YouhavegiventhebestdescriptionofprisonlifethatIhaveeverseenwritten。Theonlytroubleisthatitcannotbeportrayedsothatpersonscanrealizethesufferingandabusethatoursoldiersenduredinthoseprisonhells。Yourstatementsareallcorrectinregardtothetreatmentthatwereceived,andallthosescenesyouhavedepictedareasvividinmymindtodayasiftheyhadonlyoccurredyesterday。Pleaseletmehearfromyouagain。Wishingyousuccessinallyourundertakings,Iremainyourfriend,WALTER,HARTSOUGH,LateofKCompany,SixteenthIllinoisVolunteerofInfantry。
　　CHAPTERLXXVI
　　THEPECULIARTYPEOFINSANITYPREVALENTATFLORENCE——BARRETT'SWANTONNESS
　　OFCRUELTY——WELEARNOFSHERMAN'SADVANCEINTOSOUTHCAROLINA——THEREBELS
　　BEGINMOVINGTHEPRISONERSAWAY——ANDREWSANDICHANGEOURTACTICS,AND
　　STAYBEHIND——ARRIVALOFFIVEPRISONERSFROMSHERMAN'SCOMMAND——THEIR
　　UNBOUNDEDCONFIDENCEINSHERMAN'SSUCCESS,ANDITSBENEFICIALEFFECTUPON
　　US。
　　OneterriblephaseofexistenceatFlorencewasthevastincreaseofinsanity。WehadmanyinsanemenatAndersonville,butthetypeofthederangementwasdifferent,partakingmoreofwhatthedoctorstermmelancholia。Prisonerscominginfromthefrontwerestruckaghastbythehorrorstheysaweverywhere。Mendyingofpainfulandrepulsivediseaseslinedeverystepofwhateverpaththeytrod;therationsgiventhemwererepugnanttotasteandstomach;shelterfromthefierysuntherewasnone,andscarcelyroomenoughforthemtoliedownupon。
　　Underthesediscouragingcircumstances,home—loving,kindly—heartedmen,especiallythosewhohadpassedoutofthefirstflushofyouth,andhadleftwifeandchildrenbehindwhentheyenteredtheservice,werespeedilyovercomewithdespairofsurvivinguntilreleased;theirhopelessnessfedonthesamegermswhichgaveitbirth,untilitbecamesenseless,vacant—eyed,unreasoning,incurablemelancholy,whenthevictimwouldlieforhours,withoutspeakingaword,excepttobabbleofhome,orwouldwanderaimlesslyaboutthecamp——frequentlystarknaked——
　　untilhediedorwasshotforcomingtooneartheDeadLine。SoldiersmustnotsupposethatthiswasthesameclassofweaklingswhousuallypinethemselvesintotheHospitalwithinthreemonthsaftertheirregimententersthefield。Theywereasarule,madeupofseasonedsoldiery,whohadbecomeinuredtothedangersandhardshipsofactiveservice,andwerenotlikelytosinkdownunderanyordinarytrials。
　　TheinsaneofFlorencewereofadifferentclass;theyweretheboyswhohadlaughedatsuchayieldingtoadversityinAndersonville,andfeltaloftypityforthemisfortunesofthosewhosuccumbedso。Butnowthelongstrainofhardship,privationandexposurehaddoneforthemwhatdiscouragementhaddoneforthoseoflessfortitudeinAndersonville。
　　Thefacultiesshrankunderdisuseandmisfortune,untiltheyforgottheirregiments,companies,placesanddateofcapture,andfinally,eventheirnames。IshouldthinkthatbythemiddleofJanuary,atleastoneineverytenhadsunktothisimbecilecondition。Itwasnotinsanitysomuchasmentalatrophy——notsomuchaberrationofthemind,asaparalysisofmentalaction。Thesufferersbecameapatheticidiots,withnodesireorwishtodoorbeanything。Iftheywalkedaroundatalltheyhadtobewatchedclosely,topreventtheirstrayingovertheDeadLine,andgivingtheyoungbratsofguardsthecovetedopportunityofkillingthem。Verymanyofsuchwerekilled,andoneofmyMidwintermemoriesofFlorencewasthatofseeingoneoftheseunfortunateimbecileswanderingwitlesslyuptotheDeadLinefromtheSwamp,whiletheguard——aboyofseventeen——stoodwithguninhand,intheattitudeofamanexpectingacoveytobeflushed,waitingforthepoordeviltocomesoneartheDeadLineastoaffordanexcuseforkillinghim。Twosaneprisoners,comprehendingthesituation,rusheduptothelunatic,attheriskoftheirownlives,caughthimbythearms,anddrewhimbacktosafety。
　　ThebrutalBarrettseemedtodelightinmaltreatingthesedementedunfortunates。Heeithercouldnotbemadetounderstandtheircondition,orwillfullydisregardedit,foritwasoneofthecommonestsightstoseehimknockdown,beat,kickorotherwiseabusethemfornotinstantlyobeyingorderswhichtheirdazedsensescouldnotcomprehend,ortheirfeeblelimbsexecute,evenifcomprehended。
　　InmylifeIhaveseenmanywantonlycruelmen。IhaveknownnumbersofmatesofMississippiriversteamers——aclasswhichseemscarefullyselectedfromruffiansmostproficientinprofanity,obscenityandswift—
　　handedviolence;Ihaveseennegro—driversintheslavemartsofSt。Louis,MemphisandNewOrleans,andoverseersontheplantationsofMississippiandLouisiana;asapolicereporterinoneofthelargestcitiesinAmerica,Ihavecomeincontactwiththousandsofthebrutalizedscoundrels——thethugsofthebrothel,bar—roomandalley——whoformthedangerousclassesofametropolis。IknewCaptainWirz。Butinallthisexceptionallyextensiveandvariedexperience,InevermetamanwhoseemedtolovecrueltyforitsownsakeaswellasLieutenantBarrett。HetooksuchpleasureininflictingpainasthoseIndianswhosliceofftheirprisoners'eyelids,ears,nosesandhands,beforeburningthematthestake。
　　Thatathinghurtsomeoneelsewasalwaysamplereasonforhisdoingit。
　　Thestarving,freezingprisonersusedtocollectinconsiderablenumbersbeforethegate,andstandthereforhoursgazingvacantlyatit。Therewasnospecialobjectindoingthis,onlythatitwasacentralpoint,therationscameinthere,andoccasionallyanofficerwouldenter,anditwastheonlyplacewhereanythingwaslikelytooccurtovarythedrearymonotonyoftheday,andtheboyswenttherebecausetherewasnothingelsetoofferanyoccupationtotheirminds。ItbecameafavoritepracticaljokeofBarrett'stoslipuptothegatewithanarmfulofclubs,andsuddenlyopeningthewicket,flingthemoneafteranother,intothecrowd,withalltheforcehepossessed。Manywereknockeddown,andmanyreceivedhurtswhichresultedinfatalgangrene。
　　Ifhehadlefttheclubslyingwherethrown,therewouldhavebeensomecompensationforhismeanness,buthealwayscameinandcarefullygatheredupsuchashecouldget,asammunitionforanothertime。
　　Ihaveheardmenspeakofreceivingjustice——evenfavorsfromWirz。
　　IneverheardanyonesayingthatmuchofBarrett。LikeWinder,ifhehadaredeemingqualityitwascarefullyobscuredfromtheviewofallthatIevermetwhoknewhim。
　　Wherethefellowcamefrom,whatStatewasentitledtothediscreditofproducingandraisinghim,whathewasbeforetheWar,whatbecameofhimafterheleftus,aremattersofwhichIneverheardevenarumor,exceptaveryvagueonethathehadbeenkilledbyourcavalry,somereturnedprisonerhavingrecognizedandshothim。
　　ColonelIverson,oftheFifthGeorgia,wasthePostCommander。Hewasamanofsomeeducation,buthadaviolent,ungovernabletemper,duringfitsofwhichhedidverybrutalthings。Atothertimeshewouldshowadispositiontowardsfairnessandjustice。TheworstpointinmyindictmentagainsthimisthathesufferedBarretttodoashedid。
　　LetthereaderunderstandthatIhavenopersonalreasonsformyopinionofthesemen。Theyneverdidanythingtome,savewhattheydidtoallofmycompanions。Iheldmyselfalooffromthem,andshunnedintercoursesoeffectuallythatduringmywholeimprisonmentIdidnotspeakasmanywordstoRebelofficersasareinthisandtheaboveparagraphs,andmostofthosewerespokentotheSurgeonwhovisitedmyhundred。IdonotusuallyseekconversationwithpeopleIdonotlike,andcertainlydidnotwithpersonsforwhomIhadsolittleloveasIhadforTurner,Ross,Winder,Wirz,Davis,Iverson,Barrett,etal。Possiblytheyfeltbadlyovermydistanceandreserve,butImustconfessthattheynevershoweditverypalpably。
　　AsJanuarydraggedslowlyawayintoFebruary,rumorsoftheastonishingsuccessofShermanbegantobesodefiniteandwellauthenticatedastoinducebelief。WeknewthattheWesternChieftainhadmarchedalmostunresistedthroughGeorgia,andcapturedSavannahwithcomparativelylittledifficulty。Wedidnotunderstandit,nordidtheRebelsaroundus,forneitherofuscomprehendedtheConfederacy'snearapproachtodissolution,andwecouldnotexplainwhyadesperateattemptwasnotmadesomewheretoarresttheonwardsweepoftheconqueringarmiesoftheWest。ItseemedthatiftherewasanyvitalityleftinRebeldomitwoulddealablowthatwouldatleastcausethepresumptuousinvadertopause。
　　AsweknewnothingofthebattlesofFranklinandNashville,wewereignorantofthedestructionofHood'sarmy,andwereatalosstoaccountforitsfailuretocontestSherman'sprogress。ThelastwehadheardofHood,hehadbeenflankedoutofAtlanta,butwedidnotunderstandthatthestrengthormoraleofhisforcehadbeenseriouslyreducedinconsequence。
　　SoonitdriftedintousthatShermanhadcutloosefromSavannah,asfromAtlanta,andenteredSouthCarolina,torepeattherethemarchthroughhersisterState。Oursourcesofinformationnowwereconfinedtothegossipwhichourmen——workingoutsideonparole,——couldoverhearfromtheRebels,andcommunicatetousasoccasionserved。Theseoccasionswerenotfrequent,asthemenoutsidewerenotallowedtocomeinexceptrarely,orstaylongthen。Stillwemanagedtoknowreasonably,soonthatShermanwassweepingresistlesslyacrosstheState,withHardee,DickTaylor,Beauregard,andothers,vainlytryingtomakeheadagainsthim。Itseemedimpossibletousthattheyshouldnotstophimsoon,forifeachofalltheseleadershadanycommandworthythenametheaggregatemustmakeanarmythat,standingonthedefensive,wouldgiveShermanagreatdealoftrouble。ThathewouldbeabletopenetrateintotheStateasfaraswewereneverenteredintoourminds。
　　ByandbywewereastonishedatthenumberofthetrainsthatwecouldhearpassingnorthontheCharleston&CherawRailroad。Dayandnightfortwoweekstheredidnotseemtobemorethanhalfanhour'sintervalatanytimebetweentherumbleandwhistlesofthetrainsastheypassedFlorenceJunction,andspedawaytowardsCheraw,thirty—fivemilesnorthofus。WeatlengthdiscoveredthatShermanhadreachedBranchville,andwassingingaroundtowardColumbia,andotherimportantpointstothenorth;thatCharlestonwasbeingevacuated,anditsgarrison,munitionsandstoreswerebeingremovedtoCheraw,whichtheRebelGeneralsintendedtomaketheirnewbase。Asthisnewswassowellconfirmedastoleavenodoubtofit,itbegantowakeupandencourageallthemorehopefulofus。Wethoughtwecouldseesomepremonitionsofthegloriousend,andthatweweregettingvicarioussatisfactionatthehandsofourfriendsunderthecommandofUncleBilly。
　　Onemorningorderscameforonethousandmentogetreadytomove。
　　AndrewsandIheldacouncilofwaronthesituation,thequestionbeforethehousebeingwhetherwewouldgowiththatcrowd,orstaybehind。TheconclusionwecametowasthusstatedbyAndrews:
　　"Now,Mc。,we'veflankedaheadeverytime,andseehowwe'vecomeout。
　　WeflankedintothefirstsquadthatleftRichmond,andwewereconsequentlyinthefirstthatgotintoAndersonville。Maybeifwe'dstaidbackwe'dgotintothatsquadthatwasexchanged。WewereinthefirstsquadthatleftAndersonville。WewerethefirsttoleaveSavannahandenterMillen。Maybeifwe'dstaidback,we'dgotexchangedwiththetenthousandsick。WewerethefirsttoleaveMillenandthefirsttoreachBlackshear。WewereagainthefirsttoleaveBlackshear。Perhapsthosefellowsweleftbehindthenareexchanged。Now,aswe'veplayedaheadeverytime,withsuchinfernalluck,let'splaybackwardthistime,andtrywhatthatbringsus。"
　　"But,Lale,"（Andrews'snickname——hispropernamebeingBezaleel）,saidI,"wemadesomethingbygoingaheadeverytime——thatis,ifwewerenotgoingtobeexchanged。Bygettingintothoseplacesfirstwepickedoutthebestspotstostay,andgottent—buildingstuffthatthosewhocameafteruscouldnot。Andcertainlywecanneveragaingetintoasbadaplaceasthisis。Thechancesarethatifthisdoesnotmeanexchange,itmeanstransfertoabetterprison。"
　　Butweconcluded,asIsaidabove,toreverseourusualorderofprocedureandflankback,inhopesthatsomethingwouldfavorourescapetoSherman。Accordingly,weletthefirstsquadgooffwithoutus,andthenext,andthenext,andsoon,tilltherewereonlyelevenhundred——
　　mostlythosesickintheHospital——remainingbehind。Thosewhowentaway——weafterwardslearned,wererundownonthecarstoWilmington,andafterwardsuptoGoldsboro,N。C。
　　ForaweekormoreweelevenhundredtenantedtheStockade,andbyburningupthetentsofthosewhohadgonehadtheonlydecent,comfortablefireswehadwhileinFlorence。Inhuntingaroundthroughthetentsforfuelwefoundmanybodiesofthosewhohaddiedastheircomradeswereleaving。Asthelargerportionofuscouldbarelywalk,theRebelsparoledustoremaininsideoftheStockadeorwithinafewhundredyardsofthefrontofit,andtooktheguardsoff。Whiletheseweremarchingdown,adozenormoreofus,exultinginevensomuchfreedomaswehadobtained,climbedontheHospitalshedtoseewhattheoutlookwas,andperchedourselvesontheridgepole。LieutenantBarrettcamealong,atadistanceoftwohundredyards,withasquadofguards。
　　Observingus,hehaltedhismen,facedthemtowardus,andtheyleveledtheirgunsasiftofire。Heexpectedtoseeustumbledowninludicrousalarm,toavoidthebullets。Butwehatedhimandthemsobad,thatwecouldnotgivethemthepoorsatisfactionofscaringus。Onlyoneofourpartyattemptedtoslidedown,butthemomentwesworeathimhecamebackandtookhisseatwithfoldedarmsalongsideofus。Barrettgavetheordertofire,andthebulletsshriekedaverourheads,fortunatelynothittinganybody。Werespondedwithyellsofderision,andtheworstabusewecouldthinkof。
　　Comingdownafterawhile,Iwalkedtothenowopengate,andloopedthroughitoverthebarrenfieldstothedensewoodsamileaway,andawilddesiretorunofftookpossessionofme。ItseemedasifIcouldnotresistit。Thewoodsappearedfullofenticingshapes,beckoningmetocometothem,andthewindswhisperedinmyears:
　　"Run！Run！Run！"
　　Butthewordsofmyparolewerestillfreshinmymind,andIstilledmyfrenzytoescapebyturningbackintotheStockadeandlookingawayfromthetemptingview。
　　Oncefivenewprisoners,thefirstwehadseeninalongtime,werebroughtinfromSherman'sarmy。Theywereplump,well—conditioned,well—
　　dressed,healthy,devil—may—careyoungfellows,whoseconfidenceinthemselvesandinShermanwassimplylimitless,andtheircontemptforallRebelsandespeciallythosewhoterrorizedoverus,enormous。
　　"Comeupheretoheadquarters,"saidoneoftheRebelofficerstothemastheystoodtalkingtous;"andwe'llparoleyou。"
　　"Ogotoh———withyourparole,"saidthespokesmanofthecrowd,withnonchalantcontempt;"wedon'twantnoneofyourparoles。OldBilly'llparoleusbeforeSaturday。"
　　Toustheysaid:
　　"Now,youboyswanttocheerrightup;keepastiffupperlip。Thisthing'sworkin'allright。TheiroldConfederacy'sgoin'topieceslikeahouseafire。Sherman'spromenadin'throughitjustasitsuitshim,andhe'sliabletopayavisitatanyhour。We'reexpectin'himallthetime,becauseitwasgenerallyunderstoodallthroughtheArmythatweweretotaketheprisonpenhereinonourway。"
　　ImentionedmydistrustoftheconcentrationofRebelsatCheraw,andtheirfacestookonalookofsupremedisdain。
　　"Now,don'tletthatworryyouaminute,"saidtheconfidentspokesman。
　　"AlltheRebelsbetweenhereandLee'sArmycan'tpreventShermanfromgoingjustwherehepleases。Why,we'vequitfightin''emexceptwiththeBummersadvance。Wehaven'thadtogointoregularlineofbattleagainstthemforIdon'tknowhowlong。Shermanwouldlikeanythingbetterthantohave'emmakeastandsomewheresothathecouldgetagoodfairwhackat'em。"
　　Noonecanimaginetheeffectofallthisuponus。Itwasbetterthanacarloadofmedicinesandatrainloadofprovisionswouldhavebeen。
　　Fromthedepthsofdespondencywesprangatoncetotip—toeonthemountain—topsofexpectation。WedidlittledayandnightbutlistenforthesoundofSherman'sgunsanddiscusswhatwewoulddowhenhecame。
　　WeplannedschemesofterriblevengeanceonBarrettandIverson,buttheseworthieshadmysteriouslydisappeared——whithernooneknew。Therewashardlyanhourofanynightpassedwithoutsomeoneofusfancyingthatheheardthewelcomesoundofdistantfiring。Aseverybodyknows,bylisteningintentlyatnight,onecanhearjustexactlywhatheisintentuponhearing,andsowaswithus。Inthemiddleofthenightboyslisteningawakewithstrainedears,wouldsay:
　　"Now,ifeverIheardmusketryfiringinmylife,that'saheavyskirmishlineatwork,andsharplytoo,andnotmorethanthreemilesaway,neither。"
　　Thenanotherwouldsay:
　　"Idon'twanttoevergetoutofhereifthatdon'tsoundjustastheskirmishingatChancellorsvilledidthefirstdaytous。Wewerelyingdownaboutfourmilesoff,whenitbeganpatteringjustasthatisdoingnow。"
　　Andsoon。
　　Onenightaboutnineorten,therecametwoshort,sharppealsofthunder,thatsoundedpreciselylikethereportsofrifledfieldpieces。
　　Wesprangupinafrenzyofexcitement,andshoutedasifourthroatswouldsplit。Butthenextpealwentoffintheusualrumble,andourexcitementhadtosubside。
　　CHAPTERLXXVII
　　FRUITLESSWAITINGFORSHERMAN——WELEAVEFLORENCE——INTELLIGENCEOFTHE
　　FALLOFWILMINGTONCOMMUNICATEDTOUSBYASLAVE——THETURPENTINEREGION
　　OFNORTHCAROLINA——WECOMEUPONAREBELLINEOFBATTLE——YANKEESATBOTH
　　ENDSOFTHEROAD。
　　ThingshadgoneoninthewaydescribedinthepreviouschapteruntilpastthemiddleofFebruary。FormorethanaweekeverywakinghourwasspentinanxiousexpectancyofSherman——listeningforthefar—offrattleofhisguns——strainingourearstocatchthesullenboomofhisartillery——scanningthedistantwoodstoseetheRebelsfallingbackinhopelessconfusionbeforethepursuitofhisdashingadvance。ThoughwebecameasimpatientasthoseancientsentinelswhofortenlongyearsstoodupontheGrecianhillstocatchthefirstglimpseoftheflamesofburningTroy,Shermancamenot。WeafterwardslearnedthattwoexpeditionsweresentdowntowardsusfromCheraw,buttheymetwithunexpectedresistance,andwereturnedback。
　　ItwasnowplaintousthattheConfederacywastotteringtoitsfall,andwewereonlytroubledbyoccasionalmisgivingsthatwemightinsomewaybecaughtandcrushedunderthetopplingruins。ItdidnotseempossiblethatwiththecrueltenacitywithwhichtheRebelshadclungtoustheywouldbewillingtoletusgofreeatlast,butwouldbetemptedintherageoftheirfinaldefeattocommitsomeunparalleledatrocityuponus。
　　Onedayallofuswhowereabletowalkweremadetofallinandmarchovertotherailroad,wherewewereloadedintoboxcars。Thesick——
　　exceptthosewhoweremanifestlydying——wereloadedintowagonsandhauledover。Thedyingwerelefttotheirfate,withoutanycompanionsornurses。
　　Thetrainstartedoffinanortheasterlydirection,andaswewentthroughFlorencetheskieswerecrimsonwithgreatfires,burninginalldirections。Weweretoldthesewerecottonandmilitarystoresbeingdestroyedinanticipationofavisitfrom,apartofSherman'sforces。
　　Whenmorningcamewewerestillrunninginthesamedirectionthatwestarted。Intheconfusionofloadingusuponthecarsthepreviousevening,IhadbeenallowedtoapproachtoonearaRebelofficer'sstockofrations,andtheresultwashisbeingtheloserandmyselfthegainerofacanteenfilledwithfairlygoodmolasses。AndrewsandIhadsomecornbread,andwe,breakfastedsumptuouslyuponitandthemolasses,whichwascertainlynone—the—lesssweetfromhavingbeenstolen。
　　Ourmealover,webeganreconnoitering,asmuchforemploymentasanythingelse。Wewereinthefrontendofaboxcar。Withasawmadeonthebackofacase—knifewecutaholethroughtheboardsbigenoughtopermitustopassout,andperhapsescape。Wefoundthatwewereontheforemostboxcarofthetrain——thenextvehicletousbeingapassengercoach,inwhichweretheRebelofficers。Ontherearplatformofthiscarwasseatedoneoftheirservants——atrustyoldslave,welldressed,foranegro,andasrespectfulashisclassusuallywas。SaidI
　　tohim:
　　"Well,uncle,wherearetheytakingus？"
　　Hereplied:
　　"Well,sah,Icouldn'trightlysay。"
　　"Butyoucouldguess,ifyoutried,couldn'tyou？"
　　"Yessah。"
　　HegaveaquicklookaroundtoseeifthedoorbehindhimwassosecurelyshutthathecouldnotbeoverheardbytheRebelsinsidethecar,hisdull,stolidfacelightedupasanegro'salwaysdoesintheexcitementofdoingsomethingcunning,andhesaidinaloudwhisper:
　　"Dey'sa—gwinetotakeyoutoWilmington——efdeykingetyoudar！"
　　"Cangetusthere！"saidIinastonishment。"Isthereanythingtopreventthemtakingusthere？"
　　Thedarkfacefilledwithinexpressiblemeaning。Iasked:
　　"Itisn'tpossiblethatthereareanyYankeesdowntheretointerfere,isit？"
　　ThegreateyesflamedupwithintelligencetotellmethatIguessedaright;againheglancednervouslyaroundtoassurehimselfthatnoonewaseavesdropping,andthenhesaidinawhisper,justloudenoughtobeheardabovethenoiseofthemovingtrain:
　　"DeYankeestookWilmingtonyesterdaymawning。"
　　Thenewsstartledme,butitwastrue,ourtroopshavingdrivenouttheRebeltroops,andenteredWilmington,ontheprecedingday——the22dofFebruary,1865,asIlearnedafterwards。Howthisnegrocametoknowmoreofwhatwasgoingonthanhismasterspuzzledmemuch。Thathedidknowmorewasbeyondquestion,sinceiftheRebelsinwhosechargewewerehadknownofWilmington'sfall,theywouldnothavegonetothetroubleofloadingusuponthecarsandhaulingusone,hundredmilesinthedirectionofaCitywhichhadcomeintothehandsofourmen。
　　Ithasbeenassertedbymanywritersthatthenegroshadsomeoccultmeansofdiffusingimportantnewsamongthemassoftheirpeople,probablybyrelaysofswiftrunnerswhotraveledatnight,goingtwenty—
　　fiveorthirtymilesandbackbeforemorning。VeryastonishingstoriesaretoldofthingscommunicatedinthiswayacrossthelengthorbreadthoftheConfederacy。ItissaidthatourofficersintheblockadingfleetintheGulfheardfromthenegrosinadvanceofthepublicationintheRebelpapersoftheissuanceoftheProclamationofEmancipation,andofseveralofourmostimportantVictories。Theincidentgivenabovepreparesmetobelieveallthathasbeentoldoftheperfectiontowhichthenegroshadbroughttheir"grapevinetelegraph,"asitwasjocularlytermed。
　　TheRebelsbelievedsomethingofit,too。Inspiteoftheirrigorouspatrol,aninstitutiondatinglongbeforethewar,andtheseverepunishmentsvisiteduponnegrosfoundofftheirmaster'spremiseswithoutapass,noneofthementertainedadoubtthattheyoungnegromenwereinthehabitofmakinglong,mysteriousjourneysatnight,whichhadothermotivesthanlove—makingorchicken—stealing。Occasionallyayoungmanwouldgetcaughtfiftyorseventy—fivemilesfromhis"quarters,"whileonsomeerrandofhisown,thenatureofwhichnopunishmentcouldmakehimdivulge。Hismasterwouldbesatisfiedthathedidnotintendrunningaway,becausehewaslikelygoinginthewrongdirection,butbeyondthisnothingcouldbeascertained。Itwasacommonbeliefamongoverseers,whentheysawanactive,healthyyoung"buck"sleepyandlanguidabouthiswork,thathehadspentthenightononeoftheseexcursions。
　　Thecountrywewererunningthrough——ifsuchstraining,toilsomeprogressasourenginewasmakingcouldbecalledrunning——wasarichturpentinedistrict。Wepassedbyforestswhereallthetreesweremarkedwithlongscoresthroughthebark,andextendeduptoahightoftwentyfeetormore。Intothese,theturpentineandrosin,runningdown,werecaught,andconveyedbynegrostostillsnearby,whereitwaspreparedformarket。ThestillswereasrudeasthemillswehadseeninEasternTennesseeandKentucky,andwereasliabletofierydestructionasapowder—house。Everyfewmilesawidespaceofground,burnedcleanoftreesandunderbrush,andyetmarkedbyaportionofthestoneswhichhadformedthefurnace,showedwhereaturpentinestill,managedbycarelessandignorantblacks,hadbeenlickedupbythebreathofflame。Theyneverseemedtore—buildonthesespots——whetherfromsuperstitionorotherreasons,Iknownot。
　　Occasionallywecametogreatpilesofbarrelsofturpentine,rosinandtar,someofwhichhadlaidtheresincetheblockadehadcutoffcommunicationwiththeouterworld。Manyofthebarrelsofrosinhadburst,andtheircontentsmeltedintheheatofthesun,hadrunoverthegroundlikestreamsoflava,coveringittoadepthofmanyinches。
　　Attheenormouspricerosin,tarandturpentinewerecommandinginthemarketsoftheworld,eachofthesepilesrepresentedasuperbfortune。
　　Anyoneofthem,iflyinguponthedocksofNewYork,wouldhaveyieldedenoughtomakeeveryoneofusuponthetraincomfortableforlife。
　　Butafewmonthsaftertheblockadewasraised,andtheysanktoone—
　　thirtiethoftheirpresentvalue。
　　TheseterebinthinestoreswerethepropertyoftheplantationlordsofthelowlandsofNorthCarolina,whocorrespondtothepinchbeckbaronsofthericedistrictsofSouthCarolina。Asthere,thewhitesandnegroswesawwereofthelowest,mostsqualidtypeofhumanity。ThepeopleofthemiddleanduplanddistrictsofNorthCarolinaareamuchsuperiorracetothesameclassinSouthCarolina。TheyaremostlyofScotch—Irishdescent,withastronginfusionofEnglish—Quakerblood,andresemblemuchthebestoftheVirginians。Theymakeanefforttodiffuseeducation,andhavemanyofthevirtuesofasimple,non—progressive,tolerablyindustriousmiddleclass。ItwasherethatthestrongUnionsentimentofNorthCarolinanumberedmostofitsadherents。Thepeopleofthelowlandswereasdifferentasifbelongingtoanotherrace。Theenormousmassofignorance——thethreehundredandfiftythousandmenandwomenwhocouldnotreadorwrite——weremostlyblackandwhiteserfsofthegreatlandholders,whoseplantationsliewithinonehundredmilesoftheAtlanticcoast。
　　Asweapproachedthecoastthecountrybecameswampier,andouroldacquaintances,thecypress,withtheirmalformed"knees,"becamemoreandmorenumerous。
　　Aboutthemiddleoftheafternoonourtrainsuddenlystopped。Lookingouttoascertainthecause,wewereelectrifiedtoseeaRebellineofbattlestretchedacrossthetrack,aboutahalfmileaheadoftheengine,andwithitsreartowardus。Itwasasrealalineaswaseverseenonanyfield。Thedoubleranksof"Butternuts,"witharmsgleamingintheafternoonsun,stretchedawayoutthroughtheopenpinewoods,fartherthanwecouldsee。Closebehindthemotionlesslinestoodthecompanyofficers,leaningontheirdrawnswords。Behindthesestill,weretheregimentalofficersontheirhorses。Onaslightriseoftheground,agroupofhorsemen,towhomotherhorsemenmomentarilydasheduptoorspedawayfrom,showedthestationoftheGeneralincommand。Onanotherknoll,atalittledistance,wereseveral—fieldpieces,standing"inbattery,"thecannoneersattheguns,thepostillionsdismountedandholdingtheirhorsesbythebits,thecaissonmenstandinginreadinesstoserveoutammunition。Ourmenwereevidentlycloseathandinstrongforce,andtheengagementwaslikelytoopenatanyinstant。
　　Foraminutewewerespeechlesswithastonishment。Thencameasurgeofexcitement。Whatshouldwedo？Whatcouldwedo？Obviouslynothing。
　　Elevenhundred,sick,enfeebledprisonerscouldnotevenoverpowertheirguards,letalonemakesuchadiversionintherearofaline—of—battleaswouldassistourfolkstogainavictory。Butwhilewedebatedtheenginewhistledsharply——afrightenedshriekitsoundedtous——andbeganpushingourtrainrapidlybackwardovertheroughandwretchedtrack。