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diff --git a/44865.txt b/44865.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2bc6dc0..0000000 --- a/44865.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,17567 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Secret Service., by Albert D. Richardson - -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: The Secret Service. - The Field, The Dungeon, and The Escape - -Author: Albert D. Richardson - -Release Date: February 10, 2014 [EBook #44865] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SECRET SERVICE. *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Martin Mayer and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - -[A Transcribers' Note follows the text.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Brady._ _Eng^d by Geo E Perine N.Y._ -Albert D. Richardson] - - - - - THE - SECRET SERVICE, - THE FIELD, THE DUNGEON, - AND - THE ESCAPE. - - "Wherein I spoke of most disastrous chances, - Of moving accidents, by flood and field; - Of hairbreadth 'scapes i' the imminent deadly breach; - Of being taken by the insolent foe, - And sold to slavery; of my redemption thence." - OTHELLO. - - BY - ALBERT D. RICHARDSON, - TRIBUNE CORRESPONDENT. - - Hartford, Conn., - AMERICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY. - JONES BROS. & CO., PHILADELPHIA, PA., AND CINCINNATI, OHIO. - R. C. TREAT, CHICAGO, ILL. - 1865. - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, - BY ALBERT D. RICHARDSON, - In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for - the District of Connecticut. - - TO - Her Memory - WHO WAS NEAREST AND DEAREST, - WHOSE LIFE WAS FULL OF BEAUTY AND OF PROMISE, - THIS VOLUME - IS TENDERLY INSCRIBED. - - - - -List of Illustrations. - - - I.--PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR Facing Title-page. - II.--A GROUP OF ARMY CORRESPONDENTS: Facing page 17 - Portraits of Messrs. - Charles C. Coffin, Boston _Journal_; - Junius H. Browne, New York _Tribune_; - Thomas W. Knox, New York _Herald_; - Richard T. Colburn, New York _World_; - L. L. Crounse, New York _Times_; - William E. Davis, Cincinnati _Gazette_, and - William D. Bickham, Cincinnati _Commercial_ - III.--THE MISSISSIPPI CONVENTION VIEWED BY A Opposite page 83 - TRIBUNE CORRESPONDENT - IV.--OPENING OF THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM.--GENERAL Opposite page 281 - HOOKER - V.--FACSIMILE OF AN AUTOGRAPH LETTER OF PRESIDENT page 321 - LINCOLN - VI.--THE CAPTURE, WHILE RUNNING THE REBEL BATTERIES Opposite page 343 - AT VICKSBURG - VII.--INTERIOR VIEW OF A HOSPITAL IN THE SALISBURY Opposite page 415 - PRISON - VIII.--THE MASSACRE OF UNION PRISONERS ATTEMPTING Opposite page 419 - TO ESCAPE FROM SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA - IX.--ESCAPING PRISONERS FED BY NEGROES IN THEIR Opposite page 441 - MASTER'S BARN - X.--FORDING A STREAM Opposite page 471 - XI.--"THE NAMELESS HEROINE" PILOTING THE ESCAPING Opposite page 501 - PRISONERS OUT OF A REBEL AMBUSH - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - I.--THE SECRET SERVICE. - CHAPTER I. 17 - Going South in the Secret Service.--Instructions from - the Managing Editor.--A Visit to the Mammoth Cave of - Kentucky.--Nashville, Tennessee.--Alabama Unionists.--How - the State was Precipitated into the Rebellion.--Reaching - Memphis.--Abolitionists Mobbed and Hanged.--Brutalities of - Slavery. - CHAPTER II. 31 - In Memphis.--How the Secessionists Carried the Day.--Aims - of the Leading Rebels.--On the Railroad.--A Northerner - Warned.--An Amusing Dialogue.--Talk about Assassinating - President Lincoln.--Arrival in New Orleans.--Hospitality - from a Stranger.--An Ovation to General Twiggs.--Braxton - Bragg.--The Rebels Anxious for War.--A Glance at the - Louisiana Convention. - CHAPTER III. 43 - Association with Leading Secessionists.--Their Hatred of - New England.--Admission to the Democratic Club.--Abuse of - President Lincoln.--Sinking Buildings, Cellars and Walls - Impossible.--Cemeteries above Ground.--Monument of a - Pirate.--Canal Street.--The Great French Markets.--Dedication - of a Secession Flag in the Catholic Church.--The Cotton - Presses.--Visit to the Jackson Battle-ground.--The - Creoles.--Jackson's Head-Quarters.--A Fire in the - Rear.--A Life Saved by a Cigar.--A Black Republican - Flag.--Vice-President Hamlin a Mulatto.--Northerners leaving - the South. - CHAPTER IV. 57 - How Letters were Written and Transmitted.--A System of - Cipher.--A Philadelphian among the Rebels.--Probable fate - of a _Tribune_ Correspondent, if Discovered.--Southern - Manufactures.--A Visit to a Southern Shoe Factory.--Where - the Machinery and Workmen came from.--How Southern Shoes - were Made.--Study of Southern Society.--Report of a - Slave Auction.--Sale of a White Woman.--Girls on the - Block.--Husbands and Wives Separated.--A most Revolting - Spectacle.--The Delights of a Tropical Climate. - CHAPTER V. 71 - A Northerner among the Minute Men.--Louisiana Convention.--A - Lively Discussion.--Boldness of the Union Members.--Another - Exciting Discussion.--Secessionists Repudiate their Own - Doctrines.--Despotic Rebel Theories.--The Northwest - to Join the Rebels.--The Great Swamp.--A Trip through - Louisiana.--_The Tribune_ Correspondent Invited to a Seat in - the Mississippi Convention. - CHAPTER VI. 81 - The Mississippi State-House.--View of the Rebel - Hall.--Its General Air of Dilapidation.--A Free-and-Easy - Convention.--Southern Orators.--The Anglo-African - Delegate.--A Speech Worth Preserving.--Familiar Conversation - of Members.--New Orleans Again.--Reviewing Troops.--New - Orleans Again.--Hatred of Southern Unionists.--Three - Obnoxious Northerners.--The Attack on Sumter.--Rebel Bravado. - CHAPTER VII. 91 - Abolition Tendencies of Kentuckians.--Fundamental - Grievances of the Rebels.--Sudden Departure from New - Orleans.--Mobile.--The War Spirit High.--An Awkward - Encounter.--"Massa, Fort Sumter has gone Up."--Bells - Ringing.--Cannon Booming.--Up the Alabama River.--A - Dancing Little Darkey.--How to Escape Suspicion.--Southern - Characteristics and Provincialism.--Visit to the Confederate - Capital.--At Montgomery, Alabama.--Copperas Breeches _vs._ - Black Breeches.--A Correspondent under Arrest. - CHAPTER VIII. 105 - A Journey Through Georgia.--Excitement of the - People.--Washington to be Captured.--Apprehensions about - Arming the Negroes.--A Fatal Question.--Charleston.--Looking - at Fort Sumter.--A Short Stay in the City.--North - Carolina.--The Country on Fire.--Submitting to Rebel - Scrutiny.--The North Heard From.--Richmond, Virginia.--The - Frenzy of the People.--Up the Potomac.--The Old Flag Once - More.--An Hour with President Lincoln.--Washington in - Panic.--A Regiment which Came Out to Fight.--Baltimore - under Rebel Rule.--Pennsylvania.--The North fully - Aroused.--Uprising of the whole People.--A _Tribune_ - Correspondent on Trial in Charleston.--He is Warned to - Leave.--His Fortunate Escape - II.--THE FIELD. - CHAPTER IX. 125 - Sunday at Niagara Falls.--View from the Suspension - Bridge.--The Palace of the Frost King.--Chicago, a - City Rising from the Earth.--Mysteries of Western - Currency.--A Horrible Spectacle in Arkansas.--Patriotism - of the Northwest.--Missouri.--The Rebels bent on - Revolution.--Nathaniel Lyon.--Camp Jackson.--Sterling Price - Joins the Rebels.--His Quarrel with Frank Blair.--His - Personal Character.--St. Louis in a Convulsion.--A Nashville - Experience.--Bitterness of Old Neighbors.--Good Soldiers for - Scaling Walls.--Wholesome Advice to Missouri Slaveholders - CHAPTER X. 141 - Cairo, Illinois.--A Visit from General McClellan.--A little - Speech-making.--Penalty of Writing for _The Tribune_.--A - Unionist Aided to Escape from Memphis by a Loyal Girl.--The - Fascinations of Cairo.--The Death of Douglas.--A Clear-headed - Contraband.--A Review of the Troops.--"Not a Fighting Nigger, - but a Running Nigger."--Capture of a Rebel Flag - CHAPTER XI. 151 - Missouri Again.--The Retributions of Time.--A Railroad - Reminiscence.--Jefferson City.--A Fugitive Governor.--"Black - Republicanism."--Belligerent Chaplain.--A Rebel Newspaper - Converted by the Iowa Soldiers.--Two Camp Stories of the - Marvelous - CHAPTER XII. 157 - Chicago.--Corn, not Cotton, is King.--Curious Reminiscences - of the City.--A Visit to the Grave of Douglas.--Patriotism of - the Northwestern Germans.--Their Social Habits.--Cincinnati - in the Early Days.--A City Founded by a Woman.--The - Aspirations of the Cincinnatian.--Kentucky.--Treason and - Loyalty in Louisville.--A Visit to George D. Prentice.--The - first Union Troops of Kentucky.--Struggle in the Kentucky - Legislature.--What the Rebel Leaders Want.--Rousseau's - Visit to Washington.--His Interview with President - Lincoln.--Timidity of the Kentucky Unionists.--Loyalty of - Judge Lusk. - CHAPTER XIII. 173 - Western Virginia.--Campaigning in the Kanawha Valley.--A - Bloodthirsty Female Rebel.--A Soldier Proves to be a Woman - in Disguise.--Extravagant Joy of the Negroes.--How the - Soldiers Foraged.--The Falls of the Kanawha.--A Tragedy of - Slavery.--St. Louis.--The Future of the City.--A disgusted - Rebel Editor. - CHAPTER XIV. 181 - The Battle of Wilson Creek.--Daring Exploit of a - Kansas Officer.--Death of Lyon.--His Courage and - Patriotism.--Arrival of General Fremont.--Union Families - Driven Out.--An Involuntary Sojourn in Rebel Camps.--A - Startling Confederate Atrocity. - CHAPTER XV. 189 - Jefferson City, Missouri.--Fremont's Army.--Organization - of the Bohemian Brigade.--An Amusing Inquiry.--Diversions - of the Correspondents.--A Polite Army Chaplain.--Sights - in Jefferson City.--"Fights mit Sigel."--Fremont's - Head-Quarters.--Appearance of the General.--Mrs. - Fremont.--Sigel, Hunter, Pope, Asboth, McKinstry.--Sigel's - Transportation Train.--A Countryman's Estimate of Troops. - CHAPTER XVI. 199 - A Kid-gloved Corps.--Charge of Fremont's Body-guard.--Major - White.--Turning the Tables.--Welcome from the Union Residents - of Springfield.--Freaks of the Kansas Brigade.--A Visit to - the Wilson-Creek Battle-Ground.--"Missing."--Graves Opened - by Wolves.--Capture of a Female Spy.--Fremont's Farewell to - His Army.--Dissatisfaction Among the Soldiers.--Spurious - Missouri Unionists.--The Conduct of Secretary Cameron and - Adjutant-General Thomas. - CHAPTER XVII. 213 - Rebel Guerrillas Outwitted.--Expedition to Fort - Henry.--Scenes in the Captured Fort.--Commodore Foote in - the Pulpit.--Capture of Fort Donelson.--Scenes in Columbus, - Kentucky.--A Curious Anti-Climax.--Hospital Scenes. - CHAPTER XVIII. 225 - Down the Mississippi.--Bombardment of Island Number - Ten.--Sensations under Fire.--Flanking the Island.--Daily - Life on a Gunboat.--Triumph of Engineering Skill.--The - Surrender. - CHAPTER XIX. 235 - The Battle of Shiloh.--With the Sanitary Commission.--A - Union Orator in Rebel Hands.--Grant and Sherman in - Battle.--Hair-breadth 'Scapes.--General Sweeney.--Arrival of - Buell's Army.--The Final Struggle.--Losses of the Two Armies. - CHAPTER XX. 243 - Grant under a Cloud.--He Smokes and Waits.--Military - Jealousies.--The Union and Rebel Wounded. - CHAPTER XXI. 247 - An Interview with General Sherman.--His Complaints about - the Press.--Sherman's Personal Appearance.--Humors of the - Telegraph.--Our Advance upon Corinth.--Weaknesses of Sundry - Generals.--"Ten Thousand Prisoners Taken."--Halleck's - Faux Pas at Corinth.--Out on the Front.--Among the - Sharp-shooters.--Halleck and the War Correspondents. - CHAPTER XXII. 259 - Bloodthirstiness of Rebel Women.--The Battle of - Memphis.--Gallant Exploit of the Rams.--A Sailor - on a Lark.--Appearance of the Captured City.--The - Jews in Memphis.--A Rebel Paper Supervised.--"A Dam - Black-harted Ablichiness."--Challenge from a Southern - Woman.--Valuable Currency.--A Rebel Trick.--One of Sherman's - Jokes.--Fictitious Battle Reports.--Curtis's March through - Arkansas.--The Siege of Cincinnati. - CHAPTER XXIII. 275 - With the Army of the Potomac.--On the War-Path.--A Duel in - Arizona.--How Correspondents Avoided Expulsion.--Shameful - Surrender of Harper's Ferry.--General Hooker at - Antietam.--"Stormed at with Shot and Shell."--A Night Among - the Pickets.--The Battlefield. - CHAPTER XXIV. 287 - The Day after the Battle.--Among the Dead.--Lee Permitted - to Escape.--The John Brown Engine-House.--President Lincoln - Reviewing the Army.--Dodging Cannon Balls.--"An Intelligent - Contraband."--Harper's Ferry.--Curiosities of the Signal - Corps.--View from Maryland Hights. - CHAPTER XXV. 299 - Marching Southward.--Rebel Girl with Sharp Tongue.--A Slight - Mistake.--Removal of General McClellan.--Familiarity of the - Pickets.--The Life of an Army Correspondent.--A Negro's Idea - of Freedom.--The Battle of Fredericksburg.--A Telegraphic - Blunder.--The Batteries at Fredericksburg.--A Disappointed - Virginian.--The Spirit of the Army under Defeat. - CHAPTER XXVI. 311 - Reminiscences of President Lincoln.--His Great Canvass - with Douglas.--His Visit to Kansas.--His Manner of Public - Speaking.--High Praise from an Opponent.--A Deed without - a Name.--Sherman's Quarrel with the Press.--An Army - Correspondent Court-Martialed.--A Visit to President - Lincoln.--Two of his "Little Stories."--His familiar - Conversation.--Opinions about McClellan and Vicksburg.--Our - best Contribution to History. - CHAPTER XXVII. 327 - Reminiscences of General Sumner.--His Conduct in Kansas.--A - Thrilling Scene in Battle.--How Sumner Fought.--Ordered Back - by McClellan.--Love for his Old Comrades.--Traveling Through - the Northwest.--A Visit to Rosecrans's Army.--Rosecrans in a - Great Battle.--A Scene in Memphis. - III.--THE DUNGEON. - CHAPTER XXVIII. 337 - Running the Vicksburg Batteries.--Expedition Badly - Fitted Out.--"Into the Jaws of Death."--A Moment of - Suspense.--Disabled and Drifting Helplessly.--Bombarding, - Scalding, Burning, Drowning.--Taking to a Hay - Bale.--Overturned.--Rescued from the River.--The Killed, - Wounded, and Missing. - CHAPTER XXIX. 347 - Standing by Our Colors.--Confinement in the Vicksburg - Jail.--Sympathizing Sambo.--Parolled to Return Home.--Turning - the Tables.--Visit from Many Rebels.--Interview with Jacob - Thompson.--Arrival in Jackson, Mississippi.--Kindness of - Southern Rebels.--A Project for Escape. - CHAPTER XXX. 357 - A Word with a Union Woman.--Grierson's Great Raid.--Stumping - the State.--An Enraged Texan Officer.--Waggery of a Captured - Journalist.--The Alabama River.--Atlanta Editors Advocate - Hanging the Prisoners.--Renegade Vermonters. - CHAPTER XXXI. 365 - Arrival in Richmond.--Lodged in Libby Prison.--Sufferings - from Vermin.--Prisoners Denounced as Blasphemous.--Thieving - of a Virginia Gentleman.--Brutality of Captain - Turner.--Prisoners Murdered by the Guards.--Fourth of July - Celebration.--The Horrors of Belle Isle. - CHAPTER XXXII. 373 - The Captains Ordered Below.--Two Selected for Execution.--The - Gloomiest Night in Prison.--Glorious Revulsion of - Feeling.--Exciting Discussion in Prison.--Stealing Money - from the Captives.--Horrible Treatment of Northern - Citizens.--Extravagant Rumors among the Prisoners. - CHAPTER XXXIII. 381 - Transferred to Castle Thunder.--Better than the - Libby.--Determined Not to Die.--A Negro Cruelly Whipped.--The - Execution of Spencer Kellogg.--Steadfastness of Southern - Unionists. - CHAPTER XXXIV. 387 - A Waggish Journalist.--Proceedings of a Mock Court.--Escape - by Killing a Guard.--Escape by Playing Negro.--Escape by - Forging a Release.--Escaped Prisoner at Jeff Davis's Levee. - CHAPTER XXXV. 393 - Assistance from a Negro Boy.--The Prison Officers - Enraged.--Visit from a Friendly Woman.--Shut up in a - Cell.--Stealing from Flag-of-Truce Letters.--Parols - Repudiated by the Rebels.--Sentenced to the Salisbury - Prison.--Abolitionists before the War. - CHAPTER XXXVI. 401 - The Open Air and Pure Water.--The Crushing Weight of - Imprisonment.--Bad News from Home.--The Great Libby - Tunnel.--Escape of Colonel Streight.--Horrible Sufferings - of Union Officers.--A Cool Method of Escape.--Captured - through the Obstinacy of a Mule.--Concealing Money when - Searched.--Attempts to Escape Frustrated.--Yankee Deserters - Whipped and Hanged. - CHAPTER XXXVII. 411 - Great Influx of Prisoners.--Starving in the Midst of - Food.--Freezing in the Midst of Fuel.--Rebel Surgeons - Generally Humane.--Terrible Scenes in the Hospitals.--The - Rattling Dead-Cart.--Cruelty of our Government.--General - Butler's Example of Retaliation. - CHAPTER XXXVIII. 419 - Attempted Outbreak and Massacre.--Cold-blooded Murders - Frequent.--Hostility to _The Tribune_ Correspondents.--A - Cruel Injustice.--Rebel Expectations of Peace.--The Prison - Like the Tomb.--Something about Tunneling.--The Tunnelers - Ingeniously Baffled. - IV.--THE ESCAPE. - CHAPTER XXXIX. 427 - Fifteen Months of Fruitless Endeavor.--A Fearful Journey - in Prospect.--A Friendly Confederate Officer.--Effects - of Hunger and Cold.--Another Plan in Reserve.--Passing - the Sentinel.--"Beg Pardon, Sir."--Encountering Rebel - Acquaintances. - CHAPTER XL. 435 - "Out of the Jaws of Death."--Concealed in Sight of the - Prison.--Certain to be Brought Back.--Commencing the Long - Journey.--Too Weak for Traveling.--Severe March in the Rain. - CHAPTER XLI. 441 - A Cabin of Friendly Negroes.--Southerners Unacquainted - with Tea.--Walking Twelve Miles for Nothing.--Every Negro - a Friend.--Touching Fidelity of the Slaves.--Pursued by a - Home-Guard.--Help in the Last Extremity.--Carried Fifteen - Miles by Friends - CHAPTER XLII. 449 - A Curious Dilemma.--Food, Shelter, and Friends.--Loyalty of - the Mountaineers.--A Levee in a Barn.--Visited by an Old - Friend.--A Day of Alarms.--A Woman's Ready Wit.--Danger - of Detection from Snoring.--Promises to Aid Suffering - Comrades.--A Repentant Rebel - CHAPTER XLIII. 461 - Flanking a Rebel Camp.--Secreted among the Husks.--Wandering - from the Road.--Crossing the Yadkin River.--Union - Bushwhackers.--Union Soldiers "Lying Out."--An Energetic - Invalid - CHAPTER XLIV. 469 - Money Concealed in Clothing.--Peril of Union - Citizens.--Fording Creeks at Midnight.--Climbing the Blue - Ridge.--Crossing the New River at Midnight - CHAPTER XLV. 477 - Over Mountains and Through Ravines.--Mistaken for Confederate - Guards.--A Rebel Guerrilla Killed.--Meeting a Former - Fellow-Prisoner.--Alarm about Rebel Cavalry.--A Stanch old - Unionist.--The Greatest Danger.--A Well Fortified Refuge - CHAPTER XLVI. 487 - Dan Ellis, the Union Guide.--In Good Hands at Last.--Ellis's - Bravery.--Lost! A Perilous Blunder.--A most Fortunate - Encounter.--Rejoining Dan and His Party.--A Terrible March - CHAPTER XLVII. 495 - Fording Creeks in the Darkness.--Prospect of a Dreary - Night.--Sleeping among the Husks.--Turning Back in - Discouragement.--An Alarm at Midnight.--A Young Lady for a - Guide.--The Nameless Heroine. - CHAPTER XLVIII. 503 - Among the Delectable Mountains.--Separation from - Friends.--Union Women Scrutinizing the Yankee.--"Slide - Down off that Horse."--Friendly Words, but Hostile - Eyes.--Hospitalities of a Loyal Patriarch.--"Out of the Mouth - of Hell." - -[Illustration: RICHARD T. COLBURN, "NEW YORK WORLD". CHARLES C. COFFIN, -"CARLETON" - "BOSTON JOURNAL". WILLIAM E. DAVIS, "CINCINNATI GAZETTE". -JUNIUS H. BROWNE, "NEW YORK TRIBUNE". L. L. CROUNSE, "NEW YORK TIMES". -W. D. BICKHAM, "CINCINNATI COMMERCIAL". THOMAS W. KNOX, "NEW YORK -HERALD". A GROUP OF ARMY CORRESPONDENTS. Eng^d. by Geo. E. Perine, -N.Y.] - - - - -THE FIELD, THE DUNGEON, AND THE ESCAPE. - -I. - -THE SECRET SERVICE. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - I will go on the slightest errand now to the antipodes that - you can desire to send me on.--MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. - -Early in 1861, I felt a strong desire to look at the Secession movement -for myself; to learn, by personal observation, whether it sprang from -the people or not; what the Revolutionists wanted, what they hoped, and -what they feared. - -But the southern climate, never propitious to the longevity of -Abolitionists, was now unfavorable to the health of every northerner, -no matter how strong his political constitution. I felt the danger of -being recognized; for several years of roving journalism, and a good -deal of political speaking on the frontier, had made my face familiar -to persons whom I did not remember at all, and given me that large and -motley acquaintance which every half-public life necessitates. - -Moreover, I had passed through the Kansas struggle; and many former -shining lights of Border Ruffianism were now, with perfect fitness, -lurid torches in the early bonfires of Secession. I did not care -to meet their eyes, for I could not remember a single man of them -all who would be likely to love me, either wisely or too well. But -the newspaper instinct was strong within me, and the journalist who -deliberates is lost. My hesitancy resulted in writing for a roving -commission to represent THE TRIBUNE in the Southwest. - -[Sidenote: THE MANAGING EDITOR.] - -A few days after, I found the Managing Editor in his office, going -through the great pile of letters the morning mail had brought him, -with the wonderful rapidity which quick intuition, long experience, and -natural fitness for that most delicate and onerous position alone can -give. For the modern newspaper is a sort of intellectual iron-clad, -upon which, while the Editorial Captain makes out the reports to his -chief, the public, and entertains the guests in his elegant cabin, the -leading column, and receives the credit for every broadside of type -and every paper bullet of the brain poured into the enemy,--back out -of sight is an Executive Officer, with little popular fame, who keeps -the ship all right from hold to maintop, looks to every detail with -sleepless vigilance, and whose life is a daily miracle of hard work. - -The Manager went through his mail, I think, at the rate of one letter -per minute. He made final disposition of each when it came into his -hand; acting upon the great truth, that if he laid one aside for future -consideration, there would soon be a series of strata upon his groaning -desk, which no mental geologist could fathom or classify. Some were -ruthlessly thrown into the waste-basket. Others, with a lightning -pencil-stroke, to indicate the type and style of printing, were placed -on the pile for the composing-room. A few great packages of manuscript -were re-enclosed in envelopes for the mail, with a three-line note, -which, while I did not read, I knew must run like this:-- - - "MY DEAR SIR--Your article has unquestionable merit; but by - the imperative pressure of important news upon our columns, - we are very reluctantly compelled," etc. - -[Sidenote: PRELIMINARY INSTRUCTIONS.] - -There was that quick, educated instinct, which reads the whole from -a very small part, taking in a line here and a key-word there. Two -or three glances appeared to decide the fate of each; yet the reader -was not wholly absorbed, for all the while he kept up a running -conversation: - -"I received your letter. Are you going to New Orleans?" - -"Not unless you send me." - -"I suppose you know it is rather precarious business?" - -"O, yes." - -"Two of our correspondents have come home within the last week, after -narrow escapes. We have six still in the South; and it would not -surprise me, this very hour, to receive a telegram announcing the -imprisonment or death of any one of them." - -"I have thought about all that, and decided." - -"Then we shall be very glad to have you go." - -"When may I start?" - -"To-day, if you like." - -"What field shall I occupy?" - -"As large a one as you please. Go and remain just where you think best." - -"How long shall I stay?" - -"While the excitement lasts, if possible. Do you know how long you -_will_ stay? You will be back here some fine morning in just about two -weeks." - -"Wait and see." - -Pondering upon the line of conduct best for the journey, I remembered -the injunction of the immortal Pickwick: "It is always best on these -occasions to do what the mob do!" "But," suggested Mr. Snodgrass, -"suppose there are two mobs?" "_Shout with the largest_," replied Mr. -Pickwick. Volumes could not say more. Upon this plan I determined to -act--concealing my occupation, political views, and place of residence. -It is not pleasant to wear a padlock upon one's tongue, for weeks, nor -to adopt a course of systematic duplicity; but personal convenience and -safety rendered it an inexorable necessity. - -[Sidenote: A RIDE THROUGH KENTUCKY.] - -On Tuesday, February 26th, I left Louisville, Kentucky, by the -Nashville train. Public affairs were the only topic of conversation -among the passengers. They were about equally divided into enthusiastic -Secessionists, urging in favor of the new movement that negroes -already commanded higher prices than ever before; and quasi Loyalists, -reiterating, "We only want Kentucky to remain in the Union as long -as she can do so honorably." Not a single man declared himself -unqualifiedly for the Government. - -A ride of five hours among blue, dreamy hills, feathered with timber; -dense forests, with their drooping foliage and log dwellings, in the -doors of which women and little girls were complacently smoking their -pipes; great, hospitable farm-houses, in the midst of superb natural -parks; tobacco plantations, upon which negroes of both sexes--the women -in cowhide brogans, and faded frocks, with gaudy kerchiefs wrapped like -turbans about their heads--were hoeing, and following the plow, brought -us to Cave City. - -I left the train for a stage-ride of ten miles to the Mammoth Cave -Hotel. In the midst of a smooth lawn, shaded by stately oaks and -slender pines, it looms up huge and white, with a long, low, one-story -offshoot fronted by a deep portico, and known as "the Cottages." - -[Sidenote: THE CURIOSITIES OF WHITE'S CAVE.] - -Several evening hours were spent pleasantly in White's Cave, where -the formations, at first dull and leaden, turn to spotless white -after one grows accustomed to the dim light of the torches. There are -little lakes so utterly transparent that your eye fails to detect -the presence of water; stone drapery, hanging in graceful folds, and -forming an exquisitely beautiful chamber; petrified fountains, where -the water still trickles down and hardens into stone; a honey-combed -roof, which is a very perfect counterfeit of art; long rows of -stalactites, symmetrically ribbed and fluted, which stretch off in a -pleasing colonnade, and other rare specimens of Nature's handiwork -in her fantastic moods. Many of them are vast in dimension, though -the geologists declare that it requires _thirty_ years to deposit a -formation no thicker than a wafer! Well says the German proverb "God is -patient because he is eternal." - -With another visitor I passed the next day in the Mammoth Cave. -"Mat," our sable cicerone, had been acting in the capacity of guide -for twenty-five years, and it was estimated that he had walked more -than fifty thousand miles under ground. The story is not so improbable -when one remembers that the passages of the great cavern are, in the -aggregate, upwards of one hundred and fifty miles in length, and that -it has two hundred and twenty-six known chambers. The outfit consisted -of two lamps for himself and one for each of us. Cans of oil are kept -at several interior points; for it is of the last importance that -visitors to this labyrinth of darkness should keep their lamps trimmed -and burning. - -[Sidenote: THE MAMMOTH CAVE.--LUNG COMPLAINTS.] - -The thermometer within stands constantly at fifty-nine Fahrenheit; and -the cave "breathes just once a year." Through the winter it takes one -long inspiration, and in summer the air rushes steadily outward. Its -vast chambers are the lungs of the universe. - -In 1845, a number of wood and stone cottages were erected in the -cavern, and inhabited by consumptive patients, who believed that the -dry atmosphere and equable temperature would prove beneficial. After -three or four months their faces were bloodless; the pupils of their -sunken eyes dilated until the iris became invisible and the organs -appeared black, no matter what their original color. Three patients -died in the cave; the others expired soon after leaving it. - -Mat gave a vivid description of these invalids flitting about like -ghosts--their hollow coughs echoing and reechoing through the cavernous -chambers. It must have looked horrible--as if the tomb had oped its -ponderous and marble jaws, that its victims might wander about in this -subterranean Purgatory. A cemetery would seem cheerful in comparison -with such a living entombment. Volunteer medical advice, like a motion -to adjourn, is always in order. My own panacea for lung-complaints -would be exactly the opposite. Mount a horse or take a carriage, and -ride, by easy stages at first, across the great plains to the Rocky -Mountains or California, eating and sleeping in the open air. Nature is -very kind, if you will trust her fully; and in the atmosphere, which is -so dry and pure that fresh meat, cut in strips and hung up, will cure -without salting or smoking, and may be carried all over the world, her -healing power seems almost boundless. - -The walls and roof of the cave were darkened and often hidden by -myriads of screeching bats, at this season of the year all hanging -torpid by the claws, with heads downward, and unable to fly away, even -when subjected to the cruel experiment of being touched by the torches. - -[Sidenote: METHODIST CHURCH.--FAT MAN'S MISERY.] - -The Methodist Church is a semi-circular chamber, in which a ledge forms -the natural pulpit; and logs, brought in when religious service was -first performed, fifty years ago, in perfect preservation, yet serve -for seats. Methodist itinerants and other clergymen still preach at -long intervals. Worship, conducted by the "dim religious light" of -tapers, and accompanied by the effect which music always produces in -subterranean halls, must be peculiarly impressive. It suggests those -early days in the Christian Church, when the hunted followers of Jesus -met at midnight in mountain caverns, to blend in song their reverent -voices; to hear anew the strange, sweet story of his teachings, his -death, and his all-embracing love. - -Upon one of the walls beyond, a figure of gypsum, in bass-relief, is -called the American Eagle. The venerable bird, in consonance with -the evil times upon which he had fallen, was in a sadly ragged and -dilapidated condition. One leg and other portions of his body had -seceded, leaving him in seeming doubt as to his own identity; but the -beak was still perfect, as if he could send forth upon occasion his -ancient notes of self-gratulation. - -Minerva's Dome has fluted walls, and a concave roof, beautifully -honey-combed; but no statue of its mistress. The oft-invoked goddess, -wearied by the merciless orators who are always compelling her to leap -anew from the brain of Jove, has doubtless, in some hidden nook, found -seclusion and repose. - -We toiled along the narrow, tortuous passage, chiseled through the -rock by some ancient stream of water, and appropriately named the Fat -Man's Misery; wiped away the perspiration in the ample passage beyond, -known as the Great Relief; glanced inside the Bacon Chamber, where the -little masses of lime-rock pendent from the roof do look marvelously -like esculent hams; peeped down into the cylindrical Bottomless Pit, -which the reader shall be told, confidentially, _has_ a bottom just one -hundred and sixty feet below the surface; laughed at the roof-figures -of the Giant, his Wife, and Child, which resemble a caricature from -Punch; admired the delicate, exquisite flowers of white, fibrous -gypsum, along the walls of Pensacola Avenue; stood beside the Dead Sea, -a dark, gloomy body of water; crossed the Styx by the natural bridge -which spans it, and halted upon the shore of Lethe. - -[Sidenote: A RIDE DOWN THE LETHE.] - -Then, embarking in a little flat-boat, we slowly glided along the -river of Oblivion. It was a strange, weird spectacle. The flickering -torches dimly revealed the dark inclosing walls, which rise abruptly a -hundred feet to the black roof. Our sable guide looked, in the ghastly -light, like a recent importation from Pluto's domain; and stood in the -bows, steering the little craft, which moved slowly down the winding, -sluggish river. The deep silence was only broken by drops of water, -which fell from the roof, striking the stream like the tick of a clock, -and the sharp _ylp_ of the paddle, as it was thrust into the wave to -guide us. When my companion evoked from his flute strains of slow -music, which resounded in hollow echoes through the long vault, it grew -so demoniac, that I almost expected the walls to open and reveal a -party of fiends, dancing to infernal music around a lurid fire. I never -saw any stage effect or work of art that could compare with it. If one -would enjoy the most vivid sensations of the grand and gloomy, let him -float down Lethe to the sound of a dirge. - -[Sidenote: THE STAR CHAMBER.--MAGNIFICENT DISTANCES.] - -We first saw the Star Chamber with the lights withdrawn. It revealed -to us the meaning of "darkness visible." We seemed to _feel_ the dense -blackness against our eye-balls. An object within half an inch of them -was not in the faintest degree perceptible. If one were left alone -here, reason could not long sustain itself. Even a few hours, in the -absence of light, would probably shake it. In numberless little spots, -the dark gypsum has scaled off, laying bare minute sections of the -white limestone roof, resembling stars. When the chamber was lighted -the illusion became perfect. We seemed in a deep, rock-walled pit, -gazing up at the starry firmament. The torch, slowly moved to throw a -shadow along the roof, produced the effect of a cloud sailing over the -sky; but the scene required no such aid to render it one of marvelous -beauty. The Star Chamber is the most striking picture in all this great -gallery of Nature. - -My companion had spent his whole life within a few miles of the cave, -but now visited it for the first time. Thus it is always; objects which -pilgrims come half across the world to see, we regard with indifference -at our own doors. Persons have passed all their days in sight of Mount -Washington, and yet never looked upon the grand panorama from its -brow. Men have lived from childhood almost within sound of the roar of -Niagara, without ever gazing on the vast fountain, where mother Earth, -like Rachel, weeps for her children, and will not be comforted. We -appreciate no enjoyment justly, until we see it through the charmed -medium of magnificent distances. - -[Sidenote: POLITICAL FEELING IN KENTUCKY.] - -Throughout Kentucky the pending troubles were uppermost in every heart -and on every tongue. One gentleman, in conversation, thus epitomized -the feeling of the State:-- - -"We have more wrongs to complain of than any other slave community, for -Kentucky loses more negroes than all the cotton States combined. But -Secession is no remedy. It would be jumping out of the frying-pan into -the fire." - -Another, whose head was silvered with age, said to me:-- - -"When I was a boy here in this county, some of our neighbors started -for New Orleans on a flat-boat. As we bade them good-by, we never -expected to see them again; we thought they were going out of the -world. But, after several months, they returned, having come on foot -all the way, through the Indian country, packing[1] their blankets and -provisions. Now we come from New Orleans in five days. I thank God to -have lived in this age--the age of the Railroad, the Telegraph, and the -Printing Press. Ours was the greatest nation and the greatest era in -history. But that is all past now. The Government is broken to pieces; -the slave States can not obtain their rights; and those which have -seceded will never come back." - -[1] Vernacular for carrying a load upon the back of a man or animal. - -An old farmer "reckoned," as I traveled a good deal, that I might know -better than he whether there was any hope of a peaceable settlement. -If the North, as he believed, was willing to be just, an overwhelming -majority of Kentuckians would stand by the Union. "It is a great pity," -he said, very earnestly, in a broken voice, "that we Americans could -not live harmoniously, like brethren, instead of always quarreling -about a few niggers." - -My recollections of Nashville, Tennessee, include only an unpalatable -breakfast in one of its abominable hotels; a glimpse at some of its -pleasant shaded streets and marble capitol, which, with the exception -of that in Columbus, Ohio, is considered the finest State-house on the -continent. - -Continuing southward, I found the country already "appareled in the -sweet livery of spring." The elm and gum trees wore their leafy -glory; the grass and wheat carpeted the ground with swelling verdure, -and field and forest glowed with the glossy green of the holly. The -railway led through large cotton-fields, where many negroes, of both -sexes, were plowing and hoeing, while overseers sat upon the high, -zig-zag fences, armed with rifles or shot-guns. On the withered stalks -snowy tufts of cotton were still protruding from the dull brown -bolls--portions of the last year's crop, which had never been picked, -and were disappearing under the plow. - -[Sidenote: COTTON-FIELDS.--AN INDIGNANT ALABAMIAN.] - -A native Kentuckian, now a young merchant in Alabama, was one of -my fellow-passengers. He pronounced the people aristocratic. They -looked down upon every man who worked for his living--indeed, upon -every one who did not own negroes. The ladies were pretty, and often -accomplished, but, he mildly added, he would like them better if they -did not "dip." He insisted that Alabama had been precipitated into the -revolution. - -"We were _swindled_ out of our rights. In my own town, Jere -Clemens--an ex-United States senator, and one of the ablest men in the -State--was elected to the convention on the strongest public pledges -of Unionism. When the convention met, he went completely over to the -enemy. The leaders--a few heavy slaveholders, aided by political -demagogues--dared not submit the Secession ordinance to a popular vote; -they knew the people would defeat them. They are determined on war; -they will exasperate the ignorant masses to the last degree before they -allow them to vote on any test question. I trust the Government will -put them down by force of arms, no matter what the cost!" - -The same evening, crossing the Alabama line, I was in the "Confederate -States of America." At the little town of Athens, the Stars and Stripes -were still floating; as the train left, I cast a longing look at the -old flag, wondering when I should see it again. - -[Sidenote: "OUR CORRESPONDENT" AS A NEW MEXICAN.] - -The next person who took a seat beside me went through the formula -of questions, usual between strangers in the South and the Far West, -asking my name, residence, business, and destination. He was informed, -in reply, that I lived in the Territory of New Mexico, and was now -traveling leisurely to New Orleans, designing to visit Vera Cruz and -the City of Mexico before returning home. This hypothesis, to which -I afterward adhered, was rendered plausible by my knowledge of New -Mexico, and gave me the advantage of not being deemed a partisan. -Secessionists and Unionists alike, regarding me as a stranger with no -particular sympathies, conversed freely. Aaron Burr asserts that "a lie -well stuck to is good as the truth;" in my own case, it was decidedly -better than the truth. - -My querist was a cattle-drover, who spent most of his time in traveling -through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. He declared emphatically -that the people of those States had been placed in a false position; -that their hearts were loyal to the Union, in spite of all the arts -which had been used to deceive and exasperate them. - -At Memphis was an old friend, whom I had not met for many years, and -who was now commercial editor of the leading Secession journal. I knew -him to be perfectly trustworthy, and, at heart, a bitter opponent of -Slavery. On the morning of my arrival, he called upon me at the Gayoso -House. After his first cordial greeting, he asked, abruptly: - -[Sidenote: A HOT CLIMATE FOR ABOLITIONISTS.] - -"What are you doing down here?" - -"Corresponding for _The Tribune_." - -"How far are you going?" - -"Through all the Gulf States, if possible." - -"My friend," said he, in his deep bass tones, "do you know that you are -on very perilous business?" - -"Possibly; but I shall be extremely prudent when I get into a hot -climate." - -"I do not know" (with a shrug of the shoulders) "what you call a -hot climate. Last week, two northerners, who had been mobbed as -Abolitionists, passed through here, with their heads shaved, going -home, in charge of the Adams' Express. A few days before, a man was -hung on that cottonwood tree which you see just across the river, upon -the charge of tampering with slaves. Another person has just been -driven out of the city, on suspicion of writing a letter for _The -Tribune_. If the people in this house, and out on the street in front, -knew you to be one of its correspondents, they would not leave you many -minutes for saying your prayers." - -After a long, minute conversation, in which my friend learned my plans -and gave me some valuable hints, he remarked: - -[Sidenote: AIMS AND ANIMUS OF SECESSIONISTS.] - -"My first impulse was to go down on my knees, and beg you, for God's -sake, to turn back; but I rather think you may go on with comparative -safety. You are the first man to whom I have opened my heart for years. -I wish some of my old northern friends, who think Slavery a good thing, -could witness the scenes in the slave auctions, which have so often -made my blood run cold. I knew two runaway negroes absolutely starve -themselves to death in their hiding-places in this city, rather than -make themselves known, and be sent back to their masters. I disliked -Slavery before; now I hate it, down to the very bottom of my heart." -His compressed lips and clinched fingers, driving their nails into his -palms, attested the depth of his feeling. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - Thus far into the bowels of the land Have we marched on - without impediment.--RICHARD III. - - -While I remained in Memphis, my friend, who was brought into familiar -contact with leading Secessionists, gave me much valuable information. -He insisted that they were in the minority, but carried the day because -they were noisy and aggressive, overawing the Loyalists, who staid -quietly at home. Before the recent city election, every one believed -the Secessionists in a large majority; but, when a Union meeting was -called, the people turned out surprisingly, and, as they saw the old -flag, gave cheer after cheer, "with tears in their voices." Many, -intimidated, staid away from the polls. The newspapers of the city, -with a single exception, were disloyal, but the Union ticket was -elected by a majority of more than three hundred. - -[Sidenote: SECESSION AIMS AND GRIEVANCES.] - -"Tell me exactly what the 'wrongs' and 'grievances' are, of which I -hear so much on every side." - -"It is difficult to answer. The masses have been stirred into a vague, -bitter, 'soreheaded' feeling that the South is wronged; but the leaders -seldom descend to particulars. When they do, it is very ludicrous. -They urge the marvelous growth of the North; the abrogation of the -Missouri Compromise (done by southern votes!), and that Freedom has -always distanced Slavery in the territories. Secession is no new or -spontaneous uprising; every one of its leaders here has talked of it -and planned it for years. Individual ambition, and wild dreams of a -great southern empire, which shall include Mexico, Central America, -and Cuba, seem to be their leading incentives. But there is another, -stronger still. You can hardly imagine how bitterly they hate the -Democratic Idea--how they loathe the thought that the vote of any -laboring man, with a rusty coat and soiled hands, may neutralize that -of a wealthy, educated, slave-owning gentleman." - - "Wonder why they gave it such a name of old renown, - This dreary, dingy, muddy, melancholy town." - -[Sidenote: SPRING-TIME IN MEMPHIS.] - -Thus Charles Mackay describes Memphis; but it impressed me as the -pleasantest city of the South. Though its population was only thirty -thousand, it had the air and promise of a great metropolis. The long -steamboat landing was so completely covered with cotton that drays and -carriages could hardly thread the few tortuous passages leading down -to the water's edge. Bales of the same great staple were piled up to -the ceiling in the roomy stores of the cotton factors; the hotels were -crowded, and spacious and elegant blocks were being erected. - -A few days earlier, in Cleveland, I had seen the ground covered with -snow; but here I was in the midst of early summer. During the first -week of March, the heat was so oppressive that umbrellas and fans were -in general use upon the streets. The broad, shining leaves of the -magnolia, and the delicate foliage of the weeping willow, were nodding -adieu to winter; the air was sweet with cherry blossoms; with - - ----"Daffodils - That come before the swallow dares, and take - The winds of March with beauty; violets dim, - But sweeter than the lids of Juno's eyes, - Or Cytherea's breath." - -[Sidenote: CAPTAIN MCINTIRE, LATE OF THE ARMY.] - -On the evening of March 3d I left Memphis. A thin-visaged, -sandy-haired, angular gentleman in spectacles, who occupied a car-seat -near me, though of northern birth, had resided in the Gulf States -for several years, as agent for an Albany manufactory of cotton-gins -and agricultural implements. A broad-shouldered, roughly dressed, -sun-browned young man, whose chin was hidden by a small forest of -beard, accepted the proffer of a cigar, took a seat beside us, and -introduced himself as Captain McIntire, of the United States Army, who -had just resigned his commission, on account of the pending troubles, -and was returning from the Texian frontier to his plantation in -Mississippi. He was the first bitter Secessionist I had met, and I -listened with attent ear to his complaints of northern aggression. - -The Albanian was an advocate of Slavery and declared that, in the -event of separation, his lot was with the South, for better or for -worse; but he mildly urged that the Secession movement was hasty and -ill advised; hoped the difficulty might be settled by compromise, -and declared that, traveling through all the cotton States since Mr. -Lincoln's election, he had found, everywhere outside the great cities, -a strong love for the Union and a universal hope that the Republic -might continue indivisible. He was very "conservative;" had always -voted the Democratic ticket; was confident the northern people would -not willingly wrong their southern brethren; and insisted that not more -than twenty or thirty thousand persons in the State of New-York were, -in any just sense, Abolitionists. - -Captain McIntire silently heard him through, and then remarked: - -"You seem to be a gentleman; you may be sincere in your opinions; -but it won't do for you to express such sentiments in the State of -Mississippi. They will involve you in trouble and in danger!" - -[Sidenote: AN AMUSING COLLOQUY.] - -The New-Yorker was swift to explain that he was very "sound," favoring -no compromise which would not give the slaveholders all they asked. -Meanwhile, a taciturn but edified listener, I pondered upon the German -proverb, that "speech is silver, while silence is golden." Something -gave me a dim suspicion that our violent fire-eater was not of southern -birth; and, after being plied industriously with indirect questions, he -was reluctantly forced to acknowledge himself a native of the State of -New Jersey. Soon after, at a little station, Captain McIntire, late of -the Army of the United States, bade us adieu. - -At Grand Junction, after I had assumed a recumbent position in -the sleeping-car, two young women in a neighboring seat fell into -conversation with a gentleman near them, when a droll colloquy ensued. -Learning that he was a New Orleans merchant, one of them asked:-- - -"Do you know Mr. Powers, of New Orleans?" - -"Powers--Powers," said the merchant; "what does he do?" - -"Gambles," was the cool response. - -"Bless me, no! What do you know about a gambler?" - -"He is my husband," replied the woman, with ingenuous promptness. - -"Your husband a gambler!" ejaculated the gentleman, with horror in -every tone. - -"Yes, sir," reiterated the undaunted female; "and gamblers are the best -men in the world." - -"I didn't know they ever married. I should like to see a gambler's -wife." - -"Well, sir, take a mighty good look, and you can see one now." - -The merchant opened the curtains into their compartment, and -scrutinized the speaker--a young, rosy, and rather comely woman, with -blue eyes and brown hair, quietly and tastefully dressed. - -"I should like to know your husband, madam." - -"Well, sir; if you've got plenty of money, he will be glad to make -_your_ acquaintance." - -"Does he ever go home?" - -"Lord bless you, yes! He always comes home at one o'clock in the -morning, after he gets through dealing faro. He has not missed a single -night since we were married--going on five years. We own a farm in this -vicinity, and if business continues good with him next year we shall -retire to it, and never live in the city again." - -All the following day I journeyed through deep forests of heavy -drooping foliage, with pendent tufts of gray Spanish moss. The -beautiful Cherokee rose everywhere trailed its long arms of vivid -green; all the woods were decked with the yellow flowers of the -sassafras and the white blossoms of the dogwood and the wild plum. -Our road stretched out in long perspective through great Louisiana -everglades, where the grass was four feet in hight and the water ten or -twelve inches deep. - -[Sidenote: FEELING TOWARD PRESIDENT LINCOLN.] - -It was the day of Mr. Lincoln's inauguration. One of our passengers -remarked: - -"I hope to God he will be killed before he has time to take the oath!" - -Another said: - -"I have wagered a new hat that neither he nor Hamlin will ever live to -be inaugurated." - -[Sidenote: WHAT A MISSISSIPPI SLAVEHOLDER THOUGHT.] - -An old Mississippian, a working man, though the owner of a dozen -slaves, assured me earnestly that the people did not desire war; but -the North had cheated them in every compromise, and they were bound to -regain their rights, even if they had to fight for them. - -"We of the South," said he, "are the most independent people in the -universe. We raise every thing we need; but the world can not do -without cotton. If we have war, it will cause terrible suffering in the -North. I pity the ignorant people of the manufacturing districts there, -who have been deluded by the politicians; for they will be forced to -endure many hardships, and perhaps starvation. After Southern trade is -withdrawn, manufactures stopped, operatives starving, grass growing in -the streets of New York, and crowds marching up Broadway crying 'Bread -or Blood!' northern fanatics will see, too late, the results of their -folly." - -This was the uniform talk of Secessionists. That Cotton was not -merely King, but absolute despot; that they could coerce the North -by refusing to buy goods, and coerce the whole world by refusing to -sell cotton, was their profound belief. This was always a favorite -southern theory. Bancroft relates that as early as 1661, the colony of -Virginia, suffering under commercial oppression, urged North Carolina -and Maryland to join her for a year in refusing to raise tobacco, that -they might compel Great Britain to grant certain desired privileges. -Now the Rebels had no suspicion whatever that there was reciprocity -in trade; that they needed to sell their great staple just as much as -the world needed to buy it; that the South bought goods in New York -simply because it was the cheapest and best market; that, were all the -cotton-producing States instantly sunk in the ocean, in less than five -years the world would obtain their staple, or some adequate substitute, -from other sources, and forget they ever existed. - -[Sidenote: WISCONSIN FREEMEN VS. SOUTHERN SLAVES.] - -"I spent six weeks last summer," said another planter, "in Wisconsin. -It is a hot-bed of Abolitionism. The working-classes are astonishingly -ignorant. They are honest and industrious, but they are not so -intelligent as the nig-roes of the South. They suppose, if war comes, -we shall have trouble with our slaves. That is utterly absurd. All my -nig-roes would fight for me." - -A Mississippian, whom his companions addressed as "Judge," denounced -the Secession movement as a dream of noisy demagogues: - -"Their whole policy has been one of precipitation. They declared: 'Let -us rush the State out of the Union while Buchanan is President, and -there will be no war.' From the outset, they have acted in defiance -of the sober will of the masses; they have not dared to submit one of -their acts to a popular vote!" - -Another passenger, who concurred in these views, and intimated that he -was a Union man, still imputed the troubles mainly to agitation of the -Slavery question. - -"The northern people," said he, "have been grossly deceived by their -politicians, newspapers, and books like 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' whose very -first chapter describes a slave imprisoned and nearly starved to death -in a cellar in New Orleans, when there is not a single cellar in the -whole city!" - -Midnight found us at the St. Charles Hotel, a five-story edifice, with -granite basement and walls of stucco--that be-all and end-all of New -Orleans architecture. The house has an imposing Corinthian portico, -and in the hot season its stone floors and tall columns are cool and -inviting to the eye. - -[Sidenote: HOSPITALITY OF A STRANGER.] - -"You can not fail to like New Orleans," said a friend, before I left -the North. "Its people are much more genial and cordial to strangers -than ours." I took no letters of introduction, for introduction was -just the thing I did not want. But on the cars, before reaching the -city, I met a gentleman with whom I had a little conversation, and -exchanged the ordinary civilities of traveling. When we parted, he -handed me his card, saying: - - "You are a stranger in New Orleans, and may desire some - information or assistance. Call and see me, and command me, - if I can be of service to you." - -He proved to be the senior member of one of the heaviest wholesale -houses in the city. Accepting the invitation, I found him in his -counting-room, deeply engrossed in business; but he received me with -great kindness, and gave me information about the leading features of -the city which I wished to see. As I left, he promised to call on me, -adding: "Come in often. By the way, to-morrow is Sunday; why can't you -go home and take a quiet family dinner with me?" - -I was curious to learn the social position of one who would invite -a stranger, totally without indorsement, into his home-circle. The -next day he called, and we took a two-story car of the Baronne street -railway. It leads through the Fourth or Lafayette District--more like -a garden than a city--containing the most delightful metropolitan -residences in America. Far back from the street, they are deeply -imbosomed in dense shrubbery and flowers. The tropical profusion of the -foliage retains dampness and is unwholesome, but very delicious to the -senses. - -The houses are low--this latitude is unfavorable to climbing--and -constructed of stucco, cooler than wood, and less damp than stone. They -abound in verandas, balconies, and galleries, which give to New Orleans -a peculiarly mellow and elastic look, much more alluring than the cold, -naked architecture of northern cities. - -[Sidenote: AN AGREEABLE FAMILY CIRCLE.] - -My new friend lived in this district, as befits a merchant prince. -His spacious grounds were rich in hawthorns, magnolias, arbor-vitaes, -orange, olive, and fig trees, and sweet with the breath of -multitudinous flowers. Though it was only the tenth of March, myriads -of pinks and trailing roses were in full bloom; Japan plums hung ripe, -while brilliant oranges of the previous year still glowed upon the -trees. His ample residence, with its choice works of art, was quietly, -unostentatiously elegant. There was no mistaking it for one of those -gilt and gaudy palaces which seem to say: "Look at the state in which -Cr[oe]sus, my master, lives. Lo, the pictures and statues, the Brussels -and rosewood which his money has bought! Behold him clothed in purple -and fine linen, faring sumptuously every day!" - -Three other guests were present, including a young officer of the -Louisiana troops stationed at Fort Pickens, and a lady whose husband -and brother held each a high commission in the Rebel forces of Texas. -All assumed to be Secessionists--as did nearly every person I met in -New Orleans upon first acquaintance--but displayed none of the usual -rancor and violence. In that well-poised, agreeable circle the evening -passed quickly, and at parting, the host begged me to frequent his -house. This was not distinctively southern hospitality, for he was born -and bred at the North. But in our eastern cities, from a business man -in his social position, it would appear a little surprising. Had he -been a Philadelphian or Bostonian, would not his friends have deemed -him a candidate for a lunatic asylum? - - NEW ORLEANS, _March 6, 1861_. - -Taking my customary stroll last evening, I sauntered into Canal -street, and suddenly found myself in a dense and expectant crowd. -Several cheers being given upon my arrival, I naturally inferred that -it was an ovation to _The Tribune_ correspondent; but native modesty, -and a desire to blush unseen, restrained me from any oral public -acknowledgment. - -[Sidenote: TRIBUNE LETTERS.--GENERAL TWIGGS.] - -Just then, an obliging by-stander corrected my misapprehension by -assuring me that the demonstration was to welcome home General Daniel -E. Twiggs--the gallant hero, you know, who, stationed in Texas to -protect the Government property, recently betrayed it all into the -hands of the Rebels, to "prevent bloodshed." His friends wince at the -order striking his name from the army rolls as a coward and a traitor, -and the universal execration heaped upon his treachery even in the -border slave States. - -They did their best to give him a flattering reception. The great -thoroughfare was decked in its holiday attire. Flags were flying, and -up and down, as far as the eye could reach, the balconies were crowded -with spectators, and the arms of long files of soldiers glittered in -the evening sunlight. One company bore a tattered and stained banner, -which went through the Mexican war. Another carried richly ornamented -colors, presented by the ladies of this city. There were Pelican flags, -and Lone Star flags, and devices unlike any thing in the heavens above, -the earth beneath, or the waters under the earth; but nowhere could I -see the old National banner. It was well; on such occasion the Stars -and Stripes would be sadly out of place. - -[Sidenote: BRAXTON BRAGG.--MR. LINCOLN'S INAUGURAL.] - -After a welcoming speech, pronouncing him "not only the soldier of -courage, but the patriot of fidelity and honor," and his own response, -declaring that _here_, at least, he would "never be branded as a -coward and traitor," the ex-general rode through some of the principal -streets in an open barouche, bareheaded, bowing to the spectators. He -is a venerable-looking man, apparently of seventy. His large head is -bald upon the top; but from the sides a few thin snow-white locks, -utterly oblivious of the virtues of "the Twiggs Hair Dye,"[2] streamed -in the breeze. He was accompanied in the carriage by General Braxton -Bragg--the "Little-more-grape-Captain-Bragg" of Mexican war memory. By -the way, persons who ought to know declare that General Taylor never -used the expression, his actual language being: "Captain Bragg, give -them----!" - -[2] In Mexico, General Twiggs, while applying some preparation to a -wound in his head, found it restoring his hair to its natural color. -An enterprising nostrum-vender at once placed in market and advertised -largely something which he styled the "Twiggs Hair Dye." Dr. Holmes -makes the incident a target for one of his Parthian arrows:-- - - "How many a youthful head we've seen put on its silver crown! - What sudden changes back again, to youth's empurpled brown! - But how to tell what's old or young--the tap-root from the sprigs, - Since Florida revealed her fount to Ponce de Leon Twiggs?" - - -President Lincoln's Inaugural, looked for with intense interest, has -just arrived. All the papers denounce it bitterly. _The Delta_, which -has advocated Secession these ten years, makes it a signal for the -war-whoop:-- - - "War is a great calamity; but, with all its horrors, it is - a blessing to the deep, dark, and damning infamy of such - a submission, such surrenders, as the southern people are - now called upon to make to a foreign invader. He who would - counsel such--he who would seek to dampen, discourage, or - restrain the ardor and determination of the people to resist - all such pretensions, is a traitor, who should be driven - beyond our borders." - -"Foreign invader," is supposed to mean the President of our common -country! The "submission" denounced so terribly would be simply the -giving up of the Government property lately stolen by the Rebels, and -the paying of the usual duties on imports! - - _March 8._ - -[Sidenote: LOUISIANA CONVENTION.] - -The State convention which lately voted Louisiana out of the Union, -sits daily in Lyceum Hall. The building fronts Lafayette Square--one -of the admirable little parks which are the pride of New Orleans. Upon -the first floor is the largest public library in the city, though it -contains less than ten thousand volumes. - -In the large hall above are the assembled delegates. Ex-Governor -Mouton, their president, a portly old gentleman, of the heavy-father -order, sits upon the platform. Below him, at a long desk, Mr. Wheat, -the florid clerk, is reading a report in a voice like a cracked bugle. -Behind the president is a life-size portrait of Washington; at his -right, a likeness of Jefferson Davis, with thin, beardless face, and -sad, hollow eyes. There is also a painting of the members, and a copy -of the Secession ordinance, with lithographed _fac similes_ of their -signatures. The delegates, you perceive, have made all the preliminary -arrangements for being immortalized. Physically, they are fine-looking -men, with broad shoulders, deep chests, well-proportioned limbs, and -stature decidedly above the northern standard. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - I will be _correspondent_ to command, And do my spiriting - gently.--TEMPEST. - -[Sidenote: INTRODUCTION TO REBEL CIRCLES.] - - -The good fortune which in Memphis enabled me to learn so directly -the plans and aims of the Secession leaders, did not desert me in -New Orleans. For several years I had been personally acquainted with -the editor of the leading daily journal--an accomplished writer, and -an original Secessionist. Uncertain whether he knew positively my -political views, and fearing to arouse suspicion by seeming to avoid -him, I called on him the day after reaching the city. - -He received me kindly, never surmising my errand; invited me into -the State convention, of which he was a member; asked me to frequent -his editorial rooms; and introduced me at the "Louisiana Democratic -Club," which had now ripened into a Secession club. Among prominent -Rebels belonging to it were John Slidell and Judah P. Benjamin, of -Jewish descent, whom Senator Wade of Ohio characterized so aptly as "an -Israelite with Egyptian principles." - -Admission to that club was a final voucher for political soundness. The -plans of the conspirators could hardly have been discussed with more -freedom in the parlor of Jefferson Davis. Another friend introduced -me at the Merchants' Reading-room, where were the same sentiments and -the same frankness. The newspaper office also was a standing Secession -caucus. - -[Sidenote: INTENSITY OF THE SECESSION FEELING.] - -These associations gave me rare facilities for studying the aims -and animus of the leading Revolutionists. I was not compelled to ask -questions, so constantly was information poured into my ears. I used -no further deceit than to acquiesce quietly in the opinions everywhere -heard. While I talked New Mexico and the Rocky Mountains, my companions -talked Secession; and told me more, every day, of its secret workings, -than as a mere stranger I could have learned in a month. Socially, -they were genial and agreeable. Their hatred of New England, which -they seemed to consider "the cruel cause of all our woes," was very -intense. They were also wont to denounce _The Tribune_, and sometimes -its unknown Southern correspondents, with peculiar bitterness. At first -their maledictions fell with startling and unpleasant force upon my -ears, though I always concurred. But in time I learned to hear them -not only with serenity, but with a certain quiet enjoyment of the -ludicrousness of the situation. - -I had not a single acquaintance in the city, whom I knew to be a Union -man, or to whom I could talk without reserve. This was very irksome--at -times almost unbearable. How I longed to open my heart to somebody! -Recently as I had left the North, and strongly as I was anchored in -my own convictions, the pressure on every hand was so great, all -intelligence came so distorted through Rebel mediums, that at times I -was nearly swept from my moorings. I could fully understand how many -strong Union men had at last been drawn into the almost irresistible -tide. It was an inexpressible relief to read the northern newspapers at -the Democratic Club. There, even _The Tribune_ was on file. The club -was so far above suspicion that it might have patronized with impunity -the organ of William Lloyd Garrison or Frederick Douglass. - -[Sidenote: REBEL NEWSPAPERS AND PRESIDENT LINCOLN.] - -The vituperation which the southern journals heaped upon Abraham -Lincoln was something marvelous. The speeches of the newly elected -President on his way to Washington, were somewhat rugged and uncouth; -not equal to the reputation he won in the great senatorial canvass with -Douglas, where debate and opposition developed his peculiar powers and -stimulated his unrivaled logic. The Rebel papers drew daily contrasts -between the two Presidents, pronouncing Mr. Davis a gentleman, scholar, -statesman; and Mr. Lincoln a vulgarian, buffoon, demagogue. One of -their favorite epithets was "idiot;" another, "baboon;" just as the -Roman satirists, fifteen hundred years ago, were wont to ridicule the -great Julian as an ape and a hairy savage. - -The times have changed. While I write some of the same journals, not -yet extinguished by the fortunes of war, denounce Jefferson Davis -with equal coarseness and bitterness, as an elegant, vacillating -sentimentalist; and mourn that he does not possess the rugged common -sense and indomitable perseverance displayed by Abraham Lincoln! - -While keeping up appearances on the Mexican question, by frequent -inquiries about the semi-monthly steamers for Vera Cruz, I devoted -myself ostensibly to the curious features of the city. Odd enough it -sounded to hear persons say, "Let us go _up_ to the river;" but the -phrase is accurate. New Orleans is two feet lower than the Mississippi, -and protected against overflow by a dike or levee. The city is quite -narrow, and is drained into a great swamp in the rear. In front, new -deposits of soil are constantly and rapidly made. Four of the leading -business streets, nearest the levee, traverse what, a few years ago, -was the bed of the river. Anywhere, by digging two feet below the -surface, one comes to water. - -The earth is peculiarly spongy and yielding. The unfinished Custom -House, built of granite from Quincy, Massachusetts, has sunk about -two feet since its commencement, in 1846. The same is true of other -heavy buildings. Cellars and wells being impossible in the watery -soil, refrigerators serve for the one, and cylindrical upright wooden -cisterns, standing aboveground, like towers, for the other. - -[Sidenote: CEMETERIES ABOVE THE GROUND.] - -In the cemeteries the tombs are called "ovens." They are all built -aboveground, of brick, stone, or stucco, closed up with mortar and -cement. Sometimes the walls crack open, revealing the secrets of the -charnel-house. Decaying coffins are visible within; and once I saw a -human skull protruding from the fissure of a tomb. Here, indeed, - - "Imperial Caesar, dead, and turned to clay, - Might stop a hole to keep the wind away." - -Despite this revolting feature, the Catholic cemeteries are especially -interesting. About the humblest of the monuments, artificial wreaths, -well-tended rose-beds, garlands of fresh flowers, changed daily, and -vases inserted in the walls, to catch water and attract the birds, -evince a tender, unforgetful attention to the resting-place of departed -friends. More than half the inscriptions are French or Spanish. Very -few make any allusion to a future life. One imposing column marks the -grave of Dominique You, the pirate, whose single virtue of patriotism, -exhibited under Jackson during the war of 1815, hardly justifies, upon -his monument, the magnificent eulogy of Bayard: "The hero of a hundred -battles,--a chevalier without fear and without reproach." - -In New Orleans, grass growing upon the streets is no sign of -decadence. Stimulated by the rich, moist soil, it springs up in -profusion, not only in the smaller thoroughfares, but among the bricks -and paving-stones of the leading business avenues. - -[Sidenote: THE FRENCH QUARTER OF NEW ORLEANS.] - -Canal street is perhaps the finest promenade on the continent. It is -twice the width of Broadway, and in the middle has two lines of trees, -with a narrow lawn between them, extending its entire length. At night, -as the long parallel rows of gas-lights glimmer through the quivering -foliage, growing narrower and narrower in perspective till they unite -and blend into one, it is a striking spectacle--a gorgeous feast of -the lanterns. On the lower side of it is the "French Quarter," more -un-American even than the famous German portion of Cincinnati known -as "Over the Rhine." Here you may stroll for hours, "a straggler from -another civilization," hearing no word in your native tongue, seeing -no object to remove the impression of an ancient French city. The -dingy houses, "familiar with forgotten years," call up memories of old -Mexican towns. They are grim, dusky relics of antiquity, usually but -one story high, with steep projecting roofs, tiled or slated, wooden -shutters over the doors, and multitudinous eruptions of queer old -gables and dormer windows. - -New Orleans is the most Parisian of American cities. Opera-houses, -theaters, and all other places of amusement are open on Sunday nights. -The great French market wears its crowning glory only on Sunday -mornings. Then the venders occupy not only several spacious buildings, -but adjacent streets and squares. Their wares seem boundless in -variety. Any thing you please--edible, drinkable, wearable, ornamental, -or serviceable--from Wenham ice to vernal flowers and tropical -fruits--from Indian moccasins to a silk dress-pattern--from ancient -Chinese books to the freshest morning papers--ask, and it shall be -given unto you. - -[Sidenote: FRENCH MARKET ON SUNDAY MORNING.] - -Sit down in a stall, over your tiny cup of excellent coffee, and you -are hobnobbing with the antipodes--your next neighbor may be from -Greenland's icy mountains, or India's coral strand. Get up to resume -your promenade, and you hear a dozen languages in as many steps; while -every nation, and tribe, and people--French, English, Irish, German, -Spanish, Creole, Chinese, African, Quadroon, Mulatto, American--jostles -you in good-humored confusion. - -Some gigantic negresses, with gaudy kerchiefs, like turbans, about -their heads, are selling fruits, and sit erect as palm-trees. They look -like African or Indian princesses, a little annoyed at being separated -from their thrones and retinues, but none the less regal "for a' that." -At every turn little girls, with rich Creole complexions and brilliant -eyes, offer you aromatic bouquets of pinks, roses, verbenas, orange -and olive blossoms, and other flowers to you unknown, unless, being a -woman, you are a botanist by "gift of fortune," or, a man, that science -has "come by nature." - -Upon Jackson Square, a delicious bit of verdure fronting the river, -gloom antique public buildings, which were the seat of government in -the days of the old Spanish _regime_. Near them stands the equally -ancient cathedral, richly decorated within, where devout Catholics -still worship. Its great congregations are mosaics of all hues and -nationalities, mingling for the moment in the democratic equality of -the Roman Church. - -Attending service in the cathedral one Sunday morning, I found the -aisles crowded with volunteers who, on the eve of departure for -the debatable ground of Fort Pickens, had assembled to witness the -consecration of their Secession flag, a ceremonial conducted with great -pomp and solemnity by the French priests. - -In the First Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Dr. Palmer, a divine of -talent and local reputation, might be heard advocating the extremest -Rebel views. The southerners had formerly been very bitter in their -denunciation of political preaching; but now the pulpit, as usual, made -obeisance to the pews, and the pews beamed encouragement on the pulpit. - -[Sidenote: PRESSING COTTON BY MACHINERY.] - -If I may go abruptly from church to cotton--and they were not far apart -in New Orleans--a visit to one of the great cotton-presses was worthy -of note. It is a low building, occupying an entire square, with a -hollow court in the center. It was filled with heaped-up cotton-bales, -which overran their limits and covered the adjacent sidewalks. Negroes -stood all day at the doors receiving and discharging cotton. The bales -are compressed by heavy machinery, driven by steam, that they may -occupy the least space in shipping. They are first condensed on the -plantations by screw-presses; the cotton is compact upon arrival here; -but this great iron machine, which embraces the bales in a hug of two -hundred tons, diminishes them one-third more. The laborers are negroes -and Frenchmen, who chant a strange, mournful refrain in time with their -movements. - -The ropes of a bale are cut; it is thrown under the press; the great -iron jaws of the monster close convulsively, rolling it under the -tongue as a sweet morsel. The ropes are tightened and again tied, -the cover stitched up, and the bale rolled out to make room for -another--all in about fifty seconds. It weighs five hundred pounds, but -the workmen seize it on all sides with their iron hooks, and toss it -about like a schoolboy's ball. The superintendent informed me that they -pressed, during the previous winter, more than forty thousand bales. - -[Sidenote: THE BARRACKS.--THE NEW ORLEANS LEVEE.] - -The Rebels, with their early _penchant_ for capturing empty forts and -full treasuries, had seized the United States Branch Mint, containing -three hundred thousand dollars, and the National barracks, garrisoned -at the time by a single sergeant. Visiting, with a party of gentlemen, -the historic Jackson battle-ground, four miles below the city, I -obtained a glimpse of the tall, gloomy Mint, and spent an hour in the -long, low, white, deep-balconied barracks beside the river. - -The Lone Star flag of Louisiana was flying from the staff. A hundred -and twenty freshly enlisted men of the State troops composed the -garrison. Three of the officers, recent seceders from the Federal army, -invited us into their quarters, to discuss political affairs over -their Bourbon and cigars. As all present assumed to be sanguine and -uncompromising Rebels, the conversation was one-sided and uninteresting. - -We drove down the river-bank along the almost endless rows of ships -and steamboats. The commerce of New Orleans, was more imposing than -that of any other American city except New York. It seemed to warrant -the picture painted by the unrivaled orator, Prentiss, of the future -years, "when this Crescent City shall have filled her golden horn." The -long landing was now covered with western produce, cotton, and sugar, -and fenced with the masts of hundreds of vessels. Some displayed the -three-striped and seven-starred flag of the "Southern Confederacy," -many the ensigns of foreign nations, and a few the Stars and Stripes. - -We were soon among the old houses of the Creoles.[3] - -[3] Creole means "native;" but its New Orleans application is only to -persons of French or Spanish descent. - -These anomalous people--a very large element of the -population--properly belong to a past age or another land, and find -themselves sadly at variance with America in the nineteenth century. -They seldom improve or sell their property; permit the old fences and -palings to remain around their antique houses; are content to live -upon small incomes, and rarely enter the modern districts. It is even -asserted that old men among them have spent their whole lives in New -Orleans without ever going above Canal street! Many have visited Paris, -but are profoundly ignorant of Washington, New York, Philadelphia, and -other northern cities. They are devout Catholics, sudden and quick in -quarrel, and duelling continues one of their favorite recreations. - -[Sidenote: VISIT TO THE JACKSON BATTLE-GROUND.] - -We stopped at the old Spanish house--deeply embowered in -trees--occupied as head-quarters by General Jackson, and saw the upper -window from which, glass in hand, he witnessed the approach of the -enemy. The dwelling is inhabited, and bears marks of the cannon-balls -fired to dislodge him. Like his city quarters--a plain brick edifice, -at one hundred and six, Royal-street, New Orleans--it is unchanged in -appearance since that historic Eighth of January. - -A few hundred yards from the river, we reached the battle-ground -where, in 1815, four thousand motley, undisciplined, half-armed -recruits defeated twelve thousand veterans--the Americans losing -but five men, the British seven hundred. This enormous disparity is -explained by the sheltered position of one party behind a breastwork, -and the terrible exposure of the other in its march, by solid columns, -of half a mile over an open field, without protection of hillock or -tree. A horrible field, whence the Great Reaper gathered a bloody -harvest! - -[Sidenote: INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE.] - -The swamp here is a mile from the river. Jackson dug a canal between -them, throwing up the earth on one side for a breastwork, and turning -a stream of water from the Mississippi through the trench. The British -had an extravagant fear of the swamp, and believed that, attempting -to penetrate it, they would be ingulfed in treacherous depths. So -they marched up, with unflinching Saxon courage, in the teeth of -that terrible fire from the Americans, ranged four deep, behind the -fortification; and the affair became a massacre rather than a battle. - -The spongy soil of the breastwork (the tradition that bales of cotton -were used is a fiction) absorbed the balls without any damage. It first -proved what has since been abundantly demonstrated in the Crimean -war, and the American Rebellion--the superiority of earthworks over -brick and stone. The most solid masonry will be broken and battered -down sooner or later, but shells and solid shot can do little harm to -earthworks. - -Jackson's army was a reproduction of Falstaff's ragamuffins. It was -made up of Kentucky backwoodsmen, New Orleans clergymen, lawyers, -merchants and clerks; pirates and ruffians just released from the -calaboose to aid in the defense; many negroes, free and slave, with -a liberal infusion of nondescript city vagabonds, noticeable chiefly -for their tatters, and seeming, from their "looped and windowed -raggedness," to hang out perpetual flags of truce to the enemy. - -Judah Trouro, a leading merchant, while carrying ammunition, was -struck in the rear by a cannon-ball, which cut and bore away a large -slice of his body; but, in spite of the awkward loss, he lived many -years, to leave an enviable memory for philanthropy and public spirit. -Parton tells of a young American who, during the battle, stooped -forward to light a cigar; and when he recovered his position saw that -a man exactly behind him was blown to pieces, and his brains scattered -over the parapet, by an exploding shell. - -[Sidenote: A PECULIAR FREE NEGRO POPULATION.] - -More than half of Jackson's command was composed of negroes, who were -principally employed with the spade, but several battalions of them -were armed, and in the presence of the whole army received the thanks -of General Jackson for their gallantry. On each anniversary the negro -survivors of the battle always turned out in large numbers--so large, -indeed, as to excite the suspicion that they were not genuine. - -The free colored population, at the time of my visit, was a very -peculiar feature of New Orleans. Its members were chiefly of San -Domingo origin; held themselves altogether aloof from the other -blacks, owned numerous slaves, and were the most rigorous of masters. -Frequently their daughters were educated in Paris, married whites, and -in some cases the traces of their negro origin were almost entirely -obliterated. This, however, is not peculiar to that class. It is very -unusual anywhere in the South to find persons of pure African lineage. -A tinge of white blood is almost always detected. - -Our company had an invaluable cicerone in the person of Judge -Alexander Walker, author of "Jackson and New Orleans," the most clear -and entertaining work upon the battle, its causes and results, yet -contributed to American history. He had toiled unweariedly through -all the official records, and often visited the ground with men who -participated in the engagement. He pointed out positions, indicated -the spot where Packenham fell, and drew largely upon his rich fund of -anecdote, tradition, and biography. - -A plain, unfinished shaft of Missouri limestone, upon a rough brick -foundation, now marks the battle-field. It was commenced by a -legislative appropriation; but the fund became exhausted and the work -ceased. The level cotton plantation, ditched for draining, now shows -no evidence of the conflict, except the still traceable line of the -old canal, with detached pools of stagnant water in a fringe of reeds, -willows, and live oaks. - -A negro patriarch, with silvery hair, and legs infirm of purpose, -hobbled up, to exhibit some balls collected on the ground. The bullets, -which were flattened, he assured us, had "hit somebody." No doubt they -were spurious; but we purchased a few buckshots and fragments of shell -from the ancient Ethiop, and rode back to the city along avenues lined -with flowers and shrubbery. Here grew the palm--the characteristic tree -of the South. It is neither graceful nor beautiful; but looks like an -inverted umbrella upon a long, slender staff. Ordinary pictures very -faithfully represent it. - -[Sidenote: ALL ABOUT A "BLACK REPUBLICAN FLAG."] - - NEW ORLEANS, _March 11, 1861_. - -We are a good deal exercised, just now, about a new grievance. The -papers charged, a day or two since, that the ship Adelaide Bell, from -New Hampshire, had flung defiant to the breeze a Black Republican flag, -and that her captain vowed he would shoot anybody attempting to cut it -down. As one of the journals remarked, "his audacity was outrageous." -_En passant_, do you know what a Black Republican flag is? I have never -encountered that mythical entity in my travels; but 'tis a fearful -thing to think of--is it not? - -The reporter of _The Crescent_, with charming ingenuousness, describes -it as "so much like the flag of the late United States, that few would -notice the difference." In fact, he adds, it _is_ the old Stars and -Stripes, with a red stripe instead of a white one immediately below -the union. Of course, we are greatly incensed. It is flat burglary, -you know, to love the Star Spangled Banner itself; and as for a Black -Republican flag--why, that is most tolerable and not to be endured. - -Captain Robertson, the "audacious," has been compelled, publicly, -to deny the imputation. He asserts that, in the simplicity of his -heart, he has been using it for years as a United States flag. But the -newspapers adhere stoutly to the charge; so the presumption is that the -captain is playing some infernal Yankee trick. Who shall deliver us -from the body of this Black Republican flag? - -If it were possible, I would like to see the "Southern Confederacy" -work out its own destiny; to see how Slavery would flourish, isolated -from free States; how the securities of a government, founded on the -right of any of its members to break it up at pleasure, would stand -in the markets of the world; how the principle of Democracy would -sustain itself in a confederation whose corner-stones are aristocracy, -oligarchy, despotism. This is the government which, in the language of -one of its admirers, shall be "stronger than the bonds of Orion, and -benigner than the sweet influences of the Pleiades." - -[Sidenote: VICE-PRESIDENT HAMLIN A MULATTO.] - -A few days since, I was in a circle of southern ladies, when one of -them remarked: - -"I am glad Lincoln has not been killed." - -"Why so?" asked another. - -"Because, if he had been, Hamlin would become President, and it would -be a shame to have a mulatto at the head of the Government." - -A little discussion which followed developed that every lady present, -except one, believed Mr. Hamlin a mulatto. Yet the company was -comparatively intelligent, and all its members live in a flourishing -commercial metropolis. You may infer something of the knowledge of -the North in rural districts, enlightened only by weekly visits from -Secession newspapers! - -We are enjoying that soft air "which comes caressingly to the brow, and -produces in the lungs a luxurious delight." I notice, on the streets, -more than one premonition of summer, in the form of linen coats. The -yards and cemeteries, smiling with myriads of roses and pinks, are -carpeted with velvet grass; the morning air is redolent of orange and -clover blossoms, and nosegays abound, sweet with the breath of the -tropics. - -[Sidenote: NORTHERNERS LIVING IN THE SOUTH.] - - _March 15._ - -Men of northern nativity are numerous throughout the Gulf States. -Many are leading merchants of the cities, and a few, planters in the -interior. Some have gone north to stay until the storm is over. A -part of those who remain out-Herod the native fire-eaters in zeal for -Secession. Their violence is suspicious; it oversteps the modesty -of nature. I was recently in a mixed company, where one person was -conspicuously bitter upon the border slave States, denouncing them as -"playing second fiddle to the Abolitionists," and "traitors to southern -rights." - -"Who is he?" I asked of a southern gentleman beside me. - -"He?" was the indignant reply; "why, he is a northerner, ---- him! -He is talking all this for effect. What does he care about our -rights? He don't own slaves, and wasn't raised in the South; if it -were fashionable, he would be an Abolitionist. I'd as soon trust a -nigger-stealer as such a man!" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - 'Tis my vocation, Hal; 'tis no sin for a man to labor in his - vocation.--KING HENRY IV. - - -The city was measurably quiet, but arrests, and examinations of -suspected Abolitionists, were frequent. In general, I felt little -personal disquietude, except the fear of encountering some one who knew -my antecedents; but about once a week something transpired to make me -thoroughly uncomfortable for the moment. - -[Sidenote: PREPARING AND TRANSMITTING CORRESPONDENCE.] - -I attended daily the Louisiana Convention, sitting among the -spectators. I could take no notes, but relied altogether upon memory. -In corresponding, I endeavored to cover my tracks as far as possible. -Before leaving Cincinnati, I had encountered a friend just from New -Orleans, and induced him to write for me one or two letters, dated in -the latter city. They were copied, with some changes of style, and -published. Hence investigation would have shown that _The Tribune_ -writer began two or three weeks before I reached the city, and thrown a -serious obstacle in the way of identifying him. - -My dispatches, transmitted sometimes by mail, sometimes by express, -were addressed alternately to half a dozen banking and commercial firms -in New York, who at once forwarded them to _The Tribune_ editorial -rooms. They were written like ordinary business letters, treating of -trade and monetary affairs, and containing drafts upon supposititious -persons, quite princely in amount. I never learned, however, that they -appreciably enlarged the exchequer of their recipients. Indeed, they -were a good deal like the voluminous epistles which Mr. Toots, in his -school-boy days, was in the habit of writing to himself. - -[Sidenote: GUARDING LETTERS AGAINST SCRUTINY.] - -I used a system of cipher, by which all phrases between certain private -marks were to be exactly reversed in printing. Thus, if I characterized -any one as "patriot and an honest man," inclosing the sentence in -brackets, it was to be rendered a "demagogue and a scoundrel." All -matter between certain other marks was to be omitted. If a paragraph -commenced at the very edge of a sheet, it was to be printed precisely -as it stood. But beginning it half across the page indicated that it -contained something to be translated by the cipher. - -The letters, therefore, even if examined, would hardly be comprehended. -Whether tampered with or not, they always reached the office. I never -kept any papers on my person, or in my room, which could excite -suspicion, if read. - -In writing, I assumed the tone of an old citizen, sometimes remarking -that during a residence of fourteen years in New Orleans, I had never -before seen such a whirlwind of passion, etc. In recording incidents I -was often compelled to change names, places, and dates, though always -faithful to the fact. Toward the close of my stay, the correspondence -appearing to pass unopened, I gave minute and exact details, designing -to be in the North before the letters could return in print. - -[Sidenote: A PHILADELPHIAN AMONG THE REBELS.] - -Two incidents will illustrate the condition of affairs better than any -general description. Soon after Mr. Lincoln's election, a Philadelphian -reached New Orleans, on a collecting tour. One evening he was standing -in the counting-room of a merchant, who asked him:-- - -"Well, now you Black Republicans have elected your President, what are -you going to do next?" - -"We will show you," was the laughing response. - -Both spoke in jest; but the bookkeeper of the house, standing by, with -his back turned, belonged to the Minute Men, who, that very evening, -by a delegation of fifty, waited on the Philadelphian at the St. James -Hotel. They began by demanding whether he was a Black Republican. -He at once surmised that he was obtaining a glimpse of the hydra -of Secession, beside which the armed rhinoceros were an agreeable -companion, and the rugged Russian bear a pleasant household pet. His -face grew pallid, but he replied, with dignity and firmness: - -"I deny your right to ask me any such questions." - -The inquisitors, who were of good social position and gentlemanly -manners, claimed that the public emergency was so great as to justify -them in examining all strangers who excited suspicion; and that he -left them only the alternative of concluding him an Abolitionist and -an incendiary. At last he informed them truthfully that he had never -sympathized with the Anti-Slavery party, and had always voted the -Democratic ticket. They next inquired if the house which employed him -was Black Republican. - -"Gentlemen," he replied, "it is a _business_ firm, not a political one. -I never heard politics mentioned by either of the partners. I don't -know whether they are Republicans or Democrats." - -He cheerfully permitted his baggage to be searched by the Minute -Men, who, finding nothing objectionable, bade him good-evening. But, -just after they left, a mob of Roughs, attracted by the report that -an Abolitionist was stopping there, entered the hotel. They were very -noisy and profane, crying--"Let us see him; bring out the scoundrel!" - -His friend, the merchant, spirited him out of the house through a back -door, and drove him to the railway station, whence a midnight train -was starting for the North. His pursuers, finding the room of their -victim empty, followed in hot haste to the depot. The merchant saw them -coming, and again conveyed him away to a private room. He was kept -concealed for three days, until the excitement subsided, and then went -north by a night train. - -[Sidenote: SECESSION VS. SINCERITY.] - -One of the clerks at the hotel where I was boarding had been an -acquaintance of mine in the North ten years before. Though I now saw -him several times a day, politics were seldom broached between us. But, -whenever they came up, we both talked mild Secession. I did not believe -him altogether sincere, and I presume he did me equal justice; but -instinct is a great matter, and we were cowards on instinct. - -During the next summer, I chanced to meet him unexpectedly in Chicago. -After we exchanged greetings, his first question was-- - -"What did you honestly think of Secession while in New Orleans?" - -"Do you know what I was doing there?" - -"On your way to Mexico, were you not?" - -"No; corresponding for _The Tribune_." - -His eyes expanded visibly at this information, and he inquired, with -some earnestness-- - -"Do you know what would have been done with you if you had been -detected?" - -"I have my suspicions, but, of course, do not know. Do you?" - -"Yes; you would have been hung!" - -"Do you think so?" - -"I am sure of it. You would not have had a shadow of chance for your -life!" - -My friend knew the Secessionists thoroughly, and his evidence was -doubtless trustworthy. I felt no inclination to test it by repeating -the experiment. - -[Sidenote: A MANIA FOR SOUTHERN MANUFACTURING.] - -The establishment of domestic manufactures was always a favorite theme -throughout the South; but the manufactures themselves continued very -rudimentary. The furniture dealers, for example, made a pretense of -making their own wares. They invariably showed customers through their -workshops, and laid great stress upon their encouragement of southern -industry; but they really received seven-eighths of their furniture -from the North, having it delivered at back-doors, under cover of the -night. - -Secession gave a new impetus to all sorts of manufacturing projects. -The daily newspapers constantly advocated them, but were quite -oblivious of the vital truth that skilled labor will have opinions, and -opinions can not be tolerated in a slave community. - -One sign on Canal-street read, "Sewing Machines manufactured on -Southern Soil"--a statement whose truth was more than doubtful. The -agent of a rival machine advertised that his patent was _owned_ in New -Orleans, and, therefore, pre-eminently worthy of patronage. Little -pasteboard boxes were labeled "Superior Southern Matches," and the -newspapers announced exultingly that a candy factory was about to be -established. - -But the greatest stress was laid upon the Southern Shoe Factory, on -St. Ferdinand-street--a joint stock concern, with a capital of one -hundred thousand dollars. It was only two months old, and, therefore, -experimental; but its work was in great demand, and it was the favorite -illustration of the feasibility of southern manufactures. - -[Sidenote: VISIT TO THE SOUTHERN SHOE FACTORY.] - -Sauntering in, one evening, I introduced myself as a stranger, drawn -thither by curiosity. The superintendent courteously invited me to go -through the establishment with him. - -His physiognomy and manners impressed me as unmistakably northern; but, -to make assurance doubly sure, I ventured some remark which inferred -that he was a native of New Orleans. He at once informed me that he was -from St. Louis. When I pursued the matter further, by speaking of some -recent improvements in that city, he replied: - -"I was born in St. Louis, but left there when I was twelve months old. -Philadelphia has been my home since, until I came here to take charge -of this establishment." - -The work was nearly all done with machinery run by steam. As we walked -through the basement, and he pointed out the implements for cutting -and pressing sole-leather, I could not fail to notice that every one -bore the label of its manufacturer, followed by these incendiary words: -"Boston, Massachusetts!" - -Then we ascended to the second story, where sewing and pegging -were going on. All the stitching was done as in the large northern -manufactories, with sewing-machines run by steam--a combination of -two of the greatest mechanical inventions. Add a third, and in the -printing-press, the steam-engine, and the sewing-machine, you have the -most potent material agencies of civilization. - -[Sidenote: WHERE ITS FACILITIES CAME FROM.] - -Here was the greatest curiosity of all--the patent pegging-machine, -which cuts out the pegs from a thin strip of wood, inserts the awl, -and pegs two rows around the sole of a large shoe, more regularly and -durably than it can be done by hand--all in less than twenty-five -seconds. Need I add that it is a Yankee invention? One machine for -finishing, smoothing, and polishing the soles came from Paris; but -all the others bore that ominous label, "Boston, Massachusetts!" In -the third story, devoted to fitting the soles and other finishing -processes, the same fact was apparent--every machine was from New -England. - -The work was confined exclusively to coarse plantation brogans, -which were sold at from thirteen to nineteen dollars per case of -twelve pairs. Shoes of the same quality, at the great factories in -Milford, Haverhill, and Lynn, Massachusetts, were then selling by the -manufacturers at prices ranging from six to thirteen dollars per case. -In one apartment we found three men making boxes for packing the shoes, -from boards already sawed and dressed. - -"Where do you get your lumber?" I asked. - -"It comes from Illinois," replied my cicerone. "We have it planed and -cut out in St. Louis--labor is so high here." - -"Your workmen, I presume, are from this city?" - -"No, sir. The leading men in all departments are from the North, -mainly from Massachusetts and Philadelphia. We are compelled to pay -them high salaries--from sixty to three hundred dollars per month. The -subordinate workmen, whom we hope soon to put in their places, we found -here. We employ forty-seven persons, and turn out two hundred and fifty -pairs of brogans daily. We find it impossible to supply the demand, and -are introducing more machinery, which will soon enable us to make six -hundred pairs per day." - -[Sidenote: HOW "SOUTHERN" SHOES WERE MADE.] - -"Where do you procure the birch for pegs?" - -"From Massachusetts. It comes to us cut in strips and rolled, ready for -use." - -"Where do you get your leather?" - -"Well, sir" (with a searching look, as if a little suspicious of being -quizzed), "_it_ also comes from the North, at present; but we shall -soon have tanneries established. The South, especially Texas, produces -the finest hides in the country; but they are nearly all sent north, to -be tanned and curried, and then brought back in the form of leather." - -Thanking the superintendent for his courtesy, and wishing him a very -good evening, I strolled homeward, reflecting upon the _Southern_ Shoe -Factory. It was admirably calculated to appeal to local patriotism, and -demonstrate the feasibility of southern manufacturing. Its northern -machinery, run by northern workmen, under a northern superintendent, -turned out brogans of northern leather, fastened with northern pegs, -and packed in cases of northern pine, at an advance of only about one -hundred per cent. upon northern prices! - -New Orleans afforded to the stranger few illustrations of the -"Peculiar Institution." Along the streets, you saw the sign, "Slave -Depot--Negroes bought and sold," upon buildings which were filled -with blacks of every age and of both sexes, waiting for purchasers. -The newspapers, although recognizing slavery in general as the -distinguishing cause which made southern gentlemen gallant and -"high-toned," and southern ladies fair and accomplished, were yet -reticent of details. They would sometimes record briefly the killing -of a master by his negroes; the arrest of A., charged with being an -Abolitionist; of B., for harboring or tampering with slaves; of C.--f. -m. c. (free man of color)--for violating one of the many laws that -hedged him in; and, very rarely, of D., for cruelty to his slaves. -But their advertising columns were filled with announcements of slave -auctions, and long descriptions of the negroes to be sold. Said _The -Crescent_: - -[Sidenote: STUDYING SOUTHERN SOCIETY.] - - "We have for a long time thought that no man ought to be - allowed to write for the northern Press, unless he has passed - at least two years of his existence in the Slave States of - the South, doing nothing but studying southern institutions, - southern society, and the character and sentiments of the - southern people." - -There was much truth in this, though not in the sense intended by the -writer. Strangers spending but a short time in the South _were_ liable -to very erroneous views. They saw only the exterior of a system, which -looked pleasant and patriarchal. They had no opportunity of learning -that, within, it was full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. -Northern men were so often deceived as to make one skeptical of -the traditional acuteness of the Yankee. The genial and hospitable -southerners would draw the long bow fearfully. A Memphis gentleman -assured a northern friend of mine that, on Sundays, it was impossible -for a white man to hire a carriage in that city, as the negroes -monopolized them all for pleasure excursions! - -One of my New Orleans companions, who was frank and candid upon -other subjects, used to tell me the most egregious stories respecting -the slaves. As, for instance, that their marriage-vows were almost -universally held sacred by the masters; the virtue of negro women -respected, and families rarely separated. I preserved my gravity, -never disputing him; but he must have known that a visit to any of the -half-dozen slave auctions, within three minutes' walk of his office, -would disprove all these statements. - -[Sidenote: REPORTING A SLAVE AUCTION.] - -These slave auctions were the only public places where the primary -social formation of the South cropped out sharply. I attended them -frequently, as the best school for "studying southern institutions, -southern society, and the character and sentiments of the southern -people." - -I remember one in which eighty slaves were sold, one after another. A -second, at which twenty-one negroes were disposed of, I reported, _in -extenso_, from notes written upon blank cards in my pocket during its -progress. Of course, it was not safe to make any memoranda openly. - -The auction was in the great bar-room of the St. Charles Hotel, a -spacious, airy octagonal apartment, with a circular range of Ionic -columns. The marble bar, covering three sides of the room, was doing a -brisk business. Three perturbed tapsters were bustling about to supply -with fluids the bibulous crowd, which by no means did its spiriting -gently. - -The negroes stood in a row, in front of the auctioneer's platform, with -numbered tickets pinned upon their coats and frocks. Thus, a young -woman with a baby in her arms, who rolled his great white eyes in -astonishment, was ticketed "No. 7." Referring to the printed list, I -found this description: - - "7. Betty, aged 15 years, and child 4 months, No. 1 - field-hand and house-servant, very likely. Fully guaranteed." - -In due time, Betty and her boy were bid off for $1,165. - -[Sidenote: SALE OF A WHITE GIRL.] - -Those already sold were in a group at the other end of the platform. -One young woman, in a faded frock and sun-bonnet, and wearing gold -ear-rings, had straight brown hair, hazel eyes, pure European features, -and a very light complexion. I was unable to detect in her face the -slightest trace of negro lineage. Her color, features, and movements -were those of an ordinary country girl of the white working class in -the South. A by-stander assured me that she was sold under the hammer, -just before I entered. She associated familiarly with the negroes, and -left the room with them when the sale was concluded; but no one would -suspect, under other circumstances, that she was tinged with African -blood. - -The spectators, about two hundred in number, were not more than -one-tenth bidders. There were planters from the interior, with broad -shoulders and not unpleasing faces; city merchants, and cotton factors; -fast young men in pursuit of excitement, and strangers attracted by -curiosity. - -Among the latter was a spruce young man in the glossiest of broadcloth, -and the whitest of linen, with an unmistakable Boston air. He lounged -carelessly about, and endeavored to look quite at ease, but made a very -brilliant failure. His restless eye and tell-tale countenance indicated -clearly that he was among the Philistines for the first time, and held -them in great terror. - -There were some professional slave-dealers, and many nondescripts who -would represent the various shades between loafers and blacklegs, in -any free community. They were men of thick lips, sensual mouths, full -chins, large necks, and bleared eyes, suggesting recent dissipation. -They were a "hard-looking" company. I would not envy a known -Abolitionist who should fall into their unrestrained clutches. No -prudent life-insurance company would take a risk in him. - -The auctioneer descanted eloquently upon the merits of each of his -chattels, seldom dwelling upon one more than five minutes. An herculean -fellow, with an immense chest, was dressed in rusty black, and wore a -superannuated silk hat. He looked the decayed gentleman to a charm, and -was bid off for $840. A plump yellow boy, also in black, silk hat and -all, seemed to think being sold rather a good joke, grinning broadly -the while, and, at some jocular remark, showing two rows of white -teeth almost from ear to ear. He brought $1,195, and appeared proud of -commanding so high a figure. - -[Sidenote: WOMEN ON THE BLOCK.] - -Several light quadroon girls brought large prices. One was surrounded -by a group of coarse-looking men, who addressed her in gross language, -shouting with laughter as she turned away to hide her face, and rudely -manipulating her arms, shoulders, and breasts. Her age was not given. -"That's the trouble with niggers," remarked a planter to me; "you never -can tell how old they are, and so you get swindled." One mother and her -infant sold for $1,415. - -Strolling into the St. Charles, a few days later, I found two sales -in full career. On one platform the auctioneer was recommending -a well-proportioned, full-blooded negro, as "a very likely and -intelligent young man, gentlemen, who would have sold readily, a year -ago, for thirteen hundred dollars. And now I am offered only eight -hundred--eight hundred--eight hundred--eight hundred; _are_ you all -done?" - -On the opposite side of the room another auctioneer, in stentorian -tones, proclaimed the merits of a pretty quadroon girl, tastefully -dressed, and wearing gold finger and ear rings. "The girl, gentlemen, -is only fifteen years old; warranted sound in every particular, an -excellent seamstress, which would make her worth a thousand dollars, -if she had _no other qualifications_. She is sold for no fault, but -simply because her owner must have money. No married man had better buy -her; she is too handsome." The girl was bid off at $1,100, and stepped -down to make way for a field-hand. Ascending the steps, he stumbled and -fell, at which the auctioneer saluted him with "Come along, G-d d--n -you!" - -[Sidenote: MOTHERS AND CHILDREN.--"DEFECTS."] - -Mothers and their very young children were not often separated; but I -frequently saw husbands and wives sold apart; no pretense being made -of keeping them together. Negroes were often offered with what was -decorously described as a "defect" in the arm, or shoulder. Sometimes -it appeared to be the result of accident, sometimes of punishment. I -saw one sold who had lost two toes from each foot. No public inquiries -were made, and no explanation given. He replied to questions that his -feet "hurt him sometimes," and was bid off at $625--about two-thirds of -his value had it not been for the "defect." - -Some slaves upon the block--especially the mothers--looked sad and -anxious; but three out of four appeared careless and unconcerned, -laughing and jesting with each other, both before and after the sale. -The young people, especially, often seemed in the best of spirits. - -[Sidenote: A MOST REVOLTING SPECTACLE.] - -And yet, though familiarity partially deadened the feeling produced -by the first one I witnessed, a slave auction is the most utterly -revolting spectacle that I ever looked upon. Its odiousness does not -lie in the lustful glances and expressions which a young and comely -woman on the block always elicits; nor in the indelicate conversation -and handling to which she is subjected; nor in the universal infusion -of white blood, which tells its own story about the morality of the -institution; nor in the separation of families; nor in the sale of -women--as white as our own mothers and sisters--made pariahs by an -imperceptible African taint; nor in the scars and "defects," suggestive -of cruelty, which are sometimes seen. - -All these features are bad enough, but many sales exhibit few of them, -and are conducted decorously. The great revolting characteristic lies -in the essence of the system itself--that claim of absolute ownership -in a human being with an immortal soul--of the right to buy and sell -him like a horse or a bale of cotton--which insults Democracy, belies -Civilization, and blasphemes Christianity. - -In March, there was a heavy snow-storm in New York. Telegraphic -intelligence of it reached me in an apartment fragrant with orange -blossoms, where persons in linen clothing were discussing strawberries -and ice-cream. It made one shiver in that delicious, luxurious climate. -Blind old Milton was right. Where should he place the Garden of Eden -but in the tropics? How should he paint the mother of mankind but in - - ----"The flowing gold - Of her loose tresses," - -as a blonde--the distinctive type of northern beauty? - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - There's villany abroad; this letter shall tell you - more.--LOVE'S LABOR LOST. - -[Sidenote: NORTHERNERS AND THE MINUTE MEN.] - - -Nearly every northerner whom I heard of in the South, as suffering -from the suspicion of Abolitionism, was really a pro-slavery man, -who had been opposing the Abolitionists all his life. I recollect an -amusing instance of a man, originally from a radical little town in -Massachusetts, who had been domiciled for several years in Mississippi. -While in New England, during the campaign after which Mr. Lincoln was -elected, he expressed pro-slavery sentiments so odious that he was with -difficulty protected from personal violence. - -He was fully persuaded in his heart of hearts of the divinity of -Slavery; and, I doubt not, willing to fight for it. But his northern -birth made him an object of suspicion; and, immediately after the -outbreak of Secession, the inexorable Minute Men waited upon him, -inviting him, if he wished to save his life, to prepare to quit the -State in one hour. He was compelled to leave behind property to the -amount of twenty thousand dollars. His case was one of many. - -Even from a Rebel standpoint, there was an unpleasant injustice about -this. Perhaps Democrats were almost the only northerners now in the -South--Republicans and Abolitionists staying away, in the exercise of -that discretion which is the better part of valor. - -I well remember thinking, as I strolled down to the post-office one -evening, with a long letter in my pocket, which gave a minute and -bitterly truthful description of the slave auctions: - -[Sidenote: A LIVELY DISCUSSION.] - -"If the Minute Men were to pounce upon me now, and find this dispatch, -no amount of plausible talking could save me. There would be a vacancy -on _The Tribune_ staff within the next hour." - -But when the message was safely deposited in the letter-box, I -experienced a sort of relief in the feeling that if the Rebels were -now to mob or imprison me, I should at least have the satisfaction of -knowing they were not mistaking souls; and that, if I were forced to -emulate Saint Paul in "labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, -in pains more frequent, in deaths oft," I should, in their code, most -richly have earned martyrdom. - - NEW ORLEANS, _March 17, 1861_. - -Yesterday was a lively day in the Convention. Mr. Bienvenu threw a hot -shot into the Secession camp, in the shape of an ordinance demanding -a report of the official vote in each parish (county) by which the -delegates were elected. This would prove that the popular vote of the -State was against immediate Secession by a majority of several hundred. -The Convention would not permit such exposure of its defiance of the -popular will; and, by seventy-three to twenty-two, refused to consider -the question. - -A warm discussion ensued, on the ordinance for submitting the -"Constitution of the Confederate States of America" to the popular -vote, for ratification or rejection. The ablest argument against it -was by Thomas J. Semmes, of New Orleans, formerly attorney-general of -Louisiana. He is a keen, wiry-looking, spectacled gentleman, who, in -a terse, incisive speech, made the best of a bad cause. The pith of -his argument was, that Republican Governments are not based upon pure -Democracy, but upon what Mr. Calhoun termed "concurring majorities." -The voters had delegated full powers to the Convention, which was -the "sublimated, concentrated quintessence of the sovereignty of the -people." - -[Sidenote: BOLDNESS OF UNION MEMBERS.] - -The speaker's lip curled with ineffable scorn as he rang the changes -upon the words "mere numerical majorities." Just now, this is a -favorite phrase with the Rebels throughout the South. Yet they all -admit that a majority, even of one vote, in Mississippi or Virginia, -justly controls the action of the State, and binds the minority. I wish -they would explain why a "mere numerical majority" is more oppressive -in a collection of States than in a single commonwealth. - -Mr. Add Rozier, of New Orleans, in a bold speech, advocated submitting -the constitution to the people. On being asked by a member--"Did you -vote for the Secession ordinance several weeks ago?" he replied, -emphatically:-- - -"No; and, so help me God, I never will!" - -A spontaneous outburst of applause from the lobby gave an index of the -stifled public sentiment. Mr. Rozier charged that the Secessionists -knew they were acting against the popular will, and dared not appeal to -the people. Until the Montgomery constitution should become the law of -the land, he utterly spurned it, spat upon it, trampled it under his -feet. - -Mr. Christian Roselius, also of this city, advocated the ordinance -with equal boldness and fervor. He insisted that it was based on -the fundamental principle of Republicanism--that this Convention -was no Long Parliament to rule Louisiana without check or limit; -and he ridiculed with merciless sarcasm Mr. Semmes's theory of the -"sublimated, concentrated quintessence of the sovereignty of the -people." - -The inexorable majority here cut off debate, calling the previous -question, and defeated the ordinance by a vote of seventy-three to -twenty-six. - -This body is a good specimen of the Secession Oligarchy. It appointed, -from its own members, the Louisiana delegates to the Convention of all -the seceded States which framed the Montgomery Constitution, and now it -proposes to pass finally upon their action, leaving the people quite -out of sight. - -[Sidenote: ANOTHER EXCITING DISCUSSION.] - - _March 21._ - -Another exciting day in the Convention. Subject: "The adoption of the -Montgomery Constitution." Five or six Union members fought it very -gallantly, and denounced unsparingly the plan of a Cotton Confederacy, -and the South Carolina policy of trampling upon the rights of the -people. The majority made little attempt to refute these arguments, -but some of the angry members glared fiercely upon Messrs. Roselius, -Rozier, and Bienvenu, who certainly displayed high moral and physical -courage. It is easy for you in the North to denounce Secession; but to -oppose it here, as those gentlemen did, requires more nerve than most -men possess. - -The speech of Mr. Roselius was able and bitter. This was not a -constitution; it was merely a league--a treaty of alliance. It sprung -from an audacious, unmitigated oligarchy. It was a retrogression of -six hundred years in the science of government. We were told (here -the speaker's sarcasm of manner was ludicrous and inimitable, drawing -shouts of laughter even from the leading Secessionists) that this -body represented the "sublimated, concentrated quintessence of the -sovereignty of the people!" - -He supposed that Caesar, when he crossed the Rubicon--Augustus, when -he overthrew the Roman Republic--Cromwell, when he broke up the Long -Parliament--Bonaparte, when he suppressed the Council of Five Hundred -at the point of the bayonet--Louis Napoleon, when he violated his -oath to the republic, and ascended the imperial throne--were each -the "sublimated, concentrated quintessence of the sovereignty of the -people." - -[Sidenote: SECESSION IN A NUTSHELL.] - -Like the most odious tyrannies of history, it preserved the forms of -liberty; but its spirit was crushed out. The Convention from which -this creature crept into light had imitated the odious government of -Spain--the only one in the world taxing exports--by levying an export -duty upon cotton. He was surprised that the Montgomery legislators -failed to introduce a second Spanish feature--the Inquisition. One was -as detestable as the other. - -Mr. Roselius concluded in a broken voice and with great feeling. His -heart grew sad at this overthrow of free institutions. The Secession -leaders had dug the grave of republican liberty, and we were called -upon to assist at the funeral! He would have no part in any such -unhallowed business. - -Mr. Rozier, firm to the last, now offered an amendment: - - That in adopting the Montgomery Constitution, "the sovereign - State of Louisiana _does expressly reserve the right to - withdraw from the Union created by that Constitution, - whenever, in the judgment of her citizens, her paramount - interests may require it_." - -This, of course, is Secession in a nutshell--the fundamental principle -of the whole movement. But the leaders refused to take their own -medicine, and tabled the proposition without discussion. - -Mr. Bienvenu caused to be entered upon the journal his protest -against the action of the Convention, denouncing it as an ordinance -which "strips the people of their sovereignty, reduces them to a -state of vassalage, and places the destinies of the State, and of the -new Republic, at the mercy of an uncommissioned and irresponsible -oligarchy." - -The final vote was then taken, and resulted in one hundred and one yeas -to seven nays; so "the Confederate Constitution" is declared ratified -by the State of Louisiana. - -[Sidenote: DESPOTIC THEORIES OF THE REBELS.] - - _March 25._ - -The Revolutionists can not be charged with any lack of frankness. _The -Delta_, lamenting that the Virginia Convention will not take that State -out of the Union, predicts approvingly that "some Cromwellian influence -will yet disperse the Convention, and place the Old Dominion in the -Secession ranks." _De Bow's Review_, a leading Secession oracle, with -high pretensions to philosophy and political economy, says, in its -current issue: - - "All government begins with usurpation, and is continued by - force. Nature puts the ruling elements uppermost, and the - masses below, and subject to those elements. Less than this - is not a government. The right to govern resides with a very - small minority, and the duty to obey is inherent with the - great mass of mankind." - -To-day's _Crescent_ discusses the propriety of admitting northern -States into the Southern Confederacy, "when they find out, as they soon -will, that they can not get along by themselves." It is quite confident -that they will, ere long, beg admission--but predicts for them the fate -of the Peri, who - - ----"At the gate - Of Eden stood, disconsolate, - And wept to think her recreant race - Should e'er have lost that glorious place." - -They must not be permitted to enter. Upon this point it is inexorable. -It will permit no compunctious visitings of nature to shake its fell -purpose. - -[Sidenote: THE NORTHWEST TO JOIN THEM.] - -I know all this sounds vastly like a joke; but _The Crescent_ is -lugubriously in earnest. In sooth, these Rebels are gentlemen of -magnificent expectations. "Sir," remarked one of them, a judge, too, -while conversing with me this very day, "in seven years, the Southern -Confederacy will be the greatest and richest nation on earth. We -shall have Cuba, Central America, Mexico, and every thing west of the -Alleghanies. We are the natural market of the northwestern States, and -they are bound to join us!" - -Think of that, will you! Imagine Father Giddings, Carl Schurz, and -Owen Lovejoy--the stanch Republican States of Wisconsin, Michigan, and -even young Kansas--whose infant steps to Freedom were over the burning -plowshare and through the martyr's blood--knocking for admission at the -door of a Slave Confederacy! Is not this the very ecstasy of madness? - - _March 26._ - -That virtuous and lamented body, the Louisiana Convention, after a very -turbulent session to-day, has adjourned until the 1st of November. - -_The Crescent_ is exercised at the presence here of "correspondents -of northern papers, who indite _real falsehoods and lies_ as coolly -as they would eat a dinner at the Saint Charles." _The Crescent's_ -rhetoric is a little limping; but its watchfulness and patriotism are -above all praise. The matter should certainly be attended to. - -[Sidenote: THE SWAMP--A TRIP THROUGH LOUISIANA.] - -We are still enjoying the delights of summer. The air is fragrant with -daffodils, violets, and roses, the buds of the sweet olive and the -blossoms of the orange. I have just returned from a ride through the -swamp--that great cesspool of this metropolis, which generates, with -the recurrence of summer, the pestilence that walketh in darkness. - -It is full of sights strange to northern eyes. The stagnant pools -of black and green water harmonize with the tall, ghastly dead -trees, from whose branches depend long fleeces of gray Spanish moss, -with the effect of Gothic architecture. It is used in lounges and -mattresses; but when streaming from the branches, in its native state, -reminds one of the fantastic term which the Choctaw Indians apply to -leaves--"tree-hair." - -The weird dead trunks, the moss and the water, contrast strikingly -with the rich, bright foliage of the deciduous trees just glowing -into summer life. The balmy air makes physical existence delicious, -and diffuses a luxurious languor through the system. Remove your hat, -close your eyes, and its strong current strokes your brow lovingly and -nestles against your cheek like a pillow. - - * * * * * - -During the last week in March, I went by the New Orleans and Great -Northern Railway to Jackson, Mississippi, where the State Convention -was in session. - -There is not in Louisiana a hill two hundred feet high. Along the -railroad, smooth, grassy everglades give place to gloomy swamps, dark -with the gigantic cypress and the varnished leaves of the laurel. - -On the plantations, the white one-story cabins of the negroes stood -in long double rows, near the ample porched and balconied residences -of the planters. Young sugar-cane, resembling corn two or three weeks -old, was just peering through the ground. Noble live-oaks waved their -drooping boughs above the fields. The Pride-of-China tree was very -abundant about the dwellings. It produces a berry on which the birds -eagerly feed, though its juice is said to intoxicate them. As they do -not wear revolvers or bowie-knives, it is rather a harmless form of -dissipation. - -[Sidenote: LIFE IN THE CITY OF JACKSON.] - -Jackson was not a paradise for a man of my vocation. Containing four -or five thousand people, it was one of those delightful villages, -calling themselves cities, of which the sunny South by no means enjoys -a monopoly--where everybody knows everybody's business, and where, upon -the advent of a stranger, the entire community resolves itself into a -Committee of the Whole to learn who he is, where he came from, and what -he wants. - -In a great metropolis, espionage was easily baffled; but in Jackson, an -unknown chiel, who looked capable of "takin' notes," to say nothing of -"prentin' 'em," was subject to constant and uncomfortable scrutiny. - -Contrasted with the bustle of New Orleans, existence seemed an unbroken -seventh-day rest, though a dire certainty possessed me, that were my -errand suspected, e'en Sunday would shine no Sabbath day for me. - -Some months later, a refugee, who had resided there, pictured vividly -to me the indignant and bewildered astonishment of the Jacksonians, -when, through a stray copy of _The Tribune_, they learned that one of -its correspondents had not only walked with them, talked with them, and -bought with them, but, less scrupulous than Shylock, had been ready to -eat with them, drink with them, and pray with them. - -At this time the Charleston papers and some northern journals declared -_The Tribune's_ southern correspondence fictitious, and manufactured at -the home office. To remove that impression touching my own letters, I -wrote, on certain days, the minutest records of the Convention, and of -affairs in Jackson, which never found their way into the local prints. - -Mournfully metropolitan was Jackson in one respect--the price of -board at its leading hotel. The accommodations were execrable; but I -suppose we were charged for the unusual luxury of an unctuous Teutonic -landlord, who bore the formidable patronymic of H-i-l-z-h-e-i-m-e-r! - - "----Ph[oe]bus, what a name, - To fill the speaking-trump of future fame!" - -[Sidenote: REPORTING THE MISSISSIPPI CONVENTION.] - -The Convention was discussing the submission of the Montgomery -Constitution to the people. The chief clerk, with whom I formed a -chance acquaintance, kindly invited me to a chair beside his desk, and -as I sat facing the members, explained to me their capacity, views, -and antecedents. Whether an undue inquisitiveness seemed to him the -distinguishing quality of the New Mexican mind, he did not declare; but -once he asked me abruptly if I was connected with the press? With the -least possible delay, I disabused his mind of that peculiarly unjust -misapprehension. - -After a long discussion, the Convention, by a vote of fifty-three -to thirty-two, refused to submit the Constitution to the people, and -ratified it in the name of Mississippi. Seven Union members could not -be induced to follow the usual practice of making the action unanimous, -but to the last steadfastly refused their adherence. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - ----My business in this State Made me a looker-on here in - Vienna.--MEASURE FOR MEASURE. - - I whipped me behind the arras, and there heard it agreed - upon.--MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. - - JACKSON, MISS., _April 1, 1861_. - -[Sidenote: THE MISSISSIPPI STATE HOUSE.] - - -The Mississippi State House, upon a shaded square in front of my -window, is a faded, sober edifice, of the style in vogue fifty years -ago, with the representative hall at one end, the senate chamber at the -other, an Ionic portico in front, and an immense dome upon the top. -Above this is a miniature dome, like an infinitesimal parasol upon a -gigantic umbrella. The whole is crowned by a small gilded pinnacle, -which has relapsed from its original perpendicular to an angle of -forty-five degrees, and looks like a little jockey-cap, worn jantily -upon the head of a plethoric quaker, to whom it imparts a rowdyish air, -at variance with his general gravity. - -The first story is of cracked free-stone, the front and end walls of -stucco, and the rear of brick. As you enter the vestibule two musty -cannon stand gaping at you, and upon one of them you may see, almost -any day, a little "darkey" sound asleep. Whether he guards the gun, or -the gun guards him, opens a wide field for conjecture. - -Ascending a spiral stairway, and passing along the balustrade which -surrounds the open space under the dome, you turn to the left, through -a narrow passage into the representative hall. Here is the Mississippi -Convention. - -[Sidenote: VIEW OF THE REPRESENTATIVE HALL.] - -At the north end of the apartment sits the president, upon a high -platform occupying a recess in the wall, with two Ionic columns upon -each side of him. Before him is a little, old-fashioned mahogany -pulpit, concealing all but his head and shoulders from the vulgar gaze. -In front of this, and three or four feet lower, at a long wooden desk, -sit two clerks, one smoking a cigar. - -Before them, and still lower, at a shorter desk, an unhappy Celtic -reporter, with dark shaggy hair and eyebrows, is taking down the speech -of the honorable member from something or other county. In front of his -desk, standing rheumatically upon the floor, is a little table, which -looks as if called into existence by a drunken carpenter on a dark -night, from the relics of a superannuated dry-goods box. - -Upon one of the columns at the president's right, hangs a faded -portrait of George Poindexter, once a senator from this State. Further -to the right is an open fire-place, upon whose mantel stand a framed -copy of the Declaration of Independence, now sadly faded and blurred, -a lithographic view of the Medical College of Louisiana, and a pitcher -and glass. On the hearth is a pair of ancient andirons, upon which a -genial wood fire is burning. - -[Sidenote: GENERAL AIR OF DILAPIDATION.] - -The hypocritical plastering which coated the fireplace has peeled -off, leaving bare the honest, worn faces of the original bricks. Some -peculiar non-adhesive influence must affect plastering in Jackson. In -whole rooms of the hotel it has seceded from the lath. Judge Gholson -says that once, in the old State House, a few hundred yards distant, -when Seargeant S. Prentiss was making a speech, he saw "an acre or -two" of the plastering fall upon his head, and quite overwhelm him for -the time. The Judge is what Count Fosco would call the Man of Brains; -he is deemed the ablest member of the Convention. He was a colleague -in Congress of the lamented Prentiss, whom he pronounces the most -brilliant orator that ever addressed a Mississippi audience. - -On the left of the president is another fire-place, also with a sadly -blurred copy of the great Declaration standing upon its mantel. The -members' desks, in rows like the curved line of the letter D, are -of plain wood, painted black. Their chairs are great, square, faded -mahogany frames, stuffed and covered with haircloth. As you stand -beside the clerk's desk, facing them, you see behind the farthest row a -semi-circle of ten pillars, and beyond them a narrow, crescent shaped -lobby. Half-way up the pillars is a little gallery, inhabited just now -by two ladies in faded mourning. - -In the middle of the hall, a tarnished brass chandelier, with pendants -of glass, is suspended from the ceiling by a rod festooned with -cobwebs. This medieval relic is purely ornamental, for the room is -lighted with gas. The walls are high, pierced with small windows, whose -faded blue curtains, flowered and bordered with white, are suspended -from a triple bar of gilded Indian arrows. - -Chairs of cane, rush, wood and leather seats--chairs with backs, and -chairs without backs, are scattered through the hall and lobby, in -pleasing illustration of that variety which is the spice of life. The -walls are faded, cracked, and dingy, pervaded by the general air of -mustiness, and going to "the demnition bow-wows" prevalent about the -building. - -The members are in all sorts of social democratic positions. In the -open spaces about the clerk's desk and fire-places, some sit with -chairs tilted against the wall, some upon stools, and three slowly -vibrate to and fro in pre-Raphaelite rocking-chairs. These portions -of the hall present quite the appearance of a Kentucky bar-room on a -winter evening. - -[Sidenote: A FREE AND EASY CONVENTION.] - -Two or three members are eating apples, three or four smoking cigars, -and a dozen inspect their feet, resting upon the desks before them. -Contemplating the spectacle yesterday, I found myself involuntarily -repeating the couplet of an old temperance ditty: - - "The rumseller sat by his bar-room fire, - With his feet as high as his head, and higher," - -and a moment after I was strongly tempted to give the prolonged, -stentorian shout of "B-O-O-T-S!" familiar to ears theatrical. Pardon -the irreverence, O decorous _Tribune_! for there is such a woful dearth -of amusement in this solemn, funereal city, that one waxes desperate. -To complete my inventory, many members are reading this morning's -_Mississippian_, or _The New Orleans Picayune_ or _Delta_, and the rest -listen to the one who is addressing the Chair. - -They impress you by their pastoral aspect--the absence of urban -costumes and postures. Their general bucolic appearance would assure -you, if you did not know it before, that there are not many large -cities in the State of Mississippi. Your next impression is one of -wonder at their immense size and stature. Of them the future historian -may well say: "There were giants in those days." - -All around you are broad-shouldered, herculean-framed, -well-proportioned men, who look as if a laugh from them would bring -this crazy old capitol down about their ears, and a sneeze, shake -the great globe itself. The largest of these Mississippi Anakim is a -gigantic planter, clothed throughout in blue homespun. - -[Illustration: THE MISSISSIPPI CONVENTION VIEWED BY A TRIBUNE -CORRESPONDENT.] - -You might select a dozen out of the ninety-nine delegates, each of whom -could personate the Original Scotch Giant in a traveling exhibition. -They have large, fine heads, and a profusion of straight brown hair, -though here and there is a crown smooth, bald, and shining. Taken for -all in all, they are fine specimens of physical development, with -frank, genial, jovial faces. - -[Sidenote: SOUTHERN ORATORS--ANGLO-AFRICAN DIALECT.] - -The speaking is generally good, and commands respectful attention. -There is little _badinage_ or satire, a good deal of directness and -coming right to the point, qualified by the strong southern proclivity -for adjectives. The pungent French proverb, that the adjective is the -most deadly enemy of the substantive, has never journeyed south of -Mason & Dixon's line. - -The members, like all deliberative bodies in this latitude, are mutual -admirationists. Every speaker has the most profound respect for the -honest motives, the pure patriotism, the transcendent abilities of the -honorable gentleman upon the other side. It excites his regret and -self-distrust to differ from such an array of learning and eloquence; -and nothing could impel him to but a sense of imperious duty. - -He speaks fluently, and with grammatical correctness, but in the -Anglo-African dialect. His violent denunciations of the Black -Republicans are as nothing to the gross indignities which he offers -to the letter _r_. His "_mo's_," "_befo's_," and "_hea's_" convey -reminiscences of the negress who nursed him in infancy, and the little -"pickaninnies" with whom he played in boyhood. - -The custom of stump-speaking, universal through the South and West, -is a capital factory for converting the raw material into orators. Of -course there are strong exceptions. This very morning we had an address -from one member--Mr. D. B. Moore, of Tuppah county--which is worthy -of more particular notice. I wish I could give you a literal report. -Pickwick would be solemn in comparison. - -[Sidenote: A SPEECH WORTH PRESERVATION.] - -Mr. Moore conceives himself an orator, as Brutus was; but in attempting -to cover the whole subject (the Montgomery Constitution), he spread -himself out "very thin." I will "back" him in a given time to quote -more Scripture, incorrectly, irreverently, and irrelevantly, than any -other man on the North American continent. - -His "like we" was peculiarly refreshing, and his history and classics -had a strong flavor of originality. He quoted Patrick Henry, "_Let_ -Caesar have his Brutus;" piled "Pelion upon _Pelion_!" and made Sampson -kill Goliah!! He thought submitting the Secession ordinance to the -people in Texas had produced an excellent effect. Previous to it, the -_New York Tribune_ said: "Secession is but a scheme of demagogues--a -move on the political chess-board--the people oppose it." But afterward -it began to ask: "How is this? What does it all mean? The people seem -to have a hand in it, and to be in earnest, too." The tone of Mr. -Seward also changed radically, he observed, after that election. - -Mr. Moore spoke an hour and a half, and the other members, though -listening courteously, betrayed a lurking suspicion that he was a -bore. In person he resembles Henry S. Lane, the zealous United States -Senator-elect from Indiana. The sergeant-at-arms, who, in a gray coat, -and without a neckerchief, walks to and fro, with hands in his pockets, -looks like the unlovely James H. Lane, Senator-expectant from Kansas. - -Shall I give you a little familiar conversation of the members, as -they smoke their post-prandial cigars in the hall, waiting for the -Convention to be called to order? Every mother's son of them has a -title. - -[Sidenote: FAMILIAR CONVERSATION OF MEMBERS.] - -JUDGE.--Toombs is a great blusterer. When speaking, he seems determined -to force, to drive you into agreeing with him. Howell Cobb is another -blusterer, much like him, but immensely fond of good dinners. Aleck -Stephens is very different. When _he_ speaks, you feel that he desires -to carry you with him only by the power of reason and argument. - -COLONEL.--I knew him when he used to be a mail-carrier in Georgia. He -was a poor orphan boy, but a charitable society of ladies educated him. -He is a very small man, with a hand no wider than my three fingers, -and as transparent as any lady's who has been sick for a year. He -always looked like an invalid. If you were to cut his head off, I don't -believe he would bleed a pint.[4] - -[4] He never weighed over ninety-six pounds, and, to see his attenuated -figure bent over his desk, the shoulders contracted, and the shape of -his slender limbs visible through his garments, a stranger would select -him as the John Randolph of our time. He has the appearance of having -undergone great bodily anguish.--_Newspaper Biography of Alexander H. -Stephens._ - -MAJOR.--Do you know what frightened Abe Lincoln out of Baltimore? -Somebody told him that Aleck Stephens was lying in wait for him on a -street corner, with a six-pounder strapped to his back. When he heard -that, he _sloped_. [Loud laughter from the group.] - -JUDGE.--Well, Lincoln has been abused immensely about his flight -through Baltimore; but I believe the man acted from good motives. He -knew that his partisans there meant to make a demonstration when he -arrived, and that they were very obnoxious to the people; he had good -reason to believe that it would produce trouble, and perhaps bloodshed; -so he went through, secretly, to avoid it. - -[Sidenote: NEW ORLEANS AGAIN--REVIEWING TROOPS.] - - NEW ORLEANS, _April 5, 1861_. - -The Second Louisiana Zouaves were reviewed on Lafayette Square last -evening, before leaving for Pensacola. They are boyish-looking, and -handle their muskets as if a little afraid of them, but seem to be -the raw material of good soldiers. They are luridly grotesque, in -closely-fitting, blue-tasseled, red fez caps, blue flannel jackets and -frocks, faced with red, baggy red breeches, like galvanized corn-sacks, -and gutta-percha greaves about their ankles. - - _April 6._ - -All the Secession leaders except Senator Benjamin declare there will -be no war. He asserts that war is sure to come; and in a recent speech -characterized it as "by no means an unmixed evil." - -The Fire-Eaters are intensely bitter upon the border States for -refusing to plunge into the whirlpool of Secession. They are bent -on persuading or driving all the slave States into their ranks. -Otherwise they fear--indeed, predict frankly--that the border will -gradually become Abolitionized, and extend free territory to the Gulf -itself. They are quite willing to devote Kentucky and Virginia to the -devastation of civil war, or the embarrassment of a contiguous hostile -republic, which would not return their run-away negroes.[5] But they -will move heaven and earth to save themselves from any such possible -contingency. - -[5] By the last census report, the whole number of escaping fugitives -in the United States, in the year 1860, was eight hundred and three, -being a trifle over _one-fiftieth of one per cent._ upon the whole -number of slaves. Of these, it is probable that the greater part -fled to places of refuge in the South, the Dismal Swamp, everglades -of Florida, southern mountain regions, and the northern States of -Mexico.--_Everett's New York Oration, July 4, 1861._ - - _April 8._ - -The recent warlike movements of the National Government cause -excitement and surprise. At last, the people begin to suspect that they -have invoked grim-visaged war. The newspapers descant upon the injury -to commerce and industry. Why did they not think of all this before? - -[Sidenote: THREE OBNOXIOUS NORTHERNERS.] - -It is vouchsafed to few mortals to learn, before death, exactly what -their associates think of them; but your correspondent is among -the favored few. The other evening, I was sitting with a Secession -acquaintance, in the great exchange of the St. Charles Hotel, when -conversation turned upon the southern habit of lynching people who -do not happen to agree with the majority. He presumed enough upon my -ignorance to insist that any moderate, gentlemanly Republican might -come here with impunity. - -"But," he added, "there are three men whose safety I would not -guarantee." - -"Who are they?" - -"Governor Dennison, of Ohio, is one. Since he refused to return that -fugitive slave to Kentucky, he would hardly be permitted to stay in New -Orleans; at all events, I should oppose it. Then there is Andy Johnson. -He ought to be shot, or hanged, wherever found. But for him, Kentucky -and Tennessee would have been with us long ago. He could not remain -here unharmed for a single hour." - -"And the third?" - -"Some infernal scoundrel, who is writing abusive letters about us to -_The New York Tribune_." - -"Is it possible?" - -"Yes, sir, and he has been at it for more than a month." - -"Can't you find him out?" - -"Some think it is a Kentuckian, who pretends to be engaged in -cattle-trading, but only makes that a subterfuge. I suspect, however, -that it is an editor of _The Picayune_, which is a Yankee concern -through and through. If he is caught, I don't think he will write many -more letters." - -I ventured a few words in palliation of the Governor and the Senator, -but quite agreed that this audacious scribbler ought to be suppressed. - -[Sidenote: ATTACK ON SUMTER--REBEL BOASTING.] - - _April 12._ - -Telegraphic intelligence to-day of the attack upon Fort Sumter causes -intense excitement. _The Delta_ office is besieged by a crowd hungry -for news. The universal expectation of the easy capture of the fort is -not stronger than the belief that it will be followed by an immediate -and successful movement against the city of Washington. The politicians -and newspapers have persuaded the masses that the Yankees (a phrase -which they no longer apply distinctively to New Englanders, but to -every person born in the North) mean to subjugate them, but are arrant -cowards, who may easily be frightened away. Leading men seldom express -this opinion; yet _The Crescent_, giving the report that eight thousand -Massachusetts troops have been called into the field, adds, that if -they would come down to Pensacola, eighteen hundred Confederates would -easily "whip them out." - - "God help them if the tempest swings - The pine against the palm!" - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - ----Thou sure and firm-set earth, Hear not my steps, - which way they walk, for fear Thy very stones prate of my - whereabout.--MACBETH. - -[Sidenote: ABOLITION TENDENCIES OF KENTUCKIANS.] - -There were two of my acquaintances (one very prominent in the Secession -movement) with whom, while they had no suspicion of my real business, -I could converse with a little frankness. One of them desired war, on -the ground that it would unite the inhabitants of all the border slave -States, and overpower the Union sentiment there. - -"But," I asked, "will not war also unite the people of the North?" - -"I think not. We have a great many earnest and bold friends there." - -"True; but do you suppose they could stand for a single week against -the popular feeling which war would arouse?" - -"Perhaps you are right," he replied, thoughtfully, "but it never -occurred to me before." - -My other friend also talked with great frankness: - -"We can get along very well with the New England Yankees who are -permanently settled here. They make the strongest Secessionists we -have; but the Kentuckians give us a great deal of trouble. They were -born and raised where Slavery is unprofitable. They have strong -proclivities toward Abolitionism. The constituents of Rozier and -Roselius, who fought us so persistently in the Convention, are nearly -all Kentuckians." - -[Sidenote: TWO CHIEF CAUSES OF SECESSION.] - -"Slavery is our leading interest. Right or wrong, we have it and we -must have it. Cotton, rice, and sugar cannot be raised without it. -Being a necessity, we do not mean to allow its discussion. Every thing -which clashes with it, or tends to weaken it, must go under. Our large -German population is hostile to it. About all these Dutchmen would be -not only Unionists, but Black Republicans, if they dared." - -Perhaps it is the invariable law of revolutions that, even while the -revolters are in a numerical minority, they are able to carry the -majority with them. It is certain that, before Sumter was fired on, -a majority in every State, except South Carolina, was opposed to -Secession. The constant predictions of the Rebel leaders that there -would be no war, and the assertions of prominent New York journals, -that any attempt at coercion on the part of the Government would be met -with armed and bloody resistance in every northern city and State, were -the two chief causes of the apparent unanimity of the South. - -The masses had a vague but very earnest belief that the North, in some -incomprehensible manner, had done them deadly wrong. Cassio-like, they -remembered "a mass of things, but nothing distinctly; a quarrel, but -nothing wherefore." The leaders were sometimes more specific. - -"The South," said a pungent writer, "has endured a great many wrongs; -but the most intolerable of all the grievances ever thrust upon her was -the Census Report of 1860!" There was a great deal of truth in this -remark. One day I asked my New Orleans friend: - -"Why have you raised all this tempest about Mr. Lincoln's election?" - -[Sidenote: FUNDAMENTAL GRIEVANCE OF THE REBELS.] - -"Don't deceive yourself," he answered. "Mr. Lincoln's election had -nothing to do with it, beyond enabling us to rouse our people. Had -Douglas been chosen, we should have broken up the Union just as -quickly. Had Bell triumphed, it would have been all the same. Even if -Breckinridge had been elected, we would have seceded before the close -of his term. There is an essential incompatibility between the two -sections. _The South stands still, while the North has grown rich and -powerful, and expanded from ocean to ocean._" - -This was the fundamental grievance. Very liberal in his general -views, he had not apparently the faintest suspicion that Slavery was -responsible for the decadence of the South, or that Freedom impelled -the gigantic strides of the North. - -Yet his theory of the Rebellion was doubtless correct. It arose from -no man, or party, or political event, but from the inherent quarrel -between two adverse systems, which the fullness of time had ripened -into open warfare. His "essential incompatibility" was only another -name for Mr. Seward's "Irrepressible Conflict" between two principles. -They have since recorded, in letters of blood, not merely their -incompatibility, but their absolute, aggressive, eternal antagonism. - -During the second week in April, I began to find myself the object of -unpleasant, not to say impertinent, curiosity. So many questions were -asked, so many pointed and significant remarks made in my presence, as -to render it certain that I was regarded with peculiar suspicion. - -At first I was at a loss to surmise its origin. But one day I -encountered an old acquaintance in the form of a son of Abraham, -who had frequently heard me, in public addresses in Kansas, utter -sentiments not absolutely pro-slavery; who knew that I once held a -modest commission in the Free State army, and that I was a whilom -correspondent of _The Tribune_. - -[Sidenote: SUDDEN DEPARTURE FROM NEW ORLEANS.] - -He was by no means an Israelite without guile, for he had been chased -out of the Pike's Peak region during the previous summer, for robbing -one of my friends who had nursed him in sickness. Concluding that he -might play the informer, I made an engagement with him for the next -afternoon, and, before the time arrived, shook from my feet the dust of -New Orleans. Designing to make a _detour_ to Fort Pickens on my way, I -procured a ticket for Washington. The sea was the safer route, but I -was curious to take a final look at the interior. - -On Friday evening, April 12th, I left the Crescent City. In five -minutes our train plunged into the great swamp which environs the -commercial metropolis of the Southwest. Deep, broad ditches are cut for -draining, and you sometimes see an alligator, five or six feet long, -and as large as the body of a man, lying lazily upon the edge of the -green water. - -The marshy ground is mottled with gorgeous flowers, and the palmetto -is very abundant. It does not here attain to the dignity of a tree, -seldom growing more than four feet high. Its flag, sword-shaped leaves -branch out in flat semicircular clusters, resembling the fan palm. Its -tough bulbous root was formerly cut into fine fragments by the Indians, -then bruised to a pulp and thrown into the lake. It produced temporary -blindness among the fishes, which brought them to the surface, where -they were easily caught by hand. - -With rare fitness stands the palmetto as the device of South Carolina. -Indeed, it is an excellent emblem of Slavery itself; for, neither -beautiful, edible, nor useful, it blinds the short-sighted fish coming -under its influence. - -To them it is - - ----"The insane root, Which takes the reason prisoner." - -A ride of four miles brought us to Lake Pontchartrain, stretching away -in the fading sunlight. Over the broad expanse of swelling water, -delicate, foamy white caps were cresting the waves. - -[Sidenote: THE WAR SPIRIT IN MOBILE.] - -We were transferred to the propeller Alabama, and, when I woke the next -morning, were lying at Mobile. With a population of thirty thousand, -the city contains many pleasant residences, embowered in shade-trees, -and surrounded by generous grounds. It is rendered attractive by its -tall pines, live oak, and Pride-of-China trees. The last were now -decked in a profusion of bluish-white blossoms. - -The war spirit ran high. Hand-bills, headed "Soldiers wanted," and -"Ho! for volunteers," met the eye at every corner; uniforms and arms -abounded, and the voice of the bugle was heard in the streets. All -northern vessels were clearing on account of the impending crisis, -though some were not more than half loaded. - -Mobile was very radical. One of the daily papers urged the imposition -of a tax of one dollar per copy upon every northern newspaper or -magazine brought into the Confederacy! - -The leading hotel was crowded with guests, including many soldiers _en -route_ for Bragg's army. It was my own design to leave for Pensacola -that evening, and look at the possible scene of early hostilities. -A Secession friend in New Orleans had given me a personal letter to -General Bragg, introducing me as a gentleman of leisure, who would be -glad to make a few sketches of proper objects of interest about his -camps, for one of the New York illustrated papers. It added that he had -known me all his life, and vouched completely for my "soundness." - -[Sidenote: SUSPICIONS AROUSED--AN AWKWARD ENCOUNTER.] - -But a little incident changed my determination. Among my -fellow-passengers from New Orleans were three young officers of the -Confederate army, also bound for Fort Pickens. While on the steamer, I -did not observe that I was an object of their special attention; but -just after breakfast this morning, as I was going up to my room, in the -fourth story of the Battle House, I encountered them also ascending the -broad stairs. The moment they saw me, they dropped the subject upon -which they were conversing, and one, with significant glances, burst -into a most violent invective against _The Tribune_, denouncing it as -the vilest journal in America, except Parson Brownlow's _Knoxville -Whig!_ pronouncing every man connected with it a thief and scoundrel, -and asserting that if any of its correspondents could be caught here, -they would be hung upon the nearest tree. - -This philippic was so evidently inspired by my presence, and the eyes -of the whole group glared with a speculation so unpleasant, that I felt -myself an unhappy Romeo, "too early seen unknown and known too late." I -had learned by experience that the best protection for a suspected man -was to go everywhere, as if he had a right to go; to brave scrutiny; to -return stare for stare and question for question. - -So, during this tirade, which lasted while, side by side, we leisurely -climbed two staircases, I strove to maintain an exterior of serene and -wooden unconsciousness. When the speaker had exhausted his vocabulary -of hard words, I drew a fresh cigar from my pocket, and said to him, -"Please to give me a light, sir." With a puzzled air he took his cigar -from his mouth, knocked off the ashes with his forefinger, handed it to -me, and stood regarding me a little curiously, while, looking him full -in the face, I slowly ignited my own Havana, returned his, and thanked -him. - -They turned away apparently convinced that their zeal had outrun their -discretion. The look of blank disappointment and perplexity upon the -faces of those young officers as they disappeared in the passage will -be, to me, a joy forever. - -Pondering in my room upon fresh intelligence of the arrest of -suspicious persons in General Bragg's camp, and upon this little -experience, I changed my plan. As Toodles, in the farce, thinks he -"won't smoke," so I decided not to go to Pensacola; but ordered a -carriage, and drove down to the mail-boat St. Charles, which was to -leave for Montgomery that evening. - -I fully expected during the afternoon to entertain a vigilance -committee, the police, or some military officials who would invite -me to look at Secession through prison bars. It was not an inviting -prospect; yet there was nothing to do but to wait. - -The weather was dreamy and delicious. My state-room looked out upon the -shining river, and the rich olive green of the grassy shore. Upon the -dull, opaque water of a broad bayou beyond, little snowy sails flashed, -and a steamer, with tall black chimneys, left a white, foamy track in -the waters, and long clouds of brown smoke against the sky. - -[Sidenote: "MASS'R, FORT SUMTER'S GONE UP!"] - -At three o'clock in the afternoon, while I was lying in my state-room, -looking out drowsily upon this picture, a cabin-boy presented his sooty -face at the door and said, "Mass'r, Fort Sumter's gone up!" - -[Sidenote: BELLS RINGING AND CANNONS BOOMING.] - -The intelligence had just arrived by telegraph. The first battle of -the Great War was over, and seventy-two men, after a bombardment of -two days, were captured by twelve thousand! In a moment church and -steamboat bells rang out their notes of triumph, and cannon belched -forth their deep-mouthed exultation. A public meeting was extemporized -in the street, and enthusiastic speeches were made. Mindful of my -morning experience, I did not leave the boat, but tried to read the -momentous Future. I thought I could see, in its early pages, the -death-warrant of Slavery; but all else was inscrutable. - -There was a steam calliope attached to the "St. Charles." That evening, -when the last bell had rung, and the last cable was taken in, she left -the Mobile landing, and plowed slowly up the river to the shrill notes -of "Dixie's Land."[6] - -[6] Dixie's Land is a synonym for heaven. It appears that there was -once a good planter named Dixie, who died at some period unknown, to -the intense grief of his animated property. They found expression for -their sorrow in song, and consoled themselves by clamoring in verse -for their removal to the land to which Dixie had departed, and where -probably the renewed spirit would be greatly surprised to find himself -in their company. Whether they were ill treated after he died, and thus -had reason to deplore his removal, or merely desired heaven in the -abstract, nothing known enables me to assert. But Dixie's Land is now -generally taken to be the Seceded States, where Mr. Dixie certainly is -not at the present writing.--_Russell's Diary in America._ - -The Alabama is the "most monotonously beautiful of rivers." In the -evening twilight, its sinuous sweep afforded a fine view of both -shores, timbered down to the water's edge. Dense foliage, decked in the -blended and intermingled hues of summer, gave them the appearance of -two soft, smooth cushions of variegated velvet. - -After dark, we met the descending mail-boat. Our calliope saluted her -with lively music, and the passengers assembled on the guards, greeting -each other with the usual huzzas and waving of hats and handkerchiefs. - -On Sunday morning, the inevitable calliope awoke us--this time, -with sacred music. At many river landings there was only a single -well-shaded farm-house on the bank, with ladies sitting upon the -piazzas, and white and negro children playing under the magnificent -live-oaks. At others, a solitary warehouse stood upon the high, -perpendicular bluff, with an inclined-plane railway for the conveyance -of freight to the water. At some points the country was open, and a -great cotton-field extended to the river-bank, with a weather-beaten -cotton-press in the midst of it, like an old northern cider-mill. - -[Sidenote: A TERPSICHOREAN YOUNG NEGRO.] - -Planters, returning from New Orleans and Mobile, were met at the -landings by their negroes. The slaves appeared glad to see them, and -were greeted with hearty hand-shakings. At one landing the calliope -struck up a lively strain, and a young darkey on the bank, with the -Terpsichorean proclivity of his race, began to dance as if for dear -life, throwing his arms and legs in ludicrous and extravagant fashion. -His master attempted to cuff his ears, but the little fellow ducked his -head and danced away, to the great merriment of the lookers-on. The -negro nurses on the boat fondled and kissed the little white children -in their charge most ardently. - -I saw no instance of unkind treatment to slaves; but a young planter on -board mentioned to me, as a noteworthy circumstance, that he had not -permitted a negro to be struck upon his plantation for a year. - -A Texian on board the boat was very bitter against Governor Houston, -and, with the usual extreme language of the Rebels, declared he would -be hanged if he persisted in opposing the Disunionists. An old citizen -of Louisiana, too, became so indignant at me for remarking I had always -supposed Douglas to sympathize with the South, that I made haste to -qualify the assertion. - -[Sidenote: LEADING CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUTHERNERS.] - -Our passengers were excellent specimens of the better class of -southerners. Aside from his negrophobia, the southern _gentleman_ -is an agreeable companion. He is genial, frank, cordial, profoundly -deferential to women, and carries his heart in his hand. His social -qualities are his weak point. To a northerner, passing through his -country during these disjointed times, I would have said: - -"Your best protection is to be 'hail fellow, well met;' spend money -freely, tell good stories, be liberal of your private brandy-flask, -and your after-dinner cigars. If you do this, and your manners are, -in his thinking, gentlemanly, he can by no means imagine you a Yankee -in the offensive sense. He pictures all Yankees as puritanic, rigid, -fanatical, and talking through the nose. 'What the world wants,' says -George William Curtis, 'is not honesty, but acquiescence.' That is -profoundly true here. Acquiesce gracefully, not intemperately, in the -prevailing sentiment. Don't hail from the State of Massachusetts; don't -'guess,' or use other northern provincialisms; don't make yourself -conspicuous--and, if you know human nature, you may pass without -serious trouble." - -Our southerner has little humanity--he feels little sympathy for a man, -_as_ a man--as a mere human being--but he has abundant warmth toward -his own social class. Not a very high specimen himself, he yet lays -infinite stress upon being "a gentleman." If you have the misfortune to -be poor, and without credentials, but possess the manners of education -and good society, he will give you kinder reception than you are likely -to obtain in the bustling, restless, crowded North. - -[Sidenote: SOUTHERN PROVINCIALISMS.] - -He affects long hair, dresses in unqualified black, and wears kid -gloves continually. He pronounces iron "_i_-ron" (two syllables), and -barrel "barl." He calls car "kyah" (one syllable), cigar "_se_-ghah," -and negro "_nig_-ro"--never negro, and very rarely "nigger." The -latter, by the way, was a pet word with Senator Douglas. Once, while -his star was in the ascendant, some one asked Mr. Seward: - -"Will Judge Douglas ever be President?" - -"No, sir," replied the New York senator. "No man will ever be President -of the United States who spells negro with two g's!" - -These southern provincialisms are sometimes a little startling. -Conversing with a young man in the senior class of a Mississippi -college, I remarked that men were seldom found in any circle who had -not some sympathy or affinity with it, to stimulate them to seek it. -"Yes," he replied, "something to _aig them on_!" - -The forests along the river were beautiful with the brilliant green -live-oak festooned with mistletoe, the dark pine, the dense cane, the -spring glory of the cottonwood and maple, the drooping delicate leaves -of the willow, the white-stemmed sycamore with its creamy foliage, and -the great snowy blossoms of the dog-wood. - -With a calliope, familiarity breeds contempt. Ours became an -intolerable nuisance, and induced frequent discussions about bribing -the player to stop it. He was apparently animated by the spirit of the -Parisian who set a hand-organ to running by clockwork in his room, -locked the apartment, went to the country for a month, and, when he -returned, found that two obnoxious neighbors, whom he wished to drive -away, had blown out their brains in utter despair. - -While I was pleasantly engaged in a whist-party in the cabin, this -fragment of a conversation between two bystanders reached my ears: - -"A spy?" - -"Yes, a spy from the North, looking about to obtain information for old -Lincoln; and they arrested one yesterday, too." - -[Sidenote: CONFEDERATE CAPITOL AT MONTGOMERY.] - -This was a pleasing theme of reflection for the timid and contemplative -mind. A passenger explained the matter, by informing me that, at one of -the landings where we stopped, telegraphic intelligence was received -of the arrest of two spies at Montgomery. The popular impression -seemed to be, that about one person in ten was engaged in that -not-very-fascinating avocation! - -In Indian dialect, Alabama signifies, "Here we rest;" but, for me, it -had an exactly opposite meaning. We awoke one morning to find our boat -lying at Montgomery. Reaching the hotel too early for breakfast, I -strolled with a traveler from Philadelphia, a pretended Secessionist, -to the State House, which was at present also the Capitol of the -Confederacy. - -Standing, like the Capitol in Washington, at the head of a broad -thoroughfare, it overlooks a pleasant city of eight thousand people. -The building is of stucco, and bears that melancholy suggestion of -better days which seems inseparable from the Peculiar Institution. - -The senate chamber is a small, dingy apartment, on whose dirty walls -hang portraits of Clay, Calhoun, and two or three Alabama politicians. -The desks and chairs were covered with antiquated public documents, and -the other _debris_ of legislative halls. While returning to the hotel, -we heard from a street loafer a terse description of some model slave: - -"He is just the best nigger in this town. He knows enough to work well, -and he knows nothing else." - -We were also informed that the Virginia Convention had passed a -Secession ordinance. - -"This is capital news; is it not?" said my Philadelphia companion, with -well-assumed glee. - -For several days, in spite of his violent assertions, I had doubted his -sincerity. This was the first time he broached the subject when no one -else was present. I looked steadily in his eye, and inquired: - -"Do you think so?" - -His half-quizzical expression was a satisfactory answer, even without -the reply: - -"I want to get home to Philadelphia without being detained on the way." - -[Sidenote: "COPPERAS BREECHES" VS. "BLACK BREECHES."] - -In the hotel office, two well-dressed southerners were discussing the -omnipresent topic. One of them said: - -"We shall have no war." - -"Yes, we shall," replied the other. "The Yankees are going to fight for -a while; but it will make no difference to us. We have got copperas -breeches enough to carry this war through. None of the black breeches -will have to shoulder muskets!" - -The reader should understand that the clothing of the working whites -was colored with a dye in which copperas was the chief ingredient; -while, of course, the upper, slaveholding classes, wore "customary -suits of solemn black." This was a very pregnant sentence, conveying in -a few words the belief of those Rebels who instigated and impelled the -war. - -[Sidenote: A CORRESPONDENT IN DURANCE VILE.] - -The morning newspapers, at our breakfast-table, detailed two -interesting facts. First, that "Jasper,"[7] the Charleston -correspondent of _The New York Times_, had been seized and imprisoned -in the Palmetto City. Second, that Gen. Bragg had arrested in his -camp, and sent under guard to Montgomery, "as a prisoner of war," the -correspondent of _The Pensacola_ (Fla.) _Observer_. This journalist was -an enthusiastic Secessionist, but had been guilty of some indiscretion -in publishing facts touching the strength and designs of the Rebel -army. His signature was "Nemo;" and he now bade fair to be No One, -indeed, for some time to come. - -[7] This gentleman went to Charleston openly for _The Times_, and -constantly insisted that a candid and truthful correspondent of -any northern paper could travel through the South without serious -difficulty. He was daily declaring that the devil was not so black as -he is painted, denying charges brought against Charlestonians by the -northern press, and sometimes evidently straining a point in his own -convictions to say a kind word for them. But, during the storming of -Sumter, he was suddenly arrested, robbed, and imprisoned in a filthy -cell for several days. He was at last permitted to go; but the mob had -become excited against him, and with difficulty he escaped with his -life. No other correspondent was subjected to such gross indignities. -"Jasper" reached Washington, having obtained a good deal of new and -valuable information about South Carolina character. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - I reckon this always, that a man is never undone until he be - hanged.--TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. - - -I now began to entertain sentiments of profound gratitude toward the -young officer, at Mobile, who kept me from going to Fort Pickens. -Rejecting the tempting request of my Philadelphia companion to remain -one day in Montgomery, that he might introduce me to Jefferson Davis, I -continued my "Journey Due North." - -[Sidenote: EFFECT OF CAPTURING FORT SUMTER.] - -When we reached the cars, my baggage was missing. The omnibus agent, -who was originally a New Yorker, and probably thought it precarious for -a man desiring to reach Washington to be detained, even a few hours, -kindly induced the conductor to detain the train for five minutes while -we drove back to the Exchange Hotel and found the missing valise. The -event proved that delay would have been embarrassing, if not perilous. - -A Georgian on the car-seat with me, while very careful not to let -others overhear his remarks, freely avowed Union sentiments, and -asserted that they were predominant among his neighbors. I longed to -respond earnestly and sincerely, but there was the possibility of a -trap, and I merely acquiesced. - -The country was intoxicated by the capture of Sumter. A newspaper on -the train, several days old, in its regular Associated Press report, -contained the following: - -[Sidenote: WASHINGTON TO BE CAPTURED.] - - MONTGOMERY, Ala., Friday, _April 12, 1861_. - - An immense crowd serenaded President Davis and Mr. Walker, - Secretary of War, at the Exchange Hotel to-night. The former - was not well, and did not appear. Secretary Walker, in a - few words of electrical eloquence, told the news from Fort - Sumter, declaring, in conclusion, that before many hours the - flag of the Confederacy would float over that fortress. No - man, he said, could tell where the war this day commenced - would end, but he would prophesy that the flag which here - streams to the breeze would float over the dome of the old - Capitol at Washington before the first of May. Let them test - Southern courage and resources, and it might float eventually - over Faneuil Hall itself. - -An officer from General Bragg's camp informed me that all preparations -for capturing Fort Pickens were made, the United States sentinels on -duty upon a certain night being bribed; but that "Nemo's" intimation of -the intended attack frustrated it, a copy of his letter having found -its way into the post, and forewarned and forearmed the commander. - -Everybody was looking anxiously for news from the North. The -predictions of certain New York papers, that the northern people would -inaugurate war at home if the Government attempted "coercion," were -received with entire credulity, and frequently quoted. - -There was much admiration of Major Anderson's defense of Sumter; but -the opinion was general, that only a military sense of honor dictated -his conduct; that now, relieved from a soldier's responsibility, he -would resign and join the Rebels. "He is too brave a man to remain with -the Yankees," was the common remark. Far in the interior of Georgia, I -saw fragments of his flag-staff exhibited, and highly prized as relics. - -We dined at the little hamlet of West Point, on the line between -Alabama and Georgia, and stopped for two evening hours at the bustling -city of Atlanta. Our stay was enlivened by a fresh conversation in -the car about northern spies and reporters, who were declared to be -infesting the country, and worthy of hanging wherever found. - -[Sidenote: APPREHENSION ABOUT ARMING THE NEGROES.] - -We spent the night in pursuit of sleep under difficulties, upon a rough -Georgia railway. The next morning, the scantiness of the disappearing -foliage indicated that we were going northward. In Augusta, we passed -through broad, pleasant shaded streets, and then crossed the Savannah -river into South Carolina. Companies of troops, bound for Charleston, -began to come on board the train, and were greeted with cheering at all -the stations. A young Carolinian, taking me for a southerner, remarked: - -"The only thing we fear in this war is that the Yankees will arm our -slaves and turn them against us." - -This was the first statement of the kind I heard. Persons had said many -times in my presence that they were perfectly sure of the slaves--who -would all fight for their masters. In the last article of faith they -proved as deluded as those sanguine northerners who believed that slave -insurrections would everywhere immediately result from hostilities. - -At Lee's Station we met the morning train from Charleston. Within -two yards of my window, I saw a dark object disappear under the -cow-catcher; and a moment after, a woman, wringing her hands, shrieked: - -"My God! My God! Mr. Lee killed!" - -Lying on the track was a shapeless, gory mass, which only the clothing -showed to be the remains of a human being. The station-keeper, -attempting to cross the road just in advance of the train, was struck -down and run over. His little son was standing beside him at the very -moment, and two of his daughters looking on from the door of his -residence, a few yards away. In the first bewilderment of terror, they -now stood wildly beating their foreheads, and gasping for breath. In -strange contrast with this scene, a martial band was discoursing lively -music, and people were loudly cheering the soldiers. Buoyant Life and -grim Death stood side by side and walked hand in hand. - -Our train plunged into deep pine woods, and wended through large -plantations, whose cool frame houses were shaded by palmetto-trees. The -negro men and women, who stood in the fields persuading themselves that -they were working, handled their hoes with indescribable awkwardness. A -sketch of their exact positions would look ridiculously unnatural. They -were in striking contrast with the zeal and activity of the northern -laborer, who moves under the stimulus of freedom. - -[Sidenote: LOOKING AT THE CAPTURED FORTRESS.] - -In the afternoon, we passed through the Magnolia Cemetery, and in view -of the State Arsenal, with the palmetto flag waving over it. The Mills' -House, in Charleston, was crowded with guests and citizens, half of -them in uniform. After I registered my name, a brawny fellow, with -a "plug-ugly" countenance, looked over my shoulder at the book, and -then regarded me with a long, impudent, scrutinizing stare, which I -endeavored to return with interest. In a few seconds his eyes dropped, -and he went back to his seat. - -I strolled down the narrow streets, with their antiquated houses, to -the pleasant Battery, where several columbiads, with pyramidal piles of -solid shot between them, pointed at Fort Sumter. Down the harbor, among -a few snow-white sails, stood the already historic fortress. The line -of broken roof, visible above the walls, was torn and ragged from Rebel -shots. At the distance of two miles, it was impossible, with the naked -eye, to identify the two flags above it. A bystander told me that they -were the colors of South Carolina and of the Confederacy. - -The devices of treason flaunting in the breeze where the Stars and -Stripes, after being insulted for months, were so lately lowered in -dishonor, were not a pleasant spectacle, and I turned slowly and sadly -back to the hotel. In its reading-room, among the four or five papers -on file, was a copy of _The Tribune_, whose familiar face was like the -shadow of a great rock in a weary land. - -[Sidenote: A SHORT STAY IN CHARLESTON.] - -The city reeled with excitement. In the evening martial music and -huzzas came floating up to my window from a meeting at the Charleston -Hotel, where the young Virginian Hotspur, Roger A. Pryor, was one of -the prominent speakers. Publicly and privately, the Charlestonians were -boasting over their late Cadmean victory. They had not heard from the -North. - -I hoped to remain several days, but the public frenzy had grown so -uncontrollable, that every stranger was subjected to espionage. One -could hardly pick up a newspaper without seeing, or stand ten minutes -in a public place without hearing, of the arrest of some northerner, -charged with being a spy. While the lines of retreat were yet open, it -was judicious to flee from the wrath to come. - -Designing to stop for a while in North Carolina, whose Rip Van Winkle -sleep seemed proof against any possible convulsion, I took the midnight -train northward. A number of Baltimoreans on board were returning -home, after assisting at the capture of Sumter. They were voluble and -boisterous Rebels, declaring in good set terms that Maryland would -shortly be revolutionized, Governor Hicks and Henry Winter Davis -hanged, and President Lincoln driven out of Washington. They averred -with great vehemence and iteration that the Yankees were all cowards, -and could easily be "whipped out;" but when one, whose denunciations -had been peculiarly bitter, was asked: - -[Sidenote: THE COUNTRY ON FIRE.] - -"Are you going home through Washington?" - -"Not I," was the reply. "Old Abe might have us nabbed!" - -We were soon on the clayey soil of the Old North State, which, to the -eye, closely resembles those regions of Ohio near Lake Erie. Hour after -hour, we rode through the deep forests of tall pines, from which the -bark had been stripped for making rosin and turpentine. - -My anticipations of quiet proved altogether delusive. President -Lincoln's Proclamation, calling for seventy-five thousand soldiers, -had just arrived by telegraph, and the country was on fire. It was the -first flush of excitement here, and the feeling was more intense and -demonstrative than in those States which had become accustomed to the -Revolution. Forts were being seized, negroes and white men impressed -to labor upon them, military companies forming, clergymen taking up -the musket, and women encouraging the determination to fight the -"Abolitionists." All Union sentiment was awed into utter silence. - -While the train was stopping at Wilmington, a telegram, announcing that -Virginia had passed a Secession ordinance, was received with yells -of applause. Sitting alone at one end of the car, I observed three -fellow-passengers, with whom I had formed a traveling acquaintance, -conferring earnestly. Their frequent glances toward me indicated -the subject of the conversation. As I had said nothing to define my -political position, I resolved to set myself right at once, should they -put me to the test. One of them approached me, and remarked: - -"We just have news that Virginia has seceded." - -I replied, with considerable emphasis: "Good! That will give us all the -border States." - -Apparently satisfied, he returned to his friends, and they said no -more to me upon the all-absorbing question. - -[Sidenote: SUBMITTING TO REBEL SCRUTINY.] - -A fragment of conversation which occurred near me, will illustrate the -general tone of remark. A young man observed to a gentleman beside him: - -"We shall have possession of Washington before the first of June." - -"Do you think so? Lincoln is going to call out an army of one hundred -and fifty thousand men." - -"Oh, well, we can whip them out any morning before breakfast. Throw -three or four shells among those blue-bellied Yankees and they will -scatter like a flock of sheep!" - -Up to this day I had earnestly hoped that a bloody conflict between -the two sections might be averted; but these remarks were so -frequent--the opinion that northerners were unmitigated cowards seemed -so universal,[8] that I began to look with a great deal of complacency -upon the prospect which the South enjoyed of testing this faith. It was -time to ascertain, once for all, whether these gentlemen of the cotton -and the canebrake were indeed a superior race, destined to wield the -scepter, or whether their pretensions were mere arrogance and swagger. - -[8] Of course the folly was not all on one side. Few northerners, up -to the attack on Sumter, thought the Rebels would do any thing but -threaten. And long after this error was exploded, our ablest journals -were fond of contrasting the resources of the two sections, and -demonstrating therefrom, with mathematical precision, that the war -could not last long; that the superiority of the North in men and money -would make the subjugation of the South a short and easy task. But they -did not commit the egregious blunder of imputing cowardice to any class -of native-born Americans. - -It seemed impossible for the southern mind to comprehend that he -who never blusters, or flourishes the bowie-knife, who will endure a -great deal before fighting, who would rather suffer a wrong than do -a wrong, is, when roused, the most dangerous of adversaries--a fact -so universal, that it has given us the proverb, "Beware the fury of a -patient man." - -[Sidenote: THE NORTH HEARD FROM.] - -New York papers, issued after receiving intelligence of the fall of -Sumter, now reached us, and both in their news and editorial columns -indicated how suddenly that event had aroused the whole North. The -voice of every journal was for war. _The Herald_, which one morning -spoke bitterly against coercion, received a visit during the day from -several thousand tumultuous citizens, who left it the alternative of -running up the American flag or having its office torn down. By the -presence of the police, and the intercession of leading Union men, -its property was saved from destruction. In next morning's paper -appeared one of its periodical and constitutional somersaults. Its four -editorial articles all cried "War to the knife!" - -The Rebels were greatly surprised, half appalled, and doubly -exasperated at the unexpected change of all the northern papers which -they had counted friendly to them; but they also shouted "War!" even -louder than before. - -At Goldsboro, where we stopped for supper, a small slab of marble, -standing upon the mantel in the hotel office, had these words upon it: - - "Sacred to the memory of A. Lincoln, who died of a broken - neck, at Newburn, April 16, 1861." - -[Sidenote: AN INEBRIATED PATRIOT.] - -Before the train started again, a young patriot, whose articulation was -impeded by whisky, passed through it, asking: - -"S'thr any ---- Yankee onth'strain? F'thr's a ---- Union man -board these cars, Ic'nwhip him by ---. H'rahfr Jeff. Davis -nth'southrncnfdrcy!" He afterward amused himself by firing his revolver -from the car door. At the next station he stepped out upon the -platform, and repeated: - -"H'rah fr Jeff. Davis n'th'Southrn Confdrcy!" Another patriot among the -bystanders at the station promptly responded: - -"Good. Hurra for Jeff. Davis!" - -"Yre th'man fr me," responded our passenger; "Come 'n' takeadrink. All -fr Jeff. Davis here, ain't you?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Thatsallrightth'n. But what d'you elect that ---- Abolitionist, Murphy, -t'th' Leg'slature for?" - -"_I'm_ Murphy," replied the patriot, who had been standing in the -group, but now sprang forward belligerently. "Who calls _me_ an -Abolitionist?" - -"Beg y'r padon sr. Reck'n you ain't the man. But who _is_ that -Abolitionist you 'lected here? 's name's Brown, 'sn't it? Yes, that's -it. ---- Brown; y'ought t'hang _him_!" - -Just then the whistle shrieked and the train moved on, amid shouts of -laughter. - -At six o'clock next morning, we reached Richmond. Here, also, I had -hoped to stop, but the caldron was seething too hotly. Rebel flags were -everywhere flying, the newspapers all exulted over the passage of the -Secession ordinance, and some of them warned northerners and Union men -to leave the country forthwith. The tone of conversation, too, was very -bitter. The farther I went, the intenser the frenzy; and, beginning to -wonder whether there was any safe haven south of Philadelphia or New -York, I continued northward without a moment's unnecessary delay. - -The railway accommodations grew better in exact ratio to our approach -to Mason and Dixon's line, and northern physiognomies were numerous -on the train. At Ashland, a few miles north of Richmond, the first -palatable meal since leaving the Alabama River was set before us. All -the intervening distance, to the epicurean eye, stretched out in a -dreary perspective of bacon and corn bread. - -[Sidenote: THE OLD DOMINION IN A FRENZY.] - -Half the passengers were soldiers. Every village bristled with -bayonets. At Fredericksburgh, one of the polished F. F. V.'s on -the platform presented his face at our window, and asked what the -unmentionable-to-ears-polite all these people were going north for? As -the passengers maintained an "heroic reticence," he exploded a fresh -oath, and went to the next car to pursue his investigations. - -A citizen of Richmond, who occupied the seat with me, satisfied that I -was sound on the Secession question, assured me that it had been very -difficult to get the ordinance through the Convention; that trouble -was anticipated from Union men in Western Virginia; that business in -Richmond was utterly suspended, New York exchange commanding a premium -of fifteen per cent. - -"We are fearful," he added, "of difficulty with our free negroes. There -are several thousand in Richmond, many of whom are intelligent, and -some wealthy. They show signs of turbulence, and we are perfecting an -organization to hold them in check. I sent the money to New York this -morning for a quantity of Sharp's rifles, ordering them to be forwarded -in dry-goods boxes, that they might not excite suspicion." - -He added, that Ben McCulloch was in Virginia, and had perfected a -plan by which, at the head of Rebel troops, he was about to capture -Washington. As we progressed northward, the noisy Secession element -grew small by degrees, and beautifully less. At Acquia Creek, we left -the cars and took a steamer up the Potomac. - -[Sidenote: THE OLD FLAG ONCE MORE.] - -A quiet gentleman, who had come on board at Richmond, impressed -me, through that mysterious freemasonry which exists among -journalists--indeed, between members of all professions--as a -representative of the Fourth Estate. In reply to inquiries, he informed -me that he had been reporting the Virginia Convention for _The Richmond -Enquirer_, but, being a New Yorker, had concluded, like Jerry Blossom, -he wanted "to go home." He described the Convention, which at first -had an emphatic majority for the Government; but in time, one Union -man after another was dragooned into the ranks, until a bare Secession -majority was obtained. - -The ordinance explicitly provided that it should not take effect until -submitted to the popular vote; but the State authorities immediately -assumed that it would be ratified. Senator Mason wrote a public letter, -warning all Union men to leave the State; and before the time for -voting arrived, the Secessionists succeeded in inaugurating a bloody -conflict upon the soil, and bringing in armies from the Gulf States. It -was then ratified by a large majority. - -We steamed up the Potomac, passed the quiet tomb at Mount Vernon, which -was soon to hear the clangor of contending armies, and early in the -afternoon came in sight of Washington. There, at last, thank God! was -the old Starry Banner, flying in triumph over the Capitol, the White -House, the departments, and hundreds of dwellings. Albeit unused to the -melting mood, my heart was full, and my eyelids quivered as I saw it. -Until that hour, I never knew how I loved the old flag! - -Walking down Pennsylvania avenue, I encountered troops of old friends, -and constantly wondered that I had been able to spend ten weeks in the -South, without meeting more than two or three familiar acquaintances. - -[Sidenote: AN HOUR WITH PRESIDENT LINCOLN.] - -A body-guard for the President, made up entirely of citizens of Kansas, -armed with Sharp's rifles, was on duty every night at the White House. -It contained two United States Senators, three members and ex-members -of Congress, the Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court, and several -editors and other prominent citizens of that patriotic young State. - -With two friends, I spent an hour at the White House. The President, -though overwhelmed with business, received us kindly, and economized -time by taking a cup of tea while conversing with us, and inquiring -very minutely about affairs in the seceding States. - - "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," - -though the crown be only the chaplet of a Republic. - -This man had filled the measure of American ambition, but the -remembered brightness of his face was in strange contrast with the -weary, haggard look it now wore, and his blushing honors seemed pallid -and ashen. There was the same honest, kindly tone--the same fund of -humorous anecdote--the same genuineness; but the old, free, lingering -laugh was gone. - -"Mr. Douglas," remarked the President, "spent three hours with me -this afternoon. For several days he has been too unwell for business, -and has devoted his time to studying war-matters, until he understands -the military position better, perhaps, than any one of the Cabinet. -By the way," continued Mr. Lincoln, with his peculiar twinkle of the -eye, "the conversation turned upon the rendition of slaves. 'You know,' -said Douglas, 'that I am entirely sound on the Fugitive Slave Law. I -am for enforcing it in all cases within its true intent and meaning; -but, after examining it carefully, I have concluded that a negro -insurrection is a case to which it does not apply.'" - -[Sidenote: PANIC IN WASHINGTON.] - -I had not come north a moment too early. The train which brought me -from Richmond to Acquia Creek was the last which the Rebel authorities -permitted to pass without interruption, and the steamer, on reaching -Washington, was seized by our own Government, and made no more regular -trips. Before I had been an hour in the Capital, the telegraph wires -were cut, and railway tracks in Maryland torn up. Intelligence of -the murderous attack of a Baltimore mob on the Sixth Massachusetts -regiment, _en route_ for Washington, startled the town from its -propriety. - -Chaos had come again. Washington was the seat of an intense panic. An -attack from the Rebels was hourly expected, and hundreds of families -fled from the city in terror. During the next two days, twenty-five -hundred well-officered, resolute men could undoubtedly have captured -the city. The air was filled with extravagant and startling rumors. -From Virginia, Union refugees were hourly arriving, often after narrow -escapes from the frenzied populace. - -Massachusetts soldiers, who had safely run the Baltimore gantlet of -death, were quartered in the United States Senate Chamber. They had -mustered with characteristic promptness. At 5 o'clock one evening, -a telegram reached Boston asking for troops for the defense of the -imperiled Capital. At 9 o'clock the next morning, the first company, -having come twenty-five miles from the country, stacked arms in -Faneuil Hall. At 5 o'clock that night the Sixth Regiment, with full -ranks, started for Washington. They were fine-looking fellows, but -greatly embittered by their Baltimore experience. In a very quiet, -undemonstrative way, they manifested an earnest desire for immediate -and active service. - -[Sidenote: "CAME OUT TO FIGHT!"] - -The bewilderment and terror which had so long rested like a nightmare -on the National authorities--which for months had left almost every -leading Republican statesman timid and undecided--was at last over. -The echoes of the Charleston guns broke the spell! The masses had been -heard from! Then, as at later periods of the war, the popular instinct -was clearer and truer than all the wisdom of the politicians. - -During the three days I spent in Washington, the city was virtually -blockaded, receiving neither mails, telegrams, nor re-enforcements. -Martial law, though not declared, was sadly needed. Most of the -Secessionists had left, but enough remained to serve as spies for the -Virginia Revolutionists. - -I left for New York, by an evening train crowded with fleeing -families. Most of them went west from the Relay House, deterred from -passing through Baltimore by the reign of terror which the Rebels had -inaugurated. The most zealous Union papers advocated Secession as -their only means of personal and pecuniary safety. The State and city -authorities, though professedly loyal, bowed helpless before the storm. -Governor Sprague, with his Rhode Island volunteers, had started for -Washington. Mayor Brown telegraphed him, requesting that they should -not come through Baltimore, as it would exasperate the people. - -"The Rhode Island regiment," was Sprague's epigrammatic response, -"came out to fight, and may just as well fight in Maryland as in -Virginia." It passed unmolested! - -[Sidenote: BALTIMORE UNDER REBEL RULE.] - -We found Baltimore in a frenzy. The whole city seemed under arms. The -Union men were utterly silenced, and many had fled. The only person I -heard express undisguised loyalty was a young lady from Boston, and -only her sex protected her. Several persons had been arrested as spies -during the day, including two supposed correspondents of New York -papers. - -Baltimore, for the time, was worse than any thing I had seen in -Charleston, New Orleans, or Mobile. Through the evening Barnum's hotel -was filled with soldiers. Stepping into the office to make arrangements -for going to Philadelphia, I encountered an old acquaintance from -Cincinnati, now commanding a Baltimore company under arms: - -"If Lincoln persists in attempting to send troops through Maryland," -said he, "we are bound to have his head!" - -Another Baltimorean came up and began to question me, but my -acquaintance promptly vouched for me as "a true southern man," and I -escaped annoyance. The same belief was expressed here which prevailed -throughout the whole South, that northern men were cowards; and persons -actually alluded to the attack upon the unarmed Massachusetts troops as -an act of bravery. - -Leaving Baltimore, I took a carriage for the nearest northern railway -point. The roads were crowded with families leaving the city, and -infested by Rebel scouts and patrols. Union citizens were helpless. One -of them said to us: - -"For God's sake, beg the Administration and the North not to let us be -crushed out!" - -We hoped to take the Philadelphia cars, twenty-six miles out, but a -detachment of Baltimore soldiers that very morning had passed up the -railroad, destroying every bridge; smoke was still rising from their -ruins. We were compelled to press on and on, until, in the evening, -after a ride of forty-six miles, we reached York, Pennsylvania. - -[Sidenote: THE NORTH FULLY AROUSED.] - -Here, at last, we could breathe freely. But both railroads being -monopolized by troops, we were compelled, wearily, to drive on to the -village of Columbia, on the Susquehanna river. There we began to see -that the North, as well as the South, was under martial rule. Armed -sentinels peremptorily ordered us to halt. - -On identifying the driver, and learning my business, they allowed us to -proceed. At the bridge, the person in charge declined to open the gate: - -"I guess you can't cross to-night, sir," said he. - -I replied by "guessing" that we could; but he continued: - -"Our orders are positive, to let no one pass who is not personally -known to us." - -He soon became convinced that I was not an emissary of the enemy; and -the sentinels escorted us across the bridge, a mile and a quarter in -length. We proceeded undisturbed to Lancaster, arriving there at two -o'clock, after a carriage-ride of seventy miles. Thence to New York, -communication was undisturbed. - -The cold-blooded North was fully aroused. Rebel sympathizers found -themselves utterly swept away by a Niagara of public indignation. In -Pennsylvania, in New York, in New England, I heard only the sentiment -that talking must be ended, and acting begun; that, cost what it might, -in money and blood, all must unite to crush the gigantic Treason which -was closing its fangs upon the throat of the Republic. - -[Sidenote: UPRISING OF THE WHOLE PEOPLE.] - -The people seemed much more radical than the President. In all public -places, threats were heard that, if the Administration faltered, -it must be overturned, and a dictatorship established. Against the -Monumental City, feeling was peculiarly bitter. All said: - -"If National troops can not march unmolested through Baltimore, that -city has stood long enough! Not one stone shall be left upon another." - -I had witnessed a good deal of earnestness and enthusiasm in the South, -but nothing at all approaching this wonderful uprising of the whole -people. All seemed imbued with the sentiment of those official papers -issued before Napoleon was First Consul, beginning, "In the name of the -French Republic, _one and indivisible_." - -It was worth a lifetime to see it--to find down through all -the _debris_ of money-seeking, and all the strata of politics, -this underlying, primary formation of loyalty--this unfaltering -determination to vindicate the right of the majority, the only basis of -republican government. - -The storm-cloud had burst; the Irrepressible Conflict was upon us. -Where would it end? What forecast or augury could tell? Revolutions -ride rough-shod over all probabilities; and who has mastered the logic -of civil war? - -Here ended a personal experience, sometimes full of discomfort, but -always full of interest. It enabled me afterward to look at Secession -from the stand-point of those who inaugurated it; to comprehend Rebel -acts and utterances, which had otherwise been to me a sealed book. It -convinced me, too, of the thorough earnestness of the Revolutionists. -My published prediction, that we should have a seven years' war unless -the country used its utmost vigor and resources, seemed to excite a -mild suspicion of lunacy among my personal acquaintances. - -[Sidenote: A TRIBUNE CORRESPONDENT ON TRIAL.] - -I was the last member of _The Tribune_ staff to leave the South. By -rare good fortune, all its correspondents escaped personal harm, while -representatives of several other New York journals were waited upon by -vigilance committees, driven out, and in some cases imprisoned. It was -a favorite jest, that _The Tribune_ was the only northern paper whose -_attaches_ were allowed in the South. - -Its South Carolinian correspondence had a peculiar history. Immediately -after the Presidential election, Mr. Charles D. Brigham went to -Charleston as its representative. With the exception of two or three -weeks, he remained there from November until February, writing almost -daily letters. The Charlestonians were excited and indignant, and -arrested in all five or six persons whom they unjustly suspected. - -Finally, about the middle of February, Mr. Brigham was one day -taken into custody, and brought before Governor Pickens and his -cabinet counselors, among whom Ex-Governor McGrath was the principal -inquisitor. At this time the Southern Confederacy existed only in -embryo, and South Carolina claimed to be an independent republic. -The correspondent, who had great coolness and self-control, and knew -a good deal of human nature, maintained a serene exterior despite -the awkwardness of his position. After a rigid catechisation, he was -relieved to find that the tribunal did not surmise his real character, -but suspected him of being a spy of the Government. - -His trial took place at the executive head-quarters, opposite the -Charleston Hotel, and lasted from nine o'clock in the morning until -nine at night. During the afternoon, the city being disturbed by one -of its daily reports that a Federal fleet had appeared off the bar, he -was turned over to Mr. Alexander H. Brown, a leading criminal lawyer, -famous for his skill in examining witnesses. Mr. Brown questioned, -re-questioned, and cross-questioned the vagrant scribe, but was -completely baffled by him. He finally said: - -"Mr. Brigham, while I think you are all right, this is a peculiar -emergency, and you must see that, under the circumstances, it will be -necessary for you to leave the South at once." - -[Sidenote: HE IS WARNED TO DEPART.] - -The "sweet sorrow" of parting gladdened his journalistic heart; but, at -the bidding of prudence, he replied: - -"I hope not, sir. It is very hard for one who, as you are bound to -admit, after the most rigid scrutiny, has done nothing improper, who -has deported himself as a gentleman should, who sympathizes with you as -far as a stranger can, to be driven out in this way." - -The attorney replied, with that quiet significance which such remarks -possessed: - -"I am sorry, sir, that it is not a question for argument." - -The lucky journalist, while whispering he would ne'er consent, -consented. Whereupon the lawyer, who seemed to have some qualms of -conscience, invited him to join in a bottle of wine, and when they had -become a little convivial, suddenly asked: - -"By the way, do you know who is writing the letters from here to _The -Tribune_?" - -"Why, no," was the answer. "I haven't seen a copy of that paper for six -months; but I supposed there was no such person, as I had read in your -journals that the letters were purely fictitious." - -"There _is_ such a man," replied Brown; "and thus far, though we have -arrested four or five persons, supposing that we had found him, he -completely baffles us. Now, when you get home to New York, can't you -ascertain who he is, and let us know?" - -[Sidenote: TRIBUNE REPRESENTATIVES IN CHARLESTON.] - -Mr. Brigham, knowing exactly what tone to adopt with the "Chivalry," -replied: - -"Of course, sir, I would not act as a spy for you or anybody else. -However, such things have a kind of publicity; are talked of in saloons -and on street-corners. If I can learn in that way who _The Tribune_ -correspondent is, I shall deem it my duty to advise you." - -The lawyer listened with credulity to this whisper of hope, though -a well-known Rebel detective, named Shoubac--a swarthy, greasy, -uncomfortable fellow, with a Jewish countenance--did not. He remarked -to the late prisoner: - -"You haven't fooled _me_, if you have Brown." - -But Mr. Brigham was allowed to depart in peace for New York. -_The Tribune_ afterward had in Charleston five or six different -correspondents, usually keeping two there at a time for emergencies. -Often they did not know each other personally; and there was no -communication between them. When one was arrested, there was always -another in reserve to continue the correspondence. Mr. Brigham, who -remained in the home editorial rooms, retouched the letters just enough -to stamp them as the work of one hand, and the baffled authorities went -hopelessly up and down to cast out the evil spirit which troubled their -peace, and whose unsuspected name was legion. - - - - -II. - -THE FIELD. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - Cry Havoc! and let slip the dogs of War.--JULIUS CAESAR. - - -Sancho Panza passed away too early. To-day, he would extend his -benediction on the man who invented sleep, to the person who introduced -sleeping-cars. The name of that philanthropist, by whose luxurious aid -we may enjoy unbroken sleep at the rate of twenty-five miles an hour, -should not be concealed from a grateful posterity. - -[Sidenote: A SUNDAY AT NIAGARA FALLS.] - -Thus I soliloquized one May evening, when, in pursuit of that "seat -of war," as yet visible only to the prophetic eye, or in newspaper -columns, I turned my face westward. It were more exact to say, "turned -my heels." Inexorable conductors compel the drowsy passenger to ride -feet foremost, on the hypothesis that he would rather break a leg than -knock his brains out. - -I was detained for a day at Suspension Bridge; but life has more -afflictive dispensations, even for the impatient traveler, than a -Sunday at Niagara Falls. Vanity of vanities indeed must existence be to -him who could not find a real Sabbath at the great cataract, laying his -tired head upon the calm breast of Nature, and feeling the pulsations -of her deep, loving heart! - -Eight years had intervened since my last visit. There was no second -pang of the disappointment we feel in seeing for the first time any -object of world-wide fame. In Nature, as in Art, the really great, -however falling below the ideal at first glance, grows upon the -beholder forever afterward. - -Though the visiting season had not begun, the harpies were waiting -for their victims. Step out of your hotel, or turn a corner, and one -instantly pounced upon you. But, though numerous, they were quiet, and -decorous manners, even in leeches, are above all praise. - -Everybody at the Falls is eager to shield you from the extortion of -everybody else. The driver, whom you pay two dollars per hour; the -vender, who sells you Indian bead-work at a profit of one hundred per -cent.; the guide, who fleeces you for leading to places you would -rather find without him--each warns you against the other, with -touching zeal for your welfare. And the precocious boy, who offers a -bit of slate from under the Cataract for two shillings, cautions you to -beware of them all. - -[Sidenote: VIEW FROM THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE.] - -As you cross the suspension bridge, the driver points out the spot, -more than two hundred feet above the water, where Blondin, of -tight-rope renown, crossed upon a single strand, with a man upon his -shoulders, cooked his aerial omelet, hung by the heels, and played -other fantastic tricks before high heaven. - -[Sidenote: PALACE OF THE FROST KING.] - -From the bridge you view three sections of the Cataract. First, is the -lower end of the American Fall, whose deep green is intermingled with -jets and streaks of white. Its smooth surface conveys the impression of -the segment of a slowly revolving wheel rather than of tumbling water. -Beyond the dense foliage appears another section, parted in the middle -by the stone tower on Goat Island. Its water is of snowy whiteness, -and looks like an immense frozen fountain. Still farther is the great -Horse-shoe Fall, its deep green surface veiled at the base in clouds of -pure white mist. - -Here, at the distance of two miles, the Falls soothe you with their -quiet, surpassing beauty. But when you reach them on the Canada side, -and go down, down, beneath Table Rock, under the sheet of water, you -feel their sublimity. As you look out upon the sea of snowy foam below, -or through the rainbow hues of the vast sweeping curtain above, the -earth trembles with the unceasing thunder of the cataract. - -In winter the effect is grandest. Then, from the bank in front of the -Clifton House, you look down on upright rocks, crowned with pinnacles -of ice, till they rise half way to the summit, or catch glimpses of the -boundless column of water as it strikes the torrent below, faintly seen -through the misty, alabaster spray rising forever from its troubled -bed. Hundreds of white-winged sea-gulls graze the rapids above, and -circle down to plunge in the waters below. - -Attired in stiff, cold, water-proof clothing, which, culminating in a -round oil-cloth cap, makes you look like an Esquimaux and feel like a -mummy, you follow the guide far down dark, icy stairs and paths. - -Look up ninety feet, and see the great torrent pour over the brink. -Look down seventy feet from your icy little shelf, and behold it plunge -into the dense mist of the boiling gulf. Through its half-transparent -sheet, filtered rays of the bright sunshine struggle toward your eyes. -You are in the palace of the Frost King. Ice--ice everywhere, from your -slippery foothold to the huge icicles, fifty feet long and three feet -thick, which overhang you like the sword of Damocles. - -Admiration without comparison is vague and unsatisfactory. Less -glorious, because less vast, than the matchless panorama seen from the -summit of Pike's Peak, this picture is nearly as impressive, because -spread right beside you, and at your very feet. Less minutely beautiful -than the exquisite chambers of the Mammoth Cave, its great range and -sweep make it more grand and imposing. - -Along the Great Western Railway of Canada, the country closely -resembles northern Ohio; but the people have uncompromising English -faces. A well-dressed farmer and his wife rode upon our train all day -in a second-class car, without seeming in the least ashamed of it--a -moral courage not often exhibited in the United States. - -At Detroit, an invalid, pale, wasted, unable to speak above a whisper, -was lying on a bed hastily spread upon the floor of the railway -station. Her husband, with their two little boys bending over her in -tears, told us that they had been driven from New Orleans, and he -was now taking his dying wife to their old home in Maine. There were -few dry eyes among the lookers-on. A liberal sum of money was raised -on the spot for the destitute family, whose broken pride, after some -persuasion, accepted it. - -[Sidenote: CHICAGO RISING FROM THE EARTH.] - -The next morning we reached Chicago. In that breezy city upon the -lake shore, property was literally rising. Many of the largest brick -and stone blocks were being elevated five or six feet, by a very nice -system of screws under their walls, while people were constantly -pouring in and out of them, and the transaction of business was not -impeded. The stupendous enterprise was undertaken that the streets -might be properly graded and drained. This summoning a great metropolis -to rise from its vasty deep of mud, is one of the modern miracles of -mechanics, which make even geological revelations appear trivial and -common-place. - -[Sidenote: MYSTERIES OF WESTERN CURRENCY.] - -The world has many mysteries, but none more inscrutable than Western -Currency. The notes of most Illinois and Wisconsin banks, based on -southern State bonds, having depreciated steadily for several weeks, -gold and New York exchange now commanded a premium of twenty per cent. -The Michigan Central Railway Company was a good illustration of the -effect of this upon Chicago interests. That corporation was paying -six thousand dollars per week in premiums upon eastern exchange. Yet -the hotels and mercantile houses were receiving the currency at par. -One Illinois bank-note depreciated just seventy per cent., during the -twelve hours it spent in my possession! - -In Chicago I encountered an old friend just from Memphis. His -association with leading Secessionists for some time protected him; -but the popular frenzy was now so wild that they counselled him, as he -valued his life, to stay not upon the order of his going, but go at -once. - -The Memphians were repudiating northern debts, and, with unexampled -ferocity, driving out all men suspected of Abolitionism or Unionism. -More than five thousand citizens had been forced or frightened away, -and in many cases beggared. A secret Committee of Safety, made up of -prominent citizens, was ruling with despotic sway. - -Scores of suspected persons were brought before it daily, and, if they -could not exculpate themselves, sentenced to banishment, with head half -shaved, to whipping, or to death. Though, by the laws of all slave -States, negroes were precluded from testifying against white men, this -inquisition received their evidence. My friend dared not avow that he -was coming North, but purchased a ticket for St. Louis, which was then -deemed a Rebel stronghold. - -[Sidenote: A HORRIBLE SPECTACLE IN ARKANSAS.] - -As the steamer passed Osceola, Arkansas, he saw the body of a man -hanging by the heels, in full view of the river. A citizen told him -that it had been there for eight days; that the wretched victim, upon -mere suspicion of tampering with slaves, was suspended, head downward, -and suffered intensely before death came to his relief. - -All on board the crowded steamboat pretended to be Secessionists. But -when, at last, nearing Cairo, they saw the Stars and Stripes, first -one, then another, began to huzza. The enthusiasm was contagious; and -in a moment nearly all, many with heaving breasts and streaming eyes, -gave vent to their long-suppressed feeling in one tumultuous cheer for -the Flag of the Free. Of the one hundred and fifty passengers, nearly -every man was a fleeing Unionist. - -The all-pervading railroad and telegraph in the North began to show -their utility in war. Cairo, the extreme southern point of Illinois, -now garrisoned by Union troops, was threatened by the enemy. The -superintendent of the Illinois Central Railway (including branches, -seven hundred and four miles in length) assured me that, at ten hours' -notice, he could start, from the various points along his line, _four -miles_ of cars, capable of transporting twenty-four thousand soldiers. - -[Sidenote: PATRIOTISM OF THE NORTHWEST.] - -The Rebels now began to perceive their mistake in counting upon -the friendship of the great Northwest. Indeed, of all their wild -dreams, this was wildest. They expected the very States which claimed -Mr. Lincoln as from their own section, and voted for him by heavy -majorities, to help break up the Union because he was elected! Though -learning their delusion, they never comprehended its cause. After the -war had continued nearly a year, _The New Orleans Delta_ said: - - "The people of the Northwest are our natural allies, and - ought to be fighting on our side. It is the profoundest - mystery of these times how the few Yankee peddlers and - school-marms there have been able to convert them into our - bitter enemies." - -On the mere instinct of nationality--the bare question of an undivided -republic--the West would perhaps fight longer, and sacrifice more, -than any other section. Its people, if not more earnest, are much -more demonstrative than their eastern brethren. Their long migration -from the Atlantic States to the Mississippi, the Missouri, or the -Platte, has quickened and enlarged their patriotism. It has made our -territorial greatness to them no abstraction, but a reality. - -No one else looks forward with such faith and fervor to that great -future when man shall "fill up magnificently the magnificent designs of -Nature;" when their Mississippi Valley shall be the heart of mightiest -empire; when, from all these mingling nationalities, shall spring the -ripe fruitage of free schools and free ballots, in a higher average Man -than the World has yet seen. - -Our train from Chicago to St. Louis was crowded with Union troops. -Along the route booming guns saluted them; handkerchiefs fluttered from -windows; flags streamed from farm-houses and in village streets; old -men and boys at the plow huzzaed themselves hoarse. - -Thus, at the rising of the curtain, the northwestern States, worthy -offspring of the Ordinance of Eighty-seven, were sending out-- - - "A multitude, like which the populous North Poured never from - her frozen loins." - -Four blood-stained years have not dimmed their faith or abated their -ardor. "Wherever Death spread his banquet, they furnished many guests." -What histories have they not made for themselves! Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, -Wisconsin--indeed, if we call their roll, which State has not covered -herself with honor--which has _not_ achieved her Lexington--her -Saratoga--her Bennington--though the battle-field lie beyond her -soil?[9] - -[9] Now (April, 1865), while we are witnessing some of the closing -scenes of the war, subscriptions to the popular loan of the Government -come pouring in from the West more largely, according to wealth and -population, than from any other section. - -[Sidenote: MISSOURI REBELS BENT ON REVOLUTION.] - -In St. Louis I found at last a "seat of war." Recent days had been -full of startling events. The Missouri Legislature, at Jefferson City, -desired to pass a Secession ordinance, but had no pretext for doing so. -The election of a State Convention, to consider this very subject, had -just demonstrated, by overwhelming Union majorities, the loyalty of the -masses. Claiborne Fox Jackson, the Governor, was a Secessionist, and -was determined to plunge Missouri into revolution. This flagrant, open -warfare against the popular majority, well illustrated how grossly the -Rebels deceived themselves in supposing that their conduct was impelled -by regard for State Rights, rather than by the inherent antagonism -between free and slave labor. - -Camp Jackson, commanded by Gen. D. M. Frost, was established at -Lindell Grove, two miles west of St. Louis, "for the organization and -instruction of the State Militia." It embraced some Union men, both -officers and privates. Frost and his friends claimed that it was loyal; -but the State flag, only, was flying from the camp, and its streets -were named "Davis Avenue," "Beauregard Avenue," etc. - -[Sidenote: NATHANIEL LYON AND CAMP JACKSON.] - -An envoy extraordinary, sent by Governor Jackson, had just returned -from Louisiana with shot, shell, and mortars--all stolen from the -United States Arsenal at Baton Rouge. The camp was really designed as -the nucleus of a Secession force, to seize the Government property in -St. Louis and drive out the Federal authorities. But the Union men were -too prompt for the Rebels. Long before the capture of Fort Sumter, -nightly drills were instituted among the loyal Germans of St. Louis; -and within two weeks after the President's first call for troops, -Missouri had ten thousand Union soldiers, armed, equipped, and in camp. - -The first act of the Union authorities was to remove by night all the -munitions from the United States Arsenal near St. Louis, to Alton, -Illinois. When the Rebels learned it, they were intensely exasperated. -The Union troops were commanded by a quiet, slender, stooping, -red-haired, pale-faced officer, who walked about in brown linen coat, -wearing no military insignia. He was by rank a captain; his name was -Nathaniel Lyon. - -On the tenth of May, Capt. Lyon, with three or four hundred regulars, -and enough volunteers to swell his forces to five thousand, planted -cannon upon the hills commanding Camp Jackson, and sent to Gen. Frost -a note, reciting conclusive evidence of its treasonable intent, and -concluding as follows: - - "I do hereby demand of you an immediate surrender of your - command, with no other conditions than that all persons - surrendering shall be humanely and kindly treated. Believing - myself prepared to enforce this demand, one-half hour's time - will be allowed for your compliance." - -This contrasted so sharply with the shuffling timidity of our civil -and military authorities, usual at this period, that Frost was -surprised and "shocked." His reply, of course, characterized the -demand as "illegal" and "unconstitutional." In those days there were -no such sticklers for the Constitution as the men taking up arms -against it! Frost wrote that he surrendered only upon compulsion--his -forces being too weak for resistance. The encampment was found to -contain twenty cannon, more than twelve hundred muskets, many mortars, -siege-howitzers, and shells, charged ready for use--which convinced -even the most skeptical that it was something more than a school for -instruction. - -The garrison, eight hundred strong, were marched out under guard. There -were many thousands of spectators. Hills, fields, and house-tops were -black with people. In spite of orders to disperse, crowds followed, -jeering the Union troops, throwing stones, brickbats, and other -missiles, and finally discharging pistols. Several soldiers were hurt, -and one captain shot down at the head of his company, when the troops -fired on the crowd, killing twenty and wounding eleven. As in all such -cases, several innocent persons suffered. - -Intense excitement followed. A large public meeting convened that -evening in front of the Planter's House--heard bitter speeches from -Governor Jackson, Sterling Price, and others. The crowd afterward -went to mob _The Democrat_ office, but it contained too many resolute -Unionists, armed with rifles and hand-grenades, and they wisely -desisted. - -[Sidenote: STERLING PRICE JOINS THE REBELS.] - -Sterling Price was president of the State Convention--elected as -an Unconditional Unionist. But, in this whirlwind, he went over to -the enemy. An old feud existed between him and a leading St. Louis -loyalist. Price had a small, detached command in the Mexican war. -Afterward, he was Governor of Missouri, and candidate for the United -States Senate. An absurd sketch, magnifying a trivial skirmish into a -great battle, with Price looming up heroically in the foreground, was -drawn and engraved by an unfortunate artist, then in the Penitentiary. -It pleased Price's vanity; he circulated it largely, and pardoned out -the suffering votary of art. - -[Sidenote: SEVERE LOSS TO THE UNIONISTS.] - -When the Legislature was about voting for United States Senator, Frank -Blair, Jr., then a young member from St. Louis, obtained permission to -say a few words about the candidates. He was a great vessel of wrath, -and administered a terrible excoriation, pronouncing Price "worthy the -genius of a convict artist, and fit subject for a Penitentiary print!" -Price was defeated, and the rupture never healed. - -At the outbreak of the Rebellion, Price was far more loyal than men -afterward prominent Union leaders in Missouri. In those chaotic days, -very slight influences decided the choice of many. By tender treatment, -Price could doubtless have been retained; but neither party regarded -him as possessing much ability. - -His defection proved a calamity to the Loyalists. He was worth twenty -thousand soldiers to the Rebels, and developed rare military talent. -Like Robert E. Lee, he was an old man, of pure personal character, -sincerity, kindness of heart, and unequaled popularity among the -self-sacrificing ragamuffins whom he commanded. He held them together, -and induced them to fight with a bravery and persistency which, Rebels -though they were, was creditable to the American name. With a good -cause, they would have challenged the world's acclamation. - -At this time the President was treating the border slave States with -marvelous tenderness and timidity. The Rev. M. D. Conway declared, -wittily, that Mr. Lincoln's daily and nightly invocation ran: - - "O Lord, I desire to have Thee on my side, but I _must_ have - Kentucky!" - -Captain Lyon was confident that if he asked permission to seize Camp -Jackson, it would be refused. So he captured the camp, and then -telegraphed to Washington--not what he proposed to do, but what he -_had_ done. At first his act was disapproved. But the loyal country -applauded to the echo, and Lyon's name was everywhere honored. Hence -the censure was withheld, and he was made a Brigadier-General! - -[Sidenote: ST. LOUIS IN A CONVULSION.] - -Governor Jackson burned the bridges on the Pacific Railroad; the -Missouri Legislature passed an indirect ordinance of Secession, and -adjourned in a panic, caused by reports that Lyon was coming; a Union -regiment was attacked in St. Louis, and again fired into the mob, with -deadly results. The city was convulsed with terror. Every available -vehicle, including heavy ox wagons, was brought into requisition; every -outgoing railway train was crowded with passengers; every avenue was -thronged with fugitives; every steamer at the levee was laden with -families, who, with no definite idea of where they were going, had -hastily packed a few articles of clothing, to flee from the general and -bloody conflict supposed to be impending between the Americans and the -Dutch, as Secessionists artfully termed the two parties. Thus there -became a "Seat of War." - -Heart-rending as were the stories of most southern refugees, some were -altogether ludicrous. In St. Louis, I encountered an old acquaintance -who related to me his recent experiences in Nashville. Grandiloquent -enough they sounded; for his private conversation always ran into stump -speeches. - -[Sidenote: A NASHVILLE EXPERIENCE.] - -"One day," said he, "I was waited on by a party of leading Nashville -citizens, who remarked: 'Captain May, _we_ know very well that you -are with us in sentiment; but, as you come from the North, others, -less intimate with you, desire some special assurance.' I replied: -'Gentlemen, by education, by instinct, and by association, I am a -Southern man. But, gentlemen, when you fire upon that small bit of -bunting known as the American flag, you can count me, by Heaven, as -your persistent and uncompromising foe!' The committee intimated to -me that the next train for the North started in one hour! You may -stake your existence, sir, that the subscriber came away on that -train. Confound a country, anyhow, where a man must wear a Secession -cockade upon each coat-tail to keep himself from being kicked as an -Abolitionist!" - -Inexorable war knows no ties of friendship, of family, or of love. -Its bitterest features were seen on the border, where brother was -arrayed against brother, and husband against wife. At a little Missouri -village, the Rebels raised their flag, but it was promptly torn down by -the loyal wife of one of the leaders. I met a lady who had two brothers -in the Union army, and two among Price's Rebels, who were likely soon -to meet on the battle-field. - -In St. Louis, a Rebel damsel, just about to be married, separated from -her Union lover, declaring that no man who favored the Abolitionists -and the "Dutch hirelings" could be her husband. He retorted that he had -no use for a wife who sympathized with treason; and so the match was -broken off. - -[Sidenote: BITTERNESS OF OLD NEIGHBORS.] - -I knew a Union soldier who found at Camp Jackson, among the prisoners, -his own brother, wounded by two Minie rifle balls. He said: "I am sorry -my brother was shot; but he should not have joined the traitors!" Of -course, the bitterness between relatives and old neighbors, now foes, -was infinitely greater than between northerners and southerners. The -same was true everywhere. How intensely the Virginia and Tennessee -Rebels hated their fellow-citizens who adhered to the Union cause! -Ohio and Massachusetts Loyalists denounced northern "Copperheads" -with a malignity which they never felt toward South Carolinians and -Mississippians. - - ST. LOUIS, _May 20, 1861_. - -When South Carolina seceded, the slave property of Missouri was worth -forty-five millions of dollars; hence she is under bonds to just that -amount to keep the peace. With thirteen hundred miles of frontier, she -is "a slave peninsula in an ocean of free soil." Free Kansas, which -has many old scores to clear up, guards her on the west. Free Iowa, -embittered by hundreds of Union refugees, watches her on the north. -Free Illinois, the young giantess of the prairie, takes care of her -on the east. This loyal metropolis, with ten Union regiments already -under arms, is for her a sort of front-door police. Missouri, in the -significant phrase of the frontier, is _corraled_.[10] - -[10] From the Spanish _corral_, a yard. Upon our frontier it is used, -colloquially, as a verb, to signify surrounded, captured, completely in -the power, or at the mercy, of another. - -Here, at least, as _The Richmond Whig_, just before going over to the -Rebels, so aptly said: "Secession is Abolitionism in its worst and most -dangerous form." - -Rebels glare upon Union men like chained wild beasts. Citizens, -walking by night, remember the late assassinations, and, like Americans -in Mexican towns, cast suspicious glances behind. Secessionists -utter fierce threats; but since their recent severe admonition that -Unionists, too, can use fire-arms, and that it is not discreet to -attack United States soldiers, they do not execute them. - -Captain Lyon, who commands, is an exceedingly prompt and efficient -officer, attends strictly to his business, exhibits no hunger for -newspaper fame, and seems to act with an eye single to the honor of the -Government he has served so long and so faithfully. - -[Sidenote: GOOD SOLDIERS FOR SCALING WALLS.] - -Among our regiments is the Missouri First, Colonel Frank P. Blair. -Three companies are made up of German Turners--the most accomplished -of gymnasts. They are sinewy, muscular fellows, with deep chests and -well-knit frames. Every man is an athlete. To-day a party, by way of -exercise, suddenly formed a human pyramid, and commenced running up, -like squirrels, over each other's shoulders, to the high veranda upon -the second story of their building. In climbing a wall, they would not -require scaling-ladders. There are also two companies from the Far -West--old trappers and hunters, who have smelt gunpowder in Indian -warfare. - -Colonel Blair's dry, epigrammatic humor bewilders some of his visitors. -I was sitting in his head-quarters when a St. Louis Secessionist -entered. Like nearly all of them, he now pretends to be a Union man, -but is very tender on the subject of State Rights, and wonderfully -solicitous about the Constitution. He remarked: - -"I am a Union man, but I believe in State Rights. I believe a State may -dissolve its connection with the Government if it wants to." - -"O yes," replied Blair, pulling away at his ugly mustache, "yes, you -can go out if you want to. Certainly you can secede. But, my friend, -you can't take with you one foot of American soil!" - -[Sidenote: MISSOURI AND THE SLAVEHOLDERS.] - -A citizen of Lexington introduced himself, saying: - -"I am a loyal man, ready to fight for the Union; but I am -pro-slavery--I own niggers." - -"Well, sir," replied Blair, with the faintest suggestion of a smile on -his plain, grim face, "you have a right to. We don't like negroes very -much ourselves. If _you_ do, that's a matter of taste. It is one of -your privileges. But if you gentlemen who own negroes attempt to take -the State of Missouri out of the Union, in about six months you will be -the most----niggerless set of individuals that you ever heard of!" - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - Only we want a little personal strength, And pause until - these Rebels, now afoot, Come underneath the yoke of - Government.--KING HENRY IV. - - -Cairo, as the key to the lower Mississippi valley, is the most -important strategic point in the West. Immediately after the outbreak -of hostilities, it was occupied by our troops. - -As a place of residence it was never inviting. To-day its offenses -smell to heaven as rankly as when Dickens evoked it, from horrible -obscurity, as the "Eden" of Martin Chuzzlewit. The low, marshy, -boot-shaped site is protected from the overflow of the Mississippi and -Ohio by levees. Its jet-black soil generates every species of insect -and reptile known to science or imagination. Its atmosphere is never -sweet or pure. - -[Sidenote: GENERAL MCCLELLAN AT CAIRO.] - -On the 13th of June, Major-General George B. McClellan, commander of -all the forces west of the Alleghanies, reached Cairo on a visit of -inspection. His late victories in Western Virginia had established his -reputation for the time, as an officer of great capacity and promise, -notwithstanding the high heroics of his ambitious proclamations. This -was before Bull Run, and before the New York journals, by absurdly -pronouncing him "the Young Napoleon," raised public expectation to an -embarrassing and unreasonable hight. - -In those days, every eye was looking for the Coming Man, every ear -listening for his approaching footsteps, which were to make the earth -tremble. Men judged, by old standards, that the Hour must have its -Hero. They had not learned that, in a country like ours, whatever is -accomplished must be the work of the loyal millions, not of any one, or -two, or twenty generals and statesmen. - -[Sidenote: A LITTLE SPEECH-MAKING.] - -McClellan was enthusiastically received, and, to the strains of the -"Star Spangled Banner," escorted to head-quarters. There, General -Prentiss, who had so decided a _penchant_ for speech-making, that -cynics declared he always kept a particular stump in front of his -office for a rostrum, welcomed him with some rhetorical remarks: - - * * * * "My command are all anxious to taste those dangers - which war ushers in--not that they court danger, but that - they love their country. We have toiled in the mud, we have - drilled in the burning sun. Many of us are ragged--all of - us are poor. But we look anxiously for the order to move, - trusting that we may be allowed to lead the division." - -The soldiers applauded enthusiastically--for in those days the anxiety -to be in the earliest battles was intense. The impression was almost -universal throughout the North that the war was to be very brief. -Officers and men in the army feared they would have no opportunity to -participate in any fighting! - -McClellan responded to Prentiss and his officers in the same strain: - - * * * "We shall meet again upon the tented field; and - Illinois, which sent forth a Hardin and a Bissell, will, - I doubt not, give a good account of herself to her sister - States. Her fame is world-wide: in your hands, gentlemen, I - am sure it will not suffer. The advance is due to you." - -Then there was more applause, and afterward a review of the brigade. - -[Sidenote: PENALTY OF WRITING FOR THE TRIBUNE.] - -General McClellan is stoutly built, short, with light hair, blue eyes, -full, fresh, almost boyish face, and lip tufted with a brown mustache. -His urbane manner truly indicates the peculiar amiability of character -and yielding disposition which have hurt him more than all other -causes. An officer once assured me that McClellan had said to him: "My -friends have injured me a thousand times more than my enemies." It was -certainly true. - -Now, seeing his features the first time, I scanned them anxiously for -lineaments of greatness. I saw a pleasant, mild, moony face, with -one cheek distended by tobacco; but nothing which appeared strong or -striking. Tinctured largely with the general belief in his military -genius, I imputed the failure only to my own incapacity for reading -"Nature's infinite book of secrecy." - -One evening, at Cairo, a man, whose worn face, shaggy beard, matted -locks, and tattered clothing marked him as one of the constantly -arriving refugees, sought me and asked: - -"Can you tell me the name of _The Tribune_ correspondent who passed -through Memphis last February?" - -He was informed that that pleasure had been mine. - -[Sidenote: A LOYAL GIRL'S ASSISTANCE.] - -"Then," said he, "I have been lying in jail at Memphis about fifty -days chiefly on your account! The three or four letters which you -wrote from there were peculiarly bitter. Of course, I was not aware of -your presence, and I sent one to _The Tribune_, which was also very -emphatic. The Secessionists suspected me not only of the one which I -did write, but also of yours. They pounced on me and put me in jail. -After the disbanding of the Committee of Safety I was brought before -the City Recorder, who assured me from the bench of his profound -regrets that he could find no law for hanging me! I would have been -there until this time, but for the assistance of a young lady, through -whom I succeeded in bribing an officer of the jail, and making my -escape. I was hidden in Memphis for several days, then left the city -in disguise, and have worked my way, chiefly on foot, aided by negroes -and Union families, through the woods of Tennessee and the swamps of -Missouri up to God's country." - -The refugee seemed to be not only in good health, but also in excellent -spirits, and I replied: - -"I am very sorry for your misfortunes; but if the Rebels must have one -of us, I am very glad that it was not I." - -Nearly four years later, this gentleman turned the tables on me very -handsomely. After my twenty months imprisonment in Rebel hands, among a -crowd of visitors he walked into my room at Cincinnati one morning, and -greeted me warmly. - -"You do not remember me, do you?" he asked. - -"I recognize your face, but cannot recall your name." - -"Well, my name is Collins. Once, when I escaped from the South, you -congratulated me at Cairo. Now, I congratulate you, and I can do it -with all my heart, in exactly the same words. I am very sorry for your -misfortunes; but if the Rebels must have one of us, I am very glad that -it was not I!" - -After our troops captured Memphis, I encountered the young lady who -aided Mr. Collins in escaping. She was enthusiastically loyal, but her -feeling had been repressed for nearly two years, when the arrival of -our forces loosened her tongue. She began to utter her long-stifled -Union views, and it is my deliberate opinion that she has not stopped -yet. She is now the wife of an officer in the United States service. - -[Sidenote: THE FASCINATIONS OF CAIRO.] - - CAIRO, _May 29_. - -A drizzly, muddy, melancholy day. Never otherwise than forlorn, Cairo -is pre-eminently lugubrious during a mild rain. In dry weather, -even when glowing like a furnace, you may find amusement in the -contemplation of the high-water mark upon trees and houses, the -stilted-plank sidewalks, the half-submerged swamps, and other diluvian -features of this nondescript, saucer-like, terraqueous town. You may -speculate upon the exact amount of fever and ague generated to the -acre, or inquire whether the whisky saloons, which spring up like -mushrooms, are indigenous or exotic. - -In downright wet weather you may calculate how soon the streets will be -navigable, and the effect upon the amphibious natives. It is difficult -to realize that anybody was ever born here, or looks upon Cairo as -home. Washington Irving records that the old Dutch housewives of New -York scrubbed their floors until many "grew to have webbed fingers, -like unto a duck." I suspect the Cairo babies must have fins. - -Long-suffering, much-abused Cairo! What wounds hast thou not received -from the Parthian arrows of tourists! "The season here," wrote poor -John Phenix, bitterest of all, "is usually opened with great _eclat_ by -small-pox, continued spiritedly by cholera, and closed up brilliantly -with yellow fever. Sweet spot!" - -Theorists long predicted that the great metropolis of the Mississippi -valley--the granary of the world--must ultimately rise here. Many -proved their faith by pecuniary investments, which are likely to be -permanent. - -Possessed by a similar delusion, Illinois, for years, strove to -legislate Alton into a vast commercial mart. But, in spite of their -unequaled geographical positions, Cairo and Alton still languish in -obscurity, while St. Louis and Cincinnati, twin queens of this imperial -valley, succeed to their grand heritage. - -Nature settles these matters by laws which, though hidden, are -inexorable. Even that mysterious, semi-civilized race, which swarmed -in this valley centuries before the American Indian, established their -great centers of population where ours are to-day. - -[Sidenote: THE DEATH OF DOUGLAS.] - - _June 4._ - -Intelligence of the death of Senator Douglas, received last evening, -excites profound and universal regret. Though totally unfamiliar -with books, Mr. Douglas thoroughly knew the masses of the Northwest, -down to their minutest sympathies and prejudices. Beyond any of his -cotemporaries, he was a man of the people, and the people loved him. -Never before could he have died so opportunely for his posthumous -fame. Nothing in his life became him like the leaving of it. His last -speech, in Chicago, was a fervid, stirring appeal for the Union and -the Government, and for crushing out treason with an iron hand. His -emphatic loyalty exerted great influence in Illinois. His life-long -opponents forget the asperities of the past, in the halo of patriotism -around his setting sun, and unite, with those who always idolized him, -in common tribute to his memory. - -We have very direct intelligence from Tennessee. The western districts -are all Secession. Middle Tennessee is about equally divided. East -Tennessee, a mountain region, containing few slaves, is inhabited -by a hardy, primitive, industrious race. They are thoroughly, -enthusiastically loyal.[11] - -[11] Through severest trials, and cruel neglect from our Government, -they never swerved a hair's-breadth. Before our troops opened East -Tennessee, enough left their homes, coming stealthily through the -mountains and enlisting in the Union army, to make sixteen regiments. - -[Sidenote: A CLEAR-HEADED NEGRO.] - -The felicitous decision of Major-General Butler, that slaves of the -enemy are "contraband of war," disturbs the Rebels not a little, -even in the West. A friend just from Louisiana, relates an amusing -conversation between a planter and an old, trusted slave. - -"Sam," said his master, "I must furnish some niggers to go down and -work on the fortifications at the Balize. Which of the boys had I -better send?" - -"Well, massa," replied the old servant, shaking his head oracularly, "I -doesn't know about dat. War's comin' on, and dey might be killed. Ought -to get Irishmen to do dat work, anyhow. I reckon you'd better not send -any ob de boys--tell you what, massa, nigger property's mighty onsartin -dese times!" - -Scores of fugitives from the South arrive here daily, with the old -stories of insult, indignity, and outrage. Several have come in with -their heads shaved. To you, my reader, who have never seen a case of -the kind, it may seem a trivial matter for a person merely to have one -side of his head laid bare, but it is a peculiarly repulsive spectacle. -The first time you look upon it, or on those worse cases, where -free-born men of Saxon blood bear fresh marks of the lash, you will -involuntarily clinch your teeth, and thank God that the system which -bears such infernal fruits is rushing upon its own destruction. - - _June 8._ - -The heated term is upon us. We are amid upper, nether, and surrounding -fires. At eight, this morning, the mercury indicated eighty degrees -in the shade. How high it has gone since, I dare not conjecture; -but a friend insists that the sun will roast eggs to-day upon any -doorstep in town. I am a little incredulous as to that, though a pair -of smarting, half-blistered hands--the result of a ten minutes' walk -in its devouring breath--protest against absolute unbelief. Officers -who served in the War with Mexico declare they never found the heat so -oppressive in that climate as it is here. The raw troops on duty, who -are sweltering in woolen shirts and cloth caps, bear it wonderfully -well. - -A number of Chicago ladies are already here, acting as nurses in the -hospital. The dull eyes of the invalids brighten at their approach, and -voices grow husky in attempting to express their gratitude. According -to Carlyle, "in a revolution we are all savages still; civilization has -only sharpened our claws;" but this tender care for the soldier is the -one redeeming feature of modern war. - -[Sidenote: A REVIEW OF THE TROOPS.] - - _June 12._ - -A review of all the troops. The double ranks of well-knit men, with -shining muskets and bayonets, stretch off in perspective for more than -a mile. After preliminary evolutions, at the word of command, the -lines suddenly break and wheel into column by companies, and marching -commences. You see two long parallel columns of men moving in opposite -directions, with an open space between. Their legs, in motion, look for -all the world like the shuttles in some great Lowell factory. - -The artillerists fire each of their six-pounders three times a minute. -They discharge one, dismount it, lay it upon the ground, remove the -wheels from the carriage, drop flat upon their faces, then spring up, -remount the gun, ready for reloading or removing, all in forty-five -seconds. - -Standing three hundred yards from the cannon, the column of smoke, -white at first, but rapidly changing to blue, shoots out twenty-five or -thirty feet from the muzzle before you hear the report. - -The flying flags, playing bands, galloping officers, long lines of our -boys in blue, and sharp metallic reports, impress you with something of -the pomp and circumstance of glorious war. - -But Captain Jenny, a young engineer officer, quietly remarks, that -he once witnessed a review of seventy thousand French troops in the -Champ de Mars, and in 1859 saw the army of seventy-five thousand men -enter Paris, returning from the Italian wars. Colonel Wagner, an old -Hungarian officer, who has participated in twenty-three engagements, -assures you that he has looked upon a parade of one hundred and forty -thousand men, whereupon our little force of five thousand appears -insignificant. Nevertheless, it exceeds Jackson's recruits at New -Orleans, and is larger than the effective force of Scott during the -Mexican war. - -[Sidenote: A "RUNNIN' NIGGER!"] - -Our first contraband arrived here in a skiff last night, bearing -unmistakable evidences of long travel. He says he came from -Mississippi, and the cotton-seed in his woolly head corroborates the -statement. I first saw him beside the guard-house, surrounded by a -party of soldiers. He answered my salutation with "Good evenin', -Mass'r," removing his old wool hat from his grizzly head. He smiled -all over his face, and bowed all through his body, as he depressed his -head, slightly lifting his left foot, with the gesture which only the -unmistakable darkey can give. - -"Well, uncle, have you joined the army?" - -"Yes, mass'r" (with another African salaam). - -"Are you going to fight?" - -"No, mass'r, I'se not a fightin' nigger, I'se a runnin' nigger!" - -"Are you not afraid of starving, up here among the Abolitionists?" - -[Sidenote: CAPTURING A REBEL FLAG.] - -"Reckon not, mass'r--not much." - -And Sambo gave a concluding bow, indescribable drollery shining through -his sooty face, bisected by two rows of glittering ivory. - - _June 13._ - -A reconnoitering party went down the Mississippi yesterday upon a -Government steamer, under command of Colonel Richard J. Oglesby, -colloquially known among the Illinois sovereigns of the prairie as -"Dick Oglesby." - -Twenty miles below Cairo, we slowly passed the town of Columbus, Ky., -on the highest bluffs of the Mississippi. The village is a straggling -collection of brick blocks, frame houses, and whisky saloons. It -contains no Rebel forces, though seven thousand are at Union City, -Tenn., twenty-five miles distant. - -On a tall staff, a few yards from the river, a great Secession flag, -with its eight stars and three stripes, was triumphantly flying. - -Turning back, after steaming two miles below, the boat was stopped at -the landing; the captain went on shore, cut down the flag, and brought -it on board, amid cheers from our troops. The Columbians looked on in -grim silence--all save four Union ladies, who, - - "Faithful among the faithless only they," - -waved handkerchiefs joyfully from a neighboring bluff. - -Each star of the flag bore the name in pencil of the young lady who -sewed it on. The Maggies, and Julias, and Sues, and Kates, and Sallies, -who thus left their autographs upon their handiwork, did not anticipate -that it would so soon be scrutinized by Yankee soldiers. And, -doubtless, "Julia K----," the damsel whose star I pilfered, scarcely -aspired to the honor of furnishing a relic for _The Tribune_ cabinet. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -And thus the whirligig of Time brings in his revenges.--TWELFTH NIGHT, -OR WHAT YOU WILL. - -Bloody instructions, which being taught, return To plague the -inventors.--MACBETH. - -[Sidenote: THE RETRIBUTIONS OF TIME.] - - -On the 15th of June I returned from Cairo to St. Louis. Lyon had gone -up the Missouri River with an expedition, which was all fitted out and -started in a few hours. Lyon was very much in earnest, and he knew the -supreme value of time in the outset of a war. - -How just are the retributions of history! Virginia originated State -Rights run-mad, which culminated in Secession. Behold her ground -between the upper and nether mill-stones! Missouri lighted the fires -of civil war in Kansas; now they blazed with tenfold fury upon her -own soil. She sent forth hordes to mob printing-presses, overawe the -ballot-box, substitute the bowie-knife and revolver for the civil -law. Now, her own area gleamed with bayonets; the Rebel newspaper was -suppressed by the file of soldiers, civil process supplanted by the -unpitying military arm. - -Governor Claiborne F. Jackson, in 1855, led a raid into Kansas, which -overthrew the civil authorities, and drove citizens from the polls. -Now, the poisoned chalice was commended to his own lips. A hunted -fugitive from his home and his chair of office, he was deserted by -friends, ruined in fortune, and the halter waited for his neck. Thomas -C. Reynolds, late Lieutenant-Governor, by advocating the right of -Secession, did much to poison the public mind of the South. He, too, -found his reward in disgrace and outlawry; unable to come within the -borders of the State which so lately delighted to do him honor! - -[Sidenote: A RAILROAD REMINISCENCE.] - -I followed Lyon's Expedition by the Pacific railway. The president -of the road told me a droll story, which illustrates the folly that -governed the location of the railway system of Missouri. The Southwest -Branch is about a hundred miles long, through a very thinly settled -region. For the first week after the cars commenced running over it, -they carried only about six passengers, and no freight except a live -bear and a jar of honey. The honey was carried free, and the freight -on Bruin was fifty cents. Shut up in the single freight car, during -the trip, he ate all the honey! The company were compelled to pay two -dollars for the loss of that saccharine esculent. Thus their first -week's profits on freight amounted to precisely one dollar and fifty -cents on the wrong side of the ledger. - -The Rebels had now evacuated Jefferson City, and our own troops, -commanded by Colonel B[oe]rnstein, a German editor, author, and -theatrical manager, of St. Louis, were in peaceable possession. The -soldiers were cooking upon the grass in the rear of the Capitol, -standing in the shade of its portico and rotunda, lying on beds of -hay in its passages, and upon carpets in the legislative halls. They -reposed in all its rooms, from the subterranean vaults to the little -circular chamber in the dome. - -[Sidenote: UNTAINTED WITH "B. REPUBLICANISM."] - -Governor and Legislature were fled. With Colonel B[oe]rnstein, I went -through the executive mansion, which had been deserted in hot haste. -Sofas were overturned, carpets torn up and littered with letters -and public documents. Tables, chairs, damask curtains, cigar-boxes, -champagne-bottles, ink-stands, books, private letters, and family -knick-knacks, were scattered everywhere in chaotic confusion. Some of -the Governor's correspondence was amusing. The first letter I noticed -was a model of brevity. Here it is--its virgin paper unsullied by the -faintest touch of "B. Republicanism." - - "JEFFERSON CITY, fed. 21nd 1861. - - "_to his Honour Gov._ C. F. JACKSON.--Please Accept My - Compliments. With a little good Old Bourbon Whisky Cocktail. - Made up Expressly in St Louis. fear it not. it is good. - And besides it is not even tainted with B. Republicanism. - Respectfully yours, - - "P. NAUGHTON." - -There was a ludicrous disparity between the evidences of sudden flight -on all sides and the pompous language of the Governor's latest State -paper, which lay upon the piano in the drawing-room: - - "Now, therefore, I, C. F. Jackson, Governor of the State - of Missouri, do issue this my proclamation, calling the - militia of the State, to the number of FIFTY THOUSAND, into - the service of the State. * * * Rise, then, and drive out - ignominiously the invaders!" - -Beds were unmade, dishes unwashed, silver forks and spoons, belonging -to the State, scattered here and there. The only things that appeared -undisturbed were the Star Spangled Banner and the national escutcheon, -both frescoed upon the plaster of the gubernatorial bedroom. - -As we walked through the deserted rooms, a hollow echo answered to the -tramp of the colonel and his lieutenant, and to the dull clank of their -scabbards against the furniture. - -General Lyon opened the war in the West by the battle of Booneville. -It lasted only a few minutes, and the undisciplined and half-armed -Rebel troops, after a faint show of resistance, retreated toward the -South. Lyon's command lost only eleven men. - -[Sidenote: A BELLIGERENT CHAPLAIN.] - -During the engagement, the Rev. William A. Pile, Chaplain of the First -Missouri Infantry, with a detail of four men, was looking after the -wounded, when, coming suddenly upon a party of twenty-four Rebels, he -ordered them to surrender. Strangely enough, they laid down their arms, -and were all brought, prisoners, to General Lyon's head-quarters by -their five captors, headed by the reverend representative of the Church -militant and the Church triumphant. - -Messrs. Thomas W. Knox and Lucien J. Barnes, army correspondents, -zealous to see the first battle, narrowly escaped with their -lives. Appearing upon a hill, surveying the conflict through their -field-glasses, they were mistaken by General Lyon for scouts of the -enemy. He ordered his sharpshooters to pick them off, when one of his -aids recognized them. - - BOONEVILLE, MO., _June 21_. - -The First Iowa Infantry has arrived here. On the way, several slaves, -who came to its camp for refuge, were sent back to their masters. - -[Sidenote: HUMORS OF THE IOWA SOLDERS.] - -The regiment contains many educated men, and that large percentage of -physicians, lawyers, and editors, found in every far-western community. -On the way here, they indulged in a number of freaks which startled -the natives. At Macon, Mo., they took possession of _The Register_, a -hot Secession sheet, and, having no less than forty printers in their -ranks, promptly issued a spicy loyal journal, called _Our Whole Union_. -The valedictory, which the Iowa boys addressed to Mr. Johnson, the -fugitive editor, in his own paper, is worth perusing. - - "VALEDICTORY. - - "Johnson, wherever you are--whether lurking in recesses of - the dim woods, or fleeing a fugitive on open plain, under - the broad canopy of Heaven--good-by! We never saw your - countenance--never expect to--never want to--but, for all - that, we won't be proud; so, Johnson, good-by, and take care - of yourself! - - "We're going to leave you, Johnson, without so much as - looking into your honest eyes, or clasping your manly - hand--even without giving utterance, to your face, of 'God - bless you!' We're right sorry, we are, that you didn't stay - to attend to your domestic and other affairs, and not skulk - away and lose yourself, never to return. Oh, Johnson! why did - you--how could you do this? - - "Johnson, we leave you to-night. We're going where bullets - are thick and mosquitos thicker. We may never return. If we - do not, old boy, remember us. We sat at your table; we stole - from your 'Dictionary of Latin Quotations;' we wrote Union - articles with your pen, your ink, on your paper. We printed - them on your press. Our boys set 'em up with your types, used - your galleys, your 'shooting-sticks,' your 'chases,' your - 'quads,' your 'spaces,' your 'rules,' your every thing. We - even drank some poor whisky out of your bottle. - - "And now, Johnson, after doing all this for you, you won't - forget us, will you? Keep us in mind. Remember us in your - evening prayers, and your morning prayers, too, when you - say them, if you do say them. If you put up a petition at - mid-day, don't forget us then; or if you awake in the solemn - stillness of the night, to implore a benison upon the absent, - remember us then! - - "Once more, Johnson--our heart pains us to say it--that - sorrowful word!--but once more and forever, Johnson, GOOD-BY! - If you come our way, Call! Johnson, adieu!" - -One of the privates in the regular army has just been punished with -fifty lashes on the bare back, for taking from a private house a lady's -furs and a silk dress. - -This morning I passed a group of the Iowa privates, resting beside the -road, along which they were bringing buckets of water to their camp. -They were debating the question whether a heavy national debt tends -to weaken or to strengthen a Government! These are the men whom the -southern Press calls "ignorant mercenaries." - - ST. LOUIS, _July 12_. - -_The Missouri State Journal_, which made no disguise of its sympathy -with the Rebels, is at last suppressed by the military authorities. It -was done to-day, by order of General Lyon, who is pursuing the Rebels -near Springfield, in the southwest corner of the State. Secessionists -denounce it as a military despotism, but the loyal citizens are -gratified. - -[Sidenote: CAMP TALES OF THE MARVELOUS.] - -Are you fond of the marvelous? If so, here is a camp story about -Colonel Sigel's late engagement at Carthage: - -A private in one of his companies (so runs the tale), while loading -and firing, was lying flat upon his face to avoid the balls of the -Rebels, when a shot from one of their six-pounders plunged into the -ground right beside him, plowed through under him, about six inches -below the surface, came out on the other side, and pursued its winding -way. It did not hurt a hair of his head, but, in something less than a -twinkling of an eye, whirled him over upon his back! - -If you shake your head, save your incredulity for _this_: A captain -assures me that in the same battle he saw one of Sigel's artillerists -struck by a shot which cut off both legs; but that he promptly raised -himself half up, rammed the charge home in his gun, withdrew the -ramrod, and then fell back, dead! This is, at least, melo-dramatic, and -only paralleled by the ballad-hero - - ----"Of doleful dumps, - Who, when his legs were both cut off, - Still fought upon his stumps." - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - Who can be * * * * * Loyal and neutral in a moment? No - man.----MACBETH. - - Why, this it is when men are ruled by women.----RICHARD III. - - -It was a relief to escape the excitement and bitterness of Missouri, -and spend a few quiet days in the free States. Despite Rebel -predictions, grass did not grow in the streets of Chicago. In sooth, it -wore neither an Arcadian nor a funereal aspect. Palatial buildings were -everywhere rising; sixty railway trains arrived and departed daily; -hotels were crowded with guests; and the voice of the artisan was heard -in the land. Michigan Avenue, the finest drive in America, skirting -the lake shore for a mile and a half, was crowded every evening with -swift vehicles, and its sidewalks thronged with leisurely pedestrians. -It afforded scope to one of the two leading characteristics of -Chicago residents, which are, holding the ribbons and leaving out the -latch-string. - -[Sidenote: CORN NOT COTTON IS KING.] - -I did not hear a single cry of "Bread or Blood!" As the city had over -two million bushels of corn in store, and had received eighteen million -bushels of grain during the previous six months, starvation was hardly -imminent. War or peace, currency or no currency, breadstuffs will find -a market. Corn, not cotton, is king; the great Northwest, instead of -Dixie Land, wields the sceptre of imperial power. - -The elasticity of the new States is wonderful. Wisconsin and Illinois -had lost about ten millions of dollars through the depreciation of -their currency within a few months. It caused embarrassment and -stringency, but no wreck or ruin. - -Reminiscences of the financial chaos were entertaining. New York -exchange once reached thirty per cent. The Illinois Central Railroad -Company paid twenty-two thousand five hundred dollars _premium_ on a -single draft. For a few weeks before the crash, everybody was afraid of -the currency, and yet everybody received it. People were seized with -a sudden desire to pay up. The course of nature was reversed; debtors -absolutely pursued their creditors, and creditors dodged them as -swindlers dodge the sheriff. Parsimonious husbands supplied their wives -bounteously with means to do family shopping for months ahead. There -was a "run" upon those feminine paradises, the dry-goods stores, while -the merchants were by no means anxious to sell. - -Suddenly prices went up, as if by magic. Then came a grand crisis. -Currency dropped fifty per cent., and one morning the city woke up -to find itself poorer by just half than it was the night before. The -banks, with their usual feline sagacity, alighted upon their feet, -while depositors had to stand the loss. - -[Sidenote: CURIOUS REMINISCENCES OF CHICAGO.] - -Persons who settled in Chicago when it was only a military post, many -hundred miles in the Indian country, relate stories of the days when -they sometimes spent three months on schooners coming from Buffalo. -Later settlers, too, offer curious reminiscences. In 1855, a merchant -purchased a tract of unimproved land near the lake, outside the city -limits, for twelve hundred dollars, one-fourth in cash. Before his -next payment, a railroad traversed one sandy worthless corner of it, -and the company paid him damages to the amount of eleven hundred -dollars. Before the end of the third year, when his last installment -of three hundred dollars became due, he sold the land to a company of -speculators for twenty-one thousand five hundred dollars. It is now -assessed at something over one hundred thousand. - -[Sidenote: VISIT TO THE GRAVE OF DOUGLAS.] - -On a July day, so cold that fires were comforting within doors, and -overcoats and buffalo robes requisite without, I visited the grave of -Senator Douglas, unmarked as yet by monumental stone. He rests near his -old home, and a few yards from the lake, which was sobbing and moaning -in stormy passion as the great, white-fringed waves chased each other -upon the sandy shore. - -With the arrival of each railway train from the east, long files of -immigrants from Norway and northern Germany come pouring up Dearborn -street, gazing curiously and hopefully at their new Land of Promise. -One of the many railroad lines had brought twenty-five hundred within -two weeks. There were gray-haired men and young children. All were -attired neatly, especially the women, with snow-white kerchiefs about -their heads. - -They were bound, mainly, for Wisconsin and Minnesota. Men and women -are the best wealth of a new country. Though nearly all poor, these -brought, with the fair hair and blue eyes of their fatherland, honesty, -frugality, and industry, as their contribution to that great crucible -which, after all its strange elements are fused, shall pour forth the -pure and shining metal of American Character. - -[Sidenote: SOCIAL HABITS OF THE GERMANS.] - -Missouri, at the commencement of the war, had two hundred thousand -Germans in a population of little more than one million. Almost to a -man, they were loyal, and among the first who sprang to arms. - -In the South, they were always regarded with suspicion. The Rebels -succeeded in dragooning but very few of them into their ranks. Honor to -the loyal Germans! - -According to some unknown philosopher, "an Englishman or a Yankee is -capital; an Irishman is labor; but a German is capital and labor both." -Cincinnati, at the outbreak of the Rebellion, contained about seventy -thousand German citizens, who for many years had contributed largely to -her growth and prosperity. - -A visit to their distinctive locality, called "Over the Rhine," with -its German daily papers, German signs, and German conversation, is a -peep at Faderland. - -Cincinnati is nearer than Hamburg, the Miami canal more readily crossed -than the Atlantic, and that "sweet German accent," with which General -Scott was once enraptured, is no less musical in the Queen City than -in the land of Schiller and Goeethe. Why, then, should one go to -Germany, unless, indeed, like Bayard Taylor, he goes for a wife? The -multitudinous maidens--light-eyed and blonde-haired--in these German -streets, would seem to remove even that excuse. - -When Young America becomes jovial, he takes four or five boon -companions to a drinking saloon, pours down half a glass of raw brandy, -and lights a cigar. Continuing this programme through the day, he -ends, perhaps, by being carried home on a shutter or conducted to the -watch-house. - -But the German, at the close of the summer day, strolls with his -wife and two or three of his twelve children (the orthodox number in -well-regulated Teutonic families) to one of the great airy halls or -gardens abounding in his portion of the city. Calling for Rhein wine, -Catawba, or "_zwei glass lager bier und zwei pretzel_," they sit an -hour or two, chatting with friends, and then return to their homes like -rational beings after rational enjoyment. The halls contain hundreds -of people, who gesticulate more and talk louder during their mildest -social intercourse than the same number of Americans would in an affray -causing the murder of half the company; but the presence of women and -children guarantees decorous language and deportment. - -The laws of migration are curious. One is, that people ordinarily go -due west. The Massachusetts man goes to northern Ohio, Wisconsin, or -Minnesota; the Ohioan to Kansas; the Tennesseean to southern Missouri; -the Mississippian to Texas. Great excitements, like those of Kansas -and California, draw men off their parallel of latitude; but this is -the general law. Another is, that the Irish remain near the sea-coast, -while the Germans seek the interior. They constitute four-fifths of the -foreign population of every western city. - -[Sidenote: THE EARLY DAYS OF CINCINNATI.] - -In 1788, a few months before the first settlement of Cincinnati, -seven hundred and forty acres of land were bought for five hundred -dollars. The tract is now the heart of the city, and appraised at -many millions. As it passed from hand to hand, colossal fortunes were -realized from it; but its original purchaser, then one of the largest -western land-owners, at his death did not leave property enough to -secure against want his surviving son. Until 1862, that son resided -in Cincinnati, a pensioner upon the bounty of relatives. As, in the -autumn of life, he walked the streets of that busy city, it must have -been a strange reflection that among all its broad acres of which his -father was sole proprietor, he did not own land enough for his last -resting-place. "Give him a little earth for charity!" - -Many high artificial mounds, circular and elliptical, stood here when -the city was founded. In after years, as they were leveled, one by -one, they revealed relics of that ancient and comparatively civilized -race, which occupied this region before the Indian, and was probably -identical with the Aztecs of Mexico. - -Upon the site of one of these mounds is Pike's Opera House, a gorgeous -edifice, erected at an expense of half a million of dollars, by a -Cincinnati distiller, who, fifteen years before, could not obtain -credit for his first dray-load of whisky-barrels. It is one of the -finest theaters in the world; but the site has more interest than the -building. What volumes of unwritten history has that spot witnessed, -which supports a temple of art and fashion for the men and women of -to-day, was once a post from which Indian sentinels overlooked the -"dark and bloody ground" beyond the river, and, in earlier ages, an -altar where priests of a semi-barbaric race performed mystic rites to -propitiate heathen gods! - -[Sidenote: A CITY FOUNDED BY A WOMAN.] - -Cincinnati was built by a woman. Its founder was neither carpenter nor -speculator, but in the legitimate feminine pursuit of winning hearts. -Seventy years ago, Columbia, North Bend, and Cincinnati--all splendid -cities on paper--were rivals, each aspiring to be the metropolis of -the West. Columbia was largest, North Bend most favorably located, and -Cincinnati least promising of all. - -But an army officer, sent out to establish a military post for -protecting frontier settlers against Indians, was searching for a -site. Fascinated by the charms of a dark-eyed beauty--wife of one of -the North Bend settlers--that location impressed him favorably, and he -made it head-quarters. The husband, disliking the officer's pointed -attentions, came to Cincinnati and settled--thus, he supposed, removing -his wife from temptation. - -[Sidenote: THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE CINCINNATIAN.] - -But as Mark Antony threw the world away for Cleopatra's lips, this -humbler son of Mars counted the military advantages of North Bend as -nothing compared with his charmer's eyes. He promptly followed to -Cincinnati, and erected Fort Washington within the present city limits. -Proximity to a military post settled the question, as it has all -similar ones in the history of the West. Now Cincinnati is the largest -inland city upon the continent; Columbia is an insignificant village, -and North Bend an excellent farm. - -In architecture, Cincinnati is superior to its western rivals, and -rapidly gaining upon the most beautiful seaboard cities. Some of its -squares are unexcelled in America. A few public buildings are imposing; -but its best structures have been erected by private enterprise. The -Cincinnatian is expansive. Narrow quarters torture him. He can live -in a cottage, but he must do business in a palace. An inferior brick -building is the specter of his life, and a freestone block his undying -ambition. - -From the Queen City I went to Louisville. Though communication with -the South had been cut off by every other route, the railroad was open -thence to Nashville. - -[Sidenote: TREASON AND LOYALTY IN LOUISVILLE.] - -Kentucky was disputed ground. Treason and Loyalty jostled each -other in strange proximity. At the breakfast table, one looked up -from his New York paper, forty-eight hours old, to see his nearest -neighbor perusing _The Charleston Mercury_. He found _The Louisville -Courier_ urging the people to take up arms against the Government. -_The Journal_, published just across the street, advised Union men to -arm themselves, and announced that any of them wanting first-class -revolvers could learn something to their advantage by calling upon its -editor. In the telegraph-office, the loyal agent of the Associated -Press, who made up dispatches for the North, chatted with the -Secessionist, who spiced his news for the southern palate. On the -street, one heard Union men advocate the hanging of Governor Magoffin, -and declare that he and his fellow-traitors should find the collision -they threatened a bloody business. At the same moment, some inebriated -"Cavalier" reeled by, shouting uproariously "Huzza for Jeff. Davis!" - -Here, a group of pale, long-haired young men was pointed out as -enlisted Rebel soldiers, just leaving for the South. There, a troop of -the sinewy, long-limbed mountaineers of Kentucky and East Tennessee, -marched sturdily toward the river, to join the loyal forces upon -the Indiana shore. Two or three State Guards (Secession), with -muskets on their shoulders, were closely followed by a trio of Home -Guards (Union), also armed. It was wonderful that, with all these -crowding combustibles, no explosion had yet occurred in the Kentucky -powder-magazine. - -While Secessionists were numerous, Louisville, at heart loyal, -everywhere displayed the national flag. Yet, although the people tore -to pieces a Secession banner, which floated from a private dwelling, -they were very tolerant toward the Rebels, who openly recruited for -the Southern service. Imagine a man huzzaing for President Lincoln and -advertising a Federal recruiting-office in any city controlled by the -Confederates! - -[Sidenote: PRENTICE OF THE LOUISVILLE JOURNAL.] - -"The real governor of Kentucky," said a southern paper, "is not Beriah -Magoffin, but George D. Prentice." In spite of his "neutrality," which -for a time threatened to stretch out to the crack of doom, Mr. Prentice -was a thorn in the side of the enemy. His strong influence, through -_The Louisville Journal_, was felt throughout the State. - -Visiting his editorial rooms, I found him over an appalling pile of -public and private documents, dictating an article for his paper. Many -years ago, an attack of paralysis nearly disabled his right hand, and -compelled him ever after to employ an amanuensis. - -His small, round face was fringed with dark hair, a little silvered by -age; but his eyes gleamed with their early fire, and his conversation -scintillated with that ready wit which made him the most famous -paragraphist in the world. His manner was exceedingly quiet and modest. -For about three-fourths of the year, he was one of the hardest workers -in the country; often sitting at his table twelve hours a day, and -writing two or three columns for a morning issue. - -At this time, the Kentucky Unionists, advocating only "neutrality," -dared not urge open and uncompromising support of the Government. When -President Lincoln first called for troops, _The Journal_ denounced his -appeal in terms almost worthy of _The Charleston Mercury_, expressing -its "mingled amazement and indignation." Of course the Kentuckians were -subjected to very bitter criticism. Mr. Prentice said to me: - -"You misapprehend us in the North. We are just as much for the Union as -you are. Those of us who pray, pray for it; those of us who fight, are -going to fight for it. But we know our own people. They require very -tender handling. Just trust us and let us alone, and you shall see us -come out all right by-and-by." - -The State election, held a few weeks after, exposed the groundless -alarm of the leading politicians. It resulted in returning to Congress, -from every district but one, zealous Union men. Afterward the State -furnished troops whenever they were called for, and, in spite of her -timid leaders, finally yielded gracefully to the inexorable decree of -the war, touching her pet institution of Slavery. - -[Sidenote: FIRST UNION TROOPS OF KENTUCKY.] - -I paid a visit to the encampment of the Kentucky Union troops, on the -Indiana side of the Ohio, opposite Louisville. "Camp Joe Holt" was on -a high, grassy plateau. Unfailing springs supplied it with pure water, -and trees of beech, oak, elm, ash, maple, and sycamore, overhung it -with grateful shade. The prospective soldiers were lying about on the -ground, or reading and writing in their tents. - -General Rousseau, who was sitting upon the grass, chatting with a -visitor, looked the Kentuckian. Large head, with straight, dark hair -and mustache; eye and mouth full of determination; broad chest, huge, -erect, manly frame. - -His men were sinewy fellows, with serious, earnest faces. Most of them -were from the mountain districts. Many had been hunters from boyhood, -and could bring a squirrel from the tallest tree with their old rifles. -Byron's description of their ancestral backwoodsmen seemed to fit them -exactly: - - "And tall and strong and swift of foot were they, - Beyond the dwarfing city's pale abortions, - Because their thoughts had never been the prey - Of care or gain; the green woods were their portions. - Simple they were, not savage; and their rifles, - Though very true, were yet not used for trifles." - -The history of this brigade was characteristic of the times. Rousseau -scouted "neutrality" from the outset. On the 21st of May, he said from -his place in the Kentucky Senate: - - "If we have a Government, let it be maintained and obeyed. If - a factious minority undertakes to override the will of the - majority and rob us of our constitutional rights, let it be - put down--peaceably if we can, but forcibly if we must. - * * * Let me tell you, sir, Kentucky will not 'go out!' She will - not stampede. Secessionists must invent something new, before - they can either frighten or drag her out of the Union. We - shall be but too happy to keep peace, but we cannot leave the - Union of our fathers. When Kentucky goes down, it will be in - blood! Let that be understood." - -[Sidenote: STRUGGLE IN THE KENTUCKY LEGISLATURE.] - -In that Legislature, the struggle between the Secessionists and the -Loyalists was fierce, protracted, and uncertain. Each day had its -accidents, incidents, telegraphic and newspaper excitements, upon which -the action of the body seemed to depend. - -In firm and determined men, the two parties were about equally divided; -but there were a good many "floats," who held the balance of power. -These men were very tenderly nursed by the Loyalists. - -The Secessionists frequently proposed to go into secret session, but -the Union men steadfastly refused. Rousseau declared in the Senate that -if they closed the doors he would break them open. As he stands about -six feet two, and is very muscular, the threat had some significance. - -Buckner, Tighlman, and Hanson[12]--all afterward generals in the Rebel -army--led the Secessionists. They professed to be loyal, and were very -shrewd and plausible. They induced hundreds of young men to join the -State-Guard, which they were organizing to force Kentucky out of the -Union, though its ostensible object was to assure "neutrality." - -[12] The leniency of the Government toward these men was remarkable. -For many months after the war began, Breckinridge, in the United -States Senate, and Burnett, in the House of Representatives, uttered -defiant treason, for which they were not only pardoned, but paid by the -Government they were attempting to overthrow. As late as August, 1861, -after Bull Run, after Wilson Creek, Buckner visited Washington, was -allowed to inspect the fortifications, and went almost directly thence -to Richmond. When he next returned to Kentucky, it was at the head of -an invading Rebel army. - -[Sidenote: WHAT REBEL LEADERS PRETENDED.] - -"State Rights" was their watchword. "For Kentucky neutrality," first; -and, should the conflict be forced upon them, "For the South against -the North." They worked artfully upon the southern partiality for the -doctrine that allegiance is due first to the State, and only secondly -to the National Government. - -Governor Magoffin and Lieutenant-Governor Porter were bitter Rebels. -The Legislature made a heavy appropriation for arming the State, -but practically displaced the Governor, by appointing five loyal -commissioners to control the fund and its expenditure. - -In Louisville, the Unionists secretly organized the "Loyal League," -which became very large; but the Secessionists, also, were noisy and -numerous, firm and defiant. - -On the 5th of June, Rousseau started for Washington, to obtain -authority to raise troops in Kentucky. At Cincinnati, he met Colonel -Thomas J. Key, then Judge-Advocate of Ohio, on duty with General -McClellan. Key was alarmed, and asked if it were not better to keep -Kentucky in the Union by voting, than by fighting. Rousseau replied: - -"As fast as we take one vote, and settle the matter, another, in some -form, is proposed. While we are voting, the traitors are enlisting -soldiers, preparing to throttle Kentucky and precipitate her into -Revolution as they have the other southern States. It is our duty to -see that we are not left powerless at the mercy of those who will -butcher us whenever they can." - -[Sidenote: ROUSSEAU'S VISIT TO WASHINGTON.] - -Key declared that he would ruin every thing by his rashness. By -invitation, Rousseau called on the commander of the Western Department. -During the conversation, McClellan remarked that Buckner had spent the -previous night with him. Rousseau replied that Buckner was a hypocrite -and traitor. McClellan rejoined that he thought him an honorable -gentleman. They had served in Mexico together, and were old personal -friends. - -He added: "But I did draw him over the coals for saying he would not -only drive the Rebels out of Kentucky, but also the Federal troops." - -"Well, sir," said Rousseau, "it would once have been considered pretty -nearly treason for a citizen to fight the United States army and levy -war against the National Government!" - -When Rousseau reached Washington, he found that Colonel Key, who had -frankly announced his determination to oppose his project, was already -there. He had an interview with the President, General Cameron, and Mr. -Seward. The weather was very hot, and Cameron sat with his coat off -during the conversation. - -As usual, before proceeding to business, Mr. Lincoln had his "little -story" to enjoy. He shook hands cordially with his visitor, and asked, -in great glee: - -"Rousseau, where did you get that joke about Senator Johnson?" - -"The joke, Mr. President, was too good to keep. Johnson told it -himself." - -It was this: Dr. John M. Johnson, senator from Paducah, wrote to -Mr. Lincoln a rhetorical document, in the usual style of the Rebels. -In behalf of the sovereign State, he entered his solemn and emphatic -protest against the planting of cannon at Cairo, declaring that the -guns actually pointed in the direction of the sacred soil of Kentucky! - -[Sidenote: HIS INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT LINCOLN.] - -In an exquisitely pithy autograph letter, Mr. Lincoln replied, if he -had known earlier that Cairo, Illinois, was in Dr. Johnson's Kentucky -Senatorial District, he certainly should not have established either -the guns or the troops there! Singularly enough--for a keen sense of -humor was very rare among our "erring brethren"--Johnson appreciated -the joke. - -While Rousseau was urging the necessity of enlisting troops, he -remarked: - -"I have half pretended to submit to Kentucky neutrality, but, in -discussing the matter before the people, while apparently standing upon -the line, I have almost always _poked_." - -This word was not in the Cabinet vocabulary. General Cameron looked -inquiringly at Mr. Lincoln, who was supposed to be familiar with the -dialect of his native State. - -"General," asked the President, "you don't know what 'poke' means? Why, -when you play marbles, you are required to shoot from a mark on the -ground; and when you reach over with your hand, beyond the line, that -is _poking!_" - -Cameron favored enlistments in Kentucky, without delay. Mr. Lincoln -replied: - -"General, don't be too hasty; you know we have seen another man to-day, -and we should act with caution." Rousseau explained: - -"The masses in Kentucky are loyal. I can get as many soldiers as are -wanted; but if the Rebels raise troops, while we do not, our young men -will go into their army, taking the sympathies of kindred and friends, -and may finally cause the State to secede. It is of vital importance -that we give loyal direction to the sentiment of our people." - -At the next interview, the President showed him this indorsement on the -back of one of his papers: - - "When Judge Pirtle, James Guthrie, George D. Prentice, - Harney, the Speeds, and the Ballards shall think it proper - to raise troops for the United States service in Kentucky, - Lovell H. Rousseau is authorized to do so." - -"How will that do, Rousseau?" - -"Those are good men, Mr. President, loyal men; but perhaps some of the -rest of us, who were born and reared in Kentucky, are just as good -Union men as they are, and know just as much about the State. If you -want troops, I can raise them, and I will raise them. If you do not -want them, or do not want to give me the authority, why that ends the -matter." - -Finally, through the assistance of Mr. Chase, who steadfastly favored -the project, and of Secretary Cameron, the authority was given. - -[Sidenote: TIMIDITY OF KENTUCKY UNIONISTS.] - -A few Kentucky Loyalists were firm and outspoken. But General Leslie -Coombs was a good specimen of the whole. When asked for a letter to Mr. -Lincoln, he wrote: "Rousseau is loyal and brave, but a little too much -for coercion for these parts." - -After Rousseau returned, with permission to raise twenty companies, -_The Louisville Courier_, whose veneer of loyalty was very thin, -denounced the effort bitterly. Even _The Louisville Journal_ derided it -until half a regiment was in camp. - -[Sidenote: LOYALTY OF JUDGE LUSK.] - -A meeting of leading Loyalists of the State was held in Louisville, -at the office of James Speed, since Attorney General of the United -States. Garrett Davis, Bramlette, Boyle, and most of the Louisville -men, were against the project. They feared it would give the State to -the Secessionists at the approaching election. Speed and the Ballards -were for it. So was Samuel Lusk, an old judge from Garrard County, who -sat quietly as long as he could during the discussion, then jumped up, -and bringing his hand heavily down on the table, exclaimed: - -"Can't have two regiments for the old flag! By---! sir, he shall have -thirty!" - -A resolution was finally adopted that, when the time came, they all -wished Rousseau to raise and command the troops, but that, for the -present, it would be impolitic and improper to commence enlisting in -Kentucky. - -Greatly against his own will, and declaring that he never was so -humiliated in his life, Rousseau established his camp on the Indiana -shore. After the election, some Secession sympathizers, learning -that he proposed to bring his men over to Louisville, protested very -earnestly, begging him to desist, and thus avoid bloodshed, which they -declared certain. - -"Gentlemen," said he, "my men, like yourselves, are Kentuckians. I -am a Kentuckian. Our homes are on Kentucky soil. We have organized -in defense of our common country; and bloodshed is just the business -we are drilling for. If anybody in the city of Louisville thinks it -judicious to begin it when we arrive, I tell you, before God, you shall -all have enough of it before you get through!" - -The next day he marched his brigade unmolested through the city. -Afterward, upon many battle-fields, its honorable fame and Rousseau's -two stars were fairly won and worthily worn. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - The hum of either army stilly sounds, That the fixed - sentinels almost receive The secret whispers of each other's - watch.--KING HENRY V. - - -[Sidenote: CAMPAIGNING IN THE KANAWHA VALLEY.] - -I spent the last days of July, in Western Virginia, with the command of -General J. D. Cox, which was pursuing Henry A. Wise in hot haste up the -valley of the Kanawha. There had been a few little skirmishes, which, -in those early days, we were wont to call battles. - -Like all mountain regions, the Kanawha valley was extremely loyal. -Flags were flying, and the people manifested intense delight at the -approach of our army. We were very close upon the flying enemy; indeed, -more than once our cavalry boys ate hot breakfasts which the Rebels had -cooked for themselves. - -At a farm-house, two miles west of Charleston, a dozen natives were -sitting upon the door-step as our column passed. The farmer shook -hands with us very cordially. "I _am_ glad to see the Federal army," -said he; "I have been hunted like a dog, and compelled to hide in the -mountains, because I loved the Union." His wife exclaimed, "Thank God, -you have come at last, and the day of our deliverance is here. I always -said that the Lord was on our side, and that he would bring us through -safely." - -[Sidenote: A BLOODTHIRSTY FEMALE SECESSIONIST.] - -Two of the women were ardent Rebels. They did not blame the -native-born Yankees, but wished that every southerner in our ranks -might be killed. Just then one of our soldiers, whose home was in that -county, passed by the door-step, on his way to the well for a canteen -of water. One of the women said to me, with eyes that meant it: - -"I hope _he_ will be killed! If I had a pistol I would shoot him. Why! -you have a revolver right here in your belt, haven't you? If I seen it -before, I would have used it upon him!" - -Suggesting that I might have interfered with such an attempt, I asked: - -"Do you think you could hit him?" - -"O, yes! I have been practicing lately for just such a purpose." - -Her companion assured me that she prayed every night and morning for -Jefferson Davis. If his armies were driven out of Virginia, she would -go and live in one of the Gulf States. She had a brother and a lover -in General Wise's army, and gave us their names, with a very earnest -request to see them kindly treated, should they be taken prisoners. -When we parted, she shook my hand, with: "Well, I hope no harm will -befall you, if you _are_ an Abolitionist!" - -An old citizen, who had been imprisoned for Union sentiments, was -overcome with joy at the sight of our troops. He mounted a great rock -by the roadside, and extemporized a speech, in which thanks to the -Union army and the Lord curiously intermingled. - -Women, with tears in their eyes, told us how anxiously they had -waited for the flag; how their houses had been robbed, their husbands -hunted, imprisoned, and impressed. Negroes joined extravagantly in the -huzzaing, swinging flags as a woodman swings his ax, bending themselves -almost double with shouts of laughter, and exclamations of "Hurrah for -Mass'r Lincoln!" - -Thirteen miles above Charleston, at the head of navigation, we left -behind what we grandiloquently called "the fleet." It consisted of -exactly four little stern-wheel steamboats. - -The people of these mountain regions use the old currency of New -England, and talk of "fourpence ha'pennies" and "ninepences." - -Our road continued along the river-bank, where the ranges of -overhanging hills began to break into regular, densely timbered, -pyramidal spurs. The weather was very sultry. How the sun smote us in -that close, narrow valley! The accoutrement's of each soldier weighed -about thirty pounds, and made a day's march of twenty miles an arduous -task. - -[Sidenote: A WOMAN IN DISGUISE.] - -A private who had served in the First Kentucky Infantry[13] for three -months, proved to be of the wrong sex. She performed camp duties with -great fortitude, and never fell out of the ranks during the severest -marches. She was small in stature, and kept her coat buttoned to her -chin. She first excited suspicion by her feminine method of putting -on her stockings; and when handed over to the surgeon proved to be a -woman, about twenty years old. She was discharged from the regiment, -but sent to Columbus upon suspicion, excited by some of her remarks, -that she was a spy of the Rebels. - -[13] So called, though nearly all its members came from Cincinnati. - -[Sidenote: EXTRAVAGANT JOY OF THE NEGROES.] - -At Cannelton, a hundred slaves were employed in the coal-oil works--two -long, begrimed, dilapidated buildings, with a few wretched houses -hard by. Nobody was visible, except the negroes. When I asked one of -them--"Where are all the white people?" he replied, with a broad grin-- - -"Done gone, mass'r." - -A black woman, whom we encountered on the road, was asked: - -"Have you run away from your master?" - -"Golly, no!" was the prompt answer, "mass'r run away from _me_!" - -The slaves, who always heard the term "runaway" applied only to their -own race, were not aware that it could have any other significance. -After the war opened, its larger meaning suddenly dawned upon them. The -idea of the master running away and the negroes staying, was always to -them ludicrous beyond description. The extravagant lines of "Kingdom -Coming," exactly depicted their feelings: - - Say, darkies, hab you seen de mass'r, - Wid de muffstach on his face, - Go 'long de road some time dis mornin', - Like he's gwine to leave de place? - He seen de smoke way up de ribber - Where de Linkum gunboats lay; - He took his hat and left berry sudden, - And I 'spose he runned away. - De mass'r run, ha! ha! - De darkey stay, ho! ho! - It must be now de kingdom comin', - An' de year ob Jubilo. - -"Dey tole us," said a group of blacks, "dat if your army cotched us, -you would cut off our right feet. But, Lor! we knowed you wouldn't hurt -_us_!" - -At a house where we dined, the planter assuming to be loyal, one of -our officers grew confidential with him, when a negro woman managed to -beckon me into a back room, and seizing my arm, very earnestly said: "I -tell you, mass'r's only just putting on. He hates you all, and wants to -see you killed. Soon as you have passed, he will send right to Wise's -army, and tell him what you mean to do; if any of you'uns remain here -behind the troops, you will be in danger. He's in a heap of trouble," -she added, "but, Lord, dese times just suits _me_!" - -At another house, while the Rebel host had stepped out for a moment, an -intelligent young colored woman, with an infant in her arms, stationed -two negro girls at the door to watch for his return, and interrogated -me about the progress and purposes of the War. "Is it true," she -inquired, very sadly, "that your army has been hunting and returning -runaway slaves?" - -Thanks to General Cox, who, like the sentinel in Rolla, "knew his duty -better," I could reply in the negative. But when, with earnestness -gleaming in her eyes, she asked, if, through these convulsions, any -hope glimmered for her race, what could I tell her but to be patient, -and trust in God? - -[Sidenote: HOW THE SOLDIERS FORAGED.] - -Army rations are not inviting to epicurean tastes; but in the field -all sorts of vegetables and poultry were added to our bill of fare. -Chickens, young pigs, fence-rails, apples, and potatoes, are legitimate -army spoils the world over. - -"Where did you get that turkey?" asked a captain of one of his men. -"Bought it, sir," was the prompt answer. "For how much?" "Seventy-five -cents." "Paid for it, did you?" "Well, no, sir; told the man I would -pay _when we came back_!" - -"Mass'r," said a little ebony servant to a captain with whom I was -messing, "I sees a mighty fine goose. Wish we had him for supper." - -"Ginger," replied the officer, "have I not often told you that it is -very wicked to steal?" - -The little negro laughed all over his face, and fell out of the ranks. -By a "coincidence," worthy of Sam Weller, we supped on stewed goose -that very evening. - -Seen by night from the adjacent hills, our picturesque encampments -gave to the wild landscape a new beauty. In the deep valleys gleamed -hundreds of snowy tents, lighted by waning camp-fires, round which -grotesque figures flitted. The faint murmur of voices, and the ghostly -sweetness of distant music, filled the summer air. - -[Sidenote: THE FALLS OF THE KANAWHA.] - -At the Falls of the Kanawha the river is half a mile wide. A natural -dam of rocks, a hundred yards in breadth, and, on its lower side, -thirty feet above the water, extends obliquely across the stream--a -smooth surface of gray rock, spotted with brown moss. - -Near the south bank is the main fall, in the form of a half circle, -three or four hundred yards long, with a broken descent of thirty feet. -Above the brink, the water is dark, green, and glassy, but at the verge -it looks half transparent, as it tumbles and foams down the rocks, -lashed into a passion of snowy whiteness. Plunging into the seething -caldron, it throws up great jets and sheets of foam. Above, the calm, -shining water extends for a mile, until hidden by a sudden bend in the -channel. The view is bounded by a tall spur, wrapped in the sober green -of the forest, with an adventurous corn-field climbing far up its steep -side. At the narrow base of the spur, a straw-colored lawn surrounds a -white farm-house, with low, sloping roof and antique chimneys. It is -half hidden among the maples, and sentineled by a tall Lombardy poplar. - -Two miles above the fall, the stream breaks into its two chief -confluents--the New River and the Gauley. Hawk's Nest, near their -junction, is a peculiarly romantic spot. In its vicinity our command -halted. It was far from its base, and Wise ran too fast for capture. We -had five thousand troops, who were ill-disciplined and discontented. -General Cox was then fresh from the Ohio Senate. After more field -experience, he became an excellent officer. - -[Sidenote: A TRAGEDY OF SLAVERY.] - -When I returned through the valley, I found Charleston greatly excited. -A docile and intelligent mulatto slave, of thirty years, had never been -struck in his life. But, on the way to a hayfield, his new overseer -began to crack his whip over the shoulders of the gang, to hurry them -forward. The mulatto shook his head a little defiantly, when the whip -was laid heavily across his back. Turning instantly upon the driver, -he smote him with his hayfork, knocking him from his horse, and laying -the skull bare. The overseer, a large, athletic man, drew his revolver; -but, before he could use it, the agile mulatto wrenched it away, and -fired two shots at his head, which instantly killed him. Taking the -weapon, the slave fled to the mountains, whence he escaped to the Ohio -line. - - ST. LOUIS, _August 19, 1861_. - -In the days of stage-coaches, the trip from Cincinnati to St. Louis -was a very melancholy experience; in the days of steamboats, a very -tedious one. Now, you leave Cincinnati on a summer evening; and the -placid valley of the Ohio--the almost countless cornfields of the -Great Miami (one of them containing fifteen hundred acres), where -the exhaustless soil has produced that staple abundantly for fifty -years--the grave and old home of General Harrison, at North Bend--the -dense forests of Indiana--the Wabash Valley, that elysium of chills -and fever, where pumpkins are "fruit," and hoop-poles "timber"--the -dead-level prairies of Illinois, with their oceans of corn, tufts -of wood, and painfully white villages--the muddy Mississippi, -"All-the-Waters," as one Indian tribe used to call it--are unrolled in -panorama, till, at early morning, St. Louis, hot and parched with the -journey, holds out her dusty hands to greet you. - -[Sidenote: THE FUTURE OF ST. LOUIS.] - -No inland city ever held such a position as this. Here is the heart -of the unequaled valley, which extends from the Rocky Mountains to -the Alleghanies, and from the great lakes to the Gulf. Here is the -mighty river, which drains a region six times greater than the empire -of France, and bears on its bosom the waters of fifty-seven navigable -streams. Even the rude savage called it the "Father of Waters," and -early Spanish explorers reverentially named it the "River of the Holy -Ghost." - -St. Louis, "with its thriving young heart, and its old French limbs," -is to be the New York of the interior. The child is living who will see -it the second city on the American continent. - -Three Rebel newspapers have recently been suppressed. The editor of one -applied to the provost-marshal for permission to resume, but declined -to give a pledge that no disloyal sentiment should appear in its -columns. He was very tender of the Constitution, and solicitous about -"the rights of the citizen." The marshal replied: - -"I cannot discuss these matters with you. I am a soldier, and obey -orders." - -"But," remonstrated the editor, "you might be ordered to hang me." - -"Very possibly," replied the major, dryly. - -"And you would obey orders, then?" - -"Most assuredly I would, sir." - -The Secession journalist left, in profound disgust. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - ----He died, To throw away the dearest thing he owed, As - 'twere a careless trifle.---MACBETH. - - The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.--MERCHANT OF - VENICE. - -[Sidenote: THE BATTLE OF WILSON CREEK.] - - -On the 10th of August, at Wilson Creek, two hundred and forty miles -southwest of St. Louis, occurred the hardest-fought battle of the -year. General Lyon had pursued the Rebels to that corner of the State. -He had called again and again for re-enforcements, but at Washington -nothing could be seen except Virginia. Lyon's force was five thousand -two hundred men. The enemy, under Ben McCulloch and Sterling Price, -numbered over eleven thousand, according to McCulloch's official -report. Lyon would not retreat. He thought that would injure the Cause -more than to fight and be defeated. - -To one of his staff-officers, the night before the engagement, he said: -"I believe in presentiments, and, ever since this attack was planned, -I have felt that it would result disastrously. But I cannot leave the -country without a battle." - -On his way to the field, he was silent and abstracted; but when the -guns opened, he gave his orders with great promptness and clearness. - -He had probably resolved that he would not leave the field alive unless -he left it as a victor. By a singular coincidence, the two armies -marched out before daybreak on that morning each to attack the other. -They met, and for many hours the tide of battle ebbed and flowed. - -Lyon's little army fought with conspicuous gallantry. It contained the -very best material. The following is a list--from memory, and therefore -quite incomplete--of some officers, who, winning here their first -renown, afterward achieved wide and honorable reputation: - - AT WILSON CREEK. AFTERWARD. - Frederick Steele Captain Major-General. - F. J. Herron Captain Major-General. - P. J. Osterhaus Major Major-General. - S. D. Sturgis Major Major-General. - R. B. Mitchell Colonel Major-General. - Franz Sigel Colonel Major-General. - D. S. Stanley Captain Major-General. - J. M. Schofield Major Major-General. - Gordon Granger Captain Major-General. - J. B. Plummer Captain Brigadier-General. - James Totten Captain Brigadier-General. - E. A. Carr Captain Brigadier-General. - Geo. W. Deitzler Colonel Brigadier-General. - T. W. Sweeney Captain Brigadier-General. - Geo. L. Andrews Lieutenant-Colonel Brigadier-General. - I. F. Shepard Major Brigadier-General. - -[Sidenote: DARING EXPLOIT OF A KANSAS OFFICER.] - -During the battle, Captain Powell Clayton's company of the First -Kansas Volunteers, becoming separated from the rest of our forces, -was approached by a regiment uniformed precisely like the First Iowa. -Clayton had just aligned his men with this new regiment, when he -detected small strips of red cloth on the shoulders of the privates, -which marked them as Rebels. With perfect coolness, he gave the order: - -"Right oblique, march! You are crowding too much upon this regiment." - -By this maneuver his company soon placed a good fifty yards between -itself and the Rebel regiment, when the Adjutant of the latter rode up -in front, suspicious that all was not right. Turning to Clayton, he -asked: - -"What troops are these?" - -"First Kansas," was the prompt reply. "What regiment is that?" - -"Fifth Missouri, Col. Clarkson." - -"Southern or Union?" - -"Southern," said the Rebel, wheeling his horse; but Clayton seized him -by the collar, and threatened to shoot him if he commanded his men to -attack. The Adjutant, heedless of his own danger, ordered his regiment -to open fire upon the Kansas company. He was shot dead on the spot by -Clayton, who told his men to run for their lives. They escaped with the -loss of only four. - -[Sidenote: THE DEATH OF LYON.] - -Toward evening Lyon's horse was killed under him. Immediately -afterward, his officers begged that he would retire to a less exposed -spot. Scarcely raising his eyes from the enemy, he said: - -"It is well enough that I stand here. I am satisfied." - -While the line was forming, he turned to Major Sturgis, who stood near -him, and remarked: - -"I fear that the day is lost. I think I will lead this charge." - -Early in the day he had received a flesh-wound in the leg, from which -the blood flowed profusely. Sturgis now noticed fresh blood on the -General's hat, and asked where it came from. - -"It is nothing, Major, nothing but a wound in the head," replied Lyon, -mounting a fresh horse. - -Without taking the hat that was held out to him by Major Sturgis, he -shouted to the soldiers: - -"Forward, men! I will lead you." - -Two minutes later he lay dead on the field, pierced by a rifle-ball -through the breast, just above the heart. - -Our officers held a hurried consultation, and decided not only to -retreat, but to abandon southwest Missouri. Strangely enough, the -coincidence of the morning was here repeated. Almost simultaneously, -the Rebels decided to fall back. They were in full retreat when they -were arrested by the news of the departure of the Federal troops, and -returned to take possession of the field which the last Union soldier -had abandoned eight hours before. - -They claimed a great victory, and with justice, as they finally held -the ground. Their journals were very jubilant. Said _The New Orleans -Picayune_: - - "Lyon is killed, Sigel in flight; southwestern Missouri - is clear of the National scum of invaders. The next word - will be, 'On to St. Louis.' That taken, the whole power of - Lincolnism is broken in the West, and instead of shouting - 'Ho for Richmond!' and 'Ho for New Orleans!' there will - be hurrying to and fro among the frightened magnates at - Washington, and anxious inquiries of what they shall do to - save themselves from the vengeance to come. Heaven smiles on - the armies of the Confederate States." - -[Sidenote: LYON'S COURAGE AND PATRIOTISM.] - -Lyon went into the battle in civilian's dress, excepting only a -military coat. He had on a soft hat of ashen hue, with long fur and -very broad brim, turned up on three sides. He had worn it for a month; -it would have individualized the wearer among fifty thousand men. His -peculiar dress and personal appearance were well known through the -enemy's camp. He received a new and elegant uniform just before the -battle, but it was never worn until his remains were clothed in it, -after the brave spirit had fled, and while our forces were retreating -from Springfield by night. - -Notwithstanding his personal bravery and military education, he always -opposed dueling on principle. No provocation made him recognize the -"code." Once he was struck in the face, but he had courage enough to -refuse to challenge his adversary. For a time this subjected him to -misapprehension and contempt among military men, but, long before his -death, his fellow-officers understood and respected him. - -He seemed to care little for personal fame--to think only of the Cause. -Knowing exactly what was before him, he went to death on that summer -evening "as a man goes to his bridal." Losing a life, he gained an -immortality. His memory is green in the nation's heart, his name high -on her roll of honor. - -[Sidenote: ARRIVAL OF GENERAL FREMONT.] - -On the 25th of July, Major-General John C. Fremont reached St. Louis, -in command of the Western Department. His advent was hailed with great -enthusiasm. The newspapers, West, predicted for him achievements -extravagant and impossible as those which the New York journals had -foretold for McClellan. In those sanguine days, the whole country made -"Young Napoleons" to order. - -With characteristic energy, Fremont plunged into the business of his -new department, where chaos reigned, and he had no spell to evoke -order, save the boundless patriotism and earnestness of the people. - -His head-quarters were established on Chouteau Avenue. He was overrun -with visitors--every captain, or corporal, or civilian, seeking to -prosecute his business with the General in person. He was therefore -compelled to shut himself up, and, by the sweeping refusal to admit -petitioners to him, a few were excluded whose business was important. -Some dissatisfaction and some jesting resulted. I remember three -Kansas officers, charged with affairs of moment, who used daily to be -merry, describing how they had made a reconnoissance toward Fremont's -head-quarters, fought a lively engagement, and driven in the pickets, -only to find the main garrison so well guarded that they were quite -unable to force it. - -[Sidenote: UNION FAMILIES DRIVEN OUT.] - - ST. LOUIS, _August 26, 1861_. - -A long caravan of old-fashioned Virginia wagons, containing rude -chairs, bedsteads, and kitchen utensils, passed through town yesterday. -They brought from the Southwest families who, - - "Forced from their homes, a melancholy train, are seeking in - free Illinois that protection which Government is unable to - afford them in Missouri. At least fifty thousand inoffensive - persons have thus fled since the Rebellion." - - _August 29._ - -We were lately surprised and gratified to learn that a gentleman from -Minnesota had offered an unasked loan of forty-six thousand dollars to -the Government authorities--gratified at such spontaneous patriotism, -and surprised that any man who lived in Minnesota should have forty-six -thousand dollars. The latter mystery has been explained by the -discovery that he never took his funds to that vortex of real estate -speculation, but left them in this city, where he formerly resided. -Moreover, his money was in Missouri currency, which, though at par here -in business transactions, is at a discount of eight per cent. on gold -and New York exchange. The loan is to be returned to him in gold. So, -after all, there is probably as much human nature to the square acre in -Minnesota as anywhere else. - - _September 6._ - -"Egypt to the rescue!" is the motto upon the banner of a new Illinois -regiment. Southern Illinois, known as Egypt, is turning out men for -the Mississippi campaign with surprising liberality; whereupon a fiery -Secessionist triumphantly calls attention to this prophetic text, from -Hosea: "Egypt shall gather them up; Memphis shall bury them!" - -The aptness of the citation is admirable; but he is reminded, in -return, that the pet phrase of the Rebels, "Let us alone," was the -prayer of a man possessed of a devil, to the Saviour of the world! - -[Sidenote: AN INVOLUNTARY SOJOURN WITH REBELS.] - -I have just met a gentleman, residing in southwestern Missouri, whose -experience is novel. He visited the camp of the Rebels to reclaim a -pair of valuable horses, which they had taken from his residence. They -not only retained the stolen animals, but also took from him those -with which he went in pursuit, and left him the alternative of walking -home, twenty-three miles, through a dangerous region, or remaining -in their camp. Fond of adventure, he chose the latter, and for three -weeks messed with a Missouri company. The facetious scoundrels told him -that they could not afford to keep him unless he earned his living; -and employed him as a teamster. He had philosophy enough to make the -best of it, and flattered himself that he became a very creditable -mule-driver. - -Early on the morning of August 10th, he was breakfasting with the -officers from a dry-goods box, which served for a table, when bang! -went a cannon, not more than two or three hundred yards from them, and -crash! came a ball, cutting off the branches just above their heads. -"Here is the devil to pay; the Dutch are upon us!" exclaimed the -captain, springing up and ordering his company to form. - -My friend was a looker-on from the Southern side during the whole -battle. He gives a graphic account of the joy of the Rebels at finding -the body of General Lyon, lying under a tree (the first information -they had of his death), and their surprise and consternation at the -bravery with which the little Union army fought to the bitter end. - -Twenty leading Secessionists are in durance vile here. There is a -poetic justice in the fact that their prison was formerly a slave-pen, -and that they are enabled to study State Rights from old negro quarters. - - _September 7._ - -[Sidenote: A STARTLING CONFEDERATE ATROCITY.] - -The Rebels have just perpetrated a new and startling atrocity. They cut -down the high railroad bridge over the Little Platte River near St. -Joseph. The next train from Hannibal reached the spot at midnight, and -its locomotive and five cars were precipitated, thirty feet, into the -bed of the river. More than fifty passengers were dangerously wounded, -and twenty instantly killed. They were mainly women and children; there -was not a single soldier among them. - - _September 15._ - -General Fremont is issuing written guarantees for their freedom to the -slaves of Rebels. They are in the form of real-estate conveyances, -releasing the recipient from all obligations to his master; declaring -him forever free from servitude, and with full right and authority -to control his own labor. They are headed "Deed of Manumission," -authenticated by the great seal of the Western Department, and the -signature of its commander. Think of giving a man a warranty-deed for -his own body and soul! - -In compliance with imperative orders from the Government, several -regiments, though sadly needed here, are being sent eastward. To the -colonel commanding one of them, the order was conveyed by Fremont in -these characteristic terms: - - "Repair at once to Washington. Transportation is provided for - you. My friend, I am sorry to part with you, but there are - laurels growing on the banks of the Potomac." - -[Sidenote: ORGANIZATION OF THE "BOHEMIAN BRIGADE."] - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - Why should a man, whose blood is warm within, Sit like his - grandsire cut in alabaster?----MERCHANT OF VENICE. - - -In October, General Fremont's forming army rendezvoused at the capital -of Missouri. From afar, Jefferson City is picturesque; but distance -lends enchantment. Close inspection shows it uninviting and rough. The -Capitol, upon a frowning hill, is a little suggestive of the sober -old State House which overlooks Boston Common. Brick and frame houses -enough for a population of three thousand straggle over an area of a -mile square, as if they had been tossed up like a peck of apples, and -left to come down and locate themselves. Many are half hidden by the -locust, ailantus, and arbor-vitae trees, and the white blossoms of the -catalpas. - -The war correspondents "smelled the battle from afar off." More than -twenty collected two or three weeks before the army started. Some of -them were very grave and decorous at home, but here they were like boys -let out of school. - -They styled themselves the Bohemian Brigade, and exhibited that -touch of the vagabond which Irving charitably attributes to all -poetic temperaments. They were quartered in a wretched little tavern -eminently First Class in its prices. It was very southern in style. -A broad balcony in front, over a cool brick pavement; no two rooms -upon the same level; no way of getting up stairs except by going out -of doors; long, low wings, shooting off in all directions; a gallery -in the rear, deeper than the house itself; heavy furniture, from the -last generation, with a single modern link in the shape of a piano in -the ladies' parlor; leisurely negro waiters, including little boys -and girls, standing behind guests at dinner, and waving long wands -over the table to disconcert the omnipresent flies; and corn bread, -hot biscuits, ham, and excellent coffee. The host and hostess were -slaveholders, who said "thar" and "whar," but held that Secessionists -were traitors, and that traitors ought to be hung. - -[Sidenote: AN AMUSED AFRICAN.] - -The landlord, who was aged, rheumatic, and half blind, labored under -the delusion that he kept the house; but an intelligent and middle-aged -slave, yclept John, was the real brain of the establishment. - -"John," asked one of the correspondents, "does your master really think -he is alive?" - -"'Live, sir? I reckon so." - -"Why, he has been dead these twenty years. He hobbles around, -pretending he exists, just to save funeral expenses." - -John's extravagant enjoyment of this sorry jest beggared description. -He threw himself on the floor, rolled over and over, and roared with -laughter for fifteen minutes. He did not recover his usual gravity for -weeks. Again and again, while waiting upon guests, he would see his -master coming, and suddenly explode with merriment, to the infinite -amazement of the _habitues_ of the house, who suspected that the negro -was losing his wits. - -[Sidenote: DIVERSIONS OF THE CORRESPONDENTS.] - -The Bohemians took their ease in their inn, and held high carnival, -to the astonishment of all its _attaches_, from the aged proprietor -down to the half-fledged negro cherubs. Each seemed to regard as his -personal property the half-dozen rooms which all occupied. The one who -dressed earliest in the morning would appropriate the first hat, coat, -and boots he found, remarking that the owner was probably dead. - -One huge, good-natured brother they called "the Elephant." He was -greatly addicted to sleeping in the daytime; and when other resources -failed, some reckless quill-driver would say: - -"Now, let's all go and sleep with the Elephant." - -Eight or ten would pile themselves upon his bed, beside him and upon -him, until his good-nature became exhausted, when the giant would toss -them out of the room like so many pebbles, and lock his door. - -There was little work to be done; so they discussed politics, art, -society, and metaphysics; and would soon kindle into singing, reciting, -"sky-larking," wrestling, flinging saddles, valises, and pillows. In -some recent theatrical spectacle, two had heard a "chorus of fiends," -which tickled their fancy. As the small hours approached, it was -their unceasing delight to roar imitations of it, declaring, with -each repetition, that it was now to be given positively for the last -time, and by the very special request of the audience. How they sent -that demoniac "Ha! ha! ha!" shrieking through the midnight air! The -following account of their diversions was given by "J. G." in _The -Cincinnati Gazette_. The scenes he witnessed suggested, very naturally, -the nomenclature of the prize-ring: - - Happening to drop in the other night, I found the - representatives of _The Missouri Republican_, _The Cincinnati - Commercial_, _The New York World_, and _The Tribune_, engaged - in a hot discussion upon matrimony, which finally ran into - metaphysics. _The Republican_ having plumply disputed an - abstruse proposition of _The Tribune_, the latter seized an - immense bolster, and brought it down with emphasis upon the - glossy pate of his antagonist. This instantly broke up the - debate, and a general _melee_ commenced. _The Republican_ - grabbed a damp towel and aimed a stunning blow at his - assailant, which missed him and brought up against the nasal - protuberance of _Frank Leslie_. The exasperated _Frank_ - dealt back a pillow, followed by a well-packed knapsack. - Then _The Missouri Democrat_ sent a coverlet, which lit - upon and enveloped the knowledge-box of _The Herald_. The - latter disengaged himself after several frantic efforts, - and hurled a ponderous pair of saddle-bags, which passed - so close to _The Gazette's_ head, that in dodging it he - bumped his phrenology against the bed-post, and raised a - respectable organ where none existed before. Simultaneously - _The Commercial_ threw a haversack, which hit _Harper_ in - the bread-basket, and doubled him into a folio--knocking - him against _The World_, who, toppling from his center of - gravity, was poising a plethoric bed-tick with dire intent, - when the upturned legs of a chair caught and tore it open, - scattering the feathers through the surging atmosphere. In - falling, he capsized the table, spilling the ink, wrecking - several literary barks, extinguishing the "brief candle" - that had faintly revealed the sanguinary fray, thus abruptly - terminating hostilities, but leaving the panting heroes - still defiant and undismayed. A light was at last struck; - the combatants adjusted their toilets, and, having lit the - calumets of peace, gently resigned themselves to the soothing - influence of the weed. - -[Sidenote: A POLITE ARMY CHAPLAIN.] - -They did not learn, for several days, that a meek chaplain, with his -wife and three children, inhabited an adjacent apartment. He was at -once sent for, and a fitting apology tendered. He replied that he had -actually enjoyed the novel entertainment. He must have been the most -polite man in the whole world. He is worthy a niche in biography, -beside the lady who was showered with gravy, by Sidney Smith, and who, -while it was still dripping from her chin, blandly replied to his -apologies, that not a single drop had touched her! - -When in-door diversions failed, the correspondents amused themselves by -racing their horses, which were all fresh and excitable. That region, -abounding in hills, ravines, and woods, is peculiarly seductive to -reckless equestrians desiring dislocated limbs or broken necks. - -One evening, the "Elephant" was thrown heavily from his horse, and -severely lamed. The next night, nothing daunted, he repeated the -race, and was hurled upon the ground with a force which destroyed his -consciousness for three or four hours. A comrade, in attempting to stop -the riderless horse, was dragged under the heels of his own animal. His -mild, protesting look, as he lay flat upon his back, holding in both -hands the uplifted, threatening foot of his fiery Pegasus, was quite -beyond description. One correspondent dislocated his shoulder, and went -home from the field before he heard a gun. - -[Sidenote: SIGHTS IN JEFFERSON CITY.] - - JEFFERSON CITY, MO., _October 6, 1861_. - -These deep ravines and this fathomless mud offer to obstinate mules -unlimited facilities for shying, and infinite possibilities of miring. -Last night, six animals and an army wagon went over a small precipice, -and, after a series of somersaults, driver, wagon, and mules, reached -the bottom, in a very chaotic condition. - -Jefferson is strong on the wet weather question. When Lyon got here -in June, he was welcomed by one man with an umbrella. When Fremont -arrived, a few nights ago, he was taken in charge by the same -gentleman, who was floundering about through the mud with a lantern, -seeking, not an honest man, but quarters for the commanding general. - -Most of the troops have gone forward, but some remain. Newly mounted -officers, who sit upon their steeds much as an elephant might walk a -tight rope, dash madly through the streets, fondly dreaming that they -witch the world with noble horsemanship. Subalterns show a weakness for -brass buttons, epaulettes, and gold braid, which leaves feminine vanity -quite in the shade. - -In the camps, the long roll is sometimes sounded at midnight, to -accustom officers and men to spring to arms. Upon the first of -these sudden calls from Morpheus to Mars, the negro servant of a -staff-officer was so badly frightened that he brought up his master's -horse with the crupper about the neck instead of the tail. The mistake -was discovered just in season to save the rider from the proverbial -destiny of a beggar on horseback. - -[Sidenote: "FIGHTS MIT SIGEL."] - -Here is a German private very shaky in the legs; he swears by Fremont -and "fights mit Sigel." Too much "lager" is the trouble with _him_; -and, in serene though harmless inebriety, he is arrested by a file -of soldiers. A capital print in circulation represents a native and -a German volunteer, with uplifted mugs of the nectar of Gambrinus, -striking hands to the motto, "One flag, one country, _zwei lager!_" - -Here is a detachment of Home Guards, whose "uniform is multiform." To -a proposition, that the British militia should never be ordered out of -the country, Pitt once moved the satirical proviso, "Except in case -of invasion." So it is alleged that the Missouri Home Guards are very -useful--except in case of a battle; and I hear one merciless critic -style them the "Home Cowards." This is unjust; but they illustrate the -principle, that to attain good drill and discipline, soldiers should be -beyond the reach of home. - -Camp Lillie, upon a beautiful grassy slope, is the head-quarters -of the commander. In his tent, directing, by telegraph, operations -throughout this great department, or upon horseback, personally -inspecting the regiments, you meet the peculiarly graceful, slender, -compact, magnetic man whose assignment here awoke so much enthusiasm -in the West. General Fremont is quiet, well-poised, and unassuming. -His friends are very earnest, his enemies very bitter. Those who know -him only by his early exploits, are surprised to find in the hero of -the frontier the graces of the saloon. He impresses one as a man very -modest, very genuine, and very much in earnest. - -[Sidenote: A PHYSIOLOGICAL PHENOMENON.] - -His hair is tinged with silver. His beard is sprinkled with snow, -though two months ago it was of unmingled brown. - - "Nor turned it white - In a single night, - As men's have done from sudden fears;" - -but it did blanch under the absorbing labors and anxieties of two -months--a physiological fact which Doctor Holmes will be good enough to -explain to us at his earliest convenience. - -Mrs. Fremont is in camp, but will return to Saint Louis when the -army moves. She inherits many traits of her father's character. -She possesses that "excellent thing in woman," a voice, like Annie -Laurie's, low and sweet--more rich, more musical, and better -modulated, than that of any _tragedienne_ upon the stage. To a broad, -comprehensive intellect she adds those quick intuitions which leap to -results, anticipating explanations, and those proclivities for episode, -incident, and bits of personal analyzing, which make a woman's talk so -charming. - -How much rarer this grace of familiar speech than any other -accomplishment whatever! In a lifetime one meets not more than four -or five great conversationalists. Jessie Benton Fremont is among the -felicitous few, if not queen of them all. - - _October 8._ - -The army is forty thousand strong. Generals Sigel, Hunter, Pope, -Asboth, and McKinstry command respectively its five divisions. - -[Sidenote: SIGEL, HUNTER, POPE, ASBOTH, MCKINSTRY.] - -Sigel is slender, pale, wears spectacles, and looks more like a student -than a soldier. He was professor in a university when the war broke out. - -Hunter, at sixty, and agile as a boy, is erect and grim, with bald head -and Hungarian mustache. - -Pope is heavy, full-faced, brown-haired, and looks like a man of brains. - -Asboth is tall, daring-eyed, elastic, a mad rider, and profoundly -polite, bowing so low that his long gray hair almost sweeps the ground. - -McKinstry is six feet two, sinewy-framed, deep-chested, firm-faced, -wavy-haired, and black-mustached. He looks like the hero of a -melodrama, and the Bohemians term him "the heavy tragedian." - - WARSAW, MO., _October 22_. - -An officer of New York mercantile antecedents, recently appointed -to a high position, reached Syracuse a few days since, under orders -to report to Fremont. He would come no farther than the end of the -railroad, but turned abruptly back to St. Louis. Being asked his -reason, he made this reply, peculiarly ingenuous and racy for a -brigadier-general and staff-officer: - -"Why, I found that I should have to go on horseback!" - -With two fellow-journalists, I left Syracuse four days ago. Asboth's -and Sigel's divisions had preceded us. The post-commandant would not -permit us to come through the distracted, guerrilla-infested country -without an escort, but gave us a sergeant and four men of the regular -army. - -On the way we spent the supper hour near Cole Camp. Our Falstaffian -landlord informed us that two brothers, Jim and Sam Cole, encamped -here in early days, to hunt bears, and that the creek was named in -remembrance of them. Being asked with great gravity the extremely -Bohemian question, "_Which_ of them?" he relapsed into a profound -study, from which he did not afterward recover. - -We made the trip--forty-seven miles--in ten hours. This is a strong -Secession village. Half its male inhabitants are in the Rebel army. -Our officers quarter in the most comfortable residences. At first -the people were greatly incensed at the "Abolition soldiery," but -they now submit gracefully. One of the most malignant Rebel families -involuntarily entertains a dozen German officers, who drink lager-beer -industriously, smoke meerschaums unceasingly, and at night sing -unintermittently. - -We are quartered at the house of a lady who has a son in Price's army, -and a daughter in whom education and breeding maintain constant warfare -with her antipathies toward the Union forces. Being told the other -evening that one of our party was a Black Republican, she regarded him -with a wondering stare, declaring that she never saw an Abolitionist -before in her life, and apparently amazed that he wore the human face -divine! - -[Sidenote: SIGEL'S TRANSPORTATION TRAIN.] - -Sigel, as usual, is thirty miles ahead. He has more _go_ in him -than any other of our generals. Several division commanders are -still waiting for transportation, but Sigel collected horse-wagons, -ox-wagons, mule-wagons, family-carriages, and stage-coaches, and -pressed animals until he organized a most unique transportation train -three or four miles long. He crossed his division over the swift Osage -River--three hundred yards wide--in twenty-four hours, upon a single -ferry-boat. The Rebels justly name him "The Flying Dutchman." - -[Sidenote: A COUNTRYMAN'S ESTIMATE OF TROOPS.] - -The Missourians along our line of march have very extravagant ideas -about the Federal army. We stopped at the house of a native, where ten -thousand troops had passed. He placed their number at forty thousand! - -"I reckon you have, in all, about seventy thousand men, and three -hundred cannon, haven't you?" he asked. - -"We have a hundred and fifty thousand men, and six hundred pieces of -artillery," replied a wag in the party. - -"Well," said the countryman, thoughtfully, "I reckon you'll clean out -old Price _this_ time!" - -[Sidenote: A "KID-GLOVED" CORPS.] - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more, Or close - the wall up with our English dead!----KING HENRY V. - -General Fremont's Body Guard was composed of picked young men of -unusual intelligence. They were all handsomely uniformed, efficiently -armed, and mounted upon bay horses. They cultivated the mustache, with -the rest of the face smooth--at least, not a more whimsical decree than -the rigid regulation of the British army, which compelled every man -to shave and wear a stock under the burning sun of the Crimea. Many -denounced the Guard as a "kid-gloved," ornamental corps, designed only -to swell Fremont's retinue. - -Major Zagonyi, commandant of the Guard, with one hundred and fifty of -his men, started with orders to reconnoiter the country in front of us. -When near Springfield, they found the town held by a Rebel force of -cavalry and infantry, ill organized, but tolerably armed, and numbering -two thousand. - -Zagonyi drew his men up in line, explained the situation, and asked -whether they would attack or turn back for re-enforcements. They -replied unanimously that they would attack. - -They _did_ attack. Men and horses were very weary. They had ridden -fifty miles in seventeen hours; they had never been under fire before; -but history hardly parallels their daring. - -[Sidenote: CHARGE OF THE BODY GUARD.] - -The Rebels formed in line of battle at the edge of a wood. To approach -them, the Guard were compelled to ride down a narrow lane, exposed to a -terrible fire from three different directions. They went through this -shower of bullets, dismounted, tore down the high zig-zag fence, led -their horses over in the teeth of the enemy, remounted, formed, and, -spreading out, fan-like, charged impetuously, shouting "Fremont and the -Union." - -The engagement was very brief and very bloody. Though only in the -proportion of one to thirteen, the Guard behaved as if weary of their -lives. Men utterly reckless are masters of the situation. At first, the -Confederates fought well; but they were soon panic-stricken, and many -dropped their guns, and ran to and fro like persons distracted. - -The Guard charged through and through the broken ranks of the Rebels, -chased them in all directions--into the woods, beyond the woods, -down the roads, through the town--and planted the old flag upon the -Springfield court-house, where it had not waved since the death of Lyon. - -Armed with revolvers and revolving carbines, members of the Guard had -twelve shots apiece. After delivering their first fire, there was no -time to reload, and (the only instance of the kind early in the war) -nearly all their work was done with the saber. When they mustered -again, almost every blade in the command was stained with blood. - -Of their one hundred and fifty horses, one hundred and twenty were -wounded. A sergeant had three horses shot under him. A private received -a bullet in a blacking-box, which he carried in his pocket. They lost -fifty men, sixteen of whom were killed on the spot. - -"I wonder if they will call us fancy soldiers and kid-gloved boys any -longer?" said one, who lay wounded in the hospital when we arrived. - -[Sidenote: TURNING THE TABLES.] - -On a cot beside him, I found an old schoolmate. His eye brightened as -he grasped my hand. - -"Is your wound serious?" I asked. - -"Painful, but not fatal. O, it was a glorious fight!" - -It _was_ a glorious fight. Wilson Creek is doubly historic ground. -There first a thousand of our men poured out their blood like water, -and the brave Lyon laid down his life "for our dear country's sake." -Two months later, the same stream witnessed the charge of the Body -Guard, which, in those dark days, when the Cause looked gloomy, -thrilled every loyal heart in the nation. It will shine down the -historic page, and be immortal in song and story. - -Major Frank J. White, of our army, was with the Rebels as a prisoner -of war during the charge. Just before they were routed, fourteen men, -under a South Carolina captain, started with him for General Price's -camp. At a house where they spent the night, the farmer boldly avowed -himself a Union man. He supposed White to be one of the Rebel officers; -but, finding a moment's opportunity, the major whispered to him: - -"I am a Union prisoner. Send word to Springfield at once, and my men -will come and rescue me." - -The Rebels, leaving one man on picket outside, went to bed in the same -room with their prisoner. Then the farmer sent his little boy of twelve -years, on horseback, fourteen miles to Springfield. At three o'clock in -the morning, twenty-six Home Guards surrounded the house, and captured -the entire party. Major White at once took command, and posted _his_ -guards over the crestfallen Confederates. - -While they sat around the fire in the evening, waiting for supper, the -Rebel captain had remarked: - -"Major, we have a little leisure, and I believe I will amuse myself by -looking over your papers." Whereupon he spent an hour in examining the -letters which he found in White's possession. In the morning, when the -party, again sitting by the fire, waited for breakfast, the major said, -quietly: - -"Captain, we have a little leisure, and I think I will amuse myself by -looking over _your_ papers." So the Rebel documents were scrutinized -in turn. White returned in triumph to Springfield, bringing his late -captors as prisoners. A friendship sprang up between him and the South -Carolina captain, who remained on parole in our camp for several days, -and they messed and slept together. - -[Sidenote: WELCOME FROM UNION RESIDENTS.] - -When our troops entered Springfield, the people greeted them with -uncontrollable joy; for they were intensely loyal, and had been under -Rebel rule more than eleven weeks. Scores and scores of National flags -now suddenly emerged from mysterious hiding-places; wandering exiles -came pouring back, and we were welcomed by hundreds of glad faces, -waving handkerchiefs, swinging hats, and vociferous huzzas. - -Fremont had now modified his Proclamation; but the logic of events was -stronger than President Lincoln. The negroes would throng our camp, -and Fremont never permitted a single one to be returned. One slave -appropriated a horse, and, guiding him only by a rope about the nose, -without saddle or bridle, blanket or spur, rode from Price's camp to -Fremont's head-quarters, more than eighty miles, in eighteen hours. - -A brigade of regular troops, under General Sturgis, having marched -from Kansas City, joined us in Springfield. They were under very rigid -discipline, and all their supplies, whether procured from Rebels or -Unionists, were paid for in gold. Sturgis was then very "conservative," -and some of our people denounced him as disloyal. But, like hundreds of -others, inexorable war educated him very rapidly. His sympathies were -soon heartily on our side. He afterward, in the Army of the Potomac, -won and wore bright laurels. - -[Sidenote: FREAKS OF THE KANSAS BRIGADE.] - -The Kansas volunteer brigade, under General "Jim" Lane, also joined us -at Springfield. Their course contrasted sharply with that of Sturgis's -men. They had a good many old scores to settle up, and they swept -along the Missouri border like a hurricane. Sublimely indifferent to -the President's orders, and all other orders which did not please -them, they received over two thousand slaves, sending them off by -installments into Kansas. When the master was loyal, they would -gravely appraise the negro; give him a receipt for his slave, named -----, valued at ---- hundred dollars, "lost by the march of the Kansas -Brigade," and advise him to carry the claim before Congress! - -By some unexplained law, dandies, fools, and supercilious braggarts -often gravitate into staff positions; but Fremont's staff was an -exceedingly agreeable one. Many of its members had traveled over the -globe, and, from their wide experiences, whiled away many hours before -the evening camp-fires. - -On the 31st of October, the correspondents, under cavalry escort, -visited the Wilson Creek battle-ground, ten miles south of Springfield. - -The field is broken by rocky ridges and deep ravines, and covered with -oak shrubs. Picking his way among the brushwood, my horse's hoof struck -with a dull, hollow sound against a human skull. Just beyond, still -clad in uniform, lay a skeleton, on whose ghastliness the storms and -sunshine of three months had fallen. The head was partially severed; -and though the upturned face was fleshless, I could not resist the -impression that it wore a look of mortal agony. It was in a little -thicket, several yards from the scene of any fighting. The poor fellow -was carried there, dying or dead, during the progress of the battle, -and afterward overlooked. Among our lost his name was probably followed -by the sad word "Missing." - - "Not among the suffering wounded; - Not among the peaceful dead; - Not among the prisoners. MISSING-- - That was all the message said. - - "Yet his mother reads it over, - Until, through her painful tears, - Fades the dear name she has called him - For these two-and-twenty years." - -Many graves had been opened by wolves. Bones of horses, haversacks, -shoes, blouses, gun-barrels, shot, and fragments of shell, were -scattered over the field. The trees were scarred with bullets, and -hundreds were felled by the artillery. A six-inch shot would cut down -one of these brittle oaks a foot in diameter. - -[Sidenote: CAPTURE OF A FEMALE SPY.] - -A few miles south of Springfield one of our scouts encountered a -young woman on horseback. Suspecting her errand, he informed her -confidentially that he was a spy from Price's army, who had been -several days in Fremont's camp. Falling into this palpable trap, -the girl told him frankly that _she_ was sent by Price to visit our -forces, and obtain information. She was taken immediately to Fremont's -head-quarters. Her terror was very great on finding herself betrayed. -She told all she knew about the Rebels, and was finally allowed to -depart in peace. The employment of female spies was very common upon -both sides. - -[Sidenote: FREMONT'S FAREWELL TO HIS ARMY.] - -On the 2d of November our whole army was at Springfield. Fremont had -progressed farther south than any other Union commander, from the -Atlantic to the Rio Grande. Detachments of Rebels were within ten miles -of our camps. Emphatic, but entirely false reports from the colonel at -the head of Fremont's scouts,[14] had given the impression that Price's -entire command was very near us; and a great battle was hourly expected. - -[14] This officer was a native Missourian, deemed trustworthy, and -thoroughly familiar with the country. He reported officially to Fremont -that the whole Rebel army was within eleven miles of us, when it was -really fifty miles away. Then, indeed, much later in the war, accurate -information about the enemy seemed absolutely unattainable. Scott, -McClellan, Halleck, Grant, all failed to procure it. Rosecrans was the -first general who kept himself thoroughly advised of the whereabouts, -strength, and designs of the Rebels. - -Fremont was in the midst of an important campaign. His army was most -patriotic, enthusiastic, and promising. His personal popularity among -his troops was without parallel. - -At this moment the official ax fell. He received an order to turn over -his command to Hunter. It was a trying ordeal, but he did a soldier's -duty, obeying silently and instantly. The first intelligence which the -army received was conveyed by this touching farewell: - - SOLDIERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI ARMY: Agreeably to orders this - day received, I take leave of you. Although our army has - been of sudden growth, we have grown up together, and I have - become familiar with the brave and generous spirit which you - bring to the defense of your country, and which makes me - anticipate for you a brilliant career. - - Continue as you have begun, and give to my successor the - same cordial and enthusiastic support with which you have - encouraged me. Emulate the splendid example already before - you, and let me remain, as I am, proud of the noble army - which I have thus far labored to bring together. - -[Sidenote: DISAFFECTION AMONG THE SOLDIERS.] - - Soldiers! I regret to leave you. Sincerely I thank you for - the regard and confidence you have invariably shown me. I - deeply regret that I shall not have the honor to lead you - to the victory which you are just about to win, but I shall - claim to share with you in the joy of every triumph, and - trust always to be fraternally remembered by my companions in - arms. - -Fremont's name had been the rallying-point of the volunteers. Officers -and entire regiments had come from distant parts of the country to -serve under him. All felt the impropriety and cruelty of his removal -at this time. Many officers at once wrote their resignations. Whole -battalions were reported laying down their arms. The Germans were -specially indignant, and among the Body Guard there was much bitterness. - -The slightest encouragement or tolerance from the General would -have produced wide-spread mutiny; but he expostulated with the -malcontents, reminding them that their first duty was to the country; -and, after Hunter's arrival, left the camp before daylight, lest his -appearance among the soldiers, as he rode away, should excite improper -demonstrations. - -A few days moderated the feeling of the troops; for, like all our -volunteers, they were wedded not to any man, but to the Cause. - -In St. Louis, Fremont was received more like a conquering hero than a -retiring general. An immense assembly greeted him. In their enthusiasm, -the people even carpeted his door-step with flowers. - -For weeks before his removal the air had been filled with clamors, -charging him with incompetency, extravagance, and giving Government -contracts to corrupt men. The first attacks upon him immediately -followed his Emancipation Proclamation, issued August 31, 1861. - -[Sidenote: SPURIOUS MISSOURI UNIONISTS.] - -There were many half-hearted Unionists in Missouri. For example, -shortly after the capture of Sumter, General Robert Wilson, of Andrew -County, in a public meeting, served upon the committee on resolutions -reporting the following: - - "_Resolved_, That we condemn as inhuman and diabolical the - war being waged by the Government against the South." - -Eight months after, this same Wilson claimed to be a Union leader, and, -as such, was sent to represent Missouri in the Senate of the United -States! Of course all men of this class waged unrelenting war upon -Fremont. Afterward there was a rupture among the really loyal men; a -fierce quarrel, in which the able but unscrupulous Blairs headed the -opposition, and some zealous and patriotic Unionists co-operated with -them. The President, always conscientious, was persuaded to remove the -General; but afterward tacitly admitted its injustice by giving him -another command. - -Mr. Lincoln also countermanded the Emancipation Proclamation, which was -a little ahead of the times. Still it gratified the plain people, even -then. Tired of the tender and delicate terms in which our authorities -were wont to speak of "domestic institutions" and "systems of labor," -they were delighted to read the announcement in honest Saxon: - - "The property of active Rebels is confiscated for the public - use; and their slaves, if any they have, are hereby declared - Free Men." - -It was a new and pure leaf in the history of the war. - -Of course Fremont made mistakes, though the abuses in his department -were infinitely less than those which disgraced Washington, and which -in some degree are inseparable from large, unusual disbursements of -public money. - -[Sidenote: CONDUCT OF CAMERON AND THOMAS.] - -But he was very earnest. He was quite ignorant of How Not to Do it. -He took grave responsibilities. When red tape hampered him, he cut -it. Unable to obtain arms at Washington--which, in those days, knew -only Virginia--he ransacked the markets of the world for them. When -a paymaster refused to liquidate one of his bills, on the ground of -irregularity, he arrested him, and threatened to have him shot if he -persisted. Able to leave but few troops in St. Louis, he fortified the -city in thirty days, employing five thousand laborers. - -Secretary Cameron and Adjutant-General Thomas visited Missouri, after -Fremont started upon his Springfield campaign. General Thomas did not -hesitate, in railway cars and hotels, to condemn him violently--a -gross breach of official propriety, and clearly tending to excite -insubordination among the soldiers. Cameron dictated a letter, ordering -Fremont to discontinue the St. Louis fortifications as unnecessary, -informing him that his official debts would not be discharged till -investigated, his contracts recognized, or the officers paid whom he -had appointed under the written authority of the President. - -In due time they _were_ recognized and paid. The St. Louis -fortifications proved needful, and were afterward finished. Yet Cameron -permitted the contents of this letter to be telegraphed all over the -country four days before Fremont received it. It seemed designed to -impugn his integrity, destroy his credit, promote disaffection in his -camps, and prevent his contractors from fulfilling their engagements. -Thomas officially reported that Fremont would not be able to move -his army for lack of transportation. Before the report could reach -Washington, the army had advanced more than a hundred miles! - -[Sidenote: DISREGARD OF THE ARMY REGULATIONS.] - -Time, which at last makes all things even, vindicated Fremont's leading -measures in Missouri. His subsequent withdrawal from the field, in -Virginia, was doubtless unwise. It was hard to be placed under a -junior and hostile general; but private wrongs must wait in war, and -resignation proves quite as inadequate a remedy for the grievances of -an officer, as Secession for the fancied wrongs of the Slaveholders. - -Brigadier-General Justus McKinstry, ex-Quartermaster of the Western -Department, was arrested, and closely confined in the St. Louis -arsenal for many months. His repeated demands for the charges -and specifications against him were disregarded. He was at last -court-martialed and dismissed the service, on the charge of malfeasance -in office. Brigadier-General Charles P. Stone was for a long time kept -under arrest in the same manner. These proceedings flagrantly violated -both the Army Regulation, entitling officers to know the charges and -witnesses against them, within ten days after arrest, and the spirit of -the Constitution itself, which guarantees to every man a speedy public -trial in the presence of his accusers. - -Equally reprehensible was the arrest and long confinement of many -civilians without formal charges or trial. States where actual war -existed, and even the debatable ground which bordered them, might be -proper fields for this exercise of the Military Power. But the friends -of the Union, holding Congress, and nearly every State Legislature -by overwhelming majorities, could make whatever laws they pleased; -therefore, these measures were unnecessary and unjustifiable in the -North, hundreds of miles from the seat of war. Utterly at variance with -personal rights and republican institutions, they were alarming and -dangerous precedents, which any unscrupulous future administration may -plausibly cite in defense of the grossest outrages. President Lincoln -was always very chary of this exercise of arbitrary power; but some -of his constitutional advisers were constantly urging it. Secretary -Stanton, in particular, advocated and committed acts of flagrant -despotism. He was a good patent-office lawyer, but had not the faintest -conception of those primary principles of Civil Liberty which underlie -English and American institutions. Even the Magna Charta, in sonorous -Latin, declared: - - "No person shall be apprehended or imprisoned, except by the - legal judgment of his peers, or the law of the land. To none - will we sell, to none will we deny, to none will we _delay_ - right or justice." - -[Sidenote: MILITARY POWER AND THE PRESS.] - -Kindred questions arose touching the Military Power and the Liberty of -the Press. Each northern city had its daily journal, which, under thin -disguise of loyalty, labored zealously for the Rebels. Soldiers could -not patiently read treasonable sheets. On several occasions military -commanders suppressed them, but the President promptly removed the -disability. The sober second thought of the people was, that if editors -and publishers in the loyal North could not be convicted and punished -in the civil courts, they should not be molested. - -General Hunter, succeeding Fremont, evacuated southwestern Missouri. -Before leaving Springfield, besieged with applications for runaway -slaves, he issued orders to deliver them up; but soldiers and officers -in his camps hid them so safely that they could not be found by their -masters. - -[Sidenote: RUDENESS OF GENERAL HALLECK.] - -Hunter's little brief authority lasted just fifteen days, when -he was succeeded by General Halleck--a stout, heavy-faced, rather -stupid-looking officer, who wore civilian's dress, and resembled a -well-to-do tradesman. On the 20th of November appeared his shameful -General Order Number Three: - - "It has been represented that important information - respecting the numbers and condition of our forces is - conveyed to the enemy by means of fugitive slaves who are - admitted within our lines. In order to remedy this evil, it - is directed that no such persons be hereafter permitted to - enter the lines of any camp, or of any forces on the march, - and that any now within our lines be immediately excluded - therefrom." - -Its inhumanity outraged the moral sense, and its falsehood the common -sense, of the country. The negroes were uniformly friends to our -soldiers. After diligent inquiry from every leading officer of my -acquaintance, I could not learn a single instance of treachery. To the -cruelty of turning the slave away, Halleck added the dishonesty of -slandering him. - -When Charles James Fox was canvassing for Parliament, one of his -auditors said to him: - -"Sir, I admire your talents, but d--n your politics!" - -Fox retorted: "Sir, I admire your frankness, but d--n your manners!" - -Many who had official business with Halleck uttered similar -maledictions. To his visitors he was brusque to surliness. Dr. Holmes -says, with great truth, that all men are bores when we do not want -them. Like all public characters, Halleck was beset by those grievous -dispensations of Providence. But a general in command of half a -continent ought, at least, to have the manners of a gentleman; and he -was sometimes so insulting that his legitimate visitors would have -been justified in kicking him down stairs. None of our high officials -equaled him in rudeness, except Mr. Stanton, Secretary of War. - -In January, as a Government steamer approached the landing at -Commerce, Missouri, two women on shore shouted to the pilot: - -"Don't land! Jeff. Thompson and his soldiers are here waiting for you." - -The redoubtable guerrilla, with fifty men, instantly sprang from behind -a wood-pile and fired a volley. Twenty-six bullets entered the cabin -of the retreating boat; but, thanks to the loyal women, no person was -killed or captured. - -[Sidenote: A DROLL FLAG OF TRUCE.] - -One day, a seedy individual in soiled gray walked into Halleck's -private room at the Planter's House, in St. Louis, and, with the -military salute, thus addressed him: - -"Sir, I am an officer of General Price's army, and have brought you a -letter under flag of truce." - -"Where's your flag of truce?" growled Halleck. - -"Here," was the prompt reply, and the Rebel pulled a dirty white rag -from his pocket! - -He had entered our lines, and come one hundred and fifty miles, -without detection, passing pickets, sentinels, guards, and -provost-marshals. Halleck, who plumed himself on his organizing -capacity and rigid police regulations, was not a little chagrined. He -sent back the unique messenger with a letter, assuring Price that he -would shoot as a spy any one repeating the attempt. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - Thou hast most traitorously corrupted the youth of the realm - by erecting a grammar-school.--KING HENRY VI. - - O, 'twas a din to fright a monster's ear, To wake an - earthquake!--TEMPEST. - -[Sidenote: REBEL GUERRILLAS OUTWITTED.] - -In January, Colonel Lawson, of the Missouri Union forces, was captured -by a dozen Rebels, who, after some threats of hanging, decided to -release him upon parole. Not one of them could read or write a line. -Lawson, requested by them to make out his own parole, drew up and -signed an agreement, pledging himself never to take up arms against the -United States of America, or give aid and comfort to its enemies! Upon -this novel promise he was set at liberty. - -On the 3d of February a journalistic friend telegraphed me from Cairo: - - "You can't come too soon: take the first train." - -Immediately obeying the summons, I found that Commodore Foote had gone -up the Tennessee River with the new gunboats. The accompanying land -forces were under the command of an Illinois general named Grant, of -whom the country knew only the following: - -Making a reconnoissance to Belmont, Missouri, opposite Columbus, -Kentucky, he had ventured too far, when the enemy opened on him. -Yielding to the fighting temptation, he made a lively resistance, until -compelled to retreat, leaving behind his dead and wounded. Jefferson -Davis officially proclaimed it a great Confederate success, and Rebel -newspapers grew merry over Grant's bad generalship, expressing the wish -that he might long lead the Yankee armies! - - ----"We, ignorant of ourselves, Beg often for our own harms; - so find we profit By losing of our prayers." - -[Sidenote: EXPEDITION TO FORT HENRY.] - -As the gunboats had never been tested, intense interest was felt -in their success. Approaching Fort Henry, three went forward to -reconnoiter. At the distance of two miles and a half, a twenty-four -pounder rifled ball penetrated the state-room of Captain Porter, -commanding the Essex, passing under his table, and cutting off the feet -of a pair of stockings which hung against the ceiling as neatly as -shears would have cut them. - -"Pretty good shot!" said Porter. "Now we will show them ours." And he -dropped a nine-inch Dahlgren shell right into the fort. - -The next day, a large number of torpedoes, each containing seventy-five -pounds of powder, were fished up from the bottom of the river. The -imprudent tongue of an angry Rebel woman revealed their whereabouts. -Prophesying that the whole fleet would be blown to atoms, she was -compelled to divulge what she knew, or be confined in the guard-house. -In mortal terror she gave the desired information. The torpedoes were -found wet and harmless. Commodore Foote predicted - -"I can take that fort in about an hour and a half." - -The night was excessively rainy and severe upon our boys in blue in -their forest bivouacs; but in the well-furnished cabin of General -Grant's steamer, we found "going to war" an agreeable novelty. - -[Sidenote: ITS CAPTURE BY COMMODORE FOOTE.] - -At mid-day on the 6th, Foote fired his first shot, at the distance -of seventeen hundred yards. Then he slowly approached the fort with -his entire fleet, until within four hundred yards. The Rebel fire was -very severe; but he determined to vindicate the iron-clads or to sink -them in the Tennessee. The wood-work of his flag-ship was riddled by -thirty-one shots, but her iron plating turned off the balls like hail. -All the boats were more or less damaged; but they fully established -their usefulness, and their officers and men behaved with the greatest -gallantry. One poor fellow on the Essex, terribly scalded by the -bursting of a steam drum, learning that the fort was captured, sprung -from his bunk, ran up the hatchway, and cheered until he fell senseless -upon the deck. He died the same night. - -With several fellow-correspondents, I witnessed the fight from the top -of a high tree, up on the river-bank, between the fortification and the -gun-boats. There was little to be seen but smoke. Foote's prediction -proved correct. After he had fired about six hundred shots, just one -hour and fifteen minutes from the beginning, the colors of Fort Henry -were struck, and the gunboats trembled with the cheers and huzzas of -our men. - -The Rebel infantry, numbering four thousand, escaped. Grant's -forces, detained by the mud, came up too late to surround them. -Brigadier-General Lloyd Tilghman, commanding, and the immediate -garrison, were captured. - -In the barracks we found camp-fires blazing, dinners boiling, and -half-made biscuits still in the pans. Pistols, muskets, bowie-knives, -books, tables partially set for dinner, half-written letters, -playing-cards, blankets, and carpet-sacks were scattered about. - -Our soldiers ransacked trunks, arrayed themselves in Rebel coats, -hats, and shirts, armed themselves with Rebel revolvers, stuffed their -pockets with Rebel books and miniatures, and some were soon staggering -under heavy loads of Rebel whisky. - -From the quarters of one officer, I abstracted a small Confederate -flag; the daguerreotype of a female face so regular and classic that, -without close inspection, it was difficult to believe it taken from -life; a long tress of brown hair, and a package of elegantly written -letters, full of a sister's affection. A year afterward I was able to -return these family mementoes to their owner in Jackson, Mississippi. - -[Sidenote: A DELIGHTED NEGRESS.] - -Our shots had made great havoc. Carpet-sacks, trunks, and tables were -torn in pieces, walls and roofs were pierced with holes large enough -for a man to creep through, and cavities plowed in the ground which -would conceal a flour-barrel. A female Marius among the ruins, in the -form of an old negress, stood rubbing her hands with glee. - -"You seem to have had hot work here, aunty." - -"Lord, yes, mass'r, we did just dat! De big balls, dey come whizzing -and tearing 'bout, and I thought de las' judgment was cum, sure." - -"Where are all your soldiers?" - -"Lord A'mighty knows. Dey jus' runned away like turkeys--nebber fired a -gun." - -"How many were there?" - -"Dere was one Arkansas regiment over dere where you see de tents, a -Mississippi regiment dere, another dere, two Tennessee regiments here, -and lots more over de river." - -"Why didn't you run with them?" - -"I was sick, you see" (she could only speak in a whisper); "besides, I -wasn't afraid--only ob de shots. I just thought if dey didn't kill me I -was all right." - -"Where is General Tilghman?" - -"You folks has got him--him and de whole garrison inside de fort." - -"You don't seem to feel very badly about it." - -"Not berry, mass'r!"--with a fresh rub of the hands and a grin all over -her sable face. - -[Sidenote: SCENES IN THE CAPTURED FORTRESS.] - -In the fort, the magazine was torn open, the guns completely shattered, -and the ground stained with blood, brains, and fragments of flesh. -Under gray blankets were six corpses, one with the head torn off and -the trunk completely blackened with powder; others with legs severed -and breasts opened in ghastly wounds. The survivors, stretched upon -cots, rent the air with groans. - -The captured Rebel officers, in a profusion of gold lace, were taken -to Grant's head-quarters. Tilghman was good-looking, broad-shouldered, -with the pompous manner of the South. Commodore Foote asked him: - -"How could you fight against the old flag?" - -"It was hard," he replied, "but I had to go with my people." - -Presently a Chicago reporter inquired of him: - -"How do you spell your name, General?" - -"Sir," replied Tilghman, with indescribable pomposity, "if General -Grant wishes to use my name in his official dispatches, I have no -objection; but, sir, I do not wish to appear at all in this matter in -any newspaper report." - -"I merely asked it," persisted the journalist, "for the list of -prisoners captured." - -Tilghman, whose name should have been Turveydrop, replied, with a lofty -air and a majestic wave of the hand: - -"You will oblige me, sir, by not giving my name in any newspaper -connection whatever!" - -One of the Rebel officers was reminded of the predominance of Union -sentiments among the people about Fort Henry. - -"True, sir," was his reply. "It is always so in these hilly countries. -You see, these d----d Hoosiers don't know any better. For the genuine -southern feeling, sir, you must go among the gentlemen--the rich -people. You won't find any Tories there." - -[Sidenote: COMMODORE FOOTE IN THE PULPIT.] - -The gunboats returned to Cairo for repairs. On the next Sunday morning, -the pastor of the Cairo Presbyterian Church failing to arrive, -Commodore Foote was induced to conduct the services. From the text: - - "Let not your hearts be troubled; ye believe in God; believe - also in me," - -he preached an excellent practical discourse, urging that human -happiness depends upon integrity, pure living, and conscientious -performance of duty. - -The land forces remained near Fort Henry. A few days after the battle, -I stepped into General Grant's head-quarters to bid him good-by, as I -was about starting for New York. - -"You had better wait a day or two," he said. - -"Why?" - -"Because I am going over to capture Fort Donelson to-morrow." - -"How strong is it?" - -"We have not been able to ascertain exactly, but I think we can take -it. At all events, we can try." - -The hopelessly muddy roads and the falling snow were terrible to our -troops, who had no tents; but Grant marched to the fort. On Wednesday -he skirmished and placed his men in position; on Thursday, Friday, and -Saturday, he fought from daylight until dark. On Saturday night, the -sanguine General Pillow telegraphed to Nashville: - - "The day is ours. I have repulsed the enemy at all points, - but I want re-enforcements." - -[Sidenote: THE CAPTURE OF FORT DONELSON.] - -Before dawn on Sunday, the negro servant of a Confederate staff officer -escaped into our lines, and was taken to General Grant. He insisted -that the Rebel commanders were consulting about surrender, and that -Floyd's men were already deserting the fort. A few hours later came a -letter from Buckner, suggesting the appointment of commissioners to -adjust terms of capitulation. Grant wrote in answer: - - "I have no terms but unconditional surrender. I propose to - move immediately upon your works." - -Buckner's response, exquisitely characteristic of the Rebels, -regretfully accepted what he described as Grant's "ungenerous and -unchivalrous terms!" So the North was electrified by a success which -recalled the great battles of Napoleon. - -Grant first invested the garrison with thirteen thousand men. The -enemy's force was twenty-two thousand. For two days, Grant's little -command laid siege to this much larger army, which was protected by -ample fortifications. At the end of the second day, Grant received -re-enforcements, swelling his forces to twenty-six thousand. - -From three to four thousand Rebels, of Floyd's command, escaped from -the fort; others escaped on the way to Cairo, and several thousand were -killed or wounded; but Grant delivered, at Cairo, upward of fifteen -thousand eight hundred prisoners. - -I was in Chicago when these captives, on their way to Camp Douglas, -passed through the streets in sad procession. Motley was the only wear. -A few privates had a stripe on the pantaloons and wore gray military -caps; but most, in slouched hats and garments of gray or butternut, -made no attempt at uniform. Some had the long hair and cadaverous faces -of the extreme South; but under the broad-brimmed hats of the majority, -appeared the full, coarse features of the working classes of Missouri, -Tennessee, and Arkansas. The Chicago citizens, who crowded the streets, -were guilty of no taunts or rude words toward the prisoners. - -Columbus, Kentucky, twenty miles below Cairo, on the highest bluffs of -the Mississippi, was called the Gibraltar of the West, and expected to -be the scene of a great battle. - -On the 4th of March, a naval and land expedition was ready to attack -it. Before leaving Cairo, hundreds of workmen crowded the gunboats, -repairing damages received on the Tennessee River-- - - "With busy hammers closing rivets up, And giving dreadful - notes of preparation." - -Commodore Foote, lame from his Donelson wound, hobbled on board upon -crutches. A great National flag was taken along. - -"Don't forget that," said the commodore. "Fight or no fight, we must -raise it over Columbus!" - -[Sidenote: ARMY AND NAVY OFFICERS CONTRASTED.] - -The leading commanders of the flotilla were from the regular -navy--quiet and unassuming, with no nonsense about them. They were -far freer from envy and jealousy than army officers. Before the war, -the latter had been stationed for years at frontier posts, hundreds -of miles beyond civilization, with no resources except drinking and -gambling, nothing to excite National feeling or prick the bubble of -their State pride. Naval officers, going all over the world, had -acquired the liberality which only travel imparts, and learned that, -abroad, their country was not known as Virginia or Mississippi, but -the _United_ States of America. With them, it was the Nation first, -and the State afterward. Hence, while nearly all southerners holding -commissions in the regular army joined the Rebellion, the navy almost -unanimously remained loyal. - -The low, flat, black iron-clads crept down the river like enormous -turtles. Each had attending it a little pocket edition of a steamboat, -in the shape of a tug, capable of carrying fifty or sixty men, and -moving up the strong current twelve miles an hour. They were constantly -puffing about among the unwieldy vessels like a breathless little -errand-boy. - -[Sidenote: The "Gibraltar of the West."] - -Nearing Columbus, we found that the Rebels had evacuated it twelve -hours before. The town was already held by an enterprising scouting -party of the Second Illinois Cavalry, who had unearthed and raised an -old National flag. Our colors waved from the Rebel Gibraltar, and the -last Confederate soldier had abandoned Kentucky. - -The enemy left in hot haste. Half-burned barracks, chairs, beds, -tables, cooking-stoves, letters, charred gun-carriages, bent -musket-barrels, bayonets, and provisions were promiscuously lying about. - -The main fortifications, on a plateau one hundred and fifty feet high, -mounted eighty-three guns, commanding the river for nearly three miles. -Here, and in the auxiliary works, we captured one hundred and fifty -pieces of artillery. - -[Sidenote: SCENES IN COLUMBUS, KENTUCKY.] - -Fastened to the bluff, we found one end of a great chain cable, -composed of seven-eighths inch iron, which the brilliant Gideon J. -Pillow had stretched across the river, to prevent the passage of our -gunboats! It was worthy of the man who, in Mexico, dug his ditch on -the wrong side of the parapet. The momentum of an iron-clad would have -snapped it like a pipe-stem, had not the current of the river broken it -long before. - -We found, also, enormous piles of torpedoes, which the Rebels had -declared would annihilate the Yankee fleet. They became a standing -jest among our officers, who termed them original members of the Peace -Society, and averred that the rates of marine insurance immediately -declined whenever the companies learned that torpedoes had been planted -in the waters where the boats were to run! - -In the abandoned post-office I collected a bushel of Rebel newspapers, -dating back for several weeks. At first the Memphis journals -extravagantly commended the South Carolina planters for burning their -cotton, after the capture of Port Royal, and urged universal imitation -of their example. They said:-- - - "Let the whole South be made a Moscow; let our enemies find - nothing but blackened ruins to reward their invasion!" - -But when the capture of Donelson rendered the early fall of Memphis -probable, the same journals suddenly changed their tone. They -argued that Moscow was not a parallel case; that it would be highly -injudicious to fire their city, as the Yankees, if they did take it, -would hold it only for a short time; that those who urged applying the -torch should be punished as demagogues and public enemies! But they -abounded in frantic appeals like the following from _The Avalanche_: - -[Sidenote: EXTRACTS FROM REBEL NEWSPAPERS.] - - "For the sake of honor and manhood, we trust no young - unmarried man will suffer himself to be drafted. He would - become a by-word, a scoff, a burning shame to his sex and - his State. If young men in pantaloons will sit behind desks, - counters, and molasses-barrels, let the girls present them - with the garment proper to their peaceable spirits. He that - would go to the field, but cannot, should be aided to do so; - he that can go, but will not, should be made to do so." - -_The Avalanche_ was a great advocate of what is termed the "aggressive -policy," declaring that: - - "The victorious armies of the South should be precipitated - upon the North. Her chief cities should be seized or reduced - to ashes; her armies scattered, her States subjugated, and - her people compelled to defray the expenses of a war which - they have wickedly commenced and obstinately continued. - * * * Fearless and invincible, a race of warriors rivaling - any that ever followed the standard of an Alexander, a Caesar, - or a Napoleon, the southerners have the power and the will - to carry this war into the enemy's country. Let, then, the - lightnings of a nation's wrath scathe our foul oppressors! - Let the thunder-bolts of war be hurled back upon our - dastardly invaders, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, until - the recognition of southern independence shall be extorted - from the reluctant North, and terms of peace be dictated by a - victorious southern army at New York or Chicago." - -General Jeff. Thompson, a literary Missouri bushwhacker, was termed the -"Swamp Fox" and the "Marion of the Southern Revolution." I found one of -his effusions, entitled "Home Again," in that once decorous journal, -_The New Orleans Picayune_. Its transition from the pathetic to the -profane is a curious anticlimax. - - "My dear wife waits my coming, - My children lisp my name, - And kind friends bid me welcome - To my own home again. - My father's grave lies on the hill, - My boys sleep in the vale; - I love each rock and murmuring rill, - Each mountain, hill, and dale. - - I'll suffer hardships, toil, and pain, - For the good time sure to come; - I'll battle long that I may gain - My freedom and my home. - I will return, though foes may stand - Disputing every rod; - My own dear home, my native land, - I'll win you yet, by ---!" - -[Sidenote: INMATES OF THE UNION HOSPITALS.] - -Our hospitals at Mound City, Illinois, contained fourteen hundred -inmates. A walk along the double rows of cots in the long wards -revealed the sadder phase of war. Here was a typhoid-fever patient, -motionless and unconscious, the light forever gone out from his glazed -eyes; here a lad, pale and attenuated, who, with a shattered leg, had -lain upon this weary couch for four months. There was a Tennessean, -who, abandoning his family, came stealthily hundreds of miles to enlist -under the Stars and Stripes, with perfect faith in their triumph, and -had lost a leg at Donelson; an Illinoisan, from the same battle, with -a ghastly aperture in the face, still blackened with powder from his -enemy's rifle; a young officer in neat dressing-gown, furnished by the -United States Sanitary Commission, sitting up reading a newspaper, -but with the sleeve of his left arm limp and empty; marines terribly -scalded by the bursting boiler of the Essex at Fort Henry, some of -whose whole bodies were one continuous scar. Sick, wounded, and -convalescent were alike cheerful; and twenty-five Sisters of Mercy, -worthy of their name, moved noiselessly among them, ministering to -their wants. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - - Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of - barren ground. The wills above be done! but I would fain die - a dry death.--TEMPEST. - - If it should thunder as it did before, I know not where to - lay my head.--IBID. - - -[Sidenote: STARTING DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI.] - -On the 14th of March, the flotilla again started down the Mississippi, -steaming slowly by Columbus, where Venus followed close upon Mars, in -the form of two women disbursing pies and some other commodities to -sailors and soldiers. The next day we anchored above Island Number Ten, -where Beauregard had built formidable fortifications. - -A fast little Rebel gunboat, called the Grampus, ran screeching away -from the range of our guns. Below her we could read with glasses the -names painted upon the many steamers lying in front of the enemy's -works, and see the guns upon a great floating battery. - -Our gunboats fired one or two experimental shots, and the mortar-rafts, -with tremendous explosions, began to throw their ten-inch shells, -weighing two hundred and fifty pounds each. Great results were expected -from these enormous mortars, but they proved inaccurate. Our shots -fell among the batteries and steamboats of the enemy, throwing up -clouds of dirt and sheets of water. The Rebel guns replied with great -puffs of smoke; but their missiles, bounding along the river, fell -three-quarters of a mile short. - -Light skirmishing in closer range continued for several days. My -own quarters were on the Benton, Commodore Foote's flagship. She was -the largest of the iron-clads, one hundred and eighty-three feet by -seventy, and contained quite a little community of two hundred and -forty men. - -Standing upon the hurricane roof, directly over our bow-guns, we caught -the first glimpse of each shot, a few feet from the muzzle, and watched -it rushing through the air like a round, black meteor, till it exploded -two or three miles away. After we saw the warning puff of smoke, the -time seemed very long before each Rebel shot struck the water near us; -but no more than ten or fifteen seconds ever elapsed. - -When ready to attack the batteries, Commodore Foote said to me: - -"You had better take your place with the other correspondents, upon a -transport in the rear, out of range. Should any accident befall you -here, censure would be cast upon me for permitting you to stay." - -Haunted by a resistless curiosity to learn exactly how one feels under -fire, I persuaded him to let me remain. - -[Sidenote: BOMBARDMENT OF ISLAND NUMBER TEN.] - -Two other iron-clads, the St. Louis and the Cincinnati, were lashed -upon either side of the Benton. Hammocks were taken down and piled -in front of the boilers to protect them; the hose was attached to -reservoirs of hot water, designed for boarders in close conflict; -surgeons scrutinized the edges of their instruments, while our triple -floating battery moved slowly down, with the other iron-clads a short -distance in the rear. We opened fire, and the balls of the enemy soon -replied, now and then striking our boats. - -A deafening noise from the St. Louis shook every plank beneath our -feet. A moment after, a dozen men rushed upon her deck, their faces -so blackened by powder that they would have been taken for negroes. -Two were carrying the lifeless form of a third; several others were -wounded. Through the din of the cannonade, one of her crew shouted to -us from a port-hole that an old forty-two pounder had exploded, killing -and mutilating several men. - -[Sidenote: "HERE COMES ANOTHER SHOT."] - -We obtained the best view from the hurricane deck of the Benton, where -there could be no special danger from splinters. While we stood there, -one of the party was constantly on the look-out, and, seeing a puff of -smoke curl up from the Rebel battery, he would shout: - -"Here comes another!" - -Then we all dropped upon our faces behind the iron-plated pilot-house, -which rose from the deck like a great umbrella. The screaming shot -would sometimes strike our bows, but usually pass over, falling into -the water behind us. - -While the Rebels fired from one battery, there was just sufficient -excitement to make it interesting; but when they opened with two -others, stationed at different points in the bend of the river, their -range completely covered the pilot-house. Dropping behind that shelter -to avoid the missiles in front, we were exposed to a hail of shot from -the side. Thereupon the commodore peremptorily ordered us below, and we -went down upon the gun-deck. - -A correspondent of _The Chicago Times_, who chanced to be on board, -took a position in the stern of the boat, under the impression that -it was entirely safe. A moment after he came rushing in with blanched -face and dripping clothing. A shot had struck within three feet of him, -glancing into the river, and drenching every thing in the vicinity. - -That long gun-deck was alive with action. The executive officer, -Lieutenant Bishop, a gallant young fellow, fresh from the naval school, -superintended every thing. Swarthy gunners manned the pieces; little -powder-boys rushed to and fro with ammunition, and hurrying men crowded -the long compartment. - -There came a tremendous crashing of glass, iron, and wood! An -eight-inch solid shot, penetrating the half-inch iron plating and -the five-inch timber, near the bows, as if they were paper, buried -itself in the deck, and rebounded, striking the roof. In that manner -it danced along the entire length of the boat, through the cabin, the -ward-room, the machinery, the pantry--where it smashed a great deal of -crockery--until, at the extreme stern, it fell and remained upon the -commodore's writing-desk, crushing in the lid. - -A moment before the noisy, agile visitor arrived, the whole deck seemed -crowded with busy men. A moment after, I looked again. A score of -undismayed fellows were comfortably blowing splinters from their mouths -and beards, and brushing them from their hair and faces; but, by a -fortunate accident, not a single one of them was hurt. - -[Sidenote: HOW ONE FEELS UNDER FIRE.] - -As the shot screamed along very near me, my curiosity diminished. I had -a dim perception that nothing in this gunboat life could become me like -the leaving of it. A mulatto cabin-boy, whose face turned almost white -when the missile tore through the boat, shared my sensations. - -"I wish that I was out of it," he said, confidentially; "but I put my -own neck into this yoke, and I have got to wear it." - -Toward evening, some of the enemy's batteries were silent, and -we idlers once more sought the hurricane deck, dodging behind the -pilot-house whenever the smoke puffed from the hostile guns. Once, some -one cried, "There she comes!" and we dropped as usual. Looking up, I -noticed a second engineer standing beside me. - -"Lie down, Blakely!" I said, sharply. - -He replied laughingly, with his hands in his pockets: - -"O no, there is no need of it; one is just as safe here." - -While he spoke, the Rebel shot passed within fifteen inches of his -bloodless face, shaved a sheet-iron ventilator, tore through the -chimney, severed a large wrought-iron rod, struck the deck, plowed -through a half-inch iron plate, neatly cutting it in two, passed under -the next plate, and then came out again, with its force spent, and -rolled languidly against a sky-light. When he felt the rush of air, -Blakely bent back almost double, and thereafter he was among the first -to seek the shelter of the pilot-house. - -[Sidenote: FIFTY SHOTS TO THE MINUTE.] - -From the mortars and the guns on both sides, there were sometimes fifty -shots to the minute. The jarrings and explosions induced head-ache for -hours afterward. The results of the day's bombardment were not very -sanguinary. Our iron-clads were struck scores of times, but few men -were injured. This desultory fighting was kept up for two or three -weeks. - -Meanwhile, General Pope, moving across the country from Cairo with -great enterprise and activity, had defeated the Rebels and captured -their forts at New Madrid, on the Missouri shore of the Mississippi, -eight miles below Island Number Ten. He thus held the river in the rear -of the enemy, preventing steamboats from ascending to them; but he had -not even a skiff or a raft in which he could cross to the Tennessee -bank, and reach the rear of the fortifications. How to supply him with -boats was the great problem. - -Pope was anxious that the commodore should send one of the iron-clads -to him, past the Rebel fortifications. Foote hesitated, as running -batteries was then an untried experiment. - -Pope had an active, hard-working Illinois engineer regiment, which -began cutting a canal, to open communication between the flotilla and -New Madrid; and we waited for results. - -[Sidenote: DAILY LIFE ON A GUNBOAT.] - -I found life on the Benton full of novelty. More than half of her crew -were old salts, and the discipline was the same as on a man-of-war. -Half-hour bells marked the passage of time. Every morning the deck was -holystoned to its utmost possibilities of whiteness. Through each day -we heard the shrill whistle of the boatswain, amid hoarse calls of "All -hands to quarters," "Stand by the hammocks!" etc. - -Even the negro servants caught the naval expressions. One of them, -playing on the guitar and singing, broke down from too high a pitch. - -"Too much elevation there," said he. "I must depress a little." - -"Yes," replied another. "Start again on the gun-deck." - -Exchanging shots with the enemy grew monotonous. Reading, writing, or -playing chess in the ward-room, we carelessly noted the reports from -the Rebel batteries, and some officer from the deck walked in, saying: - -"There's another!" - -"Where did it strike?" asked some one, quite carelessly. - -"Near us," or "Just over us in the woods," would be the reply; and the -idlers returned to their employments. - -My own state-room was within six feet of a thirty-two pounder, which -fired every fifteen minutes during the day. The explosions in no wise -disturbed my afternoon naps. - -On Sunday mornings, after the weekly muster, the men in clean blue -shirts and tidy clothing, and the officers, in full uniform, with all -their bravery of blue and gold, assembled on the gun-deck for religious -service. Hat in hand, they stood in a half circle around the commodore, -who, behind a high stool, upon which the National flag was spread, read -the comprehensive prayer for "All who are afflicted in mind, body, or -estate," or acknowledged that "We have done the things which we ought -not to have done, and left undone the things which we ought to have -done." - -Among the groups of worshipers were seen the gaping mouths of the black -guns, and the pyramidal piles of grape and canister ready for use. -During prayer, the boat was often shaken by the discharge of a mortar, -which made the neighboring woods resound with its long, rolling echoes. -The commodore extemporized a brief, simple address on Christian life -and duty; then the men were "piped down" and dispersed. - -[Sidenote: THE CARONDELET RUNS THE BATTERIES.] - -On a dark April night, during a terrific thunder-shower, the iron-clad -Carondelet started to run the gantlet. The undertaking was deemed -hazardous in the extreme. The commodore gave to her commander written -instructions how to destroy her, should she become disabled; and -solemnly commended him to the mercy and protection of Almighty God. - -The Carondelet crept noiselessly down through the darkness. When the -Rebels discovered her, they opened with shot, shell, and bullets. All -her ports were closed, and she did not fire a gun. It was too dark to -guide her by the insufficient glimpses of the shore obtained from the -little peep-holes of her pilot-house. Mr. D. R. Hoell, an old river -pilot, volunteered to remain unprotected on the open upper deck, among -the rattling shots and the singing bullets, to give information to his -partners within. His daring was promptly rewarded by an appointment as -lieutenant in the navy. - -Upon the flag-ship above intense anxiety prevailed. After an hour, -which seemed a day, from far down the river boomed two heavy reports; -then there was silence, then two shots again. All gave a sigh of -relief. This was the signal that the Carondelet had lived through the -terrible ordeal! - -[Sidenote: WONDERFUL FEAT OF POPE'S ENGINEERS.] - -The Rebels had made themselves very merry over Pope's canal. But, at -daylight on the second morning after this feat of the iron-clad, they -saw four little stern-wheel steamboats lying in front of Pope's camps. -The canal was a success! In two weeks the indefatigable engineers had -brought these steamers from Foote's flotilla, sixteen miles, through -corn-fields, woods, and swamps, cutting channels from one bayou to -another, and felling heavy timber all the way. They were compelled to -saw off hundreds of huge trees, three feet below the water's edge. It -was one of the most creditable feats of the war. - - "Let all the world take notice," said a Confederate - newspaper, "that the southern troops are gentlemen, and must - be subjected to no drudgery." - -The loyal troops, like these Illinois engineers, were men of skilled -industry, proud to know themselves "kings of two hands." - -The Confederates felt that Birnam wood had come to Dunsinane. -Declaring that it was useless to fight men who would deliberately -float gunboats by the very muzzles of their heavy guns, and could run -steamers sixteen miles over dry land, they began to evacuate Island -Number Ten. But Pope had already ferried the greater part of his army -across the river, and he replied to my inquiries: - -"I will have every mother's son of them!" - -[Sidenote: THE REBELS EFFECTIVELY CAGED.] - -He kept his promise. The Rebels were caged. They fled in haste across -the country to Tiptonville, where they supposed their steamboats -awaited them. Instead, they found two of our iron-clads lying in front -of the town, and learned that Pope held the river even ten miles -below. The trap was complete. On their front was Tiptonville, with -the cavernous eyes of the Carondelet and the Pittsburgh ominously -scrutinizing them. At their left was an impassable line of lake and -slough; at their right a dry region, bounded by the river, and held by -our troops; in their rear, Pope's army was hotly pursuing them. Some -leaped into the lake or plunged into the swamps, trying to escape. -Three times the Rebel forces drew up in line of battle; but they -were too much demoralized to fight, and, after a weary night, they -surrendered unconditionally. - -At sunrise, long files of stained, bedraggled soldiers, in butternut -and jeans, began to move sadly into a great corn-field, and stack -their arms. The prisoners numbered twenty-eight hundred. We captured -upward of a hundred heavy guns, twenty-five field-pieces, half a dozen -steamboats, and immense supplies of provisions and ammunition. The -victory was won with trifling loss of life, and reflected the highest -credit both upon the land and water forces. The army and the navy, -fitting together like the two blades of the scissors, had cut the -gordian knot. - -Pope telegraphed to Halleck that, if steamboats could be furnished -him, in four days he would plant the Stars and Stripes in Memphis. -Halleck, as usual, engrossed in strategy, declined to supply the -transportation. - -[Sidenote: THE NORTHERN FLOOD ROLLING ON.] - -But the great northern flood rolled on toward the Gulf, and in its -resistless torrent was no refluent wave. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - - Of sallies and retires; of trenches, tents, Of palisadoes, - frontiers, parapets; Of basilisks, of cannon, culverin; And - all the currents of a heady fight.--KING HENRY IV. - -[Sidenote: THE BATTLE OF SHILOH.] - -Simultaneously with the capture of Island Number Ten occurred the -battle of Shiloh. The first reports were very wild, stating our loss -at seventeen thousand, and asserting that the Union commander had been -disastrously surprised, and hundreds of men bayoneted in their tents. -It was even added that Grant was intoxicated during the action. This -last fiction showed the tenacity of a bad name. Years before, Grant was -intemperate; but he had abandoned the habit soon after the beginning of -the war. - -General Albert Sydney Johnson was killed, and Beauregard ultimately -driven back, leaving his dead and wounded in our hands; but Jefferson -Davis, with the usual Rebel policy, announced in a special message to -the Confederate Congress: - - "It has pleased Almighty God again to crown the Confederate - arms with a glorious and decided victory over our invaders." - -I went up the Tennessee River by a boat crowded with -representatives--chiefly women--of the Sanitary Commissions of -Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Chicago. - -[Sidenote: THE REVEREND ROBERT COLYER.] - -One evening, religious services were held in the cabin. A clergyman -exhorted his hearers, when they should arrive at the bloody field, to -minister to the spiritual as well as physical wants of the sufferers. -With special infelicity, he added: - -"Many of them have doubtless been wicked men; but you can, at least, -remind them of divine mercy, and tell them the story of the thief on -the cross." - -The next speaker, a quiet gentleman, wearing the blouse of a private -soldier, after some remarks about practical religion, added: - -"I can not agree with the last brother. I believe we shall best serve -the souls of our wounded soldiers by ministering, for the present, -simply to their bodies. For my own part, I feel that he who has fallen -fighting for our country--for your Cause and mine--is more of a man -than I am. He may have been wicked; but I think room will be found for -him among the many mansions above. I should be ashamed to tell him the -story of the thief on the cross." - -Hearty, spontaneous clapping of hands through the crowded cabin -followed this sentiment--a rather unusual demonstration for a -prayer-meeting. The speaker was the Rev. Robert Colyer, of Chicago. - -With officers who had participated in the battle, I visited every part -of the field. The ground was broken by sharp hills, deep ravines, and -dense timber, which the eye could not penetrate. - -The reports of a surprise were substantially untrue. No man was -bayoneted in his tent, or anywhere else, according to the best evidence -I could obtain. - -But the statements, said to come from Grant and Sherman, that they -could not have been better prepared, had they known that Beauregard -designed to attack, were also untrue. Our troops were not encamped -advantageously for battle. Raw and unarmed regiments were on the -extreme front, which was not picketed or scouted as it should have been -in the face of an enemy. - -Beauregard attacked on Sunday morning at daylight. The Rebels greatly -outnumbered the Unionists, and impetuously forced them back. Grant's -army was entirely western. It contained representatives of nearly every -county in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. - -Partially unprepared, and steadily driven back, often ill commanded and -their organizations broken, the men fought with wonderful tenacity. It -was almost a hand-to-hand conflict. Confederates and Loyalists, from -behind trees, within thirty feet of each other, kept up a hot fire, -shouting respectively, "Bull Run!" and "Donelson!" - -Prentiss' shattered division, in that dense forest, was flanked before -its commander knew that the supporting forces--McClernand on his right -and Hurlbut on his left--had been driven back. Messengers sent to him -by those commanders were killed. During a lull in the firing, Prentiss -was lighting his cigar from the pipe of a soldier when he learned that -the enemy was on both sides of him, half a mile in his rear. With the -remnant of his command he was captured. - -[Sidenote: A UNION ORATOR CAPTURED.] - -Remaining in Rebel hands for six months, he was enabled to indulge in -oratory to his heart's content. Southern papers announced, with intense -indignation, that Prentiss--occupying, with his officers, an entire -train--called out by the bystanders, was permitted to make radical -Union speeches at many southern railway stations. Removed from prison -to prison, the Illinois General continued to harangue the people, and -his men to sing the "Star-Spangled Banner," until at last the Rebels -were glad to exchange them. - -[Sidenote: GRANT AND SHERMAN IN BATTLE.] - -Throughout the battle, Grant rode to and fro on the front, smoking his -inevitable cigar, with his usual stolidity and good fortune. Horses -and men were killed all around him, but he did not receive a scratch. -On that wooded field, it was impossible for any one to keep advised of -the progress of the struggle. Grant gave few orders, merely bidding his -generals do the best they could. - -Sherman had many hair-breadth 'scapes. His bridle-rein was cut off by a -bullet within two inches of his fingers. As he was leaning forward in -the saddle, a ball whistled through the top and back of his hat. His -metallic shoulder-strap warded off another bullet, and a third passed -through the palm of his hand. Three horses were shot under him. He was -the hero of the day. All awarded to him the highest praise for skill -and gallantry. He was promoted to a major-generalship, dating from -the battle. His official report was a clear, vivid, and fascinating -description of the conflict. - -Five bullets penetrated the clothing of an officer on McClernand's -staff, but did not break the skin. A ball knocked out two front teeth -of a private in the Seventeenth Illinois Infantry, but did him no -further injury. A rifle-shot passed through the head of a soldier in -the First Missouri Artillery, coming out just above the ear, but did -not prove fatal. Dr. Cornyn, of St. Louis, told me that he extracted a -ball from the brain of one soldier, who, three days afterward, was on -duty, with the bullet in his pocket. - -More than a year afterward, at the battle of Fredericksburg, Captain -Richard Cross, of the Fifth New Hampshire Infantry, noticed one of his -men whose skull had been cut open by the fragment of a shell, with a -section of it standing upright, leaving the brain exposed. Cross shut -the piece of skull down like the lid of a teapot, tied a handkerchief -around it, and sent to the rear the wounded soldier, who ultimately -recovered. The one truth, taught by field experience to army surgeons, -was that few, if any, wounds are invariably fatal. - -[Sidenote: A GALLANT FEAT BY SWEENEY.] - -At Shiloh, Brigadier-General Thomas W. Sweeney, who had lost one arm -in the Mexican War, received a Minie bullet in his remaining arm, and -another shot in his foot, while his horse fell riddled with seven -balls. Almost fainting from loss of blood, he was lifted upon another -horse, and remained on the field through the entire day. His coolness -and his marvelous escapes were talked of before many camp-fires -throughout the army. - -Once, during the battle, he was unable to determine whether a battery -whose men were dressed in blue, was Rebel or Union. Sweeney, leaving -his command, rode at a gentle gallop directly toward the battery until -within pistol-shot, saw that it was manned by Confederates, turned in -a half circle, and rode back again at the same easy pace. Not a single -shot was fired at him, so much was the respect of the Confederates -excited by this daring act. I afterward met one of them, who described -with great vividness the impression which Sweeney's gallantry made upon -them. - -The steady determination of Grant's troops during that long April -Sunday, was perhaps unequaled during the war. At night companies -were commanded by sergeants, regiments by lieutenants, and brigades -by majors. In several regiments, one-half the men were killed and -wounded; and in some entire divisions the killed and wounded exceeded -thirty-three per cent, of the numbers who went into battle. - -I have seen no other field which gave indication of such deadly -conflict as the Shiloh ridges and ravines, everywhere covered with a -very thick growth of timber-- - - "Shot-sown and bladed thick with steel." - -In one tree I counted sixty bullet-holes; another bore marks of more -than ninety balls within ten feet of the ground. Sometimes, for several -yards in the dense shrubbery, it was difficult to find a twig as large -as one's finger, which had not been cut off by balls. - -A friend of mine counted one hundred and twenty-six dead Rebels, -lying where they fell, upon an area less than fifty yards wide and -a quarter of a mile long. One of our details buried in a single -trench one hundred and forty-seven of the enemy, including three -lieutenant-colonels and four majors. - -But our forces, overpowered by numbers, fell farther and further back, -while the Rebels took possession of many Union camps. At night, our -line, originally three miles in length, was shortened to three-quarters -of a mile. - -[Sidenote: BUELL'S OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL.] - -For weeks the inscrutable Buell had been leisurely marching through -Kentucky and Tennessee, to join Grant. He arrived at the supreme -moment. At four o'clock on that Sunday afternoon, General Nelson, of -Kentucky, who commanded Buell's advance, crossed the Tennessee, and -rode up to Grant and his staff when the battle was raging. - -"Here we are, General," said Nelson, with the military salute, -and pointing to long files of his well-clad, athletic, admirably -disciplined fellows, already pouring on the steamboats, to be ferried -across the river. "Here we are! We are not very military in our -division. We don't know many fine points or nice evolutions; but if you -want stupidity and hard fighting, I reckon we are the men for you." - -That night both armies lay upon their guns, and the opposing pickets -were often within a hundred yards of each other. The groans and cries -of the dying rendered it impossible to sleep. Grant said: - -"We must not give the enemy the moral advantage of attacking to-morrow -morning. We must fire the first gun." - -Just at day-break, the Rebels were surprised at all points of the line -by assaults from the foe whom they had supposed vanquished. Grant's -shattered troops behaved admirably, and Buell's splendid army won -new laurels. The Confederates were forced back at all points. Their -retreat was a stampede, leaving behind great quantities of ammunition, -commissary stores, guns, caissons, small arms, supply-wagons and -ambulances. They were not vigorously followed; but as no effective -pursuit was made by either side during the entire war (until Sheridan, -in one of its closing scenes, captured Lee), perhaps northern and -southern troops were too equally matched for either to be thoroughly -routed. - -[Sidenote: Beauregard Finally Routed.] - -Beauregard withdrew to Corinth, as usual, announcing a glorious -victory. He addressed a letter to Grant, asking permission, under flag -of truce, to send a party to the battle-field to bury the Confederate -dead. He prefaced the request as follows: - - "Sir, at the close of the conflict of yesterday, my forces - being exhausted by the extraordinary length of the time - during which they were engaged with yours on that and the - preceding day, and it being apparent that you had received - and were still receiving re-enforcements, I felt it my - duty to withdraw my troops from the immediate scene of the - conflict." - -Grant was strongly tempted to assure Beauregard that no apologies for -his retreat were necessary! But he merely replied in a courteous note, -declining the request, and stating that the dead were already interred. - -[Sidenote: THE LOSSES ON BOTH SIDES.] - -The losses on both sides were officially reported as follows: - - Killed. Wounded. Missing. Total. - Union 1,614 7,721 3,963 13,298 - Rebel 1,728 8,012 959 10,699 - -The excess of Rebel wounded was owing to the superiority of the -muskets used by the Federal soldiers; and the excess of Union missing, -to the capture of Prentiss' division. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - - How use doth breed a habit in a man.--TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. - - ----But let me tell the world, If he outlive the envy of - this day, England did never owe so sweet a hope So much - misconstrued.--HENRY IV. - - -It was long after the battle of Shiloh before all the dead were buried. -Many were interred in trenches, scores together. A friend, who was -engaged in this revolting labor, told me that, after three or four -days, he found himself counting off the bodies as indifferently as he -would have measured cord-wood. - -General Halleck soon arrived, assuming command of the combined forces -of Grant, Buell, and Pope. It was a grand army. - -[Sidenote: GRANT UNDER A CLOUD.] - -Grant nominally remained at the head of his corps, but was deprived -of power. He was under a cloud. Most injurious reports concerning his -conduct at Shiloh pervaded the country. All the leading journals were -represented in Halleck's army. At the daily accidental gatherings of -eight or ten correspondents, Grant was the subject of angry discussion. -The journalistic profession tends to make men oracular and severely -critical. - -Several of these writers could demonstrate conclusively that Grant was -without capacity, but a favorite of Fortune; that his great Donelson -victory was achieved in spite of military blunders which ought to have -defeated him. - -[Sidenote: HE SERENELY SMOKES AND WAITS.] - -The subject of all this contention bore himself with undisturbed -serenity. Sherman, while constantly declaring that he cared nothing for -the newspapers, was foolishly sensitive to every word of criticism. But -Grant, whom they really wounded, appeared no more disturbed by these -paper bullets of the brain than by the leaden missiles of the enemy. He -silently smoked and waited. The only protest I ever knew him to utter -was to the correspondent of a journal which had denounced him with -great severity: - -"Your paper is very unjust to me; but time will make it all right. I -want to be judged only by my acts." - -When the army began to creep forward, I messed at Grant's -head-quarters, with his chief of staff; and around the evening -camp-fires I saw much of the general. He rarely uttered a word upon the -political bearings of the war; indeed, he said little upon any subject. -With his eternal cigar, and his head thrown slightly to one side, for -hours he would sit silently before the fire, or walk back and forth, -with eyes upon the ground, or look on at our whist-table, now and then -making a suggestion about the play. - -Most of his pictures greatly idealize his full, rather heavy face. The -journalists called him stupid. One of my _confreres_ used to say: - -"How profoundly surprised Mrs. Grant must have been, when she woke up -and learned that her husband was a great man!" - -He impressed me as possessing great purity, integrity, and amiability, -with excellent judgment and boundless pluck. But I should never have -suspected him of military genius. Indeed, nearly every man of whom, -at the beginning of the war, I prophesied a great career, proved -inefficient, and _vice versa_. - -[Sidenote: JEALOUSIES OF MILITARY MEN.] - -Military men seem to cherish more jealousies than members of any other -profession, except physicians and _artistes_. At almost every general -head-quarters, one heard denunciations of rival commanders. Grant was -above this "mischievous foul sin of chiding." I never heard him speak -unkindly of a brother officer. Still, the soldier's taint had slightly -poisoned him. He regarded Rosecrans with peculiar antipathy, and -finally accepted the command of our combined armies only on condition -that he should be at once removed. - -Hooker once boasted that he had the best army on the planet. One -would have declared that Grant commanded the worst. There was little -of that order, perfect drill, or pride, pomp, and circumstance, seen -among Buell's troops and in the Army of the Potomac. But Grant's -rough, rugged soldiers would fight wonderfully, and were not easily -demoralized. If their line became broken, every man, from behind a -tree, rock, or stump, blazed away at the enemy on his own account. They -did not throw up their hats at sight of their general, but were wont to -remark, with a grim smile: - -"There goes the old man. He doesn't say much; but he's a pretty hard -nut for Johnny Reb. to crack." - -Unlike Halleck, Grant did not pretend to familiarity with the details -of military text-books. He could not move an army with that beautiful -symmetry which McClellan displayed; but his pontoons were always up, -and his ammunition trains were never missing. - -Though not occupied with details, he must have given them close -attention; for, while other commanding generals had forty or fifty -staff-officers, brilliant with braid and buttons, Grant allowed himself -but six or seven. - -[Sidenote: THE UNION AND REBEL WOUNDED.] - -Within ten days after the battle of Shiloh, nineteen large steamers, -crowded with wounded, passed down the river. In the long rows of cots -which filled their cabins and crowded their guards, Rebel and Union -soldiers were lying side by side, and receiving the same attendance. - -Scores of volunteer physicians aided the regular army surgeons. -Hundreds of volunteer nurses, many of them wives, sisters, and mothers, -came from every walk of life to join in the work of mercy. Hands -hardened with toil, and hands that leisure and luxury left white and -soft, were bathing fevered brows, supporting wearied heads, washing -repulsive wounds, combing matted and bloody locks. - -Patient forms kept nightly vigils beside the couches; gentle tones -dropped priceless words of sympathy; and, when all was over, tender -hands closed the fixed eyes, and smoothed the hair upon the white -foreheads. Thousands of poor fellows carried to their homes, both -North and South, grateful memories of those heroic women; thousands -of hearts, wrung with the tidings that loved ones were gone, found -comfort in the knowledge that their last hours were soothed by those -self-denying and blessed ministrations. - -One man, who had received several bullets, lay undiscovered for eight -days in a little thicket, with no nourishment except rain-water. After -discovery he lived nearly two weeks. At some points the ground was so -closely covered with mutilated bodies that it was difficult to step -between them. One soldier, rigid in death, was found lying upon the -back, holding in his fixed hand, and regarding with stony eyes, the -daguerreotype of a woman and child. It was terribly suggestive of the -desolate homes and bleeding hearts which almost force one to Cicero's -conclusion, that any peace is better than the justest war. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - - They are the abstract and brief chronicles of the - time.--HAMLET. - -[Sidenote: AN INTERVIEW WITH GENERAL SHERMAN.] - - -General Sherman was very violent toward the Press. Some newspapers had -treated him unjustly early in the war. While he commanded in Kentucky, -his eccentricities were very remarkable, and a journalist started the -report that Sherman was crazy, which obtained wide credence. There -was, at least, method in his madness; for his supposed insanity which -declared that the Government required two hundred thousand troops in -the West, though hooted at the time, proved wisdom and prophecy. - -Nevertheless, he was very erratic. When I first saw him in Missouri, -during Fremont's administration, his eye had a half-wild expression, -probably the result of excessive smoking. From morning till night he -was never without his cigar. To the nervous-sanguine temperament, -indicated by his blonde hair, light eyes, and fair complexion, tobacco -is peculiarly injurious. - -While many insisted that no correspondent could meet Sherman without -being insulted, I sought him at his tent in the field; he was absent -with a scouting party, but soon returned, with one hand bandaged from -his Shiloh wound. A staff-officer introduced me: - -"General, this is Mr. ----." - -"How do you do, Mr. ----?" inquired Sherman, with great suavity, -offering me his uninjured hand. - -"Correspondent of _The New York Tribune_," added the lieutenant. - -[Sidenote: HIS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE PRESS.] - -The general's manner changed from Indian summer to a Texas norther, and -he asked, in freezing tones: - -"Have you not come to the wrong place, sir?" - -"I think not. I want to learn some facts about the late battle from -your own lips. You complain that journalists misrepresent you. How -can they avoid it, when you refuse to give them proper information? -Some officers are drunkards and charlatans; but you would think it -unjust if we condemned all on that account. Is it not equally absurd to -anathematize every man of my profession for the sins of a few unworthy -members?" - -"Perhaps it is. Sit down. Will you have a cigar? The trouble is, that -you of the Press have no responsibilities. Some worthless fellow, -wielding a quill, may send falsehoods about me to thousands of people -who can never hear them refuted. What can I do? His readers do not know -that he is without character. It would be useless to prosecute him. If -he would even fight there would be some satisfaction in that; but a -slanderer is likely to be a coward as well." - -"True; but when some private citizen slanders you on the street or -in a drinking-saloon, you do not find it necessary to pull the nose -of every civilian whom you meet. Reputable journalists have just as -much pride in their profession as you have in yours. This tendency to -treat them superciliously and harshly, which encourages flippant young -staff-officers to insult them, tends to drive them home in disgust, and -leave their places to be supplied by a less worthy class; so you only -aggravate the evil you complain of." - -[Sidenote: SHERMAN'S PERSONAL APPEARANCE.] - -After further conversation on this subject, Sherman gave me a very -entertaining account of the battle. Since I first saw him, his eye had -grown much calmer, and his nervous system healthier. He is tall, of -bony frame, spare in flesh, with thin, wrinkled face, sandy beard and -hair, and bright, restless eyes. His face indicates great vitality and -activity; his manner is restless; his discourse rapid and earnest. He -looks rather like an anxious man of business than an ideal soldier, -suggesting the exchange, and not the camp. - -He has great capacity for labor--sometimes working for twenty -consecutive hours. He sleeps little, nor do the most powerful opiates -relieve his terrible cerebral excitement. Indifferent to dress and to -fare, he can live on hard bread and water, and fancies any one else -can do so. Often irritable, and sometimes rude, he is a man of great -originality and daring, and a most valuable lieutenant for a general -of coolness and judgment, like Grant or Thomas. With one of them to -plan or modify, he is emphatically the man to execute. His purity -and patriotism are beyond all question. He did not enter the army to -speculate in cotton, or to secure a seat in the United States Senate, -but to serve the country. - -Military weaknesses are often amusing. A prominent officer on Halleck's -staff, who had served with Scott in Mexico, had something to do with -fortifying Island Number Ten, after its capture. An obscure country -newspaper gave another officer the credit. Seeking the agent of the -Associated Press at Halleck's head-quarters, the aggrieved engineer -remarked: - -"By the way, Mr. Weir, I have been carrying a paper in my pocket for -several days, but have forgotten to hand it to you. Here it is." - -And he produced a letter page of denial, upon which the ink was not -yet dry, stating that the island had been fortified under the immediate -direction of General ----, the well-known officer of the regular army, -who served upon the staff of Lieutenant-General Scott during the -Mexican war, and was at present ----, ----, and ---- upon the staff of -General Halleck. - -"I rely upon your sense of justice," said this ornament of the staff, -"to give this proper publicity." - -[Sidenote: HUMORS OF THE TELEGRAPH.] - -Mr. Weir, with a keen sense of the ridiculous, sent the long dispatch -word for word to the Associated Press, adding: "You may rest assured -that this is perfectly reliable, because every word of it was written -by the old fool himself!" All the newspaper readers in the country had -the formal dispatch, and all the telegraph corps had their merriment -over this confidential addendum. - -Halleck's command contained eighty thousand effective men, who were -nearly all veterans. His line was ten miles in length, with Grant on -the right, Buell in the center, and Pope on the left. - -The grand army was like a huge serpent, with its head pinned on our -left, and its tail sweeping slowly around toward Corinth. Its majestic -march was so slow that the Rebels had ample warning. It was large -enough to eat up Beauregard at one mouthful; but Halleck crept forward -at the rate of about three-quarters of a mile per day. Thousands and -thousands of his men died from fevers and diarrh[oe]a. - -There was great dissatisfaction at his slow progress. Pope was -particularly impatient. One day he had a very sharp skirmish with the -enemy. Our position was strong. General Palmer, who commanded on the -front, reported that he could hold it against the world, the flesh, and -the devil; but Halleck telegraphed to Pope three times within an hour -not to be drawn into a general engagement. After the last dispatch, -Pope retired, leaving the enemy in possession of the field. How he did -storm about it! - -The little army which Pope had brought from the capture of Island -Number Ten was perfectly drilled and disciplined, and he handled it -with rare ability. Much of his subsequent unpopularity arose from his -imprudent and violent language. He sometimes indulged in the most -unseemly profanity and billingsgate within hearing of a hundred people. - -[Sidenote: WEAKNESSES OF SUNDRY GENERALS.] - -But his personal weaknesses were pardonable compared with those of some -other prominent officers. During Fremont's Missouri campaign, I knew -one general who afterward enjoyed a well-earned national reputation -for skill and gallantry. His head-quarters were the scenes of nightly -orgies, where whisky punches and draw-poker reigned from dark until -dawn. In the morning his tent was a strange museum of bottles, glasses, -sugar-bowls, playing-cards, gold, silver, and bank-notes. I knew -another western officer, who, during the heat of a Missouri battle, -according to the newspaper reports, inspirited his men by shouting: - -"Go in, boys! Remember Lyon! Remember the old flag!" - -He did use those words, but no enemy was within half a mile, and he was -lying drunk on the ground, flat upon his back. Afterward, repenting in -sackcloth and ashes, he did the State some service, and his delinquency -was never made public. - -At Antietam, a general, well known both in Europe and America, was -reported disabled by a spent shell, which struck him in the breast. -The next morning, he gave me a minute history of it, assuring me that -he still breathed with difficulty and suffered greatly from internal -soreness. The fact was that he was disabled by a bottle of whisky, -having been too hospitable to that seductive friend! - -[Sidenote: "JOHN POPE, MAJOR-GENERAL COMMANDING."] - -After the evacuation of Corinth, Pope's reputation suffered greatly -from a false dispatch, asserting that he had captured ten thousand -prisoners. Halleck alone was responsible for the report. Pope was -in the rear. One of his subordinates on the front telegraphed him -substantially as follows: - - "The woods are full of demoralized and flying Rebels. Some of - my officers estimate their number as high as ten thousand. - Many of them have already come into my lines." - -Pope forwarded this message, which said nothing about taking prisoners, -to Halleck, without erasing or adding a line; and Halleck, smarting -under his mortifying failure at Corinth, telegraphed that Pope reported -the capture of ten thousand Rebels. Pope's reputation for veracity was -fatally wounded, and the newspapers burlesqued him mercilessly. - -One of my comrades lay sick and wounded at the residence of General -Clinton B. Fisk, of St. Louis. On a Sunday afternoon the general was -reading to him from the Bible an account of the first contraband. This -historic precedent was the servant of an Amalekite, who came into -David's camp and proposed, if assured of freedom, to show the King of -Israel a route which would enable him to surprise his foes. The promise -was given, and the king fell upon the enemy, whom he utterly destroyed. -While our host was reading the list of the spoils, the prisoners, -slaves, women, flocks and herds captured by David, the sick journalist -lifted his attenuated finger, and in his weak, piping voice, said: - -"Stop, General; just look down to the bottom of that list, and see if -it is not signed John Pope, Major-General commanding!" - -[Sidenote: HALLECK'S FAUX PAS AT CORINTH.] - -At last, Halleck's army reached Corinth, but the bird had flown. No -event of the war reflected so much credit upon the Rebels and so much -discredit upon the Unionists as Beauregard's evacuation. He did not -disturb himself until Halleck's Parrott guns had thrown shots within -fourteen feet of his own head-quarters. Then, keeping up a vigorous -show of resistance on his front, he deserted the town, leaving behind -not a single gun, or ambulance, or even a sick or wounded man in the -hospital. - -Halleck lost thenceforth the name of "Old Brains," which some -imaginative person had given him, and which tickled for a time the ears -of his soldiers. The only good thing he ever did, in public, was to -make two brief speeches. When he first reached St. Louis, upon being -called out by the people, he said: - -"With your help, I will drive the enemy out of Missouri." - -Called upon again, on leaving St. Louis for Washington, to assume the -duties of general-in-chief, he made an equally brief response: - -"Gentlemen: I promised to drive the enemy out of Missouri; I have done -it!" - - HALLECK'S ARMY, BEFORE CORINTH, } - _April 23, 1862_. } - -Heavy re-enforcements are arriving. The woods, in luxuriant foliage, -are spiced with - - "----a dream of forest sweets, - Of odorous blooms and sweet contents," - and the deserted orchards are fragrant with apple and - cherry blossoms. - -[Sidenote: OUT ON THE FRONT.] - - _May 11._ - -Still we creep slowly along. Pope's head-quarters are now within the -borders of Mississippi. Out on his front you find several hundred -acres of cotton-field and sward, ridged with graves from a recent hot -skirmish. Carcasses of a hundred horses, killed during the battle, are -slowly burning under piles of rails, covered with a layer of earth, -that their decay may not taint the atmosphere. - -Beyond, our infantry pickets present muskets and order you to halt. -If you are accompanied by a field-officer, or bear a pass "by order -of Major-General Halleck," you can cross this Rubicon. A third of a -mile farther are our vedettes, some mounted, others lying in the shade -beside their grazing horses, but keeping a sharp look-out in front. -In a little rift of the woods, half a mile away, you see through your -field-glass a solitary horseman clad in butternut. Two or three more, -and sometimes forty or fifty, come out of the woods and join him, -but they keep very near their cover, and soon go back. Those are the -enemy's pickets. You hear the drum beat in the Rebel lines, and the -shrill whistle of the locomotives at Corinth, which is three miles -distant. - - _May 19._ - -Along our entire front, almost daily, the long roll is sounded, and the -ground jarred by the dull rumble of cannonade. The little attention -paid to these skirmishes, where we lose from fifty to one hundred men, -illustrates the magnitude of the war. - -We feel the earth vibrate, and look inquiringly into the office of the -telegraph which accompanies every corps. - -"It is on Buell's center, or on Grant's right," the operator replies. - -If it does not become rapid and prolonged, no further questions are -asked. At night, awakened by the sharp rattle of musketry, we raise our -heads, listen for the alarm-drum, and, not hearing it, roll over in our -blankets, to court again the drowsy god. - -Ride out with me to the front, five miles from Halleck's head-quarters. -The country is undulating and woody, with a few cotton-fields and -planters' houses. The beautiful groves open into delicious vistas of -green grass or rolling wheat; luxuriant flowers perfume the vernal air, -and the rich foliage already seems to display-- - - ----"The tintings and the fingerings of June, - As she blossoms into beauty and sings her Summer tune!" - -Here is a deserted camp of a division which has moved forward. Three or -four adjacent farmers are gathering up the barrels, boxes, provisions, -and other _debris_, left behind by the troops. - -[Sidenote: DRILLING, DIGGING, AND SKIRMISHING.] - -Here is a division on drill, advancing in line of battle, the -skirmishers thrown out in front, deploying, gathering in groups, or -falling on their faces at the word of command. - -Beyond those white tents our soldiers, in gray shirts and blue pants, -are busily plying the spade. They throw up a long rampart notched with -embrasures for cannon. We have already built fifty miles of breastworks. - -A little in the rear are the heavy siege-guns, where they can be -brought up quickly; a little in front, the field artillery, with the -horses harnessed and tied to trees, ready for use at a moment's notice. -Near the workmen, their comrades, who do the more legitimate duty of -the soldier, are standing on their arms, to repel any _sortie_ from the -enemy. Their guns, with the burnished barrels and bayonets glistening -in the sun, are stacked in long rows, while the men stand in little -groups, or sit under the trees, playing cards, reading letters or -newspapers. More than twenty thousand copies of the daily papers of the -western cities and New York are sold in the army at ten cents each. The -number of letters which go out from the camps in each day's mail is -nearly as large. - -When this parapet is completed, we shall go forward a few hundred -yards, and throw up another; and thus we advance slowly toward Corinth. - -Ride still farther, and you find the infantry pickets. The vedettes -are drawn in, if there is any skirmishing going on. From the extreme -front, you catch an occasional glimpse of the Rebels--"Butternuts," as -they are termed in camp, from their cinnamon-hued homespun, dyed with -butternut extract. They are dodging among the trees, and, if you are -wise, you will get behind a tree yourself, and beware how you show your -head. - -[Sidenote: EXPERIENCES AMONG THE SHARP-SHOOTERS.] - -Already one of their sharp-shooters notices you. Puff, comes a cloud -of smoke from his rifle; in the same breath you hear the explosion, -and the sharp, ringing "ping" of the bullet through the air! Capital -shots are many of these long, lank, loose-jointed Mississippians and -Texans, whose rifles are sometimes effective at ten and twelve hundred -yards. Yesterday, one of them concealed himself in the dense foliage of -a tree-branch, and picked off several of our soldiers. At last, one of -our own sharp-shooters took him in hand, and, at the sixth discharge, -brought him down to the ground. This sharp-shooting is a needless -aggravation of the horrors of war; but if the enemy indulges in it, you -have no recourse but to do likewise. - -[Sidenote: HORSES STOLEN EVERY DAY.] - -Stealing is the inevitable accompaniment of camp life--"convey, the -wise" call it. I have a steed, cadaverous and bony, but with good -locomotive powers. There was profound policy in my selection. For -five consecutive nights that horse was stolen, but no thief ever kept -him after seeing him by day-light. In the morning, he would always -come browsing back. My friend and tent-mate "Carlton," of _The Boston -Journal_, had a more vaulting ambition. He procured a showy horse, -which proved the most expensive luxury in all his varied experience. -The special aptitude of the animal was to be stolen. Regularly, seven -mornings in the week, our African factotum would thrust his woolly head -into the tent, and awaken us with this salutation: - -"Breakfast is ready. Mr. Coffin, your horse is gone again." - -By hard search and liberal rewards, he would be reclaimed during -the day from some cavalry soldier, who averred that he had found -him running loose. After being impaled and nearly killed upon a -rake-handle, the poor brute, hardly able to walk ten paces, was stolen -again, and never re-appeared. My friend now remembered his showy steed, -and the last five-dollar note which he sent in fruitless pursuit, among -blessings which brightened as they took their flight. - - CAIRO, ILL., _May 21_. - -[Sidenote: HALLECK EXPELS THE WAR CORRESPONDENTS.] - -General Halleck has expelled all the correspondents from the army, -on the plea that he must exclude "unauthorized hangers-on," to keep -spies out of his camps. His refusal to accept _any_ guaranties of their -loyalty and prudence, even from the President himself, proves that this -plea was a shallow subterfuge. The real trouble is, that Halleck is not -willing to have his conduct exhibited to the country through any other -medium than official reports. "As false as a bulletin," has passed into -a proverb. - -The journalists received invitations to remain, from friends holding -commissions in the army, from major-generals down to lieutenants; but, -believing their presence just as legitimate and needful as that of -any soldier or officer, they determined not to skulk about camps like -felons, but all left in a body. Their individual grievances are nothing -to the public; but this is a grave issue between the Military Power and -the rights of the Press and the People. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - - ----Whose tongue Outvenoms all the worms of Nile.--CYMBELINE. - -[Sidenote: BLOODTHIRSTINESS OF REBEL WOMEN.] - - -No history of the war is likely to do full justice to the bitterness -of the Rebel women. Female influence tempted thousands of young men to -enter the Confederate service against their own wishes and sympathies. -Women sometimes evinced incredible rancor and bloodthirstiness. The -most startling illustration of the brutalizing effect of Slavery -appeared in the absence of that sweetness, charity, and tenderness -toward the suffering, which is the crowning grace of womanhood. - -A southern Unionist, the owner of many slaves, said to me: - -"I suppose I have not struck any of my negroes for ten years. When they -need correcting, my wife always does it." - -If he had a horse or a mule requiring occasional whipping, would he put -the scourge in the hands of his little daughter, and teach her to wield -it, from her tender years? How infinitely more must it brutalize and -corrupt her when the victim is a man--the most sacred thing that God -has made--his earthly image and his human temple! - -[Sidenote: THE BATTLE OF MEMPHIS.] - -Before we captured Memphis, the sick and wounded Union prisoners were -in a condition of great want and suffering. Women of education, wealth, -and high social position visited the hospitals to minister to Rebel -patients. Frequently entering the Federal wards from curiosity, they -used toward the groaning patients expressions like this: - -"I would like to give you one dose! You would never fight against the -South again!" - -In what happy contrast to this shone the self-denying ministrations of -northern women, to friend and enemy alike! - -In Memphis, on the evening of June 5th, General Jeff. Thompson, -commanding the Rebel cavalry, and Commodore Edward Montgomery, -commanding the Rebel flotilla, stated at the Gayoso House that there -would be a battle the next morning, in which the Yankee fleet would be -destroyed in just about two hours. - -Just after daylight, the Rebel flotilla attacked ours, two miles above -the city. We had five iron-clads and several rams, which were then -experimental. They were light, agile little stern-wheel boats, whose -machinery was not at all protected against shots. The battle occurred -in full view of the city. Though it began soon after daylight, it was -witnessed by ten thousand people upon the high bluff--an anxious, -excited crowd. The Rebels dared not be too demonstrative, and the -Unionists dared not whisper a word of their long-cherished and earnest -hopes. - -[Sidenote: GALLANT EXPLOITS OF THE RAMS.] - -While the two fleets were steaming toward each other, Colonel Ellet, -determined to succeed or to die, daringly pushed forward with his -little rams, the Monarch and Queen of the West. With these boats, -almost as fragile as pasteboard, he steamed directly into the Rebel -flotilla. One of his rams struck the great gunboat Sterling Price with -a terrific blow, crushing timbers and tearing away the entire larboard -wheel-house. The Price drifted helplessly down the stream and stranded. -Another of Ellet's rams ran at full speed into the General Lovell, -cutting her in twain. The Rebel boat filled and sunk. - -From the shore, it was a most impressive sight. There was the Lovell, -with holiday decorations, crowded with men and firing her guns, when -the little ram struck her, crushing in her side, and she went down -like a plummet. In three minutes, even the tops of her tall chimneys -disappeared under water. Scores of swimming and drowning Rebels in the -river were rescued by boats from the Union fleet. - -One of the rams now ran alongside and grappled the Beauregard, and, -through hose, drenched her decks with scalding water, while her -cannoneers dared not show their heads to Ellet's sharpshooters, who -were within a few feet of them. Another Rebel boat came up to strike -the ram, but the agile little craft let go her hold and backed out. The -blow intended for her struck the Beauregard, which instantly went down, -"hoist with his own petar." - -The Sumter and the Little Rebel, both disabled, were stranded on the -Arkansas shore. The Jeff. Thompson was set on fire and abandoned by her -crew. In a few minutes there was an enormous dazzling flash of light, a -measureless volume of black smoke, and a startling roar, which seemed -to shake the earth to its very center. For several seconds the air was -filled with falling timbers. Exploding her magazine, the Rebel gunboat -expired with a great pyrotechnic display. - -The General Bragg received a fifty-pound shot, which tore off a -long plank under her water-mark, and she was captured in a sinking -condition. The Van Dorn, the only Rebel boat which survived the -conflict, turned and fled down the river. - -The battle lasted just one hour and three minutes. It was the most -startling, dramatic, and memorable display of the whole war. On our -side, no one was injured except Colonel Ellet, who had performed such -unexampled feats with his little rams. A splinter, which struck him in -the leg, inflicted a fatal wound. - -As our fleet landed, a number of news-boys sprang on shore, and, a -moment after, were running through the street, shouting: - -"Here's your _New-York Tribune_ and _Herald_--only ten cents in silver!" - -The correspondents, before the city was formally surrendered, had -strolled through the leading streets. At the Gayoso House they -registered their names immediately under those of the fugacious Rebel -general, and ordered dinner. - -The Memphis Rebels, who had predicted a siege rivaling Saragossa and -Londonderry, were in a condition of stupor for two weeks after our -arrival. They rubbed their eyes wonderingly, to see Union officers and -Abolition journalists at large without any suggestions of hanging or -tarring and feathering. Remembering my last visit, it was with peculiar -satisfaction that I appended in enormous letters to my signature upon -the hotel register, the name of the journal I served. - -[Sidenote: A SAILOR ON A LARK.] - -On the day of the capture, an intoxicated seaman from one of the -gun-boats, who had been shut up for several months, went on shore -"skylarking." Offering his arms to the first two negro women he met, -he promenaded the whole length of Main street. The Memphis Rebels were -suffering for an outrage, and here was one just to their mind. - -"If that is the way, sir," remarked one of them, "that your people -propose to treat southern gentlemen and ladies--if they intend to -thrust upon us such a disgusting spectacle of negro equality, it will -be perilous for them. Do they expect to conciliate our people in this -manner?" - -I mildly suggested that the era of conciliation ceased when the era of -fighting began. The sailor was arrested and put in the guard-house. - -[Sidenote: APPEARANCE OF THE CAPTURED CITY.] - -Our officers mingled freely with the people. No citizens insulted our -soldiers in the streets; no woman repeated the disgraceful scenes of -New Orleans by spitting in the faces of the "invaders." The Unionists -received us as brothers from whom they had long been separated. One -lady brought out from its black hiding-place, in her chimney, a -National flag, which had been concealed there from the beginning of the -war. A Loyalist told me that, coming out of church on Sunday, he was -thrilled with the news that the Yankees had captured Fort Donelson; -but, with a grave face, he replied to his informant: - -"That is sad business for us, is it not?" - -Reaching home, with his wife and sister, they gave vent to their -exuberant joy. He could not huzza, and so he relieved himself by -leaping two or three times over a center-table! - -There were many genuine Rebels whose eyes glared at us with the hatred -of caged tigers. Externally decorous, they would remark, ominously, -that they hoped our soldiers would not irritate the people, lest -it should deluge the streets with blood. They proposed fabulous -wagers that Sterling Price's troops could whip the whole Union army; -circulated daily reports that the Confederates had recaptured New -Orleans and Nashville, and talked mysteriously about the fatality of -the yellow fever, and the prospect that it would soon break out. - -Gladness shone from the eyes of all the negroes. Their dusky faces -were radiant with welcome, and many women, turbaned in bright bandanas, -thronged the office of the provost-marshal, applying for passage to -the North. We found Memphis as torpid as Syria, where Yusef Browne -declared that he saw only one man exhibit any sign of activity, and he -was engaged in tumbling from the roof of a house! But stores were soon -opened, and traders came crowding in from the North. Most of them were -Jews. - -Everywhere we saw the deep eyes and pronounced features of that -strange, enterprising people. I observed one of them, with the -Philistines upon him, marching to the military prison. The pickets -had caught him with ten thousand dollars' worth of boots and shoes, -which he was taking into Dixie. He bore the miscarriage with great -philosophy, bewailing neither his ducats nor his daughter, his boots -nor his liberty--smiling complacently, and finding consolation in -the vilest of cigars. But in his dark, sad eye was a gleam of latent -vengeance, which he doubtless wreaked upon the first unfortunate -customer who fell into his clutches after his release. - -Glancing at the guests who crowded the dining-hall of the Gayoso, one -might have believed that the lost tribes of Israel were gathering there -for the Millennium. - -[Sidenote: GRANT ORDERS AWAY THE JEWS.] - -Many of them engaged in contraband traffic, supplying the Rebels with -food, and even with ammunition. Some months after, these very gross -abuses induced Grant to issue a sweeping ukase expelling all Jews from -his department--an order which the President wisely countermanded. - -The Rebel authorities had destroyed all the cotton, sugar, and -molasses they could find; but these articles now began to emerge from -novel hiding-places. One gentleman had fifty bales of cotton in his -closed parlor. Hundreds of bales were concealed in the woods, in lofts, -and in cellars. Much sugar was buried. One man, entombing fifteen -hogsheads, neglected to throw up a mound to turn off the water; when he -dug for his sugar, its linked sweetness was _too_ long drawn out! The -hogsheads were empty. - -On the 17th of June, a little party of Union officers came galloping -into the city from the country. They were evidently no gala-day -soldiers. Their sun-browned faces, dusty clothing, and jaded horses -bespoke hard campaigns and long marches. - -One horseman, in a blue cap and plain blouse, bore no mark of rank, but -was noticeable for the peculiar brilliancy of his dark, flashing eye. -This modest soldier was Major-General Lew. Wallace; and his division -arrived a few hours after. He established his quarters at the Gayoso, -in the same apartments which had been occupied successively by four -Rebel commanders, Pillow, Polk, Van Dorn, and Price. - -[Sidenote: A REBEL PAPER SUPERVISED.] - -_The Memphis Argus_, a bitter Secession sheet, had been allowed to -continue publication, though its tone was very objectionable. General -Wallace at once addressed to the proprietors the following note: - - "As the closing of your office might be injurious to you - pecuniarily, I send Messrs. Richardson, of _The New York - Tribune_, and Knox, of _The New York Herald_,--two gentlemen - of ample experience--to take charge of the editorial - department of your paper. The business and management will be - left to you." - -The publishers, glad to continue upon any terms, acquiesced, and -thereafter every morning, before _The Argus_ went to press, the -proof-sheets were sent to us for revision. - -The first dress-parade of Wallace's original regiment, the Eleventh -Indiana Infantry, was attended by hundreds of Memphians, curious to -see northern troops drawn up in line. They wore no bright trappings -or holiday attire. Their well-kept arms shone in the fading sunlight, -a line of polished steel; but their soiled uniforms had left their -brightness behind in many hard-fought battles. They went through the -drill with rare precision. The Rebel bystanders clapped their hands -heartily, with a certain unconscious pride that these soldiers were -their fellow-Americans. The spectacle dimmed their faith in their -favorite five-to-one theory. - -"Well, John," asked one of them beside me, "how many regiments like -that do you think one of ours could whip?" - -"I think that whipping one would be a pretty hard day's work!" was the -reply. - -[Sidenote: "A DAM BLACK-HARTED ABLICHINESS."] - -Months before our arrival, a Union employe of the Memphis and Ohio -Railroad sold a watch to a Secession comrade. Vainly attempting to -collect the pay, he finally wrote a pressing letter. The debtor sent -back the dun with this reply: - - "SIR: My privet Apinion is Public express is that you ar A - Dam Black harted ablichiness and if I ever hear of you open - you mouth a gane you will get you head shave and cent Back to - you free nigar Land Whar you be along these are fackes and - you now I can prove them and I will Doet." - -The Loyalist pocketed the affront, "ablichiness" and all, and nursed -his wrath to keep it warm. Meeting his debtor on the street, after the -arrival of our forces, he administered to him a merciless flagellation. -Before our Provost-Marshal it was decided to be a case of "justifiable -assault," and the prisoner was discharged from custody. - -[Sidenote: CHALLENGE FROM A SOUTHERN WOMAN.] - -In the deserted office of _The Appeal_ we found the following -manuscript:-- - - "A CHALLENGE - - "where as the wicked policy of the president--Making war upon - the South for refusing to submit to wrong too palpable for - Southerners to do. And where as it has become necessary for - the young Men of our country, My Brother, in the number To - enlist to do the dirty work of Driving the Mercenarys from - our sunny south. Whose soil is too holy for such wretches to - tramp And whose atmosphere is to pure for them to breathe - - "For such an indignity afford to Civilization I Merely - Challenge any abolition or Black Republican lady of character - if there can be such a one found among the negro equality - tribe. To Meet Me at Masons and dixon line. With a pair of - Colt's repeaters or any other weapon they May Choose, That I - May receive satisfaction for the insult." - - "Victoria E. Goodwin." - "Spring Dale, Miss., April 27, 1861." - -Confederate currency was a curiosity of literature and finance. -Dray-tickets and checks, marked "Good for twenty-five cents," and a -great variety of shinplasters, were current. One, issued by a baker, -represented "twenty-five cents in drayage or confectionary," at the -option of the holder. Another guaranteed to the bearer "the sum of five -cents from the Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad Company, in freight -or passage!" - -[Sidenote: A DROLL SPECIES OF CURRENCY.] - -One of my acquaintances had purchased in Chicago, at ten cents a -dozen, lithographic _fac-similes_ of the regular Confederate notes, -promising to pay to the bearer ten dollars, six months after a treaty -of peace between the United States and the Confederate States. A -Memphis merchant, knowing that they were counterfeit, manufactured only -to sell as curiosities, considered their execution so much better than -the originals, that he gladly gave Tennessee bank-notes in exchange -for them. My friend subsisted at his hotel for several days upon the -proceeds of these _fac-similes_, and thought it cheap boarding. While -Curtis's army was in northern Arkansas, our officers found at a village -druggist's several large sheets of his printed promises to pay, neither -cut nor signed. At the next village one of them purchased a canteen of -whisky, and offered the grocer a National treasury note in payment. The -trader refused it; it was, doubtless, good, but might cause him trouble -after the army had left. He would receive either gold or Confederate -money. The officer exhibited one of these blanks, and asked if he would -take _that_. "O yes," he replied; "it is as good money as I want!" And -he actually sold two hundred and fifty canteens of whisky for those -unsigned shinplasters, cut off from the sheets in his presence! - -Late in June, General Grant, accompanied only by his personal staff, -often rode from Corinth to Memphis, ninety miles, through a region -infested by guerrillas. - -The guests at the Gayoso House regarded with much curiosity the quiet, -slightly-stooping, rural-looking man in cotton coat and broad-brimmed -hat, talking little and smoking much, who was already beginning to -achieve world-wide reputation. - -A party of native Arkansans, including a young lady, arrived in -Memphis, coming up the Mississippi in an open skiff. When leaving -home they expected to encounter some of our gun-boats in a few hours, -and provided themselves only with one day's food, and an ample supply -of champagne. Accustomed to luxury, and all unused to labor, in the -unpitying sun they rowed for five days against the strong current of -the Mississippi, burnt, sick, and famishing. For five nights they slept -upon the ground on the swampy shore, half devoured by musquitoes. At -last they found an ark of safety in the iron-clad St. Louis. - -During a fight at St. Charles, on the White River, the steam-drum of -the gun-boat Mound City was exploded by a Rebel shot. The terrified -gunners and seamen, many of them horribly scalded, jumped into the -water. The Confederates, from behind trees on the bank, deliberately -shot the scalded and drowning wretches! - -[Sidenote: A CLEVER REBEL TRICK.] - -Halleck continued in command at Corinth. From some cause, his official -telegrams to General Curtis, in Arkansas, and Commodore Davis, on -the Mississippi, were not transmitted in cipher; and the line was -unguarded, though leading through an intensely Rebel region. In July, -the Memphis operators, from the difficult working of their instruments, -surmised that some outsider must be sharing their telegraphic secrets. -One day the transmission of a message was suddenly interrupted by the -ejaculation: - -"Pshaw! Hurra for Jeff Davis!" - -Individuality reveals itself as clearly in telegraphing as in the -footstep or handwriting. Mr. Hall, the Memphis operator, instantly -recognized the performer--by what the musicians would call his -"time"--as a former telegraphic associate in the North; and sent him -this message: - -"Saville, if you don't want to be hung, you had better leave. Our -cavalry is closing in on all sides of you." - -After a little pause, the surprised Rebel replied: - -"How in the world did you know me? I have been here four days, and -learned about all your military secrets; but it is becoming a rather -tight place, and I think I _will_ leave. Good-by, boys." - -He made good his escape. In the woods he had cut the wire, inserted one -of his own, and by a pocket instrument perused our official dispatches, -stating the exact number and location of United States troops in -Memphis. Re-enforcements were immediately ordered in, to guard against -a Rebel dash. - -[Sidenote: A BIT OF SHERMAN'S WAGGERY.] - -Later in July, Sherman assumed command. One day, a bereaved man-owner -visited him, to learn how he could reclaim his runaway slaves. - -"I know of only one way, sir," replied the general, "and that is, -through the United States marshal." - -The unsuspecting planter went up and down the city inquiring for that -civil officer. - -"Have you any business with him?" asked a Federal captain. - -"Yes, sir. I want my negroes. General Sherman says he is the proper -person to return them." - -"Undoubtedly he is. The law prescribes it." - -"Is he in town?" - -"I rather suspect not." - -"When do you think he left?" - -"About the time Sumter was fired on, I fancy." - -At last it dawned upon the planter's brain that the Fugitive Slave -Law was void after the people drove out United States officers. He -went sadly back to Sherman, and asked if there was no other method of -recovering his chattels. - -"None within my knowledge, sir." - -"What can I do about it?" - -"The law provided a remedy for you slaveholders in cases like this; but -you were dissatisfied and smashed the machine. If you don't like your -work, you had better set it to running again." - -On the 7th and 8th of March, 1862, occurred the battle of Pea Ridge, -in Arkansas. Our troops were commanded by General Curtis. Vandeveer's -brigade made a forced march of forty-one miles between 2 o'clock A. M., -and 10 P. M., in order to participate in the engagement. The fight was -very severe, but the tenacity of the western soldiers finally routed -the Rebels. - -There chanced to be only one New York correspondent with Curtis's -command. During the battle he was wounded by a fragment of shell. He -sent forward his report, with calm complacency, presuming that it was -exclusive. - -[Sidenote: FICTITIOUS BATTLE REPORTS.] - -But two other New York journalists in St. Louis, hearing of the battle, -at once repaired to Rolla, the nearest railway point, though one -hundred and ninety-five miles distant from Pea Ridge. Perusing the -very meager official dispatches, knowing what troops were engaged, and -learning from an old countryman the topography of the field, they wrote -elaborate accounts of the two days' conflict. - -Indebted to their imagination for their facts, they gave minute details -and a great variety of incidents. Their reports were plausible and -graphic. _The London Times_ reproduced one of them, pronouncing it -the ablest and best battle account which had been written during the -American war. For months, the editors who originally published these -reports, did not know that they were fictitious. They were written only -as a Bohemian freak, and remained the only accounts manufactured by any -reputable journalist during the war. - -After the battle, Curtis's army, fifteen thousand strong, pursued -its winding way through the interior of Arkansas. It maintained no -communications, carrying its base of supplies along with it. When out -of provisions, it would seize and run all the neighboring corn-mills, -until it obtained a supply of meal for one or two weeks, and then move -forward. - -[Sidenote: CURTIS'S GREAT MARCH THROUGH ARKANSAS.] - -Day after day, the Memphis Rebels told us, with ill-concealed glee, -that Curtis's army, after terrific slaughter, had all been captured, or -was just about to surrender. For weeks we had no reliable intelligence -from it. But suddenly it appeared at Helena, on the Mississippi, -seventy-five miles below Memphis, having marched more than six hundred -miles through the enemy's country. Despite the unhealthy climate, the -soldiers arrived in excellent sanitary condition, weary and ragged, but -well, and with an immense train of followers. It was a common jest, -that every private came in with one horse, one mule, and two negroes. - -The army correspondents, disgusted with the hardships and unwholesome -fare of Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi, often -predicted, with what they thought extravagant humor:-- - -"When Cincinnati or Chicago becomes the seat of war, all this will -be changed. We will take our ease at our inn, and view battles -aesthetically." - -But in September, this jest became the literal truth. Bragg, leaving -Buell far behind in Tennessee, invaded Kentucky, and seriously -threatened Cincinnati. - -Martial law was declared, and all Cincinnati began arming, drilling, -or digging. In one day, twenty-five thousand citizens enrolled their -names, and were organized into companies. Four thousand worked upon the -Covington fortifications. Newspaper proprietors were in the trenches. -Congressmen, actors, and artists, carried muskets or did staff duty. - -A few sneaks were dragged from their hiding-places in back kitchens, -garrets, and cellars. One fellow was found in his wife's clothing, -scrubbing away at the wash-tub. He was suddenly stripped of his -crinoline by the German guard, who, with shouts of laughter, bore him -away to a working-party. - -New regiments of volunteers came pouring in from Indiana, Michigan, -and the other Northwestern States. The farmers, young and old, arrived -by thousands, with their shot-guns and their old squirrel-rifles. The -market houses, public buildings, and streets, were crowded with them. -They came even from New York and Pennsylvania, until General Wallace -was compelled to telegraph in all directions that no more were needed. - -One of these country boys had no weapon except an old Revolutionary -sword. Quite a crowd gathered one morning upon Sycamore street, where -he took out his rusty blade, scrutinized its blunt edge, knelt down, -and carefully whetted it for half an hour upon a door-stone; then, -finding it satisfactorily sharp, replaced it in the scabbard, and -turned away with a satisfied look. His gravity and solemnity made it -very ludicrous. - -Buell, before starting northward in pursuit of Bragg, was about to -evacuate Nashville. Andrew Johnson, Military Governor of Tennessee, -implored, expostulated, and stormed, but without effect. He solemnly -declared that, if all the rest of the army left, he would remain with -his four Middle Tennessee regiments, defend the city to the last, -and perish in its ashes, before it should be given up to the enemy. -Buell finally left a garrison, which, though weak in numbers, proved -sufficient to hold Nashville. - -[Sidenote: "THE SIEGE OF CINCINNATI."] - -The siege of Cincinnati proved of short duration. Buell's veterans, and -the enthusiastic new volunteers soon sent the Rebels flying homeward. -Then, as through the whole war, their appearance north of Tennessee -and Virginia was the sure index of disaster to their arms. Southern -military genius did not prove adapted to the establishment of a navy, -or to fighting on Northern soil. - -[Sidenote: GLOOMIEST DAYS OF THE WAR.] - -Maryland invaded, Frankfort abandoned, Nashville evacuated, Tennessee -and Kentucky given up almost without a fight, the Rebels threatening -the great commercial metropolis of Ohio--these were the disastrous, -humiliating tidings of the hour. These were, perhaps, the gloomiest -days that had been seen during the war. We were paying the bitter -penalty of many years of National wrong. - - "God works no otherwise; no mighty birth - But comes with throes of mortal agony; - No man-child among nations of the earth - But findeth its baptism in a stormy sea." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - - He that outlives this day and comes safe home, Will stand a - tip-toe when this day is named.--KING HENRY V. - - Much work for tears in many an English mother, Whose sons lie - scattered on the bleeding ground.--KING JOHN. - -[Sidenote: ORDERED TO WASHINGTON.] - - -During the siege of Cincinnati, the Managing Editor telegraphed me thus: - - "Repair to Washington without any delay." - -An hour afterward I was upon an eastern train. - -At the Capital, I found orders to join the Army of the Potomac. It was -during Lee's first invasion. In Pennsylvania, the governor and leading -officials nearly doubled the Confederate army, estimating it at two -hundred thousand men. - -Reaching Frederick, Maryland, I found more Union flags, -proportionately, in that little city, than I had ever seen elsewhere. -The people were intensely loyal. Four miles beyond, in a mountain -region, I saw winding, fertile valleys of clear streams, rich in broad -corn-fields; and white vine-covered farm-houses, half hidden in old -apple-orchards; while great hay and grain stacks surrounded-- - - "The gray barns, looking from their hazy hills - O'er the dim waters widening in the vales." - -The roads were full of our advancing forces, with bronzed faces and -muscles compacted by their long campaigning. They had just won the -victory of South Mountain, where Hooker found exercise for his peculiar -genius in fighting above the clouds, and driving the enemy by an -impetuous charge from a dizzy and apparently inaccessible hight. - -[Sidenote: ON THE WAR-PATH.] - -The heroic Army of the Potomac, which had suffered more, fought harder, -and been defeated oftener than any other National force, was now -marching cheerily under the unusual inspiration of victory. But what -fearful loads the soldiers carried! Gun, canteen, knapsack, haversack, -pack of blankets and clothing, often must have reached fifty pounds -to the man. These modern Atlases had little chance in a race with the -Rebels. - -There were crowds of sorry-looking prisoners marching to the rear; -long trains of ambulances filled with our wounded soldiers, some of -them walking back with their arms in slings, or bloody bandages about -their necks or foreheads; Rebel hospitals, where unfortunate fellows -were groaning upon the straw, with arms or legs missing; eleven of our -lost, resting placidly side by side, while their comrades were digging -their graves hard by; the unburied dead of the enemy, lying in pairs or -groups, behind rocks or in fence corners; and then a Rebel surgeon, in -bluish-gray uniform, coming in with a flag of truce, to look after his -wounded. - -All the morning I heard the pounding of distant guns, and at 4 P. -M., near the little village of Keedysville, I reached our front. On -the extreme left I found an old friend whom I had not met for many -years--Colonel Edward E. Cross, of the Fifth New Hampshire Infantry. -Formerly a Cincinnati journalist, afterward a miner in Arizona, and -then a colonel at the head of a Mexican regiment, his life had been -full of interest and romance. - -[Sidenote: A NOVEL KIND OF DUEL.] - -While living in Arizona he incurred the displeasure of the pro-Slavery -politicians, who ruled the territory. Mowry, their self-styled Delegate -to Congress, challenged him--probably upon the hypothesis that, as a -Northerner, he would not recognize the code; but Cross was an ugly -subject for that experiment. He promptly accepted, and named Burnside -rifles at ten paces! Mowry was probably ready to say with Falstaff-- - - "An' I thought he had been valiant and so cunning in fence, - I'd have seen him damned ere I had challenged him." - -Both were dead shots. Their seconds placed them across the strong -prairie wind, to interfere with their aim. At the first fire, a ball -grazed Mowry's ear. At the second, a lock of Cross's hair was cut off. - -"Rather close work, is it not?" he calmly asked of a bystander. - -At the third fire, Mowry's rifle missed. His friends insisted that he -was entitled to his fire. Those of the other party declared that this -was monstrous, and that he should be killed if he attempted it. But -Cross settled the difficulty by deciding that Mowry was right, and -stood serenely, with folded arms, to receive the shot. The would-be -Delegate was wise enough to fire into the air. Thus ended the bloodless -duel, and the journalist was never challenged again. - -A year or two later, I chanced to be in El Paso, Mexico, shortly after -Cross had visited that ancient city. An old cathedral, still standing, -was built before the landing of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock. -Ascending to the steeple, Cross pocketed and brought away the clapper -of the old Spanish bell, which was hung there when the edifice was -erected. - -The devout natives were greatly exasperated at this profanation, and -would have killed the relic-hunting Yankee had they caught him. I heard -from them a great deal of swearing in bad Spanish on the subject. - -Now, when I greeted him, his men were deployed in a corn-field, -skirmishing with the enemy's pickets. He was in a barn, where the balls -constantly whistled, and occasionally struck the building. He had just -come in from the front, where Confederate bullets had torn two rents -in the shoulder of his blouse, without breaking the skin. A straggling -soldier passed us, strolling down the road toward the Rebel pickets. - -"My young friend," said Cross, "if you don't want a hole through you, -you had better come back." - -Just as he spoke, ping! came a bullet, perforating the hat of the -private, who made excellent time toward the rear. A moment after, a -shell exploded on a bank near us, throwing the dirt into our faces. - -[Sidenote: HOW CORRESPONDENTS AVOIDED EXPULSION.] - -We spent the night at the house of a Union resident, of Keedysville. -General Marcy, McClellan's father-in-law and chief of staff, who supped -there, inquired, with some curiosity, how we had gained admission to -the lines, as journalists were then nominally excluded from the army. -We assured him that it was only by "strategy," the details whereof -could not be divulged to outsiders. - -One of the _Tribune_ correspondents had not left the army since the -Peninsular campaign, and, remaining constantly within the lines, -his position had never been questioned. Another, who had a nominal -appointment upon the staff of a major-general, wore a saber and passed -for an officer. I had an old pass, without date, from General Burnside, -authorizing the bearer to go to and fro from his head-quarters at all -times, which enabled me to go by all guards with ease. - -Marcy engaged lodgings at the house for McClellan; but an hour after, -a message was received that the general thought it better to sleep upon -the ground, near the bivouac-fires, as an example for the troops. - -[Sidenote: SHAMEFUL SURRENDER OF HARPER'S FERRY.] - -Last night came intelligence of the surrender, to Stonewall Jackson, of -Harper's Ferry, including the impregnable position of Maryland Hights -and our army. - -Colonel Miles, who commanded, atoned for his weakness with his life, -being killed by a stray shot just after he had capitulated. Colonel -Thomas H. Ford, ex-Lieutenant-Governor of Ohio, who was stationed on -the Hights, professed to have a written order from Miles, his superior -officer, to exercise his own discretion about evacuating; but he could -not exhibit the paper, and stated that he had lost it. He gave up that -key to the position without a struggle. It was like leaving the rim -of a teacup, to go down to the bottom for a defensive point. He was -afterward tried before a court-martial, but saved from punishment, and -permitted to resign, through the clemency of President Lincoln. In any -other country he would have been shot. - -On September 16th, General McClellan established his head-quarters in a -great shaded brick farm-house. - -Under one of the old trees sat General Sumner, at sixty-four erect, -agile, and soldierly, with snow-white hair. A few yards distant, in an -open field, a party of officers were suddenly startled by two shells -which dropped very near them. The group broke up and scattered with -great alacrity. - -"Why," remarked Sumner, with a peculiar smile, "the shells seem to -excite a good deal of commotion among those young gentlemen!" - -It appeared to amuse and surprise the old war-horse that anybody should -be startled by bullets or shots. - -Lying upon the ground near by, with his head resting upon his arm, was -another officer wearing the two stars of a major-general. - -"Who is that?" I asked of a journalistic friend. - -"Fighting Joe Hooker," was the answer. - -With his side-whiskers, rather heavy countenance, and transparent -cheeks, which revealed the blood like those of a blushing girl, he -hardly looked all my fancy had painted him. - -[Sidenote: A CAVALRY STAMPEDE.] - -Toward evening, at the head of his corps, preceded by the pioneers -tearing away fences for the column, Hooker led a forward movement -across Antietam Creek. His milk-white horse, a rare target to Rebel -sharpshooters, could be seen distinctly from afar against the deep -green landscape. I could not believe that he was riding into battle -upon such a steed, for it seemed suicidal. - -In an hour we halted, and the cavalry went forward to reconnoiter. A -few minutes after, Mr. George W. Smalley, of _The Tribune_, said to me: - -"There will be a cavalry stampede in about five minutes. Let us ride -out to the front and see it." - -Galloping up the road, and waiting two or three minutes, we heard three -six-pound shots in rapid succession, and a little fifer who had climbed -a tree, shouted: - -"There they come, like the devil, with the Rebels after them!" - -From a vast cloud of dust, emerged soon our troopers in hot haste and -disorder. They had suddenly awakened a Rebel battery, which opened upon -them. - -"We will stir them up," said Hooker, as the cavalry commander made his -report. - -"Why, General," replied the major, "they have some batteries up there!" - -"Well, sir," answered Hooker, "haven't we got as many batteries as -they have? Move on!" - -[Illustration: OPENING OF THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM.--GENERAL HOOKER.] - -[Sidenote: "FIGHTING JOE HOOKER" IN BATTLE.] - -McClellan, who had accompanied the expedition thus far, rode back to -the rear. Hooker pressed forward, accompanied by General Meade, then -commanding a division--a dark-haired, scholarly-looking gentleman in -spectacles. The grassy fields, the shining streams, and the vernal -forests, stretched out in silent beauty. With their bright muskets, -clean uniforms, and floating flags, Hooker's men moved on with assured -faces. - - "'Twere worth ten years of peaceful life, - One glance at their array." - -With a very heavy force of skirmishers, we pushed on, finding no enemy. -Our line was three-quarters of a mile in length. Hooker was on the -extreme right, close upon the skirmishers. - -As we approached a strip of woods, a hundred yards wide, far on our -extreme left, we heard a single musket. Then there was another, then -another, and in an instant our whole line blazed like a train of -powder, in one long sheet of flame. - -Right on our front, through the narrow belt of woods, so near that it -seemed that we might toss a pebble to them, rose a countless horde of -Rebels, almost instantly obscured by the fire from their muskets and -the smoke of the batteries. - -My _confrere_ and myself were within a few yards of Hooker. It was a -very hot place. We could not distinguish the "ping" of the individual -bullets, but their combined and mingled hum was like the din of a great -Lowell factory. Solid shot and shell came shrieking through the air, -but over our heads, as we were on the extreme front. - -Hooker--common-place before--the moment he heard the guns, loomed up -into gigantic stature. His eye gleamed with the grand anger of battle. -He seemed to know exactly what to do, to feel that he was master of the -situation, and to impress every one else with the fact. Turning to one -of his staff, and pointing to a spot near us, he said: - -"Go, and tell Captain ---- to bring his battery and plant it there at -once!" - -The lieutenant rode away. After giving one or two further orders with -great clearness, rapidity, and precision, Hooker's eye turned again -to that mass of Rebel infantry in the woods, and he said to another -officer, with great emphasis: - -"Go, and tell Captain ---- to bring his battery here instantly!" - -Sending more messages to the various divisions and batteries, only a -single member of the staff remained. Once more scanning the woods with -his eager eye, Hooker directed the aid: - -"Go, and tell Captain ---- to bring that battery here without one -second's delay. Why, my God, how he can pour it into their infantry!" - -By this time, several of the body-guard had fallen from their saddles. -Our horses plunged wildly. A shell plowed the ground under my rearing -steed, and another exploded near Mr. Smalley, throwing great clouds of -dust over both of us. Hooker leaped his white horse over a low fence -into an adjacent orchard, whither we gladly followed. Though we did not -move more than thirty yards, it took us comparatively out of range. - -[Sidenote: THE REBELS WAVER AND BREAK.] - -The desired battery, stimulated by three successive messages, came up -with smoking horses, at a full run, was unlimbered in the twinkling of -an eye, and began to pour shots into the enemy, who were also suffering -severely from our infantry discharges. It was not many seconds before -they began to waver. Through the rifting smoke, we could see their line -sway to and fro; then it broke like a thaw in a great river. Hooker -rose up in his saddle, and, in a voice of suppressed thunder, exclaimed: - -"There they go, G-d d--n them! Forward!" - -Our whole line moved on. It was now nearly dark. Having shared the -experience of "Fighting Joe Hooker" quite long enough, I turned toward -the rear. Fresh troops were pressing forward, and stragglers were -ranged in long lines behind rocks and trees. - -Riding slowly along a grassy slope, as I supposed quite out of range, -my meditations were disturbed by a cannon-ball, whose rush of air -fanned my face, and made my horse shrink and rear almost upright. The -next moment came another behind me, and by the great blaze of a fire -of rails, which the soldiers had built, I saw it _ricochet_ down the -slope, like a foot-ball, and pass right through a column of our troops -in blue, who were marching steadily forward. The gap which it made was -immediately closed up. - -Men with litters were groping through the darkness, bearing the wounded -back to the ambulances. - -[Sidenote: A NIGHT AMONG THE PICKETS.] - -At nine o'clock, I wandered to a farm-house, occupied by some of our -pickets. We dared not light candles, as it was within range of the -enemy. The family had left. I tied my horse to an apple-tree, and lay -down upon the parlor floor, with my saddle for a pillow. At intervals -during the night, we heard the popping of musketry, and at the first -glimpse of dawn the picket-officer shook me by the arm. - -"My friend," said he, "you had better go away as soon as you can; this -place is getting rather hot for civilians." - -[Sidenote: THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM.] - -I rode around through the field, for shot and shell were already -screaming up the narrow lane. - -Thus commenced the long, hotly-contested battle of Antietam. Our line -was three miles in length, with Hooker on the right, Burnside on the -left, and a great gap in the middle, occupied only by artillery; while -Fitz-John Porter, with his fine corps, was held in reserve. From -dawn until nearly dark, the two great armies wrestled like athletes, -straining every muscle, losing here, gaining there, and at many points -fighting the same ground over and over again. It was a fierce, sturdy, -indecisive conflict. - -Five thousand spectators viewed the struggle from a hill comparatively -out of range. Not more than three persons were struck there during the -day. McClellan and his staff occupied another ridge half a mile in the -rear. - - "By Heaven! it was a goodly sight to see, For one who had no - friend or brother there." - -No one who looked upon that wonderful panorama can describe or forget -it. Every hill and valley, every corn-field, grove, and cluster of -trees, was fiercely fought for. - -The artillery was unceasing; we could often count more than sixty -guns to the minute. It was like thunder; and the musketry sounded like -the patter of rain-drops in an April shower. On the great field were -riderless horses and scattering men, clouds of dirt from solid shot and -exploding shells, long dark lines of infantry swaying to and fro, with -columns of smoke rising from their muskets, red flashes and white puffs -from the batteries--with the sun shining brightly on all this scene of -tumult, and beyond it, upon the dark, rich woods, and the clear blue -mountains south of the Potomac. - -[Sidenote: FEARFUL SLAUGHTER IN THE CORN-FIELD.] - -We saw clearly our entire line, except the extreme left, where Burnside -was hidden by intervening ridges; and at times the infantry and cavalry -of the Rebels. We could see them press our men, and hear their shrill -yells of triumph. Then our columns in blue would move forward, driving -them back, with loud, deep-mouthed, sturdy cheers. Once, a great -mass of Rebels, in brown and gray, came pouring impetuously through -a corn-field, forcing back the Union troops. For a moment both were -hidden under a hill; and then up, over the slope came our soldiers, -flying in confusion, with the enemy in hot pursuit. But soon after, up -rose and opened upon them two long lines of men in blue, with shining -muskets, who, hidden behind a ridge, had been lying in wait. The range -was short, and the fire was deadly. - -The Rebels instantly poured back, and were again lost for a moment -behind the hill, our troops hotly following. In a few seconds, they -reappeared, rushing tumultuously back into the corn-field. While -they were so thick that they looked like swarming bees, one of our -batteries, at short range, suddenly commenced dropping shots among -them. We could see with distinctness the explosions of the shells, and -sometimes even thought we detected fragments of human bodies flying -through the air. In that field, the next day, I counted sixty-four of -the enemy's dead, lying almost in one mass. - -Hooker, wounded before noon, was carried from the field. Had he not -been disabled, he would probably have made it a decisive conflict. -Realizing that it was one of the world's great days, he said: - -"I would gladly have compromised with the enemy by receiving a mortal -wound at night, could I have remained at the head of my troops until -the sun went down." - -On the left, Burnside, who had a strong, high stone bridge to carry, -was sorely pressed. McClellan denied his earnest requests for -re-enforcements, though the best corps of the army was then held in -reserve. - -The Fifteenth Massachusetts Infantry took into the battle five hundred -and fifty men, and brought out only one hundred and fifty-six. The -Nineteenth Massachusetts, out of four hundred and six men, lost all but -one hundred and forty-seven, including every commissioned officer above -a first lieutenant. The Fifth New Hampshire, three hundred strong, lost -one hundred and ten privates and fourteen officers. Colonel Cross, who -seldom went into battle without receiving wounds, was struck in the -head by a piece of shell early in the day, but with face crimsoned -and eyes dimmed with blood, he led his men until night closed the -indecisive conflict. - -[Sidenote: BEST BATTLE-REPORT OF THE WAR.] - -At night, the four _Tribune_ correspondents, who had witnessed the -battle, met at a little farm-house. They prepared hasty reports, by a -flickering tallow candle, in a narrow room crowded with wounded and -dying. - -Mr. Smalley had been with Hooker from the firing of the first gun. -Twice his horse had been shot under him, and twice his clothing was cut -by bullets. Without food, without sleep, greatly exhausted physically -and mentally, he started for New York, writing his report on a railway -train during the night, by a very dim light. - -Reaching New York at seven in the morning, he found the printers -awaiting him; and, an hour later, his account of the conflict, -filling five _Tribune_ columns, was being cried in the streets by -the news-boys. Notwithstanding the adverse circumstances of its -preparation, it was vivid and truthful, and was considered the best -battle-report of the war. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - - ----Our doubts are traitors. And make us lose the good we oft - might win, By fearing to attempt.--MEASURE FOR MEASURE. - - -In a lull of the musketry, during the battle of Antietam, McClellan -rode forward toward the front. On the way, he met a Massachusetts -general, who was his old friend and class-mate. - -"Gordon," he asked, "how are your men?" - -"They have behaved admirably," replied Gordon; "but they are now -somewhat scattered." - -"Collect them at once. We must fight to-night and fight to-morrow. This -is our golden opportunity. If we cannot whip the Rebels here, we may -just as well all die on the field." - -[Sidenote: THE DAY AFTER THE BATTLE.] - -That was the spirit of the whole army. It was universally expected that -McClellan would renew the attack at daylight the next morning; but, -though he had many thousand fresh men, and defeat could only be repulse -to him, while to the enemy, with the river in his rear, it would be -ruin, his constitutional timidity prevented. It was the costliest of -mistakes. - -Thursday proved a day of rest--such rest as can be found with three -miles of dead men to bury, and thousands of wounded to bring from the -field. It was a day of standing on the line where the battle closed--of -intermittent sharp-shooting and discharges of artillery, but no general -skirmishing, or attempt to advance on either side. - -Riding out to the front of General Couch's line, I found the Rebels and -our own soldiers mingling freely on the disputed ground, bearing away -the wounded. I was scanning a Rebel battery with my field-glass, at the -distance of a quarter of a mile, when one of our pickets exclaimed: - -"Put up your glass, sir! The Johnnies will shoot in a minute, if they -see you using it." - -In front of Hancock's lines, a flag of truce was raised. Hancock--erect -and soldierly, with smooth face, light eyes, and brown hair, the -finest-looking general in our service--accompanied by Meagher, rode -forward into a corn-field, and met the young fire-eating brigadier of -the Rebels, Roger A. Pryor. Pryor insisted that he had seen a white -flag on our front, and asked if we desired permission to remove our -dead and wounded. Hancock indignantly denied that we had asked for a -truce, as we claimed the ground, stating that, through the whole day, -we had been removing and ministering to both Union and Rebel wounded. -He suggested a cessation of sharp-shooting until this work could be -completed. Pryor declined this, and in ten minutes the firing reopened. - -"A great victory," said Wellington, "is the most awful thing in the -world, except a great defeat." Antietam, though not an entire victory, -had all its terrific features. Our casualties footed up to twelve -thousand three hundred and fifty-two, of whom about two thousand were -killed on the field. - -[Sidenote: DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN.] - -Between the fences of a road immediately beyond the corn-field, -in a space one hundred yards long, I counted more than two hundred -Rebel dead, lying where they fell. Elsewhere, over many acres, they -were strewn singly, in groups, and occasionally in masses, piled up -almost like cord-wood. They were lying--some with the human form -undistinguishable, others with no outward indication of wounds--in -all the strange positions of violent death. All had blackened faces. -There were forms with every rigid muscle strained in fierce agony, and -those with hands folded peacefully upon the bosom; some still clutching -their guns, others with arm upraised, and one with a single open finger -pointing to heaven. Several remained hanging over a fence which they -were climbing when the fatal shot struck them. - -It was several days before all the wounded were removed from the field. -Many were shockingly mutilated; but the most revolting spectacle I saw -was that of a soldier, with three fingers cut off by a bullet, leaving -ragged, bloody shreds of flesh. - -[Sidenote: LEE PERMITTED TO ESCAPE.] - -On Thursday night the sun went down with the opposing forces face to -face, and their pickets within stone's throw of each other. On Friday -morning the Rebel army was in Virginia, the National army in Maryland. -Between dark and daylight, Lee evacuated the position, and carried his -whole army across the river. He had no empty breastworks with which to -endow us; but he left a field plowed with shot, watered with blood, -and sown thick with dead. We found the _debris_ of his late camps, two -disabled pieces of artillery, a few hundred of his stragglers, two -thousand of his wounded, and as many more of his unburied dead; but not -a single field-piece or caisson, ambulance or wagon, not a tent, a box -of stores, or a pound of ammunition. He carried with him the supplies -gathered in Maryland and the rich spoils of Harper's Ferry. - -It was a very bitter disappointment to the army and the country. - -[Sidenote: THE JOHN BROWN ENGINE-HOUSE.] - - BOLIVAR HIGHTS, MD., _September 25, 1862_. - -Adieu to western Maryland, with the stanch loyalty of its suffering -people! Adieu to Sharpsburg, which, cut to pieces by our own shot and -shell as no other village in America ever was, gave us the warm welcome -that comes from the heart! Adieu to the drenched field of Antietam, -with its glorious Wednesday, writing for our army a record than which -nothing brighter shines through history; with its fatal Thursday, -permitting the clean, leisurely escape of the foe down into the valley, -across the difficult ford, and up the Virginia Hights! Our army might -have been driven back; it could never have been captured or cut to -pieces. Failure was only repulse; success was crowning, decisive, final -victory. The enemy saw this, and walked undisturbed out of the snare. - -Three days ago, our army moved down the left bank of the Potomac, -climbing the narrow, tortuous road that winds around the foot of -the mountains; under Maryland Hights; across the long, crooked ford -above the blackened timbers of the railroad bridge; then up among the -long, bare, deserted walls of the ruined Government Armory, past the -engine-house which Old John Brown made historic; up through the dingy, -antique, oriental looking town of Harper's Ferry, sadly worn, almost -washed away by the ebb and flow of war; up through the village of -Bolivar to these Hights, where we pitched our tents. - -Behind and below us rushed the gleaming river, till its dark, shining -surface was broken by rocks. Across it came a line of our stragglers, -wading to the knees with staggering steps. Beyond it, the broad -forest-clad Maryland Hights rose gloomy and somber. Down behind me, to -the river, winding across it like a slender S, then extending for half -a mile on the other side, far up along the Maryland hill, stretched a -division-train of snowy wagons, standing out in strong relief from the -dark background of water and mountain. - -Two weeks ago shots exchanged between the army of Slavery and the army -of Freedom shrieked and screamed over the engine-house, where, for two -days, Old John Brown held the State of Virginia at bay. A week ago its -walls were again shaken by the thunders of cannonade, when the armies -met in fruitless battle. Last night, within rifle-shot of it, the -President's Proclamation of Emancipation was heard gladly among thirty -thousand soldiers. - -[Sidenote: PRESIDENT LINCOLN REVIEWS THE ARMY.] - - _October 2._ - -President Lincoln arrived here yesterday, and reviewed the troops, -accompanied by McClellan, Sumner, Hancock, Meagher, and other generals. -He appeared in black, wearing a silk hat; and his tall, slender form, -and plain clothing, contrasted strangely with the broad shoulders and -the blue and gold of the major-general commanding. - -He is unusually thin and silent, and looks weary and careworn. He -regarded the old engine-house with great interest. It reminded him, he -said, of the Illinois custom of naming locomotives after fleet animals, -such as the "Reindeer," the "Antelope," the "Flying Dutchman," etc. At -the time of the John Brown raid, a new locomotive was named the "Scared -Virginians." - -The troops everywhere cheered him with warm enthusiasm. - - _October 13._ - -The cavalry raid of the Rebel General Stuart, around our entire -army, into Maryland and Pennsylvania, and back again, crossing the -Potomac without serious loss, is the one theme of conversation. It was -audacious and brilliant. On his return, Stuart passed within five miles -of McClellan's head-quarters, which were separated from the rest of the -troops by half a mile, and guarded only by a New York regiment. Some of -the staff officers are very indignant when they are told that Stuart -knew the interest of the Rebels too well to capture our commander. - - CHARLESTOWN, VIRGINIA, _October 16_. - -A reconnoissance to the front, commanded by General Hancock. The column -moved briskly over the broad turnpike, through ample fields rich with -shocks of corn, past stately farm-houses, with deep shade-trees and -orchards, by gray barns, surrounded by hay and grain stacks--beyond our -lines, over the debatable ground, past the Rebel picket-stations, in -sight of Charlestown, and yet no enemy appeared. - -[Sidenote: DODGING REBEL CANNON-BALLS.] - -We began to think Confederates a myth. But suddenly a gun belched forth -in front of us; another, and yet another, and rifled shot came singing -by, cutting through the tree-branches with sharp, incisive music. - -Two of our batteries instantly unlimbered, and replied. Our column -filled the road. Nearly all the Rebel missiles struck in an -apple-orchard within twenty yards of the turnpike; but our men would -persist in climbing the trees and gathering the fruit, in spite of the -shrieking shells. - -I have not yet learned to avoid bowing my head instinctively as a shot -screams by; but some old stagers sit perfectly erect, and laughingly -remind me of Napoleon's remark to a young officer: "My friend, if that -shell were really your fate, it would hit you and kill you if you were -a hundred feet underground." - -We could plainly see the Rebel cavalry. Far in advance of all others, -was a rider on a milk-white horse, which made him a conspicuous mark. -The sharpshooters tried in vain to pick him off, while he sat viewing -the artillery drill as complacently as if enjoying a pantomime. Some of -our officers declare that they have seen that identical steed and rider -on the Rebel front in every fight from Yorktown to Antietam. - -After an artillery fire of an hour, in which we lost eight or ten men, -the Rebels evacuated Charlestown, and we entered. - -[Sidenote: "HIS SOUL IS MARCHING ON."] - -The troops take a very keen interest in every thing connected with -the historic old man, who, two years ago, yielded up his life in a -field which is near our camp. They visit it by hundreds, and pour into -the court-house, now open and deserted, where he was tried, and made -that wonderful speech which will never die. They scan closely the -jail, where he wrote and spoke so many electric words. As our column -passed it, one countenance only was visible within--that of a negro, -looking through a grated window. How his dusky face lit up behind its -prison-bars at the sight of our column, and the words-- - - "His soul is marching on!" - -sung by a Pennsylvania regiment! - -[Sidenote: AN EMINENTLY "INTELLIGENT CONTRABAND."] - -Our pickets descried a solitary horseman, with a basket on his arm, -jogging soberly toward them. He proved a dark mulatto of about -thirty-five, and halted at their order. - -"Where are you from?" - -"Southern army, Cap'n." - -"Where are you going?" - -"Goin' to you'se all." - -"What do you want?" - -"Protection, boss. You won't send me back, will you?" - -"No, come in. Whose servant are you?" - -"Cap'n Rhett's, of South Caroliny. You'se heard of Mr. Barnwell Rhett, -Editor of _The Charleston Mercury_; Cap'n is his brother, and commands -a battery." - -"How did you get away?" - -"Cap'n gave me fifteen dollars this morning. He said: 'John, go out and -forage for butter and eggs.' So you see, boss" (with a broad grin), -"I'se out foraging. I pulled my hat over my eyes, and jogged along on -the cap'n's horse, with this basket on my arm, right by our pickets. -They never challenged me once. If they had I should have shown them -this." - -And he produced from his pocket an order in pencil from Captain Rhett -to pass his servant John, on horseback, in search of butter and eggs. - -"Why did you expect protection?" - -"Heard so in Maryland, before the Proclamation." - -"What do you know about the Proclamation?" - -"Read it, sir, in a Richmond paper." - -"What is it?" - -"That every slave is to be emancipated after the first day of next -January. Isn't that it, boss?" - -"Something like it. How did you learn to read?" - -"A New York lady stopping at the hotel taught me." - -"Did you ever hear of Old John Brown?" - -"Hear of him! Lord bless you, yes; I've his life now in my trunk in -Charleston. I've read it to heaps of colored folks. They think John -Brown was almost a god. Just say you are a friend of his, and any slave -will kiss your feet, if you will let him. They think, if he was only -alive now, he would be king. How he did frighten the white folks! It -was Sunday morning. I was waiter at the Mills House, in Charleston. -A lady from Massachusetts breakfasted at my table. 'John,' she says, -'I want to see a negro church. Where is the best one?' 'Not any open -to-day, Missus,' I told her. 'Why not?' 'Because a Mr. John Brown has -raised an insurrection in Virginny, and they don't let the negroes go -into the street to-day.' 'Well,' she says, 'they had better look out, -or they will get their white churches shut up, too, one of these days.'" - -[Sidenote: "THE LORD BLESS YOU, GENERAL!"] - -This truly intelligent contraband, being taken to McClellan, replied -very modestly and intelligently to questions about the numbers and -organization of the Rebel army. At the close of the interview, he asked -anxiously: - -"General, you won't send me back, will you?" - -"Yes," replied McClellan, with a smile, "I believe I will." - -"I hope you won't, General" (with great earnestness). "I come to you'se -all for protection, and I hope you won't." - -"Well, then, John, you are at liberty to stay with the army, if you -like, or to go where you please. No one can ever make you a slave -again." - -"May the Lord bless you, General! I thought you wouldn't drive me out. -You'se the best friend I ever had. I shall never forget you till I die." - - BOLIVAR HIGHTS, _October 25_. - -"The view from the mountains at Harper's Ferry," said Thomas Jefferson, -"is worth a journey across the Atlantic." - -[Sidenote: CURIOSITIES OF THE SIGNAL-CORPS.] - -Let us approach it at the lower price of climbing Maryland Hights. The -air is soft and wooing to-day. It is the time-- - - ----"just ere the frost - Prepares to pave old Winter's way, - When Autumn, in a reverie lost, - The mellow daylight dreams away; - When Summer comes in musing mind - To gaze once more on hill and dell, - To mark how many sheaves they bind, - And see if all are ripened well." - -Half way up the mountain, you rest your panting horse at a battery, -among bottle-shaped Dahlgrens, sure at thirty-five hundred yards, and -capable at their utmost elevation of a range of three miles and a half; -black, solemn Parrotts, with iron-banded breech, and shining howitzers -of brass. Far up, accessible only to footmen, is a long breast-work, -where two of our companies repulsed a Rebel regiment. How high the tide -of war must run, when its waves wash this mountain-top! Here, on the -extreme summit, is an open tent of the Signal-Corps. It is labeled: - -"DON'T TOUCH THE INSTRUMENTS. ASK NO QUESTIONS." - -Inside, two operators are gazing at the distant hights, through fixed -telescopes, calling out, "45," "169," "81," etc., which the clerk -records. Each number represents a letter, syllable, or abbreviated word. - -Looking through the long glass toward one of the seven signal-stations, -from four to twenty miles away, communicating with this, you see a -flag, with some large black figure upon a white foreground. It rises; -so many waves to the right; so many to the left. Then a different flag -takes its place, and rises and falls in turn. - -By these combinations, from one to three words per minute are -telegraphed. The operator slowly reads the distant signal to you: -"Two--hundred--Rebel--cavalry--riding--out--of--Charlestown--this-- -way--field-piece--on--road," and it occupies five minutes. Five miles -is an easy distance to communicate, but messages can be sent twenty -miles. The Signal-Corps keep on the front; their services are of great -value. Several of the members have been wounded and some killed. - -[Sidenote: BEAUTIFUL VIEW FROM MARYLAND HIGHTS.] - -You are on the highest point of the Blue Ridge, four thousand feet -above the sea, one thousand above the Potomac. - -Along the path by which you came, climbs a pony; on the pony's back a -negro; on the negro's head a bucket of water; then a mule, bearing a -coffee-sack, containing at each end a keg of water. Thus all provisions -are brought up. Here, in the early morning, you could only look out -upon a cold, shoreless sea of white fog. Now, you look down upon all -the country within a radius of twenty miles, as you would gaze into -your garden from your own house-top. - -You see the Potomac winding far away in a thread of silver, broken -by shrubs, rocks, and islands. At your feet lies Pleasant Valley, a -great furrow--two miles across, from edge to edge--plowed through the -mountains. It is full of camps, white villages of tents, and black -groups of guns. You see cozy dwellings, with great, well-filled barns, -red brick mills, straw-colored fields dotted with shocks of corn and -reaching far up into the dark, hill-side woods, green sward-fields, -mottled with orchards, and a little shining stream. A dim haze rests -upon the mountain-guarded picture, and the soft wind seems to sing with -Whittier: - - "Yet calm and patient Nature keeps - Her ancient promise well, - Though o'er her bloom and greenness sweeps - The battle's breath of hell. - - "And still she walks in golden hours - Through harvest-happy farms, - And still she wears her fruits and flowers, - Like jewels on her arms. - - "Still in the cannon's pause we hear - Her sweet thanksgiving psalm; - Too near to God for doubt or fear, - She shares the eternal calm. - - "She sees with clearer eye than ours - The good of suffering born,-- - The hearts that blossom like her flowers, - And ripen like her corn." - -See the regiments on dress parade; long lines of dark blue, with -bayonets that flash brightly in the waning sunlight. When dismissed, -each breaks into companies, which move toward their quarters like -monster antediluvian reptiles, with myriads of blue legs. - -[Sidenote: BURNSIDE AT HIS TENT.] - -On that distant hill-side, just at the forest's edge, in the midst of a -group of tents, are Burnside's head-quarters. Through your field-glass, -you see standing in front of them the military man whose ambition has -a limit. He has twice refused to accept the chief command of the army. -There stands Burnside, the favorite of the troops, in blue shirt, knit -jacket, and riding-boots, with frank, manly face, and full, laughing -eyes. - -Under your feet are Bolivar Hights, crowned with the tents of Couch's -Corps--dingy by reason of long service, like a Spring snow-drift -through which the dirt begins to sift. You see the quaint old -village of Harper's Ferry, and glimpses of the Potomac--gold in the -sunset--with trees and rocks mirrored in its mellow face. - -The sun goes down, and the glory of the western hills fades as you -slowly descend; but the picture you have seen is one which memory -paints in fast colors. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - - A woman moved is like a fountain troubled, Muddy, - ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty.--TAMING OF THE SHREW. - -[Sidenote: ON THE MARCH SOUTHWARD.] - - -When the army left Harper's Ferry, on a forced march, it moved, with -incredible celerity, thirty miles in nine days! - -The Virginians east of the Blue Ridge were nearly all hot -Secessionists. The troops, who had behaved well among the Union people -of Maryland, saw the contrast, and spoiled the Egyptians accordingly. -I think if Pharaoh had seen his homestead passed over by a hungry, -hostile force, he would have let the people go. - -In the presence of the army, many professed a sort of loyal neutrality, -or neutral loyalty; but I did not hear a single white Virginian of -either sex claim to be an unconditional Unionist. - -At Woodgrove, one evening, finding that we should not go into camp -before midnight, I sought supper and lodging at a private house of the -better class. My middle-aged host and his two young, unmarried sisters, -were glad to entertain some one from the army, to protect their -dwelling against stragglers. - -[Sidenote: REBEL GIRL WITH A SHARP TONGUE.] - -The elder girl, of about eighteen, was almost a monomaniac upon the -war. She declared she had no aspiration for heaven, if any Yankees were -to be there. She would be proud to kiss the dirtiest, raggedest soldier -in the Rebel army. I refrained from discussing politics with her, and -we talked of other subjects. - -During the evening, Generals Gorman and Burns reached the house to seek -shelter for the night. The officers, discovering the sensitiveness of -the poor girl, expressed the most ultra sentiments. Well educated, and -with a tongue like a rapier, she was at times greatly excited, and the -blood crimsoned her face; but she out-talked them all. - -"By-the-way," asked Burns, mischievously, "do you ever read _The -Tribune_?" - -She replied, with intense indignation: - -"Read it! I would not touch it with a pair of tongs! It is the most -infamous Abolition, negro-equality sheet in the whole world!" - -"So a great many people say," continued Burns. "However, here is one of -its correspondents." - -"In this room?" - -"Yes, madam." - -"He must be even worse than you, who come down here to murder us! Where -is he?" - -"Sitting in the corner there, reading letters." - -"I thought you were deceiving me. That is no _Tribune_ correspondent. I -do not believe you." (To me:) "This Yankee officer says that you write -for _The New York Tribune_. You don't, do you?" - -"Yes, madam." - -"Why, you seem to be a gentleman. It is not true! It's a jest between -you just to make me angry." - -At last convinced, she withheld altogether from me the expected -vituperation, but assailed Burns in a style which made him very glad to -abandon the unequal contest. She relentlessly persisted that he should -always wear his star, for nobody would suspect him of being a general -if he appeared without his uniform--that he was the worst type of the -most obnoxious Yankee, etc. - -At Upperville, the next day, I inquired of a woman who was scrutinizing -us from her door: - -"Have you seen any Rebel pickets this morning?" - -She replied, indignantly: - -"No! Why do you call them Rebels?" - -"As you please, madam; what do you call them?" - -"I call them Southern heroes, sir!" - -[Sidenote: THE NEGROES "WATCHING AND WAITING."] - -The negroes poured into our lines whenever permitted. - -"Well, Uncle," I asked of a white-haired patriarch, who was tottering -along the road, "are you a Rebel, like everybody else?" - -"No, sir! What should I be a Rebel for? I have been wanting to come to -you all a heap of times; but I just watched and waited." - -Watching and waiting! Four millions of negroes were watching and -waiting from the beginning of the war until President Lincoln's -Proclamation. - -On the march, Major O'Neil, of General Meagher's staff, started with a -message to Burnside, who was a few miles on our left. Unsuspectingly, -he rode right into a squad of cavalry dressed in United States uniform. -He found that they were Stuart's Rebels in disguise, and that he was -a captive. O'Neil had only just been exchanged from Libby Prison, and -his prospect was disheartening. The delighted Rebels sent him to their -head-quarters in Bloomfield, under guard of a lieutenant and two men. -But, on reaching the village, they found the head-quarters closed. - -"I wonder where our forces are gone," said the Rebel officer. "Oh, here -they are! Men, guard the prisoner while I ride to them." - -And he galloped down the street to a company of approaching cavalry. -Just as he reached them, they leveled their carbines, and cried: - -"Surrender!" - -He had made precisely the same mistake as Major O'Neil, and ridden -into our cavalry instead of his own. So, after spending three hours in -the hands of the Rebels, O'Neil found himself once more in our lines, -accompanied by three Rebel prisoners. - -The slaveholders complained greatly of the depredations of our army. A -very wealthy planter, who had lost nothing of much value, drew for me a -frightful picture of impending starvation. - -"I could bear it myself," exclaimed this Virginian Pecksniff, "but it -is very hard for these little negroes, who are almost as dear to me as -my own children." - -He had one of the young Africans upon his knee, and it was quite as -white as "his own children," who were running about the room. The only -perceptible difference was that its hair was curly, while theirs was -straight. - -[Sidenote: REMOVAL OF GENERAL MCCLELLAN.] - -At Warrenton, on the 7th of November, McClellan was relieved from the -command of the Army of the Potomac. He issued the following farewell: - - "An order from the President devolves upon Major-General - Burnside the command of this army. In parting from you, I - cannot express the love and gratitude I bear you. As an army, - you have grown under my care; in you I have never found doubt - or coldness. The battles you have fought under my command - will brightly live in our nation's history; the glory you - have achieved, our mutual perils and fatigues, the graves - of our comrades fallen in battle and by disease, the broken - forms of those whom wounds and sickness have disabled, make - the strongest associations which can exist among men. United - still by an indissoluble tie, we shall ever be comrades - in supporting the Constitution of our country and the - nationality of its people." - -McClellan's political and personal friends were aggrieved and indignant -at his removal in the midst of a campaign. Three of his staff officers -even made a foolish attempt to assault a _Tribune_ correspondent, -on account of the supposed hostility of that journal toward their -commander. General McClellan, upon hearing of it, sent a disclaimer and -apology, and the officers were soon heartily ashamed. - -The withdrawal was worked up to its utmost dramatic effect. Immediately -after reading the farewell order to all the troops, there was a final -review, in which the outgoing and incoming generals, with their long -staffs, rode along the lines. Salutes were fired and colors dipped. -At some points, the men cheered warmly, but the new regiments were -"heroically reticent." McClellan's chief strength was with the rank and -file. - -[Sidenote: PICKETS TALKING ACROSS THE RIVER.] - -Burnside pushed the army rapidly forward to the Rappahannock. The -Rebels held Fredericksburg, on the south bank. The men conversed freely -across the stream. One day I heard a dialogue like this: - -"Halloo, butternut!" - -"Halloo, bluebelly!" - -"What was the matter with your battery, Tuesday night?" - -"You made it too hot. Your shots drove away the cannoneers, and they -haven't stopped running yet. We infantry men had to come out and -withdraw the guns." - -"You infantrymen will run, too, one of these fine mornings." - -"When are you coming over?" - -"When we get ready to come." - -"What do you want?" - -"Want Fredericksburg." - -"Don't you wish you may get it?" - -Here an officer came up and ordered our men away. - -The army halted for some weeks in front of Fredericksburg. - -[Sidenote: HOW ARMY CORRESPONDENTS LIVED.] - -By this time, War Correspondence was employing hundreds of pens. -_The Tribune_ had from five to eight men in the Army of the Potomac, -and twelve west of the Alleghanies. My own local habitation was the -head-quarters of Major-General O. O. Howard, who afterward won wide -reputation in Tennessee and Georgia, and who is an officer of great -skill, bravery, and personal purity. - -My dispatches were usually prepared, and those of my associates sent -to me, at night. Before dawn, a special messenger called at my tent -for them, and bore them on horseback, or by railway and steamer, to -Washington, whence they were forwarded to New York by mail or telegraph. - -Correspondents usually lived at the head-quarters of some general -officer, bearing their due proportion of mess expenditures; but they -were compelled to rely upon the bounty of quartermasters for forage for -their horses, and transportation for their baggage. - -Having no legal and recognized positions in the army, they were -sometimes liable to supercilious treatment from young members of staff. -They were sure of politeness and consideration from generals; yet, -particularly in the regular army, there was a certain impression that -they deserved Halleck's characterization of "unauthorized hangers-on." -To encourage the best class of journalists to accompany the army, there -should be a law distinctly authorizing representatives of the Press, -who are engaged in no other pursuit, to accompany troops in the field, -and purchase forage and provisions at the same rates as officers. They -should, of course, be held to a just responsibility not to publish -information which could benefit the enemy. - -Nightly, around our great division camp-fire, negroes of all ages pored -over their spelling-books with commendable thirst for learning. - -[Sidenote: I'D RATHER BE FREE.] - -One boy, of fourteen, was considered peculiarly stupid, and had seen -hard work, rough living, and no pay, during his twelve months' sojourn -with the army. I asked him: "Did you work as hard for your old master -as you do here?" - -"No, sir." - -"Did he treat you kindly?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Were you as well clothed as now?" - -"Better, sir." - -"And had more comforts?" - -"Yes, sir; always had a roof over me, and was never exposed to rain and -cold." - -"Would you not have done better to stay at home?" - -"If I had thought so, I should not have come away, sir." - -"Would you come again, knowing what hardships were before you?" - -"Yes, sir. I'd rather be free!" - -He was not stupid enough to be devoid of human instinct! - -[Sidenote: THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG.] - -In December occurred the battle of Fredericksburg. The enemy's position -was very strong--almost impregnable. Our men were compelled to lay -their pontoons across the river in a pitiless rain of bullets from the -Rebel sharpshooters. But they did it without flinching. Our troops, -rank, file, and officers, marched into the jaws of death with stubborn -determination. - -We attacked in three columns; but the original design was that the -main assault should be on our left, which was commanded by General -Franklin. A road which Franklin wished to reach would enable him to -come up in the rear of Fredericksburg, and compel the enemy to evacuate -his strong works, or be captured. Franklin was very late in starting. -He penetrated once to this road, but did not know it, and again fell -back. Thus the key to the position was lost. - -In the center, our troops were flung upon very strong works, and -repulsed with terrible slaughter. It proved a massacre rather than a -battle. Our killed and wounded exceeded ten thousand. - -I was not present at the battle, but returned to the army two or -three days after. Burnside deported himself with rare fitness and -magnanimity. As he spoke to me about the brave men who had fruitlessly -fallen, there were tears in his eyes, and his voice broke with emotion. -When I asked him if Franklin's slowness was responsible for the -slaughter, he replied: - -"No. I understand perfectly well that when the general commanding an -army meets with disaster, he alone is responsible, and I will not -attempt to shift that responsibility upon any one else. No one will -ever know how near we came to a great victory. It almost seems to me -now that I could have led my old Ninth Corps into those works." - -Indeed, Burnside had desired to do this, but was dissuaded by his -lieutenants. The Ninth Corps would have followed him anywhere; but that -would have been certain death. - -Burnside was, at least, great in his earnestness, his moral courage, -and perfect integrity. The battle was better than squandering precious -lives in fevers and dysentery during months of inaction. Better a -soldier's death on the enemy's guns than a nameless grave in the swamps -of the Chickahominy or the trenches before Corinth. - -Ordered to move, Burnside obeyed without quibbling or hesitating, and -flung his army upon the Rebels. The result was defeat; but that policy -proved our salvation at last; by that sign we conquered. - -Every private soldier knew that the battle of Fredericksburg was a -costly and bloody mistake, and yet I think on the day or the week -following it, the soldiers would have gone into battle just as -cheerfully and sturdily as before. The more I saw of the Army of -the Potomac, the more I wondered at its invincible spirit, which no -disasters seemed able to destroy. - -[Sidenote: CURIOUS BLUNDER OF THE TELEGRAPH.] - -In January, among the lookers-on in Virginia, was the Hon. Henry J. -Raymond, of _The Times_. He had a brother in the service, and one day -he received this telegram:-- - - "Your brother's corpse is at Belle Plain." - -Hastening to the army as fast as steam could carry him, to perform the -last sad offices of affection, he found his relative not only living, -but in vigorous health. Through the eccentricities of the telegraph, -the word _corps_ had been changed into _corpse_. - -On the 22d of January, Burnside attempted another advance, designing -to cross the Rappahannock in three columns. The weather for a long time -had been fine, but, a few hours after the army started, the heavens -opened, and converted the Virginia roads into almost fathomless mire. -Advance seemed out of the question, and in two days the troops came -back to camp. The Rebels understood the cause, and prepared an enormous -sign, which they erected on their side of the river, in full view of -our pickets, bearing the inscription, "STUCK IN THE MUD!" - -[Sidenote: THE BATTERIES AT FREDERICKSBURG.] - - ARMY OF POTOMAC, NEAR FALMOUTH, VA., } - _Monday, Nov. 24_. } - -Still on the north bank of the Rappahannock! Upon the high bluffs, -along a line of three miles, twenty-four of our guns point -threateningly toward the enemy. In the ravines behind them a hundred -more wait, ready to be wheeled up and placed in position. - -Upon the hills south of the river, distant from them a thousand to five -thousand yards, Rebel guns confront them. Some peer blackly through -hastily-built earthworks; some are just visible over the crests of -sharp ridges; some almost hidden by great piles of brush. Already we -count eighteen; the cannonading will unmask many more. - - "Ah, what a sound will rise, how wild and dreary, - When the Death-angel touches these swift keys! - What loud lament and dismal _miserere_ - Will mingle with their awful symphonies!" - -In front of our right batteries, but far below and hidden from them, -the antique, narrow, half-ruined village of Falmouth hugs the river. In -front of the Rebel batteries, in full view of both sides, the broad, -well-to-do town of Fredericksburg, with its great factories, tall -spires, and brick buildings, is a tempting target for our guns. The -river which flows between (though Fredericksburg is half a mile below -Falmouth), is now so narrow, that a lad can throw a stone across. - -Behind our batteries and their protecting hills rests the infantry of -the Grand Division. General Couch's corps occupies a crescent-shaped -valley--a symmetric natural amphitheater. It is all aglow nightly -with a thousand camp-fires; and, from the proscenium-hill of General -Howard's head-quarters, forms a picture mocking all earthly canvas. -Behind the Rebel batteries, in the dense forest, their infantry -occupies a line five miles long. By night we just detect the glimmer of -their fires; by day we see the tall, slender columns of smoke curling -up from their camps. - -[Sidenote: A DISAPPOINTED VIRGINIAN.] - -All the citizens ask to have guards placed over their houses; but very -few obtain them. "I will give no man a guard," replied General Howard -to one of these applicants, "until he is willing to lose as much as I -have lost, in defending the Government." The Virginian cast one long, -lingering look at the General's loose, empty coat-sleeve (he lost his -right arm while leading his brigade at Fair Oaks), and went away, the -picture of despair. - -ARMY OF POTOMAC, _Sunday, Dec. 21_. - -The general tone of the army is good; far better than could be -expected. There is regret for our failure, sympathy for our wounded, -mourning for our honored dead; but I find little discouragement and no -demoralization. - -This is largely owing to the splendid conduct of all our troops. The -men are hopeful because there are few of the usual jealousies and -heart-burnings. No one is able to say, "If this division had not -broken," or "if that regiment had done its duty, we might have won." -The concurrence of testimony is universal, that our men in every -division did better than they ever did before, and made good their -claim to being the best troops in the world. We have had victories -without merit, but this was a defeat without dishonor. - -In many respects--in all respects but the failure of its vital -object--the battle of Fredericksburg was the finest thing of the -war. Laying the bridge, pushing the army across, after the defeat -withdrawing it successfully--all were splendidly done, and redound -alike to the skill of the general and the heroism of the troops. - -[Sidenote: HONOR TO THE BRAVE AND BOLD.] - -And those men and officers of the Seventh Michigan, the Nineteenth and -Twentieth Massachusetts, and the Eighty-ninth New York, who eagerly -crossed the river in open boats, in the teeth of that pitiless rain of -bullets, and dislodged the sharpshooters who were holding our whole -army at bay--what shall we say of them? Let the name of every man of -them be secured now, and preserved in a roll of honor; let Congress see -to it that, by medal or ribbon to each, the Republic gives token of -gratitude to all who do such royal deeds in its defense. To the living, -at least, we can be just. The fallen, who were left by hundreds in line -of battle, "dead on the field of honor," we cannot reward; but He who -permits no sparrow to fall to the ground unheeded, will see to it that -no drop of their precious blood has been shed in vain. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - - He hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been So clear in - his great office, that his virtues Will plead like angels, - trumpet-tongued, against The deep damnation of his taking - off.--MACBETH. - -[Sidenote: REMINISCENCES OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.] - - -The assassination of President Lincoln, while these chapters are in -press, attaches a sad interest to everything connected with his memory. - -During the great canvass for the United States Senate, between Mr. -Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, the right of Congress to exclude Slavery from -the Territories was the chief point in dispute. Kansas was the only -region to which it had any practical application; and we, who were -residing there, read the debates with peculiar interest. - -No such war of intellects, on the rostrum, was ever witnessed in -America. Entirely without general culture, more ignorant of books than -any other public man of his day, Douglas was christened "the Little -Giant" by the unerring popular instinct. He who, without the learning -of the schools, and without preparation, could cope with Webster, -Seward, and Sumner, surely deserved that appellation. He despised -study. Rising after one of Mr. Sumner's most scholarly and elaborate -speeches, he said: "Mr. President, this is very elegant and able, but -we all know perfectly well that the Massachusetts Senator has been -rehearsing it every night for a month, before a looking-glass, with a -negro holding a candle!" - -[Sidenote: HIS GREAT CANVASS WITH DOUGLAS.] - -Douglas was, beyond all cotemporaries, a man of the people. Lincoln, -too, was distinctively of the masses; but he represented their sober, -second thought, their higher aspirations, their better possibilities. -Douglas embodied their average impulses, both good and bad. Upon the -stump, his fluency, his hard common sense, and his wonderful voice, -which could thunder like the cataract, or whisper with the breeze, -enabled him to sway them at his will. - -Hitherto invincible at home, he now found a foeman worthy of his -steel. All over the country people began to ask about this "Honest Abe -Lincoln," whose inexhaustible anecdotes were so droll, yet so exactly -to the point; whose logic was so irresistible; whose modesty, fairness, -and personal integrity, won golden opinions from his political enemies; -who, without "trimming," enjoyed the support of the many-headed -Opposition in Illinois, from the Abolition Owen Lovejoys of the -northern counties, down to the "conservative" old Whigs of the Egyptian -districts, who still believed in the divinity of Slavery. - -Those who did not witness it will never comprehend the universal and -intense horror at every thing looking toward "negro equality" which -then prevailed in southern Illinois. Republican politicians succumbed -to it. In their journals and platforms they sometimes said distinctly: -"We care nothing for the negro. We advocate his exclusion from our -State. We oppose Slavery in the Territories only because it is a curse -to the white man." Mr. Lincoln never descended to this level. In his -plain, moderate, conciliatory way, he would urge upon his simple -auditors that this matter had a Right and a Wrong--that the great -Declaration of their fathers meant something. And--always his strong -point--he would put this so clearly to the common apprehension, and -so touch the people's moral sense, that his opponents found their old -cries of "Abolitionist" and "Negro-worshiper" hollow and powerless. - -His defeat, by a very slight majority, proved victory in disguise. The -debates gave him a National reputation. Republican executive committees -in other States issued verbatim reports of the speeches of both -Douglas and Lincoln, bound up together in the order of their delivery. -They printed them just as they stood, without one word of comment, as -the most convincing plea for their cause. Rarely, if ever, has any man -received so high a compliment as was thus paid to Mr. Lincoln. - -[Sidenote: HIS VISIT TO KANSAS.] - -In Kansas his stories began to stick like chestnut-burrs in the -popular ear--to pass from mouth to mouth, and from cabin to cabin. The -young lawyers, physicians, and other politicians who swarm in the new -country, began to quote from his arguments in their public speeches, -and to regard him as the special champion of their political faith. - -Late in the Autumn of 1859 he visited the Territory for the first and -last time. With Marcus J. Parrott, Delegate in Congress, A. Carter -Wilder, afterward Representative, and Henry Villard, a Journalist, -I went to Troy, in Doniphan County, to hear him. In the imaginative -language of the frontier, Troy was a "town"--possibly a city. But, save -a shabby frame court-house, a tavern, and a few shanties, its urban -glories were visible only to the eye of faith. It was intensely cold. -The sweeping prairie wind rocked the crazy buildings, and cut the faces -of travelers like a knife. Mr. Wilder froze his hand during our ride, -and Mr. Lincoln's party arrived wrapped in buffalo-robes. - -[Sidenote: HIS MANNER OF PUBLIC SPEAKING.] - -Not more than forty people assembled in that little, bare-walled -court-house. There was none of the magnetism of a multitude to inspire -the long, angular, ungainly orator, who rose up behind a rough table. -With little gesticulation, and that little ungraceful, he began, not to -declaim, but to talk. In a conversational tone, he argued the question -of Slavery in the Territories, in the language of an average Ohio or -New York farmer. I thought, "If the Illinoisans consider this a great -man, their ideas must be very peculiar." - -But in ten or fifteen minutes I was unconsciously and irresistibly -drawn by the clearness and closeness of his argument. Link after -link it was forged and welded like a blacksmith's chain. He made few -assertions, but merely asked questions: "Is not this true? If you admit -that fact, is not this induction correct?" Give him his premises, and -his conclusions were inevitable as death. - -His fairness and candor were very noticeable. He ridiculed nothing, -burlesqued nothing, misrepresented nothing. So far from distorting the -views held by Mr. Douglas and his adherents, he stated them with more -strength probably than any one of their advocates could have done. -Then, very modestly and courteously, he inquired into their soundness. -He was too kind for bitterness, and too great for vituperation. - -His anecdotes, of course, were felicitous and illustrative. He -delineated the tortuous windings of the Democracy upon the Slavery -question, from Thomas Jefferson down to Franklin Pierce. Whenever -he heard a man avow his determination to adhere unswervingly to the -principles of the Democratic party, it reminded him, he said, of a -"little incident" in Illinois. A lad, plowing upon the prairie, asked -his father in what direction he should strike a new furrow. The parent -replied, "Steer for that yoke of oxen standing at the further end of -the field." The father went away, and the lad obeyed. But just as he -started, the oxen started also. He kept steering for them; and they -continued to walk. He followed them entirely around the field, and came -back to the starting-point, having furrowed a circle instead of a line! - -[Sidenote: HIGH PRAISE FROM AN OPPONENT.] - -The address lasted for an hour and three-quarters. Neither rhetorical, -graceful, nor eloquent, it was still very fascinating. The people of -the frontier believe profoundly in fair play, and in hearing both -sides. So they now called for an aged ex-Kentuckian, who was the -heaviest slaveholder in the Territory. Responding, he thus prefaced his -remarks:-- - -"I have heard, during my life, all the ablest public speakers--all the -eminent statesmen of the past and the present generation. And while I -dissent utterly from the doctrines of this address, and shall endeavor -to refute some of them, candor compels me to say that it is the most -able and the most logical speech I ever listened to." - -I have alluded in earlier pages, to remarks touching the reports that -Mr. Lincoln would be assassinated, which I heard in the South, on the -day of his first inauguration. Afterward, in my presence, several -persons of the wealthy, slaveholding class, alluded to the subject, -some having laid wagers upon the event. I heard but one man condemn the -proposed assassination, and he was a Unionist. Again and again, leading -journals, which were called reputable, asked: "Is there no Brutus to -rid the world of this tyrant?" Rewards were openly proposed for the -President's head. If Mr. Lincoln had then been murdered in Baltimore, -every thorough Secession journal in the South would have expressed its -approval, directly or indirectly. Of course, I do not believe that the -masses, or all Secessionists, would have desired such a stain upon the -American name; but even then, as afterward, when they murdered our -captured soldiers, and starved, froze, and shot our prisoners, the men -who led and controlled the Rebels appeared deaf to humanity and to -decency. Charity would fain call them insane; but there was too much -method in their madness. - -[Sidenote: A DEED WITHOUT A NAME.] - -Their last, great crime of all was, perhaps, needed for an eternal -monument of the influence of Slavery. It was fitting that they who -murdered Lovejoy, who crimsoned the robes of young Kansas, who aimed -their gigantic Treason at the heart of the Republic, before the -curtain went down, should crown their infamy by this deed without a -name. It was fitting that they should seek the lives of President -Lincoln, General Grant, and Secretary Seward, the three officers most -conspicuous of all for their mildness and clemency. It was fitting -they should assassinate a Chief Magistrate, so conscientious, that his -heavy responsibility weighed him down like a millstone; so pure, that -partisan rancor found no stain upon the hem of his garment; so gentle, -that e'en his failings leaned to virtue's side; so merciful, that he -stood like an averting angel between them and the Nation's vengeance. - -The Rebel newspapers represented him--a man who used neither spirits -nor tobacco--as in a state of constant intoxication. They ransacked -the language for epithets. Their chief hatred was called out by his -origin. He illustrated the Democratic Idea, which was inconceivably -repugnant to them. That a man who sprang from the people, worked with -his hands, actually split rails in boyhood, should rise to the head -of a Government which included Southern gentlemen, was bitter beyond -description! - -[Sidenote: SHERMAN'S QUARREL WITH THE PRESS.] - -On the 28th of December, 1862, Sherman fought the battle of Chickasaw -Bayou, one of our first fruitless attempts to capture Vicksburg. -Grant designed to co-operate by an attack from the rear, but his long -supply-line extended to Columbus, Kentucky, though he might have -established a nearer base at Memphis. Van Dorn cut his communications -at Holly Springs, Mississippi, and Grant was compelled to fall back. - -Sherman's attack proved a serious disaster. Our forces were flung upon -an almost impregnable bluff, where we lost about two thousand five -hundred men, and were then compelled to retreat. - -In the old quarrel between Sherman and the Press, as usual, there was -blame upon both sides. Some of the correspondents had treated him -unjustly; and he had not learned the quiet patience and faith in the -future which Grant exhibited under similar circumstances. At times he -manifested much irritation and morbid sensitiveness. - -[Sidenote: AN ARMY CORRESPONDENT COURT-MARTIALED.] - -A well-known correspondent, Mr. Thomas W. Knox, was present at the -battle, and placed his report of it, duly sealed, and addressed to a -private citizen, in the military mail at Sherman's head-quarters. One -"Colonel" A. H. Markland, of Kentucky, United States Postal Agent, on -mere surmise about its contents, took the letter from the mail and -permitted it to be opened. He insisted afterward that he did this by -Sherman's express command. Sherman denied giving any such order, but -said he was satisfied with Markland's course. - -Markland should have been arrested for robbing the Government mails, -which he was sworn to protect. There was no reasonable pretext for -asserting that the letter would give information to the enemy; -therefore it did not imperil the public interest. If General Sherman -deemed it unjust to himself individually, he had his remedy, like any -other citizen or soldier, in the courts of the country and the justice -of the people. - -The purloined dispatch was left for four or five days lying about -Sherman's head-quarters, open to the inspection of officers. Finally, -upon Knox's written request, it was returned to him, though a map which -it contained was kept--as he rather pungently suggested, probably for -the information of the military authorities! - -Knox's letter had treated the generalship of the battle very tenderly. -But after this proceeding he immediately forwarded a second account, -which expressed his views on the subject in very plain English. Its -return in print caused great excitement at head-quarters. Knox was -arrested, and tried before a military tribunal on these charges:-- - -I. Giving information to the enemy. - -II. Being a spy. - -III. Violating the fifty-seventh Article of War, which forbids the -writing of letters for publication from any United States army without -submitting them to the commanding general for approval. - -The court-martial sat for fifteen days. It acquitted Knox upon the -first and second charges. Of course, he was found guilty of the third. -After some hesitation between sentencing him to receive a written -censure, or to leave Grant's department, the latter was decided upon, -and he was banished from the army lines. - -When information of this proceeding reached Washington, the members -of the press at once united in a memorial to the President, asking -him to set aside the sentence, inasmuch as the violated Article of -War was altogether obsolete, and the practice of sending newspaper -letters, without any official scrutiny, had been universal, with the -full sanction of the Government, from the outset of the Rebellion. -It was further represented that Mr. Knox was thoroughly loyal, and -the most scrupulously careful of all the army correspondents to write -nothing which, by any possibility, could give information to the enemy. -Colonel John W. Forney headed the memorial, and all the journalists in -Washington signed it. - -[Sidenote: A VISIT TO PRESIDENT LINCOLN.] - -One evening, with Mr. James M. Winchell, of _The New York Times,_ and -Mr. H. P. Bennett, Congressional Delegate from Colorado, I called upon -the President to present the paper. - -After General Sigel and Representative John B. Steele had left, he -chanced to be quite at liberty. Upon my introduction, he remarked:-- - -"Oh, yes, I remember you perfectly well: you were out on the prairies -with me on that winter day when we almost froze to death; you were then -correspondent of _The Boston Journal_. That German from Leavenworth was -also with us--what was his name?" - -[Sidenote: TWO "LITTLE STORIES."] - -"Hatterscheit?" I suggested. "Yes, Hatterscheit! By-the-way" -(motioning us to seats, and settling down into his chair, with one -leg thrown over the arm), "that reminds me of a little story, which -Hatterscheit told me during the trip. He bought a pony of an Indian, -who could not speak much English, but who, when the bargain was -completed, said: 'Oats--no! Hay--no! Corn--no! Cottonwood--yes! very -much!' Hatterscheit thought this was mere drunken maundering; but a -few nights after, he tied his horse in a stable built of cottonwood -logs, fed him with hay and corn, and went quietly to bed. The next -morning he found the grain and fodder untouched, but the barn was quite -empty, with a great hole on one side, which the pony had gnawed his way -through! Then he comprehended the old Indian's fragmentary English." - -This suggested another reminiscence of the same Western trip. Somewhere -in Nebraska the party came to a little creek, the Indian name of -which signified weeping water. Mr. Lincoln remarked, with a good -deal of aptness, that, as laughing water, according to Longfellow, -was "Minne-haha," the name of this rivulet should evidently be -"Minne-boohoo." - -These inevitable preliminaries ended, we presented the memorial asking -the President to interpose in behalf of Mr. Knox. He promptly answered -he would do so if Grant coincided. We reminded him that this was -improbable, as Sherman and Grant were close personal friends. After a -moment's hesitancy he replied, with courtesy, but with emphasis:-- - -"I should be glad to serve you or Mr. Knox, or any other loyal -journalist. But, just at present, our generals in the field are more -important to the country than any of the rest of us, or all the rest -of us. It is my fixed determination to do nothing whatever which can -possibly embarrass any one of them. Therefore, I will do cheerfully -what I have said, but it is all I can do." - -There was too much irresistible good sense in this to permit any -further discussion. The President took up his pen and wrote, reflecting -a moment from time to time, the following:-- - -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 the department, and many other - respectable persons, are of the opinion that Mr. Knox's - offense was technical, rather than wilfully 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, and 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. - -[Illustration] - -Reading it over carefully, he handed it to me, and gave a little sigh -of relief. General conversation ensued. Despondent and weighed down -with his load of care, he sought relief in frank speaking. He said, -with great earnestness: "God knows that I want to do what is wise and -right, but sometimes it is very difficult to determine." - -[Sidenote: MR. LINCOLN'S FAMILIAR CONVERSATION.] - -He conversed freely of military affairs, but suddenly remarked: "I am -talking again! Of course, you will remember that I speak to you only as -friends; that none of this must be put in print." - -Touching an attack upon Charleston which had long been contemplated, he -said that Du Pont had promised, some weeks before, if certain supplies -were furnished, to make the assault upon a given day. The supplies were -promptly forwarded; the day came and went without any intelligence. -Some time after, he sent an officer to Washington, asking for three -more iron-clads and a large quantity of deck-plating as indispensable -to the preparations. - -"I told the officer to say to Commodore Du Pont," observed Mr. Lincoln, -"that I fear he does not appreciate at all the value of time." - -[Sidenote: OPINIONS ABOUT MCCLELLAN AND VICKSBURG.] - -The Army of the Potomac was next spoken of. The great Fredericksburg -disaster was recent, and the public heart was heavy. In regard to -General McClellan, the President spoke with discriminating justice:-- - -"I do not, as some do, regard McClellan either as a traitor or an -officer without capacity. He sometimes has bad counselors, but he is -loyal, and he has some fine military qualities. I adhered to him after -nearly all my Constitutional advisers lost faith in him. But do you -want to know when I gave him up? It was after the battle of Antietam. -The Blue Ridge was then between our army and Lee's. We enjoyed the -great advantage over them which they usually had over us: we had the -short line, and they the long one, to the Rebel Capital. I directed -McClellan peremptorily to move on Richmond. It was eleven days before -he crossed his first man over the Potomac; it was eleven days after -that before he crossed the last man. Thus he was twenty-two days in -passing the river at a much easier and more practicable ford than that -where Lee crossed his entire army between dark one night and daylight -the next morning. That was the last grain of sand which broke the -camel's back. I relieved McClellan at once. As for Hooker, I have -told _him_ forty times that I fear he may err just as much one way -as McClellan does the other--may be as over-daring as McClellan is -over-cautious." - -We inquired about the progress of the Vicksburg campaign. Our armies -were on a long expedition up the Yazoo River, designing, by digging -canals and threading bayous, to get in the rear of the city and cut off -its supplies. Mr. Lincoln said:-- - -"Of course, men who are in command and on the spot, know a great deal -more than I do. But immediately in front of Vicksburg, where the river -is a mile wide, the Rebels plant batteries, which absolutely stop our -entire fleets. Therefore it does seem to me that upon narrow streams -like the Yazoo, Yallabusha, and Tallahatchie, not wide enough for a -long boat to turn around in, if any of our steamers which go there ever -come back, there must be some mistake about it. If the enemy permits -them to survive, it must be either through lack of enterprise or lack -of sense." - -A few months later, Mr. Lincoln was able to announce to the nation: -"The Father of Waters again flows unvexed to the sea." - -Our interview left no grotesque recollections of the President's -lounging, his huge hands and feet, great mouth, or angular features. -We remembered rather the ineffable tenderness which shone through his -gentle eyes, his childlike ingenuousness, his utter integrity, and his -absorbing love of country. - -[Sidenote: OUR BEST CONTRIBUTION TO HISTORY.] - -Ignorant of etiquette and conventionalities, without the graces of form -or of manner, his great reluctance to give pain, his beautiful regard -for the feelings of others, made him - - "Worthy to bear without reproach The grand old name of - Gentleman." - -Strong without symmetry, humorous without levity, religious without -cant--tender, merciful, forgiving, a profound believer in Divine love, -an earnest worker for human brotherhood--Abraham Lincoln was perhaps -the best contribution which America has made to History. - -His origin among humble laborers, his native judgment, better than the -wisdom of the schools, his perfect integrity, his very ruggedness and -angularities, made him fit representative of the young Nation which -loved and honored him. - -[Sidenote: A NOBLE LIFE AND HAPPY DEATH.] - -No more shall sound above our tumultuous rejoicing his wise caution, -"Let us be very sober." No more shall breathe through the passions -of the hour his tender pleading that judgment may be tempered with -mercy. His work is done. Nothing could have assured and enlarged his -posthumous fame like this tragic ending. He goes to a place in History -where his peers will be very few. The poor wretch who struck the blow -has gone to be judged by infinite Justice, and also by infinite Mercy. -So have many others indirectly responsible for the murder, and directly -responsible for the war. Let us remember them in no Pharisaic spirit, -thanking God that we are not as other men--but as warnings of what a -race with many generous and manly traits may become by being guilty of -injustice and oppression. - -Some of the President's last expressions were words of mercy for his -enemies. A few hours before his death, in a long interview with his -trusted and honored friend Schuyler Colfax, he stated that he wished to -give the Rebel leaders an opportunity to leave the country and escape -the vengeance which seemed to await them here. - -America is never likely to feel again the profound, universal grief -which followed the death of Abraham Lincoln. Even the streets of her -great Metropolis "forgot to roar." Hung were the heavens in black. -For miles, every house was draped in mourning. The least feeling was -manifested by that sham aristocracy, which had the least sympathy with -the Union cause and with the Democratic Idea. The deepest was displayed -by the "plain people" and the poor. - -What death is happier than thus to be wept by the lowly and oppressed, -as a friend and protector! What life is nobler than thus to be filled, -in his own golden words, "with charity for all, with malice toward -none!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - - ----It is held That valor is the chiefest virtue and Most - dignifies the haver. If it be, The man I speak of cannot in - the world Be singly counterpoised.--CORIOLANUS. - -[Sidenote: REMINISCENCES OF GENERAL SUMNER.] - - -During the month of March, Major-General Edwin V. Sumner was in -Washington, apparently in vigorous health. He had just been appointed -to the command of the Department of the Missouri. One Saturday evening, -having received his final orders, he was about leaving for his home -in Syracuse, New York, where he designed spending a few days before -starting for St. Louis. - -I went into his room to bid him adieu. Allusion was made to the -allegations of speculation against General Curtis, his predecessor in -the West. "I trust," said he, "they are untrue. No general has a right -to make one dollar out of his official position, beyond the salary -which his Government pays him." He talked somewhat in detail of the -future, remarking, "For the present, I shall remain in St. Louis; but -whenever there is a prospect of meeting the enemy, I shall take the -field, and lead my troops in person. Some men can fight battles over a -telegraph-wire, but you know I have no talent in that direction." - -With his friendly grasp of the hand, and his kindly smile, he started -for home. It proved to him Home indeed. A week later the country was -startled by intelligence of his sudden death. He, who for forty-eight -years had braved the hardships of campaigning and the perils of battle, -until he seemed to have a charmed life, was abruptly cut down by -disease under his own roof, surrounded by those he loved. - - "The breast that trampling Death could spare, - His noiseless shafts assail." - -For almost half a century, Sumner had belonged to the Army of the -United States; but he steadfastly refused to be put on the retired -list. Entering the service from civil life, he was free from -professional traditions and narrowness. Senator Wade once asked him, -"How long were you at the Military Academy?" He replied, "I was never -there in my life." - -The bluff Ohioan sprang up and shook him fervidly by the hand, -exclaiming, "Thank God for one general of the regular Army, who was -never at West Point!" - -[Sidenote: HIS CONDUCT IN KANSAS.] - -During the early Kansas troubles, Sumner, then a colonel, was stationed -in the Territory with his regiment of dragoons. Unscrupulous as -were the Administrations of Pierce and Buchanan in their efforts to -force Slavery upon Kansas, embittered as were the people against the -troops,--generally mere tools of Missouri ruffians--their feelings -toward Sumner were kindly and grateful. They knew he was a just man, -who would not willingly harass or oppress them, and who sympathized -with them in their fiery trial. - -From the outbreak of the Slaveholders' Rebellion his name was one of -the brightest in that noble but unfortunate army which illustrated -Northern discipline and valor on so many bloody fields, but had never -yet gathered the fruits of victory. He was always in the deadliest of -the fighting. He had the true soldierly temperament. He snuffed the -battle afar off. He felt "the rapture of the strife," and went into it -with boyish enthusiasm. - -[Sidenote: A Thrilling Scene in Battle.] - -In exposing himself, he was Imprudence personified. It was the chronic -wonder of his friends that he ever came out of battle alive. At last -they began to believe, with him, that he was invincible. He would -receive bullets in his hat, coat, boots, saddle, horse, and sometimes -have his person scratched, but without serious injury. His soldiers -related, with great relish, that in the Mexican War a ball which -struck him square in the forehead fell flattened to the ground without -breaking the skin, as the bullet glances from the forehead of the -buffalo. This anecdote won for him the _soubriquet_ of "Old Buffalo." - -At Fair Oaks, his troops were trembling under a pitiless storm of -bullets, when he galloped up and down the advance line, more exposed -than any private in the ranks. - -"What regiment is this?" he asked. - -"The Fifteenth Massachusetts," replied a hundred voices. - -"I, too, am from Massachusetts; three cheers for our old Bay State!" -And swinging his hat, the general led off, and every soldier joined in -three thundering cheers. The enemy looked on in wonder at the strange -episode, but was driven back by the fierce charge which followed. - -[Sidenote: HOW SUMNER FOUGHT.] - -This was no unusual scene. Whenever the guns began to pound, his -mild eye would flash with fire. He would remove his artificial teeth, -which became troublesome during the excitement of battle, and place -them carefully in his pocket; raise his spectacles from his eyes and -rest them upon the forehead, that he might see clearly objects at a -distance; give his orders to subordinates, and then gallop headlong -into the thick of the fight. - -Hundreds of soldiers were familiar with the erect form, the snowy, -streaming hair, and the frank face of that wonderful old man who, on -the perilous edge of battle, while they were falling like grass before -the mower, would dash through the fire and smoke, shouting:-- - -"Steady, men, steady! Don't be excited. When you have been soldiers as -long as I, you will learn that this is nothing. Stand firm and do your -duty!" - -Never seeking a dramatic effect, he sometimes displayed quiet heroism -worthy of history's brightest pages. Once, quite unconsciously -reproducing a historic scene, he repeated, almost word for word, the -address of the great Frederick to his officers, before the battle of -Leuthen. It was on the bloody field of Fair Oaks, at the end of the -second day. He commanded the forces which had crossed the swollen -stream. But before the other troops came up, the bridges were swept -away. The army was then cut in twain; and Sumner, with his three -shattered corps, was left to the mercy of the enemy's entire force. - -On that Sunday night, after making his dispositions to receive an -attack, he sent for General Sedgwick, his special friend and a most -trusty soldier:-- - -"Sedgwick, you perceive the situation. The enemy will doubtless open -upon us at daylight. Re-enforcements are impossible; he can overwhelm -and destroy us. But the country cannot afford to have us defeated. -There is just one thing for us to do; we must stand here and die like -men! Impress it upon your officers that we must do this to the last -man--to the last man! We may not meet again; good-by, Sedgwick." - -The two grim soldiers shook hands, and parted. Morning came, but the -enemy, failing to discover our perilous condition, did not renew the -attack; new bridges were built, and the sacrifice was averted. But -Sumner was the man to carry out his resolution to the letter. - -[Sidenote: ORDERED BACK BY MCCLELLAN.] - -Afterward, he retained possession of a house on our old line of -battle; and his head-quarter tents were brought forward and pitched. -They were within range of a Rebel battery, which awoke the general -and his staff every morning, by dropping shot and shell all about -them for two or three hours. Sumner implored permission to capture or -drive away the hostile battery, but was refused, on the ground that -it might bring on a general engagement. He chafed and stormed: "It is -the most disgraceful thing of my life," he said, "that this should be -permitted." But McClellan was inexorable. Sumner was directed to remove -his head-quarters to a safer position. He persisted in remaining for -fourteen days, and at last only withdrew upon a second peremptory order. - -The experience of that fortnight exhibited the ever-recurring miracle -of war--that so much iron and lead may fly about men's ears without -harming them. During the whole bombardment only two persons were -injured. A surgeon was slightly wounded in the head by a piece of shell -which flew into his tent; and a private, while lying behind a log for -protection, was instantly killed by a shot which tore a splinter from -the wood, fracturing his skull; but not another man received even a -scratch. - -After Antietam, McClellan's ever-swift apologists asserted that his -corps commanders all protested against renewing the attack upon the -second morning. I asked General Sumner if it were true. He replied, -with emphasis:-- - -"No, sir! My advice was not asked, and I did not volunteer it. But I -was certainly in favor of renewing the attack. Much, as my troops had -suffered, they were good for another day's fighting, especially when -the enemy had that river in his rear, and a defeat would have ruined -him forever." - -[Sidenote: LOVE FOR HIS OLD COMRADES.] - -At Fredericksburg, by the express order of Burnside, Sumner did not -cross the river during the fighting. The precaution saved his life. Had -he ridden out on that fiery front, he had never returned to tell what -he saw. But he chafed sadly under the restriction. As the sun went down -on that day of glorious but fruitless endeavor, he paced to and fro in -front of the Lacy House, with one arm thrown around the neck of his -son, his face haggard with sorrow and anxiety, and his eyes straining -eagerly for the arrival of each successive messenger. - -He was a man of high but patriotic ambition. Once, hearing General -Howard remark that he did not aspire to the command of a corps, he -exclaimed, "General you surprise me. _I_ would command the world, if I -could!" - -He was called arbitrary, but had great love for his soldiers, -especially for old companions in arms. A New York colonel told me a -laughable story of applying to him for a ten days' furlough, when the -rule against them was imperative. Sumner peremptorily refused it. But -the officer sat down beside him, and began to talk about the Peninsular -campaign--the battles in which he had done his duty, immediately under -Sumner's eye; and it was not many minutes before the general granted -his petition. "If he had only waited," said the narrator, "until I -recalled to his memory some scenes at Antietam, I am sure he would have -given me twenty days instead of ten!" - -His intercourse with women and children was characterized by -peculiar chivalry and gentleness. He revived the old ideal of the -soldier--terrible in battle, but with an open and generous heart. - -To his youngest son--a captain upon his staff--he was bound by unusual -affection. "Sammy" was his constant companion; in private he leaned -upon him, caressed him, and consulted him about the most trivial -matters. It was a touching bond which united the gray, war-worn veteran -to the child of his old age. - -We have had greater captains than Sumner; but no better soldiers, no -braver patriots. The words which trembled upon his dying lips--"May God -bless my country, the United States of America"--were the key-note to -his life. Green be the turf above him! - -[Sidenote: Traveling Through the Northwest.] - - LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, _April 5, 1863_. - -For the last week I have been traveling through the States of the -Northwest. The tone of the people on the war was never better. Now that -the question has become simply one of endurance, their Northern blood -tells. "This is hard pounding, gentlemen," said Wellington at Waterloo; -"but we will see who can pound the longer." So, in spite of the -Copperheads--"merely the dust and chaff on God's thrashing-floor"--the -overwhelming sentiment of the people is to fight it out to the last man -and the last dollar. - -You have been wont to say: "The West can be depended on for the war. -She will never give up her great outlet, the Mississippi." True; but -the inference that her loyalty is based upon a material consideration, -is untrue and unjust. The West has poured out its best blood, not on -any petty question of navigation, or of trade, but upon the weightier -issues of Freedom and Nationality. - -The New-Yorker or Pennsylvanian may believe in the greatness of the -country; the Kansan or Minnesotian, who has gone one or two thousand -miles to establish his prairie home, walks by sight and not by faith. -To him, the Great Republic of the future is no rhetorical flourish -or flight of fancy, but a living verity. His instinct of nationality -is the very strongest; his belief the profoundest. May he never need -Emerson's pungent criticism: "The American eagle is good; protect it, -cherish it; but beware of the American peacock!" - -Have you heard Prentice's last, upon the bursting of the Rebel bubble -that Cotton is King? He says: "They went in for cotton, and they got -worsted!" - -[Sidenote: A Visit to Rosecrans's Army.] - - MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE, _April 10_. - -A visit to Rosecrans's army. I rode yesterday over the historical -battle-ground of Stone River, among rifle-pits and breastworks, great -oaks, with scarred trunks, and tops and branches torn off, and smooth -fields thickly planted with graves. - -It is interesting to hear from the soldiers reminiscences of the -battle. Rosecrans may not be strong in planning a campaign, but the -thundering guns rouse him to the exhibition of a higher military genius -than any other general in our service has yet displayed. The "grand -anger of battle" makes him see at a glance the needs of the occasion, -and stimulates those quick intuitions which enable great captains, at -the supreme moment, to wrest victory from the very grasp of defeat. -Peculiarly applicable to him is Addison's description of Marlborough:-- - - "In peaceful thought the field of death surveyed; - To fainting squadrons sent the timely aid; - Inspired repulsed battalions to engage, - And taught the doubtful battle where to rage." - -[Sidenote: ROSECRANS IN A GREAT BATTLE.] - -During the recent great conflict which began with disaster that would -have caused ordinary generals to retreat, he seemed omnipresent. A -devout Catholic, he performed, before entering the battle, the solemn -rites of his Church. A profound believer in destiny, he appeared like -a man who sought for death. A few feet from him, a solid shot took off -the head of Garasche, his loved and trusted chief of staff. - -"Brave men must die," he said, and plunged into the battle again. - -He had a word for all. Of an Ohio regiment, lying upon the ground, he -asked:-- - -"Boys, do you see that strip of woods?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Well, in about five minutes, the Rebels will pour out of it, and come -right toward you. Lie still until you can easily see the buttons on -their coats; then drive them back. Do you understand?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Well, it's just as easy as rolling off a log, isn't it?" - -They laughingly assented, and "Old Rosy," as the soldiers call him, -rode along the line, to encourage some other corps. - -This is an army of veterans. Every regiment has been in battle, -and some have marched three thousand miles during their checkered -campaigning. Their garments are old and soiled; but their guns are -bright and glistening, and on review their evolutions are clockwork. -They are splendidly disciplined, of unequaled enthusiasm, full of faith -in their general and in themselves. - -Rosecrans is an erect, solid man of one hundred and seventy-five -pounds weight, whose forty-three years sit lightly on his face and -frame. He has a clear, mild-blue eye, which lights and flashes under -excitement; an intensified Roman nose, high cheek-bones, florid -complexion, mouth and chin hidden under dark-brown beard, hair faintly -tinged with silver, and growing thin on the edges of the high, full, -but not broad, forehead. In conversation, a winning, mirthful smile -illumines his face. As Hamlet would take the ghost's word for a -thousand pounds, so you would trust that countenance in a stranger -as indicating fidelity, reserved power, an overflowing humor, and -imperious will. - -[Sidenote: A SCENE IN MEMPHIS.] - - MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, _April 20_. - -Riding near the Elmwood Cemetery, yesterday, I witnessed a curious -feature of Southern life. It was a negro funeral--the _cortege_, -a third of a mile in length, just entering that city of the dead. -The carriages were filled with negro families, and, almost without -exception, they were driven by white men. If such a picture were -exhibited in Boston, would those who clamor in our ears about negro -equality ever permit us to hear the last of it? - - - - -III. - -THE DUNGEON. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - - We were all sea-swallowed, though some cast again, And by - that destined to perform an act, Whereof what's past is - prologue.--TEMPEST. - - -On Sunday evening, May 3d, accompanied by Mr. Richard T. Colburn, of -_The New York World_, I reached Milliken's Bend, on the Mississippi -River, twenty-five miles above Vicksburg. Grant's head-quarters were -at Grand Gulf, fifty-five miles below Vicksburg. Fighting had already -begun. - -[Sidenote: RUNNING THE VICKSBURG BATTERIES.] - -We joined my associate, Mr. Junius H. Browne, of _The Tribune_, who -for several days had been awaiting us. The insatiate hunger of the -people for news, and the strong competition between different journals, -made one day of battle worth a year of camp or siege to the war -correspondent. Duty to the paper we represented required that we should -join the army with the least possible delay. - -We could go over land, down the Louisiana shore, and, if we safely -ran the gauntlet of Rebel guerrillas, reach Grand Gulf in three days. -But a little expedition was about to run the Vicksburg batteries. If -it survived the fiery ordeal, it would arrive at Grant's head-quarters -in eight hours. Thus far, three-fourths of the boats attempting to run -the batteries had escaped destruction; and yielding to the seductive -doctrine of probabilities, we determined to try the short, or water -route. It proved a very long one. - -[Sidenote: EXPEDITION BADLY FITTED OUT.] - -At ten o'clock our expedition started. It consisted of two great barges -of forage and provisions, propelled by a little tug between them. For -some days, Grant had been receiving supplies in this manner, cheaper -and easier than by transportation over rough Louisiana roads. - -The lives of the men who fitted out the squadron being as valuable -to them as mine to me, I supposed that all needful precautions for -safety had been adopted. But, when under way, we learned that they -were altogether inadequate. Indeed, we were hardly on board when we -discovered that the expedition was so carelessly organized as almost to -invite capture. - -The night was one of the lightest of the year. We had only two buckets, -and not a single skiff. Two tugs were requisite to steer the unwieldy -craft, and enable us to run twelve or fifteen miles an hour. With one -we could accomplish only seven miles, aided by the strong Mississippi -current. - -There were thirty-five persons on board--all volunteers. They -consisted of the tug's crew, Captain Ward and Surgeon Davidson of the -Forty-Seventh Ohio Infantry, with fourteen enlisted men, designed to -repel possible boarders, and other officers and citizens, _en route_ -for the army. - -For two or three hours, we glided silently along the glassy waters -between banks festooned with heavy, drooping foliage. It was a scene -of quiet, surpassing beauty. Captain Ward suddenly remembered that he -had some still Catawba in his valise. He was instructed to behead the -bottle with his sword, that the wine might not in any event be wasted. -From a soldier's cup of gutta-percha we drank to the success of the -expedition. - -[Sidenote: INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH.] - -At one o'clock in the morning, on the Mississippi shore, a rocket shot -up and pierced the sky, signaling the Rebels of our approach. Ten -minutes later, we saw the flash and heard the boom of their first gun. -Much practice on similar expeditions had given them excellent range. -The shell struck one of our barges, and exploded upon it. - -We were soon under a heavy fire. The range of the batteries covered the -river for nearly seven miles. The Mississippi here is very crooked, -resembling the letter S, and at some points we passed within two -hundred yards of ten-inch guns, with point-blank range upon us. As we -moved around the bends, the shots came toward us at once from right and -left, front and rear. - -Inclination had joined with duty in impelling us to accompany the -expedition. We wanted to learn how one would feel looking into the -craters of those volcanoes as they poured forth sheets of flame and -volleys of shells. I ascertained to my fullest satisfaction, as we lay -among the hay-bales, slowly gliding past them. I thought it might be a -good thing to do once, but that, if we survived it, I should never feel -the least desire to repeat the experiment. - -We embraced the bales in Bottom's belief that "good hay, sweet hay hath -no fellow." - -Discretion was largely the better part of my valor, and I cowered -close in our partial shelter. But two or three times I could not resist -the momentary temptation to rise and look about me. How the great -sheets of flame leaped up and spread out from the mouths of the guns! -How the shells came screaming and shrieking through the air! How they -rattled and crashed, penetrating the sides of the barges, or exploding -on board in great fountains of fire! - -[Sidenote: A MOMENT OF SUSPENSE.] - -The moment hardly awakened serene meditations or sentimental memories; -but every time I glanced at that picture, Tennyson's lines rang in my -ears:-- - - "Cannon to right of them, - Cannon to left of them, - Cannon in front of them - Volleyed and thundered; - Stormed at by shot and shell, - Boldly they rode and well, - Into the jaws of death, - Into the mouth of hell - Rode the six hundred!" - -"Junius" persisted in standing, all exposed, to watch the coming shots. -Once, as a shell exploded near at hand, he fell heavily down among the -hay-bales. Until that moment I never knew what suspense was. I could -find no voice in which to ask if he lived. I dared not put forth my -hand in the darkness, lest it should rest on his mutilated form. At -last he spoke, and relieved my anxiety. He had only slipped and fallen. - -Each time, after being struck, we listened for the reassuring puff! -puff! puff! of our little engine; and hearing it, said: "Thus far, at -least, we are all right!" - -Now we were below the town, having run five miles of batteries. Ten -minutes more meant safety. Already we began to felicitate each other -upon our good fortune, when the scene suddenly changed. - -A terrific report, like the explosion of some vast magazine, left us -breathless, and seemed to shake the earth to its very center. It was -accompanied by a shriek which I shall never forget, though it seemed -to occupy less than a quarter of the time consumed by one tick of the -watch. It was the death-cry wrung from our captain, killed as he stood -at the wheel. For his heedlessness in fitting out the expedition, his -life was the penalty. - -[Sidenote: DISABLED AND DRIFTING HELPLESSLY.] - -We listened, but the friendly voice from the tug was hushed. We were -disabled, and drifting helplessly in front of the enemy's guns! - -For a moment all was silent. Then there rose from the shore the shrill, -sharp, ragged yell so familiar to the ears of every man who has been in -the front, and clearly distinguishable from the deep, full, chest-tones -in which our own men were wont to give their cheers. Many times had I -heard that Rebel yell, but never when it was vociferous and exultant as -now. - -Seeing fire among the hay-bales about us, Colburn and myself carefully -extinguished it with our gloved hands, lest the barge should be burnt. -Then, creeping out of our refuge, we discovered the uselessness of our -care. - -That shot had done wonderful execution. It had killed the captain, -exploded the boiler, then passed into the furnace, where the shell -itself exploded, throwing up great sheets of glowing coals upon -both barges. At some stage of its progress, it had cut in twain the -tug, which went down like a plummet. We looked for it, but it had -disappeared altogether. There was some _debris_--chairs, stools, and -parts of machinery, buoyed up by timbers, floating upon the surface; -but there was no tug. - -The barges, covered with bales of dry hay, had caught like tinder, and -now, at the stern of each, a great sheet of flame rose far toward the -sky, filling the night with a more than noonday glare. - -Upon the very highest bale, where the flames threw out his pale face -and dark clothing in very sharp relief, stood "Junius," in a careless -attitude, looking upon the situation with the utmost serenity. My first -thought was that the one thing he required to complete the picture -was an opera-glass. To my earnest injunction to leave that exposed -position, he replied that, so far as safety was concerned, there now -was little choice of places. - -Meanwhile, we were under hotter fire than at any previous moment. In -the confusion caused by our evolutions in the eddies, I had quite lost -the points the of compass, and asked:-- - -"In which direction is Vicksburg?" - -"There," replied "Junius," pointing out into the lurid smoke. - -"I think it must be on the other shore." - -"Oh, no! wait here a moment, and you will see the flash of the guns." - -Just then I did see the flash of more guns than I coveted, and four or -five shots came shrieking toward us. - -Colburn and myself instinctively dropped behind the nearest hay-bales. -A moment after, we were amused to observe that we had sought shelter on -the wrong side of the bales--the side facing the Rebel guns. Our barge -was so constantly changing position that our geographical ideas had -become very confused. - -[Sidenote: BOMBARDING, SCALDING, BURNING, DROWNING.] - -It does not often happen to men, in one quarter of an hour, to see -death in as many forms as confronted us--by bombarding, scalding, -burning, and drowning. It was uncomfortable, but less exciting than one -might suppose. The memory impresses me far more deeply than did the -experience. I remember listening, during a little cessation of the din, -for the sound of my own voice, wondering whether its tones were calm -and equable. There was hurrying to and fro, and groans rent the air. - -"I suppose we can surrender," cried a poor, scalded fellow. - -"Surrender--the devil!" replied Colburn. "I suppose we will fight them!" - -It was very creditable to the determination of our _confrere_; but, to -put it mildly, our fighting facilities just then were somewhat limited. - -[Sidenote: TAKING TO A HAY-BALE.] - -My comrades assisted nearly all wounded and scalded men down the sides -of the barge to the water's edge, and placed them carefully upon -hay-bales. Remaining there, we had every thing to lose and nothing to -gain, and I urged-- - -"Let us take to the water." - -"Oh, yes," my friends replied, "we will after awhile." - -Soon, I repeated the suggestion, and they repeated the answer. It was -no time to stand upon forms. I jumped into the river--twelve or fifteen -feet below the top of our barge. They rolled over a hay-bale for me. -I climbed upon it, and found it a surprisingly comfortable means of -navigation. At last, free from the instinctive dread of mutilation by -splinters, which had constantly haunted me, I now felt that if wounded -at all it must, at least, be by a clean shot. The thought was a great -relief. - -With a dim suspicion--not the ripe and perfect knowledge afterward -obtained--that clothing was scarce in the Southern Confederacy, I -removed my boots, tied them together with my watch-guard, and fastened -them to one of the hoops of the bale. Taking off my coat, I secured it -in the same manner. - -[Sidenote: OVERTURNED BY A SHOT.] - -I was about swimming away in a vague, blundering determination not to -be captured, when, for the first time in my life, I saw a shot coming -toward me. I had always been sceptical on this point. Many persons had -averred to me that they could see shots approaching; but remembering -that such a missile flying toward a man with a scream and a rush would -not quicken his vision, and judging from my own experience, I supposed -they must be deceived. - -Now, far up the river I saw a shot coming with vivid distinctness. -How round, smooth, shining, and black it looked, ricochetting along, -plunging into the water, throwing up great jets of spray, bounding like -a schoolboy's ball, and then skimming the river again! It struck about -four feet from my hay-bale, which was now a few yards from the burning -barge. - -The great sheet of water which dashed up quite obscured me from Colburn -and "Junius," who, upon the bows of the barge, were just bidding me -adieu. At first they thought the shot an extinguisher. But it did me -no greater harm than partially to overturn my hay-bale and dip me into -the river. A little more or less dampness just then was not of much -consequence. It was the last shot which I saw or heard. The Rebels now -ceased firing, and shouted-- - -"Have you no boats?" - -Learning that we had none, they sent out a yawl. I looked about for -a plank, but could find none adapted to a long voyage. Rebel pickets -were on both sides of the river, and Rebel batteries lined it ten or -twelve miles below, at a point which, by floating, one could reach at -daylight. Surrender seemed the only alternative. - -At Memphis, two days before, I had received a package of letters, -including two or three from the _Tribune_ office, and some which -treated of public men, and military strength, movements, and prospects, -with great freedom. One of them, from Admiral Foote, containing some -very kind words, I sorely regretted to lose; but the package was quite -too valuable to be submitted to the scrutiny of the enemy. I kept it -until the last moment, but when the Rebel yawl approached within twenty -feet, tore the letters in pieces and threw them into the Mississippi. - -[Illustration: THE CAPTURE, WHILE RUNNING THE REBEL BATTERIES, AT -VICKSBURG.] - -[Sidenote: RESCUED FROM THE RIVER.] - -The boat was nearly full. After picking me up, it received on board two -scalded men who were floating near, and whose groans were heart-rending. - -We were deposited on the Mississippi shore, under guard of four or five -soldiers in gray, and the yawl went back to receive the remainder. -Among the saved I found Surgeon Davidson. He was unable to swim, but -some one had carefully placed him upon a hay-bale. On reaching the -shore, he sat down upon a stool, which he had rescued from the river, -spread his overcoat upon his knee, and deposited his carpet-sack -beside him. It was the first case I ever knew of a man so hopelessly -shipwrecked, who saved all his baggage, and did not even wet his feet. - -The boat soon returned. To my infinite relief, the first persons who -sprang to the shore were "Junius" and Colburn. Sartorially they had -been less fortunate than I. One had lost his coat, and the other was -without shoes, stockings, coat, vest, or hat. - -There, in the moonlight, guarded by Rebel bayonets, we counted the -rescued, and found that just sixteen--less than half our number--were -alive and unharmed. All the rest were killed, scalded, or wounded. - -Some of the scalded were piteous spectacles. The raw flesh seemed -almost ready to drop from their faces; and they ran hither and thither, -half wild from excruciating pain. - -None of the wounded were unable to walk, though one or two had broken -arms. The most had received slight contusions, which a few days would -heal. - -[Sidenote: THE KILLED, WOUNDED, AND MISSING.] - -The missing numbered eight or ten, not one of whom was ever heard of -afterward. It was impossible to obtain any correct list of their names, -as several of them were strangers to us and to each other; and no -record had been made of the persons starting upon the expedition. - -We were two miles below the city, whither the lieutenant of our guard -now marched us. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - - It is not for prisoners to be too silent.--LOVE'S LABOR LOST. - -[Sidenote: STANDING BY OUR COLORS.] - - -On the way, one of our party enjoined my colleague and myself-- - -"You had better not say _Tribune_ to the Rebels. Tell them you are -correspondents of some less obnoxious journal." - -Months before, I had asked three Confederate officers--paroled -prisoners within our lines:-- - -"What would you do with a _Tribune_ correspondent, if you captured -him?" With the usual recklessness, two had answered:-- - -"We would hang him upon the nearest sapling." - -This remembrance was not cheering; but as we were the first -correspondents of a radical Northern journal who had fallen into the -enemy's hands, after a moment's interchange of views, we decided to -stand by our colors, and tell the plain truth. It proved much the wiser -course. - -One of the rescued men, coatless and hatless, with his face blackened -until he looked like a native of Timbuctoo, addressed me familiarly. -Unable to recognize him, I asked:-- - -"Who are you?" - -"Why," he replied, "I am Captain Ward."[15] - -[15] Commander, not of the tug, whose captain was killed, but of the -soldiers guarding it and the barges. - -[Sidenote: CONFINEMENT IN THE VICKSBURG JAIL.] - -When the explosion occurred, he was sitting on the hurricane roof of -the tug. It was more exposed than any other position, but the officers -of the boat had shown symptoms of fear, and he determined to be where -his revolver would enable him to control them if they attempted to -desert us. - -Some missile struck his head and stunned him. When he recovered -consciousness, the tug had gone to the bottom, and he was struggling -in the river. He had strength enough to clutch a rope hanging over the -side of a barge, and keep his head above water. Permitting his sword -and revolver, which greatly weighed him down, to sink, he called to his -men on the blazing wreck. Under the hot fire of cannon and musketry, -they formed a rope of their belts, and let it down to him. He fastened -it under his arms; they lifted him up to the barge, whence he escaped -by the hay-bale line. - -At Vicksburg, the commander of the City Guards registered our names. - -"I hope, sir," said Colburn, "that you will give us comfortable -quarters." - -With a half-surprised expression, the major replied, dryly:-- - -"Oh! yes, sir; we will do the best we can for you." - -"The best" proved ludicrously bad. Just before daylight we were taken -into the city jail. Its foul yard was half filled with criminals and -convicts, black and white, all dirty and covered with vermin. In its -midst was an open sewer, twelve or fifteen feet in diameter, the grand -receptacle of all the prison filth. The rising sun of that sultry -morning penetrated its reeking depths, and produced the atmosphere of a -pest-house. - -We dried our clothing before a fire in the yard, conversed with the -villainous-looking jail-birds, and laughed about this unexpected result -of our adventure. We had felt the danger of wounds or death; but it -had not occurred to either of us that we might be captured. One of the -private soldiers had paid a dollar for the privilege of coming on the -expedition. To our query whether he deemed the money well invested, -he replied that he would not have missed the experience for ten times -the amount. One youth, confined in the jail for thieving, asked us the -question, with which we were soon to grow familiar:-- - -"What did you all come down here for, to steal our niggers?" - -At noon we were taken out and marched through the streets. "Junius's" -bare and bleeding feet excited the sympathy of a lady, who immediately -sent him a pair of stockings, requesting if ever he met any of "our -soldiers" suffering in the North, that he would do as much for them. -The donor--Mrs. Arthur--was a very earnest Unionist, with little -sympathy for "our soldiers," but used the phrase as one of the habitual -subterfuges of the Loyalists. - -[Sidenote: THE FIRST GLIMPSE OF SAMBO.] - -While we waited in the office of the Provost-Marshal, I obtained a -first brief glimpse of the inevitable negro. Just outside the open -window, which extended to the floor, stood an African, with great -shining eyes, expressing his sympathy through remarkable grimaces and -contortions, bowing, scraping, and - - "Husking his white ivories like an ear of corn." - -Rebel citizens and soldiers were all about him; and, somewhat alarmed, -I indicated by a look that he should be a little less demonstrative. -But Sambo, as usual, knew what he was doing, and was not detected. - -The Provost-Marshal, Captain Wells, of the Twenty-eighth Louisiana -Infantry, courteously assigned to us the upper story of the -court-house, posting a sentinel at the door. - -[Sidenote: PAROLED TO RETURN HOME.] - -Major Watts, the Rebel Agent of Exchange, called upon us and -administered the following parole:-- - -CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA. - -VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI, _May 4, 1863_. - - This is to certify, that in accordance with a Cartel in - regard to an exchange of prisoners entered into between - the Governments of the United States of America and the - Confederate States of America, on the 22d day of July, 1862, - Albert D. Richardson, citizen of New York, who was captured - on the 4th day of May, at Vicksburg, and has since been held - as a prisoner of war by the military authorities of the said - Confederate States, is hereby paroled, _with full leave to - return to his country_ on the following conditions, namely: - that he will not take up arms again, nor serve as military - police or constabulary force in any fort, garrison, or - field-work, held by either of said parties, nor as a guard of - prisoners, depots, or stores, nor discharge any duty usually - performed by soldiers, until exchanged under the Cartel - referred to. The aforesaid Albert D. Richardson signifying - his full and free consent to said conditions by his signature - hereto, thereby solemnly pledges his word and honor to a due - observance of the same. - - ALBERT D. RICHARDSON. - - N. G. WATTS, _Major Confederate States Army, and Agent for - Exchange of Prisoners_. - -This parole was regular, formal, and final, taken at a regular -point of exchange, by an officer duly appointed under the express -provisions of the cartel. Major Watts informed us that he was prevented -from sending us across the lines at Vicksburg, only because Grant's -operations had suspended flag-of-truce communication. He assured us, -that while he was thus compelled to forward us to Richmond, the only -other point of exchange, we should not be detained there beyond the -arrival of the first truce-boat. - -[Sidenote: TURNING THE TABLES HANDSOMELY.] - -These formalities ended, the major, who was a polite, kind-hearted, -rather pompous little officer, made an attempt at condolence and -consolation. - - "Gentlemen," said he, with a good deal of self-complacency, - "you are a long way from home. However, do not despond; I - have met a great many of your people in this condition; I - have paroled some thousands of them, first and last. In - fact, I confidently expect, within the next ten days, to see - Major-General Grant, who commands your army, a prisoner in - this room." - -We knew something about that! Of course, we were familiar with the size -of Grant's army; and, before we had been many hours in the Rebel lines, -we found Union people who told us minutely the strength of Pemberton. -So we replied to the prophet, that, while we had no sort of doubt of -his seeing General Grant there, it would not be exactly in the capacity -of a prisoner! - -Colburn--who had the good fortune, for that occasion, to be attached to -_The World_, and who, on reaching Richmond, was sent home by the first -truce-boat--came back to Vicksburg in season to be in at the death. One -of the first men he met, after the capture of the city, was Watts, to -whom he rehearsed this little scene, with the characters reversed. - - "Major," said he, with dry humor, "you are a long distance - from home! But do not despond; I have seen a good many of - your people in this condition. In fact, I believe there - are about thirty thousand of them here to-day, including - Lieutenant-General Pemberton, who commands _your_ army." - -[Sidenote: VISITS FROM MANY REBELS.] - -We stayed in Vicksburg two days. Our noisy advent made us objects -of attention. Several Rebel journalists visited us, with tenders of -clothing, money, and any assistance they could render. Confederate -officers and citizens called in large numbers, inquiring eagerly about -the condition of the North, and the public feeling touching the war. - -Some complained that Northern officers, while in confinement, had said -to them: "While we are in favor of the Union, we disapprove altogether -the war as conducted by this Abolition Administration, with its -tendencies to negro equality;" but that, after reaching home, the same -persons were peculiarly radical and bloodthirsty. - -As political affairs were the only topic of conversation, we had -excellent opportunity for preventing any similar misunderstanding -touching ourselves. Courteously, but frankly, we told them that we were -in favor of the war, of emancipation, and of arming the negroes. They -manifested considerable feeling, but used no harsh expressions. Two -questions they invariably asked:-- - - "What are you going to do with us, after you have subjugated - us?" and, "What will you do with the negroes, after you have - freed them?" - -They talked much of our leading officers, all seeming to consider -Rosecrans the best general in the Union service. Nearly all used the -stereotyped Rebel expression:-- - - "You can never conquer seven millions of people on their own - soil. We will fight to the last man! We will die in the last - ditch!" - -We reminded them that the determination they expressed was by no means -peculiar to them, referring to Bancroft, in proof that even the Indian -tribes, at war with the early settlers of New England, used exactly -the same language. We asked one Texan colonel, noticeably voluble -concerning the "last ditch," what he meant by it--if he really intended -to fight after their armies should be dispersed and their cities taken. - -"Oh, no!" he replied, "you don't suppose I'm a fool, do you? As long as -there is any show for us, we shall fight you. If you win, most of us -will go to South America, Mexico, or Europe." - -[Sidenote: INTERVIEW WITH JACOB THOMPSON.] - -On Monday evening, Major-General Forney, of Alabama, sent an officer to -escort us to his head-quarters. He received us with great frigidity, -and we endeavored to be quite as icy as he. With some of his staff -officers, genial young fellows educated in the North, we had a pleasant -chat. - -Jacob Thompson, of Mississippi, Buchanan's Secretary of the Interior, -and now a colonel on the staff of Lieutenant-General Pemberton, was -at the same head-quarters. With the suavity of an old politician, -he conversed with us for two or three hours. He asserted that some -of our soldiers had treated his aged mother with great cruelty. He -declared that Northern dungeons now contained at least three thousand -inoffensive Southern citizens, who had never taken up arms, and were -held only for alleged disloyalty. - -Many other Rebel officers talked a great deal about arbitrary arrests -in the North. Several gravely assured us that, in the South, from the -beginning of the war, no citizen had ever been arrested, except by due -process of law, under charges well defined, and publicly made. We were -a little astounded, afterward, to learn how utterly bare-faced was this -falsehood. - -On Tuesday evening we started for Jackson, Mississippi, in company -with forty other Union prisoners. They were mainly from Ohio regiments, -young in years, but veteran soldiers--farmers' sons, with intelligent, -earnest faces. Pemberton's army was in motion. Our train passed slowly -through his camps, and halted half an hour at several points, among -crowds of Rebel privates. - -The Ohio boys and their guards were on the best possible terms, -drinking whisky and playing euchre together. The former indulged in a -good deal of verbal skirmishing with the soldiers outside, thrusting -their heads from the car windows and shouting:-- - -"Look out, Rebs! The Yankees are coming! Keep on marching, if you don't -want old Grant to catch you!" - -"How are times in the North?" the Confederates replied. "Cotton a -dollar and twenty-five cents a pound in New York!" - -"How are times in the South? Flour one hundred and seventy-five dollars -a barrel in Vicksburg, and none to be had at that!" - -After waiting vainly for an answer to this quenching retort, the -Buckeyes sang "Yankee Doodle," the "Star-Spangled Banner," and "John -Brown's Body lies a-moldering in the Ground," for the edification of -their bewildered foes. - -[Sidenote: ARRIVAL IN JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI.] - -Before dark, we reached Jackson. Though a prisoner, I entered it with -far more pleasurable feelings than at my last visit; for my tongue was -now free, and I was not sailing under false colors. The dreary little -city was in a great panic. Before we had been five minutes in the -street, a precocious young newsboy came running among us, and, while -shouting--"Here's _The Mississippian_ extra!" talked to us incessantly -in a low tone:-- - - "How are you, Yanks? You have come in a capital time. - Greatest panic you ever saw. Everybody flying out of town. - Governor Pettus issued a proclamation, telling the people to - stand firm, and then ran away himself before the ink was dry." - -[Sidenote: KINDNESS FROM SOUTHERN EDITORS.] - -We remained in Jackson three days. Upon parole, we were allowed to -take our meals at a boarding-house several squares from the prison, -and to visit the office of _The Appeal_. This journal, originally -published at Memphis, was removed to Grenada upon the approach of our -forces; Grenada being threatened, it was transferred to Jackson; thence -to Atlanta, and finally to Montgomery, Alabama. It was emphatically a -moving _Appeal_. - -Its editors very kindly supplied us with clothing and money. They -seemed to be sick of the war, and to retain little faith in the Rebel -cause, for which they had sacrificed so much, abandoning property in -Memphis to the amount of thirty thousand dollars. They now published -the most enterprising and readable newspaper in the South. It was -noticeably free from vituperation, calling the President "Mr. Lincoln," -instead of the "Illinois Baboon," and characterizing us not as Yankee -scoundrels, but as "unwilling guests"-- - - "Gentlemen who attempted to run the batteries on Sunday - night, and after escaping death from shot and shell, from - being scalded by the rushing steam, from roasting by the - lively flames that enveloped their craft, were found in the - river by a rescuing party, each clinging tenaciously to a - bale of hay for safety." - -Grant's army was moving toward Jackson. We longed for his approach, -straining our ears for the booming of his guns. The Rebels, in their -usual strain, declared that the city could not be captured, and would -be defended to the last drop of blood. But on the night before our -departure, we were confidentially told that the Federal advance was -already within twenty-five miles, and certain to take the town. - -[Sidenote: A PROJECT FOR ESCAPE.] - -With forty-five unarmed prisoners, we were placed on an ammunition -train, which had not more than a dozen guards. The privates begged -Captain Ward to lead them, and permit them to capture the train. We -all deemed the project feasible. Ten minutes would suffice to blow up -the cars. With twelve guns, we could easily march twenty miles through -those sparse settlements to Grant's forces. - -But there were our paroles! A careful reading convinced us that if we -failed in the attempt, the enemy would be justified, under the laws of -war, in punishing us with death; and, after much debate, we abandoned -the project. - -Rebel officers in Vicksburg had assured us that crossing the -Confederacy from the Mississippi to the Atlantic, upon the Southern -railroads, was a more hazardous undertaking than running the river -batteries. The rolling stock was in wretched condition, and fatal -accidents frequently occurred; but we traveled at a leisurely, -old-fashioned rate, averaging eight miles per hour, making long stops, -and seldom running by night. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - - A kind of excellent, dumb discourse.--TEMPEST. - - -It did not require many days of captivity to teach us the infinite -expressiveness and trustworthiness of the human eye. We began to -recognize Union people by their friendly look before they spoke a word. - -[Sidenote: A WORD WITH A UNION WOMAN.] - -Our train stopped for dinner at a secluded Mississippi tavern. At the -door of the long dining-room stood the landlady, an intelligent woman -of about thirty-five. When I handed her a twenty-dollar Rebel note, she -inquired-- - -"Have you nothing smaller than this?" - -"No Confederate money," I answered. - -"State currency will answer just as well." - -"I have none of that--nothing but this bill and United States Treasury -Notes." - -The indifferent face instantly kindled into friendliness and sympathy. - -"Are you one of the prisoners?" - -"Yes, madam." - -"Just from Vicksburg?" - -"Yes." - -"What do you think of the prospect?" - -"Grant is certain to capture the city." - -"Of course he will" (with great earnestness), "if he only tries! The -force there is incapable of resisting him." - -Other passengers coming within hearing, I moved away, but I would -unhesitatingly have trusted that woman with my liberty or my life. - -[Sidenote: GRIERSON'S GREAT MISSISSIPPI RAID.] - -Grierson's raid, then in progress, was the universal theme of -conversation and wonder. That dashing cavalier, selecting his route -with excellent judgment, evaded all the large forces which opposed -him, and defeated all the small ones, while he rode leisurely the -entire length of Mississippi, tearing up railroads and burning bridges. -Occasionally he addressed the people in humorous harangues. To one old -lady, who tremblingly begged that her property might not be destroyed, -he replied:-- - -"You shall certainly be protected, madam. It is not my object to hurt -any body. It is not generally known, but the truth is, I am a candidate -for Governor, and am stumping the State." - -Our slow progress enabled us to converse much with the people, -constantly preaching to them the gospel of the Union. But they had so -long heard only the gospel according to Jefferson Davis, that they paid -little heed to our threatenings of the judgment which was certain to -come. - -In the dense woods which the railways traversed, the pine, the palm and -the magnolia, grew side by side, festooned with long, hairy tufts of -Spanish moss. On the plantations, the young cotton, three inches high, -looked like sprouting beans. - -[Sidenote: AN ENRAGED TEXAN OFFICER.] - -Colburn's solemn waggery was constantly cropping out. In our car -one day he had a long discussion with a brawny Texan officer, who -declared with great bitterness that he had assisted in hanging three -Abolitionists upon a single blackjack,[16] in sight of his own door. He -concluded with the usual assertion:-- - -[16] A species of Southern oak. - -"We will fight to the last man! We will die in the last ditch!" - -"Well, sir," replied Colburn, with the utmost gravity, "if you should -do that and all be killed, we should regret it extremely!" - -Like most Southerners, the Texan was insensible to satire. -Understanding this to be perfectly sincere, he reiterated:-- - -"We shall do it, sir! We shall do it!" - -"Well, sir, as I said before, if you do, and all happen to _get_ -killed, including the very last man himself, of course we of the North -shall be quite heart-broken!" - -Once comprehended, the mock condolence enraged the huge Texan -fearfully. For a few seconds his eyes were the most wicked I ever saw. -He looked ready to spring upon Colburn and tear him in pieces; but it -was the last we heard of his bravado. - -One of our fellow-prisoners had manifested great trepidation while we -lay disabled in front of Vicksburg. He was probably no more frightened -than the rest of us, but had less self-control, running to and fro on -the burning barge, wringing his hands, and shrieking: "My God! my God! -We shall all be killed!" - -[Sidenote: WAGGERY OF A CAPTURED SCRIBE.] - -Three or four days later, Colburn asked him-- - -"Were you ever under fire before Sunday night?" - -"Never," he replied, with uneasy, questioning looks. - -"Well, sir," solemnly continued the satirist, "I think, in view of that -fact, that you behaved with more coolness than any man I ever saw!" - -While we preserved our gravity with the utmost difficulty, the -victim scrutinized his tormentor very suspiciously. But that serious, -immovable face told no tales, and he finally received the compliment -as serious. From that time, it was Colburn's daily delight, to remark, -with ever-increasing admiration:-- - -"Mr. ----, I cannot help remembering how marvelously self-possessed you -were during those exciting minutes. I never saw your coolness equaled -by a man under fire for the first time." - -Before we reached Richmond, the new-fledged hero received his praises -with complacent and serene condescension. He will, doubtless, tell -his children and grandchildren of the encomium his courage won from -companions, who, "born and nursed in Danger's path, had dared her -worst." - -At Demopolis, Alabama, we encountered a planter removing from -Mississippi, where Grierson and Grant were rapidly depreciating slave -property. He had with him a long gang of negroes, some chained together -in pairs, with handcuffs riveted to their wrists. - -While the train stopped, a young fellow from Kentucky, captain and -commissary in the Confederate army, took me up to his room, on pretext -of "a quiet drink." - -"When I went into the war," said he, "I thought it would be a nice -little diversion of about two weeks, with a good deal of fun and no -fighting. Now, I would give my right arm to escape from it; but there -is no such good fortune for me. When you reach the North, write to my -friends at home, giving them my love, and saying that I wish I had -followed their advice." - -A benevolent lady was at the station, with her carriage, distributing -cakes among the Rebel soldiers and the Union prisoners. - -At Selma, a new officer took charge of our party. The post commandant -instructed him how to treat the privates, and, pointing to the two -officers and the three journalists, added:-- - -[Sidenote: THE ALABAMA RIVER AND MONTGOMERY.] - -"You will consider these gentlemen not under your guard, but under your -escort." - -We took a steamer up the Alabama River. As we sat looking out upon the -beautiful stream, it was amusing to hear the comments of the negro -chamber-maids:-- - -"How mean the Southern soldiers look! But just see those Yankees! -Anybody might know that they are God's own people!" - -The pilot of the boat, a native Alabamian, took me aside, stating that -he was an unconditional Union man, and inquiring eagerly about the -North, which, he feared, might abandon the contest. - -We spent Sunday, May 11th, in the pleasant city of Montgomery: -strolling at pleasure through the shaded streets, and at evening taking -a bath in the Alabama, swimming round a huge Rebel ram, then nearly -completed. We gained some knowledge of its character and dimensions, -which, after reaching Richmond, we succeeded in transmitting to the -Government. - -The officer in charge of our party spent the night in camp with his -men, but we slept at the Exchange Hotel. When we registered our names, -the bystanders, with their broad-brimmed hats, long pipes, and heavy -Southern faces, manifested a good deal of curiosity to see what they -termed "two of old Greeley's correspondents." They asked us many -questions of the North, and of our army experiences. Several said -emphatically that, ere long, the people would "take this thing out of -the hands of politicians, and settle it themselves." - -[Sidenote: ATLANTA EDITORS ADVOCATE HANGING US.] - -Reaching Atlanta, we were placed in the filthy, vermin-infested -military prison. Encouraged by the courtesies we had received from -Rebel journals, we sent, through the commandant, a card to one of -the newspaper offices, asking for a few exchanges. The blundering -messenger took it to the wrong establishment, leaving it at the office -of an intensely bitter sheet called _The Confederate_. The next -morning we were not allowed to purchase newspapers. Learning that _The -Confederate_ commented upon our request, we induced an _attache_ of the -prison to smuggle a copy to us, and found the following leader:-- - - "Last evening some correspondents of _The New York World_ - and _New York Tribune_ were brought here among a batch of - prisoners captured at Vicksburg a few days ago. They had not - been here a half hour before the impudent scamps got one - of the sentinels guarding the barracks to go around to the - newspaper offices in this city with their 'card,' requesting - the favor of some exchange-papers to read. Their impudence is - beyond comprehension, upon any other consideration than that - they belong to the Yankee press-gang. Yankees are everywhere - more impudent than any honest race of people can be, and a - Yankee newspaper-man is the quintessence of all impudence. We - thought we had seen and understood something of this Yankee - accomplishment in times gone by (some specimens of it have - been seen in the South); but the unheard-of effrontery that - prompted these villains, who, caught in company with the - thieving, murdering vandals who have invaded our country, - despoiled our homes, murdered our citizens, destroyed our - property, violated our wives, sisters, and daughters, to - boldly claim of the press of the South the courtesies and - civilities which gentlemen of the press usually extend to - each other, is above and beyond all the unblushing audacity - we ever imagined. They had come along with Northern vandals, - to chronicle their rapes, arsons, plunders, and murders, and - to herald them to the world as deeds of heroism, greatness, - and glory. They are our vilest and most unprincipled - enemies--far more deeply steeped in guilt, and far more - richly deserving death, than the vilest vandal that ever - invaded the sanctity of our soil and outraged our homes and - our peace. We would greatly prefer to assist in hanging these - enemies to humanity, than to show them any civilities or - courtesies. The common robber, thief, and murderer, is more - respectable, in our estimation, than these men; for he never - tries to make his crimes respectable, but always to conceal - them. These men, however, have come into our country with the - open robbers and murderers of our people, for the express - purpose of whitewashing their hellish deeds, and presenting - them to the world as great deeds of virtuous heroism. They - deserve a rope's end, and will not receive their just deserts - till their crimes are punished with death." - -[Sidenote: A PAIR OF RENEGADE VERMONTERS.] - -The Rebel authorities were very sensitive to newspaper censure. With -unusual rigor, they now refused us permission to go outside the prison -for meals, though offering to have them sent in, at our expense, from -the leading hotel. They told us that _The Confederate_ was edited by -two renegade Vermonters. - -"I am not very fond of Yankees, myself," remarked Hunnicutt, the -heavy-jawed, broad-necked, coarse-featured lieutenant commanding the -prison. "I am as much in favor of hanging them as anybody; but these -Vermonters, who haven't been here six months, are a little too violent. -They don't own any niggers. 'Tisn't natural. There's something wrong -about them. If I were going to hang Yankees at a venture, I think I -would begin with them." - -An Irish warden brought us, from a Jew outside, three hundred -Confederate dollars, in exchange for one hundred in United States -currency. For a fifty-dollar Rebel note he procured me a cap of -southern manufacture, to replace my hat, which had been snatched from -my head by a South Carolina officer, passing upon a railroad train -meeting our own. The new cap, of grayish cotton, a marvel of roughness -and ugliness, elicited roars of laughter from my comrades. - -On the journey thus far, we had gone almost wherever we pleased, -unguarded and unaccompanied. But from Atlanta to Richmond we were -treated with rigor and very closely watched. A Rebel officer begged -of "Junius" his fine pearl-handled pocket knife. Receiving it, he at -once conceived an affection for a gold ring upon the prisoner's finger. -Even the courtesy of my colleague was not proof against this second -impertinence, and he contemptuously declined the request. - -[Sidenote: TREATED WITH UNUSUAL RIGOR.] - -The captain in charge of us stated that his orders were imperative to -keep all newspapers from us; and on no account to permit us to leave -the railway carriage. But, finding that we still obtained the daily -journals from fellow-passengers, he made a virtue of necessity, and -gracefully acquiesced. At last, he even allowed us to take our meals at -the station, upon being invited to participate in them at the expense -of his prisoners. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - - ----Give me to drink mandragora, That I may sleep out this - great gap of time.--ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. - -[Sidenote: ARRIVAL IN RICHMOND.] - - -At 5 o'clock on the morning of Saturday, May 16th, we reached Richmond. -At that early hour, the clothing-depot of the Confederate government -was surrounded by a crowd of poor, ill-clad women, seeking work. - -We were marched to the Libby Prison. Up to this time we had never been -searched. I had even kept my revolver in my pocket until reaching -Jackson, Mississippi, where, knowing I could not much longer conceal -it, I gave it to a friend. Now a Rebel sergeant carefully examined -our clothing. All money, except a few dollars, was taken from us, and -the flippant little prison clerk, named Ross, with some inquiries not -altogether affectionate concerning the health of Mr. Greeley, gave us -receipts. - -As we passed through the guarded iron gateway, I glanced instinctively -above the portal in search of its fitting legend:-- - - "Abandon all hope who enter here." - -Up three flights of stairs, we were escorted into a room, fifty feet -by one hundred and twenty-five, filled with officers lying in blankets -upon the floor and upon rude bunks. Some shouted, "More Yankees!--more -Yankees!" while many crowded about us to hear our story, and learn the -news from the West. - -[Sidenote: INCARCERATED IN LIBBY PRISON.] - -We soon found friends, and became domesticated in our novel quarters. -With the American tendency toward organization, the prisoners divided -into companies of four each. Our journalistic trio and Captain Ward -ceased to be individuals, becoming merely "Mess Number Twenty-one." - -The provisions, at this time consisting of good flour, bread, and salt -pork, were brought into the room in bulk. A commissary, elected by the -captives from their own number, divided them, delivering its quota to -each mess. - -Picking up two or three rusty tin plates and rheumatic knives and -forks, we commenced housekeeping. The labor of preparation was not -arduous. It consisted in making little sacks of cotton cloth for -salt, sugar, pepper, and rice, fitting up a shelf for our dishes, and -spreading upon the floor blankets, obtained from our new comrades, and -originally sent to Richmond by the United States Government for the -benefit of prisoners. - -The Libby authorities, and white and negro _attaches_, were always -hungry for "greenbacks," and glad to give Confederate currency in -exchange. The rates varied greatly. The lowest was two dollars for one. -During my imprisonment, I bought fourteen for one, and, a few weeks -after our escape, thirty were given for one. - -A prison sergeant went out every morning to purchase supplies. He -seemed honest, and through him we could obtain, at extravagant prices, -dried apples, sugar, eggs, molasses, meal, flour, and corn burnt and -ground as a substitute for coffee. Without these additions, our rations -would hardly have supported life. - -In our mess, each man, in turn, did the cooking for an entire day. In -that hot, stifling room, frying pork, baking griddle-cakes, and boiling -coffee, over the crazy, smoking, broken stove, around which there was a -constant crowd, were disagreeable in the extreme. The prison hours were -long, but the cooking-days recurred with unpleasant frequency. - -We scrubbed our room two or three times a week, and it was fumigated -every morning. At one end stood a huge wooden tank, with an abundant -supply of cold water, in which we could bathe at pleasure. - -[Sidenote: SUFFERINGS FROM VERMIN.] - -The vermin were the most revolting feature of the prison, and the one -to which it was the most difficult to become resigned. No amount of -personal cleanliness could guard our bodies against the insatiate lice. -Only by examining under-clothing and destroying them once or twice a -day, could they be kept from swarming upon us. For the first week, I -could not think of them without shuddering and faintness: but in time I -learned to make my daily entomological researches with calm complacency. - -In Nashville, two weeks before my capture, I met Colonel A. D. -Streight, of Indiana. At the head of a provisional brigade from -Rosecrans's army, he was about starting on a raid through northern -Alabama and Georgia. The expedition promising more romance and novelty -than ordinary army experiences, now grown a little monotonous, I -desired to accompany him; but other duties prevented. I had been -in Libby just four hours, when in walked Streight, followed by the -officers of his entire brigade. We had taken very different routes, but -they brought us to the same terminus. - -Streight's command had been furnished with mules, averaging about two -years old, and quite unused to the saddle. Utterly worthless, they soon -broke down, and with much difficulty, he remounted his men upon horses, -pressed from the citizens; but the delay proved fatal. - -The Rebel General Forrest overtook him with a largely superior -force. Streight was an enterprising, brave officer, and his exhausted -men behaved admirably in four or five fights; but at last, near -Rome, Georgia, after losing one third of his command, the colonel -was compelled to surrender. The Rebels were very exultant, and -Forrest--originally a slave-dealer in Memphis, and a greater falsifier -than Beauregard himself--telegraphed that, with four hundred men, he -had captured twenty-eight hundred. - -Lieutenant Charles Pavie, of the Eightieth Illinois, who commanded -Streight's artillery, came in with his coat torn to shreds; a piece of -shell had struck him in the back, inflicting only a flesh wound. Upon -feeling the shock, he instinctively clapped his hands to his stomach, -to ascertain if there was a hole there, under the impression that the -entire shell had passed through his body! - -[Sidenote: PRISONERS DENOUNCED AS BLASPHEMOUS.] - -The prisoners bore their confinement with good-humor and hilarity. -During the long evenings, they joined in the "Star-Spangled Banner," -"Old Hundred," "Old John Brown," and other patriotic and religious -airs. _The Richmond Whig_, shocked that the profane and ungodly Yankees -should presume to sing "Old Hundred," denounced it as a piece of -blasphemy. - -Captain Brown and his officers, of the United States gunboat -Indianola, were pointed out to me as men who had actually been in -prison for three months. I regarded them with pity and wonder. It -seemed utterly impossible that I could endure confinement for half that -time. After-experiences inclined me to patronize new-comers, and regard -with lofty condescension, men who had been prisoners only twelve or -fifteen months! "The Father of the Marshalsea" became an intelligible -and sympathetic personage, with whom we should have hobnobbed -delightfully. - -[Sidenote: THIEVERY OF A "VIRGINIA GENTLEMAN."] - -Simultaneously with our arrival in Richmond, a Rebel officer of the -exchange bureau received a request from the editor of _The World_, for -the release of Mr. Colburn. It proved as efficient as if it had been -an order from Jefferson Davis. After ten days' confinement in Libby, -Colburn was sent home by the first truce-boat. A thoroughly loyal -gentleman, and an unselfish, devoted friend, he was induced to go, only -by the assurance that while he could do no good by remaining, he might -be of service to us in the North. - -At his departure, he left for me, with Captain Thomas P. Turner, -commandant of the prison, fifty dollars in United States currency. A -day or two afterward, Turner handed the sum to me in Confederate rags, -dollar for dollar, asserting that this was the identical money he had -received. The perpetrator of this petty knavery was educated at West -Point, and claimed to be a Virginia gentleman. - -"Junius" suffered greatly from intermittent fever. The weather was -torrid. In the roof was a little scuttle, to which we ascended by a -ladder. The column of air rushing up through that narrow aperture was -foul, suffocating, and hot as if coming from an oven. At night we -went out on the roof for two or three hours to breathe the out-door -atmosphere. When the authorities discovered it, they informed us, -through Richard Turner--an ex-Baltimorean, half black-leg and half -gambler, who was inspector of the prison--that if we persisted, they -would close the scuttle. It was a refined and elaborate method of -torture. - -On one occasion, this same Turner struck a New York captain in the -face for courteously protesting against being deprived of a little -fragment of shell which he had brought from the field as a relic. A -Rebel sergeant inflicted a blow upon another Union captain who chanced -to be jostled against him by the crowd. - -For slight offenses, officers were placed in an underground cell so -dark and foul, that I saw a Pennsylvania lieutenant come out, after -five weeks' confinement there, his beard so covered with mold that one -could pluck a double handful from it! - -[Sidenote: PRISONERS MURDERED BY THE GUARDS.] - -Prisoners putting their heads for a moment between the bars of the -windows, and often for only approaching the apertures, were liable -to be shot. One officer, standing near a window, was ordered by -the sentinel to move back. The rattling carriages made the command -inaudible. The guard instantly shot him through the head, and he never -spoke again. - -Colonel Streight was the most prominent prisoner. He talked to the -Rebel authorities with imprudent, but delightful frankness. More than -once I heard him say to them:-- - -"You dare not carry out that threat! You know our Government will never -permit it, but will promptly retaliate upon your own officers, whom it -holds." - -When our rations of heavy corn-bread and tainted meat grew very short, -he addressed a letter to James A. Seddon, Confederate Secretary of War, -protesting in behalf of his brigade, and inquiring whether he designed -starving prisoners to death! The Rebels hated him with peculiar -bitterness. - -The five Richmond dailies helped us greatly in filling up the long -hours. At daylight an old slave, named Ben, would arouse us from our -slumbers, shouting:-- - -"Great news in de papers! Great news from de Army of Virginny! Great -tallygraphic news from the Soufwest!" - -[Sidenote: FOURTH-OF-JULY CELEBRATION INTERRUPTED.] - -He disbursed his sheets at twenty-five cents per copy, but they -afterward went up to fifty. - -A lieutenant in Grant's army, while charging one of the batteries in -the rear of Vicksburg, received a shot in the face which entered one -eye, destroying it altogether. Ten days after, he arrived in Libby. He -walked about our room with a handkerchief tied around his head, smoking -complacently, apparently considering a bullet in the brain a very -slight annoyance. - -We attempted to celebrate the Fourth of July. Captain Driscoll, of -Cincinnati, with other ingenious officers, had manufactured from shirts -a National flag, which was hung above the head of Colonel Streight, who -occupied the chair, or rather the bed, which necessity substituted. -Two or three speeches had been made, and several hours of oratory were -expected, when a sergeant came up and said:-- - -"Captain Turner orders that you stop this furse!" - -Observing the flag, he called upon several officers to assist him in -taking it down. Of course, none did so. He finally reached it himself, -tore it down, and bore it to the prison office. A long discussion -ensued about obeying Turner's order. After nearly as much time had -been consumed in debate as it would have required to carry out the -programme, and speak to all the toasts--dry toasts--it was voted to -comply. So the meeting, first adopting a number of intensely patriotic -resolutions, incontinently adjourned. - -[Sidenote: THE HORRORS OF BELLE ISLE.] - -The Rebel authorities confiscated large sums of money sent from home -to the prisoners, and sometimes stopped the purchase of supplies, -asserting that it was done in retaliation for similar treatment of -their own soldiers confined in the North. Still our officers fared -incomparably better than the Union privates who were half starved upon -Belle Isle, in sight of our prison. We did not fully accredit the -reports which reached us touching the sufferings of these prisoners, -though the engravings of their emaciation and tortures in the New -York illustrated papers, which sometimes drifted to us, so enraged -the Rebels, that we often called their attention to them. But our -own paroled officers, who were permitted to distribute among the -privates clothing sent by our Government, assured us that they were -substantially true. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - - Who was so firm, so constant, that this coil Would not infect - his reason?--TEMPEST. - - When sorrows come, they come not single spies, But in - battalions.--HAMLET. - - -[Sidenote: THE CAPTAINS ORDERED BELOW.] - - -On the 6th of July, an order came to our apartments for all the -captains to go down into a lower room. At this time, as usual, there -was constant talk about resuming the exchange. They went below with -light hearts, supposing they were about to be paroled and sent North. -Half an hour after, when the first one returned, his white, haggard -face showed that he had been through a trying scene. - -After being drawn up in line, they were required to draw lots, to -select two of their number for execution, in retaliation for two Rebel -officers, tried and shot in Kentucky by Burnside, for recruiting within -our lines. - -[Sidenote: TWO SELECTED FOR EXECUTION.] - -The unhappy designation fell upon Captain Sawyer, of the First New -Jersey Cavalry, and Captain Flynn, of the Fifty-first Indiana Infantry. -They were taken to the office of General Winder, who assured them -that the sentence would be carried out; and without pity or decency, -selected that hour to revile them as Yankee scoundrels who had "come -down here to kill our sons, burn our houses, and devastate our -country." In reply to these taunts, they bore themselves with dignity -and calmness. - -"When I went into the war," responded Flynn, "I knew I might be -killed. I don't know but I would just as soon die in this way as any -other." - -"I have a wife and child," said Sawyer, "who are very dear to me, but -if I had a hundred lives I would gladly give them all for my country." - -In two hours they came back to their quarters. Sawyer was externally -nervous; Flynn calm. Both expected that the order would be carried out. -We were confident that it would not. I predicted to Sawyer-- - -"They will never dare to shoot you!" - -"I will bet you a hundred dollars they do!" was his impulsive reply. I -said to Flynn-- - -"There is not one chance in ten of their executing you." - -"I know it," he answered. "But, when we drew lots, I took one chance in -thirty-five, and then lost!"[17] - -[17] Our Government, upon learning of this, ordered the commandant at -Fortress Monroe, the moment he should learn, officially or otherwise, -that Sawyer and Flynn had been executed, to shoot in retaliation two -Rebel officers--sons of Generals Lee and Winder. On the reception of -this news in the Richmond papers at daylight one morning, the prisoners -cheered and shouted with delight. As they supposed, that settled the -question. Nothing more was heard about executing our officers; and -soon after, Sawyer and Flynn were exchanged, months before their less -fortunate comrades. - -On the same evening came intelligence that, at an obscure town in -Pennsylvania called Gettysburg, Meade had received a Waterloo defeat, -was flying in confusion to the mountains of Pennsylvania after losing -forty thousand prisoners, who were actually on their way to Richmond. -It was entertaining to read the speculations of the Rebel papers as to -what they could do with these forty thousand Yankees--where they could -find men to guard them, and room for them--how in the world they could -feed them without starving the people of Richmond. - -[Sidenote: THE GLOOMIEST NIGHT IN PRISON.] - -We did not fully believe the report, but it touched us very nearly. -Those reverses to our army came home drearily to the hearts of men who -were waiting hopelessly in Rebel prisons, and weighed them down like -millstones. - -Success kindled a corresponding joy. I have seen sick and dying -prisoners on cold and filthy floors of the wretched hospitals filled -with a new vitality--their sad, pleading eyes lighted with a new hope, -their wan faces flushed, and their speech jubilant, when they learned -that all was going well with the Cause. It made life more endurable and -death less bitter. - -Already suffering from anxiety for Flynn and Sawyer, and disheartened -by the reports from Pennsylvania, we received intelligence that Grant -had been utterly repulsed before the works of Vicksburg, the siege -raised, and the campaign closed in defeat and disaster. It was a very -black night when this grief was added to the first. The prison was -gloomy and silent many hours earlier than usual. Our hearts were too -heavy for speech. - -But suddenly there came a great revulsion. Among the negro prisoners -was an old man of seventy, who had particularly attracted my attention -from the fact that when I happened to speak to him about the National -conflict, he replied, after the manner of Copperheads, that it was a -speculators' war on both sides, in which he felt no sort of interest; -that it would do nobody any good; that he cared not when or how it -ended. I wondered whether the old African was shamming, lest his -conversation should be reported, to the curtailing of his privileges, -or whether he was really that anomaly, a black man who felt no interest -in the war. - -[Sidenote: GLORIOUS REVULSION OF FEELING.] - -But about five o'clock, one afternoon, he came up into our room, and, -when the door was closed behind him, so that he could not be seen by -the officers or guards, he made a rush for an open space upon the -floor, and immediately began to dance in a manner very remarkable for a -man of seventy, and rheumatic at that. We all gathered around him and -asked-- - -"General" (that was his _soubriquet_ in the prison), "what does this -mean?" - -"De Yankees has taken Vicksburg! De Yankees has taken Vicksburg!" and -then he began to dance again. - -As soon as we could calm him into a little coherence, he drew from his -pocket a newspaper extra--the ink not yet dry--which he had stolen -from one of the Rebel officers. There it was! The Yankees _had_ taken -Vicksburg, with more than thirty thousand prisoners. - -Good tidings, like bad, seldom come alone. Shortly after, we learned -that there was also a slight mistake about Gettysburg--that Lee, -instead of Meade, was flying in confusion; and that, while our people -had captured fifteen or twenty thousand Rebels, those forty thousand -Yankee prisoners were "conspicuous for their absence." - -How our hearts leaped up at this cheering news! How suddenly that foul -prison air grew sweet and pure as the fragrant breath of the mountains! -There was laughing, there was singing, there was dancing, which the -old negro did not altogether monopolize. Some one shouted, "Glory, -hallelujah!" Mr. McCabe, an Ohio chaplain, whose clear, ringing tones, -as he led the singing, cheered many of our heaviest hours, instantly -took the hint, and started that beautiful hymn, by Mrs. Howe, of which -"Glory, hallelujah" is the chorus:-- - - "For mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." - -Every voice in the room joined in it. I never saw men more stirred and -thrilled than were those three or four hundred prisoners, as they heard -the impressive closing stanza:-- - - "In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea, - With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me; - As He died to make men holy, let _us_ die to make men free!" - -[Sidenote: EXCITING DISCUSSION IN PRISON.] - -Despite reading, conversing, and cutting out finger-rings, -napkin-rings, breast-pins, and crosses, from the beef-bones extracted -from our rations, in which some prisoners were exceedingly skillful, -the hours were very heavy. A debating-club was formed, and much time -was spent in discussing animal magnetism and other topics. Occasionally -we had mock courts, which developed a good deal of originality and wit. - -Late in July, a mania for study began to prevail. Classes were formed -in Greek, Latin, German, French, Spanish, Algebra, Geometry, and -Rhetoric. We sent out to the Richmond stores for text-books, and all -found instructors, as the motley company of officers embraced natives -of every civilized country. - -July 30th was a memorable day. The prisoners had become greatly excited -on the momentous question of small messes _versus_ large messes. There -were only three cooking-stoves for the accommodation of three hundred -and seventy-five officers. A majority thought it more convenient to -divide into messes of twenty, while others, favoring small messes of -from four to eight each, determined to retain those organizations. The -prisoners now occupied five rooms, communicating with each other. - -A public meeting was called in our apartment, with Colonel Streight -in the chair. A fiery discussion ensued. The large-mess party insisted -that the majority must rule, and the minority submit to be formed into -messes of twenty. The small-mess party replied:-- - -"We will not be coerced. We are one-third of all the prisoners. We -insist upon our right to one-third of the kitchen, one-third of the -fuel, and one of the three cooking-stoves. It is nobody's business but -our own whether we have messes of two or one hundred." - -I was never present at any debate, parliamentary, political, or -religious, which developed more earnestness and bitterness. The meeting -passed a resolution, insisting upon large messes; the small-mess party -refused to vote upon it, and declared that they would never, never -submit! The question was finally decided by permitting all to do -exactly as they pleased. - -Prisoners kept in the underground cells heard revolting stories. They -were informed by the guards that the bodies of the dead, usually left -in an adjoining room for a day or two before burial, were frequently -eaten by rats. - -[Sidenote: STEALING MONEY FROM THE CAPTIVES.] - -From want of vegetables and variety of diet, scurvy became common. -With many others, I suffered somewhat from it. On the 13th of August, -Major Morris, of the Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry, died suddenly from a -malignant form of this disease. His fellow-prisoners desired to have -his body embalmed. The Rebel authorities had one hundred dollars in -United States currency, belonging to the major, but they refused to -apply it to this purpose. Four hundred dollars in Confederate currency -was therefore subscribed by the prisoners. Several brother-officers of -the deceased were permitted to follow the remains to the cemetery. - -[Sidenote: HORRIBLE TREATMENT OF NORTHERN CITIZENS.] - -Thirty or forty Northern citizens were confined in a room under us. -They were thrust in with Yankee deserters of the worst character, and -treated with the greatest barbarity. Their rations were very short; -they were allowed to purchase nothing. We cut a hole through the floor, -and every evening dropped down crackers and bread, contributed from -the various messes. When they saw the food coming, they would crowd -beneath the aperture, with upturned faces and eager eyes, springing to -clutch every crumb, sometimes ready to fight over the smallest morsels, -and looking more like ravenous animals than human beings. Some of -them, accustomed to luxury at home, ate water-melon rinds and devoured -morsels which they extracted from the spittoons and from other places -still more revolting. - -Several schemes of escape were ingenious and original. Impudence was -the trump card. Four or five officers took French leave, by procuring -Confederate uniforms, which enabled them to pass the guards. Captain -John F. Porter, of New York, obtaining a citizen's suit, walked out of -the prison in broad daylight, passing all the sentinels, who supposed -him to be a clergyman or some other pacific resident of Richmond. A -lady in the city secreted him. By the negroes, he sent a message to his -late comrades, asking for money, which they immediately transmitted. -Obtaining a pilot, he made his way through the swamps to the Union -lines, in season to claim, on the appointed day, the hand of a young -lady who awaited him at home. He was an enterprising bridegroom. - -During the long evenings, when we were faint, bilious, and weak from -our thin diet, some of my comrades, with morbid eloquence, would -dwell upon all luxuries that tempt the epicurean palate,--debating, -in detail, what dishes they would order, were they at the best hotels -of New York or Philadelphia. These tantalizing discussions were so -annoying that they invariably drove me from the group, sometimes -exciting a desire to strike those who _would_ drag forward the -unpleasant subject, and keep me reminded of the hunger which I was -striving to forget. - -[Sidenote: EXTRAVAGANT RUMORS AMONG THE PRISONERS.] - -The exchange was altogether suspended, and new prisoners were -constantly arriving, until Libby contained several hundred officers. - -Extravagant rumors of all sorts were constantly afloat among the -captives; hardly a day passing without some sensation story. They were -not usually pure invention; but in prison, as elsewhere during exciting -periods, the air seemed to generate wild reports, which, in passing -from mouth to mouth, grew to wonderful proportions. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - - I had rather than forty pound I were at home.--TWELFTH NIGHT, - OR WHAT YOU WILL. - -[Sidenote: TRANSFERRED TO CASTLE THUNDER.] - - -On the evening of September 2d, all the northern citizens were -transferred from Libby to Castle Thunder. The open air caused a strange -sensation of faintness. We grew weak and dizzy in walking the three -hundred yards between the prisons. - -That night we were thrust into an unventilated, filthy, subterranean -room, nearly as loathsome as the Vicksburg jail. But we smoked our -pipes serenely, remembering that "Fortune is turning, and inconstant, -and variations, and mutabilities," and wondering what that capricious -lady would next decree. At intervals, our sleep upon the dirty floor -was disturbed by the playful gambols of the rats over our hands and -faces. - -The next morning we were drawn up in line, and our names registered -by an old warden named Cooper, who, in spectacles and faded silk hat, -looked like one of Dickens's beadles. His query whether we possessed -moneys, was uniformly answered in the negative. When he asked if we had -knives or concealed weapons, all gave the same response, except one -waggish prisoner, who averred that he had a ten-inch columbiad in his -vest pocket. - -The Commandant of Castle Thunder was Captain George W. Alexander, -an ex-Marylander, who had participated with "the French Lady"[18] -in the capture of the steamer St. Nicholas, near Point Lookout, and -was afterward confined for some months at Fort McHenry. He formerly -belonged to the United States Navy, in the capacity of assistant -engineer. He made literary pretensions, writing thin plays for the -Richmond theaters, and sorry Rebel war-ballads. Pompous and excessively -vain, delighting in gauntlets, top-boots, huge revolvers, and a red -sash, he was sometimes furiously angry, but, in the main, kind to -captives. He caused us to be placed in the "Citizens' Room," which he -called the prison parlor. Its walls were whitewashed, its four windows -were iron-barred, its air tainted by exhalations from the adjoining -"Condemned Cell," which was fearfully foul. It was lighted with gas, -and had a single stove for cooking, a few bunks, and a clean floor. - -[18] Captain Thomas, in the character of a French lady, took passage -on the steamer at Baltimore, with several followers disguised as -mechanics. Near Point Lookout they overpowered the crew and captured -the vessel, converting her into a privateer. Afterward, while -attempting to repeat the enterprise, they were made prisoners. - -Castle Thunder contained about fifteen hundred inmates--northern -citizens, southern Unionists, Yankee deserters, Confederate convicts, -and eighty-two free negroes, captured with Federal officers, who -employed them as servants in the field. - -[Sidenote: MORE ENDURABLE THAN LIBBY.] - -The prison's reputation was worse than that of Libby; but, as usual, we -found the devil not quite so black as he was painted. We missed sadly -the society of the Union officers, but the Commandant and _attaches_, -unlike the Turners, treated us courteously, never indulging in epithets -and insults. - -In the Citizens' Room were two northerners, named Lewis and Scully, -sent to Richmond in the secret service of our Government, by General -Scott, before the battle of Bull Run, and confined ever since. One of -them was a Catholic, through the influence of whose priest both had -thus far been preserved. But they held existence by a frail tenure, and -I could not wonder that long anxiety had turned Lewis's hair gray, and -given to both nervous, haggard faces. - -In all southern prisons I was forced to admire the fidelity with which -the Roman Church looks after its members. Priests frequently visited -all places of confinement to inquire for Catholics, and minister both -to their spiritual and bodily needs. The chaplain at Castle Thunder was -a Presbyterian. He scattered documents, and preached every Sunday in -the yard or one of the large rooms. He would have given tracts on the -sin of dancing to men without any legs. - -The Rev. William G. Scandlin and Dr. McDonald, of Boston--agents of the -United States Sanitary Commission--were held with us. The doctor was -dangerously ill from dysentery. The Commission had never discriminated -between suffering Unionists and Confederates, extending to both the -same bounty and tenderness; yet the Rebels kept these gentlemen, whom -they had captured on the way to Harper's Ferry with sanitary supplies, -for more than three months. - -[Sidenote: DETERMINED NOT TO DIE.] - -"Junius" was very feeble; but during the weary months which followed, -he manifested wonderful vitality. His indignation toward the enemy, and -his earnest determination not to die in a Rebel prison, greatly helped -his endurance. Like the Duchess of Marlboro', he refused either to be -bled or to give up the ghost. - -A Virginia citizen was brought in on the charge of attempting to trade -in "greenbacks,"--a penitentiary offense under Confederate law. Before -he had been in our room five minutes one of the sub-wardens entered, -asking: - -"Is there anybody here who has 'greenbacks?' I am paying four dollars -for one to-day." - -The negroes were used for scrubbing and carrying messages from the -office of the prison to the different apartments. Invariably our -friends, they surreptitiously conveyed notes to acquaintances in the -other rooms, and often to Unionists outside. - -[Sidenote: A NEGRO CRUELLY WHIPPED.] - -While we were at Libby, an intelligent mulatto prisoner from -Philadelphia was whipped for some trivial offense. His piercing shrieks -followed each application of the lash; one of my messmates, who counted -them, stated that he received three hundred and twenty-seven blows. A -month afterward I examined his back, and found it still gridironed with -scars. - -At the Castle the negroes frequently received from five to twenty-five -lashes. I saw boys not more than eight years old turned over a barrel -and cowhided. One woman upward of sixty was whipped in the same manner. -This negress was known as "Old Sally;" she earned a good deal of -Confederate money by washing for prisoners, and spent nearly the whole -of it in purchasing supplies for unfortunates who were without means. -She had been confined in different prisons for nearly three years. - -The next oldest inmate was a Little Dorrit of a cur, born and raised in -the Castle. Notwithstanding her life-long associations, she manifested -the usual canine antipathy toward negroes and tatterdemalions. - -[Sidenote: THE EXECUTION OF SPENCER KELLOGG.] - -Soon after our arrival, Spencer Kellogg, of Philadelphia, one of our -fellow-prisoners, was executed as a Yankee spy. He had been in the -secret service of the United States, but belonged to the western navy -at the time of his capture. He bore himself with great coolness and -self-possession, assuring the Rebels that he was glad to die for his -country. On the scaffold he did not manifest the slightest tremor. -While the rope was being adjusted, he accidentally knocked off the hat -of a bystander, to whom he turned and said, with great suavity: "I beg -your pardon, sir." - -[Sidenote: STEADFASTNESS OF SOUTHERN UNIONISTS.] - -The loyalty of the southern Unionists was intense. One Tennessean, -whose hair was white with age, was taken before Major Carrington, the -Provost-Marshal, who said to him: - -"You are so old that I have concluded to send you home, if you will -take the oath." - -"Sir," replied the prisoner, "if you knew me personally, I should think -you meant to insult me. I have lived seventy years, and, God helping -me, I will not now do an act to embitter the short remnant of my life, -and one which I should regret through eternity. I have four boys in -the Union army; they all went there by my advice. Were I young enough -to carry a musket I would be with them to-day fighting against the -Rebellion." - -The sturdy old Loyalist at last died in prison. - -There were many kindred cases. Nearly all the men of this class -confined with us were from mountain regions of the South. Many were -ragged, all were poor. They very seldom heard from their families. -They were compelled to live solely upon the prison rations, often a -perpetual compromise with starvation. Some had been in confinement for -two or three years, and their homes desolated and burned. Unlike the -North, they knew what war meant. - -Yet the lamp of their loyalty burned with inextinguishable -brightness. They never denounced the Government, which sometimes -neglected them to a criminal degree. They never desponded, through -the gloomiest days, when imbecility in the Cabinet and timidity in -the field threatened to ruin the Union Cause. They seldom yielded an -iota of principle to their keepers. Hungry, cold, and naked--waiting, -waiting, waiting, through the slow months and years--often sick, often -dying, they continued true as steel. History has few such records of -steadfast devotion. Greet it reverently with uncovered head, as the -Holy of Holies in our temple of Patriotism! - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - - ----One fading moment's mirth, With twenty watchful, weary, - tedious nights.--TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. - -[Sidenote: A WAGGISH JOURNALIST.] - - -We consumed many of the long hours in conversing, reading, and -whist-playing. Night after night we strolled wearily up and down our -narrow room, ignorant of the outer world, save through glimpses, caught -from the barred windows, of the clear blue sky and the pitying stars. - -Still, endeavoring to make the best of it, we were often mirthful and -boisterous. Two correspondents of _The Herald_, Mr. S. T. Bulkley -and Mr. L. A. Hendrick, were partners in our captivity. Hendrick's -irrepressible waggery never slept. One evening a Virginia ruralist, -whose intellect was not of the brightest, was brought in for some -violation of Confederate law. After pouring his sorrows into the -sympathetic ear of the correspondent, he suddenly asked: - -"What are you here for?" - -"I am the victim," replied Hendrick, "of gross and flagrant injustice. -I am the inventor of a new piece of artillery known as the Hendrick -gun. Its range far exceeds every other cannon in the world. A week -ago I was testing it from the Richmond defenses, where it is mounted. -One of its shots accidentally struck and sunk a blockade runner just -entering the port of Wilmington. It was not my fault. I didn't aim at -the steamer. I was just trying the gun for the benefit of the country. -But these confounded Richmond authorities insisted upon it that I -should pay for the vessel. I told them I would see them ---- first, and -they shut me up in Castle Thunder; but I never will pay in the world." - -"You are quite right. I would not, if I were you," replied the innocent -Virginian. "It is the greatest outrage I ever heard of." - -[Sidenote: PROCEEDINGS OF A MOCK COURT.] - -A fellow-prisoner had been elected commissary of our room, to divide -and distribute the rations. One evening a court was organized to try -him for "malfeasance in office." The indictment charged that he issued -soup only when he ought to issue meat--stealing the beef and selling -it for his personal benefit. One correspondent appeared as prosecuting -attorney, another as counsel for the defense, and a third as presiding -judge. - -An extract from a Richmond journal being objected to as testimony, it -was decided that any thing published by any newspaper must necessarily -be true, and was competent evidence in that court. A great deal of -remarkable law was cited in Greek, Latin, German, and French. Counsel -were fined for contempt of court, jurors placed under arrest for going -to sleep. When the spectators became boisterous, the sheriff was -ordered to clear the court-room, and, during certain testimony, the -judge requested that the ladies withdraw. - -The jury returned a verdict of guilty, and, after being harangued -in touching terms upon the enormity of his offense, the culprit was -sentenced to eat a quart of his own soup at a single meal. It was an -hilarious affair for that loathsome place, which swarmed with vermin, -and where the silence was broken nightly by the clanking and rattling -of the chains of convicts. - -Many prison inmates exhibited daring and ingenuity in attempting to -escape. Castle Thunder was vigilantly and securely guarded, with a -score of sentinels inside, and a cordon of sentinels without. - -[Sidenote: ESCAPE BY KILLING A GUARD.] - -In the condemned cell adjoining our room was a Rebel officer named -Booth, with three comrades, under sentence of death on charge of -murder. All were heavily ironed. Nightly, as the time appointed for -their execution approached, they surprised us by dancing, rattling -their chains, and singing. At one o'clock on the morning of October -22d, we were awakened by shouts and musket-shots. The whole Castle was -alarmed, and the guard turned out. - -With a saw made from a case-knife, Booth had cut a hole through the -floor of his cell, his comrades the while singing and dancing to drown -the noise. They were compelled to be very cautious, as a sentinel paced -within six feet of them, under instructions to watch them closely. -Filing off their irons, they descended cautiously through the aperture -into a store-room, where they found four muskets. In the darkness they -removed the lock from the door, and each taking a gun, crept into -another room opening to the street; struck down the sentinel, and -felled a second with the butt of a musket, knocking him ten or twelve -feet. At the outer door, a guard, who had taken the alarm, presented -his gun. Before he could fire, Booth shot him fatally through the head. - -The three late prisoners ran up the street, several ineffectual shots -being fired after them by the guards, who dared not leave their posts. -At the long bridge across the James River they knocked down another -sentinel, who attempted to stop them. Traveling by night through the -woods, they soon reached the Union lines. - -A considerable number of prisoners smeared their faces with croton-oil -to produce eruptions. The surgeon, called in at exactly the right -stage, pronounced the disease small-pox. They were driven toward the -small-pox hospital in unguarded ambulances, from which they jumped -and ran for their lives. It was a profound mystery to the physician -that patients should be so agile, until, examining one face after the -eruptions began to subside, he detected the imposition. - -In Tennessee two Indiana captains were found within the Rebel -lines. They were actually in the secret service of the Government, -reconnoitering Confederate camps; but they passed themselves off as -deserters, and were brought to the Castle. One told me his story, -adding: - -"They offer to release us if we will take the oath of allegiance to -the Southern Confederacy; but I cannot do that. I want to rejoin my -regiment, and fight the Rebels while the war lasts. I must escape, and -I cannot afford to lose any time." - -He kept his own counsel; but the next night took up a plank and -descended to a subterranean room, whence he began digging a tunnel. -After several nights' labor, when almost completed, the tunnel was -discovered by the prison authorities. He immediately commenced another. -That also was found, a few hours before it would have proved a success. -Then he tried the croton-oil, and in ten days he was again under the -old flag. - -[Sidenote: ESCAPE BY PLAYING NEGRO.] - -One prisoner, procuring from the negroes a suit of old clothing, a -slouched hat, and a piece of burnt cork, assumed the garments, and -blackened his face. With a bucket in his hand, he followed the negroes -down three flights of stairs and past four sentinels. Hiding in the -negro quarters until after dark, he then leaped from a window in the -very face of a sentinel, but disappeared around a corner before the -soldier could fire. - -Another was sent to General Winder's office for examination. On the way -he told his stolid guard that he was clerk of the Castle, and ordered -him: - -"Go up this street to the next corner and wait there for me. I am -compelled to visit the Provost-Marshal's office. Be sure and wait. I -will meet you in fifteen minutes." - -The unsuspecting guard obeyed the order, and the prisoner leisurely -walked off. - -Captain Lafayette Jones, of Carter County, Tennessee, was held on the -charge of bushwhacking and recruiting for the Federal army within -the Rebel lines. If brought to trial, he would undoubtedly have been -convicted and shot. He succeeded in deluding the officers of the prison -about his own identity, and was released upon enlisting in the Rebel -army, under the name of Leander Johannes. - -[Sidenote: ESCAPE BY FORGING A RELEASE.] - -George W. Hudson, of New York, had been caught in Louisiana, while -acting as a spy in the Union service. Returning to the prison from a -preliminary examination before General Winder, he said: - -"They have found all my papers, which were sewn in the lining of my -valise. There is evidence enough to hang me twenty times over. I have -no hope unless I can escape." - -He canvassed a number of plans, at last deciding upon one. Then he -remarked, with great nonchalance: - -"Well, I am not quite ready yet; I must send out to buy a valise and -get my clothes washed, so that I can leave in good shape." - -Three or four days later, having completed these arrangements, he -wrote an order for his own discharge, forging General Winder's' -signature. It was a close imitation of Winder's genuine papers upon -which prisoners were discharged daily. Hudson employed a negro to leave -this document, unobserved, upon the desk of the prison Adjutant. Just -then I was confined in a cell for an attempt to escape. One morning -some one tapped at my door; looking out through the little aperture, I -saw Hudson, valise in hand, with the warden behind him. - -"I have come to say good-by. My discharge has arrived." (In a whisper,) -"Put your ear up here. My plan is working to a charm. It is the -prettiest thing you ever saw." - -He bade me adieu, conversed a few minutes with the prison officers, and -walked leisurely up the street. A Union lady sheltered him, and when -the Rebels next heard of Hudson he was with the Army of the Potomac, -serving upon the staff of General Meade. - -[Sidenote: ESCAPED PRISONER AT JEFF. DAVIS'S LEVEE.] - -Robert Slocum, of the Nineteenth Massachusetts Volunteers, was taken -to Richmond as a prisoner of war. In two days he escaped, and procured, -from friendly negroes, citizen's clothing. Then passing himself off -as an Englishman recently arrived in America by a blockade-runner, he -attempted to leave the port of Wilmington for Nassau. Through some -informality in his passport, he was arrested and lodged in Castle -Thunder. Employing an attorney, he secured his release. Still adhering -to the original story, he remained in Richmond for many months. He -frequently sent us letters, supplies, and provisions, and made many -attempts to aid us in escaping. One day he wrote me an entertaining -description of President Davis's levee, at which he had spent the -previous evening. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV. - - Misery acquaints a man with strange bed-fellows.--TEMPEST. - -[Sidenote: ASSISTANCE FROM A NEGRO BOY.] - - -Several days of our confinement in Castle Thunder were spent in a -little cell with burglars, thieves, "bounty-jumpers," and confidence -men. Our association with these strange companions happened in this -wise: - -One day we completed an arrangement with a corporal of the guard, -by which, with the aid of four of his men, he was to let us out at -midnight. We had a friend in Richmond, but did not know precisely where -his house was situated. We were very anxious to learn, and fortunately, -on this very day, he sent a meal to a prisoner in our room. Recognizing -the plate, I asked the intelligent young Baltimore negro who brought it: - -"Is my friend waiting below?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Can't you get me an opportunity to see him for one moment?" - -"I think so, sir. Come with me and we will try." - -The boy led me through the passages and down the stairs, past four -guards, who supposed that he had been sent by the prison authorities. -As we reached the lower floor, I saw my friend standing in the street -door, with two officers of the prison beside him. By a look I beckoned -him. He walked toward me and I toward him, until we met at the little -railing which separated us. There, over the bayonet of the sentinel, -this whispered conversation followed: - -"We hope to get out to-night; can we find refuge in your house?" - -"Certainly. At what hour will you come?" - -"We hope, between twelve and one o'clock. Where is your place?" - -[Sidenote: THE PRISON OFFICERS ENRAGED.] - -He told me the street and number. By this time, the Rebel officers, -discovering what was going on, grew indignant and very profane. They -peremptorily ordered my friend into the street. He went out wearing a -look of mild and injured innocence. The negro had shrewdly slipped out -of sight the moment he brought us together, and thus escaped severe -punishment. - -The officers ordered me back to my quarters, and as I went up the -stairs, I heard a volley of oaths. They were not especially incensed -at me, recognizing the fact that a prisoner under guard has a right to -do any thing he can; but were indignant and chagrined at that want of -discipline which permitted an inmate of the safest apartment in the -Castle to pass four sentinels to the street door, and converse with an -unauthorized person. - -[Sidenote: VISIT FROM A FRIENDLY WOMAN.] - -Ten minutes after, a boy came up from the office, with the -message--this time genuine--that another visitor wished to see me. I -went down, and there, immediately beyond the bars through which we -were allowed to communicate with outsiders, I saw a lady who called me -by name. I did not recognize her, but her eyes told me that she was -a friend. A Rebel officer was standing near, to see that no improper -communication passed between us. She conversed upon indifferent -subjects, but soon found opportunity for saying: - -"I am the wife of your friend who has just left you. He dared not come -again. I succeeded in obtaining admission. I have a note for you. I -cannot give it to you now, for this officer is looking; but, when I bid -you good-by, I will slip it into your hand." - -The letter contained the warmest protestations of friendship, saying: - -"We will do any thing in the world for you. You shall have shelter at -our house, or, if you think that too public, at any house you choose -among our friends. We will find you the best pilot in Richmond to take -you through the lines. We will give you clothing, we will give you -money--every thing you need. If you wish, we will send a half dozen -young men to steal up in front of the Castle at midnight; and, for a -moment, to throw a blanket over the head of each of the sentinels who -stand beside the door." - -At one o'clock that night, the Rebel corporal came to our door and -said, softly: - -"All things are ready; I have my four men at the proper posts; we can -pass you to the street without difficulty. Should you meet any pickets -beyond, the countersign for to-night is 'Shiloh.' I know you all, and -implicitly trust you; but some of my men do not, and before passing out -your party of six, they want to see that you have in your possession -the money you propose to give us" (seventy dollars in United States -currency, together with two gold watches). - -This request was reasonable, and Bulkley handed his portion of the -money to the corporal. A moment later he returned with it from the -gas-light, and said: - -"There is a mistake about this. Here are five one-dollar notes, not -five-dollar notes." - -My friend was very confident there was no error; and we were forced -to the conclusion that the guards designed to obtain our money without -giving us our liberty. So the plan was baffled. - -The next morning proved that the corporal was right. My friend _had_ -offered him the wrong roll of notes. We hoped very shortly to try -again, but considerable finessing was required to get the right -sentinels upon the right posts. Before it could be done we were placed -in a dungeon, on the charge of attempting to escape. We were kept there -ten days. - -[Sidenote: SHUT UP IN A CELL.] - -Our fellows in confinement were the burglars and confidence men--"lewd -fellows of the baser sort," without principle or refinement, living -by their wits. They frankly related many of their experiences in -enlisting and re-enlisting for large bounties as substitutes in the -Rebel service; decoying negroes from their masters, and then selling -them; stealing horses, etc. But they treated us with personal courtesy, -and though their own rations were wretchedly short, never molested our -dried beef, hams, and other provisions, which any night they could -safely have purloined. - -Small-pox was very prevalent during the winter months. An Illinois -prisoner, named Putman, had a remarkable experience. He was first -vaccinated, and two or three days after, attacked with varioloid. Just -as he recovered from that, he was taken with malignant small-pox, while -the vaccine matter was still working in his arm, which was almost an -unbroken sore from elbow to shoulder. In a few weeks he returned to the -prison with pits all over his face as large as peas. Small-pox patients -were sometimes kept in our close room for two or three days after -the eruptions appeared. One of my own messmates barely survived this -disease. - -We were allowed to purchase whatever supplies the Richmond market -afforded, and to have our meals prepared in the prison kitchen, by -paying the old negro who presided there. These were privileges enjoyed -by none of the other inmates. Supplies commanded very high prices; it -was a favorite jest in the city, that the people had to carry money -in their baskets and bring home marketing in their porte-monnaies. -Our mess consisted of the four correspondents and Mr. Charles -Thompson, a citizen of Connecticut, whose Democratic proclivities, -age, and gravity, invariably elected him spokesman when we wished to -communicate with the prison authorities. As they regarded us with -special hostility, we kept in the back-ground; but Mr. Thompson's quiet -tenacity, which no refusal could dishearten, and the "greenbacks" which -no _attache_ could resist, secured us many favors. - -[Sidenote: STEALING FROM FLAG-OF-TRUCE LETTERS.] - -Northern letters from our own families reached us with considerable -regularity. Those sent by other persons were mostly withheld. Robert -Ould, the Rebel Commissioner of Exchange, with petty malignity, never -permitted one of the many written from _The Tribune_ office to reach -us. All inclosures, excepting money, and sometimes including it, -were stolen with uniform consistency. I finally wrote upon one of my -missives, which was to go North: - - "Will the person who systematically abstracts newspaper - slips, babies' pictures, and postage-stamps from my letters, - permit the inclosed little poem to reach its destination, - unless entirely certain that it is contraband and dangerous - to the public service?" - -Apparently a little ashamed, the Rebel censor thereafter ceased his -peculations. - -For a time, boxes of supplies from the North were forwarded to us with -fidelity and promptness. Supposing that this could not last long, we -determined to make hay while the sun shone. One day, dining from the -contents of a home box, in cutting through the butter, my knife struck -something hard. We sounded, and brought to the surface a little phial, -hermetically sealed. We opened it, and there found "greenbacks!" - -Upon that hint we acted. While it was impossible to obtain letters from -the North, we could always smuggle them thither by exchanged prisoners, -who would sew them up in their clothing, or in some other manner -conceal them. We immediately began to send many orders for boxes; all -but two or three came safely to hand, and "brought forth butter in a -lordly dish." Treasury notes were also sent bound in covers of books -so deftly as to defy detection. One of my messmates thus received two -hundred and fifty dollars in a single Bible. The supplies of money, -obtained in this manner, lasted through nearly all our remaining -imprisonment, and were of infinite service. - -[Sidenote: PAROLES REPUDIATED BY THE REBELS.] - -All the prisoners who were taken to Richmond with us had received -identically the same paroles. In every case, except ours, the Rebels -recognized the paroles, and sent the persons holding them through the -lines. But they utterly disregarded ours. We felt it a sort of duty to -keep them occasionally reminded of their solemn, deliberate, written -obligation to us. We first did this through our attorney, General -Humphrey Marshall, of Kentucky. His relations with Robert Ould were -very close. Upon receiving heavy fees in United States currency, he -had secured the release of several citizens, after all other endeavors -failed. The prisoners believed that Ould shared the fees. - -General Marshall made a strong statement of our case in writing, adding -to the application for release: - - "I am instructed by these gentlemen not to ask any favors at - your hands, but to enforce their clear, legal, unquestionable - rights under this parole." - -Commissioner Ould indorsed upon this application that he repudiated the -parole altogether. In reporting to us, General Marshall said: - -"I don't feel at liberty to accept a fee from you, because I consider -your case hopeless." - -[Sidenote: SENTENCED TO THE SALISBURY PRISON.] - -Early in the new year, we addressed a memorial to Mr. Seddon, the -Rebel Secretary of War, in which we attempted to argue the case upon -its legal merits, and to prove what a flagrant, atrocious violation of -official faith was involved in our detention. We plumed ourselves a -good deal on our legal logic, but Mr. Seddon returned a very convincing -refutation of our argument. He simply wrote an order that we be sent to -the Rebel penitentiary at Salisbury, North Carolina, to be held until -the end of the war, as hostages for Rebel citizens confined in the -North, and for the general good conduct of our Government toward them! - -Like the historic Roman, content to be refuted by an emperor who was -master of fifty legions, we yielded gracefully to the argument of the -Secretary who had the whole Confederate army at his back; and thus we -were sent to Salisbury. - -[Sidenote: "ABOLITIONISTS BEFORE THE WAR."] - -On the night before our departure, the warden, a Maryland refugee, -named Wiley, ordered us below into a very filthy apartment, to be ready -for the morning train. We appealed to Captain Richardson, Commandant of -the Castle, who, countermanding the order, permitted us to remain in -our own more comfortable quarters during the night. Ten minutes after, -one of the little negroes came to our room, and, beckoning me to bend -down, he whispered: - -"What do you think Mr. Wiley says about Captain Richardson's letting -you stay here to-night? As soon as the Captain went out, he said: 'It's -a shame for Richardson and Browne to receive so many more favors than -the other prisoners. Why, ---- them, they were Abolitionists before -the war!'" - -On the way to Salisbury we were very closely guarded, but there were -many times during the night when we might easily have jumped from the -car window. - -At Raleigh, a pleasant little city of five thousand people, named in -honor of the great Sir Walter, the temptation was very strong. In -the confusion and darkness through which we passed from one train to -another, we might easily have eluded the guards; but we were feeble, -a long distance from our army lines, and quite unfamiliar with the -country. It was a golden opportunity neglected; for it is always -comparatively easy for captives to escape while _in transitu_, and very -difficult when once within the walls of a military prison. - -On the evening of February 3d we reached Salisbury, and were taken -to the Confederate States Penitentiary. It was a brick structure, one -hundred feet by forty, four stories in hight, originally erected for -a cotton-factory. In addition to the main building, there were six -smaller ones of brick, which had formerly been tenement houses; and a -new frame hospital, with clean hay mattresses for forty patients. The -buildings, which would hold about five hundred prisoners, were all -filled. Confederate convicts, Yankee deserters, about twenty enlisted -men of our navy and three United States officers confined as hostages, -one hundred and fifty Southern Unionists, and fifty northern citizens, -composed the inmates. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI. - - The miserable have no other medicine, But only hope.--MEASURE - FOR MEASURE. - - Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased, Pluck from the - memory a rooted sorrow?--MACBETH. - - -Truly saith the Italian proverb, "There are no ugly loves and no -handsome prisons." Still we found Salisbury comparatively endurable. -Captain Swift Galloway, commanding, though a hearty Confederate, was -kind and courteous to the captives. Our sleeping apartment, crowded -with uncleanly men, and foul with the vilest exhalations, was filthy -and vermin-infested beyond description. No northern farmer, fit to be a -northern farmer, would have kept his horse or his ox in it. - -[Sidenote: THE OPEN AIR AND PURE WATER.] - -But the yard of four acres, like some old college grounds, with great -oak trees and a well of sweet, pure water, was open to us during the -whole day. There, the first time for nine months, our feet pressed the -mother earth, and the blessed open air fanned our cheeks. - -Mr. Luke Blackmer, of Salisbury, kindly placed his library of several -thousand volumes at our disposal. Whenever we wished for books we had -only to address a note to him, through the prison authorities, and, in -a few hours, a little negro with a basket of them on his head would -come in at the gate. It seemed more like life and less like the tomb -than any prison we had inhabited before. - -[Sidenote: THE CRUSHING WEIGHT OF IMPRISONMENT.] - -And yet those long Summer months were very dreary to bear, for we had -upon us the one heavy, crushing weight of captivity. It is not hunger -or cold, sickness or death, which makes prison life so hard to bear. -But it is the utter idleness, emptiness, aimlessness of such a life. It -is being, through all the long hours of each day and night--for weeks, -months, years, if one lives so long--absolutely without employment, -mental or physical--with nothing to fill the vacant mind, which always -becomes morbid and turns inward to prey upon itself. - - What exile from his country Can flee himself as well? - -It was doubtless this which gave us the look peculiar to the -captive--the disturbed, half-wild expression of the eye, the -contraction of the wrinkled brow which indicates trouble at the heart. - -We were most struck with this in the morning, when, on first going out -of our sleeping quarters, we passed down by the hospital and stopped -beside the bench where those were laid who had died during the night. -As we lifted the cloth, to see who had found release, the one thing -which always impressed me was the perfect calm, the sweet, ineffable -peace, which those white, thin faces wore. For months I never saw it -without a twinge of envy. Until then I never felt the meaning of the -words, "where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at -rest." Until then I never realized the wealth of the assurance, "He -giveth his beloved sleep." - -[Sidenote: BAD NEWS FROM HOME.] - -Some prisoners had an additional weight to bear. They were southern -Unionists--Tennesseans, North Carolinians, West Virginians, and -Mississippians--whose families lived on the border. They knew that -they were liable any day to have their houses robbed or burned by the -enemy, and their wives and little ones turned out to the mercy of the -elements, or the charity of friends. This gnawing anxiety took away -their elasticity and power of endurance. They had far less capacity for -resisting disease and hardship than the northeners, and died in the -proportion of four or five to one. I could hardly wonder at the fervor -with which, in their devotional exercises, night after night, they sung -the only hymn which they ever attempted: - - "There I shall bathe my weary soul - In seas of heavenly rest; - And not a wave of trouble roll - Across this peaceful breast." - -The cup of others, yet, had a still bitterer ingredient, which filled -it to overflowing. I wonder profoundly that any one drinking of it ever -lived to tell his story. They had received bad news from home--news -that those nearest and dearest, finding their load of life too heavy, -had laid it wearily down. During the long prison hours, such had -nothing to think of but the vacant place, the hushed voice, and the -desolate hearth. Hope--the one thing which buoys up the prisoner--was -gone. That picture of home, which had looked before as heaven looks to -the enthusiastic devotee, was forever darkened. The prisoner knew if -the otherwise glad hour of his release should ever come, no warmth of -welcome, no greeting of friendship, no rejoicing of affection, could -ever replace for him the infinite value of the love he had lost. - -[Sidenote: THE GREAT LIBBY TUNNEL.] - -Early in the Spring we were delighted to learn from Richmond that -Colonel Streight had succeeded in escaping from Libby. The officers -constructed a long tunnel, which proved a perfect success, liberating -one hundred and fourteen of them. Streight, whose proportions tended -toward the Falstaffian, was very apprehensive that he could not work -his way through it. Narrowly escaping the fate of the greedy fox which -"stuck in the hole," he finally squeezed through. The Rebels hated him -so bitterly that, by the unanimous wish of his fellow-prisoners, he was -the first man to pass out. A Union woman of Richmond concealed him for -nearly two weeks. The first officers who reached our lines announced -through the New York papers that Streight had arrived at Fortress -Monroe. This caused the Richmond authorities to relinquish their -search; and finally, under a skillful pilot, having traveled with great -caution for eleven nights to accomplish less than a hundred miles, -Streight reached the protection of the Stars and Stripes. - -Our prison rations of corn bread and beef were tolerable, in quantity -and quality. The Salisbury market also afforded a few articles, of -which eggs were the great staple. We indulged extravagantly in that -mild form of dissipation--our mess of five at one time having on hand -seventy-two dozen, which represented, in Confederate currency, about -two hundred dollars. - -We soon made the acquaintance of several loyal North Carolinians. -Citizens of respectability were permitted to visit the prison. Those of -Union proclivities invariably found opportunity to converse with us. -Like all Loyalists of the South, white and black, they trusted northern -prisoners implicitly. The reign of terror was so great that they often -feared to repose confidence in each other, and cautioned us against -repeating their expressions of loyalty to their neighbors and friends, -whose Union sympathies were just as strong as theirs. - -[Sidenote: HORRIBLE SUFFERINGS OF UNION OFFICERS.] - -Captains Julius L. Litchfield, of the Fourth Maine Infantry, Charles -Kendall, of the Signal Corps, and Edward E. Chase, of the First Rhode -Island Cavalry, were imprisoned in the upper room of the factory. -Held as hostages for certain Rebel officers in the Alton, Illinois, -penitentiary, they were sentenced to confinement and hard labor during -the war. In one instance only was the hard labor imposed. In the prison -yard they were ordered to remove several heavy stones a few yards and -then carry them back. For some minutes they stood beside the Rebel -sergeant, silently and with folded arms. Then Chase thus instructed the -guard: - -"Go to Captain Galloway, and tell him, with my compliments, that -perhaps I was just as delicately nurtured as he--that, if he were in -my place, he would hardly do this work, and that I will see the whole -Confederacy in the Bottomless Pit before I lift a single stone!" - -Chase and his comrades were never afterward ordered to labor. Other -Union officers, held as hostages, arrived from time to time. Eight, who -came from Richmond, had been confined one hundred and forty-five days -in that horrible Libby cell where the mold accumulated on the beard of -the Pennsylvania lieutenant. While there they suffered intensely from -cold, ate daily all their scanty ration the moment it was issued, and -were compelled to fast for the rest of the twenty-four hours, save when -they could catch rats, which they eagerly devoured. Some came out with -broken constitutions, and all were frightfully pallid and emaciated. -Starving and freezing are words easily said, but these gentlemen -learned their actual significance. - -Four of them were held for Kentucky bushwhackers, whom one of our -military courts had sentenced to death, which they clearly deserved -under well-defined laws of war. Had they been promptly executed, the -Rebels would never have dared, in retaliation, to hurt the hair of a -prisoners head. But Mr. Lincoln's kindness of heart induced him to -commute their sentence to imprisonment, and made him unwittingly the -cause of this barbarity toward our own officers. - -The hostages were plucky and enterprising, frequently attempting to -escape. One night they suspended from their fourth-story window a rope -which they had constructed of blankets. Captain Ives, of the Tenth -Massachusetts Infantry, descended in safety. A daring and loyal Rebel -deserter, from East Tennessee, named Carroll, who designed to pilot -them to our lines, attempted to follow; but the rope broke, and he fell -the whole distance, striking upon his head. It would have killed most -men; but Carroll, after spending the night in the guard-house, bathed -his swollen head and troubled himself no further about the matter. - -Captain B. C. G. Reed, from Zanesville, Ohio, was constantly trying -to secure his own release. It always seemed to make him unhappy when -he passed two or three weeks without making attempts to escape. They -usually resulted in his being hand-cuffed and ballasted by a ball and -chain, or confined in a filthy cell. - -[Sidenote: A COOL METHOD OF ESCAPE.] - -But, sooner or later, perseverance achieves. Once, while so weak -from inflammatory rheumatism, contracted in a Richmond dungeon, that -he could hardly walk, he made a successful endeavor, in company with -Captain Litchfield. At nine o'clock, on a rainy March night, with their -blankets wrapped about them, they coolly walked up to the gate. They -rebuked the guard who halted them, indignantly asking him if he did not -know that they belonged at head-quarters! Impudence won the day. The -innocent sentinel permitted them to pass. They went directly through -Captain Galloway's office, which fortunately happened to be empty; -reached the outer fence; Litchfield helped over his weak companion, -and the world was all before them, where to choose. They traveled one -hundred and twenty miles, but, in the mountains of East Tennessee, were -recaptured and brought back. - -Nothing daunted, Reed repeated the attempt again and again. Finally, he -jumped from a train of cars in the city of Charleston, found a negro -who secreted him, and by night conveyed him in a skiff to our forces at -Battery Wagner. Reed returned to his command in Thomas's Army, and was -subsequently killed in one of the battles before Nashville. Entering -the service as a private, and fairly winning promotion, he was an -excellent type of the thinking bayonets, of the young men who freely -gave their lives "for our dear country's sake." - -[Sidenote: CAPTURED THROUGH AN OBSTINATE MULE.] - -Early in the summer, our mess was agreeably enlarged by the arrival -of Mr. William E. Davis, Correspondent of _The Cincinnati Gazette_ -and Clerk of the Ohio Senate. Davis owed his capture to the stupidity -of a mule. Riding leisurely along a road within the lines of General -Sherman's army, more than a mile from the front, he was compelled to -pass through a little gap left between two corps, which had not quite -connected. He was suddenly confronted by a double-barreled shot-gun, -presented by a Rebel standing behind a tree, who commanded him to halt. -Not easily intimidated, Davis attempted to turn his mule and ride for -a life and liberty. With the true instinct of his race, the animal -resisted the rein, seeming to require a ten-acre lot and three days -for turning around--wherefore the rider fell into the hands of the -Philistines. - -Books whiled away many weary hours. As Edmond Dantes, in the Count of -Monte Christo, came out from his twelve years of imprisonment "a very -well-read man," we ought to have acquired limitless lore; but reading -at last palled upon our tastes, and we would none of it. - -[Sidenote: CONCEALING MONEY WHEN SEARCHED.] - -Our Salisbury friends supplied us liberally with money. The editors -of the migratory _Memphis Appeal_ frequently offered to me any amount -which I might desire, and made many attempts to secure my exchange. - -The prison authorities sometimes searched us; but friendly guards, or -officers of Union proclivities, would always give us timely notice, -enabling us to secrete our money. One (nominally) Rebel lieutenant, -after we were drawn up in line and the searching had begun, would -sometimes receive bank-notes from us, and hand them back when we were -returned to our own quarters. - -Once, as we were being examined, I had forty dollars, in United States -currency, concealed in my hat. That was an article of dress which -had never been examined. But now, looking down the line, I saw the -guard suddenly commence taking off the prisoners' hats, carefully -scrutinizing them. Removing the money from mine, I handed it to -Lieutenant Holman, of Vermont; but, turning around, I observed that -two Rebel officers immediately behind us had witnessed the movement. -Holman promptly passed the notes to "Junius," who stood near, reading -a ponderous volume, and who placed them between the leaves of his -book. Holman was at once taken from the line and searched rigorously -from head to foot, but the Rebels were unable to find the coveted -"greenbacks." - -The prison officers, under rigid orders from the Richmond authorities, -would sometimes retain money received by mail. Two hundred dollars in -Confederate notes were thus withheld from me for more than a year. -Determined that the Rebel officials should not enjoy much peace of -mind, I addressed them letter after letter, reciting their various -subterfuges. At last, upon my demanding that they should either give me -the money, or refuse positively over their own signatures, the amount -was forthcoming. Thousands of dollars belonging to prisoners were -confiscated upon frivolous pretexts, or no pretext whatever. - -[Sidenote: ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE FRUSTRATED.] - -Persistent ill-fortune still followed all our attempts to escape. -Once we perfected an arrangement with a friendly guard, by which, at -midnight, he was to pass us over the fence upon his beat. Before our -quarters were locked for the night, "Junius" and myself hid under -the hospital, where, through the faithful sentinel, escape would be -certain. But just then, we chanced to be nearly without money, and -Davis waited for a Union _attache_ of the prison to bring him four -hundred dollars from a friend outside. The messenger, for the first -and last time in eleven months, becoming intoxicated that afternoon, -arrived with the money five minutes too late. Davis was unable to join -us; we determined not to leave him, expecting to repeat the attempt on -the following night; but the next day the guard was conscribed and sent -to Lee's army. - -These constant failures subjected us to many jests from our -fellow-prisoners. Once, in a dog-day freak, "Junius" had every hair -shaved from his head, leaving his pallid face diversified only by a -great German mustache. He replied to all _badinage_ that he was not the -correspondent for whom his interlocutors mistook him, but the venerable -and famous Chinaman "No-Go." - -[Sidenote: YANKEE DESERTERS WHIPPED AND HANGED.] - -The Yankee deserters, having no friends to protect them, were treated -with great harshness. During a single day six were tied up to a post -and received, in the aggregate, one hundred and twenty-seven lashes -with the cat-o'nine-tails upon their bare backs, as punishment for -digging a tunnel. Many of them were "bounty-jumpers" and desperadoes. -They robbed each newly-arriving deserter of all his money, beating him -unmercifully if he resisted. After being thus whipped, at their own -request their _status_ was changed, and they were sent as prisoners of -war to Andersonville, Georgia. There the Union prisoners, detecting -them in several robberies and murders, organized a court-martial, tried -them, and hung six of them upon trees within the garrison, with ropes -furnished by the Rebel commandant. - -For seven months no letters, even from our own families, were -permitted to reach us. This added much to our weariness. I never knew -the pathos of Sterne's simple story until I heard "Junius" read it one -sad Summer night in our prison quarters. For weeks afterward rung in my -ears the cry of the poor starling: "I can't get out! I can't get out!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII. - - ----- Not a soul But felt a fever of the mad, and played Some - tricks of desperation.--TEMPEST. - - All trouble, torment, wonder, and amazement Inhabit - here.--IBID. - -[Sidenote: GREAT INFLUX OF PRISONERS.] - - -Early in October, the condition of the Salisbury garrison suddenly -changed. Nearly ten thousand prisoners of war, half naked and without -shelter, were crowded into its narrow limits, which could not -reasonably accommodate more than six hundred. It was converted into a -scene of suffering and death which no pen can adequately describe. For -every hour, day and night, we were surrounded by horrors which burned -into our memories like a hot iron. - -We had never before been in a prison containing our private soldiers. -In spite of many assurances to the contrary, we had been skeptical as -to the barbarities which they were said to suffer at Belle Isle and -Andersonville. We could not believe that men bearing the American name -would be guilty of such atrocities. Now, looking calmly upon our last -two months in Salisbury, it seems hardly possible to exaggerate the -incredible cruelty of the Rebel authorities. - -When captured, the prisoners were robbed of the greater part of their -clothing. When they reached Salisbury, all were thinly clad, thousands -were barefooted, not one in twenty had an overcoat or blanket, and many -hundreds were without coats or blouses. - -[Sidenote: STARVING IN THE MIDST OF FOOD.] - -For several weeks, they were furnished with no shelter whatever. -Afterward, one Sibley tent and one A tent was issued to each hundred -men. With the closest crowding, these contained about one-half of them. -The rest burrowed in the earth, crept under buildings, or dragged out -the nights in the open air upon the muddy, snowy, or frozen ground. -In October, November, and December, snow fell several times. It was -piteous beyond description to see the poor fellows, coatless, hatless, -and shoeless, shivering about the yard. - -They were organized into divisions of one thousand each, and subdivided -into squads of one hundred. Almost daily one or more divisions was -without food for twenty-four hours. Several times some of them received -no rations for forty-eight hours. The few who had money, paid from -five to twenty dollars, in Rebel currency, for a little loaf of bread. -Some sold the coats from their backs and the shoes from their feet to -purchase food. - -When a subordinate asked the post-Commandant, Major John H. Gee, "Shall -I give the prisoners full rations?" he replied: "No, G-d d--n them, -give them quarter-rations!" - -Yet, at this very time, one of our Salisbury friends, a trustworthy and -Christian gentleman, assured us, in a stolen interview: - -"It is within my personal knowledge that the great commissary -warehouse, in this town, is filled to the roof with corn and pork. I -know that the prison commissary finds it difficult to obtain storage -for his supplies." - -After our escape, we learned from personal observation that the region -abounded in corn and pork. Salisbury was a general depot for army -supplies. - -[Sidenote: FREEZING IN THE MIDST OF FUEL.] - -That section of country is densely wooded. The cars brought fuel -to the door of our prison. If the Rebels were short of tents, they -might easily have paroled two or three hundred prisoners, to go out -and cut logs, with which, in a single week, barracks could have been -constructed for every captive; but the Commandant would not consent. He -did not even furnish half the needed fuel. - -Cold and hunger began to tell fearfully upon the robust young men, -fresh from the field, who crowded the prison. Sickness was very -prevalent and very fatal. It invariably appeared in the form of -pneumonia, catarrh, diarrh[oe]a, or dysentery; but was directly -traceable to freezing and starvation. Therefore the medicines were of -little avail. The weakened men were powerless to resist disease, and -they were carried to the dead-house in appalling numbers. - -By appointment of the prison authorities, my two comrades and myself -were placed in charge of all the hospitals, nine in number, inside the -garrison. The scenes which constantly surrounded us were enough to -shake the firmest nerves; but there was work to be done for the relief -of our suffering companions. We could accomplish very little--hardly -more than to give a cup of cold water, and see that the patients were -treated with sympathy and kindness. - -Mr. Davis was general superintendent, and brought to his arduous duties -good judgment, untiring industry, and uniform kindness. - -"Junius" was charged with supplying medicines to the "out-door -patients." The hospitals, when crowded, would hold about six hundred; -but there were always many more invalids unable to obtain admission. -These wretched men waited wearily for death in their tents, in -subterranean holes, under hospitals, or in the open air. My comrade's -tender sympathy softened the last hours of many a poor fellow who had -long been a stranger to - - "The falling music of a gracious word, - Or the stray sunshine of a smile." - -[Sidenote: REBEL SURGEONS GENERALLY HUMANE.] - -I was appointed to supervise all the hospital books, keeping a record -of each patient's name, disease, admission, and discharge or death. -At my own solicitation, the Rebel surgeon-in-chief also authorized me -to receive the clothing left by the dead, and re-issue it among the -living. I endeavored to do this systematically, keeping lists of the -needy, who indeed were nine-tenths of all the prisoners. The deaths -ranged from twenty to forty-eight daily, leaving many garments to be -distributed. Day after day, in bitterly cold weather, pale, fragile -boys, who should have been at home with their mothers and sisters, -came to me with no clothing whatever, except a pair of worn cotton -pantaloons and a thin cotton shirt. - -Dr. Richard O. Currey, a refugee from Knoxville, was the surgeon in -charge. Though a genuine Rebel, he was just and kind-hearted, doing his -utmost to change the horrible condition of affairs. Again and again he -sent written protests to Richmond, which brought several successive -inspectors to examine the prison and hospitals, but no change of -treatment. - -We were reluctantly driven to the belief that the Richmond authorities -deliberately adopted this plan to reduce the strength of our armies. -The Medusa head of Slavery had turned their hearts to stone. At this -time, they held nearly forty thousand prisoners. In our garrison the -inmates were dying at the rate of thirteen per cent. a month upon the -aggregate. About as many more were enlisting in the Rebel army. Thus -our soldiers were destroyed at the rate of more than twenty-five per -cent. a month, with no corresponding loss to the enemy. - -[Sidenote: TERRIBLE SCENES IN THE HOSPITALS.] - -Frequently, for two or three days, Dr. Currey would refrain from -entering the garrison, reluctant to look upon the revolting scenes from -which _we_ could find no escape. I am glad to be able to throw one ray -of light into so dark a picture. Nearly all the surgeons evinced that -humanity which ought to characterize their profession. They were much -the best class of Rebels we encountered. They denounced unsparingly -the manner in which prisoners were treated, and endeavored to mitigate -their sufferings. - -To call the foul pens, where the patients were confined, "hospitals," -was a perversion of the English tongue. We could not obtain brooms to -keep them clean; we could not get cold water to wash the hands and -faces of those sick and dying men. In that region, where every farmer's -barn-yard contained grain-stacks, we could not procure clean straw -enough to place under them. More than half the time they were compelled -to lie huddled upon the cold, naked, filthy floors, without even that -degree of warmth and cleanliness usually afforded to brutes. The wasted -forms and sad, pleading eyes of those sufferers, waiting wearily for -the tide of life to ebb away--without the commonest comforts, without -one word of sympathy, or one tear of affection--will never cease to -haunt me. - -At all hours of the day and night, on every side, we heard the terrible -hack! hack! hack! in whose pneumonic tones every prisoner seemed to be -coughing his life away. It was the most fearful sound in that fearful -place. - -[Sidenote: THE RATTLING DEAD-CART.] - -The last scene of all was the dead-cart, with its rigid forms piled -upon each other like logs--the arms swaying, the white ghastly faces -staring, with dropped jaws and stony eyes--while it rattled along, -bearing its precious freight just outside the walls, to be thrown in a -mass into trenches and covered with a little earth. - -When received, there were no sick or wounded men among the prisoners. -But before they had been in Salisbury six weeks, "Junius," with better -facilities for knowing than any one else, insisted that among eight -thousand there were not five hundred well men. The Rebel surgeons -coincided in this belief. - -The rations, issued very irregularly, were insufficient to support -life. Men grew feeble before living upon them a single week; but -could not buy food from the town; and were not permitted to receive -even a meal sent by friends from the outside. Our positions in the -hospitals enabled us to purchase supplies and fare better. Prisoners -eagerly devoured the potato-skins from our table. They ate rats, dogs, -and cats. Many searched the yard for bones and scraps among the most -revolting substances. - -They constantly besieged us for admission to the hospitals, or for -shelter and food, which we were unable to give. It seemed almost sinful -for us to enjoy protection from the weather and food enough to support -life in the midst of all this distress. - -On wet days the mud was very deep, and the shoeless wretches wallowed -pitifully through it, seeking vainly for cover and warmth. Two hundred -negro prisoners were almost naked, and could find no shelter whatever -except by burrowing in the earth. The authorities treated them with -unusual rigor, and guards murdered them with impunity. - -No song, no athletic game, few sounds of laughter broke the silence of -the garrison. It was a Hall of Eblis--devoid of its gold-besprinkled -pavements, crystal vases, and dazzling saloons; but with all its -oppressive silence, livid lips, sunken eyes, and ghastly figures, at -whose hearts the consuming fire was never quenched. - -[Illustration: INTERIOR VIEW OF A HOSPITAL IN THE SALISBURY PRISON.] - -Constant association with suffering deadened our sensibilities. We were -soon able to pass through the hospitals little moved by their terrible -spectacles, except when patients addressed us, exciting a personal -interest. - -[Sidenote: CREDULITY OF OUR GOVERNMENT.] - -The credulity and trustfulness of our Government toward the enemy -passed belief. Month after month it sent by the truce-boats many tons -of private boxes for Union prisoners, while the Rebels, not satisfied -with their usual practice of stealing a portion under the rose, upon -one trivial pretext or other, openly confiscated every pound of them. -At the same time, returning truce-boats were loaded with boxes sent -to Rebel prisoners from their friends in the South, and express-lines -crowded with supplies from their sympathizers in the North. - -The Government held a large excess of prisoners, and the Rebels were -anxious to exchange man for man; but our authorities acted upon the -cold-blooded theory of Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, that we -could not afford to give well-fed, rugged men, for invalids and -skeletons--that returned prisoners were infinitely more valuable to the -Rebels than to us, because their soldiers were inexorably kept in the -army, while many of ours, whose terms of service had expired, would not -re-enlist. - -The private soldier who neglects his duty is taken out and shot. -Officials seemed to forget that the soldier's obligation of obedience -devolves upon the Government the obligation of protection. It was -clearly the duty of our authorities either to exchange our own -soldiers, or to protect them--not by indiscriminate cruelty, but by -well-considered, systematic retaliation in kind, until the Richmond -authorities should treat prisoners with ordinary humanity. It was very -easy to select a number of Rebel officers, corresponding to the Union -prisoners in the Salisbury garrison, and give them precisely the same -kind and amount of food, clothing, and shelter. - -[Sidenote: GENERAL BUTLER'S EXAMPLE OF RETALIATION.] - -When the Confederate Government placed certain of our negro prisoners -under fire, at work upon the fortifications of Richmond, General -Butler, in a brief letter, informed them that he had stationed an equal -number of Rebel officers, equally exposed and spade in hand, upon _his_ -fortifications. When his letter reached Richmond, before that day's sun -went down, the negroes were returned to Libby Prison and ever afterward -treated as prisoners of war. But, by the mawkish sensibilities of a -few northern statesmen and editors, our Government was encouraged to -neglect the matter, and thus permitted the needless murder of its own -soldiers--a stain upon the nation's honor, and an inexcusable cruelty -to thousands of aching hearts. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII. - - I have supped full with horrors.--MACBETH. - - The weariest and most loathed worldly life That ache, age, - penury and imprisonment Can lay on nature.--MEASURE FOR - MEASURE. - -[Sidenote: ATTEMPTED OUTBREAK AND MASSACRE.] - - -On the 26th of November, while we were sitting at dinner, John Lovell -came up from the yard and whispered me: - -"There is to be an insurrection. The prisoners are preparing to break -out." - -We had heard similar reports so frequently as to lose all faith in -them; but this was true. Without deliberation or concert of action, -upon the impulse of the moment, a portion of the prisoners acted. -Suffering greatly from hunger, many having received no food for -forty-eight hours, they said: - -"Let us break out of this horrible place. We may just as well die upon -the guns of the guards as by slow starvation." - -A number, armed with clubs, sprang upon a Rebel relief of sixteen men, -just entering the yard. Though weak and emaciated, these prisoners -performed their part promptly and gallantly. Man for man, they wrenched -the guns from the soldiers. One Rebel resisted and was bayoneted where -he stood. Instantly, the building against which he leaned was reddened -by a great stain of blood. Another raised his musket, but, before he -could fire, fell to the ground, shot through the head. Every gun was -taken from the terrified relief, who immediately ran back to their -camp, outside. - -Had parties of four or five hundred then rushed at the fence in half -a dozen different places, they might have confused the guards, and -somewhere made an opening. But some thousands ran to it at one point -only. Having neither crow-bars nor axes they could not readily effect a -breach. At once every musket in the garrison was turned upon them. Two -field-pieces opened with grape and canister. The insurrection--which -had not occupied more than three minutes--was a failure, and the -uninjured at once returned to their quarters. - -The yard was now perfectly quiet. The portion of it which we occupied -was several hundred yards from the scene of the _melee_. In our -vicinity there had been no disturbance whatever; yet the guards stood -upon the fence for twenty minutes, with deliberate aim firing into the -tents, upon helpless and innocent men. Several prisoners were killed -within a dozen yards of our building. One was wounded while leaning -against it. The bullets rattled against the logs, but none chanced to -pass through the wide apertures between them, and enter our apartment. -Sixteen prisoners were killed and sixty wounded, of whom not one in ten -had participated in the outbreak; while most were ignorant of it until -they heard the guns. - -[Sidenote: COLD-BLOODED MURDERS FREQUENT.] - -After this massacre, cold-blooded murders were very frequent. Any -guard, standing upon the fence, at any hour of the day or night, could -deliberately raise his musket and shoot into any group of prisoners, -black or white, without the slightest rebuke from the authorities. He -would not even be taken off his post for it. - -One Union officer was thus killed when there could be no pretext that -he was violating any prison rule. - -[Illustration: MASSACRE OF UNION PRISONERS ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE FROM -SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA.] - -Moses Smith, a negro soldier of the Seventh Maryland Infantry, was shot -through the head while standing inoffensively beside my own quarters, -conversing with John Lovell. One of many instances was that of two -white Connecticut soldiers who were shot within their tents. We induced -one of the surgeons to inquire at head-quarters the cause of the -homicide. The answer received was, that the guard saw three negroes in -range, and, knowing he would never have so good an opportunity again, -fired at them, but missed aim and killed the wrong men! It seemed to be -regarded as a harmless jest. - -[Sidenote: HOSTILITY TO "TRIBUNE" CORRESPONDENTS.] - -Though my comrades and myself, either by _finesse_ or bribery, often -succeeded in obtaining special privileges from the prison officers, the -hostility of the Confederate authorities was unrelenting. Our attorney, -Mr. Blackmer, after visiting Richmond on our behalf, returned and -assured us that he saw no hope of our release before the end of the -war, unless we could effect our escape. Robert Ould, who usually denied -that he regarded us with special hostility, on one occasion, in his -cups, remarked to the United States Commissioner: - -"_The Tribune_ did more than any other agency to bring on the war. It -is useless for you to ask the exchange of its correspondents. They are -just the men we want, and just the men we are going to hold." - -Our Government, through blundering rather than design, released a -large number of Rebel journalists without requiring our exchange. -Finally, while among the horrors of Salisbury, we learned that -Edward A. Pollard, a malignant Rebel, and an editor of _The Richmond -Examiner_, most virulent of all the southern papers, was paroled to the -city of Brooklyn, after confinement for a few weeks in the North. This -news cut us like a knife. We, after nearly two years of captivity, in -that foul, vermin-infested prison, among all its atrocities--he, at -large, among the comforts and luxuries of one of the pleasantest cities -in the world! The thought was so bitter, that, for weeks after hearing -the intelligence, we did not speak of it to each other. Mr. Welles, -Secretary of the Navy, was the person who set Pollard at liberty. -I record the fact, not that any special importance attaches to our -individual experience, but because hundreds of Union prisoners were -subjected to kindred injustice. - -[Sidenote: A CRUEL INJUSTICE.] - -At the Salisbury penitentiary was a respectable woman from North -Carolina, who was confined for two months, in the same quarters with -the male inmates. Her crime was, giving a meal to a Rebel deserter! In -Richmond, a Virginian of seventy was shut up with us for a long time, -on the charge of feeding his own son, who had deserted from the army! - -In September, a number of Rebel convicts, armed with clubs and knives, -forcibly took from John Lovell a Union flag, which he had thus far -concealed. After the prisoners of war arrived they vented their -indignation upon the convicts, wherever they could catch them. For -several days, Rebels venturing into the yard were certain to return to -their quarters with bruised faces and blackened eyes. - -[Sidenote: REBEL EXPECTATIONS OF PEACE.] - -During the peace mania, which seemed to possess the North, at the time -of McClellan's nomination, the Rebels were very hopeful. Lieutenant -Stockton, the post-Adjutant, one day observed: - -"You will go home very soon; we shall have peace within a month." - -"On what do you base your opinion?" I asked. - -"The tone of your newspapers and politicians. McClellan is certain to -be elected President, and peace will immediately follow." - -"You southerners are the most credulous people in the whole world. You -have been so long strangers to freedom of speech and the press, that -you cannot comprehend it at all. There are half a dozen public men and -as many newspapers in the North, who really belong to your side, and -express their Rebel sympathies with little or no disguise. Can you -not see that they never receive any accessions? Point out a single -important convert made by them since the beginning of the war. Before -Sumter, these same men told you that, if we attempted coercion, it -would produce war in the North; and you believed them. Again and again -they have told you, as now, that the loyal States would soon give up -the conflict, and you still believe them. Wait until the people vote, -in November, and then tell me what you think." - -In due time came news of Mr. Lincoln's re-election. The prisoners -received it with intense satisfaction. I conveyed it to the Union -officers, from whom we were separated by bayonets--tossing to them -a biscuit containing a concealed note. A few minutes after, their -cheering and shouting excited the surprise and indignation of the -prison authorities. The next morning I asked Stockton how he now -regarded the peace prospect. Shaking his head, he sadly replied: - -"It is too deep for me; I cannot see the end." - -A private belonging to the Fifty-ninth Massachusetts Infantry, had -left Boston, a new recruit, just six weeks before we met him. In the -interval he participated in two great battles and five skirmishes, was -wounded in the leg, captured, escaped from his guards, while _en route_ -for Georgia, traveled three days on foot, was then re-captured and -brought to Salisbury. His six weeks' experience had been fruitful and -varied. - -That hope deferred which maketh the heart sick, began to tell seriously -upon our mental health. We grew morbid and bitter, and were often upon -the verge of quarreling among ourselves. I remember even feeling a -pang of jealousy and indignation at an account of some enjoyment and -hilarity among my friends at home. - -[Sidenote: THE PRISON LIKE THE TOMB.] - -Our prison was like the tomb. No voice from the North entered its -gloomy portal. Knowing that we had been unjustly neglected by our own -Government, wondering if we were indeed forsaken by God and man, we -seemed to lose all human interest, and to care little whether we lived -or died. But I suppose lurking, unconscious hope, still buoyed us up. -Could we have known positively that we must endure eight months more -of that imprisonment, I think we should have received with joy and -gratitude our sentence to be taken out and shot. - -Frequently prisoners asked us, sometimes with tears in their eyes: - -"What shall we do? We grow weaker day by day. Staying here we shall be -certain to follow our comrades to the hospital and the dead-house. The -Rebels assure us that if we will enlist, we shall have abundant food -and clothing; and we may find a chance of escaping to our own lines." - -I always answered that they owed no obligation to God or man to remain -and starve to death. Of the two thousand who did enlist, nearly all -designed to desert at the first opportunity. Their remaining comrades -had no toleration for them. If one who had joined the Rebels came -back into the yard for a moment, his life was in imminent peril. Two -or three times such persons were shockingly beaten, and only saved -from death by the interference of the Rebel guards. This ferocity was -but the expression of the deep, unselfish patriotism of our private -soldiers. These men, who carried muskets and received but a mere -pittance, were so earnest that they were almost ready to kill their -comrades for joining the enemy even to escape a slow, torturing death. - -[Sidenote: SOMETHING ABOUT TUNNELING.] - -We grew very familiar with the occult science of tunneling. Its _modus -operandi_ is this: the workman, having sunk a hole in the ground -three, six, or eight feet, as the case may require, strikes off -horizontally, lying flat on his face, and digging with whatever tool -he can find--usually a case-knife. The excavation is made just large -enough for one man to creep through it. The great difficulty is, to -conceal the dirt. In Salisbury, however, this obstacle did not exist, -for many of the prisoners lived in holes in the ground, which they were -constantly changing or enlarging. Hence the yard abounded in hillocks -of fresh earth, upon which that taken from the tunnels could be spread -nightly without exciting notice. - -After the great influx of prisoners of war in October, a large -tunneling business was done. I knew of fifteen in course of -construction at one time, and doubtless there were many more. The -Commandant adopted an ingenious and effectual method of rendering them -abortive. - -In digging laterally in the ground, at the distance of thirty or -forty feet the air becomes so foul that lights will not burn, and men -breathe with difficulty. In the great tunnel sixty-five feet long, -by which Colonel Streight and many other officers escaped from Libby -prison, this embarrassment was obviated by a bit of Yankee ingenuity. -The officers, with tacks, blankets, and boards, constructed a pair of -huge bellows, like those used by blacksmiths. Then, while one of them -worked with his case-knife, progressing four or five feet in twelve -hours, and a second filled his haversack with dirt and removed it (of -course backing out, and crawling in on his return, as the tunnel was a -single track, and had no turn-table), a third sat at the mouth pumping -vigorously, and thus supplied the workers with fresh air. - -[Sidenote: THE TUNNELERS INGENIOUSLY BAFFLED.] - -At Salisbury this was impracticable. I suppose a paper of tacks could -not have been purchased there for a thousand dollars. There were none -to be had. Of course we could not pierce holes up to the surface of the -ground for ventilation, as that would expose every thing. - -Originally there was but one line of guards--posted some twenty-five -feet apart, upon the fence which surrounded the garrison, and -constantly walking to and fro, meeting each other and turning back at -the limits of each post. Under this arrangement it was necessary to -tunnel about forty feet to go under the fence, and come up far enough -beyond it to emerge from the earth on a dark night without being seen -or heard by the sentinels. - -When the Commandant learned (through prisoners actually suffering for -food, and ready to do almost any thing for bread) that tunneling was -going on, he tried to ascertain where the excavations were located; -but in vain, because none of the shaky Unionists had been informed. -Therefore he established a second line of guards, one hundred feet -outside of those on the fence, who also paced back and forth in the -same manner until they met, forming a second line impervious to -Yankees. This necessitated tunneling at least one hundred and forty -feet, which, without ventilation, was just as much out of the question -as to tunnel a hundred and forty miles. - - - - -IV. - -THE ESCAPE. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIX. - - "A good wit will make use of any thing: I will turn diseases - to commodity."--KING HENRY IV. - -[Sidenote: FIFTEEN MONTHS OF FRUITLESS ENDEAVOR.] - - -We were constantly trying to escape. During the last fifteen months of -our imprisonment, I think there was no day when we had not some plan -which we hoped soon to put in execution. We were always talking and -theorizing about the subject. - -Indeed, we theorized too much. We magnified obstacles. We gave our -keepers credit for greater shrewdness and closer observation than -they were capable of. We would not start until all things combined to -promise success. Therefore, as the slow months wore away, again and -again we saw men of less capacity, but greater daring, escape by modes -which had appeared to us utterly chimerical and impracticable. - -Fortune, too, persistently baffled us. At the vital moment when -freedom seemed just within our grasp, some unforeseen obstacle always -intervened to foil our plans. Still, assuming a confidence we did not -feel, we daily promised each other to persist until we gained our -liberty or lost our lives. After the malignity which the Richmond -authorities had manifested toward us, escape seemed a thousand-fold -preferable to release by exchange. - -I should hardly dare to estimate the combined length of tunnels in -which we were concerned; they were always discovered, usually on the -eve of completion. My associate was wont to declare that we should -never escape in that way, unless we constructed an underground road to -Knoxville--two hundred miles as the bird flies! - -Even if we passed the prison walls, the chance of reaching our lines -seemed almost hopeless. We were in the heart of the Confederacy. -During the ten months we spent in Salisbury, at least seventy persons -escaped; but nearly all were brought back, though a few were shot in -the mountains. We knew of only five who had reached the North. - -[Sidenote: A FEARFUL JOURNEY IN PROSPECT.] - -"Junius," certain to see the gloomy side of every picture, frequently -said: "To walk the same distance in Ohio or Massachusetts, where we -could travel by daylight upon public thoroughfares, stop at each -village for rest and refreshments, and sleep in warm beds every night, -we should consider a severe hardship. Think of this terrible tramp -of two hundred miles, by night, in mid-winter, over two ranges of -mountains, creeping stealthily through the enemy's country, weak, -hungry, shelterless! Can any of us live to accomplish it?" - -When at last we did essay it, the journey proved nearly twice as long -and infinitely severer than even he had conceived. - -Among the officers of the prison, were three stanch Union men--a -lieutenant, a surgeon, and Lieutenant John R. Welborn. They were our -devoted friends. Their homes, families, and interests, were in the -South. Attempting to escape, they were likely to be captured and -imprisoned. Remaining, they must enter the army in some capacity, -and they preferred wearing swords to carrying muskets. Hundreds of -Loyalists were in the same predicament, and adopted the same course. - -[Sidenote: A FRIENDLY CONFEDERATE OFFICER.] - -These gentlemen were of service to us in a thousand ways. They supplied -us with money, books, and provisions; bore messages between us and -other friends in the village; and kept us constantly advised of -military and political events known to the officials, but concealed -from the public. - -Lieutenant Welborn came to the garrison only about a month before our -departure. He belonged to a secret organization known as the Sons of -America, instituted expressly to assist Union men, whether prisoners or -refugees, in escaping to the North. Its members were bound, by solemn -oath, to aid brothers in distress. They recognized each other by the -signs, grips, and passwords, common to all secret societies. - -We soon discovered that Welborn was not only of the Order, but a very -earnest and self-sacrificing member. He was singularly daring. At our -first stolen interview he said: "You shall be out very soon, at all -hazards." Had he been detected in aiding us, it would have cost him his -life; but he was quite ready to peril it. - -Beyond the inner line of sentinels, which was much the more difficult -one to pass, stood a Rebel hospital, where all medicines for the -garrison were stored. When we were placed in charge of the Union -hospitals, Mr. Davis was furnished with a pass to go out for medical -supplies. It was the inflexible rule of the prison that all persons -having such passes should give paroles not to escape. Davis would -have assumed no such obligation. But in the confusion incident to the -great influx of prisoners of war, and because it was the business of -several Rebel officers--the Commandant, the Medical Director, and the -Post-Adjutant--instead of the duty of one man to see it done, he was -never asked for the parole. - -A few days later, the prison authorities gave similar passes to -"Junius" and to Captain Thomas E. Wolfe, of Connecticut, master of -a merchant-vessel, who had been a prisoner nearly as long as we. We -attempted to convince them, through several deluded Rebel _attaches_, -that it was essential to the proper conduct of the medical department -that I too should be supplied with a pass. Doubtless we should have -succeeded in time, had not an incident occurred to hasten our movements. - -On Sunday, December 18th, we learned that General Bradley T. Johnson, -of Maryland, had arrived, and on the following day would supersede -Major Gee as Commandant of the prison. Johnson was a soldier who knew -how business should be done, and would doubtless put a stop to this -loose arrangement about passes. Not a moment was to be lost, and we -determined to escape that very night. - -I engaged several prisoners, without informing them for what purpose, -in copying from my hospital books the names of the dead. I felt that, -to relieve friends at home, we ought to make an effort to carry through -this information, as long as there was the slightest possibility of -success. - -[Sidenote: EFFECTS OF HUNGER AND COLD.] - -My own books only contained the names of prisoners who died in the -hospitals. "Out-door patients"--those deceased in their own quarters, -or in no quarters whatever, were recorded in a separate book, by the -Rebel clerk in the outside hospital. I dared not send to him for their -names on Sunday, lest it should excite his suspicion. But the list -from my own records was appalling. It comprised over fourteen hundred -prisoners deceased within sixty days, and showed that they were now -dying at the rate of thirteen per cent. a month on the entire number--a -rate of mortality which would depopulate any city in the world in -forty-eight hours, and send the people flying in all directions, as -from a pestilence! Yet when those prisoners came there, they were young -and vigorous, like our soldiers generally in the field. There was not a -sick or wounded man among them. It was a fearful revelation of the work -which cold and starvation had done. - -When I put on extra under-clothing for the possible journey, it was -without conscious expectation--almost without any hope whatever--of -success. I had assumed the same garments for the same purpose, at -the very least, thirty times before, within fifteen months, only to -be disappointed; and that was enough to dampen the most sanguine -temperament. - -We believed that our attempt, if detected, would be made the excuse for -treating us with peculiar rigor. But, in the event of discovery, we -were likely to be sent back to our own quarters for the night, and not -ironed or confined in a cell until the next morning. - -[Sidenote: ANOTHER PLAN IN RESERVE.] - -Lieutenant Welborn was on duty that day. We made him privy to our plan. -He agreed, if it proved unsuccessful, to smuggle in muskets for us; and -we proposed to wrap ourselves in gray blankets, slouch our hats down -over our eyes, and pass out at midnight, as Rebel soldiers, when he -relieved the guard. Once in the camp, he could conduct us outside. - -On that Sunday evening, half an hour before dark (the latest moment at -which the guards could be passed, even by authorized persons, without -the countersign), Messrs. Browne, Wolfe, and Davis, went outside, as if -to order their medical supplies for the sick prisoners. As they passed -in and out a dozen times a day, and their faces were quite familiar -to the sentinels, they were not compelled to show their passes, and -"Junius" left his behind with me. - -[Sidenote: STOPPED BY THE SENTINEL.] - -A few minutes later, taking a long box filled with bottles in which -the medicines were usually brought, and giving it to a little lad who -assisted me in my hospital duties, I started to follow them. - -As if in great haste, we walked rapidly toward the fence, while, -leaning against trees or standing in the hospital doors, half a dozen -friends looked on to see how the plan worked. When we reached the gate, -I took the box from the boy, and said to him, of course for the benefit -of the sentinel: - -"I am going outside to get these bottles filled. I shall be back in -about fifteen minutes, and want you to remain right here, to take them -and distribute them among the hospitals. Do not go away, now." - -The lad, understanding the matter perfectly, replied, "Yes, sir;" and I -attempted to pass the sentinel by mere assurance. - -I had learned long before how far a man may go, even in captivity, by -sheer, native impudence--by moving straight on, without hesitation, -with a confident look, just as if he had a right to go, and no one had -any right to question him. Several times, as already related, I saw -captives, who had procured citizens' clothes, thus walk past the guards -in broad daylight, out of Rebel prisons. - -I think I could have done it on this occasion, but for the fact that it -had been tried successfully twice or thrice, and the guards severely -punished. The sentinel stopped me with his musket, demanding: - -"Have you a pass, sir?" - -"Certainly, I have a pass," I replied, with all the indignation I could -assume. "Have you not seen it often enough to know by this time?" - -Apparently a little confounded, he replied, modestly: - -[Sidenote: "EXCUSE ME FOR DETAINING YOU."] - -"Probably I have; but they are very strict with us, and I was not quite -sure." - -I gave to him this genuine pass belonging to my associate: - - HEAD-QUARTERS CONFEDERATE STATES MILITARY PRISON, } - SALISBURY, N. C., _December 5, 1864_. } - - Junius H. Browne, Citizen, has permission to pass the inner - gate of the Prison, to assist in carrying medicines to the - Military Prison Hospitals, until further orders. - - J. A. FUQUA, - Captain and Assistant-Commandant of Post. - -We had speculated for a long time about my using a spurious pass, and -my two comrades prepared several with a skill and exactness which -proved that, if their talents had been turned in that direction, they -might have made first-class forgers. But we finally decided that the -veritable pass was better, because, if the guard had any doubt about -it, I could tell him to send it into head-quarters for examination. The -answer returned would of course be that it was genuine. - -But it was not submitted to any such inspection. The sentinel spelled -it out slowly, then folded and returned it to me, saying: - - "That pass is all right. I know Captain Fuqua's handwriting. - Go on, sir; excuse me for detaining you." - -I thought him excusable under the circumstances, and walked out. My -great fear was that, during the half hour which must elapse before I -could go outside the garrison, I might encounter some Rebel officer or -_attache_ who knew me. - -[Sidenote: ENCOUNTERING REBEL ACQUAINTANCES.] - -Before I had taken ten steps, I saw, sauntering to and fro on the -piazza of the head-quarters building, a deserter from our service, -named Davidson, who recognized and bowed to me. I thought he would -not betray me, but was still fearful of it. I went on, and a few -yards farther, coming toward me in that narrow lane, where it was -impossible to avoid him, I saw the one Rebel officer who knew me better -than any other, and who frequently came into my quarters--Lieutenant -Stockton, the Post-Adjutant. Observing him in the distance, I thought -I recognized in him that old ill-fortune which had so long and -steadfastly baffled us. But I had the satisfaction of knowing that -my associates were on the look-out from a window and, if they saw -me involved in any trouble, would at once pass the outer gate, if -possible, and make good their own escape. - -When we met, I bade Stockton good-evening, and talked for a few minutes -upon the weather, or some other subject in which I did not feel any -very profound interest. Then he passed into head-quarters, and I went -on. Yet a few yards farther, I encountered a third Rebel, named Smith, -who knew me well, and whose quarters, inside the garrison, were within -fifty feet of my own. There were not half a dozen Confederates about -the prison who were familiar with me; but it seemed as if at this -moment they were coming together in a grand convention. - -Not daring to enter the Rebel hospital, where I was certain to be -recognized, I laid down my box of medicines behind a door, and sought -shelter in a little outbuilding. While I remained there, waiting for -the blessed darkness, I constantly expected to see a sergeant, with a -file of soldiers, come to take me back into the yard; but none came. It -was rare good fortune. Stockton, Smith, and Davidson, all knew, if they -had their wits about them, that I had no more right there than in the -village itself. I suppose their thoughtlessness must have been caused -by the peculiarly honest and business-like look of that medicine-box! - - - - -CHAPTER XL. - - ----Wheresoe'er you are That bide the pelting of this - pitiless storm, How shall your houseless heads and unfed - sides, Your looped and windowed raggedness, defend you?--KING - LEAR. - -[Sidenote: "OUT OF THE JAWS OF DEATH."] - - -At dark, my three friends joined me. We went through the outer gate, in -full view of a sentinel, who supposed we were Rebel surgeons or nurses. -And then, on that rainy Sunday night, for the first time in twenty -months, we found ourselves walking freely in a public street, without a -Rebel bayonet before or behind us! - -Reaching an open field, a mile from the prison, we crouched down upon -the soaked ground, in a bed of reeds, while Davis went to find a friend -who had long before promised us shelter. While lying there, we heard -a man walking through the darkness directly toward us. We hugged the -earth and held our breaths, listening to the beating of our own hearts. -He passed so near, that his coat brushed my cheek. We were beside a -path which led across the field from one house to another. Davis soon -returned, and called us with a low "Hist!" We crept to the fence where -he waited. - -"It is all right," he said; "follow me." - -He led us through bushes and lanes until we found our friend, leaning -against a tree in the rain, waiting for us. - -"Thank God!" he exclaimed, "you are out at last. I wish I could extend -to you the hospitalities of my house; but it is full of visitors, and -they are all Rebels. However, I will take you to a tolerably safe -place. I have to leave town by a night train in half an hour, but I -will tell ---- where you are, and he will come and see you to-morrow." - -[Sidenote: HIDING IN SIGHT OF THE PRISON.] - -He conducted us to a barn, in full sight of the prison; directed us how -to hide, wrung our hands, bade us Godspeed, and returned to his house -and his unsuspecting guests. - -We climbed up the ladder into the hay-mow. Davis and Wolfe burrowed -down perpendicularly into the fodder, as if sinking an oil-well, until -they were covered, heads and all. "Junius" and myself, after two hours -of perspiring labor, tunneled into a safe position under the eaves, -where we lay, stretched at full length, head to head, luxuriating in -the fresh air, which came in through the cracks. - -Wonderfully pure and delicious it seemed, contrasted with the foul, -vitiated atmosphere we had just left! How sweet smelled the hay and the -husks! How infinite the "measureless content" which filled us at the -remembrance that at last we were free! Hearing the prison sentinels, -as they shouted "Ten o'--clock; a--ll's well!" we sank, like Abou Ben -Adhem, into a deep dream of peace. - -Our object in remaining here was twofold. We desired to meet Welborn, -and obtain minute directions about the route, which thus far he had -found no opportunity to give us. Besides, we anticipated a vigilant -search. The Rebel authorities were thoroughly familiar with the habits -of escaping prisoners, who invariably acted as if there were never to -be any more nights after the first, and walked as far as their strength -would permit. Thus exhausted, they were unable to resist or run, if -overtaken. - -[Sidenote: CERTAIN TO BE BROUGHT BACK.] - -The Commandant would be likely to send out and picket all the probable -routes near the points we could reach by a hard night's travel. We -thought it good policy to keep _inside_ these scouts. While they -held the advance, they would hardly obtain tidings of us. We could -learn from the negroes where they guarded the roads and fords, and -thus easily evade them. Our shelter, in full view of the garrison, -and within sound of its morning drum-beat, was the one place, of all -others, where they would never think of searching for us. - -On the second morning after our disappearance, _The Salisbury Daily -Watchman_ announced the escape, and said that it caused some chagrin, -as we were the most important prisoners in the garrison. But it added -that we were morally certain to be brought back within a week, as -scouts had been sent out in all directions, and the country thoroughly -alarmed. Some of these scouts went ninety miles from Salisbury, but -were naturally unable to learn any thing concerning us. - - - II. _Monday, December 19._ - -Remained hidden in the barn. There was a house only a few yards -away, and we could hear the conversation of the inmates whenever the -doors were open. White and negro children came up into the hay-loft, -sometimes running and jumping directly over the heads of Wolfe and -Davis. - -At dark, another friend, a commissioned officer in the Rebel army, -came out to us with a canteen of water, which, quite without food, we -had wanted sadly during the day. He was unable to bring us provisions. -His wife was a Southern lady. Reluctant to cause her anxiety for his -liberty and property, imperiled by aiding us, or from some other -reason, he did not take her into the secret. Like most frugal wives, -where young and adult negroes abound, she kept her provisions under -lock and key, and he found it impossible to procure even a loaf of -bread without her knowledge. - -With his parting benediction, we returned to the field where we had -waited the night before, and found Lieutenant Welborn, punctual to -appointment, with another escaped prisoner, Charles Thurston, of the -Sixth New Hampshire Infantry. - -Thurston had two valuable possessions--great address, and the uniform -of a Confederate private. At ten o'clock, on Sunday night, learning -of our escape, and thinking us a good party to accompany, he walked -out of the prison yard behind two Rebel detectives, the sentinel -taking him for a third officer. Slouching his hat over his face, with -matchless effrontery he sat down on a log, among the Rebel guards. In a -few minutes he caught the eye of Welborn, who soon led him by all the -sentinels, giving the countersign as he passed, until he was outside -the garrison, and then hid him in a barn, half a mile from our place -of shelter. The negroes fed him during the day; and now here he was, -jovial, sanguine, daring, ready to start for the North Pole itself. - -[Sidenote: COMMENCING THE LONG JOURNEY.] - -Welborn gave us written directions how to reach friends in a stanch -Union settlement fifty miles away. It was hard to part from the noble -fellow. At that very moment he was under arrest, and awaiting trial by -court martial, on the charge of aiding prisoners to escape. In due time -he was acquitted. Three months later he reached our lines at Knoxville, -with thirty Union prisoners, whom he had conducted from Salisbury. - -We said adieu, and went out into the starry silence. Plowing through -the mud for three miles, we struck the Western Railroad, and followed -it. Beside it were several camps with great fires blazing in front of -them. Uncertain whether they were occupied by guards or wood-choppers, -we kept on the safe side, and flanked them by wide _detours_ through -the almost impenetrable forest. - -[Sidenote: TOO WEAK FOR TRAVELING.] - -We were very weak. In the garrison we had been burying from twelve to -twenty men per day, from pneumonia. I had suffered from it for more -than a month, and my cough was peculiarly hollow and stubborn. My lungs -were still sore and sensitive, and walking greatly exhausted me. It -was difficult, even when supported by the arm of one of my friends, -to keep up with the party. At midnight I was compelled to lie, half -unconscious, upon the ground, for three-quarters of an hour, before I -could go on. - -We accomplished twelve miles during the night. At three o'clock in the -morning we went into the pine-woods, and rested upon the frozen ground. - - III. _Tuesday, December 20._ - -We supposed our hiding-place very secluded; but daylight revealed that -it was in the midst of a settlement. Barking dogs, crowing fowls, and -shouting negroes, could be heard from the farms all about us. It was -very cold, and we dared not build a fire. None of us were adequately -clothed, and "Junius" had not even an overcoat. It was impossible to -bring extra garments, which would have excited the attention of the -sentinel at the gate. - -We could sleep for a few minutes on the pine-leaves; but soon the -chilly air, penetrating every fibre, would awaken us. There was a road, -only a few yards from our pine-thicket, upon which we saw horsemen and -farmers with loads of wood, but no negroes unaccompanied by white men. - -[Sidenote: SEVERE MARCH IN THE RAIN.] - -Soon after dark it began to rain; but necessity, that inexorable -policeman, bade us move on. When we approached a large plantation, -leaving us behind, in a fence-corner, Thurston went forward to -reconnoiter. He found the negro quarters occupied by a middle-aged man -and woman. They were very busy that night, cooking for and serving the -young white people, who had a pleasure-party at the master's house, -within a stone's throw of the slave-cabin. - -But when they learned that there were hungry Yankees in the -neighborhood, they immediately prepared and brought out to us an -enormous supper of fresh pork and corn-bread. It was now nine o'clock -on Tuesday night, and we had eaten nothing since three o'clock Sunday -afternoon, save about three ounces of bread and four ounces of meat to -the man. We had that to think of which made us forget the gnawings of -hunger, though we suffered somewhat from a feeling of faintness. Now, -in the barn, with the rain pattering on the roof, we devoured supper in -an incredibly brief period, and begged the slave to go back with his -basket and bring just as much more. - -About midnight the negro found time to pilot us through the dense -darkness and pouring rain, back to the railroad, from which we had -strayed three miles. The night was bitterly cold, and in half an hour -we were as wet as if again shipwrecked in the Mississippi. - -For five weary miles we plodded on, with the stinging rain pelting -our faces. Then we stopped at a plantation, and found the negroes. -They told us it was unsafe to remain, several white men being at home, -and no good hiding-place near, but directed us to a neighbor's. There -the slaves sent us to a roadside barn, which we reached just before -daylight. - -[Illustration: ESCAPING PRISONERS FED BY NEGROES IN THEIR MASTER'S -BARN.] - - - - -CHAPTER XLI. - - I am not a Stephano, but a cramp.--TEMPEST. - - Let every man shift for all the rest, and let no man Take - care for himself; for all is but fortune.--IBID. - - -The barn contained no fodder except damp husks. Burrowing into these, -we wrapped our dripping coats about us, covered ourselves, faces and -all, and shivered through the day, so weary that we drowsed a little, -but too uncomfortable for any refreshing slumbers. - -Rising at dark, with skins irritated by atoms of husk which -had penetrated our clothing, we combed out our matted hair and -beards--a very faint essay toward making our toilets. Hats, gloves, -handkerchiefs, and haversacks, were hopelessly lost in the fodder. -Hungry, cold, rheumatic, aching at every joint, we seemed to have -exhausted our slender endurance. - -[Sidenote: A CABIN OF FRIENDLY NEGROES.] - -But a walk of ten minutes took us to a slave-cabin, where, as usual, -we found devoted friends. The old negro killed two chickens, and -then stood outside, to watch and warn us of the patrols, should he -hear the clattering hoofs of their approaching horses. His wife and -daughter cooked supper, while we stood before the blazing logs of the -wide-mouthed fireplace, to dry our steaming garments. - -It was the first dwelling I had entered for nearly twenty months. It -was rude almost to squalor; but it looked more palatial than the most -elegant and luxurious saloon. There was a soft bed, with clean, snowy -sheets. How I envied those negroes, and longed to stretch my limbs upon -it and sleep for a month! There were chairs, a table, plates, knives, -and forks--the commonest comforts of life, which, like sweet cold -water, clean clothing, and pure air, we never appreciate until once -deprived of them. - -[Sidenote: SOUTHERNERS UNACQUAINTED WITH TEA.] - -We eagerly devoured the chickens and hot corn-bread, and drank steaming -cups of green tea, which our ebony hostess, unfamiliar with the -beverage that cheers, but not inebriates, prepared under my directions. -Before starting I had taken the precaution to fill a pocket with -tea, which I had been saving more than a year for that purpose. In -commercial parlance, tea was tea in the Confederacy. The last pound we -purchased, for daily use, cost us one hundred and twenty-seven dollars -in Rebel currency, and we were compelled to send to Wilmington before -we could obtain it even at that price. - -It is an article little used by the Southerners, who are inveterate -coffee-drinkers. All along our route we found the women, white and -black, ignorant of the art of making tea without instructions. Captain -Wolfe assured us that his father once attended a log-rolling in South -Carolina, where, as a rare and costly luxury, the host regaled the -workers with tea at the close of their labors. But, unacquainted with -its use, they were only presented with the boiled leaves to eat! After -this novel banquet, one old lady thus expressed the views of the rural -assembly: "Well, I never tasted this before. It is pleasant enough; but -except for the name of it, I don't consider tea a bit better than any -other kind of greens!" - -Experience on the great Plains and among the Rocky Mountains had -taught me the superiority of tea over all stronger stimulants in -severe, protracted hardships. Now it proved of inestimable service to -us. After a two-hours' halt, refreshed by food and dry clothing, we -seemed to have a new lease of life. Elastic and vigorous, we felt equal -to almost any labor. - -"May God bless you," said the old woman, bidding us adieu, while -earnest sympathy shone from her own and her daughter's eyes and -illumined their dark faces. To us they were "black, and comely too." -The husband led us to the railroad, and there parted from us. - -[Sidenote: WALKING TWELVE MILES FOR NOTHING.] - -At midnight we were twenty-three miles from Salisbury, and three from -Statesville. We wished to avoid the latter village; and leaving the -railway, which ran due west, turned farther northward. In two miles we -expected to strike the Wilkesboro road, at Allison's Mill. We followed -the old negro's directions as well as possible, but soon suspected that -we must be off the route. It was bitterly cold, and to avoid suffering -we walked on and on with great rapidity. Before daylight, at a large -plantation, we wakened a slave, and learned that, since leaving the -railway, we had traveled twelve miles circuitously and gained just one -half-mile on the journey! There were two Allison's Mills, and our black -friend had directed us to the wrong one. - -"Can you conceal us here to-day?" we asked in a whisper of the negro -who gave us this information from his bed, in a little cabin. - -"I reckon so. Master is a terrible war-man, a Confederate officer, -and would kill me if he were to find it out. But I kept a sick Yankee -captain here last summer for five days, and then he went on. Go to the -barn and hide, and I will see you when I come to fodder the horses." - -We found the barn, groped our way up into a hay-loft, under the eaves, -and buried ourselves in the straw. - -[Sidenote: EVERY BLACK FACE A FRIENDLY FACE.] - - V. _Thursday, December 22._ - -The biting wind whistled and shrieked between the logs of the barn, -and, cover ourselves as we would, it was too cold for sleep. The -negro--an intelligent young man--spent several hours with us, asking -questions about the North, brought us ample supplies of food, and a -bottle of apple-brandy purloined from his master's private stores. - -At dark he took us into his quarters, only separated by a narrow -lane from the planter's house, and we were warmed and fed. A dozen -of the blacks--including little boys and girls of ten and twelve -years--visited us there. Among them was a peculiarly intelligent -mulatto woman of twenty-five, comely, and neatly dressed. The poor girl -interrogated us for an hour very earnestly about the progress of the -War, its probable results, and the feeling and purposes of the North -touching the slaves. Using language with rare propriety, she impressed -me as one who would willingly give up life for her unfortunate race. -With culture and opportunity, she would have been an intellectual -and social power in any circle. She was the wife of a slave; but her -companions told us that she had been compelled to become the mistress -of her master. She spoke of him with intense loathing. - -By this time we had learned that every black face was a friendly face. -So far as fidelity was concerned, we felt just as safe among the -negroes as if in our Northern homes. Male or female, old or young, -intelligent or simple, we were fully assured they would never betray us. - -[Sidenote: TOUCHING FIDELITY OF THE SLAVES.] - -Some one has said that it needs three generations to make a gentleman. -Heaven only knows how many generations are required to make a freeman! -But we have been accustomed to consider this perfect trustworthiness, -this complete loyalty to friends, a distinctively Saxon trait. The very -rare degree to which the negroes have manifested it, is an augury of -brightest hope and promise for their future. It is a faint indication -of what they may one day become, with Justice, Time, and Opportunity. - -They were always ready to help anybody opposed to the Rebels. Union -refugees, Confederate deserters, escaped prisoners--all received from -them the same prompt and invariable kindness. But let a Rebel soldier, -on his way to the army, or returning from it, apply to them, and he -would find but cold kindness. - -The moment they met us, they would do whatever we required upon impulse -and instinct. But afterward, when there was leisure for conversation, -they would question us with some anxiety. Few had ever seen a Yankee -before. They would repeat to us the bugbear stories of their masters, -about our whipping them to force them into the Union army, and starving -their wives and children. Professing utterly to discredit these -reports, they still desired a little reassurance. We can never forget -their upturned, eager eyes, and earnest faces. Happily we could tell -them that the Nation was rising to the great principles of Freedom, -Education, and an open Career for every human being. - -Starting at ten o'clock to-night, we had an arduous march over the -rough, frozen ground. Hard labor and loss of sleep began to tell upon -us. I think every member of the party had his mental balance more or -less shaken. Davis was haggard, with blood-shot eyes; "Junius" was -pallid, and threatened with typhoid fever; Wolfe, with a sprained -ankle, could barely limp; I was weak and short of breath, from the -pneumonic affection. Charley Thurston was our best foot, and we always -put him foremost. With his Confederate uniform and his ready invention, -he could play Rebel soldier admirably. - -[Sidenote: PURSUED BY A HOME GUARD.] - -Toward morning we were compelled to stop, build a fire in the dense -pine-forest, and rest for an hour. We were uncertain about the roads, -and just before daylight Charley stopped to make inquiries of an old -farmer. Then we went on, and, as the road was very secluded, were -talking with less discretion than usual, when a twig snapped behind -us. Instantly turning around, we saw the old man following stealthily, -listening to our conversation. We ordered him to halt; but he ran away -with wonderful agility for a septuagenarian. - -The moment he was out of sight, we left the road, and ran, too, in an -opposite direction, fast as our tired limbs could carry us. It would be -a very nice point to determine which was the more frightened, we or our -late pursuer. We afterward learned that he was an unrelenting Rebel and -a zealous Home Guard. He was doubtless endeavoring to follow us to our -shelter, that he might bring out his company, and capture us during the -day. - -Long after daylight we continued running, until we had put five miles -between ourselves and the road. The region was very open, and it seemed -morally certain that we would be discovered through the barking dogs -at some of the farm-houses. But about nine o'clock we halted in a -pine-grove, small but thick, and built a great fire of rails, which, -being very dry, emitted little smoke. There was danger that the blaze -would be discovered; but in our feeble condition we could no longer -endure the inclemency of the weather. - - VI. _Friday, December 23._ - -[Sidenote: HELP IN THE LAST EXTREMITY.] - -Hungry and fatigued, with our feet to the fire, we could sleep an hour -at a time upon the frozen ground before the cold awakened us. When, -after a waiting which seemed endless, the welcome darkness came at -last, it lifted a load from our hearts; we no longer listened anxiously -for the coming of the Guard. - -Starting again, we toiled on with slow and painful steps. We were -entering a region where slaves were few, and we could find no negroes. -"Junius," in a high fever, was so weak that we were almost compelled to -carry him, and his voice was faint as the wail of an infant. Again and -again he begged us to go on, and leave him to rest upon the ground. We -had sore apprehensions that it might become necessary to commit him to -the first friends we found, and press forward without him. - -About eight o'clock Charley entered a little tavern to procure -provisions. He assumed his favorite character of a Rebel soldier, on -parole, going to his home in Wilkes County for the holidays. An old -man was spending the night there. While supper was cooking, he gave to -Charley a recognizing sign of the Sons of America. It was instantly -answered; and, stepping outside, they had an interview. - -Then our new friend stealthily led his three mules from the tavern -stable, through the fields to the road, placed three of us upon them, -and guided us five miles, to the house of his brother, another strong -Union man. The brother warmed us, fed us, and "stayed us with flagons" -of apple-brandy; then brought out two of his mules, and again we -pressed forward. They cautioned us not to intrust the secret of their -assistance to any one, reminding us that it would be a hanging matter -for them. - -[Sidenote: CARRIED FIFTEEN MILES BY FRIENDS.] - -So, on this cold winter night, while we were so stiff and exhausted -that we could barely keep our seats on the steeds they had so -thoughtfully furnished, these kind friends conducted us fifteen miles, -and left us in the Union settlement we were seeking, fifty miles from -Salisbury. - - - - -CHAPTER XLII. - - ----Weariness Can snore upon the flint.--CYMBELINE. - - _Montano._ But is he often thus - - _Iago._ 'Tis evermore the prologue to his sleep.--OTHELLO. - -[Sidenote: CURIOUS CONFUSION OF NAMES.] - - -It was now five o'clock in the morning of Saturday, December 24th, the -seventh day of our escape. Leaving my companions behind, I tapped at -the door of a log-house. - -"Come in," said a voice; and I entered. In its one room the children -and father were still in bed; the wife was already engaged in her daily -duties. I asked: - -"Can you direct me to the widow ----?" - -"There are two widow ----s, in this neighborhood," she replied. "What -is your name?" - -I was seeking information, just then, not giving it; so avoiding the -question, I added: - -"The lady I mean, has a son who is an officer in the army." - -"They both have sons who are officers in the army. Don't be afraid; you -are among friends." - -"Friends" might mean Union or it might mean Rebel; so I accepted no -amendments, but adhered to the main question: - -"This officer is a lieutenant, and his name is John." - -"Well," said she, "they are both lieutenants, and John is the name of -both!" - -I knew my man too well to be baffled. I continued: "He is in the -second regiment of the Senior Reserves; and is now on duty at ----." - -"Oh," said she, "that is my brother!" - -At once I told her what we were. She replied, with a wonderful light of -welcome shining in her eyes: - -"If you are Yankees, all I have to say is, that you have come to -exactly the right place!" - -[Sidenote: FOOD, SHELTER, AND HOSTS OF FRIENDS.] - -And, in exuberant joy, she bustled about, doing a dozen things at once, -talking incoherently the while, replenishing the fire, bringing me a -seat, offering me food, urging her husband to hurry out for the rest of -the party. At last her excitement culminated in her darting under the -bed, and reappearing on the surface with a great pint tumbler filled to -the brim with apple-brandy. There was enough to intoxicate our whole -party! It was the first form of hospitality which occurred to her. -Afterward, when better acquainted, she explained: - - "You were the first Yankee I ever saw. The moment I observed - your clothing, I knew you must be one, and I wanted to throw - my arms about your neck, and kiss you!" - -We heartily reciprocated the feeling. Just then the only woman who had -any charms for us was the Goddess of Liberty; and this, at least, was -one of her handmaidens. - -We were soon by the great log fire of a house where friends awaited -us. Belonging to the secret Union organization, they had received -intelligence that we were on the way. Our feet were blistered and -swollen; mine were frostbitten. We removed our clothing, and were soon -reposing in soft feather beds. At noon, awakened for breakfast, we -found "Junius" had been sleeping like a child, and was now hungry--a -relief to our anxiety. After the meal was over, we returned to bed. - -[Sidenote: LOYALTY OF THE MOUNTAINEERS.] - -Our friends were constantly on the alert; but the house was very -secluded, and they were not compelled to watch outside. There, two -ferocious dogs were on guard, rendering it unsafe for any one to come -within a hundred yards of them. Nearly all the people, Loyal and Rebel, -had similar sentinels. Along the route, we had been anathematizing the -canine race, which often prevented us from approaching negro-quarters -on the plantations; but these were Union dogs, which made all the -difference in the world. - -At dark, we were conducted to a barn, where, wrapped in quilts, we -passed a comfortable night. - - VIII. _Sunday, December 25._ - -Our resting-place was in Wilkes County, North Carolina, among the -outlying spurs of the Alleghanies--a county so strong in its Union -sentiments, that the Rebels called it "the Old United States." Among -the mountains of every Southern State, a vast majority of the people -were loyal. Hilly regions, unadapted to cotton-culture, contained -few negroes; and where there was no Slavery, there was no Rebellion. -Milton's verse-- - - "The _mountain_ nymph, sweet Liberty," - -contains a great truth, the world over. - -[Sidenote: A LEVEE IN A BARN.] - -Our self-sacrificing friends belonged to a multitudinous family, -extending through a settlement many miles in length. They all seemed to -be nephews, cousins, or brothers; and the white-haired patriarch--at -seventy, erect and agile as a boy,--in whose barn we remained to-day, -was father, grandfather, or uncle, to the whole tribe. His loyalty was -very stanch and intense. - -"The Home Guards," said he, "are usually pretty civil. Occasionally -they shoot at some of the boys who are hiding; but pretty soon -afterward, one of them is found in the woods some morning with a hole -in his head! I suppose there are a thousand young men lying out in -this county. I have always urged them to fight the Guards, and have -helped to supply them with ammunition. Two or three times, regiments -from Lee's army have been sent here to hunt conscripts and deserters, -and then the boys have to run. I have a son among them; but they never -wounded him yet. I asked him the other day: 'Won't you kill some of -them before you are ever captured?' 'Well, father,' says he, '_I'll be -found a tryin'!_' I reckon he will, too; for he has never gone without -his rifle these two years, and he can bring down a squirrel every time, -from the top of yon oak you see on the hill." - -The barn was beside a public road, and very near the house of a woman -whose Rebel sympathies were strong. There was danger that any one -entering it might be seen by her or her children, who were running -about the yard. - -But we held quite a _levee_ to-day. I think we had fifty visitors. We -would hear the opening door and stealthy footsteps upon the barn-floor; -then a soft voice would ask: - -"Friends, are you there?" - -We would rise from our bed of hay, and come forward to the front of -the loft, to find some member of this great family of friends, who had -brought his wife and children to see the Yankees. We would converse -with them for a few minutes; they would invariably ask if there was -nothing whatever they could do for us, invite us to visit their house -by night, and express the warmest wishes for our success. They did -this with such perfect spontaneity, with such overflowing hearts, that -it touched us very nearly. Had we been their own sons or brothers, -they could not have treated us more tenderly. This Christmas may have -witnessed more brilliant gatherings than ours; but none, I am sure, -warmed by a more self-sacrificing friendship. - -[Sidenote: VISITED BY AN OLD FRIEND.] - -Among others, we were visited by a conscript, who had been one of our -guards at Salisbury. While at the prison, his great portly form would -come laboring and puffing up the stairs to our quarters; with flushed -face, he would sit down, glance cautiously around to assure himself -that none but friends were present, then question us eagerly about the -North, and breathe out maledictions against all Confederates. - -The Rebels, suspecting him, determined to send him to Lee's army. But -he was just then taken with rheumatism, and kept his quarters for -six weeks! At last, the day before he was to start for Richmond, he -obtained permission of the surgeon to visit the village. He hobbled up -the street, groaning piteously; but, after turning the first corner, -threw away his crutches, plunged into the woods, and made his way home -by night. He now related his experiences with a quiet chuckle, and was -very desirous of serving us. - -He was able to give me a pair of large boots in place of my own, which -lacerated my sore and swollen feet. The sharp rocks, hills, and stumps, -compelled me to have the new boots repaired seven times before reaching -our lines. Two nights' traveling would quite wear out the ill-tanned -leather of the stoutest soles. - -To-day, our friends brought us twice as much food as we wanted, and we -wanted a great deal. At dark, alarmed by a rumor that the suspicions -of the Guard had been excited, they took us several miles into a -neighboring county, to a very secluded house, occupied by the wife and -daughters of an officer in the Confederate army. Here we spent the -night in inviting beds. - -[Sidenote: A DAY OF ALARMS.] - - IX. _Monday, December 26._ - -Our hostess, a comely lady of thirty-five, was a second Mrs. Katie -Scudder--the very embodiment of "Faculty." Her plain log house, with -its snowy curtains, cheap prints, and engravings cut from illustrated -newspapers, was tasteful and inviting. Her five daughters, all clothed -in fabric spun and woven at home--for these people were now entirely -self-dependent--looked as pretty and tidy to uncritical, masculine -eyes, as if robed in silk and cashmere. - -Our pursuit of a quiet refuge proved ludicrously unsuccessful. The day -was diversified by - - "More pangs and fears than wars or women have." - -But the lady bore herself with such coolness, and proved so ready for -every emergency, that we enjoyed them rather than otherwise. - -Early in the morning, while standing a few yards from the house, I saw -her and her daughter suddenly step into the open doorway, quite filling -it with their persons and skirts, and earnestly beckon me to go in -out of sight. Of course, I obeyed. A woman of questionable political -soundness had called; but they attracted her in another direction, -keeping her face turned away from the door, till I was lost to sight. - -[Sidenote: READY WIT OF A WOMAN.] - -Several parties of Rebel cavalry passed down the road. Breckinridge's -army, in the mountains above, had recently dissolved in a great thaw -and break-up, and these were the small fragments of ice floating down -toward Virginia. A squad of a dozen stopped and entered the house, -which was of one story, the length of three large rooms. But the lady -kept them in the kitchen, while we were shut in the other end of the -building. - -Next, the barking dog warned us of approaching footsteps. At her -suggestion, we went up into the corn-loft, above our apartment. The new -visitor was a neighbor, to whom she owed a bushel of corn, and who, -with his ox-cart, had come to collect it. With ready woman's wit, she -said to him: - -"You know my husband is away. I have no fuel. Won't you go and haul me -a load of wood, as a Christmas present?" - -Who could resist such a feminine appeal? The neighbor went for the -wood, while she came laughing in, to tell us her stratagem. We -descended from the corn-loft, and went into a back room, where there -were two beds, one large and the other small, with an open door between -them. Four of us crept under the large bed, one under the small one; -and here we had an experience, ludicrous enough to remember, but not so -pleasant to undergo. - -[Sidenote: DANGER OF DETECTION FROM SNORING.] - -One of our party was an inveterate snorer. Whenever he took a recumbent -position, with his head upon the ground or the floor, he would begin -snoring like a steam-engine. Like all persons of that class, when -reminded of it, he steadfastly vowed that he never snored in all his -life! For a time, he regarded our awakening him, with rebuke and -caution, as a sorry practical joke. - -Thus far, I believe our danger of detection had been greater from this -source than from any other. We had always traveled in single file, -almost like specters, with our leader thrown out as far ahead as we -could keep him in view. Whenever he thought he saw danger, he raised a -warning hand; every man passed the sign back to those in his rear, and -dropped quietly behind a log, or stepped into the bushes, until the -person had passed or the alarm was explained. We walked with softest -footsteps, no man coughing, or speaking above his breath. During the -day we were often concealed in very public places, only a few feet from -the road, where, the ground being covered with snow, we could not hear -approaching footsteps. - -Now, our musical companion chanced to go under the small bed, and -in three minutes we heard his trumpet-tongued snore. At first, we -whispered to him; but we might as well have talked to Niagara. If one -of us went to him, there was danger that the neighbor, who stood upon -the front porch, would see us through the open door; but if we did not, -that fatal snore was certain to be heard. So I darted across the room, -crept in beside my friend, and kept him well shaken until the danger -was over. - -At night, the lady told us that more people had come to her house -during the day than ever visited it in a month before; and we were -marched back through the darkness, to our first place of concealment. - - X. _Tuesday, December 27._ - -In the barn through the whole day. A messenger brought us a note from -two late fellow-prisoners, Captain William Boothby, a Philadelphia -mariner, and Mr. John Mercer, a Unionist, of Newbern, North Carolina, -who had been in duress almost three years. They were now hiding in a -barn two miles from us. They escaped from Salisbury two nights later -than we, paying the guards eight hundred dollars in Confederate money -to let them out. - -Thurston at once joined them. During the rest of the journey, we -sometimes traveled and hid together for several days and nights; but, -when there was special danger, divided into two companies, one keeping -twenty-four hours in advance--the smaller the party, the less peril -being involved. - -Now, for the first time, we began to have some hope of reaching -our lines. But the road was still very long, and fraught with many -dangers. We examined the appalling list of dead, which I had brought -from Salisbury, and talked much of our companions left behind in that -living entombment. Remembering how earnestly they longed and prayed for -some intelligent, trustworthy voice to bear to the Government and the -people tidings of their terrible condition, we pledged each other very -solemnly, that if any one of us lived to regain home and freedom, he -should use earnest, unremitting efforts to excite sympathy and secure -relief for them. - -[Sidenote: PROMISES TO AID SUFFERING COMRADES.] - -It may not be out of place here to say, that upon reaching the North, -before visiting our families, or performing any other duties, we -hastened to Washington, and used every endeavor to call the attention -of the authorities and the country to the Salisbury prisoners. Before -many weeks, all who survived were exchanged; but more than five -thousand--upwards of half the number who were taken to Salisbury five -months before--were already buried just outside the garrison. - -Those five thousand loyal graves will ever remain fitting monuments -of Rebel cruelty, and of the atrocious inhumanity of Edwin M. -Stanton, Secretary of War, who steadfastly refused to exchange these -prisoners, on the ground that we could not afford to give the enemy -robust, vigorous men for invalids and skeletons, and yet refrained -from compelling them to treat prisoners with humanity, by just and -discriminating retaliation upon an equal number of Rebel officers, -taken from the great excess held by our Government. - -[Sidenote: BLIND AND UNQUESTIONING LOYALTY.] - -To-day, as usual, we saw a large number of the Union mountaineers. -Theirs was a very blind and unreasoning loyalty, much like the -disloyalty of some enthusiastic Rebels. They did not say "Unionist," or -"Secessionist," but always designated a political friend thus: "He is -one of the right sort of people"--strong in the faith that there could, -by no possibility, be more than one side to the question. They had -little education; but when they began to talk about the Union, their -eyes lighted wonderfully, and sometimes they grew really eloquent. They -did not believe one word in a Rebel newspaper, except extracts from the -Northern journals, and reports favorable to our Cause. They thought the -Union army had never been defeated in a single battle. I heard them say -repeatedly: - -"The United States can take Richmond any day when it wants to. That it -has not, thus far, is owing to no lack of power, but because it was not -thought best." - -They regarded every Rebel as necessarily an unmitigated scoundrel, and -every Loyalist, particularly every native-born Yankee, almost as an -angel from heaven. - -How earnestly they questioned us about the North! How they longed to -escape thither! To them, indeed, it was the Promised Land. They were -very bitter in their denunciations of the heavy slaveholders, who -had done so much to degrade white labor, and finally brought on this -terrible war. - -They had an abundance of the two great Southern staples--corn-bread and -pork. They felt severely the absence of their favorite beverage, and -would ask us, with amusing earnestness, if they could get coffee when -our armies came. The Confederate substitutes--burnt corn and rye--they -regarded with earnest and well-founded aversion. - -They were compelled to use thorns for fastening the clothing of the -women and children. We distributed among them our small supply of pins, -to their infinite delectation. Davis also gladdened the hearts of -all the womankind by disbursing a needle to each. A needle nominally -represented five dollars in Confederate currency, but actually could -not be purchased at any price. - -A number of the young men "lying out" desired to accompany us to -the North. Some were deserters from the Rebel army; others, more -fortunate, had evaded conscription from the beginning of the war. But -their lives had been passed in that remote county of North Carolina, -and the two hundred and ninety miles yet to be accomplished stretched -out in appalling prospective. They saw many lions in the way, and, -Festus-like, at the last moment, decided to wait for a more convenient -season. It was not from lack of nerve; for some of them had fought -Rebel guards with great coolness and bravery. - -[Sidenote: A REPENTANT REBEL.] - -Our friends feared that one slaveholding Secessionist in the -neighborhood might learn of our presence, and betray us. He did -ascertain our whereabouts, but sent us an invitation to visit his -house, offering to supply all needed food, clothing, and shelter. He -said he foolishly acquiesced in the Revolution because at first it -seemed certain to succeed, and he wished to save his property; but that -now he heartily repented. - -Possibly his conversion was partially owing to remorse for having -persuaded his two sons to enter the Rebel army. One, after much -suffering, had deserted, and was now "lying out" near home. The other, -wounded and captured in a Virginia battle, was still in a Northern -prison, where he had been confined for many months. The father was very -desirous of sending to him a message of sympathy and affection. - -[Sidenote: SANGUINE HOPES OF LOYAL MOUNTAINEERS.] - -But he was an index of the change which had recently come over -Rebel sympathizers in that whole region. The condition of our armies -then was not peculiarly promising. We were by no means sanguine -that the war would soon terminate. But the loyal mountaineers, with -unerring instinct, were all confident that we were near its close, and -constantly surprised us by speaking of the Rebellion as a thing of the -past. We fancied their wish was father to the thought; but they proved -truer prophets than we. - - - - -CHAPTER XLIII. - - Nay, but make haste, the better foot before.--KING JOHN. - - -On the evening of the eleventh day, Wednesday, December 28, we left the -kind friends with whom we had stayed for five days and four nights, -gaining new vigor and inspired by new hope. Their last injunction was: - -"Remember, you cannot be too careful. We shall pray God that you may -reach your homes in safety. When you are there, do not forget us, but -do send troops to open a way by which we can escape to the North." - -In their simplicity, they fancied Yankees omnipotent, and that we could -send them an army by merely saying the word. They bade us adieu with -embraces and tears. I am sure many a fervent prayer went up from their -humble hearths, that Our Father would guide us through the difficulties -of our long, wearisome journey, and guard us against the perils which -beset and environed it. - -[Sidenote: FLANKING A REBEL CAMP.] - -At ten o'clock we passed within two hundred yards of a Rebel camp. -We could hear the neigh of the horses and the tramp of four or five -sentinels on their rounds. We trod very softly; to our stimulated -senses every sound was magnified, and every cracking twig startled us. - -Leaving us in the road a few yards behind, our pilot entered the -house of his friend, a young deserter from the Rebel army. Finding no -one there but the family, he called us in, to rest by the log fire, -while the deserter rose from bed, and donned his clothing to lead us -three miles and point out a secluded path. For many months he had been -"lying out;" but of late, as the Guards were less vigilant than usual, -he sometimes ventured to sleep at home. His girlish wife wished him -to accompany us through; but, with the infant sleeping in the cradle, -which was hewn out of a great log, she formed a tie too strong for him -to break. At parting, she shook each of us by the hand, saying: - -"I hope you will get safely home; but there is great danger, and you -must be powerful cautious." - -At eleven o'clock our guide left us in the hands of a negro, who, after -our chilled limbs were warmed, led us on our way. By two in the morning -we had accomplished thirteen miles over the frozen hills, and reached a -lonely house in a deep valley, beside a tumbling, flashing torrent. - -[Sidenote: SECRETED AMONG THE HUSKS.] - -The farmer, roused with difficulty from his heavy slumbers, informed us -that Boothby's party, which had arrived twenty-four hours in advance of -us, was sleeping in his barn. He sent us half a mile to the house of a -neighbor, who fanned the dying embers on his great hearth, regaled us -with the usual food, and then took us to a barn in the forest. - -"Climb up on that scaffolding," said he. "Among the husks you will find -two or three quilts. They belong to my son, who is lying out. To-night -he is sleeping with some friends in the woods." - -The cold wind blew searchingly through the open barn, but before -daylight we were wrapped in "the mantle that covers all human thoughts." - - XII. _Thursday, December 29._ - -At dark, our host, leaving us in a thicket, five hundred yards from -his house, went forward to reconnoiter. Finding the coast clear, he -beckoned us on to supper and ample potations of apple-brandy. - -[Sidenote: WANDERING FROM THE ROAD.] - -With difficulty we induced one of his neighbors to guide us. Though -unfamiliar with the road, he was an excellent walker, swiftly leading -us over the rough ground, which tortured our sensitive feet, and up and -down sharp, rocky hills. - -At two in the morning we flanked Wilkesboro, the capital of Wilkes -County. To a chorus of barking dogs, we crept softly around it, within -a few hundred yards of the houses. The air was full of snow, and when -we reached the hills again, the biting wind was hard to breathe. - -We walked about a mile through the dense woods, when Captain Wolfe, who -had been all the time declaring that the North Star was on the wrong -side of us, convinced our pilot that he had mistaken the road, and we -retraced our steps to the right thoroughfare. - -We stopped to warm for half an hour at a negro-cabin, where the -blacks told us all they knew about the routes and the Rebels. Before -morning we were greatly broken down, and our guide was again in doubt -concerning the roads. So we entered a deep ravine in the pine-woods, -built a great fire, and waited for daylight. - - XIII. _Friday, December 30._ - -[Sidenote: CROSSING THE YADKIN RIVER.] - -After dawn, we pressed forward, reluctantly compelled to pass near two -or three houses. - -We reached the Yadkin River just as a young, blooming woman, with a -face like a ripe apple, came gliding across the stream. With a long -pole, she guided the great log canoe, which contained herself, a pail -of butter, and a side-saddle, indicating that she had started for the -Wilkesboro market. Assisting her to the shore, we asked: - -"Will you tell us where Ben Hanby lives?" - -"Just beyond the hill there, across the river," she replied, with -scrutinizing, suspicious eyes. - -"How far is it to his house?" - -"I don't know." - -"More than a mile?" - -"No" (doubtfully), "I reckon not." - -"Is he probably at home?" - -"No!" (emphatically). "He is _not_! Are you the Home Guard?" - -"By no means, madam. We are Union men, and Yankees at that. We have -escaped from Salisbury, and are trying to reach our homes in the North." - -After another searching glance, she trusted us fully, and said: - -"Ben Hanby is my husband. He is lying out. I wondered, if you were -the Guard, what you could be doing without guns. From a hill near -our house, the children saw you coming more than an hour ago; and my -husband, taking you for the soldiers, went with his rifle to join his -companions in the woods. Word has gone to every Union house in the -neighborhood that the troops are out hunting deserters." - -We embarked in the log canoe, and shipped a good deal of water before -reaching the opposite shore. We had two sea-captains on board, and -concluded that, with one sailor more, we should certainly have been -hopelessly wrecked. - -A winding forest-path led to the lonely house we sought, where we -found no one at home, except three children of our fair informant -and their grandmother. For more than two hours we could not allay -the woman's suspicions that we were Guards. They had recently been -adopting Yankee disguises, deceiving Union people, and beguiling them -of damaging information. - -As indignantly as General Damas inquires whether he _looks_ like a -married man, we asked the cautious woman if we resembled Rebels. At -last, convinced that we were veritable Yankees, she gave us breakfast, -and sent one of the children with us to a sunny hillside among the -pines, where we slept off the weariness and soreness caused by the -night's march of sixteen miles. - -[Sidenote: AMONG UNION BUSHWHACKERS.] - -At evening a number of friends visited us. As they were not merely -Rebel deserters, but Union bushwhackers also, we scanned them with -curiosity; for we had been wont to regard bushwhackers, of either side, -with vague, undefined horror. - -These men were walking arsenals. Each had a trusty rifle, one or two -navy revolvers, a great bowie knife, haversack, and canteen. Their -manners were quiet, their faces honest, and one had a voice of rare -sweetness. As he stood tossing his baby in the air, with his little -daughter clinging to his skirt, he looked - - ----"the mildest-mannered man, That ever scuttled ship or cut - a throat." - -He and his neighbors had adopted this mode of life, because determined -not to fight against the old flag. They would not attempt the uncertain -journey to our lines, leaving their families in the country of the -enemy. Ordinarily very quiet and rational, whenever the war was spoken -of, their eyes emitted that peculiar glare which I had observed, years -before, in Kansas, and which seems inseparable from the hunted man. -They said: - -[Sidenote: TWO UNION SOLDIERS "LYING OUT."] - -"When the Rebels let us alone, we let them alone; when they come out -to hunt us, we hunt them! They know that we are in earnest, and that -before they can kill any one of us, he will break a hole in the ice -large enough to drag two or three of them along with him. At night -we sleep in the bush. When we go home by day, our children stand out -on picket. They and our wives bring food to us in the woods. When -the Guards are coming out, some of the Union members usually inform -us beforehand; then we collect twenty or thirty men, find the best -ground we can, and, if they discover us, fight them. But a number of -skirmishes have taught them to be very wary about attacking us." - -In this dreary mode of life they seemed to find a certain fascination. -While we took supper at the house of one of them, eight bushwhackers, -armed to the teeth, stood outside on guard. For once, at least, -enjoying what Macbeth vainly coveted, we took our meal in peace. - -Two of them were United States volunteers, who had come stealthily home -on furlough, from our army in Tennessee. They were the first Union -soldiers we had seen at liberty for nearly two years. Their faces were -very welcome, and their worn, soiled uniforms were to our eyes the -reflection of heaven's own blue. Our friends urged us to remain, one of -them saying: - -"The snow is deep on the Blue Ridge and the Alleghanies; the Rebels -can easily trace you; the guerrillas are unusually vigilant, and it is -very unsafe to attempt crossing the mountains at present. I started -for Knoxville three weeks ago, and, after walking fifty miles, was -compelled to turn back. Stay with us until the snow is gone, and the -Guards less on the alert. We will each of us take two of you under our -special charge, and feed and shelter you until next May, if you desire -it." - -[Sidenote: TWO ESCAPING REBEL DESERTERS.] - -The Blue Ridge was still twenty-five miles away, and we determined to -push on to a point where we could look the danger, if danger there -were, directly in the face. The bushwhackers, therefore, piloted us -through the darkness and the bitter cold for seven miles. At midnight, -we reached the dwelling of a Union man. He said: - -"As the house is unsafe, I shall be compelled to put you in my barn. -You will find two Rebel deserters sleeping there." - -The barn was upon a high hill. We burrowed among the husks, at first -to the infinite alarm of the deserters, who thought the Philistines -were upon them. While we shivered in the darkness, they told us that -they had come from Petersburg--more than five hundred miles--and been -three months on the journey. They had found friends all the way, among -negroes and Union men. Ragged, dirty, and penniless, they said, very -quietly, that they were going to reach the Yankee lines, or die in the -attempt. - -Before daylight our host visited us, and finding that we suffered from -the weather, placed us in a little warm storehouse, close beside the -public road. To our question, whether the Guards had ever searched it, -he replied: - -"Oh, yes, frequently, but they never happened to find anybody." - -[Sidenote: AN ENERGETIC INVALID.] - -After we were snugly ensconced in quilts and corn-stalks, Davis said: - -"What an appalling journey still stretches before us! I fear the lamp -of my energy is nearly burned out." - -I could not wonder at his despondency. For several years he had been -half an invalid, suffering from a spinal affection. For weeks before -leaving Salisbury, he was often compelled, of an afternoon, to lie upon -his bunk of straw with blinding headache, and every nerve quivering -with pain. "Junius" and myself frequently said: "Davis's courage is -unbounded, but he can never live to walk to Knoxville." - -The event proved us false prophets. Nightly he led our party--always -the last to pause and the first to start. His lamp of energy was so far -from being exhausted that, before he reached our lines, he broke down -every man in the party. I expect to suffer to my dying day from the -killing pace of that energetic invalid. - - XIV. _Saturday, December 31._ - -Spent all this cold day and night sleeping in the quilts and fodder of -the little store-house. At evening, Boothby's party went forward, as -the next thirty-five miles were deemed specially perilous. - - - - -CHAPTER XLIV. - - Pray you tread softly, that the blind mole may not Hear a - foot-fall!--TEMPEST. - - There's but a shirt and a half in all my company, and the - half shirt is two napkins pinned together and thrown over the - shoulders.--KING HENRY IV. - - -Our emaciated condition, hard labor, and the bracing mountain air, -conspired to make us ravenous. In quantity, the pork and corn-bread -which we devoured was almost miraculous; in quality, it seemed like the -nectar and ambrosia of the immortal gods. It was far better adapted -to our necessities than the daintiest luxuries of civilization. In -California, Australia, and Colorado goldmines, on the New Orleans -_levee_, and wherever else the most trying physical labor is to be -performed, pork and corn-bread have been found the best articles of -food. - -The Loyalists were all ready to feed, shelter, and direct us, but -reluctant to accompany us far from their homes. They would say: - -"You need no guides; the road is so plain, that you cannot possibly -miss it." - -But midnight journeys among the narrow lanes and obscure mountain-paths -had taught us that we could miss any road whatever which was not -inclosed upon both sides by fences too high for climbing. Therefore, we -insisted upon pilots. - -[Sidenote: MONEY CONCEALED IN CLOTHING.] - -Fortunately, I had left Salisbury with a one-hundred-dollar United -States note concealed under the hem of each leg of my pantaloons, -just above the instep, and two more sewn in the lining of my coat. -I had in my portmonnaie fifty dollars in Northern bank-notes, five -dollars in gold, and a hundred dollars in Confederate currency. Davis -brought away about the same amount. We should have left it with our -fellow-prisoners, but for the probability of being recaptured and -confined, where money would serve us in our extremest need. Now it -enabled us to remunerate amply both our white and black friends. -Sometimes the mountaineers would say: - -"We do not do these things for money. We have fed and assisted hundreds -of refugees and escaping prisoners, but never received a cent for it." - -Those whom they befriended were usually penniless. We appreciated -their kindness none the less because fortunate enough to be able to -recompense them. They were unable to resist the argument that, when our -forces came, they would need "green-backs" to purchase coffee. - -[Sidenote: IMMINENT PERIL OF UNION CITIZENS.] - -Every man who gave us a meal, sheltered us in his house or barn, -pointed out a refuge in the woods, or directed us one mile upon our -journey, did it at the certainty, if discovered, of being imprisoned, -or forced into the Rebel army, whether sick or well, and at the risk of -having his house burned over his head. In many cases, discovery would -have resulted in his death by shooting, or hanging in sight of his own -door. - -During our whole journey we entered only one house inhabited by white -Unionists, which had never been plundered by Home Guards or Rebel -guerrillas. Almost every loyal family had given to the Cause some of -its nearest and dearest. We were told so frequently--"My father was -killed in those woods;" or, "The guerrillas shot my brother in that -ravine," that, finally, these tragedies made little impression upon -us. The mountaineers never seemed conscious that they were doing any -heroic or self-sacrificing thing. Their very sufferings had greatly -intensified their love for the Union, and their faith in its ultimate -triumph. - -Drowsily wondering at our capacity for sleep, we dozed through the -first day of the New Year, and the fifteenth of our liberty. After dark -we spent two hours in the house before the log fire. The good woman -had one son already escaped to the North--a fresh link which bound her -mother-heart to that ideal paradise. She fed us, mended our clothing, -and parted from us with the heartiest "God bless you!" - -Her youngest born, a lad of eleven years, accompanied us five miles to -the house of a Unionist, who received us without leaving his bed. He -gave us such minute information about the faint, obscure road that we -found little difficulty in keeping it. - -[Sidenote: FORDING CREEKS AT MIDNIGHT.] - -Through the biting air we pressed rapidly up the narrow valley of a -clear, tumbling mountain stream, whose frowning banks, several hundred -feet in hight, were covered with pines and hemlocks. In twelve miles -the road crossed the creek twenty-nine times. Instead of bridges were -fords for horsemen and wagons, and foot-logs for pedestrians. Cold and -stiff, we discovered that crossing the smooth, icy logs in the darkness -was a hazardous feat. Wolfe was particularly lame, and slipped several -times into the icy torrent, but managed to flounder out without much -delay. He endured with great serenity all our suggestions, that even -though water was his native element, he had a very eccentric taste to -prefer swimming to walking, in that state of the atmosphere. - -At one crossing the log was swept away. We wandered up and down the -stream, which was about a hundred feet wide, but could find not even -the hair which Mahomet discovered to be the bridge over the bottomless -pit. But as canoes are older than ships, so legs are more primitive -than bridges. We e'en plunged in, waist deep, and waded through, among -the cakes of floating ice. - -[Sidenote: "LOOPED AND WINDOWED RAGGEDNESS."] - -Our wardrobes were suffering quite as much as our persons. We did not -carry looking-glasses, so I am not able to speak of myself; but my -colleague was a subject for a painter. Any one seeing him must have -been convinced that he was made up for the occasion; that his looped -and windowed raggedness never could have resulted from any natural -combination of circumstances. The fates seemed to decree that as -"Junius" went naked into the Confederacy (leaving most of his wardrobe -on deposit at the bottom of the Mississippi), he should come out of it -in the same condition. - -Overcoat he had none. Pantaloons had been torn to shreds and tatters -by the brambles and thorn-bushes. He had a hat which was not all a -hat. It was given to him, after he had lost his own in a Rebel barn, -by a warm-hearted African, as a small tribute from the Intelligent -Contraband to his old friend the Reliable Gentleman--by an African who -felt with the most touching propriety that it would be a shame for any -correspondent of _The Tribune_ to go bareheaded as long as a single -negro in America was the owner of a hat! It was a white wool relic of -the old-red-sandstone period, with a sugar-loaf crown, and a broad brim -drawn down closely over his ears, like the bonnet of an Esquimaux. - -His boots were a stupendous refutation of the report that leather was -scarce among the Rebels. I understood it to be no figure of rhetoric, -but the result of actual and exact measurement, which induced him to -call them the "Seven-Leaguers." The small portion of his body, which -was visible between the tops of his boots and the bottom of his hat, -was robed in an old gray quilt of Secession proclivities; and taken for -all in all, with his pale, nervous face and his remarkable costume, he -looked like a cross between the Genius of Intellectuality and a Rebel -bushwhacker! - -[Illustration: THE ESCAPE.--WADING A MOUNTAIN STREAM AT MIDNIGHT.] - -Before daylight, we shiveringly tapped on the door of a house at the -foot of the Blue Ridge. - -"Come in," was the welcome response. - -Entering, we found a woman sitting by the log fire. Beginning to -introduce ourselves, she interrupted: - -"O, I know all about you. You are Yankee prisoners. Your friends who -passed last evening told us you were coming, and I have been sitting up -all night for you. Come to the fire and dry your clothes." - -[Sidenote: STORIES ABOUT THE WAR.] - -For two hours we listened to her tales of the war. The history of -almost every Union family was full of romance. Each unstoried mountain -stream had its incidents of daring, of sagacity, and of faithfulness; -and almost every green hill had been bathed in that scarlet dew from -which ever springs the richest and the ripest fruit. - -Concealment here was difficult; so we were taken to the house of -a neighbor, who also was waiting to welcome us. He took us to his -storehouse, right by the road-side. - -"The Guard," said he, "searched this building last Thursday, -unsuccessfully, and are hardly likely to try it again just yet." - -Soon, lying near a fire upon a warm feather-bed, we wooed the drowsy -god with all the success which the hungry Salisbury vermin, sticking -closer than brothers, would permit. - - XVI. _Monday, January 2._ - -[Sidenote: CLIMBING THE BLUE RIDGE.] - -Before night the guide returned from conducting Boothby's party, and -assured us that the coast was clear. After dark, invigorated by tea -and apple brandy, we followed our pilot by devious paths up the steep, -fir-clad, piny slope of the Blue Ridge. - -The view from the summit is beautiful and impressive; but for our -weariness and anxiety, we should have enjoyed it very keenly. - -A few weeks before, the Unionist now leading us had sent his little -daughter of twelve years, alone, by night, fifteen miles over the -mountains, to warn some escaping Union prisoners that the Guard had -gained a clue to their whereabouts. They received the warning in season -to find a place of safety before their pursuers came. - -We were now on the west side of the Ridge. A heavy rain began to -fall, and, though soaked and weary, we were glad to have our tracks -obliterated, and thus be insured against pursuit. - - "The labor we delight in physics pain;" - -but in this case the effort was so arduous that the panacea was not -very effective. Thomas Starr King tells the story of a little man, who, -being asked his weight, replied: - -"Ordinarily, a hundred and twenty pounds; but when I'm mad, I weigh a -ton!" - -I think any one of our wet, blistered feet, which, at every step, sunk -deep into the slush, would have counterbalanced his whole body! Like -millstones we dragged them up hill after hill, and through the long -valleys which stretched drearily between. Though not hungering after -the flesh-pots of Egypt, we still thought, half regretfully, of our -squalid Salisbury quarters, where we had at least a roof to shelter -us, and a bunk of straw. But we needed no injunction to remember -Lot's wife; for a pillar of salt would have represented a fabulous -sum of money in the currency of the Rebels; and we had no desire to -swell their scanty revenues or supply their impoverished commissary -department. - -[Sidenote: CROSSING THE NEW RIVER AT MIDNIGHT.] - -At midnight we reached New River, two hundred and fifty yards wide. Our -guide took us over, one at a time, behind him upon his horse. We were -probably five hundred miles above the point where this river, as the -Great Kanawha, unites with the Ohio; but it was the first stream we -had found running northward, and its soft, rippling song of home and -freedom was very sweet to our ears. Already our Promised Land stretched -before us, and the shining river seemed a pathway of light to its -hither boundary. Better than Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, -this was the Jordan, flowing toward all we loved and longed for. It -revived the great world of work and of life which had faded almost to -fable. - -At two in the morning we reached the house of a stanch Unionist, which -nestled romantically in the green valley, inclosed on all sides by dark -mountains. - -[Sidenote: HOSPITALITY AND ORATORY COMBINED.] - -Our new friend, herculean in frame and with a heavy-tragedy voice, came -out where we sat, dripping and dreary, under an old cotton-gin, and -addressed us in a pompous strain, worthy of Sergeant Buzfuz: - -"Gentlemen," said he, "there are, unfortunately, at my house to-night -two wayfarers, who are Rebels and traitors. If they knew of your -presence, it would be my inevitable and eternal ruin. Therefore, unable -to extend to you such hospitalities as I could wish, I bid you welcome -to all which _can_ be furnished by so poor a man as I. I will place you -in my barn, which is warm, and filled with fodder. I will bring you -food and apple brandy. In the morning, when these infernal scoundrels -are gone, I will entertain you under my family roof. Gentlemen, I have -been a Union man from the beginning, and I shall be a Union man to the -end. I had three sons; one died in a Rebel hospital; one was killed -at the battle of the Wilderness, fighting (against his will) for the -Southern cause; the third, thank God! is in the Union lines." - -Here the father overcame the orator; and, with the conjunction of -apple brandy, corn bread, and quilts, we were soon asleep in the barn. - - - - -CHAPTER XLV. - - No tongue--all eyes; be silent.--TEMPEST. - - -At nine in the morning our host awakened us. - -[Sidenote: OVER MOUNTAINS AND THROUGH RAVINES.] - -"Gentlemen, I trust you have slept well. The enemy has gone, and -breakfast waits. I call you early, because I want to take you out of -North Carolina into Tennessee, where I will show you a place of refuge -infinitely safer than this." - -For the first time since leaving Salisbury we traveled by daylight. -Our guide led us deviously through fields, and up almost perpendicular -ascents, where the rarefied air compelled us frequently to stop for -breath. - -We dragged our weary feet up one hill, down another, through ravines of -almost impenetrable laurels, swinging across the streams by the snowy, -pendent boughs, only to find another appalling hight rising before us. -Nothing but the hope of freedom enabled us to keep on our feet. Once, -when near a public road, our guide suddenly whispered. - -"Hist! Drop to the ground instantly!" - -Lying behind logs, we saw two or three horse-teams and sleds pass by, -and heard the conversation of the drivers. - -Our pilot was not agitated, for, like all the Union mountaineers, -danger had been so long a part of his every-day existence, that he had -no physical nervousness. But it was reported that the Guards would -be out to-day, so he was very wary and vigilant. We crossed the road -in the Indian mode, walking in single file, each man treading in the -footsteps of his immediate predecessor. No casual observer would have -suspected that it was the track of more than one man. - -At 4 P.M., we entered Tennessee, which, like the passage of the -New River, seemed another long stride toward home. Approaching a -settlement, we went far around through the woods, persuading ourselves -that we were unobserved. A mile beyond we reached a small log house, -where our friend was known, and a blooming, matronly woman, with genial -eyes, welcomed us. - -"Come in, all. I am very glad to see you. I thought you must be Yankees -when I heard of your approach, about half an hour ago." - -"How did you hear?" - -[Sidenote: MISTAKEN FOR CONFEDERATE GUARDS.] - -"A good many young men are lying out in this neighborhood, and my son -is one of them. He has not slept in the house for two years. He always -carries his rifle. At first, I was opposed to it, but now I am glad -to have him. They may murder him any day, and if they do, I at least -want him to kill some of the traitors first. Nobody can approach this -settlement, day or night, without being seen by some of these young -men, always on the watch. The Guard have come in twice, at midnight, -as fast as they could ride; but the news traveled before them, and -they found the birds flown. When you appeared in sight, the boys took -you for Rebels. My son and two others, lying behind logs, had their -rifles drawn on you not more than three hundred yards away. They were -very near shooting you, when they discovered that you had no arms, and -concluded you must be the right sort of people. In the distance you -look like Home Guards--part of you dressed as citizens, one in Rebel -uniform, and two wearing Yankee overcoats. You are unsafe traveling a -single mile through this region, without sending word beforehand who -you are." - -After dark we were shown to a barn, where we wrapped ourselves in -quilts. During the last twenty-four hours we had journeyed twenty-five -miles, equal to fifty upon level roads, and our eye-lids were very -heavy. - - XVIII. _Wednesday, January 4._ - -This settlement was intensely loyal, and admirably picketed by Union -women, children, and bushwhackers. We dined with the wife of a former -inmate of Castle Thunder. She told us that Lafayette Jones, whose -escape from that prison I have already recorded, remained in the Rebel -army only a few days, deserting from it to the Union lines, and then -coming back to his Tennessee home. - -[Sidenote: A REBEL GUERRILLA KILLED.] - -The Rebel guerrilla captain who originally captured him was notoriously -cruel, had burned houses, murdered Union men, and abused helpless -women. He took from Jones two hundred dollars in gold, promising to -forward it to his family, but never did so. After reaching home, -Jones sent a message to him that he must refund the money at once, -or be killed wherever found. Jones finally sought him. As they met, -the guerrilla drew a revolver and fired, but without wounding his -antagonist. Thereupon Jones shot him dead on his own threshold. The -Union people justified and applauded the deed. Jones was afterward -captain in a loyal Tennessee regiment. His father had died in a -Richmond dungeon, one of his brothers in an Alabama prison, and a -second had been hung by the Rebels. - -The woman told us that another guerrilla, peculiarly obnoxious to -the Loyalists, had disappeared early in November. A few days before -we arrived, his bones were found in the woods, with twenty-one -bullet-holes through his clothing. His watch and money were still -undisturbed in his pocket. Vengeance, not avarice, stimulated his -destroyers. - -[Sidenote: MEETING A FORMER FELLOW-PRISONER.] - -Here we met another of our Castle Thunder fellow-prisoners, named -Guy. The Richmond authorities knew he was a Union bushwhacker, and -had strong evidence against him, which would have cost him his life -if brought to trial. But he, too, under an assumed name, enlisted in -the Rebel army, deserted, returned to Tennessee, and resumed his old -pursuit as a hunter of men with new zeal and vigor. - -He and his companion were now armed with sixteen-shooter rifles, -revolvers, and bowie-knives. Guy's father and brother had both been -killed by the guerrillas, and he was bitter and unsparing. If he ever -fell into Rebel hands again, his life was not worth a rush-light. -But he was merry and jocular as if he had never heard of the King of -Terrors. I asked him how he now regarded his Richmond adventures. He -replied: - -"I would not take a thousand dollars in gold for the experience I had -while in prison; but I would not endure it again for ten thousand." - -Guy and his comrade were supposed to be "lying out," which suggested -silent and stealthy movements; but on leaving us they went yelling, -singing, and screaming up the valley, whooping like a whole tribe of -Indians. Occasionally they fired their rifles, as if their vocal organs -were not noisy enough. It was ludicrously strange deportment for hunted -fugitives. - -"Guy always goes through the country in that way," said the woman. "He -is very reckless and fearless. The Rebels know it, and give him a wide -field. He has killed a good many of them, first and last, and no doubt -they will murder him, sooner or later, as they did his father." - -[Sidenote: ALARM ABOUT REBEL CAVALRY.] - -At night, just as we were comfortably asleep in the barn, our host -awakened us, saying: - -"Five Rebel cavalry are reported approaching this neighborhood, with -three hundred more behind them, coming over the mountains from North -Carolina. I think it is true, but am not certain. I am so well known -as a Union man, that, if they do come, they will search my premises -thoroughly. There is another barn, much more secluded, a mile farther -up the valley, where you will be safer than here, and will compromise -nobody if discovered. If they arrive, you shall be informed before they -can reach you." - -Coleridge did not believe in ghosts, because he had seen too many -of them. So we were skeptical concerning the Rebel cavalry, having -heard too much of it. But we went to the other barn, and in its -ample straw-loft found a North Carolina refugee, with whom we slept -undisturbed. He deemed this place much safer than his home--a -gratifying indication to us that the danger was growing small by -degrees. - - XIX. _Thursday, January 5._ - -This morning, the good woman whose barn had sheltered us mended our -tattered clothing. Her husband was a soldier in the Union service. I -asked her: - -"How do you live and support your family?" - -"Very easily," she replied. "Last year, I did all my own housework, -and weaving, spinning, and knitting, and raised over a hundred bushels -of corn, with no assistance whatever except from this little girl, -eleven years old. The hogs run in the woods during the summer, feeding -themselves; so we are in no danger of starvation." - -Boothby's company, enhanced by the two Rebel deserters from Petersburg, -and a young conscript, formerly one of our prison-guards at Salisbury, -here rejoined us. Our entire party, numbering ten, started again at 3 -p.m. - -The road was over Stony Mountain, very rocky and steep. As we halted -wearily upon its summit, we overlooked a great waste of mountains, -intersected with green valleys of pine and fir, threaded by silver -streams. Our guide assured us that, at Carter's Depot, one hundred and -ten miles east of Knoxville, we should find Union troops. Soon after -dark, to our disappointment and indignation, he declared that he must -turn back without a moment's delay. His long-deferred explanation that -the young wife, whom he had left at his lonely log house, was about to -endure - - "The pleasing punishment which women bear," - -mollified our wrath, and we bade him good-by. - -[Sidenote: A STANCH OLD UNIONIST.] - -After dark we found our way, deviously, around several dwellings, -to the house of an old Union man. With his wife and three bouncing -daughters, he heartily welcomed us: - -"I am very glad to see you; I have been looking for you these two -hours." - -"Why did you expect us?" - -"We learned yesterday that there were ten Yankees, one in red breeches -and a Rebel uniform, over the mountain. Girls, make a fire in the -kitchen, and get supper for these gentlemen!" - -While we discussed the meal and a great bucket of rosy apples before -the roaring fire, our host--silver-haired, deep-chested, brawny-limbed, -a splendid specimen of physical manhood--poured out his heart. He -was devoted to the Union with a zeal passing the love of women. How -intensely he hated the Rebels! How his eyes flashed and dilated as he -talked of the old flag! How perfect his faith that he should live to -see it again waving triumphantly on his native mountains! One of his -sons had died fighting for his country, and two others were still in -the Union army. - -[Sidenote: THE MOST DANGEROUS POINT.] - -The old gentleman piloted us through the deep woods, for three miles, -to a friendly house. We were now near a rendezvous of Rebel guerrillas, -reported to be without conscience and without mercy. Their settlement -was known through that whole region as "Little Richmond." We must pass -within a quarter of a mile of them. It was feared that they might have -pickets out, and the point was deemed more dangerous than any since -leaving Salisbury. - -Our new friend, though an invalid, promptly rose from his bed to guide -us through the danger. His wife greeted us cordially, but was extremely -apprehensive--darting to and from the door, and in conversation -suddenly pausing to listen. When we started, she said, taking both my -hands in hers: - -"May God prosper you, and carry you safely through to those you love. -But you must be very cautious. Less than six weeks ago, my two brothers -started for the North by the same route; and when they reached Crab -Orchard, the Rebel guerrillas captured them, and murdered them in cold -blood." - -After leading us two miles, the guide stopped, and when all came up, he -whispered: - -"We are approaching the worst place. Let no man speak a word. Step -lightly as possible, while I keep as far ahead as you can see me. If -you hear any noise, dart out of sight at once. Should I be discovered -with you, it would be certain death to me. If found alone, I can tell -some story about sickness in my family." - -We crept softly behind him for two miles. Then, leading us through a -rocky pasture into the road, he said: - -"Thank God! I have brought another party of the right sort of people -past Little Richmond in safety. My health is broken, and I shall not -live long; but it is a great consolation to know that I have been able -to help some men who love the Union made by our fathers." - -Directing us to a stanch Unionist, a few miles beyond, he returned home. - -At three in the morning, we reached our destination. Davis and Boothby -did pioneer duty, going forward to the house, where they were received -by a clamor of dogs, which made the valleys ring. After a whispered -conference with the host, they returned and said: - -"There is a Rebel traveler spending the night here. We are to stay in -the barn until morning, when he will be gone." - -[Sidenote: THE ALL-DEVOURING VERMIN.] - -We burrowed in the warm hay-mow, and vainly essayed to sleep. The -all-devouring vermin by this time swarmed upon us, poisoning our blood -and stimulating every nerve, as we tossed wearily until long after -daylight. - - XX. _Friday, January 6._ - -At nine o'clock this morning our host came to the hay-loft and awoke us: - -"My troublesome guest is gone; walk down to breakfast." - -He was educated, intelligent, and had been a leader among the -"Conservative" or Union people, until compelled to acquiesce, -nominally, in the war. His house and family were pleasant. But while -we now began to approach civilization, the Union lines steadily -receded. He informed us that we would find no loyal troops east of -Jonesboro, ninety-eight miles from Knoxville, and probably none east of -Greenville, seventy-four miles from Knoxville. - -"But," said he, "you are out of the woods for the present. You are on -the border of the largest Union settlement in all the Rebel States. You -may walk for twenty-four miles by daylight on the public road. Look -out for strangers, Home Guards, or Rebel guerrillas; but you will find -every man, woman, and child, who lives along the route, a stanch and -faithful friend." - -With light hearts we started down the valley. It seemed strange to -travel the public road by daylight, visit houses openly, and look -people in the face. - -Our way was on the right bank of the Watauga, a broad, flashing stream, -walled in by abrupt cliffs, covered with pines and hemlocks. A woman -on horseback, with her little son on foot, accompanied us for several -miles, saying: - -"If you travel alone, you are in danger of being shot for Rebel -guerrillas." - -[Sidenote: MORE UNION SOLDIERS.] - -In the evening a Union man rowed us across the stream. On the left bank -our eyes were gladdened by three of our boys in blue--United States -soldiers at home on furlough. Seeing us in the distance, they leveled -their rifles, but soon discovered that we were not foes. - -Our host for the night beguiled the evening hours with stories of the -war; and again we enjoyed the luxury of beds. - - XXI. _Saturday, January 7._ - -[Sidenote: A WELL-FORTIFIED REFUGE.] - -A friend piloted us eight miles over the rough, snowy mountains, -avoiding public roads. In the afternoon, we found shelter at a white -frame house, nestling among the mountains, and fronted by a natural -lawn, dotted with firs. - -Here, for the first time, we were entirely safe. Any possible Rebel -raid must come from the south side of the river. The house was on the -north bank of the stream, which was too much swollen for fording, -and the only canoe within five miles was fastened on our shore. Thus -fortified on front, flank, and rear, we took our ease in the pleasant, -home-like farmhouse. - -Near the dwelling was a great spring, of rare beauty. Within an area -of twelve feet, a dozen streams, larger than one's arm, came gushing -and boiling up through snow-white sand. By the aid of a great fire, -and an enormous iron kettle, we boiled all our clothing, and at last -vanquished the troublesome enemies which, brought from the prison, had -so long disturbed our peace. - -Then, bathing in the icy waters, we came out renewed, like the Syrian -leper, and, in soft, clean beds, enjoyed the sweet sleep of childhood. - - XXII. _Sunday, January 8._ - -A new guide took us eight miles to a log barn in the woods. After -dining among, but not upon, the husks, we started again, an old lady -of sixty guiding us through the woods toward her house. Age had not -withered her, nor custom staled, for she walked at a pace which made it -difficult to keep in sight of her. - -At dark, in the deep pines, behind her lonely dwelling, we kindled a -fire, supped, and, with fifteen or twenty companions, who had joined us -so noiselessly that they seemed to spring from earth, we started on. - - - - -CHAPTER XLVI. - - If I have wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough - to serve mine own turn.--MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. - -[Sidenote: DAN ELLIS, THE UNION GUIDE.] - - -For many months before leaving prison, we had been familiar with the -name of DAN ELLIS--a famous Union guide, who, since the beginning of -the war, had done nothing but conduct loyal men to our lines. - -Ellis is a hero, and his life a romance. He had taken through, in -all, more than four thousand persons. He had probably seen more -adventure--in fights and races with the Rebels, in long journeys, -sometimes bare-footed and through the snow, or swimming rivers full of -floating ice--than any other person living. - -He never lost but one man, who was swooped up through his own -heedlessness. The party had traveled eight or ten days, living -upon nothing but parched corn. Dan insisted that a man could walk -twenty-five miles a day through snow upon parched corn just as well as -upon any other diet--if he only thought so. I feel bound to say that I -have tried it and do not think so. This person held the same opinion. -He revolted against the parched-corn diet, vowing that he would go to -the first house and get an honest meal, if he was captured for it. He -went to the first house, obtained the meal, and was captured. - -After we had traveled fifty miles, everybody said to us, "If you can -only find Dan Ellis, and do just as he tells you, you will be certain -to get through." - -[Sidenote: IN GOOD HANDS AT LAST.] - -We _did_ find Dan Ellis. On this Sunday night, one hundred and -thirty-four miles from our lines, greatly broken down, we reached a -point on the road, waited for two hours, when along came Dan Ellis, -with a party of seventy men--refugees, Rebel deserters, Union soldiers -returning from their homes within the enemy's lines, and escaping -prisoners. About thirty of them were mounted and twenty armed. - -Like most men of action, Dan was a man of few words. When our story had -been told him, he said to his comrades: - -"Boys, here are some gentlemen who have escaped from Salisbury, and are -almost dead from the journey. They are our people. They have suffered -in our Cause. They are going to their homes in our lines. We can't ride -and let these men walk. Get down off your horses, and help them up." - -Down they came, and up we went; and then we pressed along at a terrible -pace. - -In low conversation, as we rode through the darkness, I learned from -Dan and his companions something of his strange, eventful history. At -the outbreak of the war, he was a mechanic in East Tennessee. After -once going through the mountains to the Union lines, he displayed rare -capacity for woodcraft, and such vigilance, energy, and wisdom, that he -fell naturally into the pursuit of a pilot. - -Six or eight of his men, who had been with him from the beginning, were -almost equally familiar with the routes. They lived near him, in Carter -County, Tennessee, in open defiance of the Rebels. When at home, they -usually slept in the woods, and never parted from their arms for a -single moment. - -As the Rebels would show them no mercy, they could not afford to be -captured. For three years there had been a standing offer of five -thousand dollars for Dan Ellis's head. During that period, except when -within our lines, he had never permitted his Henry rifle, which would -fire sixteen times without reloading, to go beyond the reach of his -hand. - -[Illustration: DAN. ELLIS.] - -[Sidenote: An Unequal Battle--Ellis's Bravery.] - -Once, when none of his comrades, except Lieutenant Treadaway, were -with him, fourteen of the Rebels came suddenly upon them. Ellis and -Treadaway dropped behind logs and began to fire their rifles. As the -enemy pressed them, they fell slowly back into a forest, continuing -to shoot from behind trees. The unequal skirmish lasted three hours. -Several Rebels were wounded, and at last they retreated, leaving the -two determined Unionists unharmed and masters of the field. - -Dan usually made the trip to our lines once in three or four weeks, -leading through from forty to five hundred persons. Before starting, he -and his comrades would make a raid upon the Rebels in some neighboring -county, take from them all the good horses they could find, and, after -reaching Knoxville, sell them to the United States quartermaster. - -Thus they obtained a livelihood, though nothing more. The refugees and -escaping prisoners were usually penniless, and Ellis, whose sympathies -flowed toward all loyal men like water, was compelled to feed them -during the entire journey. He always remunerated Union citizens for -provisions purchased from them. - -To-night was so cold, that our sore, lame joints would hardly support -us upon our horses. Dan's rapid marching was the chief secret of his -success. He seemed determined to keep at least one day ahead of all -Rebel pursuers. - -Now that we were safe in his hands, I accompanied the party -mechanically, with no further questions or anxiety about routes; but I -chanced to hear Treadaway ask him: - -"Don't you suppose the Nolechucky is too high for us to ford?" - -"Very likely," replied Dan; "we will stop and inquire of Barnet." - -Upon the mule which I rode, a sack of corn served for a saddle. I was -not accomplished in the peculiar gymnastics required to sit easily upon -it and keep it in place. - -[Sidenote: LOST!--A PERILOUS BLUNDER.] - -Thirsty and feverish, I stopped at the crossing of Rock Creek for a -draught of water and to adjust the corn-sack. Attempting to remount, I -was as stiff and awkward as an octogenarian, and my restive mule would -not stand for a moment. I finally succeeded in climbing upon his back -two or three minutes after the last horseman disappeared up the bank. - -We had been traveling across forests, over hills, through swamps, -without regard to thoroughfares; but I rode carelessly on, supposing -that my mule's instinct would keep him on the fresh scent of the -cavalcade. When we had jogged along for ten minutes, awakening from a -little reverie, I listened vainly to hear the footfalls of the horses. -All was silent. I dismounted, and examined the half-frozen road, but no -hoof-marks could be seen upon it. - -I was lost! It might mean recapture--it might mean reimprisonment and -death, for the terms were nearly synonymous. I was ignorant about the -roads, and whether I was in a Union or Rebel settlement. - -To search for that noiseless, stealthy party would be useless; so I -rode back to the creek, tied my mule to a laurel in the dense thicket, -and sat down upon a log, pondering on my stupid heedlessness, which -seemed likely to meet its just reward. I remembered that Davis owed his -original capture to a mule, and wondered if the same cause was about to -produce for me a like result. - -Mentally anathematizing my long-eared brute, I gave him a part of the -corn, and threw myself down behind a log, directly beside the road. -This would enable me to hear the horse's feet of any one who might -return for me. In a few minutes I was sound asleep. - -When awakened by the cold, my watch told me that it was three o'clock. -Running to and fro in the thicket until my blood was warmed, I resumed -my position behind the log, and slept until daylight was gleaming -through the forest. - -[Sidenote: A MOST FORTUNATE ENCOUNTER.] - -Walking back to the creek, I reconnoitered a log dwelling, so small and -humble that its occupant was probably loyal. In a few minutes, through -the early dawn, an old man, with a sack of corn upon his shoulder, -came out of the house. He evinced no surprise at seeing me. Looking -earnestly into his eyes, I asked him: - -"Are you a Union man or a Secessionist?" He replied: - -"I don't know who you are; but I am a Union man, and always have been." - -"I am a stranger and in trouble. I charge you to tell me the truth." - -"I do tell you the truth, and I have two sons in the United States -army." - -His manner appeared sincere, and he carried a letter of recommendation -in his open, honest face. I told him my awkward predicament. He -reassured me at once. - -"I know Dan Ellis as well as my own brother. No truer man ever lived. -What route was he going to take?" - -"I heard him say something about Barnet's." - -"That is a ford only five miles from here. Barnet is one of the right -sort of people. This road will take you to his house. Good-by, my -friend, and don't get separated from your party again." - -[Sidenote: REJOINING DAN AND HIS PARTY.] - -I certainly did not need the last injunction. Reaching the ford, Barnet -told me that our party had spent several hours in crossing, and was -encamped three miles ahead. He took me over the river in his canoe, -my mule swimming behind. Half a mile down the road. I met Ellis and -Treadaway. - -"Ah ha!" said Dan, "we were looking for you. I told the boys not to be -uneasy. There are men in our crowd who would have blundered upon some -Rebel, told all about us, and so alarmed the country and brought out -the Home Guards; but I knew you were discreet enough to take care of -yourself, and not endanger us. Let us breakfast at this Union house." - - XXIII. _Monday, January 9._ - -"To-day," said Dan Ellis, "we must cross the Big Butte of Rich -Mountain." - -"How far is it?" I asked. - -"It is generally called ten miles; but I suspect it is about fifteen, -and a rather hard road at that." - -About fifteen, and a rather hard road! It seemed fifty, and a very _Via -Dolorosa_. - -We started at 11 A.M. For three miles we followed a winding creek, the -horsemen on a slow trot, crossing the stream a dozen times; the footmen -keeping up as best they could, and shivering from their frequent baths -in the icy waters. - -[Sidenote: A TERRIBLE MOUNTAIN MARCH.] - -We turned up the sharp side of a snowy mountain. For hours and hours -we toiled along, up one rocky, pine-covered hill, down a little -declivity, then up another hill, then down again, but constantly -gaining in hight. The snow was ten inches deep. Dan averred he had -never crossed the mountain when the travel was so hard; but he pushed -on, as if death were behind and heaven before. - -The rarity of the air at that elevation increased my pneumonic -difficulty, and rendered my breath very short. Ellis furnished me with -a horse the greater part of the way; but the hills, too steep for -riding, compelled us to climb, our poor animals following behind. The -pithy proverb, that "it is easy to walk when one leads a horse by the -bridle," was hardly true in my case, for it seemed a hundred times -to-day as if I could not possibly take another step, but must fall out -by the roadside, and let the company go on. But after my impressive -lesson of last night, I was hardly likely to halt so long as any -locomotive power remained. - -Our men and animals, in single file, extended for more than a mile in a -weary, tortuous procession, which dragged its slow length along. After -hours which appeared interminable, and efforts which seemed impossible, -we halted upon a high ridge, brushed the snow from the rocks, and -sat down to a cold lunch, beside a clear, bright spring which gushed -vigorously from the ground. I ventured to ask: - -"Are we near the top?" - -"About half way up," was Dan's discouraging reply. - -"Come, come, boys; we must pull out!" urged Davis; and, following that -irrepressible invalid, we moved forward again. - -As we climbed hill after hill, thinking we had nearly reached the -summit, beyond us would still rise another mountain a little higher -than the one we stood upon. They seemed to stretch out to the crack of -doom. - -[Sidenote: A STORM INCREASES THE DISCOMFORTS.] - -To increase the discomfort, a violent rain came on. The very memory -of this day is wearisome. I pause, thankful to end only a chapter, in -the midst of an experience which, judged by my own feelings, appeared -likely to end life itself. - - - - -CHAPTER XLVII. - - It hath been the longest night That e'er I watched, and the - most heaviest.--TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. - - ----But for this miracle--I mean our preservation--few in - millions Can speak like us.--TEMPEST. - - -As I toiled, staggering, up each successive hill, it seemed that this -terrible climbing and this torturing day would never end. But Necessity -and Hope work miracles, and strength proved equal to the hour. - -At 4 P.M. the clouds broke, the sun burst out, as we stood on the icy -summit, revealing a grand view of mountains, valleys, and streams on -every side. - -After a brief halt, we began the descent. Our path, trodden only by -refugees and prisoners, led by Dan Ellis, had been worn so deep by the -water, that, in many places, our bodies were half concealed! How Dan -rushed down those steep declivities! It was easy to follow now, and I -kept close behind him. - -[Sidenote: FORDING CREEKS IN THE DARKNESS.] - -Twilight, dusk, darkness, came on, and again the rain began to -pour down. We could not see each other five yards away. We pressed -steadily on. We reached the foot of the mountain, and were in a dark, -pine-shadowed, winding road, which frequently crossed a swollen, -foaming creek. At first Dan hunted for logs; but the darkness made this -slow work. He finally abandoned it, and, whenever we came to a stream, -plunged in up to the middle, dashed through, and rushed on, with -dripping garments. Our cavalcade and procession must have stretched -back fully three miles; but every man endeavored to keep within -shouting distance of his immediate predecessor. - -[Sidenote: PROSPECT OF A DREARY NIGHT.] - -"We shall camp to-night," said Dan, "at a lonely house two miles from -the foot of the mountain." - -Reaching the place, we found that, since his last journey, this -dwelling had tumbled down, and nothing was left but a labyrinth of -timbers and boards. We laboriously propped up a section of the roof. -It proved a little protection from the dripping rain, and, while the -rest of the party slowly straggled in, Treadaway went to the nearest -Union house, to learn the condition of the country. In fifteen minutes -we heard the tramp of his returning horse, and could see a fire-brand -glimmering through the darkness. - -"Something wrong here," said Dan. "There must be danger, or he would -not bring fire, expecting us to stay out of doors such a night as this. -What is the news, Treadaway?" - -"Bad enough," replied the lieutenant, dismounting from his dripping -horse, carefully nursing, between two pieces of board, the glowing -firebrand. "The Rebel guerrillas are thick and vigilant. A party of -them passed here only this evening. I tell you, Dan Ellis, we have got -to keep a sharp eye out, if we don't want to be picked up." - -All who could find room huddled under the poorly propped roof, which -threatened to fall and crush them. Dan and his immediate comrades, with -great readiness, improvised a little camp for themselves, so thatching -it with boards and shingles that it kept the water off their heads. -They were soon asleep, grasping their inseparable rifles and near their -horses, from which they never permitted themselves to be far away. - -With my two journalistic friends, I deemed rest nearly as important as -safety, for we needed to accumulate strength. We found our way through -the darkness to the nearest Union house. There was a great fire blazing -on the hearth; but the little room was crowded with our weary and -soaking companions, who had anticipated us. - -[Sidenote: SLEEPING AMONG THE HUSKS.] - -We crossed the creek to another dwelling, where the occupant, a -life-long invalid, was intensely loyal. With his wife and little son, -he greeted us very warmly, adding: - -"I wish I could keep you in my house; but it would not be safe. We will -give you quilts, and you may sleep among the husks in the barn, where -you will be warm and dry. If the Guards come during the night, they -will be likely to search the house first, and the boy or the woman can -probably give you warning. But, if they do find you, of course you will -tell them that we are not privy to your concealment, because, you know, -it would be a matter of life and death for me." - -We found the husks dry and fragrant, and soon forgot our weariness. - - XXIV. _Tuesday, January 10._ - -Breakfasting before daylight, that we might not be seen leaving the -house, we sought our rendezvous. Those who had remained in camp were a -wet, cold, sorry-looking party. - -By nine o'clock, several, who had been among the Union people in the -neighborhood, returned, and held a consultation. The accounts of all -agreed that, fifteen or twenty miles ahead, the danger was great, and -the country exceedingly difficult to pass through. Moreover, the Union -forces still appeared to recede as we approached the places where -they were reputed to be. We were now certain that there were none at -Jonesboro, none at Greenville, probably none east of Strawberry Plains. - -[Sidenote: TURNING BACK IN DISCOURAGEMENT.] - -Eight or ten of our party determined to turn back. Among them were -three Union soldiers, who had seen service and peril. But they said to -us, as they turned to retrace their steps over Rich Mountain: - -"It is useless to go on. The party will never get through in the world. -Not a single man of it will reach Knoxville, unless he waits till the -road is clear." - -Ellis and Treadaway listened to them with a quiet smile. The perils -ahead did not disturb our serenity, because they were so much -lighter than the perils behind. We had left horrors to which all -future possibilities were a mercy. We had looked in at the windows -of Death, and stood upon the verge of the Life To Be. We doubted not -that the difficulties were greatly magnified, and all dangers looked -infinitesimal, along the path leading toward home and freedom. - -Among those who went back was a North Carolina citizen, accompanied -by a little son, the child of his old age. Reluctant to trust himself -again to the tender mercies of the Rebels, he was unaccustomed to the -war-path, and decided to return to the ills he had, rather than fly -to others which he knew not of. Purchasing one of his horses, I was -no longer dependent upon the kindness of Ellis and his comrades for a -steed. - -Before noon we started, following secluded valley paths. The rain -ceased and the day was pleasant. At a Union dwelling we came upon the -hot track of eight guerrillas, who had been there only an hour before. -The Rebel-hunting instinct waxed strong within Dan, and, taking eight -of his own men, he started in fierce pursuit, leaving Treadaway in -charge of the company. - -Before dark we reached Kelly's Gap, camping in an old orchard, beside -a large farm-house with many ample out-buildings. The place was now -deserted. One of our guides explained: - -"A Union man lived here, and he was hanged last year upon that -apple-tree. They cut him down, however, before he died, and he fled -from the country." - -Tying our horses to the trees, we parched corn for supper. Fires were -kindled in the buildings, giving the place a genial appearance as night -closed in. - -[Sidenote: A REBEL PRISONER BROUGHT IN.] - -After dark, Dan and his comrades returned. The whole party of -guerrillas had very narrowly escaped them. They captured one, and -brought him in a prisoner. One of the out-buildings was cleared, and -he was placed in it, under two volunteer guards armed with rifles. He -was not more than twenty-two years old, and had a heavy, stolid face. -He steadily denied that he was a guerrilla, asserting that he had been -in the Rebel army, had deserted from it, taken the oath of allegiance -to the United States while at Knoxville, and was now trying to live -quietly. - -Some of Ellis's men believed that he had broken his oath of allegiance, -and was the most obnoxious of the guerrillas. In his presence they -discussed freely the manner of disposing of him. Some advocated taking -him to Knoxville, and turning him over to the authorities. Others, who -seemed to be a majority, urged taking him out into the orchard and -shooting him. This counsel seemed likely to prevail. Several of the men -who gave it had seen brothers or fathers murdered by the Rebels. - -The prisoner had little intelligence, and talked only when addressed. -I could but admire the external stolidity with which he listened to -these discussions. One of his judges and would-be executioners asked -him: - -"Well, sir, what have you to say for yourself?" - -"I am in your hands," he replied, without moving a muscle; "you can -kill me if you want to; but I have kept the oath of allegiance, and I -am innocent of the charges you bring against me." - -After some further debate, a Union officer from East Tennessee said. - -"He may deserve death, and he probably does. But we are not murderers, -and he shall not be shot. I will use my own revolver on anybody who -attempts it. Let us hear no more of these taunts. No brave man will -insult a prisoner." - -It was at last decided to take him to Knoxville. He bore this decision -with the same silence he had manifested at the prospect of death. - -During this scene Dan was absent. He had gone to the nearest Union -house to learn the news, for every loyal family in a range of many -hundred miles knew and loved him. We, very weary, lay down to sleep -in an old orchard, with our saddles for pillows. Our reflections were -pleasant. We were only seventy-nine miles from the Union lines. We -progressed swimmingly, and had even begun to regulate the domestic -affairs of the border! - -[Sidenote: AN ALARM AT MIDNIGHT.] - -Before midnight some one shook my arm. I rubbed my eyes open and looked -up. There was Dan Ellis. - -"Boys, we must saddle instantly. We have walked right into a nest of -Rebels. Several hundred are within a few miles; eighty are in this -immediate vicinity. They are lying in ambush for Colonel Kirk and his -men. It is doubtful whether we can ever get out of this. We must divide -into two parties. The footmen must take to the mountains; we who are -riding, and in much greater danger--as horses make more noise, and -leave so many traces--must press on at once, if we ever hope to." - -The word was passed in low tones. Our late prisoner, no longer an -object of interest, was allowed to wander away at his own sweet will. -Flinging our saddles upon our weary horses, we were in motion almost -instantly. My place was near the middle of the cavalcade. The man just -before me was riding a white horse, which enabled me to follow him with -ease. - -We galloped along at Dan's usual pace, with sublime indifference to -roads--up and down rocky hills, across streams, through swamps, over -fences--everywhere but upon public thoroughfares. - -[Sidenote: A YOUNG LADY FOR A GUIDE.] - -I supposed we had traveled three miles, when Davis fell back from the -front, and said to me: - -"That young lady rides very well, does she not?" - -"What young lady?" - -"The young lady who is piloting us." - -I had thought Dan Ellis was piloting us, and rode forward to see about -the young lady. - -There she was! I could not scrutinize her face in the darkness, but it -was said to be comely. I could see that her form was graceful, and the -ease and firmness with which she sat on her horse would have been a -lesson for a riding-master. - -[Sidenote: THE NAMELESS HEROINE.] - -She was a member of the loyal family to which Dan had gone for news. -The moment she learned his need, she volunteered to pilot him out of -that neighborhood, where she was born and bred, and knew every acre. -The only accessible horse (one belonging to a Rebel officer, but just -then kept in her father's barn) was brought out and saddled. She -mounted, came to our camp at midnight, and was now stealthily guiding -us--avoiding farm-houses where the Rebels were quartered, going round -their camps, evading their pickets. - -She led us for seven miles. Then, while we remained in the wood, she -rode forward over the long bridge which spanned the Nolechucky River -(now to be crossed a second time), to see if there were any guards -upon it; went to the first Union house beyond, to learn whether the -roads were picketed; came back, and told us the coast was clear. Then -she rode by our long line toward her home. Had it been safe to cheer, -we should certainly have given three times three for the NAMELESS -HEROINE[19] who did us such vital kindness. "Benisons upon her dear -head forever!" - -[19] Nameless no more. The substantial closing of the war, while these -pages are in press, renders it safe to give her name--Miss MELVINA -STEVENS. - -[Illustration: THE "NAMELESS HEROINE" PILOTING THE ESCAPING PRISONERS -OUT OF A REBEL AMBUSH.] - - - - -CHAPTER XLVIII. - - ----Fortune is merry, And in this mood will give us any - thing.--JULIUS CAESAR. - - The night is long that never finds the day.--MACBETH. - -[Sidenote: AMONG THE DELECTABLE MOUNTAINS.] - - -Relieved again from immediate danger, every thing seemed like a blessed -dream. I was haunted by the fear of waking to find myself in the old -bunk at Salisbury, with its bare and squalid surroundings. - -We were often compelled to walk and lead our weary animals. The rushing -creeks were perilous to cross by night. The rugged mountains were -appalling to our aching limbs and frost-bitten feet. The Union houses, -where we obtained food and counsel, were often humble and rude. But we -had vanquished the Giant Despair, and come up from the Valley of the -Shadow of Death. To our eyes, each icy stream was the River of Life. -The frowning cliffs, with their cruel rocks, were the very Delectable -Mountains; and every friendly log cabin was the Palace called Beautiful. - -After our fair guide left us, Dan's foot was on his native heath. -Familiar with the road, he pressed on like a Fate, without mercy to man -or beast. After the late heavy rains it was now growing intensely cold. -A crust, not yet hard enough to bear, was forming upon the mud, and at -every step our poor horses sunk to the fetlocks. - -Even with frequent walking I found it difficult to keep up the -circulation in my own sensitive feet; but the severe admonition of one -frost-bite had taught me to be very cautious. A young North Carolinian, -riding a mule, wore nothing upon his feet except a pair of cotton -stockings; that he kept from freezing is one of the unsolved mysteries -of human endurance. - -Passing a few miles north of Greenville, at four o'clock in the -morning, we had accomplished twenty-five miles, despite all our -weakness and weariness. - -This brought us to Lick Creek, which proved too much swollen for -fording. An old Loyalist, living on the bank, assured us that -guerrillas were numerous and vigilant. Should we never leave them -behind? - -Ascending the stream for three miles, we crossed upon the only bridge -in that whole region. Here, at least, our rear was protected; because, -if pursued, we could tear up the planks. Soon after dawn, upon a -hill-side in the pine woods, we dismounted, and huddled around our -fires, a weary, hungry, morose, and melancholy company. - -[Sidenote: SEPARATION FROM "JUNIUS."] - - XXV. _Wednesday, January 11._ - -As we drowsed upon the pine leaves, I asked: - -"When shall we join the footmen?" - -"After we reach Knoxville," was Dan Ellis's reply. - -This was a source of uneasiness to Davis and myself, because we had -left "Junius" behind. He was offered a horse when we started, at -midnight. Supposing, like ourselves, that the parties would re-unite -in a few hours, and tired of riding without a saddle, he declined, and -cast his lot among the footmen. It was the first separation since our -capture. Our fates had been so long cast together, that we meant to -keep them united until deliverance should come for one or both, either -through life or death. But Treadaway was an excellent pilot, and the -footmen, able to take paths through the mountains where no cavalry -could follow them, would probably have less difficulty than we. - -[Sidenote: UNION WOMEN SCRUTINIZING THE YANKEE.] - -I found an old man splitting rails, down in a wooded ravine two or -three hundred yards from our camp. While he went to his house, a mile -distant, to bring me food, I threw myself on the ground beside his -fire and slept like a baby. In an hour, he returned with a basket -containing a great plate of the inevitable bread and pork. He was -accompanied by his wife and daughter, who wanted to look at the Yankee. -Coarse-featured and hard-handed, they were smoking long pipes; but they -were not devoid of womanly tenderness, and earnestly asked if they -could do any thing to help us. - -About noon we broke camp, and compelled our half-dead horses to move -on. The road was clearer and safer than we anticipated. At the first -farm which afforded corn, we stopped two or three hours to feed and -rest the poor brutes. - -Three of us rode forward to a Union house, and asked for dinner. The -woman, whose husband belonged to the Sixteenth (loyal) Tennessee -Infantry, prepared it at once; but it was an hour before we fully -convinced her that we were not Rebels in disguise. - -We passed through Russelville soon after dark, and, two miles beyond, -made a camp in the deep woods. The night was very cold, and despite the -expostulations of Dan Ellis, who feared they belonged to a Union man, -we gathered and fired huge piles of rails, one on either side of us. -Making a bed between them of the soft, fragrant twigs of the pine, we -supped upon burnt corn in the ear. By replenishing our great fires once -an hour we spent the night comfortably. - - XXVI. _Thursday, January 12._ - -At our farm-house breakfast this morning, a sister of Lieutenant -Treadaway was our hostess. She gave us an inviting meal, in which -coffee, sugar, and butter, which had long been only reminiscences to -us, were the leading constituents. - -By ten we were again upon the road. Two or three of our armed men kept -the advance as scouts, but we now journeyed with comparative impunity. - -[Sidenote: "SLIDE DOWN OFF THAT HORSE."] - -Some of our young men, who had long been hunted by the Rebels, embraced -every possible opportunity of turning the tables. No haste, weariness, -or danger could induce them to omit following the track of guerrillas, -wherever there was reasonable hope of finding the game. On the road -to-day, one of these footmen met a citizen riding a fine horse. - -"What are you, Southerner or Union?" asked the boy, playing with the -hammer of his rifle. - -"Well," replied the old Tennesseean, a good deal alarmed, "I have kept -out of the war from the beginning; I have not helped either side." - -"Come! come! That will never do. You don't take me for a fool, do you? -You never could have lived in this country without being either one -thing or the other. Are you Union or Secession?" - -"I voted for Secession." - -"Tell the entire truth." - -"Well, sir, I do; I have two sons in Johnson's army. I was an original -Secessionist, and I am as good a Southern man as you can find in the -State of Tennessee." - -"All right, my old friend; just slide down off that horse." - -"What do you mean?" - -"I mean that you are just the man I have been looking for, in walking -about a hundred miles--a good Southerner with a good horse! I am a -Yankee; we are all Yankees; so slide down, and be quick about it." - -Accompanied by the clicking of the rifle, the injunction was not to -be despised. The rider came down, the boy mounted and galloped up -the road, while the old citizen walked slowly homeward, with many a -longing, lingering look behind. - -We traveled twenty-five miles to-day, and at night made our camp in the -pine woods near Friend's Station. - -[Sidenote: FRIENDLY WORDS BUT HOSTILE EYES.] - -As the country was now comparatively safe, Davis and myself went in -pursuit of beds. At the first house, two women assured us that they -were good Union people, and very sorry they had not a single vacant -couch. Their words were unexceptionable, but I could not see the -welcome in their eyes. We afterward inquired, and found that they were -violent Rebels. - -The next dwelling was a roomy old farm-house, with pleasant and -generous surroundings. In answer to our rap, a white-haired patriarch -of seventy came to the door. - -"Can you give us supper and lodging to-night, and breakfast in the -morning? We will pay you liberally, and be greatly obliged beside." - -"I should be glad to entertain you," he replied, in tremulous, childish -treble, "but to-night my daughters are all gone to a frolic. I have no -one in the house except my wife, who, like myself, is old and feeble." - -[Sidenote: HOSPITALITIES OF A LOYAL PATRIARCH.] - -The lady, impelled by curiosity, now appearing, we repeated the request -to her, with all the suavity and persuasiveness at our command, for we -were hungry and tired, and the place looked inviting. She dryly gave -us the same answer, but began to talk a little. Presently we again -inquired: - -"Will you be good enough to accommodate us, or must we look farther?" - -"What are you, anyhow?" - -"Union men--Yankees, escaped from the Salisbury prison." - -"Why didn't you say so before? Of course I can give you supper! Come -in, all of you!" The old lady prepared us the most palatable meal we -had yet found, and told us the usual stories of the war. For hours, -by the log fire, we talked with the aged couple, who had three sons -carrying muskets in the Union army, and who loved the Cause with -earnest, enthusiastic devotion. We were no longer apprehensive; for -they assured us that the Rebels had never yet searched their premises. - -In this respect they had been singularly fortunate. Theirs was the only -one among the hundreds of Union houses we entered, which had not been -despoiled by Rebel marauders. More than once the Confederates had taken -from them grain and hay to the value of hundreds of dollars; but their -dwelling had always been respected. - - XXVII. _Friday, January 13._ - -My poor steed gave signs of approaching dissolution; and I asked the -first man I saw by the roadside: - -"Would you like a horse?" - -"Certainly, stranger." - -"Very well, take this one." - -I handed him the bridle, and he led the animal away with a look of -wonder; but it could not have taken him long to comprehend the nature -of my generosity. Several other horses in the party had died or were -left behind as worthless. - -Our journey--originally estimated at two hundred miles--had now grown -into two hundred and ninety-five by the roads. In view of our devious -windings, we deemed three hundred and forty miles a very moderate -estimate of the distance we had traveled. - -[Sidenote: "OUT OF THE MOUTH OF HELL."] - -At ten o'clock on the morning of this twenty-seventh day, came our -great deliverance. It was at Strawberry Plains, fifteen miles east of -Knoxville. Here--after a final march of seven miles, in which our heavy -feet and aching limbs grew wonderfully light and agile--in silence, -with bowed heads, with full hearts and with wet eyes, we saluted the -Old Flag.[20] - -[20] KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, January 13, 1865. - - "Out of the jaws of Death; out of the mouth of Hell." - - ALBERT D. RICHARDSON. - - _Tribune, January 14, 1865._ - - - - -A -SONG FOR THE "NAMELESS HEROINE" -WHO AIDED THE ESCAPING PRISONERS. - -"Benisons on her dear head forever." - -Words and Music composed by B. R. HANBY. - -(Published by JOHN CHURCH, JR., 66 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati, -Ohio.) - - 1. - Out of the jaws of death, - Out of the mouth of hell, - Weary and hungry, and fainting and sore, - Fiends on the track of them, - Fiends at the back of them, - Fiends all around but an an-gel be-fore. - - _CHORUS._ - Fiends all a-round but an an-gel be-fore! - Blessings be thine, loyal maid, ev-er-more! - Fiends all around, but an an-gel be-fore, - Blessings be thine, lo-yal maid, ev-er-more. - - 2. - Out by the mountain path, - Down thro' the darksome glen, - Heedless of foes, nor at dan-ger dismayed, - Sharing their doubtful fate, - Daring the tyrant's hate, - Heart of a lion, though form of a maid; - - _CHORUS._ - Hail to the an-gel who goes on be-fore, - Blessings be thine, loyal maid, ev-er-more! - Hail to the an-gel who goes on be-fore, - Blessings be thine, lo-yal maid, ev-er-more. - - 3. - "Nameless," for foes may hear, - But by our love for thee, - Soon our bright sabers shall blush with their gore. - Then shall our banner free, - Wave, maiden, over thee: - Then, noble girl, thou'lt be nameless no more. - - _CHORUS._ - Then we shall hail thee from moun-tain to shore, - Bless thy brave heart, loyal maid, ev-er-more! - Then we shall hail thee from moun-tain to shore, - Bless thy brave heart, lo-yal maid, ev-er-more. - -[Illustration: THE "NAMELESS HEROINE."] - -[Transcribers' Note: -Spelling has not been modernized, and inconsistent hyphenation is as in -the original. The oe ligature is rendered [oe]. Italics are rendered -between underscores, e.g., _italics_. Small caps are rendered with all -caps e.g., SMALL CAPS. Superscripts are rendered with carat e.g., e=mc^2. - -Apparent printer's errors have been corrected. The following table -lists changes made by the transcribers.] - - Transcriber's Changes - +----+--------------+------------+ - |PAGE|ORIGINAL |CHANGED TO | - +----+--------------+------------+ - | 9|People |People. | - | 12|Freedom. |Freedom.-- | - | 29|business?' |business?" | - | 46|interesting |interesting.| - | 49|sieze |seize | - | 50|gentleman |gentlemen | - | 82|Sargeant |Seargeant | - | 110|reply |reply. | - | 110|nabbed!' |nabbed!" | - | 123|Tribune? |Tribune?" | - | 171|'Gu rie |Guthrie | - | 211|Parlia-liament|Parliament | - | 223|IIer |Her | - | 228|feels |Feels | - | 230|care lessly |carelessly | - | 238|briddle |bridle | - | 240|shubbery |shrubbery | - | 267|whose |Whose | - | 267|satis faction |satisfaction| - | 280|have'nt |haven't | - | 300|angry.' |angry." | - | 311|Douglass |Douglas | - | 312|Douglass |Douglas | - | 313|Douglass |Douglas | - | 336|cortege |cortege | - | 370|Gaurds |Guards | - | 375|attraced |attracted | - | 378|curreny |currency | - | 501|suposed |supposed | - +----+--------------+------------+ - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Secret Service., by Albert D. 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