloyalists had
+all the conversation their own way. While they expressed their wishes
+in the loudest tones, no one uttered a word in opposition. Many
+offered wagers on the success of their fleet, and expressed a
+readiness to give large odds. No one dared accept these offers, as
+their acceptance would have been an evidence of sympathy for the
+Yankees. Americans generally, but particularly in the South, make
+their wagers as they hope or wish. In the present instance no man was
+allowed to "copper" on the Rebel flotilla.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+IN MEMPHIS AND UNDER THE FLAG
+
+Jeff. Thompson and his Predictions.--A Cry of Indignation.--Memphis
+Humiliated.--The Journalists in the Battle.--The Surrender.--A Fine
+Point of Law and Honor.--Going on Shore.--An Enraged Secessionist.--A
+Dangerous Enterprise.--Memphis and her Antecedents.--Her Loyalty.--An
+Amusing Incident.--How the Natives learned of the Capture of Fort
+Donelson.--The Last Ditch.--A Farmer-Abolitionist.--Disloyalty among
+the Women.--"Blessings in Disguise."--An American Mark Tapley.
+
+
+The somewhat widely (though not favorably) known Rebel chieftain,
+Jeff. Thompson, was in Memphis on the day of the battle, and boasted
+of the easy victory the Rebels would have over the National fleet.
+
+"We will chaw them up in just an hour," said Jeff., as the battle
+began.
+
+"Are you sure of that?" asked a friend.
+
+"Certainly I am; there is no doubt of it." Turning to a servant, he
+sent for his horse, in order, as he said, to be able to move about
+rapidly to the best points for witnessing the engagement.
+
+In an hour and three minutes the battle was over. Jeff, turned in his
+saddle, and bade his friend farewell, saying he had a note falling due
+that day at Holly Springs, and was going out to pay it. The "chawing
+up" of our fleet was not referred to again.
+
+As the _Monarch_ struck the _Lovell_, sinking the latter in deep
+water, the crowd stood breathless. As the crew of the sunken boat were
+floating helplessly in the strong current, and our own skiffs were
+putting off to aid them, there was hardly a word uttered through all
+that multitude. As the Rebel boats, one after another, were sunk or
+captured, the sympathies of the spectators found vent in words. When,
+at length, the last of the Rebel fleet disappeared, and the Union
+flotilla spread its flags in triumph, there went up an almost
+universal yell of indignation from that vast crowd. Women tore their
+bonnets from their heads, and trampled them on the ground; men stamped
+and swore as only infuriated Rebels can, and called for all known
+misfortunes to settle upon the heads of their invaders. The profanity
+was not entirely monopolized by the men.
+
+This scene of confusion lasted for some time, and ended in anxiety to
+know what we would do next. Some of the spectators turned away, and
+went, in sullen silence, to their homes. Others remained, out of
+curiosity, to witness the end of the day's work. A few were secretly
+rejoicing at the result, but the time had not come when they could
+display their sympathies. The crowd eagerly watched our fleet, and
+noted every motion of the various boats.
+
+The press correspondents occupied various positions during the
+engagement. Mr. Coffin, of the Boston _Journal_, was on the tug
+belonging to the flag-ship, and had a fine view of the whole affair.
+One of _The Herald_ correspondents was in the pilot-house of the
+gun-boat _Cairo_, while Mr. Colburn, of _The World_, was on the
+captured steamer _Sovereign_. "Junius," of _The Tribune_, and Mr.
+Vizitelly, of the London _Illustrated News_, with several others, were
+on the transport _Dickey_, the general rendezvous of the journalists.
+The representative of the St. Louis _Republican_ and myself were
+on the _Platte Valley_, in rear of the line of battle. The _Platte
+Valley_ was the first private boat that touched the Memphis landing
+after the capture of the city.
+
+The battle being over, we were anxious to get on shore and look at the
+people and city of Memphis. Shortly after the fighting ceased, Colonel
+Ellet sent the ram _Lioness_, under a flag-of-truce, to demand the
+surrender of the city. To this demand no response was given. A little
+later, Flag-Officer Davis sent the following note to the Mayor, at the
+hands of one of the officers of the gun-boat _Benton_:--
+
+
+UNITED STATES FLAG-STEAMER BENTON,
+OFF MEMPHIS, _June_ 6, 1862.
+
+SIR:--I have respectfully to request that you will surrender the city
+of Memphis to the authority of the United States, which I have the
+honor to represent. I am, Mr. Mayor, with high respect, your most
+obedient servant, C. H. DAVIS, _Flag-Officer Commanding_.
+
+To his Honor, the Mayor of Memphis.
+
+
+To this note the following reply was received:--
+
+
+MAYOR'S OFFICE, MEMPHIS, _June_ 6, 1862.
+
+C. H. Davis, _Flag-Officer Commanding_:
+
+SIR:--Your note of this date is received and contents noted. In reply
+I have only to say that, as the civil authorities have no means of
+defense, by the force of circumstances the city is in your hands.
+Respectfully, John Park, _Mayor of Memphis_.
+
+
+At the meeting, four days before, the citizens of Memphis had solemnly
+pledged themselves never to surrender. There was a vague understanding
+that somebody was to do a large amount of fighting, whenever Memphis
+was attacked. If this fighting proved useless, the city was to
+be fired in every house, and only abandoned after its complete
+destruction. It will be seen that the note of the mayor, in response
+to a demand for surrender, vindicates the honor of Memphis. It merely
+informs the United States officer that the city has fallen "by the
+force of circumstances." Since that day I have frequently heard its
+citizens boast that the place was not surrendered. "You came in," say
+they, "and took possession, but we did not give up to you. We declared
+we would never surrender, and we kept our word."
+
+About eleven o'clock in the forenoon, the transports arrived with our
+infantry, and attempted to make a landing. As their mooring-lines were
+thrown on shore they were seized by dozens of persons in the crowd,
+and the crews were saved the trouble of making fast. This was an
+evidence that the laboring class, the men with blue shirts and shabby
+hats, were not disloyal. We had abundant evidence of this when our
+occupation became a fixed fact. It was generally the wealthy who
+adhered to the Rebel cause.
+
+As a file of soldiers moved into the city, the people stood at a
+respectful distance, occasionally giving forth wordy expression of
+their anger. When I reached the office of _The Avalanche_, one of
+the leading journals of Memphis, and, of course, strongly disloyal,
+I found the soldiers removing a Rebel flag from the roof of the
+building. The owner of the banner made a very vehement objection to
+the proceeding. His indignation was so great that his friends were
+obliged to hold him, to prevent his throwing himself on the bayonet of
+the nearest soldier. I saw him several days later, when his anger had
+somewhat cooled. He found relief from his troubles, before the end of
+June, by joining the Rebel army at Holly Springs.
+
+On the bluff above the levee was a tall flag-staff. The Rebels had
+endeavored to make sure of their courage by nailing a flag to the
+top of this staff. A sailor from one of the gun-boats volunteered to
+ascend the staff and bring down the banner. When he had ascended about
+twenty feet, he saw two rifles bearing upon him from the window of
+a neighboring building. The sailor concluded it was best to go
+no further, and descended at once. The staff was cut down and the
+obnoxious flag secured.
+
+With the city in our possession, we had leisure to look about us.
+Memphis had been in the West what Charleston was in the East: an
+active worker in the secession cause. Her newspapers had teemed with
+abuse of every thing which opposed their heresy, and advocated the
+most summary measures. Lynching had been frequent and never rebuked,
+impressments were of daily and nightly occurrence, every foundery and
+manufactory had been constantly employed by the Rebel authorities, and
+every citizen had, in some manner, contributed to the insurrection. It
+was gratifying in the extreme to see the Memphis, of which we at
+Cairo and St. Louis had heard so much, brought under our control. The
+picture of five United States gun-boats lying in line before the city,
+their ports open and their guns shotted, was pleasing in the eyes of
+loyal men.
+
+Outside of the poorer classes there were some loyal persons, but
+their number was not large. There were many professing loyalty,
+who possessed very little of the article, and whose record had been
+exceedingly doubtful. Prominent among these were the politicians, than
+whom none had been more self-sacrificing, if their own words could be
+believed.
+
+There were many men of this class ready, no doubt, to swear allegiance
+to the victorious side, who joined our standard because they
+considered the Rebel cause a losing one. They may have become
+loyal since that time, but it has been only through the force of
+circumstances. In many cases our Government accepted their words as
+proof of loyalty, and granted these persons many exclusive privileges.
+It was a matter of comment that a newly converted loyalist could
+obtain favors at the hands of Government officials, that would be
+refused to men from the North. The acceptance of office under the
+Rebels, and the earnest advocacy he had shown for secession, were
+generally alleged to have taken place under compulsion, or in the
+interest of the really loyal men.
+
+A Memphis gentleman gave me an amusing account of the reception of the
+news of the fall of Fort Donelson. Many boasts had been made of the
+terrible punishment that was in store for our army, if it ventured an
+attack upon Fort Donelson. No one would be allowed to escape to tell
+the tale. All were to be slaughtered, or lodged in Rebel prisons.
+Memphis was consequently waiting for the best tidings from the
+Cumberland, and did not think it possible a reverse could come to the
+Rebel cause.
+
+One Sunday morning, the telegraph, without any previous announcement,
+flashed the intelligence that Fort Donelson, with twelve thousand men,
+had surrendered, and a portion of General Grant's army was moving on
+Nashville, with every prospect of capturing that city. Memphis was in
+consternation. No one could tell how long the Yankee army would stop
+at Nashville before moving elsewhere, and it was certain that Memphis
+was uncovered by the fall of Fort Donelson.
+
+My informant first learned the important tidings in the rotunda of the
+Gayoso House. Seeing a group of his acquaintances with faces depicting
+the utmost gloom, he asked what was the matter.
+
+"Bad enough," said one. "Fort Donelson has surrendered with nearly all
+its garrison."
+
+"That is terrible," said my friend, assuming a look of agony, though
+he was inwardly elated.
+
+"Yes, and the enemy are moving on Nashville."
+
+"Horrible news," was the response; "but let us not be too despondent.
+Our men are good for them, one against three, and they will never get
+out of Nashville alive, if they should happen to take it."
+
+With another expression of deep sorrow at the misfortune which had
+befallen the Rebel army, this gentleman hastened to convey the glad
+news to his friends. "I reached home," said he, "locked my front door,
+called my wife and sister into the parlor, and instantly jumped over
+the center-table. They both cried for joy when I told them the old
+flag floated over Donelson."
+
+The Secessionists in Memphis, like their brethren elsewhere, insisted
+that all the points we had captured were given up because they had no
+further use for them. The evacuation of Columbus, Fort Pillow, Fort
+Henry, and Bowling Green, with the surrender of Donelson, were parts
+of the grand strategy of the Rebel leaders, and served to lure us on
+to our destruction. They would never admit a defeat, but contended we
+had invariably suffered.
+
+An uneducated farmer, on the route followed by one of our armies in
+Tennessee, told our officers that a Rebel general and his staff had
+taken dinner with him during the retreat from Nashville. The farmer
+was anxious to learn something about the military situation, and asked
+a Rebel major how the Confederate cause was progressing.
+
+"Splendidly," answered the major. "We have whipped the Yankees in
+every battle, and our independence will soon be recognized."
+
+The farmer was thoughtful for a minute or two, and then deliberately
+said:
+
+"I don't know much about war, but if we are always whipping the
+Yankees, how is it they keep coming down into our country after every
+battle?"
+
+The major grew red in the face, and told the farmer that any man
+who asked such an absurd question was an Abolitionist, and deserved
+hanging to the nearest tree. The farmer was silenced, but not
+satisfied.
+
+I had a fine illustration of the infatuation of the Rebel
+sympathizers, a few days after Memphis was captured. One evening,
+while making a visit at the house of an acquaintance, the hostess
+introduced me to a young lady of the strongest secession proclivities.
+Of course, I endeavored to avoid the topics on which we were certain
+to differ, but my new acquaintance was determined to provoke a
+discussion. With a few preliminaries, she throw out the question:
+
+"Now, don't you think the Southern soldiers have shown themselves
+the bravest people that ever lived, while the Yankees have proved the
+greatest cowards?"
+
+"I can hardly agree with you," I replied. "Your people have certainly
+established a reputation on the score of bravery, but we can claim
+quite as much."
+
+"But we have whipped you in every battle. We whipped you at Manassas
+and Ball's Bluff, and we whipped General Grant at Belmont."
+
+"That is very true; but how was it at Shiloh?"
+
+"At Shiloh we whipped you; we drove you to your gun-boats, which was
+all we wanted to do."
+
+"Ah, I beg your pardon; but what is your impression of Fort Donelson?"
+
+"Fort Donelson!"--and my lady's cheek flushed with either pride or
+indignation--"Fort Donelson was an unquestioned victory for the South.
+We stopped your army--all we wanted to; and then General Forrest,
+General Floyd, and all the troops we wished to bring off, came
+away. We only left General Buckner and three thousand men for you to
+capture."
+
+"It seems, then, we labored under a delusion at the North. We thought
+we had something to rejoice over when Fort Donelson fell. But, pray,
+what do you consider the capture of Island Number Ten and the naval
+battle here?"
+
+"At Island Ten we defeated you" (how this was done she did not say),
+"and we were victorious here. You wanted to capture all our boats; but
+you only got four of them, and those were damaged."
+
+"In your view of the case," I replied, "I admit the South to have been
+always victorious. Without wishing to be considered disloyal to the
+Nation, I can heartily wish you many similar victories."
+
+In the tour which Dickens records, Mark Tapley did not visit the
+Southern country, but the salient points of his character are
+possessed by the sons of the cavaliers. "Jolly" under the greatest
+misfortunes, and extracting comfort and happiness from all calamities,
+your true Rebel could never know adversity. The fire which consumes
+his dwelling is a personal boon, as he can readily explain. So is
+a devastating flood, or a widespread pestilence. The events which
+narrow-minded mudsills are apt to look upon as calamitous, are only
+"blessings in disguise" to every supporter and friend of the late
+"Confederacy."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+SUPERVISING A REBEL JOURNAL.
+
+The Press of Memphis.--Flight of _The Appeal_.--A False
+Prediction.--_The Argus_ becomes Loyal.--Order from General
+Wallace.--Installed in Office.--Lecturing the Rebels.--"Trade follows
+the Flag."--Abuses of Traffic.--Supplying the Rebels.--A Perilous
+Adventure.--Passing the Rebel Lines.--Eluding Watchful Eyes.
+
+
+On the morning of the 6th of June, the newspaper publishers, like most
+other gentlemen of Memphis, were greatly alarmed. _The Avalanche_ and
+_The Argus_ announced that it was impossible for the Yankee fleet to
+cope successfully with the Rebels, and that victory was certain to
+perch upon the banners of the latter. The sheets were not dry before
+the Rebel fleet was a thing of the past. _The Appeal_ had not been
+as hopeful as its contemporaries, and thought it the wisest course to
+abandon the city. It moved to Grenada, Mississippi, a hundred miles
+distant, and resumed publication. It became a migratory sheet, and was
+at last captured by General Wilson at Columbus, Georgia. In ability it
+ranked among the best of the Rebel journals.
+
+_The Avalanche_ and _The Argus_ continued publication, with a strong
+leaning to the Rebel side. The former was interfered with by our
+authorities; and, under the name of _The Bulletin_, with new editorial
+management, was allowed to reappear. _The Argus_ maintained its Rebel
+ground, though with moderation, until the military hand fell upon it.
+Memphis, in the early days of our occupation, changed its commander
+nearly every week. One of these changes brought Major-General Wallace
+into the city. This officer thought it proper to issue the following
+order:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS THIRD DIVISION, RESERVED CORPS,
+ARMY OF TENNESSEE, MEMPHIS, _June_ 17,1862.
+
+EDITORS DAILY ARGUS:--As the closing of your office might be injurious
+to you pecuniarily, I send two gentlemen--Messrs. A.D. Richardson and
+Thos. W. Knox, both of ample experience--to take charge of the
+editorial department of your paper. The business management of your
+office will be left to you.
+
+Very respectfully,
+LEWIS WALLACE,
+_General Third Division, Reserved Corps._
+
+
+The publishers of _The Argus_ printed this order at the head of their
+columns. Below it they announced that they were not responsible for
+any thing which should appear editorially, as long as the order was in
+force. The business management and the general miscellaneous and news
+matter were not interfered with.
+
+Mr. Richardson and myself entered upon our new duties immediately. We
+had crossed the Plains together, had published a paper in the Rocky
+Mountains, had been through many adventures and perils side by side;
+but we had never before managed a newspaper in an insurrectionary
+district. The publishers of _The Argus_ greeted us cordially, and our
+whole intercourse with them was harmonious. They did not relish the
+intrusion of Northern men into their office, to compel the insertion
+of Union editorials, but they bore the inconvenience with an excellent
+grace. The foreman of the establishment displayed more mortification
+at the change, than any other person whom we met.
+
+The editorials we published were of a positive character. We plainly
+announced the determination of the Government to assert itself and put
+down and punish treason. We told the Memphis people that the scheme
+of partisan warfare, which was then in its inception, would work
+more harm than good to the districts where guerrilla companies were
+organized. We insisted that the Union armies had entered Memphis and
+other parts of the South, to stay there, and that resistance to
+their power was useless. We credited the Rebels with much bravery and
+devotion to their cause, but asserted always that we had the right and
+the strong arm in our favor.
+
+It is possible we did not make many conversions among the disloyal
+readers of _The Argus_, but we had the satisfaction of saying what
+we thought it necessary they should hear. The publishers said their
+subscribers were rapidly falling off, on account of the change of
+editorial tone. Like newspaper readers everywhere, they disliked to
+peruse what their consciences did not approve. We received letters,
+generally from women, denying our right to control the columns of the
+paper for our "base purposes." Some of these letters were not written
+after the style of Chesterfield, but the majority of them were
+courteous.
+
+There were many jests in Memphis, and throughout the country
+generally, concerning the appointment of representatives of _The
+Herald_ and _The Tribune_ to a position where they must work together.
+_The Herald_ and _The Tribune_ have not been famous, in the past
+twenty years, for an excess of good-nature toward each other. Mr.
+Bennett and Mr. Greeley are not supposed to partake habitually of the
+same dinners and wine, or to join in frequent games of billiards
+and poker. The compliments which the two great dailies occasionally
+exchange, are not calculated to promote an intimate friendship between
+the venerable gentlemen whose names are so well known to the public.
+No one expects these veteran editors to emulate the example of Damon
+and Pythias.
+
+At the time Mr. Richardson and myself took charge of _The Argus, The
+Tribune_ and _The Herald_ were indulging in one of their well-known
+disputes. It was much like the Hibernian's debate, "with sticks," and
+attracted some attention, though it was generally voted a nuisance.
+Many, who did not know us, imagined that the new editors of _The
+Argus_ would follow the tendencies of the offices from which they bore
+credentials. Several Northern journals came to hand, in which this
+belief was expressed. A Chicago paper published two articles supposed
+to be in the same issue of _The Argus_, differing totally in every
+line of argument or statement of fact. One editor argued that the
+harmonious occupancy of contiguous desks by the representatives
+of _The Herald_ and _The Tribune_, betokened the approach of the
+millennium.
+
+When he issued the order placing us in charge of _The Argus_, General
+Wallace assured its proprietors that he should remove the editorial
+supervision as soon as a Union paper was established in Memphis. This
+event occurred in a short time, and _The Argus_ was restored to its
+original management, according to promise.
+
+As soon as the capture of Memphis was known at the North, there was an
+eager scramble to secure the trade of the long-blockaded port. Several
+boat-loads of goods were shipped from St. Louis and Cincinnati, and
+Memphis was so rapidly filled that the supply was far greater than the
+demand.
+
+Army and Treasury regulations were soon established, and many
+restrictions placed upon traffic. The restrictions did not materially
+diminish the quantity of goods, but they served to throw the trade
+into a few hands, and thus open the way for much favoritism. Those who
+obtained permits, thought the system an excellent one. Those who were
+kept "out in the cold," viewed the matter in a different light. A
+thousand stories of dishonesty, official and unofficial, were in
+constant circulation, and I fear that many of them came very near the
+truth.
+
+In our occupation of cities along the Mississippi, the Rebels found
+a ready supply from our markets. This was especially the case at
+Memphis. Boots and shoes passed through the lines in great numbers,
+either by stealth or by open permit, and were taken at once to the
+Rebel army. Cloth, clothing, percussion-caps, and similar articles
+went in the same direction. General Grant and other prominent officers
+made a strong opposition to our policy, and advised the suppression of
+the Rebellion prior to the opening of trade, but their protestations
+were of no avail. We chastised the Rebels with one hand, while we fed
+and clothed them with the other.
+
+After the capture of Memphis, Colonel Charles R. Ellet, with two boats
+of the ram fleet, proceeded to explore the river between Memphis
+and Vicksburg. It was not known what defenses the Rebels might have
+constructed along this distance of four hundred miles. Colonel Ellet
+found no hinderance to his progress, except a small field battery near
+Napoleon, Arkansas. When a few miles above Vicksburg, he ascertained
+that a portion of Admiral Farragut's fleet was below that point,
+preparing to attack the city. He at once determined to open
+communication with the lower fleet.
+
+Opposite Vicksburg there is a long and narrow peninsula, around which
+the Mississippi makes a bend. It is a mile and a quarter across the
+neck of this peninsula, while it is sixteen miles around by the course
+of the river. It was impossible to pass around by the Mississippi,
+on account of the batteries at Vicksburg. The Rebels were holding the
+peninsula with a small force of infantry and cavalry, to prevent our
+effecting a landing. By careful management it was possible to elude
+the sentinels, and cross from one side of the peninsula to the other.
+
+Colonel Ellet armed himself to make the attempt. He took only a
+few documents to prove his identity as soon as he reached Admiral
+Farragut. A little before daylight, one morning, he started on his
+perilous journey. He waded through swamps, toiled among the thick
+undergrowth in a portion of the forest, was fired upon by a Rebel
+picket, and narrowly escaped drowning in crossing a bayou. He was
+compelled to make a wide detour, to avoid capture, and thus extended
+his journey to nearly a half-dozen miles.
+
+On reaching the bank opposite one of our gun-boats, he found a yawl
+near the shore, by which he was promptly taken on board. The officers
+of this gun-boat suspected him of being a spy, and placed him under
+guard. It was not until the arrival of Admiral Farragut that his true
+character became known.
+
+After a long interview with that officer he prepared to return. He
+concealed dispatches for the Navy Department and for Flag-Officer
+Davis in the lining of his boots and in the wristbands of his shirt. A
+file of marines escorted him as far as they could safely venture, and
+then bade him farewell. Near the place where he had left his own boat,
+Colonel Ellet found a small party of Rebels, carefully watching from
+a spot where they could not be easily discovered. It was a matter of
+some difficulty to elude these men, but he did it successfully, and
+reached his boat in safety. He proceeded at once to Memphis with his
+dispatches. Flag-Officer Davis immediately decided to co-operate with
+Admiral Farragut, in the attempt to capture Vicksburg.
+
+Shortly after the capture of New Orleans, Admiral Farragut ascended
+the Mississippi as far as Vicksburg. At that time the defensive force
+was very small, and there were but few batteries erected. The Admiral
+felt confident of his ability to silence the Rebel guns, but he was
+unaccompanied by a land force to occupy the city after its capture.
+He was reluctantly compelled to return to New Orleans, and wait until
+troops could be spared from General Butler's command. The Rebels
+improved their opportunities, and concentrated a large force to put
+Vicksburg in condition for defense. Heavy guns were brought from
+various points, earth-works were thrown up on all sides, and the town
+became a vast fortification. When the fleet returned at the end of
+June, the Rebels were ready to receive it. Their strongest works were
+on the banks of the Mississippi. They had no dread of an attack from
+the direction of Jackson, until long afterward.
+
+Vicksburg was the key to the possession of the Mississippi. The Rebel
+authorities at Richmond ordered it defended as long as defense was
+possible.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE FIRST SIEGE OF VICKSBURG.
+
+From Memphis to Vicksburg.--Running the Batteries.--Our Inability
+to take Vicksburg by Assault.--Digging a Canal.--A Conversation with
+Resident Secessionists.--Their Arguments _pro_ and _con_, and the
+Answers they Received.--A Curiosity of Legislation.--An Expedition up
+the Yazoo.--Destruction of the Rebel Fleet.--The _Arkansas_ Running
+the Gauntlet.--A Spirited Encounter.--A Gallant Attempt.--Raising the
+Siege.--Fate of the _Arkansas_.
+
+
+On the 1st of July, I left Memphis with the Mississippi flotilla, and
+arrived above Vicksburg late on the following day. Admiral Farragut's
+fleet attempted the passage of the batteries on the 28th of June. A
+portion of the fleet succeeded in the attempt, under a heavy fire,
+and gained a position above the peninsula. Among the first to effect
+a passage was the flag-ship _Hartford_, with the "gallant old
+salamander" on board. The _Richmond, Iroquois_, and _Oneida_ were
+the sloops-of-war that accompanied the _Hartford_. The _Brooklyn_ and
+other heavy vessels remained below.
+
+The history of that first siege of Vicksburg can be briefly told.
+Twenty-five hundred infantry, under General Williams, accompanied the
+fleet from New Orleans, with the design of occupying Vicksburg after
+the batteries had been silenced by our artillery. Most of the Rebel
+guns were located at such a height that it was found impossible to
+elevate our own guns so as to reach them. Thus the occupation by
+infantry was found impracticable. The passage of the batteries was
+followed by the bombardment, from the mortar-schooners of Admiral
+Farragut's fleet and the mortar-rafts which Flag-Officer Davis had
+brought down. This continued steadily for several days, but Vicksburg
+did not fall.
+
+A canal across the peninsula was proposed and commenced. The water
+fell as fast as the digging progressed, and the plan of leaving
+Vicksburg inland was abandoned for that time. Even had there been
+a flood in the river, the entrance to the canal was so located that
+success was impossible. The old steamboat-men laughed at the efforts
+of the Massachusetts engineer, to create a current in his canal by
+commencing it in an eddy.
+
+Just as the canal project was agreed upon, I was present at a
+conversation between General Williams and several residents of the
+vicinity. The latter, fearing the channel of the river would be
+changed, visited the general to protest against the carrying out of
+his plan.
+
+The citizens were six in number. They had selected no one to act as
+their leader. Each joined in the conversation as he saw fit. After a
+little preliminary talk, one of them said:
+
+"Are you aware, general, there is no law of the State allowing you to
+make a cut-off, here?"
+
+"I am sorry to say," replied General Williams, "I am not familiar
+with the laws of Louisiana. Even if I were, I should not heed them.
+I believe Louisiana passed an act of secession. According to your own
+showing you have no claims on the Government now."
+
+This disposed of that objection. There was some hesitation, evidently
+embarrassing to the delegation, but not to General Williams. Citizen
+number one was silenced. Number two advanced an idea.
+
+"You may remember, General, that you will subject the parish of
+Madison to an expenditure of ninety thousand dollars for new levees."
+
+This argument disturbed General Williams no more than the first one.
+He promptly replied:
+
+"The parish of Madison gave a large majority in favor of secession;
+did it not?"
+
+"I believe it did," was the faltering response.
+
+"Then you can learn that treason costs something. It will cost you far
+more before the war is over."
+
+Citizen number two said nothing more. It was the opportunity for
+number three to speak.
+
+"If this cut-off is made, it will ruin the trade of Vicksburg. It has
+been a fine city for business, but this will spoil it. Boats will not
+be able to reach the town, but will find all the current through the
+short route."
+
+"That is just what we want," said the General. "We are digging the
+canal for the very purpose of navigating the river without passing
+near Vicksburg."
+
+Number three went to the rear. Number four came forward.
+
+"If you make this cut-off, all these plantations will be carried away.
+You will ruin the property of many loyal men."
+
+He was answered that loyal men would be paid for all property taken or
+destroyed, as soon as their loyalty was proved.
+
+The fifth and last point in the protest was next advanced. It came
+from an individual who professed to practice law in De Soto township,
+and was as follows:
+
+"The charter of the Vicksburg and Shreveport Railroad is perpetual,
+and so declared by act of the Louisiana Legislature. No one has any
+right to cut through the embankment."
+
+"That is true," was the quiet answer. "The Constitution of the United
+States is also a perpetual charter, which it was treason to violate.
+When you and your leaders have no hesitation at breaking national
+faith, it is absurd to claim rights under the laws of a State which
+you deny to be in the Union."
+
+This was the end of the delegation. Its members retired without having
+gained a single point in their case. They were, doubtless, easier in
+mind when they ascertained, two weeks later, that the canal enterprise
+was a failure.
+
+The last argument put forth on that occasion, to prevent the carrying
+out of our plans, is one of the curiosities of legislation. For a long
+time there were many parties in Louisiana who wished the channel
+of the Mississippi turned across the neck of the peninsula opposite
+Vicksburg, thus shortening the river fifteen miles, at least, and
+rendering the plantations above, less liable to overflow. As Vicksburg
+lay in another State, her interests were not regarded. She spent much
+money in the corrupt Legislature of Louisiana to defeat the scheme.
+As a last resort, it was proposed to build a railway, with a perpetual
+charter, from the end of the peninsula opposite Vicksburg, to some
+point in the interior. Much money was required. The capitalists of
+Vicksburg contributed the funds for lobbying the bill and commencing
+the road. Up to the time when the Rebellion began, it was rendered
+certain that no hand of man could legally turn the Mississippi across
+that peninsula.
+
+The first siege of Vicksburg lasted but twenty days. Our fleet was
+unable to silence the batteries, and our land force was not sufficient
+for the work. During the progress of the siege, Colonel Ellet, with
+his ram fleet, ascended the Yazoo River, and compelled the Rebels to
+destroy three of their gun-boats, the _Livingston, Polk_, and _Van
+Dorn_, to prevent their falling into our hands. The _Van Dorn_ was
+the only boat that escaped, out of the fleet of eight Rebel gun-boats
+which met ours at Memphis on the 6th of June.
+
+At the time of making this expedition, Colonel Ellet learned that
+the famous ram gun-boat _Arkansas_ was completed, and nearly ready
+to descend the river. He notified Admiral Farragut and Flag-Officer
+Davis, but they paid little attention to his warnings.
+
+This Rebel gun-boat, which was expected to do so much toward the
+destruction of our naval forces on the Mississippi, was constructed
+at Memphis, and hurried from there in a partially finished condition,
+just before the capture of the city. She was towed to Yazoo City and
+there completed. The _Arkansas_ was a powerful iron-clad steamer,
+mounting ten guns, and carrying an iron beak, designed for penetrating
+the hulls of our gun-boats. Her engines were powerful, though they
+could not be worked with facility at the time of her appearance. Her
+model, construction, armament, and propelling force, made her equal to
+any boat of our upper flotilla, and her officers claimed to have full
+confidence in her abilities.
+
+On the morning of the 15th of July, the _Arkansas_ emerged from the
+Yazoo River, fifteen miles above Vicksburg. A short distance up that
+stream she encountered two of our gun-boats, the _Carondelet_ and
+_Tyler_, and fought them until she reached our fleet at anchor above
+Vicksburg. The _Carondelet_ was one of our mail-clad gun-boats, built
+at St. Louis in 1861. The _Tyler_ was a wooden gun-boat, altered from
+an old transport, and was totally unfit for entering into battle. Both
+were perforated by the Rebel shell, the _Tyler_ receiving the larger
+number. The gallantry displayed by Captain Gwin, her commander, was
+worthy of special praise.
+
+Our fleet was at anchor four or five miles above Vicksburg--some of
+the vessels lying in midstream, while others were fastened to the
+banks. The _Arkansas_ fired to the right and left as she passed
+through the fleet. Her shot disabled two of our boats, and slightly
+injured two or three others. She did not herself escape without
+damage. Many of our projectiles struck her sides, but glanced into the
+river. Two shells perforated her plating, and another entered a
+port, exploding over one of the guns. Ten men were killed and as many
+wounded.
+
+The _Arkansas_ was not actually disabled, but her commander declined
+to enter into another action until she had undergone repairs. She
+reached a safe anchorage under protection of the Vicksburg batteries.
+
+A few days later, a plan was arranged for her destruction. Colonel
+Ellet, with the ram _Queen of the West_, was to run down and strike
+the _Arkansas_ at her moorings. The gun-boat _Essex_ was to join in
+this effort, while the upper flotilla, assisted by the vessels of
+Admiral Farragut's fleet, would shell the Rebel batteries.
+
+The _Essex_ started first, but ran directly past the _Arkansas_,
+instead of stopping to engage her, as was expected. The _Essex_ fired
+three guns at the _Arkansas_ while in range, from one of which a
+shell crashed through the armor of the Rebel boat, disabling an entire
+gun-crew.
+
+The _Queen of the West_ attempted to perform her part of the work,
+but the current was so strong where the _Arkansas_ lay that it was
+impossible to deal an effective blow. The upper flotilla did not open
+fire to engage the attention of the enemy, and thus the unfortunate
+_Queen of the West_ was obliged to receive all the fire from the Rebel
+batteries. She was repeatedly perforated, but fortunately escaped
+without damage to her machinery. The _Arkansas_ was not seriously
+injured in the encounter, though the completion of her repairs was
+somewhat delayed.
+
+On the 25th of July the first siege of Vicksburg was raised. The
+upper flotilla of gun-boats, mortar-rafts, and transports, returned
+to Memphis and Helena. Admiral Farragut took his fleet to New Orleans.
+General Williams went, with his land forces, to Baton Rouge. That city
+was soon after attacked by General Breckinridge, with six thousand
+men. The Rebels were repulsed with heavy loss. In our own ranks the
+killed and wounded were not less than those of the enemy. General
+Williams was among the slain, and at one period our chances, of making
+a successful defense were very doubtful.
+
+The _Arkansas_ had been ordered to proceed from Vicksburg to take part
+in this attack, the Rebels being confident she could overpower
+our three gun-boats at Baton Rouge. On the way down the river her
+machinery became deranged, and she was tied up to the bank for
+repairs. Seeing our gun-boats approaching, and knowing he was helpless
+against them; her commander ordered the _Arkansas_ to be abandoned
+and blown up. The order was obeyed, and this much-praised and really
+formidable gun-boat closed her brief but brilliant career.
+
+The Rebels were greatly chagrined at her loss, as they had expected
+she would accomplish much toward driving the National fleet from the
+Mississippi. The joy with which they hailed her appearance was far
+less than the sorrow her destruction evoked.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE MARCH THROUGH ARKANSAS.--THE SIEGE OF CINCINNATI.
+
+General Curtis's Army reaching Helena.--Its Wanderings.--The
+Arkansas Navy.--Troops and their Supplies "miss
+Connection."--Rebel Reports.--Memphis in Midsummer.--"A Journey due
+North."--Chicago.--Bragg's Advance into Kentucky.--Kirby Smith in
+Front of Cincinnati.--The City under Martial Law.--The Squirrel
+Hunters.--War Correspondents in Comfortable Quarters.--Improvising an
+Army.--Raising the Siege.--Bragg's Retreat.
+
+
+About the middle of July, General Curtis's army arrived at Helena,
+Arkansas, ninety miles below Memphis. After the battle of Pea Ridge,
+this army commenced its wanderings, moving first to Batesville, on
+the White River, where it lay for several weeks. Then it went to
+Jacksonport, further down that stream, and remained a short time.
+The guerrillas were in such strong force on General Curtis's line of
+communications that they greatly restricted the receipt of supplies,
+and placed the army on very short rations. For nearly a month the
+public had no positive information concerning Curtis's whereabouts.
+The Rebels were continually circulating stories that he had
+surrendered, or was terribly defeated.
+
+The only reasons for doubting the truth of these stories were, first,
+that the Rebels had no force of any importance in Arkansas; and
+second, that our army, to use the expression of one of its officers,
+"wasn't going round surrendering." We expected it would turn up in
+some locality where the Rebels did not desire it, and had no fears of
+its surrender.
+
+General Curtis constructed several boats at Batesville, which were
+usually spoken of as "the Arkansas navy." These boats carried some six
+or eight hundred men, and were used to patrol the White River, as
+the army moved down its banks. In this way the column advanced from
+Batesville to Jacksonport, and afterward to St. Charles.
+
+Supplies had been sent up the White River to meet the army. The
+transports and their convoy remained several days at St. Charles, but
+could get no tidings of General Curtis. The river was falling, and
+they finally returned. Twelve hours after their departure, the advance
+of the lost army arrived at St. Charles.
+
+From St. Charles to Helena was a march of sixty miles, across a
+country destitute of every thing but water, and not even possessing
+a good supply of that article. The army reached Helena, weary and
+hungry, but it was speedily supplied with every thing needed, and
+put in condition to take the offensive. It was soon named in general
+orders "the Army of Arkansas," and ultimately accomplished the
+occupation of the entire State.
+
+During July and August there was little activity around Memphis. In
+the latter month, I found the climate exceedingly uncomfortable. Day
+after day the atmosphere was hot, still, stifling, and impregnated
+with the dust that rose in clouds from the parched earth. The
+inhabitants endured it easily, and made continual prophesy that
+the _hot_ weather "would come in September." Those of us who were
+strangers wondered what the temperature must be, to constitute "hot"
+weather in the estimation of a native. The thermometer then stood at
+eighty-five degrees at midnight, and ninety-eight or one hundred at
+noon. Few people walked the streets in the day, and those who
+were obliged to do so generally moved at a snail's pace. Cases
+of _coup-de-soleil_ were frequent. The temperature affected me
+personally, by changing my complexion to a deep yellow, and reducing
+my strength about sixty per cent.
+
+I decided upon "A Journey due North." Forty-eight hours after
+sweltering in Memphis, I was shivering on the shores of Lake Michigan.
+I exchanged the hot, fever-laden atmosphere of that city, for the cool
+and healthful air of Chicago. The activity, energy, and enterprise
+of Chicago, made a pleasing contrast to the idleness and gloom that
+pervaded Memphis. This was no place for me to exist in as an invalid.
+I found the saffron tint of my complexion rapidly disappearing, and my
+strength restored, under the influence of pure breezes and busy life.
+Ten days in that city prepared me for new scenes of war.
+
+At that time the Rebel army, under General Bragg, was making its
+advance into Kentucky. General Buell was moving at the same time
+toward the Ohio River. The two armies were marching in nearly parallel
+lines, so that it became a race between them for Nashville and
+Louisville. Bragg divided his forces, threatening Louisville and
+Cincinnati at the same time. Defenses were thrown up around the former
+city, to assist in holding it in case of attack, but they were never
+brought into use. By rapid marching, General Buell reached Louisville
+in advance of Bragg, and rendered it useless for the latter to fling
+his army against the city.
+
+Meantime, General Kirby Smith moved, under Bragg's orders, to the
+siege of Cincinnati. His advance was slow, and gave some opportunity
+for preparation. The chief reliance for defense was upon the raw
+militia and such irregular forces as could be gathered for the
+occasion. The hills of Covington and Newport, opposite Cincinnati,
+were crowned with fortifications and seamed with rifle-pits, which
+were filled with these raw soldiers. The valor of these men was beyond
+question, but they were almost entirely without discipline. In front
+of the veteran regiments of the Rebel army our forces would have been
+at great disadvantage.
+
+When I reached Cincinnati the Rebel army was within a few miles of the
+defenses. On the train which took me to the city, there were many of
+the country people going to offer their services to aid in repelling
+the enemy. They entered the cars at the various stations, bringing
+their rifles, which they well knew how to use. They were the famous
+"squirrel-hunters" of Ohio, who were afterward the subject of some
+derision on the part of the Rebels. Nearly twenty thousand of them
+volunteered for the occasion, and would have handled their rifles to
+advantage had the Rebels given them the opportunity.
+
+At the time of my arrival at Cincinnati, Major-General Wallace was in
+command. The Queen City of the West was obliged to undergo some of
+the inconveniences of martial law. Business of nearly every kind was
+suspended. A provost-marshal's pass was necessary to enable one to
+walk the streets in security. The same document was required of any
+person who wished to hire a carriage, or take a pleasant drive to
+the Kentucky side of the Ohio. Most of the able-bodied citizens
+voluntarily offered their services, and took their places in the
+rifle-pits, but there were some who refused to go. These were hunted
+out and taken to the front, much against their will. Some were found
+in or under beds; others were clad in women's garments, and working at
+wash-tubs. Some tied up their hands as if disabled, and others plead
+baldness or indigestion to excuse a lack of patriotism. All was of no
+avail. The provost-marshal had no charity for human weakness.
+
+This severity was not pleasant to the citizens, but it served an
+admirable purpose. When Kirby Smith arrived in front of the defenses,
+he found forty thousand men confronting him. Of these, not over six
+or eight thousand had borne arms more than a week or ten days. The
+volunteer militia of Cincinnati, and the squirrel-hunters from the
+interior of Ohio and Indiana, formed the balance of our forces.
+Our line of defenses encircled the cities of Covington and Newport,
+touching the Ohio above and below their extreme limits. Nearly every
+hill was crowned with a fortification. These fortifications were
+connected by rifle-pits, which were kept constantly filled with men.
+On the river we had a fleet of gun-boats, improvised from ordinary
+steamers by surrounding their vulnerable parts with bales of hay. The
+river was low, so that it was necessary to watch several places where
+fording was possible. A pontoon bridge was thrown across the Ohio, and
+continued there until the siege was ended.
+
+It had been a matter of jest among the journalists at Memphis and
+other points in the Southwest, that the vicissitudes of war might some
+day enable us to witness military operations from the principal hotels
+in the Northern cities. "When we can write war letters from the Burnet
+or the Sherman House," was the occasional remark, "there will be some
+personal comfort in being an army correspondent." What we had said
+in jest was now proving true. We could take a carriage at the Burnet
+House, and in half an hour stand on our front lines and witness the
+operations of the skirmishers. Later in the war I was enabled to write
+letters upon interesting topics from Detroit and St. Paul.
+
+The way in which our large defensive force was fed, was nearly as
+great a novelty as the celerity of its organization. It was very
+difficult to sever the red tape of the army regulations, and enable
+the commissary department to issue rations to men that belonged to no
+regiments or companies. The people of Cincinnati were very prompt to
+send contributions of cooked food to the Fifth Street Market-House,
+which was made a temporary restaurant for the defenders of the city.
+Wagons were sent daily through nearly all the streets to gather these
+contributed supplies, and the street-cars were free to all women and
+children going to or from the Market-House. Hundreds walked to the
+front, to carry the provisions they had prepared with their own hands.
+All the ordinary edibles of civilized life were brought forward in
+abundance. Had our men fought at all, they would have fought on full
+stomachs.
+
+The arrival of General Buell's army at Louisville rendered it
+impossible for Bragg to take that city. The defenders of Cincinnati
+were re-enforced by a division from General Grant's army, which was
+then in West Tennessee. This arrival was followed by that of other
+trained regiments and brigades from various localities, so that we
+began to contemplate taking the offensive. The Rebels disappeared from
+our front, and a reconnoissance showed that they were falling back
+toward Lexington. They burned the turnpike and railway bridges as they
+retreated, showing conclusively that they had abandoned the siege.
+
+As soon as the retirement of the Rebels was positively ascertained,
+a portion of our forces was ordered from Cincinnati to Louisville.
+General Buell's army took the offensive, and pursued Bragg as he
+retreated toward the Tennessee River. General Wallace was relieved,
+and his command transferred to General Wright.
+
+A change in the whole military situation soon transpired. From holding
+the defensive, our armies became the pursuers of the Rebels, the
+latter showing little inclination to risk an encounter. The battle of
+Perryville was the great battle of this Kentucky campaign. Its result
+gave neither army much opportunity for exultation.
+
+In their retreat through Kentucky and Tennessee, the Rebels gathered
+all the supplies they could find, and carried them to their commissary
+depot at Knoxville. It was said that their trains included more than
+thirty thousand wagons, all of them heavily laden. Large droves of
+cattle and horses became the property of the Confederacy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE BATTLE OF CORINTH.
+
+New Plans of the Rebels.--Their Design to Capture Corinth,--Advancing
+to the Attack.--Strong Defenses.--A Magnificent Charge.--Valor _vs._
+Breast-Works.--The Repulse.--Retreat and Pursuit.--The National Arms
+Triumphant.
+
+
+The Bragg campaign into Kentucky being barren of important results,
+the Rebel authorities ordered that an attempt should be made to
+drive us from West Tennessee. The Rebel army in Northern Mississippi
+commenced the aggressive late in September, while the retreat of Bragg
+was still in progress. The battle of Iuka resulted favorably to the
+Rebels, giving them possession of that point, and allowing a large
+quantity of supplies to fall into their hands. On the 4th of October
+was the famous battle of Corinth, the Rebels under General Van Dorn
+attacking General Rosecrans, who was commanding at Corinth.
+
+The Rebels advanced from Holly Springs, striking Corinth on the
+western side of our lines. The movement was well executed, and
+challenged our admiration for its audacity and the valor the Rebel
+soldiery displayed. It was highly important for the success of the
+Rebel plans in the Southwest that we should be expelled from Corinth.
+Accordingly, they made a most determined effort, but met a signal
+defeat.
+
+Some of the best fighting of the war occurred at this battle of
+Corinth. The Rebel line of battle was on the western and northern
+side of the town, cutting off our communications with General Grant
+at Jackson. The Rebels penetrated our line, and actually obtained
+possession of a portion of Corinth, but were driven out by hard,
+earnest work. It was a struggle for a great prize, in which neither
+party was inclined to yield as long as it had any strength remaining
+to strike a blow.
+
+The key to our position was on the western side, where two earth-works
+had been thrown up to command the approaches in that direction. These
+works were known as "Battery Williams" and "Battery Robbinette," so
+named in honor of the officers who superintended their erection and
+commanded their garrisons at the time of the assault. These works were
+on the summits of two small hills, where the ascent from the main road
+that skirted their base was very gentle. The timber on these slopes
+had been cut away to afford full sweep to our guns. An advancing
+force would be completely under our fire during the whole time of its
+ascent. Whether succeeding or failing, it must lose heavily.
+
+[Illustration: THE REBEL CHARGE AT CORINTH.]
+
+General Van Dorn gave Price's Division the honor of assaulting these
+works. The division was composed of Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas
+regiments, and estimated at eight thousand strong. Price directed the
+movement in person, and briefly told his men that the position must be
+taken at all hazards. The line was formed on the wooded ground at
+the base of the hills on which our batteries stood. The advance was
+commenced simultaneously along the line.
+
+As the Rebels emerged from the forest, our guns were opened. Officers
+who were in Battery Williams at the time of the assault, say the
+Rebels moved in splendid order. Grape and shell made frequent and wide
+gaps through their ranks, but the line did not break nor waver. The
+men moved directly forward, over the fallen timber that covered the
+ground, and at length came within range of our infantry, which had
+been placed in the forts to support the gunners. Our artillery had
+made fearful havoc among the Rebels from the moment they left the
+protection of the forest. Our infantry was waiting with impatience to
+play its part.
+
+When the Rebels were fairly within range of our small-arms, the order
+was given for a simultaneous volley along our whole line. As the
+shower of bullets struck the Rebel front, hundreds of men went down.
+Many flags fell as the color-bearers were killed, but they were
+instantly seized and defiantly waved. With a wild cheer the Rebels
+dashed forward up to the very front of the forts, receiving without
+recoil a most deadly fire. They leaped the ditch and gained the
+parapet. They entered a bastion of Battery Williams, and for a minute
+held possession of one of our guns.
+
+Of the dozen or more that gained the interior of the bastion, very few
+escaped. Nearly all were shot down while fighting for possession
+of the gun, or surrendered when the parapet was cleared of those
+ascending it. The retreat of the Rebels was hasty, but it was orderly.
+Even in a repulse their coolness did not forsake them. They left their
+dead scattered thickly in our front. In one group of seventeen, they
+lay so closely together that their bodies touched each other. An
+officer told me he could have walked along the entire front of Battery
+Williams, touching a dead or wounded Rebel at nearly every step. Two
+Rebel colonels were killed side by side, one of them falling with his
+hand over the edge of the ditch. They were buried where they died.
+In the attack in which the Rebels entered the edge of the town, the
+struggle was nearly as great. It required desperate fighting for them
+to gain possession of the spot, and equally desperate fighting on our
+part to retake it. All our officers who participated in this battle
+spoke in admiration of the courage displayed by the Rebels. Praise
+from an enemy is the greatest praise. The Rebels were not defeated
+on account of any lack of bravery or of recklessness. They were fully
+justified in retreating after the efforts they made. Our army was
+just as determined to hold Corinth as the Rebels were to capture it.
+Advantages of position turned the scale in our favor, and enabled us
+to repulse a force superior to our own.
+
+Just before the battle, General Grant sent a division under General
+McPherson to re-enforce Corinth. The Rebels had cut the railway
+between the two points, so that the re-enforcement did not reach
+Corinth until the battle was over.
+
+On the morning following the battle, our forces moved out in pursuit
+of the retreating Rebels. At the same time a column marched from
+Bolivar, so as to fall in their front. The Rebels were taken between
+the two columns, and brought to an engagement with each of them;
+but, by finding roads to the south, managed to escape without
+disorganization. Our forces returned to Corinth and Bolivar, thinking
+it useless to make further pursuit.
+
+Thus terminated the campaign of the enemy against Corinth. There
+was no expectation that the Rebels would trouble us any more in that
+quarter for the present, unless we sought them out. Their defeat
+was sufficiently serious to compel them to relinquish all hope of
+expelling us from Corinth.
+
+During the time of his occupation of West Tennessee, General Grant was
+much annoyed by the wandering sons of Israel, who thronged his lines
+in great numbers. They were engaged in all kinds of speculation in
+which money could be made. Many of them passed the lines into the
+enemy's country, and purchased cotton, which they managed to bring to
+Memphis and other points on the river. Many were engaged in smuggling
+supplies to the Rebel armies, and several were caught while acting as
+spies.
+
+On our side of the lines the Jews were Union men, and generally
+announced their desire for a prompt suppression of the Rebellion.
+When under the folds of the Rebel flag they were the most ardent
+Secessionists, and breathed undying hostility to the Yankees. Very few
+of them had any real sympathy with either side, and were ready, like
+Mr. Pickwick, to shout with the largest mob on all occasions, provided
+there was money to be made by the operation. Their number was very
+great. In the latter half of '62, a traveler would have thought the
+lost tribes of Israel were holding a reunion at Memphis.
+
+General Grant became indignant, and issued an order banishing the Jews
+from his lines. The order created much excitement among the Americans
+of Hebraic descent. The matter was placed before the President, and
+the obnoxious restriction promptly revoked. During the time it was in
+force a large number of the proscribed individuals were obliged to go
+North.
+
+Sometimes the Rebels did not treat the Jews with the utmost courtesy.
+On one occasion a scouting party captured two Jews who were buying
+cotton. The Israelites were robbed of ten thousand dollars in gold
+and United States currency, and then forced to enter the ranks of the
+Rebel army. They did not escape until six months later.
+
+In Chicago, in the first year of the war, a company of Jews was armed
+and equipped at the expense of their wealthier brethren. The men
+composing the company served their full time, and were highly praised
+for their gallantry.
+
+The above case deserves mention, as it is an exception to the general
+conduct of the Jews.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+THE CAMPAIGN FROM CORINTH.
+
+Changes of Commanders.--Preparations for the Aggressive.--Marching
+from Corinth.--Talking with the People.--"You-uns and
+We-uns."--Conservatism of a "Regular."--Loyalty and
+Disloyalty.--Condition of the Rebel Army.--Foraging.--German Theology
+for American Soldiers.--A Modest Landlord.--A Boy without a Name.--The
+Freedmen's Bureau.--Employing Negroes.--Holly Springs and its
+People.--An Argument for Secession.
+
+
+Two weeks after the battle of Corinth, General Rosecrans was summoned
+to the Army of the Cumberland, to assume command in place of General
+Buell. General Grant was placed at the head of the Thirteenth Army
+Corps, including all the forces in West Tennessee. Preparations for an
+aggressive movement into the enemy's country had been in progress for
+some time. Corinth, Bolivar, and Jackson were strongly fortified,
+so that a small force could defend them. The base of supply was at
+Columbus, Kentucky, eighty-five miles due north of Jackson, thus
+giving us a long line of railway to protect.
+
+On the first of November the movement began, by the advance of a
+column from Corinth and another from Bolivar. These columns met at
+Grand Junction, twenty-five miles north of Holly Springs, and, after
+lying there for two weeks, advanced to the occupation of the latter
+point. The Rebels evacuated the place on our approach, and after a day
+or two at Holly Springs we went forward toward the south. Abbeville
+and Oxford were taken, and the Rebels established themselves at
+Grenada, a hundred miles south of Memphis.
+
+From Corinth I accompanied the division commanded by General Stanley.
+I had known this officer in Missouri, in the first year of the war,
+when he claimed to be very "conservative" in his views. During the
+campaign with General Lyon he expressed himself opposed to a warfare
+that should produce a change in the social status at the South. When I
+met him at Corinth he was very "radical" in sentiment, and in favor of
+a thorough destruction of the "peculiar institution." He declared that
+he had liberated his own slaves, and was determined to set free all
+the slaves of any other person that might come in his way. He rejoiced
+that the war had not ended during the six months following the fall
+of Fort Sumter, as we should then have allowed slavery to exist,
+which would have rendered us liable to another rebellion whenever
+the Southern leaders chose to make it. We could only be taught by
+the logic of events, and it would take two or three years of war to
+educate the country to a proper understanding of our position.
+
+It required a war of greater magnitude than was generally expected at
+the outset. In 1861 there were few people who would have consented to
+interfere with "slavery in the States." The number of these persons
+was greater in 1862, but it was not until 1864 that the anti-slavery
+sentiment took firm hold of the public mind. In 1861 the voice of
+Missouri would have favored the retention of the old system. In 1864
+that State became almost as radical as Massachusetts. The change in
+public sentiment elsewhere was nearly as great.
+
+During the march from Corinth to Grand Junction, I had frequent
+opportunity for conversing with the people along the route. There were
+few able-bodied men at home. It was the invariable answer, when we
+asked the whereabouts of any citizen, "He's away." Inquiry would
+bring a reluctant confession that he had gone to the Rebel army.
+Occasionally a woman would boast that she had sent her husband to
+fight for his rights and the rights of his State. The violation of
+State rights and the infringement upon personal prerogative were
+charged upon the National Government as the causes of the war. Some
+of the women displayed considerable skill in arguing the question of
+secession, but their arguments were generally mingled with invective.
+The majority were unable to make any discussion whatever.
+
+"What's you-uns come down here to fight we-uns for?" said one of the
+women whose husband was in the Rebel army. "We-uns never did you-uns
+no hurt." (This addition of a syllable to the personal pronouns of the
+second and third persons is common in some parts of the South, while
+in others it will not be heard.)
+
+"Well," said General Stanley, "we came down here because we were
+obliged to come. Your people commenced a war, and we are trying to
+help you end it."
+
+"We-uns didn't want to fight, no-how. You-uns went and made the war so
+as to steal our niggers."
+
+The woman acknowledged that neither her husband nor herself ever
+owned negroes, or ever expected to do so. She knew nothing about Fort
+Sumter, and only knew that the North elected one President and
+the South another, on the same occasion. The South only wanted its
+president to rule its own region, but the North wanted to extend its
+control over the whole country, so as to steal the negroes. Hence
+arose the war.
+
+Some of the poorer whites manifested a loyal feeling, which sprang
+from a belief that the establishment of the Confederacy would
+not better their condition. This number was not large, but it has
+doubtless increased with the termination of the war. The wealthier
+portion of the people were invariably in sympathy with the Rebel
+cause.
+
+After we reached Grand Junction, and made our camp a short distance
+south of that point, we were joined by the column from Bolivar. In the
+two columns General Grant had more than forty thousand men, exclusive
+of a force under General Sherman, about to move from Memphis. The
+Rebel army was at Holly Springs and Abbeville, and was estimated at
+fifty thousand strong. Every day found a few deserters coming in
+from the Rebels, but their number was not large. The few that came
+represented their army to be well supplied with shoes, clothing, and
+ammunition, and also well fed. They were nearly recovered from the
+effects of their repulse at Corinth, a month before.
+
+Our soldiers foraged at will on the plantations near our camp. The
+quantities of supplies that were brought in did not argue that the
+country had been previously visited by an army. Mules, horses, cattle,
+hogs, sheep, chickens, and other things used by an army, were found in
+abundance.
+
+The soldiers did not always confine their foraging to articles of
+necessity. A clergyman's library was invaded and plundered. I saw one
+soldier bending under the (avoirdupois) weight of three heavy volumes
+on theology, printed in the German language. Another soldier, a mere
+boy, was carrying away in triumph a copy of Scott's Greek Lexicon. In
+every instance when it came to their knowledge, the officers compelled
+the soldiers to return the books they had stolen. German theology and
+Greek Lexicons were not thought advantageous to an army in the field.
+
+One wing of our army was encamped at Lagrange, Tennessee, and honored
+with the presence of General Grant. Lagrange presented a fair example
+of the effects of secession upon the interior villages of the South.
+Before the war it was the center of a flourishing business. Its
+private residences were constructed with considerable magnificence,
+and evinced the wealth of their owners. There was a male and a
+female college; there was a bank, and there were several stores and
+commission houses.
+
+When the war broke out, the young men at the male college enlisted in
+the Rebel army. The young women in the female college went to their
+homes. The bank was closed for want of funds, the hotels had no
+guests, the stores had few customers, and these had no money, the
+commission houses could find no cotton to sell and no goods to buy.
+Every thing was completely stagnated. All the men who could carry
+muskets went to the field. When we occupied the town, there were not
+three men remaining who were of the arms-bearing age.
+
+I found in Lagrange a man who _could_ keep a hotel. He was ignorant,
+lazy, and his establishment only resembled the Fifth Avenue or the
+Continental in the prices charged to the guests. I staid several days
+with this Boniface, and enjoyed the usual fare of the interior South.
+Calling for my bill at my departure, I found the charges were only
+three dollars and fifty cents per day.
+
+My horse had been kept in a vacant and dilapidated stable belonging to
+the hotel, but the landlord refused to take any responsibility for
+the animal. He had no corn or hay, and his hostler had "gone to the
+Yankees!" During my stay I employed a man to purchase corn and give
+the desired attention to the horse. The landlord made a charge of one
+dollar per day for "hoss-keeping," and was indignant when I entered a
+protest. Outside of Newport and Saratoga, I think there are very few
+hotel-keepers in the North who would make out and present a bill on so
+small a basis as this.
+
+This taverner's wife and daughter professed an utter contempt for all
+white persons who degraded themselves to any kind of toil. Of
+course, their hostility to the North was very great. Beyond a slight
+supervision, they left every thing to the care of the negroes. A
+gentleman who was with me sought to make himself acquainted with the
+family, and succeeded admirably until, on one evening, he constructed
+a small toy to amuse the children. This was too much. He was skillful
+with his hands, and must therefore be a "mudsill." His acquaintance
+with the ladies of that household came to an end. His manual dexterity
+was his ruin.
+
+There was another hotel in Lagrange, a rival establishment, that bore
+the reputation of being much the worse in point of comfort. It was
+owned by a widow, and this widow had a son--a lank, overgrown youth of
+eighteen. His poverty, on one point, was the greatest I ever knew.
+He could have been appropriately selected as the hero of a certain
+popular novel by Wilkie Collins. No name had ever been given him by
+his parents. In his infancy they spoke of him as "the boy." When he
+grew large enough to appear on the street with other boys, some one
+gave him the _sobriquet_ of "Rough and Ready." From that time forward,
+his only praenomen was "Rough." I made several inquiries among his
+neighbors, but could not ascertain that he bore any other Christian
+appellative.
+
+The first comprehensive order providing for the care of the negroes
+in the Southwest, was issued by General Grant while his army lay at
+Lagrange and Grand Junction. Previous to that time, the negroes had
+been disposed of as each division and post commander thought best,
+under his general instructions not to treat them unkindly. Four months
+earlier, our authorities at Memphis had enrolled several hundred
+able-bodied negroes into an organization for service in the
+Quartermaster's Department, in accordance with the provisions of
+an order from District Head-Quarters. They threw up fortifications,
+loaded and unloaded steamboats, and performed such other labor as was
+required. In General Grant's army there was a pioneer corps of three
+hundred negroes, under the immediate charge of an overseer, controlled
+by an officer of engineers. No steps were then taken to use them as
+soldiers.
+
+The number of negroes at our posts and in our camps was rapidly
+increasing. Under the previous orders, they were registered and
+employed only on Government work. None but the able-bodied males were
+thus available. The new arrangements contemplated the employment of
+all who were capable of performing any kind of field labor. It was
+expected to bring some revenue to the Government, that would partially
+cover the expense of providing for the negroes.
+
+The following is the order which General Grant issued:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS THIRTEENTH ARMY CORPS,
+DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE,
+LAGRANGE, TENNESSEE, _November_ 14, 1862.
+
+SPECIAL FIELD ORDER, NO. 4.
+
+I. Chaplain J. Eaton, Jr., of the Twenty-seventh Ohio Volunteers, is
+hereby appointed to take charge of all fugitive slaves that are
+now, or may from time to time come, within the military lines of
+the advancing army in this vicinity, not employed and registered in
+accordance with General Orders, No. 72, from head-quarters District of
+West Tennessee, and will open a camp for them at Grand Junction, where
+they will be suitably cared for, and organized into companies, and set
+to work, picking, ginning, and baling all cotton now outstanding in
+fields.
+
+II. Commanding officers of all troops will send all fugitives that
+come within the lines, together with such teams, cooking utensils, and
+other baggage as they may bring with them, to Chaplain J. Eaton, Jr.,
+at Grand Junction.
+
+III. One regiment of infantry from Brigadier-General McArthur's
+Division will be temporarily detailed as guard in charge of such
+contrabands, and the surgeon of said regiment will be charged with the
+care of the sick.
+
+IV. Commissaries of subsistence will issue, on the requisitions of
+Chaplain Eaton, omitting the coffee ration, and substituting rye. By
+order of Major-General U.S. Grant. JNO. A. RAWLINS, A.A.G.
+
+
+Chaplain Eaton entered immediately upon the discharge of his duties.
+Many division and brigade commanders threw obstacles in his way,
+and were very slow to comply with General Grant's order. Some of the
+officers of the Commissary Department made every possible delay in
+filling Chaplain Eaton's requisitions. The people of the vicinity
+laughed at the experiment, and prophesied speedy and complete failure.
+They endeavored to insure a failure by stealing the horses and mules,
+and disabling the machinery which Chaplain Eaton was using. Failing in
+this, they organized guerrilla parties, and attempted to frighten
+the negroes from working in the field. They only desisted from this
+enterprise when some of their number were killed.
+
+All the negroes that came into the army lines were gathered at Grand
+Junction and organized, in compliance with the order. There were many
+fields of cotton fully ripened, that required immediate attention.
+Cotton-picking commenced, and was extensively prosecuted.
+
+The experiment proved a success. The cotton, in the immediate vicinity
+of Grand Junction and Lagrange was gathered, baled, and made ready
+for market. For once, the labors of the negro in the Southwest were
+bringing an actual return to the Government.
+
+The following year saw the system enlarged, as our armies took
+possession of new districts. In 1863, large quantities of cotton were
+gathered from fields in the vicinity of Lake Providence and Milliken's
+Bend, and the cultivation of plantations was commenced. In 1864, this
+last enterprise was still further prosecuted. Chaplain Eaton became
+Colonel Eaton, and the humble beginning at Grand Junction grew into a
+great scheme for demonstrating the practicability of free labor, and
+benefiting the negroes who-had been left without support by reason of
+the flight of their owners.
+
+As the army lay in camp near Lagrange for nearly four weeks, and
+the enemy was twenty-five miles distant, there was very little war
+correspondence to be written. There was an occasional skirmish near
+the front, but no important movement whatever. The monotony of
+this kind of life, and the tables of the Lagrange hotels, were not
+calculated to awaken much enthusiasm. Learning from a staff officer
+the probable date when the army would advance, I essayed a visit to
+St. Louis, and returned in season to take part in the movement into
+Mississippi.
+
+At the time General Grant advanced from Lagrange, he ordered General
+Sherman to move from Memphis, so that the two columns would unite in
+the vicinity of Oxford, Mississippi. General Sherman pushed his column
+as rapidly as possible, and, by the combined movement, the Rebels were
+forced out of their defenses beyond Oxford, and compelled to select a
+new line in the direction of Grenada. Our flag was steadily advancing
+toward the Gulf.
+
+Satisfied there would be no battle until our army had passed Oxford,
+I tarried several days at Holly Springs, waiting for the railway to
+be opened. I found the town a very pleasant one, finely situated, and
+bearing evidence of the wealth and taste of its inhabitants. When
+the war broke out, there were only two places in the State that could
+boast a larger population than Holly Springs.
+
+At the time of my arrival, the hotels of Holly Springs were not open,
+and I was obliged to take a room at a private house with one of the
+inhabitants. My host was an earnest advocate of the Rebel cause, and
+had the fullest confidence in the ultimate independence of the South.
+
+"We intend," said he, "to establish a strong Government, in which
+there will be no danger of interference by any abolitionists. If you
+had allowed us to have our own way, there would never have been any
+trouble. We didn't want you to have slavery in the North, but we
+wanted to go into the Territories, where we had a perfect right, and
+do as we pleased about taking our slaves there. The control of the
+Government belongs to us. The most of the Presidents have been
+from the South, as they ought to be. It was only when you elected
+a sectional President, who was sworn to break up slavery, that we
+objected. You began the war when you refused us the privilege of
+having a national President."
+
+This gentleman argued, further, that the half of all public property
+belonged to the South, and it was only just that the State authorities
+should take possession of forts and arsenals, as they did at the
+inception of the war. It was the especial right of the South to
+control the nation. Slavery was instituted from Heaven, for the
+especial good of both white and black. Whoever displayed any sympathy
+for the negro, and wished to make him free, was doing a great
+injustice to the slave and his master, particularly to the latter.
+
+Once he said the destruction of slavery would be unworthy a people who
+possessed any gallantry. "You will," he declared, "do a cruel wrong
+to many fine ladies. They know nothing about working with their hands,
+and consider such knowledge disgraceful. If their slaves are taken
+from them, these ladies will be helpless."
+
+This gentleman was the possessor of several negroes, though he lived
+in a house that he did not own. Of course, it was a great injustice to
+deprive him of his only property, especially as the laws of his State
+sanctioned such ownership. He declared he would not submit to any
+theft of that character. I do not think I ever saw a person manifest
+more passion than was exhibited by this individual on hearings one
+afternoon, that one of his slaves had taken refuge in our camp, with
+the avowed intention of going North.
+
+"I don't care for the loss," said he, "but what I do care for is, to
+be robbed by a nigger. I can endure an injury from a white man; to
+have a nigger defy me is too much."
+
+Unfortunate and unhappy man! I presume he is not entirely satisfied
+with the present status of the "Peculiar Institution."
+
+The cotton speculators at Holly Springs were guilty of some sharp
+transactions. One day a gentleman residing in the vicinity came to
+town in order to effect a sale of fifty bales. The cotton was in a
+warehouse a half-dozen miles away.
+
+Remaining over night in Holly Springs, and walking to the railway
+station in the morning, he found his cotton piled by the track and
+ready for shipment. Two men were engaged effacing the marks upon
+the bales. By some means they had obtained a sufficient number of
+Government wagons to remove the entire lot during the night. It was a
+case of downright theft. The offenders were banished beyond the lines
+of the army.
+
+In a public office at Holly Springs our soldiers found a great number
+of bills on the Northern Bank of Mississippi. They were in sheets,
+just as they had come from the press. None of them bore dates or
+signatures.
+
+The soldiers supplied all needed chirography, and the bills obtained
+a wide circulation. Chickens, pigs, and other small articles were
+purchased of the whites and negroes, and paid for with the most
+astonishing liberality.
+
+Counterfeits of the Rebel currency were freely distributed, and could
+only be distinguished from the genuine by their superior execution.
+
+Among the women in Holly Springs and its vicinity snuff was in great
+demand. The article is used by them in much the same way that men chew
+tobacco. The practice is known as "dipping," and is disgusting in the
+extreme. A stick the size of a common pencil is chewed or beaten at
+one end until the fibers are separated. In this condition it forms a
+brush.
+
+This brush is moistened with saliva, and plunged into the snuff. The
+fine powder which adheres is then rubbed on the gums and among the
+teeth. A species of partial intoxication is the result.
+
+The effect of continued "dipping" becomes apparent. The gums are
+inflamed, the teeth are discolored, the lips are shriveled, and the
+complexion is sallow. The throat is dry and irritated, and there is a
+constant desire to expectorate.
+
+I trust the habit will never become a Northern one.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+GRANT'S OCCUPATION OF MISSISSIPPI.
+
+The Slavery Question.--A Generous Offer.--A Journalist's
+Modesty.--Hopes of the Mississippians at the Beginning of the
+War.--Visiting an Editress.--Literature under Difficulties.--Jacob
+Thompson and his Correspondence.--Plans for the Capture of
+Vicksburg.--Movements of General Sherman.--The Raid upon Holly
+Springs.--Forewarned, but not Forearmed.--A Gallant Fight.
+
+
+The people of Holly Springs were much excited over the slavery
+question. It was then early in December. The President's proclamation
+was to have its effect on all States, or portions of States, not
+represented in Congress on the first of January following. The
+slaveholders desired to have the northern district of Mississippi
+represented in Congress before the first of January.
+
+Three or four days after my arrival at Holly Springs I was with a
+small party of citizens to whom I had received introduction. The
+great question was being discussed. All were agreed that Northern
+Mississippi should be represented in Congress at whatever cost.
+
+"Grant has now been in Mississippi nearly two weeks," said the
+principal speaker; "we are clearly entitled to representation."
+
+"Certainly we are," responded another; "but who will represent us?"
+
+"Hold an election to-morrow, and choose our man."
+
+"Who will we send? None of us would be received. There isn't a man in
+the district who could swear he has taken no part in the Rebellion."
+
+"I have it," said the individual who first proposed an election.
+Turning to me, he made a somewhat novel proposition:
+
+"You can represent us in Congress. We've all been so d----d disloyal
+that we can't go; but that is no reason why we should not send a loyal
+men. Say yes, and we'll meet to-morrow, a dozen of us, and elect you."
+
+Here was an opportunity for glory. Only four days in a State from
+which I could go to Congress! I was offered all necessary credentials
+to insure my reception. My loyalty could be clearly and easily
+proved. My only duties would be to assist in fastening slavery upon
+my congressional district. Much as I felt honored at the offer of
+distinction, I was obliged to decline it. A similar proposition was
+made to another journalist. He, like myself, was governed by modesty,
+and begged to be excused from serving.
+
+The desire of this people to be represented in Congress, was a partial
+proof that they expected the national authority restored throughout
+the country. They professed to believe that our occupation would be
+temporary, but their actions did not agree with their words.
+
+They were greatly mortified at the inability of their army to oppose
+our advance, and frequently abused the Rebel Government without stint.
+They had anticipated an easy victory from the outset, and were greatly
+disappointed at the result, up to that time.
+
+"Just see how it is," said a Mississippian one day; "we expected to
+whip you without the slightest trouble. We threw the war into the
+Border States to keep it off our soil. Mississippi was very earnest
+for the Rebellion when Kentucky was the battle-ground. We no more
+expected you would come here, than that we should get to the moon.
+It is the fortune of war that you have driven us back, but it is very
+severe upon the cotton States."
+
+I ventured to ask about the possibilities of repudiation of the Rebel
+debt, in case the Confederacy was fairly established.
+
+"Of course we shall repudiate," was the response. "It would be far
+better for the Confederacy to do so than to attempt to pay the debt,
+or even its interest. Suppose we have a debt of a thousand millions,
+at eight per cent. This debt is due to our own people, and they have
+to pay the interest upon it. In twelve years and a half they would
+have paid another thousand millions, and still be as deeply in debt as
+ever. Now, if they repudiate the whole, the country will be a thousand
+millions richer at the end of twelve years and a half, than it
+otherwise would."
+
+In Mississippi, as well as in other Southern States, I frequently
+heard this argument. It is not surprising that the confidence of the
+people in their currency was shaken at a very early period.
+
+In its days of prosperity, Holly Springs boasted of two rival papers,
+each of them published weekly. One of these died just as the war broke
+out. The proprietor of the other, who was at the same time its editor,
+went, with his two sons, into the Rebel army, leaving the paper in
+charge of his wife. The lady wielded the pen for nearly a year, but
+the scarcity of printing-paper compelled her to close her office, a
+few months before our arrival.
+
+One afternoon, I accompanied Mr. Colburn, of _The World_, on a visit
+to the ex-editress. The lady received our cards and greeted us very
+cordially. She spoke, with evident pride, of her struggles to sustain
+her paper in war-time and under war prices, and hoped she could soon
+resume its publication. She referred to the absence of her husband
+and sons in the Rebel service, and was gratified that they had always
+borne a good record. She believed in the South and in the justness of
+its cause, but was prompt to declare that all the wrong was not on one
+side. She neither gave the South extravagant praise, nor visited the
+North with denunciation.
+
+She regretted the existence of the war, and charged its beginning upon
+the extremists of both sides. Slavery was clearly its cause, and
+she should look for its complete destruction in the event of the
+restoration of national authority. Through justice to itself, the
+North could demand nothing less, and the South must be willing to
+abide by the fortune of war.
+
+This woman respected and admired the North, because it was a region
+where labor was not degrading.
+
+She had always opposed the Southern sentiment concerning labor, and
+educated her children after her own belief. While other boys were
+idling in the streets, she had taught her sons all the mysteries of
+the printing-office, and made them able to care for themselves. She
+was confident they would vindicate the correctness of her theory, by
+winning good positions in life. She believed slavery had assisted the
+development of the South, but was equally positive that its effect
+upon the white race was ruinous in the extreme.
+
+She had no word of abuse for the Union, but spoke of it in terms of
+praise. At the same time she expressed an earnest hope for the
+success of the Rebellion. She saw the evil of slavery, but wished the
+Confederacy established. How she could reconcile all her views I was
+unable to ascertain. I do not believe she will take seriously to heart
+the defeat of the scheme to found a slaveholders' government. In the
+suppression of the Rebellion she will doubtless discover a brilliant
+future for "the land of the cypress and myrtle," and bless the day
+that witnessed the destruction of slavery.
+
+At Oxford, our forces found the residence of the ex-Hon. Jacob
+Thompson, who has since figured prominently as the Rebel agent in
+Canada. In his office a letter-book and much correspondence were
+secured--the letters showing that the design of a rebellion dated
+much further back than the first election of Mr. Lincoln. Some of this
+correspondence was given to the public at the time, and proved quite
+interesting. The balance was sent to the War Department, where it was
+expected to be of service. The books in Mr. Thompson's library found
+their way to various parts of the Union, and became scattered where it
+will be difficult for their owner to gather them, should he desire to
+restore his collection. If "misery loves company," it was doubtless
+gratifying to Mr. Thompson to know of the capture of the library and
+correspondence of Jefferson Davis, several months later.
+
+Our advance into Mississippi was being successfully pushed, early in
+December, 1862. There was a prospect that it would not accomplish
+the desired object, the capture of Vicksburg, without some
+counter-movement. A force was sent from Helena, Arkansas, to cut the
+railway in rear of the Rebel army. Though accomplishing its immediate
+object, it did not make a material change in the military situation.
+The Rebels continued to hold Grenada, which they had strongly
+fortified. They could only be forced from this position by a movement
+that should render Grenada of no practical value.
+
+General Grant detached the right wing of his army, with orders to make
+a rapid march to Memphis, and thence to descend the Mississippi by
+steamboats to Vicksburg. This expedition was commanded by General
+Sherman. While the movement was in progress, General Grant was to
+push forward, on the line he had been following, and attempt to join
+General Sherman at the nearest practicable point on the Yazoo River
+above Vicksburg. The fall of Vicksburg was thus thought to be assured,
+especially as General Sherman's attack was to be made upon the
+defenses in its rear.
+
+General Sherman moved, to Memphis with due celerity. The garrison of
+that city was reduced as much as possible to re-enforce his column.
+The Army of Arkansas, then at Helena, was temporarily added to his
+command. This gave a force exceeding twenty-eight thousand strong
+to move upon Vicksburg. It was considered sufficiently large to
+accomplish the desired object--the garrison of Vicksburg having been
+weakened to strengthen the army in General Grant's front.
+
+I was in Holly Springs when General Sherman began to move toward
+Memphis. Thinking there would be active work at Vicksburg, I prepared
+to go to Columbus by rail, and take a steamboat thence to Memphis. By
+this route it was nearly four hundred miles; but it was safer and
+more expeditious to travel in that way than to attempt the "overland"
+journey of fifty miles in a direct line.
+
+There were rumors that the Rebels contemplated a raid upon Holly
+Springs, for the purpose of cutting General Grant's communications and
+destroying the supplies known to be accumulated there. From the most
+vague and obscurely-worded hints, given by a Secessionist, I inferred
+that such a movement was expected. The Rebels were arranging a cavalry
+force to strike a blow somewhere upon our line of railway, and
+there was no point more attractive than Holly Springs. I attached no
+importance to the story, as I had invariably known the friends of the
+Rebels to predict wonderful movements that never occurred.
+
+Meeting the post-commandant shortly afterward, I told him what I had
+heard. He assured me there was nothing to fear, and that every thing
+was arranged to insure a successful defense. On this point I did not
+agree with him. I knew very well that the garrison was not properly
+distributed to oppose a dash of the enemy. There were but few men
+on picket, and no precautions had been taken against surprise. Our
+accumulation of stores was sufficiently large to be worth a strong
+effort to destroy them. As I was about ready to leave, I concluded to
+take the first train to Columbus.
+
+Less than forty-eight hours after my departure, General Van Dorn, at
+the head of five thousand men, entered Holly Springs with very slight
+opposition. He found every thing nearly as he could have arranged it
+had he planned the defense himself. The commandant, Colonel Murphy,
+was afterward dismissed the service for his negligence in preparing to
+defend the place after being notified by General Grant that the enemy
+was moving to attack him.
+
+The accumulation of supplies at the railway depot, and all the railway
+buildings, with their surroundings, were burned. Two trains of cars
+were standing ready to move, and these shared a similar fate. In the
+center of the town, a building we were using as a magazine was blown
+up. The most of the business portion of Holly Springs was destroyed by
+fire, communicated from this magazine.
+
+During the first year of the war, Holly Springs was selected as the
+site of a "Confederate States Arsenal," and a series of extensive
+buildings erected at great expense.
+
+We had converted these buildings into hospitals, and were fitting
+them up with suitable accommodations for a large number of sick and
+wounded.
+
+After ordering our surgeons to remove their patients, the Rebels set
+fire to the hospitals while the yellow flag was floating over them.
+General Grant subsequently denounced this act as contrary to the
+usages of war.
+
+The Rebels remained in Holly Springs until five o'clock in the
+afternoon of the day of their arrival. At their departure they moved
+in a northerly direction, evidently designing to visit Grand Junction.
+At Davis's Mill, about half-way between Holly Springs and Grand
+Junction, they found a small stockade, garrisoned by two companies
+of infantry, protecting the railway bridge. They sent forward a
+flag-of-truce, and demanded the instant surrender of the stockade.
+
+Their demand was not complied with. That garrison, of less than two
+hundred men, fought Van Dorn's entire command four hours, repulsed
+three successive charges, and finally compelled the Rebels to retreat.
+Van Dorn's northward movement was checked, and our stores at Grand
+Junction and Lagrange were saved, by the gallantry of this little
+force. General Grant subsequently gave special compliment to the
+bravery of these soldiers and their officers, in an order which was
+read to every regiment in the Army of the Tennessee.
+
+Our plans were completely deranged by this movement of the enemy. The
+supplies and ammunition we had relied upon were destroyed, and
+our communications severed. It was impossible to push further into
+Mississippi, and preparations were made for immediate retreat.
+The railway was repaired and the heavy baggage sent to the rear as
+speedily as possible. When this was accomplished the army began to
+fall back. Oxford, Abbeville, and Holly Springs were abandoned, and
+returned to the protection of the Rebel flag. Northern Mississippi
+again became the field for guerrilla warfare, and a source of supply
+to the Rebels in the field. The campaign for the capture of Vicksburg
+took a new shape from the day our lines were severed.
+
+A few days before the surrender of Vicksburg, General Grant,
+in conversation with some friends, referred to his position in
+Mississippi, six months before. Had he pressed forward beyond Grenada,
+he would have been caught in midwinter in a sea of mud, where the
+safety of his army might have been endangered. Van Dorn's raid
+compelled him to retreat, saved him from a possible heavier reverse,
+and prepared the way for the campaign in which Vicksburg finally
+capitulated. A present disaster, it proved the beginning of ultimate
+success.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE BATTLE OF CHICKASAW BAYOU.
+
+Leaving Memphis.--Down the Great River.--Landing in the Yazoo.--
+Description of the Ground..--A Night in Bivouac.--Plan of Attack.--
+Moving toward the Hills.--Assaulting the Bluff.--Our Repulse.--New
+Plans.--Withdrawal from the Yazoo.
+
+
+On arriving at Memphis, I found General Sherman's expedition was ready
+to move toward Vicksburg. A few of the soldiers who escaped from the
+raid on Holly Springs had reached Memphis with intelligence of that
+disaster. The news caused much excitement, as the strength of the
+Rebels was greatly exaggerated. A few of these soldiers thought Van
+Dorn's entire division of fifteen or twenty thousand men had
+been mounted and was present at the raid. There were rumors of a
+contemplated attack upon Memphis, after General Sherman's departure.
+
+Unmilitary men thought the event might delay the movement upon
+Vicksburg, but it did not have that effect. General Sherman said he
+had no official knowledge that Holly Springs had been captured, and
+could do no less than carry out his orders. The expedition sailed, its
+various divisions making a rendezvous at Friar's Point, twelve miles
+below Helena, on the night of the 22d of December. From this place
+to the mouth of the Yazoo, we moved leisurely down the Mississippi,
+halting a day near Milliken's Bend, almost in sight of Vicksburg. We
+passed a portion of Christmas-Day near the mouth of the Yazoo.
+
+On the morning of the 26th of December, the fleet of sixty transports,
+convoyed by several gun-boats, commenced the ascent of the Yazoo. This
+stream debouches into the Mississippi, fifteen miles above Vicksburg,
+by the course of the current, though the distance in an airline is not
+more than six miles. Ten or twelve miles above its mouth, the Yazoo
+sweeps the base of the range of hills on which Vicksburg stands, at a
+point nearly behind the city. It was therefore considered a feasible
+route to the rear of Vicksburg.
+
+In a letter which I wrote on that occasion, I gave the following
+description of the country adjoining the river, and the incidents of
+a night bivouac before the battle:--"The bottom-land of the Yazoo
+is covered with a heavy growth of tall cypress-trees, whose limbs
+are everywhere interlaced. In many places the forest has a dense
+undergrowth, and in others it is quite clear, and affords easy passage
+to mounted men. These huge trees are heavily draped in the 'hanging
+moss,' so common in the Southern States, which gives them a most
+gloomy appearance. The moss, everywhere pendent from the limbs of the
+trees, covers them like a shroud, and in some localities shuts out
+the sunlight. In these forests there are numerous bayous that form a
+net-work converting the land into a series of islands. When separated
+from your companions, you can easily imagine yourself in a wilderness.
+In the wild woods of the Oregon there is no greater solitude."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"On the afternoon of the 27th, I started from the transports, and
+accompanied our left wing, which was advancing on the east side of
+Chickasaw Bayou. The road lay along the crest of the levee which had
+been thrown up on the bank of the bayou, to protect the fields on
+that side against inundation. This road was only wide enough for the
+passage of a single wagon. Our progress was very slow, on account of
+the necessity for removing heavy logs across the levee. When night
+overtook us, we made our bivouac in the forest, about three miles from
+the river.
+
+"I had taken with me but a single blanket, and a haversack containing
+my note-book and a few crackers. That night in bivouac acquainted me
+with some of the discomforts of war-making on the Yazoo. The ground
+was moist from recent rains, so that dry places were difficult to
+find. A fellow-journalist proposed that we unite our blankets, and
+form a double bed for mutual advantage. To this I assented. When
+my friend came forward, to rest in our combined couch, I found his
+'blanket' was purely imaginary, having been left on the steamer at
+his departure. For a while we 'doubled,' but I was soon deserted, on
+account of the barrenness of my accommodations.
+
+"No fires were allowed, as they might reveal our position to the
+watchful enemy. The night was cold. Ice formed at the edge of the
+bayou, and there was a thick frost on the little patches of open
+ground. A negro who had lived in that region said the swamp usually
+abounded in moccasins, copperheads, and cane-snakes, in large numbers.
+An occasional rustling of the leaves at my side led me to imagine
+these snakes were endeavoring to make my acquaintance.
+
+"Laying aside my snake fancies, it was too cold to sleep. As fast as
+I would fall into a doze, the chill of the atmosphere would steal
+through my blanket, and remind me of my location. Half-sleeping and
+half-waking, I dreamed of every thing disagreeable. I had visions
+of Greenland's icy mountains, of rambles in Siberia, of my long-past
+midwinter nights in the snow-drifted gorges of Colorado, of shipwreck,
+and of burning dwellings, and of all moving accidents by flood and
+field! These dreams followed each other with a rapidity that far
+outstripped the workings of the electric telegraph.
+
+"Cold and dampness and snakes and fitful dreams were not the only
+bodily discomforts. A dozen horses were loose in camp, and trotting
+gayly about. Several times they passed at a careless pace within a
+yard of my head. Once the foremost of the _caballada_ jumped
+directly over me, and was followed by the rest. My comments on these
+eccentricities of that noble animal, the horse, provoked the derision
+rather than the sympathy of those who heard them.
+
+"A teamster, who mistook me for a log, led his mules over me. A negro,
+under the same delusion, attempted to convert me into a chair, and
+another wanted to break me up for fuel, to be used in making a
+fire after daylight. Each of these little blunders evoked a gentle
+remonstrance, that effectually prevented a repetition by the same
+individual.
+
+"A little past daylight a shell from the Rebel batteries exploded
+within twenty yards of my position, and warned me that it was time to
+rise. To make my toilet, I pulled the sticks and leaves from my
+hair and beard, and brushed my overcoat with a handful of moss. I
+breakfasted on a cracker and a spoonful of whisky. I gave my horse a
+handful of corn and a large quantity of leaves. The former he ate, but
+the latter he refused to touch. The column began to move, and I was
+ready to attend upon its fortunes."
+
+General Sherman's plan was to effect a landing on the Yazoo, and,
+by taking possession of the bluffs, sever the communication between
+Vicksburg and the interior. It was thought the garrison of Vicksburg
+had been greatly weakened to re-enforce the army in General Grant's
+front, so that our success would be certain when we once gained the
+bluffs.
+
+A portion of our forces effected a landing on the 26th, but the whole
+command was not on shore till the 27th. Fighting commenced on the
+27th, and became more earnest on the 28th, as we crowded toward the
+bluffs.
+
+In moving from the steamboat landing to the base of the bluffs on the
+28th, our army encountered the enemy at several points, but forced him
+back without serious loss on either side. It appeared to be the Rebel
+design not to make any resistance of magnitude until we had crossed
+the lower ground and were near the base of the line of hills
+protecting Vicksburg.
+
+Not far from the foot of the bluffs there was a bayou, which formed an
+excellent front for the first line of the Rebel defenses. On our right
+we attempted to cross this bayou with a portion of Morgan L. Smith's
+Division, but the Rebel fire was so severe that we were repulsed. On
+our extreme right a similar attempt obtained the same result.
+
+On our left the bayou was crossed by General Morgan's and General
+Steele's Divisions at two or three points, and our forces gained a
+position close up to the edge of the bluff.
+
+At eleven A. M. on the 29th, an assault was made by three brigades
+of infantry upon the works of the enemy on this portion of the line.
+General Blair and General Thayer from Steele's Division, pushed
+forward through an abatis which skirted the edge of the bayou, and
+captured the first line of Rebel rifle-pits. From this line the
+brigades pressed two hundred yards farther up the hillside, and
+temporarily occupied a portion of the second line. Fifty yards beyond
+was a small clump of trees, which was gained by one regiment, the
+Thirteenth Illinois, of General Blair's Brigade.
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL BLAIR'S BRIGADE ASSAULTING THE HILL AT
+CHICKASAW, BAYOU.]
+
+The Rebels massed heavily against these two brigades. Our assaulting
+force had not been followed by a supporting column, and was unable to
+hold the works it captured. It fell back to the bayou and re-formed
+its line. One of General Morgan's brigades occupied a portion of the
+rifle-pits at the time the hill was assaulted by the brigades from
+General Steele's Division.
+
+During the afternoon of the 29th, preparations were made for another
+assault, but the plan was not carried out. It was found the Rebels had
+been re-enforced at that point, so that we had great odds against us.
+The two contending armies rested within view of each other, throwing a
+few shells each hour, to give notice of their presence.
+
+After the assault, the ground between the contending lines was covered
+with dead and wounded men of our army. A flag-of-truce was sent out
+on the afternoon of the 29th, to arrange for burying the dead and
+bringing away the wounded, but the Rebels would not receive it.
+Sunrise on the 30th, noon, sunset, and sunrise again, and they lay
+there still. On the 31st, a truce of five hours was arranged, and the
+work of humanity accomplished. A heavy rain had fallen, rendering the
+ground unfit for the rapid moving of infantry and artillery, in front
+of the Rebel position.
+
+On the evening of the 31st, orders were issued for a new plan of
+attack at another part of the enemy's lines. A division was to be
+embarked on the transports, and landed as near as possible to the
+Rebel fortifications on Haines's Bluff, several miles up the Yazoo.
+The gun-boats were to take the advance, engage the attention of the
+forts, and cover the landing. Admiral Porter ordered Colonel Ellet
+to go in advance, with a boat of his ram fleet, to remove the
+obstructions the Rebels had placed in the river, under the guns of the
+fort. A raft was attached to the bow of the ram, and on the end of the
+raft was a torpedo containing a half ton of powder.
+
+Admiral Porter contended that the explosion of the torpedo would
+remove the obstructions, so that the fleet could proceed. Colonel
+Ellet expressed his readiness to obey orders, but gave his opinion
+that the explosion, while effecting its object, would destroy his boat
+and all on board. Some officers and civilians, who knew the admiral's
+antipathy to Colonel Ellet, suggested that the former was of the same
+opinion, and therefore desirous that the experiment should be made.
+
+Every thing was in readiness on the morning of the 1st of January, but
+a dense fog prevented the execution of our new plan. On the following
+day we withdrew from the Yazoo, and ended the second attack upon
+Vicksburg. Our loss was not far from two thousand men, in all
+casualties.
+
+General Sherman claimed to have carried out with exactness, the
+instructions from his superior officers respecting the time and manner
+of the attack. Van Dorn's raid upon General Grant's lines, previous to
+Sherman's departure from Memphis, had radically changed the military
+situation. Grant's advance being stopped, his co-operation by way
+of Yazoo City could not be given. At the same time, the Rebels were
+enabled to strengthen their forces at Vicksburg. The assault was a
+part of the great plan for the conquest of the Mississippi, and was
+made in obedience to positive orders. Before the orders were carried
+out, a single circumstance had deranged the whole plan. After the
+fighting was ended and the army had re-embarked, preparatory to
+leaving the Yazoo, General Sherman was relieved from command by
+General McClernand. The latter officer carried out the order for
+withdrawal. The fleet steamed up the Mississippi to Milliken's Bend,
+where it remained for a day or two. General McClernand directed that
+an expedition be made against Arkansas Post, a Rebel fortification on
+the Arkansas River, fifty miles above its mouth.
+
+After the first attack upon Vicksburg, in June, 1862, the Rebels
+strengthened the approaches in the rear of the city. They threw up
+defensive works on the line of bluffs facing the Yazoo, and erected a
+strong fortification to prevent our boats ascending that stream. Just
+before General Sherman commenced his assault, the gun-boat _Benton_,
+aided by another iron-clad, attempted to silence the batteries at
+Haines's Bluff, but was unsuccessful. Her sides were perforated by
+the Rebel projectiles, and she withdrew from the attack in a disabled
+condition. Captain Gwin, her commander, was mortally wounded early in
+the fight.
+
+Captain Gwin was married but a few weeks before this occurrence. His
+young wife was on her way from the East to visit him, and was met at
+Cairo with the news of his death.
+
+About two months before the time of our attack, an expedition
+descended the Mississippi from Helena, and suddenly appeared near the
+mouth of the Yazoo. It reached Milliken's Bend at night, surprising
+and capturing the steamer _Fairplay_, which was loaded with arms and
+ammunition for the Rebels in Arkansas. So quietly was the capture
+made, that the officers of the _Fairplay_ were not aware of the change
+in their situation until awakened by their captors.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+BEFORE VICKSBURG.
+
+Capture of Arkansas Post.--The Army returns to Milliken's
+Bend.--General Sherman and the Journalists.--Arrest of the
+Author.--His Trial before a Military Court.--Letter from President
+Lincoln.--Capture of Three Journalists.
+
+
+The army moved against Arkansas Post, which was captured, with its
+entire garrison of five thousand men. The fort was dismantled and the
+earth-works leveled to the ground. After this was accomplished, the
+army returned to Milliken's Bend. General Grant arrived a few days
+later, and commenced the operations which culminated in the fall of
+Vicksburg.
+
+Before leaving Memphis on the Yazoo expedition, General Sherman issued
+an order excluding all civilians, except such as were connected with
+the transports, and threatening to treat as a spy any person who
+should write accounts for publication which might give information
+to the enemy. No journalists were to be allowed to take part in the
+affair. One who applied for permission to go in his professional
+capacity received a very positive refusal. General Sherman had a
+strong antipathy to journalists, amounting almost to a mania, and he
+was determined to discourage their presence in his movements against
+Vicksburg.
+
+Five or six correspondents accompanied the expedition, some of them
+on passes from General Grant, which were believed superior to General
+Sherman's order, and others with passes or invitations from officers
+in the expedition. I carried a pass from General Grant, and had a
+personal invitation from an officer who held a prominent command in
+the Army of Arkansas. I had passed Memphis, almost without stopping,
+and was not aware of the existence of the prohibitory order until I
+reached the Yazoo.
+
+I wrote for _The Herald_ an account of the battle, which I directed to
+a friend at Cairo, and placed in the mail on board the head-quarters'
+boat. The day after mailing my letter, I learned it was being read at
+General Sherman's head-quarters. The General afterward told me that
+his mail-agent, Colonel Markland, took my letter, among others, from
+the mail, with his full assent, though without his order.
+
+I proceeded to rewrite my account, determined not to trust again to
+the head-quarters' mail. When I was about ready to depart, I received
+the letter which had been stolen, bearing evident marks of repeated
+perusal. Two maps which it originally contained were not returned. I
+proceeded to Cairo as the bearer of my own dispatches.
+
+On my return to Milliken's Bend, two weeks later, I experienced a new
+sensation. After two interviews with the indignant general, I received
+a tender of hospitalities from the provost-marshal of the Army of the
+Tennessee. The tender was made in such form as left no opportunity
+for declining it. A few days after my arrest, I was honored by a
+trial before a military court, consisting of a brigadier-general,
+four colonels, and two majors. General Sherman had made the following
+charges against me:--
+
+First.--"_Giving information to the enemy._"
+
+Second.--"_Being a spy._"
+
+Third.--"_Disobedience of orders._"
+
+The first and second charges were based on my published letter.
+The third declared that I accompanied the expedition without proper
+authority, and published a letter without official sanction. These
+were my alleged offenses.
+
+My court had a protracted session. It decided there was nothing in
+my letter which violated the provisions of the order regulating war
+correspondence for the Press. It declared me innocent of the first
+and second charges. It could see nothing criminal in the manner of my
+accompanying the expedition.
+
+But I was guilty of something. There was a "General Order, Number 67,"
+issued in 1861, of whose existence neither myself nor, as far as I
+could ascertain, any other journalist, was aware. It provided that no
+person should write, print, or cause to be printed "any information
+respecting military movements, without the authority and sanction of
+the general in command."
+
+Here was the rock on which I split. I had written a letter respecting
+military movements, and caused it to be printed, "without the sanction
+of the general in command." Correspondents everywhere had done the
+same thing, and continued to do it till the end of the war. "Order
+Number 67" was as obsolete as the laws of the Medes and Persians, save
+on that single occasion. Dispatches by telegraph passed under the eye
+of a Government censor, but I never heard of an instance wherein a
+letter transmitted by mail received any official sanction.
+
+My court was composed of officers from General Sherman's command,
+and was carefully watched by that distinguished military chieftain,
+throughout its whole sitting. It wavered in deciding upon the proper
+"punishment" for my offense. Should it banish me from that spot, or
+should I receive an official censure? It concluded to send me outside
+the limits of the Army of the Tennessee.
+
+During the days I passed in the care of the provost-marshal, I perused
+all the novels that the region afforded. When these were ended, I
+studied a copy of a well-known work on theology, and turned, for light
+reading, to the "Pirate's Own Book." A sympathizing friend sent me a
+bundle of tracts and a copy of the "Adventures of John A. Murrell."
+A volume of lectures upon temperance and a dozen bottles of Allsop's
+pale ale, were among the most welcome contributions that I received.
+The ale disappeared before the lectures had been thoroughly digested.
+
+The chambermaid of the steamboat displayed the greatest sympathy in my
+behalf. She declined to receive payment of a washing-bill, and burst
+into tears when I assured her the money was of no use to me.
+
+Her fears for my welfare were caused by a frightful story that had
+been told her by a cabin-boy. He maliciously represented that I was
+to be executed for attempting to purchase cotton from a Rebel
+quartermaster. The verdant woman believed the story for several days.
+
+It may interest some readers to know that the proceedings of a
+court-martial are made in writing. The judge-advocate (who holds the
+same position as the prosecuting attorney in a civil case) writes his
+questions, and then reads them aloud. The answers, as they are given,
+are reduced to writing. The questions or objections of the prisoner's
+counsel must be made in writing and given to the judge-advocate, to be
+read to the court. In trials where a large number of witnesses must be
+examined, it is now the custom to make use of "short-hand" writers. In
+this way the length of a trial is greatly reduced.
+
+The members of a court-martial sit in full uniform, including sash and
+sword, and preserve a most severe and becoming dignity. Whenever the
+court wishes to deliberate upon any point of law or evidence, the
+room is cleared, neither the prisoner nor his counsel being allowed to
+remain. It frequently occurs that the court is thus closed during the
+greater part of its sessions. With the necessity for recording all
+its proceedings, and frequent stoppages for deliberation, a trial by a
+military court is ordinarily very slow.
+
+In obedience to the order of the court, I left the vicinity of the
+Army of the Tennessee, and proceeded North.
+
+In departing from Young's Point, I could not obey a certain Scriptural
+injunction, as the mud of Louisiana adheres like glue, and defies all
+efforts to shake it off. Mr. Albert D. Richardson, of The Tribune,
+on behalf of many of my professional friends, called the attention
+of President Lincoln to the little affair between General Sherman and
+myself.
+
+In his recently published book of experiences during the war, Mr.
+Richardson has given a full and graphic account of his interview with
+the President. Mr. Lincoln unbent himself from his official cares,
+told two of his best stories, conversed for an hour or more upon
+the military situation, gave his reasons for the removal of General
+McClellan, and expressed his hope in our ultimate success. Declaring
+it his inflexible determination not to interfere with the conduct of
+any military department, he wrote the following document:--
+
+EXECUTIVE MANSION,
+WASHINGTON, _March_ 20, 1863.
+
+WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
+
+Whereas it appears to my satisfaction that Thomas W. Knox, a
+correspondent of _The New York Herald_, has been, by the sentence of a
+court-martial, excluded from the Military Department under command of
+Major-General Grant, and also that General Thayer, president of
+the court-martial, which rendered the sentence, and Major-General
+McClernand, in command of a corps of that department, and many other
+respectable persons, are of opinion that Mr. Knox's offense was
+technical, rather than willfully wrong, and that the sentence should
+be revoked: Now, therefore, said sentence is hereby so far revoked
+as to allow Mr. Knox to return to General Grant's head-quarters, to
+remain if General Grant shall give his express assent; and to again
+leave the department, if General Grant shall refuse such assent.
+
+A. LINCOLN
+
+
+With this letter I returned to the army. General Grant referred the
+question to General Sherman. In consideration of our quarrel, and
+knowing the unamiable character of the latter officer, I should have
+been greatly surprised had he given any thing else than a refusal. I
+had fully expected to return immediately when I left St. Louis, but,
+like most persons in a controversy, wished to carry my point.
+
+General Sherman long since retrieved his failure at Chickasaw Bayou.
+Throughout the war he was honored with the confidence and friendship
+of General Grant. The career of these officers was not marked by the
+jealousies that are too frequent in military life. The hero of the
+campaign from Chattanooga to Raleigh is destined to be known in
+history. In those successful marches, and in the victories won by his
+tireless and never vanquished army, he has gained a reputation that
+may well be enduring.
+
+Soon after my return from Young's Point, General Grant crossed the
+Mississippi at Grand Gulf, and made his daring and successful movement
+to attain the rear of Vicksburg. Starting with a force less than
+the one his opponent could bring against him, he cut loose from his
+communications and succeeded in severing the enemy's line of supplies.
+From Grand Gulf to Jackson, and from Jackson to the rear of Vicksburg,
+was a series of brilliant marches and brilliant victories. Once seated
+where he had his antagonist's army inclosed, General Grant opened his
+lines to the Yazoo, supplied himself with every thing desired, and
+pressed the siege at his leisure. With the fall of Vicksburg, and the
+fall, a few days later, of Port Hudson, "the Father of Waters went
+unvexed to the Sea."
+
+While the army was crossing the Mississippi at Grand Gulf, three
+well-known journalists, Albert D. Richardson and Junius H. Browne, of
+_The Tribune_, and Richard T. Colburn, of _The World_, attempted to
+run past the Rebel batteries at Vicksburg, on board a tug at midnight.
+The tug was blown up and destroyed; the journalists were captured and
+taken to the Rebel prison at Vicksburg. Thence they were removed to
+Richmond, occupying, while _en route_, the prisons of a half-dozen
+Rebel cities. Mr. Colburn was soon released, but the companions of his
+adventure were destined to pass nearly two years in the prisons of
+the Confederacy. By a fortunate escape and a midwinter march of nearly
+four hundred miles, they reached our lines in safety. In books and in
+lecture-rooms, they have since told the story of their captivity and
+flight.
+
+I have sometimes thought my little quarrel with General Sherman proved
+"a blessing in disguise," in saving me from a similar experience of
+twenty months in Rebel prisons.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+KANSAS IN WAR-TIME.
+
+A Visit to Kansas.--Recollections of Border Feuds.--Peculiarities
+of Kansas Soldiers.--Foraging as a Fine Art.--Kansas and
+Missouri.--Settling Old Scores.--Depopulating the Border
+Counties.--Two Examples of Grand Strategy.--Capture of the
+"Little-More-Grape" Battery.--A Woman in Sorrow.--Frontier
+Justice.--Trial before a "Lynch" Court.--General Blunt's
+Order.--Execution of Horse-Thieves.--Auction Sale of Confiscated
+Property.--Banished to Dixie.
+
+
+In May, 1863, I made a hasty visit to Western Missouri and Kansas, to
+observe the effect of the war in that quarter. Seven years earlier the
+border warfare attracted much attention. The great Rebellion caused
+Kansas and its troubles to sink into insignificance. Since the first
+election of Mr. Lincoln to the Presidency, Kansas has been rarely
+mentioned.
+
+I passed through this young State in the summer of 1860. I was
+repeatedly told: "We have old grudges that we wish to settle; if the
+troubles ever break out again in any part of the United States, we
+hope to cross out our account." When the war opened, the people
+of Kansas saw their opportunity for "making square work," as they
+expressed it, with Missouri and the other slave States. They placed
+two regiments of volunteers in the field with as much celerity as
+was displayed in many of the older and more populous States. These
+regiments were followed by others until fully half the able-bodied
+population of Kansas was in the service. In some localities the
+proportion was even greater than this.
+
+The dash and daring of these Kansas soldiers became proverbial. At
+Wilson Creek, two regiments from Kansas had their first experience of
+battle, and bore themselves most nobly. The conduct of other Kansas
+soldiers, on other battle-fields, was equally commendable. Their
+bravery and endurance was only equaled by their ability in foraging.
+
+Horses, mules, cattle, and provisions have, in all times, been
+considered the legitimate spoils of war. The Kansas soldiers did not
+confine themselves to the above, but appropriated every thing portable
+and valuable, whether useful or useless. Their example was contagious,
+and the entire army soon learned to follow it.
+
+During General Grant's campaign in Mississippi in '62, the Seventh
+Kansas Cavalry obtained a reputation for ubiquity and lawlessness.
+Every man who engaged in plundering on his own account, no matter to
+what regiment he belonged, invariably announced himself a member
+of the Seventh Kansas. Every countryman who was robbed declared the
+robbery was committed by the Seventh Kansas "Jayhawkers." Uniting all
+the stories of robbery, one would conclude that the Seventh Kansas
+was about twenty thousand strong, and constantly in motion by fifty
+different roads, leading to all points of the compass.
+
+One day a soldier of the Second Illinois Cavalry gave me an account of
+his experience in horse-stealing.
+
+"Jim and I went to an old farmer's house, and told him we wanted his
+horses. He said he wanted to use them himself, and couldn't spare
+them.
+
+"'That don't make no sort of difference,' said I; 'we want your horses
+more than you do.'
+
+"'What regiment do you belong to?'
+
+"'Seventh Kansas Jayhawkers. The whole regiment talks of coming round
+here. I reckon I'll bring them.'
+
+"When I told him that," said the soldier, "he said I might take the
+horses, if I would only go away. He offered me a pint of whisky if I
+would promise not to bring the regiment there. Jim and me drank the
+whisky, and told him we would use our influence for him."
+
+Before the war was ended, the entire armies of the Southwest were able
+to equal the "Jayhawkers" in foraging. The march of Sherman's column
+through Mississippi, and afterward through Georgia and South Carolina,
+fully proved this. Particularly in the latter State, which originated
+the Rebellion, were the accomplishments of the foragers most
+conspicuously displayed. Our army left very little for another army to
+use.
+
+The desolation which was spread through the Southern States was among
+the most effective blows at the Rebellion. The Rebels were taught in
+the most practical manner, that insurrection was not to be indulged
+in with impunity. Those who suffered most were generally among the
+earliest to sue for peace. Sherman's terse answer to the mayor of
+Atlanta, when the latter protested against the banishment of the
+inhabitants, was appreciated by the Rebels after our final campaigns.
+"War is cruelty--you cannot refine it," speaks a volume in a few
+words.
+
+When hostilities commenced, the Kansas regiments were clamorous to be
+led into Missouri. During the border war of '55 and '56, Missourians
+invaded Kansas to control the elections by force of arms, and killed,
+often in cold blood, many of the quiet citizens of the Territory. The
+tier of counties in Missouri adjoining Kansas were most anxious
+to make the latter a slave State, and used every possible means to
+accomplish their object.
+
+The Kansas soldiers had their wish. They marched through Missouri.
+Those who had taken part in the outrages upon Kansas, five years
+earlier, were made to feel the hand of retribution. If they had burned
+the buildings of free-State settlers in '56, they found their own
+houses destroyed in '62. In the old troubles they contended for their
+right to make whatever warfare they chose, but were astounded and
+horrified in the latter days, when the tables were turned against them
+by those they had wronged.
+
+Along the frontier of Missouri the old system of warfare was revived.
+Guerrilla bands were formed, of which Quantrel and similar men
+were the leaders. Various incursions were made into Kansas by these
+marauders, and the depredations were worse than ever.
+
+They culminated in the burning of Lawrence and the massacre of its
+inhabitants.
+
+To break up these guerrilla bands, it became necessary to depopulate
+the western tier of counties in Missouri, from the Missouri River down
+to the thirty-eighth parallel of latitude. The most wealthy of these
+was Jackson County. Before the war it had a slave population of not
+far from four thousand, and its fields were highly productive. Two
+years after the war broke out it contained less than three hundred
+slaves, and its wealth had diminished in almost as great proportion.
+This was before any freedom had been officially declared to the
+slaves in the Border States. The order of depopulation had the desired
+effect. It brought peace to the border, though at a terrible cost.
+Missouri suffered greatly, and so did Kansas.
+
+The most prominent officer that Kansas furnished during the Rebellion,
+was Brigadier-General Blunt. At the beginning of the war he enlisted
+as a private soldier, but did not remain long in the ranks. His
+reputation in the field was that of a brave and reckless officer,
+who had little regard to military forms. His successes were due to
+audacity and daring, rather than to skill in handling troops, or a
+knowledge of scientific warfare.
+
+The battle of Cane Hill is said to have commenced by General Blunt and
+his orderlies attacking a Rebel picket. The general was surveying the
+country with his orderlies and a company of cavalry, not suspecting
+the enemy was as near as he proved to be.
+
+At the moment Blunt came upon the picket, the cavalry was looking in
+another direction. Firing began, and the picket was driven in and fell
+back to a piece of artillery, which had an infantry support. Blunt was
+joined by his cavalry, and the gun was taken by a vigorous charge and
+turned upon the Rebels. The latter were kept at bay until the main
+force was brought up and joined in the conflict. The Rebels believed
+we had a much larger number than we really possessed, else our first
+assault might have proved a sudden repulse. The same daring was kept
+up throughout the battle, and gave us the victory.
+
+At this battle we captured four guns, two of which bore a history of
+more than ordinary interest. They were of the old "Bragg's Battery"
+that turned the scale at Buena Vista, in obedience to General Taylor's
+mandate, "Give them a little more grape, captain." After the Mexican
+war they were sent to the United States Arsenal at Baton Rouge, whence
+they were stolen when the insurrection commenced. They were used
+against us at Wilson Creek and Pea Ridge.
+
+At another battle, whose name I have forgotten, our entire force of
+about two thousand men was deployed into a skirmish line that extended
+far beyond the enemy's flanks. The Rebels were nearly six thousand
+strong, and at first manifested a disposition to stand their ground.
+By the audacity of our stratagem they were completely deceived. So
+large a skirmish line was an indication of a proportionately strong
+force to support it. When they found us closing in upon their flanks,
+they concluded we were far superior in numbers, and certain to
+overwhelm them. With but slight resistance they fled the field,
+leaving much of their transportation and equipments to fall into
+our hands. We called in our skirmishers and pressed them in vigorous
+pursuit, capturing wagons and stragglers as we moved.
+
+A year after this occurrence the Rebels played the same trick upon our
+own forces near Fort Smith, Arkansas, and were successful in driving
+us before them. With about five hundred cavalry they formed a skirmish
+line that outflanked our force of two thousand. We fell back several
+miles to the protection of the fort, where we awaited attack. It is
+needless to say that no assault was made.
+
+Van Buren, Arkansas, was captured by eighteen men ten miles in advance
+of any support. This little force moved upon the town in a deployed
+line and entered at one side, while a Rebel regiment moved out at the
+other. Our men thought it judicious not to pursue, but established
+head-quarters, and sent a messenger to hurry up the column before
+the Rebels should discover the true state of affairs. The head of the
+column was five hours in making its appearance.
+
+When the circumstance became known the next day, one of our officers
+found a lady crying very bitterly, and asked what calamity had
+befallen her.
+
+As soon as she could speak she said, through her sobs:
+
+"I am not crying because you have captured the place. We expected
+that." Then came a fresh outburst of grief.
+
+"What _are_ you crying for, then?" asked the officer.
+
+"I am crying because you took it with only eighteen men, when we had a
+thousand that ran away from you!"
+
+The officer thought the reason for her sorrow was amply sufficient,
+and allowed her to proceed with her weeping.
+
+On the day of my arrival at Atchison there was more than ordinary
+excitement. For several months there had been much disregard of
+law outside of the most densely populated portions of the State.
+Robberies, and murders for the sake of robbery, were of frequent
+occurrence. In one week a dozen persons met violent deaths. A citizen
+remarked to me that he did not consider the times a great improvement
+over '55 and '56.
+
+Ten days before my arrival, a party of ruffians visited the house of a
+citizen about twelve miles from Atchison, for the purpose of
+robbery. The man was supposed to have several hundred dollars in his
+possession--the proceeds of a sale of stock. He had placed his funds
+in a bank at Leavenworth; but his visitors refused to believe his
+statement to that effect. They maltreated the farmer and his wife,
+and ended by hanging the farmer's son to a rafter and leaving him for
+dead. In departing, they took away all the horses and mules they could
+find.
+
+Five of these men were arrested on the following day, and taken
+to Atchison. The judge before whom they were brought ordered them
+committed for trial. On the way from the court-house to the jail the
+men were taken from the sheriff by a crowd of citizens. Instead of
+going to jail, they were carried to a grove near the town and placed
+on trial before a "Lynch" court. The trial was conducted with all
+solemnity, and with every display of impartiality to the accused. The
+jury decided that two of the prisoners, who had been most prominent
+in the outrage, should be hanged on that day, while the others
+were remanded to jail for a regular trial. One of the condemned was
+executed. The other, after having a rope around his neck, was respited
+and taken to jail.
+
+On the same day two additional arrests were made, of parties concerned
+in the outrage. These men were tried by a "Lynch" court, as their
+companions had been tried on the previous day. One of them was hanged,
+and the other sent to jail.
+
+For some time the civil power had been inadequate to the punishment of
+crime. The laws of the State were so loosely framed that offenders had
+excellent opportunities to escape their deserts by taking advantage of
+technicalities. The people determined to take the law into their own
+hands, and give it a thorough execution. For the good of society,
+it was necessary to put a stop to the outrages that had been
+so frequently committed. Their only course in such cases was to
+administer justice without regard to the ordinary forms.
+
+A delegation of the citizens of Atchison visited Leavenworth after the
+arrests had been made, to confer with General Blunt, the commander of
+the District, on the best means of securing order. They made a full
+representation of the state of affairs, and requested that two of
+the prisoners, then in jail, should be delivered to the citizens
+for trial. They obtained an order to that effect, addressed to the
+sheriff, who was holding the prisoners in charge.
+
+On the morning of the day following the reception of the order, people
+began to assemble in Atchison from all parts of the county to witness
+the trial. As nearly all the outrages had been committed upon
+the farmers who lived at distances from each other, the trial was
+conducted by the men from the rural districts. The residents of the
+city took little part in the affair. About ten o'clock in the forenoon
+a meeting was called to order in front of the court-house, where the
+following document was read:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS DISTRICT OF KANSAS,
+FORT LEAVENWORTH, _May_ 22, 1863.
+
+TO THE SHERIFF OF ATCHISON COUNTY:
+
+SIR:--In view of the alarming increase of crime, the insecurity of
+life and property within this military district, the inefficiency of
+the civil law to punish offenders, and the small number of troops
+under my command making it impossible to give such protection to
+loyal and law-abiding citizens as I would otherwise desire; you will
+therefore deliver the prisoners, Daniel Mooney and Alexander Brewer,
+now in your possession, to the citizens of Atchison County, for trial
+and punishment by a citizens' court. This course, which in ordinary
+times and under different circumstances could not be tolerated, is
+rendered necessary for the protection of the property and lives of
+honest citizens against the lawless acts of thieves and assassins,
+who, of late, have been perpetrating their crimes with fearful
+impunity, and to prevent which nothing but the most severe and
+summary punishment will suffice. In conducting these irregular
+proceedings, it is to be hoped they will be controlled by men of
+respectability, and that cool judgment and discretion will
+characterize their actions, to the end that the innocent may be
+protected and the guilty punished.
+
+Respectfully, your obedient servant,
+JAMES G. BLUNT,
+_Major-General._
+
+
+After the reading of the above order, resolutions indorsing and
+sustaining the action of General Blunt were passed unanimously. The
+following resolutions were passed separately, their reading being
+greeted with loud cheers. They are examples of strength rather than of
+elegance.
+
+
+"_Resolved_, That we pledge ourselves not to stop hanging until the
+thieves stop thieving.
+
+"_Resolved_, That as this is a citizens' court, we have no use for
+lawyers, either for the accused or for the people."
+
+
+A judge and jury were selected from the assemblage, and embraced some
+of the best known and most respected citizens of the county. Their
+selection was voted upon, just as if they had been the officers of a
+political gathering. As soon as elected, they proceeded to the trial
+of the prisoners.
+
+The evidence was direct and conclusive, and the prisoners were
+sentenced to death by hanging. The verdict was read to the multitude,
+and a vote taken upon its acceptance or rejection. Nineteen-twentieths
+of those present voted that the sentence should be carried into
+execution.
+
+The prisoners were taken from the court-house to the grove where the
+preceding executions had taken place. They were made to stand upon a
+high wagon while ropes were placed about their necks and attached to
+the limb of a large, spreading elm. When all was ready, the wagon was
+suddenly drawn from beneath the prisoners, and their earthly career
+was ended.
+
+A half-hour later the crowd had dispersed. The following morning
+showed few traces of the excitement of the previous day. The
+executions were effectual in restoring quiet to the region which had
+been so much disturbed.
+
+The Rebel sympathizers in St. Louis took many occasions to complain
+of the tyranny of the National Government. At the outset there was a
+delusion that the Government had no rights that should be respected,
+while every possible right belonged to the Rebels. General Lyon
+removed the arms from the St. Louis arsenal to a place of safety at
+Springfield, Illinois. "He had no constitutional right to do that,"
+was the outcry of the Secessionists. He commenced the organization of
+Union volunteers for the defense of the city. The Constitution made no
+provision for this. He captured Camp Jackson, and took his prisoners
+to the arsenal. This, they declared, was a most flagrant violation of
+constitutional privileges. He moved upon the Rebels in the interior,
+and the same defiance of law was alleged. He suppressed the secession
+organ in St. Louis, thus trampling upon the liberties of the Rebel
+Press.
+
+General Fremont declared the slaves of Rebels were free, and thus
+infringed upon the rights of property. Numbers of active, persistent
+traitors were arrested and sent to military prisons: a manifest
+tyranny on the part of the Government. In one way and another the
+unfortunate and long-suffering Rebels were most sadly abused, if their
+own stories are to be regarded.
+
+It was forbidden to display Rebel emblems in public: a cruel
+restriction of personal right. The wealthy Secessionists of St. Louis
+were assessed the sum of ten thousand dollars, for the benefit of the
+Union refugees from Arkansas and other points in the Southwest. This
+was another outrage. These persons could not understand why they
+should be called upon to contribute to the support of Union people who
+had been rendered houseless and penniless by Rebels elsewhere. They
+made a most earnest protest, but their remonstrances were of no
+avail. In default of payment of the sums assessed, their superfluous
+furniture was seized and sold at auction. This was a violation of the
+laws that exempt household property from seizure.
+
+The auction sale of these goods was largely attended. The bidding was
+very spirited. Pianos, ottomans, mirrors, sofas, chairs, and all the
+adornments of the homes of affluence, were sold for "cash in United
+States Treasury notes." Some of the parties assessed declared they
+would pay nothing on the assessment, but they reconsidered their
+decisions, and bought their own property at the auction-rooms, without
+regard to the prices they paid. In subsequent assessments they found
+it better to pay without hesitation whatever sums were demanded of
+them. They spoke and labored against the Union until they found such
+efforts were of no use. They could never understand why they should
+not enjoy the protection of the flag without being called upon to give
+it material aid.
+
+In May, 1863, another grievance was added to the list. It became
+necessary, for the good of the city, to banish some of the more
+prominent Rebel sympathizers.
+
+It was a measure which the Rebels and their friends opposed in the
+strongest terms. These persons were anxious to see the Confederacy
+established, but could not consent to live in its limits. They
+resorted to every device to evade the order, but were not allowed to
+remain. Representations of personal and financial inconvenience were
+of no avail; go they must.
+
+The first exodus took place on the 13th of May. An immense crowd
+thronged the levee as the boat which was to remove the exiles took
+its departure. In all there were about thirty persons, half of them
+ladies. The men were escorted to the boat on foot, but the ladies were
+brought to the landing in carriages, and treated with every possible
+courtesy. A strong guard was posted at the landing to preserve order
+and allow no insult of any kind to the prisoners.
+
+One of the young women ascended to the hurricane roof of the steamer
+and cheered for the "Confederacy." As the boat swung into the stream,
+this lady was joined by two others, and the trio united their sweet
+voices in singing "Dixie" and the "Bonnie Blue Flag." There was no
+cheering or other noisy demonstration at their departure, though there
+was a little waving of handkerchiefs, and a few tokens of farewell
+were given. This departure was soon followed by others, until St.
+Louis was cleared of its most turbulent spirits.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+GETTYSBURG.
+
+A Hasty Departure.--At Harrisburg.--_En route_ for the Army of
+the Potomac.--The Battle-Field at Gettysburg.--Appearance of
+the Cemetery.--Importance of the Position.--The Configuration
+of Ground.--Traces of Battle.--Round Hill.--General Meade's
+Head-Quarters.--Appearance of the Dead.--Through the Forests along the
+Line.--Retreat and Pursuit of Lee.
+
+
+While in St. Louis, late in June, 1863, I received the following
+telegram:--
+
+
+"HERALD OFFICE,
+"NEW YORK, _June_ 28.
+
+"Report at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at the earliest possible moment."
+
+
+Two hours later, I was traveling eastward as fast as an express train
+could carry me.
+
+The Rebel army, under General Lee, had crossed the Potomac, and
+was moving toward Harrisburg. The Army of the Potomac was in rapid
+pursuit. A battle was imminent between Harrisburg and Baltimore.
+
+Waiting a day at Harrisburg, I found the capital of the Keystone State
+greatly excited. The people were slow to move in their own behalf.
+Earth-works were being thrown up on the south bank of the Susquehanna,
+principally by the soldiers from other parts of Pennsylvania and from
+New York.
+
+When it was first announced that the enemy was approaching, only
+seventeen men volunteered to form a local defense. I saw no such
+enthusiasm on the part of the inhabitants as I had witnessed at
+Cincinnati during the previous autumn. Pennsylvania sent many
+regiments to the field during the war, and her soldiers gained a
+fine reputation; but the best friends of the State will doubtless
+acknowledge that Harrisburg was slow to act when the Rebels made their
+last great invasion.
+
+I was ordered to join the Army of the Potomac wherever I could find
+it. As I left Harrisburg, I learned that a battle was in progress.
+Before I could reach the field the great combat had taken place. The
+two contending armies had made Gettysburg historic.
+
+I joined our army on the day after the battle. I could find no person
+of my acquaintance, amid the confusion that followed the termination
+of three days' fighting. The army moved in pursuit of Lee, whose
+retreat was just commencing. As our long lines stretched away toward
+the Potomac, I walked over the ground where the battle had raged,
+and studied the picture that was presented. I reproduce, in part, my
+letter of that occasion:--
+
+
+
+"Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, _July_ 6,1863.
+
+"To-day I have passed along the whole ground where the lines of battle
+were drawn. The place bears evidence of a fierce struggle. The shocks
+of those two great armies surging and resurging, the one against
+the other, could hardly pass without leaving their traces in fearful
+characters. At Waterloo, at Wagram, and at Jena the wheat grows more
+luxuriantly, and the corn shoots its stalks further toward the sky
+than before the great conflicts that rendered those fields famous. The
+broad acres of Gettysburg and Antietam will in future years yield the
+farmer a richer return than he has hithto received.
+
+"Passing out of Gettysburg by the Baltimore turnpike, we come in a
+few steps to the entrance of the cemetery. Little of the inclosure
+remains, save the gateway, from which the gates have been torn. The
+neat wooden fence, first thrown down to facilitate the movement of our
+artillery, was used for fuel, as the soldiers made their camp on the
+spot. A few scattered palings are all that remain. The cemetery was
+such as we usually find near thrifty towns like Gettysburg. None of
+the monuments and adornings were highly expensive, though all were
+neat, and a few were elaborate. There was considerable taste displayed
+in the care of the grounds, as we can see from the few traces
+that remain. The eye is arrested by a notice, prominently posted,
+forbidding the destruction or mutilation of any shrub, tree, or stone
+about the place, under severe penalties. The defiance that war gives
+to the civil law is forcibly apparent as one peruses those warning
+lines.
+
+"Monuments and head-stones lie everywhere overturned. Graves, which
+loving hands once carefully adorned, have been trampled by horses'
+feet until the vestiges of verdure have disappeared. The neat and
+well-trained shrubbery has vanished, or is but a broken and withered
+mass of tangled brushwood. On one grave lies the body of a horse, fast
+decomposing under the July sun. On another lie the torn garments of
+some wounded soldier, stained and saturated with blood. Across a small
+head-stone, bearing the words, 'To the memory of our beloved child,
+Mary,' lie the fragments of a musket shattered by a cannon-shot.
+
+"In the center of a space inclosed by an iron fence, and containing a
+half-dozen graves, a few rails are standing where they were erected by
+our soldiers to form their shelter in bivouac. A family shaft has been
+broken in fragments by a shell. Stone after stone felt the effects of
+the _feu d'enfer_ that was poured upon the crest of the hill. Cannon
+thundered, and foot and horse soldiers tramped over the resting-place
+of the dead. Other dead were added to those who are resting here. Many
+a wounded soldier lives to remember the contest above those silent
+graves.
+
+"The hill on which this cemetery is located was the center of our line
+of battle and the key to our position. Had the Rebels been able to
+carry this point, they would have forced us into retreat, and the
+battle would have been lost. To pierce our line in this locality was
+Lee's great endeavor, and he threw his best brigades against it. Wave
+after wave of living valor rolled up that slope, only to roll back
+again under the deadly fire of our artillery and infantry. It was on
+this hill, a little to the right of the cemetery, where the 'Louisiana
+Tigers' made their famous charge. It was their boast that they were
+never yet foiled in an attempt to take a battery; but on this
+occasion they suffered a defeat, and were nearly annihilated. Sad and
+dispirited, they mourn their repulse and their terrible losses in the
+assault.
+
+"From the summit of this hill a large portion of the battle-ground
+is spread out before the spectator. In front and at his feet lies the
+town of Gettysburg, containing, in quiet times, a population of four
+or five thousand souls. It is not more than a hundred yards to the
+houses in the edge of the village, where the contest with the Rebel
+sharp-shooters took place. To the left of the town stretches a long
+valley, bounded on each side by a gently-sloping ridge. The crest of
+each ridge is distant nearly a mile from the other. It was on these
+ridges that the lines of battle on the second and third days were
+formed, the Rebel line being on the ridge to the westward. The one
+stretching directly from our left hand, and occupied by our own men,
+has but little timber upon it, while that held by the rebels can
+boast of several groves of greater or less extent. In one of these
+the Pennsylvania College is embowered, while in another is seen the
+Theological Seminary. Half-way between the ridges are the ruins of a
+large brick building burned during the engagement. Dotted about, here
+and there, are various brick and frame structures. Two miles at our
+left rises a sharp-pointed elevation, known to the inhabitants of the
+region as Round Hill. Its sides are wooded, and the forest stretches
+from its base across the valley to the crest of the western ridge.
+
+"It must not be supposed that the space between the ridges is an even
+plain, shaven with, the scythe and leveled with the roller. It rises
+and falls gently, and with little regularity, but in no place is
+it steep of ascent. Were it not for its ununiformity and for the
+occasional sprinkling of trees over its surface, it could be compared
+to a patch of rolling prairie in miniature. To the southwest of the
+further ridge is seen the mountain region of Western Maryland, behind
+which the Rebels had their line of retreat. It is not a wild, rough
+mass of mountains, but a region of hills of the larger and more
+inaccessible sort. They are traversed by roads only in a few
+localities, and their passage, except through, the gaps, is difficult
+for a single team, and impossible for an army.
+
+"The Theological Seminary was the scene of a fierce struggle. It was
+beyond it where the First and Eleventh Corps contended with Ewell and
+Longstreet on the first day of the engagement. Afterward, finding the
+Rebels were too strong for them, they fell back to a new position,
+this building being included in the line. The walls of the Seminary
+were perforated by shot and shell, and the bricks are indented with
+numerous bullet-marks. Its windows show the effects of the musketry,
+and but little glass remains to shut out the cold and rain. The
+building is now occupied as a hospital by the Rebels. The Pennsylvania
+College is similarly occupied, and the instruction of its students is
+neglected for the present.
+
+"In passing from the cemetery along the crest of the ridge where our
+line of battle stood, I first came upon the position occupied by
+some of our batteries. This is shown by the many dead horses lying
+unburied, and by the mounds which mark where others have been slightly
+covered up. There are additional traces of an artillery fight. Here
+is a broken wheel of a gun-carriage, an exploded caisson, a handspike,
+and some of the accoutrements of the men. In the fork of a tree I
+found a Testament, with the words, 'Charles Durrale, Corporal of
+Company G,' written on the fly-leaf. The guns and the gunners, have
+disappeared. Some of the latter are now with the column moving in
+pursuit of the enemy, others are suffering in the hospitals, and still
+others are resting where the bugle's reveille shall never wake them.
+
+"Between the cemetery and the town and at the foot of the ridge where
+I stand, runs the road leading to Emmetsburg. It is not a turnpike,
+but a common dirt-road, and, as it leaves the main street leading into
+town, it makes a diagonal ascent of the hill. On the eastern side,
+this road is bordered by a stone wall for a short distance.
+Elsewhere on both sides there is only a rail fence. A portion of our
+sharp-shooters took position behind this wall, and erected traverses
+to protect them from a flanking fire, should the enemy attempt to move
+up the road from Gettysburg. These traverses are constructed at right
+angles to the wall, by making a 'crib' of fence-rails, two feet high
+and the same distance apart, and then filling the crib with dirt.
+Further along I find the rails from the western side of the road,
+piled against the fence on the east, so as to form a breast-work two
+or three feet in height--a few spadesful of dirt serve to fill the
+interstices. This defense was thrown up by the Rebels at the time they
+were holding the line of the roads.
+
+"Moving to the left, I find still more severe traces of artillery
+fighting. Twenty-seven dead horses on a space of little more than one
+acre is evidence of heavy work. Here are a few scattered trees, which
+were evidently used as a screen for our batteries. These trees did not
+escape the storm of shot and shell that was rained in that direction.
+Some of them were perforated by cannon-shot, or have been completely
+cut off in that peculiar splintering that marks the course of a
+projectile through green wood. Near the scene of this fighting is a
+large pile of muskets and cartridge-boxes collected from the field.
+Considerable work has been done in thus gathering the débris of the
+battle, but it is by no means complete. Muskets, bayonets, and sabers
+are scattered everywhere.
+
+"My next advance to the left carries me where the ground is thickly
+studded with graves. In one group I count a dozen graves of soldiers
+belonging to the Twentieth Massachusetts; near them are buried the
+dead of the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh New York, and close at hand
+an equal number from the Twelfth New Jersey. Care has been taken to
+place a head-board at each grave, with a legible inscription thereon,
+showing whose remains are resting beneath. On one board the comrades
+of the dead soldier had nailed the back of his knapsack, which bore
+his name. On another was a brass plate, bearing the soldier's name in
+heavily stamped letters.
+
+"Moving still to the left, I found an orchard in which the fighting
+appears to have been desperate in the extreme. Artillery shot had
+plowed the ground in every direction, and the trees did not escape the
+fury of the storm. The long bolts of iron, said by our officers to be
+a modification of the Whitworth projectile, were quite numerous. The
+Rebels must have been well supplied with this species of ammunition,
+and they evidently used it with no sparing hand. At one time I counted
+twelve of these bolts lying on a space not fifty feet square. I am
+told that many shot and shell passed over the heads of our soldiers
+during the action.
+
+"A mile from our central position at the cemetery, was a field of
+wheat, and near it a large tract, on which corn had been growing.
+The wheat was trampled by the hurrying feet of the dense masses of
+infantry, as they changed their positions during the battle. In the
+cornfield artillery had been stationed, and moved about as often as
+the enemy obtained its range. Hardly a hill of corn is left in its
+pristine luxuriance. The little that escaped the hoof or the wheel,
+as the guns moved from place to place, was nibbled by hungry horses
+during the bivouac subsequent to the battle. Not a stalk of wheat is
+upright; not a blade of corn remains uninjured; all has fallen long
+before the time of harvest. Another harvest, in which Death was the
+reaper, has been gathered above it.
+
+"On our extreme left the pointed summit of a hill, a thousand feet in
+elevation, rises toward the sky. Beyond it, the country falls off into
+the mountain region that extends to the Potomac and across it into
+Virginia. This hill is quite difficult of ascent, and formed a strong
+position, on which the left of our line rested. The enemy assaulted
+this point with great fury, throwing his divisions, one after the
+other, against it. Their efforts were of no avail. Our men defended
+their ground against every attack. It was like the dash of the French
+at Waterloo against the immovable columns of the English. Stubborn
+resistance overcame the valor of the assailants. Again and again they
+came to the assault, only to fall back as they had advanced. Our left
+held its ground, though it lost heavily.
+
+"On this portion of the line, about midway between the crests of the
+ridges, is a neat farm-house. Around this dwelling the battle raged,
+as around Hougoumont at Waterloo. At one time it was in the possession
+of the Rebels, and was fiercely attacked by our men. The walls were
+pierced by shot and shell, many of the latter exploding within,
+and making a scene of devastation. The glass was shattered by rifle
+bullets on every side, and the wood-work bears testimony to the
+struggle. The sharp-shooters were in every room, and added to the
+disorder caused by the explosion of shells. The soldiers destroyed
+what the missiles spared. The Rebels were driven from the house, and
+the position was taken by our own men. They, in turn, were dislodged,
+but finally secured a permanent footing in the place.
+
+"Retracing my steps from the extreme left, I return to the center of
+our position on Cemetery Hill. I do not follow the path by which I
+came, but take a route along the hollow, between the two ridges. It
+was across this hollow that the Rebels made their assaults upon our
+position. Much blood was poured out between these two swells of land.
+Most of the dead were buried where they fell, or gathered in little
+clusters beneath some spreading tree or beside clumps of bushes. Some
+of the Rebel dead are still unburied. I find one of these as I descend
+a low bank to the side of a small spring. The body is lying near the
+spring, as if the man had crawled there to obtain a draught of water.
+Its hands are outspread upon the earth, and clutching at the little
+tufts of grass beneath them. The soldier's haversack and canteen are
+still remaining, and his hat is lying not far away.
+
+"A few paces distant is another corpse, with its hands thrown upward
+in the position the soldier occupied when he received his fatal wound.
+The clothing is not torn, no blood appears upon the garments, and the
+face, though swollen, bears no expression of anguish. Twenty yards
+away are the remains of a body cut in two by a shell. The grass is
+drenched in blood, that the rain of yesterday has not washed away.
+As I move forward I find the body of a Rebel soldier, evidently
+slain while taking aim over a musket. The hands are raised, the left
+extended beyond the right, and the fingers of the former partly bent,
+as if they had just been grasping the stock of a gun. One foot is
+advanced, and the body is lying on its right side. To appearances it
+did not move a muscle after receiving its death-wound. Another body
+attracts my attention by its delicate white hands, and its face black
+as that of a negro.
+
+"The farm-house on the Emmetsburg road, where General Meade held his
+head-quarters during the cannonade, is most fearfully cut up. General
+Lee masked his artillery, and opened with one hundred and thirty
+pieces at the same moment. Two shells in every second of time fell
+around those head-quarters. They tore through the little white
+building, exploding and scattering their fragments in every direction.
+Not a spot in its vicinity was safe. One shell through the door-step,
+another in the chimney, a third shattering a rafter, a fourth carrying
+away the legs of a chair in which an officer was seated; others
+severing and splintering the posts in front of the house, howling
+through the trees by which the dwelling was surrounded, and raising
+deep furrows in the soft earth. One officer, and another, and another
+were wounded. Strange to say, amid all this iron hail, no one of the
+staff was killed.
+
+"Once more at the cemetery, I crossed the Baltimore turnpike to the
+hill that forms the extremity of the ridge, on which the main portion
+of our line of battle was located. I followed this ridge to the point
+held by our extreme right. About midway along the ridge was the scene
+of the fiercest attack upon that portion of the field. Tree after
+tree was scarred from base to limbs so thickly that it would have been
+impossible to place one's hand upon the trunk without covering the
+marks of a bullet. One tree was stripped of more than half its leaves;
+many of its twigs were partially severed, and hanging wilted and
+nearly ready to drop to the ground. The trunk of the tree, about ten
+inches in diameter, was cut and scarred in every part. The fire
+which struck these trees was that from our muskets upon the advancing
+Rebels. Every tree and bush for the distance of half a mile along
+these works was nearly as badly marked. The rocks, wherever they faced
+our breast-works, were thickly stippled with dots like snow-flakes.
+The missiles, flattened by contact with the rock, were lying among the
+leaves, giving little indication of their former character.
+
+"Our sharp-shooters occupied novel positions. One of them found half
+a hollow log, standing upright, with a hole left by the removal of a
+knot, which gave him an excellent embrasure. Some were in tree-tops,
+others in nooks among the rocks, and others behind temporary
+barricades of their own construction. Owing to the excellence of our
+defenses, the Rebels lost heavily."
+
+
+
+A few days after visiting this field, I joined the army in Western
+Maryland. The Rebels were between us and the Potomac. We were steadily
+pressing them, rather with a design of driving them across the Potomac
+without further fighting, than of bringing on an engagement. Lee
+effected his crossing in safety, only a few hundred men of his
+rear-guard being captured on the left bank of the Potomac.
+
+The Maryland campaign was ended when Lee was driven out. Our army
+crossed the Potomac further down that stream, but made no vigorous
+pursuit. I returned to New York, and once more proceeded to the West.
+
+Our victory in Pennsylvania was accompanied by the fall of Vicksburg
+and the surrender of Pemberton's army. A few days later, the capture
+of Port Hudson was announced. The struggle for the possession of the
+Mississippi was substantially ended when the Rebel fortifications
+along its banks fell into our hands.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+IN THE NORTHWEST.
+
+From Chicago to Minnesota.--Curiosities of Low-Water Navigation.--St.
+Paul and its Sufferings in Earlier Days.--The Indian War.--A Brief
+History of our Troubles in that Region.--General Pope's Expeditions to
+Chastise the Red Man.--Honesty in the Indian Department.--The End of
+the Warfare.--The Pacific Railway.--A Bold Undertaking.--Penetrating
+British Territory.--The Hudson Bay Company.--Peculiarities of a
+Trapper's Life.
+
+
+Early in September, 1863, I found myself in Chicago, breathing the
+cool, fresh air from Lake Michigan. From Chicago to Milwaukee I
+skirted the shores of the lake, and from the latter city pushed
+across Wisconsin to the Mississippi River. Here it was really the blue
+Mississippi: its appearance was a pleasing contrast to the general
+features of the river a thousand miles below. The banks, rough and
+picturesque, rose abruptly from the water's edge, forming cliffs that
+overtopped the table-land beyond. These cliffs appeared in endless
+succession, as the boat on which I traveled steamed up the river
+toward St. Paul. Where the stream widened into Lake Pepin, they seemed
+more prominent and more precipitous than elsewhere, as the larger
+expanse of water was spread at their base. The promontory known as
+"Maiden's Rock" is the most conspicuous of all. The Indians relate
+that some daughter of the forest, disappointed in love, once leaped
+from its summit to the rough rocks, two hundred feet below. Her lover,
+learning her fate, visited the spot, gazed from the fearful height,
+and, after a prayer to the Great Spirit who watches over the Red
+Man--returned to his friends and broke the heart of another Indian
+maid.
+
+Passing Lake Pepin and approaching St. Paul, the river became very
+shallow. There had been little rain during the summer, and the
+previous spring witnessed no freshet in that region. The effect was
+apparent in the condition of the Mississippi. In the upper waters
+boats moved with difficulty. The class that is said to steam wherever
+there is a heavy dew, was brought into active use. From St. Paul to a
+point forty miles below, only the lightest of the "stern-wheel" boats
+could make any headway. The inhabitants declared they had never before
+known such a low stage of water, and earnestly hoped it would not
+occur again. It was paralyzing much of the business of the State.
+Many flouring and lumber mills were lying idle. Transportation was
+difficult, and the rates very high. A railway was being constructed
+to connect with the roads from Chicago, but it was not sufficiently
+advanced to be of any service.
+
+Various stories were in circulation concerning the difficulties of
+navigation on the Upper Mississippi in a low stage of water. One pilot
+declared the wheels of his boat actually raised a cloud of dust in
+many places. Another said his boat could run easily in the moisture on
+the outside of a pitcher of ice-water, but could not move to advantage
+in the river between Lake Pepin and St. Paul. A person interested in
+the railway proposed to secure a charter for laying the track in the
+bed of the Mississippi, but feared the company would be unable to
+supply the locomotives with water on many portions of the route. Many
+other jests were indulged in, all of which were heartily appreciated
+by the people of St. Paul.
+
+The day after my arrival at St. Paul, I visited the famous Falls of
+the Minnehaha. I am unable to give them a minute description, my visit
+being very brief. Its brevity arose from the entire absence of water
+in the stream which supplies the fall. That fluid is everywhere
+admitted to be useful for purposes of navigation, and I think it
+equally desirable in the formation of a cascade.
+
+The inhabitants of St. Paul have reason to bless the founders of their
+city for the excellent site of the future metropolis of the Northwest.
+Overlooking and almost overhanging the river in one part, in another
+it slopes gently down to the water's edge, to the levee where the
+steamers congregate. Back from the river the limits of the city extend
+for several miles, and admit of great expansion. With a hundred years
+of prosperity there would still be ample room for growth.
+
+Before the financial crash in '57, this levee was crowded with
+merchandise from St. Louis and Chicago. Storage was not always to be
+had, though the construction of buildings was rapidly pushed. Business
+was active, speculation was carried to the furthest limit, everybody
+had money in abundance, and scattered it with no niggard hand. In
+many of the brokers' windows, placards were posted offering
+alluring inducements to capitalists. "Fifty per cent. guaranteed on
+investments," was set forth on these placards, the offers coming from
+parties considered perfectly sound. Fabulous sums were paid for
+wild land and for lots in apocryphal towns. All was prosperity and
+activity.
+
+By-and-by came the crash, and this well-founded town passed through
+a period of mourning and fasting. St. Paul saw many of its best
+and heaviest houses vanish into thin air; merchants, bankers,
+land-speculators, lumbermen, all suffered alike. Some disappeared
+forever; others survived the shock, but never recovered their former
+footing. Large amounts of property went under the auctioneer's hammer,
+"to be sold without limit." Lots of land which cost two or three
+hundred dollars in '56, were sold at auction in '58 for five or six
+dollars each. Thousands of people lost their all in these unfortunate
+land-speculations. Others who survived the crash have clung to their
+acres, hoping that prosperity may return to the Northwest. At present
+their wealth consists mainly of Great Expectations.
+
+Though suffering greatly, the capital and business center of Minnesota
+was by no means ruined. The speculators departed, but the farmers and
+other working classes remained. Business "touched bottom" and then
+slowly revived. St. Paul existed through all the calamity, and its
+people soon learned the actual necessities of Minnesota. While they
+mourn the departure of the "good times," many of them express a belief
+that those happy days were injurious to the permanent prosperity of
+the State.
+
+St. Paul is one of the few cities of the world whose foundation
+furnishes the material for their construction. The limestone rock on
+which it is built is in layers of about a foot in thickness, and very
+easy to quarry. The blocks require little dressing to fit them for
+use. Though very soft at first, the stone soon hardens by exposure to
+the air, and forms a neat and durable wall. In digging a cellar one
+will obtain more than sufficient stone for the walls of his house.
+
+At the time of my visit the Indian expedition of 1863 had just
+returned, and was camped near Fort Snelling. This expedition was sent
+out by General Pope, for the purpose of chastising the Sioux Indians.
+It was under command of General Sibley, and accomplished a march of
+nearly six hundred miles. As it lay in camp at Fort Snelling, the men
+and animals presented the finest appearance I had ever observed in an
+army just returned from a long campaign.
+
+The Sioux massacres of 1862, and the campaign of General Pope in the
+autumn of that year, attracted much attention. Nearly all the settlers
+in the valley of the Minnesota above Fort Snelling were killed or
+driven off. Other localities suffered to a considerable extent. The
+murders--like nearly all murders of whites by the Indians--were of
+the most atrocious character. The history of those massacres is a
+chronicle of horrors rarely equaled during the present century. Whole
+counties were made desolate, and the young State, just recovering from
+its financial misfortunes, received a severe blow to its prosperity.
+
+Various causes were assigned for the outbreak of hostilities on the
+part of the Sioux Indians. Very few residents of Minnesota, in view
+of the atrocities committed by the Indians, could speak calmly of the
+troubles. All were agreed that there could be no peace and security
+until the white men were the undisputed possessors of the land.
+
+Before the difficulties began, there was for some time a growing
+discontent on the part of the Indians, on account of repeated
+grievances. Just previous to the outbreak, these Indians were summoned
+to one of the Government Agencies to receive their annuities. These
+annuities had been promised them at a certain time, but were not
+forthcoming. The agents, as I was informed, had the money (in coin) as
+it was sent from Washington, but were arranging to pay the Indians in
+Treasury notes and pocket the premium on the gold. The Indians were
+kept waiting while the gold was being exchanged for greenbacks. There
+was a delay in making this exchange, and the Indians were put off from
+day to day with promises instead of money.
+
+An Indian knows nothing about days of grace, protests, insolvency,
+expansions, and the other technical terms with which Wall Street is
+familiar. He can take no explanation of broken promises, especially
+when those promises are made by individuals who claim to represent the
+Great Father at Washington. In this case the Sioux lost all confidence
+in the agents, who had broken their word from day to day. Added to the
+mental annoyance, there was great physical suffering. The traders at
+the post would sell nothing without cash payment, and, without money,
+the Indians were unable to procure what the stores contained in
+abundance.
+
+The annuities were not paid, and the traders refused to sell on
+credit. Some of the Indians were actually starving, and one day they
+forced their way into a store to obtain food. Taking possession, they
+supplied themselves with what they desired. Among other things, they
+found whisky, of the worst and most fiery quality. Once intoxicated,
+all the bad passions of the savages were let loose. In their drunken
+frenzy, the Indians killed one of the traders. The sight of blood made
+them furious. Other white men at the Agency were killed, and thus the
+contagion spread.
+
+From the Agency the murderers spread through the valley of the St.
+Peter's, proclaiming war against the whites. They made no distinction
+of age or sex. The atrocities they committed are among the most
+fiendish ever recorded.
+
+The outbreak of these troubles was due to the conduct of the agents
+who were dealing with the Indians. Knowing, as they should have known,
+the character of the red man everywhere, and aware that the Sioux were
+at that time discontented, it was the duty of those agents to treat
+them with the utmost kindness and generosity. I do not believe the
+Indians, when they plundered the store at the Agency, had any design
+beyond satisfying their hunger. But with one murder committed, there
+was no restraint upon their passions.
+
+Many of our transactions with the Indians, in the past twenty years,
+have not been characterized by the most scrupulous honesty. The
+Department of the Interior has an interior history that would not bear
+investigation. It is well known that the furnishing of supplies to the
+Indians often enriches the agents and their political friends.
+There is hardly a tribe along our whole frontier that has not been
+defrauded. Dishonesty in our Indian Department was notorious during
+Buchanan's Administration. The retirement of Buchanan and his cabinet
+did not entirely bring this dishonesty to an end.
+
+An officer of the Hudson Bay Company told me, in St. Paul, that it
+was the strict order of the British Government, enforced in letter
+and spirit by the Company, to keep full faith with the Indians.
+Every stipulation is most scrupulously carried out. The slightest
+infringement by a white man upon the rights of the Indians is punished
+with great severity. They are furnished with the best qualities
+of goods, and the quantity never falls below the stipulations.
+Consequently the Indian has no cause of complaint, and is kept on the
+most friendly terms. This officer said, "A white man can travel from
+one end to the other of our territory, with no fear of molestation. It
+is forty years since any trouble occurred between us and the Indians,
+while on your side of the line you have frequent difficulties."
+
+The autumn of '62 witnessed the campaign for the chastisement of
+these Indians. Twenty-five thousand men were sent to Minnesota, under
+General Pope, and employed against the Sioux. In a wild country, like
+the interior of Minnesota, infantry cannot be used to advantage. On
+this account, the punishment of the Indians was not as complete as our
+authorities desired.
+
+Some of the Indians were captured, some killed, and others
+surrendered. Thirty-nine of the captives were hanged. A hundred others
+were sent to prison at Davenport, Iowa, for confinement during life.
+The coming of Winter caused a suspension of hostilities.
+
+The spring of 1863 opened with the outfitting of two expeditions--one
+to proceed through Minnesota, under General Sibley, and the other
+up the Missouri River, under General Sully. These expeditions were
+designed to unite somewhere on the Missouri River, and, by inclosing
+the Indians between them, to bring them to battle. If the plan was
+successful, the Indians would be severely chastised.
+
+General Sibley moved across Minnesota, according to agreement, and
+General Sully advanced up the Missouri. The march of the latter was
+delayed on account of the unprecedented low water in the Missouri,
+which retarded the boats laden with supplies. Although the two columns
+failed to unite, they were partially successful in their primary
+object. Each column engaged the Indians and routed them with
+considerable loss.
+
+After the return of General Sibley's expedition, a portion of the
+troops composing it were sent to the Southwest, and attached to the
+armies operating in Louisiana.
+
+The Indian war in Minnesota dwindled to a fight on the part of
+politicians respecting its merits in the past, and the best mode of
+conducting it in the future. General Pope, General Sibley, and General
+Sully were praised and abused to the satisfaction of every resident
+of the State. Laudation and denunciation were poured out with equal
+liberality. The contest was nearly as fierce as the struggle between
+the whites and Indians. If epithets had been as fatal as bullets, the
+loss of life would have been terrible. Happily, the wordy battle was
+devoid of danger, and the State of Minnesota, her politicians, her
+generals, and her men emerged from it without harm.
+
+Various schemes have been devised for placing the Sioux Indians where
+they will not be in our way. No spot of land can be found between
+the Mississippi and the Pacific where their presence would not be an
+annoyance to somebody. General Pope proposed to disarm these Indians,
+allot no more reservations to them, and allow no traders among them.
+He recommended that they be placed on Isle Royale, in Lake Superior,
+and there furnished with barracks, rations, and clothing, just as the
+same number of soldiers would be furnished. They should have no arms,
+and no means of escaping to the main-land. They would thus be secluded
+from all evil influence, and comfortably housed and cared for at
+Government expense. If this plan should be adopted, it would be a
+great relief to the people of our Northwestern frontier.
+
+Minnesota has fixed its desires upon a railway to the Pacific. The
+"St. Paul and Pacific Railway" is already in operation about forty
+miles west of St. Paul, and its projectors hope, in time, to extend it
+to the shores of the "peaceful sea." It has called British capital to
+its aid, and is slowly but steadily progressing.
+
+In the latter part of 1858 several enterprising citizens of St.
+Paul took a small steamer in midwinter from the upper waters of the
+Mississippi to the head of navigation, on the Red River of the North.
+The distance was two hundred and fifty miles, and the route lay
+through a wilderness. Forty yoke of oxen were required for moving the
+boat. When navigation was open in the spring of 1859, the boat (the
+_Anson Northrup_) steamed down to Fort Garry, the principal post of
+the Hudson Bay Company, taking all the inhabitants by surprise. None
+of them had any intimation of its coming, and were, consequently, as
+much astonished as if the steamer had dropped from the clouds.
+
+The agents of the Hudson Bay Company purchased the steamer, a few
+hours after its arrival, for about four times its value. They hoped
+to continue their seclusion by so doing; but were doomed to
+disappointment. Another and larger boat was built in the following
+year at Georgetown, Minnesota, the spot where the _Northrup_ was
+launched. The isolation of the fur-traders was ended. The owners of
+the second steamer (the _International_) were the proprietors of a
+stage and express line to all parts of Minnesota. They extended their
+line to Fort Garry, and soon established a profitable business.
+
+From its organization in 1670, down to 1860, the Hudson Bay Company
+sent its supplies, and received its furs in return, by way of the
+Arctic Ocean and Hudson's Bay. There are only two months in the year
+in which a ship can enter or leave Hudson's Bay. A ship sailing
+from London in January, enters the Bay in August. When the cargo is
+delivered at York Factory, at the mouth of Nelson's River, it is
+too late in the season to send the goods to the great lakes of
+Northwestern America, where the trading posts are located. In the
+following May the goods are forwarded. They go by canoes where the
+river is navigable, and are carried on the backs of men around the
+frequent and sometimes long rapids. The journey requires three months.
+
+The furs purchased with these goods cannot be sent to York Factory
+until a year later, and another year passes away before they leave
+Hudson's Bay. Thus, returns for a cargo were not received in London
+until four years after its shipment from that port.
+
+Since American enterprise took control of the carrying trade, goods
+are sent from London to Fort Garry by way of New York and St. Paul,
+and are only four months in transit. Four or five months will be
+required to return a cargo of furs to London, making a saving of three
+years over the old route. Stupid as our English cousin sometimes shows
+himself, he cannot fail to perceive the advantages of the new route,
+and has promptly embraced them. The people of Minnesota are becoming
+well acquainted with the residents of the country on their northern
+boundary. Many of the Northwestern politicians are studying the policy
+of "annexation."
+
+The settlement at Pembina, near Pembina Mountain, lies in Minnesota, a
+few miles only from the international line. The settlers supposed they
+were on British soil until the establishment of the boundary showed
+them their mistake. Every year the settlement sends a train to
+St. Paul, nearly seven hundred miles distant, to exchange its
+buffalo-robes, furs, etc., for various articles of necessity that the
+Pembina region does not produce. This annual train is made up of "Red
+River carts"--vehicles that would be regarded with curiosity in New
+York or Washington.
+
+A Red River cart is about the size of a two-wheeled dray, and is
+built entirely of wood--not a particle of iron entering into its
+composition. It is propelled by a single ox or horse, generally the
+former, driven by a half-breed native. Sometimes, though not usually,
+the wheels are furnished with tires of rawhide, placed upon them when
+green and shrunk closely in drying. Each cart carries about a thousand
+pounds of freight, and the train will ordinarily make from fifteen to
+twenty miles a day. It was estimated that five hundred of these carts
+would visit St. Paul and St. Cloud in the autumn of 1863.
+
+The settlements of which Fort Garry is the center are scattered for
+several miles along the Red River of the North. They have schools,
+churches, flouring and saw mills, and their houses are comfortably and
+often luxuriously furnished. They have pianos imported from St. Paul,
+and their principal church, has an organ. At St. Cloud I saw evidences
+of extreme civilization on their way to Fort Garry. These were a
+whisky-still, two sewing-machines, and a grain-reaper. No people can
+remain in darkness after adopting these modern inventions.
+
+The monopoly which the Hudson Bay Company formerly held, has ceased
+to exist. Under its charter, granted by Charles II. in 1670, it had
+exclusive control of all the country drained by Hudson's Bay. In
+addition to its privilege of trade, it possessed the "right of eminent
+domain" and the full political management of the country. Crime
+in this territory was not punished by the officers of the British
+Government, but by the courts and officers of the Company. All
+settlements of farmers and artisans were discouraged, as it was
+the desire of the Company to maintain the territory solely as a fur
+preserve, from the Arctic Ocean to the United States boundary.
+
+The profits of this fur-trade were enormous, as the Company had
+it under full control. The furs were purchased of the Indians and
+trappers at very low rates, and paid for in goods at enormous prices.
+An industrious trapper could earn a comfortable support, and nothing
+more.
+
+Having full control of the fur market in Europe, the directors could
+regulate the selling prices as they chose. Frequently they issued
+orders forbidding the killing of a certain class of animals for
+several years. The fur from these animals would become scarce and
+very high, and at the same time the animals would increase in numbers.
+Suddenly, when the market was at its uppermost point, the order would
+be countermanded and a large supply brought forward for sale. This
+course was followed with all classes of fur in succession. The
+Company's dividends in the prosperous days would shame the best oil
+wells or Nevada silver mines of our time.
+
+Though its charter was perpetual, the Hudson Bay Company was obliged
+to obtain once in twenty-one years a renewal of its license for
+exclusive trade. From 1670 to 1838 it had no difficulty in obtaining
+the desired renewal. The last license expired in 1859. Though a
+renewal was earnestly sought, it was not attained. The territory
+is now open to all traders, and the power of the old Company is
+practically extinguished.
+
+The first explorations in Minnesota were made shortly after the
+discovery of the Mississippi River by Marquette and Hennepin. St. Paul
+was originally a French trading post, and the resort of the Indians
+throughout the Northwest. Fort Snelling was established by the United
+Suites Government in 1819, but no settlements were made until 1844.
+After the current of emigration began, the territory was rapidly
+filled.
+
+While Minnesota was a wilderness, the American Fur Company established
+posts on the upper waters of the Mississippi. The old trading-house
+below the Falls of St. Anthony, the first frame building erected in
+the territory, is yet standing, though it exhibits many symptoms of
+decay.
+
+At one time the emigration to Minnesota was very great, but it has
+considerably fallen off during the last eight years. The State is too
+far north to hold out great inducements to settlers. The winters
+are long and severe, and the productions of the soil are limited in
+character and quantity. In summer the climate is excellent, attracting
+large numbers of pleasure-seekers. The Falls of St. Anthony and the
+Minnehaha have a world-wide reputation.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+INAUGURATION OF A GREAT ENTERPRISE.
+
+Plans for Arming the Negroes along the Mississippi.--Opposition to the
+Movement.--Plantations Deserted by their Owners.--Gathering Abandoned
+Cotton.--Rules and Regulations.--Speculation.--Widows and Orphans
+in Demand.--Arrival of Adjutant-General Thomas.--Designs of the
+Government.
+
+
+I have elsewhere alluded to the orders of General Grant at Lagrange,
+Tennessee, in the autumn of 1862, relative to the care of the negroes
+where his army was then operating.
+
+The plan was successful in providing for the negroes in Tennessee
+and Northern Mississippi, where the number, though large, was not
+excessive. At that time, the policy of arming the blacks was being
+discussed in various quarters. It found much opposition. Many persons
+thought it would be an infringement upon the "rights" of the South,
+both unconstitutional and unjust. Others cared nothing for the South,
+or its likes and dislikes, but opposed the measure on the ground of
+policy. They feared its adoption would breed discontent among the
+white soldiers of the army, and cause so many desertions and so much
+uneasiness that the importance of the new element would be more than
+neutralized. Others, again, doubted the courage of the negroes,
+and thought their first use under fire would result in disgrace and
+disaster to our arms. They opposed the experiment on account of this
+fear.
+
+In South Carolina and in Kansas the negroes had been put under arms
+and mustered into service as Union soldiers. In engagements of a minor
+character they had shown coolness and courage worthy of veterans.
+There was no valid reason why the negroes along the Mississippi would
+not be just as valuable in the army, as the men of the same race
+in other parts of the country. Our Government determined to try the
+experiment, and make the _Corps d'Afrique_ a recognized and important
+adjunct of our forces in the field.
+
+When General Grant encamped his army at Milliken's Bend and Young's
+Point, preparatory to commencing the siege of Vicksburg, many of the
+cotton plantations were abandoned by their owners. Before our advent
+nearly all the white males able to bear arms had, willingly or
+unwillingly, gone to aid in filling the ranks of the insurgents. On
+nearly every plantation there was a white man not liable to military
+service, who remained to look after the interests of the property.
+When our army appeared, the majority of these white men fled to the
+interior of Louisiana, leaving the plantations and the negroes to the
+tender mercy of the invaders. In some cases the fugitives took the
+negroes with them, thus leaving the plantations entirely deserted.
+
+When the negroes remained, and the plantations were not supplied with
+provisions, it became necessary for the Commissary Department to issue
+rations for the subsistence of the blacks. As nearly all the planters
+cared nothing for the negroes they had abandoned, there was a very
+large number that required the attention of the Government.
+
+On many plantations the cotton crop of 1862 was still in the field,
+somewhat damaged by the winter rains; but well worth gathering at the
+prices which then ruled the market. General Grant gave authority for
+the gathering of this cotton by any parties who were willing to take
+the contract. The contractors were required to feed the negroes and
+pay them for their labor. One-half the cotton went to the Government,
+the balance to the contractor. There was no lack of men to undertake
+the collection of abandoned cotton on these terms, as the enterprise
+could not fail to be exceedingly remunerative.
+
+This cotton, gathered by Government authority, was, with a few
+exceptions, the only cotton which could be shipped to market. There
+were large quantities of "old" cotton--gathered and baled in previous
+years--which the owners were anxious to sell, and speculators ready to
+buy. Numerous applications were made for shipping-permits, but nearly
+all were rejected. A few cases were pressed upon General Grant's
+attention, as deserving exception from the ordinary rule.
+
+There was one case of two young girls, whose parents had recently
+died, and who were destitute of all comforts on the plantation where
+they lived. They had a quantity of cotton which they wished to take to
+Memphis, for sale in that market. Thus provided with money, they would
+proceed North, and remain there till the end of the war.
+
+A speculator became interested in these girls, and plead with all his
+eloquence for official favor in their behalf. General Grant softened
+his heart and gave this man a written permit to ship whatever cotton
+belonged to the orphans. It was understood, and so stated in the
+application, that the amount was between two hundred and three
+hundred bales. The exact number not being known, there was no quantity
+specified in the permit.
+
+The speculator soon discovered that the penniless orphans could claim
+two thousand instead of two hundred bales, and thought it possible
+they would find three thousand bales and upward. On the strength
+of his permit without special limit, he had purchased, or otherwise
+procured, all the cotton he could find in the immediate vicinity. He
+was allowed to make shipment of a few hundred bales; the balance was
+detained.
+
+Immediately, as this transaction became known, every speculator was on
+the _qui vive_ to discover a widow or an orphan. Each plantation
+was visited, and the status of the owners, if any remained, became
+speedily known. Orphans and widows, the former in particular, were at
+a high premium. Never in the history of Louisiana did the children
+of tender years, bereft of parents, receive such attention from
+strangers. A spectator might have imagined the Millennium close at
+hand, and the dealers in cotton about to be humbled at the feet of
+babes and sucklings. Widows, neither young nor comely, received the
+warmest attention from men of Northern birth. The family of John
+Rodgers, had it then lived at Milliken's Bend, would have been hailed
+as a "big thing." Everywhere in that region there were men seeking
+"healthy orphans for adoption."
+
+The majority of the speculators found the widows and orphans of whom
+they were in search. Some were able to obtain permits, while others
+were not. Several officers of the army became interested in these
+speculations, and gave their aid to obtain shipping privileges. Some
+who were innocent were accused of dealing in the forbidden fiber,
+while others, guilty of the transaction, escaped without suspicion.
+The temptation was great. Many refused to be concerned in the traffic;
+but there were some who yielded.
+
+The contractors who gathered the abandoned cotton were enabled to
+accumulate small fortunes. Some of them acted honestly, but others
+made use of their contracts to cover large shipments of purchased or
+stolen cotton, baled two or three years before. The ordinary yield of
+an acre of ground is from a bale to a bale and a half. The contractors
+were sometimes able to show a yield of ten or twenty bales to the
+acre.
+
+About the first of April, Adjutant-General Thomas arrived at
+Milliken's Bend, bringing, as he declared, authority to regulate every
+thing as he saw fit. Under his auspices, arrangements were made
+for putting the able-bodied male negroes into the army. In a speech
+delivered at a review of the troops at Lake Providence, he announced
+the determination of the Government to use every just measure to
+suppress the Rebellion.
+
+The Rebels indirectly made use of the negroes against the Government,
+by employing them in the production of supplies for their armies in
+the field. "In this way," he said, "they can bring to bear against us
+all the power of their so-called Confederacy. At the same time we are
+compelled to retain at home a portion of our fighting force to furnish
+supplies for the men at the front. The Administration has determined
+to take the negroes belonging to disloyal men, and make them a part
+of the army. This is the policy that has been fixed and will be fully
+carried out."
+
+General Thomas announced that he brought authority to raise as many
+regiments as possible, and to give commissions to all proper persons
+who desired them. The speech was listened to with attention, and
+loudly cheered at its close. The general officers declared themselves
+favorable to the new movement, and gave it their co-operation. In a
+few days a half-dozen regiments were in process of organization. This
+was the beginning of the scheme for raising a large force of colored
+soldiers along the Mississippi.
+
+The disposition to be made of the negro women and children in our
+lines, was a subject of great importance. Their numbers were very
+large, and constantly increasing. Not a tenth of these persons could
+find employment in gathering abandoned cotton. Those that found such
+employment were only temporarily provided for. It would be a heavy
+burden upon the Government to support them in idleness during the
+entire summer. It would be manifestly wrong to send them to the
+already overcrowded camps at Memphis and Helena. They were upon our
+hands by the fortune of war, and must be cared for in some way.
+
+The plantations which their owners had abandoned were supposed to
+afford the means of providing homes for the negroes, where they could
+be sheltered, fed, and clothed without expense to the Government. It
+was proposed to lease these plantations for the term of one year, to
+persons who would undertake the production of a crop of cotton. Those
+negroes who were unfit for military service were to be distributed
+on these plantations, where the lessees would furnish them all needed
+supplies, and pay them for their labor at certain stipulated rates.
+
+The farming tools and other necessary property on the plantations were
+to be appraised at a fair valuation, and turned over to the lessees.
+Where the plantations were destitute of the requisite number of
+mules for working them, condemned horses and mules were loaned to
+the lessees, who should return them whenever called for. There were
+promises of protection against Rebel raids, and of all assistance that
+the Government could consistently give. General Thomas announced that
+the measure was fully decided upon at Washington, and should receive
+every support.
+
+The plantations were readily taken, the prospects being excellent
+for enormous profits if the scheme proved successful. The cost of
+producing cotton varies from three to eight cents a pound. The staple
+would find ready sale at fifty cents, and might possibly command a
+higher figure. The prospects of a large percentage on the investment
+were alluring in the extreme. The plantations, the negroes, the
+farming utensils, and the working stock were to require no outlay. All
+that was demanded before returns would be received, were the necessary
+expenditures for feeding and clothing the negroes until the crop
+was made and gathered. From five to thirty thousand dollars was the
+estimated yearly expense of a plantation of a thousand acres. If
+successful, the products for a year might be set down at two hundred
+thousand dollars; and should cotton appreciate, the return would be
+still greater.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+COTTON-PLANTING IN 1863.
+
+Leasing the Plantations.--Interference of the
+Rebels.--Raids.--Treatment of Prisoners.--The Attack upon Milliken's
+Bend.--A Novel Breast-Work.--Murder o four Officers.--Profits of
+Cotton-Planting.--Dishonesty of Lessees.--Negroes Planting on their
+own Account.
+
+
+It was late in the season before the plantations were leased and the
+work of planting commenced. The ground was hastily plowed and the seed
+as hastily sown. The work was prosecuted with the design of obtaining
+as much as possible in a single season. In their eagerness to
+accumulate fortunes, the lessees frequently planted more ground than
+they could care for, and allowed much of it to run to waste.
+
+Of course, it could not be expected the Rebels would favor the
+enterprise. They had prophesied the negro would not work when free,
+and were determined to break up any effort to induce him to labor.
+They were not even willing to give him a fair trial. Late in June they
+visited the plantations at Milliken's Bend and vicinity.
+
+They stripped many of the plantations of all the mules and horses that
+could be found, frightened some of the negroes into seeking safety
+at the nearest military posts, and carried away others. Some of the
+lessees were captured; others, having timely warning, made good their
+escape. Of those captured, some were released on a regular parole not
+to take up arms against the "Confederacy." Others were liberated on a
+promise to go North and remain there, after being allowed a reasonable
+time for settling their business. Others were carried into captivity
+and retained as prisoners of war until late in the summer. A Mr.
+Walker was taken to Brownsville, Texas, and there released, with the
+privilege of crossing to Matamoras, and sailing thence to New Orleans.
+It was six months from the time of his capture before he reached New
+Orleans on his return home.
+
+The Rebels made a fierce attack upon the garrison at Milliken's Bend.
+For a few moments during the fight the prospects of their success were
+very good. The negroes composing the garrison had not been long under
+arms, and their discipline was far from perfect. The Rebels obtained
+possession of a part of our works, but were held at bay by the
+garrison, until the arrival of a gun-boat turned the scale in our
+favor. The odds were against us at the outset, but we succeeded in
+putting the enemy to flight.
+
+In this attack the Rebels made use of a movable breast-work,
+consisting of a large drove of mules, which they kept in their front
+as they advanced upon the fort. This breast-work served very well at
+first, but grew unmanageable as our fire became severe. It finally
+broke and fled to the rear, throwing the Rebel lines into confusion.
+I believe it was the first instance on record where the defenses
+ran away, leaving the defenders uncovered. It marked a new, but
+unsuccessful, phase of war. An officer who was present at the defense
+of Milliken's Bend vouches for the truth of the story.
+
+The Rebels captured a portion of the garrison, including some of
+the white officers holding commissions in negro regiments. The negro
+prisoners were variously disposed of. Some were butchered on the
+spot while pleading for quarter; others were taken a few miles on the
+retreat, and then shot by the wayside. A few were driven away by their
+masters, who formed a part of the raiding force, but they soon
+escaped and returned to our lines. Of the officers who surrendered as
+prisoners of war, some were shot or hanged within a short distance
+of their place of capture. Two were taken to Shreveport and lodged in
+jail with one of the captured lessees. One night these officers were
+taken from the jail by order of General Kirby Smith, and delivered
+into the hands of the provost-marshal, to be shot for the crime of
+accepting commissions in negro regiments. Before morning they were
+dead.
+
+Similar raids were made at other points along the river, where
+plantations were being cultivated under the new system. At all these
+places the mules were stolen and the negroes either frightened or
+driven away. Work was suspended until the plantations could be newly
+stocked and equipped. This suspension occurred at the busiest time in
+the season. The production of the cotton was, consequently, greatly
+retarded. On some plantations the weeds grew faster than the cotton,
+and refused to be put down. On others, the excellent progress the
+weeds had made, during the period of idleness, rendered the yield
+of the cotton-plant very small. Some of the plantations were not
+restocked after the raid, and speedily ran to waste.
+
+In 1863, no lessee made more than half an ordinary crop of _cotton_,
+and very few secured even this return. Some obtained a quarter or an
+eighth of a bale to the acre, and some gathered only one bale where
+they should have gathered twelve or twenty. A few lost money in the
+speculation. Some made a fair profit on their investment, and others
+realized their expectations of an enormous reward. Several parties
+united their interest on three or four plantations in different
+localities, so that a failure in one quarter was offset by success in
+another.
+
+The majority of the lessees were unprincipled men, who undertook the
+enterprise solely as a speculation. They had as little regard for the
+rights of the negro as the most brutal slaveholder had ever shown.
+Very few of them paid the negroes for their labor, except in
+furnishing them small quantities of goods, for which they charged five
+times the value. One man, who realized a profit of eighty thousand
+dollars, never paid his negroes a penny. Some of the lessees made open
+boast of having swindled their negroes out of their summer's wages, by
+taking advantage of their ignorance.
+
+The experiment did not materially improve the condition of the negro,
+save in the matter of physical treatment. As a slave the black man
+received no compensation for his labor. As a free man, he received
+none.
+
+He was well fed, and, generally, well clothed. He received no severe
+punishment for non-performance of duty, as had been the case before
+the war. The difference between working for nothing as a slave,
+and working for the same wages under the Yankees, was not always
+perceptible to the unsophisticated negro.
+
+Several persons leased plantations that they might use them as points
+for shipping purchased or stolen cotton. Some were quite successful
+in this, while others were unable to find any cotton to bring out.
+Various parties united with the plantation-owners, and agreed
+to obtain all facilities from the Government officials, if their
+associates would secure protection against Rebel raids. In some cases
+this experiment was successful, and the plantations prospered, while
+those around them were repeatedly plundered. In others, the Rebels
+were enraged at the plantation-owners for making any arrangements with
+"the Yankees," and treated them with merciless severity. There was no
+course that promised absolute safety, and there was no man who could
+devise a plan of operations that would cover all contingencies.
+
+Every thing considered, the result of the free-labor enterprise was
+favorable to the pockets of the avaricious lessees, though it was not
+encouraging to the negro and to the friends of justice and humanity.
+All who had been successful desired to renew their leases for another
+season. Some who were losers were willing to try again and hope for
+better fortune.
+
+All the available plantations in the vicinity of Vicksburg, Milliken's
+Bend, and other points along that portion of the Mississippi were
+applied for before the beginning of the New Year. Application for
+these places were generally made by the former lessees or their
+friends. The prospects were good for a vigorous prosecution of the
+free-labor enterprise during 1864.
+
+In the latter part of 1863, I passed down the Mississippi, _en
+route_ to New Orleans. At Vicksburg I met a gentleman who had been
+investigating the treatment of the negroes under the new system, and
+was about making a report to the proper authorities. He claimed to
+have proof that the agents appointed by General Thomas had not been
+honest in their administration of affairs.
+
+One of these agents had taken five plantations under his control, and
+was proposing to retain them for another year. It was charged that he
+had not paid his negroes for their labor, except in scanty supplies
+of clothing, for which exorbitant prices were charged. He had been
+successful with his plantations, but delivered very little cotton to
+the Government agents.
+
+The investigations into the conduct of agents and lessees were
+expected to make a change in the situation. Up to that time the War
+Department had controlled the whole system of plantation management.
+The Treasury Department was seeking the control, on the ground that
+the plantations were a source of revenue to the Government, and should
+be under its financial and commercial policy. If it could be proved
+that the system pursued was an unfair and dishonest one, there was
+probability of a change.
+
+I pressed forward on my visit to New Orleans. On my return, two weeks
+later, the agents of General Thomas were pushing their plans for the
+coming year. There was no indication of an immediate change in the
+management. The duties of these agents had been enlarged, and the
+region which they controlled extended from Lake Providence, sixty
+miles above Vicksburg, to the mouth of Red River, nearly two hundred
+miles below. One of the agents had his office at Lake Providence, a
+second was located at Vicksburg, while the third was at Natchez.
+
+Nearly all the plantations near Lake Providence had been leased or
+applied for. The same was the case with most of those near Vicksburg.
+In some instances, there were several applicants for the same
+plantation. The agents announced their determination to sell the
+choice of plantations to the highest bidder. The competition for the
+best places was expected to be very active.
+
+There was one pleasing feature. Some of the applicants for plantations
+were not like the sharp-eyed speculators who had hitherto controlled
+the business. They seemed to be men of character, desirous of
+experimenting with free labor for the sake of demonstrating its
+feasibility when skillfully and honestly managed. They hoped and
+believed it would be profitable, but they were not undertaking the
+enterprise solely with a view to money-making. The number of these
+men was not large, but their presence, although in small force, was
+exceedingly encouraging.
+
+I regret to say that these men were outstripped in the struggle for
+good locations by their more unscrupulous competitors. Before the
+season was ended, the majority of the honest men abandoned the field.
+
+During 1863, many negroes cultivated small lots of ground on their own
+account. Sometimes a whole family engaged in the enterprise, a single
+individual having control of the matter. In other cases, two, three,
+or a half-dozen negroes would unite their labor, and divide the
+returns. One family of four persons sold twelve bales of cotton, at
+two hundred dollars per bale, as the result of eight months' labor.
+Six negroes who united their labor were able to sell twenty bales. The
+average was about one and a half or two bales to each of those persons
+who attempted the planting enterprise on their own account. A few
+made as high as four bales each, while others did not make more than
+a single bale. One negro, who was quite successful in planting on his
+own account, proposed to take a small plantation in 1864, and employ
+twenty or more colored laborers. How he succeeded I was not able to
+ascertain.
+
+The commissioners in charge of the freedmen gave the negroes every
+encouragement to plant on their own account. In 1864 there were thirty
+colored lessees near Milliken's Bend, and about the same number at
+Helena. Ten of these persons at Helena realized $31,000 for their
+year's labor. Two of them planted forty acres in cotton; their
+expenses were about $1,200; they sold their crop for $8,000. Another
+leased twenty-four acres. His expenses were less than $2,000, and he
+sold his crop for $6,000. Another leased seventeen acres. He earned
+by the season's work enough to purchase a good house, and leave him
+a cash balance of $300. Another leased thirteen and a half acres,
+expended about $600 in its cultivation, and sold his crop for $4,000.
+
+At Milliken's Bend the negroes were not as successful as at
+Helena--much of the cotton crop being destroyed by the "army worm." It
+is possible that the return of peace may cause a discontinuance of the
+policy of leasing land to negroes.
+
+The planters are bitterly opposed to the policy of dividing
+plantations into small parcels, and allowing them to be cultivated
+by freedmen. They believe in extensive tracts of land under a single
+management, and endeavor to make the production of cotton a business
+for the few rather than the many. It has always been the rule to
+discourage small planters. No aristocratic proprietor, if he could
+avoid it, would sell any portion of his estate to a man of limited
+means. In the hilly portions of the South, the rich men were unable to
+carry out their policy. Consequently, there were many who cultivated
+cotton on a small scale. On the lower Mississippi this was not the
+case.
+
+When the Southern States are fairly "reconstructed," and the political
+control is placed in the hands of the ruling race, every effort will
+be made to maintain the old policy. Plantations of a thousand or of
+three thousand acres will be kept intact, unless the hardest necessity
+compels their division. If possible, the negroes will not be permitted
+to possess or cultivate land on their own account. To allow them to
+hold real estate will be partially admitting their claim to humanity.
+No true scion of chivalry can permit such an innovation, so long as he
+is able to make successful opposition.
+
+I have heard Southern men declare that a statute law should, and
+would, be made to prevent the negroes holding real estate. I have
+no doubt of the disposition of the late Rebels in favor of such
+enactment, and believe they would display the greatest energy in its
+enforcement. It would be a labor of love on their part, as well as of
+duty. Its success would be an obstacle in the way of the much-dreaded
+"negro equality."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+AMONG THE OFFICIALS.
+
+Reasons for Trying an Experiment.--Activity among Lessees.--Opinions
+of the Residents.--Rebel Hopes in 1863.--Removal of Negroes to West
+Louisiana.--Visiting Natchez.--The City and its Business.--"The
+Rejected Addresses."
+
+
+In my visit to Vicksburg I was accompanied by my fellow-journalist,
+Mr. Colburn, of _The World_. Mr. Colburn and myself had taken more
+than an ordinary interest in the free-labor enterprise. We had watched
+its inception eight months before, with many hopes for its success,
+and with as many fears for the result. The experiment of 1863, under
+all its disadvantages, gave us convincing proof that the production of
+cotton and sugar by free labor was both possible and profitable. The
+negro had proved the incorrectness of the slaveholders' assertion that
+no black man would labor on a plantation except as a slave. So much we
+had seen accomplished. It was the result of a single year's trial. We
+desired to see a further and more extensive test.
+
+While studying the new system in the hands of others, we were urged to
+bring it under our personal observation. Various inducements were held
+out. We were convinced of the general feasibility of the enterprise,
+wherever it received proper attention. As a philanthropic undertaking,
+it was commendable. As a financial experiment, it promised success. We
+looked at the matter in all its aspects, and finally decided to gain
+an intimate knowledge of plantation life in war-time. Whether we
+succeeded or failed, we would learn more about the freedmen than we
+had hitherto known, and would assist, in some degree, to solve
+the great problem before the country. Success would be personally
+profitable, while failure could not be disastrous.
+
+We determined to lease a plantation, but had selected none. In her
+directions for cooking a hare, Mrs. Glass says: "First, catch your
+hare." Our animal was to be caught, and the labor of securing it
+proved greater than we anticipated.
+
+All the eligible locations around Vicksburg had been taken by the
+lessees of the previous season, or by newly-arrived persons who
+preceded us. There were several residents of the neighboring region
+who desired persons from the North to join them in tilling their
+plantations. They were confident of obtaining Rebel protection, though
+by no means certain of securing perfect immunity. In each case they
+demanded a cash advance of a few thousands, for the purpose of hiring
+the guerrillas to keep the peace. As it was evident that the purchase
+of one marauding band would require the purchase of others, until
+the entire "Confederacy" had been bought up, we declined all these
+proposals.
+
+Some of these residents, who wished Northern men to join them, claimed
+to have excellent plantations along the Yazoo, or near some of its
+tributary bayous. These men were confident a fine cotton crop could be
+made, "if there were some Northern man to manage the niggers." It was
+the general complaint with the people who lived in that region that,
+with few exceptions, no Southern man could induce the negroes to
+continue at work. One of these plantation proprietors said his
+location was such that no guerrilla could get near it without
+endangering his life. An investigation showed that no other person
+could reach the plantation without incurring a risk nearly as great.
+Very few of these owners of remote plantations were able to induce
+strangers to join them.
+
+We procured a map of the Mississippi and the country bordering its
+banks. Whenever we found a good location and made inquiry about it at
+the office of the leasing agents, we were sure to ascertain that some
+one had already filed an application. It was plain that Vicksburg was
+not the proper field for our researches. We shook its dust from our
+feet and went to Natchez, a hundred and twenty-five miles below, where
+a better prospect was afforded.
+
+In the spring of 1863, the Rebels felt confident of retaining
+permanent possession of Vicksburg and Port Hudson, two hundred and
+fifty miles apart. Whatever might be the result elsewhere, this
+portion of the Mississippi should not be abandoned. In the belief that
+the progress of the Yankees had been permanently stopped, the planters
+in the locality mentioned endeavored to make as full crops as possible
+of the great staple of the South. Accordingly, they plowed and
+planted, and tended the growing cotton until midsummer came. On the
+fourth of July, Vicksburg surrendered, and opened the river to Port
+Hudson. General Herron's Division was sent to re-enforce General
+Banks, who was besieging the latter place. In a few days, General
+Gardner hauled down his flag and gave Port Hudson to the nation. "The
+Father of Waters went unvexed to the Sea."
+
+The rich region that the Rebels had thought to hold was, by the
+fortune of war, in the possession of the National army. The planters
+suspended their operations, through fear that the Yankees would
+possess the land.
+
+Some of them sent their negroes to the interior of Louisiana for
+safety. Others removed to Texas, carrying all their human property
+with them. On some plantations the cotton had been so well cared for
+that it came to maturity in fine condition. On others it had been very
+slightly cultivated, and was almost choked out of existence by weeds
+and grass. Nearly every plantation could boast of more or less cotton
+in the field--the quantity varying from twenty bales to five hundred.
+On some plantations cotton had been neglected, and a large crop of
+corn grown in its place. Everywhere the Rebel law had been obeyed
+by the production of more corn than usual. There was enough for the
+sustenance of our armies for many months.
+
+Natchez was the center of this newly-opened region. Before the war it
+was the home of wealthy slave-owners, who believed the formation of a
+Southern Confederacy would be the formation of a terrestrial paradise.
+On both banks of the Mississippi, above and below Natchez, were the
+finest cotton plantations of the great valley. One family owned nine
+plantations, from which eight thousand bales of cotton were annually
+sent to market. Another family owned seven plantations, and others
+were the owners of from three to six, respectively.
+
+The plantations were in the care of overseers and agents, and rarely
+visited by their owners. The profits were large, and money was poured
+out in profusion. The books of one of the Natchez banks showed a daily
+business, in the picking season, of two or three million dollars,
+generally on the accounts of planters and their factors.
+
+Prior to the Rebellion, cotton was usually shipped to New Orleans, and
+sold in that market. There were some of the planters who sent their
+cotton to Liverpool or Havre, without passing it through the hands of
+New Orleans factors. A large balance of the proceeds of such shipments
+remained to the credit of the shippers when the war broke out, and
+saved them from financial ruin. The business of Natchez amounted,
+according to the season, from a hundred thousand to three hundred
+thousand bales. This included a great quantity that was sent to New
+Orleans from plantations above and below the city, without touching at
+all upon the levee at Natchez.
+
+Natchez consists of Natchez-on-the-Hill and Natchez-under-the-Hill.
+A bluff, nearly two hundred feet high, faces the Mississippi, where
+there is an eastward bend of the stream. Toward the river this bluff
+is almost perpendicular, and is climbed by three roads cut into its
+face like inclined shelves. The French established a settlement at
+this point a hundred and fifty years ago, and erected a fortification
+for its defense. This work, known as Fort Rosalie, can still be traced
+with distinctness, though it has fallen into extreme decay. It was
+evidently a rectangular, bastioned work, and the location of the
+bastions and magazine can be readily made out.
+
+Natchez-under-the-Hill is a small, straggling village, having a few
+commission houses and stores, and dwellings of a suspicious character.
+It was once a resort of gamblers and other _chevaliers d'industrie_,
+whose livelihood was derived from the travelers along the Mississippi.
+At present it is somewhat shorn of its glory.
+
+Natchez-on-the-Hill is a pleasant and well-built city, of about ten
+thousand inhabitants. The buildings display wealth and good taste,
+the streets are wide and finely shaded, and the abundance of churches
+speaks in praise of the religious sentiment of the people. Near the
+edge of the bluff there was formerly a fine park, commanding a view of
+the river for several miles in either direction, and overlooking
+the plantations and cypress forests on the opposite shore. This
+pleasure-ground was reserved for the white people alone, no negro
+being allowed to enter the inclosure under severe penalties. A
+regiment of our soldiers encamped near this park, and used its fence
+for fuel. The park is now free to persons of whatever color.
+
+Natchez suffered less from the war than most other places of its size
+along the Mississippi. The Rebels never erected fortifications in or
+around Natchez, having relied upon Vicksburg and Port Hudson for their
+protection. When Admiral Farragut ascended the river, in 1862, after
+the fall of New Orleans, he promised that Natchez should not be
+disturbed, so long as the people offered no molestation to our
+gun-boats or army transports. This neutrality was carefully observed,
+except on one occasion. A party which landed from the gun-boat _Essex_
+was fired upon by a militia company that desired to distinguish
+itself. Natchez was shelled for two hours, in retaliation for this
+outrage. From that time until our troops occupied the city there was
+no disturbance.
+
+When we arrived at Natchez, we found several Northern men already
+there, whose business was similar to our own. Some had secured
+plantations, and were preparing to take possession. Others were
+watching the situation and surveying the ground before making their
+selections. We found that the best plantations in the vicinity had
+been taken by the friends of Adjutant-General Thomas, and were gone
+past our securing. At Vidalia, Louisiana, directly opposite Natchez,
+were two fine plantations, "Arnuldia" and "Whitehall," which had been
+thus appropriated. Others in their vicinity had been taken in one way
+or another, and were out of our reach. Some of the lessees declared
+they had been forced to promise a division with certain parties in
+authority before obtaining possession, while others maintained a
+discreet silence on the subject. Many plantations owned by widows and
+semi-loyal persons, would not be placed in the market as "abandoned
+property." There were many whose status had not been decided, so
+that they were practically out of the market. In consequence of these
+various drawbacks, the number of desirable locations that were open
+for selection was not large.
+
+One of the leasing agents gave us a letter to a young widow who
+resided in the city, and owned a large plantation in Louisiana,
+fifteen miles from Natchez. We lost no time in calling upon the lady.
+
+Other parties had already seen her with a view to leasing her
+plantation. Though she had promised the lease to one of these
+visitors, she had no objections to treating with ourselves, provided
+she could make a more advantageous contract.
+
+In a few days we repeated our visit. Our rival had urged his reasons
+for consideration, and was evidently in favor. He had claimed to be
+a Secessionist, and assured her he could obtain a safeguard from the
+Rebel authorities. The lady finally consented to close a contract with
+him, and placed us in the position of discarded suitors. We thought of
+issuing a new edition of "The Rejected Addresses."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+A JOURNEY OUTSIDE THE LINES.
+
+Passing the Pickets.--Cold Weather in the South.--Effect of Climate
+upon the Constitution.--Surrounded and Captured.--Prevarication
+and Explanation.--Among the Natives.--The Game for the
+Confederacy.--Courtesy of the Planters.--Condition of the
+Plantations.--The Return.
+
+
+Mr. Colburn went to St. Louis, on business in which both were
+interested, and left me to look out a plantation. I determined to make
+a tour of exploration in Louisiana, in the region above Vidalia. With
+two or three gentlemen, who were bound on similar business, I passed
+our pickets one morning, and struck out into the region which was
+dominated by neither army. The weather was intensely cold, the ground
+frozen solid, and a light snow falling.
+
+Cold weather in the South has one peculiarity: it can seem more
+intense than the same temperature at the North. It is the effect of
+the Southern climate to unfit the system for any thing but a warm
+atmosphere. The chill penetrates the whole body with a severity I have
+never known north of the Ohio River. In a cold day, the "Sunny South"
+possesses very few attractions in the eyes of a stranger.
+
+In that day's ride, and in the night which followed, I suffered more
+than ever before from cold. I once passed a night in the open air in
+the Rocky Mountains, with the thermometer ten degrees below zero.
+I think it was more endurable than Louisiana, with the mercury ten
+degrees above zero. On my plantation hunt I was thickly clad, but the
+cold _would_ penetrate, in spite of every thing. An hour by a fire
+might bring some warmth, but the first step into the open air would
+drive it away. Fluid extract of corn failed to have its ordinary
+effect. The people of the vicinity said the weather was unusually
+severe on that occasion. For the sake of those who reside there
+hereafter, I hope their statement was true.
+
+Our party stopped for the night at a plantation near Waterproof, a
+small village on the bank of the river, twenty-two miles from Natchez.
+Just as we were comfortably seated by the fire in the overseer's
+house, one of the negroes announced that a person at the door wished
+to see us.
+
+I stepped to the door, and found a half-dozen mounted men in blue
+uniforms. Each man had a carbine or revolver drawn on me. One of my
+companions followed me outside, and found that the strange party had
+weapons enough to cover both of us. It had been rumored that several
+guerrillas, wearing United States uniforms, were lurking in the
+vicinity. Our conclusions concerning the character of our captors were
+speedily made.
+
+Resistance was useless, but there were considerations that led us to
+parley as long as possible. Three officers, and as many soldiers,
+from Natchez, had overtaken us in the afternoon, and borne us company
+during the latter part of our ride. When we stopped for the night,
+they concluded to go forward two or three miles, and return in the
+morning. Supposing ourselves fairly taken, we wished to give
+our friends opportunity to escape. With this object in view, we
+endeavored, by much talking, to consume time.
+
+I believe it does not make a man eloquent to compel him to peer into
+the muzzles of a half-dozen cocked revolvers, that may be discharged
+at any instant on the will of the holders. Prevarication is a
+difficult task, when time, place, and circumstances are favorable. It
+is no easy matter to convince your hearers of the truth of a story
+you know to be false, even when those hearers are inclined to be
+credulous. Surrounded by strangers, and with your life in peril, the
+difficulties are greatly increased. I am satisfied that I made a sad
+failure on that particular occasion.
+
+My friend and myself answered, indiscriminately, the questions that
+were propounded. Our responses did not always agree. Possibly we might
+have done better if only one of us had spoken.
+
+"Come out of that house," was the first request that was made.
+
+We came out.
+
+"Tell those soldiers to come out."
+
+"There are no soldiers here," I responded.
+
+"That's a d--d lie."
+
+"There are none here."
+
+"Yes, there are," said the spokesman of the party. "Some Yankee
+soldiers came here a little while ago."
+
+"We have been here only a few minutes."
+
+"Where did you come from?"
+
+This was what the lawyers call a leading question. We did not desire
+to acknowledge we were from Natchez, as that would reveal us at once.
+We did not wish to say we were from Shreveport, as it would soon be
+proved we were not telling the truth. I replied that we had come from
+a plantation a few miles below. Simultaneously my companion said we
+had just crossed the river.
+
+Here was a lack of corroborative testimony which our captors commented
+upon, somewhat to our discredit. So the conversation went on, our
+answers becoming more confused each time we spoke. At last the leader
+of the group dismounted, and prepared to search the house. He turned
+us over to the care of his companions, saying, as he did so:
+
+"If I find any soldiers here, you may shoot these d--d fellows for
+lying."
+
+During all the colloquy we had been carefully covered by the weapons
+of the group. We knew no soldiers could be found about the premises,
+and felt no fear concerning the result of the search.
+
+Just as the leader finished his search, a lieutenant and twenty men
+rode up.
+
+"Well," said our captor, "you are saved from shooting. I will turn you
+over to the lieutenant."
+
+I recognized in that individual an officer to whom I had received
+introduction a day or two before. The recognition was mutual.
+
+We had fallen into the hands of a scouting party of our own forces.
+Each mistook the other for Rebels. The contemplated shooting was
+indefinitely postponed. The lieutenant in command concluded to encamp
+near us, and we passed the evening in becoming acquainted with each
+other.
+
+On the following day the scouting party returned to Natchez. With
+my two companions I proceeded ten miles further up the river-bank,
+calling, on the way, at several plantations. All the inhabitants
+supposed we were Rebel officers, going to or from Kirby Smith's
+department. At one house we found two old gentlemen indulging in a
+game of chess. In response to a comment upon their mode of amusement,
+one of them said:
+
+"We play a very slow and cautious game, sir. Such a game as the
+Confederacy ought to play at this time."
+
+To this I assented.
+
+"How did you cross the river, gentlemen?" was the first interrogatory.
+
+"We crossed it at Natchez."
+
+"At Natchez! We do not often see Confederates from Natchez. You must
+have been very fortunate to get through."
+
+Then we explained who and what we were. The explanation was followed
+by a little period of silence on the part of our new acquaintances.
+Very soon, however, the ice was broken, and our conversation became
+free. We were assured that we might travel anywhere in that region
+as officers of the Rebel army, without the slightest suspicion of our
+real character. They treated us courteously, and prevailed upon us to
+join them at dinner. Many apologies were given for the scantiness of
+the repast. Corn-bread, bacon, and potatoes were the only articles
+set before us. Our host said he was utterly unable to procure flour,
+sugar, coffee, or any thing else not produced upon his plantation.
+He thought the good times would return when the war ended, and was
+particularly anxious for that moment to arrive. He pressed us to pass
+the night at his house, but we were unable to do so. On the following
+day we returned to Natchez.
+
+Everywhere on the road from Vidalia to the farthest point of our
+journey, we found the plantations running to waste. The negroes had
+been sent to Texas or West Louisiana for safety, or were remaining
+quietly in their quarters. Some had left their masters, and were
+gone to the camps of the National army at Vicksburg and Natchez. The
+planters had suspended work, partly because they deemed it useless
+to do any thing in the prevailing uncertainty, and partly because the
+negroes were unwilling to perform any labor. Squads of Rebel cavalry
+had visited some of the plantations, and threatened punishment to
+the negroes if they did any thing whatever toward the production of
+cotton. Of course, the negroes would heed such advice if they heeded
+no other.
+
+On all the plantations we found cotton and corn, principally the
+latter, standing in the field. Sometimes there were single inclosures
+of several hundred acres. The owners were desirous of making any
+arrangement that would secure the tilling of their soil, while it
+did not involve them in any trouble with their neighbors or the Rebel
+authorities.
+
+They deplored the reverses which the Rebel cause had suffered, and
+confessed that the times were out of joint. One of the men we visited
+was a judge in the courts of Louisiana, and looked at the question
+in a legal light. After lamenting the severity of the storm which was
+passing over the South, and expressing his fear that the Rebellion
+would be a failure, he referred to his own situation.
+
+"I own a plantation," said he, "and have combined my planting interest
+with the practice of law. The fortune of war has materially changed my
+circumstances. My niggers used to do as I told them, but that time is
+passed. Your Northern people have made soldiers of our servants, and
+will, I presume, make voters of them. In five years, if I continue the
+practice of law, I suppose I shall be addressing a dozen negroes as
+gentlemen of the jury."
+
+"If you had a negro on trial," said one of our party, "that would be
+correct enough. Is it not acknowledged everywhere that a man shall be
+tried by his peers?"
+
+The lawyer admitted that he never thought of that point before.
+He said he would insist upon having negroes admitted into court as
+counsel for negroes that were to be tried by a jury of their race. He
+did not believe they would ever be available as laborers in the field
+if they were set free, and thought so many of them would engage in
+theft that negro courts would be constantly busy.
+
+Generally speaking, the planters that I saw were not violent
+Secessionists, though none of them were unconditional Union men. All
+said they had favored secession at the beginning of the movement,
+because they thought it would strengthen and perpetuate slavery. Most
+of them had lost faith in its ultimate success, but clung to it as
+their only hope. The few Union men among them, or those who claimed
+to be loyal, were friends of the nation with many conditions. They
+desired slavery to be restored to its former status, the rights of the
+States left intact, and a full pardon extended to all who had taken
+part in the Rebellion. Under these conditions they would be willing to
+see the Union restored. Otherwise, the war must go on.
+
+We visited several plantations on our tour of observation, and
+compared their respective merits. One plantation contained three
+thousand acres of land, but was said to be very old and worn out. Near
+it was one of twelve hundred acres, three-fourths covered with corn,
+but with no standing cotton. One had six hundred acres of cotton
+in the field. This place belonged to a Spaniard, who would not be
+disturbed by Government, and who refused to allow any work done until
+after the end of the war. Another had four hundred acres of standing
+cotton, but the plantation had been secured by a lessee, who was about
+commencing work.
+
+All had merits, and all had demerits. On some there was a sufficient
+force for the season's work, while on others there was scarcely an
+able field-hand. On some the gin-houses had been burned, and on others
+they were standing, but disabled. A few plantations were in good
+order, but there was always some drawback against our securing
+them. Some were liable to overflow during the expected flood of the
+Mississippi; others were in the hands of their owners, and would not
+be leased by the Government. Some that had been abandoned were
+so thoroughly abandoned that we would hesitate to attempt their
+cultivation. There were several plantations more desirable than
+others, and I busied myself to ascertain the status of their owners,
+and the probabilities concerning their disposal.
+
+Some of the semi-loyal owners of plantations were able to make very
+good speculations in leasing their property. There was an earnest
+competition among the lessees to secure promising plantations. One
+owner made a contract, by which he received five thousand dollars in
+cash and half the product of the year's labor.
+
+A week after the lessee took possession, he was frightened by the
+near approach of a company of Rebel cavalry. He broke his contract and
+departed for the North, forfeiting the five thousand dollars he had
+advanced. Another lessee was ready to make a new contract with the
+owner, paying five thousand dollars as his predecessor had done. Four
+weeks later, this lessee abandoned the field, and the owner was at
+liberty to begin anew.
+
+To widows and orphans the agents of the Government displayed a
+commendable liberality. Nearly all of these persons were allowed to
+retain control of their plantations, leasing them as they saw fit, and
+enjoying the income. Some were required to subscribe to the oath of
+allegiance, and promise to show no more sympathy for the crumbling
+Confederacy. In many cases no pledge of any kind was exacted.
+
+I knew one widow whose disloyalty was of the most violent character.
+On a visit to New Orleans she was required to take the oath of
+allegiance before she could leave the steamboat at the levee. She
+signed the printed oath under protest. A month later, she brought this
+document forward to prove her loyalty and secure the control of her
+plantation.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+OH THE PLANTATION.
+
+Military Protection.--Promises.--Another Widow.--Securing
+a Plantation.--Its Locality and Appearance.--Gardening in
+Louisiana.--How Cotton is Picked.--"The Tell-Tale."--A Southerner's
+Opinion of the Negro Character.--Causes and Consequences.
+
+
+Parties who proposed to lease and cultivate abandoned plantations were
+anxious to know what protection would be afforded them. General Thomas
+and his agents assured them that proper military posts would soon be
+established at points within easy distance of each other along the
+river, so that all plantations in certain limits would be amply
+protected. This would be done, not as a courtesy to the lessees, but
+as a part of the policy of providing for the care of the negroes.
+If the lessees would undertake to feed and clothe several thousand
+negroes, besides paying them for their labor, they would relieve
+the Government authorities of a great responsibility. They would
+demonstrate the feasibility of employing the negroes as free laborers.
+The cotton which they would throw into market would serve to reduce
+the prices of that staple, and be a partial supply to the Northern
+factories. All these things considered, the Government was anxious to
+foster the enterprise, and would give it every proper assistance. The
+agents were profuse in their promises of protection, and assured us it
+would be speedily forthcoming.
+
+There was a military post at Vidalia, opposite Natchez, which afforded
+protection to the plantations in which General Thomas's family and
+friends were interested. Another was promised at Waterproof, twenty
+miles above, with a stockade midway between the two places. There was
+to be a force of cavalry to make a daily journey over the road between
+Vidalia and Waterproof. I selected two plantations about two miles
+below Waterproof, and on the bank of the Mississippi. They were
+separated by a strip of wood-land half a mile in width, and by a
+small bayou reaching from the river to the head of Lake St. John. Both
+plantations belonged to the same person, a widow, living near Natchez.
+
+The authorities had not decided what they would do with these
+plantations--whether they would hold them as Government property, or
+allow the owner to control them. In consideration of her being a widow
+of fifteen years' standing, they at length determined upon the latter
+course. It would be necessary to take out a lease from the authorities
+after obtaining one from the owner. I proceeded at once to make the
+proper negotiations.
+
+Another widow! My first experience in seeking to obtain a widow's
+plantation was not encouraging. The first widow was young, the second
+was old. Both were anxious to make a good bargain. In the first
+instance I had a rival, who proved victorious. In the second affair I
+had no rival at the outset, but was confronted with one when my suit
+was fairly under way. Before he came I obtained a promise of the
+widow's plantations. My rival made her a better offer than I had done.
+At this she proposed to desert me. I caused the elder Weller's advice
+to be whispered to him, hoping it might induce his withdrawal. He did
+not retire, and we, therefore, continued our struggle. _He_ was making
+proposals on his own behalf; I was proposing for myself and for Mr.
+Colburn, who was then a thousand miles away.
+
+My widow (I call her mine, for I won at last) desired us to give her
+all the corn and cotton then on the plantations, and half of what
+should be produced under our management. I offered her half the former
+and one-fourth the latter. These were the terms on which nearly
+all private plantations were being leased. She agreed to the offer
+respecting the corn and cotton then standing in the field, and
+demanded a third of the coming year's products. After some hesitation,
+we decided upon "splitting the difference." Upon many minor points,
+such as the sale of wood, stock, wool, etc., she had her own way.
+
+A contract was drawn up, which gave Colburn and myself the lease of
+the two plantations, "Aquasco" and "Monono," for the period of one
+year. We were to gather the crops then standing in the field, both
+cotton and corn, selling all the former and such portion of the latter
+as was not needed for the use of the plantations. We were to cultivate
+the plantations to the best of our abilities, subject to the fortunes
+of flood, fire, and pestilence, and the operations of military and
+marauding forces. We agreed to give up the plantations at the end of
+the year in as good condition as we found them in respect to stock,
+tools, etc., unless prevented by circumstances beyond our control. We
+were to have full supervision of the plantations, and manage them
+as we saw fit. We were to furnish such stock and tools as might be
+needed, with the privilege of removing the same at the time of our
+departure.
+
+Our widow (whom I shall call Mrs. B.) was to have one-half the
+proceeds of the corn and cotton then on the plantations, and seven
+twenty-fourths of such as might be produced during the year. She
+was to have the privilege of obtaining, once a week, the supplies of
+butter, chickens, meal, vegetables, and similar articles she might
+need for her family use. There were other provisions in the contract,
+but the essential points were those I have mentioned. The two
+plantations were to be under a single management. I shall have
+occasion to speak of them jointly, as "the plantation."
+
+With this contract duly signed, sealed, and stamped, I went to the
+"Agent for Abandoned Plantations." After some delay, and a payment
+of liberal fees, I obtained the Government lease. These preliminaries
+concluded, I proceeded to the locality of our temporary home. Colburn
+had not returned from the North, but was expected daily.
+
+The bayou which I have mentioned, running through the strip of woods
+which separated the plantations, formed the dividing line between the
+parishes "Concordia" and "Tensas," in the State of Louisiana. Lake St.
+John lay directly in rear of "Monono," our lower plantation. This lake
+was five or six miles long by one in width, and was, doubtless, the
+bed of the Mississippi many years ago.
+
+On each plantation there were ten dwelling-houses for the negroes. On
+one they were arranged in a double row, and on the other in a single
+row. There was a larger house for the overseer, and there were
+blacksmith shops, carpenter shops, stables, corn-cribs, meat-houses,
+cattle-yards, and gin-houses.
+
+On Aquasco there was a dwelling-house containing five large rooms, and
+having a wide veranda along its entire front. This dwelling-house was
+in a spacious inclosure, by the side of a fine garden. Inside this
+inclosure, and not far from the dwelling, were the quarters for the
+house-servants, the carriage-house and private stable, the smoke-house
+and the kitchen, which lay detached from the main building, according
+to the custom prevailing in the South.
+
+Our garden could boast of fig and orange trees, and other tropical
+productions. Pinks and roses we possessed in abundance. Of the latter
+we had enough in their season to furnish all the flower-girls on
+Broadway with a stock in trade. Our gardener "made his garden" in
+February. By the middle of March, his potatoes, cabbages, beets, and
+other vegetables under his care were making fine progress. Before
+the jingle of sleigh-bells had ceased in the Eastern States, we were
+feasting upon delicious strawberries from our own garden, ripened in
+the open air. The region where plowing begins in January, and corn is
+planted in February or early March, impresses a New Englander with its
+contrast to his boyhood home.
+
+When I took possession of our new property, the state of affairs was
+not the most pleasing. Mrs. B. had sent the best of her negroes to
+Texas shortly after the fall of Vicksburg. Those remaining on the
+plantations were not sufficient for our work. There were four mules
+where we needed fifty, and there was not a sufficient supply of
+oxen and wagons. Farming tools, plows, etc., were abundant, but many
+repairs must be made. There was enough of nearly every thing for a
+commencement. The rest would be secured in due season.
+
+Cotton and corn were in the field. The former was to receive immediate
+attention. On the day after my arrival I mustered thirty-four laborers
+of all ages and both sexes, and placed them at work, under the
+superintendence of a foreman. During the afternoon I visited them in
+the field, to observe the progress they were making. It was the first
+time I had ever witnessed the operation, but I am confident I did not
+betray my inexperience in the presence of my colored laborers. The
+foreman asked my opinion upon various points of plantation management,
+but I deferred making answer until a subsequent occasion. In every
+case I told him to do for the present as they had been accustomed, and
+I would make such changes as I saw fit from time to time.
+
+Cotton-picking requires skill rather than strength. The young women
+are usually the best pickers, on account of their superior dexterity.
+The cotton-stalk, or bush, is from two to five or six feet high. It is
+unlike any plant with which we are familiar in the North. It resembles
+a large currant-bush more nearly than any thing else I can think of.
+Where the branches are widest the plant is three or four feet from
+side to side. The lowest branches are the longest, and the plant,
+standing by itself, has a shape similar to that of the Northern
+spruce. The stalk is sometimes an inch and a half in diameter where
+it leaves the ground. Before the leaves have fallen, the rows in
+a cotton-field bear a strong resemblance to a series of untrimmed
+hedges.
+
+When fully opened, the cotton-bolls almost envelop the plant in their
+snow-white fiber. At a distance a cotton-field ready for the pickers
+forcibly reminds a Northerner of an expanse covered with snow. Our
+Northern expression, "white as snow," is not in use in the Gulf
+States. "White as cotton" is the form of comparison which takes its
+place.
+
+The pickers walk between the rows, and gather the cotton from the
+stalks on either side. Each one gathers half the cotton from the row
+on his right, and half of that on his left. Sometimes, when the stalks
+are low, one person takes an entire row to himself, and gathers from
+both sides of it. A bag is suspended by a strap over the shoulder, the
+end of the bag reaching the ground, so that its weight may not be
+an inconvenience. The open boll is somewhat like a fully bloomed
+water-lily. The skill in picking lies in thrusting the fingers
+into the boll so as to remove all the cotton with a single motion.
+Ordinary-pickers grasp the boll with one hand and pluck out the cotton
+with the other. Skillful pickers work with both hands, never touching
+the bolls, but removing the cotton by a single dextrous twist of the
+fingers. They can thus operate with great rapidity.
+
+As fast as the bags are filled, they are emptied into large baskets,
+which are placed at a corner of the field or at the ends of the rows.
+When the day's work is ended the cotton is weighed. The amount
+brought forward by each person is noted on a slate, from which it is
+subsequently recorded on the account-book of the plantation.
+
+From one to four hundred pounds, according to the state of the plants,
+is the proper allowance for each hand per day.
+
+In the days of slavery the "stint" was fixed by the overseer, and was
+required to be picked under severe penalties. It is needless to say
+that this stint was sufficiently large to allow of no loitering during
+the entire day. If the slave exceeded the quantity required of him,
+the excess was sometimes placed to his credit and deducted from a
+subsequent day. This was by no means the universal custom. Sometimes
+he received a small present or was granted some especial favor. By
+some masters the stint was increased by the addition of the excess.
+The task was always regulated by the condition of the cotton in the
+field. Where it would sometimes be three hundred pounds, at others it
+would not exceed one hundred.
+
+At the time I commenced my cotton-picking, the circumstances were not
+favorable to a large return. The picking season begins in August or
+September, and is supposed to end before Christmas. In my case it was
+late in January, and the winter rain had washed much of the cotton
+from the stalks. Under the circumstances I could not expect more than
+fifty or seventy-five pounds per day for each person engaged.
+
+During the first few days I did not weigh the cotton. I knew the
+average was not more than fifty pounds to each person, but the
+estimates which the negroes made fixed it at two hundred pounds. One
+night I astonished them by taking the weighing apparatus to the field
+and carefully weighing each basket. There was much disappointment
+among all parties at the result. The next day's picking showed a
+surprising improvement. After that time, each day's work was tested
+and the result announced. The "tell-tale," as the scales were
+sometimes called, was an overseer from whom there was no escape. I
+think the negroes worked faithfully as soon as they found there was no
+opportunity for deception.
+
+I was visited by Mrs. B.'s agent a few days after I became a
+cotton-planter. We took an inventory of the portable property that
+belonged to the establishment, and arranged some plans for our mutual
+advantage. This agent was a resident of Natchez. He was born in the
+North, but had lived so long in the slave States that his sympathies
+were wholly Southern. He assured me the negroes were the greatest
+liars in the world, and required continual watching. They would take
+every opportunity to neglect their work, and were always planning new
+modes of deception. They would steal every thing of which they could
+make any use, and many articles that they could not possibly dispose
+of. Pretending illness was among the most frequent devices for
+avoiding labor, and the overseer was constantly obliged to contend
+against such deception. In short, as far as I could ascertain
+from this gentleman, the negro was the embodiment of all earthly
+wickedness. Theft, falsehood, idleness, deceit, and many other sins
+which afflict mortals, were the especial heritance of the negro.
+
+In looking about me, I found that many of these charges against
+the negro were true. The black man was deceptive, and he was often
+dishonest. There can be no effect without a cause, and the reasons
+for this deception and dishonesty were apparent, without difficult
+research. The system of slavery necessitated a constant struggle
+between the slave and his overseer. It was the duty of the latter to
+obtain the greatest amount of labor from the sinews of the slave. It
+was the business of the slave to perform as little labor as possible.
+It made no difference to him whether the plantation produced a hundred
+or a thousand bales. He received nothing beyond his subsistence and
+clothing. His labor had no compensation, and his balance-sheet at the
+end of the month or year was the same, whether he had been idle or
+industrious. It was plainly to his personal interest to do nothing he
+could in any way avoid. The negro displayed his sagacity by deceiving
+the overseer whenever he could do so. The best white man in the world
+would have shunned all labor under such circumstances. The negro
+evinced a pardonable weakness in pretending to be ill whenever he
+could hope to make the pretense successful.
+
+Receiving no compensation for his services, beyond his necessary
+support, the negro occasionally sought to compensate himself. He was
+fond of roasted pork, but that article did not appear on the list
+of plantation rations. Consequently some of the negroes would make
+clandestine seizure of the fattest pigs when the chance of detection
+was not too great. It was hard to convince them that the use of one
+piece of property for the benefit of another piece, belonging to the
+same person, was a serious offense.
+
+"You see, Mr. K----," said a negro to me, admitting that he had
+sometimes stolen his master's hogs, "you see, master owns his
+saddle-horse, and he owns lots of corn. Master would be very mad if I
+didn't give the horse all the corn he wanted. Now, he owns me, and he
+owns a great many hogs. I like hog, just as much as the horse likes
+corn, but when master catches me killing the hogs he is very mad, and
+he makes the overseer whip me."
+
+Corn, chickens, flour, meal, in fact, every thing edible, became
+legitimate plunder for the negroes when the rations furnished them
+were scanty. I believe that in nine cases out of ten the petty thefts
+which the negroes committed were designed to supply personal wants,
+rather than for any other purpose. What the negro stole was usually an
+article of food, and it was nearly always stolen from the plantation
+where he belonged.
+
+Sometimes there was a specially bad negro--one who had been caught in
+some extraordinary dishonesty. One in my employ was reported to
+have been shot at while stealing from a dwelling-house several years
+before. Among two hundred negroes, he was the only noted rascal. I
+did not attribute his dishonesty to his complexion alone. I have known
+worse men than he, in whose veins there was not a drop of African
+blood. The police records everywhere show that wickedness of heart
+"dwells in white and black the same."
+
+With his disadvantages of position, the absence of all moral training,
+and the dishonesty which was the natural result of the old system
+of labor, the negro could not be expected to observe all the rules
+prescribed for his guidance, but which were never explained. Like
+ignorant and degraded people everywhere, many of the negroes believed
+that guilt lay mainly in detection. There was little wickedness in
+stealing a pig or a chicken, if the theft were never discovered, and
+there was no occasion for allowing twinges of conscience to disturb
+the digestion.
+
+I do not intend to intimate, by the above, that all were dishonest,
+even in these small peculations. There were many whose sense of right
+and wrong was very clear, and whose knowledge of their duties had been
+derived from the instructions of the white preachers. These negroes
+"obeyed their masters" in every thing, and considered it a religious
+obligation to be always faithful. They never avoided their tasks, in
+the field or elsewhere, and were never discovered doing any wrong.
+Under the new system of labor at the South, this portion of the negro
+population will prove of great advantage in teaching their kindred the
+duties they owe to each other. When all are trained to think and
+act for themselves, the negroes will, doubtless, prove as correct in
+morals as the white people around them.
+
+Early in the present year, the authorities at Davies' Bend, below
+Vicksburg, established a negro court, in which all petty cases were
+tried. The judge, jury, counsel, and officers were negroes, and no
+white man was allowed to interfere during the progress of a trial.
+After the decisions were made, the statement of the case and the
+action thereon were referred to the superintendent of the Government
+plantations at that point.
+
+It was a noticeable feature that the punishments which the negroes
+decreed for each other were of a severe character. Very frequently it
+was necessary for the authorities to modify the sentences after the
+colored judge had rendered them. The cases tried by the court related
+to offenses of a minor character, such as theft, fraud, and various
+delinquencies of the freed negroes.
+
+The experiment of a negro court is said to have been very successful,
+though it required careful watching. It was made in consequence of
+a desire of the authorities to teach the freedmen how to govern
+themselves. The planters in the vicinity were as bitterly opposed to
+the movement as to any other effort that lifts the negro above his old
+position.
+
+At the present time, several parties in Vicksburg have leased three
+plantations, in as many localities, and are managing them on different
+plans. On the first they furnish the negroes with food and clothing,
+and divide the year's income with them. On the second they pay wages
+at the rate of ten dollars per month, furnishing rations free, and
+retaining half the money until the end of the year. On the third they
+pay daily wages of one dollar, having the money ready at nightfall,
+the negro buying his own rations at a neighboring store.
+
+On the first plantation, the negroes are wasteful of their supplies,
+as they are not liable for any part of their cost. They are inclined
+to be idle, as their share in the division will not be materially
+affected by the loss of a few days' labor. On the second they are less
+wasteful and more industrious, but the distance of the day of payment
+is not calculated to develop notions of strict economy. On the third
+they generally display great frugality, and are far more inclined to
+labor than on the other plantations.
+
+The reason is apparent. On the first plantation their condition is
+not greatly changed from that of slavery, except in the promise of
+compensation and the absence of compulsory control. In the last case
+they are made responsible both for their labor and expenses, and are
+learning how to care for themselves as freemen.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+RULES AND REGULATIONS UNDER THE OLD AND NEW SYSTEMS.
+
+The Plantation Record.--Its Uses.--Interesting Memoranda.--Dogs,
+Jail, and Stocks.--Instructions to the Overseer.--His Duties and
+Responsibilities.--The Order of General Banks.--Management of
+Plantations in the Department of the Gulf.--The two Documents
+Contrasted.--One of the Effects of "an Abolition War."
+
+
+Nearly every planter in the South required the manager of his
+plantation to keep a record of all events of importance. Books were
+prepared by a publishing house in New Orleans, with special reference
+to their use by overseers. These books had a blank for every day in
+the year, in which the amount and kind of work performed were to be
+recorded by the overseer. There were blanks for noting the progress
+during the picking season, and the amount picked by each person daily.
+There were blanks for monthly and yearly inventories of stock, tools,
+etc., statements of supplies received and distributed, lists of births
+and deaths (there were no blanks for marriages), time and amount
+of shipments of cotton, and for all the ordinary business of a
+plantation. In the directions for the use of this book, I found the
+following:--
+
+
+"On the pages marked I, the planter himself will make a careful record
+of all the negroes upon the plantation, stating their ages as nearly
+as possible, and their cash value, at the commencement of the year.
+At the close, he will again enter their individual value at that time,
+adding the year's increase, and omitting those that may have died. The
+difference can then be transferred to the balance-sheet. The year's
+crop is chargeable with any depreciation in the value of the negroes,
+occasioned by overwork and improper management, in the effort,
+perhaps, to make an extra crop independent of every other
+consideration. On the other hand, should the number of children have
+greatly increased during the year; the strength and usefulness of the
+old been sustained by kind treatment and care; the youngsters taught
+to be useful, and, perhaps, some of the men instructed in trades and
+the women in home manufactures, the increased value of the entire
+force will form a handsome addition to the side of _profits_."
+
+
+On the pages where the daily incidents of the plantation were
+recorded, I frequently discovered entries that illustrated the
+"peculiar institution." Some of them read thus:--
+
+
+_June 5th_.
+Whipped Harry and Sarah to-day, because they didn't keep up their
+rows. _July 7th_. Aleck ran away to the woods, because I threatened
+to whip him.
+
+_July 9th_.
+Got Mr. Hall's dogs and hunted Aleck. Didn't find him. Think he is in
+the swamp back of Brandon's.
+
+_July 12th_.
+Took Aleck out of Vidalia jail. Paid $4.50 for jail fees. Put him in
+the stocks when we got home.
+
+_July 30th_.
+Moses died this morning. Charles and Henry buried him. His wife was
+allowed to keep out of the field until noon.
+
+_August 10th_.
+Sent six mules and four negroes down to the lower plantation. They
+will come back to-morrow.
+
+_September 9th_.
+John said he was sick this morning, but I made him go to the field.
+They brought him in before noon. He has a bad fever. Am afraid he
+won't be able to go out again soon.
+
+_September 20th_.
+Whipped Susan, because she didn't pick as much cotton as she did
+yesterday.
+
+_September 29th_.
+Put William in the stocks and kept him till sunset, for telling
+Charles he wanted to run away.
+
+_October 8th_. William and Susan want to be married. Told them I
+should not allow it, but they might live together if they wanted to.
+
+
+(The above memorandum was explained to me by one of the negroes. The
+owner of the plantation did not approve of marriages, because they
+were inconvenient in case it was desired to sell a portion of the
+working force.)
+
+
+_October 1st_. Took an inventory of the negroes and stock. Their value
+is about the same as when the last inventory was taken.
+
+_December 3d_. Finished picking. Gave the negroes half a holiday.
+
+Nearly every day's entry shows the character and amount of work
+performed. Thus we have:--
+
+
+_February 10th_. Fifteen plows running, five hands piling logs, four
+hands ditching, six hands in trash-gang.
+
+
+In the planting, hoeing, and picking seasons, the result of the labor
+was recorded in the same manner. Whippings were more or less frequent,
+according to the character of the overseer. Under one overseer I found
+that whippings were rare. Under other overseers they were of common
+occurrence.
+
+The individual who prepared the "_Plantation Record_" for the
+publishers, gave, in addition to directions for its use, instructions
+for the overseer's general conduct.
+
+I copy them below, preserving the author's language throughout.
+
+
+THE DUTIES OF AN OVERSEER.
+
+It is here supposed that the overseer is not immediately under his
+employer's eye, but is left for days or weeks, perhaps months, to the
+exercise of his own judgment in the management of the plantation. To
+him we would say--
+
+Bear in mind, that you have engaged for a stated sum of money, to
+devote your time and energies, for an entire year, _to one object_--to
+carry out the orders of your employer, strictly, cheerfully, and
+to the best of your ability; and, in all things, to study his
+interests--requiring something more than your mere presence on the
+plantation, and that at such times as suits your own pleasure and
+convenience.
+
+On entering upon your duties, inform yourself thoroughly of the
+condition of the plantation, negroes, stock, implements, etc. Learn
+the views of your employer as to the general course of management he
+wishes pursued, and make up your mind to carry out these views fully,
+as far as in your power. If any objections occur to you, state them
+distinctly, that they may either be yielded to or overcome.
+
+Where full and particular directions are not given to you, but you are
+left, in a great measure, to the exercise of your own judgment, you
+will find the following hints of service. They are compiled from
+excellent sources--from able articles in the agricultural journals
+of the day, from Washington's Directions to his Overseers, and from
+personal experience.
+
+"I do, in explicit terms, enjoin it upon you to remain constantly at
+home (unless called off by unavoidable business, or to attend Divine
+worship), and to be constantly with your people when there. There is
+no other sure way of getting work well done, and quietly, by negroes;
+for when an overlooker's back is turned the most of them will slight
+their work, or be idle altogether. In which case correction cannot
+retrieve either, but often produces evils which are worse than the
+disease. Nor is there any other mode than this to prevent thieving and
+other disorders, the consequences of opportunities. You will recollect
+that your time is paid for by me, and if I am deprived of it, it
+is worse even than robbing my purse, because it is also a breach of
+trust, which every honest man ought to hold most sacred. You have
+found me, and you will continue to find me, faithful to my part of the
+agreement which was made with you, whilst you are attentive to your
+part; but it is to be remembered that a breach on one side releases
+the obligation on the other."
+
+Neither is it right that you should entertain a constant run of
+company at your house, incurring unnecessary expense, taking up your
+own time and that of the servants beyond what is needful for your own
+comfort--a woman to cook and wash for you, milk, make butter, and so
+on. More than this you have no claim to.
+
+Endeavor to take the same interest in every thing upon the place,
+as if it were your own; indeed, the responsibility in this case is
+greater than if it were all your own--having been intrusted to you by
+another. Unless you feel thus, it is impossible that you can do your
+employer justice.
+
+The health of the negroes under your charge is an important matter.
+Much of the usual sickness among them is the result of carelessness
+and mismanagement. Overwork or unnecessary exposure to rain,
+insufficient clothing, improper or badly-cooked food, and night
+rambles, are all fruitful causes of disease. A great majority of the
+cases you should be yourself competent to manage, or you are unfit for
+the place you hold; but whenever you find that the case is one you do
+not understand, send for a physician, if such is the general order of
+the owner. By exerting yourself to have their clothing ready in good
+season; to arrange profitable in-door employment in wet weather;
+to see that an abundant supply of wholesome, _well-cooked food_,
+including plenty of vegetables, be supplied to them _at regular
+hours_; that the sick be cheered and encouraged, and some extra
+comforts allowed them, and the convalescent not exposed to the chances
+of a relapse; that women, whilst nursing, be kept as near to the
+nursery as possible, but at no time allowed to suckle their children
+when overheated; that the infant be nursed three times during the day,
+in addition to the morning and evening; that no whisky be allowed upon
+the place at any time or under any circumstances; but that they have,
+whilst heated and at work, plenty of pure, _cool_ water; that care be
+taken to prevent the hands from carrying their baskets full of cotton
+on their head--a most injurious practice; and, in short, that such
+means be used for their comfort as every judicious, humane man will
+readily think of, you will find the amount of sickness gradually
+lessened.
+
+Next to the negroes, the stock on the place will require your constant
+attention. You can, however, spare yourself much trouble by your
+choice of a stock-minder, and by adopting and enforcing a strict
+system in the care of the stock. It is a part of their duty in which
+overseers are generally most careless.
+
+The horse and mule stock are first in importance. Unless these are
+kept in good condition, it is impossible that the work can go on
+smoothly, or your crop be properly tended. Put your stable in good
+order; and, if possible, inclose it so that it can be kept under
+lock. Place a steady, careful old man there as hostler, making him
+responsible for every thing, and that directly to yourself. The
+foreman of the plow-gang, and the hands under his care, should be made
+answerable to the hostler--whose business it is to have the feed cut
+up, ground, and ready; the stalls well littered and cleaned out at
+proper intervals; to attend to sick or maimed animals; to see that the
+gears are always hung in their proper place, kept in good order, and
+so on.
+
+It is an easy matter to keep horses or mules fat, with a full and open
+corn-crib and abundance of fodder. But that overseer shows his good
+management who can keep his teams fat at the least expense of corn
+and fodder. The waste of those articles in the South, through shameful
+carelessness and neglect, is immense; as food for stock, they are most
+expensive articles. Oats, millet, peas (vine and all), broadcast corn,
+Bermuda and crab-grass hay, are all much cheaper and equally good.
+Any one of these crops, fed whilst green--the oats and millet as they
+begin to shoot, the peas to blossom, and the corn when tasseling--with
+a feed of dry oats, corn, or corn-chop at noon, will keep a plow-team
+in fine order all the season. In England, where they have the finest
+teams in the world, this course _is invariably pursued_, for its
+economy. From eight to nine hours per day is as long as the team
+should be at actual work. They will perform more upon less feed, and
+keep in better order for a _push_ when needful, worked briskly in that
+way, than when kept dragging a plow all day long at a slow pace.
+And the hands have leisure to rest, to cut up feed, clean and repair
+gears, and so on.
+
+Oxen. No more work oxen should be retained than can be kept at all
+times in good order. An abundant supply of green feed during
+spring and summer, cut and fed as recommended above, and in winter
+well-boiled cotton-seed, with a couple of quarts of meal in it per
+head; turnips, raw or cooked; corn-cobs soaked twenty-four hours
+in salt and water; shucks, pea-vines, etc., passed through a
+cutting-box--any thing of the kind, in short, is cheaper food for them
+in winter, and will keep them in better order than dry corn and shucks
+or fodder.
+
+Indeed, the fewer cattle are kept on any place the better, unless the
+range is remarkably good. When young stock of any kind are stinted of
+their proper food, and their growth receives a check, they never can
+wholly recover it. Let the calves have a fair share of milk, and also
+as much of the cooked food prepared for the cows and oxen as they will
+eat; with at times a little dry meal to lick. When cows or oxen show
+symptoms of failing, from age or otherwise, fatten them off at
+once; and if killed for the use of the place, _save the hide
+carefully_--rubbing at least two quarts of salt upon it; then roll up
+for a day or two, when it may be stretched and dried.
+
+Hogs are generally sadly mismanaged. Too many are kept, and kept
+badly. One good brood sow for every five hands on a place, is amply
+sufficient--indeed, more pork will be cured from these than from a
+greater number. Provide at least two good grazing lots for them, with
+Bermuda, crab-grass, or clover, which does as well at Washington,
+Miss., as anywhere in the world, with two bushels of ground plaster to
+the acre, sowed over it. Give a steady, trusty hand no other work to
+do but to feed and care for them. With a large set kettle or two, an
+old mule and cart to haul his wood for fuel, cotton-seed, turnips,
+etc., for feed, and leaves for bedding, he can do full justice to one
+hundred head, old and young. They will increase and thrive finely,
+with good grazing, and a full mess, twice a day, of swill prepared as
+follows: Sound cotton-seed, with a gallon of corn-meal to the bushel,
+a quart of oak or hickory ashes, a handful of salt, and a good
+proportion of turnips or green food of any kind, even clover or peas;
+the whole thoroughly--mind you, _thoroughly_ cooked--then thrown into
+a large trough, and there allowed _to become sour before being fed_.
+
+Sheep may be under the charge of the stock-minder; from ten to twenty
+to the hand may be generally kept with advantage.
+
+Sick animals require close and judicious attention. Too frequently
+they are either left to get well or to die of themselves, or are bled
+and dosed with nauseous mixtures indiscriminately. Study the subject
+of the diseases of animals during your leisure evenings, which you
+can do from some of the many excellent works on the subject. _Think_
+before you _act_. When your animal has fever, nature would dictate
+that all stimulating articles of diet or medicine should be avoided.
+Bleeding may be necessary to reduce the force of the circulation;
+purging, to remove irritating substances from the bowels; moist,
+light, and easily-digested food, that his weakened digestion may not
+be oppressed; cool drinks, to allay his thirst, and, to some extent,
+compensate for diminished secretions; rest and quiet, to prevent undue
+excitement in his system, and so on through the whole catalogue of
+diseases--but do nothing without a reason. Carry out this principle,
+and you will probably do much good--hardly great harm; go upon any
+other, and your measures are more likely to be productive of injury
+than benefit.
+
+The implements and tools require a good deal of looking after. By
+keeping a memorandum of the distribution of any set of tools, they
+will be much more likely to be forthcoming at the end of the month.
+Axes, hoes, and other small tools, of which every hand has his own,
+should have his number marked upon it with a steel punch. The strict
+enforcement of one single rule will keep every thing straight: "Have a
+place for every thing, and see that every thing is in its place."
+
+Few instances of good management will better please an employer than
+that of having all of the winter clothing spun and woven on the place.
+By having a room devoted to that purpose, under charge of some one
+of the old women, where those who may be complaining a little, or
+convalescent after sickness, may be employed in some light work, and
+where all of the women may be sent in wet weather, more than enough of
+both cotton and woolen yarn can be spun for the supply of the place.
+
+Of the principal staple crop of the plantation, whether cotton, sugar,
+or rice, we shall not here speak.
+
+Of the others--the provision crops--there is most commonly enough made
+upon most plantations for their own supply. Rarely, however, is it
+saved without great and inexcusable waste, and fed out without still
+greater. And this, to their lasting shame be it said, is too often the
+case to a disgraceful extent, when an overseer feels satisfied that he
+will not remain another year upon the place. His conduct should be the
+very opposite of this--an honorable, right-thinking man will feel a
+particular degree of pride in leaving every thing in thorough order,
+and especially an abundant supply of all kinds of feed. He thus
+establishes a character for himself which _must_ have its effect.
+
+Few plantations are so rich in soil as not to be improved by manure.
+Inform yourself of the best means, suited to the location and soil
+of the place under, your charge, of improving it in this and in every
+other way. When an opportunity offers, carry out these improvements.
+Rely upon it there are few employers who will not see and reward such
+efforts. Draining, ditching, circling, hedging, road-making, building,
+etc., may all be effected to a greater or less extent every season.
+
+During the long evenings of winter improve your own mind and the
+knowledge of your profession by reading and study. The many excellent
+agricultural periodicals and books now published afford good and cheap
+opportunities for this.
+
+It is indispensable that you exercise judgment and consideration in
+the management of the negroes under your charge. Be _firm_, and, at
+the same time, _gentle_ in your control. Never display yourself before
+them in a passion; and even if inflicting the severest punishment, do
+so in a mild, cool manner, and it will produce a tenfold effect. When
+you find it necessary to use the whip--and desirable as it would be to
+dispense with it entirely, it _is_ necessary at times--apply it slowly
+and deliberately, and to the extent you had determined, in your own
+mind, to be needful before you began. The indiscriminate, constant,
+and excessive use of the whip is altogether unnecessary and
+inexcusable. When it can be done without a too great loss of time,
+the stocks offer a means of punishment greatly to be preferred. So
+secured, in a lonely, quiet place, where no communication can be held
+with any one, nothing but bread and water allowed, and the confinement
+extending from Saturday, when they drop work, until Sabbath evening,
+will prove much more effectual in preventing a repetition of the
+offense, than any amount of whipping. Never threaten a negro, but if
+you have occasion to punish, do it at once, or say nothing until
+ready to do so. A violent and passionate threat will often scare the
+best-disposed negro to the woods. Always keep your word with them, in
+punishments as well as in rewards. If you have named the penalty for
+any certain offense, inflict it without listening to a word of excuse.
+Never forgive that in one that you would punish in another, but treat
+all alike, showing no favoritism. By pursuing such a course, you
+convince them that you act from principle and not from impulse, and
+will certainly enforce your rules. Whenever an opportunity is
+afforded you for rewarding continued good behavior, do not let it
+pass--occasional rewards have a much better effect than frequent
+punishments.
+
+Never be induced by a course of good behavior on the part of the
+negroes to relax the strictness of your discipline; but, when you have
+by judicious management brought them to that state, keep them so
+by the same means. By taking frequent strolls about the premises,
+including of course the quarter and stock yards, during the evening,
+and at least twice a week during the night, you will put a more
+effectual stop to any irregularities than by the most severe
+punishments. The only way to keep a negro honest, is not to trust him.
+This seems a harsh assertion; but it is, unfortunately, too true.
+
+You will find that an hour devoted, every Sabbath morning, to their
+moral and religious instruction, would prove a great aid to you in
+bringing about a better state of things among the negroes. It has
+been thoroughly tried, and with the most satisfactory results, in many
+parts of the South. As a mere matter of interest it has proved to be
+advisable--to say nothing of it as a point of duty. The effect upon
+their general good behavior, their cleanliness, and good conduct on
+the Sabbath, is such as alone to recommend it to both planter and
+overseer.
+
+In conclusion:--Bear in mind that _a fine crop_ consists, first, in an
+increase in the number, and a marked improvement in the condition and
+value, of the negroes; second, an abundance of provision of all sorts
+for man and beast, carefully saved and properly housed; third, both
+summer and winter clothing made at home; also leather tanned, and
+shoes and harness made, when practicable; fourth, an improvement in
+the productive qualities of the land, and in the general condition of
+the plantation; fifth, the team and stock generally, with the farming
+implements and the buildings, in fine order at the close of the year;
+and young hogs more than enough for next year's killing; _then_, as
+heavy a crop of cotton, sugar, or rice as could possibly be made
+under these circumstances, sent to market in good season, and of prime
+quality. The time has passed when the overseer is valued solely upon
+the number of bales of cotton, hogsheads of sugar, or tierces of rice
+he has made, without reference to other qualifications.
+
+
+In contrast with the instructions to overseers under the old
+management, I present the proclamation of General Banks, regulating
+the system of free labor in the Department of the Gulf. These
+regulations were in force, in 1864, along the Mississippi, from Helena
+to New Orleans. They were found admirably adapted to the necessities
+of the case. With a few changes, they have been continued in operation
+during the present year:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, NEW ORLEANS, _February_ 3, 1864.
+
+GENERAL ORDERS, NO. 23.
+
+The following general regulations are published for the information
+and government of all interested in the subject of compensated
+plantation labor, public or private, during the present year, and in
+continuation of the system established January 30, 1863:--
+
+I. The enlistment of soldiers from plantations under cultivation in
+this department having been suspended by order of the Government, will
+not be resumed except upon direction of the same high authority.
+
+II. The Provost-Marshal-General is instructed to provide for the
+division of parishes into police and school districts, and to organize
+from invalid soldiers a competent police for the preservation of
+order.
+
+III. Provision will be made for the establishment of a sufficient
+number of schools, one at least for each of the police and school
+districts, for the instruction of colored children under twelve years
+of age, which, when established, will be placed under the direction of
+the Superintendent of Public Education.
+
+IV. Soldiers will not be allowed to visit plantations without the
+written consent of the commanding officer of the regiment or post to
+which they are attached, and never with arms, except when on duty,
+accompanied by an officer.
+
+V. Plantation hands will not be allowed to pass from one place to
+another, except under such regulations as may be established by the
+provost-marshal of the parish.
+
+VI. Flogging and other cruel or unusual punishments are interdicted.
+
+VII. Planters will be required, as early as practicable after the
+publication of these regulations, to make a roll of persons employed
+upon their estates, and to transmit the same to the provost marshal of
+the parish. In the employment of hands, the unity of families will be
+secured as far as possible.
+
+VIII. All questions between the employer and the employed, until other
+tribunals are established, will be decided by the provost-marshal of
+the parish.
+
+IX. Sick and disabled persons will be provided for upon the
+plantations to which they belong, except such as may be received in
+establishments provided for them by the Government, of which one will
+be established at Algiers and one at Baton Rouge.
+
+X. The unauthorized purchase of clothing, or other property, from
+laborers, will be punished by fine and imprisonment. The sale of
+whisky or other intoxicating drinks to them, or to other persons,
+except under regulations established by the Provost-Marshal-General,
+will be followed by the severest punishment.
+
+XL The possession of arms, or concealed or dangerous weapons, without
+authority, will be punished by fine and imprisonment.
+
+XII. Laborers shall render to their employer, between daylight
+and dark, _ten_ hours in summer, and _nine_ hours in winter, of
+respectful, honest, faithful labor, and receive therefor, in addition
+to just treatment, healthy rations, comfortable clothing, quarters,
+fuel, medical attendance, and instruction for children, wages per
+month as follows, payment of one-half of which, at least, shall be
+reserved until the end of the year:--
+
+For first-class hands..... $8.00 per month.
+For second-class hands....  6.00 " "
+For third-class hands.....  5.00 " "
+For fourth-class hands....  3.00 " "
+
+Engineers and foremen, when faithful in the discharge of their
+duties, will be paid $2 per month extra. This schedule of wages may
+be commuted, by consent of both parties, at the rate of one-fourteenth
+part of the net proceeds of the crop, to be determined and paid at
+the end of the year. Wages will be deducted in case of sickness,
+and rations, also, when sickness is feigned. Indolence, insolence,
+disobedience of orders, and crime will be suppressed by forfeiture of
+pay, and such punishments as are provided for similar offenses by Army
+Regulations. Sunday work will be avoided when practicable, but when
+necessary will be considered as extra labor, and paid at the rates
+specified herein.
+
+XIII. Laborers will be permitted to choose their employers, but when
+the agreement is made they will be held to their engagement for one
+year, under the protection of the Government. In cases of attempted
+imposition, by feigning sickness, or stubborn refusal of duty, they
+will be turned over to the provost-marshal of the parish, for labor
+upon the public works, without pay.
+
+XIV. Laborers will be permitted to cultivate land on private account,
+as herein specified, as follows:
+
+First and second class hands, with families..... 1   acre each.
+First and second class hands, without families.. 1/2  "    "
+Second and third class hands, with families..... 1/2  "    "
+Second and third class hands, without families.. 1/4  "    "
+
+To be increased for good conduct at the discretion of the employer.
+The encouragement of independent industry will strengthen all the
+advantages which capital derives from labor, and enable the laborer
+to take care of himself and prepare for the time when he can render so
+much labor for so much money, which is the great end to be attained.
+No exemption will be made in this apportionment, except upon
+imperative reasons; and it is desirable that for good conduct the
+quantity be increased until faithful hands can be allowed to cultivate
+extensive tracts, returning to the owner an equivalent of product for
+rent of soil.
+
+XV. To protect the laborer from possible imposition, no commutation
+of his supplies will be allowed, except in clothing, which may be
+commuted at the rate of $3 per month for first-class hands, and in
+similar proportion for other classes. The crops will stand pledged,
+wherever found, for the wages of labor.
+
+XVI. It is advised, as far as practicable, that employers provide for
+the current wants of their hands, by perquisites for extra labor,
+or by appropriation of land for share cultivation; to discourage
+monthly-payments so far as it can be done without discontent, and to
+reserve till the full harvest the yearly wages.
+
+XVII. A FREE-LABOR BANK will be established for the safe deposit of
+all accumulations of wages and other savings; and in order to avoid a
+possible wrong to depositors, by official defalcation, authority will
+be asked to connect the bank with the Treasury of the United States in
+this department.
+
+XVIII. The transportation of negro families to other countries
+will not be approved. All propositions for this privilege have been
+declined, and application has been made to other departments for
+surplus negro families for service in this department.
+
+XIX. The last year's experience shows that the planter and the negro
+comprehend the revolution. The overseer, having little interest
+in capital, and less sympathy with labor, dislikes the trouble of
+thinking, and discredits the notion that any thing new has occurred.
+He is a relic of the past, and adheres to its customs. His stubborn
+refusal to comprehend the condition of things, occasioned most of
+the embarrassments of the past year. Where such incomprehension is
+chronic, reduced wages, diminished rations, and the mild punishments
+imposed by the army and navy, will do good.
+
+XX. These regulations are based upon the assumption that labor is a
+public duty, and idleness and vagrancy a crime. No civil or military
+officer of the Government is exempt from the operation of this
+universal rule. Every enlightened community has enforced it upon
+all classes of people by the severest penalties. It is especially
+necessary in agricultural pursuits. That portion of the people
+identified with the cultivation of the soil, however changed in
+condition by the revolution through which we are passing, is not
+relieved from the necessity of toil, which is the condition of
+existence with all the children of God. The revolution has altered its
+tenure, but not its law. This universal law of labor will be enforced,
+upon just terms, by the Government under whose protection the laborer
+rests secure in his rights. Indolence, disorder, and crime will be
+suppressed. Having exercised the highest right in the choice and place
+of employment, he must be held to the fulfillment of his
+engagements, until released therefrom by the Government. The several
+provost-marshals are hereby invested with plenary powers upon
+all matters connected with labor, subject to the approval of the
+Provost-Marshal-General and the commanding officer of the department.
+The most faithful and discreet officers will be selected for this
+duty, and the largest force consistent with the public service
+detailed for their assistance.
+
+XXI. Employers, and especially overseers, are notified, that undue
+influence used to move the marshal from his just balance between
+the parties representing labor and capital, will result in immediate
+change of officers, and thus defeat that regular and stable system
+upon which the interests of all parties depend.
+
+XXII. Successful industry is especially necessary at the present time,
+when large public debts and onerous taxes are imposed to maintain and
+protect the liberties of the people and the integrity of the Union.
+All officers, civil or military, and all classes of citizens who
+assist in extending the profits of labor, and increasing the product
+of the soil upon which, in the end, all national prosperity and power
+depends, will render to the Government a service as great as that
+derived from the terrible sacrifices of battle. It is upon such
+consideration only that the planter is entitled to favor. The
+Government has accorded to him, in a period of anarchy, a release from
+the disorders resulting mainly from insensate and mad resistance to
+sensible reforms, which can never be rejected without revolution,
+and the criminal surrender of his interests and power to crazy
+politicians, who thought by metaphysical abstractions to circumvent
+the laws of God. It has restored to him in improved, rather than
+impaired condition, his due privileges, at a moment when, by his own
+acts, the very soil was washed from beneath his feet.
+
+XXIII. A more majestic and wise clemency human history does not
+exhibit. The liberal and just conditions that attend it cannot be
+disregarded. It protects labor by enforcing the performance of its
+duty, and it will assist capital by compelling just contributions to
+the demands of the Government. Those who profess allegiance to other
+Governments will be required, as the condition of residence in this
+State, to acquiesce, without reservation, in the demands presented by
+Government as a basis of permanent peace. The non-cultivation of the
+soil, without just reason, will be followed by temporary forfeiture to
+those who will secure its improvement. Those who have exercised or
+are entitled to the rights of citizens of the United States, will
+be required to participate in the measures necessary for the
+re-establishment of civil government. War can never cease except as
+civil governments crush out contest, and secure the supremacy of moral
+over physical power. The yellow harvest must wave over the crimson
+field of blood, and the representatives of the people displace the
+agents of purely military power.
+
+XXIV. The amnesty offered for the past is conditioned upon an
+unreserved loyalty for the future, and this condition will be enforced
+with an iron hand. Whoever is indifferent or hostile, must choose
+between the liberty which foreign lands afford, the poverty of the
+Rebel States, and the innumerable and inappreciable blessings which
+our Government confers upon its people.
+
+May God preserve the Union of the States!
+
+By order of Major-General Banks.
+
+Official:
+GEORGE B. DRAKE,
+_Assistant Adjutant-General_.
+
+
+The two documents have little similarity. Both are appropriate to the
+systems they are intended to regulate. It is interesting to compare
+their merits at the present time. It will be doubly interesting to
+make a similar comparison twenty years hence.
+
+While I was in Natchez, a resident of that city called my attention to
+one of the "sad results of this horrid, Yankee war."
+
+"Do you see that young man crossing the street toward ----'s store?"
+
+I looked in the direction indicated, and observed a person whom I
+supposed to be twenty-five years of age, and whose face bore the
+marks of dissipation. I signified, by a single word, that I saw the
+individual in question.
+
+"His is a sad case," my Southern friend remarked.
+
+"Whisky, isn't it?"
+
+"Oh, no, I don't mean that. He does drink some, I know, but what I
+mean is this: His father died about five years ago. He left his son
+nothing but fourteen or fifteen niggers. They were all smart, young
+hands, and he has been able to hire them out, so as to bring a
+yearly income of two thousand dollars. This has supported him very
+comfortably. This income stopped a year ago. The niggers have all run
+away, and that young man is now penniless, and without any means of
+support. It is one of the results of your infernal Abolition war."
+
+I assented that it was a very hard case, and ought to be brought
+before Congress at the earliest moment. That a promising young man
+should be deprived of the means of support in consequence of this
+Abolition war, is unfortunate--for the man.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+OUR FREE-LABOR ENTERPRISE IN PROGRESS.
+
+The Negroes at Work.--Difficulties in the Way.--A Public Meeting.--A
+Speech.--A Negro's Idea of Freedom.--A Difficult Question to
+Determine.--Influence of Northern and Southern Men Contrasted.--An
+Increase of Numbers.--"Ginning" Cotton.--In the Lint-Room.--Mills and
+Machinery of a Plantation.--A Profitable Enterprise.
+
+
+On each of the plantations the negroes were at work in the
+cotton-field. I rode from one to the other, as circumstances made it
+necessary, and observed the progress that was made. I could easily
+perceive they had been accustomed to performing their labor under
+fear of the lash. Some of them took advantage of the opportunity for
+carelessness and loitering under the new arrangement. I could not be
+in the field at all times, to give them my personal supervision. Even
+if I were constantly present, there was now no lash to be feared.
+I saw that an explanation of the new state of affairs would be an
+advantage to all concerned. On the first Sunday of my stay on the
+plantation, I called all the negroes together, in order to give them
+an understanding of their position.
+
+I made a speech that I adapted as nearly as possible to the
+comprehension of my hearers. My audience was attentive throughout.
+I made no allusions to Homer, Dante, or Milton; I did not quote from
+Gibbon or Macaulay, and I neglected to call their attention to the
+spectacle they were presenting to the crowned heads of Europe. I
+explained to them the change the war had made in their condition,
+and the way in which it had been effected. I told them that all cruel
+modes of punishment had been abolished. The negroes were free, but
+they must understand that freedom did not imply idleness. I read to
+them the regulations established by the commissioners, and explained
+each point as clearly as I was able. After I had concluded, I offered
+to answer any questions they might ask.
+
+There were many who could not understand why, if they were free, they
+should be restricted from going where they pleased at all times. I
+explained that it was necessary, for the successful management of the
+plantation, that I should always be able to rely upon them. I asked
+them to imagine my predicament if they should lose half their time, or
+go away altogether, in the busiest part of the season. They "saw
+the point" at once, and readily acknowledged the necessity of
+subordination.
+
+I found no one who imagined that his freedom conferred the right of
+idleness and vagrancy. All expected to labor in their new condition,
+but they expected compensation for their labor, and did not look for
+punishment. They expected, further, that their families would not
+be separated, and that they could be allowed to acquire property for
+themselves. I know there were many negroes in the South who expected
+they would neither toil nor spin after being set free, but the belief
+was by no means universal. The story of the negro at Vicksburg, who
+expected his race to assemble in New York after the war, "and have
+white men for niggers," is doubtless true, but it would find little
+credence with the great majority of the freedmen of the South.
+
+The schedule of wages, as established by the commissioners, was read
+and explained. The negroes were to be furnished with house-rent,
+rations, fuel, and medical attendance, free of charge. Able-bodied
+males were to receive eight dollars a month. Other classes of laborers
+would be paid according to the proportionate value of their services.
+We were required to keep on hand a supply of clothing, shoes, and
+other needed articles, which would be issued as required and
+charged on account. All balances would be paid as soon as the first
+installment of the cotton crop was sent to market.
+
+This was generally satisfactory, though some of the negroes desired
+weekly or monthly payments. One of them thought it would be better if
+they could be paid at the end of each day, and suggested that silver
+would be preferable to greenbacks or Confederate money. Most of them
+thought the wages good enough, but this belief was not universal. One
+man, seventy years old, who acted as assistant to the "hog-minder,"
+thought he deserved twenty-five dollars per month, in addition to
+his clothing and rations. Another, of the same age, who carried the
+breakfast and dinner to the field, was of similar opinion. These were
+almost the only exceptions. Those whose services were really valuable
+acquiesced in the arrangement.
+
+On our plantation there was an old negress named "Rose," who attended
+the women during confinement. She was somewhat celebrated in her
+profession, and received occasional calls to visit white ladies in the
+neighborhood. After I had dismissed the negroes and sent them to their
+quarters, I was called upon by Rose, to ascertain the rate at which
+she would be paid. As she was regularly employed as one of the
+house-servants, I allowed her the same wages that the other women
+received. This was satisfactory, so far, but it was not entirely so.
+She wished to understand the matter of perquisites.
+
+"When I used to go out to 'tend upon white ladies," said Rose, "they
+gave me ten dollars. Mistress always took half and let me keep the
+other half."
+
+"Well, hereafter, you may keep the ten dollars yourself."
+
+"Thank you."
+
+After a pause, she spoke again:
+
+"Didn't you say the black people are free?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"White people are free, too, ain't they?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then why shouldn't you pay me ten dollars every time I 'tend upon the
+black folks on the plantation?"
+
+The question was evidently designed as a "corner." I evaded it by
+assuring Rose that though free, the negroes had not attained all the
+privileges that pertained to the whites, and I should insist on her
+professional services being free to all on the plantation.
+
+The negroes were frequently desirous of imitating the customs of white
+people in a manner that should evince their freedom. Especially did
+they desire to have no distinction in the payment of money, on account
+of the color of the recipient.
+
+After this Sunday talk with the negroes, I found a material
+improvement. Occasionally I overheard some of them explaining to
+others their views upon various points. There were several who
+manifested a natural indolence, and found it difficult to get over
+their old habits. These received admonitions from their comrades, but
+could not wholly forget the laziness which was their inheritance. With
+these exceptions, there was no immediate cause for complaint.
+
+During the earlier part of my stay in that region, I was surprised at
+the readiness with which the negroes obeyed men from the North, and
+believed they would fulfill their promises, while they looked with
+distrust on all Southern white men. Many owners endeavored in vain to
+induce their negroes to perform certain labor. The first request made
+by a Northern man to the same effect would be instantly complied with.
+The negroes explained that their masters had been in the habit of
+making promises which they never kept, and cited numerous instances to
+prove the truth of their assertion. It seemed to have been a custom in
+that region to deceive the negroes in any practicable manner. To make
+a promise to a negro, and fail to keep it, was no worse than to lure a
+horse into a stable-yard, by offering him a choice feed of corn, which
+would prove but a single mouthful. That the negroes had any human
+rights was apparently rarely suspected by their owners and overseers.
+The distrust which many of the negroes entertained for their former
+masters enabled the lessees to gain, at once, the confidence of
+their laborers. I regret to say that this confidence was abused in a
+majority of cases.
+
+I gave the negroes a larger ration of meat, meal, and potatoes than
+had been previously issued. As soon as possible, I procured a quantity
+of molasses, coffee, and tobacco. These articles had not been seen
+on the plantation for many months, and were most gladly received. As
+there was no market in that vicinity where surplus provisions could
+be sold, I had no fear that the negroes would resort to stealing,
+especially as their daily supply was amply sufficient for their
+support. It was the complaint of many overseers and owners that
+the negroes would steal provisions on frequent occasions. If they
+committed any thefts during my time of management, they were made
+so carefully that I never detected them. It is proper to say that I
+followed the old custom of locking the store-houses at all times.
+
+Very soon after commencing labor I found that our working force must
+be increased. Accordingly, I employed some of the negroes who were
+escaping from the interior of the State and making their way to
+Natchez. As there were but few mules on the plantation, I was
+particularly careful to employ those negroes who were riding, rather
+than walking, from slavery. If I could not induce these mounted
+travelers to stop with us, I generally persuaded them to sell their
+saddle animals. Thus, hiring negroes and buying mules, I gradually put
+the plantation in a presentable condition. While the cotton was being
+picked the blacksmith was repairing the plows, the harness-maker
+was fitting up the harnesses for the mules, and every thing was
+progressing satisfactorily. The gin-house was cleaned and made ready
+for the last work of preparing cotton for the market. Mr. Colburn
+arrived from the North after I had been a planter of only ten days'
+standing. He was enthusiastic at the prospect, and manifested an
+energy that was the envy of his neighbors.
+
+It required about three weeks to pick our cotton. Before it was all
+gathered we commenced "ginning" the quantity on hand, in order to make
+as little delay as possible in shipping our "crop" to market.
+
+The process of ginning cotton is pretty to look upon, though not
+agreeable to engage in. The seed-cotton (as the article is called
+when it comes from the field) is fed in a sort of hopper, where it is
+brought in contact with a series of small and very sharp saws. From
+sixty to a hundred of these saws are set on a shaft, about half an
+inch apart. The teeth of these saws tear the fiber from the seed, but
+do not catch the seed itself. A brush which revolves against the saws
+removes the fiber from them at every revolution. The position of the
+gin is generally at the end of a large room, and into this room the
+detached fiber is thrown from the revolving brush.
+
+This apartment is technically known as the "lint-room," and presents
+an interesting scene while the process of ginning is going on. The air
+is full of the flying lint, and forcibly reminds a Northerner of a New
+England snow-storm. The lint falls, like the snow-flakes, with most
+wonderful lightness, but, unlike the snow-flakes, it does not melt.
+When the cotton is picked late in the season, there is usually a dense
+cloud of dust in the lint-room, which settles in and among the fiber.
+The person who watches the lint-room has a position far from enviable.
+His lungs become filled with dust, and, very often, the fine, floating
+fiber is drawn into his nostrils. Two persons are generally permitted
+to divide this labor. There were none of the men on our plantation who
+craved it. Some of the mischievous boys would watch their opportunity
+to steal into the lint-room, where they greatly enjoyed rolling upon
+the soft cotton. Their amusement was only stopped by the use of a
+small whip.
+
+The machinery of a cotton-gin is driven by steam or horse power;
+generally the former. There is no water-power in the State of
+Louisiana, but I believe some of the lakes and bayous might be turned
+to advantage in the same way that the tide is used on the sea-coast.
+
+All the larger plantations are provided with steam-engines, the
+chimneys of which are usually carried to a height sufficient to remove
+all danger from sparks. There is always a corn-mill, and frequently a
+saw-mill attached to the gin, and driven by the same power. On
+every plantation, one day in the week is set apart for grinding a
+seven-days' supply of corn. This regulation is never varied, except
+under the most extraordinary circumstances. There is a universal rule
+in Louisiana, forbidding any person, white or black, smoking in the
+inclosure where the gin-house stands. I was told there was a legal
+enactment to this effect, that affixed heavy penalties to its
+infringement. For the truth of this latter statement I cannot vouch.
+
+With its own corn-mill, saw-mill, and smithery, each plantation is
+almost independent of the neighborhood around it. The chief dependence
+upon the outside world is for farming tools and the necessary
+paraphernalia for the various branches of field-work. I knew one
+plantation, a short distance from ours, whose owner had striven
+hard to make it self-sustaining. He raised all the corn and all the
+vegetables needed. He kept an immense drove of hogs, and cured his
+own pork. Of cattle he had a goodly quantity, and his sheep numbered
+nearly three hundred. Wool and cotton supplied the raw material for
+clothing. Spinning-wheels and looms produced cloth in excess of what
+was needed. Even the thread for making the clothing for the negroes
+was spun on the plantation. Hats were made of the palmetto, which grew
+there in abundance. Shoes were the only articles of personal wear not
+of home production. Plows, hoes, and similar implements were purchased
+in the market, but the plantation was provided with a very complete
+repair-shop, and the workmen were famous for their skill.
+
+The plantation, thus managed, yielded a handsome profit to its owner.
+The value of each year's cotton crop, when delivered on the bank of
+the river, was not less than forty thousand dollars. Including wages
+of the overseer, and all outlays for repairs and purchase of such
+articles as were not produced at home, the expenses would not exceed
+five or six thousand dollars. Cotton-planting was very profitable
+under almost any management, and especially so under a prudent and
+economical owner. Being thus profitable with slave labor, it was
+natural for the planters to think it could prosper under no other
+system. "You can't raise cotton without niggers, and you must own the
+niggers to raise it," was the declaration in all parts of the South.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+WAR AND AGRICULTURE.
+
+Official Favors.--Division of Labor.--Moral Suasion.--Corn-gathering
+in the South.--An Alarm.--A Frightened Irishman.--The Rebels
+Approaching.--An Attack on Waterproof.--Falstaff Redivivus.--His Feats
+of Arms.--Departure for New Orleans.
+
+
+Our cotton having been ginned and baled, we made preparations for
+shipping it to market. These preparations included the procurement
+of a permit from the Treasury agent at Natchez, a task of no small
+magnitude. An application for the permit required, in addition to my
+own signature, the names of two property-owning citizens, as security
+for payment of the duties on the cotton. This application being placed
+in the hands of the Treasury agent, I was requested to call in two
+hours. I did so, and was then put off two hours longer. Thus I spent
+two whole days in frequent visits to that official. His memory was
+most defective, as I was obliged to introduce myself on each occasion,
+and tell him the object of my call.
+
+A gentleman who had free access to the agent at all times hinted that
+he could secure early attention to my business on payment for
+his trouble. Many persons asserted that they were obliged to pay
+handsomely for official favors. I do not _know_ this to be true. I
+never paid any thing to the Treasury agent at Natchez or elsewhere,
+beyond the legitimate fees, and I never found any man who would give
+me a written statement that he had done so. Nevertheless, I had much
+circumstantial evidence to convince me that the Treasury officials
+were guilty of dishonorable actions. The temptation was great, and,
+with proper care, the chances of detection were small.
+
+Armed with my permit, I returned to the plantation. Mr. Colburn, in
+my absence, had organized our force, lately engaged in cotton-picking,
+into suitable parties for gathering corn, of which we had some three
+hundred acres standing in the field. In New England I fear that corn
+which had remained ungathered until the middle of February, would be
+of comparatively little value. In our case it was apparently as sound
+as when first ripened.
+
+Corn-gathering in the South differs materially from corn-gathering in
+the North. The negroes go through the field breaking the ears from the
+stalks without removing the husk. The ears are thrown into heaps at
+convenient distances from each other, and in regular rows. A wagon is
+driven between these rows, and the corn gathered for the crib. Still
+unhusked, it is placed in the crib, to be removed when needed. It is
+claimed that the husk thus remaining on the corn, protects it from
+various insects, and from the effect of the weather.
+
+Every body of laborers on a plantation is called a "gang." Thus we had
+"the picking-gang," "the corn-gang," "the trash-gang," "the hoe-gang,"
+"the planting-gang," "the plow-gang," and so on through the list. Each
+gang goes to the field in charge of a head negro, known as the driver.
+This driver is responsible for the work of his gang, and, under the
+old _régime_, was empowered to enforce his orders with the whip, if
+necessary. Under our new dispensation the whip was laid aside, and a
+milder policy took its place. It was satisfactory with the adults; but
+there were occasions when the smaller boys were materially benefited
+by applications of hickory shrubs. Solomon's words about sparing the
+rod are applicable to children of one race as well as to those of
+another. We did not allow our drivers to make any bodily punishment in
+the field, and I am happy to say they showed no desire to do so.
+
+As I have before stated, our first organization was the picking-gang.
+Then followed the gin-gang and the press-gang. Our gin-gang was
+organized on principles of total abstinence, and, therefore, differed
+materially from the gin-gangs of Northern cities. Our press-gang,
+unlike the press-gangs of New York or Chicago, had nothing to do with
+morning publications, and would have failed to comprehend us had we
+ordered the preparation of a sensation leader, or a report of the last
+great meeting at Union Square. Our press-gang devoted its time and
+energies to putting our cotton into bales of the proper size and
+neatness.
+
+The corn-gang, the trash-gang, and the plow-gang were successively
+organized by Mr. Colburn. Of the first I have spoken. The duties of
+the second were to gather the corn-stalks or cotton-stalks, as the
+case might be, into proper heaps for burning. As all this débris came
+under the generic name of "trash," the appellation of the gang is
+readily understood. Our trash-gang did very well, except in a certain
+instance, when it allowed the fire from the trash to run across a
+field of dead grass, and destroy several hundred feet of fence. In
+justice to the negroes, I should admit that the firing of the grass
+was in obedience to our orders, and the destruction of the fence
+partly due to a strong wind which suddenly sprang up. The trash-gang
+is usually composed of the younger children and the older women.
+The former gather and pile the stalks which the latter cut up. They
+particularly enjoy firing the heaps of dry trash.
+
+It was on Saturday, the 13th of February, that our press-gang
+completed its labors. On the afternoon of that day, as we were hauling
+our cotton to the landing, the garrison at Waterproof, two miles
+distant, suddenly opened with its artillery upon a real or supposed
+enemy. A gun-boat joined in the affair, and for half an hour the
+cannonade was vigorous. We could see the flashes of the guns and the
+dense smoke rising through the trees, but could discover nothing more.
+When the firing ceased we were somewhat anxious to know the result.
+Very soon a white man, an Irishman, who had been a short time in
+the vicinity to purchase cotton, reached our place in a state of
+exhaustion. He told a frightful story of the surprise and massacre
+of the whole garrison, and was very certain no one but himself had
+escaped. He had fortunately concealed himself under a very small
+bridge while the fight was going on. He called attention to his
+clothes, which were covered with mud, to prove the truth of his
+statement.
+
+For a short time the situation had an unpleasant appearance. While
+we were deliberating upon the proper measures for safety, one of our
+negroes, who was in Waterproof during the firing, came to us with
+_his_ story. The fight had been on our side, some guerrillas having
+chased one of our scouting parties to a point within range of our
+guns. Our men shelled them with artillery, and this was the extent
+of the battle. The story of the Irishman, in connection with the true
+account of the affair, forcibly reminded me of the famous battle of
+Piketon, Kentucky, in the first year of the war.
+
+On the next day (Sunday) I rode to Waterproof, leaving Colburn on the
+plantation. Just as I arrived within the lines, I ascertained that an
+attack was expected. The most stringent orders had been issued against
+allowing any person to pass out. Ten minutes later a scout arrived,
+saying that a force of Rebels was advancing to attack the post. The
+gun-boat commenced shelling the woods in the rear of Waterproof, and
+the artillery on land joined in the work. The Rebels did not get near
+enough to make any serious demonstration upon the town. The day passed
+with a steady firing from the gun-boat, relieved by an occasional
+interval of silence. Toward night the small garrison was re-enforced
+by the arrival of a regiment from Natchez. On the following day a
+portion of General Ellet's Marine Brigade reached Waterproof, and
+removed all possibility of further attack.
+
+In the garrison of Waterproof, at the commencement of this fight,
+there was a certain officer who could have sat for the portrait
+of Falstaff with very little stuffing, and without great change of
+character. Early in the war he belonged to an Eastern regiment, but on
+that occasion he had no commission, though this fact was not generally
+known. Nearly as large as Hackett's Falstaff, he was as much a gascon
+as the hero of the Merry Wives of Windsor. He differed from Falstaff
+in possessing a goodly amount of bravery, but this bravery was
+accompanied with an entire absence of judgment.
+
+In the early part of the fight, and until he was too drunk to move,
+this _preux chevalier_ dashed about Waterproof, mounted on a small
+horse, which he urged to the top of his speed. In one hand he
+flourished a cane, and in the other a revolver. He usually allowed the
+reins to lie on his horse's neck, except when he wished to change his
+direction. With his abdomen protruding over the pommel of the saddle,
+his stirrups several inches too short, one boot-leg outside his
+pantaloons and the other inside, a very large hat pressed nearly to
+his eyes, and a face flushed with excitement and whisky, he was a
+study John Leech would have prized. Frequent and copious draughts of
+the cup which cheers and inebriates placed him _hors de combat_ before
+the close of the day.
+
+From the crest of the levee, he could at any time discover several
+lines of battle approaching the town. Frequently he informed the
+commandant that the Rebels were about to open upon us with a dozen
+heavy batteries, which they were planting in position for a long
+siege. If the enemy had been in the force that this man claimed, they
+could not have numbered less than fifty thousand. When unhorsed for
+the last time during the day, he insisted that I should listen to the
+story of his exploits.
+
+"I went," said he, "to the colonel, this morning, and told him, sir,
+to give me ten men, and I would go out and feel the enemy's position.
+He gave me the men, and I went. We found the enemy not less than a
+thousand strong, sir, behind Mrs. Miller's gin-house. They were the
+advance of the whole Rebel army, sir, and I saw they must be driven
+back. We charged, and, after a desperate fight, drove them. They
+opposed us, sir, every inch of the way for two miles; but we routed
+them. We must have killed at least a hundred of them, sir, and wounded
+as many more. They didn't hurt a man of us; but the bullets flew very
+thick, sir--very. I myself killed twelve of them with my own hand,
+sir. This is the way it was, sir. This revolver, you see, sir, has six
+barrels. I emptied it once, sir; I reloaded; I emptied it again, sir.
+Two times six are twelve, sir. I killed twelve of them with my own
+hand. Let it be recorded.
+
+"On my way back, sir, I set fire to the gin-house, so that it should
+no more be a shelter for those infernal Rebels. You yourself, sir, saw
+that building in flames, and can testify to the truth of my story."
+
+In this strain the warrior gave the history of his moments of glory.
+The portion I have written was true in some points. He found three
+men (instead of a thousand), and pursued them a few hundred yards. He
+discharged his revolver at very long range, but I could not learn
+that his shots were returned. He fired the gin-house "to cover his
+retreat," and gained the fortifications without loss. I do not know
+his locality at the present time, but presume he remained, up to the
+close of the war, where storms of shot and shell continually darkened
+the air, and where lines of battle were seen on every side.
+
+The siege being raised, I returned to the plantation. From Waterproof,
+during the fight, I could see our buildings with perfect distinctness.
+I had much fear that some Rebel scouting party might pay the
+plantation a visit while the attack was going on. I found, on my
+return, that Colburn had taken the matter very coolly, and prevented
+the negroes becoming alarmed. He declared that he considered the
+plantation as safe as Waterproof, and would not have exchanged places
+with me during the fight. The negroes were perfectly quiet, and
+making preparations for plowing. While the fight was in progress, my
+associate was consulting with the drivers about the details of work
+for the ensuing week, and giving his orders with the utmost _sang
+froid_. In consideration of the uncertainty of battles in general, and
+the possibility of a visit at any moment from a party of Rebel scouts,
+my partner's conduct was worthy of the highest commendation.
+
+Before leaving Waterproof I had arranged for a steamer to call for our
+cotton, which was lying on the river bank. Waterproof lay at one side
+of the neck of a peninsula, and our plantation was at the other side.
+It was two miles across this peninsula, and sixteen miles around it,
+so that I could start on horseback, and, by riding very leisurely,
+reach the other side, long in advance of a steamboat. The steamer came
+in due time. After putting our cotton on board, I bade Mr. Colburn
+farewell, and left him to the cares and perplexities of a planter's
+life. I was destined for New Orleans, to sell our cotton, and to
+purchase many things needed for the prosecution of our enterprise.
+
+On my way down the river, I found that steamboat traveling was not an
+entirely safe amusement. The boat that preceded me was fired upon
+near Morganzia, and narrowly escaped destruction. A shell indented her
+steam-pipe, and passed among the machinery, without doing any damage.
+Had the pipe been cut, the steam would have filled every part of the
+boat.
+
+I was not disturbed by artillery on the occasion of my journey, but
+received a compliment from small-arms. On the morning after leaving
+Natchez, I was awakened by a volley of musketry from the river-bank.
+One of the bullets penetrated the thin walls of the cabin and entered
+my state-room, within two inches of my head. I preserved the missile
+as a souvenir of travel.
+
+On the next day the Rebels brought a battery of artillery to the spot.
+A steamer received its greeting, but escaped with a single passenger
+wounded.
+
+A gentleman who was on this boat had a very narrow escape. He told me
+that he was awakened by the first shot, which passed through the upper
+works of the steamer. He was occupying the upper berth in a state-room
+on the side next the locality of the Rebels. His first impulse was to
+spring from his resting-place, and throw himself at full length upon
+the floor. He had hardly done so, when a shell entered the state-room,
+and traversed the berth in the exact position where my friend had been
+lying.
+
+Having narrowly escaped death, he concluded not to run a second risk.
+He returned to St. Louis by way of New York. Wishing to visit New
+Orleans some time later, he sailed from New York on the _Electric
+Spark_, and enjoyed the luxury of a capture by the pirates of the
+"Confederate" steamer _Florida_. After that occurrence, he concluded
+there was little choice between the ocean and river routes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+IN THE COTTON MARKET.
+
+New Orleans and its Peculiarities.--Its Loss by the Rebellion.--Cotton
+Factors in New Orleans.--Old Things passed away.--The Northern
+Barbarians a Race of Shopkeepers.--Pulsations of the Cotton Market.--A
+Quarrel with a Lady.--Contending for a Principle.--Inharmony of the
+"Regulations."--An Account of Sales.
+
+
+The first impression that New Orleans gives a stranger is its
+unlikeness to Northern cities. It is built on ground that slopes
+downward from the Mississippi. As one leaves the river and walks
+toward the center of the city, he finds himself descending. New
+Orleans is a hundred miles from the mouth of the Mississippi and only
+six miles from Lake Pontchartrain, which is an arm of the sea. The
+river at the city is ten feet above Lake Pontchartrain, so that New
+Orleans is washed by water from the Mississippi and drained into the
+lake. The water in the gutters always runs from the river, no matter
+what may be its height. The steamers at the foot of Canal Street
+appear above the spectator, when he stands a mile or two from the
+landing.
+
+There is no earthy elevation of any kind, except of artificial
+construction, in the vicinity of New Orleans. The level surface of
+the streets renders the transportation of heavy bodies a work of the
+utmost ease. The greatest amount of merchandise that can be loaded
+upon four wheels rarely requires the efforts of more than two animals.
+The street-cars, unlike those of Northern cities, are drawn by a
+single mule to each car, and have no conductors. The cemeteries
+are above ground, and resemble the pigeon-holes of a post-office,
+magnified to a sufficient size for the reception of coffins. There is
+not a cellar in the entire city of New Orleans.
+
+Musquitos flourish during the entire winter. In the summer there are
+two varieties of these insects. The night-musquito is similar to
+the insect which disturbs our slumbers in Northern latitudes. The
+day-musquito relieves his comrade at sunrise and remains on duty
+till sunset. He has no song, but his bite is none the less severe. He
+disappears at the approach of winter, but his tuneful brother remains.
+Musquito nettings are a necessity all the year round.
+
+The public walks of New Orleans are justly the pride of the
+inhabitants. Canal Street is probably the prettiest street in America.
+Along its center is a double row of shade-trees, a promenade, and the
+tracks of the street railway. These shade-trees are inclosed so as to
+form a series of small parks for the entire length of the street.
+On each side of these parks is a carriage-way, as wide as the great
+thoroughfare of New York. Canal Street is the fashionable promenade of
+New Orleans. In the days of glory, before the Rebellion, it presented
+a magnificent appearance.
+
+Among the prettiest of the parks of New Orleans is Jackson Square,
+containing a fine equestrian statue of General Jackson. The pedestal
+of the statue is emblazoned with the words:
+
+"THE UNION--IT MUST AND SHALL BE PRESERVED."
+
+The French element in New Orleans is apparent on every side. The
+auctioneers cry their wares in mingled French and English, and the
+negroes and white laborers on the levee converse in a hybrid language.
+In the French quarter, every thing is French. The signs on the shops
+and the street corners, the conversation of the inhabitants and the
+shouts of the boys who play on the sidewalks, are in the vernacular of
+_La Belle France_. In Jackson Square, notices to warn visitors not to
+disturb the shrubbery, are posted in two languages, the French
+being first. On one poster I saw the sentence: "_Ne touche pas à les
+fleurs_," followed by the literal translation into English: "Don't
+touch to the flowers." I was happy to observe that the caution was
+very generally heeded.
+
+Before the war, New Orleans was a city of wonderful wealth. Situated
+at the outlet of the great valley, its trade in cotton, sugar, and
+other products of the West and South, was immense. Boats, which
+had descended from all points along the navigable portion of the
+Mississippi, discharged their cargoes upon its levee. Ships of all
+nations were at the wharves, receiving the rich freight that the
+steamers had brought down. The piles of merchandise that lay along
+the levee were unequaled in any other city of the globe. Money was
+abundant, and was lavishly scattered in all directions.
+
+With the secession of the Gulf States, the opening of hostilities,
+and the blockade of the Mississippi at its mouth and at Cairo, the
+prosperity of New Orleans disappeared. The steamers ceased to bring
+cotton and sugar to its wharves, and its levee presented a picture
+of inactivity. Many of the wealthy found themselves in straitened
+circumstances, and many of the poor suffered and died for want of
+food. For a whole year, while the Rebel flag floated over the city,
+the business of New Orleans was utterly suspended.
+
+With the passage of the forts and the capture of New Orleans by
+Admiral Farragut, the Rebel rule was ended. Very slowly the business
+of the city revived, but in its revival it fell into the hands of
+Northern men, who had accompanied our armies in their advance. The old
+merchants found themselves crowded aside by the ubiquitous Yankees.
+With the end of the war, the glory of the city will soon return, but
+it will not return to its old channels. More than any other city of
+the South, New Orleans will be controlled by men of Northern birth
+and sentiments. The day of slave-auctions in the rotunda of the St.
+Charles has passed away forever.
+
+New Orleans has a class of men peculiar to the South, whose business
+it is to sell cotton for the planters. These gentlemen are known
+as "factors," and, in former times, were numerous and successful.
+Whatever a planter needed, from a quire of paper to a steam-engine,
+he ordered his factor to purchase and forward. The factor obeyed the
+order and charged the amount to the planter, adding two and a half per
+cent, for commission.
+
+If the planter wanted money, he drew upon the factor, and that
+individual honored the draft. At the end of the season, it often
+occurred that the planter was largely in debt to the factor. But the
+cotton crop, when gathered, being consigned to the factor, canceled
+this indebtedness, and generally left a balance in the planter's
+favor.
+
+The factor charged a good commission for selling the cotton, and
+sometimes required interest upon the money he advanced. In the happy
+days before the war, the factor's business was highly lucrative. The
+advances to the planters, before the maturity of the cotton crop,
+often required a heavy capital, but the risk was not great. Nearly
+every planter was considerably indebted to his factor before his
+cotton went forward. In many cases the proceeds of the entire crop
+would but little more than cover the advances which had been made.
+
+In New Orleans nearly all cotton is sold "by sample." Certain men are
+licensed to "sample" cotton, for which they charge a specified sum per
+bale. A hole is cut in the covering of each bale, and from this hole
+a handful of cotton is pulled. Every bale is thus "sampled," without
+regard to the size of the lot. The samples are taken to the sales-room
+of the commission house, where they are open to the inspection of
+buyers. The quality of the cotton is carefully noted, the length of
+the fiber or staple, the whiteness of the sample, and its freedom from
+dust or fragments of cotton-stalks. Not one bale in twenty is ever
+seen by the buyers until after its purchase. Frequently the buyers
+transfer their cotton to other parties without once looking upon
+it Sometimes cotton is sold at auction instead of being offered at
+private sale, but the process of "sampling" is carried out in either
+case.
+
+In '63 and '64, New Orleans could boast of more cotton factors than
+cotton. The principal business was in the hands of merchants from
+the North, who had established themselves in the city soon after its
+occupation by the National forces. Nearly all cotton sent to market
+was from plantations leased by Northern men, or from purchases made
+of planters by Northern speculators. The patronage naturally fell
+into the hands of the new possessors of the soil, and left the old
+merchants to pine in solitude. The old cotton factors, most of them
+Southern men, who could boast of ten or twenty years' experience, saw
+their business pass into the hands of men whose arrival in New Orleans
+was subsequent to that of General Butler. Nearly all the old factors
+were Secessionists, who religiously believed no government could exist
+unless founded on raw cotton and slavery. They continually asserted
+that none but themselves could sell cotton to advantage, and wondered
+why those who had that article to dispose of should employ men
+unaccustomed to its sale. They were doomed to find themselves false
+prophets. The new and enterprising merchants monopolized the cotton
+traffic, and left the slavery-worshiping factors of the olden time to
+mourn the loss of their occupation.
+
+At the time I visited New Orleans, cotton was falling. It had been
+ninety cents per pound. I could only obtain a small fraction above
+seventy cents, and within a week the same quality sold for sixty.
+Three months afterward, it readily brought a dollar and a quarter per
+pound. The advices from New York were the springs by which the market
+in New Orleans was controlled. A good demand in New York made a good
+demand in New Orleans, and _vice versâ_. The New York market was
+governed by the Liverpool market, and that in turn by the demand at
+Manchester. Thus the Old World and the New had a common interest in
+the production of cotton. While one watched the demand, the other
+closely observed the supply.
+
+Some of the factors in New Orleans were fearful lest the attention
+paid to cotton-culture in other parts of the world would prove
+injurious to the South after the war should be ended. They had
+abandoned their early belief that their cotton was king, and dreaded
+the crash that was to announce the overthrow of all their hopes.
+
+In their theory that cotton-culture was unprofitable, unless
+prosecuted by slave labor, these men could only see a gloomy picture
+for years to come. Not so the new occupants of the land. Believing
+that slavery was not necessary to the production of sugar and cotton;
+believing that the country could show far more prosperity under the
+new system of labor than was ever seen under the old; and believing
+that commerce would find new and enlarged channels with the return of
+peace, they combated the secession heresies of the old residents, and
+displayed their faith by their works. New Orleans was throwing off
+its old habits and adopting the ideas and manners of Northern
+civilization.
+
+Mrs. B., the owner of our plantation, was in New Orleans at the time
+of my arrival. As she was to receive half the proceeds of the cotton
+we had gathered, I waited upon her to tell the result of our labors.
+The sale being made, I exhibited the account of sales to her agent,
+and paid him the stipulated amount. So far all was well; but we were
+destined to have a difference of opinion upon a subject touching the
+rights of the negro.
+
+Early in 1863 the Rebel authorities ordered the destruction of all
+cotton liable to fall into the hands of the National forces. The order
+was very generally carried out. In its execution, some four hundred
+bales belonging to Mrs. B. were burned. The officer who superintended
+the destruction, permitted the negroes on the plantation to fill their
+beds with cotton, but not to save any in bales. When we were making
+our shipment, Mr. Colburn proposed that those negroes who wished to
+do so, could sell us their cotton, and fill their beds with moss or
+husks. As we paid them a liberal price, they accepted our offer, and
+we made up three bales from our purchase. We never imagined that Mrs.
+B. would lay any claim to this lot, and did not include it in the
+quantity for which we paid her half the proceeds.
+
+After I had made the payment to her factor, I received a note from
+the lady in reference to the three bales above mentioned. She said the
+cotton in question was entirely her property; but, in consideration
+of our careful attention to the matter, she would consent to our
+retaining half its value. She admitted that she would have never
+thought to bring it to market; but since we had collected and baled
+it, she demanded it as her own. I "respectfully declined" to comply
+with her request. I believed the negroes had a claim to what was saved
+from the burning, and given to them by the Rebel authorities. Mrs.
+B. was of the opinion that a slave could own nothing, and therefore
+insisted that the cotton belonged to herself.
+
+Very soon after sending my reply, I was visited by the lady's factor.
+A warm, though courteous, discussion transpired. The factor was a
+Secessionist, and a firm believer in the human and divine right
+of slavery. He was a man of polished exterior, and was, doubtless,
+considered a specimen of the true Southern gentleman. In our talk on
+the subject in dispute, I told him the Rebels had allowed the
+negroes to fill their beds with cotton, and it was this cotton we had
+purchased.
+
+"The negroes had no right to sell it to you," said the factor;
+"neither had you any right to purchase it."
+
+"If it was given to them," I asked, "was it not theirs to sell?"
+
+"Certainly not. The negroes own nothing, and can own nothing. Every
+thing they have, the clothes they wear and the dishes they use,
+belongs to their owners. When we 'give' any thing to a negro, we
+merely allow it to remain in his custody, nothing more."
+
+"But in this case," said I, "the gift was not made by the owner. The
+cotton was to be destroyed by order of your Confederate Government.
+That order took it from Mrs. B.'s possession. When the officer came to
+burn the cotton, and gave a portion to the negroes to fill their beds,
+he made no gift to Mrs. B."
+
+"Certainly he did. The cotton became hers, when it was given to her
+negroes. If you give any thing to one of my negroes, that article
+becomes my property as much as if given to me."
+
+"But how is it when a negro, by working nights or Saturdays, manages
+to make something for himself?"
+
+"That is just the same. Whatever he makes in that way belongs to his
+master. Out of policy we allow him to keep it, but we manage to have
+him expend it for his own good. The negro is the property of his
+master, and can own nothing for himself."
+
+"But in this case," I replied, "I have promised to pay the negroes for
+the cotton. It would be unjust to them to fail to do so."
+
+"You must not pay them any thing for it. Whatever you have promised
+makes no difference. It is Mrs. B.'s property, not theirs. If you pay
+them, you will violate all our customs, and establish a precedent very
+bad for us and for yourself."
+
+I assured the gentleman I should feel under obligation to deal justly
+with the negroes, even at the expense of violating Southern precedent.
+"You may not be aware," I remarked, "of the magnitude of the change in
+the condition of the Southern negro during the two years just closed.
+The difference of opinion between your people and ourselves is, no
+doubt, an honest one. We shall be quite as persistent in pushing our
+views at the present time as you have been in enforcing yours in the
+past. We must try our theory, and wait for the result."
+
+We separated most amiably, each hoping the other would eventually see
+things in their true light. From present indications, the weight of
+public opinion is on my side, and constantly growing stronger.
+
+My sales having been made, and a quantity of plantation supplies
+purchased, I was ready to return. It was with much difficulty that I
+was able to procure permits from the Treasury agent at New Orleans to
+enable me to ship my purchases. Before leaving Natchez, I procured all
+the documents required by law. Natchez and New Orleans were not in the
+same "district," and consequently there was much discord. For example,
+the agent at Natchez gave me a certain document that I should exhibit
+at New Orleans, and take with me on my return to Natchez. The agent
+at New Orleans took possession of this document, and, on my
+expostulating, said the agent at Natchez "had no right" to give me
+instructions to retain it. He kept the paper, and I was left without
+any defense against seizure of the goods I had in transit. They were
+seized by a Government officer, but subsequently released. On my
+arrival at Natchez, I narrated the occurrence to the Treasury agent at
+that point. I was informed that the agent at New Orleans "could not"
+take my papers from me, and I should not have allowed him to do so.
+
+I was forcibly reminded of the case of the individual who was once
+placed in the public stocks. On learning his offense, a lawyer told
+him, "Why, Sir, they can't put you in the stocks for _that_."
+
+"But they have."
+
+"I tell you they can't do it."
+
+"But, don't you see, they have."
+
+"I tell you again they can't do any such thing."
+
+In my own case, each Treasury agent declared the other "could not" do
+the things which had been done. In consequence of the inharmony of
+the "regulations," the most careful shipper would frequently find his
+goods under seizure, from which they could generally be released
+on payment of liberal fees and fines. I do not know there was any
+collusion between the officials, but I could not rid myself of the
+impression there was something rotten in Denmark. The invariable
+result of these little quarrels was the plundering of the shippers.
+The officials never suffered. Like the opposite sides of a pair of
+shears, though cutting against each other, they only injured whatever
+was between them.
+
+Not a hundredth part of the official dishonesty at New Orleans and
+other points along the Mississippi will ever be known. Enough has
+been made public to condemn the whole system of permits and Treasury
+restrictions. The Government took a wise course when it abolished,
+soon after the suppression of the Rebellion, a large number of the
+Treasury Agencies in the South. As they were managed during the last
+two years of the war, these agencies proved little else than schools
+of dishonesty. There may have been some honest men in those offices,
+but they contrived to conceal their honesty.
+
+To show the variety of charges which attach to a shipment of cotton,
+I append the sellers' account for the three bales about which Mrs. B.
+and myself had our little dispute. These bales were not sold with the
+balance of our shipment. The cotton of which they were composed was of
+very inferior quality.
+
+_Account Sales of Three Bales of Cotton for Knox & Colburn._
+By PARSLEY & WILLIAMS.
+______________________________________________________________________
+ Mark, |    3 bales.                           ||    |    ||      |
+"K. C."|    Weight,    }  1,349 @..............|| $0 | 60 || $809 | 40
+       | 533--406--410 }                       ||    |    ||      |
+       | Auctioneers' commission, 1 pr. ct.....||  8 | 09 ||      |
+       | Sampling .............................||    | 30 ||      |
+       | Weighing .............................||    | 50 ||      |
+       | Watching..............................||    | 50 ||      |
+       | Tarpaulins ...........................||    | 50 ||      |
+       | Freight, $10 pr. bale ................|| 30 | 00 ||      |
+       | Insurance, $2.50 pr. bale ............||  7 | 50 ||      |
+       | 4 c. pr. lb. (tax) on 1,349 lb .......|| 53 | 96 ||      |
+       | 1/2 c.   "       "   "    " ..........||  6 | 74 ||      |
+       | Permit and stamps ....................||    | 65 ||      |
+       | Hospital fees, $5 pr. bale............|| 15 | 00 ||      |
+       | Factors' commission, 1 pr. ct.........||  8 | 09 ||      |
+       |                                       || -- | -- ||  131 | 83
+       |                                       ||    |    || ---- | --
+E.O.E. |     Net proceeds......................||    |    || $677 | 57
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+NEW ORLEANS, La., _February 22_, 1864.
+
+
+It will be seen by the above that the charges form an important
+portion of the proceeds of a sale. The heaviest items are for
+Government and hospital taxes. The latter was levied before the war,
+but the former is one of the fruits of the Rebellion. It is likely to
+endure for a considerable time.
+
+I knew several cases in which the sales of cotton did not cover the
+charges, but left a small bill to be paid by the owner. Frequently,
+cotton that had been innocently purchased and sent to market
+was seized by Government officials, on account of some alleged
+informality, and placed in the public warehouses. The owner could get
+no hearing until he made liberal presents of a pecuniary character to
+the proper authorities.
+
+After much delay and many bribes, the cotton would be released. New
+charges would appear, and before a sale could be effected the whole
+value of the cotton would be gone.
+
+A person of my acquaintance was unfortunate enough to fall into the
+hands of the Philistines in the manner I have described above. At the
+end of the transaction he found himself a loser to the extent of three
+hundred dollars. He has since been endeavoring to ascertain the amount
+of traffic on a similar scale that would be needed to make him a
+millionaire. At last accounts he had not succeeded in solving the
+problem.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII.
+
+SOME FEATURES OF PLANTATION LIFE.
+
+Mysteries of Mule-trading.--"What's in a Name?"--Process of Stocking
+a Plantation.--An Enterprising White Man.--Stratagem of a
+Yankee.--Distributing Goods to the Negroes.--The Tastes of the
+African.--Ethiopian Eloquence.--A Colored Overseer.--Guerrillas
+Approaching.--Whisky _vs_. Guerrillas.--A Hint to Military Men.
+
+
+On my return from New Orleans to the plantation, I found that Colburn
+had been pushing our business with a rapidity and skill that secured
+the admiration of everyone around us. He had increased our working
+force, and purchased a goodly number of mules. We had seventeen plows
+in operation, and two teams engaged in gathering corn, on the day
+before my arrival. The "trash-gang" was busy, and other working
+parties were occupied with their various duties. We were looking to a
+brilliant future, and echoed the wish of Jefferson Davis, to be "let
+alone."
+
+The enterprise of a lessee at that time, and in that locality, was
+illustrated by his ability to supply his plantation with mules. There
+were many who failed in the effort, but my associate was not of the
+number. There were but few mules in the Natchez market--not enough to
+meet a tenth of the demand. Nearly every plantation had been stripped
+of working animals by one army or the other. Before our arrival the
+Rebels plundered all men suspected of lukewarmness in the cause. When
+the National army obtained possession, it took nearly every thing
+the Rebels had left. All property believed to belong to the Rebel
+Government was passed into the hands of our quartermaster.
+
+A planter, named Caleb Shields, had a large plantation near Natchez,
+which had not been disturbed by the Rebels. His mules were branded
+with the letters "C.S.," the initials of their owner. As these letters
+happened to be the same that were used by the Confederate Government,
+Mr. Shields found his mules promptly seized and "confiscated." Before
+he could explain the matter and obtain an order for their return, his
+animals were sent to Vicksburg and placed in the Government corral. If
+the gentleman had possessed other initials, it is possible (though not
+certain) he might have saved his stock.
+
+Mules being very scarce, the lessees exercised their skill in
+supplying themselves with those animals. On my first arrival at the
+plantation, I took care to hire those negroes who were riding from the
+interior, or, at all events, to purchase their animals. In one day I
+obtained two horses and four mules. An order had been issued for the
+confiscation of beasts of burden (or draught) brought inside the
+lines by negroes. We obtained permission to purchase of these runaway
+negroes whatever mules they would sell, provided we could make our
+negotiations before they reached the military lines.
+
+Immediately after my departure, Mr. Colburn stationed one of our men
+on the road near our house, with orders to effect a trade with every
+mounted negro on his way to Natchez. The plan was successful. From two
+to a half-dozen mules were obtained daily. During the two weeks of my
+absence nearly fifty mules were purchased, placing the plantation in
+good order for active prosecution of our planting enterprise. At
+the same time many lessees in our vicinity were unable to commence
+operations, owing to their inability to obtain working stock.
+
+The negroes discovered that the mule market was not well supplied, and
+some of the more enterprising and dishonest sons of Ham endeavored
+to profit by the situation. Frequently mules would be offered at
+a suspiciously low price, with the explanation that the owner was
+anxious to dispose of his property and return home. Some undertook
+nocturnal expeditions, ten or twenty miles into the interior, where
+they stole whatever mules they could find. A few of the lessees
+suffered by the loss of stock, which was sold an hour after it was
+stolen, and sometimes to the very party from whom it had been taken.
+We took every care to avoid buying stolen property, but were sometimes
+deceived.
+
+On one occasion I purchased a mule of a negro who lived at Waterproof.
+The purchase was made an hour before sunset, and the animal was stolen
+during the night. On the following morning, Colburn bought it again
+of the same party with whom I had effected my trade. After this
+occurrence, we adopted the plan of branding each mule as soon as it
+came into our hands. All the lessees did the same thing, and partially
+protected each other against fraud.
+
+White men were the worst mule-thieves, and generally instructed the
+negroes in their villainy. There were several men in Natchez who
+reduced mule-stealing to a science, and were as thoroughly skilled
+in it as Charley Bates or the Artful Dodger in the science of picking
+pockets. One of them had four or five white men and a dozen negroes
+employed in bringing stock to market. I think he retired to St. Louis,
+before the end of May, with ten or twelve thousand dollars as the
+result of three months' industry.
+
+Some of the lessees resorted to questionable methods for supplying
+their plantations with the means for plowing and planting. One of
+them occupied a plantation owned by a man who refused to allow his own
+stock to be used. He wished to be neutral until the war was ended.
+
+This owner had more than sixty fine mules, that were running loose in
+the field. One day the lessee told the owner that he had purchased
+a lot of mules at Natchez, and would bring them out soon. On the
+following night, while the owner slept, the lessee called some trusty
+negroes to his aid, caught seventeen mules from the field, sheared and
+branded them, and placed them in a yard by themselves. In the morning
+he called the owner to look at the "purchase."
+
+"You have bought an excellent lot," said the latter individual. "Where
+were they from?"
+
+"All from St. Louis." was the response. "They were brought down two
+days ago. I don't know what to do about turning them out. Do you
+think, if I put them with yours, there is any danger of their
+straying, on account of being on a strange place?"
+
+"None at all. I think there is no risk."
+
+The lessee took the risk, and expressed much delight to find that the
+new mules showed themselves at home on the plantation.
+
+Several days later the owner of the plantation discovered the loss
+of his mules, but never suspected what had become of them. Two weeks
+afterward, the Rebels came and asked him to designate the property of
+the lessee, that they might remove it. He complied by pointing out
+the seventeen mules, which the Rebels drove away, leaving the balance
+unharmed.
+
+I landed at the plantation one Sunday evening, with the goods I had
+purchased in New Orleans. I was met with the unwelcome information
+that the small force at Waterproof, after committing many depredations
+on the surrounding country, had been withdrawn, leaving us exposed
+to the tender mercies of the indignant chivalry. We were liable to
+be visited at any moment. We knew the Rebels would not handle us very
+tenderly, in view of what they had suffered from our own men. A party
+of guerrillas was reported seven miles distant on the day previous,
+and there was nothing to hinder their coming as near as they chose.
+
+Accordingly, we determined to distribute the goods among the negroes
+as early as possible. On Monday morning we commenced. There was some
+delay, but we succeeded in starting a very lively trade before seven
+o'clock.
+
+Shoes were in great demand, as the negroes had not been supplied with
+these articles for nearly three years. A hundred pairs were speedily
+issued, when the balance was laid aside for future consideration.
+There were some of the negroes whose feet were too large for any
+shoes we had purchased. It was a curious fact that these large-footed
+negroes were not above the ordinary stature. I remember one in
+particular who demanded "thirteens," but who did not stand more than
+five feet and five inches in his invisible stockings.
+
+After the shoes, came the material for clothing. For the men we had
+purchased "gray denims" and "Kentucky jeans;" for the women, "blue
+denims" and common calico. These articles were rapidly taken, and with
+them the necessary quantity of thread, buttons, etc. A supply of huge
+bandana kerchiefs for the head was eagerly called for. I had procured
+as many of these articles as I thought necessary for the entire number
+of negroes on the plantation; but found I had sadly miscalculated. The
+kerchiefs were large and very gaudy, and the African taste was at once
+captivated by them. Instead of being satisfied with one or two, every
+negro desired from six to a dozen, and was much disappointed at the
+refusal. The gaudy colors of most of the calicoes created a great
+demand, while a few pieces of more subdued appearance were wholly
+discarded. White cotton cloth, palm-leaf hats, knives and forks, tin
+plates, pans and dishes, and other articles for use or wear, were
+among the distributions of the day.
+
+Under the slave-owner's rule, the negro was entitled to nothing
+beyond his subsistence and coarse clothing. Out of a large-hearted
+generosity the master gave him various articles, amounting, in the
+course of a year, to a few dollars in value. These articles took
+the name of "presents," and their reception was designed to inspire
+feelings of gratitude in the breast of the slave.
+
+Most of the negroes understood that the new arrangements made an end
+of present-giving. They were to be paid for all their labor, and were
+to pay for whatever they received. When the plan was first announced,
+all were pleased with it; but when we came to the distribution of the
+goods, many of the negroes changed their views. They urged that the
+clothing, and every thing else we had purchased, should be issued as
+"presents," and that they should be paid for their labor in addition.
+Whatever little advantages the old system might have, they wished to
+retain and ingraft upon their new life. To be compensated for labor
+was a condition of freedom which they joyfully accepted. To receive
+"presents" was an apparent advantage of slavery which they did not
+wish to set aside.
+
+The matter was fully explained, and I am confident all our auditors
+understood it. Those that remained obstinate had an eye to their
+personal interests. Those who had been sick, idle, absent, or
+disabled, were desirous of liberal gifts, while the industrious were
+generally in favor of the new system, or made no special opposition to
+it.
+
+One negro, who had been in our employ two weeks, and whose whole labor
+in that time was less than four days, thought he deserved a
+hundred dollars' worth of presents, and compensation in money for
+a fortnight's toil. All were inclined to value their services very
+highly; but there were some whose moderation knew no bounds.
+
+A difficulty arose on account of certain promises that had been
+made to the negroes by the owner of the plantation, long before our
+arrival. Mrs. B. had told them (according to their version) that the
+proceeds of the cotton on the plantation should be distributed in the
+form of presents, whenever a sale was effected. She did not inform us
+of any such promise when we secured the lease of the plantation. If
+she made any agreement to that effect, it was probably forgotten.
+Those who claimed that this arrangement had been made desired liberal
+presents in addition to payment for their labor. Our non-compliance
+with this demand was acknowledged to be just, but it created
+considerable disappointment.
+
+One who had been her mistress's favorite argued the question with an
+earnestness that attracted my attention. Though past sixty years of
+age, she was straight as an arrow, and her walk resembled that of a
+tragedy queen. In her whole features she was unlike those around her,
+except in her complexion, which was black as ink. There was a clear,
+silvery tone to her voice, such as I have rarely observed in persons
+of her race. In pressing her claim, she grew wonderfully eloquent, and
+would have elicited the admiration of an educated audience. Had there
+been a school in that vicinity for the development of histrionic
+talent in the negro race, I would have given that woman a
+recommendation to its halls.
+
+During my absence, Mr. Colburn employed an overseer on our smaller
+plantation, and placed him in full charge of the work. This overseer
+was a mulatto, who had been fifteen years the manager of a large
+plantation about seven miles distant from ours. In voice and manner he
+was a white man, but his complexion and hair were those of the subject
+race. There was nothing about the plantation which he could not master
+in every point. Without being severe, he was able to accomplish all
+that had been done under the old system. He imitated the customs of
+the white man as much as possible, and it was his particular ambition
+to rank above those of his own color. As an overseer he was fully
+competent to take charge of any plantation in that locality. During
+all my stay in the South, I did not meet a white overseer whom I
+considered the professional equal of this negro.
+
+"Richmond" was the name to which our new assistant answered. His
+master had prevented his learning to read, but allowed him to acquire
+sufficient knowledge of figures to record the weight of cotton in the
+field. Richmond could mark upon the slate all round numbers between
+one hundred and four hundred; beyond this he was never able to go. He
+could neither add nor subtract, nor could he write a single letter of
+the alphabet. He was able, however, to write his own name very badly,
+having copied it from a pass written by his master. He had possessed
+himself of a book, and, with the help of one of our negroes who
+knew the alphabet, he was learning to read. His house was a model
+of neatness. I regret to say that he was somewhat tyrannical when
+superintending the affairs of his domicile.
+
+As the day of our distribution of goods was a stormy one, Richmond was
+called from the plantation to assist us. Under his assistance we were
+progressing fairly, interrupted occasionally by various causes of
+delay. Less than half the valuable articles were distributed, when our
+watches told us it was noon. Just as we were discussing the propriety
+of an adjournment for dinner, an announcement was made that banished
+all thoughts of the mid-day meal.
+
+One of our boys had been permitted to visit Waterproof during the
+forenoon. He returned, somewhat breathless, and his first words
+dropped like a shell among the assembled negroes:
+
+"_The Rebels are in Waterproof_."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I saw them there, and asked a lady what they were. She said they were
+Harrison's Rebels."
+
+We told the negroes to go to their quarters. Richmond mounted his
+horse and rode off toward the plantation of which he had charge. In
+two minutes, there was not a negro in the yard, with the exception of
+the house-servants. Our goods were lying exposed. We threw some of the
+most valuable articles into an obscure closet.
+
+At the first alarm we ordered our horses brought out. When the animals
+appeared we desisted from our work.
+
+"The Rebels are coming down the road," was the next bulletin from the
+front.
+
+We sprang upon our horses and rode a hundred yards along the front of
+our "quarter-lot," to a point where we could look up the road toward
+Waterproof. There they were, sure enough, thirty or more mounted men,
+advancing at a slow trot. They were about half a mile distant, and,
+had we been well mounted, there was no doubt of our easy escape.
+
+"Now comes the race," said Colburn. "Twenty miles to Natchez. A single
+heat, with animals to go at will."
+
+We turned our horses in the direction of Natchez.
+
+"Stop," said I, as we reached the house again. "They did not see us,
+and have not quickened their pace. Strategy, my boy, may assist us a
+little."
+
+Throwing my bridle into Colburn's hand, I slid from my saddle and
+bounded into the dwelling. It was the work of a moment to bring out
+a jug and a glass tumbler, but I was delayed longer than I wished
+in finding the key of our closet. The jug contained five gallons of
+excellent whisky (so pronounced by my friends), and would have been a
+valuable prize in any portion of the Confederacy.
+
+Placing the jug and tumbler side by side on the veranda, in full view
+from the road, I remounted, just as the Rebels reached the corner of
+our quarter-lot.
+
+"We have pressing engagements in Natchez," said Colburn.
+
+"So we have," I replied; "I had nearly forgotten them. Let us lose no
+time in meeting them."
+
+As we rode off, some of the foremost Rebels espied us and quickened
+their pace. When they reached the house they naturally looked toward
+it to ascertain if any person was there. They saw the jug, and were at
+once attracted. One man rode past the house, but the balance stopped.
+The minority of one was prudent, and returned after pursuing us less
+than fifty yards. The whisky which the jug contained was quickly
+absorbed. With only one tumbler it required some minutes to drain the
+jug. These minutes were valuable.
+
+Whisky may have ruined many a man, but it saved us. Around that
+seductive jug those thirty guerrillas became oblivious to our escape.
+We have reason to be thankful that we disobeyed the rules of strict
+teetotalers by "keeping liquor in the house."
+
+I was well mounted, and could have easily kept out of the way of any
+ordinary chase. Colburn was only fairly mounted, and must have been
+run down had there been a vigorous and determined pursuit. As each
+was resolved to stand by the other, the capture of one would have
+doubtless been the capture of both.
+
+[Illustration: "STRATEGY, MY BOY!"]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX.
+
+VISITED BY GUERRILLAS.
+
+News of the Raid.--Returning to the Plantation.--Examples of Negro
+Cunning.--A Sudden Departure and a Fortunate Escape.--A Second
+Visit.--"Going Through," in Guerrilla Parlance.--How it is
+Accomplished.--Courtesy to Guests.--A Holiday Costume.--Lessees
+Abandoning their Plantations.--Official Promises.
+
+
+As soon as satisfied we were not followed we took a leisurely pace,
+and in due time reached Natchez. Four hours later we received the
+first bulletin from the plantation. About thirty guerrillas had been
+there, mainly for the purpose of despoiling the plantation next above
+ours. This they had accomplished by driving off all the mules. They
+had not stolen _our_ mules, simply because they found as much cloth
+and other desirable property as they wished to take on that occasion.
+Besides, our neighbor's mules made as large a drove as they could
+manage. They promised to come again, and we believed they would keep
+their word. We ascertained that my strategy with the whisky saved us
+from pursuit.
+
+On the next day a messenger arrived, saying all was quiet at the
+plantation. On the second day, as every thing continued undisturbed,
+I concluded to return. Colburn had gone to Vicksburg, and left me
+to look after our affairs as I thought best. We had discussed the
+propriety of hiring a white overseer to stay on the plantation during
+our absence. The prospect of visits from guerrillas convinced us
+that _we_ should not spend much of our time within their reach. We
+preferred paying some one to risk his life rather than to risk our
+own lives. The prospect of getting through the season without serious
+interruption had become very poor, but we desired to cling to the
+experiment a little longer. Once having undertaken it, we were
+determined not to give it up hastily.
+
+I engaged a white man as overseer, and took him with me to the
+plantation. The negroes had been temporarily alarmed at the visit
+of the guerrillas, but, as they were not personally disturbed, their
+excitement was soon allayed. I found them anxiously waiting my return,
+and ready to recommence labor on the following day.
+
+The ravages of the guerrillas on that occasion were not extensive.
+They carried off a few bolts of cloth and some smaller articles, after
+drinking the whisky I had set out for their entertainment. The negroes
+had carefully concealed the balance of the goods in places where a
+white man would have much trouble in finding them. In the garden there
+was a row of bee-hives, whose occupants manifested much dislike for
+all white men, irrespective of their political sentiments. Two unused
+hives were filled with the most valuable articles on our invoice, and
+placed at the ends of this row. In a clump of weeds under the bench on
+which the hives stood, the negroes secreted several rolls of cloth
+and a quantity of shoes. More shoes and more cloth were concealed in
+a hen-house, under a series of nests where several innocent hens were
+"sitting." Crockery was placed among the rose-bushes and tomato-vines
+in the garden; barrels of sugar were piled with empty barrels of
+great age; and two barrels of molasses had been neatly buried in a
+freshly-ploughed potato-field. Obscure corners in stables and sheds
+were turned into hiding-places, and the cunning of the negro was well
+evinced by the successful concealment of many bulky articles.
+
+It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when I arrived at the
+plantation. I immediately recommenced the issue of goods, which was
+suspended so hastily three days before. From two o'clock until dark
+the overseer and myself were busily engaged, and distributed about
+two-thirds of our remaining stock. Night came. We suspended the
+distribution and indulged in supper. After giving the overseer
+directions for the morrow, I recollected an invitation to spend the
+night at the house of a friend, three miles away, on the road to
+Natchez.
+
+I ordered my horse, and in a few moments the animal was ready, at the
+door. I told the overseer where I was going, and bade him good-night.
+
+"Where are you going, Mr. K----?" said the negro who had brought out
+the horse, as he delivered the bridle into my hands.
+
+"If any one calls to see me," said I, "you can say I have gone to
+Natchez."
+
+With that I touched a spur to my horse and darted off rapidly toward
+my friend's house. A half-dozen negroes had gathered to assist in
+saddling and holding the horse. As I sprang into the saddle I heard
+one of them say:
+
+"I don't see why Mr. K---- starts off to Natchez at this time of
+night."
+
+Another negro explained the matter, but I did not hear the
+explanation. If he gave a satisfactory reason, I think he did better
+than I could have done.
+
+Immediately after my departure the overseer went to bed. He had been
+in bed about fifteen minutes when he heard a trampling of horses' feet
+around the house. A moment later there was a loud call for the door to
+be opened. Before the overseer could comply with the request, the door
+was broken in. A dozen men crowded into the house, demanding that a
+light be struck instantly. As the match gave its first flash of light,
+one of the visitors said:
+
+"Well, K----, we've got you this time."
+
+"That," said another, "is no K----; that is Walter Owen, who used to
+be overseer on Stewart's plantation."
+
+"What are you doing here?" demanded another.
+
+Mr. Owen, trembling in his night-clothes, replied that he had been
+engaged to stay there as overseer.
+
+"Where is K----, and where is Colburn?"
+
+"Mr. Colburn hasn't been here since last Monday. Mr. K---- has gone to
+Natchez."
+
+"That's a ---- lie," said one of the guerrillas. "We know he came here
+at two o'clock this afternoon, and was here at dark. He is somewhere
+around this house."
+
+In vain did Owen protest I was not there. Every room and every
+closet in the house was searched. A pile of bagging in a garret was
+overhauled, in the expectation that I was concealed within it. Even
+the chimneys were not neglected, though I doubt if the smallest of
+professional sweeps could pass through them. One of the guerrillas
+opened a piano, to see if I had not taken refuge under its cover. They
+looked into all possible and impossible nooks and corners, in the
+hope of finding me somewhere. At last they gave up the search, and
+contented themselves with promising to catch both Colburn and myself
+before long.
+
+"We want to go through those d--d Abolitionists, and we will do it,
+too. They may dodge us for a while, but we will have them by-and-by."
+
+Not being privileged to "go through" me as they had anticipated, the
+gentlemanly guerrillas went through the overseer. They took his money,
+his hat, his pantaloons, and his saddle. His horse was standing in
+the stable, and they took that also. They found four of our mules, and
+appropriated them to their own use. They frightened one of the negroes
+into telling where certain articles were concealed, and were thus
+enabled to carry off a goodly amount of plunder. They threatened Mr.
+Owen with the severest punishment, if he remained any longer on the
+plantation. They possessed themselves of a "protection" paper which
+Mrs. B. had received from the commander at Natchez several months
+before, and were half inclined to burn her buildings as a punishment
+for having sought the favor of the Yankees. Their stay was of only an
+hour's duration.
+
+From our plantation the robbers went to the one next above, where they
+were more fortunate in finding the lessees at home. They surrounded
+the house in the same manner they had surrounded ours, and then burst
+open the doors. The lessees were plundered of every thing in the shape
+of money, watches, and knives, and were forced to exchange hats
+and coats with their captors. One of the guerrillas observed an
+ivory-headed pencil, which he appropriated to his own use, with the
+remark:
+
+"They don't make these things back here in the woods. When they do, I
+will send this one back."
+
+These lessees were entertaining some friends on that evening, and
+begged the guerrillas to show them some distinction.
+
+"D--n your friends," said the guerrilla leader; "I suppose they are
+Yankees?"
+
+"Yes, they are; we should claim friendship with nobody else."
+
+"Then we want to see what they have, and go through them if it is
+worth the while."
+
+The strangers were unceremoniously searched. Their united
+contributions to the guerrilla treasury were two watches, two
+revolvers, three hundred dollars in money, and their hats and
+overcoats. Their horses and saddles were also taken. In consideration
+of their being guests of the house, these gentlemen were allowed to
+retain their coats. They were presented with five dollars each, to pay
+their expenses to Natchez. No such courtesy was shown to the lessees
+of the plantation.
+
+On the following morning, I was awakened at an early hour by the
+arrival of a negro from our plantation, with news of the raid. A
+little later, Mr. Owen made his appearance, wearing pantaloons and hat
+that belonged to one of the negroes. The pantaloons were too small and
+the hat too large; both had long before seen their best days. He was
+riding a mule, on which was tied an old saddle, whose cohesive powers
+were very doubtful. I listened to the story of the raid, and was
+convinced another visit would be made very soon. I gave directions
+for the overseer to gather all the remaining mules and take them to
+Natchez for safety.
+
+I stopped with my friend until nearly noon, and then accompanied
+him to Natchez. On the next morning, I learned that the guerrillas
+returned to our plantation while I was at my friend's house. They
+carried away what they were unable to take on the previous night They
+needed a wagon for purposes of transportation, and took one of ours,
+and with it all the mules they could find. Our house was stripped of
+every thing of any value, and I hoped the guerrillas would have no
+occasion to make subsequent visits. Several of our mules were saved by
+running them into the woods adjoining the plantation. These were taken
+to Natchez, and, for a time, all work on the prospective cotton crop
+came to an end.
+
+For nearly three weeks, the guerrillas had full and free range in the
+vicinity of the leased plantations. One after another of the lessees
+were driven to seek refuge at Natchez, and their work was entirely
+suspended. The only plantations undisturbed were those within a
+mile or two of Vidalia. As the son of Adjutant-General Thomas was
+interested in one of these plantations, and intimate friends of that
+official were concerned in others, it was proper that they should
+be well protected. The troops at Vidalia were kept constantly on the
+look-out to prevent raids on these favored localities.
+
+Nearly every day I heard of a fresh raid in our neighborhood,
+though, after the first half-dozen visits, I could not learn that the
+guerrillas carried away any thing, for the simple reason there was
+nothing left to steal. Some of the negroes remained at home, while
+others fled to the military posts for protection. The robbers showed
+no disposition to maltreat the negroes, and repeatedly assured
+them they should not be disturbed as long as they remained on the
+plantations and planted nothing but corn. It was declared that cotton
+should not be cultivated under any circumstances, and the negroes were
+threatened with the severest punishment if they assisted in planting
+that article.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XL.
+
+PECULIARITIES OF PLANTATION LABOR.
+
+Resuming Operation.--Difficulties in the Way.--A New Method of Healing
+the Sick.--A Thief Discovered by his Ignorance of Arithmetic.--How
+Cotton is Planted.--The Uses of Cotton-Seed.--A Novel
+Sleeping-Room.--Constructing a Tunnel.--Vigilance of a Negro Sentinel.
+
+
+On the 24th of March a small post was established at Waterproof, and
+on the following day we recommenced our enterprise at the plantation.
+We were much crippled, as nearly all our mules were gone, and the work
+of replacing them could not be done in a day. The market at Natchez
+was not supplied with mules, and we were forced to depend upon the
+region around us. Three days after the establishment of the post we
+were able to start a half-dozen plows, and within two weeks we had
+our original force in the field. The negroes that had left during the
+raid, returned to us. Under the superintendence of our overseer
+the work was rapidly pushed. Richmond was back again on our smaller
+plantation, whence he had fled during the disturbances, and was
+displaying an energy worthy of the highest admiration.
+
+Our gangs were out in full force. There was the trash-gang clearing
+the ground for the plows, and the plow-gang busy at its appropriate
+work. The corn-gang, with two ox-teams, was gathering corn at the rate
+of a hundred bushels daily, and the fence-gang was patting the fences
+in order. The shelling-gang (composed of the oldest men and women)
+was husking and shelling corn, and putting it in sacks for market.
+The gardener, the stock-tenders, the dairy-maids, nurserymaids,
+hog-minders, and stable-keepers were all in their places, and we began
+to forget our recent troubles in the apparent prospect of success.
+
+One difficulty of the new system presented itself. Several of the
+negroes began to feign sickness, and cheat the overseer whenever it
+could be done with impunity. It is a part of the overseer's duty to go
+through the quarters every morning, examine such as claim to be sick,
+determine whether their sickness be real or pretended, and make the
+appropriate prescriptions. Under the old system the pretenders were
+treated to a liberal application of the lash, which generally drove
+away all fancied ills. Sometimes, one who was really unwell, was
+most unmercifully flogged by the overseer, and death not unfrequently
+ensued from this cause.
+
+As there was now no fear of the lash, some of the lazily-inclined
+negroes would feign sickness, and thus be excused from the field. The
+trouble was not general, but sufficiently prevalent to be annoying. We
+saw that some course must be devised to overcome this evil, and keep
+in the field all who were really able to be there.
+
+We procured some printed tickets, which the overseer was to issue
+at the close of each day. There were three colors--red, yellow, and
+white. The first were for a full day's work, the second for a half
+day, and the last for a quarter day. On the face of each was the
+following:--
+
+AQUASCO & MONONO
+PLANTATIONS.
+1864.
+
+These tickets were given each day to such as deserved them. They were
+collected every Saturday, and proper credit given for the amount of
+labor performed during the week. The effect was magical. The day
+after the adoption of our ticket system our number of sick was reduced
+one-half, and we had no further trouble with pretended patients.
+Colburn and myself, in our new character of "doctors," found our
+practice greatly diminished in consequence of our innovations.
+Occasionally it would happen that one who was not really able to work,
+would go to the field through a fear of diminished wages.
+
+One Saturday night, a negro whom we had suspected of thievish
+propensities, presented eight full-day tickets as the representative
+of his week's work.
+
+"Did you earn all these this week?" I asked.
+
+"Yes, sir," was the reply; "Mr. Owen gave them to me. I worked every
+day, straight along."
+
+"Can you tell me on which days he gave you each ticket?"
+
+"Oh, yes. I knows every one of them," said the negro, his countenance
+expressing full belief in his ability to locate each ticket.
+
+As I held the tickets in my hand, the negro picked them out. "Mr. Owen
+gave me this one Monday, this one Tuesday," and so on, toward the end
+of the week. As he reached Friday, and saw three tickets remaining,
+when there was only another day to be accounted for, his face suddenly
+fell. I pretended not to notice his embarrassment.
+
+"Which one did he give you to-day?"
+
+There was a stammer, a hesitation, a slight attempt to explain, and
+then the truth came out. He had stolen the extra tickets from two
+fellow-laborers only a few minutes before, and had not reflected
+upon the difficulties of the situation. I gave him some good advice,
+required him to restore the stolen tickets, and promise he would not
+steal any more. I think he kept the promise during the remainder of
+his stay on the plantation, but am by no means certain.
+
+Every day, when the weather was favorable, our work was pushed. Every
+mule that could be found was put at once into service, and by the
+15th of April we had upward of five hundred acres plowed and ready for
+planting. We had planted about eighty acres of corn during the first
+week of April, and arranged to commence planting cotton on Monday,
+the 18th of the month. On the Saturday previous, the overseer on each
+plantation organized his planting-gangs, and placed every thing in
+readiness for active work.
+
+The ground, when plowed for cotton, is thrown into a series of ridges
+by a process technically known as "four-furrowing." Two furrows are
+turned in one direction and two in another, thus making a ridge
+four or five feet wide. Along the top of this ridge a "planter," or
+"bull-tongue," is drawn by a single mule, making a channel two or
+three inches in depth. A person carrying a bag of cotton seed follows
+the planter and scatters the seed into the channel. A small harrow
+follows, covering the seed, and the work of planting is complete.
+
+A planting-gang consists of drivers for the planters, drivers for the
+harrows, persons who scatter the seed, and attendants to supply
+them with seed. The seed is drawn from the gin-house to the field
+in ox-wagons, and distributed in convenient piles of ten or twenty
+bushels each.
+
+Cotton-seed has never been considered of any appreciable value, and
+consequently the negroes are very wasteful in using it. In sowing it
+in the field, they scatter at least twenty times as much as necessary,
+and all advice to use less is unheeded. It is estimated that there are
+forty bushels of seed to every bale of cotton produced. A plantation
+that sends a thousand bales of cotton to market will thus have forty
+thousand bushels of seed, for which there was formerly no sale.
+
+With the most lavish use of the article, there was generally a surplus
+at the end of the year. Cattle and sheep will eat cotton-seed, though
+not in large quantities. Boiled cotton-seed is fed to hogs on all
+plantations, but it is far behind corn in nutritious and fattening
+qualities. Cotton-seed is packed around the roots of small trees,
+where it is necessary to give them warmth or furnish a rich soil for
+their growth. To some extent it is used as fuel for steam-engines, on
+places where the machinery is run by steam. When the war deprived the
+Southern cities of a supply of coal for their gasworks, many of them
+found cotton seed a very good substitute. Oil can be extracted from it
+in large quantities. For several years, the Cotton-Seed Oil Works of
+Memphis carried on an extensive business. Notwithstanding the many
+uses to which cotton-seed can be applied, its great abundance makes it
+of little value.
+
+The planting-gang which we started on that Monday morning, consisted
+of five planters and an equal number of harrows, sowers, etc. Each
+planter passed over about six acres daily, so that every day gave us
+thirty acres of our prospective cotton crop. At the end of the week
+we estimated we had about a hundred and seventy acres planted. On the
+following week we increased the number of planters, but soon reduced
+them, as we found we should overtake the plows earlier than we
+desired. By the evening of Monday, May 2d, we had planted upward of
+four hundred acres. A portion of it was pushing out of the ground, and
+giving promise of rapid growth.
+
+During this period the business was under the direct superintendence
+of our overseers, Mr. Owen being responsible for the larger
+plantation, and Richmond for the smaller. Every day they were visited
+by Colburn or myself--sometimes by both of us--and received directions
+for the general management, which they carried out in detail. Knowing
+the habits of the guerrillas, we did not think it prudent to sleep in
+our house at the plantation. Those individuals were liable to announce
+their presence at any hour of the night, by quietly surrounding the
+house and requesting its inmates to make their appearance.
+
+When I spent the night at the plantation, I generally slept on a pile
+of cotton-seed, in an out-building to which I had secretly conveyed a
+pair of blankets and a flour-bag. This bag, filled with seed, served
+as my pillow, and though my bed lacked the elasticity of a spring
+mattress, it was really quite comfortable. My sleeping-place was at
+the foot of a huge pile of seed, containing many hundred bushels. One
+night I amused myself by making a tunnel into this pile in much the
+same way as a squirrel digs into a hillside. With a minute's warning
+I could have "hunted my hole," taking my blankets with me. By filling
+the entrance with seed, I could have escaped any ordinary search of
+the building. I never had occasion to use my tunnel.
+
+Generally, however, we staid in Waterproof, leaving there early in the
+morning, taking breakfast at the upper plantation, inspecting the work
+on both plantations, and, after dinner, returning to Waterproof. We
+could obtain a better dinner at the plantation than Waterproof was
+able to furnish us. Strawberries held out until late in the season,
+and we had, at all times, chickens, eggs, and milk in abundance.
+Whenever we desired roast lamb, our purveyor caused a good selection
+to be made from our flock. Fresh pork was much too abundant for our
+tastes, and we astonished the negroes and all other natives of that
+region, by our seemingly Jewish propensities. Pork and corn-bread
+are the great staples of life in that hot climate, where one would
+naturally look for lighter articles of food.
+
+Once I was detained on the plantation till after dark. As I rode
+toward Waterproof, expecting the negro sentinel to challenge and halt
+me, I was suddenly brought to a stand by the whistling of a bullet
+close to my ear, followed by several others at wider range.
+
+"Who comes there?"
+
+"A friend, with the countersign."
+
+"If that's so, come in. We thought you was the Rebels."
+
+As I reached the picket, the corporal of the guard explained that they
+were on duty for the first time, and did not well understand their
+business. I agreed with him fully on the latter point. To fire upon a
+solitary horseman, advancing at a walk, and challenge him afterward,
+was something that will appear ridiculous in the eyes of all soldiers.
+The corporal and all his men promised to do better next time, and
+begged me not to report them at head-quarters. When I reached the
+center of the town, I found the garrison had been alarmed at the
+picket firing, and was turning out to repel the enemy. On my assurance
+that I was the "enemy," the order to fall into line of battle was
+countermanded.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI.
+
+THE NEGROES AT A MILITARY POST.
+
+The Soldiers at Waterproof.--The Black Man in Blue.--Mutiny and
+Desertion.--Their Cause and Cure.--Tendering a Resignation.--No Desire
+for a Barber.--Seeking Protection.--Falsehood and Truth.--Proneness to
+Exaggeration.--Amusing Estimates.
+
+
+The soldiers forming the garrison at Waterproof, at that time, were
+from a regiment raised by Colonel Eaton, superintendent of contrabands
+at Vicksburg. They were recruited in the vicinity of Vicksburg and
+Milliken's Bend, especially for local defense. They made, as the
+negro everywhere has made, excellent material for the army. Easily
+subordinate, prompt, reliable, and keenly alert when on duty (as their
+shooting at me will evince), they completely gave the lie to the Rebel
+assertion that the negro would prove worthless under arms.
+
+On one point only were they inclined to be mutinous. Their home ties
+were very strong, and their affection for their wives and children
+could not be overcome at once. It appeared that when this regiment
+was organized it was expected to remain at Milliken's Bend, where the
+families of nearly all the men were gathered. The order transferring
+them to Waterproof was unlooked for, and the men made some complaint.
+This was soon silenced, but after the regiment had been there three or
+four weeks, a half-dozen of the men went out of the lines one night,
+and started to walk to Milliken's Bend. They were brought back,
+and, after several days in the guardhouse, returned to duty. Others
+followed their example in attempting to go home, and for a while
+the camp was in a disturbed condition. Desertions were of daily
+occurrence.
+
+It was difficult to make them understand they were doing wrong. The
+army regulations and the intricacies of military law were unknown to
+them. They had never studied any of General Halleck's translations
+from the French, and, had they done so, I doubt if they would have
+been much enlightened. None of them knew what "desertion" meant,
+nor the duties of a soldier to adhere to his flag at all times. All
+intended to return to the post after making a brief visit to their
+families. Most of them would request their comrades to notify their
+captains that they would only be absent a short time. Two, who
+succeeded in eluding pursuit, made their appearance one morning as
+if nothing had happened, and assured their officers that others
+would shortly be back again. Gradually they came to understand
+the wickedness of desertion, or absence without leave, but this
+comprehension of their obligations was not easily acquired.
+
+A captain, commanding a company at Waterproof, told me an amusing
+story of a soldier "handing in his resignation." As the captain was
+sitting in front of his quarters, one of his men approached him,
+carrying his musket and all his accoutrements. Without a word the man
+laid his entire outfit upon the ground, in front of the captain, and
+then turned to walk away.
+
+"Come back here," said the officer; "what do you mean by this?"
+
+"I'se tired of staying here, and I'se going home," was the negro's
+answer, and he again attempted to move off.
+
+"Come back here and pick these things up," and the captain spoke in a
+tone that convinced the negro he would do well to obey.
+
+The negro told his story. He was weary of the war; he had been four
+weeks a soldier; he wanted to see his family, and had concluded to
+go home. If the captain desired it, he, would come back in a little
+while, but he was going home then, "_any how_."
+
+The officer possessed an amiable disposition, and explained to
+the soldier the nature of military discipline. The latter was soon
+convinced he had done wrong, and returned without a murmur to his
+duty. Does any soldier, who reads this, imagine himself tendering his
+resignation in the above manner with any prospect of its acceptance?
+
+When the first regiment of colored volunteers was organized in Kansas,
+it was mainly composed of negroes who had escaped from slavery in
+Missouri. They were easily disciplined save upon a single point, and
+on this they were very obstinate. Many of the negroes in Missouri, as
+in other parts of the South, wear their hair, or wool, in little knots
+or braids. They refused to submit to a close shearing, and threatened
+to return to their masters rather than comply with the regulation.
+Some actually left the camp and went home. The officers finally
+carried their point by inducing some free negroes in Leavenworth,
+whose heads were adorned with the "fighting cut," to visit the camp
+and tell the obstinate ones that long locks were a badge of servitude.
+
+The negroes on our plantation, as well as elsewhere, had a strong
+desire to go to Waterproof to see the soldiers. Every Sunday they were
+permitted to go there to attend church, the service being conducted by
+one of their own color. They greatly regretted that the soldiers
+did not parade on that day, as they missed their opportunities for
+witnessing military drills. To the negroes from plantations in the
+hands of disloyal owners, the military posts were a great attraction,
+and they would suffer all privations rather than return home. Some
+of them declared they would not go outside the lines under any
+consideration. We needed more assistance on our plantation, but it
+was next to impossible to induce negroes to go there after they found
+shelter at the military posts. Dread of danger and fondness for their
+new life were their reasons for remaining inside the lines. A portion
+were entirely idle, but there were many who adopted various modes of
+earning their subsistence.
+
+At Natchez, Vicksburg, and other points, dealers in fruit, coffee,
+lemonade, and similar articles, could be found in abundance. There
+were dozens of places where washing was taken in, though it was not
+always well done. Wood-sawing, house-cleaning, or any other kind of
+work requiring strength, always found some one ready to perform it.
+Many of those who found employment supported themselves, while
+those who could not or would not find it, lived at the expense of
+Government. The latter class was greatly in the majority.
+
+I have elsewhere inserted the instructions which are printed in every
+"Plantation Record," for the guidance of overseers in the olden time.
+"Never trust a negro," is the maxim given by the writer of those
+instructions. I was frequently cautioned not to believe any statements
+made by negroes. They were charged with being habitual liars, and
+entitled to no credence whatever. Mrs. B. constantly assured me the
+negroes were great liars, and I must not believe them. This assurance
+would be generally given when I cited them in support of any thing
+she did not desire to approve. _Per contrâ_, she had no hesitation in
+referring to the negroes to support any of her statements which their
+testimony would strengthen. This was not altogether feminine weakness,
+as I knew several instances in which white persons of the sterner sex
+made reference to the testimony of slaves. The majority of Southern
+men refuse to believe them on all occasions; but there are many who
+refer to them if their statements are advantageous, yet declare them
+utterly unworthy of credence when the case is reversed.
+
+I have met many negroes who could tell falsehoods much easier than
+they could tell the truth. I have met others who saw no material
+difference between truth and its opposite; and I have met many whose
+statements could be fully relied upon. During his whole life, from
+the very nature of the circumstances which, surround him, the slave
+is trained in deception. If he did not learn to lie it would be
+exceedingly strange. It is my belief that the negroes are as truthful
+as could be expected from their education. White persons, under
+similar experience and training, would not be good examples for the
+young to imitate. The negroes tell many lies, but all negroes are
+not liars. Many white persons tell the truth, but I have met, in the
+course of my life, several men, of the Caucasian race, who never told
+the truth unless by accident.
+
+I found in the plantation negroes a proneness to exaggeration, in
+cases where their fears or desires were concerned. One day, a negro
+from the back country came riding rapidly to our plantation, declaring
+that the woods, a mile distant, were "full of Rebels," and asking
+where the Yankee soldiers were. I questioned him for some time. When
+his fears were quieted, I ascertained that he had seen three mounted
+men, an hour before, but did not know what they were, or whether armed
+or not.
+
+When I took the plantations, Mrs. B. told me there were twenty bales
+of cotton already picked; the negroes had told her so. When I surveyed
+the place on the first day of my occupation, the negroes called my
+attention to the picked cotton, of which they thought there were
+twenty or twenty-five bales. With my little experience in cotton, I
+felt certain there would be not more than seven bales of that lot.
+When it was passed through the gin and pressed, there were but five
+bales.
+
+We wished to plant about fifty acres of corn on the larger plantation.
+There was a triangular patch in one corner that we estimated to
+contain thirty acres. The foreman of the plow-gang, who had lived
+twenty years on the place, thought there were about sixty acres. He
+was surprised when we found, by actual measurement, that the patch
+contained twenty-eight acres. Another spot, which he thought contained
+twenty acres, measured less than ten. Doubtless the man's judgment had
+been rarely called for, and its exercise, to any extent, was decidedly
+a new sensation.
+
+Any thing to which the negroes were unaccustomed became the subject
+of amusing calculations. The "hog-minder" could estimate with
+considerable accuracy the weight of a hog, either live or dressed.
+When I asked him how much he supposed his own weight to be, he was
+entirely lost. On my demanding an answer, he thought it might be three
+hundred pounds. A hundred and sixty would not have been far from the
+real figure.
+
+Incorrect judgment is just as prevalent among ignorant whites as
+among negroes, though with the latter there is generally a tendency to
+overestimate. Where negroes make wrong estimates, in three cases out
+of four they will be found excessive. With whites the variation will
+be diminutive as often as excessive. In judging of numbers of men, a
+column of troops, for example, both races are liable to exaggerate,
+the negro generally going beyond the pale-face. Fifty mounted men may
+ride past a plantation. The white inhabitants will tell you a hundred
+soldiers have gone by, while the negroes will think there were two or
+three hundred.
+
+I was often surprised at the ability of the negroes to tell the names
+of the steamboats plying on the river. None of the negroes could
+read, but many of them would designate the different boats with great
+accuracy. They recognized the steamers as they would recognize the
+various trees of the forest. When a new boat made its appearance they
+inquired its name, and forgot it very rarely.
+
+On one occasion a steamer came in sight, on her way up the river.
+Before she was near enough for me to make out the name on her side,
+one of the negroes declared it was the _Laurel Hill_. His statement
+proved correct. It was worthy of note that the boat had not passed
+that point for nearly a year previous to that day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLII.
+
+THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT.
+
+The Nature of our "Protection."--Trade Following the Flag.--A
+Fortunate Journey.--Our Last Visit.--Inhumanity of the
+Guerrillas.--Driving Negroes into Captivity.--Killing an
+Overseer.--Our Final Departure.--Plantations Elsewhere.
+
+
+We did not look upon the post at Waterproof as a sure protection.
+There was no cavalry to make the promised patrol between Waterproof
+and the post next below it, or to hunt down any guerrillas that might
+come near. A few of the soldiers were mounted on mules and horses
+taken from the vicinity, but they were not effective for rapid
+movements. It was understood, and semi-officially announced, that the
+post was established for the protection of Government plantations. The
+commandant assured me he had no orders to that effect. He was placed
+there to defend the post, and nothing else. We were welcome to any
+protection his presence afforded, but he could not go outside the
+limits of the town to make any effort in our behalf.
+
+There was a store at Waterproof which was doing a business of two
+thousand dollars daily. Every day the wives, brothers, or sisters of
+men known to belong to the marauding bands in the vicinity, would come
+to the town and make any purchases they pleased, frequently paying for
+them in money which the guerrillas had stolen. A gentleman, who was an
+intimate friend of General Thomas, was one of the proprietors of this
+store, and a son of that officer was currently reported to hold an
+interest in it. After a time the ownership was transferred to a single
+cotton speculator, but the trading went on without hinderance. This
+speculator told me the guerrilla leader had sent him a verbal promise
+that the post should not be disturbed or menaced so long as the store
+remained there. Similar scenes were enacted at nearly all the posts
+established for the "protection" of leased plantations. Trading stores
+were in full operation, and the amount of goods that reached the
+Rebels and their friends was enormous.
+
+I have little doubt that this course served to prolong the resistance
+to our arms along the Mississippi River. If we had stopped all
+commercial intercourse with the inhabitants, we should have removed
+the inducement for Rebel troops to remain in our vicinity. As matters
+were managed, they kept close to our lines at all the military posts
+between Cairo and Baton Rouge, sometimes remaining respectfully quiet,
+and at others making occasional raids within a thousand yards of our
+pickets.
+
+The absence of cavalry, and there being no prospect that any would
+arrive, led us to believe that we could not long remain unmolested. We
+were "in for it," however, and continued to plow and plant, trusting
+to good fortune in getting safely through. Our misfortune came at
+last, and brought our free-labor enterprise to an untimely end.
+
+As I stated in the previous chapter, Colburn and myself made daily
+visits to the plantation, remaining there for dinner, and returning
+to Waterproof in the afternoon. On Monday, May 2d, we made our usual
+visit, and returned to the post. A steamer touched there, on its way
+to Natchez, just after our return, and we accepted the invitation of
+her captain to go to that place. Our journey to Natchez was purely
+from impulse, and without any real or ostensible business to call us
+away. It proved, personally, a very fortunate journey.
+
+On Tuesday evening, a neighbor of ours reached Natchez, bringing news
+that the guerrillas had visited our plantation on that day. I hastened
+to Waterproof by the first boat, and found our worst fears were
+realized.
+
+Thirty guerrillas had surrounded our house at the hour we were
+ordinarily at dinner. They called our names, and commanded us to come
+out and be shot. The house was empty, and as there was no compliance
+with the request, a half-dozen of the party, pistols in hand, searched
+the building, swearing they would kill us on the spot. Had we been
+there, I have no doubt the threat would have been carried out.
+
+Failing to find us, they turned their attention to other matters. They
+caught our overseer as he was attempting to escape toward Waterproof.
+He was tied upon his horse, and guarded until the party was ready to
+move. The teams were plowing in the field at the time the robbers
+made their appearance. Some of the negroes unloosed the mules from the
+plows, mounted them, and fled to Waterproof. Others, who were slow in
+their movements, were captured with the animals. Such of the
+negroes as were not captured at once, fled to the woods or concealed
+themselves about the buildings.
+
+Many of the negroes on the plantation were personally known to some of
+the guerrillas. In most cases these negroes were not disturbed. Others
+were gathered in front of the house, where they were drawn up in line
+and securely tied. Some of them were compelled to mount the captured
+mules and ride between their captors.
+
+Several children were thrown upon the mules, or taken by the
+guerrillas on their own horses, where they were firmly held. No
+attention was paid to the cries of the children or the pleadings of
+their mothers. Some of the latter followed their children, as the
+guerrillas had, doubtless, expected. In others, the maternal instinct
+was less than the dread of captivity. Among those taken was an infant,
+little more than eight months old.
+
+Delaying but a few moments, the captors and the captives moved away.
+Nineteen of our negroes were carried off, of whom ten were children
+under eleven years of age. Of the nineteen, five managed to make their
+escape within a few miles, and returned home during the night. One
+woman, sixty-five years old, who had not for a long time been able
+to do any work, was among those driven off. She fell exhausted before
+walking three miles, and was beaten by the guerrillas until she lay
+senseless by the roadside. It was not for several hours that she
+recovered sufficiently to return to the plantation and tell the story
+of barbarity.
+
+From a plantation adjoining ours, thirty negroes were carried away
+at the same time. Of these, a half-dozen escaped and returned.
+The balance, joined to the party from our own plantation, formed a
+mournful procession. I heard of them at many points, from residents of
+the vicinity. These persons would not admit that the guerrillas were
+treating the negroes cruelly. Those who escaped had a frightful story
+to tell. They had been beaten most barbarously with whips, sticks, and
+frequently with the butts of pistols; two or three were left senseless
+by the roadside, and one old man had been shot, because he was too
+much exhausted to go further. I learned, a few days later, that
+the captured negroes were taken to Winnsboro; a small town in the
+interior, and there sold to a party of Texas traders.
+
+From our plantation the guerrillas stole twenty-four mules at the time
+of their visit, and an equal number from our neighbors. These were
+sold to the same party of traders that purchased the negroes, and
+there was evidently as little compunction at speculating in the one
+"property" as in the other.
+
+Our overseer, Mr. Owen, had been bound upon his horse and taken away.
+This I learned from the negroes remaining on the plantation. I made
+diligent inquiries of parties who arrived from the direction taken by
+the guerrillas, to ascertain, if possible, where he had been carried.
+One person assured me, positively, that he saw Mr. Owen, a prisoner,
+twenty miles away. Mrs.
+
+Owen and five children were living at Waterproof, and, of course, were
+much alarmed on hearing of his capture.
+
+It was on Thursday, two days after the raid, that I visited the
+plantation. Our lower plantation had not been disturbed, but many of
+the negroes were gone, and all work was suspended. It was of no use
+to attempt to prosecute the planting enterprise, and we immediately
+prepared to abandon the locality. The remaining negroes were set at
+work to shell the corn already gathered. As fast as shelled, it
+was taken to Waterproof for shipment to market. The plows were left
+rusting in the furrows, where they were standing at the moment the
+guerrillas appeared. The heaps of cotton-seed and the implements used
+by the planting-gang remained in _statu quo_. The cotton we planted
+was growing finely. To leave four hundred acres thus growing, and
+giving promise of a fine harvest, was to throw away much labor, but
+there was no alternative.
+
+On Saturday, four days after the raid, the corporal of a scouting
+party came to our plantation and said the body of a white man had been
+found in the woods a short distance away. I rode with him to the spot
+he designated. The mystery concerning the fate of our overseer was
+cleared up. The man was murdered within a thousand yards of the house.
+
+From the main road leading past our plantation, a path diverged into
+the forest. This path was taken by some of the guerrillas in their
+retreat. Following it two hundred yards, and then turning a short
+distance to the left, I found a small cypress-tree, not more than
+thirty feet high. One limb of this tree drooped as it left the trunk,
+and then turned upward. The lowest part of the bend of this limb was
+not much higher than a tall man's head.
+
+It was just such a tree, and just such a limb, as a party bent on
+murder would select for hanging their victim. I thought, and still
+think, that the guerrillas turned aside with the design of using the
+rope as the instrument of death. Under this tree lay the remains of
+our overseer. The body was fast decomposing. A flock of buzzards was
+gathered around, and was driven away with difficulty. They had already
+begun their work, so that recognition under different circumstances
+would not have been easy. The skull was detached from the body, and
+lay with the face uppermost. A portion of the scalp adhered to it, on
+which a gray lock was visible. A bit of gray beard was clinging to the
+chin.
+
+In the centre of the forehead there was a perforation, evidently made
+by a pistol-bullet. Death must have been instantaneous, the pistol
+doing the work which the murderers doubtless intended to accomplish by
+other means. The body had been stripped of all clothing, save a single
+under-garment. Within a dozen yards lay a pair of old shoes, and close
+by their side a tattered and misshapen hat. The shoes and hat were not
+those which our overseer had worn, but were evidently discarded by
+the guerrillas when they appropriated the apparel of their victim. I
+caused a grave to be dug, and the remains placed in a rude coffin and
+buried. If a head-stone had been obtainable, I would have given the
+locality a permanent designation. The particulars of the murder we
+were never able to ascertain.
+
+Three days later we abandoned the plantation. We paid the negroes
+for the work they had done, and discharged them from further service.
+Those that lived on the plantation previous to our going there,
+generally remained, as the guerrillas had assured them they would
+be unmolested if they cultivated no cotton. A few of them went to
+Natchez, to live near their "missus." Those whom we had hired from
+other localities scattered in various directions. Some went to the
+Contraband Home at Davis's Bend, others to the negro quarters at
+Natchez, others to plantations near Vidalia, and a few returned to
+their former homes. Our "family" of a hundred and sixty persons was
+thus broken up.
+
+We removed the widow and children of our overseer to Natchez, and
+purchased for them the stock and goodwill of a boarding-house keeper.
+We sent a note to the leader of the guerrilla band that manifested
+such a desire to "go through" us, and informed him that we could
+be found in St. Louis or New York. Before the end of May we passed
+Vicksburg on our Journey Due North.
+
+Most of the plantations in the vicinity of Natchez, Vicksburg, and
+Milliken's Bend were given up. Probably a dozen lessees were killed,
+and the same number carried to Texas. Near Vicksburg, the chivalric
+guerrillas captured two lessees, and tortured them most barbarously
+before putting them to death. They cut off the ears of one man, and
+broke his nose by a blow from a club. Thus mutilated, he was compelled
+to walk three or four miles. When he fell, fainting from loss of
+blood, he was tied to a tree, and the privilege of shooting him
+was sold at auction. They required his companion to witness these
+brutalities. Whenever he turned away his eyes, his captors pressed the
+point of a saber into his cheek. Finally, they compelled him to take
+a spade and dig his own grave. When it was finished, they stripped
+him of his clothing, and shot him as he stood by the brink of the
+newly-opened trench.
+
+Blanchard and Robinson, two lessees near Natchez, both of them
+residents of Boston, were murdered with nearly the same fiendishness
+as exhibited in the preceding case. Their fate was for some time
+unknown. It was at length ascertained from a negro who was captured at
+the same time, but managed to escape. That "slavery makes barbarians"
+would seem to be well established by the conduct of these residents of
+Louisiana.
+
+In the vicinity of Baton Rouge and New Orleans there were but few
+guerrillas, and the plantations generally escaped undisturbed. In all
+localities the "army-worm" made its appearance in July and August, and
+swept away almost the entire crop. Many plantations that were expected
+to yield a thousand bales did not yield a hundred, and some of them
+made less than ten. The appearance of this destructive worm was very
+sudden. On some plantations, where the cotton was growing finely and
+without a trace of blight, the fields, three days later, appeared as
+if swept by fire. There was consequently but little cotton made during
+the season.
+
+The possibility of producing the great staples of the South by
+free labor was fully established. Beyond this there was little
+accomplished.
+
+My four months of cotton-planting was an experience I shall
+never regret, though I have no desire to renew it under similar
+circumstances. Agriculture is generally considered a peaceful pursuit.
+To the best of my recollection I found it quite the reverse.
+
+For the benefit of those who desire to know the process of cotton
+culture, from the planting season to the picking season, I give the
+following extract from an article written by Colonel T. B. Thorpe,
+of Louisiana, several years ago. After describing the process of
+preparing the ground and planting the seed, Colonel Thorpe says:--
+
+
+
+If the weather be favorable, the young plant is discovered making its
+way through in six or ten days, and "the scraping" of the crop, as it
+is termed, now begins. A light plow is again called into requisition,
+which is run along the drill, throwing the _earth away from the
+plant;_ then come the laborers with their hoes, who dexterously cut
+away the superabundant shoots and the intruding weeds, and leave a
+single cotton-plant in little hills, generally two feet apart.
+
+Of all the labors of the field, the dexterity displayed by the negroes
+in "scraping cotton" is most calculated to call forth the admiration
+of the novice spectator. The hoe is a rude instrument, however well
+made and handled; the young cotton-plant is as delicate as vegetation
+can be, and springs up in lines of solid masses, composed of hundreds
+of plants. The field-hand, however, will single one delicate shoot
+from the surrounding multitude, and with his rude hoe he will trim
+away the remainder with all the boldness of touch of a master, leaving
+the incipient stalk unharmed and alone in its glory; and at nightfall
+you can look along the extending rows, and find the plants correct in
+line, and of the required distance of separation from each other.
+
+The planter, who can look over his field in early spring, and find his
+cotton "cleanly scraped" and his "stand" good, is fortunate; still,
+the vicissitudes attending the cultivation of the crop have only
+commenced. Many rows, from the operations of the "cut-worm," and from
+multitudinous causes unknown, have to be replanted, and an unusually
+late frost may destroy all his labors, and compel him to commence
+again. But, if no untoward accident occurs, in two weeks after the
+"scraping," another hoeing takes place, at which time the plow throws
+the furrow _on to the roots_ of the now strengthening plant, and the
+increasing heat of the sun also justifying the sinking of the roots
+deeper in the earth. The pleasant month of May is now drawing to a
+close, and vegetation of all kinds is struggling for precedence in
+the fields. Grasses and weeds of every variety, with vines and wild
+flowers, luxuriate in the newly-turned sod, and seem to be determined
+to choke out of existence the useful and still delicately-grown
+cotton.
+
+It is a season of unusual industry on the cotton plantations, and woe
+to the planter who is outstripped in his labors, and finds himself
+"overtaken by the grass." The plow tears up the surplus vegetation,
+and the hoe tops it off in its luxuriance. The race is a hard one, but
+industry conquers; and when the third working-over of the crop takes
+place, the cotton-plant, so much cherished and favored, begins to
+overtop its rivals in the fields--begins to cast _a chilling shade of
+superiority_ over its now intimidated groundlings, and commences to
+reign supreme.
+
+Through the month of July, the crop is wrought over for the last time;
+the plant, heretofore of slow growth, now makes rapid advances toward
+perfection. The plow and hoe are still in requisition. The "water
+furrows" between the cotton-rows are deepened, leaving the cotton
+growing as it were upon à slight ridge; this accomplished, the crop is
+prepared for the "rainy season," should it ensue, and so far advanced
+that it is, under any circumstances, beyond the control of art. Nature
+must now have its sway.
+
+The "cotton bloom," under the matured sun of July, begins to make
+its appearance. The announcement of the "first blossom" of the
+neighborhood is a matter of general interest; it is the unfailing sign
+of the approach of the busy season of fall; it is the evidence that
+soon the labor of man will, under a kind Providence, receive its
+reward.
+
+It should perhaps here be remarked, that the color of cotton in its
+perfection is precisely that of the blossom--a beautiful light,
+but warm cream-color. In buying cotton cloth, the "bleached" and
+"unbleached" are perceptibly different qualities to the most casual
+observer; but the dark hues and harsh look of the "unbleached
+domestic" comes from the handling of the artisan and the soot of
+machinery. If cotton, pure as it looks in the field, could be wrought
+into fabrics, they would have a brilliancy and beauty never yet
+accorded to any other material in its natural or artificial state.
+There cannot be a doubt but that, in the robes of the ancient royal
+Mexicans and Peruvians, this brilliant and natural gloss of cotton was
+preserved, and hence the surpassing value it possessed in the eyes of
+cavaliers accustomed to the fabrics of the splendid court of Ferdinand
+and Isabella.
+
+The cotton-blossom is exceedingly delicate in its organization. It is,
+if in perfection, as we have stated, of a beautiful cream-color.
+It unfolds in the night, remains in its glory through the morn--at
+meridian it has begun to decay. The day following its birth it has
+changed to a deep red, and ere the sun goes down, its petals have
+fallen to the earth, leaving inclosed in the capacious calyx a
+scarcely perceptible germ. This germ, in its incipient and early
+stages, is called "a form;" in its more perfected state, "a boll."
+
+The cotton-plant, like the orange, has often on one stalk every
+possible growth; and often, on the same limb, may sometimes be seen
+the first-opened blossom, and the bolls, from their first development
+as "forms," through every size, until they have burst open and
+scattered their rich contents to the ripening winds.
+
+The appearance of a well-cultivated cotton-field, if it has escaped
+the ravages of insects and the destruction of the elements, is of
+singular beauty. Although it may be a mile in extent, still it is as
+carefully wrought as is the mold of the limited garden of the coldest
+climate. The cotton-leaf is of a delicate green, large and luxuriant;
+the stalk indicates rapid growth, yet it has a healthy and firm look.
+Viewed from a distance, the perfecting plant has a warm and glowing
+expression. The size of the cotton-plant depends upon the accident
+of climate and soil. The cotton of Tennessee bears very little
+resemblance to the luxuriant growth of Alabama and Georgia; but even
+in those favored States the cotton-plant is not everywhere the same,
+for in the rich bottom-lands it grows to a commanding size, while in
+the more barren regions it is an humble shrub. In the rich alluvium of
+the Mississippi the cotton will tower beyond the reach of the tallest
+"picker," and a single plant will contain hundreds of perfect "bolls;"
+in the neighboring "piney-woods" it lifts its humble head scarcely
+above the knee, and is proportionably meager in its produce of fruit.
+
+The growing cotton is particularly liable to accidents, and suffers
+immensely in "wet seasons" from the "rust" and "rot." The first
+named affects the leaves, giving them a brown and deadened tinge, and
+frequently causes them to crumble away. The "rot" attacks the "boll."
+
+It commences by a black spot on the rind, which, increasing, seems to
+produce fermentation and decay. Worms find their way to the roots; the
+caterpillar eats into the "boll" and destroys the staple. It would be
+almost impossible to enumerate all the evils the cotton-plant is heir
+to, all of which, however, sink into nothingness compared with the
+scourge of the "army-worm."
+
+The moth that indicates the advent of the army-worm has a Quaker-like
+simplicity in its light, chocolate-colored body and wings, and, from
+its harmless appearance, would never be taken for the destroyer of
+vast fields of luxuriant and useful vegetation.
+
+The little, and, at first, scarcely to be perceived caterpillars that
+follow the appearance of these moths, can absolutely be seen to grow
+and swell beneath your eyes as they crawl from leaf to leaf. Day by
+day you can see the vegetation of vast fields becoming thinner and
+thinner, while the worm, constantly increasing in size, assumes at
+last an unctuous appearance most disgusting to behold. Arrived at
+maturity, a few hours only are necessary for these modern locusts
+to eat up all living vegetation that comes in their way. Leaving
+the localities of their birth, they will move from place to place,
+spreading a desolation as consuming as fire in their path.
+
+All efforts to arrest their progress or annihilate them prove
+unavailing. They seem to spring out of the ground, and fall from
+the clouds; and the more they are tormented and destroyed, the more
+perceptible, seemingly, is their power. We once witnessed the
+invasion of the army-worm, as it attempted to pass from a desolated
+cotton-field to one untouched. Between these fields was a wide ditch,
+which had been deepened, to prove a barrier to the onward march of
+the worm. Down the perpendicular sides of the trench the caterpillars
+rolled in untold millions, until its bottom, for nearly a mile in
+extent, was a foot or two deep in a living mass of animal life. To an
+immense piece of unhewn timber was attached a yoke of oxen, and, as
+this heavy log was drawn through the ditch, it seemed absolutely to
+float on a crushed mass of vegetable corruption. The following
+day, under the heat of a tropical sun, the stench arising from this
+decaying mass was perceptible the country round, giving a strange and
+incomprehensible notion of the power and abundance of this destroyer
+of the cotton crop.
+
+
+The change that has been effected by the result of the Rebellion, will
+not be confined to the social system alone. With the end of slavery
+there will be a destruction of many former applications of labor.
+Innovations have already been made, and their number will increase
+under the management of enterprising men.
+
+In Louisiana several planters were using a "drill" for depositing the
+cotton-seed in the ground. The labor of planting is reduced more than
+one-half, and that of "scraping" is much diminished. The saving
+of seed is very great--the drill using about a tenth of the amount
+required under the old system.
+
+One man is endeavoring to construct a machine that will pick cotton
+from the stalks, and is confident he will succeed. Should he do so,
+his patent will be of the greatest value. Owners of plantations
+have recently offered a present of ten thousand dollars to the first
+patentee of a successful machine of this character.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIII.
+
+THE MISSISSIPPI AND ITS PECULIARITIES.
+
+Length of the Great River, and the Area it Drains.--How Itasca Lake
+obtained its Name.--The Bends of the Mississippi.--Curious Effect upon
+Titles to Real Estate.--A Story of Napoleon.--A Steamboat Thirty-five
+Years under Water.--The Current and its Variations.--Navigating Cotton
+and Corn Fields.--Reminiscences of the Islands.
+
+
+As railways are to the East, so are the rivers to the West. The
+Mississippi, with its tributaries, drains an immense region, traversed
+in all directions by steamboats. From the Gulf of Mexico one can
+travel, by water to the Rocky Mountains, or to the Alleghanies, at
+pleasure. It is estimated there are twenty thousand miles of navigable
+streams which find an outlet past the city of New Orleans. The
+Mississippi Valley contains nearly a million and a quarter square
+miles, and is one of the most fertile regions on the globe.
+
+To a person born and reared in the East, the Mississippi presents many
+striking features. Above its junction with the Missouri, its water
+is clear and its banks are broken and picturesque. After it joins the
+Missouri the scene changes. The latter stream is of a chocolate hue,
+and its current is very rapid. All its characteristics are imparted
+to the combined stream. The Mississippi becomes a rapid, tortuous,
+seething torrent. It loses its blue, transparent water, and takes the
+complexion of the Missouri. Thus "it goes unvexed to the sea."
+
+There is a story concerning the origin of the name given to the source
+of the Mississippi, which I do not remember to have seen in print.
+A certain lake, which had long been considered the head of the Great
+River, was ascertained by an exploring party to have no claim to that
+honor. A new and smaller lake was discovered, in which the Mississippi
+took its rise. The explorers wished to give it an appropriate name. An
+old _voyageur_ suggested that they make a name, by coining a word.
+
+"Will some of you learned ones tell me," said he, "what is the Latin
+word for _true_?"
+
+"_Veritas_," was the response.
+
+"Well, now, what is the Latin for _head_"
+
+"_Caput_, of course."
+
+"Now," suggested the _voyageur_, "write the two words together, by
+syllables."
+
+A strip of birch bark was the tablet on which "_ver-i-tas-ca-put_" was
+traced.
+
+"Read it out," was his next request.
+
+The five syllables were read.
+
+"Now, drop the first and last syllables, and you have a name for this
+lake."
+
+In the Indian vernacular, "Mississippi" is said to signify "Great
+Water." "Missouri," according to some authorities, is the Indian for
+"Mud River," a most felicitous appellation. It should properly belong
+to the entire river from St. Louis to the Gulf, as that stream carries
+down many thousand tons of mud every year. During the many centuries
+that the Mississippi has been sweeping on its course, it has formed
+that long point of land known as the Delta, and shallowed the water in
+the Gulf of Mexico for more than two hundred miles.
+
+Flowing from north to south, the river passes through all the
+varieties of climate. The furs from the Rocky Mountains and the
+cereals of Wisconsin and Minnesota are carried on its bosom to the
+great city which stands in the midst of orange groves and inhales
+the fragrance of the magnolia. From January to June the floods of
+its tributaries follow in regular succession, as the opening spring
+loosens the snows that line their banks.
+
+The events of the war have made the Mississippi historic, and
+familiarized the public with some of its peculiarities. Its tortuosity
+is well known. The great bend opposite Vicksburg will be long
+remembered by thousands who have never seen it. This bend is eclipsed
+by many others. At "Terrapin Neck" the river flows twenty-one
+miles, and gains only three hundred yards. At "Raccourci Bend" was
+a peninsula twenty-eight miles around and only half a mile across.
+Several years ago a "cut-off" was made across this peninsula, for the
+purpose of shortening the course of the river. A small ditch was cut,
+and opened when the flood was highest.
+
+An old steamboat-man once told me that he passed the upper end of this
+ditch just as the water was let in. Four hours later, as he passed the
+lower end, an immense torrent was rushing through the channel, and the
+tall trees were falling like stalks of grain before a sickle.
+
+Within a week the new channel became the regular route for steamboats.
+
+Similar "cut-offs" have been made at various points along the river,
+some of them by artificial aid, and others entirely by the action of
+the water. The channel of the Mississippi is the dividing line of
+the States between which it flows, and the action of the river often
+changes the location of real estate. There is sometimes a material
+difference in the laws of States that lie opposite each other.
+The transfer of property on account of a change in the channel
+occasionally makes serious work with titles.
+
+I once heard of a case where the heirs to an estate lost their title,
+in consequence of the property being transferred from Mississippi to
+Louisiana, by reason of the course of the river being changed. In the
+former State they were heirs beyond dispute. In the latter their claim
+vanished into thin air.
+
+Once, while passing up the Mississippi, above Cairo, a
+fellow-passenger called my attention to a fine plantation, situated
+on a peninsula in Missouri. The river, in its last flood, had broken
+across the neck of the peninsula. It was certain the next freshet
+would establish the channel in that locality, thus throwing the
+plantation into Illinois. Unless the negroes should be removed before
+this event they would become free.
+
+"You see, sir," said my informant, "that this great river is an
+Abolitionist."
+
+The alluvial soil through which the Mississippi runs easily yields to
+the action of the fierce current. The land worn away at one point
+is often deposited, in the form of a bar or tongue of land, in the
+concave of the next bend. The area thus added becomes the property
+of whoever owns the river front. Many a man has seen his plantation
+steadily falling into the Mississippi, year by year, while a
+plantation, a dozen miles below, would annually find its area
+increased. Real estate on the banks of the Mississippi, unless upon
+the bluffs, has no absolute certainty of permanence. In several
+places, the river now flows where there were fine plantations ten or
+twenty years ago.
+
+Some of the towns along the Lower Mississippi are now, or soon
+will be, towns no more. At Waterproof, Louisiana, nearly the entire
+town-site, as originally laid out, has been washed away. In the
+four months I was in its vicinity, more than forty feet of its
+front disappeared. Eighteen hundred and seventy will probably find
+Waterproof at the bottom of the Mississippi. Napoleon, Arkansas, is
+following in the wake of Waterproof. If the distance between them
+were not so great, their sands might mingle. In view of the character
+Napoleon has long enjoyed, the friends of morality will hardly regret
+its loss.
+
+The steamboat captains have a story that a quiet clergyman from New
+England landed at Napoleon, one morning, and made his way to the
+hotel. He found the proprietor superintending the efforts of a negro,
+who was sweeping the bar-room floor. Noticing several objects of a
+spherical form among the _débris_ of the bar-room, the stranger asked
+their character.
+
+"Them round things? them's _eyes_. The boys amused themselves a little
+last night. Reckon there's 'bout a pint-cup full of eyes this mornin'.
+Sometimes we gets a quart or so, when business is good."
+
+Curious people were those natives of Arkansas, ten or twenty years
+ago. Schools were rare, and children grew up with little or no
+education. If there was a "barbarous civilization" anywhere in the
+United States, it was in Arkansas. In 1860, a man was hung at
+Napoleon for reading _The Tribune_. It is an open question whether the
+character of the paper or the man's ability to read was the reason for
+inflicting the death penalty.
+
+The current of the Mississippi causes islands to be destroyed in some
+localities and formed in others. A large object settling at the
+bottom of the stream creates an eddy, in which the floating sand is
+deposited. Under favorable circumstances an island will form in such
+an eddy, sometimes of considerable extent.
+
+About the year 1820, a steamboat, laden with lead, was sunk in
+mid-channel several miles below St. Louis. An island formed over this
+steamer, and a growth of cotton-wood trees soon covered it. These
+trees grew to a goodly size, and were cut for fuel. The island was
+cleared, and for several successive years produced fine crops of corn.
+About 1855, there was a change in the channel of the river, and the
+island disappeared. After much search the location of the sunken
+steamer was ascertained. By means of a diving-bell, its cargo of lead,
+which had been lying thirty-five years under earth and under water,
+was brought to light. The entire cargo was raised, together with a
+portion of the engines. The lead was uninjured, but the engines were
+utterly worthless after their long burial.
+
+The numerous bends of the Mississippi are of service in rendering the
+river navigable. If the channel were a straight line from Cairo to New
+Orleans, the current would be so strong that no boat could stem it.
+In several instances, where "cut-offs" have been made, the current
+at their outlets is so greatly increased that the opposite banks are
+washed away. New bends are thus formed that may, in time, be as large
+as those overcome. Distances have been shortened by "cut-offs," but
+the Mississippi displays a decided unwillingness to have its length
+curtailed.
+
+From St. Louis to the Red River the current of the Mississippi is
+about three miles an hour. It does not flow in a steady, unbroken
+volume. The surface is constantly ruffled by eddies and little
+whirlpools, caused by the inequalities of the bottom of the river, and
+the reflection of the current from the opposite banks. As one gazes
+upon the stream, it half appears as if heated by concealed fires,
+and ready to break into violent ebullition. The less the depth, the
+greater the disturbance of the current. So general is this rule,
+that the pilots judge of the amount of water by the appearance of the
+surface. Exceptions occur where the bottom, below the deep water, is
+particularly uneven.
+
+From its source to the mouth of Red River, the Mississippi is fed
+by tributaries. Below that point, it throws off several streams that
+discharge no small portion of its waters into the Gulf of Mexico.
+These streams, or "bayous," are narrow and tortuous, but generally
+deep, and navigable for ordinary steamboats. The "Atchafalaya" is the
+first, and enters the Gulf of Mexico at the bay of the same name. At
+one time it was feared the Mississippi might leave its present bed,
+and follow the course of this bayou. Steps were taken to prevent such
+an occurrence. Bayou Plaquemine, Bayou Sara, Bayou La Fourche, Bayou
+Goula, and Bayou Teche, are among the streams that drain the great
+river.
+
+These bayous form a wonderful net-work of navigable waters, throughout
+Western Louisiana. If we have reason to be thankful that "great
+rivers run near large cities in all parts of the world," the people
+of Louisiana should be especially grateful for the numerous natural
+canals in that State. These streams are as frequent and run in nearly
+as many directions as railways in Massachusetts.
+
+During its lowest stages, the Mississippi is often forty feet "within
+its banks;" in other words, the surface is forty feet below the level
+of the land which borders the river. It rises with the freshets, and,
+when "bank full," is level with the surrounding lowland.
+
+It does not always stop at this point; sometimes it rises two, four,
+six, or even ten feet above its banks. The levees, erected at immense
+cost, are designed to prevent the overflowing of the country on such
+occasions. When the levees become broken from any cause, immense areas
+of country are covered with water. Plantations, swamps, forests, all
+are submerged. During the present year (1865) thousands of square
+miles have been flooded, hundreds of houses swept away, and large
+amounts of property destroyed.
+
+During the freshet of '63, General Grant opened the levee at
+Providence, Louisiana, in the hope of reaching Bayou Mason, and thence
+taking his boats to Red River. After the levee was cut an immense
+volume of water rushed through the break. Anywhere else it would have
+been a goodly-sized river, but it was of little moment by the side of
+the Mississippi. A steamboat was sent to explore the flooded region. I
+saw its captain soon after his return.
+
+"I took my boat through the cut," said he, "without any trouble. We
+drew nearly three feet, but there was plenty of water. We ran two
+miles over a cotton-field, and could see the stalks as our wheels tore
+them up. Then I struck the plank road, and found a good stage of water
+for four miles, which took me to the bayou. I followed this several
+miles, until I was stopped by fallen trees, when I turned about and
+came back. Coming back, I tried a cornfield, but found it wasn't as
+good to steam in as the cotton-field."
+
+A farmer in the Eastern or Middle States would, doubtless, be much
+astonished at seeing a steamboat paddling at will in his fields and
+along his roads. A similar occurrence in Louisiana does not astonish
+the natives. Steamers have repeatedly passed over regions where corn
+or cotton had been growing six months before. At St. Louis, in 1844,
+small boats found no difficulty in running from East St. Louis to
+Caseyville, nine miles distant. In making these excursions they passed
+over many excellent farms, and stopped at houses whose owners had been
+driven to the upper rooms by the water.
+
+Above Cairo, the islands in the Mississippi are designated by names
+generally received from the early settlers. From Cairo to New Orleans
+the islands are numbered, the one nearest the former point being
+"One," and that nearest New Orleans "One Hundred and Thirty-one."
+Island Number Ten is historic, being the first and the last island in
+the great river that the Rebels attempted to fortify. Island Number
+Twenty-eight was the scene of several attacks by guerrillas upon
+unarmed transports. Other islands have an equally dishonorable
+reputation. Fifty years ago several islands were noted as the resorts
+of robbers, who conducted an extensive and systematic business. Island
+Number Sixty-five (if I remember correctly) was the rendezvous of the
+notorious John A. Murrell and his gang of desperadoes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIV.
+
+STEAMBOATING ON THE MISSISSIPPI IN PEACE AND WAR.
+
+Attempts to Obstruct the Great River.--Chains, Booms, and
+Batteries.--A Novelty in Piloting.--Travel in the Days Before the
+Rebellion.--Trials of Speed.--The Great Race.--Travel During the
+War.--Running a Rebel Battery on the Lower Mississippi.--Incidents of
+the Occasion.--Comments on the Situation.
+
+
+No engineer has been able to dam the Mississippi, except by the easy
+process which John Phenix adopted on the Yuma River. General Pillow
+stretched a chain from Columbus, Kentucky, to the opposite shore, in
+order to prevent the passage of our gun-boats. The chain broke soon
+after being placed in position.
+
+Near Forts Jackson and Philip, below New Orleans, the Rebels
+constructed a boom to oppose the progress of Farragut's fleet. A large
+number of heavy anchors, with the strongest cables, were fixed in the
+river. For a time the boom answered the desired purpose. But the river
+rose, drift-wood accumulated, and the boom at length went the way of
+all things Confederate. Farragut passed the forts, and appeared before
+New Orleans; "Picayune Butler came to town," and the great city of the
+South fell into the hands of the all-conquering Yankees.
+
+Before steam power was applied to the propulsion of boats, the ascent
+of the Mississippi was very difficult.
+
+From New Orleans to St. Louis, a boat consumed from two to four
+months' time. Sails, oars, poles, and ropes attached to trees,
+were the various means of stemming the powerful current. Long after
+steamboats were introduced, many flat-boats, loaded with products
+of the Northern States, floated down the river to a market. At New
+Orleans, boats and cargoes were sold, and the boatmen made their way
+home on foot. Until twenty years ago, the boatmen of the Mississippi
+were almost a distinct race. At present they are nearly extinct.
+
+In the navigation of the Mississippi and its tributaries, the pilot
+is the man of greatest importance. He is supposed to be thoroughly
+familiar with the channel of the river in all its windings, and to
+know the exact location of every snag or other obstruction. He
+can generally judge of the depth of water by the appearance of the
+surface, and he is acquainted with every headland, forest, house, or
+tree-top, that marks the horizon and tells him how to keep his course
+at night. Professional skill is only acquired by a long and careful
+training.
+
+Shortly after the occupation of Little Rock by General Steele, a dozen
+soldiers passed the lines, without authority, and captured a steamboat
+eighteen miles below the city. Steam was raised, when the men
+discovered they had no pilot. One of their number hit upon a plan as
+novel as it was successful.
+
+The Arkansas was very low, having only three feet of water in the
+channel. Twenty-five able-bodied negroes were taken from a neighboring
+plantation, stretched in a line across the river, and ordered to wade
+against the current. By keeping their steamer, which drew only twenty
+inches, directly behind the negro who sank the deepest, the soldiers
+took their prize to Little Rock without difficulty.
+
+For ten years previous to the outbreak of the Rebellion, steamboating
+on the Mississippi was in the height of its glory. Where expense
+of construction and management were of secondary consideration, the
+steamboats on the great river could offer challenge to the world.
+It was the boast of their officers that the tables of the great
+passenger-boats were better supplied than those of the best hotels in
+the South. On many steamers, claret, at dinner, was free to all. Fruit
+and ices were distributed in the evening, as well as choice cups
+of coffee and tea. On one line of boats, the cold meats on the
+supper-table were from carefully selected pieces, cooked and cooled
+expressly for the cenatory meal. Bands of music enlivened the hours
+of day, and afforded opportunity for dancing in the evening. Spacious
+cabins, unbroken by machinery; guards of great width, where cigars and
+small-talk were enjoyed; well-furnished and well-lighted state-rooms,
+and tables loaded with all luxuries of the place and season, rendered
+these steamers attractive to the traveler. Passengers were social,
+and partook of the gayety around them. Men talked, drank, smoked, and
+sometimes gambled, according to their desires. The ladies practiced no
+frigid reserve toward each other, but established cordial relations in
+the first few hours of each journey.
+
+Among the many fine and fast steamers on the Western waters, there
+was necessarily much competition in speed. Every new boat of the first
+class was obliged to give an example of her abilities soon after her
+appearance. Every owner of a steamboat contends that _his_ boat is the
+best afloat. I have rarely been on board a Mississippi steamer of
+any pretensions whose captain has not assured me, "She is the fastest
+thing afloat, sir. Nothing can pass her. We have beaten the--, and
+the--, and the--, in a fair race, sir." To a stranger, seeking correct
+information, the multiplicity of these statements is perplexing.
+
+In 1853 there was a race from New Orleans to Louisville, between the
+steamers _Eclipse_ and _A.L. Shotwell_, on which seventy thousand
+dollars were staked by the owners of the boats. An equal amount was
+invested in "private bets" among outside parties. The two boats were
+literally "stripped for the race." They were loaded to the depth that
+would give them the greatest speed, and their arrangements for taking
+fuel were as complete as possible. Barges were filled with wood at
+stated points along the river, and dropped out to midstream as the
+steamers approached. They were taken alongside, and their loads of
+wood transferred without any stoppage of the engines of the boats.
+
+At the end of the first twenty-four hours the _Eclipse_ and _Shotwell_
+were side by side, three hundred and sixty miles from New Orleans. The
+race was understood to be won by the _Eclipse_, but was so close that
+the stakes were never paid.
+
+In the palmy days of steamboating, the charges for way-travel were
+varied according to the locality. Below Memphis it was the rule to
+take no single fare less than five dollars, even if the passenger were
+going but a half-dozen miles. Along Red River the steamboat clerks
+graduated the fare according to the parish where the passenger came
+on board. The more fertile and wealthy the region, the higher was the
+price of passage. Travelers from the cotton country paid more than
+those from the tobacco country. Those from the sugar country paid
+more than any other class. With few exceptions, there was no "ticket"
+system. Passengers paid their fare at any hour of their journey that
+best suited them. Every man was considered honest until he gave proof
+to the contrary. There was an occasional Jeremy Diddler, but his
+operations were very limited.
+
+When the Rebellion began, the old customs on the Mississippi were
+swept away. The most rigid "pay-on-entering" system was adopted, and
+the man who could evade it must be very shrewd. The wealth along
+the Great River melted into thin air. The _bonhommie_ of travel
+disappeared, and was succeeded by the most thorough selfishness in
+collective and individual bodies. Scrambles for the first choice of
+state-rooms, the first seat at table, and the first drink at the bar,
+became a part of the new _régime_. The ladies were little regarded
+in the hurly-burly of steamboat life. Men would take possession of
+ladies' chairs at table, and pay no heed to remonstrances.
+
+I have seen an officer in blue uniform place his muddy boots on the
+center-table in a cabin full of ladies, and proceed to light a cigar.
+The captain of the boat suggested that the officer's conduct was in
+violation of the rules of propriety, and received the answer:
+
+"I have fought to help open the Mississippi, and, by ----, I am going
+to enjoy it."
+
+The careless display of the butt of a revolver, while he gave this
+answer, left the pleasure-seeker master of the situation. I am sorry
+to say that occurrences of a similar character were very frequent in
+the past three years. With the end of the war it is to be hoped that
+the character of Mississippi travel will be improved.
+
+In May, 1861, the Rebels blockaded the Mississippi at Memphis. In the
+same month the National forces established a blockade at Cairo. In
+July, '63, the capture of Vicksburg and Port Hudson removed the last
+Rebel obstruction. The _Imperial_ was the first passenger boat to
+descend the river, after the reopening of navigation.
+
+Up to within a few months of the close of the Rebellion, steamers
+plying on the river were in constant, danger of destruction by Rebel
+batteries. The Rebel Secretary of War ordered these batteries placed
+along the Mississippi, in the hope of stopping all travel by that
+route. His plan was unsuccessful. Equally so was the barbarous
+practice of burning passenger steamboats while in motion between
+landing-places. On transports fired upon by guerrillas (or Rebels),
+about a hundred persons were killed and as many wounded. A due
+proportion of these were women and children. On steamboats burned by
+Rebel incendiaries, probably a hundred and fifty lives were lost. This
+does not include the dead by the terrible disaster to the _Sultana_.
+It is supposed that this boat was blown up by a Rebel torpedo in her
+coal.
+
+It was my fortune to be a passenger on the steamer _Von Phul_, which
+left New Orleans for St. Louis on the evening of December 7th, 1863.
+I had been for some time traveling up and down the Mississippi, and
+running the gauntlet between Rebel batteries on either shore. There
+was some risk attending my travels, but up to that time I escaped
+unharmed.
+
+On the afternoon of the 8th, when the boat was about eight miles above
+Bayou Sara, I experienced a new sensation.
+
+Seated at a table in the cabin, and busily engaged in writing, I heard
+a heavy crash over my head, almost instantly followed by another. My
+first thought was that the chimneys or some part of the pilot-house
+had fallen, and I half looked to see the roof of the cabin tumbling
+in. I saw the passengers running from the cabin, and heard some one
+shout:
+
+"The guerrillas are firing on us."
+
+I collected my writing materials and sought my state-room, where I had
+left Mr. Colburn, my traveling companion, soundly asleep a few minutes
+before.
+
+He was sitting on the edge of his berth, and wondering what all the
+row was about. The crash that startled me had awakened him. He thought
+the occurrence was of little moment, and assented to my suggestion,
+that we were just as safe there as anywhere else on the boat.
+
+Gallantry prevented our remaining quiet. There were several ladies on
+board, and it behooved us to extend them what protection we could. We
+sought them, and "protected" them to the best of our united ability.
+Their place of refuge was between the cabin and the wheel-house,
+opposite the battery's position. A sheet of wet paper would afford as
+much resistance to a paving-stone as the walls of a steamboat cabin
+to a six-pound shot. As we stood among the ladies, two shells passed
+through the side of the cabin, within a few inches of our heads.
+
+The shots grew fewer in number, and some of them dropped in the river
+behind us. Just as we thought all alarm was over, we saw smoke issuing
+from the cabin gangway. Then, some one shouted, "_The boat is on
+fire_!"
+
+Dropping a lady who evinced a disposition to faint, I entered the
+cabin. A half-dozen men were there before me, and seeking the locality
+of the fire. I was first to discover it.
+
+A shell, in passing through a state-room, entered a pillow, and
+scattered the feathers through the cabin. A considerable quantity of
+these feathers fell upon a hot stove, and the smoke and odor of their
+burning caused the alarm.
+
+The ladies concluded not to faint. Three minutes after the affair was
+over, they were as calm as ever.
+
+The Rebels opened fire when we were abreast of their position, and did
+not cease until we were out of range. We were fifteen minutes within
+reach of their guns.
+
+[Illustration: RUNNING BATTERIES ON THE VON PHUL.]
+
+Our wheels seemed to turn very slowly. No one can express in words the
+anxiety with which we listened, after each shot, for the puffing of
+the engines. So long as the machinery was uninjured, there was no
+danger of our falling into Rebel hands. But with our engines disabled,
+our chances for capture would be very good.
+
+As the last shot fell astern of the boat and sent up a column of
+spray, we looked about the cabin and saw that no one had been injured.
+A moment later came the announcement from the pilot-house:
+
+"Captain Gorman is killed!"
+
+I ascended to the hurricane deck, and thence to the pilot-house. The
+pilot, with his hat thrown aside and his hair streaming in the wind,
+stood at his post, carefully guiding the boat on her course. The body
+of the captain was lying at his feet. Another man lay dying, close by
+the opening in which the wheel revolved. The floor was covered with
+blood, splinters, glass, and the fragments of a shattered stove.
+One side of the little room was broken in, and the other side was
+perforated where the projectiles made their exit.
+
+The first gun from the Rebels threw a shell which entered the side of
+the pilot-house, and struck the captain, who was sitting just behind
+the pilot. Death must have been instantaneous. A moment later, a
+"spherical-case shot" followed the shell. It exploded as it struck
+the wood-work, and a portion of the contents entered the side of the
+bar-keeper of the boat. In falling to the floor he fell against the
+wheel. The pilot, steering the boat with one hand, pulled the dying
+man from the wheel with the other, and placed him by the side of the
+dead captain.
+
+Though, apparently, the pilot was as cool and undisturbed as ever, his
+face was whiter than usual. He said the most trying moment of all was
+soon after the first shots were fired. Wishing to "round the bend" as
+speedily as possible, he rang the bell as a signal to the engineer to
+check the speed of one of the wheels. The signal was not obeyed, the
+engineers having fled to places of safety. He rang the bell once more.
+He shouted down the speaking-tube, to enforce compliance with his
+order.
+
+There was no answer. The engines were caring for themselves. The boat
+must be controlled by the rudder alone. With a dead man and a
+dying man at his feet, with the Rebel shot and shell every moment
+perforating the boat or falling near it, and with no help from those
+who should control the machinery, he felt that his position was a
+painful one.
+
+We were out of danger. An hour later we found the gun-boat _Neosho_,
+at anchor, eight miles further up the stream. Thinking we might again
+be attacked, the commander of the _Neosho_ offered to convoy us to
+Red River. We accepted his offer. As soon as the _Neosho_ raised
+sufficient steam to enable her to move, we proceeded on our course.
+
+Order was restored on the _Von Phul_. Most of the passengers gathered
+in little groups, and talked about the recent occurrence. I returned
+to my writing, and Colburn gave his attention to a book. With the
+gun-boat at our side, no one supposed there was danger of another
+attack.
+
+A half-hour after starting under convoy of the gun-boat, the Rebels
+once more opened fire. They paid no attention to the _Neosho_, but
+threw all their projectiles at the _Von Phul_. The first shell passed
+through the cabin, wounding a person near me, and grazing a post
+against which Colburn and myself were resting our chairs. This shell
+was followed by others in quick succession, most of them passing
+through the cabin. One exploded under the portion of the cabin
+directly beneath my position. The explosion uplifted the boards with
+such force as to overturn my table and disturb the steadiness of my
+chair.
+
+I dreaded splinters far more than I feared the pitiless iron. I left
+the cabin, through which the shells were pouring, and descended to the
+lower deck. It was no better there than above. We were increasing
+the distance between ourselves and the Rebels, and the shot began to
+strike lower down. Nearly every shot raked the lower deck.
+
+A loose plank on which I stood was split for more than half its
+length, by a shot which struck my foot when its force was nearly
+spent. Though the skin was not abraded, and no bones were broken, I
+felt the effect of the blow for several weeks.
+
+I lay down upon the deck. A moment after I had taken my horizontal
+position, two men who lay against me were mortally wounded by a shell.
+The right leg of one was completely severed below the knee. This shell
+was the last projectile that struck the forward portion of the boat.
+
+With a handkerchief loosely tied and twisted with a stick, I
+endeavored to stop the flow of blood from the leg of the wounded man.
+I was partially successful, but the stoppage of blood could not save
+the man's life. He died within the hour.
+
+Forty-two shot and shell struck the boat. The escape-pipe was severed
+where it passed between two state-rooms, and filled the cabin with
+steam. The safe in the captain's office was perforated as if it had
+been made of wood. A trunk was broken by a shell, and its contents
+were scattered upon the floor. Splinters had fallen in the cabin,
+and were spread thickly upon the carpet. Every person who escaped
+uninjured had his own list of incidents to narrate.
+
+Out of about fifty persons on board the _Von Phul_ at the time of this
+occurrence, twelve were killed or wounded. One of the last projectiles
+that struck the boat, injured a boiler sufficiently to allow the
+escape of steam. In ten minutes our engines moved very feebly. We were
+forced to "tie up" to the eastern bank of the river. We were by this
+time out of range of the Rebel battery. The _Neosho_ had opened fire,
+and by the time we made fast to the bank, the Rebels were in retreat.
+
+The _Neosho_ ceased firing and moved to our relief. Before she reached
+us, the steamer _Atlantic_ came in sight, descending the river.
+We hailed her, and she came alongside. Immediately on learning our
+condition, her captain offered to tow the _Von Phul_ to Red River,
+twenty miles distant. There we could lie, under protection of the
+gun-boats, and repair the damages to our machinery. We accepted his
+offer at once.
+
+I can hardly imagine a situation of greater helplessness, than a
+place on board a Western passenger-steamer under the guns of a hostile
+battery. A battle-field is no comparison. On solid earth the
+principal danger is from projectiles. You can fight, or, under some
+circumstances, can run away. On a Mississippi transport, you are
+equally in danger of being shot. Added to this, you may be struck by
+splinters, scalded by steam, burned by fire, or drowned in the water.
+You cannot fight, you cannot run away, and you cannot find shelter.
+With no power for resistance or escape, the sense of danger and
+helplessness cannot be set aside.
+
+A few weeks after the occurrence just narrated, the steamer _Brazil_,
+on her way from Vicksburg to Natchez, was fired upon by a Rebel
+battery near Rodney, Mississippi. The boat was struck a half-dozen
+times by shot and shell. More than a hundred rifle-bullets were thrown
+on board. Three persons were killed and as many wounded.
+
+Among those killed on the _Brazil_, was a young woman who had engaged
+to take charge of a school for negro children at Natchez. The Rebel
+sympathizers at Natchez displayed much gratification at her death. On
+several occasions I heard some of the more pious among them declare
+that the hand of God directed the fatal missile. They prophesied
+violent or sudden deaths to all who came to the South on a similar
+mission.
+
+The steamer _Black Hawk_ was fired upon by a Rebel battery at the
+mouth of Red River. The boat ran aground in range of the enemy's guns.
+A shell set her pilot-house on fire, and several persons were killed
+in the cabin.
+
+Strange to say, though aground and on fire under a Rebel battery, the
+_Black Hawk_ was saved. By great exertions on the part of officers and
+crew, the fire was extinguished after the pilot-house was burned away.
+A temporary steering apparatus was rigged, and the boat moved from the
+shoal where she had grounded. She was a full half hour within range of
+the Rebel guns.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLV.
+
+THE ARMY CORRESPONDENT.
+
+The Beginning and the End.--The Lake Erie Piracy.--A Rochester
+Story.--The First War Correspondent,--Napoleon's Policy.--Waterloo
+and the Rothschilds.--Journalistic Enterprise in the Mexican War.--The
+Crimea and the East Indian Rebellion.--Experiences at the Beginning
+of Hostilities.--The Tender Mercies of the Insurgents.--In the
+Field.--Adventures in Missouri and Kentucky.--Correspondents
+in Captivity.--How Battle-Accounts were Written.--Professional
+Complaints.
+
+
+Having lain aside my pen while engaged in planting cotton and
+entertaining guerrillas, I resumed it on coming North, after that
+experiment was finished. Setting aside my capture in New Hampshire,
+narrated in the first chapter, my adventures in the field commenced in
+Missouri in the earliest campaign. Singularly enough, they terminated
+on our Northern border. In the earlier days of the Rebellion, it
+was the jest of the correspondents, that they would, some time, find
+occasion to write war-letters from the Northern cities. The jest
+became a reality in the siege of Cincinnati. During that siege we
+wondered whether it would be possible to extend our labors to Detroit
+or Mackinaw.
+
+In September, 1864, the famous "Lake Erie Piracy" occurred. I was
+in Cleveland when the news of the seizure of the _Philo Parsons_ was
+announced by telegraph, and at once proceeded to Detroit. The capture
+of the _Parsons_ was a very absurd movement on the part of the Rebels,
+who had taken refuge in Canada. The original design was, doubtless,
+the capture of the gun-boat _Michigan_, and the release of the
+prisoners on Johnson's Island. The captors of the _Parsons_ had
+confederates in Sandusky, who endeavored to have the _Michigan_ in
+a half-disabled condition when the _Parsons_ arrived. This was not
+accomplished, and the scheme fell completely through. The two small
+steamers, the _Parsons_ and _Island Queen_, were abandoned after being
+in Rebel hands only a few hours.
+
+The officers of the _Parsons_ told an interesting story of their
+seizure. Mr. Ashley, the clerk, said the boat left Detroit for
+Sandusky at her usual hour. She had a few passengers from Detroit, and
+received others at various landings. The last party that came on board
+brought an old trunk bound with ropes. The different parties did not
+recognize each other, not even when drinking at the bar. When near
+Kelly's Island in Lake Erie, the various officers of the steamer were
+suddenly seized. The ropes on the trunk were cut, the lid flew open,
+and a quantity of revolvers and hatchets was brought to light.
+
+The pirates declared they were acting in the interest of the
+"Confederacy." They relieved Mr. Ashley of his pocket-book and
+contents, and appropriated the money they found in the safe. Those
+of the passengers who were not "in the ring," were compelled to
+contribute to the representatives of the Rebel Government. This little
+affair was claimed to be "belligerent" throughout. At Kelly's Island
+the passengers and crew were liberated on parole not to take up arms
+against the Confederacy until properly exchanged.
+
+After cruising in front of Sandusky, and failing to receive signals
+which they expected, the pirates returned to Canada with their prize.
+One of their "belligerent" acts was to throw overboard the cargo of
+the _Parsons_, together with most of her furniture. At Sandwich, near
+Detroit, they left the boat, after taking ashore a piano and other
+articles. Her Majesty's officer of customs took possession of this
+stolen property, on the ground that it was brought into Canada
+without the proper permits from the custom-house. It was subsequently
+recovered by its owners.
+
+The St. Albans raid, which occurred a few months later, was a similar
+act of belligerency. It created more excitement than the Lake Erie
+piracy, but the questions involved were practically the same. That the
+Rebels had a right of asylum in Canada no one could deny, but there
+was a difference of opinion respecting the proper limits to those
+rights. The Rebels hoped to involve us in a controversy with England,
+that should result in the recognition of the Confederacy. This was
+frequently avowed by some of the indiscreet refugees.
+
+After the capture of the _Parsons_ and the raid upon St. Albans,
+the Canadian authorities sent a strong force of militia to watch the
+frontier. A battalion of British regulars was stationed at Windsor,
+opposite Detroit, early in 1864, but was removed to the interior
+before the raids occurred. The authorities assigned as a reason for
+this removal, the desire to concentrate their forces at some central
+point. The real reason was the rapid desertion of their men, allured
+by the high pay and opportunity of active service in our army. In
+two months the battalion at Windsor was reduced fifteen per cent, by
+desertions alone.
+
+Shortly after the St. Albans raid, a paper in Rochester announced a
+visit to that city by a cricket-club from Toronto. The paragraph was
+written somewhat obscurely, and jestingly spoke of the Toronto men as
+"raiders." The paper reached New York, and so alarmed the authorities
+that troops were at once ordered to Rochester and other points on the
+frontier. The misapprehension was discovered in season to prevent the
+actual moving of the troops.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+With the suppression of the Rebellion the mission of the war
+correspondent was ended. Let us all hope that his services will not
+again be required, in this country, at least, during the present
+century. The publication of the reports of battles, written on the
+field, and frequently during the heat of an engagement, was a marked
+feature of the late war. "Our Special Correspondent" is not, however,
+an invention belonging to this important era of our history.
+
+His existence dates from the days of the Greeks and Romans. If Homer
+had witnessed the battles which he described, he would, doubtless, be
+recognized as the earliest war correspondent. Xenophon was the first
+regular correspondent of which we have any record. He achieved an
+enduring fame, which is a just tribute to the man and his profession.
+
+During the Middle Ages, the Crusades afforded fine opportunities for
+the war correspondents to display their abilities. The prevailing
+ignorance of those times is shown in the absence of any reliable
+accounts of the Holy Wars, written by journalists on the field. There
+was no daily press, and the mail communications were very unreliable.
+Down to the nineteenth century, Xenophon had no formidable competitors
+for the honors which attached to his name.
+
+The elder Napoleon always acted as his own "Special." His bulletins,
+by rapid post to Paris, were generally the first tidings of his
+brilliant marches and victories. His example was thought worthy of
+imitation by several military officials during the late Rebellion.
+Rear-Admiral Porter essayed to excel Napoleon in sending early
+reports of battles for public perusal. "I have the honor to inform the
+Department," is a formula with which most editors and printers became
+intimately acquainted. The admiral's veracity was not as conspicuous
+as his eagerness to push his reports in print.
+
+At Waterloo there was no regular correspondent of the London press.
+Several volunteer writers furnished accounts of the battle for
+publication, whose accuracy has been called in question. Wellington's
+official dispatches were outstripped by the enterprise of a London
+banking-house. The Rothschilds knew the result of the battle eight
+hours before Wellington's courier arrived.
+
+Carrier pigeons were used to convey the intelligence. During the
+Rebellion, Wall Street speculators endeavored to imitate the policy of
+the Rothschilds, but were only partially successful.
+
+In the war between Mexico and the United States, "Our Special" was
+actively, though not extensively, employed. On one occasion, _The
+Herald_ obtained its news in advance of the official dispatches to the
+Government. The magnetic telegraph was then unknown. Horse-flesh and
+steam were the only means of transmitting intelligence. If we except
+the New Orleans _Picayune, The Herald_ was the only paper represented
+in Mexico during the campaigns of Scott and Taylor.
+
+During the conflict between France and England on the one hand, and
+Russia on the other, the journals of London and Paris sent their
+representatives to the Crimea. The London _Times,_ the foremost
+paper of Europe, gave Russell a reputation he will long retain. The
+"Thunderer's" letters from the camp before Sebastopol became known
+throughout the civilized world. A few years later, the East Indian
+rebellion once more called the London specials to the field. In
+giving the history of the campaigns in India, _The Times_ and its
+representative overshadowed all the rest.
+
+Just before the commencement of hostilities in the late Rebellion, the
+leading journals of New York were well represented in the South. Each
+day these papers gave their readers full details of all important
+events that transpired in the South. The correspondents that witnessed
+the firing of the Southern heart had many adventures. Some of them
+narrowly escaped with their lives.
+
+At Richmond, a crowd visited the Spottswood House, with the avowed
+intention of hanging a _Herald_ correspondent, who managed to escape
+through a back door of the building. A representative of _The Tribune_
+was summoned before the authorities at Charleston, on the charge of
+being a Federal spy. He was cleared of the charge, but advised to
+proceed North as early as possible. When he departed, Governor Pickens
+requested him, as a particular favor, to ascertain the name of _The
+Tribune_ correspondent, on arrival in New York, and inform him by
+letter. He promised to do so. On reaching the North, he kindly told
+Governor Pickens who _The Tribune_ correspondent was.
+
+A _Times_ correspondent, passing through Harper's Ferry, found himself
+in the hands of "the Chivalry," who proposed to hang him on the
+general charge of being an Abolitionist. He was finally released
+without injury, but at one time the chances of his escape were small.
+
+The New Orleans correspondent of _The Tribune_ came North on the last
+passenger-train from Richmond to Aquia Creek. One of _The Herald's_
+representatives was thrown into prison by Jeff. Davis, but released
+through the influence of Pope Walker, the Rebel Secretary of War.
+Another remained in the South until all regular communication was cut
+off. He reached the North in safety by the line of the "underground
+railway."
+
+When the Rebellion was fairly inaugurated, the various points of
+interest were at once visited by the correspondents of the press.
+Wherever our armies operated, the principal dailies of New York and
+other cities were represented. Washington was the center of gravity
+around which the Eastern correspondents revolved. As the army
+advanced into Virginia, every movement was carefully chronicled. The
+competition between the different journals was very great.
+
+In the West the field was broader, and the competition, though active,
+was less bitter than along the Potomac. In the early days, St.
+Louis, Cairo, and Louisville were the principal Western points
+where correspondents were stationed. As our armies extended their
+operations, the journalists found their field of labor enlarged. St.
+Louis lost its importance when the Rebels were driven from Missouri.
+For a long time Cairo was the principal rendezvous of the journalists,
+but it became less noted as our armies pressed forward along the
+Mississippi.
+
+Every war-correspondent has his story of experiences in the field.
+Gathering the details of a battle in the midst of its dangers; sharing
+the privations of the camp and the fatigues of the march; riding with
+scouts, and visiting the skirmishers on the extreme front; journeying
+to the rear through regions infested by the enemy's cavalry, or
+running the gauntlet of Rebel batteries, his life was far from
+monotonous. Frequently the correspondents acted as volunteer aids
+to generals during engagements, and rendered important service. They
+often took the muskets of fallen soldiers and used them to advantage.
+On the water, as on land, they sustained their reputation, and proved
+that the hand which wielded the pen was able to wield the sword. They
+contributed their proportion of killed, wounded, and captured to the
+casualties of the war. Some of them accepted commissions in the army
+and navy.
+
+During the campaign of General Lyon in Missouri, the journalists who
+accompanied that army were in the habit of riding outside the lines to
+find comfortable quarters for the night. Frequently they went two or
+three miles ahead of the entire column, in order to make sure of a
+good dinner before the soldiers could overtake them. One night two
+of them slept at a house three miles from the road which the army was
+following. The inmates of the mansion were unaware of the vicinity
+of armed "Yankees," and entertained the strangers without question.
+Though a dozen Rebel scouts called at the house before daylight, the
+correspondents were undisturbed. After that occasion they were more
+cautious in their movements.
+
+In Kentucky, during the advance of Kirby Smith upon Cincinnati, the
+correspondents of _The Gazette_ and _The Commercial_ were captured by
+the advance-guard of Rebel cavalry. Their baggage, money, and
+watches became the property of their captors. The correspondents were
+released, and obliged to walk about eighty miles in an August sun. A
+short time later, Mr. Shanks and Mr. Westfall, correspondents of _The
+Herald,_ were made acquainted with John Morgan, in one of the raids
+of that famous guerrilla. The acquaintance resulted in a thorough
+depletion of the wardrobes of the captured gentlemen.
+
+In Virginia, Mr. Cadwallader and Mr. Fitzpatrick, of _The Herald_,
+and Mr. Crounse, of _The Times_, were captured by Mosby, and liberated
+after a brief detention and a complete relief of every thing
+portable and valuable, down to their vests and pantaloons. Even their
+dispatches were taken from them and forwarded to Richmond. A portion
+of these reports found their way into the Richmond papers. Stonewall
+Jackson and Stuart were also fortunate enough to capture some of
+the representatives of the Press. At one time there were five
+correspondents of _The Herald_ in the hands of the Rebels. One of
+them, Mr. Anderson, was held more than a year. He was kept for ten
+days in an iron dungeon, where no ray of light could penetrate.
+
+I have elsewhere alluded to the capture of Messrs. Richardson and
+Browne, of _The Tribune_, and Mr. Colburn, of _The World_, in front
+of Vicksburg. The story of the captivity and perilous escape of these
+representatives of _The Tribune_ reveals a patience, a fortitude, a
+daring, and a fertility of resource not often excelled.
+
+Some of the most graphic battle-accounts of the war were written very
+hastily. During the three days' battle at Gettysburg, _The Herald_
+published each morning the details of the fighting of the previous
+day, down to the setting of the sun. This was accomplished by having a
+correspondent with each corps, and one at head-quarters to forward the
+accounts to the nearest telegraph office. At Antietam, _The Tribune_
+correspondent viewed the battle by day, and then hurried from the
+field, writing the most of his account on a railway train. From Fort
+Donelson the correspondents of _The World_ and _The Tribune_ went to
+Cairo, on a hospital boat crowded with wounded. Their accounts were
+written amid dead and suffering men, but when published they bore
+little evidence of their hasty preparation.
+
+I once wrote a portion of a letter at the end of a medium-sized table.
+At the other end of the table a party of gamblers, with twenty or
+thirty spectators, were indulging in "Chuck-a-Luck." I have known
+dispatches to be written on horseback, but they were very brief,
+and utterly illegible to any except the writer. Much of the press
+correspondence during the war was written in railway cars and on
+steamboats, and much on camp-chests, stumps, or other substitutes for
+tables. I have seen a half-dozen correspondents busily engaged with
+their letters at the same moment, each of them resting his port-folio
+on his knee, or standing upright, with no support whatever. On one
+occasion a fellow-journalist assured me that the broad chest of a
+slumbering _confrere_ made an excellent table, the undulations caused
+by the sleeper's breathing being the only objectionable feature.
+
+Sometimes a correspondent reached the end of a long ride so exhausted
+as to be unable to hold a pen for ten consecutive minutes. In such
+case a short-hand writer was employed, when accessible, to take down
+from rapid dictation the story of our victory or defeat.
+
+Under all the disadvantages of time, place, and circumstances,
+of physical exhaustion and mental anxiety, it is greatly to the
+correspondents' credit that they wrote so well. Battle-accounts were
+frequently published that would be no mean comparison to the studied
+pen-pictures of the famous writers of this or any other age. They
+were extensively copied by the press of England and the Continent, and
+received high praise for their vivid portrayal of the battle-field
+and its scenes. Apart from the graphic accounts of great battles, they
+furnished materials from which the historians will write the enduring
+records of the war. With files of the New York dailies at his side, an
+industrious writer could compile a history of the Rebellion, complete
+in all its details.
+
+It was a general complaint of the correspondents that their profession
+was never officially recognized so as to give them an established
+position in the army. They received passes from head-quarters, and
+could generally go where they willed, but there were many officers who
+chose to throw petty but annoying restrictions around them. As they
+were generally situated throughout the army, they were, to some
+extent, dependent upon official courtesies. Of course, this dependence
+was injurious to free narration or criticism when any officer had
+conducted improperly.
+
+If there is ever another occasion for the services of the war
+correspondent on our soil, it is to be hoped Congress will pass a law
+establishing a position for the journalists, fixing their status
+in the field, surrounding them with all necessary restrictions, and
+authorizing them to purchase supplies and forage from the proper
+departments. During the Crimean war, the correspondents of the French
+and English papers had a recognized position, where they were subject
+to the same rules, and entitled to the same privileges, as the
+officers they accompanied. When Sir George Brown, at Eupatoria,
+forbade any officer appearing in public with unshaven chin, he made no
+distinction in favor of the members of the Press.
+
+Notwithstanding their fierce competition in serving the journals they
+represented, the correspondents with our army were generally on the
+most friendly terms with each other. Perhaps this was less the case
+in the East than in the West, where the rivalry was not so intense
+and continuous. In the armies in the Mississippi Valley, the
+representatives of competing journals frequently slept, ate, traveled,
+and smoked together, and not unfrequently drank from the same flask
+with equal relish. In the early days, "Room 45," in the St. Charles
+Hotel at Cairo, was the resort of all the correspondents at that
+point. There they laid aside their professional jealousies, and passed
+their idle hours in efforts for mutual amusement. On some occasions
+the floor of the room would be covered, in the morning, with a
+confused mass of boots, hats, coats, and other articles of masculine
+wear, out of which the earliest riser would array himself in
+whatever suited his fancy, without the slightest regard to the owner.
+"Forty-five" was the neutral ground where the correspondents planned
+campaigns for all the armies of the Union, arranged the downfall of
+the Rebellion, expressed their views of military measures and military
+men, exulted over successes, mourned over defeats, and toasted in full
+glasses the flag that our soldiers upheld.
+
+Since the close of the war, many of the correspondents have taken
+positions in the offices of the journals they represented in the
+field. Some have established papers of their own in the South, and a
+few have retired to other civil pursuits. Some are making professional
+tours of the Southern States and recording the status of the people
+lately in rebellion. _The Herald_ has sent several of its _attachés_
+to the European capitals, and promises to chronicle in detail the next
+great war in the Old World.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVI.
+
+THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SOUTH.
+
+Scarcity of the Population,--Fertility of the Country.--Northern Men
+already in the South.--Kansas Emigrants Crossing Missouri.--Change of
+the Situation.--Present Disadvantages of Emigration.--Feeling of
+the People.--Property-Holders in Richmond.--The Sentiment in North
+Carolina.--South Carolina Chivalry.--The Effect of War.--Prospect of
+the Success of Free Labor.--Trade in the South.
+
+
+The suppression of the Rebellion, and the restoration of peace
+throughout the entire South, have opened a large field for emigration.
+The white population of the Southern States, never as dense as that of
+the North, has been greatly diminished in consequence of the war. In
+many localities more than half the able-bodied male inhabitants have
+been swept away, and everywhere the loss of men is severely felt.
+The breaking up of the former system of labor in the cotton and sugar
+States will hinder the progress of agriculture for a considerable
+time, but there can be little doubt of its beneficial effect in the
+end. The desolation that was spread in the track of our armies will
+be apparent for many years. The South will ultimately recover from
+all her calamities, but she will need the energy and capital of the
+Northern States to assist her.
+
+During the progress of the war, as our armies penetrated the fertile
+portions of the "Confederacy," many of our soldiers cast longing eyes
+at the prospective wealth around them. "When the war is over we will
+come here to live, and show these people something they never dreamed
+of," was a frequent remark. Men born and reared in the extreme North,
+were amazed at the luxuriance of Southern verdure, and wondered that
+the richness of the soil had not been turned to greater advantage.
+It is often said in New England that no man who has once visited the
+fertile West ever returns to make his residence in the Eastern States.
+Many who have explored the South, and obtained a knowledge of its
+resources, will be equally reluctant to dwell in the regions where
+their boyhood days were passed.
+
+While the war was in progress many Northern men purchased plantations
+on the islands along the Southern coast, and announced their
+determination to remain there permanently. After the capture of New
+Orleans, business in that city passed into the hands of Northerners,
+much to the chagrin of the older inhabitants. When the disposition of
+our army and the topography of the country made the lower portion
+of Louisiana secure against Rebel raids, many plantations in that
+locality were purchased outright by Northern speculators. I have
+elsewhere shown how the cotton culture was extensively carried on by
+"Yankees," and that failure was not due to their inability to conduct
+the details of the enterprise.
+
+Ten years ago, emigration to Kansas was highly popular. Aid Societies
+were organized in various localities, and the Territory was rapidly
+filled. Political influences had much to do with this emigration from
+both North and South, and many implements carried by the emigrants
+were not altogether agricultural in their character. The soil of
+Kansas was known to be fertile, and its climate excellent. The
+Territory presented attractions to settlers, apart from political
+considerations. But in going thither the emigrants crossed a region
+equally fertile, and possessing superior advantages in its
+proximity to a market. No State in the Union could boast of greater
+possibilities than Missouri, yet few travelers in search of a home
+ventured to settle within her limits.
+
+The reason was apparent. Missouri was a slave State, though bounded on
+three sides by free soil. Few Northern emigrants desired to settle in
+the midst of slavery. The distinction between the ruling and laboring
+classes was not as great as in the cotton States, but there was a
+distinction beyond dispute. Whatever his blood or complexion, the
+man who labored with his hands was on a level, or nearly so, with the
+slave. Thousands passed up the Missouri River, or crossed the northern
+portion of the State, to settle in the new Territory of Kansas.
+When political influences ceased, the result was still the same. The
+Hannibal and St. Joseph Railway threw its valuable lands into the
+market, but with little success.
+
+With the suppression of the late Rebellion, and the abolition of
+slavery in Missouri, the situation is materially changed. From
+Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana, there is a large emigration to Missouri.
+I was recently informed that forty families from a single county in
+Ohio had sent a delegation to Missouri to look out suitable locations,
+either of wild land or of farms under cultivation. There is every
+prospect that the State will be rapidly filled with a population that
+believes in freedom and in the dignity of labor. She has an advantage
+over the other ex-slave States, in lying west of the populous regions
+of the North. Hitherto, emigration has generally followed the great
+isothermal lines, as can be readily seen when we study the population
+of the Western States. Northern Ohio is more New Englandish than
+Southern Ohio, and the parallel holds good in Northern and Southern
+Illinois. There will undoubtedly be a large emigration to Missouri
+in preference to the other Southern States, but our whole migratory
+element will not find accommodation in her limits. The entire South
+will be overrun by settlers from the North.
+
+Long ago, _Punch_ gave advice to persons about to marry. It was all
+comprised in the single word, "DON'T." Whoever is in haste to emigrate
+to the South, would do well to consider, for a time, this brief, but
+emphatic counsel. No one should think of leaving the Northern States,
+until he has fairly considered the advantages and disadvantages of the
+movement. If he departs with the expectation of finding every thing to
+his liking, he will be greatly disappointed at the result.
+
+There will be many difficulties to overcome. The people now residing
+in the late rebellious States are generally impoverished. They have
+little money, and, in many cases, their stock and valuables of all
+kinds have been swept away. Their farms are often without fences, and
+their farming-tools worn out, disabled, or destroyed. Their system of
+labor is broken up. The negro is a slave no longer, and the transition
+from bondage to freedom will affect, for a time, the producing
+interests of the South.
+
+Though the Rebellion is suppressed, the spirit of discontent
+still remains in many localities, and will retard the process of
+reconstruction. The teachings of slavery have made the men of the
+South bitterly hostile to those of the North. This hostility was
+carefully nurtured by the insurgent leaders during the Rebellion, and
+much of it still exists. In many sections of the South, efforts will
+be made to prevent immigration from the North, through a fear that the
+old inhabitants will lose their political rights.
+
+At the time I am writing, the owners of property in Richmond are
+holding it at such high rates as to repel Northern purchasers. Letters
+from that city say, the residents have determined to sell no property
+to Northern men, when they can possibly avoid it. No encouragement
+is likely to be given to Northern farmers and artisans to migrate
+thither. A scheme for taking a large number of European emigrants
+directly from foreign ports to Richmond, and thence to scatter them
+throughout Virginia, is being considered by the Virginia politicians.
+The wealthy men in the Old Dominion, who were Secessionists for the
+sake of secession, and who gave every assistance to the Rebel cause,
+are opposed to the admission of Northern settlers. They may be
+unable to prevent it, but they will be none the less earnest in their
+efforts.
+
+This feeling extends throughout a large portion of Virginia, and
+exists in the other States of the South. Its intensity varies in
+different localities, according to the extent of the slave population
+in the days before the war, and the influence that the Radical men
+of the South have exercised. While Virginia is unwilling to receive
+strangers, North Carolina is manifesting a desire to fill her
+territory with Northern capital and men. She is already endeavoring
+to encourage emigration, and has offered large quantities of land
+on liberal terms. In Newbern, Wilmington, and Raleigh, the Northern
+element is large. Newbern is "Yankeeized" as much as New Orleans.
+Wilmington bids fair to have intimate relations with New York and
+Boston. An agency has been established at Raleigh, under the sanction
+of the Governor of the State, to secure the immediate occupation of
+farming and mining lands, mills, manufactories, and all other kinds of
+real estate. Northern capital and sinew is already on its way to
+that region. The great majority of the North Carolinians approve
+the movement, but there are many persons in the State who equal the
+Virginians in their hostility to innovations.
+
+In South Carolina, few beside the negroes will welcome the Northerner
+with open arms. The State that hatched the secession egg, and
+proclaimed herself at all times first and foremost for the
+perpetuation of slavery, will not exult at the change which
+circumstances have wrought. Her Barnwells, her McGraths, her Rhetts,
+and her Hamptons declared they would perish in the last ditch, rather
+than submit. Some of them have perished, but many still remain. Having
+been life-long opponents of Northern policy, Northern industry, and
+Northern enterprise, they will hardly change their opinions until
+taught by the logic of events.
+
+Means of transportation are limited. On the railways the tracks are
+nearly worn out, and must be newly laid before they can be used with
+their old facility. Rolling stock is disabled or destroyed. Much of
+it must be wholly replaced, and that which now remains must undergo
+extensive repairs. Depots and machine-shops have been burned, and
+many bridges are bridges no longer. On the smaller rivers but few
+steamboats are running, and these are generally of a poor class.
+Wagons are far from abundant, and mules and horses are very scarce.
+The wants of the armies have been supplied with little regard to the
+inconvenience of the people.
+
+Corn-mills, saw-mills, gins, and factories have fed the flames.
+Wherever our armies penetrated they spread devastation in their track.
+Many portions of the South were not visited by a hostile force, but
+they did not escape the effects of war. Southern Georgia and Florida
+suffered little from the presence of the Northern armies, but the
+scarcity of provisions and the destitution of the people are nearly as
+great in that region as elsewhere.
+
+Until the present indignation at their defeat is passed away, many of
+the Southern people will not be inclined to give any countenance to
+the employment of freed negroes. They believe slavery is the proper
+condition for the negro, and declare that any system based on free
+labor will prove a failure. This feeling will not be general among the
+Southern people, and will doubtless be removed in time.
+
+The transition from slavery to freedom will cause some irregularities
+on the part of the colored race. I do not apprehend serious trouble
+in controlling the negro, and believe his work will be fully available
+throughout the South. It is natural that he should desire a little
+holiday with his release from bondage. For a time many negroes will
+be idle, and so will many white men who have returned from the Rebel
+armies. According to present indications, the African race displays
+far more industry than the Caucasian throughout the Southern States.
+Letters from the South say the negroes are at work in some localities,
+but the whites are everywhere idle.
+
+Those who go to the South for purposes of traffic may or may not be
+favored with large profits. All the products of the mechanic arts
+are very scarce in the interior, while in the larger towns trade is
+generally overdone. Large stocks of goods were taken to all places
+accessible by water as soon as the ports were opened. The supply
+exceeded the demand, and many dealers suffered heavy loss. From
+Richmond and other points considerable quantities of goods have been
+reshipped to New York, or sold for less than cost. Doubtless the trade
+with the South will ultimately be very large, but it cannot spring up
+in a day. Money is needed before speculation can be active. A year or
+two, at the least, will be needed to fill the Southern pocket.
+
+So much for the dark side of the picture. Emigrants are apt to listen
+to favorable accounts of the region whither they are bound, while they
+close their ears to all stories of an unfavorable character. To insure
+a hearing of both sides of the question under discussion, I have given
+the discouraging arguments in advance of all others. Already those
+who desire to stimulate travel to the South, are relating wonderful
+stories of its fertility and its great advantages to settlers. No
+doubt they are telling much that is true, but they do not tell all the
+truth. Every one has heard the statement, circulated in Ireland many
+years since, that America abounded in roasted pigs that ran about the
+streets, carrying knives and forks in their mouths, and making vocal
+requests to be devoured. Notwithstanding the absurdity of the story,
+it is reported to have received credit.
+
+The history of every emigration scheme abounds in narratives of a
+brilliant, though piscatorial, character. The interior portions of all
+the Western States are of wonderful fertility, and no inhabitant of
+that region has any hesitation in announcing the above fact. But not
+one in a hundred will state frankly his distance from market, and the
+value of wheat and corn at the points of their production. In too many
+cases the bright side of the story is sufficient for the listener.
+
+I once traveled in a railway car where there were a dozen emigrants
+from the New England States, seeking a home in the West. An agent of
+a county in Iowa was endeavoring to call their attention to the great
+advantages which his region afforded. He told them of the fertility of
+the soil, the amount of corn and wheat that could be produced to the
+acre, the extent of labor needed for the production of a specified
+quantity of cereals, the abundance of timber, and the propinquity of
+fine streams, with many other brilliant and seductive stories. The
+emigrants listened in admiration of the Promised Land, and were on the
+point of consenting to follow the orator.
+
+I ventured to ask the distance from those lands to a market where the
+products could be sold, and the probable cost of transportation.
+
+The answer was an evasive one, but was sufficient to awaken the
+suspicions of the emigrants. My question destroyed the beautiful
+picture which the voluble agent had drawn.
+
+Those who desire to seek their homes in the South will do well to
+remember that baked pigs are not likely to exist in abundance in the
+regions traversed by the National armies.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVII.
+
+HOW DISADVANTAGES MAY BE OVERCOME.
+
+Conciliating the People of the South.--Railway Travel and its
+Improvement.--Rebuilding Steamboats.--Replacing Working
+Stock.--The Condition of the Plantations.--Suggestions about Hasty
+Departures.--Obtaining Information.--The Attractions of Missouri.
+
+
+The hinderances I have mentioned in the way of Southern emigration are
+of a temporary character. The opposition of the hostile portion of
+the Southern people can be overcome in time. When they see there is no
+possible hope for them to control the National policy, when they fully
+realize that slavery is ended, and ended forever, when they discover
+that the negro will work as a free man with advantage to his employer,
+they will become more amiable in disposition. Much of their present
+feeling arises from a hope of compelling a return to the old relation
+of master and slave. When this hope is completely destroyed, we shall
+have accomplished a great step toward reconstruction. A practical
+knowledge of Northern industry and enterprise will convince the people
+of the South, unless their hearts are thoroughly hardened, that some
+good can come out of Nazareth. They may never establish relations of
+great intimacy with their new neighbors, but their hostility will be
+diminished to insignificance.
+
+Some of the advocates of the "last ditch" theory, who have sworn
+never to live in the United States, will, doubtless, depart to foreign
+lands, or follow the example of the Virginia gentleman who committed
+suicide on ascertaining the hopelessness of the Rebellion. Failing
+to do either of these things, they must finally acquiesce in the
+supremacy of National authority.
+
+The Southern railways will be repaired, their rolling stock replaced,
+and the routes of travel restored to the old status. All cannot be
+done at once, as the destruction and damage have been very extensive,
+and many of the companies are utterly impoverished. From two to five
+years will elapse before passengers and freight can be transported
+with the same facility, in all directions, as before the war.
+
+Under a more liberal policy new lines will be opened, and the various
+portions of the Southern States become accessible. During the war two
+railways were constructed under the auspices of the Rebel Government,
+that will prove of great advantage in coming years. These are
+the lines from Meridian, Mississippi, to Selma, Alabama, and from
+Danville, Virginia, to Greensborough, North Carolina. A glance at a
+railway map of the Southern States will show their importance.
+
+On many of the smaller rivers boats are being improvised by adding
+wheels and motive power to ordinary scows. In a half-dozen years,
+at the furthest, we will, doubtless, see the rivers of the Southern
+States traversed by as many steamers as before the war. On the
+Mississippi and its tributaries the destruction of steamboat property
+was very great, but the loss is rapidly being made good. Since 1862
+many fine boats have been constructed, some of them larger and more
+costly than any that existed during the most prosperous days before
+the Rebellion. On the Alabama and other rivers, efforts are being made
+to restore the steamboat fleets to their former magnitude.
+
+Horses, mules, machinery, and farming implements must and will be
+supplied out of the abundance in the North. The want of mules will be
+severely felt for some years. No Yankee has yet been able to invent a
+machine that will create serviceable mules to order. We must wait for
+their production by the ordinary means, and it will be a considerable
+time before the supply is equal to the demand. Those who turn their
+attention to stock-raising, during the next ten or twenty years, can
+always be certain of finding a ready and remunerative market.
+
+The Southern soil is as fertile as ever. Cotton, rice, corn, sugar,
+wheat, and tobacco can be produced in their former abundance.
+Along the Mississippi the levees must be restored, to protect
+the plantations from floods. This will be a work of considerable
+magnitude, and, without extraordinary effort, cannot be accomplished
+for several years. Everywhere fences must be rebuilt, and many
+buildings necessary in preparing products for market must be restored.
+Time, capital, energy, and patience will be needed to develop anew
+the resources of the South. Properly applied, they will be richly
+rewarded.
+
+No person should be hasty in his departure, nor rush blindly to the
+promised land. Thousands went to California, in '49 and '50, with
+the impression that the gold mines lay within an hour's walk of San
+Francisco. In '59, many persons landed at Leavenworth, on their way to
+Pike's Peak, under the belief that the auriferous mountain was only
+a day's journey from their landing-place. Thousands have gone "West"
+from New York and New England, believing that Chicago was very near
+the frontier. Those who start with no well-defined ideas of their
+destination are generally disappointed. The war has given the public
+a pretty accurate knowledge of the geography of the South, so that
+the old mistakes of emigrants to California and Colorado are in
+slight danger of repetition, but there is a possibility of too little
+deliberation in setting out.
+
+Before starting, the emigrant should obtain all accessible information
+about the region he intends to visit. Geographies, gazetteers, census
+returns, and works of a similar character will be of great advantage.
+Much can be obtained from persons who traveled in the rebellious
+States during the progress of the war. The leading papers
+throughout the country are now publishing letters from their special
+correspondents, relative to the state of affairs in the South. These
+letters are of great value, and deserve a careful study.
+
+Information from interested parties should be received with caution.
+Those who have traveled in the far West know how difficult it is to
+obtain correct statements relative to the prosperity or advantages
+of any specified locality. Every man assures you that the town or the
+county where he resides, or where he is interested, is the best and
+the richest within a hundred miles. To an impartial observer, lying
+appears to be the only personal accomplishment in a new country. I
+presume those who wish to encourage Southern migration will be ready
+to set forth all the advantages (but none of the disadvantages) of
+their own localities.
+
+Having fully determined where to go and what to do, having selected
+his route of travel, and ascertained, as near as possible, what
+will be needed on the journey, the emigrant will next consider his
+financial policy. No general rule can be given. In most cases it is
+better not to take a large amount of money at starting. To many this
+advice will be superfluous. Bills of exchange are much safer to carry
+than ready cash, and nearly as convenient for commercial transactions.
+Beyond an amount double the estimated expenses of his journey, the
+traveler will usually carry very little cash.
+
+For the present, few persons should take their wives and children to
+the interior South, and none should do so on their first visit. Many
+houses have been burned or stripped of their furniture, provisions are
+scarce and costly, and the general facilities for domestic happiness
+are far from abundant. The conveniences for locomotion in that region
+are very poor, and will continue so for a considerable time. A man can
+"rough it" anywhere, but he can hardly expect his family to travel on
+flat cars, or on steamboats that have neither cabins nor decks, and
+subsist on the scanty and badly-cooked provisions that the Sunny South
+affords. By all means, I would counsel any young man on his way to the
+South not to elope with his neighbor's wife. In view of the condition
+of the country beyond Mason and Dixon's line, an elopement would prove
+his mistake of a lifetime.
+
+I have already referred to the resources of Missouri. The State
+possesses greater mineral wealth than any other State of the Union,
+east of the Rocky Mountains. Her lead mines are extensive, easily
+worked, very productive, and practically inexhaustible. The same may
+be said of her iron mines. Pilot Knob and Iron Mountain are nearly
+solid masses of ore, the latter being a thousand feet in height.
+Copper mines have been opened and worked, and tin has been found in
+several localities. The soil of the Northern portion of Missouri
+can boast of a fertility equal to that of Kansas or Illinois. In the
+Southern portion the country is more broken, but it contains large
+areas of rich lands. The productions of Missouri are similar to those
+of the Northern States in the same latitude. More hemp is raised in
+Missouri than in any other State except Kentucky. Much of this article
+was used during the Rebellion, in efforts to break up the numerous
+guerrilla bands that infested the State. Tobacco is an important
+product, and its culture is highly remunerative. At Hermann,
+Booneville, and other points, the manufacture of wine from the Catawba
+grape is extensively carried on. In location and resources, Missouri
+is without a rival among the States that formerly maintained the
+system of slave labor.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVIII.
+
+THE RESOURCES OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.
+
+How the People have Lived.--An Agricultural Community.--Mineral
+and other Wealth of Virginia.--Slave-Breeding in Former
+Times.--The Auriferous Region of North Carolina.--Agricultural
+Advantages.--Varieties of Soil in South Carolina.--Sea-Island
+Cotton.--Georgia and her Railways.--Probable Decline of the Rice
+Culture.--The Everglade State.--The Lower Mississippi Valley.--The Red
+River.--Arkansas and its Advantages.--A Hint for Tragedians.--Mining
+in Tennessee.--The Blue-Grass Region of Kentucky.--Texas and
+its Attractions.--Difference between Southern and Western
+Emigration.--The End.
+
+
+Compared with the North, the Southern States have been strictly an
+agricultural region. Their few manufactures were conducted on a small
+scale, and could not compete with those of the colder latitudes. They
+gave some attention to stock-raising in a few localities, but did not
+attach to it any great importance. Cotton was the product which fed,
+clothed, sheltered, and regaled the people. Even with the immense
+profits they received from its culture, they did not appear to
+understand the art of enjoyment. They generally lived on large and
+comfortless tracts of land, and had very few cities away from
+the sea-coast. They thought less of personal comfort than of the
+acquisition of more land, mules, and negroes.
+
+In the greatest portion of the South, the people lived poorer than
+many Northern mechanics have lived in the past twenty years. The
+property in slaves, to the extent of four hundred millions of dollars,
+was their heaviest item of wealth, but they seemed unable to turn this
+wealth to the greatest advantage. With the climate and soil in their
+favor, they paid little attention to the cheaper luxuries of rational
+living, but surrounded themselves with much that was expensive, though
+utterly useless. On plantations where the owners resided, a visiter
+would find the women adorned with diamonds and laces that cost
+many thousand dollars, and feast his eyes upon parlor furniture and
+ornaments of the most elaborate character. But the dinner-table would
+present a repast far below that of a New England farmer or mechanic
+in ordinary circumstances, and the sleeping-rooms would give evidence
+that genuine comfort was a secondary consideration. Outside of New
+Orleans and Charleston, where they are conducted by foreigners, the
+South has no such market gardens, or such abundance and variety of
+wholesome fruits and vegetables, as the more sterile North can boast
+of everywhere. So of a thousand other marks of advancing civilization.
+
+Virginia, "the mother of Presidents," is rich in minerals of the more
+useful sort, and some of the precious metals. Her list of mineral
+treasures includes gold, copper, iron, lead, plumbago, coal, and salt.
+The gold mines are not available except to capitalists, and it is not
+yet fully settled whether the yield is sufficient to warrant large
+investments. The gold is extracted from an auriferous region,
+extending from the Rappahannock to the Coosa River, in Alabama.
+The coal-beds in the State are easy of access, and said to be
+inexhaustible. The Kanawha salt-works are well known, and the
+petroleum regions of West Virginia are attracting much attention.
+
+Virginia presents many varieties of soil, and, with a better system of
+cultivation, her productions can be greatly increased. (The same
+may be said of all the Southern States, from the Atlantic to the Rio
+Grande.) Her soil is favorable to all the products of the Northern
+States. The wheat and corn of Virginia have a high reputation. In the
+culture of tobacco she has always surpassed every other State of
+the Union, and was also the first State in which it was practiced
+by civilized man to any extent. Washington pronounced the central
+counties of Virginia the finest agricultural district in the United
+States, as he knew them. Daniel Webster declared, in a public speech
+in the Shenandoah Valley, that he had seen no finer farming land in
+his European travel than in that valley.
+
+Until 1860, the people of Virginia paid considerable attention to the
+raising of negroes for the Southern market. For some reason this trade
+has greatly declined within the past five years, the stock becoming
+unsalable, and its production being interrupted. I would advise
+no person to contemplate moving to Virginia with a view to raising
+negroes for sale. The business was formerly conducted by the "First
+Families," and if it should be revived, they will doubtless claim an
+exclusive privilege.
+
+North Carolina abounds in minerals, especially in gold, copper, iron,
+and coal. The fields of the latter are very extensive. The gold
+mines of North Carolina have been profitably worked for many years. A
+correspondent of _The World_, in a recent letter from Charlotte, North
+Carolina, says:
+
+
+In these times of mining excitement it should he more widely known
+that North Carolina is a competitor with California, Idaho, and
+Nebraska. Gold is found in paying quantities in the State, and in the
+northern parts of South Carolina and Georgia. For a hundred miles
+west and southwest of Charlotte, all the streams contain more or less
+gold-dust. Nuggets of a few ounces have been frequently found, and
+there is one well-authenticated case of a solid nugget weighing
+twenty-eight pounds, which was purchased from its ignorant owner for
+three dollars, and afterward sold at the Mint. Report says a still
+larger lump was found and cut up by the guard at one of the mines.
+Both at Greensboro, Salisbury, and here, the most reliable residents
+concur in pointing to certain farms where the owners procure large
+sums of gold. One German is said to have taken more than a million
+of dollars from his farm, and refuses to sell his land for any price.
+Negroes are and have been accustomed to go out to the creeks and wash
+on Saturdays, frequently bringing in two or three dollars' worth, and
+not unfrequently negroes come to town with little nuggets of the pure
+ore to trade.
+
+The iron and copper mines were developed only to a limited extent
+before the war. The necessities of the case led the Southern
+authorities, however, after the outbreak, to turn their attention to
+them, and considerable quantities of the ore were secured. This was
+more especially true of iron.
+
+
+North Carolina is adapted to all the agricultural products of both
+North and South, with the exception of cane sugar. The marshes on the
+coast make excellent rice plantations, and, when drained, are very
+fertile in cotton. Much of the low, sandy section, extending sixty
+miles from the coast, is covered with extensive forests of pitch-pine,
+that furnish large quantities of lumber, tar, turpentine, and resin,
+for export to Northern cities. When cleared and cultivated, this
+region proves quite fertile, but Southern energy has thus far been
+content to give it very little improvement. Much of the land in the
+interior is very rich and productive. With the exception of Missouri,
+North Carolina is foremost, since the close of the war, in
+encouraging immigration. As soon as the first steps were taken
+toward reconstruction, the "North Carolina Land Agency" was opened at
+Raleigh, under the recommendation of the Governor of the State. This
+agency is under the management of Messrs. Heck, Battle & Co., citizens
+of Raleigh, and is now (August, 1865) establishing offices in the
+Northern cities for the purpose of representing the advantages that
+North Carolina possesses.
+
+The auriferous region of North Carolina extends into South Carolina
+and Georgia. In South Carolina the agricultural facilities are
+extensive. According to Ruffin and Tuomey (the agricultural surveyors
+of the State), there are six varieties of soil: 1. Tide swamp, devoted
+to the culture of rice. 2. Inland swamp, devoted to rice, cotton,
+corn, wheat, etc. 3. Salt marsh, devoted to long cotton. 4. Oak and
+pine regions, devoted to long cotton, corn, and wheat. 5. Oak and
+hickory regions, where cotton and corn flourish. 6. Pine barrens,
+adapted to fruit and vegetables.
+
+The famous "sea-island cotton" comes from the islands along the coast,
+where large numbers of the freed negroes of South Carolina have been
+recently located. South Carolina can produce, side by side, the corn,
+wheat, and tobacco of the North, and the cotton, rice, and sugar-cane
+of the South, though the latter article is not profitably cultivated.
+
+Notwithstanding the prophecies of the South Carolinians to the
+contrary, the free-labor scheme along the Atlantic coast has proved
+successful. The following paragraph is from a letter written by a
+prominent journalist at Savannah:--
+
+
+The condition of the islands along this coast is now of the greatest
+interest to the world at large, and to the people of the South in
+particular. Upon careful inquiry, I find that there are over two
+hundred thousand acres of land under cultivation by free labor. The
+enterprises are mostly by Northern men, although there are natives
+working their negroes under the new system, and negroes who are
+working land on their own account. This is the third year of the
+trial, and every year has been a success more and more complete. The
+profits of some of the laborers amount to five hundred, and in some
+cases five thousand dollars a year. The amount of money deposited in
+bank by the negroes of these islands is a hundred and forty thousand
+dollars. One joint, subscription to the seven-thirty loan amounted
+to eighty thousand dollars. Notwithstanding the fact that the troops
+which landed on the islands robbed, indiscriminately, the negroes of
+their money, mules, and supplies, the negroes went back to work again.
+General Saxton, who has chief charge of this enterprise, has his
+head-quarters at Beaufort. If these facts, and the actual prosperity
+of these islands could be generally known throughout the South, it
+would do more to induce the whites to take hold of the freed-labor
+system than all the general orders and arbitrary commands that General
+Hatch has issued.
+
+
+The resources of Georgia are similar to those of South Carolina, and
+the climate differs but little from that of the latter State. The
+rice-swamps are unhealthy, and the malaria which arises from them is
+said to be fatal to whites. Many of the planters express a fear that
+the abolition of slavery has ended the culture of rice. They argue
+that the labor is so difficult and exhaustive, that the negroes will
+never perform it excepting under the lash. Cruel modes of punishment
+being forbidden, the planters look upon the rice-lands as valueless.
+Time will show whether these fears are to be realized or not. If it
+should really happen that the negroes refuse to labor where their
+lives are of comparatively short duration, the country must consent to
+restore slavery to its former status, or purchase its rice in foreign
+countries. As rice is produced in India without slave labor, it is
+possible that some plan may be invented for its cultivation here.
+
+Georgia has a better system of railways than any other Southern State,
+and she is fortunate in possessing several navigable rivers. The
+people are not as hostile to Northerners as the inhabitants of South
+Carolina, but they do not display the desire to encourage immigration
+that is manifested in North Carolina. In the interior of Georgia,
+at the time I am writing, there is much suffering on account of a
+scarcity of food. Many cases of actual starvation are reported.
+
+Florida has few attractions to settlers. It is said there is no spot
+of land in the State three hundred feet above the sea-level. Men born
+with fins and webbed feet might enjoy themselves in the lakes and
+swamps, which form a considerable portion of Florida. Those whose
+tastes are favorable to timber-cutting, can find a profitable
+employment in preparing live-oak and other timbers for market. The
+climate is very healthy, and has been found highly beneficial to
+invalids. The vegetable productions of the State are of similar
+character to those of Georgia, but their amount is not large.
+
+In the Indian tongue, Alabama signifies "Here we rest." The traveler
+who rests in the State of that name, finds an excellent agricultural
+region. He finds that cotton is king with the Alabamians, and that the
+State has fifteen hundred miles of navigable rivers and a good railway
+system. He finds that Alabama suffered less by the visits of our
+armies than either Georgia or South Carolina. The people extend him
+the same welcome that he received in Georgia. They were too deeply
+interested in the perpetuation of slavery to do otherwise than mourn
+the failure to establish the Confederacy.
+
+Elsewhere I have spoken of the region bordering the lower portion of
+the Great River of the West, which includes Louisiana and Mississippi.
+In the former State, sugar and cotton are the great products. In the
+latter, cotton is the chief object of attention. It is quite probable
+that the change from slavery to freedom may necessitate the division
+of the large plantations into farms of suitable size for cultivation
+by persons of moderate capital. If this should be done, there will
+be a great demand for Northern immigrants, and the commerce of these
+States will be largely increased.
+
+Early in July, of the present year, after the dispersal of the
+Rebel armies, a meeting was held at Shreveport, Louisiana, at which
+resolutions were passed favoring the encouragement of Northern
+migration to the Red River valley. The resolutions set forth, that the
+pineries of that region would amply repay development, in view of
+the large market for lumber along Red River and the Mississippi.
+They further declared, that the cotton and sugar plantations of West
+Louisiana offered great attractions, and were worthy the attention
+of Northern men. The passage of these resolutions indicates a better
+spirit than has been manifested by the inhabitants of other portions
+of the Pelican State. Many of the people in the Red River region
+profess to have been loyal to the United States throughout the days of
+the Rebellion.
+
+The Red River is most appropriately named. It flows through a region
+where the soil has a reddish tinge, that is imparted to the water of
+the river. The sugar produced there has the same peculiarity, and can
+be readily distinguished from the sugar of other localities.
+
+Arkansas is quite rich in minerals, though far less so than Missouri.
+Gold abounds in some localities, and lead, iron, and zinc exist
+in large quantities. The saltpeter caves along the White River can
+furnish sufficient saltpeter for the entire Southwest. Along the
+rivers the soil is fertile, but there are many sterile regions in the
+interior. The agricultural products are similar to those of Missouri,
+with the addition of cotton. With the exception of the wealthier
+inhabitants, the people of Arkansas are desirous of stimulating
+emigration. They suffered so greatly from the tyranny of the Rebel
+leaders that they cheerfully accept the overthrow of slavery. Arkansas
+possesses less advantages than most other Southern States, being far
+behind her sisters in matters of education and internal improvement.
+It is to be hoped that her people have discovered their mistake, and
+will make earnest efforts to correct it at an early day.
+
+A story is told of a party of strolling players that landed at a town
+in Arkansas, and advertised a performance of "Hamlet." A delegation
+waited upon the manager, and ordered him to "move on." The spokesman
+of the delegation is reported to have said:
+
+"That thar Shakspeare's play of yourn, stranger, may do for New York
+or New Orleans, but we want you to understand that Shakspeare in
+Arkansas is pretty ---- well played out."
+
+Persons who wish to give attention to mining matters, will find
+attractions in Tennessee, in the deposits of iron, copper, and
+other ores. Coal is found in immense quantities among the Cumberland
+Mountains, and lead exists in certain localities. Though Tennessee can
+boast of considerable mineral wealth, her advantages are not equal to
+those of Missouri or North Carolina. In agriculture she stands well,
+though she has no soil of unusual fertility, except in the western
+portion of the State. Cotton, corn, and tobacco are the great staples,
+and considerable quantities of wheat are produced. Stock-raising has
+received considerable attention. More mules were formerly raised in
+Tennessee than in any other State of the Union. A large portion of the
+State is admirably adapted to grazing.
+
+Military operations in Tennessee, during the Rebellion, were very
+extensive, and there was great destruction of property in consequence.
+Large numbers of houses and other buildings were burned, and many
+farms laid waste. It will require much time, capital, and energy to
+obliterate the traces of war.
+
+The inhabitants of Kentucky believe that their State cannot be
+surpassed in fertility. They make the famous "Blue Grass Region,"
+around Lexington, the subject of especial boast. The soil of this
+section is very rich, and the grass has a peculiar bluish tinge, from
+which its name is derived. One writer says the following of the Blue
+Grass Region:--
+
+
+View the country round from the heads of the Licking, the Ohio, the
+Kentucky, Dick's, and down the Green River, and you have a hundred
+miles square of the most extraordinary country on which the sun has
+ever shone.
+
+
+Farms in this region command the highest prices, and there are very
+few owners who have any desire to sell their property. Nearly all the
+soil of the State is adapted to cultivation. Its staple products are
+the same as those of Missouri. It produces more flax and hemp than
+any other State, and is second only to Virginia in the quality and
+quantity of its tobacco. Its yield of corn is next to that of Ohio.
+Like Tennessee, it has a large stock-raising interest, principally in
+mules and hogs, for which there is always a ready market.
+
+Kentucky suffered severely during the campaigns of the Rebel army in
+that State, and from the various raids of John Morgan. A parody on
+"My Maryland" was published in Louisville soon after one of Morgan's
+visits, of which the first stanza was as follows:--
+
+
+  John Morgan's foot is on thy shore,
+     Kentucky! O Kentucky!
+  His hand is on thy stable door,
+     Kentucky! O Kentucky!
+  He'll take thy horse he spared before,
+  And ride him till his back is sore,
+  And leave him at some stranger's door,
+     Kentucky! O Kentucky!
+
+
+Last, and greatest, of the lately rebellious States, is Texas. Every
+variety of soil can be found there, from the richest alluvial deposits
+along the river bottoms, down to the deserts in the northwestern part
+of the State, where a wolf could not make an honest living. All the
+grains of the Northern States can be produced. Cotton, tobacco,
+and sugar-cane are raised in large quantities, and the agricultural
+capabilities of Texas are very great. Being a new State, its system of
+internal communications is not good. Texas has the reputation of being
+the finest grazing region in the Southwest. Immense droves of horses,
+cattle, and sheep cover its prairies, and form the wealth of many of
+the inhabitants. Owing to the distance from market, these animals are
+generally held at very low prices.
+
+Shortly after its annexation to the United States, Texas became a
+resort for outcasts from civilized society. In some parts of the
+Union, the story goes that sheriffs, and their deputies dropped the
+phrase "_non est inventus_" for one more expressive. Whenever they
+discovered that parties for whom they held writs had decamped, they
+returned the documents with the indorsement "G.T.T." (gone to Texas).
+Some writer records that the State derived its name from the last
+words of a couplet which runaway individuals were supposed to repeat
+on their arrival:--
+
+  When every other land rejects us,
+  This is the land that freely takes us.
+
+Since 1850, the character of the population of Texas has greatly
+improved, though it does not yet bear favorable comparison to that
+of Quaker villages, or of rural districts of Massachusetts or
+Connecticut. There is a large German element in Texas, which displayed
+devoted loyalty to the Union during the days of the Rebellion.
+
+An unknown philosopher says the world is peopled by two great classes,
+those who have money, and those who haven't--the latter being most
+numerous. Migratory Americans are subject to the same distinction. Of
+those who have emigrated to points further West during the last thirty
+years, a very large majority were in a condition of impecuniosity.
+Many persons emigrate on account of financial embarrassments, leaving
+behind them debts of varied magnitude. In some cases, Territories and
+States that desired to induce settlers to come within their limits,
+have passed laws providing that no debt contracted elsewhere, previous
+to emigration, could be collected by any legal process. To a man
+laboring under difficulties of a pecuniary character, the new
+Territories and States offer as safe a retreat as the Cities of Refuge
+afforded to criminals in the days of the ancients.
+
+Formerly, the West was the only field to which emigrants could direct
+their steps. There was an abundance of land, and a great need of human
+sinew to make it lucrative. When land could be occupied by a settler
+and held under his pre-emption title, giving him opportunity to pay
+for his possession from the products of his own industry and the
+fertility of the soil, there was comparatively little need of capital.
+The operations of speculators frequently tended to retard settlement
+rather than to stimulate it, as they shut out large areas from
+cultivation or occupation, in order to hold them for an advance. In
+many of the Territories a dozen able-bodied men, accustomed to farm
+labor and willing to toil, were considered a greater acquisition than
+a speculator with twenty thousand dollars of hard cash. Labor was of
+more importance than capital.
+
+To a certain extent this is still the case. Laboring men are greatly
+needed on the broad acres of the far-Western States. No one who has
+not traveled in that region can appreciate the sacrifice made by
+Minnesota, Iowa, and Kansas, when they sent their regiments of
+stalwart men to the war. Every arm that carried a musket from those
+States, was a certain integral portion of their wealth and prosperity.
+The great cities of the seaboard could spare a thousand men with far
+less loss than would accrue to any of the States I have mentioned, by
+the subtraction of a hundred. There is now a great demand for men
+to fill the vacancy caused by deaths in the field, and to occupy the
+extensive areas that are still uncultivated. Emigrants without capital
+will seek the West, where their stout arms will make them welcome and
+secure them comfortable homes.
+
+In the South the situation is different. For the present there is a
+sufficiency of labor. Doubtless there will be a scarcity several years
+hence, but there is no reason to fear it immediately. Capital
+and direction are needed. The South is impoverished. Its money is
+expended, and it has no present source of revenue. There is nothing
+wherewith to purchase the necessary stock, supplies, and implements
+for prosecuting agricultural enterprise. The planters are generally
+helpless. Capital to supply the want must come from the rich North.
+
+Direction is no less needed than capital. A majority of Southern men
+declare the negroes will be worthless to them, now that slavery is
+abolished. "We have," say they, "lived among these negroes all our
+days. We know them in no other light than as slaves. We command them
+to do what we wish, and we punish them as we see fit for disobedience.
+We cannot manage them in any other way."
+
+No doubt this is the declaration of their honest belief. A Northern
+man can give them an answer appealing to their reason, if not to their
+conviction. He can say, "You are accustomed to dealing with slaves,
+and you doubtless tell the truth when declaring you cannot manage
+the negroes under the new system. We are accustomed to dealing with
+freemen, and do not know how to control slaves. The negroes being
+free, our knowledge of freemen will enable us to manage them without
+difficulty."
+
+Every thing is favorable to the man of small or large capital,
+who desires to emigrate to the South. In consideration of the
+impoverishment of the people and their distrust of the freed negroes
+as laborers, lands in the best districts can be purchased very
+cheaply. Plantations can be bought, many of them with all the
+buildings and fences still remaining, though somewhat out of repair,
+at prices ranging from three to ten dollars an acre. A few hundred
+dollars will do far more toward securing a home for the settler in
+the South than in the West. Labor is abundant, and the laborers can be
+easily controlled by Northern brains. The land is already broken, and
+its capabilities are fully known. Capital, if judiciously invested and
+under proper direction, whether in large or moderate amounts, will be
+reasonably certain of an ample return.
+
+FINIS.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field, by Thomas W. Knox
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD ***
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field, by Thomas W. Knox
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field
+       Southern Adventure in Time of War. Life with the Union Armies, and
+              Residence on a Louisiana Plantation
+              
+
+Author: Thomas W. Knox
+
+Release Date: April 17, 2004 [EBook #12068]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Michel Boto and PG Distributed Proofreaders
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+  <!-- BEGINNING OF TEXT -->
+
+  <div class="page">
+    <h2>CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD:</h2>
+
+    <h3>SOUTHERN ADVENTURE</h3>
+
+    <h6>IN</h6>
+
+    <h4>TIME OF WAR.</h4>
+
+    <h4>LIFE WITH THE UNION ARMIES,</h4>
+
+    <h6>AND</h6>
+
+    <h3>RESIDENCE ON A LOUISIANA PLANTATION.</h3>
+
+    <h6>BY</h6>
+
+    <h4>THOMAS W. KNOX,</h4>
+
+    <h6>HERALD CORRESPONDENT</h6>
+    <hr class="small" />
+
+    <h5>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.</h5>
+    <hr class="small" />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+
+    <h4>TO<br />
+    THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PRESS,<br />
+    WHO FOLLOWED THE<br />
+    FORTUNES OF THE NATIONAL ARMIES,<br />
+    AND RECORDED<br />
+    THE DEEDS OF VALOR THAT SECURED THE PERPETUITY OF THE
+    REPUBLIC,<br />
+    THIS VOLUME<br />
+    IS SYMPATHETICALLY INSCRIBED.</h4><br />
+    <br />
+    <a href="images/p5i1.jpg"><img src="images/p5i1_t.jpg" alt=
+    "THE REBEL RAM ARKANSAS RUNNING THROUGH OUR FLEET." /></a>
+
+    <p class="captn">THE REBEL RAM ARKANSAS RUNNING THROUGH OUR
+    FLEET.</p><br />
+    <br />
+
+    <h3>TO THE READER.</h3>
+
+    <p>A preface usually takes the form of an apology. The author
+    of this volume has none to offer.</p>
+
+    <p>The book owes its appearance to its discovery of a
+    publisher. It has been prepared from materials gathered during
+    the Campaigns herein recorded, and from the writer's personal
+    recollections.</p>
+
+    <p>Whatever of merit or demerit it possesses remains for the
+    reader to ascertain. His judgment will be unprejudiced if he
+    finds no word of promise on the prefatory page.</p>
+
+    <p>NEW YORK, <i>September 15th, 1865</i>.</p><br />
+    <br />
+
+    <h3>ILLUSTRATIONS.</h3>
+
+    <div class="illtab">
+      <a href="images/p5i1.jpg">THE RAM <i>Arkansas</i> RUNNING
+      THROUGH OUR FLEET ABOVE VICKSBURG</a><br />
+      <a href="images/p44i1.jpg">HAULING DOWN A REBEL FLAG AT
+      HICKMAN, KENTUCKY</a><br />
+      <a href="images/p54i1.jpg">THE OPENING GUN AT
+      BOONEVILLE</a><br />
+      <a href="images/p90i1.jpg">THE DEATH OF GENERAL
+      LYON</a><br />
+      <a href="images/p110i1.jpg">GENERAL SIGEL'S TRANSPORTATION IN
+      MISSOURI</a><br />
+      <a href="images/p156i1.jpg">SHELLING THE HILL AT PEA
+      RIDGE</a><br />
+      <a href="images/p170i1.jpg">GENERAL NELSON'S DIVISION
+      CROSSING THE TENNESSEE</a><br />
+      <a href="images/p188i1.jpg">RUNNING THE BATTERIES AT ISLAND
+      NUMBER TEN</a><br />
+      <a href="images/p234i1.jpg">THE REBEL CHARGE AT CORINTH,
+      MISSISSIPPI</a><br />
+      <a href="images/p270i1.jpg">ASSAULTING THE HILL AT CHICKASAW
+      BAYOU</a><br />
+      <a href="images/p440i1.jpg">STRATEGY AGAINST
+      GUERRILLAS</a><br />
+      <a href="images/p498i1.jpg">THE STEAMER <i>Von Phul</i>
+      RUNNING THE BATTERIES</a>
+    </div><br />
+    <br />
+
+    <h3>CONTENTS.</h3>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c1">CHAPTER I.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>ANTE BELLUM.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">At the Rocky Mountains.--Sentiment of the
+    People.--Firing the Southern Heart.--A Midwinter Journey across
+    the Plains.--An Editor's Opinion.--Election in Missouri.--The
+    North springing to Arms.--An amusing Arrest.--Off for the
+    Field.--Final Instructions.--Niagara.--Curiosities of
+    Banking.--Arrival at the Seat of War.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c2">CHAPTER II.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>MISSOURI IN THE EARLY DAYS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Apathy of the Border States.--The Missouri State
+    Convention.--Sterling Price a Union Man.--Plan to take the
+    State out of the Union.--Capture of Camp Jackson.--Energy of
+    General Lyon.--Union Men organized.--An Unfortunate
+    Collision.--The Price-Harney Truce.--The Panic among the
+    Secessionists.--Their Hegira from St. Louis.--A Visit to the
+    State Capital.--Under the Rebel Flag.--Searching for Contraband
+    Articles.--An Introduction to Rebel Dignitaries.--Governor
+    Jackson.--Sterling Price.--Jeff. Thompson.--Activity at
+    Cairo.--Kentucky Neutrality.--The Rebels occupy Columbus.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c3">CHAPTER III.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">General Harney Relieved.--Price's
+    Proclamation.--End of the Truce.--Conference between the Union
+    and Rebel Leaders.--The First Act of Hostility.--Destruction of
+    Railway Bridges.--Promptness of General Lyon.--Capture of the
+    State Capital.--Moving on the Enemy's Works.--The Night before
+    Battle.--A Correspondent's Sensation.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c4">CHAPTER IV.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE FIRST BATTLE IN MISSOURI.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Moving up the River.--A Landing Effected.--The
+    Battle.--Precipitous Retreat of the Rebels.--Spoiling a
+    Captured Camp.--Rebel Flags Emblazoned with the State Arms.--A
+    Journalist's Outfit.--A Chaplain of the Church Militant.--A
+    Mistake that might have been Unfortunate.--The People of
+    Booneville.--Visiting an Official.--Banking-House
+    Loyalty.--Preparations for a Campaign.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c5">CHAPTER V.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>TO SPRINGFIELD AND BEYOND.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Conduct of the St. Louis
+    Secessionists.--Collisions between Soldiers and
+    Citizens.--Indignation of the Guests of a Hotel.--From St.
+    Louis to Rolla.--Opinions of a "Regular."--Railway-life in
+    Missouri.--Unprofitable Freight.--A Story of
+    Orthography.--Mountains and Mountain Streams.--Fastidiousness
+    Checked.--Frontier Courtesy.--Concentration of Troops at
+    Springfield.--A Perplexing Situation.--The March to Dug
+    Spring.--Sufferings from Heat and Thirst.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c6">CHAPTER VI.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE BATTLE OF WILSON CREEK.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Return from Dug Spring.--The Rebels follow
+    in Pursuit.--Preparations to Attack them.--The Plan of
+    Battle.--Moving to the Attack--A Bivouac--The Opening
+    Shot.--"Is that Official?"--Sensations of a Spectator in
+    Battle.--Extension of Distance and Time.--Characteristics of
+    Projectiles.--Taking Notes under Fire.--Strength and Losses of
+    the Opposing Armies.--A Noble Record.--The Wounded on the
+    Field.--"One More Shot."--Granger in his Element.--General
+    Lyon's Death.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c7">CHAPTER VII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE RETREAT FROM SPRINGFIELD.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">A Council of War.--The Journalists'
+    Council.--Preparations for Retreat.--Preceding the
+    Advance-Guard.--Alarm and Anxiety of the People.--Magnificent
+    Distances.--A Novel Odometer.--The Unreliable
+    Countryman.--Neutrality.--A Night at Lebanon.--A Disagreeable
+    Lodging-place.--Active Secessionists.--The Man who Sought and
+    Found his Rights.--Approaching Civilization.--Rebel Couriers on
+    the Route.--Arrival at Rolla.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c8">CHAPTER VIII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>GENERAL FREMONT'S PURSUIT OF PRICE.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Quarrel between Price and McCulloch.--The Rebels
+    Advance upon Lexington.--A Novel Defense for
+    Sharp-shooters.--Attempt to Re-enforce the Garrison.--An
+    Enterprising Journalist.--The Surrender.--Fremont's
+    Advance.--Causes of Delay.--How the Journalists Killed
+    Time.--Late News.--A Contractor "Sold."--Sigel in Front.--A
+    Motley Collection.--A Wearied Officer.--The Woman who had never
+    seen a Black Republican.--Love and Conversion.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c9">CHAPTER IX.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE SECOND CAMPAIGN TO SPRINGFIELD.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Detention at Warsaw.--A Bridge over the
+    Osage.--The Body-Guard.--Manner of its Organization.--The
+    Advance to Springfield.--Charge of the Body-Guard.--A
+    Corporal's Ruse.--Occupation of Springfield.--The
+    Situation.--Wilson Creek Revisited.--Traces of the
+    Battle.--Rumored Movements of the Enemy.--Removal of General
+    Fremont.--Danger of Attack.--A Night of Excitement.--The Return
+    to St. Louis.--Curiosities of the Scouting Service.--An Arrest
+    by Mistake.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c10">CHAPTER X.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>TWO MONTHS OF IDLENESS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">A Promise Fulfilled.--Capture of a Rebel Camp
+    and Train.--Rebel Sympathizers in St. Louis.--General Halleck
+    and his Policy.--Refugees from Rebeldom.--Story of the
+    Sufferings of a Union Family.--Chivalry in the Nineteenth
+    Century.--The Army of the Southwest in Motion.--Gun-Boats and
+    Transports.--Capture of Fort Henry.--The Effect in St.
+    Louis.--Our Flag Advancing.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c11">CHAPTER XI.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>ANOTHER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">From St. Louis to Rolla.--A Limited
+    Outfit.--Missouri Roads in Winter.--"Two Solitary
+    Horsemen."--Restricted Accommodations in a Slaveholder's
+    House.--An Energetic Quartermaster.--General Sheridan before he
+    became Famous.--"Bagging Price."--A Defect in the
+    Bag.--Examining the Correspondence of a Rebel General.--What
+    the Rebels left at their Departure.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c12">CHAPTER XII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE FLIGHT AND THE PURSUIT.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">From Springfield to Pea Ridge.--Mark Tapley in
+    Missouri.--"The Arkansas Traveler."--Encountering the Rebel
+    Army.--A Wonderful Spring.--The Cantonment at Cross
+    Hollows.--Game Chickens.--Magruder <i>vs</i>.
+    Breckinridge.--Rebel Generals in a Controversy.--Its
+    Result.--An Expedition to Huntsville.--Curiosities of Rebel
+    Currency.--Important Information.--A Long and Weary
+    March.--Disposition of Forces before the Battle.--Changing
+    Front.--What the Rebels lost by Ignorance.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c13">CHAPTER XIII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Rebels make their Attack.--Albert Pike and
+    his Indians.--Scalping Wounded Men.--Death of General
+    McCulloch.--The Fighting at Elkhorn Tavern.--Close of a Gloomy
+    Day.--An Unpleasant Night.--Vocal Sounds from a Mule's
+    Throat.--Sleeping under Disadvantages.--A Favorable
+    Morning.--The Opposing Lines of Battle.--A Severe
+    Cannonade.--The Forest on Fire.--Wounded Men in the
+    Flames.--The Rebels in Retreat.--Movements of our Army.--A
+    Journey to St. Louis.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c14">CHAPTER XIV.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>UP THE TENNESSEE AND AT PITTSBURG LANDING.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">At St. Louis.--Progress of our Arms in the Great
+    Valley.--Cairo.--Its Peculiarities and Attractions.--Its
+    Commercial, Geographical, and Sanitary Advantages.--Up the
+    Tennessee.--Movements Preliminary to the Great Battle.--The
+    Rebels and their Plans.--Postponement of the
+    Attack.--Disadvantages of our Position.--The Beginning of the
+    Battle.--Results of the First Day.--Re-enforcements.--Disputes
+    between Officers of our two Armies.--Beauregard's
+    Watering-place.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c15">CHAPTER XV.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>SHILOH AND THE SIEGE OF CORINTH.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Error of the Rebels.--Story of a
+    Surgeon.--Experience of a Rebel Regiment.--Injury to the Rebel
+    Army.--The Effect in our own Lines.--Daring of a
+    Color-Bearer.--A Brave Soldier.--A Drummer-Boy's
+    Experience.--Gallantry of an Artillery Surgeon.--A Regiment
+    Commanded by a Lieutenant.--Friend Meeting Friend and Brother
+    Meeting Brother in the Opposing Lines.--The Scene of the
+    Battle.--Fearful Traces of Musketry-Fire.--The Wounded.--The
+    Labor of the Sanitary Commission.--Humanity a Yankee
+    Trick.--Besieging Corinth.--A Cold-Water Battery.--Halleck and
+    the Journalists.--Occupation of Corinth.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c16">CHAPTER XVI.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>CAPTURE OF FORT PILLOW AND BATTLE OF MEMPHIS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Siege of Fort Pillow.--General Pope.--His
+    Reputation for Veracity.--Capture of the "Ten Thousand."--Naval
+    Battle above Fort Pillow.--The <i>John H.
+    Dickey</i>.--Occupation of the Fort.--General
+    Forrest.--Strength of the Fortifications.--Their
+    Location.--Randolph, Tennessee.--Memphis and her Last
+    Ditch.--Opening of the Naval Combat.--Gallant Action of Colonel
+    Ellet.--Fate of the Rebel Fleet.--The People Viewing the
+    Battle.--Their Conduct.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c17">CHAPTER XVII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>IN MEMPHIS AND UNDER THE FLAG.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Jeff. Thompson and his Predictions.--A Cry of
+    Indignation.--Memphis Humiliated.--The Journalists in the
+    Battle.--The Surrender.--A Fine Point of Law and Honor.--Going
+    on Shore.--An Enraged Secessionist.--A Dangerous
+    Enterprise.--Memphis and her Antecedents.--Her Loyalty.--An
+    Amusing Incident.--How the Natives learned of the Capture of
+    Fort Donelson.--The Last Ditch.--A
+    Farmer-Abolitionist.--Disloyalty among the Women.--"Blessings
+    in Disguise."--An American Mark Tapley.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c18">CHAPTER XVIII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>SUPERVISING A REBEL JOURNAL.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Press of Memphis.--Flight of <i>The
+    Appeal</i>.--A False Prediction.--<i>The Argus</i> becomes
+    Loyal.--Order from General Wallace.--Installed in
+    Office.--Lecturing the Rebels.--"Trade follows the
+    Flag."--Abuses of Traffic.--Supplying the Rebels.--A Perilous
+    Adventure.--Passing the Rebel Lines.--Eluding Watchful
+    Eyes.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c19">CHAPTER XIX.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE FIRST SIEGE OF VICKSBURG.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">From Memphis to Vicksburg.--Running the
+    Batteries.--Our Inability to take Vicksburg by
+    Assault.--Digging a Canal.--A Conversation with Resident
+    Secessionists.--Their Arguments <i>pro</i> and <i>con</i>, and
+    the Answers they Received.--A Curiosity of Legislation.--An
+    Expedition up the Yazoo.--Destruction of the Rebel Fleet.--The
+    <i>Arkansas</i> Running the Gauntlet.--A Spirited Encounter.--A
+    Gallant Attempt.--Raising the Siege.--Fate of the
+    <i>Arkansas</i>.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c20">CHAPTER XX.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE MARCH THROUGH ARKANSAS.--THE SIEGE OF CINCINNATI.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">General Curtis's Army reaching Helena.--Its
+    Wanderings.--The Arkansas Navy.--Troops and their Supplies
+    "miss Connection."--Rebel Reports.--Memphis in Midsummer.--"A
+    Journey due North."--Chicago.--Bragg's Advance into
+    Kentucky.--Kirby Smith in Front of Cincinnati.--The City under
+    Martial Law.--The Squirrel Hunters.--War Correspondents in
+    Comfortable Quarters.--Improvising an Army.--Raising the
+    Siege.--Bragg's Retreat.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c21">CHAPTER XXI.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE BATTLE OF CORINTH.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">New Plans of the Rebels.--Their Design to
+    Capture Corinth.--Advancing to the Attack.--Strong Defenses.--A
+    Magnificent Charge.--Valor <i>vs</i>. Breast-Works.--The
+    Repulse.--Retreat and Pursuit.--The National Arms
+    Triumphant.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c22">CHAPTER XXII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE CAMPAIGN FROM CORINTH.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Changes of Commanders.--Preparations for the
+    Aggressive.--Marching from Corinth.--Talking with the
+    People.--"You-uns and We-uns."--Conservatism of a
+    "Regular."--Loyalty and Disloyalty.--Condition of the Rebel
+    Army.--Foraging.--German Theology for American Soldiers.--A
+    Modest Landlord.--A Boy without a Name.--The Freedmen's
+    Bureau.--Employing Negroes.--Holly Springs and its People.--An
+    Argument for Secession.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c23">CHAPTER XXIII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>GRANT'S OCCUPATION OF MISSISSIPPI.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Slavery Question.--A Generous Offer.--A
+    Journalist's Modesty.--Hopes of the Mississippians at the
+    Beginning of the War.--Visiting an Editress.--Literature under
+    Difficulties.--Jacob Thompson and his Correspondence.--Plans
+    for the Capture of Vicksburg.--Movements of General
+    Sherman.--The Raid upon Holly Springs.--Forewarned, but not
+    Forearmed.--A Gallant Fight.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c24">CHAPTER XXIV.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE BATTLE OF CHICKASAW BAYOU.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Leaving Memphis.--Down the Great River.--Landing
+    in the Yazoo.--Description of the Ground.--A Night in
+    Bivouac.--Plan of Attack.--Moving toward the Hills.--Assaulting
+    the Bluff.--Our Repulse.--New Plans.--Withdrawal from the
+    Yazoo.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c25">CHAPTER XXV.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>BEFORE VICKSBURG.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Capture of Arkansas Post.--The Army returns to
+    Milliken's Bend.--General Sherman and the Journalists.--Arrest
+    of the Author.--His Trial before a Military Court.--Letter from
+    President Lincoln.--Capture of Three Journalists.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c26">CHAPTER XXVI.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>KANSAS IN WAR-TIME.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">A Visit to Kansas.--Recollections of Border
+    Feuds.--Peculiarities of Kansas Soldiers.--Foraging as a Fine
+    Art.--Kansas and Missouri.--Settling Old Scores.--Depopulating
+    the Border Counties.--Two Examples of Grand Strategy.--Capture
+    of the "Little-More-Grape" Battery.--A Woman in
+    Sorrow.--Frontier Justice.--Trial before a "Lynch"
+    Court.--General Blunt's Order.--Execution of
+    Horse-Thieves.--Auction Sale of Confiscated Property.--Banished
+    to Dixie.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c27">CHAPTER XXVII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>GETTYSBURG.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">A Hasty Departure.--At Harrisburg.--<i>En
+    route</i> for the Army of the Potomac.--The Battle-Field at
+    Gettysburg.--Appearance of the Cemetery.--Importance of the
+    Position.--The Configuration of Ground.--Traces of
+    Battle.--Round Hill.--General Meade's
+    Head-Quarters.--Appearance of the Dead.--Through the Forests
+    along the Line.--Retreat and Pursuit of Lee.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c28">CHAPTER XXVIII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>IN THE NORTHWEST.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">From Chicago to Minnesota.--Curiosities of
+    Low-Water Navigation.--St. Paul and its Sufferings in Earlier
+    Days.--The Indian War.--A Brief History of our Troubles in that
+    Region.--General Pope's Expeditions to Chastise the Red
+    Man.--Honesty in the Indian Department.--The End of the
+    Warfare.--The Pacific Railway.--A Bold
+    Undertaking.--Penetrating British Territory.--The Hudson Bay
+    Company.--Peculiarities of a Trapper's Life.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c29">CHAPTER XXIX.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>INAUGURATION OF A GREAT ENTERPRISE.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Plans for Arming the Negroes along the
+    Mississippi.--Opposition to the Movement.--Plantations Deserted
+    by their Owners.--Gathering Abandoned Cotton.--Rules and
+    Regulations.--Speculation.--Widows and Orphans in
+    Demand.--Arrival of Adjutant-General Thomas.--Designs of the
+    Government.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c30">CHAPTER XXX.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>COTTON-PLANTING IN 1863.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Leasing the Plantations.--Interference of the
+    Rebels.--Raids.--Treatment of Prisoners.--The Attack upon
+    Milliken's Bend.--A Novel Breast-Work.--Murder of our
+    Officers.--Profits of Cotton-Planting.--Dishonesty of
+    Lessees.--Negroes Planting on their own Account.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c31">CHAPTER XXXI.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>AMONG THE OFFICIALS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Reasons for Trying an Experiment.--Activity
+    among Lessees.--Opinions of the Residents.--Rebel Hopes in
+    1863.--Removal of Negroes to West Louisiana.--Visiting
+    Natchez.--The City and its Business.--"The Rejected
+    Addresses".</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c32">CHAPTER XXXII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>A JOURNEY OUTSIDE THE LINES.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Passing the Pickets.--Cold Weather in the
+    South.--Effect of Climate upon the Constitution.--Surrounded
+    and Captured.--Prevarication and Explanation.--Among the
+    Natives.--The Game for the Confederacy.--Courtesy of the
+    Planters.--Condition of the Plantations.--The Return.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c33">CHAPTER XXXIII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>ON THE PLANTATION.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Military Protection.--Promises.--Another
+    Widow.--Securing a Plantation.--Its Locality and
+    Appearance.--Gardening in Louisiana.--How Cotton is
+    Picked.--"The Tell-Tale."--A Southerner's Opinion of the Negro
+    Character.--Causes and Consequences.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c34">CHAPTER XXXIV.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>RULES AND REGULATIONS UNDER THE OLD AND NEW SYSTEMS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Plantation Record.--Its Uses.--Interesting
+    Memoranda.--Dogs, Jail, and Stocks.--Instructions to the
+    Overseer.--His Duties and Responsibilities.--The Order of
+    General Banks.--Management of Plantations in the Department of
+    the Gulf.--The two Documents. Contrasted.--One of the Effects
+    of "an Abolition War".</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c35">CHAPTER XXXV.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>OUR FREE-LABOR ENTERPRISE IN PROGRESS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Negroes at Work.--Difficulties in the
+    Way.--A Public Meeting.--A Speech.--A Negro's Idea of
+    Freedom.--A Difficult Question to Determine.--Influence of
+    Northern and Southern Men Contrasted.--An Increase of
+    Numbers.--"Ginning" Cotton.--In the Lint-Room.--Mills and
+    Machinery of a Plantation.--A Profitable Enterprise.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c36">CHAPTER XXXVI.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>WAR AND AGRICULTURE.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Official Favors.--Division of Labor.--Moral
+    Suasion.--Corn-gathering in the South.--An Alarm.--A Frightened
+    Irishman.--The Rebels Approaching.--An Attack on
+    Waterproof.--Falstaff Redivivus.--His Feats of Arms.--Departure
+    for New Orleans.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c37">CHAPTER XXXVII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>IN THE COTTON MARKET.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">New Orleans and its Peculiarities.--Its Loss by
+    the Rebellion.--Cotton Factors in New Orleans.--Old Things
+    passed away.--The Northern Barbarians a Race of
+    Shopkeepers.--Pulsations of the Cotton Market.--A Quarrel with
+    a Lady.--Contending for a Principle.--Inharmony of the
+    "Regulations."--An Account of Sales.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c38">CHAPTER XXXVIII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>SOME FEATURES OF PLANTATION LIFE.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Mysteries of Mule-trading.--"What's in a
+    Name?"--Process of Stocking a Plantation.--An Enterprising
+    White Man.--Stratagem of a Yankee.--Distributing Goods to the
+    Negroes.--The Tastes of the African.--Ethiopian Eloquence.--A
+    Colored Overseer.--Guerrillas Approaching.--Whisky <i>vs</i>.
+    Guerrillas.--A Hint to Military Men.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c39">CHAPTER XXXIX.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>VISITED BY GUERRILLAS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">News of the Raid.--Returning to the
+    Plantation.--Examples of Negro Cunning.--A Sudden Departure and
+    a Fortunate Escape.--A Second Visit.--"Going Through," in
+    Guerrilla Parlance.--How it is Accomplished.--Courtesy to
+    Guests.--A Holiday Costume.--Lessees Abandoning their
+    Plantations.--Official Promises.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c40">CHAPTER XL.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>PECULIARITIES OF PLANTATION LABOR.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Resuming Operation.--Difficulties in the Way.--A
+    New Method of Healing the Sick.--A Thief Discovered by his
+    Ignorance of Arithmetic.--How Cotton is Planted.--The Uses of
+    Cotton-Seed.--A Novel Sleeping-Room.--Constructing a
+    Tunnel.--Vigilance of a Negro Sentinel.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c41">CHAPTER XLI.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE NEGROES AT A MILITARY POST.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Soldiers at Waterproof.--The Black Man in
+    Blue.--Mutiny and Desertion.--Their Cause and Cure.--Tendering
+    a Resignation.--No Desire for a Barber.--Seeking
+    Protection.--Falsehood and Truth.--Proneness to
+    Exaggeration.--Amusing Estimates.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c42">CHAPTER XLII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Nature of our "Protection."--Trade Following
+    the Flag.--A Fortunate Journey.--Our Last Visit.--Inhumanity of
+    the Guerrillas.--Driving Negroes into Captivity.--Killing an
+    Overseer.--Our Final Departure.--Plantations Elsewhere.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c43">CHAPTER XLIII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE MISSISSIPPI AND ITS PECULIARITIES.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Length of the Great River, and the Area it
+    Drains.--How Itasca Lake obtained its Name.--The Bends of the
+    Mississippi.--Curious Effect upon Titles to Real Estate.--A
+    Story of Napoleon.--A Steamboat Thirty-five Years under
+    Water.--The Current and its Variations.--Navigating Cotton and
+    Corn Fields.--Reminiscences of the Islands.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c44">CHAPTER XLIV.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>STEAMBOATING ON THE MISSISSIPPI IN PEACE AND WAR.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Attempts to Obstruct the Great River.--Chains,
+    Booms, and Batteries.--A Novelty in Piloting.--Travel in the
+    Days Before the Rebellion.--Trials of Speed.--The Great
+    Race.--Travel During the War.--Running a Rebel Battery on the
+    Lower Mississippi.--Incidents of the Occasion.--Comments on the
+    Situation.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c45">CHAPTER XLV.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE ARMY CORRESPONDENT.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Beginning and the End.--The Lake Erie
+    Piracy.--A Rochester Story.--The First War
+    Correspondent.--Napoleon's Policy.--Waterloo and the
+    Rothschilds.--Journalistic Enterprise in the Mexican War.--The
+    Crimea and the East Indian Rebellion.--Experiences at the
+    Beginning of Hostilities.--The Tender Mercies of the
+    Insurgents.--In the Field.--Adventures in Missouri and
+    Kentucky.--Correspondents in Captivity.--How Battle-Accounts
+    were Written.--Professional Complaints.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c46">CHAPTER XLVI.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SOUTH.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Scarcity of the Population.--Fertility of the
+    Country.--Northern Men already in the South.--Kansas Emigrants
+    Crossing Missouri.--Change of the Situation.--Present
+    Disadvantages of Emigration.--Feeling of the
+    People.--Property-Holders in Richmond.--The Sentiment in North
+    Carolina.--South Carolina Chivalry.--The Effect of
+    War.--Prospect of the Success of Free Labor.--Trade in the
+    South.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c47">CHAPTER XLVII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>HOW DISADVANTAGES MAY BE OVERCOME.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Conciliating the People of the South.--Railway
+    Travel and its Improvement.--Rebuilding Steamboats.--Replacing
+    Working Stock.--The Condition of the Plantations.--Suggestions
+    about Hasty Departures.--Obtaining Information.--The
+    Attractions of Missouri.</p>
+
+    <h4><a href="#c48">CHAPTER XLVIII.</a></h4>
+
+    <h5>THE RESOURCES OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">How the People have Lived.--An Agricultural
+    Community.--Mineral and other Wealth of
+    Virginia.--Slave-Breeding in Former Times.--The Auriferous
+    Region of North Carolina.--Agricultural Advantages.--Varieties
+    of Soil in South Carolina.--Sea-Island Cotton.--Georgia and her
+    Railways.--Probable Decline of the Rice Culture.--The Everglade
+    State.--The Lower Mississippi Valley.--The Red River.--Arkansas
+    and its Advantages.--A Hint for Tragedians.--Mining in
+    Tennessee.--The Blue-Grass Region of Kentucky.--Texas and its
+    Attractions.--Difference between Southern and Western
+    Emigration.--The End.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c1" id="c1"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER I.</h4>
+
+    <h5>ANTE BELLUM.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">At the Rocky Mountains.--Sentiment of the
+    People.--Firing the Southern Heart.--A Midwinter Journey across
+    the Plains.--An Editor's Opinion.--Election in Missouri.--The
+    North springing to Arms.--An amusing Arrest.--Off for the
+    Field.--Final Instructions.--Niagara.--Curiosities of
+    Banking.--Arrival at the Seat of War.</p>
+
+    <p>I passed the summer and autumn of 1860 in the Rocky Mountain
+    Gold Region. At that time the population of the young Territory
+    was composed of emigrants from Northern and Southern States,
+    those from the colder regions being in the majority. When the
+    Presidential election took place, there was much angry
+    discussion of the great questions of the day, and there were
+    threats of violence on the part of the friends of the
+    "institution." The residents of the Gold Region were unable to
+    cast their votes for the men of their choice, but their anxiety
+    to know the result was very great.</p>
+
+    <p>When it was announced that the Republican candidate had
+    triumphed, there were speedy signs of discontent. Some of the
+    more impulsive Southerners departed at once for their native
+    States, predicting a separation of Dixie from the North before
+    the end of the year. Some went to New Mexico, and others to
+    Texas, while many remained to press their favorite theories
+    upon their neighbors. The friends of the Union were slow to
+    believe that any serious difficulty would take place. Long
+    after the secession of South Carolina they were confident our
+    differences could be healed without an appeal to arms.</p>
+
+    <p>My visit to the Rocky Mountains was a professional one.
+    During my stay in that region I supplied several Eastern
+    journals with letters from Colorado and New Mexico. One after
+    another, the editors of these journals informed me that letters
+    from the Territories had lost their interest, owing to the
+    troubles growing out of the election. Wishing to take part in
+    the drama about to be enacted, I essayed a midwinter journey
+    across the plains, and, early in February, stood in the
+    editorial room of <i>The Herald</i>.</p>
+
+    <p>I announced my readiness to proceed to any point between the
+    Poles, wherever <i>The Herald</i> desired a correspondent. The
+    editor-in-chief was busy over a long letter from some point in
+    the South, but his response was promptly given. Half reading,
+    half pausing over the letter, he briefly said:--</p>
+
+    <p>"A long and bloody war is upon us, in which the whole
+    country will be engaged. We shall desire you to take the field;
+    probably in the West. It may be several weeks before we need
+    you, but the war cannot be long delayed."</p>
+
+    <p>At that time few persons in the North looked upon the
+    situation with any fears of trouble. There were some who
+    thought a hostile collision was among the possibilities, but
+    these persons were generally in the minority. Many believed the
+    secession movement was only the hasty work of political
+    leaders, that would be soon undone when the people of the South
+    came to their senses.</p>
+
+    <p>That the South would deliberately plunge the country into
+    civil war was difficult to comprehend, even after the first
+    steps had been taken. The majority of the Northern people were
+    hoping and believing, day by day, that something might
+    transpire to quell the excitement and adjust the difficulties
+    threatening to disturb the country.</p>
+
+    <p>Before leaving the Rocky Mountains I did not believe that
+    war was certain to ensue, though I considered it quite
+    probable. As I passed through Missouri, the only slave State
+    that lay in my route, I found every thing comparatively quiet.
+    In St. Joseph, on the day of my arrival, the election for
+    delegates to the State Convention was being held. There was no
+    disorder, more than is usual on election days in small cities.
+    Little knots of people were engaged in discussion, but the
+    discussions partook of no extraordinary bitterness. The vote of
+    the city was decidedly in favor of keeping the State in the
+    Union.</p>
+
+    <p>Between the 7th of December and the 12th of April, the
+    Northern blood warmed slowly. The first gun at Sumter quickened
+    its pulsations. When the President issued his call for
+    seventy-five thousand men for three months, to put down
+    insurrection, the North woke to action. Everywhere the response
+    was prompt, earnest, patriotic. In the Northern cities the
+    recruiting offices were densely thronged. New York and
+    Massachusetts were first to send their favorite regiments to
+    the front, but they were not long in the advance. Had the call
+    been for four times seventy-five thousand, and for a service of
+    three years, there is little doubt the people would have
+    responded without hesitation.</p>
+
+    <p>For a short time after my arrival at the East, I remained in
+    a small town in Southern New Hampshire. A few days after the
+    first call was issued, a friend invited me to a seat in his
+    carriage for a ride to Portsmouth, the sea-port of the State.
+    On reaching the city we found the war spirit fully aroused. Two
+    companies of infantry were drilling in the public square, and
+    the citizens were in a state of great excitement. In the course
+    of the afternoon my friend and myself were arrested, by a
+    committee of respectable citizens, who suspected us of being
+    Southern emissaries. It was with great difficulty we convinced
+    them they had made a slight mistake. We referred them to the
+    only acquaintances we had in the city. They refused to consider
+    the truth established in the mouths of two witnesses, and were
+    not induced to give us our liberty until all convenient proof
+    of our identity had been adduced.</p>
+
+    <p>To be arrested within twenty miles of home, on suspicion of
+    being delegated from Charleston or Montgomery, was one of my
+    most amusing experiences of the war. The gentleman who
+    accompanied me was a very earnest believer in coercion. His
+    business in Portsmouth on that occasion was to offer his
+    services in a regiment then being formed. A few months later he
+    received a commission in the army, but did not obtain it
+    through any of our temporary acquaintances at Portsmouth.</p>
+
+    <p>Our captors were the solid men of the city, any one of whom
+    could have sat for the portrait of Mr. Turveydrop without the
+    slightest alteration. On taking us into custody, they stated
+    the grounds on which they arrested us. Our dark complexions and
+    long beards had aroused suspicions concerning the places of our
+    nativity. Suspicion was reduced to a certainty when one of them
+    heard me mention my presence in Missouri on the day of choosing
+    candidates for the Convention. Our purpose was divined when I
+    asked if there was any activity at the Navy Yard. We were Rebel
+    emissaries, who designed to lay their Navy Yard in ashes!</p>
+
+    <p>On our release and departure we were followed to our homes,
+    that the correctness of our representations might be
+    ascertained. This little occurrence, in the center of New
+    England, where the people claim to be thoroughly quiet and
+    law-abiding, indicated that the war spirit in that part of the
+    North was more than momentary.</p>
+
+    <p>The West was not behind the Eastern States in the
+    determination to subdue the Rebellion. Volunteers were
+    gathering at Cairo, and threatening to occupy points further
+    down the Mississippi. At St. Louis the struggle was active
+    between the Unionists and the Secessionists.</p>
+
+    <p>A collision was a mere question of time, and of short time
+    at the best.</p>
+
+    <p>As I visited <i>The Herald</i> office for final
+    instructions, I found that the managing editor had determined
+    upon a vigorous campaign. Every point of interest was to be
+    covered, so that the operations of our armies would be fully
+    recorded from day to day. The war correspondents had gone to
+    their posts, or were just taking their departure. One
+    correspondent was already on the way to Cairo. I was instructed
+    to watch the military movements in Missouri, and hastened to
+    St. Louis as fast as steam could bear me.</p>
+
+    <p>Detained twelve hours at Niagara, by reason of missing a
+    railway train, I found that the opening war gave promise of
+    affecting that locality. The hotel-keepers were gloomy at the
+    prospect of losing their Southern patronage, and half feared
+    they would be obliged to close their establishments. There were
+    but few visitors, and even these were not of the class which
+    scatters its money profusely. The village around the Falls
+    displayed positive signs of dullness, and the inhabitants had
+    personal as well as patriotic interest in wishing there was no
+    war. The Great Cataract was unchanged in its beauty and
+    grandeur. The flood from the Lakes was not diminished, and the
+    precipice over which the water plunged was none the less steep.
+    The opening war had no effect upon this wonder of the New
+    World.</p>
+
+    <p>In Chicago, business was prostrated on account of the
+    outbreak of hostilities. Most of the banks in Illinois had been
+    holding State bonds as securities for the redemption of their
+    circulation. As these bonds were nearly all of Southern origin,
+    the beginning of the war had materially affected their value.
+    The banks found their securities rapidly becoming insecure, and
+    hence there was a depreciation in the currency. This was not
+    uniform, but varied from five to sixty per cent., according to
+    the value of the bonds the respective banks were holding. Each
+    morning and evening bulletins were issued stating the value of
+    the notes of the various banking-houses. Such a currency was
+    very inconvenient to handle, as the payment of any considerable
+    sum required a calculation to establish the worth of each
+    note.</p>
+
+    <p>Many rumors were in circulation concerning the insecurity of
+    a Northern visitor in St. Louis, but none of the stories were
+    very alarming. Of one thing all were certain--the star of the
+    Union was in the ascendant. On arriving in St. Louis I found
+    the city far from quiet, though there was nothing to lead a
+    stranger to consider his personal safety in danger. I had ample
+    material for entering at once upon my professional duties, in
+    chronicling the disordered and threatening state of
+    affairs.</p>
+
+    <p>On the day of my arrival, I met a gentleman I had known in
+    the Rocky Mountains, six months before. I knew his courage was
+    beyond question, having seen him in several disturbances
+    incident to the Gold Regions; but I was not aware which side of
+    the great cause he had espoused. After our first greetings, I
+    ventured to ask how he stood.</p>
+
+    <p>"I am a Union man," was his emphatic response.</p>
+
+    <p>"What kind of a Union man are you?"</p>
+
+    <p>"I am this kind of a Union man," and he threw open his coat,
+    and showed me a huge revolver, strapped to his waist.</p>
+
+    <p>There were many loyal men in St. Louis, whose sympathies
+    were evinced in a similar manner. Revolvers were at a
+    premium.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of the Secessionists ordered a quantity of revolvers
+    from New York, to be forwarded by express. To prevent
+    interference by the Union authorities, they caused the case to
+    be directed to "Colonel Francis P. Blair, Jr., care of ----."
+    They thought Colonel Blair's name would secure the property
+    from seizure. The person in whose care the revolvers were sent
+    was a noted Secessionist, who dealt extensively in
+    fire-arms.</p>
+
+    <p>Colonel Blair learned of the shipment, and met the box at
+    the station. Fifty revolvers of the finest quality, bought and
+    paid for by the Secessionists, were distributed among the
+    friends of Colonel Blair, and were highly prized by the
+    recipients.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c2" id="c2"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER II.</h4>
+
+    <h5>MISSOURI IN THE EARLY DAYS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Apathy of the Border States.--The Missouri State
+    Convention.--Sterling Price a Union Man.--Plan to take the
+    State out of the Union.--Capture of Camp Jackson.--Energy of
+    General Lyon.--Union Men organized.--An Unfortunate
+    Collision.--The Price-Harney Truce.--The Panic among the
+    Secessionists.--Their Hegira from St. Louis.--A Visit to the
+    State Capital.--Under the Rebel Flag.--Searching for Contraband
+    Articles.--An Introduction to Rebel Dignitaries.--Governor
+    Jackson.--Sterling Price.--Jeff. Thompson.--Activity at
+    Cairo.--Kentucky Neutrality.--The Rebels occupy Columbus.</p>
+
+    <p>The Border States were not prompt to follow the example of
+    the States on the Gulf and South Atlantic coast. Missouri and
+    Kentucky were loyal, if the voice of the majority is to be
+    considered the voice of the population. Many of the wealthier
+    inhabitants were, at the outset, as they have always been, in
+    favor of the establishment of an independent Southern
+    Government. Few of them desired an appeal to arms, as they well
+    knew the Border States would form the front of the Confederacy,
+    and thus become the battle-field of the Rebellion. The greater
+    part of the population of those States was radically opposed to
+    the secession movement, but became powerless under the noisy,
+    political leaders who assumed the control. Many of these men,
+    who were Unionists in the beginning, were drawn into the Rebel
+    ranks on the plea that it would be treason to refuse to do what
+    their State Government had decided upon.</p>
+
+    <p>The delegates to the Missouri State Convention were elected
+    in February, 1861, and assembled at St. Louis in the following
+    April. Sterling Price, afterward a Rebel general, was president
+    of this Convention, and spoke in favor of keeping the State in
+    the Union. The Convention thought it injudicious for Missouri
+    to secede, at least at that time, and therefore she was not
+    taken out. This discomfited the prime movers of the secession
+    schemes, as they had counted upon the Convention doing the
+    desired work. In the language of one of their own number, "they
+    had called a Convention to take the State out of the Union, and
+    she must be taken out at all hazards." Therefore a new line of
+    policy was adopted.</p>
+
+    <p>The Governor of Missouri was one of the most active and
+    unscrupulous Secessionists. After the failure of the Convention
+    to unite Missouri with the Confederacy, Governor Jackson
+    overhauled the militia laws, and, under their sanction, issued
+    a call for a muster of militia near St. Louis. This militia
+    assembled at Lindell Grove, in the suburbs of St. Louis, and a
+    military camp was established, under the name of "Camp
+    Jackson." Though ostensibly an innocent affair, this camp was
+    intended to be the nucleus of the army to hoist the Rebel flag
+    in the State. The officers in command were known Secessionists,
+    and every thing about the place was indicative of its
+    character.</p>
+
+    <p>The Governor of Louisiana sent, from the arsenal at Baton
+    Rouge, a quantity of guns and munitions of war, to be used by
+    the insurgent forces in Missouri. These reached St. Louis
+    without hinderance, and were promptly conveyed to the embryonic
+    Rebel camp. Captain Lyon, in command of the St. Louis Arsenal,
+    was informed that he must confine his men to the limits of the
+    United States property, under penalty of the arrest of all who
+    stepped outside. Governor Jackson several times visited the
+    grounds overlooking the arsenal, and selected spots for
+    planting his guns. Every thing was in preparation for active
+    hostility.</p>
+
+    <p>The Union people were by no means idle. Captain Lyon had
+    foreseen the danger menacing the public property in the
+    arsenal, and besought the Government for permission to remove
+    it. Twenty thousand stand of arms were, in a single night,
+    loaded upon a steamer and sent to Alton, Illinois. They were
+    conveyed thence by rail to the Illinois State Arsenal at
+    Springfield. Authority was obtained for the formation of
+    volunteer regiments, and they were rapidly mustered into the
+    service.</p>
+
+    <p>While Camp Jackson was being formed, the Union men of St.
+    Louis were arming and drilling with such secrecy that the
+    Secessionists were not generally aware of their movements.
+    Before the close of the day Captain Lyon received permission
+    for mustering volunteers; he placed more than six hundred men
+    into the service. Regiments were organized under the name of
+    "Home Guards," and by the 9th of May there were six thousand
+    armed Union men in St. Louis, who were sworn to uphold the
+    national honor.</p>
+
+    <p>Colonel Francis P. Blair, Jr., commanded the First Regiment
+    of Missouri Volunteers, and stood faithfully by Captain Lyon in
+    all those early and dangerous days. The larger portion of the
+    forces then available in St. Louis was made up of the German
+    element, which was always thoroughly loyal. This fact caused
+    the Missouri Secessionists to feel great indignation toward the
+    Germans. They always declared they would have seized St. Louis
+    and held possession of the larger portion of the State, had it
+    not been for the earnest loyalty of "the Dutch."</p>
+
+    <p>In the interior of Missouri the Secessionists were generally
+    in the ascendant. It was the misfortune of the time that the
+    Unionists were usually passive, while their enemies were
+    active. In certain counties where the Unionists were four times
+    the number of the Secessionists, it was often the case that the
+    latter were the ruling party. The Union people were quiet and
+    law-abiding; the Secessionists active and unscrupulous.
+    "Peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must," was the motto of
+    the enemies of the Republic.</p>
+
+    <p>In some localities the Union men asserted themselves, but
+    they did not generally do so until after the first blows were
+    struck at St. Louis. When they did come out in earnest, the
+    loyal element in Missouri became fully apparent.</p>
+
+    <p>To assure the friends of the Union, and save Missouri from
+    the domination of the insurgents, it was necessary for Captain
+    Lyon to assume the offensive. This was done on the 10th of May,
+    resulting in the famous capture of "Camp Jackson."</p>
+
+    <p>On the night of the 9th, loyal parties in St. Louis supplied
+    a sufficient number of horses to move the light artillery
+    necessary to accomplish the desired object. On the morning of
+    the 10th, Captain Lyon's command moved from various points, so
+    as to surround the Rebel camp at three o'clock in the
+    afternoon. At that hour General Frost, the Rebel commander, was
+    surprised at the appearance of an overpowering force on the
+    hills surrounding his position. A demand for surrender gave
+    half an hour for deliberation. At the end of that time General
+    Frost concluded to capitulate. The prisoners, less than a
+    thousand in number, were marched to the arsenal and safely
+    secured.</p>
+
+    <p>This achievement destroyed Camp Jackson, and established the
+    United States authority in full force over St. Louis. An
+    unfortunate collision occurred between the soldiers and the
+    crowd outside. Provoked by insults terminating in an assault
+    with fire-arms, a portion of the German troops fired upon the
+    multitude. Upward of thirty persons were killed or wounded in
+    the affair. With the exception of this unhappy collision, the
+    capture was bloodless.</p>
+
+    <p>General Harney arrived at St. Louis soon after this event,
+    and assumed command in Missouri. The agreement known as "the
+    Price-Harney truce" was immediately made. Under an assurance
+    from Governor Jackson that the State troops should be
+    disbanded, General Harney promised that no hostilities should
+    be undertaken, and attempted to cause the dispersal of the
+    Union volunteers. The status of the latter had been so fixed
+    that General Harney was not empowered to disarm them, and he so
+    informed, the State authorities. His message announcing this
+    read nearly as follows:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>"I have ascertained that I have no control over the Home
+      Guards.<br />
+      "W. S. HARNEY, <i>Brig.-Gen</i>."</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>This message was received at the Police Head-Quarters in St.
+    Louis, on the morning of Sunday, May 15th. It was misunderstood
+    by the parties who read it. They inferred, from the tenor of
+    the dispatch, that General Harney was unable to restrain the
+    Union volunteers.</p>
+
+    <p>The most frightful stories had been circulated concerning
+    the blood-thirsty character of these soldiers, particularly the
+    German portion. Visions of murder, pillage, house-burning, and
+    all the accompanying outrages committed by an unrestrained
+    army, flitted through the minds of the Secessionists. The story
+    spread, and gained intensity with each repetition. "The Dutch
+    are rising; we shall all be slain in cold blood!" was the cry,
+    echoed from house to house. Not less than five thousand people
+    fled from the city on that day, and as many more within the
+    succeeding twenty-four hours. Carriages, wagons, drays, every
+    thing that could transport persons or valuables, commanded
+    exorbitant prices. Steamboats were chartered as ferries to the
+    Illinois shore or to go to points of safety, either up or down
+    the river. Many persons abandoned their houses, taking with
+    them only a few articles of value or necessity, while others
+    carried away nothing, in their haste to escape.</p>
+
+    <p>In a few days the excitement subsided and nearly all the
+    refugees returned, but there are some who have never been in
+    St. Louis since their remarkable hegira. In their determination
+    to obtain their "rights," they entered the Rebel army and
+    followed its checkered fortunes. Less than half of these
+    persons are now alive.</p>
+
+    <p>For a time after the appearance of General Harney's
+    proclamation, there were no hostile demonstrations on either
+    side. Governor Jackson had promised to disband the small force
+    of militia at Jefferson City, but he failed to do so. The Rebel
+    flag was flying in Jefferson City, from a staff in front of the
+    Governor's mansion, and over the head-quarters of the Missouri
+    State Guard. Missouri, through her State officers, was in favor
+    of an armed neutrality, which really meant nothing less than
+    armed secession.</p>
+
+    <p>The Secessionists were quietly but earnestly at work to
+    effect their object. They did not heed their promise to remain
+    inactive. The Union authorities observed theirs to the letter.
+    The Camp Jackson prisoners were paroled and restored to
+    liberty. A portion of them observed the parole, but many did
+    not. General Frost remained on his farm and took no part in the
+    Rebellion until relieved from his parole, several months later.
+    It is proper to add, that he was of very little account to the
+    Rebels when he finally entered the field.</p>
+
+    <p>While watching the progress of affairs in St. Louis, I
+    determined upon a visit to Jefferson City. Though the Rebel
+    flag was flying over the State Capitol, and the nucleus of the
+    Missouri State Guard (Rebel) had its camp in the suburbs, the
+    communication by railroad had not been interrupted. Taking the
+    morning train from St. Louis, on the 27th of May, I found
+    myself, at three o'clock of the afternoon, under the secession
+    banner. The searching of the train for articles contraband of
+    war was then a new feature.</p>
+
+    <p>In the early days only the outside of a package was
+    examined. If the "marks" indicated nothing suspicious, the
+    goods were allowed to pass. Under this regulation, a large
+    number of boxes marked "soap" were shipped on a steamboat for
+    Lexington. So much soap going into Missouri was decidedly
+    suspicious, as the people of the interior do not make extensive
+    use of the article. An examination disclosed canisters of
+    powder instead of bars of soap. The discovery was followed by
+    the promulgation of an order requiring a rigid examination of
+    all packages that might be of doubtful character. This order,
+    with various modifications, was kept in force for a long
+    time.</p>
+
+    <p>In starting from St. Louis, I left a company of Union
+    volunteers at the railway station. At Jefferson City I found
+    the depot filled with the Rebel soldiers, or "neutrals," as
+    Governor Jackson persisted in calling them. The particular duty
+    they were performing I was unable to ascertain, but they bore
+    unmistakable signs of being something more than a "neutral"
+    body of men. Their camp was just in rear of the city. The Rebel
+    flag, which floated above the camp, was recognized as the
+    emblem of their neutrality.</p>
+
+    <p>The proprietor of the hotel where I stopped held the
+    reputation of an earnest friend of the Union, ready to Suffer
+    any thing rather than sink his principles. He introduced me to
+    several citizens, most of them, like himself, thoroughly loyal.
+    We discussed freely the condition of affairs in Missouri.</p>
+
+    <p>It was evident the State authorities intended war, as soon
+    as the necessary preparations could be made. They were not
+    quite ready to strike their first blow, but when they should be
+    prepared, they would not hesitate a moment. Governor Jackson
+    was exerting himself to the utmost to accumulate arms and
+    military stores at various points in the State, where they
+    would be of most value. In defiance of the truce between
+    Generals Price and Harney, companies were being formed
+    throughout the State, and were drilling for service in the
+    field. Time was of great importance to the Rebels, and this
+    they had secured by means of the truce.</p>
+
+    <p>During my stay at Jefferson City, I met the three, men most
+    prominent in bringing war upon Missouri. These were Governor
+    Jackson, General Sterling Price, and Jeff. Thompson. Governor
+    Jackson was elected in the previous December, before it was
+    thought any serious trouble would grow out of Mr. Lincoln's
+    election. He was not looked upon as a man of great ability, but
+    no one doubted his desire to promote the best interests of the
+    State. Those who knew him said his strength lay more in a
+    public than in a private direction. He had few, if any,
+    personal friends, and was considered dangerous when his
+    passions were roused. Some said he was cold and treacherous,
+    giving all around him a feeling of aversion. Even among the
+    Secessionists, and those who should have been his ardent
+    supporters, he was never mentioned with enthusiasm.</p>
+
+    <p>Within two weeks from the day I saw him, Governor Jackson,
+    by his own act, was a fugitive from the State capital. He never
+    returned. After wandering in Arkansas and Louisiana, during the
+    early part of the war, he died at Little Rock, in 1863, in a
+    condition of extreme poverty.</p>
+
+    <p>Of General Price, I heard many praises, even from those who
+    opposed his course. He was said to be a man of warm friendship,
+    of fair abilities, and quite popular among the masses of the
+    inhabitants. He possessed much personal pride, and his ambition
+    for public honor was very great. At the outset he deprecated
+    secession, and prophesied a devastating war as the result. He
+    was inclined to be loyal, but his ambition was greater than his
+    patriotism. The offer of a high position in the Rebel service
+    touched his weakest point, and carried him with the
+    insurgents.</p>
+
+    <p>In the Rebel service he never obtained much distinction. His
+    principal successes were in saving his army after defeat. He
+    displayed a capacity for annoying the Union armies without
+    doing great damage. Though his oft-repeated promise of victory
+    was never fulfilled, it served to keep many Missourians in the
+    Rebel ranks. He was constantly expected to capture St. Louis.
+    Some of the Rebel residents fully believed he would do so, and
+    kept their wine-cellars ready for the event. Until the official
+    announcement of the surrender of all forces west of the
+    Mississippi, they did not abandon hope. General Price had given
+    his promise, and, as they argued, was sure to keep it.</p>
+
+    <p>Of Jeff. Thompson little can be said. Previous to that time
+    he had been known as the mayor of St. Joseph, and a politician
+    of some little importance in Northwest Missouri. He was famous
+    for much gasconading, and a fondness for whisky and other
+    material things. I could never learn that he commanded much
+    respect. During the war the Rebels never trusted him with any
+    command of importance. He made a very fair guerrilla, and, in
+    1861, gave our forces at Cairo and Bird's Point considerable
+    annoyance. History is not likely to give him a very prominent
+    place in the roll of distinguished military heroes.</p>
+
+    <p>At this time Cairo was the most southerly point on the
+    Mississippi in possession of the National forces. We could have
+    occupied Columbus or Hickman, Kentucky, had not the sacredness
+    of the soil prevented. Kentucky was neutral, and declared that
+    neither party must set foot within her limits. Her declaration
+    of neutrality was much like that issued by the Governor of
+    Missouri. The United States forces were under great
+    restrictions, while the Rebels could do pretty much as they
+    pleased. General Prentiss sent a small expedition down the
+    Mississippi, some sixty miles below Cairo. The Kentuckians were
+    greatly enraged because our forces landed at Hickman and tore
+    down a Rebel flag which the citizens had hoisted. It was an
+    invasion of their soil, for which they demanded apology. A few
+    weeks later the Rebels occupied both Hickman and Columbus,
+    without any objection on the part of the neutrals.</p>
+
+    <p>Columbus was made very strong by the Rebel engineers, and
+    supplied with many heavy guns for its protection. At the same
+    time, General Prentiss pushed forward the defenses of Cairo, in
+    readiness for any attack by the Rebel gun-boats. For more than
+    half a year Columbus was the northern limit of the Rebel
+    domination of the Great River. On assuming command there,
+    General Polk announced that Columbus was the throat of the
+    Mississippi, and must be held at all hazards. The Rebels
+    repeatedly urged the capture of Cairo, but it was never
+    attempted.</p><a href="images/p44i1.jpg"><img src=
+    "images/p44i1_t.jpg" alt=
+    "HAULING DOWN A REBEL FLAG AT HICKMAN, KY" /></a>
+
+    <p class="captn">HAULING DOWN A REBEL FLAG AT HICKMAN, KY</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c3" id="c3"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER III.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">General Harney Relieved.--Price's
+    Proclamation.--End of the Truce.--Conference between the Union
+    and Rebel Leaders.--The First Act of Hostility.--Destruction of
+    Railway Bridges.--Promptness of General Lyon.--Capture of the
+    State Capital.--Moving on the Enemy's Works.--The Night before
+    Battle.--A Correspondent's Sensation.</p>
+
+    <p>On the first of June an order was received from Washington,
+    relieving General Harney from command in Missouri. Captain Lyon
+    had been promoted to the rank of a brigadier-general of
+    volunteers, and was assigned to duty in General Harney's stead.
+    On the 5th of June, General Price issued a proclamation,
+    calling for the State Guard to be in readiness to defend
+    Missouri against all enemies. The appearance of this
+    proclamation was not altogether unexpected. It was far more
+    satisfactory to the friends of the Union than to the
+    Secessionists, as it showed the hostile position of Governor
+    Jackson and his abettors, and gave an opportunity for
+    proceeding actively against them. It demonstrated very clearly
+    that the Secessionists were determined to make their actions
+    correspond to their words.</p>
+
+    <p>It was ascertained that, a few days before the publication
+    of Price's proclamation, Governor Jackson was in consultation
+    with an agent of the Rebel Government, who promised twenty-five
+    thousand men, and arms and ammunition for fifty thousand more,
+    if the State were fairly and unequivocally out of the Union. He
+    had also conferred with an agent from the Indian Nation, with a
+    view to putting several thousand Indians into the field on the
+    side of the Rebels. General Lyon wanted an "overt act" on the
+    part of the Rebels, before commencing actual hostilities.
+    Price's proclamation was the thing desired.</p>
+
+    <p>The troops in and around St. Louis were drilled as
+    thoroughly as possible. Every day added to their effectiveness.
+    Recruiting was pushed, trade with the interior was suspended,
+    and boats passing down the river were made subject to stoppage
+    and search at the arsenal. Every thing was assuming a warlike
+    appearance. The Government was very tardy in supplying General
+    Lyon's wants. In many cases it did not authorize him to do what
+    was needed. Much of the money for outfitting the troops for the
+    field was voluntarily contributed in the Eastern cities, or by
+    patriotic men in St. Louis. In several things, General Lyon
+    acted upon his own responsibility, under the advice and
+    co-operation of Colonel Blair.</p>
+
+    <p>On the 9th of June, Governor Jackson and General Price asked
+    General Lyon to give them a safeguard to visit St. Louis. They
+    wished to confer with General Lyon and Colonel Blair, upon the
+    best means of bringing peace to the State and making an end of
+    hostilities. The safeguard was granted, and, on the 11th of
+    June, Jackson and Price reached St. Louis, and signified their
+    readiness for the proposed conference. The meeting took place
+    at the Planters' House, Governor Jackson declining to trust
+    himself inside the walls of the arsenal, where General Lyon had
+    invited him to be his guest. The interview began with many
+    professions of goodwill on the part of Governor Jackson, and
+    the assurance of his earnest desire for peace. He promised to
+    disband the State troops, if General Lyon would first remove
+    all United States troops from the limits of Missouri, and agree
+    not to bring them back under any consideration. Of course, this
+    proposition could not be entertained. A conversation then took
+    place between General Lyon and General Price, but all to no
+    purpose. Price and Jackson would do nothing, unless the United
+    States troops were first sent out of Missouri. Lyon and Blair
+    would not consent to any thing of the kind, and so the
+    conference ended.</p>
+
+    <p>Jackson and Price left St. Louis on a special train for
+    Jefferson City, on the afternoon of the 11th. On the way up the
+    road, they set fire to the bridges over the Gasconade and Osage
+    Rivers, the former thirty-five miles from Jefferson City, and
+    ninety from St. Louis, and the latter within nine miles of
+    Jefferson City. If the conduct of these men had been neutral up
+    to that time, this act made an end of their neutrality.</p>
+
+    <p>General Lyon left the conference fully satisfied there was
+    no longer any reason for hesitation. The course he should
+    pursue was plain before him.</p>
+
+    <p>Early in the forenoon of the 12th, he learned of the
+    destruction of the bridges over the Gasconade and Osage Rivers.
+    He immediately ordered a force to proceed up the road, and
+    protect as much of it as possible from further damage. Within
+    four hours of the reception of the order to move, the troops
+    were on their way. On the next day, three steamers, with about
+    two thousand men, left St. Louis for Jefferson City. General
+    Lyon knew the importance of time, and was determined to give
+    Governor Jackson very little opportunity for preparation.</p>
+
+    <p>My first experience of a military campaign was on the
+    expedition up the Missouri. I had seen something of Indian
+    troubles on the Plains, in which white men were concerned, but
+    I had never witnessed civilized warfare where white men fought
+    against white men. A residence of several weeks in St. Louis
+    had somewhat familiarized me with the appearance of troops at
+    the arsenal and at the various camps in the city, but the
+    preparations to take the field were full of novelty.</p>
+
+    <p>I was on the boat which carried the First Missouri Infantry,
+    and which General Lyon had selected for his head-quarters. The
+    young officers were full of enthusiasm, and eagerly
+    anticipating their first encounter with the Rebel battalions.
+    Colonel Blair was less demonstrative than the officers of his
+    regiment, but was evidently much elated at the prospect of
+    doing something aggressive. General Lyon was in the cabin,
+    quiet, reserved, and thoughtful. With Colonel Blair he
+    conversed long and freely. Few others approached him. Outside
+    the cabin the soldiers were ardently discussing the coming
+    campaign, and wishing an early opportunity for winning glory in
+    battle.</p>
+
+    <p>To one who travels for the first time by steamboat from St.
+    Louis in a northerly direction, a curious picture is presented.
+    The water in the Mississippi above the mouth of the Missouri is
+    quite clear and transparent. That from the Missouri is of a
+    dirty yellow color, derived from the large quantity of earthy
+    matter which it holds in solution. For several miles below the
+    junction of the streams, the two currents remain separated, the
+    line between them being plainly perceptible. The pilots usually
+    endeavor to keep on the dividing line, so that one can look
+    from the opposite sides of a boat and imagine himself sailing
+    upon two rivers of different character at the same moment.</p>
+
+    <p>Sometimes this distinctive line continues for fifteen or
+    twenty miles, but usually less than ten. A soldier wittily
+    remarked, that the water from the Upper Mississippi derived its
+    transparency from the free States, from whence it came, while
+    the Missouri, emerging from a slave State, was, consequently,
+    of a repulsive hue. As Missouri is now a free State, the
+    soldier's remark is not applicable.</p>
+
+    <p>Steaming up the Missouri toward the State capital, we found
+    the sentiment along the banks of the river strongly in favor of
+    the Union. Home Guard organizations had been hastily formed,
+    and were doing their best for the protection of the railway.
+    Most of the villages along the Lower Missouri contained a
+    strong German element, which needs no question of its loyalty.
+    The railway bridges were thoroughly guarded, and each town had
+    a small garrison to suppress any rising of the Secessionists.
+    The conduct of the people in these villages was quite different
+    from the course of those residing above Jefferson City. Where
+    the inhabitants possessed no slaves, there was outspoken
+    loyalty. In the most populous slave districts it was the
+    reverse. Slaveholders declared that their interest lay in
+    secession. There were a few exceptions, but they were very far
+    in a minority.</p>
+
+    <p>Our triumphal entry into Jefferson City was not marked by
+    any noteworthy event. The Capitol was deserted. The Governor
+    and most of the State officials had departed the previous day,
+    in the direction of Booneville. We marched through the
+    principal streets, and found many of the people delighted at
+    our coming. We occupied the State House, and, of course,
+    unfurled our flag from its cupola. A steamboat, seized at the
+    landing, was pressed into our service for use further up the
+    stream. An encounter with the Rebels was eagerly desired.</p>
+
+    <p>We left a full regiment, a large force in those days, to
+    retain possession of the place, and then pushed on in pursuit.
+    The Rebels had disabled the railway, taking off nearly all the
+    rolling stock and destroying a large bridge four miles west of
+    the city. As the point where they had fled lay upon the river,
+    we pursued them by water. At noon, on the 16th, General Lyon
+    left Jefferson City for Booneville. Within twenty-four hours he
+    fought his first battle in Missouri.</p>
+
+    <p>It is slow work to proceed with a steamboat where one's way
+    must be felt. Though we had only fifty miles to move, we
+    advanced less than thirty before nightfall. Touching at a
+    landing on the left bank of the river, fifteen miles below
+    Booneville, a scout from the enemy's camp came easily into our
+    hands. From being a scout of the enemy he became our scout, as
+    he revealed in his fright all we wished to know. The enemy,
+    confident of an easy victory, was waiting our approach, and
+    expressed the most lively intention of destroying us all in the
+    twinkling of an eye.</p>
+
+    <p>Experience had not then demonstrated that there is little
+    difference in the bravery of Americans, when well officered.
+    Each side cherished the delusion that it had a monopoly of
+    courage and endurance. One Southern man was thought equal to
+    five Northern men in a fair contest, and if the former were
+    given the advantage of a defensive position, any odds of
+    numbers would be taken. There was nearly, though not quite, as
+    much boasting on the part of our own press and people. The
+    first severe battles made an end of the greater part of this
+    gasconading.</p>
+
+    <p>It is said the most trying moment on shipboard is when the
+    deck, previous to an engagement, is sprinkled with saw-dust to
+    receive the blood yet unshed. No man can know whose blood will
+    be first to moisten that dust, or whose life will be passed
+    away before the action is over. So on the eve of that first
+    battle in Missouri, as I reclined in the cabin of our
+    flag-boat, and saw the surgeons busy with their preparations
+    for the coming day; as I saw them bring to light all the
+    dreadful implements of their trade, and arrange them in
+    readiness for sudden use--a coldness crept over me, and I fully
+    realized we had earnest work before us. Since that time I have
+    witnessed many a battle, many a scene of preparation and of
+    bloody work with knife and saw and bandage, but I have never
+    experienced a chill like that I felt on that early day of the
+    Rebellion.</p>
+
+    <p>The war has made us familiar with horrors. That which once
+    touched us to the heart is now passed over with scarce a
+    moment's thought. Our nerves have been hardened, our
+    sensibilities blunted, our hearts steeled against suffering, in
+    the terrible school through which we have passed.</p><a href=
+    "images/p54i1.jpg"><img src="images/p54i1_t.jpg" alt=
+    "THE OPENING GUN AT BOONEVILLE" /></a>
+
+    <p class="captn">THE OPENING GUN AT BOONEVILLE</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c4" id="c4"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER IV.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE FIRST BATTLE IN MISSOURI</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Moving up the River.--A Landing Effected.--The
+    Battle.--Precipitous Retreat of the Rebels.--Spoiling a
+    Captured Camp.--Rebel Flags Emblazoned with the State Arms.--A
+    Journalist's Outfit.--A Chaplain of the Church Militant.--A
+    Mistake that might have been Unfortunate.--The People of
+    Booneville.--Visiting an Official.--Banking-House
+    Loyalty.--Preparations for a Campaign.</p>
+
+    <p>Daybreak on the 17th found us slowly moving up the river
+    toward Booneville. General Lyon sat forward of the steamer's
+    cabin, closely scanning both banks of the stream. Four miles
+    below the town his glass sought out two pieces of artillery,
+    partially concealed in a clump of trees, and trained upon the
+    channel by which we were to pass. At once our engines were
+    reversed, and the boats moved back to a landing about eight
+    miles below Booneville. A little before seven o'clock we were
+    on shore, and our column of fifteen hundred men began its
+    advance upon the Rebel camp.</p>
+
+    <p>It was the story that has found its repetition in many a
+    battle since that time. The enemy's pickets were driven in. The
+    enemy, in line of battle, was discovered on a long ridge, and
+    our own line was formed on a ridge parallel to it. Then we
+    opened fire with our artillery (one battery was all we
+    possessed), and received no response, save by a desultory
+    discharge of small-arms. Next our infantry added its tenor
+    notes to the bass of the field-guns; the Rebel forces melted
+    steadily away, and the field was in our possession, twenty
+    minutes after the opening shot had been fired.</p>
+
+    <p>Once in retreat, the Rebels did not halt until out of harm's
+    reach. Their camp lay in the line of retreat, but they made no
+    stop in passing it. Following in the rear of our column, I
+    entered the camp, and found many signs of a hasty departure. I
+    found the fires burning, and dozens of coffee-pots and
+    frying-pans filled with the materials for breakfast. Here was a
+    pan full of meat fried to a crisp, from the neglect of the cook
+    to remove it before his sudden exodus. A few feet distant lay a
+    ham, with a knife sticking in a half-severed slice. A rude
+    camp-table was spread with plates and their accessories, and a
+    portion of the articles of food were carefully arranged. The
+    seats for the breakfast party were in position, two of them
+    being overturned. I could not help fancying the haste with
+    which that table had been abandoned, only a few moments before.
+    The tents were standing, and in some the blankets were lying on
+    the ground, as if they had been very suddenly vacated. In one
+    tent was a side-saddle, a neat pair of gaiters, and a
+    hoop-skirt. The proper connection of those articles with the
+    battle-field I was unable to ascertain.</p>
+
+    <p>In that camp was a fine lot of provisions, arms, equipments,
+    and ammunition. Saddles were numerous, but there were no
+    horses. It was evident that, the hasty evacuation left no time
+    for the simple process of saddling.</p>
+
+    <p>Early in the day I had come into possession of a horse with
+    a very poor outfit. Once in camp, I was not slow to avail
+    myself of the privilege of supply. I went into battle on foot,
+    carrying only a knapsack containing a note-book and two pieces
+    of bread. When the fight was over, I was the possessor of a
+    horse and all the equipments for a campaign. I had an overcoat,
+    a roll of fine blankets, and a pair of saddle-bags. The latter
+    were well filled from the trunk of some one I had not the
+    pleasure of knowing, but who was evidently "just my size." Mr.
+    Barnes, of the Missouri <i>Democrat</i>, was my companion on
+    that occasion. He was equally careful to provide himself from
+    the enemy's stores, but wasted, time in becoming sentimental
+    over two love-letters and a photograph of a young woman.</p>
+
+    <p>The flags captured in this affair were excellent
+    illustrations of the policy of the leading Secessionists. There
+    was one Rebel flag with the arms of the State of Missouri
+    filling the field. There was a State flag, with only fifteen
+    stars surrounding the coat of arms. There was a. Rebel flag,
+    with the State arms in the center, and there was one Rebel flag
+    of the regular pattern. The rallying-cry at that time was in
+    behalf of the State, and the people were told they must act for
+    Missouri, without regard to any thing else. In no part of the
+    country was the "State Rights" theory more freely used. All the
+    changes were rung upon the sovereignty of States, the right of
+    Missouri to exclude United States soldiers from her soil, the
+    illegality of the formation of Union regiments, and the tyranny
+    of the General Government.</p>
+
+    <p>The flags under which Missouri soldiers were gathered
+    clearly blended the interests of the State with secession.</p>
+
+    <p>Our troops entered Booneville amid demonstrations of delight
+    from one portion of the inhabitants, and the frowns and
+    muttered indignation of the other. The Rebels had fled, a part
+    of them by land, and the balance on a steamboat, toward
+    Lexington. Quiet possession obtained, there was time to examine
+    into the details of the fight. We had lost twelve men, the
+    enemy probably twice as many. The action, three years later,
+    would have been considered only a roadside skirmish, but it was
+    then an affair of importance. Every man with General Lyon felt
+    far more elation over the result than has since been felt over
+    battles of much greater moment. We had won a signal victory;
+    the enemy had suffered an equally signal defeat.</p>
+
+    <p>During the battle, a chaplain, provided with four men to
+    look after the wounded, came suddenly upon a group of
+    twenty-four Rebels. An imperative demand for their surrender
+    was promptly complied with, and the chaplain, with his force of
+    four, brought twenty-four prisoners into town. He was so
+    delighted at his success that he subsequently took a commission
+    in the line. In time he was honored with the stars of a
+    brigadier-general.</p>
+
+    <p>General Lyon was my personal friend, but he very nearly did
+    me great injustice. Seeing myself and a fellow-journalist on a
+    distant part of the field, he mistook us for scouts of the
+    enemy, and ordered his sharp-shooters to pick us off. His
+    chief-of-staff looked in our direction, and fortunately
+    recognized us in time to countermand the order. I was afterward
+    on the point of being shot at by an infantry captain, through a
+    similar mistake. A civilian's dress on the battle-field (a gray
+    coat formed a part of mine) subjects the wearer to many dangers
+    from his friends, as most war correspondents can testify.</p>
+
+    <p>While approaching the town, I stopped to slake my thirst at
+    a well. A group of our soldiers joined me while I was drinking.
+    I had drank very freely from the bucket, and transferred it to
+    a soldier, when the resident of a neighboring house appeared,
+    and informed us that the well had been poisoned by the Rebels,
+    and the water was certain to produce death. The soldiers
+    desisted, and looked at me with much pity. For a moment, I
+    confess, the situation did not appear cheerful, but I concluded
+    the injury, if any, was already done, and I must make the best
+    of it. The soldiers watched me as I mounted my horse, evidently
+    expecting me to fall within a hundred yards. When I met one of
+    them the following day, he opened his eyes in astonishment at
+    seeing me alive. From that day, I entertained a great contempt
+    for poisoned wells.</p>
+
+    <p>In Booneville the incidents were not of a startling
+    character. I found the strongest secession sympathy was
+    entertained by the wealthier inhabitants, while the poor were
+    generally loyal. Some cases of determined loyalty I found among
+    the wealthy; but they were the exception rather than the rule.
+    Accompanied by a small squad of soldiers, myself and companion
+    visited the house of a gentleman holding office under the
+    United States Government. We obtained from that house several
+    Rebel cockades and small flags, which had been fabricated by
+    the ladies.</p>
+
+    <p>With the same squad we visited the principal bank of
+    Booneville, and persuaded the cashier to give us a Rebel flag
+    which had been floating for several days from a staff in front
+    of the building. This flag was ten yards in length, and the
+    materials of which it was made were of the finest quality. The
+    interview between the cashier and ourselves was an amusing one.
+    He protested he knew nothing of the flag or its origin, and at
+    first declared it was not about the building. According to his
+    own representation, he was too good a Union man to harbor any
+    thing of the sort. Just as he was in the midst of a very
+    earnest profession of loyalty the flag was discovered.</p>
+
+    <p>"Somebody must have put that there to ruin me," was his
+    exclamation. "Gentlemen, I hope you won't harm me; and, if you
+    want me to do so, I will take the oath of allegiance this
+    minute."</p>
+
+    <p>Soon after the occupation of Booneville, General Lyon sent a
+    small expedition to Syracuse, twenty-five miles in the
+    interior. This force returned in a few days, and then
+    preparations were begun for a march to Springfield. Colonel
+    Blair left Booneville for St. Louis and Washington, while
+    General Lyon attended to the preliminaries for his contemplated
+    movement. The First Iowa Infantry joined him, and formed a part
+    of his expeditionary force. The Rebels gathered at Lexington,
+    and thence moved southward to reach the Arkansas line, to form
+    a junction with the then famous Ben McCulloch.</p>
+
+    <p>The prospect was good that Central Missouri would soon be
+    clear of Rebels. Our general success in the State depended upon
+    occupying and holding the Southwest. General Lyon was to move
+    thither from Booneville. General Sweeney had already gone there
+    by way of Rolla, while another force, under Major Sturgis, was
+    moving from Leavenworth in a southeasterly direction. All were
+    to unite at Springfield and form an army of occupation.</p>
+
+    <p>Preparations went on slowly, as the transportation was to be
+    gathered from the surrounding country. Foreseeing that the
+    expedition would be slow to reach Springfield, I returned to
+    St. Louis. There I made preparations to join the army, when its
+    march should be completed, by a more expeditious route than the
+    one General Lyon would follow.</p>
+
+    <p>At Booneville, General Lyon established a temporary blockade
+    of the Missouri River, by stopping all boats moving in either
+    direction. In most cases a single shot across the bow of a boat
+    sufficed to bring it to land. One day the <i>White Cloud</i>,
+    on her way from Kansas City to St. Louis, refused to halt until
+    three shots had been fired, the last one grazing the top of the
+    pilot-house. When brought before General Lyon, the captain of
+    the <i>White Cloud</i> apologized for neglecting to obey the
+    first signal, and said his neglect was due to his utter
+    ignorance of military usage.</p>
+
+    <p>The apology was deemed sufficient. The captain was
+    dismissed, with a gentle admonition not to make a similar
+    mistake in future.</p>
+
+    <p>At that time the public was slow to understand the power and
+    extent of military law and military rule. When martial law was
+    declared in St. Louis, in August, 1861, a citizen waited upon
+    the provost-marshal, in order to ascertain the precise state of
+    affairs.</p>
+
+    <p>After some desultory conversation, he threw out the
+    question:--</p>
+
+    <p>"What does martial law do?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Well," said Major McKinstry, the provost-marshal, "I can
+    explain the whole thing in a second. Martial law does pretty
+    much as it d--n pleases."</p>
+
+    <p>Before the year was ended the inhabitants of St. Louis
+    learned that the major's assertion was not far from the
+    truth.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c5" id="c5"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER V.</h4>
+
+    <h5>TO SPRINGFIELD AND BEYOND.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Conduct of the St. Louis
+    Secessionists.--Collisions between Soldiers and
+    Citizens.--Indignation of the Guests of a Hotel.--From St.
+    Louis to Rolla.--Opinions of a "Regular."--Railway-life in
+    Missouri.--Unprofitable Freight.--A Story of
+    Orthography.--Mountains and Mountain Streams.--Fastidiousness
+    Checked.--Frontier Courtesy.--Concentration of Troops at
+    Springfield.--A Perplexing Situation.--The March to Dug
+    Spring.--Sufferings from Heat and Thirst.</p>
+
+    <p>The success of the Union arms at Booneville did not silence
+    the Secessionists in St. Louis. They continued to hold
+    meetings, and arrange plans for assisting their friends in the
+    field. At many places, one could hear expressions of
+    indignation at the restrictions which the proper authorities
+    sought to put upon the secession movement. Union flags were
+    torn from the front of private buildings--generally in the
+    night or early morning. Twice, when Union troops were marching
+    along the streets, they were fired upon by citizens. A
+    collision of this kind had occurred at the corner of Fifth and
+    Walnut streets, on the day after the capture of Camp Jackson.
+    The soldiers returned the fire, and killed several persons; but
+    this did not deter the Secessionists from repeating the
+    experiment. In the affairs that took place after the battle of
+    Booneville, the result was the same. Unfortunately, in each
+    collision, a portion of those killed were innocent on-lookers.
+    After a few occurrences of this kind, soldiers were allowed to
+    march through the streets without molestation.</p>
+
+    <p>About the first of July, there were rumors that an
+    insurrection would be attempted on the National holiday. Ample
+    provision was made to give the insurgents a warm reception.
+    Consequently, they made no trouble. The printer of the bills of
+    fare at a prominent hotel noticed the Fourth of July by
+    ornamenting his work with a National flag, in colors. This
+    roused the indignation of a half-dozen guests, whose sympathies
+    lay with the Rebellion. They threatened to leave, but were so
+    far in arrears that they could not settle their accounts. The
+    hotel-keeper endeavored to soothe them by promising to give his
+    printing, for the future, to another house. Several loyal
+    guests were roused at this offer, and threatened to secede at
+    once if it were carried out. The affair resulted in nothing but
+    words.</p>
+
+    <p>On the morning of the 11th of July I left St. Louis, to join
+    General Lyon in the Southwest. It was a day's ride by rail to
+    Rolla, the terminus of the Southwest Branch of the Pacific
+    road. I well recollect the strange and motley group that filled
+    the cars on that journey. There were a few officers and
+    soldiers <i>en route</i> to join their comrades in the field.
+    Nearly all of them were fresh from civil life. They wore their
+    uniforms uneasily, as a farmer's boy wears his Sunday suit.
+    Those who carried sabers experienced much inconvenience when
+    walking, on account of the propensity of those weapons to get
+    between their legs. In citizen's dress, at my side, sat an
+    officer of the old army, who looked upon these newly-made
+    warriors with much contempt, mingled with an admiration of
+    their earnestness. After an outburst of mild invective, he
+    pronounced a well-merited tribute to their patriotism.</p>
+
+    <p>"After all," said he, "they are as good as the material the
+    Rebels have for their army. In some respects, they are better.
+    The Northern blood is cold; the Southern is full of life and
+    passion. In the first onset, our enemies will prove more
+    impetuous than we, and will often overpower us. In the
+    beginning of the struggle, they will prove our superiors, and
+    may be able to boast of the first victories. But their physical
+    energy will soon be exhausted, while ours will steadily
+    increase. Patience, coolness, and determination will be sure to
+    bring us the triumph in the end. These raw recruits, that are
+    at present worthless before trained soldiers, distrusting
+    themselves as we distrust them, will yet become veterans,
+    worthy to rank with the best soldiers of the Old World."</p>
+
+    <p>The civilian passengers on a railway in Missouri are
+    essentially different from the same class in the East. There
+    are very few women, and the most of these are not as carefully
+    dressed as their Oriental sisters. Their features lack the
+    fineness that one observes in New York and New England. The
+    "hog and hominy," the general diet of the Southwest, is plainly
+    perceptible in the physique of the women. The male travelers,
+    who are not indigenous to the soil, are more roughly clothed
+    and more careless in manner than the same order of passengers
+    between New York and Boston. Of those who enter and leave at
+    way-stations, the men are clad in that yellow, homespun
+    material known as "butternut." The casual observer inclines to
+    the opinion that there are no good bathing-places where these
+    men reside. They are inquisitive, ignorant, unkempt, but
+    generally civil. The women are the reverse of attractive, and
+    are usually uncivil and ignorant. The majority are addicted to
+    smoking, and generally make use of a cob-pipe. Unless objection
+    is made by some passenger, the conductors ordinarily allow the
+    women to indulge in this pastime.</p>
+
+    <p>The region traversed by the railway is sparsely settled, the
+    ground being generally unfavorable to agriculture. For some
+    time after this portion of the road was opened, the natives
+    refused to give it patronage, many of them declaring that the
+    old mode of travel, by horseback, was the best of all. During
+    the first week after opening the Southwest Branch, the company
+    ran a daily freight train each way. All the freight offered in
+    that time was a bear and a keg of honey. Both were placed in
+    the same car. The bear ate the honey, and the company was
+    compelled to pay for the damage.</p>
+
+    <p>I have heard a story concerning the origin of the name of
+    Rolla, which is interesting, though I cannot vouch for its
+    truth. In selecting a name for the county seat of Phelps
+    County, a North Carolinian residing there, suggested that it
+    should do honor to the capital of his native State. The person
+    who reduced the request to writing, used the best orthography
+    that occurred to him, so that what should have been "Raleigh,"
+    became "Rolla." The request thus written was sent to the
+    Legislature, and the name of the town became fixed. The
+    inhabitants generally pronounce it as if the intended spelling
+    had been adopted.</p>
+
+    <p>The journey from Rolla to Springfield was accomplished by
+    stage, and required two days of travel. For fifty miles the
+    road led over mountains, to the banks of the Gasconade, one of
+    the prettiest rivers I have ever seen. The mountain streams of
+    Southwest Missouri, having their springs in the limestone rock,
+    possess a peculiarity unknown in the Eastern States. In a depth
+    of two feet or less, the water is apparently as clear as that
+    of the purest mountain brook in New England. But when the depth
+    reaches, or exceeds, three feet, the water assumes a deep-blue
+    tinge, like that of the sky in a clear day. Viewed from an
+    elevation, the picture is one that cannot be speedily
+    forgotten. The blue water makes a marked contrast with
+    surrounding objects, as the streams wind through the forests
+    and fields on their banks. Though meandering through mountains,
+    these rivers have few sharp falls or roaring rapids. Their
+    current is usually gentle, broken here and there into a ripple
+    over a slightly descending shallow, but observing uniformity in
+    all its windings.</p>
+
+    <p>My first night from Rolla was passed on the banks of the
+    Gasconade. Another day's ride, extended far into the second
+    night, found me at Springfield. When I reached my room at the
+    hotel, and examined the bed, I found but one sheet where we
+    usually look for two. Expostulations were of no avail. The
+    porter curtly informed me, "People here use only one sheet.
+    Down in St. Louis you folks want two sheets, but in this part
+    of the country we ain't so nice."</p>
+
+    <p>I appreciated my fastidiousness when I afterward saw, at a
+    Tennessee hotel, the following notice:--</p>
+
+    <p>"Gentlemen who wish towels in their rooms must deposit fifty
+    cents at the office, as security for their return."</p>
+
+    <p>Travel in the Border and Southern States will acquaint a
+    Northerner with strange customs. To find an entire household
+    occupying a single large room is not an unfrequent occurrence.
+    The rules of politeness require that, when bedtime has arrived,
+    the men shall go out of doors to contemplate the stars, while
+    the ladies disrobe and retire. The men then return and proceed
+    to bed. Sometimes the ladies amuse themselves by studying the
+    fire while the men find their way to their couches, where they
+    gallantly turn their faces to the wall, and permit the ladies
+    to don their <i>robes de nuit</i>.</p>
+
+    <p>Notwithstanding the scarcity of accommodations, the traveler
+    seeking a meal or resting-place will rarely meet a refusal. In
+    New York or New England, one can journey many a mile and find a
+    cold denial at every door. In the West and Southwest "the
+    latch-string hangs out," and the stranger is always welcome.
+    Especially is this the case among the poorer classes.</p>
+
+    <p>Springfield is the largest town in Southwest Missouri, and
+    has a fine situation. Before the war it was a place of
+    considerable importance, as it controlled the trade of a large
+    region around it. East of it the country is quite broken, but
+    on the south and west there are stretches of rolling prairie,
+    bounded by rough wood-land. Considered in a military light,
+    Springfield was the key to that portion of the State. A large
+    number of public roads center at that point. Their direction is
+    such that the possession of the town by either army would
+    control any near position of an adversary of equal or inferior
+    strength. General Lyon was prompt in seeing its value, and
+    determined to make an early movement for its occupation. When
+    he started from St. Louis for Booneville, he ordered General
+    Sweeney to march from Rolla to Springfield as speedily as
+    possible.</p>
+
+    <p>General Sweeney moved with three regiments of infantry and a
+    battery of artillery, and reached Springfield in five days from
+    the time of starting; the distance being a hundred and twenty
+    miles. He then divided his forces, sending Colonel Sigel to
+    Carthage, nearly fifty miles further toward the west, in the
+    hope of cutting off the Rebel retreat in that direction. Major
+    Sturgis was moving from Leavenworth toward Springfield, and
+    expected to arrive there in advance of General Lyon.</p>
+
+    <p>Major Sturgis was delayed in crossing a river, so that the
+    Rebels arrived at Carthage before Colonel Sigel had been
+    reinforced. The latter, with about eleven hundred men,
+    encountered the Rebel column, twice as large as his own. The
+    battle raged for several hours, neither side losing very
+    heavily. It resulted in Sigel's retreat to avoid being
+    surrounded by the enemy. Wonderful stories were told at that
+    time of the terrific slaughter in the Rebel ranks, but these
+    stories could never be traced to a reliable source. It is
+    proper to say that the Rebels made equally large estimates of
+    our own loss.</p>
+
+    <p>On General Lyon's arrival all the troops were concentrated
+    in the vicinity of Springfield. It was known that the Rebels
+    were encamped near the Arkansas border, awaiting the
+    re-enforcements which had been promised from the older States
+    of the Confederacy. General Fremont had been assigned to the
+    command of the Western Department, and was daily expected at
+    St. Louis to assume the direction of affairs. Our scouts were
+    kept constantly employed in bringing us news from the Rebel
+    camp, and it is quite probable the Rebels were equally well
+    informed of our own condition. We were able to learn that their
+    number was on the increase, and that they would soon be largely
+    re-enforced. After three weeks of occupation our strength
+    promised to be diminished. Half of General Lyon's command
+    consisted of "three-months men," whose period of enlistment was
+    drawing to a close. A portion of these men went to St. Louis,
+    some volunteered to remain as long as the emergency required
+    their presence, and others were kept against their will.
+    Meantime, General Lyon made the most urgent requests for
+    re-enforcements, and declared he would be compelled to abandon
+    the Southwest if not speedily strengthened. General Fremont
+    promised to send troops to his assistance. After he made the
+    promise, Cairo was threatened by General Pillow, and the
+    re-enforcing column turned in that direction. General Lyon was
+    left to take care of himself.</p>
+
+    <p>By the latter part of July, our situation had become
+    critical. Price's army had been re-enforced by a column of
+    Arkansas and Louisiana troops, under General McCulloch. This
+    gave the Rebels upward of twelve thousand men, while we could
+    muster less than six thousand. General Price assumed the
+    offensive, moving slowly toward Springfield, as if sure of his
+    ability to overpower the National forces. General Lyon
+    determined to fall upon the enemy before he could reach
+    Springfield, and moved on the 1st of August with that object in
+    view.</p>
+
+    <p>On the second day of our march a strong scouting party of
+    Rebels was encountered, and a sharp skirmish ensued, in which
+    they were repulsed. This encounter is known in the Southwest as
+    "the fight at Dug Spring." The next day another skirmish
+    occurred, and, on the third morning, twenty-five miles from
+    Springfield, General Lyon called a council of war. "Councils of
+    war do not fight" has grown into a proverb. The council on this
+    occasion decided that we should return to Springfield without
+    attacking the enemy. The decision was immediately carried
+    out.</p>
+
+    <p>The beginning of August, in Southwest Missouri, is in the
+    midst of the warm season. The day of the march to Dug Spring
+    was one I shall never forget. In Kansas, before the war, I once
+    had a walk of several miles under a burning sun, in a region
+    where not a drop of water could be found. When I finally
+    reached it, the only water to be found was in a small, stagnant
+    pool, covered with a green scum nearly an inch in thickness.
+    Warm, brackish, and fever-laden as that water was, I had never
+    before tasted any thing half so sweet. Again, while crossing
+    the Great Plains in 1860, I underwent a severe and prolonged
+    thirst, only quenching it with the bitter alkali-water of the
+    desert. On neither of these occasions were my sufferings half
+    as great as in the advance to Dug Spring.</p>
+
+    <p>A long ride in that hot atmosphere gave me a thirst of the
+    most terrible character. Making a detour to the left of the
+    road in a vain search for water, I fell behind the column as it
+    marched slowly along. As I moved again to the front, I passed
+    scores of men who had fallen from utter exhaustion. Many were
+    delirious, and begged piteously for water in ever so small a
+    quantity. Several died from excessive heat, and others were for
+    a long time unfit for duty. Reaching the spring which gave its
+    name to the locality, I was fortunate in finding only the
+    advance of the command. With considerable effort I succeeded in
+    obtaining a pint cupful of water, and thus allayed my immediate
+    thirst.</p>
+
+    <p>According to the custom in that region, the spring was
+    covered with a frame building, about eight feet square. There
+    are very few cellars in that part of the country, and the
+    spring-house, as it is called, is used for preserving milk and
+    other articles that require a low temperature. As the main
+    portion of the column came up, the crowd around the
+    spring-house became so dense that those once inside could not
+    get out. The building was lifted and thrown away from the
+    spring, but this only served to increase the confusion.
+    Officers found it impossible to maintain discipline. When the
+    men caught sight of the crowd at the spring, the lines were
+    instantly broken. At the spring, officers and men were mingled
+    without regard to rank, all struggling for the same object. A
+    few of the former, who had been fortunate in commencing the day
+    with full canteens, attempted to bring order out of chaos, but
+    found the effort useless. No command was heeded. The officers
+    of the two regiments of "regulars" had justly boasted of the
+    superior discipline of their men. On this occasion the
+    superiority was not apparent. Volunteers and regulars were
+    equally subject to thirst, and made equal endeavor to quench
+    it.</p>
+
+    <p>Twenty yards below the spring was a shallow pool, where
+    cattle and hogs were allowed to run. Directly above it was a
+    trough containing a few gallons of warm water, which had
+    evidently been there several days. This was speedily taken by
+    the men. Then the hot, scum-covered pool was resorted to. In a
+    very few minutes the trampling of the soldiers' feet had
+    stirred this pool till its substance was more like earth than
+    water. Even from this the men would fill their cups and
+    canteens, and drink with the utmost eagerness. I saw a private
+    soldier emerge from the crowd with a canteen full of this worse
+    than ditch-water. An officer tendered a five-dollar gold piece
+    for the contents of the canteen, and found his offer
+    indignantly refused. To such a frenzy were men driven by thirst
+    that they tore up handfuls of moist earth, and swallowed the
+    few drops of water that could be pressed out.</p>
+
+    <p>In subsequent campaigns I witnessed many scenes of hunger
+    and thirst, but none to equal those of that day at Dug
+    Spring.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c6" id="c6"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER VI.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE BATTLE OF WILSON CREEK.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Return from Dug Spring.--The Rebels follow
+    in Pursuit.--Preparations to Attack them.--The Plan of
+    Battle.--Moving to the Attack--A Bivouac.--The Opening
+    Shot.--"Is that Official?"--Sensations of a Spectator in
+    Battle.--Extension of Distance and Time.--Characteristics of
+    Projectiles.--Taking Notes under Fire.--Strength and Losses of
+    the Opposing Armies.--A Noble Record.--The Wounded on the
+    Field.--"One More Shot."--Granger in his Element.--General
+    Lyon's Death.</p>
+
+    <p>The return of General Lyon from Dug Spring emboldened the
+    enemy to move nearer to Springfield. On the 7th of August the
+    Rebels reached Wilson Creek, ten miles from Springfield, and
+    formed their camp on both sides of that stream. General Ben.
+    McCulloch was their commander-in-chief. On the night of the
+    8th, General Lyon proposed to move from Springfield for the
+    purpose of attacking their position. The design was not carried
+    out, on account of the impossibility of securing proper
+    disposition of our forces in season to reach the enemy's camp
+    at daylight.</p>
+
+    <p>During the 8th and the forenoon of the 9th, preparations
+    were made for resisting an attack in Springfield, in case the
+    enemy should come upon us. In the afternoon of the 9th, General
+    Lyon decided to assault the Rebel camp at daylight of the
+    following morning. A council of war had determined that a
+    defeat would be less injurious than a retreat without a battle,
+    provided the defeat were not too serious. "To abandon the
+    Southwest without a struggle," said General Lyon, "would be a
+    sad blow to our cause, and would greatly encourage the Rebels.
+    We will fight, and hope for the best."</p>
+
+    <p>In arranging a plan of battle, Colonel Sigel suggested that
+    the forces should be divided, so that a simultaneous attack
+    would be made upon either extremity of the enemy's camp. The
+    two columns were to move from Springfield at sunset, bivouac
+    within four miles of the proposed battle-field, and begin their
+    march early enough to fall upon the enemy's camp a little past
+    daylight. We left Springfield about sunset on the 9th, General
+    Lyon taking about three thousand men, while Colonel Sigel took
+    less than two thousand. Exceptions have frequently been made to
+    this mode of attack. Had it been successful, I presume no one
+    would have found it faulty. It is an easy matter to criticise
+    the plans of others, after their result is known.</p>
+
+    <p>The columns moved by different roads to obtain the desired
+    positions. The march was as silent as possible. The only sounds
+    were the rumbling of wheels and the occasional clank of arms.
+    No one was heavily encumbered, as we expected to return to
+    Springfield before the following night. Midnight found us in a
+    hay-field, four miles from the Rebel camp. There we rested till
+    morning.</p>
+
+    <p>On the previous night I had been almost without sleep, and
+    therefore took speedy advantage of the halt. Two journeys over
+    the Plains, a little trip into New Mexico, and some excursions
+    among the Rocky Mountains, had taught me certain rules of
+    campaign life. I rarely moved without my blankets and rubber
+    "poncho," and with a haversack more or less well filled. On
+    this occasion I was prepared for sleeping in the open air.</p>
+
+    <p>One bivouac is much like another. When one is weary, a
+    blanket on the ground is just as comfortable as a bed of down
+    under a slated roof. If accustomed to lie under lace curtains,
+    a tree or a bush will make an excellent substitute. "Tired
+    nature's sweet restorer" comes quickly to an exhausted frame.
+    Realities of the past, expectations of the future, hopes,
+    sorrows, wishes, regrets--all are banished as we sink into
+    sweet repose.</p>
+
+    <p>At dawn we were in motion. At daylight the smoke hanging
+    over the enemy's camp was fully before us. Sunrise was near at
+    hand when the hostile position was brought to our view. It lay,
+    as we had anticipated, stretched along the banks of Wilson
+    Creek.</p>
+
+    <p>Until our advance drove in the pickets, a thousand yards
+    from their camp, the Rebels had no intimation of our approach.
+    Many of them were reluctant to believe we were advancing to
+    attack them, and thought the firing upon the pickets was the
+    work of a scouting party. The opening of our artillery soon
+    undeceived them, a shell being dropped in the middle of their
+    camp.</p>
+
+    <p>A Rebel officer afterward told me about our first shell.
+    When the pickets gave the alarm of our approach, the Rebel
+    commander ordered his forces to "turn out." An Arkansas colonel
+    was in bed when the order reached him, and lazily asked, "Is
+    that official?" Before the bearer of the order could answer,
+    our shell tore through the colonel's tent, and exploded a few
+    yards beyond it. The officer waited for no explanation, but
+    ejaculated, "That's official, anyhow," as he sprang out of his
+    blankets, and arrayed himself in fighting costume.</p>
+
+    <p>Before the Rebels could respond to our morning salutation,
+    we heard the booming of Sigel's cannon on the left. Colonel
+    Sigel reached the spot assigned him some minutes before we were
+    able to open fire from our position. It had been stipulated
+    that he should wait for the sound of our guns before making his
+    attack. His officers said they waited nearly fifteen minutes
+    for our opening shot. They could look into the Rebel camp in
+    the valley of the stream, a few hundred yards distant. The
+    cooks were beginning their preparations for breakfast, and gave
+    our men a fine opportunity to learn the process of making
+    Confederate corn-bread and coffee. Some of the Rebels saw our
+    men, and supposed they were their own forces, who had taken up
+    a new position. Several walked into our lines, and found
+    themselves prisoners of war.</p>
+
+    <p>Previous to that day I had witnessed several skirmishes, but
+    this was my first battle of importance. Distances seemed much
+    greater than they really were. I stood by the side of Captain
+    Totten's battery as it opened the conflict.</p>
+
+    <p>"How far are you firing?" I asked.</p>
+
+    <p>"About eight hundred yards; not over that," was the
+    captain's response.</p>
+
+    <p>I should have called it sixteen hundred, had I been called
+    on for an estimate.</p>
+
+    <p>Down the valley rose the smoke of Sigel's guns, about a mile
+    distant, though, apparently, two or three miles away.</p>
+
+    <p>Opposite Sigel's position was the camp of the Arkansas
+    Division: though it was fully in my sight, and the tents and
+    wagons were plainly visible, I could not get over the
+    impression that they were far off.</p>
+
+    <p>The explosions of our shells, and the flashes of the enemy's
+    guns, a short distance up the slope on the opposite side of the
+    creek, seemed to be at a considerable distance.</p>
+
+    <p>To what I shall ascribe these illusions, I do not know. On
+    subsequent battle-fields I have never known their recurrence.
+    Greater battles, larger streams, higher hills, broader fields,
+    wider valleys, more extended camps, have come under my
+    observation, but in none of them has the romance exceeded the
+    reality.</p>
+
+    <p>The hours did not crowd into minutes, but the minutes almost
+    extended into hours. I frequently found, on consulting my
+    watch, that occurrences, apparently of an hour's duration, were
+    really less than a half or a quarter of that time.</p>
+
+    <p>As the sun rose, it passed into a cloud. When it emerged, I
+    fully expected it would be some distance toward the zenith, and
+    was surprised to find it had advanced only a few degrees.</p>
+
+    <p>There was a light shower, that lasted less than ten minutes:
+    I judged it had been twenty.</p>
+
+    <p>The evolutions of the troops on the field appeared slow and
+    awkward. They were really effected with great promptness.</p>
+
+    <p>General Lyon was killed before nine o'clock, as I very well
+    knew. It was some days before I could rid myself of an
+    impression that his death occurred not far from noon. Th</p>
+
+    <p>e apparent extension of the hours was the experience of
+    several persons on that field. I think it has been known by
+    many, on the occasion of their first battle. At Pea Ridge, an
+    officer told me, there seemed to be about thirty hours between
+    sunrise and sunset. Another thought it was four P.M. when the
+    sun was at the meridian. It was only at Wilson Creek that I
+    experienced this sensation. On subsequent battle-fields I had
+    no reason to complain of my estimate of time.</p>
+
+    <p>The first shell from the enemy's guns passed high over my
+    head. I well remember the screech of that missile as it cut
+    through the air and lost itself in the distance. "Too high,
+    Captain Bledsoe," exclaimed our artillery officer, as he
+    planted a shell among the Rebel gunners. In firing a half-dozen
+    rounds the Rebels obtained our range, and then used their guns
+    with some effect. The noise of each of those shells I can
+    distinctly recall, though I have since listened to hundreds of
+    similar sounds, of which I have no vivid recollection. The
+    sound made by a shell, in its passage through the air, cannot
+    be described, and, when once heard, can never be forgotten.</p>
+
+    <p>I was very soon familiar with the whistling of musket-balls.
+    Before the end of the action, I thought I could distinguish the
+    noise of a Mini&eacute; bullet from that of a common
+    rifle-ball, or a ball from a smooth-bored musket. Once, while
+    conversing with the officer in charge of the skirmish line, I
+    found myself the center of a very hot fire. It seemed, at that
+    instant, as if a swarm of the largest and most spiteful bees
+    had suddenly appeared around me. The bullets flew too rapidly
+    to be counted, but I fancied I could perceive a variation in
+    their sound.</p>
+
+    <p>After I found a position beyond the range of musketry, the
+    artillery would insist upon searching me out. While I was
+    seated under a small oak-tree, with my left arm through my
+    horse's bridle, and my pencil busy on my note-book, the tree
+    above my head was cut by a shell. Moving from that spot, I had
+    just resumed my writing, when a shot tore up the ground under
+    my arm, and covered me with dirt. Even a remove to another
+    quarter did not answer my purpose, and I finished my notes
+    after reaching the rear.</p>
+
+    <p>It is not my intention to give the details of the
+    battle--the movements of each regiment, battalion, or battery,
+    as it performed its part in the work. The official record will
+    be sought by those who desire the purely military history. It
+    is to be regretted that the official report of the engagement
+    at Wilson Creek displays the great hostility of its author
+    toward a fellow-soldier. In the early campaigns in Missouri,
+    many officers of the regular army vied with the Rebels in their
+    hatred of "the Dutch." This feeling was not confined to
+    Missouri alone, but was apparent in the East as well as in the
+    West. As the war progressed the hostility diminished, but it
+    was never entirely laid aside.</p>
+
+    <p>The duration of the battle was about four and a half hours.
+    The whole force under the National flag was five thousand men.
+    The Rebels acknowledged having twelve thousand, of all arms. It
+    is probable that this estimate was a low one. The Rebels were
+    generally armed with shot-guns, common rifles, and muskets of
+    the old pattern. About a thousand had no arms whatever. Their
+    artillery ammunition was of poorer quality than our own. These
+    circumstances served to make the disparity less great than the
+    actual strength of the hostile forces would imply. Even with
+    these considerations, the odds against General Lyon were quite
+    large.</p>
+
+    <p>Our loss was a little less than one-fifth our whole
+    strength. Up to that time, a battle in which one-tenth of those
+    engaged was placed <i>hors de combat</i>, was considered a very
+    sanguinary affair. During the war there were many engagements
+    where the defeated party suffered a loss of less than
+    one-twentieth. Wilson Creek can take rank as one of the
+    best-fought battles, when the number engaged is brought into
+    consideration.</p>
+
+    <p>The First Missouri Infantry went into action with seven
+    hundred and twenty-six men. Its casualty list was as
+    follows:--</p><br />
+    <br />
+
+    <table summary="Casualty List of the 1st Missouri Infantry">
+      <tr>
+        <td class="l">Killed</td>
+
+        <td class="r">77</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="l">Dangerously wounded</td>
+
+        <td class="r">93</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="l">Otherwise wounded</td>
+
+        <td class="r">126</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="l">Captured</td>
+
+        <td class="r">2</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="l">Missing</td>
+
+        <td class="r">15</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r" colspan="2">---</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="l">Total</td>
+
+        <td class="r">313</td>
+      </tr>
+    </table><br />
+    <br />
+
+    <p>The First Kansas Infantry, out of seven hundred and
+    eighty-five men, lost two hundred and ninety-six. The loss in
+    other regiments was quite severe, though not proportionately as
+    heavy as the above. These two regiments did not break during
+    the battle, and when they left the ground they marched off as
+    coolly as from a parade.</p>
+
+    <p>At the time our retreat was ordered our ammunition was
+    nearly exhausted and the ranks fearfully thinned. The Rebels
+    had made a furious attack, in which they were repulsed. General
+    Sweeney insisted that it was their last effort, and if we
+    remained on the ground we would not be molested again. Major
+    Sturgis, upon whom the command devolved after General Lyon's
+    death, reasoned otherwise, and considered it best to fall back
+    to Springfield. The Rebels afterward admitted that General
+    McCulloch had actually given the order for retreat a few
+    moments before they learned of our withdrawal. Of course he
+    countermanded his order at once. There were several battles in
+    the late Rebellion in which the circumstances were similar. In
+    repeated instances the victorious party thought itself
+    defeated, and was much astonished at finding its antagonist had
+    abandoned the struggle.</p>
+
+    <p>In our retreat we brought away many of our wounded, but left
+    many others on the field. When the Rebels took possession they
+    cared for their own men as well as the circumstances would
+    permit, but gave no assistance to ours. There were reports,
+    well authenticated, that some who lay helpless were shot or
+    bayoneted. Two days after the battle a surgeon who remained at
+    Springfield was allowed to send out wagons for the wounded.
+    Some were not found until after four days' exposure. They
+    crawled about as best they could, and, by searching the
+    haversacks of dead men, saved themselves from starvation. One
+    party of four built a shelter of branches of trees as a
+    protection against the sun. Another party crawled to the bank
+    of the creek, and lay day and night at the water's edge.
+    Several men sought shelter in the fence corners, or by the side
+    of fallen trees.</p>
+
+    <p>Two days before the battle, ten dollars were paid to each
+    man of the First Kansas Infantry. The money was in
+    twenty-dollar pieces, and the payment was made by drawing up
+    the regiment in the customary two ranks, and giving a
+    twenty-dollar piece to each man in the front rank.
+    Three-fourths of those killed or wounded in that regiment were
+    of the front rank. The Rebels learned of this payment, and made
+    rigid search of all whom they found on the field. Nearly a year
+    after the battle a visitor to the ground picked up one of these
+    gold coins.</p>
+
+    <p>During the battle several soldiers from St. Louis and its
+    vicinity recognized acquaintances on the opposite side. These
+    recognitions were generally the occasion of many derisive and
+    abusive epithets. In the Border States each party had a feeling
+    of bitter hostility toward the other. Probably the animosity
+    was greater in Missouri than elsewhere.</p>
+
+    <p>A lieutenant of the First Missouri Infantry reported that he
+    saw one of the men of his regiment sitting under a tree during
+    the battle, busily engaged in whittling a bullet.</p>
+
+    <p>"What are you doing there?" said the officer.</p>
+
+    <p>"My ammunition is gone, and I'm cutting down this bullet to
+    fit my gun." (The soldier's musket was a "54-caliber," and the
+    bullet was a "59.")</p>
+
+    <p>"Look around among the wounded men," was the order, "and get
+    some 54-cartridges. Don't stop to cut down that bullet."</p>
+
+    <p>"I would look around, lieutenant," the soldier responded,
+    "but I can't move. My leg is shot through. I won't be long
+    cutting this down, and then I want a chance to hit some of
+    them."</p>
+
+    <p>Captain Gordon Granger was serving on the staff of General
+    Lyon. When not actively engaged in his professional duties, he
+    visited all parts of the field where the fight was hottest.
+    Though himself somewhat excited, he was constantly urging the
+    raw soldiers to keep cool and not throw away a shot. Wherever
+    there was a weak place in our line, he was among the first to
+    discover it and devise a plan for making it good. On one
+    occasion, he found a gap between two regiments, and noticed
+    that the Rebels were preparing to take advantage of it. Without
+    a moment's delay, he transferred three companies of infantry to
+    the spot, managing to keep them concealed behind a small
+    ridge.</p>
+
+    <p>"Now, lie still; don't raise your heads out of the grass,"
+    said Granger; "I'll tell you when to fire."</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels advanced toward the supposed gap. Granger stood
+    where he could see and not be seen. He was a strange compound
+    of coolness and excitement. While his judgment was of the best,
+    and his resources were ready for all emergencies, a by-stander
+    would have thought him heated almost to frenzy. The warmth of
+    his blood gave him a wonderful energy and rendered him
+    ubiquitous; his skill and decision made his services of the
+    highest importance.</p>
+
+    <p>"There they come; steady, now; let them get near enough;
+    fire low; give them h--l."</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels rushed forward, thinking to find an easy passage.
+    When within less than fifty yards, Granger ordered his men to
+    fire. The complete repulse of the Rebels was the result.</p>
+
+    <p>"There, boys; you've done well. D--n the scoundrels; they
+    won't come here again." With this, the captain hastened to some
+    other quarter.</p>
+
+    <p>The death of General Lyon occurred near the middle of the
+    battle. So many accounts of this occurrence have been given,
+    that I am not fully satisfied which is the correct one. I know
+    at least half a dozen individuals in whose arms General Lyon
+    expired, and think there are as many more who claim that sad
+    honor. There is a similar mystery concerning his last words, a
+    dozen versions having been given by persons who claim to have
+    heard them. It is my belief that General Lyon was killed while
+    reconnoitering the enemy's line and directing the advance of a
+    regiment of infantry. I believe he was on foot at the instant,
+    and was caught, as he fell, in the arms of "Lehman," his
+    orderly. His last utterance was, doubtless, the order for the
+    infantry to advance, and was given a moment before he received
+    the fatal bullet. From the nature of the wound, his death, if
+    not instantaneous, was very speedy. A large musket-ball entered
+    his left side, in the region of the heart, passing nearly
+    through to the right. A reported wound in the breast was made
+    with a bayonet in the hands of a Rebel soldier, several hours
+    afterward. The body was brought to Springfield on the night
+    after the battle.</p>
+
+    <p>It was my fortune to be acquainted with General Lyon. During
+    the progress of the war I met no one who impressed me more than
+    he, in his devotion to the interests of the country. If he
+    possessed ambition for personal glory, I was unable to discover
+    it. He declared that reputation was a bubble, which no good
+    soldier should follow. Wealth was a shadow, which no man in the
+    country's service should heed. His pay as an officer was
+    sufficient for all his wants, and he desired nothing more. He
+    gave to the Nation, as the friend he loved the dearest, a
+    fortune which he had inherited. If his death could aid in the
+    success of the cause for which he was fighting, he stood ready
+    to die. The gloom that spread throughout the North when the
+    news of his loss was received, showed a just appreciation of
+    his character.</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>"How sleep the brave who sink to rest<br />
+      By all their country's wishes blest!"</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>At that battle there was the usual complement of officers
+    for five thousand men. Two years later there were seven
+    major-generals and thirteen brigadier-generals who had risen
+    from the Wilson Creek Army. There were colonels,
+    lieutenant-colonels, and majors, by the score, who fought in
+    the line or in the ranks on that memorable 10th of August. In
+    1863, thirty-two commissioned officers were in the service from
+    one company of the First Iowa Infantry. Out of one company of
+    the First Missouri Infantry, twenty-eight men received
+    commissions. To the majority of the officers from that army
+    promotion was rapid, though a few cases occurred in which the
+    services they rendered were tardily acknowledged.</p><a href=
+    "images/p90i1.jpg"><img src="images/p90i1_t.jpg" alt=
+    "DEATH OF GENERAL LYON" /></a>
+
+    <p class="captn">DEATH OF GENERAL LYON</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c7" id="c7"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER VII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE RETREAT FROM SPRINGFIELD.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">A Council of War.--The Journalists'
+    Council.--Preparations for Retreat.--Preceding the
+    Advance-Guard.--Alarm and Anxiety of the People.--Magnificent
+    Distances.--A Novel Odometer.--The Unreliable
+    Countryman.--Neutrality.--A Night at Lebanon.--A Disagreeable
+    Lodging-place.--Active Secessionists.--The Man who Sought and
+    Found his Rights.--Approaching Civilization.--Rebel Couriers on
+    the Route.--Arrival at Rolla.</p>
+
+    <p>On the night after the battle, the army was quartered at
+    Springfield. The Rebels had returned to the battle-ground, and
+    were holding it in possession. The court-house and a large
+    hotel were taken for hospitals, and received such of our
+    wounded as were brought in. At a council of war, it was decided
+    to fall back to Rolla, a hundred and twenty miles distant, and
+    orders were given to move at daylight.</p>
+
+    <p>The journalists held a council of war, and decided to
+    commence their retreat at half-past two o'clock in the morning,
+    in order to be in advance of the army. The probabilities were
+    in favor of the enemy's cavalry being at the junction of
+    certain roads, five miles east of the town. We, therefore,
+    divested ourselves of every thing of a compromising character.
+    In my own saddle-bags I took only such toilet articles as I had
+    long carried, and which were not of a warlike nature. We
+    destroyed papers that might give information to the enemy, and
+    kept only our note-books, from which all reference to the
+    strength of our army was carefully stricken out. We determined,
+    in case of capture, to announce ourselves as journalists, and
+    display our credentials.</p>
+
+    <p>One of our party was a telegraph operator as well as a
+    journalist. He did not wish to appear in the former character,
+    as the Missouri Rebels were then declaring they would show no
+    quarter to telegraphers. Accordingly, he took special care to
+    divest himself of all that pertained to the transmission of
+    intelligence over the wires. A pocket "instrument," which he
+    had hitherto carried, he concealed in Springfield, after
+    carefully disabling the office, and leaving the establishment
+    unfit for immediate use.</p>
+
+    <p>We passed the dangerous point five miles from town, just as
+    day was breaking. No Rebel cavalry confronted us in the
+    highway, nor shouted an unwelcome "halt!" from a roadside
+    thicket. All was still, though we fancied we could hear a sound
+    of troops in motion far in the distance toward Wilson Creek.
+    The Rebels were doubtless astir, though they did not choose to
+    interfere with the retreat of our army.</p>
+
+    <p>As day broke and the sun rose, we found the people of both
+    complexions thronging to the road, and seeking, anxiously, the
+    latest intelligence. At first we bore their questions
+    patiently, and briefly told them what had occurred. Finding
+    that we lost much time, we began, early in the day, to give the
+    shortest answers possible. As fast as we proceeded the people
+    became more earnest, and would insist upon delaying us. Soon
+    after mid-day we commenced denying we had been at the battle,
+    or even in Springfield. This was our only course if we would
+    avoid detention. Several residents of Springfield, and with
+    them a runaway captain from a Kansas regiment, had preceded us
+    a few hours and told much more than the truth. Some of them had
+    advised the people to abandon their homes and go to Rolla or
+    St. Louis, assuring them they would all be murdered if they
+    remained at home.</p>
+
+    <p>In pursuance of this advice many were loading a portion of
+    their household goods upon wagons and preparing to precede or
+    follow the army in its retreat. We quieted their alarm as much
+    as possible, advising them to stay at home and trust to
+    fortune. We could not imagine that the Rebels would deal
+    severely with the inhabitants, except in cases where they had
+    been conspicuous in the Union cause. Some of the people took
+    our advice, unloaded their wagons, and waited for further
+    developments. Others persisted in their determination to leave.
+    They knew the Rebels better than we, and hesitated to trust
+    their tender mercies. A year later we learned more of "the
+    barbarism of Slavery."</p>
+
+    <p>Southwest Missouri is a region of magnificent distances. A
+    mile in that locality is like two miles in the New England or
+    Middle States. The people have an easy way of computing
+    distance by the survey lines. Thus, if it is the width of a
+    township from one point to another, they call the distance six
+    miles, even though the road may follow the tortuosities of a
+    creek or of the crest of a ridge, and be ten or twelve miles by
+    actual measurement.</p>
+
+    <p>From Springfield to Lebanon it is called fifty miles, as
+    indicated by the survey lines. A large part of the way the
+    route is quite direct, but there are places where it winds
+    considerably among the hills, and adds several miles to the
+    length of the road. No account is taken of this, but all is
+    thrown into the general reckoning.</p>
+
+    <p>There is a popular saying on the frontier, that they measure
+    the roads with a fox-skin, and make no allowance for the tail.
+    Frequently I have been told it was five miles to a certain
+    point, and, after an hour's riding, on inquiry, found that the
+    place I sought was still five, and sometimes six, miles
+    distant. Once, when I essayed a "short cut" of two miles, that
+    was to save me twice that distance, I rode at a good pace for
+    an hour and a half to accomplish it, and traveled, as I
+    thought, at least eight miles.</p>
+
+    <p>On the route from Springfield to Lebanon we were much amused
+    at the estimates of distance. Once I asked a rough-looking
+    farmer, "How far is it to Sand Springs?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Five miles, stranger," was the reply. "May be you won't
+    find it so much."</p>
+
+    <p>After riding three miles, and again inquiring, I was
+    informed it was "risin' six miles to Sand Springs." Who could
+    believe in the existence of a reliable countryman, after
+    that?</p>
+
+    <p>Thirty miles from Springfield, we stopped at a farm-house
+    for dinner. While our meal was being prepared, we lay upon the
+    grass in front of the house, and were at once surrounded by a
+    half-dozen anxious natives. We answered their questions to the
+    best of our abilities, but nearly all of us fell asleep five
+    minutes after lying down. When aroused for dinner, I was told I
+    had paused in the middle of a word of two syllables, leaving my
+    hearers to exercise their imaginations on what I was about to
+    say.</p>
+
+    <p>Dinner was the usual "hog and hominy" of the Southwest,
+    varied with the smallest possible loaf of wheaten bread.
+    Outside the house, before dinner, the men were inquisitive.
+    Inside the house, when we were seated for dinner, the women
+    were unceasing in their inquiries. Who can resist the questions
+    of a woman, even though she be an uneducated and unkempt
+    Missourian? The dinner and the questions kept us awake, and we
+    attended faithfully to both.</p>
+
+    <p>The people of this household were not enthusiastic friends
+    of the Union. Like many other persons, they were anxious to
+    preserve the good opinion of both sides, by doing nothing in
+    behalf of either. Thus neutral, they feared they would be less
+    kindly treated by the Rebels than by the National forces.
+    Though they had no particular love for our army, I think they
+    were sorry to see it departing. A few of the Secessionists were
+    not slow to express the fear that their own army would not be
+    able to pay in full for all it wanted, as our army had
+    done.</p>
+
+    <p>Horses and riders refreshed, our journey was resumed. The
+    scenes of the afternoon were like those of the morning: the
+    same alarm among the people, the same exaggerated reports, and
+    the same advice from ourselves, when we chose to give it. The
+    road stretched out in the same way it had hitherto done, and
+    the information derived from the inhabitants was as unreliable
+    as ever. It was late in the evening, in the midst of a heavy
+    shower, that we reached Lebanon, where we halted for the
+    night.</p>
+
+    <p>I have somewhere read of a Persian king who beheaded his
+    subjects for the most trivial or imaginary offenses. The
+    officers of his cabinet, when awaking in the morning, were
+    accustomed to place their hands to their necks, to ascertain if
+    their heads still remained. The individuals comprising our
+    party had every reason to make a similar examination on the
+    morning after our stay in this town, and to express many thanks
+    at the gratifying result.</p>
+
+    <p>On reaching the only hotel at Lebanon, long after dark, we
+    found the public room occupied by a miscellaneous assemblage.
+    It was easy to see that they were more happy than otherwise at
+    the defeat which our arms had sustained. While our supper was
+    being prepared we made ready for it, all the time keeping our
+    eyes on the company. We were watched as we went to supper, and,
+    on reaching the table, found two persons sitting so near our
+    allotted places that we could not converse freely.</p>
+
+    <p>After supper several individuals wished to talk with us
+    concerning the recent events. We made the battle appear much
+    better than it had really been, and assured them that a company
+    of cavalry was following close behind us, and would speedily
+    arrive. This information was unwelcome, as the countenances of
+    the listeners plainly indicated.</p>
+
+    <p>One of our party was called aside by a Union citizen, and
+    informed of a plan to rob, and probably kill, us before
+    morning. This was not pleasing. It did not add to the comfort
+    of the situation to know that a collision between the Home
+    Guards and a company of Secessionists was momentarily expected.
+    At either end of the town the opposing parties were reported
+    preparing for a fight. As the hotel was about half-way between
+    the two points, our position became interesting.</p>
+
+    <p>Next came a report from an unreliable contraband that our
+    horses had been stolen. We went to the stable, as a man looks
+    in a wallet he knows to be empty, and happily found our animals
+    still there. We found, however, that the stable had been
+    invaded and robbed of two horses in stalls adjacent to those of
+    our own. The old story of the theft of a saw-mill, followed by
+    that of the dam, was brought to our minds, with the exception,
+    that the return of the thief was not likely to secure his
+    capture. The stable-keeper offered to lock the door and resign
+    the key to our care. His offer was probably well intended, but
+    we could see little advantage in accepting it, as there were
+    several irregular openings in the side of the building, each of
+    them ample for the egress of a horse.</p>
+
+    <p>In assigning us quarters for the night, the landlord
+    suggested that two should occupy a room at one end of the
+    house, while the rest were located elsewhere. We objected to
+    this, and sustained our objection. With a little delay, a room
+    sufficient for all of us was obtained. We made arrangements for
+    the best possible defense in case of attack, and then lay down
+    to sleep. Our Union friend called upon us before we were fairly
+    settled to rest, bringing us intelligence that the room, where
+    the guns of the Home Guard were temporarily stored, had been
+    invaded while the sentinels were at supper. The locks had been
+    removed from some of the muskets, but there were arms enough to
+    make some resistance if necessary. Telling him we would come
+    out when the firing began, and requesting the landlord to send
+    the cavalry commander to our room as soon as he arrived, we
+    fell asleep.</p>
+
+    <p>No one of our party carried his fears beyond the waking
+    hours. In five minutes after dismissing our friend, all were
+    enjoying a sleep as refreshing and undisturbed as if we had
+    been in the most secure and luxurious dwelling of New York or
+    Chicago. During several years of travel under circumstances of
+    greater or less danger, I have never found my sleep disturbed,
+    in the slightest degree, by the nature of my surroundings.
+    Apprehensions of danger may be felt while one is awake, but
+    they generally vanish when slumber begins.</p>
+
+    <p>In the morning we found ourselves safe, and were gratified
+    to discover that our horses had been let alone. The landlord
+    declared every thing was perfectly quiet, and had been so
+    through the night, with the exception of a little fight at one
+    end of the town. The Home Guards were in possession, and the
+    Secessionists had dispersed. The latter deliberated upon the
+    policy of attacking us, and decided that their town might be
+    destroyed by our retreating army in case we were disturbed.
+    They left us our horses, that we might get away from the place
+    as speedily as possible. So we bade adieu to Lebanon with much
+    delight. That we came unmolested out of that nest of
+    disloyalty, was a matter of much surprise. Subsequent events,
+    there and elsewhere, have greatly increased that surprise.</p>
+
+    <p>After a ride of thirteen miles we reached the Gasconade
+    River, which we found considerably swollen by recent rains. The
+    proprietor of the hotel where we breakfasted was a country
+    doctor, who passed in that region as a man of great wisdom. He
+    was intensely disloyal, and did not relish the prospect of
+    having, as he called it, "an Abolition army" moving anywhere in
+    his vicinity. He was preparing to leave for the South, with his
+    entire household, as soon as his affairs could be
+    satisfactorily arranged. He had taken the oath of allegiance,
+    to protect himself from harm at the hands of our soldiers, but
+    his negroes informed us that he belonged to a company of
+    "Independent Guards," which had been organized with the design
+    of joining the Rebel army.</p>
+
+    <p>This gentleman was searching for his rights. I passed his
+    place six months afterward. The doctor's negroes had run away
+    to the North, and the doctor had vanished with his family in
+    the opposite direction. His house had been burned, his stables
+    stripped of every thing of value, and the whole surroundings
+    formed a picture of desolation. The doctor had found a reward
+    for his vigilant search. There was no doubt he had obtained his
+    rights.</p>
+
+    <p>Having ended our breakfast, we decided to remain at that
+    place until late in the afternoon, for the purpose of writing
+    up our accounts. With a small table, and other accommodations
+    of the worst character, we busied ourselves for several hours.
+    To the persona of the household we were a curiosity. They had
+    never before seen men who could write with a journalist's
+    ordinary rapidity, and were greatly surprised at the large
+    number of pages we succeeded in passing over. We were
+    repeatedly interrupted, until forced to make a request to be
+    let alone. The negroes took every opportunity to look at us,
+    and, when none but ourselves could see them, they favored us
+    with choice bits of local information. When we departed, late
+    in the afternoon, four stout negroes ferried us across the
+    river.</p>
+
+    <p>A hotel known as the California House was our
+    stopping-place, ten miles from the Gasconade. As an evidence of
+    our approaching return to civilization, we found each bed at
+    this house supplied with two clean sheets, a luxury that
+    Springfield was unable to furnish. I regretted to find, several
+    months later, that the California House had been burned by the
+    Rebels. At the time of our retreat, the landlord was unable to
+    determine on which side of the question he belonged, and
+    settled the matter, in conversation with me, by saying he was a
+    hotel-keeper, and could not interfere in the great issue of the
+    day. I inclined to the belief that he was a Union man, but
+    feared to declare himself on account of the dubious character
+    of his surroundings.</p>
+
+    <p>The rapidity with which the Secessionists carried and
+    received news was a matter of astonishment to our people. While
+    on that ride through the Southwest, I had an opportunity of
+    learning their <i>modus operandi</i>. Several times we saw
+    horsemen ride to houses or stables, and, after a few moments'
+    parley, exchange their wearied horses for fresh ones. The
+    parties with whom they effected their exchanges would be found
+    pretty well informed concerning the latest news. By this
+    irregular system of couriers, the Secessionists maintained a
+    complete communication with each other. All along the route, I
+    found they knew pretty well what had transpired, though their
+    news was generally mixed up with much falsehood.</p>
+
+    <p>Even in those early days, there was a magnificence in the
+    Rebel capacity for lying. Before the war, the Northern States
+    produced by far the greatest number of inventions, as the
+    records of the Patent Office will show. During the late
+    Rebellion, the brains of the Southern States were wonderfully
+    fertile in the manufacture of falsehood. The inhabitants of
+    Dixie invent neither cotton-gins, caloric engines, nor
+    sewing-machines, but when they apply their faculties to
+    downright lying, the mudsill head is forced to bow in
+    reverence.</p>
+
+    <p>In the last day of this ride, we passed over a plateau
+    twelve miles across, also over a mountain of considerable
+    height. Near the summit of this mountain, we struck a small
+    brook, whose growth was an interesting study. At first, barely
+    perceptible as it issued from a spring by the roadside, it
+    grew, mile by mile, until, at the foot of the mountain, it
+    formed a respectable stream. The road crossed it every few
+    hundred yards, and at each crossing we watched its increase. At
+    the base of the mountain it united with another and larger
+    stream, which we followed on our way to Rolla.</p>
+
+    <p>Late in the afternoon we reached the end of our journey.
+    Weary, dusty, hungry, and sore, we alighted from our tired
+    horses, and sought the office of the commandant of the post.
+    All were eager to gather the latest intelligence, and we were
+    called upon to answer a thousand questions.</p>
+
+    <p>With our story ended, ourselves refreshed from the fatigue
+    of our long ride, a hope for the safety of our gallant but
+    outnumbered army, we bade adieu to Rolla, and were soon
+    whirling over the rail to St. Louis.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c8" id="c8"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER VIII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>GENERAL FREMONT'S PURSUIT OF PRICE.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Quarrel between Price and McCulloch.--The Rebels
+    Advance upon Lexington.--A Novel Defense for
+    Sharp-shooters.--Attempt to Re-enforce the Garrison.--An
+    Enterprising Journalist.--The Surrender.--Fremont's
+    Advance.--Causes of Delay.--How the Journalists Killed
+    Time.--Late News.--A Contractor "Sold."--Sigel in Front.--A
+    Motley Collection.--A Wearied Officer.--The Woman who had never
+    seen a Black Republican.--Love and Conversion.</p>
+
+    <p>After the battle of Wilson Creek and the occupation of
+    Springfield, a quarrel arose between the Rebel Generals, Price
+    and McCulloch. It resulted in the latter being ordered to
+    Arkansas, leaving General Price in command of the army in
+    Missouri. The latter had repeatedly promised to deliver
+    Missouri from the hands of the United States forces, and made
+    his preparations for an advance into the interior. His
+    intention, openly declared, was to take possession of Jefferson
+    City, and reinstate Governor Jackson in control of the State.
+    The Rebels wisely considered that a perambulating Governor was
+    not entitled to great respect, and were particularly anxious to
+    see the proclamations of His Excellency issued from the
+    established capital.</p>
+
+    <p>Accordingly, General Price, with an army twenty thousand
+    strong, marched from Springfield in the direction of Lexington.
+    This point was garrisoned by Colonel Mulligan with about
+    twenty-five hundred men. After a siege of four days, during the
+    last two of which the garrison was without water, the fort was
+    surrendered. Price's army was sufficiently large to make a
+    complete investment of the fortifications occupied by Colonel
+    Mulligan, and thus cut off all access to the river. The hemp
+    warehouses in Lexington were drawn upon to construct movable
+    breast-works for the besieging force. Rolling the bales of hemp
+    before them, the Rebel sharp-shooters could get very near the
+    fort without placing themselves in great danger.</p>
+
+    <p>The defense was gallant, but as no garrisons can exist
+    without water, Colonel Mulligan was forced to capitulate. It
+    afterward became known that Price's army had almost exhausted
+    its stock of percussion-caps--it having less than two thousand
+    when the surrender was made. General Fremont was highly
+    censured by the Press and people for not re-enforcing the
+    garrison, when it was known that Price was moving upon
+    Lexington. One journal in St. Louis, that took occasion to
+    comment adversely upon his conduct, was suddenly suppressed.
+    After a stoppage of a few days, it was allowed to resume
+    publication.</p>
+
+    <p>During the siege a small column of infantry approached the
+    north bank of the river, opposite Lexington, with the design of
+    joining Colonel Mulligan. The attempt was considered too
+    hazardous, and no junction was effected. Mr. Wilkie, of the New
+    York <i>Times</i>, accompanied this column, and was much
+    disappointed when the project of reaching Lexington was given
+    up.</p>
+
+    <p>Determined to see the battle, he crossed the river and
+    surrendered himself to General Price, with a request to be put
+    on parole until the battle was ended. The Rebel commander gave
+    him quarters in the guardhouse till the surrender took place.
+    Mr. Wilkie was then liberated, and reached St. Louis with an
+    exclusive account of the affair.</p>
+
+    <p>While General Price was holding Lexington, General Fremont
+    commenced assembling an army at Jefferson City, with the avowed
+    intention of cutting off the retreat of the Rebels through
+    Southwest Missouri. From Jefferson City our forces moved to
+    Tipton and Syracuse, and there left the line of railway for a
+    march to Springfield. Our movements were not conducted with
+    celerity, and before we left Jefferson City the Rebels had
+    evacuated Lexington and moved toward Springfield.</p>
+
+    <p>The delay in our advance was chiefly owing to a lack of
+    transportation and a deficiency of arms for the men. General
+    Fremont's friends charged that he was not properly sustained by
+    the Administration, in his efforts to outfit and organize his
+    army. There was, doubtless, some ground for this charge, as the
+    authorities, at that particular time, were unable to see any
+    danger, except at Washington. They often diverted to that point
+    <i>mat&eacute;riel</i> that had been originally designed for
+    St. Louis.</p>
+
+    <p>As the army lay at Jefferson City, preparing for the field,
+    some twelve or fifteen journalists, representing the prominent
+    papers of the country, assembled there to chronicle its
+    achievements. They waited nearly two weeks for the movement to
+    begin. Some became sick, others left in disgust, but the most
+    of them remained firm. The devices of the journalists to kill
+    time were of an amusing nature. The town had no attractions
+    whatever, and the gentlemen of the press devoted themselves to
+    fast riding on the best horses they could obtain. Their
+    horseback excursions usually terminated in lively races, in
+    which both riders and steeds were sufferers. The
+    representatives of two widely-circulated dailies narrowly
+    escaped being sent home with broken necks.</p>
+
+    <p>Evenings at the hotels were passed in reviving the
+    "sky-larking" of school-boy days. These scenes were amusing to
+    participants and spectators. Sober, dignified men, the majority
+    of them heads of families, occupied themselves in devising
+    plans for the general amusement.</p>
+
+    <p>One mode of enjoyment was to assemble in a certain large
+    room, and throw at each other every portable article at hand,
+    until exhaustion ensued. Every thing that could be thrown or
+    tossed was made use of. Pillows, overcoats, blankets, valises,
+    saddle-bags, bridles, satchels, towels, books, stove-wood,
+    bed-clothing, chairs, window-curtains, and, ultimately, the
+    fragments of the bedsteads, were transformed into missiles. I
+    doubt if that house ever before, or since, knew so much noise
+    in the same time. Everybody enjoyed it except those who
+    occupied adjoining rooms, and possessed a desire for sleep.
+    Some of these persons were inclined to excuse our hilarity, on
+    the ground that the boys ought to enjoy themselves. "The boys!"
+    Most of them were on the shady side of twenty-five, and some
+    had seen forty years.</p>
+
+    <p>About nine o'clock in the forenoon of the day following
+    Price's evacuation of Lexington, we obtained news of the
+    movement. The mail at noon, and the telegraph before that time,
+    carried all we had to say of the affair, and in a few hours we
+    ceased to talk of it. On the evening of that day, a
+    good-natured "contractor" visited our room, and, after
+    indulging in our varied amusements until past eleven, bade us
+    good-night and departed.</p>
+
+    <p>Many army contractors had grown fat in the country's
+    service, but this man had a large accumulation of adipose
+    matter before the war broke out. A rapid ascent of a long
+    flight of stairs was, therefore, a serious matter with him.
+    Five minutes after leaving us, he dashed rapidly up the stairs
+    and entered our room. As soon as he could speak, he asked,
+    breathing between, the words--</p>
+
+    <p>"Have you heard the news?"</p>
+
+    <p>"No," we responded; "what is it?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Why" (with more efforts to recover his breath), "Price has
+    evacuated Lexington!"</p>
+
+    <p>"Is it possible?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes," he gasped, and then sank exhausted into a large (very
+    large) arm-chair.</p>
+
+    <p>We gave him a glass of water and a fan, and urged him to
+    proceed with the story. He told all he had just heard in the
+    bar-room below, and we listened with the greatest apparent
+    interest.</p>
+
+    <p>When he had ended, we told him <i>our</i> story. The quality
+    and quantity of the wine which he immediately ordered, was only
+    excelled by his hearty appreciation of the joke he had played
+    upon himself.</p>
+
+    <p>Every army correspondent has often been furnished with
+    "important intelligence" already in his possession, and
+    sometimes in print before his well-meaning informant obtains
+    it.</p>
+
+    <p>A portion of General Fremont's army marched from Jefferson
+    City to Tipton and Syracuse, while the balance, with most of
+    the transportation, was sent by rail. General Sigel was the
+    first to receive orders to march his division from Tipton to
+    Warsaw, and he was very prompt to obey. While other division
+    commanders were waiting for their transportation to arrive from
+    St. Louis, Sigel scoured the country and gathered up every
+    thing with wheels. His train was the most motley collection of
+    vehicles it has ever been my lot to witness. There were old
+    wagons that made the journey from Tennessee to Missouri thirty
+    years before, farm wagons and carts of every description,
+    family carriages, spring wagons, stage-coaches, drays, and
+    hay-carts. In fact, every thing that could carry a load was
+    taken along. Even pack-saddles were not neglected. Horses,
+    mules, jacks, oxen, and sometimes cows, formed the motive
+    power. To stand by the roadside and witness the passage of
+    General Sigel's train, was equal to a visit to Barnum's Museum,
+    and proved an unfailing source of mirth.</p><a href=
+    "images/p110i1.jpg"><img src="images/p110i1_t.jpg" alt=
+    "GENERAL SIGEL'S TRANSPORTATION IN THE MISSOURI CAMPAIGN." /></a>
+
+    <p class="captn">GENERAL SIGEL'S TRANSPORTATION IN THE MISSOURI
+    CAMPAIGN.</p>
+
+    <p>Falstaff's train (if he had one) could not have been more
+    picturesque. Even the Missourians, accustomed as they were to
+    sorry sights, laughed heartily at the spectacle presented by
+    Sigel's transportation. The Secessionists made several wrong
+    deductions from the sad appearance of that train. Some of them
+    predicted that the division with <i>such</i> a train would
+    prove to be of little value in battle. Never were men more
+    completely deceived. The division marched rapidly, and, on a
+    subsequent campaign, evinced its ability to fight.</p>
+
+    <p>One after another, the divisions of Fremont's army moved in
+    chase of the Rebels; a pursuit in which the pursued had a start
+    of seventy-five miles, and a clear road before them. Fremont
+    and his staff left Tipton, when three divisions had gone, and
+    overtook the main column at Warsaw. A few days later, Mr.
+    Richardson, of the <i>Tribune</i>, and myself started from
+    Syracuse at one o'clock, one pleasant afternoon, and, with a
+    single halt of an hour's duration, reached Warsaw, forty-seven
+    miles distant, at ten o'clock at night. In the morning we found
+    the general's staff comfortably quartered in the village. On
+    the staff there were several gentlemen from New York and other
+    Eastern cities, who were totally unaccustomed to horseback
+    exercise. One of these recounted the story of their "dreadful"
+    journey of fifty miles from Tipton.</p>
+
+    <p>"Only think of it!" said he; "we came through all that
+    distance in less than three days. One day the general made us
+    come <i>twenty-four</i> miles."</p>
+
+    <p>"That was very severe, indeed. I wonder how you endured
+    it."</p>
+
+    <p>"It <i>was</i> severe, and nearly broke some of us down.
+    By-the-way, Mr. K----, how did you come over?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Oh," said I, carelessly, "Richardson and I left Syracuse at
+    noon yesterday, and arrived here at ten last night."</p>
+
+    <p>Before that campaign was ended, General Fremont's staff
+    acquired some knowledge of horsemanship.</p>
+
+    <p>At Warsaw the party of journalists passed several waiting
+    days, and domiciled themselves in the house of a widow who had
+    one pretty daughter. Our natural bashfulness was our great
+    hinderance, so that it was a day or two before we made the
+    acquaintance of the younger of the women. One evening she
+    invited a young lady friend to visit her, and obliged us with
+    introductions. The ladies persistently turned the conversation
+    upon the Rebellion, and gave us the benefit of their views. Our
+    young hostess, desiring to say something complimentary,
+    declared she did not dislike the Yankees, but despised the
+    Dutch and the Black Republicans."</p>
+
+    <p>"Do you dislike the Black Republicans very much?" said the
+    <i>Tribune</i> correspondent.</p>
+
+    <p>"Oh! yes; I <i>hate</i> them. I wish they were all
+    dead."</p>
+
+    <p>"Well," was the quiet response, "we are Black Republicans. I
+    am the blackest of them all."</p>
+
+    <p>The fair Secessionist was much confused, and for fully a
+    minute remained silent. Then she said--</p>
+
+    <p>"I must confess I did not fully understand what Black
+    Republicans were. I never saw any before."</p>
+
+    <p>During the evening she was quite courteous, though
+    persistent in declaring her sentiments. Her companion launched
+    the most bitter invective at every thing identified with the
+    Union cause, and made some horrid wishes about General Fremont
+    and his army. A more vituperative female Rebel I have never
+    seen. She was as pretty as she was disloyal, and was,
+    evidently, fully aware of it.</p>
+
+    <p>A few months later, I learned that both these young ladies
+    had become the wives of United States officers, and were
+    complimenting, in high terms, the bravery and patriotism of the
+    soldiers they had so recently despised.</p>
+
+    <p>The majority of the inhabitants of Warsaw were disloyal, and
+    had little hesitation in declaring their sentiments. Most of
+    the young men were in the Rebel army or preparing to go there.
+    A careful search of several warehouses revealed extensive
+    stores of powder, salt, shoes, and other military supplies.
+    Some of these articles were found in a cave a few miles from
+    Warsaw, their locality being made known by a negro who was
+    present at their concealment.</p>
+
+    <p>Warsaw boasted a newspaper establishment, but the proprietor
+    and editor of the weekly sheet had joined his fortunes to those
+    of General Price. Two years before the time of our visit, this
+    editor was a member of the State Legislature, and made an
+    earnest effort to secure the expulsion of the reporter of
+    <i>The Missouri Democrat</i>, on account of the radical tone of
+    that paper. He was unsuccessful, but the aggrieved individual
+    did not forgive him.</p>
+
+    <p>When our army entered Warsaw this reporter held a position
+    on the staff of the general commanding. Not finding his old
+    adversary, he contented himself with taking possession of the
+    printing-office, and "confiscating" whatever was needed for the
+    use of head-quarters.</p>
+
+    <p>About twenty miles from Warsaw, on the road to Booneville,
+    there was a German settlement, known as Cole Camp. When the
+    troubles commenced in Missouri, a company of Home Guards was
+    formed at Cole Camp. A few days after its formation a company
+    of Secessionists from Warsaw made a night-march and attacked
+    the Home Guards at daylight.</p>
+
+    <p>Though inflicting severe injury upon the Home Guards, the
+    Secessionists mourned the loss of the most prominent citizens
+    of Warsaw. They were soon after humiliated by the presence of a
+    Union army.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c9" id="c9"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER IX.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE SECOND CAMPAIGN TO SPRINGFIELD.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Detention at Warsaw.--A Bridge over the
+    Osage.--The Body-Guard.--Manner of its Organization.--The
+    Advance to Springfield.--Charge of the Body-Guard.--A
+    Corporal's Ruse.--Occupation of Springfield--The
+    Situation.--Wilson Creek Revisited.--Traces of the
+    Battle.--Rumored Movements of the Enemy.--Removal of General
+    Fremont.--Danger of Attack.--A Night of Excitement.--The Return
+    to St. Louis.--Curiosities of the Scouting Service.--An Arrest
+    by Mistake.</p>
+
+    <p>The army was detained at Warsaw, to wait the construction of
+    a bridge over the Osage for the passage of the artillery and
+    heavy transportation. Sigel's Division was given the advance,
+    and crossed before the bridge was finished. The main column
+    moved as soon as the bridge permitted--the rear being brought
+    up by McKinstry's Division. A division from Kansas, under
+    General Lane, was moving at the same time, to form a junction
+    with Fremont near Springfield, and a brigade from Rolla was
+    advancing with the same object in view. General Sturgis was in
+    motion from North Missouri, and there was a prospect that an
+    army nearly forty thousand strong would be assembled at
+    Springfield.</p>
+
+    <p>While General Fremont was in St. Louis, before setting out
+    on this expedition, he organized the "Fremont Body-Guard,"
+    which afterward became famous. This force consisted of four
+    companies of cavalry, and was intended to form a full regiment.
+    It was composed of the best class of the young men of St. Louis
+    and Cincinnati. From the completeness of its outfit, it was
+    often spoken of as the "Kid-Gloved Regiment." General Fremont
+    designed it as a special body-guard for himself, to move when
+    he moved, and to form a part of his head-quarter establishment.
+    The manner of its organization was looked upon by many as a
+    needless outlay, at a time when the finances of the department
+    were in a disordered condition. The officers and the rank and
+    file of the Body-Guard felt their pride touched by the comments
+    upon them, and determined to take the first opportunity to
+    vindicate their character as soldiers.</p>
+
+    <p>When we were within fifty miles of Springfield, it was
+    ascertained that the main force of the Rebels had moved
+    southward, leaving behind them some two or three thousand men.
+    General Fremont ordered a cavalry force, including the
+    Body-Guard, to advance upon the town. On reaching Springfield
+    the cavalry made a gallant charge upon the Rebel camp, which
+    was situated in a large field, bordered by a wood, within sight
+    of the court-house.</p>
+
+    <p>In this assault the loss of our forces, in proportion to the
+    number engaged, was quite severe, but the enemy was put to
+    flight, and the town occupied for a few hours. We gained
+    nothing of a material nature, as the Rebels would have quietly
+    evacuated Springfield at the approach of our main army. The
+    courage of the Body-Guard, which no sensible man had doubted,
+    was fully evinced by this gallant but useless charge. When the
+    fight was over, the colonel in command ordered a retreat of
+    twenty miles, to meet the advance of the army.</p>
+
+    <p>A corporal with a dozen men became separated from the
+    command while in Springfield, and remained there until the
+    following morning. He received a flag of truce from the Rebels,
+    asking permission to send a party to bury the dead. He told the
+    bearer to wait until he could consult his "general," who was
+    supposed to be lying down in the back office. The "general"
+    replied that his "division" was too much exasperated to render
+    it prudent for a delegation from the enemy to enter town, and
+    therefore declined to grant the request. At the same time he
+    promised to send out strong details to attend to the sad duty.
+    At sunrise he thought it best to follow the movements of his
+    superior officer, lest the Rebels might discover his ruse and
+    effect his capture.</p>
+
+    <p>Two days after the charge of the Body-Guard, the advance of
+    the infantry entered Springfield without the slightest
+    opposition. The army gradually came up, and the occupation of
+    the key of Southwest Missouri was completed. The Rebel army
+    fell back toward the Arkansas line, to meet a force supposed to
+    be marching northward from Fayetteville. There was little
+    expectation that the Rebels would seek to engage us. The only
+    possible prospect of their assuming the offensive was in the
+    event of a junction between Price and McCulloch, rendering them
+    numerically superior to ourselves.</p>
+
+    <p>During our occupation of Springfield I paid a visit to the
+    Wilson Creek battle-ground. It was eleven weeks from the day I
+    had left it. Approaching the field, I was impressed by its
+    stillness, so different from the tumult on the 10th of the
+    previous August. It was difficult to realize that the spot, now
+    so quiet, had been the scene of a sanguinary contest. The
+    rippling of the creek, and the occasional chirp of a bird, were
+    the only noises that came to our ears. There was no motion of
+    the air, not enough to disturb the leaves freshly fallen from
+    the numerous oak-trees on the battle-field. At each step I
+    could but contrast the cool, calm, Indian-summer day, with the
+    hot, August morning, when the battle took place.</p>
+
+    <p>All sounds of battle were gone, but the traces of the
+    encounter had not disappeared. As we followed the route leading
+    to the field, I turned from the beaten track and rode among the
+    trees. Ascending a slight acclivity, I found my horse
+    half-stumbling over some object between his feet. Looking down,
+    I discovered a human skull, partly covered by the luxuriant
+    grass. At a little distance lay the dismembered skeleton to
+    which the skull evidently belonged. It was doubtless that of
+    some soldier who had crawled there while wounded, and sunk
+    exhausted at the foot of a tree. The bits of clothing covering
+    the ground showed that either birds or wild animals had been
+    busy with the remains. Not far off lay another skeleton,
+    disturbed and dismembered like the other.</p>
+
+    <p>Other traces of the conflict were visible, as I moved slowly
+    over the field. Here were scattered graves, each for a single
+    person; there a large grave, that had received a dozen bodies
+    of the slain. Here were fragments of clothing and equipments,
+    pieces of broken weapons; the shattered wheel of a caisson, and
+    near it the exploded shell that destroyed it. Skeletons of
+    horses, graves of men, scarred trees, trampled graves, the
+    ruins of the burned wagons of the Rebels, all formed their
+    portion of the picture. It well illustrated the desolation of
+    war.</p>
+
+    <p>The spot where General Lyon fell was marked by a rude
+    inscription upon the nearest tree. The skeleton of the
+    general's favorite horse lay near this tree, and had been
+    partially broken up by relic-seekers. The long, glossy mane was
+    cut off by the Rebel soldiers on the day after the battle, and
+    worn by them as a badge of honor. Subsequently the teeth and
+    bones were appropriated by both Rebels and Unionists. Even the
+    tree that designated the locality was partially stripped of its
+    limbs to furnish souvenirs of Wilson Creek.</p>
+
+    <p>During the first few days of our stay in Springfield, there
+    were vague rumors that the army was preparing for a long march
+    into the enemy's country. The Rebel army was reported at
+    Cassville, fifty-five miles distant, fortifying in a strong
+    position. General Price and Governor Jackson had convened the
+    remnant of the Missouri Legislature, and caused the State to be
+    voted out of the Union. It was supposed we would advance and
+    expel the Rebels from the State.</p>
+
+    <p>While we were making ready to move, it was reported that the
+    Rebel army at Cassville had received large re-enforcements from
+    Arkansas, and was moving in our direction. Of course, all were
+    anxious for a battle, and hailed this intelligence with
+    delight. At the same time there were rumors of trouble from
+    another direction--trouble to the commander-in-chief. The vague
+    reports of his coming decapitation were followed by the
+    arrival, on the 2d of November, of the unconditional order
+    removing General Fremont from command, and appointing General
+    Hunter in his stead.</p>
+
+    <p>Just before the reception of this order, "positive" news was
+    received that the enemy was advancing from Cassville toward
+    Springfield, and would either attack us in the town, or meet us
+    on the ground south of it. General Hunter had not arrived, and
+    therefore General Fremont formed his plan of battle, and
+    determined on marching out to meet the enemy.</p>
+
+    <p>On the morning of the 3d, the scouts brought intelligence
+    that the entire Rebel army was in camp on the old Wilson Creek
+    battle-ground, and would fight us there. A council of war was
+    called, and it was decided to attack the enemy on the following
+    morning, if General Hunter did not arrive before that time.
+    Some of the officers were suspicious that the Rebels were not
+    in force at Wilson Creek, but when Fremont announced it
+    officially there could be little room for doubt.</p>
+
+    <p>Every thing was put in readiness for battle. Generals of
+    division were ordered to be ready to move at a moment's notice.
+    The pickets were doubled, and the grand guards increased to an
+    unusual extent. Four pieces of artillery formed a portion of
+    the picket force on the Fayetteville road, the direct route to
+    Wilson Creek. If an enemy had approached on that night he would
+    have met a warm reception.</p>
+
+    <p>About seven o'clock in the evening, a staff officer, who
+    kept the journalists informed of the progress of affairs,
+    visited General Fremont's head-quarters. He soon emerged with
+    important intelligence.</p>
+
+    <p>"It is all settled. The army is ready to move at the
+    instant. Orders will be issued at two o'clock, and we will be
+    under way before daylight. Skirmishing will begin at nine, and
+    the full battle will be drawn on at twelve."</p>
+
+    <p>"Is the plan arranged?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, it is all arranged; but I did not ask how."</p>
+
+    <p>"Battle sure to come off--is it?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Certainly, unless Hunter comes and countermands the
+    order."</p>
+
+    <p>Alas, for human calculations! General Hunter arrived before
+    midnight. Two o'clock came, but no orders to break camp.
+    Daylight, and no orders to march. Breakfast-time, and not a
+    hostile shot had been heard. Nine o'clock, and no skirmish.
+    Twelve o'clock, and no battle.</p>
+
+    <p>General Fremont and staff returned to St. Louis. General
+    Hunter made a reconnoissance to Wilson Creek, and ascertained
+    that the only enemy that had been in the vicinity was a
+    scouting party of forty or fifty men. At the time we were to
+    march out, there was not a Rebel on the ground. Their whole
+    army was still at Cassville, fifty-five miles from
+    Springfield.</p>
+
+    <p>On the 9th of November the army evacuated Springfield and
+    returned to the line of the Pacific Railway.</p>
+
+    <p>General Fremont's scouts had deceived him. Some of these
+    individuals were exceedingly credulous, while others were liars
+    of the highest grade known to civilization. The former obtained
+    their information from the frightened inhabitants; the latter
+    manufactured theirs with the aid of vivid imaginations. I half
+    suspect the fellows were like the showman in the story, and, at
+    length, religiously believed what they first designed as a
+    hoax. Between the two classes of scouts a large army of Rebels
+    was created.</p>
+
+    <p>The scouting service often develops characters of a peculiar
+    mould. Nearly every man engaged in it has some particular
+    branch in which he excels. There was one young man accompanying
+    General Fremont's army, whose equal, as a special forager, I
+    have never seen elsewhere. Whenever we entered camp, this
+    individual, whom I will call the captain, would take a
+    half-dozen companions and start on a foraging tour. After an
+    absence of from four to six hours, he would return well-laden
+    with the spoils of war. On one occasion he brought to camp
+    three horses, two cows, a yoke of oxen, and a wagon. In the
+    latter he had a barrel of sorghum molasses, a firkin of butter,
+    two sheep, a pair of fox-hounds, a hoop-skirt, a corn-sheller,
+    a baby's cradle, a lot of crockery, half a dozen padlocks, two
+    hoes, and a rocking-chair. On the next night he returned with a
+    family carriage drawn by a horse and a mule. In the carriage he
+    had, among other things, a parrot-cage which contained a
+    screaming parrot, several pairs of ladies' shoes, a few yards
+    of calico, the stock of an old musket, part of a
+    spinning-wheel, and a box of garden seeds. In what way these
+    things would contribute to the support of the army, it was
+    difficult to understand.</p>
+
+    <p>On one occasion the captain found a trunk full of clothing,
+    concealed with a lot of salt in a Rebel warehouse. He brought
+    the trunk to camp, and, as the quartermaster refused to receive
+    it, took it to St. Louis when the expedition returned. At the
+    hotel where he was stopping, some detectives were watching a
+    suspected thief, and, by mistake, searched the captain's room.
+    They found a trunk containing thirteen coats of all sizes, with
+    no pants or vests. Naturally considering this a strange
+    wardrobe for a gentleman, they took the captain into custody.
+    He protested earnestly that he was not, and had never been, a
+    thief, but it was only on the testimony of the quartermaster
+    that he was released. I believe he subsequently acted as a
+    scout under General Halleck, during the siege of Corinth.</p>
+
+    <p>After the withdrawal of our army, General Price returned to
+    Springfield and went into winter-quarters. McCulloch's command
+    formed a cantonment at Cross Hollows, Arkansas, about ninety
+    miles southwest of Springfield. There was no prospect of
+    further activity until the ensuing spring. Every thing
+    betokened rest.</p>
+
+    <p>From Springfield I returned to St. Louis by way of Rolla,
+    designing to follow the example of the army, and seek a good
+    locality for hibernating. On my way to Rolla I found many
+    houses deserted, or tenanted only by women and children.
+    Frequently the crops were standing, ungathered, in the field.
+    Fences were prostrated, and there was no effort to restore
+    them. The desolation of that region was just beginning.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c10" id="c10"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER X.</h4>
+
+    <h5>TWO MONTHS OF IDLENESS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">A Promise Fulfilled.--Capture of a Rebel Camp
+    and Train.--Rebel Sympathizers in St. Louis.--General Halleck
+    and his Policy.--Refugees from Rebeldom.--Story of the
+    Sufferings of a Union Family.--Chivalry in the Nineteenth
+    Century.--The Army of the Southwest in Motion.--Gun-Boats and
+    Transports.--Capture of Fort Henry.--The Effect in St.
+    Louis.--Our Flag Advancing.</p>
+
+    <p>Early in the December following the events narrated in the
+    last chapter, General Pope captured a camp in the interior of
+    the State, where recruits were being collected for Price's
+    army. After the return of Fremont's army from Springfield, the
+    Rebels boasted they would eat their Christmas dinner in St.
+    Louis. Many Secessionists were making preparations to receive
+    Price and his army, and some of them prophesied the time of
+    their arrival. It was known that a goodly number of Rebel flags
+    had been made ready to hang out when the conquerors should
+    come. Sympathizers with the Rebellion became bold, and often
+    displayed badges, rosettes, and small flags, indicative of
+    their feelings. Recruiting for the Rebel army went on, very
+    quietly, of course, within a hundred yards of the City Hall. At
+    a fair for the benefit of the Orphan Asylum, the ladies openly
+    displayed Rebel insignia, but carefully excluded the National
+    emblems.</p>
+
+    <p>This was the state of affairs when eight hundred Rebels
+    arrived in St. Louis. They redeemed their promise to enjoy a
+    Christmas dinner in St. Louis, though they had counted upon
+    more freedom than they were then able to obtain. In order that
+    they might carry out, in part, their original intention, their
+    kind-hearted jailers permitted the friends of the prisoners to
+    send a dinner to the latter on Christmas Day. The prisoners
+    partook of the repast with much relish.</p>
+
+    <p>The capture of those recruits was accompanied by the seizure
+    of a supply train on its way to Springfield. Our success served
+    to diminish the Rebel threats to capture St. Louis, or perform
+    other great and chivalric deeds. The inhabitants of that city
+    continued to prophesy its fall, but they were less defiant than
+    before.</p>
+
+    <p>General Fremont commanded the Western Department for just a
+    hundred days. General Hunter, his successor, was dressed in
+    brief authority for fifteen days, and yielded to General
+    Halleck. The latter officer endeavored to make his rule as
+    unlike that of General Fremont as could well be done. He
+    quietly made his head-quarters at the Government Buildings, in
+    the center of St. Louis, instead of occupying a "palatial
+    mansion" on Chouteau Avenue. The body-guard, or other
+    cumbersome escort, was abolished, and the new general moved
+    unattended about the city. Where General Fremont had scattered
+    the Government funds with a wasteful hand, General Halleck
+    studied economy. Where Fremont had declared freedom to the
+    slaves of traitors, Halleck issued his famous "Order No. 3,"
+    forbidding fugitive slaves to enter our lines, and excluding
+    all that were then in the military camps. Where General Fremont
+    had surrounded his head-quarters with so great a retinue of
+    guards that access was almost impossible, General Halleck made
+    it easy for all visitors to see him. He generally gave them
+    such a reception that few gentlemen felt inclined to make a
+    second call.</p>
+
+    <p>The policy of scattering the military forces in the
+    department was abandoned, and a system of concentration
+    adopted. The construction of the gun-boat fleet, and
+    accompanying mortar-rafts, was vigorously pushed, and
+    preparations for military work in the ensuing spring went on in
+    all directions. Our armies were really idle, and we were doing
+    very little on the Mississippi; but it was easy to see that we
+    were making ready for the most vigorous activity in the
+    future.</p>
+
+    <p>In the latter part of December many refugees from the
+    Southwest began to arrive in St. Louis. In most cases they were
+    of the poorer class of the inhabitants of Missouri and Northern
+    Arkansas, and had been driven from their homes by their
+    wealthier and disloyal neighbors. Their stories varied little
+    from each other. Known or suspected to be loyal, they were
+    summarily expelled, generally with the loss of every thing,
+    save a few articles of necessity. There were many women and
+    children among them, whose protectors had been driven into the
+    Rebel ranks, or murdered in cold blood. Many of them died soon
+    after they reached our lines, and there were large numbers who
+    perished on their way.</p>
+
+    <p>Among those who arrived early in January, 1862, was a man
+    from Northern Arkansas. Born in Pennsylvania, he emigrated to
+    the Southwest in 1830, and, after a few years' wandering,
+    settled near Fayetteville. When the war broke out, he had a
+    small farm and a comfortable house, and his two sons were
+    married and living near him.</p>
+
+    <p>In the autumn of '61, his elder son was impressed into the
+    Rebel service, where he soon died. The younger was ordered to
+    report at Fayetteville, for duty. Failing to do so on the day
+    specified, he was shot down in his own house on the following
+    night. His body fell upon one of his children standing near
+    him, and his blood saturated its garments.</p>
+
+    <p>The day following, the widow, with two small children, was
+    notified to leave the dwelling, as orders had been issued for
+    its destruction. Giving her no time to remove any thing, the
+    Rebel soldiers, claiming to act under military command, fired
+    the house. In this party were two persons who had been well
+    acquainted with the murdered man. The widow sought shelter with
+    her husband's parents.</p>
+
+    <p>The widow of the elder son went to the same place of refuge.
+    Thus there were living, under one roof, the old man, his wife,
+    a daughter of seventeen, and the two widows, one with two, and
+    the other with three, children. A week afterward, all were
+    commanded to leave the country. No cause was assigned, beyond
+    the fact that the man was born in the North, and had been
+    harboring the family of his son, who refused to serve in the
+    Rebel ranks. They were told they could have two days for
+    preparation, but within ten hours of the time the notice was
+    served, a gang of Rebels appeared at the door, and ordered an
+    instant departure.</p>
+
+    <p>They made a rigid search of the persons of the refugees, to
+    be sure they took away nothing of value. Only a single wagon
+    was allowed, and in this were placed a few articles of
+    necessity. As they moved away, the Rebels applied the torch to
+    the house and its out-buildings. In a few moments all were in
+    flames. The house of the elder son's widow shared the same
+    fete.</p>
+
+    <p>They were followed to the Missouri line, and ordered to make
+    no halt under penalty of death. It was more than two hundred
+    miles to our lines, and winter was just beginning. One after
+    another fell ill and died, or was left with Union people along
+    the way. Only four of the party reached our army at Rolla. Two
+    of these died a few days after their arrival, leaving only a
+    young child and its grandfather. At St. Louis the survivors
+    were kindly cared for, but the grief at leaving home, the
+    hardships of the winter journey, and their destitution among
+    strangers, had so worn upon them that they soon followed the
+    other members of their family.</p>
+
+    <p>There have been thousands of cases nearly parallel to the
+    above. The Rebels claimed to be fighting for political freedom,
+    and charged the National Government with the most unheard-of
+    "tyranny." We can well be excused for not countenancing a
+    political freedom that kills men at their firesides, and drives
+    women and children to seek protection under another flag. We
+    have heard much, in the past twenty years, of "Southern
+    chivalry." If the deeds of which the Rebels were guilty are
+    characteristic of chivalry, who would wish to be a son of the
+    Cavaliers? The insignia worn in the Middle Ages are set aside,
+    to make room for the torch and the knife. The chivalry that
+    deliberately starves its prisoners, to render them unable to
+    return to the field, and sends blood-hounds on the track of
+    those who attempt an escape from their hands, is the chivalry
+    of modern days. Winder is the Coeur-de-Leon, and Quantrel the
+    Bayard, of the nineteenth century; knights "without fear and
+    without reproach."</p>
+
+    <p>Early in January, the Army of the Southwest, under General
+    Curtis, was put in condition for moving. Orders were issued
+    cutting down the allowance of transportation, and throwing away
+    every thing superfluous. Colonel Carr, with a cavalry division,
+    was sent to the line of the Gasconade, to watch the movements
+    of the enemy. It was the preliminary to the march into
+    Arkansas, which resulted in the battle of Pea Ridge and the
+    famous campaign of General Curtis from Springfield to
+    Helena.</p>
+
+    <p>As fast as possible, the gun-boat fleet was pushed to
+    completion. One after another, as the iron-clads were ready to
+    move, they made their rendezvous at Cairo. Advertisements of
+    the quartermaster's department, calling for a large number of
+    transports, showed that offensive movements were to take place.
+    In February, Fort Henry fell, after an hour's shelling from
+    Admiral Foote's gun-boats. This opened the way up the Tennessee
+    River to a position on the flank of Columbus, Kentucky, and was
+    followed by the evacuation of that point.</p>
+
+    <p>I was in St. Louis on the day the news of the fall of Fort
+    Henry was received. The newspapers issued "extras," with
+    astonishing head-lines. It was the first gratifying
+    intelligence after a long winter of inactivity, following a
+    year which, closed with general reverses to our arms.</p>
+
+    <p>In walking the principal streets of St. Louis on that
+    occasion, I could easily distinguish the loyal men of my
+    acquaintance from the disloyal, at half a square's distance.
+    The former were excited with delight; the latter were downcast
+    with sorrow. The Union men walked rapidly, with, faces
+    "wreathed in smiles;" the Secessionists moved with alternate
+    slow and quick steps, while their countenances expressed all
+    the sad emotions.</p>
+
+    <p>The newsboys with the tidings of our success were patronized
+    by the one and repelled by the other. I saw one of the venders
+    of intelligence enter the store of a noted Secessionist, where
+    he shouted the nature of the news at the highest note of his
+    voice. A moment later he emerged from the door, bringing the
+    impress of a Secessionist's boot.</p>
+
+    <p>The day and the night witnessed much hilarity in loyal
+    circles, and a corresponding gloom in quarters where treason
+    ruled. I fear there were many men in St. Louis whose conduct
+    was no recommendation to the membership of a temperance
+    society.</p>
+
+    <p>All felt that a new era had dawned upon us. Soon after came
+    the tidings of a general advance of our armies. We moved in
+    Virginia, and made the beginning of the checkered campaign of
+    '62. Along the Atlantic coast we moved, and Newbern fell into
+    our hands. Further down the Atlantic, and at the mouth of the
+    Mississippi, we kept up the aggression. Grant, at Donelson,
+    "moved immediately upon Buckner's works;" and, in Kentucky, the
+    Army of the Ohio occupied Bowling Green and prepared to move
+    upon Nashville. In Missouri, Curtis had already occupied
+    Lebanon, and was making ready to assault Price at Springfield.
+    Everywhere our flag was going forward.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c11" id="c11"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XI.</h4>
+
+    <h5>ANOTHER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">From St. Louis to Rolla.--A Limited
+    Outfit.--Missouri Roads in Winter.--"Two Solitary
+    Horsemen."--Restricted Accommodations in a Slaveholder's
+    House.--An Energetic Quartermaster.--General Sheridan before he
+    became Famous.--"Bagging Price."--A Defect in the
+    Bag.--Examining the Correspondence of a Rebel General.--What
+    the Rebels left at their Departure.</p>
+
+    <p>On the 9th of February I left St. Louis to join General
+    Curtis's army. Arriving at Rolla, I found the mud very deep,
+    but was told the roads were in better condition a few miles to
+    the west. With an <i>attach&eacute;</i> of the Missouri
+    <i>Democrat</i>, I started, on the morning of the 10th, to
+    overtake the army, then reported at Lebanon, sixty-five miles
+    distant. All my outfit for a two or three months' campaign, was
+    strapped behind my saddle, or crowded into my saddle-bags.
+    Traveling with a trunk is one of the delights unknown to army
+    correspondents, especially to those in the Southwest. My
+    companion carried an outfit similar to mine, with the exception
+    of the saddle-bags and contents. I returned to Rolla eight
+    weeks afterward, but he did not reach civilization till the
+    following July.</p>
+
+    <p>From Rolla to Lebanon the roads were bad--muddy in the
+    valleys of the streams, and on the higher ground frozen into
+    inequalities like a gigantic rasp.</p>
+
+    <p>Over this route our army of sixteen thousand men had slowly
+    made its way, accomplishing what was then thought next to
+    impossible. I found the country had changed much in appearance
+    since I passed through on my way to join General Lyon. Many
+    houses had been burned and others deserted. The few people that
+    remained confessed themselves almost destitute of food.
+    Frequently we could not obtain entertainment for ourselves and
+    horses, particularly the latter. The natives were suspicious of
+    our character, as there was nothing in our dress indicating to
+    which side we belonged. At such times the cross-questioning we
+    underwent was exceedingly amusing, though coupled with the
+    knowledge that our lives were not entirely free from
+    danger.</p>
+
+    <p>From Lebanon we pushed on to Springfield, through a keen,
+    piercing wind, that swept from the northwest with unremitting
+    steadiness. The night between those points was passed in a
+    log-house with a single room, where ourselves and the family of
+    six persons were lodged. In the bitter cold morning that
+    followed, it was necessary to open the door to give us
+    sufficient light to take breakfast, as the house could not
+    boast of a window. The owner of the establishment said he had
+    lived there eighteen years, and found it very comfortable. He
+    tilled a small farm, and had earned sufficient money to
+    purchase three slaves, who dwelt in a similar cabin, close
+    beside his own, but not joining it. One of these slaves was
+    cook and housemaid, and another found the care of four children
+    enough for her attention. The third was a man upward of fifty
+    years old, who acted as stable-keeper, and manager of the
+    out-door work of the establishment.</p>
+
+    <p>The situation of this landholder struck me as peculiar,
+    though his case was not a solitary one. A house of one room and
+    with no window, a similar house for his human property, and a
+    stable rudely constructed of small poles, with its sides
+    offering as little protection against the wind and storms as an
+    ordinary fence, were the only buildings he possessed. His
+    furniture was in keeping with the buildings. Beds without
+    sheets, a table without a cloth, some of the plates of tin and
+    others of crockery--the former battered and the latter
+    cracked--a less number of knives and forks than there were
+    persons to be supplied, tin cups for drinking coffee, an old
+    fruit-can for a sugar-bowl, and two teaspoons for the use of a
+    large family, formed the most noticeable features. With such
+    surroundings he had invested three thousand dollars in negro
+    property, and considered himself comfortably situated.</p>
+
+    <p>Reaching Springfield, I found the army had passed on in
+    pursuit of Price, leaving only one brigade as a garrison. The
+    quartermaster of the Army of the Southwest had his office in
+    one of the principal buildings, and was busily engaged in
+    superintending the forwarding of supplies to the front. Every
+    thing under his charge received his personal attention, and
+    there was no reason to suppose the army would lack for
+    subsistence, so long as he should remain to supply its wants.
+    Presenting him a letter of introduction, I received a most
+    cordial welcome. I found him a modest and agreeable gentleman,
+    whose private excellence was only equaled by his energy in the
+    performance of his official duties.</p>
+
+    <p>This quartermaster was Captain Philip H. Sheridan. The
+    double bars that marked his rank at that time, have since been
+    exchanged for other insignia. The reader is doubtless familiar
+    with the important part taken by this gallant officer, in the
+    suppression of the late Rebellion.</p>
+
+    <p>General Curtis had attempted to surround and capture Price
+    and his army, before they could escape from Springfield.
+    Captain Sheridan told me that General Curtis surrounded the
+    town on one side, leaving two good roads at the other, by which
+    the Rebels marched out. Our advance from Lebanon was as rapid
+    as the circumstances would permit, but it was impossible to
+    keep the Rebels in ignorance of it, or detain them against
+    their will. One of the many efforts to "bag" Price had resulted
+    like all the others. We closed with the utmost care every part
+    of the bag except the mouth; out of this he walked by the
+    simple use of his pedals. Operations like those of Island
+    Number Ten, Vicksburg, and Port Hudson, were not then in
+    vogue.</p>
+
+    <p>Price was in full retreat toward Arkansas, and our army in
+    hot pursuit. General Sigel, with two full divisions, marched by
+    a road parallel to the line of Price's retreat, and attempted
+    to get in his front at a point forty miles from Springfield.
+    His line of march was ten miles longer than the route followed
+    by the Rebels, and he did not succeed in striking the main road
+    until Price had passed.</p>
+
+    <p>I had the pleasure of going through General Price's
+    head-quarters only two days after that officer abandoned them.
+    There was every evidence of a hasty departure. I found, among
+    other documents, the following order for the evacuation of
+    Springfield:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>HEAD-QUARTERS MISSOURI STATE GUARD, SPRINGFIELD,
+      <i>February</i> 13, 1862.</p>
+
+      <p>The commanders of divisions will instanter, and without
+      the least delay, see that their entire commands are ready for
+      movement at a moment's notice.</p>
+
+      <p>By order of Major-General S. Price. H.H. Brand, A.A.G.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>There was much of General Price's private correspondence,
+    together with many official documents. Some of these I secured,
+    but destroyed them three weeks later, at a moment when I
+    expected to fall into the hands of the enemy. One letter, which
+    revealed the treatment Union men were receiving in Arkansas, I
+    forwarded to <i>The Herald</i>. I reproduce its material
+    portions:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>DOVER, POPE CO., ARKANSAS, <i>December</i> 7,
+      1861.</p>
+
+      <p>MAJOR-GENERAL PRICE:</p>
+
+      <p>I wish to obtain a situation as surgeon in your army. * *
+      * Our men over the Boston Mountains are penning and hanging
+      the mountain boys who oppose Southern men. They have in camp
+      thirty, and in the Burrowville jail seventy-two, and have
+      sent twenty-seven to Little Rock. We will kill all we get,
+      certain: every one is so many less. I hope you will soon get
+      help enough to clear out the last one in your State. If you
+      know them, they ought to be killed, as the older they grow
+      the more stubborn they get.</p>
+
+      <p>Your most obedient servant,<br />
+      JAMES L. ADAMS.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>In his departure, General Price had taken most of his
+    personal property of any value. He left a very good array of
+    desks and other appurtenances of his adjutant-general's office,
+    which fell into General Curtis's hands. These articles were at
+    once put into use by our officers, and remained in Springfield
+    as trophies of our success. There was some war
+    <i>mat&eacute;riel</i> at the founderies and temporary arsenals
+    which the Rebels had established. One store full of supplies
+    they left undisturbed. It was soon appropriated by Captain
+    Sheridan.</p>
+
+    <p>The winter-quarters for the soldiers were sufficiently
+    commodious to contain ten thousand men, and the condition in
+    which we found them showed how hastily they were evacuated.
+    Very little had been removed from the buildings, except those
+    articles needed for the march. We found cooking utensils
+    containing the remains of the last meal, pans with
+    freshly-mixed dough, on which the impression of the maker's
+    hand was visible, and sheep and hogs newly killed and half
+    dressed. In the officers' quarters was a beggarly array of
+    empty bottles, and a few cases that had contained cigars. One
+    of our soldiers was fortunate in finding a gold watch in the
+    straw of a bunk. There were cribs of corn, stacks of forage,
+    and a considerable quantity of army supplies. Every thing
+    evinced a hasty departure.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c12" id="c12"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE FLIGHT AND THE PURSUIT.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">From Springfield to Pea Ridge.--Mark Tapley in
+    Missouri.--"The Arkansas Traveler."--Encountering the Rebel
+    Army.--A "Wonderful Spring."--The Cantonment at Cross
+    Hollows.--Game Chickens.--Magruder <i>vs</i>.
+    Breckinridge.--Rebel Generals in a Controversy.--Its
+    Result.--An Expedition to Huntsville.--Curiosities of Rebel
+    Currency.--Important Information.--A Long and Weary
+    March.--Disposition of Forces before the Battle.--Changing
+    Front.--What the Rebels lost by Ignorance.</p>
+
+    <p>When it became certain the army would continue its march
+    into Arkansas, myself and the <i>Democrat's</i> correspondent
+    pushed forward to overtake it. Along the road we learned of the
+    rapid retreat of the Rebels, and the equally rapid pursuit by
+    our own forces. About twenty miles south of Springfield one of
+    the natives came to his door to greet us. Learning to which
+    army we belonged, he was very voluble in his efforts to explain
+    the consternation of the Rebels. A half-dozen of his neighbors
+    were by his side, and joined in the hilarity of the occasion. I
+    saw that something more than usual was the cause of their
+    assembling, and inquired what it could be.</p>
+
+    <p>"My wife died this morning, and my friends have come here to
+    see me," was the answer I received from the proprietor of the
+    house.</p>
+
+    <p>Almost at the instant of completing the sentence, he burst
+    into a laugh, and said,</p>
+
+    <p>"It would have done you good to see how your folks captured
+    a big drove of Price's cattle. The Rebs were driving them along
+    all right, and your cavalry just came up and took them. It was
+    rich, I tell you. Ha! ha!"</p>
+
+    <p>Not knowing what condolence to offer a man who could be so
+    gay after the death of his wife, I bade him good-morning, and
+    pushed on. He had not, as far as I could perceive, the single
+    excuse of being intoxicated, and his display of vivacity
+    appeared entirely genuine. In all my travels I have never met
+    his equal.</p>
+
+    <p>Up to the time of this campaign none of our armies had been
+    into Arkansas. When General Curtis approached the line, the
+    head of the column was halted, the regiments closed up, and the
+    men brought their muskets to the "right shoulder shift,"
+    instead of the customary "at will" of the march. Two bands were
+    sent to the front, where a small post marked the boundary, and
+    were stationed by the roadside, one in either State. Close by
+    them the National flag was unfurled. The bands struck up "The
+    Arkansas Traveler," the order to advance was given, and, with
+    many cheers in honor of the event, the column moved onward. For
+    several days "The Arkansas Traveler" was exceedingly popular
+    with the entire command. On the night after crossing the line
+    the news of the fall of Fort Donelson was received.</p>
+
+    <p>Soon after entering Arkansas on his retreat, General Price
+    met General McCulloch moving northward to join him. With their
+    forces united, they determined on making a stand against
+    General Curtis, and, accordingly, halted near Sugar Creek. A
+    little skirmish ensued, in which the Rebels gave way, the loss
+    on either side being trifling. They did not stop until they
+    reached Fayetteville. Their halt at that point was very
+    brief.</p>
+
+    <p>At Cross Hollows, in Benton County, Arkansas, about two
+    miles from the main road, there is one of the finest springs in
+    the Southwest. It issues from the base of a rocky ledge, where
+    the ravine is about three hundred yards wide, and forms the
+    head of a large brook. Two small flouring mills are run during
+    the entire year by the water from this spring. The water is at
+    all times clear, cold, and pure, and is said never to vary in
+    quantity.</p>
+
+    <p>Along the stream fed by this spring, the Rebels had
+    established a cantonment for the Army of Northern Arkansas, and
+    erected houses capable of containing ten or twelve thousand
+    men. The cantonment was laid out with the regularity of a
+    Western city. The houses were constructed of sawed lumber, and
+    provided with substantial brick chimneys.</p>
+
+    <p>Of course, this establishment was abandoned when the Rebel
+    army retreated. The buildings were set on fire, and all but a
+    half-dozen of them consumed. When our cavalry reached the
+    place, the rear-guard of the Rebels had been gone less than
+    half an hour. There were about two hundred chickens running
+    loose among the burning buildings. Our soldiers commenced
+    killing them, and had slaughtered two-thirds of the lot when
+    one of the officers discovered that they were game-cocks. This
+    class of chickens not being considered edible, the killing was
+    stopped and the balance of the flock saved. Afterward, while we
+    lay in camp, they were made a source of much amusement. The
+    cock-fights that took place in General Curtis's army would have
+    done honor to Havana or Vera Cruz. Before we captured them the
+    birds were the property of the officers of a Louisiana
+    regiment. We gave them the names of the Rebel leaders. It was
+    an every-day affair for Beauregard, Van Dorn, and Price to be
+    matched against Lee, Johnston, and Polk. I remember losing a
+    small wager on Magruder against Breckinridge. I should have won
+    if Breck had not torn the feathers from Mac's neck, and injured
+    his right wing by a foul blow. I never backed Magruder after
+    that.</p>
+
+    <p>From Cross Hollows, General Curtis sent a division in
+    pursuit of Price's army, in its retreat through Fayetteville,
+    twenty-two miles distant. On reaching the town they found the
+    Rebels had left in the direction of Fort Smith. The pursuit
+    terminated at this point. It had been continued for a hundred
+    and ten miles--a large portion of the distance our advance
+    being within a mile or two of the Rebel rear.</p>
+
+    <p>In retreating from Fayetteville, the Rebels were obliged to
+    abandon much of the supplies for their army. A serious quarrel
+    is reported to have taken place between Price and McCulloch,
+    concerning the disposition to be made of these supplies. The
+    former was in favor of leaving the large amount of stores, of
+    which, bacon was the chief article, that it might fall into our
+    hands. He argued that we had occupied the country, and would
+    stay there until driven out. Our army would be subsisted at all
+    hazards. If we found this large quantity of bacon, it would
+    obviate the necessity of our foraging upon the country and
+    impoverishing the inhabitants.</p>
+
+    <p>General McCulloch opposed this policy, and accused Price of
+    a desire to play into the enemy's hands. The quarrel became
+    warm, and resulted in the discomfiture of the latter. All the
+    Rebel warehouses were set on fire. When our troops entered
+    Fayetteville the conflagration was at its height. It resulted
+    as Price had predicted. The inhabitants were compelled, in
+    great measure, to support our army.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels retreated across the Boston Mountains to Fort
+    Smith, and commenced a reorganization of their army. Our army
+    remained at Cross Hollows as its central point, but threw out
+    its wings so as to form a front nearly five miles in extent.
+    Small expeditions were sent in various directions to break up
+    Rebel camps and recruiting stations. In this way two weeks
+    passed with little activity beyond a careful observation of the
+    enemy's movements. There were several flouring mills in the
+    vicinity of our camp, which were kept in constant activity for
+    the benefit of the army.</p>
+
+    <p>I accompanied an expedition, commanded by Colonel Vandever,
+    of the Ninth Iowa, to the town of Huntsville, thirty-five miles
+    distant. Our march occupied two days, and resulted in the
+    occupation of the town and the dispersal of a small camp of
+    Rebels. We had no fighting, scarcely a shot being fired in
+    anger. The inhabitants did not greet us very cordially, though
+    some of them professed Union sentiments.</p>
+
+    <p>In this town of Huntsville, the best friend of the Union was
+    the keeper of a whisky-shop. This man desired to look at some
+    of our money, but declined to take it. An officer procured a
+    canteen of whisky and tendered a Treasury note in payment. The
+    note was refused, with a request for either gold or Rebel
+    paper.</p>
+
+    <p>The officer then exhibited a large sheet of "promises to
+    pay," which he had procured in Fayetteville a few days before,
+    and asked how they would answer.</p>
+
+    <p>"That is just what I want," said the whisky vender.</p>
+
+    <p>The officer called his attention to the fact that the notes
+    had no signatures.</p>
+
+    <p>"That don't make any difference," was the reply; "nobody
+    will know whether they are signed or not, and they are just as
+    good, anyhow."</p>
+
+    <p>I was a listener to the conversation, and at this juncture
+    proffered a pair of scissors to assist in dividing the notes.
+    It took but a short time to cut off enough "money" to pay for
+    twenty canteens of the worst whisky I ever saw.</p>
+
+    <p>At Huntsville we made a few prisoners, who said they were on
+    their way from Price's army to Forsyth, Missouri. They gave us
+    the important information that the Rebel army, thirty thousand
+    strong, was on the Boston Mountains the day previous; and on
+    the very day of our arrival at Huntsville, it was to begin its
+    advance toward our front. These men, and some others, had been
+    sent away because they had no weapons with which to enter the
+    fight.</p>
+
+    <p>Immediately on learning this, Colonel Vandever dispatched a
+    courier to General Curtis, and prepared to set out on his
+    return to the main army. We marched six miles before nightfall,
+    and at midnight, while we were endeavoring to sleep, a courier
+    joined us from the commander-in-chief. He brought orders for us
+    to make our way back with all possible speed, as the Rebel army
+    was advancing in full force.</p>
+
+    <p>At two o'clock we broke camp, and, with only one halt of an
+    hour, made a forced march of forty-one miles, joining the main
+    column at ten o'clock at night. I doubt if there were many
+    occasions during the war where better marching was done by
+    infantry than on that day. Of course, the soldiers were much
+    fatigued, but were ready, on the following day, to take active
+    part in the battle.</p>
+
+    <p>On the 5th of March, as soon as General Curtis learned of
+    the Rebel advance, he ordered General Sigel, who was in camp at
+    Bentonville, to fall back to Pea Ridge, on the north bank of
+    Sugar Creek. At the same time he withdrew Colonel Jeff. C.
+    Davis's Division to the same locality. This placed the army in
+    a strong, defensible position, with the creek in its front. On
+    the ridge above the stream our artillery and infantry were
+    posted.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebel armies under Price and McCulloch had been united
+    and strongly re-enforced, the whole being under the command of
+    General Van Dorn. Their strength was upward of twenty thousand
+    men, and they were confident of their ability to overpower us.
+    Knowing our strong front line, General Van Dorn decided upon a
+    bold movement, and threw himself around our right flank to a
+    position between us and our base at Springfield.</p>
+
+    <p>In moving to our right and rear, the Rebels encountered
+    General Sigel's Division before it had left Bentonville, and
+    kept up a running fight during the afternoon of the 6th.
+    Several times the Rebels, in small force, secured positions in
+    Sigel's front, but that officer succeeded in cutting his way
+    through and reaching the main force, with a loss of less than a
+    hundred men.</p>
+
+    <p>The position of the enemy at Bentonville showed us his
+    intentions, and we made our best preparations to oppose him.
+    Our first step was to obstruct the road from Bentonville to our
+    rear, so as to retard the enemy's movements. Colonel Dodge, of
+    the Fourth Iowa (afterward a major-general), rose from a
+    sick-bed to perform this work. The impediments which he placed
+    in the way of the Rebels prevented their reaching the road in
+    our rear until nine o'clock on the morning of the 7th.</p>
+
+    <p>Our next movement was to reverse our position. We had been
+    facing south--it was now necessary to face to the north. The
+    line that had been our rear became our front. A change of front
+    implied that our artillery train should take the place of the
+    supply train, and <i>vice vers&acirc;</i>. "Elkhorn Tavern" had
+    been the quartermaster's depot. We made all haste to substitute
+    artillery for baggage-wagons, and boxes of ammunition for boxes
+    of hard bread. This transfer was not accomplished before the
+    battle began, and as our troops were pressed steadily back on
+    our new front, Elkhorn Tavern fell into the hands of the
+    Rebels.</p>
+
+    <p>The sugar, salt, and bread which they captured, happily not
+    of large quantity, were very acceptable, and speedily
+    disappeared. Among the quartermaster's stores was a wagon-load
+    of desiccated vegetables, a very valuable article for an army
+    in the field. All expected it would be made into soup and eaten
+    by the Rebels. What was our astonishment to find, two days
+    later, that they had opened and examined a single case, and,
+    after scattering its contents on the ground, left the balance
+    undisturbed!</p>
+
+    <p>Elkhorn Tavern was designated by a pair of elk-horns, which
+    occupied a conspicuous position above the door. After the
+    battle these horns were removed by Colonel Carr, and sent to
+    his home in Illinois, as trophies of the victory.</p>
+
+    <p>A family occupied the building at the time of the battle,
+    and remained there during the whole contest. When the battle
+    raged most fiercely the cellar proved a place of refuge. Shells
+    tore through the house, sometimes from the National batteries,
+    and sometimes from Rebel guns. One shell exploded in a room
+    where three women were sitting. Though their clothes were torn
+    by the flying fragments, they escaped without personal injury.
+    They announced their determination not to leave home so long as
+    the house remained standing.</p>
+
+    <p>Among other things captured at Elkhorn Tavern by the Rebels,
+    was a sutler's wagon, which, had just arrived from St. Louis.
+    In the division of the spoils, a large box, filled with
+    wallets, fell to the lot of McDonald's Battery. For several
+    weeks the officers and privates of this battery could boast of
+    a dozen wallets each, while very few had any money to carry.
+    The Rebel soldiers complained that the visits of the paymaster
+    were like those of angels.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c13" id="c13"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XIII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Rebels make their Attack.--Albert Pike and
+    his Indians.--Scalping Wounded Men.--Death of General
+    McCulloch.--The Fighting at Elkhorn Tavern.--Close of a Gloomy
+    Day.--An Unpleasant Night.--Vocal Sounds from a Mule's
+    Throat.--Sleeping under Disadvantages.--A Favorable
+    Morning.--The Opposing Lines of Battle.--A Severe
+    Cannonade.--The Forest on Fire.--Wounded Men in the
+    Flames.--The Rebels in Retreat.--Movements of our Army.--A
+    Journey to St. Louis.</p>
+
+    <p>About nine o'clock on the morning of the 7th, the Rebels
+    made a simultaneous attack on our left and front, formerly our
+    right and rear. General Price commanded the force on our front,
+    and General McCulloch that on our left; the former having the
+    old Army of Missouri, re-enforced by several Arkansas
+    regiments, and the latter having a corps made up of Arkansas,
+    Texas, and Louisiana troops. They brought into the fight upward
+    of twenty thousand men, while we had not over twelve thousand
+    with which to oppose them.</p>
+
+    <p>The attack on our left was met by General Sigel and Colonel
+    Davis. That on our front was met by Colonel Carr's Division and
+    the division of General Asboth. On our left it was severe,
+    though not long maintained, the position we held being too
+    strong for the enemy to carry.</p>
+
+    <p>It was on this part of the line that the famous Albert Pike,
+    the lawyer-poet of Arkansas, brought his newly-formed brigades
+    of Indians into use. Pike was unfortunate with his Indians.
+    While he was arranging them in line, in a locality where the
+    bushes were about eight feet in height, the Indians made so
+    much noise as to reveal their exact position. One of our
+    batteries was quietly placed within point-blank range of the
+    Indians, and suddenly opened upon them with grape and canister.
+    They gave a single yell, and scattered without waiting for
+    orders.</p>
+
+    <p>The Indians were not, as a body, again brought together
+    during the battle. In a charge which our cavalry made upon a
+    Rebel brigade we were repulsed, leaving several killed and
+    wounded upon the ground. Some of Pike's Indians, after their
+    dispersal, came upon these, and scalped the dead and living
+    without distinction. A Rebel officer subsequently informed me
+    that the same Indians scalped several of their own slain, and
+    barbarously murdered some who had been only slightly
+    injured.</p>
+
+    <p>On this part of the field we were fortunate, early in the
+    day, in killing General McCulloch and his best lieutenant,
+    General McIntosh. To this misfortune the Rebels have since
+    ascribed their easy defeat. At the time of this reverse to the
+    enemy, General Van Dorn was with. Price in our front. After
+    their repulse and the death of their leader, the discomfited
+    Rebels joined their comrades in the front, who had been more
+    successful. It was nightfall before the two forces were
+    united.</p>
+
+    <p>In our front, Colonel Carr's Division fought steadily and
+    earnestly during the entire day, but was pressed back fully
+    two-thirds of a mile. General Curtis gave it what
+    re-enforcements he could, but there were very few to be spared.
+    When it was fully ascertained that the Rebels on our left had
+    gone to our front, we prepared to unite against them. Our left
+    was drawn in to re-enforce Colonel Carr, but the movement was
+    not completed until long after dark.</p>
+
+    <p>Thus night came. The rebels were in full possession of our
+    communications. We had repulsed them on the left, but lost
+    ground, guns, and men on our front. The Rebels were holding
+    Elkhorn Tavern, which we had made great effort to defend.
+    Colonel Carr had repeatedly wished for either night or
+    re-enforcements. He obtained both.</p>
+
+    <p>The commanding officers visited General Curtis's
+    head-quarters, and received their orders for the morrow. Our
+    whole force was to be concentrated on our front. If the enemy
+    did not attack us at daylight, we would attack him as soon
+    thereafter as practicable.</p>
+
+    <p>Viewed in its best light, the situation was somewhat gloomy.
+    Mr. Fayel, of the <i>Democrat</i>, and myself were the only
+    journalists with the army, and the cessation of the day's
+    fighting found us deliberating on our best course in case of a
+    disastrous result. We destroyed all documents that could give
+    information to the enemy, retaining only our note-books, and
+    such papers as pertained to our profession. With patience and
+    resignation we awaited the events of the morrow.</p>
+
+    <p>I do not know that any of our officers expected we should be
+    overpowered, but there were many who thought such an occurrence
+    probable. The enemy was nearly twice as strong as we, and lay
+    directly between us and our base. If he could hold out till our
+    ammunition was exhausted, we should be compelled to lay down
+    our arms. There was no retreat for us. We must be victorious or
+    we must surrender.</p>
+
+    <p>In camp, on that night, every thing was confusion. The
+    troops that had been on the left during the day were being
+    transferred to the front. The quartermaster was endeavoring to
+    get his train in the least dangerous place. The opposing lines
+    were so near each other that our men could easily hear the
+    conversation of the Rebels. The night was not severely cold;
+    but the men, who were on the front, after a day's fighting,
+    found it quite uncomfortable. Only in the rear was it thought
+    prudent to build fires.</p>
+
+    <p>The soldiers of German birth were musical. Throughout the
+    night I repeatedly heard their songs. The soldiers of American
+    parentage were generally profane, and the few words I heard
+    them utter were the reverse of musical. Those of Irish origin
+    combined the peculiarities of both Germans and Americans, with
+    their tendencies in favor of the latter.</p>
+
+    <p>I sought a quiet spot within the limits of the camp, but
+    could not find it. Lying down in the best place available, I
+    had just fallen asleep when a mounted orderly rode his horse
+    directly over me. I made a mild remonstrance, but the man was
+    out of hearing before I spoke. Soon after, some one lighted a
+    pipe and threw a coal upon my hand. This drew from me a gentle
+    request for a discontinuance of that experiment. I believe it
+    was not repeated. During the night Mr. Fayel's beard took fire,
+    and I was roused to assist in staying the conflagration.</p>
+
+    <p>The vocal music around me was not calculated to encourage
+    drowsiness. Close at hand was the quartermaster's train, with
+    the mules ready harnessed for moving in any direction. These
+    mules had not been fed for two whole days, and it was more than
+    thirty-six hours since they had taken water. These facts were
+    made known in the best language the creatures possessed. The
+    bray of a mule is never melodious, even when the animal's
+    throat is well moistened. When it is parched and dusty the
+    sound becomes unusually hoarse. Each hour added to the noise as
+    the thirst of the musicians increased. Mr. Fayel provoked a
+    discussion concerning the doctrine of the transmigration of
+    souls; and thought, in the event of its truth, that the wretch
+    was to be pitied who should pass into a mule in time of
+    war.</p>
+
+    <p>With the dawn of day every one was astir. At sunrise I found
+    our line was not quite ready, though it was nearly so. General
+    Curtis was confident all would result successfully, and
+    completed the few arrangements then requiring attention. We had
+    expected the Rebels would open the attack; but they waited for
+    us to do so. They deserved many thanks for their courtesy. The
+    smoke of the previous day's fight still hung over the camp, and
+    the sun rose through it, as through a cloud. A gentle wind soon
+    dissipated this smoke, and showed us a clear sky overhead. The
+    direction of the wind was in our favor.</p>
+
+    <p>The ground selected for deciding the fate of that day was a
+    huge cornfield, somewhat exceeding two miles in length and
+    about half a mile in width. The western extremity of this field
+    rested upon the ridge which gave name to the battle-ground. The
+    great road from Springfield to Fayetteville crossed this field
+    about midway from the eastern to the western end.</p>
+
+    <p>It was on this road that the two armies took their
+    positions. The lines were in the edge of the woods on opposite
+    sides of the field--the wings of the armies extending to either
+    end. On the northern side were the Rebels, on the southern was
+    the National army. Thus each army, sheltered by the forest, had
+    a cleared space in its front, affording a full view of the
+    enemy.</p><a href="images/p156i1.jpg"><img src=
+    "images/p156i1_t.jpg" alt=
+    "SHELLING THE HILL AT PEA RIDGE." /></a>
+
+    <p class="captn">SHELLING THE HILL AT PEA RIDGE.</p>
+
+    <p>By half-past seven o'clock our line was formed and ready for
+    action. A little before eight o'clock the cannonade was opened.
+    Our forces were regularly drawn up in order of battle. Our
+    batteries were placed between the regiments as they stood in
+    line. In the timber, behind these regiments and batteries, were
+    the brigades in reserve, ready to be brought forward in case of
+    need. At the ends of the line were battalions of cavalry,
+    stretching off to cover the wings, and give notice of any
+    attempt by the Rebels to move on our flanks. Every five minutes
+    the bugle of the extreme battalion would sound the signal
+    "All's well." The signal would be taken by the bugler of the
+    next battalion, and in this way carried down the line to the
+    center. If the Rebels had made any attempt to outflank us, we
+    could hardly have failed to discover it at once.</p>
+
+    <p>Our batteries opened; the Rebel batteries responded. Our
+    gunners proved the best, and our shot had the greatest effect.
+    We had better ammunition than that of our enemies, and thus
+    reduced the disparity caused by their excess of guns. Our
+    cannonade was slow and careful; theirs was rapid, and was made
+    at random. At the end of two hours of steady, earnest work, we
+    could see that the Rebel line was growing weaker, while our own
+    was still unshaken. The work of the artillery was winning us
+    the victory.</p>
+
+    <p>In the center of the Rebel line was a rocky hill, eighty or
+    a hundred feet in height. The side which faced us was almost
+    perpendicular, but the slope to the rear was easy of ascent. On
+    this hill the Rebels had stationed two regiments of infantry
+    and a battery of artillery. The balance of their artillery lay
+    at its base. General Curtis ordered that the fire of all our
+    batteries should be concentrated on this hill at a given
+    signal, and continued there for ten minutes. This was done. At
+    the same time our infantry went forward in a charge on the
+    Rebel infantry and batteries that stood in the edge of the
+    forest. The cleared field afforded fine opportunity for the
+    movement.</p>
+
+    <p>The charge was successful. The Rebels fell back in disorder,
+    leaving three guns in our hands, and their dead and wounded
+    scattered on the ground. This was the end of the battle. We had
+    won the victory at Pea Ridge.</p>
+
+    <p>I followed our advancing forces, and ascended to the summit
+    of the elevation on which our last fire was concentrated.
+    Wounded men were gathered in little groups, and the dead were
+    lying thick about them. The range of our artillery had been
+    excellent. Rocks, trees, and earth attested the severity of our
+    fire. This cannonade was the decisive work of the day. It was
+    the final effort of our batteries, and was terrible while it
+    lasted.</p>
+
+    <p>The shells, bursting among the dry leaves, had set the woods
+    on fire, and the flames were slowly traversing the ground where
+    the battle had raged. We made every effort to remove the
+    wounded to places of safety, before the fire should reach them.
+    At that time we thought we had succeeded. Late in the afternoon
+    I found several wounded men lying in secluded places, where
+    they had been terribly burned, though they were still alive.
+    Very few of them survived.</p>
+
+    <p>Our loss in this battle was a tenth of our whole force. The
+    enemy lost more than we in numbers, though less in proportion
+    to his strength. His position, directly in our rear, would have
+    been fatal to a defeated army in many other localities. There
+    were numerous small roads, intersecting the great road at right
+    angles. On these roads the Rebels made their lines of retreat.
+    Had we sent cavalry in pursuit, the Rebels would have lost
+    heavily in artillery and in their supply train. As it was, they
+    escaped without material loss, but they suffered a defeat which
+    ultimately resulted in our possession of all Northern
+    Arkansas.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels retreated across the Boston Mountains to Van
+    Buren and Fort Smith, and were soon ordered thence to join
+    Beauregard at Corinth. Our army moved to Keytsville, Missouri,
+    several miles north of the battle-ground, where the country was
+    better adapted to foraging, and more favorable to recuperating
+    from the effects of the conflict.</p>
+
+    <p>From Keytsville it moved to Forsyth, a small town in Taney
+    County, Missouri, fifty miles from Springfield. Extending over
+    a considerable area, the army consumed whatever could be found
+    in the vicinity. It gave much annoyance to the Rebels by
+    destroying the saltpeter works on the upper portion of White
+    River.</p>
+
+    <p>The saltpeter manufactories along the banks of this stream
+    were of great importance to the Rebels in the Southwest, and
+    their destruction seriously reduced the supplies of gunpowder
+    in the armies of Arkansas and Louisiana. Large quantities of
+    the crude material were shipped to Memphis and other points, in
+    the early days of the war. At certain seasons White River is
+    navigable to Forsyth. The Rebels made every possible use of
+    their opportunities, as long as the stream remained in their
+    possession.</p>
+
+    <p>Half sick in consequence of the hardships of the campaign,
+    and satisfied there would be no more fighting of importance
+    during the summer, I determined to go back to civilization. I
+    returned to St. Louis by way of Springfield and Rolla. A
+    wounded officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Herron (who afterward wore
+    the stars of a major-general), was my traveling companion. Six
+    days of weary toil over rough and muddy roads brought us to the
+    railway, within twelve hours of St. Louis. It was my last
+    campaign in that region. From that date the war in the
+    Southwest had its chief interest in the country east of the
+    Great River.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c14" id="c14"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XIV.</h4>
+
+    <h5>UP THE TENNESSEE AND AT PITTSBURG LANDING.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">At St. Louis.--Progress of our Arms in the Great
+    Valley.--Cairo.--Its Peculiarities and Attractions.--Its
+    Commercial, Geographical, and Sanitary Advantages.--Up the
+    Tennessee.--Movements Preliminary to the Great Battle.--The
+    Rebels and their Plans.--Postponement of the
+    Attack.--Disadvantages of our Position.--The Beginning of the
+    Battle.--Results of the First Day.--Re-enforcements.--Disputes
+    between Officers of our two Armies.--Beauregard's
+    Watering-Place.</p>
+
+    <p>On reaching St. Louis, three weeks after the battle of Pea
+    Ridge, I found that public attention was centered upon the
+    Tennessee River. Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Columbus, and
+    Nashville had fallen, and our armies were pushing forward
+    toward the Gulf, by the line of the Tennessee. General Pope was
+    laying siege to Island Number Ten, having already occupied New
+    Madrid, and placed his gun-boats in front of that point.
+    General Grant's army was at Pittsburg Landing, and General
+    Buell's army was moving from Nashville toward Savannah,
+    Tennessee. The two armies were to be united at Pittsburg
+    Landing, for a further advance into the Southern States.
+    General Beauregard was at Corinth, where he had been joined by
+    Price and Van Dorn from Arkansas, and by Albert Sidney Johnston
+    from Kentucky. There was a promise of active hostilities in
+    that quarter. I left St. Louis, after a few days' rest, for the
+    new scene of action.</p>
+
+    <p>Cairo lay in my route. I found it greatly changed from the
+    Cairo of the previous autumn. Six months before, it had been
+    the rendezvous of the forces watching the Lower Mississippi.
+    The basin in which the town stood, was a vast military
+    encampment. Officers of all rank thronged the hotels, and made
+    themselves as comfortable as men could be in Cairo. All the
+    leading journals of the country were represented, and the
+    dispatches from Cairo were everywhere perused with interest,
+    though they were not always entirety accurate.</p>
+
+    <p>March and April witnessed a material change. Where there had
+    been twenty thousand soldiers in December, there were less than
+    one thousand in April. Where a fleet of gun-boats,
+    mortar-rafts, and transports had been tied to the levees during
+    the winter months, the opening spring showed but a half-dozen
+    steamers of all classes. The transports and the soldiers were
+    up the Tennessee, the mortars were bombarding Island Number
+    Ten, and the gun-boats were on duty where their services were
+    most needed. The journalists had become war correspondents in
+    earnest, and were scattered to the points of greatest
+    interest.</p>
+
+    <p>Cairo had become a vast depot of supplies for the armies
+    operating on the Mississippi and its tributaries. The commander
+    of the post was more a forwarding agent than a military
+    officer. The only steamers at the levee were loading for the
+    armies. Cairo was a map of busy, muddy life.</p>
+
+    <p>The opening year found Cairo exulting in its deep and
+    all-pervading mud. There was mud everywhere.</p>
+
+    <p>Levee, sidewalks, floors, windows, tables, bed-clothing, all
+    were covered with it. On the levee it varied from six to thirty
+    inches in depth. The luckless individual whose duties obliged
+    him to make frequent journeys from the steamboat landing to the
+    principal hotel, became intimately acquainted with its
+    character.</p>
+
+    <p>Sad, unfortunate, derided Cairo! Your visitors depart with
+    unpleasant memories. Only your inhabitants, who hold titles to
+    corner lots, speak loudly in your praise. When it rains, and
+    sometimes when it does not, your levee is unpleasant to walk
+    upon. Your sidewalks are dangerous, and your streets are
+    unclean. John Phenix declared you destitute of honesty. Dickens
+    asserted that your physical and moral foundations were
+    insecurely laid. Russell did not praise you, and Trollope
+    uttered much to your discredit. Your musquitos are large,
+    numerous, and hungry. Your atmosphere does not resemble the
+    spicy breezes that blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle. Your energy
+    and enterprise are commendable, and your geographical location
+    is excellent, but you can never become a rival to Saratoga or
+    Newport.</p>
+
+    <p>Cairo is built in a basin formed by constructing a levee to
+    inclose the peninsula at the junction of the Ohio and
+    Mississippi Rivers. Before the erection of the levee, this
+    peninsula was overflowed by the rise of either river.
+    Sometimes, in unusual floods, the waters reach the top of the
+    embankment, and manage to fill the basin. At the time of my
+    visit, the Ohio was rising rapidly. The inhabitants were
+    alarmed, as the water was gradually gaining upon them. After a
+    time it took possession of the basin, enabling people to
+    navigate the streets and front yards in skiffs, and exchange
+    salutations from house-tops or upper windows. Many were driven
+    from their houses by the flood, and forced to seek shelter
+    elsewhere. In due time the waters receded and the city remained
+    unharmed. It is not true that a steamer was lost in consequence
+    of running against a chimney of the St. Charles Hotel.</p>
+
+    <p>Cairo has prospered during the war, and is now making an
+    effort to fill her streets above the high-water level, and
+    insure a dry foundation at all seasons of the year. This once
+    accomplished, Cairo will become a city of no little
+    importance.</p>
+
+    <p>Proceeding up the Tennessee, I reached Pittsburg Landing
+    three days after the great battle which has made that locality
+    famous.</p>
+
+    <p>The history of that battle has been many times written.
+    Official reports have given the dry details,--the movements of
+    division, brigade, regiment, and battery, all being fully
+    portrayed. A few journalists who witnessed it gave the accounts
+    which were circulated everywhere by the Press. The earliest of
+    these was published by <i>The Herald.</i> The most complete and
+    graphic was that of Mr. Reid, of <i>The Cincinnati Gazette.</i>
+    Officers, soldiers, civilians, all with greater or less
+    experience, wrote what they had heard and seen. So diverse have
+    been the statements, that a general officer who was prominent
+    in the battle, says he sometimes doubts if he was present.</p>
+
+    <p>In the official accounts there have been inharmonious
+    deductions, and many statements of a contradictory character.
+    Some of the participants have criticised unfavorably the
+    conduct of others, and a bitterness continuing through and
+    after the war has been the result.</p>
+
+    <p>In February of 1862, the Rebels commenced assembling an army
+    at Corinth. General Beauregard was placed in command. Early in
+    March, Price and Van Dorn were ordered to take their commands
+    to Corinth, as their defeat at Pea Ridge had placed them on the
+    defensive against General Curtis. General A. S. Johnston had
+    moved thither, after the evacuation of Bowling Green, Kentucky,
+    and from all quarters the Rebels were assembling a vast army.
+    General Johnston became commander-in-chief on his arrival.</p>
+
+    <p>General Halleck, who then commanded the Western Department,
+    ordered General Grant, after the capture of Forts Henry and
+    Donelson, to move to Pittsburg Landing, and seize that point as
+    a base against Corinth. General Buell, with the Army of the
+    Ohio, was ordered to join him from Nashville, and with other
+    re-enforcements we would be ready to take the offensive.</p>
+
+    <p>Owing to the condition of the roads, General Buell moved
+    very slowly, so that General Grant was in position at Pittsburg
+    Landing several days before the former came up. This was the
+    situation at the beginning of April; Grant encamped on the bank
+    of the Tennessee nearest the enemy, and Buell slowly
+    approaching the opposite bank. It was evidently the enemy's
+    opportunity to strike his blow before our two armies should be
+    united.</p>
+
+    <p>On the 4th of April, the Rebels prepared to move from
+    Corinth to attack General Grant's camp, but, on account of
+    rain, they delayed their advance till the morning of the 6th.
+    At daylight of the 6th our pickets were driven in, and were
+    followed by the advance of the Rebel army.</p>
+
+    <p>The division whose camp was nearest to Corinth, and
+    therefore the first to receive the onset of the enemy, was
+    composed of the newest troops in the army. Some of the
+    regiments had received their arms less than two weeks before.
+    The outposts were not sufficiently far from camp to allow much
+    time for getting under arms after the first encounter. A
+    portion of this division was attacked before it could form, but
+    its commander, General Prentiss, promptly rallied his men, and
+    made a vigorous fight. He succeeded, for a time, in staying the
+    progress of the enemy, but the odds against him were too great.
+    When his division was surrounded and fighting was no longer of
+    use, he surrendered his command. At the time of surrender he
+    had little more than a thousand men remaining out of a division
+    six thousand strong. Five thousand were killed, wounded, or had
+    fled to the rear.</p>
+
+    <p>General Grant had taken no precautions against attack. The
+    vedettes were but a few hundred yards from our front, and we
+    had no breast-works of any kind behind which to fight. The
+    newest and least reliable soldiers were at the point where the
+    enemy would make his first appearance. The positions of the
+    various brigades and divisions were taken, more with reference
+    to securing a good camping-ground, than for purposes of
+    strategy. General Grant showed himself a soldier in the
+    management of the army after the battle began, and he has since
+    achieved a reputation as the greatest warrior of the age. Like
+    the oculist who spoiled a hatful of eyes in learning to operate
+    for the cataract, he improved his military knowledge by his
+    experience at Shiloh. Never afterward did he place an army in
+    the enemy's country without making careful provision against
+    assault.</p>
+
+    <p>One division, under General Wallace, was at Crump's Landing,
+    six miles below the battle-ground, and did not take part in the
+    action till the following day. The other divisions were in line
+    to meet the enemy soon after the fighting commenced on General
+    Prentiss's front, and made a stubborn resistance to the Rebel
+    advance.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels well knew they would have no child's play in that
+    battle. They came prepared for hot, terrible work, in which
+    thousands of men were to fall. The field attests our determined
+    resistance; it attests their daring advance. A day's fighting
+    pushed us slowly, but steadily, toward the Tennessee. Our last
+    line was formed less than a half mile from its bank. Sixty
+    pieces of artillery composed a grand battery, against which the
+    enemy rushed. General Grant's officers claim that the enemy
+    received a final check when he attacked that line. The Rebels
+    claim that another hour of daylight, had we received no
+    re-enforcements, would have seen our utter defeat. Darkness and
+    a fresh division came to our aid.</p>
+
+    <p>General Buell was to arrive at Savannah, ten miles below
+    Pittsburg, and on the opposite bank of the river, on the
+    morning of the 6th. On the evening of the 5th, General Grant
+    proceeded to Savannah to meet him, and was there when the
+    battle began on the following morning. His boat was immediately
+    headed for Pittsburg, and by nine o'clock the General was on
+    the battle-field. From that time, the engagement received his
+    personal attention. When he started from Savannah, some of
+    General Buell's forces were within two miles of the town. They
+    were hurried forward as rapidly as possible, and arrived at
+    Pittsburg, some by land and others by water, in season to take
+    position on our left, just as the day was closing. Others came
+    up in the night, and formed a part of the line on the morning
+    of the 7th.</p>
+
+    <p>General Nelson's Division was the first to cross the river
+    and form on the left of Grant's shattered army. As he landed,
+    Nelson rode among the stragglers by the bank and endeavored to
+    rally them. Hailing a captain of infantry, he told him to get
+    his men together and fall into line. The captain's face
+    displayed the utmost terror. "My regiment is cut to pieces,"
+    was the rejoinder; "every man of my company is killed."</p>
+
+    <p>"Then why ain't you killed, too, you d----d coward?"
+    thundered Nelson. "Gather some of these stragglers and go back
+    into the battle."</p>
+
+    <p>The man obeyed the order.</p><a href=
+    "images/p170i1.jpg"><img src="images/p170i1_t.jpg" alt=
+    "NELSON CROSSING THE TENNESSEE RIVER." /></a>
+
+    <p class="captn">NELSON CROSSING THE TENNESSEE RIVER.</p>
+
+    <p>General Nelson reported to General Grant with his division,
+    received his orders, and then dashed about the field, wherever
+    his presence was needed. The division was only slightly engaged
+    before night came on and suspended the battle.</p>
+
+    <p>At dawn on the second day the enemy lay in the position it
+    held When darkness ended the fight. The gun-boats had shelled
+    the woods during the night, and prevented the Rebels from
+    reaching the river on our left. A creek and ravine prevented
+    their reaching it on the right. None of the Rebels stood on the
+    bank of the Tennessee River on that occasion, except as
+    prisoners of war.</p>
+
+    <p>As they had commenced the attack on the 6th, it was our turn
+    to begin it on the 7th. A little past daylight we opened fire,
+    and the fresh troops on the left, under General Buell, were put
+    in motion. The Rebels had driven us on the 6th, so we drove
+    them on the 7th. By noon of that day we held the ground lost on
+    the day previous.</p>
+
+    <p>The camps which the enemy occupied during the night were
+    comparatively uninjured, so confident were the Rebels that our
+    defeat was assured.</p>
+
+    <p>It was the arrival of General Buell's army that saved us.
+    The history of that battle, as the Rebels have given it, shows
+    that they expected to overpower General Grant before General
+    Buell could come up. They would then cross the Tennessee, meet
+    and defeat Buell, and recapture Nashville. The defeat of these
+    two armies would have placed the Valley of the Ohio at the
+    command of the Rebels. Louisville was to have been the next
+    point of attack.</p>
+
+    <p>The dispute between the officers of the Army of the
+    Tennessee and those of the Army of the Ohio is not likely to be
+    terminated until this generation has passed away. The former
+    contend that the Rebels were repulsed on the evening of the 6th
+    of April, before the Army of the Ohio took part in the battle.
+    The latter are equally earnest in declaring that the Army of
+    the Tennessee would have been defeated had not the other army
+    arrived. Both parties sustain their arguments by statements in
+    proof, and by positive assertions. I believe it is the general
+    opinion of impartial observers, that the salvation of General
+    Grant's army is due to the arrival of the army of General
+    Buell. With the last attack on the evening of the 6th, in which
+    our batteries repulsed the Rebels, the enemy did not retreat.
+    Night came as the fighting ceased. Beauregard's army slept
+    where it had fought, and gave all possible indication of a
+    readiness to renew the battle on the following day. So near was
+    it to the river that our gun-boats threw shells during the
+    night to prevent our left wing being flanked.</p>
+
+    <p>Beauregard is said to have sworn to water his horse in the
+    Tennessee, or in Hell, on that night. It is certain that the
+    animal did not quench his thirst in the terrestrial stream. If
+    he drank from springs beyond the Styx, I am not informed.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c15" id="c15"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XV.</h4>
+
+    <h5>SHILOH AND THE SIEGE OF CORINTH.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Error of the Rebels.--Story of a
+    Surgeon.--Experience of a Rebel Regiment.--Injury to the Rebel
+    Army.--The Effect in our own Lines.--Daring of a
+    Color-Bearer.--A Brave Soldier.--A Drummer-Boy's
+    Experience.--Gallantry of an Artillery Surgeon.--A Regiment
+    Commanded by a Lieutenant.--Friend Meeting Friend and Brother
+    Meeting Brother in the Opposing Lines.--The Scene of the
+    Battle.--Fearful Traces of Musketry-Fire.--The Wounded.--The
+    Labor of the Sanitary Commission.--Humanity a Yankee
+    Trick.--Besieging Corinth.--A Cold-Water Battery.--Halleck and
+    the Journalists.--Occupation of Corinth.</p>
+
+    <p>The fatal error of the Rebels, was their neglect to attack
+    on the 4th, as originally intended. They were informed by their
+    scouts that Buell could not reach Savannah before the 9th or
+    10th; and therefore a delay of two days would not change the
+    situation. Buell was nearer than they supposed.</p>
+
+    <p>The surgeon of the Sixth Iowa Infantry fell into the enemy's
+    hands early on the morning of the first day of the battle, and
+    established a hospital in our abandoned camp. His position was
+    at a small log-house close by the principal road. Soon after he
+    took possession, the enemy's columns began to file past him, as
+    they pressed our army. The surgeon says he noticed a Louisiana
+    regiment that moved into battle eight hundred strong, its
+    banners flying and the men elated at the prospect of success.
+    About five o'clock in the afternoon this regiment was
+    withdrawn, and went into bivouac a short distance from the
+    surgeon's hospital. It was then less than four hundred strong,
+    but the spirit of the men was still the same. On the morning of
+    the 7th, it once more went into battle. About noon it came out,
+    less than a hundred strong, pressing in retreat toward Corinth.
+    The men still clung to their flag, and declared their
+    determination to be avenged.</p>
+
+    <p>The story of this regiment was the story of many others.
+    Shattered and disorganized, their retreat to Corinth had but
+    little order. Only the splendid rear-guard, commanded by
+    General Bragg, saved them from utter confusion. The Rebels
+    admitted that many of their regiments were unable to produce a
+    fifth of their original numbers, until a week or more after the
+    battle. The stragglers came in slowly from the surrounding
+    country, and at length enabled the Rebels to estimate their
+    loss. There were many who never returned to answer at
+    roll-call.</p>
+
+    <p>In our army, the disorder was far from small. Large numbers
+    of soldiers wandered for days about the camps, before they
+    could ascertain their proper locations. It was fully a week,
+    before all were correctly assigned. We refused to allow burying
+    parties from the Rebels to come within our lines, preferring
+    that they should not see the condition of our camp. Time was
+    required to enable us to recuperate. I presume the enemy was as
+    much in need of time as ourselves.</p>
+
+    <p>A volume could be filled with the stories of personal valor
+    during that battle. General Lew Wallace says his division was,
+    at a certain time, forming on one side of a field, while the
+    Rebels were on the opposite side. The color-bearer of a Rebel
+    regiment stepped in front of his own line, and waved his flag
+    as a challenge to the color-bearer that faced him. Several of
+    our soldiers wished to meet the challenge, but their officers
+    forbade it. Again the Rebel stepped forward, and planted his
+    flag-staff in the ground. There was no response, and again and
+    again he advanced, until he had passed more than half the
+    distance between the opposing lines. Our fire was reserved in
+    admiration of the man's daring, as he stood full in view,
+    defiantly waving his banner. At last, when the struggle between
+    the divisions commenced, it was impossible to save him, and he
+    fell dead by the side of his colors.</p>
+
+    <p>On the morning of the second day's fighting, the officers of
+    one of our gun-boats saw a soldier on the river-bank on our
+    extreme left, assisting another soldier who was severely
+    wounded. A yawl was sent to bring away the wounded man and his
+    companion. As it touched the side of the gun-boat on its
+    return, the uninjured soldier asked to be sent back to land,
+    that he might have further part in the battle. "I have," said
+    he, "been taking care of this man, who is my neighbor at home.
+    He was wounded yesterday morning, and I have been by his side
+    ever since. Neither of us has eaten any thing for thirty hours,
+    but, if you will take good care of him, I will not stop now for
+    myself. I want to get into the battle again at once." The man's
+    request was complied with. I regret my inability to give his
+    name.</p>
+
+    <p>A drummer-boy of the Fifteenth Iowa Infantry was wounded
+    five times during the first day's battle, but insisted upon
+    going out on the second day. He had hardly started before he
+    fainted from loss of blood, and was left to recover and crawl
+    back to the camp.</p>
+
+    <p>Colonel Sweeney, of the Fifty-second Illinois Infantry, who
+    lost an arm in Mexico and was wounded in the leg at Wilson
+    Creek, received a wound in his arm on the first day of the
+    battle. He kept his saddle, though he was unable to use his
+    arm, and went to the hospital after the battle was over. When I
+    saw him he was venting his indignation at the Rebels, because
+    they had not wounded him in the stump of his amputated arm,
+    instead of the locality which gave him so much inconvenience.
+    It was this officer's fortune to be wounded on nearly every
+    occasion when he went into battle.</p>
+
+    <p>During the battle, Dr. Cornyn, surgeon of Major Cavender's
+    battalion of Missouri Artillery, saw a section of a battery
+    whose commander had been killed. The doctor at once removed the
+    surgeon's badge from his hat and the sash from his waist, and
+    took command of the guns. He placed them in position, and for
+    several hours managed them with good effect. He was twice
+    wounded, though not severely. "I was determined they should not
+    kill or capture me as a surgeon when I had charge of that
+    artillery," said the doctor afterward, "and so removed every
+    thing that marked my rank."</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels made some very desperate charges against our
+    artillery, and lost heavily in each attack. Once they actually
+    laid their hands on the muzzles of two guns in Captain Stone's
+    battery, but were unable to capture them.</p>
+
+    <p>General Hurlbut stated that his division fought all day on
+    Sunday with heavy loss, but only one regiment broke. When he
+    entered the battle on Monday morning, the Third Iowa Infantry
+    was commanded by a first-lieutenant, all the field officers and
+    captains having been disabled or captured. Several regiments
+    were commanded by captains.</p>
+
+    <p>Colonel McHenry, of the Seventeenth Kentucky, said his
+    regiment fought a Kentucky regiment which was raised in the
+    county where his own was organized. The fight was very fierce.
+    The men frequently called out from one to another, using
+    taunting epithets. Two brothers recognized each other at the
+    same moment, and came to a tree midway between the lines, where
+    they conversed for several minutes.</p>
+
+    <p>The color-bearer of the Fifty-second Illinois was wounded
+    early in the battle. A man who was under arrest for misdemeanor
+    asked the privilege of carrying the colors. It was granted, and
+    he behaved so admirably that he was released from arrest as
+    soon as the battle was ended.</p>
+
+    <p>General Halleck arrived a week after the battle, and
+    commenced a reorganization of the army. He found much confusion
+    consequent upon the battle. In a short time the army was ready
+    to take the offensive. We then commenced the advance upon
+    Corinth, in which we were six weeks moving twenty-five miles.
+    When our army first took position at Pittsburg Landing, and
+    before the Rebels had effected their concentration, General
+    Grant asked permission to capture Corinth. He felt confident of
+    success, but was ordered not to bring on an engagement under
+    any circumstances. Had the desired permission been given, there
+    is little doubt he would have succeeded, and thus avoided the
+    necessity of the battle of Shiloh.</p>
+
+    <p>The day following my arrival at Pittsburg Landing I rode
+    over the battle-field. The ground was mostly wooded, the forest
+    being one in which artillery could be well employed, but where
+    cavalry was comparatively useless. The ascent from the river
+    was up a steep bluff that led to a broken table-ground, in
+    which there were many ravines, generally at right angles to the
+    river. On this table-ground our camps were located, and it was
+    there the battle took place.</p>
+
+    <p>Everywhere the trees were scarred and shattered, telling, as
+    plainly as by words, of the shower of shot, shell, and bullets,
+    that had fallen upon them. Within rifle range of the river,
+    stood a tree marked by a cannon-shot, showing how much we were
+    pressed back on the afternoon of the 6th. From the moment the
+    crest of the bluff was gained, the traces of battle were
+    apparent.</p>
+
+    <p>In front of the line where General Prentiss's Division
+    fought, there was a spot of level ground covered with a dense
+    growth of small trees. The tops of these trees were from twelve
+    to fifteen feet high, and had been almost mowed off by the
+    shower of bullets which passed through them. I saw no place
+    where there was greater evidence of severe work. There was
+    everywhere full proof that the battle was a determined one.
+    Assailant and defendant had done their best.</p>
+
+    <p>It was a ride of five miles among scarred trees, over ground
+    cut by the wheels of guns and caissons, among shattered
+    muskets, disabled cannon, broken wagons, and all the heavier
+    d&eacute;bris of battle. Everywhere could be seen torn
+    garments, haversacks, and other personal equipments of
+    soldiers. There were tents where the wounded had been gathered,
+    and where those who could not easily bear movement to the
+    transports were still remaining. In every direction I moved,
+    there were the graves of the slain, the National and the Rebel
+    soldiers being buried side by side. Few of the graves were
+    marked, as the hurry of interment had been great. I fear that
+    many of those graves, undesignated and unfenced, have long
+    since been leveled. A single year, with its rain and its rank
+    vegetation, would leave but a small trace of those mounds.</p>
+
+    <p>All through that forest the camps of our army were
+    scattered. During the first few days after the battle they
+    showed much irregularity, but gradually took a more systematic
+    shape. When the wounded had been sent to the transports, the
+    regiments compacted, the camps cleared of superfluous baggage
+    and <i>mat&eacute;riel</i>, and the weather became more
+    propitious, the army assumed an attractive appearance.</p>
+
+    <p>When the news of the battle reached the principal cities of
+    the West, the Sanitary Commission prepared to send relief.
+    Within twenty-four hours, boats were dispatched from St. Louis
+    and Cincinnati, and hurried to Pittsburg Landing with the
+    utmost rapidity. The battle had not been altogether unexpected,
+    but it found us without the proper preparation. Whatever we had
+    was pushed forward without delay, and the sufferings of the
+    wounded were alleviated as much as possible.</p>
+
+    <p>As fast as the boats arrived they were loaded with wounded,
+    and sent to St. Louis and other points along the Mississippi,
+    or to Cincinnati and places in its vicinity. Chicago, St.
+    Louis, and Cincinnati were the principal points represented in
+    this work of humanity. Many prominent ladies of those cities
+    passed week after week in the hospitals or on the transports,
+    doing every thing in their power, and giving their attention to
+    friend and foe alike.</p>
+
+    <p>In all cases the Rebels were treated with the same kindness
+    that our own men received. Not only on the boats, but in the
+    hospitals where the wounded were distributed, and until they
+    were fully recovered, our suffering prisoners were faithfully
+    nursed. The Rebel papers afterward admitted this kind
+    treatment, but declared it was a Yankee trick to win the
+    sympathies of our prisoners, and cause them to abandon the
+    insurgent cause. The men who systematically starved their
+    prisoners, and deprived them of shelter and clothing, could
+    readily suspect the humanity of others. They were careful never
+    to attempt to kill by kindness, those who were so unfortunate
+    as to fall into their hands.</p>
+
+    <p>It was three weeks after the battle before all the wounded
+    were sent away, and the army was ready for offensive work. When
+    we were once more in fighting trim, our lines were slowly
+    pushed forward. General Pope had been called from the vicinity
+    of Fort Pillow, after his capture of Island Number Ten, and his
+    army was placed in position on the left of the line already
+    formed. When our advance began, we mustered a hundred and ten
+    thousand men. Exclusive of those who do not take part in a
+    battle, we could have easily brought eighty thousand men into
+    action. We began the siege of Corinth with every confidence in
+    our ability to succeed.</p>
+
+    <p>In this advance, we first learned how an army should
+    intrench itself. Every time we took a new position, we
+    proceeded to throw up earth-works. Before the siege was ended,
+    our men had perfected themselves in the art of intrenching. The
+    defenses we erected will long remain as monuments of the war in
+    Western Tennessee. Since General Halleck, no other commander
+    has shown such ability to fortify in an open field against an
+    enemy that was acting on the defensive.</p>
+
+    <p>It was generally proclaimed that we were to capture Corinth
+    with all its garrison of sixty or seventy thousand men. The
+    civilian observers could not understand how this was to be
+    accomplished, as the Rebels had two lines of railway open for a
+    safe retreat. It was like the old story of "bagging Price" in
+    Missouri. Every part of the bag, except the top and one side,
+    was carefully closed and closely watched. Unmilitary men were
+    skeptical, but the military heads assured them it was a piece
+    of grand strategy, which the public must not be allowed to
+    understand.</p>
+
+    <p>During the siege, there was very little for a journalist to
+    record. One day was much like another. Occasionally there would
+    be a collision with the enemy's pickets, or a short struggle
+    for a certain position, usually ending in our possession of the
+    disputed point. The battle of Farmington, on the left of our
+    line, was the only engagement worthy the name, and this was of
+    comparatively short duration. Twenty-four hours after it
+    transpired we ceased to talk about it, and made only occasional
+    reference to the event. There were four weeks of monotony. An
+    advance of a half mile daily was not calculated to excite the
+    nerves.</p>
+
+    <p>The chaplains and the surgeons busied themselves in looking
+    after the general health of the army. One day, a chaplain,
+    noted for his advocacy of total abstinence, passed the camp of
+    the First Michigan Battery. This company was raised in
+    Coldwater, Michigan, and the camp-chests, caissons, and other
+    property were marked "Loomis's Coldwater Battery." The chaplain
+    at once sought Captain Loomis, and paid a high compliment to
+    his moral courage in taking a firm and noble stand in favor of
+    temperance. After the termination of the interview, the captain
+    and several friends drank to the long life of the chaplain and
+    the success of the "Coldwater Battery."</p>
+
+    <p>Toward the end of the siege, General Halleck gave the
+    journalists a sensation, by expelling them from his lines. The
+    representatives of the Press held a meeting, and waited upon
+    that officer, after the appearance of the order requiring their
+    departure. They offered a protest, which was insolently
+    rejected. We could not ascertain General Halleck's purpose in
+    excluding us just as the campaign was closing, but concluded he
+    desired we should not witness the end of the siege in which so
+    much had been promised and so little accomplished. A week after
+    our departure, General Beauregard evacuated Corinth, and our
+    army took possession. The fruits of the victory were an empty
+    village, a few hundred stragglers, and a small quantity of war
+    <i>mat&eacute;riel</i>.</p>
+
+    <p>From Corinth the Rebels retreated to Tupelo, Mississippi,
+    where they threw up defensive works. The Rebel Government
+    censured General Beauregard for abandoning Corinth. The
+    evacuation of that point uncovered Memphis, and allowed it to
+    fall into our hands.</p>
+
+    <p>Beauregard was removed from command. General Joseph E.
+    Johnston was assigned to duty in his stead. This officer
+    proceeded to reorganize his army, with a view to offensive
+    operations against our lines. He made no demonstrations of
+    importance until the summer months had passed away.</p>
+
+    <p>The capture of Corinth terminated the offensive portion of
+    the campaign. Our army occupied the line of the Memphis and
+    Charleston Railway from Corinth to Memphis, and made a visit to
+    Holly Springs without encountering the enemy. A few cavalry
+    expeditions were made into Mississippi, but they accomplished
+    nothing of importance. The Army of the Tennessee went into
+    summer-quarters. The Army of the Ohio, under General Buell,
+    returned to its proper department, to confront the Rebel armies
+    then assembling in Eastern Tennessee. General Halleck was
+    summoned to Washington as commander-in-chief of the armies of
+    the United States.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c16" id="c16"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XVI.</h4>
+
+    <h5>CAPTURE OF FORT PILLOW AND BATTLE OF MEMPHIS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Siege of Fort Pillow.--General Pope.--His
+    Reputation for Veracity. --Capture of the "Ten
+    Thousand."--Naval Battle above Fort Pillow.--The John II.
+    Dickey.--Occupation of the Fort.--General Forrest.--Strength of
+    the Fortifications.--Their Location.--Randolph,
+    Tennessee.--Memphis and her Last Ditch.--Opening of the Naval
+    Combat.--Gallant Action of Colonel Ellet.--Fate of the Rebel
+    Fleet.--The People Viewing the Battle.--Their Conduct.</p>
+
+    <p>While I was tarrying at Cairo, after the exodus of the
+    journalists from the army before Corinth, the situation on the
+    Mississippi became interesting. After the capture of Island
+    Number Ten, General Pope was ordered to Pittsburg Landing with
+    his command. When called away, he was preparing to lay siege to
+    Fort Pillow, in order to open the river to Memphis. His success
+    at Island Number Ten had won him much credit, and he was
+    anxious to gain more of the same article. Had he taken Fort
+    Pillow, he would have held the honor of being the captor of
+    Memphis, as that city must have fallen with the strong
+    fortifications which served as its protection.</p>
+
+    <p>The capture of Island Number Ten was marked by the only
+    instance of a successful canal from one bend of the Mississippi
+    to another. As soon as the channel was completed, General Pope
+    took his transports below the island, ready for moving his men.
+    Admiral Foote tried the first experiment of running his
+    gun-boats past the Rebel batteries, and was completely
+    successful. The Rebel transports could not escape, neither
+    could transports or gun-boats come up from Memphis to remove
+    the Rebel army. There was a lake in the rear of the Rebels
+    which prevented their retreat. The whole force, some
+    twenty-eight hundred, was surrendered, with all its arms and
+    munitions of war. General Pope reported his captures somewhat
+    larger than they really were, and received much applause for
+    his success.</p>
+
+    <p>The reputation of this officer, on the score of veracity,
+    has not been of the highest character. After he assumed command
+    in Virginia, his "Order Number Five" drew upon him much
+    ridicule. Probably the story of the capture of ten thousand
+    prisoners, after the occupation of Corinth, has injured him
+    more than all other exaggerations combined. The paternity of
+    that choice bit of romance belongs to General Halleck, instead
+    of General Pope. Colonel Elliott, who commanded the cavalry
+    expedition, which General Pope sent out when Corinth was
+    occupied, forwarded a dispatch to Pope, something like the
+    following:--</p>
+
+    <p>"I am still pursuing the enemy. The woods are full of
+    stragglers. Some of my officers estimate their number as high
+    as ten thousand. Many have already come into my
+    lines."</p><a href="images/p188i1.jpg"><img src=
+    "images/p188i1_t.jpg" alt=
+    "THE CARONDELET RUNNING THE BATTERIES AT ISLAND NO. 10" /></a>
+
+    <p class="captn">THE CARONDELET RUNNING THE BATTERIES AT ISLAND
+    NO. 10</p>
+
+    <p>Pope sent this dispatch, without alteration, to General
+    Halleck. From the latter it went to the country that "General
+    Pope reported ten thousand prisoners captured below Corinth."
+    It served to cover up the barrenness of the Corinth occupation,
+    and put the public in good-humor. General Halleck received
+    credit for the success of his plans. When it came out that no
+    prisoners of consequence had been taken, the real author of the
+    story escaped unharmed.</p>
+
+    <p>At the time of his departure to re-enforce the army before
+    Corinth, General Pope left but a single brigade of infantry, to
+    act in conjunction with our naval forces in the siege of Fort
+    Pillow. This brigade was encamped on the Arkansas shore
+    opposite Fort Pillow, and did some very effective fighting
+    against the musquitos, which that country produces in the
+    greatest profusion. An attack on the fort, with such a small
+    force, was out of the question, and the principal aggressive
+    work was done by the navy at long range.</p>
+
+    <p>On the 10th of May, the Rebel fleet made an attack upon our
+    navy, in which they sunk two of our gun-boats, the <i>Mound
+    City</i> and the <i>Cincinnati</i>, and returned to the
+    protection of Fort Pillow with one of their own boats disabled,
+    and two others somewhat damaged. Our sunken gun-boats were
+    fortunately in shoal water, where they were speedily raised and
+    repaired. Neither fleet had much to boast of as the result of
+    that engagement.</p>
+
+    <p>The journalists who were watching Fort Pillow, had their
+    head-quarters on board the steamer <i>John H. Dickey</i>, which
+    was anchored in midstream. At the time of the approach of the
+    Rebel gun-boats, the <i>Dickey</i> was lying without sufficient
+    steam to move her wheels, and the prospect was good that she
+    might be captured or destroyed. Her commander, Captain
+    Mussleman, declared he was <i>not</i> in that place to stop
+    cannon-shot, and made every exertion to get his boat in
+    condition to move. His efforts were fully appreciated by the
+    journalists, particularly as they were successful. The
+    <i>Dickey</i>, under the same captain, afterward ran a battery
+    near Randolph, Tennessee, and though pierced in every part by
+    cannon-shot and musket-balls, she escaped without any loss of
+    life.</p>
+
+    <p>As soon as the news of the evacuation of Corinth was
+    received at Cairo, we looked for the speedy capture of Fort
+    Pillow. Accordingly, on the 4th of June, I proceeded down the
+    river, arriving off Fort Pillow on the morning of the 5th. The
+    Rebels had left, as we expected, after spiking their guns and
+    destroying most of their ammunition. The first boat to reach
+    the abandoned fort was the <i>Hetty Gilmore</i>, one of the
+    smallest transports in the fleet. She landed a little party,
+    which took possession, hoisted the flag, and declared the fort,
+    and all it contained, the property of the United States. The
+    Rebels were, by this time, several miles distant, in full
+    retreat to a safer location.</p>
+
+    <p>It was at this same fort, two years later, that the Rebel
+    General Forrest ordered the massacre of a garrison that had
+    surrendered after a prolonged defense. His only plea for this
+    cold-blooded slaughter, was that some of his men had been fired
+    upon after the white flag was raised. The testimony in proof of
+    this barbarity was fully conclusive, and gave General Forrest
+    and his men a reputation that no honorable soldier could
+    desire.</p>
+
+    <p>In walking through the fort after its capture, I was struck
+    by its strength and extent. It occupied the base of a bluff
+    near the water's edge. On the summit of the bluff there were
+    breast-works running in a zigzag course for five or six miles,
+    and inclosing a large area. The works along the river were very
+    strong, and could easily hold a powerful fleet at bay.</p>
+
+    <p>From Fort Pillow to Randolph, ten miles lower down, was less
+    than an hour's steaming. Randolph was a small, worthless
+    village, partly at the base of a bluff, and partly on its
+    summit. Here the Rebels had erected a powerful fort, which they
+    abandoned when they abandoned Fort Pillow. The inhabitants
+    expressed much agreeable astonishment on finding that we did
+    not verify all the statements of the Rebels, concerning the
+    barbarity of the Yankees wherever they set foot on Southern
+    soil. The town was most bitterly disloyal. It was afterward
+    burned, in punishment for decoying a steamboat to the landing,
+    and then attempting her capture and destruction. A series of
+    blackened chimneys now marks the site of Randolph.</p>
+
+    <p>Our capture of these points occurred a short time after the
+    Rebels issued the famous "cotton-burning order," commanding all
+    planters to burn their cotton, rather than allow it to fall
+    into our hands. The people showed no particular desire to
+    comply with the order, except in a few instances. Detachments
+    of Rebel cavalry were sent to enforce obedience. They enforced
+    it by setting fire to the cotton in presence of its owners. On
+    both banks of the river, as we moved from Randolph to Memphis,
+    we could see the smoke arising from plantations, or from
+    secluded spots in the forest where cotton had been concealed.
+    In many cases the bales were broken open and rolled into the
+    river, dotting the stream with floating cotton. Had it then
+    possessed the value that attached to it two years later, I fear
+    there would have been many attempts to save it for transfer to
+    a Northern market.</p>
+
+    <p>On the day before the evacuation of Fort Pillow, Memphis
+    determined she would never surrender. In conjunction with other
+    cities, she fitted up several gun-boats, that were expected to
+    annihilate the Yankee fleet. In the event of the failure of
+    this means of defense, the inhabitants were pledged to do many
+    dreadful things before submitting to the invaders. Had we
+    placed any confidence in the resolutions passed by the
+    Memphians, we should have expected all the denizens of the
+    Bluff City to commit <i>hari-kari</i>, after first setting fire
+    to their dwellings.</p>
+
+    <p>On the morning of the 6th of June, the Rebel gun-boats,
+    eight in number, took their position just above Memphis, and
+    prepared for the advance of our fleet. The Rebel boats were the
+    <i>Van Dorn</i> (flag-ship), <i>General Price, General Bragg,
+    General Lovell, Little Rebel, Jeff. Thompson, Sumter</i>, and
+    <i>General Beauregard</i>. The <i>General Bragg</i> was the New
+    Orleans and Galveston steamer <i>Mexico</i> in former days, and
+    had been strengthened, plated, and, in other ways made as
+    effective as possible for warlike purposes. The balance of the
+    fleet consisted of tow-boats from the Lower Mississippi, fitted
+    up as rams and gun-boats. They were supplied with very powerful
+    engines, and were able to choose their positions in the battle.
+    The Rebel fleet was commanded by Commodore Montgomery, who was
+    well known to many persons on our own boats.</p>
+
+    <p>The National boats were the iron-clads <i>Benton,
+    Carondelet, St. Louis, Louisville</i>, and <i>Cairo</i>. There
+    was also the ram fleet, commanded by Colonel Ellet. It
+    comprised the <i>Monarch, Queen of the West, Lioness,
+    Switzerland, Mingo, Lancaster No. 3, Fulton, Horner</i>, and
+    <i>Samson</i>. The <i>Monarch</i> and <i>Queen of the West</i>
+    were the only boats of the ram fleet that took part in the
+    action. Our forces were commanded by Flag-officer Charles H.
+    Davis, who succeeded Admiral Foote at the time of the illness
+    of the latter.</p>
+
+    <p>The land forces, acting in conjunction with our fleet,
+    consisted of a single brigade of infantry, that was still at
+    Fort Pillow. It did not arrive in the vicinity of Memphis until
+    after the battle was over.</p>
+
+    <p>Early in the morning the battle began. It was opened by the
+    gun-boats on the Rebel side, and for some minutes consisted of
+    a cannonade at long range, in which very little was effected.
+    Gradually the boats drew nearer to each other, and made better
+    use of their guns.</p>
+
+    <p>Before they arrived at close quarters the rams
+    <i>Monarch</i> and <i>Queen of the West</i> steamed forward and
+    engaged in the fight. Their participation was most effective.
+    The <i>Queen of the West</i> struck and disabled one of the
+    Rebel gun-boats, and was herself disabled by the force of the
+    blow. The <i>Monarch</i> steered straight for the <i>General
+    Lovell</i>, and dealt her a tremendous blow, fairly in the
+    side, just aft the wheel. The sides of the <i>Lovell</i> were
+    crushed as if they had been made of paper, and the boat sank in
+    less than three minutes, in a spot where the plummet shows a
+    depth of ninety feet.</p>
+
+    <p>Grappling with the <i>Beauregard</i>, the <i>Monarch</i>
+    opened upon her with a stream of hot water and a shower of
+    rifle-balls, which effectually prevented the latter from using
+    a gun. In a few moments she cast off and drifted a short
+    distance down the river. Coming up on the other side, the
+    <i>Monarch</i> dealt her antagonist a blow that left her in a
+    sinking condition. Herself comparatively uninjured, she paused
+    to allow the gun-boats to take a part. Those insignificant and
+    unwieldy rams had placed three of the enemy's gun-boats <i>hors
+    de combat</i> in less than a quarter of an hour's time.</p>
+
+    <p>Our gun-boats ceased firing as the rams entered the fight;
+    but they now reopened. With shot and shell the guns were
+    rapidly served. The effect was soon apparent. One Rebel boat
+    was disabled and abandoned, after grounding opposite Memphis. A
+    second was grounded and blown up, and two others were disabled,
+    abandoned, and captured.</p>
+
+    <p>It was a good morning's work. The first gun was fired at
+    forty minutes past five o'clock, and the last at forty-three
+    minutes past six. The Rebels boasted they would whip us before
+    breakfast. We had taken no breakfast when the fight began.
+    After the battle was over we enjoyed our morning meal with a
+    relish that does not usually accompany defeat.</p>
+
+    <p>The following shows the condition of the two fleets after
+    the battle:--</p><br />
+
+    <table summary="Condition of Confederate Fleet">
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>General Beauregard</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">sunk.</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>General Lovell</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">sunk.</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>General Price</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">injured and captured.</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>Little Rebel</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">" " "</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>Sumter</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">" " "</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>General Bragg</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">" " "</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>Jeff. Thompson</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">burned.</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>General Van Dorn</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">escaped.</td>
+      </tr>
+    </table><br />
+    <br />
+
+    <table summary="Condition of National Fleet">
+      <caption>
+        THE NATIONAL FLEET.
+      </caption>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>Benton</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">unhurt.</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>Carondelet</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">"</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>St. Louis</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">"</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>Louisville</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">"</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>Cairo</i>,</td>
+
+        <td class="l">"</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>Monarch</i> (ram),</td>
+
+        <td class="l">unhurt.</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="r"><i>Queen of the West</i> (ram),</td>
+
+        <td class="l">disabled.</td>
+      </tr>
+    </table><br />
+
+    <p>The captured vessels were refitted, and, without alteration
+    of names, attached to the National fleet. The <i>Sumter</i> was
+    lost a few months later, in consequence of running aground near
+    the Rebel batteries in the vicinity of Bayou Sara. The
+    <i>Bragg</i> was one of the best boats in the service in point
+    of speed, and proved of much value as a dispatch-steamer on the
+    lower portion of the river.</p>
+
+    <p>The people of Memphis rose at an early hour to witness the
+    naval combat. It had been generally known during the previous
+    night that the battle would begin about sunrise. The first gun
+    brought a large crowd to the bluff overlooking the river,
+    whence a full view of the fight was obtained. Some of the
+    spectators were loyal, and wished success to the National
+    fleet, but the great majority were animated by a strong hope
+    and expectation of our defeat.</p>
+
+    <p>A gentleman, who was of the lookers-on, subsequently told me
+    of the conduct of the populace. As a matter of course, the
+    disloyalists had all the conversation their own way. While they
+    expressed their wishes in the loudest tones, no one uttered a
+    word in opposition. Many offered wagers on the success of their
+    fleet, and expressed a readiness to give large odds. No one
+    dared accept these offers, as their acceptance would have been
+    an evidence of sympathy for the Yankees. Americans generally,
+    but particularly in the South, make their wagers as they hope
+    or wish. In the present instance no man was allowed to "copper"
+    on the Rebel flotilla.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c17" id="c17"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XVII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>IN MEMPHIS AND UNDER THE FLAG</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Jeff. Thompson and his Predictions.--A Cry of
+    Indignation.--Memphis Humiliated.--The Journalists in the
+    Battle.--The Surrender.--A Fine Point of Law and Honor.--Going
+    on Shore.--An Enraged Secessionist.--A Dangerous
+    Enterprise.--Memphis and her Antecedents.--Her Loyalty.--An
+    Amusing Incident.--How the Natives learned of the Capture of
+    Fort Donelson.--The Last Ditch.--A
+    Farmer-Abolitionist.--Disloyalty among the Women.--"Blessings
+    in Disguise."--An American Mark Tapley.</p>
+
+    <p>The somewhat widely (though not favorably) known Rebel
+    chieftain, Jeff. Thompson, was in Memphis on the day of the
+    battle, and boasted of the easy victory the Rebels would have
+    over the National fleet.</p>
+
+    <p>"We will chaw them up in just an hour," said Jeff., as the
+    battle began.</p>
+
+    <p>"Are you sure of that?" asked a friend.</p>
+
+    <p>"Certainly I am; there is no doubt of it." Turning to a
+    servant, he sent for his horse, in order, as he said, to be
+    able to move about rapidly to the best points for witnessing
+    the engagement.</p>
+
+    <p>In an hour and three minutes the battle was over. Jeff,
+    turned in his saddle, and bade his friend farewell, saying he
+    had a note falling due that day at Holly Springs, and was going
+    out to pay it. The "chawing up" of our fleet was not referred
+    to again.</p>
+
+    <p>As the <i>Monarch</i> struck the <i>Lovell</i>, sinking the
+    latter in deep water, the crowd stood breathless. As the crew
+    of the sunken boat were floating helplessly in the strong
+    current, and our own skiffs were putting off to aid them, there
+    was hardly a word uttered through all that multitude. As the
+    Rebel boats, one after another, were sunk or captured, the
+    sympathies of the spectators found vent in words. When, at
+    length, the last of the Rebel fleet disappeared, and the Union
+    flotilla spread its flags in triumph, there went up an almost
+    universal yell of indignation from that vast crowd. Women tore
+    their bonnets from their heads, and trampled them on the
+    ground; men stamped and swore as only infuriated Rebels can,
+    and called for all known misfortunes to settle upon the heads
+    of their invaders. The profanity was not entirely monopolized
+    by the men.</p>
+
+    <p>This scene of confusion lasted for some time, and ended in
+    anxiety to know what we would do next. Some of the spectators
+    turned away, and went, in sullen silence, to their homes.
+    Others remained, out of curiosity, to witness the end of the
+    day's work. A few were secretly rejoicing at the result, but
+    the time had not come when they could display their sympathies.
+    The crowd eagerly watched our fleet, and noted every motion of
+    the various boats.</p>
+
+    <p>The press correspondents occupied various positions during
+    the engagement. Mr. Coffin, of the Boston <i>Journal</i>, was
+    on the tug belonging to the flag-ship, and had a fine view of
+    the whole affair. One of <i>The Herald</i> correspondents was
+    in the pilot-house of the gun-boat <i>Cairo</i>, while Mr.
+    Colburn, of <i>The World</i>, was on the captured steamer
+    <i>Sovereign</i>. "Junius," of <i>The Tribune</i>, and Mr.
+    Vizitelly, of the London <i>Illustrated News</i>, with several
+    others, were on the transport <i>Dickey</i>, the general
+    rendezvous of the journalists. The representative of the St.
+    Louis <i>Republican</i> and myself were on the <i>Platte
+    Valley</i>, in rear of the line of battle. The <i>Platte
+    Valley</i> was the first private boat that touched the Memphis
+    landing after the capture of the city.</p>
+
+    <p>The battle being over, we were anxious to get on shore and
+    look at the people and city of Memphis. Shortly after the
+    fighting ceased, Colonel Ellet sent the ram <i>Lioness</i>,
+    under a flag-of-truce, to demand the surrender of the city. To
+    this demand no response was given. A little later, Flag-Officer
+    Davis sent the following note to the Mayor, at the hands of one
+    of the officers of the gun-boat <i>Benton</i>:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>UNITED STATES FLAG-STEAMER BENTON,<br />
+      OFF MEMPHIS, <i>June</i> 6, 1862.</p>
+
+      <p>SIR:--I have respectfully to request that you will
+      surrender the city of Memphis to the authority of the United
+      States, which I have the honor to represent. I am, Mr. Mayor,
+      with high respect, your most obedient servant, C. H. DAVIS,
+      <i>Flag-Officer Commanding</i>.</p>
+
+      <p>To his Honor, the Mayor of Memphis.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>To this note the following reply was received:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>MAYOR'S OFFICE, MEMPHIS, <i>June</i> 6, 1862.</p>
+
+      <p>C. H. Davis, <i>Flag-Officer Commanding</i>:</p>
+
+      <p>SIR:--Your note of this date is received and contents
+      noted. In reply I have only to say that, as the civil
+      authorities have no means of defense, by the force of
+      circumstances the city is in your hands. Respectfully, John
+      Park, <i>Mayor of Memphis</i>.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>At the meeting, four days before, the citizens of Memphis
+    had solemnly pledged themselves never to surrender. There was a
+    vague understanding that somebody was to do a large amount of
+    fighting, whenever Memphis was attacked. If this fighting
+    proved useless, the city was to be fired in every house, and
+    only abandoned after its complete destruction. It will be seen
+    that the note of the mayor, in response to a demand for
+    surrender, vindicates the honor of Memphis. It merely informs
+    the United States officer that the city has fallen "by the
+    force of circumstances." Since that day I have frequently heard
+    its citizens boast that the place was not surrendered. "You
+    came in," say they, "and took possession, but we did not give
+    up to you. We declared we would never surrender, and we kept
+    our word."</p>
+
+    <p>About eleven o'clock in the forenoon, the transports arrived
+    with our infantry, and attempted to make a landing. As their
+    mooring-lines were thrown on shore they were seized by dozens
+    of persons in the crowd, and the crews were saved the trouble
+    of making fast. This was an evidence that the laboring class,
+    the men with blue shirts and shabby hats, were not disloyal. We
+    had abundant evidence of this when our occupation became a
+    fixed fact. It was generally the wealthy who adhered to the
+    Rebel cause.</p>
+
+    <p>As a file of soldiers moved into the city, the people stood
+    at a respectful distance, occasionally giving forth wordy
+    expression of their anger. When I reached the office of <i>The
+    Avalanche</i>, one of the leading journals of Memphis, and, of
+    course, strongly disloyal, I found the soldiers removing a
+    Rebel flag from the roof of the building. The owner of the
+    banner made a very vehement objection to the proceeding. His
+    indignation was so great that his friends were obliged to hold
+    him, to prevent his throwing himself on the bayonet of the
+    nearest soldier. I saw him several days later, when his anger
+    had somewhat cooled. He found relief from his troubles, before
+    the end of June, by joining the Rebel army at Holly
+    Springs.</p>
+
+    <p>On the bluff above the levee was a tall flag-staff. The
+    Rebels had endeavored to make sure of their courage by nailing
+    a flag to the top of this staff. A sailor from one of the
+    gun-boats volunteered to ascend the staff and bring down the
+    banner. When he had ascended about twenty feet, he saw two
+    rifles bearing upon him from the window of a neighboring
+    building. The sailor concluded it was best to go no further,
+    and descended at once. The staff was cut down and the obnoxious
+    flag secured.</p>
+
+    <p>With the city in our possession, we had leisure to look
+    about us. Memphis had been in the West what Charleston was in
+    the East: an active worker in the secession cause. Her
+    newspapers had teemed with abuse of every thing which opposed
+    their heresy, and advocated the most summary measures. Lynching
+    had been frequent and never rebuked, impressments were of daily
+    and nightly occurrence, every foundery and manufactory had been
+    constantly employed by the Rebel authorities, and every citizen
+    had, in some manner, contributed to the insurrection. It was
+    gratifying in the extreme to see the Memphis, of which we at
+    Cairo and St. Louis had heard so much, brought under our
+    control. The picture of five United States gun-boats lying in
+    line before the city, their ports open and their guns shotted,
+    was pleasing in the eyes of loyal men.</p>
+
+    <p>Outside of the poorer classes there were some loyal persons,
+    but their number was not large. There were many professing
+    loyalty, who possessed very little of the article, and whose
+    record had been exceedingly doubtful. Prominent among these
+    were the politicians, than whom none had been more
+    self-sacrificing, if their own words could be believed.</p>
+
+    <p>There were many men of this class ready, no doubt, to swear
+    allegiance to the victorious side, who joined our standard
+    because they considered the Rebel cause a losing one. They may
+    have become loyal since that time, but it has been only through
+    the force of circumstances. In many cases our Government
+    accepted their words as proof of loyalty, and granted these
+    persons many exclusive privileges. It was a matter of comment
+    that a newly converted loyalist could obtain favors at the
+    hands of Government officials, that would be refused to men
+    from the North. The acceptance of office under the Rebels, and
+    the earnest advocacy he had shown for secession, were generally
+    alleged to have taken place under compulsion, or in the
+    interest of the really loyal men.</p>
+
+    <p>A Memphis gentleman gave me an amusing account of the
+    reception of the news of the fall of Fort Donelson. Many boasts
+    had been made of the terrible punishment that was in store for
+    our army, if it ventured an attack upon Fort Donelson. No one
+    would be allowed to escape to tell the tale. All were to be
+    slaughtered, or lodged in Rebel prisons. Memphis was
+    consequently waiting for the best tidings from the Cumberland,
+    and did not think it possible a reverse could come to the Rebel
+    cause.</p>
+
+    <p>One Sunday morning, the telegraph, without any previous
+    announcement, flashed the intelligence that Fort Donelson, with
+    twelve thousand men, had surrendered, and a portion of General
+    Grant's army was moving on Nashville, with every prospect of
+    capturing that city. Memphis was in consternation. No one could
+    tell how long the Yankee army would stop at Nashville before
+    moving elsewhere, and it was certain that Memphis was uncovered
+    by the fall of Fort Donelson.</p>
+
+    <p>My informant first learned the important tidings in the
+    rotunda of the Gayoso House. Seeing a group of his
+    acquaintances with faces depicting the utmost gloom, he asked
+    what was the matter.</p>
+
+    <p>"Bad enough," said one. "Fort Donelson has surrendered with
+    nearly all its garrison."</p>
+
+    <p>"That is terrible," said my friend, assuming a look of
+    agony, though he was inwardly elated.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, and the enemy are moving on Nashville."</p>
+
+    <p>"Horrible news," was the response; "but let us not be too
+    despondent. Our men are good for them, one against three, and
+    they will never get out of Nashville alive, if they should
+    happen to take it."</p>
+
+    <p>With another expression of deep sorrow at the misfortune
+    which had befallen the Rebel army, this gentleman hastened to
+    convey the glad news to his friends. "I reached home," said he,
+    "locked my front door, called my wife and sister into the
+    parlor, and instantly jumped over the center-table. They both
+    cried for joy when I told them the old flag floated over
+    Donelson."</p>
+
+    <p>The Secessionists in Memphis, like their brethren elsewhere,
+    insisted that all the points we had captured were given up
+    because they had no further use for them. The evacuation of
+    Columbus, Fort Pillow, Fort Henry, and Bowling Green, with the
+    surrender of Donelson, were parts of the grand strategy of the
+    Rebel leaders, and served to lure us on to our destruction.
+    They would never admit a defeat, but contended we had
+    invariably suffered.</p>
+
+    <p>An uneducated farmer, on the route followed by one of our
+    armies in Tennessee, told our officers that a Rebel general and
+    his staff had taken dinner with him during the retreat from
+    Nashville. The farmer was anxious to learn something about the
+    military situation, and asked a Rebel major how the Confederate
+    cause was progressing.</p>
+
+    <p>"Splendidly," answered the major. "We have whipped the
+    Yankees in every battle, and our independence will soon be
+    recognized."</p>
+
+    <p>The farmer was thoughtful for a minute or two, and then
+    deliberately said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I don't know much about war, but if we are always whipping
+    the Yankees, how is it they keep coming down into our country
+    after every battle?"</p>
+
+    <p>The major grew red in the face, and told the farmer that any
+    man who asked such an absurd question was an Abolitionist, and
+    deserved hanging to the nearest tree. The farmer was silenced,
+    but not satisfied.</p>
+
+    <p>I had a fine illustration of the infatuation of the Rebel
+    sympathizers, a few days after Memphis was captured. One
+    evening, while making a visit at the house of an acquaintance,
+    the hostess introduced me to a young lady of the strongest
+    secession proclivities. Of course, I endeavored to avoid the
+    topics on which we were certain to differ, but my new
+    acquaintance was determined to provoke a discussion. With a few
+    preliminaries, she throw out the question:</p>
+
+    <p>"Now, don't you think the Southern soldiers have shown
+    themselves the bravest people that ever lived, while the
+    Yankees have proved the greatest cowards?"</p>
+
+    <p>"I can hardly agree with you," I replied. "Your people have
+    certainly established a reputation on the score of bravery, but
+    we can claim quite as much."</p>
+
+    <p>"But we have whipped you in every battle. We whipped you at
+    Manassas and Ball's Bluff, and we whipped General Grant at
+    Belmont."</p>
+
+    <p>"That is very true; but how was it at Shiloh?"</p>
+
+    <p>"At Shiloh we whipped you; we drove you to your gun-boats,
+    which was all we wanted to do."</p>
+
+    <p>"Ah, I beg your pardon; but what is your impression of Fort
+    Donelson?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Fort Donelson!"--and my lady's cheek flushed with either
+    pride or indignation--"Fort Donelson was an unquestioned
+    victory for the South. We stopped your army--all we wanted to;
+    and then General Forrest, General Floyd, and all the troops we
+    wished to bring off, came away. We only left General Buckner
+    and three thousand men for you to capture."</p>
+
+    <p>"It seems, then, we labored under a delusion at the North.
+    We thought we had something to rejoice over when Fort Donelson
+    fell. But, pray, what do you consider the capture of Island
+    Number Ten and the naval battle here?"</p>
+
+    <p>"At Island Ten we defeated you" (how this was done she did
+    not say), "and we were victorious here. You wanted to capture
+    all our boats; but you only got four of them, and those were
+    damaged."</p>
+
+    <p>"In your view of the case," I replied, "I admit the South to
+    have been always victorious. Without wishing to be considered
+    disloyal to the Nation, I can heartily wish you many similar
+    victories."</p>
+
+    <p>In the tour which Dickens records, Mark Tapley did not visit
+    the Southern country, but the salient points of his character
+    are possessed by the sons of the cavaliers. "Jolly" under the
+    greatest misfortunes, and extracting comfort and happiness from
+    all calamities, your true Rebel could never know adversity. The
+    fire which consumes his dwelling is a personal boon, as he can
+    readily explain. So is a devastating flood, or a widespread
+    pestilence. The events which narrow-minded mudsills are apt to
+    look upon as calamitous, are only "blessings in disguise" to
+    every supporter and friend of the late "Confederacy."</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c18" id="c18"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XVIII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>SUPERVISING A REBEL JOURNAL.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Press of Memphis.--Flight of <i>The
+    Appeal</i>.--A False Prediction.--<i>The Argus</i> becomes
+    Loyal.--Order from General Wallace.--Installed in
+    Office.--Lecturing the Rebels.--"Trade follows the
+    Flag."--Abuses of Traffic.--Supplying the Rebels.--A Perilous
+    Adventure.--Passing the Rebel Lines.--Eluding Watchful
+    Eyes.</p>
+
+    <p>On the morning of the 6th of June, the newspaper publishers,
+    like most other gentlemen of Memphis, were greatly alarmed.
+    <i>The Avalanche</i> and <i>The Argus</i> announced that it was
+    impossible for the Yankee fleet to cope successfully with the
+    Rebels, and that victory was certain to perch upon the banners
+    of the latter. The sheets were not dry before the Rebel fleet
+    was a thing of the past. <i>The Appeal</i> had not been as
+    hopeful as its contemporaries, and thought it the wisest course
+    to abandon the city. It moved to Grenada, Mississippi, a
+    hundred miles distant, and resumed publication. It became a
+    migratory sheet, and was at last captured by General Wilson at
+    Columbus, Georgia. In ability it ranked among the best of the
+    Rebel journals.</p>
+
+    <p><i>The Avalanche</i> and <i>The Argus</i> continued
+    publication, with a strong leaning to the Rebel side. The
+    former was interfered with by our authorities; and, under the
+    name of <i>The Bulletin</i>, with new editorial management, was
+    allowed to reappear. <i>The Argus</i> maintained its Rebel
+    ground, though with moderation, until the military hand fell
+    upon it. Memphis, in the early days of our occupation, changed
+    its commander nearly every week. One of these changes brought
+    Major-General Wallace into the city. This officer thought it
+    proper to issue the following order:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>HEAD-QUARTERS THIRD DIVISION, RESERVED CORPS,<br />
+      ARMY OF TENNESSEE, MEMPHIS, <i>June</i> 17,1862.</p>
+
+      <p>EDITORS DAILY ARGUS:--As the closing of your office might
+      be injurious to you pecuniarily, I send two
+      gentlemen--Messrs. A.D. Richardson and Thos. W. Knox, both of
+      ample experience--to take charge of the editorial department
+      of your paper. The business management of your office will be
+      left to you.</p>
+
+      <p>Very respectfully,<br />
+      LEWIS WALLACE,<br />
+      <i>General Third Division, Reserved Corps.</i></p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>The publishers of <i>The Argus</i> printed this order at the
+    head of their columns. Below it they announced that they were
+    not responsible for any thing which should appear editorially,
+    as long as the order was in force. The business management and
+    the general miscellaneous and news matter were not interfered
+    with.</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Richardson and myself entered upon our new duties
+    immediately. We had crossed the Plains together, had published
+    a paper in the Rocky Mountains, had been through many
+    adventures and perils side by side; but we had never before
+    managed a newspaper in an insurrectionary district. The
+    publishers of <i>The Argus</i> greeted us cordially, and our
+    whole intercourse with them was harmonious. They did not relish
+    the intrusion of Northern men into their office, to compel the
+    insertion of Union editorials, but they bore the inconvenience
+    with an excellent grace. The foreman of the establishment
+    displayed more mortification at the change, than any other
+    person whom we met.</p>
+
+    <p>The editorials we published were of a positive character. We
+    plainly announced the determination of the Government to assert
+    itself and put down and punish treason. We told the Memphis
+    people that the scheme of partisan warfare, which was then in
+    its inception, would work more harm than good to the districts
+    where guerrilla companies were organized. We insisted that the
+    Union armies had entered Memphis and other parts of the South,
+    to stay there, and that resistance to their power was useless.
+    We credited the Rebels with much bravery and devotion to their
+    cause, but asserted always that we had the right and the strong
+    arm in our favor.</p>
+
+    <p>It is possible we did not make many conversions among the
+    disloyal readers of <i>The Argus</i>, but we had the
+    satisfaction of saying what we thought it necessary they should
+    hear. The publishers said their subscribers were rapidly
+    falling off, on account of the change of editorial tone. Like
+    newspaper readers everywhere, they disliked to peruse what
+    their consciences did not approve. We received letters,
+    generally from women, denying our right to control the columns
+    of the paper for our "base purposes." Some of these letters
+    were not written after the style of Chesterfield, but the
+    majority of them were courteous.</p>
+
+    <p>There were many jests in Memphis, and throughout the country
+    generally, concerning the appointment of representatives of
+    <i>The Herald</i> and <i>The Tribune</i> to a position where
+    they must work together. <i>The Herald</i> and <i>The
+    Tribune</i> have not been famous, in the past twenty years, for
+    an excess of good-nature toward each other. Mr. Bennett and Mr.
+    Greeley are not supposed to partake habitually of the same
+    dinners and wine, or to join in frequent games of billiards and
+    poker. The compliments which the two great dailies occasionally
+    exchange, are not calculated to promote an intimate friendship
+    between the venerable gentlemen whose names are so well known
+    to the public. No one expects these veteran editors to emulate
+    the example of Damon and Pythias.</p>
+
+    <p>At the time Mr. Richardson and myself took charge of <i>The
+    Argus, The Tribune</i> and <i>The Herald</i> were indulging in
+    one of their well-known disputes. It was much like the
+    Hibernian's debate, "with sticks," and attracted some
+    attention, though it was generally voted a nuisance. Many, who
+    did not know us, imagined that the new editors of <i>The
+    Argus</i> would follow the tendencies of the offices from which
+    they bore credentials. Several Northern journals came to hand,
+    in which this belief was expressed. A Chicago paper published
+    two articles supposed to be in the same issue of <i>The
+    Argus</i>, differing totally in every line of argument or
+    statement of fact. One editor argued that the harmonious
+    occupancy of contiguous desks by the representatives of <i>The
+    Herald</i> and <i>The Tribune</i>, betokened the approach of
+    the millennium.</p>
+
+    <p>When he issued the order placing us in charge of <i>The
+    Argus</i>, General Wallace assured its proprietors that he
+    should remove the editorial supervision as soon as a Union
+    paper was established in Memphis. This event occurred in a
+    short time, and <i>The Argus</i> was restored to its original
+    management, according to promise.</p>
+
+    <p>As soon as the capture of Memphis was known at the North,
+    there was an eager scramble to secure the trade of the
+    long-blockaded port. Several boat-loads of goods were shipped
+    from St. Louis and Cincinnati, and Memphis was so rapidly
+    filled that the supply was far greater than the demand.</p>
+
+    <p>Army and Treasury regulations were soon established, and
+    many restrictions placed upon traffic. The restrictions did not
+    materially diminish the quantity of goods, but they served to
+    throw the trade into a few hands, and thus open the way for
+    much favoritism. Those who obtained permits, thought the system
+    an excellent one. Those who were kept "out in the cold," viewed
+    the matter in a different light. A thousand stories of
+    dishonesty, official and unofficial, were in constant
+    circulation, and I fear that many of them came very near the
+    truth.</p>
+
+    <p>In our occupation of cities along the Mississippi, the
+    Rebels found a ready supply from our markets. This was
+    especially the case at Memphis. Boots and shoes passed through
+    the lines in great numbers, either by stealth or by open
+    permit, and were taken at once to the Rebel army. Cloth,
+    clothing, percussion-caps, and similar articles went in the
+    same direction. General Grant and other prominent officers made
+    a strong opposition to our policy, and advised the suppression
+    of the Rebellion prior to the opening of trade, but their
+    protestations were of no avail. We chastised the Rebels with
+    one hand, while we fed and clothed them with the other.</p>
+
+    <p>After the capture of Memphis, Colonel Charles R. Ellet, with
+    two boats of the ram fleet, proceeded to explore the river
+    between Memphis and Vicksburg. It was not known what defenses
+    the Rebels might have constructed along this distance of four
+    hundred miles. Colonel Ellet found no hinderance to his
+    progress, except a small field battery near Napoleon, Arkansas.
+    When a few miles above Vicksburg, he ascertained that a portion
+    of Admiral Farragut's fleet was below that point, preparing to
+    attack the city. He at once determined to open communication
+    with the lower fleet.</p>
+
+    <p>Opposite Vicksburg there is a long and narrow peninsula,
+    around which the Mississippi makes a bend. It is a mile and a
+    quarter across the neck of this peninsula, while it is sixteen
+    miles around by the course of the river. It was impossible to
+    pass around by the Mississippi, on account of the batteries at
+    Vicksburg. The Rebels were holding the peninsula with a small
+    force of infantry and cavalry, to prevent our effecting a
+    landing. By careful management it was possible to elude the
+    sentinels, and cross from one side of the peninsula to the
+    other.</p>
+
+    <p>Colonel Ellet armed himself to make the attempt. He took
+    only a few documents to prove his identity as soon as he
+    reached Admiral Farragut. A little before daylight, one
+    morning, he started on his perilous journey. He waded through
+    swamps, toiled among the thick undergrowth in a portion of the
+    forest, was fired upon by a Rebel picket, and narrowly escaped
+    drowning in crossing a bayou. He was compelled to make a wide
+    detour, to avoid capture, and thus extended his journey to
+    nearly a half-dozen miles.</p>
+
+    <p>On reaching the bank opposite one of our gun-boats, he found
+    a yawl near the shore, by which he was promptly taken on board.
+    The officers of this gun-boat suspected him of being a spy, and
+    placed him under guard. It was not until the arrival of Admiral
+    Farragut that his true character became known.</p>
+
+    <p>After a long interview with that officer he prepared to
+    return. He concealed dispatches for the Navy Department and for
+    Flag-Officer Davis in the lining of his boots and in the
+    wristbands of his shirt. A file of marines escorted him as far
+    as they could safely venture, and then bade him farewell. Near
+    the place where he had left his own boat, Colonel Ellet found a
+    small party of Rebels, carefully watching from a spot where
+    they could not be easily discovered. It was a matter of some
+    difficulty to elude these men, but he did it successfully, and
+    reached his boat in safety. He proceeded at once to Memphis
+    with his dispatches. Flag-Officer Davis immediately decided to
+    co-operate with Admiral Farragut, in the attempt to capture
+    Vicksburg.</p>
+
+    <p>Shortly after the capture of New Orleans, Admiral Farragut
+    ascended the Mississippi as far as Vicksburg. At that time the
+    defensive force was very small, and there were but few
+    batteries erected. The Admiral felt confident of his ability to
+    silence the Rebel guns, but he was unaccompanied by a land
+    force to occupy the city after its capture. He was reluctantly
+    compelled to return to New Orleans, and wait until troops could
+    be spared from General Butler's command. The Rebels improved
+    their opportunities, and concentrated a large force to put
+    Vicksburg in condition for defense. Heavy guns were brought
+    from various points, earth-works were thrown up on all sides,
+    and the town became a vast fortification. When the fleet
+    returned at the end of June, the Rebels were ready to receive
+    it. Their strongest works were on the banks of the Mississippi.
+    They had no dread of an attack from the direction of Jackson,
+    until long afterward.</p>
+
+    <p>Vicksburg was the key to the possession of the Mississippi.
+    The Rebel authorities at Richmond ordered it defended as long
+    as defense was possible.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c19" id="c19"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XIX.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE FIRST SIEGE OF VICKSBURG.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">From Memphis to Vicksburg.--Running the
+    Batteries.--Our Inability to take Vicksburg by
+    Assault.--Digging a Canal.--A Conversation with Resident
+    Secessionists.--Their Arguments <i>pro</i> and <i>con</i>, and
+    the Answers they Received.--A Curiosity of Legislation.--An
+    Expedition up the Yazoo.--Destruction of the Rebel Fleet.--The
+    <i>Arkansas</i> Running the Gauntlet.--A Spirited Encounter.--A
+    Gallant Attempt.--Raising the Siege.--Fate of the
+    <i>Arkansas</i>.</p>
+
+    <p>On the 1st of July, I left Memphis with the Mississippi
+    flotilla, and arrived above Vicksburg late on the following
+    day. Admiral Farragut's fleet attempted the passage of the
+    batteries on the 28th of June. A portion of the fleet succeeded
+    in the attempt, under a heavy fire, and gained a position above
+    the peninsula. Among the first to effect a passage was the
+    flag-ship <i>Hartford</i>, with the "gallant old salamander" on
+    board. The <i>Richmond, Iroquois</i>, and <i>Oneida</i> were
+    the sloops-of-war that accompanied the <i>Hartford</i>. The
+    <i>Brooklyn</i> and other heavy vessels remained below.</p>
+
+    <p>The history of that first siege of Vicksburg can be briefly
+    told. Twenty-five hundred infantry, under General Williams,
+    accompanied the fleet from New Orleans, with the design of
+    occupying Vicksburg after the batteries had been silenced by
+    our artillery. Most of the Rebel guns were located at such a
+    height that it was found impossible to elevate our own guns so
+    as to reach them. Thus the occupation by infantry was found
+    impracticable. The passage of the batteries was followed by the
+    bombardment, from the mortar-schooners of Admiral Farragut's
+    fleet and the mortar-rafts which Flag-Officer Davis had brought
+    down. This continued steadily for several days, but Vicksburg
+    did not fall.</p>
+
+    <p>A canal across the peninsula was proposed and commenced. The
+    water fell as fast as the digging progressed, and the plan of
+    leaving Vicksburg inland was abandoned for that time. Even had
+    there been a flood in the river, the entrance to the canal was
+    so located that success was impossible. The old steamboat-men
+    laughed at the efforts of the Massachusetts engineer, to create
+    a current in his canal by commencing it in an eddy.</p>
+
+    <p>Just as the canal project was agreed upon, I was present at
+    a conversation between General Williams and several residents
+    of the vicinity. The latter, fearing the channel of the river
+    would be changed, visited the general to protest against the
+    carrying out of his plan.</p>
+
+    <p>The citizens were six in number. They had selected no one to
+    act as their leader. Each joined in the conversation as he saw
+    fit. After a little preliminary talk, one of them said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Are you aware, general, there is no law of the State
+    allowing you to make a cut-off, here?"</p>
+
+    <p>"I am sorry to say," replied General Williams, "I am not
+    familiar with the laws of Louisiana. Even if I were, I should
+    not heed them. I believe Louisiana passed an act of secession.
+    According to your own showing you have no claims on the
+    Government now."</p>
+
+    <p>This disposed of that objection. There was some hesitation,
+    evidently embarrassing to the delegation, but not to General
+    Williams. Citizen number one was silenced. Number two advanced
+    an idea.</p>
+
+    <p>"You may remember, General, that you will subject the parish
+    of Madison to an expenditure of ninety thousand dollars for new
+    levees."</p>
+
+    <p>This argument disturbed General Williams no more than the
+    first one. He promptly replied:</p>
+
+    <p>"The parish of Madison gave a large majority in favor of
+    secession; did it not?"</p>
+
+    <p>"I believe it did," was the faltering response.</p>
+
+    <p>"Then you can learn that treason costs something. It will
+    cost you far more before the war is over."</p>
+
+    <p>Citizen number two said nothing more. It was the opportunity
+    for number three to speak.</p>
+
+    <p>"If this cut-off is made, it will ruin the trade of
+    Vicksburg. It has been a fine city for business, but this will
+    spoil it. Boats will not be able to reach the town, but will
+    find all the current through the short route."</p>
+
+    <p>"That is just what we want," said the General. "We are
+    digging the canal for the very purpose of navigating the river
+    without passing near Vicksburg."</p>
+
+    <p>Number three went to the rear. Number four came forward.</p>
+
+    <p>"If you make this cut-off, all these plantations will be
+    carried away. You will ruin the property of many loyal
+    men."</p>
+
+    <p>He was answered that loyal men would be paid for all
+    property taken or destroyed, as soon as their loyalty was
+    proved.</p>
+
+    <p>The fifth and last point in the protest was next advanced.
+    It came from an individual who professed to practice law in De
+    Soto township, and was as follows:</p>
+
+    <p>"The charter of the Vicksburg and Shreveport Railroad is
+    perpetual, and so declared by act of the Louisiana Legislature.
+    No one has any right to cut through the embankment."</p>
+
+    <p>"That is true," was the quiet answer. "The Constitution of
+    the United States is also a perpetual charter, which it was
+    treason to violate. When you and your leaders have no
+    hesitation at breaking national faith, it is absurd to claim
+    rights under the laws of a State which you deny to be in the
+    Union."</p>
+
+    <p>This was the end of the delegation. Its members retired
+    without having gained a single point in their case. They were,
+    doubtless, easier in mind when they ascertained, two weeks
+    later, that the canal enterprise was a failure.</p>
+
+    <p>The last argument put forth on that occasion, to prevent the
+    carrying out of our plans, is one of the curiosities of
+    legislation. For a long time there were many parties in
+    Louisiana who wished the channel of the Mississippi turned
+    across the neck of the peninsula opposite Vicksburg, thus
+    shortening the river fifteen miles, at least, and rendering the
+    plantations above, less liable to overflow. As Vicksburg lay in
+    another State, her interests were not regarded. She spent much
+    money in the corrupt Legislature of Louisiana to defeat the
+    scheme. As a last resort, it was proposed to build a railway,
+    with a perpetual charter, from the end of the peninsula
+    opposite Vicksburg, to some point in the interior. Much money
+    was required. The capitalists of Vicksburg contributed the
+    funds for lobbying the bill and commencing the road. Up to the
+    time when the Rebellion began, it was rendered certain that no
+    hand of man could legally turn the Mississippi across that
+    peninsula.</p>
+
+    <p>The first siege of Vicksburg lasted but twenty days. Our
+    fleet was unable to silence the batteries, and our land force
+    was not sufficient for the work. During the progress of the
+    siege, Colonel Ellet, with his ram fleet, ascended the Yazoo
+    River, and compelled the Rebels to destroy three of their
+    gun-boats, the <i>Livingston, Polk</i>, and <i>Van Dorn</i>, to
+    prevent their falling into our hands. The <i>Van Dorn</i> was
+    the only boat that escaped, out of the fleet of eight Rebel
+    gun-boats which met ours at Memphis on the 6th of June.</p>
+
+    <p>At the time of making this expedition, Colonel Ellet learned
+    that the famous ram gun-boat <i>Arkansas</i> was completed, and
+    nearly ready to descend the river. He notified Admiral Farragut
+    and Flag-Officer Davis, but they paid little attention to his
+    warnings.</p>
+
+    <p>This Rebel gun-boat, which was expected to do so much toward
+    the destruction of our naval forces on the Mississippi, was
+    constructed at Memphis, and hurried from there in a partially
+    finished condition, just before the capture of the city. She
+    was towed to Yazoo City and there completed. The
+    <i>Arkansas</i> was a powerful iron-clad steamer, mounting ten
+    guns, and carrying an iron beak, designed for penetrating the
+    hulls of our gun-boats. Her engines were powerful, though they
+    could not be worked with facility at the time of her
+    appearance. Her model, construction, armament, and propelling
+    force, made her equal to any boat of our upper flotilla, and
+    her officers claimed to have full confidence in her
+    abilities.</p>
+
+    <p>On the morning of the 15th of July, the <i>Arkansas</i>
+    emerged from the Yazoo River, fifteen miles above Vicksburg. A
+    short distance up that stream she encountered two of our
+    gun-boats, the <i>Carondelet</i> and <i>Tyler</i>, and fought
+    them until she reached our fleet at anchor above Vicksburg. The
+    <i>Carondelet</i> was one of our mail-clad gun-boats, built at
+    St. Louis in 1861. The <i>Tyler</i> was a wooden gun-boat,
+    altered from an old transport, and was totally unfit for
+    entering into battle. Both were perforated by the Rebel shell,
+    the <i>Tyler</i> receiving the larger number. The gallantry
+    displayed by Captain Gwin, her commander, was worthy of special
+    praise.</p>
+
+    <p>Our fleet was at anchor four or five miles above
+    Vicksburg--some of the vessels lying in midstream, while others
+    were fastened to the banks. The <i>Arkansas</i> fired to the
+    right and left as she passed through the fleet. Her shot
+    disabled two of our boats, and slightly injured two or three
+    others. She did not herself escape without damage. Many of our
+    projectiles struck her sides, but glanced into the river. Two
+    shells perforated her plating, and another entered a port,
+    exploding over one of the guns. Ten men were killed and as many
+    wounded.</p>
+
+    <p>The <i>Arkansas</i> was not actually disabled, but her
+    commander declined to enter into another action until she had
+    undergone repairs. She reached a safe anchorage under
+    protection of the Vicksburg batteries.</p>
+
+    <p>A few days later, a plan was arranged for her destruction.
+    Colonel Ellet, with the ram <i>Queen of the West</i>, was to
+    run down and strike the <i>Arkansas</i> at her moorings. The
+    gun-boat <i>Essex</i> was to join in this effort, while the
+    upper flotilla, assisted by the vessels of Admiral Farragut's
+    fleet, would shell the Rebel batteries.</p>
+
+    <p>The <i>Essex</i> started first, but ran directly past the
+    <i>Arkansas</i>, instead of stopping to engage her, as was
+    expected. The <i>Essex</i> fired three guns at the
+    <i>Arkansas</i> while in range, from one of which a shell
+    crashed through the armor of the Rebel boat, disabling an
+    entire gun-crew.</p>
+
+    <p>The <i>Queen of the West</i> attempted to perform her part
+    of the work, but the current was so strong where the
+    <i>Arkansas</i> lay that it was impossible to deal an effective
+    blow. The upper flotilla did not open fire to engage the
+    attention of the enemy, and thus the unfortunate <i>Queen of
+    the West</i> was obliged to receive all the fire from the Rebel
+    batteries. She was repeatedly perforated, but fortunately
+    escaped without damage to her machinery. The <i>Arkansas</i>
+    was not seriously injured in the encounter, though the
+    completion of her repairs was somewhat delayed.</p>
+
+    <p>On the 25th of July the first siege of Vicksburg was raised.
+    The upper flotilla of gun-boats, mortar-rafts, and transports,
+    returned to Memphis and Helena. Admiral Farragut took his fleet
+    to New Orleans. General Williams went, with his land forces, to
+    Baton Rouge. That city was soon after attacked by General
+    Breckinridge, with six thousand men. The Rebels were repulsed
+    with heavy loss. In our own ranks the killed and wounded were
+    not less than those of the enemy. General Williams was among
+    the slain, and at one period our chances, of making a
+    successful defense were very doubtful.</p>
+
+    <p>The <i>Arkansas</i> had been ordered to proceed from
+    Vicksburg to take part in this attack, the Rebels being
+    confident she could overpower our three gun-boats at Baton
+    Rouge. On the way down the river her machinery became deranged,
+    and she was tied up to the bank for repairs. Seeing our
+    gun-boats approaching, and knowing he was helpless against
+    them; her commander ordered the <i>Arkansas</i> to be abandoned
+    and blown up. The order was obeyed, and this much-praised and
+    really formidable gun-boat closed her brief but brilliant
+    career.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels were greatly chagrined at her loss, as they had
+    expected she would accomplish much toward driving the National
+    fleet from the Mississippi. The joy with which they hailed her
+    appearance was far less than the sorrow her destruction
+    evoked.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c20" id="c20"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XX.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE MARCH THROUGH ARKANSAS.--THE SIEGE OF CINCINNATI.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">General Curtis's Army reaching Helena.--Its
+    Wanderings.--The Arkansas Navy.--Troops and their Supplies
+    "miss Connection."--Rebel Reports.--Memphis in Midsummer.--"A
+    Journey due North."--Chicago.--Bragg's Advance into
+    Kentucky.--Kirby Smith in Front of Cincinnati.--The City under
+    Martial Law.--The Squirrel Hunters.--War Correspondents in
+    Comfortable Quarters.--Improvising an Army.--Raising the
+    Siege.--Bragg's Retreat.</p>
+
+    <p>About the middle of July, General Curtis's army arrived at
+    Helena, Arkansas, ninety miles below Memphis. After the battle
+    of Pea Ridge, this army commenced its wanderings, moving first
+    to Batesville, on the White River, where it lay for several
+    weeks. Then it went to Jacksonport, further down that stream,
+    and remained a short time. The guerrillas were in such strong
+    force on General Curtis's line of communications that they
+    greatly restricted the receipt of supplies, and placed the army
+    on very short rations. For nearly a month the public had no
+    positive information concerning Curtis's whereabouts. The
+    Rebels were continually circulating stories that he had
+    surrendered, or was terribly defeated.</p>
+
+    <p>The only reasons for doubting the truth of these stories
+    were, first, that the Rebels had no force of any importance in
+    Arkansas; and second, that our army, to use the expression of
+    one of its officers, "wasn't going round surrendering." We
+    expected it would turn up in some locality where the Rebels did
+    not desire it, and had no fears of its surrender.</p>
+
+    <p>General Curtis constructed several boats at Batesville,
+    which were usually spoken of as "the Arkansas navy." These
+    boats carried some six or eight hundred men, and were used to
+    patrol the White River, as the army moved down its banks. In
+    this way the column advanced from Batesville to Jacksonport,
+    and afterward to St. Charles.</p>
+
+    <p>Supplies had been sent up the White River to meet the army.
+    The transports and their convoy remained several days at St.
+    Charles, but could get no tidings of General Curtis. The river
+    was falling, and they finally returned. Twelve hours after
+    their departure, the advance of the lost army arrived at St.
+    Charles.</p>
+
+    <p>From St. Charles to Helena was a march of sixty miles,
+    across a country destitute of every thing but water, and not
+    even possessing a good supply of that article. The army reached
+    Helena, weary and hungry, but it was speedily supplied with
+    every thing needed, and put in condition to take the offensive.
+    It was soon named in general orders "the Army of Arkansas," and
+    ultimately accomplished the occupation of the entire State.</p>
+
+    <p>During July and August there was little activity around
+    Memphis. In the latter month, I found the climate exceedingly
+    uncomfortable. Day after day the atmosphere was hot, still,
+    stifling, and impregnated with the dust that rose in clouds
+    from the parched earth. The inhabitants endured it easily, and
+    made continual prophesy that the <i>hot</i> weather "would come
+    in September." Those of us who were strangers wondered what the
+    temperature must be, to constitute "hot" weather in the
+    estimation of a native. The thermometer then stood at
+    eighty-five degrees at midnight, and ninety-eight or one
+    hundred at noon. Few people walked the streets in the day, and
+    those who were obliged to do so generally moved at a snail's
+    pace. Cases of <i>coup-de-soleil</i> were frequent. The
+    temperature affected me personally, by changing my complexion
+    to a deep yellow, and reducing my strength about sixty per
+    cent.</p>
+
+    <p>I decided upon "A Journey due North." Forty-eight hours
+    after sweltering in Memphis, I was shivering on the shores of
+    Lake Michigan. I exchanged the hot, fever-laden atmosphere of
+    that city, for the cool and healthful air of Chicago. The
+    activity, energy, and enterprise of Chicago, made a pleasing
+    contrast to the idleness and gloom that pervaded Memphis. This
+    was no place for me to exist in as an invalid. I found the
+    saffron tint of my complexion rapidly disappearing, and my
+    strength restored, under the influence of pure breezes and busy
+    life. Ten days in that city prepared me for new scenes of
+    war.</p>
+
+    <p>At that time the Rebel army, under General Bragg, was making
+    its advance into Kentucky. General Buell was moving at the same
+    time toward the Ohio River. The two armies were marching in
+    nearly parallel lines, so that it became a race between them
+    for Nashville and Louisville. Bragg divided his forces,
+    threatening Louisville and Cincinnati at the same time.
+    Defenses were thrown up around the former city, to assist in
+    holding it in case of attack, but they were never brought into
+    use. By rapid marching, General Buell reached Louisville in
+    advance of Bragg, and rendered it useless for the latter to
+    fling his army against the city.</p>
+
+    <p>Meantime, General Kirby Smith moved, under Bragg's orders,
+    to the siege of Cincinnati. His advance was slow, and gave some
+    opportunity for preparation. The chief reliance for defense was
+    upon the raw militia and such irregular forces as could be
+    gathered for the occasion. The hills of Covington and Newport,
+    opposite Cincinnati, were crowned with fortifications and
+    seamed with rifle-pits, which were filled with these raw
+    soldiers. The valor of these men was beyond question, but they
+    were almost entirely without discipline. In front of the
+    veteran regiments of the Rebel army our forces would have been
+    at great disadvantage.</p>
+
+    <p>When I reached Cincinnati the Rebel army was within a few
+    miles of the defenses. On the train which took me to the city,
+    there were many of the country people going to offer their
+    services to aid in repelling the enemy. They entered the cars
+    at the various stations, bringing their rifles, which they well
+    knew how to use. They were the famous "squirrel-hunters" of
+    Ohio, who were afterward the subject of some derision on the
+    part of the Rebels. Nearly twenty thousand of them volunteered
+    for the occasion, and would have handled their rifles to
+    advantage had the Rebels given them the opportunity.</p>
+
+    <p>At the time of my arrival at Cincinnati, Major-General
+    Wallace was in command. The Queen City of the West was obliged
+    to undergo some of the inconveniences of martial law. Business
+    of nearly every kind was suspended. A provost-marshal's pass
+    was necessary to enable one to walk the streets in security.
+    The same document was required of any person who wished to hire
+    a carriage, or take a pleasant drive to the Kentucky side of
+    the Ohio. Most of the able-bodied citizens voluntarily offered
+    their services, and took their places in the rifle-pits, but
+    there were some who refused to go. These were hunted out and
+    taken to the front, much against their will. Some were found in
+    or under beds; others were clad in women's garments, and
+    working at wash-tubs. Some tied up their hands as if disabled,
+    and others plead baldness or indigestion to excuse a lack of
+    patriotism. All was of no avail. The provost-marshal had no
+    charity for human weakness.</p>
+
+    <p>This severity was not pleasant to the citizens, but it
+    served an admirable purpose. When Kirby Smith arrived in front
+    of the defenses, he found forty thousand men confronting him.
+    Of these, not over six or eight thousand had borne arms more
+    than a week or ten days. The volunteer militia of Cincinnati,
+    and the squirrel-hunters from the interior of Ohio and Indiana,
+    formed the balance of our forces. Our line of defenses
+    encircled the cities of Covington and Newport, touching the
+    Ohio above and below their extreme limits. Nearly every hill
+    was crowned with a fortification. These fortifications were
+    connected by rifle-pits, which were kept constantly filled with
+    men. On the river we had a fleet of gun-boats, improvised from
+    ordinary steamers by surrounding their vulnerable parts with
+    bales of hay. The river was low, so that it was necessary to
+    watch several places where fording was possible. A pontoon
+    bridge was thrown across the Ohio, and continued there until
+    the siege was ended.</p>
+
+    <p>It had been a matter of jest among the journalists at
+    Memphis and other points in the Southwest, that the
+    vicissitudes of war might some day enable us to witness
+    military operations from the principal hotels in the Northern
+    cities. "When we can write war letters from the Burnet or the
+    Sherman House," was the occasional remark, "there will be some
+    personal comfort in being an army correspondent." What we had
+    said in jest was now proving true. We could take a carriage at
+    the Burnet House, and in half an hour stand on our front lines
+    and witness the operations of the skirmishers. Later in the war
+    I was enabled to write letters upon interesting topics from
+    Detroit and St. Paul.</p>
+
+    <p>The way in which our large defensive force was fed, was
+    nearly as great a novelty as the celerity of its organization.
+    It was very difficult to sever the red tape of the army
+    regulations, and enable the commissary department to issue
+    rations to men that belonged to no regiments or companies. The
+    people of Cincinnati were very prompt to send contributions of
+    cooked food to the Fifth Street Market-House, which was made a
+    temporary restaurant for the defenders of the city. Wagons were
+    sent daily through nearly all the streets to gather these
+    contributed supplies, and the street-cars were free to all
+    women and children going to or from the Market-House. Hundreds
+    walked to the front, to carry the provisions they had prepared
+    with their own hands. All the ordinary edibles of civilized
+    life were brought forward in abundance. Had our men fought at
+    all, they would have fought on full stomachs.</p>
+
+    <p>The arrival of General Buell's army at Louisville rendered
+    it impossible for Bragg to take that city. The defenders of
+    Cincinnati were re-enforced by a division from General Grant's
+    army, which was then in West Tennessee. This arrival was
+    followed by that of other trained regiments and brigades from
+    various localities, so that we began to contemplate taking the
+    offensive. The Rebels disappeared from our front, and a
+    reconnoissance showed that they were falling back toward
+    Lexington. They burned the turnpike and railway bridges as they
+    retreated, showing conclusively that they had abandoned the
+    siege.</p>
+
+    <p>As soon as the retirement of the Rebels was positively
+    ascertained, a portion of our forces was ordered from
+    Cincinnati to Louisville. General Buell's army took the
+    offensive, and pursued Bragg as he retreated toward the
+    Tennessee River. General Wallace was relieved, and his command
+    transferred to General Wright.</p>
+
+    <p>A change in the whole military situation soon transpired.
+    From holding the defensive, our armies became the pursuers of
+    the Rebels, the latter showing little inclination to risk an
+    encounter. The battle of Perryville was the great battle of
+    this Kentucky campaign. Its result gave neither army much
+    opportunity for exultation.</p>
+
+    <p>In their retreat through Kentucky and Tennessee, the Rebels
+    gathered all the supplies they could find, and carried them to
+    their commissary depot at Knoxville. It was said that their
+    trains included more than thirty thousand wagons, all of them
+    heavily laden. Large droves of cattle and horses became the
+    property of the Confederacy.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c21" id="c21"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXI.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE BATTLE OF CORINTH.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">New Plans of the Rebels.--Their Design to
+    Capture Corinth,--Advancing to the Attack.--Strong Defenses.--A
+    Magnificent Charge.--Valor <i>vs.</i> Breast-Works.--The
+    Repulse.--Retreat and Pursuit.--The National Arms
+    Triumphant.</p>
+
+    <p>The Bragg campaign into Kentucky being barren of important
+    results, the Rebel authorities ordered that an attempt should
+    be made to drive us from West Tennessee. The Rebel army in
+    Northern Mississippi commenced the aggressive late in
+    September, while the retreat of Bragg was still in progress.
+    The battle of Iuka resulted favorably to the Rebels, giving
+    them possession of that point, and allowing a large quantity of
+    supplies to fall into their hands. On the 4th of October was
+    the famous battle of Corinth, the Rebels under General Van Dorn
+    attacking General Rosecrans, who was commanding at Corinth.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels advanced from Holly Springs, striking Corinth on
+    the western side of our lines. The movement was well executed,
+    and challenged our admiration for its audacity and the valor
+    the Rebel soldiery displayed. It was highly important for the
+    success of the Rebel plans in the Southwest that we should be
+    expelled from Corinth. Accordingly, they made a most determined
+    effort, but met a signal defeat.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of the best fighting of the war occurred at this battle
+    of Corinth. The Rebel line of battle was on the western and
+    northern side of the town, cutting off our communications with
+    General Grant at Jackson. The Rebels penetrated our line, and
+    actually obtained possession of a portion of Corinth, but were
+    driven out by hard, earnest work. It was a struggle for a great
+    prize, in which neither party was inclined to yield as long as
+    it had any strength remaining to strike a blow.</p>
+
+    <p>The key to our position was on the western side, where two
+    earth-works had been thrown up to command the approaches in
+    that direction. These works were known as "Battery Williams"
+    and "Battery Robbinette," so named in honor of the officers who
+    superintended their erection and commanded their garrisons at
+    the time of the assault. These works were on the summits of two
+    small hills, where the ascent from the main road that skirted
+    their base was very gentle. The timber on these slopes had been
+    cut away to afford full sweep to our guns. An advancing force
+    would be completely under our fire during the whole time of its
+    ascent. Whether succeeding or failing, it must lose
+    heavily.</p><a href="images/p234i1.jpg"><img src=
+    "images/p234i1_t.jpg" alt="THE REBEL CHARGE AT CORINTH." /></a>
+
+    <p class="captn">THE REBEL CHARGE AT CORINTH.</p>
+
+    <p>General Van Dorn gave Price's Division the honor of
+    assaulting these works. The division was composed of Missouri,
+    Arkansas, and Texas regiments, and estimated at eight thousand
+    strong. Price directed the movement in person, and briefly told
+    his men that the position must be taken at all hazards. The
+    line was formed on the wooded ground at the base of the hills
+    on which our batteries stood. The advance was commenced
+    simultaneously along the line.</p>
+
+    <p>As the Rebels emerged from the forest, our guns were opened.
+    Officers who were in Battery Williams at the time of the
+    assault, say the Rebels moved in splendid order. Grape and
+    shell made frequent and wide gaps through their ranks, but the
+    line did not break nor waver. The men moved directly forward,
+    over the fallen timber that covered the ground, and at length
+    came within range of our infantry, which had been placed in the
+    forts to support the gunners. Our artillery had made fearful
+    havoc among the Rebels from the moment they left the protection
+    of the forest. Our infantry was waiting with impatience to play
+    its part.</p>
+
+    <p>When the Rebels were fairly within range of our small-arms,
+    the order was given for a simultaneous volley along our whole
+    line. As the shower of bullets struck the Rebel front, hundreds
+    of men went down. Many flags fell as the color-bearers were
+    killed, but they were instantly seized and defiantly waved.
+    With a wild cheer the Rebels dashed forward up to the very
+    front of the forts, receiving without recoil a most deadly
+    fire. They leaped the ditch and gained the parapet. They
+    entered a bastion of Battery Williams, and for a minute held
+    possession of one of our guns.</p>
+
+    <p>Of the dozen or more that gained the interior of the
+    bastion, very few escaped. Nearly all were shot down while
+    fighting for possession of the gun, or surrendered when the
+    parapet was cleared of those ascending it. The retreat of the
+    Rebels was hasty, but it was orderly. Even in a repulse their
+    coolness did not forsake them. They left their dead scattered
+    thickly in our front. In one group of seventeen, they lay so
+    closely together that their bodies touched each other. An
+    officer told me he could have walked along the entire front of
+    Battery Williams, touching a dead or wounded Rebel at nearly
+    every step. Two Rebel colonels were killed side by side, one of
+    them falling with his hand over the edge of the ditch. They
+    were buried where they died. In the attack in which the Rebels
+    entered the edge of the town, the struggle was nearly as great.
+    It required desperate fighting for them to gain possession of
+    the spot, and equally desperate fighting on our part to retake
+    it. All our officers who participated in this battle spoke in
+    admiration of the courage displayed by the Rebels. Praise from
+    an enemy is the greatest praise. The Rebels were not defeated
+    on account of any lack of bravery or of recklessness. They were
+    fully justified in retreating after the efforts they made. Our
+    army was just as determined to hold Corinth as the Rebels were
+    to capture it. Advantages of position turned the scale in our
+    favor, and enabled us to repulse a force superior to our
+    own.</p>
+
+    <p>Just before the battle, General Grant sent a division under
+    General McPherson to re-enforce Corinth. The Rebels had cut the
+    railway between the two points, so that the re-enforcement did
+    not reach Corinth until the battle was over.</p>
+
+    <p>On the morning following the battle, our forces moved out in
+    pursuit of the retreating Rebels. At the same time a column
+    marched from Bolivar, so as to fall in their front. The Rebels
+    were taken between the two columns, and brought to an
+    engagement with each of them; but, by finding roads to the
+    south, managed to escape without disorganization. Our forces
+    returned to Corinth and Bolivar, thinking it useless to make
+    further pursuit.</p>
+
+    <p>Thus terminated the campaign of the enemy against Corinth.
+    There was no expectation that the Rebels would trouble us any
+    more in that quarter for the present, unless we sought them
+    out. Their defeat was sufficiently serious to compel them to
+    relinquish all hope of expelling us from Corinth.</p>
+
+    <p>During the time of his occupation of West Tennessee, General
+    Grant was much annoyed by the wandering sons of Israel, who
+    thronged his lines in great numbers. They were engaged in all
+    kinds of speculation in which money could be made. Many of them
+    passed the lines into the enemy's country, and purchased
+    cotton, which they managed to bring to Memphis and other points
+    on the river. Many were engaged in smuggling supplies to the
+    Rebel armies, and several were caught while acting as
+    spies.</p>
+
+    <p>On our side of the lines the Jews were Union men, and
+    generally announced their desire for a prompt suppression of
+    the Rebellion. When under the folds of the Rebel flag they were
+    the most ardent Secessionists, and breathed undying hostility
+    to the Yankees. Very few of them had any real sympathy with
+    either side, and were ready, like Mr. Pickwick, to shout with
+    the largest mob on all occasions, provided there was money to
+    be made by the operation. Their number was very great. In the
+    latter half of '62, a traveler would have thought the lost
+    tribes of Israel were holding a reunion at Memphis.</p>
+
+    <p>General Grant became indignant, and issued an order
+    banishing the Jews from his lines. The order created much
+    excitement among the Americans of Hebraic descent. The matter
+    was placed before the President, and the obnoxious restriction
+    promptly revoked. During the time it was in force a large
+    number of the proscribed individuals were obliged to go
+    North.</p>
+
+    <p>Sometimes the Rebels did not treat the Jews with the utmost
+    courtesy. On one occasion a scouting party captured two Jews
+    who were buying cotton. The Israelites were robbed of ten
+    thousand dollars in gold and United States currency, and then
+    forced to enter the ranks of the Rebel army. They did not
+    escape until six months later.</p>
+
+    <p>In Chicago, in the first year of the war, a company of Jews
+    was armed and equipped at the expense of their wealthier
+    brethren. The men composing the company served their full time,
+    and were highly praised for their gallantry.</p>
+
+    <p>The above case deserves mention, as it is an exception to
+    the general conduct of the Jews.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c22" id="c22"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE CAMPAIGN FROM CORINTH.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Changes of Commanders.--Preparations for the
+    Aggressive.--Marching from Corinth.--Talking with the
+    People.--"You-uns and We-uns."--Conservatism of a
+    "Regular."--Loyalty and Disloyalty.--Condition of the Rebel
+    Army.--Foraging.--German Theology for American Soldiers.--A
+    Modest Landlord.--A Boy without a Name.--The Freedmen's
+    Bureau.--Employing Negroes.--Holly Springs and its People.--An
+    Argument for Secession.</p>
+
+    <p>Two weeks after the battle of Corinth, General Rosecrans was
+    summoned to the Army of the Cumberland, to assume command in
+    place of General Buell. General Grant was placed at the head of
+    the Thirteenth Army Corps, including all the forces in West
+    Tennessee. Preparations for an aggressive movement into the
+    enemy's country had been in progress for some time. Corinth,
+    Bolivar, and Jackson were strongly fortified, so that a small
+    force could defend them. The base of supply was at Columbus,
+    Kentucky, eighty-five miles due north of Jackson, thus giving
+    us a long line of railway to protect.</p>
+
+    <p>On the first of November the movement began, by the advance
+    of a column from Corinth and another from Bolivar. These
+    columns met at Grand Junction, twenty-five miles north of Holly
+    Springs, and, after lying there for two weeks, advanced to the
+    occupation of the latter point. The Rebels evacuated the place
+    on our approach, and after a day or two at Holly Springs we
+    went forward toward the south. Abbeville and Oxford were taken,
+    and the Rebels established themselves at Grenada, a hundred
+    miles south of Memphis.</p>
+
+    <p>From Corinth I accompanied the division commanded by General
+    Stanley. I had known this officer in Missouri, in the first
+    year of the war, when he claimed to be very "conservative" in
+    his views. During the campaign with General Lyon he expressed
+    himself opposed to a warfare that should produce a change in
+    the social status at the South. When I met him at Corinth he
+    was very "radical" in sentiment, and in favor of a thorough
+    destruction of the "peculiar institution." He declared that he
+    had liberated his own slaves, and was determined to set free
+    all the slaves of any other person that might come in his way.
+    He rejoiced that the war had not ended during the six months
+    following the fall of Fort Sumter, as we should then have
+    allowed slavery to exist, which would have rendered us liable
+    to another rebellion whenever the Southern leaders chose to
+    make it. We could only be taught by the logic of events, and it
+    would take two or three years of war to educate the country to
+    a proper understanding of our position.</p>
+
+    <p>It required a war of greater magnitude than was generally
+    expected at the outset. In 1861 there were few people who would
+    have consented to interfere with "slavery in the States." The
+    number of these persons was greater in 1862, but it was not
+    until 1864 that the anti-slavery sentiment took firm hold of
+    the public mind. In 1861 the voice of Missouri would have
+    favored the retention of the old system. In 1864 that State
+    became almost as radical as Massachusetts. The change in public
+    sentiment elsewhere was nearly as great.</p>
+
+    <p>During the march from Corinth to Grand Junction, I had
+    frequent opportunity for conversing with the people along the
+    route. There were few able-bodied men at home. It was the
+    invariable answer, when we asked the whereabouts of any
+    citizen, "He's away." Inquiry would bring a reluctant
+    confession that he had gone to the Rebel army. Occasionally a
+    woman would boast that she had sent her husband to fight for
+    his rights and the rights of his State. The violation of State
+    rights and the infringement upon personal prerogative were
+    charged upon the National Government as the causes of the war.
+    Some of the women displayed considerable skill in arguing the
+    question of secession, but their arguments were generally
+    mingled with invective. The majority were unable to make any
+    discussion whatever.</p>
+
+    <p>"What's you-uns come down here to fight we-uns for?" said
+    one of the women whose husband was in the Rebel army. "We-uns
+    never did you-uns no hurt." (This addition of a syllable to the
+    personal pronouns of the second and third persons is common in
+    some parts of the South, while in others it will not be
+    heard.)</p>
+
+    <p>"Well," said General Stanley, "we came down here because we
+    were obliged to come. Your people commenced a war, and we are
+    trying to help you end it."</p>
+
+    <p>"We-uns didn't want to fight, no-how. You-uns went and made
+    the war so as to steal our niggers."</p>
+
+    <p>The woman acknowledged that neither her husband nor herself
+    ever owned negroes, or ever expected to do so. She knew nothing
+    about Fort Sumter, and only knew that the North elected one
+    President and the South another, on the same occasion. The
+    South only wanted its president to rule its own region, but the
+    North wanted to extend its control over the whole country, so
+    as to steal the negroes. Hence arose the war.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of the poorer whites manifested a loyal feeling, which
+    sprang from a belief that the establishment of the Confederacy
+    would not better their condition. This number was not large,
+    but it has doubtless increased with the termination of the war.
+    The wealthier portion of the people were invariably in sympathy
+    with the Rebel cause.</p>
+
+    <p>After we reached Grand Junction, and made our camp a short
+    distance south of that point, we were joined by the column from
+    Bolivar. In the two columns General Grant had more than forty
+    thousand men, exclusive of a force under General Sherman, about
+    to move from Memphis. The Rebel army was at Holly Springs and
+    Abbeville, and was estimated at fifty thousand strong. Every
+    day found a few deserters coming in from the Rebels, but their
+    number was not large. The few that came represented their army
+    to be well supplied with shoes, clothing, and ammunition, and
+    also well fed. They were nearly recovered from the effects of
+    their repulse at Corinth, a month before.</p>
+
+    <p>Our soldiers foraged at will on the plantations near our
+    camp. The quantities of supplies that were brought in did not
+    argue that the country had been previously visited by an army.
+    Mules, horses, cattle, hogs, sheep, chickens, and other things
+    used by an army, were found in abundance.</p>
+
+    <p>The soldiers did not always confine their foraging to
+    articles of necessity. A clergyman's library was invaded and
+    plundered. I saw one soldier bending under the (avoirdupois)
+    weight of three heavy volumes on theology, printed in the
+    German language. Another soldier, a mere boy, was carrying away
+    in triumph a copy of Scott's Greek Lexicon. In every instance
+    when it came to their knowledge, the officers compelled the
+    soldiers to return the books they had stolen. German theology
+    and Greek Lexicons were not thought advantageous to an army in
+    the field.</p>
+
+    <p>One wing of our army was encamped at Lagrange, Tennessee,
+    and honored with the presence of General Grant. Lagrange
+    presented a fair example of the effects of secession upon the
+    interior villages of the South. Before the war it was the
+    center of a flourishing business. Its private residences were
+    constructed with considerable magnificence, and evinced the
+    wealth of their owners. There was a male and a female college;
+    there was a bank, and there were several stores and commission
+    houses.</p>
+
+    <p>When the war broke out, the young men at the male college
+    enlisted in the Rebel army. The young women in the female
+    college went to their homes. The bank was closed for want of
+    funds, the hotels had no guests, the stores had few customers,
+    and these had no money, the commission houses could find no
+    cotton to sell and no goods to buy. Every thing was completely
+    stagnated. All the men who could carry muskets went to the
+    field. When we occupied the town, there were not three men
+    remaining who were of the arms-bearing age.</p>
+
+    <p>I found in Lagrange a man who <i>could</i> keep a hotel. He
+    was ignorant, lazy, and his establishment only resembled the
+    Fifth Avenue or the Continental in the prices charged to the
+    guests. I staid several days with this Boniface, and enjoyed
+    the usual fare of the interior South. Calling for my bill at my
+    departure, I found the charges were only three dollars and
+    fifty cents per day.</p>
+
+    <p>My horse had been kept in a vacant and dilapidated stable
+    belonging to the hotel, but the landlord refused to take any
+    responsibility for the animal. He had no corn or hay, and his
+    hostler had "gone to the Yankees!" During my stay I employed a
+    man to purchase corn and give the desired attention to the
+    horse. The landlord made a charge of one dollar per day for
+    "hoss-keeping," and was indignant when I entered a protest.
+    Outside of Newport and Saratoga, I think there are very few
+    hotel-keepers in the North who would make out and present a
+    bill on so small a basis as this.</p>
+
+    <p>This taverner's wife and daughter professed an utter
+    contempt for all white persons who degraded themselves to any
+    kind of toil. Of course, their hostility to the North was very
+    great. Beyond a slight supervision, they left every thing to
+    the care of the negroes. A gentleman who was with me sought to
+    make himself acquainted with the family, and succeeded
+    admirably until, on one evening, he constructed a small toy to
+    amuse the children. This was too much. He was skillful with his
+    hands, and must therefore be a "mudsill." His acquaintance with
+    the ladies of that household came to an end. His manual
+    dexterity was his ruin.</p>
+
+    <p>There was another hotel in Lagrange, a rival establishment,
+    that bore the reputation of being much the worse in point of
+    comfort. It was owned by a widow, and this widow had a son--a
+    lank, overgrown youth of eighteen. His poverty, on one point,
+    was the greatest I ever knew. He could have been appropriately
+    selected as the hero of a certain popular novel by Wilkie
+    Collins. No name had ever been given him by his parents. In his
+    infancy they spoke of him as "the boy." When he grew large
+    enough to appear on the street with other boys, some one gave
+    him the <i>sobriquet</i> of "Rough and Ready." From that time
+    forward, his only praenomen was "Rough." I made several
+    inquiries among his neighbors, but could not ascertain that he
+    bore any other Christian appellative.</p>
+
+    <p>The first comprehensive order providing for the care of the
+    negroes in the Southwest, was issued by General Grant while his
+    army lay at Lagrange and Grand Junction. Previous to that time,
+    the negroes had been disposed of as each division and post
+    commander thought best, under his general instructions not to
+    treat them unkindly. Four months earlier, our authorities at
+    Memphis had enrolled several hundred able-bodied negroes into
+    an organization for service in the Quartermaster's Department,
+    in accordance with the provisions of an order from District
+    Head-Quarters. They threw up fortifications, loaded and
+    unloaded steamboats, and performed such other labor as was
+    required. In General Grant's army there was a pioneer corps of
+    three hundred negroes, under the immediate charge of an
+    overseer, controlled by an officer of engineers. No steps were
+    then taken to use them as soldiers.</p>
+
+    <p>The number of negroes at our posts and in our camps was
+    rapidly increasing. Under the previous orders, they were
+    registered and employed only on Government work. None but the
+    able-bodied males were thus available. The new arrangements
+    contemplated the employment of all who were capable of
+    performing any kind of field labor. It was expected to bring
+    some revenue to the Government, that would partially cover the
+    expense of providing for the negroes.</p>
+
+    <p>The following is the order which General Grant issued:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>HEAD-QUARTERS THIRTEENTH ARMY CORPS,<br />
+      DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE,<br />
+      LAGRANGE, TENNESSEE, <i>November</i> 14, 1862.<br /></p>
+
+      <p>SPECIAL FIELD ORDER, NO. 4.</p>
+
+      <p>I. Chaplain J. Eaton, Jr., of the Twenty-seventh Ohio
+      Volunteers, is hereby appointed to take charge of all
+      fugitive slaves that are now, or may from time to time come,
+      within the military lines of the advancing army in this
+      vicinity, not employed and registered in accordance with
+      General Orders, No. 72, from head-quarters District of West
+      Tennessee, and will open a camp for them at Grand Junction,
+      where they will be suitably cared for, and organized into
+      companies, and set to work, picking, ginning, and baling all
+      cotton now outstanding in fields.</p>
+
+      <p>II. Commanding officers of all troops will send all
+      fugitives that come within the lines, together with such
+      teams, cooking utensils, and other baggage as they may bring
+      with them, to Chaplain J. Eaton, Jr., at Grand Junction.</p>
+
+      <p>III. One regiment of infantry from Brigadier-General
+      McArthur's Division will be temporarily detailed as guard in
+      charge of such contrabands, and the surgeon of said regiment
+      will be charged with the care of the sick.</p>
+
+      <p>IV. Commissaries of subsistence will issue, on the
+      requisitions of Chaplain Eaton, omitting the coffee ration,
+      and substituting rye. By order of Major-General U.S. Grant.
+      JNO. A. RAWLINS, A.A.G.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>Chaplain Eaton entered immediately upon the discharge of his
+    duties. Many division and brigade commanders threw obstacles in
+    his way, and were very slow to comply with General Grant's
+    order. Some of the officers of the Commissary Department made
+    every possible delay in filling Chaplain Eaton's requisitions.
+    The people of the vicinity laughed at the experiment, and
+    prophesied speedy and complete failure. They endeavored to
+    insure a failure by stealing the horses and mules, and
+    disabling the machinery which Chaplain Eaton was using. Failing
+    in this, they organized guerrilla parties, and attempted to
+    frighten the negroes from working in the field. They only
+    desisted from this enterprise when some of their number were
+    killed.</p>
+
+    <p>All the negroes that came into the army lines were gathered
+    at Grand Junction and organized, in compliance with the order.
+    There were many fields of cotton fully ripened, that required
+    immediate attention. Cotton-picking commenced, and was
+    extensively prosecuted.</p>
+
+    <p>The experiment proved a success. The cotton, in the
+    immediate vicinity of Grand Junction and Lagrange was gathered,
+    baled, and made ready for market. For once, the labors of the
+    negro in the Southwest were bringing an actual return to the
+    Government.</p>
+
+    <p>The following year saw the system enlarged, as our armies
+    took possession of new districts. In 1863, large quantities of
+    cotton were gathered from fields in the vicinity of Lake
+    Providence and Milliken's Bend, and the cultivation of
+    plantations was commenced. In 1864, this last enterprise was
+    still further prosecuted. Chaplain Eaton became Colonel Eaton,
+    and the humble beginning at Grand Junction grew into a great
+    scheme for demonstrating the practicability of free labor, and
+    benefiting the negroes who-had been left without support by
+    reason of the flight of their owners.</p>
+
+    <p>As the army lay in camp near Lagrange for nearly four weeks,
+    and the enemy was twenty-five miles distant, there was very
+    little war correspondence to be written. There was an
+    occasional skirmish near the front, but no important movement
+    whatever. The monotony of this kind of life, and the tables of
+    the Lagrange hotels, were not calculated to awaken much
+    enthusiasm. Learning from a staff officer the probable date
+    when the army would advance, I essayed a visit to St. Louis,
+    and returned in season to take part in the movement into
+    Mississippi.</p>
+
+    <p>At the time General Grant advanced from Lagrange, he ordered
+    General Sherman to move from Memphis, so that the two columns
+    would unite in the vicinity of Oxford, Mississippi. General
+    Sherman pushed his column as rapidly as possible, and, by the
+    combined movement, the Rebels were forced out of their defenses
+    beyond Oxford, and compelled to select a new line in the
+    direction of Grenada. Our flag was steadily advancing toward
+    the Gulf.</p>
+
+    <p>Satisfied there would be no battle until our army had passed
+    Oxford, I tarried several days at Holly Springs, waiting for
+    the railway to be opened. I found the town a very pleasant one,
+    finely situated, and bearing evidence of the wealth and taste
+    of its inhabitants. When the war broke out, there were only two
+    places in the State that could boast a larger population than
+    Holly Springs.</p>
+
+    <p>At the time of my arrival, the hotels of Holly Springs were
+    not open, and I was obliged to take a room at a private house
+    with one of the inhabitants. My host was an earnest advocate of
+    the Rebel cause, and had the fullest confidence in the ultimate
+    independence of the South.</p>
+
+    <p>"We intend," said he, "to establish a strong Government, in
+    which there will be no danger of interference by any
+    abolitionists. If you had allowed us to have our own way, there
+    would never have been any trouble. We didn't want you to have
+    slavery in the North, but we wanted to go into the Territories,
+    where we had a perfect right, and do as we pleased about taking
+    our slaves there. The control of the Government belongs to us.
+    The most of the Presidents have been from the South, as they
+    ought to be. It was only when you elected a sectional
+    President, who was sworn to break up slavery, that we objected.
+    You began the war when you refused us the privilege of having a
+    national President."</p>
+
+    <p>This gentleman argued, further, that the half of all public
+    property belonged to the South, and it was only just that the
+    State authorities should take possession of forts and arsenals,
+    as they did at the inception of the war. It was the especial
+    right of the South to control the nation. Slavery was
+    instituted from Heaven, for the especial good of both white and
+    black. Whoever displayed any sympathy for the negro, and wished
+    to make him free, was doing a great injustice to the slave and
+    his master, particularly to the latter.</p>
+
+    <p>Once he said the destruction of slavery would be unworthy a
+    people who possessed any gallantry. "You will," he declared,
+    "do a cruel wrong to many fine ladies. They know nothing about
+    working with their hands, and consider such knowledge
+    disgraceful. If their slaves are taken from them, these ladies
+    will be helpless."</p>
+
+    <p>This gentleman was the possessor of several negroes, though
+    he lived in a house that he did not own. Of course, it was a
+    great injustice to deprive him of his only property, especially
+    as the laws of his State sanctioned such ownership. He declared
+    he would not submit to any theft of that character. I do not
+    think I ever saw a person manifest more passion than was
+    exhibited by this individual on hearings one afternoon, that
+    one of his slaves had taken refuge in our camp, with the avowed
+    intention of going North.</p>
+
+    <p>"I don't care for the loss," said he, "but what I do care
+    for is, to be robbed by a nigger. I can endure an injury from a
+    white man; to have a nigger defy me is too much."</p>
+
+    <p>Unfortunate and unhappy man! I presume he is not entirely
+    satisfied with the present status of the "Peculiar
+    Institution."</p>
+
+    <p>The cotton speculators at Holly Springs were guilty of some
+    sharp transactions. One day a gentleman residing in the
+    vicinity came to town in order to effect a sale of fifty bales.
+    The cotton was in a warehouse a half-dozen miles away.</p>
+
+    <p>Remaining over night in Holly Springs, and walking to the
+    railway station in the morning, he found his cotton piled by
+    the track and ready for shipment. Two men were engaged effacing
+    the marks upon the bales. By some means they had obtained a
+    sufficient number of Government wagons to remove the entire lot
+    during the night. It was a case of downright theft. The
+    offenders were banished beyond the lines of the army.</p>
+
+    <p>In a public office at Holly Springs our soldiers found a
+    great number of bills on the Northern Bank of Mississippi. They
+    were in sheets, just as they had come from the press. None of
+    them bore dates or signatures.</p>
+
+    <p>The soldiers supplied all needed chirography, and the bills
+    obtained a wide circulation. Chickens, pigs, and other small
+    articles were purchased of the whites and negroes, and paid for
+    with the most astonishing liberality.</p>
+
+    <p>Counterfeits of the Rebel currency were freely distributed,
+    and could only be distinguished from the genuine by their
+    superior execution.</p>
+
+    <p>Among the women in Holly Springs and its vicinity snuff was
+    in great demand. The article is used by them in much the same
+    way that men chew tobacco. The practice is known as "dipping,"
+    and is disgusting in the extreme. A stick the size of a common
+    pencil is chewed or beaten at one end until the fibers are
+    separated. In this condition it forms a brush.</p>
+
+    <p>This brush is moistened with saliva, and plunged into the
+    snuff. The fine powder which adheres is then rubbed on the gums
+    and among the teeth. A species of partial intoxication is the
+    result.</p>
+
+    <p>The effect of continued "dipping" becomes apparent. The gums
+    are inflamed, the teeth are discolored, the lips are shriveled,
+    and the complexion is sallow. The throat is dry and irritated,
+    and there is a constant desire to expectorate.</p>
+
+    <p>I trust the habit will never become a Northern one.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c23" id="c23"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXIII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>GRANT'S OCCUPATION OF MISSISSIPPI.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Slavery Question.--A Generous Offer.--A
+    Journalist's Modesty.--Hopes of the Mississippians at the
+    Beginning of the War.--Visiting an Editress.--Literature under
+    Difficulties.--Jacob Thompson and his Correspondence.--Plans
+    for the Capture of Vicksburg.--Movements of General
+    Sherman.--The Raid upon Holly Springs.--Forewarned, but not
+    Forearmed.--A Gallant Fight.</p>
+
+    <p>The people of Holly Springs were much excited over the
+    slavery question. It was then early in December. The
+    President's proclamation was to have its effect on all States,
+    or portions of States, not represented in Congress on the first
+    of January following. The slaveholders desired to have the
+    northern district of Mississippi represented in Congress before
+    the first of January.</p>
+
+    <p>Three or four days after my arrival at Holly Springs I was
+    with a small party of citizens to whom I had received
+    introduction. The great question was being discussed. All were
+    agreed that Northern Mississippi should be represented in
+    Congress at whatever cost.</p>
+
+    <p>"Grant has now been in Mississippi nearly two weeks," said
+    the principal speaker; "we are clearly entitled to
+    representation."</p>
+
+    <p>"Certainly we are," responded another; "but who will
+    represent us?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Hold an election to-morrow, and choose our man."</p>
+
+    <p>"Who will we send? None of us would be received. There isn't
+    a man in the district who could swear he has taken no part in
+    the Rebellion."</p>
+
+    <p>"I have it," said the individual who first proposed an
+    election. Turning to me, he made a somewhat novel
+    proposition:</p>
+
+    <p>"You can represent us in Congress. We've all been so d----d
+    disloyal that we can't go; but that is no reason why we should
+    not send a loyal men. Say yes, and we'll meet to-morrow, a
+    dozen of us, and elect you."</p>
+
+    <p>Here was an opportunity for glory. Only four days in a State
+    from which I could go to Congress! I was offered all necessary
+    credentials to insure my reception. My loyalty could be clearly
+    and easily proved. My only duties would be to assist in
+    fastening slavery upon my congressional district. Much as I
+    felt honored at the offer of distinction, I was obliged to
+    decline it. A similar proposition was made to another
+    journalist. He, like myself, was governed by modesty, and
+    begged to be excused from serving.</p>
+
+    <p>The desire of this people to be represented in Congress, was
+    a partial proof that they expected the national authority
+    restored throughout the country. They professed to believe that
+    our occupation would be temporary, but their actions did not
+    agree with their words.</p>
+
+    <p>They were greatly mortified at the inability of their army
+    to oppose our advance, and frequently abused the Rebel
+    Government without stint. They had anticipated an easy victory
+    from the outset, and were greatly disappointed at the result,
+    up to that time.</p>
+
+    <p>"Just see how it is," said a Mississippian one day; "we
+    expected to whip you without the slightest trouble. We threw
+    the war into the Border States to keep it off our soil.
+    Mississippi was very earnest for the Rebellion when Kentucky
+    was the battle-ground. We no more expected you would come here,
+    than that we should get to the moon. It is the fortune of war
+    that you have driven us back, but it is very severe upon the
+    cotton States."</p>
+
+    <p>I ventured to ask about the possibilities of repudiation of
+    the Rebel debt, in case the Confederacy was fairly
+    established.</p>
+
+    <p>"Of course we shall repudiate," was the response. "It would
+    be far better for the Confederacy to do so than to attempt to
+    pay the debt, or even its interest. Suppose we have a debt of a
+    thousand millions, at eight per cent. This debt is due to our
+    own people, and they have to pay the interest upon it. In
+    twelve years and a half they would have paid another thousand
+    millions, and still be as deeply in debt as ever. Now, if they
+    repudiate the whole, the country will be a thousand millions
+    richer at the end of twelve years and a half, than it otherwise
+    would."</p>
+
+    <p>In Mississippi, as well as in other Southern States, I
+    frequently heard this argument. It is not surprising that the
+    confidence of the people in their currency was shaken at a very
+    early period.</p>
+
+    <p>In its days of prosperity, Holly Springs boasted of two
+    rival papers, each of them published weekly. One of these died
+    just as the war broke out. The proprietor of the other, who was
+    at the same time its editor, went, with his two sons, into the
+    Rebel army, leaving the paper in charge of his wife. The lady
+    wielded the pen for nearly a year, but the scarcity of
+    printing-paper compelled her to close her office, a few months
+    before our arrival.</p>
+
+    <p>One afternoon, I accompanied Mr. Colburn, of <i>The
+    World</i>, on a visit to the ex-editress. The lady received our
+    cards and greeted us very cordially. She spoke, with evident
+    pride, of her struggles to sustain her paper in war-time and
+    under war prices, and hoped she could soon resume its
+    publication. She referred to the absence of her husband and
+    sons in the Rebel service, and was gratified that they had
+    always borne a good record. She believed in the South and in
+    the justness of its cause, but was prompt to declare that all
+    the wrong was not on one side. She neither gave the South
+    extravagant praise, nor visited the North with
+    denunciation.</p>
+
+    <p>She regretted the existence of the war, and charged its
+    beginning upon the extremists of both sides. Slavery was
+    clearly its cause, and she should look for its complete
+    destruction in the event of the restoration of national
+    authority. Through justice to itself, the North could demand
+    nothing less, and the South must be willing to abide by the
+    fortune of war.</p>
+
+    <p>This woman respected and admired the North, because it was a
+    region where labor was not degrading.</p>
+
+    <p>She had always opposed the Southern sentiment concerning
+    labor, and educated her children after her own belief. While
+    other boys were idling in the streets, she had taught her sons
+    all the mysteries of the printing-office, and made them able to
+    care for themselves. She was confident they would vindicate the
+    correctness of her theory, by winning good positions in life.
+    She believed slavery had assisted the development of the South,
+    but was equally positive that its effect upon the white race
+    was ruinous in the extreme.</p>
+
+    <p>She had no word of abuse for the Union, but spoke of it in
+    terms of praise. At the same time she expressed an earnest hope
+    for the success of the Rebellion. She saw the evil of slavery,
+    but wished the Confederacy established. How she could reconcile
+    all her views I was unable to ascertain. I do not believe she
+    will take seriously to heart the defeat of the scheme to found
+    a slaveholders' government. In the suppression of the Rebellion
+    she will doubtless discover a brilliant future for "the land of
+    the cypress and myrtle," and bless the day that witnessed the
+    destruction of slavery.</p>
+
+    <p>At Oxford, our forces found the residence of the ex-Hon.
+    Jacob Thompson, who has since figured prominently as the Rebel
+    agent in Canada. In his office a letter-book and much
+    correspondence were secured--the letters showing that the
+    design of a rebellion dated much further back than the first
+    election of Mr. Lincoln. Some of this correspondence was given
+    to the public at the time, and proved quite interesting. The
+    balance was sent to the War Department, where it was expected
+    to be of service. The books in Mr. Thompson's library found
+    their way to various parts of the Union, and became scattered
+    where it will be difficult for their owner to gather them,
+    should he desire to restore his collection. If "misery loves
+    company," it was doubtless gratifying to Mr. Thompson to know
+    of the capture of the library and correspondence of Jefferson
+    Davis, several months later.</p>
+
+    <p>Our advance into Mississippi was being successfully pushed,
+    early in December, 1862. There was a prospect that it would not
+    accomplish the desired object, the capture of Vicksburg,
+    without some counter-movement. A force was sent from Helena,
+    Arkansas, to cut the railway in rear of the Rebel army. Though
+    accomplishing its immediate object, it did not make a material
+    change in the military situation. The Rebels continued to hold
+    Grenada, which they had strongly fortified. They could only be
+    forced from this position by a movement that should render
+    Grenada of no practical value.</p>
+
+    <p>General Grant detached the right wing of his army, with
+    orders to make a rapid march to Memphis, and thence to descend
+    the Mississippi by steamboats to Vicksburg. This expedition was
+    commanded by General Sherman. While the movement was in
+    progress, General Grant was to push forward, on the line he had
+    been following, and attempt to join General Sherman at the
+    nearest practicable point on the Yazoo River above Vicksburg.
+    The fall of Vicksburg was thus thought to be assured,
+    especially as General Sherman's attack was to be made upon the
+    defenses in its rear.</p>
+
+    <p>General Sherman moved, to Memphis with due celerity. The
+    garrison of that city was reduced as much as possible to
+    re-enforce his column. The Army of Arkansas, then at Helena,
+    was temporarily added to his command. This gave a force
+    exceeding twenty-eight thousand strong to move upon Vicksburg.
+    It was considered sufficiently large to accomplish the desired
+    object--the garrison of Vicksburg having been weakened to
+    strengthen the army in General Grant's front.</p>
+
+    <p>I was in Holly Springs when General Sherman began to move
+    toward Memphis. Thinking there would be active work at
+    Vicksburg, I prepared to go to Columbus by rail, and take a
+    steamboat thence to Memphis. By this route it was nearly four
+    hundred miles; but it was safer and more expeditious to travel
+    in that way than to attempt the "overland" journey of fifty
+    miles in a direct line.</p>
+
+    <p>There were rumors that the Rebels contemplated a raid upon
+    Holly Springs, for the purpose of cutting General Grant's
+    communications and destroying the supplies known to be
+    accumulated there. From the most vague and obscurely-worded
+    hints, given by a Secessionist, I inferred that such a movement
+    was expected. The Rebels were arranging a cavalry force to
+    strike a blow somewhere upon our line of railway, and there was
+    no point more attractive than Holly Springs. I attached no
+    importance to the story, as I had invariably known the friends
+    of the Rebels to predict wonderful movements that never
+    occurred.</p>
+
+    <p>Meeting the post-commandant shortly afterward, I told him
+    what I had heard. He assured me there was nothing to fear, and
+    that every thing was arranged to insure a successful defense.
+    On this point I did not agree with him. I knew very well that
+    the garrison was not properly distributed to oppose a dash of
+    the enemy. There were but few men on picket, and no precautions
+    had been taken against surprise. Our accumulation of stores was
+    sufficiently large to be worth a strong effort to destroy them.
+    As I was about ready to leave, I concluded to take the first
+    train to Columbus.</p>
+
+    <p>Less than forty-eight hours after my departure, General Van
+    Dorn, at the head of five thousand men, entered Holly Springs
+    with very slight opposition. He found every thing nearly as he
+    could have arranged it had he planned the defense himself. The
+    commandant, Colonel Murphy, was afterward dismissed the service
+    for his negligence in preparing to defend the place after being
+    notified by General Grant that the enemy was moving to attack
+    him.</p>
+
+    <p>The accumulation of supplies at the railway depot, and all
+    the railway buildings, with their surroundings, were burned.
+    Two trains of cars were standing ready to move, and these
+    shared a similar fate. In the center of the town, a building we
+    were using as a magazine was blown up. The most of the business
+    portion of Holly Springs was destroyed by fire, communicated
+    from this magazine.</p>
+
+    <p>During the first year of the war, Holly Springs was selected
+    as the site of a "Confederate States Arsenal," and a series of
+    extensive buildings erected at great expense.</p>
+
+    <p>We had converted these buildings into hospitals, and were
+    fitting them up with suitable accommodations for a large number
+    of sick and wounded.</p>
+
+    <p>After ordering our surgeons to remove their patients, the
+    Rebels set fire to the hospitals while the yellow flag was
+    floating over them. General Grant subsequently denounced this
+    act as contrary to the usages of war.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels remained in Holly Springs until five o'clock in
+    the afternoon of the day of their arrival. At their departure
+    they moved in a northerly direction, evidently designing to
+    visit Grand Junction. At Davis's Mill, about half-way between
+    Holly Springs and Grand Junction, they found a small stockade,
+    garrisoned by two companies of infantry, protecting the railway
+    bridge. They sent forward a flag-of-truce, and demanded the
+    instant surrender of the stockade.</p>
+
+    <p>Their demand was not complied with. That garrison, of less
+    than two hundred men, fought Van Dorn's entire command four
+    hours, repulsed three successive charges, and finally compelled
+    the Rebels to retreat. Van Dorn's northward movement was
+    checked, and our stores at Grand Junction and Lagrange were
+    saved, by the gallantry of this little force. General Grant
+    subsequently gave special compliment to the bravery of these
+    soldiers and their officers, in an order which was read to
+    every regiment in the Army of the Tennessee.</p>
+
+    <p>Our plans were completely deranged by this movement of the
+    enemy. The supplies and ammunition we had relied upon were
+    destroyed, and our communications severed. It was impossible to
+    push further into Mississippi, and preparations were made for
+    immediate retreat. The railway was repaired and the heavy
+    baggage sent to the rear as speedily as possible. When this was
+    accomplished the army began to fall back. Oxford, Abbeville,
+    and Holly Springs were abandoned, and returned to the
+    protection of the Rebel flag. Northern Mississippi again became
+    the field for guerrilla warfare, and a source of supply to the
+    Rebels in the field. The campaign for the capture of Vicksburg
+    took a new shape from the day our lines were severed.</p>
+
+    <p>A few days before the surrender of Vicksburg, General Grant,
+    in conversation with some friends, referred to his position in
+    Mississippi, six months before. Had he pressed forward beyond
+    Grenada, he would have been caught in midwinter in a sea of
+    mud, where the safety of his army might have been endangered.
+    Van Dorn's raid compelled him to retreat, saved him from a
+    possible heavier reverse, and prepared the way for the campaign
+    in which Vicksburg finally capitulated. A present disaster, it
+    proved the beginning of ultimate success.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c24" id="c24"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXIV.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE BATTLE OF CHICKASAW BAYOU.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Leaving Memphis.--Down the Great River.--Landing
+    in the Yazoo.-- Description of the Ground..--A Night in
+    Bivouac.--Plan of Attack.-- Moving toward the
+    Hills.--Assaulting the Bluff.--Our Repulse.--New
+    Plans.--Withdrawal from the Yazoo.</p>
+
+    <p>On arriving at Memphis, I found General Sherman's expedition
+    was ready to move toward Vicksburg. A few of the soldiers who
+    escaped from the raid on Holly Springs had reached Memphis with
+    intelligence of that disaster. The news caused much excitement,
+    as the strength of the Rebels was greatly exaggerated. A few of
+    these soldiers thought Van Dorn's entire division of fifteen or
+    twenty thousand men had been mounted and was present at the
+    raid. There were rumors of a contemplated attack upon Memphis,
+    after General Sherman's departure.</p>
+
+    <p>Unmilitary men thought the event might delay the movement
+    upon Vicksburg, but it did not have that effect. General
+    Sherman said he had no official knowledge that Holly Springs
+    had been captured, and could do no less than carry out his
+    orders. The expedition sailed, its various divisions making a
+    rendezvous at Friar's Point, twelve miles below Helena, on the
+    night of the 22d of December. From this place to the mouth of
+    the Yazoo, we moved leisurely down the Mississippi, halting a
+    day near Milliken's Bend, almost in sight of Vicksburg. We
+    passed a portion of Christmas-Day near the mouth of the
+    Yazoo.</p>
+
+    <p>On the morning of the 26th of December, the fleet of sixty
+    transports, convoyed by several gun-boats, commenced the ascent
+    of the Yazoo. This stream debouches into the Mississippi,
+    fifteen miles above Vicksburg, by the course of the current,
+    though the distance in an airline is not more than six miles.
+    Ten or twelve miles above its mouth, the Yazoo sweeps the base
+    of the range of hills on which Vicksburg stands, at a point
+    nearly behind the city. It was therefore considered a feasible
+    route to the rear of Vicksburg.</p>
+
+    <p>In a letter which I wrote on that occasion, I gave the
+    following description of the country adjoining the river, and
+    the incidents of a night bivouac before the battle:--"The
+    bottom-land of the Yazoo is covered with a heavy growth of tall
+    cypress-trees, whose limbs are everywhere interlaced. In many
+    places the forest has a dense undergrowth, and in others it is
+    quite clear, and affords easy passage to mounted men. These
+    huge trees are heavily draped in the 'hanging moss,' so common
+    in the Southern States, which gives them a most gloomy
+    appearance. The moss, everywhere pendent from the limbs of the
+    trees, covers them like a shroud, and in some localities shuts
+    out the sunlight. In these forests there are numerous bayous
+    that form a net-work converting the land into a series of
+    islands. When separated from your companions, you can easily
+    imagine yourself in a wilderness. In the wild woods of the
+    Oregon there is no greater solitude."</p>
+
+    <p class="spacer">* * * * *</p>
+
+    <p>"On the afternoon of the 27th, I started from the
+    transports, and accompanied our left wing, which was advancing
+    on the east side of Chickasaw Bayou. The road lay along the
+    crest of the levee which had been thrown up on the bank of the
+    bayou, to protect the fields on that side against inundation.
+    This road was only wide enough for the passage of a single
+    wagon. Our progress was very slow, on account of the necessity
+    for removing heavy logs across the levee. When night overtook
+    us, we made our bivouac in the forest, about three miles from
+    the river.</p>
+
+    <p>"I had taken with me but a single blanket, and a haversack
+    containing my note-book and a few crackers. That night in
+    bivouac acquainted me with some of the discomforts of
+    war-making on the Yazoo. The ground was moist from recent
+    rains, so that dry places were difficult to find. A
+    fellow-journalist proposed that we unite our blankets, and form
+    a double bed for mutual advantage. To this I assented. When my
+    friend came forward, to rest in our combined couch, I found his
+    'blanket' was purely imaginary, having been left on the steamer
+    at his departure. For a while we 'doubled,' but I was soon
+    deserted, on account of the barrenness of my
+    accommodations.</p>
+
+    <p>"No fires were allowed, as they might reveal our position to
+    the watchful enemy. The night was cold. Ice formed at the edge
+    of the bayou, and there was a thick frost on the little patches
+    of open ground. A negro who had lived in that region said the
+    swamp usually abounded in moccasins, copperheads, and
+    cane-snakes, in large numbers. An occasional rustling of the
+    leaves at my side led me to imagine these snakes were
+    endeavoring to make my acquaintance.</p>
+
+    <p>"Laying aside my snake fancies, it was too cold to sleep. As
+    fast as I would fall into a doze, the chill of the atmosphere
+    would steal through my blanket, and remind me of my location.
+    Half-sleeping and half-waking, I dreamed of every thing
+    disagreeable. I had visions of Greenland's icy mountains, of
+    rambles in Siberia, of my long-past midwinter nights in the
+    snow-drifted gorges of Colorado, of shipwreck, and of burning
+    dwellings, and of all moving accidents by flood and field!
+    These dreams followed each other with a rapidity that far
+    outstripped the workings of the electric telegraph.</p>
+
+    <p>"Cold and dampness and snakes and fitful dreams were not the
+    only bodily discomforts. A dozen horses were loose in camp, and
+    trotting gayly about. Several times they passed at a careless
+    pace within a yard of my head. Once the foremost of the
+    <i>caballada</i> jumped directly over me, and was followed by
+    the rest. My comments on these eccentricities of that noble
+    animal, the horse, provoked the derision rather than the
+    sympathy of those who heard them.</p>
+
+    <p>"A teamster, who mistook me for a log, led his mules over
+    me. A negro, under the same delusion, attempted to convert me
+    into a chair, and another wanted to break me up for fuel, to be
+    used in making a fire after daylight. Each of these little
+    blunders evoked a gentle remonstrance, that effectually
+    prevented a repetition by the same individual.</p>
+
+    <p>"A little past daylight a shell from the Rebel batteries
+    exploded within twenty yards of my position, and warned me that
+    it was time to rise. To make my toilet, I pulled the sticks and
+    leaves from my hair and beard, and brushed my overcoat with a
+    handful of moss. I breakfasted on a cracker and a spoonful of
+    whisky. I gave my horse a handful of corn and a large quantity
+    of leaves. The former he ate, but the latter he refused to
+    touch. The column began to move, and I was ready to attend upon
+    its fortunes."</p>
+
+    <p>General Sherman's plan was to effect a landing on the Yazoo,
+    and, by taking possession of the bluffs, sever the
+    communication between Vicksburg and the interior. It was
+    thought the garrison of Vicksburg had been greatly weakened to
+    re-enforce the army in General Grant's front, so that our
+    success would be certain when we once gained the bluffs.</p>
+
+    <p>A portion of our forces effected a landing on the 26th, but
+    the whole command was not on shore till the 27th. Fighting
+    commenced on the 27th, and became more earnest on the 28th, as
+    we crowded toward the bluffs.</p>
+
+    <p>In moving from the steamboat landing to the base of the
+    bluffs on the 28th, our army encountered the enemy at several
+    points, but forced him back without serious loss on either
+    side. It appeared to be the Rebel design not to make any
+    resistance of magnitude until we had crossed the lower ground
+    and were near the base of the line of hills protecting
+    Vicksburg.</p>
+
+    <p>Not far from the foot of the bluffs there was a bayou, which
+    formed an excellent front for the first line of the Rebel
+    defenses. On our right we attempted to cross this bayou with a
+    portion of Morgan L. Smith's Division, but the Rebel fire was
+    so severe that we were repulsed. On our extreme right a similar
+    attempt obtained the same result.</p>
+
+    <p>On our left the bayou was crossed by General Morgan's and
+    General Steele's Divisions at two or three points, and our
+    forces gained a position close up to the edge of the bluff.</p>
+
+    <p>At eleven A. M. on the 29th, an assault was made by three
+    brigades of infantry upon the works of the enemy on this
+    portion of the line. General Blair and General Thayer from
+    Steele's Division, pushed forward through an abatis which
+    skirted the edge of the bayou, and captured the first line of
+    Rebel rifle-pits. From this line the brigades pressed two
+    hundred yards farther up the hillside, and temporarily occupied
+    a portion of the second line. Fifty yards beyond was a small
+    clump of trees, which was gained by one regiment, the
+    Thirteenth Illinois, of General Blair's Brigade.</p><a href=
+    "images/p270i1.jpg"><img src="images/p270i1_t.jpg" alt=
+    "GENERAL BLAIR'S BRIGADE ASSAULTING THE HILL AT CHICKASAW, BAYOU." />
+    </a>
+
+    <p class="captn">GENERAL BLAIR'S BRIGADE ASSAULTING THE HILL AT
+    CHICKASAW, BAYOU.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels massed heavily against these two brigades. Our
+    assaulting force had not been followed by a supporting column,
+    and was unable to hold the works it captured. It fell back to
+    the bayou and re-formed its line. One of General Morgan's
+    brigades occupied a portion of the rifle-pits at the time the
+    hill was assaulted by the brigades from General Steele's
+    Division.</p>
+
+    <p>During the afternoon of the 29th, preparations were made for
+    another assault, but the plan was not carried out. It was found
+    the Rebels had been re-enforced at that point, so that we had
+    great odds against us. The two contending armies rested within
+    view of each other, throwing a few shells each hour, to give
+    notice of their presence.</p>
+
+    <p>After the assault, the ground between the contending lines
+    was covered with dead and wounded men of our army. A
+    flag-of-truce was sent out on the afternoon of the 29th, to
+    arrange for burying the dead and bringing away the wounded, but
+    the Rebels would not receive it. Sunrise on the 30th, noon,
+    sunset, and sunrise again, and they lay there still. On the
+    31st, a truce of five hours was arranged, and the work of
+    humanity accomplished. A heavy rain had fallen, rendering the
+    ground unfit for the rapid moving of infantry and artillery, in
+    front of the Rebel position.</p>
+
+    <p>On the evening of the 31st, orders were issued for a new
+    plan of attack at another part of the enemy's lines. A division
+    was to be embarked on the transports, and landed as near as
+    possible to the Rebel fortifications on Haines's Bluff, several
+    miles up the Yazoo. The gun-boats were to take the advance,
+    engage the attention of the forts, and cover the landing.
+    Admiral Porter ordered Colonel Ellet to go in advance, with a
+    boat of his ram fleet, to remove the obstructions the Rebels
+    had placed in the river, under the guns of the fort. A raft was
+    attached to the bow of the ram, and on the end of the raft was
+    a torpedo containing a half ton of powder.</p>
+
+    <p>Admiral Porter contended that the explosion of the torpedo
+    would remove the obstructions, so that the fleet could proceed.
+    Colonel Ellet expressed his readiness to obey orders, but gave
+    his opinion that the explosion, while effecting its object,
+    would destroy his boat and all on board. Some officers and
+    civilians, who knew the admiral's antipathy to Colonel Ellet,
+    suggested that the former was of the same opinion, and
+    therefore desirous that the experiment should be made.</p>
+
+    <p>Every thing was in readiness on the morning of the 1st of
+    January, but a dense fog prevented the execution of our new
+    plan. On the following day we withdrew from the Yazoo, and
+    ended the second attack upon Vicksburg. Our loss was not far
+    from two thousand men, in all casualties.</p>
+
+    <p>General Sherman claimed to have carried out with exactness,
+    the instructions from his superior officers respecting the time
+    and manner of the attack. Van Dorn's raid upon General Grant's
+    lines, previous to Sherman's departure from Memphis, had
+    radically changed the military situation. Grant's advance being
+    stopped, his co-operation by way of Yazoo City could not be
+    given. At the same time, the Rebels were enabled to strengthen
+    their forces at Vicksburg. The assault was a part of the great
+    plan for the conquest of the Mississippi, and was made in
+    obedience to positive orders. Before the orders were carried
+    out, a single circumstance had deranged the whole plan. After
+    the fighting was ended and the army had re-embarked,
+    preparatory to leaving the Yazoo, General Sherman was relieved
+    from command by General McClernand. The latter officer carried
+    out the order for withdrawal. The fleet steamed up the
+    Mississippi to Milliken's Bend, where it remained for a day or
+    two. General McClernand directed that an expedition be made
+    against Arkansas Post, a Rebel fortification on the Arkansas
+    River, fifty miles above its mouth.</p>
+
+    <p>After the first attack upon Vicksburg, in June, 1862, the
+    Rebels strengthened the approaches in the rear of the city.
+    They threw up defensive works on the line of bluffs facing the
+    Yazoo, and erected a strong fortification to prevent our boats
+    ascending that stream. Just before General Sherman commenced
+    his assault, the gun-boat <i>Benton</i>, aided by another
+    iron-clad, attempted to silence the batteries at Haines's
+    Bluff, but was unsuccessful. Her sides were perforated by the
+    Rebel projectiles, and she withdrew from the attack in a
+    disabled condition. Captain Gwin, her commander, was mortally
+    wounded early in the fight.</p>
+
+    <p>Captain Gwin was married but a few weeks before this
+    occurrence. His young wife was on her way from the East to
+    visit him, and was met at Cairo with the news of his death.</p>
+
+    <p>About two months before the time of our attack, an
+    expedition descended the Mississippi from Helena, and suddenly
+    appeared near the mouth of the Yazoo. It reached Milliken's
+    Bend at night, surprising and capturing the steamer
+    <i>Fairplay</i>, which was loaded with arms and ammunition for
+    the Rebels in Arkansas. So quietly was the capture made, that
+    the officers of the <i>Fairplay</i> were not aware of the
+    change in their situation until awakened by their captors.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c25" id="c25"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXV.</h4>
+
+    <h5>BEFORE VICKSBURG.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Capture of Arkansas Post.--The Army returns to
+    Milliken's Bend.--General Sherman and the Journalists.--Arrest
+    of the Author.--His Trial before a Military Court.--Letter from
+    President Lincoln.--Capture of Three Journalists.</p>
+
+    <p>The army moved against Arkansas Post, which was captured,
+    with its entire garrison of five thousand men. The fort was
+    dismantled and the earth-works leveled to the ground. After
+    this was accomplished, the army returned to Milliken's Bend.
+    General Grant arrived a few days later, and commenced the
+    operations which culminated in the fall of Vicksburg.</p>
+
+    <p>Before leaving Memphis on the Yazoo expedition, General
+    Sherman issued an order excluding all civilians, except such as
+    were connected with the transports, and threatening to treat as
+    a spy any person who should write accounts for publication
+    which might give information to the enemy. No journalists were
+    to be allowed to take part in the affair. One who applied for
+    permission to go in his professional capacity received a very
+    positive refusal. General Sherman had a strong antipathy to
+    journalists, amounting almost to a mania, and he was determined
+    to discourage their presence in his movements against
+    Vicksburg.</p>
+
+    <p>Five or six correspondents accompanied the expedition, some
+    of them on passes from General Grant, which were believed
+    superior to General Sherman's order, and others with passes or
+    invitations from officers in the expedition. I carried a pass
+    from General Grant, and had a personal invitation from an
+    officer who held a prominent command in the Army of Arkansas. I
+    had passed Memphis, almost without stopping, and was not aware
+    of the existence of the prohibitory order until I reached the
+    Yazoo.</p>
+
+    <p>I wrote for <i>The Herald</i> an account of the battle,
+    which I directed to a friend at Cairo, and placed in the mail
+    on board the head-quarters' boat. The day after mailing my
+    letter, I learned it was being read at General Sherman's
+    head-quarters. The General afterward told me that his
+    mail-agent, Colonel Markland, took my letter, among others,
+    from the mail, with his full assent, though without his
+    order.</p>
+
+    <p>I proceeded to rewrite my account, determined not to trust
+    again to the head-quarters' mail. When I was about ready to
+    depart, I received the letter which had been stolen, bearing
+    evident marks of repeated perusal. Two maps which it originally
+    contained were not returned. I proceeded to Cairo as the bearer
+    of my own dispatches.</p>
+
+    <p>On my return to Milliken's Bend, two weeks later, I
+    experienced a new sensation. After two interviews with the
+    indignant general, I received a tender of hospitalities from
+    the provost-marshal of the Army of the Tennessee. The tender
+    was made in such form as left no opportunity for declining it.
+    A few days after my arrest, I was honored by a trial before a
+    military court, consisting of a brigadier-general, four
+    colonels, and two majors. General Sherman had made the
+    following charges against me:--</p>
+
+    <p>First.--"<i>Giving information to the enemy.</i>"</p>
+
+    <p>Second.--"<i>Being a spy.</i>"</p>
+
+    <p>Third.--"<i>Disobedience of orders.</i>"</p>
+
+    <p>The first and second charges were based on my published
+    letter. The third declared that I accompanied the expedition
+    without proper authority, and published a letter without
+    official sanction. These were my alleged offenses.</p>
+
+    <p>My court had a protracted session. It decided there was
+    nothing in my letter which violated the provisions of the order
+    regulating war correspondence for the Press. It declared me
+    innocent of the first and second charges. It could see nothing
+    criminal in the manner of my accompanying the expedition.</p>
+
+    <p>But I was guilty of something. There was a "General Order,
+    Number 67," issued in 1861, of whose existence neither myself
+    nor, as far as I could ascertain, any other journalist, was
+    aware. It provided that no person should write, print, or cause
+    to be printed "any information respecting military movements,
+    without the authority and sanction of the general in
+    command."</p>
+
+    <p>Here was the rock on which I split. I had written a letter
+    respecting military movements, and caused it to be printed,
+    "without the sanction of the general in command."
+    Correspondents everywhere had done the same thing, and
+    continued to do it till the end of the war. "Order Number 67"
+    was as obsolete as the laws of the Medes and Persians, save on
+    that single occasion. Dispatches by telegraph passed under the
+    eye of a Government censor, but I never heard of an instance
+    wherein a letter transmitted by mail received any official
+    sanction.</p>
+
+    <p>My court was composed of officers from General Sherman's
+    command, and was carefully watched by that distinguished
+    military chieftain, throughout its whole sitting. It wavered in
+    deciding upon the proper "punishment" for my offense. Should it
+    banish me from that spot, or should I receive an official
+    censure? It concluded to send me outside the limits of the Army
+    of the Tennessee.</p>
+
+    <p>During the days I passed in the care of the provost-marshal,
+    I perused all the novels that the region afforded. When these
+    were ended, I studied a copy of a well-known work on theology,
+    and turned, for light reading, to the "Pirate's Own Book." A
+    sympathizing friend sent me a bundle of tracts and a copy of
+    the "Adventures of John A. Murrell." A volume of lectures upon
+    temperance and a dozen bottles of Allsop's pale ale, were among
+    the most welcome contributions that I received. The ale
+    disappeared before the lectures had been thoroughly
+    digested.</p>
+
+    <p>The chambermaid of the steamboat displayed the greatest
+    sympathy in my behalf. She declined to receive payment of a
+    washing-bill, and burst into tears when I assured her the money
+    was of no use to me.</p>
+
+    <p>Her fears for my welfare were caused by a frightful story
+    that had been told her by a cabin-boy. He maliciously
+    represented that I was to be executed for attempting to
+    purchase cotton from a Rebel quartermaster. The verdant woman
+    believed the story for several days.</p>
+
+    <p>It may interest some readers to know that the proceedings of
+    a court-martial are made in writing. The judge-advocate (who
+    holds the same position as the prosecuting attorney in a civil
+    case) writes his questions, and then reads them aloud. The
+    answers, as they are given, are reduced to writing. The
+    questions or objections of the prisoner's counsel must be made
+    in writing and given to the judge-advocate, to be read to the
+    court. In trials where a large number of witnesses must be
+    examined, it is now the custom to make use of "short-hand"
+    writers. In this way the length of a trial is greatly
+    reduced.</p>
+
+    <p>The members of a court-martial sit in full uniform,
+    including sash and sword, and preserve a most severe and
+    becoming dignity. Whenever the court wishes to deliberate upon
+    any point of law or evidence, the room is cleared, neither the
+    prisoner nor his counsel being allowed to remain. It frequently
+    occurs that the court is thus closed during the greater part of
+    its sessions. With the necessity for recording all its
+    proceedings, and frequent stoppages for deliberation, a trial
+    by a military court is ordinarily very slow.</p>
+
+    <p>In obedience to the order of the court, I left the vicinity
+    of the Army of the Tennessee, and proceeded North.</p>
+
+    <p>In departing from Young's Point, I could not obey a certain
+    Scriptural injunction, as the mud of Louisiana adheres like
+    glue, and defies all efforts to shake it off. Mr. Albert D.
+    Richardson, of The Tribune, on behalf of many of my
+    professional friends, called the attention of President Lincoln
+    to the little affair between General Sherman and myself.</p>
+
+    <p>In his recently published book of experiences during the
+    war, Mr. Richardson has given a full and graphic account of his
+    interview with the President. Mr. Lincoln unbent himself from
+    his official cares, told two of his best stories, conversed for
+    an hour or more upon the military situation, gave his reasons
+    for the removal of General McClellan, and expressed his hope in
+    our ultimate success. Declaring it his inflexible determination
+    not to interfere with the conduct of any military department,
+    he wrote the following document:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>EXECUTIVE MANSION,<br />
+      WASHINGTON, <i>March</i> 20, 1863.</p>
+
+      <p>WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:</p>
+
+      <p>Whereas it appears to my satisfaction that Thomas W. Knox,
+      a correspondent of <i>The New York Herald</i>, has been, by
+      the sentence of a court-martial, excluded from the Military
+      Department under command of Major-General Grant, and also
+      that General Thayer, president of the court-martial, which
+      rendered the sentence, and Major-General McClernand, in
+      command of a corps of that department, and many other
+      respectable persons, are of opinion that Mr. Knox's offense
+      was technical, rather than willfully wrong, and that the
+      sentence should be revoked: Now, therefore, said sentence is
+      hereby so far revoked as to allow Mr. Knox to return to
+      General Grant's head-quarters, to remain if General Grant
+      shall give his express assent; and to again leave the
+      department, if General Grant shall refuse such assent.</p>
+
+      <p>A. LINCOLN</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>With this letter I returned to the army. General Grant
+    referred the question to General Sherman. In consideration of
+    our quarrel, and knowing the unamiable character of the latter
+    officer, I should have been greatly surprised had he given any
+    thing else than a refusal. I had fully expected to return
+    immediately when I left St. Louis, but, like most persons in a
+    controversy, wished to carry my point.</p>
+
+    <p>General Sherman long since retrieved his failure at
+    Chickasaw Bayou. Throughout the war he was honored with the
+    confidence and friendship of General Grant. The career of these
+    officers was not marked by the jealousies that are too frequent
+    in military life. The hero of the campaign from Chattanooga to
+    Raleigh is destined to be known in history. In those successful
+    marches, and in the victories won by his tireless and never
+    vanquished army, he has gained a reputation that may well be
+    enduring.</p>
+
+    <p>Soon after my return from Young's Point, General Grant
+    crossed the Mississippi at Grand Gulf, and made his daring and
+    successful movement to attain the rear of Vicksburg. Starting
+    with a force less than the one his opponent could bring against
+    him, he cut loose from his communications and succeeded in
+    severing the enemy's line of supplies. From Grand Gulf to
+    Jackson, and from Jackson to the rear of Vicksburg, was a
+    series of brilliant marches and brilliant victories. Once
+    seated where he had his antagonist's army inclosed, General
+    Grant opened his lines to the Yazoo, supplied himself with
+    every thing desired, and pressed the siege at his leisure. With
+    the fall of Vicksburg, and the fall, a few days later, of Port
+    Hudson, "the Father of Waters went unvexed to the Sea."</p>
+
+    <p>While the army was crossing the Mississippi at Grand Gulf,
+    three well-known journalists, Albert D. Richardson and Junius
+    H. Browne, of <i>The Tribune</i>, and Richard T. Colburn, of
+    <i>The World</i>, attempted to run past the Rebel batteries at
+    Vicksburg, on board a tug at midnight. The tug was blown up and
+    destroyed; the journalists were captured and taken to the Rebel
+    prison at Vicksburg. Thence they were removed to Richmond,
+    occupying, while <i>en route</i>, the prisons of a half-dozen
+    Rebel cities. Mr. Colburn was soon released, but the companions
+    of his adventure were destined to pass nearly two years in the
+    prisons of the Confederacy. By a fortunate escape and a
+    midwinter march of nearly four hundred miles, they reached our
+    lines in safety. In books and in lecture-rooms, they have since
+    told the story of their captivity and flight.</p>
+
+    <p>I have sometimes thought my little quarrel with General
+    Sherman proved "a blessing in disguise," in saving me from a
+    similar experience of twenty months in Rebel prisons.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c26" id="c26"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXVI.</h4>
+
+    <h5>KANSAS IN WAR-TIME.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">A Visit to Kansas.--Recollections of Border
+    Feuds.--Peculiarities of Kansas Soldiers.--Foraging as a Fine
+    Art.--Kansas and Missouri.--Settling Old Scores.--Depopulating
+    the Border Counties.--Two Examples of Grand Strategy.--Capture
+    of the "Little-More-Grape" Battery.--A Woman in
+    Sorrow.--Frontier Justice.--Trial before a "Lynch"
+    Court.--General Blunt's Order.--Execution of
+    Horse-Thieves.--Auction Sale of Confiscated Property.--Banished
+    to Dixie.</p>
+
+    <p>In May, 1863, I made a hasty visit to Western Missouri and
+    Kansas, to observe the effect of the war in that quarter. Seven
+    years earlier the border warfare attracted much attention. The
+    great Rebellion caused Kansas and its troubles to sink into
+    insignificance. Since the first election of Mr. Lincoln to the
+    Presidency, Kansas has been rarely mentioned.</p>
+
+    <p>I passed through this young State in the summer of 1860. I
+    was repeatedly told: "We have old grudges that we wish to
+    settle; if the troubles ever break out again in any part of the
+    United States, we hope to cross out our account." When the war
+    opened, the people of Kansas saw their opportunity for "making
+    square work," as they expressed it, with Missouri and the other
+    slave States. They placed two regiments of volunteers in the
+    field with as much celerity as was displayed in many of the
+    older and more populous States. These regiments were followed
+    by others until fully half the able-bodied population of Kansas
+    was in the service. In some localities the proportion was even
+    greater than this.</p>
+
+    <p>The dash and daring of these Kansas soldiers became
+    proverbial. At Wilson Creek, two regiments from Kansas had
+    their first experience of battle, and bore themselves most
+    nobly. The conduct of other Kansas soldiers, on other
+    battle-fields, was equally commendable. Their bravery and
+    endurance was only equaled by their ability in foraging.</p>
+
+    <p>Horses, mules, cattle, and provisions have, in all times,
+    been considered the legitimate spoils of war. The Kansas
+    soldiers did not confine themselves to the above, but
+    appropriated every thing portable and valuable, whether useful
+    or useless. Their example was contagious, and the entire army
+    soon learned to follow it.</p>
+
+    <p>During General Grant's campaign in Mississippi in '62, the
+    Seventh Kansas Cavalry obtained a reputation for ubiquity and
+    lawlessness. Every man who engaged in plundering on his own
+    account, no matter to what regiment he belonged, invariably
+    announced himself a member of the Seventh Kansas. Every
+    countryman who was robbed declared the robbery was committed by
+    the Seventh Kansas "Jayhawkers." Uniting all the stories of
+    robbery, one would conclude that the Seventh Kansas was about
+    twenty thousand strong, and constantly in motion by fifty
+    different roads, leading to all points of the compass.</p>
+
+    <p>One day a soldier of the Second Illinois Cavalry gave me an
+    account of his experience in horse-stealing.</p>
+
+    <p>"Jim and I went to an old farmer's house, and told him we
+    wanted his horses. He said he wanted to use them himself, and
+    couldn't spare them.</p>
+
+    <p>"'That don't make no sort of difference,' said I; 'we want
+    your horses more than you do.'</p>
+
+    <p>"'What regiment do you belong to?'</p>
+
+    <p>"'Seventh Kansas Jayhawkers. The whole regiment talks of
+    coming round here. I reckon I'll bring them.'</p>
+
+    <p>"When I told him that," said the soldier, "he said I might
+    take the horses, if I would only go away. He offered me a pint
+    of whisky if I would promise not to bring the regiment there.
+    Jim and me drank the whisky, and told him we would use our
+    influence for him."</p>
+
+    <p>Before the war was ended, the entire armies of the Southwest
+    were able to equal the "Jayhawkers" in foraging. The march of
+    Sherman's column through Mississippi, and afterward through
+    Georgia and South Carolina, fully proved this. Particularly in
+    the latter State, which originated the Rebellion, were the
+    accomplishments of the foragers most conspicuously displayed.
+    Our army left very little for another army to use.</p>
+
+    <p>The desolation which was spread through the Southern States
+    was among the most effective blows at the Rebellion. The Rebels
+    were taught in the most practical manner, that insurrection was
+    not to be indulged in with impunity. Those who suffered most
+    were generally among the earliest to sue for peace. Sherman's
+    terse answer to the mayor of Atlanta, when the latter protested
+    against the banishment of the inhabitants, was appreciated by
+    the Rebels after our final campaigns. "War is cruelty--you
+    cannot refine it," speaks a volume in a few words.</p>
+
+    <p>When hostilities commenced, the Kansas regiments were
+    clamorous to be led into Missouri. During the border war of '55
+    and '56, Missourians invaded Kansas to control the elections by
+    force of arms, and killed, often in cold blood, many of the
+    quiet citizens of the Territory. The tier of counties in
+    Missouri adjoining Kansas were most anxious to make the latter
+    a slave State, and used every possible means to accomplish
+    their object.</p>
+
+    <p>The Kansas soldiers had their wish. They marched through
+    Missouri. Those who had taken part in the outrages upon Kansas,
+    five years earlier, were made to feel the hand of retribution.
+    If they had burned the buildings of free-State settlers in '56,
+    they found their own houses destroyed in '62. In the old
+    troubles they contended for their right to make whatever
+    warfare they chose, but were astounded and horrified in the
+    latter days, when the tables were turned against them by those
+    they had wronged.</p>
+
+    <p>Along the frontier of Missouri the old system of warfare was
+    revived. Guerrilla bands were formed, of which Quantrel and
+    similar men were the leaders. Various incursions were made into
+    Kansas by these marauders, and the depredations were worse than
+    ever.</p>
+
+    <p>They culminated in the burning of Lawrence and the massacre
+    of its inhabitants.</p>
+
+    <p>To break up these guerrilla bands, it became necessary to
+    depopulate the western tier of counties in Missouri, from the
+    Missouri River down to the thirty-eighth parallel of latitude.
+    The most wealthy of these was Jackson County. Before the war it
+    had a slave population of not far from four thousand, and its
+    fields were highly productive. Two years after the war broke
+    out it contained less than three hundred slaves, and its wealth
+    had diminished in almost as great proportion. This was before
+    any freedom had been officially declared to the slaves in the
+    Border States. The order of depopulation had the desired
+    effect. It brought peace to the border, though at a terrible
+    cost. Missouri suffered greatly, and so did Kansas.</p>
+
+    <p>The most prominent officer that Kansas furnished during the
+    Rebellion, was Brigadier-General Blunt. At the beginning of the
+    war he enlisted as a private soldier, but did not remain long
+    in the ranks. His reputation in the field was that of a brave
+    and reckless officer, who had little regard to military forms.
+    His successes were due to audacity and daring, rather than to
+    skill in handling troops, or a knowledge of scientific
+    warfare.</p>
+
+    <p>The battle of Cane Hill is said to have commenced by General
+    Blunt and his orderlies attacking a Rebel picket. The general
+    was surveying the country with his orderlies and a company of
+    cavalry, not suspecting the enemy was as near as he proved to
+    be.</p>
+
+    <p>At the moment Blunt came upon the picket, the cavalry was
+    looking in another direction. Firing began, and the picket was
+    driven in and fell back to a piece of artillery, which had an
+    infantry support. Blunt was joined by his cavalry, and the gun
+    was taken by a vigorous charge and turned upon the Rebels. The
+    latter were kept at bay until the main force was brought up and
+    joined in the conflict. The Rebels believed we had a much
+    larger number than we really possessed, else our first assault
+    might have proved a sudden repulse. The same daring was kept up
+    throughout the battle, and gave us the victory.</p>
+
+    <p>At this battle we captured four guns, two of which bore a
+    history of more than ordinary interest. They were of the old
+    "Bragg's Battery" that turned the scale at Buena Vista, in
+    obedience to General Taylor's mandate, "Give them a little more
+    grape, captain." After the Mexican war they were sent to the
+    United States Arsenal at Baton Rouge, whence they were stolen
+    when the insurrection commenced. They were used against us at
+    Wilson Creek and Pea Ridge.</p>
+
+    <p>At another battle, whose name I have forgotten, our entire
+    force of about two thousand men was deployed into a skirmish
+    line that extended far beyond the enemy's flanks. The Rebels
+    were nearly six thousand strong, and at first manifested a
+    disposition to stand their ground. By the audacity of our
+    stratagem they were completely deceived. So large a skirmish
+    line was an indication of a proportionately strong force to
+    support it. When they found us closing in upon their flanks,
+    they concluded we were far superior in numbers, and certain to
+    overwhelm them. With but slight resistance they fled the field,
+    leaving much of their transportation and equipments to fall
+    into our hands. We called in our skirmishers and pressed them
+    in vigorous pursuit, capturing wagons and stragglers as we
+    moved.</p>
+
+    <p>A year after this occurrence the Rebels played the same
+    trick upon our own forces near Fort Smith, Arkansas, and were
+    successful in driving us before them. With about five hundred
+    cavalry they formed a skirmish line that outflanked our force
+    of two thousand. We fell back several miles to the protection
+    of the fort, where we awaited attack. It is needless to say
+    that no assault was made.</p>
+
+    <p>Van Buren, Arkansas, was captured by eighteen men ten miles
+    in advance of any support. This little force moved upon the
+    town in a deployed line and entered at one side, while a Rebel
+    regiment moved out at the other. Our men thought it judicious
+    not to pursue, but established head-quarters, and sent a
+    messenger to hurry up the column before the Rebels should
+    discover the true state of affairs. The head of the column was
+    five hours in making its appearance.</p>
+
+    <p>When the circumstance became known the next day, one of our
+    officers found a lady crying very bitterly, and asked what
+    calamity had befallen her.</p>
+
+    <p>As soon as she could speak she said, through her sobs:</p>
+
+    <p>"I am not crying because you have captured the place. We
+    expected that." Then came a fresh outburst of grief.</p>
+
+    <p>"What <i>are</i> you crying for, then?" asked the
+    officer.</p>
+
+    <p>"I am crying because you took it with only eighteen men,
+    when we had a thousand that ran away from you!"</p>
+
+    <p>The officer thought the reason for her sorrow was amply
+    sufficient, and allowed her to proceed with her weeping.</p>
+
+    <p>On the day of my arrival at Atchison there was more than
+    ordinary excitement. For several months there had been much
+    disregard of law outside of the most densely populated portions
+    of the State. Robberies, and murders for the sake of robbery,
+    were of frequent occurrence. In one week a dozen persons met
+    violent deaths. A citizen remarked to me that he did not
+    consider the times a great improvement over '55 and '56.</p>
+
+    <p>Ten days before my arrival, a party of ruffians visited the
+    house of a citizen about twelve miles from Atchison, for the
+    purpose of robbery. The man was supposed to have several
+    hundred dollars in his possession--the proceeds of a sale of
+    stock. He had placed his funds in a bank at Leavenworth; but
+    his visitors refused to believe his statement to that effect.
+    They maltreated the farmer and his wife, and ended by hanging
+    the farmer's son to a rafter and leaving him for dead. In
+    departing, they took away all the horses and mules they could
+    find.</p>
+
+    <p>Five of these men were arrested on the following day, and
+    taken to Atchison. The judge before whom they were brought
+    ordered them committed for trial. On the way from the
+    court-house to the jail the men were taken from the sheriff by
+    a crowd of citizens. Instead of going to jail, they were
+    carried to a grove near the town and placed on trial before a
+    "Lynch" court. The trial was conducted with all solemnity, and
+    with every display of impartiality to the accused. The jury
+    decided that two of the prisoners, who had been most prominent
+    in the outrage, should be hanged on that day, while the others
+    were remanded to jail for a regular trial. One of the condemned
+    was executed. The other, after having a rope around his neck,
+    was respited and taken to jail.</p>
+
+    <p>On the same day two additional arrests were made, of parties
+    concerned in the outrage. These men were tried by a "Lynch"
+    court, as their companions had been tried on the previous day.
+    One of them was hanged, and the other sent to jail.</p>
+
+    <p>For some time the civil power had been inadequate to the
+    punishment of crime. The laws of the State were so loosely
+    framed that offenders had excellent opportunities to escape
+    their deserts by taking advantage of technicalities. The people
+    determined to take the law into their own hands, and give it a
+    thorough execution. For the good of society, it was necessary
+    to put a stop to the outrages that had been so frequently
+    committed. Their only course in such cases was to administer
+    justice without regard to the ordinary forms.</p>
+
+    <p>A delegation of the citizens of Atchison visited Leavenworth
+    after the arrests had been made, to confer with General Blunt,
+    the commander of the District, on the best means of securing
+    order. They made a full representation of the state of affairs,
+    and requested that two of the prisoners, then in jail, should
+    be delivered to the citizens for trial. They obtained an order
+    to that effect, addressed to the sheriff, who was holding the
+    prisoners in charge.</p>
+
+    <p>On the morning of the day following the reception of the
+    order, people began to assemble in Atchison from all parts of
+    the county to witness the trial. As nearly all the outrages had
+    been committed upon the farmers who lived at distances from
+    each other, the trial was conducted by the men from the rural
+    districts. The residents of the city took little part in the
+    affair. About ten o'clock in the forenoon a meeting was called
+    to order in front of the court-house, where the following
+    document was read:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>HEAD-QUARTERS DISTRICT OF KANSAS,<br />
+      FORT LEAVENWORTH, <i>May</i> 22, 1863.</p>
+
+      <p>TO THE SHERIFF OF ATCHISON COUNTY:</p>
+
+      <p>SIR:--In view of the alarming increase of crime, the
+      insecurity of life and property within this military
+      district, the inefficiency of the civil law to punish
+      offenders, and the small number of troops under my command
+      making it impossible to give such protection to loyal and
+      law-abiding citizens as I would otherwise desire; you will
+      therefore deliver the prisoners, Daniel Mooney and Alexander
+      Brewer, now in your possession, to the citizens of Atchison
+      County, for trial and punishment by a citizens' court. This
+      course, which in ordinary times and under different
+      circumstances could not be tolerated, is rendered necessary
+      for the protection of the property and lives of honest
+      citizens against the lawless acts of thieves and assassins,
+      who, of late, have been perpetrating their crimes with
+      fearful impunity, and to prevent which nothing but the most
+      severe and summary punishment will suffice. In conducting
+      these irregular proceedings, it is to be hoped they will be
+      controlled by men of respectability, and that cool judgment
+      and discretion will characterize their actions, to the end
+      that the innocent may be protected and the guilty
+      punished.</p>
+
+      <p>Respectfully, your obedient servant,<br />
+      JAMES G. BLUNT,<br />
+      <i>Major-General.</i></p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>After the reading of the above order, resolutions indorsing
+    and sustaining the action of General Blunt were passed
+    unanimously. The following resolutions were passed separately,
+    their reading being greeted with loud cheers. They are examples
+    of strength rather than of elegance.</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>"<i>Resolved</i>, That we pledge ourselves not to stop
+      hanging until the thieves stop thieving.</p>
+
+      <p>"<i>Resolved</i>, That as this is a citizens' court, we
+      have no use for lawyers, either for the accused or for the
+      people."</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>A judge and jury were selected from the assemblage, and
+    embraced some of the best known and most respected citizens of
+    the county. Their selection was voted upon, just as if they had
+    been the officers of a political gathering. As soon as elected,
+    they proceeded to the trial of the prisoners.</p>
+
+    <p>The evidence was direct and conclusive, and the prisoners
+    were sentenced to death by hanging. The verdict was read to the
+    multitude, and a vote taken upon its acceptance or rejection.
+    Nineteen-twentieths of those present voted that the sentence
+    should be carried into execution.</p>
+
+    <p>The prisoners were taken from the court-house to the grove
+    where the preceding executions had taken place. They were made
+    to stand upon a high wagon while ropes were placed about their
+    necks and attached to the limb of a large, spreading elm. When
+    all was ready, the wagon was suddenly drawn from beneath the
+    prisoners, and their earthly career was ended.</p>
+
+    <p>A half-hour later the crowd had dispersed. The following
+    morning showed few traces of the excitement of the previous
+    day. The executions were effectual in restoring quiet to the
+    region which had been so much disturbed.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebel sympathizers in St. Louis took many occasions to
+    complain of the tyranny of the National Government. At the
+    outset there was a delusion that the Government had no rights
+    that should be respected, while every possible right belonged
+    to the Rebels. General Lyon removed the arms from the St. Louis
+    arsenal to a place of safety at Springfield, Illinois. "He had
+    no constitutional right to do that," was the outcry of the
+    Secessionists. He commenced the organization of Union
+    volunteers for the defense of the city. The Constitution made
+    no provision for this. He captured Camp Jackson, and took his
+    prisoners to the arsenal. This, they declared, was a most
+    flagrant violation of constitutional privileges. He moved upon
+    the Rebels in the interior, and the same defiance of law was
+    alleged. He suppressed the secession organ in St. Louis, thus
+    trampling upon the liberties of the Rebel Press.</p>
+
+    <p>General Fremont declared the slaves of Rebels were free, and
+    thus infringed upon the rights of property. Numbers of active,
+    persistent traitors were arrested and sent to military prisons:
+    a manifest tyranny on the part of the Government. In one way
+    and another the unfortunate and long-suffering Rebels were most
+    sadly abused, if their own stories are to be regarded.</p>
+
+    <p>It was forbidden to display Rebel emblems in public: a cruel
+    restriction of personal right. The wealthy Secessionists of St.
+    Louis were assessed the sum of ten thousand dollars, for the
+    benefit of the Union refugees from Arkansas and other points in
+    the Southwest. This was another outrage. These persons could
+    not understand why they should be called upon to contribute to
+    the support of Union people who had been rendered houseless and
+    penniless by Rebels elsewhere. They made a most earnest
+    protest, but their remonstrances were of no avail. In default
+    of payment of the sums assessed, their superfluous furniture
+    was seized and sold at auction. This was a violation of the
+    laws that exempt household property from seizure.</p>
+
+    <p>The auction sale of these goods was largely attended. The
+    bidding was very spirited. Pianos, ottomans, mirrors, sofas,
+    chairs, and all the adornments of the homes of affluence, were
+    sold for "cash in United States Treasury notes." Some of the
+    parties assessed declared they would pay nothing on the
+    assessment, but they reconsidered their decisions, and bought
+    their own property at the auction-rooms, without regard to the
+    prices they paid. In subsequent assessments they found it
+    better to pay without hesitation whatever sums were demanded of
+    them. They spoke and labored against the Union until they found
+    such efforts were of no use. They could never understand why
+    they should not enjoy the protection of the flag without being
+    called upon to give it material aid.</p>
+
+    <p>In May, 1863, another grievance was added to the list. It
+    became necessary, for the good of the city, to banish some of
+    the more prominent Rebel sympathizers.</p>
+
+    <p>It was a measure which the Rebels and their friends opposed
+    in the strongest terms. These persons were anxious to see the
+    Confederacy established, but could not consent to live in its
+    limits. They resorted to every device to evade the order, but
+    were not allowed to remain. Representations of personal and
+    financial inconvenience were of no avail; go they must.</p>
+
+    <p>The first exodus took place on the 13th of May. An immense
+    crowd thronged the levee as the boat which was to remove the
+    exiles took its departure. In all there were about thirty
+    persons, half of them ladies. The men were escorted to the boat
+    on foot, but the ladies were brought to the landing in
+    carriages, and treated with every possible courtesy. A strong
+    guard was posted at the landing to preserve order and allow no
+    insult of any kind to the prisoners.</p>
+
+    <p>One of the young women ascended to the hurricane roof of the
+    steamer and cheered for the "Confederacy." As the boat swung
+    into the stream, this lady was joined by two others, and the
+    trio united their sweet voices in singing "Dixie" and the
+    "Bonnie Blue Flag." There was no cheering or other noisy
+    demonstration at their departure, though there was a little
+    waving of handkerchiefs, and a few tokens of farewell were
+    given. This departure was soon followed by others, until St.
+    Louis was cleared of its most turbulent spirits.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c27" id="c27"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXVII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>GETTYSBURG.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">A Hasty Departure.--At Harrisburg.--<i>En
+    route</i> for the Army of the Potomac.--The Battle-Field at
+    Gettysburg.--Appearance of the Cemetery.--Importance of the
+    Position.--The Configuration of Ground.--Traces of
+    Battle.--Round Hill.--General Meade's
+    Head-Quarters.--Appearance of the Dead.--Through the Forests
+    along the Line.--Retreat and Pursuit of Lee.</p>
+
+    <p>While in St. Louis, late in June, 1863, I received the
+    following telegram:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>"HERALD OFFICE,<br />
+      "NEW YORK, <i>June</i> 28.</p>
+
+      <p>"Report at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at the earliest
+      possible moment."</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>Two hours later, I was traveling eastward as fast as an
+    express train could carry me.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebel army, under General Lee, had crossed the Potomac,
+    and was moving toward Harrisburg. The Army of the Potomac was
+    in rapid pursuit. A battle was imminent between Harrisburg and
+    Baltimore.</p>
+
+    <p>Waiting a day at Harrisburg, I found the capital of the
+    Keystone State greatly excited. The people were slow to move in
+    their own behalf. Earth-works were being thrown up on the south
+    bank of the Susquehanna, principally by the soldiers from other
+    parts of Pennsylvania and from New York.</p>
+
+    <p>When it was first announced that the enemy was approaching,
+    only seventeen men volunteered to form a local defense. I saw
+    no such enthusiasm on the part of the inhabitants as I had
+    witnessed at Cincinnati during the previous autumn.
+    Pennsylvania sent many regiments to the field during the war,
+    and her soldiers gained a fine reputation; but the best friends
+    of the State will doubtless acknowledge that Harrisburg was
+    slow to act when the Rebels made their last great invasion.</p>
+
+    <p>I was ordered to join the Army of the Potomac wherever I
+    could find it. As I left Harrisburg, I learned that a battle
+    was in progress. Before I could reach the field the great
+    combat had taken place. The two contending armies had made
+    Gettysburg historic.</p>
+
+    <p>I joined our army on the day after the battle. I could find
+    no person of my acquaintance, amid the confusion that followed
+    the termination of three days' fighting. The army moved in
+    pursuit of Lee, whose retreat was just commencing. As our long
+    lines stretched away toward the Potomac, I walked over the
+    ground where the battle had raged, and studied the picture that
+    was presented. I reproduce, in part, my letter of that
+    occasion:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>"Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, <i>July</i> 6,1863.</p>
+
+      <p>"To-day I have passed along the whole ground where the
+      lines of battle were drawn. The place bears evidence of a
+      fierce struggle. The shocks of those two great armies surging
+      and resurging, the one against the other, could hardly pass
+      without leaving their traces in fearful characters. At
+      Waterloo, at Wagram, and at Jena the wheat grows more
+      luxuriantly, and the corn shoots its stalks further toward
+      the sky than before the great conflicts that rendered those
+      fields famous. The broad acres of Gettysburg and Antietam
+      will in future years yield the farmer a richer return than he
+      has hitherto received.</p>
+
+      <p>"Passing out of Gettysburg by the Baltimore turnpike, we
+      come in a few steps to the entrance of the cemetery. Little
+      of the inclosure remains, save the gateway, from which the
+      gates have been torn. The neat wooden fence, first thrown
+      down to facilitate the movement of our artillery, was used
+      for fuel, as the soldiers made their camp on the spot. A few
+      scattered palings are all that remain. The cemetery was such
+      as we usually find near thrifty towns like Gettysburg. None
+      of the monuments and adornings were highly expensive, though
+      all were neat, and a few were elaborate. There was
+      considerable taste displayed in the care of the grounds, as
+      we can see from the few traces that remain. The eye is
+      arrested by a notice, prominently posted, forbidding the
+      destruction or mutilation of any shrub, tree, or stone about
+      the place, under severe penalties. The defiance that war
+      gives to the civil law is forcibly apparent as one peruses
+      those warning lines.</p>
+
+      <p>"Monuments and head-stones lie everywhere overturned.
+      Graves, which loving hands once carefully adorned, have been
+      trampled by horses' feet until the vestiges of verdure have
+      disappeared. The neat and well-trained shrubbery has
+      vanished, or is but a broken and withered mass of tangled
+      brushwood. On one grave lies the body of a horse, fast
+      decomposing under the July sun. On another lie the torn
+      garments of some wounded soldier, stained and saturated with
+      blood. Across a small head-stone, bearing the words, 'To the
+      memory of our beloved child, Mary,' lie the fragments of a
+      musket shattered by a cannon-shot.</p>
+
+      <p>"In the center of a space inclosed by an iron fence, and
+      containing a half-dozen graves, a few rails are standing
+      where they were erected by our soldiers to form their shelter
+      in bivouac. A family shaft has been broken in fragments by a
+      shell. Stone after stone felt the effects of the <i>feu
+      d'enfer</i> that was poured upon the crest of the hill.
+      Cannon thundered, and foot and horse soldiers tramped over
+      the resting-place of the dead. Other dead were added to those
+      who are resting here. Many a wounded soldier lives to
+      remember the contest above those silent graves.</p>
+
+      <p>"The hill on which this cemetery is located was the center
+      of our line of battle and the key to our position. Had the
+      Rebels been able to carry this point, they would have forced
+      us into retreat, and the battle would have been lost. To
+      pierce our line in this locality was Lee's great endeavor,
+      and he threw his best brigades against it. Wave after wave of
+      living valor rolled up that slope, only to roll back again
+      under the deadly fire of our artillery and infantry. It was
+      on this hill, a little to the right of the cemetery, where
+      the 'Louisiana Tigers' made their famous charge. It was their
+      boast that they were never yet foiled in an attempt to take a
+      battery; but on this occasion they suffered a defeat, and
+      were nearly annihilated. Sad and dispirited, they mourn their
+      repulse and their terrible losses in the assault.</p>
+
+      <p>"From the summit of this hill a large portion of the
+      battle-ground is spread out before the spectator. In front
+      and at his feet lies the town of Gettysburg, containing, in
+      quiet times, a population of four or five thousand souls. It
+      is not more than a hundred yards to the houses in the edge of
+      the village, where the contest with the Rebel sharp-shooters
+      took place. To the left of the town stretches a long valley,
+      bounded on each side by a gently-sloping ridge. The crest of
+      each ridge is distant nearly a mile from the other. It was on
+      these ridges that the lines of battle on the second and third
+      days were formed, the Rebel line being on the ridge to the
+      westward. The one stretching directly from our left hand, and
+      occupied by our own men, has but little timber upon it, while
+      that held by the rebels can boast of several groves of
+      greater or less extent. In one of these the Pennsylvania
+      College is embowered, while in another is seen the
+      Theological Seminary. Half-way between the ridges are the
+      ruins of a large brick building burned during the engagement.
+      Dotted about, here and there, are various brick and frame
+      structures. Two miles at our left rises a sharp-pointed
+      elevation, known to the inhabitants of the region as Round
+      Hill. Its sides are wooded, and the forest stretches from its
+      base across the valley to the crest of the western ridge.</p>
+
+      <p>"It must not be supposed that the space between the ridges
+      is an even plain, shaven with, the scythe and leveled with
+      the roller. It rises and falls gently, and with little
+      regularity, but in no place is it steep of ascent. Were it
+      not for its ununiformity and for the occasional sprinkling of
+      trees over its surface, it could be compared to a patch of
+      rolling prairie in miniature. To the southwest of the further
+      ridge is seen the mountain region of Western Maryland, behind
+      which the Rebels had their line of retreat. It is not a wild,
+      rough mass of mountains, but a region of hills of the larger
+      and more inaccessible sort. They are traversed by roads only
+      in a few localities, and their passage, except through, the
+      gaps, is difficult for a single team, and impossible for an
+      army.</p>
+
+      <p>"The Theological Seminary was the scene of a fierce
+      struggle. It was beyond it where the First and Eleventh Corps
+      contended with Ewell and Longstreet on the first day of the
+      engagement. Afterward, finding the Rebels were too strong for
+      them, they fell back to a new position, this building being
+      included in the line. The walls of the Seminary were
+      perforated by shot and shell, and the bricks are indented
+      with numerous bullet-marks. Its windows show the effects of
+      the musketry, and but little glass remains to shut out the
+      cold and rain. The building is now occupied as a hospital by
+      the Rebels. The Pennsylvania College is similarly occupied,
+      and the instruction of its students is neglected for the
+      present.</p>
+
+      <p>"In passing from the cemetery along the crest of the ridge
+      where our line of battle stood, I first came upon the
+      position occupied by some of our batteries. This is shown by
+      the many dead horses lying unburied, and by the mounds which
+      mark where others have been slightly covered up. There are
+      additional traces of an artillery fight. Here is a broken
+      wheel of a gun-carriage, an exploded caisson, a handspike,
+      and some of the accoutrements of the men. In the fork of a
+      tree I found a Testament, with the words, 'Charles Durrale,
+      Corporal of Company G,' written on the fly-leaf. The guns and
+      the gunners, have disappeared. Some of the latter are now
+      with the column moving in pursuit of the enemy, others are
+      suffering in the hospitals, and still others are resting
+      where the bugle's reveille shall never wake them.</p>
+
+      <p>"Between the cemetery and the town and at the foot of the
+      ridge where I stand, runs the road leading to Emmetsburg. It
+      is not a turnpike, but a common dirt-road, and, as it leaves
+      the main street leading into town, it makes a diagonal ascent
+      of the hill. On the eastern side, this road is bordered by a
+      stone wall for a short distance. Elsewhere on both sides
+      there is only a rail fence. A portion of our sharp-shooters
+      took position behind this wall, and erected traverses to
+      protect them from a flanking fire, should the enemy attempt
+      to move up the road from Gettysburg. These traverses are
+      constructed at right angles to the wall, by making a 'crib'
+      of fence-rails, two feet high and the same distance apart,
+      and then filling the crib with dirt. Further along I find the
+      rails from the western side of the road, piled against the
+      fence on the east, so as to form a breast-work two or three
+      feet in height--a few spadesful of dirt serve to fill the
+      interstices. This defense was thrown up by the Rebels at the
+      time they were holding the line of the roads.</p>
+
+      <p>"Moving to the left, I find still more severe traces of
+      artillery fighting. Twenty-seven dead horses on a space of
+      little more than one acre is evidence of heavy work. Here are
+      a few scattered trees, which were evidently used as a screen
+      for our batteries. These trees did not escape the storm of
+      shot and shell that was rained in that direction. Some of
+      them were perforated by cannon-shot, or have been completely
+      cut off in that peculiar splintering that marks the course of
+      a projectile through green wood. Near the scene of this
+      fighting is a large pile of muskets and cartridge-boxes
+      collected from the field. Considerable work has been done in
+      thus gathering the d&eacute;bris of the battle, but it is by
+      no means complete. Muskets, bayonets, and sabers are
+      scattered everywhere.</p>
+
+      <p>"My next advance to the left carries me where the ground
+      is thickly studded with graves. In one group I count a dozen
+      graves of soldiers belonging to the Twentieth Massachusetts;
+      near them are buried the dead of the One Hundred and
+      Thirty-seventh New York, and close at hand an equal number
+      from the Twelfth New Jersey. Care has been taken to place a
+      head-board at each grave, with a legible inscription thereon,
+      showing whose remains are resting beneath. On one board the
+      comrades of the dead soldier had nailed the back of his
+      knapsack, which bore his name. On another was a brass plate,
+      bearing the soldier's name in heavily stamped letters.</p>
+
+      <p>"Moving still to the left, I found an orchard in which the
+      fighting appears to have been desperate in the extreme.
+      Artillery shot had plowed the ground in every direction, and
+      the trees did not escape the fury of the storm. The long
+      bolts of iron, said by our officers to be a modification of
+      the Whitworth projectile, were quite numerous. The Rebels
+      must have been well supplied with this species of ammunition,
+      and they evidently used it with no sparing hand. At one time
+      I counted twelve of these bolts lying on a space not fifty
+      feet square. I am told that many shot and shell passed over
+      the heads of our soldiers during the action.</p>
+
+      <p>"A mile from our central position at the cemetery, was a
+      field of wheat, and near it a large tract, on which corn had
+      been growing. The wheat was trampled by the hurrying feet of
+      the dense masses of infantry, as they changed their positions
+      during the battle. In the cornfield artillery had been
+      stationed, and moved about as often as the enemy obtained its
+      range. Hardly a hill of corn is left in its pristine
+      luxuriance. The little that escaped the hoof or the wheel, as
+      the guns moved from place to place, was nibbled by hungry
+      horses during the bivouac subsequent to the battle. Not a
+      stalk of wheat is upright; not a blade of corn remains
+      uninjured; all has fallen long before the time of harvest.
+      Another harvest, in which Death was the reaper, has been
+      gathered above it.</p>
+
+      <p>"On our extreme left the pointed summit of a hill, a
+      thousand feet in elevation, rises toward the sky. Beyond it,
+      the country falls off into the mountain region that extends
+      to the Potomac and across it into Virginia. This hill is
+      quite difficult of ascent, and formed a strong position, on
+      which the left of our line rested. The enemy assaulted this
+      point with great fury, throwing his divisions, one after the
+      other, against it. Their efforts were of no avail. Our men
+      defended their ground against every attack. It was like the
+      dash of the French at Waterloo against the immovable columns
+      of the English. Stubborn resistance overcame the valor of the
+      assailants. Again and again they came to the assault, only to
+      fall back as they had advanced. Our left held its ground,
+      though it lost heavily.</p>
+
+      <p>"On this portion of the line, about midway between the
+      crests of the ridges, is a neat farm-house. Around this
+      dwelling the battle raged, as around Hougoumont at Waterloo.
+      At one time it was in the possession of the Rebels, and was
+      fiercely attacked by our men. The walls were pierced by shot
+      and shell, many of the latter exploding within, and making a
+      scene of devastation. The glass was shattered by rifle
+      bullets on every side, and the wood-work bears testimony to
+      the struggle. The sharp-shooters were in every room, and
+      added to the disorder caused by the explosion of shells. The
+      soldiers destroyed what the missiles spared. The Rebels were
+      driven from the house, and the position was taken by our own
+      men. They, in turn, were dislodged, but finally secured a
+      permanent footing in the place.</p>
+
+      <p>"Retracing my steps from the extreme left, I return to the
+      center of our position on Cemetery Hill. I do not follow the
+      path by which I came, but take a route along the hollow,
+      between the two ridges. It was across this hollow that the
+      Rebels made their assaults upon our position. Much blood was
+      poured out between these two swells of land. Most of the dead
+      were buried where they fell, or gathered in little clusters
+      beneath some spreading tree or beside clumps of bushes. Some
+      of the Rebel dead are still unburied. I find one of these as
+      I descend a low bank to the side of a small spring. The body
+      is lying near the spring, as if the man had crawled there to
+      obtain a draught of water. Its hands are outspread upon the
+      earth, and clutching at the little tufts of grass beneath
+      them. The soldier's haversack and canteen are still
+      remaining, and his hat is lying not far away.</p>
+
+      <p>"A few paces distant is another corpse, with its hands
+      thrown upward in the position the soldier occupied when he
+      received his fatal wound. The clothing is not torn, no blood
+      appears upon the garments, and the face, though swollen,
+      bears no expression of anguish. Twenty yards away are the
+      remains of a body cut in two by a shell. The grass is
+      drenched in blood, that the rain of yesterday has not washed
+      away. As I move forward I find the body of a Rebel soldier,
+      evidently slain while taking aim over a musket. The hands are
+      raised, the left extended beyond the right, and the fingers
+      of the former partly bent, as if they had just been grasping
+      the stock of a gun. One foot is advanced, and the body is
+      lying on its right side. To appearances it did not move a
+      muscle after receiving its death-wound. Another body attracts
+      my attention by its delicate white hands, and its face black
+      as that of a negro.</p>
+
+      <p>"The farm-house on the Emmetsburg road, where General
+      Meade held his head-quarters during the cannonade, is most
+      fearfully cut up. General Lee masked his artillery, and
+      opened with one hundred and thirty pieces at the same moment.
+      Two shells in every second of time fell around those
+      head-quarters. They tore through the little white building,
+      exploding and scattering their fragments in every direction.
+      Not a spot in its vicinity was safe. One shell through the
+      door-step, another in the chimney, a third shattering a
+      rafter, a fourth carrying away the legs of a chair in which
+      an officer was seated; others severing and splintering the
+      posts in front of the house, howling through the trees by
+      which the dwelling was surrounded, and raising deep furrows
+      in the soft earth. One officer, and another, and another were
+      wounded. Strange to say, amid all this iron hail, no one of
+      the staff was killed.</p>
+
+      <p>"Once more at the cemetery, I crossed the Baltimore
+      turnpike to the hill that forms the extremity of the ridge,
+      on which the main portion of our line of battle was located.
+      I followed this ridge to the point held by our extreme right.
+      About midway along the ridge was the scene of the fiercest
+      attack upon that portion of the field. Tree after tree was
+      scarred from base to limbs so thickly that it would have been
+      impossible to place one's hand upon the trunk without
+      covering the marks of a bullet. One tree was stripped of more
+      than half its leaves; many of its twigs were partially
+      severed, and hanging wilted and nearly ready to drop to the
+      ground. The trunk of the tree, about ten inches in diameter,
+      was cut and scarred in every part. The fire which struck
+      these trees was that from our muskets upon the advancing
+      Rebels. Every tree and bush for the distance of half a mile
+      along these works was nearly as badly marked. The rocks,
+      wherever they faced our breast-works, were thickly stippled
+      with dots like snow-flakes. The missiles, flattened by
+      contact with the rock, were lying among the leaves, giving
+      little indication of their former character.</p>
+
+      <p>"Our sharp-shooters occupied novel positions. One of them
+      found half a hollow log, standing upright, with a hole left
+      by the removal of a knot, which gave him an excellent
+      embrasure. Some were in tree-tops, others in nooks among the
+      rocks, and others behind temporary barricades of their own
+      construction. Owing to the excellence of our defenses, the
+      Rebels lost heavily."</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>A few days after visiting this field, I joined the army in
+    Western Maryland. The Rebels were between us and the Potomac.
+    We were steadily pressing them, rather with a design of driving
+    them across the Potomac without further fighting, than of
+    bringing on an engagement. Lee effected his crossing in safety,
+    only a few hundred men of his rear-guard being captured on the
+    left bank of the Potomac.</p>
+
+    <p>The Maryland campaign was ended when Lee was driven out. Our
+    army crossed the Potomac further down that stream, but made no
+    vigorous pursuit. I returned to New York, and once more
+    proceeded to the West.</p>
+
+    <p>Our victory in Pennsylvania was accompanied by the fall of
+    Vicksburg and the surrender of Pemberton's army. A few days
+    later, the capture of Port Hudson was announced. The struggle
+    for the possession of the Mississippi was substantially ended
+    when the Rebel fortifications along its banks fell into our
+    hands.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c28" id="c28"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXVIII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>IN THE NORTHWEST.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">From Chicago to Minnesota.--Curiosities of
+    Low-Water Navigation.--St. Paul and its Sufferings in Earlier
+    Days.--The Indian War.--A Brief History of our Troubles in that
+    Region.--General Pope's Expeditions to Chastise the Red
+    Man.--Honesty in the Indian Department.--The End of the
+    Warfare.--The Pacific Railway.--A Bold
+    Undertaking.--Penetrating British Territory.--The Hudson Bay
+    Company.--Peculiarities of a Trapper's Life.</p>
+
+    <p>Early in September, 1863, I found myself in Chicago,
+    breathing the cool, fresh air from Lake Michigan. From Chicago
+    to Milwaukee I skirted the shores of the lake, and from the
+    latter city pushed across Wisconsin to the Mississippi River.
+    Here it was really the blue Mississippi: its appearance was a
+    pleasing contrast to the general features of the river a
+    thousand miles below. The banks, rough and picturesque, rose
+    abruptly from the water's edge, forming cliffs that overtopped
+    the table-land beyond. These cliffs appeared in endless
+    succession, as the boat on which I traveled steamed up the
+    river toward St. Paul. Where the stream widened into Lake
+    Pepin, they seemed more prominent and more precipitous than
+    elsewhere, as the larger expanse of water was spread at their
+    base. The promontory known as "Maiden's Rock" is the most
+    conspicuous of all. The Indians relate that some daughter of
+    the forest, disappointed in love, once leaped from its summit
+    to the rough rocks, two hundred feet below. Her lover, learning
+    her fate, visited the spot, gazed from the fearful height, and,
+    after a prayer to the Great Spirit who watches over the Red
+    Man--returned to his friends and broke the heart of another
+    Indian maid.</p>
+
+    <p>Passing Lake Pepin and approaching St. Paul, the river
+    became very shallow. There had been little rain during the
+    summer, and the previous spring witnessed no freshet in that
+    region. The effect was apparent in the condition of the
+    Mississippi. In the upper waters boats moved with difficulty.
+    The class that is said to steam wherever there is a heavy dew,
+    was brought into active use. From St. Paul to a point forty
+    miles below, only the lightest of the "stern-wheel" boats could
+    make any headway. The inhabitants declared they had never
+    before known such a low stage of water, and earnestly hoped it
+    would not occur again. It was paralyzing much of the business
+    of the State. Many flouring and lumber mills were lying idle.
+    Transportation was difficult, and the rates very high. A
+    railway was being constructed to connect with the roads from
+    Chicago, but it was not sufficiently advanced to be of any
+    service.</p>
+
+    <p>Various stories were in circulation concerning the
+    difficulties of navigation on the Upper Mississippi in a low
+    stage of water. One pilot declared the wheels of his boat
+    actually raised a cloud of dust in many places. Another said
+    his boat could run easily in the moisture on the outside of a
+    pitcher of ice-water, but could not move to advantage in the
+    river between Lake Pepin and St. Paul. A person interested in
+    the railway proposed to secure a charter for laying the track
+    in the bed of the Mississippi, but feared the company would be
+    unable to supply the locomotives with water on many portions of
+    the route. Many other jests were indulged in, all of which were
+    heartily appreciated by the people of St. Paul.</p>
+
+    <p>The day after my arrival at St. Paul, I visited the famous
+    Falls of the Minnehaha. I am unable to give them a minute
+    description, my visit being very brief. Its brevity arose from
+    the entire absence of water in the stream which supplies the
+    fall. That fluid is everywhere admitted to be useful for
+    purposes of navigation, and I think it equally desirable in the
+    formation of a cascade.</p>
+
+    <p>The inhabitants of St. Paul have reason to bless the
+    founders of their city for the excellent site of the future
+    metropolis of the Northwest. Overlooking and almost overhanging
+    the river in one part, in another it slopes gently down to the
+    water's edge, to the levee where the steamers congregate. Back
+    from the river the limits of the city extend for several miles,
+    and admit of great expansion. With a hundred years of
+    prosperity there would still be ample room for growth.</p>
+
+    <p>Before the financial crash in '57, this levee was crowded
+    with merchandise from St. Louis and Chicago. Storage was not
+    always to be had, though the construction of buildings was
+    rapidly pushed. Business was active, speculation was carried to
+    the furthest limit, everybody had money in abundance, and
+    scattered it with no niggard hand. In many of the brokers'
+    windows, placards were posted offering alluring inducements to
+    capitalists. "Fifty per cent. guaranteed on investments," was
+    set forth on these placards, the offers coming from parties
+    considered perfectly sound. Fabulous sums were paid for wild
+    land and for lots in apocryphal towns. All was prosperity and
+    activity.</p>
+
+    <p>By-and-by came the crash, and this well-founded town passed
+    through a period of mourning and fasting. St. Paul saw many of
+    its best and heaviest houses vanish into thin air; merchants,
+    bankers, land-speculators, lumbermen, all suffered alike. Some
+    disappeared forever; others survived the shock, but never
+    recovered their former footing. Large amounts of property went
+    under the auctioneer's hammer, "to be sold without limit." Lots
+    of land which cost two or three hundred dollars in '56, were
+    sold at auction in '58 for five or six dollars each. Thousands
+    of people lost their all in these unfortunate
+    land-speculations. Others who survived the crash have clung to
+    their acres, hoping that prosperity may return to the
+    Northwest. At present their wealth consists mainly of Great
+    Expectations.</p>
+
+    <p>Though suffering greatly, the capital and business center of
+    Minnesota was by no means ruined. The speculators departed, but
+    the farmers and other working classes remained. Business
+    "touched bottom" and then slowly revived. St. Paul existed
+    through all the calamity, and its people soon learned the
+    actual necessities of Minnesota. While they mourn the departure
+    of the "good times," many of them express a belief that those
+    happy days were injurious to the permanent prosperity of the
+    State.</p>
+
+    <p>St. Paul is one of the few cities of the world whose
+    foundation furnishes the material for their construction. The
+    limestone rock on which it is built is in layers of about a
+    foot in thickness, and very easy to quarry. The blocks require
+    little dressing to fit them for use. Though very soft at first,
+    the stone soon hardens by exposure to the air, and forms a neat
+    and durable wall. In digging a cellar one will obtain more than
+    sufficient stone for the walls of his house.</p>
+
+    <p>At the time of my visit the Indian expedition of 1863 had
+    just returned, and was camped near Fort Snelling. This
+    expedition was sent out by General Pope, for the purpose of
+    chastising the Sioux Indians. It was under command of General
+    Sibley, and accomplished a march of nearly six hundred miles.
+    As it lay in camp at Fort Snelling, the men and animals
+    presented the finest appearance I had ever observed in an army
+    just returned from a long campaign.</p>
+
+    <p>The Sioux massacres of 1862, and the campaign of General
+    Pope in the autumn of that year, attracted much attention.
+    Nearly all the settlers in the valley of the Minnesota above
+    Fort Snelling were killed or driven off. Other localities
+    suffered to a considerable extent. The murders--like nearly all
+    murders of whites by the Indians--were of the most atrocious
+    character. The history of those massacres is a chronicle of
+    horrors rarely equaled during the present century. Whole
+    counties were made desolate, and the young State, just
+    recovering from its financial misfortunes, received a severe
+    blow to its prosperity.</p>
+
+    <p>Various causes were assigned for the outbreak of hostilities
+    on the part of the Sioux Indians. Very few residents of
+    Minnesota, in view of the atrocities committed by the Indians,
+    could speak calmly of the troubles. All were agreed that there
+    could be no peace and security until the white men were the
+    undisputed possessors of the land.</p>
+
+    <p>Before the difficulties began, there was for some time a
+    growing discontent on the part of the Indians, on account of
+    repeated grievances. Just previous to the outbreak, these
+    Indians were summoned to one of the Government Agencies to
+    receive their annuities. These annuities had been promised them
+    at a certain time, but were not forthcoming. The agents, as I
+    was informed, had the money (in coin) as it was sent from
+    Washington, but were arranging to pay the Indians in Treasury
+    notes and pocket the premium on the gold. The Indians were kept
+    waiting while the gold was being exchanged for greenbacks.
+    There was a delay in making this exchange, and the Indians were
+    put off from day to day with promises instead of money.</p>
+
+    <p>An Indian knows nothing about days of grace, protests,
+    insolvency, expansions, and the other technical terms with
+    which Wall Street is familiar. He can take no explanation of
+    broken promises, especially when those promises are made by
+    individuals who claim to represent the Great Father at
+    Washington. In this case the Sioux lost all confidence in the
+    agents, who had broken their word from day to day. Added to the
+    mental annoyance, there was great physical suffering. The
+    traders at the post would sell nothing without cash payment,
+    and, without money, the Indians were unable to procure what the
+    stores contained in abundance.</p>
+
+    <p>The annuities were not paid, and the traders refused to sell
+    on credit. Some of the Indians were actually starving, and one
+    day they forced their way into a store to obtain food. Taking
+    possession, they supplied themselves with what they desired.
+    Among other things, they found whisky, of the worst and most
+    fiery quality. Once intoxicated, all the bad passions of the
+    savages were let loose. In their drunken frenzy, the Indians
+    killed one of the traders. The sight of blood made them
+    furious. Other white men at the Agency were killed, and thus
+    the contagion spread.</p>
+
+    <p>From the Agency the murderers spread through the valley of
+    the St. Peter's, proclaiming war against the whites. They made
+    no distinction of age or sex. The atrocities they committed are
+    among the most fiendish ever recorded.</p>
+
+    <p>The outbreak of these troubles was due to the conduct of the
+    agents who were dealing with the Indians. Knowing, as they
+    should have known, the character of the red man everywhere, and
+    aware that the Sioux were at that time discontented, it was the
+    duty of those agents to treat them with the utmost kindness and
+    generosity. I do not believe the Indians, when they plundered
+    the store at the Agency, had any design beyond satisfying their
+    hunger. But with one murder committed, there was no restraint
+    upon their passions.</p>
+
+    <p>Many of our transactions with the Indians, in the past
+    twenty years, have not been characterized by the most
+    scrupulous honesty. The Department of the Interior has an
+    interior history that would not bear investigation. It is well
+    known that the furnishing of supplies to the Indians often
+    enriches the agents and their political friends. There is
+    hardly a tribe along our whole frontier that has not been
+    defrauded. Dishonesty in our Indian Department was notorious
+    during Buchanan's Administration. The retirement of Buchanan
+    and his cabinet did not entirely bring this dishonesty to an
+    end.</p>
+
+    <p>An officer of the Hudson Bay Company told me, in St. Paul,
+    that it was the strict order of the British Government,
+    enforced in letter and spirit by the Company, to keep full
+    faith with the Indians. Every stipulation is most scrupulously
+    carried out. The slightest infringement by a white man upon the
+    rights of the Indians is punished with great severity. They are
+    furnished with the best qualities of goods, and the quantity
+    never falls below the stipulations. Consequently the Indian has
+    no cause of complaint, and is kept on the most friendly terms.
+    This officer said, "A white man can travel from one end to the
+    other of our territory, with no fear of molestation. It is
+    forty years since any trouble occurred between us and the
+    Indians, while on your side of the line you have frequent
+    difficulties."</p>
+
+    <p>The autumn of '62 witnessed the campaign for the
+    chastisement of these Indians. Twenty-five thousand men were
+    sent to Minnesota, under General Pope, and employed against the
+    Sioux. In a wild country, like the interior of Minnesota,
+    infantry cannot be used to advantage. On this account, the
+    punishment of the Indians was not as complete as our
+    authorities desired.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of the Indians were captured, some killed, and others
+    surrendered. Thirty-nine of the captives were hanged. A hundred
+    others were sent to prison at Davenport, Iowa, for confinement
+    during life. The coming of Winter caused a suspension of
+    hostilities.</p>
+
+    <p>The spring of 1863 opened with the outfitting of two
+    expeditions--one to proceed through Minnesota, under General
+    Sibley, and the other up the Missouri River, under General
+    Sully. These expeditions were designed to unite somewhere on
+    the Missouri River, and, by inclosing the Indians between them,
+    to bring them to battle. If the plan was successful, the
+    Indians would be severely chastised.</p>
+
+    <p>General Sibley moved across Minnesota, according to
+    agreement, and General Sully advanced up the Missouri. The
+    march of the latter was delayed on account of the unprecedented
+    low water in the Missouri, which retarded the boats laden with
+    supplies. Although the two columns failed to unite, they were
+    partially successful in their primary object. Each column
+    engaged the Indians and routed them with considerable loss.</p>
+
+    <p>After the return of General Sibley's expedition, a portion
+    of the troops composing it were sent to the Southwest, and
+    attached to the armies operating in Louisiana.</p>
+
+    <p>The Indian war in Minnesota dwindled to a fight on the part
+    of politicians respecting its merits in the past, and the best
+    mode of conducting it in the future. General Pope, General
+    Sibley, and General Sully were praised and abused to the
+    satisfaction of every resident of the State. Laudation and
+    denunciation were poured out with equal liberality. The contest
+    was nearly as fierce as the struggle between the whites and
+    Indians. If epithets had been as fatal as bullets, the loss of
+    life would have been terrible. Happily, the wordy battle was
+    devoid of danger, and the State of Minnesota, her politicians,
+    her generals, and her men emerged from it without harm.</p>
+
+    <p>Various schemes have been devised for placing the Sioux
+    Indians where they will not be in our way. No spot of land can
+    be found between the Mississippi and the Pacific where their
+    presence would not be an annoyance to somebody. General Pope
+    proposed to disarm these Indians, allot no more reservations to
+    them, and allow no traders among them. He recommended that they
+    be placed on Isle Royale, in Lake Superior, and there furnished
+    with barracks, rations, and clothing, just as the same number
+    of soldiers would be furnished. They should have no arms, and
+    no means of escaping to the main-land. They would thus be
+    secluded from all evil influence, and comfortably housed and
+    cared for at Government expense. If this plan should be
+    adopted, it would be a great relief to the people of our
+    Northwestern frontier.</p>
+
+    <p>Minnesota has fixed its desires upon a railway to the
+    Pacific. The "St. Paul and Pacific Railway" is already in
+    operation about forty miles west of St. Paul, and its
+    projectors hope, in time, to extend it to the shores of the
+    "peaceful sea." It has called British capital to its aid, and
+    is slowly but steadily progressing.</p>
+
+    <p>In the latter part of 1858 several enterprising citizens of
+    St. Paul took a small steamer in midwinter from the upper
+    waters of the Mississippi to the head of navigation, on the Red
+    River of the North. The distance was two hundred and fifty
+    miles, and the route lay through a wilderness. Forty yoke of
+    oxen were required for moving the boat. When navigation was
+    open in the spring of 1859, the boat (the <i>Anson
+    Northrup</i>) steamed down to Fort Garry, the principal post of
+    the Hudson Bay Company, taking all the inhabitants by surprise.
+    None of them had any intimation of its coming, and were,
+    consequently, as much astonished as if the steamer had dropped
+    from the clouds.</p>
+
+    <p>The agents of the Hudson Bay Company purchased the steamer,
+    a few hours after its arrival, for about four times its value.
+    They hoped to continue their seclusion by so doing; but were
+    doomed to disappointment. Another and larger boat was built in
+    the following year at Georgetown, Minnesota, the spot where the
+    <i>Northrup</i> was launched. The isolation of the fur-traders
+    was ended. The owners of the second steamer (the
+    <i>International</i>) were the proprietors of a stage and
+    express line to all parts of Minnesota. They extended their
+    line to Fort Garry, and soon established a profitable
+    business.</p>
+
+    <p>From its organization in 1670, down to 1860, the Hudson Bay
+    Company sent its supplies, and received its furs in return, by
+    way of the Arctic Ocean and Hudson's Bay. There are only two
+    months in the year in which a ship can enter or leave Hudson's
+    Bay. A ship sailing from London in January, enters the Bay in
+    August. When the cargo is delivered at York Factory, at the
+    mouth of Nelson's River, it is too late in the season to send
+    the goods to the great lakes of Northwestern America, where the
+    trading posts are located. In the following May the goods are
+    forwarded. They go by canoes where the river is navigable, and
+    are carried on the backs of men around the frequent and
+    sometimes long rapids. The journey requires three months.</p>
+
+    <p>The furs purchased with these goods cannot be sent to York
+    Factory until a year later, and another year passes away before
+    they leave Hudson's Bay. Thus, returns for a cargo were not
+    received in London until four years after its shipment from
+    that port.</p>
+
+    <p>Since American enterprise took control of the carrying
+    trade, goods are sent from London to Fort Garry by way of New
+    York and St. Paul, and are only four months in transit. Four or
+    five months will be required to return a cargo of furs to
+    London, making a saving of three years over the old route.
+    Stupid as our English cousin sometimes shows himself, he cannot
+    fail to perceive the advantages of the new route, and has
+    promptly embraced them. The people of Minnesota are becoming
+    well acquainted with the residents of the country on their
+    northern boundary. Many of the Northwestern politicians are
+    studying the policy of "annexation."</p>
+
+    <p>The settlement at Pembina, near Pembina Mountain, lies in
+    Minnesota, a few miles only from the international line. The
+    settlers supposed they were on British soil until the
+    establishment of the boundary showed them their mistake. Every
+    year the settlement sends a train to St. Paul, nearly seven
+    hundred miles distant, to exchange its buffalo-robes, furs,
+    etc., for various articles of necessity that the Pembina region
+    does not produce. This annual train is made up of "Red River
+    carts"--vehicles that would be regarded with curiosity in New
+    York or Washington.</p>
+
+    <p>A Red River cart is about the size of a two-wheeled dray,
+    and is built entirely of wood--not a particle of iron entering
+    into its composition. It is propelled by a single ox or horse,
+    generally the former, driven by a half-breed native. Sometimes,
+    though not usually, the wheels are furnished with tires of
+    rawhide, placed upon them when green and shrunk closely in
+    drying. Each cart carries about a thousand pounds of freight,
+    and the train will ordinarily make from fifteen to twenty miles
+    a day. It was estimated that five hundred of these carts would
+    visit St. Paul and St. Cloud in the autumn of 1863.</p>
+
+    <p>The settlements of which Fort Garry is the center are
+    scattered for several miles along the Red River of the North.
+    They have schools, churches, flouring and saw mills, and their
+    houses are comfortably and often luxuriously furnished. They
+    have pianos imported from St. Paul, and their principal church,
+    has an organ. At St. Cloud I saw evidences of extreme
+    civilization on their way to Fort Garry. These were a
+    whisky-still, two sewing-machines, and a grain-reaper. No
+    people can remain in darkness after adopting these modern
+    inventions.</p>
+
+    <p>The monopoly which the Hudson Bay Company formerly held, has
+    ceased to exist. Under its charter, granted by Charles II. in
+    1670, it had exclusive control of all the country drained by
+    Hudson's Bay. In addition to its privilege of trade, it
+    possessed the "right of eminent domain" and the full political
+    management of the country. Crime in this territory was not
+    punished by the officers of the British Government, but by the
+    courts and officers of the Company. All settlements of farmers
+    and artisans were discouraged, as it was the desire of the
+    Company to maintain the territory solely as a fur preserve,
+    from the Arctic Ocean to the United States boundary.</p>
+
+    <p>The profits of this fur-trade were enormous, as the Company
+    had it under full control. The furs were purchased of the
+    Indians and trappers at very low rates, and paid for in goods
+    at enormous prices. An industrious trapper could earn a
+    comfortable support, and nothing more.</p>
+
+    <p>Having full control of the fur market in Europe, the
+    directors could regulate the selling prices as they chose.
+    Frequently they issued orders forbidding the killing of a
+    certain class of animals for several years. The fur from these
+    animals would become scarce and very high, and at the same time
+    the animals would increase in numbers. Suddenly, when the
+    market was at its uppermost point, the order would be
+    countermanded and a large supply brought forward for sale. This
+    course was followed with all classes of fur in succession. The
+    Company's dividends in the prosperous days would shame the best
+    oil wells or Nevada silver mines of our time.</p>
+
+    <p>Though its charter was perpetual, the Hudson Bay Company was
+    obliged to obtain once in twenty-one years a renewal of its
+    license for exclusive trade. From 1670 to 1838 it had no
+    difficulty in obtaining the desired renewal. The last license
+    expired in 1859. Though a renewal was earnestly sought, it was
+    not attained. The territory is now open to all traders, and the
+    power of the old Company is practically extinguished.</p>
+
+    <p>The first explorations in Minnesota were made shortly after
+    the discovery of the Mississippi River by Marquette and
+    Hennepin. St. Paul was originally a French trading post, and
+    the resort of the Indians throughout the Northwest. Fort
+    Snelling was established by the United Suites Government in
+    1819, but no settlements were made until 1844. After the
+    current of emigration began, the territory was rapidly
+    filled.</p>
+
+    <p>While Minnesota was a wilderness, the American Fur Company
+    established posts on the upper waters of the Mississippi. The
+    old trading-house below the Falls of St. Anthony, the first
+    frame building erected in the territory, is yet standing,
+    though it exhibits many symptoms of decay.</p>
+
+    <p>At one time the emigration to Minnesota was very great, but
+    it has considerably fallen off during the last eight years. The
+    State is too far north to hold out great inducements to
+    settlers. The winters are long and severe, and the productions
+    of the soil are limited in character and quantity. In summer
+    the climate is excellent, attracting large numbers of
+    pleasure-seekers. The Falls of St. Anthony and the Minnehaha
+    have a world-wide reputation.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c29" id="c29"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXIX.</h4>
+
+    <h5>INAUGURATION OF A GREAT ENTERPRISE.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Plans for Arming the Negroes along the
+    Mississippi.--Opposition to the Movement.--Plantations Deserted
+    by their Owners.--Gathering Abandoned Cotton.--Rules and
+    Regulations.--Speculation.--Widows and Orphans in
+    Demand.--Arrival of Adjutant-General Thomas.--Designs of the
+    Government.</p>
+
+    <p>I have elsewhere alluded to the orders of General Grant at
+    Lagrange, Tennessee, in the autumn of 1862, relative to the
+    care of the negroes where his army was then operating.</p>
+
+    <p>The plan was successful in providing for the negroes in
+    Tennessee and Northern Mississippi, where the number, though
+    large, was not excessive. At that time, the policy of arming
+    the blacks was being discussed in various quarters. It found
+    much opposition. Many persons thought it would be an
+    infringement upon the "rights" of the South, both
+    unconstitutional and unjust. Others cared nothing for the
+    South, or its likes and dislikes, but opposed the measure on
+    the ground of policy. They feared its adoption would breed
+    discontent among the white soldiers of the army, and cause so
+    many desertions and so much uneasiness that the importance of
+    the new element would be more than neutralized. Others, again,
+    doubted the courage of the negroes, and thought their first use
+    under fire would result in disgrace and disaster to our arms.
+    They opposed the experiment on account of this fear.</p>
+
+    <p>In South Carolina and in Kansas the negroes had been put
+    under arms and mustered into service as Union soldiers. In
+    engagements of a minor character they had shown coolness and
+    courage worthy of veterans. There was no valid reason why the
+    negroes along the Mississippi would not be just as valuable in
+    the army, as the men of the same race in other parts of the
+    country. Our Government determined to try the experiment, and
+    make the <i>Corps d'Afrique</i> a recognized and important
+    adjunct of our forces in the field.</p>
+
+    <p>When General Grant encamped his army at Milliken's Bend and
+    Young's Point, preparatory to commencing the siege of
+    Vicksburg, many of the cotton plantations were abandoned by
+    their owners. Before our advent nearly all the white males able
+    to bear arms had, willingly or unwillingly, gone to aid in
+    filling the ranks of the insurgents. On nearly every plantation
+    there was a white man not liable to military service, who
+    remained to look after the interests of the property. When our
+    army appeared, the majority of these white men fled to the
+    interior of Louisiana, leaving the plantations and the negroes
+    to the tender mercy of the invaders. In some cases the
+    fugitives took the negroes with them, thus leaving the
+    plantations entirely deserted.</p>
+
+    <p>When the negroes remained, and the plantations were not
+    supplied with provisions, it became necessary for the
+    Commissary Department to issue rations for the subsistence of
+    the blacks. As nearly all the planters cared nothing for the
+    negroes they had abandoned, there was a very large number that
+    required the attention of the Government.</p>
+
+    <p>On many plantations the cotton crop of 1862 was still in the
+    field, somewhat damaged by the winter rains; but well worth
+    gathering at the prices which then ruled the market. General
+    Grant gave authority for the gathering of this cotton by any
+    parties who were willing to take the contract. The contractors
+    were required to feed the negroes and pay them for their labor.
+    One-half the cotton went to the Government, the balance to the
+    contractor. There was no lack of men to undertake the
+    collection of abandoned cotton on these terms, as the
+    enterprise could not fail to be exceedingly remunerative.</p>
+
+    <p>This cotton, gathered by Government authority, was, with a
+    few exceptions, the only cotton which could be shipped to
+    market. There were large quantities of "old" cotton--gathered
+    and baled in previous years--which the owners were anxious to
+    sell, and speculators ready to buy. Numerous applications were
+    made for shipping-permits, but nearly all were rejected. A few
+    cases were pressed upon General Grant's attention, as deserving
+    exception from the ordinary rule.</p>
+
+    <p>There was one case of two young girls, whose parents had
+    recently died, and who were destitute of all comforts on the
+    plantation where they lived. They had a quantity of cotton
+    which they wished to take to Memphis, for sale in that market.
+    Thus provided with money, they would proceed North, and remain
+    there till the end of the war.</p>
+
+    <p>A speculator became interested in these girls, and plead
+    with all his eloquence for official favor in their behalf.
+    General Grant softened his heart and gave this man a written
+    permit to ship whatever cotton belonged to the orphans. It was
+    understood, and so stated in the application, that the amount
+    was between two hundred and three hundred bales. The exact
+    number not being known, there was no quantity specified in the
+    permit.</p>
+
+    <p>The speculator soon discovered that the penniless orphans
+    could claim two thousand instead of two hundred bales, and
+    thought it possible they would find three thousand bales and
+    upward. On the strength of his permit without special limit, he
+    had purchased, or otherwise procured, all the cotton he could
+    find in the immediate vicinity. He was allowed to make shipment
+    of a few hundred bales; the balance was detained.</p>
+
+    <p>Immediately, as this transaction became known, every
+    speculator was on the <i>qui vive</i> to discover a widow or an
+    orphan. Each plantation was visited, and the status of the
+    owners, if any remained, became speedily known. Orphans and
+    widows, the former in particular, were at a high premium. Never
+    in the history of Louisiana did the children of tender years,
+    bereft of parents, receive such attention from strangers. A
+    spectator might have imagined the Millennium close at hand, and
+    the dealers in cotton about to be humbled at the feet of babes
+    and sucklings. Widows, neither young nor comely, received the
+    warmest attention from men of Northern birth. The family of
+    John Rodgers, had it then lived at Milliken's Bend, would have
+    been hailed as a "big thing." Everywhere in that region there
+    were men seeking "healthy orphans for adoption."</p>
+
+    <p>The majority of the speculators found the widows and orphans
+    of whom they were in search. Some were able to obtain permits,
+    while others were not. Several officers of the army became
+    interested in these speculations, and gave their aid to obtain
+    shipping privileges. Some who were innocent were accused of
+    dealing in the forbidden fiber, while others, guilty of the
+    transaction, escaped without suspicion. The temptation was
+    great. Many refused to be concerned in the traffic; but there
+    were some who yielded.</p>
+
+    <p>The contractors who gathered the abandoned cotton were
+    enabled to accumulate small fortunes. Some of them acted
+    honestly, but others made use of their contracts to cover large
+    shipments of purchased or stolen cotton, baled two or three
+    years before. The ordinary yield of an acre of ground is from a
+    bale to a bale and a half. The contractors were sometimes able
+    to show a yield of ten or twenty bales to the acre.</p>
+
+    <p>About the first of April, Adjutant-General Thomas arrived at
+    Milliken's Bend, bringing, as he declared, authority to
+    regulate every thing as he saw fit. Under his auspices,
+    arrangements were made for putting the able-bodied male negroes
+    into the army. In a speech delivered at a review of the troops
+    at Lake Providence, he announced the determination of the
+    Government to use every just measure to suppress the
+    Rebellion.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels indirectly made use of the negroes against the
+    Government, by employing them in the production of supplies for
+    their armies in the field. "In this way," he said, "they can
+    bring to bear against us all the power of their so-called
+    Confederacy. At the same time we are compelled to retain at
+    home a portion of our fighting force to furnish supplies for
+    the men at the front. The Administration has determined to take
+    the negroes belonging to disloyal men, and make them a part of
+    the army. This is the policy that has been fixed and will be
+    fully carried out."</p>
+
+    <p>General Thomas announced that he brought authority to raise
+    as many regiments as possible, and to give commissions to all
+    proper persons who desired them. The speech was listened to
+    with attention, and loudly cheered at its close. The general
+    officers declared themselves favorable to the new movement, and
+    gave it their co-operation. In a few days a half-dozen
+    regiments were in process of organization. This was the
+    beginning of the scheme for raising a large force of colored
+    soldiers along the Mississippi.</p>
+
+    <p>The disposition to be made of the negro women and children
+    in our lines, was a subject of great importance. Their numbers
+    were very large, and constantly increasing. Not a tenth of
+    these persons could find employment in gathering abandoned
+    cotton. Those that found such employment were only temporarily
+    provided for. It would be a heavy burden upon the Government to
+    support them in idleness during the entire summer. It would be
+    manifestly wrong to send them to the already overcrowded camps
+    at Memphis and Helena. They were upon our hands by the fortune
+    of war, and must be cared for in some way.</p>
+
+    <p>The plantations which their owners had abandoned were
+    supposed to afford the means of providing homes for the
+    negroes, where they could be sheltered, fed, and clothed
+    without expense to the Government. It was proposed to lease
+    these plantations for the term of one year, to persons who
+    would undertake the production of a crop of cotton. Those
+    negroes who were unfit for military service were to be
+    distributed on these plantations, where the lessees would
+    furnish them all needed supplies, and pay them for their labor
+    at certain stipulated rates.</p>
+
+    <p>The farming tools and other necessary property on the
+    plantations were to be appraised at a fair valuation, and
+    turned over to the lessees. Where the plantations were
+    destitute of the requisite number of mules for working them,
+    condemned horses and mules were loaned to the lessees, who
+    should return them whenever called for. There were promises of
+    protection against Rebel raids, and of all assistance that the
+    Government could consistently give. General Thomas announced
+    that the measure was fully decided upon at Washington, and
+    should receive every support.</p>
+
+    <p>The plantations were readily taken, the prospects being
+    excellent for enormous profits if the scheme proved successful.
+    The cost of producing cotton varies from three to eight cents a
+    pound. The staple would find ready sale at fifty cents, and
+    might possibly command a higher figure. The prospects of a
+    large percentage on the investment were alluring in the
+    extreme. The plantations, the negroes, the farming utensils,
+    and the working stock were to require no outlay. All that was
+    demanded before returns would be received, were the necessary
+    expenditures for feeding and clothing the negroes until the
+    crop was made and gathered. From five to thirty thousand
+    dollars was the estimated yearly expense of a plantation of a
+    thousand acres. If successful, the products for a year might be
+    set down at two hundred thousand dollars; and should cotton
+    appreciate, the return would be still greater.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c30" id="c30"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXX.</h4>
+
+    <h5>COTTON-PLANTING IN 1863.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Leasing the Plantations.--Interference of the
+    Rebels.--Raids.--Treatment of Prisoners.--The Attack upon
+    Milliken's Bend.--A Novel Breast-Work.--Murder o four
+    Officers.--Profits of Cotton-Planting.--Dishonesty of
+    Lessees.--Negroes Planting on their own Account.</p>
+
+    <p>It was late in the season before the plantations were leased
+    and the work of planting commenced. The ground was hastily
+    plowed and the seed as hastily sown. The work was prosecuted
+    with the design of obtaining as much as possible in a single
+    season. In their eagerness to accumulate fortunes, the lessees
+    frequently planted more ground than they could care for, and
+    allowed much of it to run to waste.</p>
+
+    <p>Of course, it could not be expected the Rebels would favor
+    the enterprise. They had prophesied the negro would not work
+    when free, and were determined to break up any effort to induce
+    him to labor. They were not even willing to give him a fair
+    trial. Late in June they visited the plantations at Milliken's
+    Bend and vicinity.</p>
+
+    <p>They stripped many of the plantations of all the mules and
+    horses that could be found, frightened some of the negroes into
+    seeking safety at the nearest military posts, and carried away
+    others. Some of the lessees were captured; others, having
+    timely warning, made good their escape. Of those captured, some
+    were released on a regular parole not to take up arms against
+    the "Confederacy." Others were liberated on a promise to go
+    North and remain there, after being allowed a reasonable time
+    for settling their business. Others were carried into captivity
+    and retained as prisoners of war until late in the summer. A
+    Mr. Walker was taken to Brownsville, Texas, and there released,
+    with the privilege of crossing to Matamoras, and sailing thence
+    to New Orleans. It was six months from the time of his capture
+    before he reached New Orleans on his return home.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels made a fierce attack upon the garrison at
+    Milliken's Bend. For a few moments during the fight the
+    prospects of their success were very good. The negroes
+    composing the garrison had not been long under arms, and their
+    discipline was far from perfect. The Rebels obtained possession
+    of a part of our works, but were held at bay by the garrison,
+    until the arrival of a gun-boat turned the scale in our favor.
+    The odds were against us at the outset, but we succeeded in
+    putting the enemy to flight.</p>
+
+    <p>In this attack the Rebels made use of a movable breast-work,
+    consisting of a large drove of mules, which they kept in their
+    front as they advanced upon the fort. This breast-work served
+    very well at first, but grew unmanageable as our fire became
+    severe. It finally broke and fled to the rear, throwing the
+    Rebel lines into confusion. I believe it was the first instance
+    on record where the defenses ran away, leaving the defenders
+    uncovered. It marked a new, but unsuccessful, phase of war. An
+    officer who was present at the defense of Milliken's Bend
+    vouches for the truth of the story.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels captured a portion of the garrison, including
+    some of the white officers holding commissions in negro
+    regiments. The negro prisoners were variously disposed of. Some
+    were butchered on the spot while pleading for quarter; others
+    were taken a few miles on the retreat, and then shot by the
+    wayside. A few were driven away by their masters, who formed a
+    part of the raiding force, but they soon escaped and returned
+    to our lines. Of the officers who surrendered as prisoners of
+    war, some were shot or hanged within a short distance of their
+    place of capture. Two were taken to Shreveport and lodged in
+    jail with one of the captured lessees. One night these officers
+    were taken from the jail by order of General Kirby Smith, and
+    delivered into the hands of the provost-marshal, to be shot for
+    the crime of accepting commissions in negro regiments. Before
+    morning they were dead.</p>
+
+    <p>Similar raids were made at other points along the river,
+    where plantations were being cultivated under the new system.
+    At all these places the mules were stolen and the negroes
+    either frightened or driven away. Work was suspended until the
+    plantations could be newly stocked and equipped. This
+    suspension occurred at the busiest time in the season. The
+    production of the cotton was, consequently, greatly retarded.
+    On some plantations the weeds grew faster than the cotton, and
+    refused to be put down. On others, the excellent progress the
+    weeds had made, during the period of idleness, rendered the
+    yield of the cotton-plant very small. Some of the plantations
+    were not restocked after the raid, and speedily ran to
+    waste.</p>
+
+    <p>In 1863, no lessee made more than half an ordinary crop of
+    <i>cotton</i>, and very few secured even this return. Some
+    obtained a quarter or an eighth of a bale to the acre, and some
+    gathered only one bale where they should have gathered twelve
+    or twenty. A few lost money in the speculation. Some made a
+    fair profit on their investment, and others realized their
+    expectations of an enormous reward. Several parties united
+    their interest on three or four plantations in different
+    localities, so that a failure in one quarter was offset by
+    success in another.</p>
+
+    <p>The majority of the lessees were unprincipled men, who
+    undertook the enterprise solely as a speculation. They had as
+    little regard for the rights of the negro as the most brutal
+    slaveholder had ever shown. Very few of them paid the negroes
+    for their labor, except in furnishing them small quantities of
+    goods, for which they charged five times the value. One man,
+    who realized a profit of eighty thousand dollars, never paid
+    his negroes a penny. Some of the lessees made open boast of
+    having swindled their negroes out of their summer's wages, by
+    taking advantage of their ignorance.</p>
+
+    <p>The experiment did not materially improve the condition of
+    the negro, save in the matter of physical treatment. As a slave
+    the black man received no compensation for his labor. As a free
+    man, he received none.</p>
+
+    <p>He was well fed, and, generally, well clothed. He received
+    no severe punishment for non-performance of duty, as had been
+    the case before the war. The difference between working for
+    nothing as a slave, and working for the same wages under the
+    Yankees, was not always perceptible to the unsophisticated
+    negro.</p>
+
+    <p>Several persons leased plantations that they might use them
+    as points for shipping purchased or stolen cotton. Some were
+    quite successful in this, while others were unable to find any
+    cotton to bring out. Various parties united with the
+    plantation-owners, and agreed to obtain all facilities from the
+    Government officials, if their associates would secure
+    protection against Rebel raids. In some cases this experiment
+    was successful, and the plantations prospered, while those
+    around them were repeatedly plundered. In others, the Rebels
+    were enraged at the plantation-owners for making any
+    arrangements with "the Yankees," and treated them with
+    merciless severity. There was no course that promised absolute
+    safety, and there was no man who could devise a plan of
+    operations that would cover all contingencies.</p>
+
+    <p>Every thing considered, the result of the free-labor
+    enterprise was favorable to the pockets of the avaricious
+    lessees, though it was not encouraging to the negro and to the
+    friends of justice and humanity. All who had been successful
+    desired to renew their leases for another season. Some who were
+    losers were willing to try again and hope for better
+    fortune.</p>
+
+    <p>All the available plantations in the vicinity of Vicksburg,
+    Milliken's Bend, and other points along that portion of the
+    Mississippi were applied for before the beginning of the New
+    Year. Application for these places were generally made by the
+    former lessees or their friends. The prospects were good for a
+    vigorous prosecution of the free-labor enterprise during
+    1864.</p>
+
+    <p>In the latter part of 1863, I passed down the Mississippi,
+    <i>en route</i> to New Orleans. At Vicksburg I met a gentleman
+    who had been investigating the treatment of the negroes under
+    the new system, and was about making a report to the proper
+    authorities. He claimed to have proof that the agents appointed
+    by General Thomas had not been honest in their administration
+    of affairs.</p>
+
+    <p>One of these agents had taken five plantations under his
+    control, and was proposing to retain them for another year. It
+    was charged that he had not paid his negroes for their labor,
+    except in scanty supplies of clothing, for which exorbitant
+    prices were charged. He had been successful with his
+    plantations, but delivered very little cotton to the Government
+    agents.</p>
+
+    <p>The investigations into the conduct of agents and lessees
+    were expected to make a change in the situation. Up to that
+    time the War Department had controlled the whole system of
+    plantation management. The Treasury Department was seeking the
+    control, on the ground that the plantations were a source of
+    revenue to the Government, and should be under its financial
+    and commercial policy. If it could be proved that the system
+    pursued was an unfair and dishonest one, there was probability
+    of a change.</p>
+
+    <p>I pressed forward on my visit to New Orleans. On my return,
+    two weeks later, the agents of General Thomas were pushing
+    their plans for the coming year. There was no indication of an
+    immediate change in the management. The duties of these agents
+    had been enlarged, and the region which they controlled
+    extended from Lake Providence, sixty miles above Vicksburg, to
+    the mouth of Red River, nearly two hundred miles below. One of
+    the agents had his office at Lake Providence, a second was
+    located at Vicksburg, while the third was at Natchez.</p>
+
+    <p>Nearly all the plantations near Lake Providence had been
+    leased or applied for. The same was the case with most of those
+    near Vicksburg. In some instances, there were several
+    applicants for the same plantation. The agents announced their
+    determination to sell the choice of plantations to the highest
+    bidder. The competition for the best places was expected to be
+    very active.</p>
+
+    <p>There was one pleasing feature. Some of the applicants for
+    plantations were not like the sharp-eyed speculators who had
+    hitherto controlled the business. They seemed to be men of
+    character, desirous of experimenting with free labor for the
+    sake of demonstrating its feasibility when skillfully and
+    honestly managed. They hoped and believed it would be
+    profitable, but they were not undertaking the enterprise solely
+    with a view to money-making. The number of these men was not
+    large, but their presence, although in small force, was
+    exceedingly encouraging.</p>
+
+    <p>I regret to say that these men were outstripped in the
+    struggle for good locations by their more unscrupulous
+    competitors. Before the season was ended, the majority of the
+    honest men abandoned the field.</p>
+
+    <p>During 1863, many negroes cultivated small lots of ground on
+    their own account. Sometimes a whole family engaged in the
+    enterprise, a single individual having control of the matter.
+    In other cases, two, three, or a half-dozen negroes would unite
+    their labor, and divide the returns. One family of four persons
+    sold twelve bales of cotton, at two hundred dollars per bale,
+    as the result of eight months' labor. Six negroes who united
+    their labor were able to sell twenty bales. The average was
+    about one and a half or two bales to each of those persons who
+    attempted the planting enterprise on their own account. A few
+    made as high as four bales each, while others did not make more
+    than a single bale. One negro, who was quite successful in
+    planting on his own account, proposed to take a small
+    plantation in 1864, and employ twenty or more colored laborers.
+    How he succeeded I was not able to ascertain.</p>
+
+    <p>The commissioners in charge of the freedmen gave the negroes
+    every encouragement to plant on their own account. In 1864
+    there were thirty colored lessees near Milliken's Bend, and
+    about the same number at Helena. Ten of these persons at Helena
+    realized $31,000 for their year's labor. Two of them planted
+    forty acres in cotton; their expenses were about $1,200; they
+    sold their crop for $8,000. Another leased twenty-four acres.
+    His expenses were less than $2,000, and he sold his crop for
+    $6,000. Another leased seventeen acres. He earned by the
+    season's work enough to purchase a good house, and leave him a
+    cash balance of $300. Another leased thirteen and a half acres,
+    expended about $600 in its cultivation, and sold his crop for
+    $4,000.</p>
+
+    <p>At Milliken's Bend the negroes were not as successful as at
+    Helena--much of the cotton crop being destroyed by the "army
+    worm." It is possible that the return of peace may cause a
+    discontinuance of the policy of leasing land to negroes.</p>
+
+    <p>The planters are bitterly opposed to the policy of dividing
+    plantations into small parcels, and allowing them to be
+    cultivated by freedmen. They believe in extensive tracts of
+    land under a single management, and endeavor to make the
+    production of cotton a business for the few rather than the
+    many. It has always been the rule to discourage small planters.
+    No aristocratic proprietor, if he could avoid it, would sell
+    any portion of his estate to a man of limited means. In the
+    hilly portions of the South, the rich men were unable to carry
+    out their policy. Consequently, there were many who cultivated
+    cotton on a small scale. On the lower Mississippi this was not
+    the case.</p>
+
+    <p>When the Southern States are fairly "reconstructed," and the
+    political control is placed in the hands of the ruling race,
+    every effort will be made to maintain the old policy.
+    Plantations of a thousand or of three thousand acres will be
+    kept intact, unless the hardest necessity compels their
+    division. If possible, the negroes will not be permitted to
+    possess or cultivate land on their own account. To allow them
+    to hold real estate will be partially admitting their claim to
+    humanity. No true scion of chivalry can permit such an
+    innovation, so long as he is able to make successful
+    opposition.</p>
+
+    <p>I have heard Southern men declare that a statute law should,
+    and would, be made to prevent the negroes holding real estate.
+    I have no doubt of the disposition of the late Rebels in favor
+    of such enactment, and believe they would display the greatest
+    energy in its enforcement. It would be a labor of love on their
+    part, as well as of duty. Its success would be an obstacle in
+    the way of the much-dreaded "negro equality."</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c31" id="c31"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXXI.</h4>
+
+    <h5>AMONG THE OFFICIALS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Reasons for Trying an Experiment.--Activity
+    among Lessees.--Opinions of the Residents.--Rebel Hopes in
+    1863.--Removal of Negroes to West Louisiana.--Visiting
+    Natchez.--The City and its Business.--"The Rejected
+    Addresses."</p>
+
+    <p>In my visit to Vicksburg I was accompanied by my
+    fellow-journalist, Mr. Colburn, of <i>The World</i>. Mr.
+    Colburn and myself had taken more than an ordinary interest in
+    the free-labor enterprise. We had watched its inception eight
+    months before, with many hopes for its success, and with as
+    many fears for the result. The experiment of 1863, under all
+    its disadvantages, gave us convincing proof that the production
+    of cotton and sugar by free labor was both possible and
+    profitable. The negro had proved the incorrectness of the
+    slaveholders' assertion that no black man would labor on a
+    plantation except as a slave. So much we had seen accomplished.
+    It was the result of a single year's trial. We desired to see a
+    further and more extensive test.</p>
+
+    <p>While studying the new system in the hands of others, we
+    were urged to bring it under our personal observation. Various
+    inducements were held out. We were convinced of the general
+    feasibility of the enterprise, wherever it received proper
+    attention. As a philanthropic undertaking, it was commendable.
+    As a financial experiment, it promised success. We looked at
+    the matter in all its aspects, and finally decided to gain an
+    intimate knowledge of plantation life in war-time. Whether we
+    succeeded or failed, we would learn more about the freedmen
+    than we had hitherto known, and would assist, in some degree,
+    to solve the great problem before the country. Success would be
+    personally profitable, while failure could not be
+    disastrous.</p>
+
+    <p>We determined to lease a plantation, but had selected none.
+    In her directions for cooking a hare, Mrs. Glass says: "First,
+    catch your hare." Our animal was to be caught, and the labor of
+    securing it proved greater than we anticipated.</p>
+
+    <p>All the eligible locations around Vicksburg had been taken
+    by the lessees of the previous season, or by newly-arrived
+    persons who preceded us. There were several residents of the
+    neighboring region who desired persons from the North to join
+    them in tilling their plantations. They were confident of
+    obtaining Rebel protection, though by no means certain of
+    securing perfect immunity. In each case they demanded a cash
+    advance of a few thousands, for the purpose of hiring the
+    guerrillas to keep the peace. As it was evident that the
+    purchase of one marauding band would require the purchase of
+    others, until the entire "Confederacy" had been bought up, we
+    declined all these proposals.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of these residents, who wished Northern men to join
+    them, claimed to have excellent plantations along the Yazoo, or
+    near some of its tributary bayous. These men were confident a
+    fine cotton crop could be made, "if there were some Northern
+    man to manage the niggers." It was the general complaint with
+    the people who lived in that region that, with few exceptions,
+    no Southern man could induce the negroes to continue at work.
+    One of these plantation proprietors said his location was such
+    that no guerrilla could get near it without endangering his
+    life. An investigation showed that no other person could reach
+    the plantation without incurring a risk nearly as great. Very
+    few of these owners of remote plantations were able to induce
+    strangers to join them.</p>
+
+    <p>We procured a map of the Mississippi and the country
+    bordering its banks. Whenever we found a good location and made
+    inquiry about it at the office of the leasing agents, we were
+    sure to ascertain that some one had already filed an
+    application. It was plain that Vicksburg was not the proper
+    field for our researches. We shook its dust from our feet and
+    went to Natchez, a hundred and twenty-five miles below, where a
+    better prospect was afforded.</p>
+
+    <p>In the spring of 1863, the Rebels felt confident of
+    retaining permanent possession of Vicksburg and Port Hudson,
+    two hundred and fifty miles apart. Whatever might be the result
+    elsewhere, this portion of the Mississippi should not be
+    abandoned. In the belief that the progress of the Yankees had
+    been permanently stopped, the planters in the locality
+    mentioned endeavored to make as full crops as possible of the
+    great staple of the South. Accordingly, they plowed and
+    planted, and tended the growing cotton until midsummer came. On
+    the fourth of July, Vicksburg surrendered, and opened the river
+    to Port Hudson. General Herron's Division was sent to
+    re-enforce General Banks, who was besieging the latter place.
+    In a few days, General Gardner hauled down his flag and gave
+    Port Hudson to the nation. "The Father of Waters went unvexed
+    to the Sea."</p>
+
+    <p>The rich region that the Rebels had thought to hold was, by
+    the fortune of war, in the possession of the National army. The
+    planters suspended their operations, through fear that the
+    Yankees would possess the land.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of them sent their negroes to the interior of Louisiana
+    for safety. Others removed to Texas, carrying all their human
+    property with them. On some plantations the cotton had been so
+    well cared for that it came to maturity in fine condition. On
+    others it had been very slightly cultivated, and was almost
+    choked out of existence by weeds and grass. Nearly every
+    plantation could boast of more or less cotton in the field--the
+    quantity varying from twenty bales to five hundred. On some
+    plantations cotton had been neglected, and a large crop of corn
+    grown in its place. Everywhere the Rebel law had been obeyed by
+    the production of more corn than usual. There was enough for
+    the sustenance of our armies for many months.</p>
+
+    <p>Natchez was the center of this newly-opened region. Before
+    the war it was the home of wealthy slave-owners, who believed
+    the formation of a Southern Confederacy would be the formation
+    of a terrestrial paradise. On both banks of the Mississippi,
+    above and below Natchez, were the finest cotton plantations of
+    the great valley. One family owned nine plantations, from which
+    eight thousand bales of cotton were annually sent to market.
+    Another family owned seven plantations, and others were the
+    owners of from three to six, respectively.</p>
+
+    <p>The plantations were in the care of overseers and agents,
+    and rarely visited by their owners. The profits were large, and
+    money was poured out in profusion. The books of one of the
+    Natchez banks showed a daily business, in the picking season,
+    of two or three million dollars, generally on the accounts of
+    planters and their factors.</p>
+
+    <p>Prior to the Rebellion, cotton was usually shipped to New
+    Orleans, and sold in that market. There were some of the
+    planters who sent their cotton to Liverpool or Havre, without
+    passing it through the hands of New Orleans factors. A large
+    balance of the proceeds of such shipments remained to the
+    credit of the shippers when the war broke out, and saved them
+    from financial ruin. The business of Natchez amounted,
+    according to the season, from a hundred thousand to three
+    hundred thousand bales. This included a great quantity that was
+    sent to New Orleans from plantations above and below the city,
+    without touching at all upon the levee at Natchez.</p>
+
+    <p>Natchez consists of Natchez-on-the-Hill and
+    Natchez-under-the-Hill. A bluff, nearly two hundred feet high,
+    faces the Mississippi, where there is an eastward bend of the
+    stream. Toward the river this bluff is almost perpendicular,
+    and is climbed by three roads cut into its face like inclined
+    shelves. The French established a settlement at this point a
+    hundred and fifty years ago, and erected a fortification for
+    its defense. This work, known as Fort Rosalie, can still be
+    traced with distinctness, though it has fallen into extreme
+    decay. It was evidently a rectangular, bastioned work, and the
+    location of the bastions and magazine can be readily made
+    out.</p>
+
+    <p>Natchez-under-the-Hill is a small, straggling village,
+    having a few commission houses and stores, and dwellings of a
+    suspicious character. It was once a resort of gamblers and
+    other <i>chevaliers d'industrie</i>, whose livelihood was
+    derived from the travelers along the Mississippi. At present it
+    is somewhat shorn of its glory.</p>
+
+    <p>Natchez-on-the-Hill is a pleasant and well-built city, of
+    about ten thousand inhabitants. The buildings display wealth
+    and good taste, the streets are wide and finely shaded, and the
+    abundance of churches speaks in praise of the religious
+    sentiment of the people. Near the edge of the bluff there was
+    formerly a fine park, commanding a view of the river for
+    several miles in either direction, and overlooking the
+    plantations and cypress forests on the opposite shore. This
+    pleasure-ground was reserved for the white people alone, no
+    negro being allowed to enter the inclosure under severe
+    penalties. A regiment of our soldiers encamped near this park,
+    and used its fence for fuel. The park is now free to persons of
+    whatever color.</p>
+
+    <p>Natchez suffered less from the war than most other places of
+    its size along the Mississippi. The Rebels never erected
+    fortifications in or around Natchez, having relied upon
+    Vicksburg and Port Hudson for their protection. When Admiral
+    Farragut ascended the river, in 1862, after the fall of New
+    Orleans, he promised that Natchez should not be disturbed, so
+    long as the people offered no molestation to our gun-boats or
+    army transports. This neutrality was carefully observed, except
+    on one occasion. A party which landed from the gun-boat
+    <i>Essex</i> was fired upon by a militia company that desired
+    to distinguish itself. Natchez was shelled for two hours, in
+    retaliation for this outrage. From that time until our troops
+    occupied the city there was no disturbance.</p>
+
+    <p>When we arrived at Natchez, we found several Northern men
+    already there, whose business was similar to our own. Some had
+    secured plantations, and were preparing to take possession.
+    Others were watching the situation and surveying the ground
+    before making their selections. We found that the best
+    plantations in the vicinity had been taken by the friends of
+    Adjutant-General Thomas, and were gone past our securing. At
+    Vidalia, Louisiana, directly opposite Natchez, were two fine
+    plantations, "Arnuldia" and "Whitehall," which had been thus
+    appropriated. Others in their vicinity had been taken in one
+    way or another, and were out of our reach. Some of the lessees
+    declared they had been forced to promise a division with
+    certain parties in authority before obtaining possession, while
+    others maintained a discreet silence on the subject. Many
+    plantations owned by widows and semi-loyal persons, would not
+    be placed in the market as "abandoned property." There were
+    many whose status had not been decided, so that they were
+    practically out of the market. In consequence of these various
+    drawbacks, the number of desirable locations that were open for
+    selection was not large.</p>
+
+    <p>One of the leasing agents gave us a letter to a young widow
+    who resided in the city, and owned a large plantation in
+    Louisiana, fifteen miles from Natchez. We lost no time in
+    calling upon the lady.</p>
+
+    <p>Other parties had already seen her with a view to leasing
+    her plantation. Though she had promised the lease to one of
+    these visitors, she had no objections to treating with
+    ourselves, provided she could make a more advantageous
+    contract.</p>
+
+    <p>In a few days we repeated our visit. Our rival had urged his
+    reasons for consideration, and was evidently in favor. He had
+    claimed to be a Secessionist, and assured her he could obtain a
+    safeguard from the Rebel authorities. The lady finally
+    consented to close a contract with him, and placed us in the
+    position of discarded suitors. We thought of issuing a new
+    edition of "The Rejected Addresses."</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c32" id="c32"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXXII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>A JOURNEY OUTSIDE THE LINES.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Passing the Pickets.--Cold Weather in the
+    South.--Effect of Climate upon the Constitution.--Surrounded
+    and Captured.--Prevarication and Explanation.--Among the
+    Natives.--The Game for the Confederacy.--Courtesy of the
+    Planters.--Condition of the Plantations.--The Return.</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Colburn went to St. Louis, on business in which both
+    were interested, and left me to look out a plantation. I
+    determined to make a tour of exploration in Louisiana, in the
+    region above Vidalia. With two or three gentlemen, who were
+    bound on similar business, I passed our pickets one morning,
+    and struck out into the region which was dominated by neither
+    army. The weather was intensely cold, the ground frozen solid,
+    and a light snow falling.</p>
+
+    <p>Cold weather in the South has one peculiarity: it can seem
+    more intense than the same temperature at the North. It is the
+    effect of the Southern climate to unfit the system for any
+    thing but a warm atmosphere. The chill penetrates the whole
+    body with a severity I have never known north of the Ohio
+    River. In a cold day, the "Sunny South" possesses very few
+    attractions in the eyes of a stranger.</p>
+
+    <p>In that day's ride, and in the night which followed, I
+    suffered more than ever before from cold. I once passed a night
+    in the open air in the Rocky Mountains, with the thermometer
+    ten degrees below zero. I think it was more endurable than
+    Louisiana, with the mercury ten degrees above zero. On my
+    plantation hunt I was thickly clad, but the cold <i>would</i>
+    penetrate, in spite of every thing. An hour by a fire might
+    bring some warmth, but the first step into the open air would
+    drive it away. Fluid extract of corn failed to have its
+    ordinary effect. The people of the vicinity said the weather
+    was unusually severe on that occasion. For the sake of those
+    who reside there hereafter, I hope their statement was
+    true.</p>
+
+    <p>Our party stopped for the night at a plantation near
+    Waterproof, a small village on the bank of the river,
+    twenty-two miles from Natchez. Just as we were comfortably
+    seated by the fire in the overseer's house, one of the negroes
+    announced that a person at the door wished to see us.</p>
+
+    <p>I stepped to the door, and found a half-dozen mounted men in
+    blue uniforms. Each man had a carbine or revolver drawn on me.
+    One of my companions followed me outside, and found that the
+    strange party had weapons enough to cover both of us. It had
+    been rumored that several guerrillas, wearing United States
+    uniforms, were lurking in the vicinity. Our conclusions
+    concerning the character of our captors were speedily made.</p>
+
+    <p>Resistance was useless, but there were considerations that
+    led us to parley as long as possible. Three officers, and as
+    many soldiers, from Natchez, had overtaken us in the afternoon,
+    and borne us company during the latter part of our ride. When
+    we stopped for the night, they concluded to go forward two or
+    three miles, and return in the morning. Supposing ourselves
+    fairly taken, we wished to give our friends opportunity to
+    escape. With this object in view, we endeavored, by much
+    talking, to consume time.</p>
+
+    <p>I believe it does not make a man eloquent to compel him to
+    peer into the muzzles of a half-dozen cocked revolvers, that
+    may be discharged at any instant on the will of the holders.
+    Prevarication is a difficult task, when time, place, and
+    circumstances are favorable. It is no easy matter to convince
+    your hearers of the truth of a story you know to be false, even
+    when those hearers are inclined to be credulous. Surrounded by
+    strangers, and with your life in peril, the difficulties are
+    greatly increased. I am satisfied that I made a sad failure on
+    that particular occasion.</p>
+
+    <p>My friend and myself answered, indiscriminately, the
+    questions that were propounded. Our responses did not always
+    agree. Possibly we might have done better if only one of us had
+    spoken.</p>
+
+    <p>"Come out of that house," was the first request that was
+    made.</p>
+
+    <p>We came out.</p>
+
+    <p>"Tell those soldiers to come out."</p>
+
+    <p>"There are no soldiers here," I responded.</p>
+
+    <p>"That's a d--d lie."</p>
+
+    <p>"There are none here."</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, there are," said the spokesman of the party. "Some
+    Yankee soldiers came here a little while ago."</p>
+
+    <p>"We have been here only a few minutes."</p>
+
+    <p>"Where did you come from?"</p>
+
+    <p>This was what the lawyers call a leading question. We did
+    not desire to acknowledge we were from Natchez, as that would
+    reveal us at once. We did not wish to say we were from
+    Shreveport, as it would soon be proved we were not telling the
+    truth. I replied that we had come from a plantation a few miles
+    below. Simultaneously my companion said we had just crossed the
+    river.</p>
+
+    <p>Here was a lack of corroborative testimony which our captors
+    commented upon, somewhat to our discredit. So the conversation
+    went on, our answers becoming more confused each time we spoke.
+    At last the leader of the group dismounted, and prepared to
+    search the house. He turned us over to the care of his
+    companions, saying, as he did so:</p>
+
+    <p>"If I find any soldiers here, you may shoot these d--d
+    fellows for lying."</p>
+
+    <p>During all the colloquy we had been carefully covered by the
+    weapons of the group. We knew no soldiers could be found about
+    the premises, and felt no fear concerning the result of the
+    search.</p>
+
+    <p>Just as the leader finished his search, a lieutenant and
+    twenty men rode up.</p>
+
+    <p>"Well," said our captor, "you are saved from shooting. I
+    will turn you over to the lieutenant."</p>
+
+    <p>I recognized in that individual an officer to whom I had
+    received introduction a day or two before. The recognition was
+    mutual.</p>
+
+    <p>We had fallen into the hands of a scouting party of our own
+    forces. Each mistook the other for Rebels. The contemplated
+    shooting was indefinitely postponed. The lieutenant in command
+    concluded to encamp near us, and we passed the evening in
+    becoming acquainted with each other.</p>
+
+    <p>On the following day the scouting party returned to Natchez.
+    With my two companions I proceeded ten miles further up the
+    river-bank, calling, on the way, at several plantations. All
+    the inhabitants supposed we were Rebel officers, going to or
+    from Kirby Smith's department. At one house we found two old
+    gentlemen indulging in a game of chess. In response to a
+    comment upon their mode of amusement, one of them said:</p>
+
+    <p>"We play a very slow and cautious game, sir. Such a game as
+    the Confederacy ought to play at this time."</p>
+
+    <p>To this I assented.</p>
+
+    <p>"How did you cross the river, gentlemen?" was the first
+    interrogatory.</p>
+
+    <p>"We crossed it at Natchez."</p>
+
+    <p>"At Natchez! We do not often see Confederates from Natchez.
+    You must have been very fortunate to get through."</p>
+
+    <p>Then we explained who and what we were. The explanation was
+    followed by a little period of silence on the part of our new
+    acquaintances. Very soon, however, the ice was broken, and our
+    conversation became free. We were assured that we might travel
+    anywhere in that region as officers of the Rebel army, without
+    the slightest suspicion of our real character. They treated us
+    courteously, and prevailed upon us to join them at dinner. Many
+    apologies were given for the scantiness of the repast.
+    Corn-bread, bacon, and potatoes were the only articles set
+    before us. Our host said he was utterly unable to procure
+    flour, sugar, coffee, or any thing else not produced upon his
+    plantation. He thought the good times would return when the war
+    ended, and was particularly anxious for that moment to arrive.
+    He pressed us to pass the night at his house, but we were
+    unable to do so. On the following day we returned to
+    Natchez.</p>
+
+    <p>Everywhere on the road from Vidalia to the farthest point of
+    our journey, we found the plantations running to waste. The
+    negroes had been sent to Texas or West Louisiana for safety, or
+    were remaining quietly in their quarters. Some had left their
+    masters, and were gone to the camps of the National army at
+    Vicksburg and Natchez. The planters had suspended work, partly
+    because they deemed it useless to do any thing in the
+    prevailing uncertainty, and partly because the negroes were
+    unwilling to perform any labor. Squads of Rebel cavalry had
+    visited some of the plantations, and threatened punishment to
+    the negroes if they did any thing whatever toward the
+    production of cotton. Of course, the negroes would heed such
+    advice if they heeded no other.</p>
+
+    <p>On all the plantations we found cotton and corn, principally
+    the latter, standing in the field. Sometimes there were single
+    inclosures of several hundred acres. The owners were desirous
+    of making any arrangement that would secure the tilling of
+    their soil, while it did not involve them in any trouble with
+    their neighbors or the Rebel authorities.</p>
+
+    <p>They deplored the reverses which the Rebel cause had
+    suffered, and confessed that the times were out of joint. One
+    of the men we visited was a judge in the courts of Louisiana,
+    and looked at the question in a legal light. After lamenting
+    the severity of the storm which was passing over the South, and
+    expressing his fear that the Rebellion would be a failure, he
+    referred to his own situation.</p>
+
+    <p>"I own a plantation," said he, "and have combined my
+    planting interest with the practice of law. The fortune of war
+    has materially changed my circumstances. My niggers used to do
+    as I told them, but that time is passed. Your Northern people
+    have made soldiers of our servants, and will, I presume, make
+    voters of them. In five years, if I continue the practice of
+    law, I suppose I shall be addressing a dozen negroes as
+    gentlemen of the jury."</p>
+
+    <p>"If you had a negro on trial," said one of our party, "that
+    would be correct enough. Is it not acknowledged everywhere that
+    a man shall be tried by his peers?"</p>
+
+    <p>The lawyer admitted that he never thought of that point
+    before. He said he would insist upon having negroes admitted
+    into court as counsel for negroes that were to be tried by a
+    jury of their race. He did not believe they would ever be
+    available as laborers in the field if they were set free, and
+    thought so many of them would engage in theft that negro courts
+    would be constantly busy.</p>
+
+    <p>Generally speaking, the planters that I saw were not violent
+    Secessionists, though none of them were unconditional Union
+    men. All said they had favored secession at the beginning of
+    the movement, because they thought it would strengthen and
+    perpetuate slavery. Most of them had lost faith in its ultimate
+    success, but clung to it as their only hope. The few Union men
+    among them, or those who claimed to be loyal, were friends of
+    the nation with many conditions. They desired slavery to be
+    restored to its former status, the rights of the States left
+    intact, and a full pardon extended to all who had taken part in
+    the Rebellion. Under these conditions they would be willing to
+    see the Union restored. Otherwise, the war must go on.</p>
+
+    <p>We visited several plantations on our tour of observation,
+    and compared their respective merits. One plantation contained
+    three thousand acres of land, but was said to be very old and
+    worn out. Near it was one of twelve hundred acres,
+    three-fourths covered with corn, but with no standing cotton.
+    One had six hundred acres of cotton in the field. This place
+    belonged to a Spaniard, who would not be disturbed by
+    Government, and who refused to allow any work done until after
+    the end of the war. Another had four hundred acres of standing
+    cotton, but the plantation had been secured by a lessee, who
+    was about commencing work.</p>
+
+    <p>All had merits, and all had demerits. On some there was a
+    sufficient force for the season's work, while on others there
+    was scarcely an able field-hand. On some the gin-houses had
+    been burned, and on others they were standing, but disabled. A
+    few plantations were in good order, but there was always some
+    drawback against our securing them. Some were liable to
+    overflow during the expected flood of the Mississippi; others
+    were in the hands of their owners, and would not be leased by
+    the Government. Some that had been abandoned were so thoroughly
+    abandoned that we would hesitate to attempt their cultivation.
+    There were several plantations more desirable than others, and
+    I busied myself to ascertain the status of their owners, and
+    the probabilities concerning their disposal.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of the semi-loyal owners of plantations were able to
+    make very good speculations in leasing their property. There
+    was an earnest competition among the lessees to secure
+    promising plantations. One owner made a contract, by which he
+    received five thousand dollars in cash and half the product of
+    the year's labor.</p>
+
+    <p>A week after the lessee took possession, he was frightened
+    by the near approach of a company of Rebel cavalry. He broke
+    his contract and departed for the North, forfeiting the five
+    thousand dollars he had advanced. Another lessee was ready to
+    make a new contract with the owner, paying five thousand
+    dollars as his predecessor had done. Four weeks later, this
+    lessee abandoned the field, and the owner was at liberty to
+    begin anew.</p>
+
+    <p>To widows and orphans the agents of the Government displayed
+    a commendable liberality. Nearly all of these persons were
+    allowed to retain control of their plantations, leasing them as
+    they saw fit, and enjoying the income. Some were required to
+    subscribe to the oath of allegiance, and promise to show no
+    more sympathy for the crumbling Confederacy. In many cases no
+    pledge of any kind was exacted.</p>
+
+    <p>I knew one widow whose disloyalty was of the most violent
+    character. On a visit to New Orleans she was required to take
+    the oath of allegiance before she could leave the steamboat at
+    the levee. She signed the printed oath under protest. A month
+    later, she brought this document forward to prove her loyalty
+    and secure the control of her plantation.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c33" id="c33"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXXIII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>OH THE PLANTATION.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Military Protection.--Promises.--Another
+    Widow.--Securing a Plantation.--Its Locality and
+    Appearance.--Gardening in Louisiana.--How Cotton is
+    Picked.--"The Tell-Tale."--A Southerner's Opinion of the Negro
+    Character.--Causes and Consequences.</p>
+
+    <p>Parties who proposed to lease and cultivate abandoned
+    plantations were anxious to know what protection would be
+    afforded them. General Thomas and his agents assured them that
+    proper military posts would soon be established at points
+    within easy distance of each other along the river, so that all
+    plantations in certain limits would be amply protected. This
+    would be done, not as a courtesy to the lessees, but as a part
+    of the policy of providing for the care of the negroes. If the
+    lessees would undertake to feed and clothe several thousand
+    negroes, besides paying them for their labor, they would
+    relieve the Government authorities of a great responsibility.
+    They would demonstrate the feasibility of employing the negroes
+    as free laborers. The cotton which they would throw into market
+    would serve to reduce the prices of that staple, and be a
+    partial supply to the Northern factories. All these things
+    considered, the Government was anxious to foster the
+    enterprise, and would give it every proper assistance. The
+    agents were profuse in their promises of protection, and
+    assured us it would be speedily forthcoming.</p>
+
+    <p>There was a military post at Vidalia, opposite Natchez,
+    which afforded protection to the plantations in which General
+    Thomas's family and friends were interested. Another was
+    promised at Waterproof, twenty miles above, with a stockade
+    midway between the two places. There was to be a force of
+    cavalry to make a daily journey over the road between Vidalia
+    and Waterproof. I selected two plantations about two miles
+    below Waterproof, and on the bank of the Mississippi. They were
+    separated by a strip of wood-land half a mile in width, and by
+    a small bayou reaching from the river to the head of Lake St.
+    John. Both plantations belonged to the same person, a widow,
+    living near Natchez.</p>
+
+    <p>The authorities had not decided what they would do with
+    these plantations--whether they would hold them as Government
+    property, or allow the owner to control them. In consideration
+    of her being a widow of fifteen years' standing, they at length
+    determined upon the latter course. It would be necessary to
+    take out a lease from the authorities after obtaining one from
+    the owner. I proceeded at once to make the proper
+    negotiations.</p>
+
+    <p>Another widow! My first experience in seeking to obtain a
+    widow's plantation was not encouraging. The first widow was
+    young, the second was old. Both were anxious to make a good
+    bargain. In the first instance I had a rival, who proved
+    victorious. In the second affair I had no rival at the outset,
+    but was confronted with one when my suit was fairly under way.
+    Before he came I obtained a promise of the widow's plantations.
+    My rival made her a better offer than I had done. At this she
+    proposed to desert me. I caused the elder Weller's advice to be
+    whispered to him, hoping it might induce his withdrawal. He did
+    not retire, and we, therefore, continued our struggle.
+    <i>He</i> was making proposals on his own behalf; I was
+    proposing for myself and for Mr. Colburn, who was then a
+    thousand miles away.</p>
+
+    <p>My widow (I call her mine, for I won at last) desired us to
+    give her all the corn and cotton then on the plantations, and
+    half of what should be produced under our management. I offered
+    her half the former and one-fourth the latter. These were the
+    terms on which nearly all private plantations were being
+    leased. She agreed to the offer respecting the corn and cotton
+    then standing in the field, and demanded a third of the coming
+    year's products. After some hesitation, we decided upon
+    "splitting the difference." Upon many minor points, such as the
+    sale of wood, stock, wool, etc., she had her own way.</p>
+
+    <p>A contract was drawn up, which gave Colburn and myself the
+    lease of the two plantations, "Aquasco" and "Monono," for the
+    period of one year. We were to gather the crops then standing
+    in the field, both cotton and corn, selling all the former and
+    such portion of the latter as was not needed for the use of the
+    plantations. We were to cultivate the plantations to the best
+    of our abilities, subject to the fortunes of flood, fire, and
+    pestilence, and the operations of military and marauding
+    forces. We agreed to give up the plantations at the end of the
+    year in as good condition as we found them in respect to stock,
+    tools, etc., unless prevented by circumstances beyond our
+    control. We were to have full supervision of the plantations,
+    and manage them as we saw fit. We were to furnish such stock
+    and tools as might be needed, with the privilege of removing
+    the same at the time of our departure.</p>
+
+    <p>Our widow (whom I shall call Mrs. B.) was to have one-half
+    the proceeds of the corn and cotton then on the plantations,
+    and seven twenty-fourths of such as might be produced during
+    the year. She was to have the privilege of obtaining, once a
+    week, the supplies of butter, chickens, meal, vegetables, and
+    similar articles she might need for her family use. There were
+    other provisions in the contract, but the essential points were
+    those I have mentioned. The two plantations were to be under a
+    single management. I shall have occasion to speak of them
+    jointly, as "the plantation."</p>
+
+    <p>With this contract duly signed, sealed, and stamped, I went
+    to the "Agent for Abandoned Plantations." After some delay, and
+    a payment of liberal fees, I obtained the Government lease.
+    These preliminaries concluded, I proceeded to the locality of
+    our temporary home. Colburn had not returned from the North,
+    but was expected daily.</p>
+
+    <p>The bayou which I have mentioned, running through the strip
+    of woods which separated the plantations, formed the dividing
+    line between the parishes "Concordia" and "Tensas," in the
+    State of Louisiana. Lake St. John lay directly in rear of
+    "Monono," our lower plantation. This lake was five or six miles
+    long by one in width, and was, doubtless, the bed of the
+    Mississippi many years ago.</p>
+
+    <p>On each plantation there were ten dwelling-houses for the
+    negroes. On one they were arranged in a double row, and on the
+    other in a single row. There was a larger house for the
+    overseer, and there were blacksmith shops, carpenter shops,
+    stables, corn-cribs, meat-houses, cattle-yards, and
+    gin-houses.</p>
+
+    <p>On Aquasco there was a dwelling-house containing five large
+    rooms, and having a wide veranda along its entire front. This
+    dwelling-house was in a spacious inclosure, by the side of a
+    fine garden. Inside this inclosure, and not far from the
+    dwelling, were the quarters for the house-servants, the
+    carriage-house and private stable, the smoke-house and the
+    kitchen, which lay detached from the main building, according
+    to the custom prevailing in the South.</p>
+
+    <p>Our garden could boast of fig and orange trees, and other
+    tropical productions. Pinks and roses we possessed in
+    abundance. Of the latter we had enough in their season to
+    furnish all the flower-girls on Broadway with a stock in trade.
+    Our gardener "made his garden" in February. By the middle of
+    March, his potatoes, cabbages, beets, and other vegetables
+    under his care were making fine progress. Before the jingle of
+    sleigh-bells had ceased in the Eastern States, we were feasting
+    upon delicious strawberries from our own garden, ripened in the
+    open air. The region where plowing begins in January, and corn
+    is planted in February or early March, impresses a New
+    Englander with its contrast to his boyhood home.</p>
+
+    <p>When I took possession of our new property, the state of
+    affairs was not the most pleasing. Mrs. B. had sent the best of
+    her negroes to Texas shortly after the fall of Vicksburg. Those
+    remaining on the plantations were not sufficient for our work.
+    There were four mules where we needed fifty, and there was not
+    a sufficient supply of oxen and wagons. Farming tools, plows,
+    etc., were abundant, but many repairs must be made. There was
+    enough of nearly every thing for a commencement. The rest would
+    be secured in due season.</p>
+
+    <p>Cotton and corn were in the field. The former was to receive
+    immediate attention. On the day after my arrival I mustered
+    thirty-four laborers of all ages and both sexes, and placed
+    them at work, under the superintendence of a foreman. During
+    the afternoon I visited them in the field, to observe the
+    progress they were making. It was the first time I had ever
+    witnessed the operation, but I am confident I did not betray my
+    inexperience in the presence of my colored laborers. The
+    foreman asked my opinion upon various points of plantation
+    management, but I deferred making answer until a subsequent
+    occasion. In every case I told him to do for the present as
+    they had been accustomed, and I would make such changes as I
+    saw fit from time to time.</p>
+
+    <p>Cotton-picking requires skill rather than strength. The
+    young women are usually the best pickers, on account of their
+    superior dexterity. The cotton-stalk, or bush, is from two to
+    five or six feet high. It is unlike any plant with which we are
+    familiar in the North. It resembles a large currant-bush more
+    nearly than any thing else I can think of. Where the branches
+    are widest the plant is three or four feet from side to side.
+    The lowest branches are the longest, and the plant, standing by
+    itself, has a shape similar to that of the Northern spruce. The
+    stalk is sometimes an inch and a half in diameter where it
+    leaves the ground. Before the leaves have fallen, the rows in a
+    cotton-field bear a strong resemblance to a series of untrimmed
+    hedges.</p>
+
+    <p>When fully opened, the cotton-bolls almost envelop the plant
+    in their snow-white fiber. At a distance a cotton-field ready
+    for the pickers forcibly reminds a Northerner of an expanse
+    covered with snow. Our Northern expression, "white as snow," is
+    not in use in the Gulf States. "White as cotton" is the form of
+    comparison which takes its place.</p>
+
+    <p>The pickers walk between the rows, and gather the cotton
+    from the stalks on either side. Each one gathers half the
+    cotton from the row on his right, and half of that on his left.
+    Sometimes, when the stalks are low, one person takes an entire
+    row to himself, and gathers from both sides of it. A bag is
+    suspended by a strap over the shoulder, the end of the bag
+    reaching the ground, so that its weight may not be an
+    inconvenience. The open boll is somewhat like a fully bloomed
+    water-lily. The skill in picking lies in thrusting the fingers
+    into the boll so as to remove all the cotton with a single
+    motion. Ordinary-pickers grasp the boll with one hand and pluck
+    out the cotton with the other. Skillful pickers work with both
+    hands, never touching the bolls, but removing the cotton by a
+    single dextrous twist of the fingers. They can thus operate
+    with great rapidity.</p>
+
+    <p>As fast as the bags are filled, they are emptied into large
+    baskets, which are placed at a corner of the field or at the
+    ends of the rows. When the day's work is ended the cotton is
+    weighed. The amount brought forward by each person is noted on
+    a slate, from which it is subsequently recorded on the
+    account-book of the plantation.</p>
+
+    <p>From one to four hundred pounds, according to the state of
+    the plants, is the proper allowance for each hand per day.</p>
+
+    <p>In the days of slavery the "stint" was fixed by the
+    overseer, and was required to be picked under severe penalties.
+    It is needless to say that this stint was sufficiently large to
+    allow of no loitering during the entire day. If the slave
+    exceeded the quantity required of him, the excess was sometimes
+    placed to his credit and deducted from a subsequent day. This
+    was by no means the universal custom. Sometimes he received a
+    small present or was granted some especial favor. By some
+    masters the stint was increased by the addition of the excess.
+    The task was always regulated by the condition of the cotton in
+    the field. Where it would sometimes be three hundred pounds, at
+    others it would not exceed one hundred.</p>
+
+    <p>At the time I commenced my cotton-picking, the circumstances
+    were not favorable to a large return. The picking season begins
+    in August or September, and is supposed to end before
+    Christmas. In my case it was late in January, and the winter
+    rain had washed much of the cotton from the stalks. Under the
+    circumstances I could not expect more than fifty or
+    seventy-five pounds per day for each person engaged.</p>
+
+    <p>During the first few days I did not weigh the cotton. I knew
+    the average was not more than fifty pounds to each person, but
+    the estimates which the negroes made fixed it at two hundred
+    pounds. One night I astonished them by taking the weighing
+    apparatus to the field and carefully weighing each basket.
+    There was much disappointment among all parties at the result.
+    The next day's picking showed a surprising improvement. After
+    that time, each day's work was tested and the result announced.
+    The "tell-tale," as the scales were sometimes called, was an
+    overseer from whom there was no escape. I think the negroes
+    worked faithfully as soon as they found there was no
+    opportunity for deception.</p>
+
+    <p>I was visited by Mrs. B.'s agent a few days after I became a
+    cotton-planter. We took an inventory of the portable property
+    that belonged to the establishment, and arranged some plans for
+    our mutual advantage. This agent was a resident of Natchez. He
+    was born in the North, but had lived so long in the slave
+    States that his sympathies were wholly Southern. He assured me
+    the negroes were the greatest liars in the world, and required
+    continual watching. They would take every opportunity to
+    neglect their work, and were always planning new modes of
+    deception. They would steal every thing of which they could
+    make any use, and many articles that they could not possibly
+    dispose of. Pretending illness was among the most frequent
+    devices for avoiding labor, and the overseer was constantly
+    obliged to contend against such deception. In short, as far as
+    I could ascertain from this gentleman, the negro was the
+    embodiment of all earthly wickedness. Theft, falsehood,
+    idleness, deceit, and many other sins which afflict mortals,
+    were the especial heritance of the negro.</p>
+
+    <p>In looking about me, I found that many of these charges
+    against the negro were true. The black man was deceptive, and
+    he was often dishonest. There can be no effect without a cause,
+    and the reasons for this deception and dishonesty were
+    apparent, without difficult research. The system of slavery
+    necessitated a constant struggle between the slave and his
+    overseer. It was the duty of the latter to obtain the greatest
+    amount of labor from the sinews of the slave. It was the
+    business of the slave to perform as little labor as possible.
+    It made no difference to him whether the plantation produced a
+    hundred or a thousand bales. He received nothing beyond his
+    subsistence and clothing. His labor had no compensation, and
+    his balance-sheet at the end of the month or year was the same,
+    whether he had been idle or industrious. It was plainly to his
+    personal interest to do nothing he could in any way avoid. The
+    negro displayed his sagacity by deceiving the overseer whenever
+    he could do so. The best white man in the world would have
+    shunned all labor under such circumstances. The negro evinced a
+    pardonable weakness in pretending to be ill whenever he could
+    hope to make the pretense successful.</p>
+
+    <p>Receiving no compensation for his services, beyond his
+    necessary support, the negro occasionally sought to compensate
+    himself. He was fond of roasted pork, but that article did not
+    appear on the list of plantation rations. Consequently some of
+    the negroes would make clandestine seizure of the fattest pigs
+    when the chance of detection was not too great. It was hard to
+    convince them that the use of one piece of property for the
+    benefit of another piece, belonging to the same person, was a
+    serious offense.</p>
+
+    <p>"You see, Mr. K----," said a negro to me, admitting that he
+    had sometimes stolen his master's hogs, "you see, master owns
+    his saddle-horse, and he owns lots of corn. Master would be
+    very mad if I didn't give the horse all the corn he wanted.
+    Now, he owns me, and he owns a great many hogs. I like hog,
+    just as much as the horse likes corn, but when master catches
+    me killing the hogs he is very mad, and he makes the overseer
+    whip me."</p>
+
+    <p>Corn, chickens, flour, meal, in fact, every thing edible,
+    became legitimate plunder for the negroes when the rations
+    furnished them were scanty. I believe that in nine cases out of
+    ten the petty thefts which the negroes committed were designed
+    to supply personal wants, rather than for any other purpose.
+    What the negro stole was usually an article of food, and it was
+    nearly always stolen from the plantation where he belonged.</p>
+
+    <p>Sometimes there was a specially bad negro--one who had been
+    caught in some extraordinary dishonesty. One in my employ was
+    reported to have been shot at while stealing from a
+    dwelling-house several years before. Among two hundred negroes,
+    he was the only noted rascal. I did not attribute his
+    dishonesty to his complexion alone. I have known worse men than
+    he, in whose veins there was not a drop of African blood. The
+    police records everywhere show that wickedness of heart "dwells
+    in white and black the same."</p>
+
+    <p>With his disadvantages of position, the absence of all moral
+    training, and the dishonesty which was the natural result of
+    the old system of labor, the negro could not be expected to
+    observe all the rules prescribed for his guidance, but which
+    were never explained. Like ignorant and degraded people
+    everywhere, many of the negroes believed that guilt lay mainly
+    in detection. There was little wickedness in stealing a pig or
+    a chicken, if the theft were never discovered, and there was no
+    occasion for allowing twinges of conscience to disturb the
+    digestion.</p>
+
+    <p>I do not intend to intimate, by the above, that all were
+    dishonest, even in these small peculations. There were many
+    whose sense of right and wrong was very clear, and whose
+    knowledge of their duties had been derived from the
+    instructions of the white preachers. These negroes "obeyed
+    their masters" in every thing, and considered it a religious
+    obligation to be always faithful. They never avoided their
+    tasks, in the field or elsewhere, and were never discovered
+    doing any wrong. Under the new system of labor at the South,
+    this portion of the negro population will prove of great
+    advantage in teaching their kindred the duties they owe to each
+    other. When all are trained to think and act for themselves,
+    the negroes will, doubtless, prove as correct in morals as the
+    white people around them.</p>
+
+    <p>Early in the present year, the authorities at Davies' Bend,
+    below Vicksburg, established a negro court, in which all petty
+    cases were tried. The judge, jury, counsel, and officers were
+    negroes, and no white man was allowed to interfere during the
+    progress of a trial. After the decisions were made, the
+    statement of the case and the action thereon were referred to
+    the superintendent of the Government plantations at that
+    point.</p>
+
+    <p>It was a noticeable feature that the punishments which the
+    negroes decreed for each other were of a severe character. Very
+    frequently it was necessary for the authorities to modify the
+    sentences after the colored judge had rendered them. The cases
+    tried by the court related to offenses of a minor character,
+    such as theft, fraud, and various delinquencies of the freed
+    negroes.</p>
+
+    <p>The experiment of a negro court is said to have been very
+    successful, though it required careful watching. It was made in
+    consequence of a desire of the authorities to teach the
+    freedmen how to govern themselves. The planters in the vicinity
+    were as bitterly opposed to the movement as to any other effort
+    that lifts the negro above his old position.</p>
+
+    <p>At the present time, several parties in Vicksburg have
+    leased three plantations, in as many localities, and are
+    managing them on different plans. On the first they furnish the
+    negroes with food and clothing, and divide the year's income
+    with them. On the second they pay wages at the rate of ten
+    dollars per month, furnishing rations free, and retaining half
+    the money until the end of the year. On the third they pay
+    daily wages of one dollar, having the money ready at nightfall,
+    the negro buying his own rations at a neighboring store.</p>
+
+    <p>On the first plantation, the negroes are wasteful of their
+    supplies, as they are not liable for any part of their cost.
+    They are inclined to be idle, as their share in the division
+    will not be materially affected by the loss of a few days'
+    labor. On the second they are less wasteful and more
+    industrious, but the distance of the day of payment is not
+    calculated to develop notions of strict economy. On the third
+    they generally display great frugality, and are far more
+    inclined to labor than on the other plantations.</p>
+
+    <p>The reason is apparent. On the first plantation their
+    condition is not greatly changed from that of slavery, except
+    in the promise of compensation and the absence of compulsory
+    control. In the last case they are made responsible both for
+    their labor and expenses, and are learning how to care for
+    themselves as freemen.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c34" id="c34"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXXIV.</h4>
+
+    <h5>RULES AND REGULATIONS UNDER THE OLD AND NEW SYSTEMS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Plantation Record.--Its Uses.--Interesting
+    Memoranda.--Dogs, Jail, and Stocks.--Instructions to the
+    Overseer.--His Duties and Responsibilities.--The Order of
+    General Banks.--Management of Plantations in the Department of
+    the Gulf.--The two Documents Contrasted.--One of the Effects of
+    "an Abolition War."</p>
+
+    <p>Nearly every planter in the South required the manager of
+    his plantation to keep a record of all events of importance.
+    Books were prepared by a publishing house in New Orleans, with
+    special reference to their use by overseers. These books had a
+    blank for every day in the year, in which the amount and kind
+    of work performed were to be recorded by the overseer. There
+    were blanks for noting the progress during the picking season,
+    and the amount picked by each person daily. There were blanks
+    for monthly and yearly inventories of stock, tools, etc.,
+    statements of supplies received and distributed, lists of
+    births and deaths (there were no blanks for marriages), time
+    and amount of shipments of cotton, and for all the ordinary
+    business of a plantation. In the directions for the use of this
+    book, I found the following:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>"On the pages marked I, the planter himself will make a
+      careful record of all the negroes upon the plantation,
+      stating their ages as nearly as possible, and their cash
+      value, at the commencement of the year. At the close, he will
+      again enter their individual value at that time, adding the
+      year's increase, and omitting those that may have died. The
+      difference can then be transferred to the balance-sheet. The
+      year's crop is chargeable with any depreciation in the value
+      of the negroes, occasioned by overwork and improper
+      management, in the effort, perhaps, to make an extra crop
+      independent of every other consideration. On the other hand,
+      should the number of children have greatly increased during
+      the year; the strength and usefulness of the old been
+      sustained by kind treatment and care; the youngsters taught
+      to be useful, and, perhaps, some of the men instructed in
+      trades and the women in home manufactures, the increased
+      value of the entire force will form a handsome addition to
+      the side of <i>profits</i>."</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>On the pages where the daily incidents of the plantation
+    were recorded, I frequently discovered entries that illustrated
+    the "peculiar institution." Some of them read thus:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p><i>June 5th</i>. Whipped Harry and Sarah to-day, because
+      they didn't keep up their rows.</p>
+
+      <p><i>July 7th</i>. Aleck ran away to the woods, because I
+      threatened to whip him.</p>
+
+      <p><i>July 9th</i>. Got Mr. Hall's dogs and hunted Aleck.
+      Didn't find him. Think he is in the swamp back of
+      Brandon's.</p>
+
+      <p><i>July 12th</i>. Took Aleck out of Vidalia jail. Paid
+      $4.50 for jail fees. Put him in the stocks when we got
+      home.</p>
+
+      <p><i>July 30th</i>. Moses died this morning. Charles and
+      Henry buried him. His wife was allowed to keep out of the
+      field until noon.</p>
+
+      <p><i>August 10th</i>. Sent six mules and four negroes down
+      to the lower plantation. They will come back to-morrow.</p>
+
+      <p><i>September 9th</i>. John said he was sick this morning,
+      but I made him go to the field. They brought him in before
+      noon. He has a bad fever. Am afraid he won't be able to go
+      out again soon.</p>
+
+      <p><i>September 20th</i>. Whipped Susan, because she didn't
+      pick as much cotton as she did yesterday.</p>
+
+      <p><i>September 29th</i>. Put William in the stocks and kept
+      him till sunset, for telling Charles he wanted to run
+      away.</p>
+
+      <p><i>October 8th</i>. William and Susan want to be married.
+      Told them I should not allow it, but they might live together
+      if they wanted to.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>(The above memorandum was explained to me by one of the
+    negroes. The owner of the plantation did not approve of
+    marriages, because they were inconvenient in case it was
+    desired to sell a portion of the working force.)</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p><i>October 1st</i>. Took an inventory of the negroes and
+      stock. Their value is about the same as when the last
+      inventory was taken.</p>
+
+      <p><i>December 3d</i>. Finished picking. Gave the negroes
+      half a holiday.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>Nearly every day's entry shows the character and amount of
+    work performed. Thus we have:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p><i>February 10th</i>. Fifteen plows running, five hands
+      piling logs, four hands ditching, six hands in
+      trash-gang.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>In the planting, hoeing, and picking seasons, the result of
+    the labor was recorded in the same manner. Whippings were more
+    or less frequent, according to the character of the overseer.
+    Under one overseer I found that whippings were rare. Under
+    other overseers they were of common occurrence.</p>
+
+    <p>The individual who prepared the "<i>Plantation Record</i>"
+    for the publishers, gave, in addition to directions for its
+    use, instructions for the overseer's general conduct.</p>
+
+    <p>I copy them below, preserving the author's language
+    throughout.</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>THE DUTIES OF AN OVERSEER.</p>
+
+      <p>It is here supposed that the overseer is not immediately
+      under his employer's eye, but is left for days or weeks,
+      perhaps months, to the exercise of his own judgment in the
+      management of the plantation. To him we would say--</p>
+
+      <p>Bear in mind, that you have engaged for a stated sum of
+      money, to devote your time and energies, for an entire year,
+      <i>to one object</i>--to carry out the orders of your
+      employer, strictly, cheerfully, and to the best of your
+      ability; and, in all things, to study his
+      interests--requiring something more than your mere presence
+      on the plantation, and that at such times as suits your own
+      pleasure and convenience.</p>
+
+      <p>On entering upon your duties, inform yourself thoroughly
+      of the condition of the plantation, negroes, stock,
+      implements, etc. Learn the views of your employer as to the
+      general course of management he wishes pursued, and make up
+      your mind to carry out these views fully, as far as in your
+      power. If any objections occur to you, state them distinctly,
+      that they may either be yielded to or overcome.</p>
+
+      <p>Where full and particular directions are not given to you,
+      but you are left, in a great measure, to the exercise of your
+      own judgment, you will find the following hints of service.
+      They are compiled from excellent sources--from able articles
+      in the agricultural journals of the day, from Washington's
+      Directions to his Overseers, and from personal
+      experience.</p>
+
+      <p>"I do, in explicit terms, enjoin it upon you to remain
+      constantly at home (unless called off by unavoidable
+      business, or to attend Divine worship), and to be constantly
+      with your people when there. There is no other sure way of
+      getting work well done, and quietly, by negroes; for when an
+      overlooker's back is turned the most of them will slight
+      their work, or be idle altogether. In which case correction
+      cannot retrieve either, but often produces evils which are
+      worse than the disease. Nor is there any other mode than this
+      to prevent thieving and other disorders, the consequences of
+      opportunities. You will recollect that your time is paid for
+      by me, and if I am deprived of it, it is worse even than
+      robbing my purse, because it is also a breach of trust, which
+      every honest man ought to hold most sacred. You have found
+      me, and you will continue to find me, faithful to my part of
+      the agreement which was made with you, whilst you are
+      attentive to your part; but it is to be remembered that a
+      breach on one side releases the obligation on the other."</p>
+
+      <p>Neither is it right that you should entertain a constant
+      run of company at your house, incurring unnecessary expense,
+      taking up your own time and that of the servants beyond what
+      is needful for your own comfort--a woman to cook and wash for
+      you, milk, make butter, and so on. More than this you have no
+      claim to.</p>
+
+      <p>Endeavor to take the same interest in every thing upon the
+      place, as if it were your own; indeed, the responsibility in
+      this case is greater than if it were all your own--having
+      been intrusted to you by another. Unless you feel thus, it is
+      impossible that you can do your employer justice.</p>
+
+      <p>The health of the negroes under your charge is an
+      important matter. Much of the usual sickness among them is
+      the result of carelessness and mismanagement. Overwork or
+      unnecessary exposure to rain, insufficient clothing, improper
+      or badly-cooked food, and night rambles, are all fruitful
+      causes of disease. A great majority of the cases you should
+      be yourself competent to manage, or you are unfit for the
+      place you hold; but whenever you find that the case is one
+      you do not understand, send for a physician, if such is the
+      general order of the owner. By exerting yourself to have
+      their clothing ready in good season; to arrange profitable
+      in-door employment in wet weather; to see that an abundant
+      supply of wholesome, <i>well-cooked food</i>, including
+      plenty of vegetables, be supplied to them <i>at regular
+      hours</i>; that the sick be cheered and encouraged, and some
+      extra comforts allowed them, and the convalescent not exposed
+      to the chances of a relapse; that women, whilst nursing, be
+      kept as near to the nursery as possible, but at no time
+      allowed to suckle their children when overheated; that the
+      infant be nursed three times during the day, in addition to
+      the morning and evening; that no whisky be allowed upon the
+      place at any time or under any circumstances; but that they
+      have, whilst heated and at work, plenty of pure, <i>cool</i>
+      water; that care be taken to prevent the hands from carrying
+      their baskets full of cotton on their head--a most injurious
+      practice; and, in short, that such means be used for their
+      comfort as every judicious, humane man will readily think of,
+      you will find the amount of sickness gradually lessened.</p>
+
+      <p>Next to the negroes, the stock on the place will require
+      your constant attention. You can, however, spare yourself
+      much trouble by your choice of a stock-minder, and by
+      adopting and enforcing a strict system in the care of the
+      stock. It is a part of their duty in which overseers are
+      generally most careless.</p>
+
+      <p>The horse and mule stock are first in importance. Unless
+      these are kept in good condition, it is impossible that the
+      work can go on smoothly, or your crop be properly tended. Put
+      your stable in good order; and, if possible, inclose it so
+      that it can be kept under lock. Place a steady, careful old
+      man there as hostler, making him responsible for every thing,
+      and that directly to yourself. The foreman of the plow-gang,
+      and the hands under his care, should be made answerable to
+      the hostler--whose business it is to have the feed cut up,
+      ground, and ready; the stalls well littered and cleaned out
+      at proper intervals; to attend to sick or maimed animals; to
+      see that the gears are always hung in their proper place,
+      kept in good order, and so on.</p>
+
+      <p>It is an easy matter to keep horses or mules fat, with a
+      full and open corn-crib and abundance of fodder. But that
+      overseer shows his good management who can keep his teams fat
+      at the least expense of corn and fodder. The waste of those
+      articles in the South, through shameful carelessness and
+      neglect, is immense; as food for stock, they are most
+      expensive articles. Oats, millet, peas (vine and all),
+      broadcast corn, Bermuda and crab-grass hay, are all much
+      cheaper and equally good. Any one of these crops, fed whilst
+      green--the oats and millet as they begin to shoot, the peas
+      to blossom, and the corn when tasseling--with a feed of dry
+      oats, corn, or corn-chop at noon, will keep a plow-team in
+      fine order all the season. In England, where they have the
+      finest teams in the world, this course <i>is invariably
+      pursued</i>, for its economy. From eight to nine hours per
+      day is as long as the team should be at actual work. They
+      will perform more upon less feed, and keep in better order
+      for a <i>push</i> when needful, worked briskly in that way,
+      than when kept dragging a plow all day long at a slow pace.
+      And the hands have leisure to rest, to cut up feed, clean and
+      repair gears, and so on.</p>
+
+      <p>Oxen. No more work oxen should be retained than can be
+      kept at all times in good order. An abundant supply of green
+      feed during spring and summer, cut and fed as recommended
+      above, and in winter well-boiled cotton-seed, with a couple
+      of quarts of meal in it per head; turnips, raw or cooked;
+      corn-cobs soaked twenty-four hours in salt and water; shucks,
+      pea-vines, etc., passed through a cutting-box--any thing of
+      the kind, in short, is cheaper food for them in winter, and
+      will keep them in better order than dry corn and shucks or
+      fodder.</p>
+
+      <p>Indeed, the fewer cattle are kept on any place the better,
+      unless the range is remarkably good. When young stock of any
+      kind are stinted of their proper food, and their growth
+      receives a check, they never can wholly recover it. Let the
+      calves have a fair share of milk, and also as much of the
+      cooked food prepared for the cows and oxen as they will eat;
+      with at times a little dry meal to lick. When cows or oxen
+      show symptoms of failing, from age or otherwise, fatten them
+      off at once; and if killed for the use of the place, <i>save
+      the hide carefully</i>--rubbing at least two quarts of salt
+      upon it; then roll up for a day or two, when it may be
+      stretched and dried.</p>
+
+      <p>Hogs are generally sadly mismanaged. Too many are kept,
+      and kept badly. One good brood sow for every five hands on a
+      place, is amply sufficient--indeed, more pork will be cured
+      from these than from a greater number. Provide at least two
+      good grazing lots for them, with Bermuda, crab-grass, or
+      clover, which does as well at Washington, Miss., as anywhere
+      in the world, with two bushels of ground plaster to the acre,
+      sowed over it. Give a steady, trusty hand no other work to do
+      but to feed and care for them. With a large set kettle or
+      two, an old mule and cart to haul his wood for fuel,
+      cotton-seed, turnips, etc., for feed, and leaves for bedding,
+      he can do full justice to one hundred head, old and young.
+      They will increase and thrive finely, with good grazing, and
+      a full mess, twice a day, of swill prepared as follows: Sound
+      cotton-seed, with a gallon of corn-meal to the bushel, a
+      quart of oak or hickory ashes, a handful of salt, and a good
+      proportion of turnips or green food of any kind, even clover
+      or peas; the whole thoroughly--mind you, <i>thoroughly</i>
+      cooked--then thrown into a large trough, and there allowed
+      <i>to become sour before being fed</i>.</p>
+
+      <p>Sheep may be under the charge of the stock-minder; from
+      ten to twenty to the hand may be generally kept with
+      advantage.</p>
+
+      <p>Sick animals require close and judicious attention. Too
+      frequently they are either left to get well or to die of
+      themselves, or are bled and dosed with nauseous mixtures
+      indiscriminately. Study the subject of the diseases of
+      animals during your leisure evenings, which you can do from
+      some of the many excellent works on the subject. <i>Think</i>
+      before you <i>act</i>. When your animal has fever, nature
+      would dictate that all stimulating articles of diet or
+      medicine should be avoided. Bleeding may be necessary to
+      reduce the force of the circulation; purging, to remove
+      irritating substances from the bowels; moist, light, and
+      easily-digested food, that his weakened digestion may not be
+      oppressed; cool drinks, to allay his thirst, and, to some
+      extent, compensate for diminished secretions; rest and quiet,
+      to prevent undue excitement in his system, and so on through
+      the whole catalogue of diseases--but do nothing without a
+      reason. Carry out this principle, and you will probably do
+      much good--hardly great harm; go upon any other, and your
+      measures are more likely to be productive of injury than
+      benefit.</p>
+
+      <p>The implements and tools require a good deal of looking
+      after. By keeping a memorandum of the distribution of any set
+      of tools, they will be much more likely to be forthcoming at
+      the end of the month. Axes, hoes, and other small tools, of
+      which every hand has his own, should have his number marked
+      upon it with a steel punch. The strict enforcement of one
+      single rule will keep every thing straight: "Have a place for
+      every thing, and see that every thing is in its place."</p>
+
+      <p>Few instances of good management will better please an
+      employer than that of having all of the winter clothing spun
+      and woven on the place. By having a room devoted to that
+      purpose, under charge of some one of the old women, where
+      those who may be complaining a little, or convalescent after
+      sickness, may be employed in some light work, and where all
+      of the women may be sent in wet weather, more than enough of
+      both cotton and woolen yarn can be spun for the supply of the
+      place.</p>
+
+      <p>Of the principal staple crop of the plantation, whether
+      cotton, sugar, or rice, we shall not here speak.</p>
+
+      <p>Of the others--the provision crops--there is most commonly
+      enough made upon most plantations for their own supply.
+      Rarely, however, is it saved without great and inexcusable
+      waste, and fed out without still greater. And this, to their
+      lasting shame be it said, is too often the case to a
+      disgraceful extent, when an overseer feels satisfied that he
+      will not remain another year upon the place. His conduct
+      should be the very opposite of this--an honorable,
+      right-thinking man will feel a particular degree of pride in
+      leaving every thing in thorough order, and especially an
+      abundant supply of all kinds of feed. He thus establishes a
+      character for himself which <i>must</i> have its effect.</p>
+
+      <p>Few plantations are so rich in soil as not to be improved
+      by manure. Inform yourself of the best means, suited to the
+      location and soil of the place under, your charge, of
+      improving it in this and in every other way. When an
+      opportunity offers, carry out these improvements. Rely upon
+      it there are few employers who will not see and reward such
+      efforts. Draining, ditching, circling, hedging, road-making,
+      building, etc., may all be effected to a greater or less
+      extent every season.</p>
+
+      <p>During the long evenings of winter improve your own mind
+      and the knowledge of your profession by reading and study.
+      The many excellent agricultural periodicals and books now
+      published afford good and cheap opportunities for this.</p>
+
+      <p>It is indispensable that you exercise judgment and
+      consideration in the management of the negroes under your
+      charge. Be <i>firm</i>, and, at the same time, <i>gentle</i>
+      in your control. Never display yourself before them in a
+      passion; and even if inflicting the severest punishment, do
+      so in a mild, cool manner, and it will produce a tenfold
+      effect. When you find it necessary to use the whip--and
+      desirable as it would be to dispense with it entirely, it
+      <i>is</i> necessary at times--apply it slowly and
+      deliberately, and to the extent you had determined, in your
+      own mind, to be needful before you began. The indiscriminate,
+      constant, and excessive use of the whip is altogether
+      unnecessary and inexcusable. When it can be done without a
+      too great loss of time, the stocks offer a means of
+      punishment greatly to be preferred. So secured, in a lonely,
+      quiet place, where no communication can be held with any one,
+      nothing but bread and water allowed, and the confinement
+      extending from Saturday, when they drop work, until Sabbath
+      evening, will prove much more effectual in preventing a
+      repetition of the offense, than any amount of whipping. Never
+      threaten a negro, but if you have occasion to punish, do it
+      at once, or say nothing until ready to do so. A violent and
+      passionate threat will often scare the best-disposed negro to
+      the woods. Always keep your word with them, in punishments as
+      well as in rewards. If you have named the penalty for any
+      certain offense, inflict it without listening to a word of
+      excuse. Never forgive that in one that you would punish in
+      another, but treat all alike, showing no favoritism. By
+      pursuing such a course, you convince them that you act from
+      principle and not from impulse, and will certainly enforce
+      your rules. Whenever an opportunity is afforded you for
+      rewarding continued good behavior, do not let it
+      pass--occasional rewards have a much better effect than
+      frequent punishments.</p>
+
+      <p>Never be induced by a course of good behavior on the part
+      of the negroes to relax the strictness of your discipline;
+      but, when you have by judicious management brought them to
+      that state, keep them so by the same means. By taking
+      frequent strolls about the premises, including of course the
+      quarter and stock yards, during the evening, and at least
+      twice a week during the night, you will put a more effectual
+      stop to any irregularities than by the most severe
+      punishments. The only way to keep a negro honest, is not to
+      trust him. This seems a harsh assertion; but it is,
+      unfortunately, too true.</p>
+
+      <p>You will find that an hour devoted, every Sabbath morning,
+      to their moral and religious instruction, would prove a great
+      aid to you in bringing about a better state of things among
+      the negroes. It has been thoroughly tried, and with the most
+      satisfactory results, in many parts of the South. As a mere
+      matter of interest it has proved to be advisable--to say
+      nothing of it as a point of duty. The effect upon their
+      general good behavior, their cleanliness, and good conduct on
+      the Sabbath, is such as alone to recommend it to both planter
+      and overseer.</p>
+
+      <p>In conclusion:--Bear in mind that <i>a fine crop</i>
+      consists, first, in an increase in the number, and a marked
+      improvement in the condition and value, of the negroes;
+      second, an abundance of provision of all sorts for man and
+      beast, carefully saved and properly housed; third, both
+      summer and winter clothing made at home; also leather tanned,
+      and shoes and harness made, when practicable; fourth, an
+      improvement in the productive qualities of the land, and in
+      the general condition of the plantation; fifth, the team and
+      stock generally, with the farming implements and the
+      buildings, in fine order at the close of the year; and young
+      hogs more than enough for next year's killing; <i>then</i>,
+      as heavy a crop of cotton, sugar, or rice as could possibly
+      be made under these circumstances, sent to market in good
+      season, and of prime quality. The time has passed when the
+      overseer is valued solely upon the number of bales of cotton,
+      hogsheads of sugar, or tierces of rice he has made, without
+      reference to other qualifications.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>In contrast with the instructions to overseers under the old
+    management, I present the proclamation of General Banks,
+    regulating the system of free labor in the Department of the
+    Gulf. These regulations were in force, in 1864, along the
+    Mississippi, from Helena to New Orleans. They were found
+    admirably adapted to the necessities of the case. With a few
+    changes, they have been continued in operation during the
+    present year:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>HEAD-QUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, NEW ORLEANS,
+      <i>February</i> 3, 1864.</p>
+
+      <p>GENERAL ORDERS, NO. 23.</p>
+
+      <p>The following general regulations are published for the
+      information and government of all interested in the subject
+      of compensated plantation labor, public or private, during
+      the present year, and in continuation of the system
+      established January 30, 1863:--</p>
+
+      <p>I. The enlistment of soldiers from plantations under
+      cultivation in this department having been suspended by order
+      of the Government, will not be resumed except upon direction
+      of the same high authority.</p>
+
+      <p>II. The Provost-Marshal-General is instructed to provide
+      for the division of parishes into police and school
+      districts, and to organize from invalid soldiers a competent
+      police for the preservation of order.</p>
+
+      <p>III. Provision will be made for the establishment of a
+      sufficient number of schools, one at least for each of the
+      police and school districts, for the instruction of colored
+      children under twelve years of age, which, when established,
+      will be placed under the direction of the Superintendent of
+      Public Education.</p>
+
+      <p>IV. Soldiers will not be allowed to visit plantations
+      without the written consent of the commanding officer of the
+      regiment or post to which they are attached, and never with
+      arms, except when on duty, accompanied by an officer.</p>
+
+      <p>V. Plantation hands will not be allowed to pass from one
+      place to another, except under such regulations as may be
+      established by the provost-marshal of the parish.</p>
+
+      <p>VI. Flogging and other cruel or unusual punishments are
+      interdicted.</p>
+
+      <p>VII. Planters will be required, as early as practicable
+      after the publication of these regulations, to make a roll of
+      persons employed upon their estates, and to transmit the same
+      to the provost marshal of the parish. In the employment of
+      hands, the unity of families will be secured as far as
+      possible.</p>
+
+      <p>VIII. All questions between the employer and the employed,
+      until other tribunals are established, will be decided by the
+      provost-marshal of the parish.</p>
+
+      <p>IX. Sick and disabled persons will be provided for upon
+      the plantations to which they belong, except such as may be
+      received in establishments provided for them by the
+      Government, of which one will be established at Algiers and
+      one at Baton Rouge.</p>
+
+      <p>X. The unauthorized purchase of clothing, or other
+      property, from laborers, will be punished by fine and
+      imprisonment. The sale of whisky or other intoxicating drinks
+      to them, or to other persons, except under regulations
+      established by the Provost-Marshal-General, will be followed
+      by the severest punishment.</p>
+
+      <p>XL The possession of arms, or concealed or dangerous
+      weapons, without authority, will be punished by fine and
+      imprisonment.</p>
+
+      <p>XII. Laborers shall render to their employer, between
+      daylight and dark, <i>ten</i> hours in summer, and
+      <i>nine</i> hours in winter, of respectful, honest, faithful
+      labor, and receive therefor, in addition to just treatment,
+      healthy rations, comfortable clothing, quarters, fuel,
+      medical attendance, and instruction for children, wages per
+      month as follows, payment of one-half of which, at least,
+      shall be reserved until the end of the year:--</p>
+
+      <table summary="Wages reserved for laborers">
+        <tr>
+          <td class="l">For first-class hands</td>
+
+          <td class="dec">$8.00</td>
+
+          <td>per month.</td>
+        </tr>
+
+        <tr>
+          <td class="l">For second-class hands</td>
+
+          <td class="dec">&nbsp;6.00</td>
+
+          <td>" "</td>
+        </tr>
+
+        <tr>
+          <td class="l">For third-class hands</td>
+
+          <td class="dec">&nbsp;5.00</td>
+
+          <td>" "</td>
+        </tr>
+
+        <tr>
+          <td class="l">For fourth-class hands</td>
+
+          <td class="dec">&nbsp;3.00</td>
+
+          <td>" "</td>
+        </tr>
+      </table>
+
+      <p>Engineers and foremen, when faithful in the discharge of
+      their duties, will be paid $2 per month extra. This schedule
+      of wages may be commuted, by consent of both parties, at the
+      rate of one-fourteenth part of the net proceeds of the crop,
+      to be determined and paid at the end of the year. Wages will
+      be deducted in case of sickness, and rations, also, when
+      sickness is feigned. Indolence, insolence, disobedience of
+      orders, and crime will be suppressed by forfeiture of pay,
+      and such punishments as are provided for similar offenses by
+      Army Regulations. Sunday work will be avoided when
+      practicable, but when necessary will be considered as extra
+      labor, and paid at the rates specified herein.</p>
+
+      <p>XIII. Laborers will be permitted to choose their
+      employers, but when the agreement is made they will be held
+      to their engagement for one year, under the protection of the
+      Government. In cases of attempted imposition, by feigning
+      sickness, or stubborn refusal of duty, they will be turned
+      over to the provost-marshal of the parish, for labor upon the
+      public works, without pay.</p>
+
+      <p>XIV. Laborers will be permitted to cultivate land on
+      private account, as herein specified, as follows:</p>
+
+      <table summary="Amount of land allowed to laborers">
+        <tr>
+          <td class="l">First and second class hands, with
+          families</td>
+
+          <td class="l">1 acre each.</td>
+        </tr>
+
+        <tr>
+          <td class="l">First and second class hands, without
+          families</td>
+
+          <td class="l">1/2 " "</td>
+        </tr>
+
+        <tr>
+          <td class="l">Second and third class hands, with
+          families</td>
+
+          <td class="l">1/2 " "</td>
+        </tr>
+
+        <tr>
+          <td class="l">Second and third class hands, without
+          families</td>
+
+          <td class="l">1/4 " "</td>
+        </tr>
+      </table>
+
+      <p>To be increased for good conduct at the discretion of the
+      employer. The encouragement of independent industry will
+      strengthen all the advantages which capital derives from
+      labor, and enable the laborer to take care of himself and
+      prepare for the time when he can render so much labor for so
+      much money, which is the great end to be attained. No
+      exemption will be made in this apportionment, except upon
+      imperative reasons; and it is desirable that for good conduct
+      the quantity be increased until faithful hands can be allowed
+      to cultivate extensive tracts, returning to the owner an
+      equivalent of product for rent of soil.</p>
+
+      <p>XV. To protect the laborer from possible imposition, no
+      commutation of his supplies will be allowed, except in
+      clothing, which may be commuted at the rate of $3 per month
+      for first-class hands, and in similar proportion for other
+      classes. The crops will stand pledged, wherever found, for
+      the wages of labor.</p>
+
+      <p>XVI. It is advised, as far as practicable, that employers
+      provide for the current wants of their hands, by perquisites
+      for extra labor, or by appropriation of land for share
+      cultivation; to discourage monthly-payments so far as it can
+      be done without discontent, and to reserve till the full
+      harvest the yearly wages.</p>
+
+      <p>XVII. A FREE-LABOR BANK will be established for the safe
+      deposit of all accumulations of wages and other savings; and
+      in order to avoid a possible wrong to depositors, by official
+      defalcation, authority will be asked to connect the bank with
+      the Treasury of the United States in this department.</p>
+
+      <p>XVIII. The transportation of negro families to other
+      countries will not be approved. All propositions for this
+      privilege have been declined, and application has been made
+      to other departments for surplus negro families for service
+      in this department.</p>
+
+      <p>XIX. The last year's experience shows that the planter and
+      the negro comprehend the revolution. The overseer, having
+      little interest in capital, and less sympathy with labor,
+      dislikes the trouble of thinking, and discredits the notion
+      that any thing new has occurred. He is a relic of the past,
+      and adheres to its customs. His stubborn refusal to
+      comprehend the condition of things, occasioned most of the
+      embarrassments of the past year. Where such incomprehension
+      is chronic, reduced wages, diminished rations, and the mild
+      punishments imposed by the army and navy, will do good.</p>
+
+      <p>XX. These regulations are based upon the assumption that
+      labor is a public duty, and idleness and vagrancy a crime. No
+      civil or military officer of the Government is exempt from
+      the operation of this universal rule. Every enlightened
+      community has enforced it upon all classes of people by the
+      severest penalties. It is especially necessary in
+      agricultural pursuits. That portion of the people identified
+      with the cultivation of the soil, however changed in
+      condition by the revolution through which we are passing, is
+      not relieved from the necessity of toil, which is the
+      condition of existence with all the children of God. The
+      revolution has altered its tenure, but not its law. This
+      universal law of labor will be enforced, upon just terms, by
+      the Government under whose protection the laborer rests
+      secure in his rights. Indolence, disorder, and crime will be
+      suppressed. Having exercised the highest right in the choice
+      and place of employment, he must be held to the fulfillment
+      of his engagements, until released therefrom by the
+      Government. The several provost-marshals are hereby invested
+      with plenary powers upon all matters connected with labor,
+      subject to the approval of the Provost-Marshal-General and
+      the commanding officer of the department. The most faithful
+      and discreet officers will be selected for this duty, and the
+      largest force consistent with the public service detailed for
+      their assistance.</p>
+
+      <p>XXI. Employers, and especially overseers, are notified,
+      that undue influence used to move the marshal from his just
+      balance between the parties representing labor and capital,
+      will result in immediate change of officers, and thus defeat
+      that regular and stable system upon which the interests of
+      all parties depend.</p>
+
+      <p>XXII. Successful industry is especially necessary at the
+      present time, when large public debts and onerous taxes are
+      imposed to maintain and protect the liberties of the people
+      and the integrity of the Union. All officers, civil or
+      military, and all classes of citizens who assist in extending
+      the profits of labor, and increasing the product of the soil
+      upon which, in the end, all national prosperity and power
+      depends, will render to the Government a service as great as
+      that derived from the terrible sacrifices of battle. It is
+      upon such consideration only that the planter is entitled to
+      favor. The Government has accorded to him, in a period of
+      anarchy, a release from the disorders resulting mainly from
+      insensate and mad resistance to sensible reforms, which can
+      never be rejected without revolution, and the criminal
+      surrender of his interests and power to crazy politicians,
+      who thought by metaphysical abstractions to circumvent the
+      laws of God. It has restored to him in improved, rather than
+      impaired condition, his due privileges, at a moment when, by
+      his own acts, the very soil was washed from beneath his
+      feet.</p>
+
+      <p>XXIII. A more majestic and wise clemency human history
+      does not exhibit. The liberal and just conditions that attend
+      it cannot be disregarded. It protects labor by enforcing the
+      performance of its duty, and it will assist capital by
+      compelling just contributions to the demands of the
+      Government. Those who profess allegiance to other Governments
+      will be required, as the condition of residence in this
+      State, to acquiesce, without reservation, in the demands
+      presented by Government as a basis of permanent peace. The
+      non-cultivation of the soil, without just reason, will be
+      followed by temporary forfeiture to those who will secure its
+      improvement. Those who have exercised or are entitled to the
+      rights of citizens of the United States, will be required to
+      participate in the measures necessary for the
+      re-establishment of civil government. War can never cease
+      except as civil governments crush out contest, and secure the
+      supremacy of moral over physical power. The yellow harvest
+      must wave over the crimson field of blood, and the
+      representatives of the people displace the agents of purely
+      military power.</p>
+
+      <p>XXIV. The amnesty offered for the past is conditioned upon
+      an unreserved loyalty for the future, and this condition will
+      be enforced with an iron hand. Whoever is indifferent or
+      hostile, must choose between the liberty which foreign lands
+      afford, the poverty of the Rebel States, and the innumerable
+      and inappreciable blessings which our Government confers upon
+      its people.</p>
+
+      <p>May God preserve the Union of the States!</p>
+
+      <p>By order of Major-General Banks.</p>
+
+      <p>Official:<br />
+      GEORGE B. DRAKE,<br />
+      <i>Assistant Adjutant-General</i>.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>The two documents have little similarity. Both are
+    appropriate to the systems they are intended to regulate. It is
+    interesting to compare their merits at the present time. It
+    will be doubly interesting to make a similar comparison twenty
+    years hence.</p>
+
+    <p>While I was in Natchez, a resident of that city called my
+    attention to one of the "sad results of this horrid, Yankee
+    war."</p>
+
+    <p>"Do you see that young man crossing the street toward ----'s
+    store?"</p>
+
+    <p>I looked in the direction indicated, and observed a person
+    whom I supposed to be twenty-five years of age, and whose face
+    bore the marks of dissipation. I signified, by a single word,
+    that I saw the individual in question.</p>
+
+    <p>"His is a sad case," my Southern friend remarked.</p>
+
+    <p>"Whisky, isn't it?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Oh, no, I don't mean that. He does drink some, I know, but
+    what I mean is this: His father died about five years ago. He
+    left his son nothing but fourteen or fifteen niggers. They were
+    all smart, young hands, and he has been able to hire them out,
+    so as to bring a yearly income of two thousand dollars. This
+    has supported him very comfortably. This income stopped a year
+    ago. The niggers have all run away, and that young man is now
+    penniless, and without any means of support. It is one of the
+    results of your infernal Abolition war."</p>
+
+    <p>I assented that it was a very hard case, and ought to be
+    brought before Congress at the earliest moment. That a
+    promising young man should be deprived of the means of support
+    in consequence of this Abolition war, is unfortunate--for the
+    man.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c35" id="c35"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXXV.</h4>
+
+    <h5>OUR FREE-LABOR ENTERPRISE IN PROGRESS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Negroes at Work.--Difficulties in the
+    Way.--A Public Meeting.--A Speech.--A Negro's Idea of
+    Freedom.--A Difficult Question to Determine.--Influence of
+    Northern and Southern Men Contrasted.--An Increase of
+    Numbers.--"Ginning" Cotton.--In the Lint-Room.--Mills and
+    Machinery of a Plantation.--A Profitable Enterprise.</p>
+
+    <p>On each of the plantations the negroes were at work in the
+    cotton-field. I rode from one to the other, as circumstances
+    made it necessary, and observed the progress that was made. I
+    could easily perceive they had been accustomed to performing
+    their labor under fear of the lash. Some of them took advantage
+    of the opportunity for carelessness and loitering under the new
+    arrangement. I could not be in the field at all times, to give
+    them my personal supervision. Even if I were constantly
+    present, there was now no lash to be feared. I saw that an
+    explanation of the new state of affairs would be an advantage
+    to all concerned. On the first Sunday of my stay on the
+    plantation, I called all the negroes together, in order to give
+    them an understanding of their position.</p>
+
+    <p>I made a speech that I adapted as nearly as possible to the
+    comprehension of my hearers. My audience was attentive
+    throughout. I made no allusions to Homer, Dante, or Milton; I
+    did not quote from Gibbon or Macaulay, and I neglected to call
+    their attention to the spectacle they were presenting to the
+    crowned heads of Europe. I explained to them the change the war
+    had made in their condition, and the way in which it had been
+    effected. I told them that all cruel modes of punishment had
+    been abolished. The negroes were free, but they must understand
+    that freedom did not imply idleness. I read to them the
+    regulations established by the commissioners, and explained
+    each point as clearly as I was able. After I had concluded, I
+    offered to answer any questions they might ask.</p>
+
+    <p>There were many who could not understand why, if they were
+    free, they should be restricted from going where they pleased
+    at all times. I explained that it was necessary, for the
+    successful management of the plantation, that I should always
+    be able to rely upon them. I asked them to imagine my
+    predicament if they should lose half their time, or go away
+    altogether, in the busiest part of the season. They "saw the
+    point" at once, and readily acknowledged the necessity of
+    subordination.</p>
+
+    <p>I found no one who imagined that his freedom conferred the
+    right of idleness and vagrancy. All expected to labor in their
+    new condition, but they expected compensation for their labor,
+    and did not look for punishment. They expected, further, that
+    their families would not be separated, and that they could be
+    allowed to acquire property for themselves. I know there were
+    many negroes in the South who expected they would neither toil
+    nor spin after being set free, but the belief was by no means
+    universal. The story of the negro at Vicksburg, who expected
+    his race to assemble in New York after the war, "and have white
+    men for niggers," is doubtless true, but it would find little
+    credence with the great majority of the freedmen of the
+    South.</p>
+
+    <p>The schedule of wages, as established by the commissioners,
+    was read and explained. The negroes were to be furnished with
+    house-rent, rations, fuel, and medical attendance, free of
+    charge. Able-bodied males were to receive eight dollars a
+    month. Other classes of laborers would be paid according to the
+    proportionate value of their services. We were required to keep
+    on hand a supply of clothing, shoes, and other needed articles,
+    which would be issued as required and charged on account. All
+    balances would be paid as soon as the first installment of the
+    cotton crop was sent to market.</p>
+
+    <p>This was generally satisfactory, though some of the negroes
+    desired weekly or monthly payments. One of them thought it
+    would be better if they could be paid at the end of each day,
+    and suggested that silver would be preferable to greenbacks or
+    Confederate money. Most of them thought the wages good enough,
+    but this belief was not universal. One man, seventy years old,
+    who acted as assistant to the "hog-minder," thought he deserved
+    twenty-five dollars per month, in addition to his clothing and
+    rations. Another, of the same age, who carried the breakfast
+    and dinner to the field, was of similar opinion. These were
+    almost the only exceptions. Those whose services were really
+    valuable acquiesced in the arrangement.</p>
+
+    <p>On our plantation there was an old negress named "Rose," who
+    attended the women during confinement. She was somewhat
+    celebrated in her profession, and received occasional calls to
+    visit white ladies in the neighborhood. After I had dismissed
+    the negroes and sent them to their quarters, I was called upon
+    by Rose, to ascertain the rate at which she would be paid. As
+    she was regularly employed as one of the house-servants, I
+    allowed her the same wages that the other women received. This
+    was satisfactory, so far, but it was not entirely so. She
+    wished to understand the matter of perquisites.</p>
+
+    <p>"When I used to go out to 'tend upon white ladies," said
+    Rose, "they gave me ten dollars. Mistress always took half and
+    let me keep the other half."</p>
+
+    <p>"Well, hereafter, you may keep the ten dollars
+    yourself."</p>
+
+    <p>"Thank you."</p>
+
+    <p>After a pause, she spoke again:</p>
+
+    <p>"Didn't you say the black people are free?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes."</p>
+
+    <p>"White people are free, too, ain't they?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes."</p>
+
+    <p>"Then why shouldn't you pay me ten dollars every time I
+    'tend upon the black folks on the plantation?"</p>
+
+    <p>The question was evidently designed as a "corner." I evaded
+    it by assuring Rose that though free, the negroes had not
+    attained all the privileges that pertained to the whites, and I
+    should insist on her professional services being free to all on
+    the plantation.</p>
+
+    <p>The negroes were frequently desirous of imitating the
+    customs of white people in a manner that should evince their
+    freedom. Especially did they desire to have no distinction in
+    the payment of money, on account of the color of the
+    recipient.</p>
+
+    <p>After this Sunday talk with the negroes, I found a material
+    improvement. Occasionally I overheard some of them explaining
+    to others their views upon various points. There were several
+    who manifested a natural indolence, and found it difficult to
+    get over their old habits. These received admonitions from
+    their comrades, but could not wholly forget the laziness which
+    was their inheritance. With these exceptions, there was no
+    immediate cause for complaint.</p>
+
+    <p>During the earlier part of my stay in that region, I was
+    surprised at the readiness with which the negroes obeyed men
+    from the North, and believed they would fulfill their promises,
+    while they looked with distrust on all Southern white men. Many
+    owners endeavored in vain to induce their negroes to perform
+    certain labor. The first request made by a Northern man to the
+    same effect would be instantly complied with. The negroes
+    explained that their masters had been in the habit of making
+    promises which they never kept, and cited numerous instances to
+    prove the truth of their assertion. It seemed to have been a
+    custom in that region to deceive the negroes in any practicable
+    manner. To make a promise to a negro, and fail to keep it, was
+    no worse than to lure a horse into a stable-yard, by offering
+    him a choice feed of corn, which would prove but a single
+    mouthful. That the negroes had any human rights was apparently
+    rarely suspected by their owners and overseers. The distrust
+    which many of the negroes entertained for their former masters
+    enabled the lessees to gain, at once, the confidence of their
+    laborers. I regret to say that this confidence was abused in a
+    majority of cases.</p>
+
+    <p>I gave the negroes a larger ration of meat, meal, and
+    potatoes than had been previously issued. As soon as possible,
+    I procured a quantity of molasses, coffee, and tobacco. These
+    articles had not been seen on the plantation for many months,
+    and were most gladly received. As there was no market in that
+    vicinity where surplus provisions could be sold, I had no fear
+    that the negroes would resort to stealing, especially as their
+    daily supply was amply sufficient for their support. It was the
+    complaint of many overseers and owners that the negroes would
+    steal provisions on frequent occasions. If they committed any
+    thefts during my time of management, they were made so
+    carefully that I never detected them. It is proper to say that
+    I followed the old custom of locking the store-houses at all
+    times.</p>
+
+    <p>Very soon after commencing labor I found that our working
+    force must be increased. Accordingly, I employed some of the
+    negroes who were escaping from the interior of the State and
+    making their way to Natchez. As there were but few mules on the
+    plantation, I was particularly careful to employ those negroes
+    who were riding, rather than walking, from slavery. If I could
+    not induce these mounted travelers to stop with us, I generally
+    persuaded them to sell their saddle animals. Thus, hiring
+    negroes and buying mules, I gradually put the plantation in a
+    presentable condition. While the cotton was being picked the
+    blacksmith was repairing the plows, the harness-maker was
+    fitting up the harnesses for the mules, and every thing was
+    progressing satisfactorily. The gin-house was cleaned and made
+    ready for the last work of preparing cotton for the market. Mr.
+    Colburn arrived from the North after I had been a planter of
+    only ten days' standing. He was enthusiastic at the prospect,
+    and manifested an energy that was the envy of his
+    neighbors.</p>
+
+    <p>It required about three weeks to pick our cotton. Before it
+    was all gathered we commenced "ginning" the quantity on hand,
+    in order to make as little delay as possible in shipping our
+    "crop" to market.</p>
+
+    <p>The process of ginning cotton is pretty to look upon, though
+    not agreeable to engage in. The seed-cotton (as the article is
+    called when it comes from the field) is fed in a sort of
+    hopper, where it is brought in contact with a series of small
+    and very sharp saws. From sixty to a hundred of these saws are
+    set on a shaft, about half an inch apart. The teeth of these
+    saws tear the fiber from the seed, but do not catch the seed
+    itself. A brush which revolves against the saws removes the
+    fiber from them at every revolution. The position of the gin is
+    generally at the end of a large room, and into this room the
+    detached fiber is thrown from the revolving brush.</p>
+
+    <p>This apartment is technically known as the "lint-room," and
+    presents an interesting scene while the process of ginning is
+    going on. The air is full of the flying lint, and forcibly
+    reminds a Northerner of a New England snow-storm. The lint
+    falls, like the snow-flakes, with most wonderful lightness,
+    but, unlike the snow-flakes, it does not melt. When the cotton
+    is picked late in the season, there is usually a dense cloud of
+    dust in the lint-room, which settles in and among the fiber.
+    The person who watches the lint-room has a position far from
+    enviable. His lungs become filled with dust, and, very often,
+    the fine, floating fiber is drawn into his nostrils. Two
+    persons are generally permitted to divide this labor. There
+    were none of the men on our plantation who craved it. Some of
+    the mischievous boys would watch their opportunity to steal
+    into the lint-room, where they greatly enjoyed rolling upon the
+    soft cotton. Their amusement was only stopped by the use of a
+    small whip.</p>
+
+    <p>The machinery of a cotton-gin is driven by steam or horse
+    power; generally the former. There is no water-power in the
+    State of Louisiana, but I believe some of the lakes and bayous
+    might be turned to advantage in the same way that the tide is
+    used on the sea-coast.</p>
+
+    <p>All the larger plantations are provided with steam-engines,
+    the chimneys of which are usually carried to a height
+    sufficient to remove all danger from sparks. There is always a
+    corn-mill, and frequently a saw-mill attached to the gin, and
+    driven by the same power. On every plantation, one day in the
+    week is set apart for grinding a seven-days' supply of corn.
+    This regulation is never varied, except under the most
+    extraordinary circumstances. There is a universal rule in
+    Louisiana, forbidding any person, white or black, smoking in
+    the inclosure where the gin-house stands. I was told there was
+    a legal enactment to this effect, that affixed heavy penalties
+    to its infringement. For the truth of this latter statement I
+    cannot vouch.</p>
+
+    <p>With its own corn-mill, saw-mill, and smithery, each
+    plantation is almost independent of the neighborhood around it.
+    The chief dependence upon the outside world is for farming
+    tools and the necessary paraphernalia for the various branches
+    of field-work. I knew one plantation, a short distance from
+    ours, whose owner had striven hard to make it self-sustaining.
+    He raised all the corn and all the vegetables needed. He kept
+    an immense drove of hogs, and cured his own pork. Of cattle he
+    had a goodly quantity, and his sheep numbered nearly three
+    hundred. Wool and cotton supplied the raw material for
+    clothing. Spinning-wheels and looms produced cloth in excess of
+    what was needed. Even the thread for making the clothing for
+    the negroes was spun on the plantation. Hats were made of the
+    palmetto, which grew there in abundance. Shoes were the only
+    articles of personal wear not of home production. Plows, hoes,
+    and similar implements were purchased in the market, but the
+    plantation was provided with a very complete repair-shop, and
+    the workmen were famous for their skill.</p>
+
+    <p>The plantation, thus managed, yielded a handsome profit to
+    its owner. The value of each year's cotton crop, when delivered
+    on the bank of the river, was not less than forty thousand
+    dollars. Including wages of the overseer, and all outlays for
+    repairs and purchase of such articles as were not produced at
+    home, the expenses would not exceed five or six thousand
+    dollars. Cotton-planting was very profitable under almost any
+    management, and especially so under a prudent and economical
+    owner. Being thus profitable with slave labor, it was natural
+    for the planters to think it could prosper under no other
+    system. "You can't raise cotton without niggers, and you must
+    own the niggers to raise it," was the declaration in all parts
+    of the South.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c36" id="c36"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXXIII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>WAR AND AGRICULTURE.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Official Favors.--Division of Labor.--Moral
+    Suasion.--Corn-gathering in the South.--An Alarm.--A Frightened
+    Irishman.--The Rebels Approaching.--An Attack on
+    Waterproof.--Falstaff Redivivus.--His Feats of Arms.--Departure
+    for New Orleans.</p>
+
+    <p>Our cotton having been ginned and baled, we made
+    preparations for shipping it to market. These preparations
+    included the procurement of a permit from the Treasury agent at
+    Natchez, a task of no small magnitude. An application for the
+    permit required, in addition to my own signature, the names of
+    two property-owning citizens, as security for payment of the
+    duties on the cotton. This application being placed in the
+    hands of the Treasury agent, I was requested to call in two
+    hours. I did so, and was then put off two hours longer. Thus I
+    spent two whole days in frequent visits to that official. His
+    memory was most defective, as I was obliged to introduce myself
+    on each occasion, and tell him the object of my call.</p>
+
+    <p>A gentleman who had free access to the agent at all times
+    hinted that he could secure early attention to my business on
+    payment for his trouble. Many persons asserted that they were
+    obliged to pay handsomely for official favors. I do not
+    <i>know</i> this to be true. I never paid any thing to the
+    Treasury agent at Natchez or elsewhere, beyond the legitimate
+    fees, and I never found any man who would give me a written
+    statement that he had done so. Nevertheless, I had much
+    circumstantial evidence to convince me that the Treasury
+    officials were guilty of dishonorable actions. The temptation
+    was great, and, with proper care, the chances of detection were
+    small.</p>
+
+    <p>Armed with my permit, I returned to the plantation. Mr.
+    Colburn, in my absence, had organized our force, lately engaged
+    in cotton-picking, into suitable parties for gathering corn, of
+    which we had some three hundred acres standing in the field. In
+    New England I fear that corn which had remained ungathered
+    until the middle of February, would be of comparatively little
+    value. In our case it was apparently as sound as when first
+    ripened.</p>
+
+    <p>Corn-gathering in the South differs materially from
+    corn-gathering in the North. The negroes go through the field
+    breaking the ears from the stalks without removing the husk.
+    The ears are thrown into heaps at convenient distances from
+    each other, and in regular rows. A wagon is driven between
+    these rows, and the corn gathered for the crib. Still unhusked,
+    it is placed in the crib, to be removed when needed. It is
+    claimed that the husk thus remaining on the corn, protects it
+    from various insects, and from the effect of the weather.</p>
+
+    <p>Every body of laborers on a plantation is called a "gang."
+    Thus we had "the picking-gang," "the corn-gang," "the
+    trash-gang," "the hoe-gang," "the planting-gang," "the
+    plow-gang," and so on through the list. Each gang goes to the
+    field in charge of a head negro, known as the driver. This
+    driver is responsible for the work of his gang, and, under the
+    old <i>r&eacute;gime</i>, was empowered to enforce his orders
+    with the whip, if necessary. Under our new dispensation the
+    whip was laid aside, and a milder policy took its place. It was
+    satisfactory with the adults; but there were occasions when the
+    smaller boys were materially benefited by applications of
+    hickory shrubs. Solomon's words about sparing the rod are
+    applicable to children of one race as well as to those of
+    another. We did not allow our drivers to make any bodily
+    punishment in the field, and I am happy to say they showed no
+    desire to do so.</p>
+
+    <p>As I have before stated, our first organization was the
+    picking-gang. Then followed the gin-gang and the press-gang.
+    Our gin-gang was organized on principles of total abstinence,
+    and, therefore, differed materially from the gin-gangs of
+    Northern cities. Our press-gang, unlike the press-gangs of New
+    York or Chicago, had nothing to do with morning publications,
+    and would have failed to comprehend us had we ordered the
+    preparation of a sensation leader, or a report of the last
+    great meeting at Union Square. Our press-gang devoted its time
+    and energies to putting our cotton into bales of the proper
+    size and neatness.</p>
+
+    <p>The corn-gang, the trash-gang, and the plow-gang were
+    successively organized by Mr. Colburn. Of the first I have
+    spoken. The duties of the second were to gather the corn-stalks
+    or cotton-stalks, as the case might be, into proper heaps for
+    burning. As all this d&eacute;bris came under the generic name
+    of "trash," the appellation of the gang is readily understood.
+    Our trash-gang did very well, except in a certain instance,
+    when it allowed the fire from the trash to run across a field
+    of dead grass, and destroy several hundred feet of fence. In
+    justice to the negroes, I should admit that the firing of the
+    grass was in obedience to our orders, and the destruction of
+    the fence partly due to a strong wind which suddenly sprang up.
+    The trash-gang is usually composed of the younger children and
+    the older women. The former gather and pile the stalks which
+    the latter cut up. They particularly enjoy firing the heaps of
+    dry trash.</p>
+
+    <p>It was on Saturday, the 13th of February, that our
+    press-gang completed its labors. On the afternoon of that day,
+    as we were hauling our cotton to the landing, the garrison at
+    Waterproof, two miles distant, suddenly opened with its
+    artillery upon a real or supposed enemy. A gun-boat joined in
+    the affair, and for half an hour the cannonade was vigorous. We
+    could see the flashes of the guns and the dense smoke rising
+    through the trees, but could discover nothing more. When the
+    firing ceased we were somewhat anxious to know the result. Very
+    soon a white man, an Irishman, who had been a short time in the
+    vicinity to purchase cotton, reached our place in a state of
+    exhaustion. He told a frightful story of the surprise and
+    massacre of the whole garrison, and was very certain no one but
+    himself had escaped. He had fortunately concealed himself under
+    a very small bridge while the fight was going on. He called
+    attention to his clothes, which were covered with mud, to prove
+    the truth of his statement.</p>
+
+    <p>For a short time the situation had an unpleasant appearance.
+    While we were deliberating upon the proper measures for safety,
+    one of our negroes, who was in Waterproof during the firing,
+    came to us with <i>his</i> story. The fight had been on our
+    side, some guerrillas having chased one of our scouting parties
+    to a point within range of our guns. Our men shelled them with
+    artillery, and this was the extent of the battle. The story of
+    the Irishman, in connection with the true account of the
+    affair, forcibly reminded me of the famous battle of Piketon,
+    Kentucky, in the first year of the war.</p>
+
+    <p>On the next day (Sunday) I rode to Waterproof, leaving
+    Colburn on the plantation. Just as I arrived within the lines,
+    I ascertained that an attack was expected. The most stringent
+    orders had been issued against allowing any person to pass out.
+    Ten minutes later a scout arrived, saying that a force of
+    Rebels was advancing to attack the post. The gun-boat commenced
+    shelling the woods in the rear of Waterproof, and the artillery
+    on land joined in the work. The Rebels did not get near enough
+    to make any serious demonstration upon the town. The day passed
+    with a steady firing from the gun-boat, relieved by an
+    occasional interval of silence. Toward night the small garrison
+    was re-enforced by the arrival of a regiment from Natchez. On
+    the following day a portion of General Ellet's Marine Brigade
+    reached Waterproof, and removed all possibility of further
+    attack.</p>
+
+    <p>In the garrison of Waterproof, at the commencement of this
+    fight, there was a certain officer who could have sat for the
+    portrait of Falstaff with very little stuffing, and without
+    great change of character. Early in the war he belonged to an
+    Eastern regiment, but on that occasion he had no commission,
+    though this fact was not generally known. Nearly as large as
+    Hackett's Falstaff, he was as much a gascon as the hero of the
+    Merry Wives of Windsor. He differed from Falstaff in possessing
+    a goodly amount of bravery, but this bravery was accompanied
+    with an entire absence of judgment.</p>
+
+    <p>In the early part of the fight, and until he was too drunk
+    to move, this <i>preux chevalier</i> dashed about Waterproof,
+    mounted on a small horse, which he urged to the top of his
+    speed. In one hand he flourished a cane, and in the other a
+    revolver. He usually allowed the reins to lie on his horse's
+    neck, except when he wished to change his direction. With his
+    abdomen protruding over the pommel of the saddle, his stirrups
+    several inches too short, one boot-leg outside his pantaloons
+    and the other inside, a very large hat pressed nearly to his
+    eyes, and a face flushed with excitement and whisky, he was a
+    study John Leech would have prized. Frequent and copious
+    draughts of the cup which cheers and inebriates placed him
+    <i>hors de combat</i> before the close of the day.</p>
+
+    <p>From the crest of the levee, he could at any time discover
+    several lines of battle approaching the town. Frequently he
+    informed the commandant that the Rebels were about to open upon
+    us with a dozen heavy batteries, which they were planting in
+    position for a long siege. If the enemy had been in the force
+    that this man claimed, they could not have numbered less than
+    fifty thousand. When unhorsed for the last time during the day,
+    he insisted that I should listen to the story of his
+    exploits.</p>
+
+    <p>"I went," said he, "to the colonel, this morning, and told
+    him, sir, to give me ten men, and I would go out and feel the
+    enemy's position. He gave me the men, and I went. We found the
+    enemy not less than a thousand strong, sir, behind Mrs.
+    Miller's gin-house. They were the advance of the whole Rebel
+    army, sir, and I saw they must be driven back. We charged, and,
+    after a desperate fight, drove them. They opposed us, sir,
+    every inch of the way for two miles; but we routed them. We
+    must have killed at least a hundred of them, sir, and wounded
+    as many more. They didn't hurt a man of us; but the bullets
+    flew very thick, sir--very. I myself killed twelve of them with
+    my own hand, sir. This is the way it was, sir. This revolver,
+    you see, sir, has six barrels. I emptied it once, sir; I
+    reloaded; I emptied it again, sir. Two times six are twelve,
+    sir. I killed twelve of them with my own hand. Let it be
+    recorded.</p>
+
+    <p>"On my way back, sir, I set fire to the gin-house, so that
+    it should no more be a shelter for those infernal Rebels. You
+    yourself, sir, saw that building in flames, and can testify to
+    the truth of my story."</p>
+
+    <p>In this strain the warrior gave the history of his moments
+    of glory. The portion I have written was true in some points.
+    He found three men (instead of a thousand), and pursued them a
+    few hundred yards. He discharged his revolver at very long
+    range, but I could not learn that his shots were returned. He
+    fired the gin-house "to cover his retreat," and gained the
+    fortifications without loss. I do not know his locality at the
+    present time, but presume he remained, up to the close of the
+    war, where storms of shot and shell continually darkened the
+    air, and where lines of battle were seen on every side.</p>
+
+    <p>The siege being raised, I returned to the plantation. From
+    Waterproof, during the fight, I could see our buildings with
+    perfect distinctness. I had much fear that some Rebel scouting
+    party might pay the plantation a visit while the attack was
+    going on. I found, on my return, that Colburn had taken the
+    matter very coolly, and prevented the negroes becoming alarmed.
+    He declared that he considered the plantation as safe as
+    Waterproof, and would not have exchanged places with me during
+    the fight. The negroes were perfectly quiet, and making
+    preparations for plowing. While the fight was in progress, my
+    associate was consulting with the drivers about the details of
+    work for the ensuing week, and giving his orders with the
+    utmost <i>sang froid</i>. In consideration of the uncertainty
+    of battles in general, and the possibility of a visit at any
+    moment from a party of Rebel scouts, my partner's conduct was
+    worthy of the highest commendation.</p>
+
+    <p>Before leaving Waterproof I had arranged for a steamer to
+    call for our cotton, which was lying on the river bank.
+    Waterproof lay at one side of the neck of a peninsula, and our
+    plantation was at the other side. It was two miles across this
+    peninsula, and sixteen miles around it, so that I could start
+    on horseback, and, by riding very leisurely, reach the other
+    side, long in advance of a steamboat. The steamer came in due
+    time. After putting our cotton on board, I bade Mr. Colburn
+    farewell, and left him to the cares and perplexities of a
+    planter's life. I was destined for New Orleans, to sell our
+    cotton, and to purchase many things needed for the prosecution
+    of our enterprise.</p>
+
+    <p>On my way down the river, I found that steamboat traveling
+    was not an entirely safe amusement. The boat that preceded me
+    was fired upon near Morganzia, and narrowly escaped
+    destruction. A shell indented her steam-pipe, and passed among
+    the machinery, without doing any damage. Had the pipe been cut,
+    the steam would have filled every part of the boat.</p>
+
+    <p>I was not disturbed by artillery on the occasion of my
+    journey, but received a compliment from small-arms. On the
+    morning after leaving Natchez, I was awakened by a volley of
+    musketry from the river-bank. One of the bullets penetrated the
+    thin walls of the cabin and entered my state-room, within two
+    inches of my head. I preserved the missile as a souvenir of
+    travel.</p>
+
+    <p>On the next day the Rebels brought a battery of artillery to
+    the spot. A steamer received its greeting, but escaped with a
+    single passenger wounded.</p>
+
+    <p>A gentleman who was on this boat had a very narrow escape.
+    He told me that he was awakened by the first shot, which passed
+    through the upper works of the steamer. He was occupying the
+    upper berth in a state-room on the side next the locality of
+    the Rebels. His first impulse was to spring from his
+    resting-place, and throw himself at full length upon the floor.
+    He had hardly done so, when a shell entered the state-room, and
+    traversed the berth in the exact position where my friend had
+    been lying.</p>
+
+    <p>Having narrowly escaped death, he concluded not to run a
+    second risk. He returned to St. Louis by way of New York.
+    Wishing to visit New Orleans some time later, he sailed from
+    New York on the <i>Electric Spark</i>, and enjoyed the luxury
+    of a capture by the pirates of the "Confederate" steamer
+    <i>Florida</i>. After that occurrence, he concluded there was
+    little choice between the ocean and river routes.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c37" id="c37"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXXVII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>IN THE COTTON MARKET.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">New Orleans and its Peculiarities.--Its Loss by
+    the Rebellion.--Cotton Factors in New Orleans.--Old Things
+    passed away.--The Northern Barbarians a Race of
+    Shopkeepers.--Pulsations of the Cotton Market.--A Quarrel with
+    a Lady.--Contending for a Principle.--Inharmony of the
+    "Regulations."--An Account of Sales.</p>
+
+    <p>The first impression that New Orleans gives a stranger is
+    its unlikeness to Northern cities. It is built on ground that
+    slopes downward from the Mississippi. As one leaves the river
+    and walks toward the center of the city, he finds himself
+    descending. New Orleans is a hundred miles from the mouth of
+    the Mississippi and only six miles from Lake Pontchartrain,
+    which is an arm of the sea. The river at the city is ten feet
+    above Lake Pontchartrain, so that New Orleans is washed by
+    water from the Mississippi and drained into the lake. The water
+    in the gutters always runs from the river, no matter what may
+    be its height. The steamers at the foot of Canal Street appear
+    above the spectator, when he stands a mile or two from the
+    landing.</p>
+
+    <p>There is no earthy elevation of any kind, except of
+    artificial construction, in the vicinity of New Orleans. The
+    level surface of the streets renders the transportation of
+    heavy bodies a work of the utmost ease. The greatest amount of
+    merchandise that can be loaded upon four wheels rarely requires
+    the efforts of more than two animals. The street-cars, unlike
+    those of Northern cities, are drawn by a single mule to each
+    car, and have no conductors. The cemeteries are above ground,
+    and resemble the pigeon-holes of a post-office, magnified to a
+    sufficient size for the reception of coffins. There is not a
+    cellar in the entire city of New Orleans.</p>
+
+    <p>Musquitos flourish during the entire winter. In the summer
+    there are two varieties of these insects. The night-musquito is
+    similar to the insect which disturbs our slumbers in Northern
+    latitudes. The day-musquito relieves his comrade at sunrise and
+    remains on duty till sunset. He has no song, but his bite is
+    none the less severe. He disappears at the approach of winter,
+    but his tuneful brother remains. Musquito nettings are a
+    necessity all the year round.</p>
+
+    <p>The public walks of New Orleans are justly the pride of the
+    inhabitants. Canal Street is probably the prettiest street in
+    America. Along its center is a double row of shade-trees, a
+    promenade, and the tracks of the street railway. These
+    shade-trees are inclosed so as to form a series of small parks
+    for the entire length of the street. On each side of these
+    parks is a carriage-way, as wide as the great thoroughfare of
+    New York. Canal Street is the fashionable promenade of New
+    Orleans. In the days of glory, before the Rebellion, it
+    presented a magnificent appearance.</p>
+
+    <p>Among the prettiest of the parks of New Orleans is Jackson
+    Square, containing a fine equestrian statue of General Jackson.
+    The pedestal of the statue is emblazoned with the words:</p>
+
+    <p>"THE UNION--IT MUST AND SHALL BE PRESERVED."</p>
+
+    <p>The French element in New Orleans is apparent on every side.
+    The auctioneers cry their wares in mingled French and English,
+    and the negroes and white laborers on the levee converse in a
+    hybrid language. In the French quarter, every thing is French.
+    The signs on the shops and the street corners, the conversation
+    of the inhabitants and the shouts of the boys who play on the
+    sidewalks, are in the vernacular of <i>La Belle France</i>. In
+    Jackson Square, notices to warn visitors not to disturb the
+    shrubbery, are posted in two languages, the French being first.
+    On one poster I saw the sentence: "<i>Ne touche pas &agrave;
+    les fleurs</i>," followed by the literal translation into
+    English: "Don't touch to the flowers." I was happy to observe
+    that the caution was very generally heeded.</p>
+
+    <p>Before the war, New Orleans was a city of wonderful wealth.
+    Situated at the outlet of the great valley, its trade in
+    cotton, sugar, and other products of the West and South, was
+    immense. Boats, which had descended from all points along the
+    navigable portion of the Mississippi, discharged their cargoes
+    upon its levee. Ships of all nations were at the wharves,
+    receiving the rich freight that the steamers had brought down.
+    The piles of merchandise that lay along the levee were
+    unequaled in any other city of the globe. Money was abundant,
+    and was lavishly scattered in all directions.</p>
+
+    <p>With the secession of the Gulf States, the opening of
+    hostilities, and the blockade of the Mississippi at its mouth
+    and at Cairo, the prosperity of New Orleans disappeared. The
+    steamers ceased to bring cotton and sugar to its wharves, and
+    its levee presented a picture of inactivity. Many of the
+    wealthy found themselves in straitened circumstances, and many
+    of the poor suffered and died for want of food. For a whole
+    year, while the Rebel flag floated over the city, the business
+    of New Orleans was utterly suspended.</p>
+
+    <p>With the passage of the forts and the capture of New Orleans
+    by Admiral Farragut, the Rebel rule was ended. Very slowly the
+    business of the city revived, but in its revival it fell into
+    the hands of Northern men, who had accompanied our armies in
+    their advance. The old merchants found themselves crowded aside
+    by the ubiquitous Yankees. With the end of the war, the glory
+    of the city will soon return, but it will not return to its old
+    channels. More than any other city of the South, New Orleans
+    will be controlled by men of Northern birth and sentiments. The
+    day of slave-auctions in the rotunda of the St. Charles has
+    passed away forever.</p>
+
+    <p>New Orleans has a class of men peculiar to the South, whose
+    business it is to sell cotton for the planters. These gentlemen
+    are known as "factors," and, in former times, were numerous and
+    successful. Whatever a planter needed, from a quire of paper to
+    a steam-engine, he ordered his factor to purchase and forward.
+    The factor obeyed the order and charged the amount to the
+    planter, adding two and a half per cent, for commission.</p>
+
+    <p>If the planter wanted money, he drew upon the factor, and
+    that individual honored the draft. At the end of the season, it
+    often occurred that the planter was largely in debt to the
+    factor. But the cotton crop, when gathered, being consigned to
+    the factor, canceled this indebtedness, and generally left a
+    balance in the planter's favor.</p>
+
+    <p>The factor charged a good commission for selling the cotton,
+    and sometimes required interest upon the money he advanced. In
+    the happy days before the war, the factor's business was highly
+    lucrative. The advances to the planters, before the maturity of
+    the cotton crop, often required a heavy capital, but the risk
+    was not great. Nearly every planter was considerably indebted
+    to his factor before his cotton went forward. In many cases the
+    proceeds of the entire crop would but little more than cover
+    the advances which had been made.</p>
+
+    <p>In New Orleans nearly all cotton is sold "by sample."
+    Certain men are licensed to "sample" cotton, for which they
+    charge a specified sum per bale. A hole is cut in the covering
+    of each bale, and from this hole a handful of cotton is pulled.
+    Every bale is thus "sampled," without regard to the size of the
+    lot. The samples are taken to the sales-room of the commission
+    house, where they are open to the inspection of buyers. The
+    quality of the cotton is carefully noted, the length of the
+    fiber or staple, the whiteness of the sample, and its freedom
+    from dust or fragments of cotton-stalks. Not one bale in twenty
+    is ever seen by the buyers until after its purchase. Frequently
+    the buyers transfer their cotton to other parties without once
+    looking upon it Sometimes cotton is sold at auction instead of
+    being offered at private sale, but the process of "sampling" is
+    carried out in either case.</p>
+
+    <p>In '63 and '64, New Orleans could boast of more cotton
+    factors than cotton. The principal business was in the hands of
+    merchants from the North, who had established themselves in the
+    city soon after its occupation by the National forces. Nearly
+    all cotton sent to market was from plantations leased by
+    Northern men, or from purchases made of planters by Northern
+    speculators. The patronage naturally fell into the hands of the
+    new possessors of the soil, and left the old merchants to pine
+    in solitude. The old cotton factors, most of them Southern men,
+    who could boast of ten or twenty years' experience, saw their
+    business pass into the hands of men whose arrival in New
+    Orleans was subsequent to that of General Butler. Nearly all
+    the old factors were Secessionists, who religiously believed no
+    government could exist unless founded on raw cotton and
+    slavery. They continually asserted that none but themselves
+    could sell cotton to advantage, and wondered why those who had
+    that article to dispose of should employ men unaccustomed to
+    its sale. They were doomed to find themselves false prophets.
+    The new and enterprising merchants monopolized the cotton
+    traffic, and left the slavery-worshiping factors of the olden
+    time to mourn the loss of their occupation.</p>
+
+    <p>At the time I visited New Orleans, cotton was falling. It
+    had been ninety cents per pound. I could only obtain a small
+    fraction above seventy cents, and within a week the same
+    quality sold for sixty. Three months afterward, it readily
+    brought a dollar and a quarter per pound. The advices from New
+    York were the springs by which the market in New Orleans was
+    controlled. A good demand in New York made a good demand in New
+    Orleans, and <i>vice vers&acirc;</i>. The New York market was
+    governed by the Liverpool market, and that in turn by the
+    demand at Manchester. Thus the Old World and the New had a
+    common interest in the production of cotton. While one watched
+    the demand, the other closely observed the supply.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of the factors in New Orleans were fearful lest the
+    attention paid to cotton-culture in other parts of the world
+    would prove injurious to the South after the war should be
+    ended. They had abandoned their early belief that their cotton
+    was king, and dreaded the crash that was to announce the
+    overthrow of all their hopes.</p>
+
+    <p>In their theory that cotton-culture was unprofitable, unless
+    prosecuted by slave labor, these men could only see a gloomy
+    picture for years to come. Not so the new occupants of the
+    land. Believing that slavery was not necessary to the
+    production of sugar and cotton; believing that the country
+    could show far more prosperity under the new system of labor
+    than was ever seen under the old; and believing that commerce
+    would find new and enlarged channels with the return of peace,
+    they combated the secession heresies of the old residents, and
+    displayed their faith by their works. New Orleans was throwing
+    off its old habits and adopting the ideas and manners of
+    Northern civilization.</p>
+
+    <p>Mrs. B., the owner of our plantation, was in New Orleans at
+    the time of my arrival. As she was to receive half the proceeds
+    of the cotton we had gathered, I waited upon her to tell the
+    result of our labors. The sale being made, I exhibited the
+    account of sales to her agent, and paid him the stipulated
+    amount. So far all was well; but we were destined to have a
+    difference of opinion upon a subject touching the rights of the
+    negro.</p>
+
+    <p>Early in 1863 the Rebel authorities ordered the destruction
+    of all cotton liable to fall into the hands of the National
+    forces. The order was very generally carried out. In its
+    execution, some four hundred bales belonging to Mrs. B. were
+    burned. The officer who superintended the destruction,
+    permitted the negroes on the plantation to fill their beds with
+    cotton, but not to save any in bales. When we were making our
+    shipment, Mr. Colburn proposed that those negroes who wished to
+    do so, could sell us their cotton, and fill their beds with
+    moss or husks. As we paid them a liberal price, they accepted
+    our offer, and we made up three bales from our purchase. We
+    never imagined that Mrs. B. would lay any claim to this lot,
+    and did not include it in the quantity for which we paid her
+    half the proceeds.</p>
+
+    <p>After I had made the payment to her factor, I received a
+    note from the lady in reference to the three bales above
+    mentioned. She said the cotton in question was entirely her
+    property; but, in consideration of our careful attention to the
+    matter, she would consent to our retaining half its value. She
+    admitted that she would have never thought to bring it to
+    market; but since we had collected and baled it, she demanded
+    it as her own. I "respectfully declined" to comply with her
+    request. I believed the negroes had a claim to what was saved
+    from the burning, and given to them by the Rebel authorities.
+    Mrs. B. was of the opinion that a slave could own nothing, and
+    therefore insisted that the cotton belonged to herself.</p>
+
+    <p>Very soon after sending my reply, I was visited by the
+    lady's factor. A warm, though courteous, discussion transpired.
+    The factor was a Secessionist, and a firm believer in the human
+    and divine right of slavery. He was a man of polished exterior,
+    and was, doubtless, considered a specimen of the true Southern
+    gentleman. In our talk on the subject in dispute, I told him
+    the Rebels had allowed the negroes to fill their beds with
+    cotton, and it was this cotton we had purchased.</p>
+
+    <p>"The negroes had no right to sell it to you," said the
+    factor; "neither had you any right to purchase it."</p>
+
+    <p>"If it was given to them," I asked, "was it not theirs to
+    sell?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Certainly not. The negroes own nothing, and can own
+    nothing. Every thing they have, the clothes they wear and the
+    dishes they use, belongs to their owners. When we 'give' any
+    thing to a negro, we merely allow it to remain in his custody,
+    nothing more."</p>
+
+    <p>"But in this case," said I, "the gift was not made by the
+    owner. The cotton was to be destroyed by order of your
+    Confederate Government. That order took it from Mrs. B.'s
+    possession. When the officer came to burn the cotton, and gave
+    a portion to the negroes to fill their beds, he made no gift to
+    Mrs. B."</p>
+
+    <p>"Certainly he did. The cotton became hers, when it was given
+    to her negroes. If you give any thing to one of my negroes,
+    that article becomes my property as much as if given to
+    me."</p>
+
+    <p>"But how is it when a negro, by working nights or Saturdays,
+    manages to make something for himself?"</p>
+
+    <p>"That is just the same. Whatever he makes in that way
+    belongs to his master. Out of policy we allow him to keep it,
+    but we manage to have him expend it for his own good. The negro
+    is the property of his master, and can own nothing for
+    himself."</p>
+
+    <p>"But in this case," I replied, "I have promised to pay the
+    negroes for the cotton. It would be unjust to them to fail to
+    do so."</p>
+
+    <p>"You must not pay them any thing for it. Whatever you have
+    promised makes no difference. It is Mrs. B.'s property, not
+    theirs. If you pay them, you will violate all our customs, and
+    establish a precedent very bad for us and for yourself."</p>
+
+    <p>I assured the gentleman I should feel under obligation to
+    deal justly with the negroes, even at the expense of violating
+    Southern precedent. "You may not be aware," I remarked, "of the
+    magnitude of the change in the condition of the Southern negro
+    during the two years just closed. The difference of opinion
+    between your people and ourselves is, no doubt, an honest one.
+    We shall be quite as persistent in pushing our views at the
+    present time as you have been in enforcing yours in the past.
+    We must try our theory, and wait for the result."</p>
+
+    <p>We separated most amiably, each hoping the other would
+    eventually see things in their true light. From present
+    indications, the weight of public opinion is on my side, and
+    constantly growing stronger.</p>
+
+    <p>My sales having been made, and a quantity of plantation
+    supplies purchased, I was ready to return. It was with much
+    difficulty that I was able to procure permits from the Treasury
+    agent at New Orleans to enable me to ship my purchases. Before
+    leaving Natchez, I procured all the documents required by law.
+    Natchez and New Orleans were not in the same "district," and
+    consequently there was much discord. For example, the agent at
+    Natchez gave me a certain document that I should exhibit at New
+    Orleans, and take with me on my return to Natchez. The agent at
+    New Orleans took possession of this document, and, on my
+    expostulating, said the agent at Natchez "had no right" to give
+    me instructions to retain it. He kept the paper, and I was left
+    without any defense against seizure of the goods I had in
+    transit. They were seized by a Government officer, but
+    subsequently released. On my arrival at Natchez, I narrated the
+    occurrence to the Treasury agent at that point. I was informed
+    that the agent at New Orleans "could not" take my papers from
+    me, and I should not have allowed him to do so.</p>
+
+    <p>I was forcibly reminded of the case of the individual who
+    was once placed in the public stocks. On learning his offense,
+    a lawyer told him, "Why, Sir, they can't put you in the stocks
+    for <i>that</i>."</p>
+
+    <p>"But they have."</p>
+
+    <p>"I tell you they can't do it."</p>
+
+    <p>"But, don't you see, they have."</p>
+
+    <p>"I tell you again they can't do any such thing."</p>
+
+    <p>In my own case, each Treasury agent declared the other
+    "could not" do the things which had been done. In consequence
+    of the inharmony of the "regulations," the most careful shipper
+    would frequently find his goods under seizure, from which they
+    could generally be released on payment of liberal fees and
+    fines. I do not know there was any collusion between the
+    officials, but I could not rid myself of the impression there
+    was something rotten in Denmark. The invariable result of these
+    little quarrels was the plundering of the shippers. The
+    officials never suffered. Like the opposite sides of a pair of
+    shears, though cutting against each other, they only injured
+    whatever was between them.</p>
+
+    <p>Not a hundredth part of the official dishonesty at New
+    Orleans and other points along the Mississippi will ever be
+    known. Enough has been made public to condemn the whole system
+    of permits and Treasury restrictions. The Government took a
+    wise course when it abolished, soon after the suppression of
+    the Rebellion, a large number of the Treasury Agencies in the
+    South. As they were managed during the last two years of the
+    war, these agencies proved little else than schools of
+    dishonesty. There may have been some honest men in those
+    offices, but they contrived to conceal their honesty.</p>
+
+    <p>To show the variety of charges which attach to a shipment of
+    cotton, I append the sellers' account for the three bales about
+    which Mrs. B. and myself had our little dispute. These bales
+    were not sold with the balance of our shipment. The cotton of
+    which they were composed was of very inferior quality.</p>
+
+    <table summary="Account sales">
+      <caption>
+        <i>Account Sales of Three Bales of Cotton for Knox &amp;
+        Colburn.</i><br />
+        By PARSLEY &amp; WILLIAMS.
+      </caption>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">Mark,</td>
+
+        <td class="item">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3 bales.</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">"K. C."</td>
+
+        <td class="item">
+        &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Weight,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;} 1,349
+        @...............</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">$0</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">60</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">$809</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">40</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="item">533--406--410 }</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="item">Auctioneers' commission, 1 pr.
+        ct.....</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">8</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">09</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="item">Sampling
+        .............................</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">30</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="item">Weighing
+        .............................</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">50</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="item">
+        Watching..............................</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">50</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="item">Tarpaulins
+        ...........................</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">50</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="item">Freight, $10 pr. bale
+        ................</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">30</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">00</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt"></td>
+
+        <td class="item">Insurance, $2.50 pr. bale
+        ............</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">7</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">50</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="item">4 c. pr. lb. (tax) on 1,349 lb
+        .......</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">53</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">96</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="item">1/2 c. " " " "
+        .......................</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">6</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">74</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt"></td>
+
+        <td class="item">Permit and stamps
+        ....................</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">65</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt"></td>
+
+        <td class="item">Hospital fees, $5 pr.
+        bale............</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">15</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">00</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt"></td>
+
+        <td class="item">Factors' commission, 1 pr.
+        ct.........</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">8</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">09</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="item">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">--</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">--</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">131</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">83</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="item">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">----</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">--</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="cmmnt">E.O.E.</td>
+
+        <td class="item">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net
+        proceeds.....................</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">&nbsp;</td>
+
+        <td class="doll">$677</td>
+
+        <td class="cent">57</td>
+      </tr>
+
+      <tr>
+        <td class="foot" colspan="6">NEW ORLEANS, La., <i>February
+        22</i>, 1864.</td>
+      </tr>
+    </table>
+
+    <p>It will be seen by the above that the charges form an
+    important portion of the proceeds of a sale. The heaviest items
+    are for Government and hospital taxes. The latter was levied
+    before the war, but the former is one of the fruits of the
+    Rebellion. It is likely to endure for a considerable time.</p>
+
+    <p>I knew several cases in which the sales of cotton did not
+    cover the charges, but left a small bill to be paid by the
+    owner. Frequently, cotton that had been innocently purchased
+    and sent to market was seized by Government officials, on
+    account of some alleged informality, and placed in the public
+    warehouses. The owner could get no hearing until he made
+    liberal presents of a pecuniary character to the proper
+    authorities.</p>
+
+    <p>After much delay and many bribes, the cotton would be
+    released. New charges would appear, and before a sale could be
+    effected the whole value of the cotton would be gone.</p>
+
+    <p>A person of my acquaintance was unfortunate enough to fall
+    into the hands of the Philistines in the manner I have
+    described above. At the end of the transaction he found himself
+    a loser to the extent of three hundred dollars. He has since
+    been endeavoring to ascertain the amount of traffic on a
+    similar scale that would be needed to make him a millionaire.
+    At last accounts he had not succeeded in solving the
+    problem.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c38" id="c38"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXXVIII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>SOME FEATURES OF PLANTATION LIFE.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Mysteries of Mule-trading.--"What's in a
+    Name?"--Process of Stocking a Plantation.--An Enterprising
+    White Man.--Stratagem of a Yankee.--Distributing Goods to the
+    Negroes.--The Tastes of the African.--Ethiopian Eloquence.--A
+    Colored Overseer.--Guerrillas Approaching.--Whisky <i>vs</i>.
+    Guerrillas.--A Hint to Military Men.</p>
+
+    <p>On my return from New Orleans to the plantation, I found
+    that Colburn had been pushing our business with a rapidity and
+    skill that secured the admiration of everyone around us. He had
+    increased our working force, and purchased a goodly number of
+    mules. We had seventeen plows in operation, and two teams
+    engaged in gathering corn, on the day before my arrival. The
+    "trash-gang" was busy, and other working parties were occupied
+    with their various duties. We were looking to a brilliant
+    future, and echoed the wish of Jefferson Davis, to be "let
+    alone."</p>
+
+    <p>The enterprise of a lessee at that time, and in that
+    locality, was illustrated by his ability to supply his
+    plantation with mules. There were many who failed in the
+    effort, but my associate was not of the number. There were but
+    few mules in the Natchez market--not enough to meet a tenth of
+    the demand. Nearly every plantation had been stripped of
+    working animals by one army or the other. Before our arrival
+    the Rebels plundered all men suspected of lukewarmness in the
+    cause. When the National army obtained possession, it took
+    nearly every thing the Rebels had left. All property believed
+    to belong to the Rebel Government was passed into the hands of
+    our quartermaster.</p>
+
+    <p>A planter, named Caleb Shields, had a large plantation near
+    Natchez, which had not been disturbed by the Rebels. His mules
+    were branded with the letters "C.S.," the initials of their
+    owner. As these letters happened to be the same that were used
+    by the Confederate Government, Mr. Shields found his mules
+    promptly seized and "confiscated." Before he could explain the
+    matter and obtain an order for their return, his animals were
+    sent to Vicksburg and placed in the Government corral. If the
+    gentleman had possessed other initials, it is possible (though
+    not certain) he might have saved his stock.</p>
+
+    <p>Mules being very scarce, the lessees exercised their skill
+    in supplying themselves with those animals. On my first arrival
+    at the plantation, I took care to hire those negroes who were
+    riding from the interior, or, at all events, to purchase their
+    animals. In one day I obtained two horses and four mules. An
+    order had been issued for the confiscation of beasts of burden
+    (or draught) brought inside the lines by negroes. We obtained
+    permission to purchase of these runaway negroes whatever mules
+    they would sell, provided we could make our negotiations before
+    they reached the military lines.</p>
+
+    <p>Immediately after my departure, Mr. Colburn stationed one of
+    our men on the road near our house, with orders to effect a
+    trade with every mounted negro on his way to Natchez. The plan
+    was successful. From two to a half-dozen mules were obtained
+    daily. During the two weeks of my absence nearly fifty mules
+    were purchased, placing the plantation in good order for active
+    prosecution of our planting enterprise. At the same time many
+    lessees in our vicinity were unable to commence operations,
+    owing to their inability to obtain working stock.</p>
+
+    <p>The negroes discovered that the mule market was not well
+    supplied, and some of the more enterprising and dishonest sons
+    of Ham endeavored to profit by the situation. Frequently mules
+    would be offered at a suspiciously low price, with the
+    explanation that the owner was anxious to dispose of his
+    property and return home. Some undertook nocturnal expeditions,
+    ten or twenty miles into the interior, where they stole
+    whatever mules they could find. A few of the lessees suffered
+    by the loss of stock, which was sold an hour after it was
+    stolen, and sometimes to the very party from whom it had been
+    taken. We took every care to avoid buying stolen property, but
+    were sometimes deceived.</p>
+
+    <p>On one occasion I purchased a mule of a negro who lived at
+    Waterproof. The purchase was made an hour before sunset, and
+    the animal was stolen during the night. On the following
+    morning, Colburn bought it again of the same party with whom I
+    had effected my trade. After this occurrence, we adopted the
+    plan of branding each mule as soon as it came into our hands.
+    All the lessees did the same thing, and partially protected
+    each other against fraud.</p>
+
+    <p>White men were the worst mule-thieves, and generally
+    instructed the negroes in their villainy. There were several
+    men in Natchez who reduced mule-stealing to a science, and were
+    as thoroughly skilled in it as Charley Bates or the Artful
+    Dodger in the science of picking pockets. One of them had four
+    or five white men and a dozen negroes employed in bringing
+    stock to market. I think he retired to St. Louis, before the
+    end of May, with ten or twelve thousand dollars as the result
+    of three months' industry.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of the lessees resorted to questionable methods for
+    supplying their plantations with the means for plowing and
+    planting. One of them occupied a plantation owned by a man who
+    refused to allow his own stock to be used. He wished to be
+    neutral until the war was ended.</p>
+
+    <p>This owner had more than sixty fine mules, that were running
+    loose in the field. One day the lessee told the owner that he
+    had purchased a lot of mules at Natchez, and would bring them
+    out soon. On the following night, while the owner slept, the
+    lessee called some trusty negroes to his aid, caught seventeen
+    mules from the field, sheared and branded them, and placed them
+    in a yard by themselves. In the morning he called the owner to
+    look at the "purchase."</p>
+
+    <p>"You have bought an excellent lot," said the latter
+    individual. "Where were they from?"</p>
+
+    <p>"All from St. Louis." was the response. "They were brought
+    down two days ago. I don't know what to do about turning them
+    out. Do you think, if I put them with yours, there is any
+    danger of their straying, on account of being on a strange
+    place?"</p>
+
+    <p>"None at all. I think there is no risk."</p>
+
+    <p>The lessee took the risk, and expressed much delight to find
+    that the new mules showed themselves at home on the
+    plantation.</p>
+
+    <p>Several days later the owner of the plantation discovered
+    the loss of his mules, but never suspected what had become of
+    them. Two weeks afterward, the Rebels came and asked him to
+    designate the property of the lessee, that they might remove
+    it. He complied by pointing out the seventeen mules, which the
+    Rebels drove away, leaving the balance unharmed.</p>
+
+    <p>I landed at the plantation one Sunday evening, with the
+    goods I had purchased in New Orleans. I was met with the
+    unwelcome information that the small force at Waterproof, after
+    committing many depredations on the surrounding country, had
+    been withdrawn, leaving us exposed to the tender mercies of the
+    indignant chivalry. We were liable to be visited at any moment.
+    We knew the Rebels would not handle us very tenderly, in view
+    of what they had suffered from our own men. A party of
+    guerrillas was reported seven miles distant on the day
+    previous, and there was nothing to hinder their coming as near
+    as they chose.</p>
+
+    <p>Accordingly, we determined to distribute the goods among the
+    negroes as early as possible. On Monday morning we commenced.
+    There was some delay, but we succeeded in starting a very
+    lively trade before seven o'clock.</p>
+
+    <p>Shoes were in great demand, as the negroes had not been
+    supplied with these articles for nearly three years. A hundred
+    pairs were speedily issued, when the balance was laid aside for
+    future consideration. There were some of the negroes whose feet
+    were too large for any shoes we had purchased. It was a curious
+    fact that these large-footed negroes were not above the
+    ordinary stature. I remember one in particular who demanded
+    "thirteens," but who did not stand more than five feet and five
+    inches in his invisible stockings.</p>
+
+    <p>After the shoes, came the material for clothing. For the men
+    we had purchased "gray denims" and "Kentucky jeans;" for the
+    women, "blue denims" and common calico. These articles were
+    rapidly taken, and with them the necessary quantity of thread,
+    buttons, etc. A supply of huge bandana kerchiefs for the head
+    was eagerly called for. I had procured as many of these
+    articles as I thought necessary for the entire number of
+    negroes on the plantation; but found I had sadly miscalculated.
+    The kerchiefs were large and very gaudy, and the African taste
+    was at once captivated by them. Instead of being satisfied with
+    one or two, every negro desired from six to a dozen, and was
+    much disappointed at the refusal. The gaudy colors of most of
+    the calicoes created a great demand, while a few pieces of more
+    subdued appearance were wholly discarded. White cotton cloth,
+    palm-leaf hats, knives and forks, tin plates, pans and dishes,
+    and other articles for use or wear, were among the
+    distributions of the day.</p>
+
+    <p>Under the slave-owner's rule, the negro was entitled to
+    nothing beyond his subsistence and coarse clothing. Out of a
+    large-hearted generosity the master gave him various articles,
+    amounting, in the course of a year, to a few dollars in value.
+    These articles took the name of "presents," and their reception
+    was designed to inspire feelings of gratitude in the breast of
+    the slave.</p>
+
+    <p>Most of the negroes understood that the new arrangements
+    made an end of present-giving. They were to be paid for all
+    their labor, and were to pay for whatever they received. When
+    the plan was first announced, all were pleased with it; but
+    when we came to the distribution of the goods, many of the
+    negroes changed their views. They urged that the clothing, and
+    every thing else we had purchased, should be issued as
+    "presents," and that they should be paid for their labor in
+    addition. Whatever little advantages the old system might have,
+    they wished to retain and ingraft upon their new life. To be
+    compensated for labor was a condition of freedom which they
+    joyfully accepted. To receive "presents" was an apparent
+    advantage of slavery which they did not wish to set aside.</p>
+
+    <p>The matter was fully explained, and I am confident all our
+    auditors understood it. Those that remained obstinate had an
+    eye to their personal interests. Those who had been sick, idle,
+    absent, or disabled, were desirous of liberal gifts, while the
+    industrious were generally in favor of the new system, or made
+    no special opposition to it.</p>
+
+    <p>One negro, who had been in our employ two weeks, and whose
+    whole labor in that time was less than four days, thought he
+    deserved a hundred dollars' worth of presents, and compensation
+    in money for a fortnight's toil. All were inclined to value
+    their services very highly; but there were some whose
+    moderation knew no bounds.</p>
+
+    <p>A difficulty arose on account of certain promises that had
+    been made to the negroes by the owner of the plantation, long
+    before our arrival. Mrs. B. had told them (according to their
+    version) that the proceeds of the cotton on the plantation
+    should be distributed in the form of presents, whenever a sale
+    was effected. She did not inform us of any such promise when we
+    secured the lease of the plantation. If she made any agreement
+    to that effect, it was probably forgotten. Those who claimed
+    that this arrangement had been made desired liberal presents in
+    addition to payment for their labor. Our non-compliance with
+    this demand was acknowledged to be just, but it created
+    considerable disappointment.</p>
+
+    <p>One who had been her mistress's favorite argued the question
+    with an earnestness that attracted my attention. Though past
+    sixty years of age, she was straight as an arrow, and her walk
+    resembled that of a tragedy queen. In her whole features she
+    was unlike those around her, except in her complexion, which
+    was black as ink. There was a clear, silvery tone to her voice,
+    such as I have rarely observed in persons of her race. In
+    pressing her claim, she grew wonderfully eloquent, and would
+    have elicited the admiration of an educated audience. Had there
+    been a school in that vicinity for the development of
+    histrionic talent in the negro race, I would have given that
+    woman a recommendation to its halls.</p>
+
+    <p>During my absence, Mr. Colburn employed an overseer on our
+    smaller plantation, and placed him in full charge of the work.
+    This overseer was a mulatto, who had been fifteen years the
+    manager of a large plantation about seven miles distant from
+    ours. In voice and manner he was a white man, but his
+    complexion and hair were those of the subject race. There was
+    nothing about the plantation which he could not master in every
+    point. Without being severe, he was able to accomplish all that
+    had been done under the old system. He imitated the customs of
+    the white man as much as possible, and it was his particular
+    ambition to rank above those of his own color. As an overseer
+    he was fully competent to take charge of any plantation in that
+    locality. During all my stay in the South, I did not meet a
+    white overseer whom I considered the professional equal of this
+    negro.</p>
+
+    <p>"Richmond" was the name to which our new assistant answered.
+    His master had prevented his learning to read, but allowed him
+    to acquire sufficient knowledge of figures to record the weight
+    of cotton in the field. Richmond could mark upon the slate all
+    round numbers between one hundred and four hundred; beyond this
+    he was never able to go. He could neither add nor subtract, nor
+    could he write a single letter of the alphabet. He was able,
+    however, to write his own name very badly, having copied it
+    from a pass written by his master. He had possessed himself of
+    a book, and, with the help of one of our negroes who knew the
+    alphabet, he was learning to read. His house was a model of
+    neatness. I regret to say that he was somewhat tyrannical when
+    superintending the affairs of his domicile.</p>
+
+    <p>As the day of our distribution of goods was a stormy one,
+    Richmond was called from the plantation to assist us. Under his
+    assistance we were progressing fairly, interrupted occasionally
+    by various causes of delay. Less than half the valuable
+    articles were distributed, when our watches told us it was
+    noon. Just as we were discussing the propriety of an
+    adjournment for dinner, an announcement was made that banished
+    all thoughts of the mid-day meal.</p>
+
+    <p>One of our boys had been permitted to visit Waterproof
+    during the forenoon. He returned, somewhat breathless, and his
+    first words dropped like a shell among the assembled
+    negroes:</p>
+
+    <p>"<i>The Rebels are in Waterproof</i>."</p>
+
+    <p>"How do you know?"</p>
+
+    <p>"I saw them there, and asked a lady what they were. She said
+    they were Harrison's Rebels."</p>
+
+    <p>We told the negroes to go to their quarters. Richmond
+    mounted his horse and rode off toward the plantation of which
+    he had charge. In two minutes, there was not a negro in the
+    yard, with the exception of the house-servants. Our goods were
+    lying exposed. We threw some of the most valuable articles into
+    an obscure closet.</p>
+
+    <p>At the first alarm we ordered our horses brought out. When
+    the animals appeared we desisted from our work.</p>
+
+    <p>"The Rebels are coming down the road," was the next bulletin
+    from the front.</p>
+
+    <p>We sprang upon our horses and rode a hundred yards along the
+    front of our "quarter-lot," to a point where we could look up
+    the road toward Waterproof. There they were, sure enough,
+    thirty or more mounted men, advancing at a slow trot. They were
+    about half a mile distant, and, had we been well mounted, there
+    was no doubt of our easy escape. "Now comes the race," said
+    Colburn. "Twenty miles to Natchez. A single heat, with animals
+    to go at will."</p>
+
+    <p>We turned our horses in the direction of Natchez.</p>
+
+    <p>"Stop," said I, as we reached the house again. "They did not
+    see us, and have not quickened their pace. Strategy, my boy,
+    may assist us a little."</p>
+
+    <p>Throwing my bridle into Colburn's hand, I slid from my
+    saddle and bounded into the dwelling. It was the work of a
+    moment to bring out a jug and a glass tumbler, but I was
+    delayed longer than I wished in finding the key of our closet.
+    The jug contained five gallons of excellent whisky (so
+    pronounced by my friends), and would have been a valuable prize
+    in any portion of the Confederacy.</p>
+
+    <p>Placing the jug and tumbler side by side on the veranda, in
+    full view from the road, I remounted, just as the Rebels
+    reached the corner of our quarter-lot.</p>
+
+    <p>"We have pressing engagements in Natchez," said Colburn.</p>
+
+    <p>"So we have," I replied; "I had nearly forgotten them. Let
+    us lose no time in meeting them."</p>
+
+    <p>As we rode off, some of the foremost Rebels espied us and
+    quickened their pace. When they reached the house they
+    naturally looked toward it to ascertain if any person was
+    there. They saw the jug, and were at once attracted. One man
+    rode past the house, but the balance stopped. The minority of
+    one was prudent, and returned after pursuing us less than fifty
+    yards. The whisky which the jug contained was quickly absorbed.
+    With only one tumbler it required some minutes to drain the
+    jug. These minutes were valuable.</p>
+
+    <p>Whisky may have ruined many a man, but it saved us. Around
+    that seductive jug those thirty guerrillas became oblivious to
+    our escape. We have reason to be thankful that we disobeyed the
+    rules of strict teetotalers by "keeping liquor in the
+    house."</p>
+
+    <p>I was well mounted, and could have easily kept out of the
+    way of any ordinary chase. Colburn was only fairly mounted, and
+    must have been run down had there been a vigorous and
+    determined pursuit. As each was resolved to stand by the other,
+    the capture of one would have doubtless been the capture of
+    both.</p><a href="images/p440i1.jpg"><img src=
+    "images/p440i1_t.jpg" alt=
+    "&quot;STRATEGY, MY BOY!&quot;" /></a>
+
+    <p class="captn">"STRATEGY, MY BOY!"</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c39" id="c39"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XXXIX.</h4>
+
+    <h5>VISITED BY GUERRILLAS.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">News of the Raid.--Returning to the
+    Plantation.--Examples of Negro Cunning.--A Sudden Departure and
+    a Fortunate Escape.--A Second Visit.--"Going Through," in
+    Guerrilla Parlance.--How it is Accomplished.--Courtesy to
+    Guests.--A Holiday Costume.--Lessees Abandoning their
+    Plantations.--Official Promises.</p>
+
+    <p>As soon as satisfied we were not followed we took a
+    leisurely pace, and in due time reached Natchez. Four hours
+    later we received the first bulletin from the plantation. About
+    thirty guerrillas had been there, mainly for the purpose of
+    despoiling the plantation next above ours. This they had
+    accomplished by driving off all the mules. They had not stolen
+    <i>our</i> mules, simply because they found as much cloth and
+    other desirable property as they wished to take on that
+    occasion. Besides, our neighbor's mules made as large a drove
+    as they could manage. They promised to come again, and we
+    believed they would keep their word. We ascertained that my
+    strategy with the whisky saved us from pursuit.</p>
+
+    <p>On the next day a messenger arrived, saying all was quiet at
+    the plantation. On the second day, as every thing continued
+    undisturbed, I concluded to return. Colburn had gone to
+    Vicksburg, and left me to look after our affairs as I thought
+    best. We had discussed the propriety of hiring a white overseer
+    to stay on the plantation during our absence. The prospect of
+    visits from guerrillas convinced us that <i>we</i> should not
+    spend much of our time within their reach. We preferred paying
+    some one to risk his life rather than to risk our own lives.
+    The prospect of getting through the season without serious
+    interruption had become very poor, but we desired to cling to
+    the experiment a little longer. Once having undertaken it, we
+    were determined not to give it up hastily.</p>
+
+    <p>I engaged a white man as overseer, and took him with me to
+    the plantation. The negroes had been temporarily alarmed at the
+    visit of the guerrillas, but, as they were not personally
+    disturbed, their excitement was soon allayed. I found them
+    anxiously waiting my return, and ready to recommence labor on
+    the following day.</p>
+
+    <p>The ravages of the guerrillas on that occasion were not
+    extensive. They carried off a few bolts of cloth and some
+    smaller articles, after drinking the whisky I had set out for
+    their entertainment. The negroes had carefully concealed the
+    balance of the goods in places where a white man would have
+    much trouble in finding them. In the garden there was a row of
+    bee-hives, whose occupants manifested much dislike for all
+    white men, irrespective of their political sentiments. Two
+    unused hives were filled with the most valuable articles on our
+    invoice, and placed at the ends of this row. In a clump of
+    weeds under the bench on which the hives stood, the negroes
+    secreted several rolls of cloth and a quantity of shoes. More
+    shoes and more cloth were concealed in a hen-house, under a
+    series of nests where several innocent hens were "sitting."
+    Crockery was placed among the rose-bushes and tomato-vines in
+    the garden; barrels of sugar were piled with empty barrels of
+    great age; and two barrels of molasses had been neatly buried
+    in a freshly-ploughed potato-field. Obscure corners in stables
+    and sheds were turned into hiding-places, and the cunning of
+    the negro was well evinced by the successful concealment of
+    many bulky articles.</p>
+
+    <p>It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when I arrived at
+    the plantation. I immediately recommenced the issue of goods,
+    which was suspended so hastily three days before. From two
+    o'clock until dark the overseer and myself were busily engaged,
+    and distributed about two-thirds of our remaining stock. Night
+    came. We suspended the distribution and indulged in supper.
+    After giving the overseer directions for the morrow, I
+    recollected an invitation to spend the night at the house of a
+    friend, three miles away, on the road to Natchez.</p>
+
+    <p>I ordered my horse, and in a few moments the animal was
+    ready, at the door. I told the overseer where I was going, and
+    bade him good-night.</p>
+
+    <p>"Where are you going, Mr. K----?" said the negro who had
+    brought out the horse, as he delivered the bridle into my
+    hands.</p>
+
+    <p>"If any one calls to see me," said I, "you can say I have
+    gone to Natchez."</p>
+
+    <p>With that I touched a spur to my horse and darted off
+    rapidly toward my friend's house. A half-dozen negroes had
+    gathered to assist in saddling and holding the horse. As I
+    sprang into the saddle I heard one of them say:</p>
+
+    <p>"I don't see why Mr. K---- starts off to Natchez at this
+    time of night."</p>
+
+    <p>Another negro explained the matter, but I did not hear the
+    explanation. If he gave a satisfactory reason, I think he did
+    better than I could have done.</p>
+
+    <p>Immediately after my departure the overseer went to bed. He
+    had been in bed about fifteen minutes when he heard a trampling
+    of horses' feet around the house. A moment later there was a
+    loud call for the door to be opened. Before the overseer could
+    comply with the request, the door was broken in. A dozen men
+    crowded into the house, demanding that a light be struck
+    instantly. As the match gave its first flash of light, one of
+    the visitors said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Well, K----, we've got you this time."</p>
+
+    <p>"That," said another, "is no K----; that is Walter Owen, who
+    used to be overseer on Stewart's plantation."</p>
+
+    <p>"What are you doing here?" demanded another.</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Owen, trembling in his night-clothes, replied that he
+    had been engaged to stay there as overseer.</p>
+
+    <p>"Where is K----, and where is Colburn?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Mr. Colburn hasn't been here since last Monday. Mr. K----
+    has gone to Natchez."</p>
+
+    <p>"That's a ---- lie," said one of the guerrillas. "We know he
+    came here at two o'clock this afternoon, and was here at dark.
+    He is somewhere around this house."</p>
+
+    <p>In vain did Owen protest I was not there. Every room and
+    every closet in the house was searched. A pile of bagging in a
+    garret was overhauled, in the expectation that I was concealed
+    within it. Even the chimneys were not neglected, though I doubt
+    if the smallest of professional sweeps could pass through them.
+    One of the guerrillas opened a piano, to see if I had not taken
+    refuge under its cover. They looked into all possible and
+    impossible nooks and corners, in the hope of finding me
+    somewhere. At last they gave up the search, and contented
+    themselves with promising to catch both Colburn and myself
+    before long.</p>
+
+    <p>"We want to go through those d--d Abolitionists, and we will
+    do it, too. They may dodge us for a while, but we will have
+    them by-and-by."</p>
+
+    <p>Not being privileged to "go through" me as they had
+    anticipated, the gentlemanly guerrillas went through the
+    overseer. They took his money, his hat, his pantaloons, and his
+    saddle. His horse was standing in the stable, and they took
+    that also. They found four of our mules, and appropriated them
+    to their own use. They frightened one of the negroes into
+    telling where certain articles were concealed, and were thus
+    enabled to carry off a goodly amount of plunder. They
+    threatened Mr. Owen with the severest punishment, if he
+    remained any longer on the plantation. They possessed
+    themselves of a "protection" paper which Mrs. B. had received
+    from the commander at Natchez several months before, and were
+    half inclined to burn her buildings as a punishment for having
+    sought the favor of the Yankees. Their stay was of only an
+    hour's duration.</p>
+
+    <p>From our plantation the robbers went to the one next above,
+    where they were more fortunate in finding the lessees at home.
+    They surrounded the house in the same manner they had
+    surrounded ours, and then burst open the doors. The lessees
+    were plundered of every thing in the shape of money, watches,
+    and knives, and were forced to exchange hats and coats with
+    their captors. One of the guerrillas observed an ivory-headed
+    pencil, which he appropriated to his own use, with the
+    remark:</p>
+
+    <p>"They don't make these things back here in the woods. When
+    they do, I will send this one back."</p>
+
+    <p>These lessees were entertaining some friends on that
+    evening, and begged the guerrillas to show them some
+    distinction.</p>
+
+    <p>"D--n your friends," said the guerrilla leader; "I suppose
+    they are Yankees?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, they are; we should claim friendship with nobody
+    else."</p>
+
+    <p>"Then we want to see what they have, and go through them if
+    it is worth the while."</p>
+
+    <p>The strangers were unceremoniously searched. Their united
+    contributions to the guerrilla treasury were two watches, two
+    revolvers, three hundred dollars in money, and their hats and
+    overcoats. Their horses and saddles were also taken. In
+    consideration of their being guests of the house, these
+    gentlemen were allowed to retain their coats. They were
+    presented with five dollars each, to pay their expenses to
+    Natchez. No such courtesy was shown to the lessees of the
+    plantation.</p>
+
+    <p>On the following morning, I was awakened at an early hour by
+    the arrival of a negro from our plantation, with news of the
+    raid. A little later, Mr. Owen made his appearance, wearing
+    pantaloons and hat that belonged to one of the negroes. The
+    pantaloons were too small and the hat too large; both had long
+    before seen their best days. He was riding a mule, on which was
+    tied an old saddle, whose cohesive powers were very doubtful. I
+    listened to the story of the raid, and was convinced another
+    visit would be made very soon. I gave directions for the
+    overseer to gather all the remaining mules and take them to
+    Natchez for safety.</p>
+
+    <p>I stopped with my friend until nearly noon, and then
+    accompanied him to Natchez. On the next morning, I learned that
+    the guerrillas returned to our plantation while I was at my
+    friend's house. They carried away what they were unable to take
+    on the previous night They needed a wagon for purposes of
+    transportation, and took one of ours, and with it all the mules
+    they could find. Our house was stripped of every thing of any
+    value, and I hoped the guerrillas would have no occasion to
+    make subsequent visits. Several of our mules were saved by
+    running them into the woods adjoining the plantation. These
+    were taken to Natchez, and, for a time, all work on the
+    prospective cotton crop came to an end.</p>
+
+    <p>For nearly three weeks, the guerrillas had full and free
+    range in the vicinity of the leased plantations. One after
+    another of the lessees were driven to seek refuge at Natchez,
+    and their work was entirely suspended. The only plantations
+    undisturbed were those within a mile or two of Vidalia. As the
+    son of Adjutant-General Thomas was interested in one of these
+    plantations, and intimate friends of that official were
+    concerned in others, it was proper that they should be well
+    protected. The troops at Vidalia were kept constantly on the
+    look-out to prevent raids on these favored localities.</p>
+
+    <p>Nearly every day I heard of a fresh raid in our
+    neighborhood, though, after the first half-dozen visits, I
+    could not learn that the guerrillas carried away any thing, for
+    the simple reason there was nothing left to steal. Some of the
+    negroes remained at home, while others fled to the military
+    posts for protection. The robbers showed no disposition to
+    maltreat the negroes, and repeatedly assured them they should
+    not be disturbed as long as they remained on the plantations
+    and planted nothing but corn. It was declared that cotton
+    should not be cultivated under any circumstances, and the
+    negroes were threatened with the severest punishment if they
+    assisted in planting that article.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c40" id="c40"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XL.</h4>
+
+    <h5>PECULIARITIES OF PLANTATION LABOR.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Resuming Operation.--Difficulties in the Way.--A
+    New Method of Healing the Sick.--A Thief Discovered by his
+    Ignorance of Arithmetic.--How Cotton is Planted.--The Uses of
+    Cotton-Seed.--A Novel Sleeping-Room.--Constructing a
+    Tunnel.--Vigilance of a Negro Sentinel.</p>
+
+    <p>On the 24th of March a small post was established at
+    Waterproof, and on the following day we recommenced our
+    enterprise at the plantation. We were much crippled, as nearly
+    all our mules were gone, and the work of replacing them could
+    not be done in a day. The market at Natchez was not supplied
+    with mules, and we were forced to depend upon the region around
+    us. Three days after the establishment of the post we were able
+    to start a half-dozen plows, and within two weeks we had our
+    original force in the field. The negroes that had left during
+    the raid, returned to us. Under the superintendence of our
+    overseer the work was rapidly pushed. Richmond was back again
+    on our smaller plantation, whence he had fled during the
+    disturbances, and was displaying an energy worthy of the
+    highest admiration.</p>
+
+    <p>Our gangs were out in full force. There was the trash-gang
+    clearing the ground for the plows, and the plow-gang busy at
+    its appropriate work. The corn-gang, with two ox-teams, was
+    gathering corn at the rate of a hundred bushels daily, and the
+    fence-gang was patting the fences in order. The shelling-gang
+    (composed of the oldest men and women) was husking and shelling
+    corn, and putting it in sacks for market. The gardener, the
+    stock-tenders, the dairy-maids, nurserymaids, hog-minders, and
+    stable-keepers were all in their places, and we began to forget
+    our recent troubles in the apparent prospect of success.</p>
+
+    <p>One difficulty of the new system presented itself. Several
+    of the negroes began to feign sickness, and cheat the overseer
+    whenever it could be done with impunity. It is a part of the
+    overseer's duty to go through the quarters every morning,
+    examine such as claim to be sick, determine whether their
+    sickness be real or pretended, and make the appropriate
+    prescriptions. Under the old system the pretenders were treated
+    to a liberal application of the lash, which generally drove
+    away all fancied ills. Sometimes, one who was really unwell,
+    was most unmercifully flogged by the overseer, and death not
+    unfrequently ensued from this cause.</p>
+
+    <p>As there was now no fear of the lash, some of the
+    lazily-inclined negroes would feign sickness, and thus be
+    excused from the field. The trouble was not general, but
+    sufficiently prevalent to be annoying. We saw that some course
+    must be devised to overcome this evil, and keep in the field
+    all who were really able to be there.</p>
+
+    <p>We procured some printed tickets, which the overseer was to
+    issue at the close of each day. There were three colors--red,
+    yellow, and white. The first were for a full day's work, the
+    second for a half day, and the last for a quarter day. On the
+    face of each was the following:--</p>
+
+    <p>AQUASCO &amp; MONONO<br />
+    PLANTATIONS.<br />
+    1864.</p>
+
+    <p>These tickets were given each day to such as deserved them.
+    They were collected every Saturday, and proper credit given for
+    the amount of labor performed during the week. The effect was
+    magical. The day after the adoption of our ticket system our
+    number of sick was reduced one-half, and we had no further
+    trouble with pretended patients. Colburn and myself, in our new
+    character of "doctors," found our practice greatly diminished
+    in consequence of our innovations. Occasionally it would happen
+    that one who was not really able to work, would go to the field
+    through a fear of diminished wages.</p>
+
+    <p>One Saturday night, a negro whom we had suspected of
+    thievish propensities, presented eight full-day tickets as the
+    representative of his week's work.</p>
+
+    <p>"Did you earn all these this week?" I asked.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, sir," was the reply; "Mr. Owen gave them to me. I
+    worked every day, straight along."</p>
+
+    <p>"Can you tell me on which days he gave you each ticket?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Oh, yes. I knows every one of them," said the negro, his
+    countenance expressing full belief in his ability to locate
+    each ticket.</p>
+
+    <p>As I held the tickets in my hand, the negro picked them out.
+    "Mr. Owen gave me this one Monday, this one Tuesday," and so
+    on, toward the end of the week. As he reached Friday, and saw
+    three tickets remaining, when there was only another day to be
+    accounted for, his face suddenly fell. I pretended not to
+    notice his embarrassment.</p>
+
+    <p>"Which one did he give you to-day?"</p>
+
+    <p>There was a stammer, a hesitation, a slight attempt to
+    explain, and then the truth came out. He had stolen the extra
+    tickets from two fellow-laborers only a few minutes before, and
+    had not reflected upon the difficulties of the situation. I
+    gave him some good advice, required him to restore the stolen
+    tickets, and promise he would not steal any more. I think he
+    kept the promise during the remainder of his stay on the
+    plantation, but am by no means certain.</p>
+
+    <p>Every day, when the weather was favorable, our work was
+    pushed. Every mule that could be found was put at once into
+    service, and by the 15th of April we had upward of five hundred
+    acres plowed and ready for planting. We had planted about
+    eighty acres of corn during the first week of April, and
+    arranged to commence planting cotton on Monday, the 18th of the
+    month. On the Saturday previous, the overseer on each
+    plantation organized his planting-gangs, and placed every thing
+    in readiness for active work.</p>
+
+    <p>The ground, when plowed for cotton, is thrown into a series
+    of ridges by a process technically known as "four-furrowing."
+    Two furrows are turned in one direction and two in another,
+    thus making a ridge four or five feet wide. Along the top of
+    this ridge a "planter," or "bull-tongue," is drawn by a single
+    mule, making a channel two or three inches in depth. A person
+    carrying a bag of cotton seed follows the planter and scatters
+    the seed into the channel. A small harrow follows, covering the
+    seed, and the work of planting is complete.</p>
+
+    <p>A planting-gang consists of drivers for the planters,
+    drivers for the harrows, persons who scatter the seed, and
+    attendants to supply them with seed. The seed is drawn from the
+    gin-house to the field in ox-wagons, and distributed in
+    convenient piles of ten or twenty bushels each.</p>
+
+    <p>Cotton-seed has never been considered of any appreciable
+    value, and consequently the negroes are very wasteful in using
+    it. In sowing it in the field, they scatter at least twenty
+    times as much as necessary, and all advice to use less is
+    unheeded. It is estimated that there are forty bushels of seed
+    to every bale of cotton produced. A plantation that sends a
+    thousand bales of cotton to market will thus have forty
+    thousand bushels of seed, for which there was formerly no
+    sale.</p>
+
+    <p>With the most lavish use of the article, there was generally
+    a surplus at the end of the year. Cattle and sheep will eat
+    cotton-seed, though not in large quantities. Boiled cotton-seed
+    is fed to hogs on all plantations, but it is far behind corn in
+    nutritious and fattening qualities. Cotton-seed is packed
+    around the roots of small trees, where it is necessary to give
+    them warmth or furnish a rich soil for their growth. To some
+    extent it is used as fuel for steam-engines, on places where
+    the machinery is run by steam. When the war deprived the
+    Southern cities of a supply of coal for their gasworks, many of
+    them found cotton seed a very good substitute. Oil can be
+    extracted from it in large quantities. For several years, the
+    Cotton-Seed Oil Works of Memphis carried on an extensive
+    business. Notwithstanding the many uses to which cotton-seed
+    can be applied, its great abundance makes it of little
+    value.</p>
+
+    <p>The planting-gang which we started on that Monday morning,
+    consisted of five planters and an equal number of harrows,
+    sowers, etc. Each planter passed over about six acres daily, so
+    that every day gave us thirty acres of our prospective cotton
+    crop. At the end of the week we estimated we had about a
+    hundred and seventy acres planted. On the following week we
+    increased the number of planters, but soon reduced them, as we
+    found we should overtake the plows earlier than we desired. By
+    the evening of Monday, May 2d, we had planted upward of four
+    hundred acres. A portion of it was pushing out of the ground,
+    and giving promise of rapid growth.</p>
+
+    <p>During this period the business was under the direct
+    superintendence of our overseers, Mr. Owen being responsible
+    for the larger plantation, and Richmond for the smaller. Every
+    day they were visited by Colburn or myself--sometimes by both
+    of us--and received directions for the general management,
+    which they carried out in detail. Knowing the habits of the
+    guerrillas, we did not think it prudent to sleep in our house
+    at the plantation. Those individuals were liable to announce
+    their presence at any hour of the night, by quietly surrounding
+    the house and requesting its inmates to make their
+    appearance.</p>
+
+    <p>When I spent the night at the plantation, I generally slept
+    on a pile of cotton-seed, in an out-building to which I had
+    secretly conveyed a pair of blankets and a flour-bag. This bag,
+    filled with seed, served as my pillow, and though my bed lacked
+    the elasticity of a spring mattress, it was really quite
+    comfortable. My sleeping-place was at the foot of a huge pile
+    of seed, containing many hundred bushels. One night I amused
+    myself by making a tunnel into this pile in much the same way
+    as a squirrel digs into a hillside. With a minute's warning I
+    could have "hunted my hole," taking my blankets with me. By
+    filling the entrance with seed, I could have escaped any
+    ordinary search of the building. I never had occasion to use my
+    tunnel.</p>
+
+    <p>Generally, however, we staid in Waterproof, leaving there
+    early in the morning, taking breakfast at the upper plantation,
+    inspecting the work on both plantations, and, after dinner,
+    returning to Waterproof. We could obtain a better dinner at the
+    plantation than Waterproof was able to furnish us. Strawberries
+    held out until late in the season, and we had, at all times,
+    chickens, eggs, and milk in abundance. Whenever we desired
+    roast lamb, our purveyor caused a good selection to be made
+    from our flock. Fresh pork was much too abundant for our
+    tastes, and we astonished the negroes and all other natives of
+    that region, by our seemingly Jewish propensities. Pork and
+    corn-bread are the great staples of life in that hot climate,
+    where one would naturally look for lighter articles of
+    food.</p>
+
+    <p>Once I was detained on the plantation till after dark. As I
+    rode toward Waterproof, expecting the negro sentinel to
+    challenge and halt me, I was suddenly brought to a stand by the
+    whistling of a bullet close to my ear, followed by several
+    others at wider range.</p>
+
+    <p>"Who comes there?"</p>
+
+    <p>"A friend, with the countersign."</p>
+
+    <p>"If that's so, come in. We thought you was the Rebels."</p>
+
+    <p>As I reached the picket, the corporal of the guard explained
+    that they were on duty for the first time, and did not well
+    understand their business. I agreed with him fully on the
+    latter point. To fire upon a solitary horseman, advancing at a
+    walk, and challenge him afterward, was something that will
+    appear ridiculous in the eyes of all soldiers. The corporal and
+    all his men promised to do better next time, and begged me not
+    to report them at head-quarters. When I reached the center of
+    the town, I found the garrison had been alarmed at the picket
+    firing, and was turning out to repel the enemy. On my assurance
+    that I was the "enemy," the order to fall into line of battle
+    was countermanded.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c41" id="c41"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XLI.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE NEGROES AT A MILITARY POST.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Soldiers at Waterproof.--The Black Man in
+    Blue.--Mutiny and Desertion.--Their Cause and Cure.--Tendering
+    a Resignation.--No Desire for a Barber.--Seeking
+    Protection.--Falsehood and Truth.--Proneness to
+    Exaggeration.--Amusing Estimates.</p>
+
+    <p>The soldiers forming the garrison at Waterproof, at that
+    time, were from a regiment raised by Colonel Eaton,
+    superintendent of contrabands at Vicksburg. They were recruited
+    in the vicinity of Vicksburg and Milliken's Bend, especially
+    for local defense. They made, as the negro everywhere has made,
+    excellent material for the army. Easily subordinate, prompt,
+    reliable, and keenly alert when on duty (as their shooting at
+    me will evince), they completely gave the lie to the Rebel
+    assertion that the negro would prove worthless under arms.</p>
+
+    <p>On one point only were they inclined to be mutinous. Their
+    home ties were very strong, and their affection for their wives
+    and children could not be overcome at once. It appeared that
+    when this regiment was organized it was expected to remain at
+    Milliken's Bend, where the families of nearly all the men were
+    gathered. The order transferring them to Waterproof was
+    unlooked for, and the men made some complaint. This was soon
+    silenced, but after the regiment had been there three or four
+    weeks, a half-dozen of the men went out of the lines one night,
+    and started to walk to Milliken's Bend. They were brought back,
+    and, after several days in the guardhouse, returned to duty.
+    Others followed their example in attempting to go home, and for
+    a while the camp was in a disturbed condition. Desertions were
+    of daily occurrence.</p>
+
+    <p>It was difficult to make them understand they were doing
+    wrong. The army regulations and the intricacies of military law
+    were unknown to them. They had never studied any of General
+    Halleck's translations from the French, and, had they done so,
+    I doubt if they would have been much enlightened. None of them
+    knew what "desertion" meant, nor the duties of a soldier to
+    adhere to his flag at all times. All intended to return to the
+    post after making a brief visit to their families. Most of them
+    would request their comrades to notify their captains that they
+    would only be absent a short time. Two, who succeeded in
+    eluding pursuit, made their appearance one morning as if
+    nothing had happened, and assured their officers that others
+    would shortly be back again. Gradually they came to understand
+    the wickedness of desertion, or absence without leave, but this
+    comprehension of their obligations was not easily acquired.</p>
+
+    <p>A captain, commanding a company at Waterproof, told me an
+    amusing story of a soldier "handing in his resignation." As the
+    captain was sitting in front of his quarters, one of his men
+    approached him, carrying his musket and all his accoutrements.
+    Without a word the man laid his entire outfit upon the ground,
+    in front of the captain, and then turned to walk away.</p>
+
+    <p>"Come back here," said the officer; "what do you mean by
+    this?"</p>
+
+    <p>"I'se tired of staying here, and I'se going home," was the
+    negro's answer, and he again attempted to move off.</p>
+
+    <p>"Come back here and pick these things up," and the captain
+    spoke in a tone that convinced the negro he would do well to
+    obey.</p>
+
+    <p>The negro told his story. He was weary of the war; he had
+    been four weeks a soldier; he wanted to see his family, and had
+    concluded to go home. If the captain desired it, he, would come
+    back in a little while, but he was going home then, "<i>any
+    how</i>."</p>
+
+    <p>The officer possessed an amiable disposition, and explained
+    to the soldier the nature of military discipline. The latter
+    was soon convinced he had done wrong, and returned without a
+    murmur to his duty. Does any soldier, who reads this, imagine
+    himself tendering his resignation in the above manner with any
+    prospect of its acceptance?</p>
+
+    <p>When the first regiment of colored volunteers was organized
+    in Kansas, it was mainly composed of negroes who had escaped
+    from slavery in Missouri. They were easily disciplined save
+    upon a single point, and on this they were very obstinate. Many
+    of the negroes in Missouri, as in other parts of the South,
+    wear their hair, or wool, in little knots or braids. They
+    refused to submit to a close shearing, and threatened to return
+    to their masters rather than comply with the regulation. Some
+    actually left the camp and went home. The officers finally
+    carried their point by inducing some free negroes in
+    Leavenworth, whose heads were adorned with the "fighting cut,"
+    to visit the camp and tell the obstinate ones that long locks
+    were a badge of servitude.</p>
+
+    <p>The negroes on our plantation, as well as elsewhere, had a
+    strong desire to go to Waterproof to see the soldiers. Every
+    Sunday they were permitted to go there to attend church, the
+    service being conducted by one of their own color. They greatly
+    regretted that the soldiers did not parade on that day, as they
+    missed their opportunities for witnessing military drills. To
+    the negroes from plantations in the hands of disloyal owners,
+    the military posts were a great attraction, and they would
+    suffer all privations rather than return home. Some of them
+    declared they would not go outside the lines under any
+    consideration. We needed more assistance on our plantation, but
+    it was next to impossible to induce negroes to go there after
+    they found shelter at the military posts. Dread of danger and
+    fondness for their new life were their reasons for remaining
+    inside the lines. A portion were entirely idle, but there were
+    many who adopted various modes of earning their
+    subsistence.</p>
+
+    <p>At Natchez, Vicksburg, and other points, dealers in fruit,
+    coffee, lemonade, and similar articles, could be found in
+    abundance. There were dozens of places where washing was taken
+    in, though it was not always well done. Wood-sawing,
+    house-cleaning, or any other kind of work requiring strength,
+    always found some one ready to perform it. Many of those who
+    found employment supported themselves, while those who could
+    not or would not find it, lived at the expense of Government.
+    The latter class was greatly in the majority.</p>
+
+    <p>I have elsewhere inserted the instructions which are printed
+    in every "Plantation Record," for the guidance of overseers in
+    the olden time. "Never trust a negro," is the maxim given by
+    the writer of those instructions. I was frequently cautioned
+    not to believe any statements made by negroes. They were
+    charged with being habitual liars, and entitled to no credence
+    whatever. Mrs. B. constantly assured me the negroes were great
+    liars, and I must not believe them. This assurance would be
+    generally given when I cited them in support of any thing she
+    did not desire to approve. <i>Per contr&acirc;</i>, she had no
+    hesitation in referring to the negroes to support any of her
+    statements which their testimony would strengthen. This was not
+    altogether feminine weakness, as I knew several instances in
+    which white persons of the sterner sex made reference to the
+    testimony of slaves. The majority of Southern men refuse to
+    believe them on all occasions; but there are many who refer to
+    them if their statements are advantageous, yet declare them
+    utterly unworthy of credence when the case is reversed.</p>
+
+    <p>I have met many negroes who could tell falsehoods much
+    easier than they could tell the truth. I have met others who
+    saw no material difference between truth and its opposite; and
+    I have met many whose statements could be fully relied upon.
+    During his whole life, from the very nature of the
+    circumstances which, surround him, the slave is trained in
+    deception. If he did not learn to lie it would be exceedingly
+    strange. It is my belief that the negroes are as truthful as
+    could be expected from their education. White persons, under
+    similar experience and training, would not be good examples for
+    the young to imitate. The negroes tell many lies, but all
+    negroes are not liars. Many white persons tell the truth, but I
+    have met, in the course of my life, several men, of the
+    Caucasian race, who never told the truth unless by
+    accident.</p>
+
+    <p>I found in the plantation negroes a proneness to
+    exaggeration, in cases where their fears or desires were
+    concerned. One day, a negro from the back country came riding
+    rapidly to our plantation, declaring that the woods, a mile
+    distant, were "full of Rebels," and asking where the Yankee
+    soldiers were. I questioned him for some time. When his fears
+    were quieted, I ascertained that he had seen three mounted men,
+    an hour before, but did not know what they were, or whether
+    armed or not.</p>
+
+    <p>When I took the plantations, Mrs. B. told me there were
+    twenty bales of cotton already picked; the negroes had told her
+    so. When I surveyed the place on the first day of my
+    occupation, the negroes called my attention to the picked
+    cotton, of which they thought there were twenty or twenty-five
+    bales. With my little experience in cotton, I felt certain
+    there would be not more than seven bales of that lot. When it
+    was passed through the gin and pressed, there were but five
+    bales.</p>
+
+    <p>We wished to plant about fifty acres of corn on the larger
+    plantation. There was a triangular patch in one corner that we
+    estimated to contain thirty acres. The foreman of the
+    plow-gang, who had lived twenty years on the place, thought
+    there were about sixty acres. He was surprised when we found,
+    by actual measurement, that the patch contained twenty-eight
+    acres. Another spot, which he thought contained twenty acres,
+    measured less than ten. Doubtless the man's judgment had been
+    rarely called for, and its exercise, to any extent, was
+    decidedly a new sensation.</p>
+
+    <p>Any thing to which the negroes were unaccustomed became the
+    subject of amusing calculations. The "hog-minder" could
+    estimate with considerable accuracy the weight of a hog, either
+    live or dressed. When I asked him how much he supposed his own
+    weight to be, he was entirely lost. On my demanding an answer,
+    he thought it might be three hundred pounds. A hundred and
+    sixty would not have been far from the real figure.</p>
+
+    <p>Incorrect judgment is just as prevalent among ignorant
+    whites as among negroes, though with the latter there is
+    generally a tendency to overestimate. Where negroes make wrong
+    estimates, in three cases out of four they will be found
+    excessive. With whites the variation will be diminutive as
+    often as excessive. In judging of numbers of men, a column of
+    troops, for example, both races are liable to exaggerate, the
+    negro generally going beyond the pale-face. Fifty mounted men
+    may ride past a plantation. The white inhabitants will tell you
+    a hundred soldiers have gone by, while the negroes will think
+    there were two or three hundred.</p>
+
+    <p>I was often surprised at the ability of the negroes to tell
+    the names of the steamboats plying on the river. None of the
+    negroes could read, but many of them would designate the
+    different boats with great accuracy. They recognized the
+    steamers as they would recognize the various trees of the
+    forest. When a new boat made its appearance they inquired its
+    name, and forgot it very rarely.</p>
+
+    <p>On one occasion a steamer came in sight, on her way up the
+    river. Before she was near enough for me to make out the name
+    on her side, one of the negroes declared it was the <i>Laurel
+    Hill</i>. His statement proved correct. It was worthy of note
+    that the boat had not passed that point for nearly a year
+    previous to that day.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c42" id="c42"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XLII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Nature of our "Protection."--Trade Following
+    the Flag.--A Fortunate Journey.--Our Last Visit.--Inhumanity of
+    the Guerrillas.--Driving Negroes into Captivity.--Killing an
+    Overseer.--Our Final Departure.--Plantations Elsewhere.</p>
+
+    <p>We did not look upon the post at Waterproof as a sure
+    protection. There was no cavalry to make the promised patrol
+    between Waterproof and the post next below it, or to hunt down
+    any guerrillas that might come near. A few of the soldiers were
+    mounted on mules and horses taken from the vicinity, but they
+    were not effective for rapid movements. It was understood, and
+    semi-officially announced, that the post was established for
+    the protection of Government plantations. The commandant
+    assured me he had no orders to that effect. He was placed there
+    to defend the post, and nothing else. We were welcome to any
+    protection his presence afforded, but he could not go outside
+    the limits of the town to make any effort in our behalf.</p>
+
+    <p>There was a store at Waterproof which was doing a business
+    of two thousand dollars daily. Every day the wives, brothers,
+    or sisters of men known to belong to the marauding bands in the
+    vicinity, would come to the town and make any purchases they
+    pleased, frequently paying for them in money which the
+    guerrillas had stolen. A gentleman, who was an intimate friend
+    of General Thomas, was one of the proprietors of this store,
+    and a son of that officer was currently reported to hold an
+    interest in it. After a time the ownership was transferred to a
+    single cotton speculator, but the trading went on without
+    hinderance. This speculator told me the guerrilla leader had
+    sent him a verbal promise that the post should not be disturbed
+    or menaced so long as the store remained there. Similar scenes
+    were enacted at nearly all the posts established for the
+    "protection" of leased plantations. Trading stores were in full
+    operation, and the amount of goods that reached the Rebels and
+    their friends was enormous.</p>
+
+    <p>I have little doubt that this course served to prolong the
+    resistance to our arms along the Mississippi River. If we had
+    stopped all commercial intercourse with the inhabitants, we
+    should have removed the inducement for Rebel troops to remain
+    in our vicinity. As matters were managed, they kept close to
+    our lines at all the military posts between Cairo and Baton
+    Rouge, sometimes remaining respectfully quiet, and at others
+    making occasional raids within a thousand yards of our
+    pickets.</p>
+
+    <p>The absence of cavalry, and there being no prospect that any
+    would arrive, led us to believe that we could not long remain
+    unmolested. We were "in for it," however, and continued to plow
+    and plant, trusting to good fortune in getting safely through.
+    Our misfortune came at last, and brought our free-labor
+    enterprise to an untimely end.</p>
+
+    <p>As I stated in the previous chapter, Colburn and myself made
+    daily visits to the plantation, remaining there for dinner, and
+    returning to Waterproof in the afternoon. On Monday, May 2d, we
+    made our usual visit, and returned to the post. A steamer
+    touched there, on its way to Natchez, just after our return,
+    and we accepted the invitation of her captain to go to that
+    place. Our journey to Natchez was purely from impulse, and
+    without any real or ostensible business to call us away. It
+    proved, personally, a very fortunate journey.</p>
+
+    <p>On Tuesday evening, a neighbor of ours reached Natchez,
+    bringing news that the guerrillas had visited our plantation on
+    that day. I hastened to Waterproof by the first boat, and found
+    our worst fears were realized.</p>
+
+    <p>Thirty guerrillas had surrounded our house at the hour we
+    were ordinarily at dinner. They called our names, and commanded
+    us to come out and be shot. The house was empty, and as there
+    was no compliance with the request, a half-dozen of the party,
+    pistols in hand, searched the building, swearing they would
+    kill us on the spot. Had we been there, I have no doubt the
+    threat would have been carried out.</p>
+
+    <p>Failing to find us, they turned their attention to other
+    matters. They caught our overseer as he was attempting to
+    escape toward Waterproof. He was tied upon his horse, and
+    guarded until the party was ready to move. The teams were
+    plowing in the field at the time the robbers made their
+    appearance. Some of the negroes unloosed the mules from the
+    plows, mounted them, and fled to Waterproof. Others, who were
+    slow in their movements, were captured with the animals. Such
+    of the negroes as were not captured at once, fled to the woods
+    or concealed themselves about the buildings.</p>
+
+    <p>Many of the negroes on the plantation were personally known
+    to some of the guerrillas. In most cases these negroes were not
+    disturbed. Others were gathered in front of the house, where
+    they were drawn up in line and securely tied. Some of them were
+    compelled to mount the captured mules and ride between their
+    captors.</p>
+
+    <p>Several children were thrown upon the mules, or taken by the
+    guerrillas on their own horses, where they were firmly held. No
+    attention was paid to the cries of the children or the
+    pleadings of their mothers. Some of the latter followed their
+    children, as the guerrillas had, doubtless, expected. In
+    others, the maternal instinct was less than the dread of
+    captivity. Among those taken was an infant, little more than
+    eight months old.</p>
+
+    <p>Delaying but a few moments, the captors and the captives
+    moved away. Nineteen of our negroes were carried off, of whom
+    ten were children under eleven years of age. Of the nineteen,
+    five managed to make their escape within a few miles, and
+    returned home during the night. One woman, sixty-five years
+    old, who had not for a long time been able to do any work, was
+    among those driven off. She fell exhausted before walking three
+    miles, and was beaten by the guerrillas until she lay senseless
+    by the roadside. It was not for several hours that she
+    recovered sufficiently to return to the plantation and tell the
+    story of barbarity.</p>
+
+    <p>From a plantation adjoining ours, thirty negroes were
+    carried away at the same time. Of these, a half-dozen escaped
+    and returned. The balance, joined to the party from our own
+    plantation, formed a mournful procession. I heard of them at
+    many points, from residents of the vicinity. These persons
+    would not admit that the guerrillas were treating the negroes
+    cruelly. Those who escaped had a frightful story to tell. They
+    had been beaten most barbarously with whips, sticks, and
+    frequently with the butts of pistols; two or three were left
+    senseless by the roadside, and one old man had been shot,
+    because he was too much exhausted to go further. I learned, a
+    few days later, that the captured negroes were taken to
+    Winnsboro; a small town in the interior, and there sold to a
+    party of Texas traders.</p>
+
+    <p>From our plantation the guerrillas stole twenty-four mules
+    at the time of their visit, and an equal number from our
+    neighbors. These were sold to the same party of traders that
+    purchased the negroes, and there was evidently as little
+    compunction at speculating in the one "property" as in the
+    other.</p>
+
+    <p>Our overseer, Mr. Owen, had been bound upon his horse and
+    taken away. This I learned from the negroes remaining on the
+    plantation. I made diligent inquiries of parties who arrived
+    from the direction taken by the guerrillas, to ascertain, if
+    possible, where he had been carried. One person assured me,
+    positively, that he saw Mr. Owen, a prisoner, twenty miles
+    away. Mrs.</p>
+
+    <p>Owen and five children were living at Waterproof, and, of
+    course, were much alarmed on hearing of his capture.</p>
+
+    <p>It was on Thursday, two days after the raid, that I visited
+    the plantation. Our lower plantation had not been disturbed,
+    but many of the negroes were gone, and all work was suspended.
+    It was of no use to attempt to prosecute the planting
+    enterprise, and we immediately prepared to abandon the
+    locality. The remaining negroes were set at work to shell the
+    corn already gathered. As fast as shelled, it was taken to
+    Waterproof for shipment to market. The plows were left rusting
+    in the furrows, where they were standing at the moment the
+    guerrillas appeared. The heaps of cotton-seed and the
+    implements used by the planting-gang remained in <i>statu
+    quo</i>. The cotton we planted was growing finely. To leave
+    four hundred acres thus growing, and giving promise of a fine
+    harvest, was to throw away much labor, but there was no
+    alternative.</p>
+
+    <p>On Saturday, four days after the raid, the corporal of a
+    scouting party came to our plantation and said the body of a
+    white man had been found in the woods a short distance away. I
+    rode with him to the spot he designated. The mystery concerning
+    the fate of our overseer was cleared up. The man was murdered
+    within a thousand yards of the house.</p>
+
+    <p>From the main road leading past our plantation, a path
+    diverged into the forest. This path was taken by some of the
+    guerrillas in their retreat. Following it two hundred yards,
+    and then turning a short distance to the left, I found a small
+    cypress-tree, not more than thirty feet high. One limb of this
+    tree drooped as it left the trunk, and then turned upward. The
+    lowest part of the bend of this limb was not much higher than a
+    tall man's head.</p>
+
+    <p>It was just such a tree, and just such a limb, as a party
+    bent on murder would select for hanging their victim. I
+    thought, and still think, that the guerrillas turned aside with
+    the design of using the rope as the instrument of death. Under
+    this tree lay the remains of our overseer. The body was fast
+    decomposing. A flock of buzzards was gathered around, and was
+    driven away with difficulty. They had already begun their work,
+    so that recognition under different circumstances would not
+    have been easy. The skull was detached from the body, and lay
+    with the face uppermost. A portion of the scalp adhered to it,
+    on which a gray lock was visible. A bit of gray beard was
+    clinging to the chin.</p>
+
+    <p>In the centre of the forehead there was a perforation,
+    evidently made by a pistol-bullet. Death must have been
+    instantaneous, the pistol doing the work which the murderers
+    doubtless intended to accomplish by other means. The body had
+    been stripped of all clothing, save a single under-garment.
+    Within a dozen yards lay a pair of old shoes, and close by
+    their side a tattered and misshapen hat. The shoes and hat were
+    not those which our overseer had worn, but were evidently
+    discarded by the guerrillas when they appropriated the apparel
+    of their victim. I caused a grave to be dug, and the remains
+    placed in a rude coffin and buried. If a head-stone had been
+    obtainable, I would have given the locality a permanent
+    designation. The particulars of the murder we were never able
+    to ascertain.</p>
+
+    <p>Three days later we abandoned the plantation. We paid the
+    negroes for the work they had done, and discharged them from
+    further service. Those that lived on the plantation previous to
+    our going there, generally remained, as the guerrillas had
+    assured them they would be unmolested if they cultivated no
+    cotton. A few of them went to Natchez, to live near their
+    "missus." Those whom we had hired from other localities
+    scattered in various directions. Some went to the Contraband
+    Home at Davis's Bend, others to the negro quarters at Natchez,
+    others to plantations near Vidalia, and a few returned to their
+    former homes. Our "family" of a hundred and sixty persons was
+    thus broken up.</p>
+
+    <p>We removed the widow and children of our overseer to
+    Natchez, and purchased for them the stock and goodwill of a
+    boarding-house keeper. We sent a note to the leader of the
+    guerrilla band that manifested such a desire to "go through"
+    us, and informed him that we could be found in St. Louis or New
+    York. Before the end of May we passed Vicksburg on our Journey
+    Due North.</p>
+
+    <p>Most of the plantations in the vicinity of Natchez,
+    Vicksburg, and Milliken's Bend were given up. Probably a dozen
+    lessees were killed, and the same number carried to Texas. Near
+    Vicksburg, the chivalric guerrillas captured two lessees, and
+    tortured them most barbarously before putting them to death.
+    They cut off the ears of one man, and broke his nose by a blow
+    from a club. Thus mutilated, he was compelled to walk three or
+    four miles. When he fell, fainting from loss of blood, he was
+    tied to a tree, and the privilege of shooting him was sold at
+    auction. They required his companion to witness these
+    brutalities. Whenever he turned away his eyes, his captors
+    pressed the point of a saber into his cheek. Finally, they
+    compelled him to take a spade and dig his own grave. When it
+    was finished, they stripped him of his clothing, and shot him
+    as he stood by the brink of the newly-opened trench.</p>
+
+    <p>Blanchard and Robinson, two lessees near Natchez, both of
+    them residents of Boston, were murdered with nearly the same
+    fiendishness as exhibited in the preceding case. Their fate was
+    for some time unknown. It was at length ascertained from a
+    negro who was captured at the same time, but managed to escape.
+    That "slavery makes barbarians" would seem to be well
+    established by the conduct of these residents of Louisiana.</p>
+
+    <p>In the vicinity of Baton Rouge and New Orleans there were
+    but few guerrillas, and the plantations generally escaped
+    undisturbed. In all localities the "army-worm" made its
+    appearance in July and August, and swept away almost the entire
+    crop. Many plantations that were expected to yield a thousand
+    bales did not yield a hundred, and some of them made less than
+    ten. The appearance of this destructive worm was very sudden.
+    On some plantations, where the cotton was growing finely and
+    without a trace of blight, the fields, three days later,
+    appeared as if swept by fire. There was consequently but little
+    cotton made during the season.</p>
+
+    <p>The possibility of producing the great staples of the South
+    by free labor was fully established. Beyond this there was
+    little accomplished.</p>
+
+    <p>My four months of cotton-planting was an experience I shall
+    never regret, though I have no desire to renew it under similar
+    circumstances. Agriculture is generally considered a peaceful
+    pursuit. To the best of my recollection I found it quite the
+    reverse.</p>
+
+    <p>For the benefit of those who desire to know the process of
+    cotton culture, from the planting season to the picking season,
+    I give the following extract from an article written by Colonel
+    T. B. Thorpe, of Louisiana, several years ago. After describing
+    the process of preparing the ground and planting the seed,
+    Colonel Thorpe says:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>If the weather be favorable, the young plant is discovered
+      making its way through in six or ten days, and "the scraping"
+      of the crop, as it is termed, now begins. A light plow is
+      again called into requisition, which is run along the drill,
+      throwing the <i>earth away from the plant;</i> then come the
+      laborers with their hoes, who dexterously cut away the
+      superabundant shoots and the intruding weeds, and leave a
+      single cotton-plant in little hills, generally two feet
+      apart.</p>
+
+      <p>Of all the labors of the field, the dexterity displayed by
+      the negroes in "scraping cotton" is most calculated to call
+      forth the admiration of the novice spectator. The hoe is a
+      rude instrument, however well made and handled; the young
+      cotton-plant is as delicate as vegetation can be, and springs
+      up in lines of solid masses, composed of hundreds of plants.
+      The field-hand, however, will single one delicate shoot from
+      the surrounding multitude, and with his rude hoe he will trim
+      away the remainder with all the boldness of touch of a
+      master, leaving the incipient stalk unharmed and alone in its
+      glory; and at nightfall you can look along the extending
+      rows, and find the plants correct in line, and of the
+      required distance of separation from each other.</p>
+
+      <p>The planter, who can look over his field in early spring,
+      and find his cotton "cleanly scraped" and his "stand" good,
+      is fortunate; still, the vicissitudes attending the
+      cultivation of the crop have only commenced. Many rows, from
+      the operations of the "cut-worm," and from multitudinous
+      causes unknown, have to be replanted, and an unusually late
+      frost may destroy all his labors, and compel him to commence
+      again. But, if no untoward accident occurs, in two weeks
+      after the "scraping," another hoeing takes place, at which
+      time the plow throws the furrow <i>on to the roots</i> of the
+      now strengthening plant, and the increasing heat of the sun
+      also justifying the sinking of the roots deeper in the earth.
+      The pleasant month of May is now drawing to a close, and
+      vegetation of all kinds is struggling for precedence in the
+      fields. Grasses and weeds of every variety, with vines and
+      wild flowers, luxuriate in the newly-turned sod, and seem to
+      be determined to choke out of existence the useful and still
+      delicately-grown cotton.</p>
+
+      <p>It is a season of unusual industry on the cotton
+      plantations, and woe to the planter who is outstripped in his
+      labors, and finds himself "overtaken by the grass." The plow
+      tears up the surplus vegetation, and the hoe tops it off in
+      its luxuriance. The race is a hard one, but industry
+      conquers; and when the third working-over of the crop takes
+      place, the cotton-plant, so much cherished and favored,
+      begins to overtop its rivals in the fields--begins to cast
+      <i>a chilling shade of superiority</i> over its now
+      intimidated groundlings, and commences to reign supreme.</p>
+
+      <p>Through the month of July, the crop is wrought over for
+      the last time; the plant, heretofore of slow growth, now
+      makes rapid advances toward perfection. The plow and hoe are
+      still in requisition. The "water furrows" between the
+      cotton-rows are deepened, leaving the cotton growing as it
+      were upon &agrave; slight ridge; this accomplished, the crop
+      is prepared for the "rainy season," should it ensue, and so
+      far advanced that it is, under any circumstances, beyond the
+      control of art. Nature must now have its sway.</p>
+
+      <p>The "cotton bloom," under the matured sun of July, begins
+      to make its appearance. The announcement of the "first
+      blossom" of the neighborhood is a matter of general interest;
+      it is the unfailing sign of the approach of the busy season
+      of fall; it is the evidence that soon the labor of man will,
+      under a kind Providence, receive its reward.</p>
+
+      <p>It should perhaps here be remarked, that the color of
+      cotton in its perfection is precisely that of the blossom--a
+      beautiful light, but warm cream-color. In buying cotton
+      cloth, the "bleached" and "unbleached" are perceptibly
+      different qualities to the most casual observer; but the dark
+      hues and harsh look of the "unbleached domestic" comes from
+      the handling of the artisan and the soot of machinery. If
+      cotton, pure as it looks in the field, could be wrought into
+      fabrics, they would have a brilliancy and beauty never yet
+      accorded to any other material in its natural or artificial
+      state. There cannot be a doubt but that, in the robes of the
+      ancient royal Mexicans and Peruvians, this brilliant and
+      natural gloss of cotton was preserved, and hence the
+      surpassing value it possessed in the eyes of cavaliers
+      accustomed to the fabrics of the splendid court of Ferdinand
+      and Isabella.</p>
+
+      <p>The cotton-blossom is exceedingly delicate in its
+      organization. It is, if in perfection, as we have stated, of
+      a beautiful cream-color. It unfolds in the night, remains in
+      its glory through the morn--at meridian it has begun to
+      decay. The day following its birth it has changed to a deep
+      red, and ere the sun goes down, its petals have fallen to the
+      earth, leaving inclosed in the capacious calyx a scarcely
+      perceptible germ. This germ, in its incipient and early
+      stages, is called "a form;" in its more perfected state, "a
+      boll."</p>
+
+      <p>The cotton-plant, like the orange, has often on one stalk
+      every possible growth; and often, on the same limb, may
+      sometimes be seen the first-opened blossom, and the bolls,
+      from their first development as "forms," through every size,
+      until they have burst open and scattered their rich contents
+      to the ripening winds.</p>
+
+      <p>The appearance of a well-cultivated cotton-field, if it
+      has escaped the ravages of insects and the destruction of the
+      elements, is of singular beauty. Although it may be a mile in
+      extent, still it is as carefully wrought as is the mold of
+      the limited garden of the coldest climate. The cotton-leaf is
+      of a delicate green, large and luxuriant; the stalk indicates
+      rapid growth, yet it has a healthy and firm look. Viewed from
+      a distance, the perfecting plant has a warm and glowing
+      expression. The size of the cotton-plant depends upon the
+      accident of climate and soil. The cotton of Tennessee bears
+      very little resemblance to the luxuriant growth of Alabama
+      and Georgia; but even in those favored States the
+      cotton-plant is not everywhere the same, for in the rich
+      bottom-lands it grows to a commanding size, while in the more
+      barren regions it is an humble shrub. In the rich alluvium of
+      the Mississippi the cotton will tower beyond the reach of the
+      tallest "picker," and a single plant will contain hundreds of
+      perfect "bolls;" in the neighboring "piney-woods" it lifts
+      its humble head scarcely above the knee, and is
+      proportionably meager in its produce of fruit.</p>
+
+      <p>The growing cotton is particularly liable to accidents,
+      and suffers immensely in "wet seasons" from the "rust" and
+      "rot." The first named affects the leaves, giving them a
+      brown and deadened tinge, and frequently causes them to
+      crumble away. The "rot" attacks the "boll."</p>
+
+      <p>It commences by a black spot on the rind, which,
+      increasing, seems to produce fermentation and decay. Worms
+      find their way to the roots; the caterpillar eats into the
+      "boll" and destroys the staple. It would be almost impossible
+      to enumerate all the evils the cotton-plant is heir to, all
+      of which, however, sink into nothingness compared with the
+      scourge of the "army-worm."</p>
+
+      <p>The moth that indicates the advent of the army-worm has a
+      Quaker-like simplicity in its light, chocolate-colored body
+      and wings, and, from its harmless appearance, would never be
+      taken for the destroyer of vast fields of luxuriant and
+      useful vegetation.</p>
+
+      <p>The little, and, at first, scarcely to be perceived
+      caterpillars that follow the appearance of these moths, can
+      absolutely be seen to grow and swell beneath your eyes as
+      they crawl from leaf to leaf. Day by day you can see the
+      vegetation of vast fields becoming thinner and thinner, while
+      the worm, constantly increasing in size, assumes at last an
+      unctuous appearance most disgusting to behold. Arrived at
+      maturity, a few hours only are necessary for these modern
+      locusts to eat up all living vegetation that comes in their
+      way. Leaving the localities of their birth, they will move
+      from place to place, spreading a desolation as consuming as
+      fire in their path.</p>
+
+      <p>All efforts to arrest their progress or annihilate them
+      prove unavailing. They seem to spring out of the ground, and
+      fall from the clouds; and the more they are tormented and
+      destroyed, the more perceptible, seemingly, is their power.
+      We once witnessed the invasion of the army-worm, as it
+      attempted to pass from a desolated cotton-field to one
+      untouched. Between these fields was a wide ditch, which had
+      been deepened, to prove a barrier to the onward march of the
+      worm. Down the perpendicular sides of the trench the
+      caterpillars rolled in untold millions, until its bottom, for
+      nearly a mile in extent, was a foot or two deep in a living
+      mass of animal life. To an immense piece of unhewn timber was
+      attached a yoke of oxen, and, as this heavy log was drawn
+      through the ditch, it seemed absolutely to float on a crushed
+      mass of vegetable corruption. The following day, under the
+      heat of a tropical sun, the stench arising from this decaying
+      mass was perceptible the country round, giving a strange and
+      incomprehensible notion of the power and abundance of this
+      destroyer of the cotton crop.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>The change that has been effected by the result of the
+    Rebellion, will not be confined to the social system alone.
+    With the end of slavery there will be a destruction of many
+    former applications of labor. Innovations have already been
+    made, and their number will increase under the management of
+    enterprising men.</p>
+
+    <p>In Louisiana several planters were using a "drill" for
+    depositing the cotton-seed in the ground. The labor of planting
+    is reduced more than one-half, and that of "scraping" is much
+    diminished. The saving of seed is very great--the drill using
+    about a tenth of the amount required under the old system.</p>
+
+    <p>One man is endeavoring to construct a machine that will pick
+    cotton from the stalks, and is confident he will succeed.
+    Should he do so, his patent will be of the greatest value.
+    Owners of plantations have recently offered a present of ten
+    thousand dollars to the first patentee of a successful machine
+    of this character.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c43" id="c43"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XLIII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE MISSISSIPPI AND ITS PECULIARITIES.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Length of the Great River, and the Area it
+    Drains.--How Itasca Lake obtained its Name.--The Bends of the
+    Mississippi.--Curious Effect upon Titles to Real Estate.--A
+    Story of Napoleon.--A Steamboat Thirty-five Years under
+    Water.--The Current and its Variations.--Navigating Cotton and
+    Corn Fields.--Reminiscences of the Islands.</p>
+
+    <p>As railways are to the East, so are the rivers to the West.
+    The Mississippi, with its tributaries, drains an immense
+    region, traversed in all directions by steamboats. From the
+    Gulf of Mexico one can travel, by water to the Rocky Mountains,
+    or to the Alleghanies, at pleasure. It is estimated there are
+    twenty thousand miles of navigable streams which find an outlet
+    past the city of New Orleans. The Mississippi Valley contains
+    nearly a million and a quarter square miles, and is one of the
+    most fertile regions on the globe.</p>
+
+    <p>To a person born and reared in the East, the Mississippi
+    presents many striking features. Above its junction with the
+    Missouri, its water is clear and its banks are broken and
+    picturesque. After it joins the Missouri the scene changes. The
+    latter stream is of a chocolate hue, and its current is very
+    rapid. All its characteristics are imparted to the combined
+    stream. The Mississippi becomes a rapid, tortuous, seething
+    torrent. It loses its blue, transparent water, and takes the
+    complexion of the Missouri. Thus "it goes unvexed to the
+    sea."</p>
+
+    <p>There is a story concerning the origin of the name given to
+    the source of the Mississippi, which I do not remember to have
+    seen in print. A certain lake, which had long been considered
+    the head of the Great River, was ascertained by an exploring
+    party to have no claim to that honor. A new and smaller lake
+    was discovered, in which the Mississippi took its rise. The
+    explorers wished to give it an appropriate name. An old
+    <i>voyageur</i> suggested that they make a name, by coining a
+    word.</p>
+
+    <p>"Will some of you learned ones tell me," said he, "what is
+    the Latin word for <i>true</i>?"</p>
+
+    <p>"<i>Veritas</i>," was the response.</p>
+
+    <p>"Well, now, what is the Latin for <i>head</i>"</p>
+
+    <p>"<i>Caput</i>, of course."</p>
+
+    <p>"Now," suggested the <i>voyageur</i>, "write the two words
+    together, by syllables."</p>
+
+    <p>A strip of birch bark was the tablet on which
+    "<i>ver-i-tas-ca-put</i>" was traced.</p>
+
+    <p>"Read it out," was his next request.</p>
+
+    <p>The five syllables were read.</p>
+
+    <p>"Now, drop the first and last syllables, and you have a name
+    for this lake."</p>
+
+    <p>In the Indian vernacular, "Mississippi" is said to signify
+    "Great Water." "Missouri," according to some authorities, is
+    the Indian for "Mud River," a most felicitous appellation. It
+    should properly belong to the entire river from St. Louis to
+    the Gulf, as that stream carries down many thousand tons of mud
+    every year. During the many centuries that the Mississippi has
+    been sweeping on its course, it has formed that long point of
+    land known as the Delta, and shallowed the water in the Gulf of
+    Mexico for more than two hundred miles.</p>
+
+    <p>Flowing from north to south, the river passes through all
+    the varieties of climate. The furs from the Rocky Mountains and
+    the cereals of Wisconsin and Minnesota are carried on its bosom
+    to the great city which stands in the midst of orange groves
+    and inhales the fragrance of the magnolia. From January to June
+    the floods of its tributaries follow in regular succession, as
+    the opening spring loosens the snows that line their banks.</p>
+
+    <p>The events of the war have made the Mississippi historic,
+    and familiarized the public with some of its peculiarities. Its
+    tortuosity is well known. The great bend opposite Vicksburg
+    will be long remembered by thousands who have never seen it.
+    This bend is eclipsed by many others. At "Terrapin Neck" the
+    river flows twenty-one miles, and gains only three hundred
+    yards. At "Raccourci Bend" was a peninsula twenty-eight miles
+    around and only half a mile across. Several years ago a
+    "cut-off" was made across this peninsula, for the purpose of
+    shortening the course of the river. A small ditch was cut, and
+    opened when the flood was highest.</p>
+
+    <p>An old steamboat-man once told me that he passed the upper
+    end of this ditch just as the water was let in. Four hours
+    later, as he passed the lower end, an immense torrent was
+    rushing through the channel, and the tall trees were falling
+    like stalks of grain before a sickle.</p>
+
+    <p>Within a week the new channel became the regular route for
+    steamboats.</p>
+
+    <p>Similar "cut-offs" have been made at various points along
+    the river, some of them by artificial aid, and others entirely
+    by the action of the water. The channel of the Mississippi is
+    the dividing line of the States between which it flows, and the
+    action of the river often changes the location of real estate.
+    There is sometimes a material difference in the laws of States
+    that lie opposite each other. The transfer of property on
+    account of a change in the channel occasionally makes serious
+    work with titles.</p>
+
+    <p>I once heard of a case where the heirs to an estate lost
+    their title, in consequence of the property being transferred
+    from Mississippi to Louisiana, by reason of the course of the
+    river being changed. In the former State they were heirs beyond
+    dispute. In the latter their claim vanished into thin air.</p>
+
+    <p>Once, while passing up the Mississippi, above Cairo, a
+    fellow-passenger called my attention to a fine plantation,
+    situated on a peninsula in Missouri. The river, in its last
+    flood, had broken across the neck of the peninsula. It was
+    certain the next freshet would establish the channel in that
+    locality, thus throwing the plantation into Illinois. Unless
+    the negroes should be removed before this event they would
+    become free.</p>
+
+    <p>"You see, sir," said my informant, "that this great river is
+    an Abolitionist."</p>
+
+    <p>The alluvial soil through which the Mississippi runs easily
+    yields to the action of the fierce current. The land worn away
+    at one point is often deposited, in the form of a bar or tongue
+    of land, in the concave of the next bend. The area thus added
+    becomes the property of whoever owns the river front. Many a
+    man has seen his plantation steadily falling into the
+    Mississippi, year by year, while a plantation, a dozen miles
+    below, would annually find its area increased. Real estate on
+    the banks of the Mississippi, unless upon the bluffs, has no
+    absolute certainty of permanence. In several places, the river
+    now flows where there were fine plantations ten or twenty years
+    ago.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of the towns along the Lower Mississippi are now, or
+    soon will be, towns no more. At Waterproof, Louisiana, nearly
+    the entire town-site, as originally laid out, has been washed
+    away. In the four months I was in its vicinity, more than forty
+    feet of its front disappeared. Eighteen hundred and seventy
+    will probably find Waterproof at the bottom of the Mississippi.
+    Napoleon, Arkansas, is following in the wake of Waterproof. If
+    the distance between them were not so great, their sands might
+    mingle. In view of the character Napoleon has long enjoyed, the
+    friends of morality will hardly regret its loss.</p>
+
+    <p>The steamboat captains have a story that a quiet clergyman
+    from New England landed at Napoleon, one morning, and made his
+    way to the hotel. He found the proprietor superintending the
+    efforts of a negro, who was sweeping the bar-room floor.
+    Noticing several objects of a spherical form among the
+    <i>d&eacute;bris</i> of the bar-room, the stranger asked their
+    character.</p>
+
+    <p>"Them round things? them's <i>eyes</i>. The boys amused
+    themselves a little last night. Reckon there's 'bout a pint-cup
+    full of eyes this mornin'. Sometimes we gets a quart or so,
+    when business is good."</p>
+
+    <p>Curious people were those natives of Arkansas, ten or twenty
+    years ago. Schools were rare, and children grew up with little
+    or no education. If there was a "barbarous civilization"
+    anywhere in the United States, it was in Arkansas. In 1860, a
+    man was hung at Napoleon for reading <i>The Tribune</i>. It is
+    an open question whether the character of the paper or the
+    man's ability to read was the reason for inflicting the death
+    penalty.</p>
+
+    <p>The current of the Mississippi causes islands to be
+    destroyed in some localities and formed in others. A large
+    object settling at the bottom of the stream creates an eddy, in
+    which the floating sand is deposited. Under favorable
+    circumstances an island will form in such an eddy, sometimes of
+    considerable extent.</p>
+
+    <p>About the year 1820, a steamboat, laden with lead, was sunk
+    in mid-channel several miles below St. Louis. An island formed
+    over this steamer, and a growth of cotton-wood trees soon
+    covered it. These trees grew to a goodly size, and were cut for
+    fuel. The island was cleared, and for several successive years
+    produced fine crops of corn. About 1855, there was a change in
+    the channel of the river, and the island disappeared. After
+    much search the location of the sunken steamer was ascertained.
+    By means of a diving-bell, its cargo of lead, which had been
+    lying thirty-five years under earth and under water, was
+    brought to light. The entire cargo was raised, together with a
+    portion of the engines. The lead was uninjured, but the engines
+    were utterly worthless after their long burial.</p>
+
+    <p>The numerous bends of the Mississippi are of service in
+    rendering the river navigable. If the channel were a straight
+    line from Cairo to New Orleans, the current would be so strong
+    that no boat could stem it. In several instances, where
+    "cut-offs" have been made, the current at their outlets is so
+    greatly increased that the opposite banks are washed away. New
+    bends are thus formed that may, in time, be as large as those
+    overcome. Distances have been shortened by "cut-offs," but the
+    Mississippi displays a decided unwillingness to have its length
+    curtailed.</p>
+
+    <p>From St. Louis to the Red River the current of the
+    Mississippi is about three miles an hour. It does not flow in a
+    steady, unbroken volume. The surface is constantly ruffled by
+    eddies and little whirlpools, caused by the inequalities of the
+    bottom of the river, and the reflection of the current from the
+    opposite banks. As one gazes upon the stream, it half appears
+    as if heated by concealed fires, and ready to break into
+    violent ebullition. The less the depth, the greater the
+    disturbance of the current. So general is this rule, that the
+    pilots judge of the amount of water by the appearance of the
+    surface. Exceptions occur where the bottom, below the deep
+    water, is particularly uneven.</p>
+
+    <p>From its source to the mouth of Red River, the Mississippi
+    is fed by tributaries. Below that point, it throws off several
+    streams that discharge no small portion of its waters into the
+    Gulf of Mexico. These streams, or "bayous," are narrow and
+    tortuous, but generally deep, and navigable for ordinary
+    steamboats. The "Atchafalaya" is the first, and enters the Gulf
+    of Mexico at the bay of the same name. At one time it was
+    feared the Mississippi might leave its present bed, and follow
+    the course of this bayou. Steps were taken to prevent such an
+    occurrence. Bayou Plaquemine, Bayou Sara, Bayou La Fourche,
+    Bayou Goula, and Bayou Teche, are among the streams that drain
+    the great river.</p>
+
+    <p>These bayous form a wonderful net-work of navigable waters,
+    throughout Western Louisiana. If we have reason to be thankful
+    that "great rivers run near large cities in all parts of the
+    world," the people of Louisiana should be especially grateful
+    for the numerous natural canals in that State. These streams
+    are as frequent and run in nearly as many directions as
+    railways in Massachusetts.</p>
+
+    <p>During its lowest stages, the Mississippi is often forty
+    feet "within its banks;" in other words, the surface is forty
+    feet below the level of the land which borders the river. It
+    rises with the freshets, and, when "bank full," is level with
+    the surrounding lowland.</p>
+
+    <p>It does not always stop at this point; sometimes it rises
+    two, four, six, or even ten feet above its banks. The levees,
+    erected at immense cost, are designed to prevent the
+    overflowing of the country on such occasions. When the levees
+    become broken from any cause, immense areas of country are
+    covered with water. Plantations, swamps, forests, all are
+    submerged. During the present year (1865) thousands of square
+    miles have been flooded, hundreds of houses swept away, and
+    large amounts of property destroyed.</p>
+
+    <p>During the freshet of '63, General Grant opened the levee at
+    Providence, Louisiana, in the hope of reaching Bayou Mason, and
+    thence taking his boats to Red River. After the levee was cut
+    an immense volume of water rushed through the break. Anywhere
+    else it would have been a goodly-sized river, but it was of
+    little moment by the side of the Mississippi. A steamboat was
+    sent to explore the flooded region. I saw its captain soon
+    after his return.</p>
+
+    <p>"I took my boat through the cut," said he, "without any
+    trouble. We drew nearly three feet, but there was plenty of
+    water. We ran two miles over a cotton-field, and could see the
+    stalks as our wheels tore them up. Then I struck the plank
+    road, and found a good stage of water for four miles, which
+    took me to the bayou. I followed this several miles, until I
+    was stopped by fallen trees, when I turned about and came back.
+    Coming back, I tried a cornfield, but found it wasn't as good
+    to steam in as the cotton-field."</p>
+
+    <p>A farmer in the Eastern or Middle States would, doubtless,
+    be much astonished at seeing a steamboat paddling at will in
+    his fields and along his roads. A similar occurrence in
+    Louisiana does not astonish the natives. Steamers have
+    repeatedly passed over regions where corn or cotton had been
+    growing six months before. At St. Louis, in 1844, small boats
+    found no difficulty in running from East St. Louis to
+    Caseyville, nine miles distant. In making these excursions they
+    passed over many excellent farms, and stopped at houses whose
+    owners had been driven to the upper rooms by the water.</p>
+
+    <p>Above Cairo, the islands in the Mississippi are designated
+    by names generally received from the early settlers. From Cairo
+    to New Orleans the islands are numbered, the one nearest the
+    former point being "One," and that nearest New Orleans "One
+    Hundred and Thirty-one." Island Number Ten is historic, being
+    the first and the last island in the great river that the
+    Rebels attempted to fortify. Island Number Twenty-eight was the
+    scene of several attacks by guerrillas upon unarmed transports.
+    Other islands have an equally dishonorable reputation. Fifty
+    years ago several islands were noted as the resorts of robbers,
+    who conducted an extensive and systematic business. Island
+    Number Sixty-five (if I remember correctly) was the rendezvous
+    of the notorious John A. Murrell and his gang of
+    desperadoes.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c44" id="c44"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XLIV.</h4>
+
+    <h5>STEAMBOATING ON THE MISSISSIPPI IN PEACE AND WAR.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Attempts to Obstruct the Great River.--Chains,
+    Booms, and Batteries.--A Novelty in Piloting.--Travel in the
+    Days Before the Rebellion.--Trials of Speed.--The Great
+    Race.--Travel During the War.--Running a Rebel Battery on the
+    Lower Mississippi.--Incidents of the Occasion.--Comments on the
+    Situation.</p>
+
+    <p>No engineer has been able to dam the Mississippi, except by
+    the easy process which John Phenix adopted on the Yuma River.
+    General Pillow stretched a chain from Columbus, Kentucky, to
+    the opposite shore, in order to prevent the passage of our
+    gun-boats. The chain broke soon after being placed in
+    position.</p>
+
+    <p>Near Forts Jackson and Philip, below New Orleans, the Rebels
+    constructed a boom to oppose the progress of Farragut's fleet.
+    A large number of heavy anchors, with the strongest cables,
+    were fixed in the river. For a time the boom answered the
+    desired purpose. But the river rose, drift-wood accumulated,
+    and the boom at length went the way of all things Confederate.
+    Farragut passed the forts, and appeared before New Orleans;
+    "Picayune Butler came to town," and the great city of the South
+    fell into the hands of the all-conquering Yankees.</p>
+
+    <p>Before steam power was applied to the propulsion of boats,
+    the ascent of the Mississippi was very difficult.</p>
+
+    <p>From New Orleans to St. Louis, a boat consumed from two to
+    four months' time. Sails, oars, poles, and ropes attached to
+    trees, were the various means of stemming the powerful current.
+    Long after steamboats were introduced, many flat-boats, loaded
+    with products of the Northern States, floated down the river to
+    a market. At New Orleans, boats and cargoes were sold, and the
+    boatmen made their way home on foot. Until twenty years ago,
+    the boatmen of the Mississippi were almost a distinct race. At
+    present they are nearly extinct.</p>
+
+    <p>In the navigation of the Mississippi and its tributaries,
+    the pilot is the man of greatest importance. He is supposed to
+    be thoroughly familiar with the channel of the river in all its
+    windings, and to know the exact location of every snag or other
+    obstruction. He can generally judge of the depth of water by
+    the appearance of the surface, and he is acquainted with every
+    headland, forest, house, or tree-top, that marks the horizon
+    and tells him how to keep his course at night. Professional
+    skill is only acquired by a long and careful training.</p>
+
+    <p>Shortly after the occupation of Little Rock by General
+    Steele, a dozen soldiers passed the lines, without authority,
+    and captured a steamboat eighteen miles below the city. Steam
+    was raised, when the men discovered they had no pilot. One of
+    their number hit upon a plan as novel as it was successful.</p>
+
+    <p>The Arkansas was very low, having only three feet of water
+    in the channel. Twenty-five able-bodied negroes were taken from
+    a neighboring plantation, stretched in a line across the river,
+    and ordered to wade against the current. By keeping their
+    steamer, which drew only twenty inches, directly behind the
+    negro who sank the deepest, the soldiers took their prize to
+    Little Rock without difficulty.</p>
+
+    <p>For ten years previous to the outbreak of the Rebellion,
+    steamboating on the Mississippi was in the height of its glory.
+    Where expense of construction and management were of secondary
+    consideration, the steamboats on the great river could offer
+    challenge to the world. It was the boast of their officers that
+    the tables of the great passenger-boats were better supplied
+    than those of the best hotels in the South. On many steamers,
+    claret, at dinner, was free to all. Fruit and ices were
+    distributed in the evening, as well as choice cups of coffee
+    and tea. On one line of boats, the cold meats on the
+    supper-table were from carefully selected pieces, cooked and
+    cooled expressly for the cenatory meal. Bands of music
+    enlivened the hours of day, and afforded opportunity for
+    dancing in the evening. Spacious cabins, unbroken by machinery;
+    guards of great width, where cigars and small-talk were
+    enjoyed; well-furnished and well-lighted state-rooms, and
+    tables loaded with all luxuries of the place and season,
+    rendered these steamers attractive to the traveler. Passengers
+    were social, and partook of the gayety around them. Men talked,
+    drank, smoked, and sometimes gambled, according to their
+    desires. The ladies practiced no frigid reserve toward each
+    other, but established cordial relations in the first few hours
+    of each journey.</p>
+
+    <p>Among the many fine and fast steamers on the Western waters,
+    there was necessarily much competition in speed. Every new boat
+    of the first class was obliged to give an example of her
+    abilities soon after her appearance. Every owner of a steamboat
+    contends that <i>his</i> boat is the best afloat. I have rarely
+    been on board a Mississippi steamer of any pretensions whose
+    captain has not assured me, "She is the fastest thing afloat,
+    sir. Nothing can pass her. We have beaten the--, and the--, and
+    the--, in a fair race, sir." To a stranger, seeking correct
+    information, the multiplicity of these statements is
+    perplexing.</p>
+
+    <p>In 1853 there was a race from New Orleans to Louisville,
+    between the steamers <i>Eclipse</i> and <i>A.L. Shotwell</i>,
+    on which seventy thousand dollars were staked by the owners of
+    the boats. An equal amount was invested in "private bets" among
+    outside parties. The two boats were literally "stripped for the
+    race." They were loaded to the depth that would give them the
+    greatest speed, and their arrangements for taking fuel were as
+    complete as possible. Barges were filled with wood at stated
+    points along the river, and dropped out to midstream as the
+    steamers approached. They were taken alongside, and their loads
+    of wood transferred without any stoppage of the engines of the
+    boats.</p>
+
+    <p>At the end of the first twenty-four hours the <i>Eclipse</i>
+    and <i>Shotwell</i> were side by side, three hundred and sixty
+    miles from New Orleans. The race was understood to be won by
+    the <i>Eclipse</i>, but was so close that the stakes were never
+    paid.</p>
+
+    <p>In the palmy days of steamboating, the charges for
+    way-travel were varied according to the locality. Below Memphis
+    it was the rule to take no single fare less than five dollars,
+    even if the passenger were going but a half-dozen miles. Along
+    Red River the steamboat clerks graduated the fare according to
+    the parish where the passenger came on board. The more fertile
+    and wealthy the region, the higher was the price of passage.
+    Travelers from the cotton country paid more than those from the
+    tobacco country. Those from the sugar country paid more than
+    any other class. With few exceptions, there was no "ticket"
+    system. Passengers paid their fare at any hour of their journey
+    that best suited them. Every man was considered honest until he
+    gave proof to the contrary. There was an occasional Jeremy
+    Diddler, but his operations were very limited.</p>
+
+    <p>When the Rebellion began, the old customs on the Mississippi
+    were swept away. The most rigid "pay-on-entering" system was
+    adopted, and the man who could evade it must be very shrewd.
+    The wealth along the Great River melted into thin air. The
+    <i>bonhommie</i> of travel disappeared, and was succeeded by
+    the most thorough selfishness in collective and individual
+    bodies. Scrambles for the first choice of state-rooms, the
+    first seat at table, and the first drink at the bar, became a
+    part of the new <i>r&eacute;gime</i>. The ladies were little
+    regarded in the hurly-burly of steamboat life. Men would take
+    possession of ladies' chairs at table, and pay no heed to
+    remonstrances.</p>
+
+    <p>I have seen an officer in blue uniform place his muddy boots
+    on the center-table in a cabin full of ladies, and proceed to
+    light a cigar. The captain of the boat suggested that the
+    officer's conduct was in violation of the rules of propriety,
+    and received the answer:</p>
+
+    <p>"I have fought to help open the Mississippi, and, by ----, I
+    am going to enjoy it."</p>
+
+    <p>The careless display of the butt of a revolver, while he
+    gave this answer, left the pleasure-seeker master of the
+    situation. I am sorry to say that occurrences of a similar
+    character were very frequent in the past three years. With the
+    end of the war it is to be hoped that the character of
+    Mississippi travel will be improved.</p>
+
+    <p>In May, 1861, the Rebels blockaded the Mississippi at
+    Memphis. In the same month the National forces established a
+    blockade at Cairo. In July, '63, the capture of Vicksburg and
+    Port Hudson removed the last Rebel obstruction. The
+    <i>Imperial</i> was the first passenger boat to descend the
+    river, after the reopening of navigation.</p>
+
+    <p>Up to within a few months of the close of the Rebellion,
+    steamers plying on the river were in constant, danger of
+    destruction by Rebel batteries. The Rebel Secretary of War
+    ordered these batteries placed along the Mississippi, in the
+    hope of stopping all travel by that route. His plan was
+    unsuccessful. Equally so was the barbarous practice of burning
+    passenger steamboats while in motion between landing-places. On
+    transports fired upon by guerrillas (or Rebels), about a
+    hundred persons were killed and as many wounded. A due
+    proportion of these were women and children. On steamboats
+    burned by Rebel incendiaries, probably a hundred and fifty
+    lives were lost. This does not include the dead by the terrible
+    disaster to the <i>Sultana</i>. It is supposed that this boat
+    was blown up by a Rebel torpedo in her coal.</p>
+
+    <p>It was my fortune to be a passenger on the steamer <i>Von
+    Phul</i>, which left New Orleans for St. Louis on the evening
+    of December 7th, 1863. I had been for some time traveling up
+    and down the Mississippi, and running the gauntlet between
+    Rebel batteries on either shore. There was some risk attending
+    my travels, but up to that time I escaped unharmed.</p>
+
+    <p>On the afternoon of the 8th, when the boat was about eight
+    miles above Bayou Sara, I experienced a new sensation.</p>
+
+    <p>Seated at a table in the cabin, and busily engaged in
+    writing, I heard a heavy crash over my head, almost instantly
+    followed by another. My first thought was that the chimneys or
+    some part of the pilot-house had fallen, and I half looked to
+    see the roof of the cabin tumbling in. I saw the passengers
+    running from the cabin, and heard some one shout:</p>
+
+    <p>"The guerrillas are firing on us."</p>
+
+    <p>I collected my writing materials and sought my state-room,
+    where I had left Mr. Colburn, my traveling companion, soundly
+    asleep a few minutes before.</p>
+
+    <p>He was sitting on the edge of his berth, and wondering what
+    all the row was about. The crash that startled me had awakened
+    him. He thought the occurrence was of little moment, and
+    assented to my suggestion, that we were just as safe there as
+    anywhere else on the boat.</p>
+
+    <p>Gallantry prevented our remaining quiet. There were several
+    ladies on board, and it behooved us to extend them what
+    protection we could. We sought them, and "protected" them to
+    the best of our united ability. Their place of refuge was
+    between the cabin and the wheel-house, opposite the battery's
+    position. A sheet of wet paper would afford as much resistance
+    to a paving-stone as the walls of a steamboat cabin to a
+    six-pound shot. As we stood among the ladies, two shells passed
+    through the side of the cabin, within a few inches of our
+    heads.</p>
+
+    <p>The shots grew fewer in number, and some of them dropped in
+    the river behind us. Just as we thought all alarm was over, we
+    saw smoke issuing from the cabin gangway. Then, some one
+    shouted, "<i>The boat is on fire</i>!"</p>
+
+    <p>Dropping a lady who evinced a disposition to faint, I
+    entered the cabin. A half-dozen men were there before me, and
+    seeking the locality of the fire. I was first to discover
+    it.</p>
+
+    <p>A shell, in passing through a state-room, entered a pillow,
+    and scattered the feathers through the cabin. A considerable
+    quantity of these feathers fell upon a hot stove, and the smoke
+    and odor of their burning caused the alarm.</p>
+
+    <p>The ladies concluded not to faint. Three minutes after the
+    affair was over, they were as calm as ever.</p>
+
+    <p>The Rebels opened fire when we were abreast of their
+    position, and did not cease until we were out of range. We were
+    fifteen minutes within reach of their guns.</p><a href=
+    "images/p498i1.jpg"><img src="images/p498i1_t.jpg" alt=
+    "RUNNING BATTERIES ON THE VON PHUL." /></a>
+
+    <p class="captn">RUNNING BATTERIES ON THE VON PHUL.</p>
+
+    <p>Our wheels seemed to turn very slowly. No one can express in
+    words the anxiety with which we listened, after each shot, for
+    the puffing of the engines. So long as the machinery was
+    uninjured, there was no danger of our falling into Rebel hands.
+    But with our engines disabled, our chances for capture would be
+    very good.</p>
+
+    <p>As the last shot fell astern of the boat and sent up a
+    column of spray, we looked about the cabin and saw that no one
+    had been injured. A moment later came the announcement from the
+    pilot-house:</p>
+
+    <p>"Captain Gorman is killed!"</p>
+
+    <p>I ascended to the hurricane deck, and thence to the
+    pilot-house. The pilot, with his hat thrown aside and his hair
+    streaming in the wind, stood at his post, carefully guiding the
+    boat on her course. The body of the captain was lying at his
+    feet. Another man lay dying, close by the opening in which the
+    wheel revolved. The floor was covered with blood, splinters,
+    glass, and the fragments of a shattered stove. One side of the
+    little room was broken in, and the other side was perforated
+    where the projectiles made their exit.</p>
+
+    <p>The first gun from the Rebels threw a shell which entered
+    the side of the pilot-house, and struck the captain, who was
+    sitting just behind the pilot. Death must have been
+    instantaneous. A moment later, a "spherical-case shot" followed
+    the shell. It exploded as it struck the wood-work, and a
+    portion of the contents entered the side of the bar-keeper of
+    the boat. In falling to the floor he fell against the wheel.
+    The pilot, steering the boat with one hand, pulled the dying
+    man from the wheel with the other, and placed him by the side
+    of the dead captain.</p>
+
+    <p>Though, apparently, the pilot was as cool and undisturbed as
+    ever, his face was whiter than usual. He said the most trying
+    moment of all was soon after the first shots were fired.
+    Wishing to "round the bend" as speedily as possible, he rang
+    the bell as a signal to the engineer to check the speed of one
+    of the wheels. The signal was not obeyed, the engineers having
+    fled to places of safety. He rang the bell once more. He
+    shouted down the speaking-tube, to enforce compliance with his
+    order.</p>
+
+    <p>There was no answer. The engines were caring for themselves.
+    The boat must be controlled by the rudder alone. With a dead
+    man and a dying man at his feet, with the Rebel shot and shell
+    every moment perforating the boat or falling near it, and with
+    no help from those who should control the machinery, he felt
+    that his position was a painful one.</p>
+
+    <p>We were out of danger. An hour later we found the gun-boat
+    <i>Neosho</i>, at anchor, eight miles further up the stream.
+    Thinking we might again be attacked, the commander of the
+    <i>Neosho</i> offered to convoy us to Red River. We accepted
+    his offer. As soon as the <i>Neosho</i> raised sufficient steam
+    to enable her to move, we proceeded on our course.</p>
+
+    <p>Order was restored on the <i>Von Phul</i>. Most of the
+    passengers gathered in little groups, and talked about the
+    recent occurrence. I returned to my writing, and Colburn gave
+    his attention to a book. With the gun-boat at our side, no one
+    supposed there was danger of another attack.</p>
+
+    <p>A half-hour after starting under convoy of the gun-boat, the
+    Rebels once more opened fire. They paid no attention to the
+    <i>Neosho</i>, but threw all their projectiles at the <i>Von
+    Phul</i>. The first shell passed through the cabin, wounding a
+    person near me, and grazing a post against which Colburn and
+    myself were resting our chairs. This shell was followed by
+    others in quick succession, most of them passing through the
+    cabin. One exploded under the portion of the cabin directly
+    beneath my position. The explosion uplifted the boards with
+    such force as to overturn my table and disturb the steadiness
+    of my chair.</p>
+
+    <p>I dreaded splinters far more than I feared the pitiless
+    iron. I left the cabin, through which the shells were pouring,
+    and descended to the lower deck. It was no better there than
+    above. We were increasing the distance between ourselves and
+    the Rebels, and the shot began to strike lower down. Nearly
+    every shot raked the lower deck.</p>
+
+    <p>A loose plank on which I stood was split for more than half
+    its length, by a shot which struck my foot when its force was
+    nearly spent. Though the skin was not abraded, and no bones
+    were broken, I felt the effect of the blow for several
+    weeks.</p>
+
+    <p>I lay down upon the deck. A moment after I had taken my
+    horizontal position, two men who lay against me were mortally
+    wounded by a shell. The right leg of one was completely severed
+    below the knee. This shell was the last projectile that struck
+    the forward portion of the boat.</p>
+
+    <p>With a handkerchief loosely tied and twisted with a stick, I
+    endeavored to stop the flow of blood from the leg of the
+    wounded man. I was partially successful, but the stoppage of
+    blood could not save the man's life. He died within the
+    hour.</p>
+
+    <p>Forty-two shot and shell struck the boat. The escape-pipe
+    was severed where it passed between two state-rooms, and filled
+    the cabin with steam. The safe in the captain's office was
+    perforated as if it had been made of wood. A trunk was broken
+    by a shell, and its contents were scattered upon the floor.
+    Splinters had fallen in the cabin, and were spread thickly upon
+    the carpet. Every person who escaped uninjured had his own list
+    of incidents to narrate.</p>
+
+    <p>Out of about fifty persons on board the <i>Von Phul</i> at
+    the time of this occurrence, twelve were killed or wounded. One
+    of the last projectiles that struck the boat, injured a boiler
+    sufficiently to allow the escape of steam. In ten minutes our
+    engines moved very feebly. We were forced to "tie up" to the
+    eastern bank of the river. We were by this time out of range of
+    the Rebel battery. The <i>Neosho</i> had opened fire, and by
+    the time we made fast to the bank, the Rebels were in
+    retreat.</p>
+
+    <p>The <i>Neosho</i> ceased firing and moved to our relief.
+    Before she reached us, the steamer <i>Atlantic</i> came in
+    sight, descending the river. We hailed her, and she came
+    alongside. Immediately on learning our condition, her captain
+    offered to tow the <i>Von Phul</i> to Red River, twenty miles
+    distant. There we could lie, under protection of the gun-boats,
+    and repair the damages to our machinery. We accepted his offer
+    at once.</p>
+
+    <p>I can hardly imagine a situation of greater helplessness,
+    than a place on board a Western passenger-steamer under the
+    guns of a hostile battery. A battle-field is no comparison. On
+    solid earth the principal danger is from projectiles. You can
+    fight, or, under some circumstances, can run away. On a
+    Mississippi transport, you are equally in danger of being shot.
+    Added to this, you may be struck by splinters, scalded by
+    steam, burned by fire, or drowned in the water. You cannot
+    fight, you cannot run away, and you cannot find shelter. With
+    no power for resistance or escape, the sense of danger and
+    helplessness cannot be set aside.</p>
+
+    <p>A few weeks after the occurrence just narrated, the steamer
+    <i>Brazil</i>, on her way from Vicksburg to Natchez, was fired
+    upon by a Rebel battery near Rodney, Mississippi. The boat was
+    struck a half-dozen times by shot and shell. More than a
+    hundred rifle-bullets were thrown on board. Three persons were
+    killed and as many wounded.</p>
+
+    <p>Among those killed on the <i>Brazil</i>, was a young woman
+    who had engaged to take charge of a school for negro children
+    at Natchez. The Rebel sympathizers at Natchez displayed much
+    gratification at her death. On several occasions I heard some
+    of the more pious among them declare that the hand of God
+    directed the fatal missile. They prophesied violent or sudden
+    deaths to all who came to the South on a similar mission.</p>
+
+    <p>The steamer <i>Black Hawk</i> was fired upon by a Rebel
+    battery at the mouth of Red River. The boat ran aground in
+    range of the enemy's guns. A shell set her pilot-house on fire,
+    and several persons were killed in the cabin.</p>
+
+    <p>Strange to say, though aground and on fire under a Rebel
+    battery, the <i>Black Hawk</i> was saved. By great exertions on
+    the part of officers and crew, the fire was extinguished after
+    the pilot-house was burned away. A temporary steering apparatus
+    was rigged, and the boat moved from the shoal where she had
+    grounded. She was a full half hour within range of the Rebel
+    guns.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c45" id="c45"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XLV.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE ARMY CORRESPONDENT.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">The Beginning and the End.--The Lake Erie
+    Piracy.--A Rochester Story.--The First War
+    Correspondent,--Napoleon's Policy.--Waterloo and the
+    Rothschilds.--Journalistic Enterprise in the Mexican War.--The
+    Crimea and the East Indian Rebellion.--Experiences at the
+    Beginning of Hostilities.--The Tender Mercies of the
+    Insurgents.--In the Field.--Adventures in Missouri and
+    Kentucky.--Correspondents in Captivity.--How Battle-Accounts
+    were Written.--Professional Complaints.</p>
+
+    <p>Having lain aside my pen while engaged in planting cotton
+    and entertaining guerrillas, I resumed it on coming North,
+    after that experiment was finished. Setting aside my capture in
+    New Hampshire, narrated in the first chapter, my adventures in
+    the field commenced in Missouri in the earliest campaign.
+    Singularly enough, they terminated on our Northern border. In
+    the earlier days of the Rebellion, it was the jest of the
+    correspondents, that they would, some time, find occasion to
+    write war-letters from the Northern cities. The jest became a
+    reality in the siege of Cincinnati. During that siege we
+    wondered whether it would be possible to extend our labors to
+    Detroit or Mackinaw.</p>
+
+    <p>In September, 1864, the famous "Lake Erie Piracy" occurred.
+    I was in Cleveland when the news of the seizure of the <i>Philo
+    Parsons</i> was announced by telegraph, and at once proceeded
+    to Detroit. The capture of the <i>Parsons</i> was a very absurd
+    movement on the part of the Rebels, who had taken refuge in
+    Canada. The original design was, doubtless, the capture of the
+    gun-boat <i>Michigan</i>, and the release of the prisoners on
+    Johnson's Island. The captors of the <i>Parsons</i> had
+    confederates in Sandusky, who endeavored to have the
+    <i>Michigan</i> in a half-disabled condition when the
+    <i>Parsons</i> arrived. This was not accomplished, and the
+    scheme fell completely through. The two small steamers, the
+    <i>Parsons</i> and <i>Island Queen</i>, were abandoned after
+    being in Rebel hands only a few hours.</p>
+
+    <p>The officers of the <i>Parsons</i> told an interesting story
+    of their seizure. Mr. Ashley, the clerk, said the boat left
+    Detroit for Sandusky at her usual hour. She had a few
+    passengers from Detroit, and received others at various
+    landings. The last party that came on board brought an old
+    trunk bound with ropes. The different parties did not recognize
+    each other, not even when drinking at the bar. When near
+    Kelly's Island in Lake Erie, the various officers of the
+    steamer were suddenly seized. The ropes on the trunk were cut,
+    the lid flew open, and a quantity of revolvers and hatchets was
+    brought to light.</p>
+
+    <p>The pirates declared they were acting in the interest of the
+    "Confederacy." They relieved Mr. Ashley of his pocket-book and
+    contents, and appropriated the money they found in the safe.
+    Those of the passengers who were not "in the ring," were
+    compelled to contribute to the representatives of the Rebel
+    Government. This little affair was claimed to be "belligerent"
+    throughout. At Kelly's Island the passengers and crew were
+    liberated on parole not to take up arms against the Confederacy
+    until properly exchanged.</p>
+
+    <p>After cruising in front of Sandusky, and failing to receive
+    signals which they expected, the pirates returned to Canada
+    with their prize. One of their "belligerent" acts was to throw
+    overboard the cargo of the <i>Parsons</i>, together with most
+    of her furniture. At Sandwich, near Detroit, they left the
+    boat, after taking ashore a piano and other articles. Her
+    Majesty's officer of customs took possession of this stolen
+    property, on the ground that it was brought into Canada without
+    the proper permits from the custom-house. It was subsequently
+    recovered by its owners.</p>
+
+    <p>The St. Albans raid, which occurred a few months later, was
+    a similar act of belligerency. It created more excitement than
+    the Lake Erie piracy, but the questions involved were
+    practically the same. That the Rebels had a right of asylum in
+    Canada no one could deny, but there was a difference of opinion
+    respecting the proper limits to those rights. The Rebels hoped
+    to involve us in a controversy with England, that should result
+    in the recognition of the Confederacy. This was frequently
+    avowed by some of the indiscreet refugees.</p>
+
+    <p>After the capture of the <i>Parsons</i> and the raid upon
+    St. Albans, the Canadian authorities sent a strong force of
+    militia to watch the frontier. A battalion of British regulars
+    was stationed at Windsor, opposite Detroit, early in 1864, but
+    was removed to the interior before the raids occurred. The
+    authorities assigned as a reason for this removal, the desire
+    to concentrate their forces at some central point. The real
+    reason was the rapid desertion of their men, allured by the
+    high pay and opportunity of active service in our army. In two
+    months the battalion at Windsor was reduced fifteen per cent,
+    by desertions alone.</p>
+
+    <p>Shortly after the St. Albans raid, a paper in Rochester
+    announced a visit to that city by a cricket-club from Toronto.
+    The paragraph was written somewhat obscurely, and jestingly
+    spoke of the Toronto men as "raiders." The paper reached New
+    York, and so alarmed the authorities that troops were at once
+    ordered to Rochester and other points on the frontier. The
+    misapprehension was discovered in season to prevent the actual
+    moving of the troops.</p>
+
+    <p class="spacer">* * * * *</p>
+
+    <p>With the suppression of the Rebellion the mission of the war
+    correspondent was ended. Let us all hope that his services will
+    not again be required, in this country, at least, during the
+    present century. The publication of the reports of battles,
+    written on the field, and frequently during the heat of an
+    engagement, was a marked feature of the late war. "Our Special
+    Correspondent" is not, however, an invention belonging to this
+    important era of our history.</p>
+
+    <p>His existence dates from the days of the Greeks and Romans.
+    If Homer had witnessed the battles which he described, he
+    would, doubtless, be recognized as the earliest war
+    correspondent. Xenophon was the first regular correspondent of
+    which we have any record. He achieved an enduring fame, which
+    is a just tribute to the man and his profession.</p>
+
+    <p>During the Middle Ages, the Crusades afforded fine
+    opportunities for the war correspondents to display their
+    abilities. The prevailing ignorance of those times is shown in
+    the absence of any reliable accounts of the Holy Wars, written
+    by journalists on the field. There was no daily press, and the
+    mail communications were very unreliable. Down to the
+    nineteenth century, Xenophon had no formidable competitors for
+    the honors which attached to his name.</p>
+
+    <p>The elder Napoleon always acted as his own "Special." His
+    bulletins, by rapid post to Paris, were generally the first
+    tidings of his brilliant marches and victories. His example was
+    thought worthy of imitation by several military officials
+    during the late Rebellion. Rear-Admiral Porter essayed to excel
+    Napoleon in sending early reports of battles for public
+    perusal. "I have the honor to inform the Department," is a
+    formula with which most editors and printers became intimately
+    acquainted. The admiral's veracity was not as conspicuous as
+    his eagerness to push his reports in print.</p>
+
+    <p>At Waterloo there was no regular correspondent of the London
+    press. Several volunteer writers furnished accounts of the
+    battle for publication, whose accuracy has been called in
+    question. Wellington's official dispatches were outstripped by
+    the enterprise of a London banking-house. The Rothschilds knew
+    the result of the battle eight hours before Wellington's
+    courier arrived.</p>
+
+    <p>Carrier pigeons were used to convey the intelligence. During
+    the Rebellion, Wall Street speculators endeavored to imitate
+    the policy of the Rothschilds, but were only partially
+    successful.</p>
+
+    <p>In the war between Mexico and the United States, "Our
+    Special" was actively, though not extensively, employed. On one
+    occasion, <i>The Herald</i> obtained its news in advance of the
+    official dispatches to the Government. The magnetic telegraph
+    was then unknown. Horse-flesh and steam were the only means of
+    transmitting intelligence. If we except the New Orleans
+    <i>Picayune, The Herald</i> was the only paper represented in
+    Mexico during the campaigns of Scott and Taylor.</p>
+
+    <p>During the conflict between France and England on the one
+    hand, and Russia on the other, the journals of London and Paris
+    sent their representatives to the Crimea. The London
+    <i>Times,</i> the foremost paper of Europe, gave Russell a
+    reputation he will long retain. The "Thunderer's" letters from
+    the camp before Sebastopol became known throughout the
+    civilized world. A few years later, the East Indian rebellion
+    once more called the London specials to the field. In giving
+    the history of the campaigns in India, <i>The Times</i> and its
+    representative overshadowed all the rest.</p>
+
+    <p>Just before the commencement of hostilities in the late
+    Rebellion, the leading journals of New York were well
+    represented in the South. Each day these papers gave their
+    readers full details of all important events that transpired in
+    the South. The correspondents that witnessed the firing of the
+    Southern heart had many adventures. Some of them narrowly
+    escaped with their lives.</p>
+
+    <p>At Richmond, a crowd visited the Spottswood House, with the
+    avowed intention of hanging a <i>Herald</i> correspondent, who
+    managed to escape through a back door of the building. A
+    representative of <i>The Tribune</i> was summoned before the
+    authorities at Charleston, on the charge of being a Federal
+    spy. He was cleared of the charge, but advised to proceed North
+    as early as possible. When he departed, Governor Pickens
+    requested him, as a particular favor, to ascertain the name of
+    <i>The Tribune</i> correspondent, on arrival in New York, and
+    inform him by letter. He promised to do so. On reaching the
+    North, he kindly told Governor Pickens who <i>The Tribune</i>
+    correspondent was.</p>
+
+    <p>A <i>Times</i> correspondent, passing through Harper's
+    Ferry, found himself in the hands of "the Chivalry," who
+    proposed to hang him on the general charge of being an
+    Abolitionist. He was finally released without injury, but at
+    one time the chances of his escape were small.</p>
+
+    <p>The New Orleans correspondent of <i>The Tribune</i> came
+    North on the last passenger-train from Richmond to Aquia Creek.
+    One of <i>The Herald's</i> representatives was thrown into
+    prison by Jeff. Davis, but released through the influence of
+    Pope Walker, the Rebel Secretary of War. Another remained in
+    the South until all regular communication was cut off. He
+    reached the North in safety by the line of the "underground
+    railway."</p>
+
+    <p>When the Rebellion was fairly inaugurated, the various
+    points of interest were at once visited by the correspondents
+    of the press. Wherever our armies operated, the principal
+    dailies of New York and other cities were represented.
+    Washington was the center of gravity around which the Eastern
+    correspondents revolved. As the army advanced into Virginia,
+    every movement was carefully chronicled. The competition
+    between the different journals was very great.</p>
+
+    <p>In the West the field was broader, and the competition,
+    though active, was less bitter than along the Potomac. In the
+    early days, St. Louis, Cairo, and Louisville were the principal
+    Western points where correspondents were stationed. As our
+    armies extended their operations, the journalists found their
+    field of labor enlarged. St. Louis lost its importance when the
+    Rebels were driven from Missouri. For a long time Cairo was the
+    principal rendezvous of the journalists, but it became less
+    noted as our armies pressed forward along the Mississippi.</p>
+
+    <p>Every war-correspondent has his story of experiences in the
+    field. Gathering the details of a battle in the midst of its
+    dangers; sharing the privations of the camp and the fatigues of
+    the march; riding with scouts, and visiting the skirmishers on
+    the extreme front; journeying to the rear through regions
+    infested by the enemy's cavalry, or running the gauntlet of
+    Rebel batteries, his life was far from monotonous. Frequently
+    the correspondents acted as volunteer aids to generals during
+    engagements, and rendered important service. They often took
+    the muskets of fallen soldiers and used them to advantage. On
+    the water, as on land, they sustained their reputation, and
+    proved that the hand which wielded the pen was able to wield
+    the sword. They contributed their proportion of killed,
+    wounded, and captured to the casualties of the war. Some of
+    them accepted commissions in the army and navy.</p>
+
+    <p>During the campaign of General Lyon in Missouri, the
+    journalists who accompanied that army were in the habit of
+    riding outside the lines to find comfortable quarters for the
+    night. Frequently they went two or three miles ahead of the
+    entire column, in order to make sure of a good dinner before
+    the soldiers could overtake them. One night two of them slept
+    at a house three miles from the road which the army was
+    following. The inmates of the mansion were unaware of the
+    vicinity of armed "Yankees," and entertained the strangers
+    without question. Though a dozen Rebel scouts called at the
+    house before daylight, the correspondents were undisturbed.
+    After that occasion they were more cautious in their
+    movements.</p>
+
+    <p>In Kentucky, during the advance of Kirby Smith upon
+    Cincinnati, the correspondents of <i>The Gazette</i> and <i>The
+    Commercial</i> were captured by the advance-guard of Rebel
+    cavalry. Their baggage, money, and watches became the property
+    of their captors. The correspondents were released, and obliged
+    to walk about eighty miles in an August sun. A short time
+    later, Mr. Shanks and Mr. Westfall, correspondents of <i>The
+    Herald,</i> were made acquainted with John Morgan, in one of
+    the raids of that famous guerrilla. The acquaintance resulted
+    in a thorough depletion of the wardrobes of the captured
+    gentlemen.</p>
+
+    <p>In Virginia, Mr. Cadwallader and Mr. Fitzpatrick, of <i>The
+    Herald</i>, and Mr. Crounse, of <i>The Times</i>, were captured
+    by Mosby, and liberated after a brief detention and a complete
+    relief of every thing portable and valuable, down to their
+    vests and pantaloons. Even their dispatches were taken from
+    them and forwarded to Richmond. A portion of these reports
+    found their way into the Richmond papers. Stonewall Jackson and
+    Stuart were also fortunate enough to capture some of the
+    representatives of the Press. At one time there were five
+    correspondents of <i>The Herald</i> in the hands of the Rebels.
+    One of them, Mr. Anderson, was held more than a year. He was
+    kept for ten days in an iron dungeon, where no ray of light
+    could penetrate.</p>
+
+    <p>I have elsewhere alluded to the capture of Messrs.
+    Richardson and Browne, of <i>The Tribune</i>, and Mr. Colburn,
+    of <i>The World</i>, in front of Vicksburg. The story of the
+    captivity and perilous escape of these representatives of
+    <i>The Tribune</i> reveals a patience, a fortitude, a daring,
+    and a fertility of resource not often excelled.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of the most graphic battle-accounts of the war were
+    written very hastily. During the three days' battle at
+    Gettysburg, <i>The Herald</i> published each morning the
+    details of the fighting of the previous day, down to the
+    setting of the sun. This was accomplished by having a
+    correspondent with each corps, and one at head-quarters to
+    forward the accounts to the nearest telegraph office. At
+    Antietam, <i>The Tribune</i> correspondent viewed the battle by
+    day, and then hurried from the field, writing the most of his
+    account on a railway train. From Fort Donelson the
+    correspondents of <i>The World</i> and <i>The Tribune</i> went
+    to Cairo, on a hospital boat crowded with wounded. Their
+    accounts were written amid dead and suffering men, but when
+    published they bore little evidence of their hasty
+    preparation.</p>
+
+    <p>I once wrote a portion of a letter at the end of a
+    medium-sized table. At the other end of the table a party of
+    gamblers, with twenty or thirty spectators, were indulging in
+    "Chuck-a-Luck." I have known dispatches to be written on
+    horseback, but they were very brief, and utterly illegible to
+    any except the writer. Much of the press correspondence during
+    the war was written in railway cars and on steamboats, and much
+    on camp-chests, stumps, or other substitutes for tables. I have
+    seen a half-dozen correspondents busily engaged with their
+    letters at the same moment, each of them resting his port-folio
+    on his knee, or standing upright, with no support whatever. On
+    one occasion a fellow-journalist assured me that the broad
+    chest of a slumbering <i>confrere</i> made an excellent table,
+    the undulations caused by the sleeper's breathing being the
+    only objectionable feature.</p>
+
+    <p>Sometimes a correspondent reached the end of a long ride so
+    exhausted as to be unable to hold a pen for ten consecutive
+    minutes. In such case a short-hand writer was employed, when
+    accessible, to take down from rapid dictation the story of our
+    victory or defeat.</p>
+
+    <p>Under all the disadvantages of time, place, and
+    circumstances, of physical exhaustion and mental anxiety, it is
+    greatly to the correspondents' credit that they wrote so well.
+    Battle-accounts were frequently published that would be no mean
+    comparison to the studied pen-pictures of the famous writers of
+    this or any other age. They were extensively copied by the
+    press of England and the Continent, and received high praise
+    for their vivid portrayal of the battle-field and its scenes.
+    Apart from the graphic accounts of great battles, they
+    furnished materials from which the historians will write the
+    enduring records of the war. With files of the New York dailies
+    at his side, an industrious writer could compile a history of
+    the Rebellion, complete in all its details.</p>
+
+    <p>It was a general complaint of the correspondents that their
+    profession was never officially recognized so as to give them
+    an established position in the army. They received passes from
+    head-quarters, and could generally go where they willed, but
+    there were many officers who chose to throw petty but annoying
+    restrictions around them. As they were generally situated
+    throughout the army, they were, to some extent, dependent upon
+    official courtesies. Of course, this dependence was injurious
+    to free narration or criticism when any officer had conducted
+    improperly.</p>
+
+    <p>If there is ever another occasion for the services of the
+    war correspondent on our soil, it is to be hoped Congress will
+    pass a law establishing a position for the journalists, fixing
+    their status in the field, surrounding them with all necessary
+    restrictions, and authorizing them to purchase supplies and
+    forage from the proper departments. During the Crimean war, the
+    correspondents of the French and English papers had a
+    recognized position, where they were subject to the same rules,
+    and entitled to the same privileges, as the officers they
+    accompanied. When Sir George Brown, at Eupatoria, forbade any
+    officer appearing in public with unshaven chin, he made no
+    distinction in favor of the members of the Press.</p>
+
+    <p>Notwithstanding their fierce competition in serving the
+    journals they represented, the correspondents with our army
+    were generally on the most friendly terms with each other.
+    Perhaps this was less the case in the East than in the West,
+    where the rivalry was not so intense and continuous. In the
+    armies in the Mississippi Valley, the representatives of
+    competing journals frequently slept, ate, traveled, and smoked
+    together, and not unfrequently drank from the same flask with
+    equal relish. In the early days, "Room 45," in the St. Charles
+    Hotel at Cairo, was the resort of all the correspondents at
+    that point. There they laid aside their professional
+    jealousies, and passed their idle hours in efforts for mutual
+    amusement. On some occasions the floor of the room would be
+    covered, in the morning, with a confused mass of boots, hats,
+    coats, and other articles of masculine wear, out of which the
+    earliest riser would array himself in whatever suited his
+    fancy, without the slightest regard to the owner. "Forty-five"
+    was the neutral ground where the correspondents planned
+    campaigns for all the armies of the Union, arranged the
+    downfall of the Rebellion, expressed their views of military
+    measures and military men, exulted over successes, mourned over
+    defeats, and toasted in full glasses the flag that our soldiers
+    upheld.</p>
+
+    <p>Since the close of the war, many of the correspondents have
+    taken positions in the offices of the journals they represented
+    in the field. Some have established papers of their own in the
+    South, and a few have retired to other civil pursuits. Some are
+    making professional tours of the Southern States and recording
+    the status of the people lately in rebellion. <i>The Herald</i>
+    has sent several of its <i>attach&eacute;s</i> to the European
+    capitals, and promises to chronicle in detail the next great
+    war in the Old World.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c46" id="c46"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XLVI.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SOUTH.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Scarcity of the Population,--Fertility of the
+    Country.--Northern Men already in the South.--Kansas Emigrants
+    Crossing Missouri.--Change of the Situation.--Present
+    Disadvantages of Emigration.--Feeling of the
+    People.--Property-Holders in Richmond.--The Sentiment in North
+    Carolina.--South Carolina Chivalry.--The Effect of
+    War.--Prospect of the Success of Free Labor.--Trade in the
+    South.</p>
+
+    <p>The suppression of the Rebellion, and the restoration of
+    peace throughout the entire South, have opened a large field
+    for emigration. The white population of the Southern States,
+    never as dense as that of the North, has been greatly
+    diminished in consequence of the war. In many localities more
+    than half the able-bodied male inhabitants have been swept
+    away, and everywhere the loss of men is severely felt. The
+    breaking up of the former system of labor in the cotton and
+    sugar States will hinder the progress of agriculture for a
+    considerable time, but there can be little doubt of its
+    beneficial effect in the end. The desolation that was spread in
+    the track of our armies will be apparent for many years. The
+    South will ultimately recover from all her calamities, but she
+    will need the energy and capital of the Northern States to
+    assist her.</p>
+
+    <p>During the progress of the war, as our armies penetrated the
+    fertile portions of the "Confederacy," many of our soldiers
+    cast longing eyes at the prospective wealth around them. "When
+    the war is over we will come here to live, and show these
+    people something they never dreamed of," was a frequent remark.
+    Men born and reared in the extreme North, were amazed at the
+    luxuriance of Southern verdure, and wondered that the richness
+    of the soil had not been turned to greater advantage. It is
+    often said in New England that no man who has once visited the
+    fertile West ever returns to make his residence in the Eastern
+    States. Many who have explored the South, and obtained a
+    knowledge of its resources, will be equally reluctant to dwell
+    in the regions where their boyhood days were passed.</p>
+
+    <p>While the war was in progress many Northern men purchased
+    plantations on the islands along the Southern coast, and
+    announced their determination to remain there permanently.
+    After the capture of New Orleans, business in that city passed
+    into the hands of Northerners, much to the chagrin of the older
+    inhabitants. When the disposition of our army and the
+    topography of the country made the lower portion of Louisiana
+    secure against Rebel raids, many plantations in that locality
+    were purchased outright by Northern speculators. I have
+    elsewhere shown how the cotton culture was extensively carried
+    on by "Yankees," and that failure was not due to their
+    inability to conduct the details of the enterprise.</p>
+
+    <p>Ten years ago, emigration to Kansas was highly popular. Aid
+    Societies were organized in various localities, and the
+    Territory was rapidly filled. Political influences had much to
+    do with this emigration from both North and South, and many
+    implements carried by the emigrants were not altogether
+    agricultural in their character. The soil of Kansas was known
+    to be fertile, and its climate excellent. The Territory
+    presented attractions to settlers, apart from political
+    considerations. But in going thither the emigrants crossed a
+    region equally fertile, and possessing superior advantages in
+    its proximity to a market. No State in the Union could boast of
+    greater possibilities than Missouri, yet few travelers in
+    search of a home ventured to settle within her limits.</p>
+
+    <p>The reason was apparent. Missouri was a slave State, though
+    bounded on three sides by free soil. Few Northern emigrants
+    desired to settle in the midst of slavery. The distinction
+    between the ruling and laboring classes was not as great as in
+    the cotton States, but there was a distinction beyond dispute.
+    Whatever his blood or complexion, the man who labored with his
+    hands was on a level, or nearly so, with the slave. Thousands
+    passed up the Missouri River, or crossed the northern portion
+    of the State, to settle in the new Territory of Kansas. When
+    political influences ceased, the result was still the same. The
+    Hannibal and St. Joseph Railway threw its valuable lands into
+    the market, but with little success.</p>
+
+    <p>With the suppression of the late Rebellion, and the
+    abolition of slavery in Missouri, the situation is materially
+    changed. From Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana, there is a large
+    emigration to Missouri. I was recently informed that forty
+    families from a single county in Ohio had sent a delegation to
+    Missouri to look out suitable locations, either of wild land or
+    of farms under cultivation. There is every prospect that the
+    State will be rapidly filled with a population that believes in
+    freedom and in the dignity of labor. She has an advantage over
+    the other ex-slave States, in lying west of the populous
+    regions of the North. Hitherto, emigration has generally
+    followed the great isothermal lines, as can be readily seen
+    when we study the population of the Western States. Northern
+    Ohio is more New Englandish than Southern Ohio, and the
+    parallel holds good in Northern and Southern Illinois. There
+    will undoubtedly be a large emigration to Missouri in
+    preference to the other Southern States, but our whole
+    migratory element will not find accommodation in her limits.
+    The entire South will be overrun by settlers from the
+    North.</p>
+
+    <p>Long ago, <i>Punch</i> gave advice to persons about to
+    marry. It was all comprised in the single word, "DON'T."
+    Whoever is in haste to emigrate to the South, would do well to
+    consider, for a time, this brief, but emphatic counsel. No one
+    should think of leaving the Northern States, until he has
+    fairly considered the advantages and disadvantages of the
+    movement. If he departs with the expectation of finding every
+    thing to his liking, he will be greatly disappointed at the
+    result.</p>
+
+    <p>There will be many difficulties to overcome. The people now
+    residing in the late rebellious States are generally
+    impoverished. They have little money, and, in many cases, their
+    stock and valuables of all kinds have been swept away. Their
+    farms are often without fences, and their farming-tools worn
+    out, disabled, or destroyed. Their system of labor is broken
+    up. The negro is a slave no longer, and the transition from
+    bondage to freedom will affect, for a time, the producing
+    interests of the South.</p>
+
+    <p>Though the Rebellion is suppressed, the spirit of discontent
+    still remains in many localities, and will retard the process
+    of reconstruction. The teachings of slavery have made the men
+    of the South bitterly hostile to those of the North. This
+    hostility was carefully nurtured by the insurgent leaders
+    during the Rebellion, and much of it still exists. In many
+    sections of the South, efforts will be made to prevent
+    immigration from the North, through a fear that the old
+    inhabitants will lose their political rights.</p>
+
+    <p>At the time I am writing, the owners of property in Richmond
+    are holding it at such high rates as to repel Northern
+    purchasers. Letters from that city say, the residents have
+    determined to sell no property to Northern men, when they can
+    possibly avoid it. No encouragement is likely to be given to
+    Northern farmers and artisans to migrate thither. A scheme for
+    taking a large number of European emigrants directly from
+    foreign ports to Richmond, and thence to scatter them
+    throughout Virginia, is being considered by the Virginia
+    politicians. The wealthy men in the Old Dominion, who were
+    Secessionists for the sake of secession, and who gave every
+    assistance to the Rebel cause, are opposed to the admission of
+    Northern settlers. They may be unable to prevent it, but they
+    will be none the less earnest in their efforts.</p>
+
+    <p>This feeling extends throughout a large portion of Virginia,
+    and exists in the other States of the South. Its intensity
+    varies in different localities, according to the extent of the
+    slave population in the days before the war, and the influence
+    that the Radical men of the South have exercised. While
+    Virginia is unwilling to receive strangers, North Carolina is
+    manifesting a desire to fill her territory with Northern
+    capital and men. She is already endeavoring to encourage
+    emigration, and has offered large quantities of land on liberal
+    terms. In Newbern, Wilmington, and Raleigh, the Northern
+    element is large. Newbern is "Yankeeized" as much as New
+    Orleans. Wilmington bids fair to have intimate relations with
+    New York and Boston. An agency has been established at Raleigh,
+    under the sanction of the Governor of the State, to secure the
+    immediate occupation of farming and mining lands, mills,
+    manufactories, and all other kinds of real estate. Northern
+    capital and sinew is already on its way to that region. The
+    great majority of the North Carolinians approve the movement,
+    but there are many persons in the State who equal the
+    Virginians in their hostility to innovations.</p>
+
+    <p>In South Carolina, few beside the negroes will welcome the
+    Northerner with open arms. The State that hatched the secession
+    egg, and proclaimed herself at all times first and foremost for
+    the perpetuation of slavery, will not exult at the change which
+    circumstances have wrought. Her Barnwells, her McGraths, her
+    Rhetts, and her Hamptons declared they would perish in the last
+    ditch, rather than submit. Some of them have perished, but many
+    still remain. Having been life-long opponents of Northern
+    policy, Northern industry, and Northern enterprise, they will
+    hardly change their opinions until taught by the logic of
+    events.</p>
+
+    <p>Means of transportation are limited. On the railways the
+    tracks are nearly worn out, and must be newly laid before they
+    can be used with their old facility. Rolling stock is disabled
+    or destroyed. Much of it must be wholly replaced, and that
+    which now remains must undergo extensive repairs. Depots and
+    machine-shops have been burned, and many bridges are bridges no
+    longer. On the smaller rivers but few steamboats are running,
+    and these are generally of a poor class. Wagons are far from
+    abundant, and mules and horses are very scarce. The wants of
+    the armies have been supplied with little regard to the
+    inconvenience of the people.</p>
+
+    <p>Corn-mills, saw-mills, gins, and factories have fed the
+    flames. Wherever our armies penetrated they spread devastation
+    in their track. Many portions of the South were not visited by
+    a hostile force, but they did not escape the effects of war.
+    Southern Georgia and Florida suffered little from the presence
+    of the Northern armies, but the scarcity of provisions and the
+    destitution of the people are nearly as great in that region as
+    elsewhere.</p>
+
+    <p>Until the present indignation at their defeat is passed
+    away, many of the Southern people will not be inclined to give
+    any countenance to the employment of freed negroes. They
+    believe slavery is the proper condition for the negro, and
+    declare that any system based on free labor will prove a
+    failure. This feeling will not be general among the Southern
+    people, and will doubtless be removed in time.</p>
+
+    <p>The transition from slavery to freedom will cause some
+    irregularities on the part of the colored race. I do not
+    apprehend serious trouble in controlling the negro, and believe
+    his work will be fully available throughout the South. It is
+    natural that he should desire a little holiday with his release
+    from bondage. For a time many negroes will be idle, and so will
+    many white men who have returned from the Rebel armies.
+    According to present indications, the African race displays far
+    more industry than the Caucasian throughout the Southern
+    States. Letters from the South say the negroes are at work in
+    some localities, but the whites are everywhere idle.</p>
+
+    <p>Those who go to the South for purposes of traffic may or may
+    not be favored with large profits. All the products of the
+    mechanic arts are very scarce in the interior, while in the
+    larger towns trade is generally overdone. Large stocks of goods
+    were taken to all places accessible by water as soon as the
+    ports were opened. The supply exceeded the demand, and many
+    dealers suffered heavy loss. From Richmond and other points
+    considerable quantities of goods have been reshipped to New
+    York, or sold for less than cost. Doubtless the trade with the
+    South will ultimately be very large, but it cannot spring up in
+    a day. Money is needed before speculation can be active. A year
+    or two, at the least, will be needed to fill the Southern
+    pocket.</p>
+
+    <p>So much for the dark side of the picture. Emigrants are apt
+    to listen to favorable accounts of the region whither they are
+    bound, while they close their ears to all stories of an
+    unfavorable character. To insure a hearing of both sides of the
+    question under discussion, I have given the discouraging
+    arguments in advance of all others. Already those who desire to
+    stimulate travel to the South, are relating wonderful stories
+    of its fertility and its great advantages to settlers. No doubt
+    they are telling much that is true, but they do not tell all
+    the truth. Every one has heard the statement, circulated in
+    Ireland many years since, that America abounded in roasted pigs
+    that ran about the streets, carrying knives and forks in their
+    mouths, and making vocal requests to be devoured.
+    Notwithstanding the absurdity of the story, it is reported to
+    have received credit.</p>
+
+    <p>The history of every emigration scheme abounds in narratives
+    of a brilliant, though piscatorial, character. The interior
+    portions of all the Western States are of wonderful fertility,
+    and no inhabitant of that region has any hesitation in
+    announcing the above fact. But not one in a hundred will state
+    frankly his distance from market, and the value of wheat and
+    corn at the points of their production. In too many cases the
+    bright side of the story is sufficient for the listener.</p>
+
+    <p>I once traveled in a railway car where there were a dozen
+    emigrants from the New England States, seeking a home in the
+    West. An agent of a county in Iowa was endeavoring to call
+    their attention to the great advantages which his region
+    afforded. He told them of the fertility of the soil, the amount
+    of corn and wheat that could be produced to the acre, the
+    extent of labor needed for the production of a specified
+    quantity of cereals, the abundance of timber, and the
+    propinquity of fine streams, with many other brilliant and
+    seductive stories. The emigrants listened in admiration of the
+    Promised Land, and were on the point of consenting to follow
+    the orator.</p>
+
+    <p>I ventured to ask the distance from those lands to a market
+    where the products could be sold, and the probable cost of
+    transportation.</p>
+
+    <p>The answer was an evasive one, but was sufficient to awaken
+    the suspicions of the emigrants. My question destroyed the
+    beautiful picture which the voluble agent had drawn.</p>
+
+    <p>Those who desire to seek their homes in the South will do
+    well to remember that baked pigs are not likely to exist in
+    abundance in the regions traversed by the National armies.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c47" id="c47"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XLVII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>HOW DISADVANTAGES MAY BE OVERCOME.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">Conciliating the People of the South.--Railway
+    Travel and its Improvement.--Rebuilding Steamboats.--Replacing
+    Working Stock.--The Condition of the Plantations.--Suggestions
+    about Hasty Departures.--Obtaining Information.--The
+    Attractions of Missouri.</p>
+
+    <p>The hinderances I have mentioned in the way of Southern
+    emigration are of a temporary character. The opposition of the
+    hostile portion of the Southern people can be overcome in time.
+    When they see there is no possible hope for them to control the
+    National policy, when they fully realize that slavery is ended,
+    and ended forever, when they discover that the negro will work
+    as a free man with advantage to his employer, they will become
+    more amiable in disposition. Much of their present feeling
+    arises from a hope of compelling a return to the old relation
+    of master and slave. When this hope is completely destroyed, we
+    shall have accomplished a great step toward reconstruction. A
+    practical knowledge of Northern industry and enterprise will
+    convince the people of the South, unless their hearts are
+    thoroughly hardened, that some good can come out of Nazareth.
+    They may never establish relations of great intimacy with their
+    new neighbors, but their hostility will be diminished to
+    insignificance.</p>
+
+    <p>Some of the advocates of the "last ditch" theory, who have
+    sworn never to live in the United States, will, doubtless,
+    depart to foreign lands, or follow the example of the Virginia
+    gentleman who committed suicide on ascertaining the
+    hopelessness of the Rebellion. Failing to do either of these
+    things, they must finally acquiesce in the supremacy of
+    National authority.</p>
+
+    <p>The Southern railways will be repaired, their rolling stock
+    replaced, and the routes of travel restored to the old status.
+    All cannot be done at once, as the destruction and damage have
+    been very extensive, and many of the companies are utterly
+    impoverished. From two to five years will elapse before
+    passengers and freight can be transported with the same
+    facility, in all directions, as before the war.</p>
+
+    <p>Under a more liberal policy new lines will be opened, and
+    the various portions of the Southern States become accessible.
+    During the war two railways were constructed under the auspices
+    of the Rebel Government, that will prove of great advantage in
+    coming years. These are the lines from Meridian, Mississippi,
+    to Selma, Alabama, and from Danville, Virginia, to
+    Greensborough, North Carolina. A glance at a railway map of the
+    Southern States will show their importance.</p>
+
+    <p>On many of the smaller rivers boats are being improvised by
+    adding wheels and motive power to ordinary scows. In a
+    half-dozen years, at the furthest, we will, doubtless, see the
+    rivers of the Southern States traversed by as many steamers as
+    before the war. On the Mississippi and its tributaries the
+    destruction of steamboat property was very great, but the loss
+    is rapidly being made good. Since 1862 many fine boats have
+    been constructed, some of them larger and more costly than any
+    that existed during the most prosperous days before the
+    Rebellion. On the Alabama and other rivers, efforts are being
+    made to restore the steamboat fleets to their former
+    magnitude.</p>
+
+    <p>Horses, mules, machinery, and farming implements must and
+    will be supplied out of the abundance in the North. The want of
+    mules will be severely felt for some years. No Yankee has yet
+    been able to invent a machine that will create serviceable
+    mules to order. We must wait for their production by the
+    ordinary means, and it will be a considerable time before the
+    supply is equal to the demand. Those who turn their attention
+    to stock-raising, during the next ten or twenty years, can
+    always be certain of finding a ready and remunerative
+    market.</p>
+
+    <p>The Southern soil is as fertile as ever. Cotton, rice, corn,
+    sugar, wheat, and tobacco can be produced in their former
+    abundance. Along the Mississippi the levees must be restored,
+    to protect the plantations from floods. This will be a work of
+    considerable magnitude, and, without extraordinary effort,
+    cannot be accomplished for several years. Everywhere fences
+    must be rebuilt, and many buildings necessary in preparing
+    products for market must be restored. Time, capital, energy,
+    and patience will be needed to develop anew the resources of
+    the South. Properly applied, they will be richly rewarded.</p>
+
+    <p>No person should be hasty in his departure, nor rush blindly
+    to the promised land. Thousands went to California, in '49 and
+    '50, with the impression that the gold mines lay within an
+    hour's walk of San Francisco. In '59, many persons landed at
+    Leavenworth, on their way to Pike's Peak, under the belief that
+    the auriferous mountain was only a day's journey from their
+    landing-place. Thousands have gone "West" from New York and New
+    England, believing that Chicago was very near the frontier.
+    Those who start with no well-defined ideas of their destination
+    are generally disappointed. The war has given the public a
+    pretty accurate knowledge of the geography of the South, so
+    that the old mistakes of emigrants to California and Colorado
+    are in slight danger of repetition, but there is a possibility
+    of too little deliberation in setting out.</p>
+
+    <p>Before starting, the emigrant should obtain all accessible
+    information about the region he intends to visit. Geographies,
+    gazetteers, census returns, and works of a similar character
+    will be of great advantage. Much can be obtained from persons
+    who traveled in the rebellious States during the progress of
+    the war. The leading papers throughout the country are now
+    publishing letters from their special correspondents, relative
+    to the state of affairs in the South. These letters are of
+    great value, and deserve a careful study.</p>
+
+    <p>Information from interested parties should be received with
+    caution. Those who have traveled in the far West know how
+    difficult it is to obtain correct statements relative to the
+    prosperity or advantages of any specified locality. Every man
+    assures you that the town or the county where he resides, or
+    where he is interested, is the best and the richest within a
+    hundred miles. To an impartial observer, lying appears to be
+    the only personal accomplishment in a new country. I presume
+    those who wish to encourage Southern migration will be ready to
+    set forth all the advantages (but none of the disadvantages) of
+    their own localities.</p>
+
+    <p>Having fully determined where to go and what to do, having
+    selected his route of travel, and ascertained, as near as
+    possible, what will be needed on the journey, the emigrant will
+    next consider his financial policy. No general rule can be
+    given. In most cases it is better not to take a large amount of
+    money at starting. To many this advice will be superfluous.
+    Bills of exchange are much safer to carry than ready cash, and
+    nearly as convenient for commercial transactions. Beyond an
+    amount double the estimated expenses of his journey, the
+    traveler will usually carry very little cash.</p>
+
+    <p>For the present, few persons should take their wives and
+    children to the interior South, and none should do so on their
+    first visit. Many houses have been burned or stripped of their
+    furniture, provisions are scarce and costly, and the general
+    facilities for domestic happiness are far from abundant. The
+    conveniences for locomotion in that region are very poor, and
+    will continue so for a considerable time. A man can "rough it"
+    anywhere, but he can hardly expect his family to travel on flat
+    cars, or on steamboats that have neither cabins nor decks, and
+    subsist on the scanty and badly-cooked provisions that the
+    Sunny South affords. By all means, I would counsel any young
+    man on his way to the South not to elope with his neighbor's
+    wife. In view of the condition of the country beyond Mason and
+    Dixon's line, an elopement would prove his mistake of a
+    lifetime.</p>
+
+    <p>I have already referred to the resources of Missouri. The
+    State possesses greater mineral wealth than any other State of
+    the Union, east of the Rocky Mountains. Her lead mines are
+    extensive, easily worked, very productive, and practically
+    inexhaustible. The same may be said of her iron mines. Pilot
+    Knob and Iron Mountain are nearly solid masses of ore, the
+    latter being a thousand feet in height. Copper mines have been
+    opened and worked, and tin has been found in several
+    localities. The soil of the Northern portion of Missouri can
+    boast of a fertility equal to that of Kansas or Illinois. In
+    the Southern portion the country is more broken, but it
+    contains large areas of rich lands. The productions of Missouri
+    are similar to those of the Northern States in the same
+    latitude. More hemp is raised in Missouri than in any other
+    State except Kentucky. Much of this article was used during the
+    Rebellion, in efforts to break up the numerous guerrilla bands
+    that infested the State. Tobacco is an important product, and
+    its culture is highly remunerative. At Hermann, Booneville, and
+    other points, the manufacture of wine from the Catawba grape is
+    extensively carried on. In location and resources, Missouri is
+    without a rival among the States that formerly maintained the
+    system of slave labor.</p>
+    <hr />
+    <br />
+    <br />
+    <a name="c48" id="c48"></a>
+
+    <h4>CHAPTER XLVIII.</h4>
+
+    <h5>THE RESOURCES OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.</h5>
+
+    <p class="toc">How the People have Lived.--An Agricultural
+    Community.--Mineral and other Wealth of
+    Virginia.--Slave-Breeding in Former Times.--The Auriferous
+    Region of North Carolina.--Agricultural Advantages.--Varieties
+    of Soil in South Carolina.--Sea-Island Cotton.--Georgia and her
+    Railways.--Probable Decline of the Rice Culture.--The Everglade
+    State.--The Lower Mississippi Valley.--The Red River.--Arkansas
+    and its Advantages.--A Hint for Tragedians.--Mining in
+    Tennessee.--The Blue-Grass Region of Kentucky.--Texas and its
+    Attractions.--Difference between Southern and Western
+    Emigration.--The End.</p>
+
+    <p>Compared with the North, the Southern States have been
+    strictly an agricultural region. Their few manufactures were
+    conducted on a small scale, and could not compete with those of
+    the colder latitudes. They gave some attention to stock-raising
+    in a few localities, but did not attach to it any great
+    importance. Cotton was the product which fed, clothed,
+    sheltered, and regaled the people. Even with the immense
+    profits they received from its culture, they did not appear to
+    understand the art of enjoyment. They generally lived on large
+    and comfortless tracts of land, and had very few cities away
+    from the sea-coast. They thought less of personal comfort than
+    of the acquisition of more land, mules, and negroes.</p>
+
+    <p>In the greatest portion of the South, the people lived
+    poorer than many Northern mechanics have lived in the past
+    twenty years. The property in slaves, to the extent of four
+    hundred millions of dollars, was their heaviest item of wealth,
+    but they seemed unable to turn this wealth to the greatest
+    advantage. With the climate and soil in their favor, they paid
+    little attention to the cheaper luxuries of rational living,
+    but surrounded themselves with much that was expensive, though
+    utterly useless. On plantations where the owners resided, a
+    visiter would find the women adorned with diamonds and laces
+    that cost many thousand dollars, and feast his eyes upon parlor
+    furniture and ornaments of the most elaborate character. But
+    the dinner-table would present a repast far below that of a New
+    England farmer or mechanic in ordinary circumstances, and the
+    sleeping-rooms would give evidence that genuine comfort was a
+    secondary consideration. Outside of New Orleans and Charleston,
+    where they are conducted by foreigners, the South has no such
+    market gardens, or such abundance and variety of wholesome
+    fruits and vegetables, as the more sterile North can boast of
+    everywhere. So of a thousand other marks of advancing
+    civilization.</p>
+
+    <p>Virginia, "the mother of Presidents," is rich in minerals of
+    the more useful sort, and some of the precious metals. Her list
+    of mineral treasures includes gold, copper, iron, lead,
+    plumbago, coal, and salt. The gold mines are not available
+    except to capitalists, and it is not yet fully settled whether
+    the yield is sufficient to warrant large investments. The gold
+    is extracted from an auriferous region, extending from the
+    Rappahannock to the Coosa River, in Alabama. The coal-beds in
+    the State are easy of access, and said to be inexhaustible. The
+    Kanawha salt-works are well known, and the petroleum regions of
+    West Virginia are attracting much attention.</p>
+
+    <p>Virginia presents many varieties of soil, and, with a better
+    system of cultivation, her productions can be greatly
+    increased. (The same may be said of all the Southern States,
+    from the Atlantic to the Rio Grande.) Her soil is favorable to
+    all the products of the Northern States. The wheat and corn of
+    Virginia have a high reputation. In the culture of tobacco she
+    has always surpassed every other State of the Union, and was
+    also the first State in which it was practiced by civilized man
+    to any extent. Washington pronounced the central counties of
+    Virginia the finest agricultural district in the United States,
+    as he knew them. Daniel Webster declared, in a public speech in
+    the Shenandoah Valley, that he had seen no finer farming land
+    in his European travel than in that valley.</p>
+
+    <p>Until 1860, the people of Virginia paid considerable
+    attention to the raising of negroes for the Southern market.
+    For some reason this trade has greatly declined within the past
+    five years, the stock becoming unsalable, and its production
+    being interrupted. I would advise no person to contemplate
+    moving to Virginia with a view to raising negroes for sale. The
+    business was formerly conducted by the "First Families," and if
+    it should be revived, they will doubtless claim an exclusive
+    privilege.</p>
+
+    <p>North Carolina abounds in minerals, especially in gold,
+    copper, iron, and coal. The fields of the latter are very
+    extensive. The gold mines of North Carolina have been
+    profitably worked for many years. A correspondent of <i>The
+    World</i>, in a recent letter from Charlotte, North Carolina,
+    says:</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>In these times of mining excitement it should he more
+      widely known that North Carolina is a competitor with
+      California, Idaho, and Nebraska. Gold is found in paying
+      quantities in the State, and in the northern parts of South
+      Carolina and Georgia. For a hundred miles west and southwest
+      of Charlotte, all the streams contain more or less gold-dust.
+      Nuggets of a few ounces have been frequently found, and there
+      is one well-authenticated case of a solid nugget weighing
+      twenty-eight pounds, which was purchased from its ignorant
+      owner for three dollars, and afterward sold at the Mint.
+      Report says a still larger lump was found and cut up by the
+      guard at one of the mines. Both at Greensboro, Salisbury, and
+      here, the most reliable residents concur in pointing to
+      certain farms where the owners procure large sums of gold.
+      One German is said to have taken more than a million of
+      dollars from his farm, and refuses to sell his land for any
+      price. Negroes are and have been accustomed to go out to the
+      creeks and wash on Saturdays, frequently bringing in two or
+      three dollars' worth, and not unfrequently negroes come to
+      town with little nuggets of the pure ore to trade.</p>
+
+      <p>The iron and copper mines were developed only to a limited
+      extent before the war. The necessities of the case led the
+      Southern authorities, however, after the outbreak, to turn
+      their attention to them, and considerable quantities of the
+      ore were secured. This was more especially true of iron.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>North Carolina is adapted to all the agricultural products
+    of both North and South, with the exception of cane sugar. The
+    marshes on the coast make excellent rice plantations, and, when
+    drained, are very fertile in cotton. Much of the low, sandy
+    section, extending sixty miles from the coast, is covered with
+    extensive forests of pitch-pine, that furnish large quantities
+    of lumber, tar, turpentine, and resin, for export to Northern
+    cities. When cleared and cultivated, this region proves quite
+    fertile, but Southern energy has thus far been content to give
+    it very little improvement. Much of the land in the interior is
+    very rich and productive. With the exception of Missouri, North
+    Carolina is foremost, since the close of the war, in
+    encouraging immigration. As soon as the first steps were taken
+    toward reconstruction, the "North Carolina Land Agency" was
+    opened at Raleigh, under the recommendation of the Governor of
+    the State. This agency is under the management of Messrs. Heck,
+    Battle &amp; Co., citizens of Raleigh, and is now (August,
+    1865) establishing offices in the Northern cities for the
+    purpose of representing the advantages that North Carolina
+    possesses.</p>
+
+    <p>The auriferous region of North Carolina extends into South
+    Carolina and Georgia. In South Carolina the agricultural
+    facilities are extensive. According to Ruffin and Tuomey (the
+    agricultural surveyors of the State), there are six varieties
+    of soil: 1. Tide swamp, devoted to the culture of rice. 2.
+    Inland swamp, devoted to rice, cotton, corn, wheat, etc. 3.
+    Salt marsh, devoted to long cotton. 4. Oak and pine regions,
+    devoted to long cotton, corn, and wheat. 5. Oak and hickory
+    regions, where cotton and corn flourish. 6. Pine barrens,
+    adapted to fruit and vegetables.</p>
+
+    <p>The famous "sea-island cotton" comes from the islands along
+    the coast, where large numbers of the freed negroes of South
+    Carolina have been recently located. South Carolina can
+    produce, side by side, the corn, wheat, and tobacco of the
+    North, and the cotton, rice, and sugar-cane of the South,
+    though the latter article is not profitably cultivated.</p>
+
+    <p>Notwithstanding the prophecies of the South Carolinians to
+    the contrary, the free-labor scheme along the Atlantic coast
+    has proved successful. The following paragraph is from a letter
+    written by a prominent journalist at Savannah:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>The condition of the islands along this coast is now of
+      the greatest interest to the world at large, and to the
+      people of the South in particular. Upon careful inquiry, I
+      find that there are over two hundred thousand acres of land
+      under cultivation by free labor. The enterprises are mostly
+      by Northern men, although there are natives working their
+      negroes under the new system, and negroes who are working
+      land on their own account. This is the third year of the
+      trial, and every year has been a success more and more
+      complete. The profits of some of the laborers amount to five
+      hundred, and in some cases five thousand dollars a year. The
+      amount of money deposited in bank by the negroes of these
+      islands is a hundred and forty thousand dollars. One joint,
+      subscription to the seven-thirty loan amounted to eighty
+      thousand dollars. Notwithstanding the fact that the troops
+      which landed on the islands robbed, indiscriminately, the
+      negroes of their money, mules, and supplies, the negroes went
+      back to work again. General Saxton, who has chief charge of
+      this enterprise, has his head-quarters at Beaufort. If these
+      facts, and the actual prosperity of these islands could be
+      generally known throughout the South, it would do more to
+      induce the whites to take hold of the freed-labor system than
+      all the general orders and arbitrary commands that General
+      Hatch has issued.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>The resources of Georgia are similar to those of South
+    Carolina, and the climate differs but little from that of the
+    latter State. The rice-swamps are unhealthy, and the malaria
+    which arises from them is said to be fatal to whites. Many of
+    the planters express a fear that the abolition of slavery has
+    ended the culture of rice. They argue that the labor is so
+    difficult and exhaustive, that the negroes will never perform
+    it excepting under the lash. Cruel modes of punishment being
+    forbidden, the planters look upon the rice-lands as valueless.
+    Time will show whether these fears are to be realized or not.
+    If it should really happen that the negroes refuse to labor
+    where their lives are of comparatively short duration, the
+    country must consent to restore slavery to its former status,
+    or purchase its rice in foreign countries. As rice is produced
+    in India without slave labor, it is possible that some plan may
+    be invented for its cultivation here.</p>
+
+    <p>Georgia has a better system of railways than any other
+    Southern State, and she is fortunate in possessing several
+    navigable rivers. The people are not as hostile to Northerners
+    as the inhabitants of South Carolina, but they do not display
+    the desire to encourage immigration that is manifested in North
+    Carolina. In the interior of Georgia, at the time I am writing,
+    there is much suffering on account of a scarcity of food. Many
+    cases of actual starvation are reported.</p>
+
+    <p>Florida has few attractions to settlers. It is said there is
+    no spot of land in the State three hundred feet above the
+    sea-level. Men born with fins and webbed feet might enjoy
+    themselves in the lakes and swamps, which form a considerable
+    portion of Florida. Those whose tastes are favorable to
+    timber-cutting, can find a profitable employment in preparing
+    live-oak and other timbers for market. The climate is very
+    healthy, and has been found highly beneficial to invalids. The
+    vegetable productions of the State are of similar character to
+    those of Georgia, but their amount is not large.</p>
+
+    <p>In the Indian tongue, Alabama signifies "Here we rest." The
+    traveler who rests in the State of that name, finds an
+    excellent agricultural region. He finds that cotton is king
+    with the Alabamians, and that the State has fifteen hundred
+    miles of navigable rivers and a good railway system. He finds
+    that Alabama suffered less by the visits of our armies than
+    either Georgia or South Carolina. The people extend him the
+    same welcome that he received in Georgia. They were too deeply
+    interested in the perpetuation of slavery to do otherwise than
+    mourn the failure to establish the Confederacy.</p>
+
+    <p>Elsewhere I have spoken of the region bordering the lower
+    portion of the Great River of the West, which includes
+    Louisiana and Mississippi. In the former State, sugar and
+    cotton are the great products. In the latter, cotton is the
+    chief object of attention. It is quite probable that the change
+    from slavery to freedom may necessitate the division of the
+    large plantations into farms of suitable size for cultivation
+    by persons of moderate capital. If this should be done, there
+    will be a great demand for Northern immigrants, and the
+    commerce of these States will be largely increased.</p>
+
+    <p>Early in July, of the present year, after the dispersal of
+    the Rebel armies, a meeting was held at Shreveport, Louisiana,
+    at which resolutions were passed favoring the encouragement of
+    Northern migration to the Red River valley. The resolutions set
+    forth, that the pineries of that region would amply repay
+    development, in view of the large market for lumber along Red
+    River and the Mississippi. They further declared, that the
+    cotton and sugar plantations of West Louisiana offered great
+    attractions, and were worthy the attention of Northern men. The
+    passage of these resolutions indicates a better spirit than has
+    been manifested by the inhabitants of other portions of the
+    Pelican State. Many of the people in the Red River region
+    profess to have been loyal to the United States throughout the
+    days of the Rebellion.</p>
+
+    <p>The Red River is most appropriately named. It flows through
+    a region where the soil has a reddish tinge, that is imparted
+    to the water of the river. The sugar produced there has the
+    same peculiarity, and can be readily distinguished from the
+    sugar of other localities.</p>
+
+    <p>Arkansas is quite rich in minerals, though far less so than
+    Missouri. Gold abounds in some localities, and lead, iron, and
+    zinc exist in large quantities. The saltpeter caves along the
+    White River can furnish sufficient saltpeter for the entire
+    Southwest. Along the rivers the soil is fertile, but there are
+    many sterile regions in the interior. The agricultural products
+    are similar to those of Missouri, with the addition of cotton.
+    With the exception of the wealthier inhabitants, the people of
+    Arkansas are desirous of stimulating emigration. They suffered
+    so greatly from the tyranny of the Rebel leaders that they
+    cheerfully accept the overthrow of slavery. Arkansas possesses
+    less advantages than most other Southern States, being far
+    behind her sisters in matters of education and internal
+    improvement. It is to be hoped that her people have discovered
+    their mistake, and will make earnest efforts to correct it at
+    an early day.</p>
+
+    <p>A story is told of a party of strolling players that landed
+    at a town in Arkansas, and advertised a performance of
+    "Hamlet." A delegation waited upon the manager, and ordered him
+    to "move on." The spokesman of the delegation is reported to
+    have said:</p>
+
+    <p>"That thar Shakspeare's play of yourn, stranger, may do for
+    New York or New Orleans, but we want you to understand that
+    Shakspeare in Arkansas is pretty ---- well played out."</p>
+
+    <p>Persons who wish to give attention to mining matters, will
+    find attractions in Tennessee, in the deposits of iron, copper,
+    and other ores. Coal is found in immense quantities among the
+    Cumberland Mountains, and lead exists in certain localities.
+    Though Tennessee can boast of considerable mineral wealth, her
+    advantages are not equal to those of Missouri or North
+    Carolina. In agriculture she stands well, though she has no
+    soil of unusual fertility, except in the western portion of the
+    State. Cotton, corn, and tobacco are the great staples, and
+    considerable quantities of wheat are produced. Stock-raising
+    has received considerable attention. More mules were formerly
+    raised in Tennessee than in any other State of the Union. A
+    large portion of the State is admirably adapted to grazing.</p>
+
+    <p>Military operations in Tennessee, during the Rebellion, were
+    very extensive, and there was great destruction of property in
+    consequence. Large numbers of houses and other buildings were
+    burned, and many farms laid waste. It will require much time,
+    capital, and energy to obliterate the traces of war.</p>
+
+    <p>The inhabitants of Kentucky believe that their State cannot
+    be surpassed in fertility. They make the famous "Blue Grass
+    Region," around Lexington, the subject of especial boast. The
+    soil of this section is very rich, and the grass has a peculiar
+    bluish tinge, from which its name is derived. One writer says
+    the following of the Blue Grass Region:--</p>
+
+    <blockquote>
+      <p>View the country round from the heads of the Licking, the
+      Ohio, the Kentucky, Dick's, and down the Green River, and you
+      have a hundred miles square of the most extraordinary country
+      on which the sun has ever shone.</p>
+    </blockquote>
+
+    <p>Farms in this region command the highest prices, and there
+    are very few owners who have any desire to sell their property.
+    Nearly all the soil of the State is adapted to cultivation. Its
+    staple products are the same as those of Missouri. It produces
+    more flax and hemp than any other State, and is second only to
+    Virginia in the quality and quantity of its tobacco. Its yield
+    of corn is next to that of Ohio. Like Tennessee, it has a large
+    stock-raising interest, principally in mules and hogs, for
+    which there is always a ready market.</p>
+
+    <p>Kentucky suffered severely during the campaigns of the Rebel
+    army in that State, and from the various raids of John Morgan.
+    A parody on "My Maryland" was published in Louisville soon
+    after one of Morgan's visits, of which the first stanza was as
+    follows:--</p>
+
+    <div class="poetry">
+      <div class="ln">
+        John Morgan's foot is on thy shore,<br />
+        Kentucky! O Kentucky!
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="ln">
+        His hand is on thy stable door,<br />
+        Kentucky! O Kentucky!
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="ln">
+        He'll take thy horse he spared before,
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="ln">
+        And ride him till his back is sore,
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="ln">
+        And leave him at some stranger's door,<br />
+        Kentucky! O Kentucky!
+      </div>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Last, and greatest, of the lately rebellious States, is
+    Texas. Every variety of soil can be found there, from the
+    richest alluvial deposits along the river bottoms, down to the
+    deserts in the northwestern part of the State, where a wolf
+    could not make an honest living. All the grains of the Northern
+    States can be produced. Cotton, tobacco, and sugar-cane are
+    raised in large quantities, and the agricultural capabilities
+    of Texas are very great. Being a new State, its system of
+    internal communications is not good. Texas has the reputation
+    of being the finest grazing region in the Southwest. Immense
+    droves of horses, cattle, and sheep cover its prairies, and
+    form the wealth of many of the inhabitants. Owing to the
+    distance from market, these animals are generally held at very
+    low prices.</p>
+
+    <p>Shortly after its annexation to the United States, Texas
+    became a resort for outcasts from civilized society. In some
+    parts of the Union, the story goes that sheriffs, and their
+    deputies dropped the phrase "<i>non est inventus</i>" for one
+    more expressive. Whenever they discovered that parties for whom
+    they held writs had decamped, they returned the documents with
+    the indorsement "G.T.T." (gone to Texas). Some writer records
+    that the State derived its name from the last words of a
+    couplet which runaway individuals were supposed to repeat on
+    their arrival:--</p>
+
+    <div class="poetry">
+      When every other land rejects us,<br />
+      This is the land that freely takes us.
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Since 1850, the character of the population of Texas has
+    greatly improved, though it does not yet bear favorable
+    comparison to that of Quaker villages, or of rural districts of
+    Massachusetts or Connecticut. There is a large German element
+    in Texas, which displayed devoted loyalty to the Union during
+    the days of the Rebellion.</p>
+
+    <p>An unknown philosopher says the world is peopled by two
+    great classes, those who have money, and those who haven't--the
+    latter being most numerous. Migratory Americans are subject to
+    the same distinction. Of those who have emigrated to points
+    further West during the last thirty years, a very large
+    majority were in a condition of impecuniosity. Many persons
+    emigrate on account of financial embarrassments, leaving behind
+    them debts of varied magnitude. In some cases, Territories and
+    States that desired to induce settlers to come within their
+    limits, have passed laws providing that no debt contracted
+    elsewhere, previous to emigration, could be collected by any
+    legal process. To a man laboring under difficulties of a
+    pecuniary character, the new Territories and States offer as
+    safe a retreat as the Cities of Refuge afforded to criminals in
+    the days of the ancients.</p>
+
+    <p>Formerly, the West was the only field to which emigrants
+    could direct their steps. There was an abundance of land, and a
+    great need of human sinew to make it lucrative. When land could
+    be occupied by a settler and held under his pre-emption title,
+    giving him opportunity to pay for his possession from the
+    products of his own industry and the fertility of the soil,
+    there was comparatively little need of capital. The operations
+    of speculators frequently tended to retard settlement rather
+    than to stimulate it, as they shut out large areas from
+    cultivation or occupation, in order to hold them for an
+    advance. In many of the Territories a dozen able-bodied men,
+    accustomed to farm labor and willing to toil, were considered a
+    greater acquisition than a speculator with twenty thousand
+    dollars of hard cash. Labor was of more importance than
+    capital.</p>
+
+    <p>To a certain extent this is still the case. Laboring men are
+    greatly needed on the broad acres of the far-Western States. No
+    one who has not traveled in that region can appreciate the
+    sacrifice made by Minnesota, Iowa, and Kansas, when they sent
+    their regiments of stalwart men to the war. Every arm that
+    carried a musket from those States, was a certain integral
+    portion of their wealth and prosperity. The great cities of the
+    seaboard could spare a thousand men with far less loss than
+    would accrue to any of the States I have mentioned, by the
+    subtraction of a hundred. There is now a great demand for men
+    to fill the vacancy caused by deaths in the field, and to
+    occupy the extensive areas that are still uncultivated.
+    Emigrants without capital will seek the West, where their stout
+    arms will make them welcome and secure them comfortable
+    homes.</p>
+
+    <p>In the South the situation is different. For the present
+    there is a sufficiency of labor. Doubtless there will be a
+    scarcity several years hence, but there is no reason to fear it
+    immediately. Capital and direction are needed. The South is
+    impoverished. Its money is expended, and it has no present
+    source of revenue. There is nothing wherewith to purchase the
+    necessary stock, supplies, and implements for prosecuting
+    agricultural enterprise. The planters are generally helpless.
+    Capital to supply the want must come from the rich North.</p>
+
+    <p>Direction is no less needed than capital. A majority of
+    Southern men declare the negroes will be worthless to them, now
+    that slavery is abolished. "We have," say they, "lived among
+    these negroes all our days. We know them in no other light than
+    as slaves. We command them to do what we wish, and we punish
+    them as we see fit for disobedience. We cannot manage them in
+    any other way."</p>
+
+    <p>No doubt this is the declaration of their honest belief. A
+    Northern man can give them an answer appealing to their reason,
+    if not to their conviction. He can say, "You are accustomed to
+    dealing with slaves, and you doubtless tell the truth when
+    declaring you cannot manage the negroes under the new system.
+    We are accustomed to dealing with freemen, and do not know how
+    to control slaves. The negroes being free, our knowledge of
+    freemen will enable us to manage them without difficulty."</p>
+
+    <p>Every thing is favorable to the man of small or large
+    capital, who desires to emigrate to the South. In consideration
+    of the impoverishment of the people and their distrust of the
+    freed negroes as laborers, lands in the best districts can be
+    purchased very cheaply. Plantations can be bought, many of them
+    with all the buildings and fences still remaining, though
+    somewhat out of repair, at prices ranging from three to ten
+    dollars an acre. A few hundred dollars will do far more toward
+    securing a home for the settler in the South than in the West.
+    Labor is abundant, and the laborers can be easily controlled by
+    Northern brains. The land is already broken, and its
+    capabilities are fully known. Capital, if judiciously invested
+    and under proper direction, whether in large or moderate
+    amounts, will be reasonably certain of an ample return.</p>
+
+    <p>FINIS.</p>
+  </div><!--END OF TEXT-->
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field, by Thomas W. Knox
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+</body>
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@@ -0,0 +1,14943 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field, by Thomas W. Knox
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field
+       Southern Adventure in Time of War. Life with the Union Armies, and
+       Residence on a Louisiana Plantation
+
+
+Author: Thomas W. Knox
+
+Release Date: April 17, 2004 [EBook #12068]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Michel Boto and PG Distributed Proofreaders
+
+
+
+
+CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD:
+SOUTHERN ADVENTURE
+IN
+TIME OF WAR.
+
+LIFE WITH THE UNION ARMIES,
+AND
+RESIDENCE ON A LOUISIANA PLANTATION.
+
+BY
+THOMAS W. KNOX,
+HERALD CORRESPONDENT.
+
+WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+1865.
+
+
+
+
+TO
+THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PRESS,
+WHO FOLLOWED THE
+FORTUNES OF THE NATIONAL ARMIES,
+AND RECORDED
+THE DEEDS OF VALOR THAT SECURED THE PERPETUITY OF THE REPUBLIC,
+THIS VOLUME
+IS SYMPATHETICALLY INSCRIBED.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE REBEL RAM ARKANSAS RUNNING THROUGH OUR FLEET.]
+
+TO THE READER.
+
+A preface usually takes the form of an apology. The author of this
+volume has none to offer.
+
+The book owes its appearance to its discovery of a publisher. It has
+been prepared from materials gathered during the Campaigns herein
+recorded, and from the writer's personal recollections.
+
+Whatever of merit or demerit it possesses remains for the reader to
+ascertain. His judgment will be unprejudiced if he finds no word of
+promise on the prefatory page.
+
+NEW YORK, _September 15th, 1865_.
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+THE RAM _Arkansas_ RUNNING THROUGH OUR FLEET ABOVE VICKSBURG
+HAULING DOWN A REBEL FLAG AT HICKMAN, KENTUCKY
+THE OPENING GUN AT BOONEVILLE
+THE DEATH OF GENERAL LYON
+GENERAL SIGEL'S TRANSPORTATION IN MISSOURI
+SHELLING THE HILL AT PEA RIDGE
+GENERAL NELSON'S DIVISION CROSSING THE TENNESSEE
+RUNNING THE BATTERIES AT ISLAND NUMBER TEN
+THE REBEL CHARGE AT CORINTH, MISSISSIPPI
+ASSAULTING THE HILL AT CHICKASAW BAYOU
+STRATEGY AGAINST GUERRILLAS
+THE STEAMER _Von Phul_ RUNNING THE BATTERIES
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+ANTE BELLUM.
+
+At the Rocky Mountains.--Sentiment of the People.--Firing the
+Southern Heart.--A Midwinter Journey across the Plains.--An Editor's
+Opinion.--Election in Missouri.--The North springing to
+Arms.--An amusing Arrest.--Off for the Field.--Final
+Instructions.--Niagara.--Curiosities of Banking.--Arrival at the Seat
+of War.
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+MISSOURI IN THE EARLY DAYS.
+
+Apathy of the Border States.--The Missouri State Convention.--Sterling
+Price a Union Man.--Plan to take the State out of the Union.--Capture
+of Camp Jackson.--Energy of General Lyon.--Union Men organized.--An
+Unfortunate Collision.--The Price-Harney Truce.--The Panic among the
+Secessionists.--Their Hegira from St. Louis.--A Visit to the
+State Capital.--Under the Rebel Flag.--Searching for Contraband
+Articles.--An Introduction to Rebel Dignitaries.--Governor
+Jackson.--Sterling Price.--Jeff. Thompson.--Activity at
+Cairo.--Kentucky Neutrality.--The Rebels occupy Columbus.
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES.
+
+General Harney Relieved.--Price's Proclamation.--End of the
+Truce.--Conference between the Union and Rebel Leaders.--The First Act
+of Hostility.--Destruction of Railway Bridges.--Promptness of
+General Lyon.--Capture of the State Capital.--Moving on the Enemy's
+Works.--The Night before Battle.--A Correspondent's Sensation.
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE FIRST BATTLE IN MISSOURI.
+
+Moving up the River.--A Landing Effected.--The Battle.--Precipitous
+Retreat of the Rebels.--Spoiling a Captured Camp.--Rebel Flags
+Emblazoned with the State Arms.--A Journalist's Outfit.--A Chaplain of
+the Church Militant.--A Mistake that might have been Unfortunate.--The
+People of Booneville.--Visiting an Official.--Banking-House
+Loyalty.--Preparations for a Campaign.
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+TO SPRINGFIELD AND BEYOND.
+
+Conduct of the St. Louis Secessionists.--Collisions between Soldiers
+and Citizens.--Indignation of the Guests of a Hotel.--From St.
+Louis to Rolla.--Opinions of a "Regular."--Railway-life in
+Missouri.--Unprofitable Freight.--A Story of Orthography.--Mountains
+and Mountain Streams.--Fastidiousness Checked.--Frontier
+Courtesy.--Concentration of Troops at Springfield.--A Perplexing
+Situation.--The March to Dug Spring.--Sufferings from Heat and Thirst.
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE BATTLE OF WILSON CREEK.
+
+The Return from Dug Spring.--The Rebels follow in
+Pursuit.--Preparations to Attack them.--The Plan of Battle.--Moving
+to the Attack--A Bivouac--The Opening Shot.--"Is that
+Official?"--Sensations of a Spectator in Battle.--Extension of
+Distance and Time.--Characteristics of Projectiles.--Taking Notes
+under Fire.--Strength and Losses of the Opposing Armies.--A Noble
+Record.--The Wounded on the Field.--"One More Shot."--Granger in his
+Element.--General Lyon's Death.
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE RETREAT FROM SPRINGFIELD.
+
+A Council of War.--The Journalists' Council.--Preparations for
+Retreat.--Preceding the Advance-Guard.--Alarm and Anxiety of the
+People.--Magnificent Distances.--A Novel Odometer.--The Unreliable
+Countryman.--Neutrality.--A Night at Lebanon.--A Disagreeable
+Lodging-place.--Active Secessionists.--The Man who Sought and
+Found his Rights.--Approaching Civilization.--Rebel Couriers on the
+Route.--Arrival at Rolla.
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+GENERAL FREMONT'S PURSUIT OF PRICE.
+
+Quarrel between Price and McCulloch.--The Rebels Advance upon
+Lexington.--A Novel Defense for Sharp-shooters.--Attempt to Re-enforce
+the Garrison.--An Enterprising Journalist.--The Surrender.--Fremont's
+Advance.--Causes of Delay.--How the Journalists Killed Time.--Late
+News.--A Contractor "Sold."--Sigel in Front.--A Motley
+Collection.--A Wearied Officer.--The Woman who had never seen a Black
+Republican.--Love and Conversion.
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE SECOND CAMPAIGN TO SPRINGFIELD.
+
+Detention at Warsaw.--A Bridge over the Osage.--The
+Body-Guard.--Manner of its Organization.--The Advance
+to Springfield.--Charge of the Body-Guard.--A Corporal's
+Ruse.--Occupation of Springfield.--The Situation.--Wilson Creek
+Revisited.--Traces of the Battle.--Rumored Movements of the
+Enemy.--Removal of General Fremont.--Danger of Attack.--A Night of
+Excitement.--The Return to St. Louis.--Curiosities of the Scouting
+Service.--An Arrest by Mistake.
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+TWO MONTHS OF IDLENESS.
+
+A Promise Fulfilled.--Capture of a Rebel Camp and Train.--Rebel
+Sympathizers in St. Louis.--General Halleck and his Policy.--Refugees
+from Rebeldom.--Story of the Sufferings of a Union Family.--Chivalry
+in the Nineteenth Century.--The Army of the Southwest in
+Motion.--Gun-Boats and Transports.--Capture of Fort Henry.--The Effect
+in St. Louis.--Our Flag Advancing.
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+ANOTHER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI.
+
+From St. Louis to Rolla.--A Limited Outfit.--Missouri Roads in
+Winter.--"Two Solitary Horsemen."--Restricted Accommodations in a
+Slaveholder's House.--An Energetic Quartermaster.--General Sheridan
+before he became Famous.--"Bagging Price."--A Defect in the
+Bag.--Examining the Correspondence of a Rebel General.--What the
+Rebels left at their Departure.
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE FLIGHT AND THE PURSUIT.
+
+From Springfield to Pea Ridge.--Mark Tapley in Missouri.--"The
+Arkansas Traveler."--Encountering the Rebel Army.--A Wonderful
+Spring.--The Cantonment at Cross Hollows.--Game Chickens.--Magruder
+_vs_. Breckinridge.--Rebel Generals in a Controversy.--Its Result.--An
+Expedition to Huntsville.--Curiosities of Rebel Currency.--Important
+Information.--A Long and Weary March.--Disposition of Forces before
+the Battle.--Changing Front.--What the Rebels lost by Ignorance.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE.
+
+The Rebels make their Attack.--Albert Pike and his Indians.--Scalping
+Wounded Men.--Death of General McCulloch.--The Fighting at Elkhorn
+Tavern.--Close of a Gloomy Day.--An Unpleasant Night.--Vocal Sounds
+from a Mule's Throat.--Sleeping under Disadvantages.--A Favorable
+Morning.--The Opposing Lines of Battle.--A Severe Cannonade.--The
+Forest on Fire.--Wounded Men in the Flames.--The Rebels in
+Retreat.--Movements of our Army.--A Journey to St. Louis.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+UP THE TENNESSEE AND AT PITTSBURG LANDING.
+
+At St. Louis.--Progress of our Arms in the Great Valley.--Cairo.--Its
+Peculiarities and Attractions.--Its Commercial, Geographical, and
+Sanitary Advantages.--Up the Tennessee.--Movements Preliminary to
+the Great Battle.--The Rebels and their Plans.--Postponement of
+the Attack.--Disadvantages of our Position.--The Beginning of the
+Battle.--Results of the First Day.--Re-enforcements.--Disputes between
+Officers of our two Armies.--Beauregard's Watering-place.
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+SHILOH AND THE SIEGE OF CORINTH.
+
+The Error of the Rebels.--Story of a Surgeon.--Experience of a
+Rebel Regiment.--Injury to the Rebel Army.--The Effect in our own
+Lines.--Daring of a Color-Bearer.--A Brave Soldier.--A Drummer-Boy's
+Experience.--Gallantry of an Artillery Surgeon.--A Regiment Commanded
+by a Lieutenant.--Friend Meeting Friend and Brother Meeting Brother
+in the Opposing Lines.--The Scene of the Battle.--Fearful Traces
+of Musketry-Fire.--The Wounded.--The Labor of the Sanitary
+Commission.--Humanity a Yankee Trick.--Besieging Corinth.--A
+Cold-Water Battery.--Halleck and the Journalists.--Occupation of
+Corinth.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+CAPTURE OF FORT PILLOW AND BATTLE OF MEMPHIS.
+
+The Siege of Fort Pillow.--General Pope.--His Reputation for
+Veracity.--Capture of the "Ten Thousand."--Naval Battle above Fort
+Pillow.--The _John H. Dickey_.--Occupation of the Fort.--General
+Forrest.--Strength of the Fortifications.--Their Location.--Randolph,
+Tennessee.--Memphis and her Last Ditch.--Opening of the Naval
+Combat.--Gallant Action of Colonel Ellet.--Fate of the Rebel
+Fleet.--The People Viewing the Battle.--Their Conduct.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+IN MEMPHIS AND UNDER THE FLAG.
+
+Jeff. Thompson and his Predictions.--A Cry of Indignation.--Memphis
+Humiliated.--The Journalists in the Battle.--The Surrender.--A Fine
+Point of Law and Honor.--Going on Shore.--An Enraged Secessionist.--A
+Dangerous Enterprise.--Memphis and her Antecedents.--Her Loyalty.--An
+Amusing Incident.--How the Natives learned of the Capture of Fort
+Donelson.--The Last Ditch.--A Farmer-Abolitionist.--Disloyalty among
+the Women.--"Blessings in Disguise."--An American Mark Tapley.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+SUPERVISING A REBEL JOURNAL.
+
+The Press of Memphis.--Flight of _The Appeal_.--A False
+Prediction.--_The Argus_ becomes Loyal.--Order from General
+Wallace.--Installed in Office.--Lecturing the Rebels.--"Trade follows
+the Flag."--Abuses of Traffic.--Supplying the Rebels.--A Perilous
+Adventure.--Passing the Rebel Lines.--Eluding Watchful Eyes.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE FIRST SIEGE OF VICKSBURG.
+
+From Memphis to Vicksburg.--Running the Batteries.--Our Inability
+to take Vicksburg by Assault.--Digging a Canal.--A Conversation with
+Resident Secessionists.--Their Arguments _pro_ and _con_, and the
+Answers they Received.--A Curiosity of Legislation.--An Expedition up
+the Yazoo.--Destruction of the Rebel Fleet.--The _Arkansas_ Running
+the Gauntlet.--A Spirited Encounter.--A Gallant Attempt.--Raising the
+Siege.--Fate of the _Arkansas_.
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE MARCH THROUGH ARKANSAS.--THE SIEGE OF CINCINNATI.
+
+General Curtis's Army reaching Helena.--Its Wanderings.--The
+Arkansas Navy.--Troops and their Supplies "miss
+Connection."--Rebel Reports.--Memphis in Midsummer.--"A Journey due
+North."--Chicago.--Bragg's Advance into Kentucky.--Kirby Smith in
+Front of Cincinnati.--The City under Martial Law.--The Squirrel
+Hunters.--War Correspondents in Comfortable Quarters.--Improvising an
+Army.--Raising the Siege.--Bragg's Retreat.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE BATTLE OF CORINTH.
+
+New Plans of the Rebels.--Their Design to Capture Corinth.--Advancing
+to the Attack.--Strong Defenses.--A Magnificent Charge.--Valor _vs_.
+Breast-Works.--The Repulse.--Retreat and Pursuit.--The National Arms
+Triumphant.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+THE CAMPAIGN FROM CORINTH.
+
+Changes of Commanders.--Preparations for the Aggressive.--Marching
+from Corinth.--Talking with the People.--"You-uns and
+We-uns."--Conservatism of a "Regular."--Loyalty and
+Disloyalty.--Condition of the Rebel Army.--Foraging.--German Theology
+for American Soldiers.--A Modest Landlord.--A Boy without a Name.--The
+Freedmen's Bureau.--Employing Negroes.--Holly Springs and its
+People.--An Argument for Secession.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+GRANT'S OCCUPATION OF MISSISSIPPI.
+
+The Slavery Question.--A Generous Offer.--A Journalist's
+Modesty.--Hopes of the Mississippians at the Beginning of the
+War.--Visiting an Editress.--Literature under Difficulties.--Jacob
+Thompson and his Correspondence.--Plans for the Capture of
+Vicksburg.--Movements of General Sherman.--The Raid upon Holly
+Springs.--Forewarned, but not Forearmed.--A Gallant Fight.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE BATTLE OF CHICKASAW BAYOU.
+
+Leaving Memphis.--Down the Great River.--Landing in the
+Yazoo.--Description of the Ground.--A Night in Bivouac.--Plan
+of Attack.--Moving toward the Hills.--Assaulting the Bluff.--Our
+Repulse.--New Plans.--Withdrawal from the Yazoo.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+BEFORE VICKSBURG.
+
+Capture of Arkansas Post.--The Army returns to Milliken's
+Bend.--General Sherman and the Journalists.--Arrest of the
+Author.--His Trial before a Military Court.--Letter from President
+Lincoln.--Capture of Three Journalists.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+KANSAS IN WAR-TIME.
+
+A Visit to Kansas.--Recollections of Border Feuds.--Peculiarities
+of Kansas Soldiers.--Foraging as a Fine Art.--Kansas and
+Missouri.--Settling Old Scores.--Depopulating the Border
+Counties.--Two Examples of Grand Strategy.--Capture of the
+"Little-More-Grape" Battery.--A Woman in Sorrow.--Frontier
+Justice.--Trial before a "Lynch" Court.--General Blunt's
+Order.--Execution of Horse-Thieves.--Auction Sale of Confiscated
+Property.--Banished to Dixie.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+GETTYSBURG.
+
+A Hasty Departure.--At Harrisburg.--_En route_ for the Army of
+the Potomac.--The Battle-Field at Gettysburg.--Appearance of
+the Cemetery.--Importance of the Position.--The Configuration
+of Ground.--Traces of Battle.--Round Hill.--General Meade's
+Head-Quarters.--Appearance of the Dead.--Through the Forests along the
+Line.--Retreat and Pursuit of Lee.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+IN THE NORTHWEST.
+
+From Chicago to Minnesota.--Curiosities of Low-Water Navigation.--St.
+Paul and its Sufferings in Earlier Days.--The Indian War.--A Brief
+History of our Troubles in that Region.--General Pope's Expeditions to
+Chastise the Red Man.--Honesty in the Indian Department.--The End of
+the Warfare.--The Pacific Railway.--A Bold Undertaking.--Penetrating
+British Territory.--The Hudson Bay Company.--Peculiarities of a
+Trapper's Life.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+INAUGURATION OF A GREAT ENTERPRISE.
+
+Plans for Arming the Negroes along the Mississippi.--Opposition to the
+Movement.--Plantations Deserted by their Owners.--Gathering Abandoned
+Cotton.--Rules and Regulations.--Speculation.--Widows and Orphans
+in Demand.--Arrival of Adjutant-General Thomas.--Designs of the
+Government.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+COTTON-PLANTING IN 1863.
+
+Leasing the Plantations.--Interference of the
+Rebels.--Raids.--Treatment of Prisoners.--The Attack upon Milliken's
+Bend.--A Novel Breast-Work.--Murder of our Officers.--Profits of
+Cotton-Planting.--Dishonesty of Lessees.--Negroes Planting on their
+own Account.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+AMONG THE OFFICIALS.
+
+Reasons for Trying an Experiment.--Activity among Lessees.--Opinions
+of the Residents.--Rebel Hopes in 1863.--Removal of Negroes to West
+Louisiana.--Visiting Natchez.--The City and its Business.--"The
+Rejected Addresses".
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+A JOURNEY OUTSIDE THE LINES.
+
+Passing the Pickets.--Cold Weather in the South.--Effect of Climate
+upon the Constitution.--Surrounded and Captured.--Prevarication
+and Explanation.--Among the Natives.--The Game for the
+Confederacy.--Courtesy of the Planters.--Condition of the
+Plantations.--The Return.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+ON THE PLANTATION.
+
+Military Protection.--Promises.--Another Widow.--Securing
+a Plantation.--Its Locality and Appearance.--Gardening in
+Louisiana.--How Cotton is Picked.--"The Tell-Tale."--A Southerner's
+Opinion of the Negro Character.--Causes and Consequences.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+RULES AND REGULATIONS UNDER THE OLD AND NEW SYSTEMS.
+
+The Plantation Record.--Its Uses.--Interesting Memoranda.--Dogs,
+Jail, and Stocks.--Instructions to the Overseer.--His Duties and
+Responsibilities.--The Order of General Banks.--Management of
+Plantations in the Department of the Gulf.--The two Documents.
+Contrasted.--One of the Effects of "an Abolition War".
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+OUR FREE-LABOR ENTERPRISE IN PROGRESS.
+
+The Negroes at Work.--Difficulties in the Way.--A Public Meeting.--A
+Speech.--A Negro's Idea of Freedom.--A Difficult Question to
+Determine.--Influence of Northern and Southern Men Contrasted.--An
+Increase of Numbers.--"Ginning" Cotton.--In the Lint-Room.--Mills and
+Machinery of a Plantation.--A Profitable Enterprise.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+WAR AND AGRICULTURE.
+
+Official Favors.--Division of Labor.--Moral Suasion.--Corn-gathering
+in the South.--An Alarm.--A Frightened Irishman.--The Rebels
+Approaching.--An Attack on Waterproof.--Falstaff Redivivus.--His Feats
+of Arms.--Departure for New Orleans.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+IN THE COTTON MARKET.
+
+New Orleans and its Peculiarities.--Its Loss by the Rebellion.--Cotton
+Factors in New Orleans.--Old Things passed away.--The Northern
+Barbarians a Race of Shopkeepers.--Pulsations of the Cotton Market.--A
+Quarrel with a Lady.--Contending for a Principle.--Inharmony of the
+"Regulations."--An Account of Sales.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII.
+
+SOME FEATURES OF PLANTATION LIFE.
+
+Mysteries of Mule-trading.--"What's in a Name?"--Process of Stocking
+a Plantation.--An Enterprising White Man.--Stratagem of a
+Yankee.--Distributing Goods to the Negroes.--The Tastes of the
+African.--Ethiopian Eloquence.--A Colored Overseer.--Guerrillas
+Approaching.--Whisky _vs_. Guerrillas.--A Hint to Military Men.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX.
+
+VISITED BY GUERRILLAS.
+
+News of the Raid.--Returning to the Plantation.--Examples of Negro
+Cunning.--A Sudden Departure and a Fortunate Escape.--A Second
+Visit.--"Going Through," in Guerrilla Parlance.--How it is
+Accomplished.--Courtesy to Guests.--A Holiday Costume.--Lessees
+Abandoning their Plantations.--Official Promises.
+
+
+CHAPTER XL.
+
+PECULIARITIES OF PLANTATION LABOR.
+
+Resuming Operation.--Difficulties in the Way.--A New Method of Healing
+the Sick.--A Thief Discovered by his Ignorance of Arithmetic.--How
+Cotton is Planted.--The Uses of Cotton-Seed.--A Novel
+Sleeping-Room.--Constructing a Tunnel.--Vigilance of a Negro Sentinel.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI.
+
+THE NEGROES AT A MILITARY POST.
+
+The Soldiers at Waterproof.--The Black Man in Blue.--Mutiny and
+Desertion.--Their Cause and Cure.--Tendering a Resignation.--No Desire
+for a Barber.--Seeking Protection.--Falsehood and Truth.--Proneness to
+Exaggeration.--Amusing Estimates.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLII.
+
+THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT.
+
+The Nature of our "Protection."--Trade Following the Flag.--A
+Fortunate Journey.--Our Last Visit.--Inhumanity of the
+Guerrillas.--Driving Negroes into Captivity.--Killing an
+Overseer.--Our Final Departure.--Plantations Elsewhere.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIII.
+
+THE MISSISSIPPI AND ITS PECULIARITIES.
+
+Length of the Great River, and the Area it Drains.--How Itasca Lake
+obtained its Name.--The Bends of the Mississippi.--Curious Effect upon
+Titles to Real Estate.--A Story of Napoleon.--A Steamboat Thirty-five
+Years under Water.--The Current and its Variations.--Navigating Cotton
+and Corn Fields.--Reminiscences of the Islands.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIV.
+
+STEAMBOATING ON THE MISSISSIPPI IN PEACE AND WAR.
+
+Attempts to Obstruct the Great River.--Chains, Booms, and
+Batteries.--A Novelty in Piloting.--Travel in the Days Before the
+Rebellion.--Trials of Speed.--The Great Race.--Travel During the
+War.--Running a Rebel Battery on the Lower Mississippi.--Incidents of
+the Occasion.--Comments on the Situation.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLV.
+
+THE ARMY CORRESPONDENT.
+
+The Beginning and the End.--The Lake Erie Piracy.--A Rochester
+Story.--The First War Correspondent.--Napoleon's Policy.--Waterloo
+and the Rothschilds.--Journalistic Enterprise in the Mexican War.--The
+Crimea and the East Indian Rebellion.--Experiences at the Beginning
+of Hostilities.--The Tender Mercies of the Insurgents.--In the
+Field.--Adventures in Missouri and Kentucky.--Correspondents
+in Captivity.--How Battle-Accounts were Written.--Professional
+Complaints.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVI.
+
+THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SOUTH.
+
+Scarcity of the Population.--Fertility of the Country.--Northern Men
+already in the South.--Kansas Emigrants Crossing Missouri.--Change of
+the Situation.--Present Disadvantages of Emigration.--Feeling of
+the People.--Property-Holders in Richmond.--The Sentiment in North
+Carolina.--South Carolina Chivalry.--The Effect of War.--Prospect of
+the Success of Free Labor.--Trade in the South.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVII.
+
+HOW DISADVANTAGES MAY BE OVERCOME.
+
+Conciliating the People of the South.--Railway Travel and its
+Improvement.--Rebuilding Steamboats.--Replacing Working
+Stock.--The Condition of the Plantations.--Suggestions about Hasty
+Departures.--Obtaining Information.--The Attractions of Missouri.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVIII.
+
+THE RESOURCES OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.
+
+How the People have Lived.--An Agricultural Community.--Mineral
+and other Wealth of Virginia.--Slave-Breeding in Former
+Times.--The Auriferous Region of North Carolina.--Agricultural
+Advantages.--Varieties of Soil in South Carolina.--Sea-Island
+Cotton.--Georgia and her Railways.--Probable Decline of the Rice
+Culture.--The Everglade State.--The Lower Mississippi Valley.--The Red
+River.--Arkansas and its Advantages.--A Hint for Tragedians.--Mining
+in Tennessee.--The Blue-Grass Region of Kentucky.--Texas and its
+Attractions.--Difference between Southern and Western Emigration.--The
+End. CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+ANTE BELLUM.
+
+At the Rocky Mountains.--Sentiment of the People.--Firing the
+Southern Heart.--A Midwinter Journey across the Plains.--An Editor's
+Opinion.--Election in Missouri.--The North springing to
+Arms.--An amusing Arrest.--Off for the Field.--Final
+Instructions.--Niagara.--Curiosities of Banking.--Arrival at the Seat
+of War.
+
+
+I passed the summer and autumn of 1860 in the Rocky Mountain Gold
+Region. At that time the population of the young Territory was
+composed of emigrants from Northern and Southern States, those from
+the colder regions being in the majority. When the Presidential
+election took place, there was much angry discussion of the great
+questions of the day, and there were threats of violence on the part
+of the friends of the "institution." The residents of the Gold Region
+were unable to cast their votes for the men of their choice, but their
+anxiety to know the result was very great.
+
+When it was announced that the Republican candidate had triumphed,
+there were speedy signs of discontent. Some of the more impulsive
+Southerners departed at once for their native States, predicting a
+separation of Dixie from the North before the end of the year. Some
+went to New Mexico, and others to Texas, while many remained to press
+their favorite theories upon their neighbors. The friends of the Union
+were slow to believe that any serious difficulty would take place.
+Long after the secession of South Carolina they were confident our
+differences could be healed without an appeal to arms.
+
+My visit to the Rocky Mountains was a professional one. During my stay
+in that region I supplied several Eastern journals with letters from
+Colorado and New Mexico. One after another, the editors of these
+journals informed me that letters from the Territories had lost their
+interest, owing to the troubles growing out of the election. Wishing
+to take part in the drama about to be enacted, I essayed a midwinter
+journey across the plains, and, early in February, stood in the
+editorial room of _The Herald_.
+
+I announced my readiness to proceed to any point between the Poles,
+wherever _The Herald_ desired a correspondent. The editor-in-chief was
+busy over a long letter from some point in the South, but his response
+was promptly given. Half reading, half pausing over the letter, he
+briefly said:--
+
+"A long and bloody war is upon us, in which the whole country will be
+engaged. We shall desire you to take the field; probably in the West.
+It may be several weeks before we need you, but the war cannot be long
+delayed."
+
+At that time few persons in the North looked upon the situation with
+any fears of trouble. There were some who thought a hostile collision
+was among the possibilities, but these persons were generally in the
+minority. Many believed the secession movement was only the hasty work
+of political leaders, that would be soon undone when the people of the
+South came to their senses.
+
+That the South would deliberately plunge the country into civil war
+was difficult to comprehend, even after the first steps had been
+taken. The majority of the Northern people were hoping and believing,
+day by day, that something might transpire to quell the excitement and
+adjust the difficulties threatening to disturb the country.
+
+Before leaving the Rocky Mountains I did not believe that war was
+certain to ensue, though I considered it quite probable. As I passed
+through Missouri, the only slave State that lay in my route, I found
+every thing comparatively quiet. In St. Joseph, on the day of my
+arrival, the election for delegates to the State Convention was being
+held. There was no disorder, more than is usual on election days in
+small cities. Little knots of people were engaged in discussion, but
+the discussions partook of no extraordinary bitterness. The vote of
+the city was decidedly in favor of keeping the State in the Union.
+
+Between the 7th of December and the 12th of April, the Northern blood
+warmed slowly. The first gun at Sumter quickened its pulsations. When
+the President issued his call for seventy-five thousand men for three
+months, to put down insurrection, the North woke to action. Everywhere
+the response was prompt, earnest, patriotic. In the Northern
+cities the recruiting offices were densely thronged. New York and
+Massachusetts were first to send their favorite regiments to the
+front, but they were not long in the advance. Had the call been for
+four times seventy-five thousand, and for a service of three years,
+there is little doubt the people would have responded without
+hesitation.
+
+For a short time after my arrival at the East, I remained in a small
+town in Southern New Hampshire. A few days after the first call was
+issued, a friend invited me to a seat in his carriage for a ride to
+Portsmouth, the sea-port of the State. On reaching the city we found
+the war spirit fully aroused. Two companies of infantry were drilling
+in the public square, and the citizens were in a state of great
+excitement. In the course of the afternoon my friend and myself were
+arrested, by a committee of respectable citizens, who suspected us of
+being Southern emissaries. It was with great difficulty we convinced
+them they had made a slight mistake. We referred them to the only
+acquaintances we had in the city. They refused to consider the truth
+established in the mouths of two witnesses, and were not induced to
+give us our liberty until all convenient proof of our identity had
+been adduced.
+
+To be arrested within twenty miles of home, on suspicion of being
+delegated from Charleston or Montgomery, was one of my most amusing
+experiences of the war. The gentleman who accompanied me was a very
+earnest believer in coercion. His business in Portsmouth on that
+occasion was to offer his services in a regiment then being formed.
+A few months later he received a commission in the army, but did not
+obtain it through any of our temporary acquaintances at Portsmouth.
+
+Our captors were the solid men of the city, any one of whom could
+have sat for the portrait of Mr. Turveydrop without the slightest
+alteration. On taking us into custody, they stated the grounds on
+which they arrested us. Our dark complexions and long beards had
+aroused suspicions concerning the places of our nativity. Suspicion
+was reduced to a certainty when one of them heard me mention my
+presence in Missouri on the day of choosing candidates for the
+Convention. Our purpose was divined when I asked if there was any
+activity at the Navy Yard. We were Rebel emissaries, who designed to
+lay their Navy Yard in ashes!
+
+On our release and departure we were followed to our homes, that the
+correctness of our representations might be ascertained. This little
+occurrence, in the center of New England, where the people claim to
+be thoroughly quiet and law-abiding, indicated that the war spirit in
+that part of the North was more than momentary.
+
+The West was not behind the Eastern States in the determination
+to subdue the Rebellion. Volunteers were gathering at Cairo, and
+threatening to occupy points further down the Mississippi. At
+St. Louis the struggle was active between the Unionists and the
+Secessionists.
+
+A collision was a mere question of time, and of short time at the
+best.
+
+As I visited _The Herald_ office for final instructions, I found that
+the managing editor had determined upon a vigorous campaign. Every
+point of interest was to be covered, so that the operations of our
+armies would be fully recorded from day to day. The war correspondents
+had gone to their posts, or were just taking their departure. One
+correspondent was already on the way to Cairo. I was instructed to
+watch the military movements in Missouri, and hastened to St. Louis as
+fast as steam could bear me.
+
+Detained twelve hours at Niagara, by reason of missing a railway
+train, I found that the opening war gave promise of affecting that
+locality. The hotel-keepers were gloomy at the prospect of losing
+their Southern patronage, and half feared they would be obliged to
+close their establishments. There were but few visitors, and even
+these were not of the class which scatters its money profusely. The
+village around the Falls displayed positive signs of dullness, and
+the inhabitants had personal as well as patriotic interest in wishing
+there was no war. The Great Cataract was unchanged in its beauty
+and grandeur. The flood from the Lakes was not diminished, and the
+precipice over which the water plunged was none the less steep. The
+opening war had no effect upon this wonder of the New World.
+
+In Chicago, business was prostrated on account of the outbreak of
+hostilities. Most of the banks in Illinois had been holding State
+bonds as securities for the redemption of their circulation. As these
+bonds were nearly all of Southern origin, the beginning of the war
+had materially affected their value. The banks found their securities
+rapidly becoming insecure, and hence there was a depreciation in the
+currency. This was not uniform, but varied from five to sixty per
+cent., according to the value of the bonds the respective banks were
+holding. Each morning and evening bulletins were issued stating the
+value of the notes of the various banking-houses. Such a currency was
+very inconvenient to handle, as the payment of any considerable sum
+required a calculation to establish the worth of each note.
+
+Many rumors were in circulation concerning the insecurity of a
+Northern visitor in St. Louis, but none of the stories were very
+alarming. Of one thing all were certain--the star of the Union was
+in the ascendant. On arriving in St. Louis I found the city far from
+quiet, though there was nothing to lead a stranger to consider his
+personal safety in danger. I had ample material for entering at
+once upon my professional duties, in chronicling the disordered and
+threatening state of affairs.
+
+On the day of my arrival, I met a gentleman I had known in the Rocky
+Mountains, six months before. I knew his courage was beyond question,
+having seen him in several disturbances incident to the Gold Regions;
+but I was not aware which side of the great cause he had espoused.
+After our first greetings, I ventured to ask how he stood.
+
+"I am a Union man," was his emphatic response.
+
+"What kind of a Union man are you?"
+
+"I am this kind of a Union man," and he threw open his coat, and
+showed me a huge revolver, strapped to his waist.
+
+There were many loyal men in St. Louis, whose sympathies were evinced
+in a similar manner. Revolvers were at a premium.
+
+Some of the Secessionists ordered a quantity of revolvers from New
+York, to be forwarded by express. To prevent interference by the Union
+authorities, they caused the case to be directed to "Colonel Francis
+P. Blair, Jr., care of ----." They thought Colonel Blair's name
+would secure the property from seizure. The person in whose care the
+revolvers were sent was a noted Secessionist, who dealt extensively in
+fire-arms.
+
+Colonel Blair learned of the shipment, and met the box at the station.
+Fifty revolvers of the finest quality, bought and paid for by the
+Secessionists, were distributed among the friends of Colonel Blair,
+and were highly prized by the recipients.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+MISSOURI IN THE EARLY DAYS.
+
+Apathy of the Border States.--The Missouri State Convention.--Sterling
+Price a Union Man.--Plan to take the State out of the Union.--Capture
+of Camp Jackson.--Energy of General Lyon.--Union Men organized.--An
+Unfortunate Collision.--The Price-Harney Truce.--The Panic among the
+Secessionists.--Their Hegira from St. Louis.--A Visit to the
+State Capital.--Under the Rebel Flag.--Searching for Contraband
+Articles.--An Introduction to Rebel Dignitaries.--Governor
+Jackson.--Sterling Price.--Jeff. Thompson.--Activity at
+Cairo.--Kentucky Neutrality.--The Rebels occupy Columbus.
+
+
+The Border States were not prompt to follow the example of the States
+on the Gulf and South Atlantic coast. Missouri and Kentucky were
+loyal, if the voice of the majority is to be considered the voice of
+the population. Many of the wealthier inhabitants were, at the
+outset, as they have always been, in favor of the establishment of
+an independent Southern Government. Few of them desired an appeal to
+arms, as they well knew the Border States would form the front of the
+Confederacy, and thus become the battle-field of the Rebellion. The
+greater part of the population of those States was radically opposed
+to the secession movement, but became powerless under the noisy,
+political leaders who assumed the control. Many of these men, who were
+Unionists in the beginning, were drawn into the Rebel ranks on
+the plea that it would be treason to refuse to do what their State
+Government had decided upon.
+
+The delegates to the Missouri State Convention were elected in
+February, 1861, and assembled at St. Louis in the following April.
+Sterling Price, afterward a Rebel general, was president of this
+Convention, and spoke in favor of keeping the State in the Union. The
+Convention thought it injudicious for Missouri to secede, at least at
+that time, and therefore she was not taken out. This discomfited the
+prime movers of the secession schemes, as they had counted upon the
+Convention doing the desired work. In the language of one of their
+own number, "they had called a Convention to take the State out of the
+Union, and she must be taken out at all hazards." Therefore a new line
+of policy was adopted.
+
+The Governor of Missouri was one of the most active and unscrupulous
+Secessionists. After the failure of the Convention to unite Missouri
+with the Confederacy, Governor Jackson overhauled the militia laws,
+and, under their sanction, issued a call for a muster of militia near
+St. Louis. This militia assembled at Lindell Grove, in the suburbs
+of St. Louis, and a military camp was established, under the name of
+"Camp Jackson." Though ostensibly an innocent affair, this camp was
+intended to be the nucleus of the army to hoist the Rebel flag in the
+State. The officers in command were known Secessionists, and every
+thing about the place was indicative of its character.
+
+The Governor of Louisiana sent, from the arsenal at Baton Rouge, a
+quantity of guns and munitions of war, to be used by the insurgent
+forces in Missouri. These reached St. Louis without hinderance, and
+were promptly conveyed to the embryonic Rebel camp. Captain Lyon, in
+command of the St. Louis Arsenal, was informed that he must confine
+his men to the limits of the United States property, under penalty of
+the arrest of all who stepped outside. Governor Jackson several times
+visited the grounds overlooking the arsenal, and selected spots
+for planting his guns. Every thing was in preparation for active
+hostility.
+
+The Union people were by no means idle. Captain Lyon had foreseen the
+danger menacing the public property in the arsenal, and besought the
+Government for permission to remove it. Twenty thousand stand of arms
+were, in a single night, loaded upon a steamer and sent to Alton,
+Illinois. They were conveyed thence by rail to the Illinois State
+Arsenal at Springfield. Authority was obtained for the formation of
+volunteer regiments, and they were rapidly mustered into the service.
+
+While Camp Jackson was being formed, the Union men of St. Louis were
+arming and drilling with such secrecy that the Secessionists were
+not generally aware of their movements. Before the close of the day
+Captain Lyon received permission for mustering volunteers; he placed
+more than six hundred men into the service. Regiments were organized
+under the name of "Home Guards," and by the 9th of May there were six
+thousand armed Union men in St. Louis, who were sworn to uphold the
+national honor.
+
+Colonel Francis P. Blair, Jr., commanded the First Regiment of
+Missouri Volunteers, and stood faithfully by Captain Lyon in all
+those early and dangerous days. The larger portion of the forces then
+available in St. Louis was made up of the German element, which was
+always thoroughly loyal. This fact caused the Missouri Secessionists
+to feel great indignation toward the Germans. They always declared
+they would have seized St. Louis and held possession of the larger
+portion of the State, had it not been for the earnest loyalty of "the
+Dutch."
+
+In the interior of Missouri the Secessionists were generally in the
+ascendant. It was the misfortune of the time that the Unionists were
+usually passive, while their enemies were active. In certain counties
+where the Unionists were four times the number of the Secessionists,
+it was often the case that the latter were the ruling party. The
+Union people were quiet and law-abiding; the Secessionists active
+and unscrupulous. "Peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must," was the
+motto of the enemies of the Republic.
+
+In some localities the Union men asserted themselves, but they did not
+generally do so until after the first blows were struck at St. Louis.
+When they did come out in earnest, the loyal element in Missouri
+became fully apparent.
+
+To assure the friends of the Union, and save Missouri from the
+domination of the insurgents, it was necessary for Captain Lyon to
+assume the offensive. This was done on the 10th of May, resulting in
+the famous capture of "Camp Jackson."
+
+On the night of the 9th, loyal parties in St. Louis supplied a
+sufficient number of horses to move the light artillery necessary to
+accomplish the desired object. On the morning of the 10th, Captain
+Lyon's command moved from various points, so as to surround the Rebel
+camp at three o'clock in the afternoon. At that hour General
+Frost, the Rebel commander, was surprised at the appearance of an
+overpowering force on the hills surrounding his position. A demand for
+surrender gave half an hour for deliberation. At the end of that time
+General Frost concluded to capitulate. The prisoners, less than a
+thousand in number, were marched to the arsenal and safely secured.
+
+This achievement destroyed Camp Jackson, and established the United
+States authority in full force over St. Louis. An unfortunate
+collision occurred between the soldiers and the crowd outside.
+Provoked by insults terminating in an assault with fire-arms, a
+portion of the German troops fired upon the multitude. Upward
+of thirty persons were killed or wounded in the affair. With the
+exception of this unhappy collision, the capture was bloodless.
+
+General Harney arrived at St. Louis soon after this event, and assumed
+command in Missouri. The agreement known as "the Price-Harney truce"
+was immediately made. Under an assurance from Governor Jackson that
+the State troops should be disbanded, General Harney promised that no
+hostilities should be undertaken, and attempted to cause the dispersal
+of the Union volunteers. The status of the latter had been so fixed
+that General Harney was not empowered to disarm them, and he so
+informed, the State authorities. His message announcing this read
+nearly as follows:--
+
+  "I have ascertained that I have no control over the Home Guards.
+                     "W. S. HARNEY, _Brig.-Gen_."
+
+This message was received at the Police Head-Quarters in St. Louis, on
+the morning of Sunday, May 15th. It was misunderstood by the parties
+who read it. They inferred, from the tenor of the dispatch, that
+General Harney was unable to restrain the Union volunteers.
+
+The most frightful stories had been circulated concerning the
+blood-thirsty character of these soldiers, particularly the German
+portion. Visions of murder, pillage, house-burning, and all the
+accompanying outrages committed by an unrestrained army, flitted
+through the minds of the Secessionists. The story spread, and gained
+intensity with each repetition. "The Dutch are rising; we shall all
+be slain in cold blood!" was the cry, echoed from house to house. Not
+less than five thousand people fled from the city on that day, and as
+many more within the succeeding twenty-four hours. Carriages,
+wagons, drays, every thing that could transport persons or valuables,
+commanded exorbitant prices. Steamboats were chartered as ferries to
+the Illinois shore or to go to points of safety, either up or down the
+river. Many persons abandoned their houses, taking with them only a
+few articles of value or necessity, while others carried away nothing,
+in their haste to escape.
+
+In a few days the excitement subsided and nearly all the refugees
+returned, but there are some who have never been in St. Louis since
+their remarkable hegira. In their determination to obtain their
+"rights," they entered the Rebel army and followed its checkered
+fortunes. Less than half of these persons are now alive.
+
+For a time after the appearance of General Harney's proclamation,
+there were no hostile demonstrations on either side. Governor Jackson
+had promised to disband the small force of militia at Jefferson City,
+but he failed to do so. The Rebel flag was flying in Jefferson
+City, from a staff in front of the Governor's mansion, and over the
+head-quarters of the Missouri State Guard. Missouri, through her State
+officers, was in favor of an armed neutrality, which really meant
+nothing less than armed secession.
+
+The Secessionists were quietly but earnestly at work to effect their
+object. They did not heed their promise to remain inactive. The Union
+authorities observed theirs to the letter. The Camp Jackson prisoners
+were paroled and restored to liberty. A portion of them observed the
+parole, but many did not. General Frost remained on his farm and
+took no part in the Rebellion until relieved from his parole, several
+months later. It is proper to add, that he was of very little account
+to the Rebels when he finally entered the field.
+
+While watching the progress of affairs in St. Louis, I determined upon
+a visit to Jefferson City. Though the Rebel flag was flying over the
+State Capitol, and the nucleus of the Missouri State Guard (Rebel) had
+its camp in the suburbs, the communication by railroad had not been
+interrupted. Taking the morning train from St. Louis, on the 27th
+of May, I found myself, at three o'clock of the afternoon, under the
+secession banner. The searching of the train for articles contraband
+of war was then a new feature.
+
+In the early days only the outside of a package was examined. If the
+"marks" indicated nothing suspicious, the goods were allowed to pass.
+Under this regulation, a large number of boxes marked "soap" were
+shipped on a steamboat for Lexington. So much soap going into Missouri
+was decidedly suspicious, as the people of the interior do not make
+extensive use of the article. An examination disclosed canisters of
+powder instead of bars of soap. The discovery was followed by the
+promulgation of an order requiring a rigid examination of all
+packages that might be of doubtful character. This order, with various
+modifications, was kept in force for a long time.
+
+In starting from St. Louis, I left a company of Union volunteers at
+the railway station. At Jefferson City I found the depot filled with
+the Rebel soldiers, or "neutrals," as Governor Jackson persisted in
+calling them. The particular duty they were performing I was unable
+to ascertain, but they bore unmistakable signs of being something more
+than a "neutral" body of men. Their camp was just in rear of the city.
+The Rebel flag, which floated above the camp, was recognized as the
+emblem of their neutrality.
+
+The proprietor of the hotel where I stopped held the reputation of
+an earnest friend of the Union, ready to Suffer any thing rather than
+sink his principles. He introduced me to several citizens, most
+of them, like himself, thoroughly loyal. We discussed freely the
+condition of affairs in Missouri.
+
+It was evident the State authorities intended war, as soon as the
+necessary preparations could be made. They were not quite ready to
+strike their first blow, but when they should be prepared, they would
+not hesitate a moment. Governor Jackson was exerting himself to the
+utmost to accumulate arms and military stores at various points in
+the State, where they would be of most value. In defiance of the
+truce between Generals Price and Harney, companies were being formed
+throughout the State, and were drilling for service in the field. Time
+was of great importance to the Rebels, and this they had secured by
+means of the truce.
+
+During my stay at Jefferson City, I met the three, men most prominent
+in bringing war upon Missouri. These were Governor Jackson, General
+Sterling Price, and Jeff. Thompson. Governor Jackson was elected in
+the previous December, before it was thought any serious trouble would
+grow out of Mr. Lincoln's election. He was not looked upon as a man
+of great ability, but no one doubted his desire to promote the best
+interests of the State. Those who knew him said his strength lay more
+in a public than in a private direction. He had few, if any, personal
+friends, and was considered dangerous when his passions were roused.
+Some said he was cold and treacherous, giving all around him a feeling
+of aversion. Even among the Secessionists, and those who should have
+been his ardent supporters, he was never mentioned with enthusiasm.
+
+Within two weeks from the day I saw him, Governor Jackson, by his own
+act, was a fugitive from the State capital. He never returned. After
+wandering in Arkansas and Louisiana, during the early part of the war,
+he died at Little Rock, in 1863, in a condition of extreme poverty.
+
+Of General Price, I heard many praises, even from those who opposed
+his course. He was said to be a man of warm friendship, of fair
+abilities, and quite popular among the masses of the inhabitants. He
+possessed much personal pride, and his ambition for public honor was
+very great. At the outset he deprecated secession, and prophesied a
+devastating war as the result. He was inclined to be loyal, but his
+ambition was greater than his patriotism. The offer of a high position
+in the Rebel service touched his weakest point, and carried him with
+the insurgents.
+
+In the Rebel service he never obtained much distinction. His principal
+successes were in saving his army after defeat. He displayed a
+capacity for annoying the Union armies without doing great damage.
+Though his oft-repeated promise of victory was never fulfilled, it
+served to keep many Missourians in the Rebel ranks. He was constantly
+expected to capture St. Louis. Some of the Rebel residents fully
+believed he would do so, and kept their wine-cellars ready for the
+event. Until the official announcement of the surrender of all forces
+west of the Mississippi, they did not abandon hope. General Price had
+given his promise, and, as they argued, was sure to keep it.
+
+Of Jeff. Thompson little can be said. Previous to that time he had
+been known as the mayor of St. Joseph, and a politician of some little
+importance in Northwest Missouri. He was famous for much gasconading,
+and a fondness for whisky and other material things. I could never
+learn that he commanded much respect. During the war the Rebels
+never trusted him with any command of importance. He made a very fair
+guerrilla, and, in 1861, gave our forces at Cairo and Bird's Point
+considerable annoyance. History is not likely to give him a very
+prominent place in the roll of distinguished military heroes.
+
+At this time Cairo was the most southerly point on the Mississippi in
+possession of the National forces. We could have occupied Columbus
+or Hickman, Kentucky, had not the sacredness of the soil prevented.
+Kentucky was neutral, and declared that neither party must set foot
+within her limits. Her declaration of neutrality was much like that
+issued by the Governor of Missouri. The United States forces were
+under great restrictions, while the Rebels could do pretty much
+as they pleased. General Prentiss sent a small expedition down the
+Mississippi, some sixty miles below Cairo. The Kentuckians were
+greatly enraged because our forces landed at Hickman and tore down a
+Rebel flag which the citizens had hoisted. It was an invasion of their
+soil, for which they demanded apology. A few weeks later the Rebels
+occupied both Hickman and Columbus, without any objection on the part
+of the neutrals.
+
+Columbus was made very strong by the Rebel engineers, and supplied
+with many heavy guns for its protection. At the same time, General
+Prentiss pushed forward the defenses of Cairo, in readiness for any
+attack by the Rebel gun-boats. For more than half a year Columbus
+was the northern limit of the Rebel domination of the Great River. On
+assuming command there, General Polk announced that Columbus was the
+throat of the Mississippi, and must be held at all hazards. The Rebels
+repeatedly urged the capture of Cairo, but it was never attempted.
+
+[Illustration: HAULING DOWN A REBEL FLAG AT HICKMAN, KY]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES.
+
+General Harney Relieved.--Price's Proclamation.--End of the
+Truce.--Conference between the Union and Rebel Leaders.--The First Act
+of Hostility.--Destruction of Railway Bridges.--Promptness of
+General Lyon.--Capture of the State Capital.--Moving on the Enemy's
+Works.--The Night before Battle.--A Correspondent's Sensation.
+
+
+On the first of June an order was received from Washington, relieving
+General Harney from command in Missouri. Captain Lyon had been
+promoted to the rank of a brigadier-general of volunteers, and was
+assigned to duty in General Harney's stead. On the 5th of June,
+General Price issued a proclamation, calling for the State Guard to be
+in readiness to defend Missouri against all enemies. The appearance
+of this proclamation was not altogether unexpected. It was far more
+satisfactory to the friends of the Union than to the Secessionists, as
+it showed the hostile position of Governor Jackson and his abettors,
+and gave an opportunity for proceeding actively against them. It
+demonstrated very clearly that the Secessionists were determined to
+make their actions correspond to their words.
+
+It was ascertained that, a few days before the publication of Price's
+proclamation, Governor Jackson was in consultation with an agent of
+the Rebel Government, who promised twenty-five thousand men, and arms
+and ammunition for fifty thousand more, if the State were fairly and
+unequivocally out of the Union. He had also conferred with an agent
+from the Indian Nation, with a view to putting several thousand
+Indians into the field on the side of the Rebels. General Lyon wanted
+an "overt act" on the part of the Rebels, before commencing actual
+hostilities. Price's proclamation was the thing desired.
+
+The troops in and around St. Louis were drilled as thoroughly as
+possible. Every day added to their effectiveness. Recruiting was
+pushed, trade with the interior was suspended, and boats passing down
+the river were made subject to stoppage and search at the arsenal.
+Every thing was assuming a warlike appearance. The Government was
+very tardy in supplying General Lyon's wants. In many cases it did not
+authorize him to do what was needed. Much of the money for outfitting
+the troops for the field was voluntarily contributed in the Eastern
+cities, or by patriotic men in St. Louis. In several things,
+General Lyon acted upon his own responsibility, under the advice and
+co-operation of Colonel Blair.
+
+On the 9th of June, Governor Jackson and General Price asked General
+Lyon to give them a safeguard to visit St. Louis. They wished to
+confer with General Lyon and Colonel Blair, upon the best means of
+bringing peace to the State and making an end of hostilities. The
+safeguard was granted, and, on the 11th of June, Jackson and Price
+reached St. Louis, and signified their readiness for the proposed
+conference. The meeting took place at the Planters' House, Governor
+Jackson declining to trust himself inside the walls of the arsenal,
+where General Lyon had invited him to be his guest. The interview
+began with many professions of goodwill on the part of Governor
+Jackson, and the assurance of his earnest desire for peace. He
+promised to disband the State troops, if General Lyon would first
+remove all United States troops from the limits of Missouri, and
+agree not to bring them back under any consideration. Of course, this
+proposition could not be entertained. A conversation then took place
+between General Lyon and General Price, but all to no purpose. Price
+and Jackson would do nothing, unless the United States troops were
+first sent out of Missouri. Lyon and Blair would not consent to any
+thing of the kind, and so the conference ended.
+
+Jackson and Price left St. Louis on a special train for Jefferson
+City, on the afternoon of the 11th. On the way up the road, they set
+fire to the bridges over the Gasconade and Osage Rivers, the former
+thirty-five miles from Jefferson City, and ninety from St. Louis,
+and the latter within nine miles of Jefferson City. If the conduct of
+these men had been neutral up to that time, this act made an end of
+their neutrality.
+
+General Lyon left the conference fully satisfied there was no longer
+any reason for hesitation. The course he should pursue was plain
+before him.
+
+Early in the forenoon of the 12th, he learned of the destruction
+of the bridges over the Gasconade and Osage Rivers. He immediately
+ordered a force to proceed up the road, and protect as much of it as
+possible from further damage. Within four hours of the reception of
+the order to move, the troops were on their way. On the next day,
+three steamers, with about two thousand men, left St. Louis for
+Jefferson City. General Lyon knew the importance of time, and was
+determined to give Governor Jackson very little opportunity for
+preparation.
+
+
+My first experience of a military campaign was on the expedition up
+the Missouri. I had seen something of Indian troubles on the Plains,
+in which white men were concerned, but I had never witnessed civilized
+warfare where white men fought against white men. A residence of
+several weeks in St. Louis had somewhat familiarized me with the
+appearance of troops at the arsenal and at the various camps in the
+city, but the preparations to take the field were full of novelty.
+
+I was on the boat which carried the First Missouri Infantry, and which
+General Lyon had selected for his head-quarters. The young officers
+were full of enthusiasm, and eagerly anticipating their first
+encounter with the Rebel battalions. Colonel Blair was less
+demonstrative than the officers of his regiment, but was evidently
+much elated at the prospect of doing something aggressive. General
+Lyon was in the cabin, quiet, reserved, and thoughtful. With Colonel
+Blair he conversed long and freely. Few others approached him. Outside
+the cabin the soldiers were ardently discussing the coming campaign,
+and wishing an early opportunity for winning glory in battle.
+
+To one who travels for the first time by steamboat from St. Louis in a
+northerly direction, a curious picture is presented. The water in
+the Mississippi above the mouth of the Missouri is quite clear and
+transparent. That from the Missouri is of a dirty yellow color,
+derived from the large quantity of earthy matter which it holds in
+solution. For several miles below the junction of the streams, the
+two currents remain separated, the line between them being plainly
+perceptible. The pilots usually endeavor to keep on the dividing line,
+so that one can look from the opposite sides of a boat and imagine
+himself sailing upon two rivers of different character at the same
+moment.
+
+Sometimes this distinctive line continues for fifteen or twenty miles,
+but usually less than ten. A soldier wittily remarked, that the water
+from the Upper Mississippi derived its transparency from the free
+States, from whence it came, while the Missouri, emerging from a slave
+State, was, consequently, of a repulsive hue. As Missouri is now a
+free State, the soldier's remark is not applicable.
+
+Steaming up the Missouri toward the State capital, we found the
+sentiment along the banks of the river strongly in favor of the Union.
+Home Guard organizations had been hastily formed, and were doing their
+best for the protection of the railway. Most of the villages along
+the Lower Missouri contained a strong German element, which needs no
+question of its loyalty. The railway bridges were thoroughly guarded,
+and each town had a small garrison to suppress any rising of the
+Secessionists. The conduct of the people in these villages was quite
+different from the course of those residing above Jefferson City.
+Where the inhabitants possessed no slaves, there was outspoken
+loyalty. In the most populous slave districts it was the reverse.
+Slaveholders declared that their interest lay in secession. There were
+a few exceptions, but they were very far in a minority.
+
+Our triumphal entry into Jefferson City was not marked by any
+noteworthy event. The Capitol was deserted. The Governor and most of
+the State officials had departed the previous day, in the direction of
+Booneville. We marched through the principal streets, and found many
+of the people delighted at our coming. We occupied the State House,
+and, of course, unfurled our flag from its cupola. A steamboat, seized
+at the landing, was pressed into our service for use further up the
+stream. An encounter with the Rebels was eagerly desired.
+
+We left a full regiment, a large force in those days, to retain
+possession of the place, and then pushed on in pursuit. The Rebels
+had disabled the railway, taking off nearly all the rolling stock and
+destroying a large bridge four miles west of the city. As the point
+where they had fled lay upon the river, we pursued them by water. At
+noon, on the 16th, General Lyon left Jefferson City for Booneville.
+Within twenty-four hours he fought his first battle in Missouri.
+
+It is slow work to proceed with a steamboat where one's way must be
+felt. Though we had only fifty miles to move, we advanced less than
+thirty before nightfall. Touching at a landing on the left bank of the
+river, fifteen miles below Booneville, a scout from the enemy's camp
+came easily into our hands. From being a scout of the enemy he became
+our scout, as he revealed in his fright all we wished to know. The
+enemy, confident of an easy victory, was waiting our approach, and
+expressed the most lively intention of destroying us all in the
+twinkling of an eye.
+
+Experience had not then demonstrated that there is little difference
+in the bravery of Americans, when well officered. Each side cherished
+the delusion that it had a monopoly of courage and endurance. One
+Southern man was thought equal to five Northern men in a fair contest,
+and if the former were given the advantage of a defensive position,
+any odds of numbers would be taken. There was nearly, though not
+quite, as much boasting on the part of our own press and people.
+The first severe battles made an end of the greater part of this
+gasconading.
+
+It is said the most trying moment on shipboard is when the deck,
+previous to an engagement, is sprinkled with saw-dust to receive the
+blood yet unshed. No man can know whose blood will be first to moisten
+that dust, or whose life will be passed away before the action is
+over. So on the eve of that first battle in Missouri, as I reclined
+in the cabin of our flag-boat, and saw the surgeons busy with their
+preparations for the coming day; as I saw them bring to light all the
+dreadful implements of their trade, and arrange them in readiness
+for sudden use--a coldness crept over me, and I fully realized we
+had earnest work before us. Since that time I have witnessed many a
+battle, many a scene of preparation and of bloody work with knife and
+saw and bandage, but I have never experienced a chill like that I felt
+on that early day of the Rebellion.
+
+The war has made us familiar with horrors. That which once touched us
+to the heart is now passed over with scarce a moment's thought. Our
+nerves have been hardened, our sensibilities blunted, our hearts
+steeled against suffering, in the terrible school through which we
+have passed.
+
+[Illustration: THE OPENING GUN AT BOONEVILLE]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE FIRST BATTLE IN MISSOURI
+
+Moving up the River.--A Landing Effected.--The Battle.--Precipitous
+Retreat of the Rebels.--Spoiling a Captured Camp.--Rebel Flags
+Emblazoned with the State Arms.--A Journalist's Outfit.--A Chaplain of
+the Church Militant.--A Mistake that might have been Unfortunate.--The
+People of Booneville.--Visiting an Official.--Banking-House
+Loyalty.--Preparations for a Campaign.
+
+
+Daybreak on the 17th found us slowly moving up the river toward
+Booneville. General Lyon sat forward of the steamer's cabin, closely
+scanning both banks of the stream. Four miles below the town his glass
+sought out two pieces of artillery, partially concealed in a clump of
+trees, and trained upon the channel by which we were to pass. At once
+our engines were reversed, and the boats moved back to a landing about
+eight miles below Booneville. A little before seven o'clock we were
+on shore, and our column of fifteen hundred men began its advance upon
+the Rebel camp.
+
+It was the story that has found its repetition in many a battle since
+that time. The enemy's pickets were driven in. The enemy, in line of
+battle, was discovered on a long ridge, and our own line was formed
+on a ridge parallel to it. Then we opened fire with our artillery (one
+battery was all we possessed), and received no response, save by a
+desultory discharge of small-arms. Next our infantry added its tenor
+notes to the bass of the field-guns; the Rebel forces melted steadily
+away, and the field was in our possession, twenty minutes after the
+opening shot had been fired.
+
+Once in retreat, the Rebels did not halt until out of harm's reach.
+Their camp lay in the line of retreat, but they made no stop in
+passing it. Following in the rear of our column, I entered the camp,
+and found many signs of a hasty departure. I found the fires burning,
+and dozens of coffee-pots and frying-pans filled with the materials
+for breakfast. Here was a pan full of meat fried to a crisp, from the
+neglect of the cook to remove it before his sudden exodus. A few feet
+distant lay a ham, with a knife sticking in a half-severed slice. A
+rude camp-table was spread with plates and their accessories, and a
+portion of the articles of food were carefully arranged. The seats for
+the breakfast party were in position, two of them being overturned.
+I could not help fancying the haste with which that table had been
+abandoned, only a few moments before. The tents were standing, and in
+some the blankets were lying on the ground, as if they had been
+very suddenly vacated. In one tent was a side-saddle, a neat pair of
+gaiters, and a hoop-skirt. The proper connection of those articles
+with the battle-field I was unable to ascertain.
+
+In that camp was a fine lot of provisions, arms, equipments, and
+ammunition. Saddles were numerous, but there were no horses. It was
+evident that, the hasty evacuation left no time for the simple process
+of saddling.
+
+Early in the day I had come into possession of a horse with a very
+poor outfit. Once in camp, I was not slow to avail myself of the
+privilege of supply. I went into battle on foot, carrying only a
+knapsack containing a note-book and two pieces of bread. When the
+fight was over, I was the possessor of a horse and all the equipments
+for a campaign. I had an overcoat, a roll of fine blankets, and a pair
+of saddle-bags. The latter were well filled from the trunk of some
+one I had not the pleasure of knowing, but who was evidently "just
+my size." Mr. Barnes, of the Missouri _Democrat_, was my companion
+on that occasion. He was equally careful to provide himself from the
+enemy's stores, but wasted, time in becoming sentimental over two
+love-letters and a photograph of a young woman.
+
+The flags captured in this affair were excellent illustrations of the
+policy of the leading Secessionists. There was one Rebel flag with
+the arms of the State of Missouri filling the field. There was a State
+flag, with only fifteen stars surrounding the coat of arms. There was
+a. Rebel flag, with the State arms in the center, and there was one
+Rebel flag of the regular pattern. The rallying-cry at that time was
+in behalf of the State, and the people were told they must act for
+Missouri, without regard to any thing else. In no part of the country
+was the "State Rights" theory more freely used. All the changes were
+rung upon the sovereignty of States, the right of Missouri to exclude
+United States soldiers from her soil, the illegality of the formation
+of Union regiments, and the tyranny of the General Government.
+
+The flags under which Missouri soldiers were gathered clearly blended
+the interests of the State with secession.
+
+Our troops entered Booneville amid demonstrations of delight from one
+portion of the inhabitants, and the frowns and muttered indignation
+of the other. The Rebels had fled, a part of them by land, and the
+balance on a steamboat, toward Lexington. Quiet possession obtained,
+there was time to examine into the details of the fight. We had lost
+twelve men, the enemy probably twice as many. The action, three years
+later, would have been considered only a roadside skirmish, but it
+was then an affair of importance. Every man with General Lyon felt far
+more elation over the result than has since been felt over battles
+of much greater moment. We had won a signal victory; the enemy had
+suffered an equally signal defeat.
+
+During the battle, a chaplain, provided with four men to look after
+the wounded, came suddenly upon a group of twenty-four Rebels. An
+imperative demand for their surrender was promptly complied with, and
+the chaplain, with his force of four, brought twenty-four prisoners
+into town. He was so delighted at his success that he subsequently
+took a commission in the line. In time he was honored with the stars
+of a brigadier-general.
+
+General Lyon was my personal friend, but he very nearly did me great
+injustice. Seeing myself and a fellow-journalist on a distant part
+of the field, he mistook us for scouts of the enemy, and ordered
+his sharp-shooters to pick us off. His chief-of-staff looked in our
+direction, and fortunately recognized us in time to countermand the
+order. I was afterward on the point of being shot at by an infantry
+captain, through a similar mistake. A civilian's dress on the
+battle-field (a gray coat formed a part of mine) subjects the wearer
+to many dangers from his friends, as most war correspondents can
+testify.
+
+While approaching the town, I stopped to slake my thirst at a well. A
+group of our soldiers joined me while I was drinking. I had drank
+very freely from the bucket, and transferred it to a soldier, when
+the resident of a neighboring house appeared, and informed us that
+the well had been poisoned by the Rebels, and the water was certain to
+produce death. The soldiers desisted, and looked at me with much pity.
+For a moment, I confess, the situation did not appear cheerful, but
+I concluded the injury, if any, was already done, and I must make the
+best of it. The soldiers watched me as I mounted my horse, evidently
+expecting me to fall within a hundred yards. When I met one of them
+the following day, he opened his eyes in astonishment at seeing me
+alive. From that day, I entertained a great contempt for poisoned
+wells.
+
+In Booneville the incidents were not of a startling character. I found
+the strongest secession sympathy was entertained by the wealthier
+inhabitants, while the poor were generally loyal. Some cases of
+determined loyalty I found among the wealthy; but they were the
+exception rather than the rule. Accompanied by a small squad of
+soldiers, myself and companion visited the house of a gentleman
+holding office under the United States Government. We obtained from
+that house several Rebel cockades and small flags, which had been
+fabricated by the ladies.
+
+With the same squad we visited the principal bank of Booneville, and
+persuaded the cashier to give us a Rebel flag which had been floating
+for several days from a staff in front of the building. This flag was
+ten yards in length, and the materials of which it was made were of
+the finest quality. The interview between the cashier and ourselves
+was an amusing one. He protested he knew nothing of the flag or its
+origin, and at first declared it was not about the building. According
+to his own representation, he was too good a Union man to harbor
+any thing of the sort. Just as he was in the midst of a very earnest
+profession of loyalty the flag was discovered.
+
+"Somebody must have put that there to ruin me," was his exclamation.
+"Gentlemen, I hope you won't harm me; and, if you want me to do so, I
+will take the oath of allegiance this minute."
+
+Soon after the occupation of Booneville, General Lyon sent a small
+expedition to Syracuse, twenty-five miles in the interior. This force
+returned in a few days, and then preparations were begun for a march
+to Springfield. Colonel Blair left Booneville for St. Louis and
+Washington, while General Lyon attended to the preliminaries for his
+contemplated movement. The First Iowa Infantry joined him, and formed
+a part of his expeditionary force. The Rebels gathered at Lexington,
+and thence moved southward to reach the Arkansas line, to form a
+junction with the then famous Ben McCulloch.
+
+The prospect was good that Central Missouri would soon be clear of
+Rebels. Our general success in the State depended upon occupying
+and holding the Southwest. General Lyon was to move thither from
+Booneville. General Sweeney had already gone there by way of Rolla,
+while another force, under Major Sturgis, was moving from Leavenworth
+in a southeasterly direction. All were to unite at Springfield and
+form an army of occupation.
+
+Preparations went on slowly, as the transportation was to be gathered
+from the surrounding country. Foreseeing that the expedition would
+be slow to reach Springfield, I returned to St. Louis. There I made
+preparations to join the army, when its march should be completed, by
+a more expeditious route than the one General Lyon would follow.
+
+At Booneville, General Lyon established a temporary blockade of the
+Missouri River, by stopping all boats moving in either direction. In
+most cases a single shot across the bow of a boat sufficed to bring it
+to land. One day the _White Cloud_, on her way from Kansas City to St.
+Louis, refused to halt until three shots had been fired, the last one
+grazing the top of the pilot-house. When brought before General Lyon,
+the captain of the _White Cloud_ apologized for neglecting to obey the
+first signal, and said his neglect was due to his utter ignorance of
+military usage.
+
+The apology was deemed sufficient. The captain was dismissed, with a
+gentle admonition not to make a similar mistake in future.
+
+At that time the public was slow to understand the power and extent of
+military law and military rule. When martial law was declared in St.
+Louis, in August, 1861, a citizen waited upon the provost-marshal, in
+order to ascertain the precise state of affairs.
+
+After some desultory conversation, he threw out the question:--
+
+"What does martial law do?"
+
+"Well," said Major McKinstry, the provost-marshal, "I can explain
+the whole thing in a second. Martial law does pretty much as it d--n
+pleases."
+
+Before the year was ended the inhabitants of St. Louis learned that
+the major's assertion was not far from the truth.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+TO SPRINGFIELD AND BEYOND.
+
+Conduct of the St. Louis Secessionists.--Collisions between Soldiers
+and Citizens.--Indignation of the Guests of a Hotel.--From St.
+Louis to Rolla.--Opinions of a "Regular."--Railway-life in
+Missouri.--Unprofitable Freight.--A Story of Orthography.--Mountains
+and Mountain Streams.--Fastidiousness Checked.--Frontier
+Courtesy.--Concentration of Troops at Springfield.--A Perplexing
+Situation.--The March to Dug Spring.--Sufferings from Heat and Thirst.
+
+
+The success of the Union arms at Booneville did not silence the
+Secessionists in St. Louis. They continued to hold meetings, and
+arrange plans for assisting their friends in the field. At many
+places, one could hear expressions of indignation at the restrictions
+which the proper authorities sought to put upon the secession
+movement. Union flags were torn from the front of private
+buildings--generally in the night or early morning. Twice, when
+Union troops were marching along the streets, they were fired upon by
+citizens. A collision of this kind had occurred at the corner of Fifth
+and Walnut streets, on the day after the capture of Camp Jackson. The
+soldiers returned the fire, and killed several persons; but this did
+not deter the Secessionists from repeating the experiment. In the
+affairs that took place after the battle of Booneville, the result was
+the same. Unfortunately, in each collision, a portion of those killed
+were innocent on-lookers. After a few occurrences of this kind,
+soldiers were allowed to march through the streets without
+molestation.
+
+About the first of July, there were rumors that an insurrection would
+be attempted on the National holiday. Ample provision was made to give
+the insurgents a warm reception. Consequently, they made no trouble.
+The printer of the bills of fare at a prominent hotel noticed the
+Fourth of July by ornamenting his work with a National flag, in
+colors. This roused the indignation of a half-dozen guests, whose
+sympathies lay with the Rebellion. They threatened to leave, but
+were so far in arrears that they could not settle their accounts.
+The hotel-keeper endeavored to soothe them by promising to give his
+printing, for the future, to another house. Several loyal guests were
+roused at this offer, and threatened to secede at once if it were
+carried out. The affair resulted in nothing but words.
+
+On the morning of the 11th of July I left St. Louis, to join General
+Lyon in the Southwest. It was a day's ride by rail to Rolla, the
+terminus of the Southwest Branch of the Pacific road. I well recollect
+the strange and motley group that filled the cars on that journey.
+There were a few officers and soldiers _en route_ to join their
+comrades in the field. Nearly all of them were fresh from civil life.
+They wore their uniforms uneasily, as a farmer's boy wears his Sunday
+suit. Those who carried sabers experienced much inconvenience when
+walking, on account of the propensity of those weapons to get between
+their legs. In citizen's dress, at my side, sat an officer of the old
+army, who looked upon these newly-made warriors with much contempt,
+mingled with an admiration of their earnestness. After an outburst
+of mild invective, he pronounced a well-merited tribute to their
+patriotism.
+
+"After all," said he, "they are as good as the material the Rebels
+have for their army. In some respects, they are better. The Northern
+blood is cold; the Southern is full of life and passion. In the first
+onset, our enemies will prove more impetuous than we, and will often
+overpower us. In the beginning of the struggle, they will prove our
+superiors, and may be able to boast of the first victories. But their
+physical energy will soon be exhausted, while ours will steadily
+increase. Patience, coolness, and determination will be sure to bring
+us the triumph in the end. These raw recruits, that are at present
+worthless before trained soldiers, distrusting themselves as we
+distrust them, will yet become veterans, worthy to rank with the best
+soldiers of the Old World."
+
+The civilian passengers on a railway in Missouri are essentially
+different from the same class in the East. There are very few women,
+and the most of these are not as carefully dressed as their Oriental
+sisters. Their features lack the fineness that one observes in New
+York and New England. The "hog and hominy," the general diet of the
+Southwest, is plainly perceptible in the physique of the women. The
+male travelers, who are not indigenous to the soil, are more roughly
+clothed and more careless in manner than the same order of passengers
+between New York and Boston. Of those who enter and leave at
+way-stations, the men are clad in that yellow, homespun material known
+as "butternut." The casual observer inclines to the opinion that
+there are no good bathing-places where these men reside. They are
+inquisitive, ignorant, unkempt, but generally civil. The women are
+the reverse of attractive, and are usually uncivil and ignorant.
+The majority are addicted to smoking, and generally make use of a
+cob-pipe. Unless objection is made by some passenger, the conductors
+ordinarily allow the women to indulge in this pastime.
+
+The region traversed by the railway is sparsely settled, the ground
+being generally unfavorable to agriculture. For some time after
+this portion of the road was opened, the natives refused to give it
+patronage, many of them declaring that the old mode of travel, by
+horseback, was the best of all. During the first week after opening
+the Southwest Branch, the company ran a daily freight train each way.
+All the freight offered in that time was a bear and a keg of honey.
+Both were placed in the same car. The bear ate the honey, and the
+company was compelled to pay for the damage.
+
+I have heard a story concerning the origin of the name of Rolla, which
+is interesting, though I cannot vouch for its truth. In selecting a
+name for the county seat of Phelps County, a North Carolinian residing
+there, suggested that it should do honor to the capital of his native
+State. The person who reduced the request to writing, used the best
+orthography that occurred to him, so that what should have been
+"Raleigh," became "Rolla." The request thus written was sent to the
+Legislature, and the name of the town became fixed. The inhabitants
+generally pronounce it as if the intended spelling had been adopted.
+
+The journey from Rolla to Springfield was accomplished by stage,
+and required two days of travel. For fifty miles the road led over
+mountains, to the banks of the Gasconade, one of the prettiest rivers
+I have ever seen. The mountain streams of Southwest Missouri, having
+their springs in the limestone rock, possess a peculiarity unknown
+in the Eastern States. In a depth of two feet or less, the water
+is apparently as clear as that of the purest mountain brook in New
+England. But when the depth reaches, or exceeds, three feet, the water
+assumes a deep-blue tinge, like that of the sky in a clear day.
+Viewed from an elevation, the picture is one that cannot be speedily
+forgotten. The blue water makes a marked contrast with surrounding
+objects, as the streams wind through the forests and fields on their
+banks. Though meandering through mountains, these rivers have few
+sharp falls or roaring rapids. Their current is usually gentle, broken
+here and there into a ripple over a slightly descending shallow, but
+observing uniformity in all its windings.
+
+My first night from Rolla was passed on the banks of the Gasconade.
+Another day's ride, extended far into the second night, found me at
+Springfield. When I reached my room at the hotel, and examined
+the bed, I found but one sheet where we usually look for two.
+Expostulations were of no avail. The porter curtly informed me,
+"People here use only one sheet. Down in St. Louis you folks want two
+sheets, but in this part of the country we ain't so nice."
+
+I appreciated my fastidiousness when I afterward saw, at a Tennessee
+hotel, the following notice:--
+
+"Gentlemen who wish towels in their rooms must deposit fifty cents at
+the office, as security for their return."
+
+Travel in the Border and Southern States will acquaint a Northerner
+with strange customs. To find an entire household occupying a single
+large room is not an unfrequent occurrence. The rules of politeness
+require that, when bedtime has arrived, the men shall go out of doors
+to contemplate the stars, while the ladies disrobe and retire. The men
+then return and proceed to bed. Sometimes the ladies amuse themselves
+by studying the fire while the men find their way to their couches,
+where they gallantly turn their faces to the wall, and permit the
+ladies to don their _robes de nuit_.
+
+Notwithstanding the scarcity of accommodations, the traveler seeking
+a meal or resting-place will rarely meet a refusal. In New York or New
+England, one can journey many a mile and find a cold denial at every
+door. In the West and Southwest "the latch-string hangs out," and
+the stranger is always welcome. Especially is this the case among the
+poorer classes.
+
+Springfield is the largest town in Southwest Missouri, and has a fine
+situation. Before the war it was a place of considerable importance,
+as it controlled the trade of a large region around it. East of it the
+country is quite broken, but on the south and west there are stretches
+of rolling prairie, bounded by rough wood-land. Considered in a
+military light, Springfield was the key to that portion of the State.
+A large number of public roads center at that point. Their direction
+is such that the possession of the town by either army would control
+any near position of an adversary of equal or inferior strength.
+General Lyon was prompt in seeing its value, and determined to make an
+early movement for its occupation. When he started from St. Louis
+for Booneville, he ordered General Sweeney to march from Rolla to
+Springfield as speedily as possible.
+
+General Sweeney moved with three regiments of infantry and a battery
+of artillery, and reached Springfield in five days from the time
+of starting; the distance being a hundred and twenty miles. He then
+divided his forces, sending Colonel Sigel to Carthage, nearly fifty
+miles further toward the west, in the hope of cutting off the Rebel
+retreat in that direction. Major Sturgis was moving from Leavenworth
+toward Springfield, and expected to arrive there in advance of General
+Lyon.
+
+Major Sturgis was delayed in crossing a river, so that the Rebels
+arrived at Carthage before Colonel Sigel had been reinforced. The
+latter, with about eleven hundred men, encountered the Rebel column,
+twice as large as his own. The battle raged for several hours, neither
+side losing very heavily. It resulted in Sigel's retreat to avoid
+being surrounded by the enemy. Wonderful stories were told at that
+time of the terrific slaughter in the Rebel ranks, but these stories
+could never be traced to a reliable source. It is proper to say that
+the Rebels made equally large estimates of our own loss.
+
+On General Lyon's arrival all the troops were concentrated in the
+vicinity of Springfield. It was known that the Rebels were encamped
+near the Arkansas border, awaiting the re-enforcements which had been
+promised from the older States of the Confederacy. General Fremont had
+been assigned to the command of the Western Department, and was daily
+expected at St. Louis to assume the direction of affairs. Our scouts
+were kept constantly employed in bringing us news from the Rebel camp,
+and it is quite probable the Rebels were equally well informed of
+our own condition. We were able to learn that their number was on the
+increase, and that they would soon be largely re-enforced. After three
+weeks of occupation our strength promised to be diminished. Half of
+General Lyon's command consisted of "three-months men," whose period
+of enlistment was drawing to a close. A portion of these men went
+to St. Louis, some volunteered to remain as long as the emergency
+required their presence, and others were kept against their
+will. Meantime, General Lyon made the most urgent requests for
+re-enforcements, and declared he would be compelled to abandon the
+Southwest if not speedily strengthened. General Fremont promised to
+send troops to his assistance. After he made the promise, Cairo was
+threatened by General Pillow, and the re-enforcing column turned in
+that direction. General Lyon was left to take care of himself.
+
+By the latter part of July, our situation had become critical. Price's
+army had been re-enforced by a column of Arkansas and Louisiana
+troops, under General McCulloch. This gave the Rebels upward of twelve
+thousand men, while we could muster less than six thousand. General
+Price assumed the offensive, moving slowly toward Springfield, as if
+sure of his ability to overpower the National forces. General Lyon
+determined to fall upon the enemy before he could reach Springfield,
+and moved on the 1st of August with that object in view.
+
+On the second day of our march a strong scouting party of Rebels was
+encountered, and a sharp skirmish ensued, in which they were repulsed.
+This encounter is known in the Southwest as "the fight at Dug Spring."
+The next day another skirmish occurred, and, on the third morning,
+twenty-five miles from Springfield, General Lyon called a council
+of war. "Councils of war do not fight" has grown into a proverb. The
+council on this occasion decided that we should return to Springfield
+without attacking the enemy. The decision was immediately carried out.
+
+The beginning of August, in Southwest Missouri, is in the midst of the
+warm season. The day of the march to Dug Spring was one I shall never
+forget. In Kansas, before the war, I once had a walk of several miles
+under a burning sun, in a region where not a drop of water could be
+found. When I finally reached it, the only water to be found was in
+a small, stagnant pool, covered with a green scum nearly an inch in
+thickness. Warm, brackish, and fever-laden as that water was, I had
+never before tasted any thing half so sweet. Again, while crossing the
+Great Plains in 1860, I underwent a severe and prolonged thirst, only
+quenching it with the bitter alkali-water of the desert. On neither of
+these occasions were my sufferings half as great as in the advance to
+Dug Spring.
+
+A long ride in that hot atmosphere gave me a thirst of the most
+terrible character. Making a detour to the left of the road in a vain
+search for water, I fell behind the column as it marched slowly along.
+As I moved again to the front, I passed scores of men who had fallen
+from utter exhaustion. Many were delirious, and begged piteously for
+water in ever so small a quantity. Several died from excessive heat,
+and others were for a long time unfit for duty. Reaching the spring
+which gave its name to the locality, I was fortunate in finding only
+the advance of the command. With considerable effort I succeeded
+in obtaining a pint cupful of water, and thus allayed my immediate
+thirst.
+
+According to the custom in that region, the spring was covered with a
+frame building, about eight feet square. There are very few cellars
+in that part of the country, and the spring-house, as it is called,
+is used for preserving milk and other articles that require a low
+temperature. As the main portion of the column came up, the crowd
+around the spring-house became so dense that those once inside could
+not get out. The building was lifted and thrown away from the spring,
+but this only served to increase the confusion. Officers found it
+impossible to maintain discipline. When the men caught sight of the
+crowd at the spring, the lines were instantly broken. At the spring,
+officers and men were mingled without regard to rank, all struggling
+for the same object. A few of the former, who had been fortunate in
+commencing the day with full canteens, attempted to bring order out
+of chaos, but found the effort useless. No command was heeded. The
+officers of the two regiments of "regulars" had justly boasted of the
+superior discipline of their men. On this occasion the superiority was
+not apparent. Volunteers and regulars were equally subject to thirst,
+and made equal endeavor to quench it.
+
+Twenty yards below the spring was a shallow pool, where cattle and
+hogs were allowed to run. Directly above it was a trough containing
+a few gallons of warm water, which had evidently been there several
+days. This was speedily taken by the men. Then the hot, scum-covered
+pool was resorted to. In a very few minutes the trampling of the
+soldiers' feet had stirred this pool till its substance was more like
+earth than water. Even from this the men would fill their cups and
+canteens, and drink with the utmost eagerness. I saw a private
+soldier emerge from the crowd with a canteen full of this worse than
+ditch-water. An officer tendered a five-dollar gold piece for the
+contents of the canteen, and found his offer indignantly refused. To
+such a frenzy were men driven by thirst that they tore up handfuls
+of moist earth, and swallowed the few drops of water that could be
+pressed out.
+
+In subsequent campaigns I witnessed many scenes of hunger and thirst,
+but none to equal those of that day at Dug Spring.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE BATTLE OF WILSON CREEK.
+
+The Return from Dug Spring.--The Rebels follow in
+Pursuit.--Preparations to Attack them.--The Plan of Battle.--Moving
+to the Attack--A Bivouac.--The Opening Shot.--"Is that
+Official?"--Sensations of a Spectator in Battle.--Extension of
+Distance and Time.--Characteristics of Projectiles.--Taking Notes
+under Fire.--Strength and Losses of the Opposing Armies.--A Noble
+Record.--The Wounded on the Field.--"One More Shot."--Granger in his
+Element.--General Lyon's Death.
+
+
+The return of General Lyon from Dug Spring emboldened the enemy to
+move nearer to Springfield. On the 7th of August the Rebels reached
+Wilson Creek, ten miles from Springfield, and formed their camp
+on both sides of that stream. General Ben. McCulloch was their
+commander-in-chief. On the night of the 8th, General Lyon proposed to
+move from Springfield for the purpose of attacking their position.
+The design was not carried out, on account of the impossibility of
+securing proper disposition of our forces in season to reach the
+enemy's camp at daylight.
+
+During the 8th and the forenoon of the 9th, preparations were made for
+resisting an attack in Springfield, in case the enemy should come upon
+us. In the afternoon of the 9th, General Lyon decided to assault the
+Rebel camp at daylight of the following morning. A council of war
+had determined that a defeat would be less injurious than a retreat
+without a battle, provided the defeat were not too serious. "To
+abandon the Southwest without a struggle," said General Lyon, "would
+be a sad blow to our cause, and would greatly encourage the Rebels. We
+will fight, and hope for the best."
+
+In arranging a plan of battle, Colonel Sigel suggested that the forces
+should be divided, so that a simultaneous attack would be made upon
+either extremity of the enemy's camp. The two columns were to move
+from Springfield at sunset, bivouac within four miles of the proposed
+battle-field, and begin their march early enough to fall upon the
+enemy's camp a little past daylight. We left Springfield about sunset
+on the 9th, General Lyon taking about three thousand men, while
+Colonel Sigel took less than two thousand. Exceptions have frequently
+been made to this mode of attack. Had it been successful, I presume no
+one would have found it faulty. It is an easy matter to criticise the
+plans of others, after their result is known.
+
+The columns moved by different roads to obtain the desired positions.
+The march was as silent as possible. The only sounds were the rumbling
+of wheels and the occasional clank of arms. No one was heavily
+encumbered, as we expected to return to Springfield before the
+following night. Midnight found us in a hay-field, four miles from the
+Rebel camp. There we rested till morning.
+
+On the previous night I had been almost without sleep, and therefore
+took speedy advantage of the halt. Two journeys over the Plains,
+a little trip into New Mexico, and some excursions among the Rocky
+Mountains, had taught me certain rules of campaign life. I rarely
+moved without my blankets and rubber "poncho," and with a haversack
+more or less well filled. On this occasion I was prepared for sleeping
+in the open air.
+
+One bivouac is much like another. When one is weary, a blanket on the
+ground is just as comfortable as a bed of down under a slated roof. If
+accustomed to lie under lace curtains, a tree or a bush will make an
+excellent substitute. "Tired nature's sweet restorer" comes quickly to
+an exhausted frame. Realities of the past, expectations of the future,
+hopes, sorrows, wishes, regrets--all are banished as we sink into
+sweet repose.
+
+At dawn we were in motion. At daylight the smoke hanging over the
+enemy's camp was fully before us. Sunrise was near at hand when
+the hostile position was brought to our view. It lay, as we had
+anticipated, stretched along the banks of Wilson Creek.
+
+Until our advance drove in the pickets, a thousand yards from their
+camp, the Rebels had no intimation of our approach. Many of them were
+reluctant to believe we were advancing to attack them, and thought the
+firing upon the pickets was the work of a scouting party. The opening
+of our artillery soon undeceived them, a shell being dropped in the
+middle of their camp.
+
+A Rebel officer afterward told me about our first shell. When the
+pickets gave the alarm of our approach, the Rebel commander ordered
+his forces to "turn out." An Arkansas colonel was in bed when the
+order reached him, and lazily asked, "Is that official?" Before the
+bearer of the order could answer, our shell tore through the colonel's
+tent, and exploded a few yards beyond it. The officer waited for no
+explanation, but ejaculated, "That's official, anyhow," as he sprang
+out of his blankets, and arrayed himself in fighting costume.
+
+Before the Rebels could respond to our morning salutation, we heard
+the booming of Sigel's cannon on the left. Colonel Sigel reached the
+spot assigned him some minutes before we were able to open fire from
+our position. It had been stipulated that he should wait for the sound
+of our guns before making his attack. His officers said they waited
+nearly fifteen minutes for our opening shot. They could look into the
+Rebel camp in the valley of the stream, a few hundred yards distant.
+The cooks were beginning their preparations for breakfast, and gave
+our men a fine opportunity to learn the process of making Confederate
+corn-bread and coffee. Some of the Rebels saw our men, and supposed
+they were their own forces, who had taken up a new position. Several
+walked into our lines, and found themselves prisoners of war.
+
+Previous to that day I had witnessed several skirmishes, but this was
+my first battle of importance. Distances seemed much greater than they
+really were. I stood by the side of Captain Totten's battery as it
+opened the conflict.
+
+"How far are you firing?" I asked.
+
+"About eight hundred yards; not over that," was the captain's
+response.
+
+I should have called it sixteen hundred, had I been called on for an
+estimate.
+
+Down the valley rose the smoke of Sigel's guns, about a mile distant,
+though, apparently, two or three miles away.
+
+Opposite Sigel's position was the camp of the Arkansas Division:
+though it was fully in my sight, and the tents and wagons were plainly
+visible, I could not get over the impression that they were far off.
+
+The explosions of our shells, and the flashes of the enemy's guns, a
+short distance up the slope on the opposite side of the creek, seemed
+to be at a considerable distance.
+
+To what I shall ascribe these illusions, I do not know. On subsequent
+battle-fields I have never known their recurrence. Greater battles,
+larger streams, higher hills, broader fields, wider valleys, more
+extended camps, have come under my observation, but in none of them
+has the romance exceeded the reality.
+
+The hours did not crowd into minutes, but the minutes almost
+extended into hours. I frequently found, on consulting my watch, that
+occurrences, apparently of an hour's duration, were really less than a
+half or a quarter of that time.
+
+As the sun rose, it passed into a cloud. When it emerged, I fully
+expected it would be some distance toward the zenith, and was
+surprised to find it had advanced only a few degrees.
+
+There was a light shower, that lasted less than ten minutes: I judged
+it had been twenty.
+
+The evolutions of the troops on the field appeared slow and awkward.
+They were really effected with great promptness.
+
+General Lyon was killed before nine o'clock, as I very well knew.
+It was some days before I could rid myself of an impression that his
+death occurred not far from noon.
+
+The apparent extension of the hours was the experience of several
+persons on that field. I think it has been known by many, on the
+occasion of their first battle. At Pea Ridge, an officer told me,
+there seemed to be about thirty hours between sunrise and sunset.
+Another thought it was four P.M. when the sun was at the meridian.
+It was only at Wilson Creek that I experienced this sensation. On
+subsequent battle-fields I had no reason to complain of my estimate of
+time.
+
+The first shell from the enemy's guns passed high over my head. I well
+remember the screech of that missile as it cut through the air and
+lost itself in the distance. "Too high, Captain Bledsoe," exclaimed
+our artillery officer, as he planted a shell among the Rebel gunners.
+In firing a half-dozen rounds the Rebels obtained our range, and then
+used their guns with some effect. The noise of each of those shells
+I can distinctly recall, though I have since listened to hundreds of
+similar sounds, of which I have no vivid recollection. The sound made
+by a shell, in its passage through the air, cannot be described, and,
+when once heard, can never be forgotten.
+
+I was very soon familiar with the whistling of musket-balls. Before
+the end of the action, I thought I could distinguish the noise of
+a Minie bullet from that of a common rifle-ball, or a ball from a
+smooth-bored musket. Once, while conversing with the officer in charge
+of the skirmish line, I found myself the center of a very hot fire.
+It seemed, at that instant, as if a swarm of the largest and most
+spiteful bees had suddenly appeared around me. The bullets flew too
+rapidly to be counted, but I fancied I could perceive a variation in
+their sound.
+
+After I found a position beyond the range of musketry, the artillery
+would insist upon searching me out. While I was seated under a small
+oak-tree, with my left arm through my horse's bridle, and my pencil
+busy on my note-book, the tree above my head was cut by a shell.
+Moving from that spot, I had just resumed my writing, when a shot tore
+up the ground under my arm, and covered me with dirt. Even a remove
+to another quarter did not answer my purpose, and I finished my notes
+after reaching the rear.
+
+It is not my intention to give the details of the battle--the
+movements of each regiment, battalion, or battery, as it performed
+its part in the work. The official record will be sought by those who
+desire the purely military history. It is to be regretted that the
+official report of the engagement at Wilson Creek displays the
+great hostility of its author toward a fellow-soldier. In the early
+campaigns in Missouri, many officers of the regular army vied with the
+Rebels in their hatred of "the Dutch." This feeling was not confined
+to Missouri alone, but was apparent in the East as well as in the
+West. As the war progressed the hostility diminished, but it was never
+entirely laid aside.
+
+The duration of the battle was about four and a half hours. The
+whole force under the National flag was five thousand men. The Rebels
+acknowledged having twelve thousand, of all arms. It is probable that
+this estimate was a low one. The Rebels were generally armed with
+shot-guns, common rifles, and muskets of the old pattern. About a
+thousand had no arms whatever. Their artillery ammunition was of
+poorer quality than our own. These circumstances served to make the
+disparity less great than the actual strength of the hostile forces
+would imply. Even with these considerations, the odds against General
+Lyon were quite large.
+
+Our loss was a little less than one-fifth our whole strength. Up to
+that time, a battle in which one-tenth of those engaged was placed
+_hors de combat_, was considered a very sanguinary affair. During the
+war there were many engagements where the defeated party suffered a
+loss of less than one-twentieth. Wilson Creek can take rank as one
+of the best-fought battles, when the number engaged is brought into
+consideration.
+
+The First Missouri Infantry went into action with seven hundred and
+twenty-six men. Its casualty list was as follows:--
+
+   Killed................................   77
+   Dangerously wounded...................   93
+   Otherwise wounded.....................  126
+   Captured..............................    2
+   Missing...............................   15
+                                           ---
+          Total..........................  313
+
+The First Kansas Infantry, out of seven hundred and eighty-five men,
+lost two hundred and ninety-six. The loss in other regiments was quite
+severe, though not proportionately as heavy as the above. These two
+regiments did not break during the battle, and when they left the
+ground they marched off as coolly as from a parade.
+
+At the time our retreat was ordered our ammunition was nearly
+exhausted and the ranks fearfully thinned. The Rebels had made a
+furious attack, in which they were repulsed. General Sweeney insisted
+that it was their last effort, and if we remained on the ground we
+would not be molested again. Major Sturgis, upon whom the command
+devolved after General Lyon's death, reasoned otherwise, and
+considered it best to fall back to Springfield. The Rebels afterward
+admitted that General McCulloch had actually given the order for
+retreat a few moments before they learned of our withdrawal. Of course
+he countermanded his order at once. There were several battles in the
+late Rebellion in which the circumstances were similar. In repeated
+instances the victorious party thought itself defeated, and was much
+astonished at finding its antagonist had abandoned the struggle.
+
+In our retreat we brought away many of our wounded, but left many
+others on the field. When the Rebels took possession they cared for
+their own men as well as the circumstances would permit, but gave no
+assistance to ours. There were reports, well authenticated, that some
+who lay helpless were shot or bayoneted. Two days after the battle a
+surgeon who remained at Springfield was allowed to send out wagons for
+the wounded. Some were not found until after four days' exposure. They
+crawled about as best they could, and, by searching the haversacks of
+dead men, saved themselves from starvation. One party of four built a
+shelter of branches of trees as a protection against the sun. Another
+party crawled to the bank of the creek, and lay day and night at the
+water's edge. Several men sought shelter in the fence corners, or by
+the side of fallen trees.
+
+Two days before the battle, ten dollars were paid to each man of the
+First Kansas Infantry. The money was in twenty-dollar pieces, and
+the payment was made by drawing up the regiment in the customary two
+ranks, and giving a twenty-dollar piece to each man in the front rank.
+Three-fourths of those killed or wounded in that regiment were of the
+front rank. The Rebels learned of this payment, and made rigid search
+of all whom they found on the field. Nearly a year after the battle a
+visitor to the ground picked up one of these gold coins.
+
+During the battle several soldiers from St. Louis and its vicinity
+recognized acquaintances on the opposite side. These recognitions were
+generally the occasion of many derisive and abusive epithets. In the
+Border States each party had a feeling of bitter hostility toward the
+other. Probably the animosity was greater in Missouri than elsewhere.
+
+A lieutenant of the First Missouri Infantry reported that he saw one
+of the men of his regiment sitting under a tree during the battle,
+busily engaged in whittling a bullet.
+
+"What are you doing there?" said the officer.
+
+"My ammunition is gone, and I'm cutting down this bullet to fit my
+gun." (The soldier's musket was a "54-caliber," and the bullet was a
+"59.")
+
+"Look around among the wounded men," was the order, "and get some
+54-cartridges. Don't stop to cut down that bullet."
+
+"I would look around, lieutenant," the soldier responded, "but I can't
+move. My leg is shot through. I won't be long cutting this down, and
+then I want a chance to hit some of them."
+
+Captain Gordon Granger was serving on the staff of General Lyon. When
+not actively engaged in his professional duties, he visited all parts
+of the field where the fight was hottest. Though himself somewhat
+excited, he was constantly urging the raw soldiers to keep cool and
+not throw away a shot. Wherever there was a weak place in our line,
+he was among the first to discover it and devise a plan for making
+it good. On one occasion, he found a gap between two regiments,
+and noticed that the Rebels were preparing to take advantage of it.
+Without a moment's delay, he transferred three companies of infantry
+to the spot, managing to keep them concealed behind a small ridge.
+
+"Now, lie still; don't raise your heads out of the grass," said
+Granger; "I'll tell you when to fire."
+
+The Rebels advanced toward the supposed gap. Granger stood where he
+could see and not be seen. He was a strange compound of coolness and
+excitement. While his judgment was of the best, and his resources were
+ready for all emergencies, a by-stander would have thought him heated
+almost to frenzy. The warmth of his blood gave him a wonderful energy
+and rendered him ubiquitous; his skill and decision made his services
+of the highest importance.
+
+"There they come; steady, now; let them get near enough; fire low;
+give them h--l."
+
+The Rebels rushed forward, thinking to find an easy passage. When
+within less than fifty yards, Granger ordered his men to fire. The
+complete repulse of the Rebels was the result.
+
+"There, boys; you've done well. D--n the scoundrels; they won't come
+here again." With this, the captain hastened to some other quarter.
+
+The death of General Lyon occurred near the middle of the battle. So
+many accounts of this occurrence have been given, that I am not fully
+satisfied which is the correct one. I know at least half a dozen
+individuals in whose arms General Lyon expired, and think there are
+as many more who claim that sad honor. There is a similar mystery
+concerning his last words, a dozen versions having been given by
+persons who claim to have heard them. It is my belief that General
+Lyon was killed while reconnoitering the enemy's line and directing
+the advance of a regiment of infantry. I believe he was on foot at
+the instant, and was caught, as he fell, in the arms of "Lehman," his
+orderly. His last utterance was, doubtless, the order for the infantry
+to advance, and was given a moment before he received the fatal
+bullet. From the nature of the wound, his death, if not instantaneous,
+was very speedy. A large musket-ball entered his left side, in the
+region of the heart, passing nearly through to the right. A reported
+wound in the breast was made with a bayonet in the hands of a Rebel
+soldier, several hours afterward. The body was brought to Springfield
+on the night after the battle.
+
+It was my fortune to be acquainted with General Lyon. During the
+progress of the war I met no one who impressed me more than he, in his
+devotion to the interests of the country. If he possessed ambition
+for personal glory, I was unable to discover it. He declared that
+reputation was a bubble, which no good soldier should follow. Wealth
+was a shadow, which no man in the country's service should heed. His
+pay as an officer was sufficient for all his wants, and he desired
+nothing more. He gave to the Nation, as the friend he loved the
+dearest, a fortune which he had inherited. If his death could aid in
+the success of the cause for which he was fighting, he stood ready to
+die. The gloom that spread throughout the North when the news of his
+loss was received, showed a just appreciation of his character.
+
+  "How sleep the brave who sink to rest
+   By all their country's wishes blest!"
+
+At that battle there was the usual complement of officers for five
+thousand men. Two years later there were seven major-generals and
+thirteen brigadier-generals who had risen from the Wilson Creek Army.
+There were colonels, lieutenant-colonels, and majors, by the score,
+who fought in the line or in the ranks on that memorable 10th of
+August. In 1863, thirty-two commissioned officers were in the service
+from one company of the First Iowa Infantry. Out of one company of the
+First Missouri Infantry, twenty-eight men received commissions. To the
+majority of the officers from that army promotion was rapid, though
+a few cases occurred in which the services they rendered were tardily
+acknowledged.
+
+[Illustration: DEATH OF GENERAL LYON]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE RETREAT FROM SPRINGFIELD.
+
+A Council of War.--The Journalists' Council.--Preparations for
+Retreat.--Preceding the Advance-Guard.--Alarm and Anxiety of the
+People.--Magnificent Distances.--A Novel Odometer.--The Unreliable
+Countryman.--Neutrality.--A Night at Lebanon.--A Disagreeable
+Lodging-place.--Active Secessionists.--The Man who Sought and
+Found his Rights.--Approaching Civilization.--Rebel Couriers on the
+Route.--Arrival at Rolla.
+
+
+On the night after the battle, the army was quartered at Springfield.
+The Rebels had returned to the battle-ground, and were holding it in
+possession. The court-house and a large hotel were taken for hospitals,
+and received such of our wounded as were brought in. At a council of
+war, it was decided to fall back to Rolla, a hundred and twenty miles
+distant, and orders were given to move at daylight.
+
+The journalists held a council of war, and decided to commence their
+retreat at half-past two o'clock in the morning, in order to be in
+advance of the army. The probabilities were in favor of the enemy's
+cavalry being at the junction of certain roads, five miles east of
+the town. We, therefore, divested ourselves of every thing of a
+compromising character. In my own saddle-bags I took only such toilet
+articles as I had long carried, and which were not of a warlike
+nature. We destroyed papers that might give information to the enemy,
+and kept only our note-books, from which all reference to the strength
+of our army was carefully stricken out. We determined, in case
+of capture, to announce ourselves as journalists, and display our
+credentials.
+
+One of our party was a telegraph operator as well as a journalist. He
+did not wish to appear in the former character, as the Missouri
+Rebels were then declaring they would show no quarter to telegraphers.
+Accordingly, he took special care to divest himself of all that
+pertained to the transmission of intelligence over the wires. A
+pocket "instrument," which he had hitherto carried, he concealed in
+Springfield, after carefully disabling the office, and leaving the
+establishment unfit for immediate use.
+
+We passed the dangerous point five miles from town, just as day was
+breaking. No Rebel cavalry confronted us in the highway, nor shouted
+an unwelcome "halt!" from a roadside thicket. All was still, though we
+fancied we could hear a sound of troops in motion far in the distance
+toward Wilson Creek. The Rebels were doubtless astir, though they did
+not choose to interfere with the retreat of our army.
+
+As day broke and the sun rose, we found the people of both
+complexions thronging to the road, and seeking, anxiously, the latest
+intelligence. At first we bore their questions patiently, and briefly
+told them what had occurred. Finding that we lost much time, we began,
+early in the day, to give the shortest answers possible. As fast as
+we proceeded the people became more earnest, and would insist upon
+delaying us. Soon after mid-day we commenced denying we had been at the
+battle, or even in Springfield. This was our only course if we would
+avoid detention. Several residents of Springfield, and with them a
+runaway captain from a Kansas regiment, had preceded us a few hours
+and told much more than the truth. Some of them had advised the people
+to abandon their homes and go to Rolla or St. Louis, assuring them
+they would all be murdered if they remained at home.
+
+In pursuance of this advice many were loading a portion of their
+household goods upon wagons and preparing to precede or follow the
+army in its retreat. We quieted their alarm as much as possible,
+advising them to stay at home and trust to fortune. We could not
+imagine that the Rebels would deal severely with the inhabitants,
+except in cases where they had been conspicuous in the Union cause.
+Some of the people took our advice, unloaded their wagons, and waited
+for further developments. Others persisted in their determination to
+leave. They knew the Rebels better than we, and hesitated to trust
+their tender mercies. A year later we learned more of "the barbarism
+of Slavery."
+
+Southwest Missouri is a region of magnificent distances. A mile in
+that locality is like two miles in the New England or Middle States.
+The people have an easy way of computing distance by the survey lines.
+Thus, if it is the width of a township from one point to another,
+they call the distance six miles, even though the road may follow
+the tortuosities of a creek or of the crest of a ridge, and be ten or
+twelve miles by actual measurement.
+
+From Springfield to Lebanon it is called fifty miles, as indicated by
+the survey lines. A large part of the way the route is quite direct,
+but there are places where it winds considerably among the hills, and
+adds several miles to the length of the road. No account is taken of
+this, but all is thrown into the general reckoning.
+
+There is a popular saying on the frontier, that they measure the roads
+with a fox-skin, and make no allowance for the tail. Frequently I have
+been told it was five miles to a certain point, and, after an hour's
+riding, on inquiry, found that the place I sought was still five, and
+sometimes six, miles distant. Once, when I essayed a "short cut" of
+two miles, that was to save me twice that distance, I rode at a good
+pace for an hour and a half to accomplish it, and traveled, as I
+thought, at least eight miles.
+
+On the route from Springfield to Lebanon we were much amused at the
+estimates of distance. Once I asked a rough-looking farmer, "How far
+is it to Sand Springs?"
+
+"Five miles, stranger," was the reply. "May be you won't find it so
+much."
+
+After riding three miles, and again inquiring, I was informed it was
+"risin' six miles to Sand Springs." Who could believe in the existence
+of a reliable countryman, after that?
+
+Thirty miles from Springfield, we stopped at a farm-house for dinner.
+While our meal was being prepared, we lay upon the grass in front
+of the house, and were at once surrounded by a half-dozen anxious
+natives. We answered their questions to the best of our abilities,
+but nearly all of us fell asleep five minutes after lying down. When
+aroused for dinner, I was told I had paused in the middle of a word
+of two syllables, leaving my hearers to exercise their imaginations on
+what I was about to say.
+
+Dinner was the usual "hog and hominy" of the Southwest, varied with
+the smallest possible loaf of wheaten bread. Outside the house, before
+dinner, the men were inquisitive. Inside the house, when we were
+seated for dinner, the women were unceasing in their inquiries. Who
+can resist the questions of a woman, even though she be an uneducated
+and unkempt Missourian? The dinner and the questions kept us awake,
+and we attended faithfully to both.
+
+The people of this household were not enthusiastic friends of the
+Union. Like many other persons, they were anxious to preserve the
+good opinion of both sides, by doing nothing in behalf of either. Thus
+neutral, they feared they would be less kindly treated by the Rebels
+than by the National forces. Though they had no particular love for
+our army, I think they were sorry to see it departing. A few of the
+Secessionists were not slow to express the fear that their own army
+would not be able to pay in full for all it wanted, as our army had
+done.
+
+Horses and riders refreshed, our journey was resumed. The scenes of
+the afternoon were like those of the morning: the same alarm among
+the people, the same exaggerated reports, and the same advice from
+ourselves, when we chose to give it. The road stretched out in the
+same way it had hitherto done, and the information derived from the
+inhabitants was as unreliable as ever. It was late in the evening, in
+the midst of a heavy shower, that we reached Lebanon, where we halted
+for the night.
+
+I have somewhere read of a Persian king who beheaded his subjects for
+the most trivial or imaginary offenses. The officers of his cabinet,
+when awaking in the morning, were accustomed to place their hands
+to their necks, to ascertain if their heads still remained. The
+individuals comprising our party had every reason to make a similar
+examination on the morning after our stay in this town, and to express
+many thanks at the gratifying result.
+
+On reaching the only hotel at Lebanon, long after dark, we found the
+public room occupied by a miscellaneous assemblage. It was easy to see
+that they were more happy than otherwise at the defeat which our arms
+had sustained. While our supper was being prepared we made ready for
+it, all the time keeping our eyes on the company. We were watched
+as we went to supper, and, on reaching the table, found two persons
+sitting so near our allotted places that we could not converse freely.
+
+After supper several individuals wished to talk with us concerning
+the recent events. We made the battle appear much better than it had
+really been, and assured them that a company of cavalry was following
+close behind us, and would speedily arrive. This information was
+unwelcome, as the countenances of the listeners plainly indicated.
+
+One of our party was called aside by a Union citizen, and informed
+of a plan to rob, and probably kill, us before morning. This was not
+pleasing. It did not add to the comfort of the situation to know that
+a collision between the Home Guards and a company of Secessionists was
+momentarily expected. At either end of the town the opposing parties
+were reported preparing for a fight. As the hotel was about half-way
+between the two points, our position became interesting.
+
+Next came a report from an unreliable contraband that our horses had
+been stolen. We went to the stable, as a man looks in a wallet he
+knows to be empty, and happily found our animals still there. We
+found, however, that the stable had been invaded and robbed of two
+horses in stalls adjacent to those of our own. The old story of the
+theft of a saw-mill, followed by that of the dam, was brought to our
+minds, with the exception, that the return of the thief was not likely
+to secure his capture. The stable-keeper offered to lock the door and
+resign the key to our care. His offer was probably well intended, but
+we could see little advantage in accepting it, as there were several
+irregular openings in the side of the building, each of them ample for
+the egress of a horse.
+
+In assigning us quarters for the night, the landlord suggested that
+two should occupy a room at one end of the house, while the rest were
+located elsewhere. We objected to this, and sustained our objection.
+With a little delay, a room sufficient for all of us was obtained. We
+made arrangements for the best possible defense in case of attack, and
+then lay down to sleep. Our Union friend called upon us before we were
+fairly settled to rest, bringing us intelligence that the room, where
+the guns of the Home Guard were temporarily stored, had been invaded
+while the sentinels were at supper. The locks had been removed
+from some of the muskets, but there were arms enough to make some
+resistance if necessary. Telling him we would come out when the firing
+began, and requesting the landlord to send the cavalry commander to
+our room as soon as he arrived, we fell asleep.
+
+No one of our party carried his fears beyond the waking hours. In
+five minutes after dismissing our friend, all were enjoying a sleep
+as refreshing and undisturbed as if we had been in the most secure
+and luxurious dwelling of New York or Chicago. During several years
+of travel under circumstances of greater or less danger, I have never
+found my sleep disturbed, in the slightest degree, by the nature of my
+surroundings. Apprehensions of danger may be felt while one is awake,
+but they generally vanish when slumber begins.
+
+In the morning we found ourselves safe, and were gratified to discover
+that our horses had been let alone. The landlord declared every thing
+was perfectly quiet, and had been so through the night, with the
+exception of a little fight at one end of the town. The Home Guards
+were in possession, and the Secessionists had dispersed. The latter
+deliberated upon the policy of attacking us, and decided that their
+town might be destroyed by our retreating army in case we were
+disturbed. They left us our horses, that we might get away from the
+place as speedily as possible. So we bade adieu to Lebanon with much
+delight. That we came unmolested out of that nest of disloyalty, was a
+matter of much surprise. Subsequent events, there and elsewhere, have
+greatly increased that surprise.
+
+After a ride of thirteen miles we reached the Gasconade River, which
+we found considerably swollen by recent rains. The proprietor of the
+hotel where we breakfasted was a country doctor, who passed in that
+region as a man of great wisdom. He was intensely disloyal, and did
+not relish the prospect of having, as he called it, "an Abolition
+army" moving anywhere in his vicinity. He was preparing to leave for
+the South, with his entire household, as soon as his affairs could
+be satisfactorily arranged. He had taken the oath of allegiance,
+to protect himself from harm at the hands of our soldiers, but his
+negroes informed us that he belonged to a company of "Independent
+Guards," which had been organized with the design of joining the Rebel
+army.
+
+This gentleman was searching for his rights. I passed his place six
+months afterward. The doctor's negroes had run away to the North, and
+the doctor had vanished with his family in the opposite direction. His
+house had been burned, his stables stripped of every thing of value,
+and the whole surroundings formed a picture of desolation. The doctor
+had found a reward for his vigilant search. There was no doubt he had
+obtained his rights.
+
+Having ended our breakfast, we decided to remain at that place until
+late in the afternoon, for the purpose of writing up our accounts.
+With a small table, and other accommodations of the worst character,
+we busied ourselves for several hours. To the persona of the household
+we were a curiosity. They had never before seen men who could write
+with a journalist's ordinary rapidity, and were greatly surprised
+at the large number of pages we succeeded in passing over. We were
+repeatedly interrupted, until forced to make a request to be let
+alone. The negroes took every opportunity to look at us, and, when
+none but ourselves could see them, they favored us with choice bits of
+local information. When we departed, late in the afternoon, four stout
+negroes ferried us across the river.
+
+A hotel known as the California House was our stopping-place, ten
+miles from the Gasconade. As an evidence of our approaching return to
+civilization, we found each bed at this house supplied with two clean
+sheets, a luxury that Springfield was unable to furnish. I regretted
+to find, several months later, that the California House had been
+burned by the Rebels. At the time of our retreat, the landlord was
+unable to determine on which side of the question he belonged, and
+settled the matter, in conversation with me, by saying he was a
+hotel-keeper, and could not interfere in the great issue of the day. I
+inclined to the belief that he was a Union man, but feared to declare
+himself on account of the dubious character of his surroundings.
+
+The rapidity with which the Secessionists carried and received news
+was a matter of astonishment to our people. While on that ride
+through the Southwest, I had an opportunity of learning their _modus
+operandi_. Several times we saw horsemen ride to houses or stables,
+and, after a few moments' parley, exchange their wearied horses for
+fresh ones. The parties with whom they effected their exchanges would
+be found pretty well informed concerning the latest news. By this
+irregular system of couriers, the Secessionists maintained a complete
+communication with each other. All along the route, I found they knew
+pretty well what had transpired, though their news was generally mixed
+up with much falsehood.
+
+Even in those early days, there was a magnificence in the Rebel
+capacity for lying. Before the war, the Northern States produced by
+far the greatest number of inventions, as the records of the Patent
+Office will show. During the late Rebellion, the brains of the
+Southern States were wonderfully fertile in the manufacture of
+falsehood. The inhabitants of Dixie invent neither cotton-gins,
+caloric engines, nor sewing-machines, but when they apply their
+faculties to downright lying, the mudsill head is forced to bow in
+reverence.
+
+In the last day of this ride, we passed over a plateau twelve miles
+across, also over a mountain of considerable height. Near the summit
+of this mountain, we struck a small brook, whose growth was an
+interesting study. At first, barely perceptible as it issued from a
+spring by the roadside, it grew, mile by mile, until, at the foot
+of the mountain, it formed a respectable stream. The road crossed it
+every few hundred yards, and at each crossing we watched its increase.
+At the base of the mountain it united with another and larger stream,
+which we followed on our way to Rolla.
+
+Late in the afternoon we reached the end of our journey. Weary, dusty,
+hungry, and sore, we alighted from our tired horses, and sought the
+office of the commandant of the post. All were eager to gather the
+latest intelligence, and we were called upon to answer a thousand
+questions.
+
+With our story ended, ourselves refreshed from the fatigue of our long
+ride, a hope for the safety of our gallant but outnumbered army,
+we bade adieu to Rolla, and were soon whirling over the rail to St.
+Louis.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+GENERAL FREMONT'S PURSUIT OF PRICE.
+
+Quarrel between Price and McCulloch.--The Rebels Advance upon
+Lexington.--A Novel Defense for Sharp-shooters.--Attempt to Re-enforce
+the Garrison.--An Enterprising Journalist.--The Surrender.--Fremont's
+Advance.--Causes of Delay.--How the Journalists Killed Time.--Late
+News.--A Contractor "Sold."--Sigel in Front.--A Motley
+Collection.--A Wearied Officer.--The Woman who had never seen a Black
+Republican.--Love and Conversion.
+
+
+After the battle of Wilson Creek and the occupation of Springfield,
+a quarrel arose between the Rebel Generals, Price and McCulloch. It
+resulted in the latter being ordered to Arkansas, leaving General
+Price in command of the army in Missouri. The latter had repeatedly
+promised to deliver Missouri from the hands of the United States
+forces, and made his preparations for an advance into the interior.
+His intention, openly declared, was to take possession of Jefferson
+City, and reinstate Governor Jackson in control of the State. The
+Rebels wisely considered that a perambulating Governor was not
+entitled to great respect, and were particularly anxious to see the
+proclamations of His Excellency issued from the established capital.
+
+Accordingly, General Price, with an army twenty thousand strong,
+marched from Springfield in the direction of Lexington. This point
+was garrisoned by Colonel Mulligan with about twenty-five hundred men.
+After a siege of four days, during the last two of which the garrison
+was without water, the fort was surrendered. Price's army was
+sufficiently large to make a complete investment of the fortifications
+occupied by Colonel Mulligan, and thus cut off all access to the
+river. The hemp warehouses in Lexington were drawn upon to construct
+movable breast-works for the besieging force. Rolling the bales of
+hemp before them, the Rebel sharp-shooters could get very near the fort
+without placing themselves in great danger.
+
+The defense was gallant, but as no garrisons can exist without water,
+Colonel Mulligan was forced to capitulate. It afterward became
+known that Price's army had almost exhausted its stock of
+percussion-caps--it having less than two thousand when the surrender
+was made. General Fremont was highly censured by the Press and people
+for not re-enforcing the garrison, when it was known that Price was
+moving upon Lexington. One journal in St. Louis, that took occasion to
+comment adversely upon his conduct, was suddenly suppressed. After a
+stoppage of a few days, it was allowed to resume publication.
+
+During the siege a small column of infantry approached the north bank
+of the river, opposite Lexington, with the design of joining Colonel
+Mulligan. The attempt was considered too hazardous, and no junction
+was effected. Mr. Wilkie, of the New York _Times_, accompanied
+this column, and was much disappointed when the project of reaching
+Lexington was given up.
+
+Determined to see the battle, he crossed the river and surrendered
+himself to General Price, with a request to be put on parole until
+the battle was ended. The Rebel commander gave him quarters in
+the guardhouse till the surrender took place. Mr. Wilkie was then
+liberated, and reached St. Louis with an exclusive account of the
+affair.
+
+While General Price was holding Lexington, General Fremont commenced
+assembling an army at Jefferson City, with the avowed intention of
+cutting off the retreat of the Rebels through Southwest Missouri. From
+Jefferson City our forces moved to Tipton and Syracuse, and there left
+the line of railway for a march to Springfield. Our movements were not
+conducted with celerity, and before we left Jefferson City the Rebels
+had evacuated Lexington and moved toward Springfield.
+
+The delay in our advance was chiefly owing to a lack of transportation
+and a deficiency of arms for the men. General Fremont's friends
+charged that he was not properly sustained by the Administration, in
+his efforts to outfit and organize his army. There was, doubtless,
+some ground for this charge, as the authorities, at that particular
+time, were unable to see any danger, except at Washington. They often
+diverted to that point _materiel_ that had been originally designed
+for St. Louis.
+
+As the army lay at Jefferson City, preparing for the field, some
+twelve or fifteen journalists, representing the prominent papers
+of the country, assembled there to chronicle its achievements. They
+waited nearly two weeks for the movement to begin. Some became sick,
+others left in disgust, but the most of them remained firm. The
+devices of the journalists to kill time were of an amusing nature.
+The town had no attractions whatever, and the gentlemen of the press
+devoted themselves to fast riding on the best horses they could
+obtain. Their horseback excursions usually terminated in lively races,
+in which both riders and steeds were sufferers. The representatives
+of two widely-circulated dailies narrowly escaped being sent home with
+broken necks.
+
+Evenings at the hotels were passed in reviving the "sky-larking"
+of school-boy days. These scenes were amusing to participants and
+spectators. Sober, dignified men, the majority of them heads of
+families, occupied themselves in devising plans for the general
+amusement.
+
+One mode of enjoyment was to assemble in a certain large room, and
+throw at each other every portable article at hand, until exhaustion
+ensued. Every thing that could be thrown or tossed was made use of.
+Pillows, overcoats, blankets, valises, saddle-bags, bridles, satchels,
+towels, books, stove-wood, bed-clothing, chairs, window-curtains,
+and, ultimately, the fragments of the bedsteads, were transformed into
+missiles. I doubt if that house ever before, or since, knew so much
+noise in the same time. Everybody enjoyed it except those who occupied
+adjoining rooms, and possessed a desire for sleep. Some of these
+persons were inclined to excuse our hilarity, on the ground that the
+boys ought to enjoy themselves. "The boys!" Most of them were on the
+shady side of twenty-five, and some had seen forty years.
+
+About nine o'clock in the forenoon of the day following Price's
+evacuation of Lexington, we obtained news of the movement. The mail at
+noon, and the telegraph before that time, carried all we had to say of
+the affair, and in a few hours we ceased to talk of it. On the evening
+of that day, a good-natured "contractor" visited our room, and,
+after indulging in our varied amusements until past eleven, bade us
+good-night and departed.
+
+Many army contractors had grown fat in the country's service, but this
+man had a large accumulation of adipose matter before the war broke
+out. A rapid ascent of a long flight of stairs was, therefore, a
+serious matter with him. Five minutes after leaving us, he dashed
+rapidly up the stairs and entered our room. As soon as he could speak,
+he asked, breathing between, the words--
+
+"Have you heard the news?"
+
+"No," we responded; "what is it?"
+
+"Why" (with more efforts to recover his breath), "Price has evacuated
+Lexington!"
+
+"Is it possible?"
+
+"Yes," he gasped, and then sank exhausted into a large (very large)
+arm-chair.
+
+We gave him a glass of water and a fan, and urged him to proceed with
+the story. He told all he had just heard in the bar-room below, and we
+listened with the greatest apparent interest.
+
+When he had ended, we told him _our_ story. The quality and quantity
+of the wine which he immediately ordered, was only excelled by his
+hearty appreciation of the joke he had played upon himself.
+
+Every army correspondent has often been furnished with "important
+intelligence" already in his possession, and sometimes in print before
+his well-meaning informant obtains it.
+
+A portion of General Fremont's army marched from Jefferson City
+to Tipton and Syracuse, while the balance, with most of the
+transportation, was sent by rail. General Sigel was the first to
+receive orders to march his division from Tipton to Warsaw, and he was
+very prompt to obey. While other division commanders were waiting
+for their transportation to arrive from St. Louis, Sigel scoured the
+country and gathered up every thing with wheels. His train was the
+most motley collection of vehicles it has ever been my lot to witness.
+There were old wagons that made the journey from Tennessee to Missouri
+thirty years before, farm wagons and carts of every description,
+family carriages, spring wagons, stage-coaches, drays, and hay-carts.
+In fact, every thing that could carry a load was taken along. Even
+pack-saddles were not neglected. Horses, mules, jacks, oxen, and
+sometimes cows, formed the motive power. To stand by the roadside and
+witness the passage of General Sigel's train, was equal to a visit to
+Barnum's Museum, and proved an unfailing source of mirth.
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL SIGEL'S TRANSPORTATION IN THE MISSOURI
+CAMPAIGN.]
+
+Falstaff's train (if he had one) could not have been more picturesque.
+Even the Missourians, accustomed as they were to sorry sights, laughed
+heartily at the spectacle presented by Sigel's transportation. The
+Secessionists made several wrong deductions from the sad appearance
+of that train. Some of them predicted that the division with _such_ a
+train would prove to be of little value in battle. Never were men
+more completely deceived. The division marched rapidly, and, on a
+subsequent campaign, evinced its ability to fight.
+
+One after another, the divisions of Fremont's army moved in chase of
+the Rebels; a pursuit in which the pursued had a start of seventy-five
+miles, and a clear road before them. Fremont and his staff left
+Tipton, when three divisions had gone, and overtook the main column at
+Warsaw. A few days later, Mr. Richardson, of the _Tribune_, and myself
+started from Syracuse at one o'clock, one pleasant afternoon, and,
+with a single halt of an hour's duration, reached Warsaw, forty-seven
+miles distant, at ten o'clock at night. In the morning we found the
+general's staff comfortably quartered in the village. On the staff
+there were several gentlemen from New York and other Eastern cities,
+who were totally unaccustomed to horseback exercise. One of these
+recounted the story of their "dreadful" journey of fifty miles from
+Tipton.
+
+"Only think of it!" said he; "we came through all that distance in
+less than three days. One day the general made us come _twenty-four_
+miles."
+
+"That was very severe, indeed. I wonder how you endured it."
+
+"It _was_ severe, and nearly broke some of us down. By-the-way, Mr.
+K----, how did you come over?"
+
+"Oh," said I, carelessly, "Richardson and I left Syracuse at noon
+yesterday, and arrived here at ten last night."
+
+Before that campaign was ended, General Fremont's staff acquired some
+knowledge of horsemanship.
+
+At Warsaw the party of journalists passed several waiting days,
+and domiciled themselves in the house of a widow who had one pretty
+daughter. Our natural bashfulness was our great hinderance, so that it
+was a day or two before we made the acquaintance of the younger of the
+women. One evening she invited a young lady friend to visit her, and
+obliged us with introductions. The ladies persistently turned the
+conversation upon the Rebellion, and gave us the benefit of their
+views. Our young hostess, desiring to say something complimentary,
+declared she did not dislike the Yankees, but despised the Dutch and
+the Black Republicans."
+
+"Do you dislike the Black Republicans very much?" said the _Tribune_
+correspondent.
+
+"Oh! yes; I _hate_ them. I wish they were all dead."
+
+"Well," was the quiet response, "we are Black Republicans. I am the
+blackest of them all."
+
+The fair Secessionist was much confused, and for fully a minute
+remained silent. Then she said--
+
+"I must confess I did not fully understand what Black Republicans
+were. I never saw any before."
+
+During the evening she was quite courteous, though persistent in
+declaring her sentiments. Her companion launched the most bitter
+invective at every thing identified with the Union cause, and
+made some horrid wishes about General Fremont and his army. A more
+vituperative female Rebel I have never seen. She was as pretty as she
+was disloyal, and was, evidently, fully aware of it.
+
+A few months later, I learned that both these young ladies had become
+the wives of United States officers, and were complimenting, in high
+terms, the bravery and patriotism of the soldiers they had so recently
+despised.
+
+The majority of the inhabitants of Warsaw were disloyal, and had
+little hesitation in declaring their sentiments. Most of the young men
+were in the Rebel army or preparing to go there. A careful search of
+several warehouses revealed extensive stores of powder, salt, shoes,
+and other military supplies. Some of these articles were found in a
+cave a few miles from Warsaw, their locality being made known by a
+negro who was present at their concealment.
+
+Warsaw boasted a newspaper establishment, but the proprietor and
+editor of the weekly sheet had joined his fortunes to those of General
+Price. Two years before the time of our visit, this editor was a
+member of the State Legislature, and made an earnest effort to secure
+the expulsion of the reporter of _The Missouri_ _Democrat_, on account
+of the radical tone of that paper. He was unsuccessful, but the
+aggrieved individual did not forgive him.
+
+When our army entered Warsaw this reporter held a position on the
+staff of the general commanding. Not finding his old adversary, he
+contented himself with taking possession of the printing-office, and
+"confiscating" whatever was needed for the use of head-quarters.
+
+About twenty miles from Warsaw, on the road to Booneville, there was a
+German settlement, known as Cole Camp. When the troubles commenced in
+Missouri, a company of Home Guards was formed at Cole Camp. A few
+days after its formation a company of Secessionists from Warsaw made a
+night-march and attacked the Home Guards at daylight.
+
+Though inflicting severe injury upon the Home Guards, the
+Secessionists mourned the loss of the most prominent citizens of
+Warsaw. They were soon after humiliated by the presence of a Union
+army.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE SECOND CAMPAIGN TO SPRINGFIELD.
+
+Detention at Warsaw.--A Bridge over the Osage.--The
+Body-Guard.--Manner of its Organization.--The Advance
+to Springfield.--Charge of the Body-Guard.--A Corporal's
+Ruse.--Occupation of Springfield--The Situation.--Wilson Creek
+Revisited.--Traces of the Battle.--Rumored Movements of the
+Enemy.--Removal of General Fremont.--Danger of Attack.--A Night of
+Excitement.--The Return to St. Louis.--Curiosities of the Scouting
+Service.--An Arrest by Mistake.
+
+
+The army was detained at Warsaw, to wait the construction of a
+bridge over the Osage for the passage of the artillery and heavy
+transportation. Sigel's Division was given the advance, and crossed
+before the bridge was finished. The main column moved as soon as the
+bridge permitted--the rear being brought up by McKinstry's Division. A
+division from Kansas, under General Lane, was moving at the same time,
+to form a junction with Fremont near Springfield, and a brigade from
+Rolla was advancing with the same object in view. General Sturgis was
+in motion from North Missouri, and there was a prospect that an army
+nearly forty thousand strong would be assembled at Springfield.
+
+While General Fremont was in St. Louis, before setting out on this
+expedition, he organized the "Fremont Body-Guard," which afterward
+became famous. This force consisted of four companies of cavalry,
+and was intended to form a full regiment. It was composed of the
+best class of the young men of St. Louis and Cincinnati. From the
+completeness of its outfit, it was often spoken of as the "Kid-Gloved
+Regiment." General Fremont designed it as a special body-guard for
+himself, to move when he moved, and to form a part of his head-quarter
+establishment. The manner of its organization was looked upon by many
+as a needless outlay, at a time when the finances of the department
+were in a disordered condition. The officers and the rank and file of
+the Body-Guard felt their pride touched by the comments upon them, and
+determined to take the first opportunity to vindicate their character
+as soldiers.
+
+When we were within fifty miles of Springfield, it was ascertained
+that the main force of the Rebels had moved southward, leaving behind
+them some two or three thousand men. General Fremont ordered a cavalry
+force, including the Body-Guard, to advance upon the town. On reaching
+Springfield the cavalry made a gallant charge upon the Rebel camp,
+which was situated in a large field, bordered by a wood, within sight
+of the court-house.
+
+In this assault the loss of our forces, in proportion to the number
+engaged, was quite severe, but the enemy was put to flight, and the
+town occupied for a few hours. We gained nothing of a material nature,
+as the Rebels would have quietly evacuated Springfield at the approach
+of our main army. The courage of the Body-Guard, which no sensible
+man had doubted, was fully evinced by this gallant but useless charge.
+When the fight was over, the colonel in command ordered a retreat of
+twenty miles, to meet the advance of the army.
+
+A corporal with a dozen men became separated from the command while
+in Springfield, and remained there until the following morning. He
+received a flag of truce from the Rebels, asking permission to send
+a party to bury the dead. He told the bearer to wait until he could
+consult his "general," who was supposed to be lying down in the
+back office. The "general" replied that his "division" was too much
+exasperated to render it prudent for a delegation from the enemy to
+enter town, and therefore declined to grant the request. At the same
+time he promised to send out strong details to attend to the sad duty.
+At sunrise he thought it best to follow the movements of his superior
+officer, lest the Rebels might discover his ruse and effect his
+capture.
+
+Two days after the charge of the Body-Guard, the advance of the
+infantry entered Springfield without the slightest opposition. The
+army gradually came up, and the occupation of the key of Southwest
+Missouri was completed. The Rebel army fell back toward the Arkansas
+line, to meet a force supposed to be marching northward from
+Fayetteville. There was little expectation that the Rebels would
+seek to engage us. The only possible prospect of their assuming the
+offensive was in the event of a junction between Price and McCulloch,
+rendering them numerically superior to ourselves.
+
+During our occupation of Springfield I paid a visit to the Wilson
+Creek battle-ground. It was eleven weeks from the day I had left it.
+Approaching the field, I was impressed by its stillness, so different
+from the tumult on the 10th of the previous August. It was difficult
+to realize that the spot, now so quiet, had been the scene of a
+sanguinary contest. The rippling of the creek, and the occasional
+chirp of a bird, were the only noises that came to our ears. There was
+no motion of the air, not enough to disturb the leaves freshly fallen
+from the numerous oak-trees on the battle-field. At each step I could
+but contrast the cool, calm, Indian-summer day, with the hot, August
+morning, when the battle took place.
+
+All sounds of battle were gone, but the traces of the encounter had
+not disappeared. As we followed the route leading to the field, I
+turned from the beaten track and rode among the trees. Ascending a
+slight acclivity, I found my horse half-stumbling over some object
+between his feet. Looking down, I discovered a human skull, partly
+covered by the luxuriant grass. At a little distance lay the
+dismembered skeleton to which the skull evidently belonged. It was
+doubtless that of some soldier who had crawled there while wounded,
+and sunk exhausted at the foot of a tree. The bits of clothing
+covering the ground showed that either birds or wild animals had been
+busy with the remains. Not far off lay another skeleton, disturbed and
+dismembered like the other.
+
+Other traces of the conflict were visible, as I moved slowly over the
+field. Here were scattered graves, each for a single person; there a
+large grave, that had received a dozen bodies of the slain. Here were
+fragments of clothing and equipments, pieces of broken weapons; the
+shattered wheel of a caisson, and near it the exploded shell that
+destroyed it. Skeletons of horses, graves of men, scarred trees,
+trampled graves, the ruins of the burned wagons of the Rebels,
+all formed their portion of the picture. It well illustrated the
+desolation of war.
+
+The spot where General Lyon fell was marked by a rude inscription upon
+the nearest tree. The skeleton of the general's favorite horse lay
+near this tree, and had been partially broken up by relic-seekers. The
+long, glossy mane was cut off by the Rebel soldiers on the day after
+the battle, and worn by them as a badge of honor. Subsequently the
+teeth and bones were appropriated by both Rebels and Unionists. Even
+the tree that designated the locality was partially stripped of its
+limbs to furnish souvenirs of Wilson Creek.
+
+During the first few days of our stay in Springfield, there were vague
+rumors that the army was preparing for a long march into the enemy's
+country. The Rebel army was reported at Cassville, fifty-five miles
+distant, fortifying in a strong position. General Price and Governor
+Jackson had convened the remnant of the Missouri Legislature, and
+caused the State to be voted out of the Union. It was supposed we
+would advance and expel the Rebels from the State.
+
+While we were making ready to move, it was reported that the Rebel
+army at Cassville had received large re-enforcements from Arkansas, and
+was moving in our direction. Of course, all were anxious for a battle,
+and hailed this intelligence with delight. At the same time there
+were rumors of trouble from another direction--trouble to the
+commander-in-chief. The vague reports of his coming decapitation were
+followed by the arrival, on the 2d of November, of the unconditional
+order removing General Fremont from command, and appointing General
+Hunter in his stead.
+
+Just before the reception of this order, "positive" news was received
+that the enemy was advancing from Cassville toward Springfield, and
+would either attack us in the town, or meet us on the ground south
+of it. General Hunter had not arrived, and therefore General Fremont
+formed his plan of battle, and determined on marching out to meet the
+enemy.
+
+On the morning of the 3d, the scouts brought intelligence that the
+entire Rebel army was in camp on the old Wilson Creek battle-ground,
+and would fight us there. A council of war was called, and it was
+decided to attack the enemy on the following morning, if General
+Hunter did not arrive before that time. Some of the officers were
+suspicious that the Rebels were not in force at Wilson Creek, but when
+Fremont announced it officially there could be little room for doubt.
+
+Every thing was put in readiness for battle. Generals of division were
+ordered to be ready to move at a moment's notice. The pickets were
+doubled, and the grand guards increased to an unusual extent. Four
+pieces of artillery formed a portion of the picket force on the
+Fayetteville road, the direct route to Wilson Creek. If an enemy had
+approached on that night he would have met a warm reception.
+
+About seven o'clock in the evening, a staff officer, who kept the
+journalists informed of the progress of affairs, visited General
+Fremont's head-quarters. He soon emerged with important intelligence.
+
+"It is all settled. The army is ready to move at the instant. Orders
+will be issued at two o'clock, and we will be under way before
+daylight. Skirmishing will begin at nine, and the full battle will be
+drawn on at twelve."
+
+"Is the plan arranged?"
+
+"Yes, it is all arranged; but I did not ask how."
+
+"Battle sure to come off--is it?"
+
+"Certainly, unless Hunter comes and countermands the order."
+
+Alas, for human calculations! General Hunter arrived before midnight.
+Two o'clock came, but no orders to break camp. Daylight, and no orders
+to march. Breakfast-time, and not a hostile shot had been heard. Nine
+o'clock, and no skirmish. Twelve o'clock, and no battle.
+
+General Fremont and staff returned to St. Louis. General Hunter made
+a reconnoissance to Wilson Creek, and ascertained that the only enemy
+that had been in the vicinity was a scouting party of forty or fifty
+men. At the time we were to march out, there was not a Rebel on the
+ground. Their whole army was still at Cassville, fifty-five miles from
+Springfield.
+
+On the 9th of November the army evacuated Springfield and returned to
+the line of the Pacific Railway.
+
+General Fremont's scouts had deceived him. Some of these individuals
+were exceedingly credulous, while others were liars of the highest
+grade known to civilization. The former obtained their information
+from the frightened inhabitants; the latter manufactured theirs with
+the aid of vivid imaginations. I half suspect the fellows were like
+the showman in the story, and, at length, religiously believed what
+they first designed as a hoax. Between the two classes of scouts a
+large army of Rebels was created.
+
+The scouting service often develops characters of a peculiar mould.
+Nearly every man engaged in it has some particular branch in which he
+excels. There was one young man accompanying General Fremont's army,
+whose equal, as a special forager, I have never seen elsewhere.
+Whenever we entered camp, this individual, whom I will call the
+captain, would take a half-dozen companions and start on a foraging
+tour. After an absence of from four to six hours, he would return
+well-laden with the spoils of war. On one occasion he brought to camp
+three horses, two cows, a yoke of oxen, and a wagon. In the latter
+he had a barrel of sorghum molasses, a firkin of butter, two sheep, a
+pair of fox-hounds, a hoop-skirt, a corn-sheller, a baby's cradle, a
+lot of crockery, half a dozen padlocks, two hoes, and a rocking-chair.
+On the next night he returned with a family carriage drawn by a horse
+and a mule. In the carriage he had, among other things, a parrot-cage
+which contained a screaming parrot, several pairs of ladies' shoes,
+a few yards of calico, the stock of an old musket, part of a
+spinning-wheel, and a box of garden seeds. In what way these things
+would contribute to the support of the army, it was difficult to
+understand.
+
+On one occasion the captain found a trunk full of clothing, concealed
+with a lot of salt in a Rebel warehouse. He brought the trunk to camp,
+and, as the quartermaster refused to receive it, took it to St. Louis
+when the expedition returned. At the hotel where he was stopping, some
+detectives were watching a suspected thief, and, by mistake, searched
+the captain's room. They found a trunk containing thirteen coats
+of all sizes, with no pants or vests. Naturally considering this a
+strange wardrobe for a gentleman, they took the captain into custody.
+He protested earnestly that he was not, and had never been, a thief,
+but it was only on the testimony of the quartermaster that he was
+released. I believe he subsequently acted as a scout under General
+Halleck, during the siege of Corinth.
+
+After the withdrawal of our army, General Price returned to
+Springfield and went into winter-quarters. McCulloch's command formed
+a cantonment at Cross Hollows, Arkansas, about ninety miles southwest
+of Springfield. There was no prospect of further activity until the
+ensuing spring. Every thing betokened rest.
+
+From Springfield I returned to St. Louis by way of Rolla, designing
+to follow the example of the army, and seek a good locality for
+hibernating. On my way to Rolla I found many houses deserted, or
+tenanted only by women and children. Frequently the crops were
+standing, ungathered, in the field. Fences were prostrated, and there
+was no effort to restore them. The desolation of that region was just
+beginning.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+TWO MONTHS OF IDLENESS.
+
+A Promise Fulfilled.--Capture of a Rebel Camp and Train.--Rebel
+Sympathizers in St. Louis.--General Halleck and his Policy.--Refugees
+from Rebeldom.--Story of the Sufferings of a Union Family.--Chivalry
+in the Nineteenth Century.--The Army of the Southwest in
+Motion.--Gun-Boats and Transports.--Capture of Fort Henry.--The Effect
+in St. Louis.--Our Flag Advancing.
+
+
+Early in the December following the events narrated in the last
+chapter, General Pope captured a camp in the interior of the State,
+where recruits were being collected for Price's army. After the return
+of Fremont's army from Springfield, the Rebels boasted they would eat
+their Christmas dinner in St. Louis. Many Secessionists were
+making preparations to receive Price and his army, and some of them
+prophesied the time of their arrival. It was known that a goodly
+number of Rebel flags had been made ready to hang out when the
+conquerors should come. Sympathizers with the Rebellion became bold,
+and often displayed badges, rosettes, and small flags, indicative of
+their feelings. Recruiting for the Rebel army went on, very quietly,
+of course, within a hundred yards of the City Hall. At a fair for
+the benefit of the Orphan Asylum, the ladies openly displayed Rebel
+insignia, but carefully excluded the National emblems.
+
+This was the state of affairs when eight hundred Rebels arrived in St.
+Louis. They redeemed their promise to enjoy a Christmas dinner in St.
+Louis, though they had counted upon more freedom than they were then
+able to obtain. In order that they might carry out, in part, their
+original intention, their kind-hearted jailers permitted the friends
+of the prisoners to send a dinner to the latter on Christmas Day. The
+prisoners partook of the repast with much relish.
+
+The capture of those recruits was accompanied by the seizure of a
+supply train on its way to Springfield. Our success served to diminish
+the Rebel threats to capture St. Louis, or perform other great and
+chivalric deeds. The inhabitants of that city continued to prophesy
+its fall, but they were less defiant than before.
+
+General Fremont commanded the Western Department for just a hundred
+days. General Hunter, his successor, was dressed in brief authority
+for fifteen days, and yielded to General Halleck. The latter officer
+endeavored to make his rule as unlike that of General Fremont as could
+well be done. He quietly made his head-quarters at the Government
+Buildings, in the center of St. Louis, instead of occupying a
+"palatial mansion" on Chouteau Avenue. The body-guard, or other
+cumbersome escort, was abolished, and the new general moved unattended
+about the city. Where General Fremont had scattered the Government
+funds with a wasteful hand, General Halleck studied economy. Where
+Fremont had declared freedom to the slaves of traitors, Halleck issued
+his famous "Order No. 3," forbidding fugitive slaves to enter our
+lines, and excluding all that were then in the military camps. Where
+General Fremont had surrounded his head-quarters with so great a
+retinue of guards that access was almost impossible, General Halleck
+made it easy for all visitors to see him. He generally gave them such
+a reception that few gentlemen felt inclined to make a second call.
+
+The policy of scattering the military forces in the department was
+abandoned, and a system of concentration adopted. The construction
+of the gun-boat fleet, and accompanying mortar-rafts, was vigorously
+pushed, and preparations for military work in the ensuing spring went
+on in all directions. Our armies were really idle, and we were doing
+very little on the Mississippi; but it was easy to see that we were
+making ready for the most vigorous activity in the future.
+
+In the latter part of December many refugees from the Southwest began
+to arrive in St. Louis. In most cases they were of the poorer class of
+the inhabitants of Missouri and Northern Arkansas, and had been driven
+from their homes by their wealthier and disloyal neighbors. Their
+stories varied little from each other. Known or suspected to be loyal,
+they were summarily expelled, generally with the loss of every thing,
+save a few articles of necessity. There were many women and children
+among them, whose protectors had been driven into the Rebel ranks, or
+murdered in cold blood. Many of them died soon after they reached our
+lines, and there were large numbers who perished on their way.
+
+Among those who arrived early in January, 1862, was a man from
+Northern Arkansas. Born in Pennsylvania, he emigrated to the Southwest
+in 1830, and, after a few years' wandering, settled near Fayetteville.
+When the war broke out, he had a small farm and a comfortable house,
+and his two sons were married and living near him.
+
+In the autumn of '61, his elder son was impressed into the Rebel
+service, where he soon died. The younger was ordered to report at
+Fayetteville, for duty. Failing to do so on the day specified, he was
+shot down in his own house on the following night. His body fell upon
+one of his children standing near him, and his blood saturated its
+garments.
+
+The day following, the widow, with two small children, was notified
+to leave the dwelling, as orders had been issued for its destruction.
+Giving her no time to remove any thing, the Rebel soldiers, claiming
+to act under military command, fired the house. In this party were two
+persons who had been well acquainted with the murdered man. The widow
+sought shelter with her husband's parents.
+
+The widow of the elder son went to the same place of refuge. Thus
+there were living, under one roof, the old man, his wife, a daughter
+of seventeen, and the two widows, one with two, and the other with
+three, children. A week afterward, all were commanded to leave the
+country. No cause was assigned, beyond the fact that the man was
+born in the North, and had been harboring the family of his son, who
+refused to serve in the Rebel ranks. They were told they could have
+two days for preparation, but within ten hours of the time the notice
+was served, a gang of Rebels appeared at the door, and ordered an
+instant departure.
+
+They made a rigid search of the persons of the refugees, to be sure
+they took away nothing of value. Only a single wagon was allowed, and
+in this were placed a few articles of necessity. As they moved away,
+the Rebels applied the torch to the house and its out-buildings. In
+a few moments all were in flames. The house of the elder son's widow
+shared the same fete.
+
+They were followed to the Missouri line, and ordered to make no halt
+under penalty of death. It was more than two hundred miles to our
+lines, and winter was just beginning. One after another fell ill and
+died, or was left with Union people along the way. Only four of the
+party reached our army at Rolla. Two of these died a few days after
+their arrival, leaving only a young child and its grandfather. At St.
+Louis the survivors were kindly cared for, but the grief at leaving
+home, the hardships of the winter journey, and their destitution among
+strangers, had so worn upon them that they soon followed the other
+members of their family.
+
+There have been thousands of cases nearly parallel to the above. The
+Rebels claimed to be fighting for political freedom, and charged the
+National Government with the most unheard-of "tyranny." We can well
+be excused for not countenancing a political freedom that kills men
+at their firesides, and drives women and children to seek protection
+under another flag. We have heard much, in the past twenty years, of
+"Southern chivalry." If the deeds of which the Rebels were guilty
+are characteristic of chivalry, who would wish to be a son of the
+Cavaliers? The insignia worn in the Middle Ages are set aside, to
+make room for the torch and the knife. The chivalry that deliberately
+starves its prisoners, to render them unable to return to the field,
+and sends blood-hounds on the track of those who attempt an escape
+from their hands, is the chivalry of modern days. Winder is the
+Coeur-de-Leon, and Quantrel the Bayard, of the nineteenth century;
+knights "without fear and without reproach."
+
+Early in January, the Army of the Southwest, under General Curtis,
+was put in condition for moving. Orders were issued cutting down
+the allowance of transportation, and throwing away every thing
+superfluous. Colonel Carr, with a cavalry division, was sent to the
+line of the Gasconade, to watch the movements of the enemy. It was the
+preliminary to the march into Arkansas, which resulted in the
+battle of Pea Ridge and the famous campaign of General Curtis from
+Springfield to Helena.
+
+As fast as possible, the gun-boat fleet was pushed to completion. One
+after another, as the iron-clads were ready to move, they made their
+rendezvous at Cairo. Advertisements of the quartermaster's department,
+calling for a large number of transports, showed that offensive
+movements were to take place. In February, Fort Henry fell, after an
+hour's shelling from Admiral Foote's gun-boats. This opened the way up
+the Tennessee River to a position on the flank of Columbus, Kentucky,
+and was followed by the evacuation of that point.
+
+I was in St. Louis on the day the news of the fall of Fort Henry was
+received. The newspapers issued "extras," with astonishing head-lines.
+It was the first gratifying intelligence after a long winter of
+inactivity, following a year which, closed with general reverses to
+our arms.
+
+In walking the principal streets of St. Louis on that occasion, I
+could easily distinguish the loyal men of my acquaintance from the
+disloyal, at half a square's distance. The former were excited with
+delight; the latter were downcast with sorrow. The Union men walked
+rapidly, with, faces "wreathed in smiles;" the Secessionists moved
+with alternate slow and quick steps, while their countenances
+expressed all the sad emotions.
+
+The newsboys with the tidings of our success were patronized by
+the one and repelled by the other. I saw one of the venders of
+intelligence enter the store of a noted Secessionist, where he shouted
+the nature of the news at the highest note of his voice. A
+moment later he emerged from the door, bringing the impress of a
+Secessionist's boot.
+
+The day and the night witnessed much hilarity in loyal circles, and a
+corresponding gloom in quarters where treason ruled. I fear there
+were many men in St. Louis whose conduct was no recommendation to the
+membership of a temperance society.
+
+All felt that a new era had dawned upon us. Soon after came the
+tidings of a general advance of our armies. We moved in Virginia,
+and made the beginning of the checkered campaign of '62. Along the
+Atlantic coast we moved, and Newbern fell into our hands. Further
+down the Atlantic, and at the mouth of the Mississippi, we kept up
+the aggression. Grant, at Donelson, "moved immediately upon Buckner's
+works;" and, in Kentucky, the Army of the Ohio occupied Bowling Green
+and prepared to move upon Nashville. In Missouri, Curtis had
+already occupied Lebanon, and was making ready to assault Price at
+Springfield. Everywhere our flag was going forward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+ANOTHER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI.
+
+From St. Louis to Rolla.--A Limited Outfit.--Missouri Roads in
+Winter.--"Two Solitary Horsemen."--Restricted Accommodations in a
+Slaveholder's House.--An Energetic Quartermaster.--General Sheridan
+before he became Famous.--"Bagging Price."--A Defect in the
+Bag.--Examining the Correspondence of a Rebel General.--What the
+Rebels left at their Departure.
+
+
+On the 9th of February I left St. Louis to join General Curtis's army.
+Arriving at Rolla, I found the mud very deep, but was told the roads
+were in better condition a few miles to the west. With an _attache_
+of the Missouri _Democrat_, I started, on the morning of the 10th, to
+overtake the army, then reported at Lebanon, sixty-five miles distant.
+All my outfit for a two or three months' campaign, was strapped behind
+my saddle, or crowded into my saddle-bags. Traveling with a trunk
+is one of the delights unknown to army correspondents, especially
+to those in the Southwest. My companion carried an outfit similar to
+mine, with the exception of the saddle-bags and contents. I returned
+to Rolla eight weeks afterward, but he did not reach civilization till
+the following July.
+
+From Rolla to Lebanon the roads were bad--muddy in the valleys of
+the streams, and on the higher ground frozen into inequalities like a
+gigantic rasp.
+
+Over this route our army of sixteen thousand men had slowly made its
+way, accomplishing what was then thought next to impossible. I found
+the country had changed much in appearance since I passed through on
+my way to join General Lyon. Many houses had been burned and others
+deserted. The few people that remained confessed themselves almost
+destitute of food. Frequently we could not obtain entertainment
+for ourselves and horses, particularly the latter. The natives
+were suspicious of our character, as there was nothing in our
+dress indicating to which side we belonged. At such times the
+cross-questioning we underwent was exceedingly amusing, though coupled
+with the knowledge that our lives were not entirely free from danger.
+
+From Lebanon we pushed on to Springfield, through a keen, piercing
+wind, that swept from the northwest with unremitting steadiness. The
+night between those points was passed in a log-house with a single
+room, where ourselves and the family of six persons were lodged. In
+the bitter cold morning that followed, it was necessary to open the
+door to give us sufficient light to take breakfast, as the house could
+not boast of a window. The owner of the establishment said he had
+lived there eighteen years, and found it very comfortable. He tilled a
+small farm, and had earned sufficient money to purchase three slaves,
+who dwelt in a similar cabin, close beside his own, but not joining
+it. One of these slaves was cook and housemaid, and another found the
+care of four children enough for her attention. The third was a man
+upward of fifty years old, who acted as stable-keeper, and manager of
+the out-door work of the establishment.
+
+The situation of this landholder struck me as peculiar, though his
+case was not a solitary one. A house of one room and with no window, a
+similar house for his human property, and a stable rudely constructed
+of small poles, with its sides offering as little protection against
+the wind and storms as an ordinary fence, were the only buildings
+he possessed. His furniture was in keeping with the buildings. Beds
+without sheets, a table without a cloth, some of the plates of tin and
+others of crockery--the former battered and the latter cracked--a less
+number of knives and forks than there were persons to be supplied, tin
+cups for drinking coffee, an old fruit-can for a sugar-bowl, and two
+teaspoons for the use of a large family, formed the most noticeable
+features. With such surroundings he had invested three thousand
+dollars in negro property, and considered himself comfortably
+situated.
+
+Reaching Springfield, I found the army had passed on in pursuit of
+Price, leaving only one brigade as a garrison. The quartermaster
+of the Army of the Southwest had his office in one of the principal
+buildings, and was busily engaged in superintending the forwarding
+of supplies to the front. Every thing under his charge received his
+personal attention, and there was no reason to suppose the army would
+lack for subsistence, so long as he should remain to supply its wants.
+Presenting him a letter of introduction, I received a most cordial
+welcome. I found him a modest and agreeable gentleman, whose private
+excellence was only equaled by his energy in the performance of his
+official duties.
+
+This quartermaster was Captain Philip H. Sheridan. The double bars
+that marked his rank at that time, have since been exchanged for other
+insignia. The reader is doubtless familiar with the important
+part taken by this gallant officer, in the suppression of the late
+Rebellion.
+
+General Curtis had attempted to surround and capture Price and his
+army, before they could escape from Springfield. Captain Sheridan told
+me that General Curtis surrounded the town on one side, leaving two
+good roads at the other, by which the Rebels marched out. Our advance
+from Lebanon was as rapid as the circumstances would permit, but it
+was impossible to keep the Rebels in ignorance of it, or detain
+them against their will. One of the many efforts to "bag" Price had
+resulted like all the others. We closed with the utmost care every
+part of the bag except the mouth; out of this he walked by the
+simple use of his pedals. Operations like those of Island Number Ten,
+Vicksburg, and Port Hudson, were not then in vogue.
+
+Price was in full retreat toward Arkansas, and our army in hot
+pursuit. General Sigel, with two full divisions, marched by a road
+parallel to the line of Price's retreat, and attempted to get in his
+front at a point forty miles from Springfield. His line of march was
+ten miles longer than the route followed by the Rebels, and he did not
+succeed in striking the main road until Price had passed.
+
+I had the pleasure of going through General Price's head-quarters only
+two days after that officer abandoned them. There was every evidence
+of a hasty departure. I found, among other documents, the following
+order for the evacuation of Springfield:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS MISSOURI STATE GUARD,
+SPRINGFIELD, _February_ 13, 1862.
+
+The commanders of divisions will instanter, and without
+the least delay, see that their entire commands are
+ready for movement at a moment's notice.
+
+By order of Major-General S. Price.
+H.H. Brand, A.A.G.
+
+
+There was much of General Price's private correspondence, together
+with many official documents. Some of these I secured, but destroyed
+them three weeks later, at a moment when I expected to fall into the
+hands of the enemy. One letter, which revealed the treatment Union men
+were receiving in Arkansas, I forwarded to _The Herald_. I reproduce
+its material portions:--
+
+
+DOVER, POPE CO., ARKANSAS, _December_ 7, 1861.
+
+MAJOR-GENERAL PRICE:
+
+I wish to obtain a situation as surgeon in your army. * * * Our men
+over the Boston Mountains are penning and hanging the mountain
+boys who oppose Southern men. They have in camp thirty, and in the
+Burrowville jail seventy-two, and have sent twenty-seven to Little
+Rock. We will kill all we get, certain: every one is so many less. I
+hope you will soon get help enough to clear out the last one in your
+State. If you know them, they ought to be killed, as the older they
+grow the more stubborn they get.
+
+Your most obedient servant,
+JAMES L. ADAMS.
+
+
+In his departure, General Price had taken most of his personal
+property of any value. He left a very good array of desks and other
+appurtenances of his adjutant-general's office, which fell into
+General Curtis's hands. These articles were at once put into use by
+our officers, and remained in Springfield as trophies of our success.
+There was some war _materiel_ at the founderies and temporary arsenals
+which the Rebels had established. One store full of supplies they left
+undisturbed. It was soon appropriated by Captain Sheridan.
+
+The winter-quarters for the soldiers were sufficiently commodious to
+contain ten thousand men, and the condition in which we found them
+showed how hastily they were evacuated. Very little had been removed
+from the buildings, except those articles needed for the march. We
+found cooking utensils containing the remains of the last meal, pans
+with freshly-mixed dough, on which the impression of the maker's hand
+was visible, and sheep and hogs newly killed and half dressed. In the
+officers' quarters was a beggarly array of empty bottles, and a few
+cases that had contained cigars. One of our soldiers was fortunate in
+finding a gold watch in the straw of a bunk. There were cribs of corn,
+stacks of forage, and a considerable quantity of army supplies. Every
+thing evinced a hasty departure.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE FLIGHT AND THE PURSUIT.
+
+From Springfield to Pea Ridge.--Mark Tapley in Missouri.--"The
+Arkansas Traveler."--Encountering the Rebel Army.--A "Wonderful
+Spring."--The Cantonment at Cross Hollows.--Game Chickens.--Magruder
+_vs_. Breckinridge.--Rebel Generals in a Controversy.--Its Result.--An
+Expedition to Huntsville.--Curiosities of Rebel Currency.--Important
+Information.--A Long and Weary March.--Disposition of Forces before
+the Battle.--Changing Front.--What the Rebels lost by Ignorance.
+
+
+When it became certain the army would continue its march into
+Arkansas, myself and the _Democrat's_ correspondent pushed forward
+to overtake it. Along the road we learned of the rapid retreat of the
+Rebels, and the equally rapid pursuit by our own forces. About twenty
+miles south of Springfield one of the natives came to his door to
+greet us. Learning to which army we belonged, he was very voluble in
+his efforts to explain the consternation of the Rebels. A half-dozen
+of his neighbors were by his side, and joined in the hilarity of the
+occasion. I saw that something more than usual was the cause of their
+assembling, and inquired what it could be.
+
+"My wife died this morning, and my friends have come here to see me,"
+was the answer I received from the proprietor of the house.
+
+Almost at the instant of completing the sentence, he burst into a
+laugh, and said,
+
+"It would have done you good to see how your folks captured a big
+drove of Price's cattle. The Rebs were driving them along all right,
+and your cavalry just came up and took them. It was rich, I tell you.
+Ha! ha!"
+
+Not knowing what condolence to offer a man who could be so gay after
+the death of his wife, I bade him good-morning, and pushed on. He
+had not, as far as I could perceive, the single excuse of being
+intoxicated, and his display of vivacity appeared entirely genuine. In
+all my travels I have never met his equal.
+
+Up to the time of this campaign none of our armies had been into
+Arkansas. When General Curtis approached the line, the head of the
+column was halted, the regiments closed up, and the men brought their
+muskets to the "right shoulder shift," instead of the customary "at
+will" of the march. Two bands were sent to the front, where a small
+post marked the boundary, and were stationed by the roadside, one in
+either State. Close by them the National flag was unfurled. The bands
+struck up "The Arkansas Traveler," the order to advance was given,
+and, with many cheers in honor of the event, the column moved onward.
+For several days "The Arkansas Traveler" was exceedingly popular with
+the entire command. On the night after crossing the line the news of
+the fall of Fort Donelson was received.
+
+Soon after entering Arkansas on his retreat, General Price met General
+McCulloch moving northward to join him. With their forces united, they
+determined on making a stand against General Curtis, and, accordingly,
+halted near Sugar Creek. A little skirmish ensued, in which the Rebels
+gave way, the loss on either side being trifling. They did not stop
+until they reached Fayetteville. Their halt at that point was very
+brief.
+
+At Cross Hollows, in Benton County, Arkansas, about two miles from
+the main road, there is one of the finest springs in the Southwest. It
+issues from the base of a rocky ledge, where the ravine is about three
+hundred yards wide, and forms the head of a large brook. Two small
+flouring mills are run during the entire year by the water from this
+spring. The water is at all times clear, cold, and pure, and is said
+never to vary in quantity.
+
+Along the stream fed by this spring, the Rebels had established a
+cantonment for the Army of Northern Arkansas, and erected houses
+capable of containing ten or twelve thousand men. The cantonment
+was laid out with the regularity of a Western city. The houses were
+constructed of sawed lumber, and provided with substantial brick
+chimneys.
+
+Of course, this establishment was abandoned when the Rebel army
+retreated. The buildings were set on fire, and all but a half-dozen of
+them consumed. When our cavalry reached the place, the rear-guard of
+the Rebels had been gone less than half an hour. There were about
+two hundred chickens running loose among the burning buildings. Our
+soldiers commenced killing them, and had slaughtered two-thirds of
+the lot when one of the officers discovered that they were game-cocks.
+This class of chickens not being considered edible, the killing was
+stopped and the balance of the flock saved. Afterward, while we lay in
+camp, they were made a source of much amusement. The cock-fights that
+took place in General Curtis's army would have done honor to Havana or
+Vera Cruz. Before we captured them the birds were the property of the
+officers of a Louisiana regiment. We gave them the names of the Rebel
+leaders. It was an every-day affair for Beauregard, Van Dorn, and
+Price to be matched against Lee, Johnston, and Polk. I remember losing
+a small wager on Magruder against Breckinridge. I should have won if
+Breck had not torn the feathers from Mac's neck, and injured his right
+wing by a foul blow. I never backed Magruder after that.
+
+From Cross Hollows, General Curtis sent a division in pursuit of
+Price's army, in its retreat through Fayetteville, twenty-two miles
+distant. On reaching the town they found the Rebels had left in the
+direction of Fort Smith. The pursuit terminated at this point. It had
+been continued for a hundred and ten miles--a large portion of the
+distance our advance being within a mile or two of the Rebel rear.
+
+In retreating from Fayetteville, the Rebels were obliged to abandon
+much of the supplies for their army. A serious quarrel is reported
+to have taken place between Price and McCulloch, concerning the
+disposition to be made of these supplies. The former was in favor
+of leaving the large amount of stores, of which, bacon was the chief
+article, that it might fall into our hands. He argued that we had
+occupied the country, and would stay there until driven out. Our army
+would be subsisted at all hazards. If we found this large quantity of
+bacon, it would obviate the necessity of our foraging upon the country
+and impoverishing the inhabitants.
+
+General McCulloch opposed this policy, and accused Price of a desire
+to play into the enemy's hands. The quarrel became warm, and resulted
+in the discomfiture of the latter. All the Rebel warehouses were set
+on fire. When our troops entered Fayetteville the conflagration was at
+its height. It resulted as Price had predicted. The inhabitants were
+compelled, in great measure, to support our army.
+
+The Rebels retreated across the Boston Mountains to Fort Smith, and
+commenced a reorganization of their army. Our army remained at Cross
+Hollows as its central point, but threw out its wings so as to form
+a front nearly five miles in extent. Small expeditions were sent in
+various directions to break up Rebel camps and recruiting stations.
+In this way two weeks passed with little activity beyond a careful
+observation of the enemy's movements. There were several flouring
+mills in the vicinity of our camp, which were kept in constant
+activity for the benefit of the army.
+
+I accompanied an expedition, commanded by Colonel Vandever, of the
+Ninth Iowa, to the town of Huntsville, thirty-five miles distant. Our
+march occupied two days, and resulted in the occupation of the town
+and the dispersal of a small camp of Rebels. We had no fighting,
+scarcely a shot being fired in anger. The inhabitants did not greet us
+very cordially, though some of them professed Union sentiments.
+
+In this town of Huntsville, the best friend of the Union was the
+keeper of a whisky-shop. This man desired to look at some of our
+money, but declined to take it. An officer procured a canteen of
+whisky and tendered a Treasury note in payment. The note was refused,
+with a request for either gold or Rebel paper.
+
+The officer then exhibited a large sheet of "promises to pay," which
+he had procured in Fayetteville a few days before, and asked how they
+would answer.
+
+"That is just what I want," said the whisky vender.
+
+The officer called his attention to the fact that the notes had no
+signatures.
+
+"That don't make any difference," was the reply; "nobody will know
+whether they are signed or not, and they are just as good, anyhow."
+
+I was a listener to the conversation, and at this juncture proffered a
+pair of scissors to assist in dividing the notes. It took but a short
+time to cut off enough "money" to pay for twenty canteens of the worst
+whisky I ever saw.
+
+At Huntsville we made a few prisoners, who said they were on their
+way from Price's army to Forsyth, Missouri. They gave us the important
+information that the Rebel army, thirty thousand strong, was on the
+Boston Mountains the day previous; and on the very day of our arrival
+at Huntsville, it was to begin its advance toward our front. These
+men, and some others, had been sent away because they had no weapons
+with which to enter the fight.
+
+Immediately on learning this, Colonel Vandever dispatched a courier
+to General Curtis, and prepared to set out on his return to the main
+army. We marched six miles before nightfall, and at midnight, while
+we were endeavoring to sleep, a courier joined us from the
+commander-in-chief. He brought orders for us to make our way back with
+all possible speed, as the Rebel army was advancing in full force.
+
+At two o'clock we broke camp, and, with only one halt of an hour,
+made a forced march of forty-one miles, joining the main column at ten
+o'clock at night. I doubt if there were many occasions during the
+war where better marching was done by infantry than on that day.
+Of course, the soldiers were much fatigued, but were ready, on the
+following day, to take active part in the battle.
+
+On the 5th of March, as soon as General Curtis learned of the Rebel
+advance, he ordered General Sigel, who was in camp at Bentonville, to
+fall back to Pea Ridge, on the north bank of Sugar Creek. At the
+same time he withdrew Colonel Jeff. C. Davis's Division to the same
+locality. This placed the army in a strong, defensible position, with
+the creek in its front. On the ridge above the stream our artillery
+and infantry were posted.
+
+The Rebel armies under Price and McCulloch had been united and
+strongly re-enforced, the whole being under the command of General Van
+Dorn. Their strength was upward of twenty thousand men, and they were
+confident of their ability to overpower us. Knowing our strong front
+line, General Van Dorn decided upon a bold movement, and threw himself
+around our right flank to a position between us and our base at
+Springfield.
+
+In moving to our right and rear, the Rebels encountered General
+Sigel's Division before it had left Bentonville, and kept up a running
+fight during the afternoon of the 6th. Several times the Rebels, in
+small force, secured positions in Sigel's front, but that officer
+succeeded in cutting his way through and reaching the main force, with
+a loss of less than a hundred men.
+
+The position of the enemy at Bentonville showed us his intentions,
+and we made our best preparations to oppose him. Our first step was
+to obstruct the road from Bentonville to our rear, so as to retard
+the enemy's movements. Colonel Dodge, of the Fourth Iowa (afterward
+a major-general), rose from a sick-bed to perform this work. The
+impediments which he placed in the way of the Rebels prevented their
+reaching the road in our rear until nine o'clock on the morning of the
+7th.
+
+Our next movement was to reverse our position. We had been facing
+south--it was now necessary to face to the north. The line that had
+been our rear became our front. A change of front implied that our
+artillery train should take the place of the supply train, and _vice
+versa_. "Elkhorn Tavern" had been the quartermaster's depot. We made
+all haste to substitute artillery for baggage-wagons, and boxes of
+ammunition for boxes of hard bread. This transfer was not accomplished
+before the battle began, and as our troops were pressed steadily back
+on our new front, Elkhorn Tavern fell into the hands of the Rebels.
+
+The sugar, salt, and bread which they captured, happily not of large
+quantity, were very acceptable, and speedily disappeared. Among the
+quartermaster's stores was a wagon-load of desiccated vegetables, a
+very valuable article for an army in the field. All expected it would
+be made into soup and eaten by the Rebels. What was our astonishment
+to find, two days later, that they had opened and examined a single
+case, and, after scattering its contents on the ground, left the
+balance undisturbed!
+
+Elkhorn Tavern was designated by a pair of elk-horns, which occupied a
+conspicuous position above the door. After the battle these horns were
+removed by Colonel Carr, and sent to his home in Illinois, as trophies
+of the victory.
+
+A family occupied the building at the time of the battle, and remained
+there during the whole contest. When the battle raged most fiercely
+the cellar proved a place of refuge. Shells tore through the house,
+sometimes from the National batteries, and sometimes from Rebel guns.
+One shell exploded in a room where three women were sitting. Though
+their clothes were torn by the flying fragments, they escaped without
+personal injury. They announced their determination not to leave home
+so long as the house remained standing.
+
+Among other things captured at Elkhorn Tavern by the Rebels, was
+a sutler's wagon, which, had just arrived from St. Louis. In the
+division of the spoils, a large box, filled with wallets, fell to the
+lot of McDonald's Battery. For several weeks the officers and privates
+of this battery could boast of a dozen wallets each, while very few
+had any money to carry. The Rebel soldiers complained that the visits
+of the paymaster were like those of angels.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE.
+
+The Rebels make their Attack.--Albert Pike and his Indians.--Scalping
+Wounded Men.--Death of General McCulloch.--The Fighting at Elkhorn
+Tavern.--Close of a Gloomy Day.--An Unpleasant Night.--Vocal Sounds
+from a Mule's Throat.--Sleeping under Disadvantages.--A Favorable
+Morning.--The Opposing Lines of Battle.--A Severe Cannonade.--The
+Forest on Fire.--Wounded Men in the Flames.--The Rebels in
+Retreat.--Movements of our Army.--A Journey to St. Louis.
+
+
+About nine o'clock on the morning of the 7th, the Rebels made a
+simultaneous attack on our left and front, formerly our right and
+rear. General Price commanded the force on our front, and General
+McCulloch that on our left; the former having the old Army of
+Missouri, re-enforced by several Arkansas regiments, and the latter
+having a corps made up of Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana troops. They
+brought into the fight upward of twenty thousand men, while we had not
+over twelve thousand with which to oppose them.
+
+The attack on our left was met by General Sigel and Colonel Davis.
+That on our front was met by Colonel Carr's Division and the division
+of General Asboth. On our left it was severe, though not long
+maintained, the position we held being too strong for the enemy to
+carry.
+
+It was on this part of the line that the famous Albert Pike, the
+lawyer-poet of Arkansas, brought his newly-formed brigades of
+Indians into use. Pike was unfortunate with his Indians. While he
+was arranging them in line, in a locality where the bushes were about
+eight feet in height, the Indians made so much noise as to reveal
+their exact position. One of our batteries was quietly placed within
+point-blank range of the Indians, and suddenly opened upon them with
+grape and canister. They gave a single yell, and scattered without
+waiting for orders.
+
+The Indians were not, as a body, again brought together during the
+battle. In a charge which our cavalry made upon a Rebel brigade we
+were repulsed, leaving several killed and wounded upon the ground.
+Some of Pike's Indians, after their dispersal, came upon these, and
+scalped the dead and living without distinction. A Rebel officer
+subsequently informed me that the same Indians scalped several of
+their own slain, and barbarously murdered some who had been only
+slightly injured.
+
+On this part of the field we were fortunate, early in the day, in
+killing General McCulloch and his best lieutenant, General McIntosh.
+To this misfortune the Rebels have since ascribed their easy defeat.
+At the time of this reverse to the enemy, General Van Dorn was with.
+Price in our front. After their repulse and the death of their leader,
+the discomfited Rebels joined their comrades in the front, who had
+been more successful. It was nightfall before the two forces were
+united.
+
+In our front, Colonel Carr's Division fought steadily and earnestly
+during the entire day, but was pressed back fully two-thirds of a
+mile. General Curtis gave it what re-enforcements he could, but there
+were very few to be spared. When it was fully ascertained that the
+Rebels on our left had gone to our front, we prepared to unite against
+them. Our left was drawn in to re-enforce Colonel Carr, but the
+movement was not completed until long after dark.
+
+Thus night came. The rebels were in full possession of our
+communications. We had repulsed them on the left, but lost ground,
+guns, and men on our front. The Rebels were holding Elkhorn Tavern,
+which we had made great effort to defend. Colonel Carr had repeatedly
+wished for either night or re-enforcements. He obtained both.
+
+The commanding officers visited General Curtis's head-quarters,
+and received their orders for the morrow. Our whole force was to be
+concentrated on our front. If the enemy did not attack us at daylight,
+we would attack him as soon thereafter as practicable.
+
+Viewed in its best light, the situation was somewhat gloomy. Mr.
+Fayel, of the _Democrat_, and myself were the only journalists
+with the army, and the cessation of the day's fighting found us
+deliberating on our best course in case of a disastrous result. We
+destroyed all documents that could give information to the enemy,
+retaining only our note-books, and such papers as pertained to our
+profession. With patience and resignation we awaited the events of the
+morrow.
+
+I do not know that any of our officers expected we should be
+overpowered, but there were many who thought such an occurrence
+probable. The enemy was nearly twice as strong as we, and lay directly
+between us and our base. If he could hold out till our ammunition was
+exhausted, we should be compelled to lay down our arms. There was no
+retreat for us. We must be victorious or we must surrender.
+
+In camp, on that night, every thing was confusion. The troops that had
+been on the left during the day were being transferred to the front.
+The quartermaster was endeavoring to get his train in the least
+dangerous place. The opposing lines were so near each other that our
+men could easily hear the conversation of the Rebels. The night was
+not severely cold; but the men, who were on the front, after a day's
+fighting, found it quite uncomfortable. Only in the rear was it
+thought prudent to build fires.
+
+The soldiers of German birth were musical. Throughout the night I
+repeatedly heard their songs. The soldiers of American parentage
+were generally profane, and the few words I heard them utter were the
+reverse of musical. Those of Irish origin combined the peculiarities
+of both Germans and Americans, with their tendencies in favor of the
+latter.
+
+I sought a quiet spot within the limits of the camp, but could not
+find it. Lying down in the best place available, I had just fallen
+asleep when a mounted orderly rode his horse directly over me. I made
+a mild remonstrance, but the man was out of hearing before I spoke.
+Soon after, some one lighted a pipe and threw a coal upon my hand.
+This drew from me a gentle request for a discontinuance of that
+experiment. I believe it was not repeated. During the night Mr.
+Fayel's beard took fire, and I was roused to assist in staying the
+conflagration.
+
+The vocal music around me was not calculated to encourage drowsiness.
+Close at hand was the quartermaster's train, with the mules ready
+harnessed for moving in any direction. These mules had not been fed
+for two whole days, and it was more than thirty-six hours since they
+had taken water. These facts were made known in the best language the
+creatures possessed. The bray of a mule is never melodious, even when
+the animal's throat is well moistened. When it is parched and dusty
+the sound becomes unusually hoarse. Each hour added to the noise as
+the thirst of the musicians increased. Mr. Fayel provoked a discussion
+concerning the doctrine of the transmigration of souls; and thought,
+in the event of its truth, that the wretch was to be pitied who should
+pass into a mule in time of war.
+
+With the dawn of day every one was astir. At sunrise I found our
+line was not quite ready, though it was nearly so. General Curtis
+was confident all would result successfully, and completed the few
+arrangements then requiring attention. We had expected the Rebels
+would open the attack; but they waited for us to do so. They deserved
+many thanks for their courtesy. The smoke of the previous day's fight
+still hung over the camp, and the sun rose through it, as through a
+cloud. A gentle wind soon dissipated this smoke, and showed us a clear
+sky overhead. The direction of the wind was in our favor.
+
+The ground selected for deciding the fate of that day was a huge
+cornfield, somewhat exceeding two miles in length and about half a
+mile in width. The western extremity of this field rested upon the
+ridge which gave name to the battle-ground. The great road from
+Springfield to Fayetteville crossed this field about midway from the
+eastern to the western end.
+
+It was on this road that the two armies took their positions.
+The lines were in the edge of the woods on opposite sides of the
+field--the wings of the armies extending to either end. On the
+northern side were the Rebels, on the southern was the National army.
+Thus each army, sheltered by the forest, had a cleared space in its
+front, affording a full view of the enemy.
+
+[Illustration: SHELLING THE HILL AT PEA RIDGE.]
+
+By half-past seven o'clock our line was formed and ready for action. A
+little before eight o'clock the cannonade was opened. Our forces
+were regularly drawn up in order of battle. Our batteries were placed
+between the regiments as they stood in line. In the timber, behind
+these regiments and batteries, were the brigades in reserve, ready
+to be brought forward in case of need. At the ends of the line were
+battalions of cavalry, stretching off to cover the wings, and give
+notice of any attempt by the Rebels to move on our flanks. Every five
+minutes the bugle of the extreme battalion would sound the signal
+"All's well." The signal would be taken by the bugler of the next
+battalion, and in this way carried down the line to the center. If
+the Rebels had made any attempt to outflank us, we could hardly have
+failed to discover it at once.
+
+Our batteries opened; the Rebel batteries responded. Our gunners
+proved the best, and our shot had the greatest effect. We had better
+ammunition than that of our enemies, and thus reduced the disparity
+caused by their excess of guns. Our cannonade was slow and careful;
+theirs was rapid, and was made at random. At the end of two hours of
+steady, earnest work, we could see that the Rebel line was growing
+weaker, while our own was still unshaken. The work of the artillery
+was winning us the victory.
+
+In the center of the Rebel line was a rocky hill, eighty or a hundred
+feet in height. The side which faced us was almost perpendicular, but
+the slope to the rear was easy of ascent. On this hill the Rebels had
+stationed two regiments of infantry and a battery of artillery. The
+balance of their artillery lay at its base. General Curtis ordered
+that the fire of all our batteries should be concentrated on this hill
+at a given signal, and continued there for ten minutes. This was done.
+At the same time our infantry went forward in a charge on the Rebel
+infantry and batteries that stood in the edge of the forest. The
+cleared field afforded fine opportunity for the movement.
+
+The charge was successful. The Rebels fell back in disorder, leaving
+three guns in our hands, and their dead and wounded scattered on the
+ground. This was the end of the battle. We had won the victory at Pea
+Ridge.
+
+I followed our advancing forces, and ascended to the summit of the
+elevation on which our last fire was concentrated. Wounded men were
+gathered in little groups, and the dead were lying thick about them.
+The range of our artillery had been excellent. Rocks, trees, and earth
+attested the severity of our fire. This cannonade was the decisive
+work of the day. It was the final effort of our batteries, and was
+terrible while it lasted.
+
+The shells, bursting among the dry leaves, had set the woods on fire,
+and the flames were slowly traversing the ground where the battle had
+raged. We made every effort to remove the wounded to places of safety,
+before the fire should reach them. At that time we thought we had
+succeeded. Late in the afternoon I found several wounded men lying in
+secluded places, where they had been terribly burned, though they were
+still alive. Very few of them survived.
+
+Our loss in this battle was a tenth of our whole force. The enemy lost
+more than we in numbers, though less in proportion to his strength.
+His position, directly in our rear, would have been fatal to a
+defeated army in many other localities. There were numerous small
+roads, intersecting the great road at right angles. On these roads the
+Rebels made their lines of retreat. Had we sent cavalry in pursuit,
+the Rebels would have lost heavily in artillery and in their supply
+train. As it was, they escaped without material loss, but they
+suffered a defeat which ultimately resulted in our possession of all
+Northern Arkansas.
+
+The Rebels retreated across the Boston Mountains to Van Buren and Fort
+Smith, and were soon ordered thence to join Beauregard at Corinth.
+Our army moved to Keytsville, Missouri, several miles north of the
+battle-ground, where the country was better adapted to foraging, and
+more favorable to recuperating from the effects of the conflict.
+
+From Keytsville it moved to Forsyth, a small town in Taney County,
+Missouri, fifty miles from Springfield. Extending over a considerable
+area, the army consumed whatever could be found in the vicinity. It
+gave much annoyance to the Rebels by destroying the saltpeter works on
+the upper portion of White River.
+
+The saltpeter manufactories along the banks of this stream were of
+great importance to the Rebels in the Southwest, and their destruction
+seriously reduced the supplies of gunpowder in the armies of Arkansas
+and Louisiana. Large quantities of the crude material were shipped
+to Memphis and other points, in the early days of the war. At certain
+seasons White River is navigable to Forsyth. The Rebels made every
+possible use of their opportunities, as long as the stream remained in
+their possession.
+
+Half sick in consequence of the hardships of the campaign, and
+satisfied there would be no more fighting of importance during the
+summer, I determined to go back to civilization. I returned to
+St. Louis by way of Springfield and Rolla. A wounded officer,
+Lieutenant-Colonel Herron (who afterward wore the stars of a
+major-general), was my traveling companion. Six days of weary toil
+over rough and muddy roads brought us to the railway, within twelve
+hours of St. Louis. It was my last campaign in that region. From that
+date the war in the Southwest had its chief interest in the country
+east of the Great River.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+UP THE TENNESSEE AND AT PITTSBURG LANDING.
+
+At St. Louis.--Progress of our Arms in the Great Valley.--Cairo.--Its
+Peculiarities and Attractions.--Its Commercial, Geographical, and
+Sanitary Advantages.--Up the Tennessee.--Movements Preliminary to
+the Great Battle.--The Rebels and their Plans.--Postponement of
+the Attack.--Disadvantages of our Position.--The Beginning of the
+Battle.--Results of the First Day.--Re-enforcements.--Disputes between
+Officers of our two Armies.--Beauregard's Watering-Place.
+
+
+On reaching St. Louis, three weeks after the battle of Pea Ridge, I
+found that public attention was centered upon the Tennessee River.
+Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Columbus, and Nashville had fallen, and
+our armies were pushing forward toward the Gulf, by the line of the
+Tennessee. General Pope was laying siege to Island Number Ten, having
+already occupied New Madrid, and placed his gun-boats in front of
+that point. General Grant's army was at Pittsburg Landing, and General
+Buell's army was moving from Nashville toward Savannah, Tennessee.
+The two armies were to be united at Pittsburg Landing, for a further
+advance into the Southern States. General Beauregard was at Corinth,
+where he had been joined by Price and Van Dorn from Arkansas, and by
+Albert Sidney Johnston from Kentucky. There was a promise of active
+hostilities in that quarter. I left St. Louis, after a few days' rest,
+for the new scene of action.
+
+Cairo lay in my route. I found it greatly changed from the Cairo of
+the previous autumn. Six months before, it had been the rendezvous of
+the forces watching the Lower Mississippi. The basin in which the town
+stood, was a vast military encampment. Officers of all rank thronged
+the hotels, and made themselves as comfortable as men could be in
+Cairo. All the leading journals of the country were represented,
+and the dispatches from Cairo were everywhere perused with interest,
+though they were not always entirety accurate.
+
+March and April witnessed a material change. Where there had been
+twenty thousand soldiers in December, there were less than one
+thousand in April. Where a fleet of gun-boats, mortar-rafts, and
+transports had been tied to the levees during the winter months, the
+opening spring showed but a half-dozen steamers of all classes. The
+transports and the soldiers were up the Tennessee, the mortars were
+bombarding Island Number Ten, and the gun-boats were on duty where
+their services were most needed. The journalists had become war
+correspondents in earnest, and were scattered to the points of
+greatest interest.
+
+Cairo had become a vast depot of supplies for the armies operating
+on the Mississippi and its tributaries. The commander of the post was
+more a forwarding agent than a military officer. The only steamers at
+the levee were loading for the armies. Cairo was a map of busy, muddy
+life.
+
+The opening year found Cairo exulting in its deep and all-pervading
+mud. There was mud everywhere.
+
+Levee, sidewalks, floors, windows, tables, bed-clothing, all were
+covered with it. On the levee it varied from six to thirty inches
+in depth. The luckless individual whose duties obliged him to make
+frequent journeys from the steamboat landing to the principal hotel,
+became intimately acquainted with its character.
+
+Sad, unfortunate, derided Cairo! Your visitors depart with unpleasant
+memories. Only your inhabitants, who hold titles to corner lots, speak
+loudly in your praise. When it rains, and sometimes when it does not,
+your levee is unpleasant to walk upon. Your sidewalks are dangerous,
+and your streets are unclean. John Phenix declared you destitute of
+honesty. Dickens asserted that your physical and moral foundations
+were insecurely laid. Russell did not praise you, and Trollope uttered
+much to your discredit. Your musquitos are large, numerous, and
+hungry. Your atmosphere does not resemble the spicy breezes that blow
+soft o'er Ceylon's isle. Your energy and enterprise are commendable,
+and your geographical location is excellent, but you can never become
+a rival to Saratoga or Newport.
+
+Cairo is built in a basin formed by constructing a levee to inclose
+the peninsula at the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
+Before the erection of the levee, this peninsula was overflowed by the
+rise of either river. Sometimes, in unusual floods, the waters reach
+the top of the embankment, and manage to fill the basin. At the
+time of my visit, the Ohio was rising rapidly. The inhabitants were
+alarmed, as the water was gradually gaining upon them. After a time it
+took possession of the basin, enabling people to navigate the streets
+and front yards in skiffs, and exchange salutations from house-tops
+or upper windows. Many were driven from their houses by the flood, and
+forced to seek shelter elsewhere. In due time the waters receded and
+the city remained unharmed. It is not true that a steamer was lost in
+consequence of running against a chimney of the St. Charles Hotel.
+
+Cairo has prospered during the war, and is now making an effort
+to fill her streets above the high-water level, and insure a dry
+foundation at all seasons of the year. This once accomplished, Cairo
+will become a city of no little importance.
+
+Proceeding up the Tennessee, I reached Pittsburg Landing three days
+after the great battle which has made that locality famous.
+
+The history of that battle has been many times written. Official
+reports have given the dry details,--the movements of division,
+brigade, regiment, and battery, all being fully portrayed. A few
+journalists who witnessed it gave the accounts which were circulated
+everywhere by the Press. The earliest of these was published by _The
+Herald._ The most complete and graphic was that of Mr. Reid, of _The
+Cincinnati Gazette._ Officers, soldiers, civilians, all with greater
+or less experience, wrote what they had heard and seen. So diverse
+have been the statements, that a general officer who was prominent in
+the battle, says he sometimes doubts if he was present.
+
+In the official accounts there have been inharmonious deductions, and
+many statements of a contradictory character. Some of the participants
+have criticised unfavorably the conduct of others, and a bitterness
+continuing through and after the war has been the result.
+
+In February of 1862, the Rebels commenced assembling an army at
+Corinth. General Beauregard was placed in command. Early in March,
+Price and Van Dorn were ordered to take their commands to Corinth,
+as their defeat at Pea Ridge had placed them on the defensive against
+General Curtis. General A. S. Johnston had moved thither, after the
+evacuation of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and from all quarters
+the Rebels were assembling a vast army. General Johnston became
+commander-in-chief on his arrival.
+
+General Halleck, who then commanded the Western Department, ordered
+General Grant, after the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson, to move
+to Pittsburg Landing, and seize that point as a base against Corinth.
+General Buell, with the Army of the Ohio, was ordered to join him from
+Nashville, and with other re-enforcements we would be ready to take
+the offensive.
+
+Owing to the condition of the roads, General Buell moved very slowly,
+so that General Grant was in position at Pittsburg Landing several
+days before the former came up. This was the situation at the
+beginning of April; Grant encamped on the bank of the Tennessee
+nearest the enemy, and Buell slowly approaching the opposite bank. It
+was evidently the enemy's opportunity to strike his blow before our
+two armies should be united.
+
+On the 4th of April, the Rebels prepared to move from Corinth to
+attack General Grant's camp, but, on account of rain, they delayed
+their advance till the morning of the 6th. At daylight of the 6th our
+pickets were driven in, and were followed by the advance of the Rebel
+army.
+
+The division whose camp was nearest to Corinth, and therefore the
+first to receive the onset of the enemy, was composed of the newest
+troops in the army. Some of the regiments had received their arms less
+than two weeks before. The outposts were not sufficiently far from
+camp to allow much time for getting under arms after the first
+encounter. A portion of this division was attacked before it could
+form, but its commander, General Prentiss, promptly rallied his men,
+and made a vigorous fight. He succeeded, for a time, in staying the
+progress of the enemy, but the odds against him were too great. When
+his division was surrounded and fighting was no longer of use, he
+surrendered his command. At the time of surrender he had little more
+than a thousand men remaining out of a division six thousand strong.
+Five thousand were killed, wounded, or had fled to the rear.
+
+General Grant had taken no precautions against attack. The
+vedettes were but a few hundred yards from our front, and we had no
+breast-works of any kind behind which to fight. The newest and least
+reliable soldiers were at the point where the enemy would make his
+first appearance. The positions of the various brigades and divisions
+were taken, more with reference to securing a good camping-ground,
+than for purposes of strategy. General Grant showed himself a soldier
+in the management of the army after the battle began, and he has since
+achieved a reputation as the greatest warrior of the age. Like the
+oculist who spoiled a hatful of eyes in learning to operate for the
+cataract, he improved his military knowledge by his experience at
+Shiloh. Never afterward did he place an army in the enemy's country
+without making careful provision against assault.
+
+One division, under General Wallace, was at Crump's Landing, six miles
+below the battle-ground, and did not take part in the action till the
+following day. The other divisions were in line to meet the enemy soon
+after the fighting commenced on General Prentiss's front, and made a
+stubborn resistance to the Rebel advance.
+
+The Rebels well knew they would have no child's play in that battle.
+They came prepared for hot, terrible work, in which thousands of men
+were to fall. The field attests our determined resistance; it attests
+their daring advance. A day's fighting pushed us slowly, but steadily,
+toward the Tennessee. Our last line was formed less than a half mile
+from its bank. Sixty pieces of artillery composed a grand battery,
+against which the enemy rushed. General Grant's officers claim that
+the enemy received a final check when he attacked that line. The
+Rebels claim that another hour of daylight, had we received no
+re-enforcements, would have seen our utter defeat. Darkness and a
+fresh division came to our aid.
+
+General Buell was to arrive at Savannah, ten miles below Pittsburg,
+and on the opposite bank of the river, on the morning of the 6th. On
+the evening of the 5th, General Grant proceeded to Savannah to meet
+him, and was there when the battle began on the following morning.
+His boat was immediately headed for Pittsburg, and by nine o'clock
+the General was on the battle-field. From that time, the engagement
+received his personal attention. When he started from Savannah, some
+of General Buell's forces were within two miles of the town. They were
+hurried forward as rapidly as possible, and arrived at Pittsburg, some
+by land and others by water, in season to take position on our left,
+just as the day was closing. Others came up in the night, and formed a
+part of the line on the morning of the 7th.
+
+General Nelson's Division was the first to cross the river and form
+on the left of Grant's shattered army. As he landed, Nelson rode among
+the stragglers by the bank and endeavored to rally them. Hailing a
+captain of infantry, he told him to get his men together and fall into
+line. The captain's face displayed the utmost terror. "My regiment
+is cut to pieces," was the rejoinder; "every man of my company is
+killed."
+
+"Then why ain't you killed, too, you d----d coward?" thundered Nelson.
+"Gather some of these stragglers and go back into the battle."
+
+The man obeyed the order.
+
+[Illustration: NELSON CROSSING THE TENNESSEE RIVER.]
+
+General Nelson reported to General Grant with his division, received
+his orders, and then dashed about the field, wherever his presence was
+needed. The division was only slightly engaged before night came on
+and suspended the battle.
+
+At dawn on the second day the enemy lay in the position it held When
+darkness ended the fight. The gun-boats had shelled the woods during
+the night, and prevented the Rebels from reaching the river on our
+left. A creek and ravine prevented their reaching it on the right.
+None of the Rebels stood on the bank of the Tennessee River on that
+occasion, except as prisoners of war.
+
+As they had commenced the attack on the 6th, it was our turn to begin
+it on the 7th. A little past daylight we opened fire, and the fresh
+troops on the left, under General Buell, were put in motion. The
+Rebels had driven us on the 6th, so we drove them on the 7th. By noon
+of that day we held the ground lost on the day previous.
+
+The camps which the enemy occupied during the night were comparatively
+uninjured, so confident were the Rebels that our defeat was assured.
+
+It was the arrival of General Buell's army that saved us. The history
+of that battle, as the Rebels have given it, shows that they expected
+to overpower General Grant before General Buell could come up. They
+would then cross the Tennessee, meet and defeat Buell, and recapture
+Nashville. The defeat of these two armies would have placed the Valley
+of the Ohio at the command of the Rebels. Louisville was to have been
+the next point of attack.
+
+The dispute between the officers of the Army of the Tennessee and
+those of the Army of the Ohio is not likely to be terminated until
+this generation has passed away. The former contend that the Rebels
+were repulsed on the evening of the 6th of April, before the Army of
+the Ohio took part in the battle. The latter are equally earnest in
+declaring that the Army of the Tennessee would have been defeated had
+not the other army arrived. Both parties sustain their arguments by
+statements in proof, and by positive assertions. I believe it is the
+general opinion of impartial observers, that the salvation of General
+Grant's army is due to the arrival of the army of General Buell. With
+the last attack on the evening of the 6th, in which our batteries
+repulsed the Rebels, the enemy did not retreat. Night came as the
+fighting ceased. Beauregard's army slept where it had fought, and
+gave all possible indication of a readiness to renew the battle on the
+following day. So near was it to the river that our gun-boats threw
+shells during the night to prevent our left wing being flanked.
+
+Beauregard is said to have sworn to water his horse in the Tennessee,
+or in Hell, on that night. It is certain that the animal did not
+quench his thirst in the terrestrial stream. If he drank from springs
+beyond the Styx, I am not informed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+SHILOH AND THE SIEGE OF CORINTH.
+
+The Error of the Rebels.--Story of a Surgeon.--Experience of a
+Rebel Regiment.--Injury to the Rebel Army.--The Effect in our own
+Lines.--Daring of a Color-Bearer.--A Brave Soldier.--A Drummer-Boy's
+Experience.--Gallantry of an Artillery Surgeon.--A Regiment Commanded
+by a Lieutenant.--Friend Meeting Friend and Brother Meeting Brother
+in the Opposing Lines.--The Scene of the Battle.--Fearful Traces
+of Musketry-Fire.--The Wounded.--The Labor of the Sanitary
+Commission.--Humanity a Yankee Trick.--Besieging Corinth.--A
+Cold-Water Battery.--Halleck and the Journalists.--Occupation of
+Corinth.
+
+
+The fatal error of the Rebels, was their neglect to attack on the 4th,
+as originally intended. They were informed by their scouts that Buell
+could not reach Savannah before the 9th or 10th; and therefore a delay
+of two days would not change the situation. Buell was nearer than they
+supposed.
+
+The surgeon of the Sixth Iowa Infantry fell into the enemy's hands
+early on the morning of the first day of the battle, and established a
+hospital in our abandoned camp. His position was at a small log-house
+close by the principal road. Soon after he took possession, the
+enemy's columns began to file past him, as they pressed our army. The
+surgeon says he noticed a Louisiana regiment that moved into battle
+eight hundred strong, its banners flying and the men elated at the
+prospect of success. About five o'clock in the afternoon this regiment
+was withdrawn, and went into bivouac a short distance from the
+surgeon's hospital. It was then less than four hundred strong, but the
+spirit of the men was still the same. On the morning of the 7th,
+it once more went into battle. About noon it came out, less than a
+hundred strong, pressing in retreat toward Corinth. The men still
+clung to their flag, and declared their determination to be avenged.
+
+The story of this regiment was the story of many others. Shattered and
+disorganized, their retreat to Corinth had but little order. Only the
+splendid rear-guard, commanded by General Bragg, saved them from utter
+confusion. The Rebels admitted that many of their regiments were
+unable to produce a fifth of their original numbers, until a week
+or more after the battle. The stragglers came in slowly from the
+surrounding country, and at length enabled the Rebels to estimate
+their loss. There were many who never returned to answer at roll-call.
+
+In our army, the disorder was far from small. Large numbers of
+soldiers wandered for days about the camps, before they could
+ascertain their proper locations. It was fully a week, before all
+were correctly assigned. We refused to allow burying parties from the
+Rebels to come within our lines, preferring that they should not
+see the condition of our camp. Time was required to enable us to
+recuperate. I presume the enemy was as much in need of time as
+ourselves.
+
+A volume could be filled with the stories of personal valor during
+that battle. General Lew Wallace says his division was, at a certain
+time, forming on one side of a field, while the Rebels were on the
+opposite side. The color-bearer of a Rebel regiment stepped in front
+of his own line, and waved his flag as a challenge to the color-bearer
+that faced him. Several of our soldiers wished to meet the challenge,
+but their officers forbade it. Again the Rebel stepped forward, and
+planted his flag-staff in the ground. There was no response, and again
+and again he advanced, until he had passed more than half the distance
+between the opposing lines. Our fire was reserved in admiration of the
+man's daring, as he stood full in view, defiantly waving his banner.
+At last, when the struggle between the divisions commenced, it was
+impossible to save him, and he fell dead by the side of his colors.
+
+On the morning of the second day's fighting, the officers of one of
+our gun-boats saw a soldier on the river-bank on our extreme left,
+assisting another soldier who was severely wounded. A yawl was sent to
+bring away the wounded man and his companion. As it touched the side
+of the gun-boat on its return, the uninjured soldier asked to be sent
+back to land, that he might have further part in the battle. "I have,"
+said he, "been taking care of this man, who is my neighbor at home. He
+was wounded yesterday morning, and I have been by his side ever since.
+Neither of us has eaten any thing for thirty hours, but, if you will
+take good care of him, I will not stop now for myself. I want to get
+into the battle again at once." The man's request was complied with. I
+regret my inability to give his name.
+
+A drummer-boy of the Fifteenth Iowa Infantry was wounded five times
+during the first day's battle, but insisted upon going out on the
+second day. He had hardly started before he fainted from loss of
+blood, and was left to recover and crawl back to the camp.
+
+Colonel Sweeney, of the Fifty-second Illinois Infantry, who lost an
+arm in Mexico and was wounded in the leg at Wilson Creek, received a
+wound in his arm on the first day of the battle. He kept his saddle,
+though he was unable to use his arm, and went to the hospital after
+the battle was over. When I saw him he was venting his indignation
+at the Rebels, because they had not wounded him in the stump of
+his amputated arm, instead of the locality which gave him so much
+inconvenience. It was this officer's fortune to be wounded on nearly
+every occasion when he went into battle.
+
+During the battle, Dr. Cornyn, surgeon of Major Cavender's battalion
+of Missouri Artillery, saw a section of a battery whose commander had
+been killed. The doctor at once removed the surgeon's badge from his
+hat and the sash from his waist, and took command of the guns. He
+placed them in position, and for several hours managed them with good
+effect. He was twice wounded, though not severely. "I was determined
+they should not kill or capture me as a surgeon when I had charge
+of that artillery," said the doctor afterward, "and so removed every
+thing that marked my rank."
+
+The Rebels made some very desperate charges against our artillery, and
+lost heavily in each attack. Once they actually laid their hands on
+the muzzles of two guns in Captain Stone's battery, but were unable to
+capture them.
+
+General Hurlbut stated that his division fought all day on Sunday with
+heavy loss, but only one regiment broke. When he entered the battle
+on Monday morning, the Third Iowa Infantry was commanded by a
+first-lieutenant, all the field officers and captains having been
+disabled or captured. Several regiments were commanded by captains.
+
+Colonel McHenry, of the Seventeenth Kentucky, said his regiment fought
+a Kentucky regiment which was raised in the county where his own was
+organized. The fight was very fierce. The men frequently called out
+from one to another, using taunting epithets. Two brothers recognized
+each other at the same moment, and came to a tree midway between the
+lines, where they conversed for several minutes.
+
+The color-bearer of the Fifty-second Illinois was wounded early in the
+battle. A man who was under arrest for misdemeanor asked the privilege
+of carrying the colors. It was granted, and he behaved so admirably
+that he was released from arrest as soon as the battle was ended.
+
+General Halleck arrived a week after the battle, and commenced a
+reorganization of the army. He found much confusion consequent upon
+the battle. In a short time the army was ready to take the offensive.
+We then commenced the advance upon Corinth, in which we were six
+weeks moving twenty-five miles. When our army first took position
+at Pittsburg Landing, and before the Rebels had effected their
+concentration, General Grant asked permission to capture Corinth.
+He felt confident of success, but was ordered not to bring on an
+engagement under any circumstances. Had the desired permission been
+given, there is little doubt he would have succeeded, and thus avoided
+the necessity of the battle of Shiloh.
+
+The day following my arrival at Pittsburg Landing I rode over the
+battle-field. The ground was mostly wooded, the forest being one
+in which artillery could be well employed, but where cavalry was
+comparatively useless. The ascent from the river was up a steep bluff
+that led to a broken table-ground, in which there were many ravines,
+generally at right angles to the river. On this table-ground our camps
+were located, and it was there the battle took place.
+
+Everywhere the trees were scarred and shattered, telling, as plainly
+as by words, of the shower of shot, shell, and bullets, that had
+fallen upon them. Within rifle range of the river, stood a tree
+marked by a cannon-shot, showing how much we were pressed back on
+the afternoon of the 6th. From the moment the crest of the bluff was
+gained, the traces of battle were apparent.
+
+In front of the line where General Prentiss's Division fought, there
+was a spot of level ground covered with a dense growth of small trees.
+The tops of these trees were from twelve to fifteen feet high, and had
+been almost mowed off by the shower of bullets which passed through
+them. I saw no place where there was greater evidence of severe work.
+There was everywhere full proof that the battle was a determined one.
+Assailant and defendant had done their best.
+
+It was a ride of five miles among scarred trees, over ground cut by
+the wheels of guns and caissons, among shattered muskets, disabled
+cannon, broken wagons, and all the heavier debris of battle.
+Everywhere could be seen torn garments, haversacks, and other personal
+equipments of soldiers. There were tents where the wounded had been
+gathered, and where those who could not easily bear movement to the
+transports were still remaining. In every direction I moved, there
+were the graves of the slain, the National and the Rebel soldiers
+being buried side by side. Few of the graves were marked, as the
+hurry of interment had been great. I fear that many of those graves,
+undesignated and unfenced, have long since been leveled. A single
+year, with its rain and its rank vegetation, would leave but a small
+trace of those mounds.
+
+All through that forest the camps of our army were scattered. During
+the first few days after the battle they showed much irregularity, but
+gradually took a more systematic shape. When the wounded had been
+sent to the transports, the regiments compacted, the camps cleared
+of superfluous baggage and _materiel_, and the weather became more
+propitious, the army assumed an attractive appearance.
+
+When the news of the battle reached the principal cities of the West,
+the Sanitary Commission prepared to send relief. Within twenty-four
+hours, boats were dispatched from St. Louis and Cincinnati, and
+hurried to Pittsburg Landing with the utmost rapidity. The battle had
+not been altogether unexpected, but it found us without the proper
+preparation. Whatever we had was pushed forward without delay, and the
+sufferings of the wounded were alleviated as much as possible.
+
+As fast as the boats arrived they were loaded with wounded, and sent
+to St. Louis and other points along the Mississippi, or to Cincinnati
+and places in its vicinity. Chicago, St. Louis, and Cincinnati were
+the principal points represented in this work of humanity. Many
+prominent ladies of those cities passed week after week in the
+hospitals or on the transports, doing every thing in their power, and
+giving their attention to friend and foe alike.
+
+In all cases the Rebels were treated with the same kindness that our
+own men received. Not only on the boats, but in the hospitals where
+the wounded were distributed, and until they were fully recovered, our
+suffering prisoners were faithfully nursed. The Rebel papers afterward
+admitted this kind treatment, but declared it was a Yankee trick to
+win the sympathies of our prisoners, and cause them to abandon the
+insurgent cause. The men who systematically starved their prisoners,
+and deprived them of shelter and clothing, could readily suspect the
+humanity of others. They were careful never to attempt to kill by
+kindness, those who were so unfortunate as to fall into their hands.
+
+It was three weeks after the battle before all the wounded were sent
+away, and the army was ready for offensive work. When we were once
+more in fighting trim, our lines were slowly pushed forward. General
+Pope had been called from the vicinity of Fort Pillow, after his
+capture of Island Number Ten, and his army was placed in position
+on the left of the line already formed. When our advance began, we
+mustered a hundred and ten thousand men. Exclusive of those who do not
+take part in a battle, we could have easily brought eighty thousand
+men into action. We began the siege of Corinth with every confidence
+in our ability to succeed.
+
+In this advance, we first learned how an army should intrench
+itself. Every time we took a new position, we proceeded to throw
+up earth-works. Before the siege was ended, our men had perfected
+themselves in the art of intrenching. The defenses we erected will
+long remain as monuments of the war in Western Tennessee. Since
+General Halleck, no other commander has shown such ability to fortify
+in an open field against an enemy that was acting on the defensive.
+
+It was generally proclaimed that we were to capture Corinth with all
+its garrison of sixty or seventy thousand men. The civilian observers
+could not understand how this was to be accomplished, as the Rebels
+had two lines of railway open for a safe retreat. It was like the old
+story of "bagging Price" in Missouri. Every part of the bag, except
+the top and one side, was carefully closed and closely watched.
+Unmilitary men were skeptical, but the military heads assured them it
+was a piece of grand strategy, which the public must not be allowed to
+understand.
+
+During the siege, there was very little for a journalist to record.
+One day was much like another. Occasionally there would be a collision
+with the enemy's pickets, or a short struggle for a certain position,
+usually ending in our possession of the disputed point. The battle of
+Farmington, on the left of our line, was the only engagement worthy
+the name, and this was of comparatively short duration. Twenty-four
+hours after it transpired we ceased to talk about it, and made only
+occasional reference to the event. There were four weeks of monotony.
+An advance of a half mile daily was not calculated to excite the
+nerves.
+
+The chaplains and the surgeons busied themselves in looking after
+the general health of the army. One day, a chaplain, noted for his
+advocacy of total abstinence, passed the camp of the First Michigan
+Battery. This company was raised in Coldwater, Michigan, and the
+camp-chests, caissons, and other property were marked "Loomis's
+Coldwater Battery." The chaplain at once sought Captain Loomis, and
+paid a high compliment to his moral courage in taking a firm and noble
+stand in favor of temperance. After the termination of the interview,
+the captain and several friends drank to the long life of the chaplain
+and the success of the "Coldwater Battery."
+
+Toward the end of the siege, General Halleck gave the journalists a
+sensation, by expelling them from his lines. The representatives of
+the Press held a meeting, and waited upon that officer, after the
+appearance of the order requiring their departure. They offered a
+protest, which was insolently rejected. We could not ascertain General
+Halleck's purpose in excluding us just as the campaign was closing,
+but concluded he desired we should not witness the end of the siege
+in which so much had been promised and so little accomplished. A week
+after our departure, General Beauregard evacuated Corinth, and our
+army took possession. The fruits of the victory were an empty village,
+a few hundred stragglers, and a small quantity of war _materiel_.
+
+From Corinth the Rebels retreated to Tupelo, Mississippi, where
+they threw up defensive works. The Rebel Government censured General
+Beauregard for abandoning Corinth. The evacuation of that point
+uncovered Memphis, and allowed it to fall into our hands.
+
+Beauregard was removed from command. General Joseph E. Johnston was
+assigned to duty in his stead. This officer proceeded to reorganize
+his army, with a view to offensive operations against our lines.
+He made no demonstrations of importance until the summer months had
+passed away.
+
+The capture of Corinth terminated the offensive portion of the
+campaign. Our army occupied the line of the Memphis and Charleston
+Railway from Corinth to Memphis, and made a visit to Holly Springs
+without encountering the enemy. A few cavalry expeditions were made
+into Mississippi, but they accomplished nothing of importance. The
+Army of the Tennessee went into summer-quarters. The Army of the Ohio,
+under General Buell, returned to its proper department, to confront
+the Rebel armies then assembling in Eastern Tennessee. General Halleck
+was summoned to Washington as commander-in-chief of the armies of the
+United States.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+CAPTURE OF FORT PILLOW AND BATTLE OF MEMPHIS.
+
+The Siege of Fort Pillow.--General Pope.--His Reputation for Veracity.
+--Capture of the "Ten Thousand."--Naval Battle above Fort Pillow.--The
+John II. Dickey.--Occupation of the Fort.--General Forrest.--Strength
+of the Fortifications.--Their Location.--Randolph, Tennessee.--Memphis
+and her Last Ditch.--Opening of the Naval Combat.--Gallant Action
+of Colonel Ellet.--Fate of the Rebel Fleet.--The People Viewing the
+Battle.--Their Conduct.
+
+
+While I was tarrying at Cairo, after the exodus of the journalists
+from the army before Corinth, the situation on the Mississippi became
+interesting. After the capture of Island Number Ten, General Pope was
+ordered to Pittsburg Landing with his command. When called away, he
+was preparing to lay siege to Fort Pillow, in order to open the river
+to Memphis. His success at Island Number Ten had won him much credit,
+and he was anxious to gain more of the same article. Had he taken Fort
+Pillow, he would have held the honor of being the captor of Memphis,
+as that city must have fallen with the strong fortifications which
+served as its protection.
+
+The capture of Island Number Ten was marked by the only instance of a
+successful canal from one bend of the Mississippi to another. As soon
+as the channel was completed, General Pope took his transports below
+the island, ready for moving his men. Admiral Foote tried the first
+experiment of running his gun-boats past the Rebel batteries, and was
+completely successful. The Rebel transports could not escape, neither
+could transports or gun-boats come up from Memphis to remove the Rebel
+army. There was a lake in the rear of the Rebels which prevented their
+retreat. The whole force, some twenty-eight hundred, was surrendered,
+with all its arms and munitions of war. General Pope reported his
+captures somewhat larger than they really were, and received much
+applause for his success.
+
+The reputation of this officer, on the score of veracity, has not been
+of the highest character. After he assumed command in Virginia, his
+"Order Number Five" drew upon him much ridicule. Probably the story
+of the capture of ten thousand prisoners, after the occupation of
+Corinth, has injured him more than all other exaggerations combined.
+The paternity of that choice bit of romance belongs to General
+Halleck, instead of General Pope. Colonel Elliott, who commanded
+the cavalry expedition, which General Pope sent out when Corinth
+was occupied, forwarded a dispatch to Pope, something like the
+following:--
+
+
+"I am still pursuing the enemy. The woods are full of stragglers. Some
+of my officers estimate their number as high as ten thousand. Many
+have already come into my lines."
+
+[Illustration: THE CARONDELET RUNNING THE BATTERIES AT ISLAND NO. 10]
+
+Pope sent this dispatch, without alteration, to General Halleck. From
+the latter it went to the country that "General Pope reported ten
+thousand prisoners captured below Corinth." It served to cover up
+the barrenness of the Corinth occupation, and put the public in
+good-humor. General Halleck received credit for the success of his
+plans. When it came out that no prisoners of consequence had been
+taken, the real author of the story escaped unharmed.
+
+At the time of his departure to re-enforce the army before Corinth,
+General Pope left but a single brigade of infantry, to act in
+conjunction with our naval forces in the siege of Fort Pillow. This
+brigade was encamped on the Arkansas shore opposite Fort Pillow, and
+did some very effective fighting against the musquitos, which that
+country produces in the greatest profusion. An attack on the fort,
+with such a small force, was out of the question, and the principal
+aggressive work was done by the navy at long range.
+
+On the 10th of May, the Rebel fleet made an attack upon our navy,
+in which they sunk two of our gun-boats, the _Mound City_ and the
+_Cincinnati_, and returned to the protection of Fort Pillow with one
+of their own boats disabled, and two others somewhat damaged. Our
+sunken gun-boats were fortunately in shoal water, where they were
+speedily raised and repaired. Neither fleet had much to boast of as
+the result of that engagement.
+
+The journalists who were watching Fort Pillow, had their head-quarters
+on board the steamer _John H. Dickey_, which was anchored in
+midstream. At the time of the approach of the Rebel gun-boats, the
+_Dickey_ was lying without sufficient steam to move her wheels, and
+the prospect was good that she might be captured or destroyed. Her
+commander, Captain Mussleman, declared he was _not_ in that place to
+stop cannon-shot, and made every exertion to get his boat in condition
+to move. His efforts were fully appreciated by the journalists,
+particularly as they were successful. The _Dickey_, under the same
+captain, afterward ran a battery near Randolph, Tennessee, and though
+pierced in every part by cannon-shot and musket-balls, she escaped
+without any loss of life.
+
+As soon as the news of the evacuation of Corinth was received at
+Cairo, we looked for the speedy capture of Fort Pillow. Accordingly,
+on the 4th of June, I proceeded down the river, arriving off Fort
+Pillow on the morning of the 5th. The Rebels had left, as we expected,
+after spiking their guns and destroying most of their ammunition. The
+first boat to reach the abandoned fort was the _Hetty Gilmore_, one of
+the smallest transports in the fleet. She landed a little party, which
+took possession, hoisted the flag, and declared the fort, and all it
+contained, the property of the United States. The Rebels were, by this
+time, several miles distant, in full retreat to a safer location.
+
+It was at this same fort, two years later, that the Rebel General
+Forrest ordered the massacre of a garrison that had surrendered after
+a prolonged defense. His only plea for this cold-blooded slaughter,
+was that some of his men had been fired upon after the white flag was
+raised. The testimony in proof of this barbarity was fully conclusive,
+and gave General Forrest and his men a reputation that no honorable
+soldier could desire.
+
+In walking through the fort after its capture, I was struck by its
+strength and extent. It occupied the base of a bluff near the water's
+edge. On the summit of the bluff there were breast-works running in a
+zigzag course for five or six miles, and inclosing a large area.
+The works along the river were very strong, and could easily hold a
+powerful fleet at bay.
+
+From Fort Pillow to Randolph, ten miles lower down, was less than an
+hour's steaming. Randolph was a small, worthless village, partly at
+the base of a bluff, and partly on its summit. Here the Rebels had
+erected a powerful fort, which they abandoned when they abandoned
+Fort Pillow. The inhabitants expressed much agreeable astonishment
+on finding that we did not verify all the statements of the Rebels,
+concerning the barbarity of the Yankees wherever they set foot on
+Southern soil. The town was most bitterly disloyal. It was afterward
+burned, in punishment for decoying a steamboat to the landing, and
+then attempting her capture and destruction. A series of blackened
+chimneys now marks the site of Randolph.
+
+Our capture of these points occurred a short time after the Rebels
+issued the famous "cotton-burning order," commanding all planters to
+burn their cotton, rather than allow it to fall into our hands. The
+people showed no particular desire to comply with the order, except
+in a few instances. Detachments of Rebel cavalry were sent to enforce
+obedience. They enforced it by setting fire to the cotton in presence
+of its owners. On both banks of the river, as we moved from Randolph
+to Memphis, we could see the smoke arising from plantations, or from
+secluded spots in the forest where cotton had been concealed. In many
+cases the bales were broken open and rolled into the river, dotting
+the stream with floating cotton. Had it then possessed the value that
+attached to it two years later, I fear there would have been many
+attempts to save it for transfer to a Northern market.
+
+On the day before the evacuation of Fort Pillow, Memphis determined
+she would never surrender. In conjunction with other cities, she
+fitted up several gun-boats, that were expected to annihilate the
+Yankee fleet. In the event of the failure of this means of defense,
+the inhabitants were pledged to do many dreadful things before
+submitting to the invaders. Had we placed any confidence in the
+resolutions passed by the Memphians, we should have expected all the
+denizens of the Bluff City to commit _hari-kari_, after first setting
+fire to their dwellings.
+
+On the morning of the 6th of June, the Rebel gun-boats, eight in
+number, took their position just above Memphis, and prepared for the
+advance of our fleet. The Rebel boats were the _Van Dorn_ (flag-ship),
+_General Price_, _General Bragg_, _General Lovell_, _Little Rebel_,
+_Jeff. Thompson_, _Sumter_, and _General Beauregard_. The _General
+Bragg_ was the New Orleans and Galveston steamer _Mexico_ in former
+days, and had been strengthened, plated, and, in other ways made as
+effective as possible for warlike purposes. The balance of the fleet
+consisted of tow-boats from the Lower Mississippi, fitted up as rams
+and gun-boats. They were supplied with very powerful engines, and
+were able to choose their positions in the battle. The Rebel fleet was
+commanded by Commodore Montgomery, who was well known to many persons
+on our own boats.
+
+The National boats were the iron-clads _Benton, Carondelet, St. Louis,
+Louisville_, and _Cairo_. There was also the ram fleet, commanded by
+Colonel Ellet. It comprised the _Monarch, Queen of the West, Lioness,
+Switzerland, Mingo, Lancaster No. 3, Fulton, Horner_, and _Samson_.
+The _Monarch_ and _Queen of the West_ were the only boats of the
+ram fleet that took part in the action. Our forces were commanded by
+Flag-officer Charles H. Davis, who succeeded Admiral Foote at the time
+of the illness of the latter.
+
+The land forces, acting in conjunction with our fleet, consisted of a
+single brigade of infantry, that was still at Fort Pillow. It did not
+arrive in the vicinity of Memphis until after the battle was over.
+
+Early in the morning the battle began. It was opened by the gun-boats
+on the Rebel side, and for some minutes consisted of a cannonade at
+long range, in which very little was effected. Gradually the boats
+drew nearer to each other, and made better use of their guns.
+
+Before they arrived at close quarters the rams _Monarch_ and _Queen
+of the West_ steamed forward and engaged in the fight. Their
+participation was most effective. The _Queen of the West_ struck and
+disabled one of the Rebel gun-boats, and was herself disabled by the
+force of the blow. The _Monarch_ steered straight for the _General
+Lovell_, and dealt her a tremendous blow, fairly in the side, just aft
+the wheel. The sides of the _Lovell_ were crushed as if they had been
+made of paper, and the boat sank in less than three minutes, in a spot
+where the plummet shows a depth of ninety feet.
+
+Grappling with the _Beauregard_, the _Monarch_ opened upon her with
+a stream of hot water and a shower of rifle-balls, which effectually
+prevented the latter from using a gun. In a few moments she cast off
+and drifted a short distance down the river. Coming up on the other
+side, the _Monarch_ dealt her antagonist a blow that left her in a
+sinking condition. Herself comparatively uninjured, she paused to
+allow the gun-boats to take a part. Those insignificant and unwieldy
+rams had placed three of the enemy's gun-boats _hors de combat_ in
+less than a quarter of an hour's time.
+
+Our gun-boats ceased firing as the rams entered the fight; but they
+now reopened. With shot and shell the guns were rapidly served. The
+effect was soon apparent. One Rebel boat was disabled and abandoned,
+after grounding opposite Memphis. A second was grounded and blown up,
+and two others were disabled, abandoned, and captured.
+
+It was a good morning's work. The first gun was fired at forty minutes
+past five o'clock, and the last at forty-three minutes past six. The
+Rebels boasted they would whip us before breakfast. We had taken no
+breakfast when the fight began. After the battle was over we enjoyed
+our morning meal with a relish that does not usually accompany defeat.
+
+The following shows the condition of the two fleets after the
+battle:--
+
+
+  _General Beauregard_, sunk.
+  _General Lovell_, sunk.
+  _General Price_, injured and captured.
+  _Little Rebel_,     "     "      "
+  _Sumter_,           "     "      "
+  _General Bragg_,    "     "      "
+  _Jeff. Thompson_, burned.
+  _General Van Dorn_, escaped.
+
+          THE NATIONAL FLEET.
+
+  _Benton_, unhurt.
+  _Carondelet_, "
+  _St. Louis_,  "
+  _Louisville_, "
+  _Cairo_,      "
+  _Monarch_ (ram), unhurt.
+  _Queen of the West_ (ram), disabled.
+
+
+The captured vessels were refitted, and, without alteration of names,
+attached to the National fleet. The _Sumter_ was lost a few months
+later, in consequence of running aground near the Rebel batteries in
+the vicinity of Bayou Sara. The _Bragg_ was one of the best boats
+in the service in point of speed, and proved of much value as a
+dispatch-steamer on the lower portion of the river.
+
+The people of Memphis rose at an early hour to witness the naval
+combat. It had been generally known during the previous night that the
+battle would begin about sunrise. The first gun brought a large crowd
+to the bluff overlooking the river, whence a full view of the fight
+was obtained. Some of the spectators were loyal, and wished success to
+the National fleet, but the great majority were animated by a strong
+hope and expectation of our defeat.
+
+A gentleman, who was of the lookers-on, subsequently told me of the
+conduct of the populace. As a matter of course, the disloyalists had
+all the conversation their own way. While they expressed their wishes
+in the loudest tones, no one uttered a word in opposition. Many
+offered wagers on the success of their fleet, and expressed a
+readiness to give large odds. No one dared accept these offers, as
+their acceptance would have been an evidence of sympathy for the
+Yankees. Americans generally, but particularly in the South, make
+their wagers as they hope or wish. In the present instance no man was
+allowed to "copper" on the Rebel flotilla.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+IN MEMPHIS AND UNDER THE FLAG
+
+Jeff. Thompson and his Predictions.--A Cry of Indignation.--Memphis
+Humiliated.--The Journalists in the Battle.--The Surrender.--A Fine
+Point of Law and Honor.--Going on Shore.--An Enraged Secessionist.--A
+Dangerous Enterprise.--Memphis and her Antecedents.--Her Loyalty.--An
+Amusing Incident.--How the Natives learned of the Capture of Fort
+Donelson.--The Last Ditch.--A Farmer-Abolitionist.--Disloyalty among
+the Women.--"Blessings in Disguise."--An American Mark Tapley.
+
+
+The somewhat widely (though not favorably) known Rebel chieftain,
+Jeff. Thompson, was in Memphis on the day of the battle, and boasted
+of the easy victory the Rebels would have over the National fleet.
+
+"We will chaw them up in just an hour," said Jeff., as the battle
+began.
+
+"Are you sure of that?" asked a friend.
+
+"Certainly I am; there is no doubt of it." Turning to a servant, he
+sent for his horse, in order, as he said, to be able to move about
+rapidly to the best points for witnessing the engagement.
+
+In an hour and three minutes the battle was over. Jeff, turned in his
+saddle, and bade his friend farewell, saying he had a note falling due
+that day at Holly Springs, and was going out to pay it. The "chawing
+up" of our fleet was not referred to again.
+
+As the _Monarch_ struck the _Lovell_, sinking the latter in deep
+water, the crowd stood breathless. As the crew of the sunken boat were
+floating helplessly in the strong current, and our own skiffs were
+putting off to aid them, there was hardly a word uttered through all
+that multitude. As the Rebel boats, one after another, were sunk or
+captured, the sympathies of the spectators found vent in words. When,
+at length, the last of the Rebel fleet disappeared, and the Union
+flotilla spread its flags in triumph, there went up an almost
+universal yell of indignation from that vast crowd. Women tore their
+bonnets from their heads, and trampled them on the ground; men stamped
+and swore as only infuriated Rebels can, and called for all known
+misfortunes to settle upon the heads of their invaders. The profanity
+was not entirely monopolized by the men.
+
+This scene of confusion lasted for some time, and ended in anxiety to
+know what we would do next. Some of the spectators turned away, and
+went, in sullen silence, to their homes. Others remained, out of
+curiosity, to witness the end of the day's work. A few were secretly
+rejoicing at the result, but the time had not come when they could
+display their sympathies. The crowd eagerly watched our fleet, and
+noted every motion of the various boats.
+
+The press correspondents occupied various positions during the
+engagement. Mr. Coffin, of the Boston _Journal_, was on the tug
+belonging to the flag-ship, and had a fine view of the whole affair.
+One of _The Herald_ correspondents was in the pilot-house of the
+gun-boat _Cairo_, while Mr. Colburn, of _The World_, was on the
+captured steamer _Sovereign_. "Junius," of _The Tribune_, and Mr.
+Vizitelly, of the London _Illustrated News_, with several others, were
+on the transport _Dickey_, the general rendezvous of the journalists.
+The representative of the St. Louis _Republican_ and myself were
+on the _Platte Valley_, in rear of the line of battle. The _Platte
+Valley_ was the first private boat that touched the Memphis landing
+after the capture of the city.
+
+The battle being over, we were anxious to get on shore and look at the
+people and city of Memphis. Shortly after the fighting ceased, Colonel
+Ellet sent the ram _Lioness_, under a flag-of-truce, to demand the
+surrender of the city. To this demand no response was given. A little
+later, Flag-Officer Davis sent the following note to the Mayor, at the
+hands of one of the officers of the gun-boat _Benton_:--
+
+
+UNITED STATES FLAG-STEAMER BENTON,
+OFF MEMPHIS, _June_ 6, 1862.
+
+SIR:--I have respectfully to request that you will surrender the city
+of Memphis to the authority of the United States, which I have the
+honor to represent. I am, Mr. Mayor, with high respect, your most
+obedient servant, C. H. DAVIS, _Flag-Officer Commanding_.
+
+To his Honor, the Mayor of Memphis.
+
+
+To this note the following reply was received:--
+
+
+MAYOR'S OFFICE, MEMPHIS, _June_ 6, 1862.
+
+C. H. Davis, _Flag-Officer Commanding_:
+
+SIR:--Your note of this date is received and contents noted. In reply
+I have only to say that, as the civil authorities have no means of
+defense, by the force of circumstances the city is in your hands.
+Respectfully, John Park, _Mayor of Memphis_.
+
+
+At the meeting, four days before, the citizens of Memphis had solemnly
+pledged themselves never to surrender. There was a vague understanding
+that somebody was to do a large amount of fighting, whenever Memphis
+was attacked. If this fighting proved useless, the city was to
+be fired in every house, and only abandoned after its complete
+destruction. It will be seen that the note of the mayor, in response
+to a demand for surrender, vindicates the honor of Memphis. It merely
+informs the United States officer that the city has fallen "by the
+force of circumstances." Since that day I have frequently heard its
+citizens boast that the place was not surrendered. "You came in," say
+they, "and took possession, but we did not give up to you. We declared
+we would never surrender, and we kept our word."
+
+About eleven o'clock in the forenoon, the transports arrived with our
+infantry, and attempted to make a landing. As their mooring-lines were
+thrown on shore they were seized by dozens of persons in the crowd,
+and the crews were saved the trouble of making fast. This was an
+evidence that the laboring class, the men with blue shirts and shabby
+hats, were not disloyal. We had abundant evidence of this when our
+occupation became a fixed fact. It was generally the wealthy who
+adhered to the Rebel cause.
+
+As a file of soldiers moved into the city, the people stood at a
+respectful distance, occasionally giving forth wordy expression of
+their anger. When I reached the office of _The Avalanche_, one of
+the leading journals of Memphis, and, of course, strongly disloyal,
+I found the soldiers removing a Rebel flag from the roof of the
+building. The owner of the banner made a very vehement objection to
+the proceeding. His indignation was so great that his friends were
+obliged to hold him, to prevent his throwing himself on the bayonet of
+the nearest soldier. I saw him several days later, when his anger had
+somewhat cooled. He found relief from his troubles, before the end of
+June, by joining the Rebel army at Holly Springs.
+
+On the bluff above the levee was a tall flag-staff. The Rebels had
+endeavored to make sure of their courage by nailing a flag to the
+top of this staff. A sailor from one of the gun-boats volunteered to
+ascend the staff and bring down the banner. When he had ascended about
+twenty feet, he saw two rifles bearing upon him from the window of
+a neighboring building. The sailor concluded it was best to go
+no further, and descended at once. The staff was cut down and the
+obnoxious flag secured.
+
+With the city in our possession, we had leisure to look about us.
+Memphis had been in the West what Charleston was in the East: an
+active worker in the secession cause. Her newspapers had teemed with
+abuse of every thing which opposed their heresy, and advocated the
+most summary measures. Lynching had been frequent and never rebuked,
+impressments were of daily and nightly occurrence, every foundery and
+manufactory had been constantly employed by the Rebel authorities, and
+every citizen had, in some manner, contributed to the insurrection. It
+was gratifying in the extreme to see the Memphis, of which we at
+Cairo and St. Louis had heard so much, brought under our control. The
+picture of five United States gun-boats lying in line before the city,
+their ports open and their guns shotted, was pleasing in the eyes of
+loyal men.
+
+Outside of the poorer classes there were some loyal persons, but
+their number was not large. There were many professing loyalty,
+who possessed very little of the article, and whose record had been
+exceedingly doubtful. Prominent among these were the politicians, than
+whom none had been more self-sacrificing, if their own words could be
+believed.
+
+There were many men of this class ready, no doubt, to swear allegiance
+to the victorious side, who joined our standard because they
+considered the Rebel cause a losing one. They may have become
+loyal since that time, but it has been only through the force of
+circumstances. In many cases our Government accepted their words as
+proof of loyalty, and granted these persons many exclusive privileges.
+It was a matter of comment that a newly converted loyalist could
+obtain favors at the hands of Government officials, that would be
+refused to men from the North. The acceptance of office under the
+Rebels, and the earnest advocacy he had shown for secession, were
+generally alleged to have taken place under compulsion, or in the
+interest of the really loyal men.
+
+A Memphis gentleman gave me an amusing account of the reception of the
+news of the fall of Fort Donelson. Many boasts had been made of the
+terrible punishment that was in store for our army, if it ventured an
+attack upon Fort Donelson. No one would be allowed to escape to tell
+the tale. All were to be slaughtered, or lodged in Rebel prisons.
+Memphis was consequently waiting for the best tidings from the
+Cumberland, and did not think it possible a reverse could come to the
+Rebel cause.
+
+One Sunday morning, the telegraph, without any previous announcement,
+flashed the intelligence that Fort Donelson, with twelve thousand men,
+had surrendered, and a portion of General Grant's army was moving on
+Nashville, with every prospect of capturing that city. Memphis was in
+consternation. No one could tell how long the Yankee army would stop
+at Nashville before moving elsewhere, and it was certain that Memphis
+was uncovered by the fall of Fort Donelson.
+
+My informant first learned the important tidings in the rotunda of the
+Gayoso House. Seeing a group of his acquaintances with faces depicting
+the utmost gloom, he asked what was the matter.
+
+"Bad enough," said one. "Fort Donelson has surrendered with nearly all
+its garrison."
+
+"That is terrible," said my friend, assuming a look of agony, though
+he was inwardly elated.
+
+"Yes, and the enemy are moving on Nashville."
+
+"Horrible news," was the response; "but let us not be too despondent.
+Our men are good for them, one against three, and they will never get
+out of Nashville alive, if they should happen to take it."
+
+With another expression of deep sorrow at the misfortune which had
+befallen the Rebel army, this gentleman hastened to convey the glad
+news to his friends. "I reached home," said he, "locked my front door,
+called my wife and sister into the parlor, and instantly jumped over
+the center-table. They both cried for joy when I told them the old
+flag floated over Donelson."
+
+The Secessionists in Memphis, like their brethren elsewhere, insisted
+that all the points we had captured were given up because they had no
+further use for them. The evacuation of Columbus, Fort Pillow, Fort
+Henry, and Bowling Green, with the surrender of Donelson, were parts
+of the grand strategy of the Rebel leaders, and served to lure us on
+to our destruction. They would never admit a defeat, but contended we
+had invariably suffered.
+
+An uneducated farmer, on the route followed by one of our armies in
+Tennessee, told our officers that a Rebel general and his staff had
+taken dinner with him during the retreat from Nashville. The farmer
+was anxious to learn something about the military situation, and asked
+a Rebel major how the Confederate cause was progressing.
+
+"Splendidly," answered the major. "We have whipped the Yankees in
+every battle, and our independence will soon be recognized."
+
+The farmer was thoughtful for a minute or two, and then deliberately
+said:
+
+"I don't know much about war, but if we are always whipping the
+Yankees, how is it they keep coming down into our country after every
+battle?"
+
+The major grew red in the face, and told the farmer that any man
+who asked such an absurd question was an Abolitionist, and deserved
+hanging to the nearest tree. The farmer was silenced, but not
+satisfied.
+
+I had a fine illustration of the infatuation of the Rebel
+sympathizers, a few days after Memphis was captured. One evening,
+while making a visit at the house of an acquaintance, the hostess
+introduced me to a young lady of the strongest secession proclivities.
+Of course, I endeavored to avoid the topics on which we were certain
+to differ, but my new acquaintance was determined to provoke a
+discussion. With a few preliminaries, she throw out the question:
+
+"Now, don't you think the Southern soldiers have shown themselves
+the bravest people that ever lived, while the Yankees have proved the
+greatest cowards?"
+
+"I can hardly agree with you," I replied. "Your people have certainly
+established a reputation on the score of bravery, but we can claim
+quite as much."
+
+"But we have whipped you in every battle. We whipped you at Manassas
+and Ball's Bluff, and we whipped General Grant at Belmont."
+
+"That is very true; but how was it at Shiloh?"
+
+"At Shiloh we whipped you; we drove you to your gun-boats, which was
+all we wanted to do."
+
+"Ah, I beg your pardon; but what is your impression of Fort Donelson?"
+
+"Fort Donelson!"--and my lady's cheek flushed with either pride or
+indignation--"Fort Donelson was an unquestioned victory for the South.
+We stopped your army--all we wanted to; and then General Forrest,
+General Floyd, and all the troops we wished to bring off, came
+away. We only left General Buckner and three thousand men for you to
+capture."
+
+"It seems, then, we labored under a delusion at the North. We thought
+we had something to rejoice over when Fort Donelson fell. But, pray,
+what do you consider the capture of Island Number Ten and the naval
+battle here?"
+
+"At Island Ten we defeated you" (how this was done she did not say),
+"and we were victorious here. You wanted to capture all our boats; but
+you only got four of them, and those were damaged."
+
+"In your view of the case," I replied, "I admit the South to have been
+always victorious. Without wishing to be considered disloyal to the
+Nation, I can heartily wish you many similar victories."
+
+In the tour which Dickens records, Mark Tapley did not visit the
+Southern country, but the salient points of his character are
+possessed by the sons of the cavaliers. "Jolly" under the greatest
+misfortunes, and extracting comfort and happiness from all calamities,
+your true Rebel could never know adversity. The fire which consumes
+his dwelling is a personal boon, as he can readily explain. So is
+a devastating flood, or a widespread pestilence. The events which
+narrow-minded mudsills are apt to look upon as calamitous, are only
+"blessings in disguise" to every supporter and friend of the late
+"Confederacy."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+SUPERVISING A REBEL JOURNAL.
+
+The Press of Memphis.--Flight of _The Appeal_.--A False
+Prediction.--_The Argus_ becomes Loyal.--Order from General
+Wallace.--Installed in Office.--Lecturing the Rebels.--"Trade follows
+the Flag."--Abuses of Traffic.--Supplying the Rebels.--A Perilous
+Adventure.--Passing the Rebel Lines.--Eluding Watchful Eyes.
+
+
+On the morning of the 6th of June, the newspaper publishers, like most
+other gentlemen of Memphis, were greatly alarmed. _The Avalanche_ and
+_The Argus_ announced that it was impossible for the Yankee fleet to
+cope successfully with the Rebels, and that victory was certain to
+perch upon the banners of the latter. The sheets were not dry before
+the Rebel fleet was a thing of the past. _The Appeal_ had not been
+as hopeful as its contemporaries, and thought it the wisest course to
+abandon the city. It moved to Grenada, Mississippi, a hundred miles
+distant, and resumed publication. It became a migratory sheet, and was
+at last captured by General Wilson at Columbus, Georgia. In ability it
+ranked among the best of the Rebel journals.
+
+_The Avalanche_ and _The Argus_ continued publication, with a strong
+leaning to the Rebel side. The former was interfered with by our
+authorities; and, under the name of _The Bulletin_, with new editorial
+management, was allowed to reappear. _The Argus_ maintained its Rebel
+ground, though with moderation, until the military hand fell upon it.
+Memphis, in the early days of our occupation, changed its commander
+nearly every week. One of these changes brought Major-General Wallace
+into the city. This officer thought it proper to issue the following
+order:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS THIRD DIVISION, RESERVED CORPS,
+ARMY OF TENNESSEE, MEMPHIS, _June_ 17,1862.
+
+EDITORS DAILY ARGUS:--As the closing of your office might be injurious
+to you pecuniarily, I send two gentlemen--Messrs. A.D. Richardson and
+Thos. W. Knox, both of ample experience--to take charge of the
+editorial department of your paper. The business management of your
+office will be left to you.
+
+Very respectfully,
+LEWIS WALLACE,
+_General Third Division, Reserved Corps._
+
+
+The publishers of _The Argus_ printed this order at the head of their
+columns. Below it they announced that they were not responsible for
+any thing which should appear editorially, as long as the order was in
+force. The business management and the general miscellaneous and news
+matter were not interfered with.
+
+Mr. Richardson and myself entered upon our new duties immediately. We
+had crossed the Plains together, had published a paper in the Rocky
+Mountains, had been through many adventures and perils side by side;
+but we had never before managed a newspaper in an insurrectionary
+district. The publishers of _The Argus_ greeted us cordially, and our
+whole intercourse with them was harmonious. They did not relish the
+intrusion of Northern men into their office, to compel the insertion
+of Union editorials, but they bore the inconvenience with an excellent
+grace. The foreman of the establishment displayed more mortification
+at the change, than any other person whom we met.
+
+The editorials we published were of a positive character. We plainly
+announced the determination of the Government to assert itself and put
+down and punish treason. We told the Memphis people that the scheme
+of partisan warfare, which was then in its inception, would work
+more harm than good to the districts where guerrilla companies were
+organized. We insisted that the Union armies had entered Memphis and
+other parts of the South, to stay there, and that resistance to
+their power was useless. We credited the Rebels with much bravery and
+devotion to their cause, but asserted always that we had the right and
+the strong arm in our favor.
+
+It is possible we did not make many conversions among the disloyal
+readers of _The Argus_, but we had the satisfaction of saying what
+we thought it necessary they should hear. The publishers said their
+subscribers were rapidly falling off, on account of the change of
+editorial tone. Like newspaper readers everywhere, they disliked to
+peruse what their consciences did not approve. We received letters,
+generally from women, denying our right to control the columns of the
+paper for our "base purposes." Some of these letters were not written
+after the style of Chesterfield, but the majority of them were
+courteous.
+
+There were many jests in Memphis, and throughout the country
+generally, concerning the appointment of representatives of _The
+Herald_ and _The Tribune_ to a position where they must work together.
+_The Herald_ and _The Tribune_ have not been famous, in the past
+twenty years, for an excess of good-nature toward each other. Mr.
+Bennett and Mr. Greeley are not supposed to partake habitually of the
+same dinners and wine, or to join in frequent games of billiards
+and poker. The compliments which the two great dailies occasionally
+exchange, are not calculated to promote an intimate friendship between
+the venerable gentlemen whose names are so well known to the public.
+No one expects these veteran editors to emulate the example of Damon
+and Pythias.
+
+At the time Mr. Richardson and myself took charge of _The Argus, The
+Tribune_ and _The Herald_ were indulging in one of their well-known
+disputes. It was much like the Hibernian's debate, "with sticks," and
+attracted some attention, though it was generally voted a nuisance.
+Many, who did not know us, imagined that the new editors of _The
+Argus_ would follow the tendencies of the offices from which they bore
+credentials. Several Northern journals came to hand, in which this
+belief was expressed. A Chicago paper published two articles supposed
+to be in the same issue of _The Argus_, differing totally in every
+line of argument or statement of fact. One editor argued that the
+harmonious occupancy of contiguous desks by the representatives
+of _The Herald_ and _The Tribune_, betokened the approach of the
+millennium.
+
+When he issued the order placing us in charge of _The Argus_, General
+Wallace assured its proprietors that he should remove the editorial
+supervision as soon as a Union paper was established in Memphis. This
+event occurred in a short time, and _The Argus_ was restored to its
+original management, according to promise.
+
+As soon as the capture of Memphis was known at the North, there was an
+eager scramble to secure the trade of the long-blockaded port. Several
+boat-loads of goods were shipped from St. Louis and Cincinnati, and
+Memphis was so rapidly filled that the supply was far greater than the
+demand.
+
+Army and Treasury regulations were soon established, and many
+restrictions placed upon traffic. The restrictions did not materially
+diminish the quantity of goods, but they served to throw the trade
+into a few hands, and thus open the way for much favoritism. Those who
+obtained permits, thought the system an excellent one. Those who were
+kept "out in the cold," viewed the matter in a different light. A
+thousand stories of dishonesty, official and unofficial, were in
+constant circulation, and I fear that many of them came very near the
+truth.
+
+In our occupation of cities along the Mississippi, the Rebels found
+a ready supply from our markets. This was especially the case at
+Memphis. Boots and shoes passed through the lines in great numbers,
+either by stealth or by open permit, and were taken at once to the
+Rebel army. Cloth, clothing, percussion-caps, and similar articles
+went in the same direction. General Grant and other prominent officers
+made a strong opposition to our policy, and advised the suppression of
+the Rebellion prior to the opening of trade, but their protestations
+were of no avail. We chastised the Rebels with one hand, while we fed
+and clothed them with the other.
+
+After the capture of Memphis, Colonel Charles R. Ellet, with two boats
+of the ram fleet, proceeded to explore the river between Memphis
+and Vicksburg. It was not known what defenses the Rebels might have
+constructed along this distance of four hundred miles. Colonel Ellet
+found no hinderance to his progress, except a small field battery near
+Napoleon, Arkansas. When a few miles above Vicksburg, he ascertained
+that a portion of Admiral Farragut's fleet was below that point,
+preparing to attack the city. He at once determined to open
+communication with the lower fleet.
+
+Opposite Vicksburg there is a long and narrow peninsula, around which
+the Mississippi makes a bend. It is a mile and a quarter across the
+neck of this peninsula, while it is sixteen miles around by the course
+of the river. It was impossible to pass around by the Mississippi,
+on account of the batteries at Vicksburg. The Rebels were holding the
+peninsula with a small force of infantry and cavalry, to prevent our
+effecting a landing. By careful management it was possible to elude
+the sentinels, and cross from one side of the peninsula to the other.
+
+Colonel Ellet armed himself to make the attempt. He took only a
+few documents to prove his identity as soon as he reached Admiral
+Farragut. A little before daylight, one morning, he started on his
+perilous journey. He waded through swamps, toiled among the thick
+undergrowth in a portion of the forest, was fired upon by a Rebel
+picket, and narrowly escaped drowning in crossing a bayou. He was
+compelled to make a wide detour, to avoid capture, and thus extended
+his journey to nearly a half-dozen miles.
+
+On reaching the bank opposite one of our gun-boats, he found a yawl
+near the shore, by which he was promptly taken on board. The officers
+of this gun-boat suspected him of being a spy, and placed him under
+guard. It was not until the arrival of Admiral Farragut that his true
+character became known.
+
+After a long interview with that officer he prepared to return. He
+concealed dispatches for the Navy Department and for Flag-Officer
+Davis in the lining of his boots and in the wristbands of his shirt. A
+file of marines escorted him as far as they could safely venture, and
+then bade him farewell. Near the place where he had left his own boat,
+Colonel Ellet found a small party of Rebels, carefully watching from
+a spot where they could not be easily discovered. It was a matter of
+some difficulty to elude these men, but he did it successfully, and
+reached his boat in safety. He proceeded at once to Memphis with his
+dispatches. Flag-Officer Davis immediately decided to co-operate with
+Admiral Farragut, in the attempt to capture Vicksburg.
+
+Shortly after the capture of New Orleans, Admiral Farragut ascended
+the Mississippi as far as Vicksburg. At that time the defensive force
+was very small, and there were but few batteries erected. The Admiral
+felt confident of his ability to silence the Rebel guns, but he was
+unaccompanied by a land force to occupy the city after its capture.
+He was reluctantly compelled to return to New Orleans, and wait until
+troops could be spared from General Butler's command. The Rebels
+improved their opportunities, and concentrated a large force to put
+Vicksburg in condition for defense. Heavy guns were brought from
+various points, earth-works were thrown up on all sides, and the town
+became a vast fortification. When the fleet returned at the end of
+June, the Rebels were ready to receive it. Their strongest works were
+on the banks of the Mississippi. They had no dread of an attack from
+the direction of Jackson, until long afterward.
+
+Vicksburg was the key to the possession of the Mississippi. The Rebel
+authorities at Richmond ordered it defended as long as defense was
+possible.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE FIRST SIEGE OF VICKSBURG.
+
+From Memphis to Vicksburg.--Running the Batteries.--Our Inability
+to take Vicksburg by Assault.--Digging a Canal.--A Conversation with
+Resident Secessionists.--Their Arguments _pro_ and _con_, and the
+Answers they Received.--A Curiosity of Legislation.--An Expedition up
+the Yazoo.--Destruction of the Rebel Fleet.--The _Arkansas_ Running
+the Gauntlet.--A Spirited Encounter.--A Gallant Attempt.--Raising the
+Siege.--Fate of the _Arkansas_.
+
+
+On the 1st of July, I left Memphis with the Mississippi flotilla, and
+arrived above Vicksburg late on the following day. Admiral Farragut's
+fleet attempted the passage of the batteries on the 28th of June. A
+portion of the fleet succeeded in the attempt, under a heavy fire,
+and gained a position above the peninsula. Among the first to effect
+a passage was the flag-ship _Hartford_, with the "gallant old
+salamander" on board. The _Richmond, Iroquois_, and _Oneida_ were
+the sloops-of-war that accompanied the _Hartford_. The _Brooklyn_ and
+other heavy vessels remained below.
+
+The history of that first siege of Vicksburg can be briefly told.
+Twenty-five hundred infantry, under General Williams, accompanied the
+fleet from New Orleans, with the design of occupying Vicksburg after
+the batteries had been silenced by our artillery. Most of the Rebel
+guns were located at such a height that it was found impossible to
+elevate our own guns so as to reach them. Thus the occupation by
+infantry was found impracticable. The passage of the batteries was
+followed by the bombardment, from the mortar-schooners of Admiral
+Farragut's fleet and the mortar-rafts which Flag-Officer Davis had
+brought down. This continued steadily for several days, but Vicksburg
+did not fall.
+
+A canal across the peninsula was proposed and commenced. The water
+fell as fast as the digging progressed, and the plan of leaving
+Vicksburg inland was abandoned for that time. Even had there been
+a flood in the river, the entrance to the canal was so located that
+success was impossible. The old steamboat-men laughed at the efforts
+of the Massachusetts engineer, to create a current in his canal by
+commencing it in an eddy.
+
+Just as the canal project was agreed upon, I was present at a
+conversation between General Williams and several residents of the
+vicinity. The latter, fearing the channel of the river would be
+changed, visited the general to protest against the carrying out of
+his plan.
+
+The citizens were six in number. They had selected no one to act as
+their leader. Each joined in the conversation as he saw fit. After a
+little preliminary talk, one of them said:
+
+"Are you aware, general, there is no law of the State allowing you to
+make a cut-off, here?"
+
+"I am sorry to say," replied General Williams, "I am not familiar
+with the laws of Louisiana. Even if I were, I should not heed them.
+I believe Louisiana passed an act of secession. According to your own
+showing you have no claims on the Government now."
+
+This disposed of that objection. There was some hesitation, evidently
+embarrassing to the delegation, but not to General Williams. Citizen
+number one was silenced. Number two advanced an idea.
+
+"You may remember, General, that you will subject the parish of
+Madison to an expenditure of ninety thousand dollars for new levees."
+
+This argument disturbed General Williams no more than the first one.
+He promptly replied:
+
+"The parish of Madison gave a large majority in favor of secession;
+did it not?"
+
+"I believe it did," was the faltering response.
+
+"Then you can learn that treason costs something. It will cost you far
+more before the war is over."
+
+Citizen number two said nothing more. It was the opportunity for
+number three to speak.
+
+"If this cut-off is made, it will ruin the trade of Vicksburg. It has
+been a fine city for business, but this will spoil it. Boats will not
+be able to reach the town, but will find all the current through the
+short route."
+
+"That is just what we want," said the General. "We are digging the
+canal for the very purpose of navigating the river without passing
+near Vicksburg."
+
+Number three went to the rear. Number four came forward.
+
+"If you make this cut-off, all these plantations will be carried away.
+You will ruin the property of many loyal men."
+
+He was answered that loyal men would be paid for all property taken or
+destroyed, as soon as their loyalty was proved.
+
+The fifth and last point in the protest was next advanced. It came
+from an individual who professed to practice law in De Soto township,
+and was as follows:
+
+"The charter of the Vicksburg and Shreveport Railroad is perpetual,
+and so declared by act of the Louisiana Legislature. No one has any
+right to cut through the embankment."
+
+"That is true," was the quiet answer. "The Constitution of the United
+States is also a perpetual charter, which it was treason to violate.
+When you and your leaders have no hesitation at breaking national
+faith, it is absurd to claim rights under the laws of a State which
+you deny to be in the Union."
+
+This was the end of the delegation. Its members retired without having
+gained a single point in their case. They were, doubtless, easier in
+mind when they ascertained, two weeks later, that the canal enterprise
+was a failure.
+
+The last argument put forth on that occasion, to prevent the carrying
+out of our plans, is one of the curiosities of legislation. For a long
+time there were many parties in Louisiana who wished the channel
+of the Mississippi turned across the neck of the peninsula opposite
+Vicksburg, thus shortening the river fifteen miles, at least, and
+rendering the plantations above, less liable to overflow. As Vicksburg
+lay in another State, her interests were not regarded. She spent much
+money in the corrupt Legislature of Louisiana to defeat the scheme.
+As a last resort, it was proposed to build a railway, with a perpetual
+charter, from the end of the peninsula opposite Vicksburg, to some
+point in the interior. Much money was required. The capitalists of
+Vicksburg contributed the funds for lobbying the bill and commencing
+the road. Up to the time when the Rebellion began, it was rendered
+certain that no hand of man could legally turn the Mississippi across
+that peninsula.
+
+The first siege of Vicksburg lasted but twenty days. Our fleet was
+unable to silence the batteries, and our land force was not sufficient
+for the work. During the progress of the siege, Colonel Ellet, with
+his ram fleet, ascended the Yazoo River, and compelled the Rebels to
+destroy three of their gun-boats, the _Livingston, Polk_, and _Van
+Dorn_, to prevent their falling into our hands. The _Van Dorn_ was
+the only boat that escaped, out of the fleet of eight Rebel gun-boats
+which met ours at Memphis on the 6th of June.
+
+At the time of making this expedition, Colonel Ellet learned that
+the famous ram gun-boat _Arkansas_ was completed, and nearly ready
+to descend the river. He notified Admiral Farragut and Flag-Officer
+Davis, but they paid little attention to his warnings.
+
+This Rebel gun-boat, which was expected to do so much toward the
+destruction of our naval forces on the Mississippi, was constructed
+at Memphis, and hurried from there in a partially finished condition,
+just before the capture of the city. She was towed to Yazoo City and
+there completed. The _Arkansas_ was a powerful iron-clad steamer,
+mounting ten guns, and carrying an iron beak, designed for penetrating
+the hulls of our gun-boats. Her engines were powerful, though they
+could not be worked with facility at the time of her appearance. Her
+model, construction, armament, and propelling force, made her equal to
+any boat of our upper flotilla, and her officers claimed to have full
+confidence in her abilities.
+
+On the morning of the 15th of July, the _Arkansas_ emerged from the
+Yazoo River, fifteen miles above Vicksburg. A short distance up that
+stream she encountered two of our gun-boats, the _Carondelet_ and
+_Tyler_, and fought them until she reached our fleet at anchor above
+Vicksburg. The _Carondelet_ was one of our mail-clad gun-boats, built
+at St. Louis in 1861. The _Tyler_ was a wooden gun-boat, altered from
+an old transport, and was totally unfit for entering into battle. Both
+were perforated by the Rebel shell, the _Tyler_ receiving the larger
+number. The gallantry displayed by Captain Gwin, her commander, was
+worthy of special praise.
+
+Our fleet was at anchor four or five miles above Vicksburg--some of
+the vessels lying in midstream, while others were fastened to the
+banks. The _Arkansas_ fired to the right and left as she passed
+through the fleet. Her shot disabled two of our boats, and slightly
+injured two or three others. She did not herself escape without
+damage. Many of our projectiles struck her sides, but glanced into the
+river. Two shells perforated her plating, and another entered a
+port, exploding over one of the guns. Ten men were killed and as many
+wounded.
+
+The _Arkansas_ was not actually disabled, but her commander declined
+to enter into another action until she had undergone repairs. She
+reached a safe anchorage under protection of the Vicksburg batteries.
+
+A few days later, a plan was arranged for her destruction. Colonel
+Ellet, with the ram _Queen of the West_, was to run down and strike
+the _Arkansas_ at her moorings. The gun-boat _Essex_ was to join in
+this effort, while the upper flotilla, assisted by the vessels of
+Admiral Farragut's fleet, would shell the Rebel batteries.
+
+The _Essex_ started first, but ran directly past the _Arkansas_,
+instead of stopping to engage her, as was expected. The _Essex_ fired
+three guns at the _Arkansas_ while in range, from one of which a
+shell crashed through the armor of the Rebel boat, disabling an entire
+gun-crew.
+
+The _Queen of the West_ attempted to perform her part of the work,
+but the current was so strong where the _Arkansas_ lay that it was
+impossible to deal an effective blow. The upper flotilla did not open
+fire to engage the attention of the enemy, and thus the unfortunate
+_Queen of the West_ was obliged to receive all the fire from the Rebel
+batteries. She was repeatedly perforated, but fortunately escaped
+without damage to her machinery. The _Arkansas_ was not seriously
+injured in the encounter, though the completion of her repairs was
+somewhat delayed.
+
+On the 25th of July the first siege of Vicksburg was raised. The
+upper flotilla of gun-boats, mortar-rafts, and transports, returned
+to Memphis and Helena. Admiral Farragut took his fleet to New Orleans.
+General Williams went, with his land forces, to Baton Rouge. That city
+was soon after attacked by General Breckinridge, with six thousand
+men. The Rebels were repulsed with heavy loss. In our own ranks the
+killed and wounded were not less than those of the enemy. General
+Williams was among the slain, and at one period our chances, of making
+a successful defense were very doubtful.
+
+The _Arkansas_ had been ordered to proceed from Vicksburg to take part
+in this attack, the Rebels being confident she could overpower
+our three gun-boats at Baton Rouge. On the way down the river her
+machinery became deranged, and she was tied up to the bank for
+repairs. Seeing our gun-boats approaching, and knowing he was helpless
+against them; her commander ordered the _Arkansas_ to be abandoned
+and blown up. The order was obeyed, and this much-praised and really
+formidable gun-boat closed her brief but brilliant career.
+
+The Rebels were greatly chagrined at her loss, as they had expected
+she would accomplish much toward driving the National fleet from the
+Mississippi. The joy with which they hailed her appearance was far
+less than the sorrow her destruction evoked.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE MARCH THROUGH ARKANSAS.--THE SIEGE OF CINCINNATI.
+
+General Curtis's Army reaching Helena.--Its Wanderings.--The
+Arkansas Navy.--Troops and their Supplies "miss
+Connection."--Rebel Reports.--Memphis in Midsummer.--"A Journey due
+North."--Chicago.--Bragg's Advance into Kentucky.--Kirby Smith in
+Front of Cincinnati.--The City under Martial Law.--The Squirrel
+Hunters.--War Correspondents in Comfortable Quarters.--Improvising an
+Army.--Raising the Siege.--Bragg's Retreat.
+
+
+About the middle of July, General Curtis's army arrived at Helena,
+Arkansas, ninety miles below Memphis. After the battle of Pea Ridge,
+this army commenced its wanderings, moving first to Batesville, on
+the White River, where it lay for several weeks. Then it went to
+Jacksonport, further down that stream, and remained a short time.
+The guerrillas were in such strong force on General Curtis's line of
+communications that they greatly restricted the receipt of supplies,
+and placed the army on very short rations. For nearly a month the
+public had no positive information concerning Curtis's whereabouts.
+The Rebels were continually circulating stories that he had
+surrendered, or was terribly defeated.
+
+The only reasons for doubting the truth of these stories were, first,
+that the Rebels had no force of any importance in Arkansas; and
+second, that our army, to use the expression of one of its officers,
+"wasn't going round surrendering." We expected it would turn up in
+some locality where the Rebels did not desire it, and had no fears of
+its surrender.
+
+General Curtis constructed several boats at Batesville, which were
+usually spoken of as "the Arkansas navy." These boats carried some six
+or eight hundred men, and were used to patrol the White River, as
+the army moved down its banks. In this way the column advanced from
+Batesville to Jacksonport, and afterward to St. Charles.
+
+Supplies had been sent up the White River to meet the army. The
+transports and their convoy remained several days at St. Charles, but
+could get no tidings of General Curtis. The river was falling, and
+they finally returned. Twelve hours after their departure, the advance
+of the lost army arrived at St. Charles.
+
+From St. Charles to Helena was a march of sixty miles, across a
+country destitute of every thing but water, and not even possessing
+a good supply of that article. The army reached Helena, weary and
+hungry, but it was speedily supplied with every thing needed, and
+put in condition to take the offensive. It was soon named in general
+orders "the Army of Arkansas," and ultimately accomplished the
+occupation of the entire State.
+
+During July and August there was little activity around Memphis. In
+the latter month, I found the climate exceedingly uncomfortable. Day
+after day the atmosphere was hot, still, stifling, and impregnated
+with the dust that rose in clouds from the parched earth. The
+inhabitants endured it easily, and made continual prophesy that
+the _hot_ weather "would come in September." Those of us who were
+strangers wondered what the temperature must be, to constitute "hot"
+weather in the estimation of a native. The thermometer then stood at
+eighty-five degrees at midnight, and ninety-eight or one hundred at
+noon. Few people walked the streets in the day, and those who
+were obliged to do so generally moved at a snail's pace. Cases
+of _coup-de-soleil_ were frequent. The temperature affected me
+personally, by changing my complexion to a deep yellow, and reducing
+my strength about sixty per cent.
+
+I decided upon "A Journey due North." Forty-eight hours after
+sweltering in Memphis, I was shivering on the shores of Lake Michigan.
+I exchanged the hot, fever-laden atmosphere of that city, for the cool
+and healthful air of Chicago. The activity, energy, and enterprise
+of Chicago, made a pleasing contrast to the idleness and gloom that
+pervaded Memphis. This was no place for me to exist in as an invalid.
+I found the saffron tint of my complexion rapidly disappearing, and my
+strength restored, under the influence of pure breezes and busy life.
+Ten days in that city prepared me for new scenes of war.
+
+At that time the Rebel army, under General Bragg, was making its
+advance into Kentucky. General Buell was moving at the same time
+toward the Ohio River. The two armies were marching in nearly parallel
+lines, so that it became a race between them for Nashville and
+Louisville. Bragg divided his forces, threatening Louisville and
+Cincinnati at the same time. Defenses were thrown up around the former
+city, to assist in holding it in case of attack, but they were never
+brought into use. By rapid marching, General Buell reached Louisville
+in advance of Bragg, and rendered it useless for the latter to fling
+his army against the city.
+
+Meantime, General Kirby Smith moved, under Bragg's orders, to the
+siege of Cincinnati. His advance was slow, and gave some opportunity
+for preparation. The chief reliance for defense was upon the raw
+militia and such irregular forces as could be gathered for the
+occasion. The hills of Covington and Newport, opposite Cincinnati,
+were crowned with fortifications and seamed with rifle-pits, which
+were filled with these raw soldiers. The valor of these men was beyond
+question, but they were almost entirely without discipline. In front
+of the veteran regiments of the Rebel army our forces would have been
+at great disadvantage.
+
+When I reached Cincinnati the Rebel army was within a few miles of the
+defenses. On the train which took me to the city, there were many of
+the country people going to offer their services to aid in repelling
+the enemy. They entered the cars at the various stations, bringing
+their rifles, which they well knew how to use. They were the famous
+"squirrel-hunters" of Ohio, who were afterward the subject of some
+derision on the part of the Rebels. Nearly twenty thousand of them
+volunteered for the occasion, and would have handled their rifles to
+advantage had the Rebels given them the opportunity.
+
+At the time of my arrival at Cincinnati, Major-General Wallace was in
+command. The Queen City of the West was obliged to undergo some of
+the inconveniences of martial law. Business of nearly every kind was
+suspended. A provost-marshal's pass was necessary to enable one to
+walk the streets in security. The same document was required of any
+person who wished to hire a carriage, or take a pleasant drive to
+the Kentucky side of the Ohio. Most of the able-bodied citizens
+voluntarily offered their services, and took their places in the
+rifle-pits, but there were some who refused to go. These were hunted
+out and taken to the front, much against their will. Some were found
+in or under beds; others were clad in women's garments, and working at
+wash-tubs. Some tied up their hands as if disabled, and others plead
+baldness or indigestion to excuse a lack of patriotism. All was of no
+avail. The provost-marshal had no charity for human weakness.
+
+This severity was not pleasant to the citizens, but it served an
+admirable purpose. When Kirby Smith arrived in front of the defenses,
+he found forty thousand men confronting him. Of these, not over six
+or eight thousand had borne arms more than a week or ten days. The
+volunteer militia of Cincinnati, and the squirrel-hunters from the
+interior of Ohio and Indiana, formed the balance of our forces.
+Our line of defenses encircled the cities of Covington and Newport,
+touching the Ohio above and below their extreme limits. Nearly every
+hill was crowned with a fortification. These fortifications were
+connected by rifle-pits, which were kept constantly filled with men.
+On the river we had a fleet of gun-boats, improvised from ordinary
+steamers by surrounding their vulnerable parts with bales of hay. The
+river was low, so that it was necessary to watch several places where
+fording was possible. A pontoon bridge was thrown across the Ohio, and
+continued there until the siege was ended.
+
+It had been a matter of jest among the journalists at Memphis and
+other points in the Southwest, that the vicissitudes of war might some
+day enable us to witness military operations from the principal hotels
+in the Northern cities. "When we can write war letters from the Burnet
+or the Sherman House," was the occasional remark, "there will be some
+personal comfort in being an army correspondent." What we had said
+in jest was now proving true. We could take a carriage at the Burnet
+House, and in half an hour stand on our front lines and witness the
+operations of the skirmishers. Later in the war I was enabled to write
+letters upon interesting topics from Detroit and St. Paul.
+
+The way in which our large defensive force was fed, was nearly as
+great a novelty as the celerity of its organization. It was very
+difficult to sever the red tape of the army regulations, and enable
+the commissary department to issue rations to men that belonged to no
+regiments or companies. The people of Cincinnati were very prompt to
+send contributions of cooked food to the Fifth Street Market-House,
+which was made a temporary restaurant for the defenders of the city.
+Wagons were sent daily through nearly all the streets to gather these
+contributed supplies, and the street-cars were free to all women and
+children going to or from the Market-House. Hundreds walked to the
+front, to carry the provisions they had prepared with their own hands.
+All the ordinary edibles of civilized life were brought forward in
+abundance. Had our men fought at all, they would have fought on full
+stomachs.
+
+The arrival of General Buell's army at Louisville rendered it
+impossible for Bragg to take that city. The defenders of Cincinnati
+were re-enforced by a division from General Grant's army, which was
+then in West Tennessee. This arrival was followed by that of other
+trained regiments and brigades from various localities, so that we
+began to contemplate taking the offensive. The Rebels disappeared from
+our front, and a reconnoissance showed that they were falling back
+toward Lexington. They burned the turnpike and railway bridges as they
+retreated, showing conclusively that they had abandoned the siege.
+
+As soon as the retirement of the Rebels was positively ascertained,
+a portion of our forces was ordered from Cincinnati to Louisville.
+General Buell's army took the offensive, and pursued Bragg as he
+retreated toward the Tennessee River. General Wallace was relieved,
+and his command transferred to General Wright.
+
+A change in the whole military situation soon transpired. From holding
+the defensive, our armies became the pursuers of the Rebels, the
+latter showing little inclination to risk an encounter. The battle of
+Perryville was the great battle of this Kentucky campaign. Its result
+gave neither army much opportunity for exultation.
+
+In their retreat through Kentucky and Tennessee, the Rebels gathered
+all the supplies they could find, and carried them to their commissary
+depot at Knoxville. It was said that their trains included more than
+thirty thousand wagons, all of them heavily laden. Large droves of
+cattle and horses became the property of the Confederacy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE BATTLE OF CORINTH.
+
+New Plans of the Rebels.--Their Design to Capture Corinth,--Advancing
+to the Attack.--Strong Defenses.--A Magnificent Charge.--Valor _vs._
+Breast-Works.--The Repulse.--Retreat and Pursuit.--The National Arms
+Triumphant.
+
+
+The Bragg campaign into Kentucky being barren of important results,
+the Rebel authorities ordered that an attempt should be made to
+drive us from West Tennessee. The Rebel army in Northern Mississippi
+commenced the aggressive late in September, while the retreat of Bragg
+was still in progress. The battle of Iuka resulted favorably to the
+Rebels, giving them possession of that point, and allowing a large
+quantity of supplies to fall into their hands. On the 4th of October
+was the famous battle of Corinth, the Rebels under General Van Dorn
+attacking General Rosecrans, who was commanding at Corinth.
+
+The Rebels advanced from Holly Springs, striking Corinth on the
+western side of our lines. The movement was well executed, and
+challenged our admiration for its audacity and the valor the Rebel
+soldiery displayed. It was highly important for the success of the
+Rebel plans in the Southwest that we should be expelled from Corinth.
+Accordingly, they made a most determined effort, but met a signal
+defeat.
+
+Some of the best fighting of the war occurred at this battle of
+Corinth. The Rebel line of battle was on the western and northern
+side of the town, cutting off our communications with General Grant
+at Jackson. The Rebels penetrated our line, and actually obtained
+possession of a portion of Corinth, but were driven out by hard,
+earnest work. It was a struggle for a great prize, in which neither
+party was inclined to yield as long as it had any strength remaining
+to strike a blow.
+
+The key to our position was on the western side, where two earth-works
+had been thrown up to command the approaches in that direction. These
+works were known as "Battery Williams" and "Battery Robbinette," so
+named in honor of the officers who superintended their erection and
+commanded their garrisons at the time of the assault. These works were
+on the summits of two small hills, where the ascent from the main road
+that skirted their base was very gentle. The timber on these slopes
+had been cut away to afford full sweep to our guns. An advancing
+force would be completely under our fire during the whole time of its
+ascent. Whether succeeding or failing, it must lose heavily.
+
+[Illustration: THE REBEL CHARGE AT CORINTH.]
+
+General Van Dorn gave Price's Division the honor of assaulting these
+works. The division was composed of Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas
+regiments, and estimated at eight thousand strong. Price directed the
+movement in person, and briefly told his men that the position must be
+taken at all hazards. The line was formed on the wooded ground at
+the base of the hills on which our batteries stood. The advance was
+commenced simultaneously along the line.
+
+As the Rebels emerged from the forest, our guns were opened. Officers
+who were in Battery Williams at the time of the assault, say the
+Rebels moved in splendid order. Grape and shell made frequent and wide
+gaps through their ranks, but the line did not break nor waver. The
+men moved directly forward, over the fallen timber that covered the
+ground, and at length came within range of our infantry, which had
+been placed in the forts to support the gunners. Our artillery had
+made fearful havoc among the Rebels from the moment they left the
+protection of the forest. Our infantry was waiting with impatience to
+play its part.
+
+When the Rebels were fairly within range of our small-arms, the order
+was given for a simultaneous volley along our whole line. As the
+shower of bullets struck the Rebel front, hundreds of men went down.
+Many flags fell as the color-bearers were killed, but they were
+instantly seized and defiantly waved. With a wild cheer the Rebels
+dashed forward up to the very front of the forts, receiving without
+recoil a most deadly fire. They leaped the ditch and gained the
+parapet. They entered a bastion of Battery Williams, and for a minute
+held possession of one of our guns.
+
+Of the dozen or more that gained the interior of the bastion, very few
+escaped. Nearly all were shot down while fighting for possession
+of the gun, or surrendered when the parapet was cleared of those
+ascending it. The retreat of the Rebels was hasty, but it was orderly.
+Even in a repulse their coolness did not forsake them. They left their
+dead scattered thickly in our front. In one group of seventeen, they
+lay so closely together that their bodies touched each other. An
+officer told me he could have walked along the entire front of Battery
+Williams, touching a dead or wounded Rebel at nearly every step. Two
+Rebel colonels were killed side by side, one of them falling with his
+hand over the edge of the ditch. They were buried where they died.
+In the attack in which the Rebels entered the edge of the town, the
+struggle was nearly as great. It required desperate fighting for them
+to gain possession of the spot, and equally desperate fighting on our
+part to retake it. All our officers who participated in this battle
+spoke in admiration of the courage displayed by the Rebels. Praise
+from an enemy is the greatest praise. The Rebels were not defeated
+on account of any lack of bravery or of recklessness. They were fully
+justified in retreating after the efforts they made. Our army was
+just as determined to hold Corinth as the Rebels were to capture it.
+Advantages of position turned the scale in our favor, and enabled us
+to repulse a force superior to our own.
+
+Just before the battle, General Grant sent a division under General
+McPherson to re-enforce Corinth. The Rebels had cut the railway
+between the two points, so that the re-enforcement did not reach
+Corinth until the battle was over.
+
+On the morning following the battle, our forces moved out in pursuit
+of the retreating Rebels. At the same time a column marched from
+Bolivar, so as to fall in their front. The Rebels were taken between
+the two columns, and brought to an engagement with each of them;
+but, by finding roads to the south, managed to escape without
+disorganization. Our forces returned to Corinth and Bolivar, thinking
+it useless to make further pursuit.
+
+Thus terminated the campaign of the enemy against Corinth. There
+was no expectation that the Rebels would trouble us any more in that
+quarter for the present, unless we sought them out. Their defeat
+was sufficiently serious to compel them to relinquish all hope of
+expelling us from Corinth.
+
+During the time of his occupation of West Tennessee, General Grant was
+much annoyed by the wandering sons of Israel, who thronged his lines
+in great numbers. They were engaged in all kinds of speculation in
+which money could be made. Many of them passed the lines into the
+enemy's country, and purchased cotton, which they managed to bring to
+Memphis and other points on the river. Many were engaged in smuggling
+supplies to the Rebel armies, and several were caught while acting as
+spies.
+
+On our side of the lines the Jews were Union men, and generally
+announced their desire for a prompt suppression of the Rebellion.
+When under the folds of the Rebel flag they were the most ardent
+Secessionists, and breathed undying hostility to the Yankees. Very few
+of them had any real sympathy with either side, and were ready, like
+Mr. Pickwick, to shout with the largest mob on all occasions, provided
+there was money to be made by the operation. Their number was very
+great. In the latter half of '62, a traveler would have thought the
+lost tribes of Israel were holding a reunion at Memphis.
+
+General Grant became indignant, and issued an order banishing the Jews
+from his lines. The order created much excitement among the Americans
+of Hebraic descent. The matter was placed before the President, and
+the obnoxious restriction promptly revoked. During the time it was in
+force a large number of the proscribed individuals were obliged to go
+North.
+
+Sometimes the Rebels did not treat the Jews with the utmost courtesy.
+On one occasion a scouting party captured two Jews who were buying
+cotton. The Israelites were robbed of ten thousand dollars in gold
+and United States currency, and then forced to enter the ranks of the
+Rebel army. They did not escape until six months later.
+
+In Chicago, in the first year of the war, a company of Jews was armed
+and equipped at the expense of their wealthier brethren. The men
+composing the company served their full time, and were highly praised
+for their gallantry.
+
+The above case deserves mention, as it is an exception to the general
+conduct of the Jews.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+THE CAMPAIGN FROM CORINTH.
+
+Changes of Commanders.--Preparations for the Aggressive.--Marching
+from Corinth.--Talking with the People.--"You-uns and
+We-uns."--Conservatism of a "Regular."--Loyalty and
+Disloyalty.--Condition of the Rebel Army.--Foraging.--German Theology
+for American Soldiers.--A Modest Landlord.--A Boy without a Name.--The
+Freedmen's Bureau.--Employing Negroes.--Holly Springs and its
+People.--An Argument for Secession.
+
+
+Two weeks after the battle of Corinth, General Rosecrans was summoned
+to the Army of the Cumberland, to assume command in place of General
+Buell. General Grant was placed at the head of the Thirteenth Army
+Corps, including all the forces in West Tennessee. Preparations for an
+aggressive movement into the enemy's country had been in progress for
+some time. Corinth, Bolivar, and Jackson were strongly fortified,
+so that a small force could defend them. The base of supply was at
+Columbus, Kentucky, eighty-five miles due north of Jackson, thus
+giving us a long line of railway to protect.
+
+On the first of November the movement began, by the advance of a
+column from Corinth and another from Bolivar. These columns met at
+Grand Junction, twenty-five miles north of Holly Springs, and, after
+lying there for two weeks, advanced to the occupation of the latter
+point. The Rebels evacuated the place on our approach, and after a day
+or two at Holly Springs we went forward toward the south. Abbeville
+and Oxford were taken, and the Rebels established themselves at
+Grenada, a hundred miles south of Memphis.
+
+From Corinth I accompanied the division commanded by General Stanley.
+I had known this officer in Missouri, in the first year of the war,
+when he claimed to be very "conservative" in his views. During the
+campaign with General Lyon he expressed himself opposed to a warfare
+that should produce a change in the social status at the South. When I
+met him at Corinth he was very "radical" in sentiment, and in favor of
+a thorough destruction of the "peculiar institution." He declared that
+he had liberated his own slaves, and was determined to set free all
+the slaves of any other person that might come in his way. He rejoiced
+that the war had not ended during the six months following the fall
+of Fort Sumter, as we should then have allowed slavery to exist,
+which would have rendered us liable to another rebellion whenever
+the Southern leaders chose to make it. We could only be taught by
+the logic of events, and it would take two or three years of war to
+educate the country to a proper understanding of our position.
+
+It required a war of greater magnitude than was generally expected at
+the outset. In 1861 there were few people who would have consented to
+interfere with "slavery in the States." The number of these persons
+was greater in 1862, but it was not until 1864 that the anti-slavery
+sentiment took firm hold of the public mind. In 1861 the voice of
+Missouri would have favored the retention of the old system. In 1864
+that State became almost as radical as Massachusetts. The change in
+public sentiment elsewhere was nearly as great.
+
+During the march from Corinth to Grand Junction, I had frequent
+opportunity for conversing with the people along the route. There were
+few able-bodied men at home. It was the invariable answer, when we
+asked the whereabouts of any citizen, "He's away." Inquiry would
+bring a reluctant confession that he had gone to the Rebel army.
+Occasionally a woman would boast that she had sent her husband to
+fight for his rights and the rights of his State. The violation of
+State rights and the infringement upon personal prerogative were
+charged upon the National Government as the causes of the war. Some
+of the women displayed considerable skill in arguing the question of
+secession, but their arguments were generally mingled with invective.
+The majority were unable to make any discussion whatever.
+
+"What's you-uns come down here to fight we-uns for?" said one of the
+women whose husband was in the Rebel army. "We-uns never did you-uns
+no hurt." (This addition of a syllable to the personal pronouns of the
+second and third persons is common in some parts of the South, while
+in others it will not be heard.)
+
+"Well," said General Stanley, "we came down here because we were
+obliged to come. Your people commenced a war, and we are trying to
+help you end it."
+
+"We-uns didn't want to fight, no-how. You-uns went and made the war so
+as to steal our niggers."
+
+The woman acknowledged that neither her husband nor herself ever
+owned negroes, or ever expected to do so. She knew nothing about Fort
+Sumter, and only knew that the North elected one President and
+the South another, on the same occasion. The South only wanted its
+president to rule its own region, but the North wanted to extend its
+control over the whole country, so as to steal the negroes. Hence
+arose the war.
+
+Some of the poorer whites manifested a loyal feeling, which sprang
+from a belief that the establishment of the Confederacy would
+not better their condition. This number was not large, but it has
+doubtless increased with the termination of the war. The wealthier
+portion of the people were invariably in sympathy with the Rebel
+cause.
+
+After we reached Grand Junction, and made our camp a short distance
+south of that point, we were joined by the column from Bolivar. In the
+two columns General Grant had more than forty thousand men, exclusive
+of a force under General Sherman, about to move from Memphis. The
+Rebel army was at Holly Springs and Abbeville, and was estimated at
+fifty thousand strong. Every day found a few deserters coming in
+from the Rebels, but their number was not large. The few that came
+represented their army to be well supplied with shoes, clothing, and
+ammunition, and also well fed. They were nearly recovered from the
+effects of their repulse at Corinth, a month before.
+
+Our soldiers foraged at will on the plantations near our camp. The
+quantities of supplies that were brought in did not argue that the
+country had been previously visited by an army. Mules, horses, cattle,
+hogs, sheep, chickens, and other things used by an army, were found in
+abundance.
+
+The soldiers did not always confine their foraging to articles of
+necessity. A clergyman's library was invaded and plundered. I saw one
+soldier bending under the (avoirdupois) weight of three heavy volumes
+on theology, printed in the German language. Another soldier, a mere
+boy, was carrying away in triumph a copy of Scott's Greek Lexicon. In
+every instance when it came to their knowledge, the officers compelled
+the soldiers to return the books they had stolen. German theology and
+Greek Lexicons were not thought advantageous to an army in the field.
+
+One wing of our army was encamped at Lagrange, Tennessee, and honored
+with the presence of General Grant. Lagrange presented a fair example
+of the effects of secession upon the interior villages of the South.
+Before the war it was the center of a flourishing business. Its
+private residences were constructed with considerable magnificence,
+and evinced the wealth of their owners. There was a male and a
+female college; there was a bank, and there were several stores and
+commission houses.
+
+When the war broke out, the young men at the male college enlisted in
+the Rebel army. The young women in the female college went to their
+homes. The bank was closed for want of funds, the hotels had no
+guests, the stores had few customers, and these had no money, the
+commission houses could find no cotton to sell and no goods to buy.
+Every thing was completely stagnated. All the men who could carry
+muskets went to the field. When we occupied the town, there were not
+three men remaining who were of the arms-bearing age.
+
+I found in Lagrange a man who _could_ keep a hotel. He was ignorant,
+lazy, and his establishment only resembled the Fifth Avenue or the
+Continental in the prices charged to the guests. I staid several days
+with this Boniface, and enjoyed the usual fare of the interior South.
+Calling for my bill at my departure, I found the charges were only
+three dollars and fifty cents per day.
+
+My horse had been kept in a vacant and dilapidated stable belonging to
+the hotel, but the landlord refused to take any responsibility for
+the animal. He had no corn or hay, and his hostler had "gone to the
+Yankees!" During my stay I employed a man to purchase corn and give
+the desired attention to the horse. The landlord made a charge of one
+dollar per day for "hoss-keeping," and was indignant when I entered a
+protest. Outside of Newport and Saratoga, I think there are very few
+hotel-keepers in the North who would make out and present a bill on so
+small a basis as this.
+
+This taverner's wife and daughter professed an utter contempt for all
+white persons who degraded themselves to any kind of toil. Of
+course, their hostility to the North was very great. Beyond a slight
+supervision, they left every thing to the care of the negroes. A
+gentleman who was with me sought to make himself acquainted with the
+family, and succeeded admirably until, on one evening, he constructed
+a small toy to amuse the children. This was too much. He was skillful
+with his hands, and must therefore be a "mudsill." His acquaintance
+with the ladies of that household came to an end. His manual dexterity
+was his ruin.
+
+There was another hotel in Lagrange, a rival establishment, that bore
+the reputation of being much the worse in point of comfort. It was
+owned by a widow, and this widow had a son--a lank, overgrown youth of
+eighteen. His poverty, on one point, was the greatest I ever knew.
+He could have been appropriately selected as the hero of a certain
+popular novel by Wilkie Collins. No name had ever been given him by
+his parents. In his infancy they spoke of him as "the boy." When he
+grew large enough to appear on the street with other boys, some one
+gave him the _sobriquet_ of "Rough and Ready." From that time forward,
+his only praenomen was "Rough." I made several inquiries among his
+neighbors, but could not ascertain that he bore any other Christian
+appellative.
+
+The first comprehensive order providing for the care of the negroes
+in the Southwest, was issued by General Grant while his army lay at
+Lagrange and Grand Junction. Previous to that time, the negroes had
+been disposed of as each division and post commander thought best,
+under his general instructions not to treat them unkindly. Four months
+earlier, our authorities at Memphis had enrolled several hundred
+able-bodied negroes into an organization for service in the
+Quartermaster's Department, in accordance with the provisions of
+an order from District Head-Quarters. They threw up fortifications,
+loaded and unloaded steamboats, and performed such other labor as was
+required. In General Grant's army there was a pioneer corps of three
+hundred negroes, under the immediate charge of an overseer, controlled
+by an officer of engineers. No steps were then taken to use them as
+soldiers.
+
+The number of negroes at our posts and in our camps was rapidly
+increasing. Under the previous orders, they were registered and
+employed only on Government work. None but the able-bodied males were
+thus available. The new arrangements contemplated the employment of
+all who were capable of performing any kind of field labor. It was
+expected to bring some revenue to the Government, that would partially
+cover the expense of providing for the negroes.
+
+The following is the order which General Grant issued:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS THIRTEENTH ARMY CORPS,
+DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE,
+LAGRANGE, TENNESSEE, _November_ 14, 1862.
+
+SPECIAL FIELD ORDER, NO. 4.
+
+I. Chaplain J. Eaton, Jr., of the Twenty-seventh Ohio Volunteers, is
+hereby appointed to take charge of all fugitive slaves that are
+now, or may from time to time come, within the military lines of
+the advancing army in this vicinity, not employed and registered in
+accordance with General Orders, No. 72, from head-quarters District of
+West Tennessee, and will open a camp for them at Grand Junction, where
+they will be suitably cared for, and organized into companies, and set
+to work, picking, ginning, and baling all cotton now outstanding in
+fields.
+
+II. Commanding officers of all troops will send all fugitives that
+come within the lines, together with such teams, cooking utensils, and
+other baggage as they may bring with them, to Chaplain J. Eaton, Jr.,
+at Grand Junction.
+
+III. One regiment of infantry from Brigadier-General McArthur's
+Division will be temporarily detailed as guard in charge of such
+contrabands, and the surgeon of said regiment will be charged with the
+care of the sick.
+
+IV. Commissaries of subsistence will issue, on the requisitions of
+Chaplain Eaton, omitting the coffee ration, and substituting rye. By
+order of Major-General U.S. Grant. JNO. A. RAWLINS, A.A.G.
+
+
+Chaplain Eaton entered immediately upon the discharge of his duties.
+Many division and brigade commanders threw obstacles in his way,
+and were very slow to comply with General Grant's order. Some of the
+officers of the Commissary Department made every possible delay in
+filling Chaplain Eaton's requisitions. The people of the vicinity
+laughed at the experiment, and prophesied speedy and complete failure.
+They endeavored to insure a failure by stealing the horses and mules,
+and disabling the machinery which Chaplain Eaton was using. Failing in
+this, they organized guerrilla parties, and attempted to frighten
+the negroes from working in the field. They only desisted from this
+enterprise when some of their number were killed.
+
+All the negroes that came into the army lines were gathered at Grand
+Junction and organized, in compliance with the order. There were many
+fields of cotton fully ripened, that required immediate attention.
+Cotton-picking commenced, and was extensively prosecuted.
+
+The experiment proved a success. The cotton, in the immediate vicinity
+of Grand Junction and Lagrange was gathered, baled, and made ready
+for market. For once, the labors of the negro in the Southwest were
+bringing an actual return to the Government.
+
+The following year saw the system enlarged, as our armies took
+possession of new districts. In 1863, large quantities of cotton were
+gathered from fields in the vicinity of Lake Providence and Milliken's
+Bend, and the cultivation of plantations was commenced. In 1864, this
+last enterprise was still further prosecuted. Chaplain Eaton became
+Colonel Eaton, and the humble beginning at Grand Junction grew into a
+great scheme for demonstrating the practicability of free labor, and
+benefiting the negroes who-had been left without support by reason of
+the flight of their owners.
+
+As the army lay in camp near Lagrange for nearly four weeks, and
+the enemy was twenty-five miles distant, there was very little war
+correspondence to be written. There was an occasional skirmish near
+the front, but no important movement whatever. The monotony of
+this kind of life, and the tables of the Lagrange hotels, were not
+calculated to awaken much enthusiasm. Learning from a staff officer
+the probable date when the army would advance, I essayed a visit to
+St. Louis, and returned in season to take part in the movement into
+Mississippi.
+
+At the time General Grant advanced from Lagrange, he ordered General
+Sherman to move from Memphis, so that the two columns would unite in
+the vicinity of Oxford, Mississippi. General Sherman pushed his column
+as rapidly as possible, and, by the combined movement, the Rebels were
+forced out of their defenses beyond Oxford, and compelled to select a
+new line in the direction of Grenada. Our flag was steadily advancing
+toward the Gulf.
+
+Satisfied there would be no battle until our army had passed Oxford,
+I tarried several days at Holly Springs, waiting for the railway to
+be opened. I found the town a very pleasant one, finely situated, and
+bearing evidence of the wealth and taste of its inhabitants. When
+the war broke out, there were only two places in the State that could
+boast a larger population than Holly Springs.
+
+At the time of my arrival, the hotels of Holly Springs were not open,
+and I was obliged to take a room at a private house with one of the
+inhabitants. My host was an earnest advocate of the Rebel cause, and
+had the fullest confidence in the ultimate independence of the South.
+
+"We intend," said he, "to establish a strong Government, in which
+there will be no danger of interference by any abolitionists. If you
+had allowed us to have our own way, there would never have been any
+trouble. We didn't want you to have slavery in the North, but we
+wanted to go into the Territories, where we had a perfect right, and
+do as we pleased about taking our slaves there. The control of the
+Government belongs to us. The most of the Presidents have been
+from the South, as they ought to be. It was only when you elected
+a sectional President, who was sworn to break up slavery, that we
+objected. You began the war when you refused us the privilege of
+having a national President."
+
+This gentleman argued, further, that the half of all public property
+belonged to the South, and it was only just that the State authorities
+should take possession of forts and arsenals, as they did at the
+inception of the war. It was the especial right of the South to
+control the nation. Slavery was instituted from Heaven, for the
+especial good of both white and black. Whoever displayed any sympathy
+for the negro, and wished to make him free, was doing a great
+injustice to the slave and his master, particularly to the latter.
+
+Once he said the destruction of slavery would be unworthy a people who
+possessed any gallantry. "You will," he declared, "do a cruel wrong
+to many fine ladies. They know nothing about working with their hands,
+and consider such knowledge disgraceful. If their slaves are taken
+from them, these ladies will be helpless."
+
+This gentleman was the possessor of several negroes, though he lived
+in a house that he did not own. Of course, it was a great injustice to
+deprive him of his only property, especially as the laws of his State
+sanctioned such ownership. He declared he would not submit to any
+theft of that character. I do not think I ever saw a person manifest
+more passion than was exhibited by this individual on hearings one
+afternoon, that one of his slaves had taken refuge in our camp, with
+the avowed intention of going North.
+
+"I don't care for the loss," said he, "but what I do care for is, to
+be robbed by a nigger. I can endure an injury from a white man; to
+have a nigger defy me is too much."
+
+Unfortunate and unhappy man! I presume he is not entirely satisfied
+with the present status of the "Peculiar Institution."
+
+The cotton speculators at Holly Springs were guilty of some sharp
+transactions. One day a gentleman residing in the vicinity came to
+town in order to effect a sale of fifty bales. The cotton was in a
+warehouse a half-dozen miles away.
+
+Remaining over night in Holly Springs, and walking to the railway
+station in the morning, he found his cotton piled by the track and
+ready for shipment. Two men were engaged effacing the marks upon
+the bales. By some means they had obtained a sufficient number of
+Government wagons to remove the entire lot during the night. It was a
+case of downright theft. The offenders were banished beyond the lines
+of the army.
+
+In a public office at Holly Springs our soldiers found a great number
+of bills on the Northern Bank of Mississippi. They were in sheets,
+just as they had come from the press. None of them bore dates or
+signatures.
+
+The soldiers supplied all needed chirography, and the bills obtained
+a wide circulation. Chickens, pigs, and other small articles were
+purchased of the whites and negroes, and paid for with the most
+astonishing liberality.
+
+Counterfeits of the Rebel currency were freely distributed, and could
+only be distinguished from the genuine by their superior execution.
+
+Among the women in Holly Springs and its vicinity snuff was in great
+demand. The article is used by them in much the same way that men chew
+tobacco. The practice is known as "dipping," and is disgusting in the
+extreme. A stick the size of a common pencil is chewed or beaten at
+one end until the fibers are separated. In this condition it forms a
+brush.
+
+This brush is moistened with saliva, and plunged into the snuff. The
+fine powder which adheres is then rubbed on the gums and among the
+teeth. A species of partial intoxication is the result.
+
+The effect of continued "dipping" becomes apparent. The gums are
+inflamed, the teeth are discolored, the lips are shriveled, and the
+complexion is sallow. The throat is dry and irritated, and there is a
+constant desire to expectorate.
+
+I trust the habit will never become a Northern one.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+GRANT'S OCCUPATION OF MISSISSIPPI.
+
+The Slavery Question.--A Generous Offer.--A Journalist's
+Modesty.--Hopes of the Mississippians at the Beginning of the
+War.--Visiting an Editress.--Literature under Difficulties.--Jacob
+Thompson and his Correspondence.--Plans for the Capture of
+Vicksburg.--Movements of General Sherman.--The Raid upon Holly
+Springs.--Forewarned, but not Forearmed.--A Gallant Fight.
+
+
+The people of Holly Springs were much excited over the slavery
+question. It was then early in December. The President's proclamation
+was to have its effect on all States, or portions of States, not
+represented in Congress on the first of January following. The
+slaveholders desired to have the northern district of Mississippi
+represented in Congress before the first of January.
+
+Three or four days after my arrival at Holly Springs I was with a
+small party of citizens to whom I had received introduction. The
+great question was being discussed. All were agreed that Northern
+Mississippi should be represented in Congress at whatever cost.
+
+"Grant has now been in Mississippi nearly two weeks," said the
+principal speaker; "we are clearly entitled to representation."
+
+"Certainly we are," responded another; "but who will represent us?"
+
+"Hold an election to-morrow, and choose our man."
+
+"Who will we send? None of us would be received. There isn't a man in
+the district who could swear he has taken no part in the Rebellion."
+
+"I have it," said the individual who first proposed an election.
+Turning to me, he made a somewhat novel proposition:
+
+"You can represent us in Congress. We've all been so d----d disloyal
+that we can't go; but that is no reason why we should not send a loyal
+men. Say yes, and we'll meet to-morrow, a dozen of us, and elect you."
+
+Here was an opportunity for glory. Only four days in a State from
+which I could go to Congress! I was offered all necessary credentials
+to insure my reception. My loyalty could be clearly and easily
+proved. My only duties would be to assist in fastening slavery upon
+my congressional district. Much as I felt honored at the offer of
+distinction, I was obliged to decline it. A similar proposition was
+made to another journalist. He, like myself, was governed by modesty,
+and begged to be excused from serving.
+
+The desire of this people to be represented in Congress, was a partial
+proof that they expected the national authority restored throughout
+the country. They professed to believe that our occupation would be
+temporary, but their actions did not agree with their words.
+
+They were greatly mortified at the inability of their army to oppose
+our advance, and frequently abused the Rebel Government without stint.
+They had anticipated an easy victory from the outset, and were greatly
+disappointed at the result, up to that time.
+
+"Just see how it is," said a Mississippian one day; "we expected to
+whip you without the slightest trouble. We threw the war into the
+Border States to keep it off our soil. Mississippi was very earnest
+for the Rebellion when Kentucky was the battle-ground. We no more
+expected you would come here, than that we should get to the moon.
+It is the fortune of war that you have driven us back, but it is very
+severe upon the cotton States."
+
+I ventured to ask about the possibilities of repudiation of the Rebel
+debt, in case the Confederacy was fairly established.
+
+"Of course we shall repudiate," was the response. "It would be far
+better for the Confederacy to do so than to attempt to pay the debt,
+or even its interest. Suppose we have a debt of a thousand millions,
+at eight per cent. This debt is due to our own people, and they have
+to pay the interest upon it. In twelve years and a half they would
+have paid another thousand millions, and still be as deeply in debt as
+ever. Now, if they repudiate the whole, the country will be a thousand
+millions richer at the end of twelve years and a half, than it
+otherwise would."
+
+In Mississippi, as well as in other Southern States, I frequently
+heard this argument. It is not surprising that the confidence of the
+people in their currency was shaken at a very early period.
+
+In its days of prosperity, Holly Springs boasted of two rival papers,
+each of them published weekly. One of these died just as the war broke
+out. The proprietor of the other, who was at the same time its editor,
+went, with his two sons, into the Rebel army, leaving the paper in
+charge of his wife. The lady wielded the pen for nearly a year, but
+the scarcity of printing-paper compelled her to close her office, a
+few months before our arrival.
+
+One afternoon, I accompanied Mr. Colburn, of _The World_, on a visit
+to the ex-editress. The lady received our cards and greeted us very
+cordially. She spoke, with evident pride, of her struggles to sustain
+her paper in war-time and under war prices, and hoped she could soon
+resume its publication. She referred to the absence of her husband
+and sons in the Rebel service, and was gratified that they had always
+borne a good record. She believed in the South and in the justness of
+its cause, but was prompt to declare that all the wrong was not on one
+side. She neither gave the South extravagant praise, nor visited the
+North with denunciation.
+
+She regretted the existence of the war, and charged its beginning upon
+the extremists of both sides. Slavery was clearly its cause, and
+she should look for its complete destruction in the event of the
+restoration of national authority. Through justice to itself, the
+North could demand nothing less, and the South must be willing to
+abide by the fortune of war.
+
+This woman respected and admired the North, because it was a region
+where labor was not degrading.
+
+She had always opposed the Southern sentiment concerning labor, and
+educated her children after her own belief. While other boys were
+idling in the streets, she had taught her sons all the mysteries of
+the printing-office, and made them able to care for themselves. She
+was confident they would vindicate the correctness of her theory, by
+winning good positions in life. She believed slavery had assisted the
+development of the South, but was equally positive that its effect
+upon the white race was ruinous in the extreme.
+
+She had no word of abuse for the Union, but spoke of it in terms of
+praise. At the same time she expressed an earnest hope for the
+success of the Rebellion. She saw the evil of slavery, but wished the
+Confederacy established. How she could reconcile all her views I was
+unable to ascertain. I do not believe she will take seriously to heart
+the defeat of the scheme to found a slaveholders' government. In the
+suppression of the Rebellion she will doubtless discover a brilliant
+future for "the land of the cypress and myrtle," and bless the day
+that witnessed the destruction of slavery.
+
+At Oxford, our forces found the residence of the ex-Hon. Jacob
+Thompson, who has since figured prominently as the Rebel agent in
+Canada. In his office a letter-book and much correspondence were
+secured--the letters showing that the design of a rebellion dated
+much further back than the first election of Mr. Lincoln. Some of this
+correspondence was given to the public at the time, and proved quite
+interesting. The balance was sent to the War Department, where it was
+expected to be of service. The books in Mr. Thompson's library found
+their way to various parts of the Union, and became scattered where it
+will be difficult for their owner to gather them, should he desire to
+restore his collection. If "misery loves company," it was doubtless
+gratifying to Mr. Thompson to know of the capture of the library and
+correspondence of Jefferson Davis, several months later.
+
+Our advance into Mississippi was being successfully pushed, early in
+December, 1862. There was a prospect that it would not accomplish
+the desired object, the capture of Vicksburg, without some
+counter-movement. A force was sent from Helena, Arkansas, to cut the
+railway in rear of the Rebel army. Though accomplishing its immediate
+object, it did not make a material change in the military situation.
+The Rebels continued to hold Grenada, which they had strongly
+fortified. They could only be forced from this position by a movement
+that should render Grenada of no practical value.
+
+General Grant detached the right wing of his army, with orders to make
+a rapid march to Memphis, and thence to descend the Mississippi by
+steamboats to Vicksburg. This expedition was commanded by General
+Sherman. While the movement was in progress, General Grant was to
+push forward, on the line he had been following, and attempt to join
+General Sherman at the nearest practicable point on the Yazoo River
+above Vicksburg. The fall of Vicksburg was thus thought to be assured,
+especially as General Sherman's attack was to be made upon the
+defenses in its rear.
+
+General Sherman moved, to Memphis with due celerity. The garrison of
+that city was reduced as much as possible to re-enforce his column.
+The Army of Arkansas, then at Helena, was temporarily added to his
+command. This gave a force exceeding twenty-eight thousand strong
+to move upon Vicksburg. It was considered sufficiently large to
+accomplish the desired object--the garrison of Vicksburg having been
+weakened to strengthen the army in General Grant's front.
+
+I was in Holly Springs when General Sherman began to move toward
+Memphis. Thinking there would be active work at Vicksburg, I prepared
+to go to Columbus by rail, and take a steamboat thence to Memphis. By
+this route it was nearly four hundred miles; but it was safer and
+more expeditious to travel in that way than to attempt the "overland"
+journey of fifty miles in a direct line.
+
+There were rumors that the Rebels contemplated a raid upon Holly
+Springs, for the purpose of cutting General Grant's communications and
+destroying the supplies known to be accumulated there. From the most
+vague and obscurely-worded hints, given by a Secessionist, I inferred
+that such a movement was expected. The Rebels were arranging a cavalry
+force to strike a blow somewhere upon our line of railway, and
+there was no point more attractive than Holly Springs. I attached no
+importance to the story, as I had invariably known the friends of the
+Rebels to predict wonderful movements that never occurred.
+
+Meeting the post-commandant shortly afterward, I told him what I had
+heard. He assured me there was nothing to fear, and that every thing
+was arranged to insure a successful defense. On this point I did not
+agree with him. I knew very well that the garrison was not properly
+distributed to oppose a dash of the enemy. There were but few men
+on picket, and no precautions had been taken against surprise. Our
+accumulation of stores was sufficiently large to be worth a strong
+effort to destroy them. As I was about ready to leave, I concluded to
+take the first train to Columbus.
+
+Less than forty-eight hours after my departure, General Van Dorn, at
+the head of five thousand men, entered Holly Springs with very slight
+opposition. He found every thing nearly as he could have arranged it
+had he planned the defense himself. The commandant, Colonel Murphy,
+was afterward dismissed the service for his negligence in preparing to
+defend the place after being notified by General Grant that the enemy
+was moving to attack him.
+
+The accumulation of supplies at the railway depot, and all the railway
+buildings, with their surroundings, were burned. Two trains of cars
+were standing ready to move, and these shared a similar fate. In the
+center of the town, a building we were using as a magazine was blown
+up. The most of the business portion of Holly Springs was destroyed by
+fire, communicated from this magazine.
+
+During the first year of the war, Holly Springs was selected as the
+site of a "Confederate States Arsenal," and a series of extensive
+buildings erected at great expense.
+
+We had converted these buildings into hospitals, and were fitting
+them up with suitable accommodations for a large number of sick and
+wounded.
+
+After ordering our surgeons to remove their patients, the Rebels set
+fire to the hospitals while the yellow flag was floating over them.
+General Grant subsequently denounced this act as contrary to the
+usages of war.
+
+The Rebels remained in Holly Springs until five o'clock in the
+afternoon of the day of their arrival. At their departure they moved
+in a northerly direction, evidently designing to visit Grand Junction.
+At Davis's Mill, about half-way between Holly Springs and Grand
+Junction, they found a small stockade, garrisoned by two companies
+of infantry, protecting the railway bridge. They sent forward a
+flag-of-truce, and demanded the instant surrender of the stockade.
+
+Their demand was not complied with. That garrison, of less than two
+hundred men, fought Van Dorn's entire command four hours, repulsed
+three successive charges, and finally compelled the Rebels to retreat.
+Van Dorn's northward movement was checked, and our stores at Grand
+Junction and Lagrange were saved, by the gallantry of this little
+force. General Grant subsequently gave special compliment to the
+bravery of these soldiers and their officers, in an order which was
+read to every regiment in the Army of the Tennessee.
+
+Our plans were completely deranged by this movement of the enemy. The
+supplies and ammunition we had relied upon were destroyed, and
+our communications severed. It was impossible to push further into
+Mississippi, and preparations were made for immediate retreat.
+The railway was repaired and the heavy baggage sent to the rear as
+speedily as possible. When this was accomplished the army began to
+fall back. Oxford, Abbeville, and Holly Springs were abandoned, and
+returned to the protection of the Rebel flag. Northern Mississippi
+again became the field for guerrilla warfare, and a source of supply
+to the Rebels in the field. The campaign for the capture of Vicksburg
+took a new shape from the day our lines were severed.
+
+A few days before the surrender of Vicksburg, General Grant,
+in conversation with some friends, referred to his position in
+Mississippi, six months before. Had he pressed forward beyond Grenada,
+he would have been caught in midwinter in a sea of mud, where the
+safety of his army might have been endangered. Van Dorn's raid
+compelled him to retreat, saved him from a possible heavier reverse,
+and prepared the way for the campaign in which Vicksburg finally
+capitulated. A present disaster, it proved the beginning of ultimate
+success.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE BATTLE OF CHICKASAW BAYOU.
+
+Leaving Memphis.--Down the Great River.--Landing in the Yazoo.--
+Description of the Ground..--A Night in Bivouac.--Plan of Attack.--
+Moving toward the Hills.--Assaulting the Bluff.--Our Repulse.--New
+Plans.--Withdrawal from the Yazoo.
+
+
+On arriving at Memphis, I found General Sherman's expedition was ready
+to move toward Vicksburg. A few of the soldiers who escaped from the
+raid on Holly Springs had reached Memphis with intelligence of that
+disaster. The news caused much excitement, as the strength of the
+Rebels was greatly exaggerated. A few of these soldiers thought Van
+Dorn's entire division of fifteen or twenty thousand men had
+been mounted and was present at the raid. There were rumors of a
+contemplated attack upon Memphis, after General Sherman's departure.
+
+Unmilitary men thought the event might delay the movement upon
+Vicksburg, but it did not have that effect. General Sherman said he
+had no official knowledge that Holly Springs had been captured, and
+could do no less than carry out his orders. The expedition sailed, its
+various divisions making a rendezvous at Friar's Point, twelve miles
+below Helena, on the night of the 22d of December. From this place
+to the mouth of the Yazoo, we moved leisurely down the Mississippi,
+halting a day near Milliken's Bend, almost in sight of Vicksburg. We
+passed a portion of Christmas-Day near the mouth of the Yazoo.
+
+On the morning of the 26th of December, the fleet of sixty transports,
+convoyed by several gun-boats, commenced the ascent of the Yazoo. This
+stream debouches into the Mississippi, fifteen miles above Vicksburg,
+by the course of the current, though the distance in an airline is not
+more than six miles. Ten or twelve miles above its mouth, the Yazoo
+sweeps the base of the range of hills on which Vicksburg stands, at a
+point nearly behind the city. It was therefore considered a feasible
+route to the rear of Vicksburg.
+
+In a letter which I wrote on that occasion, I gave the following
+description of the country adjoining the river, and the incidents of
+a night bivouac before the battle:--"The bottom-land of the Yazoo
+is covered with a heavy growth of tall cypress-trees, whose limbs
+are everywhere interlaced. In many places the forest has a dense
+undergrowth, and in others it is quite clear, and affords easy passage
+to mounted men. These huge trees are heavily draped in the 'hanging
+moss,' so common in the Southern States, which gives them a most
+gloomy appearance. The moss, everywhere pendent from the limbs of the
+trees, covers them like a shroud, and in some localities shuts out
+the sunlight. In these forests there are numerous bayous that form a
+net-work converting the land into a series of islands. When separated
+from your companions, you can easily imagine yourself in a wilderness.
+In the wild woods of the Oregon there is no greater solitude."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"On the afternoon of the 27th, I started from the transports, and
+accompanied our left wing, which was advancing on the east side of
+Chickasaw Bayou. The road lay along the crest of the levee which had
+been thrown up on the bank of the bayou, to protect the fields on
+that side against inundation. This road was only wide enough for the
+passage of a single wagon. Our progress was very slow, on account of
+the necessity for removing heavy logs across the levee. When night
+overtook us, we made our bivouac in the forest, about three miles from
+the river.
+
+"I had taken with me but a single blanket, and a haversack containing
+my note-book and a few crackers. That night in bivouac acquainted me
+with some of the discomforts of war-making on the Yazoo. The ground
+was moist from recent rains, so that dry places were difficult to
+find. A fellow-journalist proposed that we unite our blankets, and
+form a double bed for mutual advantage. To this I assented. When
+my friend came forward, to rest in our combined couch, I found his
+'blanket' was purely imaginary, having been left on the steamer at
+his departure. For a while we 'doubled,' but I was soon deserted, on
+account of the barrenness of my accommodations.
+
+"No fires were allowed, as they might reveal our position to the
+watchful enemy. The night was cold. Ice formed at the edge of the
+bayou, and there was a thick frost on the little patches of open
+ground. A negro who had lived in that region said the swamp usually
+abounded in moccasins, copperheads, and cane-snakes, in large numbers.
+An occasional rustling of the leaves at my side led me to imagine
+these snakes were endeavoring to make my acquaintance.
+
+"Laying aside my snake fancies, it was too cold to sleep. As fast as
+I would fall into a doze, the chill of the atmosphere would steal
+through my blanket, and remind me of my location. Half-sleeping and
+half-waking, I dreamed of every thing disagreeable. I had visions
+of Greenland's icy mountains, of rambles in Siberia, of my long-past
+midwinter nights in the snow-drifted gorges of Colorado, of shipwreck,
+and of burning dwellings, and of all moving accidents by flood and
+field! These dreams followed each other with a rapidity that far
+outstripped the workings of the electric telegraph.
+
+"Cold and dampness and snakes and fitful dreams were not the only
+bodily discomforts. A dozen horses were loose in camp, and trotting
+gayly about. Several times they passed at a careless pace within a
+yard of my head. Once the foremost of the _caballada_ jumped
+directly over me, and was followed by the rest. My comments on these
+eccentricities of that noble animal, the horse, provoked the derision
+rather than the sympathy of those who heard them.
+
+"A teamster, who mistook me for a log, led his mules over me. A negro,
+under the same delusion, attempted to convert me into a chair, and
+another wanted to break me up for fuel, to be used in making a
+fire after daylight. Each of these little blunders evoked a gentle
+remonstrance, that effectually prevented a repetition by the same
+individual.
+
+"A little past daylight a shell from the Rebel batteries exploded
+within twenty yards of my position, and warned me that it was time to
+rise. To make my toilet, I pulled the sticks and leaves from my
+hair and beard, and brushed my overcoat with a handful of moss. I
+breakfasted on a cracker and a spoonful of whisky. I gave my horse a
+handful of corn and a large quantity of leaves. The former he ate, but
+the latter he refused to touch. The column began to move, and I was
+ready to attend upon its fortunes."
+
+General Sherman's plan was to effect a landing on the Yazoo, and,
+by taking possession of the bluffs, sever the communication between
+Vicksburg and the interior. It was thought the garrison of Vicksburg
+had been greatly weakened to re-enforce the army in General Grant's
+front, so that our success would be certain when we once gained the
+bluffs.
+
+A portion of our forces effected a landing on the 26th, but the whole
+command was not on shore till the 27th. Fighting commenced on the
+27th, and became more earnest on the 28th, as we crowded toward the
+bluffs.
+
+In moving from the steamboat landing to the base of the bluffs on the
+28th, our army encountered the enemy at several points, but forced him
+back without serious loss on either side. It appeared to be the Rebel
+design not to make any resistance of magnitude until we had crossed
+the lower ground and were near the base of the line of hills
+protecting Vicksburg.
+
+Not far from the foot of the bluffs there was a bayou, which formed an
+excellent front for the first line of the Rebel defenses. On our right
+we attempted to cross this bayou with a portion of Morgan L. Smith's
+Division, but the Rebel fire was so severe that we were repulsed. On
+our extreme right a similar attempt obtained the same result.
+
+On our left the bayou was crossed by General Morgan's and General
+Steele's Divisions at two or three points, and our forces gained a
+position close up to the edge of the bluff.
+
+At eleven A. M. on the 29th, an assault was made by three brigades
+of infantry upon the works of the enemy on this portion of the line.
+General Blair and General Thayer from Steele's Division, pushed
+forward through an abatis which skirted the edge of the bayou, and
+captured the first line of Rebel rifle-pits. From this line the
+brigades pressed two hundred yards farther up the hillside, and
+temporarily occupied a portion of the second line. Fifty yards beyond
+was a small clump of trees, which was gained by one regiment, the
+Thirteenth Illinois, of General Blair's Brigade.
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL BLAIR'S BRIGADE ASSAULTING THE HILL AT
+CHICKASAW, BAYOU.]
+
+The Rebels massed heavily against these two brigades. Our assaulting
+force had not been followed by a supporting column, and was unable to
+hold the works it captured. It fell back to the bayou and re-formed
+its line. One of General Morgan's brigades occupied a portion of the
+rifle-pits at the time the hill was assaulted by the brigades from
+General Steele's Division.
+
+During the afternoon of the 29th, preparations were made for another
+assault, but the plan was not carried out. It was found the Rebels had
+been re-enforced at that point, so that we had great odds against us.
+The two contending armies rested within view of each other, throwing a
+few shells each hour, to give notice of their presence.
+
+After the assault, the ground between the contending lines was covered
+with dead and wounded men of our army. A flag-of-truce was sent out
+on the afternoon of the 29th, to arrange for burying the dead and
+bringing away the wounded, but the Rebels would not receive it.
+Sunrise on the 30th, noon, sunset, and sunrise again, and they lay
+there still. On the 31st, a truce of five hours was arranged, and the
+work of humanity accomplished. A heavy rain had fallen, rendering the
+ground unfit for the rapid moving of infantry and artillery, in front
+of the Rebel position.
+
+On the evening of the 31st, orders were issued for a new plan of
+attack at another part of the enemy's lines. A division was to be
+embarked on the transports, and landed as near as possible to the
+Rebel fortifications on Haines's Bluff, several miles up the Yazoo.
+The gun-boats were to take the advance, engage the attention of the
+forts, and cover the landing. Admiral Porter ordered Colonel Ellet
+to go in advance, with a boat of his ram fleet, to remove the
+obstructions the Rebels had placed in the river, under the guns of the
+fort. A raft was attached to the bow of the ram, and on the end of the
+raft was a torpedo containing a half ton of powder.
+
+Admiral Porter contended that the explosion of the torpedo would
+remove the obstructions, so that the fleet could proceed. Colonel
+Ellet expressed his readiness to obey orders, but gave his opinion
+that the explosion, while effecting its object, would destroy his boat
+and all on board. Some officers and civilians, who knew the admiral's
+antipathy to Colonel Ellet, suggested that the former was of the same
+opinion, and therefore desirous that the experiment should be made.
+
+Every thing was in readiness on the morning of the 1st of January, but
+a dense fog prevented the execution of our new plan. On the following
+day we withdrew from the Yazoo, and ended the second attack upon
+Vicksburg. Our loss was not far from two thousand men, in all
+casualties.
+
+General Sherman claimed to have carried out with exactness, the
+instructions from his superior officers respecting the time and manner
+of the attack. Van Dorn's raid upon General Grant's lines, previous to
+Sherman's departure from Memphis, had radically changed the military
+situation. Grant's advance being stopped, his co-operation by way
+of Yazoo City could not be given. At the same time, the Rebels were
+enabled to strengthen their forces at Vicksburg. The assault was a
+part of the great plan for the conquest of the Mississippi, and was
+made in obedience to positive orders. Before the orders were carried
+out, a single circumstance had deranged the whole plan. After the
+fighting was ended and the army had re-embarked, preparatory to
+leaving the Yazoo, General Sherman was relieved from command by
+General McClernand. The latter officer carried out the order for
+withdrawal. The fleet steamed up the Mississippi to Milliken's Bend,
+where it remained for a day or two. General McClernand directed that
+an expedition be made against Arkansas Post, a Rebel fortification on
+the Arkansas River, fifty miles above its mouth.
+
+After the first attack upon Vicksburg, in June, 1862, the Rebels
+strengthened the approaches in the rear of the city. They threw up
+defensive works on the line of bluffs facing the Yazoo, and erected a
+strong fortification to prevent our boats ascending that stream. Just
+before General Sherman commenced his assault, the gun-boat _Benton_,
+aided by another iron-clad, attempted to silence the batteries at
+Haines's Bluff, but was unsuccessful. Her sides were perforated by
+the Rebel projectiles, and she withdrew from the attack in a disabled
+condition. Captain Gwin, her commander, was mortally wounded early in
+the fight.
+
+Captain Gwin was married but a few weeks before this occurrence. His
+young wife was on her way from the East to visit him, and was met at
+Cairo with the news of his death.
+
+About two months before the time of our attack, an expedition
+descended the Mississippi from Helena, and suddenly appeared near the
+mouth of the Yazoo. It reached Milliken's Bend at night, surprising
+and capturing the steamer _Fairplay_, which was loaded with arms and
+ammunition for the Rebels in Arkansas. So quietly was the capture
+made, that the officers of the _Fairplay_ were not aware of the change
+in their situation until awakened by their captors.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+BEFORE VICKSBURG.
+
+Capture of Arkansas Post.--The Army returns to Milliken's
+Bend.--General Sherman and the Journalists.--Arrest of the
+Author.--His Trial before a Military Court.--Letter from President
+Lincoln.--Capture of Three Journalists.
+
+
+The army moved against Arkansas Post, which was captured, with its
+entire garrison of five thousand men. The fort was dismantled and the
+earth-works leveled to the ground. After this was accomplished, the
+army returned to Milliken's Bend. General Grant arrived a few days
+later, and commenced the operations which culminated in the fall of
+Vicksburg.
+
+Before leaving Memphis on the Yazoo expedition, General Sherman issued
+an order excluding all civilians, except such as were connected with
+the transports, and threatening to treat as a spy any person who
+should write accounts for publication which might give information
+to the enemy. No journalists were to be allowed to take part in the
+affair. One who applied for permission to go in his professional
+capacity received a very positive refusal. General Sherman had a
+strong antipathy to journalists, amounting almost to a mania, and he
+was determined to discourage their presence in his movements against
+Vicksburg.
+
+Five or six correspondents accompanied the expedition, some of them
+on passes from General Grant, which were believed superior to General
+Sherman's order, and others with passes or invitations from officers
+in the expedition. I carried a pass from General Grant, and had a
+personal invitation from an officer who held a prominent command in
+the Army of Arkansas. I had passed Memphis, almost without stopping,
+and was not aware of the existence of the prohibitory order until I
+reached the Yazoo.
+
+I wrote for _The Herald_ an account of the battle, which I directed to
+a friend at Cairo, and placed in the mail on board the head-quarters'
+boat. The day after mailing my letter, I learned it was being read at
+General Sherman's head-quarters. The General afterward told me that
+his mail-agent, Colonel Markland, took my letter, among others, from
+the mail, with his full assent, though without his order.
+
+I proceeded to rewrite my account, determined not to trust again to
+the head-quarters' mail. When I was about ready to depart, I received
+the letter which had been stolen, bearing evident marks of repeated
+perusal. Two maps which it originally contained were not returned. I
+proceeded to Cairo as the bearer of my own dispatches.
+
+On my return to Milliken's Bend, two weeks later, I experienced a new
+sensation. After two interviews with the indignant general, I received
+a tender of hospitalities from the provost-marshal of the Army of the
+Tennessee. The tender was made in such form as left no opportunity
+for declining it. A few days after my arrest, I was honored by a
+trial before a military court, consisting of a brigadier-general,
+four colonels, and two majors. General Sherman had made the following
+charges against me:--
+
+First.--"_Giving information to the enemy._"
+
+Second.--"_Being a spy._"
+
+Third.--"_Disobedience of orders._"
+
+The first and second charges were based on my published letter.
+The third declared that I accompanied the expedition without proper
+authority, and published a letter without official sanction. These
+were my alleged offenses.
+
+My court had a protracted session. It decided there was nothing in
+my letter which violated the provisions of the order regulating war
+correspondence for the Press. It declared me innocent of the first
+and second charges. It could see nothing criminal in the manner of my
+accompanying the expedition.
+
+But I was guilty of something. There was a "General Order, Number 67,"
+issued in 1861, of whose existence neither myself nor, as far as I
+could ascertain, any other journalist, was aware. It provided that no
+person should write, print, or cause to be printed "any information
+respecting military movements, without the authority and sanction of
+the general in command."
+
+Here was the rock on which I split. I had written a letter respecting
+military movements, and caused it to be printed, "without the sanction
+of the general in command." Correspondents everywhere had done the
+same thing, and continued to do it till the end of the war. "Order
+Number 67" was as obsolete as the laws of the Medes and Persians, save
+on that single occasion. Dispatches by telegraph passed under the eye
+of a Government censor, but I never heard of an instance wherein a
+letter transmitted by mail received any official sanction.
+
+My court was composed of officers from General Sherman's command,
+and was carefully watched by that distinguished military chieftain,
+throughout its whole sitting. It wavered in deciding upon the proper
+"punishment" for my offense. Should it banish me from that spot, or
+should I receive an official censure? It concluded to send me outside
+the limits of the Army of the Tennessee.
+
+During the days I passed in the care of the provost-marshal, I perused
+all the novels that the region afforded. When these were ended, I
+studied a copy of a well-known work on theology, and turned, for light
+reading, to the "Pirate's Own Book." A sympathizing friend sent me a
+bundle of tracts and a copy of the "Adventures of John A. Murrell."
+A volume of lectures upon temperance and a dozen bottles of Allsop's
+pale ale, were among the most welcome contributions that I received.
+The ale disappeared before the lectures had been thoroughly digested.
+
+The chambermaid of the steamboat displayed the greatest sympathy in my
+behalf. She declined to receive payment of a washing-bill, and burst
+into tears when I assured her the money was of no use to me.
+
+Her fears for my welfare were caused by a frightful story that had
+been told her by a cabin-boy. He maliciously represented that I was
+to be executed for attempting to purchase cotton from a Rebel
+quartermaster. The verdant woman believed the story for several days.
+
+It may interest some readers to know that the proceedings of a
+court-martial are made in writing. The judge-advocate (who holds the
+same position as the prosecuting attorney in a civil case) writes his
+questions, and then reads them aloud. The answers, as they are given,
+are reduced to writing. The questions or objections of the prisoner's
+counsel must be made in writing and given to the judge-advocate, to be
+read to the court. In trials where a large number of witnesses must be
+examined, it is now the custom to make use of "short-hand" writers. In
+this way the length of a trial is greatly reduced.
+
+The members of a court-martial sit in full uniform, including sash and
+sword, and preserve a most severe and becoming dignity. Whenever the
+court wishes to deliberate upon any point of law or evidence, the
+room is cleared, neither the prisoner nor his counsel being allowed to
+remain. It frequently occurs that the court is thus closed during the
+greater part of its sessions. With the necessity for recording all
+its proceedings, and frequent stoppages for deliberation, a trial by a
+military court is ordinarily very slow.
+
+In obedience to the order of the court, I left the vicinity of the
+Army of the Tennessee, and proceeded North.
+
+In departing from Young's Point, I could not obey a certain Scriptural
+injunction, as the mud of Louisiana adheres like glue, and defies all
+efforts to shake it off. Mr. Albert D. Richardson, of The Tribune,
+on behalf of many of my professional friends, called the attention
+of President Lincoln to the little affair between General Sherman and
+myself.
+
+In his recently published book of experiences during the war, Mr.
+Richardson has given a full and graphic account of his interview with
+the President. Mr. Lincoln unbent himself from his official cares,
+told two of his best stories, conversed for an hour or more upon
+the military situation, gave his reasons for the removal of General
+McClellan, and expressed his hope in our ultimate success. Declaring
+it his inflexible determination not to interfere with the conduct of
+any military department, he wrote the following document:--
+
+EXECUTIVE MANSION,
+WASHINGTON, _March_ 20, 1863.
+
+WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
+
+Whereas it appears to my satisfaction that Thomas W. Knox, a
+correspondent of _The New York Herald_, has been, by the sentence of a
+court-martial, excluded from the Military Department under command of
+Major-General Grant, and also that General Thayer, president of
+the court-martial, which rendered the sentence, and Major-General
+McClernand, in command of a corps of that department, and many other
+respectable persons, are of opinion that Mr. Knox's offense was
+technical, rather than willfully wrong, and that the sentence should
+be revoked: Now, therefore, said sentence is hereby so far revoked
+as to allow Mr. Knox to return to General Grant's head-quarters, to
+remain if General Grant shall give his express assent; and to again
+leave the department, if General Grant shall refuse such assent.
+
+A. LINCOLN
+
+
+With this letter I returned to the army. General Grant referred the
+question to General Sherman. In consideration of our quarrel, and
+knowing the unamiable character of the latter officer, I should have
+been greatly surprised had he given any thing else than a refusal. I
+had fully expected to return immediately when I left St. Louis, but,
+like most persons in a controversy, wished to carry my point.
+
+General Sherman long since retrieved his failure at Chickasaw Bayou.
+Throughout the war he was honored with the confidence and friendship
+of General Grant. The career of these officers was not marked by the
+jealousies that are too frequent in military life. The hero of the
+campaign from Chattanooga to Raleigh is destined to be known in
+history. In those successful marches, and in the victories won by his
+tireless and never vanquished army, he has gained a reputation that
+may well be enduring.
+
+Soon after my return from Young's Point, General Grant crossed the
+Mississippi at Grand Gulf, and made his daring and successful movement
+to attain the rear of Vicksburg. Starting with a force less than
+the one his opponent could bring against him, he cut loose from his
+communications and succeeded in severing the enemy's line of supplies.
+From Grand Gulf to Jackson, and from Jackson to the rear of Vicksburg,
+was a series of brilliant marches and brilliant victories. Once seated
+where he had his antagonist's army inclosed, General Grant opened his
+lines to the Yazoo, supplied himself with every thing desired, and
+pressed the siege at his leisure. With the fall of Vicksburg, and the
+fall, a few days later, of Port Hudson, "the Father of Waters went
+unvexed to the Sea."
+
+While the army was crossing the Mississippi at Grand Gulf, three
+well-known journalists, Albert D. Richardson and Junius H. Browne, of
+_The Tribune_, and Richard T. Colburn, of _The World_, attempted to
+run past the Rebel batteries at Vicksburg, on board a tug at midnight.
+The tug was blown up and destroyed; the journalists were captured and
+taken to the Rebel prison at Vicksburg. Thence they were removed to
+Richmond, occupying, while _en route_, the prisons of a half-dozen
+Rebel cities. Mr. Colburn was soon released, but the companions of his
+adventure were destined to pass nearly two years in the prisons of
+the Confederacy. By a fortunate escape and a midwinter march of nearly
+four hundred miles, they reached our lines in safety. In books and in
+lecture-rooms, they have since told the story of their captivity and
+flight.
+
+I have sometimes thought my little quarrel with General Sherman proved
+"a blessing in disguise," in saving me from a similar experience of
+twenty months in Rebel prisons.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+KANSAS IN WAR-TIME.
+
+A Visit to Kansas.--Recollections of Border Feuds.--Peculiarities
+of Kansas Soldiers.--Foraging as a Fine Art.--Kansas and
+Missouri.--Settling Old Scores.--Depopulating the Border
+Counties.--Two Examples of Grand Strategy.--Capture of the
+"Little-More-Grape" Battery.--A Woman in Sorrow.--Frontier
+Justice.--Trial before a "Lynch" Court.--General Blunt's
+Order.--Execution of Horse-Thieves.--Auction Sale of Confiscated
+Property.--Banished to Dixie.
+
+
+In May, 1863, I made a hasty visit to Western Missouri and Kansas, to
+observe the effect of the war in that quarter. Seven years earlier the
+border warfare attracted much attention. The great Rebellion caused
+Kansas and its troubles to sink into insignificance. Since the first
+election of Mr. Lincoln to the Presidency, Kansas has been rarely
+mentioned.
+
+I passed through this young State in the summer of 1860. I was
+repeatedly told: "We have old grudges that we wish to settle; if the
+troubles ever break out again in any part of the United States, we
+hope to cross out our account." When the war opened, the people
+of Kansas saw their opportunity for "making square work," as they
+expressed it, with Missouri and the other slave States. They placed
+two regiments of volunteers in the field with as much celerity as
+was displayed in many of the older and more populous States. These
+regiments were followed by others until fully half the able-bodied
+population of Kansas was in the service. In some localities the
+proportion was even greater than this.
+
+The dash and daring of these Kansas soldiers became proverbial. At
+Wilson Creek, two regiments from Kansas had their first experience of
+battle, and bore themselves most nobly. The conduct of other Kansas
+soldiers, on other battle-fields, was equally commendable. Their
+bravery and endurance was only equaled by their ability in foraging.
+
+Horses, mules, cattle, and provisions have, in all times, been
+considered the legitimate spoils of war. The Kansas soldiers did not
+confine themselves to the above, but appropriated every thing portable
+and valuable, whether useful or useless. Their example was contagious,
+and the entire army soon learned to follow it.
+
+During General Grant's campaign in Mississippi in '62, the Seventh
+Kansas Cavalry obtained a reputation for ubiquity and lawlessness.
+Every man who engaged in plundering on his own account, no matter to
+what regiment he belonged, invariably announced himself a member
+of the Seventh Kansas. Every countryman who was robbed declared the
+robbery was committed by the Seventh Kansas "Jayhawkers." Uniting all
+the stories of robbery, one would conclude that the Seventh Kansas
+was about twenty thousand strong, and constantly in motion by fifty
+different roads, leading to all points of the compass.
+
+One day a soldier of the Second Illinois Cavalry gave me an account of
+his experience in horse-stealing.
+
+"Jim and I went to an old farmer's house, and told him we wanted his
+horses. He said he wanted to use them himself, and couldn't spare
+them.
+
+"'That don't make no sort of difference,' said I; 'we want your horses
+more than you do.'
+
+"'What regiment do you belong to?'
+
+"'Seventh Kansas Jayhawkers. The whole regiment talks of coming round
+here. I reckon I'll bring them.'
+
+"When I told him that," said the soldier, "he said I might take the
+horses, if I would only go away. He offered me a pint of whisky if I
+would promise not to bring the regiment there. Jim and me drank the
+whisky, and told him we would use our influence for him."
+
+Before the war was ended, the entire armies of the Southwest were able
+to equal the "Jayhawkers" in foraging. The march of Sherman's column
+through Mississippi, and afterward through Georgia and South Carolina,
+fully proved this. Particularly in the latter State, which originated
+the Rebellion, were the accomplishments of the foragers most
+conspicuously displayed. Our army left very little for another army to
+use.
+
+The desolation which was spread through the Southern States was among
+the most effective blows at the Rebellion. The Rebels were taught in
+the most practical manner, that insurrection was not to be indulged
+in with impunity. Those who suffered most were generally among the
+earliest to sue for peace. Sherman's terse answer to the mayor of
+Atlanta, when the latter protested against the banishment of the
+inhabitants, was appreciated by the Rebels after our final campaigns.
+"War is cruelty--you cannot refine it," speaks a volume in a few
+words.
+
+When hostilities commenced, the Kansas regiments were clamorous to be
+led into Missouri. During the border war of '55 and '56, Missourians
+invaded Kansas to control the elections by force of arms, and killed,
+often in cold blood, many of the quiet citizens of the Territory. The
+tier of counties in Missouri adjoining Kansas were most anxious
+to make the latter a slave State, and used every possible means to
+accomplish their object.
+
+The Kansas soldiers had their wish. They marched through Missouri.
+Those who had taken part in the outrages upon Kansas, five years
+earlier, were made to feel the hand of retribution. If they had burned
+the buildings of free-State settlers in '56, they found their own
+houses destroyed in '62. In the old troubles they contended for their
+right to make whatever warfare they chose, but were astounded and
+horrified in the latter days, when the tables were turned against them
+by those they had wronged.
+
+Along the frontier of Missouri the old system of warfare was revived.
+Guerrilla bands were formed, of which Quantrel and similar men
+were the leaders. Various incursions were made into Kansas by these
+marauders, and the depredations were worse than ever.
+
+They culminated in the burning of Lawrence and the massacre of its
+inhabitants.
+
+To break up these guerrilla bands, it became necessary to depopulate
+the western tier of counties in Missouri, from the Missouri River down
+to the thirty-eighth parallel of latitude. The most wealthy of these
+was Jackson County. Before the war it had a slave population of not
+far from four thousand, and its fields were highly productive. Two
+years after the war broke out it contained less than three hundred
+slaves, and its wealth had diminished in almost as great proportion.
+This was before any freedom had been officially declared to the
+slaves in the Border States. The order of depopulation had the desired
+effect. It brought peace to the border, though at a terrible cost.
+Missouri suffered greatly, and so did Kansas.
+
+The most prominent officer that Kansas furnished during the Rebellion,
+was Brigadier-General Blunt. At the beginning of the war he enlisted
+as a private soldier, but did not remain long in the ranks. His
+reputation in the field was that of a brave and reckless officer,
+who had little regard to military forms. His successes were due to
+audacity and daring, rather than to skill in handling troops, or a
+knowledge of scientific warfare.
+
+The battle of Cane Hill is said to have commenced by General Blunt and
+his orderlies attacking a Rebel picket. The general was surveying the
+country with his orderlies and a company of cavalry, not suspecting
+the enemy was as near as he proved to be.
+
+At the moment Blunt came upon the picket, the cavalry was looking in
+another direction. Firing began, and the picket was driven in and fell
+back to a piece of artillery, which had an infantry support. Blunt was
+joined by his cavalry, and the gun was taken by a vigorous charge and
+turned upon the Rebels. The latter were kept at bay until the main
+force was brought up and joined in the conflict. The Rebels believed
+we had a much larger number than we really possessed, else our first
+assault might have proved a sudden repulse. The same daring was kept
+up throughout the battle, and gave us the victory.
+
+At this battle we captured four guns, two of which bore a history of
+more than ordinary interest. They were of the old "Bragg's Battery"
+that turned the scale at Buena Vista, in obedience to General Taylor's
+mandate, "Give them a little more grape, captain." After the Mexican
+war they were sent to the United States Arsenal at Baton Rouge, whence
+they were stolen when the insurrection commenced. They were used
+against us at Wilson Creek and Pea Ridge.
+
+At another battle, whose name I have forgotten, our entire force of
+about two thousand men was deployed into a skirmish line that extended
+far beyond the enemy's flanks. The Rebels were nearly six thousand
+strong, and at first manifested a disposition to stand their ground.
+By the audacity of our stratagem they were completely deceived. So
+large a skirmish line was an indication of a proportionately strong
+force to support it. When they found us closing in upon their flanks,
+they concluded we were far superior in numbers, and certain to
+overwhelm them. With but slight resistance they fled the field,
+leaving much of their transportation and equipments to fall into
+our hands. We called in our skirmishers and pressed them in vigorous
+pursuit, capturing wagons and stragglers as we moved.
+
+A year after this occurrence the Rebels played the same trick upon our
+own forces near Fort Smith, Arkansas, and were successful in driving
+us before them. With about five hundred cavalry they formed a skirmish
+line that outflanked our force of two thousand. We fell back several
+miles to the protection of the fort, where we awaited attack. It is
+needless to say that no assault was made.
+
+Van Buren, Arkansas, was captured by eighteen men ten miles in advance
+of any support. This little force moved upon the town in a deployed
+line and entered at one side, while a Rebel regiment moved out at the
+other. Our men thought it judicious not to pursue, but established
+head-quarters, and sent a messenger to hurry up the column before
+the Rebels should discover the true state of affairs. The head of the
+column was five hours in making its appearance.
+
+When the circumstance became known the next day, one of our officers
+found a lady crying very bitterly, and asked what calamity had
+befallen her.
+
+As soon as she could speak she said, through her sobs:
+
+"I am not crying because you have captured the place. We expected
+that." Then came a fresh outburst of grief.
+
+"What _are_ you crying for, then?" asked the officer.
+
+"I am crying because you took it with only eighteen men, when we had a
+thousand that ran away from you!"
+
+The officer thought the reason for her sorrow was amply sufficient,
+and allowed her to proceed with her weeping.
+
+On the day of my arrival at Atchison there was more than ordinary
+excitement. For several months there had been much disregard of
+law outside of the most densely populated portions of the State.
+Robberies, and murders for the sake of robbery, were of frequent
+occurrence. In one week a dozen persons met violent deaths. A citizen
+remarked to me that he did not consider the times a great improvement
+over '55 and '56.
+
+Ten days before my arrival, a party of ruffians visited the house of a
+citizen about twelve miles from Atchison, for the purpose of
+robbery. The man was supposed to have several hundred dollars in his
+possession--the proceeds of a sale of stock. He had placed his funds
+in a bank at Leavenworth; but his visitors refused to believe his
+statement to that effect. They maltreated the farmer and his wife,
+and ended by hanging the farmer's son to a rafter and leaving him for
+dead. In departing, they took away all the horses and mules they could
+find.
+
+Five of these men were arrested on the following day, and taken
+to Atchison. The judge before whom they were brought ordered them
+committed for trial. On the way from the court-house to the jail the
+men were taken from the sheriff by a crowd of citizens. Instead of
+going to jail, they were carried to a grove near the town and placed
+on trial before a "Lynch" court. The trial was conducted with all
+solemnity, and with every display of impartiality to the accused. The
+jury decided that two of the prisoners, who had been most prominent
+in the outrage, should be hanged on that day, while the others
+were remanded to jail for a regular trial. One of the condemned was
+executed. The other, after having a rope around his neck, was respited
+and taken to jail.
+
+On the same day two additional arrests were made, of parties concerned
+in the outrage. These men were tried by a "Lynch" court, as their
+companions had been tried on the previous day. One of them was hanged,
+and the other sent to jail.
+
+For some time the civil power had been inadequate to the punishment of
+crime. The laws of the State were so loosely framed that offenders had
+excellent opportunities to escape their deserts by taking advantage of
+technicalities. The people determined to take the law into their own
+hands, and give it a thorough execution. For the good of society,
+it was necessary to put a stop to the outrages that had been
+so frequently committed. Their only course in such cases was to
+administer justice without regard to the ordinary forms.
+
+A delegation of the citizens of Atchison visited Leavenworth after the
+arrests had been made, to confer with General Blunt, the commander of
+the District, on the best means of securing order. They made a full
+representation of the state of affairs, and requested that two of
+the prisoners, then in jail, should be delivered to the citizens
+for trial. They obtained an order to that effect, addressed to the
+sheriff, who was holding the prisoners in charge.
+
+On the morning of the day following the reception of the order, people
+began to assemble in Atchison from all parts of the county to witness
+the trial. As nearly all the outrages had been committed upon
+the farmers who lived at distances from each other, the trial was
+conducted by the men from the rural districts. The residents of the
+city took little part in the affair. About ten o'clock in the forenoon
+a meeting was called to order in front of the court-house, where the
+following document was read:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS DISTRICT OF KANSAS,
+FORT LEAVENWORTH, _May_ 22, 1863.
+
+TO THE SHERIFF OF ATCHISON COUNTY:
+
+SIR:--In view of the alarming increase of crime, the insecurity of
+life and property within this military district, the inefficiency of
+the civil law to punish offenders, and the small number of troops
+under my command making it impossible to give such protection to
+loyal and law-abiding citizens as I would otherwise desire; you will
+therefore deliver the prisoners, Daniel Mooney and Alexander Brewer,
+now in your possession, to the citizens of Atchison County, for trial
+and punishment by a citizens' court. This course, which in ordinary
+times and under different circumstances could not be tolerated, is
+rendered necessary for the protection of the property and lives of
+honest citizens against the lawless acts of thieves and assassins,
+who, of late, have been perpetrating their crimes with fearful
+impunity, and to prevent which nothing but the most severe and
+summary punishment will suffice. In conducting these irregular
+proceedings, it is to be hoped they will be controlled by men of
+respectability, and that cool judgment and discretion will
+characterize their actions, to the end that the innocent may be
+protected and the guilty punished.
+
+Respectfully, your obedient servant,
+JAMES G. BLUNT,
+_Major-General._
+
+
+After the reading of the above order, resolutions indorsing and
+sustaining the action of General Blunt were passed unanimously. The
+following resolutions were passed separately, their reading being
+greeted with loud cheers. They are examples of strength rather than of
+elegance.
+
+
+"_Resolved_, That we pledge ourselves not to stop hanging until the
+thieves stop thieving.
+
+"_Resolved_, That as this is a citizens' court, we have no use for
+lawyers, either for the accused or for the people."
+
+
+A judge and jury were selected from the assemblage, and embraced some
+of the best known and most respected citizens of the county. Their
+selection was voted upon, just as if they had been the officers of a
+political gathering. As soon as elected, they proceeded to the trial
+of the prisoners.
+
+The evidence was direct and conclusive, and the prisoners were
+sentenced to death by hanging. The verdict was read to the multitude,
+and a vote taken upon its acceptance or rejection. Nineteen-twentieths
+of those present voted that the sentence should be carried into
+execution.
+
+The prisoners were taken from the court-house to the grove where the
+preceding executions had taken place. They were made to stand upon a
+high wagon while ropes were placed about their necks and attached to
+the limb of a large, spreading elm. When all was ready, the wagon was
+suddenly drawn from beneath the prisoners, and their earthly career
+was ended.
+
+A half-hour later the crowd had dispersed. The following morning
+showed few traces of the excitement of the previous day. The
+executions were effectual in restoring quiet to the region which had
+been so much disturbed.
+
+The Rebel sympathizers in St. Louis took many occasions to complain
+of the tyranny of the National Government. At the outset there was a
+delusion that the Government had no rights that should be respected,
+while every possible right belonged to the Rebels. General Lyon
+removed the arms from the St. Louis arsenal to a place of safety at
+Springfield, Illinois. "He had no constitutional right to do that,"
+was the outcry of the Secessionists. He commenced the organization of
+Union volunteers for the defense of the city. The Constitution made no
+provision for this. He captured Camp Jackson, and took his prisoners
+to the arsenal. This, they declared, was a most flagrant violation of
+constitutional privileges. He moved upon the Rebels in the interior,
+and the same defiance of law was alleged. He suppressed the secession
+organ in St. Louis, thus trampling upon the liberties of the Rebel
+Press.
+
+General Fremont declared the slaves of Rebels were free, and thus
+infringed upon the rights of property. Numbers of active, persistent
+traitors were arrested and sent to military prisons: a manifest
+tyranny on the part of the Government. In one way and another the
+unfortunate and long-suffering Rebels were most sadly abused, if their
+own stories are to be regarded.
+
+It was forbidden to display Rebel emblems in public: a cruel
+restriction of personal right. The wealthy Secessionists of St. Louis
+were assessed the sum of ten thousand dollars, for the benefit of the
+Union refugees from Arkansas and other points in the Southwest. This
+was another outrage. These persons could not understand why they
+should be called upon to contribute to the support of Union people who
+had been rendered houseless and penniless by Rebels elsewhere. They
+made a most earnest protest, but their remonstrances were of no
+avail. In default of payment of the sums assessed, their superfluous
+furniture was seized and sold at auction. This was a violation of the
+laws that exempt household property from seizure.
+
+The auction sale of these goods was largely attended. The bidding was
+very spirited. Pianos, ottomans, mirrors, sofas, chairs, and all the
+adornments of the homes of affluence, were sold for "cash in United
+States Treasury notes." Some of the parties assessed declared they
+would pay nothing on the assessment, but they reconsidered their
+decisions, and bought their own property at the auction-rooms, without
+regard to the prices they paid. In subsequent assessments they found
+it better to pay without hesitation whatever sums were demanded of
+them. They spoke and labored against the Union until they found such
+efforts were of no use. They could never understand why they should
+not enjoy the protection of the flag without being called upon to give
+it material aid.
+
+In May, 1863, another grievance was added to the list. It became
+necessary, for the good of the city, to banish some of the more
+prominent Rebel sympathizers.
+
+It was a measure which the Rebels and their friends opposed in the
+strongest terms. These persons were anxious to see the Confederacy
+established, but could not consent to live in its limits. They
+resorted to every device to evade the order, but were not allowed to
+remain. Representations of personal and financial inconvenience were
+of no avail; go they must.
+
+The first exodus took place on the 13th of May. An immense crowd
+thronged the levee as the boat which was to remove the exiles took
+its departure. In all there were about thirty persons, half of them
+ladies. The men were escorted to the boat on foot, but the ladies were
+brought to the landing in carriages, and treated with every possible
+courtesy. A strong guard was posted at the landing to preserve order
+and allow no insult of any kind to the prisoners.
+
+One of the young women ascended to the hurricane roof of the steamer
+and cheered for the "Confederacy." As the boat swung into the stream,
+this lady was joined by two others, and the trio united their sweet
+voices in singing "Dixie" and the "Bonnie Blue Flag." There was no
+cheering or other noisy demonstration at their departure, though there
+was a little waving of handkerchiefs, and a few tokens of farewell
+were given. This departure was soon followed by others, until St.
+Louis was cleared of its most turbulent spirits.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+GETTYSBURG.
+
+A Hasty Departure.--At Harrisburg.--_En route_ for the Army of
+the Potomac.--The Battle-Field at Gettysburg.--Appearance of
+the Cemetery.--Importance of the Position.--The Configuration
+of Ground.--Traces of Battle.--Round Hill.--General Meade's
+Head-Quarters.--Appearance of the Dead.--Through the Forests along the
+Line.--Retreat and Pursuit of Lee.
+
+
+While in St. Louis, late in June, 1863, I received the following
+telegram:--
+
+
+"HERALD OFFICE,
+"NEW YORK, _June_ 28.
+
+"Report at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at the earliest possible moment."
+
+
+Two hours later, I was traveling eastward as fast as an express train
+could carry me.
+
+The Rebel army, under General Lee, had crossed the Potomac, and
+was moving toward Harrisburg. The Army of the Potomac was in rapid
+pursuit. A battle was imminent between Harrisburg and Baltimore.
+
+Waiting a day at Harrisburg, I found the capital of the Keystone State
+greatly excited. The people were slow to move in their own behalf.
+Earth-works were being thrown up on the south bank of the Susquehanna,
+principally by the soldiers from other parts of Pennsylvania and from
+New York.
+
+When it was first announced that the enemy was approaching, only
+seventeen men volunteered to form a local defense. I saw no such
+enthusiasm on the part of the inhabitants as I had witnessed at
+Cincinnati during the previous autumn. Pennsylvania sent many
+regiments to the field during the war, and her soldiers gained a
+fine reputation; but the best friends of the State will doubtless
+acknowledge that Harrisburg was slow to act when the Rebels made their
+last great invasion.
+
+I was ordered to join the Army of the Potomac wherever I could find
+it. As I left Harrisburg, I learned that a battle was in progress.
+Before I could reach the field the great combat had taken place. The
+two contending armies had made Gettysburg historic.
+
+I joined our army on the day after the battle. I could find no person
+of my acquaintance, amid the confusion that followed the termination
+of three days' fighting. The army moved in pursuit of Lee, whose
+retreat was just commencing. As our long lines stretched away toward
+the Potomac, I walked over the ground where the battle had raged,
+and studied the picture that was presented. I reproduce, in part, my
+letter of that occasion:--
+
+
+
+"Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, _July_ 6,1863.
+
+"To-day I have passed along the whole ground where the lines of battle
+were drawn. The place bears evidence of a fierce struggle. The shocks
+of those two great armies surging and resurging, the one against
+the other, could hardly pass without leaving their traces in fearful
+characters. At Waterloo, at Wagram, and at Jena the wheat grows more
+luxuriantly, and the corn shoots its stalks further toward the sky
+than before the great conflicts that rendered those fields famous. The
+broad acres of Gettysburg and Antietam will in future years yield the
+farmer a richer return than he has hithto received.
+
+"Passing out of Gettysburg by the Baltimore turnpike, we come in a
+few steps to the entrance of the cemetery. Little of the inclosure
+remains, save the gateway, from which the gates have been torn. The
+neat wooden fence, first thrown down to facilitate the movement of our
+artillery, was used for fuel, as the soldiers made their camp on the
+spot. A few scattered palings are all that remain. The cemetery was
+such as we usually find near thrifty towns like Gettysburg. None of
+the monuments and adornings were highly expensive, though all were
+neat, and a few were elaborate. There was considerable taste displayed
+in the care of the grounds, as we can see from the few traces
+that remain. The eye is arrested by a notice, prominently posted,
+forbidding the destruction or mutilation of any shrub, tree, or stone
+about the place, under severe penalties. The defiance that war gives
+to the civil law is forcibly apparent as one peruses those warning
+lines.
+
+"Monuments and head-stones lie everywhere overturned. Graves, which
+loving hands once carefully adorned, have been trampled by horses'
+feet until the vestiges of verdure have disappeared. The neat and
+well-trained shrubbery has vanished, or is but a broken and withered
+mass of tangled brushwood. On one grave lies the body of a horse, fast
+decomposing under the July sun. On another lie the torn garments of
+some wounded soldier, stained and saturated with blood. Across a small
+head-stone, bearing the words, 'To the memory of our beloved child,
+Mary,' lie the fragments of a musket shattered by a cannon-shot.
+
+"In the center of a space inclosed by an iron fence, and containing a
+half-dozen graves, a few rails are standing where they were erected by
+our soldiers to form their shelter in bivouac. A family shaft has been
+broken in fragments by a shell. Stone after stone felt the effects of
+the _feu d'enfer_ that was poured upon the crest of the hill. Cannon
+thundered, and foot and horse soldiers tramped over the resting-place
+of the dead. Other dead were added to those who are resting here. Many
+a wounded soldier lives to remember the contest above those silent
+graves.
+
+"The hill on which this cemetery is located was the center of our line
+of battle and the key to our position. Had the Rebels been able to
+carry this point, they would have forced us into retreat, and the
+battle would have been lost. To pierce our line in this locality was
+Lee's great endeavor, and he threw his best brigades against it. Wave
+after wave of living valor rolled up that slope, only to roll back
+again under the deadly fire of our artillery and infantry. It was on
+this hill, a little to the right of the cemetery, where the 'Louisiana
+Tigers' made their famous charge. It was their boast that they were
+never yet foiled in an attempt to take a battery; but on this
+occasion they suffered a defeat, and were nearly annihilated. Sad and
+dispirited, they mourn their repulse and their terrible losses in the
+assault.
+
+"From the summit of this hill a large portion of the battle-ground
+is spread out before the spectator. In front and at his feet lies the
+town of Gettysburg, containing, in quiet times, a population of four
+or five thousand souls. It is not more than a hundred yards to the
+houses in the edge of the village, where the contest with the Rebel
+sharp-shooters took place. To the left of the town stretches a long
+valley, bounded on each side by a gently-sloping ridge. The crest of
+each ridge is distant nearly a mile from the other. It was on these
+ridges that the lines of battle on the second and third days were
+formed, the Rebel line being on the ridge to the westward. The one
+stretching directly from our left hand, and occupied by our own men,
+has but little timber upon it, while that held by the rebels can
+boast of several groves of greater or less extent. In one of these
+the Pennsylvania College is embowered, while in another is seen the
+Theological Seminary. Half-way between the ridges are the ruins of a
+large brick building burned during the engagement. Dotted about, here
+and there, are various brick and frame structures. Two miles at our
+left rises a sharp-pointed elevation, known to the inhabitants of the
+region as Round Hill. Its sides are wooded, and the forest stretches
+from its base across the valley to the crest of the western ridge.
+
+"It must not be supposed that the space between the ridges is an even
+plain, shaven with, the scythe and leveled with the roller. It rises
+and falls gently, and with little regularity, but in no place is
+it steep of ascent. Were it not for its ununiformity and for the
+occasional sprinkling of trees over its surface, it could be compared
+to a patch of rolling prairie in miniature. To the southwest of the
+further ridge is seen the mountain region of Western Maryland, behind
+which the Rebels had their line of retreat. It is not a wild, rough
+mass of mountains, but a region of hills of the larger and more
+inaccessible sort. They are traversed by roads only in a few
+localities, and their passage, except through, the gaps, is difficult
+for a single team, and impossible for an army.
+
+"The Theological Seminary was the scene of a fierce struggle. It was
+beyond it where the First and Eleventh Corps contended with Ewell and
+Longstreet on the first day of the engagement. Afterward, finding the
+Rebels were too strong for them, they fell back to a new position,
+this building being included in the line. The walls of the Seminary
+were perforated by shot and shell, and the bricks are indented with
+numerous bullet-marks. Its windows show the effects of the musketry,
+and but little glass remains to shut out the cold and rain. The
+building is now occupied as a hospital by the Rebels. The Pennsylvania
+College is similarly occupied, and the instruction of its students is
+neglected for the present.
+
+"In passing from the cemetery along the crest of the ridge where our
+line of battle stood, I first came upon the position occupied by
+some of our batteries. This is shown by the many dead horses lying
+unburied, and by the mounds which mark where others have been slightly
+covered up. There are additional traces of an artillery fight. Here
+is a broken wheel of a gun-carriage, an exploded caisson, a handspike,
+and some of the accoutrements of the men. In the fork of a tree I
+found a Testament, with the words, 'Charles Durrale, Corporal of
+Company G,' written on the fly-leaf. The guns and the gunners, have
+disappeared. Some of the latter are now with the column moving in
+pursuit of the enemy, others are suffering in the hospitals, and still
+others are resting where the bugle's reveille shall never wake them.
+
+"Between the cemetery and the town and at the foot of the ridge where
+I stand, runs the road leading to Emmetsburg. It is not a turnpike,
+but a common dirt-road, and, as it leaves the main street leading into
+town, it makes a diagonal ascent of the hill. On the eastern side,
+this road is bordered by a stone wall for a short distance.
+Elsewhere on both sides there is only a rail fence. A portion of our
+sharp-shooters took position behind this wall, and erected traverses
+to protect them from a flanking fire, should the enemy attempt to move
+up the road from Gettysburg. These traverses are constructed at right
+angles to the wall, by making a 'crib' of fence-rails, two feet high
+and the same distance apart, and then filling the crib with dirt.
+Further along I find the rails from the western side of the road,
+piled against the fence on the east, so as to form a breast-work two
+or three feet in height--a few spadesful of dirt serve to fill the
+interstices. This defense was thrown up by the Rebels at the time they
+were holding the line of the roads.
+
+"Moving to the left, I find still more severe traces of artillery
+fighting. Twenty-seven dead horses on a space of little more than one
+acre is evidence of heavy work. Here are a few scattered trees, which
+were evidently used as a screen for our batteries. These trees did not
+escape the storm of shot and shell that was rained in that direction.
+Some of them were perforated by cannon-shot, or have been completely
+cut off in that peculiar splintering that marks the course of a
+projectile through green wood. Near the scene of this fighting is a
+large pile of muskets and cartridge-boxes collected from the field.
+Considerable work has been done in thus gathering the debris of the
+battle, but it is by no means complete. Muskets, bayonets, and sabers
+are scattered everywhere.
+
+"My next advance to the left carries me where the ground is thickly
+studded with graves. In one group I count a dozen graves of soldiers
+belonging to the Twentieth Massachusetts; near them are buried the
+dead of the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh New York, and close at hand
+an equal number from the Twelfth New Jersey. Care has been taken to
+place a head-board at each grave, with a legible inscription thereon,
+showing whose remains are resting beneath. On one board the comrades
+of the dead soldier had nailed the back of his knapsack, which bore
+his name. On another was a brass plate, bearing the soldier's name in
+heavily stamped letters.
+
+"Moving still to the left, I found an orchard in which the fighting
+appears to have been desperate in the extreme. Artillery shot had
+plowed the ground in every direction, and the trees did not escape the
+fury of the storm. The long bolts of iron, said by our officers to be
+a modification of the Whitworth projectile, were quite numerous. The
+Rebels must have been well supplied with this species of ammunition,
+and they evidently used it with no sparing hand. At one time I counted
+twelve of these bolts lying on a space not fifty feet square. I am
+told that many shot and shell passed over the heads of our soldiers
+during the action.
+
+"A mile from our central position at the cemetery, was a field of
+wheat, and near it a large tract, on which corn had been growing.
+The wheat was trampled by the hurrying feet of the dense masses of
+infantry, as they changed their positions during the battle. In the
+cornfield artillery had been stationed, and moved about as often as
+the enemy obtained its range. Hardly a hill of corn is left in its
+pristine luxuriance. The little that escaped the hoof or the wheel,
+as the guns moved from place to place, was nibbled by hungry horses
+during the bivouac subsequent to the battle. Not a stalk of wheat is
+upright; not a blade of corn remains uninjured; all has fallen long
+before the time of harvest. Another harvest, in which Death was the
+reaper, has been gathered above it.
+
+"On our extreme left the pointed summit of a hill, a thousand feet in
+elevation, rises toward the sky. Beyond it, the country falls off into
+the mountain region that extends to the Potomac and across it into
+Virginia. This hill is quite difficult of ascent, and formed a strong
+position, on which the left of our line rested. The enemy assaulted
+this point with great fury, throwing his divisions, one after the
+other, against it. Their efforts were of no avail. Our men defended
+their ground against every attack. It was like the dash of the French
+at Waterloo against the immovable columns of the English. Stubborn
+resistance overcame the valor of the assailants. Again and again they
+came to the assault, only to fall back as they had advanced. Our left
+held its ground, though it lost heavily.
+
+"On this portion of the line, about midway between the crests of the
+ridges, is a neat farm-house. Around this dwelling the battle raged,
+as around Hougoumont at Waterloo. At one time it was in the possession
+of the Rebels, and was fiercely attacked by our men. The walls were
+pierced by shot and shell, many of the latter exploding within,
+and making a scene of devastation. The glass was shattered by rifle
+bullets on every side, and the wood-work bears testimony to the
+struggle. The sharp-shooters were in every room, and added to the
+disorder caused by the explosion of shells. The soldiers destroyed
+what the missiles spared. The Rebels were driven from the house, and
+the position was taken by our own men. They, in turn, were dislodged,
+but finally secured a permanent footing in the place.
+
+"Retracing my steps from the extreme left, I return to the center of
+our position on Cemetery Hill. I do not follow the path by which I
+came, but take a route along the hollow, between the two ridges. It
+was across this hollow that the Rebels made their assaults upon our
+position. Much blood was poured out between these two swells of land.
+Most of the dead were buried where they fell, or gathered in little
+clusters beneath some spreading tree or beside clumps of bushes. Some
+of the Rebel dead are still unburied. I find one of these as I descend
+a low bank to the side of a small spring. The body is lying near the
+spring, as if the man had crawled there to obtain a draught of water.
+Its hands are outspread upon the earth, and clutching at the little
+tufts of grass beneath them. The soldier's haversack and canteen are
+still remaining, and his hat is lying not far away.
+
+"A few paces distant is another corpse, with its hands thrown upward
+in the position the soldier occupied when he received his fatal wound.
+The clothing is not torn, no blood appears upon the garments, and the
+face, though swollen, bears no expression of anguish. Twenty yards
+away are the remains of a body cut in two by a shell. The grass is
+drenched in blood, that the rain of yesterday has not washed away.
+As I move forward I find the body of a Rebel soldier, evidently
+slain while taking aim over a musket. The hands are raised, the left
+extended beyond the right, and the fingers of the former partly bent,
+as if they had just been grasping the stock of a gun. One foot is
+advanced, and the body is lying on its right side. To appearances it
+did not move a muscle after receiving its death-wound. Another body
+attracts my attention by its delicate white hands, and its face black
+as that of a negro.
+
+"The farm-house on the Emmetsburg road, where General Meade held his
+head-quarters during the cannonade, is most fearfully cut up. General
+Lee masked his artillery, and opened with one hundred and thirty
+pieces at the same moment. Two shells in every second of time fell
+around those head-quarters. They tore through the little white
+building, exploding and scattering their fragments in every direction.
+Not a spot in its vicinity was safe. One shell through the door-step,
+another in the chimney, a third shattering a rafter, a fourth carrying
+away the legs of a chair in which an officer was seated; others
+severing and splintering the posts in front of the house, howling
+through the trees by which the dwelling was surrounded, and raising
+deep furrows in the soft earth. One officer, and another, and another
+were wounded. Strange to say, amid all this iron hail, no one of the
+staff was killed.
+
+"Once more at the cemetery, I crossed the Baltimore turnpike to the
+hill that forms the extremity of the ridge, on which the main portion
+of our line of battle was located. I followed this ridge to the point
+held by our extreme right. About midway along the ridge was the scene
+of the fiercest attack upon that portion of the field. Tree after
+tree was scarred from base to limbs so thickly that it would have been
+impossible to place one's hand upon the trunk without covering the
+marks of a bullet. One tree was stripped of more than half its leaves;
+many of its twigs were partially severed, and hanging wilted and
+nearly ready to drop to the ground. The trunk of the tree, about ten
+inches in diameter, was cut and scarred in every part. The fire
+which struck these trees was that from our muskets upon the advancing
+Rebels. Every tree and bush for the distance of half a mile along
+these works was nearly as badly marked. The rocks, wherever they faced
+our breast-works, were thickly stippled with dots like snow-flakes.
+The missiles, flattened by contact with the rock, were lying among the
+leaves, giving little indication of their former character.
+
+"Our sharp-shooters occupied novel positions. One of them found half
+a hollow log, standing upright, with a hole left by the removal of a
+knot, which gave him an excellent embrasure. Some were in tree-tops,
+others in nooks among the rocks, and others behind temporary
+barricades of their own construction. Owing to the excellence of our
+defenses, the Rebels lost heavily."
+
+
+
+A few days after visiting this field, I joined the army in Western
+Maryland. The Rebels were between us and the Potomac. We were steadily
+pressing them, rather with a design of driving them across the Potomac
+without further fighting, than of bringing on an engagement. Lee
+effected his crossing in safety, only a few hundred men of his
+rear-guard being captured on the left bank of the Potomac.
+
+The Maryland campaign was ended when Lee was driven out. Our army
+crossed the Potomac further down that stream, but made no vigorous
+pursuit. I returned to New York, and once more proceeded to the West.
+
+Our victory in Pennsylvania was accompanied by the fall of Vicksburg
+and the surrender of Pemberton's army. A few days later, the capture
+of Port Hudson was announced. The struggle for the possession of the
+Mississippi was substantially ended when the Rebel fortifications
+along its banks fell into our hands.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+IN THE NORTHWEST.
+
+From Chicago to Minnesota.--Curiosities of Low-Water Navigation.--St.
+Paul and its Sufferings in Earlier Days.--The Indian War.--A Brief
+History of our Troubles in that Region.--General Pope's Expeditions to
+Chastise the Red Man.--Honesty in the Indian Department.--The End of
+the Warfare.--The Pacific Railway.--A Bold Undertaking.--Penetrating
+British Territory.--The Hudson Bay Company.--Peculiarities of a
+Trapper's Life.
+
+
+Early in September, 1863, I found myself in Chicago, breathing the
+cool, fresh air from Lake Michigan. From Chicago to Milwaukee I
+skirted the shores of the lake, and from the latter city pushed
+across Wisconsin to the Mississippi River. Here it was really the blue
+Mississippi: its appearance was a pleasing contrast to the general
+features of the river a thousand miles below. The banks, rough and
+picturesque, rose abruptly from the water's edge, forming cliffs that
+overtopped the table-land beyond. These cliffs appeared in endless
+succession, as the boat on which I traveled steamed up the river
+toward St. Paul. Where the stream widened into Lake Pepin, they seemed
+more prominent and more precipitous than elsewhere, as the larger
+expanse of water was spread at their base. The promontory known as
+"Maiden's Rock" is the most conspicuous of all. The Indians relate
+that some daughter of the forest, disappointed in love, once leaped
+from its summit to the rough rocks, two hundred feet below. Her lover,
+learning her fate, visited the spot, gazed from the fearful height,
+and, after a prayer to the Great Spirit who watches over the Red
+Man--returned to his friends and broke the heart of another Indian
+maid.
+
+Passing Lake Pepin and approaching St. Paul, the river became very
+shallow. There had been little rain during the summer, and the
+previous spring witnessed no freshet in that region. The effect was
+apparent in the condition of the Mississippi. In the upper waters
+boats moved with difficulty. The class that is said to steam wherever
+there is a heavy dew, was brought into active use. From St. Paul to a
+point forty miles below, only the lightest of the "stern-wheel" boats
+could make any headway. The inhabitants declared they had never before
+known such a low stage of water, and earnestly hoped it would not
+occur again. It was paralyzing much of the business of the State.
+Many flouring and lumber mills were lying idle. Transportation was
+difficult, and the rates very high. A railway was being constructed
+to connect with the roads from Chicago, but it was not sufficiently
+advanced to be of any service.
+
+Various stories were in circulation concerning the difficulties of
+navigation on the Upper Mississippi in a low stage of water. One pilot
+declared the wheels of his boat actually raised a cloud of dust in
+many places. Another said his boat could run easily in the moisture on
+the outside of a pitcher of ice-water, but could not move to advantage
+in the river between Lake Pepin and St. Paul. A person interested in
+the railway proposed to secure a charter for laying the track in the
+bed of the Mississippi, but feared the company would be unable to
+supply the locomotives with water on many portions of the route. Many
+other jests were indulged in, all of which were heartily appreciated
+by the people of St. Paul.
+
+The day after my arrival at St. Paul, I visited the famous Falls of
+the Minnehaha. I am unable to give them a minute description, my visit
+being very brief. Its brevity arose from the entire absence of water
+in the stream which supplies the fall. That fluid is everywhere
+admitted to be useful for purposes of navigation, and I think it
+equally desirable in the formation of a cascade.
+
+The inhabitants of St. Paul have reason to bless the founders of their
+city for the excellent site of the future metropolis of the Northwest.
+Overlooking and almost overhanging the river in one part, in another
+it slopes gently down to the water's edge, to the levee where the
+steamers congregate. Back from the river the limits of the city extend
+for several miles, and admit of great expansion. With a hundred years
+of prosperity there would still be ample room for growth.
+
+Before the financial crash in '57, this levee was crowded with
+merchandise from St. Louis and Chicago. Storage was not always to be
+had, though the construction of buildings was rapidly pushed. Business
+was active, speculation was carried to the furthest limit, everybody
+had money in abundance, and scattered it with no niggard hand. In
+many of the brokers' windows, placards were posted offering
+alluring inducements to capitalists. "Fifty per cent. guaranteed on
+investments," was set forth on these placards, the offers coming from
+parties considered perfectly sound. Fabulous sums were paid for
+wild land and for lots in apocryphal towns. All was prosperity and
+activity.
+
+By-and-by came the crash, and this well-founded town passed through
+a period of mourning and fasting. St. Paul saw many of its best
+and heaviest houses vanish into thin air; merchants, bankers,
+land-speculators, lumbermen, all suffered alike. Some disappeared
+forever; others survived the shock, but never recovered their former
+footing. Large amounts of property went under the auctioneer's hammer,
+"to be sold without limit." Lots of land which cost two or three
+hundred dollars in '56, were sold at auction in '58 for five or six
+dollars each. Thousands of people lost their all in these unfortunate
+land-speculations. Others who survived the crash have clung to their
+acres, hoping that prosperity may return to the Northwest. At present
+their wealth consists mainly of Great Expectations.
+
+Though suffering greatly, the capital and business center of Minnesota
+was by no means ruined. The speculators departed, but the farmers and
+other working classes remained. Business "touched bottom" and then
+slowly revived. St. Paul existed through all the calamity, and its
+people soon learned the actual necessities of Minnesota. While they
+mourn the departure of the "good times," many of them express a belief
+that those happy days were injurious to the permanent prosperity of
+the State.
+
+St. Paul is one of the few cities of the world whose foundation
+furnishes the material for their construction. The limestone rock on
+which it is built is in layers of about a foot in thickness, and very
+easy to quarry. The blocks require little dressing to fit them for
+use. Though very soft at first, the stone soon hardens by exposure to
+the air, and forms a neat and durable wall. In digging a cellar one
+will obtain more than sufficient stone for the walls of his house.
+
+At the time of my visit the Indian expedition of 1863 had just
+returned, and was camped near Fort Snelling. This expedition was sent
+out by General Pope, for the purpose of chastising the Sioux Indians.
+It was under command of General Sibley, and accomplished a march of
+nearly six hundred miles. As it lay in camp at Fort Snelling, the men
+and animals presented the finest appearance I had ever observed in an
+army just returned from a long campaign.
+
+The Sioux massacres of 1862, and the campaign of General Pope in the
+autumn of that year, attracted much attention. Nearly all the settlers
+in the valley of the Minnesota above Fort Snelling were killed or
+driven off. Other localities suffered to a considerable extent. The
+murders--like nearly all murders of whites by the Indians--were of
+the most atrocious character. The history of those massacres is a
+chronicle of horrors rarely equaled during the present century. Whole
+counties were made desolate, and the young State, just recovering from
+its financial misfortunes, received a severe blow to its prosperity.
+
+Various causes were assigned for the outbreak of hostilities on the
+part of the Sioux Indians. Very few residents of Minnesota, in view
+of the atrocities committed by the Indians, could speak calmly of the
+troubles. All were agreed that there could be no peace and security
+until the white men were the undisputed possessors of the land.
+
+Before the difficulties began, there was for some time a growing
+discontent on the part of the Indians, on account of repeated
+grievances. Just previous to the outbreak, these Indians were summoned
+to one of the Government Agencies to receive their annuities. These
+annuities had been promised them at a certain time, but were not
+forthcoming. The agents, as I was informed, had the money (in coin) as
+it was sent from Washington, but were arranging to pay the Indians in
+Treasury notes and pocket the premium on the gold. The Indians were
+kept waiting while the gold was being exchanged for greenbacks. There
+was a delay in making this exchange, and the Indians were put off from
+day to day with promises instead of money.
+
+An Indian knows nothing about days of grace, protests, insolvency,
+expansions, and the other technical terms with which Wall Street is
+familiar. He can take no explanation of broken promises, especially
+when those promises are made by individuals who claim to represent the
+Great Father at Washington. In this case the Sioux lost all confidence
+in the agents, who had broken their word from day to day. Added to the
+mental annoyance, there was great physical suffering. The traders at
+the post would sell nothing without cash payment, and, without money,
+the Indians were unable to procure what the stores contained in
+abundance.
+
+The annuities were not paid, and the traders refused to sell on
+credit. Some of the Indians were actually starving, and one day they
+forced their way into a store to obtain food. Taking possession, they
+supplied themselves with what they desired. Among other things, they
+found whisky, of the worst and most fiery quality. Once intoxicated,
+all the bad passions of the savages were let loose. In their drunken
+frenzy, the Indians killed one of the traders. The sight of blood made
+them furious. Other white men at the Agency were killed, and thus the
+contagion spread.
+
+From the Agency the murderers spread through the valley of the St.
+Peter's, proclaiming war against the whites. They made no distinction
+of age or sex. The atrocities they committed are among the most
+fiendish ever recorded.
+
+The outbreak of these troubles was due to the conduct of the agents
+who were dealing with the Indians. Knowing, as they should have known,
+the character of the red man everywhere, and aware that the Sioux were
+at that time discontented, it was the duty of those agents to treat
+them with the utmost kindness and generosity. I do not believe the
+Indians, when they plundered the store at the Agency, had any design
+beyond satisfying their hunger. But with one murder committed, there
+was no restraint upon their passions.
+
+Many of our transactions with the Indians, in the past twenty years,
+have not been characterized by the most scrupulous honesty. The
+Department of the Interior has an interior history that would not bear
+investigation. It is well known that the furnishing of supplies to the
+Indians often enriches the agents and their political friends.
+There is hardly a tribe along our whole frontier that has not been
+defrauded. Dishonesty in our Indian Department was notorious during
+Buchanan's Administration. The retirement of Buchanan and his cabinet
+did not entirely bring this dishonesty to an end.
+
+An officer of the Hudson Bay Company told me, in St. Paul, that it
+was the strict order of the British Government, enforced in letter
+and spirit by the Company, to keep full faith with the Indians.
+Every stipulation is most scrupulously carried out. The slightest
+infringement by a white man upon the rights of the Indians is punished
+with great severity. They are furnished with the best qualities
+of goods, and the quantity never falls below the stipulations.
+Consequently the Indian has no cause of complaint, and is kept on the
+most friendly terms. This officer said, "A white man can travel from
+one end to the other of our territory, with no fear of molestation. It
+is forty years since any trouble occurred between us and the Indians,
+while on your side of the line you have frequent difficulties."
+
+The autumn of '62 witnessed the campaign for the chastisement of
+these Indians. Twenty-five thousand men were sent to Minnesota, under
+General Pope, and employed against the Sioux. In a wild country, like
+the interior of Minnesota, infantry cannot be used to advantage. On
+this account, the punishment of the Indians was not as complete as our
+authorities desired.
+
+Some of the Indians were captured, some killed, and others
+surrendered. Thirty-nine of the captives were hanged. A hundred others
+were sent to prison at Davenport, Iowa, for confinement during life.
+The coming of Winter caused a suspension of hostilities.
+
+The spring of 1863 opened with the outfitting of two expeditions--one
+to proceed through Minnesota, under General Sibley, and the other
+up the Missouri River, under General Sully. These expeditions were
+designed to unite somewhere on the Missouri River, and, by inclosing
+the Indians between them, to bring them to battle. If the plan was
+successful, the Indians would be severely chastised.
+
+General Sibley moved across Minnesota, according to agreement, and
+General Sully advanced up the Missouri. The march of the latter was
+delayed on account of the unprecedented low water in the Missouri,
+which retarded the boats laden with supplies. Although the two columns
+failed to unite, they were partially successful in their primary
+object. Each column engaged the Indians and routed them with
+considerable loss.
+
+After the return of General Sibley's expedition, a portion of the
+troops composing it were sent to the Southwest, and attached to the
+armies operating in Louisiana.
+
+The Indian war in Minnesota dwindled to a fight on the part of
+politicians respecting its merits in the past, and the best mode of
+conducting it in the future. General Pope, General Sibley, and General
+Sully were praised and abused to the satisfaction of every resident
+of the State. Laudation and denunciation were poured out with equal
+liberality. The contest was nearly as fierce as the struggle between
+the whites and Indians. If epithets had been as fatal as bullets, the
+loss of life would have been terrible. Happily, the wordy battle was
+devoid of danger, and the State of Minnesota, her politicians, her
+generals, and her men emerged from it without harm.
+
+Various schemes have been devised for placing the Sioux Indians where
+they will not be in our way. No spot of land can be found between
+the Mississippi and the Pacific where their presence would not be an
+annoyance to somebody. General Pope proposed to disarm these Indians,
+allot no more reservations to them, and allow no traders among them.
+He recommended that they be placed on Isle Royale, in Lake Superior,
+and there furnished with barracks, rations, and clothing, just as the
+same number of soldiers would be furnished. They should have no arms,
+and no means of escaping to the main-land. They would thus be secluded
+from all evil influence, and comfortably housed and cared for at
+Government expense. If this plan should be adopted, it would be a
+great relief to the people of our Northwestern frontier.
+
+Minnesota has fixed its desires upon a railway to the Pacific. The
+"St. Paul and Pacific Railway" is already in operation about forty
+miles west of St. Paul, and its projectors hope, in time, to extend it
+to the shores of the "peaceful sea." It has called British capital to
+its aid, and is slowly but steadily progressing.
+
+In the latter part of 1858 several enterprising citizens of St.
+Paul took a small steamer in midwinter from the upper waters of the
+Mississippi to the head of navigation, on the Red River of the North.
+The distance was two hundred and fifty miles, and the route lay
+through a wilderness. Forty yoke of oxen were required for moving the
+boat. When navigation was open in the spring of 1859, the boat (the
+_Anson Northrup_) steamed down to Fort Garry, the principal post of
+the Hudson Bay Company, taking all the inhabitants by surprise. None
+of them had any intimation of its coming, and were, consequently, as
+much astonished as if the steamer had dropped from the clouds.
+
+The agents of the Hudson Bay Company purchased the steamer, a few
+hours after its arrival, for about four times its value. They hoped
+to continue their seclusion by so doing; but were doomed to
+disappointment. Another and larger boat was built in the following
+year at Georgetown, Minnesota, the spot where the _Northrup_ was
+launched. The isolation of the fur-traders was ended. The owners of
+the second steamer (the _International_) were the proprietors of a
+stage and express line to all parts of Minnesota. They extended their
+line to Fort Garry, and soon established a profitable business.
+
+From its organization in 1670, down to 1860, the Hudson Bay Company
+sent its supplies, and received its furs in return, by way of the
+Arctic Ocean and Hudson's Bay. There are only two months in the year
+in which a ship can enter or leave Hudson's Bay. A ship sailing
+from London in January, enters the Bay in August. When the cargo is
+delivered at York Factory, at the mouth of Nelson's River, it is
+too late in the season to send the goods to the great lakes of
+Northwestern America, where the trading posts are located. In the
+following May the goods are forwarded. They go by canoes where the
+river is navigable, and are carried on the backs of men around the
+frequent and sometimes long rapids. The journey requires three months.
+
+The furs purchased with these goods cannot be sent to York Factory
+until a year later, and another year passes away before they leave
+Hudson's Bay. Thus, returns for a cargo were not received in London
+until four years after its shipment from that port.
+
+Since American enterprise took control of the carrying trade, goods
+are sent from London to Fort Garry by way of New York and St. Paul,
+and are only four months in transit. Four or five months will be
+required to return a cargo of furs to London, making a saving of three
+years over the old route. Stupid as our English cousin sometimes shows
+himself, he cannot fail to perceive the advantages of the new route,
+and has promptly embraced them. The people of Minnesota are becoming
+well acquainted with the residents of the country on their northern
+boundary. Many of the Northwestern politicians are studying the policy
+of "annexation."
+
+The settlement at Pembina, near Pembina Mountain, lies in Minnesota, a
+few miles only from the international line. The settlers supposed they
+were on British soil until the establishment of the boundary showed
+them their mistake. Every year the settlement sends a train to
+St. Paul, nearly seven hundred miles distant, to exchange its
+buffalo-robes, furs, etc., for various articles of necessity that the
+Pembina region does not produce. This annual train is made up of "Red
+River carts"--vehicles that would be regarded with curiosity in New
+York or Washington.
+
+A Red River cart is about the size of a two-wheeled dray, and is
+built entirely of wood--not a particle of iron entering into its
+composition. It is propelled by a single ox or horse, generally the
+former, driven by a half-breed native. Sometimes, though not usually,
+the wheels are furnished with tires of rawhide, placed upon them when
+green and shrunk closely in drying. Each cart carries about a thousand
+pounds of freight, and the train will ordinarily make from fifteen to
+twenty miles a day. It was estimated that five hundred of these carts
+would visit St. Paul and St. Cloud in the autumn of 1863.
+
+The settlements of which Fort Garry is the center are scattered for
+several miles along the Red River of the North. They have schools,
+churches, flouring and saw mills, and their houses are comfortably and
+often luxuriously furnished. They have pianos imported from St. Paul,
+and their principal church, has an organ. At St. Cloud I saw evidences
+of extreme civilization on their way to Fort Garry. These were a
+whisky-still, two sewing-machines, and a grain-reaper. No people can
+remain in darkness after adopting these modern inventions.
+
+The monopoly which the Hudson Bay Company formerly held, has ceased
+to exist. Under its charter, granted by Charles II. in 1670, it had
+exclusive control of all the country drained by Hudson's Bay. In
+addition to its privilege of trade, it possessed the "right of eminent
+domain" and the full political management of the country. Crime
+in this territory was not punished by the officers of the British
+Government, but by the courts and officers of the Company. All
+settlements of farmers and artisans were discouraged, as it was
+the desire of the Company to maintain the territory solely as a fur
+preserve, from the Arctic Ocean to the United States boundary.
+
+The profits of this fur-trade were enormous, as the Company had
+it under full control. The furs were purchased of the Indians and
+trappers at very low rates, and paid for in goods at enormous prices.
+An industrious trapper could earn a comfortable support, and nothing
+more.
+
+Having full control of the fur market in Europe, the directors could
+regulate the selling prices as they chose. Frequently they issued
+orders forbidding the killing of a certain class of animals for
+several years. The fur from these animals would become scarce and
+very high, and at the same time the animals would increase in numbers.
+Suddenly, when the market was at its uppermost point, the order would
+be countermanded and a large supply brought forward for sale. This
+course was followed with all classes of fur in succession. The
+Company's dividends in the prosperous days would shame the best oil
+wells or Nevada silver mines of our time.
+
+Though its charter was perpetual, the Hudson Bay Company was obliged
+to obtain once in twenty-one years a renewal of its license for
+exclusive trade. From 1670 to 1838 it had no difficulty in obtaining
+the desired renewal. The last license expired in 1859. Though a
+renewal was earnestly sought, it was not attained. The territory
+is now open to all traders, and the power of the old Company is
+practically extinguished.
+
+The first explorations in Minnesota were made shortly after the
+discovery of the Mississippi River by Marquette and Hennepin. St. Paul
+was originally a French trading post, and the resort of the Indians
+throughout the Northwest. Fort Snelling was established by the United
+Suites Government in 1819, but no settlements were made until 1844.
+After the current of emigration began, the territory was rapidly
+filled.
+
+While Minnesota was a wilderness, the American Fur Company established
+posts on the upper waters of the Mississippi. The old trading-house
+below the Falls of St. Anthony, the first frame building erected in
+the territory, is yet standing, though it exhibits many symptoms of
+decay.
+
+At one time the emigration to Minnesota was very great, but it has
+considerably fallen off during the last eight years. The State is too
+far north to hold out great inducements to settlers. The winters
+are long and severe, and the productions of the soil are limited in
+character and quantity. In summer the climate is excellent, attracting
+large numbers of pleasure-seekers. The Falls of St. Anthony and the
+Minnehaha have a world-wide reputation.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+INAUGURATION OF A GREAT ENTERPRISE.
+
+Plans for Arming the Negroes along the Mississippi.--Opposition to the
+Movement.--Plantations Deserted by their Owners.--Gathering Abandoned
+Cotton.--Rules and Regulations.--Speculation.--Widows and Orphans
+in Demand.--Arrival of Adjutant-General Thomas.--Designs of the
+Government.
+
+
+I have elsewhere alluded to the orders of General Grant at Lagrange,
+Tennessee, in the autumn of 1862, relative to the care of the negroes
+where his army was then operating.
+
+The plan was successful in providing for the negroes in Tennessee
+and Northern Mississippi, where the number, though large, was not
+excessive. At that time, the policy of arming the blacks was being
+discussed in various quarters. It found much opposition. Many persons
+thought it would be an infringement upon the "rights" of the South,
+both unconstitutional and unjust. Others cared nothing for the South,
+or its likes and dislikes, but opposed the measure on the ground of
+policy. They feared its adoption would breed discontent among the
+white soldiers of the army, and cause so many desertions and so much
+uneasiness that the importance of the new element would be more than
+neutralized. Others, again, doubted the courage of the negroes,
+and thought their first use under fire would result in disgrace and
+disaster to our arms. They opposed the experiment on account of this
+fear.
+
+In South Carolina and in Kansas the negroes had been put under arms
+and mustered into service as Union soldiers. In engagements of a minor
+character they had shown coolness and courage worthy of veterans.
+There was no valid reason why the negroes along the Mississippi would
+not be just as valuable in the army, as the men of the same race
+in other parts of the country. Our Government determined to try the
+experiment, and make the _Corps d'Afrique_ a recognized and important
+adjunct of our forces in the field.
+
+When General Grant encamped his army at Milliken's Bend and Young's
+Point, preparatory to commencing the siege of Vicksburg, many of the
+cotton plantations were abandoned by their owners. Before our advent
+nearly all the white males able to bear arms had, willingly or
+unwillingly, gone to aid in filling the ranks of the insurgents. On
+nearly every plantation there was a white man not liable to military
+service, who remained to look after the interests of the property.
+When our army appeared, the majority of these white men fled to the
+interior of Louisiana, leaving the plantations and the negroes to the
+tender mercy of the invaders. In some cases the fugitives took the
+negroes with them, thus leaving the plantations entirely deserted.
+
+When the negroes remained, and the plantations were not supplied with
+provisions, it became necessary for the Commissary Department to issue
+rations for the subsistence of the blacks. As nearly all the planters
+cared nothing for the negroes they had abandoned, there was a very
+large number that required the attention of the Government.
+
+On many plantations the cotton crop of 1862 was still in the field,
+somewhat damaged by the winter rains; but well worth gathering at the
+prices which then ruled the market. General Grant gave authority for
+the gathering of this cotton by any parties who were willing to take
+the contract. The contractors were required to feed the negroes and
+pay them for their labor. One-half the cotton went to the Government,
+the balance to the contractor. There was no lack of men to undertake
+the collection of abandoned cotton on these terms, as the enterprise
+could not fail to be exceedingly remunerative.
+
+This cotton, gathered by Government authority, was, with a few
+exceptions, the only cotton which could be shipped to market. There
+were large quantities of "old" cotton--gathered and baled in previous
+years--which the owners were anxious to sell, and speculators ready to
+buy. Numerous applications were made for shipping-permits, but nearly
+all were rejected. A few cases were pressed upon General Grant's
+attention, as deserving exception from the ordinary rule.
+
+There was one case of two young girls, whose parents had recently
+died, and who were destitute of all comforts on the plantation where
+they lived. They had a quantity of cotton which they wished to take to
+Memphis, for sale in that market. Thus provided with money, they would
+proceed North, and remain there till the end of the war.
+
+A speculator became interested in these girls, and plead with all his
+eloquence for official favor in their behalf. General Grant softened
+his heart and gave this man a written permit to ship whatever cotton
+belonged to the orphans. It was understood, and so stated in the
+application, that the amount was between two hundred and three
+hundred bales. The exact number not being known, there was no quantity
+specified in the permit.
+
+The speculator soon discovered that the penniless orphans could claim
+two thousand instead of two hundred bales, and thought it possible
+they would find three thousand bales and upward. On the strength
+of his permit without special limit, he had purchased, or otherwise
+procured, all the cotton he could find in the immediate vicinity. He
+was allowed to make shipment of a few hundred bales; the balance was
+detained.
+
+Immediately, as this transaction became known, every speculator was on
+the _qui vive_ to discover a widow or an orphan. Each plantation
+was visited, and the status of the owners, if any remained, became
+speedily known. Orphans and widows, the former in particular, were at
+a high premium. Never in the history of Louisiana did the children
+of tender years, bereft of parents, receive such attention from
+strangers. A spectator might have imagined the Millennium close at
+hand, and the dealers in cotton about to be humbled at the feet of
+babes and sucklings. Widows, neither young nor comely, received the
+warmest attention from men of Northern birth. The family of John
+Rodgers, had it then lived at Milliken's Bend, would have been hailed
+as a "big thing." Everywhere in that region there were men seeking
+"healthy orphans for adoption."
+
+The majority of the speculators found the widows and orphans of whom
+they were in search. Some were able to obtain permits, while others
+were not. Several officers of the army became interested in these
+speculations, and gave their aid to obtain shipping privileges. Some
+who were innocent were accused of dealing in the forbidden fiber,
+while others, guilty of the transaction, escaped without suspicion.
+The temptation was great. Many refused to be concerned in the traffic;
+but there were some who yielded.
+
+The contractors who gathered the abandoned cotton were enabled to
+accumulate small fortunes. Some of them acted honestly, but others
+made use of their contracts to cover large shipments of purchased or
+stolen cotton, baled two or three years before. The ordinary yield of
+an acre of ground is from a bale to a bale and a half. The contractors
+were sometimes able to show a yield of ten or twenty bales to the
+acre.
+
+About the first of April, Adjutant-General Thomas arrived at
+Milliken's Bend, bringing, as he declared, authority to regulate every
+thing as he saw fit. Under his auspices, arrangements were made
+for putting the able-bodied male negroes into the army. In a speech
+delivered at a review of the troops at Lake Providence, he announced
+the determination of the Government to use every just measure to
+suppress the Rebellion.
+
+The Rebels indirectly made use of the negroes against the Government,
+by employing them in the production of supplies for their armies in
+the field. "In this way," he said, "they can bring to bear against us
+all the power of their so-called Confederacy. At the same time we are
+compelled to retain at home a portion of our fighting force to furnish
+supplies for the men at the front. The Administration has determined
+to take the negroes belonging to disloyal men, and make them a part
+of the army. This is the policy that has been fixed and will be fully
+carried out."
+
+General Thomas announced that he brought authority to raise as many
+regiments as possible, and to give commissions to all proper persons
+who desired them. The speech was listened to with attention, and
+loudly cheered at its close. The general officers declared themselves
+favorable to the new movement, and gave it their co-operation. In a
+few days a half-dozen regiments were in process of organization. This
+was the beginning of the scheme for raising a large force of colored
+soldiers along the Mississippi.
+
+The disposition to be made of the negro women and children in our
+lines, was a subject of great importance. Their numbers were very
+large, and constantly increasing. Not a tenth of these persons could
+find employment in gathering abandoned cotton. Those that found such
+employment were only temporarily provided for. It would be a heavy
+burden upon the Government to support them in idleness during the
+entire summer. It would be manifestly wrong to send them to the
+already overcrowded camps at Memphis and Helena. They were upon our
+hands by the fortune of war, and must be cared for in some way.
+
+The plantations which their owners had abandoned were supposed to
+afford the means of providing homes for the negroes, where they could
+be sheltered, fed, and clothed without expense to the Government. It
+was proposed to lease these plantations for the term of one year, to
+persons who would undertake the production of a crop of cotton. Those
+negroes who were unfit for military service were to be distributed
+on these plantations, where the lessees would furnish them all needed
+supplies, and pay them for their labor at certain stipulated rates.
+
+The farming tools and other necessary property on the plantations were
+to be appraised at a fair valuation, and turned over to the lessees.
+Where the plantations were destitute of the requisite number of
+mules for working them, condemned horses and mules were loaned to
+the lessees, who should return them whenever called for. There were
+promises of protection against Rebel raids, and of all assistance that
+the Government could consistently give. General Thomas announced that
+the measure was fully decided upon at Washington, and should receive
+every support.
+
+The plantations were readily taken, the prospects being excellent
+for enormous profits if the scheme proved successful. The cost of
+producing cotton varies from three to eight cents a pound. The staple
+would find ready sale at fifty cents, and might possibly command a
+higher figure. The prospects of a large percentage on the investment
+were alluring in the extreme. The plantations, the negroes, the
+farming utensils, and the working stock were to require no outlay. All
+that was demanded before returns would be received, were the necessary
+expenditures for feeding and clothing the negroes until the crop
+was made and gathered. From five to thirty thousand dollars was the
+estimated yearly expense of a plantation of a thousand acres. If
+successful, the products for a year might be set down at two hundred
+thousand dollars; and should cotton appreciate, the return would be
+still greater.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+COTTON-PLANTING IN 1863.
+
+Leasing the Plantations.--Interference of the
+Rebels.--Raids.--Treatment of Prisoners.--The Attack upon Milliken's
+Bend.--A Novel Breast-Work.--Murder o four Officers.--Profits of
+Cotton-Planting.--Dishonesty of Lessees.--Negroes Planting on their
+own Account.
+
+
+It was late in the season before the plantations were leased and the
+work of planting commenced. The ground was hastily plowed and the seed
+as hastily sown. The work was prosecuted with the design of obtaining
+as much as possible in a single season. In their eagerness to
+accumulate fortunes, the lessees frequently planted more ground than
+they could care for, and allowed much of it to run to waste.
+
+Of course, it could not be expected the Rebels would favor the
+enterprise. They had prophesied the negro would not work when free,
+and were determined to break up any effort to induce him to labor.
+They were not even willing to give him a fair trial. Late in June they
+visited the plantations at Milliken's Bend and vicinity.
+
+They stripped many of the plantations of all the mules and horses that
+could be found, frightened some of the negroes into seeking safety
+at the nearest military posts, and carried away others. Some of the
+lessees were captured; others, having timely warning, made good their
+escape. Of those captured, some were released on a regular parole not
+to take up arms against the "Confederacy." Others were liberated on a
+promise to go North and remain there, after being allowed a reasonable
+time for settling their business. Others were carried into captivity
+and retained as prisoners of war until late in the summer. A Mr.
+Walker was taken to Brownsville, Texas, and there released, with the
+privilege of crossing to Matamoras, and sailing thence to New Orleans.
+It was six months from the time of his capture before he reached New
+Orleans on his return home.
+
+The Rebels made a fierce attack upon the garrison at Milliken's Bend.
+For a few moments during the fight the prospects of their success were
+very good. The negroes composing the garrison had not been long under
+arms, and their discipline was far from perfect. The Rebels obtained
+possession of a part of our works, but were held at bay by the
+garrison, until the arrival of a gun-boat turned the scale in our
+favor. The odds were against us at the outset, but we succeeded in
+putting the enemy to flight.
+
+In this attack the Rebels made use of a movable breast-work,
+consisting of a large drove of mules, which they kept in their front
+as they advanced upon the fort. This breast-work served very well at
+first, but grew unmanageable as our fire became severe. It finally
+broke and fled to the rear, throwing the Rebel lines into confusion.
+I believe it was the first instance on record where the defenses
+ran away, leaving the defenders uncovered. It marked a new, but
+unsuccessful, phase of war. An officer who was present at the defense
+of Milliken's Bend vouches for the truth of the story.
+
+The Rebels captured a portion of the garrison, including some of
+the white officers holding commissions in negro regiments. The negro
+prisoners were variously disposed of. Some were butchered on the
+spot while pleading for quarter; others were taken a few miles on the
+retreat, and then shot by the wayside. A few were driven away by their
+masters, who formed a part of the raiding force, but they soon
+escaped and returned to our lines. Of the officers who surrendered as
+prisoners of war, some were shot or hanged within a short distance
+of their place of capture. Two were taken to Shreveport and lodged in
+jail with one of the captured lessees. One night these officers were
+taken from the jail by order of General Kirby Smith, and delivered
+into the hands of the provost-marshal, to be shot for the crime of
+accepting commissions in negro regiments. Before morning they were
+dead.
+
+Similar raids were made at other points along the river, where
+plantations were being cultivated under the new system. At all these
+places the mules were stolen and the negroes either frightened or
+driven away. Work was suspended until the plantations could be newly
+stocked and equipped. This suspension occurred at the busiest time in
+the season. The production of the cotton was, consequently, greatly
+retarded. On some plantations the weeds grew faster than the cotton,
+and refused to be put down. On others, the excellent progress the
+weeds had made, during the period of idleness, rendered the yield
+of the cotton-plant very small. Some of the plantations were not
+restocked after the raid, and speedily ran to waste.
+
+In 1863, no lessee made more than half an ordinary crop of _cotton_,
+and very few secured even this return. Some obtained a quarter or an
+eighth of a bale to the acre, and some gathered only one bale where
+they should have gathered twelve or twenty. A few lost money in the
+speculation. Some made a fair profit on their investment, and others
+realized their expectations of an enormous reward. Several parties
+united their interest on three or four plantations in different
+localities, so that a failure in one quarter was offset by success in
+another.
+
+The majority of the lessees were unprincipled men, who undertook the
+enterprise solely as a speculation. They had as little regard for the
+rights of the negro as the most brutal slaveholder had ever shown.
+Very few of them paid the negroes for their labor, except in
+furnishing them small quantities of goods, for which they charged five
+times the value. One man, who realized a profit of eighty thousand
+dollars, never paid his negroes a penny. Some of the lessees made open
+boast of having swindled their negroes out of their summer's wages, by
+taking advantage of their ignorance.
+
+The experiment did not materially improve the condition of the negro,
+save in the matter of physical treatment. As a slave the black man
+received no compensation for his labor. As a free man, he received
+none.
+
+He was well fed, and, generally, well clothed. He received no severe
+punishment for non-performance of duty, as had been the case before
+the war. The difference between working for nothing as a slave,
+and working for the same wages under the Yankees, was not always
+perceptible to the unsophisticated negro.
+
+Several persons leased plantations that they might use them as points
+for shipping purchased or stolen cotton. Some were quite successful
+in this, while others were unable to find any cotton to bring out.
+Various parties united with the plantation-owners, and agreed
+to obtain all facilities from the Government officials, if their
+associates would secure protection against Rebel raids. In some cases
+this experiment was successful, and the plantations prospered, while
+those around them were repeatedly plundered. In others, the Rebels
+were enraged at the plantation-owners for making any arrangements with
+"the Yankees," and treated them with merciless severity. There was no
+course that promised absolute safety, and there was no man who could
+devise a plan of operations that would cover all contingencies.
+
+Every thing considered, the result of the free-labor enterprise was
+favorable to the pockets of the avaricious lessees, though it was not
+encouraging to the negro and to the friends of justice and humanity.
+All who had been successful desired to renew their leases for another
+season. Some who were losers were willing to try again and hope for
+better fortune.
+
+All the available plantations in the vicinity of Vicksburg, Milliken's
+Bend, and other points along that portion of the Mississippi were
+applied for before the beginning of the New Year. Application for
+these places were generally made by the former lessees or their
+friends. The prospects were good for a vigorous prosecution of the
+free-labor enterprise during 1864.
+
+In the latter part of 1863, I passed down the Mississippi, _en
+route_ to New Orleans. At Vicksburg I met a gentleman who had been
+investigating the treatment of the negroes under the new system, and
+was about making a report to the proper authorities. He claimed to
+have proof that the agents appointed by General Thomas had not been
+honest in their administration of affairs.
+
+One of these agents had taken five plantations under his control, and
+was proposing to retain them for another year. It was charged that he
+had not paid his negroes for their labor, except in scanty supplies
+of clothing, for which exorbitant prices were charged. He had been
+successful with his plantations, but delivered very little cotton to
+the Government agents.
+
+The investigations into the conduct of agents and lessees were
+expected to make a change in the situation. Up to that time the War
+Department had controlled the whole system of plantation management.
+The Treasury Department was seeking the control, on the ground that
+the plantations were a source of revenue to the Government, and should
+be under its financial and commercial policy. If it could be proved
+that the system pursued was an unfair and dishonest one, there was
+probability of a change.
+
+I pressed forward on my visit to New Orleans. On my return, two weeks
+later, the agents of General Thomas were pushing their plans for the
+coming year. There was no indication of an immediate change in the
+management. The duties of these agents had been enlarged, and the
+region which they controlled extended from Lake Providence, sixty
+miles above Vicksburg, to the mouth of Red River, nearly two hundred
+miles below. One of the agents had his office at Lake Providence, a
+second was located at Vicksburg, while the third was at Natchez.
+
+Nearly all the plantations near Lake Providence had been leased or
+applied for. The same was the case with most of those near Vicksburg.
+In some instances, there were several applicants for the same
+plantation. The agents announced their determination to sell the
+choice of plantations to the highest bidder. The competition for the
+best places was expected to be very active.
+
+There was one pleasing feature. Some of the applicants for plantations
+were not like the sharp-eyed speculators who had hitherto controlled
+the business. They seemed to be men of character, desirous of
+experimenting with free labor for the sake of demonstrating its
+feasibility when skillfully and honestly managed. They hoped and
+believed it would be profitable, but they were not undertaking the
+enterprise solely with a view to money-making. The number of these
+men was not large, but their presence, although in small force, was
+exceedingly encouraging.
+
+I regret to say that these men were outstripped in the struggle for
+good locations by their more unscrupulous competitors. Before the
+season was ended, the majority of the honest men abandoned the field.
+
+During 1863, many negroes cultivated small lots of ground on their own
+account. Sometimes a whole family engaged in the enterprise, a single
+individual having control of the matter. In other cases, two, three,
+or a half-dozen negroes would unite their labor, and divide the
+returns. One family of four persons sold twelve bales of cotton, at
+two hundred dollars per bale, as the result of eight months' labor.
+Six negroes who united their labor were able to sell twenty bales. The
+average was about one and a half or two bales to each of those persons
+who attempted the planting enterprise on their own account. A few
+made as high as four bales each, while others did not make more than
+a single bale. One negro, who was quite successful in planting on his
+own account, proposed to take a small plantation in 1864, and employ
+twenty or more colored laborers. How he succeeded I was not able to
+ascertain.
+
+The commissioners in charge of the freedmen gave the negroes every
+encouragement to plant on their own account. In 1864 there were thirty
+colored lessees near Milliken's Bend, and about the same number at
+Helena. Ten of these persons at Helena realized $31,000 for their
+year's labor. Two of them planted forty acres in cotton; their
+expenses were about $1,200; they sold their crop for $8,000. Another
+leased twenty-four acres. His expenses were less than $2,000, and he
+sold his crop for $6,000. Another leased seventeen acres. He earned
+by the season's work enough to purchase a good house, and leave him
+a cash balance of $300. Another leased thirteen and a half acres,
+expended about $600 in its cultivation, and sold his crop for $4,000.
+
+At Milliken's Bend the negroes were not as successful as at
+Helena--much of the cotton crop being destroyed by the "army worm." It
+is possible that the return of peace may cause a discontinuance of the
+policy of leasing land to negroes.
+
+The planters are bitterly opposed to the policy of dividing
+plantations into small parcels, and allowing them to be cultivated
+by freedmen. They believe in extensive tracts of land under a single
+management, and endeavor to make the production of cotton a business
+for the few rather than the many. It has always been the rule to
+discourage small planters. No aristocratic proprietor, if he could
+avoid it, would sell any portion of his estate to a man of limited
+means. In the hilly portions of the South, the rich men were unable to
+carry out their policy. Consequently, there were many who cultivated
+cotton on a small scale. On the lower Mississippi this was not the
+case.
+
+When the Southern States are fairly "reconstructed," and the political
+control is placed in the hands of the ruling race, every effort will
+be made to maintain the old policy. Plantations of a thousand or of
+three thousand acres will be kept intact, unless the hardest necessity
+compels their division. If possible, the negroes will not be permitted
+to possess or cultivate land on their own account. To allow them to
+hold real estate will be partially admitting their claim to humanity.
+No true scion of chivalry can permit such an innovation, so long as he
+is able to make successful opposition.
+
+I have heard Southern men declare that a statute law should, and
+would, be made to prevent the negroes holding real estate. I have
+no doubt of the disposition of the late Rebels in favor of such
+enactment, and believe they would display the greatest energy in its
+enforcement. It would be a labor of love on their part, as well as of
+duty. Its success would be an obstacle in the way of the much-dreaded
+"negro equality."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+AMONG THE OFFICIALS.
+
+Reasons for Trying an Experiment.--Activity among Lessees.--Opinions
+of the Residents.--Rebel Hopes in 1863.--Removal of Negroes to West
+Louisiana.--Visiting Natchez.--The City and its Business.--"The
+Rejected Addresses."
+
+
+In my visit to Vicksburg I was accompanied by my fellow-journalist,
+Mr. Colburn, of _The World_. Mr. Colburn and myself had taken more
+than an ordinary interest in the free-labor enterprise. We had watched
+its inception eight months before, with many hopes for its success,
+and with as many fears for the result. The experiment of 1863, under
+all its disadvantages, gave us convincing proof that the production of
+cotton and sugar by free labor was both possible and profitable. The
+negro had proved the incorrectness of the slaveholders' assertion that
+no black man would labor on a plantation except as a slave. So much we
+had seen accomplished. It was the result of a single year's trial. We
+desired to see a further and more extensive test.
+
+While studying the new system in the hands of others, we were urged to
+bring it under our personal observation. Various inducements were held
+out. We were convinced of the general feasibility of the enterprise,
+wherever it received proper attention. As a philanthropic undertaking,
+it was commendable. As a financial experiment, it promised success. We
+looked at the matter in all its aspects, and finally decided to gain
+an intimate knowledge of plantation life in war-time. Whether we
+succeeded or failed, we would learn more about the freedmen than we
+had hitherto known, and would assist, in some degree, to solve
+the great problem before the country. Success would be personally
+profitable, while failure could not be disastrous.
+
+We determined to lease a plantation, but had selected none. In her
+directions for cooking a hare, Mrs. Glass says: "First, catch your
+hare." Our animal was to be caught, and the labor of securing it
+proved greater than we anticipated.
+
+All the eligible locations around Vicksburg had been taken by the
+lessees of the previous season, or by newly-arrived persons who
+preceded us. There were several residents of the neighboring region
+who desired persons from the North to join them in tilling their
+plantations. They were confident of obtaining Rebel protection, though
+by no means certain of securing perfect immunity. In each case they
+demanded a cash advance of a few thousands, for the purpose of hiring
+the guerrillas to keep the peace. As it was evident that the purchase
+of one marauding band would require the purchase of others, until
+the entire "Confederacy" had been bought up, we declined all these
+proposals.
+
+Some of these residents, who wished Northern men to join them, claimed
+to have excellent plantations along the Yazoo, or near some of its
+tributary bayous. These men were confident a fine cotton crop could be
+made, "if there were some Northern man to manage the niggers." It was
+the general complaint with the people who lived in that region that,
+with few exceptions, no Southern man could induce the negroes to
+continue at work. One of these plantation proprietors said his
+location was such that no guerrilla could get near it without
+endangering his life. An investigation showed that no other person
+could reach the plantation without incurring a risk nearly as great.
+Very few of these owners of remote plantations were able to induce
+strangers to join them.
+
+We procured a map of the Mississippi and the country bordering its
+banks. Whenever we found a good location and made inquiry about it at
+the office of the leasing agents, we were sure to ascertain that some
+one had already filed an application. It was plain that Vicksburg was
+not the proper field for our researches. We shook its dust from our
+feet and went to Natchez, a hundred and twenty-five miles below, where
+a better prospect was afforded.
+
+In the spring of 1863, the Rebels felt confident of retaining
+permanent possession of Vicksburg and Port Hudson, two hundred and
+fifty miles apart. Whatever might be the result elsewhere, this
+portion of the Mississippi should not be abandoned. In the belief that
+the progress of the Yankees had been permanently stopped, the planters
+in the locality mentioned endeavored to make as full crops as possible
+of the great staple of the South. Accordingly, they plowed and
+planted, and tended the growing cotton until midsummer came. On the
+fourth of July, Vicksburg surrendered, and opened the river to Port
+Hudson. General Herron's Division was sent to re-enforce General
+Banks, who was besieging the latter place. In a few days, General
+Gardner hauled down his flag and gave Port Hudson to the nation. "The
+Father of Waters went unvexed to the Sea."
+
+The rich region that the Rebels had thought to hold was, by the
+fortune of war, in the possession of the National army. The planters
+suspended their operations, through fear that the Yankees would
+possess the land.
+
+Some of them sent their negroes to the interior of Louisiana for
+safety. Others removed to Texas, carrying all their human property
+with them. On some plantations the cotton had been so well cared for
+that it came to maturity in fine condition. On others it had been very
+slightly cultivated, and was almost choked out of existence by weeds
+and grass. Nearly every plantation could boast of more or less cotton
+in the field--the quantity varying from twenty bales to five hundred.
+On some plantations cotton had been neglected, and a large crop of
+corn grown in its place. Everywhere the Rebel law had been obeyed
+by the production of more corn than usual. There was enough for the
+sustenance of our armies for many months.
+
+Natchez was the center of this newly-opened region. Before the war it
+was the home of wealthy slave-owners, who believed the formation of a
+Southern Confederacy would be the formation of a terrestrial paradise.
+On both banks of the Mississippi, above and below Natchez, were the
+finest cotton plantations of the great valley. One family owned nine
+plantations, from which eight thousand bales of cotton were annually
+sent to market. Another family owned seven plantations, and others
+were the owners of from three to six, respectively.
+
+The plantations were in the care of overseers and agents, and rarely
+visited by their owners. The profits were large, and money was poured
+out in profusion. The books of one of the Natchez banks showed a daily
+business, in the picking season, of two or three million dollars,
+generally on the accounts of planters and their factors.
+
+Prior to the Rebellion, cotton was usually shipped to New Orleans, and
+sold in that market. There were some of the planters who sent their
+cotton to Liverpool or Havre, without passing it through the hands of
+New Orleans factors. A large balance of the proceeds of such shipments
+remained to the credit of the shippers when the war broke out, and
+saved them from financial ruin. The business of Natchez amounted,
+according to the season, from a hundred thousand to three hundred
+thousand bales. This included a great quantity that was sent to New
+Orleans from plantations above and below the city, without touching at
+all upon the levee at Natchez.
+
+Natchez consists of Natchez-on-the-Hill and Natchez-under-the-Hill.
+A bluff, nearly two hundred feet high, faces the Mississippi, where
+there is an eastward bend of the stream. Toward the river this bluff
+is almost perpendicular, and is climbed by three roads cut into its
+face like inclined shelves. The French established a settlement at
+this point a hundred and fifty years ago, and erected a fortification
+for its defense. This work, known as Fort Rosalie, can still be traced
+with distinctness, though it has fallen into extreme decay. It was
+evidently a rectangular, bastioned work, and the location of the
+bastions and magazine can be readily made out.
+
+Natchez-under-the-Hill is a small, straggling village, having a few
+commission houses and stores, and dwellings of a suspicious character.
+It was once a resort of gamblers and other _chevaliers d'industrie_,
+whose livelihood was derived from the travelers along the Mississippi.
+At present it is somewhat shorn of its glory.
+
+Natchez-on-the-Hill is a pleasant and well-built city, of about ten
+thousand inhabitants. The buildings display wealth and good taste,
+the streets are wide and finely shaded, and the abundance of churches
+speaks in praise of the religious sentiment of the people. Near the
+edge of the bluff there was formerly a fine park, commanding a view of
+the river for several miles in either direction, and overlooking
+the plantations and cypress forests on the opposite shore. This
+pleasure-ground was reserved for the white people alone, no negro
+being allowed to enter the inclosure under severe penalties. A
+regiment of our soldiers encamped near this park, and used its fence
+for fuel. The park is now free to persons of whatever color.
+
+Natchez suffered less from the war than most other places of its size
+along the Mississippi. The Rebels never erected fortifications in or
+around Natchez, having relied upon Vicksburg and Port Hudson for their
+protection. When Admiral Farragut ascended the river, in 1862, after
+the fall of New Orleans, he promised that Natchez should not be
+disturbed, so long as the people offered no molestation to our
+gun-boats or army transports. This neutrality was carefully observed,
+except on one occasion. A party which landed from the gun-boat _Essex_
+was fired upon by a militia company that desired to distinguish
+itself. Natchez was shelled for two hours, in retaliation for this
+outrage. From that time until our troops occupied the city there was
+no disturbance.
+
+When we arrived at Natchez, we found several Northern men already
+there, whose business was similar to our own. Some had secured
+plantations, and were preparing to take possession. Others were
+watching the situation and surveying the ground before making their
+selections. We found that the best plantations in the vicinity had
+been taken by the friends of Adjutant-General Thomas, and were gone
+past our securing. At Vidalia, Louisiana, directly opposite Natchez,
+were two fine plantations, "Arnuldia" and "Whitehall," which had been
+thus appropriated. Others in their vicinity had been taken in one way
+or another, and were out of our reach. Some of the lessees declared
+they had been forced to promise a division with certain parties in
+authority before obtaining possession, while others maintained a
+discreet silence on the subject. Many plantations owned by widows and
+semi-loyal persons, would not be placed in the market as "abandoned
+property." There were many whose status had not been decided, so
+that they were practically out of the market. In consequence of these
+various drawbacks, the number of desirable locations that were open
+for selection was not large.
+
+One of the leasing agents gave us a letter to a young widow who
+resided in the city, and owned a large plantation in Louisiana,
+fifteen miles from Natchez. We lost no time in calling upon the lady.
+
+Other parties had already seen her with a view to leasing her
+plantation. Though she had promised the lease to one of these
+visitors, she had no objections to treating with ourselves, provided
+she could make a more advantageous contract.
+
+In a few days we repeated our visit. Our rival had urged his reasons
+for consideration, and was evidently in favor. He had claimed to be
+a Secessionist, and assured her he could obtain a safeguard from the
+Rebel authorities. The lady finally consented to close a contract with
+him, and placed us in the position of discarded suitors. We thought of
+issuing a new edition of "The Rejected Addresses."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+A JOURNEY OUTSIDE THE LINES.
+
+Passing the Pickets.--Cold Weather in the South.--Effect of Climate
+upon the Constitution.--Surrounded and Captured.--Prevarication
+and Explanation.--Among the Natives.--The Game for the
+Confederacy.--Courtesy of the Planters.--Condition of the
+Plantations.--The Return.
+
+
+Mr. Colburn went to St. Louis, on business in which both were
+interested, and left me to look out a plantation. I determined to make
+a tour of exploration in Louisiana, in the region above Vidalia. With
+two or three gentlemen, who were bound on similar business, I passed
+our pickets one morning, and struck out into the region which was
+dominated by neither army. The weather was intensely cold, the ground
+frozen solid, and a light snow falling.
+
+Cold weather in the South has one peculiarity: it can seem more
+intense than the same temperature at the North. It is the effect of
+the Southern climate to unfit the system for any thing but a warm
+atmosphere. The chill penetrates the whole body with a severity I have
+never known north of the Ohio River. In a cold day, the "Sunny South"
+possesses very few attractions in the eyes of a stranger.
+
+In that day's ride, and in the night which followed, I suffered more
+than ever before from cold. I once passed a night in the open air in
+the Rocky Mountains, with the thermometer ten degrees below zero.
+I think it was more endurable than Louisiana, with the mercury ten
+degrees above zero. On my plantation hunt I was thickly clad, but the
+cold _would_ penetrate, in spite of every thing. An hour by a fire
+might bring some warmth, but the first step into the open air would
+drive it away. Fluid extract of corn failed to have its ordinary
+effect. The people of the vicinity said the weather was unusually
+severe on that occasion. For the sake of those who reside there
+hereafter, I hope their statement was true.
+
+Our party stopped for the night at a plantation near Waterproof, a
+small village on the bank of the river, twenty-two miles from Natchez.
+Just as we were comfortably seated by the fire in the overseer's
+house, one of the negroes announced that a person at the door wished
+to see us.
+
+I stepped to the door, and found a half-dozen mounted men in blue
+uniforms. Each man had a carbine or revolver drawn on me. One of my
+companions followed me outside, and found that the strange party had
+weapons enough to cover both of us. It had been rumored that several
+guerrillas, wearing United States uniforms, were lurking in the
+vicinity. Our conclusions concerning the character of our captors were
+speedily made.
+
+Resistance was useless, but there were considerations that led us to
+parley as long as possible. Three officers, and as many soldiers,
+from Natchez, had overtaken us in the afternoon, and borne us company
+during the latter part of our ride. When we stopped for the night,
+they concluded to go forward two or three miles, and return in the
+morning. Supposing ourselves fairly taken, we wished to give
+our friends opportunity to escape. With this object in view, we
+endeavored, by much talking, to consume time.
+
+I believe it does not make a man eloquent to compel him to peer into
+the muzzles of a half-dozen cocked revolvers, that may be discharged
+at any instant on the will of the holders. Prevarication is a
+difficult task, when time, place, and circumstances are favorable. It
+is no easy matter to convince your hearers of the truth of a story
+you know to be false, even when those hearers are inclined to be
+credulous. Surrounded by strangers, and with your life in peril, the
+difficulties are greatly increased. I am satisfied that I made a sad
+failure on that particular occasion.
+
+My friend and myself answered, indiscriminately, the questions that
+were propounded. Our responses did not always agree. Possibly we might
+have done better if only one of us had spoken.
+
+"Come out of that house," was the first request that was made.
+
+We came out.
+
+"Tell those soldiers to come out."
+
+"There are no soldiers here," I responded.
+
+"That's a d--d lie."
+
+"There are none here."
+
+"Yes, there are," said the spokesman of the party. "Some Yankee
+soldiers came here a little while ago."
+
+"We have been here only a few minutes."
+
+"Where did you come from?"
+
+This was what the lawyers call a leading question. We did not desire
+to acknowledge we were from Natchez, as that would reveal us at once.
+We did not wish to say we were from Shreveport, as it would soon be
+proved we were not telling the truth. I replied that we had come from
+a plantation a few miles below. Simultaneously my companion said we
+had just crossed the river.
+
+Here was a lack of corroborative testimony which our captors commented
+upon, somewhat to our discredit. So the conversation went on, our
+answers becoming more confused each time we spoke. At last the leader
+of the group dismounted, and prepared to search the house. He turned
+us over to the care of his companions, saying, as he did so:
+
+"If I find any soldiers here, you may shoot these d--d fellows for
+lying."
+
+During all the colloquy we had been carefully covered by the weapons
+of the group. We knew no soldiers could be found about the premises,
+and felt no fear concerning the result of the search.
+
+Just as the leader finished his search, a lieutenant and twenty men
+rode up.
+
+"Well," said our captor, "you are saved from shooting. I will turn you
+over to the lieutenant."
+
+I recognized in that individual an officer to whom I had received
+introduction a day or two before. The recognition was mutual.
+
+We had fallen into the hands of a scouting party of our own forces.
+Each mistook the other for Rebels. The contemplated shooting was
+indefinitely postponed. The lieutenant in command concluded to encamp
+near us, and we passed the evening in becoming acquainted with each
+other.
+
+On the following day the scouting party returned to Natchez. With
+my two companions I proceeded ten miles further up the river-bank,
+calling, on the way, at several plantations. All the inhabitants
+supposed we were Rebel officers, going to or from Kirby Smith's
+department. At one house we found two old gentlemen indulging in a
+game of chess. In response to a comment upon their mode of amusement,
+one of them said:
+
+"We play a very slow and cautious game, sir. Such a game as the
+Confederacy ought to play at this time."
+
+To this I assented.
+
+"How did you cross the river, gentlemen?" was the first interrogatory.
+
+"We crossed it at Natchez."
+
+"At Natchez! We do not often see Confederates from Natchez. You must
+have been very fortunate to get through."
+
+Then we explained who and what we were. The explanation was followed
+by a little period of silence on the part of our new acquaintances.
+Very soon, however, the ice was broken, and our conversation became
+free. We were assured that we might travel anywhere in that region
+as officers of the Rebel army, without the slightest suspicion of our
+real character. They treated us courteously, and prevailed upon us to
+join them at dinner. Many apologies were given for the scantiness of
+the repast. Corn-bread, bacon, and potatoes were the only articles
+set before us. Our host said he was utterly unable to procure flour,
+sugar, coffee, or any thing else not produced upon his plantation.
+He thought the good times would return when the war ended, and was
+particularly anxious for that moment to arrive. He pressed us to pass
+the night at his house, but we were unable to do so. On the following
+day we returned to Natchez.
+
+Everywhere on the road from Vidalia to the farthest point of our
+journey, we found the plantations running to waste. The negroes had
+been sent to Texas or West Louisiana for safety, or were remaining
+quietly in their quarters. Some had left their masters, and were
+gone to the camps of the National army at Vicksburg and Natchez. The
+planters had suspended work, partly because they deemed it useless
+to do any thing in the prevailing uncertainty, and partly because the
+negroes were unwilling to perform any labor. Squads of Rebel cavalry
+had visited some of the plantations, and threatened punishment to
+the negroes if they did any thing whatever toward the production of
+cotton. Of course, the negroes would heed such advice if they heeded
+no other.
+
+On all the plantations we found cotton and corn, principally the
+latter, standing in the field. Sometimes there were single inclosures
+of several hundred acres. The owners were desirous of making any
+arrangement that would secure the tilling of their soil, while it
+did not involve them in any trouble with their neighbors or the Rebel
+authorities.
+
+They deplored the reverses which the Rebel cause had suffered, and
+confessed that the times were out of joint. One of the men we visited
+was a judge in the courts of Louisiana, and looked at the question
+in a legal light. After lamenting the severity of the storm which was
+passing over the South, and expressing his fear that the Rebellion
+would be a failure, he referred to his own situation.
+
+"I own a plantation," said he, "and have combined my planting interest
+with the practice of law. The fortune of war has materially changed my
+circumstances. My niggers used to do as I told them, but that time is
+passed. Your Northern people have made soldiers of our servants, and
+will, I presume, make voters of them. In five years, if I continue the
+practice of law, I suppose I shall be addressing a dozen negroes as
+gentlemen of the jury."
+
+"If you had a negro on trial," said one of our party, "that would be
+correct enough. Is it not acknowledged everywhere that a man shall be
+tried by his peers?"
+
+The lawyer admitted that he never thought of that point before.
+He said he would insist upon having negroes admitted into court as
+counsel for negroes that were to be tried by a jury of their race. He
+did not believe they would ever be available as laborers in the field
+if they were set free, and thought so many of them would engage in
+theft that negro courts would be constantly busy.
+
+Generally speaking, the planters that I saw were not violent
+Secessionists, though none of them were unconditional Union men. All
+said they had favored secession at the beginning of the movement,
+because they thought it would strengthen and perpetuate slavery. Most
+of them had lost faith in its ultimate success, but clung to it as
+their only hope. The few Union men among them, or those who claimed
+to be loyal, were friends of the nation with many conditions. They
+desired slavery to be restored to its former status, the rights of the
+States left intact, and a full pardon extended to all who had taken
+part in the Rebellion. Under these conditions they would be willing to
+see the Union restored. Otherwise, the war must go on.
+
+We visited several plantations on our tour of observation, and
+compared their respective merits. One plantation contained three
+thousand acres of land, but was said to be very old and worn out. Near
+it was one of twelve hundred acres, three-fourths covered with corn,
+but with no standing cotton. One had six hundred acres of cotton
+in the field. This place belonged to a Spaniard, who would not be
+disturbed by Government, and who refused to allow any work done until
+after the end of the war. Another had four hundred acres of standing
+cotton, but the plantation had been secured by a lessee, who was about
+commencing work.
+
+All had merits, and all had demerits. On some there was a sufficient
+force for the season's work, while on others there was scarcely an
+able field-hand. On some the gin-houses had been burned, and on others
+they were standing, but disabled. A few plantations were in good
+order, but there was always some drawback against our securing
+them. Some were liable to overflow during the expected flood of the
+Mississippi; others were in the hands of their owners, and would not
+be leased by the Government. Some that had been abandoned were
+so thoroughly abandoned that we would hesitate to attempt their
+cultivation. There were several plantations more desirable than
+others, and I busied myself to ascertain the status of their owners,
+and the probabilities concerning their disposal.
+
+Some of the semi-loyal owners of plantations were able to make very
+good speculations in leasing their property. There was an earnest
+competition among the lessees to secure promising plantations. One
+owner made a contract, by which he received five thousand dollars in
+cash and half the product of the year's labor.
+
+A week after the lessee took possession, he was frightened by the
+near approach of a company of Rebel cavalry. He broke his contract and
+departed for the North, forfeiting the five thousand dollars he had
+advanced. Another lessee was ready to make a new contract with the
+owner, paying five thousand dollars as his predecessor had done. Four
+weeks later, this lessee abandoned the field, and the owner was at
+liberty to begin anew.
+
+To widows and orphans the agents of the Government displayed a
+commendable liberality. Nearly all of these persons were allowed to
+retain control of their plantations, leasing them as they saw fit, and
+enjoying the income. Some were required to subscribe to the oath of
+allegiance, and promise to show no more sympathy for the crumbling
+Confederacy. In many cases no pledge of any kind was exacted.
+
+I knew one widow whose disloyalty was of the most violent character.
+On a visit to New Orleans she was required to take the oath of
+allegiance before she could leave the steamboat at the levee. She
+signed the printed oath under protest. A month later, she brought this
+document forward to prove her loyalty and secure the control of her
+plantation.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+OH THE PLANTATION.
+
+Military Protection.--Promises.--Another Widow.--Securing
+a Plantation.--Its Locality and Appearance.--Gardening in
+Louisiana.--How Cotton is Picked.--"The Tell-Tale."--A Southerner's
+Opinion of the Negro Character.--Causes and Consequences.
+
+
+Parties who proposed to lease and cultivate abandoned plantations were
+anxious to know what protection would be afforded them. General Thomas
+and his agents assured them that proper military posts would soon be
+established at points within easy distance of each other along the
+river, so that all plantations in certain limits would be amply
+protected. This would be done, not as a courtesy to the lessees, but
+as a part of the policy of providing for the care of the negroes.
+If the lessees would undertake to feed and clothe several thousand
+negroes, besides paying them for their labor, they would relieve
+the Government authorities of a great responsibility. They would
+demonstrate the feasibility of employing the negroes as free laborers.
+The cotton which they would throw into market would serve to reduce
+the prices of that staple, and be a partial supply to the Northern
+factories. All these things considered, the Government was anxious to
+foster the enterprise, and would give it every proper assistance. The
+agents were profuse in their promises of protection, and assured us it
+would be speedily forthcoming.
+
+There was a military post at Vidalia, opposite Natchez, which afforded
+protection to the plantations in which General Thomas's family and
+friends were interested. Another was promised at Waterproof, twenty
+miles above, with a stockade midway between the two places. There was
+to be a force of cavalry to make a daily journey over the road between
+Vidalia and Waterproof. I selected two plantations about two miles
+below Waterproof, and on the bank of the Mississippi. They were
+separated by a strip of wood-land half a mile in width, and by a
+small bayou reaching from the river to the head of Lake St. John. Both
+plantations belonged to the same person, a widow, living near Natchez.
+
+The authorities had not decided what they would do with these
+plantations--whether they would hold them as Government property, or
+allow the owner to control them. In consideration of her being a widow
+of fifteen years' standing, they at length determined upon the latter
+course. It would be necessary to take out a lease from the authorities
+after obtaining one from the owner. I proceeded at once to make the
+proper negotiations.
+
+Another widow! My first experience in seeking to obtain a widow's
+plantation was not encouraging. The first widow was young, the second
+was old. Both were anxious to make a good bargain. In the first
+instance I had a rival, who proved victorious. In the second affair I
+had no rival at the outset, but was confronted with one when my suit
+was fairly under way. Before he came I obtained a promise of the
+widow's plantations. My rival made her a better offer than I had done.
+At this she proposed to desert me. I caused the elder Weller's advice
+to be whispered to him, hoping it might induce his withdrawal. He did
+not retire, and we, therefore, continued our struggle. _He_ was making
+proposals on his own behalf; I was proposing for myself and for Mr.
+Colburn, who was then a thousand miles away.
+
+My widow (I call her mine, for I won at last) desired us to give her
+all the corn and cotton then on the plantations, and half of what
+should be produced under our management. I offered her half the former
+and one-fourth the latter. These were the terms on which nearly
+all private plantations were being leased. She agreed to the offer
+respecting the corn and cotton then standing in the field, and
+demanded a third of the coming year's products. After some hesitation,
+we decided upon "splitting the difference." Upon many minor points,
+such as the sale of wood, stock, wool, etc., she had her own way.
+
+A contract was drawn up, which gave Colburn and myself the lease of
+the two plantations, "Aquasco" and "Monono," for the period of one
+year. We were to gather the crops then standing in the field, both
+cotton and corn, selling all the former and such portion of the latter
+as was not needed for the use of the plantations. We were to cultivate
+the plantations to the best of our abilities, subject to the fortunes
+of flood, fire, and pestilence, and the operations of military and
+marauding forces. We agreed to give up the plantations at the end of
+the year in as good condition as we found them in respect to stock,
+tools, etc., unless prevented by circumstances beyond our control. We
+were to have full supervision of the plantations, and manage them
+as we saw fit. We were to furnish such stock and tools as might be
+needed, with the privilege of removing the same at the time of our
+departure.
+
+Our widow (whom I shall call Mrs. B.) was to have one-half the
+proceeds of the corn and cotton then on the plantations, and seven
+twenty-fourths of such as might be produced during the year. She
+was to have the privilege of obtaining, once a week, the supplies of
+butter, chickens, meal, vegetables, and similar articles she might
+need for her family use. There were other provisions in the contract,
+but the essential points were those I have mentioned. The two
+plantations were to be under a single management. I shall have
+occasion to speak of them jointly, as "the plantation."
+
+With this contract duly signed, sealed, and stamped, I went to the
+"Agent for Abandoned Plantations." After some delay, and a payment
+of liberal fees, I obtained the Government lease. These preliminaries
+concluded, I proceeded to the locality of our temporary home. Colburn
+had not returned from the North, but was expected daily.
+
+The bayou which I have mentioned, running through the strip of woods
+which separated the plantations, formed the dividing line between the
+parishes "Concordia" and "Tensas," in the State of Louisiana. Lake St.
+John lay directly in rear of "Monono," our lower plantation. This lake
+was five or six miles long by one in width, and was, doubtless, the
+bed of the Mississippi many years ago.
+
+On each plantation there were ten dwelling-houses for the negroes. On
+one they were arranged in a double row, and on the other in a single
+row. There was a larger house for the overseer, and there were
+blacksmith shops, carpenter shops, stables, corn-cribs, meat-houses,
+cattle-yards, and gin-houses.
+
+On Aquasco there was a dwelling-house containing five large rooms, and
+having a wide veranda along its entire front. This dwelling-house was
+in a spacious inclosure, by the side of a fine garden. Inside this
+inclosure, and not far from the dwelling, were the quarters for the
+house-servants, the carriage-house and private stable, the smoke-house
+and the kitchen, which lay detached from the main building, according
+to the custom prevailing in the South.
+
+Our garden could boast of fig and orange trees, and other tropical
+productions. Pinks and roses we possessed in abundance. Of the latter
+we had enough in their season to furnish all the flower-girls on
+Broadway with a stock in trade. Our gardener "made his garden" in
+February. By the middle of March, his potatoes, cabbages, beets, and
+other vegetables under his care were making fine progress. Before
+the jingle of sleigh-bells had ceased in the Eastern States, we were
+feasting upon delicious strawberries from our own garden, ripened in
+the open air. The region where plowing begins in January, and corn is
+planted in February or early March, impresses a New Englander with its
+contrast to his boyhood home.
+
+When I took possession of our new property, the state of affairs was
+not the most pleasing. Mrs. B. had sent the best of her negroes to
+Texas shortly after the fall of Vicksburg. Those remaining on the
+plantations were not sufficient for our work. There were four mules
+where we needed fifty, and there was not a sufficient supply of
+oxen and wagons. Farming tools, plows, etc., were abundant, but many
+repairs must be made. There was enough of nearly every thing for a
+commencement. The rest would be secured in due season.
+
+Cotton and corn were in the field. The former was to receive immediate
+attention. On the day after my arrival I mustered thirty-four laborers
+of all ages and both sexes, and placed them at work, under the
+superintendence of a foreman. During the afternoon I visited them in
+the field, to observe the progress they were making. It was the first
+time I had ever witnessed the operation, but I am confident I did not
+betray my inexperience in the presence of my colored laborers. The
+foreman asked my opinion upon various points of plantation management,
+but I deferred making answer until a subsequent occasion. In every
+case I told him to do for the present as they had been accustomed, and
+I would make such changes as I saw fit from time to time.
+
+Cotton-picking requires skill rather than strength. The young women
+are usually the best pickers, on account of their superior dexterity.
+The cotton-stalk, or bush, is from two to five or six feet high. It is
+unlike any plant with which we are familiar in the North. It resembles
+a large currant-bush more nearly than any thing else I can think of.
+Where the branches are widest the plant is three or four feet from
+side to side. The lowest branches are the longest, and the plant,
+standing by itself, has a shape similar to that of the Northern
+spruce. The stalk is sometimes an inch and a half in diameter where
+it leaves the ground. Before the leaves have fallen, the rows in
+a cotton-field bear a strong resemblance to a series of untrimmed
+hedges.
+
+When fully opened, the cotton-bolls almost envelop the plant in their
+snow-white fiber. At a distance a cotton-field ready for the pickers
+forcibly reminds a Northerner of an expanse covered with snow. Our
+Northern expression, "white as snow," is not in use in the Gulf
+States. "White as cotton" is the form of comparison which takes its
+place.
+
+The pickers walk between the rows, and gather the cotton from the
+stalks on either side. Each one gathers half the cotton from the row
+on his right, and half of that on his left. Sometimes, when the stalks
+are low, one person takes an entire row to himself, and gathers from
+both sides of it. A bag is suspended by a strap over the shoulder, the
+end of the bag reaching the ground, so that its weight may not be
+an inconvenience. The open boll is somewhat like a fully bloomed
+water-lily. The skill in picking lies in thrusting the fingers
+into the boll so as to remove all the cotton with a single motion.
+Ordinary-pickers grasp the boll with one hand and pluck out the cotton
+with the other. Skillful pickers work with both hands, never touching
+the bolls, but removing the cotton by a single dextrous twist of the
+fingers. They can thus operate with great rapidity.
+
+As fast as the bags are filled, they are emptied into large baskets,
+which are placed at a corner of the field or at the ends of the rows.
+When the day's work is ended the cotton is weighed. The amount
+brought forward by each person is noted on a slate, from which it is
+subsequently recorded on the account-book of the plantation.
+
+From one to four hundred pounds, according to the state of the plants,
+is the proper allowance for each hand per day.
+
+In the days of slavery the "stint" was fixed by the overseer, and was
+required to be picked under severe penalties. It is needless to say
+that this stint was sufficiently large to allow of no loitering during
+the entire day. If the slave exceeded the quantity required of him,
+the excess was sometimes placed to his credit and deducted from a
+subsequent day. This was by no means the universal custom. Sometimes
+he received a small present or was granted some especial favor. By
+some masters the stint was increased by the addition of the excess.
+The task was always regulated by the condition of the cotton in the
+field. Where it would sometimes be three hundred pounds, at others it
+would not exceed one hundred.
+
+At the time I commenced my cotton-picking, the circumstances were not
+favorable to a large return. The picking season begins in August or
+September, and is supposed to end before Christmas. In my case it was
+late in January, and the winter rain had washed much of the cotton
+from the stalks. Under the circumstances I could not expect more than
+fifty or seventy-five pounds per day for each person engaged.
+
+During the first few days I did not weigh the cotton. I knew the
+average was not more than fifty pounds to each person, but the
+estimates which the negroes made fixed it at two hundred pounds. One
+night I astonished them by taking the weighing apparatus to the field
+and carefully weighing each basket. There was much disappointment
+among all parties at the result. The next day's picking showed a
+surprising improvement. After that time, each day's work was tested
+and the result announced. The "tell-tale," as the scales were
+sometimes called, was an overseer from whom there was no escape. I
+think the negroes worked faithfully as soon as they found there was no
+opportunity for deception.
+
+I was visited by Mrs. B.'s agent a few days after I became a
+cotton-planter. We took an inventory of the portable property that
+belonged to the establishment, and arranged some plans for our mutual
+advantage. This agent was a resident of Natchez. He was born in the
+North, but had lived so long in the slave States that his sympathies
+were wholly Southern. He assured me the negroes were the greatest
+liars in the world, and required continual watching. They would take
+every opportunity to neglect their work, and were always planning new
+modes of deception. They would steal every thing of which they could
+make any use, and many articles that they could not possibly dispose
+of. Pretending illness was among the most frequent devices for
+avoiding labor, and the overseer was constantly obliged to contend
+against such deception. In short, as far as I could ascertain
+from this gentleman, the negro was the embodiment of all earthly
+wickedness. Theft, falsehood, idleness, deceit, and many other sins
+which afflict mortals, were the especial heritance of the negro.
+
+In looking about me, I found that many of these charges against
+the negro were true. The black man was deceptive, and he was often
+dishonest. There can be no effect without a cause, and the reasons
+for this deception and dishonesty were apparent, without difficult
+research. The system of slavery necessitated a constant struggle
+between the slave and his overseer. It was the duty of the latter to
+obtain the greatest amount of labor from the sinews of the slave. It
+was the business of the slave to perform as little labor as possible.
+It made no difference to him whether the plantation produced a hundred
+or a thousand bales. He received nothing beyond his subsistence and
+clothing. His labor had no compensation, and his balance-sheet at the
+end of the month or year was the same, whether he had been idle or
+industrious. It was plainly to his personal interest to do nothing he
+could in any way avoid. The negro displayed his sagacity by deceiving
+the overseer whenever he could do so. The best white man in the world
+would have shunned all labor under such circumstances. The negro
+evinced a pardonable weakness in pretending to be ill whenever he
+could hope to make the pretense successful.
+
+Receiving no compensation for his services, beyond his necessary
+support, the negro occasionally sought to compensate himself. He was
+fond of roasted pork, but that article did not appear on the list
+of plantation rations. Consequently some of the negroes would make
+clandestine seizure of the fattest pigs when the chance of detection
+was not too great. It was hard to convince them that the use of one
+piece of property for the benefit of another piece, belonging to the
+same person, was a serious offense.
+
+"You see, Mr. K----," said a negro to me, admitting that he had
+sometimes stolen his master's hogs, "you see, master owns his
+saddle-horse, and he owns lots of corn. Master would be very mad if I
+didn't give the horse all the corn he wanted. Now, he owns me, and he
+owns a great many hogs. I like hog, just as much as the horse likes
+corn, but when master catches me killing the hogs he is very mad, and
+he makes the overseer whip me."
+
+Corn, chickens, flour, meal, in fact, every thing edible, became
+legitimate plunder for the negroes when the rations furnished them
+were scanty. I believe that in nine cases out of ten the petty thefts
+which the negroes committed were designed to supply personal wants,
+rather than for any other purpose. What the negro stole was usually an
+article of food, and it was nearly always stolen from the plantation
+where he belonged.
+
+Sometimes there was a specially bad negro--one who had been caught in
+some extraordinary dishonesty. One in my employ was reported to
+have been shot at while stealing from a dwelling-house several years
+before. Among two hundred negroes, he was the only noted rascal. I
+did not attribute his dishonesty to his complexion alone. I have known
+worse men than he, in whose veins there was not a drop of African
+blood. The police records everywhere show that wickedness of heart
+"dwells in white and black the same."
+
+With his disadvantages of position, the absence of all moral training,
+and the dishonesty which was the natural result of the old system
+of labor, the negro could not be expected to observe all the rules
+prescribed for his guidance, but which were never explained. Like
+ignorant and degraded people everywhere, many of the negroes believed
+that guilt lay mainly in detection. There was little wickedness in
+stealing a pig or a chicken, if the theft were never discovered, and
+there was no occasion for allowing twinges of conscience to disturb
+the digestion.
+
+I do not intend to intimate, by the above, that all were dishonest,
+even in these small peculations. There were many whose sense of right
+and wrong was very clear, and whose knowledge of their duties had been
+derived from the instructions of the white preachers. These negroes
+"obeyed their masters" in every thing, and considered it a religious
+obligation to be always faithful. They never avoided their tasks, in
+the field or elsewhere, and were never discovered doing any wrong.
+Under the new system of labor at the South, this portion of the negro
+population will prove of great advantage in teaching their kindred the
+duties they owe to each other. When all are trained to think and
+act for themselves, the negroes will, doubtless, prove as correct in
+morals as the white people around them.
+
+Early in the present year, the authorities at Davies' Bend, below
+Vicksburg, established a negro court, in which all petty cases were
+tried. The judge, jury, counsel, and officers were negroes, and no
+white man was allowed to interfere during the progress of a trial.
+After the decisions were made, the statement of the case and the
+action thereon were referred to the superintendent of the Government
+plantations at that point.
+
+It was a noticeable feature that the punishments which the negroes
+decreed for each other were of a severe character. Very frequently it
+was necessary for the authorities to modify the sentences after the
+colored judge had rendered them. The cases tried by the court related
+to offenses of a minor character, such as theft, fraud, and various
+delinquencies of the freed negroes.
+
+The experiment of a negro court is said to have been very successful,
+though it required careful watching. It was made in consequence of
+a desire of the authorities to teach the freedmen how to govern
+themselves. The planters in the vicinity were as bitterly opposed to
+the movement as to any other effort that lifts the negro above his old
+position.
+
+At the present time, several parties in Vicksburg have leased three
+plantations, in as many localities, and are managing them on different
+plans. On the first they furnish the negroes with food and clothing,
+and divide the year's income with them. On the second they pay wages
+at the rate of ten dollars per month, furnishing rations free, and
+retaining half the money until the end of the year. On the third they
+pay daily wages of one dollar, having the money ready at nightfall,
+the negro buying his own rations at a neighboring store.
+
+On the first plantation, the negroes are wasteful of their supplies,
+as they are not liable for any part of their cost. They are inclined
+to be idle, as their share in the division will not be materially
+affected by the loss of a few days' labor. On the second they are less
+wasteful and more industrious, but the distance of the day of payment
+is not calculated to develop notions of strict economy. On the third
+they generally display great frugality, and are far more inclined to
+labor than on the other plantations.
+
+The reason is apparent. On the first plantation their condition is
+not greatly changed from that of slavery, except in the promise of
+compensation and the absence of compulsory control. In the last case
+they are made responsible both for their labor and expenses, and are
+learning how to care for themselves as freemen.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+RULES AND REGULATIONS UNDER THE OLD AND NEW SYSTEMS.
+
+The Plantation Record.--Its Uses.--Interesting Memoranda.--Dogs,
+Jail, and Stocks.--Instructions to the Overseer.--His Duties and
+Responsibilities.--The Order of General Banks.--Management of
+Plantations in the Department of the Gulf.--The two Documents
+Contrasted.--One of the Effects of "an Abolition War."
+
+
+Nearly every planter in the South required the manager of his
+plantation to keep a record of all events of importance. Books were
+prepared by a publishing house in New Orleans, with special reference
+to their use by overseers. These books had a blank for every day in
+the year, in which the amount and kind of work performed were to be
+recorded by the overseer. There were blanks for noting the progress
+during the picking season, and the amount picked by each person daily.
+There were blanks for monthly and yearly inventories of stock, tools,
+etc., statements of supplies received and distributed, lists of births
+and deaths (there were no blanks for marriages), time and amount
+of shipments of cotton, and for all the ordinary business of a
+plantation. In the directions for the use of this book, I found the
+following:--
+
+
+"On the pages marked I, the planter himself will make a careful record
+of all the negroes upon the plantation, stating their ages as nearly
+as possible, and their cash value, at the commencement of the year.
+At the close, he will again enter their individual value at that time,
+adding the year's increase, and omitting those that may have died. The
+difference can then be transferred to the balance-sheet. The year's
+crop is chargeable with any depreciation in the value of the negroes,
+occasioned by overwork and improper management, in the effort,
+perhaps, to make an extra crop independent of every other
+consideration. On the other hand, should the number of children have
+greatly increased during the year; the strength and usefulness of the
+old been sustained by kind treatment and care; the youngsters taught
+to be useful, and, perhaps, some of the men instructed in trades and
+the women in home manufactures, the increased value of the entire
+force will form a handsome addition to the side of _profits_."
+
+
+On the pages where the daily incidents of the plantation were
+recorded, I frequently discovered entries that illustrated the
+"peculiar institution." Some of them read thus:--
+
+
+_June 5th_.
+Whipped Harry and Sarah to-day, because they didn't keep up their
+rows. _July 7th_. Aleck ran away to the woods, because I threatened
+to whip him.
+
+_July 9th_.
+Got Mr. Hall's dogs and hunted Aleck. Didn't find him. Think he is in
+the swamp back of Brandon's.
+
+_July 12th_.
+Took Aleck out of Vidalia jail. Paid $4.50 for jail fees. Put him in
+the stocks when we got home.
+
+_July 30th_.
+Moses died this morning. Charles and Henry buried him. His wife was
+allowed to keep out of the field until noon.
+
+_August 10th_.
+Sent six mules and four negroes down to the lower plantation. They
+will come back to-morrow.
+
+_September 9th_.
+John said he was sick this morning, but I made him go to the field.
+They brought him in before noon. He has a bad fever. Am afraid he
+won't be able to go out again soon.
+
+_September 20th_.
+Whipped Susan, because she didn't pick as much cotton as she did
+yesterday.
+
+_September 29th_.
+Put William in the stocks and kept him till sunset, for telling
+Charles he wanted to run away.
+
+_October 8th_. William and Susan want to be married. Told them I
+should not allow it, but they might live together if they wanted to.
+
+
+(The above memorandum was explained to me by one of the negroes. The
+owner of the plantation did not approve of marriages, because they
+were inconvenient in case it was desired to sell a portion of the
+working force.)
+
+
+_October 1st_. Took an inventory of the negroes and stock. Their value
+is about the same as when the last inventory was taken.
+
+_December 3d_. Finished picking. Gave the negroes half a holiday.
+
+Nearly every day's entry shows the character and amount of work
+performed. Thus we have:--
+
+
+_February 10th_. Fifteen plows running, five hands piling logs, four
+hands ditching, six hands in trash-gang.
+
+
+In the planting, hoeing, and picking seasons, the result of the labor
+was recorded in the same manner. Whippings were more or less frequent,
+according to the character of the overseer. Under one overseer I found
+that whippings were rare. Under other overseers they were of common
+occurrence.
+
+The individual who prepared the "_Plantation Record_" for the
+publishers, gave, in addition to directions for its use, instructions
+for the overseer's general conduct.
+
+I copy them below, preserving the author's language throughout.
+
+
+THE DUTIES OF AN OVERSEER.
+
+It is here supposed that the overseer is not immediately under his
+employer's eye, but is left for days or weeks, perhaps months, to the
+exercise of his own judgment in the management of the plantation. To
+him we would say--
+
+Bear in mind, that you have engaged for a stated sum of money, to
+devote your time and energies, for an entire year, _to one object_--to
+carry out the orders of your employer, strictly, cheerfully, and
+to the best of your ability; and, in all things, to study his
+interests--requiring something more than your mere presence on the
+plantation, and that at such times as suits your own pleasure and
+convenience.
+
+On entering upon your duties, inform yourself thoroughly of the
+condition of the plantation, negroes, stock, implements, etc. Learn
+the views of your employer as to the general course of management he
+wishes pursued, and make up your mind to carry out these views fully,
+as far as in your power. If any objections occur to you, state them
+distinctly, that they may either be yielded to or overcome.
+
+Where full and particular directions are not given to you, but you are
+left, in a great measure, to the exercise of your own judgment, you
+will find the following hints of service. They are compiled from
+excellent sources--from able articles in the agricultural journals
+of the day, from Washington's Directions to his Overseers, and from
+personal experience.
+
+"I do, in explicit terms, enjoin it upon you to remain constantly at
+home (unless called off by unavoidable business, or to attend Divine
+worship), and to be constantly with your people when there. There is
+no other sure way of getting work well done, and quietly, by negroes;
+for when an overlooker's back is turned the most of them will slight
+their work, or be idle altogether. In which case correction cannot
+retrieve either, but often produces evils which are worse than the
+disease. Nor is there any other mode than this to prevent thieving and
+other disorders, the consequences of opportunities. You will recollect
+that your time is paid for by me, and if I am deprived of it, it
+is worse even than robbing my purse, because it is also a breach of
+trust, which every honest man ought to hold most sacred. You have
+found me, and you will continue to find me, faithful to my part of the
+agreement which was made with you, whilst you are attentive to your
+part; but it is to be remembered that a breach on one side releases
+the obligation on the other."
+
+Neither is it right that you should entertain a constant run of
+company at your house, incurring unnecessary expense, taking up your
+own time and that of the servants beyond what is needful for your own
+comfort--a woman to cook and wash for you, milk, make butter, and so
+on. More than this you have no claim to.
+
+Endeavor to take the same interest in every thing upon the place,
+as if it were your own; indeed, the responsibility in this case is
+greater than if it were all your own--having been intrusted to you by
+another. Unless you feel thus, it is impossible that you can do your
+employer justice.
+
+The health of the negroes under your charge is an important matter.
+Much of the usual sickness among them is the result of carelessness
+and mismanagement. Overwork or unnecessary exposure to rain,
+insufficient clothing, improper or badly-cooked food, and night
+rambles, are all fruitful causes of disease. A great majority of the
+cases you should be yourself competent to manage, or you are unfit for
+the place you hold; but whenever you find that the case is one you do
+not understand, send for a physician, if such is the general order of
+the owner. By exerting yourself to have their clothing ready in good
+season; to arrange profitable in-door employment in wet weather;
+to see that an abundant supply of wholesome, _well-cooked food_,
+including plenty of vegetables, be supplied to them _at regular
+hours_; that the sick be cheered and encouraged, and some extra
+comforts allowed them, and the convalescent not exposed to the chances
+of a relapse; that women, whilst nursing, be kept as near to the
+nursery as possible, but at no time allowed to suckle their children
+when overheated; that the infant be nursed three times during the day,
+in addition to the morning and evening; that no whisky be allowed upon
+the place at any time or under any circumstances; but that they have,
+whilst heated and at work, plenty of pure, _cool_ water; that care be
+taken to prevent the hands from carrying their baskets full of cotton
+on their head--a most injurious practice; and, in short, that such
+means be used for their comfort as every judicious, humane man will
+readily think of, you will find the amount of sickness gradually
+lessened.
+
+Next to the negroes, the stock on the place will require your constant
+attention. You can, however, spare yourself much trouble by your
+choice of a stock-minder, and by adopting and enforcing a strict
+system in the care of the stock. It is a part of their duty in which
+overseers are generally most careless.
+
+The horse and mule stock are first in importance. Unless these are
+kept in good condition, it is impossible that the work can go on
+smoothly, or your crop be properly tended. Put your stable in good
+order; and, if possible, inclose it so that it can be kept under
+lock. Place a steady, careful old man there as hostler, making him
+responsible for every thing, and that directly to yourself. The
+foreman of the plow-gang, and the hands under his care, should be made
+answerable to the hostler--whose business it is to have the feed cut
+up, ground, and ready; the stalls well littered and cleaned out at
+proper intervals; to attend to sick or maimed animals; to see that the
+gears are always hung in their proper place, kept in good order, and
+so on.
+
+It is an easy matter to keep horses or mules fat, with a full and open
+corn-crib and abundance of fodder. But that overseer shows his good
+management who can keep his teams fat at the least expense of corn
+and fodder. The waste of those articles in the South, through shameful
+carelessness and neglect, is immense; as food for stock, they are most
+expensive articles. Oats, millet, peas (vine and all), broadcast corn,
+Bermuda and crab-grass hay, are all much cheaper and equally good.
+Any one of these crops, fed whilst green--the oats and millet as they
+begin to shoot, the peas to blossom, and the corn when tasseling--with
+a feed of dry oats, corn, or corn-chop at noon, will keep a plow-team
+in fine order all the season. In England, where they have the finest
+teams in the world, this course _is invariably pursued_, for its
+economy. From eight to nine hours per day is as long as the team
+should be at actual work. They will perform more upon less feed, and
+keep in better order for a _push_ when needful, worked briskly in that
+way, than when kept dragging a plow all day long at a slow pace.
+And the hands have leisure to rest, to cut up feed, clean and repair
+gears, and so on.
+
+Oxen. No more work oxen should be retained than can be kept at all
+times in good order. An abundant supply of green feed during
+spring and summer, cut and fed as recommended above, and in winter
+well-boiled cotton-seed, with a couple of quarts of meal in it per
+head; turnips, raw or cooked; corn-cobs soaked twenty-four hours
+in salt and water; shucks, pea-vines, etc., passed through a
+cutting-box--any thing of the kind, in short, is cheaper food for them
+in winter, and will keep them in better order than dry corn and shucks
+or fodder.
+
+Indeed, the fewer cattle are kept on any place the better, unless the
+range is remarkably good. When young stock of any kind are stinted of
+their proper food, and their growth receives a check, they never can
+wholly recover it. Let the calves have a fair share of milk, and also
+as much of the cooked food prepared for the cows and oxen as they will
+eat; with at times a little dry meal to lick. When cows or oxen show
+symptoms of failing, from age or otherwise, fatten them off at
+once; and if killed for the use of the place, _save the hide
+carefully_--rubbing at least two quarts of salt upon it; then roll up
+for a day or two, when it may be stretched and dried.
+
+Hogs are generally sadly mismanaged. Too many are kept, and kept
+badly. One good brood sow for every five hands on a place, is amply
+sufficient--indeed, more pork will be cured from these than from a
+greater number. Provide at least two good grazing lots for them, with
+Bermuda, crab-grass, or clover, which does as well at Washington,
+Miss., as anywhere in the world, with two bushels of ground plaster to
+the acre, sowed over it. Give a steady, trusty hand no other work to
+do but to feed and care for them. With a large set kettle or two, an
+old mule and cart to haul his wood for fuel, cotton-seed, turnips,
+etc., for feed, and leaves for bedding, he can do full justice to one
+hundred head, old and young. They will increase and thrive finely,
+with good grazing, and a full mess, twice a day, of swill prepared as
+follows: Sound cotton-seed, with a gallon of corn-meal to the bushel,
+a quart of oak or hickory ashes, a handful of salt, and a good
+proportion of turnips or green food of any kind, even clover or peas;
+the whole thoroughly--mind you, _thoroughly_ cooked--then thrown into
+a large trough, and there allowed _to become sour before being fed_.
+
+Sheep may be under the charge of the stock-minder; from ten to twenty
+to the hand may be generally kept with advantage.
+
+Sick animals require close and judicious attention. Too frequently
+they are either left to get well or to die of themselves, or are bled
+and dosed with nauseous mixtures indiscriminately. Study the subject
+of the diseases of animals during your leisure evenings, which you
+can do from some of the many excellent works on the subject. _Think_
+before you _act_. When your animal has fever, nature would dictate
+that all stimulating articles of diet or medicine should be avoided.
+Bleeding may be necessary to reduce the force of the circulation;
+purging, to remove irritating substances from the bowels; moist,
+light, and easily-digested food, that his weakened digestion may not
+be oppressed; cool drinks, to allay his thirst, and, to some extent,
+compensate for diminished secretions; rest and quiet, to prevent undue
+excitement in his system, and so on through the whole catalogue of
+diseases--but do nothing without a reason. Carry out this principle,
+and you will probably do much good--hardly great harm; go upon any
+other, and your measures are more likely to be productive of injury
+than benefit.
+
+The implements and tools require a good deal of looking after. By
+keeping a memorandum of the distribution of any set of tools, they
+will be much more likely to be forthcoming at the end of the month.
+Axes, hoes, and other small tools, of which every hand has his own,
+should have his number marked upon it with a steel punch. The strict
+enforcement of one single rule will keep every thing straight: "Have a
+place for every thing, and see that every thing is in its place."
+
+Few instances of good management will better please an employer than
+that of having all of the winter clothing spun and woven on the place.
+By having a room devoted to that purpose, under charge of some one
+of the old women, where those who may be complaining a little, or
+convalescent after sickness, may be employed in some light work, and
+where all of the women may be sent in wet weather, more than enough of
+both cotton and woolen yarn can be spun for the supply of the place.
+
+Of the principal staple crop of the plantation, whether cotton, sugar,
+or rice, we shall not here speak.
+
+Of the others--the provision crops--there is most commonly enough made
+upon most plantations for their own supply. Rarely, however, is it
+saved without great and inexcusable waste, and fed out without still
+greater. And this, to their lasting shame be it said, is too often the
+case to a disgraceful extent, when an overseer feels satisfied that he
+will not remain another year upon the place. His conduct should be the
+very opposite of this--an honorable, right-thinking man will feel a
+particular degree of pride in leaving every thing in thorough order,
+and especially an abundant supply of all kinds of feed. He thus
+establishes a character for himself which _must_ have its effect.
+
+Few plantations are so rich in soil as not to be improved by manure.
+Inform yourself of the best means, suited to the location and soil
+of the place under, your charge, of improving it in this and in every
+other way. When an opportunity offers, carry out these improvements.
+Rely upon it there are few employers who will not see and reward such
+efforts. Draining, ditching, circling, hedging, road-making, building,
+etc., may all be effected to a greater or less extent every season.
+
+During the long evenings of winter improve your own mind and the
+knowledge of your profession by reading and study. The many excellent
+agricultural periodicals and books now published afford good and cheap
+opportunities for this.
+
+It is indispensable that you exercise judgment and consideration in
+the management of the negroes under your charge. Be _firm_, and, at
+the same time, _gentle_ in your control. Never display yourself before
+them in a passion; and even if inflicting the severest punishment, do
+so in a mild, cool manner, and it will produce a tenfold effect. When
+you find it necessary to use the whip--and desirable as it would be to
+dispense with it entirely, it _is_ necessary at times--apply it slowly
+and deliberately, and to the extent you had determined, in your own
+mind, to be needful before you began. The indiscriminate, constant,
+and excessive use of the whip is altogether unnecessary and
+inexcusable. When it can be done without a too great loss of time,
+the stocks offer a means of punishment greatly to be preferred. So
+secured, in a lonely, quiet place, where no communication can be held
+with any one, nothing but bread and water allowed, and the confinement
+extending from Saturday, when they drop work, until Sabbath evening,
+will prove much more effectual in preventing a repetition of the
+offense, than any amount of whipping. Never threaten a negro, but if
+you have occasion to punish, do it at once, or say nothing until
+ready to do so. A violent and passionate threat will often scare the
+best-disposed negro to the woods. Always keep your word with them, in
+punishments as well as in rewards. If you have named the penalty for
+any certain offense, inflict it without listening to a word of excuse.
+Never forgive that in one that you would punish in another, but treat
+all alike, showing no favoritism. By pursuing such a course, you
+convince them that you act from principle and not from impulse, and
+will certainly enforce your rules. Whenever an opportunity is
+afforded you for rewarding continued good behavior, do not let it
+pass--occasional rewards have a much better effect than frequent
+punishments.
+
+Never be induced by a course of good behavior on the part of the
+negroes to relax the strictness of your discipline; but, when you have
+by judicious management brought them to that state, keep them so
+by the same means. By taking frequent strolls about the premises,
+including of course the quarter and stock yards, during the evening,
+and at least twice a week during the night, you will put a more
+effectual stop to any irregularities than by the most severe
+punishments. The only way to keep a negro honest, is not to trust him.
+This seems a harsh assertion; but it is, unfortunately, too true.
+
+You will find that an hour devoted, every Sabbath morning, to their
+moral and religious instruction, would prove a great aid to you in
+bringing about a better state of things among the negroes. It has
+been thoroughly tried, and with the most satisfactory results, in many
+parts of the South. As a mere matter of interest it has proved to be
+advisable--to say nothing of it as a point of duty. The effect upon
+their general good behavior, their cleanliness, and good conduct on
+the Sabbath, is such as alone to recommend it to both planter and
+overseer.
+
+In conclusion:--Bear in mind that _a fine crop_ consists, first, in an
+increase in the number, and a marked improvement in the condition and
+value, of the negroes; second, an abundance of provision of all sorts
+for man and beast, carefully saved and properly housed; third, both
+summer and winter clothing made at home; also leather tanned, and
+shoes and harness made, when practicable; fourth, an improvement in
+the productive qualities of the land, and in the general condition of
+the plantation; fifth, the team and stock generally, with the farming
+implements and the buildings, in fine order at the close of the year;
+and young hogs more than enough for next year's killing; _then_, as
+heavy a crop of cotton, sugar, or rice as could possibly be made
+under these circumstances, sent to market in good season, and of prime
+quality. The time has passed when the overseer is valued solely upon
+the number of bales of cotton, hogsheads of sugar, or tierces of rice
+he has made, without reference to other qualifications.
+
+
+In contrast with the instructions to overseers under the old
+management, I present the proclamation of General Banks, regulating
+the system of free labor in the Department of the Gulf. These
+regulations were in force, in 1864, along the Mississippi, from Helena
+to New Orleans. They were found admirably adapted to the necessities
+of the case. With a few changes, they have been continued in operation
+during the present year:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, NEW ORLEANS, _February_ 3, 1864.
+
+GENERAL ORDERS, NO. 23.
+
+The following general regulations are published for the information
+and government of all interested in the subject of compensated
+plantation labor, public or private, during the present year, and in
+continuation of the system established January 30, 1863:--
+
+I. The enlistment of soldiers from plantations under cultivation in
+this department having been suspended by order of the Government, will
+not be resumed except upon direction of the same high authority.
+
+II. The Provost-Marshal-General is instructed to provide for the
+division of parishes into police and school districts, and to organize
+from invalid soldiers a competent police for the preservation of
+order.
+
+III. Provision will be made for the establishment of a sufficient
+number of schools, one at least for each of the police and school
+districts, for the instruction of colored children under twelve years
+of age, which, when established, will be placed under the direction of
+the Superintendent of Public Education.
+
+IV. Soldiers will not be allowed to visit plantations without the
+written consent of the commanding officer of the regiment or post to
+which they are attached, and never with arms, except when on duty,
+accompanied by an officer.
+
+V. Plantation hands will not be allowed to pass from one place to
+another, except under such regulations as may be established by the
+provost-marshal of the parish.
+
+VI. Flogging and other cruel or unusual punishments are interdicted.
+
+VII. Planters will be required, as early as practicable after the
+publication of these regulations, to make a roll of persons employed
+upon their estates, and to transmit the same to the provost marshal of
+the parish. In the employment of hands, the unity of families will be
+secured as far as possible.
+
+VIII. All questions between the employer and the employed, until other
+tribunals are established, will be decided by the provost-marshal of
+the parish.
+
+IX. Sick and disabled persons will be provided for upon the
+plantations to which they belong, except such as may be received in
+establishments provided for them by the Government, of which one will
+be established at Algiers and one at Baton Rouge.
+
+X. The unauthorized purchase of clothing, or other property, from
+laborers, will be punished by fine and imprisonment. The sale of
+whisky or other intoxicating drinks to them, or to other persons,
+except under regulations established by the Provost-Marshal-General,
+will be followed by the severest punishment.
+
+XL The possession of arms, or concealed or dangerous weapons, without
+authority, will be punished by fine and imprisonment.
+
+XII. Laborers shall render to their employer, between daylight
+and dark, _ten_ hours in summer, and _nine_ hours in winter, of
+respectful, honest, faithful labor, and receive therefor, in addition
+to just treatment, healthy rations, comfortable clothing, quarters,
+fuel, medical attendance, and instruction for children, wages per
+month as follows, payment of one-half of which, at least, shall be
+reserved until the end of the year:--
+
+For first-class hands..... $8.00 per month.
+For second-class hands....  6.00 " "
+For third-class hands.....  5.00 " "
+For fourth-class hands....  3.00 " "
+
+Engineers and foremen, when faithful in the discharge of their
+duties, will be paid $2 per month extra. This schedule of wages may
+be commuted, by consent of both parties, at the rate of one-fourteenth
+part of the net proceeds of the crop, to be determined and paid at
+the end of the year. Wages will be deducted in case of sickness,
+and rations, also, when sickness is feigned. Indolence, insolence,
+disobedience of orders, and crime will be suppressed by forfeiture of
+pay, and such punishments as are provided for similar offenses by Army
+Regulations. Sunday work will be avoided when practicable, but when
+necessary will be considered as extra labor, and paid at the rates
+specified herein.
+
+XIII. Laborers will be permitted to choose their employers, but when
+the agreement is made they will be held to their engagement for one
+year, under the protection of the Government. In cases of attempted
+imposition, by feigning sickness, or stubborn refusal of duty, they
+will be turned over to the provost-marshal of the parish, for labor
+upon the public works, without pay.
+
+XIV. Laborers will be permitted to cultivate land on private account,
+as herein specified, as follows:
+
+First and second class hands, with families..... 1   acre each.
+First and second class hands, without families.. 1/2  "    "
+Second and third class hands, with families..... 1/2  "    "
+Second and third class hands, without families.. 1/4  "    "
+
+To be increased for good conduct at the discretion of the employer.
+The encouragement of independent industry will strengthen all the
+advantages which capital derives from labor, and enable the laborer
+to take care of himself and prepare for the time when he can render so
+much labor for so much money, which is the great end to be attained.
+No exemption will be made in this apportionment, except upon
+imperative reasons; and it is desirable that for good conduct the
+quantity be increased until faithful hands can be allowed to cultivate
+extensive tracts, returning to the owner an equivalent of product for
+rent of soil.
+
+XV. To protect the laborer from possible imposition, no commutation
+of his supplies will be allowed, except in clothing, which may be
+commuted at the rate of $3 per month for first-class hands, and in
+similar proportion for other classes. The crops will stand pledged,
+wherever found, for the wages of labor.
+
+XVI. It is advised, as far as practicable, that employers provide for
+the current wants of their hands, by perquisites for extra labor,
+or by appropriation of land for share cultivation; to discourage
+monthly-payments so far as it can be done without discontent, and to
+reserve till the full harvest the yearly wages.
+
+XVII. A FREE-LABOR BANK will be established for the safe deposit of
+all accumulations of wages and other savings; and in order to avoid a
+possible wrong to depositors, by official defalcation, authority will
+be asked to connect the bank with the Treasury of the United States in
+this department.
+
+XVIII. The transportation of negro families to other countries
+will not be approved. All propositions for this privilege have been
+declined, and application has been made to other departments for
+surplus negro families for service in this department.
+
+XIX. The last year's experience shows that the planter and the negro
+comprehend the revolution. The overseer, having little interest
+in capital, and less sympathy with labor, dislikes the trouble of
+thinking, and discredits the notion that any thing new has occurred.
+He is a relic of the past, and adheres to its customs. His stubborn
+refusal to comprehend the condition of things, occasioned most of
+the embarrassments of the past year. Where such incomprehension is
+chronic, reduced wages, diminished rations, and the mild punishments
+imposed by the army and navy, will do good.
+
+XX. These regulations are based upon the assumption that labor is a
+public duty, and idleness and vagrancy a crime. No civil or military
+officer of the Government is exempt from the operation of this
+universal rule. Every enlightened community has enforced it upon
+all classes of people by the severest penalties. It is especially
+necessary in agricultural pursuits. That portion of the people
+identified with the cultivation of the soil, however changed in
+condition by the revolution through which we are passing, is not
+relieved from the necessity of toil, which is the condition of
+existence with all the children of God. The revolution has altered its
+tenure, but not its law. This universal law of labor will be enforced,
+upon just terms, by the Government under whose protection the laborer
+rests secure in his rights. Indolence, disorder, and crime will be
+suppressed. Having exercised the highest right in the choice and place
+of employment, he must be held to the fulfillment of his
+engagements, until released therefrom by the Government. The several
+provost-marshals are hereby invested with plenary powers upon
+all matters connected with labor, subject to the approval of the
+Provost-Marshal-General and the commanding officer of the department.
+The most faithful and discreet officers will be selected for this
+duty, and the largest force consistent with the public service
+detailed for their assistance.
+
+XXI. Employers, and especially overseers, are notified, that undue
+influence used to move the marshal from his just balance between
+the parties representing labor and capital, will result in immediate
+change of officers, and thus defeat that regular and stable system
+upon which the interests of all parties depend.
+
+XXII. Successful industry is especially necessary at the present time,
+when large public debts and onerous taxes are imposed to maintain and
+protect the liberties of the people and the integrity of the Union.
+All officers, civil or military, and all classes of citizens who
+assist in extending the profits of labor, and increasing the product
+of the soil upon which, in the end, all national prosperity and power
+depends, will render to the Government a service as great as that
+derived from the terrible sacrifices of battle. It is upon such
+consideration only that the planter is entitled to favor. The
+Government has accorded to him, in a period of anarchy, a release from
+the disorders resulting mainly from insensate and mad resistance to
+sensible reforms, which can never be rejected without revolution,
+and the criminal surrender of his interests and power to crazy
+politicians, who thought by metaphysical abstractions to circumvent
+the laws of God. It has restored to him in improved, rather than
+impaired condition, his due privileges, at a moment when, by his own
+acts, the very soil was washed from beneath his feet.
+
+XXIII. A more majestic and wise clemency human history does not
+exhibit. The liberal and just conditions that attend it cannot be
+disregarded. It protects labor by enforcing the performance of its
+duty, and it will assist capital by compelling just contributions to
+the demands of the Government. Those who profess allegiance to other
+Governments will be required, as the condition of residence in this
+State, to acquiesce, without reservation, in the demands presented by
+Government as a basis of permanent peace. The non-cultivation of the
+soil, without just reason, will be followed by temporary forfeiture to
+those who will secure its improvement. Those who have exercised or
+are entitled to the rights of citizens of the United States, will
+be required to participate in the measures necessary for the
+re-establishment of civil government. War can never cease except as
+civil governments crush out contest, and secure the supremacy of moral
+over physical power. The yellow harvest must wave over the crimson
+field of blood, and the representatives of the people displace the
+agents of purely military power.
+
+XXIV. The amnesty offered for the past is conditioned upon an
+unreserved loyalty for the future, and this condition will be enforced
+with an iron hand. Whoever is indifferent or hostile, must choose
+between the liberty which foreign lands afford, the poverty of the
+Rebel States, and the innumerable and inappreciable blessings which
+our Government confers upon its people.
+
+May God preserve the Union of the States!
+
+By order of Major-General Banks.
+
+Official:
+GEORGE B. DRAKE,
+_Assistant Adjutant-General_.
+
+
+The two documents have little similarity. Both are appropriate to the
+systems they are intended to regulate. It is interesting to compare
+their merits at the present time. It will be doubly interesting to
+make a similar comparison twenty years hence.
+
+While I was in Natchez, a resident of that city called my attention to
+one of the "sad results of this horrid, Yankee war."
+
+"Do you see that young man crossing the street toward ----'s store?"
+
+I looked in the direction indicated, and observed a person whom I
+supposed to be twenty-five years of age, and whose face bore the
+marks of dissipation. I signified, by a single word, that I saw the
+individual in question.
+
+"His is a sad case," my Southern friend remarked.
+
+"Whisky, isn't it?"
+
+"Oh, no, I don't mean that. He does drink some, I know, but what I
+mean is this: His father died about five years ago. He left his son
+nothing but fourteen or fifteen niggers. They were all smart, young
+hands, and he has been able to hire them out, so as to bring a
+yearly income of two thousand dollars. This has supported him very
+comfortably. This income stopped a year ago. The niggers have all run
+away, and that young man is now penniless, and without any means of
+support. It is one of the results of your infernal Abolition war."
+
+I assented that it was a very hard case, and ought to be brought
+before Congress at the earliest moment. That a promising young man
+should be deprived of the means of support in consequence of this
+Abolition war, is unfortunate--for the man.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+OUR FREE-LABOR ENTERPRISE IN PROGRESS.
+
+The Negroes at Work.--Difficulties in the Way.--A Public Meeting.--A
+Speech.--A Negro's Idea of Freedom.--A Difficult Question to
+Determine.--Influence of Northern and Southern Men Contrasted.--An
+Increase of Numbers.--"Ginning" Cotton.--In the Lint-Room.--Mills and
+Machinery of a Plantation.--A Profitable Enterprise.
+
+
+On each of the plantations the negroes were at work in the
+cotton-field. I rode from one to the other, as circumstances made it
+necessary, and observed the progress that was made. I could easily
+perceive they had been accustomed to performing their labor under
+fear of the lash. Some of them took advantage of the opportunity for
+carelessness and loitering under the new arrangement. I could not be
+in the field at all times, to give them my personal supervision. Even
+if I were constantly present, there was now no lash to be feared.
+I saw that an explanation of the new state of affairs would be an
+advantage to all concerned. On the first Sunday of my stay on the
+plantation, I called all the negroes together, in order to give them
+an understanding of their position.
+
+I made a speech that I adapted as nearly as possible to the
+comprehension of my hearers. My audience was attentive throughout.
+I made no allusions to Homer, Dante, or Milton; I did not quote from
+Gibbon or Macaulay, and I neglected to call their attention to the
+spectacle they were presenting to the crowned heads of Europe. I
+explained to them the change the war had made in their condition,
+and the way in which it had been effected. I told them that all cruel
+modes of punishment had been abolished. The negroes were free, but
+they must understand that freedom did not imply idleness. I read to
+them the regulations established by the commissioners, and explained
+each point as clearly as I was able. After I had concluded, I offered
+to answer any questions they might ask.
+
+There were many who could not understand why, if they were free, they
+should be restricted from going where they pleased at all times. I
+explained that it was necessary, for the successful management of the
+plantation, that I should always be able to rely upon them. I asked
+them to imagine my predicament if they should lose half their time, or
+go away altogether, in the busiest part of the season. They "saw
+the point" at once, and readily acknowledged the necessity of
+subordination.
+
+I found no one who imagined that his freedom conferred the right of
+idleness and vagrancy. All expected to labor in their new condition,
+but they expected compensation for their labor, and did not look for
+punishment. They expected, further, that their families would not
+be separated, and that they could be allowed to acquire property for
+themselves. I know there were many negroes in the South who expected
+they would neither toil nor spin after being set free, but the belief
+was by no means universal. The story of the negro at Vicksburg, who
+expected his race to assemble in New York after the war, "and have
+white men for niggers," is doubtless true, but it would find little
+credence with the great majority of the freedmen of the South.
+
+The schedule of wages, as established by the commissioners, was read
+and explained. The negroes were to be furnished with house-rent,
+rations, fuel, and medical attendance, free of charge. Able-bodied
+males were to receive eight dollars a month. Other classes of laborers
+would be paid according to the proportionate value of their services.
+We were required to keep on hand a supply of clothing, shoes, and
+other needed articles, which would be issued as required and
+charged on account. All balances would be paid as soon as the first
+installment of the cotton crop was sent to market.
+
+This was generally satisfactory, though some of the negroes desired
+weekly or monthly payments. One of them thought it would be better if
+they could be paid at the end of each day, and suggested that silver
+would be preferable to greenbacks or Confederate money. Most of them
+thought the wages good enough, but this belief was not universal. One
+man, seventy years old, who acted as assistant to the "hog-minder,"
+thought he deserved twenty-five dollars per month, in addition to
+his clothing and rations. Another, of the same age, who carried the
+breakfast and dinner to the field, was of similar opinion. These were
+almost the only exceptions. Those whose services were really valuable
+acquiesced in the arrangement.
+
+On our plantation there was an old negress named "Rose," who attended
+the women during confinement. She was somewhat celebrated in her
+profession, and received occasional calls to visit white ladies in the
+neighborhood. After I had dismissed the negroes and sent them to their
+quarters, I was called upon by Rose, to ascertain the rate at which
+she would be paid. As she was regularly employed as one of the
+house-servants, I allowed her the same wages that the other women
+received. This was satisfactory, so far, but it was not entirely so.
+She wished to understand the matter of perquisites.
+
+"When I used to go out to 'tend upon white ladies," said Rose, "they
+gave me ten dollars. Mistress always took half and let me keep the
+other half."
+
+"Well, hereafter, you may keep the ten dollars yourself."
+
+"Thank you."
+
+After a pause, she spoke again:
+
+"Didn't you say the black people are free?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"White people are free, too, ain't they?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then why shouldn't you pay me ten dollars every time I 'tend upon the
+black folks on the plantation?"
+
+The question was evidently designed as a "corner." I evaded it by
+assuring Rose that though free, the negroes had not attained all the
+privileges that pertained to the whites, and I should insist on her
+professional services being free to all on the plantation.
+
+The negroes were frequently desirous of imitating the customs of white
+people in a manner that should evince their freedom. Especially did
+they desire to have no distinction in the payment of money, on account
+of the color of the recipient.
+
+After this Sunday talk with the negroes, I found a material
+improvement. Occasionally I overheard some of them explaining to
+others their views upon various points. There were several who
+manifested a natural indolence, and found it difficult to get over
+their old habits. These received admonitions from their comrades, but
+could not wholly forget the laziness which was their inheritance. With
+these exceptions, there was no immediate cause for complaint.
+
+During the earlier part of my stay in that region, I was surprised at
+the readiness with which the negroes obeyed men from the North, and
+believed they would fulfill their promises, while they looked with
+distrust on all Southern white men. Many owners endeavored in vain to
+induce their negroes to perform certain labor. The first request made
+by a Northern man to the same effect would be instantly complied with.
+The negroes explained that their masters had been in the habit of
+making promises which they never kept, and cited numerous instances to
+prove the truth of their assertion. It seemed to have been a custom in
+that region to deceive the negroes in any practicable manner. To make
+a promise to a negro, and fail to keep it, was no worse than to lure a
+horse into a stable-yard, by offering him a choice feed of corn, which
+would prove but a single mouthful. That the negroes had any human
+rights was apparently rarely suspected by their owners and overseers.
+The distrust which many of the negroes entertained for their former
+masters enabled the lessees to gain, at once, the confidence of
+their laborers. I regret to say that this confidence was abused in a
+majority of cases.
+
+I gave the negroes a larger ration of meat, meal, and potatoes than
+had been previously issued. As soon as possible, I procured a quantity
+of molasses, coffee, and tobacco. These articles had not been seen
+on the plantation for many months, and were most gladly received. As
+there was no market in that vicinity where surplus provisions could
+be sold, I had no fear that the negroes would resort to stealing,
+especially as their daily supply was amply sufficient for their
+support. It was the complaint of many overseers and owners that
+the negroes would steal provisions on frequent occasions. If they
+committed any thefts during my time of management, they were made
+so carefully that I never detected them. It is proper to say that I
+followed the old custom of locking the store-houses at all times.
+
+Very soon after commencing labor I found that our working force must
+be increased. Accordingly, I employed some of the negroes who were
+escaping from the interior of the State and making their way to
+Natchez. As there were but few mules on the plantation, I was
+particularly careful to employ those negroes who were riding, rather
+than walking, from slavery. If I could not induce these mounted
+travelers to stop with us, I generally persuaded them to sell their
+saddle animals. Thus, hiring negroes and buying mules, I gradually put
+the plantation in a presentable condition. While the cotton was being
+picked the blacksmith was repairing the plows, the harness-maker
+was fitting up the harnesses for the mules, and every thing was
+progressing satisfactorily. The gin-house was cleaned and made ready
+for the last work of preparing cotton for the market. Mr. Colburn
+arrived from the North after I had been a planter of only ten days'
+standing. He was enthusiastic at the prospect, and manifested an
+energy that was the envy of his neighbors.
+
+It required about three weeks to pick our cotton. Before it was all
+gathered we commenced "ginning" the quantity on hand, in order to make
+as little delay as possible in shipping our "crop" to market.
+
+The process of ginning cotton is pretty to look upon, though not
+agreeable to engage in. The seed-cotton (as the article is called
+when it comes from the field) is fed in a sort of hopper, where it is
+brought in contact with a series of small and very sharp saws. From
+sixty to a hundred of these saws are set on a shaft, about half an
+inch apart. The teeth of these saws tear the fiber from the seed, but
+do not catch the seed itself. A brush which revolves against the saws
+removes the fiber from them at every revolution. The position of the
+gin is generally at the end of a large room, and into this room the
+detached fiber is thrown from the revolving brush.
+
+This apartment is technically known as the "lint-room," and presents
+an interesting scene while the process of ginning is going on. The air
+is full of the flying lint, and forcibly reminds a Northerner of a New
+England snow-storm. The lint falls, like the snow-flakes, with most
+wonderful lightness, but, unlike the snow-flakes, it does not melt.
+When the cotton is picked late in the season, there is usually a dense
+cloud of dust in the lint-room, which settles in and among the fiber.
+The person who watches the lint-room has a position far from enviable.
+His lungs become filled with dust, and, very often, the fine, floating
+fiber is drawn into his nostrils. Two persons are generally permitted
+to divide this labor. There were none of the men on our plantation who
+craved it. Some of the mischievous boys would watch their opportunity
+to steal into the lint-room, where they greatly enjoyed rolling upon
+the soft cotton. Their amusement was only stopped by the use of a
+small whip.
+
+The machinery of a cotton-gin is driven by steam or horse power;
+generally the former. There is no water-power in the State of
+Louisiana, but I believe some of the lakes and bayous might be turned
+to advantage in the same way that the tide is used on the sea-coast.
+
+All the larger plantations are provided with steam-engines, the
+chimneys of which are usually carried to a height sufficient to remove
+all danger from sparks. There is always a corn-mill, and frequently a
+saw-mill attached to the gin, and driven by the same power. On
+every plantation, one day in the week is set apart for grinding a
+seven-days' supply of corn. This regulation is never varied, except
+under the most extraordinary circumstances. There is a universal rule
+in Louisiana, forbidding any person, white or black, smoking in the
+inclosure where the gin-house stands. I was told there was a legal
+enactment to this effect, that affixed heavy penalties to its
+infringement. For the truth of this latter statement I cannot vouch.
+
+With its own corn-mill, saw-mill, and smithery, each plantation is
+almost independent of the neighborhood around it. The chief dependence
+upon the outside world is for farming tools and the necessary
+paraphernalia for the various branches of field-work. I knew one
+plantation, a short distance from ours, whose owner had striven
+hard to make it self-sustaining. He raised all the corn and all the
+vegetables needed. He kept an immense drove of hogs, and cured his
+own pork. Of cattle he had a goodly quantity, and his sheep numbered
+nearly three hundred. Wool and cotton supplied the raw material for
+clothing. Spinning-wheels and looms produced cloth in excess of what
+was needed. Even the thread for making the clothing for the negroes
+was spun on the plantation. Hats were made of the palmetto, which grew
+there in abundance. Shoes were the only articles of personal wear not
+of home production. Plows, hoes, and similar implements were purchased
+in the market, but the plantation was provided with a very complete
+repair-shop, and the workmen were famous for their skill.
+
+The plantation, thus managed, yielded a handsome profit to its owner.
+The value of each year's cotton crop, when delivered on the bank of
+the river, was not less than forty thousand dollars. Including wages
+of the overseer, and all outlays for repairs and purchase of such
+articles as were not produced at home, the expenses would not exceed
+five or six thousand dollars. Cotton-planting was very profitable
+under almost any management, and especially so under a prudent and
+economical owner. Being thus profitable with slave labor, it was
+natural for the planters to think it could prosper under no other
+system. "You can't raise cotton without niggers, and you must own the
+niggers to raise it," was the declaration in all parts of the South.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+WAR AND AGRICULTURE.
+
+Official Favors.--Division of Labor.--Moral Suasion.--Corn-gathering
+in the South.--An Alarm.--A Frightened Irishman.--The Rebels
+Approaching.--An Attack on Waterproof.--Falstaff Redivivus.--His Feats
+of Arms.--Departure for New Orleans.
+
+
+Our cotton having been ginned and baled, we made preparations for
+shipping it to market. These preparations included the procurement
+of a permit from the Treasury agent at Natchez, a task of no small
+magnitude. An application for the permit required, in addition to my
+own signature, the names of two property-owning citizens, as security
+for payment of the duties on the cotton. This application being placed
+in the hands of the Treasury agent, I was requested to call in two
+hours. I did so, and was then put off two hours longer. Thus I spent
+two whole days in frequent visits to that official. His memory was
+most defective, as I was obliged to introduce myself on each occasion,
+and tell him the object of my call.
+
+A gentleman who had free access to the agent at all times hinted that
+he could secure early attention to my business on payment for
+his trouble. Many persons asserted that they were obliged to pay
+handsomely for official favors. I do not _know_ this to be true. I
+never paid any thing to the Treasury agent at Natchez or elsewhere,
+beyond the legitimate fees, and I never found any man who would give
+me a written statement that he had done so. Nevertheless, I had much
+circumstantial evidence to convince me that the Treasury officials
+were guilty of dishonorable actions. The temptation was great, and,
+with proper care, the chances of detection were small.
+
+Armed with my permit, I returned to the plantation. Mr. Colburn, in
+my absence, had organized our force, lately engaged in cotton-picking,
+into suitable parties for gathering corn, of which we had some three
+hundred acres standing in the field. In New England I fear that corn
+which had remained ungathered until the middle of February, would be
+of comparatively little value. In our case it was apparently as sound
+as when first ripened.
+
+Corn-gathering in the South differs materially from corn-gathering in
+the North. The negroes go through the field breaking the ears from the
+stalks without removing the husk. The ears are thrown into heaps at
+convenient distances from each other, and in regular rows. A wagon is
+driven between these rows, and the corn gathered for the crib. Still
+unhusked, it is placed in the crib, to be removed when needed. It is
+claimed that the husk thus remaining on the corn, protects it from
+various insects, and from the effect of the weather.
+
+Every body of laborers on a plantation is called a "gang." Thus we had
+"the picking-gang," "the corn-gang," "the trash-gang," "the hoe-gang,"
+"the planting-gang," "the plow-gang," and so on through the list. Each
+gang goes to the field in charge of a head negro, known as the driver.
+This driver is responsible for the work of his gang, and, under the
+old _regime_, was empowered to enforce his orders with the whip, if
+necessary. Under our new dispensation the whip was laid aside, and a
+milder policy took its place. It was satisfactory with the adults; but
+there were occasions when the smaller boys were materially benefited
+by applications of hickory shrubs. Solomon's words about sparing the
+rod are applicable to children of one race as well as to those of
+another. We did not allow our drivers to make any bodily punishment in
+the field, and I am happy to say they showed no desire to do so.
+
+As I have before stated, our first organization was the picking-gang.
+Then followed the gin-gang and the press-gang. Our gin-gang was
+organized on principles of total abstinence, and, therefore, differed
+materially from the gin-gangs of Northern cities. Our press-gang,
+unlike the press-gangs of New York or Chicago, had nothing to do with
+morning publications, and would have failed to comprehend us had we
+ordered the preparation of a sensation leader, or a report of the last
+great meeting at Union Square. Our press-gang devoted its time and
+energies to putting our cotton into bales of the proper size and
+neatness.
+
+The corn-gang, the trash-gang, and the plow-gang were successively
+organized by Mr. Colburn. Of the first I have spoken. The duties of
+the second were to gather the corn-stalks or cotton-stalks, as the
+case might be, into proper heaps for burning. As all this debris came
+under the generic name of "trash," the appellation of the gang is
+readily understood. Our trash-gang did very well, except in a certain
+instance, when it allowed the fire from the trash to run across a
+field of dead grass, and destroy several hundred feet of fence. In
+justice to the negroes, I should admit that the firing of the grass
+was in obedience to our orders, and the destruction of the fence
+partly due to a strong wind which suddenly sprang up. The trash-gang
+is usually composed of the younger children and the older women.
+The former gather and pile the stalks which the latter cut up. They
+particularly enjoy firing the heaps of dry trash.
+
+It was on Saturday, the 13th of February, that our press-gang
+completed its labors. On the afternoon of that day, as we were hauling
+our cotton to the landing, the garrison at Waterproof, two miles
+distant, suddenly opened with its artillery upon a real or supposed
+enemy. A gun-boat joined in the affair, and for half an hour the
+cannonade was vigorous. We could see the flashes of the guns and the
+dense smoke rising through the trees, but could discover nothing more.
+When the firing ceased we were somewhat anxious to know the result.
+Very soon a white man, an Irishman, who had been a short time in
+the vicinity to purchase cotton, reached our place in a state of
+exhaustion. He told a frightful story of the surprise and massacre
+of the whole garrison, and was very certain no one but himself had
+escaped. He had fortunately concealed himself under a very small
+bridge while the fight was going on. He called attention to his
+clothes, which were covered with mud, to prove the truth of his
+statement.
+
+For a short time the situation had an unpleasant appearance. While
+we were deliberating upon the proper measures for safety, one of our
+negroes, who was in Waterproof during the firing, came to us with
+_his_ story. The fight had been on our side, some guerrillas having
+chased one of our scouting parties to a point within range of our
+guns. Our men shelled them with artillery, and this was the extent
+of the battle. The story of the Irishman, in connection with the true
+account of the affair, forcibly reminded me of the famous battle of
+Piketon, Kentucky, in the first year of the war.
+
+On the next day (Sunday) I rode to Waterproof, leaving Colburn on the
+plantation. Just as I arrived within the lines, I ascertained that an
+attack was expected. The most stringent orders had been issued against
+allowing any person to pass out. Ten minutes later a scout arrived,
+saying that a force of Rebels was advancing to attack the post. The
+gun-boat commenced shelling the woods in the rear of Waterproof, and
+the artillery on land joined in the work. The Rebels did not get near
+enough to make any serious demonstration upon the town. The day passed
+with a steady firing from the gun-boat, relieved by an occasional
+interval of silence. Toward night the small garrison was re-enforced
+by the arrival of a regiment from Natchez. On the following day a
+portion of General Ellet's Marine Brigade reached Waterproof, and
+removed all possibility of further attack.
+
+In the garrison of Waterproof, at the commencement of this fight,
+there was a certain officer who could have sat for the portrait
+of Falstaff with very little stuffing, and without great change of
+character. Early in the war he belonged to an Eastern regiment, but on
+that occasion he had no commission, though this fact was not generally
+known. Nearly as large as Hackett's Falstaff, he was as much a gascon
+as the hero of the Merry Wives of Windsor. He differed from Falstaff
+in possessing a goodly amount of bravery, but this bravery was
+accompanied with an entire absence of judgment.
+
+In the early part of the fight, and until he was too drunk to move,
+this _preux chevalier_ dashed about Waterproof, mounted on a small
+horse, which he urged to the top of his speed. In one hand he
+flourished a cane, and in the other a revolver. He usually allowed the
+reins to lie on his horse's neck, except when he wished to change his
+direction. With his abdomen protruding over the pommel of the saddle,
+his stirrups several inches too short, one boot-leg outside his
+pantaloons and the other inside, a very large hat pressed nearly to
+his eyes, and a face flushed with excitement and whisky, he was a
+study John Leech would have prized. Frequent and copious draughts of
+the cup which cheers and inebriates placed him _hors de combat_ before
+the close of the day.
+
+From the crest of the levee, he could at any time discover several
+lines of battle approaching the town. Frequently he informed the
+commandant that the Rebels were about to open upon us with a dozen
+heavy batteries, which they were planting in position for a long
+siege. If the enemy had been in the force that this man claimed, they
+could not have numbered less than fifty thousand. When unhorsed for
+the last time during the day, he insisted that I should listen to the
+story of his exploits.
+
+"I went," said he, "to the colonel, this morning, and told him, sir,
+to give me ten men, and I would go out and feel the enemy's position.
+He gave me the men, and I went. We found the enemy not less than a
+thousand strong, sir, behind Mrs. Miller's gin-house. They were the
+advance of the whole Rebel army, sir, and I saw they must be driven
+back. We charged, and, after a desperate fight, drove them. They
+opposed us, sir, every inch of the way for two miles; but we routed
+them. We must have killed at least a hundred of them, sir, and wounded
+as many more. They didn't hurt a man of us; but the bullets flew very
+thick, sir--very. I myself killed twelve of them with my own hand,
+sir. This is the way it was, sir. This revolver, you see, sir, has six
+barrels. I emptied it once, sir; I reloaded; I emptied it again, sir.
+Two times six are twelve, sir. I killed twelve of them with my own
+hand. Let it be recorded.
+
+"On my way back, sir, I set fire to the gin-house, so that it should
+no more be a shelter for those infernal Rebels. You yourself, sir, saw
+that building in flames, and can testify to the truth of my story."
+
+In this strain the warrior gave the history of his moments of glory.
+The portion I have written was true in some points. He found three
+men (instead of a thousand), and pursued them a few hundred yards. He
+discharged his revolver at very long range, but I could not learn
+that his shots were returned. He fired the gin-house "to cover his
+retreat," and gained the fortifications without loss. I do not know
+his locality at the present time, but presume he remained, up to the
+close of the war, where storms of shot and shell continually darkened
+the air, and where lines of battle were seen on every side.
+
+The siege being raised, I returned to the plantation. From Waterproof,
+during the fight, I could see our buildings with perfect distinctness.
+I had much fear that some Rebel scouting party might pay the
+plantation a visit while the attack was going on. I found, on my
+return, that Colburn had taken the matter very coolly, and prevented
+the negroes becoming alarmed. He declared that he considered the
+plantation as safe as Waterproof, and would not have exchanged places
+with me during the fight. The negroes were perfectly quiet, and
+making preparations for plowing. While the fight was in progress, my
+associate was consulting with the drivers about the details of work
+for the ensuing week, and giving his orders with the utmost _sang
+froid_. In consideration of the uncertainty of battles in general, and
+the possibility of a visit at any moment from a party of Rebel scouts,
+my partner's conduct was worthy of the highest commendation.
+
+Before leaving Waterproof I had arranged for a steamer to call for our
+cotton, which was lying on the river bank. Waterproof lay at one side
+of the neck of a peninsula, and our plantation was at the other side.
+It was two miles across this peninsula, and sixteen miles around it,
+so that I could start on horseback, and, by riding very leisurely,
+reach the other side, long in advance of a steamboat. The steamer came
+in due time. After putting our cotton on board, I bade Mr. Colburn
+farewell, and left him to the cares and perplexities of a planter's
+life. I was destined for New Orleans, to sell our cotton, and to
+purchase many things needed for the prosecution of our enterprise.
+
+On my way down the river, I found that steamboat traveling was not an
+entirely safe amusement. The boat that preceded me was fired upon
+near Morganzia, and narrowly escaped destruction. A shell indented her
+steam-pipe, and passed among the machinery, without doing any damage.
+Had the pipe been cut, the steam would have filled every part of the
+boat.
+
+I was not disturbed by artillery on the occasion of my journey, but
+received a compliment from small-arms. On the morning after leaving
+Natchez, I was awakened by a volley of musketry from the river-bank.
+One of the bullets penetrated the thin walls of the cabin and entered
+my state-room, within two inches of my head. I preserved the missile
+as a souvenir of travel.
+
+On the next day the Rebels brought a battery of artillery to the spot.
+A steamer received its greeting, but escaped with a single passenger
+wounded.
+
+A gentleman who was on this boat had a very narrow escape. He told me
+that he was awakened by the first shot, which passed through the upper
+works of the steamer. He was occupying the upper berth in a state-room
+on the side next the locality of the Rebels. His first impulse was to
+spring from his resting-place, and throw himself at full length upon
+the floor. He had hardly done so, when a shell entered the state-room,
+and traversed the berth in the exact position where my friend had been
+lying.
+
+Having narrowly escaped death, he concluded not to run a second risk.
+He returned to St. Louis by way of New York. Wishing to visit New
+Orleans some time later, he sailed from New York on the _Electric
+Spark_, and enjoyed the luxury of a capture by the pirates of the
+"Confederate" steamer _Florida_. After that occurrence, he concluded
+there was little choice between the ocean and river routes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+IN THE COTTON MARKET.
+
+New Orleans and its Peculiarities.--Its Loss by the Rebellion.--Cotton
+Factors in New Orleans.--Old Things passed away.--The Northern
+Barbarians a Race of Shopkeepers.--Pulsations of the Cotton Market.--A
+Quarrel with a Lady.--Contending for a Principle.--Inharmony of the
+"Regulations."--An Account of Sales.
+
+
+The first impression that New Orleans gives a stranger is its
+unlikeness to Northern cities. It is built on ground that slopes
+downward from the Mississippi. As one leaves the river and walks
+toward the center of the city, he finds himself descending. New
+Orleans is a hundred miles from the mouth of the Mississippi and only
+six miles from Lake Pontchartrain, which is an arm of the sea. The
+river at the city is ten feet above Lake Pontchartrain, so that New
+Orleans is washed by water from the Mississippi and drained into the
+lake. The water in the gutters always runs from the river, no matter
+what may be its height. The steamers at the foot of Canal Street
+appear above the spectator, when he stands a mile or two from the
+landing.
+
+There is no earthy elevation of any kind, except of artificial
+construction, in the vicinity of New Orleans. The level surface of
+the streets renders the transportation of heavy bodies a work of the
+utmost ease. The greatest amount of merchandise that can be loaded
+upon four wheels rarely requires the efforts of more than two animals.
+The street-cars, unlike those of Northern cities, are drawn by a
+single mule to each car, and have no conductors. The cemeteries
+are above ground, and resemble the pigeon-holes of a post-office,
+magnified to a sufficient size for the reception of coffins. There is
+not a cellar in the entire city of New Orleans.
+
+Musquitos flourish during the entire winter. In the summer there are
+two varieties of these insects. The night-musquito is similar to
+the insect which disturbs our slumbers in Northern latitudes. The
+day-musquito relieves his comrade at sunrise and remains on duty
+till sunset. He has no song, but his bite is none the less severe. He
+disappears at the approach of winter, but his tuneful brother remains.
+Musquito nettings are a necessity all the year round.
+
+The public walks of New Orleans are justly the pride of the
+inhabitants. Canal Street is probably the prettiest street in America.
+Along its center is a double row of shade-trees, a promenade, and the
+tracks of the street railway. These shade-trees are inclosed so as to
+form a series of small parks for the entire length of the street.
+On each side of these parks is a carriage-way, as wide as the great
+thoroughfare of New York. Canal Street is the fashionable promenade of
+New Orleans. In the days of glory, before the Rebellion, it presented
+a magnificent appearance.
+
+Among the prettiest of the parks of New Orleans is Jackson Square,
+containing a fine equestrian statue of General Jackson. The pedestal
+of the statue is emblazoned with the words:
+
+"THE UNION--IT MUST AND SHALL BE PRESERVED."
+
+The French element in New Orleans is apparent on every side. The
+auctioneers cry their wares in mingled French and English, and the
+negroes and white laborers on the levee converse in a hybrid language.
+In the French quarter, every thing is French. The signs on the shops
+and the street corners, the conversation of the inhabitants and the
+shouts of the boys who play on the sidewalks, are in the vernacular of
+_La Belle France_. In Jackson Square, notices to warn visitors not to
+disturb the shrubbery, are posted in two languages, the French
+being first. On one poster I saw the sentence: "_Ne touche pas a les
+fleurs_," followed by the literal translation into English: "Don't
+touch to the flowers." I was happy to observe that the caution was
+very generally heeded.
+
+Before the war, New Orleans was a city of wonderful wealth. Situated
+at the outlet of the great valley, its trade in cotton, sugar, and
+other products of the West and South, was immense. Boats, which
+had descended from all points along the navigable portion of the
+Mississippi, discharged their cargoes upon its levee. Ships of all
+nations were at the wharves, receiving the rich freight that the
+steamers had brought down. The piles of merchandise that lay along
+the levee were unequaled in any other city of the globe. Money was
+abundant, and was lavishly scattered in all directions.
+
+With the secession of the Gulf States, the opening of hostilities,
+and the blockade of the Mississippi at its mouth and at Cairo, the
+prosperity of New Orleans disappeared. The steamers ceased to bring
+cotton and sugar to its wharves, and its levee presented a picture
+of inactivity. Many of the wealthy found themselves in straitened
+circumstances, and many of the poor suffered and died for want of
+food. For a whole year, while the Rebel flag floated over the city,
+the business of New Orleans was utterly suspended.
+
+With the passage of the forts and the capture of New Orleans by
+Admiral Farragut, the Rebel rule was ended. Very slowly the business
+of the city revived, but in its revival it fell into the hands of
+Northern men, who had accompanied our armies in their advance. The old
+merchants found themselves crowded aside by the ubiquitous Yankees.
+With the end of the war, the glory of the city will soon return, but
+it will not return to its old channels. More than any other city of
+the South, New Orleans will be controlled by men of Northern birth
+and sentiments. The day of slave-auctions in the rotunda of the St.
+Charles has passed away forever.
+
+New Orleans has a class of men peculiar to the South, whose business
+it is to sell cotton for the planters. These gentlemen are known
+as "factors," and, in former times, were numerous and successful.
+Whatever a planter needed, from a quire of paper to a steam-engine,
+he ordered his factor to purchase and forward. The factor obeyed the
+order and charged the amount to the planter, adding two and a half per
+cent, for commission.
+
+If the planter wanted money, he drew upon the factor, and that
+individual honored the draft. At the end of the season, it often
+occurred that the planter was largely in debt to the factor. But the
+cotton crop, when gathered, being consigned to the factor, canceled
+this indebtedness, and generally left a balance in the planter's
+favor.
+
+The factor charged a good commission for selling the cotton, and
+sometimes required interest upon the money he advanced. In the happy
+days before the war, the factor's business was highly lucrative. The
+advances to the planters, before the maturity of the cotton crop,
+often required a heavy capital, but the risk was not great. Nearly
+every planter was considerably indebted to his factor before his
+cotton went forward. In many cases the proceeds of the entire crop
+would but little more than cover the advances which had been made.
+
+In New Orleans nearly all cotton is sold "by sample." Certain men are
+licensed to "sample" cotton, for which they charge a specified sum per
+bale. A hole is cut in the covering of each bale, and from this hole
+a handful of cotton is pulled. Every bale is thus "sampled," without
+regard to the size of the lot. The samples are taken to the sales-room
+of the commission house, where they are open to the inspection of
+buyers. The quality of the cotton is carefully noted, the length of
+the fiber or staple, the whiteness of the sample, and its freedom from
+dust or fragments of cotton-stalks. Not one bale in twenty is ever
+seen by the buyers until after its purchase. Frequently the buyers
+transfer their cotton to other parties without once looking upon
+it Sometimes cotton is sold at auction instead of being offered at
+private sale, but the process of "sampling" is carried out in either
+case.
+
+In '63 and '64, New Orleans could boast of more cotton factors than
+cotton. The principal business was in the hands of merchants from
+the North, who had established themselves in the city soon after its
+occupation by the National forces. Nearly all cotton sent to market
+was from plantations leased by Northern men, or from purchases made
+of planters by Northern speculators. The patronage naturally fell
+into the hands of the new possessors of the soil, and left the old
+merchants to pine in solitude. The old cotton factors, most of them
+Southern men, who could boast of ten or twenty years' experience, saw
+their business pass into the hands of men whose arrival in New Orleans
+was subsequent to that of General Butler. Nearly all the old factors
+were Secessionists, who religiously believed no government could exist
+unless founded on raw cotton and slavery. They continually asserted
+that none but themselves could sell cotton to advantage, and wondered
+why those who had that article to dispose of should employ men
+unaccustomed to its sale. They were doomed to find themselves false
+prophets. The new and enterprising merchants monopolized the cotton
+traffic, and left the slavery-worshiping factors of the olden time to
+mourn the loss of their occupation.
+
+At the time I visited New Orleans, cotton was falling. It had been
+ninety cents per pound. I could only obtain a small fraction above
+seventy cents, and within a week the same quality sold for sixty.
+Three months afterward, it readily brought a dollar and a quarter per
+pound. The advices from New York were the springs by which the market
+in New Orleans was controlled. A good demand in New York made a good
+demand in New Orleans, and _vice versa_. The New York market was
+governed by the Liverpool market, and that in turn by the demand at
+Manchester. Thus the Old World and the New had a common interest in
+the production of cotton. While one watched the demand, the other
+closely observed the supply.
+
+Some of the factors in New Orleans were fearful lest the attention
+paid to cotton-culture in other parts of the world would prove
+injurious to the South after the war should be ended. They had
+abandoned their early belief that their cotton was king, and dreaded
+the crash that was to announce the overthrow of all their hopes.
+
+In their theory that cotton-culture was unprofitable, unless
+prosecuted by slave labor, these men could only see a gloomy picture
+for years to come. Not so the new occupants of the land. Believing
+that slavery was not necessary to the production of sugar and cotton;
+believing that the country could show far more prosperity under the
+new system of labor than was ever seen under the old; and believing
+that commerce would find new and enlarged channels with the return of
+peace, they combated the secession heresies of the old residents, and
+displayed their faith by their works. New Orleans was throwing off
+its old habits and adopting the ideas and manners of Northern
+civilization.
+
+Mrs. B., the owner of our plantation, was in New Orleans at the time
+of my arrival. As she was to receive half the proceeds of the cotton
+we had gathered, I waited upon her to tell the result of our labors.
+The sale being made, I exhibited the account of sales to her agent,
+and paid him the stipulated amount. So far all was well; but we were
+destined to have a difference of opinion upon a subject touching the
+rights of the negro.
+
+Early in 1863 the Rebel authorities ordered the destruction of all
+cotton liable to fall into the hands of the National forces. The order
+was very generally carried out. In its execution, some four hundred
+bales belonging to Mrs. B. were burned. The officer who superintended
+the destruction, permitted the negroes on the plantation to fill their
+beds with cotton, but not to save any in bales. When we were making
+our shipment, Mr. Colburn proposed that those negroes who wished to
+do so, could sell us their cotton, and fill their beds with moss or
+husks. As we paid them a liberal price, they accepted our offer, and
+we made up three bales from our purchase. We never imagined that Mrs.
+B. would lay any claim to this lot, and did not include it in the
+quantity for which we paid her half the proceeds.
+
+After I had made the payment to her factor, I received a note from
+the lady in reference to the three bales above mentioned. She said the
+cotton in question was entirely her property; but, in consideration
+of our careful attention to the matter, she would consent to our
+retaining half its value. She admitted that she would have never
+thought to bring it to market; but since we had collected and baled
+it, she demanded it as her own. I "respectfully declined" to comply
+with her request. I believed the negroes had a claim to what was saved
+from the burning, and given to them by the Rebel authorities. Mrs.
+B. was of the opinion that a slave could own nothing, and therefore
+insisted that the cotton belonged to herself.
+
+Very soon after sending my reply, I was visited by the lady's factor.
+A warm, though courteous, discussion transpired. The factor was a
+Secessionist, and a firm believer in the human and divine right
+of slavery. He was a man of polished exterior, and was, doubtless,
+considered a specimen of the true Southern gentleman. In our talk on
+the subject in dispute, I told him the Rebels had allowed the
+negroes to fill their beds with cotton, and it was this cotton we had
+purchased.
+
+"The negroes had no right to sell it to you," said the factor;
+"neither had you any right to purchase it."
+
+"If it was given to them," I asked, "was it not theirs to sell?"
+
+"Certainly not. The negroes own nothing, and can own nothing. Every
+thing they have, the clothes they wear and the dishes they use,
+belongs to their owners. When we 'give' any thing to a negro, we
+merely allow it to remain in his custody, nothing more."
+
+"But in this case," said I, "the gift was not made by the owner. The
+cotton was to be destroyed by order of your Confederate Government.
+That order took it from Mrs. B.'s possession. When the officer came to
+burn the cotton, and gave a portion to the negroes to fill their beds,
+he made no gift to Mrs. B."
+
+"Certainly he did. The cotton became hers, when it was given to her
+negroes. If you give any thing to one of my negroes, that article
+becomes my property as much as if given to me."
+
+"But how is it when a negro, by working nights or Saturdays, manages
+to make something for himself?"
+
+"That is just the same. Whatever he makes in that way belongs to his
+master. Out of policy we allow him to keep it, but we manage to have
+him expend it for his own good. The negro is the property of his
+master, and can own nothing for himself."
+
+"But in this case," I replied, "I have promised to pay the negroes for
+the cotton. It would be unjust to them to fail to do so."
+
+"You must not pay them any thing for it. Whatever you have promised
+makes no difference. It is Mrs. B.'s property, not theirs. If you pay
+them, you will violate all our customs, and establish a precedent very
+bad for us and for yourself."
+
+I assured the gentleman I should feel under obligation to deal justly
+with the negroes, even at the expense of violating Southern precedent.
+"You may not be aware," I remarked, "of the magnitude of the change in
+the condition of the Southern negro during the two years just closed.
+The difference of opinion between your people and ourselves is, no
+doubt, an honest one. We shall be quite as persistent in pushing our
+views at the present time as you have been in enforcing yours in the
+past. We must try our theory, and wait for the result."
+
+We separated most amiably, each hoping the other would eventually see
+things in their true light. From present indications, the weight of
+public opinion is on my side, and constantly growing stronger.
+
+My sales having been made, and a quantity of plantation supplies
+purchased, I was ready to return. It was with much difficulty that I
+was able to procure permits from the Treasury agent at New Orleans to
+enable me to ship my purchases. Before leaving Natchez, I procured all
+the documents required by law. Natchez and New Orleans were not in the
+same "district," and consequently there was much discord. For example,
+the agent at Natchez gave me a certain document that I should exhibit
+at New Orleans, and take with me on my return to Natchez. The agent
+at New Orleans took possession of this document, and, on my
+expostulating, said the agent at Natchez "had no right" to give me
+instructions to retain it. He kept the paper, and I was left without
+any defense against seizure of the goods I had in transit. They were
+seized by a Government officer, but subsequently released. On my
+arrival at Natchez, I narrated the occurrence to the Treasury agent at
+that point. I was informed that the agent at New Orleans "could not"
+take my papers from me, and I should not have allowed him to do so.
+
+I was forcibly reminded of the case of the individual who was once
+placed in the public stocks. On learning his offense, a lawyer told
+him, "Why, Sir, they can't put you in the stocks for _that_."
+
+"But they have."
+
+"I tell you they can't do it."
+
+"But, don't you see, they have."
+
+"I tell you again they can't do any such thing."
+
+In my own case, each Treasury agent declared the other "could not" do
+the things which had been done. In consequence of the inharmony of
+the "regulations," the most careful shipper would frequently find his
+goods under seizure, from which they could generally be released
+on payment of liberal fees and fines. I do not know there was any
+collusion between the officials, but I could not rid myself of the
+impression there was something rotten in Denmark. The invariable
+result of these little quarrels was the plundering of the shippers.
+The officials never suffered. Like the opposite sides of a pair of
+shears, though cutting against each other, they only injured whatever
+was between them.
+
+Not a hundredth part of the official dishonesty at New Orleans and
+other points along the Mississippi will ever be known. Enough has
+been made public to condemn the whole system of permits and Treasury
+restrictions. The Government took a wise course when it abolished,
+soon after the suppression of the Rebellion, a large number of the
+Treasury Agencies in the South. As they were managed during the last
+two years of the war, these agencies proved little else than schools
+of dishonesty. There may have been some honest men in those offices,
+but they contrived to conceal their honesty.
+
+To show the variety of charges which attach to a shipment of cotton,
+I append the sellers' account for the three bales about which Mrs. B.
+and myself had our little dispute. These bales were not sold with the
+balance of our shipment. The cotton of which they were composed was of
+very inferior quality.
+
+_Account Sales of Three Bales of Cotton for Knox & Colburn._
+By PARSLEY & WILLIAMS.
+______________________________________________________________________
+ Mark, |    3 bales.                           ||    |    ||      |
+"K. C."|    Weight,    }  1,349 @..............|| $0 | 60 || $809 | 40
+       | 533--406--410 }                       ||    |    ||      |
+       | Auctioneers' commission, 1 pr. ct.....||  8 | 09 ||      |
+       | Sampling .............................||    | 30 ||      |
+       | Weighing .............................||    | 50 ||      |
+       | Watching..............................||    | 50 ||      |
+       | Tarpaulins ...........................||    | 50 ||      |
+       | Freight, $10 pr. bale ................|| 30 | 00 ||      |
+       | Insurance, $2.50 pr. bale ............||  7 | 50 ||      |
+       | 4 c. pr. lb. (tax) on 1,349 lb .......|| 53 | 96 ||      |
+       | 1/2 c.   "       "   "    " ..........||  6 | 74 ||      |
+       | Permit and stamps ....................||    | 65 ||      |
+       | Hospital fees, $5 pr. bale............|| 15 | 00 ||      |
+       | Factors' commission, 1 pr. ct.........||  8 | 09 ||      |
+       |                                       || -- | -- ||  131 | 83
+       |                                       ||    |    || ---- | --
+E.O.E. |     Net proceeds......................||    |    || $677 | 57
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+NEW ORLEANS, La., _February 22_, 1864.
+
+
+It will be seen by the above that the charges form an important
+portion of the proceeds of a sale. The heaviest items are for
+Government and hospital taxes. The latter was levied before the war,
+but the former is one of the fruits of the Rebellion. It is likely to
+endure for a considerable time.
+
+I knew several cases in which the sales of cotton did not cover the
+charges, but left a small bill to be paid by the owner. Frequently,
+cotton that had been innocently purchased and sent to market
+was seized by Government officials, on account of some alleged
+informality, and placed in the public warehouses. The owner could get
+no hearing until he made liberal presents of a pecuniary character to
+the proper authorities.
+
+After much delay and many bribes, the cotton would be released. New
+charges would appear, and before a sale could be effected the whole
+value of the cotton would be gone.
+
+A person of my acquaintance was unfortunate enough to fall into the
+hands of the Philistines in the manner I have described above. At the
+end of the transaction he found himself a loser to the extent of three
+hundred dollars. He has since been endeavoring to ascertain the amount
+of traffic on a similar scale that would be needed to make him a
+millionaire. At last accounts he had not succeeded in solving the
+problem.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII.
+
+SOME FEATURES OF PLANTATION LIFE.
+
+Mysteries of Mule-trading.--"What's in a Name?"--Process of Stocking
+a Plantation.--An Enterprising White Man.--Stratagem of a
+Yankee.--Distributing Goods to the Negroes.--The Tastes of the
+African.--Ethiopian Eloquence.--A Colored Overseer.--Guerrillas
+Approaching.--Whisky _vs_. Guerrillas.--A Hint to Military Men.
+
+
+On my return from New Orleans to the plantation, I found that Colburn
+had been pushing our business with a rapidity and skill that secured
+the admiration of everyone around us. He had increased our working
+force, and purchased a goodly number of mules. We had seventeen plows
+in operation, and two teams engaged in gathering corn, on the day
+before my arrival. The "trash-gang" was busy, and other working
+parties were occupied with their various duties. We were looking to a
+brilliant future, and echoed the wish of Jefferson Davis, to be "let
+alone."
+
+The enterprise of a lessee at that time, and in that locality, was
+illustrated by his ability to supply his plantation with mules. There
+were many who failed in the effort, but my associate was not of the
+number. There were but few mules in the Natchez market--not enough to
+meet a tenth of the demand. Nearly every plantation had been stripped
+of working animals by one army or the other. Before our arrival the
+Rebels plundered all men suspected of lukewarmness in the cause. When
+the National army obtained possession, it took nearly every thing
+the Rebels had left. All property believed to belong to the Rebel
+Government was passed into the hands of our quartermaster.
+
+A planter, named Caleb Shields, had a large plantation near Natchez,
+which had not been disturbed by the Rebels. His mules were branded
+with the letters "C.S.," the initials of their owner. As these letters
+happened to be the same that were used by the Confederate Government,
+Mr. Shields found his mules promptly seized and "confiscated." Before
+he could explain the matter and obtain an order for their return, his
+animals were sent to Vicksburg and placed in the Government corral. If
+the gentleman had possessed other initials, it is possible (though not
+certain) he might have saved his stock.
+
+Mules being very scarce, the lessees exercised their skill in
+supplying themselves with those animals. On my first arrival at the
+plantation, I took care to hire those negroes who were riding from the
+interior, or, at all events, to purchase their animals. In one day I
+obtained two horses and four mules. An order had been issued for the
+confiscation of beasts of burden (or draught) brought inside the
+lines by negroes. We obtained permission to purchase of these runaway
+negroes whatever mules they would sell, provided we could make our
+negotiations before they reached the military lines.
+
+Immediately after my departure, Mr. Colburn stationed one of our men
+on the road near our house, with orders to effect a trade with every
+mounted negro on his way to Natchez. The plan was successful. From two
+to a half-dozen mules were obtained daily. During the two weeks of my
+absence nearly fifty mules were purchased, placing the plantation in
+good order for active prosecution of our planting enterprise. At
+the same time many lessees in our vicinity were unable to commence
+operations, owing to their inability to obtain working stock.
+
+The negroes discovered that the mule market was not well supplied, and
+some of the more enterprising and dishonest sons of Ham endeavored
+to profit by the situation. Frequently mules would be offered at
+a suspiciously low price, with the explanation that the owner was
+anxious to dispose of his property and return home. Some undertook
+nocturnal expeditions, ten or twenty miles into the interior, where
+they stole whatever mules they could find. A few of the lessees
+suffered by the loss of stock, which was sold an hour after it was
+stolen, and sometimes to the very party from whom it had been taken.
+We took every care to avoid buying stolen property, but were sometimes
+deceived.
+
+On one occasion I purchased a mule of a negro who lived at Waterproof.
+The purchase was made an hour before sunset, and the animal was stolen
+during the night. On the following morning, Colburn bought it again
+of the same party with whom I had effected my trade. After this
+occurrence, we adopted the plan of branding each mule as soon as it
+came into our hands. All the lessees did the same thing, and partially
+protected each other against fraud.
+
+White men were the worst mule-thieves, and generally instructed the
+negroes in their villainy. There were several men in Natchez who
+reduced mule-stealing to a science, and were as thoroughly skilled
+in it as Charley Bates or the Artful Dodger in the science of picking
+pockets. One of them had four or five white men and a dozen negroes
+employed in bringing stock to market. I think he retired to St. Louis,
+before the end of May, with ten or twelve thousand dollars as the
+result of three months' industry.
+
+Some of the lessees resorted to questionable methods for supplying
+their plantations with the means for plowing and planting. One of
+them occupied a plantation owned by a man who refused to allow his own
+stock to be used. He wished to be neutral until the war was ended.
+
+This owner had more than sixty fine mules, that were running loose in
+the field. One day the lessee told the owner that he had purchased
+a lot of mules at Natchez, and would bring them out soon. On the
+following night, while the owner slept, the lessee called some trusty
+negroes to his aid, caught seventeen mules from the field, sheared and
+branded them, and placed them in a yard by themselves. In the morning
+he called the owner to look at the "purchase."
+
+"You have bought an excellent lot," said the latter individual. "Where
+were they from?"
+
+"All from St. Louis." was the response. "They were brought down two
+days ago. I don't know what to do about turning them out. Do you
+think, if I put them with yours, there is any danger of their
+straying, on account of being on a strange place?"
+
+"None at all. I think there is no risk."
+
+The lessee took the risk, and expressed much delight to find that the
+new mules showed themselves at home on the plantation.
+
+Several days later the owner of the plantation discovered the loss
+of his mules, but never suspected what had become of them. Two weeks
+afterward, the Rebels came and asked him to designate the property of
+the lessee, that they might remove it. He complied by pointing out
+the seventeen mules, which the Rebels drove away, leaving the balance
+unharmed.
+
+I landed at the plantation one Sunday evening, with the goods I had
+purchased in New Orleans. I was met with the unwelcome information
+that the small force at Waterproof, after committing many depredations
+on the surrounding country, had been withdrawn, leaving us exposed
+to the tender mercies of the indignant chivalry. We were liable to
+be visited at any moment. We knew the Rebels would not handle us very
+tenderly, in view of what they had suffered from our own men. A party
+of guerrillas was reported seven miles distant on the day previous,
+and there was nothing to hinder their coming as near as they chose.
+
+Accordingly, we determined to distribute the goods among the negroes
+as early as possible. On Monday morning we commenced. There was some
+delay, but we succeeded in starting a very lively trade before seven
+o'clock.
+
+Shoes were in great demand, as the negroes had not been supplied with
+these articles for nearly three years. A hundred pairs were speedily
+issued, when the balance was laid aside for future consideration.
+There were some of the negroes whose feet were too large for any
+shoes we had purchased. It was a curious fact that these large-footed
+negroes were not above the ordinary stature. I remember one in
+particular who demanded "thirteens," but who did not stand more than
+five feet and five inches in his invisible stockings.
+
+After the shoes, came the material for clothing. For the men we had
+purchased "gray denims" and "Kentucky jeans;" for the women, "blue
+denims" and common calico. These articles were rapidly taken, and with
+them the necessary quantity of thread, buttons, etc. A supply of huge
+bandana kerchiefs for the head was eagerly called for. I had procured
+as many of these articles as I thought necessary for the entire number
+of negroes on the plantation; but found I had sadly miscalculated. The
+kerchiefs were large and very gaudy, and the African taste was at once
+captivated by them. Instead of being satisfied with one or two, every
+negro desired from six to a dozen, and was much disappointed at the
+refusal. The gaudy colors of most of the calicoes created a great
+demand, while a few pieces of more subdued appearance were wholly
+discarded. White cotton cloth, palm-leaf hats, knives and forks, tin
+plates, pans and dishes, and other articles for use or wear, were
+among the distributions of the day.
+
+Under the slave-owner's rule, the negro was entitled to nothing
+beyond his subsistence and coarse clothing. Out of a large-hearted
+generosity the master gave him various articles, amounting, in the
+course of a year, to a few dollars in value. These articles took
+the name of "presents," and their reception was designed to inspire
+feelings of gratitude in the breast of the slave.
+
+Most of the negroes understood that the new arrangements made an end
+of present-giving. They were to be paid for all their labor, and were
+to pay for whatever they received. When the plan was first announced,
+all were pleased with it; but when we came to the distribution of the
+goods, many of the negroes changed their views. They urged that the
+clothing, and every thing else we had purchased, should be issued as
+"presents," and that they should be paid for their labor in addition.
+Whatever little advantages the old system might have, they wished to
+retain and ingraft upon their new life. To be compensated for labor
+was a condition of freedom which they joyfully accepted. To receive
+"presents" was an apparent advantage of slavery which they did not
+wish to set aside.
+
+The matter was fully explained, and I am confident all our auditors
+understood it. Those that remained obstinate had an eye to their
+personal interests. Those who had been sick, idle, absent, or
+disabled, were desirous of liberal gifts, while the industrious were
+generally in favor of the new system, or made no special opposition to
+it.
+
+One negro, who had been in our employ two weeks, and whose whole labor
+in that time was less than four days, thought he deserved a
+hundred dollars' worth of presents, and compensation in money for
+a fortnight's toil. All were inclined to value their services very
+highly; but there were some whose moderation knew no bounds.
+
+A difficulty arose on account of certain promises that had been
+made to the negroes by the owner of the plantation, long before our
+arrival. Mrs. B. had told them (according to their version) that the
+proceeds of the cotton on the plantation should be distributed in the
+form of presents, whenever a sale was effected. She did not inform us
+of any such promise when we secured the lease of the plantation. If
+she made any agreement to that effect, it was probably forgotten.
+Those who claimed that this arrangement had been made desired liberal
+presents in addition to payment for their labor. Our non-compliance
+with this demand was acknowledged to be just, but it created
+considerable disappointment.
+
+One who had been her mistress's favorite argued the question with an
+earnestness that attracted my attention. Though past sixty years of
+age, she was straight as an arrow, and her walk resembled that of a
+tragedy queen. In her whole features she was unlike those around her,
+except in her complexion, which was black as ink. There was a clear,
+silvery tone to her voice, such as I have rarely observed in persons
+of her race. In pressing her claim, she grew wonderfully eloquent, and
+would have elicited the admiration of an educated audience. Had there
+been a school in that vicinity for the development of histrionic
+talent in the negro race, I would have given that woman a
+recommendation to its halls.
+
+During my absence, Mr. Colburn employed an overseer on our smaller
+plantation, and placed him in full charge of the work. This overseer
+was a mulatto, who had been fifteen years the manager of a large
+plantation about seven miles distant from ours. In voice and manner he
+was a white man, but his complexion and hair were those of the subject
+race. There was nothing about the plantation which he could not master
+in every point. Without being severe, he was able to accomplish all
+that had been done under the old system. He imitated the customs of
+the white man as much as possible, and it was his particular ambition
+to rank above those of his own color. As an overseer he was fully
+competent to take charge of any plantation in that locality. During
+all my stay in the South, I did not meet a white overseer whom I
+considered the professional equal of this negro.
+
+"Richmond" was the name to which our new assistant answered. His
+master had prevented his learning to read, but allowed him to acquire
+sufficient knowledge of figures to record the weight of cotton in the
+field. Richmond could mark upon the slate all round numbers between
+one hundred and four hundred; beyond this he was never able to go. He
+could neither add nor subtract, nor could he write a single letter of
+the alphabet. He was able, however, to write his own name very badly,
+having copied it from a pass written by his master. He had possessed
+himself of a book, and, with the help of one of our negroes who
+knew the alphabet, he was learning to read. His house was a model
+of neatness. I regret to say that he was somewhat tyrannical when
+superintending the affairs of his domicile.
+
+As the day of our distribution of goods was a stormy one, Richmond was
+called from the plantation to assist us. Under his assistance we were
+progressing fairly, interrupted occasionally by various causes of
+delay. Less than half the valuable articles were distributed, when our
+watches told us it was noon. Just as we were discussing the propriety
+of an adjournment for dinner, an announcement was made that banished
+all thoughts of the mid-day meal.
+
+One of our boys had been permitted to visit Waterproof during the
+forenoon. He returned, somewhat breathless, and his first words
+dropped like a shell among the assembled negroes:
+
+"_The Rebels are in Waterproof_."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I saw them there, and asked a lady what they were. She said they were
+Harrison's Rebels."
+
+We told the negroes to go to their quarters. Richmond mounted his
+horse and rode off toward the plantation of which he had charge. In
+two minutes, there was not a negro in the yard, with the exception of
+the house-servants. Our goods were lying exposed. We threw some of the
+most valuable articles into an obscure closet.
+
+At the first alarm we ordered our horses brought out. When the animals
+appeared we desisted from our work.
+
+"The Rebels are coming down the road," was the next bulletin from the
+front.
+
+We sprang upon our horses and rode a hundred yards along the front of
+our "quarter-lot," to a point where we could look up the road toward
+Waterproof. There they were, sure enough, thirty or more mounted men,
+advancing at a slow trot. They were about half a mile distant, and,
+had we been well mounted, there was no doubt of our easy escape.
+
+"Now comes the race," said Colburn. "Twenty miles to Natchez. A single
+heat, with animals to go at will."
+
+We turned our horses in the direction of Natchez.
+
+"Stop," said I, as we reached the house again. "They did not see us,
+and have not quickened their pace. Strategy, my boy, may assist us a
+little."
+
+Throwing my bridle into Colburn's hand, I slid from my saddle and
+bounded into the dwelling. It was the work of a moment to bring out
+a jug and a glass tumbler, but I was delayed longer than I wished
+in finding the key of our closet. The jug contained five gallons of
+excellent whisky (so pronounced by my friends), and would have been a
+valuable prize in any portion of the Confederacy.
+
+Placing the jug and tumbler side by side on the veranda, in full view
+from the road, I remounted, just as the Rebels reached the corner of
+our quarter-lot.
+
+"We have pressing engagements in Natchez," said Colburn.
+
+"So we have," I replied; "I had nearly forgotten them. Let us lose no
+time in meeting them."
+
+As we rode off, some of the foremost Rebels espied us and quickened
+their pace. When they reached the house they naturally looked toward
+it to ascertain if any person was there. They saw the jug, and were at
+once attracted. One man rode past the house, but the balance stopped.
+The minority of one was prudent, and returned after pursuing us less
+than fifty yards. The whisky which the jug contained was quickly
+absorbed. With only one tumbler it required some minutes to drain the
+jug. These minutes were valuable.
+
+Whisky may have ruined many a man, but it saved us. Around that
+seductive jug those thirty guerrillas became oblivious to our escape.
+We have reason to be thankful that we disobeyed the rules of strict
+teetotalers by "keeping liquor in the house."
+
+I was well mounted, and could have easily kept out of the way of any
+ordinary chase. Colburn was only fairly mounted, and must have been
+run down had there been a vigorous and determined pursuit. As each
+was resolved to stand by the other, the capture of one would have
+doubtless been the capture of both.
+
+[Illustration: "STRATEGY, MY BOY!"]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX.
+
+VISITED BY GUERRILLAS.
+
+News of the Raid.--Returning to the Plantation.--Examples of Negro
+Cunning.--A Sudden Departure and a Fortunate Escape.--A Second
+Visit.--"Going Through," in Guerrilla Parlance.--How it is
+Accomplished.--Courtesy to Guests.--A Holiday Costume.--Lessees
+Abandoning their Plantations.--Official Promises.
+
+
+As soon as satisfied we were not followed we took a leisurely pace,
+and in due time reached Natchez. Four hours later we received the
+first bulletin from the plantation. About thirty guerrillas had been
+there, mainly for the purpose of despoiling the plantation next above
+ours. This they had accomplished by driving off all the mules. They
+had not stolen _our_ mules, simply because they found as much cloth
+and other desirable property as they wished to take on that occasion.
+Besides, our neighbor's mules made as large a drove as they could
+manage. They promised to come again, and we believed they would keep
+their word. We ascertained that my strategy with the whisky saved us
+from pursuit.
+
+On the next day a messenger arrived, saying all was quiet at the
+plantation. On the second day, as every thing continued undisturbed,
+I concluded to return. Colburn had gone to Vicksburg, and left me
+to look after our affairs as I thought best. We had discussed the
+propriety of hiring a white overseer to stay on the plantation during
+our absence. The prospect of visits from guerrillas convinced us
+that _we_ should not spend much of our time within their reach. We
+preferred paying some one to risk his life rather than to risk our
+own lives. The prospect of getting through the season without serious
+interruption had become very poor, but we desired to cling to the
+experiment a little longer. Once having undertaken it, we were
+determined not to give it up hastily.
+
+I engaged a white man as overseer, and took him with me to the
+plantation. The negroes had been temporarily alarmed at the visit
+of the guerrillas, but, as they were not personally disturbed, their
+excitement was soon allayed. I found them anxiously waiting my return,
+and ready to recommence labor on the following day.
+
+The ravages of the guerrillas on that occasion were not extensive.
+They carried off a few bolts of cloth and some smaller articles, after
+drinking the whisky I had set out for their entertainment. The negroes
+had carefully concealed the balance of the goods in places where a
+white man would have much trouble in finding them. In the garden there
+was a row of bee-hives, whose occupants manifested much dislike for
+all white men, irrespective of their political sentiments. Two unused
+hives were filled with the most valuable articles on our invoice, and
+placed at the ends of this row. In a clump of weeds under the bench on
+which the hives stood, the negroes secreted several rolls of cloth
+and a quantity of shoes. More shoes and more cloth were concealed in
+a hen-house, under a series of nests where several innocent hens were
+"sitting." Crockery was placed among the rose-bushes and tomato-vines
+in the garden; barrels of sugar were piled with empty barrels of
+great age; and two barrels of molasses had been neatly buried in a
+freshly-ploughed potato-field. Obscure corners in stables and sheds
+were turned into hiding-places, and the cunning of the negro was well
+evinced by the successful concealment of many bulky articles.
+
+It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when I arrived at the
+plantation. I immediately recommenced the issue of goods, which was
+suspended so hastily three days before. From two o'clock until dark
+the overseer and myself were busily engaged, and distributed about
+two-thirds of our remaining stock. Night came. We suspended the
+distribution and indulged in supper. After giving the overseer
+directions for the morrow, I recollected an invitation to spend the
+night at the house of a friend, three miles away, on the road to
+Natchez.
+
+I ordered my horse, and in a few moments the animal was ready, at the
+door. I told the overseer where I was going, and bade him good-night.
+
+"Where are you going, Mr. K----?" said the negro who had brought out
+the horse, as he delivered the bridle into my hands.
+
+"If any one calls to see me," said I, "you can say I have gone to
+Natchez."
+
+With that I touched a spur to my horse and darted off rapidly toward
+my friend's house. A half-dozen negroes had gathered to assist in
+saddling and holding the horse. As I sprang into the saddle I heard
+one of them say:
+
+"I don't see why Mr. K---- starts off to Natchez at this time of
+night."
+
+Another negro explained the matter, but I did not hear the
+explanation. If he gave a satisfactory reason, I think he did better
+than I could have done.
+
+Immediately after my departure the overseer went to bed. He had been
+in bed about fifteen minutes when he heard a trampling of horses' feet
+around the house. A moment later there was a loud call for the door to
+be opened. Before the overseer could comply with the request, the door
+was broken in. A dozen men crowded into the house, demanding that a
+light be struck instantly. As the match gave its first flash of light,
+one of the visitors said:
+
+"Well, K----, we've got you this time."
+
+"That," said another, "is no K----; that is Walter Owen, who used to
+be overseer on Stewart's plantation."
+
+"What are you doing here?" demanded another.
+
+Mr. Owen, trembling in his night-clothes, replied that he had been
+engaged to stay there as overseer.
+
+"Where is K----, and where is Colburn?"
+
+"Mr. Colburn hasn't been here since last Monday. Mr. K---- has gone to
+Natchez."
+
+"That's a ---- lie," said one of the guerrillas. "We know he came here
+at two o'clock this afternoon, and was here at dark. He is somewhere
+around this house."
+
+In vain did Owen protest I was not there. Every room and every
+closet in the house was searched. A pile of bagging in a garret was
+overhauled, in the expectation that I was concealed within it. Even
+the chimneys were not neglected, though I doubt if the smallest of
+professional sweeps could pass through them. One of the guerrillas
+opened a piano, to see if I had not taken refuge under its cover. They
+looked into all possible and impossible nooks and corners, in the
+hope of finding me somewhere. At last they gave up the search, and
+contented themselves with promising to catch both Colburn and myself
+before long.
+
+"We want to go through those d--d Abolitionists, and we will do it,
+too. They may dodge us for a while, but we will have them by-and-by."
+
+Not being privileged to "go through" me as they had anticipated, the
+gentlemanly guerrillas went through the overseer. They took his money,
+his hat, his pantaloons, and his saddle. His horse was standing in
+the stable, and they took that also. They found four of our mules, and
+appropriated them to their own use. They frightened one of the negroes
+into telling where certain articles were concealed, and were thus
+enabled to carry off a goodly amount of plunder. They threatened Mr.
+Owen with the severest punishment, if he remained any longer on the
+plantation. They possessed themselves of a "protection" paper which
+Mrs. B. had received from the commander at Natchez several months
+before, and were half inclined to burn her buildings as a punishment
+for having sought the favor of the Yankees. Their stay was of only an
+hour's duration.
+
+From our plantation the robbers went to the one next above, where they
+were more fortunate in finding the lessees at home. They surrounded
+the house in the same manner they had surrounded ours, and then burst
+open the doors. The lessees were plundered of every thing in the shape
+of money, watches, and knives, and were forced to exchange hats
+and coats with their captors. One of the guerrillas observed an
+ivory-headed pencil, which he appropriated to his own use, with the
+remark:
+
+"They don't make these things back here in the woods. When they do, I
+will send this one back."
+
+These lessees were entertaining some friends on that evening, and
+begged the guerrillas to show them some distinction.
+
+"D--n your friends," said the guerrilla leader; "I suppose they are
+Yankees?"
+
+"Yes, they are; we should claim friendship with nobody else."
+
+"Then we want to see what they have, and go through them if it is
+worth the while."
+
+The strangers were unceremoniously searched. Their united
+contributions to the guerrilla treasury were two watches, two
+revolvers, three hundred dollars in money, and their hats and
+overcoats. Their horses and saddles were also taken. In consideration
+of their being guests of the house, these gentlemen were allowed to
+retain their coats. They were presented with five dollars each, to pay
+their expenses to Natchez. No such courtesy was shown to the lessees
+of the plantation.
+
+On the following morning, I was awakened at an early hour by the
+arrival of a negro from our plantation, with news of the raid. A
+little later, Mr. Owen made his appearance, wearing pantaloons and hat
+that belonged to one of the negroes. The pantaloons were too small and
+the hat too large; both had long before seen their best days. He was
+riding a mule, on which was tied an old saddle, whose cohesive powers
+were very doubtful. I listened to the story of the raid, and was
+convinced another visit would be made very soon. I gave directions
+for the overseer to gather all the remaining mules and take them to
+Natchez for safety.
+
+I stopped with my friend until nearly noon, and then accompanied
+him to Natchez. On the next morning, I learned that the guerrillas
+returned to our plantation while I was at my friend's house. They
+carried away what they were unable to take on the previous night They
+needed a wagon for purposes of transportation, and took one of ours,
+and with it all the mules they could find. Our house was stripped of
+every thing of any value, and I hoped the guerrillas would have no
+occasion to make subsequent visits. Several of our mules were saved by
+running them into the woods adjoining the plantation. These were taken
+to Natchez, and, for a time, all work on the prospective cotton crop
+came to an end.
+
+For nearly three weeks, the guerrillas had full and free range in the
+vicinity of the leased plantations. One after another of the lessees
+were driven to seek refuge at Natchez, and their work was entirely
+suspended. The only plantations undisturbed were those within a
+mile or two of Vidalia. As the son of Adjutant-General Thomas was
+interested in one of these plantations, and intimate friends of that
+official were concerned in others, it was proper that they should
+be well protected. The troops at Vidalia were kept constantly on the
+look-out to prevent raids on these favored localities.
+
+Nearly every day I heard of a fresh raid in our neighborhood,
+though, after the first half-dozen visits, I could not learn that the
+guerrillas carried away any thing, for the simple reason there was
+nothing left to steal. Some of the negroes remained at home, while
+others fled to the military posts for protection. The robbers showed
+no disposition to maltreat the negroes, and repeatedly assured
+them they should not be disturbed as long as they remained on the
+plantations and planted nothing but corn. It was declared that cotton
+should not be cultivated under any circumstances, and the negroes were
+threatened with the severest punishment if they assisted in planting
+that article.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XL.
+
+PECULIARITIES OF PLANTATION LABOR.
+
+Resuming Operation.--Difficulties in the Way.--A New Method of Healing
+the Sick.--A Thief Discovered by his Ignorance of Arithmetic.--How
+Cotton is Planted.--The Uses of Cotton-Seed.--A Novel
+Sleeping-Room.--Constructing a Tunnel.--Vigilance of a Negro Sentinel.
+
+
+On the 24th of March a small post was established at Waterproof, and
+on the following day we recommenced our enterprise at the plantation.
+We were much crippled, as nearly all our mules were gone, and the work
+of replacing them could not be done in a day. The market at Natchez
+was not supplied with mules, and we were forced to depend upon the
+region around us. Three days after the establishment of the post we
+were able to start a half-dozen plows, and within two weeks we had
+our original force in the field. The negroes that had left during the
+raid, returned to us. Under the superintendence of our overseer
+the work was rapidly pushed. Richmond was back again on our smaller
+plantation, whence he had fled during the disturbances, and was
+displaying an energy worthy of the highest admiration.
+
+Our gangs were out in full force. There was the trash-gang clearing
+the ground for the plows, and the plow-gang busy at its appropriate
+work. The corn-gang, with two ox-teams, was gathering corn at the rate
+of a hundred bushels daily, and the fence-gang was patting the fences
+in order. The shelling-gang (composed of the oldest men and women)
+was husking and shelling corn, and putting it in sacks for market.
+The gardener, the stock-tenders, the dairy-maids, nurserymaids,
+hog-minders, and stable-keepers were all in their places, and we began
+to forget our recent troubles in the apparent prospect of success.
+
+One difficulty of the new system presented itself. Several of the
+negroes began to feign sickness, and cheat the overseer whenever it
+could be done with impunity. It is a part of the overseer's duty to go
+through the quarters every morning, examine such as claim to be sick,
+determine whether their sickness be real or pretended, and make the
+appropriate prescriptions. Under the old system the pretenders were
+treated to a liberal application of the lash, which generally drove
+away all fancied ills. Sometimes, one who was really unwell, was
+most unmercifully flogged by the overseer, and death not unfrequently
+ensued from this cause.
+
+As there was now no fear of the lash, some of the lazily-inclined
+negroes would feign sickness, and thus be excused from the field. The
+trouble was not general, but sufficiently prevalent to be annoying. We
+saw that some course must be devised to overcome this evil, and keep
+in the field all who were really able to be there.
+
+We procured some printed tickets, which the overseer was to issue
+at the close of each day. There were three colors--red, yellow, and
+white. The first were for a full day's work, the second for a half
+day, and the last for a quarter day. On the face of each was the
+following:--
+
+AQUASCO & MONONO
+PLANTATIONS.
+1864.
+
+These tickets were given each day to such as deserved them. They were
+collected every Saturday, and proper credit given for the amount of
+labor performed during the week. The effect was magical. The day
+after the adoption of our ticket system our number of sick was reduced
+one-half, and we had no further trouble with pretended patients.
+Colburn and myself, in our new character of "doctors," found our
+practice greatly diminished in consequence of our innovations.
+Occasionally it would happen that one who was not really able to work,
+would go to the field through a fear of diminished wages.
+
+One Saturday night, a negro whom we had suspected of thievish
+propensities, presented eight full-day tickets as the representative
+of his week's work.
+
+"Did you earn all these this week?" I asked.
+
+"Yes, sir," was the reply; "Mr. Owen gave them to me. I worked every
+day, straight along."
+
+"Can you tell me on which days he gave you each ticket?"
+
+"Oh, yes. I knows every one of them," said the negro, his countenance
+expressing full belief in his ability to locate each ticket.
+
+As I held the tickets in my hand, the negro picked them out. "Mr. Owen
+gave me this one Monday, this one Tuesday," and so on, toward the end
+of the week. As he reached Friday, and saw three tickets remaining,
+when there was only another day to be accounted for, his face suddenly
+fell. I pretended not to notice his embarrassment.
+
+"Which one did he give you to-day?"
+
+There was a stammer, a hesitation, a slight attempt to explain, and
+then the truth came out. He had stolen the extra tickets from two
+fellow-laborers only a few minutes before, and had not reflected
+upon the difficulties of the situation. I gave him some good advice,
+required him to restore the stolen tickets, and promise he would not
+steal any more. I think he kept the promise during the remainder of
+his stay on the plantation, but am by no means certain.
+
+Every day, when the weather was favorable, our work was pushed. Every
+mule that could be found was put at once into service, and by the
+15th of April we had upward of five hundred acres plowed and ready for
+planting. We had planted about eighty acres of corn during the first
+week of April, and arranged to commence planting cotton on Monday,
+the 18th of the month. On the Saturday previous, the overseer on each
+plantation organized his planting-gangs, and placed every thing in
+readiness for active work.
+
+The ground, when plowed for cotton, is thrown into a series of ridges
+by a process technically known as "four-furrowing." Two furrows are
+turned in one direction and two in another, thus making a ridge
+four or five feet wide. Along the top of this ridge a "planter," or
+"bull-tongue," is drawn by a single mule, making a channel two or
+three inches in depth. A person carrying a bag of cotton seed follows
+the planter and scatters the seed into the channel. A small harrow
+follows, covering the seed, and the work of planting is complete.
+
+A planting-gang consists of drivers for the planters, drivers for the
+harrows, persons who scatter the seed, and attendants to supply
+them with seed. The seed is drawn from the gin-house to the field
+in ox-wagons, and distributed in convenient piles of ten or twenty
+bushels each.
+
+Cotton-seed has never been considered of any appreciable value, and
+consequently the negroes are very wasteful in using it. In sowing it
+in the field, they scatter at least twenty times as much as necessary,
+and all advice to use less is unheeded. It is estimated that there are
+forty bushels of seed to every bale of cotton produced. A plantation
+that sends a thousand bales of cotton to market will thus have forty
+thousand bushels of seed, for which there was formerly no sale.
+
+With the most lavish use of the article, there was generally a surplus
+at the end of the year. Cattle and sheep will eat cotton-seed, though
+not in large quantities. Boiled cotton-seed is fed to hogs on all
+plantations, but it is far behind corn in nutritious and fattening
+qualities. Cotton-seed is packed around the roots of small trees,
+where it is necessary to give them warmth or furnish a rich soil for
+their growth. To some extent it is used as fuel for steam-engines, on
+places where the machinery is run by steam. When the war deprived the
+Southern cities of a supply of coal for their gasworks, many of them
+found cotton seed a very good substitute. Oil can be extracted from it
+in large quantities. For several years, the Cotton-Seed Oil Works of
+Memphis carried on an extensive business. Notwithstanding the many
+uses to which cotton-seed can be applied, its great abundance makes it
+of little value.
+
+The planting-gang which we started on that Monday morning, consisted
+of five planters and an equal number of harrows, sowers, etc. Each
+planter passed over about six acres daily, so that every day gave us
+thirty acres of our prospective cotton crop. At the end of the week
+we estimated we had about a hundred and seventy acres planted. On the
+following week we increased the number of planters, but soon reduced
+them, as we found we should overtake the plows earlier than we
+desired. By the evening of Monday, May 2d, we had planted upward of
+four hundred acres. A portion of it was pushing out of the ground, and
+giving promise of rapid growth.
+
+During this period the business was under the direct superintendence
+of our overseers, Mr. Owen being responsible for the larger
+plantation, and Richmond for the smaller. Every day they were visited
+by Colburn or myself--sometimes by both of us--and received directions
+for the general management, which they carried out in detail. Knowing
+the habits of the guerrillas, we did not think it prudent to sleep in
+our house at the plantation. Those individuals were liable to announce
+their presence at any hour of the night, by quietly surrounding the
+house and requesting its inmates to make their appearance.
+
+When I spent the night at the plantation, I generally slept on a pile
+of cotton-seed, in an out-building to which I had secretly conveyed a
+pair of blankets and a flour-bag. This bag, filled with seed, served
+as my pillow, and though my bed lacked the elasticity of a spring
+mattress, it was really quite comfortable. My sleeping-place was at
+the foot of a huge pile of seed, containing many hundred bushels. One
+night I amused myself by making a tunnel into this pile in much the
+same way as a squirrel digs into a hillside. With a minute's warning
+I could have "hunted my hole," taking my blankets with me. By filling
+the entrance with seed, I could have escaped any ordinary search of
+the building. I never had occasion to use my tunnel.
+
+Generally, however, we staid in Waterproof, leaving there early in the
+morning, taking breakfast at the upper plantation, inspecting the work
+on both plantations, and, after dinner, returning to Waterproof. We
+could obtain a better dinner at the plantation than Waterproof was
+able to furnish us. Strawberries held out until late in the season,
+and we had, at all times, chickens, eggs, and milk in abundance.
+Whenever we desired roast lamb, our purveyor caused a good selection
+to be made from our flock. Fresh pork was much too abundant for our
+tastes, and we astonished the negroes and all other natives of that
+region, by our seemingly Jewish propensities. Pork and corn-bread
+are the great staples of life in that hot climate, where one would
+naturally look for lighter articles of food.
+
+Once I was detained on the plantation till after dark. As I rode
+toward Waterproof, expecting the negro sentinel to challenge and halt
+me, I was suddenly brought to a stand by the whistling of a bullet
+close to my ear, followed by several others at wider range.
+
+"Who comes there?"
+
+"A friend, with the countersign."
+
+"If that's so, come in. We thought you was the Rebels."
+
+As I reached the picket, the corporal of the guard explained that they
+were on duty for the first time, and did not well understand their
+business. I agreed with him fully on the latter point. To fire upon a
+solitary horseman, advancing at a walk, and challenge him afterward,
+was something that will appear ridiculous in the eyes of all soldiers.
+The corporal and all his men promised to do better next time, and
+begged me not to report them at head-quarters. When I reached the
+center of the town, I found the garrison had been alarmed at the
+picket firing, and was turning out to repel the enemy. On my assurance
+that I was the "enemy," the order to fall into line of battle was
+countermanded.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI.
+
+THE NEGROES AT A MILITARY POST.
+
+The Soldiers at Waterproof.--The Black Man in Blue.--Mutiny and
+Desertion.--Their Cause and Cure.--Tendering a Resignation.--No Desire
+for a Barber.--Seeking Protection.--Falsehood and Truth.--Proneness to
+Exaggeration.--Amusing Estimates.
+
+
+The soldiers forming the garrison at Waterproof, at that time, were
+from a regiment raised by Colonel Eaton, superintendent of contrabands
+at Vicksburg. They were recruited in the vicinity of Vicksburg and
+Milliken's Bend, especially for local defense. They made, as the
+negro everywhere has made, excellent material for the army. Easily
+subordinate, prompt, reliable, and keenly alert when on duty (as their
+shooting at me will evince), they completely gave the lie to the Rebel
+assertion that the negro would prove worthless under arms.
+
+On one point only were they inclined to be mutinous. Their home ties
+were very strong, and their affection for their wives and children
+could not be overcome at once. It appeared that when this regiment
+was organized it was expected to remain at Milliken's Bend, where the
+families of nearly all the men were gathered. The order transferring
+them to Waterproof was unlooked for, and the men made some complaint.
+This was soon silenced, but after the regiment had been there three or
+four weeks, a half-dozen of the men went out of the lines one night,
+and started to walk to Milliken's Bend. They were brought back,
+and, after several days in the guardhouse, returned to duty. Others
+followed their example in attempting to go home, and for a while
+the camp was in a disturbed condition. Desertions were of daily
+occurrence.
+
+It was difficult to make them understand they were doing wrong. The
+army regulations and the intricacies of military law were unknown to
+them. They had never studied any of General Halleck's translations
+from the French, and, had they done so, I doubt if they would have
+been much enlightened. None of them knew what "desertion" meant,
+nor the duties of a soldier to adhere to his flag at all times. All
+intended to return to the post after making a brief visit to their
+families. Most of them would request their comrades to notify their
+captains that they would only be absent a short time. Two, who
+succeeded in eluding pursuit, made their appearance one morning as
+if nothing had happened, and assured their officers that others
+would shortly be back again. Gradually they came to understand
+the wickedness of desertion, or absence without leave, but this
+comprehension of their obligations was not easily acquired.
+
+A captain, commanding a company at Waterproof, told me an amusing
+story of a soldier "handing in his resignation." As the captain was
+sitting in front of his quarters, one of his men approached him,
+carrying his musket and all his accoutrements. Without a word the man
+laid his entire outfit upon the ground, in front of the captain, and
+then turned to walk away.
+
+"Come back here," said the officer; "what do you mean by this?"
+
+"I'se tired of staying here, and I'se going home," was the negro's
+answer, and he again attempted to move off.
+
+"Come back here and pick these things up," and the captain spoke in a
+tone that convinced the negro he would do well to obey.
+
+The negro told his story. He was weary of the war; he had been four
+weeks a soldier; he wanted to see his family, and had concluded to
+go home. If the captain desired it, he, would come back in a little
+while, but he was going home then, "_any how_."
+
+The officer possessed an amiable disposition, and explained to
+the soldier the nature of military discipline. The latter was soon
+convinced he had done wrong, and returned without a murmur to his
+duty. Does any soldier, who reads this, imagine himself tendering his
+resignation in the above manner with any prospect of its acceptance?
+
+When the first regiment of colored volunteers was organized in Kansas,
+it was mainly composed of negroes who had escaped from slavery in
+Missouri. They were easily disciplined save upon a single point, and
+on this they were very obstinate. Many of the negroes in Missouri, as
+in other parts of the South, wear their hair, or wool, in little knots
+or braids. They refused to submit to a close shearing, and threatened
+to return to their masters rather than comply with the regulation.
+Some actually left the camp and went home. The officers finally
+carried their point by inducing some free negroes in Leavenworth,
+whose heads were adorned with the "fighting cut," to visit the camp
+and tell the obstinate ones that long locks were a badge of servitude.
+
+The negroes on our plantation, as well as elsewhere, had a strong
+desire to go to Waterproof to see the soldiers. Every Sunday they were
+permitted to go there to attend church, the service being conducted by
+one of their own color. They greatly regretted that the soldiers
+did not parade on that day, as they missed their opportunities for
+witnessing military drills. To the negroes from plantations in the
+hands of disloyal owners, the military posts were a great attraction,
+and they would suffer all privations rather than return home. Some
+of them declared they would not go outside the lines under any
+consideration. We needed more assistance on our plantation, but it
+was next to impossible to induce negroes to go there after they found
+shelter at the military posts. Dread of danger and fondness for their
+new life were their reasons for remaining inside the lines. A portion
+were entirely idle, but there were many who adopted various modes of
+earning their subsistence.
+
+At Natchez, Vicksburg, and other points, dealers in fruit, coffee,
+lemonade, and similar articles, could be found in abundance. There
+were dozens of places where washing was taken in, though it was not
+always well done. Wood-sawing, house-cleaning, or any other kind of
+work requiring strength, always found some one ready to perform it.
+Many of those who found employment supported themselves, while
+those who could not or would not find it, lived at the expense of
+Government. The latter class was greatly in the majority.
+
+I have elsewhere inserted the instructions which are printed in every
+"Plantation Record," for the guidance of overseers in the olden time.
+"Never trust a negro," is the maxim given by the writer of those
+instructions. I was frequently cautioned not to believe any statements
+made by negroes. They were charged with being habitual liars, and
+entitled to no credence whatever. Mrs. B. constantly assured me the
+negroes were great liars, and I must not believe them. This assurance
+would be generally given when I cited them in support of any thing
+she did not desire to approve. _Per contra_, she had no hesitation in
+referring to the negroes to support any of her statements which their
+testimony would strengthen. This was not altogether feminine weakness,
+as I knew several instances in which white persons of the sterner sex
+made reference to the testimony of slaves. The majority of Southern
+men refuse to believe them on all occasions; but there are many who
+refer to them if their statements are advantageous, yet declare them
+utterly unworthy of credence when the case is reversed.
+
+I have met many negroes who could tell falsehoods much easier than
+they could tell the truth. I have met others who saw no material
+difference between truth and its opposite; and I have met many whose
+statements could be fully relied upon. During his whole life, from
+the very nature of the circumstances which, surround him, the slave
+is trained in deception. If he did not learn to lie it would be
+exceedingly strange. It is my belief that the negroes are as truthful
+as could be expected from their education. White persons, under
+similar experience and training, would not be good examples for the
+young to imitate. The negroes tell many lies, but all negroes are
+not liars. Many white persons tell the truth, but I have met, in the
+course of my life, several men, of the Caucasian race, who never told
+the truth unless by accident.
+
+I found in the plantation negroes a proneness to exaggeration, in
+cases where their fears or desires were concerned. One day, a negro
+from the back country came riding rapidly to our plantation, declaring
+that the woods, a mile distant, were "full of Rebels," and asking
+where the Yankee soldiers were. I questioned him for some time. When
+his fears were quieted, I ascertained that he had seen three mounted
+men, an hour before, but did not know what they were, or whether armed
+or not.
+
+When I took the plantations, Mrs. B. told me there were twenty bales
+of cotton already picked; the negroes had told her so. When I surveyed
+the place on the first day of my occupation, the negroes called my
+attention to the picked cotton, of which they thought there were
+twenty or twenty-five bales. With my little experience in cotton, I
+felt certain there would be not more than seven bales of that lot.
+When it was passed through the gin and pressed, there were but five
+bales.
+
+We wished to plant about fifty acres of corn on the larger plantation.
+There was a triangular patch in one corner that we estimated to
+contain thirty acres. The foreman of the plow-gang, who had lived
+twenty years on the place, thought there were about sixty acres. He
+was surprised when we found, by actual measurement, that the patch
+contained twenty-eight acres. Another spot, which he thought contained
+twenty acres, measured less than ten. Doubtless the man's judgment had
+been rarely called for, and its exercise, to any extent, was decidedly
+a new sensation.
+
+Any thing to which the negroes were unaccustomed became the subject
+of amusing calculations. The "hog-minder" could estimate with
+considerable accuracy the weight of a hog, either live or dressed.
+When I asked him how much he supposed his own weight to be, he was
+entirely lost. On my demanding an answer, he thought it might be three
+hundred pounds. A hundred and sixty would not have been far from the
+real figure.
+
+Incorrect judgment is just as prevalent among ignorant whites as
+among negroes, though with the latter there is generally a tendency to
+overestimate. Where negroes make wrong estimates, in three cases out
+of four they will be found excessive. With whites the variation will
+be diminutive as often as excessive. In judging of numbers of men, a
+column of troops, for example, both races are liable to exaggerate,
+the negro generally going beyond the pale-face. Fifty mounted men may
+ride past a plantation. The white inhabitants will tell you a hundred
+soldiers have gone by, while the negroes will think there were two or
+three hundred.
+
+I was often surprised at the ability of the negroes to tell the names
+of the steamboats plying on the river. None of the negroes could
+read, but many of them would designate the different boats with great
+accuracy. They recognized the steamers as they would recognize the
+various trees of the forest. When a new boat made its appearance they
+inquired its name, and forgot it very rarely.
+
+On one occasion a steamer came in sight, on her way up the river.
+Before she was near enough for me to make out the name on her side,
+one of the negroes declared it was the _Laurel Hill_. His statement
+proved correct. It was worthy of note that the boat had not passed
+that point for nearly a year previous to that day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLII.
+
+THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT.
+
+The Nature of our "Protection."--Trade Following the Flag.--A
+Fortunate Journey.--Our Last Visit.--Inhumanity of the
+Guerrillas.--Driving Negroes into Captivity.--Killing an
+Overseer.--Our Final Departure.--Plantations Elsewhere.
+
+
+We did not look upon the post at Waterproof as a sure protection.
+There was no cavalry to make the promised patrol between Waterproof
+and the post next below it, or to hunt down any guerrillas that might
+come near. A few of the soldiers were mounted on mules and horses
+taken from the vicinity, but they were not effective for rapid
+movements. It was understood, and semi-officially announced, that the
+post was established for the protection of Government plantations. The
+commandant assured me he had no orders to that effect. He was placed
+there to defend the post, and nothing else. We were welcome to any
+protection his presence afforded, but he could not go outside the
+limits of the town to make any effort in our behalf.
+
+There was a store at Waterproof which was doing a business of two
+thousand dollars daily. Every day the wives, brothers, or sisters of
+men known to belong to the marauding bands in the vicinity, would come
+to the town and make any purchases they pleased, frequently paying for
+them in money which the guerrillas had stolen. A gentleman, who was an
+intimate friend of General Thomas, was one of the proprietors of this
+store, and a son of that officer was currently reported to hold an
+interest in it. After a time the ownership was transferred to a single
+cotton speculator, but the trading went on without hinderance. This
+speculator told me the guerrilla leader had sent him a verbal promise
+that the post should not be disturbed or menaced so long as the store
+remained there. Similar scenes were enacted at nearly all the posts
+established for the "protection" of leased plantations. Trading stores
+were in full operation, and the amount of goods that reached the
+Rebels and their friends was enormous.
+
+I have little doubt that this course served to prolong the resistance
+to our arms along the Mississippi River. If we had stopped all
+commercial intercourse with the inhabitants, we should have removed
+the inducement for Rebel troops to remain in our vicinity. As matters
+were managed, they kept close to our lines at all the military posts
+between Cairo and Baton Rouge, sometimes remaining respectfully quiet,
+and at others making occasional raids within a thousand yards of our
+pickets.
+
+The absence of cavalry, and there being no prospect that any would
+arrive, led us to believe that we could not long remain unmolested. We
+were "in for it," however, and continued to plow and plant, trusting
+to good fortune in getting safely through. Our misfortune came at
+last, and brought our free-labor enterprise to an untimely end.
+
+As I stated in the previous chapter, Colburn and myself made daily
+visits to the plantation, remaining there for dinner, and returning
+to Waterproof in the afternoon. On Monday, May 2d, we made our usual
+visit, and returned to the post. A steamer touched there, on its way
+to Natchez, just after our return, and we accepted the invitation of
+her captain to go to that place. Our journey to Natchez was purely
+from impulse, and without any real or ostensible business to call us
+away. It proved, personally, a very fortunate journey.
+
+On Tuesday evening, a neighbor of ours reached Natchez, bringing news
+that the guerrillas had visited our plantation on that day. I hastened
+to Waterproof by the first boat, and found our worst fears were
+realized.
+
+Thirty guerrillas had surrounded our house at the hour we were
+ordinarily at dinner. They called our names, and commanded us to come
+out and be shot. The house was empty, and as there was no compliance
+with the request, a half-dozen of the party, pistols in hand, searched
+the building, swearing they would kill us on the spot. Had we been
+there, I have no doubt the threat would have been carried out.
+
+Failing to find us, they turned their attention to other matters. They
+caught our overseer as he was attempting to escape toward Waterproof.
+He was tied upon his horse, and guarded until the party was ready to
+move. The teams were plowing in the field at the time the robbers
+made their appearance. Some of the negroes unloosed the mules from the
+plows, mounted them, and fled to Waterproof. Others, who were slow in
+their movements, were captured with the animals. Such of the
+negroes as were not captured at once, fled to the woods or concealed
+themselves about the buildings.
+
+Many of the negroes on the plantation were personally known to some of
+the guerrillas. In most cases these negroes were not disturbed. Others
+were gathered in front of the house, where they were drawn up in line
+and securely tied. Some of them were compelled to mount the captured
+mules and ride between their captors.
+
+Several children were thrown upon the mules, or taken by the
+guerrillas on their own horses, where they were firmly held. No
+attention was paid to the cries of the children or the pleadings of
+their mothers. Some of the latter followed their children, as the
+guerrillas had, doubtless, expected. In others, the maternal instinct
+was less than the dread of captivity. Among those taken was an infant,
+little more than eight months old.
+
+Delaying but a few moments, the captors and the captives moved away.
+Nineteen of our negroes were carried off, of whom ten were children
+under eleven years of age. Of the nineteen, five managed to make their
+escape within a few miles, and returned home during the night. One
+woman, sixty-five years old, who had not for a long time been able
+to do any work, was among those driven off. She fell exhausted before
+walking three miles, and was beaten by the guerrillas until she lay
+senseless by the roadside. It was not for several hours that she
+recovered sufficiently to return to the plantation and tell the story
+of barbarity.
+
+From a plantation adjoining ours, thirty negroes were carried away
+at the same time. Of these, a half-dozen escaped and returned.
+The balance, joined to the party from our own plantation, formed a
+mournful procession. I heard of them at many points, from residents of
+the vicinity. These persons would not admit that the guerrillas were
+treating the negroes cruelly. Those who escaped had a frightful story
+to tell. They had been beaten most barbarously with whips, sticks, and
+frequently with the butts of pistols; two or three were left senseless
+by the roadside, and one old man had been shot, because he was too
+much exhausted to go further. I learned, a few days later, that
+the captured negroes were taken to Winnsboro; a small town in the
+interior, and there sold to a party of Texas traders.
+
+From our plantation the guerrillas stole twenty-four mules at the time
+of their visit, and an equal number from our neighbors. These were
+sold to the same party of traders that purchased the negroes, and
+there was evidently as little compunction at speculating in the one
+"property" as in the other.
+
+Our overseer, Mr. Owen, had been bound upon his horse and taken away.
+This I learned from the negroes remaining on the plantation. I made
+diligent inquiries of parties who arrived from the direction taken by
+the guerrillas, to ascertain, if possible, where he had been carried.
+One person assured me, positively, that he saw Mr. Owen, a prisoner,
+twenty miles away. Mrs.
+
+Owen and five children were living at Waterproof, and, of course, were
+much alarmed on hearing of his capture.
+
+It was on Thursday, two days after the raid, that I visited the
+plantation. Our lower plantation had not been disturbed, but many of
+the negroes were gone, and all work was suspended. It was of no use
+to attempt to prosecute the planting enterprise, and we immediately
+prepared to abandon the locality. The remaining negroes were set at
+work to shell the corn already gathered. As fast as shelled, it
+was taken to Waterproof for shipment to market. The plows were left
+rusting in the furrows, where they were standing at the moment the
+guerrillas appeared. The heaps of cotton-seed and the implements used
+by the planting-gang remained in _statu quo_. The cotton we planted
+was growing finely. To leave four hundred acres thus growing, and
+giving promise of a fine harvest, was to throw away much labor, but
+there was no alternative.
+
+On Saturday, four days after the raid, the corporal of a scouting
+party came to our plantation and said the body of a white man had been
+found in the woods a short distance away. I rode with him to the spot
+he designated. The mystery concerning the fate of our overseer was
+cleared up. The man was murdered within a thousand yards of the house.
+
+From the main road leading past our plantation, a path diverged into
+the forest. This path was taken by some of the guerrillas in their
+retreat. Following it two hundred yards, and then turning a short
+distance to the left, I found a small cypress-tree, not more than
+thirty feet high. One limb of this tree drooped as it left the trunk,
+and then turned upward. The lowest part of the bend of this limb was
+not much higher than a tall man's head.
+
+It was just such a tree, and just such a limb, as a party bent on
+murder would select for hanging their victim. I thought, and still
+think, that the guerrillas turned aside with the design of using the
+rope as the instrument of death. Under this tree lay the remains of
+our overseer. The body was fast decomposing. A flock of buzzards was
+gathered around, and was driven away with difficulty. They had already
+begun their work, so that recognition under different circumstances
+would not have been easy. The skull was detached from the body, and
+lay with the face uppermost. A portion of the scalp adhered to it, on
+which a gray lock was visible. A bit of gray beard was clinging to the
+chin.
+
+In the centre of the forehead there was a perforation, evidently made
+by a pistol-bullet. Death must have been instantaneous, the pistol
+doing the work which the murderers doubtless intended to accomplish by
+other means. The body had been stripped of all clothing, save a single
+under-garment. Within a dozen yards lay a pair of old shoes, and close
+by their side a tattered and misshapen hat. The shoes and hat were not
+those which our overseer had worn, but were evidently discarded by
+the guerrillas when they appropriated the apparel of their victim. I
+caused a grave to be dug, and the remains placed in a rude coffin and
+buried. If a head-stone had been obtainable, I would have given the
+locality a permanent designation. The particulars of the murder we
+were never able to ascertain.
+
+Three days later we abandoned the plantation. We paid the negroes
+for the work they had done, and discharged them from further service.
+Those that lived on the plantation previous to our going there,
+generally remained, as the guerrillas had assured them they would
+be unmolested if they cultivated no cotton. A few of them went to
+Natchez, to live near their "missus." Those whom we had hired from
+other localities scattered in various directions. Some went to the
+Contraband Home at Davis's Bend, others to the negro quarters at
+Natchez, others to plantations near Vidalia, and a few returned to
+their former homes. Our "family" of a hundred and sixty persons was
+thus broken up.
+
+We removed the widow and children of our overseer to Natchez, and
+purchased for them the stock and goodwill of a boarding-house keeper.
+We sent a note to the leader of the guerrilla band that manifested
+such a desire to "go through" us, and informed him that we could
+be found in St. Louis or New York. Before the end of May we passed
+Vicksburg on our Journey Due North.
+
+Most of the plantations in the vicinity of Natchez, Vicksburg, and
+Milliken's Bend were given up. Probably a dozen lessees were killed,
+and the same number carried to Texas. Near Vicksburg, the chivalric
+guerrillas captured two lessees, and tortured them most barbarously
+before putting them to death. They cut off the ears of one man, and
+broke his nose by a blow from a club. Thus mutilated, he was compelled
+to walk three or four miles. When he fell, fainting from loss of
+blood, he was tied to a tree, and the privilege of shooting him
+was sold at auction. They required his companion to witness these
+brutalities. Whenever he turned away his eyes, his captors pressed the
+point of a saber into his cheek. Finally, they compelled him to take
+a spade and dig his own grave. When it was finished, they stripped
+him of his clothing, and shot him as he stood by the brink of the
+newly-opened trench.
+
+Blanchard and Robinson, two lessees near Natchez, both of them
+residents of Boston, were murdered with nearly the same fiendishness
+as exhibited in the preceding case. Their fate was for some time
+unknown. It was at length ascertained from a negro who was captured at
+the same time, but managed to escape. That "slavery makes barbarians"
+would seem to be well established by the conduct of these residents of
+Louisiana.
+
+In the vicinity of Baton Rouge and New Orleans there were but few
+guerrillas, and the plantations generally escaped undisturbed. In all
+localities the "army-worm" made its appearance in July and August, and
+swept away almost the entire crop. Many plantations that were expected
+to yield a thousand bales did not yield a hundred, and some of them
+made less than ten. The appearance of this destructive worm was very
+sudden. On some plantations, where the cotton was growing finely and
+without a trace of blight, the fields, three days later, appeared as
+if swept by fire. There was consequently but little cotton made during
+the season.
+
+The possibility of producing the great staples of the South by
+free labor was fully established. Beyond this there was little
+accomplished.
+
+My four months of cotton-planting was an experience I shall
+never regret, though I have no desire to renew it under similar
+circumstances. Agriculture is generally considered a peaceful pursuit.
+To the best of my recollection I found it quite the reverse.
+
+For the benefit of those who desire to know the process of cotton
+culture, from the planting season to the picking season, I give the
+following extract from an article written by Colonel T. B. Thorpe,
+of Louisiana, several years ago. After describing the process of
+preparing the ground and planting the seed, Colonel Thorpe says:--
+
+
+
+If the weather be favorable, the young plant is discovered making its
+way through in six or ten days, and "the scraping" of the crop, as it
+is termed, now begins. A light plow is again called into requisition,
+which is run along the drill, throwing the _earth away from the
+plant;_ then come the laborers with their hoes, who dexterously cut
+away the superabundant shoots and the intruding weeds, and leave a
+single cotton-plant in little hills, generally two feet apart.
+
+Of all the labors of the field, the dexterity displayed by the negroes
+in "scraping cotton" is most calculated to call forth the admiration
+of the novice spectator. The hoe is a rude instrument, however well
+made and handled; the young cotton-plant is as delicate as vegetation
+can be, and springs up in lines of solid masses, composed of hundreds
+of plants. The field-hand, however, will single one delicate shoot
+from the surrounding multitude, and with his rude hoe he will trim
+away the remainder with all the boldness of touch of a master, leaving
+the incipient stalk unharmed and alone in its glory; and at nightfall
+you can look along the extending rows, and find the plants correct in
+line, and of the required distance of separation from each other.
+
+The planter, who can look over his field in early spring, and find his
+cotton "cleanly scraped" and his "stand" good, is fortunate; still,
+the vicissitudes attending the cultivation of the crop have only
+commenced. Many rows, from the operations of the "cut-worm," and from
+multitudinous causes unknown, have to be replanted, and an unusually
+late frost may destroy all his labors, and compel him to commence
+again. But, if no untoward accident occurs, in two weeks after the
+"scraping," another hoeing takes place, at which time the plow throws
+the furrow _on to the roots_ of the now strengthening plant, and the
+increasing heat of the sun also justifying the sinking of the roots
+deeper in the earth. The pleasant month of May is now drawing to a
+close, and vegetation of all kinds is struggling for precedence in
+the fields. Grasses and weeds of every variety, with vines and wild
+flowers, luxuriate in the newly-turned sod, and seem to be determined
+to choke out of existence the useful and still delicately-grown
+cotton.
+
+It is a season of unusual industry on the cotton plantations, and woe
+to the planter who is outstripped in his labors, and finds himself
+"overtaken by the grass." The plow tears up the surplus vegetation,
+and the hoe tops it off in its luxuriance. The race is a hard one, but
+industry conquers; and when the third working-over of the crop takes
+place, the cotton-plant, so much cherished and favored, begins to
+overtop its rivals in the fields--begins to cast _a chilling shade of
+superiority_ over its now intimidated groundlings, and commences to
+reign supreme.
+
+Through the month of July, the crop is wrought over for the last time;
+the plant, heretofore of slow growth, now makes rapid advances toward
+perfection. The plow and hoe are still in requisition. The "water
+furrows" between the cotton-rows are deepened, leaving the cotton
+growing as it were upon a slight ridge; this accomplished, the crop is
+prepared for the "rainy season," should it ensue, and so far advanced
+that it is, under any circumstances, beyond the control of art. Nature
+must now have its sway.
+
+The "cotton bloom," under the matured sun of July, begins to make
+its appearance. The announcement of the "first blossom" of the
+neighborhood is a matter of general interest; it is the unfailing sign
+of the approach of the busy season of fall; it is the evidence that
+soon the labor of man will, under a kind Providence, receive its
+reward.
+
+It should perhaps here be remarked, that the color of cotton in its
+perfection is precisely that of the blossom--a beautiful light,
+but warm cream-color. In buying cotton cloth, the "bleached" and
+"unbleached" are perceptibly different qualities to the most casual
+observer; but the dark hues and harsh look of the "unbleached
+domestic" comes from the handling of the artisan and the soot of
+machinery. If cotton, pure as it looks in the field, could be wrought
+into fabrics, they would have a brilliancy and beauty never yet
+accorded to any other material in its natural or artificial state.
+There cannot be a doubt but that, in the robes of the ancient royal
+Mexicans and Peruvians, this brilliant and natural gloss of cotton was
+preserved, and hence the surpassing value it possessed in the eyes of
+cavaliers accustomed to the fabrics of the splendid court of Ferdinand
+and Isabella.
+
+The cotton-blossom is exceedingly delicate in its organization. It is,
+if in perfection, as we have stated, of a beautiful cream-color.
+It unfolds in the night, remains in its glory through the morn--at
+meridian it has begun to decay. The day following its birth it has
+changed to a deep red, and ere the sun goes down, its petals have
+fallen to the earth, leaving inclosed in the capacious calyx a
+scarcely perceptible germ. This germ, in its incipient and early
+stages, is called "a form;" in its more perfected state, "a boll."
+
+The cotton-plant, like the orange, has often on one stalk every
+possible growth; and often, on the same limb, may sometimes be seen
+the first-opened blossom, and the bolls, from their first development
+as "forms," through every size, until they have burst open and
+scattered their rich contents to the ripening winds.
+
+The appearance of a well-cultivated cotton-field, if it has escaped
+the ravages of insects and the destruction of the elements, is of
+singular beauty. Although it may be a mile in extent, still it is as
+carefully wrought as is the mold of the limited garden of the coldest
+climate. The cotton-leaf is of a delicate green, large and luxuriant;
+the stalk indicates rapid growth, yet it has a healthy and firm look.
+Viewed from a distance, the perfecting plant has a warm and glowing
+expression. The size of the cotton-plant depends upon the accident
+of climate and soil. The cotton of Tennessee bears very little
+resemblance to the luxuriant growth of Alabama and Georgia; but even
+in those favored States the cotton-plant is not everywhere the same,
+for in the rich bottom-lands it grows to a commanding size, while in
+the more barren regions it is an humble shrub. In the rich alluvium of
+the Mississippi the cotton will tower beyond the reach of the tallest
+"picker," and a single plant will contain hundreds of perfect "bolls;"
+in the neighboring "piney-woods" it lifts its humble head scarcely
+above the knee, and is proportionably meager in its produce of fruit.
+
+The growing cotton is particularly liable to accidents, and suffers
+immensely in "wet seasons" from the "rust" and "rot." The first
+named affects the leaves, giving them a brown and deadened tinge, and
+frequently causes them to crumble away. The "rot" attacks the "boll."
+
+It commences by a black spot on the rind, which, increasing, seems to
+produce fermentation and decay. Worms find their way to the roots; the
+caterpillar eats into the "boll" and destroys the staple. It would be
+almost impossible to enumerate all the evils the cotton-plant is heir
+to, all of which, however, sink into nothingness compared with the
+scourge of the "army-worm."
+
+The moth that indicates the advent of the army-worm has a Quaker-like
+simplicity in its light, chocolate-colored body and wings, and, from
+its harmless appearance, would never be taken for the destroyer of
+vast fields of luxuriant and useful vegetation.
+
+The little, and, at first, scarcely to be perceived caterpillars that
+follow the appearance of these moths, can absolutely be seen to grow
+and swell beneath your eyes as they crawl from leaf to leaf. Day by
+day you can see the vegetation of vast fields becoming thinner and
+thinner, while the worm, constantly increasing in size, assumes at
+last an unctuous appearance most disgusting to behold. Arrived at
+maturity, a few hours only are necessary for these modern locusts
+to eat up all living vegetation that comes in their way. Leaving
+the localities of their birth, they will move from place to place,
+spreading a desolation as consuming as fire in their path.
+
+All efforts to arrest their progress or annihilate them prove
+unavailing. They seem to spring out of the ground, and fall from
+the clouds; and the more they are tormented and destroyed, the more
+perceptible, seemingly, is their power. We once witnessed the
+invasion of the army-worm, as it attempted to pass from a desolated
+cotton-field to one untouched. Between these fields was a wide ditch,
+which had been deepened, to prove a barrier to the onward march of
+the worm. Down the perpendicular sides of the trench the caterpillars
+rolled in untold millions, until its bottom, for nearly a mile in
+extent, was a foot or two deep in a living mass of animal life. To an
+immense piece of unhewn timber was attached a yoke of oxen, and, as
+this heavy log was drawn through the ditch, it seemed absolutely to
+float on a crushed mass of vegetable corruption. The following
+day, under the heat of a tropical sun, the stench arising from this
+decaying mass was perceptible the country round, giving a strange and
+incomprehensible notion of the power and abundance of this destroyer
+of the cotton crop.
+
+
+The change that has been effected by the result of the Rebellion, will
+not be confined to the social system alone. With the end of slavery
+there will be a destruction of many former applications of labor.
+Innovations have already been made, and their number will increase
+under the management of enterprising men.
+
+In Louisiana several planters were using a "drill" for depositing the
+cotton-seed in the ground. The labor of planting is reduced more than
+one-half, and that of "scraping" is much diminished. The saving
+of seed is very great--the drill using about a tenth of the amount
+required under the old system.
+
+One man is endeavoring to construct a machine that will pick cotton
+from the stalks, and is confident he will succeed. Should he do so,
+his patent will be of the greatest value. Owners of plantations
+have recently offered a present of ten thousand dollars to the first
+patentee of a successful machine of this character.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIII.
+
+THE MISSISSIPPI AND ITS PECULIARITIES.
+
+Length of the Great River, and the Area it Drains.--How Itasca Lake
+obtained its Name.--The Bends of the Mississippi.--Curious Effect upon
+Titles to Real Estate.--A Story of Napoleon.--A Steamboat Thirty-five
+Years under Water.--The Current and its Variations.--Navigating Cotton
+and Corn Fields.--Reminiscences of the Islands.
+
+
+As railways are to the East, so are the rivers to the West. The
+Mississippi, with its tributaries, drains an immense region, traversed
+in all directions by steamboats. From the Gulf of Mexico one can
+travel, by water to the Rocky Mountains, or to the Alleghanies, at
+pleasure. It is estimated there are twenty thousand miles of navigable
+streams which find an outlet past the city of New Orleans. The
+Mississippi Valley contains nearly a million and a quarter square
+miles, and is one of the most fertile regions on the globe.
+
+To a person born and reared in the East, the Mississippi presents many
+striking features. Above its junction with the Missouri, its water
+is clear and its banks are broken and picturesque. After it joins the
+Missouri the scene changes. The latter stream is of a chocolate hue,
+and its current is very rapid. All its characteristics are imparted
+to the combined stream. The Mississippi becomes a rapid, tortuous,
+seething torrent. It loses its blue, transparent water, and takes the
+complexion of the Missouri. Thus "it goes unvexed to the sea."
+
+There is a story concerning the origin of the name given to the source
+of the Mississippi, which I do not remember to have seen in print.
+A certain lake, which had long been considered the head of the Great
+River, was ascertained by an exploring party to have no claim to that
+honor. A new and smaller lake was discovered, in which the Mississippi
+took its rise. The explorers wished to give it an appropriate name. An
+old _voyageur_ suggested that they make a name, by coining a word.
+
+"Will some of you learned ones tell me," said he, "what is the Latin
+word for _true_?"
+
+"_Veritas_," was the response.
+
+"Well, now, what is the Latin for _head_"
+
+"_Caput_, of course."
+
+"Now," suggested the _voyageur_, "write the two words together, by
+syllables."
+
+A strip of birch bark was the tablet on which "_ver-i-tas-ca-put_" was
+traced.
+
+"Read it out," was his next request.
+
+The five syllables were read.
+
+"Now, drop the first and last syllables, and you have a name for this
+lake."
+
+In the Indian vernacular, "Mississippi" is said to signify "Great
+Water." "Missouri," according to some authorities, is the Indian for
+"Mud River," a most felicitous appellation. It should properly belong
+to the entire river from St. Louis to the Gulf, as that stream carries
+down many thousand tons of mud every year. During the many centuries
+that the Mississippi has been sweeping on its course, it has formed
+that long point of land known as the Delta, and shallowed the water in
+the Gulf of Mexico for more than two hundred miles.
+
+Flowing from north to south, the river passes through all the
+varieties of climate. The furs from the Rocky Mountains and the
+cereals of Wisconsin and Minnesota are carried on its bosom to the
+great city which stands in the midst of orange groves and inhales
+the fragrance of the magnolia. From January to June the floods of
+its tributaries follow in regular succession, as the opening spring
+loosens the snows that line their banks.
+
+The events of the war have made the Mississippi historic, and
+familiarized the public with some of its peculiarities. Its tortuosity
+is well known. The great bend opposite Vicksburg will be long
+remembered by thousands who have never seen it. This bend is eclipsed
+by many others. At "Terrapin Neck" the river flows twenty-one
+miles, and gains only three hundred yards. At "Raccourci Bend" was
+a peninsula twenty-eight miles around and only half a mile across.
+Several years ago a "cut-off" was made across this peninsula, for the
+purpose of shortening the course of the river. A small ditch was cut,
+and opened when the flood was highest.
+
+An old steamboat-man once told me that he passed the upper end of this
+ditch just as the water was let in. Four hours later, as he passed the
+lower end, an immense torrent was rushing through the channel, and the
+tall trees were falling like stalks of grain before a sickle.
+
+Within a week the new channel became the regular route for steamboats.
+
+Similar "cut-offs" have been made at various points along the river,
+some of them by artificial aid, and others entirely by the action of
+the water. The channel of the Mississippi is the dividing line of
+the States between which it flows, and the action of the river often
+changes the location of real estate. There is sometimes a material
+difference in the laws of States that lie opposite each other.
+The transfer of property on account of a change in the channel
+occasionally makes serious work with titles.
+
+I once heard of a case where the heirs to an estate lost their title,
+in consequence of the property being transferred from Mississippi to
+Louisiana, by reason of the course of the river being changed. In the
+former State they were heirs beyond dispute. In the latter their claim
+vanished into thin air.
+
+Once, while passing up the Mississippi, above Cairo, a
+fellow-passenger called my attention to a fine plantation, situated
+on a peninsula in Missouri. The river, in its last flood, had broken
+across the neck of the peninsula. It was certain the next freshet
+would establish the channel in that locality, thus throwing the
+plantation into Illinois. Unless the negroes should be removed before
+this event they would become free.
+
+"You see, sir," said my informant, "that this great river is an
+Abolitionist."
+
+The alluvial soil through which the Mississippi runs easily yields to
+the action of the fierce current. The land worn away at one point
+is often deposited, in the form of a bar or tongue of land, in the
+concave of the next bend. The area thus added becomes the property
+of whoever owns the river front. Many a man has seen his plantation
+steadily falling into the Mississippi, year by year, while a
+plantation, a dozen miles below, would annually find its area
+increased. Real estate on the banks of the Mississippi, unless upon
+the bluffs, has no absolute certainty of permanence. In several
+places, the river now flows where there were fine plantations ten or
+twenty years ago.
+
+Some of the towns along the Lower Mississippi are now, or soon
+will be, towns no more. At Waterproof, Louisiana, nearly the entire
+town-site, as originally laid out, has been washed away. In the
+four months I was in its vicinity, more than forty feet of its
+front disappeared. Eighteen hundred and seventy will probably find
+Waterproof at the bottom of the Mississippi. Napoleon, Arkansas, is
+following in the wake of Waterproof. If the distance between them
+were not so great, their sands might mingle. In view of the character
+Napoleon has long enjoyed, the friends of morality will hardly regret
+its loss.
+
+The steamboat captains have a story that a quiet clergyman from New
+England landed at Napoleon, one morning, and made his way to the
+hotel. He found the proprietor superintending the efforts of a negro,
+who was sweeping the bar-room floor. Noticing several objects of a
+spherical form among the _debris_ of the bar-room, the stranger asked
+their character.
+
+"Them round things? them's _eyes_. The boys amused themselves a little
+last night. Reckon there's 'bout a pint-cup full of eyes this mornin'.
+Sometimes we gets a quart or so, when business is good."
+
+Curious people were those natives of Arkansas, ten or twenty years
+ago. Schools were rare, and children grew up with little or no
+education. If there was a "barbarous civilization" anywhere in the
+United States, it was in Arkansas. In 1860, a man was hung at
+Napoleon for reading _The Tribune_. It is an open question whether the
+character of the paper or the man's ability to read was the reason for
+inflicting the death penalty.
+
+The current of the Mississippi causes islands to be destroyed in some
+localities and formed in others. A large object settling at the
+bottom of the stream creates an eddy, in which the floating sand is
+deposited. Under favorable circumstances an island will form in such
+an eddy, sometimes of considerable extent.
+
+About the year 1820, a steamboat, laden with lead, was sunk in
+mid-channel several miles below St. Louis. An island formed over this
+steamer, and a growth of cotton-wood trees soon covered it. These
+trees grew to a goodly size, and were cut for fuel. The island was
+cleared, and for several successive years produced fine crops of corn.
+About 1855, there was a change in the channel of the river, and the
+island disappeared. After much search the location of the sunken
+steamer was ascertained. By means of a diving-bell, its cargo of lead,
+which had been lying thirty-five years under earth and under water,
+was brought to light. The entire cargo was raised, together with a
+portion of the engines. The lead was uninjured, but the engines were
+utterly worthless after their long burial.
+
+The numerous bends of the Mississippi are of service in rendering the
+river navigable. If the channel were a straight line from Cairo to New
+Orleans, the current would be so strong that no boat could stem it.
+In several instances, where "cut-offs" have been made, the current
+at their outlets is so greatly increased that the opposite banks are
+washed away. New bends are thus formed that may, in time, be as large
+as those overcome. Distances have been shortened by "cut-offs," but
+the Mississippi displays a decided unwillingness to have its length
+curtailed.
+
+From St. Louis to the Red River the current of the Mississippi is
+about three miles an hour. It does not flow in a steady, unbroken
+volume. The surface is constantly ruffled by eddies and little
+whirlpools, caused by the inequalities of the bottom of the river, and
+the reflection of the current from the opposite banks. As one gazes
+upon the stream, it half appears as if heated by concealed fires,
+and ready to break into violent ebullition. The less the depth, the
+greater the disturbance of the current. So general is this rule,
+that the pilots judge of the amount of water by the appearance of the
+surface. Exceptions occur where the bottom, below the deep water, is
+particularly uneven.
+
+From its source to the mouth of Red River, the Mississippi is fed
+by tributaries. Below that point, it throws off several streams that
+discharge no small portion of its waters into the Gulf of Mexico.
+These streams, or "bayous," are narrow and tortuous, but generally
+deep, and navigable for ordinary steamboats. The "Atchafalaya" is the
+first, and enters the Gulf of Mexico at the bay of the same name. At
+one time it was feared the Mississippi might leave its present bed,
+and follow the course of this bayou. Steps were taken to prevent such
+an occurrence. Bayou Plaquemine, Bayou Sara, Bayou La Fourche, Bayou
+Goula, and Bayou Teche, are among the streams that drain the great
+river.
+
+These bayous form a wonderful net-work of navigable waters, throughout
+Western Louisiana. If we have reason to be thankful that "great
+rivers run near large cities in all parts of the world," the people
+of Louisiana should be especially grateful for the numerous natural
+canals in that State. These streams are as frequent and run in nearly
+as many directions as railways in Massachusetts.
+
+During its lowest stages, the Mississippi is often forty feet "within
+its banks;" in other words, the surface is forty feet below the level
+of the land which borders the river. It rises with the freshets, and,
+when "bank full," is level with the surrounding lowland.
+
+It does not always stop at this point; sometimes it rises two, four,
+six, or even ten feet above its banks. The levees, erected at immense
+cost, are designed to prevent the overflowing of the country on such
+occasions. When the levees become broken from any cause, immense areas
+of country are covered with water. Plantations, swamps, forests, all
+are submerged. During the present year (1865) thousands of square
+miles have been flooded, hundreds of houses swept away, and large
+amounts of property destroyed.
+
+During the freshet of '63, General Grant opened the levee at
+Providence, Louisiana, in the hope of reaching Bayou Mason, and thence
+taking his boats to Red River. After the levee was cut an immense
+volume of water rushed through the break. Anywhere else it would have
+been a goodly-sized river, but it was of little moment by the side of
+the Mississippi. A steamboat was sent to explore the flooded region. I
+saw its captain soon after his return.
+
+"I took my boat through the cut," said he, "without any trouble. We
+drew nearly three feet, but there was plenty of water. We ran two
+miles over a cotton-field, and could see the stalks as our wheels tore
+them up. Then I struck the plank road, and found a good stage of water
+for four miles, which took me to the bayou. I followed this several
+miles, until I was stopped by fallen trees, when I turned about and
+came back. Coming back, I tried a cornfield, but found it wasn't as
+good to steam in as the cotton-field."
+
+A farmer in the Eastern or Middle States would, doubtless, be much
+astonished at seeing a steamboat paddling at will in his fields and
+along his roads. A similar occurrence in Louisiana does not astonish
+the natives. Steamers have repeatedly passed over regions where corn
+or cotton had been growing six months before. At St. Louis, in 1844,
+small boats found no difficulty in running from East St. Louis to
+Caseyville, nine miles distant. In making these excursions they passed
+over many excellent farms, and stopped at houses whose owners had been
+driven to the upper rooms by the water.
+
+Above Cairo, the islands in the Mississippi are designated by names
+generally received from the early settlers. From Cairo to New Orleans
+the islands are numbered, the one nearest the former point being
+"One," and that nearest New Orleans "One Hundred and Thirty-one."
+Island Number Ten is historic, being the first and the last island in
+the great river that the Rebels attempted to fortify. Island Number
+Twenty-eight was the scene of several attacks by guerrillas upon
+unarmed transports. Other islands have an equally dishonorable
+reputation. Fifty years ago several islands were noted as the resorts
+of robbers, who conducted an extensive and systematic business. Island
+Number Sixty-five (if I remember correctly) was the rendezvous of the
+notorious John A. Murrell and his gang of desperadoes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIV.
+
+STEAMBOATING ON THE MISSISSIPPI IN PEACE AND WAR.
+
+Attempts to Obstruct the Great River.--Chains, Booms, and
+Batteries.--A Novelty in Piloting.--Travel in the Days Before the
+Rebellion.--Trials of Speed.--The Great Race.--Travel During the
+War.--Running a Rebel Battery on the Lower Mississippi.--Incidents of
+the Occasion.--Comments on the Situation.
+
+
+No engineer has been able to dam the Mississippi, except by the easy
+process which John Phenix adopted on the Yuma River. General Pillow
+stretched a chain from Columbus, Kentucky, to the opposite shore, in
+order to prevent the passage of our gun-boats. The chain broke soon
+after being placed in position.
+
+Near Forts Jackson and Philip, below New Orleans, the Rebels
+constructed a boom to oppose the progress of Farragut's fleet. A large
+number of heavy anchors, with the strongest cables, were fixed in the
+river. For a time the boom answered the desired purpose. But the river
+rose, drift-wood accumulated, and the boom at length went the way of
+all things Confederate. Farragut passed the forts, and appeared before
+New Orleans; "Picayune Butler came to town," and the great city of the
+South fell into the hands of the all-conquering Yankees.
+
+Before steam power was applied to the propulsion of boats, the ascent
+of the Mississippi was very difficult.
+
+From New Orleans to St. Louis, a boat consumed from two to four
+months' time. Sails, oars, poles, and ropes attached to trees,
+were the various means of stemming the powerful current. Long after
+steamboats were introduced, many flat-boats, loaded with products
+of the Northern States, floated down the river to a market. At New
+Orleans, boats and cargoes were sold, and the boatmen made their way
+home on foot. Until twenty years ago, the boatmen of the Mississippi
+were almost a distinct race. At present they are nearly extinct.
+
+In the navigation of the Mississippi and its tributaries, the pilot
+is the man of greatest importance. He is supposed to be thoroughly
+familiar with the channel of the river in all its windings, and to
+know the exact location of every snag or other obstruction. He
+can generally judge of the depth of water by the appearance of the
+surface, and he is acquainted with every headland, forest, house, or
+tree-top, that marks the horizon and tells him how to keep his course
+at night. Professional skill is only acquired by a long and careful
+training.
+
+Shortly after the occupation of Little Rock by General Steele, a dozen
+soldiers passed the lines, without authority, and captured a steamboat
+eighteen miles below the city. Steam was raised, when the men
+discovered they had no pilot. One of their number hit upon a plan as
+novel as it was successful.
+
+The Arkansas was very low, having only three feet of water in the
+channel. Twenty-five able-bodied negroes were taken from a neighboring
+plantation, stretched in a line across the river, and ordered to wade
+against the current. By keeping their steamer, which drew only twenty
+inches, directly behind the negro who sank the deepest, the soldiers
+took their prize to Little Rock without difficulty.
+
+For ten years previous to the outbreak of the Rebellion, steamboating
+on the Mississippi was in the height of its glory. Where expense
+of construction and management were of secondary consideration, the
+steamboats on the great river could offer challenge to the world.
+It was the boast of their officers that the tables of the great
+passenger-boats were better supplied than those of the best hotels in
+the South. On many steamers, claret, at dinner, was free to all. Fruit
+and ices were distributed in the evening, as well as choice cups
+of coffee and tea. On one line of boats, the cold meats on the
+supper-table were from carefully selected pieces, cooked and cooled
+expressly for the cenatory meal. Bands of music enlivened the hours
+of day, and afforded opportunity for dancing in the evening. Spacious
+cabins, unbroken by machinery; guards of great width, where cigars and
+small-talk were enjoyed; well-furnished and well-lighted state-rooms,
+and tables loaded with all luxuries of the place and season, rendered
+these steamers attractive to the traveler. Passengers were social,
+and partook of the gayety around them. Men talked, drank, smoked, and
+sometimes gambled, according to their desires. The ladies practiced no
+frigid reserve toward each other, but established cordial relations in
+the first few hours of each journey.
+
+Among the many fine and fast steamers on the Western waters, there
+was necessarily much competition in speed. Every new boat of the first
+class was obliged to give an example of her abilities soon after her
+appearance. Every owner of a steamboat contends that _his_ boat is the
+best afloat. I have rarely been on board a Mississippi steamer of
+any pretensions whose captain has not assured me, "She is the fastest
+thing afloat, sir. Nothing can pass her. We have beaten the--, and
+the--, and the--, in a fair race, sir." To a stranger, seeking correct
+information, the multiplicity of these statements is perplexing.
+
+In 1853 there was a race from New Orleans to Louisville, between the
+steamers _Eclipse_ and _A.L. Shotwell_, on which seventy thousand
+dollars were staked by the owners of the boats. An equal amount was
+invested in "private bets" among outside parties. The two boats were
+literally "stripped for the race." They were loaded to the depth that
+would give them the greatest speed, and their arrangements for taking
+fuel were as complete as possible. Barges were filled with wood at
+stated points along the river, and dropped out to midstream as the
+steamers approached. They were taken alongside, and their loads of
+wood transferred without any stoppage of the engines of the boats.
+
+At the end of the first twenty-four hours the _Eclipse_ and _Shotwell_
+were side by side, three hundred and sixty miles from New Orleans. The
+race was understood to be won by the _Eclipse_, but was so close that
+the stakes were never paid.
+
+In the palmy days of steamboating, the charges for way-travel were
+varied according to the locality. Below Memphis it was the rule to
+take no single fare less than five dollars, even if the passenger were
+going but a half-dozen miles. Along Red River the steamboat clerks
+graduated the fare according to the parish where the passenger came
+on board. The more fertile and wealthy the region, the higher was the
+price of passage. Travelers from the cotton country paid more than
+those from the tobacco country. Those from the sugar country paid
+more than any other class. With few exceptions, there was no "ticket"
+system. Passengers paid their fare at any hour of their journey that
+best suited them. Every man was considered honest until he gave proof
+to the contrary. There was an occasional Jeremy Diddler, but his
+operations were very limited.
+
+When the Rebellion began, the old customs on the Mississippi were
+swept away. The most rigid "pay-on-entering" system was adopted, and
+the man who could evade it must be very shrewd. The wealth along
+the Great River melted into thin air. The _bonhommie_ of travel
+disappeared, and was succeeded by the most thorough selfishness in
+collective and individual bodies. Scrambles for the first choice of
+state-rooms, the first seat at table, and the first drink at the bar,
+became a part of the new _regime_. The ladies were little regarded
+in the hurly-burly of steamboat life. Men would take possession of
+ladies' chairs at table, and pay no heed to remonstrances.
+
+I have seen an officer in blue uniform place his muddy boots on the
+center-table in a cabin full of ladies, and proceed to light a cigar.
+The captain of the boat suggested that the officer's conduct was in
+violation of the rules of propriety, and received the answer:
+
+"I have fought to help open the Mississippi, and, by ----, I am going
+to enjoy it."
+
+The careless display of the butt of a revolver, while he gave this
+answer, left the pleasure-seeker master of the situation. I am sorry
+to say that occurrences of a similar character were very frequent in
+the past three years. With the end of the war it is to be hoped that
+the character of Mississippi travel will be improved.
+
+In May, 1861, the Rebels blockaded the Mississippi at Memphis. In the
+same month the National forces established a blockade at Cairo. In
+July, '63, the capture of Vicksburg and Port Hudson removed the last
+Rebel obstruction. The _Imperial_ was the first passenger boat to
+descend the river, after the reopening of navigation.
+
+Up to within a few months of the close of the Rebellion, steamers
+plying on the river were in constant, danger of destruction by Rebel
+batteries. The Rebel Secretary of War ordered these batteries placed
+along the Mississippi, in the hope of stopping all travel by that
+route. His plan was unsuccessful. Equally so was the barbarous
+practice of burning passenger steamboats while in motion between
+landing-places. On transports fired upon by guerrillas (or Rebels),
+about a hundred persons were killed and as many wounded. A due
+proportion of these were women and children. On steamboats burned by
+Rebel incendiaries, probably a hundred and fifty lives were lost. This
+does not include the dead by the terrible disaster to the _Sultana_.
+It is supposed that this boat was blown up by a Rebel torpedo in her
+coal.
+
+It was my fortune to be a passenger on the steamer _Von Phul_, which
+left New Orleans for St. Louis on the evening of December 7th, 1863.
+I had been for some time traveling up and down the Mississippi, and
+running the gauntlet between Rebel batteries on either shore. There
+was some risk attending my travels, but up to that time I escaped
+unharmed.
+
+On the afternoon of the 8th, when the boat was about eight miles above
+Bayou Sara, I experienced a new sensation.
+
+Seated at a table in the cabin, and busily engaged in writing, I heard
+a heavy crash over my head, almost instantly followed by another. My
+first thought was that the chimneys or some part of the pilot-house
+had fallen, and I half looked to see the roof of the cabin tumbling
+in. I saw the passengers running from the cabin, and heard some one
+shout:
+
+"The guerrillas are firing on us."
+
+I collected my writing materials and sought my state-room, where I had
+left Mr. Colburn, my traveling companion, soundly asleep a few minutes
+before.
+
+He was sitting on the edge of his berth, and wondering what all the
+row was about. The crash that startled me had awakened him. He thought
+the occurrence was of little moment, and assented to my suggestion,
+that we were just as safe there as anywhere else on the boat.
+
+Gallantry prevented our remaining quiet. There were several ladies on
+board, and it behooved us to extend them what protection we could. We
+sought them, and "protected" them to the best of our united ability.
+Their place of refuge was between the cabin and the wheel-house,
+opposite the battery's position. A sheet of wet paper would afford as
+much resistance to a paving-stone as the walls of a steamboat cabin
+to a six-pound shot. As we stood among the ladies, two shells passed
+through the side of the cabin, within a few inches of our heads.
+
+The shots grew fewer in number, and some of them dropped in the river
+behind us. Just as we thought all alarm was over, we saw smoke issuing
+from the cabin gangway. Then, some one shouted, "_The boat is on
+fire_!"
+
+Dropping a lady who evinced a disposition to faint, I entered the
+cabin. A half-dozen men were there before me, and seeking the locality
+of the fire. I was first to discover it.
+
+A shell, in passing through a state-room, entered a pillow, and
+scattered the feathers through the cabin. A considerable quantity of
+these feathers fell upon a hot stove, and the smoke and odor of their
+burning caused the alarm.
+
+The ladies concluded not to faint. Three minutes after the affair was
+over, they were as calm as ever.
+
+The Rebels opened fire when we were abreast of their position, and did
+not cease until we were out of range. We were fifteen minutes within
+reach of their guns.
+
+[Illustration: RUNNING BATTERIES ON THE VON PHUL.]
+
+Our wheels seemed to turn very slowly. No one can express in words the
+anxiety with which we listened, after each shot, for the puffing of
+the engines. So long as the machinery was uninjured, there was no
+danger of our falling into Rebel hands. But with our engines disabled,
+our chances for capture would be very good.
+
+As the last shot fell astern of the boat and sent up a column of
+spray, we looked about the cabin and saw that no one had been injured.
+A moment later came the announcement from the pilot-house:
+
+"Captain Gorman is killed!"
+
+I ascended to the hurricane deck, and thence to the pilot-house. The
+pilot, with his hat thrown aside and his hair streaming in the wind,
+stood at his post, carefully guiding the boat on her course. The body
+of the captain was lying at his feet. Another man lay dying, close by
+the opening in which the wheel revolved. The floor was covered with
+blood, splinters, glass, and the fragments of a shattered stove.
+One side of the little room was broken in, and the other side was
+perforated where the projectiles made their exit.
+
+The first gun from the Rebels threw a shell which entered the side of
+the pilot-house, and struck the captain, who was sitting just behind
+the pilot. Death must have been instantaneous. A moment later, a
+"spherical-case shot" followed the shell. It exploded as it struck
+the wood-work, and a portion of the contents entered the side of the
+bar-keeper of the boat. In falling to the floor he fell against the
+wheel. The pilot, steering the boat with one hand, pulled the dying
+man from the wheel with the other, and placed him by the side of the
+dead captain.
+
+Though, apparently, the pilot was as cool and undisturbed as ever, his
+face was whiter than usual. He said the most trying moment of all was
+soon after the first shots were fired. Wishing to "round the bend" as
+speedily as possible, he rang the bell as a signal to the engineer to
+check the speed of one of the wheels. The signal was not obeyed, the
+engineers having fled to places of safety. He rang the bell once more.
+He shouted down the speaking-tube, to enforce compliance with his
+order.
+
+There was no answer. The engines were caring for themselves. The boat
+must be controlled by the rudder alone. With a dead man and a
+dying man at his feet, with the Rebel shot and shell every moment
+perforating the boat or falling near it, and with no help from those
+who should control the machinery, he felt that his position was a
+painful one.
+
+We were out of danger. An hour later we found the gun-boat _Neosho_,
+at anchor, eight miles further up the stream. Thinking we might again
+be attacked, the commander of the _Neosho_ offered to convoy us to
+Red River. We accepted his offer. As soon as the _Neosho_ raised
+sufficient steam to enable her to move, we proceeded on our course.
+
+Order was restored on the _Von Phul_. Most of the passengers gathered
+in little groups, and talked about the recent occurrence. I returned
+to my writing, and Colburn gave his attention to a book. With the
+gun-boat at our side, no one supposed there was danger of another
+attack.
+
+A half-hour after starting under convoy of the gun-boat, the Rebels
+once more opened fire. They paid no attention to the _Neosho_, but
+threw all their projectiles at the _Von Phul_. The first shell passed
+through the cabin, wounding a person near me, and grazing a post
+against which Colburn and myself were resting our chairs. This shell
+was followed by others in quick succession, most of them passing
+through the cabin. One exploded under the portion of the cabin
+directly beneath my position. The explosion uplifted the boards with
+such force as to overturn my table and disturb the steadiness of my
+chair.
+
+I dreaded splinters far more than I feared the pitiless iron. I left
+the cabin, through which the shells were pouring, and descended to the
+lower deck. It was no better there than above. We were increasing
+the distance between ourselves and the Rebels, and the shot began to
+strike lower down. Nearly every shot raked the lower deck.
+
+A loose plank on which I stood was split for more than half its
+length, by a shot which struck my foot when its force was nearly
+spent. Though the skin was not abraded, and no bones were broken, I
+felt the effect of the blow for several weeks.
+
+I lay down upon the deck. A moment after I had taken my horizontal
+position, two men who lay against me were mortally wounded by a shell.
+The right leg of one was completely severed below the knee. This shell
+was the last projectile that struck the forward portion of the boat.
+
+With a handkerchief loosely tied and twisted with a stick, I
+endeavored to stop the flow of blood from the leg of the wounded man.
+I was partially successful, but the stoppage of blood could not save
+the man's life. He died within the hour.
+
+Forty-two shot and shell struck the boat. The escape-pipe was severed
+where it passed between two state-rooms, and filled the cabin with
+steam. The safe in the captain's office was perforated as if it had
+been made of wood. A trunk was broken by a shell, and its contents
+were scattered upon the floor. Splinters had fallen in the cabin,
+and were spread thickly upon the carpet. Every person who escaped
+uninjured had his own list of incidents to narrate.
+
+Out of about fifty persons on board the _Von Phul_ at the time of this
+occurrence, twelve were killed or wounded. One of the last projectiles
+that struck the boat, injured a boiler sufficiently to allow the
+escape of steam. In ten minutes our engines moved very feebly. We were
+forced to "tie up" to the eastern bank of the river. We were by this
+time out of range of the Rebel battery. The _Neosho_ had opened fire,
+and by the time we made fast to the bank, the Rebels were in retreat.
+
+The _Neosho_ ceased firing and moved to our relief. Before she reached
+us, the steamer _Atlantic_ came in sight, descending the river.
+We hailed her, and she came alongside. Immediately on learning our
+condition, her captain offered to tow the _Von Phul_ to Red River,
+twenty miles distant. There we could lie, under protection of the
+gun-boats, and repair the damages to our machinery. We accepted his
+offer at once.
+
+I can hardly imagine a situation of greater helplessness, than a
+place on board a Western passenger-steamer under the guns of a hostile
+battery. A battle-field is no comparison. On solid earth the
+principal danger is from projectiles. You can fight, or, under some
+circumstances, can run away. On a Mississippi transport, you are
+equally in danger of being shot. Added to this, you may be struck by
+splinters, scalded by steam, burned by fire, or drowned in the water.
+You cannot fight, you cannot run away, and you cannot find shelter.
+With no power for resistance or escape, the sense of danger and
+helplessness cannot be set aside.
+
+A few weeks after the occurrence just narrated, the steamer _Brazil_,
+on her way from Vicksburg to Natchez, was fired upon by a Rebel
+battery near Rodney, Mississippi. The boat was struck a half-dozen
+times by shot and shell. More than a hundred rifle-bullets were thrown
+on board. Three persons were killed and as many wounded.
+
+Among those killed on the _Brazil_, was a young woman who had engaged
+to take charge of a school for negro children at Natchez. The Rebel
+sympathizers at Natchez displayed much gratification at her death. On
+several occasions I heard some of the more pious among them declare
+that the hand of God directed the fatal missile. They prophesied
+violent or sudden deaths to all who came to the South on a similar
+mission.
+
+The steamer _Black Hawk_ was fired upon by a Rebel battery at the
+mouth of Red River. The boat ran aground in range of the enemy's guns.
+A shell set her pilot-house on fire, and several persons were killed
+in the cabin.
+
+Strange to say, though aground and on fire under a Rebel battery, the
+_Black Hawk_ was saved. By great exertions on the part of officers and
+crew, the fire was extinguished after the pilot-house was burned away.
+A temporary steering apparatus was rigged, and the boat moved from the
+shoal where she had grounded. She was a full half hour within range of
+the Rebel guns.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLV.
+
+THE ARMY CORRESPONDENT.
+
+The Beginning and the End.--The Lake Erie Piracy.--A Rochester
+Story.--The First War Correspondent,--Napoleon's Policy.--Waterloo
+and the Rothschilds.--Journalistic Enterprise in the Mexican War.--The
+Crimea and the East Indian Rebellion.--Experiences at the Beginning
+of Hostilities.--The Tender Mercies of the Insurgents.--In the
+Field.--Adventures in Missouri and Kentucky.--Correspondents
+in Captivity.--How Battle-Accounts were Written.--Professional
+Complaints.
+
+
+Having lain aside my pen while engaged in planting cotton and
+entertaining guerrillas, I resumed it on coming North, after that
+experiment was finished. Setting aside my capture in New Hampshire,
+narrated in the first chapter, my adventures in the field commenced in
+Missouri in the earliest campaign. Singularly enough, they terminated
+on our Northern border. In the earlier days of the Rebellion, it
+was the jest of the correspondents, that they would, some time, find
+occasion to write war-letters from the Northern cities. The jest
+became a reality in the siege of Cincinnati. During that siege we
+wondered whether it would be possible to extend our labors to Detroit
+or Mackinaw.
+
+In September, 1864, the famous "Lake Erie Piracy" occurred. I was
+in Cleveland when the news of the seizure of the _Philo Parsons_ was
+announced by telegraph, and at once proceeded to Detroit. The capture
+of the _Parsons_ was a very absurd movement on the part of the Rebels,
+who had taken refuge in Canada. The original design was, doubtless,
+the capture of the gun-boat _Michigan_, and the release of the
+prisoners on Johnson's Island. The captors of the _Parsons_ had
+confederates in Sandusky, who endeavored to have the _Michigan_ in
+a half-disabled condition when the _Parsons_ arrived. This was not
+accomplished, and the scheme fell completely through. The two small
+steamers, the _Parsons_ and _Island Queen_, were abandoned after being
+in Rebel hands only a few hours.
+
+The officers of the _Parsons_ told an interesting story of their
+seizure. Mr. Ashley, the clerk, said the boat left Detroit for
+Sandusky at her usual hour. She had a few passengers from Detroit, and
+received others at various landings. The last party that came on board
+brought an old trunk bound with ropes. The different parties did not
+recognize each other, not even when drinking at the bar. When near
+Kelly's Island in Lake Erie, the various officers of the steamer were
+suddenly seized. The ropes on the trunk were cut, the lid flew open,
+and a quantity of revolvers and hatchets was brought to light.
+
+The pirates declared they were acting in the interest of the
+"Confederacy." They relieved Mr. Ashley of his pocket-book and
+contents, and appropriated the money they found in the safe. Those
+of the passengers who were not "in the ring," were compelled to
+contribute to the representatives of the Rebel Government. This little
+affair was claimed to be "belligerent" throughout. At Kelly's Island
+the passengers and crew were liberated on parole not to take up arms
+against the Confederacy until properly exchanged.
+
+After cruising in front of Sandusky, and failing to receive signals
+which they expected, the pirates returned to Canada with their prize.
+One of their "belligerent" acts was to throw overboard the cargo of
+the _Parsons_, together with most of her furniture. At Sandwich, near
+Detroit, they left the boat, after taking ashore a piano and other
+articles. Her Majesty's officer of customs took possession of this
+stolen property, on the ground that it was brought into Canada
+without the proper permits from the custom-house. It was subsequently
+recovered by its owners.
+
+The St. Albans raid, which occurred a few months later, was a similar
+act of belligerency. It created more excitement than the Lake Erie
+piracy, but the questions involved were practically the same. That the
+Rebels had a right of asylum in Canada no one could deny, but there
+was a difference of opinion respecting the proper limits to those
+rights. The Rebels hoped to involve us in a controversy with England,
+that should result in the recognition of the Confederacy. This was
+frequently avowed by some of the indiscreet refugees.
+
+After the capture of the _Parsons_ and the raid upon St. Albans,
+the Canadian authorities sent a strong force of militia to watch the
+frontier. A battalion of British regulars was stationed at Windsor,
+opposite Detroit, early in 1864, but was removed to the interior
+before the raids occurred. The authorities assigned as a reason for
+this removal, the desire to concentrate their forces at some central
+point. The real reason was the rapid desertion of their men, allured
+by the high pay and opportunity of active service in our army. In
+two months the battalion at Windsor was reduced fifteen per cent, by
+desertions alone.
+
+Shortly after the St. Albans raid, a paper in Rochester announced a
+visit to that city by a cricket-club from Toronto. The paragraph was
+written somewhat obscurely, and jestingly spoke of the Toronto men as
+"raiders." The paper reached New York, and so alarmed the authorities
+that troops were at once ordered to Rochester and other points on the
+frontier. The misapprehension was discovered in season to prevent the
+actual moving of the troops.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+With the suppression of the Rebellion the mission of the war
+correspondent was ended. Let us all hope that his services will not
+again be required, in this country, at least, during the present
+century. The publication of the reports of battles, written on the
+field, and frequently during the heat of an engagement, was a marked
+feature of the late war. "Our Special Correspondent" is not, however,
+an invention belonging to this important era of our history.
+
+His existence dates from the days of the Greeks and Romans. If Homer
+had witnessed the battles which he described, he would, doubtless, be
+recognized as the earliest war correspondent. Xenophon was the first
+regular correspondent of which we have any record. He achieved an
+enduring fame, which is a just tribute to the man and his profession.
+
+During the Middle Ages, the Crusades afforded fine opportunities for
+the war correspondents to display their abilities. The prevailing
+ignorance of those times is shown in the absence of any reliable
+accounts of the Holy Wars, written by journalists on the field. There
+was no daily press, and the mail communications were very unreliable.
+Down to the nineteenth century, Xenophon had no formidable competitors
+for the honors which attached to his name.
+
+The elder Napoleon always acted as his own "Special." His bulletins,
+by rapid post to Paris, were generally the first tidings of his
+brilliant marches and victories. His example was thought worthy of
+imitation by several military officials during the late Rebellion.
+Rear-Admiral Porter essayed to excel Napoleon in sending early
+reports of battles for public perusal. "I have the honor to inform the
+Department," is a formula with which most editors and printers became
+intimately acquainted. The admiral's veracity was not as conspicuous
+as his eagerness to push his reports in print.
+
+At Waterloo there was no regular correspondent of the London press.
+Several volunteer writers furnished accounts of the battle for
+publication, whose accuracy has been called in question. Wellington's
+official dispatches were outstripped by the enterprise of a London
+banking-house. The Rothschilds knew the result of the battle eight
+hours before Wellington's courier arrived.
+
+Carrier pigeons were used to convey the intelligence. During the
+Rebellion, Wall Street speculators endeavored to imitate the policy of
+the Rothschilds, but were only partially successful.
+
+In the war between Mexico and the United States, "Our Special" was
+actively, though not extensively, employed. On one occasion, _The
+Herald_ obtained its news in advance of the official dispatches to the
+Government. The magnetic telegraph was then unknown. Horse-flesh and
+steam were the only means of transmitting intelligence. If we except
+the New Orleans _Picayune, The Herald_ was the only paper represented
+in Mexico during the campaigns of Scott and Taylor.
+
+During the conflict between France and England on the one hand, and
+Russia on the other, the journals of London and Paris sent their
+representatives to the Crimea. The London _Times,_ the foremost
+paper of Europe, gave Russell a reputation he will long retain. The
+"Thunderer's" letters from the camp before Sebastopol became known
+throughout the civilized world. A few years later, the East Indian
+rebellion once more called the London specials to the field. In
+giving the history of the campaigns in India, _The Times_ and its
+representative overshadowed all the rest.
+
+Just before the commencement of hostilities in the late Rebellion, the
+leading journals of New York were well represented in the South. Each
+day these papers gave their readers full details of all important
+events that transpired in the South. The correspondents that witnessed
+the firing of the Southern heart had many adventures. Some of them
+narrowly escaped with their lives.
+
+At Richmond, a crowd visited the Spottswood House, with the avowed
+intention of hanging a _Herald_ correspondent, who managed to escape
+through a back door of the building. A representative of _The Tribune_
+was summoned before the authorities at Charleston, on the charge of
+being a Federal spy. He was cleared of the charge, but advised to
+proceed North as early as possible. When he departed, Governor Pickens
+requested him, as a particular favor, to ascertain the name of _The
+Tribune_ correspondent, on arrival in New York, and inform him by
+letter. He promised to do so. On reaching the North, he kindly told
+Governor Pickens who _The Tribune_ correspondent was.
+
+A _Times_ correspondent, passing through Harper's Ferry, found himself
+in the hands of "the Chivalry," who proposed to hang him on the
+general charge of being an Abolitionist. He was finally released
+without injury, but at one time the chances of his escape were small.
+
+The New Orleans correspondent of _The Tribune_ came North on the last
+passenger-train from Richmond to Aquia Creek. One of _The Herald's_
+representatives was thrown into prison by Jeff. Davis, but released
+through the influence of Pope Walker, the Rebel Secretary of War.
+Another remained in the South until all regular communication was cut
+off. He reached the North in safety by the line of the "underground
+railway."
+
+When the Rebellion was fairly inaugurated, the various points of
+interest were at once visited by the correspondents of the press.
+Wherever our armies operated, the principal dailies of New York and
+other cities were represented. Washington was the center of gravity
+around which the Eastern correspondents revolved. As the army
+advanced into Virginia, every movement was carefully chronicled. The
+competition between the different journals was very great.
+
+In the West the field was broader, and the competition, though active,
+was less bitter than along the Potomac. In the early days, St.
+Louis, Cairo, and Louisville were the principal Western points
+where correspondents were stationed. As our armies extended their
+operations, the journalists found their field of labor enlarged. St.
+Louis lost its importance when the Rebels were driven from Missouri.
+For a long time Cairo was the principal rendezvous of the journalists,
+but it became less noted as our armies pressed forward along the
+Mississippi.
+
+Every war-correspondent has his story of experiences in the field.
+Gathering the details of a battle in the midst of its dangers; sharing
+the privations of the camp and the fatigues of the march; riding with
+scouts, and visiting the skirmishers on the extreme front; journeying
+to the rear through regions infested by the enemy's cavalry, or
+running the gauntlet of Rebel batteries, his life was far from
+monotonous. Frequently the correspondents acted as volunteer aids
+to generals during engagements, and rendered important service. They
+often took the muskets of fallen soldiers and used them to advantage.
+On the water, as on land, they sustained their reputation, and proved
+that the hand which wielded the pen was able to wield the sword. They
+contributed their proportion of killed, wounded, and captured to the
+casualties of the war. Some of them accepted commissions in the army
+and navy.
+
+During the campaign of General Lyon in Missouri, the journalists who
+accompanied that army were in the habit of riding outside the lines to
+find comfortable quarters for the night. Frequently they went two or
+three miles ahead of the entire column, in order to make sure of a
+good dinner before the soldiers could overtake them. One night two
+of them slept at a house three miles from the road which the army was
+following. The inmates of the mansion were unaware of the vicinity
+of armed "Yankees," and entertained the strangers without question.
+Though a dozen Rebel scouts called at the house before daylight, the
+correspondents were undisturbed. After that occasion they were more
+cautious in their movements.
+
+In Kentucky, during the advance of Kirby Smith upon Cincinnati, the
+correspondents of _The Gazette_ and _The Commercial_ were captured by
+the advance-guard of Rebel cavalry. Their baggage, money, and
+watches became the property of their captors. The correspondents were
+released, and obliged to walk about eighty miles in an August sun. A
+short time later, Mr. Shanks and Mr. Westfall, correspondents of _The
+Herald,_ were made acquainted with John Morgan, in one of the raids
+of that famous guerrilla. The acquaintance resulted in a thorough
+depletion of the wardrobes of the captured gentlemen.
+
+In Virginia, Mr. Cadwallader and Mr. Fitzpatrick, of _The Herald_,
+and Mr. Crounse, of _The Times_, were captured by Mosby, and liberated
+after a brief detention and a complete relief of every thing
+portable and valuable, down to their vests and pantaloons. Even their
+dispatches were taken from them and forwarded to Richmond. A portion
+of these reports found their way into the Richmond papers. Stonewall
+Jackson and Stuart were also fortunate enough to capture some of
+the representatives of the Press. At one time there were five
+correspondents of _The Herald_ in the hands of the Rebels. One of
+them, Mr. Anderson, was held more than a year. He was kept for ten
+days in an iron dungeon, where no ray of light could penetrate.
+
+I have elsewhere alluded to the capture of Messrs. Richardson and
+Browne, of _The Tribune_, and Mr. Colburn, of _The World_, in front
+of Vicksburg. The story of the captivity and perilous escape of these
+representatives of _The Tribune_ reveals a patience, a fortitude, a
+daring, and a fertility of resource not often excelled.
+
+Some of the most graphic battle-accounts of the war were written very
+hastily. During the three days' battle at Gettysburg, _The Herald_
+published each morning the details of the fighting of the previous
+day, down to the setting of the sun. This was accomplished by having a
+correspondent with each corps, and one at head-quarters to forward the
+accounts to the nearest telegraph office. At Antietam, _The Tribune_
+correspondent viewed the battle by day, and then hurried from the
+field, writing the most of his account on a railway train. From Fort
+Donelson the correspondents of _The World_ and _The Tribune_ went to
+Cairo, on a hospital boat crowded with wounded. Their accounts were
+written amid dead and suffering men, but when published they bore
+little evidence of their hasty preparation.
+
+I once wrote a portion of a letter at the end of a medium-sized table.
+At the other end of the table a party of gamblers, with twenty or
+thirty spectators, were indulging in "Chuck-a-Luck." I have known
+dispatches to be written on horseback, but they were very brief,
+and utterly illegible to any except the writer. Much of the press
+correspondence during the war was written in railway cars and on
+steamboats, and much on camp-chests, stumps, or other substitutes for
+tables. I have seen a half-dozen correspondents busily engaged with
+their letters at the same moment, each of them resting his port-folio
+on his knee, or standing upright, with no support whatever. On one
+occasion a fellow-journalist assured me that the broad chest of a
+slumbering _confrere_ made an excellent table, the undulations caused
+by the sleeper's breathing being the only objectionable feature.
+
+Sometimes a correspondent reached the end of a long ride so exhausted
+as to be unable to hold a pen for ten consecutive minutes. In such
+case a short-hand writer was employed, when accessible, to take down
+from rapid dictation the story of our victory or defeat.
+
+Under all the disadvantages of time, place, and circumstances,
+of physical exhaustion and mental anxiety, it is greatly to the
+correspondents' credit that they wrote so well. Battle-accounts were
+frequently published that would be no mean comparison to the studied
+pen-pictures of the famous writers of this or any other age. They
+were extensively copied by the press of England and the Continent, and
+received high praise for their vivid portrayal of the battle-field
+and its scenes. Apart from the graphic accounts of great battles, they
+furnished materials from which the historians will write the enduring
+records of the war. With files of the New York dailies at his side, an
+industrious writer could compile a history of the Rebellion, complete
+in all its details.
+
+It was a general complaint of the correspondents that their profession
+was never officially recognized so as to give them an established
+position in the army. They received passes from head-quarters, and
+could generally go where they willed, but there were many officers who
+chose to throw petty but annoying restrictions around them. As they
+were generally situated throughout the army, they were, to some
+extent, dependent upon official courtesies. Of course, this dependence
+was injurious to free narration or criticism when any officer had
+conducted improperly.
+
+If there is ever another occasion for the services of the war
+correspondent on our soil, it is to be hoped Congress will pass a law
+establishing a position for the journalists, fixing their status
+in the field, surrounding them with all necessary restrictions, and
+authorizing them to purchase supplies and forage from the proper
+departments. During the Crimean war, the correspondents of the French
+and English papers had a recognized position, where they were subject
+to the same rules, and entitled to the same privileges, as the
+officers they accompanied. When Sir George Brown, at Eupatoria,
+forbade any officer appearing in public with unshaven chin, he made no
+distinction in favor of the members of the Press.
+
+Notwithstanding their fierce competition in serving the journals they
+represented, the correspondents with our army were generally on the
+most friendly terms with each other. Perhaps this was less the case
+in the East than in the West, where the rivalry was not so intense
+and continuous. In the armies in the Mississippi Valley, the
+representatives of competing journals frequently slept, ate, traveled,
+and smoked together, and not unfrequently drank from the same flask
+with equal relish. In the early days, "Room 45," in the St. Charles
+Hotel at Cairo, was the resort of all the correspondents at that
+point. There they laid aside their professional jealousies, and passed
+their idle hours in efforts for mutual amusement. On some occasions
+the floor of the room would be covered, in the morning, with a
+confused mass of boots, hats, coats, and other articles of masculine
+wear, out of which the earliest riser would array himself in
+whatever suited his fancy, without the slightest regard to the owner.
+"Forty-five" was the neutral ground where the correspondents planned
+campaigns for all the armies of the Union, arranged the downfall of
+the Rebellion, expressed their views of military measures and military
+men, exulted over successes, mourned over defeats, and toasted in full
+glasses the flag that our soldiers upheld.
+
+Since the close of the war, many of the correspondents have taken
+positions in the offices of the journals they represented in the
+field. Some have established papers of their own in the South, and a
+few have retired to other civil pursuits. Some are making professional
+tours of the Southern States and recording the status of the people
+lately in rebellion. _The Herald_ has sent several of its _attaches_
+to the European capitals, and promises to chronicle in detail the next
+great war in the Old World.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVI.
+
+THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SOUTH.
+
+Scarcity of the Population,--Fertility of the Country.--Northern Men
+already in the South.--Kansas Emigrants Crossing Missouri.--Change of
+the Situation.--Present Disadvantages of Emigration.--Feeling of
+the People.--Property-Holders in Richmond.--The Sentiment in North
+Carolina.--South Carolina Chivalry.--The Effect of War.--Prospect of
+the Success of Free Labor.--Trade in the South.
+
+
+The suppression of the Rebellion, and the restoration of peace
+throughout the entire South, have opened a large field for emigration.
+The white population of the Southern States, never as dense as that of
+the North, has been greatly diminished in consequence of the war. In
+many localities more than half the able-bodied male inhabitants have
+been swept away, and everywhere the loss of men is severely felt.
+The breaking up of the former system of labor in the cotton and sugar
+States will hinder the progress of agriculture for a considerable
+time, but there can be little doubt of its beneficial effect in the
+end. The desolation that was spread in the track of our armies will
+be apparent for many years. The South will ultimately recover from
+all her calamities, but she will need the energy and capital of the
+Northern States to assist her.
+
+During the progress of the war, as our armies penetrated the fertile
+portions of the "Confederacy," many of our soldiers cast longing eyes
+at the prospective wealth around them. "When the war is over we will
+come here to live, and show these people something they never dreamed
+of," was a frequent remark. Men born and reared in the extreme North,
+were amazed at the luxuriance of Southern verdure, and wondered that
+the richness of the soil had not been turned to greater advantage.
+It is often said in New England that no man who has once visited the
+fertile West ever returns to make his residence in the Eastern States.
+Many who have explored the South, and obtained a knowledge of its
+resources, will be equally reluctant to dwell in the regions where
+their boyhood days were passed.
+
+While the war was in progress many Northern men purchased plantations
+on the islands along the Southern coast, and announced their
+determination to remain there permanently. After the capture of New
+Orleans, business in that city passed into the hands of Northerners,
+much to the chagrin of the older inhabitants. When the disposition of
+our army and the topography of the country made the lower portion
+of Louisiana secure against Rebel raids, many plantations in that
+locality were purchased outright by Northern speculators. I have
+elsewhere shown how the cotton culture was extensively carried on by
+"Yankees," and that failure was not due to their inability to conduct
+the details of the enterprise.
+
+Ten years ago, emigration to Kansas was highly popular. Aid Societies
+were organized in various localities, and the Territory was rapidly
+filled. Political influences had much to do with this emigration from
+both North and South, and many implements carried by the emigrants
+were not altogether agricultural in their character. The soil of
+Kansas was known to be fertile, and its climate excellent. The
+Territory presented attractions to settlers, apart from political
+considerations. But in going thither the emigrants crossed a region
+equally fertile, and possessing superior advantages in its
+proximity to a market. No State in the Union could boast of greater
+possibilities than Missouri, yet few travelers in search of a home
+ventured to settle within her limits.
+
+The reason was apparent. Missouri was a slave State, though bounded on
+three sides by free soil. Few Northern emigrants desired to settle in
+the midst of slavery. The distinction between the ruling and laboring
+classes was not as great as in the cotton States, but there was a
+distinction beyond dispute. Whatever his blood or complexion, the
+man who labored with his hands was on a level, or nearly so, with the
+slave. Thousands passed up the Missouri River, or crossed the northern
+portion of the State, to settle in the new Territory of Kansas.
+When political influences ceased, the result was still the same. The
+Hannibal and St. Joseph Railway threw its valuable lands into the
+market, but with little success.
+
+With the suppression of the late Rebellion, and the abolition of
+slavery in Missouri, the situation is materially changed. From
+Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana, there is a large emigration to Missouri.
+I was recently informed that forty families from a single county in
+Ohio had sent a delegation to Missouri to look out suitable locations,
+either of wild land or of farms under cultivation. There is every
+prospect that the State will be rapidly filled with a population that
+believes in freedom and in the dignity of labor. She has an advantage
+over the other ex-slave States, in lying west of the populous regions
+of the North. Hitherto, emigration has generally followed the great
+isothermal lines, as can be readily seen when we study the population
+of the Western States. Northern Ohio is more New Englandish than
+Southern Ohio, and the parallel holds good in Northern and Southern
+Illinois. There will undoubtedly be a large emigration to Missouri
+in preference to the other Southern States, but our whole migratory
+element will not find accommodation in her limits. The entire South
+will be overrun by settlers from the North.
+
+Long ago, _Punch_ gave advice to persons about to marry. It was all
+comprised in the single word, "DON'T." Whoever is in haste to emigrate
+to the South, would do well to consider, for a time, this brief, but
+emphatic counsel. No one should think of leaving the Northern States,
+until he has fairly considered the advantages and disadvantages of the
+movement. If he departs with the expectation of finding every thing to
+his liking, he will be greatly disappointed at the result.
+
+There will be many difficulties to overcome. The people now residing
+in the late rebellious States are generally impoverished. They have
+little money, and, in many cases, their stock and valuables of all
+kinds have been swept away. Their farms are often without fences, and
+their farming-tools worn out, disabled, or destroyed. Their system of
+labor is broken up. The negro is a slave no longer, and the transition
+from bondage to freedom will affect, for a time, the producing
+interests of the South.
+
+Though the Rebellion is suppressed, the spirit of discontent
+still remains in many localities, and will retard the process of
+reconstruction. The teachings of slavery have made the men of the
+South bitterly hostile to those of the North. This hostility was
+carefully nurtured by the insurgent leaders during the Rebellion, and
+much of it still exists. In many sections of the South, efforts will
+be made to prevent immigration from the North, through a fear that the
+old inhabitants will lose their political rights.
+
+At the time I am writing, the owners of property in Richmond are
+holding it at such high rates as to repel Northern purchasers. Letters
+from that city say, the residents have determined to sell no property
+to Northern men, when they can possibly avoid it. No encouragement
+is likely to be given to Northern farmers and artisans to migrate
+thither. A scheme for taking a large number of European emigrants
+directly from foreign ports to Richmond, and thence to scatter them
+throughout Virginia, is being considered by the Virginia politicians.
+The wealthy men in the Old Dominion, who were Secessionists for the
+sake of secession, and who gave every assistance to the Rebel cause,
+are opposed to the admission of Northern settlers. They may be
+unable to prevent it, but they will be none the less earnest in their
+efforts.
+
+This feeling extends throughout a large portion of Virginia, and
+exists in the other States of the South. Its intensity varies in
+different localities, according to the extent of the slave population
+in the days before the war, and the influence that the Radical men
+of the South have exercised. While Virginia is unwilling to receive
+strangers, North Carolina is manifesting a desire to fill her
+territory with Northern capital and men. She is already endeavoring
+to encourage emigration, and has offered large quantities of land
+on liberal terms. In Newbern, Wilmington, and Raleigh, the Northern
+element is large. Newbern is "Yankeeized" as much as New Orleans.
+Wilmington bids fair to have intimate relations with New York and
+Boston. An agency has been established at Raleigh, under the sanction
+of the Governor of the State, to secure the immediate occupation of
+farming and mining lands, mills, manufactories, and all other kinds of
+real estate. Northern capital and sinew is already on its way to
+that region. The great majority of the North Carolinians approve
+the movement, but there are many persons in the State who equal the
+Virginians in their hostility to innovations.
+
+In South Carolina, few beside the negroes will welcome the Northerner
+with open arms. The State that hatched the secession egg, and
+proclaimed herself at all times first and foremost for the
+perpetuation of slavery, will not exult at the change which
+circumstances have wrought. Her Barnwells, her McGraths, her Rhetts,
+and her Hamptons declared they would perish in the last ditch, rather
+than submit. Some of them have perished, but many still remain. Having
+been life-long opponents of Northern policy, Northern industry, and
+Northern enterprise, they will hardly change their opinions until
+taught by the logic of events.
+
+Means of transportation are limited. On the railways the tracks are
+nearly worn out, and must be newly laid before they can be used with
+their old facility. Rolling stock is disabled or destroyed. Much of
+it must be wholly replaced, and that which now remains must undergo
+extensive repairs. Depots and machine-shops have been burned, and
+many bridges are bridges no longer. On the smaller rivers but few
+steamboats are running, and these are generally of a poor class.
+Wagons are far from abundant, and mules and horses are very scarce.
+The wants of the armies have been supplied with little regard to the
+inconvenience of the people.
+
+Corn-mills, saw-mills, gins, and factories have fed the flames.
+Wherever our armies penetrated they spread devastation in their track.
+Many portions of the South were not visited by a hostile force, but
+they did not escape the effects of war. Southern Georgia and Florida
+suffered little from the presence of the Northern armies, but the
+scarcity of provisions and the destitution of the people are nearly as
+great in that region as elsewhere.
+
+Until the present indignation at their defeat is passed away, many of
+the Southern people will not be inclined to give any countenance to
+the employment of freed negroes. They believe slavery is the proper
+condition for the negro, and declare that any system based on free
+labor will prove a failure. This feeling will not be general among the
+Southern people, and will doubtless be removed in time.
+
+The transition from slavery to freedom will cause some irregularities
+on the part of the colored race. I do not apprehend serious trouble
+in controlling the negro, and believe his work will be fully available
+throughout the South. It is natural that he should desire a little
+holiday with his release from bondage. For a time many negroes will
+be idle, and so will many white men who have returned from the Rebel
+armies. According to present indications, the African race displays
+far more industry than the Caucasian throughout the Southern States.
+Letters from the South say the negroes are at work in some localities,
+but the whites are everywhere idle.
+
+Those who go to the South for purposes of traffic may or may not be
+favored with large profits. All the products of the mechanic arts
+are very scarce in the interior, while in the larger towns trade is
+generally overdone. Large stocks of goods were taken to all places
+accessible by water as soon as the ports were opened. The supply
+exceeded the demand, and many dealers suffered heavy loss. From
+Richmond and other points considerable quantities of goods have been
+reshipped to New York, or sold for less than cost. Doubtless the trade
+with the South will ultimately be very large, but it cannot spring up
+in a day. Money is needed before speculation can be active. A year or
+two, at the least, will be needed to fill the Southern pocket.
+
+So much for the dark side of the picture. Emigrants are apt to listen
+to favorable accounts of the region whither they are bound, while they
+close their ears to all stories of an unfavorable character. To insure
+a hearing of both sides of the question under discussion, I have given
+the discouraging arguments in advance of all others. Already those
+who desire to stimulate travel to the South, are relating wonderful
+stories of its fertility and its great advantages to settlers. No
+doubt they are telling much that is true, but they do not tell all the
+truth. Every one has heard the statement, circulated in Ireland many
+years since, that America abounded in roasted pigs that ran about the
+streets, carrying knives and forks in their mouths, and making vocal
+requests to be devoured. Notwithstanding the absurdity of the story,
+it is reported to have received credit.
+
+The history of every emigration scheme abounds in narratives of a
+brilliant, though piscatorial, character. The interior portions of all
+the Western States are of wonderful fertility, and no inhabitant of
+that region has any hesitation in announcing the above fact. But not
+one in a hundred will state frankly his distance from market, and the
+value of wheat and corn at the points of their production. In too many
+cases the bright side of the story is sufficient for the listener.
+
+I once traveled in a railway car where there were a dozen emigrants
+from the New England States, seeking a home in the West. An agent of
+a county in Iowa was endeavoring to call their attention to the great
+advantages which his region afforded. He told them of the fertility of
+the soil, the amount of corn and wheat that could be produced to the
+acre, the extent of labor needed for the production of a specified
+quantity of cereals, the abundance of timber, and the propinquity of
+fine streams, with many other brilliant and seductive stories. The
+emigrants listened in admiration of the Promised Land, and were on the
+point of consenting to follow the orator.
+
+I ventured to ask the distance from those lands to a market where the
+products could be sold, and the probable cost of transportation.
+
+The answer was an evasive one, but was sufficient to awaken the
+suspicions of the emigrants. My question destroyed the beautiful
+picture which the voluble agent had drawn.
+
+Those who desire to seek their homes in the South will do well to
+remember that baked pigs are not likely to exist in abundance in the
+regions traversed by the National armies.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVII.
+
+HOW DISADVANTAGES MAY BE OVERCOME.
+
+Conciliating the People of the South.--Railway Travel and its
+Improvement.--Rebuilding Steamboats.--Replacing Working
+Stock.--The Condition of the Plantations.--Suggestions about Hasty
+Departures.--Obtaining Information.--The Attractions of Missouri.
+
+
+The hinderances I have mentioned in the way of Southern emigration are
+of a temporary character. The opposition of the hostile portion of
+the Southern people can be overcome in time. When they see there is no
+possible hope for them to control the National policy, when they fully
+realize that slavery is ended, and ended forever, when they discover
+that the negro will work as a free man with advantage to his employer,
+they will become more amiable in disposition. Much of their present
+feeling arises from a hope of compelling a return to the old relation
+of master and slave. When this hope is completely destroyed, we shall
+have accomplished a great step toward reconstruction. A practical
+knowledge of Northern industry and enterprise will convince the people
+of the South, unless their hearts are thoroughly hardened, that some
+good can come out of Nazareth. They may never establish relations of
+great intimacy with their new neighbors, but their hostility will be
+diminished to insignificance.
+
+Some of the advocates of the "last ditch" theory, who have sworn
+never to live in the United States, will, doubtless, depart to foreign
+lands, or follow the example of the Virginia gentleman who committed
+suicide on ascertaining the hopelessness of the Rebellion. Failing
+to do either of these things, they must finally acquiesce in the
+supremacy of National authority.
+
+The Southern railways will be repaired, their rolling stock replaced,
+and the routes of travel restored to the old status. All cannot be
+done at once, as the destruction and damage have been very extensive,
+and many of the companies are utterly impoverished. From two to five
+years will elapse before passengers and freight can be transported
+with the same facility, in all directions, as before the war.
+
+Under a more liberal policy new lines will be opened, and the various
+portions of the Southern States become accessible. During the war two
+railways were constructed under the auspices of the Rebel Government,
+that will prove of great advantage in coming years. These are
+the lines from Meridian, Mississippi, to Selma, Alabama, and from
+Danville, Virginia, to Greensborough, North Carolina. A glance at a
+railway map of the Southern States will show their importance.
+
+On many of the smaller rivers boats are being improvised by adding
+wheels and motive power to ordinary scows. In a half-dozen years,
+at the furthest, we will, doubtless, see the rivers of the Southern
+States traversed by as many steamers as before the war. On the
+Mississippi and its tributaries the destruction of steamboat property
+was very great, but the loss is rapidly being made good. Since 1862
+many fine boats have been constructed, some of them larger and more
+costly than any that existed during the most prosperous days before
+the Rebellion. On the Alabama and other rivers, efforts are being made
+to restore the steamboat fleets to their former magnitude.
+
+Horses, mules, machinery, and farming implements must and will be
+supplied out of the abundance in the North. The want of mules will be
+severely felt for some years. No Yankee has yet been able to invent a
+machine that will create serviceable mules to order. We must wait for
+their production by the ordinary means, and it will be a considerable
+time before the supply is equal to the demand. Those who turn their
+attention to stock-raising, during the next ten or twenty years, can
+always be certain of finding a ready and remunerative market.
+
+The Southern soil is as fertile as ever. Cotton, rice, corn, sugar,
+wheat, and tobacco can be produced in their former abundance.
+Along the Mississippi the levees must be restored, to protect
+the plantations from floods. This will be a work of considerable
+magnitude, and, without extraordinary effort, cannot be accomplished
+for several years. Everywhere fences must be rebuilt, and many
+buildings necessary in preparing products for market must be restored.
+Time, capital, energy, and patience will be needed to develop anew
+the resources of the South. Properly applied, they will be richly
+rewarded.
+
+No person should be hasty in his departure, nor rush blindly to the
+promised land. Thousands went to California, in '49 and '50, with
+the impression that the gold mines lay within an hour's walk of San
+Francisco. In '59, many persons landed at Leavenworth, on their way to
+Pike's Peak, under the belief that the auriferous mountain was only
+a day's journey from their landing-place. Thousands have gone "West"
+from New York and New England, believing that Chicago was very near
+the frontier. Those who start with no well-defined ideas of their
+destination are generally disappointed. The war has given the public
+a pretty accurate knowledge of the geography of the South, so that
+the old mistakes of emigrants to California and Colorado are in
+slight danger of repetition, but there is a possibility of too little
+deliberation in setting out.
+
+Before starting, the emigrant should obtain all accessible information
+about the region he intends to visit. Geographies, gazetteers, census
+returns, and works of a similar character will be of great advantage.
+Much can be obtained from persons who traveled in the rebellious
+States during the progress of the war. The leading papers
+throughout the country are now publishing letters from their special
+correspondents, relative to the state of affairs in the South. These
+letters are of great value, and deserve a careful study.
+
+Information from interested parties should be received with caution.
+Those who have traveled in the far West know how difficult it is to
+obtain correct statements relative to the prosperity or advantages
+of any specified locality. Every man assures you that the town or the
+county where he resides, or where he is interested, is the best and
+the richest within a hundred miles. To an impartial observer, lying
+appears to be the only personal accomplishment in a new country. I
+presume those who wish to encourage Southern migration will be ready
+to set forth all the advantages (but none of the disadvantages) of
+their own localities.
+
+Having fully determined where to go and what to do, having selected
+his route of travel, and ascertained, as near as possible, what
+will be needed on the journey, the emigrant will next consider his
+financial policy. No general rule can be given. In most cases it is
+better not to take a large amount of money at starting. To many this
+advice will be superfluous. Bills of exchange are much safer to carry
+than ready cash, and nearly as convenient for commercial transactions.
+Beyond an amount double the estimated expenses of his journey, the
+traveler will usually carry very little cash.
+
+For the present, few persons should take their wives and children to
+the interior South, and none should do so on their first visit. Many
+houses have been burned or stripped of their furniture, provisions are
+scarce and costly, and the general facilities for domestic happiness
+are far from abundant. The conveniences for locomotion in that region
+are very poor, and will continue so for a considerable time. A man can
+"rough it" anywhere, but he can hardly expect his family to travel on
+flat cars, or on steamboats that have neither cabins nor decks, and
+subsist on the scanty and badly-cooked provisions that the Sunny South
+affords. By all means, I would counsel any young man on his way to the
+South not to elope with his neighbor's wife. In view of the condition
+of the country beyond Mason and Dixon's line, an elopement would prove
+his mistake of a lifetime.
+
+I have already referred to the resources of Missouri. The State
+possesses greater mineral wealth than any other State of the Union,
+east of the Rocky Mountains. Her lead mines are extensive, easily
+worked, very productive, and practically inexhaustible. The same may
+be said of her iron mines. Pilot Knob and Iron Mountain are nearly
+solid masses of ore, the latter being a thousand feet in height.
+Copper mines have been opened and worked, and tin has been found in
+several localities. The soil of the Northern portion of Missouri
+can boast of a fertility equal to that of Kansas or Illinois. In the
+Southern portion the country is more broken, but it contains large
+areas of rich lands. The productions of Missouri are similar to those
+of the Northern States in the same latitude. More hemp is raised in
+Missouri than in any other State except Kentucky. Much of this article
+was used during the Rebellion, in efforts to break up the numerous
+guerrilla bands that infested the State. Tobacco is an important
+product, and its culture is highly remunerative. At Hermann,
+Booneville, and other points, the manufacture of wine from the Catawba
+grape is extensively carried on. In location and resources, Missouri
+is without a rival among the States that formerly maintained the
+system of slave labor.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVIII.
+
+THE RESOURCES OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.
+
+How the People have Lived.--An Agricultural Community.--Mineral
+and other Wealth of Virginia.--Slave-Breeding in Former
+Times.--The Auriferous Region of North Carolina.--Agricultural
+Advantages.--Varieties of Soil in South Carolina.--Sea-Island
+Cotton.--Georgia and her Railways.--Probable Decline of the Rice
+Culture.--The Everglade State.--The Lower Mississippi Valley.--The Red
+River.--Arkansas and its Advantages.--A Hint for Tragedians.--Mining
+in Tennessee.--The Blue-Grass Region of Kentucky.--Texas and
+its Attractions.--Difference between Southern and Western
+Emigration.--The End.
+
+
+Compared with the North, the Southern States have been strictly an
+agricultural region. Their few manufactures were conducted on a small
+scale, and could not compete with those of the colder latitudes. They
+gave some attention to stock-raising in a few localities, but did not
+attach to it any great importance. Cotton was the product which fed,
+clothed, sheltered, and regaled the people. Even with the immense
+profits they received from its culture, they did not appear to
+understand the art of enjoyment. They generally lived on large and
+comfortless tracts of land, and had very few cities away from
+the sea-coast. They thought less of personal comfort than of the
+acquisition of more land, mules, and negroes.
+
+In the greatest portion of the South, the people lived poorer than
+many Northern mechanics have lived in the past twenty years. The
+property in slaves, to the extent of four hundred millions of dollars,
+was their heaviest item of wealth, but they seemed unable to turn this
+wealth to the greatest advantage. With the climate and soil in their
+favor, they paid little attention to the cheaper luxuries of rational
+living, but surrounded themselves with much that was expensive, though
+utterly useless. On plantations where the owners resided, a visiter
+would find the women adorned with diamonds and laces that cost
+many thousand dollars, and feast his eyes upon parlor furniture and
+ornaments of the most elaborate character. But the dinner-table would
+present a repast far below that of a New England farmer or mechanic
+in ordinary circumstances, and the sleeping-rooms would give evidence
+that genuine comfort was a secondary consideration. Outside of New
+Orleans and Charleston, where they are conducted by foreigners, the
+South has no such market gardens, or such abundance and variety of
+wholesome fruits and vegetables, as the more sterile North can boast
+of everywhere. So of a thousand other marks of advancing civilization.
+
+Virginia, "the mother of Presidents," is rich in minerals of the more
+useful sort, and some of the precious metals. Her list of mineral
+treasures includes gold, copper, iron, lead, plumbago, coal, and salt.
+The gold mines are not available except to capitalists, and it is not
+yet fully settled whether the yield is sufficient to warrant large
+investments. The gold is extracted from an auriferous region,
+extending from the Rappahannock to the Coosa River, in Alabama.
+The coal-beds in the State are easy of access, and said to be
+inexhaustible. The Kanawha salt-works are well known, and the
+petroleum regions of West Virginia are attracting much attention.
+
+Virginia presents many varieties of soil, and, with a better system of
+cultivation, her productions can be greatly increased. (The same
+may be said of all the Southern States, from the Atlantic to the Rio
+Grande.) Her soil is favorable to all the products of the Northern
+States. The wheat and corn of Virginia have a high reputation. In the
+culture of tobacco she has always surpassed every other State of
+the Union, and was also the first State in which it was practiced
+by civilized man to any extent. Washington pronounced the central
+counties of Virginia the finest agricultural district in the United
+States, as he knew them. Daniel Webster declared, in a public speech
+in the Shenandoah Valley, that he had seen no finer farming land in
+his European travel than in that valley.
+
+Until 1860, the people of Virginia paid considerable attention to the
+raising of negroes for the Southern market. For some reason this trade
+has greatly declined within the past five years, the stock becoming
+unsalable, and its production being interrupted. I would advise
+no person to contemplate moving to Virginia with a view to raising
+negroes for sale. The business was formerly conducted by the "First
+Families," and if it should be revived, they will doubtless claim an
+exclusive privilege.
+
+North Carolina abounds in minerals, especially in gold, copper, iron,
+and coal. The fields of the latter are very extensive. The gold
+mines of North Carolina have been profitably worked for many years. A
+correspondent of _The World_, in a recent letter from Charlotte, North
+Carolina, says:
+
+
+In these times of mining excitement it should he more widely known
+that North Carolina is a competitor with California, Idaho, and
+Nebraska. Gold is found in paying quantities in the State, and in the
+northern parts of South Carolina and Georgia. For a hundred miles
+west and southwest of Charlotte, all the streams contain more or less
+gold-dust. Nuggets of a few ounces have been frequently found, and
+there is one well-authenticated case of a solid nugget weighing
+twenty-eight pounds, which was purchased from its ignorant owner for
+three dollars, and afterward sold at the Mint. Report says a still
+larger lump was found and cut up by the guard at one of the mines.
+Both at Greensboro, Salisbury, and here, the most reliable residents
+concur in pointing to certain farms where the owners procure large
+sums of gold. One German is said to have taken more than a million
+of dollars from his farm, and refuses to sell his land for any price.
+Negroes are and have been accustomed to go out to the creeks and wash
+on Saturdays, frequently bringing in two or three dollars' worth, and
+not unfrequently negroes come to town with little nuggets of the pure
+ore to trade.
+
+The iron and copper mines were developed only to a limited extent
+before the war. The necessities of the case led the Southern
+authorities, however, after the outbreak, to turn their attention to
+them, and considerable quantities of the ore were secured. This was
+more especially true of iron.
+
+
+North Carolina is adapted to all the agricultural products of both
+North and South, with the exception of cane sugar. The marshes on the
+coast make excellent rice plantations, and, when drained, are very
+fertile in cotton. Much of the low, sandy section, extending sixty
+miles from the coast, is covered with extensive forests of pitch-pine,
+that furnish large quantities of lumber, tar, turpentine, and resin,
+for export to Northern cities. When cleared and cultivated, this
+region proves quite fertile, but Southern energy has thus far been
+content to give it very little improvement. Much of the land in the
+interior is very rich and productive. With the exception of Missouri,
+North Carolina is foremost, since the close of the war, in
+encouraging immigration. As soon as the first steps were taken
+toward reconstruction, the "North Carolina Land Agency" was opened at
+Raleigh, under the recommendation of the Governor of the State. This
+agency is under the management of Messrs. Heck, Battle & Co., citizens
+of Raleigh, and is now (August, 1865) establishing offices in the
+Northern cities for the purpose of representing the advantages that
+North Carolina possesses.
+
+The auriferous region of North Carolina extends into South Carolina
+and Georgia. In South Carolina the agricultural facilities are
+extensive. According to Ruffin and Tuomey (the agricultural surveyors
+of the State), there are six varieties of soil: 1. Tide swamp, devoted
+to the culture of rice. 2. Inland swamp, devoted to rice, cotton,
+corn, wheat, etc. 3. Salt marsh, devoted to long cotton. 4. Oak and
+pine regions, devoted to long cotton, corn, and wheat. 5. Oak and
+hickory regions, where cotton and corn flourish. 6. Pine barrens,
+adapted to fruit and vegetables.
+
+The famous "sea-island cotton" comes from the islands along the coast,
+where large numbers of the freed negroes of South Carolina have been
+recently located. South Carolina can produce, side by side, the corn,
+wheat, and tobacco of the North, and the cotton, rice, and sugar-cane
+of the South, though the latter article is not profitably cultivated.
+
+Notwithstanding the prophecies of the South Carolinians to the
+contrary, the free-labor scheme along the Atlantic coast has proved
+successful. The following paragraph is from a letter written by a
+prominent journalist at Savannah:--
+
+
+The condition of the islands along this coast is now of the greatest
+interest to the world at large, and to the people of the South in
+particular. Upon careful inquiry, I find that there are over two
+hundred thousand acres of land under cultivation by free labor. The
+enterprises are mostly by Northern men, although there are natives
+working their negroes under the new system, and negroes who are
+working land on their own account. This is the third year of the
+trial, and every year has been a success more and more complete. The
+profits of some of the laborers amount to five hundred, and in some
+cases five thousand dollars a year. The amount of money deposited in
+bank by the negroes of these islands is a hundred and forty thousand
+dollars. One joint, subscription to the seven-thirty loan amounted
+to eighty thousand dollars. Notwithstanding the fact that the troops
+which landed on the islands robbed, indiscriminately, the negroes of
+their money, mules, and supplies, the negroes went back to work again.
+General Saxton, who has chief charge of this enterprise, has his
+head-quarters at Beaufort. If these facts, and the actual prosperity
+of these islands could be generally known throughout the South, it
+would do more to induce the whites to take hold of the freed-labor
+system than all the general orders and arbitrary commands that General
+Hatch has issued.
+
+
+The resources of Georgia are similar to those of South Carolina, and
+the climate differs but little from that of the latter State. The
+rice-swamps are unhealthy, and the malaria which arises from them is
+said to be fatal to whites. Many of the planters express a fear that
+the abolition of slavery has ended the culture of rice. They argue
+that the labor is so difficult and exhaustive, that the negroes will
+never perform it excepting under the lash. Cruel modes of punishment
+being forbidden, the planters look upon the rice-lands as valueless.
+Time will show whether these fears are to be realized or not. If it
+should really happen that the negroes refuse to labor where their
+lives are of comparatively short duration, the country must consent to
+restore slavery to its former status, or purchase its rice in foreign
+countries. As rice is produced in India without slave labor, it is
+possible that some plan may be invented for its cultivation here.
+
+Georgia has a better system of railways than any other Southern State,
+and she is fortunate in possessing several navigable rivers. The
+people are not as hostile to Northerners as the inhabitants of South
+Carolina, but they do not display the desire to encourage immigration
+that is manifested in North Carolina. In the interior of Georgia,
+at the time I am writing, there is much suffering on account of a
+scarcity of food. Many cases of actual starvation are reported.
+
+Florida has few attractions to settlers. It is said there is no spot
+of land in the State three hundred feet above the sea-level. Men born
+with fins and webbed feet might enjoy themselves in the lakes and
+swamps, which form a considerable portion of Florida. Those whose
+tastes are favorable to timber-cutting, can find a profitable
+employment in preparing live-oak and other timbers for market. The
+climate is very healthy, and has been found highly beneficial to
+invalids. The vegetable productions of the State are of similar
+character to those of Georgia, but their amount is not large.
+
+In the Indian tongue, Alabama signifies "Here we rest." The traveler
+who rests in the State of that name, finds an excellent agricultural
+region. He finds that cotton is king with the Alabamians, and that the
+State has fifteen hundred miles of navigable rivers and a good railway
+system. He finds that Alabama suffered less by the visits of our
+armies than either Georgia or South Carolina. The people extend him
+the same welcome that he received in Georgia. They were too deeply
+interested in the perpetuation of slavery to do otherwise than mourn
+the failure to establish the Confederacy.
+
+Elsewhere I have spoken of the region bordering the lower portion of
+the Great River of the West, which includes Louisiana and Mississippi.
+In the former State, sugar and cotton are the great products. In the
+latter, cotton is the chief object of attention. It is quite probable
+that the change from slavery to freedom may necessitate the division
+of the large plantations into farms of suitable size for cultivation
+by persons of moderate capital. If this should be done, there will
+be a great demand for Northern immigrants, and the commerce of these
+States will be largely increased.
+
+Early in July, of the present year, after the dispersal of the
+Rebel armies, a meeting was held at Shreveport, Louisiana, at which
+resolutions were passed favoring the encouragement of Northern
+migration to the Red River valley. The resolutions set forth, that the
+pineries of that region would amply repay development, in view of
+the large market for lumber along Red River and the Mississippi.
+They further declared, that the cotton and sugar plantations of West
+Louisiana offered great attractions, and were worthy the attention
+of Northern men. The passage of these resolutions indicates a better
+spirit than has been manifested by the inhabitants of other portions
+of the Pelican State. Many of the people in the Red River region
+profess to have been loyal to the United States throughout the days of
+the Rebellion.
+
+The Red River is most appropriately named. It flows through a region
+where the soil has a reddish tinge, that is imparted to the water of
+the river. The sugar produced there has the same peculiarity, and can
+be readily distinguished from the sugar of other localities.
+
+Arkansas is quite rich in minerals, though far less so than Missouri.
+Gold abounds in some localities, and lead, iron, and zinc exist
+in large quantities. The saltpeter caves along the White River can
+furnish sufficient saltpeter for the entire Southwest. Along the
+rivers the soil is fertile, but there are many sterile regions in the
+interior. The agricultural products are similar to those of Missouri,
+with the addition of cotton. With the exception of the wealthier
+inhabitants, the people of Arkansas are desirous of stimulating
+emigration. They suffered so greatly from the tyranny of the Rebel
+leaders that they cheerfully accept the overthrow of slavery. Arkansas
+possesses less advantages than most other Southern States, being far
+behind her sisters in matters of education and internal improvement.
+It is to be hoped that her people have discovered their mistake, and
+will make earnest efforts to correct it at an early day.
+
+A story is told of a party of strolling players that landed at a town
+in Arkansas, and advertised a performance of "Hamlet." A delegation
+waited upon the manager, and ordered him to "move on." The spokesman
+of the delegation is reported to have said:
+
+"That thar Shakspeare's play of yourn, stranger, may do for New York
+or New Orleans, but we want you to understand that Shakspeare in
+Arkansas is pretty ---- well played out."
+
+Persons who wish to give attention to mining matters, will find
+attractions in Tennessee, in the deposits of iron, copper, and
+other ores. Coal is found in immense quantities among the Cumberland
+Mountains, and lead exists in certain localities. Though Tennessee can
+boast of considerable mineral wealth, her advantages are not equal to
+those of Missouri or North Carolina. In agriculture she stands well,
+though she has no soil of unusual fertility, except in the western
+portion of the State. Cotton, corn, and tobacco are the great staples,
+and considerable quantities of wheat are produced. Stock-raising has
+received considerable attention. More mules were formerly raised in
+Tennessee than in any other State of the Union. A large portion of the
+State is admirably adapted to grazing.
+
+Military operations in Tennessee, during the Rebellion, were very
+extensive, and there was great destruction of property in consequence.
+Large numbers of houses and other buildings were burned, and many
+farms laid waste. It will require much time, capital, and energy to
+obliterate the traces of war.
+
+The inhabitants of Kentucky believe that their State cannot be
+surpassed in fertility. They make the famous "Blue Grass Region,"
+around Lexington, the subject of especial boast. The soil of this
+section is very rich, and the grass has a peculiar bluish tinge, from
+which its name is derived. One writer says the following of the Blue
+Grass Region:--
+
+
+View the country round from the heads of the Licking, the Ohio, the
+Kentucky, Dick's, and down the Green River, and you have a hundred
+miles square of the most extraordinary country on which the sun has
+ever shone.
+
+
+Farms in this region command the highest prices, and there are very
+few owners who have any desire to sell their property. Nearly all the
+soil of the State is adapted to cultivation. Its staple products are
+the same as those of Missouri. It produces more flax and hemp than
+any other State, and is second only to Virginia in the quality and
+quantity of its tobacco. Its yield of corn is next to that of Ohio.
+Like Tennessee, it has a large stock-raising interest, principally in
+mules and hogs, for which there is always a ready market.
+
+Kentucky suffered severely during the campaigns of the Rebel army in
+that State, and from the various raids of John Morgan. A parody on
+"My Maryland" was published in Louisville soon after one of Morgan's
+visits, of which the first stanza was as follows:--
+
+
+  John Morgan's foot is on thy shore,
+     Kentucky! O Kentucky!
+  His hand is on thy stable door,
+     Kentucky! O Kentucky!
+  He'll take thy horse he spared before,
+  And ride him till his back is sore,
+  And leave him at some stranger's door,
+     Kentucky! O Kentucky!
+
+
+Last, and greatest, of the lately rebellious States, is Texas. Every
+variety of soil can be found there, from the richest alluvial deposits
+along the river bottoms, down to the deserts in the northwestern part
+of the State, where a wolf could not make an honest living. All the
+grains of the Northern States can be produced. Cotton, tobacco,
+and sugar-cane are raised in large quantities, and the agricultural
+capabilities of Texas are very great. Being a new State, its system of
+internal communications is not good. Texas has the reputation of being
+the finest grazing region in the Southwest. Immense droves of horses,
+cattle, and sheep cover its prairies, and form the wealth of many of
+the inhabitants. Owing to the distance from market, these animals are
+generally held at very low prices.
+
+Shortly after its annexation to the United States, Texas became a
+resort for outcasts from civilized society. In some parts of the
+Union, the story goes that sheriffs, and their deputies dropped the
+phrase "_non est inventus_" for one more expressive. Whenever they
+discovered that parties for whom they held writs had decamped, they
+returned the documents with the indorsement "G.T.T." (gone to Texas).
+Some writer records that the State derived its name from the last
+words of a couplet which runaway individuals were supposed to repeat
+on their arrival:--
+
+  When every other land rejects us,
+  This is the land that freely takes us.
+
+Since 1850, the character of the population of Texas has greatly
+improved, though it does not yet bear favorable comparison to that
+of Quaker villages, or of rural districts of Massachusetts or
+Connecticut. There is a large German element in Texas, which displayed
+devoted loyalty to the Union during the days of the Rebellion.
+
+An unknown philosopher says the world is peopled by two great classes,
+those who have money, and those who haven't--the latter being most
+numerous. Migratory Americans are subject to the same distinction. Of
+those who have emigrated to points further West during the last thirty
+years, a very large majority were in a condition of impecuniosity.
+Many persons emigrate on account of financial embarrassments, leaving
+behind them debts of varied magnitude. In some cases, Territories and
+States that desired to induce settlers to come within their limits,
+have passed laws providing that no debt contracted elsewhere, previous
+to emigration, could be collected by any legal process. To a man
+laboring under difficulties of a pecuniary character, the new
+Territories and States offer as safe a retreat as the Cities of Refuge
+afforded to criminals in the days of the ancients.
+
+Formerly, the West was the only field to which emigrants could direct
+their steps. There was an abundance of land, and a great need of human
+sinew to make it lucrative. When land could be occupied by a settler
+and held under his pre-emption title, giving him opportunity to pay
+for his possession from the products of his own industry and the
+fertility of the soil, there was comparatively little need of capital.
+The operations of speculators frequently tended to retard settlement
+rather than to stimulate it, as they shut out large areas from
+cultivation or occupation, in order to hold them for an advance. In
+many of the Territories a dozen able-bodied men, accustomed to farm
+labor and willing to toil, were considered a greater acquisition than
+a speculator with twenty thousand dollars of hard cash. Labor was of
+more importance than capital.
+
+To a certain extent this is still the case. Laboring men are greatly
+needed on the broad acres of the far-Western States. No one who has
+not traveled in that region can appreciate the sacrifice made by
+Minnesota, Iowa, and Kansas, when they sent their regiments of
+stalwart men to the war. Every arm that carried a musket from those
+States, was a certain integral portion of their wealth and prosperity.
+The great cities of the seaboard could spare a thousand men with far
+less loss than would accrue to any of the States I have mentioned, by
+the subtraction of a hundred. There is now a great demand for men
+to fill the vacancy caused by deaths in the field, and to occupy the
+extensive areas that are still uncultivated. Emigrants without capital
+will seek the West, where their stout arms will make them welcome and
+secure them comfortable homes.
+
+In the South the situation is different. For the present there is a
+sufficiency of labor. Doubtless there will be a scarcity several years
+hence, but there is no reason to fear it immediately. Capital
+and direction are needed. The South is impoverished. Its money is
+expended, and it has no present source of revenue. There is nothing
+wherewith to purchase the necessary stock, supplies, and implements
+for prosecuting agricultural enterprise. The planters are generally
+helpless. Capital to supply the want must come from the rich North.
+
+Direction is no less needed than capital. A majority of Southern men
+declare the negroes will be worthless to them, now that slavery is
+abolished. "We have," say they, "lived among these negroes all our
+days. We know them in no other light than as slaves. We command them
+to do what we wish, and we punish them as we see fit for disobedience.
+We cannot manage them in any other way."
+
+No doubt this is the declaration of their honest belief. A Northern
+man can give them an answer appealing to their reason, if not to their
+conviction. He can say, "You are accustomed to dealing with slaves,
+and you doubtless tell the truth when declaring you cannot manage
+the negroes under the new system. We are accustomed to dealing with
+freemen, and do not know how to control slaves. The negroes being
+free, our knowledge of freemen will enable us to manage them without
+difficulty."
+
+Every thing is favorable to the man of small or large capital,
+who desires to emigrate to the South. In consideration of the
+impoverishment of the people and their distrust of the freed negroes
+as laborers, lands in the best districts can be purchased very
+cheaply. Plantations can be bought, many of them with all the
+buildings and fences still remaining, though somewhat out of repair,
+at prices ranging from three to ten dollars an acre. A few hundred
+dollars will do far more toward securing a home for the settler in
+the South than in the West. Labor is abundant, and the laborers can be
+easily controlled by Northern brains. The land is already broken, and
+its capabilities are fully known. Capital, if judiciously invested and
+under proper direction, whether in large or moderate amounts, will be
+reasonably certain of an ample return.
+
+FINIS.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field, by Thomas W. Knox
+
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