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 " Mr. Goss has an extremely readable style. He tells his 
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 JED. A Bov's Adventures in the Army 
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 Fully illustrated. i2mo. Cloth, ;J 1.50. 
 
 JACK ALDEN. A Story of Adventure 
 in the Virginia Campaigns, i86i-6^. 
 
 With 16 spirited illustrations by Frank T. Merrill. i2mo. 
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"I saw one of our men run forward to the rebel color-bearer. 
 
 • — Page 151. 
 
 Frontispiece. 
 
JACK ALDEN 
 
 A STORY OF ADVENTURES IN THE 
 VIRGINIA CAMPAIGNS 
 
 '61-'65 
 
 WARREN LEE GOSS 
 
 AUTHOR OF "JED," "TOM CLIFTON," "RECOLLECTIONS OF A 
 PRIVATE," ETC. 
 
 NEW YORK: 46 East 14th Street 
 
 THOMAS Y. CROWELL & CO. 
 
 BOSTON; 100 Purchase Street 
 
Copyright, 1895, 
 By Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. 
 
 Typoobaphy «y C. J. Peteks & Son, 
 Boston. 
 
DEDICATED 
 
 THE BOYS AND GIRLS 
 
 OF A 
 
 REUMTED COUNTRY. 
 
 602928 
 
PREFACE 
 
 This book is the third, perhaps the last, of 
 a series of historical stories of the war for the 
 Union. 
 
 In it, as in " Jed " and " Tom Clifton," the 
 author has endeavored to teach the new genera- 
 tions born since the brave " Army of Northern 
 Virginia " laid down its arms at Appomattox, 
 the story of that conflict, together with lessons 
 of patriotism and endurance for the right, and 
 a broad spirit of national charity. 
 
 Many of its scenes, which may to the present 
 generation read like romance, are unexaggerated 
 recitals of real occurrences. 
 
 The incidents of the passage of the Sixth 
 Massachusetts through Baltimore in 1861 were 
 narrated to the writer by him who is known 
 in these pages as Colonel Grim. 
 
 The escape by tunnel from Libby Prison is, 
 with little change, the thrilling experience of a 
 comrade and fi'iend. 
 
viii PREFA CE. 
 
 There is, the author believes, not a description 
 of a battle or scene of the war in this story that 
 is not true to history or to real army life. 
 
 If it be objected that the actors in this story 
 are too young to have participated in great 
 events as described, the reader has only to count 
 backward from the age of many living veterans 
 of the war, to show that this objection has no 
 foundation. 
 
 With this brief introduction, I dedicate these 
 pages to the children of the new generation. 
 
 W. L. G. 
 
 KoEwicH, Conn. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. "Nap Up" 1 
 
 II. Learning to work 11 
 
 III. A EUNAWAY 20 
 
 IV. The First Call to Arms ...... 29 
 
 V. The Sixth in Baltimore 40 
 
 VI. The Yankees have come 52 
 
 VII. Home Again 66 
 
 VIII. The Patent Eights Man 77 
 
 IX. I have the War Fever 90 
 
 X. With the Army in the Field 101 
 
 XI. A Eecruit on the March 115 
 
 XII. On the Verge of Battle 129 
 
 XIII. Battle of Antietam 140 
 
 XIV. After the Battle 156 
 
 XV. The Unexpected 171 
 
 XVI. Campaigning in Virginia 184 
 
 XVII. On the Eappahannock 198 
 
 XVIII. The Battle opens 210 
 
 XIX. The Attack on Marye's Heights . . . 217 
 
 XX. The Eetreat 226 
 
 ix 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XXI. Discontent 237 
 
 XXII. A Visit to Washington 247 
 
 XXIII. A Court-Maktial 257 
 
 XXIV. The Chancellors ville Campaign . . 267 
 XXV. The Hazard of Battle 277 
 
 XXVI. A Southern Point of View .... 286 
 
 XXVII. The Dead Alive 292 
 
 XXVIII. " I can't GET OUT " 301 
 
 XXIX. The Air of Liberty 309 
 
 XXX. Under God's Flag 320 '^. 
 
 XXXI. In Washington Again 332 
 
 XXXII. At Home, and Off Again 343 
 
 XXXIII. In Front of Petersburg 354 
 
 XXXIV. The Assault and Truce 367 
 
 XXXV. The Last Campaign opens 379 
 
 XXXVI. The Race for Life 385 
 
 XXXVII. The End 397 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Drawn by Frank T. Merrill. 
 Engraved by John Andrew and Son. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 " I saw one of our men run forward to the rebel color- 
 bearer " Frontispiece 
 
 " I soon encountered a boy about my own age "... 6 
 
 " Can you strike ? " 24 
 
 " Threw himself squarely in front of our column, bear- 
 ing a rebel flag" 42 
 
 " It's my opinion that yer captain was a fool " ... 72 
 
 " A party of stragglers with a wounded man " . . . . 109 
 
 "See here, you raw recruits! Beef taller's good for 
 
 them sore heels!" 121 
 
 "The creature whinnied, and came hobbling towards 
 
 me" 178 
 
 " Get down there, men ! Lie down!" 222 
 
 "I pulled him to his feet, and angrily shook him " . . 245 
 
 "Two ragged prisoners under the persuasive influence 
 
 of my revolver " 283 
 
xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 " We were marched through the streets to Libby " . . 289 
 
 " How are you, old fellow ? Have a piece of toasted 
 
 bread?" 296 
 
 " We almost ran over a black man " 330 
 
 " The man I'eeled, and fell into the trench " .... 359 
 
 " General Blusterson and staff rode forward and saluted 
 
 Sheridan " . 394 
 
JACK ALDEN; 
 
 A STORY OF ADVENTURES IN THE 
 VIRGINIA CAMPAIGNS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 "NAP IIP." 
 
 Smash went my new ball through the window 
 of our dining-room, crashing like a l)omb among 
 the crockery on the table. 
 
 " Oh ! " exclaimed my mother, " the new cups 
 and saucers! The set is ruined!" 
 
 My father, who was at home ill for a few days, 
 came into the dining-room, whither I had been 
 dragged as an offender, and where my poor mother, 
 tearfully wringing her hands in dismay over the 
 broken crockery, cried out as my father came in, 
 " Just see what Jack has done ! It does seem as 
 if everything in this house was going to rack and 
 ruin ! " 
 
 Father looked ruefully at the wreckage for a 
 minute, and then said with a forced smile, " Well, 
 mother, if we have children we can't have every- 
 
 1 
 
2 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 thing else. Didn't I tell you we were always 
 'nap up' in this family?" 
 
 My father in this remark referred to an incident 
 of the previous week, when the material for new 
 suits for my two brothers and myself, which had 
 been sent to the tailor's to be cut, had been re- 
 turned with the garments cut the wrong way of 
 the cloth. At fii-st father had been much vexed ; 
 but on being told that in consequence of the mis- 
 take nothing would be charged for the cutting, his 
 face lit up with a smile, as he remarked, "• I don't 
 know that it makes much difference. It seems to 
 be the natural condition of a large family to be 
 ' nap up,' and I expect to go through life so." 
 
 What is sometimes known as " a good old- 
 fashioned family," such as was my father's, is not 
 so common now as in times past. I believe, how- 
 ever, that it is one of the best training-schools that 
 a child can have. It was here that I learned, early 
 in life, to fight my own battles, and to estimate 
 myself, if not others, at my proper value. 
 
 My father, if not a poor man, was at least not 
 regarded as a rich one, even at a time when in 
 New Enofland ten thousand dollars was considered 
 a fortune. 
 
 He v/as a small contractor in masonry and stone- 
 building during the summer months, and in winter 
 taught the district school, at a time when masters 
 were as important in the schoolroom as teachers. 
 
 In the coast town of Centerboro' robust young 
 
''NAP UP. 3 
 
 men, who served as first and second mates of 
 coasting-vessels, often attended district schools 
 during the winter, to learn navigation, and to 
 write, and cipher as far as " the rule of three." 
 
 My father was a graduate of a well-known 
 New England college, and, as a master, was such 
 a complete success that none of his unruly pupils 
 had ever succeeded in their attempts to turn him 
 out of the schoolroom, or in any other way to get 
 the better of him. He ruled with a rod of iron, 
 and punished unmercifully all who attempted to 
 dispute his sway. Such were the methods of those 
 days. I mention this fact, because his government 
 in his own home was in direct contrast to his 
 schoolroom methods. In his own household he 
 did not exact that strict discipline which is, I 
 believe, too often a mistake in family government. 
 I have heard him remark that a large family was a 
 miniature republic, in which the members, if not 
 governed too much, would the sooner learn self- 
 government. That if children are governed too 
 strictly, they lose that spontaneous and full enjoy- 
 ment of life to which they are as much entitled 
 as their elders. 
 
 I have since observed that young people who are 
 too much restricted and hampered b}^ prohibitory 
 rules become either unhappy or priggish, and lose 
 that joyous quality of mind which contributes so 
 much to their buoyancy in after-life. 
 
 Is it not also true that when restricted by tyran- 
 
4 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 nical rules, children, like older people under such 
 conditions, develop hypocritical and cringing syc- 
 ophancy, or break out in open revolt ? I believe 
 it may be laid down as a rule, that as a river runs 
 most smoothly when least obstructed, so he who is 
 least hampered by small restrictions is least liable 
 to break beyond bounds. 
 
 Be this moralizing true or false, it is true that in 
 our family of many children, our father seldom in- 
 terfered with innocent and often noisy amusements, 
 though he reasoned with or censured us when 
 guilty of injustice to one another. 
 
 It was in this " go as you please, if you injure 
 no one," method of government that I was reared 
 until twelve years of age. I also realized, in this 
 democracy of the famil}^, that the world was not 
 for me alone, and learned to show a proper con- 
 sideration for others. I observed that here, as 
 in larger spheres of action, the tendency of con- 
 flicts or strong rivalry was to leave things " nap 
 up." 
 
 But the happy days of our family were num- 
 bered. The family circle, soon after the incident 
 I have recorded in the opening of this chapter, 
 was broken by the death of our dear father, after 
 an illness of only a few weeks. During the last 
 few days of his illness he was visited by his 
 younger brother, who executed some papers, the 
 nature of which none of us understood, though we 
 
" NAP upy 5 
 
 believed them at the time to be my father's will. 
 This uncle Richard was reputed to be a sharp 
 business man and a money-getter. 
 
 To my mother's surprise, after father's sickness 
 and burial she discovered that my uncle Richard 
 held a heavy mortgage, but lately executed, on the 
 house and farm, on which depended the support 
 of her family. What had become of the money 
 received on the morto-acfe? 
 
 Several freshly receipted bills were found ; and 
 my uncle exhibited memoranda of his own, of 
 moneys that he claimed had been loaned my 
 father, sufficient to make up the sum named in 
 the mortgage. 
 
 A council of relatives and friends was convened 
 to consider the future support of the family. 
 After due discussion they advised that the boys 
 and girls too j^oung to work should remain with 
 my mother, while Robert, the eldest, managed our 
 little farm for their benefit and support; the other, 
 children were to be distributed among relatives 
 and friends. 
 
 It was my misfortune, in this distribution, to 
 fall into the hands of my uncle Richard, who 
 agreed to take me into his family, and treat 
 me as his son, he having no children of his 
 own. I was to receive my board, clothing, and 
 six months' schooling each year, in return for 
 my services until I was eighteen years of age. 
 
 At that age, not much over twelve, a boy knows 
 
6 JACK A LI) EN. 
 
 little of life, and dreads nothing which is not 
 tangible to him in some unpleasant form. 
 
 I remained at home for a few weeks after this, 
 while my scanty wardrobe was being put in order. 
 Then, accompanied by my mother, I was driven 
 fifteen miles to the railroad station, to be sent to 
 my uncle, feeling none of those forebodings which 
 seemed to oppress my sorrowing mother. 
 
 I had never before seen a railroad, or any of the 
 wonders connected therewith, and was bristling 
 with curiosity. Naturally visionary, and not a lit- 
 tle absent-minded, I heeded but little the parting 
 admonitions of my pale-faced mother. 
 
 The railroad cars, fine with gilded decorations 
 and red plush; the hoarse whistle of the locomo- 
 tive ; the creaking brakes, and the clatter of the 
 train in motion, — seemed to my fanc}^ as wonder- 
 ful as a scene from the " Arabian Nights." 
 
 My attention was so taken up with these won- 
 ders, that after I had changed cars at Myric's for 
 my destination, I found to my dismay that 1 had 
 left my satchel on the seat of the car from which 
 I had changed. On my arrival at Shoeboro', I 
 could at first see no signs of any one who would 
 conduct me to my uncle's. 
 
 I had not regarded the loss of my baggage as a 
 very serious matter, and walked the long platform, 
 asking questions of every one I met, like a living 
 interrogation point. I soon encountered a boy 
 about my own age, with light curling hair, and 
 
" I soon encountered a boy about my own age. 
 — Page 6. 
 
"NAP UP. 7 
 
 large mirthful blue eyes, his soft hat on the side 
 of his head. He held a whip in his hand, which 
 he occasionally cracked in a most wonderful 
 manner as he talked, exclaiming, "Say! can 
 you do that?" and then after a moment added, 
 as if it were secondary to that performance, 
 " See here, are you the feller that's goin' up to 
 Alden's?" 
 
 " Yes," I said, not surprised that a stranger 
 should know me. "Have you come for me?" 
 
 " Yes," replied my new acquaintance ; " where's 
 your baggage. " I'll help you up to the Corners 
 with it, where the team is." Then he added, 
 " I've just brought in a lot of shoes, — killed two 
 birds with one stone, you see." 
 
 I explained that I had left my satchel in the car 
 when I changed at Myric's. 
 
 The boy whistled a long, melancholy note, 
 looked at me as if with wonder at my announce- 
 ment, cracked his whip, reflected as he said, 
 "Won't the old man just be mad! Well, come 
 along." 
 
 "Who," I inquired, "is the old man?" 
 
 " Why, I mean Richard Alden ; we always call 
 him the ' old man ' behind his back. He's a tough 
 customer — a driver, I tell you ! " 
 
 After reaching the team at the Corners, I said, 
 as if in continuation of the conversation, " My 
 uncle is a deacon of the church, and I'm told is 
 a prayerful man." 
 
8 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Now, I confess it did not interest me whether 
 my uncle was either a deacon or prayerful ; but 
 being away from home, and having on my Sun- 
 day clothes, I thought it the proper thing to im- 
 press my acquaintance with a few stately company 
 remarks, as I had heard my elders do. 
 
 The boy winked, cracked his whip again, and 
 laughed as he said, " Yes, Deacon Alden is mighty 
 prayerful ; but during haying-time and other busy 
 seasons he runs prayers and business pretty close 
 together, — time is money, you know." 
 
 "What do you mean," I inquired, "by run- 
 ning them together ? " For reply, the boy said, 
 "Amen — Add, hitch up the horses," in sharp, 
 nasal tones so like my uncle that I laughed heart- 
 
 " So Add is your name ? " I said inquiringly. 
 
 " No ; my name is Addison — named after some 
 big man; but they call me Add for short — han- 
 dier in haying-time," said the boy with a wink. 
 
 I was still laughing when the team halted be- 
 fore a house situated on a grassy knoll at a fork of 
 the road, and where Add, jumping out, exclaimed, 
 " Here we are ! " 
 
 I had arrived at my uncle Richard's. 
 
 In addition to the house, there was a weather- 
 beaten barn, and between the house and barn stood 
 a low framed building, with a pile of fresh leather 
 chips in front of it. 
 
 "That," said Add, with a snap of his w^hip 
 
"NAP up:' 9 
 
 towards the low building, " is the shoe-shoj) ; 
 plantin'-tiine is just over, and the teams will start 
 up to-morrow." 
 
 Seeing that I did not understand, he continued, 
 " A team is a gang of men for making shoes, in 
 which each one of 'em does a part. I last and peg 
 'em ; Jim Dean, that feller you see coming out of 
 the shop, trims edges ; the old man fits outer soles 
 and puts on heels ; and Elbridge Mason, that boy 
 you see coming down the road, works mornings 
 and nights and Saturdays, when out of school. 
 You'll get into it as soon as you want to. Here's 
 the old man." 
 
 At the sight of my uncle Richard, Add's whole 
 manner changed ; he drew down his face, and no 
 longer cracked his whip, whistled, winked, or 
 talked. 
 
 Richard Alden came out as we were unhitching 
 the horses, spoke sharply about one of the traces 
 that was hanging in the mud, taking no notice of 
 me, until I explained that I had lost my satchel, 
 when he stopped short in adjusting the traces, and 
 looked at me with his fishy light-blue eyes ; and 
 though he made no remark, and there was nothing 
 in his manner out of the ordinary, except his cold, 
 harsh voice to imply anger, yet I felt in some way 
 that I had not heard the last from him about the 
 loss of that satchel. 
 
 " Well, come and get your supper," said my 
 uncle, as he walked briskly towards the house, 
 
10 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 looking back once or twice as if to liuny the rest 
 of us. 
 
 My uncle's wife was a pale, overworked woman, 
 with a patient, pleasant face ; and once as she 
 touched my hand in passing food, in some inde- 
 finable way I felt that I should find in her a 
 friend. 
 
 After the blessing, my uncle ate in silence, and 
 over the table there feel a chilly reserve — not 
 unusual for the family tables of New England 
 working-people, but in marked contrast to the 
 chatty, pleasant one to which I had been accus- 
 tomed. 
 
 That night I was shown to an attic room by my 
 aunt, from whom I once more received a com- 
 forting intimation of friendliness and sympathy, 
 though there was hardly a word spoken between 
 us. 
 
 Before I went to sleep I had remarked to Add, 
 who occupied the room with me, that I didn't 
 think I should like living with my uncle Richard. 
 
LEARNING TO WORK. 11 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 LEAENING TO WORK. 
 
 The morning after my arrival I took my first 
 instructions in bottoming shoes, as it was called. 
 
 Tlie workshop was some twenty feet square. 
 Around its walls were what were called, "stand- 
 up benches," at which a dozen men and boys were 
 at work. The centre of the shop was occupied by 
 a machine for rolling leather, to which was fast- 
 ened a skiver for thinning the material, and a ma- 
 chine for cutting welts. There was also a low 
 tub near by half filled w^th water, called a shop- 
 tub, and used for wetting leather. 
 
 Such were the simple equipments of the shoe- 
 making industry thirty-five years ago. The great 
 shoe-manufacturing system of the present day, 
 with the machinery for sewing, pegging, trimming, 
 and lasting, had not then been invented. The 
 bottoming of boots and shoes, however, had al- 
 ready become a standard industr}- in Massachu- 
 setts towns ; and little shoemakiug shops dotted 
 the country, and were a part of the environment 
 of the farms and villages within thirty-five miles 
 of Boston. 
 
12 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Richard Alden had taken up this work ; and his 
 economy, calculation, and energy were such, that 
 he was known the country round as " a driver '-' 
 and " money-getter," qualities for which the aver- 
 age New Englander has so great respect, that of 
 such are reverently made its deacons, selectmen, 
 and members of " the Great and General Court," 
 even to this day. 
 
 Uncle Richard had what was termed "the 
 faculty" to run his farm and shoe-business to- 
 gether, making " one hand wash the other," as 
 New England people call it, and making both 
 occupations profitable. In this manner he was 
 reputed to be "laying up money." 
 
 I took my place under his directions at one of 
 the benches, by the side of a device known as a 
 " jack," by which the shoe was firmly held with the 
 sole upward. I was instructed how to drive pegs, 
 and then left to learn the rest by experiment. I 
 first drove the awl into the leather, and tugged 
 hard to get it out. I was shown how to hold the 
 handle loosely, with the hand pressed to the sole 
 of the shoe, while I struck it with ni}^ hammer, 
 then suddenly to tighten my grasp, which would 
 bring the awl out easil3^ 
 
 In attempting to follow these instructions, I 
 caught the fleshy part of my hand, next to the 
 little finger, between the iron hasp and the shoe. 
 It hurt me so sharply as to bring tears to my 
 eyes. 
 
LEARNING TO WORK. 13 
 
 This flurried me so, that I became nervous, and 
 began to break awls almost as fast as I could 
 fit them into the hasp. Richard Alden soon de- 
 tected this fact, and, coming to my bench, angrily 
 exclaimed, " Why don't you work as I told you 
 to ? " I replied that I had hurt my hand. Where- 
 upon he struck me with the welt he held, exclaim- 
 ing, " I'll learn yer to destroy property ! " 
 
 The workman at the bench next to mine said 
 sympathetically, " It's too bad to strike a little 
 fellow like that. Deacon." Whereupon my uncle 
 struck me twice more with the welt, exclaiming, 
 as if I had made the remark, " I'll learn yer to 
 give back-talk ! " 
 
 William Reed, the workman mentioned, flushed, 
 and turning his back to his bench said indignantly, 
 " If you strike that little fellow again, Alden, I'll 
 never do another stroke of work in your shop. 
 The boy ain't to blame. Can't you see that the 
 leather is too wet ? " 
 
 My uncle turned pale, hesitated, then went to 
 his bench, sa3ang, " The boy is a good-for-nothin'. 
 He lost his baggage comin' down, and it's goin' 
 to cost me no end of money to find it." 
 
 I had never before been struck in mj life; and I 
 could scarcely keep from crying, not so much from 
 pain as from homesickness and humiliation. I did 
 not then understand why my uncle had yielded to 
 his workman so abjectly, but afterwards learned 
 that William Reed was the best workman in the 
 
14 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 shop, and was a man of some property ; and I sus- 
 pected that my uncle owed him money. 
 
 After this Reed became my instructor, and 
 quickly taught me my work. So that in a short 
 time I was able to do my part well and quickly ; 
 yet I could not seem to do enough to win a pleas- 
 ant word from uncle Richard. 
 
 That winter T attended school, working in the 
 shoe-shop mornings and evenings ; often going to 
 work before daylight, and working after school as 
 late as nine or ten o'clock in the evening. 
 
 While I do not think that habits of work are 
 the worst things that can be learned by a boy, 
 yet there is such a thing as overwork ; and the 
 more I did the more my uncle exacted. 
 
 I had found out, before being with my uncle 
 long, that his dominant passion was the acquisition 
 of money. During the summer I worked, as did 
 the others of the shop, on the farm, at planting, 
 hoeing, haying, and other work which, though 
 hard, I liked much better than shoemaking, for 
 which I had acquired the utmost distaste. 
 
 My aunt, during all the time that I stayed with 
 Deacon Alden, was very good to me. The poor 
 woman had no children of her own, and her heart 
 seemed to warm in sympathy toward me. Many a 
 time she comforted me ; and more than once gave 
 me, from her scanty purse, money earned by stitch- 
 ing and binding shoes. For after doing the 
 housework for a large family, my uncle permitted 
 
LEARNING TO WORK. 15 
 
 her to earn money in this manner for her own 
 clothes. 
 
 The winter following I was not sent to school, as 
 business was what my uncle called " too driving." 
 
 At that time my stint was the lasting and peg- 
 ging of twelve pairs of men's shoes each da}^ 
 often supplemented by cutting wood for the house, 
 and milking the cow. Eighteen cents a pair was 
 at that time considered a good price for making ; 
 and our shop's crew "made and carried in" two 
 sixty pair lots for each team, every five days. 
 
 At first I had tried to write to my mother as 
 often as once a month ; but the cost of postage and 
 paper, and the work of writing, not to mention the 
 folding of letters, which, in those days before en- 
 velopes were in use, was a work of art, were 
 to me almost insurmountable hindrances to cor- 
 respondence, and I finally ceased to write home. 
 
 My mother had not made answer to a letter I 
 wrote complaining that I had not been sent to 
 school, and the letters I had received were filled 
 with counsel to respect and obey my uncle. 
 
 Little occurred to break the monotony of niv 
 hard work during this time, except the passing of 
 an occasional circus, which I was not allowed to 
 attend ; or, " Musters," as military trainings of 
 those days were called. Most of the men in our 
 shop belonged to militia companies, and when 
 there was no farm-work I was allowed to go. 
 
 The first muster I attended was for me a sreat 
 
16 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 and never-to-be-forgotten event. I gazed almost 
 breathlessly at the glittering pageant. 
 
 I never expected, however, to become so bril- 
 liant a member of society as one of those button- 
 spangled creatures, a militia-man. I had, by extra 
 work, saved a little money for this occasion; and 
 this I spent at a mock auction, where things were 
 going so cheap that I felt that it was ruinous not 
 to invest. 
 
 Finding my money almost gone, in order to 
 make it last the longer, and to have a final blow- 
 out, I bought a bunch of fire-crackers, and a cin- 
 namon cigar, at which I puffed, lighting my 
 fire-crackers thereby, until not feeling well I reeled 
 down the railroad track on my way home, occa- 
 sionally halting to play " Niagara Falls," as Add 
 termed it, for I was dreadfully sick, and felt that 
 I should not live to get home. Uncle Richard 
 was furious because I was too sick to do the even- 
 ing "chores." By this experience at my first 
 military muster I learned, if nothing else, to avoid 
 the pernicious use of tobacco, which is an injurious 
 habit for man or boy, and one wdiich cannot but be 
 severely condemned. 
 
 Soon after this event Add became possessed 
 with a musical craze ; he bought a brass instru- 
 ment, and set the neighborhood wild while prac- 
 tisino- on it, back of the house and in the barn, 
 mornings and evenings. 
 
 My uncle was paying Add five dollars a month 
 
LEARNING TO WORK. 17 
 
 and board for his shop and farm work, and con- 
 sidered himself defrauded by the time given to 
 the trombone ; for that was the intricate instru- 
 ment Add was struggling to master. 
 
 The result was, that as Add grew earnest in 
 blowing that instrument, the disagreement with 
 uncle Richard enlarged, until at last Add indig- 
 nantly packed his kit, and moved to another town, 
 where he got work, and declared that his musical 
 study should not be interrupted. 
 
 William Reed also moved to a town nearer 
 Boston, where he had bought out a blacksmith- 
 ing business ; for like many other New England 
 mechanics he had " more than one string to his 
 bow," and was a blacksmith by trade — shoe- 
 making being simply a makeshift. 
 
 M}^ work in the shop after this had become 
 harder than ever before. I was very fond of 
 reading ; and Richard Alden considered this an 
 offence, because it diverted my attention in an- 
 other direction than that of his own business. 
 
 At this time the anti-slavery agitation was at its 
 height. The speeches of Wilson, Banks, Sumner, 
 and Burlingame and their opponents were exciting 
 national attention ; and I had become very much 
 interested, and at times excited, by reading the 
 occurrences of that period. 
 
 My uncle took no newspapers, but borrowed 
 those of his neighbors. He was a pro-slavery 
 Democrat in politics, and had but little sympathy 
 
18 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 with the abolitionists, as he designated all who 
 diflFered from him. 
 
 One of our neighbors was the widow Mason, 
 with whose son I became quite intimate, and who 
 sometimes worked in the shoeshop. He loaned 
 me books, and was very well-read. 
 
 My uncle had sent me to borrow the Boston Post 
 of them one morning, and I was reading it while 
 slowly coming down the road. On arriving in 
 front of the house, where he had been watching 
 me, I found him in a great rage over what he 
 termed my loafing. I was so much interested, 
 however, that I read the concluding paragraph 
 of a speech before I handed the paper to him, 
 whereupon he struck me a blow with the cart- 
 whip which he held in his hand. 
 
 At this time I was over fourteen years old, and 
 large and athletic for my age. My sense of in- 
 justice and tyranny, long restrained, now broke 
 its bonds ; and when he attempted to strike me 
 again, I wrested the whip from his hand, and stood 
 flushed with anger and defiance before him. 
 
 " That's the way yer show yer gratitude to a 
 man that keeps yer out of the jjoorhouse, is it?" 
 he exclaimed. 
 
 At this taunt, which was worse to ray pride than 
 the blow, I angrily replied, " Where's the schooling 
 you was to give me ? Where's my father's money 
 you took from him when he was dying?" 
 
 At this my uncle turned pale, actually staggered 
 
LEARNING TO WORK. 19 
 
 as if struck, then went to the shop, and brought 
 out a large sole-leather welt and a rope, and, furi- 
 ously coming towards me, exclaimed, " I'll tie yer 
 up and whip yer, yer dog, till yer take that back ! " 
 at the same time attempting to seize me. I re- 
 versed the whip, which I still held in my hand, 
 struck his knuckles until he let me go, and then 
 ran from the vicinity of the house. 
 
 I had many times thought of running away 
 from home. I had, however, considered that any 
 action of this kind would grieve my mother, who, 
 I well enough knew, had care enough without any 
 additional from me. I had been taught to respect 
 my elders, and my conscience was not a little 
 troubled at the thought of my assault on my 
 uncle. Although in maturer age I cannot justify 
 my attack on liim, yet I certainly had some excuse 
 for my conduct. It was, at least, not all the re- 
 sult of headstrong wickedness, as Richard Alden 
 afterwards declared. I knew enough of my un- 
 cle's character to know that he would abuse me 
 more than ever if I now submitted to him, and 
 that in any case I should get a most terrible beat- 
 ing if I remained with him. 
 
 A blow has always angered and filled me with 
 resentment ; and now that I had once turned on 
 my tyrant, there was no other course but to con- 
 tinue resistance, or run away from Richard Alden's 
 control. I determined first, however, simply to go 
 home to my mother's house. 
 
20 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A RUNAWAY. 
 
 My experience in life has taught me that mem- 
 oiy registers less of pain than of pleasure. That 
 I cannot even now recall the scenes of which the 
 foregoing chapter is a record, without a return of 
 the feelings which I then suffered, shows the 
 mental anguish I endured, and which prompted 
 my determination to run away. 
 
 So lonsf as Richard Alden was in the house I 
 could not return for my clothing without a collis- 
 ion with some one within. I no longer feared 
 my uncle, but simply wished to avoid him forever. 
 
 I did not, therefore, venture in the direction of 
 the house until late that afternoon, when I saw 
 him leave with his team, " to carry in shoes " to 
 the manufactory at the Corners, as he often did 
 in the evening, in order to save time. Then I 
 went to the house, and confided all my griefs to 
 my aunt, as if to my own mother. It comforted 
 me greatly that she did not utter a word of blame. 
 After she had fed me, and shed some sympathetic 
 tears, I told her I could endure it no longer, and 
 had made up my mind to go back to my mother. 
 
A RUNAWAY. 21 
 
 Uttering no word of censure against her hus- 
 band, she, in reply, pointed out to me that my 
 mother would probably send me back again, and 
 then it would be the worse for me ; while if she did 
 not send me back, it would be the worse for her ; 
 that uncle Alden would probably foreclose the 
 mortgage on our farm, as he had often threatened 
 to do. 
 
 But no argument could change my resolution ; 
 and an hour afterward I had reached the railroad, 
 with my poor satchel, in which, besides a change 
 of underclothes, there was a tin box with a lunch 
 of meat and bread. 
 
 I had three dollars in my pocket, two of which 
 my aunt had forced upon me from her own scanty 
 earnings. 
 
 I walked that night some five miles to Water- 
 bridge (a station on my way to Boston) ; looked 
 up Addison, who was working there ; was enter- 
 tained with the music of his trombone, which 
 seemed large for so small a boy; and slept with 
 him that night, Avith the intention of walking to 
 Boston the next day. Add disapproved of this 
 walk, although he heartily approved of my run- 
 ning away. 
 
 " Better save your breath," said he, " to cool 
 your porridge. Why, a walk to Boston will wear 
 out your strength, and your clothes and shoes ; and 
 you'll need them all when you get there." 
 
 I could have hired out at shoemakina^ in Water- 
 
22 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 bridge, where Add worked; but, not liking to be 
 so near my uncle, I determined to seek my for- 
 tune elsewhere. 
 
 I got up early that morning; for how could I do 
 otherwise, when Add was up at four o'clock to 
 practise in his bedroom on that trombone? It 
 was fortunate for me that I did so. 
 
 I bought my ticket, and got on the first train 
 for Boston, and was just moving from the station, 
 when uncle Richard drove up furiously too late to 
 catch me. 
 
 The last seen of him, he was standing up in 
 his wagon, making frantic gestures as if to stop 
 the train. 
 
 Arriving in Boston, I at once inquired the way 
 to Pearl Street, having been told that there was 
 a large number of boot and shoe firms there. It 
 soon appeared, however, that they were large deal- 
 ers, instead of shoe manufacturers; and after en- 
 deavoring all day to get work, I concluded to go 
 to Spindleville, supposing that William Reed lived 
 there. 
 
 That evening, believing myself on my way to 
 the station, I came to a long bridge — crossed it, 
 and stopped at a little building at the farther end, 
 where pies, cakes, and peanuts were sold. The 
 " Little Red Bonnet," as I think it was called, was 
 kept by an old Scotchman, with so kindly a face 
 that I inquired of him the way to the station. He 
 informed me that I had come the wrong way, and. 
 
A RUNAWAY. 23 
 
 must retrace my steps across the bridge, and then 
 probably should not reach the station in season 
 to take the last train for Spindle ville. 
 
 My face must have expressed my anxiety; for 
 he began to question me, and soon learned my 
 story. He invited me into a little room back of 
 his peanut stand, where there were two box-like 
 beds, in one of which he told me I could sleep that 
 night. I there learned, what my experience has 
 since confirmed, that tlie poor are often more 
 kindly and charitable in proportion to their means 
 than richer people. 
 
 The next morning, after a breakfast of bread 
 and toasted cheese, for which the kindly Scotch- 
 man would accept no payment, I went on my way, 
 and took the cars for Spindleville. The price of 
 my tickets took all but ten cents of my remaining 
 money. 
 
 On arriving at Spindleville, I began to inquire 
 at every blacksmith-shop for William Reed. No 
 one knew him ; and my heart sank at the prospect 
 when afternoon came, and no trace of him had 
 been found in that city. I had spent the last of 
 my money in crackers and cheese for my dinner, 
 and my chances looked gloom5^ 
 
 On my way to one of the large cotton-mills for 
 employment, I saw a blacksmith-shop, where were a 
 number of men at work. Entering, I once more 
 inquired for William Reed. The boss, who was 
 working at a forge, after hammering a while, put 
 
24 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 his iron in the fire, and, with his arm on the huge 
 bellows, inquired, "What do you want of Reed ? " 
 
 " To get work with him," I replied. 
 
 He looked at me keenly, and then said, " You 
 are in the wrong box, young feller. I know Reed ; 
 his shop is in Lowell, not Spindleville." Then 
 after a while he said, as he drew a huge iron from 
 the fire, " Can you strike ? " At his direction I 
 took up a sledge, and struck the iron with it, re- 
 peating the blows he lightly struck with a hammer. 
 He seemed pleased with the result, but said doubt- 
 fully, " Pretty good ; but did you ever strike be- 
 fore ? " I replied that I had not. " Well," he 
 said slowly, "you'll do nicely after a while; we 
 need another striker in this shop. You'll find it 
 hard work at first, but you seem a good strong 
 young fellow." It is needless to say that I joy- 
 fully closed with an offer of two dollars a week 
 and my board. 
 
 That night, after a good supper, I was given a 
 neat room, and went to my rest happy as a king at 
 the prospect of steady, well-paid employment, and 
 of learning a business more congenial to my tastes 
 than that of shoemaking. 
 
 My employer, Henry Grim, was about twenty- 
 five years of age, but lately married to the 
 daughter of his foreman, William Craudall, and 
 had just settled in business. He had been some- 
 thing of a traveller, though still a young man. He 
 told me that during the Kansas troubles he had 
 
" Can you strike 
 - Pasfe 24. 
 
A RUNAWAY. 25 
 
 been in that State, and had previously been in 
 several portions of the South. He was an intel- 
 ligent, if not a well-read, man ; a good judge of 
 human nature, and a keen observer of events, 
 and I inferred from what he told me, rather fond 
 of adventure. 
 
 My father had instilled into me a love of books ; 
 and this love, if not equivalent to an education, 
 sometimes results in obtaining one. Grim, seeing 
 that I was fond of reading, allowed me, on coming 
 to his house, to use his books ; and I was soon 
 interested in Abbott's " Napoleon." 
 
 When Grim saw me thus engaged in reading, 
 as he said, " as if hungry for it," he nodded 
 approvingly, saying, " A boy is all right who has a 
 liking for good books ! " 
 
 I served two years with Henry Grim, working 
 in happy contentment. 
 
 To say that politics raged at this time would 
 be putting it very mildly ; and Grim, finding my 
 opinion similar to his own, often discussed the 
 political situation with me. He was what his 
 father-in-law called "a Black Republican." The 
 only sneer I ever saw on Grim's face was when 
 some one insinuated that he might be induced to 
 vote for Breckinridge, one of the Democratic nom- 
 inees for president in 1860. 
 
 Several times I went with him to listen to 
 speeches by some of the noted speakers of that 
 time, among them Wendell Phillips, Theodore 
 
26 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Parker, Henry Wilson, and N. P. Banks. The two 
 last named were my favorite speakers; not only 
 because they were conservative men, but because 
 they had come up from the ranks of the working- 
 people of Massachusetts, and represented their 
 hardy common-sense. 
 
 " If I cared nothing for law," said Grim, after 
 listening to Wendell Phillips, " I should be an 
 abolitionist ; but we must obey laws, or descend 
 to anarchy or revolution. The abolitionists say 
 slavery is wrong, and I agree with them ; but not 
 with their logic, when they propose to negative 
 law in order to destroy slavery. I am a Republi- 
 can, because they propose to restrict slavery to 
 the States where it now exists by force of local 
 enactments. It can't be wrong to keep slavery 
 out of the States hereafter seeking admission to 
 the Union." 
 
 The political campaign of 1860 Avas very excit- 
 ing. One night Grim and myself had been to 
 Boston to listen to Anson Burlingame. In reply 
 to a threat made by some Southern man in case 
 Abraham Lincoln was elected, " to hurl upon the 
 North a million of armed men," Burlingame ex- 
 claimed, " A million of armed men ! Let them 
 come, with their spades and coffins lashed to their 
 backs ! " 
 
 On our way home, Grim said, " That Burlin- 
 game may see more of the spade and coffin busi- 
 ness than he likes." 
 
A RUNAWAY. 27 
 
 At another time we heard Jefferson Davis in 
 the old " Cradle of Liberty," Faneuil Hall. He 
 was introduced by Caleb Cushing ; and during 
 his speech, with clinched fist, Davis said, " If 
 you don't stop this discussion of our affairs and 
 your interference with slavery, we'll dissolve the 
 Union ! " 
 
 " Pretty plain talk, that," said Grim, when we 
 had got on the returning train. " There must 
 be fire where there's so much smoke. We'll have 
 civil war sometime." 
 
 Afterwards when he repeated what Davis had 
 said to Crandall, he replied, '• Oh, that's political 
 bluff ! " 
 
 Grim was a member of the Sixth Regiment of 
 State Militia, and I had often spoken to him of my 
 desire to join it when I had become of proper 
 age. 
 
 One day, in reply to something Grim had said 
 about war, his father-in-law said, " Nonsense ! men 
 have learned better than to cut each other's throats 
 when they don't agree ; now I kinder believe with 
 Burritt (I used to work with him) that this is 
 an era of peace, and that probably we shall never 
 have any more war." 
 
 Grim answered thoughtfully, " Well, human 
 nature ought to be hammered into that shape, and 
 maybe it will one of these days ; but we sha'n't act 
 like angels until we have less of the brute in us 
 than at present. I kinder expect to see war yet ; 
 
28 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 just the same as I expect to shoot the first burglar 
 that breaks into my house to steal, and then tries 
 to murder me because I resent his attempt ! " 
 
 During all this time I had been steadily learning 
 my business, until I had advanced from striking, 
 to the forge, and could do as good a piece of 
 work, so Grim declared, as " any young feller in 
 the business." 
 
 My wages were also advanced ; and it was a 
 happy day when I was able to send my poor 
 mother fifty dollars, with the promise of a small 
 sum thereafter each month. This I did through 
 William Reed, whom I hunted up a few weeks 
 after my arrival in Spindleville ; for it was deemed 
 best not to let my mother know where I was at 
 work. 
 
 Thus I worked on in that happy contentment 
 that comes from heathful toil and congenial sur- 
 roundings. 
 
 At last great events, in part to me unexpected, 
 broke up the pleasant tranquillity of my life, and 
 forced it into broader and stormier channels. 
 
THE FIRST CALL TO ARMS. 29 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE FIRST CALL TO ARMS. 
 
 Those were exciting times. Important national 
 events followed fast after one another. The ex- 
 asperating- language and action of Southern fire- 
 eaters and of Northern abolitionists, the secession 
 of South Carolina, the talked-of plot to assassinate 
 the new president on his way to the national 
 capital, his arrival in Washington, and his patri- 
 otic, wise, and moderate inaugural address, — all 
 followed in rapid succession. 
 
 "Yes, that's it exactly," said Grim, after read- 
 ing the address. " Listen to this, Father Cran- 
 dall : — 
 
 '''In your hands and not in mine, my dissatisfied 
 fellow-citizens, are the momentous issues of civil war. 
 The government will not assail you. You can have 
 no conflict without you yourselves being the aggres- 
 sors. You have no oath registered in heaven to de- 
 stroy the government, while I have a most solemn 
 one to preserve, protect, and defend it. T am loath to 
 close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must 
 not be enemies. Though passion may have strained 
 them, it must not break our bonds of affection. The 
 
30 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 mystic cord of memory, stretching from every battle- 
 field and patriot grave, to every living heart and 
 hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell 
 the chorus of the Union, when touched, as they surely 
 will be, by the better angels of our natures.' " 
 
 Crandall, who had listened thoughtfully, looked 
 up with interest, and said, while Grim was folding 
 the paper, "I'd like to read the whole of it." 
 Then, after reading, he remarked, " It's good, 
 practical common-sense ; no bluster in it. Kinder 
 seems to me Abe Lincoln's got more sense than all 
 the rest of you Black Republicans put together." 
 
 I was working at the forge one cold, crisp morn- 
 ing in March, 1861. Grim had been unusually 
 thoughtful and silent that morning^ althouo-h it is 
 never common for men of his mould to talk at 
 their work. We had just been hammering at a 
 huge piece of welding ; and he stood at the anvil 
 waiting for it to reheat, the great beads of sweat 
 standing on his broad, thoughtful brow, his keen 
 gray eyes non-focussed in thoughtful abstraction. 
 Crandall was working near by, occasionally cast- 
 ing glances at Grim from under his shaggy, pro- 
 jecting eyebrows. 
 
 Just then a customer came in hurriedly with a job, 
 which Grim turned over to his foreman, and then in 
 a still more abstracted manner resumed work at the 
 anvil. Clink 1 Clank ! Clink ! Clank ! How musi- 
 cally the iron rang out in answer to the hammers, 
 and what a healthful odor came from the forgre ! 
 
THE FIRST CALL TO ARMS. 31 
 
 The iron was welded. Crandall came up and 
 looked at the work with a critical eye as we re- 
 moved our aprons preparatory to washing for 
 dinner. 
 
 " It's a good job, Grim ! But it is a wonder ; 
 for your wits have been wool-gathering all the 
 morning ! I've known you ever since you first 
 came down here from New Hampshire to learn 
 your trade, eleven years ago ; and when I see you 
 in one of them fits, I always expect some new 
 move. It's a pity, too, for you've got the best 
 business of any blacksmith in town. I expected 
 to see you sober down, kinder contented-like, after 
 yer married my daughter Mary. There ain't any 
 wool in her wits ! " 
 
 " Want ter buy this business ? " Grim threw 
 out the query in gruff tones, turning sharply on 
 the speaker; then continuing, "I'm ready ter sell." 
 
 " See here, Grim ! " exclaimed Crandall, " what 
 does all this mean ? " Then after a pause resumed, 
 in answer to the other question, " No, I don't want 
 ter buy ; I've got a purty good head for work, but it 
 isn't much for business. You're the man for that, 
 Grim ; and it's kinder a pity you can't stick to it." 
 
 " Listen to this," said Grim, taking a newspaper 
 from the forge-shelf, " it's an order from Gover- 
 nor Andrew in this morning's Journal. Guess you 
 ain't read it ? " And Grim read an order, the sub- 
 stance of which was, that each commander of the 
 militia, who were uniformed and armed with the 
 
32 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 latest pattern of Springfield rifles, was to inspect 
 his company ; and all enlisted men who, from dis- 
 ability, business, or other causes, did not wish to 
 respond to a call from the president to "protect 
 property and enforce the laws," should be dis- 
 charged, and the ranks recruited to their maxi- 
 mum strength by those willing to comply with 
 this requirement. 
 
 " Hum ! firebrands ! " With this ejaculation 
 Crandall turned away with something like a scowl 
 on his overhanging brow ; then sharply adding, 
 " Them abolitionists ! " 
 
 Grim folded his paper, washed, put on his coat ; 
 and, as we walked along together, said, as if in 
 continuation of his thoughts, " Didn't you say 
 you would like to join the militia, Alden ? " 
 
 "Yes," I responded ; "but I ain't old enough." 
 
 " Hum ! not seventeen ? You look nineteen or 
 twenty." Then, after a pause. Grim continued, 
 "How old are you?" — "Sixteen, most seven- 
 teen." — " Pretty sizable feller. I guess you will 
 pass. What say? Will yer try it? 1 kinder 
 want you ter go if I do." 
 
 The result was, that when evening came I went 
 to the armory, and was enrolled ; and I am not sure 
 when asked my age that I did not allow Grim to 
 answer for me. 
 
 After this I began drilling evenings, and soon 
 knew as much of the manual of arms and com- 
 pany movements as the majority of the men. 
 
THE FIRST CALL TO ARMS. 33 
 
 Not long after this, about the first of April, 
 1861, Grim sat reading his newspaper, while I was 
 reading Abbott's " History of Napoleon." My im- 
 agination was all aglow with its rose-colored de- 
 scription of war, when a member of our company 
 brought a letter for Grim. He read it, then looked 
 across the table at his wife, and said, " Mary, the 
 field and staff officers of the Sixth met at the 
 American House in Lowell last evening, and ten- 
 dered their services to the government. I suppose 
 we are likely to be called out at any time. I think 
 father Crandall will tend to the business if I'm 
 gone a while." 
 
 The little woman turned her face to him ; and 
 tears stood in her eyes as she lovingly looked at 
 her stalwart husband, saying, ^ You know best, 
 Henry. But I was in hopes you cared enough 
 for me to want'er stay at home." 
 
 Grim bit liis lip, and a lump rose in his throat, 
 as he said, " God knows I care for you, Mary ! 
 But you wouldn't have me show the white feather, 
 if my regiment should be called out, would you? " 
 
 "No," said the young wife; "I dun know as I 
 should. Y' couldn't be a coward if y' should 
 try, Henry." 
 
 "Well," said Grim musingly, as he put on his 
 coat to go down to the armory, "perhaps it will all 
 blow over; kinder hope so." That night when we 
 arrived there, and the order was read, all present 
 were in favor of going whenever we should be 
 called out. 
 
34 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " Consider yourselves ready, then," said Grim, 
 looking at the young fellows gathered around him, 
 " to respond to the tap of the drum. There's been 
 talk enough. This means something besides talk. 
 It may. mean fighting ! " 
 
 On our way home Grim said, after a thoughtful 
 silence, " This'll give them that hev talked a chance 
 to back it up with courage and muscle, I guess. 
 I'm sick of dilly-dallying. Speeches don't amount 
 to a snap of my finger ! " 
 
 " You don't imagine," said Crandall, when some, 
 thing like this was said in the shop tlie next 
 morning, " there'll be anything hut talk ? " 
 
 " I dun know," said Grim, pausing in his work, 
 with a far-away look of abstraction in his eyes. 
 Then he began pounding furiously, as if he had the 
 Southern Confederacy on the anvil, saying, " If 
 them Southern brethren of our'n push us too fur, I 
 ain't a-goin' to sa}^ it's best to back down, though ! " 
 
 The crisis came at last. 
 
 On the 13th of April, 1861, while on our way 
 to the shop, our attention was arrested by a huge 
 bulletin-board, on which, in large head-lines, was 
 the following : — 
 
 WAR INAUGURATED BY THE 
 
 SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY ! 
 
 FORT SUMTER ATTACKED AND TAKIiN BY THE REBELS, 
 
 AFTER A TERRIBLE BOMBARDMENT ! ! ! 
 
 MAJOR ANDERSON AND HIS WHOLE COMMAND 
 
 PRISONERS OF WAR ! ! 
 
THE FIRST CALL TO ARMS. 3o 
 
 We were too much excited to think of work. 
 Crowds were gathered around the bulletin-boards ; 
 and when the newsboys began crying the Boston 
 papers on the streets, there was intense excite- 
 ment, and an eagerness to get the news prevailed. 
 
 The Carolinians had dared the first shot to " fire 
 the Southern heart ; " but they had also ignited 
 the Northern heart (so slow to wrath) as a result 
 of that unjustifiable bombardment of a national 
 fortress. 
 
 The change from apathy to indignation was a 
 noticeable feature of the hour. INIen who for 
 months had been bitterly opposed to the adminis- 
 tration, turned squarely around, and were now 
 bitter in their denunciation of the rebels and their 
 attack on Fort Sumter. 
 
 As we went down the street on our way to the 
 shop, we saw little groups of men on the sidewalk 
 and in the doorways, gravely discussing the situ- 
 ation. The general sentiment seemed to be, "The 
 Southerners have gone too far this time. We 
 must punish them in some wa}^, so they will re- 
 spect the law." 
 
 When we reached the shop we found Crandall 
 earnestly at work. Grim read the news to him as 
 he stood at his anvil. As the full import of the 
 news struck him, he stopped work, knit his brow 
 thoughtfully, chewed solemnly at his quid of 
 tobacco, then deliberately took off his leather 
 apron, and, while washing his hands at the tub, 
 
36 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 said, " Boys, I've always been in favor of giving 
 the South fair play, but they've gone too far this 
 time ! We must make them understand that they 
 can't fire on the American flag without getting 
 into trouble ! We must make them take a back 
 seat." He enlisted in the Sixth Militia that day, 
 and never put on his blacksmith apron again until 
 the Rebellion was ended. 
 
 A short time after this, while we were drillincr 
 at the armory, we got the president's proclamation, 
 calling for seventy-five thousand men. Grim read 
 it aloud. How our hearts thrilled at its patriotic 
 tone I sliall not forget if I live another fifty 
 years : — 
 
 "Whereas the laws of the United States are ob- 
 structed by a combination too powerful to be sup- 
 pressed by ordinary judicial proceedings ; therefore, 
 I, Abraham Lincoln, by virtue of the power in me 
 vested by the Constitution and the law, have thought 
 it fit to call forth, and do call forth, the militia of 
 the several States of the Union, to the aggregate 
 number of seventy-five thoiisand, in order to suppress 
 said combination. I appeal to all loyal citizens, to 
 favor, facilitate, and to aid this effort to maintain the 
 honor, the integrity, and existence of our National 
 Union, and the perpetuity of popular government, 
 and to redress wrongs already too long endured." 
 
 This call to arms seemed to strike the keynote 
 of moderation and good sense which, amid all the 
 terrible discords of civil war, sounded strong and 
 
THE FIRST CALL TO ARMS. 37 
 
 clear above the tumult of rebellion against the 
 Constitution and the law. 
 
 After reading it, Grim said. "• That's an argu- 
 ment as well as a call for men." 
 
 " Yes," said Crandall ; " it's calm and clear as a 
 mill-pond, and strong as if double-bolted. It 
 shows we are right ; we are simply upholding the 
 law, and mustn't back down ! " 
 
 It was the 16th of April when this first call to 
 arms was read, and we of the Sixth Regiment 
 were expecting to be ordered out at any hour. 
 
 A little past four o'clock that afternoon (the 
 16th) we left the shop to go up town, when we 
 encountered Crandall coming towards us, exclaim- 
 ing excitedly as he reached us, " We're ordered 
 out ! Here's a despatch ! I'm on my way to 
 notify the captain and other officers ! " Grim 
 said to me, " Hold on a minute ; I must go and 
 tell my wife." 
 
 When he rejoined me we went to the armory 
 together, unlocked the door, ran up the national 
 flag, beat the long roll as well as we could, put 
 on our uniforms, and were ready to march at five 
 p. M. This roused the town, of course, and the 
 people came flocking to the armory to learn what 
 it meant. 
 
 We left town next morning on the eight o'clock 
 train for Lowell, where we joined the other com- 
 panies of the Sixth, making eight companies in 
 all. We proceeded by rail to Boston, where we 
 
38 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 arrived about noon. Here, on the 17th, we went 
 to the State House, and drew overcoats and got 
 our colors. 
 
 Three companies, one from Boston, two more 
 from Worcester and Stoneham, joined us, making 
 in all eleven companies, to which was added a 
 band. There were in all about seven hundred 
 men, commanded by Colonel E. T. Jones. (The 
 lieutenant-colonel was an old man, and did not 
 go with us.) Major Benj. F. Watson, editor of a 
 Douglass Democratic newspaper, took his place, 
 and was very popular with the boys. 
 
 We left Boston at seven o'clock that night, 
 with orders from Governor Andrew to report to 
 the War Department at Washington. 
 
 We went all the way by rail, and awoke the 
 citizens with our music on our arrival at New 
 York in the morning of the next day. Among 
 the members of the band I saw a young fellow 
 who, when the music had at one time ceased, 
 still industriously pumped hideous sounds from a 
 big trombone. It put me so much in mind of Add's 
 performance on that instrument, that I laughed. 
 
 " What," said Sergeant Grim, " is so funny. 
 Jack?" So I told him about Add, of his leav- 
 ing his place on account of his trombone, and 
 also of the concert he had entertained me with 
 the morning I left him in Waterbridge. Grim 
 laughingly said, " We ought t' have him with us 
 to scare the rebs." 
 
THE FIRST CALL TO ARMS. 39 
 
 One-half of the regiment, including my com- 
 pany, went to the Astor House that morning, and 
 the other half to the Metropolitan Hotel. We 
 stacked arms in the lobby of the Astor, and there 
 took breakfast ; and after this, formed in line and 
 marched down Broadway. 
 
 Great excitement prevailed in the city ; banners 
 were waving everywhere, and the crowd was so 
 dense that we had to push our way through it. 
 
 On the morning of the 18th we arrived in 
 Philadelphia, and left on the morning of the 
 19th for Baltimore. 
 
40 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE SIXTH IN BALTIMOEE. 
 
 About an hour before our arrival in Baltimore, 
 the captain of our company came into our car, say- 
 ing he had just been to see the colonel, and then 
 added, " The orders are, that in marching through 
 Baltimore, every man is to keep his face square 
 to the front, and take no notice of anything said 
 to him." 
 
 " That means," said Sergeant Grim interroga- 
 tivel}'', " that if they sass us, we are not to sass 
 back?" 
 
 "Exactly," said the captain, nodding and smil- 
 ing ; " as near that as anything. You are not to 
 resent any kind of talk coming from citizens, 
 no matter what they say, but march square to 
 the front." 
 
 Ammunition, ten rounds to each man, was then 
 distributed to us, our captain at the same time re- 
 marking that there would probably be no trouble, 
 as the cars were to be drawn by horses across 
 the city to the Camden-street Station. 
 
 On our arrival in Baltimore, we found a crowd 
 of four hundred or five hundred people congre- 
 
THE SIXTH IN BALTIMORE. 41 
 
 gated at the railway station, many of them 
 seeming only interested spectators of our arrival, 
 mere lookers-on ; while others called us villains 
 and abolitionists, and shook their fists at us. 
 Horses were at once attached to the cars, con- 
 taining seven companies, together with the field 
 and staff officers ; and these were at once drawn 
 to the station, across the city. The cars contain- 
 ing companies C, D, I, and L were left behind. 
 
 Sergeant Grim threw up the window, saying, 
 "Le's have some air!" 
 
 The crowd had meanwhile continued steadily 
 to gather ; and, with a gesture of contempt toward 
 them. Grim said, " Them fellows are as chuck full 
 of cussedness as they can hold ! " 
 
 " The regimental band is in one of the back 
 cars," said • one of the men. " I wonder they 
 don't play something lively." 
 
 I sat in the seat with Grim ; and, as the window 
 was raised, I could hear as well as see what had 
 now become a mob of men. Some of them shook 
 their fists at us, calling us, " Yankee villains ! " 
 "white nio-o-ers!" and other vile names. 
 
 "See 'em," said Grim; "they're itching to get 
 hold of us. They'd skin us alive if they could. 
 Them fellows feel wicked all through." 
 
 A villanous-looking bully here' came up to the 
 open window, uttered a fierce imprecation, glared 
 at us angrily, and finally spat tobacco juice 
 upon us. 
 
42 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Private Crandall, who had at this time come to 
 our seat, angrily drew back to strike him, when 
 Grim arrested his arm, saying, "'Gainst orders, 
 father Crandall," and then shut the window. 
 
 In about twenty minutes orders came to leave 
 the cars and fall into line. This we did while the 
 howling mob was cursing and threatening us. 
 
 The officers held a hurried consultation. Cap- 
 tain FoUansbee took command, wheeled the men 
 into column of sections, the crowd all this time 
 pfrowing- more and more excited and violent in 
 their language and gestures. 
 
 "We're goin' to hev trouble here," said Cran- 
 dall, his shaggy brows scowling down over his 
 eyes, as he bit solemnly into a huge plug of 
 tobacco. 
 
 We began our march, the crowd following with 
 exasperating jeers, curses, and insults. As soon 
 as the order was given, the same ruffian who had 
 looked in at our windows threw himself squarely 
 in front of our column, bearing a rebel flag at- 
 tached to a rude pole, as if to stop its advance. I 
 saw our men wrest it from him ; and in the strug- 
 gle for its possession it dropped to the ground, and 
 was trampled as we passed over it. 
 
 The police all this while seemed to be idle 
 spectators. One exception, however, occurred 
 when one of them, who had been requested to 
 show us (or lead) the way across the city, directed 
 us by saying, " Keep the railroad-track," and was 
 
Threw himself squarely in front of our column bearing 
 a rebel Hag." 
 
 — Page 42. 
 
THE SIXTH IN BALTIMORE. 43 
 
 immediately knocked down with a stone thrown 
 by some one in the mob. 
 
 On turning into Pratt Street, shortly after leav- 
 ing the station, the mob began to throw bricks 
 and stones, one of which struck me on the side 
 of the head just as I was turning the corner. It 
 stasfsrered and confused me, so that if Crandall 
 and Grim, who were by my side, had not held me 
 up, I should have dropped in the street. 
 
 Grim said in an undertone, and with a sar- 
 castic grin, " Sumthin' of a contrast to marchin' 
 
 through New York, boys, them devils ! I 
 
 wish the captain would give orders to fire ! " 
 
 Still we marched with our faces square to the 
 front. My heart was throbbing like drum-beats, 
 and a lump constantly rose in my throat. The 
 crowd soon became still more furious. Shouts, 
 howls, pistol-shots, stones, and bricks were hurled 
 at us from every side. I saw some of our men 
 lying wounded in the street, with yellow-white 
 faces and ugly blotches of blood on them, turned 
 up to the sky. 
 
 At last, about a third of a mile from our start- 
 ing-point, we came to a canal. The bridge across 
 it had been torn up ; its planks, together with 
 barrels and boxes, were piled up on it in such a 
 manner as for a time to stop our advance. 
 
 For some reason the mob did not fire on us here; 
 and by stepping from one timber to another, and 
 levelling the barricade as much as possible, we 
 
44 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 finally got across. The mob quickly followed us 
 up again, firing quite rapidly, and howling like 
 fiends. 
 
 " Ain't they wadin' in considerable deep ? " said 
 Crandall coolly, but with suppressed wrath. 
 
 " Look at them fellows up there in the third 
 story of that block," said Crandall in a low but 
 sharp tone. " Look ! " I glanced upward, and 
 saw three or four men with muskets pointing 
 downward, as if to shoot. 
 
 Crandall brought up his Springfield rifle, when 
 Grim seized his arm, saying, '^ Stop it ! Wait for 
 orders! " The men at the window fired. Two of 
 our men dropped ; and then the order came, " Fire 
 at will ! Fire ! " Grim at this command brouofht 
 his musket quickly to his face ; and at its sharp 
 report, one of the ruffians, with a crash that made 
 my heart jump, tumbled mangled on the sidewalk. 
 Then the men began firing rapidly, not at random, 
 but coolly, at those who were most conspicuous in 
 the assault on us. 
 
 At our first fire the crowd had fallen back ; and 
 as the smoke thinned we saw dead and wounded 
 men occupying the space thus cleared. Then the 
 furious mob closed in on us once more, howl- 
 ing and cursing with redoubled fury, exclaiming, 
 " We've got graves dug for all of you Yanks ! " 
 " We'll manure the soil here with you, you white 
 Yankee niggers ! " " We'll learn y' to come 
 down here ! " 
 
THE SIXTH IN BALTIMORE. 45 
 
 " Oh, shut up ! " said Grim, with an impreca- 
 tion; for he was now angry all through. A ruf- 
 fian seized me by the collar at this time, and 
 would have pulled me from the ranks ; but Cran- 
 dall struck him with his club-like blacksmith fist, 
 and the ruffian, with the blood spurting from his 
 nose, fell to the pavement. A number of similar 
 attempts to club our men were made here. We, 
 in return, aimed, as a general thing, only on those 
 whom we saw shooting or clubbing our men. 
 
 The companies had followed the railroad-track 
 until the head of the column came to a switch. 
 At it we halted for a moment. We heard some 
 of the mob who were stationed here threatening 
 and cursing, apparently in an attempt to prevent 
 us from turning into a side street. I afterwards 
 learned that Captain Follansbee had been unde- 
 cided which way to go, until ihe threats of these 
 men to kill him if he turned down that way, 
 showed him that the right way to the station was 
 in that direction. 
 
 The mob still kept up their attack on us, Avith 
 pistols, muskets, stones, bricks, and lumps of coal 
 from a coal-yard near by ; the crowd hooting, yell- 
 ing, and calling us all the foul names they could 
 invent. 
 
 Our column still moved on, reached the cars, 
 got hurriedly on the train, and was soon moving 
 away. 
 
 I was not so fortunate as to reach either station 
 
46 JACK ALDE?^. 
 
 or train. Just as I saw our men at the head of the 
 column getting on the cars, I fell. I remember 
 thinking that my foot had tripped ; then I was 
 dimly conscious of being dragged into an alleyway 
 or side street, and knew no more until I found 
 myself in bed in a strange place. 
 
 I was in the confused condition of one who 
 awakes after a profound slumber, unable to recog- 
 nize time, surroundings, or that which had pre- 
 ceded his going to sleep. 
 
 "Where am I?" I inquired. "Where are the 
 boys?" 
 
 A girl about three years older than myself 
 stepped lightly to the bed, and, placing her cool 
 hand on my throbbing head, said, " You are 
 among friends. Union people, and father says 
 that you must lie still." 
 
 I tried to rise, sjvying, " But I must get away 
 with the regiment." 
 
 " You can't ; they've been gone for hours. You 
 must lie perfectly still, or you will get the band- 
 ages off," and she coolly turned back the clothes 
 at the foot of the bed and proceeded to inspect 
 something there, which thing I soon found to 
 be connected with a terrible pain in one of my 
 legs. 
 
 " I'm awful thirsty ! " I exclaimed. She gave 
 me a cooling drink and said, " Lie still." The 
 girl's manner was one of mingled assurance and 
 firmness, and I gazed at her in astonishment. 
 
THE SIXTH IN BALTIMORE. 47 
 
 "What," I asked, "does it all mean? How 
 did I come here ? ' ' 
 
 " You were wounded and brought in here by 
 good Union people ; my father's a Northern man ; 
 I am your nurse ; you are my first case ; and you 
 must keep very quiet." This last was said with 
 an air of great firmness ; and, as I wonderingly 
 watched her moving lightly around the room, I 
 fell into a deep sleep. 
 
 I was awakened some hours after by a light rap 
 at the door, and a moment afterward a gentleman 
 walked into the room. I knew at once that he 
 was a doctor, by that indefinable manner of cheer- 
 fulness and assurance that men of that profession 
 have. 
 
 Addressing my nurse, he said, " How's your 
 patient, May? Hum, — been asleep? That's 
 good." 
 
 The doctor was a man of medium size, and 
 quick in his motions. His distinguishing mark 
 was a huge shock of sandy hair and whiskers, 
 with hazel or almost black eyes. This contrast 
 of his light bristly hair with his dark eyes gave 
 him an almost ferocious look, that was, however, 
 dispelled at once on hearing his voice, which, 
 though deep, was very pleasantly modulated. 
 His tones were those of a man who commanded 
 but never assumed ; who expected obedience, yet 
 did not fume if it was not accorded him. 
 
 He came to my side, looked at me, addressed 
 
48 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 a few words to the girl, unrolled the handage 
 f]om my leg, restored it, and then said, " Well, 
 young man, how do you feel ? " 
 
 " Rather bad, doctor ; will you please tell me 
 how I came here ? " 
 
 "You came," said the doctor, with a grim 
 smile, " feet first. You were brought here. A 
 friend of yours was dodging around, trying to 
 get to the depot. He said he was doing the 
 best he knew how to mind his own business 
 when he saw you shot down ; dragged you out 
 of the way ; happened to hit on me for a doctor ; 
 some Union man told him I was from the North, 
 I believe. We brought you here, and put you 
 under boss May," smiling and nodding towards 
 the girl. 
 
 " Who," I asked, " was this friend of mine ? " 
 
 "One of your band; he had slipped on a pair 
 of overalls, an old blouse and a soft hat, left his 
 instrument in a shop, and was skulking around 
 trying to reach the train when he saw you shot 
 down." 
 
 " It's all a mystery to me," I said, " I don't 
 know a soul in the band." 
 
 " I fear you've talked too much already," inter- 
 rupted the girl, looking toward her father. " Rest 
 after such a shock is the best thing for you. Your 
 nervous shock, my father says, is worse, if any- 
 thing, than your wounds." 
 
 After the doctor had left, I lay still looking at 
 
THE SIXTH IN BALTIMORE. 49 
 
 the wall, and at the girl sitting by the window. 
 The light had begun to fade away into twilight, 
 Avith no sound in the house except the ticking 
 of a clock in the hallway, when she said, ^ Here 
 comes your friend." Soon I heard a step in the 
 hall, and when she opened the door there appeared 
 the ruddy, laughing face of Add. 
 
 I was never more surprised or glad to see any 
 one. He soon told me the whole story. 
 
 "The band," said Add, "was in the rear car; 
 of course we couldn't shoot anything but wind 
 at them fellows. So we just got away the best 
 we could. The mob had gone howling after you 
 so we didn't have so much trouble in mindin' 
 our own business as the rest of you did." 
 
 "What became of the rest of the band?" 
 
 " Skulking around the city somewhere ; most 
 of 'em have bouofht or borrowed citizen's clothes." 
 
 He told me he had tried to reach the car in 
 "overalls" and a soft hat which he had bought of a 
 Jew, and had then followed the regiment with the 
 intention of sfcttino- aboard the train with them. 
 
 " I was just going to make my final rush for the 
 cars," said Add, " when I recognized you, and in a 
 moment more you were down. I know the very 
 house you were shot from. You see they thought 
 I was one of the mob. Then I got a feller to help 
 me carry you. Then the doctor come along, and 
 over in the drug-store they told me he was a 
 Northern man ; and then we had you brought in 
 
50 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 here. That's the whole business, without black- 
 ball or burnishing," said Add, with one of his 
 droll twinkling expressions, which might be called 
 a wink. 
 
 " Lost my instrument, too ; softest and sweetest 
 toned one in Boston ; makes me so mad that I 
 could tear down their old rat-trap of a city ; plague 
 me if I couldn't! " 
 
 When I remembered the tones of that trombone, 
 so like a clap of thunder pumped through a coarse 
 sieve, I laughed almost convulsively ; for Add's 
 music was to my mind extremely ludicrous. 
 
 I finally said, "It must have been you, Add, 
 whom I saw pumping that thing all alone down 
 on Broadway the morning we left New York." 
 
 Add grinned, Avas a little provoked, but finally 
 joined me in laughing as he said, " Some of them 
 band fellers did call me ' lone thunder,' but you 
 bet I can drown out tlie whole band with my trom- 
 bone ! Some of them chaps are so envious that 
 they got mad after I joined, because they thought 
 I'd use up all the wind in the band-room." 
 
 Add or the laughing did me good, and I could 
 see that both the doctor and my nurse thought so ; 
 for after that they encouraged him to visit me 
 every day. I was quite touched by his devotion to 
 me, for he said he was " goin' to stand by me until 
 I was able to go on to Washington ; for," added 
 he, " the Rebs have burned all the bridges 'tween 
 here and Washington, and tain't no use ter try." 
 
THE SIXTH IN BALTIMORE. 51 
 
 I learned from my doctor that one of the small 
 arteries of my leg had been severed by the bullet, 
 which had caused me to lose much blood ; and 
 though the bone had been slightly splintered, yet 
 it was not broken ; and there was some inflamma- 
 tion, but he hoped to have me around again in 
 a few days. 
 
 One day, a week or two afterward, the doctor 
 had been examining my wound, when Add re- 
 sjjonded to some teasing remark I had made, by 
 saying, " Now, Jack Alden, you shut up or get 
 up. You ain't so awful sick as you pretend." It 
 was the first time my name had been mentioned, 
 and the doctor turned around to Add, tlien to me 
 with a questioning look, and said, " Is your name 
 John Alden ? and was your father's name the 
 same ? " 
 
 I replied that it was ; and after some other an- 
 swers to his questions it turned out that he and 
 my father had been college chums. 
 
 The doctor was, as I have already intimated, 
 a strong Union man. I learned that he was a 
 widower, and that Mary was his only daughter, 
 though he had a son older than she who was then 
 living in the South. 
 
 I recovered strength rapidly ; soon obtained a 
 suit of citizen's clothes, and in a few weeks was 
 able, with the doctor's aid, to be about, and thought 
 of attempting to rejoin my regiment in Washing- 
 ton, if I could get there. 
 
52 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE YANKEES HAVE COME. 
 
 After the passage of the Sixth Massachusetts 
 through the streets, of Baltimore, railroad com- 
 munications between Washington and the North 
 were for a time cut off. 
 
 Maryland was in a ferment. Her legislature 
 only awaited a favorable moment to proclaim its 
 adherence to the Southern cause, and to raise 
 the standard of Secession. 
 
 For the weeks during which I remained in 
 Baltimore, rebel influences controlled the city. 
 Though there were many loyal people, they 
 were overawed by the noisy insurrectionists, and 
 Union sentiments were not freely expressed. 
 
 The loj^al but timid Governor of Maryland had 
 even permitted an act of war, in the destruction 
 of the railroad bridges communicating with the 
 national capital. The authorities of Baltimore 
 had collected arms and munitions of war, organ- 
 ized military companies to resist the passage of 
 Union troops, seized the telegraph wires, forbid- 
 den the export of provisions, and in other ways 
 usurped the functions of the Federal government 
 
THE YANKEES HAVE COME. 53 
 
 by regulating the departure of vessels. A Con- 
 federate recruiting-station had meanwhile been 
 opened, and was in successful and unmolested 
 operation. 
 
 Directly after these scenes of mob violence on 
 the 19th of April, General B. F. Butler, on his 
 way to Washington with the Eighth Massachu- 
 setts, finding his passage to the capital cut off in 
 that direction, had energetically opened, and held 
 open, a new route by way of Annapolis. 
 
 Wednesday, April the 27th, the Eighth Massa- 
 chusetts and the Seventh New York (the latter 
 made up of the better element of that city) 
 started out from Annapolis on a twenty-mile 
 march, to open communications with Annapolis 
 Junction. Tlie mechanics of the Eighth Massa- 
 chusetts patched up a wrecked locomotive and 
 a few dilapidated passenger-cars, and, with these 
 for their supply, baggage, and passenger train, 
 advanced twenty miles to the Junction, relaying 
 the track (which had been destroyed by the insur- 
 gents) as they advanced. Maryland's prominent 
 men meanwhile protested against the passage of 
 troops across the State. 
 
 While this was taking place, gloom and un- 
 certainty overhung the national capital. Presi- 
 dent Lincoln anxiously awaited the arrival of 
 the volunteers, which would insure its security. 
 The rebel sympathizers and plotters hoped that the 
 Confederates would advance from Virginia, and 
 
54 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 seize Washington before the arrival of national 
 troops. This uncertainty did not prevent eager 
 politicians from besieging President Lincoln for 
 office meanwhile ; and he quaintly expressed the 
 situation by saying, " I felt like the man who let 
 lodgings in one end of his house while the other 
 end was on fire." 
 
 At last, on the 22d of April, the Seventh New 
 York arrived in Washington, bringing with it a 
 spirit of enthusiastic loyalty which thenceforth 
 abided at the national capital until the war 
 ended. 
 
 So much is needful to be said, that the situation 
 at this critical period of our national affairs may 
 be the better understood by my young readers. 
 My wound, although still unhealed, did not pre- 
 vent my getting out into the streets, and I was 
 fast becoming impatient to rejoin my regiment. 
 Through the doctor, I had procured me a suit of 
 citizen's clothes, that I might not be interfered 
 with by officious rebel sj^mpathizers. 
 
 On first going into the street, and listening to 
 the conversation in the markets and shops, I had 
 found that war was the all-absorbing topic of 
 conversation. The sympathizers with rebellion 
 were often out-spoken, though I soon discovered 
 that there was also a deep undercurrent of Union 
 sentiment, which, however, found very little open 
 expression. 
 
 Among the mercantile classes there was dis- 
 
THE YANKEES HAVE COME. 55 
 
 satisfied grumbling about the loss of trade because 
 the city was cut off from communication with 
 regular routes ; and this dissatisfaction in time 
 bore fruit in Union sentiment, when the control 
 of the city was assumed by the Union authorities. 
 
 I had several times, during my stay here, pro- 
 posed to leave Dr. Milner's house, lest I might 
 compromise him among those of his friends who 
 were disunionists ; but at each attempt to leave 
 he urged me so pressingly to remain, that I had 
 yielded, not unwillingly, to his wishes. Early in 
 our acquaintance I had told him of my previous 
 life, to which ]\Iiss May listened with evident 
 interest. When I mentioned my work at shoe- 
 making, blacksmithing, and farming, she said in 
 a tone of surprise, I thought, " No one but negroes 
 and very common people work at such employ- 
 ment here." 
 
 " Well then, they must all be common people 
 w^ our way," I replied; "for most all work there. 
 My father was an educated man, and a gentleman ; 
 and he thought every man should work at manual 
 labor a part of his time, for health as well as for 
 moral effect." 
 
 Dr. Milner laughed, and said, " Yes, Miss 
 May, I worked at one time as a carpenter, — 
 my father's business, — and in that way earned 
 money to assist in paying my way through col- 
 lege. You see," said the doctor, addressing me 
 half seriously, " May has been brought up in select 
 
56 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Baltimore society, and she can't understand how 
 any one with pretence to good breeding can fol- 
 low useful employment without lowering himself 
 socially." 
 
 At this I expressed the natural surprise of a 
 New England boy, by saying, " I have never 
 thought my work to be degrading. I have been 
 proud to earn a living." 
 
 " And it isn't degrading," said the doctor 
 quietly. " It is the curse of slave-labor that it 
 puts a bane on useful employment ; and that is 
 just the difference between the Northern and 
 Southern standards of manhood. I suppose, how- 
 ever, Alden, you look forward finally to something 
 different from blacksmithing? " 
 
 I replied that it had seemed possible to build up 
 a business of my own, and employ other men in 
 the work ; that it was true I should like a profes- 
 sion, — would like to study law, and had already 
 partly read " Blackstone's Connnentaries on the 
 English Law," and some other law-books; but I 
 had first to think of earning a living, and helping 
 my mother. My father was said to be well read 
 in the law, and had two cousins who were quite 
 eminent in the profession. 
 
 "Oh, yes," said the doctor, nodding, "the Rich 
 brothers ; they are both fine lawyers. How would 
 you like to come into my office and study medi- 
 cine ? " And then after a pause he added, " If 
 this trouble blows over." 
 
THE YANKEES HAVE COME. 67 
 
 I replied that while it would please me, it would 
 be a great expense, and prevent me from assisting 
 my mother. 
 
 About the 1st of May I had begun, with the aid 
 of a crutch, to take long walks, sometimes with 
 Add or May or her father. The doctor en- 
 couraged me to believe that I should be able to 
 get around without a crutch or cane in two or 
 three months more. 
 
 On one of my rambles with Miss May, I noticed 
 a howitzer pointing out of a second-story window 
 over the street which I remembered that my regi- 
 ment had passed through on the 19th. 
 
 "What is that for?" I inquired, as I stood 
 looking up to the window. A fine-looking young 
 fellow, about nineteen years of age, here came 
 up. May introduced him as Mr. George Ray- 
 mond, and put to him the question I had inno- 
 cently asked. 
 
 "Those cannon?" said Raymond, with a gesture 
 toward the window. " Why, they are for defence. 
 We intend to sweep these streets of any Yankee 
 regiments that may attempt to pass through Balti- 
 more in the future. We made a mistake in not 
 doing it in the first place." At the same time he 
 flashed a suspicious glance at me, and said, "Mary- 
 land will follow South Carolina and her sister 
 States soon." Then turning to May, he said, " I 
 heard this morning that your brother has joined 
 the Washington Battery, and received a commis- 
 
58 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 sion as first lieutenant. There will always be an 
 opening in our army for educated men like him." 
 There was in his manner of saying this an assur- 
 ance of superiority ; and I was pleased when May 
 said, — 
 
 "Oh, I hope it isn't true! It can't be that 
 brother Jimmy has taken such a step without 
 consulting my father." 
 
 "Miss Milner," said Raymond with a look of 
 surprise, "it can't be that you sympathize with 
 those nigger- worshipping Yankees?'" 
 
 May made no reply, when Raymond, with an- 
 other glance of suspicion directly at me, said, 
 " Which side are you on Mr. — Mr. Alden ? Do 
 you favor the Nortli or South?" 
 
 I had not learned to conceal my political sen- 
 timents, — as indeed what Northern man or boy 
 ever did ? — and therefore instantly replied, — 
 
 "I am a Northern Union man, Mr. Raymond." 
 
 His face flushed with chagrin or anger ; he gave 
 a look at INIay that I did not understand, and then, 
 without speaking to me again, he raised his hat to 
 Ma}^ and took his departure. 
 
 " He will make trouble for us, I fear," said May. 
 " He belongs to one of the best families in Balti- 
 more, and they own a large number of servants. 
 He's a violent Secessionist; and I have heard it 
 intimated that, though so j^oung, he is to be col- 
 onel of the regiment they are recruiting here for 
 the Confederate army." 
 
THE YANKEES HAVE COME. 59 
 
 On our return May told her father of our con- 
 versation with Raymond. 
 
 " I thought you were a great favorite with 
 Raymond," said her father; then to me, in a half- 
 joking manner, " You see, Raymond attempted or 
 pretended to study medicine with me at one time ; 
 but I always thought he had more of an eye on 
 May than on the profession." 
 
 Instead of replying to her father. Miss May said, 
 "I'm afraid I have bad news for you, pajDa ; and I 
 don't know that I ought to worry you with it now, 
 as it may not be true." 
 
 " Well, out with it ! What's the matter ? " said 
 the doctor. 
 
 "Raymond says that brother Jimmy has ac- 
 cepted a commission in a Southern regiment." 
 
 " No," said the doctor ; " I don't think Jimmy 
 would take such a step without consulting me. 
 But he may get into it as thousands of others 
 will, thinking that the trouble will blow over 
 without any fighting. Maybe that young lady 
 he wrote you about has influenced him ; but I 
 don't believe it." Notwithstanding this state- 
 ment, the doctor looked troubled. 
 
 I had a good opportunity wliile in the shops 
 and on the streets to hear the talk of the people 
 regarding the war; and it was instructive to ob- 
 serve the difference between the Northern and 
 Southern points of view. 
 
 One day, while with the doctor, who was at a 
 
60 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 market, I heard a young man say, " The Yankees 
 shoot our people down, and then talk about peace." 
 
 " They'll find out, the cowardly Yanks, if they 
 attempt to march through our city again! See 
 how our people drove them out of Baltimore!" 
 
 "Without arms, too," added another. 
 
 "Not cowards," said a grave man about forty 
 years of age; "I reckon it isn't any use to call 
 them cowards. It took a right smart of courage 
 to march through here the other day, without 
 turning right or left, until they got orders to 
 fire. It took pluck to hold their temper. No, 
 sar! I believe the Yankees will fight, sar!" 
 
 I could not refrain from saying, " That's so, sir. 
 I know them well enough to know that." 
 
 " What do you know about them ? What's 
 the matter with your leg ? " Thus interrogated a 
 rough-looking marketman, who continued, "You're 
 a white-livered Yankee sympathizer, I believe ; 
 maybe a Yankee yourself." 
 
 "Maj^be I am," I replied hotly ; "but I don't 
 allow any rough to dictate to me, though." 
 
 The doctor, overhearing the altercation, came 
 up and took my arm. "He's all right," said the 
 grave man ; " Dr. Milner's son is in our service." 
 
 I learned afterward from the doctor, that the 
 man who had spoken so temperately was the worst 
 Secessionist in Baltimore; and, added the doctor, 
 "He's all the more dangerous because he appears 
 so reasonable." 
 
THE YANKEES HAVE COME. 61 
 
 Before this, the doctor had received a letter 
 from his son, saying he had accepted a commis- 
 sion in the Washington Battery ; for if he had 
 not done so, public sentiment would have put a 
 stigma upon him. That it was believed in the 
 South, however, that there would be no war. 
 
 " Well," said the doctor meditatively, " it may 
 all blow over soon." 
 
 A day or two after this the doctor came in, 
 excitedly exclaiming, "' Have you heard the news, 
 Alden?" 
 
 "No; what is it?" 
 
 " This morninCT General Butler arrived at the 
 Relay House (it's only eight or nine miles from 
 here) with two thousand men. He has mounted 
 artillery on the viaduct, and the Secessionists here 
 are in a great ferment ! He has completely in- 
 vested the city on the north." 
 
 This was on the 5th of May. It was about the 
 middle of the month before we heard much more 
 of General Butler. The general opinion was that 
 he would not dare show his head in Baltimore. 
 
 Early one morning, after a sharp thunder-storm, 
 while I was sitting at the doctor's study window, 
 I saw people running down street as if to a fire. 
 The office window was nearly on a level with the 
 street; and to some of the gamins who were run- 
 ning forward, I inquired, "What's up?" With- 
 out turning his head right or left, one of them 
 yelled out, " The Yankees hev come to town ! " 
 
62 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 So it proved. Under cover of the storm of the 
 morning, about a thousand men had been marched 
 into the city, had taken possession of Federal Hill 
 above the town, and had just sent down a detach- 
 ment to disarm the Baltimore rebels. Their arms, 
 consisting of pikes and muskets, were seized, piled 
 on teams ; and when I arrived on the ground, the 
 police were using their clubs freely to protect the 
 soldiers from the Secessionists, who were furious 
 at what they were pleased to call "an outrage." 
 Among the dissatisfied people on the street I saw 
 George Raymond, with a fierce scowl on his face. 
 
 I went out with Add into the street to catch a 
 glimpse of the Yankee regiment. 
 
 " Our people will never allow them to stay 
 here!" exclaimed a man near me; "they'll shed 
 their last drop of blood first." But, notwithstand- 
 ing this ; and similar asserti'ons, all hostile demon- 
 strations ended in bluster. I found to my surprise 
 that the regiment was my own, the Sixth Massa- 
 chusetts ! 
 
 » I was heartily greeted by the officers and men 
 of my regiment, and was soon shaking hands with 
 Crandall and other acquaintances, some of whom I 
 had su]^posed were killed in the riot. 
 
 I was glad enough to be once more with the 
 boys, where, as Add said, "A feller could breathe 
 and speak without looking over his shoulder, and 
 where he could walk like a man, and not be skulk- 
 ing through the streets, fearing a row." 
 
THE YANKEES HAVE COME. 63 
 
 I left the doctor's house that day, put on my 
 uniform (which had been renovated), and felt like 
 a free man, if not'like a soldier, once more. 
 
 Our camp on Federal Hill had a very pleasant 
 outlook on the waters of the little bay which forms 
 a harbor for Baltimore. I introduced my friend 
 Add to Grim ; and as we one morning sat brighten- 
 ing our buttons, in reply to some remark about the 
 band. Grim smiled sarcastically, and said, " Well, a 
 band is well enough for peace, but I notice the old 
 regulars have only a fife and drum for music. 
 You'd better join a regiment as a soldier, for 
 actual service. If you have got any kind of gimp 
 in you, you want to do somethin' more than blow- 
 in' ! Blowin' 's well enough for peace ; but when 
 you come down to real blows, a musket is the 
 thing- for a man who wants to be of service to his 
 country." 
 
 When I interviewed the captain, he told me that 
 the governor had ordered all the wounded men 
 home. 
 
 " But, Captain," I said, " I want to stay in 
 Baltimore with the company." 
 
 "Soldiers," said he, "obey orders; they don't 
 consult their personal wishes." 
 
 When I told Grim that I was to be sent to 
 Massachusetts, he said, " Well, Jack, you've got a 
 chance ter be a live hero. They're making a great 
 fuss over wounded men at home, and you've got a 
 bis; chance. I wouldn't mind goin' home with 
 
64 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 a little wound — sort of a decoration, ye' see — 
 myself. You're all right for a commission, too, 
 if you ask it, in case this war keej^s on." 
 
 I soon packed up, and hobbled down town to 
 say good-by to Dr. Milner and Miss May. I wore 
 my uniform, had taken unusual pains with my 
 hands and collar, and with what by courtesy was 
 supposed to be a mustache ; and as I was five feet 
 ten inches in heiglit, muscular, broad-shouldered, 
 had very dark hair and eyes, I felt when I pre- 
 sented myself at Dr. Milner's to say good-by, that 
 I was looking very well. 
 
 The doctor was in his office ; and when told that 
 I had come to say good-by before going home, 
 he sent for Miss May, saying as she came in, — 
 
 "May, here's Alden as good as new. He's off 
 this afternoon for the blessed land of baked beans 
 and brown bread ! " 
 
 The sight of Miss May's refined face abated 
 somewhat my conceit in my own personal appear- 
 ance. She was slight, light and graceful, and per- 
 fectly self-possessed, while I felt awkward and 
 self-conscious. When I stammered out my thanks 
 for her previous kindness, she replied, — 
 
 " Oh, that is nothing ! I'm fond of taking care 
 of sick people. Had I been a boy I should have 
 been a surgeon like my father. I was very much 
 interested in your case. I have nursed our ser- 
 vants when they have been sick, but never had a 
 real wound to care for before." 
 
THE YANKEES HAVE COME. 65 
 
 It must be confessed that my vanity was not a 
 little piqued at this remark, since it seemed to in- 
 dicate that she considered me in the light of a 
 patient, rather than as a young man and an equal. 
 This wound to my pride had the effect of chan- 
 ging my blushing confusion to coldness and self- 
 possession, — qualities which were more natural to 
 me than the reverse. 
 
 Dr. Milner, who was an acute observer, as I 
 afterwards recognized, noticed the change ; for he 
 hastened to say, — 
 
 " May, as well as m3-self, is glad to have been 
 of service to my old friend Alden's son. By the 
 way, you look like your father this morning. He 
 was as strong as an ox ; always took my part in 
 college when I got into a row, though he wouldn't 
 hurt a fly on his own account. There wasn't any 
 bully in college could back Jack Alden down." 
 
 At last I said good-by for the last time, and 
 walked away, feeling blue and lonely. That day 
 I took the train, and in the course of the next 
 da}^ was at my home in Centerboro' once more. 
 
66 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 HOME AGAIN. 
 
 I PASSED through the streets of Centerboro' with 
 conflicting^ emotions. There had been but few 
 changes, though I had not seen my home for four 
 years (and how much longer are the years of 
 youth than those of middle life). I had grown 
 to a man's stature in that time ; all else seemed to 
 have stood still. Hurrying through the village 
 streets, I saw familiar faces ; yet though there were 
 many curious glances at my uniform, no one spoke 
 to me or appeared to recognize me. 
 
 "The old Alden place," as our homestead was 
 called, was a little outside the village ; and I 
 hastened forward until its familiar surroundings 
 came in sight. The odor of apple blossoms and 
 of ploughed land mingled with the scent of the 
 monument-like balm-of-Gilead trees that fronted 
 the house. 
 
 The house standing back from the road ; its ca- 
 pacious front yard of greensward, on which the 
 dandelions were plentifully sprinkled ; the tillage 
 land sloping back in graceful undulations to the 
 river, glimpses of which could be seen as I ap- 
 
HOME AGAIN. 67 
 
 proached, and which, remembrance told me, was 
 grumbling impatiently at the rocky bed over which 
 foamed its shallow waters, — all seemed but minia- 
 tures of wliat I had last seen. The buildings and 
 distances seemed shrunken. 
 
 A sight of the old burial-ground, high upon the 
 opposite bank of the river, its white monuments 
 and slabs relieved by a background of dark pines, 
 dampened with gloom my joyousness ; for there 
 my dear father (with other generations of Al'- 
 dens of the old Pilgrim stock) was buried. 
 
 I hurried forward, opened the yard gate, went 
 up the walk ; and when the front door opened my 
 mother came bustling out, and I was in her dear 
 arms once more. A young lady, who also came 
 out, I soon discovered to be my younger sister 
 Sarah, who, after a few moments of curious sur- 
 prise, exclaimed as she recognized me, — 
 
 " Why, it's Jack ! but how big he's grown ! " 
 
 I was soon seated in a favorite corner of our 
 "front room," telling ray mother and sisters, and 
 my brother, who had come in from the farm, my 
 experiences since I had left the old home. 
 
 My brother was much interested in what he 
 called my adventures ; and all were very indignant 
 when I gave them for the first time ni}^ account of 
 the treatment I had received from my uncle Rich- 
 ard, who had represented the situation in a totally 
 different light. 
 
 That evening a number of our neighbors came 
 
68 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 in to see me, and to hear of my experiences in the 
 much-talkecl-of " battle " at Baltimore. I found 
 their imaginations had depicted it as a much more 
 bloody affair than it really was, and that in their 
 hunger for sensations they did not appear to be 
 satisfied with simple facts. 
 
 I afterwards found that some of my listeners 
 had embellished my plain narrative with what they 
 evidently considered needful incidents, until, like 
 a rolling ball of snow, my story grew larger and 
 larger as it advanced from its starting-point. It 
 was not long before we heard that it had been 
 reported that I had lost both of my legs, besides 
 receiving numerous other wounds in divers parts 
 of my body. 
 
 When curious visitors were told that my crutch 
 was made in Baltimore, even that became an ob- 
 ject of hungry curiosity. 
 
 The editor of the little village paper came to 
 " Alden House " to see the terrible wounds of 
 which he had heard; and I was almost ashamed 
 to show him the insignificant gunshot wound 
 which he insisted upon seeing, and which report 
 had magnified beyond all truthful proportions. 
 
 When the Centerhoro' Gazette came out, there 
 was a half-column given to me. It said : — 
 
 " Our young and esteemed fellow-townsman, John 
 Alden, who so gallantly conducted himself in the 
 bloody passage through Baltimore on the 19th of 
 
HOME AGAIN. 69 
 
 April, is now at his old home, where we had the 
 pleasure of an interview with him. Though but a 
 boy, we found hiui modest, manly, and stalwart, 
 but still pale from the severe wound he received in 
 the battle with the Baltimore rebels. He intends 
 to remain at his home only a short time, as he is e?i 
 route to report to the surgeon-general of the State. 
 As it has been reported that he is in a dying con- 
 dition, we are glad to say that, though his wound is 
 a terrible one, caused by a bullet which passed through 
 the leg, shattering the bone, yet he is on the road to 
 recovery. He showed us a letter from Colonel Jones 
 of his regiment, recommending him to the governor 
 as a gallant and deserving soldier. He informs us 
 that the re-entry of his regiment into Baltimore on 
 the 14th of May — seizing the arms of the insurgents 
 and fortifying Federal Hill, above that city, where 
 their camps are now pitched — was a very gallant 
 affair." 
 
 This was the first time I had ever figured in a 
 newspaper ; and its statements seemed so exagger- 
 ated, and conveyed so many false impressions, 
 that I went at once to the village to correct it. 
 The editor coolly informed me that it could not 
 be corrected before the next issue, and that by 
 that time it would be forgotten in other matters 
 of interest. 
 
 I had been paid off before leaving Baltimore, 
 and had some forty dollars, most of which I gave 
 to my mother, to assist in paying taxes and neces- 
 sary household expenses. 
 
70 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 I learned from my brother that a considerable 
 sum in interest had been added to the mortgage 
 uncle Richard held, and that he evidently felt 
 already secure in finally possessing the place, and 
 was apparently only awaiting a favorable opportu- 
 nity to do so. He thought if we could clear up 
 the mortgage, we might sell tlie land skirting the 
 street for house-lots, for a sum which would leave 
 us free from debt, and at the same time not de- 
 crease greatly the value of the farm. A new 
 shoe factory and shovel-works, in another part of 
 the town, were bringing many new people to 
 Centerboro', and the land was likely to become 
 more and more valuable every year. I inquired 
 of my mother about my father's cousin in Boston, 
 Mr. Rich, and proposed to visit him when there, 
 and get advice as to my father's estate. 
 
 My brother informed me that my uncle had 
 come to Centerboro' several times, ostensibly to 
 see how " the widow was getting on," but in real- 
 \tj to dictate how the woodland should be cut 
 in order to preserve its value. That he had then 
 suggested to my uncle that this portion of the 
 land be sold to clear it of debt; but that my uncle 
 Richard had threateningly exclaimed, " You'll lose 
 the whole farm if you ain't careful ! You want to 
 improve the farm, and not let it all run down, as 
 you are doing." 
 
 " I believe," said my brother, " that he thinks 
 we are fools ; and I believe he is a sharper, and 
 
HOME AGAIN. 71 
 
 not the good man that some people think him to 
 be." 
 
 In my talk with brother Richard, I found that 
 he was hard-headed, and, though not much of a 
 talker, had determination, courage, and rare good 
 sense. 
 
 " I wouldn't work a day on this farm," said he, 
 "but that it is giving mother and the girls a home. 
 I must look carefully before I act, for uncle Rich- 
 ard is waiting to take advantage of any mistakes 
 I make. I hear he talks of coming here to start a 
 shoe factory; but I believe he wants to watch his 
 chance and gobble up the Alden place as a part 
 of his profits." 
 
 I told him my suspicions that Richard Alden 
 had never loaned my father the full amount of 
 money for which he held a mortgage ; that when 
 he found the mortgage and its acknowledgment of 
 value received in his hands, his srreed was so srreat 
 that he could not resist taking advantage of the 
 circumstances, and that he had then made memo- 
 randa to account for all the money covered by 
 the mortgage. I then told him of the effect of 
 my last angry accusation. We agreed that when 
 visiting Ivory Rich, I was to see if something 
 could be done to get the farm out of the clutches 
 of Richard Alden. 
 
 I was at home only a few days, and had a very 
 pleasant time visiting acquaintances and school- 
 mates, among whom were Dick Nickerson and Jed 
 
72 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Hoskins, both of whom had been at Fort Sumter 
 during its bombardment and capture. I met them 
 at Silas Eaton's. He, at that time, had begun to 
 state his " idees," as he called them, " about the 
 war." "It's my opinion," said Silas, "referring to 
 the passage of the Sixth through Baltimore, "that 
 yer cap'n was a fool, or he'd hev stopped and hev 
 throwd up a barricade, and 'a' shot down them 
 secesh fellers right and left. They'd kind 'a' got 
 sick of interferin' with yer 'fore long, I guess." 
 
 "But," said I, " what would them fellows have 
 been doing while we stacked arms and dug up the 
 paving-stones for a barricade? We should have 
 had to get over the distance somehow, and we 
 were under orders besides." 
 
 " Seems ter me yer hain't got no sense, Alden. 
 You could 'a' formed a holler square 'round yer 
 workin' party, and stood 'em off a while, while yer 
 barricaded," said Silas in his most querulous and 
 dogmatic key. 
 
 I found a great many home critics who were 
 dissatisfied with the work done in the field, yet 
 who had never found time to go there in person 
 to settle, by their intelligent direction and helpful 
 work, its difficulties. 
 
 I remained at home but a short time, then took 
 leave of my mother, sister, and brother, and re- 
 ported one forenoon to the surgeon-general in 
 Boston. 
 
 I was very tired upon reaching his office ; and 
 
"It's my opinion, that yer cap'in was a fool. 
 — Paore 72. 
 
HOME AGAIN. 73 
 
 as he was very deaf, I made myself the more so 
 in trying to make him hear. The kind-hearted old 
 surgeon-general, when he understood that I was a 
 memher of the Sixth Regiment, ordered refresh- 
 ments, and treated me as if I was his own son. I 
 told him that as my mother Avas a widow and poor, 
 and as I was not able to do military duty, I should 
 like my discharge, in order to get to work as soon 
 as possible. 
 
 " A good son as Avell as a good soldier," bawled 
 the old surgeon-general to a pleasant-appearing 
 gentleman who had come in, and who proved to 
 be Governor Andrew, the same who had patheti- 
 cally ordered the Sixth Massachusetts dead "to 
 be packed in ice, and tenderly sent forward." 
 
 That afternoon I went down on Court Street, 
 looking up at the constellation of lawyers' signs, 
 and soon found my cousin Rich's office. 
 
 Rapping at a door on which was a sign which 
 read, "I. N. Rich, Attorney and Counsellor at 
 Law ; " and on hearing a rough voice say, " Come 
 in," I entered a musty-smelling office where sat a 
 large man with his feet elevated on a desk, smok- 
 ing a clay pipe, as if he were pressed for time 
 to accomplish a stated task. Without removing 
 his pipe or offering me a seat, he said presently, 
 "Well, what is it?" 
 
 I looked the lawyer over, and took in his per- 
 sonality as follows : A large head covered with 
 thick red hair ; steel-blue penetrating eyes, which 
 
74 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 assumed at times an abstracted look ; ruddy com- 
 plexion, a massive jaw, a clean-shaved face, broad 
 shoulders, and a long body. 
 
 When he understood who I was, he rose and 
 gave me a chair; and I then discovered that he 
 was six feet in his stockings. Once seated, he 
 began to ask questions, as if cross-examining 
 me, all the while with an abstracted look in his 
 eyes. 
 
 When I had told him of my father's death, and 
 what part my uncle Richard had taken in our 
 affairs, he ejaculated hoarsely, " He's a pirate ! " 
 
 My experience in the Sixth Massachusetts 
 seemed to interest him ; and our conference ended 
 by his inviting me to go home with him when he 
 came from court. " Got to go into court soon," 
 he said ; " be Jiere at four o'clock, or you can stay 
 here and read." 
 
 " You will want to shut up the office," I said. 
 
 " Naw ; no one wants anything from a law- 
 office ! " he exclaimed. " We always leave the 
 door open ! Come around, or sit here and read." 
 So I sat there and read the Journal; and, to my 
 surprise, found there quoted what the Centerboro' 
 paper had said regarding me. 
 
 I found my cousin Ivory Rich a different man 
 in his home than in his office. Here he left be- 
 hind that dictatorial, bullying, cross-examining 
 self, and was the most simple and companionable 
 man I ever knew. I have since met military men 
 
HOME AGAIN. 75 
 
 who had this same double manner, one for duty, 
 another for friends when off duty. 
 
 During the evening I asked his advice about 
 my mother's affairs, and plainly stated to him my 
 suspicions that when my uncle got the mortgage 
 in his hands, he had been too greedy ever to pay 
 over to my mother the money that had been agreed 
 upon between him and my father. 
 
 " Well, yes — very probably — you and I may 
 have convictions founded upon our knowledge of 
 character and circumstances ; but that is not evi- 
 dence. We can't get a judgment on that. We 
 can scare him, perhaps. Let the matter rest with 
 me. I'll see what I can do. I'll write a note, 
 asking him to call on me, and see what he says. 
 We'll scare him a little." 
 
 In the course of the conversation I said that 
 as soon as I got employment I was promised my 
 discharge, and asked him what I had better do. 
 
 " Well," said Ivory, with tones long drawn out 
 on the well, " yon can't go home and live on 
 your mother, and you draw pay now, — let me see. 
 There's a client of mine down on Washinsfton 
 Street, a ' patent rights ' man. He wants a clerk 
 to take charge of his collection of rat-traps and 
 corn-shellers, coffee-machines, washing-machines, 
 and all sorts of traps that he calls an ' Industrial 
 Museum.' He wants some one to write, and 
 stand around and show people the place, and, 
 if they get interested in a machine, to introduce 
 
76 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 them to his office, where he'll sell them a patent 
 right. I'd as lief buy a house-lot in the moon; 
 but the fools ain't all dead yet. I guess I can get 
 you the place at ten dollars a week and board. 
 What do you say? " 
 
A PATENT RIGHTS MAN. 77 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A PATENT RIGHTS MAN. 
 
 The next morning I was introduced to my 
 future employer. On our way to his place, Ivory 
 Rich said, " Blusterson is all right if his business 
 goes right ; but he plans too big sometimes, and if 
 he gets into a hard spot, some one will have to 
 suffer, and it won't be Blusterson." 
 
 I replied, " You don't mean to say he'd " — 
 
 "Here we are," interrupted Ivory Rich; "this 
 is the place." 
 
 We had stopped before a large, flatiron-shaped 
 building facing a triangle, called in Boston, by 
 courtesy, a square. 
 
 Around the outside and at the second story 
 of this edifice was stretched a canvas, on which 
 was painted in large red and black letters, " The 
 Great Industrial Museum." 
 
 We went ujj one flight of stairs, and entered an 
 office, fitted up apparently as much for show as for 
 use. 
 
 Here at a desk was seated a large, handsome 
 man, carefully dressed, who rose and shook hands 
 with Ivory Rich in a hail-fellow-well-met sort of 
 fashion. 
 
78 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " This," said Rich, introducing me, " is young 
 Alden of whom I have spoken to you." 
 
 "Take a seat, young man," said Blusterson; 
 then bluffly added, " think you would like to come 
 here and take charge of things? " 
 
 " I don't know," I said inquiringly, " exactly 
 what the work is." 
 
 He replied, " You are to take charge of the 
 rooms of the museum, show people around, and 
 make yourself agreeable to ladies and every one 
 else. That'll suit you, won't it? " and Blusterson, 
 throwing back his head, looked smilingly down into 
 my face, then added, " Lame, I see." 
 
 I explained to him that I had been wounded in 
 the Baltimore Riot, at which he professed great in- 
 terest, saying, " I've been a militia colonel myself, 
 and strutted around gay as a peacock, with brass 
 buttons and feathers. I've felt full of fight for 
 months, but can't leave business now." 
 
 My pay was agreed upon, and was made larger 
 than I proposed ; because, as he said, " A man who 
 has been in the battle of Baltimore will be an 
 attraction to the exhibition." 
 
 Blusterson said this in a manner that made me 
 feel that he did not himself believe this assertion, 
 but was determined that I should. There was 
 something in his manner that seemed to say, 
 "I am determined to put every one on good 
 terms with themselves, and consequently with 
 me." 
 
A PATENT RIGHTS MAN. 79 
 
 " How does your show go, Blusterson ? " in- 
 quired Rich. 
 
 "The show? It hasn't begun yet; wait a week, 
 and I shall be as famous — well, more talked about 
 than any other man in the country." 
 
 " Do inventors seem interested ? " asked my 
 cousin. 
 
 " Well, they are waiting for each other ; when 
 they get to coming, they will come in a bunch," 
 said Blusterson, throwing back his head, shaking 
 it, and compressing his lips, with an expression 
 half between swagger and smiling determination, 
 as if he wished to convince his listeners of 
 that of which he was only partly convinced him- 
 self ; namely, that events generally went to suit 
 him. 
 
 After Rich had gone, Blusterson showed me 
 around what he called the " establishment," which 
 consisted of four stories of space. These rooms 
 had shafting overhead for running machinery, 
 not much of which, however, had arrived. There 
 were patent churns, washing-machines, corn-shel- 
 lers, sewing-machines, and various other- Yankee 
 patented articles. 
 
 I soon saw that Increase Blusterson had a mar- 
 vellous faculty for understanding and running ma- 
 chines. When once or twice during our rounds 
 his attention was called by an attendant to some 
 trouble in their running, he explained to the oper- 
 ator in an instant what the difficulty was, and in 
 
80 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 some instances set machines running with his own 
 hands. 
 
 " Ah ! here is something that will interest you," 
 he said, stopping in front of a machine. " It's a 
 pegging-machine." (I had told him that I had 
 worked at shoemaking). " Here ! it goes in this 
 way." Thereupon he adjusted the belt, and, after 
 lucidly explaining its workings to me, caught up 
 a shoe made ready to peg, and said, " See if you 
 can use it;" and he stood patiently instructing me 
 until I was able to use the machine to his satisfac- 
 tion, and then said, — 
 
 " Show it up, Alden, to every shoe-man that 
 comes in ; and if any of them seem interested, 
 bring them down and introduce them to me. I'll 
 sell them a patent right, perhaps — if they've got 
 the money." 
 
 There was something almost boyishly good-na- 
 tured and winning in the large, handsome proprie- 
 tor of the Industrial Museum; and though I was 
 not long in discovering the counter fact, that he 
 was one who would not be very considerate of any 
 one's interests where they interfered with his own, 
 that charm continued to hold its influence over 
 me. 
 
 As he stood by my side, six feet and over in 
 height; a ruddy, smiling, but determined face; a 
 dome-shaped forehead, very broad at the base ; mas- 
 sive jaws, well-rounded with flesh however; keen 
 blue eyes, well set back under his overhanging 
 
A PATENT RIGHTS MAN. 81 
 
 brows, I could not help thinking that nature 
 had cast this man in a very strong and unusual 
 mould, and that here was one with great aggres- 
 sive force and courage, naturally disposed to do 
 business on a large scale, and who would break 
 through extraordinary obstacles by brute force, if 
 he could not invent a way to get around them 
 without violence. 
 
 I had not been many months at the " Exhibi- 
 tion," as he called it, before there were signs that 
 it was going to prove a failure. The receipts were 
 small and the expenses large. Inventors did not 
 send in their machines, and people did not come 
 to the exhibition, notwithstanding lavish adver- 
 tising. 
 
 The necessity of sending my mother money 
 caused me to ask for my salary each week, and 
 it was paid without hesitation ; for Blusterson 
 would not admit by word or look that this " busi- 
 ness " was not a success. 
 
 At one time, when a patent clothes-pin was 
 among the things exhibited, he said, " Show it 
 up, Alden ; such little things take. Perhaps I 
 can sell the patent to some one." 
 
 "Do you think," I incredulously ejaculated, 
 "that any one will buy that?" 
 
 "Buy it!" he exclaimed, throwing back his 
 head, compressing his lips, and with a half-hu- 
 morous smile, "Bless you, my boy! they'll cry 
 for it." 
 
82 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 After the first battle of Bull Run he came in 
 with a newspaper containing the news ; and, as we 
 sat talking it over, he for the first time made a 
 half-acknowledgment that his exhibition might not 
 be a great success, by saying, " I'm afraid this war 
 will attract more attention than my museum will ; 
 two big shows can't be run together, at least not 
 successfully. If I'd known this war was to be 
 so serious, I'd have had some new war machines. 
 But," he added, with a tone of satisfaction, "I 
 sold the patent of the Great Western Corn-sheller 
 yesterday ; got some money and some notes : mon- 
 ey's sure, notes doubtful." 
 
 I had, meanwhile, become very expert in run- 
 ning the pegging-machine, and had suggested that 
 we get shoes from the manufactories. So every 
 once in a while a sixty-pair lot of brogans was 
 pegged, and sent to the factories free of cost. 
 This naturally attracted the manufacturers to see 
 the machine. 
 
 Now, among the qualities possessed by Increase 
 Blusterson, was his ability to throw a glamour 
 over the eyes of men, and make, as he exjjressed 
 it, "a handful of peanuts look to be a bushel." 
 
 In selling a patent right, he would begin by im- 
 pressing his customer with the importance of the 
 machine ; then deftly getting him to state how 
 many machines or articles governed by the patent 
 he thought could be sold among a thousand peo- 
 ple, he would proceed thereon to figure out the 
 
A PATENT RIGHTS MAN. 83 
 
 enormous number that could be sold in a given 
 territory, and would end by saying, " Will you 
 take this chance to make a fortune, sir?" Fi- 
 nally, he would end by getting all the money his 
 customer would give, and take the rest in notes, 
 even if the latter were contingent upon selling a 
 definite number of machines. 
 
 After one of these transactions he would smil- 
 ingly shake his head and say, with his half-hu- 
 morous compression of lips, "Now I've got what 
 / want, he must scramble around and get Avhat 
 he wants." 
 
 In showing up the pegging-machine, he always 
 allowed me to run it, because, as he said, " Then 
 I can say that any one can run it; and the fact 
 is, you have got the hang of it so that you can 
 beat the man who made it!" This statement 
 was no mere compliment; for by practice I had 
 become very expert in running it, and knew most 
 of its weak and strong points. 
 
 I had just come in from some errand outside 
 one day, when I heard a voice in the office which 
 I at once recognized as my uncle Richard's. 
 
 " But," I heard him say, " can any one run it? " 
 
 " Run it ! " Blusterson exclaimed, " why, sir, it 
 almost runs itself ! A mere twenty thousand dol- 
 lars for the State is nothing for the patent, sir! 
 Any of these boys can run that machine, sir." 
 Then touching his bell, he summoned the porter, 
 and said, " Where's Alden ? " 
 
84 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 On being called, I came into the office. Uncle 
 Richard recognized me, and with a cold glitter in 
 his eye, and a frosty sort of voice, ejaculated, 
 "Humph! it's you, is it?" Then, as if desirous, 
 on second thought, of making a good impression, 
 he came forward, shook hands, and said, " I'm 
 sorry you are lame; I heard all about it, Jack." 
 Then, in an undertone, " You mustn't hold any 
 grudge against me." Then again to Blusterson, 
 who was keenly observant of the scene, as if he 
 had caught a cue from it, said, " Let us go up 
 and look at the machine again." 
 
 When we were once more at the machine, and 
 a shoe was put on the jack ready for pegging, 
 Blusterson turned to me and said, "Here, Alden, 
 you show him." This I did by pegging three or 
 four pairs of shoes in an easy, careless way, which, 
 I could see by the glitter of Richard Alden's eyes, 
 very much impressed him. Blusterson saw it too ; 
 for, as if desirous to close a bargain before this 
 impression wore off, he said carelessly, " Well, le's 
 go to the office ; it's more comfortable there," and 
 led the way down. My uncle Richard stayed be- 
 hind just long enough to cast a suspicious glance 
 at the machine, while he whispered to me, " There's 
 no trick about it. Jack, is there?" I answered, 
 " You see for yourself the machine pegs as well as 
 you or I can, and faster than twenty of us could. 
 I wouldn't pay much money, though." 
 
 After this, as I passed the office, I heard Blus- 
 
A PATENT RIGHTS MAN. 85 
 
 terson say, " You see a boy can run it, and there's 
 no doubt there's a fortune in it ! Now's your 
 chance to make a million dollars ; or, if you want 
 to give your neighbors a chance to get rich with 
 you, I'll sell you the patent right for your county 
 for five thousand dollars." 
 
 Increase Blusterson and my uncle Richard were 
 closeted for several hours ; and then the office-door 
 opened, and I heard the clinking of glasses. In a 
 short time I heard the patent-rights man's voice as 
 he said, " You might as well close the trade now, 
 and go to dinner with me." And then I knew 
 that my uncle Richard was in the web of Bluster- 
 son, as many had been before. 
 
 In a few moments they came out arm in arm. 
 I noticed that uncle had an uncertain glitter in 
 his eyes, and his head was thrown back in a 
 consequential, self-assertive manner, as he passed 
 out of the ofhce to a hotel near by, where Increase 
 Blusterson took his visitors to dine after the 
 consummation of a bargain. 
 
 I did not see my uncle again at that time, and 
 only knew that the pegging-machine in the exhi- 
 bition had been taken down and sent to him, 
 and a new one substituted. When I questioned 
 Blusterson, he replied, '■'■ Yes, I made a small sale. 
 It's only a small trade, mostly notes ; but then, 
 the money is all gain." 
 
 My evenings at this time were mostly spent 
 at the armory, drilling recruits for the different 
 
86 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 regiments forming at that time under the call 
 of the president ; for I was considered quite pro- 
 ficient in drill. 
 
 I had by this time dispensed with my crutch, 
 and, though still lame, used only a cane. I was 
 treated with much respect by those entering the 
 army, because it was well known that I had seen 
 service, as it was then termed, at Baltimore. After- 
 wards an engagement in a street riot would not 
 have been designated as service. 
 
 In the course of the next six months the Indus- 
 trial Museum, as an exhibition, was so complete a 
 failure, that even Blusterson said allegorically, — 
 
 " When I was a youngster up in Vermont, there 
 were two kinds of boys : one dug to the end of 
 the woodchuck's hole, and, if the woodchuck 
 wasn't in, stopped ; and another kind who still 
 kept on digging, until they were way beyond the 
 hole ! " 
 
 I understood this simile better by after events 
 than I did at the time he used it. 
 
 One morning he came into the office dressed 
 with unusual care. I could not help thinking 
 that he looked the very picture of cheerful pros- 
 perity. He talked for a while about forming a 
 stock company to manufacture a new mowing- 
 machine, and then, putting into his capacious 
 pocket-book a number of promissory notes which 
 I had been writing by his direction, he sauntered 
 leisurely down State Street. 
 
A PATENT RIGHTS MAN. 87 
 
 He came in late that afternoon, and taking 
 from his pocket a great pile of bank-bills, asked 
 me to count them. I announced the sum, which 
 was over ten thousand dollars. These he put 
 away carefully in his pockets, saying in a satisfied 
 and confidential undertone, " There ! I've got what 
 I want; now let them note-shavers down street 
 get what they want ! " 
 
 Turning to me, he said, " Very likely I shall 
 not be in to-morrow, for I've got some business 
 out of town, and may be gone for a day or two. 
 Stay in the office while I'm away, and answer 
 questions." 
 
 Two weeks passed. Blusterson did not come ; 
 but there came a letter, saying that he had been 
 called West on important business. He asked me 
 to keep the office going, and enclosed a certified 
 check for my three weeks' wages, and the pay 
 of the porter and watchman. In some way I got 
 the feeling that Increase Blusterson had skipped 
 the country, and that this check was the last 
 money I would get from him. 
 
 In a few days there came numerous duns for 
 money due ; for I had opened all letters, sending 
 to him only those that contained money, or that 
 related to real business. 
 
 Then came the sheriff, and the Industrial 
 Museum was closed. But the creditors, in at- 
 tempting to dispose of the property, found them- 
 selves checkmated by a business-man of Boston, 
 
88 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 who held a bill of sale for all the property for- 
 merly belonging to Blusterson. 
 
 About this time there came another letter from 
 the absentee, saying, — 
 
 " I send you by express a package of notes of hand 
 from different persons, from which you will be able 
 to get money enough to make good your pay. I see 
 by the papers that the ' Industrial Museum ' is closed, 
 and that they are after the undersigned with ' sharp 
 sticks.' Well, I am offered a commission in the 
 army ; and if they want me, let them come to the 
 front with their prods. 
 
 1 am, dear sir, 
 
 With great respect. 
 
 Increase Blusterson. 
 
 " P. S. — If you get more than enough from these 
 notes than will pay yourself and the men, you may 
 keep the balance. I don't want you to suffer any 
 loss ; and with these you may get square with that 
 sharper, your uncle, in some way. 
 
 I. B." 
 
 I shuffled the notes over carelessly. They were 
 promissory notes of hand from patent-rights cus- 
 tomers of Increase Blusterson. Some of them 
 were conditional, and that, too, on conditions 
 which I knew would never give them maturity. 
 I threw them into my trunk without giving them 
 any more attention at that time. 
 
 One thing stood out more apparent than any- 
 
A PATENT RIGHTS MAN. 89 
 
 thing else, and that was that I was out of a place. 
 I was in no great need of money, however, as I 
 had some fifty dollars by me. 
 
 Blusterson's remark about going into the army 
 I considered as merely a blind to throw me and 
 others off the track of his real intentions. 
 
90 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 I HAVE THE WAR FEVER. 
 
 After the collapse of the "Industrial Museum," 
 I returned to Centerboro', and after a time obtained 
 employment, with small pay, as clerk in the village 
 store. 
 
 I found that my uncle Richard had opened a 
 shop there, and, with a large gang of workmen 
 and the aid of his pegging-machines, was doing 
 what the villagers called a " smashing business " 
 in bottoming men's and boys' brogans. 
 
 The summer of 1862 was a period of great 
 excitement in military affairs. McClellan had 
 advanced with an army of over one hundred thou- 
 sand men up the Peninsula, and had fought the 
 battle of Fair Oaks ; but while the people were 
 waiting anxiously for him to capture Richmond 
 and the Confederate army, there came news of the 
 Seven Days' Fight, and the retreat of our army to 
 Harrison's Landing. 
 
 The military spirit ran high, so far as talk was 
 concerned. Men well off in worldly affairs were 
 generally more enthusiastic in urging their friends 
 to go than in going themselves. There were those 
 
/ HAVE THE WAR FEVER. 91 
 
 who criticised me for not putting my military ex- 
 perience, as they called it, to account, by going to 
 the front. 
 
 I heard fragments of sly talk, such as, "I guess 
 Alden got 'nuff of it the fust time ; " and that, too, 
 by those who were able-bodied, and were not 
 ashamed that they had not shown their martial 
 spirit by going into the army in the hour of their 
 country's peril. 
 
 My uncle Richard was one of those who talked 
 loudly about the duty of able-bodied young men 
 in the national crisis, but he never offered to go 
 himself ; and it was noticed later in the war, when 
 there was talk of a draft of able-bodied men, that 
 he complained of rheumatism and other ills, griev- 
 ous, but never before known to keep him from 
 working fourteen hours a day at profitable em- 
 ployments. 
 
 I was young and enthusiastic, as boys of eigh- 
 teen often are ; I was also not a little irritated by 
 insinuations that my courage had oozed out with 
 my first military experience. 
 
 My brother thought it was the duty of one of 
 us to go ; and, as he was the most needed at home, 
 I naturally felt that I was that one. Still, I made 
 no effort at that time to enlist again, although I 
 had obtained my mother's and brother's consent. 
 
 My pay was small ; and I was secretly chafing 
 at the necessity that kept me at home (for I had 
 really seen little but fair weather soldiering), when 
 
92 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 an incident occurred that made me once more a 
 soldier. 
 
 I had been to Boston on some business con- 
 nected with the store, when, going up Beach 
 Street from the station, I encountered my old 
 friend Grim. I had not seen him since leaving 
 the company at Baltimore, although I had heard 
 that after his discharge he had again gone to the 
 front in another regiment. 
 
 " Just the man I Avas thinking about," said 
 Grim, shaking my hand, and unconsciously crush- 
 ing it in his powerful grasp. 
 
 "Where," I inquired, "are you going?" Then 
 I noticed that his left hand was bandaged, and 
 that although sunburned he looked ill. 
 
 "Fm home for a while on a sort of furlough," 
 said he. " Got a little swamp fever on the 
 Chickahominy, and a reb bullet at Malvern Hill." 
 Then looking me over he continued, " Going back 
 soon as I can get a few good men." Thro wing- 
 back his cape, and touching the captain's straps on 
 his shoulders, he looked at me with an inquiring 
 smile, as if to say, " Why are not you at the front, 
 wearing something of this kind ? " 
 
 " Wasn't the Peninsula Campaign rather a 
 fizzle ? " I inquired as we began to walk towards 
 Washington Street. 
 
 " Humph ! " half laughed Grim. " Well, we 
 gave and took ! The Rebel army is good stuff ; 
 the kind you can't flatten out in one heat. But 
 
/ HAVE THE WAR FEVER. 93 
 
 you'd ought to seen us give it to 'em at Malvern 
 Hill ! 'Twould have done your soul good ! " 
 
 " But," I said, " what made you get down to 
 Harrison's Landing so quick the next day after 
 you had whipped them at Malvern Hill ? " 
 
 " Humph ! " said Grim, knitting his brows after 
 the old fashion of contemplating a piece of forge 
 work that did not suit him ; then after a moment, 
 flashing out into a stern smile, he said, "■ I wasn't 
 running the Army of the Potomac just then, 
 Alden, or I'd have gone for them with the heavi- 
 est sledge I had. Easy work to criticise, but there 
 are a good many things to take into consideration 
 in handling an army ; you've got to be near the 
 work to see the difficulties. I find all I want to 
 do in handling my company." 
 
 We walked along, jostled by the crowds of 
 people on Washington Street, when Grim said, 
 " I see you've got over your lameness all right, 
 Alden." Then, after a moment's pause, he con- 
 tinued, " Why won't you come home with me ? 
 Wife will be glad to see j'ou ; living in Lowell 
 now, you know." 
 
 " I've got my errands done, and am going up 
 to see my cousin. Ivory Rich," said I, with a 
 touch of pride at my relationship to a man so 
 well known. " I'm going to his office now ; 
 you'd better come along with me, and perhaps 
 I'll go home with you afterwards. Come along ! 
 He'll be glad to see you ; he's heard me speak of 
 
94 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 you. You'll like him; he's your kind of a man, 
 — no airs." 
 
 " All right," said Grim ; and after a long 
 silence, as he walked by my side with his long, 
 swinging stride, he resumed, " Why don't you 
 go back with me, and join our regiment?" 
 
 " Three years," said I suggestively, in answer, 
 " is a good while to enlist for." 
 
 " Well, yes," said Grim slowly. " But then, 
 tliere's the promise, ' unless sooner discharged.' " 
 Then his face settled into a frown, as he said 
 decidedly, " What's the use of beating around 
 the bush? You know, or at least I know, that 
 we are likely to have a long, bitter war ! It's 
 just begun ; and every man who can has got to go 
 to the front. We've got a big job on hand ! I 
 sometimes think we've bitten off more than we 
 can chaw, in trying to lick the rebs. But I'm 
 going to stay in it as long as it lasts, unless I'm 
 sooner discharged — or shot down! Of course 
 it looks discouraging; but that's all the more 
 reason for going. We've got to settle down into 
 this war like days' works. Every man who loves 
 his country must fight for it." 
 
 Grim had unconsciously touched the right cord 
 in my make-up, for I was strongly combative, as 
 well as patriotic ; and when he depicted the cause 
 as doubtful, I was more drawn to enlisting than 
 if he had pictured the situation in favorable colors. 
 Besides this, Grim's unselfish patriotism and enthu- 
 
/ HAVE THE WAR FEVER. 95 
 
 siasm were contagious ; and I felt a strong desire, 
 like an invisible cord tugging at my heart-strings, 
 impelling me to yield to his urging, althougli I put 
 off saying "yes" at just that moment. " Grim," 
 I said, " I thought when I lay with a hole in my 
 leg at Baltimore, that I had got enough of fighting 
 and ventilation to last me the rest of my life, 
 but I shouldn't wonder if I went into the army 
 again before the war ends ; I'd like to ! " 
 
 " See here, Alden, you had a nice time of it 
 there in Baltimore ! " said Grim. " Have you 
 heard from the old doctor or his pretty daughter 
 lately ? " 
 
 I must have blushed, for my thoughts of enter- 
 ing the service and my patriotism were strangely 
 mixed with the image of May Milner ; and Grim, 
 seeing my confusion, added, " When a man has 
 once tasted the danger and excitement of army 
 life, he longs to get back to it." 
 
 " Yes," I replied ; " it's akin to fascination. 
 Danger and fighting seem to appeal to a half- 
 savage instinct that is latent in one." 
 
 " I don't know what it is," said Grim, with one 
 of his half-laughs, " but I know most men and 
 boys can't even see a dog-fight without wanting 
 to take part on one side or t'other." 
 
 We had now reached the door of my cousin's 
 law-office on Court Street, and, going in, found 
 him engaged with a business-man, whom he intro- 
 duced as Mr. Hewitt. 
 
96 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " Sit down ; we are all through business. I 
 haven't got to go into court for two hours yet," 
 said my cousin. " Well, Alden, so the great 
 Industrial Rat-trap has shut up since I saw you 
 last, has it ? " 
 
 "Yes," I replied; "it didn't succeed." 
 
 Rich laughed, and said, " Blusterson couldn't 
 make it go, and so he went himself, hey? And 
 they say that more than one old State Street rat 
 got caught when the trap shut up." 
 
 Although I knew Blusterson's business methods 
 were open to criticism, yet I did not like to have 
 him made the subject of ridicule by the man who 
 had induced me to enter his service, and so made 
 no reply, but changed the subject by asking Mr. 
 Rich as to the advisability of my going into the 
 army again. 
 
 "See here," interrupted Ivory, "I'm not going 
 to give you any advice about it, so don't ask mi/ 
 opinion ! If you make up your mind to go, I'll 
 do the best I can to get you a commission. I 
 know Governor Andrew well enough to ask such 
 a favor for a deserving young fellow who has seen 
 
 service. My boy is going out in the th ; and 
 
 I don't suppose it will do any more good for me 
 to try to persuade you not to go, than it has for 
 me to argue with him." 
 
 " I don't think you would hinder him," said 
 Grim shrewdly, " if you could." 
 
 Lawyer Rich made no direct answer, but said, 
 
/ HAVE THE WAR FEVER. 97 
 
 as he began to walk the floor, as Grim afterwards 
 said, " like a lion in its cage," " To tell the truth, 
 if it wasn't for my family and business I'd go 
 myself." Then stepping in front of Grim, added 
 emphatically, " Such men as you make me ashamed 
 of my shallow patriotism! This country won't be 
 worth living in if the rebs beat us in the war ! " 
 
 Hewitt, who up to this time had been only a 
 listener, here remarked sarcastically, " Rich, if 
 you folks don't let the South alone, it's my opin- 
 ion that the licking you have got so far will be a 
 small circumstance to what ye'll git before ye are 
 through ! It's all politics, this war is, anyway." 
 
 Grim here turned towards the speaker sharply, 
 and, with a smile on his face not unlike the expres- 
 sion of a bull-dog when preparing to bite, said, — 
 
 "" See here ! excuse me for speaking before I'm 
 spoken to ; but it seems to me that this war and 
 politics have now got to be, as Daniel Webster 
 said of liberty and union, ' one and inseparable.' 
 Just as 'tis in my dog; I can't tread on his tail 
 but that the war end of him, as you might call it, 
 turns around and snarls and bites." 
 
 " That's it exactly," said Rich with an approv- 
 ing laugh. " They are like the Siamese twins 
 they had on exhibition down here on Washington 
 Street; you couldn't pinch one of them but the 
 other one would holler." 
 
 " Well," said Hewitt, " I believe it's a good 
 idea for people to attend to their own business, 
 
98 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 and let their neighbors' affairs alone. If you 
 Black Republicans hadn't been stirring up the 
 Southerners, — interfering with their niggers all 
 the time, — you wouldn't have had this trouble. 
 Now you've got Abe Lincoln and the abolitionists 
 and a war on your hands all at the same time." 
 
 " See here, sir," said Grim, still preserving his 
 bull-dog smile, " I guess you're one of the kind 
 of men they call Copperheads! And it seems to 
 me that we need to clear such men out of the 
 country first. We think it's a bad plan in the 
 army to leave an enemy sneaking in the rear 
 while we are fighting at the front. Seems to me, 
 any one with the sense of decency that a man 
 ought to have, would take hold and help when his 
 own people are in trouble, instead of acting as if 
 he was glad, as you seem to be. Why don't you 
 help the other side, if you sympathize with 
 them ? " 
 
 " The abolitionists have dissolved the Union by 
 their folly," said Hewitt ; " and now " — 
 
 " Humph ! " growled Ivory Rich like a good- 
 natured lion. " You are old enough to know 
 better than to talk like that, Hewitt ! I'm not 
 going to have it in my office, either ! I'll throw 
 you out of the window if you spit out such stuff 
 here." 
 
 At this, Hewitt rushed out of the office, slam- 
 ming the door after him. 
 
 " A good man in a way, but so full of secesh 
 
/ HAVE THE WAR FEVER. 99 
 
 poison, that I shouldn't be surprised if he bit him- 
 self some day, as some kinds of snakes are said 
 to, and died of liis own poison ; he'll never dare to 
 bite any one but himself, anyway," said Rich med- 
 itatively. 
 
 After Grim had given some interesting descrip- 
 tions of fighting on the Peninsula, and as we were 
 leaving the office. Ivory Rich said to me, — 
 
 " Oh ! I saw that pirate of an uncle of yours ; 
 he came in here to get legal advice about some 
 notes he don't want to pay. I guess he'll consent 
 to your folks selling enough of your farm to pay 
 off the mortgage he holds, although he wouldn't 
 say so. Tell your brother to go ahead and sell it ; 
 I'll back him. Sha'n't cost him anything for my 
 fees, either. I'll do that much for you." 
 
 That night I spent with Grim, talking very 
 late; and it was agreed that I should return to 
 Centerboro', and recruit as many of my acquaint- 
 ances as possible for the regiment. 
 
 " Did I tell you," said Grim, wliile accompany- 
 ing me to the station the next morning, " that 
 the young fellow that blowed the trombone in the 
 Sixth — what's his name? — is in my company?" 
 
 " I guess," I suggested, " that you mean Add 
 Key!" 
 
 " Yes ; that's his name," said Grim apologetically. 
 " I ought to have remembered his name ; he's one 
 of my sergeants. He said he got enough of in- 
 strumental fighting at Baltimore, first time try- 
 
100 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 ing ; said since he heard a mule conceit down on 
 the Chickahominy, he'd lost all conceit for army 
 music, and wouldn't set up to beat it ; " and Grim 
 gave one of his low chuckles, which showed that 
 he appreciated the funny side of Add's character. 
 
 He afterwards added, in reply to a question I 
 asked, him regarding Add, " Yes, he fights like 
 a day's work ; he's full of nonsense, but he's just 
 as full of fighting, and makes a pretty good non- 
 commissioned officer too." 
 
 On my arrival in Centerboro', my mother again 
 gave a reluctant consent to my enlistment. I did 
 not at once give up my place in the grocery, but 
 continued my duties for a while, as it brought me 
 in contact with many young men of the village, 
 whom I influenced to enter the service. 
 
 I had recruited about twenty men in four weeks, 
 when Grim came out to Centerboro' to see how I 
 was getting on. 
 
 He was much pleased with what I had done, 
 and showed me an order he had just received, 
 directing him to join the regiment with such re- 
 cruits as were enlisted up to that time. " Looks 
 as if they expected some work this fall," said 
 Grim. " And I suppose you've got a stiff upper 
 I'ip for it." 
 
WITH THE ARMY IN THE FIELD. 101 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 WITH THE ARMY IN THE FIELD. 
 
 We arrived in Boston, and were sworn into the 
 service of the United States on the 15th of August, 
 1862. As a reward for my recruiting services, and 
 because I understood the drill, I was given the 
 position of sergeant. 
 
 "A good substantial set of men, Alden," said 
 Captain Grim with a glance of satisfaction, as the 
 recruits one after another stepped up and signed 
 the papers. " Who," he inquired, as a magnificent 
 specimen of young manhood came forward, " is 
 that man ? " 
 
 " That," I replied, " is George Standish, a lineal 
 descendant of Miles Standish. He is well edu- 
 cated. The recruits from Centerboro','' I said 
 proudly, "are all educated. Notice the signa- 
 tures." 
 
 " If that Standish fellow's looks don't belie 
 him," said Captain Grim, "he'll make a first-class 
 man. These recruits I've brought in from Spin- 
 dleville are all sorts. Some Irish, some German, 
 some English ; pretty good stuff, though ! " 
 
 Captain Grim's manner was more reserved to- 
 
102 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 wards these recruits than I liked ; and his way of 
 looking the men over and commenting on them, 
 as if they were so much iron or steel to be worked 
 up, grated on me. For the men, at least those 
 who had been recruited at Centerboro', were most 
 of them sons of well-to-do mechanics or farmers, or 
 small manufacturers, and socially many were the 
 superiors of Captain Grim. 
 
 " See that little fellow ? I recruited him for a 
 drummer ; lie's as chipper as you please, and as 
 bright as a dollar ! " And Grim pointed to a boy 
 about ten years of age. 
 
 I was set to work at once drilling the men in 
 their facings and the manual of arms and company 
 evolutions. 
 
 The first day that I drilled them in the manual 
 of arms, my captain was for a while a silent looker- 
 on. I soon discovered, however, by the expression 
 of his face, that there was something about my in- 
 structions that did not suit him. I therefore halted 
 and dressed the men, and, saluting, said to him, 
 " Have you any orders, sir? " 
 
 " Your work is good enough," he replied, " as 
 far as it goes. Sergeant ; but you must put more 
 snap into it ! Sort of start them out of their 
 boots. This way ! " And he took the musket 
 from me, giving the command, " Shoulder arms ! " 
 This he brought out by giving a long-drawn in- 
 tonation to the first or precautionary word, and to 
 the last word, the command of execution, by sud- 
 
WITH THE ARMY IN THE FIELD. 103 
 
 deiily forcing the breath from his lungs, and pro- 
 nouncing it as if it was spelled " harms ! " 
 
 " Seize the muskets," he cried, " as if you had 
 steel springs in you ! Make them rattle ! " And 
 suiting the action to the word, he gave the com- 
 mands, and went through the drill with the men. 
 After thus drilling the squad for a while, lie 
 turned them over to me, and I continued the 
 work, somewhat chagrined, since I believed I 
 knew how to drill. 
 
 The captain must have seen a reflection of my 
 feelings and thoughts in my face ; for, after a 
 while, he said to me in an undertone, " The 
 men are taking it up in great shape. You under- 
 stand the tactics first-rate, Alden. My criticism 
 is simply 'bout the style. Our colonel, you see, 
 is particular 'bout that ; and it's better to begin 
 right, so as not to have to learn it all over." 
 
 In a few more days of drill I caught the 
 " style," as Grim called it, and succeeded in com- 
 municating it to the men. We were doing ver}^ 
 well ; and after a week's work the captain said, as 
 I turned over the squad to him, " You've caught 
 it! That's the kind of snap you must put into 
 drill. The men have got snap enough now." 
 
 Some of the men overheard the remark ; and, 
 although the compliment pleased them, they, from 
 that time, nicknamed the captain " Old Snap." 
 
 This was during the latter part of August, 1862, 
 when the newspapers were teeming with vague 
 
104 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 hints of anticipated movements ; among them, that 
 General Pope was about to supersede McClellan, 
 and close the war. 
 
 Not long after this, Captain Grim came into the 
 barracks, where we were finishing the morning 
 drill. At his request I halted and faced the 
 men, when the captain said to them, " Men ! hold 
 yourselves in readiness to move at any moment. 
 Three days' cooked rations will be issued to you 
 at once ; write or telegraph to your friends, if you 
 wish to see them : there will be no passes given." 
 
 That day there was polishing of buttons and 
 boots and straps. Before long, friends and rela- 
 tives thronged the barracks to see us off, and to 
 say good-by. Among those who came were my 
 mother and sisters ; and somehow my attempts to 
 cheer them stuck in my throat as never before. 
 
 The mother of little Mike, the drummer, came 
 to see him. She was a poor little woman ; and 
 at parting she took him in her arms, and, turning 
 to me, said, " Be good to me b'y? and may God 
 and the saints be good to you ! " Thus saying 
 she turned her back on him resolutely, and went 
 her way. 
 
 At last we embarked on the cars, and with a 
 snort from the engine, and rattle of the cars, 
 we were on our way to that unknown field, " the 
 front." 
 
 When we arrived at Baltimore, and had crossed 
 the city to the Camden-street Station, Captain 
 
WITH THE ARMY IN THE FIELD. 105 
 
 Grim told me tliat there would be a delay of 
 several hours before we could get transportation, 
 and added, " You can run up town and see your 
 friends here, if you want to. Corporal Standish 
 can take charge of the men of 3'onr squad." 
 
 This was doubly gratifying, from the fact that 
 it gave me a chance to see my friends, and con- 
 veyed to me, for the first time, the information 
 that my friend George Standish was to receive 
 a billet as a corporal of the companj^ 
 
 As I approached familiar localities, I found my 
 heart throbbing like drum-beats in anticipation of 
 meeting the doctor and his fair daughter, whom I 
 had heard from but once since leaving the city in 
 1861. When I came in sight of the house, its 
 closed blinds and untenanted look seemed to say, 
 " Not at home," and sent my expectations down 
 to zero. I rang the bell, however, and, after 
 waiting a while, impatiently knocked on the door 
 with my fist. 
 
 At last an old servant came, and, opening the 
 door a little way, finally recognized me, and in- 
 vited me into the sitting-room, which was dark 
 and lonely enough. 
 
 " Where's the doctor, Auntie ? " I inquired. 
 
 " Dey's dun gone, honey. Dun'no whar. Dun 
 gone out ob dat do' fur Washiii'ton, an' dey toted 
 a right smart o' saws and knives an' lint ; dey 
 wur in a desprit hurry. 'Pears like, 'twas plumb 
 foolishness ; but dey's gone." 
 
106 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 From auntie's chaos of talk I finally learned 
 that they had been gone three days, and that 
 Miss May had gone with her father, and there 
 was no certainty as to when they would return. 
 " When the doctor war puttin' up dem things. 
 Miss May, she war windin' little heaps o' cotton, 
 and war talkin' larned words to her farder. But 
 dey's gone, honey ! Dey's gone, sho' nuff ! " 
 This she repeated deprecatingly, as if I suspected 
 they were hidden somewhere in the house. 
 
 When I returned to the Baltimore and Ohio 
 Station, I found Captain Grim, and the men as 
 well, reading from newspapers, and much excited 
 over the news that had just come that a heavy 
 battle was being fought between the forces under 
 Pope and the Rebel army, near Bull Run. 
 
 " What do you make of the news. Captain ? " 
 I inquired. 
 
 Captain Grim was coolly turning over his news- 
 paper ; and the only sign of excitement he showed 
 was, that he worked his jaws on a quid of tobacco 
 like a trip-hammer at a forge, as he still continued 
 to turn the paper, re-scanning its columns as if to 
 find an answer to my question. 
 
 " Well," he said finally, slowly folding up the 
 sheet, " as near as I can make out, Pope is in the 
 fight, and I guess several divisions of the Army of 
 the Potomac have been moved from the Peninsula. 
 The news is rather jumbled, but I feel pretty sure 
 of it. I hope the rebs will catch it; but some way, 
 
WITH THE ARMY IN THE FIELD. 107 
 
 from what I read, it don't look like it. Old Stone- 
 wall Jackson is too near Washington, gobbling up 
 our trains. Kinder looks to me as if there'd be 
 another skedaddle ! It ain't any use to hammer 
 a solid piece of iron with a lot of small hammers ! 
 Get 'em all together, and then strike ! Well, 
 maybe we'll get 'em, but it don't look like it, 
 much." 
 
 In another hour a train was ready, and we were 
 off for Washington, where we arrived that even- 
 ing, and were marched to what was called " The 
 Soldiers' Retreat." The only appropriateness we 
 could see to this name was, that after lying on its 
 hard floor, and partaking of its salt junk, we were 
 not displeased to get an early order to retreat 
 from it. 
 
 As soon as it became light enough we began 
 marching, with the usual clatter of canteens, and 
 the interference of the butts of our muskets with 
 our haversacks, up Pennsylvania Avenue, through 
 Georgetown, and then across the bridge into Vir- 
 ginia. 
 
 "Where are we going, Captain?" I inquired. 
 "Is there a fight?" 
 
 The captain, with a surly smile, replied, " Guess 
 we'll get enough of it, maybe. I got orders last 
 night to rejoin our regiment somewhere on the 
 road to Bull Run. They're at the front; and if 
 we get there in time, we'll get into the fight. If 
 we don't find the regiment, they'll put us in some- 
 
108 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 where. My opinion is, from what I hear, that the 
 army is skedaddling, though ! " 
 
 Our knapsacks, and forty rounds of ammuni- 
 tion, and three days' rations, had become a terrible 
 load to our men, who had never made a march 
 before. As the sun arose, it grew suffocatingly 
 hot, and the sweat ran down our faces and dropped 
 upon the dusty Virginia road. 
 
 " Take it easy, men ; and don't throw away 
 anything you will be sorry for afterwards," com- 
 manded Grim, with a half-laugh, as the men be- 
 gan to throw away their coats and overcoats, extra 
 boots, underclothes, and heavy keepsakes. 
 
 " You'll need," I said to one of the men, " some 
 of that stuff you are throwing away." 
 
 " Let 'em alone," said Captain Grim. " Noth- 
 ing like a good march to get men down to a 
 common-sense outfit. They'll get more light on 
 what they really need to-day than they would in 
 a month's lying around in barracks ! " 
 
 Later, we encountered some dusty soldiers com- 
 ing in on the road from Alexandria. They were 
 sunburned and grimy, and, as Corporal Standish 
 said, " the only clean thing about them seemed to 
 be their muskets." Those gleamed and flashed in 
 the sunlight like silver. As the}^ marched along 
 the road with easy, swinging steps, and with 
 arms at right shoulder shift, they saluted us with 
 "Hallo, recruits! Stopped ter get yer paper col- 
 lars washed, hey?" And with laughter and 
 
f 
 
 A party of stragglers with a wounded man." 
 — Page 10!). 
 
WITH THE ARMY IN THE FIELD. 109 
 
 talk in their ranks, they were off in a cloud of 
 dust. 
 
 "Gracious!" exclaimed one of the Centerboro' 
 men. "See them fellers get over the road! You 
 can't see their heels for dirt. Who are they?" 
 
 " They are tough old vets from the Army of the 
 Potomac," said Captain Grim to me, as if in an- 
 swer to the inquiry. 
 
 I expressed some surprise and discouragement 
 at seeing them march past our toiling and wearied 
 men so easily. 
 
 " Oh ! " said Grim, "you'll get down to it after 
 a while ; takes time to get your muscles up to 
 such work." 
 
 And then I began to realize what I had not 
 fully comprehended before, that we were raw re- 
 cruits, and not as yet real soldiers. 
 
 While we were halting by the wayside, some 
 New York volunteers passed us, who, without 
 stopping, informed us that they had come up 
 from Acquia Creek, where they had arrived the 
 day before, and wei*e on their way to the front. 
 
 In the afternoon we besfan to meet baofCTaCTe-wasf- 
 ons, artillery, caissons, ambulances with wounded 
 men, and other indications of the defeat of the 
 army under Pope. 
 
 " Where are ye goin' ? " inquired a party of 
 stragglers, with a wounded man in the midst of 
 them. 
 
 " Recruits," replied our captain ; " we belong to 
 
110 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 your corps, and are going to join our regiment 
 somewhere at the front : seen 'em on the road, the 
 th Massachusetts? " 
 
 " Cap'n," was the saucy reply, "you set right 
 down side o' the road anywheres, same's the feller 
 did for the keyhole to his door when he was out 
 too late; they'll come along: the whole army's on 
 the skedaddle ! " And the skedaddler disappeared 
 down the road in the dust. 
 
 The skies began to darken as we wearily went 
 on, and the heat grew more and more suffocating 
 as premature darkness enveloped us with the sti- 
 fling atmosphere of an approaching tempest. The 
 piled-up clouds, the rolling thunder, and the dark- 
 ness, foretold the heavy torrents that soon began 
 to fall, drenching our already sweat-dampened 
 clothing. 
 
 The roads were soon converted into a compound 
 that for sticky perversity exceeded anything that I 
 had ever encountered. Out of this our feet were 
 laboriously drawn, accompanied by a noise not un- 
 like that which uncouth boys make when eating 
 soup. When drawn out of the mud our feet re- 
 sembled long, irregular loaves of raw sweetbread, 
 yellow and nasty. 
 
 As darkness set in, and the rain still came down 
 in torrents, we picked our way by the vivid flashes 
 of lightning. 
 
 The roads, meanwhile, were more and more 
 crowded by interminable files of baggage-wagons. 
 
WITH THE ARMY IN THE FIELD. Ill 
 
 mingled with batteries of artillery and infantry, 
 marching in the other direction. These were met 
 by a tide of stragglers and wounded men drifting 
 from the front. 
 
 The shouts of teamsters, the orders of officers, 
 mingling discordantly with peals of crashing thun- 
 der and the plaintive chorus of hungry mules, pro- 
 duced a tumult in the confusion of which it was 
 difficult to hear or recognize our own men. 
 
 When we finally reached the village of Fairfax, 
 we found with us only twenty of the fifty men 
 with whom we left Washington that morning. 
 Little Mike, our drummer, was among these ; for 
 he had stuck to us, as Captain Grim said, "as 
 tenaciously as the mud." 
 
 At Fairfax everything seemed in direst confu- 
 sion. Huge fires were burning in every quarter 
 of the streets, and in gardens and barnyards. 
 Around these in the drenching rain stood or re- 
 clined groups of men. By the light of the fires 
 could be seen confused masses of ambulances, ar- 
 tillery, and baggage-wagons, mingled with which 
 were men from every arm of the service, — the 
 orange stripes of the engineer, the red of the 
 artillery, the yellow of the cavalry, and blue of 
 the infantry. 
 
 These men were breaking up fences, tearing 
 down outbuildings, and unhinging doors to re- 
 plenish fires or to start new ones. 
 
 Officers and men mingled, invading barns and 
 
112 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 houses, making attempts to pitch their tents in 
 the enclosures. 
 
 They were men, as we learned later, of different 
 corps, — some neither sick nor wounded, — who, 
 after the defeat of the army at Bull Run, had 
 mingled with the escort of trains. These were 
 among the stragglers and marauders, although 
 most of this host were disposed to join their regi- 
 ments at the first favorable opportunity. 
 
 Captain Grim established a guard of four men, 
 under Corporal Standish, and by his advice we 
 went to rest under the shelter of an outbuilding, 
 with the mud, as one of our men said, "scrutching" 
 up under our rubber blankets, Avhich we spread 
 on the ground, and with the rain still pouring. 
 
 In our soaked garments, we rolled ourselves in 
 our wet blankets, and, with wet and mud-enveloped 
 feet protruding, went to sleep, tired, hungry, and 
 dazed. 
 
 I was awakened by the clatter of a drum near 
 my head, and was brought to consider once more 
 whether the bubble of military reputation was 
 worth pursuing through so much mud. But noth- 
 ing prevented us from boiling our coffee and 
 munching our hard-tack with good appetite and 
 satisfaction. 
 
 We learned, later in the day, that there had 
 been a battle at Ox Hill during the night, in 
 which our brave General Kearney had met his 
 death. 
 
WITH THE ARMY IN THE FIELD. 113 
 
 As day dawned, army trains and stragglers 
 moved in ceaseless procession towards Alexandria, 
 while a larofe number of men around us started 
 out inquiring for their regiments. 
 
 We, meanwhile, under Grim's direction, gath- 
 ered most of our men together, counted noses, 
 as Tobin, one of the Irish recruits, called it, and 
 found that only ten were missing. We joined 
 the extreme rear guard of the army, and before 
 lonof found our regfiment. Without much more 
 ceremony we, with some veterans, were at once 
 detailed for picket-duty, on a road where it was 
 said the enem}^ was likely to come in at any 
 moment. 
 
 The veterans of our regiment were worn out 
 with marching and fighting, and most of them 
 slept, while the recruits stood guard, expecting an 
 enemy in every bush and behind every hill. 
 
 Before night we got orders to take up a retro- 
 grade movement, and joined the throng moving on 
 all the roads towards Washington. The next day 
 we got a newspaper that announced that the army 
 was safe behind the defences of Washington. 
 
 Such was our introduction, from scenes of peace, 
 to the tumult of war, and which is so impressed 
 upon my memory, that it seems but an event of 
 yesterday. 
 
 That day all our straggling recruits but one 
 joined us, and I was calling the list of names, 
 when some one slapped me familiarly on the 
 
114 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 shoulder, exclaiming, " Geewhitaker ! as sure as 1 
 am a hornblower, if here ain't Jack Alden ! " 
 
 It was a soldier, in faded, dirty, tattered uni- 
 form, and with a not-over-clean, sunburned face. 
 But for his voice I should not have recognized 
 him as Add. Among the peculiarities of his 
 outfit was a small frying-pan lashed to his lean 
 knapsack. 
 
 He looked every inch a soldier, however, and I 
 was not a little ashamed when he noticed my 
 sergeant's chevrons. Ashamed because I felt 
 that I was surrounded with brave and tried men, 
 who deserved more of their country than I did. 
 
 When I quizzed Add about his frying-pan, he 
 scowled and said, — 
 
 " Why, I'd rather lose my whole outfit than 
 that ! That's a whole kit in itself : a feller can 
 cook anything in it." 
 
 The next forenoon we heard great cheering 
 along the line of the army, and learned that it was 
 caused by the appearance of General McClellan, 
 who was said once more to have assumed com- 
 mand of the Army of the Potomac. 
 
 The veterans expressed great satisfaction at this 
 event, and, as Add said, "It gives the boys a 
 new backbone I They don't take much stock in 
 Pope, anyway." 
 
A RECRUIT ON THE MARCH. 115 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 A RECRUIT ON THE MARCH. 
 
 The next morning we went into camp on the 
 high land near and south of the Potomac. The 
 veteran members of our regiment passed the day 
 in cooking, washing, cleaning their muskets, sleep- 
 ing, and grumbling about Pope. 
 
 " Our old boys," said Add, " lay in a stock of 
 sleep and do their grumbling at such times as 
 these ! " 
 
 The recruits, on their part, nursed their sore 
 feet and the chafed spots which had accumulated 
 plentifully on their persons since starting out, and 
 cultivated the acquaintance of the elder members 
 of the regiment. 
 
 The veterans expressed great satisfaction at 
 once more being in the vicinity of Washington. 
 Some thought they might get passes into the city, 
 but were peremptorily refused by their officers. 
 
 I could. see but little ground for the enthusiastic 
 satisfaction expressed, for these veterans certainly 
 showed signs of hard campaigning. Some were 
 in tattered clothing, others destitute of shoes or 
 stockings, and all wore threadbare and faded uni- 
 
116 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 forms, while their clothing was infested by in- 
 vaders that disgusted the recruits. 
 
 Some of them had reminders of the Peninsula 
 Campaign in the shape of chills and fever ; 
 others were thin and pinched with diarrhoea or 
 the swamp fever, from which they were scarcely 
 convalescent, or which they had bravely with- 
 stood without abandoning duty. None of them 
 had superfluous flesh on their bones, but most 
 had muscles like whipcords, in compensation for 
 this deficiency. 
 
 I made a remark, embodying something of these 
 observations and reflections, to Add, who replied, 
 " Well, yes, they are regular fighting and march- 
 ing machines ; and if they had not been. Pope 
 would have got left worse than he did." 
 
 Contrasting with these ragged battalions of the 
 Army of the Potomac, there came well-dressed, 
 tinselled officers from Washington. Luxurious 
 carriages filled with fashionably dressed men, and 
 fair women with fresh, beautiful faces, rolled along 
 the magnificent wood-skirted drives, near the 
 camps, — if the collection of little dog-tents could 
 be called such. Thus the squalor of " grim- 
 visaged war" was contrasted with the luxuries 
 and refinements of civil life. 
 
 Wood and water were plenty ; and the veterans 
 expressed satisfaction on that score, as well as at 
 the opportunity afforded for rest, and a chance 
 to buy pies and cakes and other goodies, and to 
 
A RECRUIT ON THE MARCH. 117 
 
 cook strange messes in their half-canteens and 
 tins. 
 
 Our rest proved, however, of but short dura- 
 tion ; Uncle Sam had other uses for his children 
 in blue than indulging them in even a moderately 
 good time. 
 
 On the 4th of September the army, under their 
 faded and bullet-scarred flags, marched into Mary- 
 land, once more to battle with the enemy who had 
 crossed into that State. 
 
 The soldiers of our regiment, at the time of our 
 coming, consisted of what might be called sifted 
 men. The great sieve of war had winnowed away 
 its chaff of weak, faint-hearted, or cowardly men, 
 until by " natural selection " of campaigning, 
 battle, and hardships, only the choicest of its mem- 
 bers had remained. Most of them were beardless 
 boys, many of my own age, some even younger, 
 though all were toughened veterans. Fighting, 
 hard fare, and wearisome marches, had left set 
 lines on their young but weatherbeaten faces. 
 
 Over these men Captain Grim had gained a 
 marked supremacy. His fitness for his position 
 had been vindicated by the best of all tests, — 
 service in the field. He had been proved brave 
 and tenacious, but not foolhardy. He was cau- 
 tious, yet bold when circumstances demanded it, 
 and had gained the reputation among his men of 
 never sending them to places of danger where he 
 was not willing to lead. 
 
118 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Our first lieutenant, Elbridge Mason, was a 
 young, beardless fellow, not over eighteen, but 
 every inch a soldier. It was some time before I 
 recognized in him my former school and shop 
 acquaintance, the son of Widow Mason. The 
 personnel of the rank and file was of the very 
 best. All of these young men had a common- 
 school, some of them an academic, education, and 
 they were mostly the sons of thrifty mechanics 
 or small manufacturers from the towns around 
 Boston. Some of the more mature men had left 
 good positions in civil life to serve in the ranks. 
 
 One of our sergeants, named Scott, had been a 
 locomotive engineer. Another, Jack Hale, a tall, 
 swarthy fellow, had been a school-teacher. Add, 
 our fourth sergeant, was intelligent, and had a 
 fair education " in streaks," as he said. He was 
 reputed to be brave ; but one of our older privates 
 remarked in my hearing, that he was rather too 
 fond of skylarking and fun to exact obedience 
 from the men, or to go higher in rank. 
 
 The orderly-sergeant of the company was my 
 old friend Crandall, or, as he was familiarly 
 known in the company, " Father Crandall." I 
 soon discovered that the sobriquet was justly ac- 
 quired, for he regarded the men of the company 
 as his family, in whose welfare he was interested, 
 and for whose acts he held himself responsible to 
 his superiors. He was constant in his efforts for 
 their comfort, and the quartermaster and commis- 
 
A RECRUIT OiY THE MARCH. 110 
 
 sary of the regiment had no desirable supplies of 
 which he did not succeed in obtaining a share for 
 the boys. Although he had not a very militar}^ 
 appearance, he was a good disciplinarian, and his 
 temper was as even as his will was inflexible. His 
 ideas of duty were such, that while he made many 
 allowances for tried and proved men, he would 
 allow no flinching from actual duty. Among our 
 new recruits who received billets was Standish, 
 whom I have mentioned, and of whom the captain 
 had formed a high opinion. 
 
 The personnel of the original officers and men 
 was also very high. They were men who had en- 
 listed from patriotic desires to save the Union, and 
 not for the paltry pittance given them for pay. 
 They were the best types of our Northern man- 
 hood, who, when called upon for dangerous or des- 
 perate duty, were actuated by pride and self-esteem 
 to acquit themselves in an honorable and spirited 
 manner. 
 
 I for the first time fully appreciated the honor 
 attained by my captain in commanding such men ; 
 and by coming in contact with them, I learned 
 that in point of knowledge and service, there were 
 those then in the ranks who better deserved a ser- 
 geant's billet than myself. 
 
 After being corrected for two or three blunders 
 made in drill, in a fit of humility I went to Cap- 
 tain Grim, and said, " Captain, I am barely scA^en- 
 teen, and can now see that I should not have 
 
120 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 accepted a sergeant's billet among so many men 
 better educated and better qualified for the place. 
 I want to resign, and step into the ranks, until I 
 am better able to fill such a place." 
 
 The captain listened gravely and replied, " Ser- 
 geant Alden, I have thought of all you have said 
 long ago ; I, and not you, am the one to judge of 
 your fitness. A good soldier obeys orders ; de- 
 fers to his superiors ; when I see that you are not 
 the right man for the place you hold, I'll reduce 
 you without fear or favor. Lieutenant Mason is 
 young, but he is one of our best officers." 
 
 I saw that he meant this, and felt the flattery, 
 though I winced at the thought that he might 
 reduce or punish me if found wanting or insubor- 
 dinate. 
 
 I saluted, and was retiring, when the captain 
 added, " Alden, every man must do his duty now, 
 and more, for the country has never been in 
 greater danger ! Go to your quarters, and do the 
 best you can." This was said with such a tone 
 of dignity, that I retired with increased respect, 
 and a sort of awe, for this New England mechanic 
 who had once been my familiar acquaintance, and 
 to whom the responsibilities of his position had 
 seemed to give a stronger and graver manhood 
 than years of citizen's life could do. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 8th of September we 
 had pitched our little dog-tents by the roadside in 
 Maryland, We had marched not over seven miles 
 
"See here, you raw recruits I Beef taller's good for tlieni 
 
 sore heels." 
 
 — rage 121. 
 
A RECRUIT ON THE MARCH. 121 
 
 a da}^ since starting out from the Potomac, but 
 my person had become just so many square inches 
 of ache, and my feet were blistered and in a con- 
 dition of excruciating soreness. I kept my hurts 
 to myself, however, trusting that in time I should 
 become accustomed to marching. Other raw re- 
 cruits of the company complained as I should have 
 done but for my pride. 
 
 " Do well 'nuff fer you," whined a little Irish 
 boy named Tobin, from Centerboro' ; " you've been 
 there before! Jist look at the blisters on the 
 heels and toes of me ! Now, fer the love o' the 
 saints, how am I ever to march with the same ? 
 An' the ole byes all the time saying, ' It's delight- 
 ful to march in Maryland ! ' Sure, I'm rolling in 
 a profusion of such delights ; I'll give mine to 
 some distitute feller that needs 'em ! " 
 
 " You are as old and tough as I am," I replied, 
 as I kicked off my boots and proceeded, for em- 
 phasis and illustration, to wash my raw heels and 
 blistered toes. " It won't do to let those old vets 
 have the laugh or joke on us ; just grin and bear 
 it like a man, and don't whine, Tobin." 
 
 " Well," said Add, who, unperceived, had come 
 up with a broad grin, " the}^ are just perfect sor- 
 rors to yer, ain't they, Alden ? See here," he 
 added, " you raw recruits ! Beef taller's good for 
 them sore heels, and put some on't on the counter 
 of the shoes, to limber 'em up. They'll come 
 'round, them feet will, in a few days. An' you 
 
122 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 young squealer," addressing Tobin, " I guess I 
 know something 'bout sore toes ! I've got the 
 worst set o' corns in the whole regiment, — achers 
 of 'em. You can squeal if you want to, Tobin, but 
 I guess you won't get much sympathy. 'Tain't 
 manly to coddle any one in the army. We have 
 to get as hard as flint. If you want sympathy, 
 bear everything, and say nothin', like a man ; 
 then the old vets will respect yer! Then when 
 yer can't stand it any longer, straggle — that's re- 
 spectable ; squealing ain't." 
 
 " Say nothing," said Tobin ; " we ain't going to 
 let them vets hear us squeak." Add gave me a 
 complimentary nod, and continued, " The boys say, 
 Alden, that you wanted to give up your place as 
 sergeant ; said you thought some of the vets de- 
 served it more than you did." 
 
 I looked up angrily, for my interview with Cap- 
 tain Grim had hurt my pride, by giving me an 
 even smaller opinion of myself than I had before. 
 
 "Oh," said Add, "you needn't look at me in 
 that wa}' ! The boys like yer all the better for 
 not thinking too much of yourself." 
 
 " I haven't said I didn't think well of myself," 
 I replied stiffly. 
 
 " Well, ye'r foolish to try and throw a ser- 
 geant's billet over yer shoulder. I'd take any 
 place, short of commander of the array; even a 
 brigadier-general's place, with an ambulance to 
 ride in and to carry good things. Don't throw 
 
A RECRUIT ON THE MARCH. 123 
 
 anythiyig over yer shoulder, I say. The captain 
 said he'd break yer if yer deserved it, and he will. 
 Captain Grim? Why, he's an old fighting cock! 
 Yer ought to seen him at Glendale. He booted 
 one of them young rebs that got among the bat- 
 tery we was supporting. Give him an awful kick, 
 and yelled out as he kicked, ' Go home,' as if he 
 was too small and young for his powder." 
 
 "I suppose," I inquired, "the rebels fight 
 well ? " 
 
 "I ain't laid up nothin' 'gainst them on that 
 head," said Add, laughing. As he moved off he 
 added to Tobin, " Well, grease up your shoes, and 
 don't squeal, whatever you do." 
 
 As we advanced into Maryland, reorganization 
 of the army went on, and, as some one has said, 
 " all the faster because of our slow marches." 
 
 We had halted on the afternoon of the 13th of 
 September, I think it was, and had gone into camp 
 a few miles from Frederick City. The country 
 through which we had marched sliowed every 
 evidence of thrift and prosperity. Well-dressed 
 women, clean children, and polite men had greeted 
 us at almost every farmhouse and hamlet along 
 the route. The number of black laborers excited 
 my surprise. The Union flag was displayed on 
 buildings, and Union sentiments were generally 
 expressed by the people, with the occasional ex- 
 ception of a sullen old planter whose sons were in 
 the Rebel army. 
 
124 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 The delight of the veterans with Maryland was 
 enthusiastic. They never foraged if they had 
 money to buy chickens and sweet potatoes. The 
 people sold willingly, but in many instances would 
 not accept payment. The grist-mills were run- 
 ning even on Sundays, to provide flour for the 
 unexpectedly large call on their stock. In the 
 houses along the route sick Union soldiers were 
 tenderly cared for by the hospitable people. 
 
 Here, while awaiting orders for another march, 
 it may be well to see what was taking place on 
 a larger field than the front of our own regiment. 
 
 After the battle of Bull Run, Lee had trans- 
 ferred the theatre of war from the front of Wash- 
 ington into Maryland. The harvests of the fertile 
 valley of the Shenandoah had fallen into his hands, 
 and his army had pressed confidently forward, with 
 high hopes of conquest of the free State, singing 
 as they advanced, — 
 
 " The despot's heel is on thy shore, 
 Maryland, my Maryland." 
 
 It was not Lee's intention, however, to make 
 a direct move on Washington, but, after estab- 
 lishing his communications with Richmond by way 
 of the Shenandoah Valley, to make a feint of mov- 
 ing against Pennsylvania, lead McClellan from 
 his base of supplies, and then, after a decisive bat- 
 tle, seize Washington or Baltimore, or perhaps 
 both. 
 
A RECRUIT ON THE MARCH. 125 
 
 He also hoped to recruit his ranks with enthu- 
 siastic young Marylanders, and for this purpose 
 issued a prochimation, calling on her people " to 
 throw off the foreign yoke and assume the sove- 
 reignty of the State." 
 
 He opened an office for recruiting in Frederick 
 City. 
 
 The counties of Western Maryland were either 
 decidedly Union in sentiment, or, at best, only 
 lukewarm in their disloyalty. They did not in 
 any case respond to Lee's call ; whether they did 
 not wish to be redeemed from plenty and receive 
 the blessings of squalor, rags, and destitution rep- 
 resented by the Confederates who swarmed her 
 soil, I do not know. 
 
 But the results did not, it was said, " pan out " 
 largely for the Confederates ; for they lost more 
 soldiers by desertion than they gained by re- 
 cruiting. 
 
 Real war, it must be confessed, seldom attracts ; 
 it is the tinsel of fresh uniforms and pomp of mar- 
 tial music — things but seldom known in genuine 
 war — that draw young men to enlistment of- 
 fices ; and therefore Marylanders were no excep- 
 tion to a general rule in humanity, even if hostile 
 to the Union. 
 
 The Union army had meanwhile moved slowly 
 into Maryland. The uncertainty of the enemy's 
 intention made it necessary to march cautiously, 
 and to advance in such order as to keep Wash- 
 
126 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 ington and Baltimoie covered, and at the same 
 time to dispose the troops so as to be able to con- 
 centrate and follow quickly, should Lee take the 
 direction of Pennsylvania ; or to defend Washing- 
 ton, if the movement into Maryland proved sim- 
 ply a trick to draw our forces from the defence of 
 the national capital. 
 
 Our army was therefore so disposed as to form 
 the circumference of a circle, described from the 
 centre of Washington, with a radius of twenty 
 miles, and with an extension of about twenty- 
 five miles from right to left. 
 
 Up to the time of our going into camp, as I have 
 mentioned in the foregoing narrative, our progress 
 had been slow, although, had it been faster, Heaven 
 knows the recruits would not have been able to 
 keep up. 
 
 I was caring for my blistered feet, or, as Add 
 expressed it, "putting m3-self on a war footing," 
 when a colored boy, who had come, as he said, 
 " All de way from Fredrick," solicited me to buy 
 peach-pies. I at once recognized him as one of 
 the house-servants belonging to the Raymonds of 
 Baltimore, who had sometimes come to Dr. Mil- 
 ner's on errands when I was a wounded guest 
 at his house. 
 
 " Halloo, Sam ! where did you come from, and 
 where's your master?" I exclaimed. 
 
 He did not at first recognize me, or pretended 
 not to ; but after a while he exclaimed, " Golly ! I 
 
A RECRUIT ON THE MARCH. 127 
 
 believe youse cle Yankee soldier dat war dar 
 at Massa Milner's. I 'clar', sar, I didn't know 
 yerl 
 
 "Where's your master?" I inquired again; for 
 as he was Raymond's body-servant, I suspected liis 
 master or some of the Raymonds could not be far 
 ofe. 
 
 Sam answered evasively, " Can't keep de run 
 of de quality folks dese times." 
 
 Something in Sam's manner, however, told me 
 that he not only knew where his master was, but 
 that he was near by. 
 
 In the afternoon, near a farmhouse where a legi- 
 ment of our brigade had stacked their muskets, I 
 saw a young fellow come up with a bundle of 
 newspapers, and rushed with others to buy one. 
 
 As I paid for my paper, I noticed that the man 
 who sold them had the hands of one unaccustomed 
 to work, although his clothing was that of a la- 
 borer. A soft felt hat was pulled down over his 
 face. While watching him I saw him make a 
 gesture of command towards Sam, who at once 
 disappeared in the crowd. As I turned around 
 to call out, the newsman too was gone. I jumped 
 at once to the conclusion that the man in disguise 
 was George Raymond, whom I had met in Balti- 
 more at Doctor Milner's. 
 
 "What," was the query in my mind, "is this 
 young and aristocratic man doing in disguise 
 within the lines of the Union army ? " 
 
128 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 In the morning we continued our march, but I 
 saw no more of master or servant at that time. 
 
 We were now hurried forward much more de- 
 cisively than formerly ; and the vets said Mc- 
 Clellan had got his plans well settled for the 
 campaign, and was about to execute them. 
 
ON THE VERGE OF BATTLE. 129 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ON THE VERGE OF BATTLE. 
 
 On the 12th of September our advance had 
 driven the Confederates from Frederick City, 
 where, as we afterwards learned, they had met 
 with but a cold reception. 
 
 Wlien we marched into the town, the people ex- 
 hibited every manifestation of pleasure. Women 
 wearing decorations of red, white, and blue, came 
 out on the sidewalk, and greeted us with enthu- 
 siasm. 
 
 "•Thank God!" exclaimed one old lady, when 
 referring to the Confederate army, " them dirty 
 thieves and sneaks have gone ! " 
 
 " We are right glad," said another, " to see the 
 Union soldiers here." 
 
 " When the Confederates were here," said a 
 citizen of Frederick, " all these shops that are 
 now open were closed, and most of the houses had 
 their shutters up." 
 
 Many other expressions of the kind showed 
 that at least these people of Maryland had not 
 responded to Lee's proclamation, which called 
 upon them to ''throw off the foreign yoke," a§ 
 
130 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 the rule of the Federal government was desig- 
 nated. 
 
 " Just see," exclaimed Add, " the colors and 
 the pretty girls ! " We looked up, and saw at the 
 windows of a house a dozen or more young ladies 
 wearing miniature flags ; and stretched across the 
 street was displayed the national banner. 
 
 "Isn't it fine!" he exclaimed. "These folks 
 seem human." 
 
 I didn't see anything in these demonstrations 
 to make a fuss over, and said so. 
 
 "Well, my boy," said Sergeant Crandall, " that's 
 because you don't see the contrast between these 
 people and the people in Virginia, who acted as if 
 our soldiers were dirt under their feet ! We ain't 
 accustomed to decent treatment by the people 
 where we're soldiering, and it seems kinder nice 
 to us." 
 
 " The Confederate soldiers who were recruiting 
 here," said a citizen, " sang that ' the despot's 
 heel was on our shore, my Maryland ; ' but when 
 them fellers tried to pull me into their recruiting- 
 office, I told them I thought the Confederate rule 
 liere was worse than any Yankee yoke weUi had. 
 I heard their officer say they were losing more 
 men by desertion in Maryland than they were 
 gaining by recruiting." 
 
 We stacked arms on one of the side streets of 
 this quaint but hospitable town. On the window- 
 sills of the houses the people set out a profusion 
 
ON THE VERGE OF BATTLE. 131 
 
 of cakes, pies, bread, honey, and other eatables, 
 such as had not gladdened the sight of our veter- 
 ans for many a month. 
 
 Daintily dressed women, with their needlework 
 in their hands, chatted pleasantly with us, while 
 the air was full of the merry clack of children's 
 voices, in strong contrast to the bronzed faces, 
 flashing arms and equipments, of our warlike 
 ranks. 
 
 While sitting on a doorstep, talking to a nice- 
 loof;ing matron, telling her about the Yankee 
 country I came from, and, I fear, unconsciously 
 drawing an unfavorable contrast to her own town, 
 I noticed a young fellow lounging near. He was 
 standing with his back to the house, with his soft 
 hat pulled down over his eyes, apparently listening 
 to my talk and that of others, and keenly obser- 
 vant of all that was passing around him. I should 
 have thought nothing of it, had I not recognized 
 something familiar' in his manner. Afterwards his 
 eyes met mine with a flash of recognition, and I 
 saw that it was George Raymond, whom I have 
 mentioned before. 
 
 He evidently saw that I knew him ; for, remov- 
 ing his hat, he made a gesture, as I thought, half 
 in defiance and half in salutation, and disap- 
 peared. 
 
 " What's the matter, Alden ? " said Captain 
 Grim, who stood near by. " What," he continued, 
 as I did not at once reply, " do you see so strange ? 
 
132 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Wliy, your eyes are sticking out of your head as 
 if you had seen your grandmother's ghost ! " 
 
 " I saw," I replied, " a young fellow I knew in 
 Baltimore — at Dr. Milner's. He has just dodged 
 around that corner. He's an awful rebel too." 
 
 "Shouldn't M^onder," said Captain Grim in his 
 gruff way, " if there was a lot more hanging 
 around here. Better be here than with Lee's 
 army, though." 
 
 "Maybe he is a spy," I suggested. "What's he 
 doing here, when he belongs in Baltimore ? " • 
 
 " Shouldn't borrow any rebs," said Sergeant 
 Crandall, biting off a huge piece from a hunk 
 of natural-leaf tobacco. " We kinder think we'll 
 have enough of 'em, my boy, without the multi- 
 plication-table ; lots of things show that a fight 
 is brewing." 
 
 " What," I asked, " are they? I don't see any : 
 I haven't heard a gun fired anywhere around 
 here." 
 
 " Well, that only shows ye are green, my 
 boy! Three days' rations, sixty rounds of car- 
 tridges, officers' horses and red-tape slingers sent 
 to the rear, with the orders we've had to be ready 
 to march at a moment's notice, means tliat we are 
 on the heels of the Rebel arni}^, and are going fur 
 'em, and that a fight is expected at any minute. 
 That's the way we read it, ain't it. Captain ? " 
 
 Captain Grim nodded, and gruffly grunted out, 
 *' The signs are iu the air, true as yer live ! " 
 
ON THE VERGE OF BATTLE. 133 
 
 In the evening we went into camp near the 
 town ; and, after boiling our coffee and cooking 
 our rations, men all over the camp began to 
 button together the oblong pieces of cotton cloth, 
 one of which was carried by each man; then two 
 crotched sticks about four feet long were driven 
 firmly in the ground, and, with a ridge-pole ad- 
 justed, the cloth was stretched across them for 
 a tent. 
 
 Then, under the stars of a beautiful September 
 night, while the distant murmurs of merriment 
 in the town came to our ears, like echoes from 
 our far-away homes, taps sounded, silence suc- 
 ceeded in camp, and we slept the sleep of young 
 and tired boys. 
 
 It seemed to me' that I was scarcely asleep 
 before I was awakened by the rattle of drums, 
 and the piercing notes of the fife, sounding the 
 reveille. The roll was called by candlelight, 
 and at break of day we were on the march. 
 
 That ni}^ young readers may know what was 
 taking place on a wider field than mere individ- 
 ual observations can give, it is needful to glance 
 at the operations of the Union and Confederate 
 armies, approaching each other in Maryland. 
 
 As I have said elsewhere, it was not General 
 Lee's plan, after establishing his communications 
 by way of the Shenandoah Valley, to make a di- 
 rect attack upon Washington, but to so manoeuvre 
 as to lead McClellan from the base of his supplies, 
 and to uncover the national capital. < 
 
134 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 While carrying out this plan, Lee had not 
 thought it necessary to go out of his way to 
 capture or drive away a force of twelve thousand 
 men who garrisoned at Harper's Ferry, — as his 
 crossing above had rendered its occupation use- 
 less. 
 
 Although early in the campaign McClellan 
 had requested that these men should join him by 
 the easiest practicable route, Halleck had insisted 
 that they should remain in this turned and worse- 
 than-useless position. The whole campaign, which 
 we are in part describing, pivots around this fact. 
 
 Imagine the astonishment of the rebel com- 
 mander at learning, after his advance to Fred- 
 erick City, that this garrison was still in his rear. 
 He at once determined to capture the place, its 
 twelve thousand defenders, and its munitions of 
 war. 
 
 With this in view, he at once directed Jackson 
 to move across the Potomac by way of Williams- 
 port, to ascend from the rear and attack the garri- 
 son, while McLaws was to seize Maryland Heights, 
 and a force under Walker crossed the river and 
 seized the heights of Loudon. 
 
 The advance for this purpose began on the 
 10th of September. The Confederate forces were 
 in the positions assigned on the night of the 12th. 
 
 The Union defenders, like rats in a huge bowl, 
 and with the cat's paws on the edge thereof, were 
 inevitably doomed to be captured. 
 
ON THE VERGE OF BATTLE. 135 
 
 The Union Army had, meanwhile, as seen by 
 our previous description, arrived at Frederick City. 
 Here there fell into the hands of McClellan, Lee's 
 official order, which fully disclosed in detail the 
 movement for the capture of Harper's Ferry, and 
 to carry out which, Lee had divided his forces in 
 the face of his enemy. Here was an opportunity 
 seldom offered to a general, — the full disclosure of 
 his enemy's plans. 
 
 To avail himself of this division of the enemy, 
 McClellan directed Franklin, with his corps, to 
 march at daybreak on the 13th, and capture 
 Crampton's Pass. 
 
 It has since been shown that had he ordered the 
 march to be made on the evening previous, the 
 Rebel army would have been cut in twain, and 
 defeated in detail. 
 
 In war, time is often of superior importance, 
 above even men and means. Stonewall Jack- 
 son illustrated his conception of its importance, 
 when, in this emergency, leaving General Hill to 
 receive the surrender of Harper's Ferry, on the 
 night of the 15th he marched his corps fifteen 
 miles, and joined Lee's army at Sharpsburg. 
 
 Meanwhile, Franklin had, after a sharp fight, 
 driven away the rebel defenders of Crampton's 
 Pass ; and if he had debouched at once in rear 
 of Maryland Heights, it is doubtful if McLaws 
 could have escaped. 
 
 Such was the situation when, on the morning of 
 
136 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 the 14th of September, we hurried forward, and 
 found the Union army crowding all the roads in 
 pursuit of Lee. 
 
 As we marched four abreast, mounted orderlies 
 and aids, with ofificial envelopes in their belts, 
 hurried back and forth by the side of our march- 
 ing columns. 
 
 The cavalry, the eyes of an army, were scouting 
 ahead, sending back reports as fast as they learned 
 of the presence of the enemy. 
 
 At a jDlace where two roads came together, we 
 encountered another body of troops ; and, as is 
 customary, when it was learned that they had or- 
 ders to reach this junction first, we marched into 
 a field, and rested in place, waiting until this force 
 had passed. 
 
 Here a grizzly-looking individual, who was 
 seated on a snake fence, remarked, " You'll come 
 back right soon, 1 reckon, with our folks after 
 yer." 
 
 The roads were narrow, and not of the best, 
 and occasionally were encumbered with wrecked 
 wagons or broken artillery wheels. 
 
 The increasing haste of ai(^ and orderlies, 
 meanwhile, showed, even to the uninitiated, that 
 orders were coming thick and fast to hurry up the 
 troops, and that the enemy was not far away. 
 
 That night we halted and stacked arms in an 
 open field, and lay down to rest with thoughts of 
 the impending battle. , 
 
ON THE VERGE OF BATTLE. 137 
 
 The next day we crossed the range of the Colol- 
 tian Mountains, and descended its slopes into the 
 beautiful Middletown Valley. 
 
 When marching down the western slope, we 
 looked out upon the landscape, spread in peaceful 
 beauty below and around us. Looking towards 
 the north, we could see the roads dotted with 
 white spots ; these were our trains. Dark col- 
 umns of men, fringed with flashing steel, were seen 
 on all the roads, right and left, winding along 
 the hillsides, pouring over the ridges, and descend- 
 ing by all tlie roads, furrowing, as it were, the land- 
 scape with dark columns of our army. 
 
 A mile or less from us the column had broken, 
 and formed for battle in the fields. 
 
 The flash of sunlight on burnished steel was 
 seen ; and moving columns and the hurry of 
 steeds made the scene one of unusual fascination. 
 
 As we neared the opposite mountain range, we 
 heard the thunder of artillery, and saw the smoke 
 of battle on the hills. 
 
 It was the sound of a conflict, in which the 
 Union troops were attempting to wrest the pas- 
 sage through the Blue Ridge known as Turner's 
 Gap from the possession of the enemy. 
 
 Later in the day we were marched up the hill 
 from which there came the sound of conflict ; 
 and to my relief, instead of being sent against 
 the enemy direct, we went into a field, and were 
 ordered to lie down. 
 
138 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 I said to Add, after we had lain there a while, 
 " What is all this about ? We don't seem to 
 be doing much except lying on our bellies, with 
 noise all around us, and a humming of shot and 
 shell whizzing over our heads ! " 
 
 I had scarcely spoken these words when I heard 
 a long-continued yell of hi-hi-hi-i-i-i-i-i^ and burst- 
 ino- through the thicket in front of us came* a 
 body of men. 
 
 " Fire ! " came the order from our colonel, and 
 then a wreath of smoke. 
 
 With heavy, saddened heart I saw the poor 
 wounded Southern boys fall before this deadly 
 fire, abandoned by their comrades, who had run 
 back into the woods again. 
 
 The sight was sickening; and, although they 
 were our country's enemies, I would have given 
 a year's pay to have been able to help comfort 
 them. 
 
 Before sundown the heavy boom of cannon 
 and the crackle of musketry among the hills had 
 ceased. 
 
 We then went forward to where we had seen 
 the poor wounded fellows fall. They were piti- 
 fully calling for water, as wounded men always 
 do. There were a dozen or more dead, and two- 
 score at least of poor wounded fellows clad in 
 butternut and gray. I, for one, helped and com- 
 forted them, and was very sad at heart. Their 
 faces were pinched and their persons thin, — made 
 
ON THE VERGE OF BATTLE. 139 
 
 so, no doubt, by forced marches and short rations ; 
 and I thought regretfully of the anger I had felt 
 when I fired at those poor boys. 
 
 Our men gave the wounded every care possible 
 under the circumstances, — shared with them their 
 food and drink, and tried to ease their pain by 
 cheerful words ; but before morning four had 
 died. 
 
 The next morning we did the best we could 
 for them, but by seven o'clock were following 
 once more our columns, which filled the mountain- 
 passes. 
 
 At dawn intelligence came to us that Lee had 
 withdrawn into the valley of the Antietam, and 
 we were soon in hot pursuit. 
 
 The country was a beautiful one, and on every 
 side were seen fields of grain ready for the reaper, 
 orchards and meadows, cattle grazing in the fields ; 
 while comfortable farmhouses and barns showed 
 that abundance was common to the country. 
 
140 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 
 
 On Monday morning our column approached a 
 line of low hills, and turned off on the road to the 
 left of them. After marching a short distance 
 over this road, which ran parallel to the line of 
 hills, we were halted for a rest. 
 
 Soon after we halted, prompted by that curios- 
 ity which is the Yankee birthright, I went with 
 a few comrades to the top of the ridge, little 
 knowing, however, that I was about to look out 
 on what was destined shortly to become one of 
 the world's great battle-fields. Below us, wind- 
 ing in its crooked course, and partly hidden by a 
 deep fringe of foliage, ran a narrow river, the 
 Antietam. On the left, across this creek or river, 
 was a little village ; with fields in front, enclosed 
 by stone walls ; as beautiful an undulating land- 
 scape as the eye could desire to rest upon. 
 
 In the green fields herds of cattle were grazing ; 
 orchards and yellow harvests, and here and there 
 comfortable farmhouses, some on eminences, others 
 half hidden by vines and shade-trees, gave variety 
 to the peaceful valley. 
 
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 141 
 
 A road ran from the village, almost parallel 
 with the general course of the river, which here 
 runs nearly north and south. Other roads forked 
 from this pike, and ran towards the river. 
 
 "What village can that be?" I iliquired, con- 
 sulting my pocket map. " Is it Hagerstown ? " 
 
 " It's Sharpsburg," replied one of my comrades, 
 who was familiar with this part of the country. 
 " Hagerstown must be twenty miles north of us ; 
 that road running north from the village is the 
 Hagerstown pike. You could see the Potomac 
 from here if it wasn't for the wooded hills." 
 
 Several stone bridges crossed the stream on our 
 front, while the landscape was closed in on our 
 right and left by wooded ridges. 
 
 As we stood here a group of officers came to the 
 ridge, not far from us, viewing the country with 
 their field-glasses. 
 
 " Just see that ! " Captain Grim (who was 
 standing by my side) pointed to little white puffs 
 of smoke which arose from the road near the town. 
 Before I could inquire its import, shells hoarsely 
 whistled over the heads of the group of officers I 
 have mentioned. 
 
 " Hear that, my boy ! " exclaimed Crandall, as 
 shot after shot was fired ; " that means, just as 
 plain as if 't was said in English, ' We rebs are 
 here ! And if you think j^ou can drive us out, 
 try it ! '" 
 
 Just then, as if in response to the challenge, a 
 
142 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 light battery, six horses to a gun, came galloping, 
 with a whirl and clatter of haste, to the top of the 
 hill, wheeled into position, and one after another 
 of the guns opened fire with a furious rapidity and 
 precision of ^m that astonished me. 
 
 As the group of officers went down the hill, I 
 heard one of them say, " The enemy is in force 
 on both sides of that road." 
 
 " There don't seem to be much harm done," I 
 said, " except the big noise they're making ; no 
 one is hurt." 
 
 " See here," said Add, who was one of our 
 party, " 't ain't meant for fun or fireworks, you 
 bet!" 
 
 " No," said Captain Grim, looking off across the 
 river with his glass; "it's a defiance, rather than 
 anything else ; but it looks to me as though they 
 were putting on a bold face to cover some de- 
 ficiency : likely their whole force ain't up yet, and 
 they want to stand us off a while. What's the use 
 of firing when they don't touch us, or we them, did 
 you say ? Why, every one of them bronze pieces 
 is asking a question; and they have got an an- 
 swer. Question is, 'Where are you, Johnny Reb?' 
 We've developed their position, and I guess from 
 their fire that they are in force, and pi-obably on 
 both sides of tliat road. They mean to receive 
 battle there. Boys, we'd better get back to the 
 regiment ! We are likely to attack, or at least 
 go for 'em, just as soon as we can get ready. 
 
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 143 
 
 We shall have some mighty sharp work before 
 long, anyway." 
 
 The enemy's position was admirably chosen, 
 their lines being drawn across an angle, formed 
 by the junction of the Potomac with the Antietam 
 River, which here runs nearly south, and obliquely 
 towards the Potomac ; and as the Potomac at this 
 point forms, by a series of curves, a sort of horse- 
 shoe bend in their rear, they were enabled to rest 
 both flanks on that stream, while the Antietam 
 protected their front. A line of abrupt ^ills, 
 rising from the river, forming a half-circle, with 
 the convexity in front, enabled their artillery to 
 sweep the level land from right to left before 
 them, and make it cost dearly in life to cross the 
 bridges near the town. 
 
 On the afternoon of our arrival we were brought 
 to our feet b}^ cheering, which came nearer and 
 nearer. It was for McClellan, who was riding 
 down our lines, and was receiving an enthusiastic 
 welcome from his devoted soldiers. As he came 
 by us on his magnificent black horse, which out- 
 sped the horses of his staff, we too threw up 
 our hats, and cheered enthusiastically until we 
 were hoarse. We could hear the cheering as he 
 passed, sounding along the line until it seemed 
 but an echo in the distance. 
 
 That night we slept on our arms. 
 
 Tuesday morning dawned hot and breathless. 
 All that day we waited, expectant, but not anx- 
 
144 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 ious, for the fight to begin. When we went to the 
 top of the hill, the Confederate gunners showed 
 us more attentions than seemed good for us, and 
 we speedily got down again, with the angry sput- 
 terino^ and hoarse screeching^ of shell over us. The 
 artillery was very noisy, and most of that day the 
 very hills seemed to shake with its explosions. 
 
 "Guess we ain't goin' to have much fightin', at 
 this rate," said one of the recruits, who was just 
 learning to grumble. Orderly-Sergeant Crandall, 
 who«vvas cooking his supper, looked up and said, 
 with a smile o'f disdain at such shallowness, — 
 
 " Humph ! you'll soon see enough of that busi- 
 ness, so you won't hanker for it a'terwards, or 
 I'm much mistaken in signs ! " 
 
 It was near sundown when Add exclaimed, 
 " There they go ! Hear that ! " And from across 
 the river there came the long roar of musketry, 
 showing that the battle had actually begun. 
 
 This is what was taking place. Hooker's corps, 
 with Mansfield's in reserve, had crossed Antie- 
 tam Creek at an unguarded ford near Pye's Mills, 
 above us. His advance, under Meade, had, at 
 about sundown, encountered the enemy under 
 Hood, and driven him back. And then with a 
 sharp skirmish ended the fight for the night. 
 
 Let us now turn and see the field of action from 
 a more general standpoint than individual sight 
 can give. 
 
 The Confederate general, although in no con- 
 
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 145 
 
 dition for the aggressive, had made careful prepa- 
 ration to receive an attack. 
 
 To guard the turnpike which we had observed 
 from the ridge (running north and south beyond 
 the town and across the Potomac), he had placed 
 two briofades under Hood, with Jackson near, as 
 reserve. Longs treet's corps was on the right of 
 the road, from Sharpsburg to Boonsboro", with 
 D. H. Hill's corps on the left. 
 
 Three of the stone bridges nearest the town, 
 crossing the Antietam on his front, were so well 
 guarded as to prevent a front attack by our army. 
 
 The plan of battle formed meanwhile by the 
 Union commander was simple and comprehen- 
 sive. It was to throw his riorht winor across the 
 river, and attack with Hooker's corps, supported 
 by those of Mansfield and Sumner. When this 
 manoeuvre should have withdrawn attention from 
 his centre and left, the bridges were to be forced, 
 and the enemy there posted to be driven back. 
 Hooker's attack was in furtherance of this plan, 
 and the firingr we had heard in the eveningr was 
 from this corps, engaging the Confederate left. 
 
 Shortly after this I saw our colonel in conver- 
 sation with Captain Grim ; afterwards Orderly 
 Crandall came to us, and said gravely. " Be ready 
 to move at any time. boys. It's likely to rain ; so 
 keep your muskets dry." 
 
 In the morning I was awakened from a dream- 
 less sleep by hearing the call, '• Turn out ! Turn 
 
146 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 out there ! " I sprang to my feet, and, amid the 
 drizzling rain of the early morning, was soon en- 
 gaged with my comrades in preparation for what 
 might be before us. 
 
 We boiled coffee, refilled our canteens and hav- 
 ersacks, and growled about the weather. 
 
 I wondered how I should acquit myself in the 
 impending fight; for, to tell the truth, I didn't feel 
 very brave. 
 
 At seven o'clock we heard the first volley of 
 musketry across the river, to which was soon 
 joined the steady boom, boom, boom, of artillery, 
 showing that the battle had begun. 
 
 As we got the order to march, half an hour 
 later, the clouds cleared, and the sun came out, 
 giving promise of fair weather. The colonel, a 
 thick-set, grave, resolute-looking man, rode down 
 our front, accompanied by a white-haired officer. 
 
 "That's General Sumner," said Add, "and he's 
 a good one too." 
 
 " Wliat have you got your frying-pan lashed to 
 your back for, Add?" I asked. 
 
 "Carry it for luck," was the reply. "Maybe 
 I'll be lucky enough to have a chance to fry some- 
 thing, you know ! " 
 
 We crossed the river by a lower ford; and, as 
 we halted. General McClellan again rode down 
 our lines, and was again received by his soldiers 
 with wonderful enthusiasm. The veterans threw 
 up their caps, and cheered again and again. Their 
 
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 147 
 
 enthusiasm for him resulted, I believe, from their 
 faith that he would not needlessly throw away 
 lives. 
 
 "That," I heard Lieutenant Mason say, "will 
 put life into them. A man can't cheer like that, 
 and consistently turn his back on the rebs after- 
 ward. May God prosper the cause ! " 
 
 As our young lieutenant said this, I could 
 not help admiring his straight, athletic, although 
 youthful, form. There were grave lines of manly 
 resolution on his face, but not the first sign of a 
 beard. He was a mere boy, yet had already 
 gained a character for steadiness and bravery. 
 He was the very impersonation of young Christian 
 manhood ; and one could not know him long 
 without being impressed, as I was, that his cour- 
 age Avas born of fear of God. 
 
 The order, " Forward ! " came, and we moved 
 on towards the discordant sounds of battle. 
 
 While our column is moving forward, let us for 
 a brief moment explain what was taking place 
 on our front, where could be heard tlie long volleys 
 of musketry and the rapid iiring of artillery. 
 
 Hooker had attempted to carry the Hagerstown 
 road and the wood west of it. This was the aim, 
 also, of the succession of desperate attacks that 
 followed. So long as the Confederates held this 
 wood, they were ambushed in a position to deliver 
 a flanking fire on our troops as they advanced on 
 the cleared land on the rio-ht of it. 
 
148 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 After an hour's bloody bushwhacking, Hooker 
 drove the enemy from a large cornfield near the 
 turnpike. Here the fight, furious from the begin- 
 ning, became awful. The lines of battle, swaying 
 back and forth, had strewn the cornfield with a 
 harvest of dead, whose blood reddened the blades 
 of corn. The hostile lines had literally torn each 
 other in pieces. 
 
 Hooker had thrown forward Meade in advance, 
 to seize the Hagerstown road. The enemy's line, 
 staggered and overthrown, was falling back, when 
 the reserve division, under Stonewall Jackson, re- 
 enforced by Hood's two brigades, rushed yelling 
 from the wood, and hurled back Meade's columns, 
 broken and bleeding. Such was the situation as 
 we advanced. 
 
 It is the unknown quantity in danger that ter- 
 rifies. As we moved forward towards the battle 
 sounds, the cannon roaring louder and louder, and 
 the musketry crackling fiercer and fiercer, like 
 hemlock twigs in the flames, I found myself in 
 a tremor of nervousness, which I could not wholly 
 suppress. I had no desire to die a hero's death. 
 There were too many heroes, and the prospect of 
 being overlooked was not pleasing to one's egotism. 
 
 "How do you like it as far as you've gone?" 
 Add asked this in an undertone, as if he surmised 
 my thoughts, as one of our new men, pale and 
 gasping with fright, fell out of line, and was forced 
 back again by the file-closers. 
 
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 149 
 
 "I hope I shall be able to do my duty!" I said 
 this angrily, from the fact that I had my doubts, 
 and yet was afraid of being thought a coward. 
 
 " I know," said Add, " 'bout how you feel, I 
 guess. But you don't fight any part of this fight, 
 though, until you get there ; don't bother 'bout 
 anything till it comes ! " 
 
 We marched at the sharp run called a double- 
 quick, for a mile or more, then entered a grove 
 almost clear of underbrush, where numerous dead 
 and wounded men still lay on the ground. 
 
 Here, too, were faint-hearted men who had left 
 the battle-ranks under pretence of taking care of 
 the wounded. 
 
 "These men," I heard Captain Grim sarcasti- 
 cally remark, "are too thunderin' tender." 
 
 " Shows that old Joe Hooker," said another, 
 "has had a hard pull for it." 
 
 One of the would-be-thought Good Samaritans, 
 in answer to an uncomplimentary remark, angrily 
 shouted in reply, " Laugh ! but j^ou'U come to the 
 rear pretty soon, like a whipped dog with his tail 
 between his legs ! You'll get your stomach full 
 out there before you know it ! " 
 
 We had halted for a few moments to re-form our 
 line, for every impediment of tree or rock breaks 
 up a regular formation in an advance like this. 
 
 While this halt was made, the order was given 
 that no one was to leave the ranks, not even to 
 attend to our wounded. 
 
150 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 The evidences of the fight seen in this wood, 
 coupled with this command, were significant. 
 
 The dead and wounded of the enemy, as well as 
 our own, encumbered the ground at almost every 
 step. Some of the wounded were propped against 
 trees, others were helping one another, and in some 
 instances had bound up their wounds with blades 
 of corn. 
 
 The fierce fight that raged here must have been 
 appalling. Some of the wounded signalled us for 
 help, which we could not give. My heart sick- 
 ened; its pulsations were like a muffled drum. 
 
 We finally reached open ground, where the ene- 
 my's unseen artillery struck our ranks. Bullets 
 hissed from foes in ambush as we ran on, and were 
 finally halted, and drawn up in line parallel to the 
 Hagerstown pike. 
 
 Between us and this road was a field of high, 
 thick Indian corn. A fence was taken down 
 while we were re-forming, and again on we went, 
 still under fire from the enemy, passing over 
 the dead and wounded who dotted the field. 
 
 Few men besides ours were in sight. It looked 
 as if this affair was exclusively our own. 
 
 As we passed into the wood on the other side of 
 the road, we were, for a short time, out of range of 
 the enemy's fire. After marching a while, we en- 
 countered them again, while we were moved by 
 the right oblique, to close an interval between 
 us and another regiment. At this time we had 
 
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 151 
 
 reached a slight rise in the ground, and began 
 to drive the enemy steadily before us. 
 
 It was at this time that a dramatic incident 
 occurred. While the enemy were attempting to 
 lally tlieir men around a flag, not over fifteen 
 yards from us, a volley was poured into them 
 from our muskets. In the smoke of it, I saw one 
 of our men run forward to the rebel color-bearer, 
 who stood wounded and deserted by his comrades, 
 wrest the flag from his hands, and, with the 
 standard-bearer for a prisoner, quickly join our 
 ranks with the flag, amid the cheers of our boys. 
 It was George Standish. 
 
 The enemy had now fallen back to the cover 
 of an orchard, a wheat-field, haystacks, and farm- 
 buildings. From these they delivered a slow but 
 deadly fire. The fight now became more and more 
 furious, as the hostile lines, not forty feet apart, 
 cheered, yelled, and fought like demons. 
 
 A section of Confederate artillery, stationed on 
 a knoll about six hundred yards from us, was 
 meanwhile delivering a destructive fire of canister. 
 Twice we drove their cannoneers from their guns 
 by converging our fire upon them, but the brave 
 fellows returned again. 
 
 To add to the terrible destruction in our ranks, 
 one of our own regiments had stupidly begun to 
 fire at the enemy through our line, killing scores 
 of our men. 
 
 We now got the order to advance. The 
 enemy's fire was deadly as we breasted it. 
 
152 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 The colonel, on foot, raged at seeing that his 
 regiment had melted away before the fire of friend 
 and foe. Captain Grim was smiling his danger- 
 ous, bull-dog smile, — giving his orders so they 
 were heard distinctly above the uproar. His 
 clear, cold tones calmed and reassured his men. 
 
 The ground was meanwhile covered with our 
 poor boys, wounded and dead; for the order for- 
 bidding the carrying of wounded men to the rear 
 was obeyed to the letter. 
 
 Suddenly the uproar increased. Worse had 
 come ! The enemy had been heavily re-enforced. 
 It was a terrible moment. An awful fire of mus- 
 ketry from flank, front, and rear struck our ranks 
 like a cyclone of death. 
 
 In a moment there were on the ground more of 
 dead and wounded than living men ; our ranks 
 were crushed. Shouts of rage and despair were 
 heard. Encouraging cries came from our wounded 
 comrades, who exclaimed, " Stick to 'em ! Don't 
 mind us ! Fight it out ! " 
 
 Out of five hundred and eighty muskets carried 
 into the fight by our regiment, only two hundred 
 and thirtj'-four now remained. 
 
 Still we do not give it up. We face to the 
 rear, deliver fire, and then sullenly retire, fight- 
 ing as we fall back. Then all is hastened and 
 precipitated. Our ranks dissolve like a thaw, yet 
 we do not entirely lose the order of our line, but 
 fall back, step by step, until under the protection 
 
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 153 
 
 of our artillery, not four hundred yards distant 
 from the scene of our fierce conflict. Here the 
 enemy converge their artillery upon our position, 
 until we fall back once more to support a battery 
 still farther in the rear. 
 
 While these batteries flame and thunder over 
 us, we await, expecting to hear the order for 
 another advance. But the fight is substantially 
 over, and the order does not come. 
 
 Among the wounded who had come away with 
 us from the scene of the morning's fight, was little 
 Mike, the drummer, who said proudly, " I fighted 
 'em like the rest of ye's." 
 
 Captain Grim was wounded in the right arm, 
 while Lieutenant Mason had two slight flesh- 
 wounds. In opening my clothes to look for my 
 wound, I found oiily a vivid welt across my chest, 
 caused by the graze of a bullet. There were six 
 of the Centerboro' boys among the killed and 
 wounded. 
 
 My heart was sore, yet grateful ; sore for my 
 comrades, sleeping on the field, never more to 
 be awakened ; grateful, that by some mysterious 
 chance, where it seemed none could escape from 
 the maelstrom of death, I had passed unhurt, and 
 had done my duty, so that no one but myself 
 really knew the fears that had beset me. I 
 was, however, in a tumult of doubt. I ques- 
 tioned again and again my courage, and was 
 not satisfied even when Captain Grim compli- 
 
154 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 mented me on my good conduct in this, my 
 first battle. 
 
 " I had my eye on you," said Grim. " Scared? 
 Of course you were ; I was myself." 
 
 Add had escaped unhurt, but bewailed the loss 
 of his frying-pan. It had been struck and shat- 
 tered by bullets, so that nothing but the handle 
 dangled at his back when, as he said, he " took 
 an account of stock." 
 
 "I think," said he, " I heard you ask, just as we 
 were going into the fight, what I carried it for? 
 Now you see I carried it for luck ; it was my life- 
 preserver." 
 
 It may seem to my readers who have never seen 
 a battle, a very curious statement when I say that 
 we did not know at that time whether we had 
 been defeated or had won a victory. The com- 
 binations of a battle-field are so immense, that an 
 individual sees but little. It is only after a fight 
 that the many incidents of soldiers' experiences, 
 told around the campfire, or reported by officers, 
 give something like a complete account of all that 
 has happened. 
 
 It was months afterwards that we learned that 
 the Confederate brigades had worked around under 
 cover of the woods, on our flank and rear, and had 
 wrought such destruction in our ranks, that 
 our division had lost 2,255 men. The effort to 
 flank us, we also learned some days after the 
 fight, had been checked by Barlow, who quickly 
 
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 155 
 
 changed front, and enfiladed the enemy's ad- 
 vancing line. 
 
 General Burnside, on the extreme left, did not 
 attack until the battle was over on the right; and 
 hence the Confederates had brought nearly all 
 their forces from their right into the fight against 
 us. When Burnside's men did cross Antietam 
 bridge, near the town, on the left, and liad pierced 
 the enemy's line in the full tide of successful 
 battle, General A. P. Hill, avIio had marched from 
 Harper's Ferry, — seventeen miles in seven hours, 
 — re-enforced the broken Confederate line, and 
 di'ove Burnside back to the protection of the 
 river bluff, with a loss of 2,202 men. This sub- 
 stantially ended the battle of Antietam. 
 
156 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 AFTER THE BATTLE. 
 
 As the sun went down the sounds of battle 
 died away along the Antietam. Darkness threw 
 its pitying shadows over the field, concealing the 
 ensanguined work of man against man. Rest 
 had come to those who had fought, and unstrung 
 nerves and the despondency of reflection fol- 
 lowed the fierce excitement of conflict. Pitjdng 
 thoughts of wounded comrades, and even of foes, 
 still lying on the field, prompted us to make an 
 effort for their relief. 
 
 "Who," asked Sergeant Crandall, "will come 
 with me to look after our poor boys out there ? " 
 
 There was no lack of response, although the 
 men were tired with the day's contest. More vol- 
 unteered than it was safe or advisable to take on 
 such an errand. I was among those selected to 
 go. 
 
 " Take your blankets," said Sergeant Crandall, 
 " and cut poles to wind them on for stretchers. 
 Fill your canteens ; the wounded always want 
 water the first thing. No, you needn't take your 
 muskets, or at least not more than one or two 
 
AFTER THE BATTLE. 157 
 
 of you. The rebs won't interfere if they under- 
 stand what we are up to ; more likely we shall 
 meet some of them on the same errand." 
 
 " Men who have been fighting each other don't 
 feel very bitter," said Add, more seriously than 
 was his wont. " But we are likely to meet with 
 some of the cowardly, prowling thieves who strip 
 the dead and go through their pockets ; there 
 ain't anything human about them," 
 
 " Maybe," said Crandall reflectively, putting an 
 army revolver in his pocket. " Here, Add Key, 
 you oughter be goin' too, — talk's if you was ! " 
 
 " Want me to go ? " said Add. " Well, I ain't 
 hankerin' for it ! I'll go, though ! " 
 
 The starlight was bright as our party, equipped 
 for the task of rescuing and comforting wounded 
 men, made its way cautiously up the Hagerstown 
 pike, and then stealthily through the cornfield, 
 where some of the terrible encounters of the 
 previous day had taken place. Occasionally, as 
 we advanced, listening to every sound, we heard 
 the cry of a wounded horse, or the groans of 
 wounded men. We found several of our com- 
 rades on the outskirts of the west wood, and sent 
 them back to the ambulance, which was expected 
 to follow us on the road. 
 
 Peering into the shadows cast by rocks or 
 bushes, pausing and listening, we cautiously ad- 
 vanced. Here were groups of dead which we 
 passed without pause, except where we thought 
 
158 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 there might be some of our own company ; then 
 we turned up their faces to the starlight for 
 recognition. 
 
 At one place near the pike was a group of Con- 
 federate dead around the wheels of a broken 
 limber-box. We were about to i3ass on when we 
 heard a smothered groan. 
 
 " Some one," whispered Crandall, as he pro- 
 ceeded to examine the group, " is alive here ! 
 This is him! Where ye hurt, old feller?" 
 
 "Water ! " feebly gasped the wounded man. 
 
 I held the head of the poor fellow, and put my 
 canteen to his lips. 
 
 " Here ! you give him a little of this commis- 
 sary with the water ; it may revive him. Be care- 
 ful, now! Ye want to know where he's hurt be- 
 fore ye fool around moving him much, or you'll 
 do him more harm than good." 
 
 I didn't approve of the use of liquors, but I gave 
 the wounded man some whiskey mixed with water 
 from Crandall's cup. He uttered a deep sigh, and 
 once more called for water. I gave him another 
 drink, propped up his head with a blanket, and 
 was about to leave him, when he faintly said, 
 " Oh, please don't leave me here to die ! " 
 
 " We are Yanks ! " said I. " Shall we take you 
 to our surgeon, and let him see to you ? Where 
 are you wounded? " 
 
 " My side ! Oh, don't," he groaned, " leave me 
 here ! '* 
 
AFTER THE BATTLE. 159 
 
 " Give him another sip o' that ere brandy," 
 ordered Sergeant Crandall, " and put your Hanket 
 under hira, and get him down to the road. Don't 
 jolt him. Better wind a strip of this Uanket 
 around that wounded place." 
 
 A blanket was quickly put under the wounded 
 man, poles were fixed to it for carrying, and 
 Standish and I carried him down to the road with- 
 out accident, and were fortunate in getting him 
 into an ambulance at once. 
 
 We returned, and, cautiously advancing through 
 the west wood, soon came to the scene of the 
 morning's desperate conflict, which had so terribly 
 thinned our ranks. 
 
 " The reb picket," whispered Crandall, " is just 
 out there ahead ; be careful now ! " 
 
 Here we found more of our wounded men than 
 Ave had thought possible, as well as several 
 wounded Confederates, to whom we gave drink 
 as to our own men. One of the Confederates said 
 sorrowfully in a hoarse whisper, " Our folks have 
 been here, and didn't offer to help me ! " 
 
 In several instances we found our dead stripped 
 of their outer clothing. As we advanced towards 
 the open land, two or three shots came from the 
 Confederate pickets, which were close at hand, in 
 the edge of the wood. We sent a score of our 
 men to the road, and even rescued some that were 
 in the edge of the clearing. The pickets, probably 
 aware of the nature of our mission, did not fire 
 upon us again. 
 
160 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 One of the wounded told me that a Confederate 
 had been among them, giving them water, and at 
 the same time had rifled the pockets of the dead. 
 
 All throuofh the war I found the Confederates 
 sharp plunderers. A battle won often meant to 
 the poor fellows, food, Yankee watches, books, 
 jackknives, and overcoats ; while the Yanks, on 
 the other hand, did not consider a dead Confeder- 
 ate worth attention for such a purpose. One can 
 scarcely blame destitute men for thus compensat- 
 ing themselves for their services, as plunder was 
 often the most valuable of anything they received. 
 
 It was about twelve o'clock at night when we 
 again reached the hill where our regiment was 
 encamped ; and I was then too tired to think of the 
 saddening scenes narrated, or for any thought or 
 feeling other than a desire to rest. My sleep was 
 dreamless, and so profound that when I was awak- 
 ened it seemed to me I had but just closed my 
 eyes the moment before. 
 
 It is because of this ability to sleep and quickly 
 recuperate, if for no other, that boys often make 
 the best soldiers. They can rest when older men 
 are too tired and nerve-strained to do so. As Add 
 put it, " A good soldier should be able to put in 
 licks at eating and sleeping every time he gets a 
 chance." 
 
 The men were soon astir all over camp, getting 
 their breakfast of hardtack, pork, and coffee. Add 
 on this occasion growled and complained of the 
 
AFTER THE BATTLE. 161 
 
 loss of his fry-pan, as if it were the principal loss 
 of the battle. " I might 'a' made a son-of-a-gun 
 if I'd had it. 'What's that?' Why, hardtack 
 soaked in water and fried with a little molasses 
 on 'em." 
 
 After breakfast was over the veterans lit their 
 brier-wood pipes, and began to smoke as if they 
 had a contract for it, drawing contentment from 
 the pipes, as Tobin said, " at the rate of forty j^ards 
 a minute." 
 
 " We may's well get in a good smoke before the 
 racket begins," said Crandall. "You can't seem 
 ter sense your smoke when you are in a fight. 
 The Cap feels pretty sore 'cause our reserves 
 across the river ain't hurried up ; says we shall 
 need 'em ter drive the i-ebs into the Potomac ; 
 believes we can do it too." 
 
 " Looked as if we should be drove into Tophet 
 yisterday about this time," growled an old vet 
 with provoking incredulity ; " talk about drivin' 
 them ! " 
 
 " Well, yes," said Crandall, scowling and pok- 
 ing the fire reflectively and slowly. " You see, 
 that place we got inter j^esterday was a key-pint 
 of this battle-field, and the rebs knew it, and got 
 in some of their best work to back us out." 
 
 " Kicked us out, I guess yer mean," said Add 
 half seriously. " I don't believe in them keys. I 
 never see a plaguy mean, hard spot since I've been 
 in the army but what there was a key lay in' round 
 
162 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 near 'noiigh ter get men killed as fast 's they got 
 there ! Yesterday while fumblin' around for the 
 key of this field we got licked; and, by jiminy! 
 them rebs sp'iled the best little fry-pan in the 
 army, and — killed a good many of our boys, 
 too ! " 
 
 " Well, boys, it ain't any use for us to growl or 
 feel sore," said a voice back of us. I turned, and 
 found Captain Grim, rather pale from his hurt, 
 who had come up and was standing behind us. 
 He had his wounded arm bandaged and in a sling. 
 " We did our work like men," he continued, " and 
 it wasn't our fault we didn't whip the rebs. My 
 own opinion is, if we had had two or three regi- 
 ments on our flanks to protect them, we shouldn't 
 have got into the scrape, and would 'a' ben able to 
 have given them as good as they sent. I heard 
 some of our big officers say that General Sumner's 
 an old cavalry officer, an' can't git fixed ideas out 
 of his head; an' one of 'em is that infantry c^n get 
 in a tight place, and cut its way out like cavalry. 
 Oh, that arm," he said, smiling, seeing nie glance 
 toward the wounded member ; " I suppose I shall 
 have to wash and dress it like a baby for some- 
 time. It's pretty comfortable now, though." 
 
 I listened respectfully to our wounded captain ; 
 but Crandall was heard to growl, "Well, we did 
 cut out — them that weren't cut down." 
 
 Captain Grim then turned to me and said, " The 
 Centerboro' boys all did well. Stuck to it, and 
 
AFTER THE BATTLE. 163 
 
 obeyed orders like old soldiers, and I am proud of 
 my men." 
 
 I winced, and replied, " I guess I was pretty 
 well frightened; but I hope I didn't show it. 
 Captain ! " 
 
 The captain smiled, and said, " There wasn't a 
 man of us who did his duty any better or more 
 coolly. You only make the same confession that 
 a good many others would make if they told the 
 truth." 
 
 In answer to my inquiry as to how the battle 
 had gone on the right, he informed me that Burn- 
 side's attack was not made early enough, and then 
 it took his corps four or five hours to cross the 
 bridge opposite the town ; and when he had ad- 
 vanced he understood that he had neglected to 
 protect his left flank, and had been attacked there 
 by a Confederate force, and compelled to fall 
 back. 
 
 It is now known that the attacking column of 
 Confederates which decided the battle under Burn- 
 side on our left, was A. P. Hill's division, which 
 liad just come up from Harper's Ferry, having 
 made a march of seventeen miles that afternoon. 
 Thus it was that twice that day at Antietam a 
 Federal division was broken for want of protec- 
 tion to its flanks, — once under Sumner, and again 
 under Burnside. 
 
 There was some firing on our front, but not 
 active battle, all the morning ; and at last we 
 
164 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 heard that a truce to bury the dead had been 
 agreed upon. It is now known that Lee used the 
 time so gained to make preparations for his retreat 
 across the Potomac. 
 
 That day we, with others, went out on the 
 field to bury the dead and care for the wounded ; 
 and sorrowful indeed were the sights that met our 
 eyes. The private soldier, concentrating his atten- 
 tion to the small focus of individual action, does 
 not, during a battle, see the terrible whole which 
 is presented to liis sight when afterwards passing 
 over the field. In the cornfield where Hooker 
 had attacked and receded, the sight was dreadful. 
 Friend and foe lay side by side, and reddened the 
 blades of corn with their blood. 
 
 On the left, in a sunken road which had been 
 enfiladed by a Union battery while crowded by 
 Confederates, tlie dead lay in masses, piled across 
 each other as they had fallen. On the same road 
 men were found suspended on the board fence, 
 where they had been shot while attempting to get 
 over. 
 
 In another place, where the Confederates had 
 made a desperate stand, they lay as regularly as 
 if they had fallen on dress parade. 
 
 Almost every wall and fence was lined with a 
 windrow of the dead. All over the field were 
 broken caissons, crushed wheels, muskets, bayonets, 
 dead horses, and men ; some in groups, others 
 lying singly, scattered in dreadful confusion. 
 
AFTER THE BATTLE. 165 
 
 Around one broken limber-box I counted twelve 
 dead Confederate artillery men, who stood faith- 
 fully to their work, till shot down in the perform- 
 ance of their duty. 
 
 Captain Grim had thought it best to put him- 
 self under a surgeon at a hospital in our rear, and 
 late that afternoon I accompanied him. 
 
 " 'T ain't much of a hospital," explained Captain 
 Grim ; " nothing but a barn and house, with a 
 few out-buildings. I'm in the barn ; got one of 
 the horse-stalls : and a nice shakedown of fresh 
 hay don't go bad for a bed, I tell you ! " 
 
 " I don't suppose you will remain there long," 
 I said, " will you ? " 
 
 " Well, I'll let them tinker on the arm while we 
 are here ; but I expect to go when the company 
 does. They want to send me to Frederick City, 
 but I guess I won't go.'' 
 
 On arriving at the hospital, I found a hundred 
 wounded — Confederates as well as Federals — in 
 the house and farm-buildings. 
 
 On the barn floor men were laid, some twenty 
 in number, in two rows, next to the stalls. The 
 barn floor was the choice place of all the accom- 
 modations for the wounded, as there they had not 
 only shelter, but plenty of fresh air. 
 
 " I've noticed," said Grim, " all during my army 
 experience, that wounded men recover faster in 
 the open air than in a house, barn, or tent, which 
 shows that pure air is a prime thing to hasten re- 
 
166 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 covery from wounds. So I've split the difference, 
 and we keep the doors wide open." 
 
 After visiting the barn, my attention was called 
 to the rough amputating-tables, where the sur- 
 geons, with their sleeves rolled up to the shoulders, 
 were engaged in amputating arms and legs, and in 
 other surgical duties. 
 
 Each surgeon was attended by several assist- 
 ants. Squads of men were also at work caring 
 for the wounded as they came from the surgeon's 
 hands. 
 
 " It looks cruel and bloody, although it is really 
 a work of mercy," said Grim. Then, with his 
 bull-dog smile, he added, " They thought of taking 
 my arm off, but concluded to let it be." 
 
 The most desperate cases were being carried to 
 a table just at one side of the one I was viewing ; 
 and to this Grim turned, saying, — 
 
 " Here's the boss. They'd 'a' cut my arm off 
 but for him." 
 
 The surgeon mentioned was carefully drawing 
 together the bones of an arm (from which he had 
 removed the shattered pieces) with a silver wire. 
 "A case of resection," I heard him say to his 
 attendant. " I think he'll be able to use his arm 
 by and by nearly as well as if the whole bone were 
 there." I at once recognized the voice as that of 
 my old friend Dr. Milner. I spoke to him ; and he 
 recognized me at once, saying, "Well, Jack, at my 
 old business, you see ! " Then, after a moment, 
 
AFTER THE BATTLE. 167 
 
 as another subject for amputation was brought to 
 his table, he said, "You'll find May in the house 
 there; go in and see her. She's got her hands 
 full. She'll be glad to see you. We came over 
 here from Frederick only yesterday. She was one 
 of my helpers for a while, but had too mucli 
 sympathy for the men under the knife to be 
 first-class." 
 
 I turned to the house, and stood at the open 
 door of a large room, unobserved, for a while, look- 
 ing at Miss May as she softly moved about like 
 a ministering angel among our poor fellows. To 
 all, as she gave them attention, she gave hopeful 
 smiles, which, as it seemed to me, filled the room 
 with sunshine and with a spiritual atmosphere, 
 brighter than sunshine itself. 
 
 I had expected to see her worn with her dread- 
 ful work ; but when I caught a glimpse of her face 
 it was serene and healthful, but it also had a new 
 beauty which seemed to come from within, as light 
 is seen through a transparency. 
 
 "Miss Milner! " As I called she turned; and, on 
 recognizing me, her face lit up with a lovely smile, 
 and she extended her hands in welcome. She had 
 grown mature, and was more beautiful than ever; 
 but talked, after her first greeting, as she went 
 from patient to patient, in her old sunny, familiar 
 way. 
 
 The poor wounded fellows followed her with 
 their eyes as she went about tlie room, as if the 
 
168 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 very sight helped them to bear their pain ; and one 
 young Confederate said, looking towards her, " It 
 seems to me, Yank, that she's an angel ! " 
 
 I spoke to him about his wound, and was not 
 long in discovering that he was the same wounded 
 officer that we had brought in on the evening of 
 the battle. I had a friendly talk with him; and he 
 said, " I'm a Virginian, sar. Proud of it, sar ! " 
 And then with an air of patronage, said, " I won't 
 forget you." 
 
 During my conversation with Miss May I learned 
 that she and her father had been at Fairfax, and 
 afterward at Frederick City, attending to the 
 wounded. 
 
 "Miss May," I ventured to say, "it is very 
 kind and good of you to attend to these poor 
 fellows ; but is it quite the proper place for a 
 young lady like you?" 
 
 She turned her flashing eyes on me, and said 
 sharply, "I don't care whether it is proper or 
 ■not!" Then added more softly, "It is merci- 
 ful, and work that an angel might do among 
 suffering men. I don't think of myself. If I 
 did I couldn't do this. But where will I ever 
 have a chance to do so much good again?" 
 
 There was around her such an atmosphere of 
 purity, and in her face shone an iridescent light 
 as if of heaven itself, that I could only stammer 
 out an excuse for my question. 
 
 "God bless ye, mim!" said a wounded Irish 
 
AFTER THE BATTLE. 169 
 
 soldier; "yer eyes is all the light we want in 
 this room ! " 
 
 May laughed, and said teasingly, " But you 
 wanted to light your pipe just now, Mike ; and 
 my eyes would have been a poor substitute for 
 the matches I gave you/' 
 
 " Whin ye's near enough to light me pipe by 
 the eyes of ye," said Mike, " shure, I can do with- 
 out smoking." 
 
 I stayed for an hour, and then, God forgive me, 
 was almost jealous of the attentions she lavished 
 on those poor boys, yet still blessing her in my 
 heart for her goodness to my unfortunate com- 
 rades. 
 
 I was bidding her good-day when the doctor 
 came in ; and then remembering about meeting 
 Raymond, I said, " By the way, Doctor, I saw 
 your friend Raymond at Frederick City." 
 
 "Ah!" ejaculated the doctor, glancing signifi- 
 cantly at May. "What was he doing there?" 
 
 " Selling newspapers," I replied ; " and he was 
 dressed in an old suit, and had on a slouch hat 
 drawn down over his eyes. He was either dead 
 broke or disguised. Looks to me as if he was 
 acting the part of a rebel spy." 
 
 The doctor smiled and looked towards Miss 
 May, who, I thought, seemed confused. Neither 
 made any reply, but turned the conversation ; and 
 by that I inferred that they had seen him, or had 
 known of his being in Frederick City. 
 
170 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " What is it," I queried to myself, " that they 
 know about him? " It is not possible that either 
 the doctor or Miss May is disloyal ? No ; that is 
 impossible ! " And so I dismissed the matter from 
 my further consideration as I bade them good-day. 
 
THE UNEXPECTED. 171 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE UNEXPECTED. 
 
 The day after the battle, McClellan, although 
 urged by his corps commanders to attack the 
 enemy at once, granted Lee a truce for the day, 
 in which to bury his dead. It was generally ex- 
 pected by men of all ranks that on the morning 
 of the 18th of September the battle would be 
 renewed. 
 
 The day, however, was spent in burying the 
 dead, bringing up re-enforcements, and making 
 preparations for the expected battle. 
 
 When the morning of another beautiful day 
 dawned, we were aroused at an early hour, and 
 ate our breakfasts with the confident expectation 
 of at once attacking the Confederates. 
 
 " Spect we shall go for them Johnnies, an' 
 finish 'em up, or be finished up by 'em, pretty 
 soon," said Corporal Osgood, in the growling 
 tone characteristic of an old soldier. " I wish 
 Captain Grim was with us ! " 
 
 " The first lieutenant," I remarked, " is in com- 
 mand, I suppose ! " 
 
 " Ye-e-s I " said Osgood, shutting one eye as 
 
172 JACK ALDEJSr. 
 
 if to tighten some invisible screw of thought 
 thereby, puffing at his pipe contemplatively, and 
 speaking between whiffs. "He's young, — got 
 grit enough. Lacks judgment, perhaps ; makes 
 men toe the mark, though : he'd stand up and 
 be shot down's if that's what he's made for — and 
 plague take it ! he expects everybody else to do 
 it, and like to do it, too ! Well, j^es, he is good. 
 Pious, did yer say ? Well, I guess ! Pray the 
 harness right off a mule. I heard him prayin' fer 
 me once, after one of my swearin' fits ; kinder 
 made me 'shamed. What's up?" he exclaimed 
 excitedly, jumping to his feet, and standing with 
 pipe in hand. "What's that cheerin' for?" 
 
 From the direction of Sharpsburg there came 
 cheers, at first faintly borne on the air, but grow- 
 ing louder and louder every moment. 
 
 "Humph!" said Add; "guess it's McClellan 
 riding along the lines ! " 
 
 " No 't ain't," said Osgood. " It comes from too 
 many directions. Do you hear that ? " 
 
 A little later we learned that the Rebel army 
 had retreated from Sharpsburg across the Potomac 
 during the night, and that it was the reception 
 of this news that caused the cheering that we had 
 heard. 
 
 " Can't see anything to cheer at," said Crandall 
 grimly. " The rebs have given us the slip, an' 
 they must have been kinder used up or they 
 wouldn't have been in such a hurry. The fact 
 
THE UNEXPECTED. 173 
 
 that they've got away shows that we had ought 
 to have been after them before this." 
 
 It is now known that Lee's army was at this 
 time in very bad shape, and that it was only 
 because of good luck and good lighting, and our 
 general's blunders, that he had held his lines 
 intact on the 17th of September. He had, in his 
 campaign against Pope, lost thirty thousand of the 
 seventy thousand men that made up his army when 
 he left Richmond, and was so badl}^ crippled by the 
 battle just fought, that he used the truce granted 
 by McClellan to make preparations for retreat. 
 
 It is now apparent, that, liad he been pushed 
 on the 18th with all the resources at our com- 
 mand, he must have been beaten, and possibly 
 annihilated. 
 
 Tactically Antietam was a drawn battle ; but 
 to an invader a drawn battle is itself a defeat. 
 It compelled Lee to abandon the invasion, and 
 gather and recuperate his shattered army in 
 Virginia. He had started out on this campaign 
 with high aspirations, and had been compelled 
 to turn back, his hopes and plans defeated, — 
 driven fi-om Maryland. 
 
 Fault has been found with McClellan for not 
 urging the fight on the 18th of September. He 
 formed his judgment on what he then knew, and 
 not on what he learned afterwards ; and in this 
 violated no received principles of war. 
 
 It is claimed b}' the Confederates, that they 
 
174 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 fought the battle with less than forty thousand 
 men; yet on the 20th of the October following 
 they had 67,808 men on the rolls of the army. 
 The Richmond Examiner of September 20th credits 
 Lee with sixty thousand on the field of Antietam. 
 
 Lee's army no doubt lost largely, as he claims, 
 by desertion ; but probably not a larger propor- 
 tionate number than did the Federals. It is 
 doubtful if our army had over sixty thousand 
 men present for duty on that field. They at- 
 tacked the Confederates in a strong, defensive 
 position selected by Lee himself, considering 
 which, this does not show a large disproportion 
 in the forces engaged ; especially when we con- 
 sider that the Fifth and Sixth Corps, numbering 
 in all nearly thirty thousand men, were but little 
 used. 
 
 That morning I, with Add, went over the field 
 where the battle had raged, and saw its heart- 
 sickening work. Squads of Union men were 
 burying the dead. Wheie the names of these 
 were known, the graves were rudely marked with 
 headboards, mostly made from cracker-boxes. 
 Hundreds of Confederates lay on the field still 
 unburied. It is officially claimed that over two 
 thousand of them were buried by Union troops. 
 
 In the woods by the Hagerstown pike they lay 
 singly or in groups among the ledges and by the 
 fences where they had fought. 
 
 The jjeople of Sharpsbui-g who remained there 
 
THE UNEXPECTED. 175 
 
 seemed g-lad to see the Union soldiers, and ex- 
 liibited their joy by bringing out their hidden 
 stores of cake and pies for our entertainment. 
 They seemed to have no tender remembrances of 
 tlieir Confederate guests. 
 
 Said one woman, " Thank God, them thieves 
 have gone ! They ate up everything I had in 
 my house." 
 
 " Where," I inquired, " were you ? " 
 
 " Down in my ceUar," she said, with tears of 
 vexation in her eyes ; " and that was the meanest 
 thing about it ! They advised me to go down 
 there, 'cause they said it was the safest place in 
 the house; and then they ate up all my victuals, 
 and carried off everything in the house, even my 
 best dress." 
 
 " Marm," said Add respectfully, but with a 
 humorous twinkle in his eyes, " my experience 
 is, that when a soldier is hungry his conscience 
 don't work, — grub gets the best of it ; and then 
 they ain't particular, neither, where their grub 
 comes from, so long as they git it. But as for 
 dresses, — well, I guess that was an afterthought 
 of them Johnnies." 
 
 The woman showed us a part of her dwelling 
 where shell had exploded during the action, while 
 her fence had in it marks of bullets, evidently 
 fired by Union troops. The limbs and twigs 
 of an apple orchard had been trimmed of their 
 leaves. 
 
176 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 In one of the churches there were a number 
 of desperately wounded Confederates. It was the 
 part of mercy as well as good sense to leave 
 such behind, since their removal would have en- 
 dangered their lives, while proper medical atten- 
 tion, which they were sure to receive from our 
 surgeons, would save many of them. 
 
 The wounded were in a pitiable condition, hav- 
 ing received only casual attention from any one 
 since the previous evening. Add and I brought 
 them water, and gave them all the food we had 
 in our haversacks. 
 
 One of these wounded men was a young Con- 
 federate artillery officer, not over twenty years 
 of age. I gave him water, and was turning 
 away, when he said, — 
 
 " Now will you please get me something to 
 eat? I'm hungry." His look and appeal were 
 so straightforward and frank, that I replied, 
 "I'll try." 
 
 So I went to a house near by, and bought some 
 bread, eggs and milk and butter, and returned to 
 the poor fellow. After eating, and drinking some 
 milk, he said, " That's right good, and I feel 
 better already." 
 
 " It will give you fever," I said, " to eat too 
 heartily." 
 
 He smiled, and replied, " I am posted in such 
 matters ; my father is a surgeon. I needed this 
 food, and feel that now I shall get around all 
 
THE UNEXPECTED. 177 
 
 right. Our surgeon," he said with a smile, 
 " thought I wouldn't need anything long. I 
 am going to make a live of it, though, if I have 
 got a bullet right through me." 
 
 There was something very attractive and manly 
 about the fellow, and I somehow felt that I had 
 known him a much longer time than a few mo- 
 ments. Getting some hay from a neighboring 
 barn to make him a more comfortable bed, and 
 filling my canteen for him, I gave it to him, trust- 
 ing to luck to find another on the battle-field. 
 
 As I turned to leave, he said, pointing to my 
 name 'printed in ink on the canteen strap, " Is 
 that your name?" 
 
 "Yes," I replied. 
 
 " Well, I shall know you if I ever meet you 
 again, John Alden." Then extending his hand, 
 he said, " Thank you. It's all I've got to give, 
 so I owe you something." 
 
 On my return I passed down a road on the east 
 of the town, and thence across lots to the Hagers- 
 town road. Just before I reached it my attention 
 was attracted by the whinny of a horse. It was a 
 wounded mare wliich had been fastened by a long 
 halter to a- broken artillery ammunition box. The 
 poor creature had eaten the grass close to the 
 ground for a radius of six or seven feet. Her 
 look was almost human in its pitiful, pleading 
 expression, which said as plain as speech could 
 say, " Can't you help me ? " 
 
178 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " Shoot the poor thing," said Add, " and put 
 her out of her misery ! " But, as we did not 
 have our muskets with us, this could not be 
 done. I untied her, however, and slowly led her 
 to a pool near by, where she drank as if she 
 had been without water for a long time. 
 
 There were two ugly wounds in her left shoul- 
 der and in her leg ; but, although she limped 
 badly, I thought the bone had not been broken. 
 As there was good grass near the pool, I turned 
 her loose, and she at once began to feed. As 
 I turned to leave, the creature whinnied and came 
 hobbling towards me, as if to follow. Th^-e was 
 such an appealing look in her eyes, that I re- 
 turned, petted and talked to her, and examined 
 more minutely her wounds. One was a bullet- 
 wound, and, although clotted with blood, I could 
 see that the bullet had passed through the lower 
 part of the leg. 
 
 The other was ragged and ugly, and was evi- 
 dently the work of a piece of shell. I was now 
 loath to leave her, and said to Add, " I'll get 
 her up to camp or to the hospital ! " 
 
 Add laughed, and said, " Well, you've got a 
 nightmare ; but I won't wait till night for you," 
 and started on. Meanwhile I led the little mare 
 slowly along to the pike, and then up the road, 
 until I came to the house and barn where Dr. 
 Milner was. This took more than an hour. 
 
 I found both the doctor and Miss May busy 
 
The creature wliinnieil and came hobbling towards me." 
 — Pasre 178. 
 
THE UNEXPECTED. 179 
 
 with their patients. After the usual greeting, I 
 heard a voice from the corner of the room, as 
 if some one was trying to attract my attention, 
 and presently May said, " Here's a man who 
 knows you by your voice. He says you helped 
 him off the field in the night." 
 
 The wounded man proved to be the Confeder- 
 ate officer we had found near the broken caisson, 
 and had brought in the night after the battle. 
 He was doing well, and seemed very grateful for 
 the help he had received from "you uns, Yanks," 
 as he called us. 
 
 After telling Dr. Milner and Miss May about 
 the wounded Confederates I had seen at the 
 church in Sharpsburg, and specially mentioning 
 the young officer to whom I had given my can- 
 teen in the church, I asked them to visit the poor 
 fellows. 
 
 " Humph ! " said the doctor. " There are lots 
 of country doctors and citizens fooling around 
 here, and if they don't manage to kill those fel- 
 lows down in Sharpsburg before I get there I'll 
 do what I can for them." 
 
 After this conversation I ventured to make 
 known my principal errand, which was to get 
 Miss May interested in the liorse. So I told her 
 the incident rather more in detail than I have 
 given it here. 
 
 I must have told the story well ; for the phleg- 
 matic doctor looked interested, and tears filled 
 
180 JACK ALDEN 
 
 Miss May's eyes. I concluded by saying, " Come 
 out and see her; she is a beautiful little crea- 
 ture." They both followed me to the barn. Dr. 
 Milner carefully examined the wounds of the 
 horse, and finally said, " Pretty bad wounds, but 
 she'll come around as good as new after a while, 
 if they are dressed properly. What say. May ? 
 Will you take care of her ? " 
 
 May, who had been petting and admiring her, 
 said, " Yes ; oh, yes ! And how good of you, Alden, 
 to bring her here ! " 
 
 " You see. Jack, all is fish that comes to our 
 net," said the doctor teasingly. " If one wants 
 to recommend himself to May, he must get half 
 killed, or find something as a substitute." 
 
 Miss May had already begun with basin and 
 sponge to dress the mare's wounds ; and the in- 
 telligent creature seemed to understand, and to 
 appreciate her kindness. 
 
 I now remembered that I had not met Captain 
 Grim ; but as I was inquiring of the doctor for 
 him he came up. 
 
 " You want to keep pretty still, and not hurt 
 that arm, Captain," said the doctor, rather crossly, 
 I thought. " Your wound will be all right in two 
 or three months." 
 
 " Months, Doctor ! " exclaimed Grim. "What's 
 the matter with my doing duty now ? " 
 
 " Humph ! " ejaculated the surgeon ; " you are 
 as uneasy as a stump-tailed bull in fly-time, and 
 
THE UNEXPECTED. 181 
 
 if you ain't careful you'll have trouble. Let me 
 see." 
 
 The doctor unrolled the bandages, and exclaimed 
 crossly, " Just as I expected, inflamed and irri- 
 tated! Haste makes waste. Captain. You'll lose 
 that arm if you are not more easy with it ; then 
 't will take a year to cure you, and cost a limb 
 besides." 
 
 The captain listened with his bull-dog smile, and 
 said, " Well, I suppose I am under orders, and I 
 mustn't waste Uncle Sam's property ; kinder guess 
 I had better go a little slower." 
 
 " You are to go to Frederick City Hospital from 
 here," said Dr. Milner. "I know the head sur- 
 geon there, and will speak a good word for you." 
 
 When I returned to the yard. Miss May was 
 just completing her Avork for the horse, with beau- 
 tiful solicitude, by winding a bandage around the 
 foreleg. 
 
 "She has been made a great pet of by some one," 
 said May. 
 
 Before leaving I once more commended the 
 wounded officer at Sharpsburg to her care, and 
 said, " My pass has almost expired, and I must 
 report for duty once more." I went to the horse 
 and petted her affectionately, and said to Miss 
 May, " Take good care of the little beast." 
 
 I shook hands with May, and was moving awa}'", 
 when the intelligent creature whinnied, as if to 
 say, " Don't leave me." 
 
182 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 "I declare, I'm jealous," said May. "She has 
 fallen in love with you." And I knew by the ten- 
 der look in Miss May's eyes that the little mare 
 would lack no care. 
 
 I returned to the regiment, and gave Lieutenant 
 Mason a message from Captain Grim. Later I 
 met Sergeant Crandall, who seemed, by the ex- 
 pression on his face, to have unusual worry on 
 his mind. 
 
 " Look here: Jack," he called out, — "Sergeant, 
 I should have said, — I've been looking for you." 
 
 " Well, here I am ! " I exclaimed nervously, for 
 I was alarmed. " What is it? " 
 
 " Well, see here, I've been recommended by the 
 colonel as second lieutenant, plague it ! I should 
 make a purty kinder of a sorter looking second 
 lieutenant, shouldn't I?" he said, almost patheti- 
 cally. " I make a tolerable good orderly-sergeant, 
 but what a thundering fool I'd look in a second 
 lieutenant's uniform! I'm goin' to ask Captain 
 Grim to send in your name instead of mine, if 
 you're willin'." 
 
 " Me ! " I exclaimed ; " I have all I can do to fill 
 the place of second sergeant, and I mistrust that I 
 only rattle around in it as it is." 
 
 " Well, now you've hit it, my boy ! It takes a 
 thunderin' sight more brains to fill a second ser- 
 geant's place than it does a second lieutenant's. 
 Besides, you'd make a good appearance among 
 the officers, and I should be as awkward as a cow 
 
THE UNEXPECTED. 183 
 
 in a schoolhouse learning g'ograpliy ! Orderly-ser- 
 geant's place is good 'nougli for me ! I don't want 
 promotion backwards." 
 
 His distress was so real, that to gratify him, and 
 because I believed the application would never 
 amount to anything, I assented to his appeal, and 
 for the time thought no more of it. 
 
 On the 22d we marched away from Antietam 
 through Sharpsburg. 
 
 I had been too busy for any chance to seek either 
 Doctor Milner or his daughter again, and should 
 not have seen them at all but for unexpectedly 
 meeting them in Sharpsburg as we were marching 
 through. We made a brief halt near the Lutheran 
 church, where I visited the Confederate wounded. 
 Hearing my name called, I turned towards the side- 
 walk, and saw both the doctor and his daughter. 
 
 "I've got some news for you," said May. " The 
 boy you helped in the church is my brotlier Jim ! " 
 
 "Yes," chimed in the doctor; "I believe you 
 saved his life." 
 
 "Forward — march!" came the order, and there 
 was no further opportunity for conversation, much 
 as I wished it. 
 
184 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 CAMPAIGNING IN VIRGINIA. 
 
 We were sorry to bid adieu to the loyal and 
 hospitable people of Sharpsburg. More especially 
 did I regret leaving in the midst of so interesting 
 an interview. But no one can become a good 
 soldier until he has learned unquestioning obedi- 
 ence ; and he becomes valuable as such, just in 
 proportion as he studies to comprehend and obey, 
 in letter and spirit, the orders of his superiors. He 
 seldom knows of the plans or purposes of such 
 orders, except such as are apparent on the face 
 of them : he makes shrewd guesses, that is all. 
 
 As Captain Grim once sarcastically said, when 
 I had inquired of him the purpose of an order, 
 " The general hasn't called on me to explain his 
 plans ; a man is a better soldier, officer, or citizen, 
 who learns to execute the orders he receives with- 
 out trying to fix them over because he don't com- 
 prehend them." 
 
 Leaving Sharpsburg, we marched down the east 
 bank of the Potomac ; climbed the narrow, crooked 
 roads that wind around the foot of the mountains ; 
 passed under Maryland Heights; across the bridge 
 
CAMPAIGNING IN VIRGINIA. 185 
 
 built on the abutments of the ruined railroad 
 bridge ; then on through the weather-stained town 
 of Harper's Ferry to Bolivar Heights, where we 
 encamped. 
 
 Here we entered upon a much-needed season of 
 recuperation, rest, and enjoyment. We swapped 
 our coffee, tea, hardtack, and other provisions, for 
 eggs, poultry, and milk. We also made delicious 
 corncakes-by grating corn from the cob on graters 
 made by punching holes through tin plates and 
 half-canteens. The hominy obtained in this man- 
 ner seemed the sweetest I had ever eaten. 
 
 While food was plenty with the army, the vet- 
 eran members of the regiment were not well pro- 
 vided with shoes and necessary clothing. Their 
 uniforms Avere faded and ragged ; and generally 
 they had no changes of underclothing, a thing es- 
 sential in checking the encroachments of certain 
 unpleasant invaders. 
 
 The autumn air was soft and beautiful with 
 sunshine. The people on the Maryland side, 
 especially in Pleasant Valley, were hospitable and 
 friendly. They sold provisions willingly, and 
 often gave to the soldiers without pay. 
 
 The reader may not understand, unless I ex- 
 plain, that when a soldier has no real duties, his 
 imagination and legs both gravitate towards some- 
 thing good to eat. After obtaining it, he cooks it 
 in unheard-of combinations in the attempt to pro- 
 duce a sensation for his palate. It was while on 
 
186 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 one of these " raids," as Add termed them, in pur- 
 suit of the almost unattainable luxury of some- 
 thing new and strange, that we found ourselves 
 on Maryland Heights. 
 
 We forgot even our appetites in the unexpect- 
 edly beautiful view which spread out before us. 
 At our feet, weather-beaten and gray from war's 
 neglect, was Harper's Ferry, with the surrounding 
 hills frowning down upon it. The waters of the 
 Shenandoah meet the broader Potomac around the 
 promontory where the little town is built, and 
 then, as if joyful at their union, flow on towards 
 the ocean, flashing and gleaming in the sunlight. 
 
 Looking towards the north-west, we saw the 
 Union encampments dotting with white the vast 
 furrow, two miles from edge to edge, known as 
 Pleasant Valley. Mingled with the white tents 
 were cosey farmhouses, brick mills, barns, and 
 shocks of yellow grain and corn, green fields, dark 
 woods, mottled orchards, and a stream gleaming 
 like a silver thread through the lowlands. Over 
 all this hung a veil-like haze of blue, softening 
 the outlines of this beautiful picture framed in by 
 hills rock-ribbed with age. I found myself uncon- 
 sciously repeating, as I stood there, Whittier's beau- 
 tiful verses, — 
 
 " Yet calm and patient Nature keeps 
 Her ancient promise well, 
 Though o'er her bloom and greenness sweeps 
 The battle breath of hell. 
 
CAMPAIGNING IN VIRGINIA. 187 
 
 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." 
 
 Here on the extreme apex of the Blue Ridge, 
 two thousand feet above the level of the sea, we 
 found a station of the signal corps. It was an 
 open tent ; and on it was posted a warning not to 
 ask questions or touch the instruments, which 
 showed, as Add said, that a good many New Eng- 
 land Yankees had been there before us. 
 
 The man of the signal corps was talking with 
 an invisible station far away on the southern hills. 
 The talking was carried on with flags. A flag 
 with lar^e black figures on a white background is 
 waved so many times to the right, so many to the 
 left; and then a different one takes its place, and 
 rises and falls in turn. By these combinations in 
 flags, messages of from one to three words a min- 
 ute are signalled. This is one of the methods by 
 which armies communicate with each other. The 
 stations are often twenty miles, or more, apart. 
 
 A few evenings after this, while we were on 
 dress parade. Captain Grim's promotion as major 
 of the regiment was read in general orders. Great 
 satisfaction was expressed by most of the members 
 of our regiment at this deserved promotion, al- 
 though our company was loath to lose him as its 
 captain. Our corps commander was also changed ; 
 and it was rumored that we were to have new 
 
188 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 brigade and division commanders. The former 
 was to be an officer from a Western regiment, 
 whose name we could not learn. 
 
 I was introduced to this officer sooner than 
 official etiquette demanded, because of a scrape 
 Add got into while on one of his favorite " raids." 
 
 Near our quarters was a fine residence, sur- 
 rounded by shade-trees, with an attractive row 
 of beehives between the house and the servants' 
 quarters. 
 
 I knew well enough by casual remarks, and by 
 the way Add looked at those beehives, that his 
 mouth was made up for some honey. Now, in my 
 experience in the army, it had always seemed that 
 when a soldier desired anything which belonged 
 to a peaceful person, he began by endeavoring to 
 get his conscience in harmony with his inclina- 
 tions. The usual method was to declare the pos- 
 sessor an " old Secesh." Having thus satisfied 
 his conscience, he proceeded to take that which 
 his heart craved. 
 
 But I could never get over the prejudice, in 
 war or peace, that when a person takes any- 
 thing that does not belong to him, he is a thief, 
 "living on the enemy," "foraging," or any other 
 term invented to cover the theft, to the contrary 
 notwithstanding. So when Add proposed that 
 I should join him in stealing a beehive, I 
 refused. 
 
 " That old Secesh has got more venom in him 
 
CAMPAIGNING IN VIRGINIA. 189 
 
 than a rattlesnake," said Add; " FU bet he's out 
 with his shotgun playing guerilla half the time 
 nights. I went there to try and buy some honey 
 this morning ; said he hadn't got any. Said our 
 general had engaged his quarters there ; that was 
 to scare me, yer see ! " 
 
 Soon after I saw Add, accompanied by Tobin, 
 go in a matter-of-course, businesslike way to- 
 wards the beehives, throw a poncho over one of 
 them, and move at double-quick away with it. 
 Just as they got well started, a bee crawled up 
 Tobin's sleeve and stung him. He dropped the 
 hive as quickly as if he had been touched with 
 a red-hot iron ; the hive capsized on the ground, 
 and the bees came out to make inquiries. 
 
 Add threw himself on the ground, and they 
 mostly passed over him ; but the duck-legged 
 Tobin ran, with the angry bees striking at all 
 parts of his person. Waving his arms like a wind- 
 mill, he struck at the assaulting bees. Before him 
 was a duck-pond. This pond had a green scum 
 on its surface, was about five feet deep, and had 
 an indescribable sediment at its bottom. 
 
 To get out of the way of the bees, Tobin threw 
 himself into this pond and swam; finding the bees 
 still stinging him, he dived ! 
 
 This was not all; the uproar had drawn the 
 owner and the servants from the house ; and Add 
 and Tobin were caught in the act, and identified 
 by the marks put upon them by the bees. Add 
 
190 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 had escaped with very light punishment, having 
 only been stung on his nose and under one eye. 
 
 The old gentleman who owned the hives made 
 a complaint, however, to the new general of our 
 brigade, who, unknown to us, had arrived that 
 morning, and taken up his quarters there. 
 
 The general sent a file of men to arrest the 
 culprits, and to my chagrin I was included in the 
 summons ; for, although innocent of everything 
 except seeing the fracas, I was near, and was sup- 
 posed to be an accomplice. 
 
 We were all marched under guard to the house. 
 On the way I angrily complained to Add for 
 bringing me into what I called a "dirty scrape." 
 Tobin was dripping with tlie filth of the goose- 
 pond, and was far from savory, while his face was 
 one swollen mass of bee-stings. 
 
 " 'T is too bad, I swan ! " drawled Add. " Here's 
 Tobin ain't fit to go into high society, like briga- 
 diers ; besides, I can't take my oath as ter who he 
 is, he looks and smells so unnatural. 'T would 
 take that whole row o' plaguy beehives to sweeten 
 himr'' 
 
 By this time Tobin had got near enough to 
 Add to rub some of the filth off on him, saying 
 in mock sympathy, " Sergeant, how's yer eye?" 
 
 On the back veranda sat the general, smoking, 
 and making himself comfortable with liquid re- 
 freshments. The guard saluted; so did we. The 
 general returned the salute, and with his hand 
 
CAMPAIGNING IN VIRGINIA. 191 
 
 waved the guard back, and said in strangely fa- 
 miliar tones, which I at once recognized, — 
 
 "What's this I hear? Stealing from this good 
 man ? Tut, tut ! bad business ! Non-commis- 
 sioned officers, two of you ! What have you got 
 to say for yourselves?" 
 
 He threw back his head, swaying it from right 
 to left, and with a humorous compression of the 
 lips continued " What shall I do with you, gen- 
 tlemen, when you break all the Ten Command- 
 ments, and would break more than ten if you 
 could? Whew!" he exclaimed, ordering Tobin 
 to get farther to the rear; then turning to me, he 
 asked, "What is your name. Sergeant?" 
 
 "John Alden, sir," I replied. 
 
 In a flash he recognized me, rose to his feet, 
 and shook hands with me in his old expansive 
 fashion ; for the new general was Blusterson of 
 the Industrial Museum. 
 
 He turned to the old gentleman, and exclaimed, 
 " Why, I know this young gentleman and all his 
 relations, sir! He is honor and honesty itself! I 
 know all his family! Here, I'll do myself the 
 honor to be responsible for him, and pay for the 
 honey, sir ! " And with this he waved the old 
 gentleman off the veranda. Then turning to me, 
 he said, "Alden, my boy, glad to see you! " Then 
 to Tobin and Add, who were standing in open- 
 mouthed astonishment, he exclaimed, " Not guilty ! 
 But don't vou do it again! You owe it to the 
 
192 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 friendly interest of Sergeant Alden that you are 
 not punished. Go to your quarters ! " 
 
 When they had gone the general invited me to 
 be seated ; and at his request I told him the whole 
 story of the raid on the beehives. He laughed 
 heartily (for he had a keen sense of humor), de- 
 claring it was worth a ten-dollar bill. The only 
 mention of the Industrial Museum was when I 
 spoke of the notes that he had sent me. When I 
 explained the trouble with my uncle Richard, and 
 asked him to make the notes payable to my order, 
 he at once promised to do so. Soon after tliis I 
 wrote to my brother, asking him to send them to 
 me by mail. 
 
 " Why is it," he asked, " that you have not re- 
 ceived a commission before this ? " 
 
 " I've been recommended as second lieutenant of 
 my company, General," I replied ; " but am afraid 
 I am not qualified." 
 
 " Qualified ! " exclaimed the general. " We've 
 got to take a load on our shoulders first, and then 
 learn to carr}'^ it. Dive in, and trust to luck about 
 coming out ! I'll indorse that recommendation 
 for your promotion, only I'll make it first lieuten- 
 ant instead of second." 
 
 "Lieutenant Mason," I said, "holds that posi- 
 tion in the company. General." 
 
 " Mason ; let me see," said General Blusterson, 
 taking a memorandum book from his pocket, and 
 consultinor it. " He's been recommended for ad- 
 
CAMPAIGNING IN VIRGINIA. 193 
 
 vancement. Is he a friend of yours ? Well, we'll 
 have him commissioned as captain, to make room 
 for you." 
 
 By this time some of the general's staff had 
 come up ; and to them he introduced me as Lieu- 
 tenant Alden, adding, " He hasn't got his uniform 
 yet." Among these was a regular army second 
 lieutenant named King; one of those young fel- 
 lows with a waxed mustache, and a conceited air 
 which is so distasteful to men who pride them- 
 selves on merit, and not appearances. 
 
 As I turned to go to my quarters, somewhat 
 dazed by the occurrences of the morning, the 
 general, as he returned my respectful salute, said, 
 " Come again, Lieutenant. Shall be pleased to see 
 you when I am not officially engaged." 
 
 I walked from the veranda, where I had ex- 
 pected arrest, but had received, if not promotion, 
 the promise of it. 
 
 There was also a conflict between my liking for 
 Blusterson and my moral disapproval of him. 
 The strong magnetism in his personality controlled 
 me in an undefinable way, as is often the case 
 where the character of the magnet is at variance 
 with our sense of projjriety. 
 
 Of one thing I had no doubt, that Blusterson 
 would keep his word, and would recommend me 
 for promotion. Was I fit for the place ? I queried 
 of myself. 
 
 Before I had reached my quarters I had deter- 
 
194 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 mined to accept the commission if it came to me ; 
 and in this determination I was influenced by 
 thoughts of how I should appear in the eyes of 
 Dr. Milner and, — never mind who. 
 
 A week afterwards, to the astonishment of my 
 comrades, my name was read in general orders 
 as first lieutenant, while Lieutenant Mason re- 
 ceived promotion in the same order as captain 
 of the company. 
 
 In a few days I had my uniform ; and thence- 
 forth military etiquette obliged me to keep up an 
 official reserve between myself and my old ac- 
 quaintances in the ranks. A second lieutenant 
 for our company, named Sinclair, was sent to join 
 us. He had seen a little service as private in 
 an artillery regiment stationed near Washington, 
 but, like many of his class, had shown no capacity 
 for his position. For a time he made himself very 
 familiar with the non-commissioned officers and 
 men, but soon exemplified the old adage that " fa- 
 miliarity breeds contempt." It was discovered 
 that he was addicted to drink ; and at one time, 
 when reported sick, there was sly talk that he was 
 drunk in his quarters. 
 
 General Blusterson proved himself a very able 
 administrative officer, and was spoken of generally 
 in the army as a brave man. 
 
 We remained in this delightful locality until 
 November without incident of special note, except 
 a visit from President Lincoln. He was dressed 
 
CAMPAIGNING IN VIRGINIA. 195 
 
 in a black suit, and his tall form loomed above 
 the heads of the officers surrounding him. His 
 face had a worn look, which was almost pathetic 
 in its sorrowfulness, as if care had long been his 
 constant companion. When he rode down our 
 lines his feet seemed almost to dangle to the 
 ground ; and his person, when contrasted with the 
 brilliantly uniformed men around him, seemed 
 very homely and plain. 
 
 By the last of October the army began to move 
 forward. Most of the troops crossed the Potomac 
 at Berlin, five miles below Harper's Ferry ; but we 
 passed up the Shenandoah Valley, and through the 
 Blue Ridge at Snicker's Gap. 
 
 McClellan had at first contemplated pushing 
 his advance against Lee directly up the Shen- 
 andoah Valley. He feared, however, that should 
 he move east of the Blue Ridge, the enemy, find- 
 ing the way clear, would again cross into Mary- 
 land. At this time, however, high water in the 
 Potomac had removed this danger, and left the 
 army free to operate on the east side of the Blue 
 Ridge. By the 2d of November he crossed, and 
 advanced due south. These movements were skil- 
 fully concealed from the enemy by guarding the 
 passes of the Blue Ridge, and threatening to issue 
 through them. Lee was thereby compelled to 
 retain Jackson in the valley. 
 
 On the 7th, while on the march, a severe snow- 
 storm set in, and that night we shivered with cold 
 
196 ^ JACK ALDEN. 
 
 under our blankets. We reached Warrenton (the 
 point of concentration for all the corps) about the 
 9th of November, and went into camp. 
 
 Lee had meanwhile sent half his army forward 
 to Culpeper to oppose McClellan's advance in that 
 direction, while the other half was still west of 
 the Blue Ridge. 
 
 McClellan now contemplated moving obliquely- 
 westward, and interposing his army between the 
 Confederate divisions. Before he could thus in- 
 terpose, he was removed from command of the 
 army he had fashioned into a mighty host, and 
 which under him had received its first baptism 
 of battle. 
 
 The general appointed by President Lincoln to 
 take command in place of McClellan was Ambrose 
 E. Burnside. We were in camp near Warrenton 
 when the change occurred; and it was amid the 
 profound sorrow of his soldiers that McClellan 
 took leave of them. 
 
 We remained here for some ten days, during 
 which our new commander consolidated the six 
 corps of the army into three grand divisions of 
 two corps each, and endeavored to gather the 
 reins of control into liis hands. 
 
 He abandoned the McClellan plan of operation, 
 where he might have advantageously attacked 
 the divided enemy by a few miles' march, and, 
 turning back, marched to another field, where the 
 Confederates were compelled to run and find him. 
 
CAMPAIGNING IN VIRGINIA. 197 
 
 Burnside paralleled by this move the conduct 
 of General Dumourier in Holland, when in 1793, 
 to use the language of Jomini, " He foolishly 
 abandoned pursuit of the allies to transfer the 
 theatre from the centre to the extreme left of 
 the general field." 
 
 On the 15th we marched forward rapidly from 
 Warrenton, until on the 17th of November we 
 reached Falmouth, opposite Fredericksburg, and 
 went into camp in the pine woods, a mile from 
 the Rappahannock River. 
 
198 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 ON THE KAPPAHANNOCK. 
 
 Our march to the Rappahannock was unevent- 
 ful to me except in one particular. Our baggage- 
 master found a colored boy, about seventeen years 
 of age, asleep in one of his wagons, and, by giv- 
 ing the poor fellow an unmerciful beating, had en- 
 deavored to make him understand that the wagon 
 was not, as he expressed it, " meant for nigger 
 lodgings." The boy was as black as soot, and 
 almost as broad as long. His meek submission to 
 the beating had moderated even the rage of the 
 baggage-master, and I soon persuaded him to let 
 the boy off without further punishment. 
 
 " What," I inquired of him, " were you doing 
 in the wagon? " 
 
 " I'se jist run away from ole massa Johnsing, 
 back dar at Charleston, an' I toted 'long wid 
 you alls ; an', boss, it was right smart cold, and I 
 got into de wagon an' go ter sleep 'fore I knows 
 it!" 
 
 " What is your name ? " 
 
 " I'se massa Johnsing's nigger — if he done git 
 me, I reckon J ain't got nudder name ! " And he 
 
ON THE RAPPAHANNOCK. 199 
 
 rolled his eyes with a solemn grimace, until the 
 whites of them only were visible. 
 
 "Didn't your master," asked the teamster, "use 
 you well, you lampblack ball?" 
 
 " Yes, sar ! Gib me a heap more to eat than I 
 got since. I toted wid de Yanks all de way fro' 
 Charleston, sar ! " 
 
 " Wouldn't you have done better," I asked, " to 
 have stayed at home?" 
 
 " Golly, boss ! I'se run away to freedom ! " 
 
 He was very stupid, but not stupid enough to 
 be devoid of human instincts. He preferred free- 
 dom with the hardest of fare, to slavery with ease 
 and comfort. 
 
 On the march he must have kept pretty good 
 run of me ; for at night I found him snuggled 
 outside my quarters, in an old horse-blanket, fast 
 asleep. 
 
 He attached himself to my fortunes with the 
 tenacity of a sticking-plaster; and it proved as 
 useless to remonstrate with him as it would have 
 been to have scolded my shadow for following me. 
 
 He either really had no name other than that 
 he had given me, or for politic reasons refused 
 to give it. 
 
 Add, Avho seemed to see a great deal that was 
 amusing in the solemn black-ball of a fellow, nick- 
 named him Rolly-Pooly ; and so, for the lack of 
 a better name, we called him Roily. He could 
 brush a coat, black boots, and get chickens and 
 
200 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 other " fixin's " in the most barren localities, and 
 where other foragers reported that there were 
 none. But he developed one very inconvenient 
 trait: he seldom bought anything that I asked 
 him to buy, but bought anything that lie fancied, 
 and never returned any money intrusted to him. 
 His reply when asked what he gave for any article 
 would be, " Golly ! I dun forgot ! " Or he Avould 
 simply roll his ej^es solemnly, until nothing but 
 the whites could be seen, and remain silent. 
 
 About the 17th of November the corps arrived 
 on the line of the Rappahannock, and went into 
 camp opposite Fredericksburg, in the woods back 
 of the Lacy House, where General Sumner, then 
 commanding the Right Grand Division, had taken 
 up his quarters. There was ascertained to be a 
 garrison of unknown strength in the city opposite ; 
 and we expected that General Burnside would 
 order these divisions, as soon as it was possible, to 
 cross the river. 
 
 General Blusterson had said to General Sumner, 
 " Give me some axes, and five or six New England 
 regiments, and I'll put a bridge across the river in 
 twenty-four hours." 
 
 It is presumed that Yankee craft (as there were 
 at that time twenty New England regiments in 
 General Sumner's command) was not lacking for 
 such a purpose, and that under a man like General 
 Blusterson a bridge might easily and rapidly have 
 been built. 
 
ON THE RAPPAHANNOCK. 201 
 
 The reasons that have been given by writers for 
 not crossing the river at that time are that the 
 bridge eqnipments had not arrived ; but this could 
 not have been the real reason, for by the 27th of 
 November there were the materials for two boat- 
 bridges, two hundred and forty feet in length, 
 lying near us, in charge of the New York Volun- 
 teer Engineers. 
 
 The failure to make a crossing sooner was, in 
 my opinion, owing to the indecision of General 
 Burnside. While here the army received a large 
 mail ; but the letter from my brother, containing 
 the notes I had expected, was not among those I 
 received. 
 
 About this time Major Grim joined us. He 
 looked quite well, but his wound was not en- 
 tirely healed. He told me he had been in a 
 Washington hospital, of wliich Dr. Milner was in 
 charge ; that Mrs. Grim had come to Washington, 
 and was still there, assisting Miss Milner in the 
 hospital work. 
 
 " That there son of Dr. Milner's," said Grim, 
 " has given them lots of trouble." 
 
 "I thought," said I, "he was a very nice fel- 
 low ! " 
 
 " Oh, 'tain't that ! " explained the major. " He's 
 a first-rate man ; but his wound cured up too 
 quick, and then he was declared exchanged, and 
 insisted upon going back South again, although 
 both his father and his sister wanted him to stay 
 
202 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 North until the war is over. He seemed to feel 
 mighty bad to go ; but said it wasn't a matter of 
 preference, but honor and duty compelled him to 
 show up in Richmond again. So he's gone back ; 
 and you see what kind of a rebel sardine he is ! I 
 respect him more than I do that other fellow, 
 though, that's hanging 'round the hospital." 
 
 " Who," I asked, " do you mean ? " 
 
 " Why, that black-eyed fellow you saw at Fred- 
 erick City ! You thought he was a spy. Needn't 
 worry about that Raymond fellow; he'll stick to 
 the Union lines as long as Miss Milner does." 
 
 Seeing the dubious look on my face, he added, " I 
 thought that would put a bee in your bonnet, Alden. 
 She keeps him out of the rebel lines, though." 
 
 Our regiment was put on picket-duty opposite 
 the city, where the narrow river flowed between 
 the sentinels of the two armies. The Rebel senti- 
 nels here wore the Federal uniforms, and at first 
 we thoupfht them our men. 
 
 "I say, Yank!" shouted one of them, who had 
 put on a Union overcoat which he took from the 
 man he had just relieved ; " if you alls won't shoot 
 we alls, we alls won't shoot at you alls ! " 
 
 " All right ! ' ' was the response from our picket. 
 " Fair play now, Johnnie ! " 
 
 " There's a dog-gonned lot of you alls over 
 there! Where ye from?" 
 
 " We," shouted back Add, " are the 574th Mas- 
 sachusetts ! Where are you from ? " 
 
ON THE RAPPAHANNOCK. 203 
 
 " Mississippi," was the response. " We alls are 
 Barksdale men. We knew there was a powerful 
 lot of Yanks, but didn't know thar was so many 
 from Massachusetts." 
 
 This informal truce was faithfully kept, not 
 only by us, but by all who succeeded us on the 
 picket-lines on both sides. 
 
 "What," shouted one of them, "are ye down 
 hyer fer, anyway ? " 
 
 " Well," replied Add, who enjoyed the novelty 
 of these impromptu interviews, " we are jest goin' 
 to keep you rebs shivering 'round here till you 
 freeze to death ! " 
 
 "I'll 'low 'tis mighty cold," rejoined the Con- 
 federate. " You'un Yanks have brought yer 
 blamed Yankee weather with yer ; but ain't it 
 'bout time we uns got in our crap o' fitin' fer 
 the season? " 
 
 "Look here, Johnnie! this is the kind of 
 weather we have summers up where we come 
 from. We don't mind it." 
 
 There was a laugh heard at these sallies, and 
 then a pause, as if this was a knock-down ; but 
 one of them finally shouted, " When you'un Yanks 
 come over here, we'll make it so hot fer ye that 
 yer won't need any overcoats forever!" 
 
 " And them Johnnies," said Add afterwards, 
 "kept their promise as literally as they did the 
 truce." 
 
 An exchange of coffee for tobacco, and hard- 
 
204 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 tack for pones of cornbread, then began, by means 
 of boards rigged np with sails, rudders, and centre- 
 boards, which were sailed from shore to shore. 
 The parties to these exchanges vied with each 
 other in generosity, and the best kind of feeling 
 seemed to prevail. 
 
 It was through this means that, when I was off 
 duty one day, there came an open letter addressed 
 to me, which was brought to my quarters. On 
 reading it I found it was from Captain James 
 Milner, and contained a few grateful words to me 
 personally, and a letter to Dr. Milner, which the 
 captain requested me to forward to his father. 
 
 This was about the 28th or 29th of November, 
 and was the first intimation we had that Long- 
 street's corps had arrived at that point. We 
 knew that Captain Milner's regiment was of that 
 corps. 
 
 Shortly after this, conversations and exchange 
 of courtesies were stopped by officers on the other 
 side. 
 
 Every day there were new indications of an 
 impending battle. Among these were, that the 
 streets of Fredericksburg began to be filled with 
 veliicles of all kinds and patterns loaded with 
 the household goods of the people who were mov- 
 ing out to avoid the dangers of battle. The 
 Heights back of the city each day grew blacker 
 with men, engaged in constructing earthworks and 
 mounting artillery. 
 
ON THE RAPPAHANNOCK. . 205 
 
 It seemed strange to more tlian mere under- 
 officers and privates, that if an attack was- con- 
 templated by our general, so much time was given 
 the Confederates for preparations. It has since 
 been learned that Longstreet's corps of Lee's 
 army did not arrive at this point until the 27th 
 of November, and " Stonewall " did not arrive 
 until a da}^ or two previous to the battle. 
 
 Opposite to us the shores of the Rappahannock 
 rose abruptly from the river for twenty feet or 
 more, and then gradually ascended to the centre 
 of the city. About a half a mile back of the city 
 were Marye's Heights, skirted at the base by 
 sunken roads. On the Heights were other roads. 
 
 On the north or Federal side of the river were 
 Stafford Heights, rising abruptly, and completely 
 commanding the city and intermediate plains. On 
 these Heights were planted one hundred and 
 forty -seven guns ; and on these General Burnside 
 depended for preventing the enemy from stopping 
 the construction of bridges for crossing the river. 
 
 General Blusterson proposed detailing me as his 
 aid, if Major Grim was willing and could spare 
 me. 
 
 "What," asked the major familiarly, "is the 
 matter with that Captain King who is already on 
 your staff? " 
 
 " He ! He really thinks he is what his name 
 represents. Yes, he's a West Point man ; but the 
 conceit on him is an inch thick. He is one of 
 
206 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 those literary fellows, and writes verses at every 
 girl that he gets sight of. He likes to poke sticks 
 at other people, but don't like the sticks to be 
 sharpened for him." 
 
 The general made up a face, as if some of the 
 qualities of the person he mentioned had run across 
 his grain. 
 
 Major Grim showed liim that because of wounds, 
 sickness, and furloughs we were short of officers 
 in the company ; and the general agreed with him 
 that I had better remain with the regiment. 
 
 " The general is a good friend of yours," said 
 Major Grim ; " but an aid stands no great chance 
 of promotion, and just as good or a better chance 
 to be killed. If I know anything about men, the 
 old general is a fighter. Any one can see that he 
 hasn't a cowardly hair on him." 
 
 For more than a month we lay before Fredericks- 
 burg, the enemy gathering like swarms of ants on 
 the opposite hills, without a movement being made 
 by our army to cross the river. It was, as Add 
 said to me, "as if Burnside was saying to the 
 enemy, ' I'm giving you plenty of time to fortify 
 and get ready for us before I surprise you ! ' " 
 
 It grew more and more evident, however, that 
 we were soon to cross the river in the face of all 
 this preparation to receive us. 
 
 About the 9th of December there was held a 
 council of corps and brigade commanders, in which 
 want of confidence in Burnside was expressed. 
 
ON THE RAPPAHANNOCK. 207 
 
 What officers know, the rank and file usually 
 know ; and old soldiers in the ranks are often 
 quicker to see a peril than their superiors. 
 
 Althouofh there was a o^eneral want of confi- 
 dence, yet the army was in the mood, as Major 
 Grim said, " To obej' orders, if they broke owners." 
 
 On the 10th of December General Blusterson 
 came on duty dressed with unusual care. His 
 boots shone, and his buttons had an extra lustre, 
 as if, as Major Grim said, "he was unwilling to 
 be found dead with a dirty shirt on." His manner 
 was as cheerful and happy as when on a former 
 occasion he discounted his notes on State Street, 
 and left Boston. 
 
 Added to these indications of a crisis, came the 
 order to issue to all the men sixty rounds of 
 cartridges and three days' rations. 
 
 On the evening of the same day I saw the bridge 
 train moving towards the river, which ran, dark 
 and silent, between the hostile armies, giving no 
 hint of the terrible scenes about to be enacted. 
 
 That night, on the heights opposite Fredericks- 
 burg, I could see a semicircle of the enemy's camp- 
 fires shining through the gathering fog and gloom, 
 like the red glare of danger-signals. 
 
 In the darkness of the piorning, on the 11th of 
 December, the report of two cannon reverberated 
 with peculiar distinctness. They were the signals 
 of the enemy for concentration, and showed that 
 they had discovered the attempt that was being 
 
208 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 made to throw a bridge across the river opposite 
 the town. 
 
 We soon formed in ranks and marched to the 
 river, where a dark fog, like a funeral shroud, 
 hung over the plains. An unfinished bridge swung 
 in the current. The pontoniers were attempting 
 to finish it. As fast as they advanced with balks 
 or with chess for covering thera, they were shot 
 down, and fell clattering on the bridge with the 
 boards or timber, or fell into the river, and were 
 borne away by the swift but silent current. The 
 boat parties wei'e shot down in a similar manner. 
 
 At last the guns on Stafford Heights opened 
 on the Mississippi riflemen sheltered in the cellars 
 and buildings of the town. The uproar was terri- 
 ble; the discharge of artillery and the crash of 
 bombs made a great noise, but did not dislodge 
 the rebel sharpshooters. 
 
 Add said it put him in mind of the time when 
 Uncle Richard's bull attacked a beehive. The 
 bull roared and pawed the earth, but it didn't hurt 
 the bees any. The bombardment of a place is 
 more noisy than effective, and is seldom resorted 
 to unless real means are lacking. 
 
 Tliere were several hours of this impotent uproar, 
 durinof which clouds of smoke arose from burning: 
 buildings ; and yet the hornet-like sharpshooters 
 of the enemy stuck undauntedly to their work. 
 
 About eleven o'clock the fog cleared, and some- 
 one at headquarters also had an illumination — 
 of common-sense. 
 
ON THE RAPPAHANNOCK. 209 
 
 The scows on which the bridge was to be con- 
 structed were filled, pushed off from the shore, 
 and rowed undauntedly into the raining fire. 
 The river was not over two hundred yards wide, 
 but we -saw man after man drop his oar and fall 
 dead from his seat before the shore was reached. 
 The passage was won with comparatively small 
 loss. 
 
 Thus by a little common-sense and pluck was 
 accomplished by one Michigan and two Massachu- 
 setts regiments, what a commander, who threw 
 into Fredericksburg seventy tons of iron, had failed 
 to accomplish. 
 
 The bridge was finished by two o'clock, and the 
 crossing of men and munitions began. All hopes 
 of a surprise, however, were at an end. 
 
 Three miles down the river, meanwhile, Frank- 
 lin's Grand Division, numbering nearly one-half of 
 our army, had crossed on two bridges constructed 
 by the regular engineers, with but little loss, al- 
 though its young and gallant engineer ofScer, 
 Captain Richard Cross, was mortally wounded 
 while directing his men. 
 
 The next day was entirely consumed in crossing 
 and in reconnoitring the enemy, and in driving 
 out the Confederates who had barricaded the up- 
 per streets of the city with boxes and barrels filled 
 with soil. 
 
 Such were the opening scenes in a battle on 
 which the sun on the morrow went down in blood. 
 
210 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE BATTLE OPENS. 
 
 Our brigade crossed to the city, and about sun- 
 down went into position on one of the upper 
 streets, near where the Confederates had erected 
 the barricades before mentioned. 
 
 They opened on us a sharp fire of musketry; 
 but fortunately wounded only one member of our 
 company, my old friend Add, who was slightly 
 hurt by a bullet. 
 
 Our second lieutenant had reported sick on the 
 morning of the battle, and had, I heard, no appe- 
 tite for fighting. 
 
 "Hadn't ye better," asked the irrepressible Add, 
 while binding up his wound, "send a flag o' truce 
 over to them fellers, and explain that there ain't 
 no need of all this fuss and parade they are makin' 
 on our account ? Tell 'em we only dropped over 
 sort of informally, and ain't one of them regiments 
 of brigadiers, we ain't, and are only entitled to 
 one salute, anyway." 
 
 We took our company into the houses to make 
 reply to the Confederate sharpshooting. The men 
 had opened a tremendous fire of musketry, when 
 
THE BATTLE OPENS. 211 
 
 Captain Mason said to them, " Take aim ! and fire 
 slow, men ! " 
 
 "Tliat's it! " drawled Major Grim approvingly. 
 " In battle our men fire too fast, and take too little 
 aim. Then they all get out of ammunition, and 
 want to fall back. The rebs lay low, and return 
 fire slowly, and our boys get an idea that there 
 must be a lot of rebs, because there is always some 
 of them alive to return fire after such a racket. 
 Some of the new men shut their eyes Avhen they 
 fire ; they are more likely to make a hole in the 
 sky than in a reb." 
 
 After dark we found the Confederates had with- 
 drawn from their barricade. The regiment was 
 ordered from the houses, and stacked arms in the 
 gutter, spreading their blankets on the sidewalk 
 for the night. 
 
 The following day (the 12th of December) was 
 consumed by our army in crossing the different 
 corps of Sumner's command, and in reconnoitring 
 the positions of the enemy. The streets of the 
 ancient town were crowded with artillery and in- 
 fantry, but an ominous silence reigned on the 
 heights above vis. 
 
 "The rebs," said some one, "are holding on to 
 their ammunition; guess they're short!" 
 
 "That ain't it," said Jack Hale gravely. "I 
 rather guess they don't want to discourage us from 
 making an attack on them." 
 
 " They know," said a veteran, " that bombard- 
 
212 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 merits mean more noise than hurts, and that we'll 
 soon get where they can hurt us some!" 
 
 We lay down on the sidewalk ; and although 
 I was kept awake for some time by the cold, and 
 by the coughing of some men from a new regi- 
 ment near us, I soon fell asleep. Before long I 
 was awakened by a tremendous racket that was 
 going on in a house opposite. 
 
 In spite of orders to the contrary, some of our 
 men had occupied the dwellings around us, mak- 
 ing free with everything they found there. 
 
 "Let's go over and see what's going on," said 
 Captain Mason : " they may set the house on 
 fire." 
 
 Through the open door we entered into a broad 
 hall, and then into a large room that opened out 
 of it. A fire was roaring in the big, open fire- 
 place, lighting up a grotesque .scene of revelry. 
 A few men were cooking at the fire, but others 
 were singing and dancing, while at a grand piano 
 sat Add, playing with no unskilful touch, and 
 calling the changes of the dance. Seated on the 
 piano was little Mike, drumming an accompani- 
 ment to the music with his heels, while Tobin was 
 sawing away on a fiddle with but two strings. 
 Another man was tooting discordantly on an old- 
 fashioned hunting-horn. 
 
 Some of the dancers were dressed in cast-off 
 female wearing-apparel, such as hoop-skirts and 
 poke bonnets, which had been found in the house. 
 
THE BATTLE OPENS. 213 
 
 The centre around which all the extravagant 
 changes revolved was Rolly-Pooly, who, with glis- 
 tening teeth, rolling eyes, and distinguished 
 gravity, was dancing in an extravagant manner. 
 Every inch of him, from the wool on his head to 
 the toes of his ragged boots, was keeping time to 
 the music. 
 
 The captain smiled, for he was by no means 
 a solemn person, and appreciated the grotesque 
 scene as much as I did. 
 
 Some one touched my shoulder; I turned, and 
 found it was General Blusterson. As if in re- 
 sponse to an unspoken query he saw on my face, 
 he said, " Let them alone ! " Then with his half- 
 humorous smile and shake of his head, he said, 
 with an undercurrent of pathos in his tones, " Let 
 them get all the fun out of it possible. They'll 
 have some tough work to do to-morrow, and they'll 
 fight none the worse for this." 
 
 To this the young captain replied, as if speaking 
 to himself, " ' Eat, drink, and be merry, for to-mor- 
 row we die.' " 
 
 " Well, yes ! " said the general shortly. " That's 
 a motto good enough for a soldier, captain, and it's 
 pretty near the keynote of life, anyway." 
 
 "Yes," said Mason thoughtfully; "and it's all 
 the more reason. General, that while enjoying 
 God's good things we should be reverent, even 
 when most joyful, so that at any time we may be 
 ready for our marching orders ! " 
 
214 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " We don't do as we wish in life," said the gen- 
 eral still more sharply ; " we do as we can ! We 
 are crowded into life, and kicked out of it again, 
 without saying, ' By your leave, sir.' I believe in 
 getting the best of it in the fight, and in keep- 
 ing out of the mud, and in fighting with all my 
 powers to keep out of a hole ! " 
 
 I could see that the general was not only 
 answering Captain Mason, but was excusing his 
 life to his inner consciousness ; and I thought as I 
 rolled myself up in my blanket on tlie sidewalk 
 again, " There are two men, both brave, but actu- 
 ated by different motives. 
 
 " One says, ' Let us enjoy life, and fight when we 
 must to preserve ourselves,' and he relies on him- 
 self alone. The other says, ' Let us do our whole 
 duty, conscientiously and reverently. Death is 
 near, but God is pitiful ; let us trust him.' " The 
 mists were gathering, and a damp, chill fog en- 
 veloped the city as I fell asleep. 
 
 I still heard, as if in my dreams, the sounds of 
 laughter and music, as though there was no such 
 thing as impending battle. 
 
 The morning sun dispelled the cloud of fog that 
 enshrouded the city, and revealed dark lines of 
 men, marching to their positions in readiness for 
 battle. 
 
 While these hosts are marshalling, let us take 
 a general glance over the field, in order that we 
 may more clearly understand the significance of 
 
THE BATTLE OPENS. 215 
 
 the incidents that came under my own observa- 
 tion, and which I shall try to depict here. 
 
 On the south or Fredericksburg side of the Rap- 
 pahannock, running parallel with the river, there 
 is a well-defined crest of hills. The battle-field 
 may be generally described as a broken plain, 
 stretching back from the southern banks of the 
 stream. This plain is six hundred yards wide at 
 the town, in front of Marj^e's Heights, and two 
 miles wide at Franklin's position, otherwise known 
 as Hamilton's Crossing. Marye's Heights and 
 Hamilton's Crossing were the positions attacked 
 by our army, and where the fighting took place. 
 
 Franklin's Left Grand Division, consisting oi 
 about fifty thousand men, had, as we have said 
 elsewhere, crossed the stream with little opposition. 
 
 General Franklin had received instructions, by 
 an order from Burnside, to send one division to 
 seize the Heights in his front near Hamilton 
 Crossing (where his army was confronted by that 
 tough and resolute fighter, Stonewall Jackson) ; to 
 keep it well supported by at least a division, with 
 its line of retreat well open ; and to hold the rest 
 of his command in position for a rapid movement 
 down the old Richmond Road. The Heights, 
 covered with leafless oaks and dark pines, were 
 occupied by the Confederates. In front of them 
 was the railroad, and beyond that the woods. 
 
 Between nine and ten in the morning the fog 
 cleared away, and revealed to the Confederates 
 
216 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Franklin's Grand Division, formed on the plain 
 against a background of light snow ; and at ten 
 o'clock the flashing arms of Meade's division ad- 
 vancing to an attack. 
 
 As they advanced, the Confederates opened on 
 them with artillery, which tore gaps in their ranks 
 like the ploughshares of death. The lines closed 
 up, and advanced like a storm-cloud rifted by the 
 wind. The first of our brigade penetrated the 
 woods, swept aside from right to left like a cur- 
 tain the Confederates in their front ; captured 
 many prisoners and battle-flags, and wedged itself 
 between two Confederate brigades of A. P. Hill's 
 division. 
 
 It was a gallant attack ; but unsupported by a 
 fresh attacking force, it was shattered by its own 
 impetus, and went to pieces under a fire from the 
 enemy's front and both flanks, and fell back, pur- 
 sued by the yelling Confederates. 
 
 Its five thousand men had attempted the work 
 of forty thousand, and failed. This attack had 
 been well supported by Reynolds's corps, which, 
 all told, lost four thousand men ; while Meade lost 
 forty per cent of his whole command. Briefly 
 told, this was the battle on our left. 
 
THE ATTACK ON MARYE'S HEIGHTS. 217 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE ATTACK ON MARYE's HEIGHTS. 
 
 While the scenes narrated in the foregoing 
 chapter were passing, Sumner's Right Grand Di- 
 vision was ordered to attack the formidable heights 
 back of Fredericksburg. French's division was at 
 noon ordered forward from the town, followed and 
 supported by Hancock's division, and that to be 
 followed by Howard's. 
 
 I was in the upper part of one of the houses, 
 looking out at French's division, which was ad- 
 vancing by the plank and telegraph roads. It 
 crossed the canal, and deployed in column of 
 attack with brigade front, under cover of a rise 
 in the ground. 
 
 From its first move on the roads mentioned, the 
 Confederate artillery had opened from the semi- 
 circle of heights a terrible fire, tearing the ranks, 
 which closed up again without perceptible influ- 
 ence on its advance. 
 
 Suddenly, at double-quick, in dark masses, it 
 burst upon the plain with the impetuosity of a 
 thunderbolt ! 
 
 " That's grand ! Magnificent ! It makes a 
 
218 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 man's heart come right up in his throat ! " ex- 
 claimed Major Grim, whom I found standing by 
 my side. 
 
 No sooner had the division left the cover of the 
 embankment where it formed, than a converging 
 storm of grape, canister, shot, and shell burst 
 upon its front, tearing through its ranks. This 
 did not check its hurricane-like advance. But the 
 worst had not come. When it reached within a 
 few hundred yards of the embankment wall at the 
 foot of Marye's Heights, a blaze of red musket-fire 
 sprang from the Confederates concealed in the 
 sunken road, followed by volley after volley, and 
 sheet after sheet of flame. The ground was 
 covered with dead and wounded, and the attack- 
 ing column was enveloped in the white sulphur- 
 smoke. 
 
 " They break ! Terrible ! " cried Grim. " I never 
 saw an3fthing like that ! " 
 
 ''Major," said an orderly who had come up- 
 stairs, " the general's compliments, and says fall 
 in your regiment at once ! " 
 
 "I kinder think," said Grim with his dogged 
 smile, " that it's our turn next. Come, Alden ; I 
 feel gloomy enough this morning. If I was a 
 fool I should say 1 had a presentiment." 
 
 The company was already formed on the side- 
 walk ; and as the general rode down our ranks, 
 with an attempt at a buttonhole bouquet in the 
 breast of his uniform, and with his boots polished 
 
THE A TTA CK ON MA R YE'S HEIGHTS. 219 
 
 and every button glistening, I heard Add re- 
 mark, — 
 
 " The general looks as happy as a clam at high 
 water. " 
 
 " Then," I said, " we are going in soon. He 
 wouldn't look so unusually happy if there wasn't 
 something requiring nerve, — a crisis at hand." 
 
 So it proved. Blusterson reined in his horse, 
 and said in distinct tones, but without raisino- his 
 voice, "We are going for them chaps up there, 
 men, with sharp sticks. We will show them all 
 how to do it! I'm going with you, and will do 
 all I can for you." 
 
 The order came. The division moved forward, 
 the click of canteens against muskets our only 
 music. 
 
 The men were silent, sullen, and dogged. There 
 was no shrinking from the work, although they 
 had no confidence in the attack. There was not 
 a man in the ranks that day that did not know 
 the hopelessness of the task, yet they did all that 
 men could do. 
 
 As our brigade marched up the road, shell and 
 shot, grape and canister, swept its lines, and left 
 behind it, as its ranks steadily closed up, the dead 
 and dying; but no man flinclied. There was no 
 cheering as we formed under tiie protection of an 
 embankment, and then, at double-quick, with the 
 impetuosity of a storm, burst upon the plain, and 
 dashed like a dark wave on Marye's fatal Heights ! 
 
220 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 The general was on foot, with drawn sword, in 
 the rear of his brigade, shouting, encouraging, and 
 steadying the men. 
 
 There was an uproar of explosions beneath our 
 feet ; our ranks were torn and bleeding ; and, as 
 the men fell wounded or dead, its front shrunk 
 at every step. 
 
 Amidst the inferno of sounds, a nervous im- 
 patience which I had at first felt gave place to a 
 cool indifference. 
 
 Little things caught my attention in the line. 
 I noticed that Sergeant Standish's hat was wrong 
 side before, and felt an impulse to straighten it. 
 I saw men drop their muskets and, with appealing 
 looks, go down. I heard men shriek and fall, and 
 yet did not realize that it meant peril to myself. 
 
 I noticed a bloody spot on Sergeant Key's hand 
 where a bullet had struck it. 
 
 Meanwhile, in less time than it takes to read 
 these lines, the brigade had reached to within 
 musket-shot of the Heights. And then volley 
 after volley burst from the sunken road, and a 
 sheet of flame seemed to envelop the head of the 
 column. We were within a hundred yards of 
 the rebel position, and our column had melted 
 away to a few straggling but desperate men. 
 
 The dead and dying were all around us ; and a 
 noise of humming bullets, like the din of a cotton- 
 mill, passed over us, seemingly in sheets, and then 
 our Men scattered like chaff before the wind. 
 
THE ATTACK ON MA RYE'S HEIGHTS. 221 
 
 The strength of the enemy's position surpassed 
 liuman bravery. In fifteen immortal moments 
 our conflict was decided. 
 
 Some fled, and took refuge in the cluster of 
 houses standing at the fork of the street below; 
 while a good part of our line, with myself, had 
 found partial shelter from the destructive musket- 
 fire by lying down behind a rise in the ground a 
 few rods in advance of an isolated square brick 
 house, not far from Marye's Heights. 
 
 Here we were sheltered from the musketiy, but 
 not from the artillery of the foe. 
 
 I now seemed to realize for the first time how 
 terrible the encounter had been. The wounded 
 and dead thickly covered the ground just in front 
 of us. 
 
 " See there ! " And Add, who had crept up to 
 my side, pointed before him. 
 
 One wounded man, prostrate on his face, was 
 endeavoring to drag himself toward us by clutch- 
 ing the tufts of grass; another, lying on his back, 
 was trying to push himself along by thrusting his 
 heels into the yielding ground. Another pain- 
 fully rolled over towards us once or twice, and was 
 stopped by a sharpshooter's bullet. All over the 
 field on our front was spread a writhing mass of 
 our brave wounded men, grovelling in the mud, 
 their blue overcoats making the waxen pallor of 
 their faces still more ghastly. An army of human 
 wrecks was around us. ♦ 
 
222 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 It was not long before we heard the advance of 
 another column, and we thought, as they charged, 
 how hopeless the attempt was. 
 
 Six times that day the Union troops were hurled 
 upon the Heights, and as many times were broken 
 like waves on a rocky coast, and receded. The 
 death-girdled Heights were impregnable to human 
 assault. The last charge was made about dark. 
 It was Humphrey's division, who came on cheer- 
 ing, passed over us, trampling on the wounded in 
 our ranks; and then went to pieces before the 
 deadly fire of the Confederates, like those who had 
 preceded them. 
 
 A few torn and blackened remnants of the di- 
 vision that had charged the Heights meanwhile, 
 prostrate on their bellies, still held the little ridge 
 of earth before Marye's Heights. They could not 
 advance, and would not retreat. 
 
 At once after taking my position behind the 
 ridge, Add told me that Captain Mason and Jack 
 Hale were both wounded. I crept to the captain, 
 and found him with a bullet wound in the lungs. 
 All that had protected him from immediate death 
 had been a metallic case which contained his moth- 
 er's picture, and from which the bullet glanced 
 upward, but not without inflicting a terrible 
 wound. 
 
 As I was crawling humbly along to reach 
 Mason, I heard the voice of the general exclaim- 
 ing, " Get down there, men ! Lie down ! If 
 
"Get down there, men! Lie down! 
 — Page 222. 
 
THE A TTACK ON MAR YE '5 HEIGHTS. 223 
 
 there's enough of you who want to get shot to 
 make it worth while, I'll lead you up there, and 
 pull the Johnnies out of their hole ! " 
 
 Looking up, I saw the general seated on the 
 ground, looking very pale, but intent on keeping 
 the men from needlessly exposing themselves. 
 
 "What's the matter, General?" I asked; "you 
 look pale." 
 
 " That you, Alden ? Glad to see you are all 
 right ! The rascals have spoiled one of my new 
 boots ; bullet through my leg; only just a scratch, 
 though. The men down there are going to 
 charge, I see ! We'll get 'em yet ! " 
 
 I persuaded the general to lie on his stomach 
 like the rest of us ; but the position seemed to dis- 
 hearten him more than his wound. 
 
 It illustrates how sharp the firing was at this 
 time, that in taking off my canteen to give Mason 
 a drink, I had lifted myself a little from the 
 ground, when a bullet cut the canteen strap, while 
 another hit the hilt of my sword, and, glancing, 
 wounded a man near me. 
 
 It was a wonder that General Blusterson had 
 not been killed in keeping an upright position 
 so long. Later, I was grieved to learn that our 
 brave major was among the missing. 
 
 Almost every moment some one was hurt by 
 the enemy's shell or canister. But in contrast 
 with the greater peril we had encountered, the 
 position seemed like one of tolerable safety. 
 
224 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 The interval between the charge and sunset 
 seemed days instead of hours. So much does a 
 man measure his life by sensations, rather than 
 by moments ! 
 
 At last the great disk of the sun, reddened as if 
 by reflection from that terrible field, sank slowly 
 down, and merciful darkness came to succor the 
 wounded and to protect the living. 
 
 Was our major among the wounded men on that 
 dreadful field? 
 
 I silently prayed that he might rather be among 
 the dead. 
 
 Darkness soon put a stop to hostile sounds, save 
 shell firing, which occasionally came from the 
 Heights, trailing bright lines across the black sky. 
 From the cluster of dead and wounded men, there 
 came crawling painfull}^, or hobbling on muskets, 
 reversed for crutches, the wounded to our lines. 
 Among these was Sergeant Crandall. He could 
 give no intelligence of our brave major. 
 
 Crandall and little Mike were sent to the town 
 with General Blusterson and Captain Mason. 
 
 I was now the ranking officer of tlie company, 
 which was, however, now no great command. 
 Many of our men were wounded or dead ; others 
 had taken refuge in a cluster of houses near the 
 fork of the road ; while still others had retreated 
 to a ravine some two hundred yards in our rear. 
 
 There were members of different regiments 
 mixed with us, — the most daring of those living 
 
THE ATTACK ON MAR YE' S HEIGHTS. 225 
 
 of the six columns that had charged those fatal 
 heights that day. They could not advance, and 
 were too brave to retreat. Hungry, covered with 
 mud, benumbed with cold, we lay prostrate on our 
 faces before the enemy. The night grew intensely 
 cold. Our garments froze to the ground. As fast 
 as the men died, their bodies were piled up as a 
 barricade for the living. Dead battery -horses were 
 utilized in the same way. 
 
 Whenever our men endeavored to bring in the 
 wounded from the front they were fired upon by 
 the enemy. We, in turn, fired upon them when- 
 ever we saw them trying to plunder the dead. 
 
 At last our line was relieved by orders from 
 General Sumner, and was withdrawn to the town. 
 I looked at my watch, and found it was only half- 
 past eleven p. m. ; yet it seemed an age since we 
 had charged Marye's Heights. 
 
226 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE RETREAT. 
 
 It was very cold ; but the troops were not al- 
 lowed to kindle bivouac fires in Fredericksburg 
 that night, lest the enemy should open fire upon 
 its crowded streets. By contrast with the uncom- 
 fortable position whicli we had left, our beds on 
 the sidewalk seemed luxurious. 
 
 That night I slept a dreamless sleep, but awoke 
 in the morning lame and hungry. After eating 
 ravenously the few crumbs left in my haver- 
 sack, I started down the street to find something 
 more to devour. While thus engaged I unex- 
 pectedly came upon Rolly-Pooly, sitting in a 
 doorway fast asleep. By vigorous shaking I suc- 
 ceeded in arousing him, and in making him com- 
 prehend that I was in pursuit of something to eat. 
 He came very near appearing to be interested and 
 glad ; and I was repaid for awakening him when 
 he brought out from under the doorstep a basket 
 containing cold chicken and other goodies, to- 
 gether with a few china plates, some uncut crash 
 towelling, and a bar of soap. The reader may im- 
 agine that I did not wait for ceremony, or to make 
 
THE RETREAT. 227 
 
 my toilet then, but began an attack on the good 
 things at once. Sergeant Addison Key, who came 
 along just as I was beginning, brought me some 
 hot coffee, and afterwards volunteered to assist, as 
 he termed it, in driving in the pickets on the 
 grub line. And soon nothing remained of Roily 's 
 provender but bare bones and crumbs. After- 
 wards, when I was inclined to get out of patience 
 with Roily, the remembrance of that excellent 
 meal inclined me to be more lenient of his tres- 
 passes than charity really demanded. 
 
 Another surprise was in store for me when 
 Roily, indifferently making a motion with his 
 woolly head towards a house, said, " De Gigabreer 
 in dar, sar." 
 
 "Who?" I asked. 
 
 He vouchsafed no explanation, but it flashed 
 upon me that he meant General Blusterson. 
 
 On this supposition I entered the house, where 
 I found a large number of our wounded. It was 
 the same dwelling where Add and others held the 
 carousal on the night before the attack. 
 
 How changed the conditions were may be in- 
 ferred when I say that I found surgeons at work 
 in the hall, and the piano removed from its legs, 
 and set edgewise as an amputating table. 
 
 The surgeons were busy at their painful but 
 necessary work. As soon as one subject had been 
 operated upon another was brought in ; and they 
 were following one another in such quick succes- 
 
228 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 sion that there was barely time between cases to 
 cleanse with a sponge the protecting poncbo 
 blanket. 
 
 Shattered limbs were being ■ amputated with 
 wonderful dexterity. A sponge saturated with 
 chloroform was thrust to the nose of the patient ; 
 the keen knife flashed ; there was a faint rasping 
 of the saw ; the blood spurted in sharp jets, and 
 was checked at once ; the insensible patient was 
 removed by one set of attendants, while another 
 disposed of the bleeding member sacrificed to his 
 country. The limbs were carried out of the back 
 door, where bloody water was also poured, the 
 ghastly refuse crimsoning the small bank of snow 
 at the corner of the fence. I entered the room, 
 and was greeted by Crandall, who lay near the 
 doorway. A fire was blazing on the hearth ; and 
 lying near it were General Blusterson and Captain 
 Mason, while fifteen or twenty other wounded 
 men were scattered around the room. 
 
 The surgeons had been kept so busy, that the 
 attendant at the time I entered was but just 
 attempting to remove the general's boots, prepar- 
 atory to an examination of his wound. 
 
 The general had insisted upon having the boot 
 pulled off, instead of having it cut away. But 
 when an attempt was made to remove it, although 
 the smile did not desert his face, he grew pale, 
 and ejaculated, " Easy there ! easy there." The 
 new boot could not be saved. The general 
 
THE RETREAT. 229 
 
 gasped, ceased to smile, and exclaimed, " Cut it 
 ofe! Cut it away!" 
 
 " The old fellow," said Sergeant Crandall ad- 
 miringly, " is kind of gritty ! He made that 
 surgeon attend to me and Captain Mason first." 
 
 Meanwhile the boot was cut away. 
 
 " There," said the general blandly, but with an 
 expression of pain mingled with his brave smile. 
 " Thank you ; that feels better ! " 
 
 He now saw me, and called out, " Come over 
 here, Alden ! How are they getting on up there 
 on the hill?" 
 
 I greeted both the general and the captain, and 
 informed them of the situation. 
 
 A hospital steward now came in to examine the 
 general's wound. The latter lighted a cigar, and 
 asked me to pass his case to others in the room. 
 The hospital steward began probing the wound in 
 what I thought rather a nervous manner. Once 
 the general removed his cigar, and, taking the 
 probe, said gently to the steward, " By your leave, 
 sir ! I'm something of a mechanic myself ; the 
 bullet track is downward, like that you see ; the 
 shot came from up hill." 
 
 There was no wincing ; tlie general, as he looked 
 on, smoked and smiled, and, seeing that bandages 
 were scarce, said, " There's a white shirt for 
 bandages ; I've got on a Avoollen one now," and 
 then, with the old humorous expression on his lips, 
 added, " It's clean ; I had it on only a little while 
 
230 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Friday. I wasn't going to be found dead with 
 dirty linen on, gentlemen ! " 
 
 The attendant tore the white linen into strips. 
 The steward continued probing, and finally drew 
 out a jagged and flattened bullet, when blood 
 began spurting out in short, sharp jets. 
 
 Quickly Blusterson tied the linen bandage above 
 the wound ; the surgeon seized a broken chair 
 round and tightened it. The patient dropped his 
 cigar, and sank back deadly pale ; for the tour- 
 niquet had not been applied so quickly but that 
 he had lost much blood. The young steward said 
 to the attendant sharply, " Call the surgeon ! " 
 
 A main artery had been severed, partially by the 
 bullet, partially by the probe. 
 
 " The leg," said the surgeon, after a quick ex- 
 amination, " will have to come off." 
 
 " Oh, no," said the general ; " not as bad as 
 that. Can't you save it ? " 
 
 The surgeon shook his head. 
 
 " Well," said Blusterson, " what's a leg ? I'd 'a' 
 given both of them to have driven those rebs out 
 of their hole with my brigade ! Go ahead if you 
 must ! " 
 
 The general was carried to the table ; the chlo- 
 roform sponge was held to his nostrils, and the 
 surgeon, with wonderful skill, cut through the 
 muscles of the lower joint above the wound, laid 
 bare the bone, introduced an instrument to hold 
 back the muscles, drew the saw across the bone 
 
THE RETREAT. 231 
 
 twice, and it was sundered, the foot and lower 
 leg remaining in the hands of the attendant. The 
 ligature of the arteries was quickly accomplislied, 
 the flaps of skin drawn down, and stitches put in 
 to hold it in place, and the general was removed 
 to his bed near Captain Mason, before he became 
 conscious. He came out of his chloroformed 
 condition with but little of the customary flurry, 
 and, looking down to his leg, ejaculated, " They've 
 done it, have they? " and sank back, fumbling for 
 his cigar-case. 
 
 The cutting and sawing meanwhile went on 
 among the poor men brought to the amputating 
 table. If a man died he was immediately carried 
 out to make room for other patients. 
 
 It was horrible ; but such is war, and such are 
 the scenes that should be gazed upon by those 
 who contemplate invoking the demon of battle. 
 
 Captain Mason shook his head calmly, but 
 gravely, as I turned to him a few moments after 
 the scene described, to ask if there was anything I 
 could do for his comfort. His wound was through 
 the collar-bone and the upper part of the left lung, 
 from which the surgeon had been unable to ex- 
 tract the bullet. 
 
 " How," he inquired, " does it look up back of 
 the town now ? " 
 
 " It looks bad," I said, as I almost involuntarily 
 took his hand ; " and it ain't over yet. I wish the 
 army was well out of it." 
 
232 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " Trust in God," he replied gravely. " It is all 
 a part of his plan, — part of the price that must 
 be paid for the country's redemption, Jack. God 
 is over all, the same now as before the battle." 
 
 Captain Mason's trust in God never faltered, 
 and to him a belief in his loving-kindness seemed 
 to require no effort. 
 
 The general, who was now lighting his cigar, 
 overhearing my despondent remark, said faintly, 
 but in his old confident tones, " Don't croak, my 
 boy; I've wasted lots of good stuff in my day, 
 trying to make models for a new machine, but it 
 always came out right after enough whittling. 
 We made a good fight ; there's chance for failure 
 in anything." 
 
 " It's my opinion," growled Crandall, his shaggy 
 brows meeting in a scowl, " that old Burney had 
 better get this army out of town kinder quick, 
 before the rebs come after him." 
 
 " Tut ! Tut ! " said the general confidently ; 
 " they don't want anything of us on even terms, 
 Sergeant ! " 
 
 After writing several letters for the general, I 
 went out to send them across the river to mail. 
 
 The town was one great hospital and morgue. 
 Even the front yards and kitchen gardens of the 
 houses were occupied by pieces of men, who on the 
 Saturday previous had gone into the battle whole. 
 
 It was a gloomy Sunday, such as I hope never 
 to see again. There was no movement made by 
 
THE RETREAT. 233 
 
 either Federals or Confederates during the day. 
 It seemed to me that, as Father Crandall had 
 intimated, if the Confederates shoukl make a 
 descent upon the town, or open with their artil- 
 lery upon the disheartened men that crowded the 
 streets of Fredericksburg, our army would be 
 doomed to yet more terrible disaster. 
 
 I returned to the house, after visiting my com- 
 pany, which was in charge of Sergeant Key, and 
 found my comrades in much the same situation 
 that I had left them. 
 
 As I looked over the group, I could not help 
 remarking the faces of my friends ; tlie general's 
 lionlike face, and the set determination in Father 
 Crandall 's rugged features, expressed the same 
 thing. The most remarkable face, however, was 
 that of young Captain Elbridge Mason. Its pallor 
 alone indicated his wounded condition. The eyes 
 were calm, the brow serene, and the lijjs had an 
 indefinable grave smile, which, as Crandall said, 
 was like an angel's. 
 
 Add came in to report to me ; for I had sent 
 him to make out a list of our dead, wounded, and 
 missing. It was a long catalogue of casualties. 
 
 " Well," said one of our wounded men, an ex- 
 printer, " they've knocked the regiment into pi ! " 
 
 " Yes," said Add, holding up his bandaged digit, 
 " and I've had a finger in the pie myself." 
 
 There was a ripple of laughter, even among 
 the wounded, at this sally. 
 
234 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " Gentlemen," said Mason, after Add had gone, 
 " it is the Sabbath Day ; we've passed through 
 scenes of great peril together. Shall I read to you 
 from this book," touching his Bible, " a few com- 
 forting words ? " 
 
 "Yes," said Crandall; "I say for one, if thei*e is 
 any comfort anywhere, give it to us." 
 
 While the general politely replied, " Certainly, 
 my boy ; certainly ! " 
 
 Mason read with great purity of enunciation 
 from the words of his Master, and then read a few 
 verses from the Psalms, closing with, " Though I 
 walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 
 I will fear no evil." 
 
 Then, with clasped hands, still lying on his 
 poor bed, he prayed for the country, for the army, 
 and for his wounded comrades. 
 
 I do not know that his prayer was eloquent; 
 but it had behind it something that seldom fails to 
 move men, — a consistent character. It was the 
 man himself ; his simplicity, bravery, and the un- 
 assuming goodness of his life, his love for his com- 
 rades, as deep as it was tender, that affected us 
 most. 
 
 There was silence for a time after the prayer ; 
 then the old general turned, reached out his hand 
 to his boy captain, and said, " Thank you ; I 
 haven't thought much of such things of late, but 
 your trust in God, Captain, is worth more than 
 pluck at a time like this." 
 
THE RETREAT. 235 
 
 With a serene look on his shining, lofty brow 
 the boy captain replied, " Yes, my General, reli- 
 gion don't need pluck; it makes courage: for 
 ' Jesus can make a dying bed as soft as downy 
 pillows are.' Let us sing together, — 
 
 " ' Jesus, lover of my soul, 
 Let me to thy bosom fly, 
 When the nearer waters roll, 
 While the tempest still is high.' " 
 
 For a moment all joined in singing the hymn as 
 fervently as if they were soldiers of the Cross, in- 
 stead of rough fighters of the Army of the Poto- 
 mac. 
 
 Monday morning dawned upon the hosts around 
 Fredericksburg. There was but little change in 
 the situation, except the removal of the wounded 
 across the river. 
 
 It was a sight to move the most callous, to be- 
 hold the loading of the ambulances. Some of the 
 wounded had a greenish pallor on their faces, or 
 the reddish cast that denotes congestion ; many of 
 them were in a state of coma ; some uttered 
 piercing cries of anguish, while others died from 
 the shock of removal. 
 
 The regular ambulances of the medical depart- 
 ment were inadequate to the task, and various 
 other vehicles from the trains were used, and went 
 rolling on with their ghastly loads. 
 
 Late Monday evening our advance lines were 
 
236 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 pushed up close against the enemy, as if to attack ; 
 but \\\ tlie darkness the work of recrossing the 
 riyer began. 
 
 The pontoon bridges were covered with earth, 
 that no sound of the movement should give warn- 
 ing to the enemy. 
 
 Swiftly, sadly, and in silence the troops moved 
 on in one black train, until at two o'clock on the 
 morning of Tuesda}^ the last picket-line of the 
 Army of the Potomac was withdrawn ; and by 
 three o'clock the arni}^, with its material, was 
 again safe on the northern bank of the Rappa- 
 hannock. 
 
 The battle had been fought and lost, and with 
 it was lost the confidence of the army in General 
 Burnside. 
 
 Its harvest of death and wounds depresses the 
 heart even in the remembrance. Ten thousand of 
 our brave men Avere killed and wounded in this 
 worse than useless attack. 
 
 General Burnside "s manly assumption of all 
 blame was worthy of his generous character; but 
 it did not atone for needless loss of precious hu- 
 man life. 
 
 Thus ended the campaign against the stone 
 walls of Fredericksburg. 
 
DISCONTENT. 237 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 DISCONTENT. 
 
 The next forenoon, after the arni}^ had recrossed 
 the river, Corporal Osgood approached me, and, 
 saluting, said, "Shouldn't wonder. Lieutenant, if 
 they'd send a burial squad over the river this fore- 
 noon to bury our fellers." 
 
 "What," I asked, "makes you think so?" 
 
 " Well, a reb officer come over just now, with a 
 flag of truce ; and I see'd old Burny and he sittin' 
 under a persimmon-tree down by the river, talkin' 
 and eatiu' somethin' good. Must be that's what's 
 the matter. Can't be anything else." 
 
 It was a shrewd guess of a kind not unusual 
 among our acute soldiers in the ranks, Avho seldom 
 failed to get wind of what was going on in ad- 
 vance of their officers. 
 
 On inquiry I learned that all arrangements had 
 been made for the burial of our dead ; and I ob- 
 tained permission to accompany the party with 
 Add, in order to identify, if possible, those of our 
 number who were missing, and among whom we 
 hoped to find the major. 
 
 Arriving on the ground, we found the burial 
 
238 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 squads hard at work with picks, digging trenches 
 in the frozen soil. Most of the dead had been 
 stripped by the enemy. A woman in a house near 
 Marye's Heights said, " The night you Yanks left 
 here the ground was blue, but the next morning it 
 was white." 
 
 These dead, among the bravest soldiers of the 
 army, were thrown into trenches without even a 
 blanket for a shroud. The bodies were bloated, 
 blackened, and disfigured. We were, however, 
 able to identify most of our men, though among 
 them I could not find the body of Major Grim. 
 
 The Confederate officers and men whom I met 
 here were grave and courteous, as became men on 
 such an occasion. 
 
 I inquired for Captain Milner, and was told that 
 his battery was farther up on the hill. Upon my 
 expressing a desire to communicate with him, an 
 officer kindly sent word for him ; but he did not 
 make his appearance. I learned, however, that 
 he had passed through the battle unhurt. I sent 
 word by one of the officers who was acquainted 
 with him, that Major Grim was among the missing, 
 and requested him to ascertain if possible whether 
 he was a prisoner of war, and to communicate to 
 me any information regarding his fate. 
 
 " I think," said an officer, " your friend must be 
 among the wounded, although it is hard to recog- 
 nize the dead, I confess, on account of their naked 
 and disfigured condition." 
 
DISCONTENT. 239 
 
 Some of our men were heard to make bitter 
 remarks regarding- tlie condition of the dead, 
 when the officer said, " Yes ; it is terrible. I 
 don't justify it; but our ])oys are poorly clad, and 
 they cannot resist the opportunity to get warm 
 clothing." 
 
 Groups of the Confederates, rank and file, were 
 to be seen chatting, swapping jackknives and 
 jokes, and trading coffee for tobacco, as if they 
 were neighbors and friends, instead of enemies 
 who but a few hours before had been engaged in 
 mortal conflict. 
 
 After lingering until late in the afternoon, I 
 again crossed the river, feeling depressed and sor- 
 rowful after the terrible scenes of the day, and was 
 not pleased to find Lieutenant Sinclair in my quar- 
 ters, carousing and drinking with Captain King. 
 
 At the time of which I write, the prevailing 
 sentiment among officers in the army regarding 
 drunkenness was very low. ''The sale of intoxi- 
 cants among the rank and file was expressly 
 forbidden. But the commissioned officers were 
 permitted to draw on the commissary by order. 
 Thus among those whose morals had not been 
 moulded by healthy family influences, or who had 
 not the instinctive feelings of gentlemen, the bru- 
 tal habit was considered less a degradation than a 
 subject for mirth. 
 
 When the next day I learned that Lieutenant 
 Sinclair had had the company out for drill while 
 
240 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 he was partially under the influence of liquor, I 
 understood the half-smothered, discontented re- 
 marks and sullen looks of our men. 
 
 A morning or two after this, when Sergeant 
 Add Key, who at this time was the acting orderly 
 sergeant, came to my quarters with the morning 
 report, 1 said rather stiffly, '' Sergeant, you must 
 not countenance such insubordinate remarks as 
 I've overheard among the men lately." 
 
 "I'll do the best I can. Lieutenant," he replied; 
 "but I can't make men over, so they'll think 
 white is black. The best way to reform the men, 
 is to reform some of the officers." 
 
 I did not reply for a moment, for the remark 
 cut to the marrow of the subject. The conduct of 
 men in the ranks is usually what officers make it, 
 and good officers make good men. But I said, 
 " Frown it down, and punish such men if you find 
 a good excuse, Sergeant." 
 
 Add made no direct reply, but turned the sub- 
 ject to the list of dead and missing on his report ; 
 but before he left my quarters he said in his droll, 
 dry manner, "A reb over there on 'tother side told 
 me yesterday that whiskey is sixty dollars a pint 
 in Richmond, an' I tell you that that's where the 
 rebs have got an advantage." 
 
 " Why do you think so ? " I inquired. 
 
 "Why, don't you see ? " said Add with a queer 
 twist to his face, " there's five hundred chances 
 more for one of our men in a responsible place to 
 
DISCONTENT. 241 
 
 be laid off by whiskey than for a Confederate offi- 
 cer? Wh}^ a week's pay of one of them fellers 
 wouldn't give him a smell of a pint bottle that 
 had had the critter in it before the war ! " 
 
 I made no reply, and did not smile, but said, as 
 stiffly as I could, " Sergeant, take your morning's 
 report to your quarters again." 
 
 Just as Add, with his report book under his 
 arm, was pushing aside the entrance to my tent, 
 Lieutenant Sinclair came in, and with a flushed 
 face and an excited manner, exclaimed, " Do you 
 encourage the orderly sergeant to make insulting 
 remarks about an officer?" 
 
 I made no reply to his question, but made him 
 feel by my manner that I was displeased. 
 
 "I heard the talk," he continued more moder- 
 ately, " that you had with Sergeant Key ! " 
 
 I was now angry, and, rising, faced him, saying 
 in very frosty tones, " If you have been listening 
 to my remarks, and heard anything which you in- 
 terpret as insulting to you personally, I cannot be 
 responsible for it ! " 
 
 " I am not blaming you, Alden," he replied with 
 a cringing manner ; " it's that d sergeant ! " 
 
 " I allow no profanity in my quarters. Lieuten- 
 ant," I responded ; " and I allow no sergeant or 
 under officer to speak disrespectfully of officers in 
 my presence, no matter how much to blame they 
 may be. You must be on your guard not to 
 occasion disrespect hereafter ! " 
 
242 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 The lieutenant was from that day a bitter 
 enemy of Sergeant Key, and took every opportu- 
 nity to injure him. 
 
 The general spirit of the army after Fredericks- 
 burg was one of discontent and gloom. The men 
 of the company of which I was the commanding 
 officer respected me, and were kept in subordina- 
 tion by that respect ; but they could not be kept 
 from being disrespectful to one whom they be- 
 lieved had shammed sickness to avoid the perils 
 of battle. They also growled that an income 
 petent general had been allowed to blunder away 
 the lives of their comrades in a fruitless attack 
 on an unassailable position. 
 
 The soul of an army is its morale — that quality 
 which is so undefinable ; made up of prejudice, 
 passion, and inference, but to which is attribu- 
 table, more than to its members, its failures and 
 successes. This soul of the Army of the Potomac 
 was tinged with dejection, discouragement, and 
 want of confidence. It had the blues. 
 
 Fortunately for the country, however, it was 
 made up of intelligent and patriotic elements, — 
 citizens who had left their homes to defend the 
 flag, and who deeply loved the cause they had 
 taken up arms to defend. It was a great body 
 of patriotic men, who unselfishly served, with ex- 
 pectation of neither reward nor preferment other 
 than victory for the cause and consequent abiding 
 peace for the nation. The world had never seen 
 
I pulled him to his feet, and angrily shook him. 
 — Page 245. 
 
DISCONTENT. 243 
 
 such men in the ranks before; and it was their 
 faith and devotion to the cause of their country 
 that formed a bond of cohesion when those of 
 discipline failed. 
 
 But such men also loved their homes and fami- 
 lies ; and when furloughs were refused to those 
 who had sick children, or aged parents, they some- 
 times walked off to see them, on French leave. 
 
 Distrust, discouragement, and want of confi- 
 dence are among the malign influences under 
 which an army is destroyed more surely than by 
 the bullets of an enemy; and such were the dis- 
 integrating influences that prevailed after the 
 battle of Fredericksburg. 
 
 I visited the field hospital a day or two after 
 the battle, to see Captain Mason and General 
 Blusterson, both of whom had been mentioned 
 for bravery in general orders. 
 
 I found General Blusterson amusing himself by 
 whittling at a mqdel of an artificial leg, for which, 
 he told me, he intended to secure letters patent. 
 
 " Do you think," I said, " a man who has lost 
 a leg will want a contrivance like that? " 
 
 "Want it?" exclaimed the general, "they'll 
 run after it and howl for it I" 
 
 Captain Mason's wound was not progressing as 
 favorably as the general's. The bullet could not 
 be found ; and although he was very cheerful, there 
 was a sunken look about his temples that showed 
 that his vitality was seriously impaired. 
 
244 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Mrs. Grim had written to me regarding her 
 husband. It was one of the phases of womanhood 
 which I did not understand, that, notwithstanding 
 the uncertainty of her husband's fate, she ex- 
 pressed the utmost confidence that he was still 
 alive. 
 
 " If," said Mary Grim in her letter, "he was not 
 coming back again, I should know it and feel it : 
 he is not dead." Such intuitions are not un- 
 common among women ; and although I cannot 
 explain them, my experience tells me that they 
 seldom fail to be justified by after events. 
 
 " That's right," said General Blusterson, in his 
 most confident manner after I had read the letter 
 to him ; " there is no doubt but that Grim is liv- 
 ing. The Confederates seldom take pains to cap- 
 ture badly wounded men, and never send dead 
 men to prison. By the way," said he, " have you 
 got those notes of hand that your uncle gave me 
 for the pegging-machine patent yet?" 
 
 I told him I expected to hear from my brother, 
 but had received no letters from him lately. 
 
 In a few days many of the sick and wounded 
 were removed from the field hospital to Washing- 
 ton, and among theili were Captain Mason and 
 General Blusterson. 
 
 Two weeks had passed, and I still received no 
 letters from home, nor had anything been heard of 
 Major Grim. 
 
 About this time I began to superintend the 
 
DISCONTENT. 246 
 
 building of a log hut for winter quarters. I had 
 got the walls chinked with adhesive Virginia mud, 
 its clay floor pounded hard and smooth, a com- 
 bination of sticks, mud, and a pork-barrel for a 
 chimney, and was putting up a bunk and shelves. 
 
 I seldom sent Roily after anything of a special 
 character, he was so provokingly deliberate and 
 uncertain. This time I was in a hurry, however, 
 and so sent him to buy some nails at the sutler's. 
 As he did not return, I went to the sutler's myself, 
 and on the way discovered Roily sitting on the 
 sunny side of a })ontoon, in companionship with 
 some of his mates, lazily and leisurely eating from 
 a huge chunk of molasses candy. 
 
 Angrily I asked him where the nails were that 
 I had sent him for. 
 
 He deliberately removed the candy from liis 
 mouth, and in provokingly slow tones replied, 
 "Nails, boss? I hasn't seen no nails!" 
 
 "Didn't I send you," I sternly asked, "for nails, 
 and tell you to hurry? " 
 
 His manner of assumed forgetfulness was so 
 exasperating, that I j)ulled him to his feet, and 
 angrily shook him, when there fell from some 
 pocket or other recess in his ragged jacket, a 
 shower of dirty letters and other odds and ends. 
 Among the letters, which were most of them di- 
 rected to me, was one from Mary INIilner, several 
 from my brother, and one for Mrs. Grim addressed 
 to my care in a strange handwriting. 
 
246 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 I was so much interested in the contents of my 
 letters, that I forgot to give Roily a much-deserved 
 thrashing, or to question him, until he was moving 
 off with his mouth glued to his taffy, when I shouted 
 after him, "Where did you get these letters ?" 
 
 " I dun forgot, boss," he replied, and went on. 
 
 The letter was an open one to Mrs. Grim, and 
 proved to be one written two days after the battle, 
 by a private soldier of the regiment, informing 
 her that Grim was a prisoner, and had been hurt. 
 This letter probably came through our lines under 
 a flag of truce, before Grim was sent to Richmond. 
 
 In the letter it was simply said Grim had been 
 stunned by an injury during the battle, and that 
 Avhen he became conscious he was in the hands of 
 the enemy. Also that he was now all right except 
 that his head still gave him trouble, and that his 
 memory was not good enough to write, but that 
 the rebel surgeon had assured him that there was 
 no fracture of the skull. 
 
 My letters from home were some of them nearly 
 a month old. I of course sent Major Grim's letter 
 to his wife at once. 
 
 Among those from home was one containing the 
 notes of hand that I had sent for, which I at once 
 sent to General Increase Blusterson, Washington, 
 D.C., for his indorsement and return. 
 
 After finishing my letters I started out to find 
 Roily, that I might punish him sufficiently to keep 
 him away from my quarters thereafter. 
 
A VISIT TO WASHINGTON. 247 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A VISIT TO WASHINGTON. 
 
 Shortly after finishing my winter quarters, I 
 applied for a pass to go to Washington. Certain 
 equipments of the companj-, such as tompions to 
 muskets, bayonets, and musket-straps, as well as 
 muskets, were missing. I, being in command of 
 the company, must make such affidavits as to what 
 had become of them, as Add said would blister an 
 ordinary paper, or else have my pay stopped to 
 make good the deficiencies. I wanted to go to 
 Washington to explain this, and also to see Dr. 
 Milner and Captain Mason. 
 
 While awaiting the slow winding and unwind- 
 ing of red tape incident to obtaining this pass, I 
 had discharged Roily several times ; but, like a 
 gun heavily loaded, his indifference had recoiled 
 and sent him back on my hands again. 
 
 I was giving him a long- threatened thrashing, 
 and discharging him once more, when Sergeant 
 Addison Key came in with his morning report. 
 
 " You lick that little nig too much in the Ital- 
 ian style,'' he said, laying down his report. " He 
 don't mind it one bit," 
 
248 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " I don't understand what you mean, Sergeant. 
 Key," I replied stiffly. 
 
 " Why," said Add, without venturing a smile, 
 " the Italian style is where the heavy strokes are 
 upward and the light ones downward." 
 
 My leave of absence had come that morning, 
 and I, consequently being in good-humor, replied 
 to Add that I thought Roily Avould stay discharged 
 until I could return from Wasliington. 
 
 There were a number of reasons besides those 
 given that made me desirous of visiting the capi- 
 tal, and among them was the desire to secure for 
 Sergeant Key the position of second lieutenant 
 of the company. He had made a good orderly 
 sergeant, and had developed some qualities in 
 managing men that would make him a desirable 
 connnissioned officer. He could get more drill 
 and work out of the men, and that in the easiest 
 manner, than any other non-commissioned officer 
 in the regiment. The men respected him for his 
 soldierly qualities, and began to say, " Sergeant 
 Key is full of nonsense ; but he has got lots of 
 good sense too, and is no shirk in a fight." 
 
 I started by way of Aquia Creek ; and when half 
 way to Washington I was very hungry, no meals 
 being served on board the boat. To my astonish- 
 ment the irrepressible Roily here appeared with 
 chicken and hot coffee, which he had prepared in 
 the engine-room of the steamer, making me feel by 
 his forgiving manner that he was the better Chris- 
 tian of the two. 
 
A VIS 17' TO WASHINGTON. 249 
 
 On the afternoon of my arrival in Washington, 
 
 I went up town to the Hospital, where I 
 
 learned that my general and captain were under 
 treatment. Roily followed with my satchel. 
 
 On going to the office to get permission for my 
 visit, I found Dr. Milner in chaige. The doctor 
 seemed very glad to see me, and sent at once for 
 Miss May to come to the office. While waiting I 
 wondered to myself how, as I had not mentioned 
 her name, he knew that I wanted to see her. 
 
 I must here confess that I found my heart flut- 
 tering and my throat growing very dry, at the an- 
 ticipation of seeing her. When she came, the sight 
 of her beautiful face did not remedy the matter, 
 and I was forgetful of everything but her presence. 
 My pleasure was, however, soon interrupted by 
 the appearance of a black-eyed, bearded young fel- 
 low, in the uniform of a medical cadet, who came 
 in, saying to Miss Milner, " I must see you just a 
 moment." 
 
 A flash of recognition passed between me and 
 the cadet; for it was none other than the aristo- 
 cratic George Raymond of Baltimore, whom I 
 supposed to be far away in the Confederacy. 
 
 It was like a wet blanket, — a kill-joy to me ; 
 and I angrily determined to see Miss May once 
 more, and then to leave Washington that very 
 night. She went out for a moment, but returned 
 again with a deep flush on her face, explaining 
 that one of her patients had required her attention. 
 
250 JACK ALDEI^. 
 
 " How came that Raymond fellow here? " I said, 
 with the lump in my throat settling down on my 
 heart. " I thought he was in the Confederate ser- 
 vice." 
 
 "Mr. Raymond? Oh, don't you know? Hasn't 
 papa told you that he was captured at the second 
 battle of Bull Run, and that he has taken the oath, 
 and is a good Union man now? It would make 
 your blood run cold to hear Mr. Raymond tell how 
 he suffered when he was in the Confederate ser- 
 vice. He told me with his own lips that he went 
 for a number of days without tonics or washing." 
 
 I must have turned green internally, and some 
 of the color must have shown in my face, for Miss 
 May began to inquire in regard to my welfare, 
 and of my promotion and expectations so pleas- 
 antly, and allowed me to hold her hand so will- 
 ingly, that I forgot my displeasure, my errands, 
 and everything else, in that ecstatic employment, 
 and should no doubt have been sitting there until 
 this time, had not the doctor come in and dis- 
 pelled my bliss by saying, " General Blusterson 
 and Captain Mason are ready to see you." 
 
 " The general ! " exclaimed May. " Do you 
 know him? He's so polite and complimentary, 
 and so cheerful. He is almost always whit- 
 tling." 
 
 My feelings were becoming a little tinged with 
 green once more, and I hastened to inquire about 
 Captain Mason. The doctor replied, "It makes 
 
A VISIT TO WASHINGTON 251 
 
 me believe in everything good to know such a 
 man. His piety seems to be the main element in 
 his character. It doesn't chill one, but warms 
 like the sun. In him religion seems exhilarating 
 and genial ; but I fear there is no hope for the 
 poor fellow, and he knows it too." 
 
 " Why, papa, I asked him how he slept last 
 night," said Miss May, " and he said, ' Like an 
 angel ; ' I thought he was getting better ! " 
 
 All this time we were passing through corri- 
 dors, the air of which was permeated with fumes 
 of chloroform and carbolic acid, while from the 
 rooms on either side came low, tremulous wails." 
 
 " Thei'e's the poor fellow they brought in last 
 night," said the doctor ; " but he's not conscious 
 of pain, — dying, though." 
 
 After passing down a long line of beds, from 
 Avhich eyes pleading for sympathy followed us, we 
 came to Captain Mason's room. He had changed 
 strangely. His temples were hollowed, and the 
 blue veins stood out on his almost transparent 
 forehead and hands ; but there was the same lofty, 
 commanding look on his brow, and as he grasped 
 my hand his smile was triumphantly spiritual. I 
 cannot express in words the purity of his face and 
 expression. As I sat holding his hand in mine his 
 mother came in ; and when he mentioned my name, 
 she at once recognized me, and spoke of my father 
 as a former friend of her husband. Like New 
 England matrons of her class, she showed out- 
 
252 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 wardly but little of her feelings. I knew, how- 
 ever, by an indefinable something that the thought 
 was constantly with her that she must soon lose 
 her noble boy. 
 
 In a corner of the hospital looking out on the 
 river was General Blusterson's room. As I en- 
 tered, the general was beetling his brows over a 
 complicated combination of brass and sheepskin, 
 resembling in form a human leg. He was so in- 
 tent on fitting the pieces together that he did not 
 look up until I called his name. Then he laid the 
 parts he was adjusting on the bed, and standing on 
 one leg greeted me with, " Alden, it does me more 
 good to see you than I can tell. I didn't know, 
 Alden, but you had forgotten your old uncle." 
 
 After mentioning the affairs of the company, I 
 spoke of Captain Mason. 
 
 " If that Lieutenan Sinclair was in Mason's 
 place I should feel reconciled, and able to consider 
 it a dispensation of Providence," said the general ; 
 " but now it seems hard. If I had a son like 
 him," he continued with a suspicious choking of 
 utterance, " I'd be proud of him. It's hard to lose 
 such a fine officer. How's my wound ? Why, it's 
 all right. I don't worry over it. What you've 
 lost, you've lost. I don't trouble my head about 
 it. I'll soon throw those crutches away, and be 
 walking around as good as any one." 
 
 Then the general took up his crutches, went to 
 the door, looked down the long corridor, listened, 
 
A VI SI 7' TO WASHINGTON. 253 
 
 and then, as if satisfied, came back, unrolled the 
 bandage on his leg, inserted the stump into the 
 aperture intended for it, then adjusted his patent 
 leg, let the trousers leg drop, and walked up and 
 down the room with but little limping. 
 
 While walking he gave a sharp cry, and I 
 quickly helped him to remove the artificial leg, 
 which had hurt him by bringing an unfinished 
 part in contact with his wound. We had no 
 sooner got the bandages adjusted than Miss May 
 and her father came down the corridor. 
 
 " Humph ! " ejaculated the doctor, looking at the 
 general's face, and then at the patent leg, which 
 was lying on the bed. " Been at it again ? You'll 
 be a victim of science one of these days, General." 
 
 " Let me see how much you've hurt it, you bad 
 man, you I " said May, unrolling the bandage, and 
 scolding in her half-earnest manner. 
 
 " Humph ! " exclaimed the doctor again, " irri- 
 tated ! inflamed ! " 
 
 " You see," said the general, taking up his arti- 
 ficial contrivance, " the stump of my leg don't 
 have play enough in that socket; needs more play. 
 I'll file it a little this afternoon, and then it will 
 be all right. I was showing Alden how it worked, 
 when that part there gave out, and the stump 
 struck the rough part, and stirred up the sore a 
 little, I guess. Didn't hurt much ! " 
 
 The doctor looked on with an amused smile, 
 while the general explained. 
 
254 . JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " Do I think a one-legged man will want to 
 wear such a contrivance ? Why, they'll run after 
 them," said the general with his humorous shake 
 of the head. " They can't be made fast enough 
 for 'em, gentlemen ! " 
 
 After May and her father had gone out, the 
 general said, " That little piece of dry-goods 
 keeps everything bright here. That Raymond 
 chap, he consumes more commissary wliiskey than 
 is good for him j nothing bad about the boy, other- 
 wise." 
 
 And Blusterson began with a file to work once 
 more on his substitute for a leg, saying, "I tell 
 you, my boy, there's a fortune in that thing ! 
 I've got my patent; strong specifications, covers 
 everything, and you'll see a rush for 'em when 
 they are put on the market." 
 
 That night, by the doctor's urgent request, I 
 stayed at the hospital, spending most of my time 
 with Captain Mason, telling him about the com- 
 pany, securing his recommendation, with General 
 Blusterson's, for Add's promotion, and also getting 
 tlie general to transfer to me the notes of hand 
 which were to be sent to my brother. 
 
 I went to my room about ten o'clock, but lay 
 awake long, unable to sleep for thinking of Cap- 
 tain Mason, May Milner, young Raymond, and 
 also because the air of a room, to one long accus- 
 tomed to a tent, seemed stuffy and close. 
 
 I had just got into a doze, when a rapping on 
 
A VISIT TO WASHINGTON. 255 
 
 my door awoke me. In a moment I was up and 
 dressed, with soldierly alacrity, and had opened 
 the door. 
 
 "What is it?" I inquired of Miss May, who 
 stood at the door with a lighted candle in her 
 hand. 
 
 " Captain Mason is worse ; he wants to see 
 you," she replied. "I fear he will not last long." 
 
 As I entered his room, I found his mother sit- 
 ting by the side of the narrow white cot, which 
 was surrounded with screens. 
 
 A triumphant smile wreathed his lips as he 
 took my hand ; and, trying to raise himself, he said 
 with a gasping effort, " Jack, old comrade, I've 
 got my marching orders at layt." Then after 
 breathing a moment in gasps he said, " Give all 
 the boys my love." He lay for a while with 
 closed eyes, but occasionally pressing my hand. 
 As the long hours dragged on, he would some- 
 times open his eyes to smile on his mother, and 
 once, with an effort, he said, " God knows best, 
 mother. I don't doubt him." Then his mind 
 began to wander; and just as the sun .lit up the 
 hospital wards with a golden ray, he started up, 
 and with clear, sharp tones of command exclaimed, 
 " Forward ! to the last charge, boys ! " then fell 
 back, and with one more smile of recognition, and 
 whispering, " Mother, Jack," he peacefully and 
 smilingly fell asleep in the arms of Him, his 
 Master. 
 
266 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Oh, how dark the world seemed to me at such 
 a loss ! It was sad to see such a sacrifice ; yet it 
 was a sacred, beautiful sight, — the death of a 
 Christian soldier, oue who loved his country and 
 his God. 
 
 Such a character, consecrated to our cause ; 
 such a life, rounded out and finished and given 
 to such a service! If it was painful to think of 
 our loss, it was joy to think of what was imperish- 
 ably preserved in heaven. 
 
 There were a few simple rites, and then his 
 sorrowing, saintly mother took his body to her 
 home, to be buried among his kindred. 
 
 Mason was a genuine son of New England. Of 
 strong common-sense, rapid of thought and ex- 
 pression, he had never failed to win the love and 
 admiration of all with whom he came in contact. 
 His religion sat gracefully upon him. It was 
 spontaneous — it was himself. Even Roily felt 
 the sweetness of his character, and I found him 
 weeping in a corner after the service was over. 
 
 I was absent from my company less than a week, 
 and then returned once more to my duties at Fal- 
 mouth, saddened at the loss of my friend, and feel- 
 ing not a little blue at leaving May Milner under 
 the influences of Raymond. 
 
A COURT-MARTIAL. 257 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 A COURT-MAETIAL. 
 
 On my return to Falmouth, I learned, to my 
 surprise, that during my absence Add had been 
 ordered under arrest by Lieutenant Sinclair. I 
 sent for the lieutenant, and asked for an explana- 
 tion. 
 
 " What," I inquired, " is the trouble with Ser- 
 geant Key, that you have placed him under arrest? " 
 
 " I am sorry," he replied, " to have felt obliged, 
 for the good of the service, to have ordered a 
 favorite of yours under arrest; but he was disre- 
 spectful, and when I reproved him, he struck me." 
 
 "I have known Key for years," I said, "and 
 have never known him to be wanting in respect to 
 any proper person, much less an officer." 
 
 " Do you intend," he angrily exclaimed, " to 
 doubt my word, and to insinuate that I am not 
 a proper person ? " 
 
 " No," I replied coolly ; " you made the applica- 
 tion of the term yourself. I am simply trying to 
 account for something that I don't understand. 
 Be careful, or this arrest will recoil on your own 
 head," 
 
258 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 During the day I received a message from Add, 
 stating that he desired to see me. Later I sent for 
 him to come to my quarters, and then learned his 
 version of the circumstances attending his arrest. 
 
 He had taken the morning report of the com- 
 pany to Lieutenant Sinclair at the usual hour, 
 about nine o'clock. The lieutenant cursed him, 
 and angrily accused him of intruding into his 
 quarters at an unusual hour. 
 
 " I saw," said Add,, " that he was getting up 
 ' wrong end to,' and was sjDoiling for a fuss, so 
 I got out, and stayed out until about half-past ten, 
 when I saw him moving around his quarters, and 
 again went there with the report book, asking if 
 he was ready to look over the report and sign it. 
 He began abusing me for not bringing the report 
 before. I mentioned that I had been there with 
 it at the usual hour, and had waited until I knew 
 he was dressed before coming again." 
 
 Lieutenant Sinclair signed the report; and as 
 Sergeant Key tucked it under his arm, and was still 
 facing the lieutenant, that officer said, " Be more 
 respectful when you come to these quarters again." 
 
 "I said," continued Add, "that I tried to be 
 respectful, when he turned on me, and furiously 
 exclaimed, ' Do you mean to insult me, you dog ? 
 Do you mean to tell me I lie?' and he aimed a 
 blow at my head that would have knocked me 
 down if I hadn't put up my left arm to ward 
 it off." 
 
A COURT-MARTIAL. 250 
 
 " Well," I inquired, " what next? " 
 
 " I felt that he meant to get me into a scrape, 
 and I backed out; but," continued Add, with his 
 fist clinched and his eyes flashing, " I would have 
 liked to have knocked him ' end over end.' After 
 I got to my quarters I was told to consider myself 
 under arrest." 
 
 Poor Add ! One thing was certain, and that was 
 that his arrest would spoil his chance for promo- 
 tion, even if his guilt Avas not proved ; and such, 
 moreover, was evidently the intention of Sinclaii-. 
 
 After Add had gone from my office I thought 
 over the matter, and the case seemed to me to 
 stand as follows. The charge against Add was 
 supported by the statement of Lieutenant Sinclair 
 alone, and the defence consisted simply of a 
 denial. Unless more positive evidence was ob- 
 tained. Sergeant Key's chance for an acquittal 
 from the charges preferred would, I felt, be very 
 poor before a general court-martial. 
 
 Here let me explain that for a private, or a 
 non-commissioned man, to strike a superior officer, 
 is one of the most serious offences known in 
 military crimes, and that the evidence of a com- 
 missioned officer is often final against his inferior. 
 
 It is a saying among old soldiers that " a court- 
 martial is convened to convict," and that a person 
 once accused is supposed by such a court to be 
 guilty until proved to be innocent ; thus reversing 
 the ordinary dictum of civil law. 
 
260 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Hence, althougli I was convinced that Sinclair's 
 charges were made with the cold-blooded intention 
 of ruining Add, and the non-commissioned officers 
 and rank and file were of this same opinion, yet, 
 strange to say, there seemed to be no way of 
 securing the acquittal of the accused. 
 
 I wrote to General Blusterson, asking him to 
 use his influence to have the charge dismissed. 
 I stated to officers of my acquaintances my views, 
 as given here. Most of them shook their heads, 
 said it was bad form for an officer to take sides 
 with a man in the ranks, and that I'd better not 
 interfere, though some advised me to prefer coun- 
 ter charges against Sinclair. 
 
 While this affair was pending, other scenes of 
 national significance, and which dwarfed individual 
 concerns, were taking place on the broad theatre 
 of war. 
 
 On the 17th of January it was apparent that an 
 important military movement was on foot. Sixty 
 rounds of cartridges and three days' rations were 
 issued to the regiment on the 18th, and orders 
 were received to be ready to move at a moment's 
 notice. 
 
 " This," I remarked to my senior officer, " looks 
 like a winter campaign. What does it mean?" 
 The old captain shook his head dubiously, saying, 
 " More foolishness, I suppose." 
 
 On the 19th the men, loaded with baggage, ra- 
 tions, and equipments (about sixty pounds to each 
 
A COURT-MARTIAL. 261 
 
 man, which in military terms was facetiously 
 called "light marching order"), started out on 
 their new adventures. 
 
 I heard one of our men growling about the 
 foolishness of making a movement at that time 
 of the year, and others saying that the best 
 sergeant in the company was now under arrest 
 when he was most needed, which showed me 
 that they had decided opinions about Sergeant 
 Key's affair. 
 
 The military situation, meanwhile, was dubious. 
 General. Burnside, who since the fatal battle at 
 Fredericksburg had lost the confidence of the 
 army, sought to re-establish himself in its good 
 opinion by making a movement on the enemy's 
 left flank, although the confidence of his army 
 was the first condition by which his success could 
 be assured. His plan was to cross tlie Rappahan- 
 nock at Bank's Ford, six miles above Falmouth, 
 and with the Grand Divisions of Franklin and 
 Hooker attack the enemy. 
 
 Our corps was meanwhile sent below Freder- 
 icksburg, where at the battle Franklin had crossed 
 the Rappahannock, to make a demonstration of 
 attacking there, and also for the purpose of guard- 
 ing the communications of the army. 
 
 The weather and roads up to this time had 
 remained good ; but during the night of the 20th 
 a wild, cold, driving storm of rain and sleet set in. 
 The roads soon became as impassable as though 
 
262 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 they were three feet deep with slightly warmed 
 tar, and all attempts at further movement were 
 useless. 
 
 Disgusted, dispirited, bedraggled, leaving be- 
 hind it a trail of graves and wrecked wagons, dead 
 mules and horses, the Army of the Potomac turned 
 tail, and with sarcastic laughter and jokes, floun- 
 dered back through the mud, like flies making a 
 tour through molasses, to its old camping-ground. 
 
 All through this campaign Sinclair shirked 
 duty, and at one time, while detailed as officer 
 of the guard, had gone to sleep in one of tlie bag- 
 gage wagons. As Roily was notoriously known to 
 be asleep when wanted, the men slyly termed Sin- 
 clair, RoUy-Pooly, Jr., which was another cause 
 of grievance to that officer. 
 
 On reaching the camp, the mud of the recent 
 campaign seemed to have settled on the spirits 
 of the army. The men criticised their superiors 
 freely, until it appeared that the rank and file con- 
 sidered themselves better soldiers than their com- 
 manders. Men in winter quarters were a sort of 
 a committee of the whole on the condition of the 
 army, and the conclusions reached were not flatter- 
 ing or favorable to the higher officers. 
 
 At last Add's trial by court-martial took place. 
 In a large tent around a pine table sat the officers 
 composing the general court. Several cases had 
 been tried, and the court was already wearied, 
 when the case of Sergeant Addison Key was 
 
A COURT-MARTIAL. 263 
 
 called. The charges and specifications were read 
 in a monotonous tone ; the Judge Advocate 
 yawned. Sergeant Key, neatly dressed, his boots 
 blacked, and his buttons shining, looking every 
 inch a soldier, stepped forward. 
 
 His intelligent, resolute face evidently made a 
 favorable impression on the court as he j^lea-ded, 
 "Not guilty." 
 
 Lieutenant Sinclair, as first witness for the 
 prosecution, was called. His handsome but dissi- 
 pated face, his restless eye, that did not meet those 
 of the Judge Advocate in the manly, straightfor- 
 ward way that was characteristic of Sergeant Key, 
 was I felt, a favorable contrast for the accused. 
 
 Lieutenant Sinclair told his story with but 
 little variation from the one he had told me. 
 
 " You say," interrogated the Judge Advocate, 
 "that Sergeant Key struck you with his right 
 hand. Do you wish to correct this evidence in 
 any way? " 
 
 Sinclair hesitated, glanced around at those com- 
 posing the court, and then, as if reassured, replied, 
 " No ; none whatever." 
 
 " Have you other witnesses ? " 
 
 " None," said Sinclair. 
 
 Sergeant Standish was called for the defence. 
 His testimony was, in substance, that he had heard 
 loud talk in the company quarters on the morning 
 of the 20th of December, at about nine o'clock, 
 and again at about ten in the morning. The first 
 
264 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 time he recognized tlie voice as that of Lieutenant 
 Sinclair, who accused some one of disturbing him. 
 The second time he had heard the same voice an- 
 grily cursing some one, and at the same time had 
 seen Sergeant Key backing out from the company 
 quarters with the company report book under his 
 riglit arm, and with his left hand held up in front 
 of his face as if to shield it from a blow. 
 
 " Did you see Sergeant Key make any motion 
 with his hand? " 
 
 " None, sir." 
 
 A look passed between the officers of the court. 
 
 Another witness. Private Quinn, was called, 
 who testified to much the same occurrences, and 
 added that there was a good deal of noise at com- 
 pany quarters during this special night ; and in 
 the morning he had at first taken but little notice, 
 as he thought the row was of the same kind as 
 those of the night before. 
 
 " What," inquired the Judge Advocate, " was 
 the nature of what you term ' the row ' ? " 
 
 Private Quinn hesitated. "Answer my ques- 
 tion," said the Judge Advocate sternly. 
 
 "Well, sir," replied Quinn, "I should say the 
 whole crowd was drunk." 
 
 The answer was so unexpected that a laugh 
 went round the table, and the witness was dis- 
 missed. Testimony was then introduced showing 
 the previous good conduct of the accused, and the 
 case closed. 
 
A COURT-MARTIAL. 265 
 
 The whole case, that so vitally interested poor 
 Add, did not cover two hours. The court ad- 
 journed for dinner, reserving their decision until 
 later. 
 
 The next day was one of great excitement, for 
 it was rumored that General Hooker, against 
 whom charges had been preferred in Washington 
 by General Burns ide, was about to be placed in 
 command of the Army of the Potomac ; and noth- 
 ing was talked of during the day but the rumor. 
 
 The next day I learned the findings in the case 
 of Sergeant Key, as follows : — 
 
 " Of the first charge and specification, viz., 
 striking his superior officer. Not guilty. 
 
 " Of the second charge, viz., disrespect of his 
 superior, Guilty." 
 
 The sentence of the court was the loss of one 
 month's pay, and that Sergeant Addison Key be 
 reduced to the ranks. 
 
 Although many, especially of the rank and file, 
 felt that in all justice Add should have been pro- 
 moted instead of being broken, yet on all sides 
 considerable wonder was expressed at the findings 
 of the court, and because of the light sentence. 
 
 Add was very much chagrined; but to my 
 mind he had every reason to congratulate himself, 
 for if Sinclair had lied a little more consistently, 
 he would have undoubtedly been sentenced to 
 hard labor at the Rip Raps for a terra of years. 
 
 Sergeant Key took up his duties as a private ; 
 
266 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 but from that day he seemed to have lost his joy- 
 ous, joking spirit, and was sobered and grave. 
 He, however, performed his duty strictly, but was 
 apparently broken, not only in rank, but in spirit. 
 I reproved him for his demeanor, when he replied, 
 " A man cannot afford any longer to retain a 
 spirit of manhood in the army." 
 
 It was not until April that the rumored promo- 
 tion of General Hooker became a fact. 
 
 The army, which since the Fredericksburg battle 
 seemed to have been under a cloud of distrust and 
 gloom, under " Fighting Joe " soon emerged into 
 the sunshine of confidence and hope again. The 
 change would have appeared astonishing, had not 
 the elastic vitality of the army been so often 
 proved. 
 
 Under his administrative reforms, desertions 
 ceased, and the absent ones, amounting in all to 
 about eighty thousand men, nearly all returned to 
 duty; but it remained to be seen whether Gen- 
 eral Hooker Avould come forth with new laurels 
 from an ordeal of command whence no man up 
 to this time had escaped unscathed. 
 
THE CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN. 267 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN, 
 
 New recruits and absentees filled up the com- 
 pany, and rounded out its proportions to seventy- 
 five members, all told. These men had to be 
 drilled and disciplined. An army is anything but 
 a place for ease and rest. Even its ordinary func- 
 tions of eating and sleeping keep it in perpetual 
 motion, and it requires an army of clerks and 
 workers of all kinds. Every officer and soldier 
 has to take his turn, about once a week, as eye or 
 guard for his regiment or camp. The long arms 
 of the army, its pickets and vedettes, are stretched 
 out in every direction like those of a devil-fish, 
 feeling for danger ; a great interrogation point of 
 inquiry regarding the enemy. All in turn must 
 take a share in this work. 
 
 Then the ordinary work of camp duties, al- 
 though not hard, is constant. In the morning 
 there is reveille, — the army awakes, dresses, and 
 answers roll-call ; then there is breakfast-call, sick- 
 call, drill, then the dinner-call, and then two hours 
 or more of drill again. And so on until taps, when 
 all lights are to be put out, and all sounds that 
 may disturb sleep must cease. 
 
268 JACK A Li) EN. 
 
 So an army is fed and clothed, and kept in 
 health and in condition for its work, through the 
 toil of many hands and the thinking of many 
 brains. 
 
 An army is incessantly active, even when not 
 campaigning. It is like a huge machine which 
 must be lubricated by work, and often by hard 
 work too, which is essential to toughen its 
 muscles, and to keep its limbs in order for the 
 quick and unusual work of a campaign. It loses 
 its strength and health just in proportion as these 
 conditions are neglected. 
 
 Under General Hooker a new inspiration of 
 hopefulness and interest was infused into the 
 work, and all seemed to participate in a moral ren- 
 ovation which gave to it a new life and vigor. 
 
 The army under Hooker, at the opening of the 
 Chancellorsville campaign, numbered one hundred 
 and twenty thousand men, who were magnificently 
 armed, equipped, and disciplined, and were in the 
 best of fighting condition. It was like an instru- 
 ment in perfect tune, but which gives forth har- 
 monies only in answer to a master hand. 
 
 It remained to be seen whether the master who 
 had attuned it to its highest perfection would be 
 competent to sweep its keys with triumphant 
 notes of victory, or would only produce the dis- 
 cords of defeat. 
 
 Early in April, General Blusterson had re- 
 ported for duty, had once more taken command 
 
THE CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN. 269 
 
 of his brigade, and had enthusiastically begun his 
 preparations for the spring campaign. The first 
 intimation I had of the general's return was the 
 cheering of our men as he rode down the company 
 street. I went out and greeted him. 
 
 " You look as good as new, General ! " I said. 
 
 " Oh, yes," he replied. " A little rusty for want 
 of use, that's all ; I came by steamer to Acquia 
 Creek, and rode over just to see how my leg 
 would work on horseback. It goes first-rate." 
 
 The men, with whom the general was very 
 popular, began to gather around him, when he 
 said, " I see many new faces here, and am glad 
 to see the regiment filled up again. Everything 
 looks hopeful and bright for us ! 'A long pull, a 
 strong pull, and a pull all together,' and we will 
 finish the war and go home." 
 
 The men cheered, the general saluted in ac- 
 knowledgment ; and after inviting me to come to 
 his quarters he rode away. 
 
 In the afternoon I visited his quarters, and 
 found him busy tinkering his patent leg, fixing 
 some soft leather where it had chafed his wound 
 in riding. 
 
 " There ! " said the general, adjusting his trou- 
 sers over the artificial leg, and puckering his 
 mouth into a smile, " when you can drive tacks 
 into yourself like that, you've reached perfec- 
 tion, and bullets won't hurt you either. Science, 
 my boy," said the general, walking around his 
 
270 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 quarters, with scarcely a perceptible limp, "has 
 reached that point where a man can lose a leg and 
 not make a fuss over it. I'm not sure but a good 
 artificial leg is an improvement over n natural 
 one ; a man's corns don't hurt him, sir." 
 
 It seemed to detract from the force of this state- 
 ment that he shortly afterwards complained of 
 cramps in the toes of his amputated foot. 
 
 The general complimented me on what he was 
 pleased to term my well-won promotion. 
 
 " If any of us live to get out of this shindy 
 alive," said he gravely, " it will sound well to be 
 called ' captain ' or ' general.' It is worth some- 
 thing to be at nineteen a captain in active service, 
 as you are. I'm growing old, however. Such 
 titles ought to be made hereditary." Then smil- 
 ing in his humorous manner, he said, " It wouldn't 
 do me any good, though. I've got no chick nor 
 child but my daughter Emily to leave it to. Don't 
 think she'd appreciate it." 
 
 " I've never heard you speak of your family be- 
 fore," I said, "and I didn't know that you had 
 any." 
 
 The general's face clouded as if with painful 
 thoughts ; but finally smiling, he said, " My daugh- 
 ter Emily is at a boarding-school. She is a dif- 
 ferent kind of a feller from her father." Then 
 after a gloomy silence he added, " I had a son ; he 
 was older than Emily — about your age. He's 
 dead, and I've always thought you looked like 
 
THE CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN. 271 
 
 him, Alden. I sent him to college. He was a 
 bright boy, but the accursed drink habit got hold 
 of him." And the general buried his face in his 
 hands as if at painful remembrances. 
 
 I understood now the interest he seemed to have 
 taken in me from our first acquaintance. 
 
 In the course of conversation the general said he 
 had called on General Hooker during the day, and 
 expressed great enthusiasm over the prospects of 
 the coming campaign. 
 
 "We've got a commander now," said the gen- 
 eral, "that's going to wake up them Johnnies!" 
 
 "What," I inquired, "is he waiting for?" 
 
 "Well, he wants settled weather, and just a 
 trifle more information about the enemy." 
 
 Before leaving the general, I spoke of Add 
 Key's degradation, and mentioned his many manly 
 characteristics. " It's a shame," I said, " to de- 
 grade one of the best non-commissioned officers 
 in the regiment ! " 
 
 The general looked up frowning, as if to re- 
 prove me, but only said after a moment, with an 
 abstracted look, " He's a man, you say, thoroughly 
 to be trusted, and brave ? Well, send him to me. 
 I'll see what I can do for him. Order him to re- 
 port at once." 
 
 Add reported at the general's quarters that fore- 
 noon. The next morning he did not answer at 
 roll-call, and I supposed he had reported for some 
 duty to General Blusterson. 
 
272 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 During the day I learned from the general that 
 he had offered Key a position as his orderly, but 
 that Key had respectfully declined the place. 
 
 " Out of regard for you, I did all I could for 
 him," said the general, and then hesitated, as if 
 inclined to say something more, which I inter- 
 preted to be some word of reproof that he with- 
 lield out of consideration for my feelings. 
 
 " Inspection to-morrow ! Have everything in 
 prime order, captain ! " said the general. " We 
 are likely to move now at any time." 
 
 Two days after it was reported around camp 
 that private Key had deserted to the enemy. I 
 learned later that he had been seen down by the 
 river in the evening; that he had shoved off from 
 shore, and had crossed the river in a small boat; 
 had been fired upon, but was seen to reach the 
 opposite shore safely. 
 
 This upset me, for I had believed Add to be 
 thoroughly patriotic and a man of high principle. 
 The most galling part was that Lieutenant Sin- 
 clair, with exultant looks, remarked, " Captain, 
 I'm sorry your friend has turned out so badly." 
 
 " Yes," I said angrily ; " one bad officer spoils a 
 great many good men." 
 
 I was sore at heart ; for, although by reason of 
 good luck I was Add's superior in rank, yet in 
 point of soldierly qualities, experience, and cour- 
 age, I recognized Add as really superior to many 
 higher in rank than myself. 
 
THE CHANCELLORSVILLE CAMPAIGN. 273 
 
 It is very sad to lose confidence in the manli- 
 ness of a friend; but I felt that Add, naturally 
 brave and patriotic, had, by injustice, been driven 
 to betray not only his country, but his own manly 
 instincts. 
 
 Association with Sinclair was very distasteful 
 to me ; and when the next day the general offered 
 me a position for a time on his staff, I accepted, 
 thankful to get away from my company. 
 
 Other scenes soon claimed not only my atten- 
 tion, but that of the army and of the country; for 
 the campaign of 1863 had opened. 
 
 On the 26th of April we broke camp, and on 
 the 27th our troops were moving in seeming con- 
 fusion on all the roads. 
 
 At noon I was finely mounted, and on duty 
 with General Blusterson. Our brigade was now 
 attached to the Second Army Corps under Gen- 
 eral Couch. The roads were good, and the men 
 were in fine spirits ; and, although marching rap- 
 idly. General Blusterson halted the men for fre- 
 quent rests. 
 
 "What," I inquired during one of these in- 
 tervals, " are we expected to do ? " 
 
 " We are expected to march," said the general, 
 "to turn the flank of the enemy. The two corps 
 under Sedgwick, left behind, will cross the river 
 as if to force Lee's position. This will deceive 
 the enemy as to the army's real intention. It is 
 well understood that Lee has an intrenched line 
 
274 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 from Skenker's Creek, below Fredericksburg, to 
 United States Ford, twenty miles above, on the 
 river. Hooker is too long-headed to blunder in 
 making a direct attack; he is going to turn Lee's 
 left flank." 
 
 Such, in reality, was General Hooker's plan. 
 He had set in motion tlie Fifth, Eleventh, and 
 Twelfth Corps on Monday, the 27th ; and these 
 during the night of the 28th, and the next morn- 
 ing, had reached and made the passage of the Rap- 
 pahannock at Kelley's Ford. These three corps, 
 divided in two columns, crossed the Rapidan at 
 Germania and Ely's Fords ; then rapidly marched 
 to Chancellorsville. 
 
 Our corps, meanwhile, reached the Rappahan- 
 nock at Kelley's Ford, where it was directed to 
 remain until the turning column mentioned, mov- 
 ing down the south banks of the Rappahannock, 
 uncovered the United States Ford. This was ac- 
 complished the moment the turning-forces had 
 crossed the Rapidan. The same afternoon we 
 threw a boat bridge across the Rappahannock, and 
 arrived at Chancellorsville on the 30th, at about 
 the same that time the other corps arrived. The 
 rank and file were in great glee ; for they under- 
 stood the importance of the march, and on all 
 sides were heard to say that " Pop Hooker " 
 used their legs instead of their arms to beat the 
 rebs. 
 
 §0 far the niovement was a rem^irkable success, 
 
THE CHANCELLORSVTLLE CAMPAIGN. 275 
 
 only rivalled in military annals by Prince Eugene's 
 famous passage of the Adige. 
 
 The strategy of the movement almost justified 
 Hooker's braggadocio proclamation issued at the 
 time, in which he announced that " the enemy 
 must either ingloriously fly, or come out from be- 
 hind his defences, and give us battle on our own 
 ground, where certain destruction awaits him." 
 
 General Blusterson, with his map before him, 
 read the proclamation with a shake of his head 
 and the humorous pucker of his lips with which 
 we are familiar, saying, " Hooker had better 
 wait until he gets out of the woods before he 
 crows." 
 
 At the same time he pointed out on the map 
 the fact that we had already laid hold of one of 
 the only two lines of retreat left open to Lee 
 (that of Gordonsville) ; and that we were threaten- 
 ing the remaining one (that by waj^ of Richmond), 
 which, if chosen for retreat, would bring the force 
 at Chancellorsville on his flank, and the two corps 
 under Sedgwick on his rear. 
 
 "Hooker," said the general, "has got to look 
 out, or Lee will squirm out of it, and get a twist 
 on him ! " 
 
 The sequel proved that Blusterson's fears were 
 well grounded ; for Lee, learning that Sedgwick's 
 threats to attack Fredericksburg were only a mask 
 to conceal the attack on his flank, gathered up his 
 forces, and, leaving behind him only a guard for 
 
276 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 his intrenchments at Fredericksburg, hurried for- 
 ward to give battle. 
 
 The clearing at Chancellorsville was only ten 
 miles west from Fredericksburg. It was a large 
 field, in the midst of which stood the Chancellor 
 House, from which the place takes its name. 
 
 This field is hemmed in on all sides by a wilder- 
 ness of thickets, in which manceuvring is impos- 
 sible ; but towards Fredericksburg there is open 
 country, affording a fine field for all arms. On 
 the morning of May 1st an onward movement was 
 made, to take up a line of battle two or three 
 miles towards Fredericksburg, preparatory to an 
 advance. 
 
 While in the midst of this preparatory move- 
 ment, and just as Banks's Ford, by a movement of 
 a column down the river road, had been practi- 
 cally uncovered (thus shortening our communica- 
 tion with Sedgwick by twelve miles), orders were 
 received to fall back to Chancellorsville clearing. 
 
 Here, shut up in the midst of brambles and 
 thickets, and refusing to avail himself of the ad- 
 vantage of an aggressive movement, Hooker, 
 notwithstanding the protests of his generals, de- 
 termined to fight a defensive battle. 
 
THE HAZARD OF BATTLE. 277 
 
 CHAPTER XXVr 
 
 THE HAZARD OF BATTLE. 
 
 In the advance towards Fredericksburg our 
 brigade had formed a part of the vanguard. This 
 portion of the line had broken shamefully when in 
 first contact with the enemy. When we arrived 
 at the Chancellorsville clearing, General Bluster- 
 son, for this and other reasons, was not in his 
 usual good-humor. 
 
 ''Captain," said the general, dismounting, and 
 limping to a log, where he sat down, "I don't 
 understand it! The men acted like sheep!" 
 
 I did not reply ; for I had learned that it was 
 my own company that had first broken, and I had 
 heard that it was owing to a blunder, or worse, — 
 the cowardice of Lieutenant Sinclair. 
 
 " Give my compliments to the colonel," said the 
 general, " and ask him to come here." Then in an 
 undertone, " I want to know what the matter is." 
 
 The colonel reported ; and in course of his ex- 
 planation it came out that the break in our lines 
 was not the fault of our men, but was caused 
 by an order to fall back given to my company by 
 Lieutenant Sinclair. 
 
278 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " How came he to give such an order ? " asked 
 General Blusterson, his square jaw closing with 
 a snap. " Have him sent to me." 
 
 "Sinclair was scared, I guess," said the colonel. 
 " The other officers say he gave the order, and 
 went back himself so fast that when I rode up 
 he was not with his company. Acting Lieutenant 
 Standish straightened up the line. He's one of 
 the chaps that ain't afraid of bullets. The com- 
 pany ain't to blame, General!" 
 
 " Humph ! " growled the general, with a pucker 
 of his lips, " I guess Sinclair had better resign. 
 Such men ain't of any use to us. But he's got 
 some influential backers. I'm glad. Colonel, to 
 know it ain't the fault of your regiment." 
 
 In closing the conversation, the colonel said, 
 nodding towards me, " It wouldn't have oc- 
 curred. General, if Ca^Dtain Alden had been in 
 command," and then rode away. 
 
 The brigade had stacked arms, kindled fires, 
 and soon the smell of fragrant coffee and tobacco 
 mingled with the odor of the pine woods. The 
 men lounged in line, laughing and talking, smok- 
 ing and eating, and an occasional discordant bray 
 of a picturesque pack-mule furnished a minor key 
 to the refrain of merry voices. 
 
 The general had had his coffee and supper, but 
 had not recovered his good nature. He had be- 
 gun gloomily to tinker at his artificial leg. The 
 air was quite cool as the sun declined. After 
 
THE HAZARD OF BATTLE. 279 
 
 feeding my horse, I had thrown myself on the 
 ground before the fire, and was enjoying the bus- 
 tling scene around me. " Can I help you. Gen- 
 eral ? " I asked. Then, as he only grunted in 
 reply, I added, lazily yawning, " It's a nice 
 evening ; a little cool after so hot a day, but we've 
 got a good fire, and plenty of wood to keep it up." 
 
 " Yes," said the general, with a queer pucker at 
 his lips ; " too much wood, Alden, too much ! " 
 
 "Too much in your artificial leg?" I asked, 
 " or too much on the fire ? " 
 
 " Too much all around," said he, making a mo- 
 tion with his hand which indicated the Chancel- 
 lorsville clearing. " This clearing isn't over three 
 hundred yards wide ; it's too cramped to use 
 our men in. It's no place for an army to be shut 
 up in ! We haven't got any cavalry to feel out 
 the enemy with. We don't know what they are 
 up to at this moment. They'll take advantage of 
 us ; they are just mean enough to steal acorns from 
 a blind pig ! " 
 
 " We are fortified. General," I said ; " they can't 
 gobble your brigade here ! " 
 
 The general shook his head, and with another 
 pucker of his lips said, in an undertone, "They 
 have got too much sense to attack us here ; that 
 yelling and firing is all a blind. I shouldn't wonder 
 if they were on our flank before morning." I knew 
 enough of m}^ general to be sure that if he thought 
 there was anything very serious in the situation, 
 
280 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 he would not be cross, but the reverse, very cheer- 
 ful, for he delighted in danger ; and I mistrusted 
 that there was not much prospect of a fight. It 
 turned out, however, that the Confederates were 
 at that moment moving to do just what the general 
 had intimated. 
 
 Our position in front was practically unassail- 
 able. Our right flank, however, on the turnpike 
 near Dowdall's tavern, was, in military parlance, 
 " in the air," and poorly protected. Only two 
 regiments were faced on its flank, and two green 
 companies thrown out for its outposts. 
 
 The able Confederate commander understood 
 the advantages and disadvantages of our position. 
 He knew that really he was in a perilous posi- 
 tion. Stuart, his vigilant and alert cavahy leader, 
 had brought word of the exposed position of our 
 right flank; and when Jackson proposed to make 
 a great march with twenty- three thousand men, 
 to strike and overwhelm this flank, Lee consented, 
 as it was about the only movement that gave 
 promise of success against our position. 
 
 The next morning at nine o'clock Hooker, as 
 if anticipating this movement, gave orders to 
 Howard, who was in command of our right wing, 
 to strengthen his flank, and to advance his pickets 
 for observation, as the enemy were seen moving 
 in his direction. 
 
 But in reality neither Hooker nor Howard 
 believed for a moment that the glimpses of Jack- 
 
THE HAZARD OF BATTLE. 281 
 
 son's movement that had been reported, were 
 anytliing but a prelude to a retreat of the Confed- 
 erate forces. 
 
 It was chilly and raw, and I did not sleep well ; 
 so about three o'clock in the morning I roused 
 myself, fed and saddled my horse, and otherwise 
 prepared myself in anticipation of an early move 
 of the enemy. 
 
 The camp was not astir. The monotonous song 
 of the whip-poor-will, the crackling of the replen- 
 ished camp-fires, the champing of our horses and 
 mules, and the tramp of our camp sentinels, were 
 the only sounds that could be heard in the depths 
 of this tangled forest. Around me lay thousands 
 of our men wrapped in their blankets, sleeping. 
 
 The red flush of dawn in the east soon heralded 
 the approach of another fine day. The brigade 
 was astir with active life once more, the men 
 preparing their breakfast and answering to roll- 
 call. 
 
 At seven o'clock the enemy began a cannonade 
 as if to attack. Occasionally during the forenoon 
 the yell of men and the explosion of musketry 
 and artillery kept up the expectation that a fight 
 might soon be upon us at this point. 
 
 The enemy continued to keep up their demon- 
 strations, as if feeling our position, for a general 
 rush en masse upon our barricaded lines at Chan- 
 cellorsville. 
 
 In the afternoon we were ordered to the risfht 
 
282 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 about half a mile, and here the brigade waited 
 in line. 
 
 It had been unusually quiet, when just before 
 sundown a faint but ominous sound was heard 
 on our extreme right. It was the long crackle 
 of musketry, yells, and every indication of a 
 conflict. Our right wing had been attacked. 
 
 Jackson had burst upon it with resistless im- 
 petuosity, taking its defences in reverse, and driv- 
 ing our men in upon one another, so that they 
 could not fight. The dispositions made to resist 
 such an attack were inadequate. The whole 
 Eleventh Corps was soon in utter rout and con- 
 fusion, running into and overturning the divisions 
 which were formed to resist the enemy. A whirl- 
 wind of men and artillery and wagons swept down 
 on all the roads towards Chancellorsville, in direst 
 confusion and disorder. 
 
 It was seven o'clock, and in the dusk of night- 
 fall, when we went forward to form a new line. 
 
 "Nothing but a little panic; we'll get 'em yet! " 
 said General Blusterson cheerfully. "They won't 
 have anything to brag of soon ! " 
 
 All the first part of the night there was fight- 
 ing by moonlight in the woods ; and it was not 
 until long past midnight that silence and rest 
 succeeded. 
 
 Sunday morning dawned. We still held the 
 point where the roads converged, near Chancellors- 
 ville, and had seventy-four thousand men posted 
 
" Two ragged prisoners under the persuasive influence 
 of my revolver." 
 
 -Page 283. 
 
THE HAZARD OF BATTLE. 283 
 
 between the severed wings of the Confederate 
 army. Here it seemed we might, with both these 
 roads for a pivot, have delivered some terrible 
 blows upon one or the other wing of our divided 
 foes. But Hooker had lost his head, and was a 
 mere nonentity in tlie fight thereafter. The se- 
 quel proved that Hooker, and not the Union 
 army, was defeated. 
 
 From the first blow that fell upon us his facul- 
 ties seemed paralyzed. 
 
 Our brigade was thrown forward to the right. 
 Here we captured some prisoners, and learned 
 that General Jackson of the Confederate army 
 was wounded in the attack on the night previous. 
 The enemy opened fire upon our position, enfilad- 
 ing our line with their artillery, while their in- 
 fantry attacked us in front. The firing was so 
 destructive that General Blusterson was ordered 
 to fall back nearer the Chancellorsville clearing, 
 which if the enemy reached in its then crowded 
 condition, meant disaster to our whole army. 
 
 I, with another aid, was ordered to commu- 
 nicate this command to the brigade. I went to 
 the left, and gave the orders to the colonels, and 
 helped execute them, and then began picking up 
 prisoners and sending them to the rear under the 
 escort of slightly wounded men. I was march- 
 ing two ragged prisoners under the persuasive in- 
 fluence of my revolver, to report with them to 
 General Blusterson, when I broke through a dense 
 
284 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 thicket, and came upon a line of ragged gray and 
 butternut tatterdemalions. 
 
 "I reckon," said one of my prisoners, "that 
 things is changed a little, Captain ! " 
 
 They were. An officer stepped out of the line. 
 I reversed my revolver, and presented the butt 
 instead of the muzzle to this officer, who politely 
 requested me to deliver my arms and equipments 
 to him. So at his earnest request I unstrapped 
 my sword-belt, and reluctantly turned it over. 
 
 As the line of ragged Confederates did not seem 
 to regard themselves as my prisoners, and as I 
 was not naturally contentious, I didn't insist upon 
 their surrender to me. It naturally followed that 
 in the irrepressible conflict of arms one or the other 
 had to jdeld, so, as I believed in the rule of majori- 
 ties, I became a prisoner of war. 
 
A SOUTHERN POINT OF VIEW. 285 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 A SOUTHERN POINT OF VIEW. 
 
 So quick had been my transition from the role 
 of picking up grayback prisoners, to being a picked- 
 up Yankee captive myself, that I could scarcely 
 realize that I was a prisoner of war. 
 
 I was conducted to the rear without ceremony, 
 under guard of a Confederate, who had but one 
 suspender for his dilapidated trousers, and no shirt 
 to hansf out at the hole which ventilated them at 
 the rear. 
 
 The Confederate privates, as well as many offi- 
 cers I met, were an ill-dressed, ragged set of vaga- 
 bonds ; but they had beaten us in a fair fight, with 
 inferior equipments and numbers, and I could 
 not withhold my admiration for their unflinching 
 bravery. 
 
 The comparative quiet of the fields and woods 
 around me, after the rage of battle from which I 
 had emerged, impressed me strangely. The calm 
 of which I speak was one of contrast, rather than 
 one of reality. 
 
 As we went on through the wood and field, 
 around us could be seen the dead and wounded 
 
286 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 of both armies. There was the appealing look or 
 gesture of our own wounded, or a muttered curse 
 from an injured foe, as I passed ; or mangled horses 
 gave almost human-like cries, and struggled in 
 their harnesses, to remind me that over this field 
 had swept "the battle breath of hell." 
 
 I was soon beyond these nearer evidences of 
 conflict ; yet still in the clearings, under the shade 
 of large trees, there were groups where the Con- 
 federate surgeons were engaged in their bloody 
 but merciful work. 
 
 We finally came to an open space, about two 
 miles in the rear of the battle-field, where were 
 about a thousand or more unfortunate captive 
 Federals. 
 
 "A pretty good crap o' Yanks," said my guard. 
 I gave him, for he had in the main been respectful, 
 a small piece of silver, at which his ragged com- 
 rades gathered around him, and it was passed 
 from hand to hand as a curiosity. I noticed that 
 their horses were half-starved, and in some cases 
 were tied to their wagons with strips of raw hide 
 or rope ; that their supply and ammunition trains 
 looked as if they had been crippled by an attack 
 of old age, or a cyclone of poverty. 
 
 I confess to humiliation that under all these 
 adverse circumstances they had fairly beaten us. 
 I was satisfied that, man for man, our soldiers 
 were superior to those of the enemy. In what, 
 then, consisted the superiority of their army? 
 
A SOUTHERN POINT OF VIEW. 287 
 
 They believed in their cause ; they had the 
 morale of victory on their side, and a distinctive 
 class for officers, who had learned the lessons of 
 government of masses of men on plantations, a 
 government which was similar to that of mill tar}' 
 control. 
 
 Our men were all of the same station, — citi- 
 zens of an average class. 
 
 Before I turned my toes towards Richmond, I 
 was permitted to write letters to my friends. I 
 had written to them while on our march to Chan- 
 cellorsville, that I expected to be at Richmond in 
 the following month; and here I was, en route, 
 sure enough. 
 
 I wrote to General Blusterson a short note, ex- 
 plaining my capture, and saying I should probably 
 be detained on business of such a nature that it 
 would make it impossible for me to serve on his 
 staff during the remainder of the campaign. 
 
 Among the prisoners of war I found one or two 
 acquaintances, and among them was Sergeant 
 Osgood of my own company. He shook hands 
 with me with a grim smile, and then gesturing 
 towards one of the guards, dressed much better 
 than his comrades, said, " See any one you know 
 out there. Captain ? " 
 
 I looked in the direction in which he pointed, 
 and saw a Confederate sergeant major taking the 
 names of the prisoners. I was about to turn away 
 when I recognized him. It was Add ! 
 
288 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 I was never so heartsick in my life, and, turning 
 my back on him, walked to another part of the 
 gathering. I was angered as well as sorrowful. 
 He had been grievously sinned against ; but this 
 did not justify him in being a traitor to his coun- 
 try, and in fighting against his own comrades. 
 
 As I reflected, it seemed so inconsistent with 
 Add's character, that I could not bring myself 
 to believe, even though my own senses bore tes- 
 timony to the fact, that he had willingly taken 
 arms against the old flag. 
 
 I turned and walked towards a group where Add 
 stood joking and laughing with his new comrades, 
 in apparent unconcern. I approached the group, 
 and heard him telling an incident of the battle, 
 which he was setting forth with grotesque humor, 
 to the great amusement of his listeners. Once his 
 eyes met mine, and I was sure he recognized me. 
 Was it possible he was so lost to shame that he 
 could still look me in the face? 
 
 The list was soon made, and we were marched 
 ten miles to Spottsylvania Court-House. I had no 
 rations ; the day was hot, and I sorely missed my 
 horse for an underpinning. I was accustomed to 
 marching, however, and had but little to encumber 
 me, not even a blanket. 
 
 At Spottsylvania we were subject to the annoy- 
 ance of a search. One of the men who aided in 
 this search was Add. I stood, almost unable to 
 control my anger against him, as he approached. 
 

 We were marched through the streets to Libby." 
 — Page 289. 
 
A SOUTHERN POINT OF VIEW. 289 
 
 and in a loud tone said, " Turn your pockets 
 wrong side out!" Then with his head close to 
 mine, said in so low a tone that I could scarcely 
 hear, "Don't trust appearances ! Don't doubt me. 
 Jack! If you have money they'd take it from 
 you in Richmond. Turn it over to me, and I will 
 see that you get it there." 
 
 He thrust his hand into my breast pocket, as if 
 to search it, and I heard the rustle of a paper. 
 
 My heart was lighter from that moment. When 
 embarked on the cars at Guiney's Station, I felt 
 in my pocket, and found on a piece of crumpled 
 paper these words, " I am here under conditions 
 that you yourself would approve if you knew 
 them ; I will see you again in Richmond if possi- 
 ble. There is no chance of escape to our lines now, 
 and I have " — Here the communication stopped 
 abruptly, as if he had been interrupted in writing. 
 
 It was cloudy all that afternoon, and at dark it 
 began to rain. 
 
 I was soaking wet, when at twelve o'clock at 
 night we were embarked on the box cars, on which 
 we remained until morning, when, at about nine 
 o'clock, the train started. 
 
 We arrived in Richmond, and were marched 
 through the streets to Libby, where we were 
 halted while another search of our persons was 
 made. Paper, pencils, pens, and even a small 
 book of photographs of friends, were taken from 
 me. A young, profane, strutting, important Con- 
 
290 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 federate in white trousers, named Ross, informed me 
 that the articles were " contraband of war," an ex- 
 pression which he constantly mingled with his pro- 
 fanity, as if both were needful to his importance. 
 
 After this search we were escorted up three 
 flights of stairs into a room about one hundred by 
 fifty feet in size, filled witli Union officers lying 
 upon rude bunks, and in their blankets upon the 
 floor. 
 
 We were greeted with the exclamation, " More 
 Yanks!" "Fresh fish!." '' More Yanks !" and 
 then they crowded around us to inquire the news 
 from the army. 
 
 I soon found friends, and with four other offi- 
 cers formed a mess, which was henceforth known 
 as Mess 18. 
 
 The room was clean, and quite airy. We got 
 half a loaf of good wheaten bread, and about a 
 quarter of a pound of bacon, for a day's rations; 
 and such of us as had money were permitted to 
 buy sugar, eggs, and other food, through a Con- 
 federate sergeant who came in each day. Sugar 
 was a dollar and fifty cents a pound, and potatoes 
 a dollar and fifty cents a dozen. 
 
 I took turns with others of my mess in cook- 
 ing at an old rusty stove on the lower floor, and 
 sorely missed the services of Roily -Pooly; for with 
 all his shortcomings he could cook. Thus it was 
 that I settled down to the common lot of a 
 prisoner of war to the Southern Confederacy. 
 
A SOUTHERN POINT OF VIEW. 291 
 
 I had been in prison three weeks, and had seen 
 and lieard nothing from Add, when one day an old 
 darky prisoner, whom we called the General, and 
 whose common talk was of a muddled, growling, 
 Copperhead kind, came in and placed an envelope 
 in my hand, containing my money, and turned 
 away without an explanation. 
 
 Among the bills was a note, saying, " This is the 
 first time I've had a chance to communicate. This 
 old darky can be trusted. There is going to be 
 an exchange of officers soon ; be ready for it." 
 There was no name signed ; but I knew the hand- 
 writing to be that of Add. 
 
 About the 15th of May the exchange or parole 
 began. We were awakened at eleven o'clock at 
 night, and told that we were to be paroled and 
 marched to City Point at three o'clock A. m. 
 When about a hundred or more had crowded 
 out, the prison door was slammed in our faces 
 with the explanation, " No more to go to-day," 
 uttered by our jailers. The next day, when the 
 work of paroling was resumed, there was a good 
 deal of crowding, which, unfortunately for me, I 
 did not feel to be needful, and the door was again 
 slammed, and the explanation, " No more to be 
 paroled," greeted my surprised ears. 
 
 Had I known the sequel I should have been 
 more discouraged than I then was, and even more 
 dissatisfied with myself for not crowding and el- 
 bowing forward to get out. 
 
292 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE DEAD ALIVE. 
 
 One of the never-exhausted topics of discussion 
 and conversation in prison during July, was that 
 of exchange or parole of prisoners of war. 
 
 Some of the new prisoners had informed us that 
 the exchange was soon to be resumed ; others de- 
 nied it. 
 
 One morning it was my turn to scrub the floor ; 
 and, as I didn't like the employment, I was in- 
 clined to consider it a hardship and an imposition. 
 I was giving vent to my feelings, when an Illinois 
 captain who was assisting me said, " You wouldn't 
 fret if you knew how well off you were here. It 
 is a privilege to be allowed to keej) clean." 
 
 " Yes," I said ; " but we only make a sorry at- 
 tempt at it." 
 
 " You ought to be down in one of the cages a 
 little while," replied the captain, "and then you 
 would appreciate this room and its conveniences." 
 
 "What are the cages?" I inquired curiousl}^ 
 "It is the first time I've heard about them. Is 
 there any one there now ? " 
 
 " An underground sort of a dungeon below us, 
 
THE DEAD ALIVE. 293 
 
 — there's half a dozen of them, — where they put 
 men once in a while. I was there three Aveeks 
 once ; if I'd been there three weeks longer, I be- 
 lieve I should have gone insane. One fellow lost 
 his mind ; he's there yet." 
 
 " How came you to get there ? " I inquired, 
 pausing, and looking up astonished. 
 
 " It's too long a story to tell. I tried to escape ; 
 got out ; they caught me, and put me there for 
 safe keeping. At first I thought it a great joke ; 
 but it wasn't : it wore on me. There were several 
 men there when I came away. Who were the}^ ? 
 Why, Union spies ; men under sentence of death. 
 I don't want to get there again, you may bet. 
 This ain't a parlor, but it's above ground." 
 
 It was Captain Jones's manner, more than his 
 words, that impressed me. His tones were low 
 and hoarse, as if the very remembrance of the 
 cage, as he called it, excited in him terrible re- 
 membrances, and made him cautious not to be 
 overheard. 
 
 I had a presentiment that my inquiries about 
 the cage would be more fully answered before I 
 got out of Libby. 
 
 I belonged to the same mess with Captain Jones ; 
 and I think it was about the 6th of July when 
 he came to me, exclaiming, " Have you heard the 
 news ? " 
 
 -What is it?" 
 
 " I guess we are going to be exchanged ; all 
 
294 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 the captains are ordered down-stairs, and I don't 
 know what it can mean but that. Hurrah, old 
 boy ! " and he threw up his hat. 
 
 "Well," I replied, "I'll be glad to get out of 
 here." 
 
 In a few moments I, with some others, was 
 ushered into Captain Turner's office, which was 
 on the lower floor of Libby, and drawn up in a 
 line. 
 
 After some delay we were informed why we 
 were called to the office. Two Confederate offi- 
 cers, we were told, had been tried and shot in 
 Kentucky by General Burnside, for recruiting in- 
 side his lines ; and we were to select two of our 
 number for execution by drawing lots. 
 
 There was probably not a man among us but 
 had faced death more than once in battle, but our 
 faces were pallid and drawn with the strain put 
 upon us by this unusual form of hazard. 
 
 Finally the unlucky designation fell upon a 
 captain of the First New Jersey Cavalry and one 
 of the Fifty-first Indiana, and they were marched 
 away. I found myself drawing a long breath of 
 relief, and, looking around on the faces of my fel- 
 low prisoners, realized the horrible nerve strain 
 placed upon us. 
 
 As these men do not concern my story further, I 
 will simply say that after being conducted to Gen- 
 eral Winder's office, and taunted hy him, they had 
 been turned into Libby again to await their fate. 
 
THE DEAD ALIVE. 295 
 
 Our government, on learning of this affair, se- 
 lected a son of General Winder, and one of Gen- 
 eral Lee, to be shot the moment that it should 
 be learned that these officers were executed. That 
 settled the question ; and the two officers, instead 
 of being shot, were released long before the other 
 prisoners of Libby were. 
 
 It was the 7th of July, or thereabouts, before 
 we learned of the battle of Gettysburg. A Con- 
 federate sergeant, who sometimes bought pro- 
 visions for the officers, said while in our room, 
 " I reckon your Yankee army got a right smart 
 lickin' in Pennsylvania t'other day. Our folks 
 hev got forty thousand prisoners marchin' yer." 
 
 Shortly after this, the next day I think it was, 
 he told us that Grant had given up the siege of 
 Vicksburg. 
 
 This report, as may be supposed, was discussed 
 by my comrades ; and how blue we were over it no 
 one who has not been a prisoner of war can under- 
 stand. A few days after this the atmosphere of 
 gloom produced by this news suddenly changed. 
 Cheering, dancing, and shouting were heard ; and 
 then I learned that the (to us) joyful intelligence 
 had come that Lee had been beaten at Gettysburg, 
 and that Vicksburg had been captured, and over 
 thirty thousand men had surrendered there. 
 
 This news was confirmed by the old darky, 
 who said in low tones, "• We's got 'em shur, sar. 
 The Yanks has done gone an' licked dem Rebs, 
 
296 , JACK ALDEN. 
 
 sar," and he gave me a dirty copy of the Rich- 
 mond Inquirer containing the news. 
 
 I was taking my turn at cooking at the stove 
 for our mess one forenoon shortly after this, when 
 there was quite a stir in our room over the ad- 
 vent of some prisoners who had just come in. I 
 was curious as to what the commotion meant, 
 when Captain Jones came up, saying excitedly^ 
 " Have you seen those men ? " 
 
 '' No," I replied ; " what men are they ? " 
 
 " Why, three men just out of the cages below ! 
 Here comes one of them I saw there. He's the 
 one that's off his nut. He's worse than when I 
 met him down there. He's a queer old fish ! " 
 
 The person in question had approached near 
 Avhere I was cooking. He was dressed in the 
 shreds of an officer's uniform. In his unkempt 
 hair and beard was a green mould, the result 
 of tlie dampness of his underground dungeon. 
 His face was pallid, like that of one long ex- 
 cluded from the light of day. 
 
 " How are you, old fellow ? " I said sympatheti- 
 cally. "Have a piece of toasted bread?" 
 
 He made no reply, but with one hand clutched 
 the bread, and with the other made a pitiful 
 motion to shield his eyes, as if from light. Then, 
 slowly dropping his hand, with his half-closed 
 eyes fixed on me, he came nearer. 
 
 " They must have used you pretty roughly 
 down there where you've been," I said, as I 
 
" How are yoii, old fellow ? Have a piece of toasted bread ? 
 — Pa£;e 21>l). 
 
THE DEAD ALIVE. 297 
 
 grasped and shook his hand. Once more he 
 peered at me, with his hand to his eyes, and then 
 for the first time, in high-pitched tones, tremulous 
 with suffering and weakness, he said in long- 
 drawn-out words, " I can't seem to kinder re- 
 member." In a moment I recognized him. 
 
 I dropped the pan I was holding over the fire, 
 and had him in my arms. It was my brave, dear 
 old friend Grim ! But, oh, how changed ! " Don't 
 you know me ? " I exclaimed, with tears in my 
 eyes, and sobbing as I spoke ; " don't you know 
 Jack Alden?" 
 
 As if some benumbing influence rested on his 
 faculties, he still peered in my face, and said 
 slowly, in his far-away, high-pitched tones, " Yes, 
 Jack ; I remember Jack," and then put his hand 
 to his head, as if it pained him, and said slowly, 
 " Yes, Jack ; the blacksmith shop. Jack — Jack " 
 — and began a pitiful sobbing. 
 
 " This is Major Grim," I said to a friend who 
 had come up, "a dear old friend of mine." 
 
 Again there was the same movement of his 
 hand towards his head, as if it pained him to 
 think, and again the slow, pitiful voice, " Yes, I'm 
 Major Grim ; " and then, as if overcome by some 
 great strain of his faculties, with both hands to 
 his head, he gave a sharp, whimpering cry, and 
 staggered. 
 
 I got him to my bunk, and said, " Don't talk 
 now." 
 
298 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 I soon got his face and hands washed, his 
 beard and whiskers trimmed, and brought him 
 some nourishing food. 
 
 That night he slept well, and continued to sleep 
 as late as nine o'clock in the morning. When 
 he awoke, he remembered me perfectly ; and I 
 thought his memory and mind were restored, 
 thougfli weak and shaken. 
 
 That afternoon I began to speak to him of his 
 wife. He shook his head, seeming to have for- 
 gotten her. 
 
 I spoke of this to my friend Jones ; and he, in 
 reply, called out to an officer of his acquaintance, 
 " See here ! This is Captain Alden, — Colonel 
 Brown of the st Penn. ; " then in explana- 
 tion said, " Colonel Brown was a surgeon before 
 he got so interested in fighting that he stopped 
 carving legs and arms, and went to making busi- 
 ness for them that did." I shook hands with 
 Brown, and told him about Grim's being in 
 the underground cell, and of his curious loss of 
 memory. 
 
 "■ Let me see him," said the colonel ; " I can tell 
 better then." The ex-surgeon looked him over, 
 without asking him any questions, but observing 
 what he said ; then took me aside, and said, " He 
 has probably got a hurt on his head. If he had 
 fallen and struck on his head, I should say, frac- 
 ture of the skull." 
 
 I then remembered that in the letter Major 
 
THE DEAD ALIVE. 299 
 
 Grim had caused to be written after being taken 
 prisoner, he mentioned being stunned by the ex- 
 plosion of a shell just before being taken prisoner 
 of war. 
 
 " That's it probably. He may never get over 
 it, and he may suddenly recover. Let him alone ; 
 don't worry him." 
 
 Things continued in much the same way for 
 two months, and yet there was no exchange of 
 prisoners. I had, meanwhile, bought clean under- 
 clothes for Major Grim, who could by this time 
 talk quite clearly about many things connected 
 with what naturally interested us in prison ; and 
 yet there were a number of subjects connected 
 with his past life which he could not remember; 
 and, according to my instructions from Colonel 
 Brown, I did not press such subjects. 
 
 In September some articles, including a small 
 photograph-album, which it will be remembered 
 had been taken from me when I went into Libby, 
 after repeated requests were restored to me. One 
 of the photographs was of Grim and his wife, 
 taken when he was at the hospital in Washing- 
 ton. The major had taken this album to look at. 
 As he turned over the leaves, I watched him as 
 he came to this picture. He didn't remember. 
 Finally he startled me with his peculiar, shrill cry, 
 which T have described as like sobbing. He had 
 dropped the album, and with both hands to his 
 head swayed back and forth, and then sobbed out. 
 
300 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " Mary ! Mary ! Mary ! " Another blank space in 
 his mind had been filled. 
 
 All this I tell as it occurred. I don't pretend 
 to explain these facts ; I only try to detail them 
 minutely, because they were matters of astonish- 
 ment to me at the time, and are still, although I 
 have since heard them explained from scientific 
 data by Dr. Milner and other eminent surgeons. 
 
 I do not pretend to follow their course of rea- 
 soning, and am inclined to believe that all theories 
 regarding such mental disturbances are guess-work. 
 I simply tell the facts ; and as curious and wonder- 
 ful as they appear, they are but transcripts of what 
 I observed. 
 
 The major's general health continued to improve 
 steadily from the time I first met him in prison ; 
 but yet his mind was far from being restored to 
 a healthy condition. He was, as Captain Jones 
 said, very queer. There were still many things 
 in his past life which, to my astonishment, he did 
 not remember. 
 
 I wrote to his wife, and sent the letter to the 
 prison commandant, with money to have it for- 
 warded through the lines, telling her of her hus- 
 band's welfare. The letter, however, as we 
 afterwards learned, like many others sent from 
 prison, for some reason I cannot explain, never 
 reached its destination. 
 
"/ CAN'T GET out:' 301 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 "I can't get out." 
 
 It was October, 1863. I had been a prisoner 
 over five months, and yet there seemed no pros- 
 pect of the resumption of exchange, or parole 
 of prisoners, by the Confederate and Federal 
 authorities. 
 
 I envied even Major Grim's benumbed condi- 
 tion of mind, which made him fret at imprison- 
 ment less than myself. I now understood for the 
 first time the . pathos of the cry which Sterne 
 attributed to the caged starling, " I can't get 
 out." It is but a natural expression of the im- 
 potent impatience of a prisoner. It was not so 
 much hunger or cold that made our life hard to 
 bear; it was the lethargy to which both mind 
 and body were condemned. As the caged bird 
 beats with its wino-s the bars of its cag-e in 
 useless endeavor to get out, so the prisoner at 
 Libby spent his time and thought in many un- 
 availing plans and attempts at escape. 
 
 Major Grim had made perceptible improvement. 
 His general health was better ; and he no longer 
 exhibited that wildness of manner reo-ardinsf most 
 
302 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 objects suddenly presented to his mind. At times, 
 however, when I spoke on what I supposed would 
 be a subject of common interest, he regarded 
 me with a surprised, listless look, as though he 
 thought me demented. About all matters of our 
 prison life he was exceedingly acute. One of the 
 curious things about his mental condition Avas that 
 he did not recall the incidents of his capture in 
 battle. There were, as he had said, blank spots 
 in his mind. 
 
 In October I saw the surgeon of the prison, who 
 had his quarters on the lower floor, and attempted 
 to interest him in the case. He responded at once, 
 and said, " Where is he ? He ought to be in the 
 hospital." 
 
 When I went back to Grim and told him what 
 the surgeon had said, "I won't go ! " he exclaimed. 
 "Don't send me away; they will put me down 
 there with the rats ! ' ' And he became so excited 
 that I thought best not to press the subject. 
 
 A few days after this, meeting the surgeon in 
 one of the lower rooms, he asked me about Major 
 Grim. I explained to him how excited he was 
 when it was proposed that he should go to the 
 hospital. 
 
 The next day I got an order to accompany a 
 Confederate sergeant and Major Grim to the sur- 
 geon's office, which was on the lower floor, at the 
 east part of Libby. 
 
 Upon seeing him. Turner, the commandant, who 
 
"/ CAN'T GET out:' 303 
 
 was at the surgeon's office, said, " This is the man 
 who was arrested and confined as a spy." 
 
 I then learned for the first time the cause of 
 Major Grim's incarceration in one of the dun- 
 geons of the prison. 
 
 The major had been found under suspicious 
 circumstances in the streets of Richmond, wear- 
 incr a loner linen duster over his uniform. And, 
 on being arrested and questioned, his answers had 
 been unsatisfactory ; and as it had been ascertained 
 that information regarding the plans of the forti- 
 fications of Richmond had been conveyed to the 
 Yankees, the Confederates naturally concluded 
 that he was a spy. But they had been unable, 
 after investigation, to connect him with any such 
 work, and had, therefore, after a long time released 
 him. 
 
 "We have been told, however," said Turner, 
 " that other information of a very dangerous char- 
 acter has, within a few months, been regularly 
 conveyed to the Yankee army."' 
 
 I thought at once of Add, and the mystery that 
 surrounded him. 
 
 I explained to the surgeon, in the presence of 
 the commandant, the peculiar condition of Major 
 Grim's mind when I first met him in Libby ; 
 and I must confess the surgeon treated us very 
 kindly. 
 
 He questioned Grim ; and at the conclusion of 
 the examination said, " It is a very obscure case." 
 
304 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 And then suspiciously exclaimed, " I have read in 
 the books of similar cases ; but how do I know but 
 what this is a Yankee trick of his, in order to 
 facilitate his escape ? " 
 
 " If it was," I replied rather stiffly, " would he 
 not prefer to be placed in the hospital, where his 
 chances of getting away are better than in the 
 prison quarters?" 
 
 The surgeon shook his head doubtfully, when I 
 added, " There is an officer in your army who 
 knows us both, and who will vouch for our hon- 
 orable conduct." And then, somewhat hotly, I 
 continued, " We treated him somewhat differently 
 when he was a prisoner than you are treating us. 
 Inquire of Captain James Milner if you doubt it." 
 
 " Captain Milner ! " exclaimed the surgeon ; " I 
 am well acquainted with him. He's in the city 
 now ; he's a very distinguished officer, sir, and 
 has just been married to a young lady of our 
 city — one of the first families. We'll take his 
 indorsement for anything." 
 
 When we left the commandant, he very kindly 
 said, "I will ascertain if Captain Milner is still 
 in the city ; and, if so, I will communicate with 
 him." 
 
 I was somewhat excited, as the reader may 
 infer, at thoughts of meeting this young Con- 
 federate captain, of whom I had formed a very 
 high opinion. 
 
 I did not have long to wait; for the next day 
 
"/ CAN'T GET OUT.'' 305 
 
 I was called to the commandant's office, and there 
 found Captain Milner awaiting me. 
 
 He greeted me almost affectionately, and I had 
 a long conversation with him. He very kindly 
 and generously acknowledged to the commandant 
 his indebtedness to me, and said, " If you are 
 willing to take Captain Alden's parole of honor, 
 I should like to take him out and introduce him 
 to my friends." 
 
 " Impossible ! " exclaimed Turner ; " it's against 
 General Winder's express orders. I have rather 
 overstepped the rule in this case, anyway. I'm 
 blamed by the Yankee prisoners for being harsh, 
 and General Winder blames me often for treating 
 them too well. He holds me to a very strict 
 account. Captain." 
 
 I was more and more impressed with Captain 
 Milner's manly and chivalrous character, and am 
 sure it was not his fault that he did not afterward 
 succeed in his endeavor to get both myself and 
 Major Grim out of prison on a special exchange. 
 
 I mentioned Raymond to him, and spoke of his 
 leaving the Confederate service, and of his taking 
 a position as a cadet in the United States medical 
 service. 
 
 "Such men," he said, with his face darkening 
 into a frown, " are a disgrace to any service ; he's 
 a traitor to our side, and will turn traitor agfain if 
 it suits his convenience. He always was a little 
 sweet on sister May, though. I hope she don't 
 
306 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 encourage him." I hoped so too, but said noth- 
 ing. 
 
 "By the way," said Captain Milner, "one of 
 your men deserted to us at Fredericksbuig, who 
 said he knew you." 
 
 " Wasn't his name Key ? " I said, thinking of 
 Add. " One of my men, by that name, who had 
 been court-martialed and 'broke,' deserted while 
 we were there." 
 
 I told him about the circumstances, but of course 
 did not tell him what I was more than half con- 
 vinced of, that Key was a Union spy. 
 
 I did not see Milner again ; but several days 
 after his wife sent me a basket containing fruit, 
 food, and clothing, and a note expressing her grati- 
 tude to me for kindness rendered to the captain 
 while he was wounded and a prisoner of war; that 
 she hoped some day when "this cruel war was 
 over " to testify in person her gratitude to one 
 who, though an enemy, had saved the life of Cap- 
 tain Milner. There was much more in the same 
 vein, such as might naturally come from a highly 
 cultivated and newly married young woman. 
 
 Major Grim was attended occasionally by the 
 surgeon, but there was no marked improvement in 
 his case. 
 
 November was rather an exciting month in 
 Libby. Scurvy had broken out among us, and 
 one man had died from it. One of our officers 
 had obtained a citizen's suit in some incomprehen- 
 
"/ CAN'T GET out:' 307 
 
 sible manner, and had coolly walked by the guard, 
 and into the streets, without hindrance. 
 
 Another prisoner showed me a Confederate suit 
 in which he proposed to dress himself, and tlien 
 escort me, as if under guard, outside the prison. 
 " You've got the money," he explained, '•' and I've 
 got this suit, and with both together we can get 
 into our lines." In a day or two, however, a Con- 
 federate guard came in and searched our part of 
 the prison, and seized the suit. 
 
 I had a suspicion at the time that the man was 
 a Confederate spy in disguise, and that this seizure 
 was intended to give us confidence in him. It 
 was about this time, I think, for I haven't a record 
 of dates, that a Confederate sergeant came through 
 our rooms, as often happened, saying, " If there 
 is any one here who has any greenbacks, I'm pav- 
 ing five dollars for one in Confederate money ! " 
 When he came near me, he stopped, lifted his hat, 
 which had been pulled down over his eyes; and 
 I could not wholly restrain an exclamation, for it 
 was Add. He gave a warning shake of his head, 
 slipped some crumpled paper into my hand, and 
 then began fumbling some Confederate money in 
 his fingers, as if he had made an exchange with 
 me. He then passed down the room, uttering the 
 same cry, "If any one here has greenbacks, I'm 
 paying five dollars for one, gentlemen ! " I got 
 near the window, and examined the note. It began 
 abruptly, — 
 
308 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 " Since I was here last I've seen General Blust. 
 Exchange is no go. Your folks are well ; they 
 are very anxious, though. I could help you es- 
 cape, but it would endanger more important ser- 
 vice I'm concerned in. Keep this number, 32 
 
 Street. If you can get outside, go there ; 
 
 give them this password, ' Lincoln's friends.' " 
 The note was written in a hurried manner. I 
 could not make out whether the last figure was 
 a seven or nine ; and as I had no immediate hopes 
 of getting away, it did not interest me then as 
 much as it did afterwards. 
 
 During November and December there were 
 whispers and covert allusions to' tunnelling out 
 of Libby ; but I could not discern that they were 
 anything but rumors, and that loose kind of talk 
 that is common among men similarly circumstanced 
 with ourselves. 
 
 One day, soon after this. Captain Jones came 
 to me, and said in a whisper, while brushing some 
 dirt from his uniform, " Keep mum if I'm away 
 nights ; don't say anything. Grim is in it too ! " 
 
 "In what?" 
 
 " Tunnelling," he replied. " Mum's the word." 
 
 As the major had not said anything to me, and 
 as I had never heard him even discuss plans for 
 escape, I concluded Jones had either been dream- 
 ing, or was simply pretending to know something 
 of which he had possibly heard rumors. 
 
THE AIR OF LIBERTY. 309 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE AIR OF LIBERTY. 
 
 During the larger part of the winter of 1863 
 there were twelve hundred prisoners in Libby, 
 mostly crowded into the six rooms of its two 
 upjDer floors. These rooms communicated with 
 one another, and, by means of a stairway below 
 them, with the room used as a kitchen. 
 
 At the west end of Libby, next to the kitchen, 
 was the commandant's office ; and at the east end 
 the hospital, both of which were separated from 
 the kitchen by heavy blank walls without doors 
 or other means of communication except from the 
 outside. 
 
 Under the whole length of Libby was a cellar 
 separated into compartments by blank walls which 
 corresponded with those we have mentioned. This, 
 with the isolated position of the building, made 
 it easy to guard. At first glance it would seem 
 impossible for its prisoners to "■ make a break," or 
 find any means of escape. 
 
 During the Avinter months I had been one of 
 seventy men who had participated in an attempt 
 at escape by means of the central cellar, which 
 
310 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 had been reached by taking up two floor boards 
 in the kitchen. From this cellar, on the basement 
 side, was an open doorway leading to the street. 
 This was unguarded except by two sentinels on 
 the sidewalk. 
 
 At the north end of this section of the cellar 
 were the padlocked dungeons, which I have be- 
 fore mentioned as the place where Major Grim 
 had for a time been confined. At this time, 
 however, they had no occupant. 
 
 The plan for escape had been abandoned, be- 
 cause it was believed that some one of our 
 number was a rebel spy in disguise, who had 
 communicated the secret to the prison officers. 
 Whether this was true or not, we had one night 
 almost been caught while in the cellar, by the en- 
 trance of the Confederate guard into the kitchen 
 above. We had got out without being detected ; 
 but it was, as Captain Jones called it, "a very 
 close call." 
 
 It was decided by our leader that the attempt 
 had better be abandoned, as it was impossible to 
 overpower the guard without creating an alarm, 
 which would lead to detection and punishment, 
 and thus spoil any future plans of escape. 
 
 A few days passed without anything more being 
 said, when one morning Jones informed me that 
 he and others had been trying to tunnel out of 
 the east cellar into a sewer ; but after breaking 
 their knives, and wearing themselves out, they 
 
THE AIR OF LIBERTY. 311 
 
 had encountered such formidable obstacles that it 
 had compelled the abandonment of the plan. 
 
 " I guess," he added, " that it is the last tunnel 
 that will be attempted for some time. I'm all 
 worn out, and I guess the rest of the men are in 
 the same fix. So you didn't lose anything by 
 being out of it." 
 
 After this, both Jones and my old friend talked 
 their tunnelling exploits over with me, but refused 
 to divulge how they had reached the east cellar, 
 saying they had promised not to tell ; and as I 
 supposed they reached it in some way from the 
 middle cellar in the old manner, I did not exhibit 
 a great deal of curiosity. My imagination, how- 
 ever, was excited by these events, and I often said 
 if there were again any plans formed to escape, I 
 Jor one was anxious to take my chance in it. 
 
 Grim said, "• I shouldn't have gone out without 
 you, but you couldn't have stood it, digging in 
 that tunnel ; I almost gave out myself." 
 
 After this, talk of escape for a time ceased. I, 
 like many others, resigned myself to the fate of 
 awaiting the tardy exchange of prisoners. My 
 health, which up to this time had been very good, 
 began to yield under the strain of imprisonment. 
 
 It was more than a month after, if I remember 
 rightly, tliat I awoke one night and turned to 
 speak to Captain Jones. All the lights were out ; 
 but he was absent from his accustomed sleeping- 
 place. 
 
312 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 At first I thouglit he was absent in some other 
 room, visiting friends ; but when for several nights 
 in succession the same thing occurred, I began to 
 wonder where he spent his nights. 
 
 This wonder was not decreased when one night 
 not long after I heard Major Grim get up and 
 softly creep away. The next night the same 
 thing occurred again; and I got up and followed 
 him down the stairway to the kitchen. To my 
 astonishment, here he disappeared ; for, though 
 I called to him, and groped all around, he was 
 not there. 
 
 I went back to my sleeping-place, wondering 
 what new scheme was on foot, no less than at 
 his mysterious disappearance from the kitchen. 
 When at dawn I awoke, I found both Grim and 
 Jones in their accustomed places, sleeping heavily. 
 Major Grim looked haggard and tired, while on 
 Captain Jones's clothing there was evidence that 
 he had been in some underground place. 
 
 Here let me say, that though Major' Grim had 
 what we called " blank spots " in his memory, 
 he was sharp and keen regarding what was going 
 on in the prison. The surgeon told me that un- 
 der sudden excitement he might regain his lost 
 power, or by the same means be thrown into a 
 worse condition. 
 
 Captain Jones yawned when I shook him, and 
 said, " What's the matter, my boy ? Can't you 
 let a fellow sleep a little longer ? " 
 
THE AIR OF LIBERTY. 313 
 
 " I suppose I ought to," I replied ; " you get 
 so little sleep nights now." 
 
 Sitting upright, he exclaimed in evident sur- 
 prise, "What's that you say?" 
 
 " You seem," I replied, " to be away from your 
 bed and board all night ; and too much dissipation 
 and excitement are apt to wear one out, you know. 
 There's Grim! Look at him; he looks like death." 
 
 "Well, I'll tell you," said the captain, coolly 
 yawning. " My bed itself is a board ; and the 
 attractions and amusements of this place are so 
 numerous that, like Artemus Ward and his twins, 
 I have to get up nights to laugh. I don't want 
 to disturb you, bunkie ; so I seek out secluded 
 spots in which to do my laughing." 
 
 " Underground, I suppose," I said ; " but it 
 seems to me you might find secluded spots that 
 don't leave such a smell on you." 
 
 "Sh-h-h-h!" ejaculated Jones between his teeth. 
 " Don't speak so loud." Then, significantly nod- 
 ding towards our slumbering comrade, said, " The 
 old boy is pretty well played out with digging ; 
 but you can't keep him out of it." 
 
 " What is it ? " I exclaimed. " Why don't you 
 trust me ? " 
 
 " Well," said Jones, " we are sworn into it 
 ourselves; we've asked leave to take you into 
 the secret. I'll see the leader to-night, and tell 
 him what you know. You wouldn't have me 
 violate my word, would you ? " 
 
314 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Finally all plans of escape ceased to be talked 
 of, and February, 1864, came. The weather was 
 cold, and our food was insufficient for proper 
 nourishment. I had received food and notes from « 
 young Milner's wife twice since the times men- 
 tioned, and was deemed very fortunate in hav- 
 ing friends in Richmond with whom I could 
 communicate. 
 
 I mention this fact ; for little things, in them- 
 selves insignificant, count for so much among pris- 
 oners of war. 
 
 In conversation with the Confederate surgeon, 
 I learned that an exchange of prisoners between 
 the Confederate and Union authorities was prac- 
 tically impossible since the appointment of General 
 Butler as Commissioner of Exchange. 
 
 The surgeon was polite, and very much inter- 
 ested in what he called Grim's extraordinary lapse 
 of memory. The days dragged their slow length ' 
 away, when, on the night of the 9th of Febru- 
 ary, I was awakened by Major Grim, just as I had 
 fallen asleep. 
 
 " Get up," he said in a hoarse and excited whis- 
 per, " and scramble your traps together to go out." 
 
 I sat up and rubbed my eyes, and perceived, as 
 if in a dream, that both Grim and Jones were 
 equipping themselves for a journey. 
 
 " What is the matter ? Have you gone wild ? ' ' 
 I said in a low and astonished voice. 
 
 " Sh-h-h-h ! " said Captain Jones hoarsely. "This 
 
THE AIR OF LIBERTY. 315 
 
 is a chance in a thousand ; get your things together 
 and follow us. We've no right to tell you any- 
 thing, but 'twill pay to follow us." 
 
 I was now all excitement ; and soon, equipped 
 ■with my blanket and haversack, softly stepping 
 over the slumbering forms of fellow prisoners, fol- 
 lowed them down-stairs and into the kitchen. 
 Here, near the Carey-street door, I found fifty 
 men or more silently but excitedly struggling for 
 precedence. 
 
 I "wonderingiy held on to Jones, waiting my 
 turn, and was pressed by the door to the fire- 
 place, which I was very near before I saw what 
 was happening. Men were disappearing down a 
 wide hole in the rear of the fireplace, where brick 
 -had been removed. Without question I followed 
 Jones down this hole, which led to the east cellar ; 
 and here, after some delay, reached the mouth of 
 a tunnel which had been dug under the street, 
 and, almost before I could realize it, was crawling 
 through a dark, damp hole underground. 
 
 When I stood in the free air, sheltered by a shed, 
 which I had often noticed from the prison window, 
 on the opposite side of the street, I was almost 
 bewildered. We saw the sentinels pacing their 
 posts ; and in the interval while we stood wait- 
 ing, their cry, " Ten o'clock, and all's well," rang 
 out like a voice of prophetic assurance. 
 
 " We'd better get outside of city limits," whis- 
 pered the captain, " as soon as possible." 
 
316 JACK ALBEN. 
 
 " No," said Grim in a low voice, but in a tone 
 of command, more like his old self than I had 
 heard since meeting him in Libby ; " we'll stay 
 in the city till the pursuit and cry is over. 
 Come on." 
 
 And then in his old manner of commanding, that 
 reassured me, without hesitation he went with 
 firm tread down the street leading in a northerly 
 direction out of Richmond, as if the air of liberty 
 had reawakened and invigorated his faculties. In 
 the partial darkness we passed people on the 
 street ; and then, through alleyways and back 
 streets, went toward the northern suburbs of Rich- 
 mond. For some time we went on in this man- 
 ner, when at a narrow alley Grim began counting 
 the doors ; and then, turning back, began to count 
 once more. 
 
 " This is the place," he finally said confidently, 
 stopping at a low door in the narrow alley ; " but 
 I'll make sure of it." And, turning, he retraced 
 his steps, and came back, counting the doorways 
 once again. 
 
 " Yes ; I kinder thought I was right." 
 
 He was about to knock at the low door, when 
 Jones caught his hand, and said doubtingly, " Ma- 
 jor, you know you ain't just right in your head 
 always." 
 
 " Step to the corner," said the major in a 
 tone of assertion, "and watch and listen if you 
 doubt." 
 
THE AIR OF LIBERTY. 317 
 
 He knocked at the doorway in a peculiar man- 
 ner. We heard the doorway unbolted. 
 
 " Who come dar ? " 
 
 "Lincoln's friends," said Major Grim. 
 
 " Always true," said the other voice in reply, as 
 if by agreement. 
 
 The old colored man beckoned to us ; and I then 
 remembered that " Lincoln's friends " was the pass- 
 word Add had given me, and I had no doubt it was 
 the same place he had mentioned in liis note. We 
 were soon escorted to a small room, apparently 
 the servants' quarters of a large residence. 
 
 " Clar ter goodness ! Whar dus you uns come 
 from ? " he exclaimed. 
 
 " You remember me, don't you ? " said Grim. 
 -" I came here with Sergeant Key. Have you seen 
 him lately ? " 
 
 " Yes; I 'member," said the black man. " You 
 war not right here," touching his head. "Massa 
 Key, why he was here a right smart time ago ter 
 send Steve thro' to de Lincoln folks." 
 
 "The streets are full of Yanks," said Grim. 
 " Guess you had better hide us for a while. The 
 rebs will be kinder wild when they find out 
 about it." 
 
 " You bet," agreed Jones ; " they'll be wild to- 
 morrow." 
 
 Seeing me give Captain Jones a warning look, 
 Grim said, "Don't doubt this black man. He's 
 all white inside, if his skin is black." 
 
318 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 In fifteen minutes the colored man returned, 
 bringing a basket ; and with the basket in one 
 hand and a candle in the other, conducted us 
 through a passageway, and, after cautioning us 
 to remove our shoes, conducted us up a pair of 
 back stairs of the main building into a low attic 
 room. In this room there was a large bed, several 
 packing-boxes, trunks, and a clutter of other such 
 material as is found in the store-room of a large 
 house. 
 
 After cautioning us once more, the colored man 
 set the basket inside the doorway, and then say- 
 ing, " Will see you right smart soon, sar," bowed, 
 and I heard him lock the door. 
 
 I lay down on the bed, and fell into a heavy 
 slumber ; and when I awoke, though it was 
 broad day, both Grim and Jones were still slum- 
 bering. 
 
 The attic room was lighted by a half window, 
 to which I went, and looked out upon a broad 
 street, wliere there were residences devoted evi- 
 dently to the better class of the people of Rich- 
 mond. When Grim had awakened, I commented 
 on this fact to him. 
 
 "Yes," he replied; "we entered this house by 
 the servants' quarters from the rear." 
 
 The street seemed deserted during the morning 
 hours, and but few people passed. After Captain 
 Jones awoke, Major Grim set out some food from 
 the basket, such as bacon, sweet potatoes, corn- 
 
THE AIR OF LIBERTY. 319 
 
 bread, and a bottle of cold tea. We all ate a 
 very hearty meal. 
 
 " The air of liberty," said Jones, smacking his 
 lips over the last crumb, "gives one an appetite 
 like a wolf's. I could eat the basket ! " 
 
320 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 UNDER god's flag. 
 
 We remained in the room described for four 
 days, during which time we were visited several 
 times by Sam Brent and his wife, who brought us 
 food, and news from the outside world. In this 
 way we learned that when it had been discovered 
 that one hundred and forty prisoners had mys- 
 teriously disappeared from Libby, the greatest 
 excitement prevailed in Richmond. 
 
 General Winder was furious, and had caused 
 the entire guard detail of the prison to be ar- 
 rested and searched for greenbacks, believing that 
 they had been bribed. After two days of conjec- 
 ture and mystery the tunnel was accidentally dis- 
 covered. Scouts had meanwhile been sent out in 
 every direction to capture the escaping prisoners. 
 
 Sam thought it was best for us to lie still in 
 our present place of concealment until the active 
 chase was over, and then our escape could be 
 made with comparative ease. This plan was not 
 destined to be carried out. 
 
 On the evening of the fourth day of our con- 
 cealment, Sam Brent, with a candle in one hand 
 
UNDER GOD'S FLAG. 321 
 
 and a basket in the other, entered the room, care- 
 fully closed the door, and said, " Time y's gwine 
 away fro' heah. Massa Robert wor heah ter-day, 
 and says, ' Sam, der ye know whar dem Yanks 
 is?'" 
 
 "Guess he was joking," said Grim, "wasn't 
 he?" 
 
 "Massa Robert mighty fon' of me. We's 
 raised togedder," said Brent, "but Massa Robert 
 neber joke." 
 
 It was about ten o'clock at night when we 
 went down the narrow stairway, and halted in the 
 kitchen to fill our canteens. Sam suddenly ex- 
 -claimed in a hoarse whisper, " Get inter dat closet 
 dar, quick! Dar's some one comin'!" and with 
 this, Sam blew out the candle and went to the 
 door. 
 
 "Sam! Sam!" said a feminine voice, "are 
 you there ? " 
 
 "Yes, missus," answered Brent; "jus' blowed 
 out de candle ter leab! " Then the door opened, 
 and a young and beautiful lady, with a lighted 
 candle in her hand, stepped through the doorway. 
 
 We had been unable to fully close the closet 
 door on account of our number, and therefore 
 were in much fear that we should be discovered. 
 
 " I have rung for you twice within a half -hour, 
 Sam," said the young lady imperiously; " where 's 
 Milly?" 
 
 "Beg pardon; didn't hear yer," said Sam 
 
322 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 humbly; " 'spect I's gettin' deaf. Milly's gone 
 ter bed, missus! " 
 
 "Master James will be here to-morrow, and 
 you must be particular about the dinner. " Then 
 she gave Sam directions about a dinner that made 
 my mouth water, all the time looking toward 
 us, but standing with the light shining in her 
 face. 
 
 She was certainly very beautiful, but of a dif- 
 ferent type from our New England girls; and I 
 could not but admire her graceful habit of com- 
 mand, her self-possession, and that certain some- 
 thing which gave to her an air of refined dignity 
 and distinction, which blended very sweetly with 
 her every attitude, even when speaking to her 
 servant. 
 
 Had not the light been shining in her face, and 
 throwing the place where we stood in shadow, we 
 must have been discovered. 
 
 She was gone when Sam came back into the 
 kitchen, sp.ying, "You gemmen were powerful 
 near ter trouble. Dat yer lady's sister been mar- 
 ried lately, and dey's powerful towsey, dey is, 
 when Massa James comes home fro' his regiment." 
 And Sam shook his head gravely when he said, 
 "Better be gwine by dat do' while I locks up 
 de house." We stepped outside, and Sam soon 
 joined us. 
 
 As Sam had by the questions of his master 
 been hurried into preparations for our departure 
 
UNDER GOD'S FLAG. 323 
 
 sooner than was contemplated, our supply of 
 rations was not large. 
 
 We hurriedly passed through the streets of 
 Richmond, and then, keeping clear of the roads, 
 went eastward across the fields and through the 
 wooded country and its by-paths for an hour or 
 so, when Sam intimated that he must be going 
 back. He gave us before leaving, however, very 
 clear directions as to the course we had better 
 take. 
 
 On parting we tried to give him what money 
 we had, but he would accept of no reward. 
 , We shook hands with him, gave him our ilames, 
 and asked him, if he ever got his freedom, to 
 come and see us. 
 
 We were now in the vicinity of Fair Oaks, not 
 far from the Richmond and York Railroad, and 
 Grim was familiar with the country between us 
 and the Chickahominy. Sam had told us that the 
 roads were being watched at all the crossings. 
 
 After he left us we travelled in a north-east- 
 erly direction, and just before daybreak stopped 
 in a piece of swampy wood on the south side, and 
 about a half a mile from the Chickahominy. 
 
 This was, as Grim said, not far from where the 
 bridge had been built in 1862, during the Penin- 
 sular Campaign. 
 
 "I know the ground here," said Grim; "T was 
 all over it in the Peninsular Campaign, and we 
 have got some advantages in that." 
 
324 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 During the day we lay concealed in the thickets, 
 where we could see those who might approach, 
 but could not be seen. Once during the day I 
 saw two Confederate soldiers going towards the 
 Chickahominy; and again a colored boy, appar- 
 ently a servant, passed near to our place of con- 
 cealment. When night came we moved towards 
 the river, thinking it best to cross at the first 
 opportunity. 
 
 "The engineers had a pontoon bridge here in 
 1862," said Grim, "and just below we helped to 
 build a log bridge through the swamp." We 
 went 'down the river bank, under the shadow of 
 the bluff, until we came to a corduroy way, which. 
 Grim said, was the approach to the Woodbury 
 bridge. 
 
 "S-h-h! what's that ? " whispered Jones. 
 
 It was a sound like the measured tread of a 
 sentinel walking his post. We threw ourselves 
 upon the causeway; and, after a whispered con- 
 sultation, it was determined that Grim should 
 reconnoitre the position. 
 
 It was some fifteen minutes before he came 
 back, and, giving a signal for silence, beckoned 
 us to follow him into the thickets which were on 
 all sides of the corduroy approach leading to the 
 bridge. 
 
 We halted in a place where we were out of the 
 wet of the swamp; and not until then did Grim 
 inform us that we had been near running into the 
 
UNDER GOD'S FLAG. 325 
 
 guards of the Confederates. "The rebs," said 
 Grim, "are guarding the bridge. It's a sort of 
 home guard from Richmond," he said, " and we 
 must have come kind o' close to their encamp- 
 ment. I heard one of the sentinels asking an- 
 other if it wasn't time they were relieved, and 
 the other said he had heard the relief coming at 
 the other end of the road. They must have mis- 
 taken the noise we made for the relief. These 
 logs are too good a conductor of sound, I guess." 
 
 After some debate we concluded to move down 
 stream to a narrow place, and then swim the 
 river. But this brought out the unpleasant fact 
 that Jones could not swim a stroke. In the 
 course of an hour we came to a portion of the 
 stream which was narrow; and it was opposite 
 here, Major Grim declared, that Sumner's corps 
 had been encamped in 1862, just before the battle 
 of Fair Oaks. 
 
 After some debate, it was agreed that either 
 Major Grim or I should strip, and, with his 
 clothes on his head, cross the river. As Major 
 Grim knew best the surroundings on the other 
 side, we thought it best for him to do this. He 
 waded in to see if it could be forded, and then 
 with a few strokes reached the northern side. 
 
 After full half an hour he came back, pushing 
 before him three pieces of board and a cracker- 
 box ; but he was very cold and shivering. The 
 boards, he said, had probably been used by our 
 
326 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 men for flooring to a tent, and by their aid Jones 
 could swim the river. 
 
 After Grim had got warmed up by exercise, we 
 stowed our clothes in the cracker-box, constructed 
 a kind of raft, and then, by wading and swim- 
 ming, safely reached the other side of the narrow 
 river. We were soon dressed and on our way 
 eastward, travelling single file on what the Major 
 declared was the Williamsburg road. 
 
 It was not far from twelve o'clock at night 
 when we crossed the river. We met with no 
 accident or hindrance worthy of mention thence- 
 forth, except being frightened by the barking of 
 dogs at a house near which we had passed about 
 daylight. 
 
 Grim thought we were now near New Kent 
 Court-House, and about twenty miles from Wil- 
 liamsburg, near where we had been informed there 
 were stationed United States troops. 
 
 "We are through the worst of it now, but 
 we've got to keep our eyes peeled," said Grim, 
 who seemed to have recovered all his old-time 
 vim and courage. "If we are seen by a single 
 white person, especially a woman, we'll be gob- 
 bled. The women are the worst rebs there are in 
 this country, by a long chalk." 
 
 "You can reason with a man," agreed Jones; 
 "but a rebel woman is the very devil! there ain't 
 no reason in 'em. 
 
 "I was out on picket here once," said he. 
 
UNDER GOD'S FLAG. 327 
 
 "and a nice-looking young lady, all smiles, in- 
 vited me to dinner. Well, I hadn't eaten four 
 mouthfuls before I smelt a rat, and found that 
 some rebs were close onto me. I barely got out 
 of the door with my six-shooter in my hand, be- 
 fore they were at the house, and then for a min- 
 ute or two you could have played dominoes on 
 my coat-tail. 
 
 " Afterwards, when we had advanced our pick- 
 ets beyond her house, that young woman jeered 
 at me, and said, 'Ye wus right smart in gettin' 
 _^out, I reckon, Yank, that day. What made ye 
 suspect me ? ' 
 
 " ' I saw the devil in your eye, and I knew you 
 had signalled,' I replied; 'and before I had got 
 out of the door I saw the Johnny Rebs skulking 
 towards the house.' "I tell you," said Jones em- 
 phatically, "the best men they've got here are 
 the women; they are clear grit." 
 
 During that day we had taken refuge in a piece 
 of wood, and we did not sleep much, as it was 
 rather cold. We had eaten all our provisions, and 
 started out at night hungry, but not dispirited; 
 for we thought that in twenty-four hours we 
 might be able to obtain food in some way. And 
 so it proved ; for during the night \- e came to a 
 corn-crib, from which we obtained several ears of 
 corn apiece. 
 
 Soon after this we halted near the crossing of 
 two roads, one of which Jones declared led to 
 
328 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Charles City, and the other to Williamsburg. 
 We were suspicious that there might be pickets 
 here, and Grim said he thought that we would 
 probably find them on all the cross-roads here- 
 abouts until Williamsburg was reached. 
 
 It was therefore agreed that we had better 
 keep away from roads, and, travelling north-east, 
 e]ideavor to reach the York River, where it might 
 be possible to obtain a boat. In any case, as 
 Major Grim represented, there could be found 
 along the shore of the river at low tide oysters 
 and hard clams for sustenance. If we could ob- 
 tain food, time was of less consequence than 
 safety. We therefore adopted his suggestion, and 
 travelled all that night across the fields and 
 through the woods. 
 
 We finally halted for rest in a dense growth 
 of scrubby trees. Here we kindled a fire, and 
 parched corn and ate it; for we were ravenously 
 hungry. We had but a small quantity of water 
 left, for we had not been able to refill the two 
 canteens. 
 
 We took the precaution of concealing the place 
 where we halted by cutting limbs of trees, and' 
 sticking them into the ground around us; and it 
 was well we did so, for wliile I was on guard and 
 my comrades were sleeping, I saw three Confed- 
 erate soldiers, with muskets at "right shoulder 
 shift," coming through the wood. 
 
 " I seen them Yanks in yer' not over two hours 
 
UNDER GOD'S FLAG. 329 
 
 ago," I heard one of them say. I was so much 
 excited that I almost held my breath. They 
 passed near where I was ; then I awoke Grim and 
 Jones, and told them what I heard. 
 
 " There must have been another party of Yanks 
 in the wood here, then ; for we have been here 
 since morning," said Grim, looking at the sun, 
 "and it is now nearly four o'clock. We'd better 
 lie still, however, as the chances are they won't 
 come back this way." 
 
 But there was no more sleeping; and we were 
 "very anxious until darkness came on, as a safe 
 shroud for our concealment when we attempted 
 to travel farther. Even then we advanced with 
 unusual caution, moving silently, in single file, 
 through the fields and woods. 
 
 It was quite light when, in the early hours of 
 the morning, we reached a creek running nearly 
 north and south, and were moving down its 
 easterly bank, when we came to a whitewashed 
 log structure, at the sight of which Grim gave an 
 exclamation of glad surprise. 
 
 "I know this place like a book! " he exclaimed. 
 " We used to get oysters and fish of an old black 
 fellow here in '62. I wonder if he's about here 
 now." We reconnoitred the hut carefully; but 
 there were no signs of life, not even the dog 
 which is usually found at such huts. 
 
 Major Grim knocked at the door, but there 
 was no answer. We pushed aside the cotton 
 
330 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 cloth stretched over a hole for a window, and 
 looked in, but saw nothing but darkness. We 
 were just turning away from the place, by a 
 narrow path, when we almost ran over a black 
 man coming towards the hut with a basket on 
 his shoulder. 
 
 "Who am dat?" the man inquired, halting. 
 "What are yer doin' yer' ? " 
 
 "We are Yankee soldiers," I replied; "we want 
 something to eat." 
 
 The old black man stood peering into our 
 faces, when Grim said, " Uncle, don't you remem- 
 ber me ? I used to buy oysters and fish of you, 
 and I wouldn't let the boys steal your chickens. 
 Don't you remember Captain Grim ? " The old 
 negro advanced doubtingly, peering into Grim's 
 face, and led the way to the cabin, struck a light, 
 looked at Major Grim by the light ; and then, as if 
 satisfied with the inspection, said joyfully, " Yes, 
 sar; I's 'member you, Captain. Golly, sar! ye's 
 powerful peaked, do'." 
 
 "We've been prisoners of war, and are escap- 
 ing," said Grim confidentl3^ "We want some- 
 thing to eat now, and then we want you to help 
 us down the river. We'll pay you all the money 
 we've got, and try and get more money to you 
 when we get into our lines." 
 
 The old darky said nothing, but started a 
 fire, cooked corn-bread, a tin pailful of oysters, 
 and some coffee, and we sat down and had a 
 
" AVe almost ran over a black man. 
 — Pao:e 330. 
 
UNDER GOD'S FLAG. 331 
 
 square meal before we inquired where he got the 
 coffee. 
 
 "Down ter York," he replied. "I sells fish, 
 and gets what provisions of coffee and Yankee 
 traps I want foh the grand folks." This allusion 
 was to his master, whose house was about half a 
 mile from his hut. 
 
 We remained in the vicinity of the hut all day ; 
 and when night came we ate one more hearty 
 meal, and then got on board the old man's scow 
 boSt, went down the creek to the York River, and 
 before morning, without incident worthy of note, 
 were landed at Yorktown, and thanked God for 
 his infinite mercy, that through many trials he 
 had brought us once more in safety under his 
 flag-. 
 
 We were warmly received by a young officer of 
 the guard, who escorted us to his quarters. 
 
 We were royally entertained at Yorktown, and 
 in course of another twenty-four hours were sent 
 to Old Point Comfort. 
 
332 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 IN WASHINGTON AGAIN. 
 
 On arriving at Fortress Monroe, we learned that 
 several prisoners who had escaped by the Libby 
 tunnel had preceded us. 
 
 This daring escape, coming at a time when 
 there was a comparative dearth of military news, 
 was caught up by the newspapers, so that some 
 details of this adventurous affair were known at 
 almost every home in the North. 
 
 Illustrative of this, before I took the steamer 
 for Washington, I had written to my mother of 
 my arrival within our lines, incidentally giving 
 some of the details of my escape. Three days 
 afterwards — even before I had heard from her — 
 I saw in the telegraphic news of the Associated 
 Press some of the contents of my letter, which 
 had been caught up by enterprising news-gath- 
 erers, and repeated almost verbatim. 
 
 After our arrival in our lines, Major Grim, who 
 up to this time had shown much of his natural 
 power of decision, courage, and brightness, 
 relapsed into a condition similar to that in which 
 I first found him at Libby. 
 
IN WASHINGTON AGAIN. 333 
 
 The surgeon at Old Point Comfort attributed 
 this to over-strained nerves, and said, " I think 
 with rest and nursing he will come out all right 
 in the end." 
 
 We remained at the fort about tAventy-four 
 hours, and then took the steamer for Washing- 
 ton, where we arrived the next morning. 
 
 I was hurrying, with Major Grim, towards 
 Pennsylvania Avenue, when a mounted officer, 
 ^vith an orderly at his heels, apparently from the 
 Arsenal, cantered by us. I had taken no particu- 
 lar notice of this officer, until I saw him halt, 
 and then wheel his horse and come back to us. 
 At first I thought he was an officer of the provost 
 guard of the city, and had mistaken us for desert- 
 ers, or men on "French leave." It was not until 
 he came up to us, stopped, and was extending his 
 hand, that I recognized General Blusterson. 
 
 It is needless to say I was very glad to see him. 
 
 After shaking hands with me, he turned to my 
 superior, and said, "Major Grim, I am glad to 
 congratulate you on your safe ; rrival within our 
 lines." 
 
 The major shook hands with the general, re- 
 turned the greeting with a dull, apathetic look, 
 saying, "You've got the advantage of me, sir; I 
 don't remember where I've met ^/ow." 
 
 "He seems to go back on me," said the general 
 in a low tone, half in anger and half in inquiry. 
 "Is he miffed over that Fredericksburg affair?" 
 
334 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 I explained the major's condition by pointing 
 to my head, and saying in an undertone, "Not 
 quite right here, General." 
 
 The general walked his horse by our side until 
 Ave reached Pennsylvania Avenue. There, almost 
 forcing upon me the loan of some money, saying 
 I would need it before I got my pay, he invited 
 me to visit him at Willard's Hotel, where he 
 informed me he was quartered with his daughter 
 while on sick leave, and on business connected 
 with the manufacture of artificial limbs. 
 
 He had, so he said, sold his patent to a stock 
 company, but still retained a large interest, and 
 also a handsome royalty, therein. 
 
 "I've got quite a pile out of it already, Alden," 
 said the general effusively, "and there are for- 
 tunes in it still." 
 
 As the hospital where Dr. Milner had charge 
 was at quite a long distance, I called a carriage, 
 and rode to the place, as I was anxious not only 
 to give him tidings from his son, but also to inter- 
 est him in Major Grim's peculiar case. Besides 
 this, Mrs. Grim was probably there, and — well, 
 never mind. 
 
 On my arrival I went to the office door, where 
 a young black boy, the whiteness of whose collar 
 was only equalled by the whiteness of his eyes, 
 answered my summons. 
 
 "Is Dr. Milner in?" 
 
 "No, sar, " said this conglomeration of white 
 
IN WASHINGTON AGAIN. 335 
 
 collar, brass buttons, and blackness ; " de doctor 
 am out. Will you leab your card, sar, or, " — 
 Here a surprising transformation in this important 
 personage took place, which at first I was at a loss 
 to understand. His eyes bulged out of his head; 
 he began to hop up and down excitedly, exclaim- 
 ing, "Hi! hi! hi! Golly! Golly! Glory! It am 
 de boss! It am de boss! de captain! de captain! " 
 ^'Well! " I exclaimed, astonished in my turn, 
 "it's you, is it. Roily?" 
 
 "I 'clar' ter gracious, Cap'n! you's so power- 
 fully peaked, I done gone forgot yo' when yo's 
 com' ter dis do'." 
 
 The doctor soon appeared; and, after recogniz- 
 ing in tlie shabby persons before him Major Grim 
 and Captain Alden, greeted us in his very kindly 
 and friendly way, seated us in his comfortable 
 office, and without ceremony invited us to make 
 our home with him during our stay in Washington. 
 
 I called the doctor's attention to Major Grim by 
 a gesture ; for he sat apathetically looking around 
 the room, and did not apparently evince any in- 
 terest in the doctor or the place. Evidently he 
 did not recognize the doctor any more than he 
 had General Blusterson. But when the doctor 
 set down his case of instruments, which he had 
 brought into the room when he came to us, opened 
 it, and began to carefully cleanse and readjust 
 them, I saw a change sweep over Major Grim's 
 face. He started, rose to his feet, stared — then 
 
336 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 with one hand to his head, and the other extended, 
 with the sharp cry which I have described else- 
 where, exclaimed, "Dr. Milner! — Doctor! — I'm 
 glad to see you ! " 
 
 The doctor gave an inquiring look. I explained 
 to the best of my ability in pantomime ; and in a 
 moment more he was excited by professional as 
 well as friendly interest in Major Grim. 
 
 I relate the incident of Grim's associating Dr. 
 Milner with his instruments and his old wound 
 minutely, as it occurred, because at the time it 
 seemed to me very curious. 
 
 The doctor took me aside ; and in a few words I 
 told him of Major Grim's injury and of his lapse 
 of memory, and besought him to do his utmost 
 to restore him. 
 
 "Does he know that his wife is here?" asked 
 the doctor, his dark eyes showing his interest, 
 while his reddish hair seemed to bristle with in- 
 creasing energy at the prospect of so interesting 
 a case. " Does he remember about his wife ? " 
 
 "Apparently he does remember about her," I 
 said hesitatingly ; then added, " It is curious, how- 
 ever, that he has not inquired for her since we 
 came here." 
 
 "I will step over to her ward," said the doctor, 
 " and bring her in. And you, meanwhile, prepare 
 his mind for it the best you can. She has always 
 been sanguine that her husband would return." 
 
 While the doctor was absent I took out my 
 
IN WASHINGTON AGAIN. 337 
 
 pocketbook of photographs, which I have before 
 mentioned, and called Grim's attention to the 
 picture of himself and wife. 
 
 "Yes," he said, nodding and smiling; "it's 
 Mary's picture. She's a good sort of a girl." 
 
 "She is here," 1 explained. "She's been here, 
 m^ dear Major, ever since you were taken pris- 
 oner at Fredericksburg! " 
 
 I saw a look come to his face, as if there were 
 something he did not understand; but at that 
 instant the doctor came in Avith Mrs. Grim, 'who 
 rushed with almost frantic pleasure towards her 
 husband. 
 
 The major recognized her; but his manner was 
 embarrassed, and showed us that there was some- 
 thing in his mental attitude that we did not yet 
 comprehend. 
 
 During the interview between the major and 
 his wife, it came out, bit by bit, that he remem- 
 bered her as Mary Crandall, but had no remem- 
 brance of ever being married to her. 
 
 "Leave them alone together," said the doctor in 
 a low tone, shaking his head doubtingly, "and 
 perhaps some chord of association will be touched 
 which will restore his memory of her, as it did of 
 me." 
 
 So we left them together, and retraced our steps 
 to the office. I then asked a question which had 
 been on my lips a dozen times since my entrance 
 into the hospital. 
 
338 - JACK ALDEN. 
 
 "Doctor," I said, and my throat was very dry 
 and my voice husky, "where is Miss May?" 
 
 "May! " said the doctor, facing me, "oh, didn't 
 I tell you ? She's in Baltimore, visiting the Ray- 
 monds. They are making a good deal of fuss 
 over her; but I guess they won't spoil her. Ray- 
 mond, you know, lost his money, but has lately, 
 by the death of his uncle, come into a large prop- 
 erty again; and he is also home for a while on 
 leave of absence." Then he added with a laugh, 
 "Guess he won't come back till May does." 
 
 My heart sank within me as the doctor added, 
 looking at me, " Let me see, — May is about three 
 years older than you are. She's thinking of get- 
 ting married perhaps. Raymond is no match for 
 her in anything but family and property ; but his 
 folks put on a good deal of style, — old family, 
 you know, — women like that, — well, — humph ! " 
 and the doctor turned away to some duty to 
 which he was called. 
 
 Every word of the doctor had pierced me like 
 a knife. I knew, however, that what he had said 
 was true, and that May Milner was a person likely 
 to be influenced by fine and luxurious surround- 
 ings. 
 
 I then proudly determined to dismiss her from 
 my thoughts, a determination more easily made 
 than kept. 
 
 In two days I had discarded my rusty prison 
 clothes and got a new uniform, which had been 
 
IN WASHINGTON AGAIN. 339 
 
 fitted to me, and which, by contrast with the 
 clothes I had discarded, made me feel very well 
 satisfied with my appearance. 
 
 In the evening I called at Willard's Hotel to 
 see General Blusterson. Here, also, I met Miss 
 Emily, his daughter. 
 
 Miss Emily Blusterson was about fifteen years 
 of age, with grave but sympathetic manners, and 
 a demure, Quaker-like face, that made her appear 
 older by several years. At first glance I was in- 
 clined to think her very plain; but after a few 
 hours this plainness seemed to disappear in an 
 attractiveness which I cannot express. 
 
 Afterwards, in endeavoring to recall what she 
 had said during the evening, I found that she had 
 talked but little, and that she had expressed more 
 interest in me with her eyes, which were very 
 large and earnest, than by any verbal utterances. 
 She had, however, led me to talk of myself, of my 
 escape from Libby, and of my other military ex- 
 periences, and had been a very attentive listener. 
 What young man is not interested in a young 
 lady who leads him to talk of himself? 
 
 The general smoked, discussed the military 
 situation for a while, and then, as I talked of 
 myself to Miss Emily, took a nap in his easy- 
 chair. 
 
 When at a late hour that evening I left Wil- 
 lard's, in spite of the shock which my feelings, or 
 vanity (calling it by no more serious name), had 
 
340 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 sustained by learning of Miss Milner's visit to 
 Baltimore, and the possibility of her engagement 
 to Raymond, I found that I had not only passed a 
 very pleasant evening, but had scarcely thought of 
 Miss May during that time. 
 
 My visit was so pleasant, that during my stay 
 in Washington I was a constant visitor at the 
 general's — ostensibly to inquire about a leave 
 of absence I had applied for, but in reality, — but 
 that's another story. 
 
 Once when I had spoken to the general of my 
 former comrade, Addison Key, he became enthu- 
 siastic. 
 
 " He is just the kind of a boy you told me he 
 was," said the general in his positive manner, 
 — true as steel; and he has rendered very great 
 service to the army." 
 
 "Where is he now?" I inquired, 
 
 "That's something I don't know; he's gone be- 
 yond my control. I haven't heard from him for 
 two months. That Sinclair? Humph! he ought 
 to have been dismissed the service; but he's on 
 special duty, I understand, somewhere here in 
 Washington, — got transferred after the Chancel- 
 lors ville fight. Influence saved his bacon, my 
 boy;" and the old general shook his head in his 
 humorous manner, as he added, "Influence can't 
 make a mule of a brass button, but it can make 
 an officer of 'most any kind of poor stuff." 
 
 "What do you think Addison Key is up to 
 
IN WASHINGTON AGAIN. 341 
 
 now?" I inquired. "I don't like the idea of liis 
 being a spy." 
 
 "I offered the boy a lieutenant's position, and 
 represented that it might be risky if the rebs 
 caught him. But he said, ' General, *I guess 
 'most everybody that ever was caught by them 
 rebs has found it risky, whether he was in the 
 secret service or any other. It's in the rebel 
 blood to make themselves disagreeable to people 
 they don't like.' I've heard," said the general, 
 "but I won't vouch for the truth of it, that Key 
 has lately passed an examination for promotion in 
 one of the new colored regiments; and like as not 
 it is true, — can't tell." 
 
 At last my leave of absence was granted. I had 
 accounted for the last missing tompion, which, as 
 captain of the company I was held to be account- 
 able for while in active service, having obtained 
 affidavits which would blister ordinary paper to 
 account for their non-appearance. 
 
 I went several times to bid good-by to the gen- 
 eral and Miss Emily. I had settled my accounts, 
 obtained my ration money and back pay, amount- 
 ing in all to what I considered a large sum of 
 money. 
 
 After bidding good-by to my friends in the 
 hospital, I paid one more good-by visit to the 
 general and Emily, — Miss Emily, I should have 
 said, — and took my departure for home. 
 
 Roily insisted on carrying my satchel to the 
 
342 JA CK ALDEN. 
 
 depot; and then, in spite of my protests, I found 
 he had made all his arrangements to accompany 
 me, even to buying a ticket to Boston. I was so 
 touched by this evidence of the boy's attachment 
 to me that I had it not in my heart, and probably 
 not in my power, to repulse him. 
 
 When 1 arrived in Baltimore, and had to wait 
 for a train, after a transfer across the city, I won- 
 dered at myself because I had no inclination to 
 wander around the city, as I might have done at 
 another time, in the hopes of catching a glance of 
 Miss Milner's face. 
 
 As I meditatively drummed on the car window 
 T/hile en route for New York, I remembered a say- 
 ing of Sam Slick, that a woman's heart was like 
 a turtle's Qgg-, and that one dent in it remained 
 only until another was made. And I wondered, 
 as I meditated, if sex had anything to do with 
 the truth of the application. 
 
AT HOME, AND OFF AGAIN. 343 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 AT HOME, AND OFF AGAIN. 
 
 Without incident worthy of note we arrived 
 in Boston; and before taking the train for Center- 
 boro' I went np to call on Ivory Rich. 
 
 I found that person with his feet elevated on 
 his desk, smoking a clay pipe as if he had taken a 
 contract to make smoke by the square yard, and 
 had but little time to fill the contract. 
 
 He rose to his feet as I entered, and said, 
 "Waiting for the boy to come in; time to shut 
 up; I'm only waiting for him. What can I do 
 for you, sir?" 
 
 Then I held out my hand, and for the fii'st time 
 he recognized me. 
 
 "You've changed a good deal," he said; "taller 
 and thinner, and some older." 
 
 I was indeed so worn and haggard by hardship, 
 that though I had recovered somewhat from the 
 strain of prison life, I still bore traces of it 
 that made me look older than many men of 
 thirty. 
 
 "Better go out home with me," he said heart- 
 ily ; " I want to talk with you about your mother's 
 
344 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 estate and that pirate, Richard Alden. Better go 
 out." 
 
 Seeing me look at Roily, he added, " Oh, he can 
 come along; we can take care of him. He will 
 amuse the girls." 
 
 I learned from Ivory Rich that a lawsuit to re- 
 cover the value of the Blusterson notes, as he 
 termed them, was then pending in the Court of 
 Common Pleas of Pilgrim County, to which Rich- 
 ard Alden had put in a counter plea of their being 
 obtained by fraudulent representations. 
 
 "He's got an up-hill row to hoe," said Rich 
 aggressively; "the burden of proof is on him, 
 and not on us. He hopes, I guess, to compro- 
 mise by having us throw out those conditional 
 notes. We can prove, if we have to, that these 
 conditions have been fulfilled; and we have or- 
 dered him to bring his books into court to prove 
 it. If he tampers with them, we'll fix him." 
 
 "You think," I said, "we've got a pretty sure 
 case, then?" 
 
 "Beautiful!" he ejaculated; "clear as day- 
 light! — Your uncle knows it. He's contrary, 
 but not stupid; and since we've begun it, I have 
 heard he's been taken sick, and that's a pretty 
 sfood indication he feels bad over it." 
 
 "I'm sorry for him," I said. "I have no ill- 
 will." 
 
 "S'pose you haven't," said Rich. "By the 
 way, how's Blusterson? I see he's quite a gen- 
 eral — see him mentioned in the papers." 
 
AT HOME, AND OFF AGAIN. 345 
 
 I told him all I knew about the general, and 
 was warm in his praise. 
 
 "Oh! " said Rich, "he's a pretty good man un- 
 less you attempt to drive him. He won't stand 
 much of that; he turns on it like a tiger. Get 
 such men in a corner, and they'll hurt somebody 
 besides themselves. He sent me word some time 
 ago to make a fair settlement with those State- 
 street sharks, and he's settled all his 'industrial 
 rat-trap ' business too — paid up like a man. He's 
 honest enough when he's prosperous. I've got 
 an affidavit from him, too, about those notes." 
 
 "Isn't it better to make a settlement with uncle 
 Richard if we can," I asked, "rather than have 
 the case come to trial?" 
 
 "Of course," said Rich, "if he will make a 
 proposition for a fair settlement; but we are the 
 ones to be conciliated, and not he. It isn't good 
 policy to offer a premium for cussedness ; there's 
 enough of that article in the world without that. " 
 
 During the evening I had to narrate my experi- 
 ences in prison, and my adventure in escaping 
 therefrom. 
 
 Rich was very much interested; and when I 
 told him of Major Grim and his condition when 
 I met him in prison, he began to get excited, 
 and to walk the floor of the room, as he said 
 hoarsely, "What men! You've suffered; it was 
 rough for your friend Grim; " and his strong fea- 
 tures worked, and his very hair seemed aggressive 
 
346 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 as he added, " The country can never repay men 
 for such work and suffering. Republics are un- 
 grateful, they say: but I envy you your experi- 
 ences; they are something any men might be 
 proud of." 
 
 In the course of the evening I told him that I 
 had drawn about a thousand dollars of back pay 
 and ration money, which I was going to put into 
 the bank for my mother ; to Avhich he said, " Well, 
 that's the way you should do. Your mother has 
 not been able to do so much for you, but she's a 
 good woman; and I've noticed that boys who have 
 a hard time, and look out for themselves, often do 
 more for their parents than those who have been 
 pampered. When my father died, my mother had 
 a hard time to give us a chance. That chance 
 wasn't much. I came down here with not more 
 than a common-school education, and studied law; 
 but I never let her want for anything I could get 
 for her after I got to earning money." There was 
 a moisture in his eye, and he cleared his throat as 
 he said it. "She was good. A good mother is 
 the greatest blessing a boy can have, or a man 
 either." 
 
 The next morning Roily and I arrived in Cen- 
 terboro' ; and I am not sure that Roily 's appear- 
 ance did not create more of a sensation than did 
 "the Alden boy." 
 
 There had been decided changes in Centerboro'. 
 Such had been the impetus given the shoe busi- 
 
AT HO ATE, AND OFF AGAIN. 347 
 
 ness by the demands of the war, that it had grown 
 to be a large village. 
 
 Richard Alden, so I was told before I had been 
 there long, had, with the push for which he was 
 noted, been employing a large number of men 
 in his new factory, but was then sick, and that, 
 too, at a time when the business most needed his 
 attention. 
 
 It is needless for me to relate how joyful was 
 my reception by my dear mother and sisters and 
 brothers, or how the neighbors came in to get me 
 to tell my prison and army experiences, and to see 
 " that genuine contraband that Captain Alden had 
 brought from down South." 
 
 The village G-azette magnified my army ser- 
 vice by a very flattering "personal notice," which, 
 though in the main correct, in some way grated 
 upon me. 
 
 I found the disposition to make a pet or hero 
 of contrabands was common here as in some other 
 places in New England during the war. 
 
 Before Rolly's appearance in town, a black 
 man, who claimed to have been Jeff Davis's 
 coachman, had been lionized by the good town's 
 people; and this disposition to make much of 
 "real Southern niggers" was soon illustrated by 
 the treatment of Roily in the village. 
 
 Even the minister was not proof against this 
 temptation, and asked Roily to ' ' speak in meet- 
 ing." 
 
348 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 One evening I happened into the village gro- 
 cery, and found Roily seated on a cracker-barrel, 
 surrounded by an admiring audience of villagers. 
 Silas Eaton, who was supposed to know a great 
 many "pints" about war, was interrogating him. 
 
 "Why don't you enlist," said Silas in his dog- 
 matic, querulous manner, " and fight for your race 
 and kintry?" 
 
 "Why doesn't I want ter fight?" and Roily 
 showed his teeth and rolled up the whites of his 
 eyes as he craned his person towards Silas, like 
 a black interrogation point. "Does yer take me 
 for a mule, sar? You doesn't know nothin' 'bout 
 fitin'! 'Clar' ter gracious, gemmen! I reckon ye 
 neber see dem rotten shell, big's this bar'l, come 
 along fro de air, jus' like a big catch dog, wif 
 a smoke tail, and his head down, and growlin' 
 and worry, worryin' along, jus' sayin', ' Get out of 
 this! I'm after y-e-r-r-r-r, sar-r-r !' 'Pears like 
 yer neber seen de po' white trash toted 'way fro' 
 de fitin', wif der ban's and legs and heads mashed 
 off, like chickens ready fo' de stew? No, sar, yer 
 isn't, or yer wouldn't 'spect a colored man ter 
 mix wi' sich foolishness, sar! " 
 
 "But," interrupted the more thoughtful pro- 
 prietor, Tinkham, "you black men who want 
 your freedom must fight for it; you mustn't ex- 
 pect others to do all your fighting." 
 
 "Golly, sar! " said Roily, "I'se got my freedom 
 by runnin' ; I neber gets freedom by fitin\ sar. 
 
AT HOME, AND OFF AGAIN. 349 
 
 Neber liked der sound ob dem bullets, sayin', ' Sur- 
 r-r, git! ' Mighty dangerous, foolin' round mules, 
 too ; dey's powerful 'structive, sar, dem mules is ; 
 but de bullets hiss like snakes, dey does. I'se 
 seen 'em ; and dem shell, when dey come fro de air, 
 keep a worry, worryin, ' as if dey was lookin' for a 
 nigger; and when dey 'splode, fright'nin' a man 
 ter def 'fore dey kill him. No, sar; got freedom 
 'nuf tendin' to de captain, I is ! " And Roily 
 tipped his hat on one side and looked aggressive. 
 
 My coming, when perceived, put a stop to 
 the conversation, but not to the interest with 
 which many in the town regarded "Captain 
 Alden's nigger." 
 
 My eldest sister, when I expressed the belief 
 that Roily would be spoiled, teasingly said that 
 she believed I was jealous of poor Roily. 
 
 He made himself handy around the house; but 
 he annoyed my mother by waiting on me at the 
 table during meals. This was so contrary to her 
 simple taste, and to the usage of an ordinary New 
 England household of that time, that I had to 
 put a stop to it. Roily expressed his disapproval 
 of this by saying in a disgusted tone, "Dey all 
 works here, jest like common trash, sar." 
 
 While at home, my regiment, of which there 
 remained scarcely enough men for one company, 
 was ordered to be mustered out on account of 
 expiration of term of service. Those who had 
 re-enlisted were to be consolidated with two other 
 
350 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 regiments, the senior officers of them to take com- 
 mand. This threw many officers of the regiment, 
 including myself, out of a command. 
 
 While I was debating what course to pursue, 
 and whether I should re-enter the service, my 
 friend Crandall, who had been commissioned in 
 our old regiment, and who by the new disposi- 
 tion had, like myself, been left without military 
 employment, came to see me. 
 
 He represented that a good many of our men 
 were ready to re-enlist, but objected to being 
 consolidated with old and rival organizations. 
 
 "I'd go if I knew about the other officers," I 
 said; "I don't want to fight under a man who 
 knows less about it than I do." 
 
 "Didn't I tell you? I forgot! Major Grim got 
 home a week or so ago. He's chipper and bright 
 as ever. He's all right, and has agreed to go out 
 as colonel if they'll commission him. He'll be a 
 good deal better at the front than when reading 
 about it in the newspapers, and fretting because 
 he can't take a hand; 'twill do him good! " 
 
 I was glad to hear of Grim's recovery; and, as a 
 man's wishes give color to his judgment, I agreed 
 with Crandall. 
 
 I also entered heartily into the work of helping 
 to form the new regiment. 
 
 I was offered a commission as its major, but 
 finally accepted that of senior captain. Major 
 Grim was commissioned as its colonel, and the 
 
AT HOME, AND OFF AGAIN. 351 
 
 positions of lieutenant-colonel and major were 
 filled by men of comparatively little experience. 
 
 Before I left Centerboro' I was one day passing 
 my uncle Richard's house, where he was confined 
 to his bed by sickness. My aunt, for whom I 
 still retained affection, ran out to greet me, and 
 with tears insisted that I should go in to see my 
 uncle. 
 
 "He isn't so bad as he sometimes seems, and 
 is fretting because you are in town and he can't 
 see you." 
 
 . I was not a little suspicious ; but my anger dis- 
 appeared when I saw him but a shadow of his 
 former self as I had known him. 
 
 After talking with him for a while, he said, as 
 if the subject was uppermost in his mind, " I wish 
 that lawsuit was out of court. Why can't we 
 settle it? It's going ter cost us both a lot of 
 money, and the lawyers'l eat us up alive." 
 
 I finally told him that I was willing to accept 
 his proposition; namely, that he would give us 
 his mortgage against the estate for the uncondi- 
 tional notes. The value of the conditional notes 
 should be settled by three referees, of whom Ivory 
 Rich should be one. 
 
 "I ain't afraid of the law. Jack," he said, with 
 a cold glitter in his eyes; "but you've got the 
 best of me, and I might as well acknowledge it. 
 I never thought you'd make so much of a man." 
 
 I inferred from this that the reason Richard 
 
352 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Alden was so humble in his acknowledgments, 
 was that he thought it cheaper than fighting. 
 In this opinion I found, long afterwards, that I 
 had done him injustice, and with all his natural 
 hardness and sharpness, he had a sort of liking 
 for me, because I had always resisted instead of 
 yielding to him. 
 
 I communicated with Ivory Rich, and he came 
 to Centerboro'. With some unimportant changes 
 in the agreement the suit was taken from court, 
 and settled without further cost. 
 
 " I ought not to allow the suit to be taken from 
 court," said Ivory Rich sharply. "Your uncle 
 would have gobbled the whole estate if we hadn't 
 been too much for him. It was by no good will 
 towards you that he hasn't, either. Under the 
 circumstances, it's best to settle it, however." 
 
 Our land was nearly in the centre of the vil- 
 lage, which made it valuable; and one of the 
 circumstances that to Ivory Rich's mind made a 
 settlement best, was that a large manufacturing 
 establishment, unknown to my uncle, had offered 
 a large price for the Alden place. 
 
 The sale was finally made, the house, orchard, 
 and garden being reserved for the family home. 
 This large sum of money, with my back pay, 
 was by Rich's advice put into United States gov- 
 ernment bonds, where it brought over seven per 
 cent interest, and finally, by the appreciation of 
 gold, made the family quite rich. 
 
AT HOME, AND OFF AGAIN. 353 
 
 While this was taking place, recruiting for my 
 company went forward in Centerboro' and in 
 the surrounding towns ; and at last, in June, the 
 ranks of the regiment were full. During the 
 same month we went into barracks at Readville, 
 where the colonel joined us. 
 
 Mrs. Grim anxiously confided to me the fact 
 that Dr. Milner had advised her husband against 
 going into the service again. 
 
 "Mr. Grim," she said, "is gloomy and queer 
 at times, and I dread the excitement, which Dr. 
 Milner says may prove too much for him." 
 
 I learned that Miss Milner had returned home 
 before Mrs. Grim left Washington, and seemed 
 very sorry, when she learned that I had been 
 there. 
 
 I confess it gave me a flutter around the heart 
 when Mrs. Grim said, "I think she cares more 
 for you now than she does for that Raymond 
 feller." 
 
354 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 m FRONT OF PETERSBURG. 
 
 On the 21st of June we landed at City Point, 
 on James River, which at that time was Grant's 
 base of operations, and where was gathered the 
 material of his vast army. 
 
 The weather was dry and hot, and we marched 
 over roads knee-deep in dust. The boom of 
 cannon and the shriek and groan of shell which 
 exploded above and around us, showed that the 
 enemy was in position nearly parallel to our 
 line of march. 
 
 On arriving before Petersburg, we encamped in 
 some woods, back from the main line of works. 
 
 About sundown, and before we were well set- 
 tled, we were ordered to relieve men in the rifle- 
 pits. Thenceforward we alternated forty-eight 
 hours off and forty-eight hours on, in this duty. 
 
 As we marched down a sheltering ravine, in 
 the mellow light of a Southern sundown, we were 
 saluted by exploding shell and hissing bullets. 
 Looking towards the enemy, we caught glimpses 
 of yellow ridges of earth, right and left, which 
 told, to men accustomed to soldiering, of the 
 
IN FRONT OF PETERSBURG. 355 
 
 nearness of our own to the enemy's intrenched 
 lines. 
 
 I have said glimpses advisedly; for even then 
 we knew that a full view of the enemy was peril- 
 ous, hence were not seeking for minute partic- 
 ulars. 
 
 The intrenchments, behind which we were 
 soon sheltered, were wide, dry ditches, with the 
 soil thrown out towards the enemy, of whose 
 presence we had plenty of evidence, though we 
 could not see them plainly. 
 
 Our breastworks were from eight to ten feet 
 high, with head-logs on top, and loopholes un- 
 derneath these logs, made by removing the soil. 
 
 Peeking through these I could see one mud 
 heap more prominent than the rest, which showed 
 to my practised eye a heavy fort in our innnediate 
 front. 
 
 Back of this salient, or fort, was an elevation 
 of land from behind which I could see the spires 
 of Petersburg, which, though a mile and a half 
 away, was within easy reach of heavy artillery. 
 
 Meanwhile, shot and shell, and occasionally the 
 hiss or hum of a bullet, came like angry protests to 
 our presence. On the other side of our intrench- 
 ments, limbs of trees, with the brush end towards 
 the enemy, had been thrown, forming a rough 
 abatis as an impediment to the enemy, should 
 they adventurously attempt to charge our posi- 
 tion. These had not been fastened to the ground. 
 
356 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 as is customary; for a man's life in such service 
 was not likely to be of long duration, for, as 
 Colonel Grim said, "It was kinder unhealthy 
 over t'other side of the dust-heap." 
 
 That night was starlight and warm; and as I 
 passed down my company line, I noticed with 
 satisfaction that our new men had lit their pipes, 
 and were vigilant and soldierly. They were 
 assuming their new duties without excitement, 
 and in a matter-of-course manner beyond what 
 is usually seen in new recruits. 
 
 "The men," I said in an undertone to Colonel 
 Grim, "seem to take to it pretty well." 
 
 "Yes," replied the veteran; "pretty good set 
 of men, I guess." 
 
 "Intelligent farmers' and sober mechanics' 
 sons," I suggested, "are good material." 
 
 "Yes," assented the colonel, withdrawing his 
 eye from a loophole, where he had taken, as he 
 called it, "a peek at the rebs;" "but I kinder 
 think it is because we've got a good sprinklin' 
 of old vets here." Then added reflectively, "I 
 don't know but a few old soldiers added to a lot 
 of new men is just as good as a lot of new men 
 put among old vets. They need a little welding 
 together in either case; fightin', good officers, and 
 pride '11 do that after a little while." 
 
 "We are rather comfortable here as a whole," 
 I said, " and we are likely to get fighting enough 
 for educational purposes ; near enough to the rebs, 
 anyway." 
 
IN FRONT OF PETERSBURG. 357 
 
 "Humph! " growled Lieutenant Crandall, who 
 overheard tlie remark, "guess we be, — rather too 
 neighborly, if anythin', forme." 
 
 "Crowded up to 'em rather close, " said Grim 
 with a grin; "hope they won't get too sociable 
 before we get broke in." 
 
 As Grim hitched his sword farther to the front, 
 and, after giving clear instructions, walked down 
 to the left, I could not but admire his soldierly 
 carriage and manner, which carried confidence to 
 all who came in contact with him. 
 
 "This soldiering is doing him a lot of good," 
 said Lieutenant Crandall. "It's all nonsense 
 thinking it was likely to throw him out of balance 
 again." 
 
 Colonel Grim seemed, in fact, very much im- 
 proved; his eye had its old fire, his manner a 
 wonted something it had lacked for weeks. Yet 
 I thouo-ht of Dr. Milner's suQ-o-estion as to the 
 uncertain effect excitement might have on him. 
 
 During the night there was but little exchange 
 of shot, though the enemy's artillery kept up 
 a "growling and a barking," as my lieutenant 
 termed it. 
 
 The course of the solid shot could be traced in 
 lurid lines against the background of the darken- 
 ing sky, while the shell traced lines similar to 
 those of rockets. 
 
 As daylight came on, the big guns "let up," as 
 Lieutenant Crandall called it; and presently bul- 
 
358 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 lets began to drum against the head-logs and 
 throw up little smoke-like splashes of dry dust, 
 and whisper, and //ur, and zipp, around us omi- 
 nously. 
 
 Our new men began excitedly to crowd to the 
 loopholes, disputing for a chance to shoot. 
 
 I heard Mike Conlin, the former drummer of 
 our company, but now a corporal, remonstrate 
 with them, saying, " Oh, now, don't be crowdin' ! 
 Faith! it's fierce ye fellers are now for fitin' ; but 
 ye '11 get your bellies full ov it, or it's Oi that am 
 a raw recruit. Toime jeWe been at it a month 
 or so, ye '11 wish ye was at home, under yer mith- 
 er's bed." 
 
 I could not help smiling at this; for Mike, 
 from the first of my acquaintance with him, had 
 shown so much of an Irishman's fondness for a 
 fight, that it seemed to me he ought not to censure 
 any one for a like disposition. 
 
 Our breakfast, which was cooked in the rear, 
 was brought up to us ; and about that time there 
 was a lull in rifle practice, as if the enemy were 
 similarly engaged. 
 
 While the men were eating. Roily cautiously 
 crept into the trench with my breakfast, and some 
 of our new men laughed and jeered at him for 
 being "scared." 
 
 "I'se no 'casion ter get hit, sar!" said Roily 
 to one of them. "I'se seen heaps better'n you 
 alls killed. De boss and me seen mo' fitin' dan 
 
" The man reeled and fell into the trench." 
 — Paoje 359. 
 
IN FRONT OF PETERSBURG. 359 
 
 eber you alls heard on. We's at Freds' bug, we 
 war, and a right lot mo' fights whar de rotten 
 shell an de big shot an de small shot killed a 
 heap o' trash like you alls. Seen 'em wifout dar 
 close on, like dead dogs, sar! Duz yer heah me? 
 I takes care myse'f, I duz." 
 
 During the lull in the firing which for a time 
 followed breakfast, one of our, what Crandall 
 called, "high-priced bounty men" jumped on the 
 parapet, and swung his hat towards the enemy 
 with a shout of bravado. 
 
 "Git down!" I heard Colonel Grim half hu- 
 morously order. " Git down, I say ! You cost the 
 government a thousand dollars apiece, and I'll 
 be plagued if I'll have you shot! You're too 
 expensive! " 
 
 Before the words were fully out of the colonel's 
 mouth, and, as if to emphasize them, the man 
 reeled and fell into the trench with a crash. He 
 had been shot through his head. "There," said 
 Colonel Grim severely, "the government has lost 
 a thousand dollars, and we have lost a good man 
 — all for nothing." 
 
 . It was not long before our men learned that 
 while shot and shell could be seen by keen-sighted 
 men, and dodged, as Lieutenant Crandall said, 
 " almost as easy as a base-ball " the death- whispers 
 of bullets were not heard by their victims until 
 too late for safety. 
 
 During the day two of our men, who had care- 
 
360 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 lessly exposed their heads above the top-logs, were 
 shot; and when, after forty-eight hours' duty in 
 the trenches, we were relieved from duty, we had 
 lost eight men. This loss was not many for one 
 day; but a loss correspondingly large along the 
 whole line would have soon destroyed the army. 
 
 Here let me say, that the loss among new men 
 on any line of dangerous duty is always larger 
 than among veteran soldiers, and that with less 
 effective service. An old soldier learns to pro- 
 tect himself, does not expose himself to danger 
 needlessly. 
 
 At last, after forty-eight hours, we were re- 
 lieved from duty, and then for the first time got a 
 good opportunity to refresh ourselves by "wash- 
 ing up," and by more sleep than could be obtained 
 by what Crandall called "cat-naps." 
 
 I have chronicled thus minutely our fii'st experi- 
 ence on duty in the trenches, because first duty in 
 such a place is most vividly remembered, and also 
 because all subsequent duty here generally re- 
 sembled that I have here described. 
 
 As the reader may suppose, on my arrival on 
 these lines I hunted up m}^ old army acquaint- 
 ances. On inquiry, I learned that General Blus- 
 terson had been transferred to duty with the Fifth 
 Corps, and was in command of a brigade. I had 
 written to him of my arrival, and was attempting 
 to obtain leave of absence long enough to visit 
 him, when, one afternoon in July, he rode into 
 
IN FRONT OF PETERSBURG. 361 
 
 camp, inquiring for me, dismounted, and came 
 into the colonel's quarters, where I happened to 
 be, "for a rest and a smoke," as he said, 
 
 "Very comfortable; good cigars too," said the 
 general complacently, after the first greeting was 
 over, and he was seated on a barrel-chair, and had 
 lighted his cigar. " Well, " he continued, " glad 
 to see you at the front, gentlemen. We are hav- 
 ing lively times enough; but it's better than 
 marching all night, and fighting all day, as we did 
 in the Wilderness. I came into the army expect- 
 ing to do my share of the fighting, but the over- 
 land campaign suited me too well." 
 
 "I suppose," I ventured to say, "the enemy 
 were just as sick of it as our army was. General." 
 
 "I don't know about that. It was a failure," 
 said the general, shaking his head, smiling in his 
 old manner of decision and humor. " We lost in 
 the battles from the Rapidan to the James nearly 
 sixty thousand men ; many of them our best offi- 
 cers and best soldiers. You remember Lieutenant 
 Standish? As good and as brave an officer as 
 there was in the army. He was killed in an at- 
 tack on the enemy's fortified line at Cold Harbor. 
 It was little short of murder in the first degree. 
 Such men can't be replaced. It's against com- 
 mon-sense, and the rules of war too, to attack po- 
 sitions reconnoitred and intrenched by an enemy, 
 as we did in that campaign." 
 
 "What are we going to do here, General?" I 
 
362 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 interrogated; "we don't seem to get an3rwhere as 
 I see." 
 
 " Here ? " ejaculated the general, and his brows 
 beetled and his jaws came together with a satis- 
 fied snap, which showed me before he spoke that 
 he was well pleased with the situation. "See 
 here, we've got the vice turned on the rebs; " and 
 the general, taking out a pocket-map, and point- 
 ing to it, said, "There, don't you see those turn- 
 pikes and railroads running into Petersburg like 
 spokes to the hub of a wheel? Well, Lee feeds 
 his army by those. Grant has got hold of some 
 of these roads already, and when he gets all of 
 them, Richmond will fall; for the Confederate 
 army will starve, or come out from their intrench- 
 ments, and retreat or fight us. Our system of 
 strong defences is to enable the front to be held 
 with a part of the army, leaving a large portion 
 of it for manoeuvre or attack on their left flank. 
 Meanwhile, you may see their lines forced right 
 here in your front soon." 
 
 "I've heard a good deal about a mine our men 
 are digging near us," I said. "I know several 
 officers who say they are old Pennsylvania coal- 
 mine bosses and superintendents, who are at it." 
 
 "Supposed you'd heard of it," said the general, 
 blowing out a puff of smoke like an exploded 
 shell. "Burnside's officers don't keep very close 
 mouths." 
 
 "Heard one of 'em say," I continued, "that 
 
TN FRONT OF PETERSBURG. 363 
 
 they had it mined under that fort in our front, — 
 the Elliot Salient, they call it, — and that when 
 at work they could hear the rebs tramp and rattle 
 things, and throw planks down above their heads 
 in the fort." 
 
 " Humph 1" grunted the general, blowing out 
 another puff of smoke still more emphatically. 
 "Well, I've just been up with some other officers 
 to look over things. The mine's a good one; but 
 they'll need some picked troops after it's exploded, 
 to act decisively, in order to gobble Petersburg! 
 Burnside's a good man, brave as a lion, but too 
 slow and muddled for such work." Then, as if he 
 had said too much, he added, "Mum's the word! " 
 
 I turned the conversation by asking if he knew 
 where Add was. 
 
 "No," he said; "but he came to me about two 
 months ago for recommendations for a commis- 
 sion. I don't know where; haven't heard from 
 him since." 
 
 The next morning after this conversation, when 
 we went on duty, I examined our front with some 
 speculative interest, and saw that if a breach was 
 inade in the enemy's lines, a force might be 
 lodged on the crest of a hill, behind which, as 
 I said before, I could see the spires of Peters- 
 burg within ordinary cannon range. 
 
 Our lines, at the point at which we were on 
 duty, bulged out in a curved form towards the 
 enemy. Under the Elliot Salient before men- 
 
364 JACK A WEN. 
 
 tioned a mine was almost in readiness to be ex- 
 ploded or "sprung." 
 
 Two weeks passed, and I had several times seen 
 the mouth of the mine, the soil excavated from it 
 being concealed from the vigilant enemy by 
 bushes stuck into the ground. 
 
 Our advance line was on the crest of gradually 
 ascending ground, and this ascent continued to- 
 wards the enemy. In our rear was a ravine, and 
 back of this the wood in which was our encamp- 
 ment. A covered way was constructed from the 
 wood to this ravine, which enabled us to approach 
 the front without exposure to the Confederate ar- 
 tillery. 
 
 In front of the covered way, on the opposite 
 side of the ravine, was the mouth of the mine. 
 
 For two weeks following the conversation with 
 General Blusterson, which I have given, but little 
 was said about the mine; and I supposed at last 
 that, like many other experiments in the army, it 
 had been abandoned. 
 
 During this time, however, the regular routine 
 of the army went on, — pay-rolls were made out, 
 requisitions for clothing and food made, camps 
 policed, men di'illed, descriptive lists made out 
 and forwarded, with sick and wounded men, to 
 the hospitals. 
 
 The morale of the army was good, and our food 
 was improved by the attention paid our men by 
 the Christian and Sanitary Commissions. 
 
IN FRONT OF PETERSBURG. 365 
 
 About the 25th of July there was much riding 
 of orderlies; and once I saw General Grant and 
 his staff, on their way, it was said, to General 
 Burnside's headquarters. 
 
 "I really think," I heard one of our vets say, 
 "that they are fussing about that mine some 
 more." I thought, too, that it might be so. 
 
 We were formed for an assault on the morning 
 of July 30, before dawn. Colonel Grim walked 
 down the line, his eyes gleaming with excitement, 
 and his whole attitude that of a man ready to act 
 quickly. At about half-past four there was a 
 dull, jarring explosion which shook the ground. 
 
 " There she goes ! " exclaimed Colonel Grim 
 excitedly, "right up under Johnny Reb's fort, 
 sure's I'm alive! We'll toast them now!" 
 
 A dense cloud of smoke, through which blazed 
 ignited powder, sprang hundreds of feet into the 
 air, hung suspended for a moment, and then fell 
 back. A black, sulphurous smoke overhung the 
 spot, and then slowly drifted away. 
 
 The terrible force of the explosion was such 
 that frao-ments of cannon and o-un-carriages from 
 the rebel fort were hurled several hundred feet 
 within our lines. 
 
 "That's a good one, for the Confederacy!" I 
 exclaimed. 
 
 Colonel Grim turned slowly towards me, with- 
 out remark, with a puzzled look on his face, and 
 with one hand to his head, as, simultaneously with 
 
366 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 the explosion of the mine, our artillery (which 
 had been greatly strengthened at this part of the 
 line) opened on the enemy as if with a roar 
 of anger! Every brazen throat belched and thun- 
 dered. 
 
 We expected orders for an immediate assault, 
 for the enemy seemed stupefied, and for a long 
 time made no demonstration for a defence. We 
 learned afterwards that the utmost consternation 
 and confusion had been produced on the foe, and 
 that they had abandoned their guns in the in- 
 trenchments for several hundred yards in the 
 vicinity of the mine. 
 
 An hour elapsed before they recovered suffi- 
 ciently to plant artillery on the right and left of 
 the crater made by the mine. It was an hour 
 before getting orders for a forward movement; 
 and by that time the enemy opened with artillery 
 on the right and left of the position, besides open- 
 ing a plunging artillery fire from their front. 
 
THE ASSAULT AND TRUCE. 367 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 THE ASSA.XJLT AND TRUCE. 
 
 The Confederates on our front were paralyzed 
 for a time by the terrible volcano-like explosion 
 beneath their feet. Had our battalions rushed 
 forward at once into the breach made in their 
 lines, the result must have been decisive. But a 
 vexatious delay followed the explosion, in which 
 precious time and opportunities were lost. 
 
 "Burney is a good and brave man," said one of 
 our veterans, " but it always did take him a good 
 while to turn over." 
 
 Meanwhile the enemy, after an interval of si- 
 lence, opened a gradually increasing fire on the 
 right and left of the "crater," or big hole caused 
 by the explosion. 
 
 Then we heard the hurrahs of our men going 
 forward to the assult. 
 
 While we were awaiting orders to charge. Col- 
 onel Grim, pulling at his beard and mustache, 
 walked in the rear of our regiment, as Sergeant 
 Osgood said, "like a caged lion." 
 
 "He's narvous, " said Crandall, looking towards 
 him with an anxious look; "kinder shook up, I 
 guess." 
 
368 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Finally Colonel Grim with a few sharp words 
 gave the order, and the regiment moved forward. 
 
 I saw, as we moved at double-quick, the ragged 
 " crater " sixty feet deep and a hundred yards long, 
 in which a confused jumble of our men had taken 
 refuge. 
 
 The shot from the enemy meanwhile struck our 
 ranks on both flanks, while a plunging fire burst 
 from their front. 
 
 They had recovered from their panic, and we 
 had missed the time for profiting thereby. 
 
 Amid the bursting of shell and ping of bullets, 
 we sheltered ourselves on the reverse side of the 
 enemy's intrenchments, and the fragments of the 
 "Elliot Salient," which had mostly been blown 
 into the air. The shell and shot made dismal 
 music, while whispering messengers of death from 
 rifles were constantly thinning our ranks. 
 
 "Keep the men at it," I said to First Sergeant 
 Osgood. 
 
 " Well, they are doing well. See, they are do- 
 ing like the vets, trying to make over this side of 
 the breastworks, and they keep up a popping at 
 the rebs on t'other side too." 
 
 "Yes," I replied; "pretty sharp work, fighting 
 men within arm's length." For by this time the 
 Confederates had got on the opposite side of the 
 intrenchments, and muskets protruded through 
 every opening, almost in our faces. But we soon 
 made it too hot for them, and the fire in part died 
 
THE ASSAULT AND TRUCE. 369 
 
 down, but broke out spasmodically here and there 
 along the line. 
 
 It was about seven o'clock in the morning when 
 the black division charged. I have since heard 
 much said of the cowardice of these men. But 
 although I was at that time, like many others in 
 the army, prejudiced against their employment, I 
 must confess that their conduct was good. 
 
 "■They're going in in pretty good style,'' I said 
 to Crandall. 
 
 "Ain't no use denying that," said my lieu- 
 tenant, who didn't like what he called "nigger 
 equality; " "shouldn't wonder if they'd got there, 
 if they'd gone in fu'st. See that," he continued; 
 " that flag's been down twice ; there it goes again ! 
 I didn't think they had it in 'em! They are well 
 led." 
 
 They had met the converging fire of artillery, 
 under which they still went forward for a while, 
 and then, like those who had preceded them, went 
 to pieces bit by bit under the terrible fire ; and 
 finally the men, every one for himself, began, like 
 a scattering flock of sheep, to seek safety. Some 
 took refuge in the crater, others behind the same 
 breastworks as ourselves. 
 
 "They did well," said Colonel Grim. "When- 
 ever I see a brave thing, something comes up in 
 my throat and chokes me, as it did when those 
 black fellows went in." 
 
 I looked curiously at my colonel. There was 
 
370 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 something unusual in his manner; what did it 
 portend ? 
 
 The fighting was again becoming fierce in 
 places along the intrenchment. 
 
 "They can't drive us out," said Lieutenant 
 Crandall decisively ; " they haven't got it in their 
 boots ; " and then exclaimed, pointing to the 
 right, " Them black fellows stand up to the rack 
 pretty well there ! Jerusalem ! that young feller's 
 seen fighting before! " 
 
 I glanced in the direction he had pointed, and 
 saw near an embrasure a stalwart young officer 
 with drawn sword, directing his men. His cap, 
 from which escaped curly blond locks, was on 
 one side of his head, his face was blackened with 
 powder. 
 
 As I looked, a rebel officer sprang out on the 
 other side of the opening, pointing a revolver 
 close to the young fellow's curly head, and, as I 
 learned afterwards, called on him to surrender. 
 
 With lightning rapidity he struck up the revol- 
 ver with his left hand, and with his right ran the 
 Confederate through the body with his sword. 
 The brave Confederate fell back with the sword 
 on which he was impaled on the other side of the 
 parapet, beyond reach. 
 
 Our division general, who had seen the act of 
 the brave young officer, in a spirit of chivalry un- 
 buckled his sword, and said, " Put it on ; you are 
 as worthy to wear it as any man I've seen to-day! " 
 
THE ASSAULT AND TRUCE. 371 
 
 All this occurred in less time than I've taken 
 to tell it, and was but one of the kaleidoscopic 
 changes of the fight. 
 
 The young officer turned towards the general 
 when he was addressed; and then I saw that it 
 was my friend Add Key. I had only time to 
 exchange salutations. 
 
 Our men were calling for cartridges, and fight- 
 ing hard to hold their position. We held the 
 line until night, and then in the darkness got out 
 of the intrench ments as best we could, and were 
 glad to get to the rear. We had lost very heavily. 
 
 Add came with me to the rear, and halted for a 
 time near by us, Avhile collecting some of his 
 men. 
 
 "What is your regiment? " I inquired. 
 
 " The Massachusetts st ; and they are 
 
 mighty good men, if they are a little off color," 
 said Add. "I led the regiment; lieutenant-col- 
 onel, you see ; and I ain't ashamed of the boys or 
 their work, if they be black! " 
 
 Lieutenant Crandall, who was present, said, as 
 he shook hands with his former comrade, — 
 
 " Well, you went in in good shape ; but I prefer 
 white men in mine." 
 
 " 'Tain't what's outside of a man," said Add; 
 "it's what's in him, that makes a good soldier. 
 A darky can stop a bullet." 
 
 "Yes," I said bitterly ; " 'most any color is good 
 enough for that in such a miserably managed 
 
372 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 affair as the one we've been in. I'm glad you 
 have distinguished yourself, Add; and whatever 
 your men are, no officer in the line was braver 
 than you. I wish you were in command of white 
 troops, though." 
 
 "Well, I ain't; and some of the men in the 
 white regiments are mighty poor stuff now. 
 There's that regiment Colonel Cross used to com- 
 mand; used to be one of the best regiments in 
 the field: it's filled up with trash. They desert 
 so fast that the rebs sent word over t'other day, 
 that as they had most of the men over there, 
 they'd better send over their regimental flag." 
 
 "Yes," said Sergeant Osgood; "I was over 
 there once when they had a roll-call, and some 
 of them fellows had enlisted under nigger names 
 too, such as ' Johnnie Boker ' and ' Jim Crow, ' — 
 names they couldn't remember themselves, for I 
 saw them look in their hats to make sure to an- 
 swer to the right names." 
 
 "I'll admit," growled Crandall, "that a man 
 who don't wear his own name hain't got pride 
 enough to make a good soldier." 
 
 The reader will see that Add was much the 
 same as ever; yet there was a change. Under the 
 jovial exterior there was a stratum of more ear- 
 nestness and resolution, and his face in repose 
 showed more dignity and thoughtfulness than it 
 had formerly expressed. 
 
 There was something besides intellectual devel- 
 
THE ASSAULT AND TRUCE. 373 
 
 opment in this, — something which I did not 
 understand. 
 
 I mentioned to him this change ; and his reply 
 was, " The change that you see in me is the great- 
 est one of my life. I had been through many 
 perils thoughtlessly, and had never acknowledged 
 God's hand in it. I now see that he has pre- 
 served me, and every day of my life I acknowl- 
 edge him." 
 
 This was said in a low tone, doubly impressive 
 for its simplicity, and was so free from affectation 
 and cant, that it impressed me very deeply. It 
 showed how Christ gave all the transfiguring influ- 
 ences of manhood and sweetness and dignity to 
 those who caught but a spark of his true spirit 
 and love. 
 
 The day after the "mine fiasco " the dead were 
 still unburied and the wounded uncared for be- 
 tween the hostile lines. During all the night we 
 had heard the wounded moaning piteously for help, 
 and calling for water. 
 
 A flag of truce at an early hour had been sent 
 out to gain consent of the enemy to the burial 
 of the dead, and to caring for our wounded. It 
 only succeeded so far as to allow us to give the 
 wounded water, for which we could still hear 
 them piteously calling. A few of them had, how- 
 ever, been stealthily removed during the darkness 
 of the night. 
 
 August 1st my regiment went into the trenches 
 
374 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 once more. At dawn General Burnside sent in 
 another flag of truce, which was met by one from 
 the Confederates. 
 
 The truce being arranged, officers and men met 
 midway between the intrenchments. I was one of 
 the officers from our side to meet the Confederates 
 who had come forward for the purpose proposed. 
 From the unburied dead there came a terrible 
 effluvium. 
 
 Our men dug two trenches side by side, for 
 their burial. The negro prisoneis, captured by 
 the Confederates in the recent fight, then brought 
 our dead on stretchers to the trenches. 
 
 The blacks were buried in one trench, the 
 whites in the other. The colored stretcher-bear- 
 ers looked, meanwhile, with pathetic wishfulness 
 over the narrow line which separated them from 
 friends and freedom. 
 
 While this was taking place, our officers en- 
 tered into friendly though constrained conversa- 
 tion with the Confederates. 
 
 Among the striking features in the group was 
 General A, P. Hill, dressed in the uniform of 
 a Confederate major-general. 
 
 He was full six feet in height, black-bearded, 
 and with strongly marked features, presenting a 
 striking contrast to the quiet manner and slight 
 and graceful figure of General Dick Taylor, and 
 the thick-set, stolid, but dignified person of Gen- 
 eral Bushrod Johnson. 
 
THE ASSAULT AND TRUCE. 375 
 
 Among this group of Confederates, a tall officer 
 in the uniform of an artillerist arrested my atten- 
 tion. I could scarcely believe at first that he was, 
 as it proved, Captain James Milner. 
 
 We greeted each other like old friends, rather 
 than enemies. 
 
 "I suppose," I said, "you've had great re- 
 joicing on your side over our failure in this 
 afeair." 
 
 "No," he very gravely replied; "we fight for 
 our homes, and defend ourselves, but it is no 
 pleasure for us to kill men of our own race." 
 
 Captain Milner introduced me to the Confed- 
 erate officers, with very complimentary remarks 
 on the services I had rendered him while wounded 
 and a prisoner in our lines, and a very pleasant 
 conversation took place. 
 
 I gave Milner intelligence of his friends, and 
 I do not think he was much more pleased than I 
 was when he heard of Miss May's visit to the 
 Raymonds. 
 
 We pointed out to each other as near as possible 
 our quarters within our respective lines ; and Cap- 
 tain Milner said earnestly, "I shall never need- 
 lessly fhe a shot in yowv direction." 
 
 While this exchange of civilities was taking 
 place, the men of both armies stood on their re- 
 spective breastworks, as lookers on, two hundred 
 yards apart. 
 
 On the right of our group of officers, meanwhile, 
 
376 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 were gathered a hundred or more privates of both 
 armies, joking and trading, without the reserve 
 manifested by their superiors. Their manner soon 
 became very friendly. "Just as if," as Captain 
 Milner said, " they hadn't made it a business shoot- 
 ing at each other for weeks." 
 
 "What did you think," I heard one of our men 
 ask, "when that there fort went up, Johnnies?" 
 
 "Why, Yank," said the Confederate, "we did 
 just reckon the Confederacy war goin' with it." 
 " You 'uns are right smart for diggin', Yanks," said 
 another; "but we uns can lick you uns right smart, 
 I reckon." 
 
 Both sides expressed a desire to see the war 
 close. 
 
 "The men seem very friendly," I said to Cap- 
 tain Milner. 
 
 "It is not probable," said an oiScer near us, 
 with a grave smile, "that a similar number of 
 non-combatants on either side could meet each 
 other on as pleasant terms. This war has taught 
 us to respect each other, if nothing else." 
 
 The pleasant exchange of courtesies and jokes, 
 tobacco and hard-tack, among the rank and file 
 was soon stopped by the officers on both sides. 
 
 "They are getting too friendly for practical 
 fighting," I heard one of the Confederate general 
 officers say. 
 
 "Yes," said one of our officers; "important in- 
 formatiou may be divulged by them unawares," 
 
7'HE ASSAULT AND TRUCE. 377 
 
 When I parted from Captain Milner, it was 
 with many expressions of good will, and with the 
 wish for a more pleasant meeting "when the cruel 
 war was over." I little thought how soon such a 
 meeting would be possible! 
 
 After the truce, a sentiment of disgust over the 
 needless butchery, and of fighting in general, was 
 expressed by men of all ranks on our side. 
 
 "When I am killed," said Lieutenant Crandall, 
 "I want to count, and not have my life thrown 
 away by that kind of blundering. I don't want 
 to be led by an officer in a bomb-proof, a quarter 
 of a mile in the rear, either." 
 
 Up to this time, firing had been, as I have 
 said elsewhere, fierce and constant on this line; 
 but for a week following, scarcely a shot was 
 exchanged between the contestants. 
 
 During one of these days a Confederate soldier 
 had jumped upon the parapet opposite, and, swing- 
 ing his hat, exclaimed, "I say, Yanks! doggone 
 it! let's go home! " 
 
 It was as if the meeting of the contestants had 
 vividly brought to both sides a renewal of the 
 feelings of kindred. 
 
 Hostilities were never waged with such contin- 
 uous fierceness thereafter. 
 
 The two months that followed were, however, 
 wearing in the nerve-strain and friction that such 
 duty produces. 
 
 I saw Lieutenant-Colonel Key occasionally, until 
 
378 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 in November he formed a part of Ord's movable 
 column. 
 
 In one of the conversations with me he said, 
 "Our old friend Grim seems strangely changed. 
 In some way he don't seem the same man." 
 
 This was true; for though he neglected no 
 duty, he was gloomy, unsociable, and strange. 
 
THE LAST CAMPAIGN OPENS. 379 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 THE LAST CAMPAIGN OPENS. 
 
 Spring had come, with its promise of leaves 
 and flowers, singing birds, and the fragrant sweet- 
 ness of beautiful Virginia. 
 
 The two armies still confronted each other in 
 their formidable intrenchments, extending for 
 miles to the left. 
 
 Add had come over to my quarters from Ord's 
 command, then near Petersburg. 
 
 There were present Colonel Grim and Lieuten- 
 ant Crandall, besides Add and myself, sitting at 
 a pine table. There were two rude bunks on the 
 sides of the hut, which was built of logs, chinked 
 with mud, and surmounted by a tent for a roof. 
 In the wide fireplace, built of sticks and mud, 
 there blazed a cheerful, crackling fire ; for the 
 evenings were still chilly. 
 
 Crandall was smoking his pipe in a semi- 
 reflective and contented attitude. We had been 
 talking about the opening campaign and its pos- 
 sibilities. 
 
 "The spring campaign," I ventured to say, 
 "will finish the war." 
 
380 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 "Can't remember one that wasn't goin' to!" 
 ejaculated Crandall. " I guess this war will last 
 forever." 
 
 "Rather think 'twill hold on a spell longer," 
 said Add; "and that puts me in mind of Silas 
 Eaton when he got the Millerite bee in his 
 bonnet. You know some of them fellows prophe- 
 sied that the world was coming to an end ; and they 
 went so far as to set the day for it, same as you 
 would for a big boil to come to a head, and was 
 just ready to break, — like that mine explosion." 
 
 "Yes," ejaculated Crandall; "I remember that 
 dummed foolishness." 
 
 "Silas was digging potatoes," laughingly con- 
 tinued Add, "and I stopped by the fence, and 
 said anxiously, for I was a little scared about it, 
 ' Mr. Eaton, do you think the world is coming to 
 an end soon ? ' After looking at the sky, as if it 
 was a question of the weather, Silas rested his 
 chin on his hoe-handle, and said in his most 
 sepulchral tones, ' Well, it may hold on till 
 spring.' " 
 
 "You don't think, then," I interrogated, "that 
 the war will hold on much longer than spring?" 
 . "Don't look so," Add responded. "I know 
 something about the Confederate army. No 
 braver and more determined men ever fought. 
 I've sometimes felt so much admiration for them, 
 that I couldn't see their wickedness. But I be- 
 lieve the old Confed is on its last legs now." 
 
THE LAST CAMPAIGN OPENS. 381 
 
 "Yes," said Colonel Grim, rousing himself 
 from a gloomy mood, and speaking with his old 
 clearness; "it does kinder look like it; for Sher- 
 man has cut the Confederacy in two, and Charles- 
 ton and Savannah have fallen, and Sherman is 
 now, so we hear, not over a hundred and seventy 
 miles from us. Sheridan has cleaned out the 
 Shenandoah Valley, and is about coming here to 
 take a command; and Hood's army has been 
 scattered by Thomas." 
 
 " That," said Crandall reflectively, " does have 
 a bad look for the Johnnies; and we know that 
 Lee's army is short of rations, even for them, 
 and that the people are sick of the war, and that 
 their men are deserting all along these lines. 
 Grant, I am told, is afraid they'll get away be- 
 fore he is aware of it ; they always could out- 
 march us." 
 
 Such was indeed the situation; but the brave 
 men of the "Army of Northern Virginia," which 
 had so long confronted us, and had fought us on 
 so many battle-fields, were yet capable of great 
 deeds. 
 
 On the 24th of March, we were on picket-duty 
 at the front. A part of our instructions were that 
 we were not to fire on any Confederate deserters 
 coming into our lines with their arms. These 
 instructions were issued for the purpose of encour- 
 aging deserters to bring their rifles and equij)- 
 ments with them. 
 
382 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 Before dark, two deserters had come in on my 
 part of the line, saying that a lot of men were 
 coming over as soon as it was dark enough. 
 
 " A right smart more of our men are comin' 
 in," said one. " We don't have a heap of work 
 drawing rations over yer now. ' ' 
 
 I sent these men, after disarming them, to the 
 rear under guard. 
 
 No more deserters came in during the night; 
 but about three or four o'clock in the morning I 
 heard Sergeant Osgood say, " Here comes their 
 whole picket-line, I guess." 
 
 I saw, indeed, by the dim early morning light, 
 from my place in the rear of the company, from 
 twenty to thirty Confederates leisurely coming to 
 our lines, bringing their muskets at a trail, and 
 still more following. 
 
 I was about hurrying to the scene to take their 
 guns and send them to the rear, when a struggle 
 toqk place. Arms were wrested from our men, 
 and a tall Confederate made a rush at me. I 
 struck him with my sword, and he fell. I felt 
 my arm grasped, and found Lieutenant Crandall 
 urging me to the right, saying, " It's time to 
 run. Jack, not to fight." 
 
 All around us we heard, as we crept away, 
 confused sounds of a fight. 
 
 On the left, through the gap made by the 
 capture of our line of pickets, the Confederates 
 were pouring like water through a broken dyke. 
 
THE LAST CAMPAIGN' OPEN'S. 383 
 
 We got into a ditch, and crept along on all fours 
 until we saw a strong earthwork looming up 
 before us, and knew we were under the mud walls 
 of Fort Stedman. Even as we lingered and list- 
 ened, curses, shouts, and shots were heard in the 
 fort; then silence, as if the conflict was over. 
 
 "Hush!" I whispered; "what is it?" 
 
 " The rebs have been trying to take the fort," 
 whispered my lieutenant, " but I guess they are 
 gobbled." 
 
 In a moment more we were in the fort, only to 
 find ourselves prisoners of war, and that the Con- 
 federates were just manning the captured guns 
 and turning them on the neighboring intrench- 
 ments. 
 
 A big Confederate, seeing my high-topped boots, 
 made me remove them, went through my pockets, 
 and expressed disgust at not finding more money. 
 
 The gray of morning had now brightened into 
 full day, and the sun was up, when a terrible 
 converging fire was directed upon the fort from 
 our batteries. 
 
 Crash followed crash; and then, for I was un- 
 der guard, I heard the Confederates exclaiming, 
 " Here they come ! The Yanks are charging 
 us!" 
 
 The hissing of shot hummed and blended into 
 one roar like the sound of machinery in motion, 
 and then a great yelling and cheering as our 
 men came on over the works and took possession. 
 
384 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 I recovered from the reb who had made me 
 come out of my boots, my money, my boots, 
 besides some other things not my own. 
 
 Among the things was a cigar-case and a pocket- 
 book which I recognized as Colonel Grim's. 
 
 "How did you come by these ?" I inquired of 
 the bearded Confederate from whom I had made 
 reprisals. 
 
 "From a Yank outside of yer," he replied; "he 
 was wounded." 
 
 I was all excitement. Crandall joined me in 
 the search; and we finally found the dear old 
 fellow with three dead Confederates near him, 
 one of them apparently killed by a sword wound. 
 
 The colonel was not dead, but fatally wounded. 
 Before he died, he rallied for a time as we gath- 
 ered around him, recognized me, and his face 
 had on it a brighter expression than for many 
 days, as he said, while pressing my hand, "Tell 
 Mary I understand now; things look clear, the 
 clouds are all gone." 
 
 These were his last words. The brave and 
 simple soldier and friend had passed away into 
 unclouded daylight. 
 
 Tears from many a rough soldier who had 
 known brave Colonel Grim fell on the coffin, 
 before Lieutenant Crandall, with a guard of honor, 
 took the body to his old home. 
 
THE RACE FOR LIFE. 385 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 THE RACE FOR LIEE. 
 
 Only fiftj'-eight men of my regiment had es- 
 caped capture, wounds, or death on the line before 
 Fort Steadman. The remnants of its companies 
 were therefore ordered to be consolidated with 
 older organizations, and I would soon in all 
 probability be once more without a command. 
 
 I was down-hearted and gloomy over these pros- 
 pects; for I had hoped to win promotion, when 
 General Blusterson offered his influence, and had 
 me transferred to his command as a member of 
 his staff. 
 
 "One of my staff, a first-rate man too, went 
 home during the holidays and got married," said 
 the general. "He hasn't been good for anything 
 since. The fact is, a married man has no busi- 
 ness in the army, unless he has been married so 
 long that he'd just as lief be killed as not." 
 
 "Do you think," I said, after laughing over the 
 general's joke, " that Grant will open the spring 
 campaign soon ? " 
 
 "Bless you," said the general, wagging his 
 head, "it u opened already. Grant's got 'em in 
 
386 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 a vice. They tried to wrench away from it at 
 Fort Steadman, but failed; and now the orders 
 are given for a final twist that will finish 'em." 
 
 "Yes," I replied, "but we've been saying some- 
 thing like that ever since the war began. But 
 my chances for promotion seem poor, whether it 
 is true or not." 
 
 "Tut, tut," said the general reproachfully, 
 "I'll see to that." 
 
 I went on duty as a member of the general's 
 staff on the 27 th of March, and on the same day 
 orders were issued to be in readiness for a move- 
 ment on the 29th. 
 
 "This looks like a general move," I ventured 
 to say. 
 
 "Yes," said the general; "I understand that it 
 is a flank move to the left with the whole army, 
 except your old corps, which is the pivot of the 
 movement." 
 
 Each day saw evidences of the gigantic struggle 
 about to begin. On the 29th the division, which 
 was then near Hatcher's Run, broke camp and 
 moved towards Dinwiddle Court House. 
 
 The country was densely wooded, broken here 
 and there by clearings, traversed by ridges and 
 ravines through which rushed deep and narrow 
 streams. 
 
 It shows the difficulties of the campaign, that 
 soon after beginning our march I was directed to 
 convey orders to the officers of a flanking-party 
 
THE RACE FOR LIFE. 387 
 
 that had penetrated the thick woods, and was 
 obliged to dismonnt in order to make my way 
 through the wikl vines and thorn bushes, and 
 even then had my ck)thes and my flesh torn. 
 
 On the Boydtown plank-road there was heavy 
 fighting, in which the enemy had been pushed 
 back after heavy loss. 
 
 At ten o'clock that night we made our head- 
 quarters in an abandoned farmhouse, the barn 
 and out-buildings of which were being torn down 
 and piled up as the foundation for a heavy line of 
 defence. Dark masses of clouds overcast the sky 
 and rendered the darkness intense, relieved, how- 
 ever, by the crackling camp-fires. 
 
 Before daylight I was awakened and went out 
 to convey orders. The rain was falling in tor- 
 rents. It was wet, cold, and cheerless; but long 
 lines of our soldiers, rolled in their blankets, 
 though drenched with rain, were sleeping the 
 sleep of tired men. Through the mists of the 
 morning, officers of the pickets discovered an 
 intrenched line of the enemy not a hundred feet 
 from us. 
 
 I went back and reported this fact to General 
 Blusterson. 
 
 Roily, who was now master cook for the staff, 
 was cooking, in the house we occupied, breakfast 
 of bacon and chicken before a blazing fire in an 
 open fireplace. The other members of the staff 
 were asleep in their blankets, and the general was 
 just adjusting his artificial leg, 
 
388 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 I reported; and several other reports having 
 come in, the general said, " Plenty of time ; their 
 works are light, probably their advance ; " and 
 then stumping to the door and looking out on 
 the drenched and muddy ground, for it was now 
 full daylight, he added, — 
 
 "The best either Johnny Reb or we can do, 
 just now, is to sit down in the mud and look at 
 each other for aAvhile. 
 
 There was no fighting until later in the day. 
 At three o'clock that afternoon I rode forward 
 with orders to the different colonels, preparatory 
 to driving the enemy out of their works on our 
 front. 
 
 Fighting began at four o'clock. Our men 
 went forward with a shout that rivalled the Con- 
 federate yell, and captured their works. 
 
 The Confederates fell back, evidently to a 
 stronger line of intrenchments in their rear. The 
 rain still continued to fall in torrents. 
 
 Another advance was soon ordered. The skir- 
 mish-line was formed for attack, but the enemy 
 opened a heavy fire ; and it was so evident that 
 they would give us a hot reception, that we fell 
 back on the first lines we had captured, and then 
 strengthened them. 
 
 Our skirmishers were driven in about dark, and 
 the enemy were reported to be moving forward a 
 heavy line to recapture the intrenchments we had 
 wrested from them, 
 
THE RACE FOR LIFE. 389 
 
 The general was seated on liis horse under a 
 severe fire. As I rode up to report, a musket- 
 shot struck his new saddle. The general, with a 
 scowl, looked down to see how badly his property 
 had been injured, and then said, " My compli- 
 ments to Captain Black, and tell him to place his 
 battery on the right of the line and to keep it 
 dressed with the brigade. Give them canister 
 at short range ! " 
 
 With the mud flying, the men cheering, the 
 horses galloping like mad, the battery went into 
 place on the battle-line, and poured canister and 
 shell into the yelling column of the advancing 
 foe. 
 
 The soldiers at this time but little resembled 
 the holiday men of a dress parade. Privates 
 and officers were smeared with red mud, in which 
 many of them had been lying, their faces black- 
 ened with gunpowder or dirt, their uniforms faded, 
 torn, and drenched. The muskets of the men and 
 the side-arms of the officers alone showed care. 
 
 We remained in the Confederate works during 
 the cold, cheerless night, wrapped in our wet 
 blankets, on the muddy ground, where we soon 
 forgot the conflict in restful sleep. 
 
 In the morning the brigade was relieved by 
 other regiments. 
 
 The general, with myself and two others of his 
 staff, had begun to eat our dinner of chicken, 
 which Roily had procured the day before, and had 
 
390 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 now prepared with great care. The brigade had 
 stacked its arms in an open field. The men, in 
 groups, were eating, boiling their coffee, cooking, 
 and spreading their blankets to dry, for the storm 
 was over, and the sun had come out again. 
 
 To a soldier exercising in the oppn air every- 
 thing tastes good. The general was in good 
 humor, for he liked good eating ; and fighting was 
 likely to be had at any moment. In the midst of 
 our repast we were almost brought to our feet by 
 an awful roar of battle not a mile away on our 
 front. The remains of the stew — grease, gravy, 
 and all — were hurried into our tins and haver- 
 sacks, while sound of cannon, musketry, cheering, 
 blended in one terrible, indescribable roar of 
 battle, swept towards us. 
 
 We mounted our horses. The general gave 
 quick and decisive commands, which I, with other 
 members of his staff, rode forward to communicate 
 to the different regiments. The bugles rang out, 
 " Fall in! fall in! " Ofiicers shouted commands, 
 the weary men caught their guns from the stacks 
 and sprang into line, and, with glistening mus- 
 kets, and by the right flank, rushed forward. 
 
 Soon we encountered groups of men, galloping 
 batteries, drivers furiously lashing theii" horses — 
 the broken fragments of defeated divisions closely 
 pursued by the enemy. 
 
 We took possession of a ridge where we could 
 look down upon a ravine, through which rushed a 
 
THE RACE FOR LIFE. 391 
 
 swift, dark stream, while shot from the enemy's 
 artillery smote our ranks. 
 
 The enemy's lines were checked at the stream, 
 and our brigade soon occupied the position from 
 which a division had been driven. 
 
 Away beyond, on our left, we still heard the 
 crash of cannon and the roar of musketry. It was 
 Sheridan fighting near the Southside Railroad, 
 being driven back by the foe. 
 
 During the night we found ourselves too near 
 the enemy for comfort, and fell back. 
 
 The morning of April 1st dawned clear and 
 cold. The whole corps had meanwhile come up, 
 preparatory to capturing the Southside Railroad, 
 the last line of road by which Lee received sup- 
 plies for his army, and by which he communicated 
 with the heart of the South. 
 
 If we could wrest this line from them, they 
 must abandon Richmond in any case, no matter 
 what other plans Lee had formed, because no army 
 can exist without food supplies. 
 
 A long line of breastworks had been built par- 
 allel to this road for its defence. 
 
 We moved towards Five Forks, near where 
 Sheridan had fought with his cavalry, but had 
 been driven back, the day before. 
 
 We silently formed in a wood on a hill, where 
 we could see the enemy's intrenchments below 
 us, and then, with a dash, were upon them before 
 they could fire a shot. 
 
392 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 So complete had been their susprise that they 
 had no time to resist, and surrendered in masses. 
 
 The number of prisoners embarrassed us, and 
 we were obliged to detail a large number of our 
 men to send them under guard to the rear. 
 
 I had been sent to our officers with orders to 
 accomplish this with as little delay as possible, 
 when, in the midst of its execution, a terrible 
 conflict began. The Confederates had rallied 
 again. 
 
 The fight was at its height when Sheridan's 
 cavalry came to our rescue, but none too soon. 
 We then pursued the fugitives, and gathered up 
 their arms. It was a great victory. 
 
 The sun went down on many dead and wounded 
 men; but the Southside Railroad, the life-line of 
 the Confederacy, was in our hands. 
 
 The bugles rang out the recall; our shattered 
 brigade reached the battle-field, and again en- 
 camped for the night. But there was no rest for 
 our wearied men. Our wounded must be cared 
 for, and our dead buried. 
 
 Late at night I found my general sitting by a 
 blazing camp-fire, tinkering at his artificial leg. 
 He said, with a scowl, " that a bullet had seriously 
 stirred up its internal economy. The scoun- 
 drels! " said the general crossly, "I'm all worn 
 out with them." So was I. 
 
 General Blusterson had been caught in the very 
 maelstrom of the fight I've mentioned as having 
 
THE RACE FOR LIFE. 393 
 
 been resumed by the enemy, and had escaped from 
 the "row," as he called it, "by the skin of his 
 teeth." 
 
 " I don't see that you escaped, my dear General, ' ' 
 I ventured to say. "You'd have thought so," he 
 answered, " if you'd seen two of the scoundrels 
 shoot at me, and then try to pull me off my 
 horse." 
 
 On the 2d of April we learned that Richmond 
 and Petersburg were evacuated, and that Lee was 
 in full retreat. We were ordered to press forward 
 again to support Sheridan in his attempt to head 
 off the retreating Confederates. 
 
 From that time to the 9th of April we were in 
 the saddle night and day, and the brave men of 
 the brigade were marching with but little rest or 
 food. 
 
 Meanwhile, on every side were indications that 
 Lee's army was going to pieces. Prisoners poured 
 in by thousands ; Confederate flags were numerous ; 
 while Confederate mortars, cannon, and baggage- 
 wagons, abandoned by them or captured, lined the 
 roads along which they were retreating. 
 
 As they fell back, they turned again and again 
 in furious sallies, showing even in defeat and re- 
 treat, while harassed by outnumbering foes, that 
 they were worthy to be named as soldiers of the 
 "Army of Northern Virginia." 
 
 The Confederates were making their last cam- 
 paign. Who can repress a thrill of admiration 
 
394 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 for the brave veterans of Lee's army in this, their 
 last struggle? Bleeding with wounds, worn by 
 marches, hungry and hopeless, they were yet daunt- 
 less in the face of famine and despair. One must 
 have lacked the feelings of a soldier and a man, 
 who did not feel admiration and pity for these 
 brave men in that last great struggle. 
 
 The roads over which our wearied columns 
 marched were poor; but the foraging, if they got 
 time to forage, was good. 
 
 With a short rest at sundown, we were again 
 urged forward, and, with short intervals of rest, 
 marched all night. 
 
 I was ready to drop out of the saddle ; General 
 Blusterson nodded and reeled, he Avas so tired. 
 We had reached the division, and had dismounted, 
 when an officer rode up with orders for our bri- 
 gade to hurry forward. 
 
 On the 8th of April the brigade marched thirty 
 miles, and that, too, over poor roads. 
 
 Once during the day Sheridan, with his staff 
 and several scouts dressed as Confederate officers, 
 passed us. They carried numerous captured bat- 
 tle-flags of the enemy. General Blusterson and 
 staff rode forward and saluted Sheridan. I saw 
 Sheridan with gleaming eyes, excitedly emphasiz- 
 ing every word of command as he spoke a few 
 sharp, decisive words to General Blusterson, and 
 then with a peremptory order to his staff rode 
 away. 
 
" General Blusterson and staff rode forward and saluted Sheridan. 
 — Page 394. 
 
THE RACE FOR LIFE. 395 
 
 "He is a liurricane in cavalry boots," said the 
 general." 
 
 Night came, and yet the whole division was 
 again urged forward. "Sheridan has headed off 
 Lee's army," said the general; "and if we hurry 
 up they must surrender. Pass the word down the 
 line! " 
 
 With a cheer the devoted men, who, with scanty 
 rations had been marching almost continuously 
 for forty-eight hours, once more pressed forward, 
 staggering with fatigue and hunger, as they 
 marched. They marched all night with another 
 short interval of rest, disputing the right of way 
 with cavalry and artillery. 
 
 The sun came up, and shone in a cloudless sky; 
 it was the sun of Appomattox. 
 
 We could hear firing on our front now and 
 then. Our column was soon halted in a field, and 
 their arms were stacked as if for a rest. 
 
 The men broke ranks, and pulled down fences 
 for fires. I had dismounted, and the general sat 
 on his horse, nodding, when heavy firing was 
 once more heard. 
 
 An orderly rode up; a staff-officer from Sheri- 
 dan followed; a few hurried words; the bugle 
 once more sounded, "Fall in!" A sharp com- 
 mand, "Forward! Double-quick, march! " 
 
 Reaching a piece of wood, we met cavalrymen 
 singly and in groups, excitedly shouting and ges- 
 ticulating: to us. 
 
396 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 The wearied men, who had been promised ra- 
 tions at that time, caught a glimpse of Sheridan 
 and staff, and with a half groan and laugh, 
 shouted in chorus, "Here's that darned little 
 Irishman, Pat Sheridan! Plenty of fighting 
 where he is, but no rations ! " 
 
 On reaching an elevation near at hand, I could 
 see with my glass the yellow earthworks of the 
 enemy on the opposite hillside, and their artillery 
 back of them, with their skirmish-line in little 
 rifle-pits at the foot of the hill. 
 
 A few orders; officers galloping down the line; 
 the charge was ordered, and the men were advan- 
 cing to attack, when a white flag among the artil- 
 lery of the enemy's intrenchments appeared. 
 
 "What's that?" said the general excitedly, as 
 it came down the hill towards our line ; " a flag of 
 truce?" 
 
 We rode forward, when an officer, swinging his 
 hat like a madman, riding forward exclaimed, 
 "Halt! halt your men! Lee has surrendered! " 
 
THE END. 397 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 We lay for three days on the hillside, encamped 
 and fraternizing with our former enemies, foes no 
 longer, but fellow-countrymen. We shared with 
 them our rations, and, though rejoicing that peace 
 and the Union were restored, did not exult over 
 them. 
 
 General Chamberlain's brigade received the 
 formal surrender of the Confederate arms on the 
 12th of April, 1865. 
 
 I inquired for Captain James Milner; but 
 though I met several of his acquaintances among 
 the Confederate officers, and learned that his bat- 
 tery was one of those that surrendered here, I did 
 not meet him until later. 
 
 The morning of April 12, 1865, was balmy and 
 bright. The last act in the drama of surrender 
 was about to take place. 
 
 " Here they come ! " " Here they come ! " was the 
 exclamation, as down the little valley we saw a 
 line of men in gray advancing. They arrived op- 
 posite, and halted a few yards from the blue line 
 with burnished steel. 
 
398 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 The order rang out to salute the last of the 
 brave army of Northern Virginia — " Present, 
 arms! " 
 
 The gray line returned the salute, then stacked 
 arms, laid on them their equipments and tattered 
 battle-flags, and sadly broke ranks, never again to 
 follow the flag they had surrendered. 
 
 They were thin, wearied, earnest-looking men; 
 and some of them cut away pieces of the weather 
 and battle-stained flags which they had followed, 
 oh, how faithfully ! through so many battles and 
 vicissitudes. 
 
 We respected these manifestations of sentiment, 
 and did not hinder them. But one of these, an 
 officer, went farther than this. I saw him bowed 
 over a small battery guidon ; and when he turned, 
 the flag had disappeared, leaving only its staff. 
 
 I sprang towards him, he confronted me : it was 
 my friend and former enemy, James Milner. 
 
 I extended my hand, and said, "The war is 
 over; let us be friends. Come with me." He was 
 my guest for a while, and was entertained like a 
 brother. 
 
 That same day our brigade began its march 
 towards home. 
 
 "I have forebodings about my wife," said Cap- 
 tain Milner; "for I've heard our men say that the 
 order was to set fire to the city when they aban- 
 doned it." 
 
 Captain Milner, by the terms of surrender, was 
 
THE END. 399 
 
 permitted to retain his horse, and by my invitation 
 and that of General Blusterson was an honored 
 guest. He accompanied us until just before we 
 reached Farmville, when becoming impatient to 
 see his family, with many friendly expressions he 
 rode hurriedly away. 
 
 In the afternoon we crossed the Appomattox 
 and rode into Farmville, and there learned that 
 our beloved President Lincoln had been assassi- 
 nated. The feelings against the Confederates was, 
 for a time, so very bitter that I was glad Captain 
 Milner had left us before we heard the news. 
 
 On the 9th day of May we reached Richmond. 
 We found the lower portion of it almost in ruins 
 from a fire. Its huge piles of brick, and crumbling 
 granite, charred wood, and blackened chimney- 
 stacks, stood as monuments of the cruel spirit of 
 the Confederate War Department, that had or- 
 dered the city, which its soldiers had so bravely 
 defended, to be fired. 
 
 As we rode through the town, the people gave 
 us a cordial greeting. The sidewalks were 
 crowded with people, both black and white, who 
 cheered us. The day was very hot, and at the 
 northern part of the city we had ordered a halt. 
 
 The ladies came out in large numbers, filling 
 the canteens of our soldiers with cool water. On 
 the left of us was a large mansion where two 
 beautiful ladies had filled the canteens of General 
 Blusterson and members of his staif. I reached 
 
400 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 down to take my canteen from the hand of one of 
 these, when in the upturned face before me I 
 recognized the lady I had seen at my hiding-place 
 after escaping from the Libby tunnel. Yet an- 
 other surprise was in store for me. 
 
 A young fellow, in the uniform of a Confeder- 
 ate officer, rushed down the steps, and in a mo- 
 ment I was shaking hands with my friend James 
 Milner. He introduced us to his wife and her 
 sister, Miss Gertrude Austin, and invited us to 
 make his house our home while in Richmond. 
 
 The ladies excused themselves for waiting on 
 us, and for the character of the food, as they said 
 their servants had left them, and they had no food 
 except United States' rations. 
 
 For the reasons given above I did not again see 
 Sam Brent, who had concealed me in that very 
 house, after my escape from Libby Prison almost 
 a year before. 
 
 Marching by way of Fredericksburg, we reached 
 Washington in season to take a part in the final 
 " Great Review" of all the armies of the Union. 
 
 There, as our corps ended its march, I was ac- 
 costed by Dr. Milner and his daughter, Mrs. May 
 Milner Raymond. I was, however, oi'dered North 
 before I had a chance to visit them. 
 
 I was soon mustered out of the United States 
 service, by general order of the War Department, 
 and arrived home June 9, with Colonel Addison 
 Key and other army friends. 
 
THE END. 401 
 
 We were received by the enthusiastic citizens 
 of Centerboro, the fire company, the brass band, 
 the ringing of church bells, and the firing of an 
 old rusty cannon in charge of the war-like Silas 
 Eaton. 
 
 I learned that my uncle had died since I last 
 heard from home. With what seemed to me sin- 
 gular inconsistency, he had left by will all his es- 
 tate to me, reserving for his wife a life interest. 
 
 There remains but little to be written. 
 
 Dr. Milner died a short time after the war, 
 widely known, and honored as an ornament to 
 his profession. 
 
 Raymond died soon after, and left his widow, 
 it was said, very rich. 
 
 Mrs. May Milner Raymond uses her wealth as 
 if she held it in trust for the poor and needy. 
 Wherever there is sickness or poverty near her, 
 she is known as a ministering angel of mercy. 
 
 The sick, poor, and distressed bless her beauti- 
 ful presence, for her care for them has become 
 her highest happiness. 
 
 Crandall, with his daughter, Mary Grim, still 
 lives in Spindleville ; and here the brave Grim 
 is buried. 
 
 General Blusterson retired from business a few 
 years after the war. So much does he dwell on 
 his recollections of his army experiences, that 
 my son. Jack Alden, Jr., has confidentially ex- 
 pressed to me much indignation that his grand- 
 
402 JACK ALDEN. 
 
 father had so little help in putting down the 
 Rebellion. 
 
 As I write, I hear Roily talking to Master Jack 
 on the broad stairway. " I 'clar' ter goodness, 
 Massa Jack, de Cap'n an' I fought endurin' de 
 wall. I procured an' cooked de chickens, an' 
 toted de stuff, an de Cap'n do de iitin' right 
 smart. ' ' 
 
 Captain James Milner visited me the summer 
 after the war closed, when Colonel Key, who had 
 already become a successful business man, invited 
 Miss Gertrude Austin (Captain Milner's sister- 
 in-law) to become his wife. She protested that 
 she would never marry a Yankee; but Colonel 
 Key, as persistent in that as in everything else, 
 at last compelled a surrender. 
 
 We have both grown old since the days I've 
 here recorded, and, as Add insists, are among the 
 "have beens." We never cease to render thanks 
 to Him who brought us safely through so many 
 perils. 
 
 With whitening locks, like flags of truce to 
 life's conflicts, we now await the roll-call of our 
 great Commander, who will soon write under our 
 earthly records, 
 
 FINIS, 
 
I 
 
 i 
 
RARE BOOK 
 COLLECTION 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT 
 
 CHAPEL HILL 
 
 Wilmer 
 
 503 
 
 C.2