' t HlHin?] *H'* UNIVERSiri' OH CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELLS 1 1 o r" MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. 6 4 3 R MY DIAllY NORTH AND SOUTH. BY WILLIAM HOWARD RUSSELL. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. LOXDON: BRADBURY AND EVANS, 11, BOUVERIE STREET. 1863. \_Thc rifjht of Translation is 7'cscrved.'] S6000 lONDOX : Bll»DliritT AWD BVAS8 PRIJtTERs. WIIUnnUABA CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE Down the Mississippi— Hotel at Vicksburg— Dinner— Public meeting — News of the progress of the war — Slavery and England — Jackson — Governor Pettus — Insecurity of life — Strong Southern enthu- siasm — Troops bound for the North — Approach to Memphis — Slaves for sale — Memphis — General Pillow 1 CHAPTER II. Camp Randolph — Cannon practice — Volunteers — "Dixie" — Forced return from the South — Apathy of the North — General retrospect of politics — Energy and earnestness of the South — Fire-arms — Position of Great Britain towards the belligerents— Feeling towards the Old Country 22 CHAPTER III. Heavy Bill — Railway travelling —Introductions — Assassinations — Tennessee— "Corinth"— "Tory"— " Humbolt " — " The Con- federate camp" — Return Northwards — Columbus — Cairo— The slavery question — Prospects of the war— Coarse journaUsm . .41 CHAPTER IV. Camp at Cairo— The North and the South in respect to Europe — Political reflections— Mr. Colonel Oglesby— My speech— Northern and Southern soldiers compared — American country-walks — Reck- lessness of life — Want of cavalry— Emeute in the camp— Defects of army medical department— Horrors of war — Bad discipline . . 63 VOL. II. b y\ CONTENTS. CnAPTKR V. PAGE iBpmding b*ttl«— By railway to Cliicago— Northern enlightenments T. •■ is King"— Land in the States— Dead level ;-tum into the Union— American homes — A-.^ lie i.ra;ii^— \\ Uite labourers— New pillager— Lake Michigan 77 ClIAPTEll VI. !'._; . Policy of Great Britain as regarded by the North —The American Press and iU comments— Priva'-y a luxury- Chicago— Senator Douglas and his widow— American ingratitude— AiMthy in volontoeriog — Colonel Turchiu's camp . . .S3 CIIAriER VII. Niagara !■ scenes in the neigh l>ourhr>od \ Till:i ili)stile movements on both rides— Ti ry school at West Point— Return to New York— a; , , of the city — Misery and suffering- Altered rtat* of public opinion as to the Union and towards Great Britain ^^ CnAPTER VI TI. Departnrc r • \ "sc'n'.int" — The American Press on U»<. W • . f the Slates— Philadiljihia— RallimoR- — \' Lord Lyon* — Mr. Sumner — Irritation against Groat Brii..; iiidependenoo" day— Meeting of Congress— General ttaie of affiun 11'^ CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. PACE Iiitcrvio\\' with Mr. Seward — I\Ty passport— Mr. Seward's views as to the war — Illummation at Washiugtoa — My "servant" absents himself— New York journalism —The Capitol — Interior of Congress — The President's message— Speeches in Congress — Lord Lyons — General I^I'Dowell — Low standard in the army — Accident to the " Stars and Stripes "—A street row— Mr. Bigelow— Mr. N. P. Willis 124 CHAPTER X. Arlington Heights and the Potomac— Washington — The Federal camp — Generall M'Dowell — Flying rumours — Newspaper correspondents — General Fremont — Silencing the Press and Telegraph. — A Loan Bill — Interview with Mr. Cameron — Newspaper criticism on Lord Lyons — Rumom-s about M'Clellan — The Northern army as reported and as it is — General M'Clellan 142 CHAPTER XI. Fortress IMonroe — General Butler — Hospital accommodation — Wounded soldiers — Aristocratic pedigrees — A great gun — New- port News — Fraudulent contractors — General Butler — Artillery practice — Contraband negroes — Confederate lines -^ Tombs of American loyalists — Troops and coatractors — Duryea's New York Zouaves — Military calculations — A voyage by steamer to Annapolis 160 CHAPTER XII. The "State House" at Annapolis —Washington — General Scott's quarters— Want of a staff — Rival camps — Demand for horses — Popular e.Kcitemcnt— Lord Lyons— General M 'Do well's movements —Retreat from Fairfax Court House — General Scott's quarters — General Mansfield -Battle of Bull's Run 186 viii CONTENTS. CnAPTER XIII. PACK Skinnuh at Bull's Run— The crisis iu ToutTess— Dearth of horses- War prj(?« at Washington— Estimate of the effects of Bull's Run— Paxsword and countersign — Transatlantic view of " The Times" — Difficulties of a Dew6}kaper correspondent in the field . . 202 CHAPTER XIY. To the Bcene of action— The Confederat? camp— Centreville — Action at Bull Run— Dcfmt of the Federals — Disorderly retreat to Centreville —My ride back to Washington 214 CHAPTER XV. A nmaway crowd at Washington — The army of the Potomac in n.'tr<-.it — Mail -day — Want of order and authority — Ncwspa]>er lies — Alarm at W.vhin^'lon — Confeer'B Ferry— John Brown — CONTENTS. IX PAGE Back by train to Washington — Further accounts of Bull Run — American vanity — My own unpopularity for speaking the truth — Killing a "Nigger" no murder — Navy Department . . . 284 CHAPTER XVIII. A tour of inspection round the camp — A troublesome horse— M 'Dowell and the President — My opinion of Bull Run indorsed by American officers — Influence of the press — Newspaper correspondents — Dr, Bray — ]\Iy letters — Captain Meagher — Military adventures — Pro- balile duration of the war — Lord A. Vane Tempest — The American joui-nalist — Threats of assassination SOi CHAPTER XIX. "^ Personal unpopularity — American naval officers— A gun levelled at me in fun — Increase of odium against me — Success of the Hatteras expedition— General Scott and M'Clellan— M'Clellan on his camp- bed — General Scott's pass refused — Prospect of an attack on Washington — Skirmishing — Anonymous letters — General Halleck — General ]\I'Glellan and the Sabbath — Rumoured death of Jeffer- son Davis — Spread of my unpopularity — An offer for my horse — Dinner at the Legation — Discussion on_Slavery . . . .320 CHAPTER XX, A Crimean acquaintance — Personal abuse of myself—Close firing — A reconnaissance — Major-Qeneral Bell — The Prince de Joinville and his nephews — American estimate of Louis Napoleon — Arrest of members of the IMaryland Legislature — Life at Washington — War cries — News from the Far West— Journey to the Western States — Along the Susquehannah and Juniata— Chicago— Sport in the prairie CONTENTS. PAGE — Arresitd for tbooting on Sunday — The town of Dwigbt — Return to Wtuduiigtoo — Mr. Seward aud niyi>elf '^^^ CHAPTER XXI. All in awjuaintance — Summary dismissal of a newspaper I— Dinner at Lord Lyuas' — Review of artillery — :ui Corpus" — TLe Presidt-nt's duties— M'Cltllan's p«.ilicy — :.iun army — Soldiers and the patn.'! — Public men in America — Mr. Seward and Lord Lyons — A judge placed under arrest — Death aad funeral of Senator Baker — Discn-derly troops and officers — Official fibs — Duck -footing at Baltimore 30C CUAriER XXII. General Scott's resignation — Mrs. A. Lincoln — Unofficial miBsion to llurne — Uneasy feeling with regard to France — Ball given by the I'uitc*! 6Ut4s cavalry — The United Stales army— Success at Biaufort— Arrests- Dinner at Mr. Seward's— News of Captain \Vi!k(8 and tho Trent— Messrs. M.-ison and Slidell — Discussion as u Willwcj* — rriuco dc Joinville — The American press on the Trent :4!T;iir— Abseuoc of thieves in Washington — " Thanksgiving Day" — Suixx^ Uiu.s far in favour of the North 392 Cn AFTER XXIII. r nrreft — Opening of Congress — Colonel Dutassy — An I imod sciiator — Mr. Cameron — Ball in the officers' huts — i'rcseoUlion of standards at Arlington — Dinner at Lord Lyons' — Pajjcr currency — A i>olyglot dinner — Visit to Washington's tomb — Mr. Cbaxe's n.'i»ort — Colonel Scaton — Unanimity of the South — Tl f Potomac blockade — A Dutch-American Crimean acquaint- The Aracricao lawyers on the Trent aflair — Mr. Sumner — -'i I ■ lUii'ii army — Impresaions produced in America by the Kn^lish J • HI 11 the aflair of the Trunt — Mr. Sumner on the crisis — Mutual fi'litjgii U.twoci) the two nations — Rumours of war with Great Brilain 410 CONTENTS. XI CHAPTER XXIV. PACK News of the death of the Prince Consort — Mr. Sumner and the Trent affair — His dispiitch to Lord Russell — The Southern Commissioners given up — Effects on the friends of the South — My own unpopularity at New York — Attack of fever — My tour in Canada — My return to New York in February — Successes of the Western States — Mr. Stanton succeeds Mr. Cameron as Secretary of War — Reverse and retreat of M'Clellan — My free pass — Tlie Menimac and Monitor — My arrangement to. accompany Jl'Clellan's head quarters — Mr. Stanton refuses his sanction — National vanity wounded by my truthfulness — Jly retii-emeut and my i-cturn to Eiu-ope . . . 42G MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. CHAPTER I. Down the Mississippi — Hotel at Vicksburg — Dinner — Public meeting — News of the progress of the war — Slavery and England — Jackson — Governor Pettus — Insecurity of life — Strong Southern enthusiasm — Troops bound for the North — Appi-oach to Memphis — Slaves for sale — Memphis — General Pillow. Friday, June 14//«. — Last night with my good host from his phmtation to the great two-storied steamer General Quitman, at Natchez. She was crowded with planters, soldiers and their families, and as the lights shone out of her windows, looked like a walled castle blazing from double lines of embrasures. The ]\Iississippi is assuredly the most uninteresting ^ river in the world, and I can only describe it here- about by referring to the account of its appearance which I have already given — not a particle of romance in spite of oratorical patriots and prophets, can ever shine from its depths, sacred to cat and buffalo fish, or vivify its turbid waters. Before noon we were in sight of Vicksburg, which is situated on a high bank or blutt' on the left bank of the river, about 400 miles above New Orleans and some 120 miles from Natchez. 2 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOrTH. Mr. MacMcckan, the j)roi)rictor of the " Washington/' declares himself to have been the pioneer of hotels in the far west ; but he has now built himself *this huge caravanserai, and rests from his Manderings. We entered the dining saloon, and found the tables closely packed with a numerous company of every condition in life, from generals and planters down to soldiers in the uniform of privates. At the end of the room there was a long table on which the joints and dishes were brought hot from the kitchen to be carved by the negro waiters, male and female, and as each was brought in the proprietor, standing in the centre of the room, shouted out with a loud voice, " Now, then, here is a splendid goose ! ladies and gentlemen, don't neglect the goose and apple-sauce ! Here's a piece of beef that / can recommend ! upon my honour you will never regret taking a slice of the beef. Oyster-pic ! oyster-pic ! never was better oyster-pie seen in A'icksburg. Hun about, boys, and take orders. Ladies and gentlemen, just look at that turkey ! who's for turkey ? " — and so on, wiping the perspiration from his forehead and combating with the Hies. . Altogether it was a semi-barbarous scene, but the host was active and attentive ; and after all, his re- commendations were very much like those which it was the habit of the tavemcrs in old London to call out in the streets to the passers-by when the joints were ready. The little negroes who ran about to take orders were smart, but now and then came into violent collision, and were cuffed incontinently. One mild-looking little fellow stood by my chair and apj)eared s>o sad that I asked him "Are you haj)j)y, mv boy?" He looked quite frightened. "Why dou't VICKSBURG. 8 you answer me ? " " Vse afccred, sir ; I can't tell that to ]\Iassa." " Is not your master kind to you ? " "' INIassa very kind man, sir ; very good man when he is not angry with me/' and his eyes filled with tears to the brim. The war fever is rife in Vieksburg, and the Irish and German labourers, to the extent of several hundreds, have all gone off to the war. When dinner was over, the mayor and several gentlemen of the city were good enough to request that I would attend a meeting, at a room in the railway-station, where some of the inhabitants of the town had assembled. Accordingly I went to the terminus and found a room filled with gentlemen. Large china bowls, blocks of ice, bottles of wine and spirits, and boxes of cigars were on the table, and all the materials for a symposium.- \The company discussed recent events, some of which I learned for the first time. Dislike was expressed to the course of the authorities in demanding negro labour for the fortifications along the river, and uneasi- ness was expressed respecting a negro plot in Arkansas ; but theCmost interesting matter was Judge Taney's protest against the legality of the President's course in suspending the writ of habeas corpus in the case of Mcrrimaii> The lawyers who were present at this meeting were delighted with his argument, which in- sists that Congress alone can suspend the writ, and that the President, cannot legally do so. The news of the defeat of an expedition from Fortress Monroe against a Confederate post at Great Bethel, has caused great rejoicing. The accounts show that there was the grossest mismanagement on the part L 4 MY DIARY XOKTII AND SOUTH. of the Federal oHicerv The Northern papers parti- cuhirly regret the loss of Major Winthrop, aide-de- eauip to Gencnd Butler, a writer of promise. At four o'eloek p.m. I bade the company farewell, and the train started for Jackson. The line runs through a i)oor clay country, cut up with j^ulleys and water- courses made by violent rain. There were a number of volunteer soldiers in the train ; and their presence no doubt attracted the jjirls and women who waved flags and cheered for Jeff. Davis and States Rights. "Will, as I travel on through such scenes, with a fine critical nose in the air, I ask myself " Is any Englishman better than these publicans and sinners in regard to this question of slavery ? " It was not on moral or re- ligious grounds that our ancestors abolished serfdom. And if tu-morrow our good farmers, deprived of mowers, reapers, ploughmen, hedgers and ditchers, were to find substitutes in certain people of a dark skin assigned to their use by Act of Parliament, I fear they would fbc almost Jis ingenious as the Rev. Dr. Seabury in /discovering arguments physiological, ethnological, and ! bibliL*id for the retention of their property. And nn evil day woidd it be for ihem if they were so tempted ; for assuredly, without any derogation to tlic intellect of the Southern men, it may be said that a large pro- portion of the population is in a state of very gre.it moral degradation compared \\ith civilised Anglo-Saxon commiuiitifs. The man is more natural, and more reckless; he h.is more of the qualities of the Arab than are to be reconciled with ci\ilihation ; and it is only among the ni)pcr elassi s thut the inlluences of the aristocratic condition which is THE CAPITAL OF MlSSISSim. 5 {generated by the subjection of masses of men to their fcllow-nian arc to be found. At six o'clock the train stopped in the country at a railway crossing by the side of a large platform. On the riiiht was a common, bounded by a few dc- tachcd wooden houses, separated by palings from each other, and surrounded by rows of trees. In front of the station were two long wooden sheds, which, as the signboard indicates, were exchanges or drink- ing saloons; and beyond these again w^ere visible some rudimentary streets of straggling houses, above -which rose three pretentious spires and domes, resolved into insignificance by nearer approach. (This was Jackson/ Our host was at the station in his carriage, and drove us to his residence, which consisted of some detached houses shaded by trees in a small enclosure, and bounded by a kitchen garden. (He was one of the men who had been filled with the afflatus of 1848, and joined the Young Ireland party before it had seriously committed itself to an unfortunate outbreak ; and when all hope of success had vanished, he sought, like many others of his countrymen, a shelter under the stars and stripes, which, like most of the Irish settled in Southern States, he was now bent on tearing asunder^ He has the honour of being mayor of Jackson, and of enjoying a com- petitive examination with his medical rivals for the honour of attending the citizens. (^ In the evening I walked out with him to the ad- jacent city, which has no title to the name, except as being the State capital! The mushroom growth of these States, using that phrase merely as to their rapid development, raises hamlets in a small space to the 6 MT DIARY NORTH AND SOL'Tll. dignity of cities. It is in such outlying expansion of the great repubhc that the influence of the foreign emi- gration is most forcibly displayed. It would be curious to inquire, for example, how many men there are in the city of Jackson exercising mechanical arts or engaged in small commerce, in skilled or manual labour, who are really Americans in the proper sense of the word. I was struck by the names over the doors of the shops, wliich were German, Irish, Italian, French, and by foreign tongues and accents in the streets ; but, on the other hand, it is the native-born American who obtains the highest political stations and arrogates to himself the largest share of governmental emoluments. -Jackson proper consists of strings of wooden houses, with white porticoes and pillars a world too wide for their shrunk rooms, and various religious and other public edifices, of the hydrocephalic order of architecture, where vidgar cupola and exaggerated steeple tower above little bodies far too feeble to support them. There are of course a monster hotel and bla/.ing bar- rooms—the former celebrated as the scene of many a serious diflUculty, out of some of which the participators never escaped alive. The streets consist of rows of houses such as I have seen at Macon, Montgomery, and Baton Hon;;c; and as we walked towards the capital or State-h');se there were many more invitations "to take a drink" addressed to my friend and me than we were able to comply witii. Our steps were bent to the State-house, which is a i)ile of stone, with open colonnades, and an air of importance at a dis- tance which a nearer examination of its dilapidated condition does not confirm. (^Tr. Pettus, the fiovernor of the State of Mississip[)i, was in the Cajjitol; and on GOVERNOR TETTUS. 7 sending in our cards, wc were introduced to his room^ Avhicli certainly was of more than republican simplicity. The apartment Avas surrounded with some common glass cases, containing papers and odd volumes of books; the furniture, a tal)le or desk, and a few chairs and a ragged carpet ; the glass in the windows cracked and broken; the walls and ceiling discoloured by mildew. The Governor is a silent man, of abrupt speech, but easy of access ; and, indeed, whilst we were speaking, strangers and soldiers walked in and out of his room, looked around them, and acted in all respects as if they were in a public-house, except in ordering drinks. [This grim, tall, angular man seemed to me such a development of public institutions in the South as Mr. Seward was in a higher phase in the Nortli. For years he hunted deer and trapped in the forest of the far west, and^iived in a Natty Bumpo or David Crocket state of life] and he was not ashamed of the fact Avlien taunted with it during his election contest, but very rightly made the most of his inde- pendence and his hard work. The pecuniary honours of his position are not very great as Governor of the enormous State of Missis- sippi. He has simply an income of £800 a year and a house provided for his use ;(he is not only quite contented with what he has but believes that the society in which he lives is the highest development of civilised life, notwithstanding the fact that there are more outrages on the person in his State, nay, more murders perpetrated in the very capital, than were known in the worst days of mediajval Venice or Florence} — indeed, as a citizen said to me, "Well, I think our 8 MY DIARY >'OnTII AND SOUTH. average in Jackson is a murder a montli ; " but lie used a milder name fur the crime. The Governor conversed on the aspect of affjiirs, and evinced that wonderful confidence in his own people which, whether it arises from ignorance of the power of the North, or a conviction of greater resources, is tt) me so remarkable. " AVell, sir," said he, dropping a portentous plug of tobacco just outside the spittoon, with the air of a man who wished to show he could have hit the centre if he liked, "Enghuid is no doubt a great country, and has got fleets and the like of that, and may have a good deal to do in "Eu-rope ; but'^lhe sovereign State of Mississippi can do a great deal better without England than England ran do without lier^' Having some slight recollec- tion of Mississippi repudiation, in which Mr. Jcll'erson Davis was so actively engaged, I thought it possible that the Governor might be right ; and after a time his Excellency shook me by the liand, (and I left, much wondering within myself ^Yhat manner of men they must be in the State of Mississippi when Mr. Petlus is their chosen Governor); and yet, after all, he is honest and fierce ; and jierhaps he is so far (pialified as well as any other man to be Governor of the State. There are newspapers, electric telegraphs, and railways; there are many educated families, even much good society, 1 am told, in the State; but^he larger masses of the people struck me as being in a condition not much elevated from that of the original i)ackwoodsman> On my return to the DDctor's house I found some letters Mhieh had been forwarded to me from New Orleans had gone antray, and I was obliged, therefore, to make ar- rangements for my departure on the following evening. TO GENTLEMEN IN DIFFICULTIES. 9 June 10///.— I was compelled to send my excuses to Goveruor Pcttus, and remained quietly within the Louse of my host, entreating him to protect me from visitors and especially my own coiifrereSyi\\^i I might secure a few houi's even in that ardent heat to write letters to horned,) Now, (there is some self-denial re- quired, if one be at all solicitous of the ])opuIaris aura, to offend the susceptibilities of the irritable genus in America. It may make all the difference between millions of people hearing and believing you are a high-toned, whole-souled gentleman or a wretched ignorant and prejudiced John Bull); but, nevertheless, the'solid pudding of self-content and the satisfaction of doing one's w^ork are preferable to the praise even of a New York newspaper editor. (\Yhen my work was over I walked out and sat in the shade with a gentleman whose talk turned upon the practises of the jMississippi duello* Without the smallest animus, and in the most natural way in the world, he told us talc after tale of blood, and recounted terrible tragedies enacted outside bars of hotels and in the public streets close beside us. The very air seemed to become purple as he spoke, the land around a veri- table "Aceldama." There may, indeed, be security for property, but there is none for the life of its owner in difhculties, who may be shot by a stray bullet from a pistol as he walks up the street. [1 learned many valuable facts'^ I was warned, for example, against the impolicy of trusting to small-bored pistols or to pocket six-shooters in case of a close fight, because suppose you hit your man mortally he may still run in upon you and rip you up with a bowic knife before he falls dead ; whereas if you drive a good 10 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. liea\'y bullet into him, or make a hole in him with a "Derringer" ball, he gets faintisli and drops at ouce. — Manv illustrations, too, were given of the value of prac- tical lessons of this sort. One particularly struck me. If a gentleman with whom you are engaged in alterca- tion moves his hand towards his breeches pocket, or behind his back, you must smash him or shoot him at ouce, for he is either going to draw his six-shooter, to pull out a bowic knife, or to shoot you through the lining of his pocket. The latter practice is considered rather ungentlemanly, but it has somewhat been more honoured lately in the observance than in the breach. •In fact, the savage practice of walking about witii ^ pistols, knifes, and poniards, in bar-rooms and gambling-saloons, with passions ungoverned, because there is no law to punish the deeds to which they lead, affords facilities for crime which an uncivilised condition of society leaves too often without punishment, but which must be put down or the country in which it is tolerated will become as barbarous as a jungle inhabited by wild beasts. Our host gave me an early dinner, at which I met some of the citizens of Jackson, and at six o'clock I pro- ceeded by the train for Memphis. The carriages were of course, full of soldiers or volunteers, bound for a large canip at a place called Corinth, who made night hideous by their song and cries, stimulated by enormous draughts of whiskey and a proportionate con- sumption of tobacco, by teeth and by fire. The lieat in the carriages added to the discomforts Jirising from these causes, and from great quantities of biting insects in the sleeping places. The people have all the air and manners of settler^. Altogether the impression pro- SOUTHERN VOLUNTEERS. U (luced on my mind was by no means agreeable, and I felt as if I was indeed in the land of Lynch law and bowie knives, where the passions of men have not yet been subordinated to the influence of the tribunals of justice) IMuch of this feeling has no doubt been pro- duced by the tales to Avhich I have been listening around me — most of which have a smack of man- slaughter about them. June nih. If it was any consolation to me that the very noisy and very turbulent warriors of last night were exceedingly sick, dejected, and crestfallen this morning, I had it to the full. Their cries for water were incessant to allay the internal fires caused by " 40 rod " and " 60 rod," as whiskey is called, which is supposed to kill people at those distance^. Their oflicers had no control over them — and the only autho- rity they seemed to respect was that of the " gentle- manly " conductor whom they were accustomed to fear individually, as he is a great man in America and has much authority and poAver to make himself disagreeable if he likes. —The victory at Big or Little Bethel has greatly elated these men, and they think they can walk all over the Northern States.— It was a relief to get out of the train for a few minutes at a station called Holly Springs, where the passengers breakfasted at a dirty table on most execrable coffee, corn bread, rancid butter, and very dubious meats, and the wikl soldiers outside made the most of their time, as they had recovered from their temporary depression by this time, and got out on the tops of the carriages, over which they performed tumultuous dances to the music of their band, and the great admiration of the surrounding 1-2 MY DIARY KORTn AND SOUTH. nogrodom. -Their demeanour is very unlike that of tlie uuexcitable staid people of the Nortlii — There vere in tlie train some Tcxans who were groing to Richmond to offer their services to ^Ir. Davis. They denounced Sam Houston as a traitor, but admitted there were some Unionists, or as tliey termed them, Lineolnite skunks, in the State, frhe real o))jeet of their journey was, in my mind, to get assistance from the Southern Confederacy, to put down their enemies iu Texas) -In order to conceal from the minds of the people that the government at Washington claims to be that of the United States, the press politicians and speakers divert their attention to the names of Lincoln, Seward, and other black republicans, and class the whole' of the North together as the Abolitionists.-^ They call the Federal levies "Lincoln's mercenaries** and "abolition hordes," though their own troops are paid at the same rate as those of the United States. This is a common mode of procedure in revolutions and rebellions, and is not unfrcquent in wars. The enthusiasm for the Southern cause among all the people is most remarkal)lc, — the sight of the flag waving from the carriage windows drew all the popula- tion of the hamlets and the workers in the fidd, black and white, to the side of the carriages to cheer for Jeff. Dans and the Southern Confederacy, and to wave whatever they could lay hold of iu the air. The country seems very poorly cultivated, the fields full of htumps of trees, and the plantation houses very in- different. "At every station more "soldiers," as they arc called, got in, till the smell and heat wore suffocating.' •»rhesc men were as fanciful in their names and WAYSIDE PAPADE. 13 dress as could 1)C. In tlic truiu which preceded us there was a band of vohiutccrs armed with rifled pistols and enormous bowic knives, who called themselves " The Toothpick Company." They carried along with them a cotfin, with a plate inscribed, "Abe Lincoln, died ," and declared they were "bound" to bring his body back in it, and that they did not intend to use muskets or rifles, but just go in with knife and six- shooter, and whip the Yankees straight away. How astonished they will be when the first round shot flies into them, or a cap full of grape rattles about their bowie knives. At the station of Grand Junction, north of Holly Springs, which latter is 210 miles north of Jack- son, several hundreds of our warrior friends were turned out in order to take the train north-westward for Richmond, Virginia. The 1st Company, seventy rank and file, consisted of Irishmen armed with sporting rifles Avithout bayonets. Five-sixths of the 2nd Com- pany, who were armed with muskets, were of the same nationality. The 3rd Company were all Americans. The 4th Company were almost all Irish. Some were in green others were in grey, the Americans who were in blue had not yet received their arms. When the word fix bayonets was given by the officer, a smart keen-looking man, there was an astonishing hurry and tumult in the ranks. "Now then. Sweeny, whar are yes dhriven me too ? Is it out of the redjmint amongst the officers yer shovin' me ? " " Sullivan, don't ye hear we're to fix beenits ? " " Sarjent, jewel, wud yes ayse the shtrap of me baynit ? " 14 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. " If ye prod me wid that agin, I'll let daylolte into ye." The olVicer, reading, "No H'i, James Phelan." No reply. Oflicer again, " No. 23, James Phelan." Voice from the rank, " Sliure, captain, and faix Phelan's gone, he wint at the last depot." " No. 10, Miles Corrigan." Voice further on, " He's the worse for dlirink in the cars, yer hononr, and says he'll shoot ns if we touch him ; " and so on. Eut these fellows were, nevertheless, the material for fighting and for marching after proper drill and with good olliccrs, even though there was too large a proportion of old men and young lads in the ranks, -il'o judge from their dress these recruits came from tlie labouring and poorest classes of whites.* The oilicers affected a rrencli cut and bearing with in- different success, and in the luggage vans there were three foolish young women with slop-dress imitation clothes of the Aivandicre type, who, with dishevelled hair, dirty faices, and dusty hats and jackets, looked sad, .sorry, and absurd. Tiieir notions of jiropricty did not justify ihem in adopting straps, boots, and trousers, and the rest of the tawdry ill-made costume looked \ery bad indeed. —The train which still bore a large number of soldiers fur the camp of Corinth, })roceeded through dreary stamps, stunted forests, and clearings of the rudest kind at very long intervals.- "NVe had got out of the cotton district and were entering poorer soil, or land which, when clesu'ed, was devoted to wheat and corn, and 1 wui told that the crops ran from forty to sixty A PRIME LOT OP NIGGERS. 15 bushels to the acre. A more uninteresting country than this portion of the State of Mississippi I have never witnessed. Tliere was some variety of scenery about Holly Springs where undulating ground covered ■with wood, diversified the aspect of the flat, but since that we have been travelling throngh mile after mile of insignificantly grown timber and swamps. ^On approaching INIemphis the line ascends towards the bluff of the INIississippi; and farms of a better appearance come in sight on the side of the rail; but after all I do not envy the fate of the man who, surrounded by slaves and shut out from the world, has to pass his life in this dismal region, be the crops never so good. At a station Avh ere a stone pillar marks the limit between the sovereign State of Mississippi and that of Tennessee, there was a house two stories high, from the windows of which a number of negro girls and young men were staring on the passengers. Some of them smiled, laughed, and chatted, but the majority of them looked gloomy and sad enough. They were packed as close as they could, and I observed that at the door a very ruffianly looking fellow in a straw^ hat, long straight hair, flannel shirt, and slippers, was standing with his legs across and a heavy whip in his hand. One of the passengers walked over and chatted to him. They looked in and up at the negroes and laughed, and when the man came near the carriage in which I sat, a friend called out, " Whose are they, Sam ? '' " Ile'i a dealer at Jackson, Mr. Smith. They ''re as prime a lot of fine Virginny niggers as I've seen this long time, and he wants to realise, for the news looks so bad." It was 1.40 p.m. when the train arrived at Memphis. 10 MY DIAI;Y NOIITII AND SOUTH. I was speedily on my way to -the Gayoso House,- so calltil after an old Spanish ruler of the dis- trict, which is situated in tlic street on the hluff, which runs parallel with the cuursc of the Mississippi. Thisjvsuscitatcd E«i:yptian city.is a place of importance- and extends fur several miles alonj; the hij^'h hank of the river, though it dues not run very far hack. The streets are at right angles to the principal tho- roughfares, which are parallel to the stream ; and I bv uo ineaus expected to see the lufty stores, ware- houses, rows of shops, and handsome buildings on the broad esplanade along the river, and the extent and size of the edifices public and private in this city, which is one of the developments of trade and commerce created by the Mississippi. Memphis con- tains nearly 3U,00U inhabitants, but many of them arc fonigners, and there is a nomad draft into and out of the place, which abounds in haunts for Bohemians, drinking and dancing-saloons, and gaming-rooms. And this^trange kaleidoscope ^of negroes and whites of the extremes of civilisation in its American development, and of the semi-savage degraded by his contact with the white; of enormous steamers on the river, which bears equally the dug-out or canoe of the black lishernum; the rail, penetrating the inmost recesses of swamps, \\hi( li on either side of it remain no doubt in the same state as they were centuries ago; the roll of heavily- laden waggons through the streets; the rattle of omnibuses JUid all the i)henomena of active com- mercial life before our eyes, included in the same scope of vision which takes in at the other side of the Mississippi lands scarcely yet settled, though the inarch of empire Las gone thousands of miles states' rights again. 17 beyond tlicm, amuses but perplexes the traveller in this new land. ,- The evening was so exceedingly warm that 1 was glad to remain within the walls of my darkened bed- room.-' All the six hundred and odd guests whom the Gayoso House is said to accommodate were apparently iu the passage at one time. At present it is the head- quarters of -General Gideon J. Pillow, who is charged with the defences of the Tennessee side of the river, and commands a considerable body of troops around the city and iu the works above. The house is conse- quently fdled with men iu uniform, belonging to the General's staff or the various regiments of Tennessee troops. ^ The Governors and the Legislatures of the States, view with dislike every action on the part of Mr. Davis Avhich tends to form the State troops into a national armyi^ At first, indeed, the doctrine prevailed that troops could not be sent beyond the limits of the State in which they were raised— then it was argued that they ought not to be called upon to move outside their borders; and I have heard people in the South in- veighing against the sloth and want of spirit of the Viririnians, who allowed their State to be invaded without resisting the enemy. Such complaints were met by the remark that-all the Northern States had combined to pour their troops into Virginia, and that her sister States ought in honour to protect her.- rinally,-the martial enthusiasm -of the Southern regi- ments impelled them to press forward to the frontier, and by delicate management, and the perfect know ledge of his countrymen which j\Ii-. Jefferson Davis possesses, he is now enabled to amalgamate in some sort the diverse VOL. II. is MY DIAIIY XOr.TlI AND SOl'TII. iiulivitlualitlcs of his regiments iuto something Hkc a imtiuual army. Oil lirariiij^ of my arrival, General Pillow sent his aide-de-eamj) to infurui me that lir was about start- ing in a steamer up the river, to make an iuspeetion of the works and garrison at Tort Kanclulj)li and at other points vhere batteries had been erected to command the stream, supported by large levies of Ten- uesseans. The aide-de-eamp eundueled me to the Geueral, whom I found in his bedroom, iitted up as an oflicc, littered with plans and papers. Before the ^le.xiean war General Pillow was a iluuri>liing solicitor, conuected in business with President Polk, and com- manding so much inlluence that when the expedition was formed he received the nomination of brigadier- general of volunteeers. lie served with distinction ami Mas severely wounded at the battle of Chajjultepee and at the eonelusion of the campaign lie retired into civil life, and was engaged directing the work of his plantation till this great rebellion summoned him once more to the field. Of course there is, and must be, always an incli- nation to deride these volunteer ollieers on the part of regular soldiers; aud I was informed by one of the ofliccrs in attendance on the General that he had made himself luilierously celebrated in Mexico fur having undertaken to throw up a battery which, when com- pleted, was found to face the wrong way, so that the guns were exposed to theenemy. General Pillow is a small, com- pact, clear-complexioned imui, with short grey whiskers, cut in the Knglish fashion, a quick eye, and a pom- pous maniur of speech; and I had not been long in his company before 1 heuid of Chapultepec aud his w ouud, DEFENCES OF MEMl'IIIS. 19 ■which causes him to liin[) a little iii his uulkj and >j;\\cs him incouvcnicnee in the saddle. He wore a round black hat, plain blue frock coat, dark trousers, and brass spurs on his boots; but no sign of military rank. The General ordered carriages to the door, and we went to sec the batteries on the bluff' or front of the esplanade, which are intended to check any ship at- tempting to pass down the river from Cairo, where the Federals under General Prentiss have entrenched themselves, and are understood to meditate an expe- dition against the city. A parapet of cotton bales, covered with tarpaulin, has been erected close to the edge of the bank of earth, which rises to heights vary- ing from GO to 150 feet almost perpendicularly from the waters of the Mississippi, with zigzag roads running down through it to the landing-places. This parapet could off'er no cover against vertical fire, and is so placed that well-directed shell into the bank below it would tumble it all into the water. The zigzag roads are barricaded with weak planks, which would be shivered to pieces by boat-guns; and the assaulting parties could easily mount through these covered ways ; to the rear of the parapet, and up to the very centre of the esplanade. The blockade of the river at this point is complete ; not a boat is permitted to pass either up or down. At the extremity of the esplanade, on an angle of the bank, an earthen battery, mounted with six heavy guns, has been thrown up, which has a fine command of the river; and the General informed me he intends to mount sixteen guns in addition, on a piolougatiou of the face of the same work. The inspection over, we drove down a steep 2 20 MY DIARY XOKTH AND SOUTH. road to the water bcucat}i, wliere the Injioniar, a large river steamer, now chartered for tlic service of the State of Tennessee, was lyinj; to receive us. ~^he vessel was crowded with troops — all volunteers, of course — about to join those in camp. (^Great as were their numbers, tiie proportion of the oiiicers was iuordinatfly larjre, and the rank of the greater number preposterously higli) It seemed to me as if I was introduced to a battalion of colonels, and that I was not permitted to pierce to any lower strata of military rank. I counted seventeen colonels, and believe the number was not then exhausted. f General Clarke, of ^Mississippi,* who had come over from the camp at Corinth, was on board, and I had the pleasure of making his acquaintance. He spoke with sense and firmness of the present troubles, and dealt with tiie political difficulties in a tone of moderation which bespoke a gentleman and a man of education and thought. Hc^Jso had served in the Mexican war, and had the air and manner of a soldier. AVith nil his quietness of tone, there was not the smallest dispo- sition to be traced in his words to retire from the present contest, or to consent to a reunion with tlic I'nited States under any circumstances whatever.) Another general, of a very dilfereut tyi)e, was among our passengers — a dirty-faced, frightened-looking young man, of some twenty three or twenty-four years of age, redolent of tobacco, his chin and shirt slavered by its foul juices, dressed in a green cutaway coat, white jean trousers, strapped und(M- a pair of prunella slipj)ers, in which he promenaded the deck in an A gag-like manner, which gave rise to a suspicion (jf biniions or corns. This strange fi-iirf was topped by a tremendous idack felt EXCURSION AVITII GENlvK'AL PILLOW. 21 sombrero, looped up at one side by a gilt eagle, in which was stuck a plume of ostrich feathers aud from the other side dangled a heavy gold tassel. This de- crepit young warrior's name was Ruggles or Struggles, who came from Arkansas, where he passed, I was informed, for " quite a leading citizen." -Our voyage as we steamed up the river afforded no novelty, nor any physical difference worthy of remark, to contrast it with the lower portions of the stream, except that upon our right hand side, which is, in effect, the left bank, there are ranges of exceedingly high bluffs, some parallel with and others at right angles to the course of the stream. The river is of the same pea-soup colour with the same masses of leaves, decaying vegetation, stumps of trees, forming small floating islands, or giant cotton-tree, pines, and balks of timber whirling down the current. Our progress was slow ; nor did I regret the captain's caution, as there must have been fully nine hundred persons on board ; and although there is but little danger of being snagged in the present condition of the river, we en- countered now and then a trunk of a tree, which struck against the bows with force enough to make the vessel quiver from stem to stern. I was furnished with a small berth, to which I retired at midnight, just as the Ingoinar was brought to at the Chickasaw Bluffs, above which lies Camp Randolph. 22 MY DIARY XOUTII AND SOUTH. CllAPTER n. Camp Randolph — Cannon practice — Volunteers — "Dixie " — Forced return from the South — Apathy of the North — General retrospect of politics — Euergy and earnestnesa of the South — Fire-arms — Position of Great Britain towarde the belligerents — Feeling towaruB the Old Country. June ISth. On looking out of my caLin window this morning I found the steamer fast alongside a small wharf, above which ruse, to the height of 150 feet, at an angle of 45 degrees, the rugged bluft" already men- tioned. TJic wharf was covered with commissariat stores and amnninition. Three heavy guns, which some men were endeavouring to sling to rude bullock- carts, in a manner defiant of all the laws of gravita- tion, seemed likely to go slap into the water at every moment ; but of the many great sfrapjjing fellows who were lounging about, not one gave a hand to the working party. A dusty track Mound up the hill to the brow, and there disappeared; and at the height of fifty feet or so above the level of the river two earth- works liad been rudely ercctiHl in an iuefl'ectivc position. The voltmteers who were lounging about the edge of the stream were dressed in different ways, and had no uniform. Already the heat of the sun compelled me to seek the shade; and a number of the soldiers, labouring CONFEDERATE ARTILLERISTS. 23 under the same infatuation as that wliicli induces little boys to disport themselves in the Thames at Waterloo Bridge, under the notion that they arc ■washing themselves, were swimming about in a back- Avater of the great river, regardless of cat-fish, mud, and fever. General Pillow proceeded on shore after breakfast, and we mounted the coarse cart-horse chargers which were in waiting at the jetty to receive us. — It is scarcely worth while to transcribe from my diary a description of the works Avhich I sent over at the time to Euglandr* Certainly, a more extraordinary maze could not be conceived, even in the dreams of a sick engineer— a number of mad beavers might possibly construct such dams. They were so ingeniously made as to prevent the troops engaged in their defence from resisting the enemy ^s attacks, or getting away from them when the assailants had got inside — most difficult and troublesome to defend, and-still more difficult for the defenders to leave, the latter perhaps being their chief merit; The General ordered some practice to be made with round shot down the river. An old forty- two pound carronade was loaded with some diffi- culty, and pointed at a tree about 1700 yards — which I was told, however, was not less than 2500 yards — distant. The General and his staff took their posts on the parapet to leeward, and I ventured to say, "1 think, General, the smoke will prevent your seeing the shot.'^ To which the General replied, " No, sir," in a tone which indicated, "I beg you to understarid I have been wounded in Mexico, and know all about this kind of thing." " Fire/' the string was pulled, and 24 MY DIAIIY XoRTII AND SorTII. out of tlie touch-hole popped a piece of metal with a little chirrup. " D.ini these friction tubes ! I prefer the linstock and mateli/' cjuoth one of the stalf, solto voce, " but (Jeneral Pillow will have us use friction tubes made at Memphis, that ar'nt worth a cuss." Tube No. 2, however, did explode, but where the ball went no one could say, as the smoke drifted right into our eves. The General then moved to the other side of the gun.whieh Mas fired a third time, the shot falling short in good line, but without any ricochet. Gun No. 3 was next fired. Off went the ball down the river, but off went the gun, too, and with a frantic leap it jumped, carriage and all, clean off the platform. Nor w as it at all wonderful, for the i)oor old-fashioned chamber can- nonade had been loaded with a charge and a solid shot lieavy enough to make it burst with iiuliguatiou/*" Most of us felt relieved when the firing was over, and, for my own part, I would much rather have been close to the target than to the battcry«». Slowly winding for some distance uji the steep road in a blazing sun, we proceeded through the .tents which arc scattered in small groups^or health's sake, fifteen and twenty together, on the wooded plateau above the river. The tents are of the small ridge-pole pattern, six men to each, many of whouj, from their exposure to the sun, whilst working in these trenches, and from the badness of the water, had already been laid iij) with illness. As a proof of General Pillow's energy, it is only fair to say he is constructing, on the very summit of the plateau, large cisterns, w Inch will ))(• filled with water from the river by steam power. The voliiiitci rs were mostly engaged at drill in dis- EATIONS AND EQUIPMENT. 2j tinct companies, but/hy order of the General some 700 or 800 of them were formed into line for inspection^ Many of these men were in their shirt sleeves, and the awkwardness with which they handled their arms showed that, however good they might be as shots, they were Ibad hands at manual platoon exercise); but such ^great strapping fellows) that, as I walked down the ranks there were few whose shoulders were not above the level of my head, excepting here and there a weedy old man or a growing lad. They were armed with old pattern percussion muskets, no two clad alike, many very badly shod, few Avith kuai)sacks, but all provided with a tin water-flask and a blanket. These men have been only five weeks enrolled, and were called out by the State of Tennessee, in anticipation of the vote of secession. T could get no exact details as to the supply of food, but from the Quartermaster-General I heard that each man had from | lb. to 1| lb. of meat, and a sufficiency of bread, sugar, coffee, and rice daily ; however, these military Olivers " asked for more.'' Neither whisky nor tobacco was served out to them, which to such heavy con- sumers of both, must prove one source of dissatisfaction. (The officers were plain, farmerly planters, merchants, lawyers, and the like — energetic, determined men, but utterly ignorant of the most rudimentary parts of military science) It is this want of knowledge on the part of the officer which renders it so difficult to arrive at a tolerable condition of discipline among volunteers, as'the privates arc quite well aware they know as much of soldiering as the great majority of their officers." Having gone down the lines of these motley companies, the General addressed them in a harangue in which he 26 MV DIARY N">nTII AND SOUTH. expatiated on their patriotism, on their courage, and the atrocity of tlic enemy, in an odd farraf^o of military and political subjects. But the only matter which appeared to interest them much uas the auuouncen»ent that they would be released from work in another day or so, and that ncfrroes would be sent to perform all that was required. This announcement was received with the words, '• Bully for us !" and "That's good." Aud when General Pillow wound up a Horid peroration by assuring them, " "When the hour of danger comes I will be with you," the eilect was by no means equal to his expectations. The men did not seem to care much whether General Pillow was with them or not at that eventful moment; and, indeed, all dusty as he was in his plain clothes he did not look very imposing, or give one an idea that he would contribute much to \ the means of resistance. However, one of the oflicers called out, " Boys, three cheers for General Pillow." ^Vhat they may do in the North I know not, but certainly the Southern soldiers cannot cheer, aud what passes muster for that jubilant sound is a shrill ringing scream with a touch of the ludian war-^^hoop in it. As these cries ended, a stentorian voice shouted out, " ^Vho cares for General Pillow? " No one answered ; whence I inferred the General would not be very popular until the niggers were actually at work in the trenches. ^Ve returned to the steamer, lieaded up stream and proceeded onwards for more than an hour, to another laudiug, protected by a battery, where we disembarked, the Geueral being received by a guard dressed in uni- form, who turned out with some appearance of soldierly smartness. On mv niuarkiiig the dillerence to the HATS OFF. 27 General, lie told me tlic corps encamped at this point was composed of gentlemen planters, and farmers. Tiiey had all clad themselves, and consisted of some of the best families in the State of Tennessee. As we walked down the gangway to the shore, the band on the upper deck struck up, out of compliment to the English element in the party, the unaccustomed strains of " God save the Queen ; " and I am not quite sure that the loyalty which induced me to stand in the sun, with uncovered head, till the musicians were good enough to desist, was appreciated. Certainly a gentle- man, who asked me why I did so, looked very in- credulous, and said " That lie could understand it if it had been in a church ; but that he would not broil his skull in the sun, not if General Washington was standing just before him." The General gave orders to exercise the battery at this point, and a working party was told off to firing drill. •'Twas fully six minutes between the giving of the orders and the first gun being ready. On the word ''fire " being given, the gunner pulled the lanyard, but the tube did not explode ; a second tube Avas inserted, but a strong jerk pulled it out without exploding; a third time one of the Geueral's fuses was applied, which gave way to the pull, and was broken in two; a fourth time was more successful — the gun exploded, and the shot fell short and under the mark — in fact,^othing could be worse than the artillery practice which I saw here, and a fleet of vessels coming down the river might, in the present state of the garrisons, escape \uihurtJ There are no disparts, tangents, or elevating screws to the gun, which are laid by eye and wooden chocks. 2S MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. I could see no shells in the battery, but was told there were some in the nia^a/ine. (Altogether, though Randolph's Point and Fort i'illow afford strong positions, in the present state of the service, and ecjuipnient of guns and works, gunboats could run past them without serious loss, and, as the river falls, the fire of the batteries will be even less effective'. On returning to the boats the baud struck up "The >rarseillaise" and " Dixie's Land." ^'here are two expla- nations of the word Dixi^ — o_ne is that it is the general term for the Slave States, which are, of course, south of ^lason and Dixon's line; another, that a planter named Dixie, died long ago, to the intense grief of his animated property. Whether they were ill-treated after he died, and thus had reason to regret his loss, or that they had merely a longing in tlie abstract after IIea\cn, no f let known to me can determine ; but certain it is that they long much after Dixie, in the land to which liis spirit was supposed by them to have departed, and console themselves in tlieir sorrow by clamorous wishes to follow their master, where probably the revered spirit wouUl be much surprised to find hiniself in their company. "The song is the work of the negro melodists of New York."- In the afternoon we returned to Memi>his. Here I was obliged to cut short my Soutlurn tour, tljough I would willingly ha\e stayed, to have seen the most remarkabU; social and political changes the world has probably ever witnesscil. The necessity of ray position obliged me to return northwards — unless I could write, there was no use in my being on the spot at all. 15 v this time the Federal lleets have succeeded in NOW AND THEN. 29 closing tlic ports, if not effectually, so far as to render the carriage of letters precarious, and the route must be at best devious and uuccrtaiu. -Mr. Jefferson Davis was, I was assured, prepared to give me every facility at llichmond to enable me to know and to see all that was most interesting in the military and political action of the New Confederacy ; but of what use could this knowledge be if I could not communicate it to the journal I served ? Q. had left the North when it was suffering from a political paralysis, and was in a state of coma in which it appeared conscious of the coming convulsion but unable to avert it^ The sole sign of life in the body corporate was some feeble twitching of the limbs at Washington, when the district militia were called out, whilst Mr. Seward descanted on the merits of the Inaugural, and believed that the anger of the South was a short madness, which would be cured by a mild application of philosophical essays. The politicians, who were urging in the most forcible manner the complete vindication of the rights of the Union, were engaged, when I left them arguing, that the Union had no rights at all as opposed to those of the States. Men who had heard with nods of approval of the ordinance of secession passed by State after State were now shrieking out, "Slay tlic traitors!" *-The printed rags which had been deriding the Pre- sident as the great "rail splitter," and his Cabinet as a collection of ignoble fanatics, were now heading the popular rush, and calling out to the country to support Mr. Lincoln and liis ]\Iinistry, and were menacing with war the foreign States which dared to stand ncutial in tlie quarrel.— The declaration of Lord John Russell 30 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. that the Southern Confederacy should have limited belligerent rij^hts had at first created a thrill of exulta- tion in the South, because the puliticiaus believed that in this concession Avas contained the principle of recognition; Avhile it had stung to fury the jjcople of the Korth, to whom it seemed the first uarning of the coming disunion. !Mueh, therefore, as I desired to go to Riehmund, where I was lu'ged to repair by many conside- rations, and by the earnest appeals of those around me, I felt it would be impossible, notwithstanding the interest attaehed to the proceedings there, to perform my duties in a place cut off' from all connnuni- cation with the outer world ; and so I decided to proceed to Chicago, and thence to AVashington, where the Federals had assembled a large army, with the purpose of marching upon Kichmond, in obedience to the cry of nearly every journal of influenee in the Northern cities My resolution was mainly formed in consequence of the intelligence which was communicated to me at !Mem[ihis, and I told General Pillow tliat 1 would continue my journey to Caii'o, in order to get within the Federal lines. As the river was blockaded, the only means of doing so was to proceed by rail to Columbus, and thence to take a steamer to the Federal position; and so, whilst the General was continuing liis inspection, I rode to the telegraph office, in one of the camps, to order my luggage to be prepared for departure as soon as I arrived, and thence went on board the steamer, where I sat down in tlie cabin to write my last despatch from Dixie. So far I had certainly no reason to agree with Mr. SOUTHEKN UNANIMITY. ,'U Scwanl ill tliinking this rebellion Avas the result of ;i localised energetic action on the part of a fierce minority in the seceding States, and tliat there Avas in each a large, if inert, mass opposed to secession, which would rally round the Stars and Stripes the instant they were displayed in their sight. On the contrary,(l met everywhere with but one feeling, with exceptions which proved its unanimity and its force. To a man the people went with their States, and had but one battle cry, " States' rights, and death to those who make Avar against them ])" (Day after da}- I had seen this feeling intensified by the accounts Avhich came from the North of a fixed determination to maintain the war ; and day after day, I am bound to add, the impression on my mind was strengthened that "States' rights" meant protection to slaveiy, extension of slave territory, and free-trade in slave produce with the outer world J nor was it any argument against the conclusion that the popular passion gave vent to the most vehement outcries against Yankees, abolitionists, German mercenaries, and modern invasion. I was fully satisfied in my mind also that the population of the South, who had taken up arms, were^so convinced of the righteousness of their cause, and so competent to vindicate it, that they would fight witli the utmost energ}' and valour in its defence and successful establishment.) The saloon in which I was sitting afforded abundant evidence of the vigour with which the South arc entering upon the contest. QMen of every variety and condition of life had taken up arms against the cursed Yankee and the black llcpublican-^there was not a man there who would not have given his life for the rare pleasure 32 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. of strikinir Mr. Liiuulu's head oft' liis slioultlers, and yet /fo a cold Euroijcau the scene was almost ludicrous. Alonj; the covered deck lay tall 'reiiiiesseans, asleep, whose plumed felt hats were generally the only indica- tions of their martial callinjr, for few indeed had any other signs of uniform, except the rare volunteers, •who wore stripes of red and yellow cloth on their trousers, or leaden buttons, and discoloured worsted braid and facings on their jackets. The afierpart of the saloon deck was appropriated to (jeneral Pillow, his stall', and ollicers. The approach to it was guarded by a sentry, a tall, good-looking young fellow, in a grey flannel shirt, grey trousers, fastened with a belt and a brass buckle, inscribed U.S., which came from some plundered Federal arsenal, and a black wide-awake liat, decorated with a green plunu-. His ICnlield rillc lay beside him on the deck, and, with great interest ex- pressed on his face, he leant forward in his rocking- chair to watch the varying features of a party squatted on the floor, who were employed in (he national game of " Kuchre.^ As he raised his eyes to examine the condition of the cigar he was smoking, lie caught sight of nie, and by the simple expedient of holding his leg across my chest, and calling out, "Hallo! where are you going to 'i " brought me to a standstill — wlulst liis captain, who was one of the happy euchreists, exclaimed, " Now, Sam, you let nobody go in there." 1 was obliged to explain who I was, whereupon the sentry started to his feet, and said, " Oh ! indeed, you are Ku-sell that's been in that war with the Itooshians. AVell, I'm very much pleased to know you. 1 shall be off sentry in a few minutes; I'll just ask you to tell uic something about that lighting." lie held out his EUCIIllE. oo lumd, uiid shook mine warmly as he spoke. There was not the smallest intention to offend in his manner ; but, sitting down again, he nodded to the eaptain, and said, "It's all right; it's Pillow's friend— that's llussell of the London Times." The game of euchre was continued — and indeed it had been perhaps all night — for my last recollection on looking out of my cabin was of a number of people playing cards on the floor and on the tables all down the saloon, and of shouts of " Eu-kerr ! " "Ten dollars, you don't ! " " I'll lay twenty on this ! " and so on ; and with breakfast the sport seemed to be fully revived. There would have been much more animation in the game, no doubt, had the bar on board the Ingonvar been opened; but the intelligent gentleman who presided inside had been restricted by General Pillow in his avocations; and wdien numerous thirsty souls from the camps came on board, with dry tongues and husky voices, and asked for "mint juleps," "brandy smashes," or "whisky cocktails," he seemed to take a saturnine pleasure by saying, "The General won't allow no spirit on board, but I can give you a nice drink of Pillow's own iced Mississippi water," an announcement which generally caused infinite disgust and some unhandsome wishes respecting the General's future happiness. By and bye, a number of sick men were brought down on litters, and placed here and there along the deck. /As there was a considerable misunderstanding between the civilian and military doctors, it appeared to be understood that the best way of arranging it was not to attend to the sick at all) and unfortunate men suffering from fever and dysentery were left to roll and VOL. II. >> ol MY DIARY NORTH AND SOl'TII. groan, and lie ou their stretchers, without a soul to liclp them. I had a medicine chest on board, and I ventured to use tl:e lessons of my experience in such matters, administered my quinine, James's Powder, calomel, and opium, secuudinti nwain artcm, and nothing could be more grateful than the poor fellows were for the smallest mark of attention. " Stranger, rememl)er, if I die," gasped one great fellow, attenuated to a skeleton by dysentery, " Tliat I am Robert Tallon, of Tishimingo county, and that I died for States' rights ; see, now, they put that in the jjupers, won't you ? Robert Tallon died for States' rights," and so he turned round on his blanket. Presently the General came on board, and the Ingomar proceeded on her way back to Mem})his. General Clarke, to whom I mentioned the great neglect from which the soldiers were suffering, told me he was afraid the men had no medical attendance in camp. ^11 the doctors, in fact, wanted to tight, and as they were educated men, and generally connected with respectable families, or had political influence in the State, they aspired to be colonels at the very least, and to wield the sword instead of the scalpel^ (Next to the medical dei)artment, the commissariat and transport were most deficient^ but l)y constant courts-martial, stoppages of pay, and severe sentences, he hoped tiiese evils would be eventually somewhat miti- gated. As one who had received a regular mili- tary education, (iencral Clarke was probably shocked by volunteer irregularities; and in such matters as guard-mounting, reliefs, patrols, and picket-duties, he declared they were enough to break one's heart ; but 1 was ^touibhcd to hear from him that the Germans STEAMBOAT EXPERIENCES. 85 were by far the worst of tlie live tliousiind troops uudcr liis conimiind, of whom they formed more than a lifthA Whilst we were couversiiig, the captain of the steamer invited us to come up into his cabin on the upper deck ; and as railway conductors, steamboat captains, bar- keepers, hotel-clerks, and telegraph oflicers are among the natural aristocracy of the land, we could not dis- obey the invitation, which led to the consumption of some of the captain's private stores, and many warm professions of political faith. The captain told me it was rough work abroad some- times with " sports ^^ and chaps of that kind; but " God bless you," said he, " the river now is not what it used to be a few' years ago, when we'd have three or four difficulties of an afternoon, and may-be now and then a regular free fight all up and down the decks, that would last a couple of hours, so that when we came to a town we would have to send for all the doctors twenty miles round, and may-be some of them would die in spite of that. It was the rowdies used to get these fights up ; but we^'e put them pretty well down. The citizens have hunted them out, and they's gone away west." " Well, then, captain, one^s life was not very safe on board sometimes." " Safe ! Lord bless you !" said the captain ; " if you did not meddle, just as safe as you are now, if the boiler dou^t collapse. You must, in course, know how to handle your weepins, and be pretty spry in taking your own part." " Ho, you Bill ! " to his coloured servant, " open that clothes-press." " Now, here," he continued, " is how^ I travel ; so that I am always easy in my mind in case of trouble on board." Putting his hand under the pillow of the bed close beside him, he pulled out a formidable 36 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. looking double-barrelled pistol at half-cock, with tlie caps upon it. " That's as purty a pistol as Derringer ever made. I've got tlie brace of them— here's the other ;" and with that he M'hipped out pistol No. 2, in an equal state of forwardness, from a little shelf over liis bed ; and then going over to the clothes-press, he said, '' Here's a real old Kentuck, one of the old sort, as light on the trigger as gossamer, and sure as dceth — AA'iiy, law bless me, a child would cut a turkey's head ofl' with it at a hundred yards." This was a liuge lump of iron, about five feet long, with a small hole bored down the centre, fitted in a coarse German-fashioned stock. "But," continued he, "this is my main dependence; liere is a regular beauty, a first-rate, with ball or buck- shot, or whatever you like — made in London ; I cave two hundred dollars for it : and it is so short and handy and straight shooting, I'd just as soon part with my life as let it go to anybody " and, with a glow of pride in his face, the captain handed round again a very short double-barrelled gun, of some eleven or twelve bore, with back action locks, and an audacious "Joseph Manton, London," stamped on the plate. The manner of the man was perfectly simple and bond fide ; verv much as if Inspector Podger were revealing to a simpleton the mode by Avhich the London police nuinaired refractorv characters in the station-liousc. [From such matters as these I was diverted by the more serious subject of the attitude taken by England in this (piarrel. The concession of belligerent rights was, 1 found, misunderstood, and was considered as an admis- sion that the Southern States had established their independence before they liad done more than declare ♦heir intention to fight for itj GREAT BRITAIN AND AMERICA. .'57 It is not Nvithiu my power to determine whether the North is as unfair to Great Britain as the South ; but I fear the history of the people, and tlie ten- dency of their institutions, are adverse to any hope of fair-play and justice to the old country. And yet it is the only power in Europe for the good opinion of which they really seem to care', Let any French, Austrian, or Russian journal write what it pleases of the United States, it is received with indittcrcnt criticism or callous head-shaking. But (let a London paper speak, and the whole American press is delighted or furious.') The political sentiment quite overrides all other feelings ; and it is the only symptom statesmen should care about, as it guides the policy of the country. If a man can put faith in the influence for peace of common interests, of common origin, common intentions, with the spectacle of this incipient war before his eyes, he must be incapable of appreciating the consequences Avhicli follow from man being an animal. A war between England and the United States would be un- natural ; but it would not be nearly so unnatural now as it was when it was actually waged in 1776 between people who Avcre barely separated from each other by a single generation; or in 1812-14, when the foreign immigration had done comparatively little to dilute the Anglo-Saxon blood. The Norman of Hampshire and Sussex did not care much for the ties of consanguinity and race when he followed his lord in fee to ravage Guienne or Brittany. (The general result of my intercourse with Americans is to produce the notion that they consider Great Britain in a state of corruption and decay, and eagerly seek to exalt France at her expense^ Their language is the 6 G 38 MY DIARY NORTH AND SdLTII. sole link between England and the laiited Stater, and it onlv binds the England of 177(i to the American of IbGO." (*rherc is scarcely an American on cither side of !Mason and Dixon's line who docs not reliijionsly believe that the colonies, alone and single-handed, encountered the whole undivided force of Great Britain in the revolution, and defeated it^ I moan, of course, the vast mass of the people; and 1 do not think there is an orator or a writer who would venture to tell them the truth on the subject. (lAgain, they firmly believe that their petty frigate engagements established as complete a naval ascendancy over Great Britain as the latter obtained by her great encounters with the llcets of France and Spaii). Their reverses, defeats, and headlong routs in the first war, their reverses in the second, are covered over by a Inii^e Buncombe plaster, made up of Bunker's Hill, Plattsburg, Baltimore, and New Orleans. v^heir delusions are increased and solidified by the extraordinary text-books of so-called historx-, and by the feasts, and festivals, and celebrations of their every-day political life, in all of which we pass through imajrinarv Caiuline Forks ; and thcv entertain towards the old coujitry at best very much the feeling which a high-spirited young man wouhl feel towards the guar- dian who, when he had come of age, and was free from all control, sought to restrain tiie passions of his early life. Now T could not refuse to believe that in New Orleans, Montgomery, Mobile, Jackson, and ^fcmphjs there is a reckless and violent condition of society, unfavourable to civilisation, and but little hopeful LIFE ANJ) LIBERTY. '-Id for the futurc.'j The most absolute and despotic rule, Tuuier which d man's life aud property are safe, is ])etter than the larjrest measure of democratic freedom, whicli deprives the freeman of any security for either, The state of legal protection for the most serious inte- rests of man, considered as a civiHsed and social creature, which prevails in America, could not be tolerated for an instant, and would generate a revolution in the worst governed country in Europe. I would mucli ,^.,,,„ sooner, as the accidental victim of a generally disor- i}^^^, gauized police, be plundered by a chance diligence robber in Mexico, or have a fair fight with a Greek Klepht, suft'er from ItaUan banditti, or be garotted by a London ticket-of-leave man, than be bowic-knifcd or revolvered in consequence of a poHtical or personal difference with a man, who is certain not in the least desrree to suffer from an accidental success in his argument. On our return to the hotel I dined with the General and his staff at the public table, where there was a large assemblage of military men, Southern ladies, their families, and( contractors 3 This latter race has risen up as if by magic, to meet the wants of the new Confede- racy; and fit is significant to measure the amount of the dependence on Northern manufacturers by the advertisements in the Southern journals, indicating the creation of new branches of workmanship, mechanical science, and manufacturing skill^ -Hitherto they have been dependent on the North for the very necessaries of their industrial life.— -These States were so intent on gathering in money for their produce, expending it luxuriously, and paying it out for Northern labour, that they found 40 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOl'TH. themselves suddenly in tlie condition of a child brou<,'ht up by hand, whose nurse and mother have left* it on the steps of the poor-house. But they have (certainly essayed to remedy the evil] and are cn- deavourinj; to make steam-engines, gunpowder, lamps, clothes, boots, railway carriages, steel springs, glass, and all the smaller articles for which even Southern households find a necessity. (hiie peculiar character of this contest developes itself in a manner almost incomprehensible to a stranger who has iK-en accustomed to regard the United States as a nation"_j; Here is General Pillow, for example, in the State of Tennessee, commanding the forces of the State, which, in eftect, belongs to the Southern Confe- deracy ; but he tells me that he cannot venture to move across a certain geographical line, dividing Ten- nessee from Kentucky, .because Xhe State of Kentucky, in the exercise of its sovereign powers and rights, which the Southern States are bound specially to respect, in virtue of their championship of States* rights, has, like the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,! declared it will be neutral in the struggle;) and Beriah MagolHn, Governor of the aforesaid State, has warned oft' Federal and Confederate troops from liis territory. General Pillow is particularly indignant with the cowardice of the well-known Secessionists of Kentucky; liut 1 think he is rather more annoyed by the accu- inulation of Federal troops at Cairo, and their recent expedition to Columbus on the Kentucky shore, a little below them, where they seized a Confederate ftaz. CHAPTER III. Heavy Bill — Railway travelling — Introductions — Assassinations — Tennessee — " Corinth " — " Troy "— " Humbolt "— " The Con- fetlerato Camp " — Return Northwards — Columbus — Cairo — The Slavery Question — Prospects of the War — Coarse Journalism. June IWi. It is probable the landlord of the G-ORTn AND SOUTH. ucre covered witli a fine alluvial deposit iu a state of powder; the i)hitform was crowded witli volunteers moving oil" for the wars, and I was obliged to take my place in a carriage full of Confederate officers and soldiers who had a large supply of whisky, which at that early hour they were consuming as a prophylactic against the influence of the morning dews, which hereabouts are of such a deadly character that, to be quite safe from their influence, it appears to be neces- sary, judging from the examples of my companions, to get as nearly drunk as possible. "Whisky, by-the-by, is also a sovereign specific against the bites of rattle- snakes. All the dews of the Mississippi and the rattle- snakes of the prairie might have spent their force or venom in vain on my companions before we had got as far as Union Citj'. I Mas evidently regarded with considerable suspicion by my fellow passengers, when they heard I was going to Cairo, until the conductor obligingly informed them who I V as, whereupon I was much entreated to fortify myself against the dews and rattlesnakes, and received many offers of service and kindness. ^Vhatever may be the normal comforts of American railway cars, they are certainly most unpleasant con- veyances when the war spirit is abroad, and the heat of the dav, which was excessive, did not contribute to diminish the annoyance of foul air — the odour of whisky, tobjicco, and the like, combined with innumer- able flies. At Ilumbolt, which is eighty-two miles away, there was a change of cars, and an opportunity of ol)taining some refreshment, — the station was crowded by great numbers of men and women dressed in their best, who were making holiday in order to FRIENDS OX THE PLATFORM. 43 visit Union City, forty-six miles distant, where a force of Tcnnesscean and IMississippi regiments are encamped. The hidies boldly advanced into carriages ■which were quite full, and as they looked quite prepared to sit down on the occupants of the scats if they did not move, and to destroy them Avith all-absorbing articles of feminine warfare, either defensive or aggressive, and crush them with iron-bound crinolines, they soon drove us out into the broiling sun. Whilst I was on the platform I underwent the usual process of American introduction, not, I fear, very good-humouredly. A gentleman whom you never saw before in your life, -walks up to you and says, " I am happy to see you among us, sir," and if he finds a hand wandering about, he shakes it cordially. " My name is Jones, sir, Judge Jones of Pumpkin County. Any infor- mation about this place or State that I can give is quite at your service." This is all very civil and well meant of Jones, but before you have made up your mind what to say, or on what matter to test the worth of his proffered information, he darts off and seizes one of the group who have been watching Jones''s advance, and comes forward with a tall man, like himself, busily en- gaged Avith a piece of tobacco. " Colonel, let me intro- duce you to my friend, Mr, Russell. This, sir, is one of our leading citizens. Colonel Knags." Where- upon the Colonel shakes hands, uses nearly the same formula as Judge Jones, immediately returns to his friends, and cuts in before Jones is back with other friends, whom he is hurrying up the platform, introduces General Cassius Mudd and Dr. Ordlando Bellows, who go through the same ceremony, and as each man has a circle of his own, my acquaintance becomes prodigiously 44 MY DIA1!Y NORTH AND SOrill. extended, and my Laud considerably tortured in the space of a few minutes ; finally I am introduced to the driver of the engine and the stoker, l)ut they proved to be acquaintances not at all to be despised, for they gave me a seat on the engine, which was really a boon con- sidering that the train was crowded beyond endurance, and in a state of internal nastiness scarcely conceivable. AVhen I had got up on the engine a gentleman clambered after me in order to have a little conversa- tion, and he turned out to be an intelligent and clever man well acquainted Mith the people and the country. I had been much impressed by the account in the Memphis papers of the lawlessness and crime which seemed to prevail in the state of Mississippi, and of the brutal shootings and stabbings which disgraced it and other Southern States. He admitted it was true, but could not see any remedy. " Why not? " " AVell, sir, the rowdies have rusiicd in on us, and we can't master them ; they are too strong for the respectable people." " Then you admit the law is nearly powerless V " *' Well, you see, sir, these men have got hold of the people who ought to administer the law, and when they fail to do so they are so powerful by reason of their numbers, and so reckless, they have things their own way." " In eti'ect, then, yuu arc living undir a reign of terror, and the rule of a rulfian mol) V " " It's not (|uite so bad as that, perhaps, for the respectable people are not much alfected by it, and most of the crimes of which you speak arc committed by tliesc bad classes in their own section ; biit it is disgraceful to have such a state of things, and when tiiis war is over, and we have started the Confederacy all fair, we'll put the whole TENNESSEE. 45 tliiiii; down. Wc arc quite dcterminecl to take the law into our own hands, and the first remedy for the con- dition of affairs whicli, wc all lament, will be to confine the suffrage to native-born Americans, and to get rid of the infamous, scoundrelly foreigners, who now over- rule us in our country/^ " But arc not many regiments of Irish and Germans now fighting for you ? And will these foreigners who have taken iip arms in your cause be content to receive as the result of their success an inferior position, politically, to that which they now hold?'' "Well, sir, they must; we are bound to go through with this thing if we would save society/' I had so often heard a similar determination expressed by men belonging to the thinking classes in the South that I am bound to believe the project is entertained by many of those engaged in this great revolt — one principle of which indeed, may be considered hostility to universal suffrage, combining with it, of course, the limitation of the immigrant vote. The portion of Tennessee through which the rail runs is exceedingly uninteresting, and looks unhealthy, the clearings occur at long intervals in the forest, and the unwholesome population, wdio came out of their low shanties, situated amidst blackened stumps of trees or fields of Indian corn, did not seem prosperous or comfortable. The twists and curves of the rail, through cane brakes and swamps exceeded in that respect any line I have ever travelled on ; but the vertical irre- gularities of the rail Avere still greater, and the engine bounded as if it were at sea. The names of the stations show that a savant has been rambling about the district. Here is Corinth, which consists of a wooden grog-shop and three log shanties ; 46 MY DIAKY NOinil AND .SOUTH. the acropolis is represented by a grocery store, of >vhicli the proprietors, uo doubt, have {;oue to the wars, as their names were suspiciously Milesian, and the doors and windows were fastened ; but occasionally the names of the stations on the railway boards represented towns and villages, hidden in the wood some distance away, and Mummius might have something to ruin if he marched off the track but not otherwise. The city of Troy was still simpler in architecture than the Grecian capitol. The Dardanian towers were re- presented by a timber-house, in the verandah of which the American Helen was seated, in the shape of an old woman smoking a pipe, and she certainly could have set the Palace of Priam on fire much more readily than her prototype. Four sheds, three log huts, a saw- mill, about twenty negroes sitting on a wood-pile, and looking at the train, constituted the rest of the place, which was certainly too new for one to say, Troja fu'it, whilst the general "lixius" would scarcely authorise us to say with any confidence, Troja fucril. The train from Troy passed through a cypress swamp, over which the engine rattled, and hopped at a perilous rate along high trestle work, till forty-six miles from Ilumljolt we came to Union City, which was apparently formed by aggregate meetings of discontented shavings that had travelled out of the forest hard by. But a little beyond it was the Confederate camp, which so many citizens and cilizenesses had come out into the wilileruess to see ; and a general descent wjis made upon the place whilst the volunteers came swarming out of their tents to meet their friends. It was interesting to observe the afTcctionate greetings between the young soldiers, mothers, wives, and sweethearts, and as a A SOUTHERN CAMP. 47 ilisplay of the force and earnestness of tlie Southern people — the camp itself containing thousands of men, man}' of whom were members of the first families in the State — was specially significant. There is no appearance of military order or dis- cipline about the camps, though they were guarded b\' sentries and cannon, and implements of war and soldiers' accoutrements were abundant. Some of the sen- tinels carried their firelocks under their arms like umbrellas, others carried the but over the shoulder and the muzzle downwards, and one for his greater ease had stuck the bayonet of his firelock into the ground, and was leaning his elbow on the stock with his chin on his hand, whilst Sybarites less ingenious, had simply deposited their muskets against the trees, and were lying down reading newspapers. Their arms and uniforms were of difi'erent descriptions — sporting rifles, fowling pieces, flint muskets, smooth bores, long and short barrels, new Enfields, and the like ; but the men, nevertheless, were undoubtedly material for ex- cellent soldiers. There were some few boys, too young to carry arms, although the zeal and ardour of such lads cannot but have a good cfi'ect, if they behave well in action. The great attraction of this train lay in a vast supply of stores, with which several large vans were closely packed, and for fully two hours the train was delayed, whilst hampers of wine, spirits, vegetables, fruit, meat, groceries, and all the various articles acceptable to soldiers living under canvas were dis- gorged on the platform, and carried away by the expectant military. I was pleased to observe the perfect confidence 48 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. tlmt was felt in the honesty of the men. The railway servants simply deposited each article as it came out on the platform — the men came up, read the address, and carried it away, or left it, as the case might be ; and only in one instance did I see a scramble, ■which was certainly quite justifialilc, for in handinj; out a large basket the bottom gave way, and out tumbled onions, apples, and potatoes among the soldiery, who stufled their pockets and haversacks with the unexpected bounty. One young fellow, who was handed a large w ickcr-covered jar from the van, having shaken it, and gratified his car by the pleasant jingle inside, retired to the roadside, drew the cork, and, raising it slowly to his mouth, proceeded to take a good pull at the contents, to the envy of his comrades ; but the pleasant expression upon his face rapidly vanished, and spurting out the iluid with a hideous grimace, he exclamcd, "D ; why, if the old woman has not gone and sent me a gallon of syrup." Tiie matter Avas evidently considered too serious to joke about, for not a noul in the crowd even smiled ; but they walked away from the man, who, putting down the jar, seemed in doubt as to whether he would take it away or not. Numerous were the invitations to stop, which I received from the oflieers. " Why not stay with us, sir ; M'hat can a gentleman want to go among black f Kepublicans and Yankees for," It is (juite obvions that my return to the Northern States is regarded w ith some suspicion; but I am bound to say that my explana- tion of the necessity of the stcj) was alw:iys well received, and satisfied my Southern friiiuls that I had no alter- native. A special correspondent, whose letters cannot A FILIBUSTERO. 11) get out of the country in Avliich he is engaged, can scarcely fulfil the purpose of his mission ; aiul I used to point out, good-hunioureclly, to these gentlemen that until they had eitlier opened the communication uitli the North, or had broken the blockade, and established steam communication witli Europe, I must seek my base of operations elsewhere. At last Ave started from Union City ; and there came into the car, among other soldiers who were going out to Columbus, a fine specimen of the wild fili-"^ bustering population of the South, which furnish many recruits to the ranks of the Confederate army — a tall, brawuy-shouldered, brown-faced, black-bearded, hairy- handed man, with a hunter's eye, and rather a Jewish face, full of life, energy, and daring. I easily got into conversation with him, as my companion happened to be a freemason, and he told us he had been a planter in Mississippi, and once owaied 110 negroes, worth at least some 20,000/. ; but, as he said himself, " I was always patrioting it about;" and so he went off, /first with Lopez to Cuba, was wounded and taken prisoner by the Spaniards, but had the good fortune to be saved from the execution which was inflicted on the ringleaders of the expedition. When he came back he found his plantation all the worse, and a decrease amongst his negroes ; but his love of adventure and filibustering was stronger than his prudence or desire of gain. (lie took up with Walker, the " the grey eyed man of destiny," and accompanied him in his strange career till his leader received the coup de yruce in the final raid upon Nicaragua^ Again he was taken prisoner, and would have been put to death by the Nicaraguuus, but for the interven- 50 MY DIAKV NORTH AND SOUTH tiou of Captniu Aldliani. "I don't bear any love to the Britishers," said lie, " but Tin bound to say, as so many ehargcs have been made against Caj)tain Aldham, that he behaved like a gentleman, and if I had been at New Orleans when them cussed cowardly blackguards ill-used him, I'd have left my mark so deep on a few of them, that their clothes would not cover them long." He told us that at present he had only five negroes left, " but I'm not going to let the black republicans lay hold of them, and I'm just going to stand up for States' rights as long as I can draw a trigger— so snakes and Abolitionists look out.'' lie was so reduced by starva- tion, ill-treatment, and sickness in ^Nicaragua, when Captain Aldham procured his release, that he weighed only 1 10 pounds, but at present he was over 2UU pounds, a splendid bete fauve, and without wishing so fine a looking fellow any harm, I could not but help thinking that it must be a benefit to American society to get rid of a considerable number of these class of which he is a representative man. And there is every probability that they will have a full ojiportunity of doing so. On the arrival of the train at Columbus, twenty- five miles from Union City, my friend got out, and a good number of men in uniform joined him, •which led me to conclude that tluy had some more scM'ious object than a mere pkasure trij) to the vi-ry uninteresting looking city on the banks of the Missis*- .sip|)i, which is asserted to be neutral territory, as it belongs to the sovereign state of Kentucky. 1 heard, aecidentally, as 1 came in the train, that a party of Federal soldiers from the camp at Cairo, up the river, liad recently descended to Columbus and torn down a bccesbion Hag which liad been hoisted on the river's COLUMBUS, KENTUCKY. 51 bank, to the great indignation of many of tlic in- liabitants. -In those border states the coming war promises to produce the greatest misery y they will be the scenes of hostile operations ; the population is divided in senti- ment ; the greatest efforts will be made by each side to gain the ascendancy ^ in the state, and to crush the opposite faction, and it is not possible to believe that Kentucky can maintain a neutral positiouL or that cither Federal or Confederates will pay the smallest regard to the proclamation of Governor McGofi&n, and to his empty menaces. At Columbus the steamer was waiting to convey us up to Cairo, and I congratulated myself on the good fortune of arriving in time for the last opportunity that Mill be afforded of proceeding northward by this route. General Pillow on the one hand, and General Prentiss on the other, have resolved to blockade the Mississippi, and as tlie facilities for Confederates going up to Columbus and obtaining information of what is happening in tlic Federal camps cannot readily be checked, the general in command of the port to which I am bound has intimated that the steamers must cease running. It was late in the day when we entered once more on the father of waters, which is here just as broad, as muddy, as deep, and as wooded as it is at Baton Rouge, or Vicksburg. Columbus is situated on an elevated spur or elbow of land projecting into the river, and has, in commercial faith, one of those futures wliicli have so many rallying points down the centre of the great river. The steamer which lay at the wharf, or rather the wooden piles in the bank which afforded a resting place for the gang- E 2 52 MY DIAKY XORTII AND SOUTH. uay, carried no flajj:, ami on board j)rcsciited traces of better days, a list of rcfresliments uo longer attainable, and of bill of fare ntterly fanciful. About twenty pas- sengers came on board, most of whom had a distracted air, as if they were doubtful of their journey. The captain was surly, the ofiice keeper petulant, the crew morose, and, perhaps, only one man on board, a stout Englishman, who was purser or chief of the victualling department, seemed at :dl inclined to be communicative. At dinner lie asked me whether I thought there would be a light, but as I was oscillating between one extreme and the other, I considered it right to conceal my opinion even from the steward of the Mississippi boat ; and, as it happened, the expression of it would not have been of niuch conscqucuce one way or the other, for it turned out that our friend was of very stern stuff, "This war," he said, "is all about niggers; I've been sixteen years in the country, and 1 never met one of them yet was fit to be anything but a slave ; I know the two sections well, and I tell you, sir, the North can't whip the South, let them do their best; they may ruin the country, but they'll do no good." There were men on board who had expressed the strongest secession sentiments in the train, but who now sat and listened and acquiesced in the opinions of Northern nun, and by the time Cairo was in sight, they, no doubt, would have taken the oath of allegiance which every doubtful person is required to utter before lie is allowed to go beyond the military post. In about two hours or so the cajjlain pointed out to me a tall building and some sheds, wliich seemed to arise out of a wide reach in the river, "that's Oaircy," said he, " where the Unionists have their camp," and very AMERICAN CAIRO. 53 soon tlic stars and stripes were visible, wavini^ from a lofty staff, at tlie angle of low land formed Ijy the junetion of the INIississippi and Ohio. For two months I had seen only the rival stars and bars, with the exception of the rival banner floating from the ships and the fort at Pickens. One of the passengers told me that the place was snpposed to be described by Mr. Dickens, in "Martin Chuzzlewit," and as the steamer approached the desolate embankment, which seemed the only barrier between the low land on which the so- called city was built, and the waters of the great river rising above it, it certainly became impossible to believe that sane men, even as speculators, could have fixed upon such a spot as the possible site of a great city, — an emporium of trade and commerce. A more deso- late woe-begone looking place, now that all trade and commerce had ceased cannot be conceived ; but as the southern terminus of the central Illinois railway, it displayed a very diflferent scene before the war broke out. With the exception of the large hotel, which rises far above the levee of the river, the public edi- fices are represented by a church aiul spire, and the rest of the town by a line of shanties and small houses, the rooms and upper stories of which are just visible above the embankment. The general impression effected by the place was decidedly like that which the Isle of Dogs produces on a despondent foreigner as he approaches London by the river on a drisly day in November. The stream, formed by the united efforts of the ]\[issis- sippi and the Ohio, did not appear to gain much l)rc:ultli, and each of the confluents looked as large as its product with the other. Three steamers lav alongside the 5t MV DIAUV NORTH AND SuL'TH. wooden wharves projectiuj^ from the embuukraeut, whieh was also lined by some Ihit-boats. Sentries paraded the gan;;wa\ s as the steamer made fast along the shore, but no incjuiry Avas directed to any of the passengers, and I walked up the levee and proceeded straight to the hotel, whieh put me very much in mind of an effort made by speculating proprietors to create a watering-place on some lifeless beach. In the hall there were a number of ofiicers in United States' uni- forms, and the lower part of the hotel was, apparently, occupied as a military bureau; finally, I was shoved into a small dungeon, with a window opening out on the angle formed by the two rivers, which was lined with sheds and huts and terminated by a battery. These camps arc such novelties in the country, and there is such romance in the mere fact of a man living in a tent, that people come far and wide to see their friends under such extraordinary circumstances, and the hotel at Cairo was crowded by men and women who had come from all parts of Illinois to visit their ac- quaintances and relations belonging to the state troops encamped at this important jjoint. The salle a mam/er, a long and lofty room on the ground Hoor, which I visited at supper time, was almost untenable by reason of heat and Hies ; nor did I find that the free negroes, who acted as attendants, possessed any advantages over their enslaved brethren a few miles lower down the river ; though their freedom was obvious enough in their demeanour and manners. I was introduced to Cjeneral i'rentiss, an agrccabk; pcrson.w ithout anything about him to indicate the soldier. He gave me a number of newspapers, the articles in which were principally occupied with a discussion of Lord CAIRO MOSQUITOES. 55 John Russell's speech on American affairs : Mucli as the \ South found fault witli the British niiuister for the \ views lie had expressed, the North appears much more ' indignant, and denounces in the press what the journa- lists are pleased to call "the hostility of the Foreign ^Minister to the United States." It is admitted, how- ever, that the extreme irritation caused by admitting the Southern States to exercise limited belligerent rights was not quite justifiable. Soon after nightfall I retired to my room and battled with mosquitoes till I sank iuto sleep and exhaustion, and abandoned myself to their mercies ; perhaps, after all, there were not more than a hundred or so, and their united efforts could not absorb as much blood as would be taken out by one leech, but then their horrible acrimony, which leaves a wreck behind in the place where they have banqueted, inspires the utmost indignation and appears to be an indefensible prolongation of the outrage of the original bite. June 20//«.— When I awoke this morning and, gazing out of my little window on the regiments parading on the level below me, after an arduous struggle to obtain cold water for a bath, sat down to consider what I had seen Avithin the last two months, and to arrive at some general results from the retrospect, I own that after much thought my mind wasreduced to ahazy analysis of the abstract principles of right and wrong, in which it failed to come to any very definite coudusion : the space of a very few miles has completely altered the phases of thought and the forms of language. I am living among " abolitionists, cut-throats, Lin- colnite mercenaries, foreign invaders, assassins, and plun- dering Dutchmen." Such, at least, the men of Columbus 56 MY DIAPY NORTH AND SOUTH. tell me the garrison at Cairo consists of, Down below nic are "rebels, conspirators, robbers, slave breeders, Avretcbes bent npon destroying the most perfect govern- ment JD SOUTH. :i true soldierly spirit, and at the base of the volunteer system there lies a radical difliculty, which must be overcome l)efbrc real military eilicieucy can be expected. In the South the foreign element has contributed largely to swell the ranks with many docile and a few experienced soldiers, the number of the latter pre- dominating in the German levies, and the same remark is, I hear, true of the Northern armies. Tlic most active member of the stati" here is a young Englishman named Biumore, who was a stenographic writer in liondon, but has now sharpened his pencil into a sword, and when I went into the guard-room this morning I found that three-fourths of the oflicers, including all who had seen actual service, were foreigners. One, Milutzky, was an Hungarian; another, Waagner, was of the same nationality ; a third, Schuttner, was a German ; another, ^lac something, was a Scotchman ; another, was an Englishman, One only (Colonel Morgan), who had served in Mexico, was an American, The foreigners, of course, serve in this war as merce- nai ies ; that is, they enter into the conflict to gain something by it, cither in pay, in position, or in securing a status for themselves. The utter absence of any fixed principle deter- mining the side which the foreign nationalities adopt is proved by their going North or South vith the state in which they live. On the other hand, the effects of discipline and of the principles of military life on rank and fiU', are shown by the fact that the soldiers of the regular regiments of the United States and the sailors in the navy have to a man adhered to their colours, notwithstanding the examples and inducemeuts of their oflicers. THE DEFENCES OP CAIRO. 59 After breakfast I went down about the works, which fortify the bank of mud, in the shape of a V, formed by the two rivers — a fleche with a ditcli, scarp, and counter-scarp. Some heavy pieces cover tlie end of the spit at the other side of tlic Mississippi, at Bird's Point. On the side of Missouri there is a field entrenchment, held by a regiment of Germans, Poles, and Hungarians, about lOOU strong, with two field batteries. The sacred soil of Kentucky, on the other side of the Ohio, is tabooed by Bcriah Magoffiuj but it is not possible for the belligerents to stand so close face to face without occupying either Columbus or Hickman. The thermometer was at 100° soon after breakfast, and it was not wonderful to fiud that the men in Camp Defiance, which is the name of the cantonment on the mud between the levees of the Ohio and Mississippi, were sufiering from diarrhoea and fever. In the evening there was a review of three regi- ments, forming a brigade of some 2800 men, who went through their drill, advancing in columns of company, moving en echelon, changing front, deploying into line on the centre company, very creditably. It Avas curious to see what a start ran through the men during the parade when a gun was fired from the battery close at hand, and how their heads turned towards the river ; but the steamer which had appeared round the bend hoisted the private signs, by wliich she was known as a friend, and tranquillity was restored. I am not sure that most of these troops desire^ anything but a long residence at a tolerably com-; fortablc station, with plenty of pay and no marchinj CO MV DIAUY XOIlTri AND SOUTH. Cairo, indeed, is not comfortable; the worst barrack that ever asphixiatidTlie British soUlier would be better than the best shed licre, and the Hi. s and the mosquitoes are beyond all conception virulent and pestiferous. I would give niueh to see Cairo in its normal state, but it is my fate to witness the most interesting scenes in the world through a glaze of gunpowder. It would be unfair to say that any marked superiority in dwelling, clothing, or comfort was visible between the mean white of Cairo or the black chattel a few miles down the river. Brawling, rioting, and a good deal of drunkenness prevailed in the miserable sheds which line the stream, although there was nothing to justify the libels on the garrison of the Coluinbus Crescent, editL'd by one Colonel L. G. Faxon, of the Tennessee Tigers, with whose writings I was made acquainted by General Prentiss, to whom they appeared to give more annoyance than he was quite wise in showing. This is a style of journalism which may have its merits, and which certainly is peculiar ; I give a few small pieces. "The Irish arc for us, and they will knock Bologna sausages out of the Dutch, and we will knock wooden nutmegs out of the Yankees." " The mosquitoes of Cairo have been sucking the lager-bier out of the dirty soldiers there so long, they are bloated and swelled up as large as spring 'pos- sums. An assortment of Columbus mosquitoes went up there the other day to suck some, but as they have not returned, the pn^bability is they went off M'ith delirium tremnus ; in fact, the blood of these Hessians would poison the most degraded tumble bug in creation." Our editor is particularly angry about the recent ELEGANT EXTRACTS. (ij seizure of a Confederate lla^- at Culumbu.s l)y Colonel Oglesby and a party of Federals from Cairo. Speaking of a Hag intended for himself, lie says, " Would that its folds had contained 1000 asps to sting 1000 Dutchmen to eternity unshriven." Our fi-iend is certainly a genius. His paper of June the 19th opens with an apology for the non-appearance of the journal for several weeks. " Before leaving," he says, " wc en- gaged the services of a competent editor, and left a printer here to issue the paper regularly. We were detained several w^eks be^'ond our time, the aforesaid printer promised faithfully to perform his duties, but he left the same day we did, and consequently there was no one to get out the paper. Wc have the charity to suppose that fear and bad whisky had nothing to do with his evacuation of Columbus." Another elegant extract about the flag commences, " When the bow- legged, wooden slioed, sour craut stinking, Bologna sausage eating, hen roost robbing Dutch sons of had accomplished the brilliant feat of taking down the Secession flag on the river bank, they were pointed to another flag of the same sort which their guns did not cover, flying gloriously and defiantly, and dared yea ! double big black dog — dared, as w'e used to say at school, to take that flag down — the cowardly pups, the thieving sheep dogs, the sneaking skunks, dare not do so, because their twelve pieces of artillery were not bearing on it." As to the Federal commander at Cairo, Colonel Faxon's sentiments are unambiguous. " The qualifications of this man, Prentiss," he says, " for the command of such a squad of villains and cut-throats are, that he is a miserable hound, a dirty dog, a sociable fellow, a treacherous villain, a notorious thief, a lying 02 MY DIAUY NORTH AND SOl'TH. black<;iiard, wlio lias served liis regular five years in the Penitentiary ami kc-ips his hide continually full of Cincinnati whisky, which he buys by the barrel in order to save his money — in him are embodied the leprous rascalities of the world, aud in this living score, the gallows is cheated of its own, Prentiss wants our sealp ; we propose a plan by w hicli he may get that valuable article. Let him select ].")() of his best fighting men, or 2o() of his lager-bier Dutchmen, we will select 100, then let both parties meet where there will be no interruption at the scalping business, and the longest l)ole will knock the persimmon. If he docs not accept this proposal, lie is a coward. AVc think this a gentle- manly proposition and (juitc fair and ecjual to both parties." CHAPTER IV. Camp at Cairo— The North and the South in respect to Europe— Poli- tical reflections— Mr. Colonel Oglesby— My speech— Northern and Southern soldiers compared — American country-walks — Reckless- ness of life— Want of cavalry— Emeute in the camp— Defects of army medical department — Horrors of war — Bad discipline. June 2lst. Verily I would be sooner in the Coptic Cairo, narrow streeted, dark bazaared, many flied, much vexed by donkeys and by overland route passengers, than the horrid tongue of land which licks the muddy margin of the Ohio and the Mississippi. The ther- mometer at 100° in the shade before noon indicates nowhere else such an amount of heat and suffering, and yet prostrate as I was, it was my fate to argue that England was justified in conceding belligerent rights to the South, and that the attitude of neutrality we had assumed in 1;his terrible quarrel is not in effect an aggression on the United States ; and here is a difference to be perceived between the North and the South. The people of the seceding States, aware in their consciences that they have been most active in their hostility to Great Britain, and whilst they were in power were mainly responsible for the defiant, irritatnig, and insulting tone commonly used to us by American statesmen, are anxious at the present moment, when so much depends on the action of foreign countries, to 64 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. remove all unfavourable impressious from our minds by dcclaratiuns of guoil will, respect, and admiration, not quite compatible with the langua-je of their leaders in times not long gone by. The North, as yet unconscious of the loss of power, and reared in a school of menace and \iolent assertion of their rights regarding themselves as the whole of the United States, and animated by their own feeling of commercial and political opposition to Great Britain, maintain the high tone of a people who have never known let or hindrance in their pjissious, and consider it an outrage that the whole world does not join iu active sympathy for a government which in its brief career has contrived to affront every nation in Europe with whicli it had any dealings. If the United States have astonished France by their ingratitude, they have certainly accustomed England to their petulance, and one can fancy the satisfaction with which the Austrian Statesmen who remeud)er Mr. Webstei-'s despatch to .Mr. liulsemann, contemplate the present condition of the L'nited States in the face of an insurrection of these sovereign and independent States which the Cabinet at AVashington stigmatises as an outbreak of rebels and traitors to the royalty of the Union. During my short sojourn in this country 1 have never yet met any person who ccudd show me where the sovereignty of the Union resides. General Prentiss, liowever, and his Illinois volunteers, are quite ready to fight for it. In the afternoon the General drove me round the camps in company with !Mr. Washburne, Member of Congress, from Illinois, his staff and a party of officers, among whom was Mr. Oglesby, colonel of a A WESTERN COLONEL. 05 regiment of State Volunteers, who struck me by his shrewdness, simple honesty, and zeal.* He told mc that he had begun life in the utmost obscurity, but that somehow or otlier he got into a lawyer^s office, and there, by hard drudgery, by mother ■wit, and industry, notwithstaiuling a defective eduea- ■cation, he had raised himself not only to independence but to such a position that 1000 men had gathered at his call aiul selected one Avho had never led a company in his life to be their colonel; in fact, he is an excellent orator of the western school, and made good homely, telling speeches to his men. " I'm not as good as your Frenchmen of the schools of Paris, nor am I equal to the Russian colonels I met at St. Petersburg, who sketched me out how they had beaten you Britishers at Scbastopol," said he ; " but I know I can do good straight fighting with my boys when I get a chance. There is a good deal in training, to be sure, but nature tells too. Why I believe I would make a good artillery officer if I was put to it. General, you heard how I laid one of them guns the other day and touched her off with my own hand and sent the ball right into a tree half-a-raile away." The Colonel evidently thought he had by that feat proved his fitness for the command of a field battery. One of the German officers who was listening to the lively old man's talk, whispered to me, " Dere is a good many of tese colonels in dis camp." At each station the officers came out of their tents, shook hands all round, and gave an unfailing invita- tion to get down and take a drink, and the guns on the General's approach fired salutes, as though it was a * Since died of wounds received in actioD. VOL. 11. K GG 31Y DIAKY NOUTH AND SOUTH. time of profouiulest peace. Poudcr was certainly more plentiful than in the Confederate camps, where salutes are not permitted. unless by special order on great occasions. The General remained for some time in the camp of the Chicago lisiht artillery, which was commanded by a fine young Scotchman of the Saxon genus Smith, who told me that the privates of his company represented a million and a half of dollars in property. Their guns, horses, carriages, and accoutrements were all in the most creditable order, and there was au air about the men and about their camp which showed they did not belong to the same class as the better disciplined Hungarians of !Milotzky close at hand. "Whilst we were seated in Captain Smiths tent, a number of the privates came forward, and sang the " Star-spangled banner " and a patriotic song, to the air of " God save the Queen,^' and the rest of the artillery- men, and a number of stragglers from the other camps, assembled and then formed line behind the singers. When the chorus was over there arose a great shout for A\'ashi)urne, and the honourable Congress man was fain to come forward and make a speech, in which lie assured his hearers of a very spCedy victory and the advent of liberty all over the land. Then " General Prentiss" was called for; and as citizen soldiers command their Generals on such occasions, he too was obliged to speak, and to tell his audience "the world had never seen any men more devoted, gallant, or patriotic than themselves." " Oglesby " was next summoned, and the tall, portly, good-huujoured old man stepjjed to the front, and with excellent tact and good sense, dished up in the Buncombe !;tyle, told them the time for CAMP OKATOKV. G7 making speeches liad passed, indeed it had lasted too long; and although it was said there was very little fighting when there was niucli talking, he believed too nmeli talking was likely to lead to a great deal more fighting than any one desired to see between citizens of the Uuited States of America, except their enemies, Avho, no doubt, were much better pleased to see Americans fighting each other than to find them engaged in any other employment. Great as the mischief of too much talking had been, too much writing had far more of the mischief to answer for. The pen was keener than the tongue, hit harder^ and left a more incurable wound ; but the pen was better than the tongue, because it was able to cure the mischief it had inflicted." And so by a series of sentences the Colonel got round to me, and to my consternation, remembering how I had fared with my speech at the little private dinner on St. Patrick's Day in New York, I was called upon by stentorian lungs, and hustled to the stump by a friendly circle, till I escaped by uttering a few sentences as to "mighty struggle," " Europe gazing," " the world anxious," " the virtues of discipline," " the admirable lessons of a soldier^s life," and the " aspiration that in a quarrel wherein a British subject was ordered, by an authority he was bound to respect, to remain neutral, God might preserve the right." Colonel, General, and all addressed the soldiers as " gentlemen," and their auditory did not on their part refrain from expressing their sentiments in the most unmistakeable manner. "Bully for you. General!" "Bravo, Washburne ! " "Tliafs so. Colonel!" and the like, interrupted the harangues and when the JF 2 CS MV DIAUY NORTH AND SOUTH. oratorical exercises were over the men crowded round the stair, cheered and hurrahed, and tossed up their caps iu tlie greatest delij^lit. "With the exception of the foreign officers, and some of the Stafl", there are very few of the colonels, majors, captains, or lieutenants who know anything of theii" business. The men do not care for them, and never think of saluting them. A regiment of Ciermans wjis sent \across from Bird's Point this evening for plundering and robbing the houses in the district in which they were quartered. It may be readily imagined that the scoundrels who liad to fly from every city in Europe before the face of the police will not stay their hands when they hud themselves masters of the situation in the so-called country of an enemy. In such matters the officers have little or no control, and discipline is exceedingly lax, and punishments but sparingly in- flicted, the use of the lash being forbidden altogether. Fine as the men are, incomparably better armed, clad — and doubtless better fed — than the Southern troops, they will scarcely meet them man to man in the field with any chance of success. Among the oflicers are bar-room keepers, persons little above the position of ])otmen in England, grocers' apprentices, and such like — often inferior socially, and in every other respect, to the men whom they are supposed to command. General Prentiss lias seen service, I believe, iu Mexico; but he appears to nic to be rather an ardent politician, embittered against slaveholders and (lie South, than a judicious or skilful military leader. The principles on which these isolated commanders carry on the A\ar are eminently defective. They apply A WALK l\ TIIK COUNTRY. CO their whole minds to petty expeditions, uliieli p;o ont from the oiimps, attack some Secessionist gatherinj^, and then return^ plundering as they go and come, exasperating enemies, converting neutrals into oppo- nents, disgusting friends, and leaving it to the Seces- sionists to boast that they have repulsed them. Instead of encouraging the men and improving their discipline these ill-conducted expeditions have an opposite result. June 2-2nd. An active man would soon go mad if he were confined in Cairo. A mudbank stretching along the course of a muddy river is not attractive to a pedestrian; and, as is the case in most of the Southern cities, there is no place round Caii'o where a man can stretch his legs, or take an lionest walk in the country. A walk in the country ! The Americans liavc not an idea of what the thing means. I speak now only of the inhabitants of the towns of the States through which I have passed, as far as I have seen of them. The roads are either impassible in mud or knee-deep in dust, Thci'e are no green shady lanes, no sheltering groves, no quiet paths through green meadows beneath umbrageous trees. Off the rail there is a morass — or, at best, a clearing — full of stumps. No temptations to take a stroll. Down away South the planters ride or drive ; indeed in many places the saunterer by the way- side would probably encounter an alligator, or disturb a society of rattle-snakes. To-day I managed to struggle along the levee in a kind of sirocco, and visited the works at the'i extremity, which were constructed by an Hungarian named Waagner, one of the emigres who came with Kossuth to the United States. I found him 70 MY DIARY NORTH AXD SOUTH. in a lint full of flics, suffering from camp diarrhoEa, and waited on by Mr. O'Lcarv, who was formerly petty olliccr in our navy, scncd in the Furious in the Black Sea, and in the Shannon Briii^de in India, now a lieutenant in the United States' army, where I should say he feels himself very much out of i)lacc. The Hungarian and the Milesian were, however, quite agreed about the utter incompetence of their military friends around them, and the great merits of heavy artillery. " When I tell them here the way poor Sir William made us rattle about them OS-pounder guns, the poor ignorant creatures laugh at me — not one of them believes it." " Tt is most astonishing,'* says the colonel. " how ignorant they arc ; there is not one of these men who can trace a regular work. Of West- point men I speak not, but of the people about licrc, and they will not learn of me — from me who knows." However, the works were well enough, strongly covered, commanded both rivers, and not to be reduced without trouble. The heat drove me in among the flies of the crowded hotel, where Brigadier Prentiss is planning one of those absurd expeditions against a Secessionist camp i at Commerce, in the State of Missouri, about two hours steaming uj) the river, and some twelve or fourteen miles inlaiul. Cairo aboiinds in Secessionists and spies, and it is needful to take great precautions lest the expedition be known; but, after all, stores must be got ready, and put on board the steamers, and prepara- tions must be made which cannot be concealed from the world. At dusk 700 men, sujiportcd by a six- poiindcr field-i)iecc, were put on board the " City of Alton," ou whicli they clustered like bees in a swarm. DEFECTIVE ORGANIZATION. 71 and as the huge engine laboured up and down ni^ainst the stream, and the boat swayed from side to side, I felt a considerable desire to see General Prentiss chucked into the stream for his utter recklessness in cramming on board one huge tinder-box, all fire and touchwood, so many hunnm beings, who, in event of an explosion, or a shot in the boiler, or of a heavy musketry fire on the l)anks, woidd have been converted into a great slaughter-house. One small boat hung from her stern, and although there were plenty of river flats and numerous steamers, even the horses belonging to the field piece were crammed in among the men along the deck. In my letter to Eiu'ope I made, at the time, some remarks by which the belligerents might have profited, and which at the time these pages are reproduced may strike them as possessing some value, illustrated as they have been by many events in the war. " A hand- ful of horsemen would have been admirable to move in advance, feel the covers, and make prisoners for poli- tical or other purposes in case of flight ; but the Americans persist in ignoring the use of horsemen, or at least in depreciating it, though they will at last find that they may shed much blood, and lose much more, before they can gain a victory without the aid of artillery and charges after the retreating enemy. From the want of cavalry, I sup- pose it is, the unmilitary practice of * scouting,' as it is called here, has arisen. It is all very well in the days of Indian wars for footmen to creep about in the bushes, and shoot or be shot by sentries and pickets ; but no civilised war recognises such means of annoy- ance as firing upon sentinels, unless in case of an k 7£ MY DIAKV N«jUTH AND SOLTM. actual advance or feigned attack on the line. No camp can be safe witliout cavalry videttes and pickets ; for the enemy can pour in impetuously after the alarm has been given, as fast as the outlying footmen can run in. In feeling the way for a column, cavalry are invaluable, and there can be little chance of ambus- cades or surprises where they are judiciously employed; but * scouting ' on foot, or adventurous private expe- ditions on horseback, to have a look at the enemy, can do, and will do, nothing but harm. Every day the papers contain accounts of 'scouts' being killed, and sentries being picked off. The latter is a very bar- barous and savage practice ; and the Russian, in his most angry moments, abstained from it. If any ollicer Irishes to obtain information as to his enemy, he has two ways of doing it. lie can employ spie.'*, who carry their lives in their hands, or he can beat up their quarters by a proper reconnaissance on his own respon- sibility, in which, however, it would be advisable not to trust his force to a railway train.'' At night there was a kind of enirute in eaiiip. The day, as I have said, was excessively hot, and on re- turning to their tents and lints from evening jjarade the men found the contractor who supjjlies them with water had not filled the barrels; so they forced the sentries, broke barracks after hours, mobbed their officers, and streamed up to the hotel, which they sur- rounded, calling out, "Water, water," in chorus. The General came out, and got up on a rail : " (ientlemen," said he, " it is not my fault you are without water. It's your odicers who are to blame; not me." ("Groans for the (4uarterma>tcr," from the men.) "If it is the fault of the contractor, I'll see that he is punished. A CAMP 1^:meutb. 1'6 I'll take steps at once to sec that the matter is reme- died. And now, gentlemen, I hope you'll go hack to your quarters ;" and the gentlemen took it into their heads very good-humonredly to ohey the suggestion, fell in, and marched hack two deep to tiicir huts. As the General was smoking his cigar hcfore going to hed, I asked him why the ofliccrs had not more control over the men. ''Well," said he, "the officers are to blame for all this. The truth is, the term for which these volunteers enlisted is drawing to a close ; and they have not as yet enrolled themselves in the United States' army. They are merely volunteer regiments of the State of Illinois. If they were displeased with anything, therefore, they might refuse to enter the service or to take fresh engagements : and the officers would find themselves suddenly left without any men; they therefore curry favour with the privates, many of them, too, having an eye to the votes of the men when the elections of officers in the new regiments are to take place." The contractors have commenced plunder on a gigantic scale ; aiid their influence with the autho- rities of the State is so powerful, there is little chance of punishing them. Besides, it is not considered expe- dient to deter contractors, by too scrupulous an exacti- tude, in coming forward at such a trying ])eriod ; and the Quartermaster's department, which ought to he the most perfect, considering the number of per- sons connected with transport and carriage is in a most disgraceful and inefficient condition. I told the General that one of the Southern leaders proposed to hang any contractor who Avas found out in cheating the men, and that the press cordially approved of the 71 MV DIAT^Y yORTH AND SOUTH. suggestion. '•' I am afraid," said he, "if any such pro- posal was carried out lierc, tlicre wouUl scarcely be a contractor left throughout the States." Equal igno- rance is shown by the medical authorities of the requirements of an army. There is not an ambulance or cacolet of any kind attached to this camp ; and, as far as I could see, not even a litter was sent on board the steamer which has started with the expedition. Although there has scarcely been a fought field or anything more serious than tlic miserable skirmishes of Shenck and liutler, the pressure of war has already told upon the people. The Cairo paper makes an urgent appeal to the authorities to relieve the distress and pauperism which the sudden interruption of trade has brought upon so many respectable citizens. And when I was at Memphis the other day, I observed a pul)lic notice in the journals, that the magistrates of the city would issue orders for money to families left in distress by the enrolment of the male members for military service. AVhen General Scott, sorely against liis will, was urged to make preparations for an armed invasion of the seceded states in case it became neces- sary, he said it would need some hundreds of thou- sands of men and many millions of money to cflTcet that object. Mr. Seward, ]\Ir Chase, and ^^r. Lincoln laughed plea.sautly at this exaggeration, but they have begun to find by this time the old general was not quite so much in the wrong. In reference to the (liscii)line maintained in the camp, 1 must admit that proper precautions arc used to pre- vent spies entering the lines. The sentries are posted closely and permit no one to go in without a pass in the (lay and a countersign at night. A conversation SENTRY DUTY. 73 with General Prentiss in the front of tlie hotel Avas interrupted this evening by an Irislinian^ who van past us towards the camp, hotly pursued by two policemen. The sentry on duty at the point of the lines close to us brought him up by the point of the bayonet. " "Who goes tcre?^' "A friend, shurc your honour; I'm a friend." "Advance three paces and give the counter- sign." "I don't know it, I tell j^ou. Let me in, let me in." But the German was resolute, and the policemen now coming up in hot pursuit, seized the culprit, who resisted violently, till General Prentiss rose from his chair and ordered the guard, who had turned out, to make a prisoner of the soldier and hand him over to the civil power, for which the man seemed to be most deeply grateful. As the policemen were walking him off, he exclaimed, " Be quiet wid ye, till I spake a word to the Giniral," and then bowing and chuckling with drunken gravity, he said, " an^ indeed, Giniral, Tm much oblecged to ye altogither for this kindness. Long life to ye. We've got the better of that dirty German. Iloora' for Giniral Prentiss." He preferred a chance of more Avhisky in the police office and a light punishment to the Avork in camp and a heavy drill in the morning. An officer Avho was challenged by a sentr}' the other evening, asked him, "do you know the countersign yourself?" " No, sir, ifs not nine o'clock and they have not given it out yet." Another sentry who stopped a man be- cause he did not know the countersign. The fellow said, " I dare say you don't know it yourself." " That's a lie," he exclaimed, "it's Plattsburgh." " Platts])urgh it is, sure enough," said the other, and walked on without further parley. \ 70 MV DlAltV NORTH AND SOUTH. Tlie Americans, Irish, aiui Gcnuans, do not alvTays coincide in the phonetic vahie of each letter in the passwords, and several dillicnltics have occnrred in con- sequence. An incautious approach towards the posts at night is attended with risk ; lor the raw sentries arc very (piick on the trig^'cr. More fatal and serious injuries have been inflicted on the Federals by them- selves than by the enemy. " I declare to you, sir, the May the boys touched oil" their irons at me going home to my camp last night, was just like a running fight with the lugins. 1 was a little ' tight,' and didn't mind it a cuss." CHAPTER V. Impending battle— By railway to Cliicago— Northern enlightenment— Mound City— "Cotton is King"— Land in the States— Dead level of American society— Return into the Union- American homes —Across the prame— White labourers — New pillager — Lake Michigan. June 2ord. — The latest information which I received to-day is of a nature to hasten ray departure for Washington ; it can no longer be doubted that a battle between the two armies assembled in the neighbourhood of the capital is imminent. The vague hope which from time to time I have entertained of being able to visit Richmond before I finally take up my quarters with the only army from which I can communicate regularly with Europe has now vanished. At four o'clock in the evening I started by the train on the famous Central Illinois line from Cairo to Chicago. The carriages were tolerably well filled Avith soldiers, and in addition to them there were a few unfortunate wo- men, undergoing deportation to some less moral ucigh- ])ourhood. Neither the look, language, nor manners of my fellow passengers inspired me with an exalted notion of the iutelhgence, comfort and respectal)ility of the people which are so much vaunted by ]Mr. Seward and American journals, and which, though truly attri- 78 MV DIAIIV XUUTII AND SoUTH. buted, uo doubt, to the people of the New England states, cannot be aflirnied with equal justice to belong to all the other components of the Union. As the Southerners say, their negroes are the happiest people on the caith, so the Northerners boast " We ai-e the most enlightened nation in the world/' The soldiers in the train were intelligent enough to think they ought not to be kept without pay, and free enough to say so. The soldiers abused Cairo roundly, and indeed it is wonderful if the people can live on any food but quinine. However, speculators, looking to its natural advantages as the point where the two great rivers join, bespeak for Cairo a magnificent and prosperous future. The present is not promising. Leaving the shanties, which face the levees, and some poor wooden houses with a short vista of cross streets partially flooded at right angles to them, the rail suddenly plunges into an unmistakeablc swamp, were a forest of dead trees wave their ghastly, leafless arms over their buried trunks, like plumes over a hearse — a cheerless, miserable place, sacred to the ague and fever. This occurs close to the cleared space on which the city is to stand, — when it is finished — and the rail, which runs on the top of the embankment or levee, here takes to the trestle, and is borne over the water on the usual timber frame work. ''Mound City," which is the first station, is com- posed of a mere heap of earth, like a ruined brick- kiln, which rises to some height and is covered with fine white oaks, beneath which are a few log huts and hovels, giving the place its proud name. Tents were pitched on the mound side, from which wild-looking banditti sort of men, with arms, emerged BRITISH SYMI'ATHIZEKS. 79 as the train stopped. " I've been pretty well over Europe," said a meditative voiee beside me, " and I've seen the despotic armies of tlie old world, but I don't think they equal that set of boys." The question was not worth arguing— the boys were in fact very " weedy," "splinter-shinned chaps," as another critic insisted. There were some settlers in the woods around Mound City, and a jolly-looking, cori)ulent man, who intro- duced himself as one of the oflicers of the laud depart- ment of the Central Illonois railroad, described them as awful warnings to the emigrants not to stick in the south part of Illinois. It was suggestive to find that a very genuine John Bull, " located," as they say in the States for maiiy years, had as much aversion to the principles of the abolitionists as if he had been born a Southern planter. Another countryman of his and mine, steward on board the steamer to Cairo, eagerly asked me what I thought of the quarrel, and which side I would back. I declined to say more than I thought the Nortli possessed very great superiority of means if the conflict were to be fought on the same terms. Whereupon my Saxon friend exclaimed, *' all the Northern States and all the power of the world can't beat the South ; and why ? — because the South has got cotton, and cotton is king." The Central Illinois officer did not suggest the pro- priety of purchasing lots but he did intimate I would be doing service if I informed the world at large, they could get excellent land, at sums varying from ten to twenty-five dollars an acre. In America a man's income is represented by capitalizing all that he is worth, and whereas in England we say a man has so much a year, the Americans, in representing his value, observe that so MV UlAltV X<»1!TH AND Sol'TH. lie is wortli so umny dollars, by which they mcau that all he has in the uorlcl would realise the amount. It sounds very well to jin Irish tenant farmer, nu Kn^'lish cottier, or a cultivator in the Lothiaus, to hear that he can get land at the rate of from £2 to £5 per acre, to be his for ever, liable only to state taxes; but when he comes to see a paralleloj^ram marked upon the map as " good soil, of unfathomable richness," and finds in effect that he must cut down trees, eradicate stumps, drain off water, build a house, struggle for high-priced lal)oiir, and contend with imperfect roads, the want of many things to which he has been accus- tomed in the old country, the laud may not appear to him such a bargain. In the wooded districts he has, indeed a sufficiency of fuel as long as trees and stumps last, but they are, of course, great impediments to tillage. If he goes to the prairie he finds that fuel is scarce and water by no means wholesome. "When we left this swamp and forest, and came out after a run of many miles on the clear lands which abut upon the prairie, large fields of corn lay around us, which bore a peculiarly blighted and harassed look. These fields were suffering from the ravages of an insect called the " army worm," almost as destructive to corn and crops as the lueust-like hordes of ISorth and South, which are vying with each other in laying waste the fields of \ irginia. Night was falling as the train rattled out into the wild, fiat sea of waving grass, dotted by patch-like Indian corn en- closures; but lialts at such places as Jonesburgh and Cobden, enabled us to sec that these settlements in Illinois were neither very fiourishing nor very civilised. DRAWBACKS <)\ EQUALITY. SI There is :i level modicmu of comfort, wliicli may be consistent with the greatest good of the greatest number^ but which makes the standard of the highest in point of well-being very low indeed. I own, that to me, it would l)c more agreeable to see a flourish- ing community placed on a high level in all that relates to the comfort and social status of all its members than to recognise the old types of ]^>aropeau civilisation, which place the castle on the hill, surround its outer walls with the mansion of doctor and lawyer, and drive the people into obscure hovels outside. But then one must confess that there are in the castle some elevatinsc tendencies which cannot be found in the uniform level of citizen equality. There are traditions of nobility and noble deeds in the fiimily ; there are paintings on tlic walls; the library is stored with valuable knowledge, and from its precincts are derived the lessons not yet unlearned in Europe, that though man may be equal the condition of men must vary as the accidents of life or the effects of individual character, called fortune, may determine. The towns of Jonesburgh and Cobden have their little teapot-looking churches and meetinghouses, their lager- bicr saloons, their restaurants, their small libraries, institutes, and reading rooms, and no doubt they have also their political cliques, social distinctions and favouritisms; but it requires, nevertheless, little sagacity to perceive that the highest of the bourgeois who leads the mass at meeting and prayer, has but little to distinguish him from the very lowest member of the same bodv politic. Cobden, for example, has no less than four drinking saloons, all on the line of rail, and no doubt the highest citizen in the place frequents S£ .MV DIAKY NURTH AND .SOl'TH. some one or other of tliem, and meets there the worst rowdy in tlic place. Even though they do carry a vote for each adult man, "locations" licre would not appear very enviable in the eyes of the most miser- able Dorsetshire small farmer ever fcrrcttcd out by " S. G. ()." A considerable number of towns, formed by accre- tions of small stores and drinkinir places, called maga- zines, round the original shed wherein live the station master and his assistants, mark the course of the rail- way. Some are important enough to possess a bank, which is generally represented by a wooden hut, with a large board nailed in front, bearing the names of the president and cashier, and announcing the success and liberality of the management. The stores arc also decorated with large signs, recommending the names of the owners to the attention of the public, and over all of them is to be seen the significant announcement, " Cash for produce." At Carbondale there was no coal at all to be fotmd. but several miles farther to the north, at a place called Dugoine, a field of bituminous deposit crops out, which is sold at the jjifs mouth for one dollar twenty- five cents, or about r>.v. 2d. a-ton. Darkness and night fell as I was noting such meagre particulars of the new district as could be learned out of the window of a railway carriage; and finally with a delicious sensation of cool night air creeping in through the windows, the first 1 had experienced for many a long day, we made ourselves uj) for repose, and were borne steadily, if not rajjidly, through the great prairie, having halted for tea at the comfortable refreshment rooms of Centralia. There were no physical signs to mark the transition SLAVEHY AND CLI.MATH. 83 from the luiul of the Secessionist to Union-loving soil. Until the troops were quartered there, Cairo Avas for Secession, and Southern Illinois is supposed to be deeply tainted with disaftcction to Mr. Lincoln. Placards on Avhich Averc printed the words, "Vote for Lincoln and Hamlin, for Union and Freedom," and the old battle-cry of the last election, still cling to the wooden walls of the groceries often accompanied by bitter words or offensive additions. One of my friends argues that as slavery is at the base of Secession, it follows that States or portions of States will be disposed to join the Confederates or the Federalists just as the climate may be favourable or adverse to the growth of slave produce. Thus in the mountainous parts of the border States of Kentucky and Tennessee, in the north-western part of Virginia, vulgarly called the pan handle, and in the pine woods of North Carolina, where white men can work at the rosin and naval store manufactories, there is a decided feeling in favour of the Union ; in fact, it becomes a matter of isothermal lines. It would be very wrong to judge of the condition of a people from the windows of a railway carriage, but the external aspect of the settlements along the line, far superior to that of slave hamlets, does not equal my expectations, We all know the aspect of a wood in a gentleman's park which is submitting to the axe, and has been partially cleared, how raw and bleak the stumps look, and how dreary is the naked land not yet tnrned into arable. Take sucli a patch and fancy four or five houses made of pine planks, sometimes not painted, lighted by windows in which there is, or has been, glass, each gnarded by a paling around a piece of vegetable garden, a pig house, G 2 Si MY IMAIIV NOKTII AND SOUTH. and poultry box ; let one be a. grocery, uliicli means a uliisky shop, aiiotlicr the post-oflice, and a third the store uhcre "cash is given for produce." Multii)ly these groups if you desire a larger settlement, and place a wooden church with a Brobdit^nag spire and Lilliputian body out in a waste, to be approached only by a causeway of planks ; before each grocery let there be a gathering of tall men in sombre clothing, of whom the majority have small newspapers and all of wliom are chewing tobacco ; near the stores let there be some light wheeled carts and ragged horses, around which are knots of nnmistakeably German women ; then sec the deep tracks which lead off to similar settlements in the forest or prairie, and you have a notion, if your imagination is strong enough, of one of these civilising centres which the Americans assert to be the homes of the most cultivated and intelligent comuninities in the world. Next morning, just at dawn, I woke up and got out on the platform of the carriage, which is the favourite resort of smokers and their antithetics, those who love pure fresh air, notwithstanding the printed caution " It is dangerous to stand on the j)latform ;" and under the eye of early morn saw spread around a flat sea-like expanse not yet warmed into colour and life by the sun. The line was no longer guar(k'd from d.'iriug Secessionists by soldiers' outposts, and small camps had disappeared. The train sped through the centre of the great verdant eirclc as a ship thnjugh the se.a, l(;a\ing the rigid iron wake behind it tapering to a point at the horizon, and as the light spread over it the surface of the crisj)ing corn waved in broad inidulations beneath the breeze from east to west. Tiiis is the PRAIRIE SCENES. 85 prairie indeed. Hereabouts it is covered uitli tlic finest crops, some already cut and stacked. Looking around one could see church spires rising iu the distance from the Avhitc patches of houses, and by degrees the tracks across the fertile waste became apparent, and tlieu carts and horses were seen toiling through the rich soil. A large species of partridge or grouse appeared very abundant, and rose iu flocks from the long grass at the side of the rail or from the rich carpet of flowers on the margin of the corn fields. They sat on the fence almost unmoved by the rushing engine, and literally swarmed along the line. These are called " prairie chickens " by the people, and afford excellent sport. Another bird about the size of a thrush, with a yellow breast and a harsh cry, I learned was " the sky-lark ;" and ajjropos of the unmusical creature, I Avas very briskly attacked by a young lady patriot for finding fault with the sharp noise it made. " Oh, my ! And you not to know that your Shelley loved it above all things ! Didn't he write some verses — quite beautiful, too, they are — to the sky-lark." And so " the Britislier was dried up,'' as I read in a paper afterwards of a similar occurrence. At the little stations which occur at every few miles — there are some forty of them, at each of which the train stops, in 305 miles between Cairo and Chicago — the Union flag floated in the air; but we had left all the circumstance of this inglorious war Ijchind us, and the train rattled boldly over the bridges across the rare streams, no longer in danger from Secession liatchets. The swamp had given place to the corn field. No black faces were turned up from the mowing and 80 MY DlAltY >(»in"H AND SOUTH. free uhitc labour was at work, and tlie type of the labourers was German and Irish. The Yorkshircmau expatiated on the fertility of the land, and on the advanta<,'es it held out to the emijjjrant. But I observed all the lots by the side of the rail, and apparently as far as the eye eould reach, were occupied. " Some of the very best land lies beyond on each side," said he. " Out over there in the fat places is where y\c put our Eufrlishmeu." l>y digging deep enough good water is always to be had, and coal can be car- ried from the rail, where it costs only 7*. or Ss. a ton. AVood there is little or none in the prairies, and it was rarely indeed a clump of trees could be detected, or anything higher than some scrub brushwood. These little communities which we i)assed were but the growth of a few years, and Jis we approached the Northern portion of the line we could see, as it were, the village swelling into the town, and the town spread- ing out to tiie dimensions of the city. " I daresay. !Major," says one of the passengers, " this gentleman never saw anything like these cities before. I'm told they've nothin' like them in Europe?" " Bless you," rejoined tiic Major, witli a wink, "just leaving out Lon- don, Edinljro', Paris, and ^lanchestcr, there's nothing on earth to ekal them." My friend, who is a shrewd fellow, by way of explanation of his military title, says, " 1 w:us a majur ojicc, a major in the Uueen's Bays, but they would put troop-sergeant before it them days." Like many Englishmen he complains that the jealousy of native-born Americans eH'cctually bars tiie way to ]>olitieal position of any naturalised citizen, and all the jilaces are kept by the natives. The scene now began to change gradually as we ArriioACii TO CHICAGO. 87 approached Chicago, tlic i)rairic subsided into swampy land, and thick belts of trees fringed the horizon ; on our right glimpses of the sea could be caught through openings in the wood — the inland sea on which stands the Queen of the Lakes. ]Michigan looks broad and blue as the Mediterranean. Large farmhouses stud the country, and houses which must be the retreat of merchants and citizens of means ; and when the train, leaving the land altogether, dashes out on a pier and causcAva}^ built along the borders of the lake, we see lines of noble houses, a fine boulevard, a forest of masts, huge isolated piles of masonry, the famed grain eleva- tors by which so many have been hoisted to fortune, churches and public edifices, and the apparatus of a great city; and just at nine o'clock the train gives its last steam shout and comes to a standstill in the spacious station of the Central Illinois Company, and in half-an-hour more I am in comfortable quarters at the Richmond House, where I find letters waiting for me, by which it appears that the necessity for my being in AVashingtou in all haste, no longer exists. The wary General who commands the army is aware that the advance to Riclimond, for which so many journals are clamouring, would be attended with serious risk at present, and the politicians must be content to wait a little longer. CHAPTER VI. ProgrcBB of event* — Policy of Great Britiiin as regarded by the North — The American Press an i its cooiiueuts — Privacy a luxury — Chi- cago — Senator Douglas and his widow — American ingratitude — Apathy in Toluutecring — Colonel Turchin's camp. I SMALL here briefly recapitulate what has occurred since the last racntion of political cveuts. lu the first place the South has been developing every day greater energy in widening the breach between it and the North, and preparing to fill it with dead ; and the North, so far as I can judge, has been busy in raising up the Union as a nationality, and making out the crime of treason from the act of JSecession. The South has been using conscription in Virginia, and is entering upon the conflict with unsurpassable deter- mination. The North is availing itself of its greater resources and its foreign vagabondage and destitution to swell the ranks of its volunteers, and bojists of its enormous armies, as if it supposed conscripts well led do not fight better than volunteers badly ofliccred. A'irginia has been iinadcd on three points, one below and two above Washington, and passports arc now issued on both sides. The career open to the Southern privateers is eflec- tually closed by the Duke of Newcastle's notification tli: t flic l^iitish ( I(i\( riniM nt will not ])iruiit the THE QUEEN S PROCLAMATION. 89 crusicrs of cither side to bi'iiig their prizes into or eoii- clcnm thcin ill English ports; but, strange to s:iy, the Northerners feel indignant against Great Britain for an act Avhieh deprives their enemy of an enormous advantage, and which nuist reduce their privateering to the mere work of plunder and destruction on the lugh seas. In the same way the North affects to consider the declaration of neutrality, and the concession of limited belligerent rights to the seceding States, as deeply injurious and insulting ; whereas our course has, in fact, removed the greatest dilTieulty from the path of the Washington Cabinet, and saved us from incon- sistencies and serious risks in our course of action. It is commonly said, "What would Great Britain liave done if we had declared ourselves neutral during the Canadian rebellion, or had conceded limited belligerent rights to the Sepoys ? '' as if Canada and Ilindostan have the same relation to the British Crown that the seceding States had to the Northern States, But if Canada, with its parliament, judges, courts of law, and its people, declared it was independent of Great Britain; and if the Government of Great Britain, months after that declaration was made and acted upon, permitted the new State to go free, whilst a large number of her Statesmen agreed that Canada was perfectly right, we could find little fault with the United States' Govern- ment for issuing a proclamation of neutrality the same as our own, when after a long interval of quiescence a war broke out between the two countries. Secession was an accomplished fact months before/ Mr. Lincoln came into oflice, but we heard no talk of rebels and pirates till Sumter had fallen, and the North was perfectly quiescent — not only that — the people of 90 ^ly DIAKV NoltTH AND SOUTH. ueiilth in New York were calmly considering the results of Secession us an accomplished fact, and seeking to make the best of it ; nay, more, uhcn 1 arrived in "Washington some members of the Cabinet \Yere per- fectly ready to let the South go. One of the lirst questious put to me by -Mr. Chase in my lirst interview with him, was whether I thought a very injurious elVect would be produced to the prest'ufc of the Federal Government in Europe if the Northern States let the South have its own way, and told them to go in peace. "For my own part," said he," "I should not be averse to let them try il, for I believe they would soon find out their mistake." !Mr. Chase may be lindiug out his mistake just now. ^Vheu I left England the prevalent opinion, as lar as I could judge, was, that a family (luarrel, in which the South was in the wrong, had taken place, and that it would be better to stand by and let the Government put forth its strength to chastise rebellious chiklreii. lint now we see the house is divided against itself, and that the lamily are determined to set up two separate establish- ments. These remarks occur to me with the more force because I see the Kew York papers arc attacking me because I described a calm in a sea which was afterwards agitated by a storm. " AVhat a false witness is this," they cry, " Sec how angry and how vexed is our Jkrmoothes, and yet the fellow says it was quite placid." I have already seen so many statements respecting jny sayings, my doings, and ray opinions, in the American papers, that I have resolved to follow a general rule, with few exceptions indeed, which pre- scribes as the best course to pursue, not so much an indiU'erence to these remarks as a iixed purpose to THE GKOWTll OF CIIICAOO. 91 abstain from the hopeless task of correcting:; tlieni. The " Quicklys " of the press are incorrigible. Commerce may well be proud of Chicago. 1 am not going to reiterate what every Crispinus from tiie old country has said again and again concerning this wonderful place — not one Avord of statistics, of corn elevators, of shipping, or of the piles of buildings raised from the foundation by ingenious applications of screws. Nor am I going to enlarge on the splen- did future of that which has so much present pros- perity, or on the benefits to mankind opened up by the Illinois Central Railway. It is enough to say that by the borders of this lake there has sprung up in thirty years a wonderful city of fine streets, luxurious hotels, handsome shops, magnificent stores, great ware- houses, extensive quays, capacious docks ; and that as long as corn holds its own, and the mouths of Europe are open, and her hands full, Chicago will acquire greater importance,- size, and wealth with every year. The only drawback, perhaps, to the comfort of the money-making inhabitants, and of the stranger within the gates, is to be found in the clouds of dust and in the unpavcd streets and thoroughfares, which give anguish to horse and man. I spent three days here writing my letters and repair- ing the wear and tear of my Southern expedition ; and although it Avas hot enough, the breeze from the lake carried health and vigour to the frame, enervated by the sun of Louisiana and Mississippi. No need now to Avipe the large drops of moisture from the languid brow lest they blind the eyes, nor to sit in a state of semi- clothing, Avorn out and exhausted, and tracing Avith moist hand imperfect characters on the paper. 92 MY DlAllV NORTH AXD SOUTH. I could uot sjitisty myself whether there was, as I liavc been told, a peculiar state of fecliu}; in Chieatro, which induced many people to support the Governuieut of Mr. Lincoln because they believed it necessary for their own interests to ol)taiu decided advantages over the South in the field, whilst they were opposed /otis ririOus to the genius of emancipation and to the views of the black Kepulilicans, But the genius and elo- quence of the little giant have left their impress on the facile mould of democratic tlionght, and he who argued with such acuteness and abiHty last March in AVasiiington, in his own study, against the j)ossibility, or at least the constitutional legality, of using the national forces, and the militia and volunteers of the Northern States, to subjugate the Southern people, carried away by the great bore which rushed through the placid North when Sumter fell, or perceiving his inability to resist its force, sprung to the crest of the Mave, and carried to excess the violence of the Union reaction. ^Vhilst I was in the South I had seen his name in Northern papers with sensation headings and descrip- tions of his magnificent crusade for the Union in the west. I had heard his name reviled by those who had once been his warm political allies, and his untimely death did not seem to satisfy their hatred. His old fucs in the North admired and ajjplaudeil the sudden apostasy of their eloijuent ojiponent, and were loud in lamentations over his loss. Imagine, then, how I felt when vihiting his grave at Chicago, seeing his bust in many houses, or his portrait in all the shop-windows^ I wjis told that the enormously wealthy community of which he was the idol were permitting his Avidow to live in a state not far removed from ])enury. IIEPUBLICAN INGUATITUDH. D.'i " Senator Douglas, sir," ol)scrvc(l one of his friends tome, " (lied of bad \vliisJ;y. He killed himself uith it uhilc he was stumpini^ for the Union all over the country." "Well," I said, " I suppose, sir, the abstrac- tion called the Union, for which by your own account he killed himself, will give a pension to his widow." Virtue is its own reward, and so is patriotism, unless it takes the form of contracts. As far as all considerations of wife, children, or family arc concerned, let a man serve a decent despot, or even a constitutional country with an economising House of Commons, if he Avants anything more sub- stantial than lip-service. The history of the great men of America is full of instances of national ingratitude. Thej'^ give more praise and less pence to their benefactors than any nation on the face of the earth. Washington got little, though the plundering scouts Avho captured Andre Aver e well rewarded ; and the men who fought during the War of Independence were long left in neglect and poverty, sitting in sack- cloth and ashes at the doorsteps of the temple of liberty, whilst the crowd rushed inside to worship Plutus. If a native of the British isles, of the natural igno- rance of his own imperfections which should characterise him, desires to be subjected to a series of moral shower- baths, douches, and shampooing with a rough glove, let him come to the United States. In Chicago he will be told that the English people are fed by the benefi- cence of the United States, and that all the trade and commerce of England are simply directed to the one end of obtaining gold enough to pay the western States for the breadstutls exported for our population. 91. MY diai;y north and south. \Vp know wliat the South think of our {Icpendence on cotton. The peopk' of the cast think they are striking a great l)low at their enemy by the Morrill taritt", and I was told by a patriot in North Carolina, " Why, creation! if you let the Yankees shut up our ports, the whole of your darned ships will go to rot. AVhcre will you get your naval stores from ? Why, 1 guess in a year you could not scrape up enough of tarpentinc in the whole of your country for Uueen Victoria to paint her nursery-door with.^' Nearly one half of the various companies enrolled in this district are Germans, or are the descendants of German parents, and speak only the language of the old country ; two-thirds of the remainder arc Irish, or of immediate Irish descent; but it is said that a grand reserve of Americans born lies behind this at'ant narde, who will come into the battle shouiil there ever be need for their services. Indeed so long as the Northern people furnish the means of paving and equipping armies jicrfectly com- petent to do their work, and equal in numbers to any demands made for men, they may rest satisfied with the accomplishment of that duty, and with contributing from their ranks the great majority of the superior and even of the subaltern olliccrs ; but with the South it is far diHercnt. Their institutions have repelled immigra- tion ; the black slave has barred the door to the white free settler. Only on the seaboard and in the large cities arc German and Irish to be found, and they to a man have come forward to fight for the South; but the proportion they bear to the luitive-born Americans who have rushed to arms in dtfcnce of their menaced borders, is of course far less than it is as yet to the UNION COSSACKS. 95 number of Americans in the Northern States who have volunteered to fi^ht for the Union. I was invited before I left to visit the eamp of a Colonel Turchin, who was described to mc as a Russian officer of great ability and experience in European war- fare, in command of a regiment consisting of Poles, Hungarians, and Germans, who were about to start for the seat of war; but I was only able to Avalk through his tents, where I was astonished at the' amalgam of nations that constituted his battalion ; though, on inspection, I am bound to say there proved to be an American element in the ranks which did not appear to have coalesced with the bulk of the rude and, I fear, predatory Cossacks of the Union. Many young men of good position have gone to the wars, although there was no complaint, as in Southern cities, that mer- chant's offices have been deserted, and great establish- ments left destitute of clerks and working hands. In warlike operations, however, Chicago, with its commu- nication open to the sea, its access to the head waters of the Mississippi, its intercourse with the marts of commerce and of manufacture, may be considered to possess greater belligerent power and strength than the great citv of New Orleans ; and there is much greater probability of Chicago sending its contingent to attack the Crescent City than there is of the latter being able to despatch a soldier within five hundred miles of its streets. CHAPTER VII. Niagara— Impression of tho Falls— Battle Bccncs in the nciglihourliood — A village of Indians — General Scott — Hostile nioveuieiits on both sides — The Hudson — Military scliool at West Point — Return to New York -Altered appeai-ance of the city — Misery and Buffering — Altered state of public opinion, as to tho Union and towards Great Britain. At eight o'clock on the morning of tlic 27tli I left Chicago for Niagara, vhich was so temptingly near that I resolved to make a detour by that route to New York. The line from the city Mhich I took skirts the southern extremity of Lake ISlichigan for many miles, and leaving its borders at New IkiHalo, traverses the southern portion of the state of Michigan by Albion and Jackson to the town of Detroit, or the outflow of Lake St. Clair into Lake Eric, a dis- tance of S'^l miles, which was accomplished in about twelve hours. The most enthusiastic patriot could not aflirm the country was interesting. The names of the stations were certainly novel to a liritisher. Thus we had Kalumet, Pokagon, Dowagiac, Kalamazoo, Ypsi- lanti, among the more familiar titles of Chelsea, ^la- rengo, Albion, and i'arma. It was dusk when we reached the steam ferry-boat at Detroit, which took \is across to AVindsor; but through the dusk I could perceive the Union Jack LITTLE WINDSOR. !)7 waving above the unimpressive little town wliich bears a name so respected by British ears. The customs' inspections seemed very mihl; and I was not much imi)resf;cd by the representative of the British crown, who, with a brass button on his coat and a very husky voice, exercised his powers on behalf of Her Majesty at the landing-place of Windsor. The officers of the rail- way company, who received me as if I had been an old friend, and welcomed me as if I had just got out of a battle-field. "Well, I do wonder them Yankees have ever let you come out alive.^' " May I ask why ? " "Oh, because you have not been praising them all round, sir. Why even the Northern chaps get angry with a Britisher, as they call us, if he attempts to say a word against those cursed niggers.^' It did not appear the Americans are quite so thin- skinned, for whilst crossing in the steamer a passage of arms between the Captain, who Avas a genuine John Bull, and a Michigander, in the style which is called cluiflF or slang, diverted most of the audi- tors, although it was very much to the disadvantage of the Union cliampion. The Michigan man had threatened the Captain that Canada would be annexed as the consequence of our infamous conduct. " Wliy, I tell you," said the Captain, " we'd just drav/ up the negro chaps from our barbers^ shops, and tell them we'd send them to Illinois if they did not lick you ; and I believe every creature in Michigan, pigs and all, Avould run before them into Pennsylvania. We know what you arc up to, you and them Maine chaps ; but Lor' bless you, sooner than take such a lot, we'd give you ten dollars a head to make you stay in your own country ; and we know you would go to the next worst VOL. II. JI 9S MV DIAKY NORTH AND SOUTH. place before your time for lialf the money. The very liluenoses wouUl secede if you Mere permitted to come under the ohl flaj^." All iiij^ht we travelled. A lout: day through a dreary, ill-settled, i)inc-wooded, half-cleared country, swannin^ with mosquitoes and biting flies, and famous for fevers. Just about daybreak the train stopped. "Now, then," said an English voice; " now, then, who's for Clifton Hotel? All passengers leave cars for this side of the Falls." Consigning our baggage to the commissioner of the Clifton, my companion, Mr. Ward, and myself resolved to walk along the banks of the river to the hotel, which is some two miles and a half dis- tant, and set out whilst it was still so obscure that the outline of the beautiful bridge which springs so lightly across the chasm, filled with furious hurrying waters, hundreds of feet below, was visible only as is the tracery of some cathedral arch through the dim light of the cloister. The road follows the course of the stream, which whirls and gurgles in an Alpine torrent, many times n)agnitied, in a deep gorge like that of the Tete Noire. As the rude bellow of the steam-engine and the rattle of the train proceeding on its journey were dying away, the echoes seemed to swell into a sustained, rever- berating, hollow sound from the i)erpendieiilar banks of the St. Lawrence. We listened. " It is the noise of the Falls," said my companion ; and as we walked on the sound became louder, filling the air with a strange quavering note, which played about a tremendous uniform bass note, ami silencing every other. Trees closed in the road on the river side, but wlien we had walked a mile or so, the lovely light of morning NIAGARA. 99 spreadinf^ with our steps, suddenly tlirougli nu opeuiuj; in the branches there appeared, closing up the vista — white, flickering, indistinct, and shroud-like — the Falls, rushing into a grave of black waters, and uttering that tremendous cry which can never be forgotten. I have heard many people say they were disappointed with the first impression of Niagara. Let those who desire to see the water-leap in all its grandeur, approach it as I did, and I cannot conceive what their expecta- tions are if they do not confess the sight exceeded their highest ideal. I do not pretend to describe the sensations or to endeavour to give the effect produced on me by the scene or by the Falls, then or subsequently; but I must say words can do no more than confuse the writer^s own ideas of the grandeur of the sight, and mislead altogether those who read them. It is of no avail to do laborious statistics, and tell us how many gallons rush over in that down-flung ocean every second, or how wide it is, how high it is, how deep the earth-piercing caverns beneath. For my own part, I always feel the distance of the sun to be insignificant, when I read it is so many hundreds of thousands of miles away, compared with the feeling of utter inacces- sibility to anything human which is caused by it when its setting rays illuminate some purple ocean studded with golden islands in dreamland. Niagara is rolling its Avaters over the barrier. Larger and louder it grows upon us. "I hope the hotel is not full," quoth my friend. I confess, for the time, I forgot all about Niagara, and was perturbed concerning a breakfastless ramble and a hunt after lodgings by the borders of the great river. H 2 irtTW^ \X\A^v>X«-«Jk 100 MY DIAKY NORTH AND SOrTH. But altliougli Cliftuu Hotel was full euougli, there was rooui for us, too; aud for two days a strange, weird-kind of life I led, alternatinted, and retired with a loss of 854 men and two guns, whilst the liritish lost S78. On the 11th of August following Sir Gordon Drummond was repulsed with a loss of 905 men out of his small force in an attack on Fort Erie; and on the 17th of September an American sortie from the place was defeated with a loss of 51 (• killed and wounded, the British having lost GO'J. In effect the American campaign was unsuccessful ; but their failures were redeemed by their successes on Lake Champlain, and in the affair of Platt.sbin-gh. There was more hard fighting than strategy iu these battles, and their results were not, ou the whole, creditable to the military skill of either party. They were sanguinary in proportion to the number of tro(>j)s engaged, but they were very petty skirmishes considered in the light of contests between two great nations for the purpose of obtaining specific results. As England was engaged iu a great war in Europe, was far removed from the scene of operations, was destitute of steam- power, whilst America was fighting, as it were, on her own soil, close at hand, with a full opportunity of put- ting forth all her strength, the complete defeat of the American invasion of Canada was more honourable to our arms than the successes which the Americans achieved in resisting aggressive denunistrations. In the great hotel of Clifton we had every day a little war of our own, for there were but why SOUTHERN REFUGEES. 103 should I mention nunics ? Has not govcrnniont its bastiles ? Tlicrc ucrc in effect men, and women too, who regarded the people of the Northern States and the government they had selected very mnch as the men of ^9S looked upon the government and people of England ; but withal these strong Southerners were not very favourable to a country which they regarded as the natural ally of the abolitionists, simply because it had resolved to be neutral. On the Canadian side these rebels were secure. Bri- tish authority was embodied in a respectable old Scottish gentleman, whose duty it was to prevent smuggling across the boiling waters of the St. Lawrence, and who performed it with zeal and diligence worthy of a higher post. There was indeed a withered triumphal arch which stood over the spot where the young Prince of our royal house had passed on his way to the Table Hock, but beyond these signs and tokens there was nothing to distinguish the American from the British side, except the greater size and activity of the settle- ments upon the right bank. There is no power in nature, according to great engineers, which cannot be forced to succumb to the influence of money. The American papers actually announce that "Niagara is to be sold;" the proprietors of the land upon their side of the water have resolved to sell their water privileges ! A capitalist could render the islands the most beautifully attractive places in the world. Life at Niagara is like that at most watering-i)laces, though it is a desecration to apply such a term to the Falls, and there is no bathing there, except that which is confined to the precincts of the hotels and to the ingenious establishment on the American side, which 101 MY DIAIJY NOHTII AND SoTTH. permits one to enjoy tlie full rush of the current in covered rooms uith sides pierced, to let it come through with undiminished force and with perfect security to the bather. There are drives and picnics, and mild excursions to obscure places in the neighbour- hood, where only the roar of the Falls gives an idea of tiieir presence. The rambles about the islands, and the views of the boiling rapids above them, are delight- ful, but 1 am glad to hear from one of the guides that the great excitement of seeing a man and boat carried over occurs but rarely. Every year, however, hap- less creatures crossing from one shore to the other, by some error of judgment or miscalculation of strength, or malign influence, are swept away into the rapids, and then, notwithstanding the wonderful rescues effected by the American blacksmith and unwonted kindnesses of fortune, there is little chance of saving body cor- porate or incorporate from the headlong swoop to destruction. Next to the purveyors of curiosities and hotel keepers, the Indians, who live in a village at some distance from Niagara, reap the largest profit from the crowds of visitors who n'i)air annually to the Falls. They are a harndess and by no means elevated race of semi-civilised savages, whose energies arc expended on whiskey, feather fans, bark canoes, ornamental mocassins, and carved pipe stems. 1 had arranged for an excursion to see them in their wigwams one morning, when the news was brought to me that (Icneral Scott had ordered, or been forced to order the advance of the Federal troops encamped in front of \Vashingt()n, under the command of McDowell, against the Confederates, cora- uianded by Beauregard, who was described as occupying THE COMING STRUGGLE. 105 ii most formidable position, covered with entrench- ments and batteries in front of a ridi^e of hills, through which the railway passes to Kichmond. The New York papers represent the Federal army to be of some grand indefinite strcngh, varying from 00,000 to liiO,000 men, full of fight, admirably equipped, well disciplined, and provided with an over- whelming force of artillery. General Scott, I am very well assured, did not feel such confidence in the result of an invasion of Virginia, that he would hurry raw Ix.vi'^s and a rabble of regiments to undertake a most arduous military operation. The day I was introduced to the General he was seated at a tal)le in the unpretending room which served as his boudoir in the still humbler house where he held his head-quarters. On the table before him were some plans and maps of the harbour defences of the Southern ports. I inferred he was about to organise a force for the occupation of positions along the coast. But when I mentioned my impression to one of his officers, he said, "Oh, no, the General advised that long ago ; but he is now convinced we are too late. All he can hope, now, is to be allowed time to prepare a force for the field, but there are hopes that some com- promise will yet take place." The probabilities of this compromise have vanished : few entertain them no\v. They have been hanging Se- cessionists in IlUnois, and the court-house itself has been made the scene of Lynch law murder in Ogle county. Petitions, prepared by citizens of New York to the President, for a general convention to consider a compromise, have been seized. The Confederates have raised batteries along the Yirgiuiau shore of the 10() MY Dl AKY NORTH AND SolTII. Potomac. General Banks, at Baltimore, lias deposed the police autliorilies " proprio vioiu," in spite of the protest of the board. Engajjcments have occurred between the Federal steamers and the Confederate batteries on the Potomac. On all points, wherever the Federal pickets have advanced in X'irginia, they have eneonntered opposition and have been obliged to halt or to retire. ****** As I stood on the verandah this morning, looking for the last time on the Falls, which were covered with a grey mist, that rose from the river and towered unto the sky in columns which were lost in the clouds, a voice beside me said, *' ^fr. Russell, that is something like the present condition of our country, mists and darkness obscure it now, but we know the great waters are rushing behind, and will flow till eternity.^' The speaker was an earnest, thoughtful man, but the country of which he spoke was the land of the South. "And do you think," said I, "when the mists clear away the Falls will be as full and as grand as before?" " \Vell," he rei)lied, " they are great as it is, though a rock divides them ; we have merely thrown our rock into the waters, — they will meet all the same in the pool below." A coloured boy, who has waited on me at the hotel, hearing I was going away, entreated me to take him on any terms, which were, 1 found, an advance of nine dollars, and twenty dollars a month, and, as I heard a good aecouiit of him from the landlord, I installed the young man into my service. In the evening I left Niagara on my way to New York. ./»//// iud. — At early dawn this morning, looking out of the sleej)ing car, I saw through the mist a WEST POINT. 107 broad, placid river on the rij^lit, and on tlie left high wooded bauks running sliarply into the stream, against the base of Avhieh tlie rails were laid. West Point, which is celebrated for its picturesque scenery, as much as for its military school, could not be seen through the fog, and I regretted time did not allow me to stop and pay a visit to the academy. I was obliged to content myself with the handiwork of some of the ex-pupils. The only camaraderie I have witnessed in America exists among the West Point men. It is to Americans what our great public schools are to young Englishmen. To take a high place at West Point is to be a first-class man, or wrangler. The academy turns out a kind of military aristocracy, and I have heard complaints that the Irish and Germans are almost com- pletely excluded, because the nominations to West Point arc obtained by political influence ; and the foreign element, though powerful at the ballot box, has no enduring strength. The Murphies and Schmidts seldom succeed in shoving their sons into the American insti- tution. North and South, I have observed, the old pupils refer everything military to West Point. "I was with Beauregard at AVest Point. He Avas three above me." Or, " M'Dowell and I were in the same class." An officer is measured by Avhat he did there, and if professional jealousies date from the state of common pupilage, so do lasting friendships. I heard Beauregard, Lawton, Hardee, Bragg, and others, speak of M'Dowell, Lyon, M'Clellan, and other men of the academy, as their names turned up in the Northern papers, evidently judging of them by the old school standard. The number of men who have been educated there greatly exceeds the modest requirements of the lOS MY DlAltY NORTH AND SOl'TH. army. But tlit'ie is likelihood of their being all in full work very soon. At ahout nine a.m., the tr.iin nached New York, and in drivni|^' to the house of Mr. ntnican, uho aceunipauied me from Niagara, the tirst thing which struck me was the changed aspect of the streets. Instead of peaceful citizens, men in military uniforms thronged the jjuthways, and such multitudes of Ihiited States' Hags lloatcd from the windows and roofs of the houses as to convey the impression that it was a great lioliday festival. The appearance of New York when I first saw it was very diti'erent. For one day, indeed, after my arrival, there were men in uniform to be seen in the .streets, but they disappeared after St. Patrick had been duly honoured, and it was very rarely I ever saw a man in soldier's clothes during the rest of my stay. Now, fully a third of the people carried arms, and were dressed in some kind of martial garb. Tiie walls are covered with placards from military com|)anies oflering inducements to recruits. An outburst of military tailors h;is taken place in the streets; shops are devoted to militia ecjuipmcnts ; rifles, pistols, swords, plumes, long boots, saddle, bridle, camp beds, canteens, tents, knapsacks, have usurped the place of the ordi- nary articles of trallic. Pictures and engravings — bad*, and very bad— of the "battles" of liig Bethel and Vienna, full of furious charges, smoke and dismem- bered bodies, have driven the French prints out of the windows. Innumerable "General Scotts" glower at you from every turn, making the General look wiser than he or any man ever was. Kllsworths in almost equal proportion, Grcblcs and Wiuthrops— the Uuiott \ NEW YORK AROUSED. 109 martyrs — find Tompkins, the temporary liero of Fairfax court-house. The " flag^ of our country " is represented in a coloured eiij^raving, the original of which was not destitute of poetical feeling, as an angry blue sky through whicli meteors fly streaked by the winds, whilst between the red stripes the stars just shine out from the heavens, the flag-staft' ])eing typified by a forest tree bending to the force of the blast. The Americans like this idea — to my mind it is significant of bloodshed and disaster. And why not ! What would become of all these pseudo-Zouaves who have come out like an eruption over the States, and are in no respect, not even in their haggy breeches, like their great originals, if this war were not to go on ? I thought I had had enough of Zouaves in New Orleans, but dh aliter visum. They are overrunning society, and the streets here, and the dress which becomes the broad-chested, stumpy, short-legged Celt, who seems specially intended for it, is singularly unbecoming to the tall and slightly-built American. Songs "Onto glory," "Our country/' new versions of "Hail Columbia," which certainly cannot be considered by even American complacency a "iiappy land " when its inhabitants are preparing to cut each other's throats; of the "star-spangled banner," are displayed in booksellers' and music-shop windows, and patriotic sentences emblazoned on flags flout from many houses. The ridiculous habit of dressing up children and young people up to ten and twelve years of age as Zouaves and vivandiercs has been caught up by the old people, and Mars would die with laughter if he saw some of the al)(loniiuous, be-spectaclcd light infantry men who are hobbling along the pavement. 110 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. There lias been indeed a change in New ^ ork : externally it is most remarkable, but I cannot at all admit that the abuse with which I was assailed for describiii'' thu indiftcrence which prevailed on mv ar- rival was in the least degree justified. I was desirous of learning how far the tone of conversation" in the city" had altered, and soon after breakfast I went down Broadway to Pine Street and Wall Street. The street in all its length was almost draped w ith flags — the warlike character of the .shops was intensified. In front of one shop window there was a large crowd gazing with interest at some object which I at last succeeded in feasting my eyes upon. A grey cap with a tinsel badge in front, and the cloth stained with blood was displayed, with the words, " Cap of Secession otlicer killed in action." On my way I observed another crowd of women, some with children in their arms standing in front of a large house and gazing up earnestly and angrily at the windows. I found they were wives, mothers, and sisters, and daughters of volunteers who had gone off* and left them destitute. The misery thus caused has been so great that the citizens of New York have raised a fund to provide food, clothes, and a little money — a poor relief, in fact, for them, and it was j)lain they were much needed, though some of the applicants did not seem to belong to a class accustomed to seek aid from the public. This already ! lint Wall Street and Pine Street are bent on battle. And so this day, hot from the South and im- pressed «ith the firm resolve of the people, and finding that the North has been lashing itself into fury, 1 sit down and write to Kngland, mIiu have liad their will so \oug that they at last helieve it is omnipotent. Assuredly, they will not have it over the South without a tremendous and long- sustained contest, in which they must \nit forth every exertion, and use all the resources ami superior means they so abundantly possess. It is aljMUil to assert, as do the New York j)eople, to give some semblance of reason to their sudden out- burst, that it was caused by the insult to the flag at Sumter. ^Vily, the flag had been fired on long before Sumter was attacked by the Charleston batteries ! It had been torn down from United States' arsenals and forts all over the South ; and Ijut fur the aeeident whieh ])laced Major Anderson in a position from whieh he eould not retire, there would have been no bombardment of the fort, and it woidd, when evacuated, have shared the fate of all the other Federal works on the Southern coast. Some of the gentlemen who are now so patriotic and Unionistic, were last March i)repared to maintain that if the President attem])ted to re-inforce Sumter or Pickens, he would be responsible for the destruction of the Union. Many journals in New York and out of it held the same doe- trine. One word to these gentlemen. 1 am pretty well satisfied that if they had always sj»oke, written, and acted as they do now, the people of Charleston Mould not have attacked Sumter so readily. The abrupt outburst of the North and the demonstration at New York filled the South, first with astonishment, IRRITATION AGAINST ENGLAND. I 1 :) and tlicu uith something like; fear, wliicli was rapidly t'auncd into auger by the i)rcss and the ixjliticiaus, as well as by the pride iuhereut in shivciioidei's. 1 wonder what Mr. Seward will say when I get back to "Washington. Before I left, he was of opinion — at all events, he stated — that all the States would come back, at the rate of one a month. The nature of the process was not stated ; but we are told there are :250,OUO Federal troops now under arms, prepared to try a new one. Combined with the feeling of animosity to the rebels, there is, I perceive, a good deal of ill-feeling towards Great Britain. The Southern papers are so angry with us for the Order in Council closing British ports against privateers and their prizes, that they advise Mr. llust and Mr. Yancey to leave Europe. We are in evil case between North and South. I met a reverend doctor, who is most bitter in his expressions 1 owards us ; and I dare say, Bishop and General Leonidas Polk, down South, would not be much better disposed. The clergy are active on both sides; and their flocks approve of their holy violence. One journal tells with much gusto of a blasphemous chaplain, a remarkal)ly good rifle shot, who went into one of the skirmishes lately, and killed a number of rebels — the joke being in the fact, that each time he fired and brought down his man, he exclaimed, piously, " May Heaven have mercy on your soul ! " One Father Mooney, who performed the novel act for a clergyman of " christening " a big gun at Washington the otlier day, wound up the speech he made on the occasion, by declaring " the echo of its voice would be siveei music, inviting the children of Columbia to share the comforts of his father^s home." Can impiety and folly, and bad taste, go further? VOL. n. I CHAPTER MIL Departure for Washington — A "servant" — The American Prens on the War — Military aspect of the States — Pliiladflphia — Hnltiinore — Wasliington — Lord Lyons — Mr. Suiauer — Irritation against CJreat Britain — '• luJepeudeuce" day — Mcctiug uf Cougreiss — General state of all'uire. July ore/. — I'p early, breakfasted at five a.m., and left my liospitable host's roof, on my way to AVashing- toii. The ferry-boat, whieh is a hjii;^ way ulf, starts for the train at seven o'clock; and so bad arc the roads, I nearly missed it. On hnrrying to secure my place in the train, I said to one of the railway oflieers, "If you see a coloured man in a cloth cap and dark coat with metal buttons, will you be good euough,8ir, to tell him I'm in this carriage." "AVhy so, sir?" "lie is my servant." "Servant," he repeated ; " your servant ! I presume you're a Britisher ; and if he's your servant, I think yon may as well let liiin find you." And so he walked away, deli^lited with his cli\erniss, his civility, and his rel)uke of an aristocrat. Nearly four months since I went by this ruad to AVashington. Tlie change which has since occurred is beyond belief. Men were then speaking of place under Government, of compromises between Xorth and South, and of peace; now they only talk of war ami battle. Ever since 1 came out of the Suulh, and could see the ONWARD TO RICHMOND. 1 I ."i newspapers, I liavc been struflc by-tlic easiness of the American people, by their excessive credulity. Whether they wish it or not, they are certainly deceived. Not a day has passed without the announcement that the Federal troops were moving, and that " a great battle was expected" by somebody unknown, at some place or other. I could not help observing the arrogant tone with which writers of stupendous ignorance on military matters write of the operations which they think the Generals should undertake. They demand that an army, which has neither adequate transport, artillery, nor cavalry, shall be pushed forward to Richmond to crush out Secession, and at the same time their columns teem with accounts from the army, which prove that it is not only ill-disciplined, but that it is ill-provided. A general outcry has been raised against the war department and the contractors, and it is openly stated that ]\Ir. Cameron, the Secretary, has not clean hands. One journal denounces "the swindling and plunder" Avhich prevail under his eyes. A minister who is dis- posed to be corrupt can be so with facility under the system of the United States, because he has absolute control over the contracts, which are rising to an enormous magnitude, as the war preparations assume more formidable dimensions. The greater part of the military stores of the State are in the South — arms, ordnance, clothing, ammunition, ships, machinery, and all kinds of mattrid must be prepared in a hurry. The condition in which the States present themselves, particularly at sea, is a curious commentary on the oft'ensive and warlike tone of their Statesmen in their dealings with the first maritime power of the world. lir. MY DIAIIY NORTH AND SOUTH. They cannot blockade a single port eflectually. Tlic Confederate steamer Sumter has escajied to sea from New Orleans, and ships run in and out of Charleston almost as they please. Coming so recently from the South, I can see the great dillerence which exists between the two races, as they may be called, exempli- fied in the n)tn I have seen, and those who are in the train going towards AVashington. These volunteers have none of the swash-buckler bravado, gallant-swag- gering air of the Southern men. They are staid, quiet men, and the Peunsylvanians, who are on their way to join their regiment in Baltimore, are very inferior in size and strength to the Tennesscans and Carolinians. The train is full of men in uniform. When I last went over the line, I do not believe there was a sign of soldiering, beyond perhaps the "conductor," who is always described in the papers as being " gentlemantly," wore his badge. And, ii jjvojjos of badges, 1 see that civilians have taken to wearing shields of metal on their coats, enamelled with the stars and strii)es, and that nien who are not in the army try to make it seem they are soldiers by affecting military caps and cloaks. The country between ^^'asilington and Philadelphia is destitute of natural beauties, but it affords abundant evidence that it is inhabited by a prosperous, comfort- able, middle-class community. From every village church, and from many houses, the Union ll.ig was disidaycd. Four months ago not one was to be seen. \N hen we were crossing in the steam ferry-ljoat at IMjiladelpliia I siiw some volunteers looking u[i and smiling at a hatchet which was over the cabin door, and it was not till 1 saw it had the words ''States lli^hts' OCCUPATION OF MARYLAND. 117 Fire Axe" painted along the handle I could account for the attraction. It would fare ill with any vessel iu Southern waters which displayed an axe to the citizens iuserihed Avith " Down with States Rights " on it. There is certainly less vehemence and bitterness among the Northerners ; but it might be erroneous to suppose there was less determination. Below Philadelphia, from Havre-de-Grjice all the way to Baltimore, and thence on to Washington, the stations on the rail were guarded by soldiers, as though an enemy were expected to destroy the bridges and to tear up the rails. Wooden bridges and causeways, carried over piles and embankments, are necessary, in consequence of the nature of the country ; and at each of these a small camp was formed for the soldiers who have to guard the ap- proaches. Sentinels are posted, pickets thrown out, and in the open field by the way-side troops are to be seen moving, as though a battle was close at hand. In one word, we are in the State of Maryland. By these means alone are communications maintained between the North and the capital. As we approach Baltimore the number of sentinels and camps increase, and earthworks have been thrown up on the high grounds commanding the city. The display of Federal tiags from the public buildings and some shipping in the river was so limited as to contrast strongly with those symbols of Union sentiments in the Northern cities. Since I last passed through this city the streets have been a scene of bloodshed. The conductor of the car on which we travelled from one terminus to the other, along the street railway, pointed out the marks of the bullets on the walls and in the window frames. " That's ]1S MY DIARY NORTH AND SnUTII. the way to deal with the IMug Uglics/* exchiimcd he ; a name given popularly to the lower classes called Rowdies ill New York. " Yes," said a fellow-passcnjrer quietly to mCj "these are the sentiments which are now uttered in the country which we call the land of freedom, and men like that desire nothing better than brute force. There is no city in Europe — ^'enice, Warsaw, or Itonie — suljjcct to such tyranny as Jialtimore at this moment. In this Pratt Street there have been murders as foul as ever soldiery committed in the streets of Paris." Here was evidently the judicial blindness of a States Rights fanatic, who con- siders the despatch of Federal soldiers through the State of Maryland without the permission of the authorities an outrage so flagrant as to justify the people in shooting them down, whilst the soldiers become murderers if they resist. At the corners of the streets strong guards of soldiers were posted, and patrols moved up and down the thoroughfares. The inhabitants looked sullen and sad. A small war is waged by the police recently appointed by the Federal authorities against the women, mIio exhibit much ingenuity in expressing their animosity to the stars and stripes — dressing the children, and even dolls, in the Confederate eohjurs, and wearing the same in ribbons and bows. The negro population alone seemed just the same as before. The Secession newspapers of iialtiinore have Ijeen suppressed, but the editors contrive nevertheless to show their sym|)athies in the selection of their extracts. In to-day's paper there is an account of a skirmish in the West, given by one of the Confederates who took part in it, in which it is stated that the olliccr command- WASHINGTON AGAIN. 119 ing tlic party "scalped " tweiity-tliree Federals. For tlie first time since I left the South I see those advertise- ments headed by the figure of a negro running Avith a bundle, and containing dcscrijjtions of the fugitive, and the reward offered for imprisoning him or her, so that the owner may receive his property. Among the insignia enumerated are scars on the back and over the loins. The whip is not only used by the masters and drivers, but by the police ; and in every report of petty police cases sentences of so many lashes, and severe floiririuirs of women of colour are recorded. It is about forty miles from Baltimore to Washington, and at every quarter of a mile for the whole distance a picket of soldiers guarded the rails. Camps appeared on both sides, larger and more closely packed together; and the rays of the setting sun fell on countless lines of tents as we approached the unfinished dome of the Capitol. On the Virginian side of the rivei", columns of smoke rising from the forest marked the site of Federal encampments across the stream. The fields around AVashington resounded with the Avords of com- maud and tramp of men, and flashed with wheeling arms. Parks of artillery studded the waste ground, and long trains of white-covered waggons filled up the open spaces in the suburbs of Washington. To me all this was a wonderful sight. As I drove up Pennyslvania Avenue I could scarce credit that the busy thoroughfiu-e— all red, white, and blue with flags, filled with dust from galloping chargers and commissariat carts; the side-walks thronged with people, of whom a large proportion carried sword or bayonet ; shops full of life and activity— was tlie same as that through which I had driveu the first morning 120 MY DIAKY NORTH ANll SOITH. of my arrival. A\ asliington now, iiidc'C'd, is the capital of the United States; but it is no lonjj:cr the scene of beneficent lej^islation and of peaceful <;overnmeut. It is the representative of armed force eniraged in war — menaced whilst in the very act of raising its arm by the enemy it seeks to strike. To avoid the tumult of ^^'illard's, I requested a friend to hire apartments, and drove to a house in Pennsylvania Avenue, close to the War Department, wliere he had succeeded in engaging a sitting-room about twelve feet square, and a bedroom to correspond, in a very small mansion, ue.xt door to a spirit mer- chant's. At the Legation I saw Lord Lyons, and gave him a brief account of what I had seen in the South. I was sorry to observe he looked rather care- worn and pale. The relations of tlie United States' Government with Great liritain have probably been considerably afl'ected by ^Ir. Seward's failure in his jjrojjhecies. As the Southern Confederacy developes its power, the Foreign Secretary assumes higher ground, and becomes more exacting, and defiant. Li these hot summer days, Lord Lyons and the members of the Lega- tion dine early, and enjoy the cool of the evening in the garden ; so after a while I took my leave, and proceeded to Gautier's. On my way I met Mr. Sumner, who asked me for Southern news very anxiously, and in the course of conversation witli him 1 was confirmed in my impressions that the feeling between the two countries was not as friendly as could be desired. Lord Lyons had better means of knowing what is going on in the South, by comjuunications from the liritish Consuls; but even he seemed unaware of facts DANGEROUS DESPATCHES. 121 which had occurred whilst I was there, and ]\Ir. Sunnier appeared to be as ignorant of the whole condition of things ])clow Mason and Dixon's line as he was of the politics of Timbuctoo. The importance of maintaining a friendly feeling with England appeared to me very strongly impressed on the Senator's mind. Mr. Seward has been fretful, irritable, and acrimonious ; and it is not too much to suppose Mr. Sumner has been useful in allaying irrita- tion. A certain despatch was written last June, which amounted to little less than a declaration of war against Great Britain. Most fortunately the President was induced to exercise his power. The despatch was modified, though not without opposition, and was for- warded to the English Minister with its teeth drawn. Lord Lyons, who is one of the suavest and quietest of diplomatists, has found it difficult, I fear, to maintain personal relations with Mr. Seward at times. Two despatches have been prepared for Lord John Russell, which could have had no result but to lead to a breach of the peace, had not some friendly inter- positor succeeded in averting the wrath of the Foreign ^linistcr. Mr. Sumner is more sanguine of immediate success than I am, from the military operations which are to commence when General Scott considers the army fit to take the field. At Gautier's I met a number of officers, who expressed a great diversity of views in reference to those operations. General ^PDowcU is popular with them, but they admit the great deficiencies of the subaltern and company officers. General Scott is too infirm to take the field, and the burdens of administration press the veteran to the earth. ]-22 MV DIAKY NORTH AND SOlTH. July Mil. — '• Independence Pay." Fortunate to escape this great national festival in the large cities of the I'nion where it is celebrated with many days before and after of surplus rejoicinjr, by fireworks and an incosant fusillade in the streets, 1 was, never- theless, subjected to the small ebullition of the AVashinjrton juveniles, to belUrinirint; and discharges of cannon and musketry. On this day Congress meets. Never before has any legislative l)ody assembled under circumstances so grave. By their action they will decide whether the I'nion can ever be restored, and will determine whether the States of the North are to connuenee an invasion for the purpose of subjecting by force of arms, and depriving of their freedom, the States of the South. Congress met to-day merely for the purpose of forming itself int(j a regular body, and there was no debate or business of j)ublic importance introduced. Mr. Wilson gave me to understand, however, that some military movements of the utmost importance might be expected in a few days, and that (Jeneral M'Dowell would ])ositively attack the rebels in front of Washing- ton. The Confederates occupy the whole of Northern \ irginia, commencing from the peninsula above Fortress Mcnnoe on the right or east, and extending along the Potomac, to the extreme verge of the State, bv the Baltimore and Ohio Railway. This innnensc line, however, is broken by gri-at intervals, and the army with which M'Dowtdl will have to deal may be consider(Ml as detached, covering the approaches to Richmond, whilst its left flank is protected by a corps of observation, stationerl ncai- Winchester, nnder Ocntral Jackson. A Federal corps is being prepared THE MILITARY SITUATION. 123 to watch tlic corps and cn<]^age it, whilst M'Dowcll advances on tlie main hody. To the right of this agJiin, or flirt iior west, another body of Federals, under General M'Clellau, is operating in the valleys of the Shenandoah and in Western Virginia ; but 1 did not hear any of these things from INIr. Wilson, who was, I am sure, in perfect ignorance of the plans, iu a military sense, of the general. I sat at Mr. Sumner's desk, and wrote the final paragraphs of a letter describing my impressions of the South iu a place but little disposed to give a favourable colour to them. CHAPTER IX. Interview wiib 5Ir. Seward — My passport — Mr. Seward's views as to tho war — Illutiiiuation at WuRhington — My "servant" abscnta Liuifielf— New York journalism — The Capitol — Interior of Con- gress — Tlie Presiilent's MesKage — Speeches in Congress — Lord Lyons — General JI'Dowell — Low standard in the army-Accident to the "Stars and Stripes" — A street row — Mr. Bigelow — Mr. N. P. Willis. ^A'^E^• tlic Senate had adjourned, I drove to the State Department and saw Mr. Seward, wlio looked nmch more worn and liaggard than uhen I saw him last, three months aj;o. He congratulated me on my safe return from the South in time to witness some stirring events. " Well, Mr. Secretary, 1 am (juite sure that, if all the South are of tiic same mind as those I met in my travels, there will be many battles before they sub- mit to the Federal Government." " It is not submission to the (Jovernment we want; I it is to assent to the i)rinci'ples of the Constitution. J AVhen you left AVashington we had a few hundred regulars and some hastily-levied militia to defend the naticjiial capital, and a battery and a half of artillery under the command of a traitor. The Na\y-yard waa in the hands of a disloyal ollieer. A\ e were surrounded bv treason. Kow we are supported by the loyal States V liieh have come forward in defence of the best Govern- ment on the face of the earth, and the unfortunate and PASSPORTS. 125 desperate men wlio have coniincnccd this stni;.';j;l(; will have to yield or experience the punishment due to their crimes/' "But, Mr. Seward, has not this great exhibition of strength been attended by some circumstances calcu- lated to inspire apprehension tiiat liberty in the free States may be impaired ; for instance, I hear that I must procure a passport in order to travel through the States and go into the camps in front of Washington." " Yes, sir ; you must send your passport here from Lord Lyons, with his signature. It will be no good till I have signed it, and then it must be sent to General Scott, as Commander-in-Chief of the United States army, who will subscribe it, after which it will be available for all legitimate purposes. You are not in any way impaired in your liberty by the process." " Neither is, one may say, the man who is under sur- veillance of the pohce in despotic countries in Europe ; he has only to submit to a certain formality, and he is all right ; in fact, it is said by some people, that the pro- tection afforded by a passport is worth all the trouble connected with having it in order." Mr. Seward seemed to think it was quite likely. There were corresponding measures taken in the Southern States by the rebels, and it was necessary to have some control over traitors and disloyal persons. " Li this contest," said he, "the Government will not shrink from using all the means which they consider necessary to restore the Union.'"' It was not my place to remark that such doctrines were exactly identical with all that despotic governments in Europe have advanced as the ground of action in cases of revolt, or with a view to the maintenance of their strong Govern- \1G MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. nients. " The Executive," said he, " has dcclareil in the iiiaui;ural that the riijhts of the Federal Ooveninient shall he fully viiidieatc-d. AVe are dealing with an insurrection within our own country, of our own people, and the Governuieut of (ireat Hritain have thouglit tit to recognise that insurrection hefore we were able to bring the strength of the Union to bear against it, by conceding to it the status of belligerent. Although we might justly complain of such an un- friendly act in a manner that might injure the friendly relations between tljc two countries, we do not desire to give any excuse for foreign interference; although we do not hesitate, in case of necessity, to resist it to the uttermost, we have less to fear fr«)m a foreign war than any country in the world. If any European Power provokes a war, we shall not shrink from it. A contest between Great Britain and the United JStates would wrap the worlil in iirc, and at the end it would not be the United States which woidd have to lament the results of the conHict." I could not but admire the confidence — may I say the coolness? — of the statesman who sat in his modest little room within the sound of the evening's guns, in a capital menaced by their forces who s[)oke so fear- lessly of war with a Power which could have blotted out the paper blockade of the Southern forts and coast in a few hours, and, in conjunction with the Southern armies, have repeated the occupation and destruction of the capital. The President sent for Mr. Seward whilst I was in the State Department, and I walked up Pennsylvania Avenue to my lodgings, through a crowd of men in uniform who were celebrating Independence Day in INDEPENDENCE DAY. 127 their own fashion — some by the h\.Y<^c iiitcnial use of lire-water, others by an external display of lire- works. Directly opposite my lodgings arc the head-quarters of General Mansfield, coniiuanding the district, whicli are marked by a guard at the door and a couple of six-poundcr guns pointing down the street. I called upon the General, but he was busy examining certain inhabitants of Alexandria and of Washington itself, who had been brought before him on the charge of being Secessionists, and I left my card, and proceeded to General Scott's head-quarters, which I found packed with officers. The General received me in a small room, and expressed his gratification at my return, but I saw he was so busy with reports, despatches, and maps, that I did not trespass on his time. I dined with Lord Lyons, and afterwards went with some members of the Legation to visit the camps, situated in the public square. All the population of Washington had turned out in their best to listen to the military bands, the nnisic of which was rendered nearly inaudible by the constant discharge of fireworks. The camp of the 12th New York presented a very pretty and animated scene. The men liberated from duty were enjoying themselves out and inside their tents, and the sutlers' booths were driving a roaring trade. I was introduced to Colonel Butterfield, commanding the regiment, who was a mer- chant of Xew York ; but notwithstanding the training of the counting-house, he looked very much like a soldier, and had got his regiment very fairly in hand. In com- pliance with a desire of Professor Henry, the Colonel had prepared a number of statistical tables in which 128 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. the natioiKility, liciglit, weight, breadth of chest, age, and other particuhirs respecting the men under his coniniand were entered. 1 looked over the book, and as far as I eouhl judge, but two out of twelve of the soldiers were native-born Americans, the rest being Irish, German, English, and Knropi-an-born generally. According to the commanding otficer they were in the highest state of discipline and obedience, lie had given them leave to go out as they pleased for the day, but at tattoo only 14 men out of lUOOwere absent, and some of those had been accounted for by reports that they were incapable of locomotion owing to the hospi- tality of the citizens. \Vhen I returned to my lodgings, the coloured boy whom I had hired at Niagara was absent, and I was told he had not come in since the night before. " These free coloured boys," said my landlord, " are a bad set ; now they arc worse than ever ; the officers of the army are taking them all away from us ; it's just the life they like ; they get little work, have good pay ; but what they like most is robbing and plundering the farmers' houses over in Virginia; what with (Jirmans Irish, and free niggers. Lord help the poor \'irginians, I say ; but they'll give them a turn yet.' The sounds in Washington to-night might have led one to believe the city was carried by storm. Con- stant explosion of fire-arms, fireworks, shouting, and cries in the streets, which combined, with the heat and the abominable odonrs of the undrained houses and raos(|uitocs, to drive sleep far away. July hth. — As the young gentleman of colour, to whom I had given egregious ransom as well as an advance of wages, did not appear this morning, 1 was. WANTED A HORSE. 1;!9 after an abortive attempt to boil water for coflce and to f]jct a piece of toast, compelled to go iu next door, and avail myself of the hospitality of Captain Cecil Johnson, who was installed in the drawing- room of ]\Iadame Jost. In the forenoon, Mr. John i>igelow, whose acquaintance I made, much to my gra- tification in time gone by, on the margin of the Lake of Thun, found me out, and proffered his services; which, as the whileom editor of the Evening Post and as a leading Republican, he was in a position to render valuable and most effective ; but he could not make ;i Bucephalus to order, and I have been running through the stables of Washington iu vain, hoping to find something up to my weight — such flankless, screwy, shoulderless, cat-like creatures were never seen — four of them would scarcely furnish ribs and legs enough to carry a man, but the owners thought that each of them was fit for Baron Rothschild ; and then there was saddlery and equipments of all sorts to be got, which the influx of ofhcers and the badness and dearncss of the material put quite beyond one's reach. Mr. Bigelow was of opinion that the army would move at once; "but,"' said I, "where is the transport — where the cavalry and guns ?" " Oh," replied he " I suppose we have got everything that is required. 1 know nothing of these things, but I am told cavalry are no use in the wooded country to- wards Richmond." I have not yet been able to go through the camps, but I doubt very much whether the material or commissariat of the grand army of the North is at all adequate to a campaign. The presumption and ignorance of the New York journals would be ridiculous were they not so mis- VOL. II. K 130 MY DIAKY NOKTH AND SOUTH. chievous. They describe " this horde of battaliou com- pauies — unoflicLrcd^chul iii all kinds ot'diHereut uuiform, diversely equipped, perfectly iguuraut of the principles of military obedience and concerted action," — for so I hear it described l)y United States otlieers themselves — as beinj^ " the greatest army tiie world ever saw ; per- fect iu officers and discipline ; unsurpassed in devotion and courage ; furnished w ith every requisite ; and destined on its first march to sweep into llichmond, and to obliterate from the Potomac to New Orleans every trace of rebellion."' The Congress met to-day to hear the President's Message read. Somehow or other there is not sucli anxiety and eagerness to hear what !Mr. Lincoln has to say as one could expect on such a momentous oc- casion. It would seem as if the forthcoming appeal to arms had overshadowed every other sentiment in the minds of tiie people. Tiiey are w;uting for deeds, and care not for words. The confidence of the New York papers, and of the citizens, soldiers, and public speakers, contrast with the dubious and gloomy views of the military men ; but of this Message itself there arc some incidents independent of the occasion to render it curious, if not interesting. The President has, it is said, written much of it iu his own fashion, which has been revised and altered by his Ministers ; but he lias written it again and repeated himself, and after many struggles a good deal of pure Lincoluism goes down to Congress. At a little after half-past eleven 1 went down to the Capitol. Pennsylvania Avenue was thronged as before, but on approach in.:: Capitol Hill, the crowd rather thinned away, as though thev shunned, or had no THE CAPITOL. 131 curiosity to hear, the President's Message. One wouUl have thought that, where every cue who coukl get in was at hbcrty to attend the galleries in both Houses, there would have beeu an immeuse pressure from the inhabitants and strangers in the city, as well as from the citizen soldiers, of which such multitudes were in the street ; but when I looked up from the floor of the Senate, I was astonished to see that the galleries were not more than three parts filled. There is always a ruinous look about an unfinished building when it is occupied and devoted to business. The Capitol is siluated on a hill, one face of Avhich is scarped by the road, and has the appearance of being formed of heaps of rubbish. Towards Pennsylvania Avenue the long fiuntage abuts on a lawn shaded by trees, through which walks and avenues lead to the many entrances under the porticoes and colonnades ; the face which corresponds on the other side looks out on heaps of brick and mortar, cut stone, and a waste of marble blocks lying half buried in the earth and cumbering the ground, which, in the magnificent ideas of the founders and planners of the city, was to be occupied by stately streets. The cleverness of certain speculators in land prevented the execution of the original idea, which was to radiate all the main avenues of the city from the Capitol as a centre, the intermediate streets being formed by circles drawn at regularly-increasing intervals from the Capitol, and intersected by the radii. The speculators purchased up the land on the side between the Navy-yard and the site of the Capitol ; the result — the land is unoccupied, except by paltry houses, and the capitalists are ruined. The Capitol would be best described by a scries of 13:2 MV DIAKV NORTH AND SOITH. pliotograplis. Like the Great Republic itself, it is unfinished. It resembles it iu another respect : it looks best at a distance ; and, a^ain, it is inconfrruous in its parts. The passages are so dark that artificial light is often required to enable one to find liis way. The offices and bureaux of the committees are better than the cliambers of the Senate and the House of Repre- sentatives. All the encaustics and the wliite marble and stone staircases suffer from tobacco juice, thoujrh there is a liberal display of spittoons at every corner. The official messengers, doorkeepers, and porters wear no distinctive badge or dress. No policemen arc on duty, as in our Houses of Parliament ; no soldiery, gendarmerie, or sergens-de-ville in the precincts ; the crowd wanders about tlie passages as it pleases, nnd shows the utn)ost projjriety, never going where it ought not to intrude. There is a special gallery set apart for women ; the reporters are comraodiously placed iu an ample gallery, above the Speaker's chair ; the {lii)lo- matic circle have their gallery facing the reporters, and they are placed so low down in the sonunvlmt depressed Chamber, tliat every Mord can be lieard from speakers in the remotest parts of the house vtry distinctly. The seats of tlie members arc disposed in a manner somewhat like those in the Frcncli Chambers. Instead of being in parallel rows to the walls, and at right angles to the Chairman's seat, tlic separate chairs and desks of the Senators arc arranged in semicircular rows. The space between the walls and the outer semicircle is called tlic fioor of the house, and it is a high compli- ment to a stranger to introduce him within this privi- leged place. There arc leather cushioned seats and THE MASSACHUSETTS SEXATORS. I3:J lounges put for tlic accommodation of tliosc wlio may be introduced by Senators, or to wliom, as distinguislicd members of Congress in former days, the permission is given to take their seats. Senators Sumner and Wilson introdnced me to a chair, and made mc acquainted with a number of Senators before the business of tlie day began. ]\[r. Sumner, as the Cliairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, is supposed to be viewed with some jealousy by Mr. Seward, on account of the disposition attributed to hira to interfere in diplomatic questions; but if he does so, we shall have no reason to complain, as the Senator is most desirous of keeping the peace between the two countries, and of mollifying any little acerbities and irritations which may at present exist between them. Senator Wilson is a man who has risen from what would be considered in any country but a republic the lowest ranks of the people. He apprenticed himself to a poor shoemaker when he was twenty-two years of age, and when he was twenty-four years old he began to go to school, and devoted all his earnings to the improvement of education. He got on by degrees, till he set up as a master shoe maker and manufacturer, became a " major-general " of State militia ; finally was made Senator of the United States, and is now "Chairman of the Committee of the Senate on ^lilitary Affairs." He is a bluff man, of about fifty years of age, with a peculiar eye and complexion, aiul seems honest and vigorous. But is he not going ultra crepidam in such a post? At present he is much per- plexed Ijy tlie drunkenness which prevails among the troops, or rather by the desire of the men fur spirits, as he has a New England mania on that point. One of 131 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. the most remarkable-looking men in the House is Mr. Sumner. Mr. Breckinridge and he would probably be the first persons to excite the curiosity of a strang:er, so far as to induce him to ask for their names. Save in hcitrht — and both are a good deal over six feet — there is no resemblance between the champion of States Rights and the orator of the Black Repub- licans. The massive head, the great chin and jaw, and the penetrating eyes of Mr. Breckinridge convey the idea of a man of immense determination, courage, and saeacitv. Mr. Sumner's features are indicative of a philosophical :md poetical turn of thought, and one might easily conceive that he would be a great advocate, but an indiflfi'rcnt leader of a party. It was a hot day ; but there was no excuse for the slop coats and light-coloured clothing and felt wide-awakes worn by so many Senators in such a place. They gave the meeting the aspect of a gathering of bakers or millers ; nor did the constant use of the spittoons beside their desks, their reading of newspapers and writing letters during the dispatch of business, or the hurrying to and fro of the pages of the House between the seats, do anything but derogate from the dignity of the assemblage, and, according to European notions, vio- late the respect due to a Senate Chamber. The pages alluded to are smart boys, from twelve to fifteen years of age, who stand below the President's table, and are employed to go on errands and carry official messages by the members. They wear no j)articular uniform, and are dressed as the tsvste or means of their parents dictate. The House of Representatives exaggerates all the peculiarities I have ob^ rvcd in the Senate, but the THE president's message. 135 (le])ntcs arc not regarded with so luucli interest as those of the Upper House; indeed, they are of far less im- })ortance. Strong-minded statesmen and officers — Presi- dents or ^linisters— do not care much for the House of Ivepresentatives, so long as they are sure of the Senate; and, for the matter of that, a President like Jackson does not care much for Senate and House together. There are privileges attached to a seat in either branch of the Legislature, independent of the great fact that tlicy receive mileage and are paid for their services, which may add some incentive to ambition. Thus the mem- bers can order whole tons of stationery for their use, not only when they are in session, but during the recess. Their frank covers parcels by mail, and it is said that Senators without a conscience have sent sewing-machines to their wives and pianos to their daughters as little parcels by post. I had almost foi-- gotteu that much the same abuses were in vogue in England some century ago. Tlie galleries were by no means full, and in that re- served for the diplomatic body the most notable person was M. Mercier, the Minister of France, who, fixing his intelligent and eager face between both hands, watched with keen scrutiny the attitude and conduct of the Senate. None of the members of the English Lega- tion were present. After the lapse of an hour, Mr. Hay, the President's Secretary, made his appearance on the floor, and sent in the Message to the Clerk of the Senate, ]\Ir. Forney, who proceeded to read it to the House. It was listened to in silence, scarcely broken except when some Senator mui-hiured " Good, that is so ; " but in fact the general purport of it was already known to the supporters of the Ministry, and not a 130 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. sound came from the galleries. Soon after Mr. Forney had rmishcd, tlie galk'rics were cleari.'d, and I returned up Pennsylvania Avenue, in which the crowds of soldiers around bar-rooms, oyster shops, and restaurants, the groups of men in ollicers' uniform, and the clattering of disorderly mounted cavaliers in the dust, increased ray apprehension that discipline was very little re- garded, and that the army over the Potomac had not a very strong liand to keep it within liounds. As I was walking over with Ca[)tain Johnson to dine with Lord Lyons, I met General Scott leaving his office and walking with great dillieulty between two aides-de-camp. He was dressed in a blue frock with gold lace shoulder straps, fastened round the waist by a yellow sash, and with large yellow laj)els turned back over the chest in the old style, and moved with great difficulty along the pavement. "You see I am trying to hobble along, but it is hard for me to overcome my many iniirmities. I regret I could not have the pleasure of granting you an interview to-day, but I shall cause it to be intimated to you when I may have the pleasure of seeing you ; meantime I shall provide you with a jjass and the necessary introductions to afford you all facilities w ith the army." After dinner I made a round of visits, and heard the diplomatists speaking of the ^Message ; few, if any of them, in its favour. AVith the exception perhaps of Baron Gerolt, the Prussian ^linister, there is not one member of the Legations who justifies the attempt of the Northern States to assert the supremacy of the Federal Government by the force of arms. Lord Lvons, indeed, in maintaining a judicious reticence M henever he does speak, gives utterance to sentiments GENERAL M'DOWELL. 137 ])CConiing the representative of Great Britain at the court of a friendly Power, and tlic jNIinistcr of a peoi)le Avlio have been protagonists to slavery for many a long year. Jnhj Gi/i.—l breakfasted with IMr. Bigelow this morn- in". to meet General INPDowell, who commands the army of the Potomac, now so soon to move. He came in without an aide-de-camp, and on foot, from his quarters in the city. He is a man about forty years of age, square and powerfully l)uilt, but with rather a stout and clumsy figure and limbs, a good head covered with close-cut thick dark hair, small light-blue eyes, sliort nose, large cheeks and jaw, relieved by an iron-grey tuft somewhat of the Prcnch type, and affect- iue: in dress the style of our gallant allies. His manner is frank, simple, and agreeable, and he did not hesitate to speak with great openness of the difficulties he had to contend with, and the imperfection of all the arrangements of the array. As an officer of the regular army he has a thorough contempt for what he calls " political generals " — the men who use their influence with President and Con- gress to obtain military rank, which in time of war places them before the public in the front of events, and gives them an appearance of leading in the greatest of all political movements. Nor is General M'DowcU enamoured of volunteers, for he served in Mexico, and has from what he saw there formed rather an un- favourable opinion of their capabilities in the field. He is inclined, however, to hold the Southern troops in too little respect ; and he told me that the volunteers from the slave states, who entered the field full of exultation and boastings, did not make good their words, and that 138 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. they suffered especially from sickness and disease, in consequence of their disorderly habits and dissipation. His roy:ard for old associations was evinced in many questions he asked me about Beauregard, with whom lie had been a student at "West Point, where the Con- federate commander was noted for his studious and reserved habits, and his excellence in feats of strength and athletic exercises. As pronf of the low standard established in his army, he mentioned that some officers of considerable rank were more than suspected of selling rations, and of il- licit connections with sutlers for purposes of pecuniary advantage. The General walked back with me as far as mv lodgings, and I observed that not one of the many soldiers he passed in the streets saluted him, though his rank was indicated by his velvet collar and cuffs, and a gold star on the shoulder strap. Having written some letters, I walked out with Cap- tain Johnson and one of the attaches of the British Legation, to the lawn at the back of the White House, and listened to the excellent band of the I'nited States Marines, playing on a kind of dais under the large flag recently hoisted by the President himself, in the garden. The occasion was marked by rather an ominous event. As the President pulled the halyards and the flag floated aloft, a branch of a tree caught the bunting and tore it, so that a number of tlie stars and stripes were detached and hung dangling beneath the rest of the flag, half detached from the staff. I dined at Captain Johnson's lodgings next door to mine. Beneath us was a wine and sjiirit store, and crowds of ofTicers and men flocked indiscriminately to make their purchases, with a good deal of tumult, which DISORDERLY SOLDIERS. 139 increased as the night came on. Later still, there was a great (listnrl)ancc in the city. A hod}'" of New York Zouaves wrecked some houses of had repute, in one of which a private of the regiment was murdered early this morning. The cavalry patrols were called out and charged the rioters, who were dispersed with difficulty after resistance in which men on both sides were wounded. There is no police, no provost guard. Soldiers wander about the streets, and beg in the fashion of the mendicant in "Gil Bias" for money to get whisky. My coloured gentleman has been led away by the Saturnalia and has taken to gambling in the camps, which are surrounded by hordes of rascally followers and sutlers' servants, and T find myself on the eve of a campaign, without servant, horse, equip- ment, or means of transport. July 7 th. — Mr. Bigelow invited me to breakfast, to meet i\Ir. Senator King, Mr. Olmsted, Mr. Thurlow Weed, a Senator from Missouri, a West Point pro- fessor, and others. It was indicative of the serious difficulties which embarrass the action of the Govern- ment to hear [Mr. Wilson, the Chairman of the Mili- tary Committee of the Senate, inveigh against the officers of the regular army, and attack West Point itself Whilst the New York papers were lauding General Scott and his plans to the skies, the Washing- ton politicians were speaking of him as obstructive, obstinate, and prejudiced — unfit for the times and the occasion. General Scott refused to accept cavalry and ar- tillery at the beginning of the levy, and said that they were not required ; now he was calling for both arms most urgently. The officers of the regular army 110 MY DIAF.Y NOIITII AND SOrTII. had followed suit. Although they "vvere urgently pressed by the politicians to occupy Harper's Ferry and Manassas, they refused to do either, and the result is that the enemy have obtained invaluable supplies from the first place, and are now assembled in force iu a most formidable position at the second. Every- thing as yet accomplished has been done by political generals — not by the oilicers of the regular army. Butler and Banks saved Baltimore in spite of General Scott. There was an attempt made to cry up Lyon in Missouri ; but in fact it was Frank Blair, the brother of the Postmaster-General, who had been the soul and body of all the actions in that State. The first step taken by M'Clellan in "Western Virginia was atrocious — he talked of slaves in a public document as property. Butler, at Monroe, had dealt with them in a very tliHcrent spirit, and had used them for State purposes under the name of contraband. One man alone dis- played powers of administrative ability, and that was Quarter-master Meigs ; and unquestionably from all I heard, the praise was well bestowed. It is plain enough that the political leaders fear the consccpiences of delay, and that they are urging the military authorities to action, which the latter have too much professional knowledge to take with their jiresent means. These Northern men know nothing of the South, and with them it is ovmc iynotum pro minimo. The West Point professor listened to them with a (juiet smile, and exchanged glances with me now and then, as much as to say, " Did you ever hear such fools in your life ? " But the conviction of ultimate success is not less strong here than it is in tlie South. The diHerencc between these gentlemen and the Southerners is, that Mil. OLMSTED. l4l n tlic South the leaders of the people, soldiers and civilians, arc all actually under arms, and are ready to make good their words 1)v exposing their bodies in battle. I walked home with Mr. N. P. Willis, who is at "Washington for the purpose of writing sketches to the little family journal of which he is editor, and giving war " anecdotes ; " and with Mr. Olmsted, who is acting as a member of the New York Sanitary Commission, here authorised by the Government to take measures against the reign of dirt and disease in the Federal camp. The Republicans are very much afraid tliat there is, even at the present moment, a conspiracy against the Union in Washington — nay, in Congress itself; and regard Mr. JBreckenridge, Mr. Bayard, Mr. Vallandigham, and others as most dan- gerous enemies, who should not be permitted to remain in the capital. I attended the Episcopal church and heard a very excellent discourse, free from any political allusion. The service differs little from our own, except that certain euphemisms are introduced in the Litany and elsewhere, and the prayers for Queen and Parlia- ment are offered up nomine mutafo for President and Congress. CHAPTER X. Arlington Heights and the Potomac — "WoishiDgton — The Federal camp — General M'Dowell — Flying rumoure — Newspaper corro- Bpoudeuta — General Fremont — Silencing the Press and Tele- gniph — A Loan Bill — Interview with Mr. Cameron — Newspaper criticii-m on Lord Lyons — Rumours about M'Clellau — The Northern army as reported and as it is — General M'Clellan. July '>th. — I hired a horse at a liver}' stable, aud rode out to Arlington Heights, at the other side of the Potoiuac, \vhere the Federal army is eucauiped, if uot on the sacred soil of Virginia, certainly ou the soil of the district of Columbia, ceded by that State to Con- gress for the purposes of the Federal Goverumeut. The Long Bridge which spans the river, here more than a mile broad, is au ancient wooden and brick structure, partly of causeway, and partly of platform, laid on piles and uprights, wiih drawbridges for vessels to pass. The Potomac, which in peaceful times is covered with small craft, now glides in a gentle current over the shallows unbroken by a solitary sail. The "rebels" have established batteries below !Mount Vernon, which partially command the river, and jilace the city in a state of bhjckade. As a conse(jucnce of the magnificent conceptions which were entertained by the founders regarding the future dimensions of their future city, Washington is all suburb and no city. The only difference betweeu i APmOACH TO ARLINGTON HOUSE. Mo tlic denser streets and the remoter village-like envi- rons, is that the houses are better and more frequent, and the roads not quite so bad iu the former. The road to the Long Bridge passes by a four-sided shaft of bloeks of white marble, contributed, with appropriate mottoes, by the various States, as a fitting mouumeut to Wash- ington. It is not yet completed, and the materials lie in the field around, just as the Capitol and the Treasury arc surrounded by the materials for their future and final development. Further on is the red, and rather fantastic, pile of the Smithsonian Institute, and then the road makes a dip to the bridge, past some squalid little cottages, and the eye reposes on the shore of Virginia, rising in successive folds, and richly wooded, up to a moderate height from the water. Through the green forest leaves gleams the white canvas of the tents, aud on the highest ridge westward rises an imposing structure, with a portico and colonnade in front, facing the river, which is called Arlington House, and belongs, by descent, through Mr. Custis, from the wife of George Washington, to General Lee, Commander-in-Chief of the Confederate army. It is now occupied by General ^M'Dowell as his head-quarters, and a large United States' flag floats from the roof, which shames even the ample proportions of the many stars and stripes rising up from the camps in the trees. At the bridge there was a post of volunteer soldiers. The sentry on duty was sitting on a stump, with his fire- lock across his knees, reading a newspaper. lie held out his hand for my pass, which was in the form of a letter, written by General Scott, aud ordering all officers and soldiers of the army of the Potomac to permit me to pass freely without let or hindrance, and lit MV DIARY NORTH AXD SOUTH. recommendinji; mc to the attention of Brigadier-General M'Dowell and all officers under his orders. " That'll do, you may i^o,' said the sentry. " What pass is that, Abe r" imiuircd a non-commissioned oflicer. "It's from General Scott, and says lie's to go wherever he likes." " I hope you'll go right away to Richmond, then, and get Jett' Davis's scalp for us," said the pa- triotic sergeant. At the other end of the bridge a weak iitc de potif, commanded by a road-work further on, covered the approach, and turning to the right I passed through a maze of camps, in front of which the various regi- ments, much better than I expected to find thera, broken up into small detaclnnents, were learning elementary drill. A considerable number of the men were Germans, and the officers were for the most part in a state of profound ignorance of company drill, as might be seen by their confusion and inability to take their places when the companies faced about, or moved from one flank to the other. They were by no means equal in size or age, and, with some splendid exceptions, were inferior to the Southern soldiers. The camps were dirty, no latrines — the tents of various patterns — l)ut on the whole they were well cas- trametated. The road to Arlington House passed through some of the finest woods 1 have yet seen in America, but the axe M-as already busy amongst them, and the trunks of giant oaks were prostrate on the ground. The tents of the General and his small stalfwere j)itehed on the little plateau in which stood the house, and from it a very striking and pirturesque view of the city, with the "White House, the Treasury, the Post Office, Patcut AN AMERICAN GENERAL's STAFF. ] 1 .j Office, and Capitol, was visible, and a wide spread of country, studded with tents also as far as the eye could reach, towards Maryland. There were only four small tents for the whole of the head-quarters of the grand array of the Potomac, and in front of one we found General jNl'Dowell, seated in a chair, examining some plans and maps. His personal staff, as far as I could judge, consisted of Mr. Clarence Brown, who came over with me, ist it. On my v.uy b.ick I rode thron^di the woods of Arlington, and came out on a (piadrangular earthwork, called Fort Ccjrcorau, which is garrisoned by the cntli Irish, and conmiands the road leading to an acjueduct and horse-bridge over the Potomac. The regiment is encamped inside the fort, which would be a slaughter- pen if exposed to shell-fire. The streets were neat, the tents protected from the sun by shades of evergreens and pine boughs. Oue little door, like that of an ice- A FLAG FROM JEFF. DAVIS. 14-7 lioiisc, half buried in the ground, was opened by one of tlic soldiers, who was showiuL,^ it to a friend, when my attention was more partieularly attracted by a sergeant, Avho ran i'orward in great dudgeon, exclaiming " Demj)- sey ! Is that you going into the ' magazine' wid ycr pipe lighted ? " I rode away with alacrity. In the course of my ride I heard occasional dropping shots in the camp. To my looks of inquiry, an engi- neer officer said quietly, " They are volunteers shooting themselves." The number of accidents from the care- lessness of the men is astonishing ; in every day's paper there is an account of deaths and wounds caused by the discharge of firearms in the tents. Whilst I was at Arlington House, walking through the camp attached to head-quarters, I observed a tall red-bearded officer seated on a chair in front of one of the tents, who bowed as I passed him, and as I turned to salute him, my eye was caught by the apparition of a row of Palmetto buttons down his coat. One of the officers standing by said, " Let me introduce you to Captain Taylor, from the other side." It appears that he came in with a flag of truce, bearing a despatch from Jefferson Davis to President Lincoln, counter- signed by General Beauregard at Manassas. Just as I left Arlington, a telegraph w^as sent from General Scott to send Captain Taylor, who rejoices in the name of Tom, over to his quarters. The most absurd rumours were flying about the staff, one of whom declared very positively that there was going to be a compromise, and that Jeft" Havis had made an overture for peace. The papers are filled with accounts of an action in ]Missouri, at a place called Carthage, between the Federals commanded by Colonel 14.8 MY DlAliY NORTH AND SOUTH. Sigel, consisting for the most part of Germans, and the Confederates under General Parsons, in wliich the former were obliged to retreat, although it is admitted the State troops were miserably armed, and had most ineffective artillery, whilst their opponents had every advantage in both respects, and were commanded by ofTicers of European experience. Captain Taylor had alluded to the news in a jocular way to me, and said, " I hope you will tell the people in England we intend to whip the Lincolnites in the same fashion wherever we meet them," a remark whicli did not lead me to believe there was any intention on the part of the Con- federates to surrender so easily. July 01 h. — Late last night the President told General Scott to send Captain Taylor back to the Confederate lines, and he was accordingly escorted to Arlington in a carriage, and thence returned without any answer to Mr. Davis's letter, the nature of w Inch has not tran- spired. A swarm of newspaper correspondents has settled down upon Washington, and great are the glorifications of the high-toned paymasters, gallant doctors, and subalterns accomplished in the art of war, who furnish minute items to my American brethren, and provide the yeast which overflows in many columns ; l)ut the Government experience the inconvenience of the smallest movements being chronicled for the use of the enemy, who, by putting one thing and another together, are no doubt enabled to collect much valuable information. JOvery preparation is being made to put the army on a war footing, to provide them with shoes, ammunition waggons, and horses., 1 had the honour of dining with General Scott, wlio GENERAL FREMONT. 149 \'ccl to ncAV quarters, near the War Department, General Fremont, ulio is designated, aecordinj^ to 1. ur, to take command of an important district ill the West, and to clear the riglit bank of the Missis- sippi and the course of the Missouri. " The Path- finder" is a strong Repu])lican and Abolitionist, Avhom the Germans delight to honour — a man with a dreamy, deep blue eye, a gentlemanly address, pleasant features, and an active frame, but without the smallest ex- ternal indication of extraordinary vigour, intelligence, or ability ; if he has military genius, it must come by intuition, for assuredly he has no professional acquire- ments or experience. Two or three members of Con- gress, and the General's staff, and Mr. Bigelow, com- pleted the company. The General has become visibly weaker since I first saw him. He walks down to his office, close at hand, with difficulty; returns a short time before dinner, and reposes; and when he has dis- missed his guests at an early hour, or even before he does so, stretches himself on his bed, and then before midnight rouses himself to look at despatches or to transact any necessary business. In case of an action it is his intention to proceed to the field in a light carriage, which is always ready for the purpose, with horses and driver ; nor is he unprepared with precedents of great military commanders who have successfully conducted engagements under similar circumstances. Although the discussion of military questions and of politics was eschewed, incidental allusions were made to matters going on around us, and I thought I could perceive that the General regarded the situation witli much more apprehension than the politicians, and that his influence extended itself to the views of his staff. 150 MY diai:y north and >oitii. General Fremont's tone was raucli more confident. Nothing has beeome known respecting the nature of Mr. Davis's commuuicatiou to President Lincoln, but the fact of his sending it at all is looked upon as a piece of monstrous impertinence. The General is annoyed and distressed by the plundering propensities of the Federal troops, who have been committing ter- rible depredations on the people of Virginia. It is not to be supjjosed, however, that the Germans, who have entered upon this campaign as mercenaries, will desist from so profitable and interesting a pursuit as the detection of Secesh sentiments, chickens, watches, horses, and dollars. I mentioned that I had seen some farm-houses completely sacked close to the aqneduct. The General merely said, " It is deplorable ! " and raised up his hands as if in disgust. General Fremont, how- ever, said, " I suppose you arc familiar with similar scenes in Europe. I hear the allies were not very par- ticular with respect to private property in Russia" — a remark which mi fortunately could not be gainsaid. As I was leaving the General's quarters, Mr. Blair, accompanied by the President, who was looking more anxious than I had yet seen him, drove up, and passed through a crowd of soldiers, who had evidently been enjoying themselves. One of them called out, "Three cheers for General Scott ! " and I am not quite sure the President did not join him. July \()th. — To-day was spent in a lengthy excursion along the front of the camp in Virginia, round by the chain bridge which crosses the Potomac about four miles from Washington. The Government have been coerced, as they say, by the safety of the Republic, to destroy the liberty FREEDOM OF THE TRESS. 151 of the press, which is guaranteed by the Constitution, and this is not the first instance in which the Consti- tution of the United States will be made noiiiinis vnibru. The telegraph, according to General Scott's order, confirmed by the jNlinistcr of War, Simon Caincron, is to convey no despatches respecting mili- tary movements not permitted by the General ; and to- day the newspaper correspondents have agreed to yield ol)cdicnce to the order, reserving to themselves a certain freedom of detail in writing their despatches, and rely- ing on the Government to publish the official accounts of all battles very speedily. They will break this agree- ment if they can, and the Government will not observe their part of the bargain. The freedom of the press, as I take it, does not include the right to publish news hostile to the cause of the country in which it is pub- lished ; neither can it involve any obligation on the part of Government to publish despatches which may be injurious to the party they represent. There is a V. ide distinction between the publication of news which is known to the enemy as soon as to the friends of the transmitters, and the utmost freedom of expression concerning the acts of the Government or the conduct of past events ; but it will be difficult to establish any rule to limit or extend the boundaries to which discus- sion can go -without mischief, and in eff'ect the only solution of the difficulty in a free country seems to be to grant the press free licence, in consideration of the enormous aid it affords in warning the people of their danger, in animating them with the news of their suc- cesses, and in sustaining the Government in their efforts to conduct the war. The most important event to-day is the passage of 152 MY DIAHY NORTH AND S<>L'TH. the Loan l^ill, which autlioriscs Mr. Chase to borrow, in the next year, a sum of i50,0U0,U00, on coupons, with interest at 7 per cent, and irredeemable for twenty years — tlie interest being d on a pledge of the Customs duties. I just got into the House in time to hear Mr. Valhuidigham, who is an ultra-democrat, and .'cry nearly a secessionist, conclude a well-delivered argumentative address. He is a tall, slight man, of a bilious temperament, with light flashing eyes, dark hair and complexion, and considerable oratorical power. "Deem me ef I wouldn't just ride that Vallandiggaim on a reay-al," quoth a citizen to his friend, as the speaker sat down, amid a few feeble expressions of assent. Mr. Chase has also obtained the consent of the Lower House to his bill for closing the Southern ports by the decree of the President, but I licar some more substantial measures are in contemplation for that purpose. Whilst the House is finding the money the Government are preparing to spend it, and they have obtained the approval of the Senate to the enrol- ment of half a million of men, and the expenditure of one hundred millions of dollars to carry on the war. I called on Mr. Cameron, the Secretary of War. The small brick house of two stories, with long pas- sages, in which the American Mars prepares his bolts, was, no doubt, large enough for the 20,000 men who constituted the armed force on land of the great Re- public, but it is not sufficient to contain a tithe of the contractors who liaunt its precincts, fill all the lobbies and crowd into every room. With some risk to coat- tails, I squeezed through iron-masters, gun-makers, clothiers, shoemakcr.s, inventors, bakers, and all that genus which fattens on the desolation caused by an MK. SECRETARY CAMERON. 153 army in tlio field, and Avas introduced to Mr. Cameron's room, ulicre lie Avas seated at a desk surrounded by people, who were also grouped round two gentlemen as clerks in the same small room. " I tell you, Gencr.nl Cameron, that the Avay in which the loyal men of Mis- souri have l)een treated is a disgrace to this Govern- ment," shouted out a big, black, burly man — "I tell you so, sir." " Well, General," responded Mr. Cameron, quietly, " so you have several times. Will you, once for all, condescend to particulars ? " " Yes, sir ; you and the Government have disregarded our appeals. You have left us to fight our own battles. You have not sent us a cent " "There, General, I interrupt you. You say we have sent you no money," said Mr. Cameron, very quietly. ''Mr. Jones will be good enough to ask Mr. Smith to step in here." Before Mr. Smith came in, however, the General, possibly thinking some member of the press was present, rolled his eyes in a Nicotian frenzy, and perorated : " The people of the State of Missouri, sir, will power- out every drop of the blood which only flows to Avarm patriotic hearts in defence of the great Union, Avhich offers freedom to the enslaA'ed of mankind, and a home to persecuted progress, and a fcAv-turc to civil-zation. We demand, General Cameron, in the neamc of the great AVestern State " Here Mr. Smith came in, and Mr. Cameron said, " I Avant you to tell me Avliat disbursements, if any, have been sent by this de- partment to the State of Missouri." Mr. Smith Avas quick at figures, and up in his accounts, for he drcAv out a little memorandum book, and replied (of course, I can't tell the exact sum), " General, there has been sent, as by vouchers, to Missouri, since the beginning 154 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. of the levies, six huudred and seventy tliousaud dollar'^ and twenty-three eents." "The Geuend looked eivst- liilleu, but he was equal to the occasion, " These sums may have been sent, sir, but they have not been i\ - ceived. I declare in the face of " " Mr. Smith will show you the vouchers, General, and you can then take any steps needful against the parties who have mis- appropriated them.'' " That is only a small specimen of what we have to go through with our people," said the ^Minister, as the General went off with a lofty toss of his head, and then gave me a pleasant sketch of the nature of the applications and interviews which take up the time and clog the movements of au American statesman. "These State organisations give us a great deal of trouble." I could fully understand that they did so. The imme- diate business that I had with ^Mr. Cameron — he is rarely called General now that he is ^linister of War — was to ask him to give me authority to draw rations at cost price, in case the army took the field before I could make arrangements, and he seemed very well disposed to accede ; " but I must think about it, for I shall have all our papers down upon me if I grant you any facility which they do not get themselves." After 1 left the "War Department, I took a walk to ]Mr. Seward's, who was out. In passing by President's Square, I saw a respectably-dressed man np in one of the trees, cutting off pieces of the bark, which his friends beneath caught up eagerly. I could not help sto])ping to ask what was the object of the proceeding. " Why, sir, this is the tree Dan Sickles shot ]\Ir. under. 1 think it's (|uite a remarkable sj)ot." July Wth. — The diplomatic circle is so lotus Icres I DirLOMVriC REUNIONS. 155 atque rotundus, that lew particles of dirt stick on its periphery IVoiu tlic road over whicli it travels. The radii arc worked from diirerciit centres, often far apart, and the tires and naves often fly out in wide divergence ; but for all social purposes is a circle, and a very pleasant one. When one sees ]M. de Stocckle speaking to M. Mercier, or joining in -with Baron Gerolt and M. de Lisboa, it is safer to infer that a little social re-union is at hand for a pleasant civilised discussion of ordi- nary topics, some music, a rubber, and a dinner, than to resolve with the New York Correspondent, "that there is reason to bcHeve that a diplomatic movement of no ordinary significance is on foot, and that the ministers of Russia, France, and Prussia have con- certed a plan of action with the representative of Brazil, which must lead to extraordinary complications, in view of the temporary embarrassments which dis- tract our beloved country. The Minister of England has held aloof from these reunions for a sinister purpose no doubt, and we have not failed to discover that the emissary of Austria, and the representative of Guatemala have abstained from taking part in these significant demonstrations. We tell the haughty noble- man who re})resents Queen Victoria, on whose son we so lately lavished the most liberal manifestations of our good will, to beware. The motives of the Court of Vienna, and of the republic of Guatemala, in ordering their representatives not to join in the reunion which we observed at three o'clock to-day, at the corner of Seventeenth Street and One, are perfectly transparent ; but we call on i\Ir. Seward instantly to demand of Lord Lyons a full and ample explanation of his conduct on the occasion, or the transmission of his papers. 156 MV DIAUY NORTH AND SOUTH. Tliere is no liarni in adding, that \vc have every reason to think our good ally of Russia, and the minister of the Jistute monarch, who is only watching an opportu- nity of leading a Franco- American army to the Tower of London and Dublin Castle, have already moved their respective Governments to act in the premises." That paragraph, with a good heading, Avould sell several thousands of the "New York Stabber'' to- morrow. July \\LtJi. — There are rumours that the Federals, under Brigadier M'Clellan, who have advanced into Western Virginia, have gained some successes ; but so far it seems to have no larger dimensions than the onward raid of one clan against another in the High- lands. And whence do rumours come? From Govern- ment departments, which, like so many Danaes in the clerks' rooms, receive the visits of the auriferous Jupiters of the press, who condense themselves into purveyors of smashes, slings, basketscif champagne, and dinners. ^M'Clellan is, however, considered a very steady and respectable professional soldier. A friend of his told me to-day one of the most serious com- plaints the Central Illinois Company had against him was that, during the Italian war, he seemed to forget their business ; and that he was busied with maps stretched out on the floor, whereupon he, superin- cumbent, penned out the points of battle and strategy when he ought to have been attending to passenger trains and traflic. That which was Hat blasphemy in a railwav oflice may be amazingly approved in the field. July \?)th.—l have had a long day's ride through the camps of the various regiments across the Potomac, TIIK NORTHEllN AU.MY. 157 and at this side of it, wliicli the ^vcather did not render very agreeable to myself or the poor liaek that I had hired for the day, till my American Cluartermainc gets me a decent mount. I wished to see with my own eyes what is the real condition of the armyAvliicli the North have sent down to the Potomac, to undertake such a vast task as the conquest of the South. The Northern papers describe it as a magnificent force, complete in all respects, well-disciplined, well-clad, provided with fine artillery, and with every requirement to make it eflcetive for all military operations in the field. In one Avord, then, they are grossly and utterly ignorant of what an army is or should be. In the first place, there are not, I should think, 30,000 men of all sorts available for the campaign. The papers estimate it at any number from 50,000 to 100,000, giving the preference to 75,000. In the next place, their artillery is miserably deficient; they have not, I should think, more than five complete batteries, or six batteries, including scratch guns, and these arc of diff'erent calibres, ])adly horsed, miserably equipped, and pro- vided with the worst set of gunners and drivers Avhich I, who have seen the Turkish field-guns, ever beheld. They have no cavalry, only a few scarecrow- men, wlio would dissolve partnership with their steeds at the first serious combined movement, mounted in high saddles, on wretched mouthless screws, and some few regulars from the frontiers, who may be good for Indians, but who would go over like ninepins at a charge from Punjaubce irregulars. Their trans- port is tolerably good, but inadequate ; they have no carriage for reserve ammunition ; the conmiissariat drivers are civilians, under little or no control; the 15S MY DIAUY XOKTH AND SOUTH. officers are unsoldierly-looking men ; tlie caiups are dirty to excess ; the men are dressed in all sorts of uniforms; and from what I hear, I doubt if any of these regiments liave ever performed a brigade evolutiou together, or if any of the otlicers know wliat it is to deploy a brigade from column into line. They are mostly three months' men, ^Yhose time is nearly up. They were rejoicing to-day over the fact that it was so, and that they had kept the enemy from "Washing! t)u "without a figlit.'* And it is with this rabblemi nt that the Nortli propose not only to subdue the South, but according to some of their papers, to humiliilo Great Britain, and conquer Canada afterwards. I am o[)po}v York Ucgimc'ut. It was quite refreshing to the eye to see the cleanliness of the regulars — their white gloves and belts, and polished buttons, contrasted with the slovenly aspect of the volunteers ; but, as far ju> the material went, the volunteers had by far the best of the comparison. The civilians who were with me did not pay much attention to the rcguhirs, and evidently preferred the volunteers, although they could not be insensible to tiie magnificent drum-major Avho led the band of the rcgulai's. Presently General Butler came out of his quarters, and walked down the lines, followed by a i'vw ofticcrs. lie is a stout, middle-aged man, strongly built, with coarse limbs, his features indica- tive of great shrewdness and craft, his forehead higli, the elevation being in some degree due perhaps to the want of hair; with a strong obliquity of vision, which may perhaps have been caused by an injury, as the eyelid hangs with a peculiar droop over the organ. The General, whose manner is (juick, decided, and abrupt, but not at all rude or unpleasant, at once acceded to the wishes of the Sanitary Commis- sioners, and expressed his desire to make my stay at the fort as agreeable and useful as he could. " You can first visit the hospitals in company with these gentlemen, and then come over with me to our camp, where 1 w ill show you everything that is to be seen. I have ordered a steamer to be in readiness to take you to Newport News." lie speaks rapidly, and either affects or possesses great decision. The Commissioners accordingly proceeded Xo make the A NATIONAL DIFFERENCE. IC'} most of their time in visiting the llygeia Hotel, being accompanied by the medical officers of the garrison. The rooms, but a short time ago occupied by the fair ladies of Virginia, when they came down to enjoy the sea breezes, were now crowded with Federal soldiers, many of them suilering from the loss of limb or serious wounds, others from the worst form of camp disease. I enjoyed a small national triumph over Dr. Bellows, the chief of the Commissioners, who is of the " sangre azul " of Yankceism, by which I mean that he is a believer, not in the perfectibility, but in the absolute perfection, of New England nature, which is the only human nature that is not utterly lost and abandoned — Old England nature, perhaps, being the Avorst of all. We had been speaking to the wounded men in several rooms, and found most of them either in the listless condition consequent upon exhaustion, or with that anxious air which is often observable on the faces of the wounded when strangers approach. At last we came into a room in which two soldiers Avere sitting up, the first we had seen, reading the news- papers. Dr. Bellows asked where they came from; one was from Concord, the other from Newhaven. " You see, ]\Ir. Russell,^' said Dr. Bellows, "how our Y^ankee soldiers spend their time. I knew at once they were Americans when I saw them reading newspapers." One of them had his hand shattered by a bullet, the other was suffering from a gun-shot wound through the body. "Where were you hit ?" I inquired of the first. "Well," he said, "I guess my rifle went off when I was cleaning it in camp." "Were you wounded at Bethel?" I asked of the second. " No, sir,^' he replied ; " I got this wound from a comrade, who discharged his piece UU MV lUAKY NOliTll AND Si»rTlI. by accident in one of the tents jis I was standin*; out- side/' "So," said I, to Dr. IJcllows, "whilst the Britishers and Germans are engaged with the enemy, you An)ericans employ your time shooting each Other ! " Tlic-e men werj true mercenaries, for they were fighting for money — I mean the strangers. One poor fellow from Devonshire said, as he pointed to liis stumj), " 1 wish 1 had lost it for the sake of the old island, sir," paraphrasing Sarsfield's exclamation as he lay dying on the held. The Americans were fighting for the com- bined excellences and strength of the States of New England, and of the rest of the Federal power over the Confederates, for they eould not in their heart of hearts believe the Old Union could be restored by force of arms. Lovers may quarrel and may reunite, but if a blow is struck there is no redintci/ratio iimoris possible again. The newspapers and illustrated periodicals which they read were the pabulum that fed the fiames of patriotism incessantly. Such capacity for enormous lying, both in creation and absorption, the world never heard. Snfhcicnt for the hour is the falsehood. There were lady nurses in attendance on the patients ; vho followed — let us believe, as I do, out of some higher motive than the mere desire of human praise — the example of .Miss Nightingale. 1 loitered behind in the rooms, asking many questions respecting the nationality of the men, in ^^hich the niembeis of the S.-initary Connnission took no interest, and I was just turning into one near the corner of the passage when I was .stojiped by a loud snnick. A young Scotchman was dividing his attention between a basin of soup and a demure voun^r ladv from Phila- OLD NEW ENGLANDHIJS. 165 (Iclpliiii, Avlu) \v:is feeding him with ii spoon, liis only arm heini::; engaged in holding her round the waist, iu order to jjrcvent her being tired, 1 j)resumc. iNIiss Raehel, or Deborali, had a pair of very pretty bhie eyes, but tlicy flashed very angrily from under iier trim little cap at the unwitting intruder, and then she said, in severest tones, " Will you take your medicine, or not?" Sandy smiled, and pretended to be very peni- tent. AVhen we returned with the doctors from our in- spection we walked round the parapets of the fortress, why so called I know not, because it is merely a fort. The guns and mortars are old-fasluoned and heavy, with the exception of some new-fashioned and very heavy Columbiads, which are cast-iron 8-, 10-, and 12-inch guns, in which I have no faith whatever. The armament is not sufficiently powerful to prevent its interior being searched out by the long range fire of ships with rifle guns, or mortar boats ; but it would require closer and harder work to breach the masses of brick and masonry which constitute the parapets and casemates. The guns, carriages, rammers, shot, were dirt}'-, rusty, and nej.- lected; but General Butler told me he was busy polish- ing up things about the fortress as fast as he could. Whilst we were parading these hot walls in the sun- shine, my com])anions were discussing the question of ancestry. It appears your New Englauder is very proud of his English descent from good blood, a.ul it is one of their isms in the Yaidcee States that they are the salt of the British people and the true aristocracy of blood and family, whereas we iu the isles retain but a paltry share of the blue blood defiled by incessant infiltrations of the muddy fluid of the outer world. 166 MY DIAUY NORTH AND SOUTH. This may he new to us Britishers, hut is a Q. E. D. If a •rcntlemau k-ft Europe 2(i<> years ago, and settled with l»is kin and kith, intermarrying; his chihh-en with their equals, and thus perpetuating an aneient family, it is evident he may he regarded as the founder of a nnieh more honourahle dynasty than tlie relative who remained hehind him, and lost the old family place, and sunk into ohscurity. A singular illustration of the tendency to make much of themselves may he found in the fact, that New England s\v:unis with genealogical societies and hodies of anti(juaries, who delight in reading papers about each other's ancestors, and tracing their descent from Norman or Saxon harons and earls. The \'irginians o])positc, who are flouting us with their Confederate Hag from Sewall's Point, are e(]ually given to the "genus et proavos.'' At the end of our promenade round the ramparts. Lieutenant Butler, the (Jeneral's nephew and aide-de- camp, came to tell us the boat was ready, and we met His Excellency in the court-yard, whence we walked down TO the wharf. On our way, General Butler cdled my attention to an enormous heap of hollow iron lying on the sand, which was the Tnion gun that is intended to throw a ^hot of some 350 l])s. weight or more, to astonish the Confetlcrates at Sewall's Point opposite, when it is mounted. This gun, if I mistake not, was made after the designs of Captain Hodman, of the United States artillery, who in a series of remarkable papers, the ptiblication of which has cost the country a large sum (jf money, has given us the results of long- continued investigations and experiments on the best method of cooling masses of iron for ordnance purposes, and of making powder for heavy shot. The piece must TO NEWPORT NE\V«. 107 wcigli ubout 20 tons, but !i similar gun, mounttnl on au artificial island called tlic Kip Haps, in the Channel opposite the fortress, is said to be worked with facility. The Confederates have raised some of the vessels sunk by the United States officers when the Navy Yard at Gosport was destroyed, and as some of these are to be converted into rams, the Federals are preparing their lieaviest ordnance, to try the eftect of crushing Aveights at low velocities against their sides, should they attempt to play any pranks among the transport vessels. The General said : " It is not by these great masses of iron this contest is to be decided : we must bring sharp points of steel, directed by superior intelligence.'* Hitherto General Butler's attempts at Big Bethel have not been crowned with success in employing such means, but it must be admitted that, according to his own statement, his lieutenants were guilty of careless- ness and neglect of ordinary military precautions in the conduct of the expedition he ordered. The march of different columns of troops by night concentrating on a given point is always liable to serious interruptious, and frequently gives rise to hostile encounters between friends, in more disciplined armies than the raw levies of United States volunteers. When the General, Commissioners, and Stafi" liad embarked, the steamer moved across the broad estuary to Newport News. Among our passengers were several medical officers in attendance on the Sanitary Com- missioners, some belonging to the army, others who had volunteered from civil life. Their discussion of professional questions and of relative rank assumed such a personal character, that (iencral Butler had to interfere to quiet the disputants, Init the exertion of ICS MY 1>1AKY NOHTII AND SOUTH. his autliuiity \Mis not altogether successful, and one of the aujjry gentleuieu said in n»y liearin<;, " I'm d — d if I submit to such treatnitnt if all the lauycrs iu Massachusetts with stars on their collars were to order nie to-morrow." On sirrivint,' at the low sliore of Newport Xews we hiuded at a wooden jetty, and jnoceedetl to visit the camp of the Federals, wliieh was surrounded hy a strong entrenchment, mounted with guns on the water face; and on the angles inland, a broad tract of culti- vated country, bounded by a belt of trees, extended from the river away from the encampment ; but the Confederates are so close at hand that frequent skirmishes have occurred between the foragini: parties of the garrison and the enemy, who have on more than one occasion pursued the Federals to the very verge of tlie woods. \\ hilst the Sanitarv Commissioners were •'roanin'r over the lieaps of iilth which abound in all camps where discipline is not most strictly observed, 1 walked round amongst the tents, w Inch, taken altogether, w ere in good order. The day was excessively hot, and many of the soldiers were laying down in the shade of arbours formed of branches from the neighbouring pine wood, but most of tiicm got up when they heard the General was coming round. A sentry walked up and down at tlie end of the street, and as the General came up to him he called out " Halt." The man stood still. "1 just want to show you, sir, what scoundrels our(jovern- ment has to deal with. This man belongs to a regiment which has had new clothing recently served out to it. Look what it is made of." So saying the General Ktuek his fore-finger into the breast of the man's coat, COLONHL rilKLPS AND Till-: C'll 1 VAIJ; V. It)',) nud with a rapid scratch of his nail tore open the ch)th as if it was of blotting paper. " Shoddy sir. Nothing; but sliodd}'. I wish I had these contractors in the trenches here, and if hard work wouhl not make lioncst men of thcui, they'd have enough of it to be examples for the rest of their fellows." A vivacions prying nnui, this Uutler, full of bustling life, self-esteem, ^-evelling in the exercise of power. In the course of our rounds wc were joined by Colonel Phelps, who was formerly in the United States army, and saw service in Mexico, but retired because he did not approve of the manner in which promotions were made, and who only took command of a jMassachusetts regiment because he believed he might be instrnmentid in striking a shrewd blow or two in this great battle of Armageddon — a tall, saturnine, gloomy, angry-eyed, sallow man, soldier-like too, and one who places old John Brown on a level with the great mart3'rs of the Christian world. Indeed one, not so fierce as he, is blasphemous enough to place images of our Saviour and the hero of Harper's Ferry on the mantelpiece, as the two greatest beings the world has ever seen. "Yes, I know them well. I've seen them in the field. I've sat with them at meals. I've travelled through their country. These Southern slave-holders arc a false, licentious, godless people. Either we who obey the laws and fear God, or they who know no (Sod except their own will and pleasure, and know no law except their passions, must rule on this continent, and I believe that Heaven will help its own in the conflict they have provoked. I grant you they are Ijrave enough, and desperate too, but surely justice, truth, and religion, will strengthen a man's arm to strike 170 MY DIAIIY NOHTH AND SOUTH. down those who have only brute force and a bad cause to support them/' Ihit Colonel Philps was not quite iudirtereut to niatcri:d aid, and he made a pressing appeal to General Butler to send liim some more guns and harness for the field-pieces he had in position, because, said he, "in case of attack, please God Til follow them up sharp, and cover these fields with their bones." The General had a ditficulty about the harness, whicli made Colonel Phelps very grim, but General Butler had reason in saying he could not make harness, and so the Colonel mu^t be content with the results of a good rattling fire of round, shell, grape, and eannister, if the Confederates are foolish enough to attack his batteries. There was nothing to complain of in the camp, except the swarms of Hies, the very bad smells, and j)erhaps the shabby clothing of the men. The tents were good enough. The rations were ample, but nevertheless there was a want of order, discipline, and quiet in the lines which did not augur well for the internal economy of the regiments. AVlien we returned to the river face, General Butler ordered some practice ,to be made with a Sawyer rifle gun, which appeared to be an ordinary east-iron piece, bored with grooves, on the shunt jji-ineiple, the shot being covered with a composition of a metallic amalgam like zinc and tin, and provided with flanges of the same material to fit the grooves. The practice was irregular and unsatis- factory. At an elevation of 21- degrees, tlie first shot struck the water at a ])<)int about 2U00 yards distant. Tiie piece was then further elevated, and the shot struck quite out of land, close to the opposite bank, at a distance of nearly three miles. The third shot rushed with a jjcculiar hurtling noise out of the piece. A RIDE TO IIAMl'ToN'. I 71 and flew up in tlic air, falling ^vitll a splasli into tlio water about 1500 yards away. The next shot may have gone lialf across the continent, for assuredly it never struck the water, and most probably plouj^hed its way iuto the soft ground at the other side of the river. The shell practice was still worse, and on the whole I wish our enemies may always fight us with Sawyer guns, particularly as the shells cost between £G and 17 a-piece. From the fort the General proceeded to the house of one of the officers, near the jetty, formerly the residence of a Virginian farmer, Avho has now gone to Secessia, where we were most hospitably treated at an excellent lunch, served by the slaves of the former proprietor. Although we boast with some reason of the easy level of our mess-rooms, the Americans certainly excel us in the art of annihilating all military distinctions on such occasions as these; and I am not sure the General would not have liked to place a young Doctor in close arrest, who suddenly made a dash at the liver wing of a fowl on which the General was bent with eye and fork, and carried it off to his plate. But on the whole there was a good deal of friendly feeling amongst all ranks of the volunteers, the regulars being a little stilf and adherent to etiquette. In the afternoon the boat returned to Fortress Monroe, and the general invited me to dinner, where I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Butler, his staff, and a couple of regimental officers from the neighbouring camp. As it was still early. General Butler proposed a ride to visit the interesting village of Hampton, which hes some six or seven miles outside the fort, and forms his advance post. A powerful charger, with a 172 MY IMAUY NmUTH AND SolTH. ti'cmeiulous Mexican s.-uldlc, fine liousings, blue and ^old embroidered saddle-cloth, was brouj^ht to the door for your Iminble servant, and the General mounted another, which did equal credit to his taste in horseflesh; Ijut 1 own I felt rather uneasy on seeing: that he wore a pair (tf lar'^c brass spurs, strapped over white jean brodcquins. He took with him his aide- de-camp and a couple of orderlies. In the precincts of the fort outside, a population of contraband negroes has been collected, whom tiie (jeneral employs in various works about the place, military and civil ; but I f.iiled to ascertain that the original scheme of a debit and credit aecunnt between the value of their hibonr and the cost of their maintenance had been successfully carried out. The CJencral Mas proud of them, and they seemed proud of themselves, saluting him with a ludicrous mixture of awe and familiarity Jis he rode past. " How do, Massa liutler? How do, General r" accompanied by al)surd bows and scrapes. " Just to think," said the General, " that every one of these fellows represents some lOUO dollars at least out of the pockets of the chivalry yonder." " Nasty, idle, dirty beasts," says one of the staff, soito voce; "I wish to Heaven they were all at the bottom of the Ghesapcake. The General insists on it that they do work, but they are far more trouble than they are worth." The road towards Hampton traverses a sandy spit, w hich, however, is more fertile than would be su|)posed from the soil under the horscN' hoofs, though it is not in the least degree interesting. A broad creek or river interposed between us and the town, tlic bridge over which had been destroyed. AVorknien were busy repairing it, but all the i>laiilvs Imd not yet Ijeen laid DESCRIITIOX OF JIAMIT-JX. 173 down or nailed, and in sonic places tiic open si)acc between the npright rafters allowed lis to see the dark waters flowini^ bencatli. The Aide said, " I don't think, (icncral, it is safe to cross;" bnt liis chief did not mind him until his horse very nearly crashed throni^h a plank, and only rc<:;aincd its footini^ with unbroken legs by marvellous dexterity; whereupon we dismounted, and, leaving the horses to be carried over in the ferry boat, completed the rest of the transit, not without difficulty. At the other end of the bridge a street lined with comfortable liouscs, and bordered with trees, led us into the pleasant town or village of Hampton — pleasant once, bnt now deserted by all the inhabitants except some pauperised whites and a colony of negroes. It was in full occupation of the Pederal soldiers, and I observed that most of the men ■were Germans, the garrison at Newport News being principally composed of Americans. The old red brick houses, with cornices of white stone; the narrow windows and high gables ; gave an aspect of antiquity and European comfort to the place, the like of which I have not yet seen in the States. Most of the shops were closed ; in some the shutters were still down, and the goods remained displayed in the windows. •' I have allowed no plundering/' said the General; "and if I find a fellow trying to do it, I will hang him as sure as my name is Butler. Sec here,'' and as he spoke lie walked into a large woollen-draper's .shop, where bales of cloth were still lying on the shelves, and many articles such as arc found in a large general store in a country town were disposed on the floor or counters ; " they shall not accuse the men under my command of being robbers." The boast, however, was 374 MV DIARY NUKTII AND SOUTH. not sowell justitietl in a visit to another liouse occupied by some soldiers. " Well,' said the General, with a smile, '* I daresay you know enough of camps to have found out that cliairs and tables are irresistible ; the men w ill take thciu oH' to their tents, thouj^h they may have to leave them next moruing." The principal object of our visit was the fortified trench which has l)cen raised outside the town towards the Confederate lines. The path lay through a church- yard lillcd with most interesting monuments. The sacred edilice of red brick, with a square clock tower rent by lightning, is rendered interesting by the fact that it is almost the first church built by the English colonists of Virginia. On the tombstones are re- corded the names of many subjects of his ^Majesty George 111., and familiar names of persons born in the early part of last century in English villages, who passed to their rest before the great rebellion of the Colonies had disturbed their notions of loyalty and respect to the Crown. ^lany a British su1)ject, too, lies there, whose latter days must have been troubled by the strange scenes of the war of independence. With what doubt and distrust nnist that one at wliosc tomb T .stand have heard that George Washington was making head against the troops of His Majesty King George III. ! How the hearts of the old men who had passed the best years of their existence, as these stones tell us, lighting for His Majesty against the French, must have beaten when oncemore theylu ard the roar of the Freneli- man's ordnance uniting with the voices of the rcl)ellious guns of the colonists from the plains of Yorktown against the entrenchments in whirli rornwallis and his deserted band stood at hopeless bay ! Hut rould these old eyes GENERAL BUTLKK. 175 open again, ami sec Gcnorul liutler standing on the eastern rampart which bouuds thcii' rcsting-phice, and pointing to the spot whence the rebel cavaby of Virginia issue night and day to charge the loyal pickets of" His ^Majesty The Union, they might take some comfort in the fulfilment of the vaticinations which no doubt they uttered, " It cannot, and it will not, come to good." Having inspected the works — as far as I could judge, too exteruled, and badly traced — vthich I say with all deference to the able young engineer who accom- panied us to point out the various objects of in- terest — the General returned to the bridge, where we remounted, and made a tour of the camps of the force intended to defend Hampton, falling back on Fortress Monroe in case of necessity. Whilst he was riding ventre d terre, which seems to be his favourite pace, his horse stumbled in the dusty road, and in his effort to keep his seat the General broke his stirrup leather, and the ponderous brass stirrup fell to the ground; but, albeit a lawyer, he neither lost his seat nor his sany froid, and calling out to his orderl^^ "to pick up his toe plate," the jean slippers were closely pressed, spurs and all, to the sides of his steed, and away we went once more through dust and heat so great I was by no means sorry when he pulled up outside a pretty villa, standing in a garden, which was occupied by Colonel j\Iax Webber, of the German Turner Regiment, once the property of General Tyler. The camp of the Turners, who are members of various gymnastic societies, was situated close at hand; but I had no opportunity of seeing them at work, as the Colonel insisted on our partaking of the hospitalities of his little mess, and pro- duced some bottles of sparkling hock and a block of 170 MY DIAHY NORTH AND SolTH. ice, by no inciuis umvclconic after our fatiguing ride. His Major, whose name I have unfortunately forgotten, and who spoke English better than his chief, had served in some capacity or other in the Crimea, and made nniny inquiries after the oflicers of tlie (iuards wliom lie had known there. I took an ojjportunity of asking him in what state the troops were. " The whole thing is a robbery," lie exclaimed; "this war is for the contractors ; the men do not get a third of what the Government pay for them ; as for discipline, my God ! it exists not. Wc Ciermans are w ell enough, of course; we know our affair; but as for the Americans, m hat would you ? They make colonels out of doctors and lawyers, and captains out of fellows who are not tit to brush a soldier's shoe/' '' Jhit the men get their pay?" "Yes; that is so. At the end of two months, they get it, and by that time it is due to sutlers, who charge them lUO per cent." It is easy to believe these old soldiers do not put much confidence in General Butler, though they admit his energy. " Look you ; one good ollicer with 5000 •steady troops, such as we have in Europe, shall come down any night and walk over us all into Fortress Monroe whenever he pleased, if lie knew how thisc troops were j)lac('d." On leaving the Oermau Turners, the General visited the camp of I)ur\(a*s New York Zouaves, who were turned out at evening parade, or more i)ro|)erly speaking, drill. I'.ut for the ridicidous elfect of their costume the regiment would have looked well enough; but riding down (Ui the rear of the ranks the dis- coloured naj)kins tied round their heatis, without any fez cap beneath, ^u that the hair sometimes stuck up NEW V(>i;k zouaves. 177 tliroui^h the folds, the ill-iuiKlc jackets, the loose biigs of red calieo Imijging from their loins, the long gaiters of white cotton — instead of the real Zouave yellow and bhick greavc, and smart white gaiter — u\(h\ii) them appear sueh military searecrows, I could scarcely refrain from laughing outright. Nevertheless the men were respectably drilled, marched steadily in cohnuns of company, wheeled into line, and went past at quarter distance at the double much better than could be expected from the short time they had been in the field, and 1 could with all sincerity say to Col. Duryea, a smart and not unpretentious gentleman, who asked my opinion so pointedly that I could not refuse to give it, that I considered the appearance of the regiment very creditable. The shades of evening were now falling, and as I had been up before 5 o'clock in the morning, I was not sorry when General Butler said, "Now we will go home to tea, or you Avill detain the steamer." He had arranged before I started that the vessel, which in ordinary eoui'se Avould have returned to Baltimore at 8 o'clock, should remain till he sent down word to the captain to go. We scampered back to the fort, and judging from the challenges and vigilance of the sentries, and in- lying pickets, I am not quite so satisfied as the ]\Iajor that the enemy could have surprised the place. At the tea-table there were no additions to the General's family ; he therefore spoke without any reserve. Going over the map, he explained his views in refercnci' to future operations, and showed cause, with more mili- tary acumen than I could have expected from a gentle- man of the long robe, why he believed Fortress Monroe Mas the true base of operations against Richmond. VOL. n. ^' 178 MY DIAUV NOKTll AND SolTII. I liave been cuiiviuced for sonic time, that if a suf- ficient force coukl be left to cover ^VHshiugtoll, the Federals should move against Kichuioud from the Peninsula, where they could form their depots at leisure, and advance, protected bv their gunboats, on a very short line uhich oflers far greater facilities and advantages than the inland route from Alexandria to Kichmoud, which, difficult in itself from the nature of the country, is exposed to the action of a hostile popu- lation, and, above all. to the danger of constant attacks by the enemies' cavalry, tending more or less to destroy all communieatiuu with the base of the Federal operations. The threat of seizing "Washington led to a concen- tration of the Union troops in front of it, which caused in turn the collection of the Confederates on the lines below lo defend Richmond. It is phiin that if the Federals can cover Washington, and at the same time asscnjble a force at .Monroe strong enough to march on Kiehmond. as they desire, the Confederates will be placed in an exceedingly hazardous position, scarcely possible to escape from ; and there is no reason why the North, with their overwhelming preponder- ance, should not do so, unless they be carried away by the fatal spirit of brag and bluster which comes from their press to overrate their own strength and to despise their enemy's. The occupation of Suflolk will be seen, by any one who studies the map, to afford a most powerful leAcrage to the Federal forces from .Monroe in their attempts to turn the enemy out of their camps of communication, and to enable them to menace Richmond as well as the Soutliern States most Bcrioubly. A NIGHT EXPEDITION. 171) But wliilst the General and T are engafi^ed over our maps and mint JMlei)s, time flies, and at last I per- ceive by the clock that it is time to go. An aide is sent to stop the boat, but he returns ere I leave with the news that " She is gone." Whereupon the General sends for the Quartermaster Talmadge, who is out in the camps, and only arrives in time to receive a severe " wigging." It so happened that I had important papers to send oflF by the next mail from New York, and the only chance of being able to do so depended on my being in Baltimore next day. General Butler acted Avith kindness and promptitude in the matter. " I promised you should go by the steamer, but the captain has gone oft' without orders or leave, for which he shall answer when I see him. Meantime it is my business to keep my promise. Captain Talmadge, jou will at once go down and give orders to the most suit- able transport steamer or chartered vessel available, to get up steam at once and come up to the wharf for Mr. Russell." Whilst I was sitting in the parlour which served as the General's office, there came in a pale, bright- eyed, slim young man in a subaltern's uniform, who sought a private audience, and unfolded a plan he had formed, on certain data gained by nocturnal expe- ditions, to surprise a body of the enemy's cavalry which was in the habit of coming down every night and disturbing the pickets at Hampton. His manner was so eager, his information so precise, that the General could not refuse his sanction, but he gave it in a characteristic manner. " Well, sir, I undei*- stand your proposition. You intend to go out as a volunteer to effect this service. You ask my permission « 2 IbO l\\ DlAltY NORTH AND SolTH. to get men for it. I eaimot {^'rant you an order to any of the officers in command of regiments to provide you with tliesc ; hut if the Colonel of your rcj^'iment wishes to irive leave to his men to volunteer, and thev like to go with you, I ^^ive you leave to take them. 1 wash my hands of all responsihility in the affair." The officer howed and retired, sayinir, "That is quite enough, General."* At lU o'clock the (Quartermaster came hack to say that a screw steamer called the Elizabeth was getting up steam for my reception, and I bade good-by to the General, and walked down with his aide and nephew, Lieutenant liutler, to the Ilygeia Hotel to get my light knapsack. It was a lovely moonlight uight, and as I was passing down an avenue of trees an officer stopjicd me, and exclaimed, "General Jhitler, I hear you have given leave to Lieutenant IJlank to take a party of my reiriment and go ofl' scouting to-night after the enemy. It is t(»o hard that — " ^\■hat more he was going to say I know not, for I corrected the mistake, and the officer walked hastily on towards the General's quarters. On reaching the Jiygeia Hotel 1 was met by the correspondent of a New York paper, who as commissary-general, or, as they are styled in the States, officer of subsistence, had been charged to get the boat ready, and who explained to me it would be at least an hour before the steam was up ; and whilst I was waiting in the porch 1 heard many Virginian, and old world stories as well, the general • It may be stntcd here, that this expedition met with a diFaatroui result. If I mistake not, the officer, and with him the correspondent of a paj>er who accompanied him, were killed by the cavalry whom he meant to •nrprise, and several of the Tolunteers were also killed or wounded. THE SAD SEA WAVE. iSl upshot of whicli was that all the rest ot" the worUl could be "done" at cards, in love, in driuk, iu horscflesli, and in fighting, l)y the true-born American. Gen. JJutlcr came down after a time, and joined our little society, nor was he by any means the least shrewd and humor- ous 7'aconteur of the party. At 11 o'clock the Elizabeth uttered some piercing erics, which indicated she had her steam up ; and so I walked down to the jetty, accompanied by my host and his friends, and wishing them good bye, stepped on board the little vessel, and with the aid of the negro cook, steward, butler, boots, and servant, roused out the captain from a small wooden trench which he claimed as his berth, turned into it, and fell asleep just as the first difficult convul- sions of the screw aroused the steamer from her coma, and forced her languidly against the tide in the direc- tion of Baltimore. Julij Ibfh. — I need not speak much of the events of last night, which were not unimportant, perhaps, to some of the insects which played a leading part ia them. The heat was literally overpowering; for in addition to the hot night there was the full power of most irritable boilers close at hand to aggravate the natural dtsagremens of the situation. About an hour after dawn, when I turned out on deck, there was nothing visible but a warm grey mist; but a knotty old pilot on deck told me we were only going six knots an hour against tide and wind, and that we were likely to make less way as the day wore on. In fact, instead of being near Baltimore, we were much nearer Fortress JNIonroe. Need I repeat the horrors of this day ? Stewed, boiled, baked, and grilled on board this miserable Elizabeth, I wished M. ^Montalembert could 1S2 MY PiAKY xorrrii and south. have experienced w'nh me what such an impassive nature could iutiict in misery on those around it. Tlic captain was a shy, silent man, much given to short nai)s in my temporary berth, and the mate was so wild, he might have swam oil' with perfect propriety to the woods on either side of us, and taken to a tree as an aborigen or chimpanzee. Two men of most retiring habits, the negro, a black boy, and a very fat ncgress who othciated as cook, filled up the "balance" of the crew. I could not write, for the vibration of the deck of the little craft gave a St. Vitus dance to pen and pencil ; reading was out of the question from the heat and flies ; and below stairs the fat cook banished rej)Ose by vapours from her dreadful caldrons, where, Medea- like, she was boiling some death broth. Our breakfast was of the simplest and — may I add? — the least enticing; and if the dinner could have been worse it was so; though it was rendered attractive by hunger, and by the kindness of the sailors who shared it with me. The old pilot hud a most wholesome hatred of the IJritishers, and not having the least idea till late in the d.iy that I belonged to the old country, favoured me with some very remarkable views respecting their general njis- chievousness and inutility. As soon as he found out my secret he became more reserved, and explained to me that he had some reason for not liking us, because all he had in the world, as pretty a schooner as ever floated and a fine cargo, had been taken and burnt by the English when they sailed up the Potomac to Wjishington. He served against us at liladensburg. 1 did not ask him how fast he ran ; but he had a good rejoinder ready if 1 had done so, inasmuch jus he was A CHESAPEAKE I'lLoT. 1S3 up West under Coniinodorc Perry on the lakes ulicii we suffered our most serious reverses. Six knots an hour ! hour after hour ! And nothing to do but to listen to the pilot. On both sides a line of forest just visible above the low shores. Small coasting craft, schooners, pungys, boats laden with wood creeping along in the shallow water, or plying down empty before wind and tide. " I doubt if we'll be able to catch up them forts afore night,'' said the skipper. The pilot grunted, " I rather think yu'll not." " II and thunder ! Then we'll have to lie off" till daylight?" " They may let you pass, Captain Squires, as you've this Europe-an on board, but anyhow we can't fetch Baltimore till late at night or early in the morning." I heard the dialogue, and decided very quickly that as Annapolis lay somewhere ahead on our left, and was much nearer than Baltimore, it would be best to run for it while there Avas daylight. The captain demurred. He had been ordered to take his vessel to Baltimore, and General Butler might come down on him for not doing so ; but I proposed to sign a letter stating he had gone to Annapohs at my request, and the steamer was put a point or two to westward, much to the pleasure of the Palinurus, whose " old woman " lived in the town. I had an affection for this weather-beaten, watery-eyed, honest old fellow, who hated us as cordially as Jack detested his Frenchmau in the old days before ententes cordialcs were known to the world. He was thoroughly English in his belief that he belonged to the only sailor race in the world, and that they could beat all mankind in seamanship; and he spoke in tlic most unaffected way of the Britishers as a survivor of 1st MY DIAUV >'Oi!TII AND SnlTII. the old war might do of Johnny Crapaud — "Tliey were brave enough no douljt, but, Lord bless you, see them in a gale of wind ! or look at thi-m sending down top-gallant masts, or anything sailoi'-Iikc in a breeze. You'd soon see the differ. And, besides, they 7icver can stand again ns at close quarters.'' l)y-and-by the houses of a eonsiderable town, crowned by steeples, and a large Corinthian-looking building, eanie in view. "That's the State House. That's where George ^Va^hington — fust in peace, first in war, and Hrst in the hearts of his eountrymcn — laid down his victorious sword without any one asking hin), and retired amid the ajjplause of tiie civilized world.'' This flight I am sure wjis the old man's treasured relic of school-boy days, and I'm not sure he did not give it to me three times over. Annapolis looks very well from the river side. The approach is guarded by some very poor eartliworks and one small fort. A dismantled sloop of war lay otf a sea wall, banking up a green lawn covered with trees, in front of an old-fasiiioned i)ile of buildings, which formerly, I think, and very recently indeed, was occupied by the cadets of the United States Naval School. '-'There was a lot of them Seceders. Lord bless you ! these young ones is all took by these States Rights' doctrines— just as tlie ladies is caught by a new fashion." About seven o'clock the steanur hove alongside a wooden pier whicli was quite deserted. Only some ten or twelve sailing boats, yachts, and schooners lay at anchor in the placid ^^att•^s of tlu- port which was once the capital of .Maryland, and for Mhich the early Kcpublieans i)ropliesied a great future. But I'altimore lias eclipsed Aniiajjolis into utter obscurity. 1 walked ANNArOLlS. 185 to tiic only hotel in the pliict', ;uh1 found tha.t the train for the junetion ^vith ^^'il.shington had started, and that the next train left at some impossible honr in the morning. It is an odd Rip Van Winkle sort of ;i place. Quaint-looking boarders came down to the tea-table and talked Secession, and when I was detected, as must ever soon be the case, owing to the hotel book, I was treated to some ill-favoured glances, as my recent letters liave been denounced in the strongest way for their supposed hostility to States Rights and the Domestic Institution. The spirit of the people has, however, been broken by the Federal occupation, and by the decision witli which Butler acted when he came down here with the troops to open commnnicatious with Washington after the Balti- moreans had attacked the soldiery on their way through the city from the north. CHAPTER XII. The " State House '' at Annapolis — Waabington — General Scott's quarters — Want of a etiiff — Rival camps — Demand for horees — Popular excitement — Lord Lyons — General M'Dowell's move- ments — Retreat from Fiiirfax Court House — General Scott's quarters — General Mansfield — Battle of Bull's Run. July V.Hlt. — I l)afilecl many curious and civil citizens by breakfastinj; in my room, where I remained Mriting till late in the day. In the afternoon I walked to the State House. The hall door was oj)cn, but the rooms were closcil ; and I remained in the hall, which is graced by two indiiicrent huITH. enemy. Bcaun-gard Mas saiil to have advanced to Fairfax Court House, but he could not get any ccrtaiu knowledge of the fact. " Can you not order a reconnaissance?" "Wait till you see the country. But even if it were as Hat as Flanders, I have not an onicer on wlioni I could depend for the work. They woidd fall into some trap, or bring on a <^'cneral engage- ment when I did not seek it or desire it. 1 have no cavalry such as you work with in Ihirope." I think he was not so much disposed to undervalue the Con- federates as before, for lie said they had selected a \ ery strong position, and had made a regular Icvce vn masse of the ])eopk' of \ irginia, as a ])rouf of the energy and determinatiun with which they wcw intiring on the campaign. As we i)arted the (Jcncral gave me his photograpii, and told nie he expected to sec nie in a few days at his quarters, but that I would have jjlenty of time to get liorses and servants, and such light equipage as I wanted, as there would be no engagement for several days. On arriving at my lodgings 1 sent to the livery stables to inipiire after horses. None lit for the saddle to be had at iiiiy prici'. The siitlers, the cavalry, the mounted oHiecrs, had Ijccn purchasing up all the droves of horses which came to the markets. M'Do\\ell had barely extra mounts for his own use. And yet horses must be had ; and, even provided with them, T must take the lield without tent or servant, canteen or food — a waif to fortinic .////// \ltli. — 1 went lip to (icneral Scott's (juarters, and saw some of his stall' — young men, some of whom kn(.\v nothing of soldiers, not even the enforcing of drill — and lound them reflecting, doubtless, the shades THE ADVANCE. ISQ wliich cross the mind of tlic old chief, who was now seeking repose. M'DowcU is to advance to-morrow from Fairfax Court House, and will march some eight or ten miles to Centreville, directly in front of which, at a place called IManassas, stands the army of the Southern enemy. I look around me for a staff, and look in vain. There arc a few plodding old pedants, with map and rules and compasses, who sit in small rooms and write memoranda ; and there are some ignorant and not very active young men, wno loiter about the head-quarters' halls, and strut up the street with brass spurs on their heels and kepis raked over their eyes as though they were soldiers, but I sec no system, no order, no knowledge, no dash ! The worst-served English general has always a young fellow or two about him who can fly across country, draw a rough sketch map, ride like a foxhuntcr, and iind something out about the enemy and their position, understand and couvc}^ orders, and obey them. I look about for the types of these in vain. M'Dowell can find out nothing about the enemy ; he has not a trustworthy map of the country ; no knowledge of their position, force, or numbers. All the people, he says, are against the Government. Fairfax Court House was abandoned as he approached, the enemy in their retreat being followed by the inhabitants. " Where were the Con- federate entrenchments ? " Only in the imagination of those New York newspapers ; when they want to fill up a column they write a full account of the enemy's fortifications. No one can contradict them at the time, and it's a good joke when it's found out to be a lie." Colonel Cullum went over the maps with me at General Scott's, and spoke with some greater con- 190 MY DIAKY NOHTII AND SOrTH. fidcncc of M'Dowcll's prospects of success. There is a considi-rahlo force of Confederates at a place called "Winchester, which is connected uitli ]\Ianassas by rail, nnd this force could be thrown on the right of the Federals as they advanced, but that another corps, under Patterson, is in observation, with orders to engage them if they attempt to move eastwards. The batteries for which General M'Dowell was looking last night have arrived, and were sent on this morning. One is under Barry, of the United States regular artillery, whom I met at Fort I'iekens. The other is a volunteer battery. The onward movement of the army has been productive of a great improvement in the streets of AVashington, which are no longer crowded with turburlent and disorderly volunteers, or by soldiers disgracing the name, Avho accost you in the by-ways fur money. There are comparatively few to-day ; small shoals, which have escaped the meshes of the net, are endeavouring to make the most of their time before they cross the river to face the enemy. Still horse-hunting, but in vain — Gregson, AVroe — et hoc genxLS omne. Nothing to sell except at tinhcard-of rates; tripeds, and the like, much the worse for wear, and yet possessed of some occult virtues, in right of which the owners demanded egregious sums. Every- where I am offered a gig or a vehicle of some kind or another, as if the example of General Scott had rendered such a mode of campaigning the correct thing. I saw many officers driving over the liOg IJridgc with large htores of provisions, cither unable to procure horses or satisfied that a waggon was the chariot of Mars. It is not fair to ridicule either officers or men of this army, aud if they were not so iullated THE VOLUNTEER ARMY. I'Jl by a pestilent vanity, no one wonkl dream of doing so ; but the excessive bragginj^ and boasting in which tiie volunteers and the press indulge really provoke criticism and tax patience and forbearance overmuch. Even the regular officers, who have some idea of military elli- ciency, rather derived from education and foreign travels than from actual experience, bristle up and talk proudly of the patriotism of the army, and challenge the world to show such another, although in their hearts, and more, with their lips, they own they do not depend on them. The Avhite heat of patriotism has cooled down to a dull black ; and I am told that tlic gallant volunteers, who are to conquer the world when they " have got through with their present little job," are counting up the days to the end of their service, and openly declare they will not stay a day longer. This is pleasant, inasmuch as the end of the term of many of McDowell's, and most of Patterson's, three months men, is near at hand. They have been faring luxuriously at the expense of tlie Government — they have had nothing to do — they have had enormous pay — they knew nothing, and were worthless as to soldiering Avheu they were enrolled. ISTow, having gained all these advantages, and being likely to be of use for the first time, they very quietly declare they are going to sit under their fig-trees, crowned with civic laurels and myrtles, and all that sort of thing, liut who dare say they are not splendid fellows — full-blooded heroes', patriots, and warriors — men before whose majestic presence all Europe pales and faints away ? In the evening I received a message to say that the advance of the army would take place to-morrow as soon as General M'Dowell had satisfied himself bv ]l.'~ ilY DIARY NOKTH AND .S«'fTlI. a reconnaissance that lie could carry out his plan of turninj^ the ri^ht of the enemy by passing Oecaguna Creek, Along Pennsylvania Avenue, along the various shops, hotels, and drinking-bars, groups of people were collected, listening to the most exaggerated ac- counts of desperate fighting and of the utter demo- ralisation of the rebels. I was rather amused by hearing the florid accounts whieli'wcre given in the hall of AViliard's by various inebriated olliccrs, who were drawing upon their imagination for their facts, knowing, as I did, that the entrenchments at Fairfax had been abandoned without a shot on the advance of the Federal troops. The New York papers came in with glowing descriptions of the magnitieent march of the grand army of the Potomac, which was stated to con- sist of upwards of 70,000 men ; whereas I knew not half that nundjcr were actually on the field. ^lultitudes of ])eople believe General AVinfield Scott, who was now fast asleep in his modest bed iu Pennsylvania Avenue, is about to take the field in person. The horse-dealers are still utterly impracticable. A citizen who owned a dark bay, spavined and ringboncd, asked me one thousand dollars for the right of possession. I ven- tured to suggest that it was not worth the money. " AVell." said he, " take it or leave it. If you want to see this fight a thousand dollars is cheap. 1 guess there were chaj)s paid more than that to see Jenny Lind on her first night; and this b.attle is not going to be repeated, I can tell you. The price of horses will rise when the chaps out there have had themselves prettv well used up with bowie-knives and six-shooters." July iHtft. — After breakfast. Leaving head-quar- ters, I went across to General Mansfield's, and THE FIRST SKIUMISII. 1 '.);i ■was going upstairs, ulicii the GciKral=!= hinisclf, a ■white-headed, grey-hcarded, and rather sohlierly- looking man, dashed out of his room in some excite- ment, and exclaimed, "Mr. Russell, I fear there is had news from the front." ''Are they fighting, General?" "Yes, sir. That fellow Tyler has been engaged, and ■we are whipped." Again I went off to the horse-dealer ; hut this time the price of the steed had been raised to £220; *'for," says he, "I don't want my animals to be ripped up by them cannon and them musketry, and those who wish to be guilty of such cruelty must pay for it." At the War Office, at the Department of State, at the Senate, and at the White House, messengers and orderlies run- ning in and out, military aides, and civilians with anxious faces, betokened the activity and perturbation which reigned within. I met Senator Sumner radiant with joy. " We have obtained a great success ; the rebels are falling back in all directions. General Scott says we ought to be in llichmond by Saturday night." Soon afterwards a United States officer, who had visited me in company with General Meigs, riding rapidly past, called out, " You have heard we are whipped; these confounded volunteers have run away." I drove to the Capitol, where people said one could actually see the smoke of the cannon; but ou arriving there it was evident that the fire from some burniug houses, and from wood cut down for cooking purposes had been mistaken for tokens of the fight. It was strange to stand outside the walls of the Senate whilst legislators were debating inside respecting the best means of punishing the rebels and traitors, and * Smce killed in actiou. VOL. II. iPi ^IV KIARY NORTH AND StU'TII. to think that amidst the dim hurizon of woods which hounded the west towards the plains of Manassas, the army of tlu- United States was then coutendinj^, at least with douhtful fortune, against the forces of tlie desperate and hopeless outlaws whose fate these United States senators pretended to hold in the hollow of their hands. Nor was it unworthy of note that many of the tradespeople along Pennsylvania Avenue, and the ladies whom one saw sauntering in the streets, Mere exchanging significant nods and smiles, and rub- hing their hands with satisfaction. I entered one shop, where the proprietor and his wife ran forward to meet me. "Have you heard the news ? Beauregard has knocked them into a cocked hat." "Believe me," said the good lady, "it is the finger of the Almighty is in it. Didn't he curse the niggers, and why .should lie take their part now with these Yankee Abolitionists, against true white men?" "But how do you know this?" said I. " AVhy, it's all true enough, depend upon it, no matter how we know it. We've got our underground railway as well as the Abolitionists." On my way to dinner at the Legation I met the President crossing Pennsylvania Avenue, striding like a crane in a bulrush swamp among the great blocks of marble, dressed in an oddly cut suit of grey, with a felt hat on the back of his head, wiping his face with a red pocket-handkerchief. He was evidently in a hurry, on his way to the AVliite Hoiisc, where I believe a telegraph has been established in communication Mith IM'Dowcirs hcad-(piartcrs. T may mention, by-the-bye, in illustration of the extreme igiionmce and arrogance which characterise the low Yankee, that a man in the uniform of a Colonel said to me to-day, as I was leaving THE FEELING OF MINISTERS. 195 tlic War Depai'tmcut; "Thc}"- have just got a tclcj^raph from M'Dowcll. Would it not astouisli you Britishers to hear tliat, as our General moves on towards the enemy, he trails a telegraph wire behind him just to let them know in Washington which foot he is putting first ? " I Avas imprudent enough to say, " I assure you the use of the telegraph is not sueh a novelty in Europe or even in India. When Lord Clyde made his eam- paign the telegraph was laid in his traek as fast as he advanced." " Oh, well, come now/' quoth the Colonel, " that's pretty good, that is ; I believe you'll say next, your General Clyde and our Benjamin Franklin dis- covered lightning simultaneously." The calm of a Legation contrasts wonderfully in troubled times with the excitement and storm of the world outside. M. Mercier perhaps is moved to a vivacious interest in events. M. vStoeckl becomes more animated as the time approaches M'hen he sees the fulfilment of his prophecies at hand. M. Tassara cannot be indift'ercut to occurrences which bear so directly on the future of Spain in Western seas ; but all these diplomatists can discuss the most engrossing and portentous incidents of political and military life, with a sense of calm and indifference which was felt by tlic gentleman who resented being called out of his sleep to get up out of a burning house because he was only a lodger. There is no Minister of the European Powers in Washington who watches with so much interest tlie march of events as Lord Lyons, or who feels as much sympathy perhaps in tlic Federal Governnicnt as the constituted Executive of the countiy to A\liich lie is accredited ; but in virtue of his position he knows little 2 19G MY DIAUY XORTH AXD SOUTH. or nothing ofTicially of \vliat passes around liini, and may be rcj^arded as a medium lor tlic communication of despatches to Mr. Seward, and for the discharge of a great deal of most causeless and unmeaning vituperation from the conductors of the New York press against England. On my return to Captain Johnson's lodgings I re- ceived a note from the head-quarters of the Federals, stating that the serious action between the two armies would probably be postponed for some days. M'Dowell's original idea was to avoid forcing the enemy's position directly in front, which was defended by movable batteries commanding the fords over a stream called " Bulls Run." He therefore proposed to make a demonstration on some point near the centre of their line, and at the same time throw the mass of his force below their extreme right, so as to turn it and get possession of the Manassas Railway in their rear : a movement >\hieh would separate him, by-tiie-bye, from his own communications, and enable any general worth his salt to make a magnificent counter by marching on Washington, only 27 miles away, which he could take with the greatest case, and leave the enemy in the rear to march 120 miles to Richmond, if they dared, or to make a hasty retreat upon the higher Potomac, and to 'ORTII AND SOUTH. of passing Congress men. A pai-ty of captured Con- federates, on their march to General ^ransfieUls quarters, created intense interest, and I followed them to the liouse, and went up to see the General, whilst the prisoners sat down on the pavement and steps outside. Notwithstanding his allectatiou of calm and self- possession. General Mansfield, who was charged with the defence of the town, was visibly iierturbed. " Tlu se things, sir," said he, '' happen in Europe too. If the capital should fall into the hands of the rebels the United States will be no more destroyed than they were when you burned it." From an expression he let fall, I inferred he did not very well know what to do with his prisoners. " Rebels taken in arms in Europe are generally hung or blown away from guns, I believe ; but we are more merciful." General ^lansfield evi- dently wished to be spared the embarrassment of dealing with prisoners. I dined at a restaurant kept by one Boulanger, a Frenchman, who utilised the swarms of flics infesting his premises by combining masses of them with his soup and made dishes. At an adjoining table were a lanky boy in a lieutenant's uniform, a private soldier, and a man in plain clothes ; and for the edification of the two latter the warrior youth was detailing the most remarkable .stories, in the Munchausen style, ear ever heard. "Well, sir, I tell you, when his head fell off on the ground, his eyes shut and opened twice, and his tongue came out with an expression as if he wanted to say something." "There were seven balls through my coat, and it was all .so spiled with 1)lood and l)Owder, I took it ofl^ and threw it in the road. When the bovs were burving the dead, I saw this coat on a STEVENS RAM. 201 cliap who had been just "smothered by the weight of the killed and wounded on the top of him, and I says, 'Boys, give me that coat; it will just do for me with tlic same rank; and there is no use in jjutting good cloth on a dead body.' " " And how many do you suppose was killed. Lieutenant ? " " "Well, sir ! it's my honest belief, I tell you, there was not less than 5000 of our boys, and it may be twice as many of the enemy, or more; they were all shot down just like pigeons ; you might walk for five rods by the side of the Run, and not be able to put your foot on the ground." " The dead was that thick ? " " No, but the dead and the Avounded together." No incredulity in the hearers — all swallowed : possibly disgorged into the note-book of a ¥/ashington contributor. After dinner I walked over with Lieutenant H. Wise, inspected a model of Steven's ram, which appears to me an utter impossibility in face of the iron-clad em- brasured fleet now coming up to view, though it is spoken of highly by some naval officers and by many politicians. For years their papers have been indulging in myste- rious volcanic pufis from the great centre of nothing- ness as to this secret and tremendous war-engine, which was surrounded by walls of all kinds, and only to be let out on the world when the Great Republic in its might had resolved to sweep everything off the seas. And lo ! it is an abortive ram ! Los Gringos went home, and I paid a visit to a family whose daughters — bright-eyed, pretty, and clever — were seated out on the door-steps amid the lightning flashes, one of them, at least, dreaming with open eyes of a young artillery officer then sleeping among his guns, probably, in front of Fairfax Court House. CHAPTER XIII. Skirmish at Bull's Run — The Crisis in Congress — Dearth of Horses - War Priceii at Washington — Estimate of the effects of Bull's Uuu — Piisswiird and Couutcreign — Trausatlautic View of " The Timob" — Difficulties of a Newspaper Corrcspondeut iu tho Field. July 'KUh. — The great battle whicli is to arrest rebel- lion, or to inakt' it a power in tlie laud, is no longer distant or doubt liil. M'Dowcll lias completed his reconnaissance of the eouutry iu front of the enemy, and General Scott anticipates that he will be in posses- sion of Manassas to-uiorrow night. All the state- ments of oHicers concur in describing the Confederates as strongly entrenched along the line of Bull's Hun covering the railroad. The Kew York papers, indeed, audaciously declare that the enemy have fallen back in disorder. In the main thoroughfares of the city there is still a scattered army of idle soldiers moving through the civil crowd, though Ikjw they couu' here no one knows. The ollicers clustering round the hotels, and running iu and out of the bar-roojus and eating-houses, are still more numerous. ^\ hen I iuipiircd at the head-quarters who these were, the answer was that the majority were skulkers, but that there was no power at such a moment to send tlu m Ijack to the ir regiments or jiunish them. In fact, (U-ducting the reserves, the rear-guards, and the scanty garrisons at the earth- THE EVE OF THE BATTLE. 203 works, M'Dowell will not have 25,000 men to undertake liis seven days' mareli tlirongh a hostile country to the Confederate capital; and yet, strange to say, in the pride and passion of the politicians, no doubt is per- mitted to rise for a moment respecting his complete success. I was desirous of seeing what impression was pro- duced upon the Congress of the United States by the crisis which was approaching, and drove down to the Senate at noon. There was no appearance of popular enthusiasm, excitement, or emotion among the people in the passages. They drank their iced water, ate cakes or lozenges, chewed and chatted, or dashed at their acquaintances amongst the members, as though nothing more important than a railway bill or a postal concession was being debated inside. I entered the Senate, and found the House engaged in not listening to ]Mr. Latham, the Senator for California, Avho was delivering an elaborate lecture on the aspect of political affairs from a Republican point of view. The Senators were, as usual, engaged in reading newspapers, writing letters, or in whispered conversation, whilst the Senator received his applause from the people in the galleries, Avho were scarcely restrained from stamping their feet at the most highly-flown passages. Whilst I was listening to what is by courtesy called the debate, a messenger from Centrcville, sent in a letter to me, stating that General M'Dowell would advance early in the morning, and expected to engage the enemy before noon. At the same moment a Senator who had received a despatch left his seat and read it to a brother legis- lator, and the news it contained was speedily diffused from one seat to another, and groups formed on the 5201 MY DlAin' XORTII AND SOUTH. edge of tlie Hoor eagerly discussing the welcome iutcl- ligcnce. The President's hammer .ngain and again called them to order; and from out of this knot, Senator Sumner, his face lighted with pleasure, came to tell me the good news. " M'Dowcll has carried Bull's Run Avithout firing a shot. Seven regiments attacked it at the point of the bayonet, and the enemy immediateh- fled. General Scott only gives M'Dowell till mid-d:.y to- morrow to be in possession of ^ranassas." Soon after- wards, Mr. 1 1 ay, the President's secretary, appeared on the floor to communicate a message to the Senate. I iisked him if the news was true. " All I can tell you," said he, " is that the President has heard nothing at all about it, and that General Scott, from whom we have just received a lomraunication, is equally ignorai)t of the reported success." Some Senators and many Congress men have already gone to join M'Dowell's army, or to follow in its wake, in the hope of seeing the Lord deliver the Philistines into his hands. As I was leaving the Chamber with Mr. Sumner, a dust-stained, toil-worn man, caught the Senator by the arm, and said, " Senator, I am one of your constituents. I come from town, in ^las- sachusetts, and here arc letters from people you know, to certify who T am. 'My poor brother was killed yesterday, and 1 want to go out and get his body to send back to the old people ; but they won't let me pass without an order." And so Mr. Sumner wrote a note to General Seott, and another to General Mans- field, recommending that poor Gordon Frazer should be permitted to go through the Federal lines on liis labour of love ; and the honest Scotchman seemed as RUMOUKS IN WASHINGTON. ;>05 grateful as if lie luul already foiiiul liis brother's body. Every carriage, gig, waggon, and hack has been engaged by people going out to see the fight. The price is enhanced by mysterious communications respecting the horrible slaughter in the skirmishes at Lull's Run. The French cooks and hotel-keepers, by some occult process of reasoning, have arrived at the conclusion that they must treble the prices of their Avines and of the hampers of provisions which the "Washington people are ordering to comfort themselves at their bloody Derby. " There was not less than 18,000 men, sir, killed and destroyed. I don't care what General Scott says to the contrarj', he was uot there. I saw a reliable gentleman, ten minutes ago, as cum straight from the place, and he swore there was a string of waggons three miles long with the wounded. While these Yankees lie so, I should uot be surprised to hear they said they did not lose 1000 men in that big fight the day before yesterday." When the newspapers came in from New York I read flaming accounts of the ill-conducted recon- naissance against orders, which was terminated by a most dastardly and ignominious retreat, " due," say the New York papers, " to the inefficiency and cowardice of some of the officers." Far different was the beha- viour of the modest chroniclers of these scenes, who, as they tell ns, " stood their ground as well as any of them, in spite of the shot, shell, and rifle-balls that whizzed past them for many hours." General Tyler alone, perhaps, did more, for " he was exposed to the enemy's fire for nearly four hours;" and when we con- sider that this fire came from masked batteries, and 20G MY DIARY NORTH AND Sol'TH. that the Avintl of round shot is unusually destructive (in America), we can better ajipreciate the danj^er to which he w;is so gallantly indiHcrent. It is obvious that in tliis first encounter the Federal troops gained no advantage ; and as they were the assailants, their repulse, which cannot be kept secret from the rest of the army, will have a very damaj^ing effect on their rnoride. General Johnston, who has been for some days with a considerable force in an entrenched position at "Winchester, in the valley of the Shenandoah, had occupied General Scott's attention, in consequence of the facility which he possessed to move into Maryland by Harper's Ferry, or to fall on the Federals by the Manassas Gap Railway, which was available by a long march from the town he occupied. General Patterson, with a Federal corps of equal streuirth, had accordingly been despatched to attack him, or, at all events, to ])rc- vcnt his leaving Winchester without an action ; but the news to-night is that Patterson, who was an oiliccr of some reputation, has allowed Johnston to evacuate Winchester, and has not pursued him ; so that it is impossible to [jredict where the latter will appear. Having failed utterly iji my attempts to get a horse, 1 was obliged to negotiate with a livery-stable keeper, w\\o had a houded gig, or tilbury, left on his hands, to mIucIi he proposed to add a splinter-bar and pole, so as to make it available for two horses, on condition that I paid liim the assessed value of the vehicle and horses, in ease they were destroyed by the enemy. Of what particular value my executors might h.ivc regarded the guarantee in question, the worthy man did not incjuirc, nor did he stipulate for any value to be put upon the rREPAlJATIONS. 207 driver; but it struck me that, if tliesc were in miy way seriously damaged, the oceiipauts of the vcliicle were not likcdy to escape. The driver, indeed, seemed by no means willing to undertake the job ; and again and again it was proposed to me that I should drive, but I persistenth^ refused. On completing my bargain with the stable-keeper, in which it was arranged with ]\Ir. Wroe that I was to start on the following morning early, and return at night before twelve o'clock, or pay a double day, I went over to the Legation^ and found Lord Lyons in the garden. I went to request that he would permit ]Mr. Warre, one of the attaches, to accompany me, as he had expressed a desire to that effect. His Lordship hesitated at first, thinking perhaps that the American papers would turn the circumstance to some base uses, if they were made aware of it; but finally he consented, on the distinct assurance that I was to be back the following night, and would not, under any event, pro- ceed onw^ards with General McDowell's army till after I had returned to Washington. On talking the matter over the matter with JNIr. Warre, I resolved that the best plan would be to start that night if possible, and proceed over the long bridge, so as to overtake the army before it advanced in the early morning. It was a lovely moonlight night. As we walked through the street to General Scott's quarters, for tlie purpose of procuring a pass, there was scarcely a soul abroad ; and the silence which reigned contraste;! strongly with the tumult prevailing in the day-time. Alight glimmered in the General's parlour; his aides were seated in the verandah outside smoking in silence, and one of them handed us the parses which he had 20S MY D1A1;Y NOKTII AND SnUTH. promised to procure ; but ulicn I told them tliat \vc iutended to cross the long bridge that night, au unfore- seen obstacle arose. The guai'ds had been specially ordered to permit no person to cross between tattoo and daybreak who was not provided with the counter- bigu; and without the express order of the General, no subordinate officer can communicate that counter- sign to a stranger. "Can you not ask the General V " lie is lying down asleep, and I dare not venture to disturb him." As I had all along intended to start before daybreak, thin co/ilrc(c'>iijjs promised to be very embarrassing, «ind I ventured to suggest that General Scott would authorise the counter.sign to be given uhcn he awoke. But the aide-de-camp shook his head, and I began to suspect from his manner and from that of his comrades that my visit to the army was not regarded with much favour — a view which was confirmed by one of them, who, by the way, was a civilian, for in a few minutes he said, "In fact, I would not advise "Warre and you to go out there at all ; they are a lot of volunteers and recruits, and we can't say how they will behave. They may i)robably have to retreat. If I were you I would not be near them." Of the five or six officers who sat in the verandah, not one spoke confidently or with the briskness which is usual when there is a chance of a bru-ih with an enemy. As it was impossible to force the point, we had to retire, and I went once more to the horse dealer's, where I inspected the vehicle and the quadrupeds destined to draw it. I had spied in a stall a likely- lo(jking Kentuckian nag, nearly black, light, but strong, and full of lire, with au undertaker's tail and something PREPARING FOR ACTION. 201) of a maiic to matcli, Avliich the groom assured me T could not even look at, as it was bespoke by an officer ; but after a little strategy I prevailed on the proprietor to hire it to me for the day, as well as a boy, who was to ride it after the gig till we came to Centreville. My little experience in such scenes decided me to secure a saddle horse. I knew it would be impossible to see anything of the action from a gig; that the roads would be blocked up by commissariat waggons, ammu- nition reserves, and that in case of anything serious taking place, I should be deprived of the chance of participating after the manner of my vocation in the engagement, and of witnessing its incidents. As it Avas not incumbent on my companion to approach so closely to the scene of action, he could proceed in the vehicle to the most convenient point, and then walk as far as he liked, and return when he pleased ; but from the injuries I had sustained in the Indian campaign, I could not walk very far. It was finally settled that the gig, with two horses and the saddle horse ridden by a negro boy, should be at my door as soon after daybreak as we could pass the Long Bridge. I returned to my lodgings, laid out an old pair of Indian boots, cords, a Himalayan suit, an old felt hat, a flask, revolver, and belt. It was very late when I got in, and I relied on my German landlady to procure some commissariat stores ; but she declared the whole extent of her means would only furnish some slices of bread, with intercostal layers of stale ham and moiddy Bologna sausage. I was forced to be content, and got to bed after midnight, and slept, having first arranged that in case of my being very late next night a trust- worthy Englishman should be sent for, who would ::iO MY DIAliY NORTH AND SOUTH. canv my letters from "Washiugtoii to Boston iu time for the muil which leaves on Wednesday, !^^y mind had been so much occupied with the coming event that I slept uuca:vily, and once or twice I started up, fancying I was called. The moon shone in through the mosquito curtains of my bed, and just ere daybreak I was aroused by some noise in the adjoining room, and looking out, in a half dreamy state, imagined I saw General M'Powcll standing at the table, on which a candle was burning low, so distinctly that I woke up with the words, " General, is that yon ? " Nor did I convince myself it was a dream till I had walked into the room. July )L\st. — The calmness and silence of the streets of AVashiugton this lovely morning suggested thoughts of the very dill'crent scenes which, in all probability, were taking place at a few miles' distance. One could fancy the hum and stir round the Federal bivouacs, as the troops woke up and were formed into column of juarch towiu-ds the enemy. I much regretted that I wjis not enabled to take the field with General -M'Dowell's army, but my position wjis surrounded with such dillieulties that I could not pursue the course open to the correspondents of the American newspapers. On my arrival in AVashington I addressed an application to >Mr. Cameron, Secretary at War, requesling him to sanction the issue of rations and forage from the Commissariat to myself, a servant, and a couple of horses, at the contract prices, or on whatever other terms he might think fit, and I had several interviews with -Mr. Leslie, the obliging and iudefatiuablc chief clerk of the Wnv Department, in efcrcnce to tlu matter; but as there was a want of AMERICAN COKRESl'ONDENTS. 2 1 1 precedents for sucli a course, wliicli was not at all to l)c ■wondered at, seeing that no representative of an English newspaper had ever been sent to chronicle the progress of an American army in the field, no satisfac- tory result could be arrived at, though I had many fair words and promises. A great outcry had arisen in the North against the course and policy of England, and the journal I repre- sented was assailed on all sides as a Secession organ, favourable to the rebels and exceedingly hostile to the Federal government and the cause of the Union. Public men in America are alive to the inconveniences of attacks by their own press ; and as it was quite impos- si'ole to grant to the swarms of correspondents from all parts of the Union the permission to draw supplies from the public stores, it would have afforded a handle to turn the screw upon the War Department, already roundly abused in the most influential papers, if Mr. Cameron acceded to me, not merely a foreigner, but the correspondent of a foreign journal w^hich was considered the most powerful enemy of the policy of his government, privileges which he denied to American citizens, representing newspapers which were enthu- siastically supporting the cause for which the armies of the North w ere now in the field. To these gentlemen indeed, I must here remark, such privileges were of little consequence. In every camp they had friends who were w illing to receive them in their quarters, and who earned a word of praise in the local papers for the gratification of either their vanity or their laudable ambition in their own neighbourhood, by the ready service which they afforded to the coi're- spondents. They rode Government horses, had the use 212 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. of Government wa<.'gons, and throuj;li fear, favour, or affection, enjoyed facilities to which I had no access. I could not expect persons with whom I was unac- quainted to be equally generous, least of all when by doing so they would have incurred popular obloquy and censure; though many officers in the army had ex- pressed in very ci^-il terms the ple:isure it would give them to sec rac at their quarters in the field. Some days ago I had an interview with Mr. Cameron himsilf, wlio was profuse enough in promising that he would do all in his power to further my wishes ; but he had, nevertheless, neglected sending me the authorisation for which I had applied. I could scarcely stand a baggage train and commissariat upon ray own account, nor could I well participate in the system of plunder and appropriation which has marked the course of the Federal army so far, devastating and laying waste all the country behind it. Hence, all I could do was to make a journey to sec the army on the field, and to retiun to ^Vasliington to write my report of its first operation, knowing there would be plenty of time to overtake it before it could reach Richmond, when, as I hoped, Mr. Cameron would be prepared to accede to my request, or some plan had been devised by myself to obviate the difficulties which lay in my path. There was no entente rordiair exhibited towards me by the members of the American press; nor did they, any more than the generals, evince any disposition to help the alien correspondent of the Tinier, and my only ( ounection with one of their body, the young designer, bad not, indeed, inspired mc with any great desire to extend my acquaintance. General M'Dowell, on giving DIFFICULTIES. 213 mc tlic most hospitable invitation to liis (|ii;irlL'r.s, refrained from offering tlie assistance mIiIcIi, pcrlisips, it was not in his power to afford; and I confess, looking at the matter cahnly, I coukl scarcely expect that he wonld, particularly as he said, half in jest, half seriously, " I declare I am not quite easy at the idea of having your eye on me, for you have seen so much of European armies, you will, very naturally, think little of us, generals and all." %3 CHAPTER XIV. To the scene of action— Tho Confederate camp — Centreville — Action at Bull Run — Defeat of tbe Fecknils — Disorderly retreat to Centroville — My rido back to WiisliiuL'toii. Pu.NCTUAL to time, our cnrria^'o aiipcared at the door, witli a spare horse, followed by tiie hlaek quadruped on •which the negro boy sat with difliculty, in consequence of its high spirits and excessively hard mouth. I swal- lowed a cup of tea and a morsel of bread, put the remainder of the tea into a bottle, got a flask of light Bordeaux, a bottle of water, a paper of sandwiches, and having replenished my small flask with brandy, stowed them all away in the bottom of the gig; but my friend, who is not accustomed to rise very early in the morning, did not make his appearance, and I was obliged to send several times to the legation to quicken liis movements. ]'ach time I was assured he would be over presently; but it was not till two hours had elapsed, and when I had just resolved to leave hira behind, that he appeared in person, quite unprovided witli ridt'inim, so that my sliuder store had now to meet tlic demands of two instead of one. Wc are ofl" at last. The amicus and self find contracted space behind the driver. The negro boy, grinning half with pain and "tli(; ]);dance" with jilcasnrc, as the Americans say, held on his rampant charger, which made continual OUT IX VIRGINIA. 215 efforts to leap into tlio gig, and tlms tliroiigli the deserted city we proceeded towards tlie Long IJiidgc, where a sentry cxaniiucd our papers, and said witli a grin, "You'll find plenty of Congressmen on before 3'on." And then our driver whipped his horses through the embankment of Fort Runvon, and dashed off alonir a country road, ranch cut up with gun and cart wheels, towards the main turnpike. The promise of a lovely day, given by the early dawn, was likely to be realised to tlie fullest, and the placid beauty of the scenery as we drove through the Avoods below Arlington, and beheld the white buildings shining in the early sunlight, and the Potomac, like a broad silver riband dividing the picture, breathed of peace. The silence close to the city was unbroken. Prom the time we passed the guard beyond the Long Bridge, for several miles we did not meet a human being, except a few soldiers in the neighbourhood of the deserted camps, and when we passed beyond the range of tents we drove for nearly two hours througli a densely-wooded, undulating country ; the bouses, close to the road-side, sliut up and deserted, window-high in the crops of Indian corn, fast ripening for the sickle ; alternate field and forest, the latter generally still holding possession of the hollows, and, except when the road, deep and filled with loose stones, passed over the summit of the ridges, the eye caught on either side little but fir-trees and maize, and the deserted wooden houses, standing amidst the slave quarters. The residences close to the lines gave signs and tokens that the Federals had recently visited them. But at the best of times the inhabitants could not be •UG MY DIAKY NORTH AND SOUTH. very well off. Some of the farms were small, the houses tumbling to decay, with unpaiuted roofs and side walls, and windows where the want of glass was supplemented hy panes of wood. As we got further into the country the traces of the debateable land between the two armies vanished, and negroes looked out from their quarters, or sicldy-looking women and children were summoned forth by the rattle of the wheels to see who was hurrying to the war. Now and then a white man looked out, with an ugly scowl on his face, but the country seemed drained of the adult male population, and such of the inhabitants as we saw were neither as comfortably dressed nor as healthy looking as the shambling slaves who shuffled about the plantations. The road was so cut up by gun-wheels, ammunition and commissariat waggons, that our horses made but slow way against the continual draft upon the collar; but at last the driver, who had known the country in happier times, announced that we had entered the high road for Fairfax Court-house. I'nfortiniately my watch had gone down, but I guessed it was then a little before nine o'clock. In a few minutes afterwards I thought I heard, through tlie eternal clatter and jingle of the old gig, a sound which made me call the driver to stop. He pulK'd up, and wo listened. In a minute or so, the well-known l)oom of a gun, followed by two or tliree in rapid succession, but at a considerable distance, reached my ear. " Did you hear that ? " Tlie driver heard nothing, nor did my companion, but the black boy on the led horse, with eyes startingout of his head, cried, " I liear them, massa ; I hear them, sure enough, like de gun in de navy yard;" and as he spoke tlu; thudding noise, like taps with a gentle hand upon a THE SOUND OF THE CANNON. 217 muffled drum, were repeated, Avliich were heard both by J\Ir. Warrc and the driver. " They are at it ! We shall be late ! Drive ou as fast as you can ! " "Wc rattled ou still faster, and presently came up to a farin-housc, ■where a man and woman, with some negroes beside them, were standing out by the hedge-row above us, looking up the road in the direction of a cloud of dust, which we could see rising above the tops of the trees. We halted for a moment. " How long have the guns been going, sir ? " " Well, ever since early this morning," said he ; " they've been having a fight. And I do reall}' believe some of our poor Union chaps have had enough of it alread}'. For here'^s some of them darned Secessionists marching down to go into Alexandry." The driver did not seem altogether content with this explanation of the dust in front of us, and presently, Avhen a turn of the road brought to view a body of armed men, stretching to an interminable distance, with bayonets glittering in the sunlight through the clouds of dust, seemed inclined to halt or turn back again. A nearer approach satisfied me the)^ were friends, and as soon as we came up with the head of the column I saw that they could not be engaged in the performance of any military duty. The men Avere marching without any resemblance of order, in twos and threes or larger troops. Some without arms, carrying great bundles on their backs ; others with their coats hung from their firelocks; many foot sore. They were all talking, and in haste ; many plodding along laughing, so I concluded that they could not belong to a defeated army, and imagined M'Dowell was effecting some flank movement. " Where are you going to, may I ask ? " "If this is the road to Alexandria, we are going there." 2 IS MY DIARY NORTH AND .'JOUTir. "There is nn action going on in front, is there not?" " AVell, so Avc believe, but we have not been fighting." Although they were in such good spirits, they were not communicative, and we resumed our journey, im- peded by the straggling troops and ])y the country cars containing their baggage and chairs, and tables and domestic furniture, which had never belonged to a regi- ment in the field. Still they came pouring on. I ordered the driver to stop at a rivulet, w here a number of men were seated in the shade, drinking the water and bathing their hands and feet. On getting out 1 asked an oflicer, " May I ]}eg to know, sir, w here your regi- ment is going to ? " " Well, I reckon, sir, we are going home to Pennsylvania." " This is the Ith Pennsylvania Regiment, is it not, sir?" "It is so, sir; that's the fact." " I should think there is severe fighting going on behind you, judging from the firing" (for every moment the sound of the cannon had been growing more distinct and more heavy)?" " AVell, I reckon, sir, there is." I paused for a moment, not knowing what to say, and yet anxious for an explanation ; and the epauletted gentleman, after a few seconds* awkward hesitation, added, " We are going home Ijccausc, as you see, the men's time's up, sir, AVe liave had three months of this sort of work, and that's quite enough of it." The men who were listening to the conversation expressed their assent to the noble and patriotic utterances of the centurion, and, making him a low 1)ow, we resumed our journey. It was fully tliree and a half miles before the last of the regiment passed, and then the road presented a more animated scene, for whiti'-eovered commissariat waggons were visible, wending towards the front, and FAIRFAX COURT-HOUSE. 210 one or two liack carriages, laden with civilians, were hastening in the same direction. Before the doors of the wooden farm-houses the coloured people were assem- bled, listening with ontstretched necks to the repeated reports of the guns. At one time, as we were descending the wooded road, a huge blue dome, agitated by some internal convulsion, appeared to bar our progress, and it was only after infinite persuasion of rein and whip that the horses approached the terrific object, whicli Avas an inflated balloon, attached to a waggon, and defying the eff'orts of the men in charge to jockey it safely through the trees. It must have been about eleven o'clock when we came to the first traces of the Confederate camp, in front of Fairfax Court-house, where they had cut a few trenches and levelled the trees across the road, so as to form a rude abattis ; but the works were of a most superficial character, and would scarcely have given cover either to the guns, for which embrasures were left at tbe flanks to sweep the road, or to the infantry intended to defend them. The Confederate force stationed here must have consisted, to a considerable extent, of cavalr3\ The bowers of branches, which they had made to shelter their tents, camp tables, empty boxes, and packing-cases, in the debris one usually sees around an encampment, showed they had not been destitute of creature comforts. Some time before noon the driver, urged continually hj adjurations to get on, whipped his horses into Fairfax Court-house, a village which derives its name from a large brick building, in which the sessions of the county arc held. Some thirty or forty houses, for the most part 220 MY DIAKY NUKTII AND SUL'TII. tk'taclicd, with gurdeus or small strips of laud about them, form the main street. The inhabitants who remained had by no means an agreeable expression of eounteuauce, and did not seem on very good terms with the Federal soldiers, who were lounging up and down the streets, or standing in the siiade of the trees and doorways. I asked the sergeant of a picket in the street how long the firing had been going on. lie rejilied that it had commenced at half- past seven or eigiit, and liad been increasing ever since. " Some of them will lose their eyes and back teeth," he added, "before it is over." The driver, pulling up at a roadside inu in the town, here made the startling announcement, that both he and his horses must have something to eat, and although we would have been happy to join him, seeing that we had no breakfjist, we could not afl'ord the time, and were not displeased when a thin-faced, shrewish woman, in Ijlack, came ont into the verandah, and said she could not let us have anything unless we liked to wait till the regular dinner hour of the house, which was at one o'clock. The horses got a bucket of water, which they needed in that broiling sun ; and the cannonade, which by this time had increa>ed into a respectable tumult that gave evidence of a well-.sustained action, addetl vigour to the driver's arm, and iu a mile or two more we dashed in to a village of burnt houses, the charred brick chimney stacks standing amidst the bhickened (.inbers being all that remained of what unee was German Town. Tiie firing of this vilhige was severely censiu'cd by (Jeneral .M'Dowell, who probably does not appreciate tlie value (jf such agencies employed " by our glorious Inion army to develope loyal sentiments among the people of Virginia." A MISTAKE OX THE ItOAl). 221 The driver, passing through the town, drove straight on, but after some time I fancied the sound of tlie guns seemed dying away towards our left. A big negro came shambling along the roadside — the driver stoj)pcd and asked him," is this the road to Centreville ? " " Yes, sir; right on, sir; good road to Centreville, massa," and so we proceeded, till I became satisfied from the appear- ance of the road that we had altogether left the track of the army. At the first cottage avc halted, and inquired of a Virginian, who came out to look at us, w-hcthcr the road led to Centreville. " You're going to Centreville, are yon ? " " Yes, by the shortest road we can.'' " Well, then — you're going wrong — right away ! Some people say there's a bend of road leading through the ■wood a mile further on, but those who have tried it lately have comeback to German Town and don't think it leads to Centreville at all." This was very provoking, as the horses were much fatigued and we had driven several miles out of our way. The driver, who was an Englishman, said, "I think it would be best for us to go on and try the road anyhow^ There's not likely to be any Seceshers about there, are there, sir t" " What did you say, sir," inquired the Virginian, witli a vacant stare upon his face. " I merely asked whether you think we arc likely to meet with any Secessionists if -we go along that road 'i " " Secessionists ! " repeated the Virginian, slowly pro- nouncing each syllable as if pondering on the meaning of the word — " Secessionists ! Oh no, sir ; I don't believe there's such a thing as a Secessionist iu the whole of this country." The boldness of this assertion, in the very hearing of Beauregard's cannon, completely shook the faith 222 MY IJIARY NOirril AND SUL'TH. of our Jc'liii ill any information from that source, and we retraced our uteps to German Town, and were directed into tlie proper road by some negroes, who were engaged exchanging Confederate money at wiy low rates for Federal copper witli a few straggling soldiers. Tlie faithful Muley ^Moloch, who had Ijcen capering in our rear so long, now complained that he was very much bm"ued, but on further inquiry it was ascertained he was merely suHering from the abrading of his skin against au English saddle. In au hour more we had gained the high road to Centreville, on which were many buggies, commssiariat carts, and waggons full of civilians, and a brisk canter brought us iu sight of a rising ground, over which the road led directly through a few houses on each side, and dipped out of sight, the slopes of the hill being covered with men, carts, and horses, and the summit crested with sj)ectators, with their backs turned towards us, and gazing on the valley beyond. "There's Centre- ville," says the driver, and on our poor panting horses were forced, passing directly through the Confederate bivouacs, commissariat parks, folds of oxen, and two German regiments, with a battery of artillery, halting on the rising-ground by the road-side. The heat was intense. Our driver complained of hunger and thirst, to which neither I nor my companion were insensible ; and so pulling up on the to[) of the hill, I sent the boy down to the village which we had jjassed, to sec if he could find shelter for the horses, and a morsel for our breakfastless selves. It was a strange scene before us. From the hill a densely wooded country, doited at intervals with green fields and clcaied lands, spread Ii\e or six miles in front, THE VIEW FROM CENTllEVILLE. 223 bounded I)}- a line of blue and purple ridges, termi- nating abruptly in esearpmeuts towards the left front, and swelling gradually towards the right into the lower spines of an offshoot from the Blue-Ridge Moiuitains. On our left the view was eireuni.scribed by a forest whieli clothed the side of the ridge on which wc stood, and covered its shoulder far down into the plain. A gap in the nearest chain of the hills in our front was pointed ont by the bystanders as the Pass of Manassas, by whicli the railway from the West is carried into the jilain, and still nearer at hand, before us, is tlic junc- tion of that rail with the line from Alexandria, and with the railway leading southwards to Richmond. The intervening space was not a dead level; undulating lines of forest marked the course of the streams which intersected it, and gave, by their variety of colour and shading, an additional charm to the landscape which, enclosed in a framework of blue and purple hills, softened into violet in the extreme distance, presented one of the most agreeable displays of simple pastoral woodland scenery that could be conceived. But the sounds which came upon the breeze, and the sights which met our eyes, were in terrible variance with the tranquil character of the landscape. Tiic woods far and near echoed to the roar of cannon, and thin frayed lines of blue smoke marked the spots whence came the muttering sound of rolling musketry; the white puffs of smoke burst high above the tree- tops, and the gunners' rings from shell and howitzer marked the fire of the artillery. Clouds of dust shifted and moved through the forest ; and through the wavering mists of light blue smoke, and the thicker masses which rose commingling from the 22i MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. feet of mon atul the mouths of cannon, I could see the gleam of arms and the twinkling of bayonets. On the hill beside me there was a crowd of civilians on horseback, and in all sorts of vehicles, with a few of the fairer, if not gentler sex. A few officers and some soldiers, who had straggled from the regiments in re- serve, moved about among the spectators, and pretended to explain the movements of the troops below, of which they were profoundly ignorant. The cannonade and musketry had been exaggerated by the distance and by the rolling echoes of the hills ; and sweeping the position narrowly witli my glass from point to point, I failed to discover any traces of close encounter or very severe fighting. The spectators were all excited, and a lady with an opera-glass who was near me was quite beside herself when an unusually heavy discharge roused the current of her blood — " That is splendid. Oh, my ! Is not that first-rate? I guess we will be in lliclnnond this time to-morrow." These, mingled with coarser exclamations, burst from the politicians who had come out to see the triumph of the Union arms. I was particularly irritated by constant applications for the loan of my glass. One broken-down looking soldier observing my flask, asked me for a driidv, and took a startling pull, which left but little between the bottom and utter vacuity. " Stranger, that's good stuff* and no mistake. I have not had such a drink hince I come South. I feci now as if I'd like to whip ten Seceshers." From the line of the smoke it appeared to mc that the action was in an obliipie line from our left, extending farther outwards towards the right, bisected by a road from Centrcvillc, which descended the hill SEEING A BATTLE. :i2,j close at liaiid ami ran right across the u;idulating phiiu, its course being marked by the white covers of the baggage and commissariat waggons as far as a turn of the road, where the trees closed in upon them. Beyond the right of the curling smoke clouds of dust appeared from time to time in the distance, as if bodies of cavalry were moving over a sandy plain. Notwitstanding all the exultation and boastings of the people at Ceutrevillc, I was well convinced no advance of any importance or any great success had been achieved, because the ammunition and baggage waggons had never moved, nor had the reserves received any orders to follow in the line of the army. The clouds of dust on the right were quite inexpli- cable. As we were looking, my philosophic companion asked me in perfect seriousness, " Are we really seeing a battle now ? Are they supposed to be fighting where all that smoke is going on ? This is rather interesting, you know.^^ Up came our black boy. "Not find a bit to eat, sir, in all the place." We had, however, my little paper of sandwiches, and descended the hill to a bye lane oil' the village, where, seated in the shade of the gig, Mr. "Warre and myself, dividing our provision with the driver, wound up a very scanty, but much relished, repast with a bottle of tea and half the bottle of Boi'deaux and water, the remainder being prudently reserved at my request for contingent remainders. Leaving orders for the saddle horse, which was eating his first meal, to be brought up the moment he was ready — I went with ISlv. Warre to the hill once more and observed tliat the line had not sensibly altered whilst we were away. An English gentleman, who cauie up fiushed and VOL. II. Q CiJO MY DIARY NORTH AND SoTTIl. lieatcd from the plain, told us that the Federals had been ad\ aiicinr,5 wixs destroyed, and nothing was left but a spccdv retro- grade movement, with the few reginieiits and gmis wliieh were in a condition approaching to cllieiency, npou the defensive works of Washington. Notwithstanding the reverse of fortune, ^M'DowcU did not appear willing to admit his estimate of the Southern troops was erroneous, or to say " Change armies, and I'll fight the battle over again." He still held ]\Iississi[)pians, Alabamians, Lonisianians, very cheap, and did not see, or would not confess, the full extent of the calamity which had fallen so heavily on him personally. The fact of the evening's inactivity was conclusive in his mind that they had a dcfirly bought success, and he looked forward, though in a subordinate capacity, to a speed}'^ and glorious revenge. July 2bth. — The unfortunate General Patterson, who could not keep Johnston from getting away from "Win- chester, is to be dismissed the service — honourably, of course — that is, he is to be punished because his men would insist on going home in face of the enemy, as soon as their three months were up, and that time happened to arrive just as it would be desirable to operate against the Confederates. The latter have lost their chance. The Senate, the House of Representa- tives, the C.ibinet, the President, arc all at their case once more, and feel secure in Washington. Up to this moment the Confederates could have taken it with very little trouble. IMaryland could have l)een roused to arms, and Baltimore would have declared for them. The triumph of the non-aggressionists, at the head of whom is Mr. Davis, in resisting the deniands of the party which urges an actual invasion of the North as the best way of obtaining peace, may prove to be very 26G MY DIAIIY NultTH AND SOl'TII. disastrous. Final material results must have justified the occupation of Washiuj^ton. I diucd at the Legation, where were Mr. Sumner and some English visitors desirous of going South. Lord Lyons gives uo encouragement to these adven- turous persons, July 2{j(/i. — AVhether it is from curiosity to hear what I have to say or not, the number of my visitors is augmenting. Among them was a man in soldier's uniform, who sauntered into my room to borrow "five or ten dollars," ou the ground that he was a waiter at the Clarendon Hotel when I was stopping there, and wanted to go North, as his time was up. I lis anecdotes were stupendous. General !Meigs and Captain Macomb, of the United States Engineers, paid me a visit, and talked of the disaster very sensibly. The former is an able officer, and an accom[)lished man — the latter, son, I believe, of the American general of that name, dis- tinguished in the war with Great Britain. I had a long conversation with General M'Uowell, who bears his supercession with admiralde fortitude, and complains of nothing, except the failure of his officers to obey orders, and the liard fate which condemned him to lead an army of volunteers — Captain Wright, aide de camp to General Scott, Lieutenant Wise, of the Navy, and many others. The communications received from the Northern States have restored the spirits of all Union men, and not a few declare they are glad of the reverse, as the iNorth will now be obliged to j)ut forth all its strength. CHAPTER XVI. Attack of Illness— General M'Clellan— Reception at the White Plouse— Druiikeuesis among the Volunteers — Visit from Mr. Olmsted — Georgetown — Intense Heat — M'Clellan and the Newspapers — Reception at Mr. Seward's — Alexandria— A Storm — Sudden Death of an English Officer— The Maryland Club— A Prayer and Fast Day — Financial Difi&culties. Jnhj 27 th. — So ill to-day from licat, bad smells in the house, and fatigue, that I sent for Dr. Miller, a great, fine Virginian practitioner, who ordered me powders to be taken in " mint juleps.'' Now mint juleps are made of whiskey, sugar, ice, very little water, and sprigs of fresh mint, to be sucked up after the manner of sherry cobblers, if so it be pleased, with a straw. ''A powder every two hours, with a mint julep. ^\ hv, that's six a day. Doctor. Won't that be— eh ? — won't that be rather into.xicating V" " Well, sir, that depends on the constitution. You'll find they will do you no harm, even if the worst takes place." Day after day, till the month was over and August had come, I passed in a state of powder and julep, which the Virginian doctor declared saved my life. The first time I stirred out the change which had taken place in the streets was at once appareut : no druukeu 2r.S MV DIAKY NORTH AND Sol'TH. rabblemcnt of armed inen, nu beji^ging soldiers — instead of these vrcre patrols iu the streets, guards at the coruers, and a ri^'id system of passes. The Nortii begin to perceive their magnificent armies are mythical, but knowing they have the elements of making one, they are setting about the manufacture. Numbers of tapsters and serving men, and ca/iai/U- from the cities, who now disgrace swords and shoulder-straps, are to be dismissed. Kouiul the corner, with a kind of statf at his heels and an escort, comes Major General George li. M'Clellan, the young Napoleon (of Western Virginia), the con- queror of Garnet, the captor of Peagrim, the com- mander-in-chief, under the President, of the army of the United States. He is a very squarely-built, thick- throated, broad-chested man, under the middle height, with slightly bowed legs, a tendency to embonpoint, His head, covered with a closely cut crop of dark auburn hair, is well set on his shoulders. His features are regular and prepossessing — the brow small, con- tracted, and furrowed; the eyes deep and anxious- looking, A short, thick, reddish moustache conceals liis mouth ; the rest of his face is clean shaven. He has made his father-in-law, Major Marcy. chief of his stair, and is a good deal influenced by his opinions, which are entitled to some weight, as Major Marcy is a soldier, and has seen frontier wars, and is a great traveller. The task of iieking this army into shape is of Herculean nuignitude. Every one, however, is wil- ling to do as he bids: the President confides in him, and "(ieorges" him; the press fawn upon hiui, the people trust him ; he is " the little corporal" of un- fought fields — uninis i(/no/ns jiro niiri/iro, here. He looks like a stout little captain of dragoons, but for his PRESIDENTS RECEPTIOX. ^(',9 American scat and saddle. Tlu" latter is adapted t(j a man who cannot ride: if a scpiadron so inountc^d were to attempt a fence or ditcli half of them wonid he rup- tured or spilled. The seat is a marvel to any JMuopean. But jNI'Clellan is nevertheless " the man on horsehack" just now, and the Americans must ride in his saddle, or in anythini:: I'C likes. In the eveninj^ of my first day's release from juleps the President held a reception or levee, and I went to the White House about nine o'clock, when the rooms were at their fullest. The company were arriving on foot, or crammed in hackney coaches, and did not affect any neatness of attire or evening dress. The doors were open : any one could walk in who chose. Private soldiers, in hodden grey and hob-nailed shoes, stood timorously chewing on the threshold of the state apartments, alarmed at the lights and gilding, or, haply, by the marabout feathers and finery of a few ladies who were in ball costume, till, assured by fellow-citizens there was nothine: to fear, they plunged into the dreadful revelry. Faces familiar to me in the magazines of the town were visible in the crowd which filled the reception-rooms and the ball- room, in a small room otf which a military band was stationed. The President, in a suit of black, stood near the door of one of the rooms near the hall, and shook hands with every one of the crowd, wiio was then "passed'^ on by his secretary, if the Presi- dent didn't wish to speak to him. Mr. Lincoln has recovered his s|)irits, and seemed in good humour. Mrs. Lincoln, who did the honours in another room, surrounded by a few ladies, did not appear to be quite 270 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. so contented. All tlic ministers are present except ^Ir. Seward, who has jrune to his own state to ascertain the tnune of niiud of the people, and to judge for liiuiself of the sentiments they entertain respecting the war. After walking up and down the hot and crowiied rooms for an iiour, and seeing and speaking to all the cele- brities, I withdrew. Colonel Richardson iu his official report states Colonel Miles lost the battle of Bull Run by being drunk and disorderly at a critical moment. Colonel Miles, who commanded a division of three brigades, writes to say he was not in any such state, and has demanded a court of inquiry. In a Phila- delphia paper it is stated M'Dowell was helplessly drunk during the action, and sat up all tlie night before drinking, smoking, and playing cards. M'lJowell never drinks, and never has drunk, wine, spirits, malt, tea, or coffee, or smoked or used tobacco in any torn), nor does he play cards ; and that remax'k does not apply to many other Federal officers. Drunkenness is only too common among the Ameri- can volunteers, and (Jeneral Butler has put it oUicially in orders, that " the use of intoxicating liquors prevails to an alarming extent among tlic officers of his com- mand," and has ordered the seizure of their grog, which will onlv he allowed on medical certificate. He an- nounces, too, that he will not use wine or sj)irits, or give any to his friends, or allow any in his own quarters in future — a (juaint, vigorous creature, this Massachu- setts lawyer. The outcry against Patterson has not yet subsided, tliough he states that, out of twenty-three regiments composing his force, nineteen lefused to stay an hour over their time, which woulti have been up in a week, OVATIONS FOR BULl/s RUN. 271 SO that he would have been left in an enemy's country with four regiments, lie wisely led his patriot baud hack, and let them disbaud themselves in their own borders. Verily, these are not the men to conquer tiie South. P'resh volunteers are pouring in by tens of thousands to take their places from all parts of the Union, and in three days after the battle, 80,000 men were accepted. Strange people ! The regiments which have returned to New York after disgraceful conduct at Bull llun, with the stigmata of cowardice impressed by their com- manding officers on the colours and souls of their corps, are actually welcomed with the utmost enthusiasm, and receive popular ovations ! It becomes obvious every day that M'Clellan does not intend to advance till he has got some semblance of an army : that will be a long time to come ; but he can get a good deal of fighting out of them in a few months. Meantime the whole of the Northern states are waiting anxiously for the advance which is to take place at once, according to promises from New York. As Washington is the principal scene of interest, the South l)eing tabooetl to me, I have resolved to stay here till the army is fit to move, making little excursions to points of interest. The details in my diary are not very inte- resting, and I shall make but brief extracts. August 2nd. — Mr. Olmsted visited me, in c()mi)any with a young gentleman named Ritchie, son-in-law of James Wadsworth, who has been serving as honorary aide-de-camp on M'Dowell's staff, but is now called to higher functions. They dined at my lodgings, and we talked over Bull Hun again. INIr. Ritchie did not leave Centreville till late in the evening, and slept at 272 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. Fairfax Court House, where lie reuiaiued till 8.30 a.ui. ou the luurniu;.' of July il:iu(l, W'adswortli nut stirriui; for two hours later. He said the panic was "horrible, disgustinjr, sickening," and spoke in the harshest terras of the oflicers, to whom he ajjplied a variety of epithets. Prince Napoleon has arrived. Auyust '•Srd. — MClellan orders regular parades and drills in every regiment, and insists on all orders being given by bugle note. I had a long ride through the camps, and saw some improvement in the look of the men. (\)uiing home by Georgetown, met the Prince driving with M. Mcrcier, to pay a visit to the Presi- dent. I am sure that the politicians are not quite well pleased with this arrival, because they do nut under- stand it, and cannot imagine a man wuuld come so far wilhuut a purpose. The drunken soldiers now resort to (piiet lanes and courts in the suburijs. Georgetown was full of them. It is a much more respectable and old-world looking ])lace than its vulgar, empty, overgr()wn, mushroom neighbour, Washington. An ollicer who had fallen in his men to go on duty was walking down the line this evening when his eye rested on the neck of a bottle sticking out of a man's coat. " Thunder, '^ (juoth lie, " James, w h;it have you got there?" "Well, I guess, caj)taiu, it's a drop of real good Bourbon." "Then let us have a drink," said the captain ; and thereupon j)roceeded to take a long pull and a strong pull, till the man cried out, " That is not fair, Cai)tain. Von won't leave me a drop " — a remon- strance which had a jiropcr eO'ect, ami the cajitain marched down his company to the bridge. It was extremely hot when 1 returned, late in the evening. I asked the boy fur a glass of iced water. MILITARY ADVENTURERS. 273 " Dcrc is no ice, massa," he said. "No ice? What's the reason of that ? " " De Scchessers, niassa, bh)ck up de rivcM-, and touch oft' deir taken for Prince Napoleon by some Irish recruits, who shouted out, " Bonaparte for ever," and gradually subsided into requests for " something to drink your Royal Iliginicss's health with." As I returned I saw on the steps of General Mansfield's quarters, a tall, soldierly-looking young man, whose breast wjis covered witii Crimean ribbons and medals, and I recognised liim as one who had called upon nie a few days before, renewing our slight acquaintance before Sebastopol, where his courage was conspicuous, to ask me for information respecting the mode of obtaining a com- mission in the Federal army. Towards mid-day an ebony sheet of clouds swept over the city. I went out, regardless of the threat- ening storm, to avail myself of the coolness to make a few visits ; but soon a violent wind arose ])earing clouds like those of an Indian dust-storm down the streets. Tiie black sheet overhead became agitated like the sea, and tossed about grey clouds, wliich ca- reered against each other and bm-st into lightning ; then suddenly, without other warning, down came the rain — a perfect tornado ; sheets of water Hooding the streets in a moment, turning the bed into water- courses and the channels into deep rivers. 1 waded up the centre of Pennsylvania Avenue, past the President's DEATH OF A CRIMEAN. 279 house, in a current which would hiivc miulc a respectable trout stream ; and on getting; oi)posite my own door, made a rush for the porch, but forgetting the deep channel at the side, stepped into a rivulet which was literally above my hips, and I was carried off my lejjjs, till I succeeded in catching the kcrl)stone, and escaped into the hall as if I had just swum across the Potomac. On returning from my ride next morning, I took vip the Baltimore paper, and saw a paragraph announcing the death of an English officer at the station ; it was the poor fellow whom I saw sitting at Genei-al Mans- field's steps yesterday. The consul was absent on a short tour rendered necessary by the failure of his health consequent on the discharge of his duties. Finding the Legation were anxious to see due care taken of the poor fellow's remains, I left for Bal- timore at a quarter to three o'clock, and proceeded to inquire into the circumstances connected with his death. He had been struck down at the station by some cerebral attack, brought on by the heat and excitement ; had been carried to the police station and placed upon a bench, from which he had fallen with his head downwards, and was found in that position, with life quite extinct, by a casual visitor. My astonishment may be conceived when I learned that not only had the Coroner's inquest sat and returned its verdict, but that the man iiad absolutely been buried the same morning, and so my mission was over, and I could only report what had occurred to Washington. Little value indeed has human life in this new world, to which the old gives vital power so lavishly, that it is re- garded as almost worthless. I have seen more "fuss'' made over an old woman killed by a cab iu London 2S0 MV DIAliY NORTH AND SOUTH. than tlicre is over half a dozen deatlis with suspicion of murder attaelud in New Orleans or New York. I remained in Baltimore a few days, and had an oppor- tunity of knowing the feelings of some of the leading men in the place. It may be described in one word — intense hatred of New England and Idack republicans, \Ahich Ims been increased to mania by the stringent measures of the military dictator of the American Warsaw, the searches of private houses, domiciliary visits, arbitrary arrests, the suppression of adverse journals, the over- throw of the corporate body^ — all the acts, in fact, which constitute the machinery and the grievances of a tyranny. AVhcn I spoke of the brutal indilference of the ])olice to the poor officer previuusly mentioned, the Baltimoreans told me the constables appointed by the Federal general were scoundrels who led the Plug Uglics in former days — the worst characters in a city not sweet or savoury in repute — but that the old police were men of very ditl'erent description. The Maryland Club, where I had spent some pleasant hours, was now like a secret tribunal or the haunt of conspi- rators. The police entered it a few days ago, searched every room, took up the flooring, and even turned up the coals in the kitchen and the wine in the cellar. iSuch indignities fired the blood of the menjbers, who arc, with one exception, opposed to the attempt to coerce the South by the sword. Not one of them but could tell of some outrage perpetrated on himself or ou soujc members of his family by the police and Federal authority. Many a dclafor umici was suspected but not convicted. Men sat moodily reading the papers with knitted brows, or whispeiing in corners, taking each other apart, and glancing suspiciously at their fellows. BALTIMORE MEN. 2S] There is a peculiar staiuj) al)()ut tlie Baltimore men wliich (li.stin<;iiishes them from most Americans — a style of dress, frankness of manner, and a general appearance assimilating them closely to the upper classes of Englishmen. They are fond of sport and travel, exclusive and higli-spirited, and the iron rule of the Yankee is the more intolerable because they dare not resent it, and are unable to shake it off. I returned to Washington on 15th August. Nothing changed; skirmishes along the front; M'Clellan re- viewing. The loss of General Lyon, -who -was killed in an action with the Confederates under Ben McCul- lough, at Wilson's Creek, Springfield, Missouri, in ■wliicli the Unionists were with difficulty extricated l)y General Sigel from a very dangerous position, after the death of their leader, is severely felt. He Mas one of the very few officers who combined military skill and personal bravery with political saga- city and moral firmness. The President has issued his proclamation for a day of fast and prayer, which, say the Baltimorcans, is a sign that the Yankees arc in a bad wa}', as they would never think of praying or fasting if their cause was prospering. The stories Avhich have been so sedulously spread, and which never will be quite discredited, of the barbarity and cruelty of the Confederates to all the wounded, ought to be set at rest by the printed statement of the eleven Union surgeons just released, who have come back from Rich- mond, where they were sent after their capture on the field of Bull Run, with the most distinct testimony that the Confederates treated their prisoners with humanity. Who are the miscreants who tried to make the evil feeling, quite strong enough as it is. 2S2 MY DIARY NORTH AKD SOUTH. perfectly fictulisli, by iisserting the rebels burned the \vouiuled in hospitals, aud bayoneted them as they hiy helpless ou the field ? The pecuniary difficulties of the Government have been alleviated by the bankers of New York, Phila- delphia, and Boston, mIio have agreed to lend them fifty millions of dollars, on condition that they receive the Treasury notes which Mr. Chase is about to issue. As we read the papers and hear the news, it is difficult to believe that the foundations of society are not melting away in the heat of this conflict. Thus, a Federal judge, named Garrison, who has issued his writ of habeas corpus for certain prisoners in Fort Lafayette, being quietly snuft'ed out by the commandant, Colonel Burke, desires to lead an army against the fort and have a little civil war of his own in New York, lie applies to the commander of the county militia, who informs Garrison he can't get into the fort as there was no artillery strong enough to breach the walls, and that it would require 10,00U men to invest it, whereas only 1100 militiamen were available. \Vhat a farceur Judge Garrison must be! In addition to the gutting and burning of newspaper olliccs, and the exercitation of the editors on rails, the re- publican grand juries have taken to indicting the democratic journals, and Fremont's provost marshal in St. Louis has, proprio motti, suppressed those which he considers disatliclcd. A mutiny which broke out in the Scot ch Keginuut T'.'ih N. V. has been fol- lowed by another in the 2ud Maine Ke^iiment, and a display of cannon and of cavalry w.is recpiired to induce thera to allow the ringleaders to be arrested. The President wsia greatly alarmed, but M'Clellan acted w ith some vigour, and the refractory volunteers arc to {/i/^ MR. SEWARD ON THE WAR. 2 S3 be sent o(T to a pleasant station called the "Dry Tortngas'^ to work on the fortifications. ]\Ir. Seward, with whom I dined and spent tlic evening on 16th August, lias been much reassured and comforted by the demonstrations of readiness on the part of the people to continue the contest, and of confidSnce in the cause among the moneyed men of the great cities. "All we want is time to develope our strength. We have been blamed for Hot making greater use of our navy and extending it at once. It was our first duty to provide for the safety of our capital. Besides, a man will generally pay little attention to agencies he does not understand. None of us knew anything about a navy. I doubt if the President ever saw anything more formidable than a river steamboat, and I don't think Mr. Welles, the Secretary of the Navy, knew the stem from the stern of a ship. Of the whole Cabinet, I am the only member who ever was fairly at sea or crossed the Atlantic. Some of us never even saw it. No wonder we did not understand the necessity for creating a navv at once. Soon, however, our Government will be able to dispose of a respectable marine, and when our army is ready to move, co-operating with the fleet, the days of the rebellion are numbered." " When will that be, Mr. Secretary ? " " Soon ; very soon, I hope. We can, however, bear delays. The rebels will be ruined by it." CHAPTER XVII. Return to Baltimore — Colonel Carroll — A rrie.«t's view of the Aboli- tion of hlavery — Siaverj' in Marjliujd— Harper's Ferry — John Brown — Back by train to ^Vai^bing^on — Further aecouutB of Bull Run — American Vanity — My own unpopularity for ttle as wife of the Viceroy. Drohoregan is supposed to mean " Hall of the Kings," and is called after an old place belonging, some time or other, to the family, the early history of \\liicli, as set forth in the Celtic authorities and Iri>h anticpiarian Morks, possesses great attractions for the kindly, genial old man — kindly and genial to all but tlie Al)olitionists and black republicans; nor is he indifferent to the rej)utation of the State in the Revolutionary AVar, N\here the " Maryland line " seems to have difJered from many of the contingents of the other States in not running away so often at critical moments in the seri that of our own isle. The ROMAN CATHOLIC NEGROES. 2S7 torrid heats at Wasliington, the other d:iy, Averc suc- ceeded by bitter cokl days; now there is a dense mist, chilly and cheerless, seeming as a sort of strainer for the even down pour that falls through it con- tinuously. Tlie family after breakfast slipped round to the little chapel which forms the extremity of one wing of the house. The coloured people on the estate were already trooping across the lawn and up the avenue from the slave quarters, decently dressed for the most part, having due allowance for the extraordi- nary choice of colours in their gowns, bonnets, and ribbons, and for the unhappy imitations, on the part of the men, of the attire of their masters. They walked demurely and quietly past the house, and presently the priest, dressed like a French cure, trotted up, and ser- vice began. The negro houses were of a much better and more substantial character than those one sees in the south, though not remarkable for cleanliness and good order. Truth to say, they were palaces compared to the huts of Irish labourers, such as might be found, perhaps, on the estates of the colonels kinsmen at home. The negroes are far more independent than they are in the south. They are less civil, less obliging, and, although they do not come cringing to shake hands as the field hands on a Louisianian plantation, less servile. They inhabit a small village of brick and wood houses, across the road at the end of the avenue, and in sight of the house. The usual swarms of little children, poultry, pigs, enlivened by goats, embarrassed the steps of the visitor, and the old people, or those who were not finely dressed enough for mass, peered out at the strangers from the glassless windows. 2SS MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. AVlun diaptl was over, the boys iiiul <;irls came up for catecliism, ami passed iu review before the hidies of tlie liouse, with Mhuiu they Mere on very jjood terms. The priest joined us iu the verandah when his hibours were over, and talked with intelligence of the terrible "war which has burst over the land. lie has just returned from a tour in the Northern Slates, and it is Ids belief the native Americans there will not enlist, ))ut that they will get foreigners to fight their battles. He admitted that slavery was in itself an evil, nay, more, that it was not j)rofitable in ^Maryland. | lint Avhat are the landed proprietors to do ? The slaves have been betiueathed to them as j)roperty by their fatliers, ■with certain obligations to be respected, and duties to be fulfilled. It is impossible to free them, because, at the moment of cuiancipation, nothiug short of the confiscation of all the labour and property of the whites would be required to maintain the negroes, who Mould certainly refuse to work unless they had their masters' land as their own. AVherc is white labour to be found? Its introduction must be the work of years, and meantime many thousands of slaves, who liave a right to j)r()tection, would canker the land. In Maryland they do not breed slaves for the purpose of selling them as they do in Virginia, and yet Colonel Carroll and other gentlemen who regarded the slaves they inherited almost as members of their families, liave l)een stigmatised by sibolition orators as slave-breeders and slave-dealers. It was these insults which stung the gentlemen of Maryland and of the other Slave States to the (piick, and made tliem resolve never to yield to the domination of a jjarty which had never ceased to wage war against their institutions and their repu- tation and hunuur. KUIIAI. MAKYLAND. 2S9 A little knot of friends and relations joined Colonel Carroll at dinner. There are iow families in this part of ^Maryland which have not representatives in the other army across the Potomac; and if Beauregard could but make his appearance, the women alone would give him welcome such as no conqueror ever received in liberated city. Xext day the rain fell incessantly. The mail was l)rought in by a little negro boy on horseback, and I was •warned by my letters that an immediate advance of M'Clellan's troops was probable. This is an old story. " Battle expected to-morrow " has been a heading in the papers for the last fortnight. In the afternoon I was driven over a part of the estate in a close carriage, through the windows of which, however, I caught glimpses of a beautiful country, wooded gloriously, and soft, sylvan, and well-cultivated as the best parts of Hampshire and Gloucestershire, the rolling lauds of which latter county, indeed, it much resembled in its large fields, heavy with crops of tobacco and corn. The weather was too unfavourable to admit of a close inspection of the fields ; but I visited one or two to- bacco houses, where the fragrant ]Maryland was lying in masses on the ground, or hanging from the rafters, or filled the heavy hogsheads with compressed smoke. Next day I took the train, at EUicott's ^Mills, and went to Harper's Ferry. There is no one spot, in the history of this extraordinary war, which can be well more conspicuous. Had it nothin;^ more to recommend it than the scenery, it might well command a visit from the tourist ; but as the scene of old John Brown's raid upon the I'ederal arsenal, of that first passage of arms between the VOL. II. V 290 yi\ diai;y nouth and south. ^abolitionists and the slave conservatives, which has developed this great contest; above all, as the spot where important military demonstrations have been made on both sides, and will necessarily occur here- after, this plate, which prubably) derives its name from sonu- wretched old boatman, will be renowned for ever in the annals of the civil* war of IbGl. The Patapsco, by the bank of which the rail is carried for some miles, has all the character of a mountain torrent, rushing through gorges or carving out its way at the base of granite hills, or boldly cutting a path for itself through the sufter slate, liridges, viaducts, remarkable archways, and great spans of timber trestle work leaping froui hill to hill, enable the rail to creep onwards and upwards by the mountain side to the Potomac at Point of Rocks, whence it winds its way over undulating ground, by stations with eccentric names to the river's bank once more. We were carried on to the station next to Harper's Ferry on a ledge of the precipitous mountain range which almost overhangs the stream. liut few civilians were in the train. The greater number of passengers consisted of soldiers and sutlers, j)rocee(ling to their encampments along the river. A .strict watch was kept over the passengers, w hose passes were examined by ollicers at the various stations. At one place an oilicer who rcalh\ looked like a soldier entered the traiu, and on seeing my pass told me in broken English that he had served in the Crimea, and was accpiainted with me and many of my friends. The gentleman who accompauied me observed, " I do not know whether he was in tiie Crimea or not, but I do know that till very lately your friend the 'Slujor was a dancing master in New York."' A' person of a very I lIAKl'Elt's FERllV. 291 difTcrcut type ni:ulc his od'crs of scu'v ice, Colonel Gordon of the 2ud Massachusetts llegiiiicut, who caused the train to run on as far as Plarpcr's Ferry, in order to give me a siglit of the place, although in consequence of the evil habit of firing on the carriages in which the Con- federates across tlie river have been indulging, the locomotive generally halts at some distance below the bend of the river. Harper's Ferry lies in a gorge formed by a rush of the Potomac through the mountain ridges, which it cuts at right angles to its course at its junction with the river Shenandoah. So trenchant and abrupt is the division that litrle land is on the divided ridge to build upon. The precipitous hills on both sides are covered Avith forest, which has been cleared in patches here and there on the Maryland shore, to permit of the erection of batteries. On the Virginian side there lies a mass of blackened and ruined buildings, from which a street lined with good houses stretches up the hill. Just above the junction of the Shenandoah Avith the Poto- mac, an elevated bridge or viaduct 300 yards long leaps from hill side to hill side. The arches had been broken — the rails Avhich ran along the top torn up, and there is noAv a deep gulf fixed between the shores of ^Maryland and Virginia. The rail to Winchester from this point has been destroyed, and the line along the Potomac has also been ruined. ]jut for the batteries Avhich cover the shoal Avater at the junction of the tAvo rivers below the bridge, there Avould be no difficulty in crossing to the ^Maryland shore, and from that side the Avholc of ihc ground around Harper's Ferry is completely com- manded. The gorge is almost as deep as the pass of u 2 2'.»:! MV DIAUY NOKTII AND SOUTH. Killiecnuukir. wliicli it resembles in must respects except ill bieaiitli :iiul the siyx' of tlie river hetween, and if ever a railroad Hnds its way to Blair Atliol, the passeng:crs will liud something to look at very like the scenery on the route to Harper's Ferry. The vi|.'ilance required to ^'uard the pass of the river above and below this point is incessant, Init the Federals possess the ad- vjintau'e on their side of a deep canal parallel to tlic railway and running above the level of the river, which would be a more formidable obstacle than the Potomac to infantry or guns. There is reason to believe that the Secessionists in Maryland cross backwards and forwards wlunever they please, and the Virginians coming down at their leisure to the opposite shore, inflict serious annoyance on the Federal troops by constant rifle practice. Looking up and down the river the seciu-ry is picturcscpie, though it is by no means entitled to the extraordinary jjraises which Anieriean tourists lavish upon it. Probably old .lohn ]irown cared little for the wild magic of streamlet or rill, or for the blended cliann of vale and woodland. AVhen he made his attack on the arsenal now in ruin's, lie probably thought a valley was as high as a hill, and that there was no necessitv for water innning downwards — assuredly he saw as little of the actual heights and depths around liim when he ran across the Potomac to revolutionize Virginia. Jle has left behind him millions either as clear-sighted or as blind as himself. In New England parlours a statuette of .lohn Brown may be found as a ])endant to the likeness of our Saviour. In Virginia his name is the synonym of all that is base, bloody, and cruel. BACK TO WASIIIXfJTON. 2'J3 Harper's Ferry at present, loi' all practical purposes, may be considered as Coniederate pro[)erty. The i'cw Union inhabitants remain in their lionses, l)nt many of the (lovernnient workmen and most of the iiihal)i- tants have gone oil' South. For strategical purposes its possession would be most important to a force desiring to operate on Maryland from Virginia. The Blue Ridge range running u[) to the Shenandoah divides the countiy so as to permit a force debouching fiom Harper's Ferry to advance down the valley of the Shenandoah on the right, or to move to the left between the ]51ue Ridge and the Katoctin mountaius towards the Manassas railway at its discretion. After a false alarm that some Secesli cavalry were coming down to renew the skirmishing of the day before, I returned, and travelling to Relay House just saved the train to Washington, where I arrived after sunset. A large number of Federal troops are employed along these lines, which they occupy as if they were in a hostile country. An imperfectl}^ formed regiment broken up into these detachments and placed iu isolated posts, under ignorant ollicers, may be regarded as almost worthless for military operations. Hence the constant night alarms — the mistakes — the skirmishes and instances of misbehaviour which arise along these; extended lines. On the journey from Harper's Ferry,the concentration of masses of troops along the road, and the march of heavy artillery trains, caused me to think a renewal of the offensive movement against Richmond was imme- diate, but at A\'ashington I heard that all M'Clellan Avanted or hoped for at present, was to make ^laryland safe and to gain time for the formation of his army. 29-1- -MY niAKV .M'lnil AM) .SiJl'TII. The Confederates appear to be movint; towards tlicir left, and M'Clellan is very uneasy lest they should make a vigorous attack before he is prepared to receive them. In the evening the New York papers came in with the extracts from the London ])apers containing my account of the battle of Bull's Run. Utterly forgetting tlieir own versions of the engagement, the Xew York editors now find it convenient to divert attention from the bitter truth that was in tliein. to the letter of the foreign newspaper correspondent, who, because he is a British snljj( et, will prove not only useful as a conductor to carry off the popular wrath from the American journalists themselves, but as a means by induction of charging the vials afresh against the British people, inasmuch as they have not condoled ■with the North on the defeat of armies which they were assured would, if successful, be immediately led to effect the disruption of the British empire. At the outset I had foreseen this would be the case, and deliberately accepted the issue ; but when I found the Northern journals far e.vceeding in severity anything I could have said, and indulging in general invective against whole classes of American soldiery, officers, and statesmen, I was foolish enough to expect a little justice, not to say a word of the smallest generosity. Aufjust 21*/. — The echoes of Bull Run are coming back with a vengeance. This day month the miserable fragments of a beaten, washed out, demoralised army, were flooding in disorder and dismay the streets of the capital from which they liad issued forth to repel the tide of invasion. This day month and all the editors and journalists in the States, weeping, wailing, and A MONTH AGO. . 295 gnashing tlicir tcctli, infused c>;tra gall into tlieir ink, and poured out inveetive, abuse, and^obloquy on their defeated general and their broken^hosts. The Presi- dent and his] ministers, stunned by the tremendous calamity, sat listening in iear and trembling for the sound of the enemy's cannon. Tiie veteran soldier, on "Nvhom the boasted hopes of the nation rested, heart- sick and beaten down, had neither counsel to give nor action to ofter. At any moment the Confederate columns might be expected in Pennsylvania Avenue to receive the welcome of their friends and the submis- sion of their helpless and disheartened enemies. All this is forgotten — and much more, which need not now be repeated. Saved from a great peril, even the bitterness of death, they forget the danger that has passed, deny that they uttered cries of distress and appeals for help, and swagger in all the insolence of recovered strength. Not only that, but they turn and rend those whose writing has been dug up after thirty days, and comes back as a rebuke to their pride. Conscious that they have insulted and irritated their own army, that they have earned the bitter hostility of men in power, and have for once inflicted a wound on the vanity to which they have given such oflcnsive dimensions, if not life itself, they now seek to run a drag scent between the public nose and their own unpopularity, and to create such an amount of indig- nation and to cast so much odium upon one who has had greater facilities to know, and is more willing to tell the truth, than any of their organs, that he will be unable henceforth to perform his duties in a country where unpopularity means simply a political and moral atrophy or death. In the telegraphic summary some 2'JG y[\ in.\[:\ noktu and jsuitii. (lays aj^o a few phrases were picked out of ray letters, which were but very faint paraplirases of sonic of the sentences which niijjht be culled from Northern newspapers, but the storm has been gathering ever since, and 1 am no doubt to experience the truth if Dc Tociiueville's remark, " that a stranger who injures American vanity, no matter how justly, may make up his mind to be a martyr." August ilnd. — " The little ilogs and all, Tray, Blanche, and Swittlieart, See they bark at lue." The Xortli have recovered their wind, and their pipers arc blowing with might and main. The time given thera to breathe after Bull Kun has certainly been accompanied with a greater development of lung and power of blowing than could have been expected. The volunteer army which dispersed and returned home to receive the lo Pceans of the North, has l)cen replaced by better and more ninncrous levies, wliich have the strong finger and thumb of General M'Clellan on their windpipe, and find it is not quite so easy as it was to do as they pleased. The North, besides, has received su])plies of money, and is using its great resources, by land and sea, to sonir )iur[)()se, and as they w:ix fat they kick. A general officer said to ii;c, "Of course you uill never remain, when once all the j)rcss arc down upon yoti. 1 would not take a million dollars and lie in your place." " But is what I've written untrue V '' " God bless you ! do you know in this country if you can get enough of people to start a lie about aii\ man, he woidd be ruined, if the Evan- THE bull's eux letter. 297 gelists canio fov.vanl to swear the story was false. There are thousands of people Avho this moment believe that M'Dowcll, uho never tasted anything stronger than a water melon in all his life, was helplessly drunk at. Bull's llun. ]\rind what I say; they'll run you into a mud hole as sure as you live." I was not much im- pressed with the danger of my position further than that I knew there would be a certain amount of risk fiom the rowdyism and vanity of what even the Americans admit to be the lower orders, for which I had been prepared from the moment I had despatched my letter; but I confess I was not by any means disposed to think that the leaders of public opinion would seek the small gratification of revenge, and the pett}^ popularity of pandering to the passions of the mob, by creating a popular cry against mc. I am not aware that any foreigner ever visited the United States who was inju- dicious enoiigli to write one single word derogatory to their claims to be the first of created beings, who was not assailed with the most viperous malignity and rancour. The man who savs he has detected a siuirle spot on the face of their sun should i)repare his winding sheet. The New York Times, I find, states "that the terrible epistle has been read with quite as much avidity as an average President's message. We scarcely exaggerate the fact when we say, the first and foremost thought on the minds of a \'ery large portion of our people after the repulse at Bull's Run was, what will Russell say ?" and then they repeat some of the absurd sayings attributed to mc, who declared openly from the very first that I had not seen the battle at all, to the effect " that I had never seen such fighting in all my life. 29S MV DIAIJV NORTH AND SOUTH. and tliat nothing at Alma or Inkennan was equal to it." An analysis of the letter follows, in which it is admitted that " with perfect candour I purported to give an account of what I saw, and not of the action vliich I did not see," and the Avriter, who is, if I mistake not, the Hon. Mr. llaymond, of the Xcw York limes, like myself a witness of the facts I describe, quotes a passage in which I say, "There was no flight of troops, no retreat of an army, no reason for all this precipitation," and then declares " that my letter gives a very spirited and perfectly just description of the panic which impelled and accomj)anicd the troops from Centreville to "Washington. He does not, for he cannot, in the least exaggerate its horrible disorder, or the dis- graceful behaviour of the incompetent oOicers by whom it was aided, instead of being checked. He saw nothing whatever of the fighting, and therefore says nothing whatever of its quality. He gives a clear, fair, i)cr- fectly just and accurate, as it is a spirited and graphic account of the extraordinary scenes which passed under liis observation. Discreditable as those scenes were to our armv, we have nothins in connection with them whereof to accuse the reporter; he has done justice alike to himself, his subject, and the country." Ne nobis blandiar, I may add, that at least I desired to do so, and I can i)r()ve from Northern papers that if their accounts were true, I certainly much " extenuated and nought set down in malice" — nevertheless, Philip drunk is very different from Philip sober, frightened, and running away, and the man who altemi)ts to justify liis version to the inebriated polycephalous monarch is •sure to meet such treatment as iuel)riated despots gene- rallv awaril to their censors. liLACK AXl) M'lnTK. 209 August 23n/.— The tonciit is swollen lo-day hy , anonymous letters tlireuteninj^ nie with bowie knife and revolver, or simply ubusive, frantie with hiite, Jiud full of obseiu-e warnings. Some bear the Washington, post-mark, others came from New York, the greater number — for I have had nine — are from Philadelphia. Perhaps they may come from the members of that "gallant" 4th Pennsylvania Regiment. August '2[t/i. — ]My servant came in this morning, to announce a trifling accident — he was exercising my horse, and at the corner of one of those charming street crossings, the animal fell and broke its leg. A "vef Mas sent for. I Avas sure that such a portent had never been born in those Daunian woods. A man about twenty-seven or twenty-eight stone weight, middle-aged and active, with a fine professional feeling for distressed horse-flesh ; and I was right in m}' conjectures that he was a Briton, though the vet had become Americanised, and was full of enthusiasm about "our war for the Union," which was yielding him a fine harvest. He complained there were a good many bad characters about Washington, The matter is proved beyond doubt by Avhat Ave see, hear, and read. To-day there is an account in the papers of a brute shooting a negro boy dead, because he asked him for a chew of tobacco. Will he be banged ? Not the smallest chance of it. The idea of hanging a Avhite man for killing a nigger ! It is more preposterous here than it is in India, where our authorities have actually executed Avhites for the murder of natives. Before dinner I Avalked down to the Washington navy yard. Captain Dahlgren Avas sorely perplexed with au intoxicated Senator, Avhose name it is not ncces- •'UlO MY 1>1A1:Y NolITir AND SOLTII. sarv to mention, and wlu) sccinoil to think lie paid nie a f^rcat coinplinR-nt by exprcssinj; his repeated desire " to have a i;ood look at" me. " I jijness yon're qnite notorious now. You'll exeuse nie because I've dined, now — and so you are the Mr, ice,, itc , kc." The Senator informed me that lie was "none of youv d d blackfaeed re])ublieans. He didn't care a d about nij^irers — his business was to do -^ood to his fellow wliite men, to hold our {glorious Union to- gether, and let the niggers take care of themselves." I was irlad when a diversion was effected by the arrival of Mr. Fox, Assistant-Secretary of the Navy, and Mr. Blair, I'ostmaster-General, to consult with the Captain, who is greatly looked up to by all the members of the Cabinet — in fact lie is rather incon- venienced by the perpetual visits of the President, who is animated l)y a most extraordinary curiosity about naval matters and machinery, and is attracted by the novelty of the whole department, so that he is con- tinually running down "to have a talk with Dahl- gren " when he is not engaged in "a ehat with George." The Senator opened such a smart tire on I he ^Minister that the latter retired, and I mounted and rode l}aek to town. In the i-vening Major Clarence IJrown, Lieutenant Wise, a lively, pleasant, and amusing little sailor, well-known in the States as the author of" Los Gringos," who is now employed in the Navy Depart- ment, and a few of the gentlemen connected with the Koixign Legations came in, and we had a great inter- national reunion and discussion till a late hoiu-. There ^18 a good deal of agreeal)le banter reserved for myself, as to the exact form of death which I am most likdy to meet. I was scrionslv advised bv a friend not THK NAVY DEI'AKT.MKNT. ;}()l to stir out uniirnicd. The <,'rc;it use of :i revolver is that it will preveut the iuditruity of tarriu^^ aud feather- iug, now pretty rife, by provokiuj^ greater violeuee. I also received a letter from Loudon, advising nie to aj)ply to Lord Lyons for protection, but that could only be extended to nie within the walls of the Legation. Auyiist 2'otli. — I visited the Navy Department, which is a small icd-brick building two storeys high, very plain and even humble. The subordinate departments arc conducted in rooms below stairs. The executive are lodged in the rooms which line both sides of the corridor above. The walls of the passage are lined w ith paintings in oil and w atcr colours, engravings and paintings in the Avorst style of art. To the latter con- siderable interest attaches, as they are authentic like- nesses of naval officers who gained celebrity in the wars with Great Britain — men like Perry, M'Donough, Decatiu', and Hull, who, as the Americans boast, was "the first man who compelled a British frigate of greater force than his own to strike her colours in fair fight.^' Paul Jones w-as not to be seen, but a drawing is proudly pointed to of the attack of the American Heet on Algiers as a proof of hatred to piracy, and of the ])rominent part taken by the young States in ])utting an end to it in Europe. In one room are several swords, surrendered by English officers in the single frigate engagements, and the duplicates of medals, in gold and silver, voted by Congress to the victors. Li Lieutenant Wise's room, there are models of the pro- jectiles, and a series of shot and shell used iu the navy, or deposited by inventors. Among other relics Avas the flag of Captain Ward's boat just brought in which was completely riddled by the bullet marks 302 MV DIA1:Y NUKTII AND .SOUTH. received in the ambuscade in which tliat oflicer wsis killed, Avitli nearly all of his boat's crew, as they in- cautiously ajjproached the shore of the Potomac, to take oj a small craft placed there to decoy them by the Confederates. My business was to pave the way for a passage on board a steamer, in cjise of any naval ex- pedition starting before the army was ready to move, but all dilliculties were at once removed by the prompti- tude and courtesy of Mr. Fox, the Assistant Secretary, who promised to give me an order for a passage when- ever I required it. The extreme civility ;ind readiness to oblige of all American officials, high and low, from the gate-keepers and door porters up to the heads of departments, cannot be too highly praised, and it is ungenerous to accept the explanation oli'ered by au English officer to whom I remarked the circumstance that it is due to the fact that each man is liable to be turned out at the end of four years, and therefore makes all the friends he can. In the afternoon I rode out with Captain Johnson, through some charming woodland scenery on the out- skirts of Washington, by a brawling stream, in a shady little ravine, that put me in mind of the Dargle. Our ride ltd us into tlu; camps, formed on the west of George- town, to cover the city from the attacks of au enemy advancing along the left bank of the Potomac, and in support of .several strong forts and earthworks placed on the heights. One regiment consists altogether of Frencliuien — another is of (Je-rmans — in a third I saw an t. Mea^^her — Military a.'i;w York public, judging by their most widely read journal, is contained in it to-night. It appeals that a gentleman nanied Miiir, who is described as a relative of Mr. Mure the consul at New Orleans, was seized on the point of starting for J^iropt", and that anu)ng his Ml;. mkac;ii?:k. .",13 l);iper.s^ many of wliicli were of w " disloyal cliaractcr," Avhicli is not astonishing seeing that he came from (Miarlestown, was a letter written by a foreign resident in that eity, in whieh he stated ho had seen a letter from me to ]\[r. Buneh describing the flight at RulPs Hun, and adding that Lord Lyons lemarkcd, "when he lieard of it, he would ask jNIr. Seward wliether he would not now admit the Confederates were a belligerent power, whereupon Maudit calls on jMr. Seward to demand explanations from Lord Lyons and to turn me out of the country, because in my letter to the "Times " I made the remark that the United States would i)ro- bably now admit the South were a belligerent power. Such an original observation could never have occurred to two people — genius concerting with genius could alone have hammered it out. But Maudit is not satisfied with the humiliation of Lord Lyons and the expulsion of myself — he absolutely insists upon a miracle, and his moral vision being as jjerverted as his ])hysical, he declares that I must have sent to the British Consul at Charleston a duplicate copy of the letter ■which 1 furnished with so much labour and difficulty just in time to catch the mail by special messenger from Boston . ' These be thy Gods, O Israel ! ' My attention was also directed to a letter from certain officers of the disbanded G9th Regiment, who had per- mitted their Colonel to be dragged away a [)risoner from the field of BulFs Run. Without having read my letter, these gentlemen assumed that I had stigmatised Captain T. F. Meagher as one who had misconducted himself during the battle, whereas all 1 had said on the evidence of eye-witnesses was "that in the rout he appeared at Centrevillc running across country and .•{11 .MY 1»1AUV NOKTII AND SorTH. uttering exclamations in the hearing of my informant, Avhicli intlit-atcil that he at least was perfectly satisfied that the Confetlerates had established then- claims to be considered u belligerent power." These officers state that Captain !Meaghcr behaved extremely mcU up to a certain point in the engagement when they lost sight of him, and from which period they could say nothing about him. It was subsequent to that very time he ap[)eared at Centreville, and long before my letter re- turned to America giving credit to Captain Meagher for natural galhmtry in the field. I remarked that he would no doubt feel as much pained as any of his friends, at the ridicule cast upon liim by the statement that he, the Captain of a company, ""Went into action mounted on a magnificent charger and waving a green silk fhig embroidered with a golden harp in the face of the enemy." A young man wearing the Indian war medal with two clasps, who said his name was !Mac Ivor Ililstoek, came in to impure after some unknown friend of his. lie told me he had been in Tomb's troop of Artillery during the Indian mutiny, and had afterwards served with the French volunteers during the siege of Caprera. The news of tlie Civil AVar has produced such an immigration of military adventurers from Europe that the streets of AVashinj;ton are (piite filled with medals and riiiands. The regular ofliccrs of the American Army regard them with considerable dislike, the greater inasmuch as Mr. Seward and the politicians encourage them. In alluding to the cireumstancc to General M'Dowell, ^^h() came in to see me at a late dinner, I said, " A great many (Jariijaldians are in Wash- ington just now." " Oh," said he in his (piiet wav, "it THE inCSULT OF FEDKUAF. SUCCESS. ;il5 will be quite enough for a man to prove that he once saw Garibaldi to satisfy us in Washington tiiat lie is quite fit for the command of a regiment. I have recom- mended a man because he sailed in the ship which Garibaldi came in over here, and I'm sure it will be attended to." Ai((/ust 27//S.— Fever and ague, which Gen. Jkl'Dowell attributes to water-melons, of which he, however, had eaten three times as much as I had. Swallowed many grains of quinine, and lay panting in the heat iu-doors. Two English visitors, Mr. Lamy and a Captain of the 17th, called on me; and, afterwards, I had a conversa- tion with ]\I. JNIercier and M. Stoeekl on the aspect of affairs. They are inclined to look forward to a more speedy solution than I think the North is weak enough to accept. I believe that peace is possible in two years or so, but only by the concession to the South of a qualified independence. The naval ope- rations of the Federals Avill test the Southern mettle to the utmost. Having a sincere regard and liking for many of the Southerners whom I have met, I cannot say their cause, or its origin, or its aim, recom- mends itself to ray sympathies ; and yet I am accused of aiding it by every means in my power, because I do not re-echo the arrogant and empty boasting and insolent outbursts of the people in the Nortli, who threaten, as the first-fruits of their success, to invade the territories subject to the British crown, and to outrage and humiliate our flag. It is melancholy enough to sec this great republic tumbling to pieces; one would regret it all the more but for the fact that it re-echoed the voices of the obscene and liltln- creatures which have been driveu 310 MY DIAUY NDHTII AND SolTlI. before the lash of the lictor from all the cities of Europe. AsMirc'dly it was a irrcat work, but all its ^reatiu-ss and the idea of its life was of mau, not of God. The prim-iple of veneration, of obedienee, of suI)ordiMatiou, and self-eontrol did not exist within. AVashiu^ton-worship eould not save it. The elements of destruction lay equally sized, smooth, and black at its foundations, and a spark sulHees to blow the struc- ture into the air. Aiq/ust -.l^l/t. — llainin<:. Sundry oflieers turned in to intjuire of nie, who was cjuietly in bc.l at ^^'ashing- ton, concerning certain skirmishes reported to have taken place last niji;ht. Sohl one horse and bouj^ht another ; that is, I paid ready money in tlie latter transaction, and in the former, received an order iVcm an otticer on the paymaster of his rej,'iment, on a cer- tain day not yet arrived. To-day, Lord A. V. Tempest is added to the number of English arrivals; he amused me by narrating his reeejjtion at "WiHard's on the night of his arrival. A\ hen he came in with the usual ruck of passengers, he took his turn at the book, and wrote down Lord Adolphus \'ane Tempest, with possibly ^l.V. after it. The c-jerk, wlio was busily engageil in showing that lie was jicrfectly indilferent to the claims of the crowd who were waiting at the counter for their rooms, when the book was finished, counncnced looking over the names of the various persons, such as Leonidas Uuggs, Rome, X. Y. ; l)oclor Oucsiphorons ]Jowells, D.D., vSyracuse ; Olynthus Craggs, Palmyra, ]\Io. ; Wa>h- ington Whilkes, Indianopobs, writing down the num- bers of the rooms, and handing over the keys to the waiters at the same time. \\ hen he came to the name DE TOCQUEVILLE (»N TlIK I'KF.SS. 317 of the English nobleman, lie said, " Vane Tempest, No. 125." "But stop," cried Lord Adolplius. " Lv- curgus Siccles," continued tlic clerk, " No. •VS." " I insist upon it, sir," — ])roke iu Lord Adolphus, — " you really must hear me. I protest against being jjut ia 125. I can't go np so high." " Wiiy," said tlie clerk, with infinite contempt, " I can put you at twice as high— ril give you No. 250 if I like." This was rather too much, and Lord Adolphus pnt his things into a cab, and drove about Washington until lie got to earth in the two-pair back of a dentist's, for whieh no doul)t, tout vi/, he paid as much as for an apartment at the Hotel Bristol. A gathering of American officers and others, amongst ■whom was Mr. Olmsted, enabled him to form some idea of the young men's society of Washington, which is a strange mixture of polities and fighting, gossip, gaiety, and a certain apprehension of a wrath to come for their dear republic. Here is Olmsted prepared to lay down his life for free speech over a united republic, iu one part of which his freedom of speech would lead to irretrievable confusion and ruin; whilst Wise, on tlie other hand, seeks only to establish a union which shall have a large fleet, be powerful at sea, and he able to smash up abolitionists, newspaper people, and political agitators at home. August 29///. — It is hard to bear such a fate as befalls an unpopular man in the United States, be- cause in no other country, as De Tocquevillef remarks, is the press so powerful when it is unanimous. And yet he says, too, " The journalist of the United States is usually placed in a very humble position, + P. 200, Spencer's American edition, New York, 1S58. J31S MV niAi:V .\<»KTH AND SOUTH. ■with n scanty education and a vulgar turn of mind. His characteristics consist of an open and coarse appeal to the passions of the populace, and he habitu- ally abandons the principles of political science to assail the characters of individuals, to track them into private life, and disclose all their vreaknesses and errors. The individuals who are already in posses- sion of a liij;h station in the esteem of their fellow- citizens arc afraid to write in the newspapers, and they are thus deprived of the most powerful instrument which they can use to excite the passions of the mul- titude to their advantage. The personal opinions of the editors have no kind of weight in the eyes of the public. The only use of a journal is, that it imparts the knowledge of certain facts ; and it is only by altering and distorting those facts that a journalist can contri- bute to the support of his own views." AVhen the whole of the press, without any exception in so far as I am aware, sots deliberately to work, in order to calumniate, vilify, insult, and abuse a man who is at once a stranger, a rival, and an Englishman, he may expect but one result, according to De Tocqueville. The teeming anonymous letters I receive are filled with threats of assassination, tarring, feathering, and the like; and one of the most conspicuous of literary sbirri is in perfect rajjture at the notion of a new " sensation" heading, for which he is working as hard as he can. I have no intention to add to the number of his castiga- tions. In the afternoon I drove to the waste grounds bcycMul the Capitol, in company with ^fr. Olmsted and Captain Haworth, to see the l^th Massachusetts Regiment, who had just m.'irchcd in, and were pitching their tents very THE ISTir MASSACHUSETTS. .'U!) probably for the first lime. Tliey arrived from llicir state with camp equipments, waggons, liorses, harness, commissariat stores complete, and were clad in the blue uniform of the United States ; for the volunteer fancies in greys and greens are dying out. The men were uncommonly stout young fellows, with an odd, slouching, lounging air about some of them, however, Avhicli I could not quite understand till I heard one sing out, " Hallo, sergeant, where am I to sling m}-- liamraock in this tent ?" Many of them, in fact, are fishermen and sailors from Cape Cod, New Haven, and similar maritime places. CIIAPTKH \I\. Personal uupopuliuity — Amcricaa uaval ofticers — A guii levelled at me iu fun — Increase of odium against me — Success of the Hatteras expedition— General Scott and M'Clellau — M'Clellan on bia camp- bed — General Scott's pass refused — Prospect of an attack saw there ; but as she marclianded a good deal over small matters of cents, he never supposed lie was dealing uith the j^'reat huly, and therefore made a small reduction in his terms, wliicli encouraged the enemy to renew the assault till he stood firmly on three shillings a lesson, at which point the lady left liim, with the intimation that she would consider the matter and let liim know. And now, the licentiate tells me, it has become known lie is my private secretary, lie is not considered eligible to do avoir and eii-e for the satisfaction of the good lady, who really is far better than her friends describe her to be. / Septembei' 2»(l. — It Mould seem as if the North were perfectly destitute of common sense. Here they are as rampant because they have succeeded with an over- whelming fleet in shelling out the defenders of some jioor unfinished earthworks, on a spit of sand on the coast of North Carolina, as if they had already crushed the Southern rebellion. They affect to consider this achievement a counterpoise to Bull Hun. Surely the press cannot represent the feelings of the staid and thinking masses of the Northern States ! The success is unquestionably useful to the Federalists, but it no more adds to their chances of crushing the Con- federacy, than shooting off the end of an elephant's tail contributes to the hunter's capture of the animal. Anoflicions little person, who was buzzing about here as correspondent of a London newspaper, made liimself agreeable by coming with a caricature of my humble self at the battle of Hull Kun, in a laborious and most unsuccessful imitation of I'lmr/i^ ju wlijcli 1 ;mi repre- sented with rather a flattering face and figure, seated before a Imge telescope, surrounded by bottles of THE TWO GENERALS. 325 London stout, and lt)()king at tlic fi^ht. This is sii[)- poscd to be very liuraorous and amusinj^, and my good- natured friend was rather astonished when I eut it out and inserted it carefully in a scrap-book, opjiosite a sketch from fancy of the New York Fire Zouaves charging a battery and routing a regiment of cavalry, Avhich appeared last week in a much more imaginative and amusing periodical, which aspires to describe with pen and pencil the actual current events of the war. Going out for ray usual ride to-day, I saw General Scott, between two aides-de-camp, slowly pacing home- wards from the AVar Office, lie is still Commander- in-Chief of the army, and affects to direct movements and to control the disposition of the troops, but a power greater than his increases steadily at General jM'Clel- lan's head-quarters. For my owu part I confess that General M'Clellan does not appear to me a man of action, or, at least, a man who intends to act as speedily as the crisis demands. He should be out with his army across the Potomac, living among his generals, studying the composition of his army, investigating its defects, and, above all, showing himself to the men as soon afterwards as possible, if he cannot be with them at the time, in the small affairs which constantly occur along the front, and never permitting them to receive a blow without taking care that they give at least two in return. General Scott, jam fracia membra luborc, would do all the work of departments and super- intendence admirably well ; but, as Montesquieu taught long ago, faction and intrigue are the cancers which l)eculiarly eat into the body politic of republics, and M'Clellan fears, no doubt, that his absence from the capital, even though he went but across the river, would animate his enemies to undermine and supplant bini. .•J2G ilY D.AKY NORTH AND SOUTH. I have lieard several people say lately, " I wish old Scott uoukl go away/' by which tlicy mean that they Avould be h;ippy to strike liiiu down when his back was turned, but feared his personal inilueuce with the Pre- sident and liis Cabinet. Two montlis ago and his was the most ]it*noured name in the States: one was sickened by the constant repetition of elaborate plans, in whicii the General was represented playing the part of an Indian juggler, and holiling an enormous boa constrictor of a Federal army in his hands, which he was preparing to let go as soon as he had coiled it completely round the frighiLued Secessionist rabbit ; '' now none so poor to do him reverence." Hard is the fate of those who serve republics. The ofiicers who met the old man in the street to-day passed him by Avithout a salute or mark of recognition, although he wore his uniform coat, with yelhnv lapels and yellow sash ; and one of a group which came out of a restaurant close to the General's house, exclaimed, almost in his hearing, "Old fuss-aud-feathcrs don't look first- rate to-day." In the evening I went with a Scotch gentleman, who was formerly accjuainted with (jcncral M'CleHan wheu he was superintendent of the Central Illinois Railway, to his head-quarters, which are in the house of Captain ^Vilkes at the corner of President Square, near Mr. Seward's, and not iar from the spot where General Sickles shot down the unhappy man who had tem- j)orarily disturbed the peace of his domestic relations. The parluurs were full of olliccrs smoking, reading the papers, and writing, and after a short conversation Avith General Marcy, Chief of the Staff, Van Vliet, aide-de-camp of the Commander-in-Chief, led the way np-stairs to the tup of the house, where wc GENERAL M'CLELLAX AT HOME. ,'3:37 found General M'Clellau, just returned from a lon^ ride, and seated in liis shirt sleeves on the side of his camp-bed. lie looked better than I have yet seen hiuij lor his dress showed to advantage the powerful, compact formation of his figure, massive throat, well-set head, and muscular energy of his frame. Nothing could be more agreeable or easy than his manner. In his clear, dark-blue eye was no trace of uneasiness or hidden purpose ; but his mouth, covered by a short, thick moustache, rarely joins in the smile that overspreads his face when he is animated by telling or hearing some matter of interest. Telegraph wires ran all about the house, and as we sat round the General's table, despatches were repeatedly brought in from the Generals in the front. Sometimes M'ClcUan laid down his cigar and went off to study a large map of the position, Avhich was fixed to the wall close to the head of his bed ; but more frequently the contents of the despatches caused him to smile or to utter some exclamation, which gave one an idea that he did not attach much importance to the news, and had not great faith in the reports received from his subordinate officers, who are always under the impression that the enemy are coming on in force. It is plain the General has got no high opinion of volunteer officers and soldiers. In addition to un- steadiness in action, which arises from want of con- fidence in the officers as much as from any other cause, the men labour under the great defect of exceeding rashness, a contempt fur the most ordinary precautions, and a liability to unaccountable alarms and credulous- ness of false report ; but, admitting all these circum- stances, ISI'Clellan has a soldier's faith in (/rus uataillons 32S MY DIAIIY NORTH AND ?OUTH. :iiul sees no doubt of ultimate success in a niilitarv point of vic-w, provided tlie politicians keep quiet, and, channinj,' men as thev are, cease to meddle with thin«;s they don't understand. Althou{;h some very good ollicers have deserted the Initcd States army and are now uith the Confederates, a very considerable majority of AN'cst Point oliicers have adhered to the Federals. 1 am satisfied, by an actual inspection of the lists, that the Northerners retain the sauu- preponderance in oflicers who have received a military education, as they possess in wealth and other means, and resources lor carrying on the war. The General consumes tobacco largely, and not only smokes cigars, but indulges in the more naked beauties of a quid. From tobacco we wandered to the Crimea, and thence went half round the world, till we halted before the A'irginian Avatch-fires, which these good volunteers w ill insist on lighting under the very noses of the enemy's pickets; nor was it till late we retired, leaving tlic (ieneral to his well-earned repose. (leneral .M'Clellan took the situation of ali'airs in a very easy and i)hilosophical spirit. According to his own map and showing, the enemy not only over- lapped his lines from the batteries by which they blockaded the Potomac on the right, to their extreme left on the river above "Washington, but have established themselves in a kind of salient angle on his front, at a ])laee called Munson's Hill, where their Hag waved from entrenchments within sight of the Capitol. However, from an observation he made, 1 imagined that the General would make an eil'ort to recover his lost ground ; at any rate, beat tip the enemy's quarters, in order to sec what they were doing; and he promised to GENERAL SCOTT S PASS. .'i29 send an orderly round und let nic know; so, Ijcforc I retired, I gave orders to my groom to have " W alker " in readiness. September ord. — Notwithstanding tlic extreme licat, I went out early this morning to the Chain ]5ridgo, iVoiii which the reconnaissance hinted at last night would necessarily start. This bridge is about four and a half or iivc miles above "Washington, and crosses the river at a picturesque spot almost deserving the name of a s:0Y"c, Avith high Ijanks on both sides. It is a light aerial structure, and spans the river by broad arches, from which the view reminds one of Highland or Tyrolean scenery. The road from the city passes through a squalid settlement of European squatters, who in habitation, dress, appearance, and possibly civilisation, arc quite as bad as any negroes on any Southern plantation I have visited. The camps of a division lie just beyond, and a gawky sentry from New England, with whom I had some conversation, amused me by saying that the Colonel "was a darned deal more aftcerd of the Irish squatters taking off his poultry at night than he was of the Secessioners ; anyways, he puts out more sentries to guard them than he has to look after the others." From the Chain Bridge I went some distance towards Falls Church, until I was stopped by a picket, the oflicer of which refused to recognise Crcneral Scott's pass. "I guess the General's a dead man, sir.'' " Is he not Commander-in-Chief of the United States army?" " Well, I believe that's a fact, sir; but you had better argue that point with M'Clellan. He is our boy, and I do believe he'd like to let the London Times know how we Green ]\Iountain boys can light, if they ;J.'iO MY DIAKY NORTH AND SOUTH. don't know already, liut all passes are stopped any- Iiow, and I had to turn back a Congress-man tliis very ruorning, and lucky for him it was, because the Sechessers are just half a mile in front of us/' On my way back by the upper road I passed a farmer's house, Avhich was occupied by some Federal oflicers, and there, seated in the verandah, with his legs cocked over the railings, was !Mr. Lincoln, in a felt hat, and a loose grey shooting coat and long vest, " letting off," as the papers say, one of his jokes, to judge by his attitude and the laughter of the oilicers around him, utterly indifferent to the Confederate Hag iloating irom Mun- son's Hill. Just before midnight a considerable movement of troops took place through the streets, and I was about starting off to ascertain the cause, when I received information that General !M'Clellan was only sending off two brigades and four batteries to the Cliaiu Bridge to strengthen his right, which Mas menaced by the enemy. 1 retired to bed, in order to be ready for any battle which might take j)lace to- morrow, Imt was roused up by voices beneath my window, and going out on the verandah, could not help chuckling at the aj)j)earance of three foreign ministers and a banker, in the street below, who had come round to inquire, in some pertur))ation, tiie cause of the nocturnal movement of men and guns, and seemed little inclined to credit my assurances that nothing more serious than a reconnaissance was contemplated. The ministers were in high sjjirits at the prospect of an attack on ^\ iushington. Such agreeable people arc the governing jjarty of the L'nited States at ])resent, that there is only one representative of a foreign power here FOUKIGN MINISTERS ON THE WAII. .'J.'Jl ulio would not like to sec them Hying before Soutlicru bayonets. The banker, perhaps, would have liked a little time to set his allairs in order. " When will the sacking begin? " cried the ministers. " We must hoist our flags.^^ " The Confederates respect private pro])erty, I suppose ? " As to flags, be it remarked that Lord Lyons has none to display, having lent his to Mr. Seward, who required it for some festive demonstration. September Wi. — I rode over to the Chain Jiridgc again Avith Captain Haworth this morning at seven o'clock, on the chance of there being a big fight, as the Americans say; but there was only some slight skirmishing going on; dropping shots now and then. Walker, excited by the reminiscences of Bull Run noises, peribrmed most remarkable feats, one of the most frequent of which was turning right round when at full trot or canter and then kicking violently. He also galloped in a most lively way down a road which in winter is the bed of a torrent, and jumped along among the boulders and stones in an agile, cat-like manner, to the great delectation of my companion. The morning was intensely hot, so I was by no means indisposed to get back to cover again. Nothing would persuade people there was not serious lighting some- where or other. 1 went down to tlie Long Bridge, and was stopped by the sentry, so I produced General Scott's pass, which I kept always as a denner rcssort, but the officer on duty here also refused it, as passes were suspended. I returned and referred the matter to Colonel Cullum, who consulted General Scott, and informed me that the pass must be considered as perfectly valid, not having been revoked by the General, who, as Lieuteuant-General commanding 3:52 MY DIARY XORTII AND SOUTH. the United States army, was senior to every other officer, and could only have his pass revoked by tin- President himself. Now it was quite plain that it would do me no good to have an altercation with the sentries at every post in order to have the satisfaction of reporting the matter to General Scott. I, therefore, procured a letter from Colonel Cullum stating, in writing, what he said in words, and Mith that and the i)ass went to General M'Clellan's head-quarters, where I was told by his aides the General was engaged in a kind of council of war. I sent np my papers, and Major Hudson, of his staff, came down atter a short time and said, that " General M'Clellan thought it would be much better if (iencral Scott had given me a new sj)ecial pass, but as General Scott had thought fit to take the present course on his own responsibility. General MTlellan could not interfere in the matter," ■whence it may be inferred there is no very pleasant feeling between head-quarters of the army of the: Potomac and hcad-(|uarters of the army of the United States. I went on to the Xavy yard, MJiore a look-out man, who can coaimand the whole of the country tci Munson's Hill, is stationed, and 1 heard from Cajjtaiu Hahlgren that there was no fighting whatever. There were colunms of smoke visible from Capitol Hill, wliich the excited sjx-ctators declared were caused i)y artillery and musketry, but my glass resolved them into emana- tions from a vast extent of hauging wood and brush which the Federals were burning in order to clear their front. However, jjcople wire so positive as to hearing cannonades and volleys of musketry that we went out to the reservoir hill at Georgetown, and gazing over the FREMONT S I'ltOCLAMATION. ;5;}3 dcbatnblc luiul of Yirgiiiiu — wliicli, by the wav, is vcrv beautiful these summer sunsets — becaiuc thorou^^hlv satisfied of the dehision. jNIet \'au A'liet as I was returning, -who liad just seen tlie re[)()rts at head- quarters, and averred there was no fighting -whatever. My huuUord bad a very different story. J I is friend, au bospital steward, " liad seen ninety wounded men carried into one ward from over tlie river, and Ijelieved the Federals bad lost 1(M)0 killed and wounded and twenty- five guns." Sept. hth. — Raining all day. M'Clellan abandoned bis intention of inspecting the lines, and I remained in, writing. The anonymous letters still continue. Re- ceived one from an unmistakable Thug to-day, witb the deatli^s-bead, cross-bones, and coffin, in the most ortbodox style of national-school drawing:. The event of the day was the appearance of the President in the Avenue in a suit of black, and a parcel in his hand, walking umbrella-less in the rain. ]\Irs. Lincoln has returned, and the worthy "llxecutive " will no longer be obliged to go " browsing round," as he says, among his friends at dinner-time. He is working away at money matters with energy, but has been much disturbed in his course of studies by General Fremont's sudden outburst in the West, which proclaims enuuici- pation, and draws out the arrow which the President intended to discharge from his own bow. Sept. 6t/i.—At 3.30 p.m. General M'Clellan sent over an orderly to say be was going across the river, and would be glad of my company; but I was just finishing ■ my le tters for En gland, and had to excuse myself for tin- "moment; and when I was ready, the GeneraFand stafl" had gone venii'e cl ierre into Virginia. After post, paid 3.ii 51 Y DIAI5Y NORTH AND SOUTH. my respects to General Scott, who is about to retire from the coinmuiul on liis full-pay of about £350(> ])er annum, which is awarded to him on account of liis lung s erviccs. A new Major-Gcneral — Ilallcck — has Ijeen picked up in California, and is highly praised by General Scott and by Colonel Cullum, with wliom I had a long talk about the generals on both sides, llalleck is a West Point oflicer, and has puljlished some works on military science which are highly esteemed in the States. Before California became a State, he was secretary to the governor or ofKccr commanding the territory, and eventually left the service and became a lawyer in the district, where he has amassed a large fortune. lie is a man of great ability, very calm, practical, earnest, and cold, devoted to the Union — a soldier, and something more. Lee is con- sidered the ablest man on the Federal side, but lie is slow and timid. "Joe" Johnson is their best strate- gist. Beauregard is nobody and nothing — so think they at head-quarters. All of them together are not equal to llalleck, who is to be employed in the West. I dined at the Legation, where were the Russian [Minister, the Secretary of the French Legation, the representative of New Granada, and others. As I was anxious to explain to General M'Clcllan the reason of my inability to go out with him, I called at his quarters about eleven ©""clock, and found he had just returned from his ride, lie received me in liis shirt, in his bed-room at the top of the house, in- troduced me to General Burnside — a soldierly, intel- ligent-looking man, with a very lofty forehead, and uncommonly bright dark eyes; and we had some con- DEATH OF JEFF. DAVIS. ,'}.'}5 versation about matters of ordinary interest for some time, till General ]\l'Clcllan called mc into an ante- chamber, where an officer was writing; a despatch, which he handed to the General. "I wish to ask your opinion as to the wording of this order. It is a matter of importance. I sec that the men of this army, Mr. llussell, disregard the Sabbath, and neglect tiic wor- ship of God ; and I am resolved to put an end to such neglect, as far as I can. I have, therefore, directed the following order to be drawn up, which will be promul- gated to-morrow." The General spoke with much earnestness, and with an air which satisfied me of his sincerity. The officer in waiting read the order, in which, at the General's request, ^I suggested a few alterations. The General told me he had received " sure information that Beauregard has packed up all his baggage, struck his tents, and is evidently pre- paring for a movement, so you may be wanted at a moment's notice.'' General Burnside returned to my rooms, in company with ]Mr. Lamy, and wc sat up, discoursing of Bull's Run, in which his brigade was the first engaged in front. He spoke like a man of sense and a soldier of the action, and stood up for the conduct of some regiments, though he could not palliate the final disorder. Tiie papers circulate rumours of " Jeff". Davis's death ;" nay, accounts of his burial. The public does not believe, but buys all the same. Sept. 7ih.—-Yes; "Jeff. Davis must be dead." There are some touching lamentations in the obituary notices over his fate in the other world. ]\reauwhile, how- ever, his spirit seems quite alive ; for there is an abso- lute certainty that the Confederates are coming to attack 330 MY DIARY NOKTII AND SOUTH. the Capitol. Lieut. AVise and Lord A. Vane Tempest urj^ucd the question whether the assault wouhl be made by a Hank movement above or direct in front ; and Wise maintained the latter thesis with vigour not dis- proportioncd to the eneriry with which his opponent demonstrated that the Confederates could not be such madmen as to march up to the Federal batteries. There is actually "a battle '" rajjinj; (in the front of the rhiladeli)hia newspaper offices) this instant — Pupulus vult decipi — tlec'ipiatur. Sept. 8///. — Rode over to Arlington House. AVent round by Aqueduct Bridge, Georgetown, and out across Chain Bridge to Brigadier Smith's head-quarters, which are established in a comfortable house beloniring to a Secessionist farmer. The General belongs to the rc;ru- lar army, and, if one can judge from externals, is a good officer. A libation of Bourbon and water was poured out tu friendship, and we rode out with Captain Poe, of the Topographical Engineers, a hard-working, eager fellow, to examine the trench which the men were engaged in throwing up to defend the position they have just oc- cupied on some high knolls, now cleared of wood, and overlooking ravines which stretch towards Falls Church and Vienna. Everything about the camp looked like fighting: Napoleon guns jdanted on the road; Gridin's battery in a field near at hand ; mountain howitzers nnlimljcred; strong jjickcts and main-guards; the five thousand men all kept close to their camps, and two regiments, in spite of M'Clellan's order, engaged on the trenches, which were already mounted with field-guns. General Smith, like most ofliccrs, is a Democrat and strong anti-Abolitionist, and it is not too much to huj)- pose he would fight any rather than Virginians. As UNrorL'LAKiTV AN!) Tiic i'i;i:.ss. 3;i7 ■SVC were ridiiiij; about, it ^ot out aiuou^ tlio mcu that I was present, and I was regarded \\itli no small curiosity, starinti;, ami sonic angry look-^. Tlie men do not know what to make of it when they sec their officers in the company of one wlioni they are reading about in the papers as the most &c., Sec, the world ever saw. And, indeed, I know well enough, so great is their passion and so easily are they misled, that without such safeguard the men would in all probability carry out the suggestions of one of tlieir particular giiides, who has undergone so many cuffiugs that lie rather likes them. Am I not the cause of the disaster at Bull's Run ? Going home, I met ]\Ir. and Mrs. Lincoln in their new open carriage. Tlie President was not so good- humoured, nor ]\Irs. Lincoln so aifable, in their return to my salutation as usual. ^ly unpopularity is cer- tainly spreading upwards and downwards at the same time, and all because I could not turn the battle of Bull's Run into a Federal victory, because I would not pander to the vanity of the people, and, least of all, because I Mill not bow my knee to the degraded creatures who have made the very name of a free press odious to honour- able men. JNIany of the most foul-mouthed and rabid of the men Avho revile me because I have said tlie Union as it was never can be restored, are as fully satisfied of the truth of that statement as I --wu. They have written far severer things of their army than I have ever done. They have slandered their soldiers and their officers as I have never done. They have (cd the worst passions of a morbid democracy, till it can neither see nor hear; but they shall never have the satis- faction of either driving mc from my post or inducing VOL. ir. s :i3S MY DIAUY NORTH AND SOUTH. me to deviate a hair's-breadth from the course I have resolved to pursue, as I liavc done before in other cases — greater and graver, as far as I was concerned, than this. Sept. dl/i. — This morning, as I was making the most of my toilet after a ride, a gentleman in the uniform of a United States officer came up-stairs, and marched into my sitting-room, saying he wished to see me on business. I thought it was one of my numerous friends coming with a message from some one who was going to avenge Bull's Run on me. So, going out as speedily as I could, I bowed to the officer, and asked his business. " I've come here because I'd like to trade with you about that chestnut horse of yours." I replied that 1 could only state what price I had given for him, and say that I would take the same, and no less. "What may you have given for him?" I discovered that my friend had been already to the stable and ascertained the price from the groom, who considered himself bound in duty to name a few dollars beyond the actuid sum I had given, for when I mentioned the price, the countenance of the man of war relaxed into a grim smile. "AVell, I reckon that help of yours is a pretty smart chap, though he does come from your side of the world." "When the ])reliminari('s had been arranged, tiie officer announced that he had come on behalf of another officer to offer me an order on his ])aymastcr, payable at some future date, for the animal, which he desired, however, to take away upon the spot. The transaction was rather amusing, but I consented to let the horse go, much to the indignation and uneasiness of the Scotch servant, who regarded it as contrary to all the principles of morality in horse-flesh. PASSES SOUTH REFUSED. 339 Lord A. Y. Tempest and another iJritisli subject, who applied to INIr. Seward to-day for leave to go Soutli, ■were curtly refused. The Foreign Secretary is not very well pleased with ns all just now, and there has been some little uneasiness between him and Lord Lyons, in consequence of representations respecting an improper excess in the United States marine on the lakes, contrary to treaty. The real cause, perhaps, of Mr. Seward's annoyance is to be found in the exaggerated statements of the American papers re- specting British reinforcements for Canada, M'hich, in truth, are the ordinary reliefs. These small questions in the present condition of afi'airs cause irritation ; but if the United States were not distracted by civil war, they would be seized eagerly as pretexts to excite the popular mind against Great Britain. The great difficulty of all, which must be settled some day, relates to San Juan ; and every American I have met is persuaded Great Britain is in the wrong, and must consent to a compromise or incur tlie risk of war. The few English in Washington, I think, were all present at dinner at the Legation to-day. September 10th. — A party of American officers passed the evening where I dined — all, of course, Federals, but holding very different views. A Massachusetts Colonel, named Gordon, asserted that slavery was at the root of every evil which aillictcd the Republic ; that it was not necessary in the South or anywhere else, and that the South maintained the institution for political as well as private ends. A Virginian Captain, on the con- trary, declared that slavery was in itself good ;' that it could not be dangerous, as it was essentially conser- vative, and desired nothing better than to be left alone ; z2 310 MY DIARY N(»RTII AND SOUTH. but that the Northern fanatics, jealous of the superior political iiifluonfo and ability of Southern statesmen, and sordid Protectionists who uishcd to bind tlic South to take their «;oods exclusively, perpetrated all the mischief. An olHcer of the district of Columbia assii^ned all t'i:e misfortunes of the country to universal suft'rage, to foreign immigration, and to these alone. !Mob-la\v revolts well-educated men, and people "vvho priile themselves because their fathers lived in the country before them, will not be content to see a foreigner who has been but a short time on the soil exercising as great influence over the fate of the country as himself. A contest will, therefore, always be going on between those representing the oligarchical principle and the pollarehy; and the residt must be disruption, sooner or later, because there is no power in a republic to restrain the struggling factions which the weight of the crown compresses in monarchical countries. I dined with a namesake — a major in the United States Marines — with whom I had become accidentally acquainted, in consequence of our letters frequently changing hands, and spent an agreeable evening in comi)any with nav:d and military oflicers; not the less so because our host had some marvellous ISIadeira, dating back from 1 lie Conquest — I mean of Washington. Several of the oflicers si)()kc in the highest terms of (Jeneral Banks, whom they call a most remarkable man ; but so jealous are the politicians that he will never be permitted, they think, to get a fair chance of distinguishing himself. CHAPTER XX. A Cnme.an acquaintance — Personal abuse of myself — Close firing- A reconnaissance — Major-General Bell — Tlio Prince do Joiuviiio and liis nephews — American estimate of Lonis Napoleon — Arrest of members of the Marj'land Legislature — Life at Washington — War cries — News from the I'ar West — Journej' to the Western States — Along the Susquchannah and Juniata — Chicago — Si)ort in the prairie — Arrested for shooting on Sunith h)iul cheers, whicli v.cre taken up again and again. Tlie carriage uas halted to allow tlie :2nd ^Visconsiu to pass; and a more broken-down, white-faced, sick, and weakly set of i)oor wretches I never beheld. The lieavv rains liad was-hed the very life out of them ; their clothing was in rags, their ^hoes were broken, and multitudes were foot-sore. They cheered, nevertheless, or whooped, and there was a ticniendous clatter of tongues in the ranks concerning their victory ; but, as the men's faces and hands were not blackened by powder, they could have seen little of the engagement. Captain Poc came along with dispatches for General !M'Clellan, and gave me a correct account of the affair. All this noise and tiring and excitement, I found, simply arose out of a reconnaissance made towards Lcwinsville, by Smith and a i)art of liis brigade, to beat up the enemy's position, and enable the topographical engineers to jjrocure some information respecting the country. The Confederates worked down upon their left ilank with artillery, which they got into position at an easy range without being observed, intending, no doubt, to cut oif their retreat and capture or destroy the whole force; but, fortu- nately for the reconnoitring party, the impatience of llieir enemies led the in to open iire too soon. The Federals got their gnus into position also, and covered their retreat, whilst reinforcements poured out of camj) to their assistance, " and I doubt not," said Poc, " but that they will have an encounter of a tremendous scalping match in all the jtapers to-morrow, althouL'h we have only six or seven men killed, and twelve wounded." As we approached AVashington the citizens, ANOTHER FEDERAL VICTORY. i]l', as tlicy avc called, M'cre waving Federal banners ont of the windows and rejoicing in a great victor}''; at least, the inhabitants of the inferior sort of houses, (.llespect- ability in Washington means Secession^ ]Mr. ]\Ionson told me that my distressed yonng British subject, Captain ScoLt, had called on him at the Legation early this morning for the little pecuniary help Avhich had been, I fear, wisely refused there, and M'hich was granted by mc. The States have l.)ecouie, indeed, more than ever the cloacina yentium, and Great Britain contributes its full quota to the stream. Thus time passes away in expectation of some onward movement, or desperate attack, or important strategical movements; and night comes to reassemble a few friends, Americans and English, at my rooms or else- where, to talk over the disappointed hopes of the day, to speculate on the future, to chide each dull delay, and to part with a hope that to-morrow would be more lively than to-day. ]\Iajor-Gcneral Bell, who commanded tiie Koyals in the Crimea, and who has passed some half century in active service, turned up in Washington, and has been courteously received by the American autiio- ritics. He joined to-night one of our small reunions, and was iniinitely puzzled to detect the lines which separated one man's country and opinions from those ot the other. September Wth. — Captain Johnson, Queen's mes- senger, started with despatches for Bngland from the Legation to-day, to the regret of our litth- jjarty. I observe by the papers certain wiseacres in Phila- delphia have got up a petition againi»t mc to Mr. Seward, on the ground that I have been guilty of 3i('. MY diahy north and south. treasonable practices and misrepresentations in my Ictter dated Ausjust lOth. There is also to be a lecture on the 17th at Willard's, by the Professor of Rhetoric, to a volunteer regiment, which the President is invited to attend — the subject being myself. There is an absolute nullity of events, out of which the New York papers endeavour, in vain, to extract a caput mortuinn of sensation headings. The Prince of Joinville and his two nephews, the Count of Paris and the Duke of Chartres, have been here for some days, and have been received with marked attention by the President, Cabinet, politicians .and military. The Prince has come with the intention of placing his son at the United St.ites Naval Academy, and his nephews with the head- quarters of the Federal army. The empressement exhibited at the White House towards the French princes is attributed Ijy ill-naturod rinnours and persons to a little pique on the part of Mrs. Lincoln, because the Princess Clothilde did not receive her at New York, but considcral)le doubts are entertained of the Euiperor's '*' loyalty '' towards the Union. Under the wild extravagance of professions of attachment to France arc hidden suspicions that Louis Napoleon may be capable of treasonable practices and misrepre- sentations, wjiich, in time, may lead the Philadelphians to get up a petit iun against ^L ^Mercier. The news that twenty-two members of the Maryland Legislature have been seized by the Federal authorities has not produced the smallest elTect here: so easily do men in the midst of political troubles bend to arbitrary power, and so rapidly do all guarantees disappear in a revolution. I was speaking to one of Cleneral APClcUan's aides-de-camp this eveuiug respecting the.se M'CLELLAN's FUTUItE. ;U7 things, ;vlicn he said — " If I thought he w ouhl use his power a (hiy lougcr tliau was ucccssarv, I would resign this moment. I believe him ineafjable oi" any selfish or unconstitutional views, or unlawful ambition, and you will see that he will not disappoint our expectations." It is now quite plain ]\I'Clelhui has no intention of making a general defensive movement against Rich- mond, lie is aware his army is not equal to the task — commissariat deficient, artillery wanting, no cavalry; above all, ill-ofFieered, incoherent battalions. He hopes, no doubt, by constant reviewing and inspection, and by weeding out the preposterous fellows Avho render epaulettes ridiculous, to create an infantry which shall be able for a short campaign in the fine autumn weather ; but I am quite satisfied he does not intend to move now, and possibly will not do so till next year. I have arranged therefore to pay a short visit to the "West, penetrating as far as I can, without leaving telegraphs and railways behind, so that if an advance takes place, I shall be back in time at AVash- ington to assist at the earliest battle. These Federal armies do not move like the corps of the French republic, or Crawford's Light Division. In truth, Washington life is becoming exceedingly monotonous and uninteresting. The pleasant little evening parties or tertulias which once relieved the dulness of this dullest of capitals, take place no longer. Very wrong indeed would it l)e tiiat rejoicings and festivities should occur in the capital of a country menaced with destruction, where many anxious hearts are grieving over the lost, or tortured with fears for the living. But for the hospitality of Lord Lyons to the Englisii 3 IS MY DIAKY NdKTlI AND SOUTH. rcsidcuts, the place uould be nearly iusuflferablc, for at his liouse one met other friendly ministers who extended the eirelc of invitations, and two or three American families completed the list which one could reckon on his fingers. Then at niirht, there were assembla-es oi" the same men, who uttered the same opinions, tuld the same stories, sang the same songs, varied seldom by strange faces or novcd accomplish- ments, bnt always friendly and social enough — not conducive perhaps to very early rising, but innocent of gambling, or other excess. A ilask of Bordeaux, a wicker- covered demi-john of Bourbon, a jug of iced water and a bundle of cigars, with the latest arrival of newspapers, furnished the materiel of these small symposiums, in which Americans and Englishmen and a few of the members of foreign Legations, mingled in a friendly cosmopolitan manner. Now and then a star of greater nnignitudc came down u[)on ns : a senator or an " earnest man," or a '' live man," or a constitutional lawyer, or a remarkable statesman, coruscated, and rushing oH" into the outer world left us befogged, with our glinnnering lights half extinguished with tobacco-smoke. Out of doors excessive heat alternating with thunder- storms and tropical showers— dust beaten into mud, or mud sublimated into dust — eternal reviews, each like the other — visits to camp, where wc saw the same men and heard the same stories of perpetual abortive skirmishes — rides confined to the same roads and paths by lines of sentries, offered no greater attrac- tion than th(,' city, where one's bones were racked with fever and ague, and where every evening the jicsti- kntial vapours of the Potomac rose higher aJid spread WASHINGTON LIFK. .'HO furtlicr. Xo wonder lliaf. I m:is <;la(l to <^v\ awav to the Far "West, particularly as- 1 entertained hopes of Mitnessinj^ some of the operations down the Mississippi^ before I was summoned back to AVashington, i)v tliu news that the i^rand army had actually Ijroken up caiui), and was about once more to march a<;ainst Kiclnnond. Sejjiemher I2t/i. — The day passed quietly, in spite of rnmours of anotlier battle ; the band played in the Pre- sident's garden, and citizens and citi/.encsscs strolled about the grounds as if Secession had been annihilated. The President made a fitful appearance, in a <;rev shooting suit, with a nnml)er of despatches in his hand, and walked off towards the State Department quite Tnmoticed by the crowd. I am sure not lialf a dozen Ijcrsons saluted him — not one of the men I saw even touched liis hat. General Bell went round the works Avitli i\I'Clellan, and expressed liis opinion that it Avould be impossible to fight a great battle in the country Avhich lay betweeu the two armies — in fact, as he said, " a general could no more handle liis troops among the woods, than he could regulate the movements of i-abbits in a cover. You ought just to make a pro- position to Beauregard to come out on some plain and fight the battle fjiirly out where you can see each other." Sej)tember IGth. — It is most agreeable to he removed from all the circumstance without any of tlie pomp and glory of war. Although there is a tcndeiu-y in the North, and, for aught I know, in the South, to con- sider the contest in the same light as one w ith a foreign enemy, the very battle-cries on both sides indicate a civil war. "The Union for ever" — "States rights" — and "Down with the Abolitionists," cannot be con- 350 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. sidered national. ]M'Clellaii takes no note of time even by its loss, which is all the more strange because he sets great store upon it iu his report on tlie con- duct of the uar in the Crimea. However, lie knows an army cannot be made in two months, and that the larger it is, tlie more time there is required to liarmonize its components. The news from the Far "West indicated a probability of some important opera- tions taking place, although my first love — tlie armj' of the Potomac — must be returned to. Any way tliere was the great "Western Prairie to be seen, aud the people who have been pouring from their plains so many thousands upon the Southern States to assert the liberties of those coloured races whom they will not ])crmit to cross their borders as freemen. ]\Ir. Lincoln, Mr. Blair, aud other Abolitionists, are ac- tuated by similar sentiments, and seek to emancipate the slave, and remove from him the protection of his master, in order that they may drive him from the continent altogether, or force him to seek refuge in emigration. On the Ibth of September, I left Baltimore in com- pany with !M;\i()r-Cieiicral Bell, C.B., and Mr. Lamy, who was well acquainted with the ^Vestern States : stopping one night at Altoona, in order that we might cross by daylight the line passes of the Alle^anies, which are traversed by bold gradients, and remarkable cut- tings, second only in dilliculty and extent to those of the railroad across the Stimincrlng. So far as my observation extends, no route in the United States can give a stranger a l)etter notion of the variety of scenery and of resources, the vast extent of territory, the diirercncc iu races, the prosperity of the THE MIDDLE STATES. ;5.j1 present, and the i)rob:iblc {greatness of the future, than the Hue from Baltimore by Ilarrisburg aud I'ittshuru'to Chicago, traversing the great States of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Phiin and mountain, hill and vailev, river and meadow, forest and rock, wild tracts tiirough which the Indian roamed but a few years ago, hinds covered with the richest crops ; rugged passes, wliich Salvator wouhl have peopled with shadowy groups of bandits; gentle sylvan glades, such as Gainsljorough would have covered with waving corn ; the hum of mills, the silence of the desert and waste, sea-like lakes Avhitened by innumerable sails^ mighty rivers carving their way through continents, sparkling rivulets that lose their lives amongst giant wheels : scams and lodes of coal, iron, and mineral wealth, cropping out of de- solate mountain sides ; busy, restless manufacturers and traders alternating with stolid rustics, hedges clustering with grapes, mountains Avhitening with snow ; and be- yond, the great Prairie stretching away to the backbone of inhospitable rock, which, rising from the foundations of the world, bar the access of the white man aud civili- sation to the bleak inhospitable regions beyond, winch both are fain as yet to leave to the savage and wild beast. Travelling along the banks of the Susquehannah, the visitor, however, is neither permitted to admire the works of nature in silence, or to express his admiration of the energy of man in his own way. Tlic tyranny of public opinion is upon him. He must admit that Ijc never saw anything so wonderful in his life; that there is nothing so beautiful anywhere else; no fields so green, no rivers so wide and dcej), no bridges so lofty and long ; and at last he is inclined to shut liimself up, oj2 my DIAKY XoUTII AND SOUTH. cither in absolute j^ruiupy negation, or to indulge in hopeless controversy. An American gentleman is as little likely as any other well-bred man to force the opinions or interrupt the reveries of a stranger; but if third-class Es(|uiniaux are allowed to travel in first- class carriages, the hospitable creatures will be quite likely to insist on your swallowing train oil, eating bluljber, or admiring snow drifts, as the finest things in the world. It is infinitely to the credit of the American people that actual ofTence is so seldom given and is still more rarely intended — always save and except in the one particular, of chewing tobacco. Having seen most things that can irritate one's stomach, and being in company with an old soldier, I little expected that any excess of the sort could produce disagreeable etiects ; but on returning from this excursion, -\Ir. Lamy and myself were fairly driven out of a car- riage, on the Pittsburg line, in utter loathing and disgust, by the condition of the floor. The conductor, passing through, said, " You must not stand out there, it is against the rules ; you can go in and smoke,'* pointing to the carriage. "In there!" exclaimed my friend, "why, it is too filthy to put a ^ild beast into." The conductor looked in for a moment, nodded his head, and said, " "Well, I concede it is right bad ; the citizens arc going it pretty strong," and so left us. The scenery along the Juniata is still more pictu- resque than that of the valley of the Susquehannah. The borders of the route across the Alleganies have been described by many a writi-r; but notwithstanding the good fortune Avhich favoured us, and swejit away the dense veil of vapours on the lower ranges of the hills, the landscape scarcely produced the cficct of piTTsnuno. ^53 scenery on a less extended sc.de, just as the sccnerv of the Ilinialavas is not so strikinj,^ as tliat of the Alps, bceausc it is on too vast a scale to be readily grasped. Pittsburg, where Ave halted next ni-^ht, on the Ohio, is certainly, Avitli the exception of Hinninghaui, the most intensely sooty, busy, squalid, foul-housed, and vile-snburbed city I have ever seen. Under its per- petual canopy of smoke, pierced by a forest of blackened chimneys, the ill-paved streets, swarm with a streaky population whose white faces are snnitehcd with soot streaks — the noise of vans and drays whieli shake the houses as tlie\' pass, the turbulent life in the thoroughfares, the wretched brick tenements, — built in waste places on squalid mounds, surrounded by heaps of slag and broken brick — all these gave the stranger the idea of some vast manufacturing city of the Inferno; and yet a few miles beyond, the country is studded with beautiful villas, and the great river, bearing innumerable barges and steamers on its broad bosom, rolls its turbid waters between banks rich with cultivated crops. The policeman at Pittsburg station — a burly English- man — told me that the war had been of the greatest service to the city. lie spoke not only from a police- man's point of view, Avhen he said that all the ruwdii-s, Irish, Germans, and others had gone oil" to the war, hut from the manufacturing stand-point, as he added tliat wages were hijifb. and that the orders from contractors Mere keeping all the manufacturers going. " It is wonderful," said he, "what a number of the citizeiis come back from the South, by rail, in these; new metallic coflSns.*' A long, long day, traversing the State of Indiana by 'ibi MY DIAUY NORTH AND SOl'TII. the Fort Wayne route, followed by a longer night, just sutficcd to cjirry us to Chicago. The railway passes through a most uninteresting country, which in part is scarcely rescued from a h>tate of nature by the hand of man ; but it is wonderfid to see so much done, when one hears tliat the Miami Indians and otlicr tribes were driven out, or, as the jjhrase is, "removed," only twenty years ago — "conveyed, the ^ise called it" — to the reserves. From Chicago, where we descended at a hotel which fairly deserves to be styled magnificent, for comfort and completeness, Mr. Lamy and myself proceeded to Racine, on the shores of Lake Michigan, and thence took the rail for Freeport, •where I remained for some days, going out in tlie surrounding prairie to shoot in the morning, and returning at nightfall. The prairie chickens were rather wild. The delight of these days, notwithstanding bad sport, cannot be described, nor was it the least ingredient in it to mix with the fresh and vigorous race who arc raising up cities on these fertile wastes. Fortunately fur the patience of my readers, perhaps, I did not fill my diary with the records of each day's events, or of the contents of our bags ; and the note-book in which I jotted down some little matters whiih struck me to be of interest lias been mislaid ; but in my letters to England I gave a description of tlie general aspecf of the country, and of the feelings of the jicople, and arrived at the con- clusion that the tax-gatiicrer will liave little chance of returning with full note-books from his tour in these dis- tricts. The dogs which were lent to us were generally al)ominable ; but every evening we returned in com- jjany with great leathcr-greavcd and jcrkined-men, A NOVEL SHOOTING-BOX. 355 liung round with belts and hooks, from wliicli were suspended strings of defunct pniiric cliickfMis. TIk; farmers were hospitable, l)ut were suderiu^ from a morbid longing for a failure of crops in Europe, in order to give some value to tlicir corn and wlirat, wliidi literally cund^cred the earth. Freeport ! Who ever heard of it ? And yet it has its newspapers, more than I dare mention, and its l)ig hotel liglited with gas, its billiard-rooms and saloons, magazines, railway stations, and all the proper para- phernalia of local self-government, with all their fierce intrigues and giddy factions. From Freeport our party returned to Chicago, taking leave of our excellent friend and companion !Mr. George Thompson, of Racine. The authorities of tlie Central Illinois Railway, to whose courtesy and con- sideration I was infinitely indc1)tcd, placed at our dis- posal a magnificent sleeping carriage; and on the morning after our arrival, having laid in a good stock of supplies, and engaged an excellent sporting guide and dogSj Ave started^ attached to the regular train from Chicago, until the train stopped at a shunting place near the station of Dwight, in the very centre of tlie prairie. We reached our halting-place, were detaclied, and were shot up a siding in the solitude, with no habitation in view, except the wood shanty, in which lived the family of the Iris h overseer of t his portion of the road — a man happy in the possession of a \nccc of gold Avhich he received from the Prince of Wah>s, ami for which, he declared, he would not take the amount of -the Nat io nal DehL TKesleeping carriage proved most comfortable quar- ters. After breakfast in the morning, Mr. Lamy, Col. J , . 350 MY DIAKY XOKTII AND SuUTH. Foster, Mr. , of the Central Illinois rail, the keeper, and myself, dcscendiuj; the steps of our moveable house, ■walked in a few strides to the shooting grounds, whieh abuuuded uith quail, but were not so well peopled by the chickens. The quail were weak on the wing, owing to the lateness of the season, and my companions grumbled at their hard luck, though I was well content Avith fresh air, my small share of birds, and a few Ame- rican hares. Night and morning the train rushed by, and when darkness settled down upon the prairie, our lamps were lighted, dinner was served in the carriage, set forth with inimitable potatoes cooked by the old Irishwoman. From the dinner-table it was l)ut a step to go to bed. AVhen storm or rain rushed over the sea-like plain, I remained in the carriage writing, and after a long spell of work, it was inexpressibly pleasant to take a ramble through the flowering grass and the sweet-scented broom, and to go beating through the stunted under-covcr, careless of rattle-snakes, whose tiny prattling music I heard often enough without a sight of the tails that made it. One rainy morning, the 20th September, I think, as the sun began to break through drifting rain clouds, I saw my companions preparing their guns, the sporting chaperon AValker filling the shot flasks, and making all the usual arrangements for a day's shooting. " You don't mean to say you are going out shooting on a Sunday ! " I said. " \Vhat, on the prairies ! " exclaimed Colonel Foster. "Why, of course we are; there's nothing wrong in it here. ^Vhat nobler temple can wc find to worship in than lies around us? It is the cus- tom of the people hereabouts to shoot on Sundays, and it is a work of necessity ^^ ith us^ for our larder is very low." A MINISTHll or JUSTICK. 367 And so, after breiikfast, we set out, hut the rain came down so densely that wc were driven to the house of a farmer, and finally we returned to (jur sleeping carriage for the day. I never fired a shot nor put a ^un to my shoulder, nor am I sure that any of my eimi- panions killed a bird. The rain fell with violence all day, and at night the gusts of wind shook the carriage like a ship at sea. AVe Avere sitting at table after dinner, when the door at the end of the carriage o[)ene(l, and a man, in a mackintosh dripi)ing wet, advanced with unsteady steps along the centre of the carriage, between the beds, and taking oft' his liat, in the top of Avhicli he searched diligently, stood staring with lack-lustre eyes from one to the other of the party, till Colonel Foster exclaimed, ""Well, sir, what do 3'ou want V " "What do I want," he replied, with a slight thickness of speech, "which of you is the Honourable Lord AVilliam Russell, correspondent of the London Thnes ? That's what I want." I certified to my identity; whereupon, drawing a piece of paper out of his hat, he continiicd, " Then I arrest you, Honourable Lord "William llussell, in the name of the people of the Connnonwealth of Illinois," and thereupon handed me a document, declaring that one, Morgan, of Dwight, having come before him that day and sworn th:it I, with a com- pany of men and dogs, had unlawfully assembled, and by firing shots, and by barking and noise, had disturbed the peace of the State of Hlinois, lie, the subscriber or justice of the peace, as named and described, commanded the const:d)le Podgers, or what- 35$ MV DIAUY XOUTH AND SOUTH. ever his name was, to bring iny body before liiui to answer to the charge. Now this town of Dwight was a good many miles away, the road was deehircd by those wlio knew it to be very bad, the night was pitch dark, the raiu falUng in torrents, and as the constable, drawing out of his hat paper after paper with tlie names of impossible persons upon them, served subpoenas on all the rest of the party to appear next morning, the anger of Colonel Foster could scarcely be restrained, by kicks under tlie table and nods and becks and ■wreathed smiles from tlie rest of the party. "This is infamous ! It is a political persecution ! " he exclaimed, whilst the keeper joined in chorus, declaring he never heard of such a proceeding before in all his long experi- ence of the prairie, and never knew there was such an act in existence. The Irishmen in the hut added that the informer himself generally went out shooting every Sunday. However, I could not but regret I had given the fellow an op[)ortunity of striking at me, and though I was the only one of the party w ho raised an objection to our going out at all, I was deservedly suftering for the impropriety — to call it here by no harsher name. The constable, a man of a licpiid eye and a cheerful countenance, paid particular attention meantime to a large bottle upon the table, and as I professed my readiness to go the moment he had some re- freshment that very wet night, the stern severity be- coming a minister of justice, which marked his first utterances, was sensiidy mollified ; and when Mr. proposed that he should drive back with him and see the prosecutor, he was good enough to accept my written aeknowleilguieut of the service of the writ, and i)romise THE .MAN OF DWIOIIT. 309 to appear the followini; niorninij:, as an adcciuate dis- charge of his duty — couihiiicd with the absorption of soaic Bourbon whisky — and so retired. Mr. returned kite at ni|jjht, and very an;^ry. It appears that the prosceutor — who is not a man of very good reputation, and wlioui his neighbours were rd. — In "\Vashin;/ton once more — all the WOODEN OllDNANCK. .'J(5.'i world lau2;luug at the pump and the wooden };ims at I jNIunsou's Hill, hut angry withal hecausc M'Clclliiii ' should l)c so hef'oolcd as they considered it, hy the Confederates. The fact is ^I'ClcUan was not prepared to move, and therefore not disposed to hazard a general engagement, which he might have hrought on had tlic enemy heen in force ; perhaps he knew they were not, hut found it convenient nevertheless to act as thougli he helieved they had estahUshcd themselves strongly in his front, as half the world will give liim credit for knowing more than the civilian strategists who have already got into disgrace for urging M'Dowcll on to llichmond. The federal armies arc not handled easily. They are luxurious in the matter of baggage, and canteens, and private stores; and this is just the sort of war in which the general who moves lightly and rapidh', striking blows unexpectedly and deranging communications, will obtain great results. Although Beauregard's name is constantly mentioned, I fancy that, crafty and reticent as he is, the operations in front of us have been directed by an officer of larger capacity. As yet ^M'Clellan has certainly done nothing in the field to show he is like Napoleon. The value of his labours in camp has yet to be tested. I dined at the Legation, and afterwards there was a meeting' at my rooms, where I heard of all that had passed during my absence. October 47/i.— The new expedition, of which I have been hearing for some time past, is about to sad to | Port Royal, under the command of General Bum- side, in order to reduce the works erected at thc| entrance of the Sound, to secure a base of opera- tions against Charleston, and to cut in upon the com- 364 MY DIAIIY NORTH AND SOUTH. niuuication between that place and Savannah. Alas, for poor Trescot ! his plantations, his secluded home ! AVhat will the good lady think of the Yankee inva- sion, which surely must succeed, as the naval force will be overwhelming? I visited the division of (lencral Egbert A'ielc, encamped near the Xavy-yard, which is bound to Annapolis, as a part of General Burnside's expedition. AVIien lirst I saw him, the general was an emeritus captain, attached to the 7th New York !Militia; now he is a Brigadier-General, if not some- thing more, commanding a corps of nearly oOOO men, with pay and allowances to match. His good lady wife, who accompanied him in the Mexican campaign, — whereof came a book, lively and light, as a lady's should be, — was about to accompany her husband in his assault on tiie Carolinians, and prepared for action, by opening a small broadside on my unhappy self, whom she regarded as an enemy of our glorious Union ; and therefore an ally of the ]'2vil Powers on both sides of the grave. The women, North and South, arc equally pitiless to their enemies ; and it was but the other day, a man with whom I am on very good terms in "Washington, made an apology for not asking me to liis house, becmsc his wife was a strong Union woman. A gentleman who had been dining with Mr. Seward to-night told me the Minister had complained that I had not been near him for nearly two months; the fact was, liowever, that I had called twice innne- diatcly after the appearance in America of my letter dated July 22nd, and had met Mr. Seward after- wards, when his manner was, or appeared to me to bf, cold and distant, and I had therefore abstained from intruding myself upon his notice; nor did his THE nilLADKLrillA l'I7nTI«»N'. 305 .answer to the Philadelpliiau petition — in which Mi-. Seward appeared to athnit the alh'fj^atioiis macU- against me were true, and to consider 1 had vi()l;it<-d tlic hospitality accorded nie — induce nie to think that he did not entertain the opinion which tlicse journals which set themselves up to be his organs had so repeatedly expressed. CHAPTER XXI. Another Crimean acquaintance — Summaiy an- easily handled, and the nu;n like urtillcry and take to it natnrally, being in that respect sonicthinj,' like the natives of India, ^Vhilst I was staiuling in the crowd, I heard a woman say, "I donbt if tliat Ri'.ssell is riding about liere. I should just like to see him to give him a piece of my mind. They say he's honest, but I call hiiu a poor prc-jewdiced Britisher. This sight Ml give him fits." I was quite delighted at my incognito. If the caricatures were at all like me, I siiould have what the Americans call a bad time of it. On the return of the batteries a shell exploded in a caisson just in front of the President's house, and, miraculous to state, did not fire the other projectiles. Had it done so, the destruction of life in the crowded street — blocked up with artillery, men, and horses, and crowds of men, women, and children — would have been truly frightful. Such accidents are not un- common — a waggon blew up the other day "out West,"' and killed and wounded several people; and though the accidents in camp from firearms are not so numerous as they were, there are still enough to present a hejivy casualty list. "Whilst the artillery were delighting the citizens, a much more important matter was taking place in an obscure little court house — much more ilestructivc to their freedom, happiness, and greatness than all the Con- federate guns which can ever be ranged against them. A brave, upright, and honest judge, as in duty bound, issued a writ of habeas corpus, sued out by the friends of a minor, who, contrary to the laws of the I'nited States, had been enlisted l)y an American general, and VOL. II. BO o/U MY DIARY KOUTII AND SOUTH. was detained by him in tlie ranks of his regiment. The officer refused to obey the writ, m hereupon the judge issued an attacliment against him, and the Federal brigadier came into court and pleaded that he took that course by order of the President. The court adjoui-ned, to consider the steps it should take. I have just seen a paragraph in the local paper, copied from a west country journal, headed " Good for Russell," which may explain the unusually favourable impression expressed by the women this morning. It is an account of the interview I had with the officer who came " to trade " for my horse, written by the latter to a Green Bay newspaper, in which, having duly censured my "John lUUlism" in not receiving with the utmost courtesy a stranger. Mho walked into his room before breakfast on business unknown, he relates as a proof of honesty (in such a rai-e field as trading in horseflesh) that, though my groom had sought to put ten dollars in my pocket by a mild exaggeration of the amount paid for the animal, which was the price I said I would take, I would not have it. October \Uh. — A cold, gloomy day. I am laid up with the fever and ague, which visit the banks of the Potomac in autumn. It annoyed me the more because (icncral M'Clellan is making a reconnaissance to-day towards Lcwinsville, with JO,OUO men. A gentlemau from the "War Department visited me to-day, and gave me scanty hopes of procuring any assistance from the authorities in taking the field. Civility costs nothing, and certainly if it did United States officials would require high salaries, but they often content themselves with fair words. There arc some things about our neigld)ours which ^-EW.SrAl'EU STOltlH.S. ;J71 we may never hope to uiKlerstiind. To-day, for instauee, a respeetable person, high in odiee, having; been good cnongli to invite nic to his honsc, added, " You sliall see Mrs. A., sir. She is a very pretty and agreeable young hidy, and will jjrove nice soeiety for you," meaning his wife. Mr. N. P. Willis was good enough to call on me, and in the course of conversation said, " I jiciir M'Clellan tells you everything. When you went away West I was very near going after you, as I suspected you heard something." ^Mr. Willis could have had no grounds for this remark, for very ccrtainlv it has no foundation in fact. Truth to tell. General M'Clellan seemed, the last time I saw him, a little alarmed by a paragraph in a New York paper, from the Washington correspondent, in which it was invidi- ously stated, " General ]\PClellan, attended by ^fr. Russell, correspondent of the London Tnucs, visited the camps to-day. All passes to civilians and others were revoked." There was not the smallest ground for tin- statement on the day in question, but I am resolved not to contradict anything which is said about nic, but the General could not well do so; and one of the favourite devices of the Washington correspondent to fill up bis columns, is to write something about me, to state I have been refused passes, or have got tiicm, or whatever else he likes to say. Calling on the General the other night at his usual time of return, I was told by the orderly, wlio was closing the door, " The General's gone to bed tired, and can see no one. He sent the same message to the President, who came inquiring after him ten minutes ago." B II S 372 >IV DIAUV NOKTH AND SOUTH. This poor rrcsiilciit ! lie is to be pitied ; surrouiuled by such scenes, ami trviuj; with tlief is if wc had one of the old 50th among us at the head of idfairs we would soon be at them. I belonged to the old regiment once, but I got off and took np with shoe- making again, and faith if I stcd in it 1 mi-ht have been sergeant-major by this time, ouly they hated the poor Roman Catholics." ysU MV l)IAi:Y NdKTll AND SoLTH. " And do you tliiidc, sci-f^eant, you would get many of your countrymen who luul served iu tlic old army to flight the old familiar red jackets? "" " Well, sir, I tell you I hope my arm would rot before I would pull a tri^Tirer atjaiust the old 50th; but we would wear the red jacket too — we have as good a right to it as the others, and then it would be man against man, you know ; but if I saw any of them cursed Germans inter- fering I'd soon let daylight into them." The hazy dreams of this poor man's mind would form an excel- leiit article for a New York newspaper, which on matters relating to England are rarely so lucid and logical. Next day was devoted to writing and heavy rain, through both of which, notwithstanding, I was assailed by many visitors and some scurrilous letters, and i:i the evening there was a Washington gathering of Englishry, Irisliry, Scotchry, Yankees, and Canadians. October 2-2/1(1. — Rain falling in torrents. As 1 write, in come reports of a battle last night, some forty miles up the river, which by signs and tokens I am led to be- lieve was unfavourable to the Federals. They crossed the river intending to move upon Lccsl)urg — were attacked by overwhelming forces and rei)ulse(l, but maintained themselves on the right bank till General JJanks reinforced them and enabled them to hold their own. M'C'lellan has gone or is going at once to the scene of action. It was three o'clock before I heard the news, the road and country were alike unknown, nor had I friend or acquaintance in the army of the I'pijcr Potomac. My horse was l)rought round however, and in company with Mr. Anderson. I rode out of Wash- ington along the river till the falling evening warned us to retrace our steps, and we returned in pelting CoLLUnllAI. DI KFlCll/riKS. .'Jsl rain as wc set out, ami in pitchy darkiicss, wiilidiit. rncctiiip; any mcssenj^er or person witli news from tlu- battle-field. Late at nij,dit the ^Vhite llotisc was })laced ill deep grief l)y tlic intelligence that in addition to other losses, Brifj^adicr and Senator Baker of Cali- fornia was killed. The President was inconsolable, and walked np and down his room for hours lamenting the loss of his friend. j\Irs. Lincoln's grief was ('(pially poignant. Ikforc bed-time I told the Oerm-in land- lord to tell my servant I wanted my horse round at seven o'clock. October 2ord. — Up at six, waiting for horse and man. At eight walked down to stables. No one there. At nine became very angry — sent messengers in all directions. At ten was nearly furious, when, at the last stroke of the clock, James, with his inex- pressive countenance, perfectly calm nevertheless, and betraying no symj)tom of solicitude, api)eared at the door leading my charger. "And may I ask you where you have been till this time ? " " Wasn't 1 dressing the horse, taking him out to water, and exercising liim.^' " Good heavens ! did 1 not tell you to be here at seven o'clock ?" " No, sir; Carl told nie you wanted me at ten o'clock, and here 1 am." " Carl, did I not tell you to ask James to be round licrc at seven o'clock.'" " Not zeveu clock, sere, but zehn clock. I tell him, you come at zehn clock." Thus at one blow was I stricken down by Gaul and Teuton, each of whom retired with the air of a man who had baffled an intended indignity, and had achieved a triumph over a w'rong-doer. The roads were in a fiightful state outside W nshing- ton — literally nothing but canals, in whicii cnrth and Sb2 Mv DiAiJY n<»i;tii and south. water were mixed together for depths varying from six inches to three feet above the surface ; but late as it was I pushed on. aud had got as far as the turn of the road to Rockville, near the great falls, some twelve miles beyond AVashington, when I met an officer with a couple of orderlies, hurrying back from General Banks's head-quarters, who told me the whole atfair was over, and that I could not possibly get to the scene of action on one horse till next morning, even supposing that I pressed on all through the night, the roads being utterly villanous, and the country at night as black as ink ; and so I returned to AVashington, and was stopped by citizens, who, seeing the streaming horse and splashed rider, imagined he was reeking from the fray. " As you were not there," says one, " I'll tell you what I know to be the case. Stone and Baker are killed ; Banks aud all the other generals are prisoners ; the Rhode Island and two other bat- teries are taken, and 5000 Yankees have been sent to H to help old John Brown to roast niggers." October 2U/i. — The heaviest blow which has yet been inflicted on the administration of justice in the United States, and that is saying a good deal at present, has been given to it in Washington. The judge of whom I wrote a few days ago in the habeas corpus case, lias been placed under military arrest and surveillance by the Provost-Marshal of the city, a very fit man for such work, one Colonel Andrew Porter. The Provost- Marshal imprisoned the attorney who served the writ, and then sent a guard to Mr. Merrick"'s house, who thereupon sent a minute to his brother judges the day before yesterday stating the circumstances, in order to Axow why he did not aj)pear in his ])lacc A IMBLIC FUXKUAL. 8^S on the bench. The Chief Judge Dunlop and Judge Morsell thereupon issued their ^vrit to Au(h-t:\v I'orter greeting, to show cause wliy an attachment for con- tempt should not be issued against him for his treatment of Judge INIerrick. As the sliarp tongues of women are very troublesome, the United States officers have quite little harems of captives, and Mrs. Merrick has just been added to the number'. Siie is a "WickliHc of Kentucky, and has a right tu martyrdom. The inconsistencies of the Northern people multij)Iy ad infinitum as they go on. Thus at Ilatteras tliey enter into terms of capitulation with ofliccrs signing them- selves of the Confederate States Army and Confederate States Navy; elsewhere thc}^ exchange prisoners ; at New York they are going through the farce of trying the crew of a C. S. privateer, as pirates engaged in ^robbing on the high seas, on " the authority of a pretended letter of marque from one Jefferson Davis." One Jeff Davis is certainly quite enough for tlicm at present. Colonel and Senator Baker was honoured by a cere- monial which was intended to be a public funeral, rather out of compliment to jMr. Lincoln's feelings, perhaps, than to any great attachment for tiie man liini- self, who fell gallantlj' fighting near Leesburg. TJjcre is need for a republic to contain some elements of an aristocracy if it would make that display of pomj) and ceremony which a public funeral should have to pro- duce effect. At all events there should be some principle of reverence in the heads and hearts of the people, to make up for other deficieueies in it as a show, or a ceremony. The procession down I'enn- sylvania Avenue was a tawdry, shabby string of hack 3S4 MY DIARY NOIITII AND SOITII. carriages, men in liirlit coats and white liats following the hearse, r.nd three regiments of foot soldiers, of which one was simply an uncleanly, nnwholesomc- lookiug rabble. The President, in his carriage, and many of the ministers and senators, attended also, and passed throngh nnsympathetie lines of people on the kerbstones, not one of whom raised his hat to the bier as it ])assed, or to the President, except a conple of Englishmen and myself who stood in the crowd, and that proceeding on onr part gave rise to a variety of remarks among the bystanders. Bnt as the band turned into Pennsylvania Avcnne, i)laying something like the iniinwt de la corn- in Dun CJiovanni, two officers in uniform came ritiing up in the contrary direction; they were smoking cigars; one of them let his fall on the ground, the other smoked lustily as the hearse passed, and reining \\\\ his horse, continued to putf his weed under the nose of President, ministers, and senators, with the air of a man who was doing a very soldierly correct sort of thing. AVhethcr the President is angry as well as grieved :tt the loss of his favourite or not, I cannot adirm, l)ut he is assuredly doing that terrible thing which is called putting his foot dow n on the jndges ; and he has instructed Andrew Porter not to mind the writ issued \ester(lay, and has further instructed the United States Marshal, who has the writ in his hands to serve on the said Andrew, to return it to the court with the information that Abraham ]jincoln had suspended the w_rit oi huln-as rorjm.s in cases relating to the military. October 2C)i/i. — More reviews. To-day rather a pretty sight — 12 regiments, Ki guns, and a few squads of men with swords and pistols on horseback, called TIIH I'OMCi: OF TllK STIIKCTS. 3S5 cavalry, comprisiuf; Fitz-Joliii Porter's diviHion. ]\l'(Jlcllau seemed to my eyes crcst-l'all(;ii and moodv to-day. Bn<,^ht eyes looked on him ; lie is -ettiiij; up something like a stall", anion;; which are the youn^' Freneh ])rinces, under the tnttla.i,'e ol" their uncle, the Prince of Joinville. Whilst .M'Clellau is reviewing;, our llomans in Washington are shivering; for the blockade of the Potomac by tlie Confederate batteries stops the fuel boats. Little care these enthusiastic young American i)atriots in crinoline, who have come to sec jM'Clellan and the soldiers, what a cord of wood costs. The lower orders are very angry about it however. Tlie nuisance and disorder arising from soldiers, drunk and sober, riding full gallop down the streets, and as fast as they can round the corners, has been stopped, bv jdacing mounted sentries at the principal points in all the thoroughfares. The " otlicers " were worse than the men ; the papers this week contain the account oi* two accidents, in one of which a colonel, in another a major, was killed by falls from horseback, in furious riding in the city. Forgetting all about this fact, and sjjurring home pretty fast along an inifrc(incnted road, leading from the ferry at Georgetown into the city, 1 was nearly spitted by a " dragoon," who rode at me from under cover of a house, and shouted " stop'" just as his .subre was Avithin a foot of my head. Fortunately his hoi -i , being aware that if it ran against nnne it might lii- injured, shied, and over went dragoon, saljre and all, and off went his horse, Ijut as the trooper wjuj able to run after it, I presume he was not the worse; and I went on my way rejoicing. M'Clellau has fallen veiy much in my oj)inion since SbO MY PIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. the Leesburg dissister. He went to the spot, and with a Uttle — nay, the least — promptitude and abihty could have turned the check into a successful advance, in the blaze of which the earlier repulse would have been for- gotten. It is whispered tluit General Stone, who ordered the movement, is guilty of treason — a com- mon crime of unlucky «(cnerals — at all events he is to be displaced, and will be put under surveillance. The orders he gave arc certainly very strange. The ofHcial right to lib, 1 presume, is very mucli the same all over the world, but still there is more dash about it in the States, I think, than else- where. " Blockade of the Potomac ! " exclaims an ofHcial of the Navy Department. " AVhat are you talking of'r The Department has just heard that a few Confederates hfive been practising with a few ligiit field-pieces from the banks, and has issued orders to prevent it in future." " Defeat at Leesburg ! " cries little K , of M'Clcllan's staff, "nothing of the kind. We drove the Confederates at all points, retained our position on the right bank, and only left it when we pleased, having whipped the enemy so severely they never showed since." " Any news, Mr. Cash, in the Treasury to-day?" "Nothing, sir, except that Mr. Ciiasc is highly pleased with everything; he's only afraid of having too much money, and being troubled with his balances." " The State Department all right, .Mr. Protocol?" "My dear sir! delightful! with everybody, best terms. Mr. Seward and the Count arc managing delightfully ; most friendly assurances ; Guatemala particularly; yes, and France too. Yes, 1 may say France too ; not the smallest dilHculty at Honduras; altogether, with the assurances of support THE MILITARY TIIAIN. 387 ■Nve arc getting, the Minister tliinks the whole utlair ■will he settled in thirty days ; no joking,', 1 assnre yon ; thirty days this time positively. Say for cxactnesn on or ahont December 5th." The canvas-backs arc coining in, and I am off for a day or two to escape reviews aiid abuse, and to sec something ol" the famons wild-fowl shooting on the Chesapcfikc. October 'llth. — After ehurcli, I took a long walk round by the commissariat waggons, where there is, I think, as much dirt, bad language, cruelty to atjimals, and waste of public money, as can be conceived. Let xnc at once declare my opinion that the Americans, generally, are exceedingly kind to their cattle ; but there is a hybrid race of rnihanly waggoners here, subject to no law or discipline, and the barbarous treatment inflicted on the transport animals is too bad even for the most unruly of nudes. I mentioned the circumstance to General ]\I'Dowell, who told me that by the laws of the United States there was no power to enlist a man for commissariat or transport duty. October 2Sth. — Telegraphed to my friend at Balti- more that I was ready for the ducks. The Legation going to Mr. Kortwright's marriage at Philadelpliia. Started with Lamy at (5 o'clock for Jialtimore ; to Ciil- more House ; thence to club. Every person present said that in my letter on IVFaryland I had understated the question, as far as Southern sentimentB were concerned. In the club, for example, there are not six I'nion nun at the outside. General Ti\x has fortified Federal Hill very efhciently, and the heights over Fort McIIenry are bristling with cannons, and display formidable earth- works; it seems to be admitted that, but for tiie action of the Washington Government the Legislature would CO 2 3j)S MV DIAKV NOUTII AND SOUTH. pass an onliiKincc of Secession. Gilmore House — old- fasliiont'd, «;ott(l bed-rooms. Scarcidy had T arrived in the passage, than a man ran of!" with a parairrajjh to the papers that Dr. Kusscll liad come for the purpose of duek-shootin^'; and, hearing that I was going with Taylor, put in that I was going to Taylor's Ducking Shore. It ap])ears that there are considerable numbers of tliese duck clubs in the neighbonrliood of lialtimore. The canvas-back ducks have come iu, but they will not be in perfection until the 10th of November; their peculiar flavour is derived from a water-plant called wild celery. This lies at the depth of several feet, sometimes nine or ten, and the birds dive for it. October )l\^//i. — At ten started for the shooting ground, Carroll's Island; my companion, ^Ir. Pen- nington, drove me in a light trap, and ^fr. Taylor and Lamy came with !Mr. Tucker Carroll*, along with guns, &c. Passed out towards the sea, a long height commanding a fine view of the river; near this was fought the battle with the English, at whieh the "Bal- timoredel'enders " admit they ran away. Mr. Penning- ton's father says lie can answer for the speed of himself and liis companions, but still the battle was thojight to be glorious. Along the posting road to Piiiladelphi;!, passed the Blue Ball 'J'avern ; on all sides except the left, great wooded lagoons visible, swarming with ducks; boats are forbidden to tire upon the birds, which arc allured by wooden decoys. Crossed the Philadeljjhia Railway three times ; land poor, covered with undcr- growths and small trees, given up to Dutch and Irish and free niggers. Reached the duck-club-house in two liours and a half; substantial farm-house, with out- • Sinee killed in action fighting for the South at Antietain, CANVAS-IJACK UrCKS. 389 ofliccs, on a strip of l;ui(l siirrouiulcd hy water; (Juii- ixnvdcr liivcr, Siiltpc'tri; River, faeiiiL,' C'liesiipeako; ou cilhcr side lakes and tidal water; the owner, Slater, an Irishman, reputed very rieli, self-made. Dinner nt one o'clock; any number of canvas-hack ducks, plcntifid joints; drink whisky; company, Swan, Howard, Duval, -Morris, and others, also extraordinary spccinjcu named Smith, believed never to wash except in rain or by accidental sousini,^ in the river. A\'ent out for after- noon shooting; birds wide and high ; killed scveutceu ; back to supper at dusk. M'Donald and a guitar came over; had a negro dance; and so to bed about twelve. Lamy got single bed; I turned in with Taylor, as single beds are not permitted when the house is full. October 30th. — A light, a grim man, and a voice in the room at 4. a.m. awaken me; I am up first; breakfast; more duck, eggs, meat, mighty cakes, milk; to the gun-house, already hung with ducks, and then tramp to the '' blinds" with Smith, who talked of the Ingincs and wild sports in far Minnesota. As morning breaks, very red and lovely, dark visions and long streaky clouds appear, skimming along from bay or river. The men in the blinds, w hich are square enclosures of reeds about 4|- feet higli, call out " Bay," " River," accord- ing to the direction fiom which the ducks are coming. Down we go in blinds ; they come ; pufl's of smoke, a bang, a volley ; one bird falls with flop ; another by degrees drops, and at last smites the scri ; there arc five down ; in go the dogs. " ^Vho shot that ?" " I did." " Who killed this?" "That's Tucker's!" "A good sliot." ' I don't know how I missed mine." Same thing again. The ducks Hy prodigious heights— out of all rnw^c one would think. It is exciting mIicu the cloud does rise 390 31V DIAKV NOliTII AND SOUTH. at first. Day vottJ very bad. Thence I move home- ward ; talk with -Mr. Shiter till the trap is ready; and at twelve or so, drive over to Mr. M'Duuald; find Lamy and Swau there; miserable shed of two-roomed shanty in a marsh; rou-^h deal presses; white-washed walls; iiddler in attendance; dinner of ducks and steak; whisky, and thence proceed to a blind or marsh, amid wooden decoys ; but there is no use : no birds ; high tide tioodinj; everything; examined !M'Donald's stud; knocked to pieces trotting on liard ground. Rowed back to house with Mr. Pennington, and returned to the mansion ; all the party iiad but poor sport ; but every one had killed something. Drew Jots for bed, and won tliis time; Lamy, liowevcr, Avould not sleep double, and reposed on a hard sofa in the parlour ; indications favourable for ducks. It was curious, in the early morn- ing, to hear the incessant booming of duck-guns, along all the creeks and coves of the indented bays and salt- water marshes; and one could tell when they were fired at decoys, or were directed against birds in tlu.'air; heard a salute lired at Baltimore very distinctly. Lamy and Mr. M'Donald met in their voyage up the Nile, to kill cfniui and spend money. October lUst. — No, no, Mr. Smith ; it an't of no use. At f(jnr a.m. \\c. were invited, as usual, to rise, but Taylor ami I reasoned from under our respective quilts, that it would i)e (piite as go(j(l shooting if we got up at six, and I acted in accordance with that view. IJreakfasted as the sun was shining above the tree-tops, and to my blind — found there was no shooting at all - got one shot only, and killed a splendid canvas-back — on returning to home, found nearly all the j)arty on the move- — llU ducks hanging round the house, the reward CANVAS-HACKS AND IM:I>-HKA1)S. 391 of our toils, and of these 1 received cgrcfjrious hlmrr. Drove back with Peiminjjjton, very sleepy, fDllowcd hv Mr. Taylor and Lainy. 1 would have stayed loiifjer if sport were better. Birds don't fly when the wind in in certain points, but lie out in irreat " ricks," as thev are called, blackening the waters, tlriftiui; in the wind,orwiih ■wings covering their heads — poor defenceless thin^n ! The red-head waits alongside the canvas-baek till lie conies vip from the depths with mouth or bill full of parsley and wild celery, when he makes at him and forcen liim to disgorge. At Baltimore at 1 .30 — dined — Lamy re- solved to stay — bade good-bye to Swan and .Morris. The man at first would not take my ducks and boots to register or check them — twenty-five cents did it. 1 arrived at Washington late, because of detention of train by enormous transport; labelled and sent out game to the houses till James's fingers ached again. No- thing doing, except that General Scott has at last sent in resignation. M^Clellan is now indeed master of tlic situation. And so to bed, rather tired. CIIAPTKR XXIT. General Scott'a resi^ation— Mrs. A. Lincoln — Uuoffici.il mission to Europe — Uneasy feeling with refold to France — Ball f;iven bj' tlie United States cavalry — The United States army — Success at Beaufort — Arrests — Dinner at ilr. Seward's — News of Ctjitaiu Wilkes and the Trent — Messrs. Mason and Slidell — Discussion as to Wilkes — Prince de Joinville — The American press on the Trent affair — Absence of thieves in Washington — " Thanks^giviug Day" — Success thus far in favour of the North. Xovember \st. — Again stagnation ; not the smallest intention of moving; General Scott's resignation, of wliicli I was aware long ago, is publicly known, and he is about to go to Europe, and end his days probably in France. M'Clellan takes his place, minus the large salary. Riding back from camp, where I had some trouble with a drunken soldier, my hor^;e eame down in a dark hole, and threw me heavily, so that my hat ■was crushed in on my head, ami my right thumb sprained, but I managed to get \\\) and ride home ; for the brute had fallen right on his own heaii, cut a piece out of his forehead between the eyes, and was stunned too much to run away. I luimd letters waiting from Mr. Seward and others, thanking me for the game, if canvas-backs come under the title. Xovfiii/jtr 2/1(1. — A tremendous gale of wind and rain blew all day, and caused much uneaNiness, at the Navy Department and elsewhere, for the safety of the Hum- WAsiiiN(iT()N (iussii'. 39;i side expcilition. The Secessionists are delighted, and those wiu) can, say " Alllavit Dens et hostescHssipanlnr." There is a project to send secret non-ollicial commis- sioners to Enropc, to counteract the niachinalions of the Confederates. j\Ir. Everett, Mr. 11. Kennedy, Bishop Hnghes, and Bishop JM'llwaine arc desi;;nuted for the oUice; nuieh is expected liuni tiie expedition, not only at home but abroad. November '6rd. — For some reason or another, a cer- tain set of papers have lately taken to flatter Mrs. Lincoln in the most noisome manner, \vhilst others deal in dark insinuations against her loyalty, I'nioiv principles, and honesty. The poor laily is loyal as steel to her family and to Lincoln the first ; l)ut she is accessible to the influence of flattery, and lias i)cr- mitted her society to be infested by men who would not be received in any respectable private house in New York. The gentleman vho furnishes fashion- able paragraphs for the AVashington paper has some charming little pieces of gossip about "the first Lady in the Land " this week ; he is doubtless the same Avho, some weeks back, chronicled the details of a raid on the pigs in the streets by the police, and who concluded thus: " \Ve cannot but congratulate OfVicer Smith on the very gentlemanly maimer in which he performed his disagrcealile but arduous duties ; nor did it escape our notice, that OlKccr Washington Jones was likewise active and energetic m the dis- charge of his functions." The ladies in AVashington delight to liear or to invent small scandals connected with the AN liitc House; thus it is reported that the Scotch Knrdenrr left bv :NL\ Buchanan has Ijeen made a licutcnnut 394 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. ill the United States Army, and lias been specially (letac'liL'd to do duty at the White House, where he superintends the cookiu^. Another person counected with the establishment was made Commissioner ol Public Buildinjrs, ])ut was dismissed because he would not put down the expense of a certain state dinner to the public account, and charge it under the head ol "Improvement to the Cirounds." liut many more better tales than these go round, and it is not sur- prising if a woman is now and then put midcr close arrest, or sent off to Fort ^I'llenry for too much esprit and inventiveness. November Uh. — General Fremont will certainly be recalled. There is not the smallest incident to note. November 5//(.^-Small banquets, very simple and tolerably social, are the order of the day as winter closes around us; the country has become too deep in mud for jjleasant excursions, and at times the weather is raw and cold. General ^M'Dowell, who dined with us to-day, maintains there will be no difiiculty in advancing during Ijad weather, because the men are so expert in felling trees, they can make corduroy roads wherever they like. I own the arguments sur- prised but did not convince me, and 1 think the General will find out his mistake when the time comes. !Mr. Everett, Avhom I had expected, was sum- moned away by the unexpected intelligence of his son's death, so I missed the oj)portunity of seeing one whom I much desired to have nict, as the great Apostle of Washington worship, in addition to his claims to higher distinction. He has admitted that the only bond which ean hold the I'nion together is th(> com- mon belief in the greatness of the departed general. INDIAN SUMMEIJ. 395 Noveinher Glh. — Instead of ]\Ir. Everett ami Mr. Johnson, Mr. Tiuirlow "Weed and Bishop Iliifrhes will pay a visit to Europe in the Eciieral interests. Not- withstanding tlie aduhition of everything Freneh, from the Emperor down to a Zouave's gaiter, in the New York press there is an uneasy feeling rcspeeting the intentions of Erance, founded on the notion that the Emperor is not very friendly to the Federalists, and would be little disposed to expose his subjects to priva- tion and suffering from the scarcity of cotton and tobacco if, by intervention, he could avert such mis- fortunes. The inactivity of M'Clellan, which is not nuderstood by the people, has created an under-current of unpopularity, to which his enemies are giving every possible strength, and some people arc beginning to think the youthful Napoleon is only a Brummagem Bonaparte. November 7th. — After such bad weather, the Indian summer, /'c(e de St. Martin, is coming gradually, lighting up the ruins of the autumn's foliage still clinging to the trees, giving us pure, bright, warm days, and sunsets of extraordinary loveliness. Drove out to Bladens- burgh with Captain llaworth, and discovered that my waggon was intended to go on to Richmond and never to turn back or round, for no roads in this part of tlie country arc wide enough for the purpose. Dined at the Legation, and in the evening went to a grand ball, given by the Gth United States Cavjdry in the I'oor House near their camp, about two miles outside the city. The ball took place in a series of small white-wn.shed rooms off long passages and corridors; many Mipper tables were spread ; whisky, champagne, hot ternipm soup, and many luxuries graced the board; aiul although :306 MY DIAHY NORTH AND SOUTH. but two or three couple could dance in each room at a time, by judicious arrangement of the music several rooms were served at once. The Duke of Chartrcs, iu the uniform of a United States Captain of Staff, was among the guests, and had to share the ordeal to Avhich strangers were exposed by the hospitable enter- tainers, of drinking with them all. Some called him " Chatters "—others, "Captain Chatters; " but tiiese were of the outside polloi, wljo cannot be kept out on such occasions, and wiio sliake hands and are familiar with everybody. The Duke took it all exceedingly well, and laughed ■with the loudest in the company. Altogether the ball was a great success — somewhat marred indeed iu my own case by the bad taste of one of the oflicers of the regiment wliich had invited me, in adopting an otiensivc manner when about to be introduced to nie by one of his Ijrother oilicers. Colonel Emory, the oflicer in command of the regiment, interfered, and, finding that Captain A was not sober, ordered liim to retire. Another small contretemps was caused by the master of the AVurk House, who had been indulging at least as freely as the captain, and at last began to fancy that the paupers had bruken loose and Avere dancing about after hours below stairs. In vain lie was led away and incarcerated in one room after another; his intimatt- knowledu'e of the architectural diilicultics of tiu; building enabled him to set all pre- cautions at (iefiancc, and he might be seen at intervals living along the j)assiiges towards the music, pursued by the officers, until he was finally secured in a dungeon without a window, and with a bolted and locked door between him and the ball-rooms. A S.MAirr AIMMiST. .'JOJ November S///. — Colonel Miiiory made jis l:m<;|| tliin inoniiiii; by an aceount of our Anipliytrioii of the nij^^ht before, who eanic to liiin with a very red eye and curious expression of face to congratulate the rc;,'imfnt on the success of the ball. " The most beautiful \\\\w^ of all was/' said be, "Colonel, 1 did not see one ;,'entle. man or lady who had taken too mueli licjuor; there Mas not a drunken man in the whole eoaipany." I consulted my friends at the Legation with re- spect to our inebriated officer, on whose behalf Colonel Emory tendered his own apologies ; but they were of opinion I had done all that was right and l)ecouiing in the matter, and that I must take no more notice of it, November dth. — Colonel Wilmot, R. A., who has come down from Canada to see the army, spent the day with Captain Dahlgren at the Navy Yard, and returned with impressions favourable to the system. He agrees with Dahlgren, who is dead against breach-loading, but admits Armstrong has done the most that can be eflected with the system. Colonel AVilmot avers the English press are responsible for the Armstrong guns. He has been much struck by the excellence of the great iron -works he has visited in the States, particu- larly that of INIr. Sellers, in Philadelphia. November lOtli. — Visiting Mr. ]Mure the otlu-r day, who was still an invalid at Washington, I met a gentle- man named INIaury, Avho had come to "Washington t.j see after a portmanteau which had been taken from him on the Canadian frontier by the police. He was told to go to the State Department and ehiini his pro- perty, and on arriving there was arrested and confined with a number of prisoners, my liorse-dcaling friend, Sammy Wroe, among them. AVc walked down to in(|uirc 398 MV DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. liow he was; the soldier wlio was on duty j^ave a flourish- ing account of liim — he had i)lcnty of wliisky and food, and, said the man, " 1 quite feel for Maury, because he docs business in my State." (^ These State influences must be overcome, or no Union will ever hold togetherA Sir James Ferguson and ^Ir. Bourke were rather shocked when Mr. Seward opened the letters from per- sons in the South to friends in Europe, of which they had taken charge, and cut some passages out with a scissors ; but a ^Minister who combines the functions of Chicf-of-Police with those of Secretary of State must do such tilings now and then. November 11///. — The United States have now, accord- ing to the returns, G(M),00(t infantry, GOO pieces of artillery, 61,(J(J0 cavalry in the held, and yet they are not only unable to crush the Confederates, but they cannot conciuer the Secession ladies in their capital. The Southern people here trust in a break-down in the North before the screw can be turned to the utmost ; and assert that the South does not want corn, Mheat, leather, or food. Georgia makes cloth enougli for all — the only deficiency will be in metal and materiel of Mar. AVhen the North comes to discuss the (juestion whether the war is to be against slavery or for the Union leaving slavery to take care of itself, they think a split will be inevitable. Then the pressure of taxes will force on a .solution, for the State taxes already amount to 2 to .'J per cent., and the people will not bear the addition. The North has set out with the ))rincip]c of paying for everything, the South with the principle of paying for nothing; but this will be reversed in time. All the diplomatists, with one excejjtion, are of opinion the I'nion is broken for ever, and the inde- l)endeuce of the South virtually established. NEWS OF MU. CHA8K. 399 November }9,(h. — An irru|)ti()n of dirty little boyu in the streets shouting out, " (Jlorious lluion victory! Charleston taken ! " The story is that Hiiniside \\a% landed and reduced tlie Ibrts defendiu|,' Port llinal. I met Mr. Fox, Assistant-Secretary to the Navy, and Mr. Hay, Secretary to Mr. Lincoln, in the Avenue. The former sliowed me Uiirnside's des- patches from Beaufort, announcing reduction of the Confederate batteries by the ships and the establish- ment of tlie Federals on the skirts of Port Royal. Dined at Lord Lyons', where were Mr. Chase, Major Palmer, U.S.E., and his Avife, Colonel and Mrs. Emory, Professor Henry and his daughter, Mr. Kennedy and his daughter, Colonel ^Vilmot and the Englishry of Washington. I had a long conversation Avith Mr. Chase, who is still sanguine that the war must speedily terminate. The success at Ik-aufort has made bim radiant, and he told me that the Federal General Nelson * — who is no other than the enormous blustering, boasting lieutenant in the navy whom I met at Washington on my first arrival — has gained an immense victory in Kentucky, killing and capturing a whole army and its generals. A strong Government Avill be the end of the struggle, but befoi'e they come to it there nuist be a complete change of administration and internal coo- nomy. Indeed, the Secretary of the Treasury can- didly admitted tliat the expenses of the w.ir ncre enor- mous, and could not go on at the present rate very long. The men are paid too highly ; every one ia paid too much. The scale is adapted to a small army not * Since shot dead by the Federal General JtlT. C. Drl^i« >" « .lu.irnl at Nashville. 400 MV 1>!AKV XdKTII AND SOfTJI. very popular, in :i country whciv labour is very well paid, and competition is ueeessary to obtain recruits at all. He lias never disguised his belief tlie South might have been left to go at tirst, with a certainty of v^icir return to the Union. Xoi'L'ifibcr ]'M/i. — Mr. Charles (jrecn, uho was my host at Sarannah, and Mr. Low, of the same city, have been arrested and sent to Fort Warren, Dining with Mr. Seward, I heard accidentally that Mrs. Low jiad also been arrested, but was now liberated. The senti- ment of dislike towards England is increasing, because English subjects have assisted the South by smuggling and running the blockade. •' It is strange," said Mr. Seward the other day, " that this great free and civilized Union should be sup[)orted by (jcrmans, com- ing here semi-civilized or half-savage, who plunder and destroy as if they were living in the days of Agricola, whilst the English are the great smugglers who snj)port our enemies in their rebellion." I reminded him that the United States flag had covered the smugiiicrs who carried guns and inalcriel of war to Russia, although they were at peace with France and England. " Yc^ but then," said he, " that was a legitimate contest between great established powers, and I admit, though I lament the fact, that the jjublic sympathy in this country ran with Russia during that war." The British public ha\e a right to their symi)athies too, and the Government can scarcely help it if ju-ivate individual^ aid the South on their own responsiliility. Li future", British subjects will l)e indicted instead of bring sent to Fort La Fayette, ]\Ir. Seward feels keenly the attacks in the Xetr ]'ork Tribuuc on him for arbitrary arrests, and representations have been made to Mr. Greeley SYMPATHY WITH Ur.SSIA. 401 privately on the sul)jcct; nor is lit' iiulillercnt to similiir Eiiglisli criticisms. General M'Dowcll asserts tlicrc is no nalidu in the world whose censure or praise the people of the Uiiitrd States care about except Enj^laiul, and with respect to her there is a morbid sensitiveness which can neither be explained nor justified. It is admitted, indeed, by Atnerieans whose opinions are valuable, that the popular feelinj,' was in favour of Kussia during the Crimean war. Mr. Raynioud attri- butes the circumstance to the influence of the larf;c Irish element ; but I am inclined to believe it is partly due at least to the feeling of rivalry and dislike to Great Britain, in which the mass of the American jieople are trained by their early education, and also in some measure to the notion that llussia was une(pially matched in the contest. November lAth. — Rode to cavalry camp, and sat in front of Colonel Emory's tent with General Stone- man, who is chief of the cavalry, and Captain I'leasan- ton ; heard interesting anecdotes of the wild life on the frontiers, and of bushranging in California, of lassoing bulls and wild horses and buflaloes, and en- counters with grizly bears — interrupted by a one-armed man, who came to the Colonel for " leave to take awny George." He spoke of his brother who iiad died in camp, and for whose body he had come, metallic colHii and all, to carry it back to his parents in I'ennsylvania. I dined with Mr. Seward — Mr. Kaymoml, «>f New- York, and two or three gentlemen, being the only guests. Mr. Lincoln came in whilst we were playing a rubber, and told some excellent West-counlry stories. " Here, Mr. President, we have gut the two Junrs—of VOL. n. *> " 402 MY DIAUV NOKTH AND SoL'TlI. New York aiul ot" London — if they would only do what is riiiht and what wc want, all will <;o well.'' " Yes," said Mr. Linoln, '' it" the bud Times would <;o where M'e want them, jrood Times woidd be sure to follow." Talkiui? over Bull's Run. ^Mr. Seward remarked "that civilians sometimes displayed more couraj^c than soldiers, but perhaps the courajj;e was unprofi'ssioual. When we were cut utf from Baltimore, and the United States troops at Annapolis were separated by a country swarm- ing M'ith malcontents, not a soldier could be found to undertake the journey and communicate with them. At last a civilian" — (I think ho mentioned the name of Mr. Cassius Clay) — "volunteered, and executed the business. So, after Bull's Run, there was only one otiiccr, (iencral Sherman, who was duinM» iliiv-i;i, I'liiiice, llal}', I'lusaia, l)fiiiiKirk. CAi'TAiN i>aiii,(;i:i:n. 105 All an'of ncfoid. 1 :iiii nor sure wlictlur the imiiortnnt ion. November Vdth. — I rarely sat down to write under a sense of greater respon.^ihility, for it is just possible my letter may contain the lirst account of the seizure of the Southern Comuiissioncrs which will reach England ; and, having heard all opinions and looked at authorities, as far as 1 could, it appeurs to me that the conduct of the American officer, now sustained by his Government, is without excuse. I dined at Mr. Corcoran'.s, where the Ministers of Prussia, Brazil, and Chili, and the Secretary of the French Legation, were present ; and, although we did not talk politics, enough was said to show there was no dissent from the opinion expressed bv intelligent and uninterested forei'rners. MOKE IIEVIEWS, 107 November 20M.— To-day a frraiid review, the rnont remarkable feature of wliieli was the ahh- disponitiou made by General M'Dowell to march seventy infantry regiments, seventeen batteries, and seven cnvalrv regiments, into a very contraeted space, from the adjoining camps. Of the display itself I wrote a hmp aecount, which is not worth repeating here. Among the 55,000 men present there were at least 2; of it in the small !itl";urs in the front of \Vu?«l»in;:t .. The entrance to Savannah has heen occupied, and liy degrees the fleets are biting into the Confcih-rate lines along the coast, and estal)li.sliing positions «lii(li will afford bases of operations to the Federals hcrr. after. The President and Cabinet seem in bcltiT spirits, and the former indnlges in (piaint speculutions, which he transfers even to State papers, lie calculates, for instance, there arc human beings now alive who may ere they die behold tlie United States peopled by •250 millions of souls. Talking of a high mound on the prairie, in Illinois, he remarked, "that if all the nations of the earth were assembled there, a man standing on its top would see tlicm all, for tiiat the whole Innnau race would fit on a space twelve miles square, «li:cli was about the extent of the plain." CHAPTER Will. A Captain under arreet — Opening of Congress — Colonel Dutasay — An ex-pugilist turned Seuntnr — Mr. Cameron — Bjill in the officerh' huts — Presentation of standards at Arlington — Dinner at Lord Lyons' — Paper currency — A polyglot dinner — Visit to Wa«hins- ton's Tomb— Mr. Cbnso's Rcport—Coloncl Seaton— t'nanimity of the South — The Potomac blockade — A Dutch-American Crimean acquaintance — The American Lawyoi-s on the Trent affair — Mr. Sumner— MClellan's Army — Impressions j>roiluccd in America by the Kuglish Press on the affair of the Trent —Mr. Sumner on the crisis— Mutual feelings of the two nations — Humours of war with Great Hritaiu. Deci/mhcr 1st. — A mixed party of American officers and English went to-day to the jiost at Great Falls, about sixteen or seventeen miles np the Potomac, and ■were well repaid by the charminj; scenery, and by a visit to an American military station in a state of nature. 'J'lic captain in cominand told us over a drink that he was under arrest, because he had refused to do duty as lieutenant of the j^uard, he beinj; a captain. "]iut 1 have written to a^l'CIellan about it/' said he, " and I'm d — d if I stay nndcr arrest more than three days lonj^er." lie was not aware that the CJeneral's brother, who is a captain on liis staff, was sitting l)csi(!( him at the time. This worthy centurion furthci- informed us he had shot a man dead a short time before for disobeying his orders. "Tiiat he did," said his symiiathising and enthusiastic orderly, " and there's the \vcai)on that done it." The captain was a boot and ()|'ENIN(} OF CONGKKSS. 411 shoe maker by trade, aiul had travelled ncrosn ihc isthinvis before the railway was made to p-t orderH for his boots. A hard, determined, iieree " sutor," aHiicnrn savage as mij^ht l)e. "And what will you do, captain," asked 1, " il they keep you in arrest ?" " Fight for it, sir. I'll go straight away into I'ennsyl- vauia with my company, and we'll whi[) any tu<> <..m!- panies they can send to stop us." INIr. Sumner paid me a visit on my return iVuiii <»iii excursion, and seems to think everything is in the ljt" amkimca. I la bing his knees lianlcr tlcui ever, and iinprecatiii}; hit organs of vision in a very sangninary manner, he said — " \^'ell, (1 if 1 know what to think of them. 'l'hey"re a b rnui lot, and they're going on in a (1 i-nni way. That's what I think." The supposed legishitor, in fact, was distinguished in another arena, and was no other than n cch-brated pugilist, who served his apprenticeship in tin* Knglisli ring, and has since graduated in liononrs in America. I dined with ^Ir. Cameron, Secretary-of-\Var, where I met ]Mr. Forney, Secretary of the Senate; Mr. Ilouiw, ^Ir. AVilkeson, and others, and was exceedingly interested by the shrewd conversation and candid manner of our host. He told me he once worked as a printer in the city of Washington, at ten dollars a week , and twenty cents an hour for extra work at the case on Sundays, Since that time he has worked onwards and upwards, and amassed a large fortune by contracts for railways and similar great undertakings. He says the press rules America, and that no one can face it and live ; which is about the worst account of the chances of an honest longevity I can well conceive. His memory is exact, and his anecdotes, albeit he has never seen any but Americans, or stirred out of the States, very agreeable. Once there lived at Washington a publican's daughter, named Mary O'Ncil, heautilul. bold, and witty. She captivated a member of Con- gress, who failed to make her less than his wife ; and by degrees :Nrrs. Eaton— who may now be seen in the streets of Washington, an old woman, still bright . and, alas! bright-cheeked, retaining traces of her gn. beauty— became a leading personage \n tiic State, h\u\ ruled the imperious, rugged, old Andrew Jackson »o 414 MY DIAKY NORTH AND SOUTH. completely, tliiit he broke up liis Cabinet and dismissed liis niiiiistcrs on her aecount. In the days of iier jiower she had done some tritlinj^ service to Mr. Cameron, and lie has just repaired it by conferring some military appointment on her i^'randchiid. The dinnei', which was preceded by deputations, was finished by one which came from the Far West, and was introduced by ^Fr. Hannibal Hamlin, the Vice- President; -Mr. Owen Lovejoy, ^Ir. Bingham, and other ultra- Abolitionist members of Congress ; and then speeches were made, and healths were drunk, and toasts were pledged, till it was time for me to drive to a ball given by the officers of the .5th United States Cavalry, which was exceedingly pretty, and admiral)ly arranged in wooden huts, specially erected and decorated for the occasion. A huge bonfire in the centre of the camp, surrounded by soldiers, by the carriage drivers, and by negro servants, all'orded the most striking play of colour and variety of light and shade I ever beheld. December Atli. — To Arlington, where Senator Ira Harris presented flags — that is, standards — to a cavalry regiment called after his name; the President, Mrs. Lincoln, ministers, generals, and a large gathering present. Mr. Harris made a very long and a very fierce speech ; it could not be said Ira furor brevis est ; and Colonel Davics, in taking the standard, was earnest and lengthy in reply. Then a barrister presented colour No. 2 in a speech full of poetical quotations, to which ^Major Kilpatrick made an excellent answer. Though it was strange enough to hear a political dis- quisition on the causes of the rebellion from a soldier in full unif(irm, the jiroeeedings were highly theatrical and very eflVctive. "Take, then, this flag," .^c— "Defend I'ArKK criMir.Ncv. Dli it with your," &c.— " Yes, sir, we will ^Mi:inl this Hucml emblem with — ," &:e. The rc^'iment tlim wc-iit lhrou<;li some cvohitions, which were hrouj^ht to uii mitinu-lv end by nfeu dejij/c from the iulantry in the rear, mIiicIi instantly broke U[) the siiuadmiis, and >eiit them kickinf^, plunging, and falling over the liehl, to the great tumi»e- ment of the crowd. Dined with Lord Lyons, where was Mr, Gult, Finan- cial Minister of Canada ; Mr. Stewart, who j»as arrived to replace ]Mr. Irvine, and others, in onr rooms, a grand tinancial discussion took jjlaee in honour of Mr. Gait, between Mr. Butler Duncan and others, the former maintaining that a general issue of national paper was inevitable. A very clever American main- tained that the North will be split into two great par- ties by the result of the victory which they are certain to gain over the South — that the Democrats will ollVr the South concessions more liberal than they could ever dream of, and that both will unite against the Aboli- tionists and Black llcpublicaus. December Gth. — Mr. Biggs says the paper currency scheme , will produce money, and make every man richer. He is a banker, and ought to know; but to my ignorant eye it seems likely to prove most destruc- tive, and I confess, that whatever be the result of this ■war, I have no desire for the ruin of so many hap|)y com- munities as have sprung up in the United States. Had it been possible for human beings to employ popular institutions without intrigue and miserable self-seek iuf;, and to be superior to faction and party passion, the condition of parts of the I'nited States must cause re- gret that an exemption from the usual laws which regulate human nature was not made in America; but 410 MY DIAUY NOl'.TH AND ^JOUT^. the strength of the United States— directed by violent passions, by party interest, and by selfish intrijrues — was bccunung dangerous to tlie peace of other nations, and therefore there is an ntter want of synipatliy with them in tlieir time of trouble. 1 dined with Mr. Gait, at Willard's, where we had a very pleasant party, in spite of financial dangers. December 7th. — A visit to the (laril)aldi Guard with some of the Englishry, and an excellent dinner at the mess, which presented a curious scene, and was graced by sketches from a wonderful polyglot chaplain. "What a company ! — the officers present were composed as fol- lows:— Five Spaniards, six Poles and Hungarians, two Frenchmen — the most soldierly-looking men at table — one American, four Italians, and nine Teutons of various States in Germany. December Sth. — A certain excellent Colonel who commands a French regiment vi>ited us to-day. AVhen he came to AVashington, one of the Foreign Ministers who had been well acquainted with him said, " ISIy dear Colonel, what a pity we can be no longer friends." " Why so, Baron ? " "Ah, we can never dine together a"-ain." " AVhv not? Do you forbid me your table r" " Xo, Colonel, but how can 1 invite a man who can command the services of at least 20U cooks in his own regiment?" "Well then, Baron, you can come and dine with me." ''AViiat! how do you think I could show myself in your camp — how could I get my hair dressed to sit at the table of a man who commands 300 coiffeurs ? " I rode out to overtake a party who had started in carriages for Mount \'ernon to visit AVash- ington's tomb, but missed them in the wonderfully wooded country which borders the Potomac, and re- turned alone. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER. 4I7 December dth.— Spent the ihxy over Mr. C\\mi\ it- port, a copy of which he was ^'ootl enough to wend lue with ell, my dear friend, here you are at last ; what afijos iiavc pHv^\v/.vt\ at my frii-iul. " Bohleu ! don't you remend)er Hohh'ii, and our ride« in Turkey, our visit to Shnmla and Pravady, and all the rest of it?" Of course 1 did. I remcinhcri-d m\ enthusiastic soldier, willi a line guttural voice, and a splendid war saddle and saddle-eloth, and hrass stirrups and holsters, worked with eagles all over, and a uni- form coat and cap with more eagles flying amidst Inurcl leaves and U. S.'s in gold, who came out to see tl>e fighting in the East, and made ^^\^ his mind that tlierc would be none, when he arrived at Varna, aiul so Htarted off incontinent up the Danube, and returned to the Crimea when it was too late ; and a very good, kindly, warm-hearted fellow was the Dutch- American, who — once more in his war paint, this time acting Hrigadicr- General* — renewed the memories of some pleasant days far away ; and our talk was of cavasses and khan-*, and tchibou([ues, and pashas, till his time was up to return to his fiirhtiu"; Germans of Hlenker's division. He was not the good-natured olliccr who said the other day, "The next day you come down, air, if n»y regiment * Since killed in action in Pope's retreat fr.na the m-rtli of Kiclimood. IK X 4-20 MY DIARY NOKTII AND SO I Til. happens to be on picket duty, we'll liavc a little skirmish with the enemy, just to show you how our fellows are improved/' " Perhaps you might bring ou a general action, Colonel." " ^VelI, sir, we're not afraid of that, either! Let 'em come on." It did so happen that some young friends of mine, of lI.M.'s 3Uth, who had come down from Canada to see the army here, went out a day or two ago with an oflicer ou General Smith's stafi", formerly in our army, who yet sufters from a wound received at the Alma, to have a look at the enemy with a detachment of men. The enemy came to have a look at them, whereby it hap- pened that shots were exchanged, and the bold Britons had to ride back as hard as they could, for their men skedaddled, and the Secession cavalry slijjpiug after them, had a very pretty chase for some miles ; so the 30th men saw more than they bargained for. Pined at l^aron Gerolt's, where 1 had the pleasure of meeting Judge Daly, who is perfectly satisl'ied the English lawyers have not a leg to stand upon in the Trent case. On the faith of old and very doulitful, and some purely sujjposititious, cases, the American lawyers have made up their minds that the seizure of the "rebel" ambiissadors wsis perfectly legitimate and normal. The Judge expn-ssed his bcliet'that if there was a rebellion in Ireland, and that Messrs. Smith O'Hrien and O'Gormau ran the blockade to France, and were going ou their passage from Havre to iSew York in a United States steamer, they would be seized by the first ]}ritish vessel that knew the fact. "Granted; and what would the I nited States do?" *' I am afraid we should be obliged to demand that they be given uji ; and if \ou were strong enough at the time, I dare say TIIK VOICE FROM RNQLAXl). 1 21 you would fij^lit sooner than do ho." Mr. Sumner, with wliom I had some eouversjitioii this afternoon, affects to consider the question enuncntly nnitahlr for reference and arbitration. In spite of drills and para(U's, M'CU-nan has i,,; ..-..t an army yet. A good oiUcer, who served as hn;;a«lc- niajor in our service, told me the men were liltlu iihort of mutinous, with all their fine talk, thonj;h they could fight well, Sometimes they refuse to mount K^i^rt^ or to go on duty not to their tastes ; ollicers refum! to serve under others to whom they have a dislike ; men offer similar personal objections to officers. M'Ch-lliin is enforcing discipline, and really intends to execute n most villanous deserter this time. December \hth. — The first echo of tlie San Jacinto\ guns in England reverberated to the United Staten, and produced a profound sensation. The ])eople hnd made up their minds John Bull would acquiesce in the seizure, and not say a word about it; or they afTcctiii to think so; and the cry of anger wliich has resunniicd through the land, and the unmistakable tone of the British press, at once surprise, and irritate, and disappoint them. The American journals, neverthe- less, pretend to think it is a mere vulgar excite- ment, and that the press is " only indulging in ita habitual bluster." December \Qth. — I met Mr. Seward at a hall and cotillon party, given by ^M. de Lisbon ; .liid aa he wa» in very good humour, and was inclined to talk, ho pointed out to the Prince of Joinville, and all who were inclined to listen, and myself, how terrible the cffectt of a war would be if Great Britain forced it on the United States. "We will wrap the whole world in 422 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. flames !" lie exclaimed. " No power so remote that she will not feel the fire of our battle and be buniL-d by our conflagration." It is inferred that Mr. Seward means to show fight. One of the guests, however, said to me, " That's all bugaboo talk. AVhen Seward talks that way, he means to break down. He is most dan- gerous and obstinate when he pretends to agree a good deal with you." The young rrench Princes, and the young and pretty Brazilian and American ladies, danced and were happy, notwithstanding the storms m ithout. Next day I dined at !Mr. Seward's, as the Minister had given carle blanche to a very lively and agreeable lady, who ha^ to lament over an absent husband in this terrible war, to ask two gentlemen to dine with liim, and she had been pleased to select myself and M. de GeoftVoy, Secretary of the French Legation, as her thick and her thin unil/rrr ; and the company went off" in the evening to the White House, where there was a reception, whereat I imagined I might Ijc dr trap, and so home. Mr. Seward was in the best spirits, and told one or two rather long, but very pleasant, stories. Now it is evident he must by this time know Great Britain lias resolved on the course to be pursued, and his good humour, contrasted with the irritation he displayed in May and June, is not intelligible. Tiie Russian Minister, at whose house I dined next day, is better al)le than any man to appreciate the use made of the Czar's professions of regret for the evils which distract the States by the Americans; but it is the fashion to approve of everything that France does, and to assume aviutlicrn Commissioners given up — Effects on the fricude of the South — My own uu- jwpularity at New York — Attack of fever — My tour in Canada — My return to New York in February — Succes-es of the Wcbteru States — Mr. Stanton succeeds Mr. Cameron as Secretary of War — Ueverse and retreat of M'Clellan — My free pass — Tlie Merrimac and Monitor — My arraugemeut to accompany M'Clellan's hcatl- quarters — Mr. Stanton refuses his sanction — National vanity wounded by my truthfuluess — My retirement and return to Kurope. IDeccmhir 2 \th. — Thi.s evening came in a telegram from Europe with news wliicli cast the deepest gloom over all our little English circle. Prince Albert dead ! At first no one believed it; then it was remembered that private letters by the last mail had spoken despondingly of liis btate of health, and that the " little cold " of which we had heard was de.scril)ed in graver terms. Prince AllVcd dead ! "Oh, it jii:iy l)e Prince Alfred/' said some ; and sad as it would be lor the Queen and the public to lose the Sailor Prince, tlie loss could not be so great as that which we all felt to be next to the greatest. The preparations which we had made for a little festivity to welcome in Christmas morning were chilled by the news, aiul the eve was not of the joyous character which ICngHshmcn ddight to give it, for the sorrow which fell on all hearts in Enirland had ^'0 SURRENDEU. 427 spanned the Atlantic, and liade us niouin in roininou ■with the country at lionic. Decoiiber 25///.— Lord Lyons, wlio liad invittd the English in Washington to dinner, gave u snudi (juiut entertainment, from whicli he retired early. Decoiidcr 2l'>lh.—^o answer yet. Tiierc can he but one. Press people, soldiers, sailors, ministers, senutoni, Congress men, people in the street, the voices of the bar-room — all are agreed. "(Jive them up? Never! We'll die first \" Senator Sunnier, ]\L De Beaumont, M. De Geofl'roy, of the French Legation, dined with nie, in company with General "\'an \ liet, Mr. Anderson, and Mr. Lamy, &c. ; and in the evening Major Anson, M.P., Mr. Johnson, Captain Irwin, U.S.A., Lt. Wise, U.S.N., joined our party, and after much eva- sion of the subject, the English despatch and Mr. Seward's decision turned up and caused some dis- cussion. Mr. Sumner, who is Chairman of tiie Com. mittee on Foreign Relations of tlie Senate, and in that capacity is in intimate rapport with the President, either is, or affects to be, incredulous respecting tlie nature of Lord RusselFs despatch this evening, and argues that, at the very utmost, the Trent affair can only be a matter for mediation, and not for any peremptory demand, as the law of nations has no exact precedent to bear upon the case, and that there are so many in- stances in which Sir W. Scott's (Lord Stowell's) deci- sions in principle appear to justify Captain Wilkes. All along he has held this language, and has nuiintuined that at the very worst there is plenty of time for proto- cols, despatches, and references, and more than once he has said to me, "I hope you will keep the peace; help us to do so," — the peace having been already broken by Captain Wilkes and the Government. 428 MY DIAPT NORTH AND SOCTII. December 21t/t. — This luoniiiif^ Mr. Seward sent in liis rej)ly to Lord Russell's despatch — " grandis et verbosa epistohi." The result destmys my prophecies, for, alter all, the Southern Commissioners or Ambassa- dors are to be j^iveu up. Yesterday, indeed, in an under-current of whispers among the desponding friends of the South, there vent u rumour that the "-^^overumeut had resolved to yield. AVhat a collapse ! ^Vhat a bitter mortilieation I 1 had scarcely liuished the perusal of an article in a Washington paper, — which, let it be understood, is an organ of !Mr. Lincoln, — stating that "^lasonand Slidcll would /lot be surren- dered, and assuring the people they need entertain no apprehension of such a dishonourable concession," when 1 learned beyond all jiossibiiity of doubt, that !Mr. Seward had liamled in his despatch, placing the Commissioners at the disposal of the British Mini- ster. A copy of the despatch Avill be published in the National Intelliyencer to-morrow morning at an early hour, in time to go to Europe by the steamer which leaves New York. After dinner, those who were in the secret were amused by hearing the arguments which were started between one or two Americans and some English in the company, in consequence of a positive statement from a genileman who came in, that Mason and Slidell had been surrendered. 1 have resolved to go to Boston, Ijcing satisfied that a great popular excitement and iiprising will, in all probability, take ])laee on the di>- (;hargc of the Couunissioncrs from Fort Warren. What Mill njy friend, the general, say, who told me yesterday "he Mould snaj) his sword, and throw the pieces into the White House, if they were given up r" SURRENDER OF MASON AND SLIDKLL. -I^O December 2Stk. — The Natioual Intd/ii/nicrr of this niorniii^ contains the (k'spatchcs of Lord Hussdl, M. Thouvencl, and Mr. Si-ward. The l)ul)ldc hiui burnt. The rage of the friends of coniproniiHC, and of tbo Sonth, who saw in a war with (Jrcat Hhtaiii thr complete sncoess of tlie Confcderaey, is di-i-p and burning, if not loud; but they all .say thi-y never expected anything better from the cowardly and braggart statesmen who now rule in Washiugtun. Lord Lyons has evinced the most moderate and con- ciliatory spirit, and has done everything in Ids power to break Mr. Seward's fall on the softest of eider d(»wn. Some time ago we were all prepared to hear nothin;; less would be accepted than Captain Wilkes takiu}; Messrs. Mason and Slidell on board the San Jacinto, and transferring them to the Trent, under a salute to the flag, near the scene of the outrage ; at all event.*, it was expected that a British man-of-war would have steamed into Boston, and received the prisoners under a salute from Fort AVarren ; but ^Mr. Seward, aj>prc- hensive that some outrage would be offered hy the populace to the prisoners and the l^rilish Flag, has asked Lord Lyons that the Southern Connnissionen* may be placed, as it were, surreptitiously, in a I'nitetl States boat, and carried to a small seajjort in the Stati- of Maine, where they are to be placed on board a British vessel as quietly as possible; and this exigent, imperious, tyrannical, insulting British Minister ha.'* cheerfully acceded to the request. Mr. Conway Sey- mour, the Queen's messenger, who brought Lonl Russell's despatch, was sent l)ack with instruct ionn for the British Admiral, to send a >essel to I'rovi- dence town for the purpose; and as Mr. JohuMJU, 430 MY DIARY NORTII AND SOUTH. wlio is nciiily connected witli Mi-, l^ustis, one of tlic j)risoucrs, proposed ^oin^ to Boston to see liis brother- in-law, if jjossible, ere he started, and as there was not the smallest prospect of any military movement taking,' place, I resolved to go northwards with him ; and we left Washington accordingly on the morning of the 31st of December, and arriveil at the New York IJotel the same night. / To my great regret and snrprise, however, I learned jit would be impracticable to get to Fort Warren and 'see the prisoners before their surrender. .My unpn- pularity, which had lost somewhat of its intensity, w:i revived l)y the exasperation against everything Englisli occasioned by the firmness of Great Britain in demand- ing the Commissioners ; and on New Year's Night, :t^ I heard subsequently, Mr. Grinell and other member of the New York Clul) were exposed to annoyanci and insult, by some of their brother members, in cons( - quence of inviting me to be their guest at the club. The illness which had prostrated some of the strongest men in Washington, including General M'Clellan himself, developed itself as soon as I ceased to be sustained by the excitement, such as it was, of daily events at the capital, and by cxj)ectations of a move ; and for some time an attack of typhoid fever confineii me to my room, and lift me so weak that I was advised not to return to "Washington till I had tried change of air. I remained in New Y'ork till the end of Januai when I proceeded to make a toiir in Canada, as it w . quite impossible for any ojjeration to take jdace on tl Potomac, where deep mud, alternating with snow anil frost, bonnd the contending armies in winter (piarfers. On my return to New York, at the end of February, THE PnOGRESS OF THr. WAIl. I.'U tlic North was cheered hy some .si<;ii:il siiccchhC!! nchiovc(l iu the West principally hy ^'imljoat!*, ojxTatin;; on th^ Hues of the great rivers. The greatest rfNiiltu Un\t been obtained in the capture of Fort Dunaldnuii nn^ Fort Ileury, by Coiutuodorc Foote's fh)tilhi co-oj>c- rating with the laud forces. ' The possession of nu absolute naval supremacy, of course, give* the North United States powerful means of annoyance nnd inflicting injury and destruction on the eneniy]f it also secures for them the means of seizing upon bn»cs of operatious wherever they please, of brenkin^ up the enemy's lines, and maintaining comnuinie;ition)« ; but the example of Great ]5ritain in the revolu- tionary Avar should prove to the I'niled States that such advantages do uot, by any means, enable a belli- gerent to subjugate a determined people resolved on resistance to the last. The long-threatened encountrr betw'een Bragg and Browne has taken place nt Pen- sacola, without effect, and the attempts of the FederaU to advance from Port Royal have been successfully resisted. Sporadic skirmishes have sprung up over every border State; but, on the whole, success hits inclined to the Federals in Kentucky and Tennessee. On the 1st ]March, I arrived in Washington once more, and found things very much as 1 hail left them : the army recovering the ettect of the winter's sieknc** and losses, animated by the victories of their coniradci in Western fields, and by the hope that ihc cvcr-coniini; to-morrow would sec them in the field at last, 'lu place of Mr. Cameron, an Ohio lawyer unnu-d Stautuii has been appointed Secretary of Wari He came lo Washington, a few years ago, to conduct some l< j^itl proceedings for Mr. Daniel Sickles, and by his enirp'\. 432 MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH. activity, and a rapid conversion from democratic to repnblican principles, as well as by liis Union senti- ments, recommended himself to the President and his Cabinet. The month of ^Nfarch passed over witliont any re- markable event in the tield. ^Vhen the army started at last to attack the enemy — a movement which was precipitated by liearin^ that they were moving away — tlicy went out only to find the Confederates had fallen back by interior lines towards Richmond, and General M'Clellan was obliged to transport his army from Alexandria to the peninsnla of York Town, where his reverses, his sntierings, and his disastrons retreat, nie so well known and so recent, th:it I need only mention them as among the most remarkaljlc events which have yet occnrred in this war. I had looked forward for many weary months to participating in the movement and describing its rc- snlts. Immediately on my arrival in Washington, I was introduced to Mr. Stanton by Mr. Ashman, formerly member of Congress and Secretary to Mr. Daniel Webster, and the Secretary, without making anv positive pledge, used words, in ^Tr. Ashman's presence, which led me to believe lie would give me permissicm to draw rations, and undoubtedly pro- mised to afford me every facility in his power. Subse- quently lie sent me a private pass to the War Depart- ment to ena))le me to get through the crowd of contrac- tors and jobbers; but on going there to keep my appointment, the Assistant-Secretary of War told me Mr. Stanton had been summoned to a Cabinet Council by the President. We had some conversation respecting the subject MR. Stanton's pass. 4r}3 matter of my upplicHtioii, which .the AsHiHtiuil-Srcrr. tiiry seemed to think wuiihl l)c attended with mniiy dilHculties, in constviuciicf of the numhpr of cor- respondents to the American papers wlio mijjht demand the same privilegjes, and he intinuiteji to mc that Mr. Stanton was little (lisi)oscd to (i them in any way whatever. Now this is nixi honest on Mr. Stanton's part, for he kncnvs he niijflit render himself popular by •^raiifin;; what they uHk ; hut he is excessively vain, and aspires to be coijsi(hTed n rude, rough, vigorous Oliver Cromwell sort of man, mistaking some of the disagreeable attributes and the accidents of the external husk of the (Ireat Protector for the brain and head of a statesman and a soldier. The American officers with whom I was intimate -rave me to understand that I could accompany them, iii case I received permission from the Government ; but they were obviously unwilling to encounter the ni)uie and calumny which would be heaped upon tluir hearivatc thea- tricals by which Lord Lyons enlivened the iueirablc dullness of Washington, I saw Mr. Stanton at the Legation, and he conversed with me for some tiuje. I mentioned the difficulty connected with pa."»<»eH. lie asked me what I wanted. 1 said, "An order to p) with the army to Manassas.^' At his re(|Ufst I procured a sheet of paper, and he wrote me a pass, to«»k a rtipy of it, which he i)ut in his jjocket, and then handed the Vol. II. * f 434 MY DIAKY NORTH AND SOUTH. otlicr to mc. Ou lookinj^ at it, I perceived that it was a peiiiiission for me to ^o to Manassas ami back, and that all officers, soldiers, and others, in the United States service, were to give nie every assistance and show me every courtesy; but the hasty return of the army to Alexandria rendered it useless. The ^lerrimac and Monitor encounter produced the "^)rotbundest impression in "Washington, and unusual strictness was observed respecting passes to Fortress Monroe. March !'.•///. — I applied at the Navy Department for a passage down to Fortress Monroe, as it was expected the Merrimac was coming out again, but I could not obtain leave to go in any of the vessels. Captain Ilardman showed me a curious sketch of what he called the Turtle Thor, an iron-cased machine with. a huge claw or grapnel, with which to secure the enemy whilst a steam hammer or a high iron fist, worked by the engine, cracks and smashes her iron armour. " For," says he, " the days of gunpowder are over." As soon as General M'Clcllan commenced his move- ment, he sent a message to me by one of the French princes, that he would have great jjleasure in allowing me to accompany his head-(piarters in the field. I find the following, under the head of March 22nd : — "Received a letter Ironi General Marcy, chief of the staff, asking me to call at his ollice. lie told me General M'Clellan directed him to say he had no objection whatever to my accompanying the army, ' but,' continued Genend Marcy, 'you know we are a sensitive people, and that our press is exceedingly jealous. Ge- neral M'Clellan has many enemies who seek Id pull him I AKRANGEMENTS Foil THE CAMI'MfA". I IT. down, ;ui(l sfrii[)lc at no iiicjuis ol' doin- s,.. i,. .,,,,, j would be glad to do anytliinj^ in our powt-r to help vom, if you couic with us, Imt wc must Jiot cxjjom? '. Mr. Stanton sent no ici.ly to my Innt Irttrr, niul calling with General Van \ jict at his house on h'i>i re- ception night, the door was o|)('nc(i by hin hrother-in- law, who said, ''The Seeretary was attending a ^ick child and conld not see any person that evening," m> I m-vt-r met jNfr. Stanton again. Stories had long i)ecn current concerning his cxccvd- ing animosity to General :M'Clellan, founchMl prrhapn on his expressed want of confidence in the (Jcncnir-i abilities, as mnch as on the dislike lie felt toward» a man who persisted in disregarding his opinions on matters connected with military opi-rations. Hh in- firmities of health and tendency to cerebral excitement had been increased by the pressure of l)nsiness, by the novelty of i)ower, and by the angry passions to «hieh individual antipathies and personal rancour give riso. No one who ever saw Mr. Stanton would ex|)ect from him courtesy of manner or delicacy ai' feeling; but his affectation of bluntness and straightforwardm-ss of pur- pose might have led one to suppose he was honest nnd direct in purpose, as the qualities I have mentioru-il jin- not always j)ut forward by hypocrites to cloak liui-sM- and sinister action. The rest of the story may be told in a few wordu. It was perfectly -well known in Washington that I Mat going with the army, and I presume Mr. Stnnton, if he had any curiosity about such a trifli::;,' nuitter, must have lieard it also. I am tolil he was infornii^i of it at the last moment, and then Ihw out into n ctmrw passion against General M'Clcllan because he had dared to invite or to take anyone without his jH-ruii*- sion. What did a Kepn))lican Cieneral want with foreign princes on his staff, or with foreign ncwspnj)cr correspondents to puti' him up abroad ? 43S MV DIARY NOUTII AND SOUTH. Judiring fri)in the stealtliy, secret May in wliich ^Ir. Stiiiitoii struck at General M'Clcllan tlie instant he had turned liis back upon Washinj;ton, ami crippled liim in the field by suddenly withdrawing:: his best division without a word of notice, I am inclined to fear he gratified whatever small passion dictated his course on this occasion also, by waitinjj till he knew I was fairly on board the steamer with my friends ami baggage, just ready to move ofi', before he sent down a despatch to Van Yliet and summoiied him at once to the War Oilicc. When Van A'liet returned in a couple of hours, he made the communication to me that Mr. Stanton had j;iven him written orders to prevent my passage, though even here he acted with all the cunning and indirection of the village attorney, not with the straightforwardness of Oliver Cromwell, whom it is laughable to name in the same breath with his imitator. He did not write, " Mr. Russell is not to go," or '* The Times correspondent is forbidden a passage," but he composed two orders, with all the official formula of the "War Oflice, drawn np by the Quartermaster General of the army, by the direction and order of the Secretary of War. No. 1 ordered " that no person should be permitted to eml)ark on board any vessel in the United States service without an order from the War Department." No. 2 ordered " that Colonel Neville, Colonel Fletcher, and ('aptain Lamy, of the British army, having been invited by (Jeneral M'ClellanJ to aceom|)any tlie exjjedition, were authorized to era-l bark on board the vessel.'' General \'an Vliet assured me that he and (icneral M'Dowell had urged every argument they could think (»f in my favoui", particularly the fact that 1 \\ as the THE PI! KSl dent's DKCISION. IIJ'J specially invited ^aiest of Cicncial M'Clcllau, iiml timt I was actually provided with :i pass liy hin order from the chief of his staff. Witli these orders before iiie, I had no iiltcriiiitivo. General M'Clellan was faraway. Mr. Stanton hiid waited ag;ain until lie was {^ouc. (Iciiernl Marcv wiu away. I laid the statement of what had ocrurn-d before the President, wiio at first {juvc me hojM'ii, from the wording of his letter, that he woidd overrule .Mr. Stanton^s order, but who next day iufonued nie ho could not take it upon himself to do so. i It was plain I had now but one course k-ft.^ /\\y mission in the United States was to describe mibtary events and operations, or, in defect of them, to deal with such subjects as mijjht be interesting; to peojde at homeT) In the discharge of my duty, I had vitiitrd the South, remaining there until the approach of actual operations and the establishment of the blockade, which cut off all communication from the Southern States except by routes which would dejjrive my corre- spondence of any value, compelled nic to return to the North, where I could keep up regular communication with Europe. Soon after my return, as uiiforiuiiatrly for myself as the United States, the IVdi-ral inMiji* were repulsed in an attempt to march ujKjn Uich- mond, and terminated a disorderly n-trcat by a dis- graceful panic. The whole incidents of what I »aw were fairly stated by an impartial witness, who, if anything, was inclined to favour a nation endeavouring' to sup- press a rebellion, and who was by no means nn|>n-»»e