/f. 6. ^ SECEET SEEVICE. - THE SECKET SEEYICE H THE LATE WAR. I - COMPRISING THE AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION TO THE LEADING MEN AT WASHINGTON, WITH THE ORIGIN AND ORGANIZA- TION OF THE DETECTIVE POLICE, AND A GRAPHIC HISTORY OF HI3 RICH EXPERIENCES, NORTH AND SOUTH. HIS PERILOUS ADVENTURES, HAIRBREADTH ESCAPES AND VALUABLE SERVICES, ETC., ETC. BT \ GENERAL L. C. BAKER, LATE CHIEF or THE NATIONAL DETECTIVE POLICE. WITH NUMEROUS FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. . PHILADELPHIA* JOHN E. POTTER AND COMPANY, 617 SANSOM STREET. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, bjr JOHN B. POTTER ft COMPANY, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, I). C. PREFACE. IN giving to the public this volume, it has been the design to present the operations of the Bureau of the Nation- al Detective Police during the war, so far as it is proper to make them known to the people. It is not a book of roman- tic adventures, but a narrative of facts in the secret history of the conflict, and mainly an exposure of the manifold and gigantic frauds and crimes of both the openly disloyal and the professed friends of the Republic. Many reports are introduced, some of which are lengthy, and portions of them are dry, because they are the official records of the work done, and the verification of the statements made, and the highest vindication of the character and importance of the secret service. Passages occur in them, the propriety of which many readers may question, but their omission would have weakened the strength of the reports, and softened down the enormity of the offenses charged upon certain individuals. The whole volume might have been made up of chapters very similar to those of the first hundred pages or more, but we preferred to sacrifice the peculiar interest, to some extent, of a merely sensational work sketches of exciting scenes and hair-breadth escapes for the greater object of an authentic official record of the vast amount of indispensable service rendered to the Government, during nearly four years of bloody strife, with the months of trial 6 PREFACE. and agitation which followed. The plan of the book was, therefore, chosen by the responsible head of the bureau, while the introductory chapters were written by another, whose editoral aid was secured in the general preparation of the annals for the press. No desire or effort has been cherished to wantonly expose or wound in feeling any man, and therefore initials, for the most part, alone ap- pear; but a faithful history of transactions under the authority delegated to the Bureau, will unavoidably reach the sensibilities of persons of distinction, no less than those in humble life. The volume of war records, the most of which have never before met the public eye, is offered to the people as a part of the veritable history of the most extraordi- nary and perilous times the Republic has known, or is likely to pass through again. CONTENTS. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. GENERAL BAKER AND THE BUREAU OF SECRET SERVICE. The Ancestry and Birth-place of General Baker His Early Life Residence 1m California Is a Member of the Vigilance Committee Returns to New York in 1861 Visits Washington Interview with General Scott Enter* the Secret Service The Great Facts established and illustrated by these Annals IT CHAPTER L ORIGIN OF THE BUREAU OF DETECTIVE SERVICE. The first visit to Washington Interview with General Hiram Walbrldge, and Hon. W. D. Kelley Introduction to General Winfield Scott Return to New York Appointed by General Scott to renew the Attempt to visit Rich- mondThe first Failure Crossing the Lines The Arrest Examinations Sent to General Beauregard Onto Richmond 45 CHAPTER II. RESIDENCE IN RICHMOND. Bnmmoned to an Interview with Jeff. Davis Subsequent Examinations by hlm*- Critical Emergencies Mr. Brock "Samuel Munson " Confidence secured Mr. "Munson " is appointed Confederate Agent Original Letters from Davis, Toombs, and Walker Starts for the North Unpleasant Delays A Narrow Escape Reaches the Potomac Deceives the Dutch Fishermen and runs the Rebel Gauntlet safely M 8 CONTENTS. CHAPTER HI. NORTHERN EXPERIENCES AS CONFEDERATE AGENT. Hospitalities bj the way The Report to General Soott Operations in Balti- more The Janus-faced Unionist A rich Development in Philadelphia The Arrests Amusing Prison Scene 75 CHAPTER IV. TREASON AND TRAITORS AT THE NORTH. Baltimore The Detective Service and the Arrest of the Maryland Legislature- The Refugee and the Spy The Pursuit and the Capture Traitors at Niagara Falls 'Acquaintance with them The Arrest In Fort Lafayette 89 CHAPTER V. A KNIGHT OF THE GOLDEN SQTTARB. P. H. P., aHiaa Carlisle Murray, a Knight of the Golden Square The Arrest Release Papers of F. examined Secretary Seward's Order for a Second Arrest On the Track The Rural Retreat Mr. Carlisle Murray a Reformer and Lover The Official Writ The Astonished Landlord and Landlady A Scene Report 99 CHAPTER VL DISLOYALTY AMONG THE POSTMASTERS. A Mystery The Result of Cabinet Meetings in Washington known in Rich- mond The Detectives learn the Reason A Visit to Lower Maryland Amusing Scenes The Mysterious Box The Reports A Rebel Letter JOS CHAPTER VIL FRAUDS DISLOYALTY IN MARYLAND. The Freighted Traveler Treason and Frauds overlooked hi the Rising Storm of Rebellion The Bankers The Pretty Smuggler Reliable Character of the Detective Bureau Disloyalty, and its Punishments in Lower Mary- land The Friends of Hon. Montgomery Blair and the Quinine Traffic 44 Chunook " Telegrams 118 CONTENTS. 9 CHAPTER VIIL OFFICIAL SERVICES AND EMBARRASSMENTS NEW ORDER OF THINGS. The Bureau transferred to the War Department Dr. H., and the Perilous Adventure of which he was the occasion Report of the Case Arrest of the Leaders of a great secret Southern Organization Documents and Letters 133 CHAPTER IX. THE BUREAU IN CANADA IN THE ARMT. Tricks of False Correspondence Mr. Delisle and the " Secret Secession Le- gation" 148 CHAPTER X. WEALTHY TRAITORS FRUITLESS SCHEMES. John H. Waring His Operations An Efficient Tool Walter Bowie A Wild Career Rebel Mail Contrabands Extracts from the Private Journals of Rebel Spies 153 CHAPTER XI. SLAVERY PLAYING REBEL GENERAL FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. The Hostages Mr. Lincoln Deceiving the Rebels A successful Game Or- ganization of the First District Cavalry Its Services 167 CHAPTER XII. FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. Leaving Camp again "Wilson's Raid" Battles The Escape of Kautz The End of Regimental Service 190 CHAPTER XIII. THE ANIMUS OF SECESSION. A Disloyal Pastor and his Friends compelled to "do justly" The "Peculiar Institution" Dies Hard Man-Stealers Foiled in their Schemes of Robbery 204 10 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIV. ENGLISH SYMPATHY WITH THE SOUTH NEGRO-HATE IN WASH- INGTON. An English Emissary of the South He Deceives the Secretary of State My Acquaintance with Him The Fruitless Effort to Betray Me The Jour- ney to the Old Capitol Prison Negro-hate in the National Capital 209 CHAPTER XV. GIGANTIC VICES OP THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. Gambling and the Gamblers The Purpose to Break up the Dens Discouraged The Midnight Raid Results Drinking and Liquor Saloons The De- scent upon them Broken up Licentiousness and ite Patrons The Raid on their haunts at Dead of Night The Arrests 217 CHAPTER XVI. A PERILOUS ADVENTURE. Pope's Defeat Banks' Advance The Importance of communicating with him The Successful Attempt Rebel Pursuers The Escape 225 CHAPTER XVII. SPECULATION AND FRAUD. Devices of Contractors Detection of Forage Contractor Appeal to the Pres- ident Further Frauds as "Silent Partner" 233 CHAPTER XVIII. A FEMALE ADVENTURER. Woman in the Rebellion Her Aid indispensable in the worst as well as the best Causes A Spicy Letter Miss A. J. Vidocq's Experience 238 CHAPTER XIX. THE BOUNTY JUMPERS. Fraudulent Practices of Bounty Brokers and Jumpers Contrast between English and American Deserters Plans to check Desertion, and bring Criminals to Justice , 249 CONTENTS. 11 CHAPTER XX. THE BOUNTY JUMPERS AND BROKEB8. Quotas filled with Falsified Enlistment-Papers Arrest of Brokers Amusing and Exciting Scene The Hoboken Raid Slanderous Charges Large Number of Arrests Incarceration in Fort Lafayette Other Arrests Trial before a Military Commission 25S CHAPTER XXI. BOUNTY JUMPING INCIDENTS. Personal Experience in Bounty Jumping A Perfect Trump Detectives En- listed Passes obtained for Bounty Jumpers Arrest and Surprise Court- Martial and Conviction 262 CHAPTER XXII. BOUNTY JUMPERS IN ORGANIZED BANDS. Gipsy-like Bounty Jumpers Wholesale Bounty Jumping carried on adroitly by a Gang of Operators Opposition from a Canadian Gang Thirty-two Thousand Dollars in as many Days Frauds in Drafting An Old Man put in as a Substitute A Boy Decoyed His Adventures A Mother of Thirteen Children Unavailing Efforts of a Mother in search of her Idi- ioticSon 268 CHAPTER XXIIL THE GREAT CONSPIRACY. Assassinations Eglon, King of Moab Caesar, Emperor of Rome James I. of England Marat, the French Revolutionary Leader Alexander of Russia Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States 276 CHAPTER XXIV. THE ASSASSINS CAPTURED. Excitement around my Headquarters at Washington The Chief Conspirator A Graphic Narrative of his Arrest His Burial Desire for Relics from his Body Hanging of the Conspirators 294 12 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXV. THE DETECTIVE POLICE AND THE ARREST OP THE ASSASSINS. Personal Kelations to President Lincoln His Kindness and Confidence My Order to Pursue the Conspirators Kesults Statements of Subordinates and Others 362 CHAPTER XXVI. LETTERS ON THE ASSASSINATION. Jacob Thompson Volunteer Suggestions respecting the Assassin's Hiding- Places before his Death, and the Disposal of his Remains afterward- Threats of more Assassinations A Mysterious Letter J. H. Suratt-....,. 371 CHAPTER XXVIL ATTEMPTED SUICIDE OF WIRZ. My Connection with the Imprisonment of Wirz and Jeff Davis "Vigilance in Guarding the Prisoner Mrs. Wirz visits her Husband He desires a Call The Interview Attempted Suicide 394 INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. GENEEAL BAKER AND THE BUREAU OF SECRET SERVICE. The Ancestry and Birth-place of General Baker His Early Life Residence in CaK- forma Is a Meniber of the Vigilance Committee Returns to New York in 1861 Visits Washington Interview with General Scott Enters the Secret Service The Great lGE." 97 a* the absurdity of the attempt of the Yankees to resist the v ilor of the chivalric South. Mr. A., having preceded me several days in the visit to the Falls, had become acquainted with the interesting localities, and politely invited me to accompany him on a tour of observation. I gladly accepted, and spent a day niong the wonders of the great cataract. The following morning he called again, to repeat the kind attention. At my suggestion, we decided to visit that marvelous monument of engineering skill, the Suspension Bridge. I was enthusiastic in praise of the designer, and tried to ex- plain how the first wires were thrown over the chasm ; and, to have a farther inspection, proposed that we should buy tickets to cross, intimating to my friend that we had better not go over, but simply advance a sufficient distance to make an examination of the structure. I entertained my friend with remarks upon the scenery, the cables, &c. ; and, to go into the scientific observation of the different parts of the bridge, I went over the national line a hundred feet perhaps, toward the American shore. While deeply interested in conversation, we were suddenly accosted by a mild, gentlemanly man, who said to my friend, Mr. A. : " Your name is A., sir? I have an order from the Sec retary of State for your arrest. In your admiration of this structure, I think you have ventured a little too far. You will please accompany me with your friend." I replied : " Sir, certainly you can not have an order for my arrest ; if so, will you produce it ?" He then took from his pocket the order for the arrest of Philip Herbert, my assumed name. I suggested to Mr. A. that we should accompany the officer, quite sure that, upon the proper explanation, we should be at once released. Our protestations were of no avail. He said: "I have been watching this bridge for you three weeks ; quite sure you could not resist the temptation to examine it. You must go with me." "We started immediately for New York. Mr. A. had been quite thoughtful and sombre on the way to Rochester, and there remarked to me that his mind 98 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. was not perfectly clear in regard to the part I was playing ; he had his suspicions that he had mistaken his man. Philip Herbert, it will be recollected, while in Congress, killed a waiter in Willard' s Hotel, and after the date of this affair was himself killed in the war while colonel of a regiment. We were taken from New York to Fort Lafayette, where I remained an hour and my less fortunate friend eight months CHAPTER V. A KNIGHT OP THE GOLDEN SQUARR P H. P., alias Carlisle Murray, a Knight of the Golden Square The Arrest Relewo Papers of P. examined Secretary Seward's Order for a Second Arrest On the Track The Rural Retreat Mr. Carlisle Murray a Reformer and Lover The Official "Writ The Astonished Landlord and Landlady A Scene- Report IT was during the month of November, 1861, that the ex- istence of certain treasonable organizations, having for their object the overthrow of the Government, began to attract attention. October 17, 1861, a communication was received by the Hon. Secretary of State, purporting to give the his- tory of a secret society in Texas, known as Knights of the Golden Circle. The particular objects of this organization were not, however, fully explained. A few days later, an- other letter was received at the State Department, giving similar information. On the 24th of October, Benjamin Franklin, Chief of the Philadelphia Police, arrested, on a telegraphic dispatch, a one-armed man, named Carlisle Mur- i-ay, and confined him in the station-house of that city. On searching his person, mysterious papers were found, appar- ently containing the constitution and by-laws of the Knights of the Golden Square. Franklin sent a dispatch to me, in- forming me of the arrest. I came to Philadelphia, compared the documents with the original records of the Knights of the Golden Circle in the State Department, and found them to agree the two societies were clearly essentially one in character. In a further con- versation with Murray, he claimed to be an intimate friend of a well-known merchant-prince of Boston, for whom he acted as agent. At this, stage of the war so little was known of the Knights of the Golden Circle, no great importance was attached to Murray's papers, and he was released. 100 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. Before this, however, I recognized him as a somewhat distinguished individual. His name was P. H. F., who figured as Fillibuster Walker' s minister from Nicaragua in 1848. A subsequent examination of the papers in Murray's possession, taken in connection with those "before referred to, satisfied me that he was really a member of the Knighta of the Golden Circle. Clothed with the authority conferred by the following order, I entered upon the search after F. : DEPARTMENT OP STATE, \ WASHINGTON, Noverttber 2, 1S61. f To L. C. BAKER, Esq., Washington, D. C. : You will please arrest P. H. F., alias Carlisle Murray, and convey him to Fort Warren, Boston, Massachusetts. Examine his person and baggage, and Bend all papers found in his possession to this Department. I am, sir, your obedient servant, (Signed) WILLIAM H. SEWABD, Secretary of State. He had been released some weeks before his real charac- ter was discovered. To find him then seemed a hopeless task. By intercepted letters postmarked Branford, Conn., I was soon on his track. Assuming another name, he had selected this quiet town as his temporary residence. His assumed name there I did not know ; consequently must devise some plan which would lead to the knowledge of his locality. Accompanied by Franklin, I proceeded ta Branford. To avoid suspicion on the part of the citizens, it was necessary that Mr. Franklin and myself should appear under an assumed character. We represented ourselves to be gun manufacturers in behalf of the Government, seeking for an eligible spot and building in which to carry forward our business. An old machine shop, not then used, answered my purpose. When it was known that two intelligent men were about establishing business for the loyal cause, the good people of course were very anxious to serve us. The only hotel in Branford was a quiet inn, kept by a venerable couple. Here we found ourselves, strangers to all and in pursuit of a stranger, with no tangible clew to his person or place of abode. To get on good terms with " mine host" and hostess THE ASTONISHED LANDLADY. 101 il ivas only necessary to state prospective plans, and that their house would be my headquarters. The old man talked freely of the facilities for my contemplated business, and of the moral and social condition of the people ; inviting Franklin and myself to dine with them. Up to this time we had made no inquiry for the object of our visit, trusting to circumstances for farther developments. We soon sat down to an excellent dinner. While at the table, the old lady in- quired of her husband, "Is Mr. Jackson coming down to dinner? You had better ask him." This question satisfied me that we had a distinguished guest Who was that Mr. Jackson ? I immediately rose, giving Franklin the cue, and, to the astonishment of the honest pair presiding at the table, rushed up stairs to search the house. Hurrying from room to room, at length I found the strange boarder occupying the only bedroom and parlor in the house. I said, extending IB j hand : How are you, F ? " He arose, and, politely taking my hand, said : " "\ ou have the advantage of me." I replied : " I believe I have ; for I have a warrant for your arrest ; and I don't think you have one for me." " Oh, yes," he replied ; " I recollect you now. You are from California \ ' ' And in the coolest and most off-hand manner said : " Why, I am glad to see anybody from California. Here is some good brandy. Well, how are my friends, McDougal andTillford?" He then added: "Why, Baker, this is a good joke. How did you find out where I was \ I thought I had got beyond the reach of detectives. Now, the people here think me a very good man. I have lectured on temperance and religion ; have a class in the Sabbath-school ; and am court- ing one of the prettiest girls in Connecticut. This is too bad." By this time the landlord and his wife had entered the room, having learned from Franklin French' s real character, when she said : "Why, Mr. Jackson, how could you be so wicked? These gentlemen say you are a rebel spy. To think thaf a 102 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. secessionist has even slept under our roof. I'll have to ail the bed and purify the whole house." Then, looking at her hands and crying bitterly, she added : " And I have washed your clothes ! May the Lord for- give you, for I can't." The scene was a mixture of the pathetic and comic rarely witnessed. The unsuspecting landlord, who had nearly reached his threescore and ten years, stood trembling with the palsy, and with a most woebegone expression, while his more demonstrative companion seemed beyond the reach of a comforting word. Then followed a hasty packing up of French's effects, and sending them down stairs, when he paid his weekly bill, and said to the landlady : " I will return and explain this whole thing to you." In less time than it has taken to tell the story, the news had spread through the village. The pastor whose r'llpit French had occupied, the postmaster, and blacksmith were at the hotel. But one person could be found who c ojected to the proceedings, and he was a newly arrived M. D. from Texas, who at once declared his purpose to resist the order of arrest, and called upon the people to assist in rescuing the prisoner. The display of a six-shooter immediately quieted his rebellious spirit. F. was taken to New Haven, thence to Fort Warren. After a brief incarceration, he was paroled by Secretary Seward ; and so the matter ended. The dis- loyal order of the Knights of the Golden Circle was so vaguely understood that it was thought, after all, harm- less to the Government. The subjoined report to the Secretary of State will shed more light upon the character and career of F., and illus- trate further the necessity of a detective police when traitors in arms and in the disguise of loyal citizens are plotting with unscrupulous hate against the Government : WASHINGTON, November 17, 1861. To the Hon. W. H. SEWARD : DEAR SIR- -On the 2d of November, I received an order from the State Department to arrest and convey to Fort Warren one P. H. F., alias Carlisle Murray. From an intercepted letter found in the Philadelphia post-office, I had reason to believe that F. was at or near Branford, Connecticut. Or A KNIGHT OF THE GOLDEN SQUAEE. 103 the 5th instant, I took officer Ben. Franklin, and proceeded to the above- named place. After some delay, I succeeded in finding F. at a small hotel, where he had been stopping for some months. I immediately placed him under arrest, searched his person and effects, and found a number of let' erg, most of which seem to be a correspondence between him (F.) and a dis tinguished merchant, relating to the sale of certain steamboats to the United States Government belonging to this merchant. F. had represented him- self to the confiding gentleman as one Carlisle Murray, who had been driven out of the South because of his Union sentiments. He also exhibited what purported to be genuine letters from the Hon. Mr. Etheridge, Andrew Johnson, Parson Brownlow, and others, authorizing him to collect moneys from loyal people of the North, for the support of Parson Brownlow's paper (the Knoxville Whig). I have ascertained that he did collect, from the mer- chant already mentioned, and others, about four thousand dollars. A careful perusal of the correspondence between these parties shows that the latter did make an engagement with Mr. F. to sell two steamers to our Govern- ment, and that he was to receive a certain commission for the same. During the time he was trying to sell or negotiate for the steamboats, he visited the merchant at his country residence, was invited to spend the Sabbath, and dine with him (which invitation F. accepted), receiving letters of introduction to prominent and wealthy citizens of Boston, New York, Brooklyn, and other places. There can be no doubt but that F. is one of the most accom- plished villains in America, nor that the merchant did 7>ona fide enter into a contract or agreement with F. to sell certain steamboats to the United States ; nor that his patron was informed of the true character of F. long before he took any steps for his arrest. The correspondence and all the facts in the case go to show : First, that F., by forged letters and misrepre sentations, deceived his patron ; second, that the merchant, finding F. a very shrewd, intelligent man, did employ him to sell the steamers; and third, that, when he learned the real character of F., the authorities were not immediately notified by him ; and when said merchant ascertained that F. could not, or would not, make a sale of the boats, he telegraphed to the authorities in Philadelphia to arrest Carlisle Murray for swindling. These are, in my opinion, about the facts relating to the matter, as far as the merchant is concerned. Among the papers found in F.'s possession, was a manuscript purporting to be the constitution and by-laws of a secret order or association, known as the Knights of the Golden Square. This document is copied almost ver- batim from the constitution and by-laws of the Knights of the Golden Circle, an order that originated in Texas, some two years since, the object of which was, the overthrow of the United States Government. By an ingenious word- ing of these papers that is, whenever the name and objects of the order occur the terms have been used, evidently intending to convey the impres- sion that it was a Union order, designed to be secret in its nature, but the object of which was to be the maintenance of the cause of the North. I am satisfied that F. is a member of the Knights of the Golden Circle ; that he has copied their constitution and by-laws ; that the papers found in hia possession have been altered or worded differently from the original, c 104 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. that, if he should at any time be suspected or arrested, these papers could not be used as evidence against him. All the letters and papers found in F.'s possession are forwarded to your Department. Yours, very truly, L. 0. BAKER. In the early stages of the war, before any police organ- ization of the Government had been perfected or set iii operation, and before blockade restrictions had been es- tablished, the whole North was flooded by a class of south- ern spies, correspondents, and incendiaries. That the spy- ing and detective business was not confined to those who had made it a profession wo aid seem to be indicated by the following letter. The writer of this precious document was an Episcopalian minister from the South, who had been employed by the rebel government to visit the North, with a view to ascertain the movements then on foot toward the organization of the army. It was written to Bishop Gen- eral P. The "Joe" spoken of, was a sergeant in one of the Federal regiments, with whom an arrangement had been made by the writer to convey through the lines to the rebels any documents that might be forwarded to him for that purpose. "Joe" was ferreted out and arrested, and made a confession of the whole scheme which is re- ferred to in the communication ; to wit, the organization of a force in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware, to seize the Arsenal, Navy Yard, and public property at Philadel- phia. The "friend Bob" spoken of was Bob B. (ex-senator B.), of Delaware. When the ringleaders of this conspiracy discovered that I was on their track, they immediately abandoned the scheme, or transferred their field of opera- tions to the West, where an organization was perfected, but broken up by the arrest of Dr. D. at Indianapolis, . in 1864. PHILADELPHIA, December 26, 1861. WORTHY SIR Various good and sufficient reasons have detained me north of this point several days beyond the time specified in your instructions. First of these, I, in a room in Boston, was expatiating, as usual, upon the horrors and ein of slavery, as a matter of course, and misrepresenting, in a blundering way, its real condition. One of the chaps took up the cudgel in good earnest. He had sailed South, been in Southern ports, knew Southern people well, they were kind to the nigger, &c., &c. I invited talk, solicited conversation ani< A SPICY CLERICAL EPISTLE. 105 Information gained his confidence, finding how freely he let himself out. I had several interviews, and finally threw off the mask, and told my real object was to gain information, in which he aided me to the extent of his utmost ability. Ho is a man about sixty years of age, but strong and active ; and although a native-born New Englander, he hates, with a perfect ferociousness, the name of New England. Several reasons conspire to produce this. First, he has been swindled by a pious deacon, his brother-in-law, who induced his wife to forsake him ; then he has mingled, to a great extent, with our people South, and cherishes a fond recollection of many of our citizens. Oh, how he swears at the Yankees. I soon ascertained that I might place implicit reliance upon his word. My respect and confidence were confirmed by the opinions entertained and freely expressed here by all classes. They represent him as a bold, outspoken secessionist. Being a man of tried and sterling bravery, the people know well that it would never do to trifle with him ; and, added to this, he is worth some twenty or twenty-five thousand dollars ; being quite judiciously invested, enables him to realize an income of at least three or four thousand a year, at least three-fourths of which he gives away not in the form of common charities altogether, but gifts in the shape of loans to deserving beginners. In this way his popularity among a great many is solid, not only with those whom he has benefited, but others, whose respect for such unostentatious nobleness is challenged and secured. Well, he is the man we need. He will go into the scheme with heart and eoul. His plan is, receive orders for a stanch, swift sea-steamer from a South American power, have her quietly and expeditiously built, manned with the right kind of a crew, give out that he is going with her, let her take in a cargo of just such articles as we need at present boots, shoes, &c. sail, and enter the first Southern port that looks clear. I would here remark, that his plan is to have three just such steamers under way at the same time. Either this, or he will buy each, however, from different points. Marine signal No. 8 (eight) of the Confederate States of America will be used upon entrance of our port. This, you remember, is the plan agreed upon to deceive the blockade fleet. The day after my arrival in this place I was accosted by a venerable old beggar, who stood at a corner soliciting alms. His touching tone of voice, coupled with his meek yet respectful appearance, although in rags, attracted and interested me. I gave him a dime, and asked him carelessly where he lived, with no intention, however, of paying him a visit, but hardly knowing what to say, and feeling I ought to say something. He replied, " You aint got any Jeames Kiver tobacky, I reckon, to give a fellow a chaw." Imagine my surprise when my beggar friend proved to be our old Nebo. Cute as ever, he plies his artful game. He tells me that he was in Washing- ton last week ; says old is drunk one-half his time. and are laying up big piles of United States money both for themselves and friends, though is the sharpest in the way of money. That old stupid fool, , is completely under the thumb of , ditto. Nebo says that, unsuspectingly, he has been permitted to enter both the 1^6 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. eivil and military department in "Washington and Alexandria. As his means of communicating with head-quarters is so very expeditious and complete, I deem it both impolitic and unnecessary to detail, in this communication, the vast amount of useful information which he is enabled to pick up. One thing I must mention. He says that in less than three months we will have Phila- delphia and Baltimore. He says that as soon as the advance is made upon the lines at W., a party here, now numbering over five thousand, in this cit/, together with thrice that number in the adjoining counties, will seize tbt Navy Yard, Arsenal, &c. His experience tallies with mine, that is, that New Jersey is sound to the back-bone for us : yes, far more so than Delaware, although a Southern State. I am afraid to advise you to take that trip, for, notwithstanding the cleilcal cut of my coat, I am watched very closely, as are all strangers, by the Govern- ment spies. The people are heartily sick and tired of this war, but are afraid to utter such sentiments, it being treason, or so ruled by that drunken thief, . Nebo says that whenever needs money he sends ahead some startling telegraph communications, manufactured, as a matter of course. Soon the streets of Philadelphia and New York ring with the cry of extras: " Glorious news (in big letters). Fifty thousand secessionists routed by a Union force of only one hundred and fifty. We took thirty thousand prisoners, two hun- dred and seventy-five thousand stand of arms, one thousand four hundred cannon, and an immense stock of ammunition. The rebel general shot in the mouth by a Buck-tail, which would have proved fatal, but just as the ball hit him he spit out a quid of tobacco, which turned the ball aside. It, however, glanced from the quid and killed a colonel and eleven privates. Our loss (Union) two killed, three wounded, one missing." Such, my dear general, is the windy stuff" which uses to draw money out of the Wall Street kings. Verily, this is a humbuggy age. To my mind it is past my comprehension how the two sections can ever meet together, even in ordinary intercourse. You can form no conception of the bitter feel- ing of hostility entertained by all classes here. An instance or two will BufBce. An interesting pious family, whose savory discourse did my soul much good in its growth in grace, &c., &c., whose hospitality I often enjoyed, one day last week, in making a call, I found them much excited. Upon inquiring the cause, Miss Annie informed me that they had just learned that the bonnet- maker was a vile secessionist. I straightened my eye-brows, turned up my whites, and made an appropriate pious ejaculation, and inquired how she had made the discovery. By accident, sir. Well, to sift the testimony from their verbiage, Mrs. , a poor widow, who makes a living for herself and children in the bonnet business, had been so imprudent as to say to my friend, u Well, I hope if they do liberate the negroes, they will make some provision, for their support, for they will no longer have their owners to look to." Now, for this vile secession (1 ! !), my pious friends are determined not to pay their bonnet-bills until the war is over. Don't you admire their spunk? The other instance is this : A pious elder in one of the Presbyterian churches here has a daughter married to a Southern elder, who is in the Southern army; and so bitter is his feeling, that neither daughter, child, nor husband in ever alluded SECESSION PICTURES OF THE NORTH. 107 to, even [in] his) prayers. Indeed, my dear sir, the spirit of the wolf, the hyena, ay, rattlesnake, and all vicious animals, are let loose in the hearts of this people. There is no language sufficiently strong to describe the malignity of their feelings. Ages hence will this feeling burn. I thought some of our Hotspurs went far in their expressions of hatred and contempt, but it don't begin to touch bottom with Philadelphians. But with all this, I understand that we have a goodly heritage in this city and its vicinity. Old Nebo tells me that there is now in process of completion a scheme to be inaugurated soon upon a grand scale. It contemplates the seizure of Philadelphia. Ha eays there is over three millions of dollars invested. He could not make me acquainted with the particulars. They are called the "Regulators." He says that several prominent military men have it [in] charge. It embraces New Jersey and Delaware. I find, however, I am repeating what I have already written in this letter. Dr. 's church, during the week, is turned into a tailor shop. The Doctor is a strong coercionist in the pulpit ; in the parlor he is a secessionist, or, I should say, an apologist for that vile heresy, Dr. , ditto, Dr. , ditto, and many others, who were converted during the days of terror last April, when our friend Bob escaped the halter in Philadelphia. Thousands here entertain earnest and anxious desires for peace, but dare not utter their thoughts even to their nearest kin. In my clerical capacity I say, that this people is given over not only to believe a lie, but lies. The truth is too tame and commonplace. They are confident that ten of their men can beat and put to rout one hundred of the South. I then ask them why their Army of the Potomac, which outnumbers the South, don't move, and crush Beauregard. They say, " Oh, that is the fault of politicians." As an Englishman, some avoid and wheedle me. Your obedient servant, THOMAS, the D. D. I will be in Cleveland ten days from time first noted. The following is a copy from a letter which accompanied the former, in similar handwriting : PHILADKLPHIA, December 27, 1861. DEAR PIIIL Joe tells me that you are about Sin sin naughty, as he drawls it out. I detained this to say a word about the M. and G. difficulty ; but you see the papers all bosh. Send word by this, if you choose, that it will end in femoke- a flash in the pan. You can read and remember as much of the inclosed as you can. Be sure to note the figures, as they mark the name of the Sea Dog. Burn the letter unless you can safely carry, and then get in your hole and skeet for Dixie. It ought to have gone before, but I was far away when F. was here, and did not see him. Oh, how these Northern papers lie about us. Joe is a sergeant in a company of one of the regiments here will start for Washington soon. If he gets on picket duty he will com- municate. Direct your letters to Rev. , D. D. (be sure to put the D. D.), of Bath, England. Good-by, and G. B. Y. TOM. CHAPTER VI. DISLOYALTY AMONG THE POSTMASTEO3. A Mystery The Result of Cabinet Meetings in "Washington known in Richmond The Detectives learn the Reason A Visit to Lower Maryland Amusing Scenes The Mysterious Box The Reports A Rebel Letter. IT was a surprising fact during the first six or eight months after the war began, that the result of every Cabinet meeting at Washington was reported in Richmond within twenty-four hours after it was held. The secret was, that every postmaster in Lower Maryland, comprising the coun- ties of St. Charles, St. George, and St. Mary's, with three exceptions, were disloyal. It had been taken for granted that the State was true to the Government, while rebel emis- saries were constantly conveying information from Washing- ton to the post-offices along the Potomac, from which it was transmitted to Fredericksburg by blockade-runners and spies, and thence telegraphed to Richmond. By this arrange- ment, uninterrupted and unrestrained communication was kept open between the rebels North and South until Novem- ber 90, 1861, when I decided, if possible, to break up the treasonable correspondence. Accordingly, the Secretary of War directed that three companies, of one hundred men each, from the Third Indiana Cavalry, then in General Hooker's division at Budd's Ferry, be detached, and report to me for the purpose of visiting and, if necessary, permanently occu- pying Lower Maryland. The first post-office upon which I called was at Chaptico, a small village at the head of a bay of the Potomac, bearing the same name, and about sixty miles from Washington. I reached the village late one afternoon, when an amusing incident occurred, illustrating the ignorance in the country generally, more profound, perhaps, in some portions of it THE MYSTERIOUS BOX. 109 respecting military affairs, resulting from the peaceful pur- suits of the people during a long period of declining martial spirit and demonstrations. The first military seen in Chaptico was my advent with three hundred of " Uncle Sam's boys," which naturally cre- ated intense excitement among this rural people. My force was composed principally of Germans, who be- came brave soldiers subsequently in the western battle- fields. They were addicted, of course, to the use of intoxi- cating drinks ; hence it was necessary to encamp apart from places where liquors were sold. I entered the town with my orderly, to notify all vendors of strong drink to close their bars, and under no circumstances to sell to the soldiers under my command. In the evening, to my surprise, when passing one of the drinking-houses, I found it full of troops who, with the land- lord, were having a jolly time over their potations. I immediately stepped in and inquired of the host : "Did I not give you an order not to sell liquor to my men?" " Why, Colonel," he said, " these ain't no soldiers ; they are officers. They have got swords on." Officers generally wearing swords, the cavalrymen thus armed deceived the benighted dealer in poor whisky and beer. He was sure that he was honored with men quite above common soldiering. I proceeded to the post-office, and found the postmastei sick and all the family in about the same plight, excepting a bright little girl, twelve years of age. 1 rapped at the door, when she raised the window and said: "Father told me I must not let any of the Yankee sol- diers in." I replied : "I am not a Yankee soldier, but an agent of the Post-office Department." I was then admitted ; and asked where the office was kept. She pointed to a box of pigeon holes. While exam- ining it, I accidentally observed a rough pine box with iron hasp and hinges and a United States mail lock. It was par- titioned through the center, with a hole for letters in each 110 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. division. Over one part was " Southern Letters ;" over the other, "Northern Letters." I said : " What is this box for ?" She innocently answered, pointing to the inscriptions : " Why, the letters put in that hole (the Southern) go to Richmond ; and those in the other go to Washington." The postmaster, who was in bed, overhearing her, spoke somewhat excitedly : " No, that ain't so ; why do you tell the gentleman such a story?" I answered : "I guess the girl tells the truth." Taking the box, which, upon examination, was found to contain letters from rebels on the way to the Confederacy, and those whose hearts, if not their faces, were toward rebel- dom, I placed it in the Post-office Department at Washing- ton as a curiosity, where it still remains. At L., the largest village in all that part of Lower Mary- land, another amusing incident occurred. It had long been the residence of aristocratic families. A weekly newspaper was published there a paper which was pre-eminent in fan- ning the fires of rebellion throughout that region. Arriving within two miles of the town at evening, I en camped in a grove of pines. With a captain, sergeant, and two orderlies I rode into the village, and found the people had heard of our arrival. The principal men of the place waited upon me and protested in the most violent manner against Yankee troops disturbing their peace ; for they were "State-rights people, who only wished to be let alone." They made threats of personal violence if my soldiers were brought into Leonardtown. I replied: "I am here under orders of the Secretary of War, on a peaceful investigation, and not as charged, to steal your slaves, to burn your houses and barns, or to molest the inhabitants. I have money to pay for forage and rations if you will sell them ; if not, shall take them." By this time the editor of the paper had become bois- terous in his condemnation of the Government and its officers. I quietly directed a guard to be placed around his printing-office. Selecting from my command Judge L., of A SUDDEN CONVERSION. 1H Cleveland, Ohio, an officer who had some experience as an editor, I directed him to write an article for the paper, in which the rebel editor was made to recant his secession heresy and declare for the Union, advising all his sub- scribers to do the same. The compositors were compelled to set it up, and then the pressmen reluctantly struck off the paper. The subscription book was consulted, and to each name a copy of the paper was mailed. The excitement and indignation which followed the distribution of the suddenly loyal sheet, and the discovery of the serious joke, made one of the most ludicrous incidents in my official experience. The further results of this expedition are presented in the subjoined note and reports : ic, Novembtr 25, 1861. Brigadier-General HOOKER, Commanding at Budd's Ferry: DEAR SIR The expedition under my command to the lower coast of Maryland has proved successful. We captured four mounted traitors and one rebel spy. Mr. Seward is much gratified at the promptness with which you responded to the orders given to me. Also obtained many valuable letters and documents, from which important results will follow. To Captain Keister and Lieutenant Lemon, I am under many obligations ; I found them very prompt and ready to act at all times. The men under their command conducted themselves with the greatest propriety. A detachment of sixteen men, as a guard, accompanied me by steamer via Baltimore to this city. 1 return them to their quarters to-day. Allow me to return you my thanks for your extreme kindness to me during my short stay at your headquarters. Yours, truly, L. C. BAKER. if, November 27, 1861. To the Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State : DEAR SIR In compliance with orders issued from your Department, under date of November 18th, I repaired to'the headquarters of Brigadier- General Hooker, at or near Bndd's Ferry, and was promptly furnished with one hundred men from the Third Indiana Cavalry, under command of Captain Keister. The object of the expedition was to arrest parties suspected of rendering aid to Virginia rebels, to discover the channel through which con- traband correspondence was being carried on, and, if necessary, to take into custody any persons found in arms against the United States Government. On my arrival at Port Tobacco, the headquarters of Colonel Graham's regi- ment, I found the inhabitants complaining bitterly at their alleged ill-treat- ment, and depredations committed by the soldiers under his command. la justice to Colonel G., however, I found, on inquiring, that the inhabitants 112 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. had been the first aggressors. There are residing at this place bat tonr or five Union men the balance either being sympathizers with secessionists, or open and avowed aiders and abettors of treason. The postmaster at this place is secretly doing all in his power to farther the interests of the Con- federacy. Eight miles from the above-named locality is a small town, known as Allen's Fresh. There are but two Union men at this place. I fonnd in the post-office here five letters, addressed to fictitious names: on opening them, I discovered that they contained sealed letters, addressed to well-known ece?*donists in Virginia. The postmaster was one of those who assisted and contributed to organize and equip Confederate soldiers now in Virginia. At the Newport post-office, some two miles from Allen's Fresh, I found a package of thirty-four letters, post-marked "Newport P. O., Maryland," all ready to be forwarded to different localities at the North. On examining these letters, I found that they were all written in Virginia, and had all been dropped into the office by one person. At Chaptico, a place of about two or three hundred inhabitants, located at the head of a small inlet opening into the Potomac, I found but four Union men, the traitors at this point having threatened to hang and burn the property of any man who dares to avow Union sentiments. At this point, there has been carried on for months a regular coinmunication with Virginia. The postmaster here openly declares himself a traitor; I should have placed him under arrest, but found him confined in his bed with chills and fever, besides having a large family depending on him for their daily support. I next stopped "at Leonardtown. This is the largest and by far the most prosperous village in Lower Maryland. I do not consider it safe to say that there is one Union man in the town or vicinity, although many declare themselves State Rights Men, which is but a milder term for secession- ists. At this place has been enlisted, equipped, and conveyed to Virginia, a very large number of men for the Confederate army. But very few hesitate to declare openly their secession sentiments; I think this is attributable almost wholly to the publication of a bitter and uncompromising secession paper, published in this place. I found in the post-office a large number of letters going to and coming from Virginia. The postmaster, a Mr. Yates, declared himself to me a good Union man ; I, however, afterward obtained the most undenialle proof of his disloyalty to the Government and sympa- thy with the rebels. I think that Leonardtown should be at once placed under martial law, and a provost-marshal appointed, in order that the few Union men residing there may have some kind of protection against these traitois. From Leonardtown I went to Great Mills, a distance of twelve miles. There are but few 'inhabitants residing directly on the road, the population being mostly on the Potomac and Pawtuxent rivers. Daily steamboat com- munication from Baltimore to Millstone Landing (a point on the Pawtuxent river, near its mouth) has, in my opinion, made this the most important point in Lower Maryland. That you may more readily understand with what facilities correspondence and goods of all descriptions have and are being transported into Virginia by this route, I annex a map of the country. The distance from Millstone Landing, on the Pawtuxent, to Redmond's Landing, at the head of St. Mary's river (four miles from the Potomac), is but eight REBELS IN SOUTHERN MARYLAND. 113 nifles, the road being ex /client at all seasons of the year. There are hut fonr or five Union men in this vicinity ; most of those who have declared them- selves as such have either been driven from the county, or dare not avow themselves in favor of the Government. A number are now residing in the neighborhood who hold commissions in the rebel army. It is, however, exceedingly difficult to arrest them; the approach of any considerable number of troops is a signal for these cheats to leave their houses, or secrete them- selves, and it can only be accomplished by the most shrewd and well-laid plans. I made the following arrests, viz. : E. H. J., W. M. A., E. M. S., and R. L. H. These men were a part of an organization known as the Lower Maryland Vigilance Committee. Mr. E. H. J. resides at what is known as the Old Factory, St. Mary's County, is engaged in merchandising, farming, &c. When the present diffi- culties broke out, J. went to Baltimore, and was there during the riot of April 19th. On his return hence, he brought not less than four hundred stands of arms from Baltimore, which afterward were sent to Virginia. He has had wagons for hauling contraband goods from the Potomac to the Pa- tuxent, during the greater part of the summer and fall. He made his house the headquarters of secession spies, passing to and from Virginia; has enlisted, equipped, and forwarded a large number of men for the Confederacy ; has notified Union men to leave the county ; and has, on all occasions, cursed and abused the Government. D. W. M. A. resides about one mile from J., openly defies the Govern- ment, was a co-operator with J. in all his treasonable operations ; is said to be the secretary of the Vigilance Committee, and stated to me, after his arrest, that he would yet kill a Yankee for every day that he was imprisoned by the Government. E. M. S. is a Confederate spy. He was indicted by the Baltimore grand jury for engaging in the riot of the 19th of April, but made his escape into Virginia, and, up to the time of his arrest, had kept out of the way. Some memorandums of importance were found in his possession. The arrest of B. L. H. will prove of the greatest importance to the Government. H. resided at the landing on the Patuxent River, and made his hotel the rendezvous for all the secessionists in the county. At his house were held all their meetings and deliberations. He had two teams constantly running from the landing to the Potomac River. I have the most positive proof that, the night before his arrest, he took three hundred Colt revolvers to Virginia; I found two large boxes buried in the sand, about two hundred yards from his house, from which he took these revolvers. Mrs. H. informed me that she had frequently cautioned her husband that he would yet be caught and imprisoned by the Government, but he disregarded her advice, and told her that he was determined to make money in some way. Some letters were found in his possession of the strongest secession character, also Confederate envelopes, stamps, circulars, &c. H. was the master spirit, and the worst man in the county. Much difficulty was experienced in making these arrests. The county b wild and unsettled ; a complete set of signals had been established among 8 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. the inhabitants, and notice of our arrival had been given to the entire country, making it necessary to move only at night-time. I endeavored, stating tLat, as soon as the troops left, their building would be burned, and they them- selves assassinated or hung by the Committee. I am much indebted for my success to Brigadier-General Hooker, for his promptness in furnishing men ; to Captain Keister, for the energy, patienc*, and promptness, with which he aided me at all times ; to A. G. Lawrence, Esq., who accompanied me from this city, for the very efficient aid and advice he gave at all times. Some small-arms, two kegs of rifle powder, secession flags, and other articles were seized. Since my return, I have had some conversation with the Postmaster- General in relation to mail matters. When I go down again, he has autho- rized me to displace all disloyal postmasters, and if safe and reliable Union, men can be found, to recommend them for appointment ; if such can not be found, discontinue the offices altogether. This course, I have no doubt, will induce them to better regard and appreciate the favors they have and are still receiving from the Government. In order that the channels of commu- nication with the South may be effectually broken up, and protection afforded' to Union men in Charles and St. Mary's counties, I would most respectfully recommend that a military force be sent there at once. Two or three hundred men could subsist themselves and horses, without being com- pelled to transport forage. Should you deem it proper or advisable to send euch a force, I would gladly go with them, and render all the assistance in my power. Asking pardon for this my lengthy communication, I remain, dear Sir, most respectfully, Your obedient servant, L. C. BAKER. WASHINGTON, January 14, 1862. To the Honorable POSTMASTER-GENERAL : DEAR SIR At your request, I herewith send report of the condition in which I found the several post-offices located in Charles and St. Mary's counties, Maryland. At Port Tobacco, numerous and repeated complaints liave been forwarded to me by detective agents of the Government, concerning the loyalty of the postmaster at this place. Charges of the most grave and aggravated character have been made by the few Union men residing in this vicinity. On investigation, I found that he has, on three different occasions, received packages of letters, post-marked at Baltimore, and forwarded same to Virginia. On or about the 15th October, a Confederate spy mailed at this office one hundred and forty letters, which he (the spy) brought direct from Virginia. This was done with the full knowledge and consent of the post- master. In addition to this, he lias aided and advised a number of young men in the neighborhood to cross the river and join the Confederate army. Allen's Fresh. The postmaster at this place seldom if ever attends per- sonally to the duties of the office, but leaves the business in the hands of a young boy, some twelve or fourteen years old. I found in this office nine MARYLAND POSTMASTERS. 115 uncalled-for letters, having been addressed to fictitious names ; on opening them, I found they were addressed to individuals in the so-called Confederate States. The postmaster in this place is disloyal and can not be trusted. Newport. In this office, I found a package of fifty-two letters, written by parties now residing in the rebel States, addressed to persons in Baltimore. The postmaster is a first-class rebel. In my opinion, this office could be discontinued, it being located but two miles from Allen's Fresh. Charlotte's Hall. But one contra'band letter was found in this office. The postmaster assures me that he is a good Union man, and is doing all he can to assist and forward the interests of the Government. I think him a highly intelligent gentleman, but hardly sound. Oakville. This office is located in a thrifty, settled community, and is but of little importance ; being some distance from the Potomac, has less facilities than other offices for conducting contraband mail matter. I consider the postmaster a loyal, good, and reliable man. Chaptico. From the peculiar location of this office (being situated at the head of Chaptico Bay), the postmaster has very superior facilities for con- ducting a large contraband business, which he has not failed to improve to a greater extent than any other officer in Lower Maryland. Indeed, he openly boasts that he holds two appointments as postmaster one from Washington, and one from Richmond. A large number of contraband letters were found in his office. In addition to this, he is an habitual drunkard, neglecting the duties of his office; he has repeatedly neglected to lock the mail-bag ; has often left the key in the bag, and often refused to open the mail at all. From the importance of this office, it could hardly be dis- continued without a positive injury to a large number of good and loyal citizens. Leonardtown. This is the largest village or town in Lower Maryland. Charges of disloyalty have repeatedly been made against the postmaster of this place, many of which I have thoroughly investigated. He (Yates) styles himself a State Rights man, which is but a mild term for secession. A number of contraband letters were found in his office, but he positively denies knowing the writers, or the parties to whom they are addressed. The citizens generally speak in the highest terms of him, and, so far as I can judge, the office was well managed. Everything seems to be conducted with a great deal of system and regularity. As no better man could be induced to take the office, I should think a change not advisable at present. Great Mills. This is an office of some importance, being located midway between the Pawtuxent river and the head of St. Mary's, by opening directly into the Potomac. In September last, acting under an order from your department, I seized the entire contents of the office. About one-fourth of the mail was directed (under cover) to the Confederate States. I think, however, the postmaster is a loyal citizen, but has been very negligent in hi duties. Not desiring to incur the hatred of the secession community in which he resided, he has allowed letters to be received at his office from the rebel States, addressed to well-known traitors, without reporting the same to the proper authorities. I think a change should be made at this office at once. 116 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. Saint Inagoes. This office is of but little importance ; but few letters received or mailed. I have heard no coinplaint3 against the postmaster here, hence I conclude he is loyal. From the very meager amount realized, I have found it exceedingly diffi- cult to find good, reliable, loyal men, who would accept the appointment of postmaster. Many who are competent will not devote the necessary time required to perform the duties of the office. I have, however, obtained the names and consent of loyal citizens who will accept an appointment at a number of the offices mentioned in this report, and, as soon as I can complete the list, I shall forward the same to your department. I consider it a matter of the greatest importance to the Government, at this time, that our post- masters should be loyal and true to the Union, particularly when their offices can by any possibility be used in any manner as a medium to convey informa- tion to the Confederate States. To discontinue altogether our mail facilities in Lower Maryland, at present time, would result in a great inconvenience and injury to the few loyal people residing in that section, as well as our military forces, which, at my suggestion, have been stationed along the Potomac, to break up the contraband trade so successfully carried on during the past summer. I am, most respectfully, Your obedient servant, (Signed) L. 0. BAKER. Special Agent P. 0. Depart., and Government Detective. A letter which was intercepted about this time will reveal the demoniac spirit of the rebellion, which, I regret to know, exists still to an alarming extent in the conquered South : NAITJKMOY, December 19, 1862. Dr. HATLINO: I expect to go from home soon, under another permit, to Nanjemoy, and want to make a good thing of it letter than before. What I say about th permit, is confidential ; don't forget. I suppose you have heard but little of the truth of the little skirmish before Fredericksburg. Abolition, with Bumside at its head, was somewhat scorched. At least thirty thousand were made to bite the dust. The strangled newspapers on this side dare not tell half the truth. I have my information from officers and men who were on the field, and in the battle. They say the slaughter can never be described or forgotten by those who saw it. They lay by thousands upon a single acre. The Southern blood was fully up; they spared nothing, but slew the cringing, cowardly, wiglish Abolitionist* with an unsparing hand. The Southern loss was comparatively small, it is thought not over fifteen hundred, though nothing can be definitely known, yet awhile, on the subject. It was doubtless the greatest slaughter ever made on this continent. But A REBEL LETTER. 117 will it teach the fools at Washington wisdom ? I hope so. Report reached here yesterday, that Burnside, Stanton, and Halleck have resigned. Lincoln, Seward, &c., ought to follow suit. And then commence and hang every Abolitionist and Black Republican, and the balance may have some peace The sooner this is done the better. v our friend, (Signed) Q. W. 0. CHAPTER VII. FRAUDS DISLOYALTY IN MARYLAND. The Freighted Traveler Treason and Frauds overlooked in the Rising Storm of Rebellion The Bankers The Pretty Smuggler Reliable Character of ihf Detective Bureau Disloyalty, and its Punishments in Lower Maryland The Friends of Hon. Montgomery Blair and the Quinine Traffic '* Chunook ' Telegrams. THERE was about this time a rather marked illustration of a common means of transporting contraband goods across the lines. The extent to which such methods of deception were resorted to by both men and women shows the stringency of the blockade at which the rebels sneered for a while, and the mania for speculation amid the horrors of war. I went to the wharf at Baltimore to watch the movements of a suspicious passenger who had gone just before me to embark. He succeeded in passing the scrutiny of Provost-Marshal McPhail, and went on board the steamer bound South. I followed him, and became satisfied that I had tracked an old offender. I accordingly addressed him, when he denied any disloyal designs. His hat had a peculiar appearance seemed Heavier than it ought to be. Removing it, I saw that the interior was conical in form, the base fitting his head. I struck the top of the crown upon the rail of the boat, whenf a cloud of quinine dust rose in the air. The rogue stood disclosed ; and my first business was to secure his weapons of defense, if he had any. A pistol was found and sewed. This weapon and the knife are the universal means of pro- tection, and used in ways unknown to any but villains and their captors. On one occasion a man had his Bering* r in his pantaloons pocket, and with his hand was turning it to fire at me through his pocket, when I sprang upon him and took it. AN ENTERPRISING TRAVELER. 119 The "brief report, which will give further particulars in Wilson's case, alludes to the search for him in Maryland, where, to escape the detectives, he sprang from a window ID the second story of a dwelling and got away : WASHINGTON, December 30, 1S61. To the Honorable SECRETARY OF STATE: DEAR SIR On the morning of the 19th instant, I arrested, on board the steamer Mary Washington, in Baltimore, one William Wilson. Upon search- ing his person, I found concealed in his overcoat pocket a large druggist's jar, containing three ounces of quinine, a package of letters addressed to parties in Europe, and a number of photographs. I also found in Wilson's hat, very ingeniously concealed, twenty ounces of quinine. From reliable information received since the arrest, I am satisfied that Wilson is the notorious "Bill Wilson," of St. Mary's county, Maryland, and the individual for whose arrest the Government lately offered a large reward. Wilson had on his person British papers, showing that he had traveled in Europe as an Englishman. He is now confined in Fort McHenry, awaiting the orders of the State Department. J consider him a very dangerous man to be at large. Yours, very respectfully, L. 0. BAKER. The storm of civil war came so suddenly upon us, that how to meet it was the great, absorbing question. The Cabinet, Congress, and the loyal masses at the North were intensely aroused to the need of men and money to beat back the wanton assault of treason upon our nationality. Consequently, scarcely a thought was given to the possibility of disloyalty and frauds at home. The eye was fixed upon the dark horizon of Southern revolt; while within our own brighter one were plots and robberies of the public treasury, whose disclosure was as startling as it was sickening to every patriotic heart. An example of rebel perfidy aud disregard of oaths in the highest class of capitalists was discovered toward the close of 1861. The house of J., Bros. & Co., bankers, in Baltimore, whose business previous to the rebellion was principally with Southern banks, applied to the Hon. Simon Cameron for a permit to visit friends at the South. Mr. Cameron had known the members of this firm to be of the first respectability, and gave the desired pass. 120 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. After this was used, another was obtained, until a large number had been obtained and had served well the purpose of the enterprising bankers. I received information that one of the firm was engaged in conveying large amounts back and forth in connection with the banking house of P. M., Richmond ; and that this means was resorted to for the transaction of business which months before had been pronounced contraband. I determined to detect the offenders in the act, and ex- pose their disloyalty. Mr. J, was arrested at the Relay House, with his servant, and upon examination of his baggage a large amount of exchange and rebel correspondence was found. When the pass taken from Mr. J. and all the fects were presented to Mr. Seward, he directed the seizure of the bank. It was decided to make a thorough examination of the vaults. The firm refusing to give up the keys of them, they were broken open, and revealed the shameful truth that the house had been for months acting contrary to a well- known order of the President prohibiting trade with the South. The next day I was directed by Mr. Seward to visit the War Department by eleven o'clock A. M. I repaired ac- cordingly to his office, and was ushered into the presence of President Lincoln, Secretaries Seward and Cameron, and Thomas A. Scott, and requested to identify the passes issued to J. I cannot pretend to say how far Mr. Cameron was imposed upon by his banking friends, or to what extent the disclosure subsequently influenced his course. Mr. J. was sent to Fort McHenry, and the bank remained for a long time closed. Not far removed in date of occurrence, another form of fraudulent speculation, of which an instance among the male traitors has been recorded in the experience of "Billy Wilson," presented itself under a new and very amusing aspect. I was standing on the steamboat wharf at the foot of Sev- enth Street, Washington, with some of my assistants, when a pretty and tastefully dressed woman stepped from a carriage THE FAIR SMUGGLER. 121 and cast a restless, inquiring glance upon the miscellaneous crowd around her. This little peculiarity attracted my at- tention. For, not unfrequently, the clew to a crime and its perpetrator is given by such signals, of both which only a detective of some experience would observe. An anxious look, a passing expression of the face, a confused manner or answer to a question, becomes the key to unlock a great and dark mystery of wrong. I closely watched the fair traveler as she walked upon the narrow, springy plank to the boat, and saw that the foot- bridge yielded to her step quite too much for her natural weight. I was satisfied, upon a nearer observation, that under her light outer dress there was a heavier garment than anything in the usual contents of the female wardrobe. I politely accosted her in the saloon, and said : " Madam, what have you concealed under your dress 1" "Nothing, sir," she sharply replied, "that I have not a right to carry." " See here, my lady ; just step into that state-room, and relieve yourself of the contraband goods without further ceremony or trouble." She disappeared, and a moment later, from the partially opened door spitefully threw a skirt, in which was quilted forty pounds of sewing silk, saying: "I suppose you think that you are very smart." I quietly replied : " Smart enough for you, madam ;" rolled up the valuable garment, and left her to her own reflections. In the introduction to this volume, I said that it was the aim, and to some extent a successful one, I think, to give to the Detective Bureau a character second to no other part of the national service in reliability. No man, however successful in his particular work, was allowed to remain in my employ- ment if found to be wanting in integrity. I quote one case from several on this point. Mr. M., in accordance with the subjoined order, was arrested and confined in the Old Capitol Prison : WASHINGTON, March M, 1864. To the Honorable P. H. WATSON, Assistant Secretary of War : DEAR SIR In compliance with your order of the 8th, I herewith forward 122 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. report in the case of S. M. M., a detective agent of the United States Govern- ment, charged by John Evans, John Bradshaw, and others, captains of schooners engaged on the Potomac, with having at sundry times blackmailed or extorted money illegally from them. 1st. Mr. S. M. M. is not, nor has been at any time, in my employ. On or about the 12th of January, 1862, Mr. M. was appointed by the State Department as a detective agent, and was ordered to report to me. I imme diately sent him to Alexandria, Virginia, for the purpose of watching all suspected persons; giving him no authority to arrest or seize property of any description without first obtaining, through me, the proper order from the State Department. On the 10th instant, I applied to Mr. Allen, before and by whom the affidavits forwarded to your department were acknowledged, and ascertained that the charges were true, except as to date, and some other minor discrep- ancies, which do not in any manner alter the charges or affect the matter. So far as Mr. M. is concerned, I consider the charges made in the affidavits proved, and deeply regret that any officer with whom I have had any connec- tion should be guilty of such conduct. If any class of men in the employ of the Government at this time should be honest and trustworthy, it is its confidential agents. I respectfully suggest that you order me officially to discharge Mr. S. M. M. immediately. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, (Signed) L. 0. BAKER, Government Detective, War Department. Several weeks "before the occurrences which will soon be narrated, information had been conveyed to the War De- partment, from Lower Maryland, of treasonable designs and operations of the people residing there. The loyal few en tered their complaint in words which I shall quote : OBKAT MILLS P. O., ) ST. MAST'S COUNTY, November 18, 1861. J Hon. SIMON CAMERON, Secretary of War : DEAR SIR Being a loyal citizen of Maryland, I regard it an imperative duty to inform the Government of some facts which I hope the Government may recognize. There is a set cf men here who have done, and are still doing, all in their power to aid the rebel army. They have used the most treasonable language toward the Government; they have harbored, fed, and equipped, in every sense of the word, a great many men, and then have conveyed them to Vir- ginia. I also firmly believe they have arms buried in a churchyard, ready tc use upon the Union people here, should the opportunity offer. These met have done much against the Union cause here. At the recent election, thej tried to have men vote who acknowledged they had been to Virginia to beaj THE MARYLAND UNIONISTS COMPLAIN. 123 arras against the Government, and did finally succeed in regard to some who had been to the rebels, in the face of all I could do. We polled many more votes than they anticipated, and they now threaten our lives and property, and say they will drive us from our homes. They organized a vigilance committee, and waited upon many Union men, and even forced one citizen to leave the county ; this, sir, would be confirmed by all the Union men in tha district. I shall take here the liberty to append the names of these men. As I have said before, if the chance offers itself, our lives and property are in danger. Since the election, their hatred has become bitter, since they see the majority in the State for the Government. I now beg to say a few words in regard to the gentlemen who have been elected by the disunionists to serve in the Legislature. They have publicly said they owe no allegiance to the Government, and they further say they are not citizens of the United States, and also say they had rather see the Govern- ment sink to hell, than to see the Southern Confederacy lose the slightest victory. These, sir, are the men elected as our guardians in the two branches of the Legislature. We, the Union men of St. Mary's county, do solemnly protest against these men, and contend, as the true and loyal citizens of Maryland, they do in no wise represent our views, and believe that these men will not defend our rights, and redress our grievances in the both Houses. We, sir, believe that a Camanche has as much right, and would as soon recognize one, as the men forced upon us by the rebels. We beg protection in our county, and in the Legislature, by the removal of these men from our midst. They are still carrying a great many goods, and I believe some ammunition and arms to the rebels. Captain Gray, of one the cutters in the Potomac, I math fear will have trouble by his gentlemanly conduct and courtesy toward the rebels here. I heard from them that they intended a party of them, sufficient in number, to go aboard to dine or exchange courtesies, and seize the vessel and crew, and run them into Virginia. This is from these men whom I shall give the names of. We beg that these men may be taken out of our midst, and sent away from us. They threaten us in the most unmeasured terms. I beg to know if we are recognized, that I may appease the fears of our people here. Many of them are much frightened, as the rebels are largely in the ascendency, and they threaten desolation. Take the men whose names I here append, and all will be well with us as loyal people. Your obedient servant, JOHN R. BISCOE, Great Mills P. O., St. Mary's County, Marylandi fo Hor.. SIMON CAMEBON, Secretary of War. Those elected to the Legislature : for Senate, L. B. ; House delegates, B. GK Harris, Esq., J. F. D. ; Aiders and abettors : H. J. 0. and son, J. D. F. and son, B. K., B. H., Dr. F. S., Dr. A. L., I. A., and J. A., E. H. J., 8. H., M. H., 124 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. F. 0., T. S., J. G., Dr. A., W. 0. A., B. H., and in fact every rebel here, have done something to contribute to the rebel forces. Yours, J. B. The paper had this indorsement : Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWABD: inclosed is a list of candidates that I think are fair subjects for Fort "Warren. THOMAS A. SCOTT, Asst. Sec. of War. Before leaving Washington, I was directed "by Mr. Sew- ard to exercise my own judgment and discretion as to the arrest of these persons, furnished with the following order : DKPARTMBNT OF S*ATE, I WASHINGTON, November 19, 1861. f To Brigadier-General DANIEL E. SICKLES, &c., &c., &c., or General HOOKETR : GENERAL The bearer of this is Mr. L. C. Baker, a detective in the employ of this department, whom I have requested to look after some disloyal per- sons in St. Mary's county, Maryland. I will thank you to render him any assistance in the discharge of his duty that he may require. I am, General, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, F. W. SEWARD, Assistant Secretary. Further facts, in addition to those already in my posses- sion, determined my action in this matter. I selected the names of eight persons to be arrested ; among them, one H., residing on Patuxent river, near its mouth, at a place called Millstone Landing. H., aside from his secession heresy, was a man of notoriously bad character, and the terror of his neighbor- hood. An old resident, he had become familiar with all the streams, bays, inlets, &c., of that region, including the Po- tomac and Patuxent rivers, and Chesapeake bay. The character of the man, and this knowledge of the country, made him a fit tool, and valuable member of the band of blockade runners and spies, who resorted to his house as their place of rendezvous. For ten days before I was on his track, he had slept in the woods, from fear of being taken. As an evidence of rebel zeal, they had arranged a system THE ARREST OF REBEL EMISSARIES. 125 fit signals, to give the alarm whenever a detective or Gov eminent agent appeared in the vicinity. During the day, strips of white cotton cloth were careless- ly suspended from the windows of their residences, or from a tree or shrub, to give notice of the arrival. In the night, the signal was the blowing of tin horns. In view of these facts, and to accomplish the purpose of arresting the traitors, the greatest caution was necessary. I therefore divided my force of a hundred men into eight or ten parties, giving each officer a minute description of the residence of the man to be arrested. Aware that the arrest of any one of the band before the others would immediately alarm them, these squads all left camp at the same time, with the understanding that, whether the arrests were made or not, the whole company should rendezvous at a certain point the next morning at eight o'clock. A more inclement and a wilder night I have rarely known. The streams were swollen by rains, and the darkness great, which tended to make the expedition very uncertain and uncomfortable. With the thirteen men who accompanied me, at two o'clock A. M., I surrounded the house of H. On knock- ing at the door, I gained no response. Forcing my entrance into the house, I was confronted by H. with a loaded pistol who desired to know my errand. I replied : "H., your house is surrounded, and I have come to take you prisoner. Give me that pistol." He did so reluct- antly. Upon searching the house, I found six notorious blockade- runners in the upper story. Two were on their way to " Dixie" with mail, and four returning, and conveying letters of more or less importance North. Naturally enough, the company were greatly disconcerted. I put these under arrest, and, while searching outhouses, found the ' * intelligent contraband. ' ' Upon questioning him, I learned where a large number of pistols and sabers, which he had carted to their place of interment, on their way South, were buried. From Jiim I also ascertained that a large square box, containing Sharp's rifles, was buried in a Catho- lic church-yard three miles from the river. 126 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. Upon application to the Rev. Mr. , pastor of the flock worshiping there, he treated my statements with ridicule, and refused to let me desecrate the "hallowed ground," pro- no uncing the act wanton sacrilege. He denounced the Gov- ernment for permitting it. I proceeded to the "burial-place with the contraband, who pointed out the grave. When my men commenced throwing oat the dirt, the priest approached, and with uplifted hands exclaimed : " Is it possible that, in this enlightened age, men can be found who will willfully desecrate the resting-place of the dead!" I continued the work of exhuming the treasure until a new and large pine box was found and raised to the surface. It contained fifty-six Sharp's rifles, with fifty rounds of am- munition each. My clerical friend exclaimed, with apparent surprise, "I wonder how those arms could have got there 1" It may be well to state here, that one of the fondest ftreams of the people of Lower Maryland was, that at some future day the rebel army would cross the Potomac, and have on the nearer shore to Washington a base of operations against the capital. Therefore these people had long been secreting arms and ammunition, to be ready for this grand movement. My plan, which has been before referred to, but par- tially succeeded, owing to the fact that the arrival of the military was known. Dr. S., a prominent rebel, had left his home on the first intimation of our approach. His house was visited the next day, but he was not at home. My squad were hungry, and asked for dinner. The women at once began to prepare it. Among the inviting dishes was a roasted opossum. We all ate heartily, and, besides paying liberally for the meal, we kindly thanked our fair hostess for the satisfactory repast. Upon reaching camp we were taken ill, and in a few hoars three out of the five were in a dangerous condition. A physician was called, who said: "These men have been poisoned. What have they been eating ?" No explanation could be then given ; but it was after- SMUGGLING QUININE SOUTH. 127 ward ascertained that the opossum had extra dressing for our special benefit. H., with seven of his companions, was confined in Fort Lafayette a year. The name will again appear in the record of a later period, in a light no more flattering. I learned about this time that persons connected with dis- tinguished politicians were engaged in suspicious business in Washington. The names were Mrs. T., Miss L. B. B., and M. B. B., a Baptist minister. I also learned that Mrs. T. was the mother of Miss B., the sister-in-law of Hon. Montgomery Blair, Postmaster- General, and that Mrs. T. and her friends resided in Fau- quier County, Virginia. The passes had been procured on the recommendation of Postmaster Blair, to give these persons the opportunity to get a few of the ''necessaries of life." An espionage of the visitors disclosed a traffic in quinine of considerable extent. They had visited three drug stores, and purchased six hundred ounces. This was taken to the house of Mr. Gal- lagher, brother of Miss B. To ascertain in what way the ' quinine was to be conveyed, resort was had again to the contraband. A negro servant at Mr. Gallagher's house soon reported that Miss B. was engaged in making a skirt formed of sec- tions, or long pockets, lined with oiled silk. The smugglers were so closely watched that every move- ment in the purchase was known within half an hour after it occurred. I had decided not to arrest them until they were over our lines. After they left Washington, I called on the Hon. Mr. Blair, and told him the particulars in regard to his friends ; when and where the medicine was obtained ; the manufacture of the skirt for its transportation, &c. I further apprised hin? that they had that morning started for home. Mr. Blair lis- tened to my story, and then pleasantly remarked: "Why, Baker, those persons are as "loyal as you are, ana I loaned them the money." Then taking his bank book from his drawer* h 128 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. " See ; I have just had my note for five hundred dollars discounted to help these poor people." I replied : " Mr. Blair, I cannot be mistaken about this." Exhibiting much impatience at my positiveness, he said : " Well, arrest them ; and if you find the quinine, put them in the Old Capitol." Three miles over the lines, I stopped the travelers, and informed Miss B. that I wanted to examine the skirt. She immediately went into a farm-house, took off the garment, and threw it down indignantly, saying : "So this is the way you treat Southern ladies." The whole party were then escorted to Washington. Miss B. and Mr. B. were lodged in the Old Capitol prison. Upon reporting the facts to the Secretary of War, he directed me turn the quinine over to the medical director, the horse and wagoi to the quartermaster, and the groceries to the hospitals. The next morning the Hon. Montgomery Blair and Miss B. called, and demanded the restoration of the prop- erty. I informed them of its disposal. On the afternoon of that day, Mr. Blair came back with written order from Mr. Lincoln to deliver up the goods. I told him that this was impossible, for it had already been handed over to the Government by authority of the Secretary of War. He then demanded my removal from office. Mr. Lincoln did not see that I had disobeyed any order, and failed to appreciate his Postmaster's regard for law and his Southern friends. The parties were kept in prison several weeks, and then paroled. We add Mr. B.'s statement, made under oath : M. B. B. makes the following statement : I was born in London County, Virginia. Aged twenty-three years. Re- side in Fauquier County, Virginia. On or about the 27th of October, 1862, Mrs. T., her daughter (Miss L. B. B.), and myself, came to Washington city, in a buggy or carriage, which was owned by Mrs. T. the horse belonged to uie. Mrs. T. also had in her employ a wagon and team, which, I believe^ MR. BAYLY'S COMPANION. 129 were the property of the driver, and which were engaged by her to convey groceries to her home, for family use. My visit to Washington, at the time referred to, was at the written request of Mrs. T., desiring me to accompany her to Washington. After making her purchases, she (Mrs. T.) obtained the necessary passes for our return; we started for home, and arrived in Alexandria, Virginia. The weather being rainy, Miss B. and myself commenced the preliminaries for taking medicines through the lines, on a speculation. After the agreement to do so, I ordered some of the medicines in Alexandria, when our party (Mrs. T., Miss B., and myself) concluded to return to Washington, D. 0. ; but Mrs. T., to my knowledge, knew nothing of the contraband arrangement between Miss B. and myself. The purchases were all made by me, both in Alexandria and in Washing- ton. Miss B. and myself jointly expended about five hundred dollars in the enterprise. Miss B.'s arrangements for the conveyance were completed at Mr. Gal- lagher's residence on Fifteenth Street ; mine were completed in Alexandria. After taking every precaution for success, we started for home in the same conveyance that brought us, and the same parties, viz. : Mrs. T., Miss B., and myself. We proceeded homeward until stopped by the pickets, near Chantilly, and were then taken to Centreville, Fairfax County, Virginia, where we were searched, and the contraband medicines found and taken from us. I had but two letters, which were taken from me when arrested one was given me by Miss B. H. (who, I believe, boards on Four-and-a-Half Street), remarking at the time, that it was from her mother to her sister ; Mr. McV., of Alexandria, handed me the other, requesting me to send it to his father, remarking that there was nothing treasonable in it. I did not know of any letters on the person of Miss B., previous to our arrest. When arrested, Miss B. and myself regretted the cause thereof, as we imagined Postmaster-General Montgomery Blair might be censured for aiding and assisting us in obtaining passes, our actions, as detected, having the appearance of disloyalty. It is but justice to that gen- tleman to say, that he knew nothing of the matter between Miss B. and myself. Besides the contraband medicines taken from me, I had two carpet-bags, which contained my clothing. I also hold a receipt from detective officer Lee, for " forty dollars in treasury notes, thirty dollars in Virginia State notes, wenty-four dollars in' Confederate notes, and two dollars on broken bank," igether with my horse, which was in the buggy when arrested. I believe all these are in the possession of Mr. L. 0. Baker, Provost-Marshal of the War Department, and, being my individual property, I respectfully ask their return on the disposal of my case. Having thus truthfully stated my case, and my lady companion (Miss B.) having been discharged, I presume that justice and punishment should be administered without partiality. I, therefore, respectfully ask my discharge from confinement on the same conditions and privileges as were conceded to 9 130 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. Miss L. B. B., my companion in the unfortunate matter which caused my arrest and confinement. M. B. B. Personally appeared before me, this eleventh day of December, A. D. 1862, the above-named Marcus B. B., and, being sworn according to law, de- clares the above statement to be true. L. C. TTJBNEB, Judge- Advocate. Witness my hand and seal the day and year aforesaid. The telegraph lines were especially guarded after the war commenced. Great failures in army movements were caused t>y the improper use of the telegraph. When battles were impending, guards and censors to watch it were sent by the Government to the offices, for two reasons : first, to prevent intelligence from reaching the ene- my ; secondly, to keep it out of the hands of unscrupulous persons, who would use it for speculation. Two millions of dollars were made in Wall Street in an hour by a single telegram. The business of that money market was governed by the army movements. Various tricks and expedients were resorted to for the concealment of the traffic in blood and gold. Very few exceptions, however, were made to this general rule. The commanding general, chief quartermaster, and a few others, were permitted to send dispatches not subject to the usual censorship. A prominent officer attached to headquarters, who had spent his early life in Oregon, with the army, had become familiar with an Indian jargon called CTiunook) introduced by cast-away sailors, seventy-five years ago. No trade but that of whale-ships was then carried on along that coast. The sailors taught the Indians certain expressions, pretending them to be English, which remain in use among them. A prominent Oregon politician, then in Washington a friend of the army officer before referred to had also learned this "Chunook." Presuming that the knowledge of this jargon was confined to themselves at the East, they had arranged a system of telegrams, to speculate in gold. December 12, 1862, after a temporary repulse of the Union Army, I was sent for by the Secretary of War, who said : CHTTNOOK TELEGBAMS. 131 "Colonel, can yon tell me what this means ?" handing me a telegram, which I recognized at once as Chunook. The dis- patch was signed " ," and sent to I replied : " Oregon Indian jargon." He added : " What is jargon ? " I explained. He asked me to write ont a translation of it. The Secretary did not seem folly to appreciate my knowledge of the language. He inquired if there were others who understood it. I replied: "Yes, several." Retaining the telegram, he sent for Mr. D., clerk in the Department of the Interior, who had also been in Oregon. He translated it substantially as I had done. The Sec- retary, still incredulous, sent for General , who is a fine linguist. He said: "Mr. Secretary, why, this is Hungarian:" a reply which was for some time a standing joke at the gener- al's expense. The dispatches continued to arrive that and the next day. They were altered, transposed, &c., then forwarded, to the great wonder and bewilderment of the recipients. We copy the original telegrams with the two translations, intimating that the Chunook system of telegraphing was re- jected by the Government. The expressions, apparently so disconnected, had each a significance well understood by the army speculators : NERIKA IBCUM Hin nesika pooh cononay okok sun copa hin hias guns. Wake bin tilicum mameloos. Tomolloh tenas sun nesika puck puck copa musket pe concuay pire ictas. Nahnitka clunas silcum nesika mameloos kata wake chaco ole nez. Where is S. Where H. S. Come here to-day. My soldiers come as yon told me. Now tell me, old N., suppose you want to see one big firing. All well, you make haste here now. News why mad, yes, to-morrow. Where is S. Tell H. S. to come here to-day. The soldiers come as you told me. Now tell old N., suppose he wants to see one big firing, all right, make haste here. They will be mad to-morrow 132 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. UKITKD STATES MIHTAET TKLBGBAPH, "WAB DEPABTMBHT, I WASHINGTON, D. C., December 12, 1861 ) Wake siyah cultus mitlike nesika conoway okok sun nika tumtum claska rebels puck puck nesika tomallah kagna pilitin divils klash nanitch conowav eun toniallah klark aiyum mika. We have come to Fredericksburg. A great many we shoot all this day. with a great many big guns. A great many of your people are killed. To- morrow morning we shoot with muskets and all fire-arms. Yes, probably half of us will be dead. Why don't you come. We have come to Fredericksburg. We have killed a great many to-day, with big guns. A great many of their people are killed. To-morrow morn- ing we shoot with muskets, and all kinds of fire-arms. Probably half of us will be dead. Why don't old N. come. It appears to patriotic " outsiders" incredible that such a morbid spirit of speculation could exist amid the tragedies of civil war ; but those who escaped the contamination in the arena of tempting opportunities were the select and incor ruptible few at whose head was Abraham Lincoln. CHAPTEK VIII. OFFICIAL SERVICES AND EMBARRASSMENTS NEW ORDER OP THINGa The Bureau transferred to the War Department Dr. H., and the Perilous Adventure of which he was the occasion Report of the Case Arrest of the Leader of a great secret Southern Organization Documents and Letters. DEPARTMENT or STAT*, ) "WASHINGTON, February 16, 1863. ( SIR Permit me to introduce Mr. L. 0. Baker, who has been employed by the State Department in the detective service, and who, so far as known, has discharged his duties in a manner entirely acceptable. In consequence of Executive Order No. 1, dated February 14, this department has no further use of his services. He is commended to your consideration as a capable and efficient officer. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, W. H. SEWAKD. Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. Some interesting adventures soon after followed. Dr. G. H. was from Leesburg, Va. ; graduated in the Medical College of Philadelphia, and became engaged, while attending lectures, to the daughter of a prominent citizen, and subsequently married her. Immediately after the rebellion broke out, he took sides with the South, and became so obnoxious to the people of Germantown, by the declaration of his secession sentiments, that a committee waited upon him requesting him to leave, which he refused to do. This so exasperated the citizens, that they warned him to take a peaceful farewell of the com- munity. He decided, at length, to go South. Kemoving to Baltimore, with others of similar character, among them Cap- tain Wardell, of the STienandoaTi, he entered into the exciting but lucrative business of blockade-running. In the selection of his associates, as will appear, he took one of my detec- tives, and gave the details of the plan, dates of intended operations, and the kind of goods to be sold. The schooner chartered by them was the James Buchanan a fitting name. 134 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. Having learned all the facts, I provided a tug, and was lying off Annapolis two days and nights, expecting every moment the appearance of the schooner; whose departure was delayed by a terrible snow-storm. And here I was obliged to resort to one of the subter- fuges which were employed afterward so successfully by my assistants. Putting on the old oily clothes of an engineer, and with an oil can in my hand, I went to the store where the excur- sionists were getting supplies. While there, I found the entire company engaged in the purchase. I was in no hurry to leave the place, but managed to get close to one of the company who belonged to my force, and was admitted to the circle in disguise, trying, by nudging him and pulling his coat, to let him know who I was. It was all in vain : so complete was my transformation into a common and greasy engineer. Captain Wardell asked me on what boat I was engineer I said of a tug-boat. Wardell, then turning to one of his companions, re- marked : "Why, here's a man who can tow us out." Then again addressing me, he inquired : " What will you ask to tow a small schooner out into the bay?" I replied : " On moderate terms. If you are all ready, for ten dollars. Where is your schooner?" " At the wharf." " Well, if you are ready in an hour I'll do the job. My tug is at the end of the pier." I went on board and told my twelve assistants to go into a small cabin aft, and not to show themselves till signaled by me. Soon after the blockade-runners came down, stepped aboard the schooner, threw me a line, bade adieu to their friends on shore, and we started down the bay. Their vessel being small, with little room under the deck, they remained above. Six miles from Annapolis, where they could sail their vessel, they hailed me, and told me to cast off the line. THE CAPTURE. 137 I invited them on the tug to take a glass of good cheer before leaving. They came on board, and, while gathered around the bottle, I gave the signal ; my men rushed up the hatchway. I told my guests who I was, and that they were my prisoners. Among them was one of my detectives, who, to be distinguished readily, wore a red shirt and black belt. He had been three weeks with these blockade-runners. A little warlike demonstration was soon quieted by the display of a carbine. I took them to Fort McHenry, in a snow-storm of great severity ; and, having let my subordinates return with, the boat while I adjusted business details, found the walk of nearly three miles, in the night, no pleasure walls after the excitement and fatigue of the day. My report recounts the official course of events partially narrated : WABHINOTOK, February 24, I860. To the Hon. E. M. STAHTOH, Secretary of War : DEAR SIB Herewith please find my report in the case of Dr. H. H., arrested at Annapolis, on the 18th instant. The doctor is a resident of Germantown, Pennsylvania. During the excitement last summer, the doctor made himself particularly obnoxious to the Union people in his vicinitj by his open denunciations of the Government and his avowed sympathy with the so-called Confederate States; so distasteful had he become, at one time, that the police authorities in Philadelphia were compelled to interfere to protect his person and property. Dr. H. was, until the last two years, a resident of Winchester, Virginia; he married the daughter of F. B., Esq., of Philadelphia (a good Union man and a worthy citizen). On or about the first of the present month, the Doctor began making arrange- ments for going South, for the purpose of joining the Confederate army as a surgeon. He came on to Baltimore, Maryland, mingled freely with the secession element in that city. On the 10th instant, an organization or party of rebels, in Baltimore (of which the Doctor was one), chartered the sloop James Buchanan to carry them to Virginia. Being advised of their intended movements, I chartered (by order of Major-General Dix) a steam tug, with a view to intercept them, it being understood that the party, consisting of thirteen persons, were to embark at Annapolis. The day fixed upon for their departure being very stormy, the sloop did not leave Baltimore. I, however, went to Annapolis on Tuesday last, and found the expedition ready to sail Having no boat at my disposal, I immediately arrested Dr. H. I searched his baggage, and found letters which settle the question as to his guilt and intentions to join the Confederates. A quantity of gold coin and Confederate bank-bills were found in his possession, also pistols, rubber blankets, ready-made clothing, &c., &c. The prisoner, with the letters, 138 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. papers, money, and all other effects belonging to him, were turned over to General Dix, at Baltimore. The prisoner is now confined in Fort McHenry, subject to the disposal of your Department. I am, sir, your obedient servant, (Signed) L. C. BAKEB. Alexandria, notwithstanding its proximity to Washing- ton, became headquarters of secession councils. This state of things culminated, early in the struggle, in the death of Ellsworth. At Baltimore, while I was apparently in sympathy with the rebels, I learned of a secret organization at Alexandria. It was formed ostensibly for the benefit of the families of both Union and Confederate soldiers. This will account for the connection of Mr. Louis McKenzie with its proceedings. He became a member, unaware of its real character ; and when its disloyal spirit was apparent, he absented himself from the meetings of the society. The seizure of the records put me in possession of its entire history. There was "a wheel within a wheel" in this organized benevolence, de- signed to bring out all the sympathy available for the cause of treason. The Peel correspondence will be found es- pecially rich in expressions of feeling ; while the rebel poetry, which graced one of the meetings of the association, presents very forcibly its ruling animus. In this report, as in other narratives I shall quote, sometimes uninteresting details occur, because inseparable from the record : WASHIWOTOK, March, 4, 1862. To the Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War : SIB I have the honor herewith to transmit my report in the following cases, arrested at Alexandria by myself and assistants, February 26th and 27th, 1862. Accompanying this report are two books one containing the proceedings of a secret organization, or society, for the benefit of the families of soldiers now in the Confederate army, also the manufacture of uniforms, clothing, &c., which have from time to time been forwarded to the so-called Confederate States. This association waa organized in June last, and, as appears from the minutes of their proceedings, the Ladies' Relief Association, composed of the wives and daughters of its members, were admitted, in order, as it is alleged, to extend the usefulness of their operations. Repeated complaints have been made to mo, during the past fall and winter, concerning the meetings and treasonable transactions of this society. CITIZENS OF ALEXANDRIA ARRESTED. 139 Owing to the high social standing and position of these traitors, and the ex- treme secrecy with which all their operations were carried on, I found it very difficult to ascertain, with any degree of certainty, their places of meet- ing, their number, or the names of the parties comprising the organization. During the past four months, large numbers of cards were picked up in the streets and bar-rooms at Alexandria, on which v, ere printed words and sentences, disconnected, which (since the arrests were made) I have "ascer- tained were intended as a notice to the members of the society to meet at a certain time and place. So dark and secret were all their proceedings, that it was with the utmost difficulty, and after months of patient and constant surveillance, that this board of secret plotters against the Government were brought to light. The book containing the minutes of these meetings was found in the pos- session of Henry Peel, who, at the time of the arrests, was secretary of the association. This book, fortunately, contained the names of all the officers, which subsequently led to their arrest. The book marked "Dangerfield" was found in his (Dangerfield's) possession. It contains a statement of the object of the association, the names of its contributors, names of subscribers, amount subscribed, and how disbursed. There can he no question as to the real object of this association. Let- ters, papers, and memorandums, found in possession of nearly all the parties arrested, show most conclusively that these individuals were engaged in a treasonable conspiracy to levy war against the United States Government, and all have refused to take the oath of allegiance. Much of the proof on which I rely to convict, under the act of 1861, is verbal conversations with and between these rebels, which have been overheard by many of the most reliable citizens of Alexandria, and, I am satisfied, will convince any jury in the land of their guilt. On or about the 4th of March, 1861, Mr. Louis McKenzie (now Mayor of Alexandria) was called upon for consultation with J. B. Dangerfield, W. F. Booth, W. H. Taylor, W. H. Marburg, General Johnston (now in the Con- federate army), James Green, and J. W. Burke, for the purpose of devising some plan for the seizure of Washington, the seizure of steamers running on the Potomac, and destroying the buoys marking the channel up the Potomac. They also gave information and personally assisted in the seizure of the steamer Paige, now in possession of the Confederates. All the facts causing this meeting can be proved by a number of reliable witnesses now residing in Alexandria. All the above-named parties (except the rebel General John- ston) are now confined at the Old Capitol prison. Owing to the recent arrests, and seizure of contraband correspondence, but few letters directly implicating the parties were found. HBNKT PEEL. The following letter was written to Henry Peel by his brother now in Rich mond : 140 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. KICHMOHD, November 80, 1861. MT. DEAR BROTHER You can not imagine the source of pleasure your letter gave us. It was the first line I had received from Alexandria since I left. The letter you wrote me in answer to mine I have never received, but hope it may come along in time. Since I came to Richmond I have been busily engaged selling off the goods I shipped to the country, and have been operating in other articles out of my usual line, and have succeeded very well so far. The truth is, almost anything you could bay can be sold at a profit and for cash. Money is more abundant than I ever knew in all my business life. Richmond is the center of-trade; it is the point from which the army draw most of their supplies. The supplies are abundant and coming in from every quarter. The noble sons of the South have just laid down their all upon the altar of patriot- ism, determining to maintain their rights against such a nation of Yankee myrmidons, as are in fact the Northern States. When the South determined to separate from so vile a community, they have to confess that they did not know that they were so much like land pirates as they have shown themselves to be in their effort to crush the Southern people. Of all civilized nations known, a more brutal, despicable crusade against the South is not recorded. They (the South) now fully know with whom they are dealing, and will act accordingly an eye for an eye and all prepare to meet them any and every- where. Whenever a contest has taken place, the Southern soldiers have proven successful. This is true ; their papers to the contrary. The whole purpose is to deceive the people, and their papers are under such surveillance that they can not dare to give any other report. The actual loss in the Leesburg fight, say prisoners, killed, wounded, drowned, and missing, was thirty-three hun- dred. Your papers state no such result. Every few days a large batch of prisoners are brought here. Yesterday, twenty-three cavalry were brought down; their horses and all captured. Sent off two hundred and fifty to Alabama on Wednesday; about fifteen hundred still remain here. If they attempt to hang those taken as privateers, their rank will be hung here. Already lots have been drawn, and each unhappy man is confined in the cell for criminals prepared for the condemned. In no way can the North get ahead of the South. Plenty of stout hearts, abundance of provisions, full supply of ammunition, army well equipped. The finest long-range rifle cannon and columbiad, that strikes terror whenever fired. The whole South, with a united voice and solemn resolve, have willed to be free from the North or perish in the effort. All feel hopeful and sanguine of success, willing to en- dure any and all privations, even to life itself. If the North could only know how vain their efforts to conquer the South, or subdue the rebels, they would give it up. If they do know the fact, their acts are only to damage the South, to gratify an intense hatred for losing so good a customer as the South has been ; but in carrying on the war, every blow they give strikes back with redoubled force, in loss of life and building up a debt which they will never see paid. As for the Union must be preserved, it is all a farce ; the old Union is broken, never again to be united. This is a fixed fact. Every day the blockade lasts only tends to make the South more independent of the North, REBEL CORRESPONDENCE. 141 as every variety of manufacture is springing up. Just think of it: a few months since there was uo Government whatever here ; now it is fully organ- ized, and every department is in successful operation. A large army has been organized and well sustained, and can whip three times their weight in Yankee flesh or foreigners either. The crops have been abundant, money is plentiful, and confidence between man and man, all standing shoulder to boulder, determined to undergo extermination before subjugation. The I worn en and children uniting in the one common effort, besides the slaves all at home laboring to sustain our army with provisions to repel the common foe against us. To conquer such a people, relying upon the God of battles to sustain them, is simply ridiculous. In all our struggles, the hand of the Almighty is plainly visible ; for our many sins we may be scourged and have to suffer much, but putting our trust in Him, though many be slain, yet He in- tends all for our good. It is a source of no little gratification to feel that God is with us in this struggle, and to expect some reverses is natural enough, but the result is only a question of time : the longer we are persecuted, the greater loss of life .and money the North will sustain, and accomplish nothing at last. In one thing the Yankees have been mistaken : that was, to incite the negroes to insurrection ; but be it said to their advantage when the struggle is over, that where one black face with a true heart has turned against us, ten white, faces with black and false hearts have done so ; and I regret so many in Alexandria are of that class, but most of foreign-born or Yankees, who never had any sympathy with the institutions of the South. Amidst all the horrors of the war, Richmond is increasing in population and realizing great and un paralleled prosperity. Nearly every branch of business is a success. Manu- factories are doing well. We have a very large number of Alexandrians here, and most of them have profitable employment. John McO. J. is here in office at one thousand dollars salary ; Wells A. Lockwood is in a bank at one thou- sand dollars salary. I could extend the list of friends here. Mr. E. KWitmer and child arrived safely ; all of them will keep house together. Tell H. P. I received a letter from his partner, S., and he sent me a letter for H., which I will forward with this, hoping it may reach him, as I trust all our letters, safely. As you all have both piano and melodeon, we would like for Lu. to send round and get F.'s piano and melodeon and take care of it for me, using both as much as they please. If not inconvenient, we would like them to send and get them. I have never heard one word from Mr. B. since I left. - I hope he will be able to get along without trouble and meet with no reverses. ' It is a sad state of things that friends should thus be separated, and for no fault of ours, the fault being at the door of demagogues and politicians. Awful will be the account to settle at the Day of Judgment for so much cruelty wan- tonly inflicted upon innocent men, women, and children. Surely their cup is fast filling up, and vengeance will overtake them. We have been disappointed in sending this as I expected, but now have a chance in a day or two. Our General Assembly met in Augusta, Georgia, last Wednesday, to organize anew for the South. They expect to get along without large boards to man- age their affairs only a small committee responsible to the Assembly. Theresa 142 UNITED STATES SEOKET SERVICE. goes over to Petersburg next Thursday, to spend a week or so. Our Congress and Legislature are in session. The State Convention has adjourned. We have seen Lincoln's message a poor thing. How vastly he is mistaken about Tennessee and North Carolina. He will find both Kentucky and Missouri going with the South. He may well recommend the fortifying of Northern cities, fearing European intervention or aid from that quarter. It is all for Do purpose this detestable land-pirate war is carried on ; they never can con- quer the South "We are getting stronger every day. Men enlisting and implements of warfare increasing weekly. Some new engines of warfare have been invented that will be used in the next battle, that will carry death and destruction to any army coming in contact with it. Of this I can not speak further ; but only an opportunity offer to use them, and they will rue the day they ever thought of subjugating a free and enlightened people. We all unite in affectionate love to you all, praying a merciful Providence may watch over and keep you. I am, affectionately, your bother, 8. It will always be an historical fact, over which the loyal heart will sadly wonder, that, while the cause of treason was rarely betrayed by its professed friends, the most threaten- ing danger at the North was the treachery of those who lived under and and even hurrahed for the old flag. No future historian of the civil war will probably ever attempt, nor will the records of the quartermasters' de- partment ever show the vast amount of public stores and other property wantonly abandoned and destroyed by its faithless servants. All over the boundless arena of conflict were scattered - the best materiel of war its most abundant supplies in fragments and decaying masses ; a spectacle not beheld, and therefore unappreciated, by the people at home. It is, however, no new thing under the sun, and peculiar to no party in power. The Mexican war was, perhaps, never surpassed in this aspect of national conflicts. The speculations were so re- mote from the great commercial centers of the country, the people knew but little of the manifold and lawless specula- tions. The late war offered opportunities of every possible sort for unprincipled traffic ; some of them lawful, and many more unmitigated robbery. "Uncle Sam" was the victim of this sharp practice, and therefore it flourished with the air of respectability and comparative impunity. FRAUDS BY GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES AND OTHERS. 143 In one instance, a telegraph operator retained important official messages, and even charged for Government dis- patches. Death itself has no barrier to the mercenary trade. The embalming of the dead, and the transportation of the bodies to friends at a distance, were occasions for unblush- ing extortion. As we have suggested, the atmosphere of war is petrify ing to the moral sensibilities of men who yield to its de- moralizing influence, and they will do deeds in the presence of death, and with their own threatened every moment, which, in the purer, calmer air of their domestic and social life, would be utterly repulsive and unthought of by them CLERKS and employees of the Government, whose business it was to make returns of the amount of forage and supplies received from the contractors, it was found were bribed by the latter to make false entries, and thus increase the weight fraudulently, to a greater or less figure. My investigation of the transactions disclosed the astounding fact that these employees had increased the amount of supplies furnished by sixteen contractors to the amount in money of over two hun- dred thousand dollars ; which, in compliance with my sugges- tion, was deducted from the sum to be paid the contractors, on their final settlement with the Government. All means were resorted to, by men who attracted the notice of the bureau, to escape arrest. When bribery and coaxing failed, threats were used, to secure their immunity from merited exposure and punishment. I was not unfre- quently cautioned by a member of the Cabinet, against ex posure to personal violence and even assassination. The letter copied below refers to a communication of an attorney. A German, named Yolk, who had in his possession a large number of horses, nearly all of which belonged to the Gov- ernment, was arrested, and the horses taken from him. As usual in similar cases, Volk employed an attorney. After a full and patient hearing of the case, I returned to Yolk nine of the horses, which could not be proved to belong to the Government. The attorney, after exhausting legal argument to get the rest of the animals, wrote a letter, in which he in- timated that he had possession of certain papers reflecting unfavorably upon my private and official character, and that 144 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. their presentation to the President would make my immediate dismissal from the service certain. But, if I would recom- mend the Quartermaster-General to restore the horses, and appoint a friend of his on my police force, he would forward me the papers, and spare me the disgraceful exposure by Mr. Lincoln. In reply, I wrote as follows : Ornox PBOVOBT-MARSHAL WAS DEPARTMENT, ) WASHINGTON, December 15. 1862. S To F. B., Attorney and Counselor at Law, Washington, D. 0. : SIE Your note of this date is received. Previous to my giving you any order for the payment of the nine horses, I took much pains in investigating the case, and satisfied myself that Yolk was entitled to the pay for the said nine horses, and no more. I have, as yet, seen no proof or facts that would warrant me in recommending the Quartermaster's Department to pay for any more horses on Volk's account. If you can produce any satisfactory proof that any person or persons in my employ extorted money from Volk, I will not only cause the amount to be refunded, but will immediately discharge and arrest such person or per- sons. In relation to certain papers you refer to, which you say you will fur- nish me with, that might be used greatly to my annoyance, I beg leave te reply, that I am not in the market as a purchaser of any such documents. The parties you speak of s being on my track, and whom you say you will exercise your skill to keep off, I have no fears of; therefore you are at libei ty (so far as I am concerned) to let them loose as soon as you may think proper. In the latter part of 1862, I was sent for by Mr. Lincoln to make a A investigation respecting the "brutal treatment of slaves in Lower Maryland. This whole section had been visited by the Union troops, and, as a natural consequence, the slaves were escaping. There seemed to be something so fascinating to the ignorant bondmen, that they would follow .them, as if charmed by the glittering bayonet and blue uniform, which never failed to awaken a strange longing for liberty. It is not military ambition, but an inspiration, which seizes them. They are ready to fall in and keep step to the martial airs of freedom. An illustration of the interesting peculiarity of the race came under my observation during one of the well-known raids by General Kurtz, from Suffolk, on the Weldon rail- road. The First District Cavalry, a regiment I had raised, and of which further mention will be made, was divided into front and rear guard. The advance of the forces was the first appearance of Union troops among these patient REBEL BRUTALITY TO SLAVES. 145 "servants" of the region. To be informed that we were "Yankees," was enough, without the slightest hint of our plans or destination, to stir the most stupid toiler like a trumpet-call. The hoe was dropped, the plow and cart abandoned. Even the women, moved by the same wild impulse, deserted their cabins, and all together rushed to the rear of the army, and stepped to the music of the march for days, and sometimes for weeks. They dreaded more than death the return to their owners, or recapture by them. When it became necessary to leave several hundred at Reams' s Station, in our hurried movement backward, they lingered about instead of going forward, and their frantic agony was heart-rending. A very cruel instance of the welcome given to a recap- tured slave, occurs to me in this connection. One Carpenter, a notorious secessionist, was a ruffian and a terror to all Union men. 1 o frighten the slaves, and prevent them from running away, he tied a captured man to a tree, in a nude condition, whipped him with a board til. exhausted, then set his slaves at work. When this master and fiend was rested, he returned to the beating, until death closed the scene. There was a formal arrest, but the majority of his "fellow-citizens" were in sympathy with him, and he was soon at liberty. Subsequently, however, he was arrested for treason, and confined in the Old Capitol prison. It is a matter of history, that at this period of the National struggle for existence, the cause of the war was ignored by the North. Not so with the South; there, the "corner- stone" was brought forth to the world's admiring view, and the flag of treason waved proudly over it. There was then some excuse for England' s sneer at our unbroken loyalty to the South in her defense of the aristocratic claim of superi- ority over all other American races. I have never had the honor of being called a reformer, or an "abolitionist" but I do not deny that my sense of justice, and my sympathies, have been with the injured and oppressed, irrespective of color, or position in society. I have, therefore, during the entire period my bureau has served the loyal cause, unhesitatingly given the whole power of the department to the protection of the defense- 10 146 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. less negro, whenever lie was the victim of prejudice or passion. In common with thousands who were brought to face the practical effect of the slave system during the war, I have seen the soul of tyranny in it, whose lust of power spared not the blood-bought Union, but longed to crack the whip over the hated " Yankee." Necessarily "behind the scenes," I saw the demon dis- guised by the bland expression of the "chivalry," and learned that the " kind, Christian masters" were so in spite of the system which they sustained they were naturally magnanimous men, or governed by genuine religious prin- ciple, modified by a wrong education to the approval of gigantic wrong. I could fill pages with the narratives of fiendish scorn of the "nigger," while he was docile and unresisting as the lamb led to the slaughter. Nor has the spirit of the peculiar institution died with the formal existence of slavery and the defeat of its sworn friends a fact the country may realize when the retributive storm evoked by the countless mounds of starved prisoners of the loyal North, and the nameless graves of the murdered bondmen, shall again, though in a new aspect, bewilder with darkest fears our wisest statesmen. Fairfax Court-House was for two years within our lines, and occupied as an outpost by our army. Here lived a citizen by the name of F., with whom boarded several of the staff officers. His daughter, Miss F., was a young and decidedly good-looking woman, with pleasing, insinua- ting manners. She discoursed fluently, and with enthu- siasm, of the Union cause, impressing her admiring guesta with her loyalty and intelligence. Meanwhile, she carried her commission as a rebel spy. This document, in its original form, was found through the confidence reposed by Miss F. in a female subordinate in my bureau, who played the part of a Southern lady going to her friends. Miss F. opened her heart to the young adventurer, and also her bed, in which, b&tween the mattress and its nether companion, was con- cealed the prized and useful paper. It was found there when the fair spy was arrested by my order. MISS A. J. F. 147 The public have not forgotten the capture of General Stoughton and staff, at Fairfax Court-House, by Moseby, which drew from Mr. Lincoln the remark, when he waa told that a hundred horses were captured with the officer : " Well, I am sorry for that for I can make brigadier-gen- erals, but can't make horses." It turned out that Miss F. was accustomed to go out at night and meet Moseby, the famous guerrilla, and im- part whatever information might be of service to the enemy. Indeed, one day she was invited by a staff officer to take a horseback ride into the country, and met Moseby, whom she introduced to her escort under an assumed name, and passed along, with loyal words upon her traitorous lips. CHAPTER IX. THE BUREAU IN CANADA IN THE ARMY. Tricks of False Correspondence Mr. Delisle and the " Secret Secession Legation ' THE operations of the bureau were embarrassed unavoida- bly by the transmission of false intelligence through unrelia- ble persons for mercenary ends, of the gravest importance to this or some other department of the Government. Bogus correspondence was sometimes thrown into my hands to mis- lead me, and secure to the writers some personal advantages. For illustration : Early in 1863, a man, who signed him- self "C. M. Delisle," wrote to the State Department, ex- pressing an earnest desire to forward important information, dating from Prescott, Canada East, but post-marked at Og densburg, New York. Delisle claimed to be the agent of the "Secret Secession Legation, Canada," through whose hands passed all the correspondence between the province and Richmond. The letter below is from this gentleman : OGDENSBUBG, May 4, 1868. To the Honorable W. H. SEWARD, Secretary of State, Washington : SIB Certain facts having of late come to my knowledge, of the existence of a secret Southern society, the object of which is most detrimental to the Federal Government of the United States ; and although a British subject, and residing in the States but for a few months, I deem it my duty to inform you of the fact. Having myself been engaged, in 1837 and '38, in quelling the Canadian rebellion, when I had the honor of holding a commission in a British troop of cavalry, besides having since held several commissions and appointments under the Canadian Government, I can understand the very great injury caused by it to a well-constituted Government as yours. However, I am one of those who are strongly in favor of the Union, and would consider it a very great misfortune if such a promising republic should ever be broken up. Being unwilling that it should be known that I have addressed you on this subject, I trust that the confidence reposed by me in you will be strictlj SECRET SECESSION LEGATION. 149 private and confidential ; and should yonr Government think proper to fur- nish me the means of going to Washington, I shall then be most happy to substantiate my assertions by undeniable evidence. Had I had the means at my disposal, I should certainly have lost no time in seeing you personally. As to my character, it is beyond censure, and with regard tc my family Con- nections, they are of the highest standing in Canada, where I was born and brought up. As it might occur to you that this is a ruse to obtain money, I can assure you that it is not so ; and I am confident that when I shall have made you acquainted with the whole of the facts connected with my infor- mation, it will put you in a position to discover and reap invaluable informa- tion for the good of your Government. I may also state that I shall have no objections in offering my services in bringing the whole thing to light, as soin one would have to be employed by you on the frontiers and in Canada, every inch of which is most familiar to me. I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient, &c., 0. M. DELISLB. Four or five letters more, of a similar character, were for- warded to me by Mr. Seward, with the indorsement that he believed much valuable information could be procured from Delisle respecting persons in connection with whom he professed to be acquainted. Accordingly I met him, when he unfolded to me one of the grandest and most skillfully arranged plans ever devised, the great importance of which had rendered it necessary that an organization should be formed, with the sounding title already quoted, whose secretary was " Wm. Sibbald." So completely had these villains made out their programme, the single object of which was to obtain large sums of money, that it was with much difficulty that their plot was finally discovered. The letters which follow were well cal- culated to deceive the most vigilant servants of the Govern- ment : MONTREAL, April 27, 1868. SIH The president of the "Secret Secession Legation in Canada," being desirous to appoint an agent on the border of the United States and Canada for the purpose of facilitating the conveyance of the secret mails, &c., from Richmond, Va., to Europe via Canada, and your name having been transmit- ted to him by a friend of yours in the United States, as a person in whom all confidence can be placed, for your intelligence, integrity, and forbearance, I therefore, sir, beg, at his request, to make you the following offer, for your acceptance or refusal, viz. : First. That you will consent to become "Secret Agenl" in the United States for the above Legation. 150 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. Second. That you will endeavor, by secret meant, to forward in packages, so made up and of such size as to avoid detection at the hands of the United States Government, all the letters, &c., delivered to you monthly by persons from Richmond, Va., and who will have been previously instructed in New York of the nature of their mission toward you. You will also give them any information they may require to make a silent and secret entrance in Canada, by indicating to them the roads by which the crossing of the boundary lines can be more easily effected and with less danger. It will also be your duty to deliver to them, on their making themselves known to you by means of countersigns, which in all cases will be given to you in time by the Legation in Canada, any letters, papers, money, &c., that will have been secretly given to you for them, either from here or from other tecret agent* serving in Canada or the United States. Also, that you will find means to carefully conceal any documents, &c., from the vigilance of the United States Government police, till such docu- ments, &c., are safely delivered into the hands of the "emissary" it may please our worthy President, Mr. Jefferson Davis, to send to us. Third. That you will be willing and ready to move from one place to the other, at six hours' notice from the Legation here, at any time the said Lega- tion may order such a move, and everywhere act as secret agent to them, seeking and gathering any information they may require, and then faithfully transmitting the same to the President here. Should this offer meet your approbation, your remuneration will be as follows, viz. : tvro dollars and fifty cents for every letter, paper, &c., not bearing an official stamp ; ten dollars for any document, letter, paper, 152 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. Captain H. B. Todd, provost-marshal of the District of Columbia : HEADQUARTERS PROVosT-MAHsnAi/s OFFICE, { WASHINGTON, D. O., May 20, 1863. j Colonel L. C. BAKER : I am credibly informed that one Charles Michael Delisle, now living in Ogdensburg, New York, has made arrangements with the Secret Secession Legation, in Montreal, Canada, or with their secretary, "William Sibbald, to convey the rebel mails and dispatches into Canada, as soon as the emissaries from Richmond deliver them to him. Delisle is paid by this Secret Legation, and now stops at Johnson's Hotel, Ogdensburg ; of late he has entered his name as F. A. Delisle, instead of 0. M. My informant has seen his correspondence with said Legation, and read his (Delisle's) proposition. He has already sent dispatches to Montreal, undetected, which have been forwarded to Messrs. Mason and Slidell, through the mails of the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company, and others are very soon expected to go through. I am, sir, your obedient servant, HENRY B. TODD, Captain and Provost-Marshal It is only necessary to add that, on the arrest of Delisle, he confessed that there was no "Secret Secession Legation" in Canada, so far as he knew, but that the design of the parties engaged in the transaction was simply to defraud the United States Government ; and, had it not been defeated by the vigilance of this bureau, it would have proved, of course, a Very handsome speculation for them. CHAPTER X. WEALTHY TRAITORS FRUITLESS SCHEMES, John H. Waring His Operations An Efficient Tool Walter Bowie A Wild Career Rebel Mail Contrabands Extracts from the Private Journals of Rebel Spies. THE insane treason of the Marylanders revealed itself very strikingly in an incident which now occurred. Mr. John H. Waring, a wealthy and respectable planter, residing on the banks of the Patuxent River, had long been suspected of assisting the enemy, and devoting his dwelling to the secret service of the blockade-runners, spies, and mail-carriers of the Confederacy. His family had ever been known as the most scornful haters of the Federal Govern- ment, outspoken, and fearless. The female members of it, by their connection with disloyal friends of high standing in Baltimore, had special facilities for communicating with the South. He, individually, did not enter into the bitter denunciations of the Government, owing partly to his ad vanced age, and partly to his occupation of time on the plantation. Walter Bowie, whose family resided in Maryland, and whose uncle gave the name to the favorite weapon of the chivalry, had early in the struggle cast in his lot with the traitors. A reckless, unprincipled, and daring young man, with considerable culture, he was selected by the Secretary of War to act as a spy. Born and brought up in Lower Maryland, he was thoroughly acquainted with the country. To him are many families there indebted for the loss of fathers and sons. He raised, at different times, squads for the rebel service, ran across the Potomac and sold on specu- lation ; now with Moseby's guerrillas, then with the authori- ties at Richmond, and soon, perhaps, in Washington. I decided, if it were possible, to capture him. Aware that he 154 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. was assisted and concealed by the Waring ladies, I directed my attention to that quarter. Sending four detectives to the house, I ordered them to surround it on a certain night. They secreted themselves accordingly, waiting for the dawn, the usual way of detour movements. The proximity of the men somehow became known to the inmates of the house, but every precaution had been taken to prevent escape. As the light of day appeared, an aged negro servant left the dwelling with a washtub upon her head, and walked toward a spring near by for water. Upon her approach, an officer stopped her, and inquired about the family. She could give no information, and was allowed to pass. When sufficient time had elapsed for her return, the detective sus- pected that he had been deceived, and taking the path to the spring, discovered the tub, and just beyond a horse saddled and bridled, tied to a tree. The whole ruse at once flashed upon his mind. The venerable negress was no other than Walter Bowie. He saw that the horse was watched, and went on afoot. Chagrined at the defeat of his plan, the officer returned to the house, and found, on searching it, the spy's uniform, sash, and sabre. It was ascertained later that a daughter of Mr. W., Mrs. Ducket, had blackened and dressed Bowie for the occasion. A more careful examination of the prem- ises led to the discovery of several suits of rebel uniform. From this time till autumn he was successfully engaged in raids upon defenseless sutlers and unarmed citizens, until at last, crossing the Potomac with a company of his asso- ciates, went to Sandy Hill, broke open a store, and pillaged it. I dispatched a squad in pursuit, and surrounded his camp next morning at Booneville. A skirmish ensued, and Bowie was shot with a double charge, and instantly killed. The following episode in the darkly romantic history flings a lurid light into the "habitations of cruelty" which have been protected by the " starry flag" of freedom, reveal ing their domestic scenes : OFFICE PROVOST-MARSHAL WAB DRPARTMKITT, j WASHINGTON, July 9, 1863. ) Honorable E. M. ST ANTON, Secretary of War : SIB I respectfully submit the following statement, and request further directions in the matter. CRUELTY TO NEGROES. 157 On Monday last, having received information that Walter Bowie, a noto- rious rebel and spy, had been on a recent visit to the house of Mrs. Lizzie Bowie, in Prince Q-eorge County, Maryland, and also, that subsequent to said visit, on Sunday night last, a loaded wagon containing clothing had been sent from Mrs. Bowie's house to the house of a Mr. Worthington, near the Poto- mac, for transmission to Virginia, I detailed a force from this office to inves- tigate the matter, and arrest the said Walter Bowie and any other parties en- gaged in disloyal practices. Walter Bowie succeeded in evading the search made for him, hut it was ascertained that on Sunday night a two-horse wagon was sent from Mrs. Bowie's hous.e, driven by a colored man named Daniel Grant, and in charge of Mr. Contee Warren ; that two large trunks were in said wagon, and that the same were taken some miles from Mrs. Bowie's, and then taken from the wagon and deposited by the side of the road, and there left, the driver, Daniel Grant, stating to the said officers that he understood that said trunks contained clothing, &c., and were intended for Walter Bowie. My officers then visited the house of Mr. Worthington, charged with forwarding clothing, goods, &c., from Mrs. Bowie's into Virginia. A full examination of his house and premises was made, but nothing found of a contraband nature. In the process of such examination, my officers, on reaching the garret of Mr. Wor- thington 's house, found the entrance closed and fastened with a padlock. Upon being refused admission, the door was forced open, and, to their surprise and horror, found there two almost naked negro girls, chained together by the wrists, and exhibiting upon their persons evidences of a most brutal and bloody punishment. Their backs were covered with blood, and gashed, as with a sharp knife, from the shoulders to the loins, presenting a spectacle of horrid cruelty and suffering which words cannot describe. One of these girls was owned by Mrs. Lizzie Bowie, and the other by Mrs. Worthington ; and it is understood that they had been beaten with a tract chain by three men, namely, Mr. Worthington, Contee Warren, and Mr. Hall, overseer of Mrs. Bowie, and that Mrs. Bowie had ordered the punishment on the girl, who was her slave. I do not understand that any law, human or di- vine, confers the right to inflict upon helpless women, black or white, the frightful torture borne by these poor and defenseless negro girls. Moved by pity, and the hope that speedy justice from the strong arm of the Government would be visited upon the cowardly miscreants who have dared to commit so infamous a crime, my officers arrested Mr. Worthington and Contee War- ren, and brought them to this city, and they are now in the custody of thh office until further orders of the War Department are received. I regret to say that the officers, not feeling authorized to act as liberators, left the negro girls chained and bleeding in the garret of Worthington's house. Respectfully yours, L. 0. BAKKB, Provost-Marshal of the War Department The captives were released, and, with an expression of the deepest gratitude upon their sad faces, they crawled out 158 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. of the garret, in which they had not room to stand erect, only to suffer again. I was informed that one of them was soon afterward found in the woods, dead, with marks of the terrible scourge upon her body. The only crime of the poor girls was, obeying the instinctive love of freedom, fired into an irresistible impulse at the sight of the " boys in blue." A large rebel mail was found between the beds of Mrs. Ducket's room, and specimen packages of blockade gooda in transitu from Europe were secreted in different parts of the house. Opening the mail, we ascertained that Mr. Waring' s mansion had long been the rendezvous of all who served the Southern cause, and a post-office for their cor- respondence. Waring was conveyed to Washington, and tried by military commission, and sentenced to two years in Fort Delaware. On his trial it was shown, that for months he had used his horses and wagons to carry rebel recruits to the Potomac ; and, even the very night of his arrest, he had brought Bowie, in his Confederate dress, to his house for concealment. After his conviction, the Secretary of War directed that all of his animals and other property should be confiscated and sent to Washington. Accordingly, I repaired to the plantation, and found one hundred and ten slaves, impatient to be free. Unwilling to act without in- structions, no proclamation of emancipation having then appeared in behalf of the millions in bondage, and in sym- pathy with our cause, upon appealing to Mr. Lincoln, with a detailed account of the case, and saying to him, "I did not like to assume the responsibility of their liberation," he char- acteristically replied : " Baker, let them alone, and they will free themselves!" I took the hint, and returned to the plantation, whither I had sent forty Government wagons to transport to the capital the confiscated property. The more intelligent slaves appointed a committee to wait on me, to inquire what action I intended to take in their case. I reported my interview with "Massa Linkum," as they always called him, and his significant remark. It was quite sufficient for them. The next morning, with my train, I started, but refused to recognize their escape by affording Government convey- TTARING'S ARREST. 159 ance ; when, in a surprisingly brief time, each family was seen with the humble stock of domestic furniture packed, and ready to follow the wagons of "Massa Linkum." Such patient endurance of fatigue, and uncomplaining toil, to secure the coveted boon of liberty, I never before saw; patience in the pursuit of freedom did "its perfect work." It was soon known to the neighbors of Waring that his "servants" were en route to Washington, who gathered in large numbers, and, fully armed, demanded from me the return of the caravan of laden fugitives. I, of course, re- fused to do it. The conviction of Waring, and the taking of his property, in my opinion, released the slaves morally, if not legally. They then threatened violence, and even attempted to stop the train. The arrest of the ringleaders quieted the mob, and the refugees arrived safely in Washington. Waring' s arrest, and the consequences to him, have been much criticised, and regarded by the South as an arbitrary act ; but when we consider that he, with his entire family, were engaged directly in the rebel service, the evidence of which was overwhelming, it must appear to all loyal minds that the proceeding was justifiable, and even necessary. I copy extracts from the pages of a private journal of the rebel spies captured on the Potomac, which afford a glimpse of life in such adventurous service, that will interest, I am sure, many of my readers : JAMES R. MILBURN. July 23d, 1863. Crossed the Potomac River, from Md. to Va. 24th. Virginia House, Heatharville, Northumberland County, Va. ; arrived at Union Wharf, Rap River, 8 P. M. 25th. Miller's Hotel, south side of Rapidan ; started for Richmond in com- pany with Captain Cox, of North Va. ; walked to Princes, thirty-five miles from Raj\ 26th. Breakfasted at Old Church. Arrived in Richmond 4 p. M., Pow- hatan Hotel ; wrote home. 27th. Called on Mr. Barton. 28th. In Richmond. "Disconsolate." 29th. Richmond. 30th. Left Richmond for Buffalo Springs, Mecklenburg County, Va. ; passed through Petersburg, Va., and Weldon, N. 0. 160 UNITED STATES SECKET SERVICE. 81st. Buffalo Springs, 2 P. M. Room 49, Rowdy Row. August 1st. First impressions of Springs not very pleasing. 2d. Formed the acquaintance of several pleasant gentlemen. 3d. Found more agreeable company. 4th. Took a long walk in company with Mr. Frank Hobbs, of Md. ; talked of dear old Maryland. 5th. Large arrivals ; unlimited scope for the study of human nature ; to me a look, word, or mere motion of body, hand, or head, will often analyze a person's character; first impressions are often lasting, and generally correct. 6th. Each trying to outwit the other. Grouping of nature. 7th. Wrote to Captain Carlisle, Moseby's Cavalry, and to my friend E. N. Spiller, Atlanta, Ga. 8th. Introduced to Mrs. Paxon, wife of the proprietor of Springs. I have closely observed her ; think she is well suited to make married life yes painfully disagreeable. Some talk of the freedom and bliss of persons before marriage. If this be true, what is the state of one coupled to a disagreeable person ; concentrated hell surely. 9th. Tried to meditate on a portion of the Bible ; mind unsettled ; thoughts like chaff before the wind. Left cottage for a walk to compose myself. 10th. Drinking the oozings of human nature. llth. Nothing to do ; yet not like Miss Flora McFlimsey, nothing to wear. 12th. Enjoyed myself by dancing ; find very little intellectual conversation ; thus far during my visit have not heard a solid subject discussed. 13th. Like a butterfly on the wing, pursuing pleasure. 14th. How various are the classifications of the mind ; some appear to be guided by reason, others by a species of brutal instinct. 15th. As a general thing the visitors seem to be friendly. 16th. Ladies very agreeable ; endeavor to repay their kindness. 19th. Modesty is a polite accomplishment, and often an attendant upon merit ; it wins the hearts of all. None are more disgusting in company than the impudent and presuming. 20th. What a fine place to show a person's breeding. Train np a child, &c., &c. 21st. This day to me is a memorial one, no one can tell my feelings, perhaps the thoughts of another one the same ; whether it is a day of folly or happi- ness, the future will show. My intention was honest, howsoever this affair may terminate ; perhaps sympathy was the cause of my action and words. I must say, I do not understand myself in this case. Wrote a long letter to my friend Spiller. 22d. Miss Lucy A. Merritt, of Brunswick County, Va., returned to Buffalo ; a long walk and confidential talk with her. Having noticed my letter to Mr. Spiller, asked to see it. Miss Merritt had no evil intentions when she made this request, this I firmly believe ; I complied with her wish, as it seemed to be a test of friendship. 23d. Placid as a lake, nothing unusual transpired. 24th. In some young people the milk of human kindness seems long since to have curdled; I would advise a little soda to correct the acidity of their J. R. MILBURN'S JOURNAL. 161 nature. A lady should at all times command her tongne, especially in a publio assembly, where a word is aii index to intellect and character. 25th. Nothing extraordinary to-day. 26th Preparing to leave Buffalo Springs. 27th, Good-bye, all friends. Confusion to my enemies, if any. 28th. Left Buffalo for Richmond, Va. ; at Linwood House. 29th to 31st. Richmond, Va. September 1st. Enlisted in the Confederate States Navy. 2d. Left Richmond, with Captain John W. Hebb, of Louisiana, for a cruise on the Chesapeake and its tributaries. Left the cars at Milford Station; dined at Lloyd's, Caroline County, Virginia; camped at Central Point, Caroline County. 3d. Camped on the Rapidan River, at Mr. Warren's; one meal at 11 p. M. 4th. Lighton's Ferry, Essex County ; breakfast, dinner, supper, 9 P. M. 5th. Crossed the Rap. 3^ p. M. ; one meal, 9 P. M. ; camped in the woods, Camp Rust, Westmoreland County, five miles from Rap. River. 6th. Camp Rust ; two meals. 7th. Received a new supply of arms from Richmond ; visited Miss Rust ; two meals. 8th. Detailed to go on special duty ; arrested "William Hammond, a half- breed Indian, for boating Confederate deserters across the Potomac. In camp, 11 p. M., tired and hungry. 9th. Camp Rust. 10th. Broke camp, 10 A. M., for Nomoni River, twenty-five miles ; dined .n the road ; camped in Richmond County. llth. Marched all day; camped, 9 A.M.; one meal. 12th. Dined at 8 p. M. ; rained all night, half drowned next morning. 13th. Roasted corn early this morning; went out gunning for something to eat, hog, calf, or any thing ; nothing procured. loth. Went to Nomoni Ferry, 5 P. M. ; duck, crab, corn bread, butter, and milk. 16th. Dined with Miss Arnest. 17th. Fight between Manning and Fitzgerald ; drew my pistol to shoot Fitzgerald, who threatened to strike me, while in charge of camp, with a sword. I wisely desisted from the intended blow. Nothing to eat. 18th. No provisions; sent out a party to forage, no sucress. 19th. Killed a hog early this morning. 20th. All quiet ; truly a placid state. Strolled about .e woods as if I had DO home. Home is the dearest place on earth, especially rhen it is impossible t3 be there. 21st. Killed another hog. 22d. On picket, fork of road. 23d. About to break camp. 24th. Yanks attacked our forces, at Mathias Point, with infantry and gun- boats : shelled us out. 25th. Moved camp. 26th. Sick all day. 11 162 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. 27th. On Nomoni again ; off on an expedition. 28th. Unwell. 29th. Feel better. 30th. Sick. October 1st. Still sick. 2d. Headache. 3d. In hospital at Bethel M. E. Church. 4th and 5th. Chill. 6th to llth. Sick at Mr. Ames's. 12th. Colonel Blackwell's, on Potomac. 13th. Crossed to St. Mary's County, last night. 14th. Patuxent River. 15th to 17th. Calvert County, Maryland. 18th. Sharp's Island. 1 9th to 28th. Tilligman's Island. 31st. Chills. November 1st. Tilligman's Island. 3d. Tilligman's Island. Captain Hebb captured last night. 4th. Yankee cavalry crossed the bay to Fair Haven, A. A. County, 80th. Cove Point. Cast away. December 1st. Cove Point. Boat repaired. 2d. On the way to the Confederate States. 22d. Calvert County. Slept in an unoccupied house. 23d. do. do. do. Nothing to eat. 29th. St. Mary's County. Went to Rob. Thompson's, cold and hungr/ $ would not let me warm myself, or give me any thing to eat. Slept near Point No- point. 30th. Took to the woods ; afraid of the Yanks. 81st. In a hogpen ; wet and cold. January 1st, 1864. Live in hope that I may safely reach my destination, confident of ultimate success, though every thing seems to oppose. 12th. Pasquith's. Yankee raid from Point Lookout. 14th. do. Yankees gone. 17th. Corinth Church. 18th and 19th. Heathsville. (18th. Boat stolen.) 25th. Heathsville. Went to Machota Creek, in woods. February 1st and 2d. Heathsville. Yankees about. 12th. Attempted to cross the Pototr-ec last night in companr with two ladies and Charley ; wind fair from S. W., but too heavy ; compeDed to turn back. Slept at Mr. Bailey G. Haynie's. 13th. Wind S.S.E. ; at B. G. Haynie's ; crossed the Potomac ; rowec 1 from Precher's Creek, Va., to Point Lookout ; sailed to Patuxent River ; lauded ladies, 7 A. M. Sunday, 14th. 15th. Plum Point, Calvert County, Md. Slept in an unoccupied house on shore. 0. W. MILBURN'S JOURNAL. 163 CHARLES W. MILBURN. July 23d, 1863. Ran the blockade across the Potomac ; a little cloudy ; landed at Cone Rive" ; slept oa the beach the remainder of the night ; mos- quitoes very thick, ani large enough to bite through my coat. 24th. Arrived at Hoathsville ; dined at Virginia House ; started at 3 P. M. for Union Wharf, on the Rap. River ; arrived too late to get across the river ; remained all night. 25th. Crossed the river ; started for Bowler's ; procured conveyance from the ferryman to Millar's ; dined at Brown's Hotel ; impossible to obtain con- veyance to Richmond; after finding a berth in a market- wagon for my bag- gage, I came to the conclusion to walk ; started at 4 P. M. ; walked to Mr. Princess's, seventeen miles ; remained all night. 26th. Started at daybreak for Old Church, 10 miles; arrived at 8.30 A. M. breakfasted ; arrived at Richmond, 4 p. M. ; Powhatan Hotel ; wrote home. 27th. Obtained a pass from General Winder, to pass unmolested in the city for thirty days ; called to see Mr. Barton. 80th. Left Richmond for Buffalo Springs, Mecklenburg County, Va. ; passed through Petersburg, Va., and Weldon, N. C., and arrived at my desti- nation, 31st, at 2 P. M. 31st. Occupying room No. 49 ; prospect very pleasing. August 7th. Still at Buffalo, enjoying myself wonderfully ; wrote to Cap- tain Carlisle, C. S. A., and Mr. Spiller. 22d. Wrote to Mr. Spiller, Atlanta, Ga. ; Miss Lucy A. Merritt returned to Buffalo, stayed till Sunday ; had a very pleasant time during her visit. 31st. A beautiful day. Received orders from Captain H. to prepare to leave Richmond to-morrow morning, under command of Captain Walter Bowie, C. 8. N. September 1st. After arriving at the depot, received another order, to wait until Wednesday. Went to new R. Theatre ; a splendid plot, though not well acted. 2d. Left Richmond on the Fred, train, with Captain Walter Bowie, twenty-two men in all ; dined at Lloyd's in Caroline County, Va. ; encamped at Center Point, Caroline County, Va 8d. Got sojnething to eat at Sparta, about 11 p. M. ; camped on the Rap- pahannock River, at Mr. Warren's. 4th. Camped at Leighton's Ferry, Essex Co., Rappahannock River ; got some cabbage and bacon about 9 A. M. 5th. Acting cook under difficulties; crossed the Rap. River, 3.30 p. M. ; npped in Westmoreland County, 9 p. M. ; camped in the woods, on Mr. Rnst'a plantation, five miles from Rap. River. 6th. Breakfasted about 9 ; corn bread and crackers, commonly called "shortcakes;" amused myself by gathering fov-grapes near the camp; con- structed a chebang in the new camp. Captain Hebb arrived with arms and a guard of eight men ; went to sleep at 9 o'clock. 7th. Breakfast sent to me by Miss Lizzie Rust ; accepted an invitation to dine at Mr. Rust's ; had quite a pleasant time with ladies. 164 [JOTTED STATES SECRET SERVICE. 8th. Jim, with thirteei others, detailed, at 3 A. M., to go from camp on special duty; they arrived in camp about 11 p. M., with one prisoner, named William Hammond, who seemed to be very uneasy ; on guard from 12 p. M. to 2 o'clock. Beautiful night. 9th. Left camp with Captain Bowie, to make a reconnoissance ; break- fasted in camp ; returned to camp, about 11 P. M., tired and hungry; "scene on the road." 10th. H. H., a prisoner, started for Richmond in charge of Private Rusloe ; broke up camp at 10 A. M. ; started with Captain Bowie for banks of Poto- mac, Mathias Point; another party, under Captain H., started for Nomoni River ; marched all day, without any thing to eat ; slept at Mr. McClanna- han's, Machota Creek. llth. Marched till about 4 p. M. ; slept at Dr. Hooes' ; Captain Band and myself had quite a pleasant time with the ladies. 12th. Captain B. sent rne to "Waterloo, and orders to Lieutenant K., C. S. S. C. ; started from W. about dusk, for Mathias Point. 12th. Raining very hard ; slept in rain all night without a blanket. 13th. Capt. B. left about dark, with eight men, for Maryland (beautiful nigat for crossing), leaving me in charge of camp. 14th. Nothing unusual transpired; short of rations; mosquitoes a great plague ; no sleeping for them. 15th. Sent out a foraging party ; nothing procured. 16th. Impossible to. get provisions ; prepared to go into Maryland after some. 17th. Wind high ; no prospect of crossing to-night ; dined with Mr. Wash- ington ; sent Phil. Key out to get something to eat ; obtained very- little. 18th. A slight supper last night ; nothing since, except some green corn. 19th. All quiet on the Potomac ; nothing to eat; 8 p. M. crossed the Poto- mac (men in full uniform and arms) ; landed in Charles County, Md. 20th. Went, in company with P. K., to visit Dr. 0. ; kindly treated. How" glad I am to be once more in old Maryland. -21st. This morning two men missing ; supposed to have deserted. 22d. Heard from Captain B. ; a slight skirmish with the Yanks; piepara to return to Virginia. 23d. Two Confederate prisoners escaped from Point Lookout and came to us to-day. Having procured what we desired, we returned to Virginia. Wrote home before leaving Maryland. Novel her 20th. Left Baltimore, 1 A. M., on the steamer John Pents, for West River. 21st. Fair Haven, Herring Bay, A. A. County, Md., Medley House. 22d. Fair Haven. Set out on my journey. 23d. Plum Point, Calvert County, Md. Breakfasted at a negro hut ; slept at S. T. Dorsey's ; rained all night. 29th. Mr. Bowers. Started for Virginia at dark ; wind overblew mo ; forced to beach my boat near Cove Point ; slept in woods. 30th. Cove Point, Calvert County, Md. LETTER TO PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 165 I will close this chapter of treason and oppression's crimes, with a letter to the President, which, I need not say, elicited all the sympathy and aid the great heart and higli position of the President could extend : OFFICE PBOVOST-MABSHAL WAR DBPABTMBNT, I WASHINGTON, September 80, 1863. j ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States : SIB I beg leave respectfully to call your attention to the facts set forth below. The colored people, slave and free, of this District and the adjoining coun- ties of Maryland, are daily subjected to a more ferocious despotism, and more flagrant and shameless outrages, than were ever before tolerated by any GOY- erument claiming to be either wise or humane. It is well known to you, sir, that large numbers, owned in Maryland, actua- ted by a supreme desire to participate in the blessings of freedom enjoyed by their fellows in this District, are daily, almost hourly, making attempts to escape from their masters, and fly to this city. The slave-owners of Maryland, whose plantations are becoming desolate by this constant exodus of their chattels, no longer relying on the protection of their own laws and legally constituted authorities, have, in many cases, formed themselves into armed bands for the purpose of pursuing and recap- turing escaped slaves. Parties of slaves, men, women, and children, have been pursued within the bounds of this District, have been fiercely assailed and shot down, or re- morselessly beaten, and the survivors shut- up in prison, or conveyed across the Potomac, within the protecting arms of the rebel Confederacy. Not less than forty slaves (human beings), by these lawless encounters, were killed ; and I have information, that no less than three dead bodies of slaves, thus cruelly slaughtered, are now lying in the woods almost within sight of your own homes. Not a month since, an armed band of Maryland slave-owners surrounded the house of a free negro woman, less than three miles from the Oapitol, broke open the door, presented loaded pistols to the heads of its frightened inmates, and, after exercising all their powers of abuse and insult, took away by vio- lence three free negroes. , Visiting this city, and protected by the assumed authority of Mr. Commis- sioner Cox, these depredators break into the houses of colored citizens, thrust loaded pistols into the faces of terrified women and screaming children, and, protected by legal papers, bear off their victims to the tender mercies of the ash and prison, or the hopeless martyrdom of Southern slavery. Along the borders of the Potomac, below this city, male slaves are now being mustered in gangs, and sent to Virginia, as contributions by their mas- ters to the cause of rebellion ; and if these men make an effort to escape, they are pursued and shot down by their unmerciful owners. There is now in Marlborough jail, a negro man, whose eyes have been ut- terly destroyed bj a charge of shot fired wantonly into his face ; and, not long 166 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. inoe, two colored girls were found chained in the garret of a private house, in the neighborhood of this city, who, after having been cruelly beaten by three men, one of them using a trace chain to inflict the blows, were left, with their backs one mass of festering wounds, to the further horrors of chains and darkness. An instance has just come to my knowledge, of a negro woman and three daughters, owned by a citizen of this city still resident here, who were sent to Baltimore a few days before the late Emancipation Act was passed, for the sole purpose of evading its provisions. One of these daughters, an intelligent woman, has succeeded in returning to Washington, and is now claimed as a slave and threatened with seizure through the agency of Mr. Commissioner Cox's summary and illegal writs. It can not be that such atrocities will be longer permitted, and that men, whose every sympathy is with slavery, and its legitimate offspring, treason, shall be longer suffered to visit upon the poor slave the hatred they feel to freedom and the Union. I respectfully ask for such instructions as shall enable me effectually to protect the now helpless victims of the slave-masters' vengeance, and the per- jured oaths of their friends, official and otherwise, in this city and District. I am, sir, your obedient servant, L. C. BA.KER, Colonel and Provost-Marshal War Department. CHAPTER XI. SLAVERY PLATING REBEL GENERAL FIRST DISTRICT CAVALBY. The Hostages Mr. Lincoln Deceiving the Rebels A Successful Game Organ!** tion of the First District Cavaky Its Services. ABOUT this time, one hundred rebel citizens, in Lower Maryland, took possession of two contraband teamsters in my employ, and refused to give any account of the reclaimed property. I immediately arrested and confined two of the leaders, and put them in the Central guard-house, Washing- ton, as hostages, till the former were returned. The indigna- tion, at my assumption that a negro was equal to a white man especially to one of the chivalry was intense. An appeal was made to Mr. Lincoln, and I was summoned to report in person to him, which I cheerfully did. He said: "Well, Baker, you think a white man is as good as a colored man 1" I assured him that in this case, at least, I did ; and pro- posed to keep the gentlemen in prison till the free negroes were returned. The President acquiesced in the justice of the arrange ment, and, soon after, the contrabands were restored, and the insulted, excited prisoners set at liberty, to the great relief of their friends, and amusement of the irreverent "Yan- kees," who could not see the superiority of Southern blood. I shall notice here some incidents which will forcibly show the self-sacrifice of the Maryland secessionists, who were vastly in the majority, along with the more important and melancholy truth, that the rebellion could never have succeeded without the sympathy and assistance of "North- ern friends." In addition to these facts, the means some- times necessary to ascertain who were disloyal, will also be apparent. A few days previous to the rebel Generals Stuart and 168 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. Early' s raid into Pennsylvania, I had the following paper prepared : To THE FBIENDS OP THE SOUTH: The Confederate army is now on your border. The Stars and Bars can be seen from your hills. The hirelings of the North are fleeing before us I We want your aid. We want horses, mules, and wagons. Seventy artillery horses are needed for our batteries. The bearers of this appeal are autho- rizedJ)y me to accept of contributions. If I receive the required aid, I will pledge myself that our flag shall float, within ten days, from the Capitol in Washington. (Signed) J. E. B. STUART, C. S. Cavalry. With this sounding proclamation in my pocket, I reached that garden of Maryland, " Middletown Valley," a few miles north of Harper's Ferry. Upon making application to the leading to the principal secessionists, and exhibiting the paper, the highest expressions of patriotism greeted it. Prop- erty and life were at my disposal. And it was suggested to me that a secret meeting "be called, to afford all the oppor- tunity to contribute. The hour came ; and I was introduced to those present as a Confederate officer who had ventured over the Potomac. By this means a correct list of all those who were openly or secretly the emissaries of Jeff. 'Davis, with the names of those who contributed horses, was made out, and the next day I called at their residences. After selecting the best, I left the animals in the hands of the owners, to be called for subsequently. Meanwhile, during the few days I continued in the valley, I learned the strength, resources, and condi- tion of the rebel cause there. I then went around and gath- ered up the horses, and, with many warm benedictions upon my head, left with sixteen of the choicest horses the region aiforded. That night I started for Washington, and the suc- ceeding day I turned them over to the quartermaster's de- partment. They afterward did good service on the battle- field for the Union cause. The information I obtained, respecting the forward move ment of the enemy, was followed by General Hooker' s cele- brated march toward Gettysburg, during which he was relieved by General Meade ; and the inference is legitimate, FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. J71 that it had no unimportant bearing upon the great and decisive struggle, which saved us from a disastrous if not a fatal invasion. Some two months later, several of the former owners of the horses appeared in Washington, and demanded the resto- ration of their property. Of course, the animals themselves were comparatively of no consequence, but the intelligence, of which they were made the occasion, was invaluable. The claimants were pointed to the proclamation, their prompt response to which, was no less the evidence of disloyalty because it was a lure instead of treason's actual demand. The importance of the bureau, and its rapidly accumula- ting business, rendered a military force, exclusively under my control, a necessity. Scarcely a day passed without some occurrence calling for cavalry troops to execute orders. Accordingly, the Secretary of War issued an order creating me colonel, and authorizing me to raise a regiment of cavalry. WAS DBPAKTMKNT, WASHINGTON, June 29, 1863. SIR You are hereby informed that the President of the United States has appointed you colonel of the First Regiment District of Columbia Cavalry, in the service of the United States, to rank as such from the twenty-ninth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three. Immediately on receipt hereof, please to communicate to this department, through the Adjutant-General of the army, your acceptance or non-accept- ance ; and, with your letter of acceptance, return the oath herewith inclosed, properly filled up, subscribed, and attested, and report your age, birthplace, and the State of which you were a permanent resident. You will report for duty to EDWIN M. STANTON, Colonel L. 0. BAKBB, Secretary of War. First Regiment District Columbia Cavalry. Previous to this, being only a citizen, I was viewed i.u the light of no more than a civil agent. To obviate the hinderance in official service the fact interposed, I received the commission. Immediately I had thousands of applica- tions from men who desired to serve in my battalion. It was my desire to organize a corps of intelligent, moral, and worthy men. So common had it become, in raising regiments, to sell commissions to the highest bidders, that it was a 172 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. matter of regular traffic. This did more to demoralize and bring into disrepute our whole volunteer service than any other single wrong. At the outset of the war, morality and fitness were seldom considerations in the selection of officers. I have seen vol- unteer companies, and even regiments, under the command of those whose capacity and character were inferior to the majority of the privates in the ranks. For illustration of this method of getting commissions, I add the subjoined communication, in answer to an offer of one hundred dollars for a place in my regiment : OFFIOB PROVOST-MARSHAL WAR DKPARTMBNT, } WASHINGTON, May 18, 1868. J Mr. J. F. SINGHI, Company D, Fourth Maine Regiment, Army of the Potomac : SIB Your letter, offering one hundred dollars in gold for a commission in my battalion of cavalry, has been received. It is my intention to recruit honest men, and not rogues. With this explanation, you will at once perceive that you are entirely ineligible for service under my command, either a* officer or private. (Signed) L. C. BAKER, Provost-Marshal War Department. The regiment was a splendid body of troops, and achieved all that was anticipated from it ; and its services will appeal at intervals during the progress of the war. Much of the service performed for the country will nevei be written. The detachments of men moving stealthily over the lines of encampment and battle ; guarding me or my subordinates in perilous adventures ; and other quiet, un- heralded, and unreported duties, will have no record but the pages of memory, and, with the death of the actora in the varied scenes of such a life, be forgotten. But since this volume has been in progress of prepara- tion for the press, a history of the troops whom, I may be permitted to say here, I was proud to command, has been published by their former chaplain, the Rev. S. H. Merrill, of Portland, Maine. The chaplain states, correctly, that this regiment wag organized to remain on duty within the limits of the District of Columbia. The entire military force of the District had failed to check the operations of Mosby' s band. I pledgod FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 173 myself to the Secretary of. War that, if he would give mt permission to raise a battalion of cavalry, I would drive from the region the rebel chief. After the troops were raised, and armed with six-shooters, they became the object of intense and unjust suspicion on the part of the commanding officer of the Department of Washington and West Virginia, founded on the apprehen- sion that his military honors would be periled by the suo cesses of the brave men who were to range freely through Western Virginia. The Secretary of War had so much confidence in the battalion, that he authorized the purchase of the best horses that could be procured in the country, and remarked that the Government conld afford to pay the expense of main- taining the force, if for no other reason than the powerfully restraining influence upon disloyalty and crime in the District. The legitimate duties of the battalion were so constantly embarrassed by orders emanating from the department com- mander, that I decided to ask the Secretary of War to increase it to a full regiment of twelve hundred men. The request was granted, and eight additional companies were raised in the State of Maine, under the direction of its patriotic Gov- ernor Coney, whose services during the rebellion will always be gratefully remembered by the loyal North. On the completion of the organization of the regiment, I requested that it should be sent to some distant field of action. The deeply seated prejudice in the minds of the officers of the Potomac army against my bureau, convinced me that my troops would there have small opportunity to display their ability and heroism. When I had occasion to scrutinize some of their acts, a major-general remarked to me, during a visit to the front, in regard to the injustice of which I had complained, "Your men are a set of d d spies, and ought to be killed ; and the officers of the regi- ment are detectives in disguise, reporting to you whatever is^ said by the army commanders." Even the long raids, the fights with Mosby's men in Northern Virginia and Mary- land, have scarcely an allusion made to them by any of the ftrmy officers o? reporters. For nearly two years the regi- 174 UNITED STATES SEOKET SERVICE. xnent accompanied nearly every raid made "by the cavalry along the front of the Potomac army. It formed the advanced guard of General Kautz's raid from Norfolk to the Weldon Railroad. At Notaway Bridge, Reams' Station, and other points, it is a matter of official record, that this body of troops did three-fourths of all the fighting. My urgent request to be relieved from duty in Washington, and allowed to lead my regiment to the arena of battle, was refused by the Secretary of War, and the active command was given to Lieutenant-Colonel E. J. Conger, who had no superior in the qualities of a brave chieftain. Before he assumed his duties, he had been wounded three times, and twice left on the field for dead. At the time of Wilson's celebrated raid, he was again shot through the body, and carried from the scene of carnage by hia orderly. Major J. S. Baker, next in rank, commanded the regi- ment until the close of the war. A more brilliant record than his has never fallen to the lot of a young officer. He entered the service, with the organization of the regiment, as Captain of Company A, which he commanded, until the addition of the Maine companies, in all the celebrated scouta and raids. While a student at Madison University, in Wisconsin, at the beginning of the rebellion, he left hia books for his country's service. He was the first Federal officer that entered Lynchburg, after its surrender by Lee. Major D. S. Curtis, of the same State, next in command, was also a truly brave, discreet, and worthy officer. Hia coolness in battle was the theme of general remark among the officers of the entire brigade. A more complete and interesting history of the regiment has been written while this volume has been in press, by the Rev. S. H. Merrill, chaplain of the regiment. From these annals I shall quote the history of the regiment in its general outline of achievement the more freely, because written by another, who gives to the brave troopers the honors which they so richly won. I shall give the con- densed narrative uniform with my own records, with this credit for it awarded to the worthy chaplain : FIKST DISTEIOT CAVALRY. 175 The First District of Columbia Cavalry was composed of a fine body of men. A single "battalion, raised in the District of Columbia, for special duty at the seat of Government, un- der command of Colonel L. C. Baker (Provost-Marshal of the War Department), and familiarly known as "Baker's Mounted Rangers," formed the nucleus of this regiment. Long will "Baker's Cavalry" be remembered in Wash- ington, and through a wide region around, as the "terror of evil-doers." To this command eight companies were added in 1863, embracing about eight hundred men enlisted in Maine, so that it became, to this extent, a Maine organization. No charge of bad faith is intended, nor is it known who was responsible for the change of the original destination of the regiment, if any change there was ; but it is due to the men from Maine, and due to historic truth, to record the fact that they enlisted under the distinct assurance that they would never be required to serve outside the District of Co- lumbia ; and if the command was in no degree demoralized by the subsequent disappointment of the men, in being sent to the front, and being placed in the most perilous positions there, it is all the more to their credit. Company D, numbering one hundred and forty men, un- der command of Captain J. W. Cloudman, left Augusta on the 22d day of October, 1863, and arrived at Camp Baker, in Washington, on the 25th. The three officers of this company were commissioned by the Piesident of the United States, while those of the other companies from Maine were commissioned by the Governor of Maine. A few days after its arrival in Washington, the company was ordered to Anandale, ten miles west of Alexandria, where it remained on duty, under command of Lieutenant Howe, till the 27th of January, when it was ordered with the battalion to Yorktown. Embarking on board the steamer Conqueror, it arrived at Yorktown on the 28th, and went into camp about two miles from the city, on the bank of the beautiful York River. A morning so summer-like and scenery so charming, few of our men had ever seen before in mid- winter. 176 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. The next day they moved about eight miles west, a ad went into camp about three miles from Williamsburg. January 30th, at daybreak, the bugle sounded "boots and saddles," and in half an hour they were off on a raid. If the reader should ask what this means, the answer would be, it means an armed expedition into the enemy's country, for the purpose of gaining information, or of cap- turing or destroying public property, or both, always respecting private property, excepting so far as "military necessity" requires its capture. In the raid just referred to, the men marched about twelve miles, and returned to camp with nothing of special interest to report. An expedition was made to Bottom Bridge, on the Chick- ahominy, twelve miles from Richmond, on the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th of February, which will not soon be forgotten by the men who participated in it. They did little lighting, but much hard work. From the time they left camp, on the 6th, till they returned, on the 8th, they were hardly out of the saddle. This regiment was distinguished by the superiority of the carbines with which it was armed. It was the only regiment in the army of the Potomac armed with " Henry's Repeating Rifle." The peculiarity of this gun is, that it will fire six- teen shots without reloading. It is cocked by the same movement of the guard that opens and closes the breech the exploded cartridge being withdrawn and a fresh one supplied at the same time and by the same movements. The copper cartridges are placed in a tube, extending the entire length of the barrel, on the under side. From this they are fed into the gun by the operation of the lever guard ; mean- time a spiral spring forces down the cartridges as fast as they are discharged. The whole device is of the simplest nature. The work is strong, and the whole thing is so nearly perfect, that it is difficult to conceive of any improvement. The sub- sequent history of this regiment proves it to be a terribly effective weapon. Fifteen shots can be given with it in ten seconds. Thus, a regiment of one thousand men would fire fifteen thousand shots in ten seconds. After having witnessed tl e effectiveness of this weapon, one is not surprised at the FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 177 remark, said to have been made by the guerrilla chief, Mosby, after an encounter with some of our men, 1 Aat " he did not care for the common gun, or for Spencer's seven- shooter, but as for these guns, that they could wind up on Sunday and shoot all the week, it was useless to fight against them." On the 16th of February, Company F was mounted, and remained at Camp Baker, engaged in daily drilling until the 7th of April. At that date it left Washington for Norfolk, and the next day joined a squadron of the old battalion on picket at Great Bridge. On the 14th the company marched to Deep Creek, where it was joined by three companies of the old battalion, already referred to as having been on picket duty at Newport News. These companies remained here on picket duty until the organization of the cavalry division, under General Kautz, two weeks later. On the 5th of May they marched with the cavalry divi eion under Kautz, on his first raid. The object of these raids was twofold, viz. : to weaken the enemy by destroying pub- lic property, and by drawing off detachments in pursuit. A successful raid requires a judicious selection of routes, rapid marches, short halts, and sudden and unexpected blows. In this service, General Kautz was "the right man in the right place." In this movement he had passed through Suffolk and crossed the Black Water (where his march could have been easily arrested by destroying the bridge), before the enem^ became aware of his purpose. At half -past two o'clock on the afternoon of the 7th, he had marched a distance of sev- enty miles, and struck the Weldon Railroad just in time to intercept a body of rebel troops on their way to Petersburg. A thunderbolt from a clear sky could hardly have been more astounding to the enemy. Instantly he was attacked. In an incredibly short time the action was over, the enemy was whipped, the railroad was cut, the public buildings were in flames, and the gallant Kautz was again on his march, with some sixty prisoners in his train. Turning southward, the march was continued to the point where the railroad crosses the Notaway River. Here an obstinately contested fight took place in which the gal- (78 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. lant Lieutenant Jackson, of Company E, fell mortally wound- ed. Here, too, fell a brave private, Samuel de Laite. In this engagement, as in others, the bravery of the men, and the efficiency of their sixteen-shooters, were put to the proof. Major Curtis was ordered to deploy his battalion as skirmishers, and charge a much larger force of the enemy, along the railroad, near the bridge. It was a covered bridge, and the rebels soon ran to it for shelter. Our brave boys charged boldly after them, driving them through and into their fortifications on the other side, killing some and taking several prisoners, with small loss on our side. Some of the prisoners said they "thought we must have had a whole army, from the way the bullets flew." One lieutenant asked if we "loaded up over night and then fired all day." He said "he thought, by the way the bullets came into the bridge, they must have been fired by the basketful." The result of the affair was that the bridge was burned, and Kautz was again on the march, with forty rebel prison- ers added to his train. The immediate object of the expedition having been accomplished, the command marched to City Point. Cross- ing the Appomattox on the 10th, they encamped for a day near General Butler's head-quarters. Twenty-four hours, however, had not elapsed, when the division moved again on another raid, which proved to be one of the most hazard- ous and effective of the war. During the time that General Butler's forces were engaged with the enemy, between Ber- muda Hundred and Richmond, General Kautz adroitly slipped through the lines, and again boldly dashed into the heart of Dixie. He passed rapidly through Chesterfield County, pausing at the court-house only long enough to open the jail and lib- erate two prisoners. As we dislike to be laughed at, the reader may pass over the following explanatory statement : One of these prisoners was a woman, who refused to leave the jail after the doors were opened, seeming to doubt the authority of the Yankees to discharge her. The other FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 179 stated that lie had been imprisoned on account of his Union sentiments, and seemed very grateful to his deliverers. A few hours later, however, he disappeared from the column, taking with him the horse and equipments with which he had been kindly furnished, and forgetting to give notice of his intended route. The loss of the horse, however, was subsequently made up. A rebel, living not far from our encampment, had a valuable animal, which he was very particular to declare should never be taken from him. Ac- cordingly he armed himself, and took up his lodgings in the stable. But he must needs sleep, and the boys knew it ; and it so happened that he opened his eyes one morning on an empty stall. Certain words were spoken, decidedly more energetic than pious, but they did not bring the horse back. Leaving the court-house, the column moved on to Coal- field Station, on the Danville Railroad, thirteen miles west from Richmond. On the arrival of the troops, at about half- past ten in the evening, the inhabitants were surprised and alarmed quite out of their propriety. That the Yankees should have had the audacity to visit that section, seemed actually incomprehensible. But there was no remedy. Instantly, guards were posted on all the roads leading to and from Petersburg and Richmond, and the work of the hour was hardly begun before it was ended. No harm was done to persons, or to private property, but the railroad was destroyed, the telegraph came down, and trains of cars, depot buildings, and large quantities of Government stores, went up in smoke. On the 12th, the "history of this affair" repeated itself at Black's and White's Station, on the Southside Railroad, thirty miles west from Petersburg, and forty from Coalfield Station. The railroad was torn up, and the telegraph torn down, while the depot buildings, together with large quanti- ties of corn, and flour, and meal, and tobacco, and salt, designed for the rebel army, were subjected to the action of fire, and resolved into their original elements. Wellville Station, five miles east, on the same railroad, a few hours later, shared a similar fate. The column now moved in the direction of Bellefield, on the Weldoii Rail- road. When within two miles of that place, General Kauta 180 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. learned that the enemy was in force to receive him. As hia object was not so much to fight as to weaken the enemy, by interrupting his communications and destroying his supplies, he avoided an engagement, turning to the left from Belle- field, and marching, via Jarratt's Station, to the Notaway River. When the advance reached Freeman's Bridge, on this river, at ten o'clock p. M., it was discovered that the whole command was in a trap. One span of the bridge, forty feet in length, had been cut out. The river, for a considerable distance, was unfordable. The fords, above and below, were strongly guarded, and the enemy was gathering in force in the rear. The position was not a desirable one. The river must be crossed, or a battle must be fought on the enemy's chosen ground, where little was to be gained, but where every thing must be hazarded. A major of a New York regiment, commanding the advance, declared that the bridge could not be made passable before the afternoon of the next day. But on the assurance of Captain Howe, that it could be done in a much shorter time, Company D was ordered up and told what was wanted. Working parties were instantly organized. In a short time, tall pines in the neighboring woods had fallen before the axes of one party, and stalwart men, by means of the drag-ropes of a battery, had drawn them out. Another party had, in the mean time, crossed the river on a little float they had fortunately found, and stood on the remaining part of the bridge on the other side. The ropes were thrown to them, and the string-pieces were drawn across the chasm and placed in position. To cover them with rails was but the work of a few moments, and in less than three hours from the time the Maine boys began the work it was completed, and the column passed over in safety. The division reached City Point on the 19th. During the last nine days it marched, on an average, twenty hours out of the twenty -four, leaving only four hours for rest. It wiU hardly be believed, that in some instances hunger compelled the men to eat raw corn like their horses, but such was the fact. On this raid they cut the Richmond and Danville and FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 181 Southside Railroad in six different places, and inflicted an amount of damage upon the enemy's communications and army stores which told severely upon them afterward. On their arrival at City Point, both men and horses were much exhausted. On the 20th the command crossed again to Bermuda Hundred, and went into camp about a mile from the river. On the 7th of April we embarked on board a fine steamer, with a pleasant company, for Fortress Monroe, where we arrived at an early hour next morning. For many years Fortress Monroe had been to us a familiar name, but we were not long in discovering that the descriptions of it and its surroundings as they were, conveyed no correct idea of them as they are. Then, there was little to be seen save the formidable walls of the old fort, rising from the sand and rocks, at the dis- tance of a few rods from the water's edge, and the solitary sentry, slowly pacing the lofty parapet ; while scarcely a human voice broke the tomb-like silence of the place. Now, a busy scene was presented. Numerous newly con- structed piers had been pushed out into the sparkling waters of the bay, and the grounds outside the walls were occupied with a curious and compact group of buildings of rude archi- tecture, clearly designed for temporary use. The scene OD the wharf was one of unusual animation and of picturesque effect. Looking down from the hurricane deck, we beheld a sea of faces, and could not well preserve our gravity as we marked the curious variety it presented. There was the brown- visaged man in dusky gray, the worse for wear, the seedy representative of an humbled aris- tocracy, and there was the lean, lank, sallow, dirty, hang- dog specimen of the "poor trash" of the South. There were heads adorned with handkerchiefs of many brilliant colors, and heads that had no covering but wool. There were pre- posterous bonnets and stove-pipe hats, with a " smart sprink- ling" of military and naval headgear. There were rich silk dresses and tow frocks. There was crinoline of enormous proportions, and there were flat feet peering from beneath it, perfectly innocent of either shoes or stockings. It was a motley group big and little, old and young, 182 CJNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. civil and military. While all were busy and animated, it was easy to see that the whites of southern blood felt least at home, while the negroes were in their element. They talked the most, made the best show of white teeth, and, of all we could see, seemed decidedly the most comfortable. There is truth in the old adage, that "it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good." While the "red tape" busi- ness was drawing its " slow length along," some of us took a stroll out to Hampton, or rather to the site of that ancient and once pleasant village. It was but a short walk, leading, for the most part, through a collection of Government storehouses, and huta and tents so disorderly in their arrangements as to suggest the idea of reading the riot act without delay. On the way we noticed one or two handsome places, among them the residence of the Hon. Mr. Segar, surrounded by venerable trees, and commanding as charming a scene as one could desire, in the beautiful expanse of Hampton Roads, dotted with white sails and stirred by innumerable paddle-wheels. We next came to the McClellan Hospital, with its outlying wards and its broad and beautiful gardens. Hampton was reached by crossing a bridge about four hundred paces long. Before the rebellion it was a jewel of a village, embosomed in noble trees, which threw their wel come shade over the streets and ample grounds which fronted the tasteful residences. Hampton was settled ten years after Jamestown, and was, at the time of its destruction, the oldest Anglo-Saxon settlement then inhabited in the United States. Now it is a scene of utter desolation, inhabited almost exclusively by blacks. With the exception of an occasional grocery store, and a very few dwellings of a more respectable appearance, the residences were of the rudest description, nearly all of one room, and situated as if they had been flung out of a great architectural leather apron. The "Old Church," cruciform in shape, and colonial in date, presented a singularly picturesque appearance, and was almost the only object about the town which indicated its former condition. The tower, from which a noble old bell once pealed out its mellow tones had fallen into a heap FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 183 of rubbish at the western end of the cross, while massive walls rose aloft in gloomy grandeur. A wilderness of youug aspens and willows, with here and there a dense growth of hardy roses, disputed the possession of some once cherished graves, with a savage intrusion of undergrowth. Fragments- of tombs, some with armorial blazonry, were scattered about, and the whole place bore sad evidence of the terrible scourge of war. Nor could we resist the conviction that the people who have thus felt it will be slow to invoke it again. Failing of the main object of our expedition, partly, per- haps, from our want of acquaintance with the occult science of "red tape," we returned to Washington, and were there mustered into service, under a special order of the War De- partment. On the 12th of May these six companies, still unmounted, and having drilled only on foot, were ordered to Fortress Monroe. Leaving Washington the next afternoon on board of transports, after touching at Fort Monroe, we proceeded to Norfolk, and, reporting to General Shepley, were ordered to Portsmouth, where we disembarked and went into camp in the rear of the town. On the morning of the 22d we re-embarked on board a transport for James River. Dropping anchor about sunset, opposite Fort Powhattan, we passed the night quietly under the protection of the guns of the Atlanta. This craft will be remembered as the strange sea-monster designed by the reb- els to destroy the blockading fleet off Charleston harbor, but, by a higher power, to do good service for the Government. One of the boys thought it "looked like the devil." An- other could see no such resemblance, but said it "looked like a big sea turtle on a raft, with his ' back up.' ' A short run of about a dozen miles, the next morning, took us to Bermuda Hundred, where we disembarked, and went into camp about a mile from the landing, beside the other six companies. The regiment was now together for the first time. At one o'clock A. M. of the 24th, one battalion was ordered to City Point, to take the place of a detachment which had been sent to Fort Powhattan. That fort, manned by colored troops, had been attacked bv a considerable force under Fit* 184 UNITED STATES SECEET SEE VICE. Hugli Lee. They were, however, gallantly repulsed, and, before the arrival of the reinforcements, had retreated, and the battalion returned. General Butler, commanding the army of the James, con- sisting of the tenth and eighteenth army corps, had taken possession of City Point and Bermuda Hundred on the 5th instant, greatly to the surprise of the enemy. His fortifications extended from the Point of Rocks, on the Appomattox, northwardly to near Dutch Gap, on the James River, a distance of about five miles. General Grant was fighting his way to the south side of the James. The bloody battles of the Wilderness and of Spottsylvania Court-House had been fought, and an order was received by General Butler, for the eighteenth corps to proceed to the White House, to co-operate with the Army of the Potomac. On the 25th this corps left, and the cavalry, acting as infantry, was ordered to the front to take their places in the intrenchments. The position of this regiment was about mid- way of the line, between the two rivers, in an open field and on level ground. The tents were pitched a few rods in the rear of the breastworks, and with no protection frum the shot and shell of the enemy. The enemy held a formidable line of works in our front, varying in distance from half a mile to two miles. Directly in front of our camp, at the distance of about forty rods from our main line of works, a thick wood prevented us from see- ing the enemy' s position. A little to our right, the country was open, and there, on an eminence some eighty rods in advance of our breastworks, we had a small redoubt, known as Fort Pride, defended by a section of a battery, and com- manded by Captain Pride, an artillery ofl?cer, from whom it took its name. Company M, Captain Sargent commanding, was stationed in this fort as an artillery support. A portion of the regi- ment was constantly on picket, in front of our main line of works. We were to hold this line. It was here that the six companies referred to as having recently reached the front, loaded their pieces for action for the first time : and it was FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 185 here that the pluck of the men and the efficiency of their guns were first put to the test. The enemy shelled us nearly every day from "behind his breastworks, and though we received no damage, still a vivid recollection is retained of the shelling. The guns of the enemy, on a part of his line, were trained on the redoubt, and when the shells failed, as they often did, to explode at the point intended, they came directly into our camp, the Whitworth whistling with a sound like that produced by the wing of a pigeon swiftly cutting the air others scream- ing over our heads or tearing up the ground. In one in- stance, the fusee of a shell was blown out and struck a colored boy in the face, but inflicted no serious injury. Some of the boys proposed to wash his face, to see if the fright had not bleached him. The humor of these people is "irrepressible" When the fusee whisked across this fel- low's face, he opened his eyes wide, and seeing a friend, exclaimed, "By golly, Bill, did you see dat ar snipe?" "Yah, yah, yah," exclaimed the other, "you nigger. I reckon you wouldn't like to have dat ar snipe pick you." At three o'clock A. M. of the 28th, the rebels opened on us with artillery, all along the line, and the whole force was ordered to "fall in." It was supposed they were about to assault our works. Drawn up for the first time in close line of battle, a few paces from the breastworks, in anticipation of a bloody conflict, the whole bearing of the men was such as to make their gallant commander proud of them. When all was ready, as the intrepid Colonel Conger mounted on old "Barney," as his war-horse was called, the inevitable pipe in mouth, puffing as quietly as if sitting at his tent-door, the chaplain passed along in front of the line with words of cheer to the men. As he told them what was expected of them, and that he trusted they would give a good account of themselves in the coming conflict, they answered with the utmost enthusiasm, "We will, Chaplain, we will; that is what we came here for. We will do it." The expected as- sault, however, was not made, and three hours later they returned to their quarters. On the picket line the time did not entirely pass without enlivening incidents. An officer, one night, discerned a BUS- 186 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. picious looking object moving stealthily toward onr fortift- cations. Making a detour, he got into its rear unperceived, and soon discovered that it was a man, reconnoitering our works. By cautious movements, now stepping behind this tree, and now crouching behind that stump, still when the game was still, and moving quickly when it moved, he suc- ceeded in getting sufficiently near, when, taking deliberate aim, he roared out, "Lay down." Disarmed and brought in, the captive proved to be a lieutenant in the rebel service, On the 30th, the thunder of artillery all day gave us a welcome intimation that General Grant was coming. Beyond incidents like these, nothing occurred worthy of note till the 4th of June. The part of the picket line which extended along in front of our camp, from left to right, about one mile, was held by our regiment. On our right, the line extending on in front of Fort Pride, and some distance beyond, was manned by another regiment. Before daybreak on the morning of the 4th, the enemy commenced a furious shelling, which was continued till sunrise. Meantime he had thrown out a strong line of skirmishers to attack our pickets on the left, for the purpose, doubtless, of diverting attention from the point at which he intended to strike. The attack was sudden and vigorous, but the reserve rallying promptly, with their supe- rior arms, the enemy was repulsed. The skirmishing con- tinued, however, till about nine o'clock, when a regiment of South Carolina troops left their intrenchments, further to our right, and advanced on Fort Pride with a yell peculiarly their own. The pickets of the regiment referred to left their posts and came in. Captain Sargent at once sent out twenty-one men, under command of Lieutenant Blethen. This small party, taking advantage of the ground, got a position from which, as the enemy advanced on the fort, they could give him an enfilad- ing fire. The first volley told with terrible effect ; another equally destructive instantly followed. Another, another, and another, tore through their thinned and thinning ranks. It seemed as if a whole brigade was on their flank. In the mean time our artillery opened on them with grape and can ister. A moment more and the survivors were seeking th* FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 187 shelter of their works, leaving their dead and wounded on the field. Among the dead was the colonel of the regiment. A detachment of our men was sent out to man the picket line. Lieutenant Blethen returned, bringing in thirteen pris- oners, among whom was one commissioned officer. It is a singular fact, that we had not a man harmed. Two hours after the fight, the "body of the rebel colonel who fell was sent, under a flag of truce, across the enemy's lines, together with his gold watch, a diamond ring, and various other articles of value found upon his person. It is a noteworthy fact, that the Sabbath was sometimes ** remembered" in the army, even in the midst of a vigorous campaign. When the troops were on a march, it was differ- ent. But, during the ten months the two great armies con- fronted each other before Richmond, no instance is remem- bered in which the religious services of the Sabbath were interrupted by the enemy. As by common consent, aggres- sive movements on both sides, with rare exceptions, were suspended on that day. Usually on the Sabbath, "all was quiet along the lines." Especially so were the first Sabbaths we passed at Bermuda Hundred front. At the suggestion of Colonel Mix, of the Third New York Cavalry, that regiment and the First Dis- trict of Columbia Cavalry attended a united service, while stationed at that point, the chaplains of the two regiments officiating alternately. At one o'clock on the morning of the 10th, the six mount- ed companies of the First District of Columbia Cavalry moved with the division under General Kautz, as it after- ward appeared, to capture Petersburg. The cavalry was to attack the city on the south, while the tenth corps of infantry, under General Gilmore, was to attack on the north side. The cavalry moved promptly. All the troops did their duty well. No further account of the matter, however, can here be given than is necessary to show the part borne by this regiment. As the column, marching by the Jerusa- lem turnpike, approached the enemy's defenses, Lieutenant- Colonel Conger, commanding, ordered Major Curtis to dis- mount his battalion and charge the enemy' s works. Every fourth man was left in charge of the horses The balance of 188 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. the battalion moved steadily forward, firing rapidly as they advanced, nor did they pause at all till they were inside the rebel works, securing prisoners and destroying such camp equipage as they could not remove. It was then discovered that they had done this against three times their own number, fighting behind breastworks. With the common arm, this would hardly have been possi- ble. Some of the prisoners said: "Your rapid firing con- fused our men ; they thought the devil helped you, and it was of no use to fight." During the action, Captain Griffin, of Company C, with a small detachment from his own and another company, charged and took a twelve-pound brass howitzer, against large odds of good fighting men. They could not stand the ready-loaded and instant- firing arms which our men used against them. After the defenses had been carried, it was ascertained that the infantry had returned to Bermuda Hundred without striking a blow, and as the enemy was rapidly bringing up reinforcements from Richmond and elsewhere, General Kautz was compelled to retire, which he did without molestation. In the early part of the action, Lieutenant Maguire received a painful wound in the leg. This was our only casualty. While this affair was in progress, a detachment from that portion of the regiment which remained behind reconnoitered the enemy's works in our front, found them deserted, and demolished them. On the 13th we were relieved from duty in the in- trenchments, by a regiment of one hundred days men from Ohio. The next day the balance of the regiment was mounted, and moved at once with the cavalry division, in concert with the eighteenth corps of infantry, for a second demonstration on Petersburg. The disadvantage under which they labored will be appreciated, when it is stated that a portion of the District of Columbia men took the saddle that day for the first time in their lives. And yet the regiment was highly compli- mented for its gallantry in the engagement, which resulted in forcing the enemy back to his inner line of intrench ments. FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 189 Lieutenant Parkman, of Company D, a brave and accom- plished officer, and an excellent man, was killed. While at Bermuda Hundred, as well as elsewhere, the kindly ministrations of the Sanitary and Christian Commis- sions called forth grateful acknowledgments from many a suffering soldier. CHAPTER XII. FIBST DISTRICT CAVALRY. Leaving Camp again " Wilson's Raid "Battles The Escape of Kaute The Kod of Regimental Service. HITHERTO one-half the regiment had served as infantry. Now, mounted and released from duty in the intrenchments, they were so far prepared to take the field as cavalry. Pro- bably, however, no other regiment in the service took the field in a condition so unfavorable to success. Now if (as we shall hereafter see), notwithstanding all the adverse influences, they were distinguished for their bravery and efficiency on every field in which they fought, the fact will prove the sterling qualities of the men. On the 19th, we broke camp near the breastworks at Bermuda Hundred front, and moved north about five miles, to a point near the James, about two miles below Jones's Landing. At four o'clock p. M. of the 20th, an order was received to be ready to march at an hour's notice. At nine o'clock our horse equipments arrived from Washington. The differ- ent parts of the saddle were in different boxes, and so unac- quainted were the men with horse gear, that many of them were unable to adjust the various parts without assistance. < Nor was this strange. Before their enlistment they had no occasion to learn, and subsequently, no opportunity, and yet, three hours later, they started on the celebrated "Wil- son's Raid." At one o'clock, on the morning of the 21st of June, the egiment moved with the third division of cavalry, under leneral Kautz, and joined another division from the Army sf the Potomac. The whole force numbered about eight FIKST DISTRICT CAVALKY. 191 thousand men, with sixteen pieces of artillery, and was com- manded by General Wilson. The object of the movement, like that of similar ones which had preceded it, was not to fight, but to weaken the enemy by catting his communications, and by destroying army stores and other public property. The Army of the Potomac was now intrenched on the south side of Richmond. All supplies for the rebel capital must be drawn from the South and West. The question of its reduction was only a question of time, while every inter- ruption of its communications, and every diminution of its supplies, would hasten the time. On the night of the 21st, the command bivouacked at Blanford, on the Suffolk Railroad, four miles south of Petersburg. Of the use of this road the enemy had already been deprived. Passing on the 22d to Prince George's Court-house, thence marching in a southerly direction, they struck the Weldon Railroad at Reams' s Station, twelve miles from Petersburg. The place was guarded by a small body of militia. A portion of them were captured and the remainder dispersed. Here the sad but necessary work of destruction began. All the buildings at the station, together with a locomotive, and a train of five or six cars, were consigned to the flames. After tearing up the road for a considerable distance, the command marched to Ford's Station, on the South Side Railroad, eighteen miles southwest from Petersburg. Here the work of destruction was resumed. The public build- ings, together with three locomotives and fifteen cars, shared the fate of those at Reams' s Station. On the 23d, they advanced to Black's and White's, fif- teen miles southwest, on the same road, destroying the three intervening stations, and tearing up the road along their line of march. On the morning of the 24th, a march of eight miles led them to Notaway Court-house, where they destroyed a rail- road station, together with a large storehouse, filled with cotton. Resuming the line of march, they advanced to Keysville, on the Richmond and Danville Railroad, leaving behind 192 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. them a track of smouldering ruins, as far as the public property of the enemy furnished combustible matter. Nor is it to be denied that, within certain limits, a good deal of foraging was done. In a healthy subject, free exercise in the open air, espe- cially on horseback, tends to give an appetite, whose cravings nothing can appease but food. This was the experience of our boys. And if their haversacks were sometimes empty, and they were fain to gnaw the raw corn, "which the horses did eat," their appetites were all the more clamorous when they came within reach of food. At such times, bread, and meat, and butter, and milk, and eggs, and cream, in a word, whatever the smoke-house, or the spring-house, or the field, or garden, or stall, or pasture of a rebel contained, which was capable of being readily con- certed into good food, was remorselessly appropriated, without waiting for either commissary or quartermaster process. These acts of the boys were never denied; and yet, for the life of us, we could never discover any signs of penitence on account of them. It should be stated, how- ever, that the law of magnanimity was not entirely ignored. The boys were one day in want of meat, and, as they had no other means of getting it, they "confiscated" the con- tents of a smoke-house on the plantation of a wealthy rebel. While the distribution was going on, the victim demanded, in no very pleasant tones, whether he was to have none for himself. "Certainly," a quiet Yankee replied. "Now is your time. Pitch in, pitch in, and take your share, while it is going !" After passing Drake's Depot, eight miles further south, and paying it the same compliments they had paid to others, they approached Roanoke Bridge, which crosses the Staun- ton River, at the mouth of the Little Roanoke. As this was a point of great importance to the enemy, it was fortified and strongly guarded. On this side of the river, at the distance of about three-fourths of a mile, running parallel with it, was a range of hills. Between the hills and the river, the ground was open and level. At the left of the railroad was a broad field of wheat, while on the right a luxuriant growth FIEST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 193 of grass and weeds, rising nearly to the height of a man's shoulders, covered the ground. The bluff on the opposite c? J de of the river was lined with earthworks, and bristled with cannon, both above and below the bridge, while a strong line of the enemy's skirmishers had been thrown across the bridge, and deployed along the shore. Wilson's object was to burn the bridge, and Lieutenant- Colonel Conger, of the First District of Columbia Cavalry, was detailed to do it. The regiment was composed of new recruits, with little experience, and had received less in- struction than any other regiment in the command. The undertaking was a perilous one. Its wisdom the reader will be likely to question. And yet, when the final order was given to charge across the level ground, in the face of the rebel batteries, the gallant First District of Columbia moved forward in splendid stylj, dismounted (except the intrepid Conger, who, being lame from previous wounds, was com- pelled to ride). The advance squadron, commanded by Captain Benson, had not advanced far, when, from the line of the enemy' s works in front, a murderous storm of grape and canister was hurled into their ranks with terrible effect. Officers and men went down in large numbers. Still, with- out the least protection, in the face of that withering fire, and at too great a distance from the enemy to effect much by their own, those brave men pressed on till near the bridge. Efforts were made to burn it, but they were unsuccessful. The regiment did but little actual fighting here, for the simple reason that they could not get at the enemy, but the cannonading was rapid and heavy. The hills presented a line of fire and smoke, and the earth trembled with the terrific concussions. Shells screamed across the horizon, bursting into deadly iron hail the grim forms of smoke- masked men, the gleam of burnished guns in the wheat field, where the men were not engaged, and the flashing of sabers where they were, with horsemen in the distance, sweeping to and fro, formed a scene of exciting grandeur such as few of our men had ever witnessed before. When at length it was discovered that the object could not be accomplished but at too great a sacrifice of life, the advance was ordered back, and, as nothing else was to be is 194 UNITED BTATES SECRET SERVICE. done in this direction, the return march was commenced. The enemy followed all day, but made no attack. After a march of thirty-two miles directly east, through Greens- borough, the column halted for the night near Oak Grove. A march of thirty-eight miles brought them to the Iron Bridge across Stony Creek, at about ten o'clock on the morning of the 28th. Here a heavy force of cavalry and artillery was found in position to dispute the crossing. The cavalry consisted of Hampton' s command, together with that of Fitz Hugh Lee. A severe engagement took place, in which this regiment lost about eighty men in killed, wounded, and missing. The result was indecisive. The enemy was pressed back, while our column turned to the left and crossed the creek at a point above. General Kautz's division had the advance, this regiment moving at the head of the column, and the Eleventh Penn- sylvania next. On approaching Reams's Station, which had been sup- posed to be in our possession, General Kautz found himself confronted by the enemy, both infantry and artillery. Mahone's whole division, and one brigade from another division, had been sent out to intercept Wilson's command, which was now outnumbered two to one.* The enemy was drawn up in strong line of battle, extending from the Nota- way River, on our right, to a point far out on our left. This regiment and the Eleventh Pennsylvania charged directly through. General Wilson, however, instead of following on, fell back, abandoned his artillery, wagons, and ambu- lances, and, by making a wide detour, avoided the enemy, and abandoned these two regiments to their fate. Kautz had marched but a short distance, when he found himself in a triangle, two sides of which, including his rear and left front, were held by the enemy in overwhelming numbers. Extending along his right front was the railroad, running through a cut from ten to twelve feet in depth. * Stung to madness by the previous daring and destructive raids of Kautz, Lee B said to have declared that he would crush these raiders, if it cost him his whole woiy. FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 195 Beyond it, and running nearly parallel with it, was a mnddy stream of considerable depth, and beyond that, an extensive swamp, supposed to be impassable. The enemy now thought himself sure of his prey. Under the circumstances, almost any other man would ha ye sur- rendered. Not so the indomitable Kautz. It was a wild and exciting scene to see those mounted men slide down that steep embankment to the railroad track, and scramble up the opposite bank, and dash down the next declivity into the stream, and wallow through mire and water, the horses in some instances rolling over, and the men going under, amid the thunder of artillery, and with solid shot plunging, and shells exploding, and grape and canister raining, and musket balls whistling around them, till they reached the opposite shore, and disappeared in the swamp. Following their indefatigable commander, they pressed their way through, and reached their old camp at Jones's Landing, the next day.* Lieutenant-Colonel Conger, Major Curtis, and Captain Sanford were severely wounded. Captains Benson and Chase, who had been wounded at Roanoke Bridge, fell into the enemy's hands as prisoners, when the ambulances were abandoned at Stony Creek. The damage to the enemy by this raid was immense. Besides the destruction of buildings, of cotton, of commis- sary stores, and rolling stock, Richmond and Petersburg were cut off from all railroad communication for several weeks. The whole Army of the Potomac was now in front of Petersburg, and was intrenching in the direction of the South Side Railroad. One of our companies was on duty in Fort Pride. With this exception, the history of the regiment, for the next few weeks, is little else than a history of alternate rest and drill. Once or twice it was ordered out on reconnoissance, and once on foot to repel an expected assault, which, however, was not made. * This B'yamp had been made passable bj a drouth of almost unprecedented eorerity. 196 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. On the 27th, orders were received to be ready to more at six o'clock, p. M., with three days' rations. The whole cavalry force, together with the second corps of infantry, had been ordered to the north side of the James. The object was to draw the enemy from Petersburg, where an assault was to be made in connection with the mine explosion. The head of Sheridan' s column arrived from the west side of the Appomattox at nine; P. M. At three o'clock, A. M., the First District of Columbia joined the rear, and, after march- ing to Jones's Landing, halted for the command to cross the pontoon bridge. Late in the day the crossing was effected, and the regiment bivouacked for the night. Some skirmishing occurred on the next day, in which Lieutenant McBride, of Company C, was wounded. On the 30th, the regiment returned to camp, and on the same afternoon marched to the west side of the Appomattox. On the 2d of August, it was ordered on picket near the enemy' s lines, on the extreme left of the army. Our main line of works in front of Petersburg conformed very nearly to that of the enemy on the left, bending south- ward, so as to face the Weldon Railroad. A picket line extended from the left of our line of fortifications, in an easterly direction, through Prince George's Court-House, Lee's Mills, Sycamore Church, and Cox's Mills. On the 3d of August, the headquarters of the regiment were estab- lished at Sycamore Church, Major Baker commanding. This place was about ten miles southeast from City Point. From the 8th to the 21st of August, the regiment was on picket duty on the Weldon Railroad, four miles from Peters- burg. On the 18th, while a demonstration was made on the i.orth side of the James, in front of Richmond, by Generals Gregg and Hancock, with their respective commands of cavalry and infantry, and while a portion of the rebel troops were withdrawn from our front to meet the emergency, the fifth corps of infantry advanced and took possession of the Weldon Railroad. Desperate but fruitless efforts were made by the enemy to recover it. Severe fighting occurred on the 21st, in which this regiment participated. Dismounted, and deployed as skirmishers on the left of the fifth corps, they FIKST DISTRICT CAVALRY. participated in the capture of a brigade of rebel troops, three stands of colors. After picketing again, on the 22d, the regiment became engaged with a body of rebel troops the next morning, and drove them four miles, destroying a quantity of army stores. In the afternoon, Hampton's Legion was encountered. It was "Greek meeting Greek." It was impossible, however, for him to stand against the sixteen-shooters, and he was driven back, leaving his dead and wounded on the field We also took some prisoners. During this last engagement, Captain Sargent, of Company M, was killed while charging the enemy. We lost two men besides. On the 24th, the fighting was resumed at various points, and at some was severe, but with no decisive results. On the 25th, this regiment met the enemy in three distinct en- gagements, repulsing him in each. At four o'clock there were indications that he intended a flank movement, and this regiment was ordered to the extreme left of the line, and dismounted, to fortify against the expected attack at that point. After the hard and almost incessant fighting of the day, the men could hardly have been in the best working condition, and yet, in momentary expectation of an attack, they wrought with a will. Without intrenching tools, their own "hands minis- tered" to the necessities of the hour. Logs, stumps, brush, roots, whatever movable material the forest afforded, was brought into requisition. The extemporized breastwork was hardly completed, when the enemy opened on us with artil- lery. Against this our works were no protection. But the 'men stood firm. Only one man was killed, and one wounded. There was no enemy in sight, but all under- stood what this shelling boded. The men had received their orders, and all was silent along the line. Every man was at his post. Every eye was open, and every ear attent. No sound was heard but the roar of the enemy's artillery, and the scream and crash of shells around us. This, however, had continued but a short time, when the enemy was seen in strong line of battle advancing through the woods. No sooner had they dis- covered our position than they raised a yell and rushed- 198 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. on to the charge. But they paid dearly for their temerity. Our men reserved their fire coolly waiting till the enemy was sufficiently near. Their first volley told with startling effect. Many a poor fellow drew short breath and never breathed again. Another and another volley followed in instantaneous succession, and the enemy was swept from our front. Unfortunately, however, the infantry on our right, pressed by superior numbers, had fallen back, and the enemy was on our flank. The regiment held its posi- tion till dark, and was the last to leave the field. The next day it returned to Sycamore Church and resumed picket duty. While here, our officers formed an acquaintance with some of the " F. F. V.'s." For the most part, the acquaint- ance was pleasant, but not always. The following incident will illustrate the spirit sometimes encountered : One of our officers, while out on a scouting expedition with a small squad of men, halted near a fine old Virginia mansion, at a considerable distance outside of our lines, while he ad- vanced and politely accosted the lordly proprietor, as he sat puffing his cigar in the cool shade of his piazza. His lordship at once commenced a furious tirade against "Lin- coln and his dirty minions." The lieutenant listened patiently, meanwhile observing one of the colored women carrying a fine churning of butter into the house from a building near by, where it seemed to have been just made. At the firsfc pause in the furious tirade, he said, in substance, "Well, sir, the war is a costly thing. It has made it neces- sary to tax almost every thing, especially luxuries. .Now, as this sort of talk seems a luxury to you, it must be taxed. You will please send out to my men a few pounds of your new butter." Whether from generosity or some other motive, the but- ter was furnished, but the spirit of the man was not at all improved. He went on to abuse the Government, and all who supported it, in terms more violent than before. At the next pause, his tormentor quietly remarked : " For this fresh indulgence, you will please furnish us with half a dozen of your best hams, and a sack of flour; and the sooner it is done the better!" FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 199 The negro who executed the order clearly indicated, by u exhibition of his fine white teeth, and a mischievous twinkle of his eye, that he enjoyed the thing much better than "massa" did. The master, in the mean time, was foaming with rage, and venting his feelings in terms of the most intense bitterness. At length, the imperturbable lieutenant interposed coolly : 4< Sir, your indulgence has gone far enough. You will square the account by turning out the two beeves I see in yondel lot, and if I hear any more of this abuse of my Government, I will take you along too." With a polite good-by, he was left a sadder, if not a wiser man. For some days after, the boys ate good, new, soft bread and butter, instead of hard-tack, and fresh beef and ham, instead of salt pork. The portion of the picket-line held by the First District ot Columbia, now numbering about four hundred effective men, was nearly five miles in length, extending along a road running nearly east and west, mostly through a wooded country. Major Baker, in immediate command of two bat talions, held the right of the line, with the reserve at Syca- more Church, whilst Captain Howe, with one battalion, held the left, with the reserve at Cox's Mills, two miles east. Such was the position of this little devoted band of four hundred men, on the outer picket-line, five miles from any support, when at daybreak, on the 16th of September, they were suddenly attacked by the whole force of Hampton's cavalry, supported by three brigades of infantry. In some way, which has never been explained, one detachment of the enemy's force had passed through the picket-line on the right, held by another regiment. Another had gone round our left flank, where there were no pickets. This must have been done hours before the assault, for (aa it afterward appeared) they had barricaded the roads three miles in our rear. If the reader inquires why the enemy threw so formida- ble a force against a point so remote, so weak, and appa- rently so unimportant, the answer is, that just in our rear was a herd of twenty-three hundred cattle, and the rebel army wanted meat. If the position, purpose, and strength of the assaulting 200 UNITED STATES SECRET SERYICE. party had been known, any attempt at resistance would have been madness. The first intimation of an assault at Sycamore Church was given by the charging shout of the enemy. Instantly our men rallied under their intrepid commander, to meet the furious onset. So rapid and terrible was their fire, that three times the enemy fell back in confusion. But the con- test was too unequal. This little handful of men was in a few moments surrounded, their horses captured, and they were compelled to succumb. As illustrations of this sudden, short, wild, and terrible fight, we give one or two incidents. At the first note of alarm, Lieutenant Spaulding, of Company E, mounted his horse, which had been kept saddled all night, and started out to reconnoiter. Meeting a body of cavalry, he mistook them for a party of our own men, and found himself among them before discovering his error. As he was taken by them for one of their own men, he rode along with them till the order was given to charge, when, with stentorian voice, he roared out, "Charge charge!" and, putting spurs to his horse, he dashed forward, and turning into the bushes made good his escape. Nearly at the same moment he started down the road to reconnoiter, Lieutenant Mountfort, of Company K, started with a sergeant, W. F. Lunt, and a small squad of men, dismounted, in the same direction. They had gone but a short distance, when they met the enemy charging up the road. Comprehending the situation at once, the lieutenant shouted, "Give it to them, boys, give it to them!" at the same time setting the example. Two men at the head of the column were seen to sway and fall from their saddles, before the unerring aim of the lieutenant. Other saddles were emptied, and the advance fell back. A moment later, how- ever, they came on in line, of battle. The lieutenant now ordered his men to fall back to a tree, which had fallen across the road. On reaching it, they found the enemy all around them. Observing a squad of them who had just seized Major Baker, Sergeant Lunt fired on them, when instantly several carbines were leveled on him. Struck in the head and stunned, he fell forward into the thick tree FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 201 top. Falling "between the limbs, they closed over him, their thick foliage concealing him. When consciousness returned, the "body of the gallant lieutenant lay within a few feet of him, dead, and the enemy was plundering the camp. Crawl- ing cautiously out, he succeeded in reaching the bushes, where, falling in with a small squad of men who, like him- self, had thus far escaped capture, he started with them for the next picket post. But as they were passing through a deep cut in the road, the sergeant, from exhaustion, being somewhat in the rear, as those in advance of him emerped from the cut, they were met by a party of the enemy, and nearly all captured. The sergeant escaped, in consequence of being in the rear. Who would have thought that the exhaustion, which seemed to put him to such a disadvantage, would have been the means of saving him from a horrible captivity ? Such are the ways of Providence. Of twenty- five men of Company G, who were captured on that fatal morning, only three are known to have survived the bar- barities of their imprisonment. The attack on Cox's Mills was made at nearly the same moment with that at Sycamore Church. A little to the left of Captain Howe's position, and at the foot of a very considerable descent, the road crosses a bridge over a small stream. To command this bridge, a slight breastwork had been thrown up upon the high ground on this side. At the first notice of the approach of the enemy, the command rallied just in time to reach this breastwork, behind which they formed. A heavy force of mounted rebels had crossed the bridge, and with wild yells was charging up the hill, outnumbering our men ten to one. On, on they came, expecting an easy victory. Coolly our men waited. Not a shot was fired till they were within easy range. Then a few volleys from the sixteen-shooters sent them "tack in confusion. A second time they charged, with the same result. This time they did not return. After waiting some time, in expectation of another attack, scouts were sent out to ascertain what they were about. They found a formida- ble force in front, and a strong force advancing on each flank. No alternative now remained but to fall back to Syca- 202 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. more Church, as Captain Howe had been ordered to do, in case a retreat became necessary. The enemy had been so severely punished, that he was careful to keep at a safe distance, and the command fell back in good order, and without the loss of a man. At the church, however, a sad fate awaited them. Ignorant of what had occurred there, they expected to join Major Baker's reserve, and to make a stand. But in the mean time, the enemy, having secured their prisoners, and plundered the camp, had formed in a semicircle across the road, and, dressed in our uniform, were mistaken for our own men. Successful resistance was now impossible, and, having done all that brave men could do, like men they yielded to their fate. Some men seem to bear a charmed life. Lieutenant E. P. Merrill, of Company M, commanded a squadron under Cap- tain Howe. During a few moments of suspense, anxious to know the position of the enemy, he sprang upon the first horse that came to hand, and, plunging the spurs into his flanks, dashed forward to reconnoiter. The horse stumbled, and, coming suddenly to the ground, threw his rider over his head, far down the hill. Instantly he rose, made a hasty reconnoissance, and returned to the line in safety. During the subsequent melee, a rebel officer made his appearance in the edge of the woods, and, taking deliberate aim at the lieutentant, fired three shots in quick succession, neither of which took effect. Our loss in killed and wounded was small, but in prison- ers, large, numbering several hundred. They were among the bravest men Maine had sent to the war, and here their services in the First District of Columbia Cavalry ended. There was much speculation at the time, as to who was responsible for the exposed position of the cattle-herd which invited this rebel raid. It seems to have been a high officer of the army, who in all other respects has deserved well of his country, and whose name is for this reason withheld. Shortly after this affair, this officer dined with the com- mander-in -chief at the headquarters of General Kautz. In the course of conversation, he put this question : " General, FIRST DISTRICT CAVALRY. 203 how long are we to remain here ?" The reticent Grant smoked on a few seconds, then took the inevitable cigar from his lips, and, while dislodging the ashes with his little finger, quietly answered : "I don't know, General; if you keep on feeding Lee's army with beef, we shall have to stay a good while." The questioner blushed, and Grant resumed his smoking. CHAPTER XIII. THE ANIMUS OP SECESSION. A Dialt>/al Pastor and his Friends compelled to " do justly " The " Peculiar Inatitu- tion " Dies Hard Man-Stealers Foiled in their Schemes of Bobbery. ANOTHER phase of disloyalty presented itself with the advent of the autumn of 1863 ; an example of the conflicting elements in Southern communities during the rebellion, whose sharpest, most unrelenting outbreak was seen in the alliance of religion with treason. It was notorious that the clergy and women were tae " best haters," and loudest talkers, in the ranks of secession. The reason lay, perhaps, in the nature of things. Never is wrong feeling and action so intense as when it takes the sanctions of Christianity ; while the strong impulses and the lively sensibilities of woman's nature lend a similar strength and activity to it in a bad cause. I was making an excursion, in an official way, towt-rd Point Lookout, upon a Sabbath evening. While approaching it with a force of about fifty men of my cavalry, we came to a email church, about twenty-four miles from Washington, which was closed, and a number of people standing before the door. I naturally asked the meaning of the strange scene. It seemed that the majority of the people in the parish were disloyal, and, after permitting the Unionists to occupy the sanctuary a portion of the time, nearly in pro- portion to their relative numerical strength, had voted to exclude them altogether. I inquired : " Who has the key to this church ?" "Rer. Mr. P., who lives down the road a quarter of * mile " A DISLOYAL PASTOR. 205 I immediately rode away to the parsonage, and knocked at its door. A gentleman with white cravat and dignified demeanor opened it, when I asked him : "You preach in the little church up at the Corners, do you not?" "I do." " And you keep the key ? " "Yes, sir." " So you won't let the loyal people serve God there ?" " No ; the parish voted to exclude those who didn't agree with us." "Well, I want you to unlock the church." "Oh, no; I can't do that." "Then you will go with me to Washington ; and yon can have three minutes to decide which you will do." He reached out his hand to take the key, which was hanging on the wall, near the door. " That will not do ; you must go and unlock the church yourself." "No, I can't." "Then start for Washington." " Of course, you have the power." "Yes, and I intend to exercise it." The aggrieved pastor then reluctantly followed me with the key. We approached the church, before which stood the wondering and waiting people, when my clerical friend hand- ed the key to a "brother, requesting him to open the door. I interposed. "Don't you take that key ; he must unlock the church." There being no alternative, he doggedly obeyed ; and, one after another, the outsiders went in, till the house was nearly full. 1 said to them: "Now you can serve God according to the dictates of your own conscience." The loyal minister, who had vainly attempted to occupy the pulpit for several successive Sabbaths, entered it, and commenced the usual service. Meanwhile, an officer of my cavalry force reported that the horses were suffering for want of water. I directed them to be taken to a ford four miles distant for watering. 206 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. When the rebels found my cavalry were gone, they also went into the church, and commenced a disturbance of the meeting, first by scraping their feet upon the pews, then by audible expressions of their hatred. I rose, and, in no gentle mood, called an orderly, and told him to ride in hot haste after the cavalry, and tell the officer in command to send back ten men as quickly as possible. In a short time, the force came on the full gallop to the church, when I ordered a halt. The frightened disturbers of loyal worship attempted to get out of the way, when I directed the arrest of about a dozen of them, and told them they must march with us to Washington that night. They begged for mercy, but it was too late. They certainly didn't play by the way ; for we reached the city before daylight the next morning. After I had risen, in single file, and with drooping heads, and hats in hand, they formed a ring of chop-fallen chivalry around me a comical and pitiful sight. Upon giving their parole they were released, and no further quarrel interrupted the Union worshipers, who gratefully assembled upon the recurrence of their appointed service in the rural temple. In every thing and everywhere, it was evident to the casual observer that slavery was the soul of the rebellion the educator in treason, perverting law, religion, and social order, and laying on its altar, like the idolatry of Hin- doostan, unsparingly, human victims. The determination of the Government, and of the army officers generally, notwithstanding, to save the "peculiar institution" with the Union, in the beginning of the war, was equally apparent. Under the notorious fugitive slave law of 1857, which offered a premium upon the re-enslave- ment of the refugee from unrequited toil and personal abuse, the commissioner appointed to enforce its provisions in Washington was a secessionist by the name of Cox, who took care to restore every chattel to the claimant, without nicely discriminating between the bond and free. As a consequence, not a few persons, who, by birth or purchase of freedom, were citizens, were seized and forced into bond- age I had some very interesting cases of the kind. A free-born mulatto girl was kidnapped by the slave NEGRO-STEALERS FOILED. 207 catchers, and through perjury the proper order was ob- tained, and she was taken to her pretended owner. Intel- ligent, and resolved to be free, she had the facts conveyed to my headquarters. By a military order I compelled the woman-stealer to restore to her friends the captive robbed of her rights in the name of law. The tinge of African hue alone made the outrage a trivial incident to all but the grate- ful and, I might add, graceful young lady. Upon my return from an expedition into Lower Mary- land, when within a mile from the State line, I met a farmer with a wagon load of slaves, consisting of a father and mother, with their two small children, and a wife's sister, all in charge of a constable and a force of armed citizens. The slaves, tied hand and foot, and thrown upon the straw in an old country wagon, were on their way back to bond- age. And this was done in the name of law, to pacify the men who were plotting to destroy the Union ! I was completely exhausted ; but, nerved to action by indignation too intense for expression, I demanded the autho- rity for the horrible proceeding. The claimant produced his parchment, bearing the seal of Commissioner Cox. He flourished the precious document before me, and directed my attention to the great seal of the United States. Upon careful perusal of it, I found that it bore the names of only four slaves, while the load included five. When I pointed the chivalrous and confident owner to the apparently unimportant circumstance, he replied: u We don't count that baby," pointing to an infant three months old, in the arms of a mother, whose feet were tied, while she leaned against the side of the vehicle. I answered: "The mother was a slave, and the child was born in bondage. You claim the mother, and of course the child is kidnapped ; and as you profess to be a law- abiding citizen, and are violating the statute, I arrest the entire company." He warmly protested, and threatened resistance. He said, " Take the baby ; what in h 11 do we want of the baby ? We want grown people." The mother began to weep. One of my men was touched, and, turning to me with pleading tone, inquired if I would separate the mother and child. 208 UNITED STATES SEOKET SERVICE. The display of a dozen of Colt's revolvers, by myself and assistants, satisfied my excited friend that I was in earnest in expressing my interpretation of the law. I sprang into the wagon, and with my saber's point cut the ropes. This, I think, was the first practical application of the principle of the famons Emancipation Proclamation of later date. I directed the horses' heads to be turned toward Wash- ington, when the owner and driver of the load remonstrated, and said, with an oath : "Let the niggers walk to Washington." I said, "No. You brought them here, and must carry them back." The poor captives sank on their knees ; the venerable old man exclaiming, with uplifted hands, "Bless God !" and the mother adding, " God bless Colonel Baker !" I took them to my headquarters and set them at liberty. This transaction, of course, brought upon my head the curses of the slaveholders of Lower Maryland. But I had violated no law, on account of the fortunate presence of the baby. A delegation called on Mr. Lincoln the next morning, pro- testing against the arbitrary act, producing, as before, the sacred parchment. I was summoned to the White House. The President said : "Baker, a serious charge is preferred against you;" directing my attention to the document, with the inquiry, " What do you know about the case ?" I briefly made my statement, giving prominence to the number of the slaves, and the juvenile supernumerary. The Chief-Magistrate, worthy of the nation he repre- sented, replied jocosely : " Well, Baker, I guess the baby saves you!" and dismissed the whole aft'air, leaving the "contrabands" at large, and myself to the prosecution of my thankless profession. CHAPTEK XIV. ENGLISH SYMPATHY WITH THE SOUTH NEGRO-HATE IN WASHINGTON. Ai> English Emissary of the South He Deceives the Secretary of State My Ac- quaintance with Him The Fruitless Effort to Betray Me The Journey to th Old Capitol Prison Negro-hate in the National Capital. MTTCH has been said and written about English sympathy and co-operation with the South. Perhaps nothing can give the extent and success of this alliance a more just prominence in the record of the war than some account of its practical operations, involving the highest official position, but with- out the least intimation of inability or disloyalty. On the contrary, the narrative only reveals the deliberate and skillful conspiracy of the abettors of treason in the "mother coun- try," deceiving the most intelligent statesmanship, because it seemed impossible that the betrayal of confidence could appear in the disguise of culture, friendship, and appreciated courtesies from the most eminent men in the Government. During the first years of the rebellion, an Englishman made his appearance in Washington, whose apparent interest in the loyal cause, and his open denunciations of the rebel leaders, attracted the attention of our able Secretary of State. He gained ready access to other officers of the Gov- ernment. So completely had he won the confidence of Mr. Seward that he received letters to the commander of the Department of the Shenandoah Valley. With them he waited upon that officer, and was shown the usual attentions which follow such an introduction. From the commanding general he received a carte blanche to visit the outposts whenever he thought proper. Disregarding the obligations such favors imposed, he passed the Federal lines beyond Winchester, and boldly entered the camp of Stonewall Jackson, boasting U 210 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. of his deception, and receiving similar civilities to those shown him by the Union officers. He remained several days on hostile soil, and then returned to Washington, after having received from Jackson permission to cross his lines at any time, day or night. While he was in Washington, he soon, "by his suspicious bearing, his secret meetings with well-known secessionists, awakened my suspicions. Upon inquiry, I learned that he was a sympathizer with the South, and a reputed correspond- ent of a London paper. In the prosecution of my inquiries, I ascertained that he was an accredited writer for the English press, and was assured that the stranger was a reliable gentleman. But believing that, if my British friend had facilities for passing the lines of both armies, he could give me important intelli- gence, I decided to cultivate his acquaintance. I accordingly wrote him a friendly note requesting him to call at my head- quarters, which he soon after did. He opened the conversa- tion by an effort to impress my mind with his importance as a detective in the Union service, being able to cross both lines at pleasure. He further informed me that he had just returned from Stonewall Jackson's camp, and had given to our Gen- eral B. valuable information. He claimed to occupy neu- tral ground, and naturally had but little interest in either side. Still, if I would employ and pay him, he could render great service to the Republic ; and he could obtain a cer- tificate from the British minister which would give him free entry even to the rebel capital. During the interview, I detected in his conduct a revelation of his real character. Notwithstanding his indorsement by Government, I was sure of his treasonable designs. If so, he was clearly a dangerous man, and I determined to know more about him. I desired him to obtain the certificate from the English minis- ter referred to by him. An examination of it convinced me it was a forgery. I applied to the minister, who informed me that he knew of no such man in Washington. At our next meeting, upon the succeeding day, I expressed my regret that I had not the means of getting to rebel camps which he had ; adding, that with them, how easily I could AN AKTFUL ENGLISHMAN. 211 get the plans and movements of the enemy. The bait was a success. He replied : "Nothing is easier. Go with me, and I will pass you along as a friend, and associate correspondent." He detailed minutely the plan, and we agreed to leave in company the next morning for Harper's Ferry, en route. to General Jackson's quarters. About eleven o'clock that night, when leaving my office, I received the following note, handed me by a colored man : COLONEL BAKES: Beware of that Englishman I He has devised a plot to betray you. For God's sake, don't go with him. MBS. . The missive was written by a true-hearted Union "Woman, a seamstress in one of the aristocratic secession families of Washington. This revelation increased my anxiety to become his trav- eling companion. I left Washington with him, according to appointment, and reached Winchester in due time, by rail. The rebel picket-line was between that place and Stanton. Remaining incog, myself, my friend proceeded to General B.'s headquarters and procured passes for both. Hiring a horse and buggy, we proceeded toward Stonewall Jack- son's headquarters, he suggesting that it would not probably be safe to go directly to them without giving notice of our arrival within the lines. Four miles from them, we halted at a farm-house, where he said he was acquainted, and pro- posed to send the message to camp. I was introduced prop- erly, and, after an excellent supper, a letter was written and read to me by him, addressed to the rebel chief, announcing our proximity, and that we would report to him in the morn- ing. A trusted house servant was called, and received his instructions in regard to the delivery of the note. Carelessly sauntering forth into the yard, I followed him by a circuitous route to his shanty, and asked him if he had the letter. " Yes, massa," he replied ; " which of de letters?" hand- ing me two the one which I had seen, and another to the Chief of Staff, running thus : 212 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. Have just arrived, and am at Mr. 's house. Have with me the Yankee detective, Baker. Send and capture us both. I took these notes, sealed the envelopes, gave them to the bearer, and told him to hurry as fast as possible. He left, and I returned to the dwelling, where my companion was conversing with the lady of the house. It was seventeen miles to the rebel headquarters, and I knew the servant could not get back until morning. I de- termined to await the issue. I occupied the same bed with the Englishman ; but passed a sleepless night. He was singularly restless toward morning, often going to the win* dow, to catch a glimpse of the expected cavalry, or hear the echo of the hoofs. He complained of being ill. At seven o'clock the messenger arrived; I had detected, from the movements of all around me, some great event was expected. The servant was eagerly questioned, who said he had delivered the letters according to orders. Breakfast was dispatched, and nine o'clock came, when I proposed to my associate that we wait no longer for a special invitation, but go forward to General Jackson's camp. He acquiesced ; our carriage was brought to the door, the farewell spoken to the family, and we were on our way. Great surprise was expressed by my friend that no reply had been received to the note. I apologized for the ap- parent neglect, on the ground of urgent business, and urged that we hasten on. When about four miles from our hospitable home for the night, we came to four corners, and I inquired : " Which road leads to Winchester ?" He pointed with his whip, saying : " That one." I said : " Stop a moment ! " sprang from the buggy, drew and cocked my six-shooter within six inches of his head, exclaiming : " You scoundrel, you are my prisoner. I have only been waiting to see how far you would go, and what shape your base design would take." He turned deadly pale, and tried to speak, when I added : "Don't open your mouth; if you do, I'll blow your brains out" THE TABLES TURNED. 215 Directing him to alight, I drew a pair of handcuffs from my pocket, wrapped in a newspaper, which I deliberately unrolled ; and with my pistol in my left hand, with my right I clasped the manacles on his wrist, and said : "You have attempted to betray me; if you make an effort to alarm any one, or try to indicate who I am, I will shoot you dead. If you go quietly along, you shall not be hurt. Now, get into the buggy." I took my pistol, put the muzzle under the cushion of the seat, and with my left hand drove the horse. Fortunately, we met no rebel soldiers, and not a word was spoken until we came to within half a mile of the rebel picket-line, when I drove to the side of the fence, told my prisoner to alight, and entered with him a strip of woods, passed safely the picket, and at four o'clock the following morning we were at Win- chester. I handed the traitor temporarily over to the military authorities, and sought repose. A few hours later, I started for Washington, and upon my arrival placed him in the Old Capitol prison, whose records will disclose his name. In this connection, chronologically, one or two incidents will present in bold relief the unparalleled malignity of feeling cherished by the rebels and their friends toward an unoffending race, because it was the providential occasion of their troubles, and true to the instincts of humanity in its desire for freedom ; a malignity intensified by the despotic possession and control of the body, and, so far as possible, of the soul of the enslaved. One day I was riding toward the railway depot in Wash ington, when I noticed a crowd, and saw blows descending upon the form of a colored boy. Upon getting nearer, I found that a large and brutal man was amusing himself and the spectators by beating a well-dressed mulatto lad, who was bitterly crying. I sprang from the carriage, and, taking the ruffian by the arm, inquired what he was about. Turn- ing a savage look upon me, he drew back to strike ; but it has been my custom, when necessary to use weapons of defense, to get the first blow or shot. Before he could take his aim, he was lying on his back under my feet. The injured child ran away, while a comrade, who somehow 216 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. recognized me, followed, repeating my name. I then re entered the carriage and drove on unmolested. There was another instance of fiendish hate, in whiclj a woman was the principal actor. I was crossing the street, upon a dismal night, when just before me walked a lady in splendid attire, attended by a gentleman. Further on was a poor colored girl, clearing the pavement, as well as she could with her dilapidated broom, from the snow water and mud, for the penny any passer-by might drop into her hand. She stepped back at the approach of the couple referred to, and extended her hand. The Southern lady leaned toward the little mendicant, and, with a spiteful push, laid her flat in the flooded street. She rose again, dripping and shiver- ing. I confess I was angry ; and, going before her, I re- marked : " That was very unladylike ; a specimen of the politeness of the chivalry, I suppose ? " She replied excitedly: "How dare you speak thus to me !" adding epithets of scorn toward the abolitionist. Her escort then took up the gauntlet, and inquired my name, handing me his card. I told him, and invited him to call. Both parties were bound for the post-office, where we again met, and again the lady's friend demanded satisfaction. I gave him a glimpse of my six-shooter, and intimated that he had better drop the subject, which he decided to do, and I heard no more from him. GIGANTIC VICES OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. Gambling and the Gamblers The Purpose to Break up the Dens Discouraged Th Midnight Raid Results Drinking and Liquor Saloons The Descent upon them Broken up Licentiousness and its Patrons The Raid on their Haunts at Dead of Night The Arrests. I HAVE made some disclosures respecting the contraband trade in gaming-cards ; but it remains now to record the prevalence and ruinous effects of the vice of gambling itself, during the war, pre-eminently in the National capital. I have no desire to exaggerate the evils that lurk in the high or low places of society ; to speak of Washington in a carp- ing tone, as if it had been, or is, a Sodom beyond redemp- tion ; nor do I wish to magnify my office at the expense of any man's fair fame, whatever his position. But I can not be true to myself, the bureau I represented, nor yet to the people for whose sake 1 send forth these annals, and omit a narrative which will surprise and sadden thousands. And may the country we love, the families, the youth of the land, profit by the recital. It is well known, that there have always been in large cities what are called "gambling hells" costly houses, fitted up with elegance, and furnished with everything to attract the eye, and lend fascination to the destructive pastime. Indeed, many virtu- ous citizens earnestly defend the existence of this and other unblushing vices as necessary evils ; when, the^e can be no crime which the law should not reach, and will, if fearlessly wielded by its officers, and they, in turn, are sustained by the people. In \Vashington, gambling increased naturally and inev- itably, with the progress of the war. It is not a pleasant thing to say, that the patronage of the gaming-table had been drawn largely from members of Congress ; to whom 218 UNITED STATES SECRET SEKVICE. were added, with the increasing number of officers gathering to the capital, many high in military command. With the demand for such haunts of "sporting men," their number multiplied until I had a list of more than a hundred houses, many of which were gorgeous beyond description. The fitting up of a single place of this kind cost twenty-five thousand dollars. The terrible fact which drew my attention to the subject was the discovery that nine in every ten of the defalcations by paymasters, and others in the employment of the Govern- ment, were occasioned in every instance by losses at the card table. I recovered forty thousand dollars which had passed into the hands of gamblers from those of a trusted and respected official. I called on the military commander of the district, and was discouraged in my purpose of testing the statute on gaming in the capital. The popular acquiescence in this state of things, the patronage of distinguished men, and the character of the proprietors of the "hells," were the argu- ments used by that officer. Still, I was not convinced, but the more decided to proceed to business. I accordingly mustered my entire force of assistants, and detailed to them my plans. We were to move at the same moment, surround the dozen or more gaming-houses on Pennsylvania Avenue, and at the designated time, to pre- vent any concert of action by the proprietors, or conceal- ment of their business, to enter and break them up. It waa half-past two o'clock in the morning, when the dash was made, the gamblers arrested, and their houses closed. The next morning brought intense excitement among the sporting gentlemen some denouncing the interference, and others offering bribes. A number of them raised a sum of more than twenty thousand dollars for me, if I would allow them to resume their lucrative calling. It is scarcely neces- sary to say, that I refused to pause in the reform commenced. Mr. Lincoln sent for me, and I repaired to the White House, to find him carelessly sitting- in shirt-sleeves and slippers, ready to receive me. He said : "Well, Baker, what is the trouble between you and the gamblers?" GAMBLING AND GAMBLERS. 219 I told my story. He laughed, and said : ' "I used to play penny-ante when I ran a flat-boat out West, "but for many years have not touched a card." I stated to him the havoc gambling was making with the army, alluded to before, when he approved my course, but reminded me of the difficulties in the way of reform. I replied : "I can not fight the gamblers and the Govern- ment both." The President replied : " You won't have to fight me." I added : "It is a fight ; and all I ask is fair play : that the Government will let me alone, and I will break up the business." And, with this perfect understanding, we parted for the time. Remarked one of the gamesters to me : "After all, I don't care ; it has cost me five thousand dollars a month to keep officers still." The result was, the business was effectually spoiled in Washington, and some of the leaders in it removed to other cities ; the power of wholesome law was vindicated, the offend- ers punished, and Washington saved, for the time, from one of its greatest curses ; men of commanding position exposed, and young men saved from the serpent's charm and fang. I shall leave this topic with the final report made to the proper authority: OrnoB PovosT-MAK8HAL WA* DEPARTMENT, J | WASHINOTOH, Avffutt 26, 186& Hon. E. A. STANTON, Secretary of War : SIR I have the honor to submit the following statement in relation to certain illegal establishments in this city, and the steps taken by me for their suppression. I refer to the gambling-houses of Washington. The evils that grow lirectly out of the unrestrained practice of gambling are too apparent, and ave been too often and eloquently described, to require more than the" mere mention to awaken the indignation of all honest and true men, and call forth the most strenuous efforts for their suppression. The peculiar character of the population of this city, composed largely of young men removed from the restraints of home, and the influences of the family circle, offers inducements to the gambling fraternity by which they have thus far largely profited. There are more professional gamblers in this city to-day, than in the city of New York, and two weeks since there were more gambling-houses. I have had reoorted to me no less than ose hundred and sixty-three of 220 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. those establishments, where games of chance were openly permitted, and where gathered nightly, hundreds, and I might perhaps say with truth, thou- sands of the young and middle-aged men of this city, including always a large proportion of persons in Government employ. In such dens of ruin could be found almost every night officers of all grades, paymasters and other disburs- ing officers, clerks in the different departments, and persons whose escape from certain ruin lay in the direction of abusing the public trusts confided to them, and retrieving their losses at the expense of the Government. I might cite cases of this nature where disgraced officials of prominent standing have openly pointed to gamblers and gambling-houses as the causes of their downfall ; and in more than one instance Government money to a large amount has been recovered from parties who knew perfectly well that their plunder was the proceeds of official crime and dishonor. So gigantic had this evil become, so utterly, through powerful local influ- ences, beyond the control of the civil authorities, so intense the desire for its suppression by those who know its significance as a leading inducement to crime, and the most prominent element in demoralizing both the officers and men of our armies, that I resolved upon the adoption of the only remedy available and sure of success, and that was to peremptorily close every known gambling-house in the city. About two weeks since I received orders and detailed officers for that purpose, and those orders have been so effectively carried into execution, that public gambling has entirely ceased, and will not be resumed so long as the control of the matter is left to me. It is true that the men who have carried on this infamous business still remain in the city, that they are labor- ing, by every means that money can purchase or influence command, to pro- cure a reversal of my orders, and recommence their depredations upon Gov- ernment officials, under the shadow of Government authority. I am credibly informed that movements are being made, by parties claim- ing high consideration in official quarters, with the view of protecting tho Interests of the unemployed gamblers, and reopening the doors of those gambling hells which I have summarily closed, but which, if unlocked, will again be filled with crowds of swindlers and their unhappy victims. I have thought it my duty, under a full knowledge of all the facts in the case, to thus briefly call your attention to the matter, in the earnest hope that the efforts I have made to rid this city of its greatest pest and nuisance will receive the approbation and earnest support of the War Department and of the Government authorities. I am, sir, your obedient servant, (Signed) L. C. BAKER, Colonel and Provost-Marshal War Department. Upon reading the above report, my course was fully sus tained by the Secretary of War, who, when convinced of tke existence of a wrong, was ever ready and prompt t LIQUOR-SHOPS. 221 act to the extent of his jurisdiction and influence for its sup- pression. Another kindred and gigantic vice was nnblushingly doing its work of death, which I could not overlook. The most superficial observer of Washington must have noticed the unusual number of drinking places, in every form and under every possible disguise. Wherever soldiers were stationed, or army work in progress, there was seen at least the beer barrel and whisky demijohn. Old street corners and vacant lots were occupied with the bar, around which lay the intoxicated victims of their poison the "boys in blue." In the suburbs, under the shadow of hospitals, and beside bridges, the liquor booth was reared, until it was estimated that not less than thirty-seven hundred such fountains of ruin were in active operation. In spite of the most stringent municipal and military regulations, the traffic went on un- checked, and daily increasing. The imposition of a fine, or incarceration for a few hours in a guard-house, was a mere joke to the speculators in the morals and lives of men. But to enter the saloons, and, with the heavy blows of the ax, to crush in the barrel-head, bring decanters in fragments to the floor, and then lay the structure itself in ruins, was too expensive a jest to be often repeated. In the vicinity of Twenty-second and G Streets were the headquarters of the depot quartermaster. Here were located the Government warehouses, storehouses, workshops, manu- factories, and corrals, employing eight thousand men or more. Two sides of an entire square were occupied by the low- est places of intoxication. In many of them, the eatire stock in trade was a cask of lager beer and a gallon of unknown and villainous compound called Bourbon whisky, dealt out in an old rusty tin cup, at ten cents per drink. In these dens could be seen, at all hours of the day and night, the common soldier, the teamster, and the mechanic. I distinct- ly recollect, that on the eve of an important battle, when necessary to dispatch to the front, at an hour's notice, a train of one hundred wagons, not five Government teamsters were sufficiently sober to move forward. When all other means, laws, and agents had failed to 222 UNITED STATES SEOKET SERVICE. reach and remedy the frightful evil, my aid, it will appear from the correspondence quoted, was invoked. I officially gave notice to the occupants of these saloons, that they must close them by four o'clock, the next day, or take the conse- quences of a refusal to comply. They had so often before been warned, that no attention was given to my caution. At the expiration of the appointed time, with my employees, all armed with axes, I proceeded to the dens of Bacchus, and commenced the work of destruc- tion. Soon the long lines of liquor shops were leveled to the ground, and only broken and empty barrels, crushed decanters, and rubbish remained. In one case, when the demolition began, the proprietor, with pencil and paper, made an inventory of his property. When asked what he proposed to do with it, he replied : "Make a bill," and scratched away. I replied: "It is hardly worth the while to present to the Government a bill for a few decanters and rattlesnake whisky ; I think I will tear down the house over your head, and then you can make out a bill worth your while." The assembling of a large army at the capital also drew after it those camp-followers who, of all lost humanity, are the most degraded fallen women. While the gambler and liquor-seller's den sprang up at the first sound of war, as if spontaneously from the earth which echoed the tramp of armies, from every city came the painted wreck of woman- hood, and hired the room at the fashionable hotel, the dwelling, the abandoned chamber, or the negro cabin, to traffic in the virtue, health, domestic peace, and highest interests of men. Along the Potomac, in front of Washing- ton, stretching for fifteen miles along the banks, lay the Union troops. The horses of staif officers, the ambulance, and orderlies, could be seen during the night, and after the sun had risen even, waiting before the kennels of vice, for those who were within them. Nor are the instances few, where the pretty, vain wife or daughter has been enticed over the lines, to become the member of the domestic military circle. So notorious had this vice become, that I appealed to the Secretary of War, HOUSES OF ILL-FAME. 223 who issued an order that no commissioned officer or private could enter the city without a written pass from his com- manding general. A violation of the order would subject the offender to a lodgment in the guard-house. For a time, the order was partially regarded, but soon set aside, and the corruption seemed to gain strength by the tem- porary check. At length, for the two-fold purpose of en- forcing the order and exposing to public contempt the trans- gressors, I decided to make a descent upon some of the representative houses of this class. The scenes which transpired at the hour of midnight, in these dens of corruption, beggar language. At an hour appointed, and with a concerted plan, similar in all its details to that which was sprung upon the gamblers, with my force I made a raid upon the disreputable houses. The moment came, the signal was given, doors were opened, the windows raised, and a scene of confusion and comico-tragic nature followed, which must have been wit- nessed to have been appreciated. Faces quite covered to avoid recognition, gas turned off, and a general stampede of gentlemen sporting martial emblems, were some of the inci- dents attending the onset upon the intrenchments of vice in midnight quiet of the nation's capital. Between sixty and seventy officers and men were arrested and locked up in the guard-house, for reflection upon their suddenly inter- rupted debauchery. When General Burnside opened fire upon Fredericks- burg, which was the first assault upon the town, the notice of bombardment given to the inhabitants was so short, that their flight from the city was a wild and hasty stam- pede, leaving the many palatial residences of this ancient seat of Virginia aristocracy in all the completeness of their peaceful occupancy. Among the first troops who crossed the river were those commanded by Brigadier-General Upon reaching the elegant mansion of Commodore G., they immediately tore down the rich curtains, and pillaged the apartments adorned with expensive works of art, brought by members of the family from Europe. The feeling among the troops then seemed to be, that an enemy's house and '* chattels personal" were common plunder. Oil paintings* 224 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. bronze statuary, and family relics, were appropriated by the military visitors to the house of Commodore G., and seized by me upon their arrival at Washington. A few days later, the accomplished and beautiful Mrs. T., sister of Commodore G., came to the capital, and, dreading to meet me, as I after- ward learned, on account of the rumors which had reached her, that I was gifted with a special ferocity of nature, applied to Dr. S., a distinguished physician of Washington, whose acquaintance I had formed in a sick-room, who vol- unteered to accompany her to my office, assuring her of respectful treatment. With evident trepidation, she entered the room, and stated her errand. An elegant bronze horse, which had ornamented her brother's house, was then standing on my safe. I told her I saw no reason why these domestic trea- sures, including heavy silver- ware, bearing the family name, should not be restored. The next day she called again, and spent some time looking over the opened boxes of these family relics. She said at length : " Can I have these again 1" "Certainly, madam; they are of no use to the Govern- ment." She burst into tears, thanked me, and retired. CHAPTER XVI. A PERILOUS ADVENTURE. Pope's Defeat Banks's Advance The Importance of communicating with him The Successful Attempt Rebel Pursuers The Escape. ONE of the most disastrous defeats of the Union army was that of General Pope, when he was driven through the mountains of the Blue Ridge by General Lee, in the autumn of 1863. General Banks had left the Shenandoah Valley, but knew nothing of the perilous condition of -the army he was hastening to join, nor the danger that would attend his advance, with Lee's entire army across his path. To save his battalions, it was necessary to communicate to him the movements of the two armies. Excepting the route from Washington to Centreville, the rebels had full possession, and the road was exceedingly perilous. Innumerable rumors were floating about Washington, to the effect that Banks had met Lee, and was annihilated. The Secretary of War was unable to obtain any information of him. He had dispatched two messengers with instructions to him not to attempt a junction with Pope. One of them was captured, and the other came back, after several fruitless attempts to get be- yond Centreville, and refused to risk his life further. Secretary Stanton, in this emergency, sent for me, and asked me if I had a man on my force daring and sagacious enough to carry the dispatches to Banks. "If you will prepare your messages," said I, "I will see that they are delivered ; or, at any rate, that an attempt is made to deliver them." I got ready at once for the uncertain excursion, and reported to Mr. Stanton for orders. He gave me the dis- patches, which I concealed under my clothes, next to my u 226 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. body, and, mounting the celebrated racehorse "Patchen, ' I galloped away from the Capital at six o'clock in the evening, reaching Centreville at ten. I reported to Gen- eral McDowell, and requested a fresh and fleet horse. I waited an hour, when the black clouds, which had been gathering overhead for some time, began to pour down a steady rain, and the air grew chill and dismal. The darkness was almost impenetrable to -the vision. The roads were in a wretched condition muddy, broken, and frequently obstructed. No horse, fit for such a journey a journey requiring one sure of foot, swift, and perfectly trained could be found at that hour of the night, in the disorder of the army, and "Patchen" had already carried his owner thirty -five miles along a rough and toilsome route. These were the considerations which urged me to remain at McDowell's head-quarters until the journey might be com- menced with better auguries of safety. The darkness, how- ever, in itself was not unfavorable to the enterprise. By its help, I might hope to pass through regions occupied by the rebels, which would be utterly closed to me in daylight or moonlight. I could depend on "Patchen," in every emergency, to the extent of his strength, while a strange horse might give me infinite trouble, and involve me in great danger. But, above all, Banks' s army must be saved, and hours were precious. As the only alternative, I remounted "Patchen," and plunged into the darkness. It was eight miles from Ma- nassas by the direct route, but I took the Gainesville road, which would increase the distance to twenty-four miles. After pursuing my benighted way, often guided solely by the instinct of the noble animal that bore me, at daybreak I came upon traces of the army for which I was searching. An interview with General Banks immediately followed, which conveyed to him the first intelligence of Pope's defeat, with orders to march for Alexandria as rapidly as possible. Having accomplished the object of my adventure to the great relief of that officer, who was intensely anxious to hear from Washington within an hour I was on my way with dispatches to the Secretary of War. I determined, THE PURSUIT. 227 without delay, to risk a daylight journey back, and re- traced my way to Bristow Station, from which, to avoid a circuitous course, I started for the rebel lines. After riding two miles, I caught a glimpse of the rebel army, in rapid march eastward, toward the old Bull Run battle-ground. There were infantry, cavalry, and artillery, in detached squads, occupying the entire country ahead, with occa- sionally a small opening between them. Prudence would have dictated a speedy retreat, and as wide a circuit as would really be necessary for safety ; but I was very anxious to save the distance. I rode down to within three hundred yards of the line, and attempted to discover an opportunity for slipping through. I loitered in the rear for three-quarters of an hour, and finally observed an opening a break in the train ; and, though I should certainly be seen, and must take my chances with the bullets, I determined to make the effort to pass at this point. I took my six-shooter in my right hand, partly concealing it at my side, grasped the reins firmly with my left, and started, at first slowly and cau- tiously, down the road. Before I had gone far, I was dis- covered and hailed. I made no answer, and immediately became a target for every soldier within hearing distance. I now nerved myself for a quick and desperate venture, and gave my horse the spurs. It was necessary either to turn back, or to pass within thirty feet of a whole squad of infantry that being the only opening. I again lay down upon the neck of "Patchen," who shot by like an arrow. As he passed the troops, they fired, and the bullets flew thickly about him ; but horse and rider escaped unhurt. I raised myself in the saddle, and, with pistol in hand, waved an adieu to my disappointed foes ; then bending again to " Patchen' s" neck, he bore me rapidly from their sight. A cavalry force, who had heard the firing, now appeared in the distance, and began to discharge their car- bines at me. The cavalry at first numbered as many as forty. They continued the pursuit for a mile, when, one by one, they began to lag behind, firing generally an ineffectual parting ehot. It was not long until only six or eight, who had 228 UNITED STATES SEOEET SERVICE. remarkably good horses, followed me, and they were too far behind to fire with any accuracy of aim. Sometimes, however, I became entangled in brush, or temporarily impeded by mud ; and, on two or three occasions, the foremost man rode to within twenty yards and fired. For nine miles I did not slacken my pace. Only three of the party were now chasing me, the rest having fallen behind. My horse was covered with foam and dust, and began to show signs of failing strength the necessary result of so long travel, at so rapid a pace. My powers were strained to their utmost capacity. I had ridden almost continuously over a hundred miles, through mud, and rain, and darkness ; but this closing excitement called up the latent powers which every man possesses, but which only lend their aid in the direst emergency. I saw a little hill ahead, and spurred on to get fairly over it before the other party reached its foot. I passed over, and was out of sight for the minute. I wheeled sharply round, and turned into a thick clump of pines, a little to the right, and there dismounting, stood holding by the saddle. I remained perfectly still, and the party rode past. They went on for a considerable distance, when one of them, perceiving that there was nobody ahead, turned his horse about, and rode back. He came toward the pines, glancing eagerly this way and that. He was not more than twenty yards from me, when a movement of "Patchen" revealed lus hidden man. My pursuer saw at a glance my position, and raised his carbine to fire. A crisis had come in the encounter, and, raising the pistol still in my hand, I discharged it at my enemy. The horse sprang forward, and his rider fell. I then leaped into the saddle, gave the wounded man, who was on the point of rising, another shot, and rode out into the beaten path. The otner two, hearing the report of the pistol, returned to the pursuit, while I struck off, at a right angle with the path, to pass them unobserved. They saw me, however, and dashed forward with great speed, one of them firing his carbine, in the desperate endeavor to prevent my escape. Each backward glance revealed the frenzied excite- THE EbUAPE. 231 ment of my foes, and their determination, at all hazards, to take me, either dead or alive. I now came to the banks of Bull Run, where the final struggle for dear life and liberty was at hand. The stream was swollen, and it would require the best exertions of my good steed to swim it. I knew that if the pursuers reached the bank before I reached the other side, I should be at the mercy of their bullets. On the other hand, I knew tha the Union forces occupied the opposite side of the stream that being the boundary of the picket line and that if I should succeed in getting across safely, the peril for that day was over. I spurred my horse to his final effort of speed, and was well ahead when I arrived at the stream. I plunged into it, and "Patchen" bravely breasted the swift current. It was only eight or ten yards wide, and this distance was soon accomplished ; but the bank on the north side was almost perpendicular, and the horse made two or three ineffectual efforts to scale it. I heard distinctly the shouts of the two men behind me, and, cheering " Patchen" with encouraging words, which he evidently understood as well as his rider, he sprang forward, and in a moment stood proudly on the top of the bank, while the echo of a shot, intended for me, died away over the waters from which I had just emerged. I dismounted, and went to the edge of the declivity to watch the movements of my pursuers. The first galloped down to the margin of the stream, and, after considerable urging, his horse commenced swimming across. Before t had occasion to fire, the Union pickets upon the bluff, hav- ing heard the enemy's shot, made their appearance. I shouted to them, and told them I was the bearer of dis- patches to the Secretary of War, and was chased by rebels. Immediately four or five bullets were on the way to the Confederate horseman, who was midway in the stream. He tumbled from his saddle, and floated down the river, whose current was tinged with his blood. His comrade took the hint and disappeared in the distance. Relieved from the peril of pursuit, I remounted "Patch- en," and moved leisurely toward Washington, where I arrived at three o'clock, p. M., and reported to the War 232 UNITED STATES SEOKET SERVICE. Department. I had ridden one hundred and twenty-four miles since al>out six o'clock of the preceding afternoon, without a moment's sleep. I went to my quarters utterly prostrated with exhaustion. From the time the pursuit began, to have my pistol ready in my right hand, I had constantly held the rein in my left, which became so "badly swollen, it required careful dressing for more than a week. Poor "Patchen" looked more dilapidated than his master, and required good nursing for over a fortnight. Mr. Stanton expressed his satisfaction at the result in a characteristic manner, by simply saying to me, after reading my dispatches and hearing my story: "Well, go and tell Mr. Lincoln." CHAPTER XVII. SPECULATION AND FRAUD. Devices of Contractors Detection of Forage Contractor Appeal to the President Further Frauds as "Silent Partner". MANY of the ingenious devices resorted to by contractors, by which, to gain their fraudulent ends without risk of detection have already been disclosed ; but I shall here give another illustration, which, on account of its boldness and success, deserves especial notice. I detected a conspicuous Government contractor in exten- sive speculations in the delivery of forage. He was arrested and placed in the "Old Capitol prison." His father, very indignant at his son's imprisonment on such an accusa- tion, which he, in simple faith, considered unmerited, and which would inevitably bring disgrace upon his family, applied to the Secretary of War for his release. The father was a prominent politician of Pennsylvania, and, at the time of his interview with the Secretary, was accompanied by Members of Congress, besides other friends. He appeared to rest in the belief that there would be little or no difficulty in obtaining the acquittal of his son, and strongly urged, as a reason, the absurdity of supposing that a gentleman of character so high, could have designedly defrauded the Government. But the Secretary of War, having sufficient evidence to be convinced of the guilt of the contractor, was unmoved bv his entreaties, and refused to grant his petition. Not discouraged by the vain attempt, he next made application to President Lincoln. During this interview, the prisoner's cause was not the only topic of conversation, but Colonel Baker's discipline and rule constituted also a 234 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. very important and lengthy one. The patriotic Congressmen denounced the latter in unqualified terms, for having had the audacity to arrest a highly respectable citizen, and con- fine him within the walls of the American Bastile. They remarked that such outrages, committed by detectives, if allowed, would arouse the people, who would hurl from their offices these minions of power. They seemed to think that, if they could convince the President of the righteousness of their attacks upon the detective system, their work toward the release of the prisoner would be more speedily accomplished. This, with much more, delivered in a very emphatic manner, made so strong a plea, that Mr. Lincoln thought it necessary to consult me. He accordingly sent for me, and requested me to relate to him all the circumstances connected with the detection and arrest of the contractor. I gave him as explicit an account as I could, and then asked his permission to hold the prisoner in custody twelve hours longer ; adding that if, at the expiration of that time, I should be unable to produce facts sufficiently proving his guilt, and my rightful authority for arresting him, I would consent to his acquittal. JL The President approved of this proposition, which was 'sent to the prisoner's friends; and the next morning, his father, attended by the Congressional delegation, referred to before, called at the War Department, to notify the Secretary that the President had promised to set the pris- oner at liberty. The same morning, I had. carried to the Secretary of War an extended and unreserved confession of guilt by the con- tractor. This was now produced, and read in the presence of the whole company. In it, the writer very minutfly related the manner in which he committed the frauds ; he also, to prove his sincerity, handed to me thirty-two thou- sand dollars, one of the items in his speculations at the expense of the Government. The effect upon so proud a father of the overwhelming intelligence conveyed in this full confession of the contractor, and before so numerous an audience, may be, perhaps, par- tially, but never fully imagined. The undeniable evidence THE CRIME DISCLOSED. 235 of his son's guilt, coming so forcibly npon him, at the very moment that he had fondly anticipated would clear him from all suspicions, and place him higher than before in public opinion, on account of his being so unjustly arrested and imprisoned, bowed him down with shame and sorrow. The distinguished friends who had accompanied him to the Department, and who, with him, had anticipated a far different issue of their proceedings, were speechless with astonishment and chagrin. The silence was finally disturbed by a melancholy allu- sion to the natural depravity of man, and soon afterward the uncomfortable parties dispersed. This short but sad sketch of the fraudulent undertakings of a contractor, is but a solitary instance, among many others of a similar kind, which might be recorded. The Secretary of War, wisely judging that the criminal had forfeited all just claim to public benefit, passed an order, which took from him the privilege of making any further contracts with the Government. But so steeped in villany was his nature, that he concluded to evade the order, and still, though in a more surreptitious manner, pursue his swindling operations. He submitted a proposal, through a partner in business, to the department quartermaster at Alexandria, to furnish what is called "mixed grain," or oats and corn, in the pro- portion of twenty pounds of oats and twelve of corn. It will be well to remark that, in this transaction, he took especial care to keep his name secret, and acted, therefore, as the "silent partner." Oats were worth ninety, and corn forty cents. Up to this time, no mixed grain had been received by the Govern- ment. The contractor, therefore, prepared a glowing state- ment of the advantages of the grain to the Government. His enthusiastic assertions regarding the advantages to be obtained from the mixed grain were so convincing, that, upon the recommendation of the department quartermaster, the Government authorized a contract for the delivery of it, to the large amount of three million bushels. I was ignorant of the negotiations until the affair had arriv id at its consummation. Then, as confident as if I 236 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. been cognizant of the whole development of the transaction, of a fraudulent operation, I immediately commenced the work of its detection. It is manifest that the difference of price in the two kinds of grain was considerable ; and, therefore, it was an advan- tage, which the contractor would not willingly let slip by, to deliver a greater proportion of oats than of corn, as the price of the former was so much greater than the other. The profits in this single contract we may safely estimate at not less than the almost incredible sum of five hundred thousand dollars. At this date, my attention was attracted to a fruitful source of gain at the expense of virtue, and even decency : the traffic in corrupt literature and art. I know of no lower grade of depravity than that of this shameless business. The vile book, photograph, and wood-cut, were scattered by sutlers, mail agents, and others, throughout the army. I found them in large quantities in the mail-bags of the Gov- ernment. The extent to which the fiendish business of ruin- ing the morals and bodies of men was carried, would scarcely be believed by the good people of the rural districts, or even, of the cities. The art of photography and printing has flooded the country with these cheap and shameless appeals to the lowest and most brutal passions. No quiet hamlet is so sheltered by kindly moral influences, that it is not reached by the poison of this trade. But the absence from home of the many thousands of our volunteers separated as they were from all the softening and elevating restraints of domestic and social life afforded an opportunity for these human vampires, who do their work by stealth, unknown "before in this country. They appreciated and improved it. The illegal and infamous source of gain came to my knowledge in various ways and from different quarters. The -post-office being the principal channel through which the lousiness was carried on, I made a formal application to the Postmaster-G-eneral for aid in reaching the outr&ge : I received all the encouragement I desired, and entered immediately to check, if I could not break up, the disgrace- ful traffic. I soon got on the track of a large quantity of the A GRATEFUL SOUTHERN LADY. 237 vile goods, on their way to the army. They were seized, and their estimated value, according to the purchase-price, was not less than twenty-two thousand dollars. It was decided to make a "bonfire of this pile of sensual trash. Our pure-minded President intimated that he would like to see the conflagration. It was kindled in front of the White I House, and he enjoyed the sight, with the zest of a noble nature, to which vice was a loathing. CHAPTER XVIII. A FEMALE ADVENTURER. Woman in the Rebellion Her Aid indispensable in the worst as well as the beat Causes A Spicy Letter Miss A. J. Vidocq's Experience. "A WOMAN in every plot" is almost a proverb among those who have had much to do with successful conspiracies and treachery. It will be recollected that Miss Ford, aid-de-camp of the cavalry commander Stuart, betrayed General Stoughton and his staff to guerrilla Moseby's band. I find a spicy epistle on the subject, from a lady of the first standing, among the in- tercepted correspondence of the war, which is a fair speci- men of refined hate to the North, along with a touch of sympathy with a betrayed and captive Union officer : GBOROETOWX. DBAB J. Ina is sending off a letter, in which, I presume, she tells you the news of the day. (You know how much of that article thore is in George- town.) So I will commence at once with my little piece of business, although I presume you have heard that General Stoughton is now a prisoner in Rich- mond. Thank Heaven ! He has at last reached the desired haven, but I fear he is rather in a destitute condition. Three impudent rebels dashed into Fair- fax and took the gentleman out of his bed, with a number of other soldiers, horses, and contrabands ; and I hear that some were in a state of nudity. What a grand entree it must have been into Richmond. But while I rejoice that his little hands are kept from "picking and stealing," and that bis noble efforts for crushing this wicked rebellion are now confined within four walls, yet I can't help feeling a little sorry for the discomfort he will necessarily suffer, and which he richly deserves a prisoner among strangers, and he must be without clothing, money, or any of the necessaries of life. Now, Aunt Josie, please ask Colonel Leftrich, or any of the family, if at any time they go to Richmond, won't they be so kind as to go and see him. You know, Joe, they are people of much wealth and standing, and no matter what Gen- eral Stoughton might want, in the way of money or clothing, would be most cheerfully returned. Probably Colonel Leftrich would write to some friend MISS A. J.'S STATEMENT. 239 In Richmond. His mother and sister, who were with him at the time, are both inclined to be Southern, and would be so grateful for any kindness shown to General Stoughton. When you write to Cousin E., ask him, if he comes - to Richmond, which he very often does, to go and see him, and do any thing for him he can. If you can't get any one else, please write to John Hunter, and beg him to go at once, and do what he can. I highly approve of hig being kept behind a bolt and bar. But please, Aunt Joe, attend to it at once, and ask Colonel Leftrich if he will not write to some friend. You know, at least Ina told you in her last letter, that after you left, General Stoughton went to Mrs. G. L.'s and got Charley's valise for me; and he has always been so remarkably kind to me, that I am very anxious, in some way, to repay it. Yours, &c., FANHIB. One of the most strangely romantic female histories of the war, which came within the investigations of the bureau, was that of Miss A J. Statements have been already made concerning female visitors to the army. Much of the information communi- cated to the rebels was given by these irresponsible charac- ters passing through rebel and Union lines. The condition of morals among officers who found congenial companionship in the society of such women, is apparent, and needs no coloring from pen or pencil. This unfortunate and degraded young woman was arrest- ed, while attempting to pass the Confederate pickets, within three days after giving her solemn parole not to cross the Potomac into Virginia during the rebellion. Upon the ear- nest request of the Governor and a distinguished Senator of Massachusetts, she was again released from confinement, on parole ; after which she made the subjoined confession : STATEMENT OF MISS A. J. My name is A. J. I was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Am twenty years of age. I have neither father or mother living. I have two sisters. la August, 1861, I left my home at Cambridge, without the knowledge or con- sent of my uncle, sisters, or friends, and came direct to Washington, with the intention of offering my services as a hospital-nurse, which was refused, on account of my age. I then procured a pass from General Wool to visit the different camps in and about Baltimore. I had no particular object or busi- ness in the army, but went out of mere curiosity. I spent some months in this way. While in the various camps, I was furnished by the commanding officers with a tent, and sometimes occupied quarters with the officers. In the fall of 1862 I went to the Army of the Potomac, with no different object 240 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. in view ; spent some time at General S.'s headquarters at Fairfax Court- House. During this time was the guest of the General and his staff officers. After General S. left Fairfax Court House I went to Centreville. I do not now recollect who was in command at the time. I remained at Centreville but a short time, then went to Falls Church, from there to Fairfax Court House. In June or July last I attempted to pass the Federal pickets, for the purpose of visiting Drainesville, then outside our lines; was arrested, and taken to General S.'s headquarters, and by him sent to General M., who at once released me, and sent me back to General S.'s headquarters, where I remained until the army returned from Maryland. General S. was then relieved, when 1 joined General K.'s command, and went to the front, as the friends and companions of General C. We made our headquarters near Hart- wood Church. Stopping at this point, General K. became very jealous of General C.'s attentions to me, and went to General M.'s headquarters and charged me with being a rebel spy. I was then arrested and sent to General M., Military Governor of Washington, who committed me to the Old Capitol Prison. I have spent two years and a half in the Union army, and during this time have been the guest of different officers, they furnishing me with horses, orderlies, escorts, sentinels at my tent, or quarter rations, &c. I have invariably received passes from these officers, to go and return when and where I pleased. During the time that I was with the Army of the Potomac I invariably wore major straps. I have repeatedly passed the outside pickets of the Federal army, several miles beyond, into the rebel lines ; and was once captured by Moseby and taken to Aldie, to the house of a Mrs. Yankes Davis, whose husband is a Federal scout or spy. I was detained one or two days, then allowed to return. I further state, that during no part of the time that I was with the Federal army was I employed as guide, scout, spy, or hospital- nurse, but, as stated before, a companion to the various commanding officers, as a private friend or companion. On the 7th day of November, 1863, I was released from the Old Capitol Prison, by order of the Secretary of War. During the time of my confinement I became intimately acquainted with Captain M., Mr. J. S. L., the superintendent, clerks, and others. On ray release Mr. L. advised me to go to the house of a Mrs. McC., where I was at the time of my arrest. In consequence of Mr. L.'s intimacy with me, during my imprisonment, Mr. W. discharged him. I then went to Colonel J. A. H., at the War Department, and informed him that L. had been discharged, and | the reason. Colonel H. then directed that L. should be assigned to duty at General A.'s headquarters, on condition that I would leave the city and return to my home at Cambridge. I did go to Boston, as I promised, and Mr. L. obtained his situation at General A.'s headquarters. I remained away about three weeks, when I returned to Mrs. McC.'s house. On my discharge from prison, I signed a parole, one of the conditions of which was "that I should not enter the State of Virginia" without proper permission, during the rebellion ; but, notwithstanding this obligation, I have made several ineffectual attempts to do so. In reference to my present arrest, I desire to state that I informed Mr. G. R. that I had procured a pass, in con- nection with Major W., of the Treasury Department, and Mrs. Moxen, that on A WOMAN AND THE FRENCH SEOKET SERVICE. 241 Saturday afternoon last I proceeded in a carriage, with the two persons referred to, viz., Mr. "W. and Mrs. M., to the Aqueduct Bridge, where we were halted by the guard, who informed us that Mr. W. and Mrs. M. could go on, but that Miss J. could not ; that I then returned to Mrs. McO.'s. I also informed Mr. R. that said pass was procured for me through the influence of a brigadier-general (not naming him). I also informed others, at Mrs. McO.'s, that I made the attempt to cross, but was turned back by the guard. During the entire time since my leaving home, in 1861, I have led a very roving, and, may be, questionable life. I am now very unwell, owing to my long confine- ment and other causes, and desire to be released from custody, in order that I may return to my home and friends ; and, if released, I pledge myself not to return to Washington during the present rebellion. The proper officer certified as follows : City of Washington, District of Columbia : Personally appeared before me A. J., who, being by me duly sworn, TO her oath said that she had read the foregoing statement, and that she knew the contents thereof; that all the statements therein contained are true, to the best of her knowledge. That said statement is made without fear or com- pulsion, or promise of reward, but freely on her part. The great detective, Vidocq, quoted in the first part of this volume, has an instance both of woman's crafty management, and his own, particularly interesting in this connection : It is very rare that a fugitive galley-slave escapes with any intention of amendment ; most frequently the aim is to gain the capital, and then put in practice the vicious lessons acquired at the Bagnes, which, like most of our prisons, are schools in which they perfect themselves in the art of appro- priating to themselves the property of another. Nearly all celebrated robbers only became expert after passing some time at the galleys. Some have undergone five or six sentences before they became thorough scoundrels; such as the famous Victor Desbois, and his comrade, Mongenet, called Le Tambour (Drummer), who, during various visits to Paris, committed a vast many of those robberies on which people love to descant as proofs of boldness and address. These two men, who, for many years, were sent away with every chain, and as frequently escaped, were once more back again in Paris ; the police got information of it, and I received the orders to search for them. All testi- fied that they had acquaintances with other robbers no less formidable than themselves. A music mistress, whose son, called Noel with the Spectacles, a celebrated robber, was suspected of harboring these thieves. Madamo Noel was a well-educated woman, and an admirable musician ; she was esteemed a most accomplished performer by the middle class of tradespeople, who employed her to give lessons to their daughters. She was well known in the Marias and the Quartier Saint Denis, where the polish of her manners, the 16 242 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. elegance of her language, the gentility of her dress, and that .nde&cr bahto air of superiority, which the reverses of fortune can never entirely destroy, gave rise to the current belief that she was a member of one of those numerous families to whom the Revolution had only left its hauteur and its regrets. To those who heard and saw her, without being acquainted, Madame Noel was a most interesting little woman ; and besides, there was something touch ing in her situation ; it was a mystery, and no one knew what had become of her husband. Some said that she had been early left in a state of widow- hood ; others, that she had been forsaken; and a third affirmed that she was a, victim of seduction. I know not which of these conjectures approaches nearest the truth, but I know very well that Madame Noel was a little bru- nette, whose sparkling eye and roguish look were softened down by that gentle demeanor, which seemed to increase the sweetness of her smile, and the tone of her voice, which was in the highest degree musical. There was a mixture of the angel and demon in her face, but the latter perhaps prepon- derated ; for time had developed those traits which characterize evil thoughts. Madame Noel was obliging and good, but only toward those individuals who were at issue with justice ; she received them as the mother of a soldier would welcome the comrade of her son. To insure a welcome with her, it was enough to belong to the same " regiment " as Noel with the Spectacles ; and then, as much for love of him, and from inclination, perhaps, sh* would do all in her power to aid, and was constantly looked upon as a " mother of robbers." At her house, they found shelter ; it was she who provided for all their wants. She carried her complaisance so far as to seek "jobs of work " for them ; and when a passport was indispensably requisite for their safety, she was not quiet until, by some means, she had succeeded in procuring one. Madame Noel had many friends among her own sex, and it was generally in one of their names that the passport was obtained. A powerful mixture of oxygenated muriatic acid obliterated the writing, and the description of the gentleman who required it, as well as the name which it suited his purpose to assume, replaced the feminine description. Madame Noel had generally by her a supply of these accommodating passports, which were filled accord- ing to circumstances, and the wants of the party requiring such assistance. All the galley-slaves were children of Madame Noel, but those were the most in favor who could give her any account of her son ; for them her devo- tion was boundless. Her house was open to all fugitives, who made it their rendezvous ; and there nrnst be gratitude even among them, for the police were informed that they came frequently to Mother Noel's, for the pleasure of seeing her only ; she was the confidante of all their plans, all their adven- tures, all their fears; in fact, they cdmmunicated all unreservedly, and never had cause to regret their reliance on her fidelity. Mother Noel had never seen me ; my features were quite unknown to her, although she had frequently heard of my name. There was, then, no diffi- culty in presenting myself before her, without giving her any cause for alarm; but to get her to point out to me the hiding-place of the men whom I sough to detect, was the end I aimed at, and I felt that it would be impossible to attain it without much skill and management. MADAME NOEL klVD VIDOCQ. 243 At first, I resolved on passing myself off as a fugitive galley-slave ; but it was necessary to borrow the name of some thief, whom her son or his com- rades had mentioned to her in advantageous terms. Moreover, a little resem- blance was positively requisite, and I endeavored to recollect if there were not one of the galley-slaves whom I knew had been associated with Noel with the Spectacles, and I could not remember one of my age, or whose person and features at all resembled mine. At last, by dint of much effort of memory, I recalled to mind one Germain, alias "the Captain," who had been an inti- mate acquaintance of Noel's, and although our similarity was very slight, yet I determined on personating him. Germain, as well as myself, had often escaped from the Bagnes, and that was the only point of resemblance between us. He was about my age, but a smaller framed man ; he had dark-brown hair, mine was light; he was thin, and I tolerably stout; his complexion was sallow, and mine fair, with a very clear skin ; besides, Germain had an exces- sively long nose, took a vast deal of snuff, which, begriming his nostrils out- side, and stuffing them op within, gave him a peculiarly nasal tone of voice. I had much to do in personating Germain ; but the difficulty did not deter me. My hair, cut d la mode des bagnes, was dyed black, as well as my beard, after it had attained a growth of eight days ; to embrown my countenance, I washed it with white walnut liquor; and to perfect the imitation, I garnished my upper lip thickly with a kind of coffee-grounds, which I plastered on by means of gum arabic, and thus became as nasal in my twang as Germain himself. My feet were doctored with equal care ; I made blisters on them by rubbing in a certain composition, of which I had obtained the receipt at Brest. I also made the marks of the fetters ; and when all my toilet was finished, dressed myself in the suitable garb. I had neglected nothing which could complete the metamorphosis neither the shoes nor the marks of those horrid letters GAL. The costume was perfect ; and the only thing wanting was a hundred of those companionable insects which people the solitudes of poverty, and which were, I believe, together with locusts and toads, one of the seven plagues of old Egypt. I procured some for money ; and as soon as they were a little accustomed to their new domicile, which was speedily the case, I directed my steps toward the residence of Madame Noel, in the Rue Ticquetonne. I arrived there, and knocking at the door, she opened it : a glance con- vincing her how matters stood with me, she desired me to enter, and on finding myself alone with her, I told her who I was. "Ah, my poor lad," she cried, " there is no occasion to tell me where you have come from ; I am sure you must be dying with hunger I" " Oh, yes," I answered, "I am indeed hungry; I have tasted nothing for twenty-four hours." Instantly, without further question, she went out, and returned with a dish of hog's puddings and a bottle of wine, which she placed before me. I did not eat, I actually devoured ; I stuffed myself, and all had disappeared without my saying a word between my first mouthful and my last. Mother Noel was delighted at my appetite, and when the cloth was removed she gave me a dram. " Ah, mother," I exclaimed, embracing her, " you restore me to 244 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. life ; Noel told me how good and kind you were :" and I then hegan to givo her a statement of how I had left her son eighteen days before, and gave her information of all the prisoners in whom she felt interested. The details were so true and well known, that she could have no idea that I was an im- postor. " You must have heard of me," I continued ; " I have gone through many an enterprise, and experienced many a reverse. I am called Germain, or the captain ; you must know my name." "Yes, yes, my friend," she said, "I know you well; my son and his friends have told me of your misfortunes; welcome, welcome, my dear cap- tain. But heavens 1 what a state you are in : you must not remain in such a plight. I see you are infested with those wretched tormenting beasts who ; but I will get you a change of linen, and contrive something as a com- fortable dress for you." I expressed my gratitude to Madame Noel; and when I saw a good opportunity, without giving cause for the slightest suspicion, I asked what had become of Victor Desbois and his comrade Mongenet. " Desbois and Le Tambour? Ah I my dear, do not mention them, I beg of you," she replied; "that rogue Vidocq has given them very great uneasiness; since one Joseph (Joseph Longueville, an old police inspector), whom they have twice met in the streets, told them that there would soon be a search in this quarter, they have been compelled to cut and run, to avoid being taken." "What," cried I with a disappointed air, "are they no longer in Paris?" "Oh, they are not very far distant," replied Mother Noel; "they have not quitted the environs of the ' great village ' (Paris) : I dare say we shall soon see them, for I trust they will speedily pay me a visit. I think they will be delighted to find you here." " Oh, I assure you," said I " that they will not be more delighted at the meeting than myself; and if you can write to them, I am sure they would eagerly send for me to join them." "If I knew where they were," replied Mother Noel, "I would go myself and seek for them to please you ; but I do not know their retreat, and the best thing for us to do is to be patient and await their arrival." In my quality of a new-comer, I excited all Madame Noel's compassion and solicitude, and she attended to nothing but me. " Are you known to Vidocq and his two bull-dogs, Levesque and Compere ?" she inquired. "Alas! yes," was my reply; "they have caught me twice." " In that case, then, be on your guard : Vidocq is often disguised ; he assumes characters, costumes, and shapes, to get hold of unfortunates like yourself." We conversed together for two hours, when Madame Noel offered me a foot-bath, which I accepted ; and when it was prepared, I took off my shoe* and stockings, on which she discovered my wounded feet, and said, with a most commiserating tone and manner, " How I pity you ; what must you Buffer 1 Why did you not tell me of this at first? you deserve to be scolded tor it." And whilst thus reproaching me, she examined my feet ; and then pricking the blisters, drew a piece of worsted through each, and anointed my FRENCH SECRET SERVICE. 245 feet with a salve, which she assured me would have the effect of speedily cnriiig them. The bath concluded, she brought me some clean linen ; and, as she thought of all that was needful, added a razor, recommending me to shave. " I shall then see," she added, "about buying you some workman's clothes, as that is the best disguise for men who wish to pass unnoticed ; and besides, good luck will turn up, and then you will get yourself some new ones." As soon as I was thoroughly cleansed Mother Noel conducted me to a sleeping-room, a small apartment, which served as the workshop for false keys, the entrance to which was concealed by several gowns hanging from a row of pegs. u Here," said she, " is a bed in which your friends have slept three or four times; and you need not fear that the police will hunt you out; you may sleep secure as a dormouse." "I am really in want of sleep," I replied, and begged ber permission to take some repose, on which she left me to myself. Three hours afterward I awoke, and on getting up we renewed our conference. It was necessary to be armed at all points to deceive Madame Noel ; there was not a trick or cus- tom of the Bagnes with which she was not thoroughly informed ; she knew not only the names of all the robbers whom she had seen, but was acquainted with every particular of the life of a great many others ; and related with enthusiasm anecdotes of the most noted, particularly of her son, for whom she had as much veneration as love. "The dear boy, you would be delighted to see him I" said I. "Yes, yes, overjoyed." " Well, it is a happiness you will soon enjoy ; for Noel has made arrange- ments for an escape, and is now only awaiting the propitious moment." Madame Noel was happy in the expectation of seeing her son, and shed tears of tenderness at the very thoughts of it. In the course of conversation, Mother Noel asked me if I had any affair (plan of robbery) in contemplation ; and .after having offered to procure me one, in case I was not provided, she questioned me on my skill in fabricating keys. I told her I was as adroit as Fossard. "If that be the case," she rejoined, "I am easy, and you shall be soon furnished ; for as you are so clever, I will go and buy at the ironmonger's a key which you can fit to my safety lock, so that you will have ingress and egress whenever you require it." I expressed my feelings of obligation for so great a proof of her kindness ; and as it was growing late, I went to bed reflecting on the mode of getting away from this lair without running the risk of being assassinated, if per- chance any of the villains whom I was seeking should arrive before I had taken the necessary precautions. I did not sleep, and arose as soon as I heard Madame Noel lighting her fire ; she said I was an early riser, and that she would go and procure me what I wanted. A moment afterward she brought me a key not cut into wards, and gave me files and a small vice, which I fixed on my bed ; and as soon as my tools were in readiness, I began my work in presence of my hostess, who, see- ing that I was perfectly conversant with the business, complimented me on 246 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE my skirt ; and what she most admired was the expedition of my work ; for In fact, in less than four hours, I had perfected a most workmanlike key, which I tried, and it fitted nost accurately. A few touches of the file completed the instrument ; and, like the rest, I had the means of unobstructed entrance whenever I wished to visit the house. 1 was Madame Noel's boarder ; and, after dinner, I told her I was inclined to take a turn in the dusk, that I might find whether "a job" I contemplated was yet feasible, and she approved the suggestion, at the same time recom- mending me to use all caution. "That thief of a Vidocq," she observed, "i a thorn in one's path ; mind him ; and, if I were you, before I made any attempts, I would wait until my feet were well." " I shall not go far," I replied ; " nor stay away long." This assurance of a speedy return seemed to quiet her fears. " Well, then, go," she said; and I went out limping. So far all succeeded to my most sanguine wishes ; it was impossible to stand better with Mother Noel ; but, by remaining in her house, who would guarantee that I should not be knocked on the head? Might not two or three galley-slaves arrive together, recognize me, and attack me ? Then farewell to all my plottings; and it was incumbent, that, without losing the fruit of ray friendship with Mother Noel, I should prepare myself for the contingent danger. It would have been the height of imprudence to have given her cause to think that I had any motives for avoiding contact with her guests, and I consequently endeavored so to lead her on, that she should herself sug- gest to me the necessity of quitting her house ; that is, that she should advise me no longer to think of sleeping in her domicile. I had observed that Madame Noel was very intimate with a fruitseller who lived in the house ; and I sent to this woman one of my agents named Man- ceau, whom I charged to ask her secretly, and yet with a want of skill, for some accounts of Madame Noel. I had dictated the questions, and was the more certain that the fruit-woman would not fail to communicate the particu- lars, as I had desired my man to beg her to observe secrecy. The event proved that I was not deceived; no sooner had my agent ful- filled his mission, than the fruit-woman hastened to Madame Noel with an account of what had passed; who, in her turn, lost no time in telling me. On the look-out at the steps of the door of her officious neighbor, as soon as she saw me, she came to me, and, without further preface, desired me to fol- low her, which I did ; and on reaching the Place des Victoires, she stopped, and looking about her to be assured that no one was in hearing, she told me what had passed. "So," said she, in conclusion, "you see, my poor Germain, that it would not be prudent for you to sleep at my house ; you must even be cautious how you approach it by day." Mother Noel had no idea that this circumstance, which she bewailed so greatly, was of my own planning ; and, that I might remove all suspicion from her mind, I pretended to be more vexed at it than she was, and cursed and swore bitterly at that blackguard Vidocq, who would not leave us at peace. I depreca --ed the necessity to which I was reduced, of finding a shelter FRENCH SECEET SERVICE. 247 out of Paris, and took leave of Madame Noel, who, wishing me good luck and a speedy return, put a thirty-sous piece into my hand. I knew that Desbois and Mongenet were expected ; and I was also aware that there were comers and goers who visited the house, whether Madame Noel was there or not ; and she was often absent, giving music-lessons in the city. It was important that I should know these gentry ; and to achieve this, I disguised several of my auxiliaries, and stationed them at the corners of the street, where, mixing with the errand-boys and messengers, their presence excited no suspicion. These precautions taken, that I might testify all due appearance of fear, I allowed two days to pass before I again visited Madame Noel; and this period having elapsed, I went one evening to her house, accompanied by a young man, whom I introduced as the brother of a female with whom I had once lived : and who, having met me accidentally in Paris, had given me an asylum. This young man was a secret agent, but I took care to tell Mother Noel that he had my fullest confidence, and that she might consider him as my second self; and as he was not known to the spies, I had chosen him to be my messenger to her whenever I did not judge it prudent to show myself "Henceforward," I added, "he will be our go-between, and will come ever} two or three days, that I may have information of you and your friends." "I' laith," said Mother Noel, "you have lost a pleasure; for twenty minutes oner, and you would have seen a lady 'of your acquaintance here." "Ah! who was it?" "Mongenet's sister." " 0h ! indeed ; she has often seen me with her brother." " Yes; when I mentioned you, she described you as exactly as possible: 'a lanky chap,' said she, ' with his nose always grimed with snuff.' " Madame Noel deeply regretted that I had not arrived before Mongenet'a sister had departed ; but certainly not so much as I rejoiced at my narrow escape fYom an interview which would have destroyed all my projects; for if this woman knew Germain, she also knew Vidocq ; and it was impossible that she could have mistaken one for the other, so great was the difference between us! Although I had altered my features so as to deceive, yet the resemblance which, in description, seemed exact, would not stand the test of a critical examination, and particularly the reminiscences of intimacy. Mother Noel then gave me a very useful warning, when she informed me that Mongenet'g rister was a very frequent visitor at her house. From thenceforward I resolved that this female should never catch a glimpse of my countenance; and to avoid meeting with her, whenever I visited Madame Noel, I sent my pretended brother-in-law first, who, when she was not there, had instructions to let me know it by sticking a wafer on the window. At this signal I entered, and my aid-de-camp betook himself to his post in the neighborhood, to guard against any disagreeable surprise. Not very far distant were other auxiliaries, to whom I had confided Mother Noel's key, that they might come to my suc- cor in case of danger ; for, from one instant to another, I might fall suddenly among a gang of fugitives, or some of the galley-slaves might recognize and attack me, and then a blow of my fist against a square of glass in the windo* 248 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. was the signal which was to denote my need of assistance, to equalize th son tending parties. Thus were iny schemes concerted, and the finale was at hand. It was on Tuesday, and a letter from the men I was in quest of, announced their intended arrival on the Friday following ; a day which I intended should be for them a black Friday. At the first dawn I betook myself to wine-vaults in the vicinity ; and, that they might have no motive for watching me, supposing, as was their custom, that they should traverse the street several times up and down before they entered Madame Noel's domicile, I first sent my pretended brother-in-law, who returned soon afterward, and told me that Mongenet'a sister was not there, and that I might safely enter. "You are not deceiving m6?" said I to my agent, whose tone appeared altered and embarrassed, and fixing on him one of those looks which pene- trated the very heart's core, I thought I observed one of those ill-suppressed contractions of the muscles of the face which accompany a premeditated lie ; and then, quick as lightning, the thought came over me that I was betrayed- that my agent was a traitor. We were in a private room, and, without a moment's hesitation, I grasped his throat with violence, and told him, in presence of his comrades, that I was informed of his perfidy, and that if he did not instantly confess all, I would shoot him on the spot. Dismayed at my penetration and determined manner, he stammered out a few words of excuse, and, falling on his knees, confessed that he had discovered all to Mother Noel. This baseness, had I not thus detected it, would probably have cost me my life, but I did not think of any personal resentment ; it was only the interest of society which I cared for, and which I regretted to see wrecked when so near port. The traitor, Manceau, was put in confinement, and, young as he was, having many old offenses to expiate, was sent to Bicetre, and then to the Isle of Oleron, where he terminated his career. It may be conjectured that the fugitives did not return to the Rue Ticquetonne ; but they were, not- withstanding, apprehended a short time afterward. Mother Noel did not forgive the trick I had played her; and, to satisfy her revenge, she, one day, had all her goods taken away ; and when this had been effected, went out without closing her door, and returned, crying out that she had been robbed. The neighbors were made witnesses, a declaration was made before a commissary, and Mother Noel pointed me out as the thief; because, she said, I had a key of her apartments. The accusation was a grav Before the question could be answered, the gentlemanly broker, always at hand, inquired of me my name and place of residence, which I gave him. In a low tone of voice, and with a knowing wink, he said: "Have you been through before in New York ?" I answered : " Not since last fall." He added: "All right; come inside." And in less time :han it has taken to relate the incident, I was one of " Uncle Sam's boys." A DKINK, AND WHAT FOLLOWED. 263 My friend gave me one hundred dollars, promising the remainder due me when I should arrive at the Island ; then directing me to remain where I was for a while, he left me. Returning within an hour, he opened the following con- versation with me : "Have you ever been on the Island?" I replied, "Yes." Evidently enlightened in regard to the matter, he immediately remarked: "You know how to get off, then ? When you do, come up to Tammany Hall, and I will put you through up town:" meaning, of course, he would enlist me again. While this conversation was pass- ing between us another broker stepped up, and said : " Gen- tlemen, let us take a drink." We accepted the invitation, and they conducted me across the Park to a saloon, where I saw, at a glance, they were quite at home. Liquor was called for, and while the vender was getting it, one of the brokers quietly stepped behind the bar and addressed some conversation to him. We then all drank to the success of the Union, or rather, all of us appeared to do so. I raised the glass to my lips, and, unobserved by the rest, poured its contents into my bosom, as I had done many times before when compelled to join the convivial ring. I was convinced that my potation had been drugged. Next fol- lowed a proposition to repair to an adjoining room and engage in a game of cards. We played until I thought it necessary to affect drowsi- ness and insensibility. My eyes began to close, until at length my head rested on the table in front of me, and my whole appearance indicated to my betrayers my entire help- lessness in their hands. At this juncture one of them left the room, but soon returning, exclaimed, "All right." Immediately I caught the sound of carriage wheels, and, as I anticipated, was car- ried to the door, and, supported by broker number one, lifted into a vehicle, and driven rapidly to the Cedar Street rendezvous. My hat was then unceremoniously pushed over my face, and I was hurried into the presence of the recruiting officer in attendance, who asked me, "Do you wish to enlist ?" Number two answered, in a tone to repre- sent my own vpice, " Ye-e-s." 264 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. 1 was again declared to "be one of the volunteers, taken into another room, and laid on a "bench, where I remained an hour, in company with three other recruits, who had been drugged in the same manner, my friends the "brokers sup- posing they had disposed of me. In the mean time broker number one returned, and said : "Well, old fellow, how do you feel?" to which I replied, "Very sick." Then remarking, "You'll be all right by- and-by," he left me. I looked about me to judge of the possibility of escape. I saw at once that I could not pass out by the door, as a sen- try was stationed there, and came to the conclusion that I would have to try my chances at a window. I opened one which overlooked a back yard, sprang out, and after walking through a long passage-way, which led me into the open street, I went deliberately to my room in the Astor House. Here I masked my face, disguised myself anew, and pro ceeded directly to the office of Mr. Blunt, where I offered myself to the army service, to make my third enlistment for that day. I was hardly seated, when broker number three ap- proached me, saying : " You want to enlist, do you 1" " Yes, I am thinking of it. What are you paying re- cruits now ?" " Six hundred dollars. Where are you from ?" " Steuben County. I would like to enlist if I could get a situation as clerk. I can write a pretty good hand, and am hardly able to go into the ranks." He replied quickly, " Oh, I can fix all that right." A conversation then followed between him and the re cruiting officer, when I was made a soldier of the Union army once more. I was requested to be seated for a few moments. Soon after the broker asked me to take "a glass." I went with him to an old drinking- saloon in Cherry Street, where I found brokers numbers one and two, who immediately recognized me, but expressed no surprise at the meeting. My successful escape from the Cedar Street BOUNTY JUMPERS' EXPLOITS. 265 headquarters convinced my Mends that I was an old expert in the tricks of the trade. Their admiration for me became so great that they re- ceived me into full fellowship, regarded me as a shrewd member of the bounty jumping brotherhood, and, after freely discussing their plans and prospects, declared me to be a "perfect trump." Propositions were made to enter into partnership at once. I was greatly amused while listening to the exploits of each, as he in turn detailed them. One related, that at a certain period he left New York, and having enlisted at Albany, Troy, Utica, Buffalo, and Chicago, returned via Elmira, at which place he likewise enlisted. Another had enlisted at every rendezvous from New York to Portland, Maine ; while a third boasted of the amounts he had re- ceived, and mentioned those paid to recruiting officers, sur- geons, brokers, and detectives. The den in which I spent the evening was a favorite haunt of the bounty jumpers. It contained a wardrobe of wearing apparel, consisting of both soldiers' and citizens' outfits. The idea of this I easily com- prehended ; here the jumpers could assume whatever dress they pleased, to carry out their designs. Three times that night, before two o'clock, I saw the interesting operation performed. I selected one of my assistants to experiment in this mili- tary lottery. He dressed himself in the appropriate apparel, and in one day enlisted three times ; he was sent to the Island, bought himself off, and reported for duty the follow ing day. The scenes described were followed by numberless ar rests of bounty brokers, bounty jumpers, and others in the business, and consequently by the disclosures of their crimes, which have since attracted much public attention. To illustrate the secrecy with which I necessarily pur- sued my inquiries, I mention the following incident : I had received intelligence of a notorious bounty broker, doing business on State Street, whose specialty seemed to be to secure, for a consideration, desertion and escape after enlist- ment. Rumor also said that, at any time, he had the power to obtain an enlisted man from Governor' s Island. Extremely 266 UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. desirous to test his proficiency in such swindling, I enlist- ed two of my own detectives, and had them sent to the Island. I then directed another to apply to the broker for his interposition in their behalf. He consented, on the con- dition that he should receive two hundred dollars for his trouble. The amount was paid him ; and my assistant, be- ing curious to know in what manner he would obtain the release of the two detectives, begged leave to accompany him to the Island. Upon their landing, he observed that the broker was on excellent terms with the officers of different grades who ha