66 66 Can I be of any service to you, sir?" "I believe so. I am come to er-investigate as to the truth of a report that a Confederate soldier is within this house," and with just the faintest tinge of grim humor in my tones, perhaps you will kindly simplify matters and er-substantiate the report." Not up to date, sir," assuming the same strain, "but to be frank with you, a Confederate soldier was quite recently here but is now upon upon his way across the river to rejoin his command," looking me straight in the eye, and I would have wagered my life I thought that she told the truth, and it was more for the purpose of prolonging the interview than from any other motive, I am free to confess, that made me ask, "You are quite sure, Miss? You may unwit"It may be tingly be mistaken." that you doubt my word, sir?" -the red haughtily tinging her cheek. "Very well then, let-""I beg your pardon, Miss, I do not doubt but what you honestly believed that there is no Confederate soldier within this house, but you will save us both some inconvenience by making a slight exploration of the room just behind you as the drapery of the windows prevents my doing so. Will you kindly oblige me by raising the sash and parting the drapery?" Just at that moment the draperies within were slid aside, the low French window sash slid up, and a middle-aged soldier in gray stepped forth upon the portico with the words, "I surrender, sir. I cannot allow this young lady to perjure herself on my account, for she really believed me to be miles away at this moment." Many exclamations of surprise and alarm followed from the group within the portico, followed by some tears, but the soldier in gray soon quieted all alarm and, turning toward me, said, "I wish to thank you, sir, for your forbearance and to apologize for the unmerited words of my daughter." "Do not distress yourself, sir, on my account, and as for your daughter, she probably only gave expression to a sentiment that has been taught her every day of her life since she lisped." The eyes of the man in grey did look dangerous just for a moment as he almost fiercely turned upon me, but the next moment softened, as he said, 66 Possibly, you are right, sir. I am ready to accompany you." “If, sir, you will pledge me your word of honor that you will report within the hour to the provost marshal of Farmville”—the Confederate soldier took some swift steps forward and extended his hand-" a thousand thanks, sir," and while his small, delicate hand remained within my large, dirty one, he gave his pledge: "Sir, I pledge you my word of honor that within the hour I will report to the United States provost marshal of Farmville." "That, sir, is all that is required, and, as my business here is now at an end, I have the honor of wishing you all good-day and goodby;" turning away down the walk and mounting, we rode out to camp. And, here and now, let the writer assure all who may chance to be interested in the Farmville portico adventure (in Virginia, or elsewhere,) and especially the most interested parties in what followed at Farmville, at Appomattox Court House two days later, and years later in the rotunda under the great dome of our national capitol at Washington, that he has never for a moment doubted but what the young lady spoke, "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," when she called him a "dirty Yankee" that day at Farmville. A STORY OF ADVENTURES AND INCIDENTS IN A REBEL PRISON IN TEXAS. By Freeman H. Chase, M. D., Twelfth Maine Regiment. At the time the federal army was surrounding Port Hudson, Company F, of the Twelfth Maine, under the command of acting Lieutenant Alfred Straw, was detailed to cut and raft logs to take down. Grand lake to Brasier City, to to build a fort. This the company did with forty-five men. Brasier City was then filled with the debris of the army of convalescents, sick men, odd details, with no heads or organizations. I was then in St. James's hospital, sick with break-bone" fever, I 66 as was Captain Farrington. joined my company, and found the boys in most miserable quarters. After great effort, I got the company removed to Thibodeaux. Rumors were constantly coming that we were to be attacked by Taylor's army. We could get no orders to remove four miles, where there was a good fort and some 3,000 organized troops. Right here we were suddenly attacked, and getting behind the levee, gave them one volley,destroyed our guns as best we could, killed the commanding officer of the Second Texan Rangers, and surrendered to our captors. In three days, forty men were paroled. Lieutenant Straw was taken with hemorrhage of the lungs, put in a hospital, and not holding a commission, was pardoned, while I and all other commissioned officers were held and sent to Texas, forty-two of us in all, for a thirteen months' imprisonment. A large part of the officers were nine months' men whose time had nearly expired, many Twenty-third Connecticut men and others from more than twelve different regiments, odd details from the army. After the men were paroled, Captain Page, Lieutenant Lyon, and myself were sent with the rebel army, five days' riding in a cane wagon, loosely guarded. We were well fed and kindly used. we took care always to conceal our wealth, and it proved wealth indeed! As for myself, I put $50 in the waistband of my pants, more in the lining of my hat, kept $25 in case I was searched, so as not to appear too poor (although I gave up $10 from my $25 afterward); this money was never troubled by our guards. Money was much, looking to our imprisonment, and had much to do with forming our "chumships." We were entertained by the campfires of their highest officers, including General Moulton and others. We were with them when they received their defeat at Fort Milo, and when Port Hudson fell, and our troops landed at Fort Donaldsonville. We saw their dismay, and were hurried across Berwick bay to join the other thirty-nine officers who had been there during the time. I noticed one particular thing in their military affairs. They paid close attention to shooting, and not to fine drill. They had more officers than we did, and in action, to "shoot dead," as they called it, was the order, and they knew how to do it. Had we done the same, it would formed a friendship for our future. have been better for us. I joined the rest of our party, and after three days we made our bundles, and started on our four weeks' journey of 500 miles, more or less, for Tyler, Wight county, Texas, where we spent thirteen months, until our happy, ragged, hungry party arrived on board Uncle Sam's immense transport at the mouth of Red river, of which more anon. Some of our squad were taken in camp, and carried their dress suits, etc., etc. Others of us had simple fatigue suits of blue flannel, of which I was one. Some had a quantity of greenbacks. Others, none of any amount, to their misfortune. I had, luckily, $135. We expected to have our money taken from us, but we were not troubled until we had arrived, four weeks after, in our prison stockade. But As we marched along, two and two, easily, bundles on our back, we formed and found our mates. Lieutenant Babcock of the One Hundred and Seventy-sixth New York and I fell together, and The guards He was a tough, honorable, and While we were having our four days' rest in a large hall at Shreve port, on the border of Louisiana and Texas, we all received a strict examination. As is well remembered, an order had been issued "That General Pope's and General Butler's officers, when captured, should be turned over to the state authorities to be dealt with according to the law," which was understood to be imprisonment in jail and to be hung. General Merton, with some of his staff, held a court martial over us, and Captain Noblett and Lieutenant Shurf of the Twenty-first Indiana, and myself, were found among the unlucky ones, and we were gravely told that we should be taken to the jail, and there held for trial. Captain Noblett was an old Mexican soldier, and he defied them to their faces, but in three days we moved on to the steamer, and were not troubled. But not so fortunate were a captain and lieutenant who were officers of a negro regiment, who were taken from us in irons, put in Shreveport jail, held in close confinement for four weeks, then released, and found us at our barracks, unhurt, where, you may believe, they were received with due honors. They were brave men, and showed no fear. They were many times during our imprisonment threatened, but came to our lines with us. It shows what stuff men are made of. A large forest of some 500 acres belonging to a Union man, on a rise of ground, a splendid stream running through it and a fine spring, two miles from Tyler, was our quarters. There were magnificent trees of all kinds, and among these our barracks were built. On our march from Berwick Bay to Shreveport, we had a guard of forty mounted men, under charge of Lieutenant Carter. Lieutenant Carter. He had been a prisoner in our hands, and no doubt he was in heart a Union man and sympathized with us, as did many of the guards, for they used us kindly and well. On going on board the steamer, our guard was changedthirty men, under the command of a drunken Dutch lieutenant. We were not so well treated, and had to stand some abuse, but at every landing to take in wood the negroes supplied us with monstrous watermelons, boiled sweet potatoes, and sour milk. On leaving the steamer, we had a ten days' march before us, and a new guard of thirty-five men. The captain was an arrant rebel, and was a captain of a company of irregulars, most of them wealthy men's sons. We did not see much of him, but the guard seemed to be under the command of a sergeant, who was a curious character and our friend to the backbone, seeming to have perfect control of the men and no regard for the captain. He was six feet tall, rode a black stallion, well mounted, well dressed in Confederate clothes, weighed 200, a giant in strength, but homely in face, with a harelip and cleft palate. Well do I remember his voice and his kindness to us, loading his horse with our baggage and making his men do the same. He told us about our march ahead, conducted us over a barren waste of twenty-five miles, and, as he promised us he would, stopped at Washington two days, where his father, a doctor, attended to our wants. We were fed, held a dance, and rode ten miles on our way in two-horse teams, with food furnished by the people for two two days. This sergeant cared nothing for the Confederates, and darned them constantly, and his father, the doctor, was just as outspoken. two. We were quartered in a fine place, with beautiful summer, and forty-two officers, all hearty men save They had built for us a barrack of boards some fifty by thirty feet, with berths and plenty of straw, had given us axes, Dutch ovens, tin plates, etc. We were surrounded with immense trees, walnut, oak, and mahogany, etc.,and had plenty of good water. We soon organized ourselves for our future comfort. The Confederates furnished us the regular ration and plenty of beef, and having money concealed, although we had been questioned and had surrendered some, choosing our stewards and organizing a weekly prayer-meeting, we spent four months in better comfort than we really expected as prisoners of war. We were guarded by a regiment of Louisianians of about 200 men. Colonel Tyler, the commander, was a member of the "Christian Band" persuasion, and a minister. His regiment had undertaken to take a small fort at Milliken's Bend, guarded by negroes, and had met with a signal defeat, and were so cut up that the remainder were not fit for the field, and had been sent to guard us. We were kindly used by the colonel, for four months; half of us, by giving our parole, could go out and play base-ball, drill at wooden-sword exercises, etc. He would preach to us every Sunday, taking into our camp many of his men, unarmed, but, unluckily (by mistake, he said), he prayed for the success of Jeff Davis, and his services were no more attended. We had met with disaster at Galveston, and six companies of the Forty-second Massachusetts had been captured; and also officers of gunboats on the coast. After our camp was formed, fifty officers were sent to join our camp. There had also arrived some fifty men from the Indian Territory, and others also. So our camp was enlarged by putting around us a stockade covering some twenty acres. On the arrival of our new recruits, different arrangements had to be made for our accommodation. We formed into messes, and, material being abundant, commenced to build log-houses for the coming winter. We joined into messes under different names. My mess, the largest, was called "The Big Mess;" others under names called "The Fifth Avenue Mess," The Undaunted Mess," etc. Our principal street was called "Fifth Avenue." My mess consisted of eighteen. Our fine log-house was thirty feet square, two rooms; one for sleeping, the other for kitchen, with a large fireplace made of rockchimney of sticks and mud, where we could burn walnut and oak logs four feet long. Wood was then abundant all around us. We had comfortable quarters. We had among us men of all calibres and trades, and a master mechanic put up our buildings. All of our houses, ten in number, were built on the same plan, only our mess was the largest. 64 |