diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/68143-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/68143-0.txt | 10580 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 10580 deletions
diff --git a/old/68143-0.txt b/old/68143-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 14c55a6..0000000 --- a/old/68143-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10580 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The life record of H. W. Graber, by H. -W. Graber - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The life record of H. W. Graber - A Terry Texas Ranger, 1861-1865; sixty-two years in Texas - -Author: H. W. Graber - -Release Date: May 21, 2022 [eBook #68143] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Pat McCoy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE RECORD OF H. W. -GRABER *** - - - - - - [Illustration: H. W. GRABER] - - - - - The Life Record of - H. W. Graber - - A Terry Texas Ranger - 1861-1865 - - Sixty-two Years in Texas - Copyright 1916 by H. W. Graber - - - - - Index - - Page - Chapter 1 My Earliest Recollections......................... 9 - Chapter 2 I Abandon the Printer’s Trade and Take Up......... - Surveying......................................... 14 - Chapter 3 Indian Troubles—My First Venture in Business...... 22 - Chapter 4 My First Military Experience...................... 28 - Chapter 5 Our First Engagement.............................. 43 - Chapter 6 An Accidental Injury—Shiloh—The “Mark-Time” Major. 56 - Chapter 7 I Am Wounded and Captured......................... 73 - Chapter 8 The Escape of Major Ousley........................ 91 - Chapter 9 In Prison at Louisville, Where I Was Honored With. - Handcuffs......................................... 98 - Chapter 10 Camp Chase—Fort Delaware—I Change My Name for the. - First Time and Am Finally Exchanged............... 107 - Chapter 11 The Inhumanity of the Federal Government.......... 136 - Chapter 12 I Rejoin My Command............................... 142 - Chapter 13 Middle Tennessee and Kentucky..................... 144 - Chapter 14 I “Swap” Horses With a Federal.................... 156 - Chapter 15 The Battle of Perryville.......................... 169 - Chapter 16 I Refuse to Become a Teamster..................... 176 - Chapter 17 Omissions in Preceding Chapters................... 186 - Chapter 18 General Johnston’s Failure to Strike—Sherman...... 190 - Chapter 19 Georgia Service—A Negro’s Preference—A Hazardous.. - Undertaking....................................... 208 - Chapter 20 I Sell a Ten Dollar Gold Piece for Fifteen Hundred - Dollars........................................... 231 - Chapter 21 My Service With Captain Shannon................... 237 - Chapter 22 We Receive Notice of Johnston’s Surrender—I....... - Decline to Be Paroled and Resolve to Make My Way.. - Out............................................... 244 - Preface The Reconstruction Period......................... 262 - Chapter 23 Upon My Return From the Army I Find My Business... - Affairs in Bad Shape.............................. 266 - Chapter 24 The Affair at Hempstead........................... 271 - Chapter 25 I Narrowly Escape Capture......................... 285 - Chapter 26 I Save the Life of an Enemy....................... 306 - Chapter 27 I Get Back Into the Business World................ 316 - Chapter 28 I Assist in Establishing the Masonic Institute.... 326 - Chapter 29 I Remove to Waxahachie and Go Into Business There. 339 - Chapter 30 The Tap Railroad.................................. 344 - Chapter 31 Business Troubles................................. 366 - Chapter 32 I Start Anew...................................... 373 - Chapter 33 The Methodist School at Waxahachie................ 377 - Chapter 34 My Later Business Experiences..................... 380 - Chapter 35 The Confederate Veterans’ Home.................... 389 - Chapter 36 My Appointments in the U. C. V.................... 395 - Chapter 37 The Terry Rangers’ Flag........................... 401 - Chapter 38 Roosevelt’s Visit to Texas........................ 424 - Chapter 39 My family......................................... 434 - Chapter 40 In Conclusion..................................... 441 - - - - - Preface - - -The purpose of this narrative is to hand down to my children, and to -present to my friends, an intimate, personal account of a life which has -not been without interesting episodes, and which has been lived during -the most eventful period that this Nation will, in all probability, ever -know. - -Though a large portion of my story will deal with incidents which -occurred during the great sectional strife of the sixties, it is not -intended as a history of that great calamity, but is meant, simply, to -be an account of incidents with which the writer was personally -associated. - -The Great Strife which so nearly disrupted our country is over. For many -years we of the South have been dwelling amicably with those of the -North—this is as it should be. We are, united, the greatest country on -the face of God’s footstool. And to both the North and the South belongs -the credit. - -The mistakes of certain Northern fanatics, which were not, I believe, -dictated by general Northern sentiment, have long been rectified. The -Government at Washington today is, I know, truly representative of the -entire country. The tragic blunders which were evident in the South -during what has been called the “Reconstruction Period” would not be -possible today. The country has become a unit. - -In perfect love and friendship for all the good people of the United -States, irrespective of location, and with no sectional feeling other -than an abiding love for my South, I write this story. I hope it may be -found to be not without interest. - - H. W. GRABER. - - - - - My Earliest Recollections - - - CHAPTER I - -I was born in the city of Bremen, Germany, on the 18th day of May, 1841. -My father was a native of Prussia, and my mother of the Kingdom of -Hanover. They were married in the city of Bremen in 1839. There were -five children born unto them; a daughter, the oldest of the family, died -in Bremen; the others moved with the family to Texas. I was educated at -a private school, starting at six years old, up to the time of our -removal to Texas in 1853. - -In connection with the ordinary literary course, the French and English -languages were taught in the higher grades in which I had just entered, -but when father decided to move to Texas, he had me drop the French and -employed an additional private teacher to come to our home and give me -English lessons, which enabled me to speak the English language on our -arrival in Texas. - -Our father was a manufacturer of fine mahogany furniture and established -a profitable trade on this with New York, exporting more of his -furniture than was sold at home, though he had quite an extensive local -trade, as his styles and work were very popular, all of his furniture -being hand carved. - -The great Revolution of 1848, which caused great stringency in financial -affairs of the country, forced him to mortgage his home, and from this -he never recovered. It was this condition that induced his removal to -Texas. - -Father and I came to Texas a year in advance of the balance of the -family, for the purpose of getting acquainted with the country and its -conditions. Then, the year following the rest of the family came over. -We settled in Houston, Texas. We came over on a large sailing ship, as -steamships were very few, and we came by way of New Orleans, where we -found a great yellow fever epidemic, though we escaped it this year. - -I forgot to mention that, when a child about four years old, I was -playing on the river front, sliding up and down on a plank with one end -in the water, the other end on the steps leading down to the water, when -I lost my hold, slid into the river and under the bottom of a schooner, -coming out on the opposite side, where one of the sailors caught me by -the hair just as I started under the third time. I was carried home -unconscious. This proved my first narrow escape from death, of which I -had many during life. - -Soon after our arrival in Houston, father worked in an undertaking -establishment for a man by the name of Pannel, but during the first -summer, both father and mother were taken sick with typhoid fever and -died within one week, leaving me, the oldest of the family, then -thirteen years old, to take care of the rest of the children. - -We had an uncle, father’s brother, living on Spring Creek, in the upper -part of Harris County, who took charge of our sister and a younger -brother until I could make provisions for them to come back to Houston, -there to get the benefit of the schools. - -During the yellow fever of that fall my brother, next to me, died with -yellow fever. - -I forgot to mention that soon after arrival in Houston I secured a -position in the large retail grocery establishment of F. Bauman, and, -subsequently, in the wholesale grocery establishment of C. E. Gregory, -where I soon became shipping clerk and an expert marker of freight, with -the marking brush; so much so that when a lot of freight was turned out -on the sidewalk (to be shipped by ox-wagon, which was the only means of -transportation out of Houston before the day of railroads) and when -marking this freight, passersby would stop and watch me, as I was the -youngest shipping clerk in Houston, which of course made me feel very -proud. - -After a year or more in the service of this wholesale establishment I -was offered a position in a retail dry goods establishment of G. Gerson, -where I became familiar with the dry goods business. After about a year, -Gerson decided to open a general merchandise establishment at Waxahachie -and place his cousin, Robert Angleman, in charge of the same, and, for -this purpose, loaded about a half dozen ox-wagons with part of his -Houston stock and employed me to go to Waxahachie and clerk for -Angleman. - -In place of going up to Waxahachie on the stage, our only means of -travel then, I begged them to allow me to go with the wagons, as I was -anxious to camp out and hunt on the way, but I took a great fancy to -driving one of the wagons, the driver of which permitted me to learn, -and I became somewhat expert in handling six yoke of oxen, each one of -which had a name, such as “Red” or “Ball,” or “Jerry.” The oxen seemed -to know their names when called on to move up, followed by the crack of -the big whip, and it is hardly necessary to say when this outfit entered -Waxahachie, preceded by this team, this little boy was driving, popping -his whip as loud as any of the men. I felt I was the biggest man among -them. - -Angleman’s business proved a great success—selling goods for cash and -also taking pecans in trade for goods at fifty cents a bushel. These -pecans were shipped by wagon to Houston and from thence to New York, -where they netted from sixteen to eighteen cents per pound. Angleman’s -business was the first Jewish establishment in Waxahachie, and -ultimately grew to be the largest business in that section of the -country. - -My sojourn at Waxahachie of about two years proved the most pleasant of -my life, as everybody seemed to be my friend, and took a special -interest in me because I was the only orphan child in the place and was -without a home. While there I boarded at both hotels; first at the -Rogers House and next at the Ellis House. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - - I ABANDON THE PRINTER’S TRADE AND TAKE UP SURVEYING. - -After two years in Waxahachie, I decided to move back to Houston, where -I concluded to learn the printer’s trade, and for this purpose secured a -position in the office of the Houston Telegraph, which, at that time, -perhaps, had the largest circulation and was the leading paper in the -State. It was published by Allen & Brockett. Soon after entering this -office and acting as printer’s devil for a while, they promoted me to -the job office, where I became expert in doing fancy work, such as -marriage notices, ball invitations, etc., but I was unable to collect -any salary; these people were always hard up for money, and I never got -anything out of it but my board and sufficient money for clothing. I -finally became disgusted and went to Galveston, where I had an offer -from a man by the name of Spratt, who published a little paper called -the Ignis Fatuous or Jack o’ the Lantern. As the name indicates it was a -humorous paper, containing criticisms in a humorous vein, of leading -politicians of the city and the State. It was one of the most popular -periodicals then published, selling at ten cents a copy, by newsboys, -without having any left over each week. Here, too, I failed to get my -pay, though I set up the whole paper and made up the forms, which were -sent up to the Gazette’s office on Friday, where it was struck off ready -for the sale of the paper on Saturday. I did my work at Spratt’s home, -where he had set apart a room containing cases. I had board at the same -place. - -Spratt was a billiard fiend and, as soon as he got the money for his -papers on Saturday, he would stay in town, play billiards until his -money was exhausted, come home about Tuesday, and then prepare to -furnish matter for the next issue. I worked with him for about sixty -days. Failing to get my pay, I became disgusted and concluded that the -printer’s trade was a good thing for me to drop. I then went back to -Waxahachie and again went to work with the Angleman house and formed the -acquaintance of an old land surveyor by the name of James E. Patton, who -employed me to go with him on surveying expeditions, just for company, -paying me a good salary. I furnished my own horse and arms, the latter -of which he never carried. He was firm in the belief that Indians would -never trouble him, although it was said that he was taken prisoner by -the Indians, having been caught surveying lands down on Chambers’ Creek -in Ellis County. They turned him loose, which was considered one of the -most remarkable cases of Indian generosity ever known on the frontier, -as they always killed surveyors whom they caught locating land. - -It was also related of this old man, that, in the early days, when he -surveyed lands in Ellis County, he substituted chain carrying by -hobbling his ankles just the length of a vara, and stepped off the land, -in place of measuring it with a chain. Colonel Patton was one of the -most popular surveyors and land locaters in Texas. His compensation for -locating headright certificates was one-half of the land, which made him -one of the richest men in lands, at the time of his death, in that -section of the State. - -My first trip with Colonel Patton was to Fort Belknap, Texas, where he -had formed the acquaintance of a man by the name of Gibbons, who moved -there from Arkansas and owned about a dozen negroes, with whom he -cultivated a considerable plantation just across the river from Fort -Belknap. Gibbons had an Indian wife, a Delaware, who was dark complected -like other Indians, but she had a younger sister, who married General -Tarrant, an old Texas pioneer and Indian fighter, after whom Tarrant -County is named. General Tarrant made his home in Ellis County and he -and Colonel Patton were great friends. General Tarrant happened to be on -a visit at Gibbons’ when we arrived there on our first expedition, and -we were made to feel at home before starting out surveying. - -It was the custom there for surveyors to make up a party of a half dozen -or more to go on these expeditions, for protection against Indians who -were then roaming over that whole section of the country. There was an -Indian agency about twelve or fifteen miles below Belknap, in charge of -Captain Shapley Ross, the father of General L. S. Ross, then a boy like -myself. This agency was composed of remnant tribes of Indians, probably -a half dozen or more, whom the Comanche Indians had run in off the -range. These Indians had the protection of the United States Government -and, of course, pretended to be friendly. The most uncivilized Indian in -this agency was the Tonkawa, who, it was claimed, were cannibals. I -remember as we passed through Keechie Valley, on our way to Weatherford, -we stopped at a store for about an hour, resting and talking, when the -storekeeper told us of a trouble he came very near having the day -before. It seems a Tonkawa Indian had offered to trade him a pony for a -young Kentuckian, who had just come out from his State and was clerking -in the store. He asked the Indian what he wanted to do with the -Kentuckian if he accepted his offer. The Indian told him that he wanted -to eat him. The young man got a gun and was about to shoot the Indian, -when the storekeeper stopped him and made the Indian leave. - -There was another Indian agency at Camp Cooper, about forty miles west -of Belknap, presided over by a man by the name of Neighbors. This agency -had a tribe of the Southern Comanches, who were also run in by the -Northern Comanches, or Apaches. These Southern Comanches claimed to be -friendly with the whites in order to have the protection of the United -States Government, but they, and occasionally the Ross Agency Indians, -were believed to be responsible for many of the raids on our exposed -frontier; especially the Indians at the upper agency at Camp Cooper. -These raids became frequent; one of them culminating in the murder of -two families in Jack County, and the carrying off of a little boy and -girl as prisoners. Being hotly pursued by Rangers and citizens, they -were forced to abandon the boy, whom they threw into the brush to be -found by the pursuers. He made the statement that he was taken upon a -horse, behind a red-headed white man, who seemed to be the leader of the -band. This red-headed white man was seen in the Indian camp, located up -on the Canadian River, at different times, by scouts. - -Major Neighbors, while on a visit to Fort Belknap, became involved in a -dispute with one of the citizens, who charged that his Indians were -responsible for many of the raids on our frontier. The dispute resulted -in a fight and Major Neighbors was killed by the citizen. His death -created quite an excitement on the frontier, as he was a United States -officer and the Government asked an investigation of the affair, but -there was never anything done about it. - -While on my first trip with Colonel Patton, while we were making our -headquarters at Gibbons’, we found General Tarrant and his wife, the -sister of Mrs. Gibbons. This lady, by the way, was as fair as most of -the white women on the frontier. Their adopted son, Jesse, was about my -age. Gibbons had two sons, one about my age, the other a year younger. -We boys became great friends, and sometimes engaged in hunting and -fishing. - -One day we four decided to go fishing at the mouth of a creek, where it -emptied into the Brazos, about three-quarters of a mile below the house. -We cut fishing poles at a thicket near the creek. After fishing a while -without any result, we got tired and commenced shooting with our -pistols, of which each had one. All boys of our age always then went -armed with six-shooters, the custom of the frontier. After shooting at a -log in the creek, thereby emptying our pistols, we did not reload, not -deeming it necessary just then, and decided to go in bathing in the -river. The river being very low, was only running on the Fort Belknap -side, and we had to walk a considerable distance on a sand bar to the -water. Having just stripped ourselves of our clothing, ready to go in, -we heard voices calling on the south bank of the river and discovered a -group of men beckoning to us to come over to them. These proved to be -General Tarrant, Colonel Patton, Gibbons, his overseer and a blacksmith, -who, with his wife, occupied a log cabin on Gibbons’ place, he being at -work for the troops at the Fort. - -When we reached this party of men we were asked where we had been. When -we told them that we had cut our fishing poles at a thicket, they -commenced laughing and guying this blacksmith, telling him that his wife -had mistaken us for Indians and concluded that this was a sufficient -explanation of the alarm about Indians that she had created. This -blacksmith insisted on going down to this thicket, saying that he was -satisfied that his wife was not frightened and made no mistake; that she -must have seen Indians there, but they would not hear to it, and in -going up to the house, stopped at the cabin and told this woman that it -was us boys that she saw, in place of Indians. She, too, insisted that -they were mistaken, that there were surely Indians in that thicket, but -they paid no further attention to the matter and went home. - -It was the custom there to tie all horses in the yard, around the house, -which was done that night. When we woke next morning we found all of our -horses gone. When they then investigated the thicket where we boys cut -our fishing poles, they found plenty of Indian signs, such as small -pieces of buffalo meat and moccasin tracks. The matter, of course, was -reported to the commandant of the fort, who got his troops ready to -start in pursuit the next evening. This was about the character of -protection afforded by the United States troops. If rangers had been -stationed there, they would have been in the saddle in less than an hour -and continued the pursuit until the Indians were caught up with. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - - INDIAN TROUBLES—MY FIRST VENTURE IN BUSINESS. - -This bold raid of these Indians stirred up General Tarrant and he -determined to raise about five hundred volunteers in the frontier -counties, to break up a big Indian camp, under a celebrated chief, -Buffalo Hump, that was known to exist on the North Canadian, and for -this purpose he canvassed the frontier counties and had no trouble in -having volunteers sign to go out on the expedition. He fixed the time of -departure from Fort Belknap on the fourth day of July, which was most -unfortunate, as the time of his canvass was in the early part of May, -when during the long interim the Indians had been quiet, and had made no -raids into the settlements. The volunteers who subscribed had lost -interest in the matter and would not go. - -I was one of twenty who subscribed to go from Ellis County, and believe -I was the only one that ever started. About this time Colonel Patton had -arranged to start on another surveying expedition, in conjunction with a -party of surveyors, in charge of Gid Rucker, who had a contract for -running the center line of a twenty-mile reserve, granted by the State -to the Memphis & El Paso Railroad Company. This center line was run on -the thirty-second parallel. Colonel Patton went along to locate land -certificates, of which he had a great many, and was anxious to see the -country up on Hubbard’s Creek in Young County. Hubbard’s Creek is a -tributary of the Clear Fork of the Brazos. - -When we reached Weatherford we found General Tarrant very sick, not -expected to live, and he died a few days afterwards, which, of course, -broke up the expedition for which I had enlisted. Colonel Patton then -induced the railroad company’s surveyors to make me a proposition and -pay me two dollars per day to simply go along as company, they being -anxious to have a sufficient crowd to overawe any attack Indians might -contemplate. - -After reaching the eightieth milepost, Colonel Patton had them run down -ten miles to the southern boundary of the reserve, which was done, and a -most magnificent country developed. It seems Colonel Patton had -requested Mr. Rucker to get a sketch of that section of the country from -the General Land Office at Austin, and gave him money to pay for such -sketch, and when he asked for this sketch Rucker told him that they told -him at the Land Office that the whole country was vacant; that there had -been no surveys recorded in that section. Colonel Patton then struck out -alone, riding around and, after a few hours’ investigation, became -disgusted, having found quite a number of rock piles and blazed trees, -indicating that the country was not vacant and had been well surveyed -over by others. - -Colonel Patton then told me that he was going back home, his whole trip -was a failure, that he wouldn’t stay with a crowd that had deceived him -so grossly. He planned to go back by himself, but I told him he should -not do so—if he was going back I would go with him. The whole party -started back to the center line, where we quit work. It was now late at -night, the moon shining brightly, and we were about ten miles away from -water, which we needed for our horses, before we could go into camp. -After riding over the high, rolling prairie on this beautiful night, -some seven or eight miles, coming over a ridge we discovered a few camp -fires in the bottom of Hubbard’s Creek, which, of course, were thought -to be Indian fires by our party. After consultation, we decided to make -a charge on them and scatter them. For this purpose we drew up in line, -having altogether about twenty men, and moved on them cautiously. When -within a few hundred yards of the bottoms, we were halted by a vidette -picket, who from his brogue, proved to be an Irishman. This indicated to -our party that the camp was of United States troops, and not Indians. - -On arriving in camp we found Major Van Dorn with a troop of cavalry, on -his way from Fort Phantom Hill to Camp Cooper. The major, of course, was -glad to have us camp with him. During the night, Mr. Rucker learned that -Colonel Patton intended going straight for the settlements, without -company except myself. Major Van Dorn sent for Colonel Patton and begged -him to go to Camp Cooper with him, where he would no doubt find company -from there to Fort Belknap, and then again from Fort Belknap to -Weatherford, all of which were dangerous routes for one or two men to -travel alone, on account of Indians, but Colonel Patton wouldn’t listen -to such advice, claiming the Indians would never bother him and he would -have no trouble in getting back to the settlements with me. - -The next morning we struck out in a straight line for the settlements, -all alone, without taking any provisions, as the old man was mad with -Rucker and would not ask for them, nor accept any when they were -offered. - -This ride to the settlements proved one of the most trying the old -gentleman had ever been subjected to. It was, likewise, for me. We were -without water for a day and a half, when we struck running water in the -North Fork of Palo Pinto, and the second evening, late, we found a small -cornfield, about three or four acres, with a board shed and a pile of -ashes, indicating that this corn was made by some parties who had camped -there and finally abandoned on account of Indian depredations. We then -found a well-beaten path from this, leading in the direction we were -traveling. About six or eight miles from there we found a house, the -home of a frontier settler, with a wife and two children. All were much -rejoiced at seeing us and insisted on our staying a week, which, of -course, we had to decline and left the next morning, on our way home to -Waxahachie, which was reached in due time. This ended my frontier -visitation, determined never to go outside of the settlements again, -which I never did. - -Soon after reaching Waxahachie, I was induced to accept a position with -a Mr. Leander Cannon at Hempstead, Austin County, who was then -conducting the largest mercantile business in that section of the State. -After serving about a year in the dry goods and clothing department, I -was induced by Mr. Cannon to take charge of his books, which I did for -about six or eight months, when he decided to sell out and offered me -his business, giving me all the time I needed to pay for it, if I would -enter into copartnership with one J. W. Fosgard, his former bookkeeper, -who was an educated, college man, from Sweden. Fosgard was very -egotistic and overbearing and I knew we could never get along, -therefore, I declined Mr. Cannon’s generous offer. He sold out to -Fosgard alone. - -A short time after, I had an invitation to join R. P. Faddis in the -purchase of the business of Young & Bush, who, at the time, had a better -stock of goods than Cannon and made us a very attractive offer, giving -us all the time we wanted to pay them. This offer we accepted, -constituting the firm of Faddis & Graber. Faddis was the bookkeeper of -Young & Bush, and was a very popular man with the trade, which was -largely composed of the leading and richest planters in that section of -the Brazos country, and we soon built up a profitable business, though -unfortunately, for us, our country soon became involved in sectional -troubles, which prevented our restocking our reduced stock of goods and -finally culminated in secession and war. - - War Record - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - - MY FIRST MILITARY EXPERIENCES. - -R. P. Faddis was a native of Minnesota, raised and educated there, and -was about nine years my senior. He was more familiar with the true -conditions in the North than I was. - -When war was threatened, before Sumter was fired on, minute companies -were organized in many of the important towns of Texas; forts and -arsenals on our frontiers were taken possession of by the State, and the -garrisons shipped North. A Captain Stoneman collected about five hundred -picked troops at Fort Brown and refused to surrender. Colonel Ford, an -old commander of Texas Rangers, collected about three hundred men and -demanded the surrender of the fort, which was refused. - -An old New Orleans boat, called the General Rusk, was dispatched to -Galveston for reinforcements. On its arrival there, telegrams were sent -to Houston, Hempstead and Navasota, which places had organized -companies, for the companies to report by twelve o’clock that night for -passage on the General Rusk, for Brazos, Santiago. Twelve o’clock that -night found four companies aboard of this boat, coasting down the Gulf -in a storm, without ballast, rolling and making us all seasick; nearly -five hundred men lying on the lower deck. We finally arrived at Brazos -Santiago, where we found some other citizen soldiers in the old army -barracks, including the Davis Guards, under command of Captain Odium and -Dick Dowling. - -After two weeks’ camping on Brazos Santiago Island, Captain Stoneman -surrendered Fort Brown, and, after disarmament, was sent North with his -troops. We then returned home and resumed our civic avocations. - -We next organized a cavalry company, commanded by a Captain Alston; -Hannibal Boone, First Lieutenant, and W. R. Webb, Second Lieutenant. I -was offered the second lieutenancy, but declined, saying I would only -serve in a private capacity. I was not a military man, and never -expected to be. In about thirty days we were called to hasten to -Indianola on horseback, where they had collected more troops, which had -refused to surrender. We immediately started there and, when near -Victoria, we got information that these troops had also surrendered, -making it unnecessary to go any further, and we again returned home to -resume our several pursuits. The company then disbanded and largely -merged into a new company, organized for frontier protection against -Indians. I remained at home, attending to my business with Faddis. - -A couple of young Englishmen had come to Hempstead about a year before -and started a foundry and machine shop, the second one in the State. -They were both experts in their business and good men, receiving the -financial support of the community, and soon owed our firm a large -amount of money for advances to their hands and monies loaned. - -In July, 1861, the same year, Colonel Frank Terry, a large sugar planter -in Fort Bend County, and Thomas Lubbock of Houston, returned from the -battle of Manassas, where they had served as volunteer aides on the -staff of General Beauregard and through their intrepid daring and -valuable services, were commissioned to raise a regiment of Texas -Rangers. - -Immediately upon their return, they issued a call for volunteers, to -serve during the war, in Virginia; the men to furnish their own -equipment. The response was prompt; in less than thirty days ten -companies of over one thousand men were on their way to Houston to be -mustered into the service of the Confederate States Army for the war. -The personnel was of the highest order, some of the best families in -South Texas were represented, many were college graduates, professional -men, merchants, stockmen and planters; all anxious to serve in the ranks -as privates; all young, in their teens and early twenties; rank was not -considered and when tendered, refused; the main desire was to get into -this regiment. - -I told Faddis our firm must be represented, on which we agreed, and that -I wanted to join, but he insisted that it was his time to go, that I had -been out twice, and I finally had to yield him the right. He then -subscribed to join. The day he was ordered to Houston to be mustered in, -he declined to go and frankly told me that he only signed to keep me -from going, and he did his best to persuade me not to go. He said that -the South was deceived in the spirit and strength of the North; that the -North had every advantage of us—they had the army and navy, the -arsenals, the treasury and large manufactories, as well as five men to -our one; the whole world open to them, while we had nothing, our ports -would be blockaded and we would be forced to depend upon our own limited -resources, and, as to relying upon the justice of our cause, in the -language of Abraham Lincoln, “might was right and would surely conquer.” -I told him I could not agree with him and was satisfied the war would -not last three months. As soon as we could drive these people back into -their own territory, they would be willing to let us alone. “I am going -to take your place, Faddis.” I had about an hour to arrange for board -for my young brother and sister and Faddis agreed to look after them and -pay their board out of my interest in the business, which he pledged -himself to continue for our mutual benefit. - -When we parted I expected to return inside of three months; he expected -he would never see me again, as I might be killed and, if I should -return, that I would be a crippled, subjugated man. - -Faddis continued the business as far as he was able and finally, to -protect us, had to take over the foundry and machine shop, arranging -with our Englishmen to run it for him. He then, to keep out of the army, -turned his attention to repairing old guns, making swords and other -arms, and finally, on the persuasion of his English friends, cast a -nine-inch Armstrong gun, the only one ever successfully made in the -Confederacy. - -This drew the attention of the Confederate Government, who impressed our -property, paid him eighty thousand dollars for it and gave him a permit -to stay in Brownsville and run cotton into Mexico, returning with goods. - -On my return from the army, after four years, I heard of him through a -party who knew him in Brownsville. This party reported that Faddis had -more gold than he knew what to do with, and I concluded that I was -fixed, too, but I was unable to communicate with him, as we had no -mails, and did not hear from him until after two years, when he returned -to Hempstead broke. He had lost all in grain speculations in Chicago. - -I next proceeded to Houston, where I was mustered in with the balance of -the regiment, to serve in Virginia, during the war. While in camp at -Houston, we organized our company, electing John A. Wharton of Brazoria -County captain of the company; who, on his election, made up a speech, -in which he said that he had no ambition to gratify more than to command -Company B, that he expected to return captain of Company B and did not -want any promotion. He was offered by the balance of the regiment in -connection with our company, the office of major. The balance of the -commissioned officers of the company were Clarence McNeil, first -lieutenant and Theodore Bennett, second lieutenant; and the -noncommissioned officers were distributed among the different sections -from which the company was made up; nobody caring for an office of any -kind, as a private was generally the equal of any officer in command. -All went to do their patriotic duty and contribute their mite for the -success of the cause. - -We now started on horseback. After reaching Beaumont we returned our -horses to Texas, having to take boat to Lake Charles, Louisiana, from -whence we were forced to walk to New Iberia, carrying our saddles and -other equipment on wagons, across the country. At New Iberia we again -took boat for New Orleans; this was the only route open, as our ports -had been blockaded for some time, both at Galveston and at the mouth of -the Mississippi River. - -During our stay in New Orleans for three or four days, we had a good -rest and waited for the balance of the companies to catch up. Colonel -Terry received a telegram from General Albert Sidney Johnston at Bowling -Green, Kentucky, stating that he had been ordered to take command in -Kentucky, and requested Colonel Terry to urge the men to come and serve -under him and, by way of inducement, authorized him to say that we -should be mounted on the best horses that Kentucky afforded and that we -should always remain a separate and distinct command, never to be -brigaded with any other troops as long as he lived. General Johnston was -well acquainted with the character of Texans, regarding them as fearless -and enthusiastic people, proud of their Texas history; and, knowing the -young men composing this regiment would endeavor to emulate the example -of the heroes of the Alamo, Goliad and San Jacinto, on which point, he -was not mistaken. General Johnston had been connected with the army, -under General Houston, and had also engaged in sugar planting near the -Kyle and Terry plantation in Fort Bend and Brazoria Counties, where a -great friendship sprang up between him and Colonel Terry. Colonel -Terry’s influence with the men of the regiment was unlimited and he had -no trouble in persuading the men to accept General Johnston’s offer and -serve with him in Kentucky. - -While in New Orleans Colonel Terry made an official visit to General -Twiggs, an officer of the old army, who had resigned, and tendered his -services to the Confederacy, and who was then in command at New Orleans -and the Southwestern territory. Colonel Terry, while there, asked -information on the matter of obtaining cooking utensils and tents. When -General Twiggs, who had served many years on the frontier of Texas, -laughed him out of countenance, saying, “Who ever heard of a Texas -Ranger carrying cooking utensils and sleeping in a tent?” It is needless -to say that this matter was not mentioned again by Colonel Terry. - -Our company arrived at Nashville, Tennessee, ahead of the balance of the -regiment, where we were quartered in the Fair Grounds, there to await -the arrival of the rest of the companies. I forgot to mention we started -out with the name of the “Texas Rangers,” with a reputation we had never -earned, but were called on to sustain; how well we did it, we leave -history to record our services during the four years we served the Army -of the West. While I would not make any invidious distinction as between -our regiment and others who served under Forrest, Wheeler and Wharton, I -am proud to be able to say that opportunities were afforded us, largely -by accident, that demonstrated our ability to meet every expectation of -department commanders, as evidenced by the following expressions during -the war: - -“With a little more drill you are the equals of the old guard of -Napoleon.”—General Albert Sidney Johnston. “I always feel safe when the -Rangers are in front.”—General Wm. J. Hardee. “There is no danger of a -surprise when the Rangers are between us and the enemy.”—General -Braxton Bragg. “The Terry Rangers have done all that could be expected -or required of soldiers.”—Jefferson Davis. - -While camped in the Fair Grounds, the citizens of Nashville, largely -ladies, came rolling in, in carriages and buggies; all anxious to see -the Texas Rangers, about whom history had written so much about their -fearlessness and being great riders. Colonel Terry called on not a few -of our men to ride horses that were taken out of buggies and carriages, -for the purpose of showing their horsemanship—the most popular feature -being a deposit of gold coins on the ground, the rider to run at full -speed, stooping down and picking them up. This extraordinary feat, in -connection with their general appearance; being armed with shotguns, -six-shooters and Bowie knives, seemed to sustain their idea of the Texas -Rangers that fought at the Alamo, Goliad and San Jacinto and served -under Jack Hayes, Ben McCollough and other Indian and Mexican fighters. -The regular army equipment for cavalry was the saber, the carbine and -six-shooter. This difference in equipment alone indicated that the Texas -Ranger expected and would fight only in close quarters. After a pleasant -stay at Nashville of nearly two weeks, we were ordered to go by rail to -Bowling Green, Kentucky, where we found an army of infantry and -artillery and three regiments of cavalry. Here we drew our horses by lot -and it was my good fortune to draw first choice out of about a thousand -horses tied to a picket rope. When all were ready to make their -selection I was directed to where these horses were tied and ordered to -make my selection, which I was not permitted to do with any degree of -deliberation. Having about a thousand men waiting on me, all anxious to -make their selection, a comrade, seeing I was confused and embarrassed, -offered to exchange his thirty-second choice for my choice, paying me a -liberal bonus. I was glad to accept it, mainly to get time to look -around among the rest of the horses, believing I would stand a better -chance to get a good mount. I had got short of money by that time, as we -paid our own expenses, except transportation, and this comrade was glad -to pay me for my first choice. We had no time to take out a horse and -try his gaits, and it proved largely guesswork in the selection of the -horses. The best gait for cavalry service is a long swinging walk and -fox trot; unfortunately my thirty-second choice proved a pacer. - -After drawing our horses and preparing everything ready for active -service, the regiment under Colonel Terry was ordered on a scout to -Glasgow, Kentucky, where we were kindly received by its citizens and -took up our quarters at the Fair Grounds. Here the regiment spent -several days pleasantly, feasting on the good things brought in by the -ladies of the town. - -The second day Colonel Terry ordered Captain Ferrell, with his company -and Company B, of which I was a member, to the little town of Edmonton, -Kentucky, where it was reported a part of a regiment of Federal cavalry -were quartered. - -We started at night, which proved to be one of the coldest we had ever -been out in, riding all night. When nearly daylight, we reached the -suburbs of the town. I was riding a very spirited and nervous horse, -which refused to be quieted, while riding in line. In order to keep him -quiet, I had loosened the strap on his curb, which proved to be a -mistake. Nearing the town, the order came down the line “Silence in -ranks,” and soon my horse got to prancing. I jerked him by the reins, -throwing him on his haunches, when the hammer of my shotgun struck the -horn of the saddle and fired off my gun, which raised the alarm in town. -Immediately the order was given “Form fours; Charge!” which excited my -horse to such an extent that he broke ranks and flew up the line to the -front. Carrying my shotgun in my right hand, I was unable to check him -without the curb and he ran away with me, carrying me up into the town -on the square, about three hundred yards in advance of my command, where -I succeeded in checking him. For this I was reprimanded by Captain -Ferrell, who would not receive my explanation that the horse ran away -with me and claimed that I was too anxious to get there first. - -Had the garrison not received information that we were moving on them -for an attack and left during the night for Mumfordsville, instead of -occupying the town as we expected, I no doubt would have been killed in -this, our first charge. - -Captain Ferrell had orders from General Johnston to try to capture a spy -by the name of Burrell, who was making this town his headquarters and -who always stopped at the hotel. As soon as we entered the square we -were ordered to surround the hotel, which was done promptly. Captain -Ferrell then called the proprietor to the door, told him to tell the -ladies in the house to rise and dress, as he would have to search the -house for Burrell. The hotel man said that Burrell was there the evening -before, but left for Mumfordsville and was certainly not in the house. -Captain Ferrell told him that it made no difference, but to hurry up, he -was going to search the house. - -The house was partly a two-story building, which had been added to the -gable end of the one-story building and the stair landing, built against -the gable of a one-story house, with a solid wood shutter covering, and -opening into the attic of the one-story building. The ladies took their -own time about getting ready for our search, perhaps nearly an hour; -some of them in the meantime coming to the door and repeating the -proprietor’s statement—that Burrell had left the evening before. When -they announced ready, I being near the door, dashed in ahead of all the -rest and up the stairs, when I discovered the wooden shutter, which I -jerked open, peering into the dark attic. Daylight had now fairly lit up -the surroundings and I discovered, through the light of the cracked -shingles, what I took to be a bundle of clothing at the far end, under -the corner of the roof. I cocked both barrels of my gun and called out, -“Come out; I see you; I’ll shoot if you don’t.” He answered, “Don’t -shoot.” If he had not answered I, no doubt, would have concluded, and -perhaps others that followed me, too, that it was an old bundle of -plunder. Proceeding down stairs with the prisoner, Burrell, who proved -to be quite an intelligent and good-looking gentleman, I carried him -into the parlor, where the ladies had congregated. They were all in -tears, with some of our boys laughing at them and telling them they were -story tellers. - -Captain Ferrell, immediately on entering the square, detailed two men -for each road leading into the town, to picket these roads about -one-half mile from town. We built log fires on the square to keep us -warm during the day until about three o’clock in the evening. A citizen -then came in and, in an excited manner, told Captain Ferrell that a -large cavalry force was moving in between us and Glasgow, with a view of -cutting us off from our main command. The pickets arrested everybody -coming into town and by three o’clock we had about fifteen or twenty -prisoners, including some four or five Federal soldiers, who rode in on -them, thinking the town was still occupied by Federal troops. On -receiving information about this large cavalry force moving on a road -between us and Glasgow, Captain Ferrell gave the order to mount and form -fours, selecting what prisoners (about seven or eight, including -Burrell) and the soldiers, to take with us, and turning the balance of -them loose. He then placed me in charge of the prisoners, with four -others to help guard them. We then commenced our retreat to Glasgow. -When about three miles from town, another citizen dashed up to Captain -Ferrell, who rode in advance of the column, and reported the same large -cavalry force occupying our road some few miles ahead of us. Captain -Ferrell, who, by the way, was an old frontiersman, Indian and Mexican -fighter, dropped back and ordered me to tie Burrell’s ankles together, -under the horse’s body and if we got into a fight and he attempted to -escape, to not fail to kill him the first one. I don’t think I ever did -anything during the war that I hated as bad as I did to tie this man’s -ankles under the horse, but it was my orders from a man I knew would not -permit any plea for its modification, and I had to obey. - -After riding about eight or ten miles, in this way, feeling sorry for -Burrell in his pitiful plight, I couldn’t stand it any longer and told -him if he would promise me he would not make a break when the guns -opened, that I would unloose the ropes and free his legs, for which he -thanked me. Then I told him to be careful and carry out his promise, for -if he did attempt a break, I would surely shoot him. - -It seems that the report of these citizens proved only a ruse to induce -us to liberate our prisoners, as we were never fired on or again heard -of any Federal Cavalry in our front and safely reached Glasgow, where we -still found the balance of the regiment in camp. - -Colonel Terry sent our prisoners to Bowling Green, highly pleased with -the capture of Burrell, for whom he had a special order by General -Johnston. I am satisfied Burrell was sent to Richmond, Virginia, and was -ultimately exchanged, as I saw the name of a Colonel Burrell, commanding -Kentucky troops mentioned in a war history, published in the North some -years after the War and on which point I trust I was not mistaken, and -that he is still in the land of the living. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - - OUR FIRST ENGAGEMENT - -We now took up our line of march for Ritters, a point on the Louisville -& Nashville Pike, between Cave City and Woodsonville, with Hindman’s -Brigade of infantry and a battery of four pieces, camped at Cave City, a -few miles in our rear, and established our permanent camp, for the -purpose of scouting and picketing. This camp at Ritters in winter proved -to be a very trying one to us, raised in Texas in a mild and genial -climate. We had a great deal of snow and rain and the exposure on scouts -and picket duty soon developed pneumonia, measles and other troubles, -necessitating our patients to abandon camp life. They were sent to the -hospital at Nashville, where the ladies of Nashville were daily awaiting -trains. They would not permit patients to be carried to the hospital but -would take them to their private homes for personal care and treatment. -They showed a partiality for the Texas Rangers, no doubt largely through -sympathy, as we had left our distant, comfortable homes, burning all -bridges behind us, to fight for them and their country. Our regiment -soon dwindled down from a membership of one thousand to not more than -about four hundred for duty; many of the sick were permanently rendered -unable to return, while a great many died. - -After serving nearly a month in the capacity of picket and scouts, -General Hindman, anxious to bring on an engagement with the enemy, who -were camped on Green River at Woodsonville and Mumfordsville, conceived -the idea of moving his camp. Instead of avoiding a collision, as he had -orders to do, he moved right toward the enemy’s lines, ordering Colonel -Terry, with our regiment, to move about a mile in his advance. - -I was on picket duty, with part of a company, at Horse Cave, about three -miles south of the main pike from Bowling Green to Louisville, when -Captain Ferrell of the regiment, with part of his company, came by and -took us along, moving towards Woodsonville on a dirt road running -parallel with the pike on which were Hindman’s Brigade of infantry; with -the Louisville & Nashville Railroad running between the two. Just as we -came in sight of Rowlett Station, a point on a high ridge this side of -Woodsonville, we discovered the regiment, with Colonel Terry and General -Hindman about fifty feet in advance, moving in the direction of Rowlett -Station. Colonel Terry and General Hindman then discovered a Federal -line of infantry lying down behind a rail fence in front of them. -Hindman’s infantry were at least a mile behind, coming on, when they -discovered the enemy. General Hindman ordered Colonel Terry to withdraw -the regiment and let him bring up the artillery and infantry, and -dislodge them from their position. In the meantime, Captain Ferrell, in -command of the party I was with, had discovered the enemy in our front, -which was just across a railroad cut, spanned by the pike bridge. -Colonel Terry, in place of obeying the order of General Hindman to -withdraw, answered, “General Hindman, this is no place for you; go back -to your infantry,” and called on Captain Walker, who was in the rear -with the balance of the regiment, to come on, form into line and charge. -Simultaneously with his charge on the west side of the railroad, we, -under Ferrell, charged the enemy in front of us, behind the rail fence. -As soon as we moved forward, other Federals, behind trees and rocks, on -small hills on both sides, opened fire on us. Their troops behind the -fence held their fire until we got within fifty yards of them, then -turned loose. In less time than it takes to tell it, we charged them, -delivering our fire of double-barreled shotguns, breaking down the fence -and getting among them with our six-shooters. In a few minutes we had -run over them, although they numbered two to one, and to save themselves -many of them “possumed” on us, and feigned being dead, and by that means -saved their lives, though the main portion of them fled towards -Woodsonville, where, down in the edge of the timber, they were met by -heavy reinforcements. In this charge we lost a number of our best men, -killed and wounded. Among the killed was Colonel Terry, which proved an -irreparable loss, as no doubt, considering his fearlessness and dash, as -also his ability as a commander, he would have proven another Forrest, a -Napoleon of cavalry. General Hindman brought up his infantry and -artillery, a battery of four pieces, with which he opened on their fort -at Mumfordsville, and also on their line of infantry in the woods about -a half mile below us. The fort responded, but largely overshot us and -our battery. This proved our first baptism by fire. General Hindman was -notified by a scout that the enemy was crossing Green River in very -heavy force, near the Mammoth Cave, moving in our rear, which -necessitated falling back to Cave City. We brought off the bodies of our -dead and wounded, the remains of Colonel Terry being sent to Texas in -charge of Captain Walker, who was wounded, and the balance of the -wounded were sent to hospitals at Nashville. - -The enemy we fought at this point proved to be the Thirty-second Indiana -Regiment, under Colonel Wilich, a German regiment, said to be the best -drilled regiment in Rousseau’s Army. - -We next established our camp at Bell Station, a few miles in advance of -Cave City, where we continued scouting and picketing for the army. Both -armies now remained quiet for several months, collecting reinforcements -for a final clash; the rigors of the winter affecting our army perhaps -more than it did the Federal army, as they were used to a colder -climate. Our regiment was especially affected. - -While encamped at Bell Station, I had a messmate by the name of -McDonald, who was taken sick with pneumonia and was unwilling to be sent -to the hospital at Nashville. He insisted on being taken to some good -private family in the neighborhood. I succeeded in finding the family of -Isaac Smith, an old gentleman who had six sons in Breckenridge’s Brigade -of infantry, and living about three miles from our picket stand with his -wife and two daughters. These good people were willing to take McDonald -and nurse him, our own surgeon attending him and myself assisting in -nursing him, frequently spending the night there. The oldest daughter -was also very sick, attended by a citizen doctor in the neighborhood, -who also took a deep interest in McDonald. - -One day I received orders to report to the command; that Bowling Green -was being evacuated. We were ordered to join the army as quickly as -possible, Hindman’s Brigade having already arrived at Bowling Green. -This information proved to be bad news for McDonald, who was already -convalescent, but still very weak. He begged and pleaded to be taken to -Bowling Green and Nashville, saying he did not want to be captured. Old -Mr. Smith, then perhaps fifty-five years old, decided to hitch up his -wagon, as he had no buggy or hack, and haul McDonald to Bowling Green in -a wagon, as he wanted to refugee and stay with his boys in the army; he -feared to stay at home, surrounded by ugly Union neighbors. - -We now put a mattress in the wagon, with plenty of bedclothing. We put -McDonald in the wagon, well protected from the cold, and, after a sad -parting with the family, proceeded to the Bowling Green pike, the old -man driving the wagon and I following on my horse. We reached Bowling -Green near night, just in time to witness the last cannon shot striking -one of the main pillars of the railroad bridge, which was an iron -extension, and saw it drop into the river. We crossed on a covered -wooden pike bridge. - -On our arrival in town, we inquired for a good place to leave McDonald -for the night, which we were unable to find, but were recommended to go -out about two miles to a Mr. Roe’s, who had a large flouring mill. This -we did, and found excellent quarters for McDonald and myself for the -night; old Mr. Smith driving back to town and taking the Nashville pike -to try to find Breckenridge’s Brigade of Infantry, with which his sons -were connected. - -During the night we had a very heavy snow. Mr. Roe had his buggy hitched -up and drove McDonald to the railroad station in town, myself following. -Roe was unable to remain with us, as we were expecting the enemy to -cross the river any moment and enter the town, hence left us by the side -of the track and returned home. - -After a while, Colonel Wharton, with about fifteen or twenty men out of -our regiment, was ordered to destroy the depot and proceeded to fire it. -A train with a few passenger coaches and an engine to pull it, was -standing on the track on the outside, waiting for orders to move. A good -many convalescent soldiers from the hospital, including my friend -McDonald, squatted down by the roadside, waiting for the coaches to be -opened. As soon as the fire started in the station, the enemy opened a -battery on the place, using shells, which exploded all around us. The -engineer got scared, uncoupled his engine and pulled out, leaving our -train at the mercy of the artillery fire. Looking around for some kind -of a vehicle to take McDonald out of there, as he was too feeble to -attempt to ride my horse, I rode up town and found a two-horse wagon, -loaded with hams, flush to the top of the bed, which the driver had -taken from our commissary building and was hauling home. I stopped and -told him that I had a sick friend down at the station; that I wanted him -to go down there and haul my friend away. He said he wouldn’t go down -there for anything in the world. I pulled out my gun and told him to go; -and he went. - -Arriving at the place, we cut open some infantry baggage that had -blankets tied to the knapsacks and put about a half dozen blankets on -top of the hams, lifting McDonald and laying him on top, covering him -with more blankets. In the meantime, the station was about consumed and -the artillery had ceased firing. After getting up on the square and -finding our troops had all left, I told this man that he would have to -drive on the Nashville Pike until we could catch up with our command, -which he did most reluctantly and only under the persuasion of my gun. - -About a mile and a half below town we found our regiment drawn up in -line of battle. I sent for our surgeon, who examined McDonald and said -to the driver, “You will have to drive on down the road until we catch -up with my ambulances.” The driver said that he wouldn’t go any further; -said I, “If you don’t, we will have to hold on to this team until we -unload; I am going to save these hams for our regiment.” They were meat -that belonged to our commissary. He said that he wouldn’t go any -further, that we could take his team and wagon and go to —— with it. -The fellow was evidently afraid that we would force him into the army; -he thereby lost his team and wagon, which we had no idea of taking, and -he could have saved them by continuing with us. - -Our army now took up its long line of retreat for Nashville; our -regiment covering the rear without any engagements, or the firing of a -single gun. On reaching Nashville, crossing the Cumberland River on the -suspension bridge about midnight, we got information that Port Donaldson -had surrendered, which made it necessary for our troops to leave -Nashville in great haste, which they did; protected in the rear by our -regiment. The army continued to Shelbyville, while we were ordered to -Fort Donaldson, to cover the escape of many men of the Fort Donaldson -army, whom we met scattered all along the road. The weather was most -severe. - -The winding up of this winter I had a sad experience. About midnight, -the second night out, we pulled into a cedar grove by the side of the -road, the ground of which was soft and muddy. We tied our horses to the -trees around us, and arranged as best we could, to get a little rest and -sleep, putting down our oilcloths next to the mud, then our saddle -blankets and each having a good blanket and overcoat for cover. My -messmate, John Cochran, laid by me, and we soon dropped into a sound -sleep, being tired and worn out, and without having had a bite of -anything to eat that day and no forage for our horses. - -Waking up some time during the night, I felt a curious feeling about my -head. Putting my hand to my head I found my hair clotted with blood. I -woke up Cochran, my companion, and told him that some one had struck me -over the head with a gun, which proved a mistake. Our horses being tied -in the cold, without any feed, had pulled the length of the rope and -commenced pawing, when one of them pawed me on the head with a sharp -shoe, which caused a deep cut of my scalp. We then decided we would move -through the woods until we could strike some house, and soon struck a -country road. After traveling perhaps a mile, we discovered a little log -house by the side of the road and through the cracks of the batten door, -we saw a bright fire burning on the inside. We knocked on the door, -which was answered by a very old gentleman, whom we told that we wanted -to come in and dress my wounds. He asked who we were. We told him we -were Confederate soldiers, camped near there and the cause of my hurt. -He received us very kindly, invited us into his main room, which -contained a double bed where his old wife was sleeping. As soon as she -saw my bloody condition, she jumped up, dressed, heated some water and -with nice clean towels, commenced bathing my head and dressing my -wounds. She then went to work, put some clean sheets and pillowcases on -the bed and insisted on our lying down and taking a good nap, while she -prepared breakfast for us. - -While we told them that it was dangerous for us to sleep in a bed, as we -were not used to it and it would give us a cold, we were compelled to -take the bed on their refusal to listen to anything else. - -When we awoke next morning after daylight, the old lady had a splendid -breakfast of fried chicken prepared for us, fine biscuit and good -Confederate coffee—made of rye and parched sweet potatoes; everything -on the table was neat and spotlessly clean and I do not think we ever -enjoyed a meal during the whole war better than we did this. - -When we prepared to leave, we asked the old gentleman for our bill; he -seemed to feel hurt, and said, “The idea of charging a Confederate -soldier for anything he had!” This was out of the question with him; all -he asked, if we ever happened in that neighborhood, in twenty miles of -him, to be sure to make him another visit, for he hoped to meet us -again. Thanking them for their exceeding kindness, we then walked back -to camp, where we found many of our comrades still in deep sleep, with -no forage for the horses. - -In the course of a few hours the bugle called to saddle up, and we -resumed our march to Shelbyville, and caught up with a good many of our -retreating infantry. Here we spent two days and had our first taste of -an attempt at discipline by Major Harrison, who was then in command; -Colonel Wharton being sick somewhere on the line of our retreat. - -It seems that Major Harrison met a couple of our men in town without -permission and ordered them to return to camp immediately, which they -refused to do. When he returned to camp he ordered these men arrested by -the camp guards and placed on the pike, marking time. A Mr. Sam Ash of -Company B (now still living in Houston) went to these men and led them -back to camp, telling them that no such disgraceful punishment should be -inaugurated in the regiment. The infantry were passing frequently and we -considered it a disgrace to the Texas Ranger to submit to such -punishment. Major Harrison finally yielded and passed the incident, but -to a great extent, lost the respect of the command. - -The army now continued its retreat through Shelbyville, Huntsville, -Decatur to Corinth, Mississippi, without incidents of note, except the -burning of bridges behind us. We also destroyed the magnificent bridge -across the Tennessee River at Decatur. - -It may be not out of place, before going further, and to give the reader -a better idea of the character of the Texas Rangers, to mention an -expression of Hardee’s. While passing through Huntsville, Alabama, some -ladies, in company with General Hardee, were standing on the sidewalk, -watching us pass, cheering and waving their handkerchiefs at us, when -one of them remarked to General Hardee, saying “General, the Rangers are -the best soldiers you have; are they not?” He told them no, he was not -stuck on them, saying that they would not submit to any discipline or -drill; but he was willing to say that in a battle, or when called on to -meet a forlorn hope, the Rangers always responded. General Hardee was -one of the strictest disciplinarians in our army and wrote the military -tactics that were used by both sides. - -We soon arrived at Corinth, where we were assigned a camp ground about -two miles from the place, near a spring and we here witnessed new -additions to the main army. Occasionally scouting parties from the -regiment were sent out in different directions towards the Tennessee -River, which duties were always performed to the satisfaction of the -commanding officers. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - - AN ACCIDENTAL INJURY—SHILOH—THE “MARK-TIME” MAJOR. - -Our regiment, one night, was ordered out to report at daylight to some -point up the Tennessee River, the night being very dark—one of the -darkest nights we ever traveled in—and branches and small streams very -boggy. Colonel Wharton, at the head of the regiment, was riding a very -fast walking horse. We struck many places in these branches where it was -only possible for one horse to cross at a time, and Wharton, as soon as -across, would strike out in his fast walk, leaving the rest of his -command to come on as best they could. This threw the rear end of the -regiment considerably behind and we had to lope at full speed to catch -up with our file leaders after crossing these bad places. In one of -these races to catch up, my horse stumbled and fell, pitching me over -his head, with my left arm extended, and I sustained a dislocation of my -left arm. Considerably stunned by the fall, and suffering great pain -from this dislocation, a comrade was sent back with me to Corinth, where -I had a surgeon to replace my arm, with instructions to carry it in a -sling until it got well. Our regiment returned the next night without -having discovered any of the enemy and was then ordered to prepare three -days’ rations, as was also the rest of the army. - -In the meantime, the enemy had landed a large force, under General -Grant, at Pittsburg Landing. Our regiment was ordered out with no one -knowing where they were going, until they moved in the direction of -Pittsburg Landing. They were immediately followed by the whole army, and -on the fifth of April, they engaged the enemy and fought the battle of -Shiloh; our regiment was moved about on the field from right to left. As -the dense woods did not afford an opportunity for mounted cavalry, they -were unable to do much fighting, except, about ten o’clock the first -day, they were dismounted and ordered to charge through a thicket at Owl -Creek, which they had to do single file, and were shot down by a large -infantry force as fast as the men made their appearance in the open. -Soon realizing that it was impossible to dislodge the enemy from their -position with this handful of men, they were immediately ordered to fall -back. This proved the extent of their active engagement, but they served -as a corps of observation on both flanks until Tuesday evening. - -After the second day’s engagement, Grant’s army having been reinforced -on Sunday night by the whole of Buell’s army (as large as our army -originally), our army was compelled to retreat, which was done in a -heavy rain, rendering the road to Corinth almost impassable for -artillery and ambulances. Realizing that our army was in great danger of -being annihilated, General Beauregard sent for General Breckenridge, who -was on the field with his Kentucky Brigade, ordering him to cover the -retreat and try to save the army. General Breckenridge responded that he -would protect the army if it cost the last man he had. This occurred on -Tuesday after the battle. Our regiment, what was left of it, and Colonel -Forrest, with about fifty men, were ordered to support General -Breckenridge. Breckenridge’s Brigade was drawn up near the old -battlefield. In their front, about a quarter of a mile away, two lines -of battle of the enemy were seen to form with a brigade of cavalry, -mounted, in their front, covering their movement. Breckenridge’s Brigade -was then moved to the rear a short distance, to a position where they -were hid by lying down. Our regiment, in command of Major Harrison, and -Colonel Forrest with his fifty men, soon formed in front of -Breckenridge, preparing to charge the enemy. - -As heretofore stated, Colonel Harrison, up to this time, on our retreat, -did not have the confidence or respect of the men on account of a -blunder he committed at the small town of Jimtown in Kentucky, which -caused him to be dubbed the “Jimtown Major;” then again, on account of -his ordering some boys to mark time on the Shelbyville Pike, was dubbed -the “Mark-time Major.” - -A large number of the regiment had been congregated on the pike, at the -point from which Ash had led the prisoners, and when Major Harrison -reached the spot, after hearing what had been done, he was met by angry -glances on every hand for presuming to treat two gentlemen so -inconsiderately. Disregarding their menacing looks Major Harrison called -out, “Is there an officer of my regiment present who will execute my -orders?” when Pat Christian (then a lieutenant in Company K) stepped to -the front, with a salute, and said, “Major, I will.” Then Major Harris -ordered him to get a file of men and bring the two prisoners back to -complete their sentence, and to inform him instantly if interfered with. - -It was here that Christian, afterwards captain of his company, and then -major and later lieutenant colonel, first attracted the attention of the -regiment, afterwards so devoted to him, for his gallantry and his good -traits of character, and here that the regiment had its first lesson in -military discipline, under an officer temporarily unpopular, who -afterwards won their high respect. - -For the first time since our retreat, he was in command of the regiment, -Colonel Wharton having been wounded, and very soon the enemy commenced a -scattering fire, while the regiment was forming, occasionally striking a -man or a horse. The men became restive and wanted to charge, but Major -Harrison rode down the line saying to them, “Be quiet, boys, ’till your -‘Jimtown Mark-time Major’ gets ready for you,” in a very cool and -deliberate manner, and finally in ordering the charge said, “Now, follow -your Jimtown Major.” He led them on to the cavalry, which, in an -impetuous charge, they drove right in among their infantry, and, on -account of their being confused in the mix-up, the enemy fell back a -short distance, and the regiment brought out a number of prisoners. -While this charge proved a success, we lost a number of valuable men in -killed and wounded. This was the last fighting on the battlefield of -Shiloh. - -I have not entered into any details of the battle, as history gives such -a complete account, written by both sides, that its details are well -known, and as the purpose of this writing is to recount my own personal -history and because I was not actively engaged with the regiment during -the battle, I find it unnecessary to give the details. - -As heretofore stated, I was suffering with a dislocated arm, the effects -of my fall, and did not move out with the regiment when they started on -this trip; but on Sunday morning, hearing the guns of Shiloh in our camp -at Corinth, I mounted my horse and struck out for the field. Unable to -learn where our regiment was posted, I remained with an infantry -command, offering my services to the extent of what I was able to do, -but I was not called on during the several days’ battle, except to carry -a few orders from place to place. - -I reached Corinth, Mississippi, where our camp was located, on Thursday, -aiding and assisting about a half dozen wounded men of the Second Texas, -allowing them to ride my horse when they were able. These men were -completely exhausted, as they did nothing else but stand in line all day -Sunday ’till four o’clock in the evening, firing their guns, and again -on Monday, opposed to Buell’s fresh army, which proved the hardest -fighting during the battle. “All honor to the Second Texas.” - -Recalling General Albert Sidney Johnston’s promise in a telegram to -Colonel Terry at New Orleans, that we should never be brigaded as long -as he lived; his death at four o’clock on Sunday evening cancelled this -promise. General Beauregard then took command of the army. - -A few days after the battle of Shiloh, having recuperated our horses, as -well as the men, Colonel Wharton was ordered to report to a General -Adams, who had a Kentucky regiment, and General Adams, with this -regiment and the Eighth Texas, was ordered on a raid into Middle -Tennessee, with instructions to capture and destroy everything of the -enemy he could meet up with and was able to handle. - -We crossed the Tennessee River at Lamb’s Ferry, the ferry boat being -propelled by a paddle wheel, driven by a horse-tread power. Here we left -our wagons and all our extra luggage, as well as cooking utensils, -awaiting our return, but the Federal cavalry a few days after, crossed -the river, captured our entire storage and we never saw cooking utensils -or tents afterwards, and were thereby reduced to the condition of the -real Texas Ranger as on the frontiers of Texas. - -Immediately after crossing the Tennessee River we struck a considerable -infantry force, with artillery. General Adams, in place of attacking -them, moved us around them in great haste, thereby avoiding a collision -and getting away, leaving them shelling the woods for several hours, -while we were making distance. We next struck the Pulaski Pike, finding -about two hundred wagons, loaded with two bales of cotton on each and a -guard of two men with each wagon. General Adams drew us out of sight and -hearing and would not allow Colonel Wharton to capture this train, which -could have been done without the loss of a man. But no doubt as General -Adams suggested, in doing this we would stir up a hornet’s nest and get -the whole Yankee army in pursuit of us. Wharton was powerless to do -anything, held back by General Adams. - -When near the town of Fayetteville, Lincoln County, Tennessee, a citizen -sent out by the garrison of the town, numbering about five hundred -cavalry, told us to come in; they wanted to surrender; they were tired -of the war and wanted to go home. General Adams conceived this to be a -trick of theirs and declined their invitation, moving us around the town -in the night by a path in the woods, guided by a citizen, thereby losing -a splendid opportunity of capturing this garrison. - -The second night after this, we camped at the town of Salem, about ten -miles south of Winchester, and at Winchester the next night, where -information reached us that about two thousand infantry, moving in -wagons, and a battery of artillery, had been in pursuit of us and had -been camped at Salem the next night after we were there, and was -expected to follow us to Winchester. The road from Salem to Winchester -was a straight lane with high rail fences on each side. At a point about -equal distance between Salem and Winchester, was a large woods lot, -running up to the lane, as noticed by Colonel Wharton. He suggested to -General Adams that we go back, remain concealed in this woods, close to -the road and when the enemy came along, riding in wagons, that we charge -them and force them to surrender. This seemed good to General Adams and -an opportunity he was willing to risk. - -We moved around to this woods lot, remaining there until about daylight, -when information reached us that the Yankees had already passed and were -then occupying Winchester. We immediately returned to Winchester and -found them drawn up behind a railroad cut, with a commanding position -for their battery. They opened this battery on us, using shells, as soon -as we came in sight. Then Colonel Wharton, riding ’round hunting a place -to charge them, decided this could not be done without the loss of a -great many men and a charge might result in failure; we, therefore, -moved around Winchester, passing through Decherd’s depot and pitched -camp in Hawkins Cove, perhaps twenty miles distant from Winchester. - -The second day in camp in Hawkins Cove, a citizen came and reported to -General Adams that the Yankees were at his house with a couple of -wagons, loading his meat, and begging him to send a small force to drive -them away. A company of the Kentucky regiment and Company B of the -Rangers, which was the company to which I belonged, were detailed for -this service. When we reached this man’s house they had already left -with his meat and were driving fast, back into town. We struck a lope, -endeavoring to catch up with them, but failed. The Kentucky captain, -being the ranking officer, was in command; riding at the head of the -column and running over the pickets on a bridge near town, he carried us -right into the town, up to the courthouse square. This charge proved a -complete surprise. We found the enemy scattered all over town and a -large party of them in the courthouse, being the only parties we felt -free to fire on, as there were no women and children about. We heard the -artillery bugle and concluded to get out of there, which we did very -promptly and in such good time the artillery never had a chance to fire -a shot at us. - -Some years after the war, a Winchester paper was sent me, giving an -account of fifty Texas Rangers attacking two thousand infantry and -artillery in their town, with a loss of only one man, who had his arm -broken by an explosive ball. - -We returned to our camp in Hawkins Cove. On that night General Adams -came down to Colonel Wharton’s camp fire and announced that he would -start across the mountain, for Chattanooga, the next morning, and secure -artillery, that he could not undertake to remain in Middle Tennessee -without it. Colonel Wharton had become exasperated at General Adams’ -conduct the entire trip and told him to take his Kentucky regiment and -go to Halifax with it, if he wanted to—that he intended remaining in -Middle Tennessee and doing what he could to carry out the original order -of General Beauregard. - -After a few days’ rest in Hawkins Cove, where the enemy did not attempt -to molest us, a messenger reached us, with orders from General Kirby -Smith at Knoxville, to report to Colonel Forrest at McMinnville, which -Wharton did, as soon as we reached there. After a day’s rest Colonel -Forrest (who had the First and Second Georgia and a Tennessee battalion, -all cavalry) in conjunction with our regiment, started, late evening, -for Murfreesboro, which was then the headquarters for Tennessee, of the -Federal Army, with Major General Crittenden in command. Murfreesboro’s -garrison consisted of the Ninth Michigan Infantry, a part of a regiment -of cavalry located in their camp to the right of town, the Third -Minnesota and a battery of artillery on the northwest of town. They had -about one hundred prisoners in the courthouse, upstairs, with a strong -guard downstairs. - -Greatly outnumbering us, our success depended on a surprise. When near -their advance picket on the pike, Colonel Forrest asked for some Rangers -to capture this picket without the fire of a gun, which was done in very -short order. He then had a consultation with the commanders of the -different regiments, and it was decided that Colonel Wharton, with our -regiment in advance and the Second Georgia next in column, attack the -Ninth Michigan and the cavalry camp on the right. To reach them he had -to turn into a side street about two or three blocks from the -courthouse, where Colonel Forrest halted, awaiting for his part of the -command to come up to take them through town to the Third Minnesota and -battery camp, ignoring the courthouse as much as possible. - -After our regiment had passed into the side street, following Wharton, -Forrest discovered that the Georgians and Tennesseans had failed to come -up and immediately decided to take what was left of our regiment and -lead them to the attack on the Third Minnesota and the battery north of -the town. This gave him a force of only about fifty or sixty men. By -this action he cut our company about half in two, which threw me into -the first set of fours at the head of the column, with Forrest riding by -my side, on my right. Nearing the courthouse, a couple of Federals up in -the second story door, dropped down on their knees and raised their guns -to fire, but Forrest and I fired ahead of them. When Forrest fired his -pistol, his horse dodged almost in front of me, just as I fired, very -nearly shooting Forrest through the head. I have often thought what a -misfortune this would have been, as I came very near killing a man who -turned out to be the Napoleon of cavalry. - -In the upper story of the courthouse were confined about one hundred -prisoners, some of Morgan’s men, but mostly civilians, and the -courthouse was guarded by about one hundred men, who fired on us through -doors and windows. We moved around the courthouse, some to the left and -some to the right, as the courthouse was standing in the middle of the -square immediately fronting the center of the street we came up on. -About the time we reached the courthouse, Wharton, with the balance of -the regiment, had charged the Michigan camp, many of whom were asleep in -their tents, and the noise of the battle reached us about the time we -fired into the courthouse. As stated, Forrest with about fifty men in -columns of fours, except a few that were left on the courthouse square, -shot down by courthouse guards, moved on to the north of town, where he -lost his bearings and was compelled to get a citizen out of his house, -to pilot us to the Minnesota camp and battery. When we reached there we -found the men up and dressed and the battery opened on us, throwing a -few shells among us, which scattered us and caused the disappearance of -Forrest. We were in an old field, and on leaving, I was called by a -Kentuckian, who had volunteered to go with us into the fight and had his -arm shattered by a piece of shell, begging me to not go off and leave -him. He was hardly able to sit on his horse. I rode up, taking his horse -by the bridle, leading him up to a fence in the edge of the timber, with -a scattering fire directed on us. I dismounted and let down the fence, -leading his horse over it. While doing this, noticing I was trying to -get off a wounded comrade, they gallantly ceased firing on us. I now led -my wounded friend through the woods, until we reached a house, about a -mile from there, when the gentleman at the house hitched up his buggy, -and, placing my friend in the buggy, he drove around the town, with -myself following, leading the wounded man’s horse, until we reached a -point about a mile below town, where we found the Rangers collecting -what was left of them, out of the Michigan camp fight and also the few -men who were with Forrest in the old sedge field when fired on by the -Third Minnesota and battery. - -The regiment formed and gathered at this point about a mile below town, -awaiting further orders, with Wharton, wounded again, directing the -formation, when a messenger came from Forrest, who was then up town with -his Georgia and Tennessee battalions, ordering us back up into town. -After joining the Georgians and having displayed about three times as -many men as he really had, by moving them around a block, in sight of -the enemy (who had gathered and formed, in a splendid position, -supported by their battery) Forrest went in, under a flag of truce and -demanded their immediate surrender, telling them that he had five men to -their one and was determined to take them; that if he had to make -another charge on them, on their own heads be the responsibility; that -the little fight had, was only with his advance guard, that he had five -hundred Texas Rangers he couldn’t control in a fight, and the -responsibility was with them. After deliberating on the matter for a few -minutes, they raised the white flag and surrendered. The result of this -surrender was a parole of eighteen hundred and sixteen privates at -McMinnville, the further capture of forty-seven commissioned officers, -including Major General Crittenden, with Colonel Duffield of the Ninth -Michigan badly wounded in the Michigan camp; thirty-eight wagonloads of -valuable stores; a magnificent battery of four pieces of artillery and -several million dollars’ worth of commissary and quartermaster’s stores, -destroyed by fire. - -I would also mention the release of two citizen prisoners confined in -the jail, who were condemned to be hung the next day, as spies. The wife -of one of these men, with many other ladies, witnessed our passing -through Woodbury. Learning that we were going to Murfreesboro, she wrung -her hands and begged and plead with us to bring her husband back. Some -of the men who heard her, answered that we would surely bring her -husband back, which we did the next day. - -A dastardly act I will recount here—of one of the Federal guards -stationed at the jail. When he found we were about to capture the town, -he set fire to the jail, which no doubt would have burned the poor -prisoners, but the fire was promptly extinguished by several of our men, -who succeeded in capturing the fellow who started the fire and in taking -him before General Forrest. Forrest pulled out his pistol and killed him -on the spot, a well-deserved punishment. - -On marching our prisoners to McMinnville, the commissioned officers who -had been captured, were given the privilege of the pike, they taking a -parole not to attempt to make their escape. When this high privilege was -offered Major General Crittenden, he refused the courtesy, telling -Forrest that he could not accept, as his government didn’t recognize him -as a regular Confederate soldier and only knew him as a guerilla. -Forrest told him that it made no difference with him and he furnished -him with a guard of two Texas Rangers, dressed in buckskin, wearing -Mexican sombreros. These men were somewhat wild in appearance, no doubt, -to General Crittenden. After riding along with his guards for an hour or -two, one man on each side of him, occasionally nodding at each other, -the general concluded that perhaps they were planning to kill him, and -had them take him up to Colonel Forrest, when he asked Forrest to parole -him and give him the privilege of the pike, like the rest; saying he -verily believed that these men would kill him. - -After paroling the privates at McMinnville, permitting them all to -retain their private property, which included a magnificent set of -silver band instruments, Forrest told the officers that they would have -to be taken to Knoxville to General Smith’s headquarters and directed -Colonel Wharton, who was wounded, with Company B, his old company, to -take charge of them, the battery and thirty-eight wagonloads of valuable -stores. He requested Colonel Wharton, when he got safely up on top of -the mountain, by way of Sparta, to send back a messenger, reporting that -fact, and I was sent back with this message to Colonel Forrest. - -Reaching Sparta about daylight, I could not find any one who could tell -me the whereabouts of Forrest’s command, and struck out, back in the -direction of McMinnville, when incidentally I met a citizen, who -reported that they were camped at a certain place in the woods between -Sparta and Lebanon, which I succeeded in finding about noon. Reporting -to Colonel Forrest that Wharton had got up on top of the mountain safely -with his prisoners, artillery and wagons, I told him that I didn’t feel -like going back to catch up with my company, going to Knoxville, lying -around in camp and that I wanted to remain with the regiment and asked -his permission to do so. He kindly consented and told me to report to -the regiment and stay with them. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - - I AM WOUNDED AND CAPTURED. - -The Rangers now felt that they were commanded by somebody who meant -business and that there was plenty of work in store for them. After -remaining in this camp another day, we started for Lebanon, in the -night, where it was understood a considerable cavalry force of the enemy -were camped. Reaching the town about daylight, we formed fours and -charged in, being greeted by ladies, through their windows, waving -handkerchiefs and cheering, with no Federal cavalry in town, they having -moved to Murfreesboro during the night, in great haste, learning we were -on the way. - -Here at Lebanon, we found, as in nearly every town we had been in in -Middle Tennessee, a strong Southern people, who, while we were camped -there for two days, gave us a great feast of everything that was good, -which was heartily enjoyed by the whole command. Forrest, on being -interviewed as to what was next on docket, said that he was going to -take Nashville, though strongly fortified, and garrisoned by an infantry -force of not less than ten thousand men under General Nelson. - -On the early morning of the third day, we started out on the main -Nashville pike, moving along at an ordinary gait, occasionally meeting -citizens, out from Nashville, saying there was great excitement among -the Yankees, and they were digging additional pits and preparing a -strong defense. When we reached within twelve miles of Nashville, we -struck a road leading through the cedars, to La Vergne, a station -between Murfreesboro and Nashville. Before reaching La Vergne, General -Forrest detailed about two hundred Rangers, under Captain Ferrell, to -meet and capture a train from Murfreesboro, at La Vergne, which they -succeeded in doing, capturing a large number of commissioned officers, -who were on their way home on furlough, and capturing also the mails and -express freight. Among these prisoners I will mention the kind-hearted -and excellent business man among us today, a Mr. Fordyce, of the -Pierce-Fordyce Oil Association, one of the largest oil concerns doing -business in Texas. - -Forrest, with the balance of the command, went to work tearing up the -railroad between La Vergne and Nashville, burning trestles and bridges -and tearing up the track. We then again retired to McMinnville. Before -leaving in front of Nashville, Colonel Forrest asked for a detail of -about fifteen or twenty men, who were selected from the Rangers and -joined by four or five of Morgan’s men, who happened to be along. I was -one of this party, and we were all under the command of a Captain -Gordon, who proved to be a reckless fellow, unfit to command such a -party successfully. We crossed Cumberland River near Lebanon, in a bend -called Little Dixie. Little Dixie was settled with some of the strongest -Southern and most liberal people in the State, and regarded as a safe -haven for the wounded Confederate soldiers, whom these good people would -nourish and care for, to the extent of any character of risk. While -crossing there, we promised the ladies if any of us were wounded, we -would not fail to make our way back, so they could take care of us until -able to join our command. Our orders from Colonel Forrest for the -expedition were to collect information on the disposition of the Federal -forces, preparatory to a general raid of our cavalry. - -After crossing the river, we moved up towards the Louisville & Nashville -Railroad, circulating through that section quite extensively, gathering -information, and, on our return, we decided to capture a railroad train, -with the mails from the army, which always proved very valuable, as the -soldiers were always writing home on the movements of their army, which -proved most valuable information for our headquarters. - -In accordance with our plans, we struck the Louisville & Nashville -Railroad between Woodburn and Franklin, at a point about equidistant -between the two places; watering our horses at a branch within hearing -of a Union man’s house, who was awakened and decided that we had about -three hundred men, supposing us to be of Morgan’s command. Riding around -in the branch, as we did, led him to the conclusion that we had about -three hundred men. We struck the railroad about daylight, when we -removed a few spikes, spreading the track, for the purpose of stopping -the train and, being in a thick woods out of hearing, with no settlement -near, we all laid down for a short nap. The mail train from the army was -due at this point about eleven-thirty; another mail train from above was -due about twelve o’clock, with numerous freight trains, carrying troops -and war material, due throughout the day, also trains returning with -wounded and discharged soldiers. - -We heard the mail train whistle, from below, when it reached Franklin, -and nothing of any other train, waiting until between three and four -o’clock in the evening. I became satisfied that we were going to be -caught in a trap and so told Gordon, insisting on leaving there, but -Gordon refused to listen; he had just about sense enough to lose what he -had. Finally, between three and four o’clock we heard the train, and -immediately took position by the side of the track, having nineteen men -for the fight, two of the men remaining with our horses, in the rear. -All that could get trees for shelter, within twenty feet of the track -took position behind trees, while eight of us, unable to find trees -convenient, laid down flat on the ground. Very soon the train came up, -turning a bend in the road about a half mile below us. The engineer, to -fool us, put on more steam, making us think that they were entirely -ignorant of our presence, and stopped right at the place we had shifted -the rail. Soon they were right on us and began firing with about three -hundred muskets, killing seven of our party, who were lying on the -ground and jumped up, and badly wounding me, but the balance of our -party, eleven strong, behind trees, with six-shooters, drove those -fellows off the train on to the other side of the track. There the -commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel (Blank), succeeded in forming -about a hundred men in line in about twenty minutes, so he stated to me -at the hospital at Bowling Green, where he made me a visit about a week -after, furthermore stating that he believed if we had had about -twenty-five more men we would have gotten his train. It seems that this -was the first time these people were ever under fire and when under the -impression that we had three hundred of Morgan’s men, they were no doubt -demoralized at the noise of their own guns. - -The citizen at whose house we watered our horses at the branch had spied -out our exact location on the railroad, a desolate place, where Morgan’s -cavalry had captured a train before. He went to Franklin, where he met -the train from the army, reported three hundred of Morgan’s men, when -they ran the train back to Gallatin, Tennessee, unloaded the mails and -express freight and took this regiment aboard, also notifying other -trains that we were on the road, which caused their delay. - -While the Federals were jumping off the train on the other side, we fell -back to our horses, mounting, leaving the horses belonging to the men -that were killed; not knowing at the time just who was left behind. I -was able to run back and mount my own horse, with the assistance of a -comrade. We hurried out of there, taking the road by which we had come, -by this Union man’s house, where I stopped to get me a drink of water. I -had just been relieved of my pistol belt, and had grown very weak and -faint from the loss of blood, which had collected in my boots, and was -about to fall from the horse when I was caught by a comrade. Some one -called out, “Here they come!” This aroused me. I made them hand me my -pistols. We drew up in line in the lane and saw a party in the edge of -the timber. Drawing our pistols we waved them at them and urged them to -come on, which they didn’t do. We soon discovered that they were only -parties from the train who had found our dead men’s horses and were -afraid to come forward. - -We now continued our march on this country road about eight or ten -miles. I became too weak to travel and, satisfied that being encumbered -with me would cause them all to get captured or killed, I insisted on -their leaving me, believing that I was done for, anyway. - -We soon reached a Mr. White’s (an humble log house) who had two sons in -Breckenridge’s Brigade, and had with him his wife and daughter. He was -an ardent Southern man and promised my comrades that I should have every -attention, if left with them. Before leaving, I begged them to let me -keep my pistols, which they failed to do, thinking it was best to leave -me disarmed, as it proved to be. - -My comrades then proceeded in haste to get out of that neighborhood and -made for the Cumberland River, our main army then being near -Chattanooga. In about an hour a citizen doctor came to see me and filled -my wound full of cotton, in order to check the bleeding, saying that -this was all that he could do for me; he had to hurry back home, lest he -was caught giving me his attention, believing his neighbors would hang -him and burn his family out of house and home, as this section of the -country was inhabited by a desperate, vindictive Union people. - -During the evening a young man called and claimed to be a good Rebel, -saying that he had an uncle, who was also a good friend of the South, -living up in the mountains, and if he could succeed in taking me there, -that I would be perfectly safe. He arranged with me to come that night, -with a hack, and take me to his uncle’s, which he failed to do. - -Mr. White’s house was a double log house, a room at each end, with about -a ten-foot hall in between, but no porch in front, a step at each room, -leading out into the yard and heavy batten doors covering the door -opening. Old Mr. White occupied a bed in the room with me, while his -wife and daughter occupied a room at the other end. They had improvised -a cot for me, in the middle of the room, so they could get around it. -They used wick and tallow lamps for lights, which created a bad smell in -the room and annoyed me a great deal, as I had considerable fever. Some -time after midnight I begged the old man to extinguish his lamp, and -very soon thereafter, I heard voices in the yard and immediately a -pounding on the door with the butt end of a gun. The reader can imagine -my feelings; I was satisfied they were Tories and my time had come. I -would then have given a kingdom for my pistols and, no doubt, would have -opened on them as they came in. They called and demanded of the old man -to open the door quick. He told them to wait until he could strike a -light, which he did. I was in position, from where I lay, to notice them -coming in and to my great relief, saw a lieutenant and ten men in -uniform, passing around me. Here was one time I was glad to see the -Federal uniform. When they got up to my bunk, I feigned sleep and -listened to what they had to say. The lieutenant asked the old man if I -was badly hurt. He told him to turn down the sheet and he could judge -for himself, when the lieutenant expressed his surprise and said, “I’m -afraid we won’t be able to move him.” Now I concluded it was my time to -say something. I opened my eyes and feigned bewilderment, looking up at -them. The lieutenant asked, “Are you hurt much, sir?” I told them no, I -did not think I was, and couldn’t understand why I had been left there. -The lieutenant asked if I thought that I could stand to be hauled to -Woodburn, a station about five miles from there and the first station -this side of Bowling Green. I told him I was satisfied I could stand it -all right. He then ordered the old gentleman to direct him where he -could find feed for his horses, also to have breakfast for his men by -daylight and have his own team and wagon ready to haul me to their camp -at a church about four miles from there, where the balance of his -regiment, the Eleventh Kentucky Mounted Infantry, were camped. - -About daylight they started for their camp, with me lying on a mattress -in the wagon. We reached camp in due time. The lieutenant-colonel -commanding the regiment, which had been started in pursuit of our party, -then stood up on the wagon wheel and questioned me as to where the -balance of our party had gone. I told him they had gone up on the -railroad towards Louisville, where they expected to capture a train -before they returned to the army, thus directing him off their trail, as -they were making great haste to cross the Cumberland River and were -avoiding pursuit. - -When this officer called to see me at the hospital at Bowling Green, he -referred to my throwing him off my comrades’ trail, saying that he -couldn’t account for accepting my statement, as he did, but “you seemed -so honest in your statement, that I believed you, and committed one of -the greatest blunders I was ever guilty of.” - -After questioning me at this camp, he sent a sergeant and two men, with -a wagon, to haul me to Woodburn, the first station, where I was lifted -into a boxcar on a train for Bowling Green. - -Arriving at Bowling Green I was taken up to General Judah’s -headquarters, laid down on the floor of his room, surrounded by some -soldiers, and he questioned me on the number of our party, what command -we belonged to; he also asked if we had ever been engaged in that kind -of warfare before. I told him that it had been the business of our -regiment to destroy their line of communication, capture trains and -everything else we were able to do to annoy the enemy, when he said, -“Young man, you will never fire into another train.” I told him that I -expected to fire into many an one, that this little scratch would soon -get well and I would be ready for service again. He said, “Young man, -we’ve got a rope for all such fellows as you.” I told him there was a -higher authority than he, that would have my disposition. He said, -“Who?” I told him, “President Davis.” He laughed and said, “Jeff Davis -has no authority here.” I told him that I hoped it wouldn’t be long -before he would have. Feeling very irritable, with a hot fever on me, I -was able to resent his threat in the manner I did and felt able to talk -to him, although an officer of a high rank, in resentment of his threat. - -I was then taken to their regular hospital, located on Barren River, -about a mile and a half from town, where I was very kindly received by -the surgeon in charge, who turned out to be a very sympathetic, -kind-hearted man. I was furnished a cot, the same as their other sick, -in the principal ward, and had a guard detailed to stay with me all the -time. This guard consisted of two men, who were on duty every alternate -six hours. - -Under the care of this doctor and good nurses, I soon began to recover -my strength and began to hope that I would be permitted to stay there -until able to travel on foot, having no doubt I could make my escape out -of there, when ready. - -Unfortunately the Rebel ladies of Bowling Green, learning there was a -wounded Texas Ranger at the hospital, would get permission from the -provost marshal to visit the sick, he supposing that they meant the -Federal sick. When admitted to the wards they would come directly to my -cot and deposit flowers, fruit and cake, and encourage me in the belief -that I would soon get well again. - -My generous, kind-hearted surgeon would sometimes send and get fish or -oysters for me, evidently in the belief that he was doing a last kind -act for me, as he expected me to be court martialed and sentenced to -death, having frankly told me so, trying to persuade me to take the -oath, which I refused to do. - -As soon as I was able to sit up and talk without effort and overtaxing -my strength, we had several discussions about the conduct of the war and -the merits of the two armies. On one occasion I said to him, “I’m going -to make an assertion, Doctor, and before I make it, I want to qualify it -by stating that you have many good, patriotic men in your army and you -are one of them; but, taking your army as a whole, they are an army of -hirelings, fighting for their bounties and their pay, and would not hold -together thirty days if their pay was stopped.” He spurned the idea, -telling me that I was sadly mistaken, while there might be a few men -that could be classed as hirelings, the bulk of their army were prompted -only by patriotic motives and were not considering gain or pay. I said, -“Doctor, I will prove my assertion right here in your presence,” and -called up some convalescents. Addressing one, I asked him, “What induced -you to join the army and what are you fighting for?” He said, “I am -fighting for the flag and the Union,” but I said, “As a matter of fact, -were you not paid a bounty?” He admitted that he had been paid six -hundred dollars by his State. Then again, “What pay do you receive?” He -said, “Twelve dollars per month.” “What do you do with your money?” He -said, “I send it home, for safety.” “Why don’t you spend it?” “I have -nothing to spend it for.” “Does your Government furnish you everything -you need?” “Everything,” he said. I interrogated a second one, whose -answers were about the same. I then detailed the treatment our -Government had been forced to accord our army, who were frequently -without pay, often without rations or clothing, especially without -shoes, sometimes forced them to go barefooted, leaving their bloody -tracks on the road. “Now, boys, if your Government treated you in such -manner, what would you do?” They replied, “We wouldn’t fight for any -such d—— Government; we would go home and stay there.” I said to the -doctor, “Withdraw your pay and rations from your army and you wouldn’t -hold them together for sixty days,” on which point we could not agree -and he said, “Graber, you are too good a man to be engaged in such a -cause.” I replied, “Doctor, that is just my opinion of you; you ought to -wear the gray in place of the blue,” all of which he took in the -kindliest spirit. I frequently conversed with the ward master and some -of the nurses, who seemed to have taken a great fancy for me on account -of my bold, outspoken sentiments, and they sympathized with me in my -helpless condition. - -I had concluded to try to make my escape as soon as I got strong enough -to undertake walking through the woods, over a rough country across the -river. There were always a number of boats tied to the river bank. I -would have had no difficulty in crossing Barren River. One night a guard -on duty with me was sound asleep, snoring, with his head resting on the -foot of my cot and I was wide awake. The nurse on duty went over to the -ward master’s bed, not far from my cot, and woke him up. He aroused -himself, and the nurse in a low voice told him, “The guard is asleep; -let us tell Texas to get away.” The ward master said, “No, don’t do -that; you had better wake up the guard,” which he did. A little pleading -on my part then would, no doubt, have had their consent, but I was still -too feeble to undertake the hazard. - -After spending about a month at this hospital, the provost marshal had -heard of the ladies abusing his confidence and calling at my berth only, -and rarely ever having a kind word for the Federal sick, so he had me -moved to the prison, where I found about twenty-five or thirty men -confined, most of them Morgan’s men and a few highway robbers, who -sought the protection of the Confederate Government by claiming to -belong to certain Confederate commands, which I was satisfied was not -the case. Kentucky afforded a good territory for these highwaymen to -operate, on account of this condition. - -Arriving at this prison proved the commencement of my suffering and -trouble, as the surgeon in charge was a brute. He came in and threw some -soap and bandages at my feet and I never saw him any more. - -The prison was a two-story stone building with a brick gable, with the -side fronting the street; it had been a two-story residence, converted -into a jail by attaching iron gratings in the large windows; it had only -four rooms, two upstairs, occupied by the prisoners, and two downstairs, -occupied by about twenty guards on active duty. There was also a room -for the lieutenant commanding. There was a stairway, leading down into -one of the rooms below, with a door at the foot of the steps. About two -companies of infantry camped in the back yard, which was surrounded by a -high board fence, and there was a sink in the back end of the yard. -These troops were quartered in tents. The building was located -diagonally across the street from a big hotel, which was occupied by the -commanding officers, as headquarters. - -Here I made the acquaintance of a Lieutenant Clark of Morgan’s command, -whose home was Bowling Green, where he was teaching before the war. -Lieutenant Clark was a brother-in-law of Captain Tom Hines, one of -Morgan’s trusted lieutenants and the man that planned Morgan’s escape -out of the Ohio penitentiary. Lieutenant Clark and I were both held -under the same charges for court martial, Morgan’s command raiding -Kentucky, destroying their line of communications and Forrest in charge -of Middle Tennessee; it is hardly necessary to say that we became fast -friends and plotted and planned escape, the only chance for which was -frustrated. - -Colonel Clarence Prentice, in conjunction with Major Kit Ousley, also of -Morgan’s command, was sent into Kentucky by our War Department to -recruit a regiment for the Confederate Army. - -Colonel Clarence Prentice was the son of the publisher of the Louisville -Courier, which was largely responsible for retaining Kentucky in the -Union. The family were divided in sentiment; the father was a great -Union man and particular friend of Abraham Lincoln, while Mrs. Prentice -and the two sons were strongly Southern in sentiment, the sons joining -the Confederate Army. - -Colonel Prentice, immediately on his arrival at his home, was captured -and through the influence of his father, was sent around for exchange. -Major Kit Ousley was captured near Bowling Green, in citizen’s clothes, -therefore treated as a spy and placed in prison with us, awaiting court -martial. When Ousley was captured they found a letter on his person from -Fountain Fox, whose home was in Elizabethtown, this letter stating that -Fox had succeeded in raising a company of one hundred and four of the -best young men of his neighborhood, ready to move at a moment’s warning. -They immediately sent up and arrested Fountain Fox and placed him in -prison with us. - -Fountain Fox’s father also was an influential Union man, and the Fox -family was divided like the Prentice family, Mrs. Fox and sons strong -Southern sympathizers, and Mr. Fox a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln. -When Lincoln commenced making his appointments abroad, he appointed -Fountain Fox, Consul to Madrid, Spain. Consulting with his mother about -the appointment, she advised him not to accept, telling him he would see -the time very soon when he would blush to represent the American -Government abroad. Taking his mother’s advice, he declined the -appointment. - -After a short time, to appease his father’s anger, he accepted a -captaincy in the Home Guards, in which capacity he served about a year. -On the reorganization of the regiment, he was appointed major, serving -in this capacity about three or four months longer, when they were -ordered to Franklin, Tennessee, to the front. He said, “Considering that -all of his youth’s companions and nearly all of his schoolmates were in -the Southern army, he could not go down there and fight them” and made -haste to resign. - -Some sixty days after his resignation he met Major Ousley some distance -from Elizabethtown, out in the country. Being well acquainted with him -Ousley gave Fox a commission to raise a company for the Confederate -Army, and he soon wrote Ousley the letter that was found on Ousley’s -person when he was captured, and which caused Fox’s arrest. - -His father immediately went to see the President and secured an order -for his release, provided he would take the oath of allegiance to the -United States and remain north of the Mason and Dixon’s line during the -war, also giving a bond of fifty thousand dollars, all of which he did, -remaining in prison with us perhaps only two or three weeks. This prison -was directly in charge of Major Erastus Motley, provost marshal, an old -friend of Clark’s before the war and a schoolmate of Captain Hines. He, -like many Kentucky officers in such position, had made himself very -obnoxious by his tyrannical treatment of the families of Confederate -soldiers and seemed greatly prejudiced against Clark and myself. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - - THE ESCAPE OF MAJOR OUSLEY. - -A court martial to try Major Kit Ousley was soon organized and his trial -resulted easily in conviction, as he occupied the position of a spy, -being captured in citizen’s clothes. Very soon his sentence was returned -from General Burnside, and approved by him, General Burnside being in -command of Kentucky and Ohio, with his headquarters at Cincinnati. - -Major Ousley, while recruiting up in the Blue Grass region near -Lexington, married a very wealthy and beautiful young lady, who as soon -as she heard of his capture and imprisonment at Bowling Green, came down -to render what assistance she could, and succeeded in bribing a -lieutenant, who had an office in town, paying him eight thousand dollars -for his assistance. This officer kept her posted and gave her the -information about the return that evening of the verdict of the court -martial, approved by General Burnside, which was his conviction as a spy -and his punishment death by hanging. He was to be placed over in the -courthouse in irons under a special guard until the day of his -execution, which was fixed for the 29th of May, while this information -was imparted on the 14th of May. - -Major Ousley asked permission that evening to go to a barber shop, which -permission was granted by sending a special guard with him. At this -barber shop he met his wife, who succeeded in obtaining a private -interview with him, when she imparted the information about having -bribed this lieutenant and the location of his office, which Ousley -understood, as he was well acquainted in Bowling Green. She had also -received from the lieutenant a pair of surgeon’s shoulder straps and the -password for that night, which was “Columbia,” and which was imparted to -Lieutenant Clark and myself by Ousley, after he returned to the prison. - -Major Ousley had a visit that evening from several officers of the court -martial, who seemed to be old acquaintances of his and had quite a long -chat with them, with a good deal of levity, which of course was a matter -of surprise to Clark and myself, as he seemed to be completely at ease. -Considering his condition with his doom already sealed, we thought he -displayed more nerve than any man we ever saw. - -Major Ousley requested his officer friends, before they left him, to -send him a bottle of brandy, which they did and which he distributed -freely among the guards on duty in the lower room, hoping to load them -up, and in doing this we were afraid he imbibed a little too much -himself. - -Now, it was imperative for him to make his escape that night, for, as -stated, he was to be placed in irons the next day and kept in the -courthouse under special guard. With Clark and myself, and other trusted -friends in the prison, we planned that the only means of his escape -would be to cut a hole through the plastering overhead large enough to -admit a man into the attic; then take a sufficient number of brick out -of the gable end which connected with the roof of a single-story house -adjoining, all of which was done by the willing hands of our comrades; -but a mistake was made in the location of the hole through the brick -wall. This hole opened on top of a roof, on the side facing the street -in full view of the headquarters on the other side. Major Ousley -imparted the countersign to Clark and myself with an injunction and -earnest request not to attempt to get out until after giving him four -hours the start, as his case was the most desperate one and we had not -been tried by the court martial. This promise we fully kept. - -When Major Ousley passed through the hole in the brick wall on to the -roof of the other house, it was drizzling rain and the night was very -dark, so the hole could not be discovered on the other side of the -street. He laid flat on the roof for a few minutes, then quietly crawled -over the comb of the house, on the other side, out of sight of the -street, then to the far end of the roof away from the prison and dropped -down into the yard of a private residence when a large dog got after -him, giving one bark and no more. Ousley told me afterwards that he hit -this dog with his fist and said, “I reckon I killed him!” Some of the -guards in our prison yard rushed to the fence and asked a lady who came -to the door, what was the matter; she said, “Nothing that I know of, -everything is all right over here,” which seemed to quiet their -suspicion, so they went back to their tents. Major Ousley soon was heard -to come down the walk in front of our prison. He was halted by the -guard, asking, “Who comes there?” “A friend with the countersign.” -“Advance, friend, and give the countersign.” He gave the countersign and -passed on down the street and found the lieutenant’s room. The -lieutenant told him it would not be safe for him to attempt to go out -that night, but to go down into the river bottoms, stay there all next -day, then return to his office, when he would have a horse and side arms -for him and give him the new countersign for that night. Ousley went -down to the river bottoms and spent the day until very near night. Then, -being very hungry, he decided to go to a friend’s house, who lived away -out in the suburbs and get something to eat. Just before reaching his -friend’s house, he struck the big road and immediately heard the running -of a horse behind him, which proved to be a man on horseback loping -towards town. Though he did not suspect any such thing, the man -evidently went to town and raised the alarm. On entering the house his -friend’s wife met him. She was well acquainted with Ousley, but her -husband was not at home, and she, of course, was surprised and alarmed, -as she knew that he was a prisoner. When he made known his wants, she -rushed in and prepared a lunch, while he stood at the front door, -watching. As soon as the lunch was ready, she invited him into the -diningroom and took his place watching. Before he finished his lunch she -rushed into the diningroom, saying, “My God, Major Ousley, you are lost, -you are lost.” He told her to keep perfectly quiet. “The safest place is -among the enemy,” he said, and grabbed a couple of biscuits, stuck them -into his coat pocket, and started out of the front door when a couple of -guards behind a rosebush, jumped up, threw their guns down on him and -told him to halt. He cursed them and told them to get behind that bush. -Major Ousley would see them, making them believe that he was one of -their own officers. - -I forgot to mention that he had the surgeon’s shoulder straps sewed on -to his coat at the shoulders, the same as was the custom in the Federal -Army. As already stated, when captured, he had on a splendid -double-breasted frock coat and black pants, all of which in the dark -could easily be mistaken for a Federal uniform, hence on the spur of the -moment, he made the two guards believe that he was one of their own -officers. He walked to the gate and passing outside, walked very fast up -the fence, and when about a hundred yards these men began to call, -“Halt,” when he broke into a run and left them firing after him, not -receiving a scratch. While, of course, they ran after him I imagine they -didn’t try very hard to catch him, fearing perhaps that he had -accomplices, prepared to defend him. - -Major Ousley next circled around the town and again made his way to the -lieutenant’s room, who had a horse ready for him, gave him a couple of -six-shooters and the countersign for that night. He boldly rode down the -main street leading to Barren River bridge, where he gave the -countersign to the guards, then up the pike towards Louisville. - -After an all-night’s ride he pulled up at a friend’s house, where he -decided to stay until Morgan’s command came in there and go with them -back to our main army, telling his friend his purpose. His friend said, -“Major, you can’t stay here; there is a brigade of Yankees camped at a -spring about a mile from here and Colonel Gross, the commander, comes -over occasionally and has a game of poker with me.” Ousley told him that -would not make any difference, he was going to stay anyway and take a -hand with him at poker. He then proceeded to disguise; cut off a heavy -mustache, and also cut his hair short, which made him look like a -different man; and he actually stayed at this friend’s house for nearly -three weeks, joining his friend and Colonel Gross in several games of -poker. He finally heard of Morgan’s command in the blue grass region, -mounted his horse to try to find them and telling his friend good-bye -and to give him a half hour’s start, and then to tell Colonel Gross who -he was and tell him the next time they met pistols would be trumps. His -friend said that he wouldn’t do such a thing for anything in the world; -he said, “Colonel Gross never will find out through me or mine who you -were.” - -Major Ousley succeeded in finding Morgan’s command and went out of the -State with them, reporting to the War Department at Richmond, and was -given a job in the department and an order forbidding him to re-enter -the army. I met him again at Richmond, where he detailed all of the -features and incidents of his escape from the time he dropped into the -adjoining yard and knocked over the dog. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - - IN PRISON AT LOUISVILLE, WHERE I WAS HONORED WITH HANDCUFFS. - -Referring to Bowling Green prison, where Major Ousley had left us: Four -hours after Ousley’s escape, our friends in the prison boosted Clark and -me up into the attic, when we found out to our dismay that the weather -had cleared and the moon had risen sufficiently high to light up the -front of our building, disclosing the hole in the gable. The general’s -headquarters being diagonally across the street with a guard’s beat -immediately in front, I whispered to Clark, “We had better wait until -the corporal comes with his relief guard in front of the headquarters -and watch their actions.” Waiting about thirty minutes, a corporal with -a relief appeared on the beat and the three stood for some time talking -and looking up at our prison wall, which satisfied us that they had made -the discovery of the hole and were only waiting for some of us to crawl -out on the roof, when they would have shot us. We, therefore, decided it -would be folly to attempt our escape that night, which proved a wise -decision. - -The next morning at roll call the discovery was made that Major Ousley -was missing, which caused the greatest excitement; and immediately -scouting parties of eight or ten men dashed up to the headquarters -across the street for orders, and started out in a lope. All that day -these parties called for orders and came back and reported at -headquarters. Major Motley came up and saw the manner of Ousley’s -escape, and asked the prisoners who made those holes and assisted -Ousley. None of us vouchsafed any information. He then sent for the most -desperate prisoners, some that were not Confederates, as heretofore -stated, and told them that their cases were bad, but if they would tell -who assisted Ousley in making his escape, and tried to make their escape -with him, he would do all he could to let them off as easy as possible. -This we learned through two most excellent citizens, who were in the -prison with us, and who were also taken out and offered their liberty if -they would disclose Ousley’s accomplices. One of these was a Colonel -Lewis, living near Franklin; the other a Doctor Vertriece, a neighbor of -Colonel Lewis. These men were imprisoned because of our raid on the -railroad, which the reader will remember occurred between Franklin and -Woodburn. It was the custom of the Federal commander, whenever Morgan, -or any other troops, made a raid on the railroad, to arrest the most -prominent citizens in the neighborhood. - -After several days of questioning these prisoners, Major Motley came up; -my friend Clark was asleep on a mattress the lieutenant of the guard had -favored me with, on account of my being wounded. He was lying with his -face to the wall. I was sitting on the window sill, looking out into the -street when Major Motley walked up to where Clark was asleep and gave -him a kick in the back, thereby waking him. Clark raised up and asked, -“What do you want, Ras’?” when Motley produced a pair of handcuffs he -had held behind him and put them on him. Turning around to me, he said, -“I will have a pair here for you in a few minutes,” but as it turned out -fortunately there was not another pair of handcuffs in Bowling Green, -and he had to send to Louisville after them. After he left the prison -Doctor Vertriece suggested to me that I write a letter to Colonel -Hawkins, who was then in command of the post, telling him that I was a -wounded Confederate soldier, and that Major Motley had threatened to put -handcuffs on me. I stated in this letter that our command had captured -thousands of their men and had always treated them humanely and kindly, -notably the Ninth Michigan and Third Minnesota, who, after we had -paroled them and when parting with us, said, “If any of you Texas -Rangers are captured, call for the Ninth Michigan and Third Minnesota, -and we will see that you are well treated.” In winding up my letter to -Colonel Hawkins, I called on him as a gentleman and a soldier not to -permit such an outrage perpetrated as that of placing irons on a wounded -prisoner. This letter Doctor Vertriece succeeded in smuggling around -Major Motley, bribing a guard to take it directly to Colonel Hawkins -without Motley’s knowledge, and we soon had an answer returned in the -same manner from Colonel Hawkins, expressing his regret at our -condition, praising Major Motley as a very kind-hearted and good man, -and stating that he was satisfied he would do all in his power to -alleviate our condition and suffering, and trusting that we would be -able to bear up with our condition. - -When I read the letter I threw it on the floor, and told Doctor -Vertriece he was mistaken in his man; that Colonel Hawkins was no better -than the rest of them. He picked up the letter, read it and told me that -I was doing a great injustice to Colonel Hawkins, that I was simply -misconstruing his position, that he could not have said anything more to -me, a prisoner belonging to the army of his enemy, and could certainly -not censure Major Motley, an officer of his own army, for his treatment -of us, and furthermore suggested that if I would just wait he was -satisfied that the handcuffs would not be put on me. - -The next day Major Motley again visited our prison, walked up to -Lieutenant Clark and took off his handcuffs, hardly able to look into -his face. Turning around, he walked up and down the cell a few times in -study, and finally stopped in front of me, saying, “Graber, I want you -and Clark to understand that I have no personal feeling in this matter; -you are prisoners, have been placed in my charge and keeping; you have -tried to make your escape with Major Ousley, and, I am going to keep you -here, if I have to chain you to this floor.” - -I frequently told Major Motley that if they were holding me for court -martial, to bring my charges and specifications, to which he replied -that I needn’t be in a hurry, I would receive them sooner than I wanted -to, perhaps, and, when finally brought, the charge was being a Guerilla; -specifications, my own statement admitting to General Judah that we had -been engaged in raiding their lines of communications and destroying -them ever since we had been in the army. I concluded they need not -resort to any trial, as I was prepared to admit the specifications. In -this charge they gave my name, company and regiment, C. S. A. -(so-called), which was virtually an admission that I was not a Guerilla, -but by an order, No. 38, of General Burnside, all recruiting officers -captured within his department should be treated as spies, and all -raiding parties, not under a general officer, as Guerillas. Finally one -day Major Motley came in about ten o’clock in the morning and ordered me -to prepare to leave on the eleven o’clock train for Louisville. I asked -him, “What for? Are you sending me up there for safe keeping, or to be -treated as a prisoner of war?” He said, “Never mind about that; you will -learn soon enough.” When I reached Louisville I was taken to the general -prison and there treated as a prisoner of war. - -I found the Louisville prison a most excellent one; two barracks running -parallel, with bunks on each side and a brick-paved yard in the center, -with a splendid waterworks. At one end were the offices occupied by -clerks and an officer who kept the roll; at the other end was the -kitchen, connected on one side with a barrack, and on the other side -having a passageway of about three feet, leading into the backyard in -the rear of the kitchen, where they had the sinks, and this backyard was -kept in a very filthy condition. We had three rations a day, with coffee -in the mornings, the rations consisting of a chunk of light bread and a -piece of pickled pork, already cut in proper size for each man, in tubs, -on each side of the door. On the inside of the kitchen stood a tub, -presided over by negro wenches who would shove these rations to us as we -passed through, single file, into the backyard. - -A negro official, called “Captain Black” by the prisoners, frequently -stood on the outside of the door as the prisoners passed in to draw -their rations. When some poor, emaciated prisoner, reduced by -confinement, barely able to drag his feet, came along, he would curse, -tell him to “Hike out, you d—m Rebel,” and sometimes push them along. -This made me fear this negro to the extent that I always avoided him and -always moved quickly in his presence, determined never to give him an -opportunity to insult me. - -One day I was lying on my bunk, the second from the floor, about five -feet high, which was the end of the bunks next to the door. I was -feeling bad and having considerable fever, and was still suffering from -my wounds, so I decided not to go out and get my dinner rations. All -that were able had gone out, a few sick remaining in the barracks at -different places. A little negro boy came to the door and looking up at -me, asked if I was sick and didn’t I want a cup of coffee. I told him -yes, to bring me a cup and I would pay him for it. He brought me a small -tin cup full of fine coffee, for which I gave him a twenty-five-cent -bill. - -While lying sipping my coffee, resting on my right elbow, “Captain -Black” stepped into the door, and, on discovering me said, “What are you -doing here, sir?” I said I was sick and didn’t want my rations. He -raised up on his toes and said, “Sick?” “Yes, I am sick, too,” and he -started to order me out when I lost all control of myself and, from my -bunk, fell right over on him, grabbing at his pistol. I got my hand on -it, but he jerked away before I could clinch it, but he thought I had -it, saying, “Foh Gawd, Massa; don’t, Massa!” then broke for the gate. -Some of the prisoners witnessed the trouble and told the others when -they came in from drawing their rations, which created considerable -excitement and considerable sympathy for me, for it was believed that I -would be placed in irons and in a dungeon. - -In about half an hour after the prisoners returned from drawing their -rations, one of them rushed up to me and suggested that I hide. He said, -“That negro, with a big sergeant, is in the yard hunting you.” I told -him that I would not hide, but would go and meet them, walking out into -the yard. The negro pointed me out to the sergeant, when he walked up to -me and told me to hold up my hands. I asked him, “What for?” He said, -“To put these things on you,” producing a pair of handcuffs, which he -had held behind him. I asked who ordered it done? He stated, Colonel -Orcutt. I asked, “Who is Colonel Orcutt?” He said, “Commander of this -prison.” I told him, “All right; put them on; they are Yankee bracelets, -and I consider it an honor to wear them.” - -After wearing these irons two or three days and nights, an officer in -fatigue uniform, whom I took to be Colonel Orcutt, stepped up to me and -told me to hold up my hands. I asked him what for? He said, “To take -those things off.” I told him he needn’t be in a hurry, I had got used -to them and considered it an honor to wear them. By this time he had -unlocked them and taken them off. When I turned my back on him and -mingled with the crowd, some of the prisoners told me that he started to -strike me with them, which I hardly believe. - -“Captain Black” very soon came to me and apologized, saying that he was -very sorry for what he had done, and that he would never mistreat a -prisoner again, that “Dese soldiers had put him up to it.” I told him I -would give him five dollars if he would steal those handcuffs for me. He -said that he would be glad to do that, and would not charge me anything, -and he soon reported that they had not been replaced in the office, -where they used to hang, and that he couldn’t find out where they were -kept. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - - CAMP CHASE—FORT DELAWARE—I CHANGE MY NAME FOR THE FIRST TIME AND AM - FINALLY EXCHANGED. - -After remaining in this prison about a month, a roll was called and the -prisoners whose names were called, were ordered to get ready for -exchange. We started next morning for City Point, as we were told, but -when we reached Columbus, Ohio, we were ordered to march to Camp Chase, -where we were quartered in barracks, partitioned into mess rooms of -twenty-four in a mess. While here I was very uneasy, expecting to be -called for at any time, to be returned to Louisville, as several of the -prisoners had been so returned, to meet charges against them, hence -concluded perhaps my name appeared on the roll through mistake, but I -was fortunate enough to escape this fate and got along fine until I was -taken sick with flux. While confined in this prison I was furnished a -New York paper, I think it was the Tribune, giving an account of the -hanging of one of our comrades of the regiment by the name of Dodd, who -was captured near Knoxville, Tennessee, having had his horse killed in -an engagement near there, and was ordered to make his way out as best he -could. He was raised in Sevier County, and decided to visit his home, -while there, and when captured, was taken to Knoxville, there tried as a -spy by a court martial, convicted and sentenced to be hung. His -conviction was secured on a pocket diary, which he had kept, recording -his every-day work. - -A correspondent of the New York Tribune, who visited him in the jail -just before his execution, claimed he found him a very intelligent, -educated gentleman, in fact, believed him to be a grand character, and -his execution, which he witnessed, proved such a horrible affair that it -elicited the following expression from him: “In the name of humanity and -all that is decent, if the terrible exigencies of war require the -deliberate taking of human life, let the prisoner be shot or give us the -merciful guillotine.” - -Satisfied if the members of the regiment heard of Dodd’s execution they -would certainly retaliate, and in return the Federal Army would also -retaliate, and as I was the only member of the Eighth Texas, their -prisoner, they would certainly call for me for such purpose. - -After remaining in this prison for a month I agreed with one of Morgan’s -men to tunnel out under the fence, and prepared to go to work that -night. The fence was only about twenty yards from our mess room, the -identical place where one of Morgan’s officers had dug out a few months -before and effected his escape. During this day we were suddenly called -on to move and were again promised that we should be sent to City Point -for exchange. All the sick in the hospital were furnished conveyances to -carry them to Columbus, where we took train. As stated heretofore, I had -a severe case of flux, which weakened me a great deal, and I was -rendered unable to walk soon after we started on our march to Columbus, -a distance of about four miles. We were marched by fours with a heavy -advance and rear guard and a single file guard on each side of our -column. After having marched about a mile I gave out completely, and my -comrades reported my case to a lieutenant, marching by the side of us, -who instructed me to sit down by the roadside and wait until the rear -guard came up; then to tell them to make a detail to stay with me until -I reached Columbus. Very soon after the main body had passed, one of the -rear guards called out: “Hike out, you d—— Rebel,” which, of course, -made me resentful and I refused to hike out, telling him that I had -orders to stop and tell some of the rear guard to bring me up to -Columbus. By this time he had got pretty close to me and I happening to -look around found him charging on me with a bayonet, which made me jump, -and proved the best medicine I could have taken for flux. It simply -infused new strength and enabled me to hike to Columbus. - -At Erie, Pennsylvania, we were put in coal cars with the bottoms pretty -thickly covered with coal dust, in which we were carried to -Philadelphia, being marched through Chestnut Street to a boat landing. - -Their object in moving us in these coal cars we construed to be a policy -to make us look as dirty as possible. Many of our men, of course, were -somewhat ragged, and, altogether, we appeared a motley crowd, in -striking contrast to the heroes that had been cherished by our Northern -sympathizers, called “copper-heads” by the fanatics of the North. In our -march to the boat landing we were greeted by many intelligent ladies, -who were standing on the streets watching our passing, and quite a -number of them had their hands full of postage money, which was bills of -denominations of less than a dollar, which they threw and scattered -among us. After we reached the boat, on which we were ordered up on the -second deck, a dray-load of cheese and crackers was sent down to us by -some of the ladies, but the guards on the lower deck appropriated it, -and, after eating as much as they wanted, sold the balance of it to all -that had money. Then, adding insult to injury, they sent word to the -ladies to send more—to be treated in the same manner. The boat then -moved out down the river where our journey to City Point for exchange -terminated at Fort Delaware, where we were unloaded and were roughly -treated. - -Fort Delaware proved to be the worst prison we had been in; dirty, with -no water fit to drink. Our drinking water had to be taken from the canal -inside of the levee, which had a green scum floating on top, and, on the -lower part of the island, was used for bathing. After about two or three -weeks, an arrangement was made with a boat called the “Osceola” to bring -us water from the Brandywine River, which proved to be palatable and a -great treat. - -On our arrival at Fort Delaware we found about twenty thousand -prisoners, a large part of them captured at the battle of Gettysburg; -among whom were four or five hundred of Hood’s Brigade, and also some -from Granbury’s Brigade, who were captured at Vicksburg. This created a -sad impression on me and made me wish I was back in the saddle again -more than I ever did, but there was nothing to do but submit. While here -we also heard of the battle of Chickamauga, the first report of which -was most encouraging, as it stated their army was annihilated and Thomas -had fled to the mountains. This started the Rebel yell in the prison, -and made us feel that we would soon be exchanged, but the next day’s -report put a damper on our enthusiasm, and made us feel sad indeed, as -the report in this New York paper was that their army had rallied and -were holding on to Chattanooga, with our army retreating, and, while -their loss was very heavy in killed and wounded, ours was double. It -made us realize that fate was against us, and we would never be able to -gain a decisive victory, which would unquestionably secure our -recognition by foreign governments. - -As already stated, Fort Delaware proved the worst prison we had been in; -smallpox broke out among us and nearly every other disease known. A -large number died. Every morning they called at the big gate, “Bring out -your dead!” and the dead were buried on the Jersey shore by a detail of -prisoners. - -Among one of these details one morning was a gentleman by the name of -Simpson, from Houston, Texas, who belonged to Hood’s Brigade. This man -was born and raised in New York State and had lived in Houston only a -couple of years, engaging in business and had become thoroughly -acquainted with the character of our people, and especially the -institution of slavery. In this short time he became one of the South’s -strongest friends, ready to give his life for her cause, as demonstrated -by his joining the first troops Texas sent to Virginia. - -Slipping away from the guards, he made his way to his old home, told his -people who had heard that he was in the Rebel Army that he had recanted -and taken the oath of allegiance to the United States Government, -thereby reinstating him with his family, who lavished money and all else -on him until he was fully recuperated from the effects of his prison -experience, when he again shipped on board a steamer for Nassau, where -he took a Confederate blockade runner and came South, to fight it out to -the end. After the war he entered into copartnership with a man by the -name of Wiggins, constituting the firm of Wiggins & Simpson, which built -a large foundry and machine shop. This they conducted for many years, -and, at the time of his death, Simpson was wealthy and one of the most -honored and esteemed citizens of Houston, never having expressed a word -of regret over his conduct during the war. - -It might not be out of place here to say that nearly all Northern-raised -men among us within my knowledge pursued the same course. They -invariably proved gallant soldiers and did their duty for the South to -the limit of their ability, returning South after the war and spending -the balance of their lives as our most honored citizens. We had -twenty-six generals of Northern birth in the Confederate Army, twelve of -whom were graduates of West Point, and were offered high rank in the -Federal Army. This, no doubt, proved a hard problem for the North to -understand, and only emphasizes the justice of our cause, because these -men were prompted only by a conscientious motive, and faced suffering, -death and disgrace in the eyes of their Northern friends by such a -course. - -While on this subject I would mention the case of General Pemberton, the -gallant soldier who commanded at Vicksburg, and directed its defense to -the last ditch. He was the son of wealthy parents in Philadelphia, who -threatened to disinherit him if he didn’t resign his commission in the -Southern Army and come North, but he ignored their threat and continued -in the Southern Army to the end. - -Our suffering at Fort Delaware was almost unbearable. We were crowded -into these barracks as thick as we could lie, with all character of -sickness and disease among us, receiving additional prisoners -occasionally to keep the barracks filled, with only two meals a day of -three small crackers and an inch of meat. Many prisoners got desperate -and attempted to swim the Delaware River to effect their escape, only to -have their dead bodies found washed ashore on the Delaware or Jersey -side of the river the next day. - -A number of our men were shot without cause by the guard, who, we -understood, were promoted for such act; still a few of the men made -their escape by swimming the river, among whom I might mention Jim -Loggins, a boy about eighteen years old, who belonged to Hood’s Brigade. -He is now a practicing physician of Ennis, Texas, a father of a large -family of children, all highly regarded and respected citizens of their -home town. - -Prisoners seeking their escape would take canteens, tightly corked, and -use them as life preservers. Referring back to the case of Jim Loggins: -When he got into the river with others, the tide was running in fast, -and the tide took him about five or six miles up the river before he -reached a landing on the Delaware side. He then, with one companion, -made his way through the State of Delaware into Maryland, crossing the -Potomac, then through Northern Virginia, occupied by the Federal Army, -back to Richmond, where he rejoined Hood’s Brigade, and was in every -important battle until the end of the war, surrendering at Appomattox. - -Among our prisoners at Fort Delaware were the First Maryland Cavalry, -captured at South Mountain, before the battle of Gettysburg. These -Maryland men were the sons of leading families, largely men of great -wealth in the State of Maryland. Their friends and families at home -petitioned Governor Swann, of Maryland, to intercede for them with the -Federal War Department, and permit them to take a parole to go home, and -stay at their homes, until regularly exchanged, and it was generally -believed success would crown their efforts. These men received clothing -and money in the greatest abundance from their families at home, and -were about the most genteel looking men we had in prison. In connection -with this, I would mention the escape of one of their parties, who, -being well dressed and clean shaven, wearing a white shirt and fresh -collar, was watching the “Osceola” at the landing about ready to depart, -and boldly slipped up on the levee, walked down to the guard, passing -him while the guard saluted, mistaking him for a citizen visitor from -Delaware City, who came over quite often, then passed on to the boat, -walked up on its cabin deck, took a seat in front, with his feet cocked -up on the guards, smoking a cigar, when the boat pushed off with him and -he was never heard of by us any more, no doubt making good his escape. - -Many incidents of interest I might mention, showing the loyalty of the -Southern soldier under this most terrible condition, facing death daily, -seeing his comrades carried out by the dozen for burial daily, with no -prospect for exchange. Certainly history does not record such remarkable -devotion to a country and cause. - -In line with this, I might mention the effort of General Schoepf, -commander of the fort and prison. He one day conceived the idea of -creating a stampede among us, for which purpose he ordered out about -three hundred East Tennesseeans, formed them in line and made a strong -speech to them, telling them of the North’s vast resources for the -conduct of the war, and our diminishing, limited means for holding on; -showing them the impossibility for our ever succeeding, with no prospect -of exchange. Then he told them of the great prosperity of the North, -where labor was in demand and wages high, of which they could take the -benefit by taking the oath of allegiance and thus save their lives, -recover their health and strength, live in peace and happiness the -balance of the war, and, finally, he called on them, saying, “Now, all -of you that are ready and willing to take the oath of allegiance, step -three paces to the front.” Only one man responded. - -General Schoepf evidently thought that East Tennessee, as a section of -country in the South, was the most disloyal to our cause, its citizens -being largely Union people, and that these East Tennesseeans would -certainly accept his liberal offer, and, by that means, make a break in -our ranks. It is hardly necessary to say that he gave it up as a bad -job, and did not attempt another such experiment. In connection with -this, however, I regret to have to say that a few weak brothers were -found in our ranks, who took the oath of allegiance and were then -separated from the rest of the prisoners, in a special camp about a half -mile distant, where they were designated by us as “Galvanized Yankees.” - -After spending a part of the winter at Fort Delaware, one morning there -appeared a notice at what we called a postoffice, inside of the big -gate, calling upon all Marylanders, prisoners of war, to appear at the -gate with their baggage; which, of course, was construed to mean that -Governor Swann had succeeded in his effort to secure a parole for these -Marylanders, and that they would be taken to Washington for the purpose -of being paroled and permitted to go home to remain until properly -exchanged. This, of course, created considerable excitement and -rejoicing among the Marylanders, which was shared largely by the rest of -the prisoners, although they could not hope to ever be favored in the -same manner. It was a source of comfort and gratification to us to know -that some of our friends, at least, would be saved the sufferings and -almost certain death, even if we could not share it with them. - -While they were forming in line, by fours, headed for the big gate, an -acquaintance belonging to Hood’s Brigade, whose name was Robert -Brantley, of Navasota, called to me and said, “Good-bye, Henry.” I said, -“Where are you going, Bob?” He said, “I am going to try to get out with -these men.” I said, “How are you going to try to do that?” He said, “I -have two names and am going to answer to one of them at roll call.” I -said, “Bob, you do not want two names; you can’t answer to both. If you -will give me one of them I will try to go out with you.” He said, “All -right, come on.” I had time enough to go into the barracks and get an -oilcloth satchel, which had been given me at Bowling Green; then I had a -magnificent cape overcoat, left me by Major Ousley in Bowling Green -prison; with this coat on and this citizen’s new satchel, the coat -extending over the top of my boots, hiding partly worn butternut pants. -I passed for a Marylander pretty well, seemingly as well dressed as they -were, while Bob looked ragged, like one of these Hood Brigade men that -had not had any clothing furnished them in some time, and appeared -rather suspicious among this well dressed crowd. In giving me the name -he retained the name of Charles Erbert, who belonged to the First -Maryland Cavalry, and who had died in prison. The name of Charles -Stanley, which he gave me to use, was the name of a son of a preacher -Charles Stanley was sick in the hospital, and his father, ostensibly to -preach to the troops at the fort, was permitted the privilege of a -visit, mainly for the purpose of being with his son in the hospital. - -The keeper of the prison roll was a Lieutenant Wolff, a renegade -Virginian, who was also a “Galvanized Yankee.” Wolff was also acquainted -with many of the Marylanders, and particularly with Charles Stanley, on -account of his father visiting there. Wolff’s acquaintance with the -Marylanders was through their clothing and money sent them, which passed -through his hands. - -We were soon marched out to the wharf, where the “Osceola” was awaiting -us to carry us to the flag of truce boat, “New York,” anchored in -midstream, as the water was too shallow for her to come up to the wharf. -We were held on the wharf for nearly an hour before a roll call -commenced, during which time I suggested to Bob to separate, for him to -take the opposite edge of the party to the edge that I would take, then -to post himself on the circumstances of his man’s capture and the -location of his home in Maryland, telling him that we might be -questioned, and, if posted, we could have a ready answer, thereby -keeping down suspicion. Bob said he did not think there was any danger -in that; his greatest apprehension was that he would be personally -recognized by some of the Yankees, as he had been at work in the cook -house, where he made the acquaintance of quite a number, and he thought -perhaps Lieutenant Wolff might recognize him, while I had no fear of -anything of that kind. - -Finally a major, with several other officers, appeared. Lieutenant Wolff -was already there. The major began calling the roll alphabetically. When -he called the name of Charles Erbert, Bob failed to answer. I decided if -he called it the second time that I would answer to the dead man’s name, -believing that Bob had lost his nerve and would not answer at all. When -he called the name the second time we both answered, but I kept down, -while he jumped up quickly. This drew the major’s attention to him, and -he never knew who it was that answered over on my side of the crowd. I -forgot to mention that we were all squatted down on the wharf. When Bob -walked out boldly, attempting to pass the major, on his way to the boat, -the major stopped him. “What is your name, sir?” “My name is Charles -Erbert.” The major, without any further questioning, told him to take a -seat and called up a guard to take charge of him. This sudden decision -of the major that there was fraud was no doubt prompted by both of us -answering to the same name, yet it created a suspicion with me that -perhaps we had been betrayed, as they kept a lot of spies in the prison -all the time. As considerable time was consumed in calling the names, -down to the letter S, I had ample time to prepare for the issue, and -when the name of Charles Stanley was called I jumped up and boldly went -forward, passing him, without looking. I was favored by Lieutenant Wolff -being engaged in shaking hands with one of the Marylanders and eating an -apple with his back turned to the major when he called the name of -Charles Stanley, evidently not hearing it, and which I did not permit -him to call the second time. I therefore passed through unmolested. As -heretofore stated, my appearance tallied pretty well with the rest of -the Marylanders and Bob Brantley’s appearance was in striking contrast -with theirs. - -After getting on the boat and mixing with the Marylanders, I was -congratulated by them on my success and promised a good time when they -reached home. As soon as all were aboard, the “New York” weighed anchor, -when, the next morning, running down the coast on the Atlantic, we were -told that we would have to remain down in the hold on the second deck -until they could wash decks. They closed down the hatch and only -permitted us to come on the main deck when we discovered that we were at -Point Lookout, Maryland, under the guns of a thirty-two-pound battery, -and the Potomac flotilla, and were then told to march out, and were led -into what we called a “bull pen,” where we found about ten or twelve -thousand prisoners quartered in little A tents on the sand of the -seashore, with nothing else to protect them from the winter’s blast. Had -we suspected their motive, we could have easily overpowered the guard on -the big steamer, beached and burned her and scattered out in Maryland, -without taking a parole. At Point Lookout our camp was laid off in State -divisions, a row of little A tents on each side of a wide street with a -cook house for each division at the head of it. We were here furnished -rations the same as we had at Fort Delaware, by marching in and taking -our position at the long table in front of each ration. Sometimes we had -a cup of what they called bean soup, but it was always my misfortune to -get a cup of bean water, the cook failing to stir up the soup and -thoroughly mixing the beans with the water. Besides this, we had three -crackers and an inch of meat. This we had twice a day, as at Fort -Delaware, and considerable suffering on account of hunger was thereby -entailed. - -As stated, we were quartered in tents by State Divisions. Coming there -with the Marylanders, under a Marylander’s name, I started with the -Maryland Division, but in connection with this, soon joined the Texas -Division, Tennessee Division and Louisiana Division and drew rations -with every one of these divisions, thereby securing three extra rations -which I divided among my messmates. - -In order to improve my time, with nothing else to do, I decided to try -to learn the French language and for this purpose, joined a Louisiana -mess, the men belonging to the Seventh Louisiana, who were Creoles and -spoke nothing but French in their mess. In a short time, I was enabled -to understand some of their talk and they, as well as I, thought I was -getting along fine, and I believe if I could have continued with them -six months I would have spoken French fluently. - -While at this point General Butler was appointed Exchange Agent, this in -response to the clamor of the people in the North, demanding exchange, -as their people were dying in our prisons, as well as our people in -theirs; but, the policy of their War Department, sanctioned by Abraham -Lincoln, was not to exchange a prisoner if they could avoid it. They did -not want to reinforce our army from that source when our country was -about exhausted for men. To carry their point on this they cared very -little for their men in our prisons and even openly claimed that it was -a protection to their army to enforce non-exchange even at the sacrifice -of the men in our prisons. - -General Butler being placed in charge of the exchange, the Federal -Government knew that they could throw the odium of refusal to exchange -on the Confederate Government, because General Butler had been outlawed -by our Government through President Davis’ proclamation ordering him -executed whenever captured, on account of his dastardly conduct while in -command of New Orleans, which earned for him the name of “Beast” Butler. -They well knew that his appointment as Chief Exchange Agent would -forever place a barrier against exchange. - -At this time General Marsden was in command at Point Lookout, and a -Captain Patterson, aided by Sergeant Finnegan, in charge of the -prisoners. - -After the arrival of the Marylanders at Point Lookout, the Federal -Government decided to relieve the crowded condition of Fort Delaware by -transferring more prisoners to Point Lookout, which was done to a -considerable extent. - -General Butler, for political reasons, as well as to show his interest -in the prisoners, made us a visit, and when his arrival was announced, -proceeded in company with General Marsden and their respective staffs, -to ride over to our enclosure. We were then called on by Captain -Patterson, announcing his approach, to cheer him as he came inside. As -soon as the big gate was thrown open and he rode in, perhaps five -thousand prisoners had collected at the gate, many of them calling out, -“Boys, here is the ‘Beast;’” to which he paid no attention or to the -name of “Mumford,” the man whom he hung in New Orleans for tearing down -the United States flag placed on his house on their first occupancy of -New Orleans. When he and General Marsden attempted to enter the First -Division, which was the Louisiana Division, the men called out “New -Orleans.” By this time such a crowd had gathered in this division that -it was difficult for them to ride through, when General Butler decided -not to go any further and returned to General Marsden’s headquarters. - -About two weeks later General Butler returned and entered the prison -enclosure with General Marsden and their respective staffs; all armed -with pistols, and having also an escort of about fifty cavalry. They -were determined to push through the Louisiana Division, when again the -insults thrown at them on his first visit were repeated. In reaching a -Sibley tent, where a part of a company of the Louisiana Guard Battery -were quartered, one of the young men, seeing General Butler passing in -front of the tent, rushed out, took Butler’s horse by the bridle and -stopped him, proposed three cheers for Jeff Davis, which were given with -a will by our ten thousand throats, then proposed three groans for the -“Beast.” - -General Butler turned pale, looked at the men, seemed undecided what to -do, surrounded by an angry crowd of at least ten thousand men, who -although unarmed, he well knew were more than a match for him and his -guards and that they would not stand any show for their lives if a -single shot was fired. He decided it was best to move on and pass the -incident. When nearly at the end of the division some one called -“Magruder,” which made him smile, as it referred to the battle of Big -Bethel, which he commanded and lost to the Confederates commanded by -General Magruder. - -He next turned into the North Carolina Division, a brigade of -conscripts, who had surrendered without firing a gun. On his entering -this division the men cheered him, when he stopped and talked with them, -asking how they were getting along. They told him they did not get -enough to eat and were starving, and he turned to Captain Patterson and -told him to add an extra cracker to the rations, which brought another -cheer. He then passed through the division, being cheered frequently by -these conscripts and returned to General Marsden’s headquarters. - -In punishment for the insults offered him in the Louisiana Division, he -sent a regiment, composed of illiterate negroes from the plantations in -North Carolina, to guard us. The immediate guard of the prison were on -beats on a platform outside of the prison walls, which exposed their -heads and shoulders to the prisoners inside of the walls. There were -also guard beats at the head of every division between the tents and the -cook houses. These negroes were very poorly drilled and disciplined, but -fit tools in the hands of a vindictive enemy. As the men in the prison -had never seen any negro troops, they gathered along these different -beats to watch their performance. They came into the prison for guard -duty, carrying their knapsacks as they were afraid to leave them in -their camp, fearing that some of the other troops not on duty would rob -them. A guard at the head of the Texas Division, tired of carrying his -knapsack, deposited it at the end of his beat; as soon as his back was -turned, one of the men picked it up and ran away with it. The negro, -returning on his beat, discovered his knapsack gone and created a -general laugh among the spectators by his puzzled look. Finally he said, -“Men, you better give me back my knapsack or I’ll call Marse -Lieutenant.” The men again laughed, when finally he called to the guard -up on the fence, “Central, Oh Central! Call Marse Lieutenant and tell -him one of dese here white folks stole my knapsack,” when in due time -the officer of the day came in on horseback, dashed up to the guard and -asked what was the matter. The guard said, “Marse Lieutenant, some of -these white folks stole my knapsack,” which created additional laughter -and merriment. The lieutenant called on the men to return the knapsack, -and said that if they didn’t, he would order a search of the camp. This -they could not afford to have done. In the meantime, the negro said if -they would just give him back his “bacca” and guarretype, he wouldn’t -care anything about the balance. The men then returned the knapsack to -keep the camp from being searched. - -Our troubles with this negro guard commenced the first night, when they -shot into the camp whenever they heard any noise. They were undoubtedly -instigated by their officers and the white soldiers. - -There were a number of attempts to escape, one novel plan being evolved -by the Marylanders. The smallpox broke out inside of the prison, and a -pesthouse was established on the main land in the piney woods, about -three or four miles from the Point. I forgot to mention Point Lookout is -a peninsula, connected with the mainland by a very narrow strip, where a -strong fort was located, and where these negroes were quartered. We also -had an ordinary hospital inside of the enclosure, immediately in charge -of Confederate surgeons, but supervised by a Federal surgeon, who would -receive their report every morning on the conditions of the sick, the -number of the dead, etc. A couple of Marylanders would blister their -faces and hands with hot wire, giving it the appearance of smallpox; the -Confederate surgeon would point out these two cases having developed -smallpox during the night, when they were ordered out to the pesthouse. -They were then carried in a one-horse cart out to the pesthouse in the -piney woods, where they only had one guard on duty with his beat in -front of the door. The Confederate surgeon immediately in charge, at -this pesthouse, would add a couple of boxes in connection with others, -for the dead that had passed away during the night, and would report -these two men among the other dead of the night. These boxes were then -buried by Confederate convalescents, and that was the end of it. The two -Marylanders, during the night, had slipped by the single guard with his -beat in front of the door, then managed to cross the Potuxan River, -either by swimming or floating on planks or logs, there being an only -bridge which had a strong cavalry guard and could not be crossed without -the countersign. - -When I was made acquainted with the scheme by Judge Wilson of the Hood’s -Texas Brigade, who was a Mason and had a number of Masonic friends among -the Marylanders, there were two men out then and after giving them a -reasonable time to get away, he had made arrangements for he and I to go -out next, but alas, the two men out then were captured and exposed the -whole plan, which put an end to it. - -Another plan of escape was attempted by others, that of wading out in -the bay on dark nights, in water deep enough to barely expose their -heads, but when they got opposite the fort those shrewd Yankees had cast -an anchor about a quarter of a mile out, to which was attached a rope -and the rope attached to a bell inside of the fort, so when the -prisoner, wading along in the deep water, would strike this rope, he -would ring the bell, which invariably resulted in his discovery. - -Other attempts at escape by some of the Marylanders, through bribery of -the guard at the gate leading out on the bay shore, invariably failed. -The guards would take the bribe, then report the case when he permitted -the prisoners to pass out of the gate. The escaping prisoners would then -be charged on by a lot of cavalry in waiting around the corner of the -fence and shot down by them. - -General Butler next conceived the idea to go to Richmond with a batch of -prisoners and attempt an exchange, not for the purpose of relieving the -prisoners, but simply to test his own case with the Confederate -Government. On his arrival at City Point, it seems some arrangement was -made that enabled him to deliver these prisoners, presumably in a fair -exchange for prisoners held by us. In this batch of prisoners were a -number of Marylanders, who thoughtlessly published in a Richmond paper -their sufferings and hardships, as well as ill treatment at the hands of -the Federal authorities, and particularly denounced Captain Patterson, -who had charge of the Point Lookout prison, in most bitter terms. By -accident Captain Patterson got hold of a copy of a Richmond paper -containing these charges and with it, went to the Maryland Division, -read it to the men and told them if further exchanges were had he would -see to it that the Marylanders should be the last to leave there. - -After this, the Marylanders in the prison, having denounced the article -as ill advised and improper, began again to court the favor of Captain -Patterson and, after several months, concluded that they had about -succeeded in regaining his confidence. One morning they were notified to -get ready to go to City Point for exchange. Of course, there was -considerable enthusiasm among the Marylanders and I decided to go out -with them, in the name of Stanley. We were marched out and carried into -another bull pen, kept there five or six hours, when we were permitted -to return into our old quarters and found the Tennessee Division had -been placed aboard the flag of truce boat and sailed for City Point. It -is hardly necessary to say that I was the greatest disappointed man -among them, because I also belonged to the Tennessee Division. - -In about two weeks the Louisiana Division was called for, to which I -also belonged and availed myself of the Louisianan’s name, the owner of -which was dead, and passed out with them. - -At the mouth of the James River we passed a fleet of gunboats and ships, -and in due time arrived at City Point, where we anchored in midstream. -The exchange agent, Major Mulford, immediately went ashore and -telegraphed to Richmond our arrival. We were anchored here several days, -expecting hourly a Confederate boat to put in its appearance with the -equivalent of Federal prisoners to be returned in exchange. After -several days, having been told that our boat surely would arrive the -second day, and as it had not put in its appearance, we decided that -there was a hitch somewhere and that we were liable to be carried back. -We expected, hourly, a couple of gunboats to come in sight to escort us -back to Point Lookout. - -The situation, to us, began to look gloomy, and created a feeling of -desperation. We were determined never to be taken back to look inside of -another prison. In accordance therewith we soon made up a party of about -a hundred, agreeing to overpower the guard on the boat if the -Confederate boat didn’t make its appearance by ten o’clock next morning. - -On the cabin deck of this boat were quite a number of Confederate -officers, among them General W. H. Fitts Lee, who had been wounded and -captured. He was a son of General Robert E. Lee, and to him we -communicated our intentions and asked their support. He replied, urging -us to make no such attempt, that everything was all right and the object -of our trip would be carried out without doubt. I told the men that we -could not afford to accept his advice; that we had too much at stake, -and I construed General Lee’s position to be prompted by what he -conceived his duty as a Confederate officer. I urged them, by all means, -to carry out our plan. - -The next day about noon I was sound asleep under the stepladder leading -up to the hatch, when awakened by considerable tumult around me. I -discovered about a half dozen men on the ladder, ready to make a charge -on the upper deck, where the guards were located. It so happened that -the man at the top of the ladder hesitated and by way of encouragement, -I called to him, “Don’t you stop there; put your shoulders under the -hatch and throw it off.” He proved to be an Irishman who said, “The -divil, you say; you come up here and take my place.” There was nothing -to do but climb up the ladder and take his place. I soon put my back to -the hatch and sent it up, whirling on the deck, and jumped on the deck -myself. The guard on duty threw his gun down on me, telling me to go -back or he would kill me. I called to the men, “Come on, boys,” but none -would follow. I noticed General Lee in the front part of the boat, -motioning to me, “Go back; go back.” It is hardly necessary for me to -say that I felt like a fool and went back. - -There is a member of our camp here today who states that he was present, -close to General Lee, and saw me; his name is J. W. Middleton. - -Our boat finally made its appearance and while it moved up very slowly -towards our boat for the purpose of throwing a gang plank across, for us -to pass over, a party of the Louisiana Guard Battery, a company of -highly educated young men from New Orleans, appeared on the upper deck -with a Confederate flag belonging to the Seventh Louisiana, tacked on to -a piece of scantling in the center. General Lee and Colonel Davis of the -Eighth Virginia were at one end of the line. These young men, who were -splendid singers, with fine voices, struck up: - - “Farewell forever to the Star Spangled Banner, - No longer shall it wave over the home of the free, - Unfurled in its stead to the bold breeze of Heaven, - Thirteen bright stars around the palmetto tree.” - -These lines constituted the chorus of the song, which was sung with a -great deal of spirit, and joined in by many of the men and officers. I -forgot to mention that while the boats were coming together the Federal -prisoners began to twit our boys about going back to live on corn -dodgers and bacon, but when they heard this song they were dumbfounded, -ceased their guying and simply stood speechless. - -On our arrival at the Rockets, a place of landing in Richmond, we were -met by a great many citizens, mostly ladies in carriages, and a company -of Richmond cadets, escorted us to the Capitol Square, where we were met -by President and Mrs. Davis, who shook hands with every one of us. Mrs. -Davis was in tears. We were then regaled by a speech from Governor Smith -of Virginia, standing on the platform in front of the Capitol, when -among other things he said, “They have called me from the tented field -to preside over the destinies of this great commonwealth, because they -say I am too old to be there; but I deny the charge and want it -distinctly understood that among Yankees and women, I am only five and -twenty.” - -Those who are acquainted with Governor Smith’s history, knowing him at -that time to be a man about sixty-five or seventy years old, commanding -a brigade in the army when he was elected Governor, will not be -surprised at his expression. Governor Smith was generally known as -“Extra Billy.” I will take occasion to mention that when I put my foot -on Dixie soil it proved the happiest moment of my life up to that time; -I felt like kissing the ground that I stood on. - -President Davis, in his speech to us, told us that we were only paroled, -and could not enter the service again until duly exchanged. He requested -those that lived on the West of the Mississippi not to go home on a -visit, pending this exchange, stating that he hoped we would soon be -called on to return to our respective commands, as we were greatly -needed in the army. - -With me, this admonition was not needed, my only ambition was to get -back to my command and again mount my horse and resume my duties. For -this purpose I sought out Senator Oldham from Texas, who went with me to -the War Department and secured me a pass from the Secretary of War, to -go to Greenville, East Tennessee, where I learned the Rangers were -camped and in due time made my way over there and found them in a deep -snow. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - - THE INHUMANITY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. - -In reviewing my prison experience and observation, I find that I omitted -to mention a case at Bowling Green, which will give the reader a fair -idea of the danger of capture in territory occupied by the Federal Army -and now take occasion to recall the case of John R. Lisle, a sergeant in -Morgan’s command, who was permitted to visit his home near Russellville, -Kentucky, on a short furlough and was shot down in his own home, in the -bosom of his family, by some Tory neighbors, the ball striking him on -top of the head, which temporarily stunned him and while on the floor, -senseless, they rushed in and secured his capture. He had on a new gray -Confederate uniform and when searched, had an order from General Morgan -to notify all of their men whom he met or had an opportunity to convey -the instructions, to report back to their command, having overstayed -their furlough. - -I got acquainted with Lisle as soon as I entered the prison and found -him a very bright, intelligent gentleman. He was then being tried by -court martial on the charge of being a spy and convicted on this order -of Morgan’s, ordering men back to their command. During the trial he -made a pencil memorandum of the proceedings of the court martial and -finally, losing his temper one day, blessed out the court martial, -telling them that he was satisfied they were after his blood and to stop -their mockery of a trial, to go ahead and take his life, lead him out -and shoot him. The court martial found him guilty and assessed his -punishment at death by hanging. As soon as the findings of the court -martial were returned from General Burnside’s headquarters, approved, he -was taken down into the lower room and had irons forged on him, taken -over to the court house under special guard to await the day of his -execution. While at the court house his wife and oldest son, a boy about -fifteen, were permitted to see him, when he smuggled the memoranda he -had made of the proceedings of the court martial to his wife, with -instructions to send his boy to General Bragg’s headquarters, then near -Tullahoma, Tennessee, with this memoranda, satisfied that our Government -would demand his exchange as a prisoner of war, putting some Federal -officer in confinement, as hostage. After he was taken out of the prison -we were not permitted to learn anything more about his fate. - -During my imprisonment at Point Lookout, Maryland, a batch of about five -hundred prisoners from Johnson’s Island were received there. Hastening -to the gate to watch their coming in, thinking perhaps I might see some -acquaintances, I met John R. Lisle, who had just been released from a -dungeon at Johnson’s Island, where he had been ever since he was moved -from Bowling Green in irons—confined in this dungeon and for the first -time then treated as a prisoner of war. There is hardly a doubt but -designating a couple of Federal officers as hostages for his safety, had -the desired effect and saved his life. I left him at Point Lookout with -the balance of the prisoners, from whence he was finally sent around for -exchange. I had a letter from one of our prison companions near Bowling -Green, about eight years ago, saying that Lisle finally returned South -and to his home in Kentucky, where he died only a few years before this -letter was written. - -In order to give the reader an idea of the intense hatred on the part of -the Lincoln Government, it might be well here to note that in the very -beginning of hostilities they adopted a policy to degrade the Southern -Army in the estimation of their own people, as well as that of foreign -countries. In order to carry out such policy the War Department issued -an order that all executions of Confederate soldiers convicted by court -martial, should be by hanging—a felon’s death—which order was never -modified and was carried out in its letter and spirit, never in any case -permitting an exception. - -In this connection I would mention a case in point, which occurred while -I was a prisoner and has repeatedly been reported in the papers of the -North and South. The case was a Colonel Johnston of the Confederate -Army, in conjunction with a lieutenant, whose name I have forgotten, -entering the Federal lines as spies. Colonel Johnston was armed with a -fictitious order from Secretary of War Stanton to proceed to -Murfreesboro, Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee, and inspect the Federal -works at these places. They called one evening at Franklin, presented -the Secretary of War’s order, which seemed to be genuine, when the -colonel commanding received them very courteously and rode around with -them, inspecting his works. Colonel Johnston also stated to him that he -was just from General Rosencranz’s headquarters, where he had inspected -the works around Murfreesboro. After the inspection of the Franklin -works Colonel Johnston told the colonel in command that he was compelled -to go to Nashville that night and insisted on leaving at once for -Nashville, although dark had set in. The colonel tried to persuade him -to spend the night with him but all to no purpose. After Colonel -Johnston and the lieutenant had been gone perhaps a half hour the -colonel got suspicious and wired General Rosencranz for information, and -General Rosencranz replied that there had been no such men there, that -evidently they were spies, to not fail to capture them and order a -drumhead court martial. The colonel then immediately ordered his horse -and with a sergeant, pursued Colonel Johnston and the lieutenant, caught -up with them some six or eight miles on the road to Nashville, and -insisted that they must go back with him and spend the night, which they -did. On their arrival at the colonel’s headquarters he immediately had -them searched and found ample evidence on their persons that they were -Confederate soldiers, acting as spies, notably the sword of Colonel -Johnston’s was inscribed “C. S. A.,” and Colonel Johnston readily -admitted they were spies. - -During the session of the court martial Colonel Johnston made himself -known to the colonel commanding, who then recognized him as a classmate -at West Point. He then made an eloquent appeal to the court martial to -save the life of the lieutenant, telling them that he was unaware, when -they started on this expedition, of its object and finally begged them -to have him shot, to permit him to die a soldier’s and not a felon’s -death. He said to the colonel, “When you rode up we both had our pistols -out, under the capes of our overcoats and could have killed you easily, -thereby saving our lives, but the thought of killing an old classmate -without giving him a chance for his life overruled my better judgment -and I decided that I might talk out of it, thereby sparing your life,” -but all to no purpose, his pleadings were ignored and he had to meet his -fate by hanging. - -After the defeat of the Federal Army at the first battle of Manassas, -many wagonloads of handcuffs, put up in barrels, were captured, which -were intended to be placed on the entire Confederate Army when captured, -and marched into Washington City, wearing these bracelets. - -Among Mr. Lincoln’s earliest proclamations was the one declaring -medicines contraband of war, thus depriving millions of sick of -medicines, one of the most brutal and inhuman orders ever published by a -civilized Government. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - - I REJOIN MY COMMAND. - -Recurring to the meeting of my comrades at Greenville, Tennessee, where -I found them camped in a deep snow, when they had me relate my prison -experience, etc.: They had just received orders to move to Dalton, -Georgia, where I, having no horse, proceeded by rail. On my arrival at -Dalton I found the largest, best equipped army I had ever seen in the -Confederacy, mostly quartered in tents. Our advance line occupied the -top of a range of mountains, presenting precipitous fronts towards the -enemy. This range of mountains was somewhat in the shape of a horseshoe, -largely surrounding Dalton with probably a half dozen gaps, which were -strongly fortified by our forces, except Snake Creek Gap on our left, -nearly on a line with Resacca, a railroad station immediately in our -rear on the only line entering Dalton and our only means of supplying -the army and enabling retreat. I found General Joseph E. Johnston in -command, with General Hardee, his second in command and General Hood, -commanding a corps, immediately in front of Dalton. - -Not having any horse and unable to secure one, I met a friend, Captain -James Britton from Lebanon, Tennessee, who commanded Hood’s escort, who -told me that he had several horses in camp, doing nothing, the owners of -the horses being sick and confined at the hospital; if I would come and -stay with him that I could ride any of the horses. This I gratefully -accepted, telling him that I would only do so with the understanding -that I would be treated as a member of the company doing duty. - -While on this duty, moving out with the escort one morning with General -Hood and staff, to his headquarters just in the rear of Railroad Gap, I -witnessed the meeting of General J. E. Johnston, W. J. Hardee, General -Cheatham, General Hindman, all with their respective staffs, at General -Hood’s headquarters, which were under an old workshed with a workbench -under it. General Johnston and staff were the last to arrive. After -dismounting and shaking hands with the different generals and members of -their staffs, as also General Hood, he handed General Hood his crutches. -General Hood, it will be remembered, lost his leg at Chickamauga and was -ever afterwards on crutches. Generals Johnston and Hood then moved up -the road about three hundred yards out of our hearing and were soon -engaged in a very animated discussion, which lasted perhaps -three-quarters of an hour. When they returned Generals Johnston and -Hardee mounted their horses with their respective staffs, returning to -town, and gradually the rest of the officers dispersed, going to their -respective stations. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - - MIDDLE TENNESSEE AND KENTUCKY. - -On reflection, I find that I omitted about a year’s service in Tennessee -and Kentucky, before my capture near Bowling Green and will insert this -now. - -After destroying trestles and bridges between La Vergne and Nashville, -under General Forrest, and capturing a railroad train at La Vergne, on -which Colonel Fordyce was captured, we were ordered back across the -mountain to Chattanooga, where we commenced scouting and picketing on -the Tennessee River. We frequently extended our scouts almost to -Guntersville, with the Federal Army massing and camping just across the -river. General Mitchell commanded at Huntsville. He gave out that he was -building a gunboat, with which to capture Chattanooga, and had the -people of Chattanooga badly alarmed about it, but when finally he got -his gunboat ready to move up the river, a scout of about twenty Texas -Rangers were sent down to meet it with shotguns, taking a position on -top of a high bank, opposite the mouth of Battle Creek, which was in -plain view of this high bank. The gunboat approached and proved to be an -ordinary small river boat, lined with cotton bales on the edge of the -decks with the troops aboard, lying around carelessly on the side of -this barricade of cotton bales, some of them playing cards. When the -boat came very close to our bluff, we turned loose our shotguns on them -and drove the boat into the mouth of Battle Creek, where it remained and -was utilized by the Federal Army as a bridge for crossing the creek. -This proved the end of General Mitchell’s famous gunboat, with which he -threatened to capture Chattanooga. It was driven out of commission by -Terry’s Rangers’ shotguns and relieved the people of Chattanooga of -their anxiety. - -While picketing down on the river road with a companion, we stopped at a -blacksmith’s shop near Nicajack Cave and had our horses shod; just -across the river was a camp of Federal infantry and artillery. The river -at this point we judged to be about three-quarters of a mile wide, -perhaps more; the railroad continued to run on the banks of the river, -after passing the Narrows with the first depot out of Chattanooga, Shell -Mound. After having our horses shod we rode down to the railroad on the -banks of the river, the grade of which was high enough to protect us and -our horses. We discovered a soldier at the river, filling some canteens -and to see him run, we fired our pistols across, which of course made -him run to his camp. Soon after, we heard the artillery bugle and -immediately a gun opened on us with shell, which always struck the -Nicajack Cave, some three-quarters of a mile in our rear, the country -between us and Nicajack Cave being flat and open. We soon moved down to -the little brick depot at Shell Mound and opened on them from there, -when they perforated it with their shells; we then moved down to a box -bridge across the mouth of the creek running into the river and had them -make that a target. It is hardly necessary to say that we enjoyed this, -somewhat, having a duel with our pistols against their piece of -artillery. We were entirely protected and didn’t consider that we were -under any danger whatever of being hit. - -While picketing on this main road, General Morgan ran down on a -locomotive as far as Shell Mound, just before our escapade with this -artillery and came very near having his engine struck by a shell, but he -succeeded in getting back to Chattanooga with his locomotive. - -We were soon ordered back to Middle Tennessee, under General Forrest, -where we operated around McMinnville, Manchester and along the railroad. -After an attack on the outskirts of Manchester one morning, which -Colonel Forrest decided was too strong for us, we withdrew further down -the railroad, where we charged a block-house, the first we ever -attempted to capture and the first we had ever seen. But, although some -of our men got right up to the house, we were unable to force them to -surrender, and were forced to give it up as a bad job. While engaged in -this venture, a large force of infantry, cavalry and artillery had moved -out on the road from McMinnville and were about to cut off our line of -retreat. When we got in sight of this force, hurrying to get out of this -corner, they raised a shout, which I must say made me feel very -uncomfortable, knowing that they outnumbered us perhaps five to one, but -we succeeded in dashing across the main road, where we wheeled and -charged their advance column, bringing them to a halt, permitting others -of the command to cross, that were virtually cut off, but they did -capture a large fine looking negro man, who was the servant of General -Forrest. His name was Napoleon, and he was devotedly attached to General -Forrest. In connection with his capture they also captured two fine -horses belonging to the general. They carried this negro to Louisville -prison and did their best to persuade him to take the oath of allegiance -and join them, but he steadfastly refused, as he was devotedly attached -to General Forrest and was finally, through some special arrangement, -exchanged and returned to the general. The last I knew of him I heard of -him in Louisville prison, when he was sent around for exchange. - -After operating a while longer in Middle Tennessee without any important -captures, we got information that General Bragg had crossed the -Tennessee River at Chattanooga and was moving across Cumberland -Mountain, driving the Federal Army before him and we were instructed to -harass the enemy as much as possible. In accordance therewith we would -attack their infantry (moving with their artillery, ordnance and wagon -trains by divisions on several of the main roads). We would dash into -their rear, forcing them to stop and draw up in line of battle, when -they would commence shelling us and we would move out of the range of -their artillery rapidly, further up the road, striking another column -perhaps in flank, leaving the first mentioned column shelling the woods -for an hour or more after we had left. In this manner we kept them -harassed and impeded their rapid movements, while General Bragg, with -the main army, was moving as rapidly as possible on their flank, -crossing the Cumberland River higher up on his way to Glasgow, Kentucky. -The Federal Army made a short stop at Nashville, collecting all their -forces, and then moved from there towards Mumfordsville, Kentucky, on -Green River. - -While in pursuit of one of these Federal columns on top of a mountain -not far from Woodbury, we struck a point on the pike where it was built -across a deep ravine; the crossing protected on the side by a rail -fence. Just as we entered the narrow point in this lane, General -Forrest, who was riding in advance of our regiment, discovered a vidette -of the enemy in the woods on the far banks of the ravine, and he -immediately had some men dismounted on both flanks, to drive them in, -satisfied that the enemy were going to make a stand on the other side of -the ravine. He determined to charge them, horseback, for which purpose -we formed fours and prepared for the charge by tightening our saddle -girths. Just as we were ready to move on them, a masked battery of four -pieces opened on us and drove us back, as we stood no chance of reaching -it in massed formation of fours through this narrow lane on the Pike. - -The first shell cut off a leg below the knee of D. Rugeley, one of the -finest looking young men we had in the company, and one of the best. He -was held on his horse by his companions, on our retreat, when the -enemy’s cavalry charged us and, for the moment, created a little -confusion. When Colonel Wharton discovered Rugeley’s plight, holding the -lower part of his leg by the foot and being assisted by a comrade on -each side, holding him on his horse, he was completely overcome with the -sight, rode up and fell over on D., with both arms around his neck, -crying, when D. said to him, “Colonel Wharton, this is no place to take -on in this manner. Leave me and save yourself.” This aroused Wharton and -wheeling his horse, called on the Rangers to rally and drive back that -cavalry and save D. Rugeley, which it is hardly necessary to say, was -done in short order. This is perhaps the only instance where Colonel -Wharton was seen to lose control of himself and can only be explained by -the fact that D. Rugeley’s father and he were most intimate friends, and -on parting with Rugeley’s father had been enjoined to take special care -of his boy. - -An instance of appreciation of our services was illustrated near -Murfreesboro, Tennessee, through which place we had just passed in -pursuit of a large Federal column. In passing through a lane a few miles -north of town, where a number of ladies had congregated to see us pass, -an old lady among them was cheering us and clapping her hands, when she -was heard to remark, “Oh, daughter; just look at our soldiers, grand men -as they are, all covered with dust so they can hardly be recognized; God -bless them! I wish they could stay long enough so I could wash their -clothes.” This old lady perhaps had never seen a washtub in her life, as -judging from the magnificent house which appeared through the woods, and -its surroundings, she was no doubt raised in wealth and affluence. It -was such expressions as this, on the part of the ladies, that made us -good soldiers. - -After our army reached Glasgow the enemy had concentrated a strong force -at Mumfordsville, which was strongly fortified and which they determined -to hold at all hazards. Nashville was not evacuated by them, but a force -of ten thousand men, strongly fortified, with Andrew Johnson, demanding -of General Nelson to hold this place at all hazards, which was done. -While our army was at Glasgow, which was only about twenty-five miles -from Bell Station, McDonald, a member of our company, proposed to me to -go by and see the Smith family, at whose house he had been sick and to -which I agreed, and for this purpose called on Colonel Wharton to give -us a pass, which he refused, saying that no one could be permitted to -pass our lines unless they had a pass from General Bragg, countersigned -by General Polk. We told him, “Colonel Wharton, we feel in duty bound to -visit these people,” and gave him the reason, telling him that we would -make the attempt without a pass. He said, “Graber, if you do and you are -caught, Bragg will have both of you shot.” I told him, “All right; -catching before hanging.” We started out at night, telling him “If you -miss us you’ll know where we are.” We started out the main road towards -Bell Station; when about a mile we struck an Alabama picket and asked -the lieutenant commanding to allow us to pass through, telling him the -circumstances that prompted our determination to visit our friends. He -said, “Rangers, you know we would do anything we can for you, but our -orders are very strict and we cannot disobey them.” We then moved back -out of sight, struck out into the woods on their flank, passing around -them and made our way to the Smith home, about four miles from Bell -Station. It is hardly necessary to say the old lady and her daughters, -the only ones left at home, were delighted to see us, and especially to -hear from the army. They had not heard from their boys, who were in -Breckenridge’s Brigade, nor their father, who was with them. It will be -remembered he left his home with McDonald in a wagon and carried him to -Bowling Green, when he was convalescent from his spell of pneumonia. We -remained at the house nearly a half day, when we heard heavy firing at -Mumfordsville and immediately mounted our horses and started for there. - -Arriving at Mumfordsville about night I was unable to get any -information of our brigade and we decided to go into the battle with the -infantry the next morning, but during the night the Federals -surrendered. About daylight we mounted our horses and entered the fort -through an embrasure and soon struck the hospital tents, where McDonald -dismounted to try to find some liquor. While I never indulged in strong -drink, it was hard to keep McDonald from it. While holding his horse, -waiting for him to come back, Colonel Wharton rode in, at the head of -our regiment, from the opposite side of the fort from where we had -entered and on seeing me, simply said, “Hello, Graber; you beat us in,” -and smiled. I expect we were the first Confederates inside of the fort. -It seems that General Chalmers, the evening before, had made a -determined attack on the works and was repulsed with heavy loss. The -colonel commanding the fort, learning that General Bragg had arrived -with the whole army, completely surrounding him during the night, -decided it was better to surrender than to risk another engagement the -next day, as he had only about four or five thousand men. - -After leaving Mumfordsville, our cavalry and Forrest continued on the -main road through Elizabethtown and on to Bardstown, Kentucky, out of -which place we drove the Federal cavalry. They retreated to Louisville. -We were camped at Bardstown several days, awaiting the arrival of the -infantry and while there, formed the acquaintance of a number of good -people, which means friends of the South. At Bardstown we found the home -of Judge Newman, whose daughter, the wife of my old friend, Cannon, then -lived at Courtney. Before they had removed from Hempstead, a year or -more before the breaking out of hostilities, her sister, Miss Josie -Newman, made a visit to Hempstead, where she formed the acquaintance of -quite a number of young men that were in the army with us. On our second -day’s sojourn a Mr. Tom Clay, belonging to Company K of our regiment, -whose home was in Washington County, and who had been intimately -acquainted with Miss Josie during her stay at Hempstead, proposed to me -to call on Miss Josie, to which I agreed. Alighting in front of their -house, Miss Josie happened to be standing in the door and recognizing -us, rushed to the gate and invited us in. Just then a little boy came -along and asked me to give him a little silk Confederate flag some young -ladies had presented me with the day before and I had sticking in the -browband of my horse’s bridle. Fearing the little boy would take the -flag while we were in the house, I suggested that I had better take this -in with me. Miss Josie then said, “That flag can’t come into our house.” -Up to this time we were unaware that they were Union people. My friend, -bowing to her, said, “We will certainly not go into a house where our -flag is not welcome,” and we declined to go in. By this time her mother -had come to the gate, when Miss Josie introduced us. Mrs. Newman having -heard my name, through the Cannon family, quite often, she insisted on -our coming in, when we told her Miss Josie’s objections. She chided her -for her discourtesy and told us to come in and bring the flag, when my -friend said to Miss Josie, “We will compromise the matter with you and -go in, if you will sing Dixie and Bonnie Blue Flag for us,” which of -course she had to agree to do and, while singing these songs, I sat at -the end of the piano with my little Confederate flag in my hand and when -she sang the chorus I would wave the flag. - -After two days’ sojourn we moved on up towards Louisville, part of our -force dividing and occupying the town of Taylorsville on our right; the -balance of the command camping near Mount Washington on the Bardstown -Pike. Here General Forrest received an order from the War Department to -personally report to Richmond and turn the command of the brigade over -to Colonel Wharton. In about a week the Federal forces advanced out of -Louisville. They were said to be a hundred thousand strong, while -another force moved out of Cincinnati, about sixty thousand strong, with -a view of cutting us off from retreat to Cumberland Gap. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - - BARDSTOWN ENGAGEMENT—I “SWAP” HORSES WITH A FEDERAL. - -The object of General Bragg’s advance into Kentucky was to form a -nucleus for Kentuckians to rally around, our War Department having been -importuned by leading Kentuckians to do this, claiming they would have a -hundred thousand men to join us as soon as we could reclaim their -territory. On this point, however, they were mistaken, as we gathered -only about six thousand recruits and they all wanted to serve in -cavalry. They joined us largely about half equipped for cavalry service, -many of them with citizen’s saddles and shotguns or squirrel rifles and, -while on the subject, I might mention here that over half of them -deserted us before we passed through Cumberland Gap and soon after they -found that we were unable to hold Kentucky. Gen. Bragg moved in there -with about thirty thousand men, exclusive of General Kirby Smith’s force -of about twelve thousand, which moved on Cincinnati and fought the -battle of Richmond, where they completely defeated the Federal Army of -about twenty-five thousand strong, capturing, killing and wounding -nearly half, with the balance driven into Covington and Cincinnati. - -While at Bardstown, General Bragg, finding that the real object of his -campaign was a failure, decided to turn it into a raid; to collect -valuable stores and move out again, through Cumberland Gap. - -When Colonel Wharton took command of the brigade, succeeding General -Forrest, General Wheeler with another brigade occupied the Taylorsville -Pike, both brigades holding the enemy in check in their advance as best -they could. Our little force at Taylorsville was drawn over to the -Bardstown and Louisville Pike, where they met the balance of the brigade -at Mount Washington. While at Mount Washington, drawn up in line, eating -our lunch, a large force of Federal cavalry made a dash on us but were -soon repulsed and driven back. In this engagement a messmate of mine, -Roland Chatham, received a pistol ball right in the center of his -forehead, just over the eyes, the ball penetrating his skull and burying -itself in the brain. This however, did not knock him off his horse and -he remained with us until after the enemy was driven back. Passing to -the rear with his wound bleeding, he was noticed by some ladies in Mount -Washington, displaying his pistol, when they were heard to remark, “Just -look at that poor Texas Ranger; shot through the head and still he wants -to fight.” In this connection I would state that Chatham was sent to the -hospital and finally to Texas, never having been completely disabled on -account of this wound, and with this ball imbedded in the brain, lived -to a good old age, dying only a few years ago at Bryan, Texas, where he -raised a large family. Here he started and operated a cotton gin -manufactory, which proved a great success and enabled him to amass a -considerable fortune. During all his lifetime his wound remained open -but never affected his mind. This was, perhaps, one of the most -remarkable cases on record. - -The Federal advance through Mount Washington and Taylorsville continued -daily as soon as it was light enough to discern anything. The enemy’s -skirmishers would advance and, supported by their line of battle and -artillery, would drive us from positions we had taken up. We would then -fall back to another good position, perhaps a mile, and defend that as -best we could, again to be driven from it in the same manner. I forgot -to mention we had with us in this brigade, the First and Second Georgia -and the Tennessee Battalion, under Colonel Baxter Smith, who is still -living at Nashville, Tennessee. - -When within nine miles of Bardstown, one morning (dark and drizzling -rain) the enemy failed to make its appearance at daylight. Waiting until -about nine o’clock, Colonel Wharton got suspicious, and sent a scout in -our rear, who struck a large cavalry force of the enemy of about eight -regiments, occupying the pike near the Fair Grounds. Returning, full -speed, the scout reported to Colonel Wharton this condition. Immediately -placing himself at the head of our regiment, drawn up immediately across -the pike, Colonel Wharton sent couriers to the balance of our regiment -and to a section of little brass six-pounders (originally the property -of the Arkansas Military Institute) commanded by Captain Pugh of our -regiment, a western Texas cowman, instructing them to come on and catch -up with our regiment as fast as they could. Wharton at the head of the -regiment in column of fours, struck a lope and soon arrived in sight of -this body of the enemy’s cavalry. He then ordered a charge and when at a -junction of a dirt road with the pike, about two companies of this -cavalry formed in an orchard behind a rail picket fence, which are rails -stuck in the ground, picket fashion, and fired on our flank point blank. -About thirty or forty of us turned on them, halting in front of this -picket fence with our bridle reins thrown over the horns of our saddles, -and with a six-shooter in each hand, began to empty saddles. This caused -them to break and enter a lane in their rear, having already let down -the fence to provide for such an emergency, and fled up the lane in a -northerly direction from whence they had come. Colonel Wharton with the -balance of the regiment dashed into the solid body of the enemy in his -front and scattered them. It soon developed that they were panic -stricken and were driven over the open country, interspersed only by -rail and rock fences, in detached bodies of twenty and fifty, and so on, -by only a few Rangers, driving them like cattle on the prairies. Here -was one of the most brilliant cavalry engagements we were ever in and -resulted in our capturing a great many prisoners. - -When the regiment passed through Bardstown somewhat hurriedly, passing -by the Newman residence, Miss Josie Newman, who was standing at the -gate, watching them go by, saw a Major Jared Gross, a former -acquaintance, loping up the column. She recognized him, clapping her -hands and calling out, “Good-bye, Jared; I’m glad to see you running,” -when the next moment she recognized a Federal, Major Watts, riding -behind one of our boys, a prisoner, his face badly bruised and his -clothes torn and soiled, having had his horse killed under him. This -sight immediately brought her tears and she went back into the house, -crying. She was a kind hearted, good young lady, full of spirit in her -Union sentiment. - -Now, to go back to the party of Federals in the orchard, fleeing up the -lane from the direction whence they came: Captain Mark Evans, commanding -one of our Western companies, and I, were the first ones to enter the -lane and drive these fellows. We were followed by quite a number of -others, who stopped at the fence with us when first fired into. In -running up the lane we ran over a number of six-shooters and belts with -sabre and six-shooters attached. The six-shooter was always a valuable -capture for us, as we could readily sell it to men in the army who had -money, which we were always in need of, and although we were virtually -maintaining ourselves without the aid of the Government, we could not -afford to stop and pick up these pistols, as everything depended on -crowding these Federals, who outnumbered us at least ten to one; but, as -before stated, they were panic stricken, which sometimes happened to the -best of troops. - -After passing about a mile up this lane, I noticed a very fine pistol. I -recognized it as a Tranter, an English pistol, self-cocking, of which -Colonel Terry had four, and I was always anxious to secure a pair of -them. My first impulse was to stop and get this pistol; then again -concluded not to stop, as so much depended on our crowding them, but, -after passing it perhaps thirty or forty yards, I decided I would go -back and pick it up, anyway. For this purpose, I wheeled and as my -horse’s position was across the lane, in turning, one of our men just -behind me, struck my horse’s neck and broke the headstall of my bridle, -dropping the bit out of the horse’s mouth. He wheeled and ran after -Evans and the Federals, running faster than ever I had known him to run -before, and he would soon have carried me right in among them. But, when -near Evans I called to him to stop my horse; at the same time one of the -Federals dismounted from his horse and surrendered. He and Evans -together stopped my horse, and as there was no time for swapping -bridles, I slipped over on his horse, handing him my bridle rein which -was still around my horse’s neck with the bit attached; grabbing his -pistol, I went on my Federal horse and told the Federal to wait and turn -mine over to some of the boys behind. - -Continuing up this lane we discovered a bunch of about twenty-five or -thirty, some hundred and fifty yards to our right, in a field, headed by -an officer riding a magnificent horse and in magnificent uniform. We -soon arrived at a big gate on our right, just beyond where another fence -connected with the lane fence, this fence running due east, and which -this bunch of Federals had to cross. When we reached this gate Evans -said to me, “Run through that gate and head off this bunch,” which I -did. I forgot to mention that this party was driven by only about a half -dozen of our men. After passing through the gate I stopped, took -position almost immediately in front of them and when the officer got -near the fence I threw my pistol down on him and demanded his surrender, -to which he paid no attention, but threw off the top rail, the rider of -the fence, and made his horse leap the fence, passing right in front of -me, running through an orchard and I have never been able to understand -how he succeeded in avoiding the limbs of the trees without butting his -brains out. - -When the balance of his men came up and attempted to jump the fence, the -first man broke it down and furnished an easier way for the balance to -cross but, being headed off by me, they were forced to take right down -the fence east, followed by our boys, whom I cautioned several times to -hold their fire until the Federals would bunch up. To this, however, -very little attention was paid and with my additional pistol, my shots -held out longer than theirs. - -Now, it must be understood that having to load our pistols with loose -powder from the powder flask, which had a gauge attached, then ramming -down the ball with a ramrod attached to the pistol, then putting a cap -on the nipple, it was necessary to stop and reload, as an attempt at -reloading, running, would have spilled the powder and caused confusion; -hence, one after another of our boys dropped behind to reload. This -found me alone, just after the Federals and I had turned the corner of a -stone fence, starting due north again. When about a hundred yards from -this stone fence I fired my last shot, when one of them looked around, -discovered I was by myself, called on the others to “turn on him; there -is only one by himself; give him h—.” I wheeled and the Yankees -wheeled. When we had run back only about fifty yards, two of our men, -who I think were Geo. W. Littlefield and Beardy Miller, turned the same -corner of the stone fence. When this bunch of Federals saw this, they -again wheeled, running north. When Littlefield and Miller came up to -where I was they said, “Come on; come on.” I said, “No, I have got to -stop and load my pistol,” which I proceeded to do, they continuing after -this bunch of Federals. Having about three or four chambers of my pistol -filled with powder and standing about fifteen yards from the fence, -seven more Federals came around the same corner of the fence, running -between me and the fence, after I had drawn back my horse about ten -steps, giving them more room. If I had had one load in my pistol, I -would have demanded their surrender, which I believe they would have -done, but they never said a word to me nor I to them, and went flying -after Littlefield and Beardy Miller, who were after the first bunch. - -I forgot to mention that before we had reached this far, we heard heavy -firing of infantry and artillery. We knew it was infantry by their first -volley; then a very rapid, scattering fire, as also rapid cannonading in -the direction of the Fair Grounds, which we concluded to mean that the -balance of our brigade were passing down into Bardstown, around this -infantry and artillery, which had been sent in support of their cavalry. - -After having completed the loading of two of my pistols, I discovered a -bunch of about eighty or a hundred Federals running towards me, cut off -by the long fence running east. When they struck the fence, in place of -crossing it, continuing in their course north, they turned right down -the line of fence east, on the south side of it. By this time the firing -at the Fair Grounds had become more scattered and distant, and the -artillery had ceased firing, but I was afraid to venture back the way I -came, by myself, therefore, decided that I would let down the fence, -getting on the south side of it, follow this last bunch east, until I -was about four or five miles east of Bardstown, then turn due south and -strike the Springfield Pike, on which I knew our infantry were moving -from Bardstown to Perryville. I finished loading my pistols, then -crossed the fence and started east in the wake of these Federals, -keeping a sharp lookout ahead and, after riding about three or four -miles, passing through woods-lots and fences, I emerged from the woods, -up on a ridge, and discovered these fellows about a quarter of a mile -below me in a field, drawn up in a line, facing in my direction. I -resorted to a ruse, taking off my hat and waving it behind me, then -started at them, but this would not work and immediately they started -after me. I turned south and put my Federal horse to his best and soon -got out of sight. - -Having run in this direction some three or four miles, coming out of a -woods-lot through a big gate to a large, white house I stopped and -called, hoping to get some information about the best way to get to the -Springfield Pike. After calling some little time, an old gentleman came -out of the door, to the front porch, when I called to him that I was a -Confederate soldier and wanted some information about striking the -Springfield Pike, four or five miles east of Bardstown. Having heard the -firing of the infantry and artillery, which no doubt greatly alarmed -him, he talked so fast and rambling that I was unable to understand him, -and I begged him to come to the gate, which he started to do. When about -half way, I heard the woods-lot gate creak, looked around and here were -my Federals, coming single file, which of course started me again, -running south into a short lane running east, and when at the mouth of -this lane, only about three hundred yards long, I looked across the -corner of this man’s field and found about a dozen or more of these -fellows bunched up at his gate, talking to the old man. I immediately -turned south again, putting my horse to his very best. When about three -miles from there, I struck a lane with a dirt road running towards -Bardstown. I kept a sharp lookout for the Federals behind me, whom I -never saw again and don’t believe they followed me any further. Looking -up the lane east, I discovered five Confederate cavalrymen coming in the -direction of Bardstown and when they got up to where I was waiting for -them in the lane, having crossed the fence, I found that they were three -Georgians and two of our own regiment. I then tried to get them to go -back with me, telling them that I believed that we could pick up quite a -number of prisoners, but the Georgians were unwilling; they too, had -heard the firing at Bardstown and did not think it safe for us to go -back in the direction of where I left these people scattered over the -different fields. - -I now suggested we strike south again until we reached the Springfield -Pike, which we did in due time and struck Anderson’s Division of -Infantry, reporting to General Anderson our engagement and telling him I -was satisfied we could pick up many prisoners if he would only send back -with me a couple of companies of cavalry. He stated he did not have a -man to spare and was unable to do so, but told me to wait there, that -General Hardee would come up pretty soon and might act on my suggestion. - -In about half an hour General Hardee, with his staff, came up, and I -reported the engagement to him and found he had had no particulars. -Being unable to tell him whether the balance of the brigade with the two -little popguns had got through safely to Bardstown, made him somewhat -apprehensive, but he was, nevertheless, gratified to know that the -Rangers had come through all right. - -General Hardee, in response to my request to send some cavalry with me -to pick up these stragglers, said that he did not have a man to spare -and told me we had better stay at his headquarters that night. The next -morning we would find our command at a certain point on this pike, he -said. This we decided to do, being very hungry and tired. The next -morning we started for our camp and, on my arrival there, found my horse -with the saddle, everything all right, but no one in the company could -tell who delivered him or where he came from. Captain Evans, I suppose, -being too much engaged in collecting his scattered forces, had not made -any report on my exchange of horses. I never found out what became of my -good Federal who held him for me and swapped with me. My comrades, who -had concluded that I was perhaps killed, shot off of my horse, had given -me out and, when I rode in on my Federal horse with the Federal overcoat -and other equipments, you can imagine their surprise. - -Miss Josie Newman, just before Major Gross passed her house, had called -to some members of our company to know where I was and their answer was -that I was left on the field, either dead or wounded and this caused her -and her mother, with friends, to look over the field for several days, -hunting me or my body, so Mrs. Cannon reported after a visit to her -home, several years after the war. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - - THE BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE. - -Referring back to the balance of the brigade we left formed on the pike, -nine miles from town: Couriers were sent them and to our little battery, -to follow us and catch up as fast as they could, which they tried to do. -When near the Fair Grounds they fell into the enemy’s infantry and -artillery support, but successfully moved around them, losing only a few -killed and wounded and taken prisoners; our loss in killed and wounded -was very small. - -The cause of our being cut off was through General Wheeler, who had -occupied the Taylorsville Pike, moving into Bardstown the night before, -sending a courier to Colonel Wharton with a dispatch ordering him to -move in also. This courier was captured, which of course, proved -valuable information to the enemy and on which they acted by throwing -this heavy cavalry, infantry and artillery forces across our line of -retreat. - -This brilliant achievement of Wharton’s extricating his brigade from -this trap, secured his promotion to that of Brigadier-General, the same -as Forrest’s exploit in the capture of Murfreesboro had secured his -commission as Brigadier-General. - -After leaving Bardstown our army continued its movement towards -Perryville, its rear covered by our cavalry, all under the command of -General Joe Wheeler. We pursued the same tactics that we did between -Louisville and Bardstown, taking up favorable positions only to be -driven from them by the large force of the enemy, usually by their -superior artillery and heavy flank movements, thereby retarding their -advance and giving our infantry, artillery and wagon train ample time to -keep out of their way, also enabling some part of the cavalry to collect -valuable army stores, such as provisions, stock, etc. - -At Perryville we were forced to call a halt and give battle, our right -wing, commanded by General Polk, becoming actively engaged about two -o’clock in the evening. - -The battlefield selected was one of the most favorable to both armies -that could have been wished for, except that the extreme left wing of -the Federal Army was caught without water until they succeeded in -reaching a spring. Both lines of battle were on wooded ridges, -intervened by a gentle valley from one and a half to three miles wide, -these ridges terminating not far from Doctor’s Creek where there was -considerable water, and which was commanded by our lines. At the head of -the valley another wooded ridge sprang up about equidistant between the -terminations of the two first mentioned ridges. - -About ten o’clock we were ordered to our extreme right, commanded by -General Cheatham and our line of march in the rear of the infantry line -was discovered by the enemy, causing a concentration of their artillery -to such an extent that we were forced to drop to the rear out of their -sight. Finally we were ordered up on this wooded ridge commencing in the -center of the valley, as a corps of observation, to watch the enemy’s -extreme left and frustrate any flank movements they might undertake. - -I forgot to mention that the artillery on both lines opened about -daylight and gradually developed on both lines to about one o’clock, the -infantry of both lying down and keeping out of sight. While on the ridge -as stated, acting as a corps of observation, General Wharton, with his -field glass, discovered a body of Federal cavalry, loaded with canteens, -at a spring at the foot of the mountain they were occupying and called -to the command, “About a half dozen of you get off your horses and drive -that cavalry away from the spring.” As the mountain or ridge we were on, -on the side next to the enemy, was very rocky and precipitous, the -necessity of dismounting was apparent. I, with five or six others, -obeyed the order and we were soon down in the valley, charging this -spring, when this cavalry, with their long range Spencer rifles, took -position behind a rock fence and opened on us. We had only one long -range gun, in addition to six-shooters and knowing that the eyes of our -own command, as well as Cheatham’s Division of infantry were watching -us, we never considered a halt, but charged right on to them and, with -our pistols, drove them away from the spring. We followed them around -the foot of their ridge, past a house in the rear of the ridge, then -down a line of fence, while they passed into the field and finally into -a cedar thicket. We decided that we had better retire. We had started to -do so, when one of these fellows came out of the thicket, riding a gray -horse and called to us, waving his pistol. We turned loose on him with -our pistols and drove him back into the thicket. We again started to -retire, when he made his appearance again, pursuing the same tactics, -when one of our boys, who had an Enfield rifle, the only gun in the -party, crept down the outside line of the fence, unseen by them, until -about even with the thicket and when the fellow made his appearance -again, the third time, he fired on him, tumbling him off his horse. This -brought a shout from our party, when simultaneously with our shout, a -battery opened on the extreme left of the ridge, almost right over us, -but they were not shooting at us. Still we knew unless we hurried out of -there, we would be caught, and immediately proceeded to do so. When we -got in sight of the ridge occupied by our cavalry, we discovered the -object of their artillery fire, which was shelling a party General -Wharton had sent around, leading our horses, to bring them to us. Before -we got half way across we found our regiment sweeping around the foot of -the mountain, across the valley, up on the enemy’s ridge and as soon as -they were out of sight in the dense woods on the ridge, they fell into -the enemy’s infantry behind a stone fence, which poured volleys into -them and it is hardly necessary to say, badly scattered them, and they -left a number of killed and wounded on the field. In the meantime, -General Cheatham and staff had been seen crossing the valley to the -point where our regiment was engaged, followed by his strong line of -infantry. General Cheatham called to our scattered forces to “take this -cavalry out of here and let my people take a hand,” which they did as -soon as they got within range of this stone fence. This fence was -defended by the enemy’s infantry at close quarters with clubbed guns and -bayonets, but they finally yielded and were driven, inch by inch, off -the mountain to their rear. This was the opening of the battle of -Perryville and occurred about two o’clock in the evening. Among the dead -left temporarily on the field was Captain Mark Evans, shot through the -center of the head. The reader will remember that a few days before he -saved my life and assisted me in swapping horses with the Federal in the -Bardstown fight. - -After rallying his forces General Wharton moved around in the rear of -this wooded ridge and, while moving parallel with this ridge in the -valley beyond, discovered an ordnance train in a lane about a quarter of -a mile to our right, and prepared to charge it. Immediately a battery of -four pieces opened on us on our flank, compelling us to withdraw, as we -were satisfied that this battery was supported by a heavy force of -infantry. Under this fire of artillery we had a complete set of fours -cut down by one cannon ball or shell that passed through the bodies of -four horses, cutting off both legs of one man below the knee, but not -injuring the three other men, who mounted behind other comrades and rode -off the field. This set of fours was just in front of the set of which I -constituted a part and, on the spur of the moment, I stopped with our -wounded friend to assist him. When attempting to hand him my canteen, to -give him water, my horse pulled back completely out of his reach, -preventing giving him water, which I could not throw to him, as the -stopper of the canteen was lost, when Jared Gross, seeing our -predicament, came back to assist me. Our command, in the meantime, had -gone forward into a piece of timber, out of sight of the artillery. When -Jared rode up pretty close to me I suggested that we had better keep -apart as this artillery had the range on us, and we had barely separated -when they fired another shot which cut the side of the mountain and -would certainly have got us both if we had failed to separate. We were -compelled to leave poor Duncan on the field, where he was afterwards -attended by our surgeon and taken to a house and left inside of the -enemy’s lines the next day. We never heard of him any more, assuming -that he died, as the shock was too great, in connection with the loss of -blood, for him to survive. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - - I REFUSE TO BECOME A TEAMSTER. - -While at Corinth, immediately after the battle of Shiloh, we were -ordered to furnish two wagon drivers and called for volunteers, having -two wagons to the company. There was not a man in the company that would -agree to drive wagons and we were instructed to draw lots, when, with my -usual luck, I drew lots to drive wagons, which was a four-mule team; and -I had never done any driving before. The other party was Jared Gross, -who also objected to driving mules. I told General Wharton that I didn’t -leave my home and everything I had to come out there and drive a mule -team and that I wouldn’t and couldn’t do so. He said, “Now, Graber, you -know you agreed to this drawing and it is not right or fair for you to -refuse.” I told him that I knew it was mean, but I did not expect that -it would fall to my lot to drive this wagon, when he finally told me, -“If you do not obey this order I will have to have you court martialed.” -I told him, “All right, Colonel Wharton, you may punish me as much as -you like, but I am not going to drive that wagon.” - -Some one then proposed to hire a couple of men and pay them fifty -dollars a month each, which was done, and Duncan, with another man from -Brazoria County, whose name I have forgotten, volunteered to take the -job. - -After crossing the Tennessee River at Lamb’s Ferry, we left our wagons -and considerable private baggage with cooking utensils and tents, at -Bear Creek. A few days after, the Federal cavalry crossed the river and -captured the whole outfit, except the men in charge of the same. This -was the last of our luxuries, tents, cooking utensils or wagons never -being issued after that, except to our headquarters or the commanding -general and his staff, who employed Duncan to drive the headquarters -wagon. - -Having been engaged in this, and fearing that the war would end and he -would have to go home and report he had never been in any engagements, -Duncan decided that he must go into the battle of Perryville with us, -where he lost his life, as stated. - -After our experience with the ordnance train and battery, our command -followed in the rear of our infantry line, which slowly, but gradually, -drove the enemy until dark, capturing several batteries of fine guns. By -one of the batteries we found the body of General Jackson, a Federal -general from Kentucky, who, when he found his infantry had abandoned the -battery, seemed determined to throw away his life and, single and alone, -dashed up to one of our infantry men, cutting at him with his sword, -when the man shot and killed him. - -After dark we tied our horses in the edge of a woods, to a rail fence -which enclosed a large corn field, where the desperate fighting stopped. -We then went into the field and secured some corn for our horses. As the -most of the corn was destroyed by the lines of battle, we had to pass -over a good deal of ground to get sufficient corn for our horses. At the -point where I stopped gathering, having secured as many ears of corn as -I could carry in my arms, the dead lay so thick I believe I could have -stepped from one to the other within a radius of ten or fifteen feet. -Among them I noticed the dead body of a magnificent looking man lying on -his back with his eyes open, seemingly looking at the starry firmament. -Noticing that he wore an officer’s suit, I turned up his collar which -disclosed two stars, denoting his rank as lieutenant-colonel. I -afterwards learned that he commanded a Tennessee regiment in Cheatham’s -Division. - -During the night an armistice was had by mutual consent, for the purpose -of taking care of the wounded and burying the dead. We were ordered to -destroy the small arms left on the field, which were very thick, by -breaking the stocks on the trees, which job we soon abandoned because -many of the guns were loaded. The batteries captured by our people were -exchanged for our own guns, as we only had horses to carry off the -number captured, leaving our inferior guns spiked on the field. - -The battle of Perryville, for the number engaged, has always ranked as -one of the most desperately fought battles of the war, equal to Shiloh, -Chickamauga and others for desperate fighting, and which the respective -losses of the two armies fully sustained. - -The battle of Perryville proved such a blow to the Federal commander -that it made him more cautious in his rapid advance. Our infantry during -the night commenced their retreat with the wagon train, artillery and -everything belonging to them, moving towards Harrodsburg, where we were -met by General Kirby Smith and his army, coming back from Cincinnati. At -this point we found a very large amount of pickled pork in barrels, that -had been collected for removal with our army, but had to be abandoned -and was largely destroyed by our cavalry, still covering the retreat, as -heretofore. - -The enemy at this point crowded us pretty close and came very near -forcing a general engagement again, which no doubt would have proven -disastrous to our arms, because they outnumbered us at least four to -one. Our cavalry service continued to cover the retreat except with -occasional branching out to different points where army supplies were -stored, notably Lebanon, where I was sent with a detail of three others -to a man’s house by the name of Penick, who had a large plantation and -owned a great many negroes. He was said to have a great deal of bacon, -which we were instructed to have carried to Lebanon. On arriving at the -house I went in and told the gentleman our business. He met us in the -hall, joined by his wife and daughter and in answer to our demand that -he have his negroes hitch up his wagons and load the meat, he spitefully -told us that he had hid out his mules, negroes and bacon and said, “Get -it, if you can.” In reasoning with him, trying to persuade him that we -would certainly find his hidden stuff, he became very insulting, when I -finally told him he was taking advantage of us, knowing well that his -gray hair and the presence of the ladies would protect him from our -resenting his insults, but told him if he had any boys to bring them out -and we would settle the matter with them pretty quick. He said, “I have -two boys, but they are in the army and if ever they meet you, they will -meet you like men.” I asked him what branch of the service they were in, -when he told me they were in the cavalry. I then told him that we had a -cavalry fight a couple of weeks before at Bardstown, where no doubt his -boys were engaged, when on his further enquiry about the engagement, I -told him how we scattered them all over the country, killing and -wounding a great many. The ladies burst into tears and went back into -their room, and the old man had nothing more to say about his boys. - -I then again tried to persuade him to give us at least one wagonload of -bacon, promising him that if he would send his team and a boy to drive -it to Lebanon, he would surely have them returned, when he again refused -in a spiteful, insulting manner. I told him that we had understood he -had some six or eight yoke of work-oxen and in Texas we knew all about -handling oxen and we would go into his pasture and drive them up and -hitch them to the wagons that were at the house, but this was only a -threat. We gave him up as a bad job and when we reached the pike about -three miles from there, we met a citizen who told us that Wheeler’s -cavalry had evacuated Lebanon and burnt all the meat stored there, which -we were induced to believe, and decided to ride back to the Harrodsburg -Pike and get with our command, which we did. - -Our army then continued to retreat, the main part of the army moving -towards Crab Orchard, where we struck the Cumberland Gap road, while the -army, under Kirby Smith, was struggling over Big Hill, and had still to -join the main army at the junction of the roads at Pitman’s. The army -then moved into the mountains on the Cumberland Gap road, which, owing -to the character of the country, was generally restricted to a single -wagon track. This stretched out our columns of retreat for perhaps -twenty miles or more and cut up the road very badly, frequently causing -wagons to stall. Two infantrymen consequently were detailed with every -wagon, of which we had thirty-eight hundred, laden with provisions and -valuable stores. This detail of two with each wagon was ordered to -assist any wagon that was stalled by taking hold of the wheels, thereby -helping the team to pull the wagon out of the rut. - -A division commander was detailed every day to take charge of the wagon -train and artillery and keep it moving. When a wagon stalled, the whole -line of retreat, infantry, wagons and artillery behind it, would have to -wait until it would move again, thereby seriously impeding our line of -march and causing the cavalry in the rear desperate fighting sometimes -to hold off the enemy. - -It was reported of General Cheatham, when he had charge of the train, -that one of his wagons was stalled, and he put spurs to his horse and -rode up the line and reached the wagon. The driver was whipping his -mules and the two infantrymen were standing by the roadside, resting on -their guns. At the sight of this, he jumped off his horse, took hold of -the spokes of the wagon wheel and tried to turn it, but all to no -purpose. The two guards still stood resting on their guns. General -Cheatham lost his patience and turned around and slapped one of the -guards in the face. This happened to be an Irishman, who said, “Be God; -if you were not Gineral Cheatham you couldn’t do this.” General Cheatham -pulled off his sword belt, coat and hat and threw them down by the side -of the road and said, “Now, there lies General Cheatham and here is -Frank Cheatham; now light in.” They say that at this invitation the -Irishman lit in and got the best of the bargain, of which General -Cheatham never made any complaint. The two men then took hold of the -wheels in conjunction with General Cheatham, and started up the wagon, -and with that the whole line of retreat. - -This incident was currently reported and generally believed by all who -knew General Cheatham, but I would not be willing to vouch for the same, -as it is almost past belief. - -After leaving Crab Orchard, General Buell dispensed with his cavalry, as -they were unable to cope with ours and moved only with his infantry and -artillery in advance. To enter into the details of the rest of this -campaign, would require too much space and will only say that the -brigade of General Wharton, which always includes the Terry Rangers, in -conjunction occasionally with other cavalry, were expected to and did -succeed in retarding the pursuit of the enemy, restricting his advance -to from six to eight miles a day only, thereby protecting our infantry -column, as well as the artillery, ordnance and thirty-eight hundred -wagons loaded with valuable army stores. On this retreat the infantry -were called on only one time to fire a gun. We met the enemy in a -general engagement at Mount Vernon, Barren Valley, Rocky Hill, Bushy -Mound, Wild Cat, Pitman’s Road, Little Rock, Castle River and many other -points, inflicting on them considerable loss. This mountain service on -the part of the Rangers proved a most severe tax on their endurance, on -account of being deprived of rations. At one time, for nearly two days, -we depended on picking up raw corn left in the camps of artillery and -wagons, where the horses and mules had been fed. A number of times, -after fighting all day long, we had to go out into the hills ten or -twelve miles to find forage for our horses before we could retire to get -a little rest. Our camping places were frequently by the light of the -enemy’s fires. - -To give the reader a better idea of the valuable service we rendered, I -will quote an order issued by General Wheeler, read to us at Cumberland -Gap, October 23, 1862. - - GENERAL ORDER NUMBER THREE: - - “Soldiers of the Cavalry Corps, Army of Mississippi: - - “The autumn campaign in Kentucky is over, your arduous duties, - as the advance and rear guard, for the present, are finished. - Your gallantry in action, your cheerful endurance in suffering - from hunger, fatigue and exposure, render you worthy of all - commendation. For nearly two months you have scarcely been for a - moment without the range of the enemy’s musketry. In more than - twenty pitched fights, many of which lasted throughout the day, - you have successfully combated largely superior numbers of the - enemy’s troops of all arms. Hovering continually near the enemy, - you have engaged in no less than one hundred skirmishes. Upon - the memorable field of Perryville, alone and unsupported, you - engaged and held in check during the entire action, at least two - infantry divisions of the opposing army. By your gallant charges - on that day you completely dispersed and routed a vastly - superior force of the enemy’s cavalry, driving them in confusion - under their artillery and infantry supports, capturing in - hand-to-hand conflicts many prisoners, forces and arms. Your - continuous contact with the enemy has taught you to repose - without fear under his guns, to fighting wherever found and to - quietly make your bivouac by the light of his camp fires. On - this continued series of combats and brilliant charges, many - great men have fallen. We mourn their loss. We commend their - valor. Let us emulate their soldierly virtues. - - “JOSEPH WHEELER, - “Chief of Cavalry.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - - OMISSIONS IN PRECEDING CHAPTERS - -After leaving Cumberland Gap our army again moved into Middle Tennessee, -with headquarters at Murfreesboro. Our cavalry in the advance camped -near La Vergne, at Nolandsville and Triune. The enemy concentrated at -Nashville, from whence they sent out foraging parties, supported by -large infantry forces with which we had daily engagements, restricting -their foraging within a small area of country. At Nolandsville, where -General Wharton made his headquarters, we camped nearly a month, when -Lieutenant Decherd was instructed to select about fifteen men and cross -the Cumberland Mountain, for the purpose of buying fresh horses, which -were very much needed. I was ordered to go with this party. - -While camped near Winchester, Tennessee, intending to cross the mountain -the next day, we heard the distant roaring of the guns of the battle of -Murfreesboro, which was not expected so soon when we left the command, -and which proved a great disappointment to our party, as we felt that -every man was needed for such an event. We, therefore, hastened back to -the army, which we found evacuating Murfreesboro, and reported. Of the -Rangers’ part in that great battle I will not mention in this, as that -is of record in the general reports of General Bragg and others, and -will only say that they fully sustained their character as one of the -leading regiments in this army, capturing prisoners, artillery, wagon -trains, etc., and finally covering the retreat of the army off the -field. - -Our army then continued its retreat through Shelbyville to Tullahoma, -our cavalry still operating on the north side of Elk River. Before -crossing Elk River a courier reached General Wheeler from General -Forrest, after Wheeler had crossed the bridge, requesting him to hold -the bridge until he (Forrest) could cross with his command. Promptly on -receipt of this information, General Wheeler, with a portion of his -command, notably the Fourth Alabama Cavalry, recrossed the bridge to the -north side, determined to hold the same until General Forrest had -crossed with his command. Before Forrest reached Shelbyville, however, -General Stanley, with a heavy force of cavalry, outnumbering Wheeler’s -little force ten to one, charged and forced them back across the river, -cutting General Wheeler off from the bridge. General Wheeler spurred his -horse to the bank and over it, into the dangerous river, which had been -swollen by excessive rains, making a leap of not less than twenty feet, -with Stanley’s cavalry shooting after him and continuously firing on him -until he reached the opposite bank. This was, perhaps, the most -miraculous escape he had during the war. - -Before reaching Tullahoma, a Captain Gordon, who had distinguished -himself near Bardstown, where he held in check a whole brigade of the -enemy’s infantry on the Bloomfield Road for a whole day with only twenty -men, was ordered to select twenty men from the Rangers and enter -Kentucky, for the purpose of gaining information of the disposition of -the enemy’s forces, preparatory to a general raid by our cavalry. The -history of this trip, which resulted in my being wounded and captured -and held a prisoner just one year, lacking a day, I have already -recorded, and by an oversight, it crept into this history ahead of the -proper time. - -Recurring to the hard service sustained by us in the mountains between -Crab Orchard and Cumberland Gap: The last night we were on picket duty -our company had dwindled down to seven men and I happened to be on -vidette with a messmate, John Cochran. Just at daylight, when the enemy -usually made its appearance, we were relieved by two others of the -command and when we reached the reserve picket, discovering a grassy -spot in the middle of the road, I told Cochran I must try to steal a -little nap, and laid down on this grassy spot, holding my horse by the -bridle, when I was awakened, only about ten minutes after, by Cochran -stooping down from his horse and jabbing me with his pistol. The reserve -picket had formed a line across the road, just a little back of where I -was sleeping and were firing on the enemy’s advancing skirmish line, the -noise of which failed to awake me and it was only his prodding me with -the end of his six-shooter that got me awake. I had just time enough to -swing on to my horse and get out of there. Here Cochran’s prediction, -frequently made, that he would bet Graber would wake up some fine -morning with a Yankee bayonet sticking in him, came very near being -verified. I merely mention this to give the reader a fair idea of our -complete exhaustion for the want of sleep, continuous hunger and arduous -duties. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - - GENERAL JOHNSTON’S FAILURE TO STRIKE—SHERMAN - -Recurring to my service in Captain Britton’s company, acting as escort -to General Hood at Dalton, Georgia, where I described the meeting of the -several generals with General Hood at his headquarters in the rear of -Railroad Gap: On our return to camp that night after supper, Captain -Britton suggested he should go up to headquarters and pump Major Sellars -on the meaning of the meeting that morning. He reported on his return -from a visit to headquarters that General Mower, commanding Hooker’s old -corps, had moved down to Snake Creek Gap during the day, which was -located about nineteen miles in our rear and about ten miles west of -Dalton. - -General Hood plead with General Johnston that morning for permission to -move out of his works through Railroad and Rocky Face Gaps with his -corps and defeat Sherman’s Army before Mower could return to reinforce -them. Captain Britton said that he would bet our army would be in full -retreat that night, falling back to Resaca, which prediction was -verified, as, by daylight next morning, our infantry and artillery were -engaged with the enemy at Resaca, where we came very near losing a large -part of our army by having their retreat cut off. - -Had General Johnston yielded to General Hood’s plan, there is no -question but what he could have destroyed Sherman’s Army; here was a -golden opportunity lost by General Johnston, and was the beginning of -the downfall of the Confederacy. - -After about two weeks I succeeded in getting a horse with the regiment -and continued with the regiment during the whole of the North Georgia -campaign, the details of which I will not venture to insert, as they -will be recorded fully in a history now being written by Colonel Ben F. -Weems of Houston. - -During the siege of Atlanta General Sherman started out two cavalry -expeditions, one under a General Stoneman to move around the right wing -of our army, and one under General McCook around the left wing of our -army, both to unite on the Macon line of railroad, and to destroy and -tear up the same, then move on to Andersonville and release our -prisoners. Had these expeditions proven a success, with an army of -probably twenty-five or thirty thousand released prisoners turned loose -in our rear, it would have wound up the Confederacy. At Atlanta, General -Hood took command of our army, not exceeding thirty-six thousand muskets -and, to use his words, “This army through General Johnston’s retreating -from Dalton, had become an army of laborers by day and travelers by -night,” while the army at Dalton, including Polk’s corps at Rome, -numbered eighty-six thousand muskets, and was better equipped and -organized than any army the West had ever had. The North Georgians and -Tennesseans, largely constituting this army, with their families inside -of the enemy’s lines, were anxious and eager for an advance, and there -is no question of doubt had General Hood been permitted to give battle -at Dalton, our army would have recaptured Tennessee and Kentucky. - -Referring back to the enemy’s cavalry expedition out of Atlanta: General -Stoneman, with a large part of his force, and a lot of convalescents in -the town of Macon, Georgia, were captured near Macon by General Iverson, -commanding Georgia cavalry. General Wheeler with our brigade, Ross’ and -Roddy’s, forced McCook to a general engagement on the evening of the -second day between Noonan and Philpott’s Ferry, where they finally -surrendered, with the exception of himself and staff, and Colonel -Brownlow and some other line officers, who swam the river that night and -made their escape. - -General Wheeler issued an order that night for no man to cross the river -after these fellows, when I, with several of our regiment, decided there -must be some mistake about it and crossed the river to try to catch -these fellows, specially anxious to capture Colonel Brownlow. -Immediately after crossing the river we found a quartermaster’s clerk, -so he represented himself to be, left wounded at a house. His wound, -however, was not very serious we thought. He had on a magnificent pair -of boots, which just about fitted me and I had been unable to secure -boots, only wearing shoes, when I proposed to him to exchange with me, -which he readily did. While he was pulling off his boots, the lady of -the house came in and opened a tirade of abuse on me for taking a poor, -wounded man’s boots. I told her I had but just come out of a Federal -prison where they treated us worse than that and I was satisfied that my -shoes would prove more comfortable to this man at Andersonville, than -the boots, to which our prisoner agreed. We then continued our pursuit -on the main road to Wedowee, the county seat of Randolph County, -Alabama, occasionally taking a prisoner, whom we would turn over to -reliable citizens, to be taken to West Point where we had a garrison. We -were unable to secure many prisoners, probably not exceeding eight or -ten, as those afoot would hear us coming in the road and dart into the -brush, while their officers impressed every horse they could lay their -hands on and soon outdistanced us with their fresh horses. - -At Wedowee we found a tanyard, where I purchased a lot of good leather, -sufficient to rig a Texas saddle. We had some men detailed to make -saddles, who were experts in such work and moved down with the army as -fast as it retreated. Our first shop was at Ackworth, Georgia, where -they did a good deal of work, but were prevented from turning out -anything extensive ever after, for the reason they were unable to get -leather. I paid one hundred and twenty-five dollars for the leather I -got at this tanyard. Colonel Harrison promised me, after my return from -prison, that if I would furnish the leather he would have rigged for me -one of the finest saddles that could be made, which was the inducement -for me to carry this roll of leather on my horse’s back. - -Going back into the town from the tanyard, we stopped at a hotel to get -some dinner. This was one of the ordinary country hotels with a porch in -front and large square columns under the porch. While eating dinner, I -had a seat at the end of the table where I could see out on the street. -The hotel was located somewhat under the hill, away from the square, -when I discovered Carter Walker, one of our party, who had finished -dinner, behind one of the posts with his pistol out, talking to some one -on the street towards the courthouse. Having his pistol out suggested to -me that there was trouble ahead, so I jumped up and told the boys to -come on. As we got out on the porch we discovered about fifteen or -twenty men on their horses near the courthouse, with one of them talking -to Carter Walker, about fifty yards distant from us. As soon as we came -out, he retired and when he got back with his crowd, said something to -them and immediately they wheeled and left town. This proved to be a -party of bushwhackers, who were not anxious for a fight with us. We now -decided to return and when a few miles from town, we heard of an old -gentleman, whose name I have forgotten, the only Rebel citizen in that -section, whom we decided to go and see and get some information from. - -After reaching his house and getting acquainted, we decided, on his -urgent request, to stay with him that night, as we were very tired, as -were also our horses, and we did not suppose there was any great need -for our services immediately after the destruction of the enemy’s -cavalry. This old gentleman had had considerable trouble with his Tory -neighbors, who came to his house several nights and opened fire on him, -which he, his old lady and his daughter, a barefooted girl of eighteen, -returned with their squirrel rifles through port holes cut in the logs -of his house. - -On the information of our old friend, we decided to visit the house of a -Tory neighbor of his, across the mountain, who belonged to the Tory -regiment in camp at Rome, which we did. Riding up to the house in blue -overcoats, we called for a drink of water, when a lady invited us in, -supposing that we were Federal soldiers. In our talk with them, there -being two other ladies in the house, we represented that we were Federal -spies on our way to Andersonville to make arrangements about the escape -of our prisoners there, which created quite an interest with these -women, who told us that a large number of young men of the neighborhood -belonged to the First Federal Alabama Cavalry, stationed near Rome, and -quite a number of them were expected home pretty soon on a furlough. We -then arranged with them to tell their boys about our visit and tell them -that we expected to return there in about ten days, as we would probably -need their assistance and we wanted to confer with them. Our idea was -that we would return there at that time, with our company, and capture -the whole outfit. - -After making complete arrangements, we started back towards Philpott’s -Ferry, where we again recrossed the Chattahoochie and, on our arrival at -Noonan, found that Wheeler had moved over to Covington, on the Augusta -road. - -Riding all that day in a drizzling rain, we called at a house for the -purpose of getting some feed for our horses and something to eat for -ourselves. Night had already set in. We asked the gentleman if he could -take care of us that night, give us a place to sleep on the floor, as we -never slept in a bed, and get something to eat for our horses and -ourselves. His answer was, “Certainly, gentlemen; light and come in.” I -told him before we got off our horses that we were about out of money -and did not have enough, perhaps, to pay our fare, when he stated that -if his wife had anything left from supper we could have it and he would -give us some shattered corn for our horses. We, of course, didn’t feel -very comfortable under such liberality, but decided to stay, -nevertheless, and sleep down in his barn, some distance from the house. - -While we were waiting for his wife to gather what she had left from -supper, he asked us if we were that command the other day that fired on -the Federals when they were tearing up the railroad near his house. I -told him that we were, and he said, “They were in my pasture trying to -catch my horses, when they heard the guns fire and you ought to have -seen those devils run.” When we went in to supper we found a little -piece of cornbread and a little butter, all they had left from supper, -so the woman stated, not enough to satisfy one man’s hunger. We did not -sit down at the table, didn’t touch anything they had to offer us, and -went down to the crib to get the shattered corn for our horses, which he -consented for us to take, fed our horses and laid down to rest for the -balance of the night. Next morning we got up early and without going to -the house, proceeded on the road towards Covington. Here now, was a fair -illustration of the want of appreciation of a Confederate soldier, with -a selfish lot of people, whom we occasionally met. Rest assured it was -very discouraging to us. The idea of coming all the way from Texas to -fight for and protect these people! He had told us that we saved his -horses from capture by engaging the enemy near his house; you can -imagine our disgust at such treatment. We now proceeded on the Covington -road. When about two miles from there we came to a large, white house, a -magnificent place, and rode up to the gate. A man about twenty-five -years old, well dressed, wearing a white starched shirt, the first we -had seen in a long time, came out to the gate. When within twenty feet -of us, espying the leather on my horse’s back, tied to the rear of the -saddle, he called out, “I want that leather.” I said, “If you need it -any worse than I do, you are welcome to it.” He said he did, he wanted -to make shoes out of it. I told him that I wanted to make a saddle out -if it, to ride to keep Federals off of him, when he insisted that he -needed it worse. I then told him that we wanted some breakfast and some -feed for our hoses. He said, “All right, gentlemen; light and come in.” -Before getting down I said, “I had better tell you that we are nearly -out of money, not enough to pay for breakfast and feed, away from our -command unexpectedly, but as soon as we get with them and we have an -opportunity, we will send it to you.” He stated that he couldn’t afford -to feed us without pay, that the armies had been around him for some -time and had nearly eaten him out of house and home. I told him that he -needn’t say anything more, that we didn’t want anything he had, although -our horses were hungry, as well as ourselves. As we rode off he called -after us, “I’ll feed you for that leather,” thus adding insult, but we -decided not to notice him. - -About three miles further down the road we came to another house, a -somewhat humble cottage, and stopped to make some inquiry, when a lady -came out to the gate and we asked how far down the road we could find a -house where we could get something to eat for ourselves and feed for our -horses. She asked us if we had tried at the big, white house we had -passed on the road. We told her that we had and were refused because we -had no money. She then insisted that we come in and partake of such as -she had, telling us that she had very little left, as the commissary -from Atlanta had visited her and taken all the corn she had, except five -barrels, which in Georgia, means twenty-five bushels. This, she and her -two daughters had made with their own hands, her husband being in the -Virginia army. She then told us about this man at the big, white house, -who had never been in the army, but had an exemption on pretense of -working in a saltpetre cave and had never had any forage taken by the -commissary from Atlanta, as he had protection papers, so she called -them, from his general at Atlanta. I merely mention these cases to show -you the condition at that time, of the State of Georgia, the worthy -people submitting patriotically to all manner of abuse by some of our -army officials, while some of the rich, through nefarious practices, -escaped the weight of war. Thanking this lady for her kind offer, which -we could not afford to accept, we continued on this road and two miles -further on struck a large cornfield with tempting roasting ears and -decided to stop, build a fire, dry our clothes and roast corn for our -meal, feeding our horses on the same, in moderation. We had to build our -fire of rails taken off the fence and very soon were enjoying our -roasting ears and the warm fire, being somewhat chilled by the rain. The -proprietor of the place came up the road and, judging from his manner -and looks, was pretty mad, when he said, “Gentlemen, if you had come to -the house I would have gladly given you a good meal and fed your horses, -rather than to see the destruction of my rails.” I told him that we -didn’t believe it, that we had tried several places up on the road and -were refused because we had no money and he, no doubt, noting that we -were in no mood for argument, decided that he had better say no more. We -then proceeded on our road to Covington. When on our arrival there we -found that Wheeler, with all the cavalry having horses fit for service, -had gone on a raid into Middle Tennessee, by way of Dalton, tearing up -the railroad in Sherman’s rear for many miles, and finally entering -Middle Tennessee, returning by way of Mussels Shoals, rejoining the army -below Atlanta. - -After the battle of Jonesboro, Hood started on his fatal Middle -Tennessee campaign, his march to the Tennessee River being covered by -our cavalry, making a feint at Rome, Georgia, to which point General -Sherman had followed, confidently expecting to give Hood battle at -Gadsden and never suspecting his move towards the Tennessee River. While -concentrating his army at Rome, Harrison’s Brigade, under Colonel -Harrison, commanding our regiment, made a feint on Rome by dismounting, -hiding our horses in the rear in the woods, out of sight, and advanced -on the outer works of Rome, preceded by a line of skirmishers. For this -purpose, not having our battle flag with us, we used a new flag, sent us -from Nashville, made by a couple of young ladies from their silk -dresses, with the name of Terry’s Texas Rangers worked in gold letters -and some Latin words on the other side. After skirmishing with Sherman’s -infantry a short time, we retired down the valley, which at this point -was perhaps a couple of miles wide, from the hills to the bottoms. - -Falling back that night some six or eight miles, we struck a wooded -ridge, running from the hills to the bottom, perhaps nearly three miles -long. This ridge overlooked the country in front towards Rome, several -miles. General Sherman coming out in person with a corps of his -infantry, expecting to give Hood battle the next morning, discovered -there was only a handful of cavalry in his front, which was Harrison’s -Brigade, and which he was specially anxious to capture. For this purpose -he sent a heavy cavalry force, perhaps three times our number, into our -rear, flanking our position by moving through the hills on our left, -then occupying nearly every road in our rear, for eight or ten miles. -During the night we received reinforcements of Pillow’s Brigade, a new -command, which had been in only one engagement, at La Fayette, Georgia, -where they were badly handled, causing the loss of a great many killed -and wounded and in consequence, they were a little demoralized. We also -received a section of artillery, two pieces, under a lieutenant, whose -name I do not remember. - -This artillery was stationed on a hill to the left of our position, -under an old gin house. - -Immediately after taking position the artillery opened on the enemy, a -heavy line of battle making its appearance in the edge of the woods, -about a mile distant. The Rangers were kept mounted, drawn up near this -old gin house, supporting the battery, when all the rest of the two -brigades had been dismounted with their horses immediately in the rear, -out of sight of the enemy. - -Very soon a courier from the right of our line, dashed up to Colonel -Harrison and reported that the enemy were flanking us, down in the -bottom, with a heavy force. Harrison abused him, told him to go back and -tell his colonel if he sent him another such message he would have him -court martialed, but very soon a lieutenant dashed up from the extreme -right of our line, reporting the enemy advancing in the bottom, and -about to outflank us, when Colonel Harrison decided to ride down in the -rear of our line and ascertain conditions for himself. Immediately the -enemy raised a shout and charged. The lieutenant of the battery, -concluding that his guns were in danger of being captured, limbered up -and ran down to the road, where he met Colonel Harrison returning and -was by him ordered to unlimber and open again on the enemy, when he -succeeded in firing one shot and was sabered right over his guns by the -enemy’s cavalry. In the meantime, through some misapprehension of -orders, the Alabama Brigade broke for their horses, followed by the -balance of our brigade, when our regiment was ordered to charge their -cavalry, which we did, striking them on their flank, using our -six-shooters, to which they paid no attention, simply calling out, -“Clear the road for the Fourth Regulars!” This Fourth Regulars was -commanded by a Captain McIntyre from Brenham, Texas, who was in the -United States Army, a lieutenant, when the war broke out, having just -graduated at West Point. - -It is hardly necessary to say that finding the enemy’s cavalry in our -rear for a great many miles, resulted in a general stampede, everybody -trying to make their escape out of it. In recording this engagement I -regret to have to mention the loss of our beautiful flag which, encased -in a rubber cover, slipped off its staff and was found by a Major -Weiler, commanding a battalion of the Seventeenth Mounted Indiana -Infantry, and after many years, returned to us at Dallas, Texas, by -Governor Mount and staff, instructed to do so by a joint resolution of -the Indiana Legislature, in response to a memorial, drawn up and sent by -me. - -In this engagement the Terry Rangers lost no prisoners, had only a few -wounded and none killed, while the Alabamians’ loss was quite heavy in -prisoners and the balance of Harrison’s Brigade had very few men taken -prisoners. I made my escape by crossing the big road, being joined by -about eight or ten Alabamians, one of whom was shot in the fleshy part -of the thigh, which somewhat demoralized him, when he called on me, -“Texas, can you take us out of here?” I told him, “Yes, follow me; I’ll -take you out.” I struck out straight for the river bottom, the Federal -cavalry not following us, and when out of sight of the main road, in a -little branch bottom, I called a halt and told the men my plan of trying -to swim the river, as the road ahead of us seemed to be occupied for -many miles, judging by the scattered firing a great distance ahead of -us. The wounded man straightened up in the saddle and asked me if I was -an officer. I told him, “No,” and he said that he was a lieutenant and -would take command of the squad. I told him he could take command of his -own men, but he couldn’t command me, and told his men, “Now, all of you -boys that want to go out with me, come on,” when they all followed me, -including the lieutenant. - -Reaching the high ground on the other side of the branch, I discovered a -house, with a lone cavalry-man at the front gate, and, getting a little -nearer, I recognized him as one Joe Harris, of our company, who was well -acquainted in that section, having married, near Cedartown, the daughter -of a Doctor Richardson, just on the other side of the river. He -suggested to me that he knew of a batteau about seven miles this side of -Rome; that we go up there, put our saddles and equipments into the boat, -swim our horses across, then go to Doctor Richardson and get a good -dinner; to which I, of course, readily consented. On our way to this -batteau, following the river in the bottom, we struck hundreds of -Alabamians trying to find a crossing place. These men we took along with -us and when we reached the boat we were the first ones to cross, leaving -the Alabamians there to cross as fast as they were able. Joe and I then -rode to Doctor Richardson’s, about ten or fifteen miles, and by three -o’clock sat down to a sumptuous dinner. Here we stayed all night and the -next morning recrossed the river, finally striking the main Gadsden road -and finding our stampeded forces gathering at some gap, the name of -which I have forgotten. Here we met General Wheeler, with the balance of -his command. We then moved down to the town of Gadsden, where we -recrossed the river and spent several days resting our horses and -ourselves. - -General Hood, in the meantime, with his army, crossed the Tennessee -River, and General Sherman returned to Atlanta, leaving Thomas’ Corps to -follow Hood into Middle Tennessee. Wheeler and his cavalry returned to -below Atlanta, where we struck Sherman’s forces moving in the direction -of Macon, Georgia, by way of Augusta to Savannah. We then had daily -engagements with Kilpatrick’s cavalry, often driving them into their -infantry. Sherman used his cavalry to forage for the army, depending -altogether on the country for his commissary. To enter into detail of -the many engagements had on this trip would occupy too much time and -space. Our service was largely, as stated, to keep his cavalry from -foraging, burning and destroying the country. In connection with this I -would mention an incident at Macon: - -I was at a blacksmith’s shop with a comrade by the name of Freeman, who -was about seven years my senior in age. While waiting to get our horses -shod we heard artillery, supported by small arms, open at our works, -about a mile across the river. We immediately mounted our horses and -dashed over there and just as we got in sight of the roadway through the -breastworks we witnessed a lone trooper of Kilpatrick’s cavalry coming -up the road through the works, having his horse shot just as he reached -inside. His horse fell on his leg, from which position he was trying to -extricate himself and was about to be shot by an excited militia of -young and old men, who had never been under fire before, when Jim put -spurs to his horse and with his pistol raised, dashed up to where this -man lay under his horse, and drove off the excited militia, I, of -course, following him. He called up a lieutenant, asked his name, -company and regiment; told him to take charge of that prisoner and see -that he was well treated, that he would hold him personally responsible -for his safety, and immediately wheeled his horse, I following him, and -returned to town without giving the lieutenant a chance to ask -questions. On our return I asked Jim Freeman his reasons for doing as he -did, risking his own life, by being shot by the excited militia, in -order to save this Federal. He answered, “He is a brother Mason.” I -asked him if he ever met him before. He said, “No, but I saw him give -the grand hailing sign of distress, which obligates a Mason to save the -life of a brother, at the risk of his own.” Here was a beautiful -illustration of the work of Masonry, and I told Jim Freeman the first -opportunity I had of joining the Masons, if I lived through the war, I -intended to be one, which resolution I carried out, joining the Masons -at Rusk, Texas. - -General Kilpatrick with about four thousand picked cavalry, armed with -Spencer repeating rifles, which they were expert in handling, was -detailed by General Sherman, after leaving Jonesboro, to forage and -destroy property, under pretext of burning gin houses. They also burned -a great many fine houses, the homes of rich people, on their line of -march, and got their operations down to a system. He would have his -engineers select a strong position along the line of march, fortify it -with rails and logs and place about one thousand men in such works. His -engineers then would advance some two or three miles and direct another -line of fortifications in a similar manner; the balance of his command -would scatter out on both flanks inside of these lines, collect -provisions and forage, burn gin houses and homes, the latter of which, -of course, were plundered before being consigned to the flames. In this -manner he continued his operations to very near the coast. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - - GEORGIA SERVICE—A NEGRO’S PREFERENCE—A HAZARDOUS UNDERTAKING. - -At this time General Wheeler would detail a fresh brigade every morning -to take the advance and move on the enemy. - -When a few miles from Buck Head Creek, Harrison’s Brigade was placed in -advance. Striking the first line of works, we formed a line and prepared -to charge, when General Felix Robertson was seen immediately to the -right of our line on a magnificent horse. At the time, he was acting as -chief of staff to General Wheeler, and he gave the order to forward, -waving his hat and led the charge. We drove them out of their works and -it became a running fight down the road with General Robertson leading, -having a better horse than the balance of us. We soon struck a branch -where the enemy had lined up on the other side, and they poured a -galling fire into our advance. General Robertson had his arm badly -shattered by a bullet and being alone drew his horse to one side at the -ford of this branch. When I saw him he appeared deathly pale, reeling in -his saddle, and a couple of the men behind me started over to assist -him, but he called to them, “Never mind me, boys; crowd ’em, crowd ’em,” -which we did, and again started them on the run. They made another stand -across Buck Head Creek near the church and set fire to the bridge, -covering the fire with a piece of artillery. Wheeler then sent down a -few men with long-range guns, dismounted, who soon drove the artillery -away. We then repaired the bridge floor with benches out of the church -and were soon across the creek, after them, with the Third Arkansas in -advance. - -As we were riding rapidly in pursuit, General Wheeler passing our column -to reach the advance called to us, saying, “We’ve got them this time; -Dibrell is in the rear.” General Dibrell commanded Tennessee cavalry. We -soon got into an old sedge field, an open country for several miles, -where Kilpatrick had established a fortified camp, built a line of -breastworks perhaps two miles wide, his left flank touching the road. - -The Third Arkansas had formed a line of battle and was charging the -breastworks perhaps two hundred yards ahead of our regiment, which -emerged from the woods in columns of fours, moving rapidly to the -support of the Third Arkansas. The enemy had planted four pieces of -artillery in the road on our right, which poured a galling fire into the -Third Arkansas, as well as our flank. The Third Arkansas finally reached -the breastworks under a galling fire of four thousand Spencer rifles and -drove the gunners away from their artillery, thereby silencing the same, -but they were unable to cross the works and not being supported -promptly, had to withdraw. The reason of our failure to support promptly -was that when we reached about half way across the open, an order came -to us through Adjutant Billy Sayers for the Rangers to file to the right -into the road. This divided our regiment, a part continuing ahead, the -other part moving into the road and, as soon as we struck the road, a -hail of grape and cannister swept it and drove us into the thick woods -across the road and finally forced us to give up the attack, which was -most unfortunate, as the Third Arkansas lost a good many men. Our -regiment lost a few, too, and nothing was accomplished. General Dibrell -was seen in our left front in the woods, unable to strike Kilpatrick in -the rear on account of not being able to cross the creek. General -Wheeler now brought up his entire force, making disposition of them for -a final charge on Kilpatrick’s flank and rear, as well as in front, and -when we moved forward we found the bird had flown; Kilpatrick had -abandoned his works and fled. - -We next had quite a severe engagement with the enemy’s cavalry near -Griswoldville, said to have been one of the most beautiful towns in -Georgia, which the enemy had burned. As soon as we caught up with them -we charged and drove them into their infantry, which proved in heavy -force and forced us to retire. - -At Waynesboro, Georgia, we had considerable fighting in order to save -Augusta, Georgia, which had one of the largest arsenals in the -Confederacy and no doubt was a tempting prize for General Sherman’s -torch. - -General Braxton Bragg happened to be in Augusta, when he conceived the -idea of resorting to a ruse, which proved quite successful. He called up -General Wheeler by telegraph at Waynesboro and instructed him when he -was forced to give up the town, to leave the telegraph office intact, -but give it the appearance of having been abandoned precipitately, then -advise him promptly when the enemy entered town. Waiting a reasonable -time for the enemy to take charge of the telegraph office, General Bragg -called General Wheeler, when a Federal officer answered. General Bragg -said, “General Wheeler, hold Waynesboro at all hazards. Longstreet’s -corps is arriving. I will take the field in person tomorrow. Signed, -Braxton Bragg.” This had the desired effect. General Sherman, satisfied -he would have to give battle before Augusta was surrendered, decided he -had better pass by and move on to Savannah as fast as possible. There is -no question but this ruse saved Augusta, Georgia, though General Wheeler -with his corps put up a strong defense, never permitting the enemy to -cross Brier Creek, which was between them and Augusta. - -About ten or twelve years after the war, when General Sherman was a -resident of St. Louis, he gave an interview on the reason he spared -Augusta, Georgia. This had been a subject of discussion by historians -and especially friends of the North and was frequently attributed to -General Sherman having relatives living in Augusta, Georgia. Another -story was that Mrs. Lincoln, through a relative or friend, had stored in -Augusta a large amount of cotton. There were various other stories, -which General Sherman finally set at rest, giving his reasons for -sparing the city. He claimed that one of his officers intercepted a -telegram from General Bragg to General Wheeler at Waynesboro, -instructing him to hold Waynesboro at all hazards, that Longstreet’s -corps was arriving and he would take personal command the next day. He -further stated that on account of his depleted commissary, having to -depend on the country for the rations of his army, he was in no -condition to give battle, satisfied that Bragg would defend Augusta to -the last, therefore passed it by and hastened to the coast. “But if the -people of Augusta think that I spared their city through any love or -affection for them, if the President will give me permission, I will -take a hundred thousand of my bummers and go down and burn it now.” I -read this interview in a St. Louis paper. - -When near Savannah, Georgia, the place having been evacuated by our -forces, who crossed the river at Pocatalego, Wheeler’s cavalry was -ordered to cross the Savannah River at a point about fifteen miles above -Savannah. For this purpose we had only one steamboat, and Harrison’s -Brigade was ordered to cross last, necessitating our camping in the -river bottom for several days, during which time details were sent out -of our brigade to collect provisions, as we were without commissary. I -had charge the second day of a small detail, and after riding about -twenty miles, we scattered out, each man to bring in as much as -possible. On my return to camp that evening late, without having -succeeded in securing anything, only a piece of cornbread and a slice of -bacon for myself, I was feeling disgusted. When about a mile from our -camp, following a well-beaten path, I spied a negro man on another path -crossing the one I was on and when within a few yards of me, I stopped -him and asked if he couldn’t tell me where there was something to eat, -telling him that I had ridden all day long, trying to get something for -our command and had signally failed. - -The country through which we had passed for several days is the greatest -sweet potato country perhaps in the South; large fields all over the -country had been devoted to sweet potatoes, which had fallen a ready -prey to Sherman’s army and the whole country seemed to be eaten out. I -told this negro, after he told me where he lived, about a half mile from -there, that I was satisfied he knew where there were sweet potatoes and -where there was corn for our horses. He assured me he did not and said -that the Federals had taken everything that his old master had and -didn’t leave him a thing. I continued to talk with him, trying to arouse -his sympathy, told him of our poor fellows not having had anything to -eat for several days and I had been riding all day long without securing -anything, thereby working on his sympathy. Finally he broke down and -said, “Young Marster, if I were to tell you where there are sweet -potatoes, old marster would kill me.” I told him that his old master -never would know anything about it, and he finally said he didn’t think -it was right, that his old master had given these Yankees everything -they wanted, had plenty of potatoes left and refused to give our own -folks anything at all. “Now,” he said, “if you will strike across this -way,” pointing in the direction of his house, entering a lane leading to -the house, “about a hundred and fifty yards this side of the house, on -the left across the fence, you will find some haystack poles standing, -with a lot of shattered hay in the lot and if you will dig down about -two feet you will strike more potatoes than you will need for several -days. Up the river, in the bottom, about two miles, you will find a -couple of pens of corn, enough to feed your horses for several days.” He -had just finished telling me, when I noticed an old man, who proved to -be his master, coming our way, and as soon as the negro saw him he said, -“Fo’ Gawd, marster; there he is now; he’ll kill me; he’ll kill me.” -“No,” I said “he will not; he never will know that you told me; you -stand perfectly still and don’t get scared.” I jerked out my pistol and -threw it down on him, telling him within hearing of his old master, that -if he didn’t tell me where there was something to eat, I would kill him, -and the old man called, “Let that man alone; he don’t know where there -is anything to eat; there is nothing on the place, the Federals just -took everything I had.” I still insisted on killing the negro if he -didn’t tell me where there was something to eat, and finally let him -off, satisfying the old man that he hadn’t told me anything. - -As soon as I reached camp I told Colonel Harrison to get out a detail of -fifty men, with sacks to carry potatoes in, when he ordered Major -Pearrie, our commissary, to get out the detail and follow my -instructions. I told Pearrie that I was satisfied the people at the -house about a half mile from there had plenty of potatoes, but did not -tell him the source of my information, determined not to tell anybody. -When we moved up the lane near the house. Major Pearrie halted us, went -to the house to talk to the old man and negotiate for the potatoes, when -the old man satisfied him there were no potatoes on the place. In the -meantime I had no trouble in finding the lot just as the negro had -described to me and when the major returned and ordered us, “About face; -move back to camp; there is nothing to be had,” I dismounted, crossed -the fence into the lot and commenced digging with my hands and in about -two feet, struck potatoes, then called to the men to come over with -their sacks, which, it is hardly necessary to say, we filled up to the -top. We thought we left potatoes enough to last the old man and his -family for another year, and perhaps more. We then sent up the river -bottom and found the corn, on which we fed our horses. Here is another -instance of the attachment of the negro to our own people, his sympathy -for us controlling his actions, and I always regretted not taking this -negro along with us, fearing perhaps that his old master might have -suspected him of giving us information about these potatoes and corn. - -After crossing the river and reaching Pocatalego, we found General -Hardee and General McLaws, with the infantry out of Savannah and also -artillery organizations, which were turned into infantry. General McLaws -made a request on General Wheeler for a company of cavalry, preferring a -company of Texas Rangers, to scout and act as escort for him, when -Company B, to which I belonged, was detailed for this purpose. - -One night, Captain King, inspector general on McLaws’ staff, came down -to our campfire and requested me to accompany him on a ride across the -swamp, to find Wheeler’s cavalry, which I consented to do. We proceeded -into the swamp on a corduroy road, the night being one of the darkest we -had ever been out in, the only light onto the road was the sky appearing -between the tall trees on both sides, which governed us in keeping about -the middle of the road and kept us from riding off the logs into the -deep mud and water. After riding perhaps a half mile, expecting every -minute to be fired on by Sherman’s advance pickets, our horses -necessarily making a great deal of noise by stumbling over the logs, -Captain King stopped and asked did I not think one of us could get -through easier than both, as it would reduce the noise considerably. I -told him that it certainly would. He then asked me if I would carry a -written order to General Wheeler, which was for Wheeler’s cavalry not to -fail to cross the swamp that night in order to be on hand by daylight in -the morning, when General Hardee expected an attack by the enemy’s -infantry. I told Captain King that I would carry the order, which he -asked me to show every brigade commander that I might find, until I -reached General Wheeler. Captain King then returned to General McLaws’ -camp, as he would be needed the next morning. - -I rode through the swamp, crossed the bridge and after about a -twenty-mile ride, found Wheeler’s cavalry, first striking a Georgia -brigade, to a colonel of which I read the order, when he immediately -ordered his brigade to saddle up; the next I struck Harrison’s brigade, -who also followed suit; the next I struck Colonel Ashby’s headquarters, -commanding Tennesseans. I found him lying on a pallet in front of a -fireplace, surrounded by his staff, all asleep. I showed him the order; -after reading it and noticing that I was wet, having ridden in the rain -part of the time, he made me step up to the fire, then after drying my -clothes, take his pallet and sleep until it was time to cross the swamp, -his command being very near the swamp. He promised me that he would send -the dispatch direct to General Wheeler, who was not far off and would -have me awakened when the last were about to cross, thereby giving me as -much sleep as possible. This kind treatment of Colonel Ashby’s was much -appreciated, but was not a surprise to me, having known him as one of -the most gallant officers and gentlemen I ever got acquainted with. - -Some time after the war, meeting Lieutenant Fulkerson, the commander of -our company, at Bryan, Texas, he told me that General McLaws told him a -few days after this engagement that Graber’s ride that night, finding -Wheeler’s cavalry, who crossed the swamp in time to cover the retreat of -our infantry, no doubt saved our little army, only about seven or eight -thousand strong. This army was composed of the infantry and artillery -that were stationed at Savannah and Charleston and at different points -along our line of retreat and was joined at Bentonville with the remnant -of Hood’s army, out of Tennessee, after the disastrous Hood campaign in -that State. - -While this humble individual service was nothing extraordinary, nothing -more than performed by individual members of our company frequently, yet -the result was such that I always had cause to feel proud of it. I -forgot to mention that I crossed the swamp without being fired on by the -enemy, as they had not reached that part of the crossing when I passed -through. - -The following letter from General McLaws was received by me more than -thirty years after the incident just related, as the date indicates: - - Savannah, Ga., April 9th, 1897. - - My Dear Graber: - - Your letter of the 5th reached me yesterday evening, and it gave - me great pleasure to receive it, for I have very often spoken of - the Texas company which formed my escort for a great deal of the - time during that campaign, and always in praise of its daring - spirit and its devotion to our cause. And there is no one in the - company whose name I have mentioned more often than yours, for I - saw more of you personally than of most of them, as you were - sometimes connected with my scouting party. - - When the Federal Army, which crossed at Fort Royal ferry, - commenced its movement northward to meet the column under - General Sherman, which came from Savannah, it was your company - scouts which gave me notice of it, and I commenced following - their movement along one side, which was the left bank of the - Salkatchie. The night I left my headquarters was a very cold - one, and the troops suffered considerably. I had an A. D. C., a - relative of mine, whom I had found in Colcock’s regiment of - cavalry, and, not being accustomed to campaigning, he grumbled - some as we rode along and my other A. D. C., Mr. Lamar, hearing - him, asked what was the matter. He replied, “Lamar, if this is - liberty, I would rather be a slave.” We arrived in time to - successfully defeat the crossing at Braxton’s Bridge, and I then - rode on that night to Reeves’ Bridge, some eight or ten miles - above, and, finding everything in readiness, rode on to the - bridge above. When I started from Braxton’s Bridge, I had some - seven or eight of Colcock’s cavalry, who professed to know the - country, and I had sent several of them to find Wheeler’s - cavalry, in order to get a force from him to help defend the - crossing at Reeves’ Bridge the next day, but I heard afterwards - it was not done and in some unaccountable way my escort from - Colcock’s cavalry disappeared, every one of them. Fortunately I - came across my inspecting officer, Captain King, a very - energetic and fearless soldier, and I directed him to go on and - bring over a division of cavalry under Wheeler, have them - dismounted and placed in line close to the swamps on the right - of the infantry force at Reeves’ Bridge. I went on to the bridge - above where General Hardee was in command, and he, seeming - confident of holding his position, I started back to Reeves’ - Bridge alone, my escort having disappeared, as I have stated. On - my way back, I came across a camp of a single teamster with his - team and wagon. I dismounted, told him who I was, and asked him - to feed my horse and let me lie down by his fire and to wake me - before daylight, all of which he consented to. Before daylight - the next day, I was on my way and arrived at Reeves’ Bridge very - early and found that Wheeler had sent me a division of cavalry - which was placed as I had directed. I met Captain King, who told - me of the daring ride of you and himself, and of your desperate - venture to find the cavalry, and for which I was very grateful, - for, had it not been for additional force thus acquired, the - enemy would have crossed above me early in the day, for the - Salkhatchie had fallen so much that it had become fordable and - the enemy were crossing not only above, but parties crossed - between Reeves’ and Braxton’s bridges, and after crossing in - sufficient numbers to warrant it they would have come down on my - flank at Reeves’ bridge, and I would have had to retire. The - presence of the cavalry prevented this. The cavalry late in the - day, having exhausted its ammunition, I directed that they be - formed mounted in the woods in the rear, and to charge any body - of the enemy attempting to make a flank attack of the force at - the bridge. This condition continued until sundown, when I - directed the officer in command at the bridge to increase his - force in the fortifications protecting the bridge and then to - withdraw his artillery by hand, and as night approached the - troops were withdrawn and I directed them to march directly to - the rear and bivouac after going four or five miles. I then rode - towards Braxton’s bridge alone, my Carolina cavalry escort never - returning to me. As I rode along I saw a mounted man sitting on - his horse looking intently down the road. As I approached he - heard my coming and turning recognized me and spoke quickly, - telling me that the enemy had crossed and were between us and - Braxton’s bridge. I told him to go ahead and act as scout and - keep a good lookout. So on we went until we saw a man on - horseback. His horse was half hidden in a blacksmith’s shop. He - also was looking down the road intently, and, as I came up, he - also said the enemy had crossed, and were occupying the road. I - told him to join the other man and go ahead. We had not gone far - when I heard the rapid gallop of a number of horses, and I - thought to myself if the enemy have crossed cavalry I may be - captured, so I withdrew a little off the road, so as to have a - chance of running quickly to my infantry in the rear. A - considerable body appeared, dashing wildly on, each man having - his pistol drawn, and, as they came near, I was saluted with - wild hurrahs. It was the lieutenant with his Texas company, who - told me that he had heard I had been captured, and he had - determined to rescue me at the risk of the lives of all, and the - men demanded it. Of course, I was much gratified, and, feeling - myself secure, we rode on rapidly to find out what had been done - at Braxton’s bridge. As we went, the first of the parties who - had crossed the river were visible but a short distance away, - three or four hundred yards along the edge of the river swamp to - which they had retired. We halted where the Braxton bridge road - joined the one I was on, and I sent in my staff officer, Captain - King, to tell the officer to march his command in my direction. - After waiting a long time, word came that he had started his - command on another road. He had become alarmed, because parties - of the enemy had been seen by his command to cross the river - above him, and he was apprehensive of being intercepted. I let - him go, although his scare cost his men a good many more miles - of marching. My escort, with myself in charge, rode on towards - the Ediste, bringing up the rear. I would very much like to read - your account of what took place when you were with Paysinger. He - would come in after a scout between twelve and daylight at - night, and would report to me at once, and he gave valuable - information as to the movements of the enemy. - - The morning after the Battle of Bentonville he came to my tent - about three o’clock a. m., and told me that the enemy were - moving on our left. I so reported to General Hardee, but he had - been notified by General Hampton that the enemy were marching on - my right, and I was sent with my command on the right. I then - told General Hardee that I was apprehensive that there was a - mistake, that I was so certain that our left would be attacked - and not the right, I would not fortify it, but wait for the - order to return to the left. We had not been on the right an - hour before General Hardee came himself in great haste, calling - for my command to hurry to the left, and we did get back just in - time to check the enemy. Of the things done in these days there - are many that I would like very much to have related again by - those who were participants, but it would hardly do to put them - in print. The conduct of the enemy was, however, so exasperating - that there was no treatment too harsh as a punishment for their - misdeeds, and I have always regretted that there had not been - more scouting parties organized to follow in the wake of - Sherman’s army and circulate on his flank. Your company acting - as scouts, as well as escort, working in small parties, - encouraging individual daring and enterprise, was equally as - efficient as a much larger body moving in compact mass under one - head. - - I shall always remember with pleasure the duties you performed - while acting as my escort and also the pleasure I had in my - personal intercourse with you, as individuals. I always kept in - my mind that the individual soldier was entitled to be treated - with the respect due to a gentleman, if his behavior warranted - it. This in our Southern army. You will oblige me by assuring - all of Company B of my high regard and respect for them - individually as brave and honorable men, and collectively as an - organized company, for I gave them a chance to show their - characters in both ways, and was sorry to part with you all. - - Very truly your obedient servant, - - L. McLAWS. - -We served with General McLaws until after the Battle of Bentonville and -to the time of surrender of Johnston’s army at Jonesboro, North -Carolina, never uniting with the regiment again, though occasionally -meeting with them, notably at the Battle of Bentonville, where they -distinguished themselves by one of the most brilliant charges ever made -by cavalry. This charge was made without our company (as we were with -General McLaws and the infantry) and resulted in the safety of the whole -army by saving an only bridge across a deep river, the only means of -retreat of the army. It seems this bridge was guarded by some of -Hampton’s cavalry, when General Sherman ordered Mower’s corps to make a -dash around our left flank and capture this bridge and destroy it. While -Mower was proceeding to do this by a rapid advance in the rear of our -army, he had his pioneer corps with their spades and picks ready to -entrench, and when in sight of the bridge, he poured a volley on the -South Carolina cavalry, who immediately abandoned it. General Hardee -dashed up to where our regiment was formed, at the time perhaps not -numbering two hundred men, and asked, “Who commands this regiment?” A -Lieutenant Matthews spoke and said he was in command of the regiment -this morning. The general asked, “Lieutenant, can you hold those people -in check until I can bring up the infantry and artillery?” He answered, -“General, we are the boys that can try,” and called to the Rangers to -“Come on.” - -Right here I would mention a sad incident in connection with this -charge. General Hardee had an only son, a boy about eighteen years old, -who importuned him for a month or more, to allow him to join the Texas -Rangers, and he had only given his consent that morning for the boy to -join the regiment and he had fallen into rank with Company D. Another -case: Eugene Munger, a cousin of our Dallas Mungers, who had borne a -charmed life from the time he joined the Rangers after the Battle of -Shiloh, and had never had a scratch, happened to be on a visit to the -regiment, talking with some friends, when this charge was ordered. As -they went in, passing by General Hardee, his son saluted him. The -Rangers went into a thick woods, hardly suited for a cavalry charge, -raising their accustomed yell and with their pistols, dashed into the -first line of infantry, who on account of the sudden, unexpected -onslaught, must have overshot them in their first volley. The Rangers -were right among them, drove them into the second line, which became -demoralized and fell back in confusion, the Rangers immediately -withdrawing with quite a number of prisoners, bringing out their dead -and wounded. Among the dead were Hardee’s son and Eugene Munger. But -they accomplished what was intended. General Hardee had brought up his -infantry and artillery, which held the enemy in check until night, when -the army crossed the bridge and was saved. - -About an hour before the Rangers’ desperate charge, General McLaws sent -for me, when I found him immediately in the rear of his breastworks. He -instructed me to take two or three men of the company and move around in -the rear of Sherman’s army and ascertain if Schofield’s army, who had -headquarters at Goldsboro, was moving to the support of Sherman, telling -me that our army would fall back that night on the road to Raleigh and I -would find him somewhere on that road. Taking three other members of the -company, among whom was Virge Phelps, an old Mexican and Indian fighter, -a man of extraordinary nerve, we proceeded across the bridge, then up -Mill Creek towards Little River, where we found a division of the enemy -camped about fifteen miles towards Goldsboro. We then proceeded on -towards Goldsboro and found everything quiet outside of the enemy’s -camps. We ran in vidette pickets on several roads leading into -Goldsboro, when finally we reached the town of Pikeville, the first -station on the Goldsboro and Weldon Railroad. Here we stopped to make -some inquiries, wearing our Federal overcoats and drawing up at a house -for this purpose we asked for a drink of water. A very good looking, -intelligent lady came out with a bucket and dipper and handed us water. -On inquiry we found the enemy had never entered the town and none had -been seen there. Finally this good lady asked us what command we -belonged to. We told her that we belonged to the Fourth New York -Cavalry, which claim we had made at several places where we had stopped -for information. This woman kept looking at us and finally said, “Young -man, you can’t fool me; you are no Yankees, you are some of our own -folks.” I asked her why she thought so. “Well,” she said, “I imagine -Yankees don’t talk like you do,” which caused us to laugh, and as we -then had decided to return and make report to General McLaws, I thought -it wouldn’t make any difference to tell her who we were and stated that -we belonged to Wheeler’s cavalry. This brought forth a tirade of abuse -from this woman. I said Wheeler’s cavalry purposely to ascertain if the -terrible name of Wheeler’s cavalry had reached there. Wheeler’s cavalry, -through misrepresentations and frequently through the acts of Yankee -scouting parties claiming to belong to Wheeler’s cavalry, had gained a -very unenviable reputation, so when we claimed to belong to Wheeler’s -cavalry, this woman said, “I wish I was a man; I would shoulder a gun -and help put you down and only wish the Yankees would come in here right -now and kill the last one of you.” I said, “Madam, you needn’t wish for -the Yankees, you will have them soon enough and get a taste of some of -their deviltry.” We then proceeded back in the direction of the Raleigh -road from Bentonville. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - - I SELL A TEN DOLLAR GOLD PIECE FOR FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS. - -I will recite an incident occurring while we were camped about six miles -on a plank road from Fayetteville, North Carolina, which place was also -a manufacturing point for war munitions on a small scale, also had a -large cotton factory: The enemy were moving on two roads, converging -into Fayetteville, one road opposed by Rhett’s Brigade of South -Carolinians (General Rhett having been captured a few days before). -General McLaws sent for me about daylight and instructed me to take one -or two members of the company and ride across the country to the road -occupied by Rhett’s Brigade, stating that Rhett’s pickets had been run -in the night before, then after watching the road for some time, if I -found no enemy passing, to ride up the road until we met or heard of -them. We rode up the road to the eleventh milepost, when we discovered -some women up in a field near a house, watching the road and decided to -go and interrogate them on whether they had seen any enemy passing. I -told Jim Freeman, one of the party, to stay in the road and carefully -watch the direction from whence we were expecting the enemy and Joe -Hungerford and I would go up and talk with these women, suggesting to -Jim if the enemy came in sight and he had time to come to us, to do so, -but if he had not, to fire his pistol and run in toward town or go back -the way we had come and report to General McLaws and on his firing his -pistol we would make our way across from where we were. After reaching -the women they told us they had been watching for an hour or more and -had seen no passing, but had heard, the night before, that the enemy -were advancing on that road. After getting this information they -insisted on our waiting a little while, that they were cooking breakfast -and wanted us to share it with them, which we decided to do, remaining -on our horses. Very soon Jim Freeman came up to us and reported that he -saw a Yankee vidette picket about a half a mile ahead of where he stood. -We concluded, as we had time, that we would finish our breakfast and go -down and run him in, which we proceeded to do. When reaching the place -in the road where Jim saw this Yankee, he could not be found. I then -suggested that he was not a picket, but had strayed away from his -command for some purpose and would no doubt be found at some house. We -soon discovered a house a few hundred yards ahead, but a little swamp -between us and the house prevented us from going directly to it and -after proceeding a couple of hundred yards down the road, we found a -dirt road coming into the plank road, but at the mouth of this road, -owing to a turn in it, we were unable to see the house. I then suggested -to the boys that they wait there and I would go up to the house and see -if this Yankee was there. - -After proceeding some little distance, the road turned and brought me in -full view of the house, with this Yankee at the gate, his gun on his -shoulder, just starting in. Having on my Yankee overcoat, I slipped my -pistol out of its holster, intending to ride up and make him lay down -his gun, when he discovered me and smiled, mistaking me for one of their -own men. Just as I got ready to throw my pistol down on him the boys on -the plank road started in a fast lope down the way we had come, which -was notice to me that the enemy were on to them. I had but little time -to decide. I knew if I shot this Yankee it would attract those on the -plank road and if I wheeled to run away from him he would perhaps shoot -me, but I decided to take my chance on the latter and broke for the -plank road. Just as I entered the plank road I noticed a column of -infantry within about one hundred and fifty yards. I wheeled to the -right very suddenly, which threw the cape of my overcoat over my head, -put spurs to my horse, made him do his best, expecting every moment to -be shot off the horse, but they never fired a shot, simply calling, -“Halt, halt!” The blue overcoat no doubt saved my life, as they -evidently thought I was one of their own men. When the boys heard me -coming, they stopped and after we got together we struck across the -country the way we had come and reported to General McLaws, which soon -started our little army on a hasty march into Fayetteville, where we -found Rhett’s Brigade, who had moved in during the night, and had sent -notice by a courier, which notice never reached General Hardee. Our army -then passed through Fayetteville very rapidly, whatever stores there -were in the place, of any value to our army, had been removed, and the -bridge across the river was all ready to be burned in an instant. - -After the army had safely passed over, as also our cavalry, I stopped at -a store near the market-house to try to sell a ten dollar gold piece, -belonging to one of my comrades, for Confederate money. This was perhaps -the last gold piece we had in the command and the last of two hundred -dollars in gold my comrade had sent to him from Texas. I found in this -store a few yards of butternut jeans and forty or fifty pairs of knit -socks, all the goods the fellow had and with his little safe half full -of stacks of Confederate money. I asked him a hundred and fifty for one -for the gold piece, when he offered me seventy-five for one and while -dickering on this trade, we heard the guns fire up the street, when he -counted me out fifteen hundred dollars, very quickly for my gold piece. -I just had time to spring on to my horse and cross the bridge, which -very soon after, was burned, with the enemy moving into Fayetteville. - -The army then moved down the river to Averysboro, where they built an -earth breastworks from a swamp, through which had passed a hurricane -down to the Cape Fear River and in front of this, another, perhaps a -half mile from the main works—a short line of works, which was occupied -by Rhett’s Brigade, with a battery of artillery. While our company with -General McLaws and staff, were awaiting developments near where the -roadway ran through the earthworks, General Hardee dashed up and called -to General McLaws to send two of your Texas people down the line on our -left and ascertain if the enemy are flanking in force, when I, in -company with Lieutenant Bennett, dashed down the line until we struck -the swamp, then turned into the swamp among fallen trees and brush until -we became separated, when I was finally fired on by the enemy’s skirmish -line, which forced me to run back through this fallen timber. But having -a clear-footed horse, I succeeded in getting through to the end of the -woods, and there started to run back, away from the fire of the -infantry, when a Colonel Fizer commanding the brigade immediately behind -the works, called me back and gave me a message to General Hardee, which -I was forced to carry up the line, exposed to the fire of the main line -of the enemy, which struck our works obliquely. I delivered my message -to General Hardee just as Rhett’s Brigade was moving inside of the works -from their advanced position, protected by the gallant defense of a -regiment of Georgians he had thrown forward outside of the main works. -When the main line of the enemy poured a hot fire onto that part of the -works where we were halted, we dashed into the woods somewhat out of -range. Here a ball struck Captain Lamar’s fine mare on the back and she -commenced laming. Lamar thought that she would fall with him and begged -me to take him up behind me, which I refused to do, unless his mare -actually fell. He still insisted on my taking him behind, when I -proposed to swap, to which he readily assented, but the mare never gave -out and I brought her into camp safely that night. - -This animal, one of the finest in the army, was a present to Captain -Lamar from a friend of his in Savannah and was said to have cost a -thousand dollars in gold. After eating our supper that night General -McLaws sent for me to come up to his camp fire, when he asked me to -exchange back with Lamar, saying that Lamar prized the mare very highly, -as she was a present to him. I told him most certainly I would do so, -that I did not expect to keep her, but tender her back to him, which, of -course, was very gratifying to all concerned. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - - MY SERVICE WITH CAPTAIN SHANNON. - -It was our custom, when on these scouts inside of the enemy’s lines, to -rest for a part of the night out of sight and hearing of the road, -turning in when away from any settlement or house, so we would not be -seen and spend the balance of the night in sleep in perfect safety, -without having a guard. After spending that night in the woods, we -returned to the road and found a large number of fresh horse tracks -leading towards Little River. We construed these to mean that a Federal -scout had passed during the night, which we decided to catch up with; -charge their rear and stampede them. In about two or three miles from -there our road rose up on a little bluff against a fence, then turned -down the fence to the west into a lane, past a house. In the corner of -the field was a barn lot, with several barns, where we found about -thirty or forty Federals saddling their horses. We immediately withdrew -unobserved, under the bluff, to consult, and I suggested to the boys to -go around this field, in the woods, strike the road below, wait in -ambush until these fellows passed, then charge their rear, as intended. -Virge Phelps refused to listen and insisted on charging them right there -and then, which I conceived to be a very foolish thing to do, but -finally had to yield. As we rose the bluff the second time, we -discovered one of Shannon’s men coming over the fence, out of the field, -which we knew meant that Shannon was camped there with a lot of -prisoners. - -Captain Shannon was instructed by General Hood at Atlanta to select -twenty-five or thirty men out of the regiment and operate inside of -Sherman’s lines all the time, getting information, and punishing -marauders wherever found engaged in their nefarious business of robbing -and burning homes. - -Shannon’s selection of the men he had with him soon won for him and his -scout a reputation with our army, and especially with the enemy, second -to no scout ever sent out by any army. Mosby’s exploits in Virginia have -been considered most wonderful achievements for any small body of men. -The operations of Shannon’s scouts have never been written, but where -they were known, surpassed anything ever heard of. - -Immediately after recognizing this man, coming over from the field, we -hunted up Captain Shannon and reported to him our work of the day -before, when he stated he was going to send these prisoners to -headquarters and suggested that I make my report to General McLaws by -the lieutenant in charge and that we go back with him, as he expected to -go over the same ground that we had passed over the day before. This we -were very willing and anxious to do, having never been in any engagement -with him. - -Shannon made it a rule that wherever he struck the enemy he would charge -them at once and when he found they were too strong for him he would run -out and leave them, sometimes drawn up in line of battle, shelling the -woods after he was gone. As soon as ready, Shannon moved out with our -little party in the rear, they having better horses than ours, as they -managed by some means, to keep in fresh horses all the time. - -One of the first places we stopped to inquire proved to belong to a very -intelligent old Rebel lady, who reported that an officer and a private -and a negro soldier had just left her house, the negro driving her -buggy, carrying off a lot of fine dress goods and silverware and -valuables in the buggy and the others having threatened to hang her if -she failed to tell where her money was, forcing her to give up about a -hundred dollars in gold and several thousand dollars in Confederate -bonds. She told Captain Shannon, “If you will just hurry up, you will -catch up with them,” which we did, in about two miles from there. The -first one of the party caught up with was the negro soldier driving the -horse and buggy, when a member of the advance guard rode up by the side -of him and shot him out of the buggy. It seemed as though the ball of -his big pistol sent his body about five feet on the roadside, which made -the scout smile, looking back at us. - -At a house about a quarter of a mile ahead of us, we found two horses -hitched, which turned out to belong to the lieutenant and the private, -who had taken the old lady’s money. Shannon called back, “Don’t but two -of you stop here.” A couple of Shannon’s men threw their bridle reins -over the fence and rushed into the house, when immediately afterwards we -heard pistols rattle in that house. We then continued on this road to -where it enters the main county road, running parallel with the -Goldsboro & Weldon Railroad. Just before reaching the main county road -Captain Shannon halted us, when he went forward, looked up and down the -road, came back, commanded, “Form fours and charge!” I don’t think I -ever saw men going into a charge like Shannon’s men, all breaking ranks, -trying to get to the front, not knowing whether they were charging a -small body of thirty or fifty men or a whole brigade until they got into -the main county road, which disclosed about sixty or seventy mounted -infantry with their guns swung on their backs, at the mouth of the lane, -drinking and talking. The head of Shannon’s column entered the body of -the Yankees, shooting their way in among them. All offered to surrender, -throwing up their hands with only one gun fired by them and that by a -man about to enter a swamp below the field, firing back at us over his -shoulder. These cowardly devils were not soldiers, only in name, they -were a band of highwaymen and plunderers in the uniform of the United -States and the most of them loaded down with plunder of every -description. - -We next proceeded on the main road towards Pikesville, taking a batch of -prisoners along with us, guarded by only two or three of Shannon’s -scouts. We found these plunderers at every house on the way to -Pikesville, a distance of five or six miles, and also in the town. -Pikesville was a town of about fifty or seventy-five inhabitants, a -blacksmith shop, store and postoffice, railroad station and a few -residences. On entering the town our party became very much scattered, -as we found Federals in nearly every house. A party of about six or -eight on horseback tried to escape, when I, with two or three of -Shannon’s boys, started after them, capturing the whole bunch. - -Returning to town I noticed the house where we stopped the day before -and had such a tirade of abuse from the woman, of which Shannon’s boys -with me, knew nothing. I suggested to them to let us go by that house -and get a drink of water. The prisoners begged for water also. Riding up -to the house, the door opened and my good lady of the day before put in -her appearance, when I said to her, “Now, run and get your friends some -drinking water; they are very thirsty.” “No,” she said, “I wouldn’t give -them a drink of water to save their lives. Come in, sir, and see what -they did in my house.” I told her that I did not care to see it, but to -run and get some water for her friends, when she again started to abuse -the prisoners. I told her she must stop that, they were our prisoners -and could not be abused by her. - -After getting together the prisoners taken in this town and leaving -about a half dozen men to guard them, somewhere near a hundred, we -started out on a short scout on the road we had run over after the -parties trying to make their escape. When about a mile and a half from -town in a straight lane, having very high rail fences on both sides, we -met about eighty or a hundred more, evidently on their way to town. The -head of their column halted, viewing one of their dead bodies lying in -the road, one of the men that was killed by our little party running -after them, trying to make their escape. - -I forgot to mention when starting out on this last scout that I told -Shannon our party wanted to move in the advance guard, as we had hardly -got a shot, his men always keeping ahead of us and we did not want to go -back to the regiment and say we had been with Shannon’s scouts unable to -do any effective service. Captain Shannon replied, “All right; go ahead -and report to Bill Smith,” who was a first lieutenant and always -commanded the advance guard. When within about two hundred yards of this -column, viewing the body, I asked Smith, as he was moving us quite -rapidly, “What are you going to do; are you going to charge these -fellows?” He said, “Come on; come on.” I looked back and saw Shannon -coming up in a lope with about fifteen or eighteen men, then noticed the -Federal column getting restless and probably four or five of them break, -when I said to Smith, “Now is our time,” and we drove ahead, scattering -the whole business, capturing a number of prisoners, besides a number -left in the road. - -We next collected all our prisoners in the town and found that perhaps -not more than seventy per cent could speak the English language and we -were told that these foreigners had just been imported from Europe, -rushed through Castle Garden, right to the army. They were told by the -recruiting agents in Europe that they would receive large bounties, good -pay and good treatment and be entitled to everything they captured, -which latter of course, proved the greatest inducement of all. - -We camped with Shannon that night near the town, and parted with him the -next morning, they moving in the direction of Goldsboro, while we -started back to our army, which we never saw again until the night of -the day of the surrender, which was several weeks after. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - - WE RECEIVE NOTICE OF JOHNSTON’S SURRENDER—I DECLINE TO BE PAROLED AND - RESOLVE TO MAKE MY WAY OUT. - -After leaving Bentonville our army continued its retreat, the main part -of the army finally moving in the direction of Greensboro, where it -surrendered. Our little party continued to operate on Sherman’s flank, -when we heard that there was a large amount of meat collected by the -Federal cavalry at a little place called Marlboro, and we decided to get -a wagonload of this meat and carry it with us to our army. For this -purpose we impressed a wagon and team and loaded up with hams, which -proved a great encumbrance to us and about the third day we left all -with a poor widow woman, with her promise to hide out the hams in the -woods and try to save them from capture. We finally reached our -regimental camp the night of the surrender of Johnston’s army. Our -regiment at first notice of the surrender, decided to make their way out -and not take parole, but General Wheeler came down and made them a talk, -stating the terms of the surrender to be that the cavalry would be -permitted to retain their horses and sidearms and go home unmolested, if -they could show a parole; but if not they would be treated and shot as -Guerillas. Under this condition General Wheeler advised them to -surrender, which they decided to do. - -After feeding my horse and eating a little supper, I tried to make up a -party to make our way out without taking a parole, believing that the -army would be sent to prison, and, having determined never to see the -inside of another prison, I prepared to go out and succeeded in inducing -about thirty of the regiment to go out with me. We rode all night, and -next morning came to a place where we found Colonel Harrison on -crutches, standing in the door. I dismounted and went in to tell him -that the army had surrendered and when about half way to him in the -yard, he motioned to me with his hand, saying, “Back to your command; -back to your command.” I told him that we were on our way to Texas, the -army had surrendered and the Rangers had decided to surrender with the -army and take a parole, which brought tears to his eyes. He repeated, -“The army has surrendered and the Rangers going to surrender with the -army? You did right, sir, in coming out; the Rangers shall not surrender -with the army; I am going to send them word to come out.” He then bade -us good-bye and we proceeded on our way. - -That night we got to the town of Lexington, where we decided to stop for -the night, camping at the edge of the town. I went into town to have -some bread cooked for the party and it commenced to rain. Finally I -succeeded in finding a place where a lady agreed to cook the bread for -us all. The gentleman insisted on my staying at his house until his wife -could cook the bread, which would take her all night, and as a further -inducement, said if I would stay he would go with me the next morning -and show me where about thirty barrels of Catawba wine was hid out, from -which we could fill our canteens. The next morning, going down to where -I had left the boys in camp, loaded down with bread, I found they had -gone and left me. They had evidently become alarmed during the night -and, not knowing where I could be found, they decided I would be able to -make my way out all right. I then struck out, taking as much of the -bread as I could conveniently carry, but did not take time to get any of -the wine. I took the main Charlotte road, when in about two or three -miles, the road forked, one seemed about as much traveled as the other. -About six miles from there, towards Charlotte, I came to a house where I -found Major Jarmon of our regiment, badly wounded, with several of our -men taking care of him. These men told me that our party who had left -me, had divided at the forks of the road, part of them taking the right -hand, intending to go through Middle Tennessee and East Tennessee, the -others going on to Charlotte, there to cross the river and go over into -South Carolina. I then decided to go back to the forks of the road, take -the right hand and try to catch up with the party going to Tennessee. - -After following this road about two or three miles, I came to a branch, -where I stopped to water my horse and immediately discovered about eight -or ten old men and young boys riding horses, unshod, and with citizens’ -saddles. They had a few squirrel rifles and no other weapons, and were -also watering their horses in the branch near me. They asked me what -command I belonged to. I told them I belonged to the Texas Rangers and -my company was just ahead, when I asked them what command they belonged -to. They said they belonged to General Lee’s cavalry, which I knew was -not true, but that they were bushwhackers and I decided to get away from -them as soon as possible. I started across the branch and at a little -turn of the road I struck a trot, when two of them loped up behind me, -separating, one on each side of me, one of them demanding to buy my -saddle. I told him it was not for sale. The other wanted to buy one of -my pistols. I told them they couldn’t have anything I had; “I know what -you are after and if you know what is good for you, you had better drop -back and let me alone.” They stopped and, I thought, started back to -their party. I soon got to another turn of the road out of their sight, -and struck a lope and ran about a mile and a half. I concluded perhaps -they would come no further. I discovered a woman plowing in the field, -at the far end of which was a log house on the edge of the woods, and -just at the corner of the fence I noticed some fresh horse tracks turned -off the road, which I concluded perhaps was our party who had gone to -the house to get something to eat. I waited in the fence corner for the -woman to return to the end of the row and asked if she had seen any men -riding down the line of fence to the house, when she claimed she did not -and while talking with her here this gang of bushwhackers came dashing -up and surrounded me in the fence corner. I pulled out one of my pistols -and told them the first man that raised a gun I’d kill “and I’ll get a -number of you before you get me, for I am an expert shot and never -miss,” when one of them said, “Come on, boys; let’s leave the d—— -fool.” I told them,” Yes, you’d better leave.” Unfortunately for me, -they turned right up the road, the way I wanted to go and when they -concluded I had quit watching them, they turned into the woods, no doubt -expecting me to continue on the road and they would then ambush me. - -I first concluded that I must catch up with our party, as I was -exceedingly anxious to go with them into Tennessee and it was not safe -for me to go by myself, therefore decided I would ride along leisurely -until I got up to the point where they turned out of the road, then, -with my pistol raised, I would put spurs to my horse and run the -gauntlet, which on further reflection, I concluded that I had better not -attempt, as they would be bound to hit my horse in running by. I -therefore turned back the way I had come. When within about two or three -miles of the main forks of the road, I struck a well-beaten path, -running in the direction of the Charlotte road, which I decided to take -and getting back into the Charlotte road, I would ride on to Charlotte. -After riding in this path about a mile and a half, I came to a large log -house, to reach the front gate of which I had to pass through a barn lot -that had a large gate, fastened by a log chain wrapped around the bottom -of the gate and the gate post. When I got down off my horse to unwind -this chain, I heard some one speak and when I looked up I found an old -gentleman on the other side of the lot with a shotgun leveled on me. I -told him not to shoot, “I am a friend and want some directions.” He -said, “Now, that animal isn’t fit for you to ride and would be of no use -to you, but you can’t take her.” I told him, “My friend, I don’t want -your horse, I have as good a horse as I want. I only want some -directions,” and after talking with him a little, satisfied him that I -was not after his horse, when he invited me in. I then told him about -being on my way home to Texas and how I had been separated from the -party I was going with and wanted to get to the Charlotte road the -nearest way I could get there. He then begged me to spend the balance of -the day and stay all night with him. After finding that he was a good -Southern man, I decided to do so, satisfied I would never catch up with -our party that had taken the Charlotte road and I needed rest very -badly, as also my horse. - -The old gentleman told me that that whole country was overrun by a band -of marauders that had been pillaging and robbing their homes and they -had had a meeting of the people in the neighborhood and decided whenever -a house was attacked they would blow a horn and all rush to the place of -attack, there to shoot down every man they found that had no business -there. It is hardly necessary to say that he wished they would attack -his house the night I was there, because I had four pistols and was -regarded by him as pretty good reinforcement, but nothing of the sort -happened. I spent a very restful and pleasant night, with a good supper -and breakfast, and next day started out, by a near road, to strike the -Charlotte pike, which I did some several miles ahead of where I left -Major Jarman, the day before, badly wounded. - -When I finally reached Charlotte, I stopped to make some inquiry of an -infantry guard stationed at a big stable, who told me that the guards in -town had orders to arrest every man from Johnston’s army without a -parole and advised me to pass around the main part of the town, into the -road I was going on to. He furthermore told me that our whole -Confederate Government was then in Charlotte; President Davis, with -General Breckenridge, then Secretary of War; Judge Reagan, Postmaster -General, and all the rest, and they had just heard the news of Lincoln’s -assassination, which seemed to have cast a gloom over the entire party. - -I now proceeded on my way, around the town, back into the main road -leading out to Bady’s Ferry and when within four or five miles of the -ferry, I met a citizen who had just crossed there and reported that -Colonel Clarence Prentice, with about two hundred Kentuckians, had just -crossed there and had been captured by a heavy force of Federal cavalry -and by them paroled and permitted to go on his way home. Then further -conferring with this citizen about where I could best cross the Catawba -River, he told me of a batteau at a mill about twelve miles below -Charlotte, when I decided to ride down there and cross in this batteau, -which I did, putting my saddle and everything in the batteau, paddling -across and swimming my mare, which landed me in a wheat field, in the -State of South Carolina. - -After getting straightened out again for the road I got directions to -Anderson Courthouse, which I reached in due time and found Colonel -Harrison, with a large party of Rangers, resting and having a good time. -Harrison, if the reader will remember, was badly wounded and was just -recovering, using crutches, when a party of Rangers came along after we -had left, secured an ambulance and crossed the Catawba River with two -batteaux, one on each side, thus bringing him out to Anderson -Courthouse, which was his old home and where he had relatives. - -After resting another day we again struck out for the Mississippi River, -passing through South Carolina, into Georgia, then into Alabama. Before -reaching the State of Alabama, we heard that the Mississippi River was -out of its banks and about thirty miles wide, which forced us to scatter -out and lay up at different points, until the river ran down so that we -could cross. I had promised a messmate, Joe Hungerford, whose home was -at Uniontown, Alabama, that I would spend some time with him. - -Riding along one day in Alabama, some miles from Marion, I was taken -with a severe headache, which forced me to stop and lay up, try to get -some rest and sleep. When I woke in the night I was prevailed on by an -old gentleman at the house, to spend the balance of the night, which -threw me considerably behind the party of men I was with. - -When our party left Greenville Courthouse we decided if we struck any -horses or mules, belonging to the United States Government, we would -take them along with us, for the purpose of probably raising money to -pay our expenses home and if we found any small parties of the enemy, we -would attack them and on their surrender, would parole them, taking -their arms and horses. - -On riding into the town of Marion, I saw a guard in front of a livery -stable, rode up to him, when he accosted me, “Hello, Texas; have you -come after mules, too?” I told him, “Yes, where are they?” He said, -“This stable is full of the finest kind of mules;” he happened to be an -Arkansas man and told me that my party, who went through the day before, -went out with a lot of mules, each leading two. I told him, “All right, -open the door and I will go in and get a couple.” He said, “No, you know -I want you to have them, but they are in charge of Major Curry, who has -a strong guard here and is waiting to turn them over to the Yankees, who -are expected in here by train every minute and you had better not -attempt to take any mules by yourself, as Curry, with his guards, would -surely arrest you and turn you over to the Yankees.” Then I concluded -best to drop the matter and proceeded to get directions, from a citizen, -to Uniontown. - -Stopping on the road, about five miles from Marion, to get dinner, I -found at the house four Confederate soldiers—one young man on crutches, -who had been wounded in the Virginia Army, the son of the owner of the -place; one of the Eleventh Texas Cavalry and two Arkansas men. At the -dinner table the old gentleman told me about Major Curry, a Confederate -Quartermaster, who had impressed about two hundred fine mules in that -section for account of the Confederate Government and had these mules in -a large livery stable in Marion, protected by a guard, to turn them over -to the Federals. These mules had not been branded and the owners had -plead with Major Curry to return them to them, but Curry refused, -claiming it would get him into trouble with the Federals, as they would -certainly get the information. The old gentleman told me that the -feeling against Curry was very bitter and that he was regarded as a very -mean man, persisting in his determination to turn over the mules, on -account of his antipathy to his old neighbors and friendliness to the -Federals, thereby courting their favors. - -Presently one of the Arkansas men proposed that we go back and take a -couple of mules apiece, by force, to which we all consented. Our -crippled man, not having a gun, his father told him of a rich neighbor -some two miles from there who had quite a number of mules taken by Curry -and was very bitter against him on that account, that he had a very fine -shotgun and would no doubt loan it to him for the purpose of a raid on -that stable. Stopping at this house on our way into Marion, this young -crippled man secured the shotgun, when we moved on. Just before we -entered town I stopped the party and told them that I was satisfied we -were very liable to have trouble with Major Curry and there was no use -in starting into it without going through with it. “Now, if there is a -man among you that don’t want to go in, let him say so now.” They all -said they were willing to go and wanted me to take command of the party. -I told them, “All right, now, if you are asked any questions, who I am, -tell them I am Lieutenant Jones, Company C, Eleventh Texas.” - -We now started in and found a big lattice door to the stable open, and -as soon as we came in sight the guard rushed to the door to close it, -when I dashed up with my pistol on and told him to leave that door open. -I then told our crippled young man, with the shotgun, to hold that door -open, to stay there and to shoot the first man that attempted to close -it when the balance of our men went in to get the mules. There were two -shed rooms, connected with the main room; the large room had stalls on -each side. Not finding any good mules in the large room, I went to the -far end and turned into one of the shed rooms, the balance of the men -scattering around, hunting good mules. While engaged untying a mule in -the shed room, I heard a man call to some of our men, “Who are you, and -what are you doing here?” They told him they had come after mules. “Who -commands this party?” “Lieutenant Jones of the Eleventh Texas.” “Where -is Lieutenant Jones?” They told him I was in that shed room. In the -meantime, a number of men in citizen’s clothes, had entered the main -room. Major Curry came around into the shed room, where I had untied a -mule and asked me if I was Lieutenant Jones, in command. He said, “I am -Major Curry of the Confederate States Army, in charge of these mules, -with orders to turn them over to the United States Army and if you don’t -take your party out of here and leave these mules, I will have to arrest -you and turn you over to the Federal authorities.” I told him that we -would be very much disappointed if he didn’t attempt our arrest, that we -had come on purpose to get the mules and him, too, when he approached -very near me and said in a low tone of voice, “You know this stable is -full of Yankee spies now, come in advance of the army to find out what -they can, and for their benefit I have to make a show of resistance.” He -said, “You go ahead and take what mules you want. You Texans are -entitled to them; you are a long ways from home.” - -We then completed our selection and led out two mules apiece, with two -for our lame friend at the door, passing by a number of strangers, -looking on, in the main room. Major Curry followed me outside, when I -told him, “Now, if it will be of any benefit to you, Major, I am willing -to give you a written statement that I appeared here with an armed force -and took possession of so many mules,” which he said he would appreciate -very much, it might prove of benefit to him with the Yankees, and -invited me up into his office with him, around on the square, where I -drew up this statement and signed the name of R. F. Jones, Company C, -Eleventh Texas Regiment. We then departed with our mules, back to the -young lame man’s home, where we separated, perhaps never to meet again. - -After obtaining directions for Uniontown, on my way through Green -County, Alabama, I stopped at the little town of Newbern, where I met a -Doctor James Webb, who insisted on my stopping with him. He had a -beautiful home; his family being away on a long visit to some other -section of the State, he felt quite lonely and wanted company. I decided -to accept his invitation, when he made me feel at home and my visit -there for nearly two months, waiting for the Mississippi River to run -down, proved very pleasant indeed, besides forming many new and pleasant -acquaintances. - -After spending nearly two months at this place, we had information, -which we considered reliable, that the Trans-Mississippi Department had -surrendered. I therefore concluded best to abandon my ride to Texas, -leave my horse and arms with Doctor Webb and proceed to New Orleans, -from there by steamer to Galveston. Doctor Webb succeeded in finding an -only twenty-dollar gold piece, which he advanced me to pay the expense -of my trip. - -Armed with a parole, copied from one in the possession of an Appomattox -prisoner, I proceeded to Uniontown, where I took rail for Selma and -entered the Provost Marshal’s office, threw down my parole and demanded -transportation to Texas, which was granted me as far as New Orleans. - -Arriving at New Orleans I found that the Trans-Mississippi Department -had not yet surrendered, but the agents of General Kirby Smith, who was -in command of the Trans-Mississippi Department (Doctor Ashbel Smith and -Mr. Ballinger of Galveston), were then negotiating with General Canby, -its surrender. Here I found a large part of Hood’s brigade, as also -General Hood and members of his staff from Texas and General Thomas -Harrison of our brigade, with some few members of the Eighth Texas, also -many members of Granbury’s and Rector’s brigades, awaiting the close of -negotiations and transportation to Texas, when finally, in about a week -or ten days, the surrender of the Trans-Mississippi Department was -completed and a large transport, in charge of a Federal captain, was -ordered to take us to Galveston. - -On arrival at the entrance of Galveston Bay we met a sloop of war going -out, when our captain in charge signaled to it to return to Galveston -and anchor off a certain wharf, where he expected to land our men, which -he did. On arrival at this wharf, after tying up the boat, a stage was -run out, when a lone gentleman standing on the wharf, claiming to be -Mayor Leonard of the city, called to the Federal captain not to allow a -single man to come off that boat until the trains were ready to take us -into the interior. This brought forth a spirited rebuke by our Federal -captain, telling him that the men were going to land and stay in the -city until they could be taken out by the railroad and if they -mistreated any of the men while there, he would order the gunboat to lay -his town in ashes. - -In explanation of the Mayor’s action, it seems that when the army -disbanded in the interior, that a lot of bad men entered Galveston and -conducted themselves badly, when the City Council met and passed an -order that no more soldiers would be permitted in the city. The Mayor, -of course, had no idea that a large number of the men aboard were -citizens of Galveston nor as to the character of the men aboard, hence -his mistake. - -In connection with this I recall the departure of the Bayou City Guards -in 1861 for Virginia, who afterwards constituted a part of the Fifth -Texas Regiment, Hood’s brigade, and reflected such credit on the -Confederate arms in Virginia. I happened to be present in Houston when -this company, marching through the streets of Houston to the railroad -depot, were escorted by a cavalry company and a large concourse of -citizens—on their departure for Harrisburg, there to be mustered into -the service of the Confederate States for the war. - -After boarding the train a few speeches were made and a few words spoken -by Captain John G. Walker, commanding the cavalry company, which I well -remember, as follows: - -“If you fight bravely we will honor you; if you return safely we will -welcome you; if you die in battle I swear to Heaven we will avenge you.” - -Taking this in connection with our reception at Galveston, which of -course, was a mistake, by accident, we can well afford to pass it. - -As soon as the trains were made up for the interior, after spending a -day and night in Galveston where we were treated royally by its -citizens, we proceeded to our different homes and I soon landed in -Hempstead among a sad, dejected and ruined people, resolved to do the -best they could under the circumstances and submit gracefully to the -powers that were. - -It would, I consider, be entirely fitting for me to close this part of -my life’s history by publishing what I may call General Joseph Wheeler’s -farewell address to his cavalry corps (General Wheeler issued the -following order to his entire command): - - “Headquarters Cavalry Corps, - “April 28, 1865. - - “Gallant Comrades: You have fought your fight. Your task is - done. During a four years’ struggle for liberty you have - exhibited courage, fortitude and devotion. You are the victors - of more than 200 sternly contested fields. You have participated - in more than a thousand conflicts of arms. You are heroes! - Veterans! Patriots! The bones of your comrades mark battlefields - upon the soil of Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South - Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. You have done all - that human exertion could accomplish. In bidding you adieu, I - desire to tender my thanks for your gallantry in battle, your - fortitude under suffering and your devotion at all times to the - holy cause you have done so much to maintain. I desire also to - express my gratitude for the kind feelings you have seen fit to - extend toward myself, and to invoke upon you the blessing of our - Heavenly Father, to whom we must always look in the hour of - distress. Brethren in the cause of freedom, comrades in arms, I - bid you farewell. - - “JOSEPH WHEELER, - “Major General. - - “Official: - - “WM. E. WAITES, - “Assistant Adjutant General.” - - - - - The Reconstruction Period - - - PREFACE - -For the unpleasant facts recorded in this, I am not responsible, but -only the powers that were then. I would much prefer to forget as I have -forgiven, and not reopen old wounds, but a sacred duty I owe my family -forces me to submit the unvarnished truth and use expressions, though -harsh, to properly represent conditions as they existed, to protect my -lifetime fair name and character, which I must leave my family -untarnished, and also to redeem my promise to them and my many -interested friends, who were personally acquainted with me during the -years of this terrible experience. - -Do not fail to bear in mind that this is written altogether from memory, -nearly fifty years after it occurred, hence dates are omitted. - -In order to give the reader a full appreciation of my remarkable -preservation and escape from being murdered by the powers that ruled at -the time, I treat the subject as I do. Drifting into this trouble was -certainly not of my own choice, but altogether owing to conditions and -surroundings. I was simply the instrument in God’s hands to relieve a -law abiding and submissive community of a terrible calamity about to be -enacted by a lawless band of marauders in the uniform of the United -States, protected by their officers and permitted by the, then, General -Government, and my life was spared by the interposition of a Divine -Providence. It was this firm conviction that gave me strength and hope -that all would be well and enabled me to pass through this terrible -ordeal. - -There was no law to protect or appeal to, only the whim of a vindictive -military satrap, whose order was supreme and who regarded the best -citizens of the country fit subjects for his vengeance and persecution. - -Our State Government, organized under the terms of our surrender, -composed of the best and most solid element of the State, working in -conjunction with the returned Confederate soldiers to rehabilitate our -ruined homes, was ruthlessly set aside by the infamous order of General -Sheridan, as an impediment to reconstruction. - -To longer submit to such conditions and subject our families to dangers -worse than death, made men desperate and called forth every spark of -manhood in man, particularly in one who had followed Sherman’s march -through Georgia and the Carolinas and made him liable to resent outrages -when brought directly to his own home in the most effective way, -regardless of consequences. - -As a result of our action, having removed the bandit leader from among -them, our community was no longer subjected to their deviltry. They were -completely overawed and behaved themselves forever after, thereby -avoiding much bloodshed. Had they burned Hempstead that night, which no -doubt they would have done, an outraged citizenship would have gathered -and visited vengeance on these devils incarnate and no promise of -General Sheridan, as in the case of Brenham, could have stayed them, -then what would have been the result? - -I had the sympathy of the best citizens of the country, offers of men -and money, which were always declined in the interest of peace. - -To better explain the cause for the conditions existing with these -garrisons: When the Federal Government sent their recruiting agents -abroad, they accepted some of the worst element in Europe, as well as in -this country, promising them large bounties, good wages and treatment, -and all they could capture, hence a certain element in the army started -in for plunder only, and with no other object. Some garrisons in the -State had a band of plunderers with a desperate leader, as was the case -at Brenham when it was burned and again at Hempstead at this time. - -At the conclusion of the war the best element in the Federal Army, the -brave and gallant men who won the fight, did not re-enlist, but returned -to their homes to engage in peaceful pursuits and could never have been -induced to assist in degrading their own race and color by elevating the -negro over us, which was the avowed intention of the fanatical element -of the North who were responsible for the war. - -That gallant soldier and conscientious gentleman, General W. S. Hancock, -in command of New Orleans, refused to do their bidding and was -immediately superseded by General Sheridan, who proved a fit tool in -their hands. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - - UPON MY RETURN FROM THE ARMY I FIND MY BUSINESS AFFAIRS IN BAD SHAPE. - -I returned from Johnston’s army, surrendered in North Carolina in the -summer of 1865, to my home town, Hempstead, Texas, where I found my -brother, six years younger than myself, who had also just returned from -the army, and a younger sister, who had been boarding at a friend’s -house during my absence in the army. We were orphan children. - -On my return I found the business of Faddis & Graber, which I left in -charge of R. P. Faddis, the senior partner, totally vanished. I had not -even a change of clothing, of which I had left a trunk full. Brother had -given them to needy Confederate soldiers. - -After resting and recuperating for some months, a guest at the homes of -different friends, awaiting an opportunity for business, I was persuaded -by an old friend, Mr. Leander Cannon, to make my home at his house at -Courtney, Grimes County, until I could secure something to do. Mr. -Cannon before the war had the largest general mercantile business in the -interior of the State, while I kept his books for him at Hempstead -before I entered into business on my own account with Faddis, Mr. Cannon -having sold out in the meantime. - -After the return of the Confederate soldiers from the army, the first -year, they were engaged in peaceable pursuits, trying to rebuild their -lost fortunes and also to recuperate their health, which, in many -instances, had been sacrificed in the army. - -While so engaged, the Federal Government organized its Freedman’s -Bureau, establishing its agencies in all the populous negro districts in -the State, supported by the army. As heretofore stated, among these -garrisons were a lot of desperate and bad men, bent on rapine and -plunder, and they had the sanction of their officers, notably in the -case of the town of Brenham, which they sacked and burned. - -This aroused the resentment and desperation of the best people of Texas -and very soon a thousand or more of the best citizens of the State -collected and determined to wipe out this garrison. General Sheridan, in -command of Texas and Louisiana, with headquarters at New Orleans, -telegraphed Governor Throckmorton to proceed there at once and beg the -people to desist and not to take any action until he could send a -commission to investigate and secure the guilty parties for punishment. - -Governor Throckmorton succeeded in dispersing this avenging host, and -General Sheridan, instead of sending a commission, reinforced the -garrison and arrested some of the best citizens of the country. - -The Hempstead garrison also had a band of marauders, headed by a -desperate character, who occasionally attacked citizens at night and -robbed them. This was the condition at Hempstead. - -In the meantime I started a small general merchandise business at -Courtney, with the assistance of my friend Cannon. While boarding at -Cannon’s house I occupied a room with a Mr. White and son, from Tarrant -County, who were there, ostensibly, to trade a flouring mill he had in -Tarrant County for one of Cannon’s Brazos bottom plantations. I soon -concluded that Mr. White had no flouring mill to trade and was imposing -upon Mr. Cannon for his and his son’s board and also to recuperate his -horses. - -I also met at Mr. Cannon’s ex-Governor Morehead of Kentucky, who was -then a refugee from the General Government. While rooming with Mr. White -and his son, we had frequent discussions about the battles in Virginia, -he claiming that he had served in that army, and his son on General -Johnston’s staff. I noticed that Mr. Cannon showed these gentlemen a -great deal of attention and frequently these three were seen in the -woods, sitting on a log, talking. I was puzzled to know why it was that -Mr. Cannon could be so easily imposed on by this man White. - -Some months or more after they had left, and I had moved to the hotel -down in town, I met Mr. Cannon on the street and he said to me, “I have -just heard from Mr. White.” “Well, has he sold his flouring mill?” I -asked. Cannon said, “No, you knew he had no flouring mill. You knew that -it was General Wigfall and his son, Holsey.” I told him no, that I was -unaware who he was, having only met General Wigfall one time at Raleigh, -North Carolina, at a hotel, when he wore a heavy black beard, and at -Courtney he was clean shaven. Cannon told me, when he heard from them, -they were in Havana and would take a steamer the next day for Great -Britain. I never knew what became of ex-Governor Morehead after he left -Cannon’s, but do not think that he was ever arrested. - -While at Courtney, I was called on by an old comrade, Ben Polk, in -company with a friend of his by the name of T. J. Thorn, who were -looking for a large plantation to lease. This they failed to find. Both -had their old family set of negroes to work for them. Ben Polk went over -on the Trinity, where he rented and cultivated a plantation, and Captain -Thorn rented the Stevenson’s Ferry plantation, about six miles from the -town of Hempstead, where he pitched a large crop of cotton and corn. - -Several months after I happened to meet with Thorn at Hempstead, when he -made a proposition to me to join in the cultivation of this crop, as he -felt financially unable to carry it through. - -After investigating his proposition, which was most liberal, and -considering the further fact that the location presented a better -opportunity for business than Courtney, I decided to accept and moved -down there with my stock of merchandise, boarding my family in a -friend’s home in Hempstead, as the house on the plantation was in bad -repair. Captain Thorn also boarded his wife and two children with his -father-in-law in Hempstead. - -It was our custom to spend Sundays with our families in town, sometimes -going in on Saturday night, returning Monday morning, and occasionally -going in on Sunday morning. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - - THE AFFAIR AT HEMPSTEAD. - -One Sunday morning Thorn and I rode into town, and met on the road going -towards the river, eleven Federal soldiers. We thought nothing of it as -they had never before crossed the river. Captain Thorn stopped at the -place where his wife was boarding and I started across the square to -where my little family were stopping. I noticed a group of our solid -citizens armed, talking excitedly, and rode up and asked them the news, -when they told me that a band of soldiers had raided the town the night -before, committing a number of depredations and had threatened to burn -Hempstead that night. - -A committee of citizens, headed by the Mayor, Mr. Whitworth, had visited -the camp that morning and complained to the commanding officer, Captain -Lancaster, of the conduct of his men the night before and told him of -their threat to burn Hempstead that night. They asked permission to -organize a patrol to keep their town from being burned. He cursed them -in answer and told them that he wanted every one of them to hunt their -holes that night at eight o’clock and that he would have a patrol out to -see that they did it. - -Knowing the temper of the people, as I did, I suggested to them not to -do anything rash, telling them that whatever was done without the -authority of the powers that were would only bring greater trouble, and -that we would be powerless to secure redress. I pleaded with them and -cautioned them to submit, rather than to make matters worse, as in the -case of Brenham. - -I then proceeded to my wife’s place of residence and spent the balance -of the day until about four o’clock in the evening. All during that day -we heard wild rumors of the threats of the soldiers of what they were -going to do that night and I decided it was best to take my wife and -baby to the plantation and keep them out of trouble. About a mile from -town I met one of our negro men, with his wife. His wife’s clothes were -badly torn. He told me that eleven soldiers had been out to the place, -robbed the house of several guns belonging to the negroes and one very -fine gun belonging to Captain Thorn. They had tried to break into my -storeroom, but had failed to get in. They had then gone to Buckhorn, -about four or five miles west of us, where there was a store and -postoffice, and he thought on their return, they would break into my -store. I asked him where he was going. He said he was going into camp to -report them. I told him not to do so, that they would nearly beat him to -death for making such a report, but to go and see his Marse Tom and tell -him what they had done and to tell him that I had gone on out and to -come out immediately and to bring out a good lot of pistol ammunition. -We both had pistols but no ammunition for them, never having any use for -them, though it was the custom with most people to carry six-shooters. - -My first impulse was to watch their return from Buckhorn and, on their -approach, to go into the storeroom, well prepared with loaded guns, and -resist any attempt on their part to break into the store. - -I drove on out to the place, very much alarmed; fearing that I would -meet these devils on their return to town, but fortunately, they had not -returned that far. After crossing the river at the ferry, I drove -through the open fields, where I could see clear up to the house, about -a mile, and when I reached the house the negroes reported that they had -already left there, for town, on the river road, through a piece of -bottom. - -I had promised my wife that I would do nothing in the matter and -intended to make good this promise, but when the negroes told me of the -soldiers’ doings in the negro quarters and at the house, I lost all -control of myself, ushered my wife into the house, told her that I had -to go down to the barn to see the mules fed, by way of an excuse to get -away from her, went into the storeroom, got an only pistol, partly -loaded, rushed to the barn without a saddle, jumped on my horse’s back -and set out in pursuit of them. - -Fortunately they had already crossed the river when I got to the ferry. -There is no question but what I would have dashed in among them with -only three shots in my pistol and would not now live to tell the tale. - -At the ferry I met a young man by the name of Stevenson, a son of the -owner of the place, and a young man by the name of Hartsfield, who had -been acting as our overseer. Stevenson was armed and so was Hartsfield. -I got some ammunition from the ferryman for my pistol, which I completed -loading. When about ready to cross the river, Captain Thorn hailed for -the boat, crossed and secured another pistol from the ferryman. Thorn -was very much stirred up. In meeting them the leader of this gang had -made him get off of his horse, get down on his knees and told him to say -his prayers, but finally let him off. We then started in pursuit and -when within about a mile of their camp we caught up with them. When they -heard us coming they broke, their leader and several companions taking -to trees, from which they fired upon us. In the mix-up they got the -worst of the affair. Two were left dead on the field, while we -miraculously escaped without a scratch. - -Our first decision was to report the result to the commanding officer, -but being admonished by the manner in which he had treated our citizens -that morning, and also the history in the case of Brenham, we finally -concluded we had better keep out of their clutches and not risk our -lives in their hands. - -A military satrap was the law of the land; there were no courts to -appeal to, only the tender mercies of General Sheridan. - -We immediately returned to the river. After crossing, I asked the party -to hold the ferry until I could get my wife and baby to a friend’s -house, about two miles distant. Hartsfield and Stevenson both refused -and left, but Thorn, taking my pistol, in addition to the one he had, -sat down by a tree and told me to take my time, that he would hold that -ferryboat against the whole garrison. - -I went to the house, took my wife and baby to a Mr. Waller Cochran’s, -where they spent the night, and then I went back to relieve Captain -Thorn. We then went to another friend’s house, where we were joined by -our overseer, Hartsfield, and there spent the night. I instructed Mr. -John D. Cochran, an old messmate, to go over to his brother’s place the -next morning, get my wife and baby and either take them to Courtney to -her sister’s home or bring them to Navasota, where we expected to meet -them the next evening. - -In crossing the ferry the next morning there were in the boat with them -twelve men in command of a lieutenant, heavily armed, who had been out -to the place, searching for us. My wife heard them make their threats -that if they caught up with Thorn or Graber that they had orders to -shoot them down without benefit of a court martial. - -After spending that night at a friend’s house, we three started for -Navasota, on the west side of the river, Stevenson having left us at the -ferry the day before. I have never seen him since. We crossed the river -at Old Washington and arrived at Navasota in the evening, where I met my -wife, who was taken to a Mr. Felder’s house. - -Our arrival at Navasota created great excitement. We were visited by -many of the best citizens of the town, some of whom begged us to stay. -They just wanted a chance at them, when they came after us, but I told -them no, that our case was bad enough and that it would only result in -involving our friends without accomplishing anything, which I was -determined not to do. I therefore arranged to leave next morning for -Waxahachie, where I was well acquainted, having spent two years of my -boyhood there. - -After a day’s reflection we just began to realize our condition. -Outlawed by the powers that were, everything that we had in the world -lost, confiscated, dependent altogether on what financial aid and -assistance we might accept; and, although we had abundant aid offered -us, it only made us more desperate. We felt that our fate was sealed, -though we had not a moment’s thought of regret; we felt that we had done -right, that we could not have done otherwise and were simply the victims -of conditions existing. - -I parted with my wife next morning, never expecting to see her again, -telling her whenever she heard of my being in their hands, it would be -my dead body; I would never surrender. - -We now started on our trip to Waxahachie, without incident, stopping at -houses at night, without disclosing our identity, giving fictitious -names. When we reached Spring Hill we found a Mr. George H. Porter of -Houston, an old army acquaintance of Thorn’s, who was out collecting for -T. W. House of Houston. We also found a Federal quartermaster from Waco, -out buying horses for the troops stationed at that point. Now, my -friend, Thorn, had got to drinking very hard, getting more desperate -every day and conceived the idea to hold up this quartermaster and make -him give us his money. I spurned the idea, telling Thorn that he could -not do it while I was there. I was not willing to turn highway robber, -which it would have amounted to. Here was the turning point in our -lives, especially in the case of Thorn, who didn’t seem to have any -compunctions in the matter, though, in the eyes of many, he would have -been fully justified. The Government, through their soldiers, had robbed -us of everything we had and was seeking to take our lives without the -benefit of a court martial, and, under the circumstances, Thorn’s idea -might have been justified. - -My friend Thorn readily yielded when I called his attention to the -disgrace such an act would bring on our families, to say nothing of -having entered into such practices, which would have carried us further -into an infamous career. To me, the fact that we had to depend on -misrepresentation and lies to save our lives as long as we could, with a -faint hope of ultimately living out of it, was bad enough. Lying was -revolting to my very nature. I always detested a liar, as much so as I -did a thief, but in this case, I leave it to the reader whether we were -justified or not. - -On parting with Mr. Porter, the next day, he pulled out a large purse of -twenty dollar gold pieces and offered it to Thorn; told him to take it -all, but I pushed back his hand and told Thorn that he must not take a -dollar of it, as it was money collected by Porter, belonging to T. W. -House. Porter insisted on him taking some of it; saying that he could -replace it from his salary account, but I said no, I had good friends at -Waxahachie, who would furnish me whatever money we actually needed. -George A. Porter is still living in Houston and has built up one of the -largest commission businesses in the place. - -We now proceeded to Waxahachie without further incident and put up at -the Rogers House. E.W. Rogers being an old friend of mine he did his -best to make us feel at home. Here, as stated, I was known by many of -the old citizens and we passed under our own names. About a week passed, -during which time we watched the daily papers and read every report from -South Texas, expecting daily pursuit. One day, while in a store across -the street from the Rogers House, old man Rogers came in, somewhat -excited, and told us a man had just got off the stage at the hotel and -registered as “Brown, from Hempstead.” He thought, from his talk, he was -a Federal and advised us to go over and investigate. We immediately -started across, and noticed the man in the door. When within about -fifteen feet of him, he recognized me, saying, “Hello, Mr. Graber; are -you here? We thought you were in Mexico by this time.” I told him, “No, -we are going to Mexico, but not the way you thought we were.” By this -time Thorn had got inside of the door and said to Brown, “Let me see you -a minute,” and led him into our room. As soon as inside, Thorn jerked -out his pistol, saying, “Get down on your knees and say your prayers; -d—— you, I’m going to kill you.” I quickly pushed his pistol aside, -told him to hold on and let us hear what he had to say; “if he is here -on business, after us, you can take him.” - -The fellow told a straight tale about his business there, saying that he -came to see an aunt of his, who lived about fifteen miles from -Waxahachie, a woman who was known to me. I told him to get up, that he -was all right and not on business for us. He said that he never would -tell of seeing us there if we did not want him to do so. He said that he -was a Missourian and had been in the Federal Army; was wounded at the -battle of Elkhorn, in his left wrist, a bad scar of which he showed us, -and said this brought him to his senses; he quit fighting us and went -into the sutler’s business, to make what money he could out of them, and -came to Hempstead with the troops in that capacity, though when I became -known to him there, he was a mail clerk in the post office, though I did -not recall his face. He told us, furthermore, that he was quite intimate -with Capt. Lancaster and had heard Lancaster say that he told these -fellows if they didn’t quit their deviltry somebody would kill them, but -Brown said Lancaster told him that he had his orders, received from -General Griffin at Galveston, who was then in command of Texas, and -Griffin had orders from General Sheridan to make an example of us and -have us shot down wherever we were found, without the benefit of a court -martial. I told Brown, when he got back, to tell Captain Lancaster where -he had met us and also his treatment at our hands and since he, -Lancaster, had orders to show us no quarter, which we didn’t ask or -expect at his hands, and if we should ever meet up with him I would make -it a special point to get him, like we did the chief desperado at -Hempstead. - -Realizing that my friend Thorn had become too desperate for me to -control, especially while drinking, I determined to cut loose from him, -which I felt justified in doing, as he was then comparatively out of -danger, and I suggested to him to start to California, where his mother -was living. She was wealthy and able to take care of him and his family -if he could succeed in bringing them out. This he decided to do. I then -borrowed some money and had a business friend to rig him out in some -good clothes and charge to me. I gave him a very fine gold watch and -chain I had and started him for California, by way of Kansas City and -the Union Pacific Railroad. I parted with him about two miles north of -Waxahachie, he continuing in that direction and I turning east, out of -sight of the town, suspecting that we might be watched, as to the -direction we were both going. I forgot to mention that I exchanged -horses with my friend Rogers’ son, for one of the best saddle horses in -the country, and on this horse, well armed, having four six-shooters -(two in holsters on my saddle and two on my belt), I felt I could ride -all around and through that garrison in Hempstead, or any pursuing -party. I then struck out for Navasota, with the determination to bring -my wife and baby out, fearing they would arrest her and hold her as -hostage. - -Riding along the main road in Freestone County, about noon, with a -severe headache, I discovered a white house on the prairie, about a mile -to the right of the road and noticing a negro ahead of me, crossing the -road going towards the house, I hurried and caught up with him. I asked -him who lived at that house. He answered “Marse Dick Oliver,” who proved -to be an old army friend of mine. I rode up to the house and found my -friend Dick at home, and he introduced me to his family under my real -name. They insisted on me spending the balance of the day and night with -them. Dick said he would send for several of our old comrades, who lived -in that neighborhood, to come and see me, which he did. One of them, -Bulger Peeples, remained all night with me. - -The next morning Dick made him go to a neighbor’s and get what money he -had, which proved to be fifty dollars in silver, which he insisted on my -taking before we parted. I hesitated, but finally accepted it. I now -proceeded on down to Navasota, where I arrived in the morning, early, -and went to the store of an acquaintance, a Mr. Guy. I remained in his -back room all day long, while he sent to Courtney for my wife and baby -to come up and meet me at Mr. Felder’s that night. We there spent the -whole night with Mr. Felder and his family, planning what was best to -do. I learned that they had been watching Dr. Hall’s place at Courtney, -my wife’s sister’s home, closely, ever since I left, hoping to catch me -there on a visit. It was decided that it would be impossible to take -them out with me, as they would, no doubt, exert extra efforts by -scattering troops around immediately, when they found that she had left -home. We finally decided that my only chance for escape would be to go -to Mexico. Mr. Felder had a brother living in Tuxpan, Mexico, to whom he -gave me a letter of introduction and assured me that I would be safe -with him if I ever succeeded in reaching there. I also arranged with my -wife to correspond with her by means of an acid, which can be used as -ink, but is invisible until held up to heat, which brings it out black. -I would then get some friend to write to Dr. Hall, my brother-in-law, on -some business subject. Only a few lines would be written and when he -received our communications he would understand it and hand the letter -to my wife, who would bring out the acid writing on the remaining blank -of the sheet. In this letter I would tell her where Dr. Hall could -direct his letter and by that means we kept in communication. - -About daylight next morning, during a severe thunder and rain storm, one -of the darkest nights I was ever out in, Mr. Felder took me through his -field to the Piedmont Springs road, which I followed by the lightning, -as best I could, swimming one slough, but got safely across the Navasota -River and soon arrived at a house where I decided to stop and have my -clothes dried, take a nap and get some breakfast. - -I called at the house and found the gentleman very pleasant. I told him -I was in trouble and wanted to stop and get some breakfast and have my -clothes dried. He very cordially invited me in, loaned me a change of -his clothes, while his wife dried my clothing and prepared some -breakfast for me, during which time I took a nap. I then left the house, -refreshed, and started on to Centerville, Leon County. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - - I NARROWLY ESCAPE CAPTURE. - -Before parting with Thorn at Waxahachie, he told me if ever I happened -to be in the upper part of Grimes County, to hunt for a man by the name -of Camp, who was an old California friend of his father, having gone -there with him in 1848. “You only need to tell him who you are, that you -are associated with me in this trouble and he will do all he can for -you.” I had nearly forgotten Thorn’s mentioning this, when I rode up to -a house late in the evening, that seemed to me perhaps a stage stand. I -decided to stop and stay all night there, calling at the gate. An old -gentleman came out, to whom I told my business, and he told me, -“Certainly you can stay; I am keeping a public house;” furthermore -saying, “You walk right in, take a seat on the porch, supper will be -ready directly; I will take your horse down to the barn and feed him.” -His barn was some three hundred yards down the lane and across the road. -I walked in, took a seat on the porch and very soon was called in to -supper. I found at the table his wife and daughter and a gentleman -traveler, who, in conversation with the ladies, stated that he had -passed two companies of troops from Hempstead, coming on, and saying -that they were nearly due there. I made out a hasty supper, immediately -went down to the barn and told Mr. Camp I must have my horse right -quick; told him who I was, by way of explanation why it was urgent for -me to get my horse at once. He, of course, was surprised, and told me -anything under the sun he could do for me, not to hesitate to demand it; -said that he would go to the house and talk with this man and ascertain -whether these troops were infantry or cavalry; furthermore, if they were -infantry they were on their way to Centerville, where they had been -expected for some time, to garrison that town. He says, “If they are -infantry, they are evidently not after you and don’t know you are here; -then you have got to stay all night with me and rest; you will be -perfectly safe. I will put you in a room where there will be no danger -to my family, in case anything should happen. I have a good shotgun that -I will know how to use in your defense.” - -I told Mr. Camp that I had promised my wife on parting with her, that I -wouldn’t recognize the best friend I met anywhere, let no one know who I -was and made him promise not to tell this man nor his family. He soon -came back to the barn, while I was watching the road that these troops -were on, and reported they were infantry, on their way to Centerville -and made me leave my horse and go back to the house with him. These -troops camped within about a quarter of a mile, at the mouth of his -lane, and came to his house for milk, butter and chickens, while I was -in bed asleep. - -He gave me an early breakfast next morning and I started on with this -gentleman, who Camp assured me was a particular friend of Tom Thorn’s -and would fight for me, if he knew who I was. I told him that I did not -intend to make myself known to him. We rode on together for about six -miles, when we struck a creek, out of its banks. He suggested to me that -he knew a foot log not far above there, where we could cross with our -saddles and riggings; he would drive in his mare and she would cross and -my horse would follow her, which he did. As soon as his mare got on the -other side, she went flying up the road, with my horse following. He -said he was satisfied that some friend of his would stop her somewhere -on the road and we would hurry on afoot and try to get her, also my -horse, and I had nothing to do but accept the situation. I spent nearly -two anxious hours, watching the road in the direction in which the -troops were coming, when he finally came up, leading my horse. We then -saddled up and proceeded on our way and upon reaching the forks of the -road, one leading to Centerville, the other to Leona, we parted; I -taking the Leona road, which was called the old San Antonio road to -Shreveport. I continued on this road, day and night, until I reached -Marshall, where I found an old prison friend by the name of Fisher, who -lived about a mile from the town and he insisted on my going out to his -house to remain until I could take boat at Shreveport for New Orleans. - -I spent several days with him, going up town, making my headquarters at -the office of Ochiltree & Shaw. I was acquainted with Judge Ochiltree, -whose son, Bill, was a public auctioneer. I turned him over my horse and -saddle to sell at auction. While he was riding around the streets, -crying the horse for sale to the highest bidder, he stopped in front of -the office, called me to the door, said he was offered one hundred -forty-eight and one-half dollars and that he had met a Federal -lieutenant, who was stuck on the horse and he was going to make him pay -two hundred dollars for him before he quit. I told him not to take -another bid from him, as I did not want any Federal to ride that horse, -so he had to sell him at one hundred forty-eight and one-half dollars. - -I was now ready to move and, on investigation, found that two boats -would leave Shreveport for New Orleans on Wednesday evening and on that -day I went down to Shreveport to take passage on one of these boats. On -arrival at Shreveport the stewards of these boats came aboard of the -train and announced that the boats had failed to receive sufficient -cotton to justify starting on the trip and had postponed sailing until -the next Friday and if there were any passengers aboard, for New -Orleans, they could go aboard of the boats at once and save hotel bills -for several days, which I decided to do. - -After registering on the “Bart-Able,” which was the finest boat on the -river, I took a seat on the guards, the front of the passenger deck, and -awaited for what would next turn up. Very soon a party of four men came -aboard, whom I took to be gamblers. I was soon recognized by one of the -party, who proved to be Ike Hutchison, who started out in the army with -us, but was a professional gambler, a class of people I never had much -use for. During the short time he was with us in our company, I treated -him somewhat indifferently, which might have resulted seriously at this -time. As soon as recognized by him, he came forward, grasped my hand, -was very glad to see me and started to introduce me to his companions, -when I drew him near me and whispered in his ear, “Jones—” He caught -on, and introduced me to his companions as “Mr. Jones.” We then entered -into a general conversation, took a drink together at the bar, when we -both made it convenient to draw away from the crowd, out of hearing, -when he asked, “What’s the matter, Henry?” I told him of my troubles, -that I had the whole Federal Army hunting me to take my life, and that I -was going down to New Orleans to try to get some sailboat for Mexico. He -seemed surprised at my statement and told me that he was in the -Government Secret Service, drew back his coat and showed me his badge, -but said earnestly that I need not be apprehensive on that account; that -he wouldn’t betray me. I told him, “Ike, my life is in your hands and I -depend on your promise, but if you do betray me, some of my friends will -get you.” He next told me that Lieutenant Black, an ex-member of our -regiment, was at the Southwestern Printing Office, a commercial editor -of the paper, and that I ought to go up and see him. He said he knew -Black would be glad to see me. With this information I parted with him -and went up and found my friend Black who, of course, was greatly -surprised at my statement of my condition. When I expressed my fears -about Hutchison betraying me, he said he did not believe that Ike would -do that, but, studying a few moments, he said, “Now, if Ike does betray -you and you are arrested, bring them up here; I have more influence than -Ike. While I would not do such a thing for any other purpose, and would -rather have my right hand cut off, but to save your life, I am willing -to swear that Hutchison is mistaken and that you are ‘Mr. Jones.’ This -will give us time enough to get a couple of good horses, which we will -mount and go off together.” - -Considering this proposition, realizing the enormity of the step he was -about to take to save my life, from a lucrative and valuable position, -commanding the esteem and confidence of the entire business community at -Shreveport, to join me in becoming an outlaw, I consider he was one of -the grandest and noblest characters that I have ever known and, at this -writing, I regret to have to report that he has long since passed over -the river, having died in Houston in the late seventies, a victim of -consumption, and I was deprived of the pleasure of ever seeing him -afterwards. - -At the supper table that night I found only a little group of passengers -aboard; two young ladies, one about twelve and the other about eighteen -years old, a gentleman, whom I took to be their brother, wearing a -mustache like my own, just about my age and size, and the captain of the -boat, who sat between us, at the head of the table. - -From their conversation I learned that these young ladies’ mother was -aboard and was sick. After supper I went forward, took a seat on the -guards and had a smoke. - -The next morning I found only the two young ladies at the table for -breakfast. Having planned to try to get access to the ladies’ end of the -cabin during the trip, thereby avoiding the men aboard, I decided to -form the acquaintance of these two young ladies and their brother and -for this purpose entered into conversation with them, inquiring about -the condition of their mother. While engaged in conversation, eating -breakfast and sitting with my back to the front part of the cabin, I -heard stateroom doors slamming behind me and, in looking around to -ascertain the cause, found a policeman opening every door and looking in -under the berths. Looking still further around I found six more -policemen in the front end of the cabin, standing talking. This first -man mentioned, continued his search in the staterooms, one after the -other, until he passed us about two doors, then looked around and stared -at me. I asked him, “Do you wish anything, sir?” He says, “Yes, sir; I -am looking for a man about your size and appearance.” “Well, take a -seat, sir!” I replied, “I will talk with you as soon as I finish -breakfast.” He did not take a seat, but went back forward and joined the -other policemen. - -On the spur of the moment, I, of course, concluded that they were after -me and, having resolved never to surrender, I started to run into my -stateroom close by, get out my two pistols and start to shooting, but on -a further reflection, was puzzled to know if they were after me. I could -not understand why civil officers should be sent after me in place of -soldiers, of which there were a good many in Shreveport. Then, I -remembered the young man at the table the night before, and thought that -they perhaps were after him and if through a mistake I should kill some -of these civil officers, who no doubt had families and may have been -Confederate soldiers, I would feel badly. I reconsidered by resolution -and went forward to talk out of it, if they were after me, and with the -assistance of my friend, Black, I believed I would have no trouble in -doing so. - -I walked up to this officer, who had spoken to me and said, “Now, I am -ready to talk to you, sir.” He answered, “I beg your pardon; you are not -the man we are after, but he is aboard here and we have just learned -where he can be found.” I said: “All right, I am going up to the -Southwestern Printing Office to see a friend and, if you do decide that -I am the man you are hunting, you will find me at that place for the -next hour.” - -I then went up and spent an hour with my friend Black. When returning to -the boat I met the police officer on the stairs, coming down, and he -said to me, “We have found our man; he was in that woman’s stateroom, -under her berth.” I asked him why he was arrested. He said he did not -know, only there was a requisition from the Governor of Georgia for him. -It seems the sheriff’s office had been abolished by the military, the -sheriff removed from office as an impediment to reconstruction, and this -was the reason this business was turned over to the city police -department. - -When I reached the cabin guards, I found the young ladies crying and -asked them what was the matter. They told me that Colonel So-and-So, an -old acquaintance of theirs, had just been arrested, but they did not -know for what cause. It seems that these ladies and their mother lived -in Louisiana, not far from New Orleans, and had been on a visit to -Henderson, Texas, and were just returning home. It is hardly necessary -to say that I kept shy of these folks the balance of the trip. - -The next day I met up with an old gentleman by the name of Wilkerson -from Columbia County, Georgia, who had been to Tyler, Texas, for the -purpose of getting his son, who had been acting deputy sheriff, and had -got in some trouble. I found the old gentleman a true Southern man, -expressing his unreserved sympathy for the fallen South and denouncing -in bitter terms the crime of reconstruction, as carried on. Needing some -one to talk to and confide in, I had no hesitancy in making a confidant -of him, which immediately enlisted his sympathy and kind interest and, -without hesitation, he extended me an urgent invitation to go with him -and make his house my home, saying that the armies had never touched his -section of the State; they had got his negroes, but he had plenty of -everything left and as long as he had a morsel left he would divide it -with me. He further said whenever it was safe to send for my family, to -do so, and we could stay at his home where we would be most welcome by -all of his own family, besides himself, his wife, daughter and two sons, -until I got out of my trouble. - -Before reaching Marshall I had decided not to go to Mexico and place -myself out of mail communication with my wife, but to go to Memphis, -Tennessee, to see General Forrest, with whom I was well acquainted, -having served under him in the early part of his career. I wanted to ask -him to secure some kind of business for me, then to smuggle my family -there and remain until the military were withdrawn. - -On a further consideration of Mr. Wilkerson’s generous offer, especially -the feature of being isolated away from any town and public travel, I -decided I had better accept, which I had no hesitancy in doing and on -our arrival at New Orleans, we took a boat for Mobile, thence by rail to -Atlanta and his station in Columbia County, somewhere between Atlanta -and Augusta. - -My reception at the Wilkerson home by the rest of his family, especially -his wife and daughter, after learning of my troubles, was most cordial -and unreserved and certainly they tried to make me feel at home and -forget my trouble during my stay of six weeks. It was here that I -received my first letter from home. After six weeks, doing nothing, -having nothing to occupy my mind, I decided that I ought to do something -more than kill valuable time and try and get into business somewhere, -where I might make a new start in life. For this purpose I requested Mr. -Wilkerson to give me a letter of introduction to his commission merchant -in Augusta, Georgia, where I must try and get into business. The whole -family tried to persuade me to not take such a great risk. I, -nevertheless, parted with them with expressions of my high appreciation -of their kind interest in my behalf and proceeded to Augusta, armed with -Mr. Wilkerson’s letter of introduction to the commission merchant, whose -name I have forgotten. - -On arrival at Augusta I put up at the best hotel and, I forgot to -mention, having assumed the name of James E. Smith while at Mr. -Wilkerson’s, I registered under this name. Having to pay five dollars -per day for board and room, I decided that I must get a cheaper place, -some good boarding house if possible. Presenting my letter of -introduction to Mr. Wilkerson’s commission merchant, they stated they -were not making a living for themselves, which was the condition of most -of the business houses in Augusta, as some of the rich people in the -country were sending in and drawing rations. These gentlemen then -referred me to the only good boarding house they knew of which was -reasonable in their rates. It was kept by Mrs. Oakman on Green Street, -where I called and was informed by the lady that she could board me, but -had only one place for me to sleep and that was in a room with two -double beds in it, one of which had only one man sleeping in it, a -printer and ex-Confederate soldier from Macon; if I was willing to sleep -with him, she could take me and to which I agreed. - -At the supper table that night I was shown a seat by a one-legged -Federal captain, who was the Provost-Marshal of the place. When I -entered my room that night I was introduced by my bedfellow to a Mr. -Rice of Syracuse, New York, and a telegraph official, whose name I have -forgotten, both occupying the other bed. - -I found that Mr. Rice had been sent there by Henry A. Wilson of -Massachusetts, the ex-Vice President of the United States, and Kelley of -Pennsylvania, who were touring the South inciting the negroes to riot -and murder of the whites, which will be remembered by the Mobile riot, -which surpassed perhaps all the other places they visited. - -Rice had instructions to buy out the Augusta Chronicle and Constitution, -perhaps the most influential Democratic paper in Georgia and run it in -the interest of the Radical Party, the object being to create a strong -sentiment among the negroes and stimulate their hatred toward their old -masters and the white race generally, and also to keep the scalawag -white element of the country well in line with their fanatical scheme of -making a finish of the South. - -While stopping here I claimed to be an ex-Confederate soldier from -Tennessee, seeking employment. I had frequent discussions with Rice -about the causes of the war and especially its cruel conduct by the -Lincoln Government, which he approved unhesitatingly, saying that we -deserved no better and he had come down here for the purpose of getting -a slice of what was left. He said that he expected to make a cool -hundred thousand and go back home and live on it for the balance of his -days, in peace and plenty. On one occasion in our discussions, he seemed -to get mad and said if he had his way about it, he would hang the last -d—— one of us and commence by hanging Jeff Davis. He had hardly -finished the sentence when I had a chair over his head and if it had not -been caught by the telegraph official, I would likely have knocked him -senseless. - -On another occasion, when he was organizing his publishing force, he -offered me the position of mailing clerk at a salary of $75.00 per -month, which I turned down contemptuously, telling him that whenever I -got ready to go to the dogs, I would affiliate with his sort. He said he -thought he ought to have one good Rebel in his office. Now, I do not -recall whether he succeeded in buying out the Chronicle and -Constitution, or brought on new material for his paper. - -After spending a few days in Augusta, I found that one of my old -commanders, General Lafayette McLaws, was then acting clerk of the -Superior Court, with his office at the court house. I scouted for -General McLaws from Savannah, Georgia, to Bentonville, North Carolina, -and immediately called upon him. I found him wearing his old Confederate -gray, with buttons and trimmings shorn off, and in conversation, -referred to his love of the old uniform, still preferring it, but he -said it was not a matter of choice, but a matter of necessity. He had a -large dependent family and his fee, or salary, hardly furnished him -sufficient means for a decent support; besides, he expected to be ousted -most any day, as the Radical sheriff, whose name I have forgotten, and -Foster Blodgett, the mayor of the city, a renegade ex-Confederate major -of artillery, would no doubt, succeed in their efforts to oust him. It -is hardly necessary to say that during my stay here of several months, I -made him daily visits and had a most pleasant, but sad, intercourse with -him. He seemed to be at a loss as to his future; said he was educated a -soldier, which he had always been and never tried to make a living as a -civilian, in fact, didn’t know anything else. He had an urgent -invitation from General Pope, he said, who was in command of Georgia, -with headquarters at Atlanta, and who was an old classmate of his at -West Point, to make him a visit, but was almost afraid to accept, -fearing unjust criticism by leading men of the State of Georgia, who -would suspect that the object of this visit was to get office and join -the Radical band. This he never expected to do, though the State of -Georgia had treated him badly and especially his rich acquaintances, at -one time friends, and he seemed to feel he was an outcast with no -prospect of ever re-entering the army, therefore, not knowing what to -do. - -He declined the visit to General Pope, with due and proper thanks, but, -after a few years, during General Grant’s administration, was appointed -marshal of the Southern District of Georgia and subsequently, by some -other administration, postmaster of the city of Savannah, Georgia, in -which position, he died. I had several nice letters from him while -postmaster at Savannah; one just before his death. - -I never cultivated or had much to say to our one-legged captain, the -Provost-Marshal of the place, and in a few days, induced Mrs. Oakman to -give me a seat at another table, thereby keeping my distance. No one at -Augusta, Georgia, ever knew my secret but General McLaws, nor ever -suspected anything wrong. - -After spending nearly two months in Augusta, with no prospect of any -business of any character, and having received notice from my wife that -it was thought that they had got on my track, I concluded best to leave -there for Lebanon, Tennessee, where I formed some pleasant acquaintances -during the war, notably Captain James Britton, commanding a company from -that town, called the Cedar Snags, which formed a part of the Fourth -Tennessee Regiment. Captain Britton advised me to stay there until it -became too dangerous, as quite a number of people knew me and I had to -retain my own name in order to keep down discussion of my case among -these people that knew me, thereby making it too public if I had assumed -another name. - -At Lebanon I found the family of General Anderson, whose son, Dewitt, -became an intimate friend of mine, while in the army. He insisted on my -spending a couple of weeks at his father’s ranch, about five miles out -on the Nashville pike, which I decided to do. In the meantime, I was -introduced by Captain Britton to Judge Green, the Dean of the great Law -School at Lebanon, also to ex-Governor Campbell, and the Motley -brothers, bankers, over whose bank I roomed with Captain Britton and -boarded at Mr. Toliver’s, his brother-in-law. The above mentioned -gentlemen, except Mr. Toliver and General Anderson, were influential, -strong Union men during the war, but on account of the fanatical -reconstruction policy, had just turned Rebels. I confided my trouble to -ex-Governor Campbell and Judge Green and was assured by Governor -Campbell that if I ever had the misfortune to be captured and my life -was spared before my case could reach Washington, he would personally -proceed to Washington, being an intimate friend of President Johnson’s, -and intercede to have my life spared. - -I finally went down to the Anderson ranch to fish and hunt squirrels, in -company with Dewitt, and found the old gentleman in charge, he -preferring the ranch to his home in Lebanon. Returning from a hunt one -day, alone, I found a horse at the gate and was met by Dewitt before -reaching the gate, anxious to explain the object of the visitor’s -presence and especially his character. - -Dewitt stated that he was a captain, whose name I have forgotten, who -commanded a company in Stokes’ Regiment, a notorious renegade; Captain -Blackburn, commanding another company, was frequently on scouts with -this gentleman and his company. During the war a Lieutenant Davis of the -Terry Rangers, with eight of his men, were surrounded in a house by -Captain Blackburn, with his company and this man’s company. They -demanded Davis’s surrender, which Davis refused and kept them from the -house all night, until their ammunition, gave out. Davis was badly -wounded, in the nature of a broken ankle, unable to stand up, when he -agreed to surrender, Blackburn promising that their lives should be -spared and they should retain their horses, provided they would leave -Tennessee at once, which Davis agreed to do and advised his men to move -out and turn over their arms. After being disarmed, Blackburn had them -led out into the woods and shot down in cold blood; he, himself, -dragging Davis out to the gate post, cursing him and emptying the -contents of his pistol into his head. Now this man, the guest of General -Anderson, was present with his company, and Dewitt was anxious to -apprise me of his great friendship to his father, during the war. When -the Federals entered Lebanon the first time, General Anderson had some -very fine horses and about eight thousand dollars in gold, with which he -fled to the mountains near Middleton and made this man’s house his home, -being old friends and acquaintances. While staying there a short time, -this man came to him one day and told him that he felt that he could not -stay at home longer, that he was a Union man in principle and, on -account of it, was ostracised by some of the neighboring families and -said he had decided to go and join Stokes’ cavalry, but his joining the -Federal Army should make no difference with General Anderson, that he -wanted him to continue making his house his home, assuring him that he -would be as safe, although he had joined the Federal Army, to stay -there, as though he had joined the Confederate Army. Knowing the man as -he did, General Anderson had no hesitancy in accepting his generous -offer, but remained there for several months with his fine horses and -eight thousand dollars in gold, and this man never betrayed him. This -was the man, then, that was a visitor at General Anderson’s, with his -horse at the gate, of whose character Dewitt was anxious to have me -acquainted, satisfied if he learned that I belonged to the Texas -Rangers, he would refer to the Davis murder. - -I entered the house and was introduced to him by General Anderson as Mr. -Graber, formerly of the Texas Rangers. At the table this gentleman -brought up the case of Lieutenant Davis and his man, and denounced it as -a brutal murder, saying that he did his best to keep Blackburn from -executing them, begged and plead for their lives, but to no purpose; he -was second in command and could do nothing. - -It seems strange that I should have met with a man who was present at -the murder of Davis and his companions, which happened when I was a -prisoner at Fort Delaware. Had any of Blackburn’s men been caught by any -members of our command, they would certainly have been given a like -treatment. - -After spending a week with General Anderson and his son, Dewitt, at -their ranch, I returned to town and had a conference with my several -friends, deciding it would be prudent to leave there and go to Hickman, -Kentucky, where Captain Britton had a cousin, a prominent attorney of -the place, by the name of James Lauderdale, to whom he gave me a letter -of introduction and told me not to hesitate to make a confidant of him -and he would, no doubt, have influence to get me into some kind of -business. Hickman, and a section of country tributary, were considered -somewhat prosperous, at that time, and Hickman was doing a fair -business. Being right on the Mississippi River it was a shipping point -for considerable territory. - -On my arrival, I presented my letter of introduction, in the name of J. -D. Roberts. He received me very kindly and made me make his house my -home until I could get into business. Here I found only his wife and his -old father, who were exceedingly kind to me. He soon told me of a young -lawyer, who used to be a member of our regiment, by the name of Theo O. -Goalder, who resided there and practiced law. I immediately called on -him at his office and asked him to assist Major Lauderdale to get me -into some kind of business position. He said he had a young friend by -the name of John Murphy, who was clerking for a Mr. Bailey in a grocery -store. He said that Murphy was getting $50.00 per month and didn’t need -the position, as he was well fixed, and was satisfied that he could -induce him to resign in my favor and he could, no doubt, make it -satisfactory with Mr. Bailey. We called upon Mr. Murphy, to whom I was -introduced as Mr. Roberts, and also to Mr. Bailey, and after stating to -him and Mr. Bailey that I had been a Confederate soldier and was out of -business, seeking work, said I would very much appreciate the position, -which was readily tendered me, through Goalder’s influence. I -immediately went to work at this place, on a salary of $50.00 per month, -and board, which was furnished me at the Bailey home, and a room in the -store. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - - I SAVE THE LIFE OF AN ENEMY - -After probably six weeks or nearly two months, getting acquainted with -nearly all the county officials and leading citizens of the town, I -found it a most charming community, and with few exceptions, Southern in -sentiment. One day Goalder came to me, stating that there was a position -open in a large dry goods establishment, the firm of Amberg & Company, -two Jew brothers. The oldest one seemed to be quite a gentleman, but the -younger, a black Radical, so stated by Goalder. We immediately went and -applied for the position and when asked the question if I knew anything -about dry goods, was able to state that I knew more about that business -than I did about groceries and was satisfied that I could meet their -every demand, referring them to Major Lauderdale. Goalder was present -and made his own statement, vouching for my integrity and ability. They -immediately employed me at a salary of $100.00 per month and I soon -ingratiated myself in their favor by close attention and ability to do -business, proving, as they expressed themselves to Lauderdale, the best -man they ever had. - -After working two or three weeks, getting well acquainted with their -customers, especially those in the town, Mr. Roberts became the talk of -the town, especially the lady customers, and was favored with many -invitations to dinners and entertainments, which were always declined by -me, as I was unable to feel at home and enjoy other company. I spent my -time, principally, in my room, talking with Goalder and others, whose -acquaintance I had formed and when they left, re-reading letters from -home, of which I had a considerable batch and which I always carried in -the inside pocket of my coat. - -It seems my reserve and refusal to attend functions created a little -suspicion, particularly so in the mind of young Amberg. One day, after -about three weeks’ service, while I was at work straightening out some -drawers containing silk goods, I had pulled off my coat, the day being -warm, and laid it on a stack of domestic on the outside of the counter. -Young Amberg slipped to my coat, took out my letters, the discovery of -which I made when I went to the coat. Here was a dilemma. I decided the -best thing to do was not to say anything about it, appear as though I -did not know the letters were missing and allow him to take his time to -read them. I went over to the warehouse to do some work, stayed about an -hour, which gave him ample time to read the letters, then returned for -my coat and found the letters replaced. After closing that night, I was -called into the office and found both of the Ambergs present. They told -me that business had got somewhat dull, they were paying me a large -salary, and they must save this expense and requested me to quit, saying -they would cheerfully pay me a month’s salary, if I quit at once. I told -them it was all right. When they paid me my salary we parted. - -Here now my cherished hope to prepare a home for my family and begin -life anew again, had vanished and, in a moment of desperation, I decided -to go back to Texas and bring my family out from among them. - -During my absence my wife, soon after I parted with her, had made a -visit to Centerville, Leon County, to a Dr. McLendon and his family, who -were old Alabama friends, and while there they made up a music class for -her and she continued to live there. With the object of immediately -returning to Texas, I went around in Hickman and bade adieu to all of my -kind friends and acquaintances, a few of whom were acquainted with my -condition and tried to persuade me against incurring such great risks -but, as stated, I felt desperate and had decided unless I could get my -family out from among them and be with them, I did not care to live any -longer. - -I took passage on the first boat for New Orleans and paid my fare to the -mouth of Red River, where I expected to meet a boat for Shreveport. - -On arrival at Memphis, Tennessee, the boat laid over for several hours, -delivering freight, during which time I hunted up General Forrest, who -was then in the commission business. The General soon recognized me and -after telling him my trouble, requested him to look out for a situation -for me, under an assumed name, while I went to Texas after my family, -which he cheerfully agreed to do. - -While awaiting the Red River boat, a lieutenant who was the Bureau Agent -of a nearby parish arrived, also awaiting a Mississippi boat for New -Orleans. A few hours afterward an upper boat arrived to deliver some -freight for Red River. The lieutenant, being very fond of ardent -spirits, and there being no bar on the wharfboat, immediately went over -to the Mississippi boat where he imbibed a few drinks. After delivering -the freight the boat rang a bell to depart and the lieutenant ran down -to the lower deck to get back to our wharfboat. The Mississippi boat -already having cast off its bow line, was moving slowly apart from the -wharfboat when the lieutenant attempted to step across, and, losing his -headway, he became balanced between the two boats—with the boats moving -apart. Discovering his predicament, I jumped over to where he stood and -offered him my hand and pulled him over, thereby, no doubt, saving his -life. If he had lost his footing he would have dropped in and pulled me -in with him and both would have drowned as there is a strong underflow -at this point and nothing which falls in ever comes to the surface. I -did this under the impulse of the moment, at the risk of my own life, -and saved the life of a man who, had he known who I was, no doubt would -have been instrumental in having me captured. - -On arrival at the mouth of the Red River, where with some other -passengers, we had to await a Shreveport boat from New Orleans, I met a -Mr. Black from Leon County, who had been over to Alabama after his -brother’s family, moving them to Texas and was expecting a couple of -mule teams at Grand Ecore, to haul them to Leon County. I confided my -secret to Black, who knew all about our case and insisted on my going -with him on his wagons, which I decided to do. At Grand Ecore we met his -wagons, which were so heavily laden with household goods and the family -of his brother, three or four little children, that I preferred to walk -behind the wagon, holding on to the same, to keep up with them. - -We traveled the old San Antonio road in order to find good crossings at -the different rivers and when we reached Alto, Cherokee County, I took -stage for Rusk, where I had an old army friend, Judge Sam A. Wilson, the -only man I knew in the place. - -On arrival at Rusk, meeting with my friend, Wilson, who was much -surprised to see me and particularly to learn of my troubles, I -requested him to get me the best horse that he could find about the -place, one that would do to ride in among the enemy. After studying a -while he said that he did not know of a good saddle horse in the place, -but thought that we could be accommodated at the livery stable, where I -was furnished what turned out to be an old plug. I parted with my friend -Wilson, he never expecting to see me again, and started for Centerville, -Leon County, assuming the name of R. F. Jones. - -Arriving within four or five miles of Centerville about noon, I decided -to stop at a house and go into the town at night. For this purpose, I -called for dinner and told the landlord I was looking around for a -location in Texas, that I was from North Carolina and from what I had -seen of Texas, was favorably impressed with it. After dinner, discussing -several localities I had passed through, he asked how I liked his place. -I told him I thought he had a good place. He then offered to sell to me -and also a tanyard he had on sale; although I had never seen a tanyard, -I looked it all over carefully and his entire place, leaving the -impression with him that I meant business and consumed the balance of -the evening in that way. After supper I told him I believed that I would -go on to Centerville and stay all night and that I might be back again -and try to drive a bargain for his place, unless I found something that -suited me better. By way of excuse, my leaving so late, I told him I had -heard of a particular friend, who had lately moved to Centerville, with -whom I wanted to spend the night. - -I now started for Centerville, where I arrived about nine o’clock at -night. The night was very dark and I stopped to inquire where Dr. -McLendon lived, expecting to find my wife at his house. At Dr. -McLendon’s home I was informed that he was at a doctor’s office up in -town, and directions given where I could find him. I concluded best to -see him first before asking for my wife at the house. - -On entering the doctor’s room I found four gentlemen talking, but did -not know Dr. McLendon, having never seen him before, nor had he ever -seen me. I asked for Dr. McLendon; he spoke and said he was the man. I -then told him that I was camped on a certain creek, some several miles -from town, and had a very sick child, that I wanted him to go and see at -once. He said all right and started out of the room with me. When we got -to the gate he said, “You will have to go with me up to the house, for -my horse.” I told him all right and walked by the side of him, leading -my horse by the bridle. He soon asked me, “What seems to be the matter -with your child, sir?” I answered, “Nothing, I hope, Doctor. I haven’t -seen my child in ten months and have come after it and my wife; tell me -where I can find them. My name is Graber.” He jumped like he was shot -and said, “For God’s sake get on that horse and leave here quick. You -are certainly not up with the excitement.” “Well,” said I, “if there is -any extraordinary excitement here, I am not.” He said, “Your family are -not in town tonight; they are about seventeen miles from here, on a -visit to her sister, who is at Dr. Baldwin’s. They are visiting there, -refugees from yellow fever.” He says, “Let’s get out in the brush where -nobody will see us and we will talk matters over.” We then walked to the -edge of the town and sat down on the ground in the brush, out of -hearing, when he detailed the situation, saying that Tom Thorn, my -partner, had been ranging around there for two or three weeks, annoying -Capt. Bradford, in command of the garrison, which was camped near town. -Tom had registered at the hotel, “T. J. Thorn and friend,” taking a meal -there. Then, one night at roll call, he and his friend had fired into -the camp and finally he had sent Captain Bradford a challenge, that he -would fight him and any ten of his men at any time and place he might -designate and signed the challenge “Thos. J. Thorn and friend.” - -Captain Bradford naturally concluded that this “friend” was Graber and -knowing his and his family’s friendship for my wife, concluded that Dr. -McLendon knew Graber’s whereabouts and showed him a big roll of money -that morning, claiming it was four thousand dollars, saying, “Dr. -McLendon, here is a reward offered for Thorn and Graber. You know where -Graber is; here is your money.” Dr. McLendon was a practicing surgeon -for these troops, as they had no regular army surgeon. I told Dr. -McLendon I had come after my wife and baby and intended to take them out -or die in the attempt, even if the whole Federal army of Texas was there -to guard them. He furthermore stated that Captain Bradford had issued an -order to the sheriff of the county to arrest Thorn and Graber by the -next Monday morning, or be removed from office as an impediment to -reconstruction. - -I now had Dr. McLendon to give me directions to reach the place where my -wife was visiting, which he did, however saying that it would be -impossible for me to find the way there, on account of the darkness of -the night. Nevertheless I started out and soon got lost, and when I -finally gave up the effort, I found myself only three-quarters of a mile -from town. I was tired, suffering with a great headache and called at a -house, where I was permitted to stay for the night and, after breakfast -next morning, getting fresh directions to Dr. Baldwin’s house, where my -wife’s sister was stopping, I immediately proceeded there. - -After discussing the situation with my friends, as well as my wife, we -decided best to have them get up a hack and a confidential driver, by -the next morning, which they succeeded in doing and we started on the -main road, leading into the San Antonio road, following that every day, -stopping at houses at night and finally reached Rusk, Cherokee County, -without an accident or any trouble. Judge Wilson was again surprised at -my success in bringing my family out, as he never had expected to see me -again. I then told him, “Now, for a good stopping place,” and after -considering all families in the town, where we might get board and none -having any extra room, said, “The only place I know of, that has room is -at my old daddy-in-law’s, Judge M. D. Priest, who is the meanest old -Radical in the State of Texas, but he has a most excellent family, who -will do all they can for your wife and child and make you feel at home. -We will make a confidant of him and he will never betray you.” I said, -“Judge, you know what you are doing; anything you say will be -satisfactory to me.” We then proceeded to Judge Priest’s house, where I -was introduced in the name of Jones and was kindly received and made to -feel at home. Really we could not have found a more desirable place. We -had excellent rooms and good board, just on the outskirts of the town. -Rusk, at that time, was a very small place, about three or four hundred -inhabitants, but it was the county seat of Cherokee County. We sent back -our driver with his hack and team and he never betrayed us. - - Civil Record - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - - - I GET BACK INTO THE BUSINESS WORLD. - -During the first month of our stay there, I visited the business part of -town occasionally and made a few purchases at the house of Boyd, Frazer -& Parks, a firm composed of John A. Boyd, who thought he was a merchant; -Dr. Frazer, a practicing physician, who tried to be the bookkeeper, and -M. M. Parks, who was a farmer, living out in the country, who furnished -the money for the business. Boyd knew nothing about keeping or showing -off his stock. In appearance it was one of the most conglomerated -mixtures of merchandise I ever saw, but they were very popular men, -particularly with the farmers in the country, and did a large business, -considering their limited territory. - -I soon got tired of lying around, doing nothing, but I felt that Rusk -was about the safest place I could find anywhere, as the entire -community, in sentiment, were true to the Lost Cause, with only one -doubtful character, which was Judge M. D. Priest and he was really not a -bad man at heart. When we confided my secret to him, telling him my life -was in his hands, he appreciated fully the confidence reposed and -declared that he never would betray us, which promise he fully kept and -of which he afterwards expressed himself as being very proud. - -Happening in to Boyd, Frazer & Parks one day, disgusted with the -appearance of his stock of goods as kept, although it was none of my -business, I concluded this would be a good place to get acquainted, on -my knowledge of the business. I proposed to Mr. Boyd, who was the active -member, running the business, that with his permission I would rearrange -and straighten out his stock, without charge, as I had to remain over -for a few weeks, had nothing to do and thought I could improve the -appearance of things considerably. He readily consented, so I pulled off -my coat and went to work, which proved a great treat to me. In a few -days I had made such a change in the appearance of the stock, that -customers seemed surprised and asked, “John A., have you been getting in -a new stock of goods?” About the third evening, the partners got -together, had a consultation and I was asked if I was able to keep -books. I told them that I had kept books for a very large business in -Southern Texas before the war, when they made me a proposition to go to -work for them, keep their books and attend the sales department on a -salary of $75.00 per month, which I accepted and soon felt here was the -place to keep hid out from the powers that were, as there was no -military nearer than Tyler, Jefferson and Shreveport and no one knew of -my secret, except Judge Wilson and Judge Priest, whose families were not -made acquainted with it. - -After considerable time, spent pleasantly at the home of Judge Priest, -we decided to move into town for better convenience on account of its -being nearer my business. We rented an humble home and went to -housekeeping. I soon had an extensive acquaintance through the county, -but always in the name of Jones, yet gradually imparting my secret to -the most reliable friends I made in the town, notably the Bonner -brothers, Judge R. H. Guinn, Judge James E. Dillard and others. After -nearly a year in the service of Boyd, Frazer & Parks, I met an old -gentleman by the name of T. L. Philleo, who had done an extensive -business in general merchandise before the war. Mr. Philleo had a fine -storehouse on the north side of the square, empty, except as to some -castings, and had owing him perhaps as much as fifty thousand dollars in -notes and accounts, acquired before the war. He was unable to collect -much of it and conceived the idea that to make a success of this -collecting, he ought to go into business again, which he was unable to -do, on account of his age. I having established a reputation of being -the best merchant in the town, Philleo made a proposition to me to go -into copartnership with him. While he had no money he had a most -excellent credit in New Orleans and suggested that I could go down there -and buy for his account such stock as I needed to enable us to enter -into competition with the balance of the town. Canvassing the subject -thoroughly, I decided that I could make more money with my half interest -in the profits of the concern, than to work on salary. He was willing -and anxious to give me the full management and control of the business. -Considering my condition then, I decided best to accept, which I did, -and soon proceeded to New Orleans, armed with a letter in the name of R. -F. Jones, to Speak & Buckner, his old commission merchants, and other -leading houses in the different lines of merchandise that we had to buy. - -Arriving at New Orleans, I put up at the Southern Hotel, then the -headquarters of nearly all Texas merchants, within one block of the -custom house, where General Sheridan had his headquarters, and went to -work, buying a general stock of merchandise for account of T. L. Philleo -& Company; “R. F. Jones being the company,” so Capt. Buckner stated in -introducing me. Speak & Buckner also accepted several thousand dollars -on cash purchases, such as groceries and staple hardware, nails, etc., -for which he asked us to send him cotton in the fall. I now returned -home with my purchases and began to feel that I had a new life before me -and some prospect of making a good living. - -I arranged my stock very attractively, for which the house was well -suited, though I had some trouble inducing farmers to come over on my -side of the square. It was the only business house over there, the -center of business being located on the east and south side. By close -application and hard work I gradually succeeded in building up a fair -business. - -After some months, I found the unpleasant condition of Mr. Philleo’s -state of mind, worrying over his old matters and trying to collect, -which seemed a complete failure, seemed to bear heavily on his mind and -I noticed it was giving way under the pressure. He had a most excellent -family, wife and two daughters, who had been raised in wealth and -affluence and were somewhat extravagantly inclined, and the thought of -perhaps losing all of his outstanding accounts and old age creeping on -him very fast, made him very despondent and unhappy. He would go to the -store every night after supper, open his safe, take out all of his notes -and accounts, scatter them around on his table and a double bed, used by -a young man clerk in the store, who reported his actions to me, and -would study and look at them, occupying hours, sometimes until one -o’clock at night, then replace them in the safe. Many of the makers of -the notes and accounts had been killed or died during the war and their -estates were not able to pay anything. I was satisfied if this condition -continued his mind would finally break down and it kept me in a state of -uneasiness. I, therefore concluded that I would wind up this first -year’s business and quit, which I finally did, after settling up all -bills and the entire business, satisfactorily to all concerned. The -year’s business showed us each a net profit of about eighteen hundred -dollars; outside of this I had demonstrated the fact that I was able to -do a nice, clean business, safely. - -Just as I feared, poor Mr. Philleo, some two or three years after, -committed suicide in the back room of his store, at night, with his -notes and papers laying all around him, stabbing himself with his -pocketknife through the heart. - -Mr. Philleo was one of the most kind-hearted, benevolent and charitable -of men, and was known as such all over the country and he left many -friends, but his family was poorly provided for. - -After winding up the business of T. L. Philleo & Company, I was offered -a position with R. B. Martin, an old merchant of the place, who at one -time had done a large business. His stock had been run down for the want -of means to keep it up, the result of poor management. Martin had a -wealthy brother at Shreveport, of the firm of Gregg & Martin, cotton -commission merchants. They had agreed to back him for ten thousand -dollars, so he represented to me, with which he expected to buy a -fifteen thousand dollar new stock in New Orleans. Martin agreed to pay -me a hundred dollars a month to begin with and increase my salary as -business justified it. I then proceeded to New Orleans, to buy this -stock of goods, stopping over at Shreveport to obtain letters from Gregg -& Martin, authorizing me to draw on them for ten thousand dollars. - -Mr. Dave Martin denied having promised his brother this acceptance, but -told me to go on to New Orleans, that Bob’s credit was good and he could -buy all the goods he wanted, without their acceptance. I then proceeded -to New Orleans. Calling on his old houses, I found he was owing a great -deal of money and having promised through traveling men, who had called -on him, that he would furnish Gregg & Martin’s acceptance for ten -thousand dollars and then not being able to do so, his credit was so -greatly impaired that they refused to sell him any more goods. I then -wired Dave Martin again for authority to draw, reporting that Bob was -unable to buy goods without his backing. I laid over, awaiting an -answer, several days, and in the meantime, called on Speak & Buckner, -who were glad to see me. I told them of the failure of my trip, unless I -heard favorably from Gregg & Martin. - -In the course of conversation, Captain Buckner said, “Jones, you’ve got -no business working on salary; why don’t you go into business for -yourself?” I said, “Captain Buckner, that is simply out of the question. -I have neither name nor money.” He said, “Go and ascertain how much -money you will need to buy such stock as you would be willing to start -with.” Already acquainted with the custom on terms, I stated that with -five thousand dollars in cash I could buy a fifteen-thousand-dollar -stock of goods, on four and six months. Captain Buckner said, “Go ahead, -and get to work buying and draw on us for five thousand dollars on the -same arrangement that I had with T. L. Philleo & Company.” That was to -send him cotton next fall. I said, “Captain Buckner, you don’t know who -you are talking to, as I have told you I have neither name nor money and -you cannot afford to take this risk.” He says, “You go and do what I -tell you; I know all about you and don’t want to know anything more.” -This gave me to understand that he was acquainted with my trouble and -that I was under an assumed name and not having any other prospects of -business in Rusk (which I could not afford to leave on account of the -great security this place offered), I decided to accept and told Buckner -that I would do business in the name of S. A. Wilson & Company, S. A. -Wilson, being a lawyer and a great friend of mine. He was well known and -a man of great influence. Buckner said to arrange that to suit myself. -He was already slightly acquainted with Wilson and well posted on his -character as a man. I immediately went to work, buying goods for a stock -of general merchandise, which consumed about a week, and when ready to -close up matters, Captain Buckner suggested that instead of drawing -drafts on them, he give me the money to pay cash, in order to lead the -merchants to think that I was paying my own money, thereby establishing -a better credit. This was done. - -Winding up my affairs in New Orleans, I took the first boat for -Shreveport, with my stock of goods aboard, and arrived in Rusk in due -time, followed by the stock. When I communicated my actions to Judge -Wilson, he seemed greatly surprised, but stated it was perfectly -satisfactory. I was at liberty to use him he said, whenever it was -necessary. The best storehouse in the place, though isolated from the -center of business, was vacant, and I rented this at a nominal figure. -When the goods arrived I soon had it the most attractive place in the -town. - -Bob Martin, of course, was disappointed and made me the scapegoat of his -disappointment, blaming me for not buying his stock of goods. I -gradually built up a desirable business; went to New Orleans twice a -year and bought goods under the very shadow of Sheridan’s headquarters. - -When, after several years, the infamous reconstruction era was -terminated, the military withdrawn and civil government restored, though -in the hands of negroes and Radicals, I decided to assume my identity -and proceeded to New Orleans to settle up my bills. - -After doing so, I would tell the managers, from this time on, the firm -is no longer S. A. Wilson & Company, but simply H. W. Graber. “Why, Mr. -Jones, have you sold out?” “No, sir; I have not sold out, but simply -correcting a fictitious name.” “Well, who is H. W. Graber?” “This is the -man,” which of course created surprise and when asked for explanation, -would tell them that I had been forced to hide out for nearly four -years, to keep General Sheridan from having me shot down, which he had -ordered his Texas garrisons to do, without the benefit of a court -martial, therefore I was forced to resort to hiding my identity. I then -suggested, as these people were all Northern houses, that, “You don’t -want to sell me any more goods?” when they said, “Mr. Graber, go ahead -and buy all the goods you want; your credit is not the least impaired; a -man that can pass through such an ordeal, as you have done, unscathed, -is entitled to more credit than he needs.” - -While, of course, this created a sensation in New Orleans business -circles, the most astonished man of them all was Captain R. T. Buckner, -who, it seems, didn’t know as much as he thought he did, when he handed -me his money. - -Soon after my arrival at Rusk, I was made a Mason and also joined the -Odd Fellows Lodge. I joined these institutions in my own name, satisfied -that my secret would be safe with the membership. During a great revival -of the union of all churches, wife and I joined the Presbyterian Church -and I was ordained a deacon in the church, in due time. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - - I ASSIST IN ESTABLISHING THE MASONIC INSTITUTE. - -In conjunction with some members of the Masonic Lodge, we conceived the -idea of creating a Masonic Institute, a school of high grade, which was -very much needed. I was appointed chairman of the building committee. I -went to work actively, in conjunction with the committee, and raised -means by private subscription, which enabled us to go to work, building -at once. When trustees were elected I was made a member of the Board of -Trustees and on the organization of the faculty, we elected a Scotchman, -one Professor John Joss, believing that he would prove a good -disciplinarian. He had a great reputation as a teacher. There were some -bad boys in the community and in the language of Judge Guinn, who was a -member of the board, “We needed somebody to use the rod to straighten -out these bad characters.” In this, however, we were mistaken; Professor -Joss did not use the rod, but only kindness, commanding the respect of -the entire school, including these bad boys, on account of his great -knowledge and manner of imparting instruction. He was a most popular -teacher, beloved by all who came in contact with him, and he built up a -large and popular school, which turned out such men as Governor Hogg and -Governor Campbell and no less than a dozen eminent lawyers and -physicians known all over the State. I regret to have to report that, in -the course of four or five years, on account of delicate health, Joss -was forced to give up the school and move to Galveston, where he died. - -The town of Rusk, being left out by the International & Great Northern -Railroad, caused us to haul freight fifteen miles, over mountains and -bad roads. I began to plan railroad connection for the town and -conceived the idea of building a tap road, though unfamiliar with -railroad business and especially the cost of a road. - -In accordance with my plans, I called a meeting of the business men, -submitting the same, which was to build a narrow gauge road from -Jacksonville to Rusk, getting a charter with a State land donation of -sixteen sections to the mile, which policy had been adopted by the State -to encourage the building of railroads. In accordance therewith, we -instructed Judge James E. Dillard, who was our Senator from that -district, then attending the Legislature in session, to procure the -necessary legislation and had him draw up a charter for the Rusk tap -road. The bill covering the same he immediately introduced. I told my -Rusk friends that with the aid of sixteen sections to the mile, and a -further bonus of twenty-five thousand dollars in cash, which we believed -could be raised in the town, we could induce Ward, Dewey & Company, -lessees of the penitentiary, to accept these assets and build the road, -as they had several thousand convicts to feed and had no use for them. - -While these matters were pending and the International Railroad had been -extended to Rockdale, I concluded to visit Rockdale, prospecting for a -new business location. - -On this trip to Rockdale, I met Ira M. Evans, the Secretary of the -International Railroad Company, and submitted my plan of building a tap -road, suggesting that perhaps his company might be induced to take hold -of it, for the subsidy of the State land donation and the twenty-five -thousand dollars in cash. He laughed at the idea, saying that they could -not afford to run the road for its earnings, if we were able to build a -first-class connection. He said our community would not be able to raise -one-tenth of its cost and soon convinced me that it would be cheaper to -move the whole town of Rusk to Jacksonville, than it would be to build a -first-class road. I then submitted that, if we were unable to build a -railroad, why not build a tramway, which would be within the bounds of -our means and a vast improvement on the wagon road. He readily fell into -my scheme, suggested that it was feasible, even with wooden rails, and -that we had plenty of pine timber, the heart of which could be bought -cheap and would make good, durable rails, amply strong, provided we -would place ties eighteen or twenty inches apart. - -I now asked him, he being a practical railroad man, to submit a -specification on the grade, ties and rails, which he was pleased to do, -and suggested that we change the charter we had had introduced, to that -of the Rusk Tramway. - -Immediately on my return to Rusk, I called a meeting of the business men -and leading citizens and submitted the plan for the Rusk Tramway, having -no difficulty in convincing them that we were unable to build a -railroad. A committee, appointed by the meeting, was instructed to -communicate to Senator Dillard our desire to change the charter to that -of the Rusk Tramway, which he did, and included a clause granting eight -sections to the mile. - -After having established my business and a good credit in commercial -circles, I decided that in mercantile pursuits I was too much -circumscribed on account of existing conditions. - -The bottom lands in Cherokee County were then the only productive lands -for cotton and, as the uplands were light and largely worn out, and as I -had a good knowledge of the prairie country around Waxahachie, where I -had spent several years of my boyhood, I decided that this would be a -better section of the State to build up in, and arranged my matters to -make this move within the next twelve months. - -When the charter for the tramway was returned, they proceeded to -organize and elected a Rev. Davis, a very influential and good business -man of the community, president of the company, after my having refused -the same, on the ground that I did not feel permanently located, -expecting to make a move to Waxahachie as soon as possible. Rev. Davis -proved a valuable man for the position and immediately went to work -canvassing the territory tributary to Rusk, for the sale of stock, which -he succeeded in doing, to a limited extent and, by my advice, they -commenced negotiations with Ward, Dewey & Company, lessees of the -penitentiary, for the construction of the road. As heretofore stated, -these people had a large force of convicts which they had to feed, and -no work for them. The country subscriptions, which Rev. Davis secured, -were paid in provisions and forage by the farmers, which enabled the -company to feed the convicts while at work. After a time, I arranged to -move to Waxahachie and soon after I left Rusk. Ward, Dewey & Company -went to work on the construction of the road and before its completion -it was decided to use a little four-ton Porter-Allen locomotive, in -place of mules. - -I forgot to mention, after submitting my plan for a railroad, Judge -Dillard came home on a visit to his sick wife and while spending a few -days at Rusk, had a meeting of the business men, which numbered only -seven or eight, in Captain Barron’s office. He submitted that the -Legislature had decided to branch the penitentiary in Eastern Texas in -the iron region, which was supposed to be near Jefferson, at Kellyville; -a Mr. Kelly having demonstrated the existence of good iron ore in that -section, manufacturing plows, andirons, chimney backs, etc., the same as -Mr. Philleo had done in Cherokee County, but Dillard said, “Now, if you -all want the penitentiary located here, I believe I can secure it for -you.” - -One after another of these gentlemen got up and stated their serious -objections, saying they had one of the best and most moral communities -in the State of Texas and would not give up their school prospect for -the penitentiary. I suggested to them, saying, “You know I am making my -arrangements to leave here, because I do not see any prospect for future -growth of the place, but, gentlemen, now is your time; you have been -talking unlimited iron in the ground, of the highest quality, but it -will have to be demonstrated to private capital that it is here in -unlimited amount and high quality before you can ever hope to induce -private capital to expend the amount necessary for such demonstration. -There is no question in my mind that this iron, if you are correct in -your claims as to its quality and amount, will prove the greatest -resource of wealth, far greater than your farming interests. Locate the -penitentiary here; the State will be forced to develop it and -immediately build you a railroad connection to Jacksonville.” After a -full and fair investigation by this meeting they became enthusiastic and -instructed Dillard to go for it. - -To secure the location of Rusk for the penitentiary, it was necessary to -canvass its advantages with the Legislature and especially take charge -of a committee appointed by the Legislature to select a location, which -required a great deal of time and ability, and, with the assistance and -influence of friends of Dillard, who was one of the most popular men in -the State Senate, they finally succeeded in landing the decision of the -Legislature to build their branch penitentiary at Rusk. - -On the withdrawal of the Federal troops and the dissolution of the -Freedmen’s Bureau, E. J. Davis was appointed Temporary Governor of -Texas, until an election could be had for his successor. The election -was held in due time, resulting in a Radical Republican Legislature, -composed of some of the meanest men in the State and a few negroes, with -E. J. Davis elected his own successor and the solid white element of the -State disfranchised. They took charge and commenced an era of plunder. I -do not believe there were more than a half dozen good men, including -Judge Dillard and Professor J. R. Cole, members of this Legislature, but -these did everything they could with the risk of being assassinated, to -stem the drift of plunder. - -Davis soon organized a State Militia and a State Police Force, -stationing them in populous negro districts, formerly occupied by United -States troops and Freedmen’s Bureau, all under the leadership of -Adjutant-General Davidson, who was as unscrupulous a character on graft -as any man ever in public office. He arrested leading citizens in -different sections of the State, without charges being preferred against -them, as they had not committed any unlawful acts, and demanded large -sums of money as ransoms. One case was notable—that of a wealthy farmer -near Hillsboro, a Mr. Gathwright, whom he made pay ten thousand dollars -for his release. - -We had stationed at Rusk a lieutenant-sheriff, with his police, who was -a great friend of Judge Priest and whose daughter he courted and finally -married. - -A Captain McAnally, who commanded a Confederate Scout in Texas during -the war and had proven a gallant soldier in the army, was appointed by -Davis, captain of police, and his acceptance urged by his friends, -thinking it would be for the best interests to have him command a -company of police, than any of the Radical gang. He was finally induced -to accept the appointment. His home was at Brenham. He was instructed by -the Governor to proceed to Huntsville and await the orders of the -District Court, presided over by the infamous Judge Burnett. While court -was in session, three young men were arrested by McAnally for whipping a -few insolent negroes who had insulted some young ladies on the street -returning home from a shopping tour. These young men were taken before -Judge Burnett, with arms concealed about their person. The judge called -McAnally up to his bench and whispered his order to him, “Take these men -to the penitentiary, but be careful, I suspect they are armed, and hold -up the execution of this order until I can get to my hotel.” Soon after -the judge left his bench for the hotel, McAnally demanded of these young -men to throw up their hands, when they immediately drew their -six-shooters and commenced shooting at him and his gang of police, -shooting their way out of the courthouse, wounding McAnally in the arm -and he dropped between some benches, pretending he was dead. This was, -no doubt, what saved him. Judge Burnett had not quite reached his hotel -when he heard the guns fire, broke into a run and crawled under the -hotel. These young men, after shooting their way out, mounted horses and -started north for the Indian Territory, by way of Rusk and Paris, with -McAnally and his police in close pursuit. - -Arriving at Rusk he commanded Lieutenant Sheriff and party to join him -in this pursuit, which they did. On parting, on this trip, with his -sweetheart, Miss Lou Priest, Sheriff told her where he was going with -McAnally and on their return, they were going to arrest Mr. Graber. The -whole Priest family being good friends of ours and Miss Lou’s sister, -the wife of my friend, Judge Wilson, she immediately went over to Judge -Wilson’s and imparted this information about my contemplated arrest. -Judge Wilson came over to town and had a meeting of a few of the leading -lawyers of the place, notably the Bonners, Judge R. H. Guinn and Judge -J. E. Dillard, who after canvassing the matter, decided that the object -of my arrest was altogether political. They were expecting to make great -capital out of it for the necessity of continuing their Radical regime. -Satisfied that they might manufacture evidence to convict me in a -Radical court, these friends advised that I had better go into exile -again, thereby probably saving my life. I told them to tell me what to -do in order to stay, for I had done all the running I ever expected to -do. I was satisfied this police had no legal authority for my arrest, as -I had never violated any civil law and I could not afford, in justice to -my family, my friends and my creditors, to again have my business -wrecked. - -When these friends found that I was determined not to be arrested by -this infamous police and in order to be doubly sure, they advised me to -go down to Austin County and investigate the records and know positively -that this police had no authority for my arrest. - -On leaving for this trip, armed with a letter from Colonel T. R. Bonner -to Judge J. D. Giddings, whom they suggested I call on for advice in the -matter, and leaving a message for Lieutenant Sheriff, that I had gone on -a trip for a week or ten days and promptly on my return I would report -to him, I left for Austin County. - -Passing through Anderson, I conferred with Hannibal Boone, who suggested -there was no necessity for my going to Austin County, where he was -living at the time I had trouble with the soldiers. He said that there -could be no case against me, as I had violated no civil law and my -dealings were altogether with the military. Stopping at Brenham, in my -conference with Judge Giddings, he became very much exercised on the -threatened arrest of myself and said, “Mr. Graber, go back home; resist -their arrest in the most effective manner. It is time we were calling a -halt on this infamous police system; resist them, and the whole State of -Texas will be at your back.” I said, “Judge Giddings, I thank you for -the advice; it is exactly my feeling and determination not to submit, -peacefully, to this arrest.” - -Being so close to the town of Bellville, I decided to finish my trip, -went there and called on Hunt & Holland, leading attorneys, who repeated -Judge Giddings’ advice. I now returned home and immediately sent word to -Lieutenant Sheriff that I could be seen at my place of business at any -time he wanted me. - -I returned at night and next morning proceeded up to my store, sent word -to Mr. R. B. Reagan, a brother of Judge John H. Reagan, a man of iron -nerve, the sheriff of the county, to come up to the store at once. On -reaching there I told him that Lieutenant Sheriff, with his police, had -threatened to arrest me, that I had just returned from Austin County and -had investigated, finding that they had no authority or warrant for my -arrest and I claimed his protection. He said, “Mr. Graber, load up your -shotguns in your stock, set them behind your door and when they come to -effect your arrest, open on them and I and John and George, will be -about.” John Reagan was his deputy and a George Taylor, another deputy, -all men as fearless and resolute as any set of men ever together, with -nerve to fight a hundred police. In about an hour I noticed Lieutenant -Sheriff coming up the south side of the square, by himself, apparently -unarmed. I met him in my door, when he said, “Mr. Graber, Miss Lou -Priest told me that you had some very nice gentlemen’s hats.” I told him -I had; he told me he wanted to look at some. I got down a box of hats -from the top shelf and allowed him to select his hat out of the box, the -size he needed, treating him indifferently. He got out his number, put -it on his head and stepped up to a glass suspended on the shelf, passing -between the counters. Looking at the hat in the glass he said, “I -believe this becomes me pretty well; what is it worth?” I told him, -“Five dollars.” When he turned around to walk from behind the counter, -he espied the shotguns behind the door. I noticed it seemed to affect -him a little but he soon recovered, paid me the money and left the -store, saying, “A fine day today,” and this finally settled my trouble. -He evidently came there with the intention of spying out the situation -before attempting my arrest. When he left the house he noticed Sheriff -Reagan with his deputies near. - -This ended my trouble. I felt I had conquered a peace which would be a -lasting one, as far as the military and our Radical Government were -concerned. This changed condition gave me a free hand to engage in -further enterprises and to rebuild my own fortune, as well as to work -toward the benefit of the community in which I made my home. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - - - I REMOVE TO WAXAHACHIE AND GO INTO BUSINESS THERE. - -As heretofore stated, I had spent several years of my boyhood in -Waxahachie, during the fifties, and became attached to its people -because of their great interest in me, on account of my being an orphan. -I felt ever grateful. Furthermore I recognized the value of the rich -lands of Ellis County and territory tributary thereto, and I decided to -make Waxahachie my permanent home. - -Arriving at Ennis, one of its shipping depots, I took stage for -Waxahachie, where I rented a storehouse belonging to Judge McMillan, and -employed his son, N. A., as bookkeeper and salesman in the house. The -two-story building next to the Getzendaner & Ferris Bank, was the most -modern store building in the town and young Mr. McMillan, one of the -most popular and best posted men on the Ellis County farmer, I could -find, having been in business with his father in this house for several -years, moving there from Alabama. - -To give the reader a fair idea of the condition existing, I found the -old set of merchants, who were doing business there before the war, -still adhering to old-time methods, selling goods on twelve months’ time -and charging about twenty-five per cent more for same than the towns of -Ennis or Palmer, which were selling altogether for cash. These towns -were doing a more lucrative business than Waxahachie. Not a house in -Waxahachie would buy a bale of cotton for cash, thereby turning the -cotton market over to the towns of Ennis and Palmer. The stage driver -that carried me back to Ennis had money sent by a lady at Waxahachie, to -buy a dozen spools of thread at Ennis, where spool thread was selling at -75 cents a dozen and Waxahachie charging a dollar a dozen. - -This encouraged me in the belief that Waxahachie was a good place to -start in again, as I expected to do business altogether for cash and buy -cotton for cash, as cotton always controlled business. - -Having bought goods almost exclusively in New Orleans, except a few -purchases in St. Louis and Galveston, I found that Galveston was about -as good market as the others and, on account of its nearness, adopted a -plan of buying goods often, in smaller quantities and ordering them as -they were needed, which always gave me a fresh stock of goods and proved -very satisfactory. - -While engaged in buying my first stock for Waxahachie, at the house of -P. J. Willis & Brother at Galveston, I met a Mr. Joe Farley, who was one -of the traveling credit men for the house, and was also a partner in the -house of Clift & Farley of Waxahachie. He came to me, saying that he -understood I was buying a stock for Waxahachie and wanted to tell me -that I could not find a more undesirable place to begin a new business, -as he had decided to reduce prices materially, to a point that would not -leave any profit. I thanked him for the information and especially for -his resolution to reduce prices, which I told him I intended to do, and -would much prefer his saving me the unpleasant duty. Farley, however, -never carried out his threat until after I had started my business and -forced them to do so. I also forced them to buy cotton for cash, thereby -making Waxahachie a cotton market. - -On my return to Rusk, I immediately packed whatever stock of goods I had -left and shipped to Waxahachie, then moved my family over there and went -to housekeeping in a rented house. I next proceeded to Galveston, where -I arranged with Mr. Willis to give me an open account of twelve or -fifteen thousand dollars, on which I made remittances every week and -continued to order goods almost every week, which always gave me fresh -stock and proved very satisfactory to Willis, as well as myself, and -very attractive to the public. - -I now commenced the purchase of cotton for cash. I was a good judge of -cotton classification, and being very careful in keeping posted on the -course of the market, especially Galveston, and cotton being in transit -only a short time, I was enabled to handle cotton without any great -risk, besides I made shipments altogether to Cannon & Company. Mr. -Cannon, as heretofore stated, was an old friend before the war, for whom -I had kept books and worked in his sales department at Hempstead. In -entering the cotton market and paying cash, the old mossback business -element of the town sat around in front of their stores, smoking and -whittling goods boxes, making all manner of predictions that that fellow -wouldn’t last long—I would soon get out of money and “bust.” - -I bought cotton from farmers over about Bristol, on the Trinity, on the -other side of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad, paid them cash, and -75 cents a bale to haul it back to Ennis, then they would turn around -and spend the money with me for goods and return home happy and -contented. - -About this time we had the Grangers, a strong farmers’ organization, who -had decided to concentrate their business at one house. They had a -general meeting of the county organization at Waxahachie, and sent a -committee, inviting me into this meeting, when I was requested to make -them a proposition to handle all of their business on a basis of ten per -cent profit. Not wishing to take advantage of my competitors, I -persuaded them not to make such an arrangement, as it would not prove -satisfactory, especially to their families, being restricted by contract -on this basis to buy only at one house. Entering into a full detail of -the objections, I persuaded them that it would not be to their interest -to make such a contract and induced them to drop it. - -While I could have made a great deal of money out of this proposition, I -preferred to take no advantage of my business neighbors, thereby -incurring petty jealousies and enmity, having in view the building of a -tap railroad to connect with the Houston & Texas Central, and it was of -the greatest importance for me to retain the friendship and the -confidence of the old business element, who were the only men in the -county of any great financial ability. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX - - - THE TAP RAILROAD. - -Concerning the “Tap” Railroad just referred to, I cannot better explain -the trials and difficulties of that time than by reprinting an article -which I wrote, some years ago, at the request of one of the Waxahachie -papers, which was anxious to clear up the seeming mystery which -enshrouded the building of the “Tap.” - - Dallas, Texas, Sept. 4th, 1912. - - Editor Ellis County Herald, - - Waxahachie, Texas. - - My Dear Sir—Your valued favor of the 26th ult., requesting a - history of the Waxahachie Tap Railroad is at hand. - - Complying with your courteous request, permit me to assure you - and my old friends that it is not my purpose in this to - ventilate old grievances at the hands of people who were the - greatest beneficiaries of the building of the road, but simply - to state facts and to keep the record straight. Carefully - considering conditions existing at that time, my board of - directors were not so much to blame for their want of confidence - in the feasibility and possibility of the enterprise, as this - feeling was shared largely by some of the best business men of - Houston and Galveston, but were to blame for allowing one or two - of their members to control their action in opposing me. I - incurred the enmity of these directors through people’s - expression of approval of my efforts to accomplish what seemed - to them an impossible undertaking. - - Entering into this labor of love, without promise of fee or - reward, with my board of directors (composed of the principal - business men of the town) depreciating my business character by - expressions well calculated to bring about ruin, which they - accomplished in about two years, it required about all the moral - courage in my composition to determine not to recognize such - word as “failure.” - - Have said this much in defense of this article, which may prove - hurtful to the feelings of friends and descendants of the men - who have claimed the credit of building the road, but I cannot - do otherwise than adhere strictly to facts and truths, as all - fair-minded men who were then citizens of Ellis County, still - living, will bear me witness. I have never had a public - expression of thanks for the enormous sacrifice to me then of - ruining my splendid prospect in business to save your town from - isolation and ruin. - - The object in going into these details is only to emphasize the - claim of friends at that time that I was the only man connected - with it who did any work, and if the “board” would quit meddling - with it, I would soon have the road built. These expressions I - tried my best to hold down, knowing well it would increase their - opposition to me. Another object: There are few people now in - your city who know that I ever had anything to do with it, but I - consider it due my children to inscribe in my own history one of - the proudest acts of my business career, representing two years - of the best labor of my life. - - Please do not fail to note that I had to depend on memory - altogether for this article, hence its disconnected character, - and am entirely unable to supply dates, which, however, is - immaterial. I moved to Waxahachie in 1873. - - To give your readers a fair conception of existing conditions at - Waxahachie and Ellis County, I found on my first visit to your - town by stage from Ennis that your merchants were still adhering - to old-time business methods; selling goods on time, at large - profits, thereby losing the most desirable business; Ennis - selling goods on an average of twenty per cent less for cash, - buying the farmer’s produce, principally cotton, and paying cash - therefor. Waxahachie did not buy a bale of cotton for cash, but - only on account. The result was that Ennis, though but a few - years old, soon outgrew Waxahachie, and aspired to be the county - seat, which caused a bitter feeling between the two communities. - Knowing the magnificent territory contiguous to Waxahachie, I - decided that with proper efforts your town could be made one of - the best in the State, and arranged to locate there. Had I - supposed that to locate there, it was necessary to ask the - permission of the old business men, and then conduct business as - they directed, I would certainly have gone elsewhere, but of - this I was ignorant, and after starting in, determined to - exercise my own judgment. I sold goods for cash, at reasonable - profit; bought cotton for cash, all that was offered, paying - Dallas prices; bought cotton from east of Ennis and Palmer, then - paid the farmer seventy-five cents per bale to haul it back to - the railroad for shipment. Many of these farmers, after I paid - them the cash for cotton, would turn around and spend every - dollar of it with me for goods. I bought cotton from Hill, - Johnson and Bosque Counties, and did not lose any money on it, - although my old competitors predicted that I would soon have to - quit. When disappointed in this, a few of the progressive ones, - Messrs. Pickett, Trippett and McLain, joined in with me, and we - soon established in Waxahachie a good cotton market. - - I now began planning for railroad connection, and when I had my - plans sufficiently matured, I submitted them to a meeting of the - business men, who expressed grave doubt about the possibility of - the undertaking, and I only induced them to enter into it by - suggesting that an effort, even though a failure, would have the - result of throwing Ennis on the defensive and induce them to - drop their county seat agitation. They then told me to go ahead - and get my plans fully matured, which I submitted at a - subsequent meeting, and which were as follows: To get a charter - for a Waxahachie tap road with a State land grant of sixteen - sections to the mile and have the town issue bonds to the limit - of the law, which proved to be $75,000, then augment this amount - with farmers’ stock subscription of $25,000 more; to sell these - bonds at par to the business men of Waxahachie and commission - merchants of Galveston and New York who were doing business with - Waxahachie—thus giving us $100,000 cash and the State land - grant to build the road with. I stated this could only be done - by the adoption of second-hand iron, which I believed could be - had, and which would answer the purpose. To buy new iron would - cost several times the amount of our cash asset, as it was then - quoted at $85.00 a ton at the mills. There was serious doubt - about the Legislature passing a bond bill at the time as they - had up the repudiation of international bond bill granted under - a fraudulent charter, and the International Railroad Company had - Galusha Grow of Pennsylvania and John H. Burnett of Galveston at - Austin, trying to bulldoze Governor Coke and his Legislature - into the issuance of their bonds; hence both the Governor and - Legislature were committed against the issue of bonds of the - State in aid of railroads. But I believed that Judge J. W. - Ferris, who was then one of the most eminent lawyers in the - State, and who, through his International bond decision while - acting as special Supreme Judge in the case had endeared himself - to the Governor and Legislature, as well as the entire people of - the State, would be able to overcome this objection, as we were - only asking permission to tax our own town. It was then - determined to send Judge Ferris to Austin for the purpose of - obtaining a charter and bond bill. The committee appointed to - make the request of the judge met his positive refusal, but he - stated at the same time that if it was attempted to build the - road, he would back the enterprise with his money. I was now - urged and finally persuaded to go to Austin and endeavor to - obtain the necessary legislation. I called a meeting of the - taxpayers of Waxahachie, and explained to them that it was of - the utmost importance to get up a petition to the Governor and - Legislature, asking permission to tax themselves, and I - succeeded in obtaining every taxpayer’s name to the petition. I - then had the county clerk examine the tax rolls and certify that - he found every taxpayer’s name to the same. I then proceeded to - Austin, armed with this petition, a letter from Judge Ferris to - Governor Coke, and from Dr. Aldredge to friends in the Senate. - On my arrival at Austin, I met John H. Burnett and Galusha Grow - at the hotel, who proposed to me, if I would assist them, they - would assist me, which I declined, telling them that I was - opposed to the issuance of their bonds, thus at the outset - defining my position with the Legislature. The next morning I - sought and obtained an audience with Governor Coke, presented my - letter from Judge Ferris and petition from the taxpayers, and - after reading this, the Governor said, “Mr. Graber, I will - promise you this, if the Legislature passes your bills I will - sign them. The question involved in the International bill is - the taxing of the whole State to benefit the section through - which the road runs, but in your request the good people of - Waxahachie are only asking to tax themselves to save their - town.” I thanked the Governor for his kind assurance and asked - permission to make the statement to the members of the - Legislature, which he readily gave. Though I had never before - looked inside a legislative hall I soon felt perfectly at home - and had the privilege of the House and Senate. In my canvass of - the House and Senate I found little opposition to the bond bill - after reading our petition, but considerable objection to the - further donation of land in aid of railroads, which, however, I - was able to overcome by satisfying them we would never be able - to build our road without it. As many of the influential members - were old army friends to whom I became indebted for valuable - assistance, I was able to return home in three weeks, both bills - having been signed by Governor Coke a few weeks later. It would - not be inappropriate here to mention a little incident to show a - proper appreciation of my services at that time. I had wired my - wife that I would be home on Saturday, but detained en route, I - failed to make it, which saved me considerable embarrassment, as - the stage was met a short distance from town by the mayor, city - council and concourse of citizens, with a brass band, intending - to give me an enthusiastic reception. On the next Saturday a - mass meeting was held for the purpose of organizing under our - charter, and electing officers. At this meeting I explained to - them that I had taken the liberty of stating to members of the - Legislature that Judge Ferris would be the president of the - company, and asked his election, telling them that it was - all-important the enterprise should be headed by the most - influential man in the community. Judge Ferris being present, - stated he could not under any circumstances consider the - acceptance of the position as he did not have the time to give - it the attention necessary to make it a success, and placed my - name in nomination, which created great enthusiasm, and it was - attempted to be carried through without further consideration. I - tried to check this movement, by telling them I had as little - time to spare from my business as Judge Ferris, had already - given them three weeks of most valuable time away from my - business and was unable to do anything more than act on the - board of directors, if they saw fit to use me in that capacity; - but the meeting would not have it that way, and plainly told me - if I wanted the road built, I would have to serve, and promised - to sustain me with all the means and power at their command. - Under this assurance I was finally persuaded to accept, and, - after completing the organization with Judge Ferris as - vice-president, the meeting adjourned subject to the call of the - president. - - I forgot to explain that through the issuance of the bonds, it - was agreed that the town should be issued stock to the amount, - thus every taxpayer became a stockholder and was entitled to - vote in the organization. While at Austin, in company with some - members of the Legislature, I called on General Braxton Bragg, - who had just come to Texas with a party of civil engineers, with - the intention of making this his home—he was anxious to get a - first job and promised me he would undertake the location of our - road at his actual cost (estimated not to exceed 500 dollars). - As soon as organized I took up a correspondence with him, and - entered into a contract to run three preliminary lines and cross - section the line adopted, furnish plans and specifications of a - first-class road. He surveyed one line to Ennis, one to Palmer - and one to the nearest point on the H. & T. C., which was - adopted. We next advertised for bids for the whole work - complete, contractor furnishing the road complete, ready for - operation, except equipment, and another for the grading only. - We had a bid on each, one from John McCarthy of Kansas City, who - was returning from Galveston, where he had in a bid for a large - contract with the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe and had lost out. He - carefully examined our assets, which were one hundred and - eighty-five sections (estimated) of land certificates to be - issued by the State (the line being 11 45-100 miles long), - $75,000 of Waxahachie bonds and about $13,000 of farmers’ stock - subscriptions which I had secured by hard labor, and in which I - had valuable assistance from Judge Anson Rainey, who was then a - young lawyer in Judge Ferris’ office. Mr. McCarthy, satisfied - with our assets, submitted a proposition to deliver us the road - complete as per General Bragg’s specification, except to - substitute fifty-six pounds of good second-hand iron approved by - General Bragg, which was considered sufficient for our purpose, - in consideration for our entire assets, and complete the same in - two years. We also had a proposal from Roach Brothers & Tierney - for the grade only at thirteen cents per yard. As John - McCarthy’s bid was the best for us we awarded him the contract, - and immediately notified him by wire at Kansas City, to which we - received a reply from his wife, by letter, saying Mr. McCarthy - was not at home, but we would hear from him as soon as he - returned. In the meantime I wired General Bragg at Galveston, - who was the chief engineer of the G., C. & S. F. for a report on - Mr. McCarthy, but had his answer, “Drop him.” This in connection - with an indefinite letter finally received from McCarthy, made - me conclude it best to let him alone. In the meantime, I had - induced Mr. Roach to hold his bid open (which was 13 cents per - yard, one-third cash, one-third in bonds and one-third in - provisions and forage he expected to use to feed his teams and - men) until we heard definitely from John McCarthy and in case of - his failure to make us a good bond, and furnish us ample - evidence of his ability and good intentions, we would give him - the contract for the grade, as in his bid. After our decision to - drop Mr. John McCarthy, we entered into a contract with Roach - Brothers & Tierney for the grade, to go to work at once—as he - had his outfit at Fort Worth already. He was on the ground - sooner than expected, and gave us only a few days to prepare for - a formal beginning of the work. We wanted to celebrate the event - with a great barbecue. On account of the short time for - notifying the farmers, the board of directors opposed my plans - of having the celebration, but I determined to have it anyway, - and sent out invitations to all interested in the building of - the Waxahachie Tap, to join us in celebrating the commencement - of the work. I solicited a few of our best farmers to donate the - meats, which they did cheerfully in the greatest abundance. The - day set apart for the celebration, the farmers began to arrive - in the early morning in large numbers—not only our own Ellis - County people, but a large number from Hill and adjoining - counties, and by one o’clock the crowd was variously estimated - at from 1500 to 2000 men, women and children. Such a large - enthusiastic gathering had never been known in this part of the - State. The board of directors had in the meantime concluded to - join in with us, and, although they had told me they would have - nothing to do with it, had ordered carriages, and I was invited - to a seat with Mr. John C. Gibson, who informed me they had not - prepared any program, which I had asked them to do in the - morning. I asked Mr. Gibson his age, and found he was the oldest - man on the board. When everything was ready, I was handed a - spade by Mr. Roach, who stated that it devolved on me to turn - the first dirt. I climbed on top of a wagon bed with the spade - and addressed the crowd in a few words which I remember about as - follows: - - “Fellow Citizens: We are proud to see so many of you - here, manifesting, by your presence, an interest in our - work; an interest on your part it has been charged did - not exist, particularly with our farmers, who recognize - that they are as much interested in the building of this - road as our town. The doubting Thomases will directly - witness actual beginning of the work by our contractor, - Mr. Roach, who has one of the best-equipped grading - outfits in the country and will push his work to an - early completion. Upon such occasions it is customary - for the president of the company to turn the first dirt, - an honor which on this occasion I turn over to Colonel - John C. Gibson, the oldest member of the board of - directors.” I then turned the spade over to Mr. Gibson, - who eagerly accepted the honor and performed the duty. - Mr. Roach having his teams ready, then proceeded with - the work. Permit me to say here, that it proved a grand - sight to everybody present, the most of whom had never - seen anything like it, to see about fifty splendid teams - with their scrapers turning up the ground, and the moral - effect at that time cannot be overestimated, as the - effort of Waxahachie’s building of a railroad had been - ridiculed by people interested in our failure, - particularly the people of Ennis. I omitted to mention, - I visited Ennis before we definitely determined on a - location, and to a meeting of their business men, - submitted a proposition to adopt their line for a - subsidy of twenty thousand dollars, which created - considerable ridicule, but I told them they might laugh - as much as they pleased, the road would be built and - some day would become a main line by an extension east - and west, and though the point of junction might never - become a rival town, it would always prove a standing - menace to their town, and prevent capital from locating - with them. How well my judgment was founded is proven by - the result. On the completion of the road to Fort Worth, - this road has furnished more tonnage than the main line - from Garrett to Denison, which no doubt proved a great - surprise to the H. & T. C. management, who had expressed - themselves unwilling to operate it for its - earnings—hence I had to conclude a traffic arrangement - with them to enable us to operate it. Then, again, when - the Central undertook its extension from Garrett east, - Ennis sent a committee to Houston to try to secure this - connection, and failed, although it was rumored they - were instructed to offer a bonus of one hundred thousand - dollars. I also forgot to mention that before the - adoption of the Garrett line, I secured a donation of - one hundred acres of land from Mr. Garrett, divided into - town lots—this in spite of the strenuous opposition of - his agent, Mr. Neal. Mr. Garrett at that time resided - somewhere in East Texas. After the commencement of the - work it soon became evident that I must get to work and - sell bonds outside of Waxahachie; we were needing cash - to meet payments to Mr. Roach—although I had an - understanding with our business men, that they would - take as much as ten thousand dollars, at par, they were - slow to come up with their money—I therefore made a - trip to Galveston for the purpose of selling $20,000 of - our town bonds. I called on Mr. R. S. Willis, who was - then the president of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe - Road. Mr. Willis was a good friend of mine and I was - buying my goods of him largely. He said, “Mr. Graber, - let me advise you to drop that scheme, it is visionary, - you can never build the road. Attend to your own - business. If you were to succeed, you would never - receive thanks for it. I’ll not subscribe one cent.” I - said, “Mr. Willis, I appreciate your advice, and esteem - your judgment highly, but must decline to be governed by - it. We are going to build that road.” - - I next called on Ball, Hutchins & Company, and Mr. - Seeley asked, “Have you been to see Mr. Willis?” I told - him I had and had his refusal. He then asked to be - excused. Walking down the street, I met Mr. W. L. Moody, - in front of his place of business. He expressed himself - as glad to see me, and said, “I see in the News you are - down here for the purpose of placing $20,000 of your - Waxahachie bonds; step into the office. Colonel Jameson - will put us down for a thousand dollars.” He furthermore - said, “When you get your $20,000 placed here, I think I - can place the balance for you in New York.” I thanked - him, took their $1000 subscription, and dropped into - Leon H. Blum’s. Met Leon coming out. He said, “Go back - in the office, tell brother Sylvan to put down a - thousand dollars for us.” I next called on several other - commission houses, who assured me they would subscribe, - but could not just then. It soon became evident to my - mind they wanted their customers personally to ask them. - I therefore concluded to return home, and induce my - board of directors, who were all shipping cotton to - different houses to assist me in the matter, by going - down with me, but could not induce them to go. This want - of interest on the part of the board at that critical - period was indeed discouraging. They well knew that the - taking of $10,000 by Waxahachie and $20,000 more by our - commercial city at par, would establish the solid - character of the bonds in New York, but they were - unwilling to spare the time and incur the expense. Could - there have been anything more discouraging? It seemed as - though they were determined that I should not succeed, - and did not want the road built, which was talked - frequently by people in Waxahachie as elsewhere. They - seemed afraid of inviting competition in their business, - and preferred to continue as they had. Meeting with - Major Douglas of Tyler one day in Galveston, he said to - me, “Graber, why don’t you go ahead and build your - little road?” I gave an evasive answer. He said, “I know - what is the matter—you have seven old mossbacks pulling - back.” He said, “My board of directors told me to go - ahead and build the road, and I am doing it. I have not - had a meeting of my board since I commenced.” Major - Douglas was then building the Tyler Tap Road and was - president of that company. - - I now began looking around to secure iron, ties and - bridge work. I soon had the latter promised by our - carpenters for stock—there were only a few small - culverts and bridges. On one of my trips to Houston I - met Mr. H. M. Hoxie, general superintendent of the - International & Great Northern Railroad, with whom I was - well acquainted, who was changing the iron on the - Galveston road to a heavier lot. He made me a - proposition to furnish us sufficient iron for our road, - taken up from the Galveston road, which was fifty-six - pound and in good condition, subject to our inspection, - for $20,000 f. o. b. cars at Houston, which proposition - I accepted subject to the approval of my board. I had a - contract with the Houston & Texas Central Railroad to - haul iron, ties and bridge timber, for stock in our - road. In about a month’s time I had a wire from Mr. - Hoxie, “Come down, inspect and receive the iron. - Answer.” I immediately had a meeting of the board and - asked their consent to close the deal, but they wanted - time to consider. “Wait and see what the crop is going - to do; where is your money?” etc. I told them I was - satisfied I could induce Hoxie to accept bonds. But they - insisted on waiting. I begged and plead with them not to - lose this splendid chance of securing iron, which they - certainly would by waiting, telling them it might be - lost to us in three days. There were other tap roads - building—the towns of Henderson, Georgetown and Tyler - were all busy, but my pleadings were in vain. - - I now felt that I must give up, I could do nothing more. - They were determined that I should not complete the - road; in fact, it seemed they did not want it at all, - and I immediately tendered my resignation, which was - promptly accepted, and John C. Gibson elected to succeed - me. As soon as it became known that I had resigned, the - people demanded of the board to send me down to close - the deal for the iron, and soon the secretary came with - a request for me to close the deal and a tender of the - money to pay my expenses. I told him I was ready to - waive all personal feeling in the matter and now go down - in a private capacity, close the deal and have my - successor sign the contract, as my only ambition was to - see the road completed, even by a set of men that - deserved no consideration at my hands, but that I must - wire Hoxie first and know if iron was still on hand. I - wired Mr. Hoxie at Houston and received no answer. I - repeated the wire the next day and had his answer, “Too - late, iron sold.” This proved a surprise and - disappointment to all concerned and for a time it seemed - as though Waxahachie was doomed. I had turned over to my - successor and his board, the grade, a splendid piece of - work completed and paid for; sixty-five thousand dollars - in Waxahachie bonds; a farmers’ stock subscription of - about eight thousand dollars; about one hundred and - eighty-five sections of State land certificates to be - issued on the completion of the road, and every - alternate lot in the town of Garrett out of the - subdivision of one hundred acres. - - The board now went to sleep over the situation; they had - no one to suggest or try to do anything towards the - completion of the road, which, for nearly three years - was a dead enterprise—and left the board with an - investment in bonds of about $6000, which would prove - worthless unless the road was completed under the terms - and provisions of the charter, which were: the - completion and operation of the road within five years. - They now got desperate, and induced Mr. Royal A. Ferris - to go to New York and offer the charter and its - franchises, and all of the assets of the company to any - responsible party that would complete it, even with old - iron, and run a train in before the expiration of the - time in the charter. Mr. Ferris succeeded in inducing a - Mr. Riordan to accept the proposition. He went to work - and completed the road, and after a few months’ - operation, demonstrating to the Central people its - value, sold out to Mr. Waldo for account of some - individual stockholder of the H. & T. C. what Waldo - termed a pretty good bank of dirt with two streaks of - rust for $85,000. In the hands of the Central it was - soon refurnished with new iron and completely - overhauled, making it a first-class road, and soon - extended to Fort Worth. - - This terminated the history of the Waxahachie Tap Road - in the loss of all interest the town had in it through - the farcical conduct of its leading business men, acting - as its board of directors. - - When a meeting was held just before the election on the - bond proposition, I told the people, as long as I could - control it, if they would vote the bonds, the road - should never pass into other hands, only with their - consent, and should pay its value. It was my intention - to hold on to the State land donation until it would - become valuable and already had the promise of a few - surveyors to locate the same free of cost, save actual - expenses. I believed then the land within our day and - time could be sold for from $5 to $10 per acre, which - would amply reimburse the town for its issuance of the - bonds, and they would own the road besides. The result - was, we had a unanimous vote on the bond. To fairly - illustrate the character of the men I was connected with - in this enterprise, some few years after the Santa Fe - was completed west of Waxahachie, we had a proposition - from the management to build a branch of their road into - Waxahachie for a bonus of $10,000. A meeting to consider - the proposition was held; and these men who were still - in control, expressed themselves as opposed to meeting - the Santa Fe proposition, saying, If they propose to - build in here for $10,000 they will do so anyway. - Realizing that they were about to lose another valuable - opportunity, I told them that I came to subscribe my - money and not to talk, knowing well any suggestion I - might make would fall flat, but felt that they were - about to make a serious mistake in turning down this - proposition; there were movements being made on the - railroad checkerboard constantly and something might - occur that would force the Santa Fe Company to withdraw - their proposition in less than thirty days, and rather - than have this happen I was willing to subscribe $1000. - One of the old members of the board of railroad - directory smiled at my suggestion, and made a motion to - adjourn sine die, which was carried and thus Waxahachie - was again cheated out of another golden opportunity; as - in less than thirty days this company had to withdraw - its proposition on account of a trouble with the Gould - lines. When about three months after Mr. N. A. McMillan - was sent to Galveston to have them renew or make another - proposition, Mr. R. S. Willis told him they could not - consider such a thing; that they had all they could do - to look after their main line; but frankly told him, - “You people missed your opportunity. Had you accepted - our proposition when we made it, we would have built - into your town.” - - I have thus given an important part of Waxahachie history, which - I trust will prove instructive in its future. There are great - opportunities presented every now and then, which should be - taken advantage of and properly cared for by the progressive - citizens of a community and should be ably seconded by a public - spirit. This is due from every man who is a beneficiary of the - growth of his home city. - - It should be borne in mind that in the period when we first - submitted the railroad proposition, Texas had hardly felt the - great benefits of railroads and it was difficult to induce small - communities to take hold of such enterprises; besides there was - no money with which to build them. - - It is easier now to build a long line of road, provided it is - practicable and the inducement sufficient, than at that period - of time to build a little tap road. - - In conclusion, I must be pardoned for a seeming egotism in - claiming to be the originator and having done the principal work - in this enterprise, but I cannot do otherwise and state facts. - Whilst it is true that others completed the road, it was - comparatively an easy task to do this by giving it away. The - only recognition I have ever had for my efforts in behalf of - your town was an occasional expression from prominent citizens - whom I met in years after: “Well, Mr. Graber, if you had not - come to Waxahachie when you did, our town would have been an old - rat hole.”—Dr. Conner. “Mr. Graber, they treated you - badly.”—Captain Patrick. And other like expressions, but permit - me to say I feel compensated in the fact that I was probably - instrumental in starting your town on its upward march, and - therefore feel that I have been of benefit to others, and have - not lived in vain. - - Thanking you for this courtesy, I am with great respect, - - Yours very truly, - H. W. GRABER. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI - - - BUSINESS TROUBLES. - -The second year of my labors in building the Waxahachie Tap Road -required all of my time, and, in consequence, a neglect of my business. -This, coupled with the fact that many good farmers seemed to shun my -business, fearing I would tackle them for a railroad stock subscription -and the further fact that jealous competitors, joined by a man -representing P. J. Willis & Brother of Galveston, a house I was dealing -with most extensively and with whom I had a credit and a running account -of about twelve or fifteen thousand dollars, and the representations of -these competitors that I was investing heavily in the tap road, which -was not a fact, caused me to become embarrassed in business. I paid my -account with P. J. Willis & Brother in order to get rid of this jealous -competitor, and this amounted to a withdrawal of fifteen thousand -dollars of my capital. - -In November of that year I owed nearly twenty-three thousand dollars, -which I reduced to ninety-four hundred dollars by the first of March -following. - -At this time I was caught with a remnant winter stock and, in order to -keep up my business and to arrange for a spring and summer stock of -goods with no money to buy, I decided best to proceed to St. Louis and -submit a statement of my condition to my creditors. This statement -showed an indebtedness, as stated, of about ninety-four hundred dollars, -and assets, about fifteen or sixteen thousand. These assets consisted -largely of East Texas accounts, a balance of my old Rusk business, a -winter stock of goods and a few acres of land in East Texas that could -not be sold for more than a dollar an acre. At that time, everything I -had in business was unavailable. - -The object of my St. Louis trip was to get an extension of my -indebtedness until the next winter. The largest part of my indebtedness -was with L. Cannon & Company of Galveston, cotton commission merchants, -who were satisfied with any arrangement I made for an extension. The -next largest creditor was Samuel C. Davis & Company, St. Louis, whom I -owed a balance on open account of about eight or nine hundred dollars. -After submitting them my statement, the manager, whose name I have -forgotten, told me that I was not entitled to an extension and they were -not in favor of granting it unless the balance all agreed, but if they -all granted an extension, that they were willing to do so, but would not -sell me any more goods. They explained to me that upon a review of my -assets, I would not be able to pay more than thirty or thirty-five cents -on the dollar, and if I succeeded in compromising on that basis, they -were willing to sell me again, on their regular terms, any reasonable -amount and would consider my credit unimpaired. I told the gentlemen -that I would never compromise, as it was considered disgraceful in -Texas. - -I next went to see the house of Hamilton & Brown, who were then in their -infancy in their business, but were considered one of the rising shoe -houses in St. Louis. - -On presenting my statement their judgment was the same as Samuel C. -Davis & Company: that I was not entitled to an extension and to continue -in business, having to ask further credit, my only course would be to -compromise, say thirty cents on the dollar. I owed these people little -less than two hundred dollars, a small balance of a considerable -account. I told them I would never compromise, when one of the gentlemen -said, “You are working with a millstone around your neck and we want to -put you on your feet. If you don’t compromise before you leave St. -Louis, we will send your account to an attorney at Waxahachie, with -instructions to sue.” I said, “If you do, I will make an assignment and -quit business, and in doing so you can take the coat off my back—you -will never find me behind a valuable Texas homestead.” In connection -with this I will state that after a two weeks’ stay in St. Louis, trying -to persuade these people to meet my proposition, I heard from my friend -Cannon in Galveston, who offered to let me have money to settle with the -St. Louis creditors on the basis of thirty-five cents. I finally gave it -up and on my return home found the Hamilton & Brown account in the hands -of Judge Rainey for collection with order to bring suit, and I -immediately made an assignment in the Bankruptcy Court at Tyler, thereby -protecting all of my creditors. - -When the United States Marshal came and took possession of my assets he -persuaded me, for the protection of my family, to retain two hundred -acres of land in Cherokee County, which at the time could not have been -sold for more than a dollar an acre, for which I had paid two dollars -and seventy-five cents an acre. This land I traded for a few town lots -in Waxahachie, on one of which I built an humble little home the next -year and out of the balance realized about three hundred dollars. - -It is hardly necessary to say that my business failure proved very -discouraging at the time and caused the breaking down of my general -health. My jealous competitors in business continued to refer to it, -claiming that it was injuring the prospect of the building of the road, -the presidency of which I finally concluded to resign. - -Considering that several of these men were the richest of any men in the -community and that I had sacrificed my all to build up their interest in -connection with the town, I felt that it was one of the most unjust and -worst cases of persecution without cause a man ever had to submit to, -but I determined to outgrow it and ignore these foolish people’s work -against me. - -Recurring to my visit in St. Louis where, as stated, I spent a couple of -weeks: I stopped at a private boarding house, where I formed the -acquaintance of a business gentleman, who, with his wife, had a room -next to mine and in a few days invited me to visit their cotton -exchange, which invitation I accepted. I, of course, had not told him of -my financial embarrassment, but had made him acquainted with my railroad -enterprise. - -At the cotton exchange I was shown a great deal of attention by some of -the members present and especially Mr. J. W. Paramore, the president. -When about ready to depart Mr. Paramore extended me an invitation to -join him in a visit to his compresses, saying that he had a horse and -buggy at the door, waiting. I accepted his invitation.. On our drive out -to the compresses, he gave me his history in connection with the -business, saying that he came to St. Louis from Nashville, Tennessee, -with seventy thousand dollars in cash and decided that St. Louis ought -to be made a cotton market. For this purpose he met some of the leading -business men and suggested the building of a large compress and asked -them to take stock, which they considered a huge joke and readily turned -down his proposition. He then concluded to undertake the building of a -compress by himself, which he did, meeting with great success the first -season. These same men whom he tried to induce to take stock with him, -came to him and begged for stock, with the proposition to enlarge the -plant, which he did and had made it a great success the second year. The -enlarged plant enabled him to pay a handsome dividend. After showing me -around his compresses and expressing himself much interested in Texas -cotton shipments, I finally suggested to him the idea of getting up an -excursion of a number of his business friends who were interested to -know about Texas conditions and resources, to visit Waxahachie, where I -was anxious to show him our little railroad enterprise and especially -our rich land in this black land district. - -Meeting with him again upon another occasion I again urged him by all -means to get up this excursion, satisfied that he and his friends would -find it interesting and profitable, and having no doubt but they would -succeed in opening business relations. I found he was much interested -and he became somewhat enthusiastic on the proposed visit, promising me -that he would certainly do so. - -Some three or four months after, I saw an account in the Galveston News -of where J. W. Paramore, a business man of St. Louis, with a number of -other business men, had arrived at Tyler, Texas, on an excursion to -investigate Texas resources and conditions, with a view of establishing -business relations and will here state, knowing the business community -of Tyler, its brains and capital, I immediately concluded that their -proposed Waxahachie visit was doomed, which proved to be a fact. - -Tyler had just completed a short line narrow-gauge railway to connect -with the Texas & Pacific at Big Sandy and soon induced Mr. Paramore and -associates to buy this road and extend it, an independent line, to St. -Louis, which, after a few years, they accomplished, creating the St. -Louis Narrow Gauge, and after a few more years, changed it into a -standard gauge, which is now the Cotton Belt. - -I trust the reader will not consider me egotistical, but I have always -taken a great pride in the belief that I was perhaps instrumental in -having one of the great lines of railroad built from our State to St. -Louis. Had I not suggested this excursion to Texas by these St. Louis -people, which was altogether a new idea with Paramore and his friends, -the St. Louis Narrow Gauge might never have been built. It was only -through just such men as Paramore that great enterprises are started in -their infancy and carried to a successful realization. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII - - - I START ANEW. - -Immediately after my failure in the general mercantile business, I went -to Dallas to try to make some commission deal to sell farm machinery, -and called on Mitchell & Scruggs, who had just opened business with one -of the best lines of machinery in Dallas and had the State agencies on -these lines. I succeeded in making a contract with them to handle these -goods in Ellis, Navarro, Hill and Johnson Counties on a basis of five -and ten per cent. I knew nothing about machinery and had to post myself, -reading catalogues and asking questions of Mitchell & Scruggs and the -factories they represented. - -Having no money I bought a few groceries on time, until I could make -something and had the tender of a horse and buggy from a Mr. Johnson, -the pastor of our Presbyterian Church. I drove over these counties, very -often without a road, especially in Hill County, visiting people who -were reported in need of cotton gin machinery, harvesters and threshers, -never making a dollar for nearly five months. I finally made my first -sale of an Ames engine, on which I had a commission of eight per cent. -For the next three months succeeding I sold a number of engines and -boilers, several threshers, a number of harvesters, etc., winding up the -first season with a net profit of about fifteen hundred dollars. After -paying my debts I had left about five hundred dollars to invest in a -home. I planned a cottage, which Meredith & Patterson agreed to build -for me for a thousand dollars, accept in part payment five hundred -dollars and the balance of five hundred dollars, payable next fall with -five per cent per month interest. - -The next season’s business I wound up with a profit of twenty-eight -hundred dollars and the next season with thirty-five hundred dollars -profit and the next season with something over ten thousand dollars -profit. This put me on my feet but I needed engineering skill and was -unable to secure it, as it was scarce in Texas at the time. - -Having formed the acquaintance of Colonel John G. Hunter (through his -visit to me, in the interest of the Ames Iron Works, whose engines and -boilers I was handling), I persuaded Mr. Leonard Ames the first time he -called on me in conjunction with Colonel Hunter, to let me have Hunter, -he was just the man I needed. He finally consented, provided it was -agreeable to Hunter. I made a proposition to Hunter to give him a half -interest in the profits of the business, which he accepted and after a -copartnership of two years, we both decided that our territory was too -small; our business too much circumscribed to justify the services of -both, when I advised him to go to Dallas, both realizing that it would -be the future commercial center of Texas. He decided to do this and -immediately moved to Dallas, where his ability found better compensation -and I told him that I would follow as soon as I could wind up my -business here, realizing that Waxahachie would never amount to much -until the old mossback element died out and the young men would get into -the saddle, which prediction I believe has been realized. - -Before leaving Waxahachie I tried to get up the money for a cotton -compress, for which I was authorized by a friend at Jefferson, Texas, -who had a compress at that point, to subscribe for him ten thousand -dollars of about thirty-five thousand dollars needed for a good Morse -ninety-inch cylinder press. I headed the subscriptions with this man’s -ten thousand dollars and added mine for one thousand more, then called -on a number of business men, financially able, besides the two banks, -who all agreed to take stock provided a certain somebody else would take -stock. It finally resolved itself into the consent of one, John G. -Williams, who was always arbitrary and dictatorial. When I asked him to -subscribe a thousand or fifteen hundred dollars, telling him that it was -important for us to take immediate action, as Ennis was also trying to -get up a compress company and there was not sufficient business for -both, he insisted on postponing it, saying that he would let me know -when he got ready. - -Already disgusted with such dilatory conduct, I told him I wanted him to -understand that I was not begging him nor others, like I used to do when -trying to build the railroad, that I had other business to attend to and -I wanted him to say right then and there what he was going to do. He -told me to take the compress and go to the devil with it. I said to him, -taking the subscription list, “Here goes,” and tore it up, leaving him -in disgust. - -The town of Ennis commenced building their compress in less than three -days, but the conduct of these old mossbacks, in this case, finally -proved the straw that broke the camel’s back. I immediately resolved to -get out of there as soon as possible and move to Dallas, which I have -never had cause to regret. - -After moving to Dallas I succeeded in making better contracts with the -factories whose goods I had been handling through Mitchell & Scruggs, -and had a number of contracts, which they had held, turned over to me -direct, thereby enlarging the profits of my business from fifty to one -hundred per cent and soon established one of the largest and best -businesses in my line in Dallas, except that of R. V. Tompkins, who had -large capital and more extensive factory arrangements than mine. Having -large capital he was able to employ a large corps of traveling salesmen, -besides he, himself, having a practical, thorough knowledge of -machinery. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII - - - THE METHODIST SCHOOL AT WAXAHACHIE. - -I forgot to mention, soon after entering the commission machinery -business, I met a friend by the name of Meeks who was the owner of the -Marvin College property at Waxahachie, established and built up by the -Methodist Church of Texas, and governed by a Board of Trustees who had -permitted the school to go down, after having been in operation for -perhaps two or three years. They borrowed ten thousand dollars in gold -from my friend, Meeks, giving him a first mortgage on the property, -which mortgage he had to close by public sale and had to take the -property for the debt, though the trustees claimed that the property -cost the church about a hundred thousand dollars. The same old mossback -element that persecuted me in my railroad and other business, too, were -largely responsible for the failure of Marvin College and boasted that -it should never succeed again. Mr. Meeks asked me to undertake the sale -of it, which of course could be used only for school purposes, as it was -unfit for anything else. Having received his promise that he would give -me full control of the sale of it, I agreed to take hold of it for a -commission of ten per cent. - -I immediately went to work, got out an attractive circular letter, -giving advantages of Waxahachie for an educational point. I soon had -responses, or inquiries from the North and East, and a strong one from a -Presbyterian school man at Lexington, Kentucky, who decided to take hold -of it as soon as he could dispose of his property in Lexington. - -Finding that I was about to sell the property to a Presbyterian who did -not expect to make it a denominational school, the trustees of the -Methodist Church, composed of Captain V. G. Veal, Fred Cox and Doctor -Walkup, got busy among their Methodist friends and secured authority to -take the property over again for ten thousand dollars in gold, Meeks -waiving the interest, and paid me a thousand dollars cash and three -thousand dollars in one, two and three years, with a mortgage on the -property. In selling them the property on these liberal terms, I had it -distinctly understood that if they failed to come up with their second -payment I would close them out at once, which I was forced to do. - -I soon got into correspondence with General L. M. Lewis, an educator of -high order, then connected with a college in Little Rock, though he had -already been connected with the A. & M. College at Bryan, where the -faculty had a rupture, which resulted in the resignation of the whole -board. I induced General Lewis to visit Waxahachie, where I introduced -him to the Rev. Chas. E. Brown of the Methodist Church, who was one of -the most popular preachers there and he, in turn, got him acquainted -with Fred Cox and Doctor Walkup. These four gentlemen formed a -copartnership and again bought the property and in less than two years -built up a large school with many transient boarders. While on a deal -with General Lewis, I frankly told him that he would have a difficult -task to build up a school in that town on account of the sworn -opposition of the mossback element and that he would have to depend upon -transient patronage altogether for the success of his school when they -began, having no doubt that Waxahachie’s patronage would gradually -follow. - -As I predicted, soon after starting the school and having the children -of Mr. John G. Williams, who tried to be the boss of the town, Williams -demanded of General Lewis that he make a change in certain rules and -General Lewis told him that if the rules didn’t suit him he had better -take his children home, which he did and the faculty were not sorry for -it. - -The second year of the school, having paid their indebtedness to Meeks, -a demand for an addition became imperative, so they borrowed money and -put up a large one, as also a separate boarding house. After two years -more, the free school system of Texas obtained, thereby cutting down -their patronage to a point that did not justify them to continue and -were finally induced to sell out to the city for a public free school, -which they had to do, at a considerable loss and thus crippled them -financially. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV - - - MY LATER BUSINESS EXPERIENCES. - -The Rev. Charles E. Brown had the business management of this college -from the beginning to the end and displayed business capacity and -indomitable persistence that impressed me with the idea that he would -make a good business man. He came to me, asking for employment, saying -that he wanted to enter commerce, that he had a number of children to -educate and the pulpit did not support his family as he wished. He -wanted to give his children as good an education as anybody else’s -children, and for this reason he wanted to go to work in business, -offering to work for me for fifty dollars per month, in the sales -department, until he was worth more. - -Being sadly in need of assistance, I told Brown that I believed he had -the ability to make good in the machinery business and if he proved the -man that I was needing, I would give him a third interest in the profits -of the business. - -After a short time I found that I was not mistaken in the man and -voluntarily raised his compensation to one-half interest of the profits -in the business. Our business prospered and grew to a point that it was -necessary for us to move to Dallas, which we did, where our business -continued to grow and was considered, after a couple of years, the -leading machinery house in the city, except that of R. V. Tompkins. - -Owing to some misapprehension on Brown’s part, (brought about by a -statement of his oldest boy, whom he had employed in the business -against my advice), differences arose which we were unable to reconcile -and it was deemed best, under the circumstances, that we separate. - -Having made him a liberal offer of ten thousand dollars for his interest -in the business, besides the cancellation of his account, which amounted -to six or seven thousand dollars and had his refusal to sell out, I then -decided to sell out to him, provided he could induce a certain W. J. -Clark, who was reputed worth a hundred thousand dollars, to join him in -the purchase, which he succeeded in doing. I then sold out to Clark & -Brown for a nominal sum, without taking a dollar out of the business -until all debts were paid, taking their note for the purchase price. -They paid all debts when due and then paid me. - -On the dissolution of our firm and my sale to Clark & Brown, I notified -all creditors that Clark & Brown were obligated to pay one hundred cents -on the dollar promptly when due and if they failed to receive their -money on that basis, to notify me promptly, as I was in position to make -them do so. Never receiving any notice from any creditor that their -matters were unsettled, I had every reason to believe Brown & Clark’s -statement that they had settled all indebtedness. - -After a rest of several months I had a proposition made me by Mr. C. A. -Keating, President of the Keating Implement & Machine Company, to take -the management of their machinery department, succeeding in that -position Colonel John G. Hunter and John Young, both excellent business -men. - -I expected to take stock in the Keating Implement & Machinery Company, -but finally decided not to do so and simply worked on salary, commencing -the first year with a salary of sixteen hundred and fifty dollars, when -at the close of the season, Mr. Keating voluntarily paid me two -thousand, then the next season raised my salary to twenty-five hundred. -After my connection with the house for eleven years, the last three -years of the time receiving thirty-six hundred dollars, I voluntarily -resigned, under the protest of Mr. C. A. Keating. After I severed my -connection with the house, they quit the machinery business, except -threshers and some other goods that were not included in my department. - -After severing my connection with the Keating Implement & Machine -Company I went into business again, for my own account, on very limited -capital and in a few years again built up a large machinery business, -finally discontinuing cotton gin machinery, in which I was largely -instrumental in inducing the Pratt Cotton Gin Company to enter the field -with a complete system, which I assisted in developing. - -On the formation of the Continental Gin Company, which took over the -plants of four or five others, including my Pratt factory, I decided to -drop gin machinery and confine my business to larger and high duty -plants, in which I succeeded to my entire satisfaction. My success in -this business was somewhat phenomenal. As heretofore stated, I was not -an educated practical engineer, but in the organization of this new -business I was careful to hunt up the record of every machine and its -factory before its adoption, taking great care to get hold of the best -and I don’t think I ever made a mistake, as many of my customers -repeated their orders, after having tried and used the machines. - -Among the list of my machinery I would mention the American Diesel -Engine, which was just being introduced in the United States and was -largely owned by Mr. Adolphus Busch. - -I was persuaded to take hold of the introduction of this engine through -a promise of Colonel Meyer, who undertook its introduction in this -country, with his headquarters in New York, and who had known me for -fifteen or twenty years, in connection with his Heine boiler business, -which I had been handling and continued to handle. - -Relying on his promise that if I would undertake the introduction of the -engine, that I should continue to handle it exclusively in the -Southwestern territory, and believing that on account of its enormous -economy it would ultimately supplant all steam machinery, I did not -hesitate to put my whole efforts and influence into the work of its -introduction. - -After putting about five years of the best labor of my latter years into -its establishment, and just at a time when I felt I was going to realize -something handsome out of the business, my health gave way to an extent -that forced me to quit business altogether, never having had a real -vacation and rest in forty-three years. - -In winding up the history of my business career I regret to have to -record that throughout the whole of it I was always the victim of -misplaced confidence, never realizing any of the men I had associated -with me would ever do me a wrong, in which I was nearly always mistaken. - -I am able to say that I had associated with me men whom I trained in -several lines of business, in fact, assisted in starting them, and some -of them have attained great success, a number of them now occupying high -positions. One of the wealthiest manufacturers in Dallas is a man whom I -took up on the street, hunting work. It was largely through a kind, -friendly feeling, I took hold of him and taught him the cotton gin -machinery business. He proved one of the best salesmen I had and, as -stated, is now the president of the largest manufacturing cotton gin -machinery in the South. Another one of my old clerks in the mercantile -business, is today the president of a big trust company, commanding a -salary of twenty-five thousand dollars a year. While I refer to this -case with a good deal of pride, I am frank to say that he is in no way -indebted to me especially for his rise in the world, but only to his -natural ability as a business man and his own personal efforts and -energy. - -Among the many young men that I took into my business, first and last, -and taught and trained them in business, I recall one case, especially, -that of James Summers, who came to me, among a number of young men, then -going to school at the Rusk Masonic Institute, and begged me to teach -him business. Most of the young men, immediately after the close of the -war, thought that the mercantile business would be about the easiest and -most pleasant to engage in, hence these many applications, among whom I -would mention ex-Governor James Hogg, who was then a boy of about -eighteen or twenty, going to school. I recall my answer to him: “Now, -Jim, if you want to be a slave all your life, get behind this counter -and go to work, but if you will take my advice, go out on a farm, -develop your muscles and make a man of yourself.” He answered, “I expect -to do that, Mr. Graber. I am going to make a man of myself,” which he -certainly did, but not in mercantile pursuits. - -To give the reader a better appreciation of the character of James E. -Summers: When he came and asked me to teach him business his father was -the keeper of a saloon and a horse racer, and I had understood, had -whipped Jim at one time to make him ride a horse race for him; besides -the old man was very profane and his conduct as stated. Jim’s nature and -disposition revolted at it, though Jim had a noble Christian mother, -whose disposition he, no doubt, inherited by nature, which, in -connection with her teachings, made him the grand character that he -proved to be. - -Although I did not need any assistance at the time he asked for a -position, which was about 1870, I decided to take hold of him and teach -him all I knew about business, which proved a great pleasure to me, -because he was always ready to receive instruction and profit by my -advice. I soon made a bookkeeper out of him and I am prepared to say -that I was rewarded for any salary I paid him and any time devoted to -his instruction through his great success as a business man and his full -appreciation of my efforts in his behalf, the knowledge of which I -gained through several mutual friends, whom he told that he was indebted -to Mr. Graber for what he was and everything he had. - -After removing to Waxahachie, Jim married a daughter of a Doctor -Francis, who could not bear the separation from her mother and family -and, therefore, I advised him to go back to Rusk and get some of his -farmer friends, of whom he had many, to advance him means to go into -business for himself. This he did, and as soon as started, having the -confidence and good will of all the people in Cherokee County, he soon -did the leading business in the place and died about ten years ago, -mourned by all that knew him, leaving an estate worth over one hundred -and fifty thousand dollars, which was most extraordinary, considering -the character of the town of Rusk and country surrounding it. - -Having said this much in connection with my business career, I deem it -unnecessary to enter into further details, as it would no doubt, prove -irksome to the reader and I merely said as much to show that I always -felt interested in worthy characters that I had associated with me in -business, never caring much for a great accumulation of wealth, until it -was too late. - -Had I made the accumulation of money my main object, I no doubt could -have been among the rich men of Dallas, the most of whom accumulated -their fortunes in speculative channels. Had I engaged in speculative -channels in real estate, I would certainly have made money and had the -good judgment to quit before it was too late, wherein many of my friends -and acquaintances failed. - -My business always outgrew the amount of my capital and as a result I -always owed the banks and other creditors and it was a fixed principle -with me as long as I owed a dollar, that nothing I had really belonged -to me and therefore I had no moral right to take money out of my -business to put into speculative channels in real estate. - -Before closing my business record in Dallas, I must pay a deserved -tribute to L. Rector Cabell, who entered my service to study and learn -machinery. I am able to say, although young and without business -experience, he soon proved himself efficient in cotton gin machinery, -and one of the most loyal and honest men in my employ, carefully -guarding my business interests—just like his honored father, General W. -L. Cabell, and devoted sister, Mrs. Kate Cabell Muse, in behalf of the -U. C. V. organization. After leaving my service, Rector accepted a -position with the engineering department in Havana, Cuba, where he has -been engaged since, and is now receiving a handsome salary. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV - - - THE CONFEDERATE VETERANS’ HOME. - -In connection with my personal history I will take the liberty of -referring to my connection with the organization and work in behalf of -the United Confederate Veterans’ Association. - -I realized that only by a combined effort of the old soldiers could we -perpetuate our true history and especially take care of the indigent and -needy old comrades, when sick and in distress. While associated with the -Keating house, the Confederate Home at Austin was started by John B. -Hood Camp of Austin and maintained by soliciting public contributions, -as the State was prohibited by the Constitution to contribute anything -towards its maintenance. Realizing the necessity of everybody interested -doing all they were able to do and my own ability at the time being very -limited, I conceived the plan of requesting donations by factories, -whose machinery we were handling, of certain machines they were -manufacturing as parts of a complete cotton gin outfit. In line with -this I wrote a letter to each one of our factories, setting forth the -condition of our Confederate Home and asking contributions of such parts -as they manufactured, for a complete 3-60 saw gin outfit. These -factories were all located in the North and East, but their response was -prompt and cheerful. I had a sixty-horse power boiler, contributed by -the Erie City Iron Works; a 3-60 saw gins and elevator by the Eagle -Cotton Gin Company of Bridgewater, Mass.; a Thomas steam cylinder press -by the Thomas Manufacturing Company of Little Rock, Ark., and Mr. -Keating gave me a fifty-horse power Erie City Iron Works engine; a -four-ton Chicago scale, by the Chicago Scale Company and a magnificent -Schuttler wagon by the Peter Schuttler Wagon Company of Chicago, the -whole worth about thirty-five hundred dollars. - -I immediately notified Governor Ross of this handsome donation by -Northern factories, giving him a full list of the donors, and he wrote a -personal letter of thanks to each of the parties. - -Cotton gin machinery, at this time, was rarely bought for cash, always -sold on long time credit, which of course did not meet the urgent needs -of the Confederate Home. In conferring with General Cabell and other -prominent members of the Camp, we decided on a plan of having a drawing -for this machinery, selling tickets at one dollar, believing we could -raise a large amount of money in this way, as outside of a chance of -drawing the machinery was the further inducement that the dollar paid -for the ticket would afford relief to our needy Confederate Home. I then -went to work actively, after first conferring with some of the best -legal talent of the city, as to whether such a drawing was permissable -by law. As it was by them held entirely within the law, taking the -position that a drawing for charity was not a lottery, but a drawing for -profit is a lottery, I had no hesitancy in permitting my name used in -connection with it. - -About this time we had an exciting contest for the Governorship of the -State between Attorney General Hogg and Judge George Clark of Waco. On -the policies of each, our comrades of the Camp were divided. While our -Confederate Constitution prohibits the discussion of politics in the -meetings of our Camp, still the members were not prohibited from -expressing their views outside. The Clark element of the Camp insisted -before we proceeded in this drawing to write Attorney General Hogg, -asking his opinion on the legal status of such proceedings, hoping that -he would rule adversely, thereby making himself very unpopular in the -State. Knowing Hogg’s disposition on such ruling and believing he would -express a radical view on the same, I did my best to keep the matter -from reaching his ears, but all to no purpose. - -I forgot to mention I had gone on with the work of getting up tickets -and an attractive circular with large cuts of each machine, and sent -them broadcast all over the State. I sent a hundred tickets each to the -sheriff and county clerk of each county, requesting them to act as sales -agents for us, when we had numerous letters from different ones, saying -that they could sell every ticket they had and to send more, thus we had -a fair prospect of raising at least fifty thousand dollars. - -The continued agitation by members of the Camp on the subject, asking -Attorney General Hogg for his opinion, resulted in my being appointed a -committee of one to write to him for his opinion in the matter, when he -answered promptly in response that such proceedings would be illegal and -he hoped that it would not be attempted. When I read his letter to the -Camp the Clark men said they had always been satisfied that his ruling -would be such and insisted on dropping the matter. Having cherished the -hope that I would be instrumental in perhaps securing the magnificent -sum of fifty thousand dollars for the benefit of the Confederate Home, -which in connection with the opinion of several of the ablest lawyers in -the State—such men as the Hon. Seth Sheppard and others, whose names I -don’t remember and whose opinions I regarded more highly than I did -Hogg’s, as their construction of the law in the matter, as before -stated, seemed to me most reasonable and fair—I told the members of the -Camp, “The drawing goes on. My name is on the ticket and if Attorney -General Hogg wants to proceed in the matter, he is at liberty to proceed -against me.” - -The Sunday following I wrote a personal letter to my old-time friend, -Attorney General Hogg, setting forth the urgency of our action and -finally told him, by my advice the Camp had decided to go on with the -drawing and the object of my writing him was simply to say that we -valued his opinion most highly and appreciated his good intentions -towards the Confederate Home and his rulings were fully in accord with -his duties, as he conceived them to be, and finally wound up the letter -by saying, “the end justified the means,” which expression proved fatal -and got him stirred up about the matter to the extent, as I suspected, -of notifying all sheriffs and county clerks that it would be dangerous -for them to undertake the sale of the tickets and as a result, I regret -to have to record that all the tickets were returned to me, except -perhaps about a hundred. - -In answer to my letter the Attorney General stated that if we persisted -in having the drawing that he would use all the power of the State at -his command to put it down and punish us. - -The Clark men of the Camp soon circulated the result of our -correspondence and proclaimed to the State that Attorney General Hogg -was unfriendly to the Confederate Home and also to our Confederate -organization, which of course he denied in several of his speeches. - -Every Governor up until now, preceding his elevation to the office, had -been an ex-Confederate soldier, but had never done anything to assist in -the maintenance of the Confederate Home through any appropriation of the -State’s money. - -As is well known, Governor Hogg was elected and soon after his -installation into the office, he caused the appropriation of money -collected from rental of a building that had been temporarily used as -the Capitol, while the new Capitol Building was under construction and -immediately after the assembling of the Legislature, urged the passage -of a resolution, submitting a Constitutional Amendment to enable the -State to take charge of the Confederate Home and also to give pensions -to needy Confederates, not in the Home. - -It is needless to say when this amendment was voted on by the people of -the State it was carried by a large majority, thus enabling legislative -appropriations for its maintenance in a suitable manner. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI - - - MY APPOINTMENTS IN THE U. C. V. - -On the organization of the U. C. V. in 1892, I received the appointment -by Lieutenant-General Cabell, who was elected Commander of the -Trans-Mississippi Department, of Quartermaster-General of the -Trans-Mississippi Department, with the rank of Brigadier-General. On -receipt of my commission, issued by General John B. Gordon, one morning, -while opening the package, Mr. C. A. Keating was looking on and on my -being surprised at such promotion, never having had notice of General -Cabell’s appointment, Keating asked me what I was going to do about it? -I told him that I was going to turn it down, that I did not think I -deserved any such promotion, besides I feared it would take a great deal -of my valuable time out of business, when he insisted on my accepting -it, which I still refused. He made me promise to take the document home -to my children, saying that they had more interest perhaps, in such an -honor than I had and if they were willing to have me turn it down he -would have nothing further to say. In connection with this, he asked a -question, “Tell me of a Confederate soldier in this community that has -done as much for the needy Confederates as you have and is more entitled -to it than you are?” - -I took the document home, as I had promised him, to show to my children -and when I suggested to them that I intended to turn it down they would -not hear to it, saying that they were as much interested in the matter -and would appreciate it as a great honor conferred on them, as well as -myself, when I finally had to yield in the matter and accepted the -appointment, which I have never had cause to regret, though it was a -heavy tax on my purse and time, which latter properly belonged to C. A. -Keating, to say nothing of using his stenographer, etc., all of which he -cheerfully contributed and is entitled to the credit. - -Having served in this capacity for a number of years, I was finally -elected to the command of the Fourth Brigade, composed of the principal -Camps of North Texas, with a membership of about five thousand, which -forced me to resign the office of Quartermaster General and accept the -high honor, which I very much appreciated. Serving in this capacity a -year, I decided to decline re-election on account of deficiency in -hearing, which almost disqualified me from presiding over this body at -its annual meeting and soon after, was appointed by General Stephen D. -Lee, Assistant Adjutant-General on his staff, with the rank of -Brigadier-General and which appointment I have had from every successive -commander and I may, perhaps, hold until death. I certainly appreciate -these honors conferred on me by my Confederate comrades, more perhaps -than anything that has ever fallen to my lot. This closes my connection -with the Confederate U. C. V. organization; many of the details of its -works I do not care to record herein, as they might appear too much of -egotism. - - MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE ON CONFEDERATE - MATTERS - - Columbus, Miss., April 21, 1905. - - General H. W. Graber. - - My Dear Sir: I have yours of April 18, with enclosures. I had - seen the pleasant incidents of return of flags by veterans of - Texas, and also the return of the Ranger flag at time it - occurred. Let us hope your letter to the President did good, for - certainly he has changed his views, and if he has not recanted - what he once wrote and spoke, he has for some time spoken and - acted in the very opposite way, which virtually is the same - thing. This is the country of our fathers, of us all now and of - our children, and we should accept any advances of - reconciliation and obliteration of sectional lines possible and - consistent with our self-respect. - - Thanking you for your letter and enclosure, I return them, - - With kind wishes, - - Your comrade and friend, - STEPHEN D. LEE. - - * * * * * - - New Orleans, La., April 4, 1909. - - Brig.-General H. W. Graber, - - Dallas, Texas. - - Dear General: I have much pleasure in handing you herein a copy - of S/O No. 12, naming the staff of the Commander-in-Chief of the - U. C. V. - - The General Commanding this glorious Federation feels that the - responsibility rests on him to use every effort to bring forth - the results that will be for its best interests. He knows that - if the earnest workers and progressive spirits in the - association will render such services in his aid as he has - reason to think they will, our order will make more rapid - advances in the future, greatly diminished as are our numbers, - than in the past. - - Trusting, then, on your love for the organization and your - eminent fitness for the position, he has selected you as one of - his personal staff; and begs that you will honor him by - accepting the position of Assistant Adjutant-General, with the - rank of Brigadier-General. - - In addition to using every occasion to increase the interest and - affection of the veterans in our “social, literary, historical - and benevolent” society, and constantly working to bring about - peace and harmony among the comrades, he particularly desires - that you will, if possible, be in attendance at the Memphis - Reunion, in full dress uniform, and meet him at the Headquarters - Hotel (the Peabody Hotel) to concert measures that will make - this a most memorable occasion. He hopes that you will attend - the daily sessions of the convention, be present on the stage - with him, and on the day of the parade take part with the entire - staff in full uniform. - - Trusting that you may be able and willing to assist in this - great work in the way indicated, with every good wish for your - health, prosperity and happiness, - - Most sincerely, - WM. E. MICKLE, - Adjutant-General and Chief of Staff. - - * * * * * - - War Department, - Vicksburg National Military Park Commission, - Vicksburg, Miss. - - January 14, 1909. - - General H. W. Graber, - - Dallas, Texas. - - My Dear Sir: I highly appreciated and greatly enjoyed reading - your good letter of the 12th instant, and its inclosures, one of - which is herewith returned. Needless for me to say to you that I - am in heartiest sympathy with the generous, patriotic and - American sentiments so well expressed in the “Concurrent - Resolution” of the two Houses of the Indiana Legislature, - Session of 1899. Ten years earlier, in 1889, in an address to - the veterans of my regiment (24th Iowa Infantry) in reunion - assembled, I said, in part: - - “In forming the characters and shaping the lives of the future - citizens of this great Republic, we fondly hope that the - unselfish devotion to duty and the unshaken valor of the - volunteer soldier will be a potent influence for good; that his - heroism will live in song and story and through all the years to - come, be a challenge to patriotism, above the din of party - strife ringing loud and clear as bugles that blow for battle. - Nor do we forget that our late foes were brave men and gallant - soldiers. Their valor, like the valor of the men of the North, - illustrates and adorns the character of the American citizen - soldier. This character, tempered and proved in the crucible of - battle, is the pledge and sure prophecy of the greatness of our - common country. Looking into the future, may we not say of the - coming American citizen, ‘His shall be larger manhood’ because - of the heroic example of the men who conquered with Grant and - Sherman and the no less heroic example of the men who - surrendered with Lee and Johnston. Of this coming American, may - we not predict that, where need is, he will know that ‘not - suffering but faint heart is worst of woes.’ In the nobler - destiny of our country, in the larger and stronger character of - its people, will be found the final compensation for all the - suffering and all the losses of the war.” - - Please keep me closely informed in regard to the prospects for - the greatly desired Texas appropriation for the Vicksburg Park. - Command and direct me whenever I can help in any way. - - Very cordially yours, - WM. T. RIGBY, Chairman. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII - - - THE TERRY RANGERS’ FLAG. - -One most remarkable incident I must not fail to add: As stated -heretofore, the Terry Rangers of which I was a member, lost a beautiful -flag sent us by a couple of young ladies of Nashville, made of their -dresses, which after the first engagement wherein it was displayed, near -Rome, Georgia, we lost in a stampede and it was found by a scout of the -enemy the next day. This flag had worked in beautiful silk letters, the -name of Terry’s Texas Rangers, beside some Latin, which I do not -remember. After the war, on a number of public occasions, such as the -several National Expositions in Chicago and Philadelphia, the Grand -Army, who had charge of such matters, exhibited this flag, with a tag in -bold letters, “Captured from Terry’s Texas Rangers in an engagement near -Rome, Georgia, by the Seventeenth Indiana Mounted Infantry.” - -Such a public exhibition of our misfortune was galling to the members of -the regiment and when Governor Hendricks, the first Democratic Governor -of Indiana, was installed, we made a request through our Governor -Hubbard for the return of the flag. Governor Hendricks very properly -referred the request to the State Librarian of Indiana, who happened to -be a vindictive, howling Republican and in answer wrote Governor Hubbard -a very insulting letter, refusing to return the flag. The matter then -was dropped. - -About thirty-four years after the close of the war, a business friend, -Mr. William Burr of Dallas, who was an ex-Federal soldier, came to my -office one day, and asked me if I ever drank any cider? I told him I did -when I could get good cider. He told me he had a friend in an old shack -near the Windsor Hotel, who was making cider, and invited me to go -around and have a glass of cider with him. To this I consented. He there -introduced me to a Major Weiler, and in conversation with him, I found -that he belonged to Wilder’s Brigade, who were with Sherman’s army in -Georgia. While we were sipping cider Burr remarked, “Well, this is -pretty good; two Yanks and one Johnny sipping cider together.” Major -Weiler then asked what command I belonged to? I told him I belonged to -the Eighth Texas Cavalry. He said, “Terry’s Texas Rangers?” I told him, -“Yes,” when he said, “I am mighty glad to meet you; I have been trying -to find somebody belonging to your command ever since I’ve been in -Dallas. I am the man that found your flag.” Of course, I was much -gratified at meeting him and told him about our efforts to have the flag -returned and the result at the hands of the State Librarian. “Now, -Major, this flag is yours; you found it and as you state you want to -return it, you make a demand on Governor Mount of Indiana, claiming the -flag as yours and return it to our regiment.” He said that it had been -the ambition of his life to do this and in accordance therewith indited -a letter to Governor Mount, requesting the return of the flag to him, -for the purpose, he stated, to return it to the Rangers. - -He furthermore stated that he was well acquainted with Governor Mount, -as the Governor was a private in his command, of which he was a major. -Verily, strange are the vicissitudes of life! Governor Mount’s major was -now making cider at five cents a glass. - -In due time Major Weiler received an answer to his request from the -Governor’s Private Secretary, stating that the Governor had no authority -to return the flag, which could only be done through a joint resolution -of the Legislature of Indiana. We then both concluded that we might as -well give it up; we hardly thought that a unanimous vote could be had on -such a proposition by a lot of politicians. - -I then requested the major to furnish me a written statement, setting -forth the circumstances under which he came into possession of the flag -and especially that the flag was not captured in battle, but was picked -up in the road the next day after our engagement, encased in a rubber -pocket, and he did not examine it until he returned from a scout and -rejoined his main command, being much surprised that the package found -contained the Terry Texas Rangers’ flag, which was forwarded to the -State authorities at Indianapolis, Indiana. - -In about a month the Terry Rangers had their annual reunion at Austin, -Texas, where I had read the statement of Major Weiler, which, of course, -was a matter of surprise and deep interest. A resolution by a comrade -was offered to appoint a committee, with myself as chairman, to -memorialize the Indiana Legislature, requesting the return of the flag, -I being the only member of the committee present, the balance not being -in attendance at the reunion. On my return home I wrote to each member -of the committee, requesting them to draw up a memorial and forward to -me, to which I received no response. I then drew up the memorial myself -and attached a letter I received from a Colonel Wylie in Dallas, who was -a gallant soldier and commanded an Iowa regiment during the war. - -I next forwarded this memorial to the Richmond City Mill Works of -Richmond, Indiana, a concern I was doing business with, requesting that -they turn it over to their Representative in the Legislature, which they -promptly did and in due time I received a letter from Senator Binkley, -stating that he would take pleasure in introducing it and that I would -hear from him in due time. - -To my great surprise, in about thirty days I received a printed copy of -a joint resolution of the Legislature of the State of Indiana, carried -unanimously, instructing Governor Mount to return the flag to the -Terry’s Texas Rangers in person and appropriating two hundred and fifty -dollars to pay the expense of his trip to Texas. The complete resolution -follows: - - =House Concurrent Resolution No. 6= - =Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 9= - - Preamble and Concurrent Resolution in relation to the return to - the association of the survivors of Terry’s Texas Rangers of - their battle flag, captured from them during the late war of - rebellion by the 17th Regiment of Indiana Infantry (mounted) - Volunteers, appointing a commission to discharge said duty, and - ordering an appropriation to pay the expenses thereof. - - Whereas, On October 13, 1864, during the War of the Rebellion, - the flag of the Texas Rangers at a battle near Coosaville, - Alabama, was captured by the 17th Regiment of Indiana Infantry - (mounted) Volunteers, in command of Major J. J. Weiler, and then - belonging to General J. T. Wilder’s Brigade, which brigade at - the time was in command of General A. O. Miller, and - subsequently, by the proper authorities, was deposited in the - archives of the State of Indiana, and now reposes in the custody - of the State Geologist, and to which is attached the following - inscription: - - “Battle flag of the Texas Rangers, captured from the 8th - Texas Cavalry near Galesville, Alabama, October 13, - 1864, by two companies of the 17th Indiana Infantry, - commanded by Major J. J. Weiler, of Company E, Wilder’s - Brigade.” - - And, Whereas, H. W. Graber, George W. Littlefield, S. P. - Christian, W. D. Cleveland and R. Y. King, all of the State of - Texas, as a committee duly appointed by and representing the - Association of Survivors of Terry’s Texas Rangers, by their - petition hereunto attached, have asked the Legislature of the - State of Indiana to kindly return to that association said - battle flag, that it may be kept and treasured by them, and in - said memorial the said Major J. J. Weiler, now a Past Commander - of the Grand Army of the Republic for the district of Texas, has - united, and which memorial is as follows: - - “To the Honorable President of the Senate and Speaker of - the House of Representatives of the Legislature of the - State of Indiana: - - “The undersigned, your memorialists, most respectfully - show that they were selected by the Association of - Survivors of Terry’s Texas Rangers, a committee to - memorialize your honorable bodies for the return to said - association of the colors of that command, lost during - the Civil War near Coosaville, Alabama. - - “Your memorialists would show that in a cavalry - engagement on the 13th day of October, 1864, the flag of - the Texas Rangers was lost near the field and found by - one of your memorialists, Mr. J. J. Weiler, then the - Major of the 17th Indiana Infantry, and was subsequently - deposited in the archives of your State. - - “In view of the fact that the American people have - forever put behind them the animosities and - heartburnings which were incident to our unfortunate - Civil War, and are one united, patriotic people, - marching shoulder to shoulder under the folds of the - Star Spangled Banner, and keeping the step to ‘Hail - Columbia’ in the onward sweep to that high destiny, - which, through the providence of God, awaits our grand - Republic. - - “Your memorialists would most respectfully request that - such action be taken by your honorable bodies as will - result in the return of the flag to the Association of - the Survivors of Terry’s Rangers. - - “As beautifully and appropriately expressed by Col. W. - D. Wylie, in his letter hereto attached, ‘We now drink - out of the same canteen, sheltered and protected by one - common flag,’ a sentiment so universal that it is - without hesitation we appeal to our countrymen, the - brave and gallant and patriotic citizens of Indiana, in - even a matter of sentiment so delicate as that involved - in our request. And as gracious as the favor will be - accounted by the association, we are sure that the still - greater pleasure will be with the people of Indiana in - bestowing it. - - “Most respectfully submitted, - - “H. H. GRABER, “W. D. CLEVELAND, - “G. W. LITTLEFIELD, “R. Y. KING, - “S. P. CHRISTIAN, “J. J. WEILER.” - - And, Whereas, There is attached to said memorial a letter from - W. D. Wylie, also a Past Commander, G. A. R., of the Department - of Texas, as follows: - - “Dallas, Texas, September 30, 1898. - - “Col. H. W. Graber, Quartermaster-General - Trans-Mississippi Department, U. C. V.: - - “My Dear Sir: Referring to the conversation we had in - reference to the colors of your old command, which had - been lost during the late Civil War, on October 13, - 1864, in a battle near Coosaville, Ala., by my comrade - and our mutual friend, Maj. J. J. Weiler, of the 17th - Indiana, who had, under instructions, turned the flag - over to the State of Indiana, where it now reposes in - the State library at Indianapolis, and which you are now - endeavoring to have returned to the remnant of your old - command—as an old soldier, Colonel, I can readily - understand the beautiful sentiment which is so - characteristic of the American soldier in the desire of - yourself and comrades to secure the colors under which - you passed through so many dangers, which are now passed - and gone, leaving only the memories of a struggle which - has resulted, with all its sufferings and animosities, - in bringing us closer together, and we now drink out of - the same canteen, sheltered and protected by one common - flag, and in this connection, at your request, it is - with pleasure I give the episode relating to the return - of the flag of the 57th Indiana Infantry by Texas, in - 1885. While commanding the Department of Texas, Grand - Army of the Republic, in 1885, Parsons’ Confederate - Brigade held their annual reunion at Cleburne, Texas. - Myself and others who wore the blue were the honored - guests of the brigade. During the proceedings, Major - Heath and Capt. W. G. Veal called my attention to the - fact that a brave soldier (a corporal) of the 13th - Tennessee, now a resident and citizen of Texas, had in - his possession and on the grounds the regimental flag - and colors of the 57th Indiana, which he had captured at - the Battle of Franklin, Tenn., in December, 1864, and - had taken careful care of for twenty years, hoping that - he would find some representative of that regiment to - whom he could return this priceless and precious relic. - I received the valued colors from the brave soldier and - immediately conferred with Department Commander of the - State of Indiana, and was informed that the 57th would - hold their annual reunion during the month of September - of the current year, and they earnestly requested that - Texas be present in person at that time for the return - of their long-lost colors. We arranged that Capt. W. G. - Veal and Maj. E. M. Heath, of the Confederate Veterans, - and Corporal W. M. Crooks, the brave soldier who had - captured the colors, should accompany myself and staff - to the reunion at Kokomo, taking with us the flag. - - “It is needless to give you the incidents of the trip - further than that Indiana threw her doors open to give - the old Texans who had met them on the field, a royal - reception, and Corporal Crooks was received with open - arms by the boys in blue, whom he had last met at the - point of the bayonet on the field of battle; and the - return of that precious relic that had spread its silken - folds over the brave Hoosier boys in many a hard-fought - battle, wiped out the animosities engendered by the war, - especially between Indiana and Texas, and Corporal - Crooks occupies an enviable niche in the war history of - the Hoosier State, and the boys in blue and the boys in - gray are now marching elbow to elbow, side by side, for - the honor and integrity of our common country, and I can - assure you, Colonel, that when you make the application - for the return of your colors it will be as much of a - heartfelt pleasure for Indiana to return the flag as for - Texas to receive it. - - “Sincerely yours, - “W. D. WYLIE, - “Past Commander Dept. of Texas, G. A. R.” - - And, Whereas, As shown by the correspondence of Governor Mount - with Gen. J. T. Wilder and Gen. A. O. Miller, that they - severally approve such return, which correspondence is as - follows: - - “Lebanon, Indiana, January 30, 1899. - - “Gov. J. A. Mount: - - “Dear Governor: In answer to your letter of the 28th - inst., some twelve years ago a representation of Terry’s - Texas Rangers asked the Legislature to return the flag - referred to in your letter, which was not done. I was - willing then they might have the flag and know of no - reason why it should not be given to the representation - of the regiment now. - - “The brigade captured two pieces of artillery at the - same time. As the guns were captured from our forces at - Murfreesboro, Tenn., in 1862, and have long since been - made into G. A. R. badges, they are disposed of, and the - returning the flag will settle that matter to good - advantage. - - “Your friend and comrade, - “A. O. MILLER.” - - * * * * * - - “Knoxville, Tenn., February 1, 1899. - - “Hon. Jas. A. Mount, Indianapolis, Ind.: - - “Dear Governor: I have your favor of the 28th of - January, relating to the return of the battle flag of - Terry’s Texas Rangers, which was captured by the 17th - Indiana, near Coosaville, Ga., in October, 1864. In so - far as I am concerned, I quite agree with you as to the - propriety of returning this flag, but I think that Gen. - A. O. Miller is the proper man to consult, as he was in - command of the brigade at the time the flag was - captured. I would suggest that if the flag is returned - to Texas, that you take a clear receipt for it, to be - preserved in the State archives. * * * Believe me, - - “Your comrade and faithful friend, - “J. T. WILDER.” - - “Dear Senator: After your call at my office, I - immediately wrote to my old brigade commanders, Generals - Wilder and Miller. I was in the engagement when the - battle flag of the Texas Rangers was captured. I am sure - there is but one sentiment at this time, and that is, - return the battle flag. Texans and Indianians rally - under the one flag now. Generous acts will tend to - obliterate the asperities of war. - - “I herewith enclose letters of Generals Wilder and - Miller. - - Yours truly, - “JAS. A. MOUNT. - - “February 2, 1899.” - - * * * * * - - Therefore be it Resolved by the House of Representatives of the - State of Indiana, the Senate Concurring, That the said battle - flag be returned by said State of Indiana to said Association of - the Survivors of Terry’s Texas Rangers; that the duty of the - return thereof be delegated to the Governor of the State and the - present Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic for the - Department of Indiana, with such other Union soldiers whom the - Governor may appoint, and that the Geologist of the State of - Indiana, now in charge of said battle flag, do deliver the same - to said commission, taking their receipt therefor, to be - deposited in place of said battle flag; and that said - commission, at such time as may be most convenient, in person - return said battle flag to said association; that the actual - expense of said commission, not to exceed the sum of two hundred - and fifty (250) dollars, be paid by said State of Indiana, and - that the same be placed, by the proper committees, in the - general appropriation bill to be enacted at this session of the - Legislature. - - Mr. Speaker: Your Committee on Military Affairs, to which was - referred House Concurrent Resolution No. 6, which resolution - provides for the return of certain flags to the Association of - the Survivors of Terry’s Texas Rangers, has had the same under - consideration, and begs leave to report the same back to the - House with the recommendation that said resolution be amended by - inserting the words “the Governor of the State and” between the - words “to” and “the,” in line 4, page 7. (2) Substitute the word - “such” for the word “two,” in line 5, page 7. (3) Strike out the - words “when the’ between the words “soldiers” and “may,” in line - 5, page 7, and insert therefor the words “as the Governor.” And - that, as so amended, the said resolution be adopted. - - SOMERS, - Chairman. - - * * * * * - -As soon as it became known to the Grand Army organization of Indiana, a -certain post, numbering about four hundred members, passed a resolution -denouncing the action of the Indiana Legislature and demanding of -Governor Mount not to return the flag. The reporter of a paper, who -attended this meeting, on his way home met General Ryan, the Commander -of the Grand Army organization of the State and submitted to him the -resolution passed by this post, when he unqualifiedly endorsed it and -stated that he was going to write to Governor Mount not to return the -flag. - -Governor Mount then wrote to General Wilder, who commanded the brigade -to which Major Weiler belonged, and asked his opinion and received -General Weiler’s answer, saying the flag ought to be returned. Governor -Mount also wrote to General Henry, who commanded the division and had -his answer, saying the flag ought to be returned, which Governor Mount -determined to do at any cost. - -Immediately on my receipt of the resolutions I forwarded it to Senator -Wooten in Austin and suggested to him that this was no longer an affair -of our regiment, but it was the action of the State of Indiana extending -the olive branch to the State of Texas and should have suitable -acknowledgment. I requested Senator Wooten to introduce a resolution -inviting the whole Legislature of the State of Indiana to come to Texas -as the guests of our Legislature and appropriating ten thousand dollars -to defray the expense thereof. (This appropriation was unconstitutional -and could not have carried, but as it turned out, it was not needed, as -the Indiana Legislature, on receipt of same, had already adjourned.) - - =THE TERRY’S RANGERS’ FLAG= - - =CONCURRENT RESOLUTION PASSED INVITING= - =GOV. MOUNT AND PARTY TO= - =VISIT AUSTIN.= - - =INDIANIANS TO BE GUESTS OF STATE.= - - =Resolutions Transmitted by Wire to Governor of Indiana and Mailed to - Legislative Officers.= - - Austin, Tex., March 4.—(Special.)—The correspondence and - concurrent resolution relating to the return of a battle flag to - the Texas Rangers are of interest. Senator Brinkley, one of the - members of the Senate of Indiana, wrote to Mr. H. W. Graber of - Dallas. The letter from Hon. C. C. Brinkley and the resolutions - adopted by the Indiana Legislature were printed in The News of - Thursday, March 2, while the memorial and other letters referred - to in the following have previously appeared in The News: - - Mr. Graber of Dallas has written to Mr. Wooten as follows: - - Dallas, Tex., Feb. 27.—Hon. Dudley G. Wooten, Austin, - Tex.: Dear Sir—Inclosed find copies of memorial, letter - and resolution of the Legislature of the State of - Indiana, in reference to the return of the battle flag - to the Association of Survivors of Terry’s Texas - Rangers. - - You will observe that the resolution contemplates the - return of the flag by his excellency, the Governor of - Indiana, in person, and an appropriation is made to - defray the expenses of the Governor and party. - - It occurs to me that this liberal, generous and - patriotic action upon the part of the Legislature and - Governor of Indiana should be met by appropriate - official recognition by the Legislature of the State of - Texas. - - It has been suggested, and it seems to me rightful, that - the Governor of Indiana and his party, while in the - State, should be the guests of the State of Texas, and - that a small appropriation should be made and placed at - the disposal of Gov. Sayers, to enable him in the name - and on behalf of the people of the State, to extend to - Gov. Mount and party a royal welcome to Texas. Such - amenities are invaluable, and would tend to wipe out the - lingering bitterness of the past, more closely connect - the American people in common brotherhood, and place - Texas in the true light before the world as among the - most patriotic and liberal States in the Union. - - I would suggest that you confer with Governor Sayers and - Major Littlefield (who resides at Austin, one of the - officers of the Association of Terry’s Texas Rangers) as - to the action to be taken. - - I assume that the time will be designated for a meeting - of the association to be held at Austin for the purpose - of meeting Gov. Mount and party. I am sure it is not - necessary to say that Texas should not permit Indiana to - outstrip her in the good work of joyous reconciliation. - - Please return to me the copies inclosed when you have no - further need for them, as I wish to present them with my - report to the Association. - - Yours truly, - H. W. GRABER. - - The following is the concurrent resolution introduced by Judge - Kittrell and passed: - - Concurrent Resolution: - - Whereas, the Legislature of Texas has just heard with - emotions of sincerest pleasure that the Legislature of - the State of Indiana has adopted a resolution providing - for the return of the battle flag of Terry’s Texas - Rangers, which was captured by an Indiana regiment - during the late war between the States, and has - appointed a committee, including Gov. Mount and his - staff to visit Texas and return said flag to the - Association of the Survivors of Terry’s Texas Rangers. - Therefore, be it - - Resolved, by the House of Representatives, the Senate - concurring, That the action of the Legislature of - Indiana is recognized as most generous, chivalric and - patriotic and is hailed as a most gratifying evidence of - the restoration of that unselfish and unsectional spirit - upon the existence and continuance of which so largely - depends the prosperity and happiness of our common - country, and that the thanks of the Legislature of Texas - be and are hereby tendered the Legislature of our sister - State of Indiana for its patriotic action. And be it - further - - Resolved, That the committee appointed by the - Legislature of Indiana to return said flag be and it is - hereby invited to visit the city of Austin at the - earliest possible day to the end that appropriate - ceremonies may mark the occasion of the return of said - flag, for which ceremonies the use of the hall of the - House of Representatives is hereby tendered. Be it - further - - Resolved, That an invitation to attend said ceremonies - be and is hereby extended to the Governor and other - State officers and the Legislature of Indiana and to the - Governor and other State officers of Texas, to the - Association of the Survivors of Terry’s Texas Rangers, - John B. Hood Camp, Austin Camp of the Grand Army of the - Republic and the inmates of the Confederate Home. Be it - further - - Resolved, That these resolutions be at once transmitted - by wire to the Governor of Indiana with the request that - he lay them at once before the Senate and House of - Representatives of that State and a duly engrossed copy - thereof, signed by the Speaker of the House and the - President of the Senate and duly attested by the Clerk - of the House and Secretary of the Senate be likewise - transmitted by mail to both the Speaker of the House of - Representatives and President of the Senate of the State - of Indiana. - - Governor Mount was taken sick very soon after and was unable to - come to Texas immediately, but in a further correspondence with - him, asked to have the time of his visit deferred until fall, - which suited our purpose exactly. Colonel Wylie, in the - meantime, received a newspaper clipping, containing the action - of the army post, endorsed by General Ryan, demanding that the - flag be not returned, when we both agreed we would keep the - matter secret, which we did. There is no doubt it would have - marred the pleasure of the Governor’s visit had any mention been - made to him of the matter. - - After my comrades of the committee learned I had been successful - in having the flag returned, Mr. W. D. Cleveland of Houston - insisted that the meeting on the return of the flag should be - had in his city. Mr. Littlefield claimed it ought to be at - Austin and so on, but I finally decided that it ought to be at - Dallas during our State Fair, when we had low railroad rates and - greater crowds than they could gather at any point in Texas. I - then submitted the matter to Governor Mount and had his letter, - expressing himself highly pleased, as he would thus be enabled - to see more of Texas than he would at any other time, having - heard a great deal about the extent of our State Fair. He - furthermore stated in this letter that when he came to Texas he - would come in state, as the representative of the State of - Indiana. - - During the first week of the fair we had the pleasure of the - arrival of the Governor and his magnificent staff, which latter - were in brilliant uniform and proved to be one of the most - magnificent bodies of men we ever had to visit Dallas. They also - brought their horse equipment, such as saddles, bridles, etc., - and were accompanied by quite a number of ladies; if I remember - correctly, there were fifty-two in the party, on a special - train, and with the party was our friend, General Ryan, to whom - the Governor had turned over the two hundred and fifty dollars - appropriated for him to pay his expenses. - - I regret to have to record that I was unable to secure the - attendance of a large part of our Ranger organization, who - seemed to have taken offense because we had the meeting at - Dallas, really prompted by petty jealousies of the cities where - they resided and, as a consequence, we had only twenty-four - Rangers present. - - The meeting of the Governors and the ceremonies attending the - occasion, was had in the Machinery Hall at the Fair Grounds, - which had a seating capacity, outside of the stage, of only - about one thousand to twelve hundred. At the hour of the opening - of the ceremonies the Indiana Governor, with his staff and - ladies, were seated on one side of the stage with twenty-four - vacant chairs in two rows, in front, on the opposite side of the - stage and the rear portion of the stage, occupied by the city - officials and prominent citizens of the town, the two Governors - sitting together in the front part of the aisle. - - When everything was ready I marched in the twenty-four Rangers - present in column, by twos, headed by myself with Miss Ruth - Phelps, carrying a Texas flag. Miss Ruth Phelps was the daughter - of one of our Rangers and the only member of the Phelps family - living and was lost in the Galveston storm the next year. - - After forming the Rangers in two lines in front of their chairs, - I introduced Governor Mount to everyone and he, in turn, - introduced General Ryan and when General Ryan had reached and - shaken hands with the last member on the second row, he came - around in front, singing, “There is a land that is fairer than - day,” in which the whole audience joined, standing, and I - believe proved one of the most affecting scenes ever witnessed - in this city. We then had several speeches before the Governor - spoke, one by General Ryan, which evidenced considerable change - in his attitude on the return of the flag and which, of course, - was unknown to any one present, except Colonel Wylie and myself. - - In the course of Senator Brinkley’s remarks he referred to the - captured flag, when one of our Rangers jumped up, asking pardon - for interrupting him, and saying he wanted the audience to - understand that the flag was not captured, but it was found, - when another one of our Rangers remarked: “Bill, you know they - run us out of it; what’s the difference?” which, of course, - created considerable merriment. Governor Mount happened to be - sitting near me and remarked, “Graber, I thought you Rangers - never run,” when I said to him, “Governor, if they hadn’t run a - thousand times, there would not have been one left here to tell - the tale. We always knew when to quit and didn’t require a bugle - call to bring us out.” - - Governor Mount next made one of the most patriotic speeches, - characteristic of the man, ever listened to, which was responded - to by Governor Sayers, who also, it is needless to say, did full - justice to the occasion, as he, too, had been a gallant - Confederate soldier. - - After the closing of the speeches Governor Mount had the flag - brought forward on the stage and, with a few appropriate - remarks, handed it over to Governor Sayers, who also accepted it - with appropriate remarks. Thus ended one of the grandest - occasions ever had since the Civil War and its salutary effect - on sectional feeling cannot be overestimated. - - The Governor and staff remained with us three days. We had the - best rooms at the Oriental Hotel assigned them and their hotel - bills were paid by Camp Sterling Price, the Grand Army Post of - Dallas and the Fair Association, and taking their expression on - their visit, they left impressed with the grandeur of the Lone - Star State and its people. Governor Mount and several members of - his staff, among whom was Major Durban, who succeeded Governor - Mount in the office of Governor, made me promise if I ever came - anywhere near Indianapolis I must be sure to stop, as they - wanted an opportunity to entertain me and I regret to have to - report that I, on a business trip in that section, made a - special visit to Indianapolis to meet them once more, when I - found Governor Mount’s body prepared for burial. This changed my - trip from that of pleasure to one of sadness and regret, and - with this feeling, I did not stop, but passed through without - making myself known. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII - - - ROOSEVELT’S VISIT TO TEXAS - - A few years after this incident Dallas was making great - preparations to receive and entertain President Roosevelt, on an - invitation extended him by Colonel John N. Simpson of the - National Exchange Bank. - - Colonel Simpson and Roosevelt were neighbors, on adjoining - ranches in the great Northwest and were great friends. When - Colonel Roosevelt raised his regiment of Rough Riders at San - Antonio, Colonel Simpson’s son, Sloan Simpson, quit Harvard - College and joined the regiment at San Antonio and was with his - regiment in their engagement at San Juan Hill, which furthermore - increased their friendship. - - In April of that year I received a Congressional pamphlet - containing a speech of Congressman Kitchin of North Carolina, - scoring President Roosevelt on many of his expressions and acts - while in office. This was just preceding his second nomination - for the Presidency. We had had some bitter denunciations of the - President by Senator Vardaman of Mississippi and Tillman of - South Carolina, and after reading the speech of Kitchin, in - which he referred to Roosevelt’s book on the life of Benton, - which had the largest circulation of any he ever published and - in which occurs the expression, “Through the Southern character - runs a streak of coarse brutality,” and another passage, “As - long as the word treason is in the English dictionary, so long - will Jefferson Davis stand the Archtraitor of this country,” and - again Kitchin said, “Would I startle this House to call - attention to a speech delivered by this man, the President of - this great country, in the Capital City of the Nation, - denouncing the Confederate soldier as an anarchist!” - - In connection with this I would state that President Roosevelt’s - mother was a Southern woman, born and raised in Georgia, sister - of ex-Governor Bullock. How could he reconcile such an - expression as his first; certainly it was a strange expression - under the circumstances. - - Pondering over the situation frequently, I came to the - conclusion that this speech of Kitchin’s had been sent broadcast - over the State and if so, we had a thousand Vardamans in Texas - that would be sure to make his visit to Texas unpleasant and - might result in his being insulted, which of course, would place - Texas in a very unenviable position with the people of the North - and East. I finally concluded to write Mr. Roosevelt a letter, - calling attention to Kitchin’s speech and quoting the above - remarks from this speech and suggesting his correction of his - position on these matters, before he made his visit to Texas. In - my letter I especially referred to the Indiana flag incident, - enclosing copies of the affair, which I requested returned. - - Dallas, Texas, March 8, 1905. - - To the Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, - - President of the United States, - Washington, D. C. - - My Dear Sir: I have read with deep interest your recent - expressions in response to invitations from Southern - communities indicating an earnest desire to bring about - a better understanding, and forever obliterate the last - vestige of sectional feeling resulting from the - unfortunate conflict of forty years ago; particularly, - your letter accepting an invitation from the Confederate - Camp at Paris, Texas, which induces me to offer a few - suggestions, and more fully inform you of the position - of the Confederate soldier today, who I know is as - solicitous of this country’s future as you possibly can - be, and on which I feel assured, you require no further - evidence than he has furnished both in private and - public life particularly, in his country’s hour of peril - incident on foreign war. - - Camp Sterling Price of this city—the largest camp in - our Confederate organization—immediately on receipt of - your patriotic expressions extending the olive branch to - the solid South, in which you rose superior to party - limitation, originated a resolution inviting you to - become the guest of our camp when on your visit to - Texas. This resolution was drawn and introduced by a - gallant comrade—who has since passed over the - River—and supported with one of the most eloquent and - patriotic appeals ever delivered in our Camp’s meeting, - but opposed by me, because of your former expressions on - the character of Southern people, and particularly, on - the Confederate soldier, which forbid such action until - you could correct statements so damaging to our - character, so degrading in the estimation of our - children and in the eyes of the civilized world, thereby - reviving and strengthening the unjust prejudice of a - large class of Northern people. - - These, your expressions referred to, I find in a speech - of the Hon. Claud Kitchen of North Carolina, delivered - in Congress on the 23rd of April last, as follows: - - “Mr. Chairman, your party and your section might - have expected great things and good treatment at - the hands of Mr. Roosevelt, but we of the South - could not. We knew that twenty-five years after - Lee surrendered this gentleman, in two of his - public volumes, had denounced Jefferson Davis as - an Arch traitor, and had declared that until out - of the dictionary had been stricken the word - ‘Treason’ Jefferson Davis was a traitor. We felt - then, and we feel now, that that was a strike - across the memory of the idolized dead, at the - whole South and the Confederate soldiers. We - knew, too, that in one of his volumes—the Life - of Benton—perhaps the most widely read work of - which he is author, he declared that ‘through - the Southern character there ran a streak of - coarse and brutal barbarism.’ We could expect - little from him. Would I startle this house to - remind it that after the passing of nearly forty - years from Appomattox, Mr. Roosevelt, President - of the United States and of a united people, - stood here in the Capital City of our Nation and - proclaimed to the world that the Confederate - soldier was an anarchist? So surprising was this - utterance, so revolting was it, that the - Washington Post, a loyal supporter of Mr. - Roosevelt’s Administration, was led to observe, - editorially: ‘It is disagreeable enough to the - Southern people to be officially designated as - Rebels, and now to add anarchist is an - exasperation which we find it impossible to - believe the President really intended.’ These - words from the lips of a President, and at the - National capital, while yet the grave at Canton - was wet with the tears of Southern grief!” - - It is needless to say that these expressions were not - known to the members of the Confederate Camp who - extended you these invitations, but no doubt will become - known before you visit the State, and when so known will - prove embarrassing to all concerned. This must, and can - be avoided, simply by a correction on your part, a - withdrawal of your terrible arraignment of the people of - the South, and particularly, the Confederate soldier. - - Please understand, the organization I have the honor to - represent, as Commander of the Fourth Texas Brigade, - United Confederate Veterans, which numbers eighty-nine - Camps, the Paris Camp among them, and a membership of - about five thousand, is especially charged with the - preservation of the truth of history, and the protection - of the Confederate character. Northern historians are - still branding the Confederate soldier a traitor; what - will be the effect on the minds of our children, nay, - the entire country, to have Confederates paying homage - to one who has even gone a step further, and denounced - the Confederate soldier as anarchist? Consider, Mr. - President, the lofty character of Robert E. Lee; General - Robert E. Lee branded an anarchist by the President of - this great Nation! The same sense of duty and sublime - patriotism that prompted Lee to take up arms in defense - of principle and country, prompted every true - Confederate soldier in the ranks. - - I do not deem it necessary to enter into a further - presentation of the unfortunate attitude you occupy - toward the people of the South and the Confederate - soldier until a correction is made—which it is in your - power now to do, and I am persuaded to believe, as a - fearless, brave and honorable man you will not hesitate - to do, and by this act of simple justice accomplish more - towards a complete conciliation of all sections than - anything else done. - - To impress on you more fully the importance of such - action at this most opportune moment, all Texas is - stirred up on your contemplated visit and is anxious to - honor you, but the Confederate soldier until this - correction is made, is barred by his very manhood from - participating in a demonstration that should be one of - great unanimity. It should be a true and unreserved - Texas welcome, which would have the approval of the - entire Southern people. - - Please understand, there are more Confederate soldiers - and their descendants in Texas today than perhaps in any - other four Southern States. To give you a better - appreciation of what grand result would follow such a - course on your part, I enclose herewith for your careful - perusal the history of an incident of but a few years - ago, wherein the broad-gauged Governor of Indiana and - his patriotic Legislature, extended the Olive Branch to - our Lone Star State, which was promptly and properly - responded to by our own Executive and Legislature, and - permit me to assure you, that the salutary effect of - this sublime occasion cannot be overestimated in the - accomplishment of its grand purpose. In this instance - only two States were participants; what would be the - effect to have the President of this great Nation - extending the Olive Branch to a remnant band now fast - passing away, whose gallant soldier record was never - equaled in this world’s history? - - In conclusion, I will state, although born in a foreign - land—in the City of Bremen—I yield to no native born - citizen a greater love for, and interest in this - country’s future. Reared in the Lone Star State from - childhood, under the shadow of the Alamo, Goliad and San - Jacinto, and through personal acquaintance with - participants of the latter engagement, I had instilled - within me a kindred patriotism and love of liberty and - country that is stronger today than it has ever been, - and which must be my excuse for submitting this - communication, which I trust will receive your careful - and earnest consideration. - - Please have returned to me the Indiana papers at your - convenience, as they are highly prized by my children. - - I am with great respect, - - Yours very truly, - H. W. GRABER. - - In reply to this letter I received the following: - - The White House, - Washington. - - March 13, 1905. - - Sir: Your letter of the 8th instant has been received, - and the enclosures are herewith returned, as requested. - - Very truly yours, - WM. LOEB, - Secretary to the President. - - Mr. H. W. Graber, - - 511 Wilson Building, - Dallas, Texas. - - When the letter was handed me, with carbon copies, by my - stenographer, I happened to have in my office Judges Rainey and - Talbot, who were going to take lunch with me. When I handed them - the letter, asking their careful perusal of the same, and after - their return from lunch, to tell me their opinion about sending - it, when Judge Rainey told me to send it, “It’s a good letter - and may have a good effect.” - - Some week or ten days after mailing the letter I concluded I - would see Colonel Simpson in regard to the matter and handed him - a copy of the letter to read, when, after reading it, he became - furious, stating that it was an outrage to insult the President, - as I had done; first to invite him to our town and after his - accepting the invitation, then insult him by asking him to take - back what he had said. I called his attention to a clause in the - letter, giving my position on a resolution introduced by a - member of our Camp, inviting him to be the guest of our Camp - while here, which resolution I opposed and succeeded in - defeating, however, the matter was passed over with Simpson and - I am not advised whether he ever made mention to Roosevelt about - this letter. Simpson stated that he believed that he would wire - Roosevelt not to come, when I told him he had better do so and - not have him come with these expressions hanging over him and - lay himself subject to being insulted. - - When Mr. Roosevelt started to Texas on his visit, he made a - great speech at Louisville, Kentucky, one of the most - conciliatory on sectional differences he had ever made and paid - a magnificent compliment to the Southern people and especially - the Confederate soldiers. This speech was published all over the - country, as also here in Dallas, and effectually removed any - feeling on the part of the Southern people engendered through - his writings and expressions, derogatory to our character. - - Then followed the magnificent reception and welcome extended him - on his arrival here in Dallas and his subsequent visits to Fort - Worth, Austin and San Antonio, where he received grand ovations - and also on his subsequent tour of the South, gaining in - popularity to the extent of receiving almost the united vote of - the South, resulting in his sweeping victory in the November - election. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIX - - - MY FAMILY. - - Our married life was blessed with seven children—four girls and - three boys—five of whom are living and happily married. Our - oldest, Henrietta Louise, married Doctor Frank M. Dannelly at - Waxahachie, and they are now living on a large farm about seven - miles from Dallas. Dr. Dannelly is a native of Georgia, in which - State his father was a prominent physician, and his mother the - gifted poetess, Elizabeth O. Dannelly, who published “Cactus” - immediately after the close of the war, embracing a number of - war poems, notably “The Burning of Columbia,” a scathing and - true denunciation of this inhuman crime, which gained for it a - large circulation, demanding a second edition; a second book - entitled “Wayside Flowers,” a literary gem, was also very - popular. Their union is blessed with three boys. The oldest, - Henry G., a graduate of Staunton Military Academy, Virginia, is - now in the fire insurance business in Dallas. Henry G. married - about three years ago Miss Gwendolyn Dunn of Dallas; they have a - sweet baby girl about four months old, which is now our first - great-grandchild. The other two boys, Frank C. and Perry, are - still at school. Our second daughter, Alice May, married W. D. - Hume in Dallas about sixteen years ago and they are now making - their home in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where Hume is engaged in the - real estate and insurance business; they have no children. Our - third child, Augustus Lee, was a fine young man, eighteen years - of age, at home with us when, through a mistake of our family - physician he was given an overdose of medicine, from the effect - of which he never rallied and died in about two hours; this - proved the saddest blow of our lives. Our fourth child is Irene, - who married B. P. McDonald, Jr., of Fort Scott, Kansas, the son - of B. P. McDonald, Sr., one of the builders of the M. K. & T. - road into Texas, and for many years treasurer of the road. The - old gentleman died here in Dallas a few years ago while still a - director in the road and also owner of a short-line road into - Cleburne, Texas. - - At a meeting of the Board of Directors of this company, held in - Parsons, Kansas, April 8th, 1909, the following testimonial to - the memory of the deceased director, Mr. B. P. McDonald, was - unanimously adopted: - - IN MEMORIAM - - “Since the last annual meeting of this Board, death has - invaded its membership and claimed its oldest member in - continuous service. After a brief illness, Benjamin - Perry McDonald, of Fort Scott, Kansas, departed this - life on February 16th, 1909, at Dallas, Texas, where he - and his wife were temporarily sojourning. - - “Mr. McDonald was born at Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, - October 18th, 1839. He removed to the Territory of - Kansas August 1st, 1857, saw the Territory pass to - Statehood, and his destiny was ever afterwards - identified with his adopted State. - - “He was married November 21st, 1860, to Emma A. Johnson, - who, with their three sons—William A., Charles B. and - Benjamin Perry, Jr., all now arrived at manhood’s - estate—survive him. - - “He was elected mayor of Fort Scott in 1866, and at the - expiration of his term re-elected. He early engaged in - the mercantile and banking business, and organized the - First National Bank of Fort Scott in January, 1871. He - was elected a director of our Company at its annual - meeting on May 15th, 1872, and continued as such every - succeeding year during his life. In 1873 he was elected - to the Legislature of Kansas as a representative from - Bourbon County. In 1874 he built the line southeast from - Fort Scott to the coal fields, a distance of twelve - miles, which was afterwards purchased by the Kansas - City, Fort Scott & Memphis Railroad Company. In 1881 he - built twenty miles of railroad on Long Island, New York, - for the Long Island Railroad Company. In 1888-9 he built - the Sherman, Denison & Dallas Railway, from Denison to - Sherman, Texas, now a part of the Missouri, Kansas & - Texas Railway of Texas, and in 1901-2 built the Fort - Scott, Iola & Western, from Iola to Moran, Kansas, now - owned and operated by the Missouri, Kansas & Texas - Railway Company. In 1902 he organized and built the - Dallas, Cleburne & Southwestern Railroad, from Cleburne - to Egan, Texas, of which company he was the president at - the time of his death. This railroad is now operated - under a trackage contract by the Missouri, Kansas & - Texas Railway Company of Texas. He was a director of the - Kansas City, Fort Scott & Memphis Railroad Company and - its predecessor companies from their earliest history - until they passed to the St. Louis & San Francisco - Railroad Company. He lived in Kansas when the Union - Pacific Railway Company, Southern Branch, now the - Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company, was originally - incorporated, knew the promoters of the company, and was - always a great friend of the enterprise. In those early - days his aid and support was of great benefit to the - company. He became a director in 1872, while the road - was being built through the Indian Territory. As a - director he was constant in his attention to the duties - of his office, faithful to the interests of the Company, - and one of its most active and influential friends. - During the receivership of H. C. Cross and George A. - Eddy he was appointed by them as their treasurer, and - served as such during their whole term, his appointment - having been confirmed by the United States Circuit Court - for Kansas, and his accounts confirmed by that court and - found to be faultless. He was one of the strong men of - the West, and ever ready to serve the interests of this - Company. His acquaintance extended along the entire - line; the people and the employes knew him and loved - him. He was of sound judgment and absolute honesty. He - had troops of friends. He had a more intimate knowledge - of the Company’s history from the beginning than any - other man. His long career made him seem to be almost a - part of the Company’s life. - - “His health was always robust, his nature cheerful, his - sound sense commanding. There was nothing subservient in - his nature; it was all open and manly. We were shocked - and grieved at his sudden taking off, and unitedly mourn - his loss. - - “He was buried from his old home at Fort Scott, under - Masonic ceremonies and according to the rites of the - Episcopal Service, and now sleeps on the banks of the - Marmaton which he loved so well. - - “We express our deepest sympathy and sincerest - condolence to his widow and sons, and direct that this - memorial be spread upon the records of the Company and a - copy transmitted to them.” - - B. P. and Irene have their home in Birmingham, Alabama, where he - is engaged in the brokerage business; they are blessed with two - interesting children, a boy and a girl: B. P. the third, and - Emma Louise. Our fifth child, Henry A., is living in Dallas; - Henry was connected with the Kansas City Southern Railway for - about fifteen years, and finally resigned the general agency of - his road in Chicago and returned to Dallas to make this his - permanent home. While in Chicago he married Ollie Elizabeth - Anderson, who was born and raised in Negaunee, Michigan; their - union is blessed with two sweet children, Roy Lee and Alice H. - Our sixth child, Roy, died when about five years old at - Waxahachie. Our seventh child is Lessis, the baby girl, who - married Charles Weems Kidwell, born in Louisiana, but came to - Texas with his parents when quite a child; Kidwell is now - connected with the house of Sanger Brothers, Dallas, as - assistant manager of the retail department, starting in at the - wrapping counter about fifteen years ago; his father was a - prominent physician in Louisiana and died in Dallas years ago; - their union is blessed with two bright boys, Rolla, seven years - old, and Graber, five years old. On the 23rd of last April we - passed the 49th milestone of our married life and if spared - until the next 23rd of April will celebrate our golden wedding, - with five loving children and nine grandchildren and one - great-grandchild in our family circle. Owing to fast declining - health, about four years ago I was compelled to give up - business, and take a much-needed rest, the first vacation from - business cares in about fifty years; have had two serious spells - of sickness, one in Dallas and another in Detroit, Michigan, - where we went to spend last summer, but through the loving care - of wife and children and the dispensation of a Divine Providence - my life was again spared, and I am now enjoying better health - than for over fifty years. - - - - - CHAPTER XL - - - IN CONCLUSION. - - This is my story, a record of what I think the reader will agree - has been an eventful life. I have lived long—I have seen much, - both of what was good and of what was bad; and now when my - allotted span of years must, in the nature of things, be nearly - concluded, I look back and realize that all of what has happened - has been for the best. - - There is no bitterness in my heart as I indite these closing - lines. What has passed is past, and the future, as I see it, - holds for the people of the Southland a great promise. It is my - most earnest wish that this promise shall have a glorious - fulfillment. - - My story has not been written for the purpose of adding to the - literature concerning the period it covers. Rather, it is a - personal record, and makes no claim to literary merit. It is - written chiefly for my children, though I hope it may be found - to be not without interest to the general public. - - I feel that I owe it to myself to state that this book, in its - entirety, has been dictated entirely from memory, and from the - personal viewpoint I acquired during the years of which it - treats. It is quite possible that errors have been made in some - matters—that history will not entirely substantiate all of my - statements, but, in the main, I believe it will be found that - this book is a fairly accurate record of our many movements. - - In closing I feel it is but right and just, and I know it to be - a great pleasure, that I pay my humble tribute to the great - souls with whom I was fortunate enough to be intimately - associated during the great Civil Strife. Forrest, Wharton, - McLaws, Harrison—they were a gallant company. Dashing, - fearless, strong in their conviction of right, they were all but - unbeatable, though opposed by overwhelming odds in practically - every engagement. I can see them all now plainly and I hope to - see them again, more plainly, when the Great Trumpeter shall - sound “Taps” for me. - - THE END - - - - - TRANSCRIBER NOTES - - Misspelled words and printer errors have been corrected - as follows: - - pg. 20 'sufficent' changed to 'sufficient'--"concluded - that this was a sufficient explanation." - pg. 46 'notifed' changed to 'notified'--"General Hindman - was notified." - pg. 142 'rceeived' changed to 'received'--"They had just - received orders." - pg. 142 'precipitious' changed to 'precipitous'--presenting - precipitous fronts." - pg. 159 'reigns' changed to 'reins'--"with our bridle - reins thrown over the horns." - pg. 193 'sufficent' changed to 'sufficient'--"sufficient - to rig a Texas saddle." - pg. 234 'whatver' changed to 'whatever'--"whatever stores - there were in the place." - pg. 250 'permittted' changed to 'permitted'--"by them - paroled and permitted to go." - pg. 334 'sweeheart' changed to 'sweetheart'--"with his - sweetheart, Miss Lou Priest." - pg. 353 'eight-five' changed to 'eighty-five'--"one - hundred and eighty-five sections." - pg. 354 'commencment' changed to 'commencement'-- - "celebrating the commencement of the work." - pg. 369 'persauded' changed to 'persuaded'--"took - possession of my assets and persuaded me." - pg. 377 'Collge' changed to 'College'--"the failure of - Marvin College." - pg. 396 'apreciated' changed to 'appreciated'--"which I - very much appreciated." - pg. 441 'Chapter XXXIX' changed to 'Chapter XL'--duplicate - chapter 39, no chapter 40. - - Punctuation has been maintained except where obvious - printer errors occur. - - Book cover is placed in the public domain. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE RECORD OF H. W. -GRABER *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this eBook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |