Back,backwewent,asfastasrosinandpineknotscouldforcetheenginetomoveus。Thecarsswayedcontinuallybackandforth,momentarilythreateningtoflythecrazyroadway,androllovertheembankmentorintooneoftheadjacentswamps。Wewouldhavehailedsuchacatastrophe,asitwouldhaveprobablykilledmoreoftheguardsthanofus,andtheconfusionwouldhavegivenmanyofthesurvivorsopportunitytoescape。Butnosuchaccidenthappened,andtowardsmidnightwereachedthebridgeacrosstheGreatPedeeRiver,whereourtrainwasstoppedbyasquadofRebelcavalrymen,whobroughttheintelligencethatasKilpatrickwasexpectedintoFlorenceeveryhour,itwouldnotdototakeusthere。
　　Wewereorderedoffthecars,andlaiddownonthebanksoftheGreatPedee,ourguardsandthecavalryformingalinearoundus,andtakingprecautionstodefendthebridgeagainstKilpatrick,shouldhefindoutourwhereaboutsandcomeafterus。
　　"Well,Mc,"saidAndrews,asweadjustedouroldovercoatandblanketonthegroundforabed;"Iguessweneedn'tcarewhetherschoolkeepsornot。Ourfellowshaveevidentlygotbothendsoftheroad,andarecomingtowardsusfromeachway。There'snoroad——notevenawagonroad——fortheJohnniestorunusoffon,andIguessallwe'vegottodoistostandstillandseethesalvationoftheLord。Badasthesehoundsare,Idon'tbelievetheywillshootusdownratherthanletourfolksretakeus。Atleasttheywon'tsinceoldWinder'sdead。Ifhewasalive,he'dorderourthroatscut——onebyone——withtheguards'pocketknives,ratherthangiveusup。I'monlyafraidwe'llbeallowedtostarvebeforeourfolksreachus。"
　　Iconcurredinthisview。
　　CHAPTERLXXVIII。
　　RETURNTOFLORENCEANDASHORTSOJOURNTHERE——OFFTOWARDSWILMINGTON
　　AGAIN——CRUISINGAREBELOFFICER'SLUNCH——SIGNSOFAPPROACHINGOURLINES
　　——TERROROFOURRASCALLYGUARDS——ENTRANCEINTOGOD'SCOUNTRYATLAST。
　　ButKilpatrick,likeSherman,camenot。PerhapsheknewthatalltheprisonershadbeenremovedfromtheStockade;perhapshehadotherbusinessofmoreimportanceonhand;probablyhismovementwasonlyafeint。AtalleventsitwasdefinitelyknownthenextdaythathehadwithdrawnsofarastorenderitwhollyunlikelythatheintendedattackingFlorence,sowewerebroughtbackandreturnedtoouroldquarters。Foraweekormoreweloiteredaboutthenownearly—abandonedprison;skulkedandcrawledaroundthedismalmud—tentsliketheghostlydenizensofsomePotter'sField,who,forsomereasonhadbeenallowedtoreturntoearth,andforawhilecreeppainfullyaroundthelittlehillocksbeneathwhichtheyhadbeenentombed。
　　Afewscore,whosevitalpowerswerestrainedtothelastdegreeoftension,gaveuptheghost,andsanktodreamlessrest。ItmatterednowlittletothesewhenShermancame,orwhenKilpatrick'sguidonsshouldflutterthroughtheforestofsighingpines,heraldsoflife,happiness,andhome——
　　Afterlife'sfitfulfevertheysleptwellTreasonhaddoneitsworst。Norsteelnorpoison:
　　Malicedomestic,foreignlevy,nothingCouldtouchthemfarther。
　　Onedayanotherordercameforustobeloadedonthecars,andovertotherailroadwewentagaininthesamefashionasbefore。Thecomparativelyfewofuswhowerestillabletowalkatallwell,loadedourselvesdownwiththebundlesandblanketsofourlessfortunatecompanions,whohobbledandlimped——manyevencrawlingontheirhandsandknees——overthehard,frozenground,byoursides。
　　Thosenotabletocrawleven,weretakeninwagons,fortheorderswereimperativenottoleavealivingprisonerbehind。
　　Attherailroadwefoundtwotrainsawaitingus。Onthefrontofeachengineweretworudewhiteflags,madebyfasteningthehalvesofmealsackstoshortsticks。Thesightofthesegaveussomehope,butourbeliefthatRebelswereconstitutionalliarsanddeceiverswassofirmandfixed,thatwepersuadedourselvesthattheflagsmeantnothingmorethansomewilfuldelusionforus。
　　AgainwestartedoffinthedirectionofWilmington,andtraversedthesamecountrydescribedinthepreviouschapter。AgainAndrewsandI
　　foundourselvesinthenextboxcartothepassengercoachcontainingtheRebelofficers。Againwecutaholethroughtheend,withoursaw,andagainfoundadarkyservantsittingontherearplatform。Andrewswentoutandsatdownalongsideofhim,andfoundthathewasseateduponalargegunny—bagsackcontainingthecookedrationsoftheRebelofficers。
　　TheintelligencethattherewassomethingthereworthtakingAndrewscommunicatedtomebyanexpressivesignal,ofwhichsoldierscampaigningtogetheraslongasheandIhad,alwayshaveanextensiveandwellunderstoodcode。
　　Itookaseatintheholewehadmadeintheendofthecar,inreachofAndrews。Andrewscalledtheattentionofthenegrotosomefeatureofthecountrynearby,andaskedhimaquestioninregardtoit。Ashelookedinthedirectionindicated,Andrewsslippedhishandintothemouthofthebag,andpulledoutasmallsackofwheatbiscuits,whichhepassedtomeandIconcealed。ThedarkyturnedandtoldAndrewsallaboutthematterinregardtowhichtheinterrogationhadbeenmade。
　　Andrewsbecamesomuchinterestedinwhatwasbeingtoldhim,thathesatupcloserandclosertothedarky,whointurnmovedfartherawayfromthesack。
　　Nextweranthroughaturpentineplantation,andasthedarkywaspointingoutwherethestill,themaster'splace,the"quarters,"etc。,were,Andrewsmanagedtofishoutofthatbagandpasstomethreeroastedchickens。Thenagreatswampcalledfordescription,andbeforewewerethroughwithit,Ihadaboutapeckofboiledsweetpotatos。
　　Andrewsemptiedthebagasthedarkywasshowinghimagreatpeanutplantation,takingfromitasmallfrying—pan,acanteenofmolasses,andahalf—gallontinbucket,whichhadbeenusedtomakecoffeein。
　　Wedividedupourwealthofeatableswiththerestoftheboysinthecar,notforgettingtokeepenoughtogiveourselvesamagnificentmeal。
　　Asweranalongwesearchedcarefullyfortheplacewherewehadseentheline—of—battle,expectingthatitwouldnowbemarkedwithsignsofaterribleconflict,butwecouldseenothing。Wecouldnotevenfixthelocalitywherethelinestood。
　　AsitbecameapparentthatweweregoingdirectlytowardWilmington,asfastasourenginescouldpullus,theexcitementrose。WehadmanymisgivingsastowhetherourfolksstillretainedpossessionofWilmington,andwhether,iftheydid,theRebelscouldnotstopatapointoutsideofourlines,andtransferustosomeotherroad。
　　Forhourswehadseennobodyinthecountrythroughwhichwewerepassing。Whatfewhouseswerevisiblewereapparentlydeserted,andtherewerenoTownsorstationsanywhere。Wewereveryanxioustoseesomeone,inhopesofgettingahintofwhatthestateofaffairswasinthedirectionweweregoing。Atlengthwesawayoungman——apparentlyascout——onhorseback,buthisclotheswereequallydividedbetweentheblueandthebutternut,astogivenocluetowhichsidehebelonged。
　　Anhourlaterwesawtwoinfantrymen,whowereevidentlyoutforaging。
　　Theyhadsacksofsomethingontheirbacks,andworeblueclothes。Thiswasaveryhopefulsignofanearapproachtoourlines,butbitterexperienceinthepastwarnedusagainstbeingtoosanguine。
　　About4o'clockP。M。,thetrainsstoppedandwhistledlongandloud。
　　LookingoutIcouldsee——perhapshalf—a—mileaway——alineofriflepitsrunningatrightangleswiththetrack。Guards,whosegunsflashedastheyturned,werepacingupanddown,buttheyweretoofarawayformetodistinguishtheiruniforms。
　　Thesuspensebecamefearful。
　　ButIreceivedmuchencouragementfromthesingularconductofourguards。FirstInoticedaCaptain,whohadbeenespeciallymeantouswhileatFlorence。
　　Hewaswalkingonthegroundbythetrain。Hisfacewaspale,histeethset,andhiseyesshonewithexcitement。Hecalledoutinastrange,forcedvoicetohismenandboysontheroofofthecars"Here,youfellersgitdownoff'entharandformaline。"
　　Thefellowsdidso,inaslow,constrained,frightenedwaysandhuddledtogether,inthemostunsoldierlymanner。
　　ThewholethingremindedmeofasceneIoncesawinourline,whereaweak—kneedCaptainwasorderedtotakeapartyofratherchicken—heartedrecruitsoutontheskirmish—line。
　　Weimmediatelydivinedwhatwasthematter。Thelinesinfrontofuswerereallythoseofourpeople,andtheidiotsofguards,notknowingoftheirentiresafetywhenprotectedbyaflagoftruce,werescaredhalfoutoftheirsmallwitsatapproachingsoneartoarmedYankees。
　　Weshoweredtauntsandjeersuponthem。AnIrishmaninmycaryelledout:
　　"Och,yedirtyspalpeens;it'snotshootin'prisonersyearenow;it'scumin'wheretheYankeeb'yshevthegun;andtheminnityesaythimyerwhiteliversshowthemselvesinyerpalefaces。Badlucktotheblatherin'bastardsthatyezare,andtothemothersthatboreye。"
　　AtlengthourtrainmovedupsoneartothelinethatIcouldseeitwasthegrand,oldloyalbluethatclothedtheformsofthemenwhowerepacingupanddown。
　　Andcertainlytheworlddoesnotholdassuperblookingmenastheseappearedtome。Finelyformed,stalwart,full—fedandwellclothed,theyformedthemostdelightfulcontrastwiththescrawny,shambling,villain—
　　visagedlittleclay—eatersandwhitetrashwhohadlookeddownuponusfromthesentryboxesformanylongmonths。
　　Isprangoutofthecarsandbeganwashingmyfaceandhandsintheditchatthesideoftheroad。TheRebelCaptain,noticingme,said,intheold,hateful,brutal,imperioustone:
　　"Gitbackindatcah,dah。"
　　AnhourbeforeIwouldhavescrambledbackasquicklyaspossible,knowingthataninstant'shesitationwouldbefollowedbyabullet。
　　Now,Ilookedhimintheface,andsaidasirritatinglyaspossible:
　　"O,yougoto————,youRebel。I'mgoingintoUncleSam'slineswithaslittleRebelfilthonmeaspossible。"
　　Hepassedmewithoutreplying。
　　Hisdayofshootingwaspast。
　　Descendingfromthecars,wepassedthroughtheguardsintoourlines,aRebelandaUnionclerkcheckingusoffaswepassed。Bythetimeitwasdarkwewereallunderourflagagain。
　　TheplacewherewecamethroughwasseveralmileswestofWilmington,wheretherailroadcrossedabranchoftheCapeFearRiver。ThepointwasheldbyabrigadeofSchofield'sarmy——theTwenty—ThirdArmyCorps。
　　Theboyslavishedunstintedkindnessuponus。Allofthebrigadeoffdutycrowdedaround,offeringusblankets,shirtsshoes,pantaloonsandotherarticlesofclothingandsimilarthingsthatwewereobviouslyinthegreatestneedof。Thesickwerecarried,byhundredsofwillinghands,toashelteredspot,andlaidupongood,comfortablebedsimprovisedwithleavesandblankets。Agreatlineofhuge,generousfireswasbuilt,thateveryoneofuscouldhaveplentyofplacearoundthem。
　　ByandbyalineofwagonscameoverfromWilmingtonladenwithrations,andtheyweredispensedtouswithwhatseemedrecklessprodigality。
　　Thelidofaboxofhardtackwouldbeknockedoff,andthecontentshandedtousaswefiledpast,withabsolutedisregardastoquantity。
　　Ifaprisonerlookedwistfulafterreceivingonehandfulofcrackers,anotherwashandedtohim;ifhislong—famishedeyesstilllingeredasifenchainedbytheraredisplayoffood,themenwhowereissuingsaid:
　　"Here,oldfellow,there'splentyofit:takejustasmuchasyoucancarryinyourarms。"
　　Soitwasalsowiththepickledpork,thecoffee,thesugar,etc。Wehadbeenstintedandstarvedsolongthatwecouldnotcomprehendthattherewasanywhereactuallyenoughofanything。
　　Thekind—heartedboyswhowereactingasourhostsbeganpreparingfoodforthesick,buttheSurgeons,whohadarrivedinthemeanwhile,werecompelledtorepressthem,asitwasplainthatwhileitwasadangerousexperimenttogiveanyofusallwecouldorwouldeat,itwouldneverdotogivethesicksuchatemptationtokillthemselves,andonlyalimitedamountoffoodwasallowedtobegiventhosewhowereunabletowalk。
　　AndrewsandIhungeredforcoffee,thedelightfulfumesofwhichfilledtheairandintoxicatedoursenses。Weprocuredenoughtomakeourhalf—
　　gallonbucketfullandverystrong。
　　WedranksomuchofthisthatAndrewsbecamepositivelydrunk,andfellhelplesslyintosomebrush。Ipulledhimoutanddraggedhimawaytoaplacewherewehadmadeourrudebed。
　　Iwasdazed。Icouldnotcomprehendthatthelong—lookedfor,often—
　　despaired—ofeventhadactuallyhappened。Ifearedthatitwasoneofthosetantalizingdreamsthathadsooftenhauntedmysleep,onlytobefollowedbyawretchedawakening。ThenIbecameseizedwithasuddenfearlesttheRebelattempttoretakeme。Thelineofguardsaroundusseemedveryslight。Itmightbeforcedinthenight,andallofusrecaptured。Shiveringatthisthought,absurdthoughitwas,Iarosefromourbed,andtakingAndrewswithme,crawledtwoorthreehundredyardsintoadenseundergrowth,whereintheeventofourlinesbeingforced,wewouldbeoverlooked。
　　CHAPTERLXXIX。
　　GETTINGUSEDTOFREEDOM——DELIGHTSOFALANDWHERETHEREISENOUGHOF
　　EVERYTHING——FIRSTGLIMPSEOFTHEOLDFLAG——WILMINGTONANDITSHISTORY
　　——LIEUTENANTCUSHING——FIRSTACQUAINTANCEWITHTHECOLOREDTROOPS——LEAVING
　　FORHOME——DESTRUCTIONOFTHE"THORN"BYATORPEDO——THEMOCKMONITOR'S
　　ACHIEVEMENT。
　　Afterasoundsleep,AndrewsandIawoketotheenjoymentofourfirstdayoffreedomandexistenceinGod'scountry。Thesunhadalreadyrisen,brightandwarm,consonantwiththehappinessofthenewlifenowopeningupforus。
　　Buttonearlyascoreofourpartyhisbeamsbroughtnoawakeninggladness。Theyfelluponstony,staringeyes,fromoutofwhichthelightoflifehadnowfaded,asthelightofhopehaddonelongago。
　　Thedeadlaythereupontherudebedsoffallenleaves,scrapedtogetherbythoughtfulcomradesthenightbefore,theirclenchedteethshowingthroughpartedlips,facesfleshlessandpinched,long,unkemptandraggedhairandwhiskersjuststirredbythelazybreeze,therottingfeetandlimbsdrawnup,andskinnyhandsclenchedinthelastagonies。
　　Theirfateseemedharderthanthatofanywhohaddiedbeforethem。
　　Itwasdoubtfulifmanyofthemknewthattheywereatlastinsideofourownlines。
　　Againthekind—heartedboysofthebrigadecrowdedarounduswithproffersofservice。OfanOhioboywhodirectedhiskindtenderstoAndrewsandme,weprocuredachunkofcoarserosinsoapaboutasbigasapackofcards,andatowel。Neverwasthereasgreataquantityofsolidcomfortgotoutofthatmuchsoapasweobtained。ItwasthefirstthatwehadsincethatwhichIstoleinWirz'sheadquarters,inJune——
　　ninemonthsbefore。WefeltthatthedirtwhichhadaccumulateduponussincethenwouldsubjectustoassessmentasrealestateifwewereintheNorth。
　　Hurryingofftoalittlecreekwebeganourablutions,anditwasnotlonguntilAndrewsdeclaredthattherewasaperceptiblesand—barforminginthestream,fromwhatwewashedoff。DirtdepositsofthePlioceneerarolledofffeetandlegs。Eoceneincrustationsletloosereluctantlyfromneckandears;thehairwasamassoftangledlocksmattedwithninemonths'accumulationofpitchpinetar,rosinsoot,andSouthCarolinasand,thatwedidnotthinkwehadbetterstartinuponituntilweeitherhadtheshockcutoff,orhadawholeoceanandavatofsoaptowashitoutwith。
　　Afterscrubbinguntilwewereexhaustedwegotoffthefirstfewouterlayers——theposttertiaryformation,ageologistwouldtermit——andthesmellofmanybreakfastscooking,comingdownoverthehill,setourstomachsinamutinyagainstanylongerfasting。
　　Wewentback,rosy,panting,glowing,buthappy,togetourselvessomebreakfast。
　　ShouldProvidence,forsomeinscrutablereason,vouchsafemetheyearsofMethuselah,oneofthepleasantestrecollectionsthatwillabidewithmetothecloseoftheninehundredthandsixty—ninthyear,willbeofthatdelightfulodorofcookingfoodwhichregaledoursensesaswecameback。
　　FromtheboilingcoffeeandthemeatfryinginthepanroseanincensesweetertothesensesathousandtimesthanalltheperfumesoffarArabia。Itdifferedfromtheloathsomeodorofcookingcornmealasmuchasitdidfromtheeffluviaofasewer。
　　Ournoseswerethefirstofoursensestobeartestimonythatwehadpassedfromthelandofstarvationtothatofplenty。AndrewsandI
　　hastenedofftogetourownbreakfast,andsoonhadahalf—gallonofstrongcoffee,andafrying—panfull,ofmeatcookingoverthefire——notoneofthebeggarlyskimpedlittlefireswehadcrouchedoverduringourmonthsofimprisonment,butaroyal,generousfire,fedwithlogsinsteadofshavingsandsplinters,andgivingoutheatenoughtowarmaregiment。
　　Havingeatenpositivelyallthatwecouldswallow,thoseofuswhocouldwalkwereorderedtofallinandmarchovertoWilmington。Wecrossedthebranchoftheriveronapontoonbridge,andtooktheroadthatledacrossthenarrowsandyislandbetweenthetwobranches,Wilmingtonbeingsituatedontheoppositebankofthefartherone。
　　Whenabouthalfwayashoutfromsomeoneinadvancecausedustolookup,andthenwesaw,flyingfromatallsteepleinWilmington,thegloriousoldStarsandStripes,resplendentinthemorningsun,andmorebeautifulthanthemostgorgeouswebfromTyrianlooms。Westoppedwithoneaccord,andshoutedandcheeredandcrieduntileverythroatwassoreandeveryeyeredandblood—shot。Itseemedasifourcupofhappinesswouldcertainlyrunoverifanymoreadditionsweremadetoit。
　　WhenwearrivedatthebankoftheriveroppositeWilmington,awholeworldofnewandinterestingsightsopenedupbeforeus。Wilmington,duringthelastyear—and—a—halfofthewar,was,nexttoRichmond,themostimportantplaceintheSouthernConfederacy。Itwastheonlyporttowhichblockaderunningwasatallsafeenoughtobelucrative。TheRebelsheldthestrongfortsofCaswellandFisher,atthemouthofCapeFearRiver,andoutside,theFryingPanShoals,whichextendedalongthecoastfortyorfiftymiles,keptourblockadingfleetsofaroff,andmadethelinesoweakandscattered,thattherewascomparativelylittlerisktothesmall,swift—sailingvesselsemployedbytheblockaderunnersinrunningthroughit。TheonlywaythatblockaderunningcouldbestoppedwasbythereductionofFortsCaswellandFisher,anditwasnotstoppeduntilthiswasdone。
　　BeforethewarWilmingtonwasadull,sleepyNorthCarolinaTown,withaslittleanimationofanykindasaBretonPillage。Theonlybusinesswasthehandlingofthetar,turpentine,rosin,andpeanutsproducedinthesurroundingcountry,abusinessneverlivelyenoughtoexcitemorethanalazyrippleinthesluggishlagoonsoftrade。Butverynewwinewasputintothisoldbottlewhenblockaderunningbegantodevelopinimportance。ThenthisSleepyhollowofaplacetookontheappearanceofSanFranciscointhehightofthegoldfever。TheEnglishhousesengagedinblockaderunningestablishedbranchesthereconductedbyyoungmenwholivedlikeprinces。AllthebesthousesintheCitywereleasedbythemandfittedupinthemostgorgeousstyle。Theyliterallyclothedthemselvesinpurpleandfinelinenandfaredsumptuouslyeveryday,withtheirfinewinesandimporteddelicaciesandretinueofservantstowaituponthem。FastyoungRebelofficers,eagerforaseasonofdissipation,couldimaginenothingbetterthanaleaveofabsencetogotoWilmington。
　　Moneyflowedlikewater。Thecommonsailors——thescumofallforeignports——whomannedtheblockaderunners,receivedashighasonehundreddollarsingoldpermonth,andabountyoffiftydollarsforeverysuccessfultrip,whichfromNassaucouldbeeasilymadeinsevendays。
　　Otherpeoplewerepaidinproportion,andastheoldproverbsays,"WhatcomesovertheDevil'sbackisspentunderhisbreast,"themoneysoobtainedwassquanderedrecklessly,andallsortsofdebaucheryranriot。
　　Onthegroundwherewewerestandinghadbeenerectedseverallargesteamcottonpresses,builttocompresscottonfortheblockaderunners。
　　Aroundthemwerestoredimmensequantitiesofcotton,andnearbywerenearlyasgreatstoresofturpentine,rosinandtar。Alittlefartherdowntheriverwasnavyyardwithdocks,etc。,fortheaccommodation,buildingandrepairofblockaderunners。AtthetimeourfolkstookFortFisherandadvancedonWilmingtonthedockswerefilledwithvessels。
　　TheretreatingRebelssetfiretoeverything——cotton,cottonpresses,turpentine,rosin,tar,navyyard,navalstores,timber,docks,andvessels,andthefiremadecleanwork。Ourpeoplearrivedtoolatetosaveanything,andwhenwecameinthesmokefromtheburnedcotton,turpentine,etc。,stillfilledthewoods。Itwasasignalillustrationoftheravagesofwar。Herehadbeendestroyed,inafewhours,morepropertythanahalf—millionindustriousmenwouldaccumulateintheirlives。
　　Almostasgratifyingasthesightoftheoldflagflyingintriumph,wastheexhibitionofournavalpowerintheriverbeforeus。ThelargerpartofthegreatNorthAtlanticsquadron,whichhaddonesuchexcellentserviceinthereductionofthedefensesofWilmington,waslyingatanchor,withtheirhundredsofhugegunsyawningasifardentformoregreatfortstobeatdown,morevesselstosink,moreheavyartillerytocrush,moreRebelstoconquer。ItseemedasiftherewerecannonenoughtheretoblowthewholeConfederacyintokingdom—come。Allwaslifeandanimationaroundthefleet。Onthedeckstheofficerswerepacingupanddown。Oneoneachvesselcarriedalongtelescope,withwhichhealmostconstantlysweptthehorizon。Numberlesssmallboats,eachrowedbyneatly—uniformedmen,andcarryingaflaginthestern,dartedhitherandthither,carryingofficersonerrandsofdutyorpleasure。Itwassuchasceneasenabledmetorealizeinameasure,thedescriptionsIhadreadofthepompandcircumstanceofnavalwarfare。
　　Whilewewerestanding,contemplatingalltheinterestingsightswithinview,asmallsteamer,aboutthesizeofacanal—boat,andcarryingseveralbrightbrassguns,ranswiftlyandnoiselesslyuptothedocknearby,andayoung,pale—facedofficer,slenderinbuildandnervousinmanner,steppedashore。Someofthebluejacketswhoweretalkingtouslookedathimandthevesselwiththegreatestexpressionofinterest,andsaid:
　　"Hello！there'sthe'Monticello'andLieutenantCushing。"
　　This,then,wasthenavalboyhero,withwhoseexploitsthewholecountrywasringing。Oursailorfriendsproceededtotellusofhisachievements,ofwhichtheywerejustlyproud。Theytoldusofhisperilousscoutsandhishairbreadthescapes,ofhiswonderfulaudacityandstillmorewonderfulsuccess——ofhiscaptureofTownswithahandfulofsailors,andthedestructionofvaluablestores,etc。Ifeltverysorrythatthemanwasnotacavalrycommander。Therehewouldhavehadfullscopeforhispeculiargenius。HehadcomeprominentlyintonoticeintheprecedingAutumn,whenhehad,byoneofthemostdaringperformancesnarratedinnavalhistory,destroyedtheformidableram"Albermarle。"ThisvesselhadbeenconstructedbytheRebelsontheRoanokeRiver,andhaddonethemverygoodservice,firstbyassistingtoreducethefortsandcapturethegarrisonatPlymouth,N。C。,andafterwardinsomeminorengagements。InOctober,1864,shewaslyingatPlymouth。Aroundherwasaboomoflogstopreventsuddenapproachesofboatsorvesselsfromourfleet。Cushing,whowasthenbarelytwenty—
　　one,resolvedtoattemptherdestruction。Hefittedupasteamlaunchwithalongspartowhichheattachedatorpedo。OnthenightofOctober27th,withthirteencompanions,heranquietlyuptheSoundandwasnotdiscovereduntilhisboatstrucktheboom,whenaterrificfirewasopeneduponhim。Backingashortdistance,heranattheboomwithsuchvelocitythathisboatleapedacrossitintothewaterbeyond。Inaninstantmorehistorpedostruckthesideofthe"Albemarle"andexploded,tearingagreatholeinherhull,whichsankherinafewminutes。Atthemomentthetorpedowentoffthe"Albermarle"firedoneofhergreatgunsdirectlyintothelaunch,tearingitcompletelytopieces。
　　LieutenantCushingandonecomraderosetothesurfaceoftheseethingwaterand,swimmingashore,escaped。Whatbecameoftherestisnotknown,buttheirfatecanhardlybeamatterofdoubt。
　　WewereferriedacrosstheriverintoWilmington,andmarchedupthestreetstosomevacantgroundneartherailroaddepot,wherewefoundmostofouroldFlorencecomradesalreadyassembled。WhentheyleftusinthemiddleofFebruarytheyweretakentoWilmington,andthencetoGoldsboro,N。C。,wheretheywerekeptuntiltherapidclosinginofourArmiesmadeitimpracticabletoholdthemanylonger,whentheyweresentbacktoWilmingtonandgivenuptoourforcesaswehadbeen。
　　Itwasnownearlynoon,andwewereorderedtofallinanddrawrations,abewilderingordertous,whohadbeensolonginthehabitofdrawingfoodbutonceaday。Wefellininsinglerank,andmarchedup,oneatatime,pastwhereagroupofemployeesoftheCommissaryDepartmentdealtoutthefood。Onehandedeachprisonerashepassedalargesliceofmeat;anothergavehimahandfulofgroundcoffee;athirdahandfulofsugar;afourthgavehimapickle,whileafifthandsixthhandedhimanonionandaloafoffreshbread。Thisfilledthehornofourplentyfull。Tohavealltheseinoneday——meat,coffee,sugar,onionsandsoftbread——wassimplytoriotinundreamed—ofluxury。Manyoftheboys——poorfellows——couldnotyetrealizethattherewasenoughforall,ortheycouldnotgiveuptheirold"flanking"tricks,andtheystolearound,andfallingintotherear,cameupagainfor'anothershare。Welaughedatthem,asdidtheCommissarymen,who,nevertheless,duplicatedtherationsalreadyreceived,,andsentthemawayhappyandcontent。
　　WhatagloriousdinnerAndrewsandIhad,withourhalfgallonofstrongcoffee,oursoftbread,andapanfulloffriedporkandonions！Suchanenjoyablefeastwillneverbe,eatenagainbyus。
　　Herewesawnegrotroopsunderarmsforthefirsttime——themostoftheorganizationofcoloredsoldiershavingbeen,donesinceourcapture。
　　Itwasstartlingatfirsttoseeastalwart,coal—blacknegrostalkingalongwithaSergeant'schevronsonhisarm,ortogazeonaregimentallineofduskyfacesondressparade,butwesoongotusedtoit。Thefirststrongpeculiarityofthenegrosoldierthatimpresseditself,uponuswashisliteralobedienceoforders。Awhitesoldierusuallyallowshimselfconsiderablediscretioninobeyingorders——heaimsmoreatthespirit,whilethenegroadherestothestrictletterofthecommand。
　　Forinstance,theseconddayafterourarrivalalineofguardswereplacedaroundus,withordersnottoallowanyofustogouptownwithoutapass。Thereasonofthiswasthatmanyweak——evendying—menwouldpersistinwanderingabout,andwouldbefoundexhausted,frequentlydead,invariouspartsoftheCity。AndrewsandIconcludedtogouptown。Approachinganegrosentinelhewarnedusbackwith,"Standback,dah;don'tcomeanyfurder;it'sagindeawdahs;youcan'tpass。"
　　Hewouldnotallowustoarguethecase,butbroughthisguntosuchathreateningpositionthatwefellback。Goingdownthelinealittlefarther,wecametoawhitesentinel,towhomIsaid:
　　"Comrade,whatareyourorders:
　　Hereplied:
　　"Myordersarenottoletanyofyoufellowspass,butmybeatonlyextendstothatout—housethere。"