SM. \VeLLS
University of California Berkeley
THE PETER AND ROSELL HARVEY
MEMORIAL FUND
:
>x! ^
JAMKS M. WELLS, AT THE AGE OF SIXTY-FIVE.
WITH TOUCH OF ELBOW"
OR
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
A Thrilling Narrative of Adventure on Land and Sea
BY
CAPTAIN JAMES M. WELLS
1909
THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.
PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO TORONTO
COPYRIGHT 1909 BY
JAMES M. WELLS
INTRODUCTION.
The work herein contained is a simple memoir or nar-
ration of events coming within the personal observation of
the writer, beginning just before the breaking out of the
Civil War and continuing through those years now desig-
nated as the "Period of Eeconstruction " the whole
covering a decade in the history of our own country
unequaled for stirring and dramatic events and remarkable
for the influence it has exerted in the world's enlightened
progress.
The story is concluded with a description of a voyage
at sea and an extended sojourn among the Azorean Islands.
So far as relates to the Civil War, its leading features
are already familiar to the reader. The names of the
great generals commanding, the battles lost and won, the
numbers engaged and the losses sustained, are all set forth
in the text-books of our common schools and do not need
repeating in a work of this character. But of the soldier
himself who, with gun on shoulder and knapsack on back,
tramped the bloody and sodden fields ; who rode the horse,
wielded the pistol and saber, did the fighting and won
the victories; upon whose valor, patriotism and fidelity
everything depends in time of war, very few details have
been given in history. And, while it is impossible to write
up the individual prowess of the two million or more men
who took up arms in defense of the Union, the writer, in
the course of this narrative, offers his own experience
with which he is most familiar believing it constitutes a
fair representation of the whole, for what one soldier saw,
i
ii Introduction.
so far, at least, as the same service is performed and like
ground covered, will not differ widely from the experience
of thousands who thus formed the bulwark of the nation's
defense.
This is the apology offered for what otherwise may
&eem like an effort on the part of the narrator to exploit
himself, and so it is believed higher and better motives
will appear in the progress of the narrative.
Foremost among the objects of this writing is the hope
of inculcating in the minds and hearts of the young who
may chance to read, a higher degree of patriotism and love
of country; that God-given spirit that makes heroes of
cowards and saints of debauchees; that leads men into
battles facing the cannon's mouth; sustains them in dun-
geons, and carries women through perils greater than those
imposed by nature upon the mothers of the human race.
When not so imbued no nation can long survive. With-
out love of country, independence of thought and action,
religion, education and every laudable ambition of which
the average citizen is capable is dwarfed, and, in the end,
tyranny usurps the place of justice, and subjugation and
slavery overtake the peoples who do not pay due homage
to the flag under which they live, and stand ready at all
times, no matter what sacrifice may be required, to take
up the gage of battle in defense of the soil upon which
they are nurtured and sustained.
Also this opportunity is taken to return thanks for the
many kindly acts bestowed upon the writer, and upon
others, by the men and women whose names are here
written and whose merits are beyond the power of a work
of this character to compensate.
And last, though not least, we hope to aid in perpetuating
and keeping alive the memories that cluster around the
Introduction. iii
perilous days of 1861-1865, that the debt of gratitude the
country owes the men who stood "with touch of elbow"
in the great conflict for the preservation of the Union may
not be forgotten.
More than a generation has passed since the battles of
the Civil War were fought, and from ut the ashes of
those sanguinary fields there has come up on this continent
a mighty colossus, whose liberty-loving precepts and ex-
ample are one day likely to bestride the world. With
bright eye, erect form and elastic step the Union soldiers
marched throughout those terrible campaigns, sharing their
blankets on the cold, frozen earth at night and drinking
from the same canteen, while the bones of their comrades
fallen in that great struggle, lie mingled with the soil of
every State, from the Susquehanna River to the Rio Grande,
and there, sacred to the memory of a grateful people, they
will lie forever.
Contents
PAGE
Introduction i
The Amateur Bull-whacker 1
The Turbulent Missouri 8
"The Pony Express" 19
Salt Lake, The Holy City 29
An Indian Outbreak 31
Virginia City, Nevada 38
The Start for the Theatre of War 44
"The Old Sonora" 49
"The Northern Light" 60
Six Brothers Enlisted 63
The Bounty Jumpers 67
The Passing Regiment 73
The Volunteer Soldier 76
The Morgan Raid 81
Battle at Tebbs Bend, Green River Bridge 84
Capture of the Garrison at Lebanon 86
Morgan Crosses to the Indiana Shore 91
Hobson Hot Upon the Trail 95
The Greenwoods, Mitchels and Dominicks of Cincinnati.. 100
The Michigan Brigade Again on the March 102
Battle at Buffington's Island 105
The Wily Chief Slips Through the Federal Lines 109
The Final Capture Ill
Strips of White Cloth in Token of Surrender 112
Our Victorious Troops at Steubenville 114
From Kentucky Into East Tennessee 119
General N. B. Forest 123
The Retreat and Running Fight 125
Hoping to Make Good My Escape '127
A Prisoner and Compelled to Part with My Boots 130
The Bastile of the Confederacy 136
The Tunneling Process, a Gigantic Undertaking 141
A Vast Amount of Labor Lost 143
A Pair of Stockings Such as Mother Used to Knit 149
Covering for Both Head and Feet 151
From Libby to Liberty 153
But Yet Not Free 156
Randall of the Second Ohio and McCain of the Twenty-
first Illinois 160
The Rescue 162
The Bivouac that Followed 166
The Hunt for Escaped Prisoners Continued 169
The Story as Told by the Richmond Dispatch 170
At Last Within the Federal Lines 177
Congratulated by Lincoln 178
Home, Sweet Home 181
The Watch and Chain Recovered . 190
Contents
PAGE
The Atlanta Campaign 193
Crossing the Chattahoochee River 197
A Masked Battery 200
At the Gates of Atlanta 202
Macon and Andersonville 206
An Act of Vandalism 209
Stoneman Retreats from Macon 211
A Battle at Sunshine Church 212
Stoneman Determines to Surrender 215
A Desperate Effort to Reach the Federal Lines 216
The Mulberry River 220
Again a Prisoner of War 223
Old Acquaintance Revived 228
Under the Federal Batteries at Charleston 230
Captain Charles E. Greble 232
A Death Warrant 236
The Mortality Appalling 238
It Is Either Exchange or Death 239
We Reach Macon and Atlanta 242
Rough and Ready, the Point of Exchange 244
"Safe Within the Federal Lines, Thank God" 247
Colonel H. C. Hobart 251
Sympathizing Friends 253
A Second Home-coming 255
Again Upon Active Duty 259
The Final Muster Out in 1865 262
The Grand Review at Washington 270
The Subject of Pensions 271
The Period of Reconstruction 280
The Story of a Brave Girl 283
Shot Down Without Mercy 291
A Silent and Unwilling Witness 294
Isaac Landers 299
The Wounded Father and Daughter 301
The Suffering Girl 302
A Dangerous Operation, Death of Carolena 305
Life at the Nation's Capital 309
The Great Forum 316
How Czarism Was Evolved 319
Assassination of President Garfield 320
The Good Barque "Sarah" 326
Flores, The Isle of Flowers 330
San Miguel 335
The Island and Mountain of Pico 339
The Island of Fayal 346
The Caldeira 349
The Long Tom at Fayal 354
Final Assault and Sinking of the Armstrong 358
Illustrations.
PAGE
James M. Wells, at the Age of Sixty-five Frontispiece
Steamboat Rock, Echo Canyon, Utah 29
Colonel Elisha Mix, Eighth Michigan Cavalry 69
Officers of the Eighth Michigan Cavalry Adjutant Homer
Manvel on the right, Commissary William H. Mills
on the left 74
Lieutenant Lovinas H. Patton, Eighth Michigan Cavalry 79
Libby Prison. From a Photograph taken in 1865 by
George S. Cook 135
Colonel Thomas E. Rose, at the Age of Sixty 145
Sectional View of Libby Prison and Tunnel 153
Special Order No. 82, War Department, Granting Thirty
Days' Leave of Absence to Lieut. James M. Wells.. 181
Envelope of Letter Addressed to Lieut. James M. Wells
while a Prisoner of War in Libby Prison 185
Captain James M. Wells, at the Age of Twenty-five 188
View of National Cemetery, Andersonville, where 13,710
Union Soldiers are Buried 238
Carolena Clinton ^ 285
Invitation from the Republican National Committee to
Speak in the Campaign of 1884 315
Mount Pico from Fayal, Azorean Islands 339
Fayal, Azorean Islands, and Fort on the Bay, in Front of
which the "Armstrong" was Sunk 346
WITH TOUCH OF ELBOW.
THE AMATEUR BULL-WHACKER.
Since the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers on Plymouth
Rock that bleak December day in 1620 down to the
present time the guiding star of the ambitious young
American has risen steadily in the West, and, in the
subjugation of a continent, Americans have become what
may justly be denominated a race of pioneers. From
New England to New York and Pennsylvania, and
from Virginia and the Carolinas to Kentucky and Ten-
nessee, across the Mississippi and the Missouri, over the
wide prairies, out on the desert plains, over the bleak and
barren summits of the Rockies and the Sierras, and down
the western slope to the sun-kissed shores of the Pacific,
the irresistible tide has moved steadily on for more than
a hundred years.
We are indebted to the Honorable Theodore Roosevelt
for the laconic apothegm : "It is the red blood of achieve-
ment that is needed in this generation, and not the blue
blood of ancestry;" so the writer does not go back to the
Norman conquerors for his ancestral blood, but finds it
first in Connecticut, then in Western New York, where
he was born, and lastly in Michigan, where his young
manhood was reached, and from which State the earliest
movement to the westward on his own initiative took
place.
An expedition whose purpose was the subjugation of the
Mormons in Utah, then supposed to be in rebellion against
i
2 With Touch of Elbow.
the authority of the United States Government, was the
impelling force that led him forth to conquer. Not that
it was expected the Mormons would yield obedience to his
unaided authority, though the enthusiasm of extreme youth
gave him greater confidence in his ability to subdue insur-
rections than the experience of more mature years has
taught him.
Messrs. Majors and Russell, at the time and for years
thereafter noted contractors for the carrying trade on the
desert plains, and engaged by the Government to convey
the supplies for the United States Army then on its march
to Salt Lake, were advertising for teamsters, wagoners
and trainmen to aid in this work, offering good wages;
and in answer to the call young men from all parts of the
country were heading for what was then the far West,
where the manipulating and handling of ox-teams had
been reduced to a science, and in the pay and emoluments
of its most skillful artists almost equal to the more learned
professions.
Now, among the earliest of my recollections as a boy
on the farm was the '^breaking" of a yoke of calves. It
mattered not that the calves were both females, for they
were beauties and well "matched," each having a star on
its forehead, and, in a boy's enthusiastic judgment, in
every way equally efficient with a pair of bulls; and what
greatly enhanced their value to me was the fact that as
calves, at least, they were my personal property, though
time disclosed the fact that as cows the title had changed
and they were reckoned among the general assets of the
farm.
From a basswood log I had hewed out a yoke suitable
in size and weight, with bows, staple and ring, without
which a yoke is as valueless as a wagon without wheels.
With Touch of Elbow. 3
By the aid of a lead rope attached to the "near ox" I was
enabled to guide and direct my team to the extent of haul-
ing, from time to time, on a hand sled of my own manu-
facture a sufficient amount of pumpkins to keep the calves
contented and in good order for the work in hand.
During the time the process of "breaking" was going
on my father had been in poor health and confined to the
house, and now that he was out again, I was anxious to
entertain him with an exhibition of the calves and my
skill in handling them under the yoke. Accordingly they
were hitched up in the barnyard when father came out,
no doubt expecting a masterful display of what a boy is
capable in the way of training the brute to some useful
occupation.
But the exhibition was a disappointment, and successful
only in arousing the dominating spirit slumbering in the
breast of pater familias, and in humbling the pride of his
dutiful son.
It had been raining and pools of water were standing in
the barnyard, and while manipulating with the whip and
directing the movement of the calves through a series of
complicated evolutions I lost my footing and fell into a
pool of muddy water. Whereupon the calves, taking ad-
vantage of the moment and already nettled by the extraor-
dinary service required of them, started off on the run,
dragging me at the end of the guide rope. But pride and
anger were both aroused and my reputation as a teamster
at stake, and I held on literally through "thick and thin/'
till placed somewhat in the situation of the farmer who
yoked himself up with an unbroken steer. The steer bolted
and ran, and the old farmer, in order that he might not
be dragged along and killed outright, was compelled to run
with him. But, getting out of breath and fearful of conse-
4 With Touch of Elbow.
quences at the outcome of the race, he hailed a neighboring
farmer as follows "Hello, there ! durn our fool souls !
come and head us off or we'll break our necks/'
So around the corral I was whirled, through heaps of
barnyard manure and pools of muddy water, till completely
drenched and well-nigh exhausted, before the calves
brought up panting in a corner.
Taking an inventory of myself after this unexpected
denouement, both elbows were found badly skinned, sus-
penders broken and trousers torn, presenting altogether,
as I thought, a sight calculated to make angels weep but
father only laughed. This increased my pride and resent-
ment, and with difficulty, holding my temper until father's
back was turned, I proceeded to vent my spleen on the
calves; and, in a great passion, stripping off the yoke and
striking each calf a furious blow with the bow as he
backed away, I then took the yoke and broke it into frag-
ments across a near-by stump, throwing the pieces in every
direction as far as possible.
Unfortunately for me (or rather, as matters have turned
out, may I not say fortunately), just as this exhibition of
unbridled temper came to a close pater stepped around
the corner of the barn and beckoned me to him. As I
was responding to this call in the affirmative he directed
me to pick up and bring with me a large stick, a sort of
native whip that lay in the pathway. I was accustomed
to obey my father and gathered up the stick, though
reluctantly, and now, beginning to feel the full gravity of
the situation, presented myself before him. Then taking
me by the collar with one hand and the stick in the other,
in a perfectly calm and unruffled voice he said: "Now,
young man, I am going to flog you for allowing your temper
to run away with you;" and then applied the whip vigor-
With Touch of Elbow. 5
ously. It was the first and last time he ever struck me a
blow, and the lesson he sought to convey has never been
forgotten. My father, Samuel D. Wells, a man without an
enemy, at the age of fifty, died a few weeks later, and I
mourned his loss as I have never mourned since, though
the entire family, consisting of father, mother, sisters and
brothers, have long since passed away.
With all the advantages of this early training on the
farm is it surprising that, now grown ''bigger," I believed
myself equal to the task of driving a bull-team across the
plains and thus becoming a helpful instrument in the
prosecution of the Mormon War. Accordingly, in company
with Clem Stone, the eldest son of the Eev. J. A. B. Stone,
President of Kalamazoo College, and another neighboring
boy, David Carlton by name, I left the college where I
had entered on a preparatory course and started out with
the expectation of offering my services as an expert in the
use of the whip and the goad in handling a bull-team on
the plains. But fate seemed to have destined me for
other uses.
The outfitting and starting point for the expedition
against the Mormons was Nebraska City, Omaha at that
time having no place on the map. All the supplies being
shipped for the army and the great host of teams, team-
sters and wagoners; all the feed for stock, provisions,
wagons, chains, ox-yokes, shoes, and all the other para-
phernalia in use on the plains were brought to Nebraska
City at that time on the extreme western frontier by
steamboat up the Missouri Eiver, from points in Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri.
Aleck Majors, a Kentuckian who did not drink or swear,
a devout Christian gentleman who could neither read nor
write, was the master spirit that organized, superintended
6 With Touch of Elbow.
and successfully carried out every detail of this colossal
contract with the Government.
The material in both men and animals comprising his
stock in trade was of the rawest and wildest which the
Wild West of that period produced. But this giant in
moral and intellectual stature, as well as in physical, proved
equal to every condition.
Long-horned, fiery and untamed steers from the plains
of Texas, New Mexico and the Indian Territory were
driven in large herds to Nebraska City, where they were
corralled, yoked and subdued to become the motor power
of this great caravan. Forty-five thousand head were
taken into this service ; 3,500 big wagons, 3,000 mules and
horses mostly for the saddle and 5,000 men were re-
quired to handle the freight, break, drive and care for the
teams; and every man so employed was compelled to sign
a contract, the violation of which on his part was a for-
feiture of his pay, to abstain from the use of profane lan-
guage and intoxicating liquors while thus engaged.
The whole mass of freight was moved from time to
time in separate trains, consisting of 10 or 20 wagons of
from 6,000 to 10,000 pounds' capacity, with 6 to 12 yoke
of oxen to a wagon. The men of such an outfit numbered
about 30 a wagonmaster and assistant, a night herder
who also looked after the riding horses, and a driver to
each wagon. The latter were known as "bull-whackers."
Prior to the departure of a train the men detailed for
its conduct were assembled in camp to listen to instruc-
tions and a lecture from their employer along the lines
of temperance and general good moral conduct.
But I have before stated the steers or oxen were all wild,
and "How were they made available for this important
work?" is the question we will now undertake to answer.
With Touch of Elbow. 7
A large band or herd was driven into a corral made of
logs six to ten inches in diameter, set deeply in the ground,
the steers being crowded and packed together so thickly
they could not turn or move in any direction. Men with
yokes lifted high in air then went among them, cautiously
slipping the yokes onto their necks whenever and wher-
ever an opportunity presented, until the desired number of
steers were yoked. This was the work of experienced men,
and in its execution required great skill and courage.
These details completed, everybody stood from under,
when the corral was thrown open from different points of
the compass and the whole band of yoked steers turned at
liberty; and then followed a scene that baffles description.
Any attempt to control their movements at this time would
be both dangerous and futile, though mounted men carry-
ing great blacksnake whips are standing by to follow and
watch them as they rush out over the prairie, with tails
lifted in air, bellowing and shaking the ground with their
tremendous hoof beats. Some sulked and showed fight,
while others turned the yoke so that the two steers in the
same joke faced in opposite directions; but all were mad-
dened or frightened beyond control. At length, however,
from sheer exhaustion they begin to quiet down, and with
the assistance of a few yoke already "gentled" they are led
or driven to the wagons, hitched up and soon started off
on their long journey across the plains.
The amount of energy and brute force expended from
the time the steers are first rounded up on the range until
their burden is laid down at the end of the route is beyond
comprehension; though, in fact, this expedition, as com-
pared with the general movement across the continent
from 1863 to 1866, at which time emigration reached its
maximum, was but a drop in the bucket. In those years
8 With Touch of Elbow.
the estimated floating population on the plains was 250,
000. One firm alone Russell, Majors & Waddell em-
ployed 6,250 large wagons and 75,000 oxen in carrying
freight. But this was only one of a multitude of corpora-
tions, equally extensive, engaged in transportation in those
years.
It did not require a great length of time in this stren-
uous service to convince me that my early training in the
management of "steers" was of little practical value, and
that I must turn my genius into other channels, and so
resolved to act without further delay. A new world had
opened up to me, but what to do to keep "touch of elbow"
in the great march of events was a vexed question.
Nebraska City was but a frontier village far beyond the
reach of ordinary civilization, and there would be no
steamboat for the next ten days at least on which one
might engage passage
DOWN THE MISSOURI RIVER.
And if a' boat were to depart every hour, without money
one could not see his way clear for a passage, for roust-
abouts and deck hands at that time on the Missouri and
lower Mississippi were all negro slaves, and in this line
of employment there was little encouragement for "po*
white trash."
Experience teaches that in great emergencies man hesi-
tates to act alone, and if he can enlist the sympathy and
cooperation of a congenial spirit before venturing upon
the uncertain sea, the task is already relieved of a large
share of its burden. Accordingly, I sought a companion
like-minded with myself, and together we resolved to start
on foot down the Missouri River, traveling until a more
With Touch of Elbow. 9
populous country was reached, there hoping to find em-
ployment more congenial to our tastes. George Everett,
my fellow-voyager on this expedition, was a telegraph
operator, and, where telegraph lines were in use, could
ordinarily find employment and demand good wages. His
immediate prospects, therefore, were : vach better than
mine, for up to this time I had never ventured upon any
business enterprise involving a greater c.mount of talent
than the breaking and handling of a yoke of calves.
We traveled all one day parallel with the river, through
a wilderness country, never meeting a human being until
nightfall, when we came upon a skiff secreted in the brush
on the banks of the river. Casting about, we could dis-
cover no owner, and resolved to appropriate the skiff to
our own use, for we were tired and desperately hungry
the scant supply of rations with which we started having
altogether disappeared so without further ceremony we
entered the skiff and cast it off.
Now, to those unacquainted with its turbulent, muddy
and shifting currents, the Missouri River, in a high stage
of water as it was then, is a very treacherous and danger-
ous stream to navigate, even in daylight with experienced
river men; but for a stranger to entrust himself upon its
surging waters at night and in a small boat is to invite
disaster; but these facts were thrust upon us when it was
too late to avoid the dangers upon which we had unwit-
tingly entered.
The currents of the Missouri are constantly changing.
While one bank is being washed away the opposite shore is
filled in with drifting sands. A farmer whose holdings
in reality are being swept from under him to-day may find
their equivalent on the opposite bank to-morrow, though
they may be in another State or county. So the banks
IO
With Touch of Elbow.
from year to year are disappearing on one side and re-
forming on the other. This change is constantly going on.
The original town of St. Joe was in this manner entirely
swept away, and the city was only reclaimed by the con-
struction of a breakwater or bulkhead at an expense of
many thousands of dollars.
In consequence of these changes, on the side to which
the mass of water trends, forest trees, stumps, logs and
sometimes houses and barns drop into the current. Trunks
of trees formerly covered by drifting sands are exposed to
view and often project many feet out over the river, mak-
ing navigation both difficult and dangerous. Floodwoods
are being submerged and partially hidden by the filling-in
process, sometimes giving rise to those most dangerous of
all obstacles on the river, known to river men as "sawyers."
These are immense trees whose roots are still anchored at
the bottom, and whose trunks are swayed with a horizontal
motion like a sawgate in the old-time mill.
Upon such a stream as this Everett and myself were now
launched in a frail skiff, and in an intensely dark night;
but in addition to the terrors already described, and as if
to put our nerves to the supreme test, a thunderstorm of
great violence arose, followed by a downpour of rain that
threatened to swamp our little bark and drive her to the
bottom at once. Fearing now to approach the shore for a
landing, by the use of strong paddles we kept as near the
center of the stream as possible, while the mad current
swept us along with the swiftness of an arrow ; trusting
to Providence to steer us clear of "sawyers" and other
dangers with which we were beset, we held steadily on.
It was well along into the night when, running unavoid-
ably close to the left bank of the river and going at a
tremendous speed, we shot headlong into a tree top whose
With Touch of Elbow. n
base was still anchored to the shore. The skiff immediately
careened over, filling with water, and the next moment
was swept from under our feet, while both clung desper-
ately to the overhanging limbs. A powerful current nearly
carried us away, but by dint of great effort both finally
reached the shore, when, a few moments later, the whole
tree was swept out bodily into the stream.
Daylight soon coming on, we reached a near-by farm-
house and there told our "hard luck" story, receiving, in
return, a good breakfast; but, unsuccessful in finding em-
ployment, we started on foot for St. Joe, still six miles
distant. Reaching the latter place, a boat lying at the
wharf was about ready to start down the river, and Everett,
who was anxious to reach St. Louis, concluded to go
aboard and take chances for a passage without money and
without price. As he reached the deck the gangplank was
pulled up, the bell rang and the boat steamed away down
the river, and I have never seen or heard from Everett
from that day to this.
Meantime it was learned that teachers were in demand
in the country districts near St. Joe, and I immediately
started out to look up a school, traveling all the remainder
of that day, at last reaching a district where a teacher was
wanted. The people were kind and hospitable and I had
little trouble in arranging the details for a school. The
next day, by the circulation of a petition, thirty subscribers
were obtained, who agreed to pay a dollar for each pupil
for a four months' term of school. But before beginning
I must have a teacher's certificate, and the following day
walked to the Superintendent's home, twenty miles distant
in the country, where I remained over night, receiving,
meantime, the coveted document. The Superintendent
was a tall, lank Tennesseean about fifty years of age, jolly,
12
With Touch of Elbow.
good-natured and good-hearted, who seemed to be pretty
well informed as to the value of the three R's "Reading,
Kiting and Rithmetic" but in his philosophy not quite
so well grounded, believing it a debatable question whether
the world was flat or round,, so he concluded it might be
well to teach both theories in order to meet the varying
opinions that prevailed in the country. Circumstances
compelled our sleeping together that night, and the Super-
intendent seemed to place great stress upon the fact that
he had slept with a live Yankee^ ..s all men from north of
Mason and Dixon's line were denominated in the South.
Many patrons, though living in the most primitive way
and in apparent poverty, sent their children to school, pay-
ing their bills promptly. At the end of the term I col-
lected $150 in gold and silver, there not being a delinquent
among the subscribers. With the exception of a small
advance I had received for the purpose of replenishing my
wardrobe (as the little bundle of extra clothing I possessed
had been swept away by the angry waters of the Mis-
souri), I did not spend a cent of money or lose a day's
time in the four months' term of teaching.
Wholesome and very acceptable board was furnished at
$2.00 a week, honey, hominy, corn bread and rice being
the staples with which the table was supplied.
At one place where I went to live a little later, the
first day at dinner, after showing me the wash basin,
located on a stump near the well, the mother called out to
the daughter, a girl about eighteen years of age : "Maria,
go and git the gentleman a clean towel." "Th' ant nary
'nother clean towel in the house," was the prompt reply.
It is unnecessary to add, perhaps, that I did not regret the
absence of this young lady from my school during the
term. - <
With Touch of Elbow. 13
There were but few slaves in that part of Missouri, and
as a rule the people seemed to take little interest in the
controversy then going on which was so soon to plunge
the country into a bloody war.
Becoming attached to many of the people, who were the
most guileless, hospitable and genuine I have ever known,
I had arranged to teach another term of school, but during
the pending vacation took a trip away that resulted indi-
rectly in my undoing.
A neighboring teacher with whom I had become ac-
quainted was the happy possessor of a Government land
warrant, and, as very little of the public lands of Kansas
were then occupied, it was his purpose, during the vacation
season, to go to the Territory and locate a "farm" on his
warrant. From where we were in Missouri to Topeka, the
seat of government for the Territory of Kansas, and the
point where the Government Land Office was located was
a long, tedious and somewhat hazardous journey for one
alone, as "foot and walker's line" was the only means of
conveyance. So my good offices were sought as a com-
panion for the trip to which I consented and, every-
thing being satisfactory, we started out, making no secret
of our movements, Bezell, my fellow-traveler, footing the
bills as a return for my good company, and serving as a
witness to the act of location, and incidentally, as I be-
lieved, to fight his battles, should occasion for fighting
arise.
This was an adventure upon which I entered with a
hearty good will, and only for the disaster that followed
soon after, would have been one of the happiest of my
career. We traveled down the river, most of the way
through a beautiful country, on the Missouri side, till
opposite Fort Leavenworth, where we crossed over. Out-
I4 With Touch of Elbow.
side of Lawrence and Topeka and the few intervening
settlements as landmarks, one might as well have been out
on the broad ocean without rudder, chart or compass.
There was an Indian reservation to cross, a good many
rough characters to encounter, and the question of meals
to be considered, but reasonably good lodgings were to be
found almost anywhere under the blue and starry dome.
But two young fellows, strong, active and vigilant, with
money to spend when necessary, had no reason for fear or
hesitation, and so altogether, the trip was enjoyed by
both beyond any power of mine to describe.
The weather was delightful, even to the furnishing of
beautiful moonlight nights. Vegetation was abundant, and
native grasses, knee-high, waved and undulated with every
passing zephyr. The variegated hues and sweet fragrance
of wild flowers delighted the senses at every turn, and, at
that period at least, nature lavished her bounties upon
Kansas with an unstinted hand.
Having explored a good portion of the territory lying
between Leavenworth, Lawrence and the Osage River, we
came upon an unoccupied section that seemed to possess
the advantages of soil and other requirements that had
been our dream of a suitable homestead, and here Bezell
decided to locate his warrant.
Accordingly, we traveled ten miles further that day in
search of a man with an ox-team to haul a load of boards
out of which we might construct a house according to
plans and specifications already drawn up in the mind of
the expectant proprietor, as certain "improvements" of this
character were necessary to meet the requirements of Uncle
Sam. We arrived at the "homestead" that evening with
the entire outfit, consisting of twenty boards 1 x 12, twelve
feet long; two pounds of ten-penny nails, an axe, a hammer
With Touch of Elbow. 15
and a saw, a coffee-pot, tin cups, a pound of hard tack and a
jug of water. At 9 P. M. the house was completed and
everything made ready for occupancy; and now the ques-
tion of a proper dedication and a suitable name must be
settled. For the latter, both being teachers, we decided
without much controversy upon "The Pedagogue's Rest."
Then, proceeding to brew coffee, we drank to the health,
happiness and long life of the proprietor. Thus the last
act was performed for the acquirement of sovereign citizen-
ship in Kansas.
Early the following morning we started for Topeka and
the United States Land Office, passing through Lawrence
on the way. In Topeka there were but three or four one-
story wooden buildings, consisting of upright and un-
dressed boards. On this part of our journey, while sleep-
ing out one night on the prairie, I dreamed of being on
board a railroad train, when the conductor coming through
the car called out, "Topeka, twenty minutes for refresh-
ments!" On awaking in the morning, this dream being
fresh in memory, I repeated it to Bezell, and after deliber-
ating upon and revolving the matter between us for a time,
the conclusion was reached that the dream should be inter-
preted to mean that sometime in the remote future a rail-
road would be built from a point on the Missouri River to
Topeka; but that it should be done within our day and
generation did not at that time seem probable. In view
of the network of railroads spread over the State at this
writing for the accommodation of a teeming population
the prediction of that early time seems to have been lack-
ing in the elements of true prophecy.
It was now near the time for the beginning of a second
school term, and I hurried back to Missouri in anticipa-
tion of taking up the work with renewed vigor, but found,
1 6 With Touch of Elbow.
on reaching the district, that mischief had been brewing of
which I had received no previous intimation.
Owned by the family where I had already arranged to
make my home was an old negro woman who had appar-
ently outlived her days of usefulness, and there being
little service required of her, she spent a good deal of time
moaning and swaying her body to and fro as if bewailing
her fate; and while I had, as a rule, scrupulously avoided
talking with any slave when apart from his master, I had
ventured to speak to this inoffensive old "Auntie" once or
twice, inquiring, purely on the grounds of sympathy, as to
the underlying cause of her complaint. I had done this
as one might be led to inquire into the condition of any
of the brute creation whose suffering was apparent. But
even this slight incident had been observed and my motive
misinterpreted.
A man in the district, who was the owner of a number of
slaves and also ambitious of political honors in the county,
had taken occasion to find fault with the mode of teaching
and management of the school, and while the family at my
boarding house were loyal and friendly, he had, on several
occasions in speaking to them of the matter, reverted to
the incident of the old slave woman, and branded me as
an "abolitionist."
I had endeavored to correct the orthography and pro-
nunciation in vogue among many of the pupils, such as
saying "po" instead of poor, and "wah" instead of war;
but these innovations were not well received by those who
had been most prejudiced, and I was accused of "learning"
the pupils to "stuttah." This had come to me from those
whom I knew to be friendly, and as long as I had their
support, moral and material,, I determined to continue the
school according to contract.
With Touch of Elbow. 17
But "give a dog a bad name" is a trite saying that might
have been aptly applied to Yankee school teachers in the
Southern States just prior to the war, and as rumors of
my abolition predilections continued to be circulated the
attendance upon the school fell off. Finally, one fine morn-
ing I was waited upon by a delegation consisting of three
men, patrons of the school, assuming to speak for all, who
demanded the cancellation of my contract and the imme-
diate abandonment of the school.
Accordingly, I dismissed the pupils for the day and
returned to my boarding quarters, where the whole subject
was discussed by the family, among whom were the father
and three or four grown-up boys, all of whom pledged their
support in the school and protection against personal injury
so long as I remained under their roof. There were no
less than five shotguns kept in the house, in the use of
which all the male members of the family were experts,
and these were pointed out to me as a guarantee of their
ability to fulfill any agreement they might enter upon
along these lines; and, having faith in their sincerity, I
concluded to remain, so the next morning opened school
with three pupils in their accustomed places and three
shotguns sitting in the corner.
Sympathizing pupils came to me that day, repeating
threats they had overheard, all seeming to be pretty well
demoralized, and, in consequence, the purposes of the
school were rendered ineffectual. In addition to all this,
taking into consideration the fact that I had never been
accustomed to the settlement of difficulties by use of the
shotgun, I decided discretion to be the better part of valor
and dismissed the school at once and for all.
It was twelve miles to the nearest point where the stage
passed on its route from St. Joe to Hannibal, and this I
1 8 With Touch of Elbow.
resolved to reach that night. So arranging my affairs at
once, and reluctantly bidding my friends good-bye, in
company with two of the young men of the family, armed
with shotguns, I reached the stage about 9 o'clock that
night and took passage for Hannibal, and there crossing
the Mississippi River to Quincy, Illinois, I reached my
home in Michigan by rail a few days later.
Upon the all-absorbing question of the extension of
slavery the sentiment of the people in the border States
was divided. There were undoubtedly as many opposed to
the institution of slavery as there were in favor of it, but
the latter were the ruling class. It was frequently the
case that two or three men, at most, dominated the politics
of a county, and a proportionate number the State.
Clothed with so much power, they became arrogant, aggres-
sive and overbearing, and often unscrupulous in the treat-
ment of those offering opposition to their demands.
These were the conditions and this was the spirit that
carried the people of the Southern States into the mael-
strom of rebellion and led to the Civil War.
The year following the events above enumerated, 1860,
Messrs. Gale and Parker, business men of Kalamazoo,
Michigan, gathered up a large band of horses to be driven
across the plains for the market in California, engaging a
number of young men in that vicinity for the passage
and to aid in driving and caring for the stock on the long
and tedious overland route.
The first westward venture along the Missouri Eiver
and the Kansas border not being successful in every detail
had served to awaken a passion for fresh fields for investi-
gation ; and the pace of a <f bull-team" being altogether too
slow to suit my ardent desires at that period of life, I
readily joined this later expedition.
With Touch of Elbow. 19
Accordingly, the horses having been purchased and the
company made up, all are shipped via Chicago, Quincy
and Hannibal to St. Joe. This was the same route taken
when on my way home the year before with this exception :
that portion from the Missouri Eiver, directly across the
State to the Mississippi by stage, was now covered in the
opposite direction by rail. Such was the progress being
made at this early time in the way of rapid transportation
into the untamed West.
St. Joe, then styled the "Jumping-off Place," but now
reached directly by rail as well as by river, had become
the chief outfitting point for the upper Missouri and
Mississippi country in the great exodus westward now
taking place, and here was the Eastern terminus and start-
ing point for the world-renowned
"POXY EXPKESS."
On the 23d day of April, 1860, the first Pony rider
started from St. Joe toward the setting sun, and on the
same day and hour another rider started eastward from
Sacramento.
The Pony Express was an organization perfected and
put in operation to meet the necessities of the growing
population of the distant West in the transmission of the
mails and important dispatches in the absence of railroad
or telegraphic communication. Letters for the Pacific
Coast via Cape Horn were from three to six months in
transmission, and, aside from this, the best that could be
done was to send via the Isthmus of Panama, and it re-
quired at least thirty days to cover this route. The Pony
Express, over snow-capped mountains, across desert wastes
and through hostile Indian tribes, reduced this time to ten
20
With Touch of Elbow.
days, from one extreme end of the route to the other. Two
hundred riders and five hundred horses Western bronchos
were employed in the work.
Never before nor since in the world's record was a
courier line established carrying mail so far with such
regularity and in so short a time by horse power alone,
and never has the art of horseback riding been reduced
to such a degree of perfection. Some of the men whose
names have since become famous in Western annals began
their careers on the plains in early youth as Pony Express
riders. William F. Cody, "Buffalo Bill," then only sixteen
years of age, was among the most famous of these daring
Jehus. Cody is said to have made a round trip necessi-
tated by the killing of his relief by Indians of 384 miles
without a stop, except to change horses and swallow one
hearty meal.
Starting from the same point and about the same time
as our party did with that of the Pony, and traveling 2,000
miles over the same route, he becomes an important factor
in the progress of our story and will no doubt prove worthy
of the space awarded him. There were regular stations
kept for the pony and riders on the plains at intervals
where water and other conveniences could be obtained;
sometimes not more than twenty, but in other places as
far as one hundred miles apart. Often a single rider cov-
ered two or more stations, but at each station, to be pre-
pared for emergencies, an extra relay of ponies and riders
was kept in readiness. By day and night the pace once
begun was never broken. Five dollars an ounce was the
price for carrying letters, and no bulky or heavy matter
was accepted, fifteen pounds' weight being the limit. Im-
portant commercial papers and what is now designated as
the "Press Dispatches," and carried around the world in
With Touch of Elbow.
21
a few seconds by telegraph, comprised the bulk of the mail
carried by the Pony, and this must all be written on tissue
paper to reduce its weight and bulk.
By day and night these courageous and tireless riders
were encountered as we journeyed westward, always salut-
ing as they went by, but on no pretext whatever would they
break the lope from one end of the route to the other.
The Indians were hostile that year on the plains, and
these solitary pony riders were often made the object of
their murderous attacks; and this condition also made it
imperative on our part to maintain vigilant watch, as
subsequent events will disclose. On nearing a station at
night, and often in the daytime, the rider would fire three
shots from a pistol in rapid succession in order to alarm
the keeper, who, thus forewarned, would have a fresh
mount ready on the moment, that there might be no delay
and the mail carried through on schedule time. Between
stations, where hostile demonstrations by the Indians were
the most frequent, two or three riders were put on for
mutual protection and the better to insure the safe conduct
of the mail.
Twice on the journey we were met or overtaken by
riders who had been wounded, as they informed us and as
their bloody shirts and pale faces plainly indicated; but
they held steadily to the course, determined that nothing
short of death should break the schedule time for the
mail. It was a sight to arouse the sympathy of all and
caused no little alarm in camp to see one day a pony go
loping by with an empty saddle, save only the little sack
of mail; the force of habit and the homing instinct with
the pony earning him through to the end of his route,
though the brave rider lay somewhere along the trail, cold
and stiff in death.
22 With Touch of Elbow.
But there were other perils equally great with those
caused by hostile Indians. Snowstorms on the mountains,
floods in the rivers and tempests on the plains had to be
met and overcome. Once in crossing the Platte, a very
treacherous stream to ford, a pony sank in the quicksands
and was drqwned. But the rider, with the sack of mail
in his teeth, swam ashore, carrying it fifteen miles on foot
to the station, where he arrived only an hour behind
schedule time.
During a terrific storm in the mountains a pony, making
a misstep on the slippery rocks, fell and his leg was broken.
The rider, as an act of mercy, shot the faithful little
animal, and with the sack of mail wandered eighteen hours
on foot in a blinding snowstorm before reaching a station.
The time will never be forgotten when we first became
acquainted with the means adopted by the riders for warn-
ing the station keepers of their approach. While encamped
on the trail one night a quarter of a mile from a station
a rider in passing fired the accustomed three shots. We
were in a dangerous country and close watch was being
kept, and the men on guard that night, thinking the firing
was but the preliminary skirmish of a more extended
attack, in great alarm fired their guns in the air, and
shouting "Indians !" ran hurriedly into camp. This cre-
ated a general alarm, and every available man was up in
a moment. The wagons were already corralled so as to
form a barricade, and behind these, according to estab-
lished usages, we were all hastening under arms, when
the horses took the alarm and stampeded in a body. It
was a condition that confronted us now and not a theory.
Already jaded and needing rest and recuperation, the
animals were hardly equal to this extra strain, and it
required strenuous effort for the next twenty-four hours to
With Touch of Elbow. 23
effect a "round-up," and as much longer to rest and pre-
pare them for the journey yet ahead.
An alarm creating a stampede apparently passes through
a band of horses like an electric shock, and every hoof
moves in unison. Any old "skate," ringboned and spav-
ined though he may be, and on the verge of dissolution,
will be "up and a-coming" with the best of them in a
stampede.
The horse in his wild state, like the deer or rabbit,
evidently was created for flight in time of danger rather
than for defense, and in his intimate association with man
for thousands of years has not outgrown the instinct that
teaches him to take to his heels when alarmed, rather than
stand his ground and fight, if necessary, in self-defense.
One of the finest of our band of horses, a "Suffolk
Punch," was an importation direct from England and
weighed, when we started, twenty-four hundred pounds.
He was a thing of beauty, and in disposition gentle and
tractable as a dog. A boy sixteen years old was his attend-
ant and keeper. Punch seemed to have a fondness for the
boy, who fed him, rubbed his legs, climbed on his back,
rode and fondled him as a child might fondle any house-
hold pet. But in course of time the horse, on the long
and tiresome journey, became irritable and would allow
no one excepting the boy to come near him. Once breaking
loose he sprang upon a gelding, crushed him to the
ground, and soon would have trampled and bit his life out
had there been no interference. The horse seemed to be
afflicted as men often are in prolonged sieges of physical
endurance, when they lose their mental balance and become
testy and sometimes quarrelsome, and serious difficulty
arises.
A little later along, after this occurrence, we halted one
24 With Touch of Elbow.
day for fuel and rest, when the boy, as was his habit, took
the horse out to "bait" at the end of his halter, a few
yards distant from camp. The horse lay down, and, after
his accustomed "roll," arose and shook himself as a lion
shakes his mane, when the boy in turn lazily stretched
himself out on the ground, having hold of the end of the
halter. But suddenly, like some infuriated wild beast, the
horse sprang to his side, seized him by his clothing, and,
lifting him bodily between his powerful jaws, shook the
boy as a dog would shake a rat; and then, lowering him
to the ground, proceeded to trample the boy with his iron-
shod hoofs. A half-dozen men with neck yokes, singletrees
and whatever weapons could be seized upon at the moment
ran forward and beat the horse off. The boy, limp and
unconscious, was carried to the nearest wagon, where
restoratives were applied, and he soon revived, his first
words being not of himself, but "What's the matter with
Punch ?" Punch was then chained to the hind end of the
heaviest wagon, from which he was never released until
he reached California. There, after a little rest and quiet,
his wonted good nature returned. The boy's left nipple,
with a piece of the skin as large as the palm of one's hand,
was taken off, though no bones were broken, and he soon
recovered from his injuries, but forever after lost faith in
his pet.
Buffalo were plentiful along the line of our march at
this time, and, though wild and difficult of approach within
rifle range, before passing the feeding grounds I had
determined to have
With Touch of Elbow. 25
A BUFFALO HUNT.
It was on the headwaters of the Platte that we went
into camp one evening, expecting to remain a day or two
for rest and recuperation. As indicated by the "chips/ 5
which were our only fuel for cooking purposes, the much-
coveted game seemed to be abundant, and as burning the
"chips" was about as close to a buffalo as any of our party
so far had approached, I thought this the time and place
to test my skill, surprise the camp and awaken a general
feeling of good-natured envy by killing one or more of
these monarchs of the plains.
The next morning before fairly light I started out,
armed with a Sharp's carbine and plenty of ammunition,
elate with the prospect of reaching a "wallow" before the
departure of the buffalo for the feeding grounds. I trav-
eled on and on, straining my eyes at every dark object in
the distance, till just at sunrise on the crest of a ridge
about a mile away the form of a monster buffalo loomed
up against the blue sky. His appearance to me was like
that of the cyclone as described by Bill Nye : "fully seven-
teen hands high, with a black mane and tail," and he
was surely "coming my way." Presently two or three
more came in sight, when I secreted myself in a gulch
and anxiously awaited developments. One after another
they continued to appear over the ridge until about three
hundred were in full view. They were feeding with heads
down, and in a slow, glacial-like movement came nearer
and nearer.
Distances are deceiving on the plains, and when the
herd came, as I believed, within rifle range, with as much
composure as possible I drew a bead on the foremost one
and fired. From experiences since gained in measuring
26 With Touch of Elbow.
distances in the clear and rarefied air of the higher alti-
tudes I am convinced my shot fell short a hundred yards
or more; but the buffalo was evidently deceived as to the
direction from which the report of my rifle came, for
instead of turning in flight, as anticipated, they raised
their heads, and with a rush and roar like that of some
immense cataract, fairly shaking the ground, they came
toward me head on. This was assuming an aspect on their
part altogether unlooked for, for at the present pace,
unless in some way turned or checked, the whole herd
would be upon me in a few moments more. Hastily
throwing another cartridge into the gun, without much
aim or thought, I fired a second shot, and still another. By
this time they seemed to take cognizance of my presence,
and, changing direction to the right, soon passed over the
ridge out of sight. I looked anxiously to see one or more
fall, and was enthusiastic enough to follow on their trail
for some distance, looking for ff blood" or other evidence
of my skill as a hunter and marksman, but was doomed
to disappointment. Had one fallen, so elated was I with
the hope of bringing back some substantial evidence of
my prowess I might have undertaken to drag a whole car-
cass with me into camp; but as matters finally turned out
I was glad enough to reach headquarters that night without
being so handicapped.
Indeed, I had traveled much farther than anticipated,
and on the return trip laid down to rest in a thicket of
willows on the river bottom, being well nigh exhausted,
and soon fell into a sound sleep. From this I was partially
aroused by a great noise and commotion of some kind going
on around me. There was the tramp of hoofs, and the
first thought was that the tables had been turned and the
buffalo herd was now hunting me. But my fears soon
With Touch of Elbow. 27
took on a different form, for now I could distinguish a
babel of voices, none of which seemed intelligible; and
then it occurred to me possibly my sleep had been like that
of Rip Van Winkle, and I had awakened in another age
and time. But returning to full consciousness, what was
my surprise to find myself surrounded by a large band
of Indians just going into camp near the willows that had
sheltered me from the rays of the sun.
Here was an unlocked for turn of events, and the dis-
covery occasioned no little uneasiness, as it was now nearly
nightfall and I was yet two or three miles distant from
my friends, and the attitude these savages would assume
toward me when my presence among them was discovered
was a matter that could not be foretold. The women and
children were all busy arranging the camp, and as I arose
a number of "warriors" (gentlemen of leisure) came up
and accosted me with the customary salutation "how," this
word being about the extent of aboriginal acquirement of
the "foreign" languages up to that time. They seemed
about as much surprised as I was myself, and I undertook
to tell them there was a large encampment of white men
a short distance down the river, and that one shot from my
gun, like a blast from Roderick's horn, would be "worth
a thousand men."
It was plain to be seen their attention up to this time
was taken largely with my gun, and as I had been accus-
tomed to the use of a rifle from early boyhood, and at
any ordinary range was accounted a good off-hand shot, I
resolved to give them an exhibition of my skill, and at
the same time impress upon their untutored minds the
merits of a breech-loading gun. I had an earthen jug with
me which had contained water, and in the sign language
directed a young Indian to hang it on a bush about a
28 With Touch of Elbow.
hundred yards distant. He had barely complied with this
request and stepped aside when I drew up and shattered
the jug at the first shot, the handle alone remaining.
Though receiving this with the stoicism so common to the
Indian, it was evident an impression had been made, and,
following up the advantage, I slipped another cartridge
into the barrel and fired a second shot, this time striking
the remaining portion of the jug, off the limb. They
looked on in ill-concealed amazement as the possibilities
of this wonderful weapon were thus demonstrated, and
a leader among them made several attempts to get posses-
sion of the gun, ostensibly for a closer inspection, but I
succeeded in parrying him with trifling excuses, keeping
the gun in my own hands.
Being satisfied that a favorable impression had been
created, I took advantage of the opportunity, and, with-
out waiting for an invitation to "tea," bid them good-bye
and hurried off to camp, casting back*furtive glances now
and then to see if there .was anything like a hostile move-
ment going on behind. They were Arapahoes, a powerful
and warlike tribe, but friendly with the whites just at that
time. The monotony of the camp was relieved with stories
of the buffalo hunt for several evenings thereafter.
Without further adventure of any considerable note the
middle of June found us at the Devil's Gate, in the Wind
River Mountains, in what is now the western portion of
the State of Wyoming. Our camp is near the Pacific
Springs, the first water found on the route flowing toward
the Pacific Ocean. The altitude is great, the winds are
high and during our stay here a rain sets in, which soon
turns to sleet and snow, causing great suffering among
the horses, many of which have already succumbed to the
hardships of the journey, f - - '
With Touch of Elbow. 29
The Devil's Gate is a slit or gorge in the mountains,
through which flows the Wind Eiver on its eastern pas-
sage, emptying into the Big Horn. This gorge seems to
be the connecting link or outlet for the air currents from
west to east and vice versa as they surge up against the
rocky barrier of the great Continental Divide. Through
the Devil's Gate the winds sometimes rush with a wailing
sound that gives rise to the name of the gorge, while the
river and the mountains in which it has its source take
their name from the winds that seem constantly to blow.
The Divide, so called, is a distinctive feature in the face
of the country, as springs are found here whose fountain
heads are but a few hundred yards apart and whose waters
flow in opposite directions.
After a fifteen days' march from the Wind Eiver we
reach the Wasatch Mountains, and from their summit
obtain the first glimpse of Zion,
THE HOLY CITY.
The route leads through Echo Canyon, the only direct
pass from the East through the Wasatch Range to Salt
Lake, the Mormon capital. This pass was seized upon by
the Mormons for defense against the United States Army,
sent across the plains as alluded to in a former chapter.
Active preparations were made to make Echo Canyon the
Mormon Thermopylae, and many of their crude fortifica-
tions were still there. Great piles of rocks had been placed
along the rim of the steep bluffs to cover their sharp-
shooters and to hurl over the precipice into the ranks of
an invading army. Indeed, this spot was well chosen, and
had they made a determined stand it would have required
a great sacrifice of men to have dislodged them. An army
30 With Touch of Elbow.
not very large at most, two thousand miles from its base,
over a trackless desert, might, by a few determined men,
have been baffled and detained there months, if not years.
But either the Government had been misinformed as to
their intent and purposes or the Mormons must have come
suddenly down from the high horse they had so recently
mounted in opposition to the constituted authorities.
A Peace Commissioner was sent out from Washington
in advance of the army to inquire into the political status
of the new "State of Deseret," as the Mormons had named
the territory upon which they were the first white settlers,
claiming sovereignly as they did against all comers. The
report of this Commissioner was made the basis for final
adjustment of the pending difficulties. So, with the assur-
ance of good faith on the part of the Mormons, the army,
under a special stipulation to that effect, passed directly
through and beyond Salt Lake to Camp Floyd, forty miles
south and west from the city, and there went into per-
manent camp.
But in filing through the streets of Zion a very strange
sight met the view. A place under normal conditions of
about twelve thousand inhabitants, was deserted, except for
the presence of a few men, who stood with torch in hand
ready to fire the combustibles that had been previously
prepared and placed in every house for the total destruc-
tion of the city in case the army should halt there and
take possession contrary to agreement. But no such con-
ditions arose and the so-called Mormon War came sud-
denly to an end.
We had been over three months on the road, and the
Great Salt Lake basin, as viewed from the summit of the
Wasatch, looked to us beautiful as the fabled Garden of
the Gods. The rations of flapjacks, in the preparation of
With Touch of Elbow. 31
which our cooks had become expert, with the simple addi-
tion of salt horse and coffee, were no longer regarded as
delicacies, and when we reached the valley, where milk,
butter and eggs were plentiful, though held at fabulous
prices, a day of rejoicing had surely come. But even this
welcome change had its bitter accompaniment, for all prod-
ucts of the dairy, including eggs, had a salt and brackish
taste, against which an overcrowded stomach soon rebelled.
Although assured by the prophets that this trifling
peculiarity, incident to the close proximity of the Great
Salt Lake itself, would wear away with prolonged acquaint-
ance, we did not tarry long enough to test the truthfulness
of the prophecy.
It was about the first of July that we passed around the
southern end of the lake where Garfield and the big
smelters now stand. The Indians to the westward were
known to be hostile and there had been no Pony through
for at least ten days. The settlers we chanced to meet on
the road coming in to Salt Lake in great alarm all gave
the same account of existing conditions, predicting a
general
INDIAN OUTBKEAK.
Beyond the settlements was a desert waste, in crossing
which water had to be carried, and as the necessity arose
rations of water mixed with flour were parceled out to the
teams, for upon keeping up the strength of the animals
all human hope depended. In this extremity we traveled a
part of a day and all of one night before reaching a country
where water and feed could be obtained, and then in no
great abundance. On this "trek" all who were able to do so,
in order to conserve the strength of the horses, were com-
pelled to walk through alkali beds and hot, burning sands.
32 With Touch of Elbow.
Grave matters were now being presented for our con-
sideration. The train had been augmented by the addition
of two or three smaller ones; and, while this gave about
thirty able-bodied men, fairly well armed, it also brought
with it the responsibility of caring for and protecting the
lives of a dozen women and children, whose safety de-
manded the very best we were able to give. There were
five or six large wagons containing the supplies, and two
light spring wagons which served as ambulances for the
accommodation of any who might become sick or in any
way disabled. Besides the working teams, there were a
hundred head of lead and saddle horses, all of great value
if safely landed in California, and these must be watched
and guarded by day and night at whatever cost. What
added to the general disquietude and increased anxiety
feed for the stock and our own provisions as well, were
running low.
The outlook, then, was not a flattering one as we passed
out to the westward beyond the Great Salt Lake. Ap-
parently two propositions were open to us, one of which
must be adopted without delay: either to go into camp
and exhaust our supplies while awaiting developments,
and eventually turn back disappointed, humiliated and
defeated, or to go forward and brave the dangers of which
we were apprehensive.
While revolving these reflections in our minds the Fourth
of July came, when we laid up for a day to deliberate and
to celebrate. It is difficult to conceive of a situation so
grave that a patriotic American, in possession of all his
faculties, would fail to take cognizance in some way of the
birthday of our national independence. Not having a copy
of the Declaration to read, patriotic songs were substituted
and a general good feeling was awakened in the camp.
With Touch of Elbow. 33
Ahead, some fifteen miles distant and within plain view,
a spur of mountains lay across our track, which could only
be crossed by following a steep canyon to its summit, where
there was a tableland or mesa extending some little dis-
tance before descending on the opposite side of the range.
As we had been informed, a band of renegade Indians,
bearing the suggestive cognomen of the "Goshoots," occu-
pied the mesa and held this pass as a vantage ground for
purposes of robbery and plunder. The Pony had already
been attacked there, as was known, and now for some
reason had been cut off entirely for over two weeks.
At a council held that afternoon, at which time the
situation was fully canvassed, it was decided to go on, and
every possible preparation for defense was made. As a
means of safety the flour and bacon in the big wagons was
arranged so as to form a temporary barricade, inside of
which the women and children were lodged, and, having
divided the fighting forces into two companies of fifteen
men each and chosen leaders, we lay quietly down, allow-
ing the fires to go out as if for an all night's rest. The
plan was to pull up stakes a little later, and by a forced
march reach the canyon before daylight, and pass through,
thus outwitting the wily savage and avoiding an attack on
his chosen ground.
Signal fires were burning in the mountains all night,
which fact we regarded as an evidence that our movements
were being watched. In accordance with the plan adopted
we pulled out about 10 o'clock, and, after having put our
teams to the limit of endurance through the night, day-
light came on and found us still out on the open plains
about three miles distant from the canyon and in full
view of the Indians, should any be awaiting our approach.
That they were so in waiting will soon appear.
34 With Touch of Elbow.
Fresh tracks of Indian ponies in great numbers leading
toward the pass could be seen along the trail, and an
attack before reaching the summit seemed inevitable. All
the horrors of Indian warfare were now confronting us
like living pictures, but there was no other alternative
the gauntlet must be run.
On reaching the mouth of the canyon five men were
advanced as skirmishers on either flank, the balance
remaining at intervals on each side of the train. Not a
bird, bee or insect of any description gave forth a sound,
no word was spoken, and the silence that prevailed was
oppressive and ominous. The sun had just reached the
tops of the bald mountains and the last man and horse of
the train had entered the canyon, the teams and wagons
ahead and the lead horses in the rear, when the dread
silence was broken by a dozen rifle shots ringing out upon
the still morning air, accompanied by the yells of fifty
savages secreted under the low-lying scrub cedars that
grew far up on the mountain side. Two of the team
horses on the front wagon fell dead at the first volley,
thus blocking the passage of the train, as the dead animals
had to be lifted out of the way and two lead horses brought
up, harnessed and hitched in their places before a wheel
could be turned. This occupied fifteen or twenty minutes,
during which time the yells from the savages and their
murderous fire was kept up. All the wagons were peppered
with rifle shots and among them some arrows which
penetrated the covers, but lodged in the flour and bacon
and other heavy material, behind which lay the women and
children, paralyzed with fear, but receiving no further
injury. The delay seemed interminable, but finally the
teams moved on, and meantime the men, with rifles in
hand, skirmished up the sides of the canyon, driving the
With Touch of Elbow. 35
Indians back so that their shots became less frequent and
less effective.
Throughout the entire length of the canyon Indians
were in sight on the bald mountains above and out of range,
and by signals directed the movements of those who were
doing the shooting from among the cedars below. As soon
as the summit and level plain was reached the wagons were
corralled and preparations were made for a siege, but the
Indians were too cowardly to come within range of our
guns at this time, and, after a few parting shots, disap-
peared, though we knew not at what moment the attack
might be renewed. It was the vigorous and active resist-
ance made by our sharpshooters undoubtedly that saved
the train from eventual capture and all our people from
massacre.
In the progress of the skirmish it was impossible to tell
by the report of a gun from which side of the canyon
a shot was fired. The Indians doing the shooting were
secreted in the thick tops of the cedars, so that the smoke
from their guns could not readily be seen, while the entire
canyon was filled with the echo of every discharge. In
this way our men were often deceived and led into dan-
gerous situations, sometimes narrowly escaping death. A
member of our party, Sam Pitts by name, a country-raised
young fellow, whose number eleven brogans had often been
made the subject of good-natured banter around the camp-
fire, in his over-zealousness to get a "fair cr*ack at an
Injun," as he expressed it, exposed himself unnecessarily,
and while standing in the open a bullet from under a cedar
bush struck the dry earth between his feet. "By gosh!"
exclaimed Pitts, falling a little back behind a bush, "I
believe that Injun shot at my feet !" Whereupon the
"Injun," emboldened by this retrograde movement, sud-
36 With Touch of Elbow.
denly appeared upon a jutting rock, and, clapping his
heels together as he sprang into the air, emitted a series
of "whoops" that resounded in the canyon like the howling
of a band of coyotes. But this was his last war dance, and
had the effect of making a good Indian of him, for while
gyrating as above described he was struck by a bullet from
Pitts' rifle that brought him tumbling limp and lifeless
upon the boulders beneath. Only for the intervention of
his comrades Pitts would have been foolhardy enough to
have gone for the Indian's scalp or some other trophy.
The smoke of battle having cleared away, we were
enabled to count noses and arrive at the following sum-
mary: At least one Indian had been killed, and five of
our horses, while two others, wounded to the death, fol-
lowed to the summit and there died. It was pitiable to
see the wounded horses staggering along, apparently dread-
ing to be left alone to die, and, after falling to the ground,
lifting their heads and watching the train till it passed
out of sight, as if in mute appeal for sympathy and aid.
Fearing now to travel by daylight, we renewed the
journey after nightfall, keeping out a strong advance
guard, and in our hearts praying for some intelligence
from the Pony, for his appearance on the accustomed
route would be accepted as evidence that the atmosphere to
the westward had cleared and that the Indians had in a
measure ceased from their hostile demonstrations. The
writer remembers that night in the advance we walked
cautiously in the middle of the road, keeping eyes and
ears open for any unwelcome visitor or sound, for how
should we know but there was a "lurking devil" behind
every rock and bush. Signal fires as before were seen
in the distance, and an attack from ambush was greatly
feared.
With Touch of Elbow. 37
Presently the click-i-ty-click, click-i-ty-click of a horse's
hoofs on the gallop came to our ears. Sounds in the
mountains at night seem to travel as easily and almost as
far as the sight does in the daytime, and this might be an
Indian runner sent ahead to warn his henchmen some-
where on the trail of our approach, or it might be the
Pony rehabilitated and once more on his accustomed route.
As the hoof-beats drew near we divided the squad and
secreted ourselves on opposite sides of the trail. The moon
at its full was shining brightly, and presently a man on
horseback came galloping toward us. It was the Pony
from Carson, the first to come through after the outbreak.
We hailed him, asking the news from the West. He
had come through a hostile country from Carson City, a
distance of two hundred miles, on one pony and alone.
The Indians, he said, had been dispersed by the volunteer
miners, and the route for the time being was clear. The
courageous rider had made the extraordinary trip with no
covering over his shoulders but a flannel shirt, and carrying
no equipment but a six-shooter and a chunk of dried beef.
But he knew the country well ; the sinews of both pony and
rider were of steel, and when rest and feed became a neces-
sity he led up a ravine away from the trail, and, letting
the pony out on one end of a lariat, tied the other to his
wrist and lay down to sleep, while the pony grazed on the
bunchgrass that grew in abundance along the mountain
sides. But the rider had been entrusted with an important
mission, the execution of which was to bring into play the
highest order of physical courage and a deep sense of the
moral obligation he had assumed, and therefore no danger
was so great or hardship so severe as to cause him for a
moment to hesitate or turn from the duty assigned him.
Such was the material of which the pony and the Pony
38 With Touch of Elbow.
riders were made that carried the mail and dispatches
across the desert and over the mountain trails to the far
West in 1860.
Taking courage from the example set by this man who
had braved the dangers alone, we kept on our course to the
Sink of the Carson, where the writer left the train and
proceeded on foot to
VIRGINIA CITY.
The news of the first battle of Bull Run was carried
across the plains from St. Joe, Missouri, to Carson City,
Nevada, a distance of fourteen hundred miles, by means
of the Pony Express, in five days and twenty-two hours.
The interest which this extraordinary feat must at any
other time have aroused was lost sight of in the more
startling intelligence which the Pony carried across the
continent with the velocity of a swift-moving train.
While this message was being heralded all the way up
the grade, from Carson to Gold Hill, Silver City and
Virginia City, two young men, who upon a brief acquaint-
ance had become friendly and intimate (one from the
Southern States and the other from the North), were
sitting together at the base of Mount Davidson enjoying a
commanding view of the picturesque camp below and of
the plains and desert beyond.
Virginia City at that time consisted for the greater part
of one main street, on either side of which was a row of
cabins made of cloth stretched over frames of rough and
unhewed timbers, with now and then a more pretentious
building, constructed entirely of undressed boards set up-
right and battened to keep out the chilling blasts of that
mountain region. The place represented in its general
With Touch of Elbow. 39
appearance what it was in fact, a typical mining camp of
the Wild West of that early period. Slight evidences of
a more advanced civilization were now and then seen, such
as a burying ground, set apart though not fenced, and,
according to tradition, its only occupants up to that time
were men who had been either shot or stabbed to death.
The summer of 1860, the period from which this writing
is taken, the group of mines on the great Comstock Lode
the Virginia, the Gould and Curry, the Ophir and the
Savage (mines whose fabulous wealth was soon to astonish
the world) were little more than prospects. There being
as yet very inadequate means in the country for reducing
the ore, it had accumulated on the dumps in large quan-
tities, and the writer found his first employment after
reaching Virginia City assorting and shoveling ore into
piles on the dumps according to grade, receiving $4.00 a
day as compensation for his labor; and later sold on the
streets for twenty-five cents each, all the way from Vir-
ginia to Gold Hill and Silver City, copies of the first issue
of the Virginia City Enterprise.
Every pound of food for man or beast, and every article
of utility, including machinery for stamp and sawmill
purposes, powder, blankets and clothing, had all to be
conveyed from California on the backs of mules, across
the Sierra Xevada Mountains, over rough and dangerous
trails on which the lives of both men and animals were
often sacrificed. A heavy pack, striking a jutting rock
on one side of the trail, would sometimes throw the mule
out of balance down into the canyon on the opposite side,
hundreds of feet below. In an emergency like this no
attempt even was made to recover the pack, the mule being
dead beyond the shadow of a doubt.
Many men whose names have since become famous in
40 With Touch of Elbow.
mining circles and in the development of the West walked
the streets of Virginia at that time in gum boots and clad
in the plain garb of the every-day miner. Mackay, Floyd,
Fair and O'Brien were then on the bottom round of the
financial ladder upon which they afterward ascended like
a rocket, outstripping the dreams of avarice.
The Territory of Nevada was just being formed from a
part of Utah, and the writer had the privilege of listening
to the inaugural address of General Nye, of New York,
the first Territorial Governor, delivered at Carson City in
the early summer of 1861. Judge Terry, a Southern
leader and a man of great force of character, having
already become notorious in the politics of California, and
as the slayer of Senator Broderick in a duel fought on
political grounds, undertook clandestinely to carry the new
Territory into the slave-holding ranks, but his scheme was
discovered and defeated through the efforts of loyal and
patriotic men, and Nevada was thus saved to the Union.
In the literary world Mark Twain, Bret Harte, Joaquin
Miller and others drew their early inspiration from the
heights of the Sierras near the spot and amidst the scenes
of which we now write.
No matter how well or peaceably disposed the great mass
of miners and prospectors may have been at that time,
the gambling house and saloon was the only place where
they could assemble evenings during their leisure hours to
exchange gossip concerning the latest "discovery" and dis-
cuss the topics of the day. The gambling houses were
generally made of cloth, through the walls of which a pistol
shot would pass without impediment of speed, finding its
way into the street and thus endangering the life and
limb of the innocent bystander or passing pedestrian. So
one's protection was about as well assured within the
With Touch of Elbow. 41
gambling house as on the outside. Twenty-dollar gold
pieces were the chips generally used in the numerous games
going on around the room, and when fifteen or twenty
tables were in operation at one time the clink of gold
coin at the tables and of glasses at the bar could be heard
above the din of voices and the shuffle of feet. Whenever
a shot was heard on the streets or elsewhere the people
paused in instant dread, for no one discharged a gun in
Virginia City at that time except it be with deadly intent
and purpose.
The whole side of the mountain and plateau surrounding
the city was honeycombed with prospect holes and shafts
ranging from ten to two hundred and fifty feet in depth.
These being open and unguarded, accidents from their
exposed positions frequently occurred. A peculiar instance
of this character is recalled. An old habitue of the saloon
and a familiar figure on the street had been three days
missing from his accustomed haunts. A search being made,
his hat was found at the bottom of a forty-foot shaft. Into
this, by the aid of a windlass, one of a searching party was
lowered, but further than the hat no evidence of the miss-
ing man was anywhere to be seen. But, prosecuting the
search further, the sound of deep and labored breathing
was heard. Astonished and somewhat alarmed at hearing
strange noises so far beneath the ground, where no trace
of any living thing was evident, the affair began to take
on the appearance of a mystery as deep, perhaps, as the
shaft itself. Continuing the investigation, however, a drift
was discovered, at the farther end of which the object of
the search was found. The stifling air of the drift was
redolent with the fumes of whisky, and an empty jug,
hugged close to the side of the prostrate man, in mute
eloquence told the story of his thraldom.
42 With Touch of Elbow.
It appears that on his way home, after a round-up of
the saloons, he had lucklessly fallen into the shaft, carrying
with him to the bottom a jug of whisky, his sole and only
solace and companion, whether lying prone in his lonely
cabin or helpless at the bottom of a forty-foot shaft. Not
having been killed by the fall, he had crawled into the
drift, and there managed to keep up his spirits until the
contents of the jug was exhausted, and then with meek
resignation quietly awaited developments. By the aid of
the windlass he was lifted out to the open air, and after
imbibing a couple of additional drinks which were
kindly offered, he walked unaided to his cabin.
Some time after this occurrence a man on horseback
rode into a shaft two hundred feet deep, and the dead
bodies of both rider and horse were found at the bottom
some weeks thereafter.
Probably no city in the Union founded within the last
half century has contributed so much in actual wealth or
furnished such interesting data to be woven into the history
of that stirring period as Virginia City, Nevada. Many
of the men who, a little later, expended their energies and
lavished their wealth in making San Francisco and Cali-
fornia great and prosperous drew their capital from the
base of Mount Davidson, the estimated output of the Corn-
stock Lode amounting to the fabulous sum of $750,000,000.
The mirage out on the desert had been unusually attrac-
tive and brilliant, and the two young men introduced at
the beginning of this chapter had been watching this
phenomenon and exchanging views upon its appearance and
the impressions it had made upon their minds; for Vir-
ginia City, it should be remembered, was favored with the
most wonderful of these exhibitions in nature. The
decision reached was that a battle in actual progress had
With Touch of Elbow. 43
been represented. As remembered now, the view was a
fair reproduction of the moving pictures on canvas, as
seen at the present day. The vision was realistic. The
smoke of battle was there; "the steed, the mustering
squadron and the clattering car" were as plainly visible as
when, a few days earlier, they had been seen and heard
on the plains of Manassas, three thousand miles away, in
the first great conflict of the Civil War. The two friends
little dreamed at the time that war between the States
had actually begun.
But just at this moment both young men were startled
by the cry of a carrier with a bundle of papers an extra
of the Virginia City Enterprise shouting as he ran :
"The first great battle of the Eebellion fought at Bull
Run, Virginia ! Union troops defeated and in retreat !"
While war seemed inevitable and a collision between the
opposing forces not altogether unlocked for (before this
we had had no direct information from the East for many
weeks), this news came upon the writer like a crushing
blow, and by it a feeling of patriotic pride was aroused,
and a sense of the deep obligation every citizen is under to
his country was awakened ; and while giving audible expres-
sion to these sentiments he had also determined, at the
first opportunity, to take up the gage of battle in the
pending struggle for the preservation of the Union.
The Southern man with equal promptness expressed a
like sentiment, but in an opposite direction. He would
return to his home in Louisiana and there enter the lists
in behalf of his native South. These opposing views,
though warmly expressed, in no manner changed the
friendly and amicable relations existing between the two
young men.
We now bid farewell to the West of ante bellum days, to
44 With Touch of Elbow.
the plains, to the Pony and the Pony riders, for their
memory is to be preserved in bronze and marble and with
the painter's brush; and, trusting these have all proved
worthy of the space awarded them, we take up the long
journey to the Atlantic seaboard and the
THEATEE OF WAE.
From Carson westward the Sierras rise abruptly, the
California stage taking a zigzag course along the mountain
side a distance of ten or twelve miles to the summit or
highest point reached by the road.
On a fine morning early in August I boarded this stage
at Carson my ultimate destination being San Francisco
and the East, by way of Panama. This route over the
Sierras was made famous by Horace Greeley only the year
before in the account given by him of the wild and pre-
cipitous stage ride he took down the western slope of the
Sierras with the redoubtable "Hank" Monk as driver.
The ascent from Carson to the summit was slow and
tedious enough, the timber and dense undergrowth often
shutting out the view, and passengers, getting tired of the
heavy drag up the grade, often left their seats, and by a
much more direct route over a trail reached the summit
and the intersection of the road ahead of the stage. Mr.
Greeley, it seems, not aware of this "cut-off," became im-
patient of the slow progress being made, and so complained
to the driver, whom he had already "tipped" with a twenty-
dollar gold piece he being especially anxious to reach
Placerville that night, where he had an engagement to
speak. But for more than an hour the six magnificent gray
horses attached to the coach (especially selected for the
trip) moved at a provokingly moderate jog, seldom faster
With Touch of Elbow. 45
than a walk. Mr. Greeley, anxious to end the journey
and fearing to miss his appointment, did not hesitate to
make his impatience at this seeming delay audibly mani-
fest. He was assured, however, that the ground would be
covered in due time, and that there was no occasion for
worry. But this assurance did not seem altogether satisfy-
ing, and the nervousness of the distinguished passenger
increased as time and distance wore slowly away.
At length the summit was reached, and here, as if to add
fuel to the flames, a halt was made for a breathing spell
and to water the grays. At this delay Mr. Greeley is said
to have broken forth in some choice expletives that have
not been made a matter of record. Finally, at the cry
of "All aboard!" the driver sprang into the box, and,
drawing up the reins, threw the "silken braid" swishing
through the air, emitting loud reports like the fire of
musketry on the skirmish line. In response to this the
grays, now fresh and champing the bit, sprang off down
the western slope of the Sierras at a rate of speed that
soon changed Mr. Greeley's thoughts from his late appoint-
ment into new and altogether different channels.
The grade, narrow at all times, in places had been
washed away by recent rains, leaving deep gulches, into
which the stage plunged and rebounded like a rudderless
bark in a tempest-tossed sea, making it extremely difficult
for a passenger to remain in anything like a dignified or
recumbent position. In one of these sudden lurches Mr.
Greeley was thrown from a seat in the rear to the front of
the coach, where he saved himself from an immediate
retrograde movement by clinging frantically to a strap.
Forgetful of his appointment, and now thoroughly
alarmed, he thrust his head out of the coach and shouted to
the driver to exercise great caution and slacken his speed.
46 With Touch of Elbow.
But Monk, with the assurance of a master hand and
greatly enjoying the discomfiture of his "tenderfoot" pas-
senger, replied: "Keep your seat, Mr. Greeley; there is
no occasion for alarm. I will see you safely landed in
Placerville on schedule time/' and under the stimulus of
a resounding crack of the whip the grays forged ahead
with renewed energy. Down the steep and narrow passage,
with boulders a thousand tons in weight hanging threat-
eningly overhead on one hand, while on the other, around
sharp curves, the coach ran on two wheels along the brink
of yawning chasms a hundred fathoms deep. To use the
vernacular of the period, the situation soon became suffi-
ciently alarming to "raise the hair on a bald head," espe-
cially if it be one unaccustomed to mountain roads and
the mode of travel peculiar to that time and place. Mr.
Greeley, alarmed for his life, and hopeless so far as any
abatement of speed was looked for, clung grimly to the
straps, and with Christian resignation awaited the final
overthrow of the coach, which he now believed would be
the inevitable outcome. At length, however, descending
from the barren, snow-clad summit of the Sierras into the
timber belt below, the projecting limbs of the giant cedars
along the track presented a fresh source of alarm, threaten-
ing to rake off the entire top of the coach as it swayed
and lurched from one side of the road to the other in its
headlong downward passage.
With smoking nostrils and flaming flanks, the grays
are suddenly brought to a stand in. front of a relay sta-
tion, where a rapid change of horses is made, but not of
drivers. Casting about during the brief respite given here,
Mr. Greeley ascertained the fact that the coach had dropped
three thousand feet in coming a distance of twelve miles,
and that the ground had been covered in fifty-five minutes.
With Touch of Elbow. 47
The remainder of the journey was uneventful until
about three miles out the stage met a large number of
citizens in carriages, headed by the Mayor, who had come
to escort Mr. Greeley into Placerville, but Monk had given
his word to carry the distinguished passenger safely
through to the end of the route, and, having accepted a
valuable tip as an earnest of good faith, could not afford
at this stage of the proceedings to hazard his reputation;
so, completely ignoring the delegation, and never making
a halt, he drove on at full speed clear into the city.
Like Mr. Greeley, I had become impatient in making
this ascent and took the "cut-off" as above described.
Among my fellow-passengers was a man who had been
pointed out on the streets of Virginia City as a gambler
and desperado, having already, though not of middle age,
several "notches" cut in the stock of his revolver. The
trail taken led through dense thickets, in places entirely
out of sight and hearing of the stage or the road, and
when fairly out of hailing distance from all others who
should come up behind me on the trail but the <f bad man"
from Virginia City. He was armed to the teeth, and, as
it appeared to me, a very ugly looking fellow; and the
fact that I was wearing a buckskin shirt that contained
about $800 in gold coin, carefully sewed up in rows, did
not act as a sedative upon my nerves.
We were entirely alone he being in the rear where we
were compelled to walk by file and, of course, it occurred
to me this desperate man might take a notion to demand
'the immediate surrender of my money, or to arrive at it
in some more direct manner. We worked our way along
up the trail, very little being said; but meantime I took
furtive glances over my shoulder to see if any prepara-
tions for carrying out such a purpose were openly evident.
4 8 With Touch of Elbow.
The route was difficult, the weather warm, and the per-
spiration that poured off my back and ran down the trail
was in much greater volume than I had ever experienced
before.
At last, reaching a broad flat rock where there was room
for two, we sat down and a conversation ensued, in the
progress of which my traveling compatriot volunteered the
information that he owned a saloon and gambling house
in Virginia City and another in Placerville, the terminus
of the stage line. But before moving on he gave me a
nervous shock of an altogether different character by ask-
ing the loan of ten dollars. Whether this was a pretext
for getting me to expose my purse, thereby making it a
little more easy of access, I could not tell; but remember-
ing "the Lord loves a cheerful giver/' and thus making
a "virtue of a necessity," I handed over the ten dollars
without hesitation and with as much "cheerfulness" as I
could command under the circumstances. Whether the
promptness with which I separated from my coin had any
effect upon the consciousness of my new-found friend must
be left to further developments. At any rate, a sensation
of relief was felt when, soon after, we reached the junction
of the road and there met the stage.
Before reaching our destination we had become quite
intimate, he sharing with me on the way the greater por-
tion of the ten dollars borrowed in lunches, cigars, etc.,
etc. On disembarking at Placerville I was not altogether
surprised to see the "bad man" greeted on every hand
and hailed as a good fellow by every one he met. Aside
from returning promptly the ten dollars borrowed, he did
not allow me to spend a cent for any purpose while I
remained in the city, and our final separation the next
morning was one of apparent regret to both.
With Touch of Elbow. 49
Reaching San Francisco by boat direct from Sacramento
on the evening of August 6th, a cold wind with a fog
sweeping up the bay (whereas the weather in Sacramento
had been intensely hot) chilled all the passengers to the
marrow.
San Francisco, with a population of about 50,000, was
then just entering upon the period of its greatest pros-
perity. Aside from the rich products of the mines of
California, the wealth that soon came pouring in from
the Comstock Lode was centered here; a ceaseless flood of
emigration had set in across the plains, while two endless
chains of white sails one coming and one going choked
up the passage of the Golden Gate, filling the great bay
and enriching San Francisco with the commerce of the
world.
Taking advantage of the first vessel to sail, on the llth
of August I took passage for Panama on
"THE OLD SONOKA."
This was said to have been the first passenger steam-
ship to reach the California coast by the way of Cape
Horn. It was a surprise to me and a pleasure as well on
going aboard to find Lanier, my Southern friend and
former associate of Virginia City, who had also engaged
a passage and was about to embark on the journey to New
Orleans by the way of Panama ; and, though our objects in
life were so widely at variance, we were still to be friends
and companions.
Among the passengers, men largely predominated, mostly
fortune-seekers returning to the States after having braved
the dangers and hardships of the plains or the long journey
by water around the Horn, and buffeting with fortune with
50 With Touch of Elbow.
varying degrees of success for months or years in the new
Eldorado. Out of the seven or eight hundred passengers
of the class above described, a very limited number had
"struck it rich" and amassed a competency for those early
times, while a few, like myself, had saved a few hundred
dollars ; the great mass, however, were as destitute as when
they reached the coast, being barely able to pay for a
return passage in the steerage. But rich or poor, and
disappointed though many had been, all were happy now in
anticipation of soon reaching home, there to meet the loved
ones waiting with open arms to receive them.
For the fifteen days en route for Panama the weather
was delightful, and the fact that Confederate cruisers were
already sweeping both oceans kept up a lively interest
among the passengers, alert in anticipation of some adven-
ture of a warlike character. On a long voyage at sea, to
watch for passing sails becomes an all-engrossing pastime
under the most ordinary conditions, but with the Sonora's
passengers every species of craft seen in the distance took
on an added significance and aroused the curiosity of all
on board.
In the bow of our steamer was a very large gun, and,
although rusty and unserviceable for any belligerent pur-
pose, to the unpracticed eye it looked formidable enough.
Besides, we had with us, as freight en route for the East,
a large supply of muskets and ammunition that had been
brought to the Pacific Coast to meet the emergency of the
war threatened at Salt Lake. As an escort for all this
Government property and what also afforded a good deal
of satisfaction, in case of being overhauled by a Confed-
erate cruiser there was on board a small company of
United States soldiers. Being thus equipped, it was
believed in our innocent hearts we would be able to man
With Touch of Elbow. 51
the big gun, and, with a loaded musket in the hands of
every warlike passenger, the Sonora could successfully
resist any force the enemy could send against her.
We had already had several little scares, and the interest
in imaginary privateers continued unabated until one fine
morning when off Acapulco a sail on our port bow was
sighted by the lookout. She was square rigged forward,
"rakish" looking, and upon closer inspection the fact soon
became apparent that "she" was a man-of-war. Our offi-
cers, if they in any way recognized the stranger, were
non-committal, and the excitement on board the Sonora,
already great, reached a climax when a little later a thick
cloud of smoke burst from the side of the strange ship, to
be followed almost instantly by the report of a gun that
came booming across the intervening water, a distance of
a mile or more.
Among the lady passengers, now huddled together in
little groups on both decks, "there was whispering with
white lips, 'The foe, they come, they come !' >: For my
own part I calmly awaited developments with as much
composure as possible.
Our big gun, which up to this time had lain on the main
deck like a sleeping lion, after being loaded with a blank
charge of powder, was run out, and belched forth an answer
to the challenge just received ; and at the same instant the
stars and stripes were displayed from the masthead of the
Sonora. Whereupon the stranger, first letting go her
sheets, hove to, and in turn ran up the national colors. It
proved to be an American frigate carrying six guns on a
side and about three hundred sailors and marines, at that
time cruising off the coast of Mexico and Central America.
They were short of provisions and had hailed for the pur-
pose of procuring an additional supply.
52 With Touch of Elbow.
Yielding to this request, the Sonora stood by until the
required necessaries had been transferred to the deck of
the frigate. This was done by means of a lighter or small
open boat, and occupied not more than an hour's time, at
the end of which both vessels proceeded on their course.
When about a mile apart the masts and spars of the frigate
were seen to be filled with sailors, looking, at that distance,
like a swarm of ants running up the rigging. They were
barely visible, and as they swung caps in the air there came
to our ears in a faint murmur the regulation three cheers
"Hurrah ! hurrah ! hurrah I"
A sensation of relief was felt among the passengers
generally at the outcome of this little episode, but there
was one down deep in whose heart a hope had found lodg-
ment from the first that the strange ship, with her grinning
broadsides, would prove to be a Confederate cruiser. That
one was my friend and companion, and the only Southerner
on board with whom I became acquainted.
Of course, in our intimacy the causes leading up to the
rebellion were never discussed, and neither was in the
habit of boasting of his ability to whip, single-handed and
alone, five of the other fellows; but the warm friendship
that sprang up between us has always appealed to me
as the best reason why the two sections should never have
gone to war. For were we not of the same race and blood,
trained in the same chivalric school and imbued with the
same spirit of liberty, justice and humanity; in short, a
people of a common destiny to be worked out under one
flag and one constitution? The capture of the Sonora
and the confiscation of her cargo by a Confederate cruiser
would have given my friend an opportunity to embark at
once in a cause already dear to his heart, and which, from
his standpoint, was as patriotic and just as that which
With Touch of Elbow. 53
impelled me to travel six thousand miles for an oppor-
tunity to join the lists in defense of the Union and the
flag.
The aspirations that moved the one no doubt were iden-
tical with the spirit that animated the breast of the other,
but at the same time one must have been right and the
other wrong, and friends and brothers though we were, the
differences between the sections could only be adjusted
through the arbitrament of the sword.
A burial at sea is looked upon with superstitious dread
by sailors generally, and the most indifferent observer can
but be more or less affected by that most melancholy of
ceremonies ; but when a young man or boy, among strangers
thousands of miles from home, sees the remains of an only
friend and companion of a long voyage weighted with old
iron and sunk out of sight into the dark waters, the impres-
sion made is likely to be a lasting one. The thousands
that go down annually, victims of old ocean's maw, are the
evidences of her infinite capacity to engulf and destroy;
and what other means are there by which the remains of
mortal man can be so effectually disposed of and blotted
from earth and from memory as through consignment to
the fathomless deep.
Being steerage passengers, the meat on which we fed
was not of that savory and vitalizing kind that was thought
to have contributed so much to the greatness of Julius
Caesar, and a slight indisposition of which Lanier occa-
sionally complained was believed to be nothing more than
a temporary indigestion. Cheerful and buoyant as he was
at all times, I little dreamed my friend was so soon to be
stricken with a fatal malady. But one evening about 9
o'clock, while walking the main deck in the full enjoyment
of a semi-tropical night, he was seized with a vertigo and
54 With Touch of Elbow.
came near falling to the deck. Eunning to his side, I
assisted him to a seat, and at once sought the ship's sur-
geon. There was some delay, however, as that functionary
had already retired for the night, and when aroused he
seemed indignant there should be any intimation that
haste was necessary. But what added most to my surprise
was to find in the ship's surgeon a boyish-looking fellow
whom I recognized at once as a former school friend from
Michigan Dr. Sam. Whittemore. The incident going to
show, even in that period of inadequate means of rapid
communication, that the world was not very large.
At last we reached the place where I had left my friend
but a few minutes before, and found him lying apparently
lifeless on the deck. A few rough sailors with blanched
faces were standing near, and a hasty examination by the
physician, aided by the dim light of a lantern, soon 'dis-
closed the fact that Lanier had already passed to that
bourn beyond the reach of war's loud alarms. What mat-
tered the cause of the Confederacy to him now ; where was
the spirit that animated his breast but a few moments
before; and was this to be the fate of his beloved South?
These and a thousand thoughts passed quickly in review.
But there was little time given for reflection here. With-
out an autopsy or any investigation as to the cause of
death, further than the oral statement made by the sur-
geon, the corpse was sewed up in coarse gunny cloth,
lashed to a plank (having heavy weights attached to the
feet), and there left for the remainder of the night, the
mate announcing at the same time that final disposition of
the body would be made at sunrise.
At that early hour a few sailors and passengers of the
steerage had assembled, and just as the sun, like a blaze
of fire, rose out of the water to light up the melancholy
With Touch of Elbow. 55
scene, the ship's machinery was stopped and the ponderous
"walking-beams" lay idle. By order of the first officer
the body was carried out and laid on the wheel house, with
feet toward the stern of the ship, when the mate, with
bared head and in a subdued voice, read a short prayer
and a verse from the Bible, closing, not with "Earth to
earth and dust to dust/' but with that other passage hold-
ing out a hope for the time to come, when "the sea shall
give up the dead which are in it." This ceremony ended,
a sailor lifted the head of the plank, and sliding over feet
foremost, the corpse disappeared; and,
"For a moment like a drop of rain
Sank into the depths with bubbling groan,
Without a grave, unknelled, uncoffined and unknown."
The great walking-beams were again in motion, the
wheels began to turn, churning the dark waters into an
angry foam; the ship moved on, and the sailors, with a
"heave ho, hio," returned to their accustomed tasks.
Many times it occurred to me after Lanier's death, and
during the four years of bloody war that followed, how
easy it would have been at the beginning, had the people
of the North and South known each other as he and I, to
have settled their differences.
At Acapulco we anchored for a day beside two foreign
ships of war and one American. Of the many harbors it
has been the good fortune of the writer to visit, that of
Acapulco seems to be the most complete. Beginning with
a narrow entrance of ample depth, the harbor, shaped
like a bowl, with no jutting rocks or promontories to inter-
fere or mar its symmetry, is surrounded by high walls,
making it a place of delight to look upon, and safe retreat
for vessels of every class.
56 With Touch of Elbow.
The city lies in amphitheater shape; the streets in ter-
races rise one above another in semi-circles to a height of
several hundred feet. A sleepy Mexican town in those days,
to be sure, but a situation of great natural beauty, with a
climate unsurpassed.
The passengers were entertained here with swimming
exhibitions by natives, who take to the water and live in
it as naturally as a duck. The waters are transparent to
a great depth, and coins or other valuables thrown in can
be seen descending in a zigzag course till the bottom is
reached. But these trophies, when thrown in, were in-
variably recovered and brought out by the native divers,
who swarmed after them like a shoal of minnows after a
luckless fly that accidentally strikes the smooth surface of
the water.
An exhibition of another character was afforded here
that proved more exciting than any other incident of the
voyage, save only that of the Confederate cruiser that
proved to be an American man-of-war. A number of
beeves were taken on board alive to be slaughtered as the
appetites of the seven or eight hundred passengers seemed
to demand. They were of the lean, long-horned and
hungry sort common to Mexico, and pretty active on foot.
Three or four of this kind were "trolled" out to the ship,
where, by means of a tackle and pulley attached to the
horns, they were drawn up bodily, a distance of twenty or
thirty feet, to the main deck, and there secured in stalls.
The operation altogether, though novel, was a gruesome
one. The weight of the animal suspended by the horns
caused the eyes to sink in their sockets out of sight, and
on being restored to their feet they seemed blinded and
stupefied, generally having to be forced into their stanch-
ions.
With Touch of Elbow. 57
While suspended in mid-air their limbs were limp and
motionless; but one fellow rebelled and struggled to free
himself, and when at last he reached his feet again and
the pulley was thrown off, he shook his head, snorting
viciously a couple of times, and then started off across the
deck with a mad rush. A good many passengers had gath-
ered around, and right into their midst the bull plunged,
throwing his horns to the right and left, without regard
for the social status of any whether those from the cabin,
who were entitled to the first cut off the loin, or those of
the steerage, who were glad enough to get steaks off the
shoulder and neck.
The panic caused by this movement was universal
throughout the main deck. Passengers, the ship's officers
and sailors alike, climbed upon the bulwarks and out on
the yardarms to escape the infuriated beast. Having
demolished the chicken coop, the bull at last landed in
the hog pen, where he was roped and "hauled taut" by
the sailors, who secured him with a "half hitch" between
the stanchions.
At Panama were found three more ships with grinning
broadsides, one English, one French and one Spanish.
The presence of these ships hovering near our shores had
to me even then an ominous significance, and, though
young, I believed the great powers had sent them to keep
watch along our borders like birds of prey, ready to gather
up the dismembered fragments when the final dissolution
of the Union should come. Indeed, the progress of the
war soon disclosed the fact that every civilized Government
of Europe and the Old World was against us, save only
one.
But one ruler sent his ships to our shores in those
darkest days of our national existence with a friendly and
5 8 With Touch of Elbow.
sympathetic message, and that was the Great White Czar,
Alexander II of Eussia. In those days, at least, in any-
thing like an international imbroglio Eussia was a power
that must be reckoned with ; and the sending by that Gov-
ernment of two powerful fleets of battleships, one to San
Francisco and one to New York, under sealed orders, waa
interpreted by France and England to mean just this:
"Keep hands off in the contest now going on in the United
States for the supremacy of the Union, for the day that
you officially recognize the so-called Southern Confederacy
as an independent belligerent power, that day Eussia's
ships of war will be placed at the disposal of the American
Government/'
That any man who periled his life in defense of his
country in that great struggle should, at a later period,
turn his sympathy away from and his hand against Eussia
in the dark hour of her adversity cannot well be regarded
in any other light than that of the grossest ingratitude,
no matter what may have been Eussia's faults in the
government of her own people or her attitude toward
neighboring powers.
Ships of the larger class on reaching Panama are
obliged, on account of shallow water, to anchor a distance
of three miles out, near the Island of Pireco. A ship
larger than eighty tons burden cannot get closer to the
landing than two miles out. From this point passengers
are conveyed in small, open boats until more shallow
water is reached, and thence on the backs of half-clad
natives to the landing.
Panama was strongly fortified and a large cathedral
erected as early as 1760; but these, like every other mark
of Spain's early enterprises in the Western Hemisphere,
have gone to decay. Entering the streets of Panama, a
With Touch of Elbow. 59
noticeable feature at that time was the native soldier or
gendarme serving as police, barefooted and coatless, loung-
ing on dry goods boxes, with guns leaning up against the
nearest wall. A travesty on the name of "soldier/* Com-
pared with this fellow, the "hay-foot, straw-foot" recruit
of our Civil War was a paragon.
A delay of twelve hours in Panama and we cross the
Isthmus to Aspinwall (now Colon), and there remain three
days, awaiting reshipment of Government arms and other
freight included in our lists before taking passage for
New York. Many of the houses in Aspinwall are provided
with commodious balconies, in which the inhabitants live
and sleep a great portion of the time.
On being escorted to my room at a hotel by a young
boy carrying a candle, I found a large bed of the seven-
teenth century pattern covered with a canopy and enclosed
on all sides with a heavy mosquito netting, a single sheet
of linen constituting the only covering. The boy, after
opening the bed, lifted the pillows and looked along the
wall as if in search of some object of special concern.
This suggesting the possibility of the bed being already
occupied by "natives" that are so often encountered in
more civilized communities and in all climates, I inno-
cently asked if he was looking for "bugs" of any kind.
"No," he said, "no buggy scorpion !" Learning that he
was only looking for scorpions, I retired for the night,
but not to sleep very soundly, for often during the lonely
hours before the blessed dawn came to my relief I arose
to renew the search for scorpions.
60 With Touch of Elbow.
Taking passage on the steamship
THE NORTHERN LIGHT,
Captain Tinklepau, master, we passed through the Carib-
bean Sea and within sight of a number of the West Indies
Islands, the nervous anxiety felt by all on account of pos-
sible interference by Confederate privateers was never
abated.
While on the Isthmus many of the steerage passengers
had secured parrots, monkeys and other birds and animals
to take to their homes for household pets. These were
kept in cages down on the main deck, where every morning
there was to be seen quite a menagerie of these interesting
little natural specimens of the tropics. Outside the ship
and just forward of the wheelhouse was a large washstand
securely railed in, where the passengers, many of them
foreigners, performed their ablutions and gave their pets a
bath. The cabin passengers were in the habit of gathering
around to witness this curious exhibition, and one morn-
ing in rough weather, when the sea was running high, a
passenger who had a large cage containing several birds of
brilliant and variegated plumage, having risen quite late,
came on deck with matted hair and only partly dressed,
and, without taking an observation of the weather, seized
his cage of birds and rushed out to the washstand to give
his pets a bath. But just at this moment a tremendous
sea rolled in, breaking in front of the wheelhouse, and in
a resistless torrent swept clear over the deck. The unlucky
passenger seized the railing, and with great difficulty held
on, but the cage, with its burden of pets, was carried off
on the crest of the wave and soon sank out of sight. The
man, fortunate in not being carried away with his birds,
with a look of deep disappointment, and gesticulating in
With Touch of Elbow. 61
the direction the birds had gone, called out: "Zee leetle
bird he go to be ze sailor, I d'know, or he mak ze leetle
fish his break/'
When off Cape Hatteras we encountered a violent storm
that raged for a day and a night, threatening to engulf
the ship and send her to the bottom; and in the midst of
this my reflections were not so much of the dangers con-
fronting us as upon the loss of a dear brother who, only
two years before, went down in these same waters, never
to rise again.
The anxiety felt by returning passengers a long time
absent in a foreign land, to leave the ship that has carried
them safely over, and once more set foot on native soil,
has been the experience of many; but to one whose coun-
try is in the throes of a bloody war, the outcome of which
must of necessity be a matter of conjecture, anxiety be-
comes a burden and the feeling one that is difficult to
describe. This was the experience of many passengers on
board the Northern Light as she neared New York harbor
the middle of September, 1861.
It seemed that the delays of quarantine and custom-
house inspection would never end, and on going ashore at
last, an atmosphere as of some pending calamity seemed
to prevail. The body of General Lyon, who was killed at
the battle of Wilson's Creek the 10th of August, one of
the first officers of distinguished rank to fall in defense of
the Union, had just arrived, and preparations were being
made for burial with civic and military honors. Flags
were at half-mast, public buildings draped in mourning,
and through the rush and turmoil of a great city, a gene-
ral feeling of depression was manifested.
It seems that at almost every turn of the long journey
from Virginia City, Nevada, to New York by the way of
62 With Touch of Elbow.
San Francisco, Panama and Aspinwall, circumstances had
combined to fasten attention upon the distressing condi-
tion into which the country had fallen and to increase
patriotic ardor. It is frankly admitted that up to this time
the spirit of adventure had entered largely into the
motives that impelled me to undertake other enterprises,
but a higher sense of duty was fast setting in, and I re-
solved, after making a brief visit to my mother and
friends, to venture at once upon the uncertain sea of war.
But, as in case of many others moved by a like impulse,
my mother was a widow, and owing to her influence and
other ties, I was induced to remain at home; and, to meet
necessities, as on a former occasion, engaged in the more
prosaic and peaceful occupation of teacher of a public
school. This was a great falling off from the height of my
original ambition, but the opportunity was improved and
my desires satisfied for the time by the introduction of,
and repeating in tableau form for public exhibition, many
of the events then transpiring at the front; such as, "The
Assassination of Elsworth, the Confederate Spy," and
other scenes calculated to increase patriotic ardor and
arouse the war spirit. Representations of this character
required the donning of uniforms and the presentation on
the stage of old muskets and rusty sabers, the heirlooms
of a century gone by; and this mimic warfare, so popular
at the time, seemed a fitting prelude to the real drama in
which so many were to act a part later on.
It is no disparagement to any other class of enlistments
to say in this connection that sixty-five per cent, of the
2,500,000 men who took up arms in defense of the Union
were country and village raised boys, not yet out of their
"teens;" and it was in this class that the calamities of the
war struck home with the greatest force.
With Touch of Elbow. 63
On the arrival of each daily mail at the country village
there were gatherings of the people at the corner store,
which was also the post office, to hear the news from the
front, and to read or listen to the reading of such letters
as may have been received from the soldier hoys. Not
many were able to subscribe for a daily paper; in fact, but
few were printed in those days, and generally not more
than one in a village or country precinct. The fortunate
possessor of this, however, generous and public-spirited,
would read, for the benefit of all, the details of the latest
battle; or, from the number assembled, a reader would be
called for that purpose, and often the teacher or the vil-
lage pastor responded, in these gatherings women with
pale and anxious faces predominated; and not infre-
quently a shrill cry or wail breaking in upon the attentive
listeners told the oft-repeated story that hope had sud-
denly gone out of some poor mother's heart, as she heard
the name of her boy read out in the long list of the killed
and wounded.
For four long years the nation mourned and the burden
of sorrow increased, while billions of treasure were poured
out and, meantime, 500,000 of the best young blood of the
land went down to a glorious death.
In this struggle my mother had little to offer save only
a loyal heart and her boys, and before the war ended
SIX OF US 3NLISTED.
Aside from my own brother, four cousins who were left
orphans some years before the breaking out of hostilities,
having to look to my mother as their guardian, became
members of the family, and the six grew up as brothers,
and all went into the army. All but one enlisted in the
64 With Touch of Elbow.
ranks; the eldest at the age of thirty, and the youngest
at thirteen.
Before peace was declared four of them became com-
missioned officers, as follows:
Captain John H. Wells, 25th Mich. Infantry.
Captain Chas. H, Wells, 38th 111. Infantry.
Captain Almond B. Wells, 1st Nev. Cavalry.
Captain James M. Wells, 8th Mich. Cavalry.
Sergt. William S. Wells, 8th Mich. Cavalry.
Drummer boy Elmer E. Wells, 25th Mich. Infantry (age
thirteen).
Three of the number were prisoners of war, and three
were wounded; but all survived and returned to civil life
but one, Captain Almond B. Wells, who, after peace was
declared, went into the Eegular Army, and at this writing
is retired on account of age, with the rank of Brigadier-
General.
Of all the sacrifices which a successful prosecution of
the war entailed upon the country, that of raising men to
bear arms weighed heaviest. It is surprising to learn from
the official records of the Adjutant-General's Office, War
Department, that 2,431,770 men were enrolled in the
nation's defense. These, however, were not all called to
the front, many thousands having seen very little service
beyond the routine duty of a military camp or rendezvous
for training purposes. But they enlisted in good faith,
left their homes, and the avenues of industry formerly
occupied by them were left vacant.
With this heavy drain upon the country's industrial
wealth, to say nothing of the desolation brought upon
thousands of hitherto happy homes, it was in time found
to be impossible to keep up the decimated ranks of the
army by volunteer enlistments, and so on the 3d day of
With Touch of Elbow. 65
May, 1863, Congress passed what was known as the "Con-
script Bill," making every able-bodied man between the
ages of eighteen and forty-five years liable for military
duty, wherever and whenever called upon to serve. On
the 1st of April that law went into effect.
The delinquent States, counties and municipalities, in
order to fill the quota of troops demanded, offered large
sums of money for able-bodied men to volunteer, and when
this means failed, the "Draft" was applied, unrelenting
in its scope and purpose; and, like the ill-omened bird,
when men of wealth, of luxury and ease heard the flutter
of its wings, there was consternation and mourning in
Israel such as never had been felt before. The thought
of leaving their cushioned chairs, luxuriant offices and
beds of down, to don a coarse uniform and occupy a bar-
rack for a long and tedious course of drill, living on the
prescribed ration of bacon and hard-tack, was bad enough;
but add to these disagreeable features the probability of
being soon compelled to expose their tender bodies as
targets for the enemy's shot and shell, and consternation
in some quarters assumed the proportions of a panic.
Provost marshals and secret agents of the Government
were stationed everywhere to enforce the draft and to see
that no guilty men escaped. A rule of proscription and
surveillance was inaugurated irksome as martial law it-
self. But in this case, as in most others, the law was so
framed as to allow the rich an avenue of escape. The
"drafted" man who was able to do so could hire a "sub-
stitute" to go and fight in his place, and so the original
suffered the dangers and hardships of war by proxy only.
Whether any of this class ever reached the point of suf-
fering wounds or death, even by proxy, is doubtful, for
the "substitute," generally speaking, made no better
66 With Touch of Elbow.
soldier than his principal would have done had he been
forced into the ranks.
Against all this, and opposed to the prosecution of the
war under any pretext whatever, there was a very strong
feeling existing in all the Northern States. Meantime,
and what added materially to the ranks of this number,
the contest was going vigorously on; new levies of troops
were being made; and almost every battle of any con-
siderable importance thus far, had resulted more or less
disastrously to the Union troops. Many of the timid and
disgruntled (for reasons best known to themselves) fled
to Canada; while others sought a safe retreat and a life
"close to nature" in the mountain fastnesses of the Wild
West.
Others doubtless timid and opposed to the war on
principle, yet dominated by a spirit of national pride so
far as the integrity of the States and the honor of the
flag is concerned, either volunteered, or, when the draft
came, "took their medicine" and went to the front, mak-
ing good soldiers.
But there was another class which the exigencies of the
time brought to the surface, whose history is unique and
little understood at the present time. The greenback,
the currency of the war period, had come into general cir-
culation, and money was "flush," to use a current phrase,
and the large bounties offered for substitutes aroused the
cupidity of a class of vampires, barnacles and vagabonds
generally, that came to be known, classified and distin-
guished from all others as
With Touch of Elbow. 67'
BOUNTY JUMPERS.
Many of these had already "served time" in the peni-
tentiaries for various offences ranging from murder and
robbery down to petty larceny; and all were conscienceless
rogues or criminals of the lowest type. Coming mainly
from the large cities of the Northern States and Canada
they engaged in a system of enlistments for the sake of
the bounties, and when opportunity offered, deserted and
escaped to other States or cities, and there, under as- ;
sumed names and otherwise disguised, repeated the opera-"'
tion, until in some cases quite a fortune had been accu- N
mulated.
A true estimate of the vagabondage which the army
called together may be formed when it is known that
170,316 desertions took place during the war, and that of
this number 187 were commissioned officers. New York
alone furnished 35,999 of the total number of deserters,
but her percentage of desertions, owing to the greater
number of her large cities, was greater than that of any
other State.
The city of Detroit, of easy access to the Canadian
border, offered an inviting field for this class of enlist-
ments, and it is not surprising that disciplined troops had
to be called in to aid the authorities in holding them in
leash in strong barracks erected for the purpose, until
such a time as they could be shipped in carload lots to
Governors Island, and from there to the Department of
the Gulf where opportunities for desertion and escape to
the Northern States or to Canada were reduced to the
minimum; for, to seek an asylum anywhere in the Con-
federacy would be like jumping from the frying pan into
the fire; the Confederate Government had no more use
68 With Touch of Elbow.
for sneaks and deserters than our own, and the punish-
ment they inflicted for such offences was much more swift
and terrible.
In some localities the amount paid for substitutes and
the different bounties offered ran up into the four figures
mark; but it is only justice to state that many from the
States and Canada as well, attracted by this large sum of
money, enlisted in good faith, determined to take the
hazards of war if only assured of a comfortable support
for their families meantime.
At Detroit, barracks were erected and headquarters es-
tablished for the care and safe keeping of substitutes and
all that class of involuntary enlistments, until such time
as they could be forwarded to the front; and the winter of
1862-3 Company F. of the 8th Cavalry was detailed for
provost duty at these barracks, the writer at the time
being 1st Sergt. of the company. While engaged in this
service many curious incidents occurred characteristic of
the men with whom the Government had to deal. Here
is a case in hand:
A Canadian who had received a bounty of about $1,200,
and whose wife and two little children, a day or two before
the time set for his departure for Governors Island, ar-
rived in Detroit for the purpose of bidding the husband
and father good-by. They were not permitted to enter
the barracks, and the "substitute" could only meet his
wife and children by gaining a permit to join them on the
outside under guard. The writer was detailed for that
service, and all day and night remained with his little
charge, taking in the city and its strange sights; the re-
cruit, meantime, paying all bills for oyster lunches, thea-
ters, etc. When the small hours of the night came, and
with them the necessity for rest and sleep, we repaired to
COLONEL ELISHA Mix, EIGHTH MICHIGAN CAVALRY.
With Touch of Elbow. 69
a hotel where all occupied one room with two large beds;
the recruit with his little family occupying one of these,
and I the other. After locking the door and placing the
key under my pillow, I retired for the night and slept
soundly until morning; and on separating the man and
his wife the next day, she with her little ones to go back
to her lonely home in the forests of Canada, and he to be
held under guard and treated as a common felon until
safely landed at the front, I could but share with them
the sorrow which this parting caused.
Meantime promotions were in line and Elisha Mix,
originally Captain of Co. F., had reached the rank of
Major, and 1st Lieutenant Samuel Wells was made Cap-
tain of the company; and by the unanimous choice of the
company the writer was promoted to the rank of 2d Lieu-
tenant, and, soon after, in a new and shining uniform, was
sent home for ten days on recruiting service. I never
shall forget the gratification I felt, and the pride and
delight manifested by my mother, on presenting myself
before her the first time as indeed it was the last in
the full dress uniform of an officer of the United States
Army.
But events were crowding each other in rapid succes-
sion, and I was compelled to return to my post of duty at
Detroit.
A squad of some twenty-five or thirty bounty jumpers
of the class already described had been collected and were
now to be sent on to Governors Island. "Hub" Smith,
formerly a policeman on the regular force at Detroit, but
now a Captain of the Provost Guard, was detailed to take
charge of this shipment. Both strong and fearless, he had
been accustomed, as a policeman, to dealing with rough
characters, and was well chosen for this work. Three
70 With Touch of Elbow.
enlisted men and myself were selected by Captain Smith
to aid in guarding the prisoners for such they really
were on the journey by rail from Detroit to their destina-
tion. It should be borne in mind that travel by rail at
that time was not what it is now, as fifty-six hours were
consumed in the passage from Detroit to New York.
Before embarking, every man of the motley group was
thoroughly searched for everything that could be made use
of as a weapon of offense or a means of escape. The con-
nections by rail were uncertain, and our car was often
sidetracked on the route for hours at a time. But there
was no relief guard, and while the prisoners slept (or
pretended to sleep) the vigilance of those having them in
charge could in no manner be relaxed. At stations where
halts were made a window on one side of the car was
raised, through which food and soft drinks were passed to
the prisoners. Many of these desperate men belonged in
New York and Philadelphia, and it went without saying
that as they neared the scenes of their former operations
no opportunity for escape would be allowed to go unim-
proved.
So one day while traveling on the New York and Erie
Railroad, the train moving slowly up a heavy grade in a
blinding snowstorm, guards as well as prisoners seemed
to have relaxed and fallen into a quiet state bordering
close upon sleep. Captain Smith, taking advantage of this
relaxation, had gone forward into the smoker to catch a
cat nap, leaving myself and one other guard stationed at
each door to look after the car containing the prisoners.
I was at the rear door reclining on a box of wood, with
one foot resting on the floor, and while thus dozing, about
half asleep, my attention was arrested by a group of pris-
oners in the center of the car apparently engaged in a
With Touch of Elbow. 71
consultation of some kind. This made me a little appre-
hensive, but, being very tired, did not instantly move, and
one of the group, a leader among them, came sauntering
toward me in a listless manner; when, a little more awak-
ened, I began sliding down from the box of wood in order
to plant myself squarely upon my feet. My hands were
folded across my breast, the right hand near a six-shooter
in an inside pocket.
While in the act of rising upon my feet, the tall pris-
oner, advancing quickly, stood over me, brandishing a
knife, the blade of which looked to be as long as a cavalry-
man's saber, and, hissing through his teeth as he did so,
said: "Don't you move a muscle or I'll cut your throat
from ear to ear." This was a line of attack I had not
been taught to guard against in the regular routine of
drill, and so stood completely at the mercy of this desperate
man; and why he did not carry out his threat at once I
have never known.
Among the many reflections that passed through my
mind, the first was of Captain Smith, in command of the
expedition, in whose strength and valor I greatly relied,
and inwardly exclaimed: "0 'Hub/ unless instantly
favored with a glimpse of your stalwart form, my term of
service will be cut suddenly short." It is said that prayer
is no more than a desire of the heart, and this prayer must
have been answered, for simultaneously with the thought
Captain Smith appeared upon the scene, but he was still
nearly sixty feet away, while the murderous knife was
being held within a few inches of my throat.
As quick as a flash, and with the stealthy tread of a cat,
Smith came down the aisle, and before I had time to
realize fully what was passing my tall assailant began a
backward somersault, in which his head and shoulders
72 With Touch of Elbow.
went quickly to the floor, while his heels approached the
ceiling, the knife, meantime, falling out of his hand.
Smith, holding him by the collar and the throat, then
called for a pair of handcuffs, which were supplied at once
and slipped upon the prisoner's hands. While this was
transpiring the guard at the other door had leveled his
pistol at the prisoners in the center of the car, who, see-
ing their leader manacled, sank quietly into their seats.
It was the purpose of the conspirators to have over-
powered the other guard and myself in the absence of
Captain Smith and then jump off the slow-moving train,
making good their escape. But they had not had time to
mature a plan and there was no instant cooperation among
them, otherwise the affair might have ended differently.
Of course, we were all greatly surprised that the prisoners
had in possession such a knife, but it had been smuggled
through the window, doubtless by friends outside.
They were preparing for another break, as was evident
from their movements, when the train should reach Jersey
City the following night, but Captain Smith telegraphed
the commandant at Governors Island, asking for a
heavier guard, and when the train reached the long depot
in Jersey City the prisoners were allowed to file out at
one door, but in doing so they stepped between two files
of bayonets extending clear around the car. Thus all hope
of escape was cut off and our responsibility as guards came
to an end, after which we were not slow in finding a hotel
where all took rooms, sleeping soundly until the middle
of the next day.
A day or two later, in company with the three other
guards, I made the return trip via the "New York Central
and the Great Western railroads through Canada to
Windsor and Detroit.
With Touch of Elbow. 73
What with deserters, bounty jumpers and sneaks from
our own borders, and refugees from the Southern States,
encouraged as they were by the sympathy which the Cana-
dian and British Governments everywhere gave our
enemies, a man wearing the United States uniform, in
passing through Canada at that period, was reminded at
every turn that he was traveling in a foreign and hostile
country. Our party on the way was repeatedly accosted
and surrounded by groups of men, often bold and defiant
and sometimes insulting, but by keeping close together we
gained what advantage there was to be found in concert
of action, and doubtless looked a little too formidable for
a successful attack, except it be the occasion of a general
riot, and we did not remain long enough in any one place
for a belligerent force of that character to gather; but the
disposition to so assemble was made manifest on every
hand.
Such, in brief, is the history of the "Conscript Bill"
and its legitimate child, the "Bounty Jumper," and now,
to keep "touch of elbow" with events as they transpire,
we take up the story of
"THE PASSING KEGIMENT."
The above heading is the title of one of the most pop-
ular and engaging paintings to be seen in the Corcoran
Art Gallery, Washington, D. C. It is done in oil by a
master hand, and, between the work of art and the sub-
ject represented, the picture elicits great admiration. A
full regiment of cavalry twelve companies of one hundred
men each armed cap a pie marching by platoons or in
column of fours through the streets of a populous city
affords a spectacle of stirring interest. In the imagination
74 With Touch of Elbow.
of the uninitiated each company of one hundred assumes
the proportions of at least a thousand men, even though
is be but a holiday parade in time of profound peace. But
when a regiment whose ranks are made up from among
the people starts out from its rendezvous to take up the
gage of battle, plunging at once into the vortex of a bloody
war, the interest is intensified and the imagination is none
too expansive to cover the range of possibilities suggested
by such a picture; familiar as these scenes became during
the war, and almost of weekly occurrence, the interest in
"The Passing Regiment" never abated until the end. The
good-byes and the God-speeds were as heartfelt and as
warmly extended to the regiments that went out later in
the contest as to those responding to the first call. Fa-
miliarity with the preparations for, and the terrible scenes
incident to the war itself, only increased the admiration
for those who braved its perils; for, indeed, the dangers
increased as time advanced.
After the winter of '62-3 the great battles were yet to
be fought. Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, Spott-
sylvania Court House, Atlanta, Chattanooga and all the
great cavalry raids formed no part of the war's history at
that time. The bravery of the Southern soldier, however,
and his determination to fight to the bitter end was no
longer a question of doubt, and those who went out to
confront him in those later years surely were not looking
for holiday parades.
So the 8th Michigan Cavalry, in the early spring of
1863, was greeted on the march from Mount Clemens to
Detroit, there to embark by rail for Cincinnati. Crossing
the Ohio River at the latter place, the regiment first went
into camp at Covington, Kentucky, and thence marched
via the Lexington pike to Nicholasville and Camp Nelson.
f :=
2 >
I I
s: H
With Touch of Elbow. 75
Colonel John Stockton, who organized the regiment at
Mount Clemens and carried it to this point, being a very
old man, here resigned and returned home. The com-
mand then fell upon Lieutenant-Colonel Grover S. Wormer,
who was soon made full Colonel; but after a few months
in the field he was detailed on recruiting and organization
service at Jackson, and there remained. The command
then devolved upon Major Elisha Mix, originally Captain
of Company F, who had meantime been advanced to a
full Colonelcy, and who commanded the regiment through
all its campaigns till the close of the war.
From headquarters at Nicholasville the regiment was
set at work at once, often in small detachments, hunting
guerrilla bands in Eastern Kentucky and in chasing raid-
ing parties of the enemy, who were constantly invading
that country for forage and other sinews of war; and
from this time forward the regiment knew no rest until
mustered out in September, 1865.
Our first arm was the Spencer rifle a magazine gun
of great power a saber and a Colt's "Navy Six." A well-
drilled and disciplined regiment so armed would seem to
be almost invincible, and the belief generally prevailed
among the men that such was the case. The early success
in routing and capturing small bands of the enemy added
greatly to this confidence, and the enthusiasm to get into
a general engagement knew no bounds.
These Confederate raiders through Kentucky, however,
being among friends and kindred, had us at a great dis-
advantage. Their horses were the best, and, knowing the
ground and the country well, with friends at almost every
turn, they could more easily elude pursuit or give battle
in positions most favorable to themselves. The Union
soldier, meantime, on unfamiliar ground among strangers,
76 With Touch of Elbow.
was compelled to act on his own initiative, and at the same
time observe the regulations and orders governing the army
when in territory claiming the protection of the United
States Government.
At length near Tripletts Bridge came the first approach
to a general engagement. Surprising and routing a large
raiding party of the enemy, we were successful in killing,
wounding and capturing about thirty of their number.
The deeds of bravery and acts of individual heroism ex-
hibited by officers and men in that engagement (as related
by themselves around the camp fire the following night)
were as entertaining as the Arabian Nights Tales, and
enough to establish the fighting status of the regiment,
had no other service ever been required of it.
Active operations of this kind soon develop the peculiar
characteristics of
THE VOLUNTEER SOLDIER.
Those traits that not only render him of great value in
the field, but which often constitute him the life of the
camp and the bivouac or the good-natured butt of his
comrades are soon made apparent ; for when a soldier can't
have fun, even under the most trying circumstances, his
duties become irksome and his service less valuable. The
volunteers are a crowd of rollicking fellows whose names,
among themselves, are often transposed or set on end in a
manner apparently to suit the character of the one to
whom applied. It would be interesting to know by what
rule of genealogical research he arrives at these apt and
curious cognomens.
"Uncle Bill/' Sherman, "Pap" Thomas and "Black
Jack" Logan were the names applied to three favorite
With Touch of Elbow. 77
Generals in the West; and any one of those names was
an inspiration to the men who were brought under the
command of those officers. In the French army Napoleon
was the "Little Corporal/' and so the list runs on. Judson
Brown, of Company F, addicted to the use of whisky, and
who had been arrested when coming in from a mountain
distillery with a jug half full of applejack, soon came to
be known as "Little Brown Jugson." W. D. McElhenney,
who had been caught with a beehive full of honey rolled
up in a blanket, forever after answered to the name of
"Mucklehoney ;" and in this manner the long and curious
role of apt names was known and perpetuated.
One evening, going into camp hungry and with little
prospect ahead for immediate relief, there was some com-
plaint among the men, and in a brief talk the commanding
officer urged them to stand to the work and take their
medicine as he was doing himself, concluding his remarks
by saying: "A soldier cannot expect to be fed, groomed
and blanketed like a race horse/' Whereupon John Wil-
lerton, a big Cornishman, in the broad vernacular of his
kind, said : "Tha's all werry weil, Cap'n, but wen a mon's
got note to hate and note to derrink (nothing to eat and
nothing to drink) an' werry leetle to warre, ye kaant expect
'im to ma-ak mooch of a ra-ace." Having no ready answer
for these pertinent suggestions, the officer closed the inci-
dent without further remark.
Probably not since the invasion of the British Isles by
the Eomans has there been found an army of any conse-
quence, savage or civilized, that did not contain an Irish-
man. Indeed, the righting forces of Christendom would
be weakened if the Irish element therein contained were
eliminated.
The story goes that Napoleon, confronted by an over-
7 8 With Touch of Elbow.
whelming force, was debating whether to continue the
fight or retreat, and, standing in front of his army, de-
manded to know if O'Shaughenssy were in the ranks, and,
if so, he said: "Let him step three paces to the front."
Whereupon a stalwart son of the Emerald Isle stepped
out, and, saluting, answered, "Sorr I" Upon this Napoleon
is said to have exclaimed, "I am satisfied. Let the battle
go on I"
The 8th Cavalry was favored with the presence of a
good many Irish soldiers, and among the number Martin
McCune, whose ready wit and unbounded good nature had
helped him out of many scrapes, was, nevertheless, fre-
quently in trouble, and especially at times when there was
a mountain distillery within a day's march. Martin, unlike
the majority of his race, was slow to go under fire, and
frequently invented excuses for avoiding that irksome
duty. One day, while calling for volunteers to join in a
scout likely to prove both fatiguing and hazardous, the
officer in command, already mounted, was calling upon the
men to "fall in," when Martin was discovered limping
away in the distance. He had been complaining of a boil
on his ankle, a trifling ailment, but hearing the call for
volunteers, he was suddenly seized with a lameness.
Whereupon the Captain called and asked him if he did
not intend to join the scouting party. Martin, first rub-
bing his shin caressingly, looked up with an air and expres-
sion as of extreme disappointment and said: "'Pon me
soul, Oi'd be the first mon to fall in, but Oi'm no more
fit to go on duty than a dead mon; me shane is swelled
clear to me hap !" A comrade standing near gave Martin
the laugh, as if in doubt of the real condition of his
"shane." Upon this, as if suddenly seized with a thought,
Martin spoke up and said: "Never moind, Oi'll go, but
LIEUTENANT LOVINAS H. PATTON,
EIGHTH MICHIGAN CAVALRY.
With Touch of Elbow. 79
it's very warrum, hadn't I better take some contanes and
go for wather ?" He was ordered to gather up the canteens
and go to the spring for water, some distance below, and
so disappeared, but did not return until the party of
volunteers had been made up and left on the scout.
Where all are so worthy it may seem unjust to designate
by name any one soldier as being foremost in the ranks of
the brave and meritorious; but it sometimes happens that
acts of heroism and devotion to duty stand out in relief
so bold as to challenge admiration and demand special
notice.
In one of the many engagements in front of Knoxville
the regiment, while in the advance, had been compelled
to fall back, but again rallied and took a position behind
a barricade of rails. Between the opposing lines was a
spring which afforded the only water for both commands.
Along the slope between the lines wounded men were
begging for water, but the spring, now covered by the
enemy's sharpshooters, was inaccessible. Beside, the
utmost effort on the part of all was required to hold the
position and prevent a general retreat.
Up to this time Lovinas H. Patton had never done any-
thing to especially distinguish him from others of his
worthy comrades. But now, as will appear, the supreme
test had come. The cries for water were plainly heard
above the din of battle, and Patton, in a quick and impetu-
ous manner, threw down his carbine, exclaiming as he did
so: "Boys, I can't stand this any longer; I'm going to
give those men some water or die trying;" whereupon he
gathered up some canteens and started for the spring. A
storm of bullets whistled around him as he hurried on;
but, reaching the spring unharmed, he had filled his can-
teens and was in the act of stooping over a wounded man,
8o
With Touch of Elbow.
when he was struck by a rifle ball and fell desperately
wounded.
The shot had entered on the right-hand side of the
neck and, ranging upward, passed between the windpip'e
and spinal column, shattering the left jaw as it passed
through the cheek bone just under the left eye. For-
tunately he fell face downward and also head foremost on
the sloping ground, so that the blood flowed outward, thus
preventing immediate strangulation from his own blood.
Night came on soon, when the wounded were all relieved
and the troops fell back. Patton, after having been fur-
nished with a horse, rode twelve miles that night, reach-
ing a field hospital about daylight, having had no atten-
tion or aid of any kind, excepting that of a comrade to
lead his horse.
Within three weeks he was discharged from the hospital
and went home on leave of absence, where he remained
three months on sick leave; at the expiration of which
time he returned to the regiment and again took up his
place in the ranks. He afterward performed repeated acts
of bravery, for all of which he received notice in a special
order, and was soon commissioned a First Lieutenant.
Some years after the close of the war Patton died a hor-
rible death while fighting a forest fire in northern
Michigan.
William S. Wells, himself already wounded, had also his
horse shot from under him. The troops retiring, Wells
had fallen considerably in the rear, where he became a
special target for the enemy, but true to his soldiery in-
stincts and training, the preservation and care of his equip-
ments occupied his mind rather than his own safety. Ap-
parently without thought as to the best means of saving
himself, he began to unloose the saddle girth and at the
With Touch of Elbow. 81
same time, called out to the officer in command: "Cap-
tain, what shall I do with my saddle?"
Constantly on the move, in many hard marches and
sharp contests with the enemy, the regiment had already
seen sufficient service to establish that confidence between
officers and men, and in the mettle and staying qualities
of the animals, which must exist before cavalry can be
made effective in the field, when the 8th was called upon
to take a hand in one of the most notable events of the
war; and now known to history as
THE MORGAN RAID.
General John H. Morgan, a native of Kentucky, was
one of the most unique and striking figures on the part
of the Confederates during that period remarkable for its
stirring events and the illustrious names it has given to
posterity. A detailed account of Morgan's adventures at
the head of his daring raiders; or as a scout and spy within
the Union lines, reads like a romance of the Dick Turpin
school. And when early in July, 1863, the fact was
heralded throughout the border States that this noted
chieftain had left his retreat in the Cumberland Mountains
of East Tennessee and at the head of three or four thou-
sand troopers, superbly mounted, was swooping down upon
Kentucky and other border States, destined nobody knew
where; the alarm created in all the States bordering on
the Ohio River assumed the proportions of a panic.
The tocsin of alarm once sounded, all available troops
located in Kentucky and along the Ohio River, from
Paducah to Cincinnati and Covington, were hastily put in
readiness for action on the line of defense or in pursuit of
the invader, as circumstances might direct. The news-
82 With Touch of Elbow.
papers of Louisville and Cincinnati gave wide circulation
to the wildest rumors as to Morgan's ultimate purpose and
destination, all of which, of course, were matters of con-
jecture only.
Major-General Ambrose E. Burnside, in command of
the Department of the Ohio, headquarters at Cincinnati,
was the officer upon whom devolved the perplexing duty
of directing the campaign against the bold raider.
Though Morgan left the Cumberland Mountains the
latter part of June, the raid, it may be said, was only
fairly launched when at the head of his troops then sup-
posed to be invincible he struck a detachment of the
25th Michigan Infantry in command of Colonel Orlando
H. Moore, at Tebbs Bend, Green Eiver Bridge in southern
Kentucky, the morning of July 4th.
The origin and purpose of the raid, are fully disclosed
in the following official correspondence between the Con-
federate Generals having the matter in hand. That
Morgan himself was the originator of the plan, and keen
to enter upon its execution, is clearly set forth in this
correspondence.
SPECIAL ORDERS
No. 44.
HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY CORPS,
NEAR SHELBYVILLE, June 18, 1863.
General Morgan will proceed to Kentucky with a force of
2,000 officers and men, including such artillery as he may deem
expedient. In addition to accomplishing the work which he has
proposed, he will, as far as possible, break up and destroy the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad. He will, if practicable,
destroy depots of supplies in the state of Kentucky, after
which he will return to this present position
By order of Major-General Wheeler.
E. S. BURFORD,
Assistant Adjutant-General.
With Touch of Elbow. 83
Prior to General Morgan's departure, I (General Wheeler)
wrote him one or two letters in which I urged his rapid move-
ments, stating that I hoped his movements would be so rapid
that he would be on his return to our army before General
Rosecrans could be certain he had left for Kentucky.
In these letters to General Morgan and in General Morgan's
letters to me, not one word was said about his crossing the
Ohio River; but on the contrary, he was urged by me to ob-
serve the importance of his returning to our army as rapidly
as possible
JOS. WHEELER,
Major-General.
COL. GEORGE WILLIAM BRENT,
Assistant Adjutant-General,
Army of Tennessee.
ADDENDA.
McMiNNviLLE, June 15, 1863.
MAJ. GEN. JOSEPH WHEELER :
Your dispatch is just received. Can accomplish everything
with 2,000 men and four guns. To make the attempt with less
might prove disastrous, as large details will be required at
Louisville to destroy the transportation, shipping and govern-
ment property. Can I go? The result is certain.
JOHN H. MORGAN,
Brigadier-General.
On the 27th of June, Gen. S. D. Sturgis, in command
of the military district of Kentucky, then for the first time
informed of Morgan's approach, ordered Col. J. I. David,
of the 9th Michigan Cavalry, to proceed with his regiment
to Sanford, scout the country beyond that point, and
watch the movements of the enemy. The 20th Kentucky
Infantry, numbering about 350 men, under Col. Chas. S.
Hanson was stationed at Lebanon; Gen. S. P. Carter with
84 With Touch of Elbow.
a small force at Somerset, and Col. Moore with 200 men
of the 25th Michigan Infantry at
TEBBS END.
These outlying troops were stationed so as to cover the
avenues of approach likely to be followed by an invading
enemy. Morgan must have been well informed as to the
location and strength of these various commands, and
believing that little opposition to his steady advance could
be offered, after an all night march on the 3d, the head
of his column reached Green Eiver in front of Colonel
Moore, early on the morning of July 4th. The anniver-
sary of our National independence was not an auspicious
day for the Confederates. The garrison at the river had
made the best possible use of the little time allowed them
in which to prepare for defense, after receiving warning
of Morgan's approach. There was a narrow neck of land
that formed the entrance to the bend, which was flanked
on either side by the stream, and through this pass, on
over the bridge, the road ran upon which Morgan was
rapidly drawing near. Across this neck of land, which
afforded a very strong natural defense, the Union troops
were entrenched behind a temporary abatis; and there,
crouching among the fallen timber, the little Spartan band
awaited the shock of battle. There was no delay on the
part of the enemy, and Colonel Moore had not long to wait.-
The early sun of that glorious anniversary had not kissed
away the dew, when slumbering denizens along the peace-
ful valley of the Green Eiver were rudely awakened by the
roar of artillery; and over the gentle slopes and hilltops
the smoke of battle settled like a pall. Early in the
engagement, under a flag of truce, a Confederate officer
handed Colonel Moore the following dispatch:
With Touch of Elbow. 85
HEADQUARTERS, MORGAN'S DIVISION.
IN THE FIELD IN FRONT OF GREEN RIVER STOCKADE,
July 4, 1863.
To the Officer Commanding the Federal Forces at Stockade,
near Green Eiver Bridge, Kentucky.
SIR : In the name of the Confederate States Government, I
demand an immediate and unconstitutional surrender of the
entire force under your command together with the stockade.
I am,
.Very respectfully, sir,
(signed) JOHN H. MORGAN,
Commanding Cavalry,
C. S. Army.
The enemy's artillery at the first attack had been
brought into play, thus early developing his superiority in
numbers and equipment (Colonel Moore having no artil-
lery), and when this message was received, breathing in
every syllable the supreme confidence of the Confederate
leader, two Union soldiers were lying wounded; but firm
in his purpose not to surrender, there immediately went
back from Colonel Moore the following laconic reply:
"To-day being the 4th of July, I cannot entertain your prop-
osition."
The attack was then renewed with increased vigor, and
repeated charges were made, but every assault was re-
pulsed with equal courage and determination on the part
of the Union troops, who seemed inspired with the mem-
ories of the day, and fought with desperate energy against
overwhelming numbers.
Morgan and his command represented the flower of
Kentucky chivalry. They were on their native heath,
trained to horsemanship, and had the reputation of a
brave and chivalrous people to uphold; but with all their
dash and spirit they were unable to dislodge this little
garrison of embattled farmers from Michigan. The bat-
86 With Touch of Elbow.
tie raged unabated until far into the day, when Morgan
was forced to withdraw his troops after a loss of 50 men
killed and 250 wounded. The casualties on the Confed-
erate side were found to be greater than the whole number
of troops opposed to them. The Union losses were 6
killed and 53 wounded. So determined was the fighting
conducted by the assailing forces that little attention had
been given to their killed and wounded; and after a ces-
sation of hostilities a flag of truce was sent in asking per-
mission to bury their dead, still lying where they had
fallen, in front of the Union line of works. This privilege
was granted, but without waiting to avail himself of the
opportunity, Morgan, badly defeated, though little
daunted, left his dead and the seriously wounded to what-
ever fate the further fortunes of war might have for them,
and continued on his ill-starred mission, reaching Lebanon
at 7 o'clock the following morning, where he at once at-
tacked Colonel Hanson, who had but a handful of men.
On the evening of July 4th the 8th Michigan Cavalry,
at Camp Nelson, 50 miles distant, through a dispatch
from General Sturgis, was ordered to move with all pos-
sible speed to the relief of
THE GARRISON AT LEBANON.
This order was received at 8 o'clock P. M. and at 9
o'clock the 8th was under way. To arouse a regiment of
soldiers at night, after indulging in the revelries and lax
discipline incident to a holiday like the 4th of July; pro-
vide feed and rations for a thousand men and animals,
equip them for an indefinite march, and move out within
an hour, ready for any emergency, is a feat of which the
layman has little conception; but to the initiated it is
With Touch of Elbow. 87
one highly commendatory of the efficiency of the officers
and men of that command. Once in line, at the word
"Forward," men and horses plunge into the darkness. Of
what may be in front very little is known (save only that
the enemy lurks there somewhere) and nothing can be
seen. The face of the country seems to have been changed
The roads, heretofore familiar, and smooth enough when
traveled by daylight, are now metamorphosed into
gulches, hills and pitfalls, often endangering the life or
limb of man and beast. Until 2 o'clock the following
morning the pace is kept up, first on the walk, then trot-
ting and galloping alternately, and again dismounting to
"lead." In this manner twenty-four miles have been
covered in less than six hours without a halt. But our
comrades are in peril and we must hasten to their relief.
Four miles beyond Sanford, and only twenty from Leba-
non, we reach Colonel David with the 9th Cavalry, and
the llth Michigan battery, and Colonel David, being the
senior officer, assumes command.
Advancing from this point about 9 o'clock A. M., our
ears were greeted with the booming of artillery in front
of Lebanon. Full of confidence, and impatient as every
man in the command was to hurry on and engage the
enemy, the column was halted and put through various
maneuvers of a dilatory character. As if to add to the
disappointment and chagrin felt by the entire brigade,
there appeared just at this time a courier, coming at a
rapid pace, bearing a message from General Carter ad-
dressed to Colonel David urging him to hasten to the
relief of Colonel Hanson at Lebanon, as Morgan's troops
had already invested the town, and adding: "If support
does not at once arrive, Lebanon will be destroyed and
Colonel Hanson compelled to surrender the garrison."
88 With Touch of Elbow.
It was 2 o'clock in the afternoon when we came in sight
of the doomed city, then in flames. Colonel Hanson hav-
ing fought from 7 in the morning until 1 o'clock in the
afternoon, had surrendered, when the head of our column
was not more than three miles distant. The Federal
losses were six men killed and fifteen wounded in this
attack, those of the enemy being much greater; but hav-
ing exhausted their ammunition and the town being on
fire, surrender became inevitable.
Morgan's rear guard, in plain view almost within rifle
range and in great disorder, was hurrying out of the town
when our brigade was thrown into line of battle. Thus
mounted, the men were compelled to sit for over an hour
watching the enemy as they passed out of sight. Here, if
properly commanded, was presented an opportunity for
these willing troops to have performed one of the grandest
feats in the history of Michigan cavalry. They could have
at least charged into the town and captured the disorderly
mob of Morgan's rear guard; or by a rapid march follow-
ing a cross road, cut his column in two, release the
prisoners just taken, and by seizing his wagons recapture
a vast amount of plunder taken from unoffending citizens
at Lebanon, and possibly have put an end to the raid.
And what added to the peculiar discomfort, while under-
going this humiliation (still mounted and in line of bat-
tle), there came on a thunderstorm of great violence, ac-
companied by a downpour of rain that drenched every
man to the skin. What is said of the proverbial "wet hen''
expresses but feebly the feelings of the Michigan troops
just at this particular time. A grain of comfort was felt,
however, when a section of the battery unlimbered and
gave the enemy a parting salute. Also a little later, a
detachment of the 8th Cavalry occupied the town, and
With Touch of Elbow. 89
captured forty stragglers whose discretion had been dulled
by an absorbing appetite fc-r the standard Kentucky
beverage.
At 8 o'clock P. M. of that day, by order of Colonel
David, our backs were turned to the enemy and the brigade
countermarched in the direction of Danville. At 10
o'clock, while still on the march, a courier overtook the
command with a dispatch from General Sturgis, asking
what had become of the Michigan troops.
This was on the 6th, and at 12.40 A. M. on the night
of the 7th there appeared on the picket line of the brigade
at Danville a man wrapped in a military cloak, who asked
the Corporal of the Guard to be directed to the command-
ing officer. The stranger was conducted at once to Colonel
David, and here introduced himself as Colonel W. P.
Sanders, of the 5th Kentucky Cavalry Volunteers (for-
merly of the regular army), and informed Colonel David
that, in compliance with orders direct from General Burn-
side, he would assume command of the brigade, and that
the two regiments with the battery should be ready to
move in twenty minutes. This was a change of front as
welcome to officers and men as it must have been astonish-
ing to Colonel David.
Colonel Sanders, it is a pleasure to state here, was an
officer who at once inspired the esteem and confidence of
his men. He was somewhat above the medium height,
erect, with broad shoulders and a most engaging presence.
For distinguished service Colonel Sanders rose rapidly to
the rank of Brigadier-General, and finally fell, mortally
wounded, in front of Knoxville, while encouraging his men
to repel the advance of the enemy then about to attack
the Union line of defenses, which were still incomplete.
He was carried from the field and placed in the bridal
90 With Touch of Elbow.
chamber of the LaMar House in that city (Knoxville),
where he died the same evening. He was buried at mid-
night in the Presbyterian churchyard, by the dim light
of a lantern, without a military salute or "the sound of a
drum or a funeral note." But every shovelful of earth
that fell upon his mortal remains was moistened with
the tears of his comrades aiding in the last sad rites, that
spoke more eloquently of his worth than sound of musket
or drum, or any eulogium that words can pronounce.*
Within twenty minutes from the time Colonel Sanders
reached the camp at Danville the Michigan brigade again
took up the line of march. In the dust and heat of that
day the hamlets of McAfee, Salvisa and Herrodsburg were
passed, and Lawrenceburg was reached at 4 o'clock P. M.,
the brigade having made a distance of 47 miles in fifteen
hours.
There now began throughout that portion of Kentucky
a succession of night raids, surprises, marches and counter-
marches, enlivened with sharp and decisive combats of
small detachments (sometimes almost hand to hand) that
would form a very startling chapter if the details were
given. Railroad trains were captured, passengers robbed
and bridges, mills and factories burned and destroyed by
the enemy. But they were often surprised in this work
and routed or captured by our troops, or driven into the
streams and shot or drowned in an endeavor to escape.
Meantime, by destroying the wires on the line of his
march, or by making use of them in sending counterfeit
*History records the fact that the gallant resistance offered
by Colonel Sanders, at the head of 700 cavalrymen, against
Longstreet's advance on Knoxville before its line of defense
had been completed, saved that city from capture and Burn-
side's army from defeat.
With Touch of Elbow. 91
dispatches, Morgan, with his main column, was able to
cover his tracks and mystify the Union authorities as to
his ultimate destination and purpose. So, unimpeded since
leaving Lebanon on the 5th, he moved rapidly to within a
few miles of Louisville, and there suddenly changed direc-
tion to the left, reaching Brandenburg, on the Ohio Eiver,
thirty miles below Louisville, on the 7th. Two steamboats,
the "Alice Dean" and the "John T. McComb," bent on a
peaceful pilgrimage up the river, unfortunately arrived
opposite Brandenburg about the same time as Morgan.
Two or three shots from one of his Parrott guns, uncere-
moniously thrown across their bows, was the argument
made use of to induce the two steamers to heave to and
run in shore to ascertain the cause of the alarm. Their
curiosity was soon gratified, as both boats were imme-
diately impressed into the service and compelled to ferry
the raiders across the river. By the evening of the 8th
3,500 of the enemy (horses and men), with four pieces of
artillery, had been safely landed
ON" THE INDIANA SHOES.
Louisville, the objective point in Morgan's original
scheme of conquest, had evidently been abandoned; but
immediately in his front lay the thriving cities of New
Albany, Jeffersonville, Indianapolis, Madison, Lawrence-
burg and Cincinnati, and many other towns in Southern
Indiana and Ohio. Even the people of Michigan were in
a high state of alarm, as at one time it was thought
Morgan might undertake to reach Detroit, and, crossing
his command into Canada, there repose under the protect-
ing aegis of the British flag.
The gravest anxiety had been manifested everywhere
92 With Touch of Elbow.
from the inception of the raid, but among those charged
with the perplexing duty of bringing it to a termination, as
well as by the tens of thousands whose homes and property
were placed in imminent peril, the feeling of apprehension
had now reached the culminating point. The following
official dispatches will afford the most comprehensive view
of the situation at this time. When the fact is known
(as fact it is) that more than 1,000 telegraph messages
were received and sent through headquarters at Cincinnati
during the progress of the raid, the importance attached
to it, and the doubt and uncertainty in which the move-
ments of the enemy were shrouded, will be better under-
stood; for at this time it was believed the invasion was
only a feint to cover a more formidable movement. The
dispatches explain themselves:
LOUISVILLE, July 9, 1863.
MAJOR GENERAL HARTSUFF:
Morgan has crossed into Indiana with his force, and is near
Corydon. His object must be to come in behind New Albany
and Jeffersonville. My information is that their plan and ob-
ject is to attack those places and destroy public works. I need
two or more regiments from Mumf ordville and beg they be sent
here by rail. A gentleman who was induced to go with Morgan
to within 8 miles of Brandenburg stated their purpose was a
feint, and that Pegram and Buckner were to come in after
them and attend to Louisville. I beg that the forces be sent.
If you do not think it proper to withdraw them at all, are
there not other forces which can be sent here?
(Signed) J. T. BOYLE,
Brigadier-General.
LOUISVILLE, July 9, 1863.
9P.M.
GENERAL HARTSUFF :
I received your dispatch and have sent troops. The citizens
of Corydon resisted Morgan and several were killed in the
fight. Morgan had declared his intention was not to come to
New Albany, but I do not believe him. Hobson is crossing his
With Touch of Elbow. 93
force. I sent transports and gunboats to him. The people of
Indiana believe Morgan will attack New Albany in the morn-
ing or to-night. I will offer best resistance I can until Hobson
arrives.
(Signed) J. T. BOYLE,
Brigadier-General.
Immediately upon landing on the opposite shore the
head of Morgan's column was turned northward. The
thriving little city of Corydon, about fifteen miles in the
interior and directly on the line of march toward Indian-
apolis, was reached on the 9th, and proved to be the first
to feel the shock of the invasion. The citizens of Corydon
gallantly resisted Morgan's attack, and several were killed
and wounded.
Meantime, the Federal forces under General E. H. Hob-
son, who first overtook and engaged Morgan at Marrow-
bone, Kentucky, on the 3d of July, and who had followed
his course from that time forward, had arrived on the
bank of the Ohio, and while Morgan was plundering the
citizens of Corydon, Hobson, with 2,500 men, was crossing
the river at Brandenburg. The dispatch given below will
explain the situation at this juncture:
INDIANAPOLIS, July 9, 1863.
GEN. BURNSIDE:
Information received here indicates that Morgan will march
into the interior of Indiana. Are there no troops in Kentucky
that can be spared and sent to our relief?
(Signed) 0. P. MORTON,
Gov. of Indiana.
While events were transpiring as narrated in the
foregoing pages, the warfare by small detachments in
the rear was being prosecuted with relentless energy.
Morgan had already sustained many losses of men and
officers, either killed or captured, and his disappoint-
94
With Touch of Elbow.
ments must have been great, chief among them being
the relinquishment of his designs upon Louisville.
Besides, unexpected to him, no doubt, his crossing
the river had placed him in an attitude where his own
safety and that of his entire command must be taken into
account. The lofty ambition that first sent him forth in
quest of empire had suddenly dwindled to the bare hope
of avoiding a general engagement and making his final
escape by recrossing the Ohio into Kentucky or West Vir-
ginia, there to find a hospitable retreat. Hobson's brigade
was now close upon his rear; a large force of the militia
of Indiana and Ohio had been hurriedly mustered to co-
operate with the troops for defense in the interior; the
river from Paducah to Buffington's Island was patrolled
with gunboats and troopships that could be made effective
at any point where the enemy might undertake to recross,
and all available cavalry within the department had been
mustered for a supreme effort to head off Morgan's retreat
and wear him to a finish somewhere north of the Ohio
Eiver.
Accordingly, the ''Michigan Brigade" at Lawrenceburg
at midnight on the llth took up the march by way of
Eminence and La Grange for Westpoint on the river, which
place they reached 24 hours later, a halt of four hours at
Eminence being the only rest for men and animals in a
73-mile march over very rough and mountainous country
roads. While at Westport Colonel Sanders was intercepted
by the following dispatch:
CINCINNATI, July 11, 1863.
COL. SANDERS,
Eminence.
It is reported that Morgan may attempt recross the Ohio
at either Westport, Grassy Flats, or opposite Bedford. Keep
out scouts well in the direction of Lockport, Port Royal, Bed-
With Touch of Elbow. 95
ford and Westport. You can hire citizen scouts and pay them
well. Obey any orders that Gen. Boyle may send you. If
Morgan attempts to cross at any one of these places, you ought
to be able to whip him in detail. If he succeeds in crossing,
he may try to cross Kentucky River between Covington and
Lockport, and go out by Mount Stirling, in which case you
must press him hard. I leave your movements to your own
good judgment, to a great extent.
(Signed) A. E. BURNSIDE.
To the above Colonel Sanders sent this reply:
LA GRANGE, July 11, 1863.
GENERAL BOYLE:
I am moving as fast as artillery can go. We have marched
since 12 o'clock last night. Am taking horses where necessary.
Will be at the river by 10 P. M. Have sent scouts as directed.
(Signed) W. P. SANDERS,
Col. Commanding.
On reaching Westport it was learned that Morgan had
already passed that point, moving in the direction of Mad-
ison. Early on Sunday morning, the 12th, the 8th and
9th Michigan, with the battery, in order to gain time, were
embarked on transports; but on reaching Madison it was
learned the swift-footed trooper had already passed, head-
ing toward Cincinnati, with Hobson still
HOT UPON THE TRAIL.
The fact that Morgan, from the beginning of the race,
seems to have passed just a little ahead the point where
our troops hoped to form a junction with him, no doubt
calls for an explanation.
In nautical parlance "A stern chase is a long one/' and,
as the ship, so the cavalry. The command in the lead
takes the wind out of the sails of the one that follows.
Being ahead, Morgan had first choice of everything
96 With Touch of Elbow.
needed to accelerate his march and keep his men and
animals in good heart. As both commands were depend-
ent upon the country for forage and rations, the Con-
federates generally swept the board of both. This was
especially true as to horses and forage, for what they
failed to seize and appropriate for their immediate use
was carried away or destroyed, thus leaving our soldiers
to drag out their weary marches on animals frequently
half starved, jaded and footsore. Being in loyal territory,
our men, from sense of patriotic duty, were restrained
from taking indiscriminately from the people, but not so
with Morgan, whose mission was one of plunder. Officers
of the Federal Army were empowered to give receipts for
the value of all property impressed for the good of the
service, wherever found. Horses were valued at $90 a
head, and the farmer whose team had been taken from the
pasture, the plow or the stable, could send in his receipts
to the Quartermaster's Department, and eventually re-
ceive $180 in greenbacks. Besides, he was authorized to
take up and make use of the wornout animals left behind,
many of which, with a few days' rest and care, became
valuable again for service on the farm. As to the matter
of rations for the men, no account whatever was kept of
that.
Throughout the States of Indiana and Ohio, up to the
hour of Morgan's final surrender, and the return of the
troops to Kentucky, the loyal people flocked to the road-
side along the line of march, fairly freighted with the
very best their sumptuous larders afforded, and urged it
upon the hungry troops. Old men and women, young boys
and fair maidens, vied with each other in being the first
to serve and feed the Union soldier. Their encouraging
cheers, their expressions of gratitude (often in tears) and
With Touch of Elbow. 97
their patriotic appeals gave strength and courage to our
men. And here, more than ever before or afterwards
during the war, was impressed upon the soldier by these
loyal demonstrations the great importance of the mission
in which the Union Army was engaged.
Leaving Madison, we steamed on up the river, now and
then disembarking small raiding parties with orders to
penetrate the interior a distance of ten or twelve miles,
if necessary, in order to keep a lookout on the movements
of the enemy. By this means Morgan was found to be
making all possible haste in the direction of Lawrence-
burg and Cincinnati. Among the inhabitants of the latter
place the greatest consternation now prevailed, the city
already being
UNDER MAETIAL LAW.
At 9 o'clock that night, the 12th, orders came for our
command to embark on transports for Cincinnati. This
was done and crowding on a full head of steam, we
reached the latter place at 5 that morning. The following
appeared in the morning papers, and in large posters
throughout the city.
CINCINNATI, OHIO, July 12, 1863.
GENERAL ORDERS.
No. 114.
Martial law is hereby declared in the cities of Cincinnati,
Covington and Newport, all business will be suspended until
further orders, and all citizens will be required to organize in
accordance with the direction of the State and municipal
authorities. The commanding General, convinced that no one
whose services are necessary for the defense of these cities
would care to leave now, places no restriction upon travel.
By command of Major-General Burnside.
(Signed) LEWIS RICHMOND,
Assistant Adj. General.
98 With Touch of Elbow.
The principal avenues of ingress and egress were
guarded by a military patrol, and all horses available for
the cavalry and artillery were being impressed into service.
There was a great scurrying among owners of fine stock,
placed between two fires (that of the Federal authorities
within the city, and the fear of Morgan's troopers from
without) and they were seeking every possible avenue of
escape for their petted animals.
The telegraphic wires at General Burnside's head-
quarters, and those of every division within the Depart-
ment of the Army of the Ohio, that had been kept warm
by day and night from the time the raid into Kentucky
was first announced were now raised to a white heat in
the dispatch of orders to the numerous commands
directly or indirectly engaged in the pursuit and the sup-
posed defense. Detachments of our command were
ordered to take position on the various roads leading into
Cincinnati from the north and west, there to await further
developments, while mounted videttes were extended out
into the country at a greater distance, to give timely
warning of the enemy's approach. Colonel Sanders, with
the balance of the brigade, moved up the broad pike to
Avondale, an aristocratic suburban place on the hill;
where they went into camp, picketing the various roads
in that direction.
The Michigan Brigade were now the principal guardians
of Cincinnati with headquarters at Avondale. Wherever
garrisoned there was constantly urged upon officers and
men the most lavish hospitality. Not a Government ration
was drawn or issued to our troops during the occupation.
Provisions were brought to the camp, outlying posts and
videttes, by wagon-loads, and frequently the rations were
delivered by the fair hands that had prepared them.
With Touch of Elbow. 99
Two companies were hurried out on the road upon
which Morgan's column was supposed to be advancing.
The orders were to halt and detain (if in the night) all
persons attempting to enter the city who could not give
a prompt and satisfactory account of themselves. The
night passed without incident, but just as the day began
to break, there was a low rumbling sound as of wheels,
heard in the distance coming down the macadamized road.
The outlying vidette called the sergeant of the guard; but
before his arrival a vehicle of some kind appeared through
a dense fog that had now set in. The guard, being a re-
cruit and somewhat nervous, called out "Halt! Who
comes there?" But no responsive answer being returned,
the challenge was repeated and followed by a shot from
the soldier's Spencer rifle. Immediately the misty air of
that September morning was rent by the shrill cry of a
woman, evidently in distress. This had the effect of arous-
ing the camp, and the entire reserve picket force turned
out under arms in a moment. Meantime, the sergeant
with the vidette, going forward, found a woman, with a
horse hitched to a wagon loaded with melons and other
products of the farm and garden, standing in the middle
of the road. She had started with her supplies for the
market, intent upon "catching the early worm." But
seeing the soldiers approach, and believing she had been
held up by some of Morgan's raiders and was about to
be robbed, she threw up her hands and cried out: "Oh!
Mein Gott in Himmel, vas is das! vas is das!" Being
voluble and excitable, and understanding but little Eng-
lish, it was difficult to explain to her the situation. Mean-
time, and what added greatly to the old lady's consterna-
tion, the soldiers gathered around the wagon, and the
melons began to disappear like mist under the rays of the
IOO
With Touch of Elbow.
noonday sun. This fact seemed to have a more irritating
effect than that of being shot at by the pickets. But
finally a guard was detailed to escort her through the
lines, and without further annoyance she proceeded on
her way.
Among the patriotic citizens of Avondale most grate-
fully remembered were the
GKEENWOODS, MITCHELLS AND DOMINICKS.
It was while the command was passing the residence of
Mr. Mitchell on the march up the road, in the early morn-
ing of the 12th, that a group of young ladies were seen
in the garden by the roadside gathering raspberries for
breakfast. Waving their handkerchiefs, they called out,
"God bless the boys in blue. Who are you?" "The Mich-
igan Brigade," was the reply. "Where are you going?"
"We are going into camp on the hill to guard the city
against the approach of the enemy." "God bless the brave
soldiers of the Union !" came another salutation from the
young ladies. The camp had no sooner been established
than Mr. Mitchell appeared upon the scene and introduced
himself by inviting Colonel Sanders and the whole head-
quarters staff to breakfast. It is hardly necessary to add
that the invitation was promptly accepted.
On arriving at the Mitchell residence the fact was soon
disclosed that the young ladies who had first saluted the
passing brigade were the primary cause of the invitation
to breakfast. After a few minutes' conversation, relating
mainly to the imminent danger that threatened the city,
the officers were conducted to the dining room, where an
elegant breakfast was heartily enjoyed.
It is difficult to describe the sensations of a soldier who
With Touch of Elbow. 101
has been for a prolonged period engaged in unremitting,,
laborious and dangerous service, when, temporarily relieved
from duty, he is invited from the ranks in soiled and dusty
uniform, and seated at a table laid with spotless linen and
spread with every luxury that wealth and a lavish hos-
pitality can supply. This more particularly when he is
served and waited upon by a bevy of accomplished young
women, who, in sheer gratitude for the services he has
rendered, sing his praises and stand ready to strew his
pathway with roses. Glorious services! Most glorious
reward! If there is a man still living who belonged to
that command and was the recipient of those gracious
favors (and thousands of them were in that tedious march
through Indiana and Ohio) and is not a better citizen for
the experience there gained, it is to be regretted he was not
early in the engagement numbered with the missing.
The breakfast over, the folding doors were thrown open
and the Misses Cochran (two of the charming young hos-
tesses) sang with piano accompaniment <r When This Cruel
War Is Over/' a song much in vogue at that time, but then
heard for the first time by our soldiers. Before the song
had ended some of the officers were seen to turn aside, in
pretense of brushing away a fly or the offending dust, but
in fact to hide the tears that were coursing unbidden down
their bronzed faces.
From time to time throughout the day we were in receipt
of reports by courier from General Burnside, giving infor-
mation of Morgan's movements, so far as could be definitely
learned. Shortly before the hour of noon Mr. Dominick,
also a resident of Avondale, appeared at brigade head-
quarters and cordially invited the staff to dine with him,
fixing the hour at 1 P. M. Here, as in the case of the
breakfast, no second invitation was needed, and, arriving
102
With Touch of Elbow.
promptly on schedule time at the residence of the host,
the officers were agreeably surprised to find among the
guests Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell (who had graciously enter-
tained them in the morning), accompanied by the five
young ladies, whose presence lent such a charm to the
breakfast hour. At Mr. Dominick's new songs were in-
cluded in the repertory of these entertaining friends, and
the old songs were repeated with added spirit and grace.
The brief respite enjoyed in these hospitable homes, the
cheerful smiles and warm-hearted greetings, brought
vividly to mind the faces of loved ones far away, the fire-
sides left behind and the glad welcome that awaited us
there. At last, compelled to say good-bye and passing
down the road out of sight, there came once more from
the Dominick residence the faint receding echoes of "When
This Cruel War Is Over." On reaching camp a beautiful
bouquet of flowers was found at headquarters "From the
Ladies of Cincinnati to the Officers and Men of the Mich-
igan Brigade," and at 4 o'clock that afternoon the brigade
AGAIN TOOK UP THE MAECH.
Morgan, thinking discretion the better part of valor,
as in the case of Louisville, had given up his designs on
Cincinnati, and, leaving that city to the right, made rapid
strides in the direction of Camp Dennison, which place
he reached early in the morning. To this place Colonel
Sanders was ordered to hasten his troops, and there report
to General Hobson, still hovering close on Morgan's rear.
Our march that night led out by the way of Montgomery,
twelve miles to the northeast from Cincinnati, and there
communication by courier was had with General Hobson,
who ordered the brigade to take the advance, and, pressing
With Touch of Elbow. 103
closely on Morgan's right flank, prevent him from turning
to the Ohio Kiver, then in a low stage of water and offer-
ing good facilities for fording. The command marched,
scouted and reconnoitered the roads on both flanks that
night, reaching Camp Shady, near Camp Dennison, at 2
o'clock the morning of the 14th, where a halt was made
for two hours. It was no more than fairly daylight,
however, when the column was again in motion, and for the
two succeeding days this order of march was continued,
halting each morning at 2 o'clock for two hours' rest.
Thus about six hours had been given to the men and
horses for feed, rest and sleep out of sixty-two hours of
continuous marching.
Meantime the general direction had been to the east-
ward, keeping close on the right flank of the enemy. More
than a score of thriving towns and villages had been
included in the itinerary. Throughout that portion of
the march accomplished by daylight there had been one
continuous ovation by the people, and frequently their
demonstrations of gratitude and patriotic joy enlivened the
tedious journey far into the night. By the roadside tem-
porary tables and platforms were erected, and the thrifty
housewives of Southern Ohio had loaded them with the
delicacies of the season and the more substantial products
of the farm and garden. These were urged upon the
troops in such quantities that they sometimes became sa-
tiated and unable to partake any further of this generous
hospitality. Elegant young women who had prepared with
their own hands a tempting dish were often heard to
make personal appeals to a soldier (already surfeited) to
"just taste" of their pie or cake, as the case might be,
and they would then be satisfied. Bevies of young women,
and children with waving banners, singing "Eally 'Bound
104 With Touch of Elbow.
the Flag/' greeted the soldiers in every village and hamlet.
In short, the people turned out en masse, not to see the
"passing regiment" decked out in the pomp and splendor
of a holiday parade, but they came rather to express their
gratitude to these bronzed veterans for services rendered
in upholding the flag of the Union, and in defending
their homes and firesides.
But Morgan in the lead, meantime, is levying contribu-
tions, plundering the inhabitants and burning the mills
and factories of those refusing to accede to his demands.
For miles on either flank the country is stripped of horses,
and his own wornout animals by scores are found dazed
and stupefied by the roadside. Our own mounts are in
a pitiable condition, and their depleted ranks need filling
every hour in the day and night, but fresh ones are seldom
to be found. Farmers who had already been compelled
to give up their stock frequently came to the command,
and in tears prayed for protection against the further
ravages of the invader.
On a Sunday some of the troops chanced to meet a
farmer driving a fine team, accompanied by his dutiful
wife, on their way to church. Two of the battery horses
were about to collapse, and the old gentleman was told
that, waiving all scruples of the day and the sacredness of
his mission, he would be asked to "swap" horses. To this
consent was finally given, and the country-bred bays,
turned from their pious pilgrimage, were hastily togged
out with the habiliments of war, while the jaded old bat-
tery team, no doubt rejoicing in this sudden change of
front, were quietly driven to church.
About 9 o'clock the following night the troops were com-
pelled to cross a stream by a deep, rocky ford having high
and precipitous banks. Standing on a rock that projected
With Touch of Elbow. 105
far out into the stream was a young woman holding a
lantern. Its dim light disclosed a pale and anxious face,
and features of more than ordinary beauty. In reply to a
question from one of our men the young woman said she
was "lighting the soldier boys to glory and to victory."
The succeeding days up to the 18th were but a repeti-
tion of what has already been related. The command has
now passed through the towns of Batavia, Sardinia and
Winchester, and has arrived at Jackson, where communi-
cation is had with General Judah, commanding the gun-
boats on the Ohio Eiver, and also with General Hobson
on the left. At this point a consultation is held with the
brigade commanders and the staff officers of General Judah,
and it is decided to make a united effort to drive Morgan
to the river, near
BUFFINGTON'S ISLAND.
General Judah was to crowd on all possible steam and
place his gunboats around the bend in the river behind
the island, while the cavalry pressed them in the rear and
on the flanks. Accordingly, the Michigan Brigade marched
all that day and night (a distance of 45 miles), reaching
Chester early Sunday morning, the 19th, and there, sure
enough, our advance struck Morgan's rear guard, his front
already being engaged with the forces under General
Judah, who had disembarked and were defending the ford
at Buffington's Bar. The troops were joined here by a
detachment of the 2d and 7th Ohio Cavalry, who were
at once deployed as skirmishers, while the 8th and 9th
Michigan formed line of battle, and, marching under cover
of a strip of timber, awaited the signal for a charge. It
was now 5 o'clock ; the sun of that peaceful Sabbath morn-
106 With Touch of Elbow.
ing had just risen, and, like a flashlight on the camera,
revealed the entire field, photographing upon memory this
grand spectacle of war. The enemy had now faced about
and formed three lines of battle, mounted and in plain
view on ground sloping to the front. Their artillery was
playing upon the gunboats then steaming around the bend
behind the island. The llth Michigan Battery was located
in the center between the two regiments, one section of
which had already gained a position on a high hill and
opened fire. This was to be the signal for a general
advance.
New life and vigor now seemed to have been enthused
into the jaded men and horses of the brigade, as through
the plowed field, over rocks, ditches and fences the rush
began. Volley after volley was poured into the enemy,
and their lines, already wavering, soon broke into a rout.
This gave fresh impetus to the Federal troops, who pressed
them so closely that one line of battle, with their artillery,
was driven over an embankment thirty feet high, and there
captured.
For more than a mile the pursuit was kept up. The
ground over which the enemy passed was strewn with
every conceivable form of wearing apparel, including
articles of the toilet and fancy goods for women and chil-
dren; even baby shoes and stockings were found among
the plunder. A wagon-load of pistols and shotguns, en-
tirely new, taken from the thrifty merchants of Indiana
and Ohio, might have been gathered in an hour's time.
Fearing the consequence of capture, having in possession
these articles not contraband of war, they had thought-
fully disposed of them in anticipation of the final hour
of surrender. A courier had meantime been dispatched
to Generals Schackleford and Welford on the left, urging
With Touch of Elbow. 107
them to close in and press the enemy with all possible
vigor from that quarter; and in response they moved up
promptly and began a vigorous attack. The Ohio River,
with General Judah's gunboats, was in the enemy's front,
while they were completely surrounded from the land side
by Federal cavalry, who were dogging their flanks and
rear like hounds on the lagging quarry.
With broken columns, seeking cover in strips of timber,
gulches and ravines, and remorselessly pressed from every
quarter, they soon began to surrender. Colonel Basil
Duke, the ranking officer among the captured, being cut
off with a small detachment and surrounded on all sides,
surrendered to Sergeant C. F. Boke, of Company "B," 9th
Michigan Cavalry. Colonel Springer, with 575 men,
horses and equipments, surrendered to the 8th Michigan.
On the extreme left Colonel "Dick" Morgan, a brother of
the Chief, surrendered to Colonel Wolford. And thus, by
regiment, brigade and division, the ranks of Morgan's
dreaded invaders melted away. About 2,300 officers and
men, with ammunition, horses and equipments, including
three guns, were captured.
The marching for many days and nights had been con-
tinuous, including a distance from Cincinnati of 250 miles.
The heat of the summer was intense, the country every-
where dry and parched, and men and animals of both com-
mands were suffering intensely for water, rest and sleep.
A fellow-feeling sometimes makes us wondrous kind, and
the men soon began to fraternize. The limpid waters of
the Ohio were but a few yards distant, and when the ad-
journment for twenty minutes was had for all hands to
repair to that stream to wash, the feeling of fraternity
often became one of cordiality. And over all a great
sense of relief was felt that for the moment at least, there
io8 With Touch of Elbow.
was concord among these warring elements. The Michi-
gan Brigade under the command of Colonel Sanders, had
now fairly redeemed itself from the miserable fiasco at
Lebanon.
Colonel Sanders, himself a Kentuckian, had many
friends in Morgan's command, and was frequently heard
to call out, "Hello, Jim, Tom or Dick," as one after
another of his old friends, now prisoners of war, appeared
upon the scene. Addressing Colonel Wormer, of the 8th
Michigan (both officers being on foot), Colonel Sanders
said, "Colonel, walk up the line with me." Presently
he inquired for Richard Gutheridge, and was told that
Gutheridge could be found a little further along, washing
himself on the banks of the river. A young man stand-
ing knee-deep in the water and splashing it over his face
and neck was soon discovered by Colonel Sanders, who
called out, "Hello, Richard, what are you doing here?"
Gutheridge answered, "I suppose you ought to know,
Colonel." "When did you hear from home last, Dick?"
continued the Colonel. "Not for a long time, we have
been going too fast the past month or more, for the
United States mail to keep up with us." "Have you any
money, Dick?" continued the Colonel. Upon this
(Richard replying in the negative), Colonel Sanders took
a roll of greenbacks from his pocket and handed it to him.
On being asked who this young man was, in whom he
seemed to take so much interest, Colonel Sanders re-
plied, "That is a brother of the young lady to whom I
am engaged to be married."
This victory would seem to have been complete, but
alas! it was discovered when too late to mend, that the
wily chieftain himself, under cover of the darkness, had
again
With Touch of Elbow. 109
SLIPPED THROUGH THE FEDERAL LINES.
Pushing on into the interior of Ohio, when next heard
from he was winding his way to the northward with about
800 men. To intercept and cut him off somewhere on the
march, General Schackleford, at the head of a small com-
mand, is shipped hy rail direct to Steubenville. Disem-
barking there, it is learned that Morgan is endeavoring
to effect a crossing below Wheeling. Upon receipt of this
intelligence a detachment under Major Rue at once
started by rail for that point. But Morgan, through the
assistance of sympathizing friends, learning of this move-
ment, again changed his course and, retrograding to the
interior, again pushed northward. The next move of
Major Rue's command brought them by rail to Shanghi
Landing, about twenty miles above Steubenville. It is
now Sunday, the 26th. We are in one of the northeastern-
most counties of the State of Ohio, and the climax is
hourly expected. A citizen runner from the interior
brings the intelligence that Morgan's column, still head-
ing northward, is not more than six miles distant. Again
the march is taken up; small detachments scouting the
crossroads and bridle paths from right to left, in an en-
deavor to locate the quarry.
The loyalty and hospitality of the citizens of Indiana
and Ohio have been dwelt upon elsewhere, but in addition
to this, the local troops or State militia rendered valuable
assistance at various stages of the invasion; but like un-
trained men everywhere, their movements when left to
themselves were not always in strict accord with army
regulations. The feeling among the citizens was at a fever
heat, for it was not known at what hour nor on what road
Morgan, or detachments of his band, might appear.
no
With Touch of Elbow.
At this time a small detachment was detailed to pro-
ceed to a certain crossing on the Highlandtown road, a
hamlet about six miles distant, to learn if the enemy had
been seen in that direction. The orders were to go and
return to the command with all possible haste. We
dashed through the country on the gallop, and dusty
and travel-stained as we were, the people by the roadside
could hardly distinguish us from the enemy. Frequently
men, women and children, on our approach, were seen
skipping out at the back door and down through the
garden into the cornfield or timber beyond; often bare-
headed and coatless, and never looking back to learn
whether they were pursued or not.
On nearing the place of our destination we found that
pickets, consisting of volunteer citizens armed with good
muskets, had been stationed out on the road a distance
of a mile or more, to watch for Morgan's column, with
the expectation of giving them a warm reception when
they came. On first coming in sight of one of these
posts (we were going at a lively gallop, and in blissful
ignorance of an armed force in our immediate front) when
bang! bang! bang! went three or four shots (apparently
aimed at the ambient air, for none of them came near
us) and, looking up, a half dozen men with smoking guns
were seen running for the timber on either side of the
road. Continuing our course, going by on the lope, the
direction of their retreat was traceable from the sound
of crackling brush as they disappeared in the timber a
half mile distant.
In rejoining the command from this scout, we met two
citizens on horseback (Harbaugh and Sterling by name)
coming at full speed, with the intelligence that Morgan
had been attacked that morning near Salineville by a
With Touch of Elbow. '
detachment of the 9th Michigan under Major Way, who
had cut them in two, capturing about three hundred men;
that Morgan himself, who was traveling in a covered rig,
taken from a citizen somewhere on his route, had barely
escaped by cutting a horse loose from the carriage and
riding away barebacked; and that the remnant of his
command (about three hundred strong) was near Gavers
on a road leading to West Point and the Ohio River.
Taking Harbaugh for a guide, we struck a crossroad,
by which some distance was saved, and soon fell in the
rear of Major Rue's column, then hurrying forward to in-
tercept Morgan at a crossing a mile or two yet ahead.
Looking across to the west and north, the cloud of dust
raised by the retreating Confederates was plain to be
seen, and they of course could see our dust as well. Their
road ran directly east, while ours intersected it, running
north and south. To be the first to reach the junction of
the two roads was the goal for which both commands were
now striving. Our animals, already on the verge of col-
lapse, were urged forward under whip and spur, and the
two columns of dust rapidly drew together. To be the
first at the crossing meant for us, beside a temporary
respite, the end of the raid, and
MORGAN'S FINAL CAPTURE.
For him and the remnant of his command it meant final
escape through the mountainous regions of West Virginia,
among friends and sympathizers, who would bid him God-
speed on his way to rejoin the Confederate Army in Ten-
nessee.
As we neared the junction of the roads the country was
more open and level, and at times the two forces were
112
With Touch of Elbow.
visible to each other. The last final effort was here put
forth, and our column, under Major Rue, had barely
reached the crossing and wheeled into line facing the
enemy when the head of their command came in sight
over a ridge not more than three hundred yards distant.
The great raid was now at an end. Seeing our troops
in line ready to receive them, white handkerchiefs and
strips of white linen were swung in the air,
IN TOKEN OF SURRENDER
Not a gun was fired. The officers were allowed to keep
their side arms and personal effects, and after all the
guns and pistols were stacked in a body and a guard placed
over them, the men of both sides mingled without restraint.
Soon retiring to a near-by farmhouse (Patterson's) where
water was plenty, Morgan and his officers, with our own,
indulged in bountiful libations of that refreshing beverage,
taken from the northeast corner of the well. Then lying
down on the grass, guards and prisoners for more than an
hour slept in one common bed.
This sudden collapse and surrender, without firing a
gun, came as a surprise to the Union troops, but the secret
was soon explained when Morgan came forward declaring
he had already surrendered to James Burbick, a citizen
whom he had impressed and was taking with him as a
guide; but this pretended surrender to an individual with-
out a command (and he a prisoner) was a proposition
Major Rue could not entertain.
At this juncture General Shackleford, in command of
all the Union forces, came up, when the unconditional
surrender demanded from the first by Major Rue was
agreed upon. With the exception of the two companies
With Touch of Elbow. 113
of the 8th Michigan (Companies F and L), commanded by
Lieutenants N. S. Boyanton and James M. Wells, respec-
tively, the Union troops present at this surrender were all
Kentuckians. The leaders of each command, as well as
many of the soldiers, had known each other from boyhood,
and friendly greetings were exchanged all around.
From the time of Morgan's first appearance in Kentucky
the interminable chase had been kept up throughout the
entire breadth of three States, the distance covered aggre-
gating twelve hundred miles. Scarcely a Government
ration for man or beast had been drawn during the time,
both armies depending upon the country for subsistence.
The march of the two columns throughout Kentucky,
Indiana and Ohio had been like a "besom of destruction."
The smokehouses and chicken coops of the thrifty farmers
along the route had been especially marked for devastation.
Horses were taken alike from the stable, the carriage and
the plow; and often saddles, bridles, blankets and like
equipments went with them. In the various assaults made
by Morgan upon unoffending citizens, some thirteen had
been killed or wounded, and no good on earth to him or
anybody else had been accomplished.
As soon as transportation could be had, the officers and
men captured were shipped from Salineville (the nearest
railroad station) to Camp Douglas, in Chicago, and other
military prisons. The chieftain and his staff were sent to
the State penitentiary at Columbus. It was claimed by
the Confederates at the time, and by their sympathizers
at the North, that Morgan was there treated as a common
felon, but that is not true. He and his officers were kept
in rooms apart from other prisoners, and were taken out
regularly twice a day for exercise and fresh air while
there confined. Their treatment by the Federals was,
1 1 4 With Touch of Elbow.
therefore, much more humane and considerate than that
received by the Union soldiers in the hands of the Southern
Confederacy.
The troops remaining behind now moved out to the
river, and, while awaiting transportation to Cincinnati and
Covington by rail, took up headquarters at
STEUBENVILLE.
The hospitality which had been so bountifully bestowed
upon all since the beginning of the raid was continued
at this place. We had been a whole month by day and
night traveling through the hot dust of summer, or wallow-
ing in the mud, as was sometimes the case, without oppor-
tunity for a change of clothing or an application of soap
and water. Taking heed of our conditions the citizens of
Steubenville contributed, without stint, shoes, undercloth-
ing, towels and other articles, and opened wide the gates.
In their front yards tables were spread with what, to a
hungry soldier, seemed to embrace the very best of the
good things of this world. But to all this the presence of
young women presiding and anticipating, as they seemed
to do, every wish, added a three-fold charm.
Mr. Joseph Wells, an old resident of the place and a
namesake of the writer, came to our camp one day, intro-
duced himself, and in a conversation that ensued the con-
clusion was reached that a distant relationship between us
existed, whereupon an invitation was extended to visit him
at his home, an aristocratic suburban place on the bluffs.
To this consent was reluctantly given, for, however stout-
hearted one might be in the performance of the duties of
a soldier, the services in which we were then engaged were
not well calculated to give one ease and confidence in the
With Touch of Elbow. 115
drawing-room. But the evening passed off pleasantly and
without serious blunders, as far as I was able to discern,
and when the hour for retiring came the host lighted me
to my chamber. After throwing down the covers and
removing the "shams" (it was an old-fashioned feather
bed), he wished me good night and pleasant dreams and
retired from the room. After assuring myself that the
door was closed and my movements would no longer be
observed, I approached the bed with its spotless linen
covers in some trepidation, and, pressing downward from
the top, my arm sank into its billowy folds up to my
shoulder. A pile of rocks or rails to keep from the water
beneath, and a poncho to ward off the descending moisture
had often been my bed and only shelter for weeks and
months, and it occurred to me I would never be able to
adapt myself to a bed like the one before me and obtain a
night's rest. But not wishing to arouse the suspicion of
my hospitable friends, or in any manner shock their sense
of propriety, I undressed, jumped in and immediately sank
out of sight; but after rolling over a couple of times to
"muss it up," I arose, and, taking one of the covers,
spread it on the carpet, and with my coat for a pillow
laid quietly down and slept soundly till morning.
During our stay at Steubenville the farmers from the
outlying districts through which the troops had passed
came pouring in to air their grievances and ask for com-
pensation for property taken from them "for the good
of the service." Others, more grateful, came with their
wives and daughters to meet and thank the soldiers for the
great deliverance wrought by them. One old farmer, a
German, with his daughter (a girl about seventeen years
old, having a carroty complexion and one of those peculiar
female figures in which it is difficult to tell where the
n6 With Touch of Elbow.
waist begins and leaves off), understanding these jolly
soldiers were also bachelors, proposed to make a supreme
sacrifice on the altar of his adopted country and turn his
only daughter over "to wife" to any one of them, should
he wish to embrace the opportunity. There being no
great rivalry apparent in coming forward to take advan-
tage of his generous offer, the father himself finally settled
upon a modest officer as being the one, in his judgment,
well suited for the hand of his daughter. So without con-
sulting the feelings of the officer in question, he led the
girl up, and, placing her hand in that of the man of his
choice (holding the two together with the grip of a lion),
he said: "Got bless you, mein schilderns, I geef her to
you, ain't it?" The young officer, blushing and in a halt-
ing voice tried to explain that he did not care for another
matrimonial venture, and it was with the greatest difficulty
he finally convinced the old gentleman that he already
had a wife and children at home.
A sufficient number of cars having been obtained to
accommodate the troops in waiting, a train was made up
in two sections and started for Cincinnati. There still
being no Government rations in sight, a small town through
which the soldiers were to pass was asked by telegraph if
it -could furnish a luncheon, naming the number of men
in one section of the train, and the adjoining town, a short
distance beyond, was requested to feed as many more.
Assurance was given in each case that a sufficient amount
of provisions would be forthcoming, and on our arrival
at the first station the people were out en masse, with
more than enough rations to feed the entire command, and
the soldiers of both sections, after filling themselves to
repletion, were urged to take more.
Eeluctantly bidding these people good-bye, the next town
With Touch of Elbow. 117
was soon reached, when lo ! and behold ! the entire plat-
form extending around the railroad station was loaded
with good things to eat. But alas! the hungry men who
sought the board at Station No. 1, where, oh where, were
they? Every effort to bring them up at the extemporized
tables failed. They could no longer be held in rank, and
the people, it was plain to be seen, were sorely disap-
pointed. Handsome young women who had prepared the
tempting dishes besought the men to "just bite off one
little piece." It is a poor soldier who would not undertake
to "bite off" a piece under such an appeal as that, and
they did. With spasmodic efforts at swallowing they
sampled the dishes, taking in the whole line, until merci-
fully relieved by the sound of the whistle and the cry of
"all aboard."
All through the rural districts, as well as in the towns
and cities, from Steubenville to Cincinnati, the people
turned out by the roadside and cheered as we passed.
Licensed to do about as they pleased, the men were all
over the train, on the cow-catcher, in the engine cab and
on top of the cars. Among them were mechanics and en-
gineers, and often a soldier could be seen at the throttle
or the brakes. They were now thoroughly rested from
their fatiguing marches, and although soon to return to
a field where the reception given by the people would
more likely be of the kind to welcome them to "hospitable
graves," rather then to tables spread with all the luxuries
of the culinary art, they were as full of good cheer as
their stomachs were of fried chicken, and they took a
lively interest in every passing event.
A big Irish sergeant who, in some way on the raid, had
secured or captured a rebel guidon, would stand on top
of the car and wave it before the admiring throngs, as an
us With Touch of Elbow.
evidence of his prowess. One day, the train going at the
rate of thirty miles an hour, had just passed a crowd of
people, when the sergeant turning his hack to the front
of the train, and facing the rear, in order to hold the at-
tention of the people as long as possible, waving his cap-
tured flag and gesticulating as he did so, did not heed the
warning of a "low bridge," given by a loose netting sus-
pended over the track for that purpose. The train dashed
on and in a moment the back of the sergeant's head came
in collision with one of the timbers of the bridge, which
threw him flat, and apparently lifeless, on the deck of the
car. At the next station he was carried off, still insensible,
and there left with a detail of two men to stand by, and
give him a decent burial, if such service be required, as
all believed the case would be. In course of time Cincin-
nati was reached, then Covington and Nicholasville, where
we had been but a short time, when the big sergeant, to
the astonishment of all, appeared one day, still carrying
the guidon, and looking fresh and rosy as ever.
While stooping over from the top of a car to speak to
some one (the train being in motion) my wallet dropped
from the side pocket of my coat to the ground. It opened
as it fell, scattering the contents, which were the photo-
graphs of my mother and sister, some postage stamps, and
trinkets valuable to me if to no one else, and a letter or
two, the superscription of which would reveal my name,
rank and regiment, to anyone who might chance to pick
them up. I watched them with a sigh as they fluttered
a moment in the air and then sank out of sight, not expect-
ing ever to see them again. But it is the unexpected that
happens in time of war as well as in peace. It was now
about the first of August and in the September following
I was made a prisoner in East Tennessee and carried first
With Touch of Elbow. 119
to Atlanta and then to Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia.
During the time of confinement in the latter place a
package addressed to me came to the regiment which,
later on, proved to be the lost pocketbook with contents.
The package, in addition, contained a letter from the
young girl who had found it near the spot where it had
fallen from my pocket, as above described.
Eight months had passed before my return to the regi-
ment after the capture, and, meantime, the package had
been delivered to John McCreary, a soldier in my com-
pany, who, on leave of absence, had gone home, thinking
to deliver it to me there, as the tunneling from Libby,
with the names of those who escaped had already become
current. But as I reached home, McCreary had returned
to the regiment carrying the package with him; and, to
end a story already too long, I did not recover the pack-
age for more than a year from the time of its loss. These
circumstances are related here because of the relation-
ship which they bear to another occurrence to be related
a little further on in the progress of these memoirs.
Later in August our cavalry took the advance of Burn-
side's army
FROM KENTUCKY INTO EAST TENNESSEE.
Upon Lincoln's first call for volunteers to aid in up-
holding the Constitution and the laws, the governors of
the several border slave-holding States treated the appeal
with contempt; replying in effect, that not a man or a
dollar would ever be contributed by them to aid the
Federal authorities in a proposed effort to coerce the six
Southern States already in insurrection, viz.: South
Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and
120
With Touch of Elbow.
Texas. But in the light of history, the doughty governors
of the border States either did not have a just conception
of the national spirit that animated the breasts of a very
large proportion of the citizens of their commonwealths,
or they were then undertaking to run a "high bluff" as
opposed to the will of their own people, and against the
constituted authorities.
It is a fact, but little understood at this time, that the
slave-holding States/ so misrepresented by their respective
governors at the outbreak of hostilities, contributed, before
the close of the war that followed in consequence of the
rebellion, 300,000 men, who freely offered their services
and their lives in defense of the Union and the flag they
loved so well. Not only this, but these loyal Southerners,
before entering the lists, were compelled to face the most
galling contumely and proscription among the neighbors
of a lifetime; and often their own family circles were dis-
rupted and torn asunder.
It is not disputed at this time but that the men of the
South who espoused the cause of secession were actuated
by what they conceived to be the right; but if these worthy
motives are conceded to them, they assuredly should do
no less than grant the same liberal concession to those of
their old friends and neighbors who took up the gage of
battle in defense of the Union.
Out of the vast number of Southern men who thus con-
tended, 39,508 laid down their lives, and their bones are
left to enrich the soil that gave them birth, and upon which
their young manhood was nurtured and sustained. Gov-
ernor Magoffin, of Kentucky, in replying to Mr. Lincoln's
first call for troops, April 15th, said : "I say emphatically
Kentucky will furnish no troops for the wicked purpose
of subduing her sister Southern States." But, strange as
With Touch of Elbow. 121
it may seem, among the loyal sons of the South who
attested their faith in a united country Kentucky sent
75,760 into the field, and 10,774 of these sealed their faith
in death. Governor Harris, of Tennessee, replied, April
18th: "Tennessee will not furnish a single man for
coercion, but 50,000, if necessary, for the defense of our
rights." But shut in by mountain ranges and surrounded
on every side by the hosts of treason, the sparsely popu-
lated State of Tennessee enrolled 31,772 of her sons in
the Union ranks, and before peace had spread her soft
mantle over their picturesque hills 6,779 had perished, and
their names are found on the scroll of the nation's honored
dead.
In all of the original seceding States, indeed, in every
Southern State, there were loyal men who openly espoused
the cause of the Union and enrolled themselves in the
ranks of her army. These are facts that should be better
understood, not for the purpose of keeping alive any ani-
mosities that may have existed prejudicial to these men
among their own people, but rather that their names at
last may be handed down with other heroes; for, in the
belief of this writer, the time is not far distant when the
loyal South will honor by the erection of monumental
piles the memory of her brave sons who wore the blue, as
well as those who wore the gray.
We now had with us a number of Tennesseeans, who
had fled from their homes and joined our ranks in Ken-
tucky. Many of them were born and raised in the Cum-
berland Mountains, and for Union proclivities had been
compelled to leave their native State and seek safety in
a more congenial clime, and also that they might find an
opportunity to enroll their names in a cause dear to them
as life itself. Though uneducated and ignorant of the
122
With Touch of Elbow.
world as many were, their loyalty to the Government was
strong as that which bound them to their homes and kin-
dred. It sometimes happened our march led past the doors
where many of these men first saw the light of day, and
where their happy childhood had been spent. The mothers,
sisters, wives and sweethearts often came out along the
road for an opportunity to embrace and say good-bye to
their sons and brothers, perhaps for the last time. But
our march was hurried and the orders to keep an unbroken
rank were strict. Frequently, however, when coming to a
halt an opportunity was given for these last most affecting
salutations. On one occasion an old mother, after having
embraced her boy, dropped on her knees in the attitude of
prayer. "That's right, mother/' said the son, as he
mounted his horse and rode off. "You do the praying
and I'll do the fighting." But the prison pens of the
South were yearning for these loyal men, so many of whom
never saw their homes again.
Descending into the more populous valleys, our troops
were often greeted with cheers and shouts for the army
and for the Union. At Athens, on the Cumberland River,
an American flag, just "unearthed" from a feather bed,
where it had been secreted since the war began, was
stretched across the street in honor of our coming, and
the troops marched proudly under its folds.
Having scouted the country throughout East Tennessee
for a month or more, a small brigade consisting of one
thousand men of the 8th Michigan and 1st East Tennessee
Cavalry, with two pieces of artillery, commanded by Col-
onel E. K. Byrd, of the 1st East Tennessee, were en-
camped a few days at Calhoun, on the Hiwassee River,
watching the movements of the enemy from the direction
of Chattanooga. From the 19th to the 23d of September
With Touch of Elbow. 123
we lay there nervously and anxiously listening to the
distant rumble of their big guns, while the contending
armies of the North and South were in a fierce grapple for
the mastery at Chickamauga. The great battle having
been fought, there was reason to believe some decisive
movement would follow soon, but we were somewhat sur-
prised on the morning of the 26th, when a party of our
scouts, coming in from the South, brought the intelligence
that a large force of the enemy was rapidly approaching
from the direction of Chattanooga, led by
GENERAL N. B. FOREST.
His was a name more likely to strike terror to the heart
of a Yankee soldier taken by surprise than any other in
the Southern Confederacy, for Forest was a very daring
and successful cavalryman.
The writer at this time was in command of a company,
but early that morning, before receiving the news of the
threatened attack, had reported on the sick list. Thus,
being excused from duty by the brigade surgeon, his men,
under command of another officer, had gone out to take
their turn in the daily routine of picket duty. This state-
ment is made to show how it happened just then he was
without a command. It also explains the circumstances
that soon after led the writer unwittingly into the diffi-
culties that are made the theme of the ensuing chapter.
So, not wishing to retire with the wagon train and ambu-
lance, which had been put in motion to the rear on the
first sound of alarm, taking up a Spencer rifle lying idly
in the quarters, I determined to learn more than the
knowledge already gained of the real duty of "the man
behind the gun."
With Touch of Elbow.
By this time the dust raised by the enemy's column
could be seen over the tops of the timber, winding its
course among the hills, and rapidly drawing near. Colonel
Byrd, like all East Tennesseeans in the Union Army, had
a supreme dread of capture, as indeed he had reason to
be; for as prisoners of war they were often subjected to
great indignities by their Southern captors, and were
sometimes shot or hung with but little ceremony. So,
while making hasty preparations for a spirited defense,
Colonel Byrd was heard to remark: "If those fellows
catch me, by the Eternal, they'll hang me." With this
added danger threatening, it is not surprising that in pre-
paring for battle he also looked well to the avenues of
escape. From the encampment of the Union troops
(which was in the edge of a strip of timber on an elevated
plateau) there was a descending plain, about a mile in
extent, to the village of Calhoun and the river, on the op-
posite or southwesterly side of which another mile of open
ground intervened to the timber beyond. Out of this the
enemy now began to pour in column of fours, looking like
some great monster emerging from its lair among the
wooded hills. They rode boldly out on the open plain,
without apparent regard for our battery, which had
already opened fire, and was doing some pretty effective
work, as we could plainly see, when a shot now and then
threw up the dust under their line, causing the horses to
rear and plunge, temporarily breaking the ranks. But
immediately closing up, they galloped out of sight, soon
reaching the cover of a high hill directly in the rear of
Calhoun, and less than half a mile distant from the river.
On the summit of the hill was a dismantled earthworks
that had previously been abandoned by the enemy. In an
incredibly short space of time, dismounted men were seen
With Touch of Elbow. 125
at the top of this hill, the foremost of whom, after reach-
ing the summit, sprang upon the works and greeted us
with the old rebel yell; but a volley from our Spencer
rifles at a half mile range caused them as quickly to dis-
appear. A few minutes later, a battery of Rodman guns
planted in the old works, belched forth a defiance more
terrifying than the triumphant shouts of the Johnnies,
for at the very first round two shots plumped down in the
midst of our horses, now saddled and standing just in rear
of the camp, ready for a hasty move in any direction.
Our only hope now was to check the enemy's progress
at the river and if possible prevent their crossing. The
outlying pickets had already been drawn in, and every
available man was hurried on foot to the river. Being
independent of a command, I concluded to ride a horse
down to the front to be the better prepared for an emer-
gency in case of
A GENERAL RETREAT.
A servant belonging to that numerous family of
"Washingtons" found among the colored race in the South
(so many of whose male members are christened "George")
was taken along to the village and left in care of the
horse behind a brick building, with strict injunctions to
remain there until called for. The village of Calhoun,
while halting between two opinions (on the subject of the
war the inhabitants were about equally divided) found it-
self literally between two fires. For both batteries were
now playing over the housetops, a shot from either side
occasionally clipping the roof or chimney stacks of some of
the highest buildings.
Falling in with one of the companies of my regiment,
With Touch of Elbow.
we took up a position in a stockade of upright timbers
driven into the ground along the bank of the river. The
enemy already occupied the basements of the buildings
within hailing distance on the opposite banks, and a con-
test of sharp shooting at once began with deadly intent
and purpose on both sides. Toward every opening from
which the flash of a gun, hat, or any part or appearance of
a man's anatomy could be seen, the shots were directed.
Becoming so much engrossed with this work, I paid no at-
tention to an order coming about this time to retire, but
kept on firing until, looking around, I found myself en-
tirely alone. Remembering the horse nearby in charge of
my faithful "George," I took no especial concern at this,
believing when thus mounted I could overtake the troops
that were on foot, in a very short time, and so run no more
risk than those who had left earlier in the contest. But
imagine my surprise and disappointment, on reaching the
building, behind which it was expected my horse would be
found, rearing and plunging, impatient for the hand of
his master, to find that both horse and groom had already
decamped. The reason for George's early departure was
soon made apparent, for on looking farther I saw where
a shot from the enemy's battery had passed through the
roof beneath which he had been left in supposed security;
and being thus showered with the spray of broken
shingles, mixed now and then with pieces of brick, doubt-
less proved too much for George's patriotism, and he at
once showed a clean pair of heels, as well as the tail of a
good horse, to the enemy.
A further surprise now greeted me on seeing so many
of the men we were shooting at a few minutes before
across the river scurrying through the streets of Calhoun,
ell apparently in a very sound and healthy condition, and
With Touch of Elbow. 127
I concluded, without further delay, to imitate the example
set by George, and take to the rear as rapidly as possible.
From the friendly shelter of scattering houses 1 soon had
to appear in the open field, in plain sight of the enemy,
who already occupied the town in large numbers.
I now sought the protection of the railroad track which
ran near our camp, but on approaching the higher ground,
the embankment, or fill of the road grew less, and soon, in
order to keep under cover, I was compelled to drop to my
knees, in this manner hoping to
MAKE GOOD MY ESCAPE.
On reaching the encampment another disappointment
awaited me; for, save now and then a horse still hitched
and unclaimed, the place was deserted. A general retreat
had taken place, and shot from the enemy's battery still
crashing through the timber added to my discomfort. No
time was lost, however, in reaching a horse standing
hitched to a tree near by, and jumping wildly from side
to side at the end of a halter. Taking out my knife I cut
the hitching strap which was drawn very tight, and when
in the act of mounting, a shell bursting somewhere in
close proximity sent a fragment weighing about three
pounds against the tree from which the horse had just
been freed, and glancing off it struck me on the instep,
causing a painful sore soon after. My new-found treasure
in the shape of a horse, while by no means an "Arabian/ 5
rose at once to the occasion, and giving him a free rein
and spur, together we sped away up the road through the
timber; both apparently anxious to pass over and beyond
the divide, out of range of shot and shell that continued
to follow like a Nemesis.
128 With Touch of Elbow.
On attempting to place my feet in the stirrups the
straps were found to be too short, and when the difficult
feat was accomplished, my knees were in close proximity
to my chin. But not being out for inspection or on dress
parade, I took little note of this, and continued to urge
my horse to the limit of his speed. We soon passed over
the ridge down into the valley at a point where I had
hoped to be out of range, but on reaching the intersection
of the highway with the railroad, I saw the trunk of a
man's body whose head had been carried away by a can-
non shot, and concluding we were not yet altogether safe,
urged my faithful little animal to still greater effort.
Soon coming into a cloud of dust, I was somewhat alarmed
by the cry of "Halt" that rang out a short distance ahead,
and reining up found myself within fifty yards of the rear
guard of our retreating troops. They had formed across
the road awaiting the approach of the enemy, and com-
pletely hidden by the dust, which hung like a cloud for a
long distance just above the ground, within the radius of
the skirting timber. I had come near receiving a volley
from our own troops. What added pleasure to this meet-
ing, however, was finding here my horse, which had been
recognized by some of my comrades and taken from
George in his flight down the road. George, however,
without unnecessary delay, continued his retreat on foot
and alone. As related by those who saw him, from the
manner in which he took to the timber after being dis-
mounted, it is doubtful when, if ever, he stopped running
long enough to find out the War was over and that he was
free.
We retreated all that day and night, hard pressed for
the most part, the rear being covered in the manner de-
scribed. Forming across the road, hidden by the dust, and
With Touch of Elbow. 129
there waiting until the enemy's advance rode within
range, the rear guard would fire a volley or two, causing
the enemy to halt and deploy, thus giving our men time
to take up a position farther to the rear. These tactics
were followed until night came on, when the enemy was
compelled to advance with greater caution, and we found
some relief from their determined assaults. I stayed with
the rear guard until my stock of ammunition was ex-
hausted, and then rode on in an effort to overtake the
main column, but was unable to come up with them.
After a running fight for a distance of twenty-five miles
in the direction of Loudon, the enemy seemed to have
been pretty well distanced; and about 2 or 3 o'clock in the
morning I was taken desperately ill and soon found it im-
possible to go farther. This was near a little hamlet called
Mouse Creek, where, in company with a half dozen other
men, I went to a hotel kept by a family by the name of
McKee, known to us in our raids through that country
previously as a Union house, or a public place kept by
people friendly to our cause. Two women were its only
occupants at this time, the men belonging to the house,
not already driven from the country, having gone out with
our troops during the night. I now sought this shelter for
a little rest that could no longer be delayed. On being
directed to a room I took my watch and money from my
pocket and crowded them inside the leg of my boot for
greater safety; and then stretching myself upon a bed,
soon fell into a fitful and feverish sleep; and in it had a
dream ("which was not all a dream") in which I was being
mercilessly pursued by the enemy and constantly made a
target for their rifles. Trying to defend myself, the lever
to my repeater failed to throw the cartridges into the
barrel, and when the trigger was pulled there was no recoil
130
With Touch of Elbow.
or report. The gun, seemingly, like myself, had lost its
nerve and fell limp and useless at my feet. In despera-
tion I then tried to run, but my limbs were nerveless as
the gun and failed to execute my will. A stalwart soldier
in gray, bearded, and with fixed bayonet, rushed upon
me. I felt the cold steel entering my breast and then
awoke. On springing to my feet, I found the soldier of
my dream with gun in hand, standing over me. He in-
formed me that I was a prisoner and must go with him,
and on leaving the room found the house surrounded by
an armed guard and all of its inmates prisoners of war.
It was now the 26th day of September and (as if by the
irony of fate) just two months from the day in which I
had participated in the capture of General Morgan in
Columbiana County, Ohio.
From the barefoot condition of many of my captors, I
greatly feared being compelled in the end to
PAET WITH MY BOOTS.
In such an event the watch and money secreted therein
would most likely be discovered and disappear with the
boots, so I took these valuables, when unobserved, from
their temporary hiding place, and without saying a word
handed them to one of the ladies of the house, who chanced
to be standing just behind me. She, seeming to under-
stand, took the watch and money in silence as I had
offered them. I did this believing these loyal women to
be more deserving of my little personal effects than my
captors. The prisoners were soon hurried off up the road
a mile or so beyond the outskirts of the village, where all
went into camp, the Confederates having with them about
125 prisoners, captured that night and the day before.
With Touch of Elbow. 131
At the first opportunity I stretched myself on the ground,
hoping to obtain a little rest and sleep before the march to
the rear was taken up, which must follow soon, for there
was danger of interference by the Federal Infantry at
Loudon, only about twelve miles distant.
The camp having been settled and daylight coming on,
numbers of soldiers came around to take a better look at
the live Yankees captured during the night. For my
own part, I felt more dead than alive, and had I looked as
I felt they would doubtless have carried me off for burial
before the heat of the day came on. No officers being
present at the time, a guard standing near (after looking
long and anxiously, as I thought, at my boots, which were
of a first-class pattern, having high tops with a red border)
ordered me to take them off, saying that he needed just
such a pair in his own business. After glancing at those
he had on I could not well dispute the necessity that urged
him, and under this pressure was compelled, though re-
luctantly, to part with my boots. The soldier meantime
offered his own in return, surely not expecting they could
ever render me any particular service, but doubtless as a
souvenir or memento of the friendly interchange that had
there taken place. This transaction passing off smoothly,
others gathered around, and article after article of my
wardrobe disappeared, "like the baseless fabric of this
vision." They were replaced by others, many of them
curious and misshapen enough. When I finally arose,
togged out in an entirely new uniform, "Solomon in all
his glory" could not have resembled me. The trousers
vouchsafed me were made of green baize, the cloth gener-
ally used for covering billiard tables. Before fairly out of
the dilemma into which I had so unluckily fallen, the
garment in question covered a pair of nether limbs, re-
132 With Touch of Elbow.
duced from what were then fair and manly proportions,
to about the size and dimensions of a billiard cue. So
the trousers in the end seemed not altogether inappro-
priate.
Careful search was made for watch, money or other
valuables about my person, but, finding none, they seemed
to think it a strange circumstance that an officer in the
Yankee army should be found thus destitute. This fact,
doubtless, coupled with their curiosity, led my captors to
revisit the house where the capture took place, and where,
as before stated, I left my watch and money. Possibly
they did this for the purpose of pursuing farther the in-
quiry and search for any valuables I may have left there.
The movement of the prisoners to the rear began that
afternoon about 5 o'clock. With mounted guards on either
side, our march on foot continued all that night and the
days following, until Dallas, Georgia, was reached a dis-
tance of fifty miles. A good portion of this was over the
road that marked the course of our retreat from the
Hiwassee the day and night before. It is pretty severe
on a cavalryman not accustomed to the use of his legs,
even when in good health and abundantly supplied with
rations, to be dismounted and compelled to make a pro-
longed march on foot. Only for the extreme kindness of
a guard near me, who, during the night (when unobserved
by the officers in command), got down from his horse and
permitted me to get into his saddle and ride until thor-
oughly rested, I should have fallen by the way. Some time
the next day we reached the Hiwassee at Calhoun, the
scene of our conflict forty-eight hours before. Having
ourselves destroyed the bridge, we could not well complain
at being compelled to wade the river in water to our arm-
pits.
With Touch of Elbow. 133
Beaching Dalton, we were shipped in open freight cars
to Atlanta, and there confined in a stockade, in common
with about twelve hundred other prisoners, mostly captured
at Chickamauga, and many of them wounded. While the
guards on the way from Dalton to Atlanta had had noth-
ing whatever to do with our capture, they were apparently
getting all the glory for it, for the people were cheering
them on every hand as we passed through the country.
As the train, made up of open freight cars, moved slowly
through the villages or hamlets, women and children -came
out and greeted their soldiers with waving flags and hur-
riedly passed up baskets of fruit and other delicacies to
eat. But often in the hurry they were unable to distin-
guish between guards and prisoners, and thus an oppor-
tunity was given now and then for a modest, unassuming
and half-famished Yankee to accept of a basket of sand-
wiches or a chicken pie. But when a mistake of this kind
was discovered the unhappy donor would spring back as
from some venomous reptile and exclaim, "Ah ! Yankees !"
On reaching Atlanta we fell into the hands of a young
Lieutenant of Home Guards wearing a fancy uniform
that had never been soiled by service in the camp or field,
and doubtless himself had never heard the report of an
enemy's gun. Under a heavy escort he marched us up
and down the principal streets of the city, not so much
apparently to exhibit the prisoners as to show himself and
his uniform to the admiring throngs that lined the pave-
ments. The women were all very curious to see the
"Yankees," and were sometimes saucy and even insulting.
But as a rule the curious crowd remained quiet and offered
no remarks; but one old gentleman approached as we
halted for a time on the street and accosted me as fol-
lows : "Young man, you are in the predicament now that
With Touch of Elbow.
every Yankee will be placed in (if not killed) whoever
dares to set a hostile foot on Georgia soil. The Southern
people can never be conquered. The constant prayer of
our women is that every child born in the coming genera-
tion may be a male, that we may raise up armies to fight
you to the end of time." Although I may not have had
perfect faith in my ability to "make good" just at that
time, yet in answer I ventured the prediction that within
the year I would return to Georgia not, indeed, as a pris-
oner of war, but as one of a victorious army, and that
the American flag would then be waving over the City
Hall at Atlanta and the State Capitol at Milledgeville.
The conversation was here cut short, as we were ordered
to move on, and the old gentleman's contempt at this
prophecy was fairly depicted in his countenance, notwith-
standing he in all probability, as well as myself, lived long
enough to see the prediction a verity.
At the end of two weeks a trainload of prisoners was made
up and started by rail for Eichmond, Virginia, by way of
Augusta, Salisbury, Columbus and Petersburg. On this
journey, which occupied fourteen days, the prisoners were
temporarily quieted and, for a time, were induced to bear
with greater fortitude and resignation the privations in-
cidental to their surroundings which they were compelled
to undergo, by statements made to them to the effect that
as soon as Eichmond was reached all were to be exchanged
or paroled and at once sent home. These statements
proved to be wholly imaginary. Coming up from Peters-
burg, we crossed the long bridge just below Belle Isle, and,
disembarking on the Eichmond side of the James Eiver,
were marched in columns of twos down Gary Street to a
point, as we believed, where the exchange was to take place.
Visions of home and loved ones whom we expected
With Touch of Elbow. 135
soon to meet were uppermost in our minds, and, thus
encouraged, we passed down the streets, incidentally view-
ing the strange sights of the Confederate capital that
Mecca the Union Army had been striving so long to reach.
For my own part I remember to have read many of the
signs over the business places, but only one has been
retained through the long years that have intervened since
that day. As our column halted under a dark and frown-
ing wall of brick and mortar, on looking up, there over
the entrance to a jail-like structure I saw painted on a
board in large black letters these words: "A. Libby &
Sons, Ship Chandlers and Grocers." And immediately the
thought came to me, despite the fair promises made to
us on the journey from Atlanta that an exchange of pris-
oners would take place on our arrival in Richmond, we
had now reached our final destination, and that the build-
ing before us was the notorious Libby Prison of which we
had heard so much, and instinctively the familiar quota-
tion came to my mind: "All hope abandon ye who
enter here."
At the windows, which were barred like those of a jail,
could be seen the wan faces of our friends who had pre-
ceded us. The officers of our party were singled out and
escorted to the office of the "Hotel de Libby," while the
enlisted men were sent to Bell Isle, Castle Thunder and
other places in different parts of the city. After a thor-
ough search for weapons and more valuables, and our
names, rank and regiment had been made a matter of
record, we were escorted up a flight of stairs, at the head
of which was a door secured by ponderous bolts. These
were thrown back, and between the points of two bayonets
in the hands of stalwart soldiers standing on either side
136 With Touch of Elbow.
we passed the dreaded portals and found ourselves at last
secure within the famous
BASTILE OF THE CONFEDERACY.
Our group, on entering, was quickly surrounded by the
old prisoners, all anxious to learn something of the progress
of the war and of their friends in the various commands
to which they belonged, as the information the Confeder-
ates furnished was very meager and exceedingly unreliable.
For the first three months many of the prisoners lay on
the bare floor, with nothing either over or under them,
and only their boots on which to lay their heads at night.
Among the twelve hundred men confined there at the time
(all officers in our service of greater or lesser rank) was
represented almost every trade and profession. Many were
masters of science, art and literature, whose names were
not unknown to fame. There were preachers, painters,
sculptors, orators and poets. Many were the beautiful and
curious designs wrought from beef bones saved for that
purpose after the bones had first been picked to the marrow
by our hungry men.
The pencil and pen sketches, drawn on whatever even
surface might be found, often showed evidence of genius
and a cultivated hand. Among those more or less famous
in music I remember one of the Lumbard family, of
Chicago, at that time celebrated singers of the Northwest,
who led and conducted the musical part of Lincoln's cam-
paign for the Presidency in 1860. General Neal Dow,
the father and founder of the Maine liquor law, treated
us now and then to a temperance lecture, which, in a
practical view, seemed to be quite unnecessary, as food
was very scarce and intoxicating drinks absolutely out of
With Touch of Elbow. 137
the question. Religious services were held quite frequently,
but in an evil hour a minstrel troupe was organized, which
came near swamping religion and all other considerations
for the time being. Any old prisoner will remember the
song of "Johnny Smoker," and how the chorus, "Wizer,
Wizer, Rinctum Bum," was rendered by the minstrel band,
and with what gusto it was received by the whole prison.
The prisoners were constantly hungry, and dreams by
night were filled with visions of home and loved ones, and
tables spread with every conceivable luxury known to the
culinary art ; but on waking in the morning the old sensa-
tion of hunger came back with renewed force. In my
more contrite and submissive moments I remember to have
agreed with myself that if spared to get out of that place
I would never ask or require anything more or better to
eat than bread and butter. Of ten. I wakened in the night
hungry, and, going to the kitchen, scraped and ate the
burned rice from the bottom of the kettles, as they had
been left soaking in water that they might readily be
cleaned for the next hungry installment.
Some of the prisoners were in the habit of lying on the
floor late of mornings, to the annoyance of those who
wished to be up and about. Often an inquest, "super
viscum corporis," was held, and curious and witty epitaphs
were placed at the head, as though the sleeper were a
dear departed friend. Mock funeral services were some-
times observed, and after this ceremony the "remains" were
taken up and, amid great lamentations, carried to some
remote part of the prison for interment. This was often
under the hydrant. These corpses frequently became quite
lively before the ceremonies ended, and the funeral would
then break up in a row.
An armed guard, for the purpose of calling the roll and
138 With Touch of Elbow.
for other reasons, visited the prison daily. Having no
better employment, the prisoners resorted to various strata-
gems to embarrass and mystify the guards. But when
practical jokes became too serious, and those directly re-
sponsible could not be apprehended in any other way, the
authorities would reach the guilty parties by shutting off
the rations of the entire prison for twenty-four hours.
This treatment generally produced results.
In calling the roll, the prisoners in each room separately
had to stand in line four ranks deep. Then a commis-
sioned officer, stepping along in front, would count off the
fours. To puzzle and annoy him, a number of prisoners
standing in the rear rank (after having been so counted),
unobserved by the officer in front, would fall out, and,
slipping through a hole in the partition wall (which had
been dug through for that purpose and screened from
observation), go through into an adjoining room and there
be counted a second time. Thus the authorities gained
from three to half a dozen more men by count than they
had names on their rolls. This also would throw off sus-
picion in case it became necessary at any time to account
for the absence of any member of the tunneling party.
This trick (varying in the numbers to be counted) was
repeated several times. But, unable to make their different
accounts agree, they would finally drive the whole mass
of prisoners into the lower east room for a roll-call by
name. In this position we were packed like sardines in
a box and unable to move. After answering to his name
the prisoner was compelled to move out through the crowd
to the door, and there pass between the points of two
bayonets in the hands of the guards. A man standing in
the back part or near the center of the room, having in
this manner to respond to his name, the very best he could
With Touch of Elbow. 139
do would occupy twenty to thirty minutes in finding his
way through this mass of men to the door.
This operation prevented further mischief for one day,
at least, and in the matter of preserving order had a very
salutary effect.
An event of general interest during the confinement in
Libby, and especially so to me, was the visit of the great
raider, General Morgan, who had, since his capture in
Ohio, escaped from Columbus, and thence found his way
to the Confederate capital, where he was given an ovation
and lionized by the people to the extent that the ladies
at a reception given him (so the local papers stated)
gathered around in great numbers and kissed his hand.
Having had a taste of prison life himself, he made this
tour of inspection in Libby, no doubt, that he might the
better enjoy his own release from the toils, and incidentally,
perhaps, to witness the discomfort of the other fellows
when under the conditions that proved so irksome to him.
Having heard through Confederate sources that he had
been shaven, clothed in stripes and treated as a common
felon at Columbus, I was a little apprehensive he might,
on discovering me as one of his captors, be pleased to see
me placed in like embarrassing circumstances; and, for
this reason did not make myself known to him, otherwise
I should surely have gone forward and congratulated the
General on his good fortune in making the escape. While
to be decorated in the garb of a common felon would have
been humiliating enough, yet I would gladly have ac-
cepted almost any sort of clothing at that time, in lieu of
those I had on, the same presented me by my captors in
East Tennessee.
In Libby the prisoners lived under discipline of their
own, adopted from the military plan, and in this way kept
140 With Touch of Elbow.
themselves in comparative good health. A quartermaster
selected from among the number apportioned the rations
and dealt them out daily. Regular details were made for
policing the quarters, and although compelled to use cold
water with no soap, the floors were mopped every day,
and there was a penalty attached for spitting on the floor.
At our request the room was provided with cuspidors
made of small boxes of wood filled with sawdust. These
self-imposed duties in a great measure relieved the irk-
someness of prison life, and this leads me to say: the
Southern soldier as a prisoner, though provided with bet-
ter quarters and better and more abundant rations than
we, did not seem to fare so well, and to this day he con-
tends that his treatment was even worse. The difference
is easily explained. He lacked the ingenuity to make the
best out of the materials at hand, and the inclination to
help himself. Part of the daily duty of many of our
farm and shop-raised boys before entering the army was
found in the kitchen with their mothers, aiding in the
general household work. Many were accustomed from
childhood to wait on, and in a measure support and shift
for themselves. The Southerner, on the other hand, had
been accustomed to being waited upon, and when it came
to the exigencies of prison life he was not so well pre-
pared as the Northerner, for, under such conditions,
there's something required more than mere bravery. The
inability to take care of himself accounts for a large share
of the discomfort that often attended the Southern soldier
as a prisoner.
The Libby, at the time of which I write, was situated
between Gary and Canal Streets, in the city of Richmond,
Virginia, the capital of the Southern Confederacy. The
width of the building extended one hundred and ten feet
With Touch of Elbow. 141
from one street to the other, its sides running along either
street, 140 feet east and west. It was three stories high
on Gary, with a hasement cellar under the entire building,
making it four stories high on Canal Street. Across the
width of the building, extending from the basement to
the roof, were two partition walls, dividing each floor into
three rooms or apartments of equal size. Our prisoners
at this time occupied the two upper floors, or the six upper
rooms. The rooms were designated as the upper and
lower east rooms, the upper and lower middle rooms, and
the upper and lower west rooms. The middle room on the
first floor below was used for cooking purposes, and was
known as the kitchen. It had three fireplaces in its east
partition wall. This kitchen was the only place in the
building the prisoners had free access to, save the six
rooms spoken of above. The fireplaces were not utilized,
but in front of each one of them were three stoves, the
pipes of which went into the chimney flues, running up-
ward above the fireplaces. The flues did not extend below
this floor, so the partition wall from here down was solid.
The east room on the first floor was used for hospital
purposes; the west room was the office where the prison
officials were quartered, and the basement beneath was
divided into dungeons for the confinement and punish-
ment of unruly prisoners. The doors and windows were
barred like those of a jail. Heavy guards, of course, were
stationed on the outside, so the only hope of escape seemed
to be through
THE TUNNELING PROCESS.
Aside from the effects of hunger, there was a feeling
of unrest among the prisoners which, if yielded to, often
led to serious despondency and even insanity. Plan after
142 With Touch of Elbow.
plan was devised for escape, which upon trial proved to be
impracticable. In the dead hours of the night a few
could be seen prowling around the prison, in the hope
that some means of egress might offer. On dark stormy
nights the guards sometimes came up for temporary
shelter under cover of the prison walls, where, unobserved
by anyone from the outside, they would enter into conver-
sation with the prisoners, often giving expressions of
sympathy. Among them frequently was found a man of
Northern birth, who had been conscripted into the Con-
federate army, and at heart a Unionist. Bribes were
sometimes offered by the prisoners, and taken by the
guards; but attempts to escape by that means generally
resulted in the prisoner being handed over to the authori-
ties, after he had gotten outside and given up his valua-
bles.
At one time a plan was laid for the escape of all the
prisoners in Richmond. There were fifteen or twenty
thousand confined in various parts of the city at the time.
At a preconcerted signal these were to break out, over-
power the guards, take their arms, seize the Tredagar
Iron Works; where, it had been learned from the daily
papers which reached the prison occasionally, there were
enough small arms and ammunition stored to put a
loaded gun into the hands of every prisoner. Successful
thus far, the design was to take possession of the city and
the Confederate Congress then in session (including
President Davis) and hold them until aid could come from
our forces in Virginia. The signal for the outbreak was
fixed; every prison had its special duty assigned, and the
day of the night on which the attempt was to be made
came, when lo! the secret had been revealed by a traitor
in the prison.
With Touch of Elbow. 143
This act of treachery was charged upon Lieutenant
Colonel J. M. Sanderson, of New York, and although no
direct evidence was produced, many threats were made by
the prisoners against his life. Indeed the authorities,
fearing he might be assassinated, took Sanderson out of
the prison and kept him secreted until the excitement died
out. But this only strengthened the suspicion of his guilt,
and in a short time he was exchanged or paroled, and
pending a court martial fled to London.
After this misadventure it was resolved that any new
plan should include only men whose sagacity and fidelity
could be implicitly relied upon. By their continued move-
ments at night the prisoners most desirous of escape
gradually came to know each other and to take counsel
together. In this way a compact association, consisting
of only fifteen men, was formed, when tunneling was
finally decided upon. An effort to go out through a large
sewer was abandoned as impracticable after the loss of
A VAST AMOUNT OF LABOR.
It was then determined to begin in the basement under
the east end of the building, a place familiarly designated
as "rat hell," and tunnel eastward, coming out under a
carriage shed attached to a large building on the opposite
side of the street. From this point the escaping prisoners
could lie screened from observation by the guards, behind
a high board fence extending from the ground to the
roof of the shed, until they found it safe to emerge. The
tunnel was to run under a short cross street reaching from
Canal to Gary Street, at the east end of the prison.
But how was this cellar, which was to form the base of
all tunneling operations, to be reached? The prisoners
i 4 4 With Touch of Elbow.
could not go into the hospital room and thence through
the floor into the cellar, for in this room were nurses and
guards who would at once discover the plan. They could
not go into the basement under the kitchen, for there
were the dungeons for the punishment of offending prison-
ers, and guards on duty all the time. Every step taken
had to be kept a profound secret; not only from the Con-
federate authorities, but from the majority of the prisoners
also, and until access to the cellar could be obtained noth-
ing could be done.
It was finally determined to go behind the stoves in one
of the fireplaces just described, and taking out bricks in
the center, follow the partition wall down below the floor
on which the cook and hospital rooms were located (a dis-
tance of three or four feet) and then break through the
wall into the cellar, thus escaping observation from every
quarter. This was successfully accomplished. Major A.
G. Hamilton, of the llth Kentucky Cavalry, was the
author of this plan, while Thomas E.' Rose, late of the
16th U. S. Infantry, then Colonel of the 77th Pennsyl-
vania Volunteers, was the chief engineer of all tunneling
operations, the originator and leading spirit of the entire
enterprise. The first to propose the plan, and foremost
in the great labor incident to its accomplishment, he was
also first to make the exit through the tunnel, having
gone out into the street the night before the escape took
place to reconnoiter, and returning again to assure his
associates and all who were to be benefited by his daring
example that escape by such means was not only possible
but practicable. And at last, as if by the irony of fate,
when the 109 men had gone out, Colonel Rose among the
number, he was among the first of the recaptured prison-
ers to be brought back and placed in solitary confinement
"
COL. THOMAS E. ROSE, AT THE AGE OF SIXTY.
With Touch of Elbow. 145
for thirty days on a diet of meal and water, as a punish-
ment for his offense.
Thomas Elwood Rose was born March 12th, 1830, in
Bucks county, Pennsylvania. He enlisted as a private
soldier in the three months' service at the outbreak of the
war, and worked his way up to become full Colonel of a
regiment, the 77th Pennsylvania Infantry. After having
rendered the most valuable service through the Civil War,
he was honorably discharged December 6th, 1865, having
been advanced to the rank of Brigadier-General of Volun-
teers, meantime. He commanded the 2d Brigade, 2d Divi-
sion 20th Army Corps at the battle of Liberty Gap. His
command was desperately engaged at the battle of Chicka-
mauga, September 19-20th, 1863, he being captured on
the second day and sent to Libby Prison. After all this
distinguished service, July 1866, Colonel Rose was com-
missioned Captain llth U. S. Infantry, and in that capac-
ity served his Government on the frontier in Indian cam-
paigns to April, 1892 a period of 26 years of faithful
service in the Regular Army without a promotion and
then was raised only to the rank of Major by brevet.
Drawing near the close of his service on account of old
age, he was finally passed to the rank of Lieutenant-
Colonel U. S. Army by brevet, and so was retired at the
age of 64 years, March 12th, 1894. This soldier incom-
parable died November 6th, 1907, at Washington, D. C.
Had such a record been made by a soldier in the French
or British armies, aside from substantial recognition in
the way of promotion, the highest honors within the gift
of those governments would undoubtedly have been be-
stowed, viz.: The Decoration of the Legion of Honor, or
the Victoria Cross.
Returning now to the escape beginning in the fire-
146 With Touch of Elbow.
place, the bricks were removed from the center of the wall,
so as to make an opening wide enough to admit a man's
body. From fifty to seventy-five bricks were taken out.
The work was all accomplished secretly and at night.
After "lights out," or 9 o'clock, at which time everybody
in the prison was supposed to be lying down, two men,
having first quietly removed the bricks, would go down
and take turns with each other in digging throughout the
night. In the meantime, two or three others, detailed for
the purpose, would remain on watch in different parts of
the prison, to ward off eavesdroppers, and be ready to give
the signal and help the two workmen up on the first ap-
proach of day. This accomplished, the bricks were care-
fully replaced, covered over with soot and dirt, which was
always plentiful behind the stoves, and in this condition
the place was left secure from observation until night
came on again. This operation was repeated every night
for more than seven weeks.
The authorities made regular tours of inspection
through the prison every day, while hundreds of prisoners
were in this room and about these stoves, engaged in
cooking from early morning till 9 o'clock at night; and
yet not more than twenty or twenty-five men ever knew
of the work until it was nearly all accomplished. From
the bottom of the cellar an opening was first made
through the stone wall, some four or five feet thick, and
then the work of excavating began. Clam shells and case
knives were the principal tools used, and with these simple
instruments a tunnel sixteen inches in diameter, eight or
nine feet below the surface of the ground and about sixty
feet long was dug.
As the work progressed, difficulty in removing the dirt
from the tunnel was experienced. To overcome this, a
With Touch of Elbow. 147
spittoon from one of the rooms above, a box about eight
inches square and five inches deep, was taken down into
the cellar; and the man digging inside would pull the box
in by means of a cord attached to one side, and after fill-
ing it with dirt, give a signal, when the man in the cellar,
by another string would pull the box out and empty it.
By this wearisome process the whole mass of dirt was
removed.
The back end of the cellar or basement was not used
by the authorities, and was seldom invaded by any person
or thing except rats. It was filled several feet deep with
straw, which had been placed there for hospital purposes,
though not in use at that time.
As the dirt from the tunnel came out, it was spread
evenly over the bottom of the cellar and covered with this
straw, thus concealing it from observation through the
day. The front part of the cellar was used as a store
room, and attaches of the prison were in and out by day,
but seldom, if ever, at night.
When the tunnel had reached a distance of twenty feet,
the air became so foul that one man had to fan the open
mouth while the other was digging. Even then, at times,
a candle would not burn. Yet to dig successfully light
was found to be necessary as well as air. This was ob-
tained by stealthily taking a portion of the candles fur-
nished the various rooms each night.
Those who had been let into the secret of the tunnel
now began to put themselves in readiness for the exodus,
which it was believed would mark the real beginning of
their trials. To harden our limbs and muscles, persistent
and continued walking and other physical exercises were
resorted to. My comrade and myself once walked a dis-
tance of twenty-two miles around the room in a single
148 With Touch of Elbow.
day. Athletic games, such as running, jumping and box-
ing, were also in vogue. A favorite exercise was that of
placing two sticks on end, each within a circle about three
inches in diameter and three feet apart, marked on the
floor at one end of the room. Then two men, starting
evenly from the other end (110 feet distant) would run to
see which could pick up one of the sticks, set it up
squarely on end within another circle near by, and get
back to the starting point first. This was a pretty fair
test of speed, and agility, and proved a valuable exercise.
The rigors of one of the severest winters known to the
history of the country added greatly to the discomfort of
the prisoners at this time. The James River in front of
the prison was frozen over solidly and occupied by skating
parties for days at a time. While watching the skaters
from the upper windows of the prison one day the ice
gave way and five or six young men were precipitated into
the river and drowned. Cries were plainly heard at the
prison, and the people were seen rushing to and fro in a
vain endeavor to rescue the unfortunate victims.
The Confederate authorities, seeing the destitution
among the prisoners, and their suffering from the cold,
finally agreed to a proposition which in the end proved
of great advantage to both. The understanding was that
they would impartially distribute for our use and comfort
any blankets or clothing the Government might send for
that purpose. This was no sooner known at the North
than great boxes and bundles came in filled with the neces-
saries in clothing and delicacies to eat. From this time
forward the general condition of the prisoners was greatly
improved.
While these articles were shipped under the supervision
of the Government, they were in fact made up by the
With Touch of Elbow. 149
Ladies' Sanitary Commission, an organization that extended
throughout the Northern States, maintained for the relief
of the Federal soldiers in the field and very largely sup-
ported by the loyal women of that section. Young and
old contributed alike to its maintenance. Little girls not
yet in their teens added their mite to the general fund.
Well it was for these devoted women that their overbur-
dened hearts found a modicum of relief, while their busy
hands found employment in the preparation of lint and
bandages, blankets, socks, shirts and underclothing for the
sick and wounded and destitute soldier in the camp, in
the field and in the prison pen.
In the main the agreement was fairly carried out on
the part of the Confederates, but in time these good things
came in such quantities that their own soldiers (none too
well provided for themselves) began quietly to open the
boxes and appropriate such articles as struck their fancy
most. So the guards about the prison and many Con-
federate soldiers on the streets were soon sporting Yankee
uniforms. However, "It is an ill wind that does not blow
good to some one/' as will be seen further on in the story
of an overcoat and
A NICE PAIR OF STOCKINGS.
Among other things received from the sanitary fund
was a pair of woolen socks such as "mother used to knit."
On putting them on, something was discovered in the toe
of one of them. Upon investigation it proved to be a
note written in a delicate female hand by a young lady
residing in the city of Philadelphia, who had herself so
the note informed me knit the socks, and she took the
means of inviting the soldier into whose hands, or upon
With Touch of Elbow.
whose feet, the socks might luckily fall, to write her a
letter in acknowledgment. It is unnecessary, perhaps, to
add that I complied with her request, and that upon this a
correspondence ensued. But, alas ! our letters had to pass
the unsympathetic eye of the prison censor before delight-
ing the senses of the one for whom they were especially
written. If, however, the censor viewed them as I did,
certainly no adverse criticism could arise, for "love/' they
say, "is blind/' In the course of time the young lady's
picture was received, and with it an invitation to visit her
at her home in Philadelphia. But owing to the close
proximity of soldiers on guard from without, and bolts
and bars within, my movements were somewhat circum-
scribed, and, however ardent may have been my desire, I
was unable to comply with the young lady's request. It
has been said that "love laughs at locksmiths," but in this
case it was different. You couldn't well vanquish a stal-
wart rebel on guard by laughing at him. But what has
ever since been a source of deep regret, in the hurry and
excitement of the escape that followed soon, I lost the
young lady's letters and her picture, and the fortunes of
war caused our paths to diverge; but her memory, God
bless her, in the kindly act through which our brief
acquaintance began, is green in my heart to-day.
Aside from a cavalryman's overcoat and other articles
of clothing I drew from these supplies, there came from
home a large box of delicacies and extra clothing, made up
by the deft and loving hands of my mother and sister. If
it were possible the value of these precious things could
in any manner have been enhanced it would arise from the
fact that many of them were contributed by the girls in
the town in which my mother lived and where I had pre-
viously gone to school.
With Touch of Elbow. 151
But I was still nearly barefooted and destitute of a hat,
and, before the escape could be undertaken, must have a
suitable covering for
BOTH HEAD AND FEET,
For a long time my eyes were on a pair of boots belong-
ing to Lieutenant Mead, of a Union Kentucky regiment,
and I had often tried to negotiate a deal for them, offer-
ing Mead many of the choicest things that came in my
box for his boots. But Mead, who was not in the secret
of the tunnel and knew nothing of the special purpose for
which the boots were wanted, was inexorable. I had often
tried them on to show how well they fitted me, even better,
I thought, than they fitted Mead. But in fact I had
already begun to consider the boots mine, for when the
night came for the escape I lay down by his side, ostensibly
for a night's rest, though the thought of sleep was never
farther from my mind. But I had not long to wait.
Within an hour Mead was wrapped in profound slumber,
when I quietly pulled on the boots, and, like the Arab,
"folded my tent and silently stole away."
Still the head needed protection as well as the feet, and,
in passing out among my sleeping comrades, I stumbled
upon a hat which later proved to be the property of Lieu-
tenant Thomas H. McKee, of the 1st West Virginia Kegi-
ment, who nightly shared the luxuries of the floor with
me in that immediate neighborhood. Without compunc-
tion or unnecessary ceremony, I placed the hat where it
would do the most good for the present, and proceeded on
my way, afterward learning, to my regret, that McKee
was sick that night, and in consequence unable to partici-
pate in the escape. What will serve as a sequel to the
story of the hat and boots will appear later on.
153 With Touch of Elbow.
There was no way of judging the distance across the
street over which the tunnel ran, save as the ground was
measured by the eye from the windows above. So when
the digging had proceeded far enough, as was believed, to
reach the carriage shed, it was thought best by those in
charge to prospect by means of a small hole running up-
ward for the purpose. This opening was made at an angle
of about forty-five degrees.
A short time before some workmen had been employed
making repairs and strengthening the doors and windows.
It was their custom to leave their tools in the prison over
night. So, improving that opportunity, an auger and
chisel were stolen from the carpenters' outfit and carried
down into the cellar for use in that quarter, and these
tools, originally designed for fastening our chains, did
good service in forwarding the escape. The chisel was the
principal tool in use the night the prospecting hole was
made. The man engaged in digging was reaching ahead
into a small opening, letting the dirt rattle back down the
inclined plane, when suddenly the chisel went out through
the surface at a point in the full glare of a street lamp,
and not more than ten or twelve paces from where a
sentinel walked. The noise made by the chisel was heard
by a guard, who asked another near by if he had heard
any unusual noise, and, replying in the affirmative, the
other said: "It is nothing but rats." Upon this both
guards walked on. Their conversation was plainly over-
heard by the real "rat" under the ground but a few feet
away. The hole was then stopped up with little stones,
an old trousers leg stuffed with dirt and whatever material
could be utilized for the purpose, and the main tunnel then
went on some ten or fifteen feet farther. The plan was
wisely adopted to let as many prisoners into the secret
With Touch of Elbow. 153
when the work was completed as could well get out in a
single night, and then, by leaving someone behind to cover
up the excavations in the walls, prevent the discovery of
the tunnel, so that eventually others might escape, by the
same means,
FEOM LIBBY TO LIBERTY.
Accordingly, on the night of the 9th of February, 1864,
everything being in readiness, about two hundred men,
who at this time had been taken into the secret, were
assembled in the cook room after 9 o'clock, ready to take
the desperate chance of escape. This was a trying moment.
The digging of the tunnel had been a gigantic under-
taking, accompanied with great anxiety, hardship and
privation; and, completed at last, it only opened the way
to dangers no man could forecast.
Aside from Colonel Rose, one of the first to take ad-
vantage of the exodus was Colonel A. D. Streight, of the
51st Indiana, who was being held by the Confederates as
a hostage, and, according to the report of the escape as
given by the Richmond Dispatch, printed elsewhere, "a
notorious character charged with having raised a negro
regiment." Streight, it was thought by the prisoners, was
being unnecessarily persecuted by the Confederates, and,
for a portion of the time at least, during the process of
the tunneling was confined in one of the dungeons; but,
having been released and returned to the rooms above just
before the escape, he was made one of the first to go
through the tunnel, and, with two or three other officers,
was secreted and cared for in Richmond for a week or
more by Miss Bettie Vanlew, finally making good his
escape. This lady, after the surrender, was appointed
postmistress of Richmond by President Grant in considera-
154 With Touch of Elbow.
tion of her kindness to the Union prisoners. Although it
soon after was known that she had performed this act of
loyalty to the Union cause, it is believed she was never in
any way disturbed by the people of Richmond.
Some fifteen or twenty had gone down through the hole
in the wall into the cellar, and my turn had just come,
when a noise at the outside door caused a report to be
circulated to the effect that those who had already passed
through the tunnel had been captured and that the guards
were coming in to take the whole party in arrest. This
was made the signal for a general stampede across the
room, a distance of one hundred and ten feet, to the
stairway in the corner leading up to the rooms where the
prisoners belonged. My partner, who was equipped with
a haversack containing a scant supply of rations saved for
the occasion and a map of the country, which together we
had drawn up with a pencil, ran back with the crowd. I
remained behind the stoves and reflected a minute, and,
listening at the door, could hear no one coming in. "And
if they do," I thought, "they know nothing of this hole
and nothing of the tunnel, and anyhow I may just as well
go down and out, it can be no worse for me." Accord-
ingly, down through the hole in the wall I went, without
any thought of the obligation I was under to the Con-
federacy for six months' board and lodging.
On reaching the tunnel I found Lieutenant A. P. White,
of Erie, Pennsylvania, just going in. He said: "Wells,
I will wait for you at the shed/' I remained at the open-
ing until he made his way through, for on account of
foul air it was dangerous for more than one person to
enter the tunnel at a time. I was soon through, dragging
my overcoat on my legs with one hand behind me, the
other being ahead, and found on emerging that White
With Touch of Elbow. 155
had gone and that I was alone. Stretching myself up at
full length I breathed the fresh air for the first time in
six long months. After standing so long on the hard floor
the soft ground under my feet was noticeable at once, and
involuntarily I looked overhead and about me, as if to
assure myself that it was not all a dream. My determina-
tion to accomplish what had thus been undertaken was
still strong and I resolved to push on, and by continued
efforts realize the benefits of the labors already performed
or perish in the attempt. Every nerve was strung to the
highest tension, all fear had vanished and my senses were
alert and quick as those of a wild animal.
From the shed we had to pass through a gate which
opened on Canal Street. Along this street, to within ten
steps of the gate, a sentinel walked, who, on reaching the
end of his beat, would face about and go a distance of
forty paces the other way. Taking advantage of the time
when his back was turned the prisoners would open the
gate, and, stepping out on Canal Street, pass out of sight.
In this manner all emerged from the shed, one by one, or
sometimes in parties of two or three, as the case might be.
It would have been very injudicious to have formed larger
parties. The alarm causing the prisoners to stampede
from the cook room proved to be a false one, and that night
one hundred and nine men got out, it being daylight, how-
ever, when the last one reached the shed. Among this
number was my partner, but after four days of ceaseless
endeavor he was recaptured. Of the whole number who
went through the tunnel only forty-three were successful
in reaching the Federal lines; all others were eventually
overtaken, carried back and placed in the dungeons below.
Watching my opportunity, I slipped out in the manner
just described and walked two squares eastward on Canal
156 With Touch of Elbow.
Street. I had no fixed plan for getting out of the city,
but was guided wholly by impulse and by circumstances
as presented, though my general purpose was by some
means, if possible, to place the Chickahominy River (which
to the northward is not more than six miles distant from
Richmond) between myself and my pursuers that night.
The especial object in so doing was to baffle any pursuit
that might be made with dogs, for, though at liberty, I
was
NOT YET FREE.
The Federal uniform and overcoat I wore was rather an
advantage than otherwise, for the Confederate soldiers,
as stated elsewhere, had appropriated clothing sent by our
Government and were then commonly wearing our over-
coats on the streets. After reaching the borders of the
city, beyond the street lamps, I took the center of the road
and made my way as quietly and rapidly as possible, but
soon discovered a light in front. Dropping upon the
ground and watching closely I saw a sentinel pass the
light with musket at a right shoulder. The place I took
to be a guardhouse or perhaps a hospital. Then creeping
on my hands and knees some distance around, thus flanked
the light and the sentinel, and soon after came to the
fortifications around the city. Here there was great danger
and difficulty in eluding detection and arrest. On these
fortifications were large siege guns in position and sentinels
mounted on the parapets. For more than an hour I felt
my way along, never standing at full height, and most of
the time on my hands and knees. This caution and perse-
verance brought me safely out upon an open plain, far
beyond the city and its defenses.
Opining to a thicket of brush on low bottom land, cov-
With Touch of Elbow. 157
ered here and there with water, I believed myself near the
Chickahominy. To test this fact I crawled out on some
flood wood over the body of water, and, breaking off a
large piece of light-colored bark, threw it in. In a few
minutes I had the pleasure of seeing the bark move away
with the current of the stream, and without delay proceeded
to place the Chickahominy between myself and Richmond.
In doing this, however, I was compelled to wade in water
and mud waist deep.
The uplands on the northern banks were barely reached,
however, when daylight came on, and I at once sought a
hiding place by crawling inside an old enclosure which
had grown up to a dense thicket of laurel. As daylight
came on I could hear the voices of Confederate soldiers
encamped near the river a half mile away. About 9 o'clock
A. M. a company of cavalry, some twenty or thirty in
number, came up the road from the camp, and, rising to
my feet, I could see their heads as they passed on the
gallop, not more than two hundred yards distant.
These, as I readily divined, were in pursuit of escaped
prisoners, for that morning at the accustomed roll-call
one hundred and nine failed to answer to their names. It
appears that Confederate cavalry, infantry and trained
dogs were at once brought into requisition to hunt down
the fugitives. A rigorous search was also instituted by
the authorities to discover, if possible, the means through
which the exodus was made. But some of the prisoners
remaining behind, in accordance with a previous arrange-
ment, took the precaution to stop up the places of egress,
and at the same time pried off a bar from a window and
hung out a rope, made by tying together strips of blankets.
This ruse led the authorities to suppose the escape had
been accomplished by going out through the window, hav-
i 5 8 With Touch of Elbow.
ing first bribed the guards. In this, of course, they were
deceived, and the guards and officers on duty were arrested
and sent to the guardhouse, all the while protesting their
innocence. Search was made throughout the day, but it
was not until nearly nightfall that a colored boy, chancing
to go into the shed, discovered the hole where the prisoners
had emerged. But the Confederates did not learn by what
means the prisoners reached the cellar for many months
thereafter.
My hiding place for the day was on a gentle slope at the
lower side of which was a spring where some colored
women came to do washing. At times I could understand
their conversation, and as the cavalry passed up the road,
I heard them say something about "de Yankee pris'ners."
Chickens and hogs came about through the day, all seem-
ing to view me suspiciously, the hogs especially. These
would dash away with a loud boo-a-boo, after looking at
me intently for a moment. This noise made me a little
nervous, as it increased the chances of my discovery and
capture.
Night again coming down, after first taking an obser-
vation, I moved on, and presently came to a road which I
ventured to follow for a short distance, before turning into
the brush again. In passing, I noticed some saw logs, and
it occurred to me there must be a mill not far off. Soon,
at a point where the road forked, I saw a man coming
toward me, and believing that everybody must by this
time be up in arms about the escape, this gave me great
anxiety. But knowing it would not do to show signs of
hesitation or fear, I accosted the unwelcome stranger at
once and said: "Good evening, sir, can you tell me which
of these roads leads to the mill?" Of course I was making
-a blind guess as I had no positive knowledge of the exist-
With Touch of Elbow. 159
ence of a "mill" in that neighborhood. He said, "To
Game's mill?" and I answered, "Yes," and then told him
I had an uncle living down there somewhere, by the name
of Jackson, and asked if he knew any member of that
family. He said he thought there was a Henry Jackson
not far from the mill, and I assured him that "Henry"
was my "uncle" and the very man I was looking for; and
then told him I belonged to the 1st Virginia Infantry, and
had obtained a furlough for a few days for the purpose of
paying my relatives a visit. Thanking him kindly I hur-
ried on, without further inquiry as to the whereabouts of
my Uncle Henry.
Toward morning, I came to a cross roads where there
was a mile-post and fingerboard. I climbed the post, and
holding on by one hand with the other struck a match.
On the board was an index finger pointing nearly in the
direction I had been traveling for the past two hours,
and beneath it the words, "Twelve miles to Eichmond."
So for nearly two hours I must have been going in the
direction of Richmond instead of away from it. I had
then been out the greater part of two nights and made
but twelve miles on my journey. By this time hunger,
fatigue and loss of sleep were closing in upon me with a
deathlike grip. I pushed on however, though from sheer
exhaustion often stumbled and fell to the ground. In
going through an open woodland I unexpectedly came
upon an encampment of Confederate teamsters; doubtless
a Quartermaster's train carrying provisions to the army
about Richmond. Some of the men were up knocking
about among the mules and wagons. It was very dark.
Assuming the role of a driver and bursting out in the
vernacular common to the class, I walked up to an unsus-
pecting mule, and giving him a kick in the ribs, in a
160 With Touch of Elbow.
gruff voice commanded him to "stand around." Repeat-
ing movements of this character two or three times I
found my way through the encampment without interrup-
tion.
When morning came, I again sought a hiding place.
Shivering and hungry throughout that day, and unable
to move for fear of detection, I had a good opportunity
to reflect upon the mutability of human affairs, and the
vicissitudes of a soldier's life. Night coming on again,
I took my bearings, and was about to start out when I
overheard footsteps in the brush not far distant, and
crouching down like a frightened rabbit, awaited develop-
ments. Nearer and nearer the steps came. I thought I had
been discovered and that my time had come, for now the
steps of two persons were distinguishable. Soon into
plain sight, almost on tiptoe, walked two escaped
prisoners,
RANDALL AND McCAIN.
The former was of the 2d Ohio, and the latter of the
21st Illinois Regiments. I recognized and hailed them in
a whisper. They shared with me from their scant rations
of corn bread, and then for the first time in thirty-six
hours I tasted food. We now traveled together and once
or twice during the remainder of the week obtained provis-
ions of colored men who were true to the escaped
prisoners as the needle to the pole.
We had traveled four nights, ,all the time in the woods,
and Sunday morning found us well nigh exhausted. Now
coming to the conclusion that it would be impossible to
continue the journey by night we laid down for an hour's
rest before starting out for the first time by daylight.
Following up a ravine, we soon came into an open field
With Touch of Elbow. 161
inside of which was a school house or church; and people,
evidently attending service, had already begun to as-
semble. Two roads crossed at the school house not more
than one hundred and fifty yards distant from our hiding
place in the brush. Several dogs came uncomfortably
near, and while we were debating what course to pursue,
about seventy-five cavalrymen rode by and halted at the
corner near the school house. Eandall volunteered to
crawl around below to see if it were possible for us to cross
in that direction unobserved. He disappeared in the
brush, and we never saw him again, but the report of
three or four shots fired in the direction he had taken led
us to suppose he had been shot and possibly killed or re-
captured.*
One of the dogs now discovered McCain and myself and
commenced barking furiously. We started back down the
ravine, keeping as far as possible under cover of the brush.
The firing below and the barking of the dog had set
everybody else on the lookout, and the soldiers discovered
us and gave chase down a lane, but we finally eluded them
and, for the balance of the day, remained in the swamp
closely secreted, being fully satisfied with our experience
in trying to travel by daylight; but night coming on, the
weary march was resumed.
Soon reaching an opening we discovered at a distance
some one standing in the doorway of a cabin. Thinking
it to be a colored man, we had little hesitancy in approach-
ing him; but on closer inspection found instead a white
man. It was then too late to back out and putting on a
bold front we walked up and asked for something to eat;
telling him we were Yankees recently escaped from Libby
*It has since been learned that Randall escaped, and re-
turned home where he died a number of years ago.
162 With Touch of Elbow.
Prison and were likely to perish for want of something to
eat. He said he had been in the Confederate service and
that he knew something of the life of a soldier; "But/'
said he, "I never turned a hungry man from my door, and
do not propose to do so now." Whereupon, by his invita-
tion, we followed him into the house. He gave us half a
dozen dry biscuits, stating the biscuits comprised his entire
stock of provisions on hand, and from the meager and scanty
outfit of his cabin and its primitive surroundings, we had
reason to believe he was telling the truth. He appeared
friendly from the start, but we followed him closely into
the house, fearing he might "present" us with a musket
instead of meat. He was kind enough to tell us which
way to go to avoid detection and capture, and that we
were only a short distance from the York River down
which a gunboat flying the American flag had passed, not
more than an hour before. Had we reached York River
in time to meet this boat our troubles would have come to
an end at once and there would have been a different
story to tell of
THE FINAL RESCUE.
Our objective from this point was Yorktown or Williams-
burg, the nearest station occupied by our troops. We had
gone a long distance out of the way and must now travel
south. I had lost my hat (or rather, McKee's hat), our
clothing hung about us in rags and all the time we were
getting weaker. On the night of the sixth day out there
came on a severe storm of sleet and rain, and, raking up a
quantity of dry leaves by the side of a large log in a dense
thicket, we covered the leaves with boughs and crawled
under, lying closely together for shelter, warmth and rest.
How long we had lain there is uncertain, but presently
With Touch of Elbow. 163
I was awakened by McCain, who said we must get up
and go on, as we were likely to become stupefied and
perish from the cold. In this I agreed with him, but
neither one made any effort to rise. While lying in this
state of half consciousness I found my memory was failing
and just then could not recall my brother's name. But
suddenly, as if by a concert of thought and action, we
sprang to our feet, and soon found ourselves in an open
field near a road which proved to be the Williamsburg
Pike, though at the time we were in doubt as to the fact.
We concluded to follow it in the direction of Williams-
burg, as we believed, but for safety kept back a little
distance in the field. Presently we heard cavalry coming
ahead of us. We had already had a little experience with
Confederate cavalry and were not anxious to repeat it, but
these might be our friends. We were on neutral ground,
at least, and very near our own lines. It was a great risk
to hail them and a great risk to let them pass by unchal-
lenged, for it was becoming apparent we could not stand
the pressure much longer. Approaching within a few
paces of the road we secreted ourselves in the weeds and
brush. By the clatter of the iron scabbards I knew the
cavalrymen were armed with sabers (it was too dark to
see), and told McCain this was to me an evidence the
coming troops belonged to our side, for the Confederate
cavalry, as a rule, were not so armed. They came up and
passed, but nothing occurred and no word was spoken to
give us any clew to their identity. The situation was any-
thing but pleasant. The cold, freezing rain was coming
down in sheets and our bones were chilled to the marrow.
The main column had passed and the rear guard, about
twenty in number, were in front of us. We could endure
the suspense no longer and resolved to hail them, and if
1 64 With Touch of Elbow.
it proved to be the enemy, trust to the mercy of the dark-
ness to enable us to get away without being shot and killed.
Accordingly, both stood up and I cried out, "What regi-
ment is that?"
As quick as thought the entire squad, wheeling into line
along the fence,, drew their pistols, demanding at the same
time our immediate surrender. The click of the hammers,
which we could hear as they came into position, added to
the horror of the moment, and I said to McCain, "We
are gone up." With, this he seemed to agree and replied
that we had better surrender, as our lives depended upon
it, and no time was to be lost. Accordingly, we threw up
our hands and together cried out, "We will surrender."
On going to the fence we found ourselves in the hands of
a detachment of the llth Pennsylvania Cavalry, sent out
as a rescuing party, who had made every necessary pro-
vision for our immediate comfort and safety.
It appears that some of the prisoners were so fortunate
as to reach Williamsburg within three or four days from
the time of starting out from Richmond, bringing with
them the intelligence that a large number had escaped on
the night of the 9th (no one knowing at the time how
many) and that many were still out hiding in the swamps
and along the river bottoms, dodging their pursuers and
seeking a safe route on which to reach the Federal lines.
Thereupon General Butler, in command of the Department
of the James, having headquarters at Fortress Monroe,
with characteristic promptness and energy dispatched gun-
boats to patrol the York, the James and Chickahominy
Rivers, and at the same time sent all available cavalry
scouting the country in the direction of Richmond with
orders to aid in every possible manner the fleeing captives.
The spirit and energy with which the troops entered upon
With Touch of Elbow. 165
this work is evidenced by the fact that nine officers were
picked up the night in question by this one squadron of
the llth Pennsylvania Eegiment. They had brought with
them led horses already saddled for the prisoners to ride,
and in their haversacks carried soft bread and meat in
abundance, including a ration or two of whisky for all
hands. This was furnished in limited quantities, and once
more mounted upon a good horse, equipped with a pistol
and a full stomach, my strength and courage returned by
leaps and bounds.
We had proceeded, however, but a short distance when
the challenge, "Halt, who goes there ?" rang out upon the
still air of night. This suggested to my mind the possi-
bility of other prisoners, and, riding hurriedly forward, a
few paces from the head of the column, standing close
together in the middle of the road, the forms of three men
were discernible. On dismounting and going up to them
I found they were fellow-prisoners H. C. Hobart, of the
21st Wisconsin; Thomas S. West, of the 24th Wisconsin,
and William B. McCreary, of the 21st Michigan Eegiment
all three ranking as Colonel of the infantry service.
Colonel Hobart was then past the meridian of life, quite
gray and stooped in form, and a good many years my
senior. Many a night we had lain close together, sharing
in common the luxuries of a hard wood floor for a bed
in the "upper middle room 5 ' of the "Hotel de Libby."
Here during the weary hours I had listened to his engaging
conversation, and meantime quite an intimate acquaint-
ance and friendship had sprung up between us. Colonel
Hobart had been prominent in State affairs in Wisconsin
long before entering the army. He was in the Territorial
Legislature in 1846^ a member of the first State Senate,
and in the autumn ipf 1865 a candidate for Governor on
166 With Touch of Elbow.
the Democratic ticket. Colonel Hobart was a man of more
than ordinary accomplishments and intellectual power.
Being much younger, I had learned to look upon him
with an admiration amounting almost to reverence. Kecog-
nizing him here bedraggled, worn and travel-stained as he
was, I dismounted and with my arms about him supported
him for a minute or more, while his arms lay around my
neck. Not a word was spoken by either during the time.
Officers and soldiers of the command gathered around and
stood respectfully awaiting the outcome of this affecting
scene, and the silence was only broken when Colonel
Hobart, his eyes cast upward and with tears streaming
down his face, exclaimed, "This is the happiest moment I
ever expect to see on earth." %
West and McCreary were both in the prime of life,
though the latter had lost the use of one arm entirely
from a wound received at the battle of Chickamauga at
the time of his capture. But patriotic pride and the warm
blood of youth are not always proof against the ravages
of a service such as these men had undergone. West died
soon after the close of the war, McCreary survived longer,
but Colonel Hobart, the eldest of the trio, lived to a ripe
old age.
Determined upon further results in aid of the escaped
prisoners, the squadron moved on in the darkness until
about 3 o'clock in the morning, when came that most
welcome of all events to a tired soldier,
THE BIVOUAC.
Eiding out into the timber a short distance from the
road a rousing fire was soon built and coffee put on. If
there is one thing more than another calculated to gladden
a soldier's heart and warm his body in an emergency like
With Touch of Elbow. 167
this, it is a cup of coffee so prepared, and then another
cup. Around this fire, with steaming coffee in hand, but
still booted and spurred, the soldiers are now gathered.
The glare of the uncertain light sets weird shadows danc-
ing among the forest trees until trees and shadows merge
into impenetrable darkness a short distance beyond. Ques-
tions are rapidly plied and answers given; the adventures
of the night just passed and of the days and nights pre-
ceding are told with a depth of feeling and received with
an attention not attainable under any other conditions in
which the writer has been placed.
The three officers just named, having passed through
the tunnel at the same time, had made the trip from
Richmond together. And (as now related by Colonel
Hobart) one night when nearly exhausted from cold and
hunger, thinking thereby to get some relief, they ap-
proached a negro cabin, through the cracks of which there
was distinguishable a faint ray of light. Two remained
secreted in the brush, while Colonel Hobart went stealthily
to the door of the cabin, upon which he tapped very softly.
Listening intently for a time, there came no response or
sound from within. But presently the door very slowly
and without noise began to swing, and an old black face
appeared in the opening. The Colonel, already resolved
to place himself at the mercy of the negro, was about to
state his case and plead for aid when the old black man,
placing his finger on his lips in admonition of silence,
hissed out : "H-u-s-h !" and in a low whisper said : "Done
speak, dars a rebel picket stannin' neah heah, youse ull
shu be coch af ye makes de leese noise !" And then step-
ping cautiously back, making the opening a little wider,
he motioned his visitor to enter, after which he closed and
bolted the door on the inside. In a very short time Colonel
1 68 With Touch of Elbow.
Hobart emerged with a large roll under his arm, contain-
ing fried chicken, bread and boiled ham. Thus substan-
tially refreshed, and with the old negro for a guide, the
weary travelers were enabled to evade an encampment of
Confederate soldiers near by and proceed safely on their
journey.
What intuition or knowledge aforethought was it that
told this ignorant old man, before a word had been spoken
by either, that his visitor was an escaped Yankee prisoner
in distress and coming to him for aid ? But such seems to
have been the case. It is a fact that the negroes of the
South during the war were thoroughly alive to the situa-
tion and stood ready at all times, even at the risk of their
lives, to aid the Northern soldiers, upon whom they looked
as their deliverers. And this same devotion is manifest
in their loyalty to the flag and the Government under
which they live. So far as they are able to see and under-
stand, held in bondage though they were for two hundred
years, they are religiously devoted to our institutions and
the land of their birth. It is hoped these facts will be
taken into account by patriotic men, both North and South,
and thrown into the scale in the negroes' favor when an
adjustment of the race problem comes, as come it must.
It is no disparagement to Colonel Hobart to repeat in
this connection what the writer has since been told by his
friends and neighbors that, Democrat as he was before the
war, the kindness and loyalty of this old man had an
influence in later years in changing his views on the sub-
ject of slavery, and to cause him often to cast his vote
with the party most friendly to the negro.
Morning soon came on, and after some deliberation upon
the subject the entire squadron was divided into small
detachments of six or eight men each, under command of
With Touch of Elbow. 169
a non-commissioned officer. These were sent scouting the
country on every cross road and bridal path, with orders
to reassemble at an appointed rendezvous on the main road
that night, and in this manner to
CONTINUE THE HUNT.
My lot was cast with one of these squads, where I took
my place in the ranks. The face of the country was flat,
sparsely settled and covered with open pine timber. The
storm had abated, and though the day was fine, the march
over the sandy roads was likely to prove monotonous and
uneventful. But one never knows, when scouting on neutral
ground between two contending armies, what he may run
into or what an hour will bring forth.
While following a bridle path through an unbroken
forest, the Sergeant in command and one man riding in the
advance suddenly put spurs to their horses and passed out
of sight, firing as they ran. In answer to the command,
"Forward, men!" the whole squad was soon on the run,
those in the rear having to "take sand" from the more
fortunate ones in the lead. The fact that none of us
knew how much the stake being run for was or how far off
the goal might be did not lessen the effort of all to win
the race. Soon coming into the open, the Sergeant was
seen still in full chase, firing at a mounted man then
about 150 yards ahead, who was lying close to his horse,
bareheaded (occasionally looking back), and with a six-
shooter deliberately returning the Sergeant's fire.
Here was a race and a shooting match in one, free to
all comers, with "nothing barred." I was riding a good
horse and was already ahead of the main squad; the gap
between myself and the Sergeant had closed and the object
of our chase did not seem to me to be more than fifty
1 70 With Touch of Elbow.
yards distant. I was already becoming a little uneasy,
fearing I might have to be the first to overtake this
desperate man, whoever he might be, when a circumstance
occurred which greatly relieved the nervous strain. Riding
swiftly along a thicket close by the road the fugitive sud-
denly threw himself from his horse, and, taking to the
brush on foot, was soon out of sight and beyond the reach
of our shots and of further pursuit. Thus ended the chase.
The riderless horse was secured farther down the road, and
also the hat, which had blown off earlier in the race. The
Sergeant now explained that we had been in pursuit of a
notorious bushwhacker by the name of Hume, a character
well known to our troops in that section, who had given
them many an exciting ride before. In their raids through
that country they had often been fired upon from ambush
by this same man and his followers, and our soldiers were
keen to capture him dead or alive. Riding a little further
on we unexpectedly came upon news from Richmond.
In passing a large farmhouse on the road an old gentle-
man was seen sitting on the porch with a newspaper in
his lap. Believing it to be a Richmond paper and possibly
containing news of special interest to me, a soldier at my
request rode into the yard and asked for the paper, the old
gentleman very kindly giving it to him. It proved to be
a copy of
THE RICHMOND DISPATCH.
The paper bore date February 11, 1864 (two days after
the escape), and contained an account of the adventure in
full, of which the following is a copy. By this it will
be seen (using the language of the Dispatch) "The whole
thing was skillfully managed and bears the impress of
master minds and indomitable perseverance."
With Touch of Elbow. 171
Important Escape of Yankee Prisoners Over Fifty Feet of
ground Tunnelled. The most important escape of Federal
prisoners which has occurred during the war took place at the
Libby prison sometime during last Tuesday night. Of the
eleven hundred Yankee officers confined therein, one hundred
and nine failed to answer to their names at roll-call yesterday
morning. Embraced in this number were 11 Colonels, 7
Majors, 32 Captains, and 59 Lieutenants. The following is a
list of the Colonels and Majors:
Col. A. D. Streight, 51st Indiana regiment, a notorious
character captured in Tennessee by Gen. Forrest, and charged
with having raised a negro regiment.
Col. W. G. Ely, 18th Connecticut.
Col. J. F. Boyd, 20th army corps.
Col. H. C. Hobart, 21st Wisconsin.
Col. W. P. Kendrick, 3d West Tenn. cav.
Col. W. B. McCreary, 21st Michigan.
Col. Thos. E. Rose, 77th Pa.
Col. J. P. Spafford, 97th N. Y.
Col. C. W. Tilden, 16th Maine.
Col. T. S. West, 24th Wisconsin.
Col. D. Miles, 19th Pa.
Major J. P. Collins, 29th Ind.
Major G. W. Fitzsimmons, 37th Ind.
Major J. H. Hooper, 15th Miss.
Major B. B. Macdonald, 100th Ohio.
Major A. Von Mitzel, 74th Pa.
Major J. N. Walker, 73d Ind.
Major J. A. Henry, 5th Ohio.
Immediately on discovering the absence of these prisoners
some excitement was created among the Confederate officers
in charge of the prison, and in a short time every means was
adopted to ascertain the manner of their escape. At first
Major Turner was inclined to the opinion that the sentinels
on duty had been bribed to pass them out, and this impression
was strengthened by the assertion of the Yankees remaining
behind that the work had been accomplished through means of
heavy fees, which had been paid a Confederate officer in the
building, and his influence over the guard in their behalf. On
learning this the order was given to place the guard under
arrest and to commit them to Castle Thunder. Not feeling
satisfied about the matter, the Major and Lt. Latouche deter-
mined to leave no stone unturned to ferret out the mystery,
172 With Touch of Elbow.
and thereupon proceeded to institute a search in every direc-
tion for further information. After a fruitless examination
of every part of the building where it was thought possible for
a man to escape they were about abandoning further investiga-
tion, when the idea struck them that some clue might be ob-
tained by going into the lot on the opposite side of the street,
when a large hole was soon discovered in the corner of one of
the stalls of a shed which had been used as a stable, and on a
line with the street running between it and the Libby prison.
This discovery fully satisfied them that they had found out the
means by which the escape had been, but their next step was
to trace out the spot where the tunneling was commenced.
Some few yards from the eastern end of the building, in the
basement it was found that a large piece of granite, about
three feet by two, had been removed from the foundation and
a tunnel extending 59 feet across the street, eastward, into a
vacant lot formerly known as Carr's warehouse, cut through.
This tunnel was about seven feet from the surface of the
street, and worn two and a half feet square. The lot in which
the excavation emptied is several feet below the street, and the
fleeing prisoners when they emerged from the tunnel found
themselves on level ground. Running on Gary street is a brick
building, through the centre of which is a large arch with a
wooden gate to permit egress and ingress to and from the lot.
By this route they got into Canal street, and keeping close to
the eaves of the building they succeeded in eluding the vigilance
of the sentinels on duty. The prisoners are confined in the
second story of the Libby prison, and the first and basement
stories had to be obtained before the mouth of the tunnel could
be reached. From the first floor leading to the basement there
was formerly a stairway, but since the building has been in
use as a prison the aperture at the head of the steps has been
closed with very heavy planks.
By some means the prisoners would cut through both these
floors when they wished to gain the cellar, and after they had
passed down would close up the holes with the planks which
had been taken out so neatly that it could not be discovered.
The cellar covers the whole area of the building and is only
used as a place for storing away meal, &c., for the use of the
prison. It being very large only the front part was required,
and therefore the back part of it, which is considerably below
Gary street, is scarcely ever visited. The dirt which accumu-
lated as the work progressed was spread about this part of the
basement and then covered over with a large quantity of straw
With Touch of Elbow. 173
which has been deposited therein. It is not known how long
the operatives in this stupendous undertaking have been en-
gaged; but, when the limited facilities which they possessed is
taken into consideration, there can be no doubt that months
have elapsed since the work was first begun. The whole thing
was skillfully managed and bears the impress of master minds
and indomitable perseverance.
Sometime since, a Yankee Captain was found in the cellar,
and on being taken before Major Turner, all smeared up with
meal, he gave as his excuse for being there that he did not
get enough to eat and was looking for something to make bread
with. This was doubtless a falsehood, and his only business
was to assist in the work which they had in hand.
There seems to be no doubt that further escape through this
avenue was contemplated, and the earnestness with which the
prisoners who remained behind tried to throw the blame upon
the guard was only done to prevent further inquiry into the
matter, and thereby leave the tunnel open for others to pass
through. Probably one more night might have emptied the
prison of the whole number confined therein.
Yesterday workmen were engaged in stopping up the pass-
age which had been made from the prison, and it may now
safely be relied on that no other prisoners will ever take their
departure from the Libby against the knowledge and consent
of the officers in charge.
As soon as the facts of the escape became fully known,
orders were received by Col. Brown commanding the cavalry
battallion for local defence, that a detachment of his force
should immediately scour the surrounding country in pursuit
of them, and accordingly twenty-five men from each company
soon started off for that purpose. Four of the prisoners who
succeeded in getting out were, late in the afternoon, recaptured
and brought back. They had gotten about 22 miles from the
city before they were overtaken. It is hardly probable, from
the steps which have been taken to prevent it, that many of
them will succeed in reaching the Yankee lines.
After a painstaking research two names are still lack-
ing to complete the list of the 109 officers who went out
through the tunnel February 9th, 1864. With that ex-
ception the names of 107 herewith appended are believed
to be correct. But few are living at this writing and those
who are known to be dead are so reported.
With Touch of Elbow.
Adams, W. R., Capt. 89th Ohio Inft.
Bassett, M. M., Capt. 53d 111. Inft.
Bedell, M., Lieut. 123d New York Inft.
Bennett, F. I., Lieut. 18th Regulars. Dead.
Boyd, J. F., Lt.-Col. 20th A. C.
Boyd, Matthew, Capt. 23d Indiana. Dead.
Bradford, R. Y., Lieut. 2d Tenn. Cav.
Brown, S. P., Lieut. U. S. Cav.
Caldwell, D. S., Capt. 123d Ohio Inft.
Chamberlain, H. B., Capt. 97th N. Y.
Chivester, H. S., Lieut. 23d 111. Inft.
Clark, Terrance, Capt. 79th 111. Inft. Dead.
Collins, J. P., Maj. 29th Ind. Inft. Dead.
Crawford, H. P., Lieut. 2d 111. Cav.
Cummings, T., Capt. 19th U. S. Inft.
Daily, W. K, Lieut. 8th Pa. Cav.
Davis, Geo. C., Lieut.-Col. 4th Maine Inft.
Davy, , Lieut. 77th Pa. Inft.
Day, R. H., Capt. 56th Pa. Inft.
Earle, C. W., Lieut. 96th 111. Inft. Dead.
Edmunds, P. S., Lieut. 67th Pa. Inft.
Ely, W. G., Col. 18th Conn. Inft.
Fales, Jas. M., Lieut. 1st R. I. Cav. Dead.
Fentress, W. E. H., U. S. Navy. Dead.
Fislar, John G., Lt. 7th Ind. Bat.
Fisher, B. F., Capt. 3d Pa. Inft.
Fisher, B. F., Chief Signal Corps.
Fitzsimmons, G. W., Maj. 30th Ind. Inft. Dead.
Flamburg, David S., Capt. 4th Ind. Bat. Dead.
Foster, Eli, Capt. 30th Ind. Inft. Dead.
Fransherry, Dan'l., Capt. 1st Mich. Cav.
Gageby, J. H., Lieut. 19th U. S. Inft. Dead.
Gallagher, Michael, Capt. 2d N. Y. Cav.
With Touch of Elbow. 175
Gallaher, J. R, Capt. 2d Ohio Inft. Dead.
Gamble, S. P., Lieut. 63d Pa. Inft.
Garbett, David, Lieut. 77th Pa. Inft. Dead.
Gates, T., Capt. 33d Ohio Inft.
Good, G. S., Lieut. 84th Pa. Inft.
Greble, Chas. E., Lieut. 8th Mich. Cav. Dead.
Hall, J. C., Capt. 112th 111. Inft.
Hamilton, A. G., Capt. 12th Ky. Cav. Dead.
Handy, Thos., Capt. 79th 111. Inft.
Harris, Geo., Lieut. 79th Ind. Inft.
Hatfield, J. D., Lieut. 53d 111. Inft.
Hauf, Adam, Lieut. 46th 1ST. Y. Inft.
Henry, John, Maj. 5th Ohio Cav. Dead.
Higby, E. J v Lieut. 33d Ohio Inft.
Hines, H. H., Lieut. 57th Pa. Inft.
Hobert, H. C., Lt.-Col. 21st Wis. Dead.
Hooper, J. H., Maj. loth Mass. Inft. Dead.
Irsch, Francis, Capt. 45th N. Y. Inft.
Johnson, Isaac, Engineer U. S. Navy.
Johnston, I. K, Capt. 6th Ky.
Kendrick, W. P., Col. 3d W. Tenn. Cav. Dead.
Lewis, John W., Capt. 4th Ky. Cav.
Lucas, John, Capt. 5th Ky. Inft.
McCreary, W. B., Col. 21st Mich. Inf. Dead.
McDonald, B. B., Maj. 101st Ohio Inft. Dead.
McKean, N. S., Lieut. 21st 111. Inft. Dead.
Mitzel, Alex. T. Yon, Lt-Col. 74th Pa. Inft.
Mitchell, John, Lieut. 79th 111. Inft.
Mills, D., Col. 70th Pa. Inft. Dead.
Moore, A., Lieut. 4th Ky. Cav.
Moore, M., Capt. 29th Ind. Inft.
Moran, Frank, Lieut. 73d 1ST. Y. Dead.
Morgan, C. H., Lieut. 21st Wis.
176 With Touch of Elbow.
Phelps, I. D., Capt. 73d Ind. Inft. Dead.
Pierce, W. B., Lieut, llth Ky. Cav.
Porter, John F., Capt. 14th N. Y. Cav.
Eandall, W. S. B., Capt. 2d Ohio Inft. Dead.
Eandolph, Wallace, Lieut. 5th U. S. Art.
Ray, T. J., Lieut. 40th Ohio Inft.
Reynolds, Wm., Lieut. 73d Ind. Inft.
Rogers, A. F;, Lt.-Col. 80th 111. Inft. Dead.
Rose, Thos. E., Col. 77th Pa. Inft. U. S. Army. Dead,
Rossman, W. C., Capt. 3d Ohio Inft.
Rose, S. C., Capt. 4th Mo. Cav.
Rowan, Chas. E., Capt. 96th 111. Inft.
Scearce, W. W., Capt. 51st Ind. Dead.
Schroeder, Edgar, Lieut. 74th Pa. Inft. Dead.
Scott, E. S., Lieut. 89th Ohio Inft.
Scudmore, G., Lieut. 80th 111. Inft. Dead.
Simpson, John D., Lieut. 10th Ind. Inf. Dead.
Small, M. R., Adj. 6th Md. Inft. Dead.
Smith, E. L., Maj. 9th U. S. Inft. Dead.
Sutherland, S. D., Lieut. 125th Ohio Inft.
Spofford, J. P., Col. 97th N. Y. Inft.
Starr, Geo. H., Capt. 104th N. Y. Inft.
Sterling, John, Lieut. 30th Ind. Inft. Dead.
Streight, A. D., Col. 51st Ind. Inft. Dead.
Thomas, I. W., Lieut. 2d Ohio Inft.
Tilden, Chas. W., Col. 16th Maine Inft.
Tower, Morton, Capt. 43d Mass. Vol.
Walber, Albert, Lieut. 26th Wis. Inft.
Walker, I. N., Maj. 73d Ind. Inft. Dead.
Wallich, W., Capt. 51st Ind. Inft. Dead.
Wasson, J. H., Lieut. 40th Ohio Inft.
Watson, Wm. L., Lieut. 21st Wis. Inft.
Wells, Jas. M., Lieut. 8th Mich. Cav.
With Touch of Elbow. 177
West, T. S., Lt.-Col. 24th Wis. Inft. Dead.
White, A. B., Lieut. 4th Pa. Cav.
White, P. A., Lieut. 83d Pa. Inft. Dead.
Wilcox, Harry, Lieut. 1st N. Y. Cav.
Wilkins, J. E., Capt. 112th 111. Inft.
Williams, L. P., Lieut. 73d Ind. Inft.
Williams, W. A., Lieut. 123d Ohio Inft.
Yates, J., Capt. 3d Ohio Inft.
According to arrangements previously made the various
squads of the rescuing party assembled that evening at
Burnt Ordinary, about eighteen miles west of Williams-
burg, which place we reached at early dawn of the next
morning. Here the troops under Colonel Spear were
stationed for the winter. Through all the intervening
years the kindness and attention received in those warm
winter quarters of the llth Pennsylvania Cavalry has
been gratefully remembered, and, strange as it may ap-
pear, up to the day of this writing the author has never
met an officer or soldier of that regiment. Under this
genial hospitality the prisoners now for the first time
realized that they were absolutely safe
WITHIN THE FEDEEAL LINES.
With the great peace and calm that here came upon all a
reaction soon set in. The excitement and strain incident
to the adventures just recounted died away, and, occupying
a "bunk" kindly offered by an officer of the Eleventh, the
writer soon became unconscious in that "sleep that knits
up the raveled sleeve of care/' restores the shattered nerves
and brings back the wasted energies.
Remaining at Williamsburg two days, twenty-six pris-
oners who had been aided in their escape by the troops or
178 With Touch of Elbow.
the gunboats, and all in a more or less destitute condition,
were conveyed in ambulances to Yorktown, a distance of
thirteen miles, and thence by ferry across the bay to
General Butler's headquarters at Fortress Monroe.
With General Butler, who was then in command of that
department, the welcome was most cordial and the fare
sumptuous. After giving our names, rank and regiment
to the Associated Press he instructed his Quartermaster
to issue clothing to the destitute prisoners, and thus re-
habilitated and thoroughly rested, on the following day
all embarked on a Government transport for Baltimore,
and thence by rail to Washington. On the passage the
twenty-six escaped prisoners assembled in the cabin as a
deliberative body, and Colonel H. C. Hobart was called to
the chair. A resolution of thankfulness to Almighty God
for life preserved and liberty restored; of gratitude to
General Butler for his active sympathy and aid, and of
renewed fealty to the Union and the flag, was adopted by
a rising vote, signed by all the prisoners and given to the
Associated Press.
Reporting to the authorities on reaching the capital, we
were surprised and not a little gratified that the news of
the escape had preceded us; that our visit to the city was
anticipated, and Government officials and friends (resi-
dent in Washington) from the various States to which we
belonged were on the lookout for our arrival. But to me
the greatest gratification incident to the visit in Wash-
ington was being personally
CONGRATULATED BY LINCOLN.
Instead of fugitives, hunted like wild beasts, seeking
cover in swamps and lagoons by day and traveling stealth-
ily like thieves by night, we found ourselves sought after
With Touch of Elbow. 179
by Senators, members of Congress, and friends and stran-
gers as well, who greeted us with warm words of welcome
and congratulation. Among newspaper men, who eagerly
sought the prisoners on the streets and in the lobbies, there
was a lively competition as to who should get the first
interview and send in a "scoop."
The escaped prisoners were the lions of the day. After
having been identified by records on file at the War De-
partment, and drawing eight months' back pay, I donned a
new uniform, resplendent in gold braid, and, though com-
pelled by the regulations to wear the plain, unadorned
shoulder straps of a Second Lieutenant of Cavalry, I en-
joyed the proud distinction (in my own mind at least) of
ranking equal with those proud mortals (common in Wash-
ington at the time) who wore stars, whether they had
been fairly earned or not. Patriotic ladies, always inter-
ested in matters pertaining to the welfare of the soldier,
sought out the prisoners and frequently made them the
drawing card for social entertainments and "evenings
out."
The State of Michigan maintained an agency here, the
better to care for her soldiers who might become stranded
at the capital. Dr. and Mrs. Tunnycliff, of Jackson, filled
this important mission. Their special duty was to hunt up
the sick, wounded and disabled and provide for their wants ;
to aid the needy in obtaining furloughs, and to bestow other
cares and attentions to which the worthy were entitled
in short, to act the Good Samaritan generally to Michigan
soldiers.
Through the kindness of Mrs. Tunnycliff, more or less
prominent in social circles, for the few days remaining I
was enabled to see a little of the life of the gay capital.
Together we attended a reception at the White House,
i8o With Touch of Elbow.
where I was introduced to Mr. Lincoln as one of the
escaped prisoners from Richmond. With the stirring
events of the war probably no citizen in private life was so
well informed as Mr. Lincoln. No detail that reached
the public, however small, escaped his attention.
Though standing in the midst of a large assembly, all
anxiously awaiting their turn for an introduction to the
President, Mr. Lincoln took my hand, and, while warmly
pressing it, asked a number of questions about the escape.
A few of the words that fell from his lips I have always
remembered, and have since then many times repeated.
Still holding my hand, he said : "You are one of the party
that went through the tunnel?" Receiving an affirmative
answer to the above, he said : "I congratulate you on your
escape," and at once put the following: <( What did you
do with the dirt?"
In view of Mr. Lincoln's exalted character, leaving be-
hind as he has a name honored and revered wherever the
love of civil and religious liberty finds lodgment in the
breasts of men, the memory of thus meeting one of the
world's most illustrious is still cherished as a noteworthy
event.
Young, vigorous and full of hope as I was then, con-
fident of ultimate success, as the Union Army was at all
times, there was but one shadow hanging over the pleasur-
able incidents of this brief sojourn in the nation's capital,
and that was the anxiety to reach my home in far-away
Michigan, where my mother but a few weeks before, after
a long and painful illness, had fallen into that deep sleep
which war's loud alarms can never awaken. A letter from
my sister, received while yet a prisoner, had informed me
of the sad event.
Calling upon Secretary Stanton, I received an order
'
SPECIAL ORDER No. 82, WAR DEPARTMENT, GRANTING THIRTY
DAYS' LEAVE OF ABSENCE TO LIEUTENANT JAMES M. WELLS.
With Touch of Elbow. 181
direct from his hand permitting me to return to Michigan,
there to remain thirty days, and thence report to my regi-
ment in Kentucky; and, traveling on Government trans-
portation a few days later I reached
HOME, SWEET HOME.
A facsimile of the order received from the Secretary of
War will be found on another page.
On the homeward trip Colonel McCreary and myself
traveled together from Washington to Detroit. At Cleve-
land we were compelled to remain twenty-four hours await-
ing another train. What was called the Great Northwest-
ern Sanitary Fair was then in progress. It was being
held in an immense pavilion surrounding the Perry monu-
ment. In some way our names were announced at the
hotel as being among those of the escaped prisoners, and
we were waited upon by a committee (appointed for the
purpose) inviting us to attend the fair, and tickets of
admission throughout all its departments were extended.
Accepting this kind invitation, we were privileged to
meet a good many prominent men and women of Cleve-
land, and here was presented a practical demonstration of
what was being done at home for the comfort of the army
in the field. Crowds of people thronged the pavilion day
and evening. Booths were erected in the most attractive
form, where everything useful and ornamental as well was
offered for sale, the proceeds to go for the benefit of the
soldiers. The booths were presided over by the most
attractive and accomplished of Cleveland's fair daughters,
and the exhibition was kept open day and night to catch
the passing throng.
"How much for that flower?" inquired a gentleman of
a young lady at one of these booths.
182 With Touch of Elbow.
"Only twenty-five cents," was the smiling reply.
"Fll take it if you'll pin it on my coat."
"Certainly;" and the young lady deftly fastened it in
place. The purchaser handed her a greenback dollar bill.
"That's right, thank you," was the gracious response.
"Twenty-five cents for the flower and seventy-five cents
for pinning it on."
"And here is another dollar," said the gentleman. "It's
worth it to be swindled in that delightful manner." Then
he added more seriously, "We can't do too much for the
brave boys at the front."
There was also a large dining room attachment where
meals were furnished for the hungry, prepared and served
by young ladies in uniform, who, sacrificing ball and party,
were devoting their time to this patriotic work.
Presiding at the table where I chanced to be seated for
lunch, I was heartily surprised and greatly pleased to
meet Miss Lulu Carrie Wetmore, a former friend from
Michigan, and then an extemporized waitress for the good
of the common cause. Here I chanced also to meet
Major Coon, an army paymaster, resident in Cleveland.
After listening to a brief recital of the escape, and visit
in Washington a story that had often to be repeated
he asked incidentally if I had received my pay in full from
the Government. On replying that two months' pay had
been kept back, as was the custom, he said: "Come with
me to my office." I did as requested, and there received
my pay to date, as will be seen by the endorsement on
Special Order No. 82, elsewhere reproduced. This was
an unusual courtesy on the part of a paymaster.
Expecting to surprise my friends at Galesburg, Michi-
gan, by appearing among them unannounced, I refrained
from writing or sending any notification of my coming,
With Touch of Elbow. 183
but was more surprised than they on the arrival of the
train to find quite a delegation of young and old await-
ing at the station. Through the Associated Press they
had been able to keep up with the movements of the
escaped prisoners from the time of their first appearance
at General Butler's headquarters, and for the last two or
three days had attended every train from the East with
the expectation of meeting the returning soldier boy.
The cloud that had shadowed all the pleasures of the
homeward bound trip grew darker on nearing School-
craft, the village from which I entered the army, and
where my mother died; and, reaching home at last, find-
ing the blinds closed and the doors locked, the home
for which I had longed so much presented an air of utter
desolation. Although my mother had left the property
to me by will, it was no longer a home of mine, but
solace was found in the loyal welcome of the people, and a
temporary home with the old friends and neighbors who
had been kind to my mother in her last hours.
The thirty days spent among them and with the friends
and relatives in Galesburg, Kalamazoo and other places
passed like a fleeting dream, and the memory of the many
kind and gracious acts received at that time is con-
templated with infinite delight to-day.
There were no halls to be had in answer to the universal
demand, and the largest church was generally secured,
in which meetings were held in order that the people
might extend suitable welcome and listen to genuine
stories of the war coming from first hands. The church
choir in that period, composed mainly of old men in
spectacles and young women ready to substitute patriotic
son^s in the place of church hymns, was a prominent, if
not an awe-inspiring, feature of the country village. The
1 84 With Touch of Elbow.
music rendered by the choir added to the general interest
of the occasion. To house organ accompaniments they
sang the popular songs, such as: "When Johnny Comes
Marching Home/' and "Just Before the Battle, Mother/'
It will be an evidence of the depressing effect which
the war produced upon the country, and the deep sorrow
into which the people were plunged, to reproduce here
parts of a communication received from my sister while I
was yet a prisoner, informing me of the serious illness of
our mother, and the packing and sending of the box of
clothing and delicacies elsewhere described. This letter
is followed by an extract from a later one bearing the
more sorrowful intelligence of my mother's death, and a
facsimile of the envelope in which the letter was enclosed.
These are vivid reminders at this time of the sorrows
through which the people were passing, for there was not
a family in the whole land, throughout that trying period,
whose hearthstone was not in some way saddened by the
grim specter of the Civil War.
SCHOOLCRAFT, Wednesday Evening, Oct. 28, 1863.
MY DEAR BROTHER:
You do not know how relieved we were this morning when,
shortly after the mail arrived, Willie Scott brought a note
from you written in Libby Prison. We had been informed by
Mr. McCreary in writing to his wife, that you were a prisoner.
But if you are still alive and able to write, we feel truly
thankful.
. I have been all day canning and packing fruit
and other little necessaries for your comfort and sustenance,
and hope in my heart you will receive them. Willie has been
very kind indeed and has taken the responsibility and trouble
of packing and sending your box Henrietta
Fisher made your sponge cake. Julia Pearly and Ella Under-
wood hemmed your handkerchiefs. Maria was in this morn-
ing and made the biscuit for you. We cut them open and dry
them to keep from moulding. I made the butter, the first I
' j
With Touch of Elbow. 185
ever made in my life Miss Sophronia Fisher
sent the apples
I have written you several long letters giving you an ac-
count of mother's sickness ; but for fear you have not received
my letters I will say: She has been very ill for a long time
and the physicians have little or no hope for her final re-
covery
She sits up a part of the time and walks around from one
room to another, but she is very feeble and emaciated. She
talks of you a great deal and wants to see you very much. I
hope you will be able to obtain a leave of absence and come
home, as I think it very doubtful if she is ever any better.
Henry and Aimer are at Knoxville. They were in a terrible
battle on the 25th of October. May the God of battles protect
them
(Signed) Your loving sister,
STATIRA BARE WELLS.
Sabbath Afternoon, GALESBURG, Dec. 27, 1863.
MY DEAR BROTHER:
I wrote you a letter two weeks ago to-day, bearing the in-
telligence of our dear mother's death, and sent it by express in
a large box of things put up for your sustenance and comfort.
But fearing you may not receive it, I take the first oppor-
tunity to express to you the sorrow of my heart, and the sad-
ness that her seemingly sudden death has cast upon every-
thing. She died the tenth of this month. She was sensible to
the very last moment, and when she could no longer speak, she
would press our hands in answer to our questions. She talked
to me much of death and was very much reconciled and happy.
Said her great desire was to see her dear boys once more. Told
me but a few minutes before she died to tell you and Henry
she wished to see your good faces again. Her last words to
me were, "Don't cry, my child. Let me go in peace. I am
happy." ....
The following letter, bearing a later date, was received
from my sister while in the Workhouse Prison, Charleston,
South Carolina. It bears date Galesburg, August, 1864.
MY DEAR BROTHER:
I received yours dated from Charleston yesterday, and have
prepared your valise with the greatest possible speed.
i86 With Touch of Elbow.
It was indeed a great relief to me to know that you were
not killed in that terrible raid. The suffering I have endured
during these long days of suspense God alone knows, and
when Delia and I went to the office yesterday, almost dis-
heartened and completely discouraged, with little assurance
and no hope of a word from you, and the P. M. handed me
your letter, I exclaimed, "He is alive, for that is his hand-
writing;" but I knew at once that you were a prisoner. This
seems hard for you and sad for us all, but let us hope it is for
the best. Perhaps it is for the saving of your life. You have
lived through it all so far and I firmly believe you will be
spared to return to us once more.
This is our morning, evening and continued prayer. If you
could have heard Uncle pray for you this morning, you would
have thought such a petition coming from such an honest, faith-
ful heart, could not have been unheeded by the Mighty Ruler
of Destinies ,
It has been said the love which the mother bears her
child is the sublimest emotion of which the human heart
is capable, but there is another passion that surpasses
this and before which every other emotion vanishes like
mist under the rays of the noonday sun, and that is the
love which the loyal American mother bears for her
country and its flag. On this sacred shrine she stands
ready if the supreme moment should come, though her
heart-strings be rent asunder thereby, to sacrifice child
and all else but honor, dear to her on earth. History,
ancient and modern, furnishes many individual instances
of this characteristic in woman, but it has been left to the
mothers of America universally to exemplify it. In all
our national struggles since the first gun at Concord that
shot which was heard around the world down through
the dark days of the Civil War, American women, North
and South, have stood at the foot of the cross, ready to
offer up the last full measure of devotion.
Owing to the liberality of our institutions and the
veneration in which women are held in this young Repub-
With Touch of Elbow. 187
lie, the love they bear for the flag which has ever been
their shield is more deeply rooted than that found among
the women of foreign lands. Considering the sacrifices
they have made, and while reflecting upon past events, it
has been thought that the soldier of the Civil War arro-
gates to himself too much credit for having saved the flag
from desecration and the States from dissolution; and
too little credit has been given to the mothers, wives and
daughters left weeping at home. That their services are
sometimes overlooked in the glamour with which the
soldier has surrounded himself, there is no question of
doubt. Whether sick in hospitals, wounded on the field
of battle, or languishing half starved in prison pens, the
first articles brought into requisition for the soldier's re-
lief came through the loving hands of loyal women, whose
magic touch charmed back into health and strength the
sick and dying; whose patriotic appeals fanned into flame
the last smouldering spark of patriotism in the breasts of
the faint-hearted and doubting; and whose sympathetic
tears were mingled with every drop of blood shed for the
Nation's honor. Without the inspiration found in their
self-sacrificing devotion, how desolate would have been
to most of us the four long years of war a love and
devotion cradled in patriotism as it was, amidst the fiercest
storm that ever raged around the altar of liberty and
human hopes!
It is largely through the constancy of the Women's
Relief Corps, Grand Army of the Republic, and the co-
operation of loyal and patriotic women throughout the
land, that the heroic deeds of the Union soldiers and the
hallowed memories of the Civil War are being perpetuated
and handed down to-day.
But a soldier's duty cannot wait on his pleasure. The
1 88 With Touch of Elbow.
leave of absence having expired, reluctantly I bade good-
bye to friends and kindred, and, hurrying to the front,
reached my regiment at Nicholasville, Kentucky, and
there reported again for duty.
The details of the escape and the names of those partic-
ipating (through the press and otherwise) had been
called meantime to the notice of the Honorable Austin
Blair, Michigan's war Governor, who, deeming the matter
of sufficient importance, advanced me two numbers in
rank; and I had no sooner reached the regiment than a
full Captain's commission came direct from the Governor's
hand.
In the intervening days of inactivity in Kentucky, our
officers mingled freely with the people, and were often
invited to their homes, where an open and generous
hospitality was to be found, and this without regard to
the prejudices many of them entertained favorable to the
Southern cause. It, however, could scarcely have been
otherwise, as their families were often divided on the vital
questions of the war; son against father and father against
son. But, as before stated, there was in Kentucky a strong
and unswerving sentiment favorable to the Union. The
Scotts, Christmans, McDonalds and Youngs were among
the families residing near Nicholasville and Lexington
gratefully remembered, and whose names are recalled.
I was for a time on the staff of Colonel Horace Capron
of the 14th Illinois Cavalry, who commanded a brigade
then stationed at Nicholasville. Before entering the
army, Colonel Capron was a model farmer and stock raiser
of Peoria, Illinois. The celebrated community of
Shakers was located a few miles distant from our head-
quarters, and, recognizing Colonel Capron as an authority
on all matters pertaining to model farming, the Shakers
CAPTAIX JAMES M. WELLS, AT THE AGE OF TWEXTY-FIVE.
With Touch of Elbow. 189
invited him to pay their village a visit, take dinner with
them and spend the day.
Accordingly, one fine morning in June, Colonel and
Mrs. Capron, Miss Bessie Young, and myself started out
in an ambulance for the Shaker settlement. The drive
itself, through one of the most picturesque districts of
the Bluegrass region, was a constant delight, and on ar-
riving at the village we were impressed with the neatness
and order that everywhere prevailed; everything being
conducted on the cooperative plan; the kitchen, dining
room, store and storerooms being common property,
though supervised and conducted by one master spirit.
The details of that management they did not dwell upon
for our information. We spent the entire day in looking
over the place, viewing the stock, and in the discussion of
an elegant dinner especially provided for the occasion.
The beauties of this pastoral life, the peace and
quietude that everywhere prevailed, coupled with the calm
dignity with which each and every person within the in-
fluence of this charmed circle appeared to be controlled,
was in striking contrast to the scenes of blood and carnage
in the midst of which the little community maintained
the even and unruffled tenor of its way.
Colonel Capron was past sixty years of age and very
gray, but erect in bearing and punctilious in his dress and
personal appearance. He was in the habit of shaving
every day; and sometimes, with the enemy in front, this
proved an awkward undertaking. But it is said the ruling
passion is strong even in death. I remember once seeing
him on the skirmish line standing behind a tree scarcely
large enough to cover his body, with his little hand glass
and shaving tackle suspended from a knot ready for use.
He was about beginning the regular tonsorial evolutions,
190
With Touch of Elbow.
in "one time and three motions," when a shot from the
enemy imbedded itself in the opposite side of the tree,
causing the hark to fly all around. But the Colonel, tena-
cious in holding his regular "turn," came out without a
"scratch" and with a "close shave."
In the following chapter will be recounted the story of
the final recovery of the
WATCH AND CHAIN.
Early in June our cavalry, then under General Stone-
man, took up the march through the Cumberland Mount-
ains to join General Sherman on the Atlanta campaign.
Twice before our regiment had covered nearly the same
ground, and many scenes of former marches and adven-
tures incident thereto, coming to mind, that of my
capture and loss of watch and money were recalled. The
route again led by way of Kingston, about forty miles
from the hamlet of Mouse Creek, where the unlucky event
took place. As we drew near, curiosity to revisit the
ladies of the house, and from them learn what occurred
there after my unceremonious departure, grew upon me
apace. So obtaining leave of absence for two days, taking
Lyman Parsons, a comrade, with me (it was risky in that
country for one wearing the uniform to be found far from
his command alone), and as rapidly as possible proceeding
on the journey, I reached Mouse Creek the same evening.
The ladies were found as anticipated, where I had left
them, remembering and recognizing me at once. The
meeting was one of more than ordinary interest to both.
They listened to the story of my adventures since leaving
their premises under guard in the dead hours of the night
ten months before with apparent deep concern, and when
With Touch of Elbow. 191
done they told me something of the stirring scenes through
which, as loyal women, they had been called upon to pass
since the beginning of the war. Coming down to the time
our brief acquaintance began and ended so uncere-
moniously, they gave a detailed account of what transpired
thereafter very nearly as follows :
The morning after the capture two or three Confederate
soldiers coming in from camp told the ladies I had de-
posited money there while a guest of the house the night
before, and that they must give it up. The lady upon
whom this demand was made was not the one who had
accepted the watch and money, and she stoutly denied
having received anything from me. Upon this the soldiers
became demonstrative and finally threatened to burn the
house unless money from some source was forthcoming.
Alarmed for her own safety, as well as that of their home,
she then went to the sister who had received both the watch
and money, telling her that possibly I had disclosed the
fact of having left money there, and under such circum-
stances it would be better to give it up. To this sugges-
tion they yielded; but, strangely enough, not a word was
said about a watch or any other valuables, and after taking
the money the soldiers went away without further parley.
The watch and gold chain, however, remained in the undis-
puted possession of the one to whom they had been en-
trusted.
During the months that had intervened from the day
of my capture up to the time of which I now write these
good women knew nothing of the fate that had befallen
me, and often in conversing of the matter they wondered
if I were still among the living. But time passed on and
the campaign of East Tennessee was being waged fast and
furious, when one day a Union regiment went into camp
With Touch of Elbow.
near Mouse Creek, and shortly thereafter an officer wear-
ing the straps of a captain of infantry came to the house
and asked the ladies, if they could furnish a supper for a
number of men. The ladies were in some way attracted
by the appearance of this stranger, and the first impression
was that they had known or seen him before. A conver-
sation in a general way arose, during which they came to
the conclusion the strange officer bore a striking resem-
blance to the one whose watch and chain they had in their
possession. After explaining this circumstance they re-
lated the story of my capture. Whereupon, bringing out
the watch, they were not a little surprised when the officer,
recognizing it at once by the initials on the case, gave them
my name as having been its owner, and then told them he
was my brother (Captain John H. Wells, 25th Michigan
Infantry). With all this cumulation of evidence he had
little trouble thereafter in convincing the ladies of the
truthfulness of this claim.
Having related the above facts, one of them, after going
into another room, brought me, not my watch and chain,
but instead my brother's receipt therefor in a handwriting
as readily recognized by me as my watch was by him.
Explanations satisfactory to all having thus been made,
the ladies, doubtless still fearing I might distrust their sin-
cerity with regard to the final disposition of the money
entrusted to them, insisted upon refunding the entire
amount. But the offer was refused, and one of the greatest
pleasures connected with this writing is to record here the
evidence of their loyalty and fidelity.
The following morning, reluctantly bidding these dear
friends good-bye, I hastened to rejoin the regiment. On
this lonely ride there was ample time to reflect upon the
events of the past, and to speculate upon the future, quite
With Touch of Elbow. 193
an uncertain proposition at that time for all those engaged
actively in the great Civil War. I thought often of a
brother, then at the front with Sherman in Georgia, whom
I had seen but once (and that briefly while on the march)
since some time in the fall of 1862. He was nine years
my senior and had been both father and brother to me.
Our mother had died, as stated elsewhere, while the brother
was shut up with the Union troops in the desperate defense
of Knoxville and I was held a prisoner at Eichmond, Vir-
ginia. The knowledge of these facts hastened the death
of my mother, as will appear from reading my sister's let-
ters quoted in another chapter.
But the ground to be covered by Sherman's advance into
the heart of Georgia is already reached, and we are plunged
at once into the vortex of
THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN".
A great military leader has said the cavalry are the eyes
and ears of the army, and our duty at this time is mainly
in the advance and on the outlying flanks. The cavalry
are the first to see and hear. And while they are the
first to pick up anything there is lying around good to eat,
they are also likely to receive the opening shot from the
enemy.
There was a large band of raiders in the Ellrjay Mount-
ains that had committed a good many depredations on
our trains and foraging parties, and the 8th Cavalry was
sent to dislodge or capture them. They were located in a
veritable stronghold on the borders of a little lake situated
in a narrow pass leading over and through a spur of the
mountains. From this stronghold, easily watched and
guarded from either side, they were in the habit of swoop-
194
With Touch of Elbow.
ing down into the valleys, destroying property and making
valuable captures.
Arriving on the ground just at daylight after an all-
night march, we left a guard at one of the passes, while
another detachment undertook to reach the outlet on the
opposite side by following a blind trail through the mount-
ains, and in this way cut off all retreat and force them to
fight or surrender.
The trip proved an interesting one. The trail was rough
and precipitous, and we were often compelled to dismount
and lead by file. The summit was reached just at sunrise,
when a magnificent view of the surrounding country
opened up before us. Green meadows and pasture lands
stretched away in the distance, and, running through the
valley, little streams of water, whose banks were lined
with spreading oaks, could be seen glistening in the sun.
In contemplating this view the impression prevailed among
the men that on reaching the summit there would be found
a people, in character at least, if not in form and feature,
more or less influenced by these poetic surroundings. But
this imaginary race of fairies was enjoyed more in the
anticipation than in the realization, as future develop-
ments will disclose.
There was no public highway leading to this looked-for
Eden, only a trail, and on reaching the settlement the
houses were found to be of the most primitive character,
generally constructed of logs and roofed over with bark,
having heavy poles laid across to hold the roof in place.
A wooden latch with a leather string attached, hanging on
the outside, constituted the only fastening for the door.
In the front yard of the first house reached three or
four raccoons and a young black bear played together like
a cat and kittens, and on the gable end of the house were
With Touch of Elbow. 195
a number of skins of wild animals, stretched, drying in
the sun. The bear, on seeing so many mounted men and
hearing the sound of clanking sabers, stood upon his hind
feet and looked on in apparent astonishment at the "pass-
ing regiment." There was a white spot in his breast,
affording an excellent mark for a carbine or a pistol shot,
and it required constant watchfulness and precaution on
the part of the officers to prevent the men from taking a
shot at that spot. In a conversation with the lady of the
house the fact was disclosed that she was "horned and
raised thare," that she was "nigh on to fort/' years old,
and had never seen a wagon. She knew there was a war
in progress and that some of her male relatives were
engaged in it, but upon which side she was not so sure.
When the officer with whom this interesting colloquy was
held lifted his hat to say good-bye, the lady called out:
"Look a-here, mister, can't ye give us a chaw of terbacker ?"
The pass where we expected to intercept the enemy and
cut off his retreat was finally reached, but, to our great
disappointment, the bird had flown. A heavy shower of
rain had fallen an hour or two before, and since that time
they had taken flight, as their fresh tracks were plainly
visible in the road.
At this time we are operating on the left wing of Sher-
man's army, now about to make the unfortunate assault
upon Kenesaw Mountain, June 10th. For this point
Stoneman's cavalry is headed and we are fifteen miles
distant when the first attack upon Kenesaw is made. The
low, rumbling sound of artillery is plainly heard at that
distance, and louder and louder as we draw near, like the
sound of an approaching thunderstorm. It is not difficult
in the imagination to picture the conflict as it rages, for
there is no music of a military character so inspiring as
196 With Touch of Elbow.
the sound of distant cannonading. As the light that
attracts the moth and lures him to his death, so is the
sound of artillery to the true soldier, when it is known
a battle is on. The brass band, the bugle and the fife and
drum have their uses in time of war, and by their inspiring
notes men are often led in forlorn hopes to do gallant
deeds, but there is a grandeur in the roar of artillery, when
the earth trembles and the air is rent, that transposes the
coward into a hero and leads the timid up to the "imminent
deadly breach."
Marching to within plain view of the conflict now raging
on Kenesaw Mountain, our command is halted and held
in reserve, and from this point we watch the progress of
the battle throughout the day and into the night. Union
soldiers in their dust-stained uniforms, with musket in
hand, recognizable only by the starry banners they bear
aloft, are still advancing over the rough ground in broken
lines, clambering over rocks and ledges difficult of ascent.
Line officers with sword in hand are seen endeavoring to
keep an alignment, and at the same time urging the men
forward, amidst a shower of bullets from the enemy's
skirmishers secreted behind fallen timbers and boulders
just above, while solid shot, shell and canister from a half
hundred big guns behind heavy works planted along the
mountain's brow are plowing into their ranks, cutting
brave men down by scores and hundreds. Down through
the brush and over the rocky slopes men with stretchers
are carrying the wounded to the rear the dead no longer
need attention.
First from the right and again on the left and center
assault after assault is made, but the enemy's position is
impregnable, every approach is guarded and every assault
repulsed with terrible slaughter to the Union troops. As
With Touch of Elbow. 197
night comes on, from the sides and apex of the mountain
fire and smoke belch forth with detonating sound like the
eruption of a volcano, but hundreds of brave men lying
among the rocks below no longer hear the "deep thunder,
peal on peal afar/'
A field hospital is established near by, and to one who
must stand and look on without lending a helping hand
the sight is appalling and cannot well be described. One
thousand three hundred and seventy are already dead and
beyond the help of the surgeon's knife ; but, alas ! the six
thousand five hundred wounded are here, and may God
help them in the struggle yet to come.
From the middle of June to the latter part of July in
this campaign the ground was stubbornly contested, and
an enemy lurked behind every stump and bush as we
worked along the banks of
THE CHATTAHOOCHEE.
Every day and every night for thirty days and nights
in succession, while on the Nickajack and other small
branches of this river, our cavalry was in the saddle and
under fire. The weather was extremely hot, and in many
places the ground low and swampy. The army everywhere
was scantily fed and no opportunity given for cleanliness
or a change of clothing; no time could be taken to muster
for pay, and money was as scarce as soap.
Dismounting one day for water and rest, the men sought
the shelter of the surrounding bushes for protection from
the burning sun. The mouths of our canteens, from fre-
quent use, had become salty in taste, and a little greasy;
enough so at least to make them attractive for flies, and
the nozzle of a canteen when set aside in the shade would
be covered with fly-blows in twenty minutes' time.
198 With Touch of Elbow.
One day Sergeant Homer Manvel of Company F was
sitting on the ground under a bush with his long legs
curled up under him tailor-fashion, bareheaded, and with
no clothing on but a shirt and a pair of trousers. While
stooped forward and ruminating upon the pleasure of the
hour a lizard popped up over his back and perching on
his right shoulder peered inquiringly into the Sergeant's
face. Whereupon Manvel raised his left hand slowly and
cautiously as if to make sure of his aim, and struck
viciously at the intruder. But, like a flash, the lizard
dodged and instantly appeared on the opposite shoulder.
After the second attempt to strike was made the lizard
jumped off and disappeared in the brush. Upon this
Manvel drawled out in a half sour and half humorous vein
the following: "You may talk as much as you like about
the beauties of the 'Sunny South/ but for my part I've
got about enough of it. Give me the State of Ohio for
the balance of my soldiering, if you please."
Whenever the Chattahoochee Eiver was approached
within rifle range, there was almost certain to come a shot
from the enemy. One night when below on the extreme
right a company of fifty men was ordered to establish a
courier line with the main army on the river, twenty miles
above. The road to be followed was supposed to run
parallel with the stream. The night was dark and the
country roads were rough and heavily wooded. The
orders were not to fire upon an enemy unless compelled
to do so in self-defense.
Courier lines are established in this way: First ad-
vancing a distance of about five miles, or to some desig-
nated point on the route to be covered, a halt is made and
a post established consisting of three or five men with a
non-commissioned officer in command. From this point
With Touch of Elbow. 199
a courier is started back with whatever there may be to
report. Then moving on, regularly every five or six
miles thereafter, posts are established and couriers sent
back. When the entire distance is covered and the end
of the route is reached you have a courier line carrying
news or orders from one part of the army to another
every two hours or every four hours, as may be required.
This kind of service in late years is carried on by use of
telegraph or telephone lines.
On the night in question, not knowing the country or
the roads, and having no guide, we often ran close to the
river, and as often the enemy took a pop shot at us. One
of these shots raked the pommel of my saddle and a man
and horse were wounded.
When the distance was half covered (some time before
daylight) we reached a ford and a cotton gin on the
banks of the river. The instructions were to remain here
with a detachment of twenty men, having the cotton gin
for a cover, and to hold the crossing until relieved. From
this point the balance of the command went forward to
complete the line.
We lay down in the gin and it was broad daylight when
I awoke to discover we were in plain view of the opposite
banks, on which was an encampment of rebel soldiers, not
more than 150 yards distant. Just as I stepped outside
three or four of the enemy arose and started for the river,
but a few paces from their camp, to take a morning
plunge. By this time a number of our men were up. On
discovering us the Johnnies called out, "Hello there,
Yank! Are you fellows going to shoot?" "Not so long
as you do not interfere with us," was the reply. "Well,
we-uns don't shoot unless you-uns do," came back the
response. Everybody being satisfied with this assurance,
2OO
With Touch of Elbow.
a few minutes later, both commands (some twenty or
thirty men on a side) were in the water bathing and ex-
changing jokes and pleasantries. Some of the more ven-
turesome waded out midway of the stream and there met,
exchanging coffee for tobacco, and vice versa. At 12
o'clock that day we were ordered away, and the good-bye
salutations with our friends, the enemy on the opposite
side, were cordial and altogether friendly.
One morning, while trying to force a crossing of the
Chattahoochee, I was ordered to take the advance with
two companies, and drive in the enemy's skirmishers. In
pressing forward a heavy fire was encountered, when the
command was dismounted and on foot charged up through
a girdling where the dead timber was still standing. The
enemy were hidden in a thicket behind the fence on the
farther side of the field. As we advanced they opened a
galling fire, forcing us to the trees for shelter. The fusil-
lade was kept up, and the tree that fell to my lot was
inadequate to cover me; while John Blossom (a boy of
seventeen) reached a tree of ample proportions, not more
than ten feet distant. One bullet had already struck my
coat sleeve and another glancing off the tree caused the
splinters to fly, when Blossom, noticing the danger, said:
"Captain, you had better come here and let me go there.
This tree will give you a better cover, and that one is
big enough for me." About this time reinforcements
came up, and together we made a charge and cleared the
field, and the next serious event we have to record is the
running into
A MASKED BATTERY.
Going into a camp the following afternoon about 4
o'clock, I was ordered out with a large party to secure
forage close to the Chattahoochee. We carried no arms
With Touch of Elbow. 201
but pistols, and ropes to tie up the grain in bundles con-
venient for carrying on horseback. The orders were to
proceed to a certain road or crossing of roads, and there
halt and deploy skirmishers, and in this manner advance
on foot to a field supposed to be a short distance beyond.
We reached the place designated, and about twenty men
were already advancing as skirmishers. The balance of
the command, not yet dismounted, were in the middle of
the road in column of fours. On the right was open pine
timber ^close at hand, and on the left a plowed field ex-
tending some distance in the direction of the river. I
knew the Chattahoochee was not far away, and was ap-
prehensive of danger, but orders must be carried out.
At this moment, boom! boom! came a couple of shots
from a battery not more than a quarter of a mile dis-
tant. They were solid shots and went into the plowed
ground a few feet from the center of the column, shower-
ing men and horses with dirt and gravel. Every man to the
rear of where the shots struck immediately wheeled and
ran for shelter. The balance were held long enough to
receive a command; when bang! bang! came two more shots.
These passed just over our heads and went through the
tree-tops a little beyond. The gunners were evidently get-
ting the range on us, and had we remained longer, the
third shot doubtless would have proved the "charm."
Falling limbs cut from the tree-tops overhead struck
among men and horses, causing the ranks to break, and
as the battery was masked and on the opposite side of the
river, the only sensible thing to do was to get out of range
as soon as possible. With this the command was given,
"Fours right about!" and, galloping to the rear, we were
soon out of reach of the battery. They fired several more
shots, but no serious damage was done.
2O2
With Touch of Elbow.
Meantime, the men who first stampeded had gone pell-
mell into camp and reported the column cut to pieces by
a masked battery. While returning in good order we met
an ambulance and surgeons with an escort coming out to
gather up the dead and wounded. This proved an occa-
sion for a pretty good joke on the foraging party, and the
boys who remained in camp wanted to know how we all
liked "foraging."
Through the sultry summer months Sherman's slow but
resistless march was unimpeded. Kesace, Kenesaw and
Allatoona had received their baptism of fire, and the
Union army at last across the Chattahoochee is thun-
dering
AT THE GATES OF ATLANTA.
After Hood's sortie and defeat on the 22d of July there
was a cessation of hostilities. The losses sustained by the
Confederates in this engagement were much greater than
those of the Federals at Kenesaw Mountain, to wit : Killed,
2,482; wounded, 4,000; missing, 2.017, the Federal loss
being 500 killed, 2,141 wounded and 1,000 missing. It is
not surprising that after the prolonged marches and aggre-
gate losses of the campaign up to that time it did not
require a formal truce for both armies to settle down for
a little rest and recuperation.
During this lull Stoneman was ordered to report with
his command at Decatur, on the left wing, seven miles
to the northeast from Atlanta. The march from the right
to the left was made just in the rear of the army now
hovering around the doomed city in the shape of a crescent
or quarter circle for a distance of twenty-four miles.
While making this move in the night an ambulance train
was encountered carrying the wounded to the rear from
With Touch of Elbow. 203
the battle of the 22 d. It was at the crossing of a creek
having steep banks and a rough and stony bottom. We
were compelled to stand by the roadside while seventy-five
ambulances with wounded men passed over. The condi-
tion of the ground shook the ambulances, rolling and
wrenching the men so as to open afresh their wounds, and
the prayers, groans and curses caused by this rough hand-
ling were distressing to hear. For two long hours we sat
there in the gloomy night, waiting for this procession to
pass.
But somewhere in this great army, if still alive, was my
brother, and while making this change in the field of
operations it occurred to me that now, if ever, was the
time to find him. So, gaining permission to leave my
command for a day, mounted on a good horse, early on
the following morning I started out.
Sherman's army of seasoned veterans, one hundred
thousand strong, with every gun primed and every bayonet
fixed, now lay crouching like a wild beast ready for a
deadly spring in front of Atlanta. The hunt for a single
man in this vast host was undertaken with as little hope
of success as the exploration of the haystack for the pro-
verbial needle. Had I been a spy, however, in the service
of the enemy I could have carried away with me that day
information as valuable to the Confederacy as the price
offered for a horse by Eichard the Third on Bosworth
Field. By corps ; brigades, divisions and batteries I in-
spected the troops, counted the various guns and noted
their positions. But it was not until 4 o'clock in the
afternoon that I succeeded in locating the 25th Michigan
Infantry, First Brigade, Second Division, 23d Army Corps
(if my memory serves me right), there hoping to find my
brother.
204 With Touch of Elbow.
Hiding up to the front, in plain view of the city and
the rehel works, I soon discovered a battery of brass pieces
mounted in barbette and glistening in the sun. Toward
them my horse was headed, but just then crash went a
shell from the enemy through the pine treetops, and I
deemed it only a matter of good judgment to dismount,
tie my horse and find my way for the remainder of the
journey on foot. Coming close to the battery, I could see
no signs of life anywhere, and wondered if the troops were
all asleep, dead or had abandoned the guns to their fate.
When but a few paces from the breastworks I came upon
a freshly dug pit about eight feet square and six feet deep.
Nerving myself for the worst, I advanced, expecting to find
the bottom of the pit covered with dead men, and possibly
among them the object of my search. But, greatly to my
relief, I found the brother, in company with three other
officers, engaged in a social game of euchre. After the
warm greetings which such a meeting might be expected
to call forth, he took from his pocket the watch and chain
which has been for so long a time an object of more or less
concern.
The fortunes of war were such, however, that my stay
here could be but short, as the regiment was already under
orders to be prepared at 3 o'clock the next morning, with
only picked men and horses of the command, each carrying
three days' rations and 100 rounds of ammunition, to enter
upon a hazardous raid into the heart of the enemy's
country. Desperate fighting was liable to begin where we
stood at any moment, and under these circumstances we
could find very little with which to cheer and congratulate
each other on the prospect of the future. It was agreed
upon, however, that should one come through the war in
safety and the other be killed, it should be incumbent upon
With Touch of Elbow. 205
the survivor to see the remains taken from the soil of the
then inhospitable South and decently buried in the old
family grounds. While this agreement was eminently satis-
factory, it was not entered upon with that degree of hearti-
ness and good cheer that might be expected ordinarily
between two brothers closing amicably for all time so im-
portant a family matter.
Before leaving, however, being a cavalryman, I had a
curiosity to inspect the field pieces, look over the works a
little, and, with my brother to explain, find out just how
the infantry "did it." Accordingly, coming up from the
shelter of the pit we had been up to this time occupying,
we walked along behind the earthworks until, coming to
the battery, I sprang upon the parquette, and, looking
over the field to the front, could see our own and the
enemy's pickets and sharpshooters but a short distance
apart, lying between the opposing lines, looking innocent
and harmless enough, as they lounged on stumps and fallen
timbers in their shirtsleeves, apparently paying no atten-
tion to each other whatever. But on stooping forward to
look into the muzzle of one of the guns, zip ! went a bullet
close to my ear, when my brother, with a good deal of
earnestness in his voice, said, ff You had better come down
from there, you will draw the enemy's fire." Having no
desire to draw anybody's fire, and my curiosity being en-
tirely satisfied, I took his advice and "came" down with-
out unnecessary delay. This done, there seemed little left
for us but to say good-bye, and my brother's last words to
me as I struck out for camp were : "Look out, my boy,
or you will lose that watch again."
Promptly at 3 o'clock the next morning Stoneman's
cavalry started on the memorable raid undertaken in part
for the release of the Federal prisoners at
206 With Touch of Elbow.
MACON AND AKDEKSONTILLE.
Demonstrations by the cavalry elsewhere were made in
concert with this movement to draw the attention of the
enemy, and thus enable Stoneman to pass through the lines
to the rear of Atlanta without bringing on a general
engagement. This part of the program was successful,
but Generals Girrard and McCook, each in command of a
division on the right, who were to have moved simul-
taneously with Stoneman and join him at Lovejoy's Station
on the Macon Eoad, meeting with reverses were compelled
to turn back, and the junction with Stoneman was never
formed, so the latter, with only 1,700 men and two pieces
of light artillery, was left to work out his salvation alone
in the heart of the enemy's country, having the whole Con-
federate Army under Hood between him and the Federal
lines. The command under Stoneman consisted of Com-
pany D, 7th Ohio Infantry (escort to the General; 14th
Illinois, 8th Michigan, 5th Indiana, 24th Indiana Battery
(one section), McLaughlin's Squadron Ohio Cavalry and
the 5th and llth Kentucky Cavalry. Stoneman ranked
as Major-General and had been assigned to the command
of all the cavalry cooperating in this movement.
At the appointed rendezvous, however, a halt was made
for several hours, in anticipation of receiving some intelli-
gence from the delinquent commands, and scouting parties
were sent out to that end. While thus in waiting two or
three officers called at a farmhouse near by and asked the
lady if she would be -kind enough to provide them a dinner,
informing her at the same time she would be liberally paid
for the accommodation. She readily consented, and in a
short time an abundant and wholesome meal was prepared.
While at the table a general conversation was carried on
With Touch of Elbow. 207
between the officers and the lady of the house, who seemed
to be alone. In the course of the meal it was in some way
revealed to her that we were on our way to Macon and
Andersonville for the purpose of capturing those places
and releasing the Federal prisoners there confined.
Whereupon the lady disclosed the fact that her husband
was in the Confederate Army, and then doing duty as a
guard at a prison in Macon, and "Oh! gentlemen," she
said, "when you capture my husband, for God's sake be
merciful and treat him kindly," and then she gave us his
name and regiment. She was assured in all sincerity that
her request would meet with consideration at our hands,
but some one of the party was thoughtful enough to remind
her of the old recipe for cooking a fish, viz. : to catch the
fish first; and, as events transpired a few days thereafter,
it would have been better for us, perhaps, had the terms
been reversed and her husband obligated in some way to
be "merciful," and treat us kindly when captured, for
within fifteen days from that time he must have been
holding a bayonet over our heads, as we were all prisoners
of war and securely lodged in Macon.
Disappointed at the failure of Girrard and McCook to
make the connection with us, but animated by the spirit
that moves the breast of every man when in the act of
going to the relief of some fellow-being in distress, the
command pushed on by day and night, reaching the north-
western bank of the Ocmulgee Elver opposite Macon in
the early morning of the 30th.
A battery supported by infantry and intrenched on the
opposite side made it impossible for our cavalry, armed
with light carbines, to effect a crossing and enter Macon.
Desultory fighting was kept up, however, until 4 o'clock
in the afternoon of that day, when Stoneman announced
With Touch of Elbow.
his determination to retreat, taking the back track, not-
withstanding this movement met the disapproval of nearly
every officer in his command.
Meantime detachments had been dispatched along the
railroads leading to Milledgeville, Eatonton, Monticello
and other points, destroying railroad tracks, burning
bridges, mills, factories and other public property amount-
ing to hundreds of thousands of dollars. A detail con-
sisting of about 100 men was sent out for the purpose of
destroying the track between Macon and Milledgeville, in
order to circumvent any attempt that might be made to
run in troops from the latter place to reinforce Macon or
to attack us from the rear.
Our first halt was at a point where the track ran along
the steep bank of a millpond on which was located a large
flouring mill. The various devices in vogue by the army
for destroying railroads were now resorted to. First, about
200 yards of track were taken up and turned over bodily
down the embankment into the pond ties, rails and all.
Meantime fires were built on the track in other places, so
that the expansion of the rails doubled them into the form
of an elbow. Still others, taking up the rails, placed them
side by side with the ends resting on ties or some other
object elevated a few feet above the ground, and fires were
built on top of the rails in the center. As the heat
increased they settled, forming a bend till the ground was
reached, rendering them worthless for the time being.
Often a half dozen men would pick up a rail already heated
in the middle (the ends remaining cool) and wind it
around the nearest tree or telegraph pole. After complet-
ing this work, just as we started away I looked back and
saw with regret the flouring mill in flames. Even after
the most diligent inquiry among the men I was never
With Touch of Elbow. 209
able to find out who set the mill on fire. Certainly it was
not done through my orders, though such an act in time
of war is considered legitimate, for the mill had been
running day and night, manufacturing flour and meal for
the Confederate Army.
While the work of destroying track was going hurriedly
forward, the pickets on duty in the direction of Milledge-
ville discovered an engine with three or four cars coming
under a full head of steam. The instructions were, if a
train approached, to keep out of sight till it ran up to or
into the break in the track, and then to attack them from
ambush and capture the outfit, whatever it might be. In
this case the order was successfully carried out and an
engine and three cars, loaded with mules and ammuni-
tion, with a small guard of Confederate soldiers, were
captured. The entire train and its contents were destroyed
at once and the prisoners soon after paroled.
Despite orders and discipline, on a raid like this in the
enemy's country, it is impossible to prevent now and then
AST ACT OF VANDALISM.
A negro woman came to one of our men on picket duty
some distance from that part of the command engaged
in destroying track on the Milledgeville road, and told
him her mistress (who was the wife of a Confederate
General then in the field) had a large quantity of money
and jewelry buried on the plantation not far from the
house near the picket post. Accordingly, the soldier, with
the colored woman for a guide, went to the spot desig-
nated, and, sure enough, there, in a tin box buried beneath
the ground, he found gold coins, watches, rings, bracelets,
and other trinkets galore. Doubtless, had he discovered
the reputed treasures of Captain Kidd, his delight could
210
With Touch of Elbow.
not have been greater, and being generous to a fault, he
returned and at once began bestowing presents upon his
comrades. In this way an account of the affair soon
reached my ears; but how much there was of the coin I
never was able to learn. A short time after, however, we
were ordered away in haste, and reaching General Stone-
man's headquarters in front of Macon, we there found the
soldier in question under arrest, and General Stoneman in
a white heat, threatening to have him tied to a gun car-
riage and shot. The old colored woman, it seems, had
become conscience-stricken, and voluntarily told her mis-
tress the circumstances connected with the loss of the
money and jewelry; and at once making her way through
the lines, the lady reported these facts to General Stone-
man. Of course, I lost no time in going to him in behalf
of the soldier, explaining that the money and jewelry
could all be restored to its owner; that the men had taken
it thoughtlessly, as they would pick up a coin or a purse
in the public highway. Accordingly, when all on duty at
that post were called up and the facts presented, the
money and valuables in their possession were delivered up,
and most of it, at least, was restored to the rightful owner.
The citizens in the country through which we passed
were panic-stricken, and often deserted their homes,
thereby making them much more liable to plunder or
desecration. But for all that, except for the soldiers'
necessaries, such as horses or mules to ride, and bread
and bacon to eat, there was very little plundering done.
The people, ignorant of the facts, had been told the
Yankees were out for rapine, murder, and arson, and that
they must expect the worst whenever the invaders reached
their homes. But, forced to abandon Macon, General
Stoneman now decided upon
With Touch of Elbow. 211
A RETROGRADE MOVEMENT.
Accordingly, the retreat began about 5 o'clock that
evening, and Company F formed a part of the advance
guard. When near Clinton, about twelve miles to the
north from Macon, a negro came to the command with
the information that a large scouting party of the enemy
were occupying the town. Acting on this intelligence, we
charged into the place on different roads, capturing about
twenty, and after establishing outlying pickets, picked up
others who came straggling in later. Clinton was the
county seat, and in the jail were found fifteen or twenty of
our men, who had been captured on the downward march.
Releasing these and other prisoners, citizens as well as
soldiers, the building was set on fire and we soon moved
away by the light of it; but, plunging into the darkness
again, had proceeded but a short distance before coming
upon another detachment of the enemy. They fell back
from point to point, apparently doubling up in numbers,
as we pressed steadily forward.
The route took us through a wooded country, and about
midnight, after turning an angle in the road, from an
elevated position a few yards ahead, there came a succes-
sion of volleys that brought our command to a halt, and
at the first round two or three men and horses were
wounded. This rapid fire compelled us to dismount and
lead out into the timber for shelter, there to await orders
from the commanding General.
Orders came to barricade, and then to advance as
skirmishers on each side of the road, the writer with one
company being in command on the right. The night was
intensely dark, and the only way an alignment could be
maintained was to pass orders from left te right in a low
212
With Touch of Elbow.
voice, and by this precaution keep the enemy in doubt as
to our movement and locality. We had advanced in this
manner but a short distance, when the challenge rang out,
directly in front: "Who comes there?"
It might be the enemy or it might be some of our own
command, in the darkness, and the answer was given
somewhat evasively: "The Eighth."
"Eighth what?" was demanded.
"Eighth Michigan," I replied, following this at once
with:
"What regiment is that?"
"First Alabama."
And, immediately giving the command, "Fire and ad-
vance," on moving a few paces to the front we came
upon the dead body of a Confederate soldier. Daylight,
which soon came on, revealed a bullet hole through his
head. This undoubtedly was the man who first chal-
lenged. First Sergeant Homer Manvel was shot at and
missed by a man but a few feet in front of him; when his
assailant sprang forward and seized the Sergeant around
both arms, calling on his comrades for help. But holding
a six-shooter in his hand, and being a powerful man,
Manvel pressed it to his adversary's side, shooting him
dead in his tracks.
Again advancing, over fallen timber, through brambles,
and across gulches, firing as we went, the point where the
enemy had been entrenched behind barricades was
reached soon after daylight. This disclosed them in force
about a mile and a half down the road in the open coun-
try, just beyond a little hamlet called
"SUNSHINE CHURCH."
It was now "Sunday, July 31st, and the sun of that
With Touch of Elbow. 213
bright Sabbath morning had just reached the spire of the
little house of worship, when a forward movement of all
our forces was ordered. Our troops soon took up a posi-
tion near by, and planted the two pieces of artillery just
outside the churchyard.
The services held there that day, though impressive
enough, were not conducted in strict accordance with
orthodox usages; for army surgeons at that time, no mat-
ter what may have been their other virtues, were not
noted for extreme piety. The place, however, served well
as a hospital, and its floors and aisles were soon filled
with wounded men.
Our troops on foot charged three times, but were re-
pulsed as often. That we were unable to cut our way
through this force, when all the facts are considered, is
not surprising. Men in a state of extreme physical ex-
haustion and paralyzed by loss of sleep are not so formida-
ble as when, rising fresh and vigorous, they enter upon
the duties of the day with a will and determination that
render them invincible. It was impossible to keep the
men awake that day when under fire and on the skirmish
line. As soon as a partial cover was reached, a stump, a
rock, or a bush, they fell asleep, oblivious of all danger.
In addition to this handicap we were confronted with a
force superior in numbers. According to' the official
report of Confederate General Joseph Wheeler, three
brigades of his cavalry were in front of us. They were
strongly barricaded, with artillery, in a well chosen posi-
tion. The Division was under General Irverson, and con-
sisted of his own, and the brigades of General Allen and
Colonel Breckenridge.
But another serious handicap one of our best regi-
ments under ordinary circumstances (the 5th Kentucky),
214 With Touch of Elbow,
was within fifteen days of the expiration of its term of serv-
ice; and when the real test came, and the advance had
reached within a fow yards of the enemy's barricade, the
Kentuckians faltered and could not be urged forward.
This staggered the whole line, which finally broke and fell
back in disorder on our reserve. Colonel Adams, with
sword in hand and bareheaded, went to the front of his
line and begged his men to come forward, appealing to
their State pride, but his commands fell upon deaf ears.
In the retreat which soon followed, the troops had to
cross a ravine in the center of which was a dry run. The
water in coursing down this gulch had cut a deep channel
which, when entered, afforded a temporary cover. Into
this I entered, calling upon the men to follow. But a
little farther on the channel grew deeper, and soon we
came to where the water had cut a perpendicular embank-
ment in front and on both sides about eight feet deep, the
bottom where we stood proving to be a bed of quicksand.
The enemy had by this time left their barricades and
were now on the ridge we had left but a few moments
before, firing into the retreating ranks. To turn and go
out of the ditch the way we came in would expose us to a
galling fire, and probably to capture. The men tried in
vain to jump and catch the brush on the edge of the
banks, but the more they struggled the farther they sank
into the treacherous bottom.
We were certainly in a trap, and for a moment I thought
lost. But as I was jumping to catch hold of something on
the bank, Sergeant Jeff Mills, a tall, powerful man, seized
me around the hips and raised me up so that I caught the
overhanging bushes and by their aid soon pulled myself
out. Mills was able to follow; and in this manner one
after another of the men were helped from the ditch until
With Touch of Elbow. 215
all were out on the bank, save one. But this position
brought us within range of the enemy's shots, and all hur-
ried away into the brush out of range and temporarily out
of sight. As I started with others, I overheard the voice
of someone still in the ditch, and looking down saw Ser-
geant W. S. Wells standing in the sand above his knees.
I never shall forget the look of reproach he gave me when
he called out, "Cap, you're not going to leave me here,
are you?" Thereupon, I turned around, and lying down
on my stomach was able to reach his hand and help him
out. By this time the others were out of sight in the
brush, leaving the two of us the only target for the ad-
vancing enemy. We were not slow, however, in following
our comrades as they scurried through the brush, the
Johnnies yelling and shooting as we ran.
Our limited supply of ammunition now being exhausted
and the last round for the battery already in the guns,
with an enemy superior in numbers, both in front and
rear,
STOKEMAN DETERMINED TO SURRENDER.
This, however, was opposed by his officers, as before,
who still advocated retreating to the south and east. By
this move it was believed there would be found little
trouble in reaching our lines somewhere on the coast of
Florida. Indeed this plan was presented to Stoneman as
a feasible one before starting on the raid, but the propo-
sition was disregarded. Before the flag of truce was sent
up, however, he gave permission to any officers who de-
sired to undertake an escape by cutting their way out to
do so he proposing to hold the enemy in check with one
regiment consisting of about 300 men, to cover the re-
treat; and with this remnant Stoneman finally surren-
2i6 With Touch of Elbow.
dered. The Kentucky brigade was successful in getting
away, and reached the Federal lines almost intact. Others
struck out independently to the east and north in small
detachments, all keeping the same general direction, and
having the same object in view. I started with sixteen
men of Company F. We had now been four days and
nights in the saddle. The ammunition was expended, and
both men and horses were worn down to the last extrem-
ity. The enemy, who by easy stages had followed our
track on the advance to Macon, were in fine form and
fully prepared to receive us on the return march. Thus,
being fresh and well mounted, a detachment immediately
started out in the full hope of overtaking and destroying
these disorganized bands. By nightfall small parties of
the retreating men, taking the same road to the number
of about three hundred, came together. Colonel Horace
Capron, of the 14th Illinois, being the ranking officer took
command, and a desperate effort was now made to
BEACH THE FEDERAL LINES.
Difficulty was experienced in finding our way, there
being few men left in the country, either black or white
(excepting very old ones), and colored women were, our
only dependence for guides. This service was willingly
accepted, however, and having no horses for them to
ride they traveled on foot, keeping up with the mounted
men for miles upon a stretch, guiding them to safe cross-
ings on unfrequented roads or bridle paths, where the
enemy would be least likely to follow. All bridges and
public property found on the line of retreat were burned
in passing.
At a rugged crossing in a deep forest where all were
With Touch of Elbow. 217
compelled to dismount and lead, two young colored
women with red turbaned handkerchiefs around their
heads and carrying torches (our guides for a long dis-
tance) stood on the banks of the stream and lighted the
command across. The varying and uncertain glare of the
burning pine knots cast weird shadows into the waters
below, and over men and horses as they plunged down the
banks; while the forest, lighted up but a few yards over-
head and beyond, soon shaded off into impenetrable dark-
ness. There was just enough light to reveal the desperate
earnestness depicted on the faces of these slave girls (with
flashing eyes darker than the night itself) who had entered
upon this task that might prove death or torture to them.
The whole picture presented was like that of some vast
subterranean cavern, where the goblins were on the
march.
It was soon found quite impossible to keep the men
mounted, as many horses gave out entirely, while others
whose shoes had been cast or worn became footsore and
unable to move. To favor these every possible means was
resorted to. In an effort to lighten their burdens many
threw away blankets and ponchos, and others whose am-
munition was exhausted, broke their carbines in two at
the breech so they could no longer be of use to the enemy.
To insure their complete destruction the pieces were
thrown in opposite directions into the brush or mud holes
on either side.
There were no fresh animals to be found, except now
and then a mule, whose advancing years rendered him
quite worthless for our purposes. Even these were cached
away in such a manner as to make it difficult to find them.
But occasionally, as if by the irony of Fate, a loud
"Ma-ha Ma-ha M-a-ha" would reveal the presence of
218 With Touch of Elbow.
a long-eared patriarch in some cellar or basement of a
country residence, from which he would soon be taken
out to enter upon a service that, the deliberate move-
ments and calm dignity with which old age had clothed
his venerable form, seemed ill suited.
The second night out (August 2d) both men and ani-
mals had about reached the limit of endurance, and it was
found to be impossible, except by the most strenuous effort,
to keep either awake. With both hands locked over the
horns of their saddles, the men would fall asleep, when
their horses, taking advantage of the situation, turned out
by the roadside and stopped. In this manner the command
was often strung out a distance of two or three miles. So
about 2 o'clock on the morning of the 3d it was deter-
mined to lie down for a little rest. Accordingly, pickets
were placed out. But as soon as the men struck the ground
all (including the pickets) were wrapped in profound
slumber.
I lay down that night with sixteen of my men around
me, but never saw but one again until after the close of
the war, while others, alas! who laid their bones in the
sunny South I have never seen.
By this time quite a band of colored people old men,
women and children had fallen in, determined to flee
the country with us. But, fearing an attack and not wish-
ing to be embarrassed by these non-combatants within the
lines, the negroes were compelled to go to the rear.
We lay down by " the side of the road, each man holding
his horse ready to mount on the instant. The night was
very warm, and from long continuance in the saddle many
of the men had swollen feet, and for greater comfort re-
moved their boots, while others took off their coats and
used them for pillows.
V
With Touch of Elbow. 219
How long we had lain there is uncertain, but just at
break of day I was suddenly awakened by Sergeant Miles
Horn, who, while lifting and shaking me, cried out : "Get
up quick, Cap, for God's sake, they are right onto us."
The enemy, coming up in the rear, after capturing our
sleeping pickets, next encountered, just outside the lines,
the negroes lying by the road, who ran shouting through
the camp, throwing the men into confusion that finally
culminated in a panic. This was given greater impetus
and effect by the enemy, who by this time were "onto us"
sure enough, yelling like demons and firing at the men
who refused to surrender.
Springing to my feet, my horse still standing over me,
the report and flash of two or three shots near by, coupled
with the shouts of the enemy, enabled me to take in the
situation in a moment. Probably no less alarmed than
others, calling my Sergeant by a familiar title given him
by his comrades, I said : "Laddie, let's mount and get out
of this," and, to use an awkward phrase, we "got." We
soon became separated and the poor fellow was captured
and carried to Andersonville, and I did not see him again
until called upon to attend his funeral soon after the close
of the war.
An effort was made by Major Buck, of the Eighth, to
rally the men and form a defensive line in the edge of
the timber near by, but this was found to be impracticable,
as many were without ammunition or guns, and at the
first volley from the enemy the partially formed rank dis-
solved and the rout was made complete. About one hun-
dred men succeeded in mounting and getting away in the
direction of Athens, located about fifteen miles to the north.
The road ran through a narrow lane a distance of two or
three miles to the crossing of
220 With Touch of Elbow.
THE MULBEKRY RIVER.
The rush of so many horses across the bridge over this
stream proved too much for its decaying timbers and the
whole structure gave way, precipitating both men and
horses into the water below. The horses in the rear, excited
by the chase, continued to rear and plunge, and those
nearest the bank were thus crowded onto others already
floundering in the muddy bottom. What added to the
embarrassment under which we were now laboring was the
approach of the enemy, coming down the lane in hot pur-
suit, yelling and firing as they advanced.
A staked-and-ridered fence on each side of the road made
it impossible for the mounted men to escape by either
flank, and the enemy, riding boldly up, captured many
while sitting in their saddles. An officer with a drawn
saber got near enough to me to demand my surrender.
But two or three horses with empty saddles crowded in
and pushed me beyond the reach of his weapon. For
further security, and to keep out of range of the shots
that were passing over, I placed my arms around the neck
of my horse, and, swinging off, continued to cling to him
for a time, fearing otherwise to be trampled under foot.
At this time the men began to dismount and crawl through
the fence, seeking cover in the brush along the river bank.
Seeing this, I concluded to follow.
And now to abandon to his fate the faithful little animal
that had carried me hundreds of miles in and out of danger,
with never-faltering zeal and promptness, where many of
his kind gave out and fell by the way, was contemplated
with regret and appealed to my sense of gratitude in such
a manner as to add doubly to the distress at parting. And
even now, had he been able to scale the fence, or had there
With Touch of Elbow. 221
been a bridge across the Mulberry, he would again have
proved his mettle and carried me to safety (without losing
his tail), as did the famous mare of Tam-0'Shanter in
carrying him away from the witches and across the Doon.
With arms still around his neck, giving my horse a fare-
well hug I thought he would understand and appreciate, I
dropped to the ground and soon made my way to the fence
and into the brush.
On rising to an upright posture and starting to run I
seemed to have but little control of my lower limbs, which
had become greatly swollen and hung from my body like
bags of sand. Many now took to the brush, and, seeing
this, the enemy (after throwing down the fence) rode out
into the open field just above, and wherever the brush was
heard to crack they directed their shots, upon which one
after another of our men came out and surrendered.
Making my way on hands and knees a distance of 100
yards or more, I crawled under a thicket by the side of a
large log, and there awaited developments. One of our
soldiers (a mere boy of sixteen) secreted himself near by.
In the course of the day the people in that "neck of the
woods" seemed to have turned out en masse. While lying
there we had the pleasure of listening to their shouts,
mingled with the yelping of dogs, as they scoured the
country in search of the fugitives. At times they came
so near we could distinguish both male and female voices
and understand what was said.
The little soldier near me, however, soon fell into a
blissful sleep, but his snoring was so vigorous I greatly
feared it would draw the enemy's attention, if not their
fire. And to reduce the danger on this score to a min-
imum I pelted him with little chunks. But soon becoming
accustomed to this source of annoyance, the more I pelted
222
With Touch of Elbow.
the louder he seemed to snore. A long stick was then
brought into use, with which I gored his ribs. This treat-
ment caused the young sleeper to "lie over" a proceeding
that gave us both, for the time being, a much-needed rest.
While lying there meditating upon the past and the
probabilities of the future (and warned by other experi-
ences) I took the precaution to secrete my watch chain
and money under the lining of my jacket, the watch itself
being too large to hide successfully anywhere.
The shades of night had settled down, when all the
unwelcome sounds of the day seemed to have died out with
the setting sun, and I now resolved to leave the place of
concealment, and, passing to the opposite side of the river,
make my way to some friendly negro cabin (having learned
from former experience the fidelity of that race to the
Yankee soldier), and eventually reach the Federal lines in
safety.
Accordingly, at dusk I crawled out, thinking to leave
my young comrade asleep, as we could be of no assistance
to each other, and it had already been proved to my satis-
faction in such an emergency one man alone can make
better headway than any greater number. But I had no
sooner straightened up than my little friend stood by, wide
awake as an owl at midnight. It was evident he had no
idea of being "left." I told him then that he must obey
my orders and never speak above a whisper, walk stealthily
and move only when he saw me move. To this he agreed,
and together we started on our pilgrimage.
In penetrating the thickets and crossing on flood wood
we made slow progress, and when the uplands were reached
on the north side of the river daylight appeared. Soon
coming to a road, we moved very cautiously, fearing to
encounter a picket, and, on listening with one ear close
With Touch of Elbow. 223
to the ground, I heard a sound like the stamping of a
horse, and presently heard distinctly a man cough or clear
his throat.
We arose to retrace our steps, but in doing so were over-
heard, and the challenge, "Halt ! Who goes there ?" rang
out upon the still air of the early morning. As we did
not heed the summons, but continued to run as best we
could, the challenge was repeated, and immediately fol-
lowed by a shot. By this time we had gained the cover of
the brush, and thence made our way again to the bottom-
lands. Coming to a large log that had fallen down the
embankment, I climbed on top of it and sprang off as far
as possible into the thicket below, there sinking to the
ground, so exhausted and worn at the time I could almost
have consented to remain there forever. No food of any
kind had passed my lips for forty-eight hours. It was now
the morning of August 4th, and the sleep obtained since
July 27th, when we started on the raid, would not average
more than two hours in each twenty-four. But with the
experience already gained I was willing to run any risk
of life or limb rather than be held
AGAIN A PRISONER.
My partner secreted himself about thirty feet distant,
and we laid there all that day, while the country around
was again being scoured for the escaping raiders. Dogs
came yelping uncomfortably near, and again the unwel-
come sounds died away in the distance. About 5 o'clock
that afternoon a squad of Confederates coming up through
the bottoms came upon my comrade and carried him away.
Upon this I felt a sense of relief, believing he would be
better off as a prisoner.
224
With Touch of Elbow.
Just at sundown I heard the voice of a negro, who, walk-
ing along the bank above, was apparently talking to him-
self.
"Anybody in heah, ye's needn't be afeard uv me. I
wodn't hurt nobody/' he said; and soon I could hear him
clambering upon the log that had guided me down the
bank. He parted the brush, and, walking along, con-
tinued: "Been somebody in heah, I reckon. Any fellah
et fell ovah dis heah log in de dark broak his neck shue."
At this time he came into view an old man, to whom
there seemed no doubt I could make friendly overtures in
safety, and if he discovered me I would try the art of
diplomacy. But if not my plan was to remain quiet, for
I could now hear other voices not far away. Presently
his eyes rested squarely upon me, and doubtless believing
me dead I was lying flat on my back he ran back over
the log, and in a few moments a squad of Confederate
soldiers appeared upon the scene, with the old man for a
guide. I watched him closely through my half-closed eyes,
and thought a look of disappointment came over his counte-
nance when he found I was alive, realizing, as he must
have done, that through haste and fright he had been the
means of giving me up to the enemy.
Beaching the open field above, the soldiers laid me on
the ground for a consultation, or an autopsy, as the case
might seem to demand. Certainly I was as near dead as
alive. Their expressions were kindly, and, thinking myself
in good hands, I soon opened my eyes inquiringly, when
they assured me I was in friendly keeping and asked me
to walk to a farmhouse about a quarter of a mile away.
With a man at each arm to assist, I reached the place
designated with little difficulty.
Arriving at the house we found it already turned into
With Touch of Elbow. 225
a hospital and the floor and many available places in the
surrounding yard occupied by sick and wounded men be-
longing to our command. The women of the place, both
black and white, were rendering every assistance in their
power. Covered with mud from head to foot, and hair
and beard matted, disgust was added to discomfiture on
reflecting upon my appearance and, calling for a tub of
warm water, which was soon produced, I proceeded to
relieve myself of the outside strata of dirt. This treatment
was followed by a bowl of hot chicken broth for the inner
man, furnished by one of the negro women. From all this
kindness my strength and spirits rapidly returned.
I then asked the privilege of visiting the wounded, and
among the first to greet me was my little partner, prostrate
from nervous exhaustion. I got an opportunity to tell him
(aside) the Confederates would leave there the next morn-
ing, as I had overheard them say, and that if he held out
"sick" until then they would probably leave him, and an
opportunity would thus be open for his escape.
On going a little farther in the same room I found
Eufus Waldron, a member of my own regiment, who had
been shot through the right breast from front to back.
Believing his recovery impossible, I secured the name and
address of the people who were extending this generous
hospitality, having in view, should I survive the fortunes
of war, the possibility of some time informing Waldron's
people where he was buried. But he saved his people and
myself any trouble on that score, for when next seen he
was returning to his regiment from his home in Michigan,
where he had been on sick leave, as fine looking a soldier
as ever wore the uniform.
But there was another motive in securing this informa-
tion which will soon appear. There were two old gentle-
226 With Touch of Elbow.
men who seemed to be proprietors of the premises, and
their names and address Levi Watts and W. B. Kuther-
ford, Jefferson County, Georgia I wrote on the flyleaf
of a little Testament, which was a gift prized by me
highly, and of which more anon.
The next day all the prisoners collected at this point
able to be moved were marched to Athens, about ten miles
distant. Captain Brackenridge, of a Kentucky regiment,
was the officer in command of the guards and exercised
especial jurisdiction over me on the march. After supply-
ing me with a horse to ride (one branded "U. S." and
taken from some of our men the day before) he very
kindly volunteered an offer to the effect that if I would
give my word of honor not to try to escape while under
his charge I should fare on the way as well as he, and be
subjected to no other surveillance. I readily assented to
this offer, and one might suppose, only for the difference
in our uniforms, we were comrades belonging to the same
command passing through the country on a pleasure
junket. Together we called at farmhouses by the wayside,
where buttermilk and cornbread were abundant, and so
fared sumptuously to the end of the route.
It was with a feeling of regret that I separated from
Captain Brackenridge at Athens, where the prisoners
were turned over to the tender mercies of the Home Guards
and consigned to the county jail. Up to this time not
the slightest indignity had been offered by any of my
captors, but on the contrary, the kindest treatment as may
be supposed. We remained in the quarters at Athens
about a week, being treated as common felons, on very
scant rations which we were compelled to share with negro
prisoners of the most degraded type. From Athens all
were shipped by rail to
With Touch of Elbow. 227
MACOX AXD ANDERSOXVILLE.
So, instead of releasing the thirty-odd thousand
prisoners confined in those places, as we started out in
high hopes to do, Stoneman's cavalry, including the leader
himself, swelled the numbers in the already overcrowded
pens, to the extent of about 900 men. Going by rail to
Macon we were privileged to ride over two miles of
railroad track we had been instrumental in destroying
some ten or fifteen days before. But I was far from boast-
ing of my work, as the Confederate authorities were mak-
ing vigorous search and inquiry for any officers among
the prisoners whom they might hold responsible for acts
of vandalism said to have been committed at that time.
This sort of inquisition I did not care to face, though
for my own part I had at all times used every possible
endeavor to protect citizens in their persons and property;
and to this end often stood guard with drawn saber over
houses the men were threatening to plunder.
Arriving at Macon, after recording our names, rank and
regiment a vigorous search of every man was made for
valuables, with the expectation doubtless of finding some
of the plunder alleged to have been taken as stated above.
While this was going on the prisoners were held in the
shade of a structure raised two or three feet from the
ground, resting on abutments or piles. The ground
under and around this building was very sandy and while
waiting to be searched (otherwise apprehending serious
consequences) the men buried in the sand any valuables
they may have secured. Recalling my brother's last words
to me on our parting in front of Atlanta the evening
before starting on the raid: "Look out, my boy, or you
will lose that watch again," I took the watch from my
228 With Touch of Elbow.
pocket and placed it under the lining of my hat, while the
money, chain and gold ring were secreted as before de-
scribed.
On walking up to be questioned and searched, I took
off my hat, as every gentleman is supposed to do on ap-
proaching the presence of a dignified and important func-
tionary, respectfully holding it in my hand while the in-
quisition was going on. In this search the hat was entirely
overlooked and this dissembling politeness on my part no
doubt saved the watch for purposes to me much more
satisfactory than being compelled to give it up a second
time at the point of a bayonet.
They seemed disappointed at finding no valuables save
the little Testament mentioned in another chapter, and
while examining this I explained that it was a gift to me,
accompanied with the best wishes of a Christian young
lady residing at Nicholasville, Kentucky; and though an
ardent Secessionist, she was nevertheless a friend of mine,
and I hoped to retain this mark of her esteem. Upon this
the inquisitor closed the book and handed it back to me
with the remark that he hoped I would read it and repent
of having undertaken without just provocation to sub-
jugate the Southern people, which "never could be done."
The officers of our party were retained in Macon and
lodged in Camp Oglethorpe, another pen or stockade made
of timbers driven into the ground; while the enlisted men
were sent on to Andersonville. On entering the prison I
was greeted by a half dozen or more
OLD ACQUAINTANCES FEOM LIBBY.
All the prisoners in Richmond at this time had been
sent further south, to prevent their falling into the hands
of our forces then threatening the capture of the rebel
With Touch of Elbow. 229
capital. The first to extend a welcome was Lieutenant
Meade, whose boots I had appropriated, leaving in their
place my old shoes furnished hy a rebel soldier in East
Tennessee at the time of my first capture; the boots in
question being unequal to the service required of them in
making the escape. Meade's first salutation was: "Hello,
there, Wells. Where are my boots?"
The next greeting was from Captain Thomas H. McKee,
of the First West Virginia, whose hat was missing at the
same time as the boots, and for which I was called upon
to account. But as before explained, the head needed a
covering as well as the feet; and inasmuch as my present
difficulty was brought about in an effort to release these
good comrades, we had little trouble in arriving at a
friendly settlement, on the broad grounds of "a military
necessity."
I then inquired for Lieutenant P. A. White, who went
through the tunnel just ahead of me, agreeing to wait at
the shed until I could join him. From this point we were
to make the escape together, as before stated; but after
passing through the tunnel and reaching the shed, I found
that White had already gone. Hearing that he had been
recaptured and was now among the prisoners in Macon,
my greatest desire was to look him up.
There was a low wooden building in the center of the
stockade, used as a hospital, to which my attention was
directed, and upon entering this I found White lying on
a cot. His skin, turned black, was drawn tightly over his
bones and he could not speak above a whisper. Recogniz-
ing me, he recalled the circumstances under which we had
separated in Libby, and said at once: "If I had waited
for you under the carriage shed I would not be here
now;" conveying the impression that had we gone out
230 With Touch of Elbow.
together both would have escaped as I did. In answer
I said: "No, had we gone together both might have been
recaptured, and in that case I would not be in a condition
to encourage or aid you in any way." He then said: "Oh,
if I had a little money with which to send out and buy
something to eat I believe I could get well."
There was a sutler's tent just outside the gate, to which
those having money could send and buy soft bread, sweet
potatoes, cornmeal and similar delicacies (?). After shar-
ing with White from my little savings in greenbacks smug-
gled through the lines, I was soon compelled to bid him
good-bye, as all able to be removed were sent to the
Workhouse Prison, Charleston, South Carolina, and there
placed under fire of
THE FEDEEAL BATTERIES.
The Workhouse Prison, enclosed with a high wall like
a penitentiary, with doors and windows heavily barred,
was used before the war as a slave mart. In the center of
the back yard was a broad platform about three feet in
height with steps leading up, upon which the slaves were
exposed for public or private sale. This was the far
famed "Auction Block," the name upon which the aboli-
tion agitators of the North had been so fond of ringing the
changes. Its purposes were now reversed. The former
slave was already virtually free, but around the auction
block, where formerly he had been bartered and sold, were
held as prisoners of war some hundreds of the men to
whose valor he owed his freedom.
Around this historic remnant of the slave regime the
Yankee prisoners assembled every day to cook their rice
and cornmeal. A flat piece of cast iron, formerly the top
With Touch of Elbow. 231
of a stove, was utilized as a bake oven and frying pan
combined. Elevated a little from the ground, and resting
on bricks at each corner, this improvised oven when once
heated was covered with "hoe cakes," which were looked
after by anxious patrons until the cakes were baked and
"turned" to a finish. A large iron pot, also resting on
bricks, served as a receptacle for cooking rice. When the
meal and rice were thus prepared it was handed out upon
improvised plates, often made from old tin cans ham-
mered out into suitable form; and the fortunate possessor
of a dish of this kind, after receiving his ration, would
retire to the "block" for a seat and a table, there to enjoy
without interruption his own reflections and a "frugal
meal."
The prison was situated near the edge of what was
known as the "burnt district" of the city of Charleston,
this locality being about the limit of the range of the
Federal guns in the harbor, which were mercilessly trained
on Charleston for 286 days without cessation. During
this time it is estimated there were 43,000 projectiles
hurled, resulting, aside from destroying nearly half of the
city, in 319 casualties 52 killed and 267 wounded.
The prisoners were placed in this dangerous locality for
the purpose of deterring our Government from further
bombardment. But from Charleston the first shot for the
destruction of the Union was fired, and doubtless there
was "method in the madness" that prompted the sending
of these deadly missiles into that hotbed of secession.
It is remarkable at such a time, when events are chang-
ing rapidly and the worst is anticipated, how soon one can
adapt himself to the surroundings, no matter how unnat-
ural or dangerous they may be. On entering the Work-
house we were not long in ascertaining the fact that a
232 With Touch of Elbow.
large shell from one of our batteries in the harbor was
being hurled against the city every twenty minutes with
clocklike regularity by day and night. The report from
this gun soon became a familiar sound, and, on hearing
it, the prisoners had time to run across the floor to a
window, from which the shot could be seen as it drew
near and exploded. At night its course through the air
was readily traced the entire distance by a stream of fire
from the burning fuse. From the upper stories of the
building, or by stealing out on the roof, as was sometimes
done, the prisoners would sit up late to watch the progress
of this singular bombardment, which now had become a
source of amusement and diversion rather than otherwise.
The shots generally fell a little short of the prison, but
sometimes bursting overhead, their fragments came un-
comfortably near. A piece about ten pounds in weight
once struck the building, entering the roof and going out
through the brick on the gable end, making an opening
about three feet across.
Immediately adjoining the Workhouse was another
prison called the "Jail Yard," which, like the Workhouse,
was filled with unfortunate Yankee soldiers. From the
upper windows of the Workhouse we could look down upon
these prisoners, but the rules prohibiting any communica-
tion from one to the other were strictly enforced.
One day while standing a little back from an upper
window, unobserved by the guard and watching my neigh-
bors below, imagine my surprise on seeing my old comrade,
CAPTAIN CHARLES E. GREBLE.
Greble had been my "chum" and companion in Libby,
and together we were to have made the escape. We had
With Touch of Elbow. 233
spent six months there together, and had made all prepara-
tions to go out at the same time through the tunnel. But
on the night the exit was made we became separated in
the dark and I undertook the journey alone. He carried
the haversack in which were the rations saved up for the
occasion, also a map of the country we had jointly pre-
pared, lining out the rivers, fords and crossings, to guide
us on the way. When once out, realizing myself alone
and contemplating the probabilities of the venture, my
thoughts turned to the partner who had been left behind.
Fearless as he was, self-reliant and generous to a fault, I
felt as though the better half of me, for purposes then
under way, had departed, and I never felt the loss of a
comrade so much before nor since.
From that time till now I did not know how fate had
dealt with him, but it transpired that some time after the
exit he also went through the tunnel, and, after being three
or four days in the swamps and lagoons of the peninsula,
was recaptured and taken back to Libby, where he was
confined in a dungeon for thirty days on a meal and water
diet. About the time of his release from the dungeon it
appears an installment of boxes containing clothing and
delicacies to eat came from the North, and among them
a second box for myself, and when the list of claimants
was called off in the prison, Greble answered to my name,
drew the prize box and enjoyed the good things it con-
tained. I mourned the loss of this box after reaching
home, and, learning of its having been sent about the time
of the escape, and, in consequence, believed it must have
fallen into the hands of the enemy, but now was more
than gratified to learn that my friend and comrade had,
by personating me, obtained the coveted prize and enjoyed
its contents.
234 With Touch of Elbow.
Soon after this occurrence all the prisoners in Libby
were removed to prisons farther South, and Greble, still
determined on escape, cut his way through the bottom of
the car while in transit to Salisbury, and after traveling
250 miles in the mountains of the Carolinas, he was again
recaptured, and finally brought up in the "Jail Yard" at
Charleston, where I had discovered him.
And even now, on account of the rigid discipline of
prison life, I cannot speak to him or approach a window
near enough to attract his attention. But at last, fixing
my gaze steadily upon him, he looked up and saw me.
The surprise and gratification at this incidental meeting
can better be imagined than described, and the anxiety of
both to talk knew no bounds.
Since our separation in Libby I had returned to my
home in Michigan, and while there visited Greble's family
in Battle Creek, consisting of a wife and two little daugh-
ters. They listened with great interest to the story of the
capture and the escape, and how Greble and I had become
separated in the prison; but farther than this, what fate
had befallen him none of us could tell. Since that inter-
view I had returned to my regiment, gone through one of
the hardest campaigns of the war, and now, in the hands
of the enemy a second time, find my friend in Charleston,
South Carolina, still a prisoner, and, much as there is in
common between us to be said, and standing within a few
feet of each other in plain sight, we dare not exchange a
word.
During the brief period in which we stood there I
cautiously approached the window, and, on glancing down-
ward, saw a guard who just at that moment called out to
Greble, "Stop looking up at that window. Move on."
In the excitement incident to our unexpected meeting
With Touch of Elbow.
235
he took no notice of this warning, and the guard, after
repeating the command, drew his gun and was about to
fire. I then shouted (calling Greble by his first name),
"Charlie, move on; that guard will shoot you!" This
little episode terminated our "visit."
But Greble's ill fortune did not forsake him here. He
was still a prisoner in Columbia, South Carolina, at the
time Sherman with his army entered that place in Febru-
ary, 1865. A large number of prisoners were confined
there at the time, but on the approach of the Federals
they were moved to other places. Greble, taking advan-
tage of this movement,, secreted himself in a loft, and in
their haste to get away he was overlooked by the guards.
The town and the prison soon after the arrival of the
Union troops was found to be on fire. It has never been
definitely determined which of the two armies was respon-
sible for this, but, at any rate, Greble, in hiding, narrowly
escaped death from the smoke and flames of the burning
building. Escaping from this danger, he ran into another
almost as great. The Yankee soldiers mistook him for a
rebel guard, and at the point of the bayonet he was com-
pelled to surrender as a prisoner of war to those who
should have been his friends and liberators. In the course
of time, however, his identity was established, and he was,
of course, set at liberty. He finally found his way home,
and thence to the regiment.
Our first meeting after this episode at Charleston was
in the spring of 1865, at Brigade Headquarters, Pulaski,
Tennessee, at which time I learned from his own lips the
story of his adventures as above related. We were both
mustered out in July of that year, and, though strong and
robust as Greble seemed to be at that time, he did not
survive the war but a few years.
236 With Touch of Elbow.
Soon after this occurrence I found an opportunity to
make final disposition of the watch that has been so often
placed in jeopardy in the progress of this story, together
with the chain and gold. ring. Disposing of these for a
fabulous sum in Confederate money (obtaining twenty for
one in greenbacks), I was able to dispense little charities
among my friends most in need of assistance. There was
a broker outside engaged in this sort of traffic, with whom
negotiations for the sale of these articles were made. For
a time I was literally puffed up with money, but after
buying a few watermelons at twenty dollars apiece and
sweet potatoes at two and three dollars each, my purse
collapsed like a punctured balloon. But the disposing of
my valuables and undertaking to share the proceeds with
my fellow-prisoners came near proving
A DEATH WARRANT.
I now have to recount an experience in my varying for-
tunes since the time of enlistment that I would gladly
pass by. But since at this remote period we are able to
discuss these matters dispassionately, it is perhaps better,
before the time (soon to come) when there will be no
living witness, that all evidence pertaining to prison life
be sifted, to the end that what may be accepted as truthful
history may come out of it.
Beginning now to feel the effects of the hardships
already endured, and, aggravated by the inconsiderate use
of the good things obtained of the sutler, a terrible lassi-
tude came over me, and without further warning I was
stricken down with a disease that rendered me helpless
within two hours from the time of its first appearance,
and was soon after carried to a hospital situated on the
With Touch of Elbow. 237
Cooper River, in the suburbs of Charleston. For three
weeks thereafter I took little note of what went on around
me. But one thing seemed to occupy my mind during
that period, and that was the ceaseless echo of the Federal
gun in Charleston Harbor, and the screeching shell as it
approached the city rang constantly in my ears, and in my
half-conscious state haunted me day and night. In imag-
ination I sometimes traveled with the shot from the time
it left the gun until it exploded over the city or among
my comrades in the Workhouse prison, where I would
finally land as one of its many fragments. The first real
evidence of improvement in the condition of my health
came about fifteen days later. Being greatly annoyed by
a voice in the farther end of the ward where confined, I
peevishly inquired of a nurse if he could not stop that
loud and boisterous talking.
"Why," said he, "that is Dr. Todd, the physician in
charge of the hospital," whom afterward I learned was a
brother of Mrs. Lincoln, the wife of our President.
The greatest difficulty at the hospital seemed to be the
lack of medicine and other necessaries for the sick and
disabled. That many died is true, but it should be borne
in mind that conditions were the most unfavorable. The
patients came there in the last extremity, and with that
terrible longing for home and friends that sank deep into
the heart of every prisoner, making it almost 'a miracle
that he should recover at all. For my own part, while
lying there helpless and seeing the dead carried out daily,
I wondered if the time had come when I, too, would be
called upon to lay my bones in Dixie. But my answer to
the self-imposed query, coming as of its own volition, was
invariably "No !" and while there was no relief in sight,
I never did give up!
238 With Touch of Elbow.
"The miserable have no other medicine but only hope."
As Sherman had at this time taken Atlanta, thus threat-
ening the recapture of the prisoners at Macon and Ander-
sonville, they were all removed to prisons nearer the At-
lantic seaboard. All, did I say ? No, not all. That state-
ment should be qualified, for the bones of over 13,000 were
already bleaching at Andersonville.
More than 30,000 prisoners under this order were re-
moved, and probably never before in the history of any
war was so large a percentage of men held as prisoners
reduced to such a state of misery and destitution as existed
among these 30,000 men. Many of them came to Charles-
ton, and were there crowded into hospitals already filled
to overflowing. A clean suit of cotton underwear was given
each patient as he was admitted (this simple act being a
source of great relief which proved the stepping-stone to
the recovery of some), and while every care possible was
given them, when the terrible straits to which the Con-
federacy was reduced are considered,
THE MORTALITY WAS APPALLING.
The discarded garments of the prisoners were thrown in
a heap in the center of a court back of the hospital, and
it is no exaggeration to say that in the heat of the sun
these piles of infected clothing were alive and reeking with
vermin.
On the first and second stories were verandas or gal-
leries about eight feet wide, extending around the build-
ing; and when the cots in the regular wards were filled
the overflow was placed on the floors of these verandas.
The dead wagon came regularly once a day and the at-
tendants, going around among the prostrate forms on the
With Touch of Elbow.
239
floors and in the wards, gathered up the dead, and placing
them in the wagon took them out on their last drive.
Many hecame delirious, and their only talk was of home
and mother, wife and child. Their appeals were pitiable
and how anyone seriously ill could recover with so much
misery about them was then and has always been to me
a mystery.
The Sisters of Charity visited the hospital twice a week;
and if there is an ex-prisoner alive to-day who went
through this experience and has not discarded any prej-
udice he may before have entertained against that numer-
ous class of self-sacrificing souls it is to be regretted he,
too, did not get a ride in the wagon above described.
These things were observed during my convalescence,
when an opportunity was presented to see and know what
was taking place. There being no prospect as yet for the
war coming to a close, the only hope a prisoner at this
time had to look forward to was
EXCHANGE OR DEATH.
One day, noticing s new patient being brought in, my
astonishment was great on recognizing my friend White,
with whom we last parted in Macon. He was placed on a
cot near by, in a partially reclining posture, but was
delirious, and evidently in the last stage of his earthly
career. Holding a piece of green apple in his hand
(probably given him somewhere on the way from Macon)
he crowded it into his mouth and making a spasmodic ef-
fort to swallow, finally threw it out, and after gasping two
or three times, sank back and died.
The authorities in Charleston came to the prisoners
with the proposition to draw up a letter directed to Mr.
240 With Touch of Elbow.
Lincoln himself, setting forth the apparent inability of
the Confederate Government to provide the common
necessaries for so great a number of prisoners, and that an
early exchange, man for man, which the Confederates
were willing to do, would be the means of saving thou-
sands of lives that otherwise must be sacrificed. Such a
petition was written, largely signed by the prisoners, many
of them high in rank General Stoneman's name being
among the signatures and turned over to the hospital
officials; but it never again came to the attention of the
public. That this petition was forwarded there is no ques-
tion of doubt; but whether it ever reached Mr. Lincoln's
hands is still a debatable question. But this we know:
no general exchange of prisoners took place, while the
work of death by this refined process went steadily on,
until peace was declared; and thousands of the headstones
now to be seen in the National Cemeteries at the South
mark the final resting place of the victims of this cruel
policy.
During the war 180,000 Union soldiers were held as
prisoners in the South, and in the midst of the great suf-
fering and privations endured by these men there was at
all times held out to them one avenue of escape, one op-
portunity for immediate relief from the horrors with
which they were surrounded, and that was to renounce
their Government and take the oath of fealty to the
Southern Confederacy. It is gratifying to the pride of
every ex-soldier living at this time, as well as to every
loyal citizen of this country, to know that out of this
great host only two per cent, of the whole number ever
availed themselves of the opportunity thus offered.
A number of the Northern States have already erected
monuments to the memory of their soldiers who perished
With Touch of Elbow. 241
in Southern prisons, but the inscription on the one erected
by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at Andersonville
is the most striking and fills the requirements of a whole
volume though it contains but three words: "Death Be-
fore Dishonor." What greater meed of patriotism than
this was ever meted out to man on earth before!
Under whatever pretext the wars of history great or
small may have been waged, and no matter what sacrifice
in privation and endurance the armies engaged in them
may have made, the patriotism and fortitude exhibited
by the soldiers of the Union while prisoners of war in the
hands of the Confederate Government stand without a
parallel in the world's history.
One evening just at dusk, toward the middle of October,
while lying on my cot revolving in mind the probabilities
of being compelled to remain there until carried out in
the one-horse wagon above described, I was startled to
hear my name called from the head of the stairs in the
opposite end of the ward.
Immediately rising to a sitting posture I answered,
"Here/' Upon this a Confederate officer, with a scroll of
paper in his hand partially unrolled, came to my side and
informed me that an agreement had been reached be-
tween General Sherman and General Hood, of the Con-
federate Army, for the immediate exchange of General
Stoneman and his officers, and that my name was in-
cluded among the number.
Had I been standing on a scaffold condemned to death,
with my hands pinioned, the black cap drawn over my
face and the fatal cord dangling from my neck, and an
absolute pardon had thus been read to me, no greater
sensation of relief, of gratitude and of joy could have been
felt than that which stirred my soul at the moment of
242 With Touch of Elbow.
this announcement. Aside from physical exhaustion, I
was surfeited and overburdened with the sorrow and utter
desolation around me; and relief at that time was like an
unlooked-for glimpse of paradise.
. In answer to this summons I immediately arose, dressed
myself, and walked downstairs, for the first time in four
weeks. On entering the office, Dr. Todd, in apparent sur-
prise at my presence, asked what I was doing there, and
added: "I think you had better go back to bed." But
I would as soon have committed self-destruction as to
have willingly complied with this request. I walked
three-quarters of a mile that evening to the Workhouse
prison, where I spent the night lying on a brick floor with
no bed or covering of any kind, in order to be "up and
dressed," ready to answer to my name the next morning
for shipment by rail to Macon, the first objective point of
the exchanged prisoners.
! The night seemed interminable, but morning came at
last, and when the doors were opened I was among the
first to step out upon the street, and thence to the station
and the train already in waiting. Only freight cars were
provided and I was unable to get into one of these without
assistance from a comrade. W. D. McElhenny, First
Lieutenant of Company F, was the good angel that picked
me up and set me into a car as easily and gently as one
might lift a basket of eggs; and in a few moments more
we started out on the return trip to
MACON AND ATLANTA.
Eeaching the former place we were compelled to re-
main several days, as there seemed to be a hitch in nego-
tiations for the exchange; if indeed, that most important
With Touch of Elbow. 243
of all transactions had not already been declared off. At
this delay our hearts which since leaving Charleston had
been beating high again sank to the depths. But finally
it was announced that a portion of our number at least
would be called, and at once started in the direction of
Kough and Ready, twenty miles south of Atlanta, the
point where the agreed upon exchange was to take place.
When the day came for our departure from Macon (not
yet knowing whether all were to go or not) in answer to
our names when called alphabetically, we were to step out-
side the gate, ready for the train. My name was far down
on the list and one after another, as they were called, I
saw the rank dwindle away. Of course, to remain and be
returned to prison was regarded as equivalent to a death
sentence. Captain John H. Riggs of the 8th (another
name low on the list) was by my side. Finally he and I
stood there alone, and for some unexplained reason, there
was a pause in the roll-call. Riggs was as brave a man
as any, but I could hear his heart beat, and to me every-
thing seemed to have turned suddenly dark. But the
next moment, above the heart beats we heard our names
called, when both ran out through the gate as if escaping
from a cage of lions.
Many of the prisoners were very much reduced physi-
cally, and the trip from Macon to Rough and Ready, at
the best, was a trying one; but on those who were really
unable to help themselves, the burden fell with a greater
weight.
The country through which we had to pass, and upon
which all (guards as well as prisoners) must depend for
sustenance, was deserted, and desolated by the tramp of
contending armies. Railroad tracks were torn up and
often we were compelled to make the journey on foot.
244 With Touch of Elbow.
Or, (for those who were unable to walk) conveyance was
furnished in ambulances or rough farm wagons drawn by
mules, emaciated as the prisoners themselves. But at last
we reach Rough and Ready,
THE POINT OF EXCHANGE.
It was early one fine morning, and the first act of the
officer in command was to raise a white flag in the center
of the track. Here we must await the arrival of the Con-
federate prisoners who were to be shipped from Atlanta.
The face of the country was comparatively level, altogether
sandy and covered with a growth of open pine timber
through which we could see up the track to the north-
ward, a distance of several miles. The station at Rough
and Ready, and the few houses to be seen still standing,
were all vacant, and many of them torn and shattered by
shot and shell. The humming of a bee or the carol of a
bird was nowhere to be heard, and an air of utter desola-
tion prevailed.
Under existing circumstances, discipline was relaxed,
and the guards paid very little attention to our move-
ments. As the day wore away, and there was no appear-
ance of a train from Atlanta, the thought of escape came
once more to mind. But from the scarcity of inhabitants
and the desolate condition of the country, the chances for
starvation in such an emergency seemed greater than
those for reaching the Federal lines in safety. Besides
the condition of my health was such as to preclude the
possibility of success, and so that project was abandoned.
As we lounged there in the sand, leaning up against the
pine trees for support, every manner of conjecture as to
the non-appearance of the train passed among the pris-
With Touch of Elbow. 245
oners. Between hope and despair, from time to time we
strained our eyes up the track in anticipation of some
hopeful sign that deliverance was at hand. But as often
we retired to the trees and sank down into a state of
almost hopeless despondency; for by this time, as night
approached, all were impressed with the belief that the
agreement for an exchange had finally fallen through, and
that we must retrace our steps and take up the old accus-
tomed haunts at Macon and Charleston, there to remain
until death, or the close of the War came to our relief.
It is said the darkest hour is the one before day, but in
this case it was the one just before night. The sun was
setting and our hearts were beating correspondingly low,
when for a last look before night cast its dark mantle
over the scene, we once more strained our eyes to the
northward. When lo! a little puff of white smoke not
bigger than a man's hat could be seen just above the track
nearly three miles away.
As this came into view a shout went up from the
prisoners that caused the pine forest to ring with its re-
verberating echoes. Moments now seemed like hours.
But presently an engine under a full head of steam came
into view; and back of it the long train, with guards in
blue uniform standing, musket in hand, on top of the
cars. As this to us magnificent spectacle came thun-
dering down the grade, white flags were seen fluttering
from either side of the engine.
The train came to a stand in front of us, and as their
names were called the rebel prisoners sprang out to the
ground. Although going as they were to take up arms
again in what must have appeared to them an almost
hopeless cause, they, too, seemed delighted that the hour
of temporary deliverance had come.
246 With Touch of Elbow.
The terms of the exchange called for a certain number
of enlisted men held prisoners by our Government to be
given up for a certain number of officers of specified rank
held by the Confederacy. In exchanges of this kind the
following rates obtain: thirty-five privates for a Major-
General; twenty for a Brigadier-General; ten for a Lieu-
tenant-Colonel; eight for a Major; six for a Captain; four
for a Lieutenant; and two for a Sergeant. At these
figures 650 husky and able-bodied Johnnies were given up
by our government for about 125 emaciated and half
starved Union officers. There was one Major-General in-
cluded in this number, General Stoneman, who had com-
manded the raid in which we were all captured, and in
which his command had been made a vicarious sacrifice.
This must have been the light in which General Sherman
viewed the matter, as no other general exchange of
prisoners took place at this period of the war. Stoneman,
however, who was included in this exchange, had already
been paroled and sent home on a transport via Fortress
Monroe. Why the enlisted men of the Macon raiders,
hundreds of whom perished in Andersonville and other
prisons, were not included in this exchange, is a matter
that does not appear of record.
As the cars were emptied of one contingent another
entered, and bidding our guards good-bye (they had been
very kind and considerate on the trip), the train, backing
up all the way, landed us safely in Atlanta about 9 o'clock
that night. On arriving, the prisoners proceeded in a
body to General Sherman's headquarters in a private
house near the center of the city. The General came out
bareheaded, and standing on the gallery, extended con-
gratulations and a welcome in a short speech in which
he took occasion to say he had that day received dis-
With Touch of Elbow. 247
patches from General Grant, who had a few days before
advanced his line on the north side of the James River to
within seven miles of Richmond; and from other depart-
ments in the West he had equally encouraging reports to
make. He admonished us to return to our regiments and
continue faithful to our trust; that complete victory was
soon to perch on the banners of the Union.
I now hastened to the telegraph office and sent the fol-
lowing dispatch to my sister, dated Atlanta, October 19th,
1864:
"SAFE WITHIN THE FEDERAL LI1STES, THANK
GOD!"
Many of our party hurried on that night to join their
commands farther West and North, and they were just in
time, as I also was just in time with my dispatch, for the
next day wires were cut, bridges burned, and the track
leading to Chattanooga and beyond, upon which the army
in Atlanta was entirely dependent for supplies, was
destroyed. Hood, after evacuating Atlanta, had swung
around into Sherman's rear, and having destroyed the
railroad, was now threatening the invasion of East and
Middle Tennessee.
To look after Hood and repair the damages already
inflicted, General Sherman at once abandoned Atlanta and
started the army in pursuit, leaving but one corps the
20th under General Slocum, to hold the citadel of
Atlanta.
For the time, all communication being cut off, Atlanta
was completely isolated and the troops and citizens therein
began to feel the pinch of hunger. Animals were perish-
ing and the garrison was placed on short rations. Heavy
foraging parties were sent out, but the country for miles
248 With Touch of Elbow.
around had been swept clean of everything needed for the
support of an army, and often these expeditions were fruit-
less and barren of results.
What added to the general discomfort, the army had
been so actively employed on the campaigns leading up
to Atlanta that no time had been taken to muster for pay;
and, though there were five or six paymasters then within
the garrison, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in
greenbacks locked up in strong boxes, the army was abso-
lutely destitute of money, and there was very little avail-
able that money could buy.
Meantime, the excitement incident to our exchange hav-
ing died out, I sought refuge in the Soldiers' Home, a
hospital established for the care of the disabled. Among
the attendants here I found Captain John Shafter (a
brother of the late General Shafter), who had been a boy-
hood friend, and I am indebted for the unremitting care
and attention which he gave me and under which my con-
dition greatly improved. The time of which I now speak
was the few days intervening after our arrival in Atlanta
before the departure of the army under General Sherman.
Through the kindness of Captain Shafter I learned that
my brother with his regiment was located at Decatur, near
the spot from which the ill-starred raid to Macon began,
and, learning of my presence at the Soldiers' Home, he at
once started with an ambulance to carry me to his head-
quarters. Accompanying him to the encampment of the
25th Michigan Infantry, I there received the care and
attention which only a brother can give. Although but
three months had passed since our last meeting under the
Federal breastworks in front of Atlanta, and not more
than two miles distant from where we now stood, the
dangers encountered, the labors performed and the experi-
With Touch of Elbow. 249
ence gained by each in his respective line of duty might
fill the measure of an ordinary lifetime.
Reminded now of his last admonition to me just before
starting on the raid ("Look out, my boy, or you will lose
that watch again"), my brother's first query was as to what
had been the final disposition of that noted timepiece. I
then recounted the story of my adventures since our sepa-
ration, naming the fabulous sum I had received in Con-
federate money for the watch and chain.
But this little respite came suddenly to a close, when,
two days later, the regiment was ordered to leave with the
troops under General Sherman, and there was nothing left
for me now but to find my way back to the Soldiers' Home,
which, reluctantly, I entered the second time. As already
intimated, the supplies at the Home were scant and the
commonest necessaries for a well-regulated hospital were
wanting. A few articles yet remained, and they were being
carefully parceled out to the most needy from day to day.
Among the few things that fell to my lot at this time was
a little sack containing biscuit and cakes, and carefully put
away among them was a letter from the young girl who
had prepared and contributed the sack and its contents to
swell the gifts of a Sanitary Commission near her home
in the State of Ohio, and, what seemed to me to be a most
remarkable coincidence, the letter and the signature affixed
disclosed the fact that the package had been prepared and
donated by the same young girl who had found and returned
the pocketbook, as related in another chapter.
It is a matter of deep regret at this time that I have
lost the letters and forgotten many names that I would
now gladly recall, but a half century's time in a somewhat
eventful life may be the cause of one forgetting many
things it would be a pleasure to remember, but consolation
250 With Touch of Elbow.
is found in the fact that time also is a great healer,
and the lapse of memory enables one to cast off recollec-
tions an accumulation of which might in time make life a
burden.
But "Uncle Billy," as General Sherman was familiarly
called by the men under his command,, was not long in
relieving the pressure at Atlanta and opening communica-
tion with the outside world.
I now reported to General Slocum, in command of the
garrison, who directed me in a special order to join my
regiment, then at Lexington, Kentucky, where it had been
sent on foot to be remounted. The horses of our entire
regiment had been worn out or disabled in the exhausting
marches of the Atlanta campaign. The route to the north-
ward was now open, it is true, but travel was dangerous,
the country being infested with guerrillas and other
marauding bands.
Finally early in November a train was made up with
a heavy escort to guard and protect the paymasters who
were about to embark with their treasure for Chattanooga
and other points, where they hoped to be relieved of their
heavy responsibilities in the care of so much money. Join-
ing this party we reached Chattanooga three or four days
later, after having been delayed en route on account of
obstructions on the track and bridges burned and torn up.
At these points a line of skirmishers was often kept up by
the escort, in order to beat off the bushwhackers lying con-
cealed along the road.
Near a little station in a wooded country where the train
had been brought to a stand I went into a grocery (and
saloon combined), thinking to beg something to eat or
drink, for I was faint and had no money. The door was
wide open, and, on walking in, I discovered no keeper,
With Touch of Elbow. 251
but there were three corpses lying stretched out on the
counter. The blood was still oozing from gunshot wounds,
and the bodies had not yet stiffened. They were roughly
dressed in butternut clothing; but, there being no one near
to explain, and both curiosity and appetite suddenly disap-
pearing, I hurried back to the train. On reaching Chatta-
nooga good fortune attended me in finding there in com-
mand of the post an old Libby prison friend,
COLONEL H. C. HOBART,
who very kindly located me in a hospital train just being
made up for Nashville. The cars on these trains were
arranged with suitable bunks, medical supplies, nurses and
all the accessories of a well-regulated hospital. Colonel
Hobart assisted me on board and introduced me to the
surgeon in charge, and I fared as well on the journey as
one could hope under the circumstances until Nashville
was reached.
It is said fortune favors the brave, but it was not owing
to any active element of bravery that occasioned another
streak of good luck that soon overtook me, for courage had
pretty well oozed out. Walking down the streets of Nash-
ville without a cent in my pockets and not knowing which
way to turn, imagine my delight on recognizing in an
officer driving a fine span of horses down the street another
old boyhood friend, Colonel William E. Shafter. Reining
up to the curb, after congratulations, he invited me to
step into the carriage. With this request I complied and
accompanied him to his headquarters.
At this time Shafter was Colonel of the 17th Colored
Infantry, located at Nashville for the winter. About two
months later he won a Brigadier-GeneraPs star for gallant
252
With Touch of Elbow.
service in command of his regiment at the battle of Nash-
ville. He invited me to remain with him during my stay
in the city, and kindly shared the contents of his purse,
which was really meager, as the army as yet had not been
paid. About the third day, after expending what little I
was able to borrow in the purchase of necessary clothing,
I renewed the journey toward Louisville and Lexington.
The special order I held from General Slocum directing
me to return to my regiment was a guarantee for trans-
portation over all roads controlled by the Government.
But at each change of road this order had to be endorsed
or countersigned by the local quartermaster of transporta-
tion. Arriving at Louisville I found the Quartermaster
whose signature it was necessary to obtain had his office
far up in the city. Being unable to walk that distance
and get back in time to catch my train, and having no
money with which to pay for a team to carry me (I had
spent my last dollar on the road coming from Nashville),
I concluded to go on and have it out with the conductor
on the way to Lexington.
As anticipated, he came around punctually in the dis-
charge of his duties. I showed him my order, and after
looking on the back of it he said : "This is not endorsed
by the Quartermaster at Louisville/' I thereupon explained
to him the reason why it was not so endorsed. In reply
to this he said : "I am very sorry, but I can't pass you
without this order being properly countersigned."
"Very well," I replied, "you may put me off the train,
but you will have to apply force to do it, for I shall not
leave the train voluntarily." There was a gentleman
occupying the seat with me, dressed in citizen's clothes,
who, upon hearing this sharp colloquy, arose, and, running
his hand in his pocket, pulled out, not a six-shooter, but
With Touch of Elbow. 253
a wallet, and said to the conductor: "I will pay this
man's fare; how much is it?"
Seeing a sympathizing friend at hand I gathered courage,
and, taking hold of the stranger's arm, asked him to sit
down, stating that I did not wish him to pay my fare;
that I was entitled under the circumstances to transporta-
tion on Uncle Sam's cars, and now insisted upon a free
ride. Upon this the conductor turned around and walked
away without another word, and I rode quietly on to Lex-
ington. The stranger, so he informed me later, had been
a soldier in the 20th Kentucky Infantry, and, of course,
was a Union man.
When the train arrived in Lexington it was dark, and
not being able to look further for my regiment, in which,
of course, I would have found such relief as I stood in
immediate need of, as well as many
SYMPATHIZING FRIENDS,
I went to a hotel and retired for the night, though not to
sleep. Sallying forth early the next morning, expecting
to find members of my regiment strolling about the streets
(for when in camp a certain proportion of men are always
off duty with plenty of leisure), but it did not add much
to my peace of mind to learn that but a day or two before
the whole regiment, now thoroughly mounted, had left to
join the army under General Thomas on the Nashville
campaign, and I now resolved to report to General Bur-
bridge, in command of the department headquarters in
Lexington.
While moving down the street with that purpose in view,
and ruminating somewhat disconsolately upon the situa-
tion, whom should I chance to meet but Captain ,
254 With Touch of Elbow.
of the 8th Kegiment, who had obtained leave of absence
and was about to start for home. Of course, we were
fellow-officers in the same regiment and I had known him
well, and as he had already remarked upon my attenuated
form and generally forlorn appearance, I ventured to ask
him for a loan of money, as that, next to friends, would
be most helpful under the circumstances. He had just
received his pay and his pockets were replete with green-
backs, but I saw at a glance my request had given him a
nervous shock, and that the proposition for a loan was not
meeting with that favorable consideration one might
reasonably hope for, everything being considered. But
after some hesitation he arose to the occasion and asked
if five dollars would answer my requirements. Now, green-
backs had depreciated in value two hundred per cent., and
five dollars then had little more purchasing power than
a dollar would have at the present time, and, concluding
that giving up such an amount would cause him more dis-
tress than the loan would be of benefit to me, I thanked
him for his generous offer and concluded the interview
with the remark that I was not much in need of money,
anyway.
But in going not more than a half square farther I met
another officer, Captain Samuel Wells, also about to start
for home. Though of the same name, Captain Wells was
not a relative of mine, only a comrade, as the other Cap-
tain was. After a cordial greeting he remarked upon my
distressing appearance, and while undertaking to tell him
something of the experiences I had gone through since the
unfortunate outcome of the Stoneman raid, he interrupted
by asking: "Are you in need of money?" and, as I re-
plied in the affirmative, he said: "How much do you
want ?" "About fifty dollars will do me for present needs,"
With Touch of Elbow. 255
I answered. Thereupon putting his hand in his pocket he
drew out a roll of greenbacks, remarking as he did so,
"You had better have a hundred, you will need it," and,
counting out that amount of money, he handed it over to
me. All of which goes to show one does not have to travel
far to find there is a vast difference in comradeship and
in men.
Together we went to headquarters, and while I was
seated Captain Wells attended to the details of securing
my leave of absence for thirty days. There was no pay-
master nearer than Cincinnati, and together we took an
early train for that place. Stimulated by this active sym-
pathy and the hope of soon meeting other friends, my
strength and spirits rapidly returned. At Cincinnati, after
drawing the six or seven months' pay then due, we re-
mained two days, attending the theater each night, wit-
nessing Edwin Adams in his celebrated roles of "Enoch
Arden" and "Don Caesar de Bazan" at Pike's Opera House.
This part of our narrative is now gladly abandoned for
that of
THE SECOND HOME-COMING.
The conditions at home at this time had materially
changed from those of twelve months before. War, as
aptly defined by General Sherman, had become a settled
condition in the daily life of the people. Many soldiers
were being mustered out and returned home by reason of
the expiration of the three-year term of service, or else
were "veteranizing," as the reenlistment for a second three-
year term was called. Many took the latter course, and
after a thirty days' leave of absence among friends again
returned to the front to fight it out on original lines.
Traveling by rail through the country in any direction
256 With Touch of Elbow.
the fall of 1864 the grim specter of war in some form
confronted one at every turn. In the towns and villages
where trains were scheduled to stop great oblong boxes
made of rough boards (gruesomely styled "wooden over-
coats") were being unloaded from time to time. Every
one of these contained the remains of some soldier who
somewhere at the front had answered the final roll-call
and paid the last full measure of devotion to his country.
Maimed and disabled veterans were often seen, and among
them now and then an emaciated victim of prison life,
released and endeavoring to reach home while life yet
remained.
A single instance of this kind will suffice to cover the
case of thousands. A father with his son, who had just
been released from a Southern prison, while on their way
home from Baltimore to Michigan, had missed the connec-
tion at Toledo, where the writer met them. They were
only three hours' run from home, but were compelled to
wait here three hours for another train. Had they not
been so delayed the young sufferer might have reached his
home and his mother's outstretched arms before the final
summons came, but Providence ordered otherwise, and with
a hard bench for a bed and a military overcoat for a
pillow, the hapless soldier's last gaze fell upon the dark
and dingy walls of the railroad station at Toledo. The
heartbroken father, looking himself like a corpse, after
closing the eyes of his dead boy was compelled to go out
into a strange city on a bitter cold night to find someone
who would be kind enough to make a box (the wooden
overcoat above described) in which to ship his boy home
by express. The box late in the night was secured and
the shipment made, and we mercifully draw the veil over
the final scene of that "home-coming."
With Touch of Elbow. 257
The draft still rigidly applied, scenes like this were
being seized upon by those who opposed the war from its
inception to discourage further enlistments and oppose
the draft; and riot and bloodshed in many of the larger
towns and cities made the hour a dark and gloomy one for
all those who stood ready to sacrifice life and fortune on
the altar of the Union. The ultimate success of Sher-
man's march through Georgia was still in doubt; and
Thomas had so far been unable to check Hood's steady ad-
vance on Nashville. But a cloud darker than all these
agencies combined threatened the life of the Nation in
1864.
It is a well-known fact that Louis Napoleon, while all
our resources were employed in the prosecution of the
Civil War, sought to establish a French Empire in
Mexico. Aided by Great Britain and Spain, he succeeded
in overturning the republican government in that country
and offered the emperorship to Maximilian of Austria.
This was a flagrant violation of the Monroe Doctrine, but
all that could be done under the difficulties with which
we were then beset was to protest, and in 1864 Maximilian
entered Mexico and assumed the imperial throne. Napo-
leon III then renewed his appeals to Great Britain to join
him in recognizing the Southern Confederacy, and, as was
believed in this country, with a very fair chance of suc-
cess. What would have been the result? For the astound-
ing statement that here follows we have the high author-
ity of "Ellis' History of Our Own Country," page 1294,
just published, which assures us that its authority for the
statement was that of General Grant himself. The secret
for such it was was known alone to him, President
Lincoln and Mr. Stanton, Secretary of War. Those three
in consultation made a careful memorandum, complete in
With Touch of Elbow.
all its details, by which one hundred and twenty-five
thousand troops, whose officers and leaders were selected
and everything fully arranged, were to be thrown into
Canada. This resistless army of trained veterans would
have been across the border within forty-eight hours after
England recognized the Southern Confederacy. Canada
would thus have been overrun and wrested from the
mother country before she could have taken an effective
step to prevent it. Grant carried the memorandum in his
breast pocket for weeks, ready to act on the very minute
this overt act of enmity on the part of England reached
him. But England hesitated to do as Napoleon III urged
her to do; the Confederacy collapsed; and the crisis
passed.
Certainly, then, no darker days ever appeared upon the
horizon of the Union than the Fall of 1864. On election
day the weather itself was dark and foreboding. McClel-
lan, Democratic candidate for President, stood upon a
platform that declared the war for the preservation of the
Union a "failure" and its purposes "unholy;" and there
was quite a considerable element in the Northern States
opposed to its further prosecution under any pretext what-
ever, and who demanded "peace at any price." In places
the polls were protected by armed guards, and concealed
weapons were commonly carried. But the great heart of
the people as that of the army was fixed in its purpose,
and at no time was there a thought entertained in the
Nation's councils or on the bloody fields of giving up the
fight. And so the great Lincoln was reflected and re-
mained the chosen leader of the loyal masses.
My health now seemed to improve and I took on flesh
but did not recover my strength, and it has never re-
turned from that day to this. But under the deepening
With Touch of Elbow. 259
shadows that overhung the nation, I could not well re-
main at home, and once more bidding good-bye to friends
and kindred, I started for the front, rejoining the 8th
Cavalry at Pulaski, Tennessee, and here in command of
Company M entered
AGAIN UPON ACTIVE DUTY.
Remnants of Hood's army, beaten at Nashville, and
many of them deserters, sometimes in large and well
organized bands, were fairly overrunning west Tennessee
and north Alabama. These soon came to be regarded as
banditti by citizens and soldiers alike, and when captured
were treated as such. Often they were summarily shot or
hung when and where taken without the delay of a trial
or a drumhead courtmartial. Throughout the spring of
1865 a brigade of our cavalry was stationed at Pulaski,
patrolling the country and running down these lawless
bands.
The regiment frequently moved from point to point, as
much for the purpose of finding ready forage for the stock
and rations for the men as that of hunting guerrillas.
The people were tired of war. The country everywhere
was being lighted up with the glories of a Southern spring,
and men and horses were on "Easy Street" (to use a
modern colloquialism) so far as hard marches or immi-
nent danger of battle was concerned; some of our expedi-
tions were little more than a holiday junket, and these
were enjoyed by man and beast alike.
Remaining several days in a place, we had an oppor-
tunity to become acquainted with the people, who mingled
freely with the soldiers, and little dancing parties and
other entertainments were given for their amusement.
260 With Touch of Elbow.
The country people in this part of Tennessee were plain
and their manners crude, but their hearts were loyal- and
hospitality unbounded. Native young men were scarce,
as the four years' war had sadly depleted their ranks, and
the young women were by no means ill disposed toward
a good looking and well behaved Yankee soldier.
At one village a party was given to the officers of our
regiment to which the young people from far and near
were invited. The young ladies generally were brought in
on horseback, riding "double" behind their escorts. Of
course, military discipline had to be observed, and there
was the regular routine of guard mounting, vidette and
picket duty to be kept up. Heavy rains had fallen for two
or three days, and the roads were muddy and almost im-
passable. But this did not deter the young people from
coming from a distance of two or three miles.
I had formed the acquaintance of a young lady living
in the hills some distance out, but soon discovered there
was a lively competitor in Captain W. H. Mills, Kegimen-
tal Commissary. I expected to secure the lady as a partner
for the dance, but imagine my discomfort when notified
that on the morning of the day on which the dance was
to come off in the evening, I would be required to go on
duty as "officer of the day." This would occupy my undi-
vided attention for the next twenty-four hours at least and
so give a clear field to my rival. "Billy," (as the Captain
was familiarly called) was not slow to improve the oppor-
tunity thus presented, and engaged the lady in question
for the dance. At this outcome of the affair, all who were
in the secret enjoyed a good laugh at the expense of the
narrator; but I had my revenge. Knowing well the road
on which the happy pair would come (both mounted on
the same horse), I instructed the pickets to challenge every
With Touch of Elbow. 261
one approaching the camp on that road after dark, and
compel them to dismount and advance on foot to give the
countersign. The lowering shadows of night had no sooner
settled down than the labored tramp of a horse was heard
coming through the mud. I took my position behind a
neighboring tree to see that the picket carried out his
instructions, and incidentally to watch the result of his
challenge. When the sounds came within about two hun-
dred yards (it was very dark) the sentinel called out in a
clear ringing voice "Halt! Who comes there?" "A friend
with the countersign," was the feeble response. "Dis-
mount and advance and give the countersign," continued
the faithful picket. Thus compelled to leave his girl
alone in the darkness, the Captain, wearing his best
trousers and fine polished boots, came splashing through
the mud to the picket post to deliver the countersign. In
doing so he discovered me behind the tree, and taking in
the situation and the joke at a glance, he began shaking
his fist. At this juncture, under cover of the darkness, I
hurried away to the next post and there remained till the
threatening storm had passed over.
In other localities the feeling was just as intense but it
took a different form. On the march one day in North
Alabama, Lieutenant Cray of the 8th, riding ahead, went
up to a house to ask for a drink of water, when two or
three men rushed out and shot his horse dead and mortally
wounded the Lieutenant who died a short time after. The
assassins took to the brush before the command came up
and escaped. Our men, upon learning the facts from Cray
himself, surrounded the house, and after thorough search
for more guerrillas, the women were ordered out, the
house set on fire and with all of its contents burned to the
ground.
262 With Touch of Elbow.
A desultory warfare was kept up through the spring
and summer of 1865 until
THE FINAL MUSTEK OUT.
Paroled Confederates from Lee's and Johnson's armies
now began to arrive in Tennessee singly and in small
groups, and what has already been said of the retiring
veteran in the North disabled, bleeding and footsore
was manifest here, but in a more exaggerated form. Re-
turning Confederates were frequently met on the road by
our scouting parties, who often "took them up behind"
to give them a "lift," sharing their bread and coffee mean-
time. They were scantily clothed, and, calling at our
camps, were never turned away hungry or barefooted.
There was an instance of a Confederate who, alone and
dying by the roadside, was found by a Union soldier, who
took him up, nursed him back into life and sent him on
his way.
But when the final surrender came the rejoicing in camp
knew no bounds. Discipline was relaxed and all sorts of
excesses for the time were indulged in on the part of
officers and men. An officer in command of a military
post in Tennessee issued a special order to the effect that
any man wearing the uniform not on duty who should
be found sober at any time between the hours of 12 o'clock
at noon and 12 o'clock that night would be arrested and
sent to the guard house. The American flag was carried
by venturesome climbers to the tops of the highest trees,
lashed to the limbs, and there left to wave, undisputed
and unmolested throughout all coming time. Some
laughed, while others expressed their joy in tears; but all
were supremely happy in this one day of unrestricted
With Touch of Elbow. 263
jubilation, for with it peace and union had come, and
come to stay. But at what a cost ! Seven hundred thou-
sand lives, the best young blood of the land, had been
given up, and the nation was staggering under a debt
incomprehensible in its magnitude. The day of rejoicing,
however, was not one of exultation on the part of the
Federal troops. The victory had been too dearly won for
that. The contending armies had by this time learned a
wholesome though a dearly bought lesson. The valor ex-
hibited by one had won the respect and admiration of the
other, and both were glad to let go when they did, with
but little thought as to who had been the most valiant.
But what a change came over the face of everything five
days later, when the wires flashed the intelligence of Lin-
coln's assassination. A day of weeping and lamentation
succeeded that of joy and peace. Lincoln's untimely death
was an unfortunate occurrence for the South, for before
time had settled the calm judgment of the people, fixing
the crime where it belonged that of a madman it was
charged to the Southern leaders. The liberal spirit which
pervaded the army of the North at the time of Lee's sur-
render was by this insane act turned to bitterness and
gall. Among the men whose term of enlistment was about
to expire, and who expected soon to be honorably dis-
charged and sent home there was an expression of a willing-
ness to reenlist and fight to the bitter end. The hope
was often expressed in language more forcible than one
would dare to write that the Confederates would not sur-
render at all, but that the war might be prolonged, thus
giving the Union army an opportunity to wreak a bloody
vengeance. Indeed, it was feared and believed by many
that Lincoln's assassination and the attempt upon the life
of Secretary Seward at the same time was but a signal
264 With Touch of Elbow.
for the beginning of a war of extermination the end of
which no man could foretell. An entire brigade of cavalry
encamped near Pulaski, Tennessee, turned out to listen to
what the Chaplain might have to say touching this great
national calamity. As they came together there was an
air of solemnity among the men foreign to their habitual
demeanor, and when the Chaplain raised his hands in
prayer two thousand begrimed and hardened soldiers
dropped upon their knees or humbly bowed in silent sup-
plication. The sorrow was universal, and mutterings of
vengeance were heard for many days thereafter.
But the good sense of the American people at last pre-
vailed, and in the ecstasy which the vision of peace brought
to every heart the cry for vengeance was hushed, and char-
ity soon spread her soft mantle, shutting out from view
the hideous spectacle of war.
With many of the enlisted men the privations of the
camp and field were no longer irksome; with them a
"fight or a frolic" had become synonymous terms and
perilous adventure almost a passion. Four years of active
campaigning involving every specie of hazard, including
defeat and victory alike, had hardened and disciplined
them until they loved the service in which that discipline
had become so important a factor.
The regular army under Mr. Lincoln's second call for
three years' volunteer enlistments (May, 1861), also in-
cluded the increase of the regular army by the recruiting
and organization of ten additional regiments eight of in-
fantry, one of cavalry and one of artillery twenty thou-
sand men in all. While the power to do this was doubted
by many in authority, and the proposition met with strong
opposition from the outset, the wisdom of the President
in inaugurating the plan is shown in the fact that from
With Touch of Elbow. 265
this organization came many of the great Generals that
led our armies to victory. There were many men of mili-
tary training, who, like Grant and Sherman, not caring
to follow the profession of war as a business, had already
resigned from the army and did not like to reenter as
volunteers.
At the close both officers and men were needed to fill
the depleted ranks of these regular regiments and keep
their numbers up to the minimum, for they, with the volun-
teers, had sustained heavy losses a total of 96 officers and
2,895 enlisted men. Many improved the opportunity thus
offered for passing directly from the volunteer to the reg-
ular service. What the volunteer officer has been to the
regular service is seen in the fact that many who thus
chose a life profession before reaching the age of retire-
ment rose step by step through the various grades to the
highest rank in the gift of the army, positions of great
responsibility, and second only in the honors they bring
to that of President of the United States. Miles, Chaffee,
Shafter and many other names might be mentioned in the
long roll of distinguished volunteer officers.
But there were nearly a million and a quarter of men
yet to be mustered out and sent home, and to do this with
safety to all interests and the least possible delay was the
problem that now engaged the attention of the men upon
whose executive ability the performance of this stupendous
work devolved. Heretofore on entering the army from
time to time and from year to year, recruits could be
assigned to the different commands where their services
might be required in the East or the West, the Depart-
ment of the Gulf, the Red Eiver of the South or the Trans-
Mississippi without delay or congestion at any given point.
But now that the vast army was to be disbanded at one
266 With Touch of Elbow.
stroke of the pen, paid off and transportation furnished to
the remotest points including in the itinerary every State
and Territory in the Union the question assumed gigantic
proportions, and proved to be one to tax the skill and
capacity of the men upon whom the execution of this last
phase of the war devolved. In justice to the soldiers and
the communities from which they came, the first thing to
be considered was how to set every man down at his own
door with money in his pockets, where the restraining
influence of home and friends would act as a lever or
counterpoise against any excesses into which the ex-soldier
might be led from habits acquired in long and arduous
service in the camp and in the field.
Upon their final discharge the men were allowed to
purchase their equipments, which otherwise were to be
turned over to the various State arsenals, including guns,
pistols and sabers, which many, as a matter of sentiment,
were glad to keep. From this arose great fears that such
an army of men just relieved from military discipline and
long accustomed to more or less leeway in appropriating
the property of the enemy without inquiry as to an equiv-
alent being returned, would prove a menace to the peace
and dignity of the communities into which they might be
set at liberty. But the results only show how little the
people knew of the temper and quality of the men that
comprised the rank and file of the volunteer army.
Though impatient of restraint as they were, now that
their work was accomplished and no more campaigns to
be entered upon or battles to be fought, they must be held
as a body and discipline maintained until every man's mili-
tary history was completed, muster-out and payrolls care-
fully prepared; his age, where, when and by whom en-
rolled ; where, when and by whom mustered in ; where last
With Touch of Elbow. 267
paid and to what time; if a prisoner, where and when
captured ; whether wounded or sick in hospital, and a half
hundred other details all of which must appear of record
in justice to the soldier himself if for no other reason.
That hundreds of tons of these records are now on file in
the office of the Adjutant General at Washington, where
for all coming time a complete summary of every one of
the millions who have been or may hereafter be enrolled
for service can be seen, is one of the marvels in the man-
agement and conduct of the War Department in time of
peace as well as in war.
Another wise provision of the general plan and the very
last act in this great spectacular drama of final disband-
ment was to pay the soldier in full to date; and from May
until November, 1865, $270,000,000 were so disbursed.
To carry out these details within a specified time another
great army was employed. The printing presses of the
country were worked overtime in furnishing the required
blanks, and thousands of clerks were kept busy in the
various departments in preparing the rolls and other neces-
sary details.
Meantime the soldiers, without active employment, long-
ing for home, which now seemed so near and yet so far
and restive under restraint, began to desert in considerable
numbers, especially from the camps near Washington and
other home barracks, thus leaving, after an otherwise
honorable service, a tainted record. Small mutinies some-
times occurred, which were readily subdued without resort
to harsh measures ; but all misdemeanors of this character
on the part of the men grew out of the fact that the war
was over and no more real service required of them.
The armies of Grant and Sherman, being contiguous to
Washington (and for other reasons), were marched directly
268 With Touch of Elbow.
from the field to the banks of the Potomac within sight of
the dome of the Capitol, there to remain while these pre-
liminaries for muster-out were going on. The troops of
Sherman in their numerous campaigns in the West and
in the march to the sea had covered more territory than all
the other grand divisions of the Union army combined,
and "Uncle Billy" had earned the distinction of being the
great marching General of the War, as he was also undoubt-
edly the great strategist, Grant, of course, being the bull-
dog fighter. But, lank and nimble-footed as the Western
men were, they fairly broke the record in the march from
Ealeigh to Washington after the surrender, making a dis-
tance of 156 miles in five and one-half days, an average of
thirty miles a day for an army of nearly 100,000 men.
In this connection a story told of General Sherman on
his march to the sea seems to be apropos. His ultimate
purpose and destination on that march was only known to
the President, General Grant and a few of their immediate
advisers. Therefore curiosity in the North and anxiety in
the South were rife as to what strategic point Sherman
intended to reach; and one day when somewhere down in
the heart of Georgia an old planter, thinking to gain some
valuable information on this all-absorbing topic, approached
and in a very confidential manner asked General Sherman
where he was going. Whereupon the General replied : "I
don't know whether I can trust you with my secret." The
old Confederate, professing great loyalty, then declared he
would "never tell." General Sherman then rode up, and,
bending over in his saddle with his mouth close to the old
gentleman's ear, whispered: "I'll tell you where I am
going. I am going where I dam please." And that fact
no doubt accounts in a large measure for the great dislike
for General Sherman in the South to-day; he most in-
With Touch of Elbow. 269
variably went where he pleased, and the Confederates were
never able to stay his march.
Another story characteristic of General Sherman is told.
In his various campaigns through the enemy's country he
had rendered himself especially obnoxious to the people by
the destruction of a good deal of property belonging, as
he believed, to the Confederate Government, and thousands
of bales of cotton were so captured or destroyed. But
there was one lot in which a special plea was put up for
its preservation. A gentleman came forward and appealed
to General Sherman in person, and in his concluding re-
marks on the subject a veiled threat was implied. He
said : "You better not destroy it (the cotton in question)
that cotton belongs to Queen Victoria !" Whereupon
General Sherman replied: "Give my compliments to the
Queen and tell her I have been going up against her can-
non, her rifles and her powder ever since this war began,
and wherever I capture her cotton I shall burn it."
Up to the time of the Civil War deeply absorbed in the
development of the country's resources, and therefore more
or less neglectful of other important considerations, we
had come to be regarded abroad as a nation of farmers
and shopkeepers who would in all probability suffer almost
any indignity of a political character sooner than be dis-
turbed in those peaceful pursuits so dear to the national
heart; and the general belief prevailed that should war
from any chance be forced upon us the country would be
found in a state of absolute unpreparedness, and the people
wholly averse to war. Reflecting upon these views so gener-
ally held among strangers, just as has been lately thought
of the moving of our fleet of battleships around the world,
it was then believed that it would be an act of good
diplomacy to furnish the people of our own country and
270
With Touch of Elbow.
the agents of foreign powers located in Washington with
an object lesson in the way of an aggregated representa-
tion of the army that had come forth from the heart of
the republic to do battle for its life. It was the culmina-
tion of this thought, and to check the growing discontent
of the waiting soldiers, that resulted in what has gone
down to history as the
GRAND REVIEW.
Accordingly, on the 23d of May the Army of the Po-
tomac, mustering 75,000 men, and followed on the 24th by
the Army of the West, 65,000 strong, paraded the streets
and avenues of Washington in one of the grandest military
pageants of modern times a veteran army of 140,000
men in line, the two occupying thirteen hours in passing
a given point, seven hours on the first day and six on the
second; the survivors of a thousand battles, in the smoke
and din of which 500,000 of their comrades sealed their
devotion in death. And while only about one-fifth of our
fighting force then under arms was here represented, this
parade afforded, as it was designed to do, an object lesson,
and a very comprehensive view of the whole Grand Army
of the Republic.
Where the march through the capital led, windows, roofs,
balconies and curbs were thronged with glad-hearted people
whose throats were paralyzed in shouting "welcome !" to
the army that had won an honorable peace for all. Ban-
ners and streamers stretched across the street and public
buildings, containing mottoes expressive of the joy of the
people and their gratitude to the army, were seen on every
hand. Throughout the entire march a solid mass of
humanity pressed forward, as cheer after cheer rent the
With Touch of Elbow. 271
air, and the whole cry of that vast throng was one loud
voice of acclaim in praise of the Union soldier. This
grand pageant held the people in awe and admiration
until the last man in the rear rank had passed and disap-
peared. There was a national outpouring of heart and soul
in gratitude for the services rendered by the victorious
legions of the Union.
But as if fearful of not being able to reach the heart of
the soldier and to impress further upon his mind the
sentiment of the people, a banner of white canvas was
stretched across the entire front of the Capitol building,
on which was painted, in characters so plain that he who
ran might read, these words :
"THE ONLY NATIONAL DEBT WE CAN NEVER
REPAY IS THE DEBT WE OWE THE VIC-
TORIOUS UNION SOLDIER."
This motto caught the eye of every man within the ranks
of those two great armies, and moved the soldier heart
as it had not been moved by any other demonstration;
and to him who survives to this day the vision of that
lettered banner has never grown dim, though we are forced
to the opinion that the sentiment that caused it to be
placed there no longer exists. Complaints of the Govern-
ment's liberality toward the ex-Union soldier are often
heard, and in this connection it may not be amiss to pre-
sent a few salient points bearing upon
THE SUBJECT OF PENSIONS.
The National debt contracted in the prosecution of the
war, as before stated, amounted to the alarming aggre-
272
With Touch of Elbow.
gate of two thousand five hundred millions of dollars
($2,500,000,000), and the annual interest on that debt was
one hundred and fifty millions ($150,000,000) a sum
much greater than the high-water mark reached by the
pension list since the close of the Civil "War. But the
people submitted cheerfully and without a murmur to the
burden of taxation necessary to discharge this enormous
interest and the principal itself as fast as it became due.
These obligations were all payable in gold and the money
went at once into the hands of the bondholders (often in
foreign countries) or was immediately reinvested in other
securities, and not a dollar of it ever found its way back
among the people. But contrary to this, it should be
borne in mind, every dollar paid out by the Government
for pensions goes back at once into the avenues of trade,
and, with the exception of small sums that go to those
living in foreign countries, the people are in reality that
much better off than they were before the pension was
paid.
To carry out great enterprises debts are often con-
tracted; towns, cities, municipalities,, and even govern-
ments, are bonded for long periods, bearing heavy interest,
in order to give a coming generation an opportunity to
share in the burden of taxation necessary for such an
undertaking. This is the manner in which the pension
system inaugurated over forty years ago is acting upon the
present generation. Being the greatest beneficiaries by
the obligation incurred, the people of to-day are helping
to discharge a debt in the form of pensions paid out, and
for which they are largely benefited.
For a moment let us consider the ability of the country
at this time for paying this debt, as compared with the
conditions of forty years ago. The population upon which
With Touch of Elbow. 273
taxes were indirectly levied at the close of the war num-
bered about 40,000,000, while the aggregated wealth of the
country was only fourteen thousand millions ($14,000,-
000,000). But how is it to-day? The population, upon
which but a small portion of this burden now rests, is
estimated at 93,000,000; and the aggregated wealth of the
country has reached the enormous proportions of one
hundred and twenty-five thousand millions ($125,000,-
000,000) a national growth in wealth and population
(under this burdensome (?) taxation) unprecedented in
the world's history; and all this in face of the fact, as
some would have us believe, the country is being im-
poverished by the bounties paid the ex-Union soldiers and
their dependent widows and orphans.
As a further objection to the pension system it is
claimed a portion of this money is being paid out to the
undeserving. There may be a modicum of truth in this
statement. Alone with old age and in sight of death as
most of them are; indigent, intemperate and garrulous
though some of them may be, is it not better, now that the
nation under a permanent Union has grown rich, powerful
and great, that the Government pension now and then
an undeserving one, or even to pay out millions to those
who may have sworn falsely and obtained pensions fraudu-
lently, than to allow one worthy soldier to suffer a single
day or hour for the necessaries of life?
But following this subject to its legitimate conclusion,
there is much more in this question of "pensions" than
appears on the surface. "While the bondholder received
his pay in gold, the man who fought the country's bat-
tles, won her victories, preserved her honor, and perpet-
uated her institutions, performed his service for the
magnificent consideration of thirteen dollars a month,
274
With Touch of Elbow.
taking his pay in a depreciated currency worth not more
than fifty cents on the dollar. So that,, in point of fact,
the average wage of the enlisted man in the Civil War
was about six and one-half dollars a month.
From earliest time the country has depended entirely
upon volunteer enlistments for men to defend its honor
and fight its battles, a large standing army seeming to be
inimical to the Republican idea. And while the stipu-
lated pay of the volunteer has always been meager, as
compared with the pay of wage earners in civil life, it has
been a settled policy of the Government from its very
inception, upon retiring from army service, to pension its
fighting men liberally. Immediately following the Revolu-
tionary War, there being no money at the disposal of the
Government, large grants of land were made to both offi-
cers and enlisted men in recognition of their services; the
quantity of land being graded according to rank and
length of service. Acting upon the recommendation of
the Continental Congress, each State of the new Republic
took a hand in this work, Virginia taking the lead. The
following are a few of the names of that band of patriots
with the number of acres of land granted to each:
Maj. Genl. Gates 17,500
Brig. Genl. Geo. R. Clark 10,000
Brig. Genl. (Baron) Steuben 15,000
Brig. Genl. Peter Muhlenburg 13,194
Brig. Genl. Hugh Mercer 10,000
Brig. Genl. Chas. Scott 15,278
Brig. Genl. Edward Stevens 10,000
Brig. Genl. Robert Lawson 10,000
Brig. Genl. Wm. Woodford 10,000
Brig. Genl. Geo. Weedon 13,333
Lieut. Col. Henry Lee 8,240
With Touch of Elbow. 275
Capt. Benj. Harrison 4,000
Col. Chas. Harrison 6,666
Col. Robt. H. Harrison 6,000
Time passed on, a new generation of statesmen came
upon the scene, and in the 20th Congress, under the
administration of President John Quincy Adams, a bill
was brought forward and passed into law (May 15th,
1828), placing the surviving officers of the Continental
line upon full pay of their rank, the maximum not to ex-
ceed that of Captain. Daniel Webster and other great
statesmen espoused the cause, and the bill was promptly
approved by President Adams. The statesmen of that
period felt that the surviving officers of the Revolutionary
Army had a just claim upon the gratitude and bounty of
the nation and they responded to that sentiment. This
was followed four years later by the act of June 7th, 1832.
These two acts placed all surviving officers, non-commis-
sioned officers, musicians, soldiers and Indian spies who
served in the Continental line or State troops, volunteer
or militia; and all officers, non-commissioned officers,
mariners or marines of the navy, who served two years in
the war of the Revolution, upon full pay of their rank
during life, and those who served less than two years and
more than six months, received a proportional ratio of
such pay, according to the length of their service no pay
to exceed that of a Captain.
The above shows the liberal spirit and gratitude with
which the statesmen of a former generation were moved
toward the surviving sailors and soldiers of the Revolu-
tionary War. Now it is an inherent principle that in time
of war, officers of the same rank, performing the same
duties and incurring the same hazards should be entitled
under equal laws to the same rights, honors, and emolu-
276 With Touch of Elbow.
ments to whatever branch of the service they may have
chanced to "belong. But that in late years there has been
unjust discrimination in this respect made in favor of the
Eegular Army as against the Volunteer officer, it is the
purpose of this writing to show.
The act of July 28, 1866, provided: "That officers of
the regular army entitled to be retired on account of dis-
abilities occasioned by wounds received in battle may be
retired upon the full rank of the command held by them,
whether in the regular or volunteer service at the time such
wounds were received."
Under this act many officers of the regular army who
had received commissions of higher rank in the volunteer
service were retired with three-quarters pay of the rank
of their command in the volunteer army; Captains were
retired as Major-Generals, but no volunteer officer who did
not hold a commission in the regular army was retired,
however great his command, however brilliant his service,
however serious his disabilities from wounds or otherwise,
or however advanced his age. A case is recalled of two
Brigadier-Generals of Volunteers who had been breveted
Major-Generals of Volunteers for conspicuous gallantry,
one from private life, the other holding a commission as
Captain in the regular army. They were both permanently
disabled by wounds and were mustered out of the volun-
teer service at the close of the war. The citizen General
having lost a leg was pensioned at $30 per month, while
the Captain in the regular army was retired as a Major-
General with retired pay of $137.81 per month. But other
acts equally discriminating have followed.
The act of April 23d, 1904, is as follows: "That any
officer below the grade of Brigadier-General who served
with credit as an officer or as an enlisted man in the
With Touch of Elbow. 277
regular or volunteer forces during the Civil War prior to
April 9, 1865, otherwise than as a cadet, and whose name
is borne on the official register of the army, and who has
heretofore been, or may hereafter be, retired on account
of wounds or disability incident to the service, or on
account of age or after forty years' service, may in the
discretion of the President, by and with the advice of the
Senate, be placed on the retired list of the army with
the rank and retired pay of one grade above that actually
held by him at the time of his retirement."
Under this act 354 officers who had served with credit
during the Civil War and were then on the retired list
were re-retired with the rank and retired pay of one grade
above that actually held by them at the time of retire-
ment; 254 of these officers had served in the volunteer
army of the Civil War and had been commissioned in the
regular army; many of them had been retired for thirty
years. Ninety-two of these officers had been retired as
Colonels, and by operation of law they were immediately
re-retired as Brigadier-Generals and granted $1,125 per
annum additional retired pay. A number of other officers
of Civil War service have been retired under the provisions
of this law with increased rank and retired pay. It is
noteworthy that the discriminating recognition of regular
army officers in the legislation above cited was not at all
on account of their prolonged or life service during peace
and war in the regular army, but solely because of their
service in the Civil War.
Following the above-cited act for the benefit of officers
of the regular army comes the act of June 29th, 1906, for
the benefit of officers of the navy below the rank of Rear-
Admiral. Those who served with credit during the Civil
War, whether on the active or retired list, are entitled to
278 With Touch of Elbow.
retirement with one grade increased rank and retired pay.
Paymasters, Chaplains and other officers of the rank of
Captain being retired as Rear-Admiral, the Chaplains re-
ceived $2,800 full pay and $2,100 retired pay per annum,
but when re-retired under the above-named act received
$4,500 per annum, the increase of $2,400 per annum being
granted solely in recognition of meritorious service during
the Civil War. To complete the work of discrimination
between regular and volunteer officers who served with
credit during the Civil War the House amendment to the
army appropriation bill was adopted by the 59th Congress,
authorizing the retirement as Major-Generals certain
Brigadiers, thus giving them $1,500 per annum additional
retired pay.
Aside from pensions for wounds and disabilities of serv-
ice origin, the only provision made by general law for
volunteer officers since the close of the war is a pension
under the act of June 27th, 1890, of $6.00 per month at 62
years of age; $8.00 per month at 65, $10.00 per month
at 68 and $12.00 per month at 70 years of age, these allow-
ances having been increased, however, by the recent pension
law to $12.00 per month from 62 to 70 years of age, $15.00
per month from 70 to 75, and $20.00 per month to those
over 75 years of age. The practical operation of the legis-
lation of Congress in regard to officers of volunteers of the
Civil War has been to disregard and ignore rank. To cite
an instance: A surviving Major-General of Volunteers
who commanded an army corps and a department, and who
served with great distinction during the Civil War, would
now under existing law be entitled to apply for and receive
a pension of $20.00 per month at 75 years of age.
These statements are not made in disparagement of the
gallant officers and men of the regular army nor in objec-
With Touch of Elbow. 279
tion to the pay and emoluments they receive at the hands
of the Government, which are meager enough at best. In
view of these facts it is claimed simply that volunteer
officers performing like service and equally efficient have
not been so well remunerated. Surely the man whose life
pursuits have been along peaceful lines, who at his country's
call forsakes home, friends and business prospects to take
up arms to fight his country's battles, ought to be entitled
to as much consideration at the hands of his Government
and a grateful people as the professional, trained and
educated at the expense of the Government for the life of
a soldier.
What the efficiency of the volunteer has been is well
attested in the fact that he has universally met every
requirement of the service and stands to-day without a
peer in our military annals. In all of our wars who but
the volunteer has drawn together the fighting forces of the
country and led them to victory. Six of our Chief Execu-
tives chosen since the close of the Civil War won their first
distinction as soldiers in the volunteer service. A volun-
teer stands at the head of the army to-day. Of the 2,900
officers of the line of the army, 1,818 have been appointed
since the beginning of the war with Spain. Of these 1,818
but 276 were supplied by West Point Academy; the re-
maining 1,542 have come 414 from the ranks and 512
from civil life and 616 from the volunteers of the war with
Spain and the Philippines.
However, leaving the subject of pensions in the endeavor
to keep "Touch of Elbow" in the great march of events
inaugurated by peace, we are enabled to present in a life-
picture another critical phase in our country's history
equally stirring and dramatic with that already recounted
in other chapters, and one little understood by the present
2 8o With Touch of Elbow.
generation. Reference is had to the years immediately
following the Civil War, and now designated as the
"PERIOD OF RECONSTRUCTION."
To bring the seceded States back into the Union and
extend over them the authority of the general Government
under laws that should do justice to the people so lately
in rebellion, and at the same time safeguard the liberties
of the ex-slave, for a long time baffled the skill of the
ablest and most conscientious statesmen, if, indeed, the
results of their labor are altogether satisfactory to either
party even at this remote day, for the race problem still
hangs like a dark cloud over the political horizon.
The overthrow of the institution of slavery, and the
reestablishment of Federal authority, with other inevitable
changes resulting from the war, brought with them con-
ditions of a social and political character in the Southern
States that never before obtained in any other time or
country. The Ku Klux Klan and the Freedman's Bureau
were among the least of the evils with which the people
of that afflicted section were surrounded after having suf-
fered the humiliation of defeat. Had it been possible for
the leading men of the South, business men and planters,
to have joined heartily in the effort to establish just laws,
very much if not all of that which is now a disagreeable
memory namely, "Carpet-bag Rule" might have been
avoided. But instead of accepting the situation and al-
lowing the bitterness and rancor to pass with the lapse of
time, fuel was added to the flame by the enactment of
local laws in the Southern States placing the freedmen
(who had now become the nation's wards) under a bond-
age more degrading than that which prevailed in ante
With Touch of Elbow. 281
bellum days. It would be difficult to exaggerate the
unfriendly character of the legislation affecting them that
was enacted immediately after the war in most of the
seceding States. And when provisional governments
were established for the enforcement of the negro's rights,
many of the best citizens held aloof, and by a studied
indifference (if in no other way) often embarrassed and
retarded the efforts of those delegated to aid in main-
taining stable authority and in bringing order out of
chaos. It was the rule (to which, of course, there were
many honorable exceptions) that good men refused
utterly to take any part in the new regime, and in con-
sequence, carpet-bag government became inevitable. This
was often arbitrary and sometimes corrupt; and incom-
petent men were inducted into office and held responsible
positions. But this was by no means the invariable rule,
for there were among that much maligned class a goodly
number of as brave, competent and trustworthy men as
could be found in any State or section. Native born
citizens who accepted the situation and came forward in
an endeavor to aid the Federal authorities were tabooed
and held in greater contempt than the carpet-bagger him-
self. This fact will be strikingly illustrated in the story
to which these comments are a preliminary introduction.
But as an example of the indifference often exhibited:
In State a leading planter who had been re-
quested by the provisional governor to come in and con-
sult as to the best manner of adjusting the difficulties
that were constantly arising between planter and freed-
man refused a proffered seat when in the presence of the
executive, standing with hat in hand throughout the
entire interview, assuming the demeanor formerly re-
quired of the slave when in the presence of his master;
282 With Touch of Elbow.
thus apparently, instead of aiding and encouraging the
governor, even hy a tacit cooperation, seeking to embarrass
him by this sham humiliation.
In view of these conditions and to enable the negro
the better to protect himself in his political rights, and
also to fix the status of citizens lately in armed defiance of
the Government, two amendments to the Constitution
were proposed and finally adopted. The Fourteenth
Amendment provides that no man having been in armed
hostility against the United States shall be allowed to be-
come a member of Congress or to fill any Federal office
unless Congress by a two-thirds vote remove such disa-
bility, and that the United States or any State shall not
pay any debt incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion,
or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave.
This amendment, like every other proposed general law,
was opposed by the Southern people, but had they ac-
cepted it, all the difficulties arising from the negro fran-
chise would have been avoided, for, with the Fourteenth
Amendment accepted, and all the seceding States restored
to their former status in the Government, the ratification
of the Fifteenth Amendment (which is the bone of all
contention to-day) by the requisite number of States (two-
thirds) would have been an impossibility.
The Fifteenth Amendment provides that no State shall
have the power to deny or abridge the right to vote on ac-
count of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
It appears like the irony of fate that the Southern leaders
should have opposed the first amendment, thereby causing
the introduction of the second amendment, and the final
adoption of both. "Home Rule" and local self-government
without interference by the Federal authorities was their
constant demand, but, as before intimated, this meant the
With Touch of Elbow. 283
virtual reenslavement of the negro, whom the Govern-
ment, having given him his freedom, was in honor bound
to protect.
But viewing the whole field with calm judgment at
this time, possibly it is more than one could expect of
human nature that the Southern people should have done
differently. With their homes desolated, neglected and
gone to decay, their principal wealth that of the slave
swept from them at a single blow; smarting under defeat,
as a proud and high-spirited people must necessarily have
done; a local government thrust upon them by the con-
queror, and often administered by unscrupulous aliens, it
is not surprising that the spirit of unrest and resentment
led them to extraordinary measures in the effort to throw
off the, to them, galling yoke of oppression. If, in re-
viewing the history of the past, with charity for all and
malice toward none, we recall only those acts of heroic
devotion called out by the exigencies of the period, chal-
lenging the admiration of all, are we not then on the
broad highway leading up to a union of peoples as well
as States, whose law and liberty-loving precepts and
example are one day likely to encircle the globe?
Out of these extraordinary conditions grew that state of
society in the South which rendered possible the enact-
ment of the tragic scenes to be described in the following
STOEY OF A BRAVE GIRL.*
It was a delightful day in the early spring of 187 that
a family group, consisting of mother and daughter a
*NOTE. The names of the characters here introduced have
been changed and fictitious names substituted. Also the dates
and locality in which the events transpired have been changed
to other dates and places. In all other respects this story is
a narration of facts of which the author was cognizant.
284 With Touch of Elbow.
lovely girl of eighteen summers and three sons, aged
sixteen, twelve and nine years respectively, were sitting
on the front porch of their country home, situated on
elevated ground overlooking the little village of Kendall.
Here, through the scant foliage in the foreground, the
waters of the bay could be seen twinkling in the sunbeams.
The soft genial atmosphere, already cooling in the slant
rays of the afternoon sun, came in gentle waves like the
pulsating throbs of the ocean when wrapped in slumber;
and freighted with the fragrance of sweet flowers just
leaving their winter beds, and springing into life from
hillside, copse and woodland as far as eye could reach,
added to the soothing influence of a scene as fair as Eden,
and well calculated to put one at peace with the world
and make him forget that "man alone is vile."
Owing to the position taken by Judge Clinton (an
original Union man) in the restoration of government for
the seceded States his wife and children had been com-
pelled to live aloof from many of the friends of former
years, and their society was formed largely within the
home circle. Alone in the land of their birth, yet sur-
rounded by the neighbors of a lifetime, the family were
anxiously looking for the return of the husband and
father (now overdue) from a visit to a neighboring city;
while his prolonged absence was a matter of the gravest
apprehension to them.
The daughter, most alert, soon catching a glimpse of a
well-known form coming up the pathway from the village,
hurried to be the first to welcome her father (as she had
always been first in his affection), and greeting him with
a kiss when half way down the path they walked back
hand in hand to the porch, where they were joined by the
mother and the three boys, Harry, Jamey and Wallie.
CAROLENA CLINTON.
With Touch of Elbow. 285
The presence of Carolena, during the brief period of
her life, had been like a sunbeam lighting up the recesses
made dark by the proscription under which the family had
lived; and, animated by the spirit and buoyancy of youth,
she was an inspiration of joy wherever her presence was
felt. Just graduated from one of the best schools of the
country, accomplished in the higher branches, and en-
thusiastic in all outdoor sports, her recreation was often
found in horseback riding, in which she excelled.
Mounted on her fleet-footed "Clinker" (a spirited animal
trained behind the hounds) she was often seen in com-
pany with her brother, riding at full speed through the
meadows and forest glades. At such times she looked
fresh and blooming as the flowers among which she
reveled, and free and happy as the birds, whose songs
were to her an endless delight.
Notwithstanding these outward appearances of gayety,
that unfailing perception accorded to woman where love
and affection rule, had enabled Carolena at an early age,
to mark the expression of care upon her father's face; the
result of the hazardous life he had led so long. She had
thus been drawn to him with the double tie of sympathy
and love, and having a warm and impulsive nature, her
devotion to her father fell little short of adoration.
Seated on the porch, the family had been engaged in
conversation but a short time, when a neighbor named
"Jack" Lilly, well known in the community, and living
a couple of miles down the road, went by on horse-back,
on his accustomed route home. A large family connection
of the Lilly's had intermarried and spread over the coun-
try, of which "Jack" was the head and dominating spirit.
With this prestige he was able to call around him a large
number of partisans having little ambition of their own,
286 With Touch of Elbow.
but quick to do the bidding of one they thought superior
to themselves in the attributes of physical courage and
brute force; and in the political arena, from the outset,
"Jack" had pitted his strength against that of Judge Clin-
ton, who, by aid of the colored vote and a few daring
whites, held that portion of the State in line, politically,
with the policy of the national party then in power. In
this manner, a bitter and uncompromising enmity had
grown up between the two men and their followers.
Lilly had been out of sight but a few moments when a
negro came riding past in great haste, bearing the start-
ling intelligence that Jack Lilly was lying dead in the
road near his own home, where he had been waylaid and
shot from ambush not more than twenty minutes before.
The people of the community were ignorant as to who was
the perpetrator of the crime. The assassin having suc-
cessfully covered his tracks, there could be found no
clew to his identity.
In point of fact there was very little effort made to ap-
prehend the guilty party. But as a part of a conspiracy
(and contrary to long established usage), the remains of
the murdered man were kept in state for forty-eight hours,
ostensibly awaiting convenient opportunity for burial; but
in reality to give time to call in the clans from all parts of
the country; and over the "Dead Caesar," by the rude
oratory at command, inflame the passions of the people
until ready for any service, no matter how unlawful or
desperate.
Accordingly, mounted couriers were dispatched to dis-
tant and remote parts to spread the intelligence of the
approaching Lilly obsequies; and at the appointed hour a
motley group had assembled, prepared not only to hear the
virtues of the deceased extolled, but ready to listen with
With Touch of Elbow. 287
attentive ear to any extravagant tales relating to his un-'
timely taking off. So at the funeral the feud animosities
existing for so long between the two factions were in-
voked. Now for the first it was whispered about from
mouth to ear that Judge Clinton was the instigator of
Lilly's murder, and upon his head the avenging wrath of
the clans should fall. The better to carry out this pur-
pose and insure their own safety, some form of law must
be observed. Accordingly, warrants were issued and
sworn to before a magistrate, charging Judge Clinton and
the two Huddlestons (brothers), Gardner and Kousseau
(all white and natives of the country), with being ac-
cessory to the murder.
The warrants were to be served the following day (Sun-
day) and throughout Saturday night the sound of iron-
shod hoofs might have been heard reechoing along the
highways and bridle paths leading from every part of the
surrounding country to the village of Kendall. As the
rays of the morning sun reached the spire of the little
church standing just in front of the Clinton cottage, two
hundred and fifty men, grim-visaged and armed to the
teeth, had assembled in the streets, apparently awaiting
the appearance of some one to assume leadership.
They had not long to wait. The usual hour for break-
fast had not arrived, when the sheriff came with a number
of deputies and took the Huddlestons into custody. These
men expressed a desire to eat their breakfast before going
to jail, which request was granted. While so engaged,
they clandestinely sent a note to Judge Clinton, inform-
ing him of what had taken place and that a warrant was
also out for the latter's arrest.
Mrs. Clinton and daughter, apprehensive of the worst,
an,d quick to comprehend the full import of the gathering ^
288 With Touch of Elbow.
storm, besought the husband and father to mount a horse
and flee from the imminent danger that threatened. To
this he replied that he had nothing to fear, as he was in-
nocent of any crime or offense against the law; that to
leave would but strengthen the suspicion of guilt already
aroused by false accusation; and that his decision to re-
main and face his accusers was irrevocable.
Nevertheless, while the breakfast was in preparation
Carolena sent a servant to the stable with orders to saddle
and bring out her horse, thinking her father might yet be
prevailed upon to place hiniself out of reach of his enemies
until such time as the first heat of passion had subsided.
But while the mother and daughter were thus pleading
the Sheriff came with a number of deputies and placed
Judge Clinton under arrest. The Judge then sought an
opportunity to send word to Gardner and Rousseau, who
lived in an adjoining village, advising them to come in
and give themselves up.
At this time armed 'men came from the street into the
yard and surrounded the house, and the Sheriff told Judge
Clinton he must be taken to jail. To this the family
objected, as the Sheriff had previously promised that the
Judge would be kept under guard in his own house. But
the Sheriff was unmoved and seemed to be governed en-
tirely by the demands of the mob.
Mrs. Clinton now asked the privilege of being alone with
her husband for a few minutes before bidding him good-
bye, perhaps for the last time, and, without waiting for a
reply, she took him into a closet in an adjoining room,
through the ceiling of which was a trap-door leading to
the chamber above. This chamber was set apart for sleep-
ing rooms for the servants. A broad stairway went up from
the kitchen to these apartments, at the head of which was
With Touch of Elbow. 289
a heavy door opening into a hall. There was no other
way of reaching this chamber save by the trap-door before
mentioned. In the closet were three guns, all supposed,
at the time, to be loaded.
The mob on the outside, now grown impatient, were
loudly clamoring for the prisoner to be taken to jail, and
many had already entered the house.
Self-preservation being an immutable law of nature,
Judge Clinton now determined not to risk his life by going
out, and, hesitating no longer, sprang up through the open-
ing, while Mrs. Clinton handed him the guns. He closed
and fastened the trap with a heavy bar, while she at the
same moment came out, closed and locked the closet door.
The two Huddlestons were taken to the jail, but, not
seeing Judge Clinton with them, the mob stampeded in a
body toward the house. Noticing his absence, the Sheriff
asked Mrs. Clinton where her husband was concealed.
"That," said she, "is for me to know and for you to
find out. My husband has decided that if he must die
it will not be like a dog or a felon in the street or the
county jail, but under his own roof, surrounded by his wife
and children, who adore him. He will not leave this house
alive today, be assured of that. Now, sir, do your worst !"
Believing the crisis was at hand and that Judge Clinton
would soon be assaulted in his own house, all the children
ascended the stairs and took refuge in the rooms above
with their father.
With the onrush of the mob at this time, and unobserved
by its members, came Andrew McDonald, an old Scotch-
man and intimate friend of the Clinton family. He
slipped into the kitchen, from which the children were
ascending the stairs. Taking a gun that chanced to be
behind the door, he followed them to Judge Clinton's room,
290 With Touch of Elbow.
and there announced his purpose to remain in their de-
fense.
Meantime Gardner and Eousseau, having received the
note sent them early in the morning, set out for Kendall in
compliance with Judge Clinton's request. Arriving in the
outskirts of the village they sent word to the Sheriff an-
nouncing their determination to remain there awaiting his
order, and immunity from danger in the streets was prom-
ised them.
It was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon when a deputy
came, and, placing the two men under arrest, started with
them toward the jail. In passing along the street armed
posses fell in and surrounded them from every accessible
point. As the prisoners began to show signs of uneasiness
one of the deputies seized Gardner by the wrists and held
him pinioned, while another standing in the rear emptied
the contents of a double-barreled gun into his back.
Gardner fell dead in his tracks, but Eousseau, by appeal-
ing to a man in the mob who had formerly been his friend,
and at the same time seizing and holding him in a position
to prevent others from shooting, was finally carried to the
jail unharmed.
Gardner was now dead and Eousseau and the two
Huddlestons were securely locked in an iron cage, and no
friend of Judge Clinton bore arms save the dreaded Scotch-
man, McDonald.
Prisoners in their own house from an early hour on that
Sabbath morning until the sun had sunk well-nigh down
the western horizon the doomed family waited, watched
and prayed, while a mob of two hundred drunken and
frenzied men, like hungry wolves surrounding the premises,
were clamoring for their blood. The sharp report of two
or three shotguns from up the street and the subsequent
With Touch of Elbow. 291
appearance of Kousseau being thrust into jail told too well
the fate that had befallen Gardner.
Carolena now, in examining the guns her father had
taken with him, found, to the consternation of all, that
none of them were loaded and no ammunition was at hand.
She then told her father that in her belief the assault
already determined upon would no longer be delayed, and
in such an event they must withstand a siege or be
SHOT DOWN WITHOUT MERCY.
She then proposed to go to the storehouse, about fifty
yards distant (a place where general supplies for the
plantation were kept), and there secure ammunition.
To this her father objected, fearing the girl would meet
with insult or personal injury, but she insisted, and with
her younger brother went to the storehouse, where she
found powder and shot, and, after secreting a quantity
under her skirts, took some canned fruit and crackers in
her hands and soon rejoined the family in the chamber,
first having sent Wallie to a negro cabin near by.
Mrs. Clinton now decided to go and feed the stock,
which had been entirely overlooked in the excitement of
the morning. As Carolena seemed especially anxious con-
cerning her own horse, the mother went to the stable, and
while there (the servants had all deserted the place) the
dreaded shotgun again rang out its deadly message, and,
looking out from the stable, Mrs. Clinton saw McDonald
fall lifeless upon the steps.
Mrs. Clinton had no sooner left the house than the
Sheriff entered, and, calling to McDonald, told him he
must come down and out; that in refusing to do so he
was resisting an officer and disobeying the laws. To this
292 With Touch of Elbow.
the old Scotchman replied that he had never disobeyed a
law in his life, and if the law demanded that he should
go out he would obey the Sheriff's summons, and, reluc-
tantly and sorrowfully putting down his gun, he deliber-
ately walked out to his death.
The death of McDonald had given fresh impetus and
courage to the mob, and they now rushed into the kitchen
and up the stairs to the chamber. On the inside stood
Carolena and Jamey, interposing their frail strength
against the impacted force of a dozen infuriated men.
The entrance being barred, the leader called for an axe,
which was soon brought, and after a few well-directerl
blows the door gave way. Guns were then thrust through
the opening and fired into the room at random. One of
these shots severed Jamey's arm at the wrist, and, crying
out in the agony of fear and pain, the little fellow ran
back into his father's arms, exclaiming, "Oh, don't shoot
my father!"
Then with a crash the door flew open and the foremost
man, with a gun presented, appeared on the threshold.
Carolena alone interposed her feeble strength against the
monster, with no thought of self, but only to die, if neces-
sary, by her father's side. First receiving a savage blow
in the face, with brutal force she was hurled against the
wall, when the bullet from a second barrel, doubtless aimed,
at Judge Clinton, went crashing through Jamey's heart.
The sight of the boy lying dead at his feet and Carolena
struggling at the door, frenzied with grief, Judge Clinton
seized a gun (previously loaded by the brave girl) and
rapidly discharged barrel after barrel into the mob; two
of the foremost fell headlong down the stairs. Seeing this,
they all rushed back in a panic and the stairway was
cleared in a moment.
With Touch of Elbow. 293
Mrs. Clinton then for the first was able to get through
the door, and father, mother, sister and brother sank down
over the lifeless form of the murdered boy; and from that
chamber of horrors there went up a wail of agony and
despair that cannot be expressed in words.
A stratagem was now resorted to worthy the genius and
cruelty of a savage. The cry of "Burn them out ! The
house is on fire!" next greeted the ears of the doomed
family. The halls were filled with the smoke of burning
powder and it was believed by all that the house was in
flames.
Fearful of the consequence of fire, and as ever first in
expedient, Carolena said to her father, "See how easy poor
McDonald died; it is better for us all to go down and be
shot to death than to remain here and be burned alive/'
So it was decided to go down the stairs, taking whatever
fate awaited at the bottom, and Mrs. Clinton and Harry,
with the dead body of Jamey, led the forlorn hope, while
Judge Clinton, with Carolena's arm around his waist, fol-
lowed close behind. The former made the landing in
safety and laid their sorrowful burden on the floor, but the
Judge and Carolena were confronted when a few steps
from the bottom of the stairs by one of the mob with a
gun in his hand. Carolena, with one arm around her
father's neck and shielding his body with her own, now
kept him out of range of the guns that were leveled at
his breast.
Where in any account of remarkable filial devotion or
unselfish bravery in woman do we find a picture like this?
Herself already bleeding from shot that, glancing in pieces
from the iron grating in the door, had struck her face,
causing the blood to flow from a score of wounds. Nothing
short of the divinity which is said to have raised up a
294 With Touch of Elbow.
Joan of Arc could inspire a courage and heroism like that
displayed by Carolena Clinton on that fatal day.
But this sublime vision of heroic devotion failed to
touch the stony heart of a monster standing near, who
discharged his gun, the shot striking a gold bracelet on the
girl's arm, cutting it in two and driving a piece of the
ragged metal into her wrist. One bullet, passing entirely
through the bracelet, shattered the bone, while a portion
of the same shot entered her father's side and breast, when
he sank to the floor, still in the arms of his devoted
daughter.
From a commanding position in the garret of the store-
house throughout that terrible day there looked out upon
this scene a
SILENT AND UNWILLING WITNESS.
Overcome with alarm at the flight of the other servants,
yet unwilling to desert his master in such dire extremities,
"Leary," an old colored man and former slave in the Clin-
ton family, hearing all the shots fired, and from his hiding
place in the loft seeing the family descend the stairs bear-
ing the lifeless form of little Jamey, and the Judge and
his young "missus" torn and bleeding, he could no longer
remain an idle spectator of a scene that had harrowed his
soul to the very depths.
But what could an old, unarmed and despised negro do
with a mob of over two hundred frenzied and desperate
men? In the midst of these reflections, his mind, as if
to taunt him for his helplessness and inaction, reverted
to the many acts of kindness he had heretofore received
at the hands of the Judge and his fair daughter, who now
lay prostrate and bleeding before him.
With Touch of Elbow. 295
Among the guests that had been entertained there at
the Christmas season only just past (that happiest of
times for the colored man in the South) he remembered
very gratefully Major Weldon, a gentleman holding a posi-
tion in the service of the general government; and who
had for several years been on terms of intimacy with the
family, as "Leary" well knew. His mind turned to this
friend of the family as the one most likely to render effi-
cient aid. The old man's heart was in the right place,
and his instincts prompted him to act quickly upon this
thought.
As the care of the wounded could not be entrusted to
the local physicians (and indeed fearing to be discovered
in an effort to assist his friends), Leary resolved to go to
the stable and, mounting the best horse there, with all
possible speed ride a distance of twenty-five miles, and
apprise Major Weldon of the calamity that had befallen
the Clintons.
Reaching the stable unobserved, he was delighted to
find Carolena's horse still saddled, as if waiting to carry
out the part assigned him by his mistress in the early
morning. Without a moment's hesitation, Leary mounted,
and keeping under cover of the timber, on unfrequented
bridle paths the better to escape detection and arrest
by scouting parties of the mob he gave Clinker his head;
and the horse soon proved himself a past master in the
art of scaling rocks, fallen timber and deep gulches, that
constantly beset his way through the forest.
Arrived in Staunton, Leary at once disclosed to Major
Weldon the object of his mission, giving the details of
what had transpired at Kendall that day, so far as his
bewildered mind could retain the -facts.
Though aware of the great confidence reposed in Leary
296 With Touch of Elbow.
by the family, Major Weldon could not but believe he had
overdrawn the picture and that matters were not so bad
as they had been made to appear. But decisive in action,
he at once began preparations for departure to Kendall;
and here his experience as a cavalryman during the Civil
War was his guide in caring for the horse upon which so
much depended in carrying him to the object of his
heart's desire.
First ordering Clinker to be taken to the stable, un-
saddled, groomed and otherwise cared for, his next
thought was of a surgeon. The only one that could be
found at the time, first hesitated, and finally refused to
go at all with Major Weldon as driver, giving as his rea-
son that the Major was well known in the country as a
friend and associate of Judge Clinton; and he, the doctor,
feared they might be molested on the way by members of
the clan and made to turn back, if no worse fate befell
them. Accordingly, the faithful old Leary was again
called into service, and when asked to drive the Doctor to
Kendall, without hesitation he sprang into the carriage
and taking up the reins, started on his return trip.
Major Weldon had frequently met Carolena while at
school at Staunton, and there learned to admire this
amiable and vivacious girl of sixteen, standing at the head
of her classes and soon after to graduate with the highest
honors. It is not surprising that this strong man of af-
fairs, single as he was (though her senior by twelve years),
should become more and more interested, as their ac-
quaintance ripened, in this attractive and accomplished
young woman.
After seeing the Doctor off on his journey, and bidding
good-bye to a few friends and sympathizers, he went to
the stable where he found Clinker, now thoroughly rested
With Touch of Elbow. 297
and ready for the road. As he came up behind him, the
horse turned and whinnied, which, in Major Weldon's
heart, was interpreted to mean: "All the strength and
courage you and I possess is about to be put to the test,
for those we both love are in the direst peril."
He lost no time in mounting, and first reaching tne
open country on an easy lope, Major Weldon gradually
relaxed the pressure on the bit, and the fire soon began
to fly from Clinker's steel plates like sparks from the
blacksmith's forge; as, with head down, in a long swing-
ing stride, he measured the ground for the first fifteen
miles without a break.
Here, coming to a little creek, Major Weldon dis-
mounted and gave his horse a light drink of water. Then
walked by his side for twenty minutes, at the end of
which time he remounted, and Clinker resumed his
former gait. The journey thus far had been made with-
out incident.
It was now becoming quite dusk, and two or three miles
from Kendall, when passing through a thickly-wooded
ground in a lonely spot, Major Weldon saw two horsemen
coming toward him, whom he recognized as being desper-
ate men. Knowing the purposes of the men engaged
in the affair at Kendall, he had grave apprehension of
danger, so taking a six-shooter in his hand he covered it
with a light overcoat that hung on the pommel of his
saddle, and rode on, keeping the center of the track, and
as he drew near, the two men separated, going on either
side of the road, leaving room for a passenger to pass
between. This was an ominous movement that put Major
Weldon more thoroughly on his guard; but realizing there
was nothing to be gained in hesitation, or showing any
signs of taking the back track, he rode quietly forward
298 With Touch of Elbow.
until nearly abreast of them when the man on the right
cried out:
"Halt! Who are you, and where are you going?"
Immediately throwing himself forward on the left-hand
side of his horse and putting the spurs into his flanks, he
at the same instant discharged his revolver full in the
face of the man who had challenged.
Clinker, desperately frightened hy the shots, and mad-
dened hy the spurs, now sprang forward with the velocity
of the wind. Two shots followed the Major in rapid suc-
cession, hut still unharmed, glancing hack he saw his man
reeling from the saddle as the one from the opposite side
rode forward and caught the wounded man in his arms.
An angle in the road soon placed them out of range, and
within the next twenty minutes, with a foaming horse,
the Major rode up to the hack gate of the Clinton cot-
tage, where he met Harry, the older son, and learned from
him that the Doctor had arrived but a few moments be-
fore.
The scene that met his gaze as he entered the house was
one to appall the stoutest heart. Jamey dead in the
parlor, Judge Clinton and Carolena on beds in another
room, both wounded to the death; and the lifeless bodies
of Gardner and McDonald lying in an outhouse. The
wounded were on the first floor and not far from the
street, and as threats had been made that the assault
would be renewed should the Judge's wounds prove to
be not fatal, planks were nailed up at the windows for
greater security against an attack. A half dozen shotguns
were kept loaded ready for instant use, and this once
happy home was thus suddenly changed to charnel house
and a barrack. *****
Within fifty yards of the spot where, at the beginning
With Touch of Elbow. 299
of our story, the dead body of Jack Lilly was found in the
road, some ten years before, there stood a little cabin with
trailing arbutus over its door and only window, orna-
mented with a curtain of cheap material gathered into
folds, and hanging gracefully from its top and sides. This
was the home of
ISAAC LANDERS.
Isaac was an ex-slave reared in the Lilly family, and
Martha, his wife, was a mulatto of more than ordinary
comeliness. In this snug little cabin, located on the Lilly
plantation, all were happy, until Isaac, having to go a
distance to obtain work, returned one day after a long
absence, and found his wife just packing up her belong-
ings, preparatory to going, as she declared, to take up her
residence with the Lillys.
Filled with indignation and jealous rage, Isaac went at
once to seek the man who had despoiled his home and
robbed him of all he held dear. He had gone but a few
yards from his house, when he met Lilly on the road with
a team, then about to carry Martha away with all her
effects. An encounter ensued in which Isaac made an at-
tempt upon Lilly's life, but succeeded only in inflicting
wounds from which he recovered in a few weeks, and
Isaac was compelled to flee the country.
In the long years that intervened up to the time our
story begins, Isaac had never been heard from, and the
incident in Kendall was forgotten. But after years of
patient effort, he succeeded in accumulating enough money
to carry him back to the place of his once happy home,
where he went, determined to be avenged for the great
wrong he had suffered.
Reaching the neighborhood of Kendall, unknown and
300 With Touch of Elbow.
unobserved by anyone, secreted in the woods and dense
thicket by the roadside, he waited the opportunity that
soon came, and Lilly fell from his horse to the ground
and expired, as narrated above.
Unable to escape from the country, Isaac was finally
apprehended, arrested and convicted of the murder of the
man who had ruined his home and driven him into exile,
and this crime was made the pretext for the slaughter of
Judge Clinton and five other innocent victims.
And now comes the most remarkable incident in this
long line of dramatic events, and one that furnishes an
explanatory key to our story, in that it shows the anxiety
that moved the hearts and consciences of the people in
that blood-stained community.
Anticipating his execution, it was reported that Landers
would on that occasion make a full confession of his guilt
and give the names of white men accessory to the murder.
Accordingly, a scaffold was erected in a deep forest, where
a natural amphitheater afforded a commanding view from
every direction. At the foot of the gallows a grave of
ample proportions was dug to receive the remains of Isaac
after his confession had been made and the trap sprung.
At the appointed hour for the execution a large crowd
had assembled on the grounds. The Sheriff, with a posse of
deputies, driving the prisoner in a rough farm wagon, soon
appeared upon the scene and halted close by the side of the
scaffold. Isaac stepped down from the wagon unaided and
sprang lightly up the steps leading to the platform. Stand-
ing there and looking into the grave he must soon fill, he
declared before high Heaven and the multitude there as-
sembled that no person living or dead (save himself) had
any knowledge of or anything whatever to do with the
killing of Jack Lilly.
With Touch of Elbow. 301
For more than two hours he stood there and patiently
and respectfully answered the questions that were plied,
one after another, by persons indiscriminately, who sought
to trick and cross-examine him into an expression of some
kind that would implicate Judge Clinton in the crime for
which he (Landers) was then about to suffer death, but
all to no purpose. And so the black cap was drawn over
his face and the trap sprung. Whatever may have been his
faults in the past, Isaac Landers died with the bearing of
a hero.
Thus the conspirators and the people of that stricken
community were left to shoulder the responsibility of this
innocent blood, and we now return to the chamber where
death is hovering over
THE WOUNDED FATHER AND DAUGHTER.
In an isolated country hamlet, having no direct communi-
cation either by rail or telegraph with the outer world,
with few of the necessaries at hand in such an unforeseen
emergency, the odds were in favor of death. But so long
as life remains there is hope, and there were brave hearts
and willing hands ready to do, and, if necessary, to die
for the afflicted family.
Among the few that came to their relief (with the excep-
tion of Major Weldon) there were none with experience
in the nursing or care of gunshot wounds. The time,
therefore, of the faithful wife and mother was at first
divided between husband and daughter, but as the Judge
grew worse from day to day her services were entirely
devoted to his necessities, while the care of the sick girl
as surely fell upon Major Weldon. But never was a service
accepted more willingly, or performed with a devotion more
302 With Touch of Elbow.
single and steadfast. This more especially after the doctor
had unavoidably been called away.
By this time the newspapers of the country had spread
the intelligence of the affair, and the heroism of the brave
daughter was a universal theme for editorial comment
and an inspiration for song and story. Letters of con-
dolence and sympathy for the heroic girl now began to
come in from every part of the United States and Canada.
It was the pleasure, as it became the duty of Major
Weldon to open these letters and read them to Carolena,
who, though prostrated from her wounds and the terrible
nervous shock to which she had been exposed, was yet able
to converse and take an active interest in all that tran-
spired around her.
Serving as her amanuensis, Major Weldon answered
many of the letters that affected her most deeply. Thus,
being her constant companion, as well as the only nurse
and physician, he would have been something more than
human had he not been influenced by that most potent
and irresistible force that draws a strong man toward a
woman in whose immediate presence he has been thrown
for a prolonged period by fortuitous circumstances over
which neither has control. Doubly is this true when that
woman, possessed of those graces of heart and mind that
so often make her master of the man, is lying prone and
helpless at his feet in imminent peril of her life, and with
pleading eyes looks up to him for assistance that no other
human hand can bring. So from day to day his heart
went out to
THE SUFFERING GIRL.
But Carolena's very helplessness, from a sense of deli-
cacy, restrained Major Weldon from making any outward
With Touch of Elbow.
declaration of his passion, though to ease her suffering
by a change of position he must often take her in his
arms like an infant and carry her from bed to armchair
and back to bed again. No mother's hand was ever laid
upon her first-born babe with touch more gentle or a
regard more affectionate and pure.
While no word was spoken, the look of gratitude Caro-
lena constantly bestowed upon him, and the apparent com-
plete abandon with which she gave herself up to his care
only plunged him deeper into an abyss from which, as
matters then stood, there seemed no avenue of escape.
But finally one day when holding her uninjured hand
and bathing her wounds with a cooling draught, unable
longer to restrain the emotion struggling within his breast,
Major Weldon leaned over and kissed her pale lips and
brow, whispering as he did so: "Oh, my darling, how I
love you ! Would to God that I might suffer, and, if need
be, die for you !"
These were the only words spoken at the time, but the
slight pressure of the hand and the blood that came
mantling to Carolena's cheek, with the look of ineffable
sweetness that lit up her face and shone from her speaking
eyes, expressed more for him than volumes of idle words.
"Silence is the perfect harbinger of joy."
So there in the shadow of death and in a silence as com-
plete a courtship was begun and a troth plighted that may
have been recorded in Heaven, though to the world never
known. But early one morning, after a night passed by
the patient in fitful slumber, Major Weldon went to her
side as usual to dress her wounds and offer such comfort
as he was able to give. Now for the first time the thought
came upon him like a crushing blow that this lovely being
in whose life his own had become centered could not long
304
With Touch of Elbow.
survive the great mental and physical strain to which she
had been exposed.
Noting there was something she wished to say, he bent
his ear to her mouth, when, in a low whisper, she said:
"If I die promise me that some time you will give to the
world all the facts connected with this terrible tragedy,
and tell how wrongfully my dear father, Jamey and all of
us have suffered." An appeal from such a source was not
to be denied, but no one living can know with what a
weight of sorrow that promise was made.
When the doctor returned, the patients had been three
days without skilled attention, and meantime their condi-
tion was steadily growing worse. By day and night the
ceaseless vigil was kept up in that stricken household until
on the twelfth day Judge Clinton breathed his last in the
arms of his devoted wife.
After his death, by advice of the physician, Carolena
was kept in ignorance of her orphanage. The body of the
dead man was soon prepared for the grave, as had been that
of little Jamey, by the members of the household. After a
prayer offered by the faithful wife it was removed from
the house and driven to the burying ground on the old
homestead, twenty miles distant in the country, and there
placed at rest by the side of the martyred boy.
For more than two weeks Major Weldon kept watch,
never removing his clothing during the time, and on the
fifteenth day at noon the doctor came in and informed
him that to save her life an operation on Carolena's
wounded arm must be performed. While this was sup-
posed ordinarily not to be severe, the weakened condition
of the sick girl caused the gravest apprehension on the
part of the family as to its final result. But there seemed
to be no other alternative, and consent was finally given,
With Touch of Elbow. 305
and she was tenderly lifted into a large armchair, placed
partially under the influence of an anaesthetic and the
DANGEROUS OPERATION BEGUN.
The surgeon lanced the arm in several places, but dur-
ing the operation she returned to consciousness, complained
of great pain and immediately fainted. All needful
restoratives were at hand, and from this she was rallied,
but fainted again, exclaiming, as the swoon came upon
her: "Oh, how dark, dark, dark! Will the light never
come again!" Only that light which illumines the path-
way of the glorified in Heaven ever came to her again.
Every assistance was given, and every remedy applied
that could, under the existing circumstances, be devised;
but she continued to sink. The day was bright and balmy,
and as the breath of the dying girl grew short and labored,
the doors and windows were thrown open, and the frag-
rance of sweet flowers from many varieties growing in the
yard, wafted by a gentle and refreshing breeze, filled the
room. A pure white lily, almost the last object upon
which she bestowed a look or caress, rested on her bosom
as she lay in a reclining posture in a large armchair. But
the scent of her favorite flowers, or the touch of soft
winds from the cool forest shade, failed to quicken the
senses already dimmed by the leaden shades of death.
The heartbroken mother and little brothers, wild with
grief, gathered around, and their cries and sobs went out
across the green meadows, beyond the limits of that blood-
cursed town. "0 God of mercy," cried the elder brother,
"Must sister die, too? My sweet, sweet sister!"
The stricken family, with Major Weldon and the few
friends that stood by, sank upon the floor by the martyr's
306 With Touch of Elbow.
side, and in the mute eloquence of woe prayed God to
spare her precious life.
Among the mourners gathered there none were more
deeply moved than the negroes about the place. Many
of these had watched the growth of this bright being from
a child, and had learned to love her with an unselfish
devotion. They, too, gathered in large numbers as they
had done at the deathbed of Judge Clinton, and their tears
were mingled with those of the family and friends.
At 2 o'clock Carolena's spirit took its flight, and there,
within the charnel house where the victims were offered
up, lay the mangled corpse of this pure and innocent girl,
with the dark blue marks left by blows from the assassin's
hand still visible upon her fair face and brow, now calmly
composed in death. Had an angel from heaven lain sleep-
ing by her side its loveliness would have been eclipsed by
the surpassing beauty of that dead girl.
Thus ended the career of a family whose only rule of
law in the domestic circle was that of love; and whose
worst offense against their fellows was the exercise of an
honest conviction which the Constitution of our country
guarantees to its humblest citizen.
Carolena, at once a martyr to a God-like filial affection,
and a victim of savage outlawry, the eldest of the children
and the brightest jewel of the household, was her mother's
hope and joy, and her father's especial pet and idol.
Happy and vivacious, tender, true and faithful to every
kindly impulse, her heart was large enough to include in
its tender embrace all that is lovely in this world. Pos-
sessed of superior intelligence, her character was graced
with a purity that gave her an elevated place in the scale
of young and useful womanhood into which she was just
entering, and her untimely and terrible death became a
With Touch of Elbow. 307
wound in the hearts of those who knew her, and a stain
upon the fair escutcheon of our country, which time will
be slow to heal. *******
Looking out from the Clinton cottage a few weeks later,
all seems as peaceful and still as when the curtain first
lifted upon this lamentable drama. Through an open
vista in the luxuriant foliage of the forest trees the
waters of the bay are still seen glistening idly in the sun.
Anon a white sail passes silently in panoramic view over
the smooth surface of the water, to be followed by a mer-
chant steamer, rushing across the angle of vision like
some deep-sea monster in pursuit of his prey; recalling
the world and its busy commerce, that takes little heed of
sorrow, disappointment and death. The flowers, more
beautiful now than before, have reached their meridian
in the glories of a Southern spring, and clothed the mead-
ows and hillsides in robes of ever-changing beauty.
From this enchanting scene we turn to look once more
upon the stage, ablaze with incandescent lights and decked
with all the gaudy trappings that lure the unwary and
deceive the eye. The characters that have appealed so
long to that kinship that humanity finds in grief are no
longer there. They have made their exit, gone behind the
wings, and passed from sight; and now in mercy let the
curtain fall, shutting out from the bewildered gaze this
melancholy picture of the "Days of Reconstruction."
In compliance with the promise he had made at the
deathbed Major Weldon remained at the Clinton cot-
tage, for the purpose of gathering the data for the above
narrated facts. A number of letters had already appeared
in the newspapers of the country written from Kendall,
detailing the events of the tragedy; the authorship of
which, in the minds of the clans, had been fastened upon
3o8 With Touch of Elbow.
Major Weldon, and threats of vengeance were now being
hurled at his devoted head.
Finally, as his labors were drawing to a close, the Major
was aroused from his slumber one night by a negro woman
at the door (a former servant of the Clintons), who had
just come across the country from the home of one of the
clans, where a secret meeting had been held in which she
had overheard them discussing plans for his "removal,"
upon which question a vote was finally taken, and by
unanimous voice they had decided to put their plans into
execution that night.
The story seemed plausible, and if true, matters were
grave enough. The woman was questioned closely as to
the source of her information, and her answers were so
direct and the alleged facts so convincing that the Major,
after a consultation with his friends, decided to leave the
country at once. As facts developed, he was none too
soon. The woman, it seems, had only been mistaken as to
the time the contemplated "visit" was to have been made;
for on the night following the rooms that had been oc-
cupied by Major "Weldon were surrounded and placed
under the surveillance of an armed posse of the des-
peradoes.
In accordance with these facts, under cover of the
night he struck out through the timber for the nearest
sidetrack. This was fifteen miles distant, and, thoroughly
mounted, he was able to reach the station about daylight.
After turning the horse loose to find its way back with
empty saddle, the Major remained secreted in the brush
on the "blind" side of the track until the train pulled out,
when he ran from his cover, and, jumping onto the plat-
form, bade farewell to scenes that had cost him dearly,
casting a shadow over his future life.
With Touch of Elbow. 309
On business connected with the Department of Justice,
the writer, soon after the above occurrences, was called to
Washington, D. C. A series of years spent in the South-
ern States had made him more or less familiar with the
processes with which it was believed the lately enfran-
chised negro was being deprived of the rights now guaran-
teed him under the Constitution, and such information
being eagerly sought by men most prominent in political
affairs, the writer was brought in contact with public
men and in time was enabled to see a good deal of
LIFE AT THE NATION'S CAPITAL.
Through acquaintances thus formed I was first given
employment with the Eepublican Congressional Commit-
tee, a political organization maintained in Washington
for the purpose of forwarding the election of members of
Congress in the doubtful or close Congressional Districts;
and to that end a regular bureau of information is main-
tained throughout each Congressional year. George C.
Gorham was then Secretary of the United States Senate
and also Secretary of the Congressional Committee, as
indeed he was its leading spirit. Eugene Hale, then mem-
ber of Congress from Maine, was the presiding genius
under the title of chairman. In these rooms consultations
by the party leaders were often held, and matters pertain-
ing to the campaign in the various districts discussed.
Around every political headquarters there are to be
found a large number of "hangers on," usually distinguish-
able by their unwashed linen. They are generally self-
sacrificing souls and more than willing to devote their
time and talent to the forwarding of almost any great and
glorious "cause." This "talent" is often chimerical, exist-
3 io With Touch of Elbow.
ing only in the minds of the would-be patriots. These
individuals always seem to have a claim real or imagin-
ary for services rendered or soon to he rendered, either
by themselves or through their influence, or they lean
wearily upon the tomb of some ancestor whose good name
is expected to add strength to their claims and bring them
a doubtful and precarious support. So they wait patiently
in anticipation of the crumbs to fall, though these take no
more substantial form than an occasional refreshing drink.
While in the committee rooms I was presented one day
to a gentleman of commanding figure clad in rusty gar-
ments of a fashionable cut, whom I had often seen about
the rooms, and was surprised to learn the introduction
had made me acquainted with the son of an ex-President,
John Tyler, Junior. To a casual observer he had the ap-
pearance of a gentleman, but his features revealed in
strong light the brutalizing effects of the whiskey habit.
Calling me into a side room we took seats on a couch,
when, after a few introductory remarks, he went directly
to the subject doubtless uppermost in his mind, and said:
"In the whole course of my life I have never met a
person that pleased me on short acquaintance as I have
been pleased with you." Ordinarily, one passes over such
a remark as the extreme of fulsome flattery, and allows it
to pass without further thought; but now I wondered
what compensation would be required for this extraordi-
nary effusiveness. The query was soon answered. After a
brief pause he broke in with: "Say, can't you give me a
dime? I haven't had but one drink to-day."
We often hear it said that sons of eminent men seldom
rise to the intellectual standard of their fathers. Strik-
ing proofs of this are frequently found in Washington,
that place of all others for the congregation of great
With Touch of Elbow. 311
soldiers, statesmen and scholars; and where, also, we see
such men as Orvil Grant, the son of a respected citizen,
the brother of our greatest General and one of the most
eminent of our Presidents, plodding the streets, unkempt
and in seedy garments, with bare toes exuding from his
worn-out shoes. The son of General Butler, although a
man of rare talent, having the advantage of a fine educa-
tion, and the example of an illustrious father, was little
better respected than John Tyler, Junior.
In controversion of these, however, we find that John
Quincy Adams, as President, gave the country an abler and
more satisfactory administration than his illustrious
father; and Eobert T. Lincoln has displayed ability as a
diplomat and financier. General Frederick D. Grant holds
high rank in the United States army; and the sons of
President Garfield have risen to distinction in political
and private life, and now enjoy an enviable prominence
among their fellow men. But how much the eminence
and success of the distinguished characters above referred
to is owing to the great names which they inherit is not
so clearly defined.
The Congressional elections over, the committee rooms
were closed and the next situation was found in the service
of the War Department. This is to be enlisted as a clerk,
and in lieu of the $13 a month, the regular pay of a soldier,
the enlisted man receives commutation for rations and
clothing amounting in the aggregate to a salary of $85 a
month. This being drawn in three different places the
Commissary, Quartermaster's and Adjutant General's De-
partments three distinct payrolls have to be made out
and signed. There are no army restrictions placed upon
an employee of this kind; one is enrolled to serve during
good behavior and can resign at any time.
With Touch of Elbow.
A subordinate position in this office, however, is more
irksome than the life of a private soldier in the Regular
Army, for it is sought here also to keep up a marked dis-
tinction in rank. Many of the older employees of the
Adjutant General's Office are men who have served one
or more terms of enlistment as private soldiers, and when
discharged from the army have obtained clerkships or
positions more desirable in the general service. Having
a long acquaintance with the class of records to be handled
here, they may in time be advanced to become executive-
chief of a room or a division, and there it is sought to en-
force that discipline and self abasement to which they
were subjected while in the military service proper. Every
clerk, however exalted his position, is liable to the caprice
of someone in a grade just above him, and the man whose
business it may be to sweep and dust the rooms lords it
over the one who empties and cleans the spittoons.
This is a rule that obtains more or less in all of the
Government departments. Almost every employee owes
his position to someone higher in authority; and, strange
as it may seem, even under Civil Service rules that prac-
tice obtains very largely to-day, and this fact itself makes
the position of the average clerk a precarious and irksome
one. Standing as he does in constant dread of the time
to come when, walking into his office some fine morning
he finds the "yellow envelope" lying on his desk contain-
ing his final discharge, and that without a reason being
given therefor, the clerk soon loses that spirit of inde-
pendent manhood essential to the highest order of citizen-
ship.
But for him who becomes expert in some special line,
or who has talent or attractiveness of a social or literary
character and in the departments at Washington there
With Touch of Elbow. 313
are many accomplished men and women he may feel
a little more secure in his place, and the one in authority
to whom he owes his appointment may introduce him into
almost any social circle to which he himself has access.
So it is frequently at private receptions honored with the
presence of many distinguished men and women the ques-
tion goes round in bated breath: "Who is this lady (or
gentleman) that sings or performs so elegantly?" And
the answer is returned: "Why that is Miss (or Mr.)
of the Treasury Department." A clerk in the employ of
the Government it may be, working for a small salary and
living in comparative seclusion in a cheap boarding house.
Out of the vast number of employees it is not surprising
that marked ability is sometimes discovered. Mr. Cortel-
you, now Secretary of the Treasury, thirty years ago was a
$1,200 clerk in the State Department.
The general information one gains by a prolonged stay
in Washington, if qualified to properly assimilate, may be
of greater practical value in after years than the stilted
instructions received within the narrow walls of a school-
house or academy. Here a young man is constantly sur-
rounded with those influences best calculated to arouse
within him a just pride of country, and a realizing sense
of the worth of good citizenship. One meets here the
brightest and foremost of our own people and those of
foreign countries. These soon become familiar figures on
the streets and in the lobbies and galleries, and they are
often seen and heard in public places. Of course the evil
influences of a gay capital are present, but they are also
felt in less pretentious communities and in every walk of
life.
In order to forward my own prospects I now resolved
to call upon General Butler, who, as stated elsewhere, I
With Touch of Elbow.
first met while he was in command at Fortress Monroe
and I an escaped prisoner from Richmond. It was hardly
expected General Butler would recognize and remember
me after so many years and on so slight an acquaintance,
and some misgivings were entertained as to the treatment
I might receive at his hands. This more especially as the
interview was sought for the purpose of asking a favor.
To a stranger or casual observer General Butler's appear-
ance was not inviting. But I had known his son-in-law
and daughter (General and Mrs. Ames) while the former
was provisional Governor of one of the seceding States,
and these facts gave me greater courage to undertake an
interview with the General.
Accordingly, bracing myself for a supreme effort, I sent
in my card. To see General Butler in his law office on
Capitol Hill at the time one must wait as visitors now
have to do before obtaining an interview with the Presi-
dent; but after remaining in the ante-room some time I
was finally ushered into the august presence. I had already
prepared a little speech, expecting to deliver it at once on
reaching the audience chamber,, and began by stating that
in all probability he would not remember me; that I had
first met him at his headquarters with other escaped pris-
oners from Richmond the winter of 1863. In answer, and
before I had fairly concluded my speech, the General spoke
up and said: fr Why, Captain, I remember you very well
on that occasion ; you came in with Hobart and McCreary.
I have heard of your connection with General Ames in
the South ; please be seated and tell me what I can do for
you."
This was a cordiality unlocked for, and I was more
embarrassed than would have been the case had he treated
me with greater brusqueness. After making my wishes
HEADQUARTERS
RATIONAL QOMMIJJEE,
No. 242 FIFTH AVENUE,
FLrYort City, A<W,-
i / //
1 884.
.
C *"*-+-
IXVITATION FROM THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO
SPEAK IN THE CAMPAIGN OF 1884.
With Touch of Elbow. 315
known, without further explanation being required, he
called in his stenographer and in my presence dictated a
strong letter advocating my claims. That letter aided me
materially in obtaining what I then most desired a more
lucrative position in the United States Treasury.
A statement of this occurrence seems chiefly valuable as
an evidence of General Butler's regard for the Union
soldier, as well as his goodness of heart, and it affords
a striking illustration of a wonderfully retentive memory.
In the United States Treasury I served through a great
portion of two administrations under Secretaries Sherman
and Windom, and in the Presidential years, though still
under pay of the department, was given leave of absence
for the purpose of entering the field as a campaigner under
the auspices of the Republican National Committee. The
last service of this character is indicated by a facsimile
of the letter of invitation from the committee found on
another page.
During the Civil War and for many years thereafter the
United States Senate was looked upon as the great chro-
nometer balance to keep the Government on an even keel.
Any mistakes in the form of legislation that may have
emanated from the Lower House of Congress the Upper
House could be relied upon to check and counteract. In-
deed, having had, as a rule, their first legislative training
in that body, who better prepared than the Senate to meet
the vagaries of the House of Representatives. But the
great names that most adorned the Senate in the past-
standing as they did for everything admirable in states-
manship and patriotic fidelity by the hand of death have
been stricken from the rolls. Sumner, Sherman, Morton,
Edmunds, Zach Chandler, Blaine, Conklin and others
equally talented, though perhaps not so widely known, seem
3i 6 With Touch of Elbow.
to have been raised up for that period in the nation's
history of which their life-work forms so conspicuous a
part. In erudition, in eloquence and in virtue the Amer-
ican Senate in those days, like that of Rome in the reign
of the CaBsars, was justly entitled to the distinction it bore
of the
"GREAT FORUM."
That the esteem and confidence in which that body was
then held by the people no longer exists cannot well be
denied, and it is doubtful, even though the exigencies
should again arise, as in the war period, whether the degree
of excellence exhibited by the men whose names are above
written would again be found.
That corporate greed, political ambition and self-
aggrandizement are influencing the deliberations of that
once incorruptible body there is no longer a doubt existing.
The few men in public life who have ability and integrity
so far are unable to leaven the mass of corruption stalking
abroad in the lobbies, corridors and committee rooms of
our legislative halls, and the people are fast losing faith
in their own representatives. That this distrust is to con-
tinue indefinitely is hardly to be believed, for there is as
much good in the world to-day as ever before, and already
there are influences working in high places and among
the people that are more than likely in the end to purge
the political atmosphere of the miasmatic germs with
which it is now fetid.
Among the prominent men whom it was the good for-
tune of the narrator to know in the period above spoken
of was the Honorable William E. Chandler, at the time a
member of Congress from New Hampshire, and a strong
personal friend of Mr. Elaine, who was then a Senator
With Touch of Elbow. 317
from the State of Maine. Now, Mr. Elaine being the most
aggressive of the Eepublican leaders touching matters per-
taining to Southern politics, had given notice on the first
day of the Senate session of that year that on a certain
day following he would introduce a resolution of inquiry
as to the conduct of the elections held that fall in the
States of Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina, where
fraud and intimidation were alleged to have been com-
mitted at the polls.
A resolution of this character was calculated to arouse
sectional feeling to a white heat, and that a very lively
and acrimonious debate would follow its introduction there
was no doubt, and Mr. Chandler was of the opinion that
an interview by Mr. Elaine, who would likely take the
lead on the Eepublican side in defense of his resolution,
with someone qualified to speak from personal observation
touching the question at issue would be of great assistance
to him in fortifying himself for the debate soon to follow.
Accordingly, two or three appointments were made for
such an interview with the writer, but the pressure of
more important engagements made it impossible for Mr.
Elaine to spare the time for such a meeting.
But when the appointed day for the introduction of
the resolution arrived Mr. Chandler, still in hopes of a
brief interview, walked with the writer to the Senate
Chamber, where, on invitation of Mr. Elaine, we were
admitted to the cloakroom. The aisles, lobbies and cor-
ridors of the Capitol were already crowded to overflowing
with people anxiously awaiting the galleries to be thrown
open, in order that seats might be obtained the better to
catch the first bugle note in the contest of intellectual
giants likely soon to take place.
The hour for the Senate to come to order finally arrived,
3i8 With Touch of Elbow.
and as the presiding officer's gavel descended Mr. Blaine
hurriedly came to the door of the cloakroom to apologize
for his inability to give us any time, as he expected to take
the floor in a few minutes. But, indicating by a wave of
his hand a large upholstered chair on the floor of the
Senate, he said to me: "Won't you have a seat and re-
main through the debate?" Meantime, as I was later
informed, Mr. Blaine had received five hundred cards from
outside parties who believed they had something of interest
for him to consider before entering the arena. I quickly
accepted the proffered seat and the honor it signified, and
there remained fascinated until the Senate adjourned
about four or five hours later. The galleries, both foreign
and domestic, by this time were filled to the limit of their
capacity, and hundreds of people were still in the aisles
and lobbies, when, as soon as order was restored and the
minutes of the preceding day had been disposed of, Mr.
Blaine arose and sent up his resolution, and, after hearing
it read, moved its adoption. Then from a prepared manu-
script read a short and conservative speech advocating the
adoption of the resolution.
This was an unusual course for Mr. Blaine, and every-
body seemed disappointed, even the Democrats, who were
on tiptoe of anticipation and ready for the combat. Mr.
Blaine then took his seat, when three or four Southern
Senators sprang to their feet, and Mr. Lamar, of Missis-
sippi, was awarded the floor. The debate was now on and
the very air seemed to emit electrical sparks, the feeling
was so intense, and (must I add), in some quarters, bitter.
Mr. Lamar made an impassioned speech in defense of
his State and the position occupied by the South relative
to the political status of the negro under the new order of
things. The Senate chamber was now like an arena, the
With Touch of Elbow. 319
contest being waged along intellectual lines. So far as the
Republican side was concerned the entire combat was
left to that most eminent of all gladiators, the Honorable
James G. Elaine, and no other Republican Senator tilted
a lance in the debate that followed.
Mr. Lamar had no sooner sat down than Mr. Elaine
arose and answered him point by point. Three Demo-
cratic Senators made speeches that day, to which Mr.
Elaine replied; and, leaving his seat, he walked down the
aisles and confronted his antagonists face to face, his whole
body meantime apparently aflame with inspired eloquence.
The words flew from his lips like bullets from a gatling
gun, and every word seemed especially coined for the pur-
pose to which it was put. The facts and figures he pre-
sented, and the historical and other data with which he
verified his statements and supported the reasoning he put
forth afforded an exhibition of forensic oratory seldom if
ever before witnessed in the Senate chamber.
We now come to a scene in the other branch of Congress
that took place when, out of "general parliamentary law,"
CZARISM WAS EVOLVED.
Legislation deemed to be of great importance by Repub-
licans, and which the Democrats were equally anxious to
defeat, was pending in the House, with Speaker Reed in
the chair, when the following colloquy took place between*
the Speaker and Mr. Springer, of Illinois.
Mr. Springer : "Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do
now adjourn."
The Speaker : "The Chair decides the motion to adjourn
to be not in order."
Mr. Springer: "From the decision of the Chair I ap-
peal"
320
With Touch of Elbow.
The Speaker : "The Chair declines to entertain the ap-
peal/'
Mr. Springer: "When will a motion to adjourn be in
order?"
The Speaker: "At the proper time."
It is noteworthy that at the close of that momentous
sitting the House adjourned on Mr. Springer's motion.
But the lucidity couched in the Speaker's last response in
the above colloquy is almost sublime.
It would seem impossible by any ordinary process of
parliamentary practice to circumvent a doggedness of the
character indicated by Mr. Reed's replies as given in the
above. A monosyllable escaping from his lips or the sound
of his descending gavel apparently being the only explana-
tion required on the part of the Speaker for hasty decisions
where grave and important legislation is pending. That
so much power should be vested in one man by a delibera-
tive body appears to the uninitiated a very strange thing,
and when measured by the American standard of govern-
ment by the people, such a course seems wholly incon-
sistent. But at the same time a sovereign citizen sitting
in the House galleries for a time, watching the movements
of that august body, soon becomes convinced that some
power should be invoked to shut off debate and end the
bickering motions and countermotions that often delay and
sometimes defeat important legislation, if they do not
block outright the wheels of government.
But of the marked events in life at the capital the most
noteworthy and longest to be remembered was the
ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD.
For reasons not difficult to explain Mr. Garfield's death
moved the people of the capital city more profoundly than
With Touch of Elbow. 321
that of any like calamity. The assassination of Mr. Lincoln
was the outgrowth and culmination of a civil war unpar-
alleled in its bitterness, and the bloodiest of ancient or
modern times. The public had long been accustomed to
angry strife and deeds of violence, and Lincoln, already an
old man, had well-nigh rounded out the crowning work
of his life. Besides, it has been thought by many that,
had he lived longer, his great conservatism and kindness
of heart would have led him into public acts of such a
conciliatory nature that the more radical element of the
Northern States would have been slow to endorse, if they
did not condemn outright. It in no way detracts from
the exalted place which his memory holds in the hearts
of the American people to say the day of Mr. Lincoln's
greatest usefulness in all probability had passed, and as
time advances the benefits of his life-work are more clearly
defined.
But it seems to be so ordered in the conduct of human
affairs that the men whose acts have been most potent in
inaugurating reforms and bringing blessings upon their
fellow-men seldom live to enjoy the benefits of their labors.
President McKinley, while beloved for his exemplary
character and evenly balanced temperament, died in a
distant city, and the people in Washington at least did not
feel his death so keenly, while as Chief Magistrate his
record has been somewhat eclipsed by the virile and bril-
liant national administration immediately following.
But President Garfield, in the prime of mature man-
hood, had just entered upon his Executive career when his
life was cut short in broad daylight in a public place by
the assassin's bullet. While with the masses he could not
have been considered at the time a popular President
there being much dissension in the party that elected him
322 With Touch of Elbow.
the courage, patience and fortitude he displayed after
having been shot and wounded unto death, won the sym-
pathy and admiration of the people everywhere, and his
untimely taking off was as much lamented by his country-
men as that of any of the great men whose names are now
a cherished memory.
In Washington, where the people are in close touch with
the leading men of an administration, from the President
down, an opportunity is given to judge of their characters,
and often it happens their private lives are laid bare to
critical inspection.
It was the good fortune of the writer to have known
intimately Dr. D. W. Bliss, an ex-volunteer army surgeon
and an eminent practitioner of Washington, who was the
leading physician in charge of President Garfield's case
and was his constant nurse and attendant until death came
to the relief of the sufferer. Dr. Bliss, a large and power-
ful man, in the hundred days of unremitting service at the
bedside of the distinguished patient himself lost forty-five
pounds in weight. That the President's strength was main-
tained and his life prolonged for many days through the
vitality of this strong and determined man there is no
question of doubt.
The writer chanced to be on Pennsylvania Avenue the
morning of July 3d, 1881, where he met Dr. Bliss going
toward the Sixth Street depot. A few moments later the
two shots rang out that struck the President down. To
learn the occasion of the shots I turned and walked
leisurely back, but soon the report ran along the avenue
like an electric current that the President had been shot.
Hurrying on to the station, a large crowd had already
assembled, and threats of "Lynch him ! Hang him !" were
heard on every hand, but the assassin had already been
With Touch of Elbow. 323
spirited away under a heavy guard. At this time a light
two-horse express wagon was called, into which the Presi-
dent was carried from the station and laid on the bottom,
Dr. Bliss sitting down and holding his head. In this posi-
tion they were driven to the White House.
Diabolical as this assassination was, the case affords a
very strong argument against the meting out of unlawful
or summary vengeance. There was at this time two fac-
tions in the Eepublican party between which a bitter feud
existed the Regulars or "Stalwarts," and the "Mug-
wumps," a faction that claimed to be seeking the purifica-
tion of the party and the reform of existing evils. The
former was headed by Senator Conkling, of New York,
who led a forlorn hope in the Chicago Convention the year
before to have General Grant nominated to the Presidency
for a third term. This was the issue that opened wide
the breach already existing between the two wings of the
party. Of course, General Grant was defeated and Mr.
Garfield was nominated. Although the latter could not
possibly have been elected without the united support of
both wings of the party, it was thought Mr. Garfield's
administration in its political preferments was being run
largely in the interests of the Mugwumps and adversely
to Mr. Conkling and the Stalwarts, and noticeably so in
his selection of Federal officers in the State of New York,
he having already appointed a collector of the port of New
York especially obnoxious to Mr. Conkling. Besides, he
had chosen Mr. Blaine as his chief secretary and adviser,
between whom and Mr. Conkling there was the bitterest
antagonism. So when Mr. Garfield was suddenly stricken
down by an assassin's bullet the suspicion was aroused and
the whisper ran around that Senator Conkling, and pos-
sibly ex-President Grant whom Garfield had defeated in
324 With Touch of Elbow.
the nominating convention had had something to do in
bringing about this cruel and cowardly attempt upon the
President's life. So in all probability had Mr. Garfield's
assassin been lynched and killed at once a suspicion of
guilt might have rested upon Grant, Conkling and others
fully as unjust and almost as cruel as the assassination
itself. But the murderer was permitted to live to undergo
a fair trial, and long before his conviction and execution
took place every shadow of suspicion that he may have had
accomplices in the execution of the crime such as at first
existed in the minds of a few partisans was dispelled. The
assassin's own avowal and corroborative circumstances as
developed in the trial went clearly to prove that no other
hand and no other mind than that of the assassin alone
entered into or bore a part in the President's untimely
taking off.
In Mr. Garfield's illness the counsel of the most emi-
nent physicians and surgeons in America and in Europe
was called to the aid of the home physicians. In accord-
ance with Dr. Bliss' suggestion, the names of twelve of
the leading physicians of this country were placed in a
hat and drawn out by lot, the three first drawn to be em-
ployed as assistants in the case. Days were set apart for
special prayer in behalf of the sufferer by the churches
throughout Christendom; and, while all the physicians vir-
tually agreed as to what was deemed to be a correct diag-
nosis of the case, all this scientific skill, combined with the
prayers of the Christian world, was unable to save Mr.
Garfield's life. After lingering for many days in the fetid
air of the capital without any improvement, he was car-
ried in a special car to Elberon, New Jersey, a watering
place on the seashore.
The bullet that inflicted the President's death wound
With Touch of Elbow. 325
entered the right side and lodged in the bony structure of
the spinal column and was never located until an autopsy
was held; and it was only after a prolonged search during
this examination that the bullet was found encysted as
above described.
On the second of July, when the President was stricken
down, Washington was alive in anticipation of the gayeties
of the approaching anniversary. But this terrible calamity
put a stop to any further preparations for celebrating the
great national holiday. Excursions, picnics, balls and
parties in many cases were declared off. Pianos in private
houses were closed, and for many days were never opened.
From the time the fatal shot was fired until the funeral
cortege had passed out of sight; for a period of one hun-
dred days the general demeanor of the people at their
homes in Washington was like that of a family where
some dear one lies ill and at the point of death.
The trial and execution of his murderer created an in-
terest equally absorbing, but with this difference. The
sickness and burial of the President called out all the
tender and sympathetic emotions, while the trial and exe-
cution of the assassin was but an affirmative declaration
of the scriptural injunction: "Vengeance is mine saith
the Lord," and appealed to the baser elements of human
nature.
But suffering from injuries contracted while in the
army, and only partially recovered from a severe illness, in
which he was attended by Dr. Bliss, the writer, by the
advice of his physician, obtained leave of absence from the
Treasury Department with permission to go abroad, and
forthwith journeyed to Boston, and there engaged passage
in a barque-rigged schooner bound for the Azorean and
Cape De Verde Islands.
326 With Touch of Elbow.
While awaiting the time set for sailing many places
were visited in and near Boston, around which cluster
memories dear to Bostonians and to all patriotic Ameri-
cans. Standing upon the top of Bunker Hill Monument
the morning sun in every direction as far as the eye can
reach seems to light up and recall scenes made glorious
by the struggles of our early ancestors. The feeble efforts
first put forth by the little band of Pilgrims and outcasts
from the mother country at Plymouth Rock have gone
steadily on, gathering strength with the onward tide of
progress, until a vast continent has been subdued, over
which the "Cradle of Liberty" has rocked her millions of
healthy and free born babes. The first shots fired at Lex-
ington and Concord have been heard around the world,
and awakened the echoes of liberty in the breasts of all
mankind. These are Meccas toward which at least one
pilgrimage should be made in the life of every citizen in
whose veins courses the inspired blood of 1776.
After many delays, the day and hour for sailing ar-
rived and all was bustle and confusion at the wharf and
on the deck of
THE GOOD BARQUE "SARAH."
Piles of boxes and bundles, mostly the effects of steerage
passengers, all Azoreans returning to their native islands,
were being hastily tumbled into the vessel's hold, while
those of the cabin (utter strangers and now thrown to-
gether for the first time) were busy looking after lug-
gage, arranging staterooms, and in exchanging whatever
gossip may have been gathered in regard to the hour of
sailing, the sea-going qualities of the vessel, and the
character of her officers, upon whom so much of the com-
With Touch of Elbow. 327
fort or discomfort of a voyage in a sailing vessel depends.
All were anxious to learn something of the ship and her
master, into whose keeping their lives were soon to be
entrusted for an indefinite period.
On the afternoon of Saturday, August 18th, 18 , the
bark, with twenty-one cabin passengers, buoyant in anti-
cipation of the coming pleasures, was towed out into
Boston Harbor, first passing City Point and Fort Inde-
pendence on the right, and Fort Warren on the left.
Boston Light and Nantasket next appear; and as the
shades of evening begin to fall, glimmering lights from a
thousand cottages along the beach illumine the waters of
the bay from shore and hillside; while countless numbers
of swift-flying sails, some outward and some homeward
bound are passing constantly in review. Dark portentous
clouds springing suddenly up from the south, lit up now
and then by vivid flashes of lightning, add grandeur and
beauty to the scene and intensify the interest of the occa-
sion.
Having passed outside the harbor, the towline is cast
off, when the pilot and the friends who had accompanied
us after many hearty hand-shakings jumped on board the
tug, which, heading about, soon passed out of sight. The
lights in Boston Harbor grew less by degrees, and finally
the last faint glimmer died away. Barnet's Light on our
starboard quarter, towering a distance of a hundred feet
in height, and situated far out at sea, soon sank to the
water's edge, cast its faint rays for a brief period along
the smooth surface of the water, and then disappeared.
Thus, the last tie binding us to native land seemed to have
been severed, and we found ourselves fairly out on "Old
Ocean's gray and melancholy waste."
Until a late hour the passengers were up on the quar-
328 With Touch of Elbow.
ter-deck, enjoying the novelties of the surroundings; pay-
ing, so far, very little attention to the ship, which had al-
ready begun to roll in a manner not well calculated to
soothe the qualms of a bilious stomach. The first gray
streak of the following morning had no sooner appeared
then one after another of the passengers came stealthily
out of their staterooms; but alas! how changed in appear-
ance. The ship was now rolling and plunging in a reckless
manner. Hasty and very scant toilet had been made, and
an almost total absence of sleep during the night added to
the disconcerted appearance of the ladies, whose hair and
partially adjusted garments were alike streaming in the
wind. Every one on board was apparently going through
the ludicrous pantomime of trying to maintain an upright
position, while upon their faces an ashy paleness began to
settle. Among the passengers who had become the most
intimate only furtive glances were now and then ex-
changed, each deceiving himself with the belief that he
was deceiving the other in the ease with which he dis-
posed of trifles, and took to a sailor's life; for no one yet
was ever willing to acknowledge frankly the first qualms
of seasickness.
The morning meal was announced, and out of the
twenty-one cabin passengers only three came up smiling
to the table. The other eighteen, where, oh where, were
they? It is said that Julius Caesar groaned aloud and in
abject humiliation with the miseries of an ague chill; but
if there is one thing more than another calculated to take
the conceit out of a proud mortal, and unbend the arro-
gant and haughty, it is to be bounced about for a succes-
sion of days in a sailing vessel, and all the time on the
verge of "throwing up" one's immortal soul. But matters
soon began to mend, and after the lapse of a day or two
With Touch of Elbow. 329
normal habits were resumed, appetites returned, and the
situation rapidly improved. A steady hreeze kept up from
the southwest, and aided by the Gulf Stream kept our
vessel ploughing on its eastward course at the rate of ten
knots an hour; and whether by day or night, from this
time forward the journey was one of uninterrupted
pleasure.
The deck was protected by an ample awning through
the day, and the soft temperature of that latitude, with
the aid of a full moon, made the nights especially delight-
ful, and until a late hour, lounging in wicker chairs, we
whiled the drowsy hours in contemplation of the scene,
varying the monotony with games at cards and in reading
or discussing the latest novel. Now and then the cry of
"Sail ho!" from the man on the lookout was heard, when
all eyes were fastened on the strange ship until she passed
far astern.
It is an interesting episode to be able to speak a vessel
far out at sea; for, at such a time, the thought will occur
that possibly this may be the last that one or the other
may be seen or heard of by the friends at home who watch
in vain for the return of the vessel and its precious
burden. For this and other reasons an international sys-
tem of signals has been adopted, by which an English
speaking officer may hail a Norwegian or German vessel,
as well as one from his native land. There is an awful
significance in the report we sometimes read of a ship long
overdue having been "last spoken" in some remote lati-
tude.
On the morning of the 20th day out the cry of "Land
ho!" from the lookout was taken up and reechoed by the
sailors about the forecastle, and instantly every eye on
board was strained ahead. The crew were all Portuguese,
330 With Touch of Elbow.
as were the steerage passengers, and native Azoreans.
Many of the latter, having been absent for years, were now
returning to the land of their birth. These would crowd
up in the bowsprit, all anxious to catch the first glimpse of
their beloved isles, the "dearest spot on earth" to them.
They had not long to wait, for when still a distance of
fifty miles away, just above the water's edge, like a dark
cloud, appeared the first in our course of the Azorean
group,
FLORES, THE ISLE OF FLOWERS.
Keeping the pace with which the "Sarah" had been
dividing the waves since her departure from Boston, we
hoped to sail alongside this little oasis in the great desert
of waters while daylight remained, but alas, how fickle is
the wind. The steady breeze that had in so short a time
swept us across the broad Atlantic suddenly died out, and
for twenty-four hours we lay at a provoking distance from
this enchanting spot.
As night comes on the sails at regular intervals flap
lazily against the spars, and the vessel rolls lightly from
side to side, with the regular pulsating throbs of the ocean's
breast. The highest peaks of Flores are swathed in soft
silver-tinted clouds, an Italian sky is over the broad ex-
panse, while in the west, where the sky and waters meet,
the sun goes down amidst a scene the most dazzling and
beautiful; and the island, but dimly seen in the distance,
soon fades from sight. At a late hour we retire to dream
of the day passed, and to speculate upon what the morn-
ing may reveal.
Looking upon the distant shore at daylight the words
of the old song, "Thou Art So Near, and Yet So Far,"
are suggested; but with the rising sun a freshening breeze
With Touch of Elbow. 331
springs up and the vessel's prow is turned shoreward. Like
the gradual opening of *a flower, the beauties of the island
develop as the distance lessens. Its entire surface is as
green as a meadow in June. Beginning at the water's
edge, the ground, volcanic in formation, rises to a height
in the center of two to three thousand feet. Little
rivulets of water, glistening in the sun, are first seen de-
scending from rocks and precipices above, and, disappear-
ing for a time, they emerge with more majestic flow, fol-
lowing the downward course until swallowed up in the
broad ocean.
Small herds of sheep, goats and cattle can now be seen
grazing far up the mountains' sloping sides, dotted here
and there with little white specks, which, upon closer ob-
servation, prove to be houses built of lava rocks and
whitewashed. They are surrounded with bamboo hedges
that look like towering rectangular walls. These grow to
a height of twenty or thirty feet, serving at once as a wind-
break and for fencing between little holdings of land of
not more than an acre or two to each occupant. Here the
farmers and gardeners of our own country might derive a
wholesome lesson on the subject of intensive cultivation,
for on these little patches of ground whole families are
supported.
Santa Cruz is the capital and only city of Mores, and
there is no harbor excepting for small coasting vessels.
The waters immediately surrounding are so deep that an
anchorage cannot be obtained at a distance from the shore
far enough to enable a ship to swing clear at the end of a
cable. Freight and passengers are transferred in large
pinnaces, propelled by six or eight barelegged and bare-
headed oarsmen.
While waiting for the Health and Custom officers to
332 With Touch of Elbow.
board, the breeze continuing to freshen, the "Sarah" is
forced to beat about from point to point, all the while
keeping a respectful distance from the shore. Approach-
ing the landing in one of these launches, with a strong
breeze and a heavy sea running, where there is barely room
for the boat to pass among the rocks, it seemed our little
craft would surely be dashed to pieces, and the continuous
gabble of the oarsmen and the orders and counter-orders
excitedly passing among them, were not calculated to in-
spire confidence.
Presently a narrow channel opened before us, and into
it we were borne on the crest of a tremendous wave. All
held their breath, for a critical moment had come. The
boatmen tugged manfully, but just here an oar on the
starboard bow struck and snapped in two. This threw
them all out of stroke, and the boat veering around,
crashed into a boulder. The next instant, however, she
passed through the narrows, and without further accident
we glided into the waters of a little bay not more than an
acre in extent, and the shore was reached in safety.
The city of Santa Cruz is built on a high cliff, its prin-
cipal street running down to the water's edge. Up this
incline we labor, step by step, until the central square is
reached. From here a half dozen or more narrow streets
radiate at all points of the compass. The houses are built
of lava with tiled roofs, and one or two stories in height.
The first floor is generally used for stabling donkeys, which
afford the only means for conveying freight and passen-
gers on the island; and families are domiciled on the floor
above. The streets are about the width of an alley in our
American cities, and there being no sidewalks, pedestrians,
donkeys and ox-carts find their way through these narrow
passages together.
With Touch of Elbow. 333
The natives, those who were fellow passengers, seemed
to vie with each other in their efforts to make our visit on
the island one of pleasure and profit. The hospitality and
native politeness of the people is phenomenal. In passing
through the most populous portion of the town, every man
or boy one meets lifts his hat and hows, and a like cour-
tesy is expected in return. The houses are provided with
balconies or green blinds at the windows, from behind
which dark-eyed women take a sly look at the passing
stranger.
There is no physician in Flores, and no provision made
by law for the poor, and beggars ply their vocation without
let or hindrance. They are quick to scent a traveler and
often hound his tracks until he gladly ventures another
passage of the "narrows," and takes, not "to the woods,"
but to the more uncertain fortunes of the sea.
In company with a Portuguese fellow-passenger I vis-
ited the penitentiary, a large stone building near the center
of the city; but instead of waiting for an official to open
the door and escort us through, my friend took me to the
main entrance, and, finding the doors and corridors open,
we walked in. Presently a gentleman stepped out from
one of the "cells" and kindly joined us, acting as a guide.
A little later I was surprised to learn that our "guide" was
himself a prisoner, and the only one at the time in the
institution. But this extraordinary liberty given a prisoner
charged with an offense against the law seems to have been
the course commonly pursued. It was explained that it
was impossible for a prisoner to escape from the island,
and, should there be a jail delivery at any time, and the
escaped took to the hills in the interior, it would be only
a question of hours to overtake and again place them in
duress. So the better way for all, we were told, was to
334 With Touch of Elbow.
leave the doors open and allow the "prisoners" to go in
and out at will. But the real secret lies in this. They
have no use in that country for jails. Criminal offenses
there are seldom known. The people are simple-minded
and primitive in their habits as were the natives of the
West Indies as described by Columbus. They are a blithe
and light-hearted peasantry for the greater part, taking
little heed of the future (so far as temporal affairs are
concerned), living simply and reposing implicit faith in
the priest as a safe counselor, guide and prophet for this
world, and in his ability to prepare them for an exceeding
weight of glory in the next. For four hundred years their
ancestry have lived here, and up to the time of this inquiry
but one murder had been committed on the islands.
The Azoreans are living in an atmosphere of mediaeval
Europe and seem to have but little desire or ambition to
emerge from the drowsy past and "go up against" the
problems of the present. France, we are told, in her efforts
to separate Church from State, has been brought close to
the verge of civil war. But that will never be the con-
dition among the inhabitants of these islands. There is
no such thing as State government with them, where the
priest constitutes the only court of law and the Church
dominates and controls legislation.
On approaching the islands from the sea the first object
to catch the eye is the cathedral, which in all of the towns
and cities is the largest and most imposing structure.
They also are built of lava rock in the old Moorish style of
architecture. Around these everything worth living for
seems to center. At the sound of the cathedral bell all
animation in the street and domestic circle is suspended,
and, whatever the hour may be, the people en masse turn
their faces toward the holy shrines.
With Touch of Elbow.
335
But our good ship, having discharged her cargo, is ready
to proceed on her eastward course, and we must say good-
bye to Flores and its strange and interesting people that
have so engrossed our attention for a day and a night.
This we do reluctantly, for there is a simplicity about
them that captivates the stranger.
On the final leave-taking crowds of people assemble on
the bluffs near by, and many descend with us down the
stony steps to the quay, and once more on board the lighter
that carries us away, cheerful greetings are called, hand-
kerchiefs waved and good wishes of "God-speed" are heard
on every hand.
Meantime the "Sarah," a mile or two out, is beating
up and down the coast, first on one track and then on
another, like a mettled charger impatient for the start.
Once more on board, with all sails set, braces hauled taut
and heading east by south, we begin the passage for the
second to be visited of this charming group,
SAN MIGUEL.
This is the largest, most westerly and most populous
of the Azorean Islands. Ponta Delgada, its capital and
only harbor for large sea-going vessels, is a city of 30,000
inhabitants, and the third in size in the Portuguese
dominions.
For the tourist seeking health or the traveler looking
for untrodden fields there is no more inviting spot than
the Island of San Miguel. A counterpart of the others
in formation, San Miguel (about thirty miles in width by
seventy-five in length) rises in the center to a mountain
range about three thousand feet high, and contains a
population of 150,000 people. Being but a short distance
336 With Touch of Elbow.
from continental Europe, it possesses many attributes of
refinement and civilization, though the peasant class here,
as elsewhere, are living three hundred years behind the
age.
At the time of this visit there were said to be but seven
horses on the island; the ox, burro and mule, all diminu-
tive in size, were the sole dependents for travel and carry-
ing heavy burdens.
The first morning in Ponta Delgada I was awakened by
the unseemly noises with which the air was filled. The
sounds were like the blowing of sirens and steam whistles
in one of our large cities on the occasion of a gala day,
when huge noises seem most in demand. Walking out
into the suburbs I soon learned their cause. Scores of
ox-carts were being driven in, carrying vegetables and
supplies for the early market. These are constructed
entirely of wood, there being not a particle of iron or
steel in their make-up. The wheels are of solid blocks,
through the center of which a wooden X projects. The
bearings are never relieved by the application of grease
or any sort of lubricant, and when the carts are heavily
loaded the noises caused by the friction of X and wheel
are something appalling. This, however, is music to the
peasant ear, for in this manner evil spirits and hobgoblins
of every species, it is believed by them, are kept at bay,
and their dangerous influences counteracted. To an ear
unattuned to this sort of music the "hobgoblins" would
seem to be preferred.
In the central portion of San Miguel in some remote
age was a volcano of tremendous proportions. In the
bottom of a crater called the "Valley dos Furnas," at a
depth of 1,200 feet, are still to be seen the evidences of
its expiring energies. Great clouds of vapor and steam
With Touch of Elbow. 337
are hanging over the cavernous depths. Acres of ground
in the center are hot and turbid, throwing up mud and
water to a height of several feet, like a seething, boiling
cauldron. Kegular pulsating throbs, as if a giant trip-
hammer were beating against the walls beneath, causes the
earth to tremble for many yards around. There are both
hot and cold springs of water within a space of a few
feet. Public baths are maintained near the geysers by the
Government, making the place altogether a popular resort.
There are hotels where accommodations can be had at a
moderate charge, and the springs are visited yearly by
many invalids and pleasure-seekers from England and the
continent of Europe. At an elevation of nearly three
thousand feet in the center of the island is a broad table-
land supporting a large population, though the ground is
seared with deep canyons running out to the sea. Tower-
ing buttes now and then rise above the common level, from
the top of which a fine view is obtained the Valley of
the Furnas on one hand, the broad ocean on the other,
and numerous lakes of sparkling water, whose banks are
dotted with little villages and white cottages and all
embowered in a deep foliage of green.
Descending the mountain to the sea I reach the hamlet
of Villa Franca. The objective point is Ponta Delgada,
fifteen miles distant. The hour is late and a fresh animal
must be procured in order to reach my destination before
night closes in. With a diminutive mule and a little boy
to drive, whose age is scarcely more than nine years, the
journey is begun. The road leads along the waters edge,
and, with a high tide and the wind blowing inland, the
route is dangerous, and my little driver urges the donkey
forward at every step. The shore is inhabited by fisher-
men and we are frequently interrupted by beggars. The
33$ With Touch of Elbow.
little driver, assuming a guardianship over me, waves the
intruders aside. I can understand enough of his language
and gestures to know that he informs them I am an Eng-
lish gentleman and must not be interrupted by beggars.
I correct this error on the part of the boy and tell him
I am an American, and not an Englishman. On meeting
more beggars, with an air of authority he confronts them
with : "Americano ! Americano I' 9 and flippantly waves
them aside. Before reaching the end of the journey night
is upon us and this little muleteer must return alone over
this rugged pathway, across which in places the waves
surge in volume sufficient to carry both horse and rider
out into the sea. At one time on our passage the surf
rolling in engulfed the little man to the waist, and, fear-
ing for his life, I took him up behind me and carried
him beyond the point of danger.
The natives are trained from early childhood to this
employment. While making a journey from Ponta Del-
gada to the Furnas (a distance of twenty-four miles),
being constantly hurried along, I remonstrated with the
driver, insisting that I was in no haste, but wished rather
to proceed slowly, the better to enjoy the scenery. There-
upon he modestly informed me he was anxious to get
through and return to the Furnas that evening, in order
to meet an engagement with a young lady to accompany
him to a chimerite or dance. As he expected to carry a
passenger back with him, he would be compelled to make
the journey both ways forty-eight miles' travel on foot,
and then to dance all night. Young men who can travel
that distance in the twelve hours of daylight (receiving
fifty cents for the labor) and then dance all night, even
with their best girl, are scarce in these degenerate days.
On reaching Ponta Delgada it is found the "Sarah"
With Touch of Elbow. 339
has already sailed for Fayal, and I am compelled to await
the arrival of a steamer. The intervening time is em-
ployed in visiting the private gardens located here, many
of which surpass in beauty anything of the kind in this
country, if not in the world. At every step taken through
these enchanting grounds fresh surprises are presented.
There are acacia trees imported from Africa, around and
over which creepers, honeysuckle and trumpet vines revel
and cling. Palm trees and poplars and hedges of oleander
laden with blossoms overreach the graveled walks. A
mountain stream of limpid water running through a rocky
glen, forming cascades and miniature lakes, is finally lost
in a grotto or underground cavern green with moss and
overhanging ferns.
But sojourning in the Azorean Archipelago, no matter
for how long a period, there is one object that is seldom
lost sight of and which grows upon the beholder as it is
viewed from a distance, till one feels impelled as by some
mysterious power to make a closer inspection. It is an
abrupt peak, cone-like in shape, rising out of the sea a
distance of nearly eight thousand feet more than a mile
and a half and not over fifteen miles across its base.
This is
THE MOUNTAIN" OF PICO.
Prom this mountain the island takes its name. For weeks
Pico has been seen looming up against the blue sky from
every point of compass, sometimes at a distance of fifty
miles or more, seeming to challenge one to the ascent of
its dizzy height, and,
'^Variable as the shade
By the light changing aspen made,"
340 With Touch of Elbow.
it has never appeared twice alike. Vapory clouds hang
over its summit, changing with the wind, and varying in
color as different hues of light reach it from the rising
or setting siin.
At last bidding good-bye to San Miguel I take passage
on the only steamer plying regularly between Lisbon, the
Azores and Madeiras, and at the end of twenty-four hours
set off in a lugger that lands me at Magdalena, the capital
city of the island.
The outer rim of Pico clear down to the water's edge
is dotted with the whitewashed houses so common to the
country, and these are embowered in grapeladen vines.
Having formed the acquaintance of an intelligent native
acquainted with the English language Senor Antone
Garcia I was soon able, through his assistance, to procure
the services of three native guides with five burros, these
being the first requisite for making the ascent. Two of
the little animals carried the necessary supplies for a two
days' journey, though we hoped to make it twenty-four
hours. Bread, cheese, cold chicken, a few bottles of wine
for the inner man and an extra suit of clothes in case
of necessity from storm or exposure completed the outfit.
The road was rough and stony from the start, leading
through narrow lanes shut in on either side by immense
bamboo hedges or walls of lava rock until we pass beyond
the limits of Magdalena. We next come into green pasture
lands on which herds of goats, sheep and cattle range in
great numbers, attended by shepherds, who watch their
flocks by day, seeking shelter in stormy weather beneath
the shelving rocks.
As we reach the higher altitude a magnificent view is
presented. Not a breath of wind is stirring, and through
a September haze the vast expanse of ocean and sky seem
With Touch of Elbow. 341
blended into one. The rays of the sun, just disappearing
in the depths, are reflected upon the overhanging clouds,
transforming them into a blaze of glory. Fertile valleys
are beneath our feet, and the faint echo of a shepherd's
voice calling his sheep into shelter for the night is faintly
heard, and Magdalena, the capital city, is but a white
speck in the distance.
Our object now is to reach a place on the mountain
where the donkeys are to be left in the keeping of one
of the guides until our return, while the remainder of the
party, traveling on foot, come to a sheltered cave, there to
rest until daylight, and then, if possible, reach the summit
in time to see the sunrise.
Night coming on, we reach the point where the donkeys
must be abandoned, and from this time forward the ascent
is gained only through the utmost exertion. A dense fog
turning first to a heavy mist and then to a downpour does
not add to the general comfort. There is a thick green
moss growing that is saturated with water, and into this
we sink at every step; our garments soon become thor-
oughly wet, and, notwithstanding the great exertion re-
quired to make headway, we are soon chilled to the
marrow. The guides with lanterns search every cleft of
rock and declivity in an effort to find the cavern that would
afford us some shelter until morning, but nothing of the
kind is found. About 12 o'clock we came upon an open-
ing into which one of the guides penetrated, and found a
dry spot as was believed large enough to accommodate our
party. Entering this cave we settled down with backs
against the wall, and there fell asleep; but no more than
an hour had passed when the water came pouring in like
a shower bath, and we hurried out, fearing to be caught
and engulfed like rats in an overflowing cellar.
342 With Touch of Elbow.
With one guide traveling ahead, and the other bringing
up the rear, we push on, compelled to keep in motion or
perish with the cold, as the wind is now blowing a gale.
Thick gloom and darkness shut out the closest objects, and
often we have to assist each other over perpendicular
walls; or descending suddenly into a gulch, we land on
loose slag that slips from under foot, precipitating one in
a downward flight until shelving rocks are reached, fifteen
or twenty feet below.
At daylight the wind went down and the clouds began
to lift, when we found ourselves on the thin rim or wall
of a crater 250 feet deep, and a picture of desolation. The
bottom of this crater covers a space of about two acres, in
the center of which is a chimney or loose pile of rocks
thrown up by volcanic action to a height of two or three
hundred feet above the rim. The apex of this pile of
rocks forms the summit of Mount Pico, the point which it
is our ambition to reach.
Without delay we descend to the bottom of the crater
and begin preparations for the ascent. The chimney is
about as near perpendicular as loose rocks can be made to
lay, and to make headway over its jagged surface looks
like a formidable undertaking. The only hold or support
in making the ascent is found in placing the hands and
feet in the cracks and crevices between the boulders. But
divesting ourselves of all superfluous clothing, we begin
cautiously making our way from rock to rock and from
crevice to crevice. The intense cold encountered during
the night is no longer felt, for in many places hot air and
vapor issue from the fissures between the rocks, warming
both hands and feet. Scarcely venturing to look around
or beneath, the topmost stone is finally reached, on whose
flat surface there is barely room for a dozen men to stand.
With Touch of Elbow. 343
Daylight has now revealed the universe, and there is '
opened to the view a scene of indescribable grandeur and
beauty. The sun, like a red blaze of light, is just coming
out of the ocean in the east; while beneath, nestling in
little green valleys and ravines in every part of the isl-
and, a hundred white cottages are visible. Casting the
eye seaward, Fayal, San Jorge and Graciosa appear like
little gems in a diamond setting. The rays of the sun,
unobstructed by mist or cloud, striking the mountain side
cast a shadow over the smooth surface of the water, coni-
cal shaped, in lines distinct as could be drawn with pencil
or brush, a distance of thirty-five miles beyond the
farthest shore of Fayal. Within the space covered by this
shadow might easily anchor the combined fleets and navies
of the world. Presently, and far below, fleecy clouds begin
to gather and spread till their soft folds encircle the
mountain and the entire island is shut out from view.
Like gaunt specters in mid-air, the clouds continue to
move, engulfing one object after another, until beneath,
an ocean of silvery vapor is all that can be seen. Not a
sound is heard, and there is an awe-inspiring majesty in
this isolation from the world and in the silence that pre-
vails as we stand in space, 2,000 feet above the clouds. In
looking downward one is seized with an almost uncon-
trollable desire to plunge headforemost into the soft and
downy mass beneath.
About 9 o'clock the sun rose clear above the shifting
clouds, lighting them with a dazzling splendor. Often
they move aside sufficiently to allow glimpses of the green
island through the rifts. Again towering upward like
mountain peaks, they re-form and move like armed hosts
in battle array.
Beginning the descent, imposing spectacles shut out by
344 With Touch of Elbow.
the darkness in our upward course appear on every hand.
In passing around to the northern side of the crater we
find a space of ahout 100 yards where the rim or wall has
broken off and fallen down the mountain. Approaching
this opening, with a guide on either hand warning me
back with word and gesture, I soon find myself standing
on the edge of a precipice with perpendicular walls, and
having no rock or other impediment to prevent one from
plunging into a yawning chasm whose depths cannot be
penetrated by the unaided eye.
Lying loose in every direction are great pieces of
cream-colored lava twisted into curious and fantastic
shapes. One enormous specimen of a rich creamy color
is lying on the surface entirely separate from others. It
is cylindrical in form, hollow from one end to the other
and about six feet in diameter. The opening contains a
quantity of ice-cold water, and here we are able to slake
our thirst. It is the only place on the mountain at this
elevation where water can be obtained.
It is said that during the heavy storms of winter the
rain is driven into this opening, and as the sun never
penetrates the bottom of the cavern the water remains
there cool and fresh throughout the year.
Continuing below this point, the dangers that beset the
pathway in coming up are apparent. Deep seams and
gulches that once formed passageways for streams of
molten lava are found. These we must often descend or
cross on projecting rocks, the crevices between being the
only foothold one can obtain. These lava courses some-
times take the form of a complete tunnel. The lava ap-
parently having first cooled on the surface, forms a crust,
while that beneath, still hot, continues its downward
course like water through a main.
With Touch of Elbow. 345
Continuing the journey, the first appearance of vege-
table and animal life has a counter-effect from the scenes
of desolation through which we have just come; and the
sensation of delight is almost as keen as that on first
reaching the summit. Standing on the pinnacle of this
wonderful mountain one is fully impressed with the
majesty of creation; but on reaching a firm footing four or
five thousand feet below, where the air is redolent with
the odor of blossoms and ringing with the song of birds,
there is a feeling of thankfulness that the dangers inci-
dent to the ascent are left behind. Even the braying of
the donkey now hailing from a distance is a welcome
sound to the ear.
After reaching the camp where the animals are found in
waiting we lose no time in mounting, and for the re-
mainder of the journey their backs seem like downy beds
of ease. Facing a beautiful sunset as we descend, labor-
ers, milkmaids and herdsmen join us on the trail, and as
the shades of evening begin to fall we reach Magdalena.
The collective name of the Azorean group "Illhas dos
Acores" or "Isles of Hawks" is derived from a species of
bird that once inhabited the islands in great numbers, sup-
posed to be a hawk. San Jorge, San Miguel and Santa
Maria are said to have been discovered on days dedicated
to those Eoman Catholic saints. Graciosa is the "beauti-
ful," and Pico, the "peak." Terceira was the third in the
order of discovery, Angra being its chief city and only
seaport. In physical characteristics it is not unlike the
other islands, and Angra, the commercial center, is
situated on a mesa about one hundred feet above the sea.
It is the most modern in its construction and general
appearance, having wider streets, and larger and more
commodious buildings.
346 With Touch of Elbow.
Terceira has a history peculiar to itself that would be
exceedingly interesting for the student to follow, but to
which we can but briefly allude. There is in print a little
volume entitled, "Among the Azores," by Lyman W.
Weeks, to which we are indebted for a good deal of in-
teresting and valuable data upon this subject.
Centuries ago the Azores were a bone of contention be-
tween the Portuguese and the Moors, and aside from the
dangers incident to these conquests, the natives of Ter-
ceira were compelled to defend themselves and their pos-
sessions against the incursions of pirates and robbers that
infested the Archipelago in the early years of its history.
Many of the defensive works built by them in that roman-
tic period are still standing, and in a fair state of preserva-
tion.
Apropos of the American Civil War, Angra gained some
celebrity as being the place where the Confederate cruiser,
the Alabama constructed, armed, equipped and manned
by the English was there delivered to the Confederate
authorities represented by Admiral Semmes and his staff
of naval officers. They took possession of the ship at
Angra and with it started on her memorable cruise for the
destruction of American commerce on the high seas. But
it is a long road that never turns. The English govern-
ment later on was required to pay to the United States the
snug little sum of $15,500,000 for damages wrought to
our merchant ships by the Alabama and other cruisers,
this being the compensation fixed by what is known as
the "Geneva Award."
Bidding farewell to Terceira, and once more on board
the steamer, we head for the port of Horta and the
ISLAND OF FATAL.
With Touch of Elbow. 347
As a fellow passenger we have a no less distinguished
personage than the Commander-in-Chief of the Portu-
guese army. In military parlance one often hears of a
"corporal's guard," but a corporal without a guard is not
necessarily a very luminous factor in the organization and
control of an army. As compared with the great armies
of the present, the Portuguese would scarcely be able to
muster more than a "corporal's guard," and the import-
ance attached to the office of its commanding general
would have the same relative significance. But our
Portuguese commander seemed to entertain a different
estimate of his worth.
He was making the rounds of the fortifications on the
Azores and Madeira Islands, built centuries ago and gar-
risoned by a few soldiers or gendarmes who act as police
in the towns and cities where located. On these anti-
quated works a few old guns of the Fifteenth Century
pattern are mounted. A military sentinel paces up and
down the parapets; the blare of a bugle is occasionally
heard, and the outward forms of a military post are ob-
served. The maximum strength of the entire force on the
islands is about two or three hundred men; with head-
quarters at Horta, where the greater number of these are
to be found.
Through the courtesy of an Englishman acting as inter-
preter (an engineer of the ship who chanced to be off
duty), I had the pleasure of a conversation with the
General. He seemed pleased to meet an ex-officer of the
American army, and asked a number of questions relating
to the Civil War, upon which subject he seemed well in-
formed. The occasion to me was an interesting one, more
from what took place at the end of the journey than from
the pleasure derived from the trip. On reaching the port
348 With Touch of Elbow.
of Horta we find ourselves in the midst of a holiday given
in honor of the distinguished fellow passenger. The gar-
rison is turned out under arms; the blue and white flag of
Portugal floats from pole and masthead; the shipping in
the harbor is decked in colors; a General's salute is fired
from the rusty cannon in the fort; and the report of the
guns rolling across the bay, mingled with the music of a
band, and the ye-ho-heave-ho of the sailors on an out-
ward-bound barque, all combined to make the scene one
of extraordinary interest.
From a commercial standpoint the island of Fayal is
the most important of the Azorean group. Horta, the
chief city, has a commodious harbor frequented by vessels
from all parts of the world. Historically it is an exceed-
ingly interesting place. It is the seat of government
under the authority of the Portuguese crown for the dis-
trict comprising the islands of Fayal, Pico, Flores and
Corvo. For many years, a United States consulship has
been maintained here, from which agencies generally
native appointees are supported on each of the islands.
The scene on entering the harbor is one of extraordi-
nary beauty. The high rocky bluffs and promontories jut-
ting out into the sea, in color and formation are not un-
like the walls of the Grand Canyon in our own country,
presenting almost every hue of the rainbow. The city of
Horta lies in amphitheater form encircling the harbor,
the business streets running down to the water's edge;
while the residence portion rises terrace on terrace far
up the mountain sides, enriched by fine gardens and
hedged in by a luxuriant growth of ornamental trees,
plants and shrubbery.
Fayal is a station where passing ships receive coal and
water, and whalers coming in from long cruises leave their
With Touch of Elbow. 349
cargoes of oil and bone to be carried by steamer to
America and other countries, then laying in fresh supplies,
they return without loss of time to the whaling grounds.
Indeed the Azorean waters at the time of which I speak,
afforded a very profitable territory for whaling operations;
and a station was maintained at Horta for the purpose of
capturing the Leviathans of the deep. From a tower and
outlook a man with a glass constantly swept the sea, and
on the first appearance of a "spouter," small boats con-
taining harpoons, guns and all the tackle in use at that
time for netting the quarry were immediately launched,
and propelled by strong arms, an exciting chase, result-
ing sometimes in a battle to the death began.
There is also an extinct volcano situated near the center
which forms one of the many attractive features of Fayal.
So a party is made up and, mounted on the ever patient
and never failing donkey, we start out to
EXPLORE THE CALDEIRA.
On reaching the summit the first impression was disap-
pointing, for a dense fog was hanging over it, and, what
added especially to the discomfort, a drenching rain soon
began to fall, in which we stood unsheltered for half an
hour. The rain, however, ended as suddenly as it began,
the clouds lifted and the sun coming out soon dispelled the
mist, and, standing on the rim of the crater, we were
afforded an uninterrupted view to a depth of 700 feet.
The opening is a mile across at the top, descending fun-
nel-shaped to the bottom, where there is a lake of crystal-
like water. Looking up from the lake the stars can be
seen at mid-day. The descent is abrupt in places, and if
a misstep is made one is liable to plunge headlong to the
350
With Touch of Elbow.
bottom. In such a case more stars are likely to be seen.
The story was current at the time that a young American
in this way a short time before lost his life.
The heavy rains of the mountains wash out deep gullies
down their sides, the ground being of a reddish clay for-
mation that hardens when exposed to the air. In this
way perpendicular walls are frequently left standing fifty
feet in depth, making it dangerous for one unacquainted
with the country to venture among these pitfalls alone.
Eecent rains had rendered the ground very slippery,
and on the return trip the guides exercised the greatest
caution, endeavoring to keep the party together and to
avoid dangerous places. But in spite of repeated warnings
I wandered off, trusting to the instinct of the donkey to
select a good route and carry me safely down the
mountain.
The little animal kept on a ridge about ten feet in
width at the beginning, having a gulch two or three feet
deep on either side. Not noticing particularly any change
in the formation, and while I was absorbed with other
and more interesting objects, the donkey came suddenly
to a standstill. Casting my eyes downward I realized at
once the difficulty into which we had come. The ridge
had dwindled to a width of not more than twelve or four-
teen inches, and there abruptly came to an end, and a
yawning cavern on either side fully fifty feet in depth
confronted us. The sensation was like that of being sus-
pended in midair.
No assistance was in sight, though I could hear the
voices of our party in the distance. The intelligent little
donkey stood motionless as a statue, with eyes and ears
cast downward into the gulf below. The ground was slip-
pery and I dare not move, and almost hesitated to breathe,
With Touch of Elbow. 351
fearing to throw the donkey out of balance and into the
gulf. The suspense, though but for an instant, was any-
thing but agreeable, and no possible suggestion of relief
had as yet come to mind. But presently there was a
slight motion or tremor perceptible in the little animal
on whose back I was perched and upon whose sagacity
and coolness my life depended. All four of his feet occu-
pied a space but a few inches apart, but, keeping their
relative position, his feet began to change with the move-
ments of his body. I sat motionless while this transforma-
tion was going on until the little burro had completely
turned around as if on a swivel, when, without a word
spoken by me, he shot out on his back track as if impelled
by some more persuasive power than the goad usually
carried by the driver.
On reaching safe ground again I met a guide who had
started out in search of me. After dismounting and giving
the donkey an affectionate salute, a demonstration of
gratitude I thought he would understand and appreciate,
I then handed the driver a sarelia (a small Portuguese
coin), requesting him to expend it in the purchase of an
extra ration for the donkey's supper. This last act I fear
never affected the burro any more substantially than the
hug I gave him,, for soon after reaching the city the driver
was seen purchasing cigarettes, and there is good reason
for believing my donation to the donkey went up in smoke.
A number of industries more or less important are car-
ried on in the Azores. The native peasantry, while jovial,
happy and thoughtless, are also industrious. The women,
who labor for the smallest wage (often not more than
five or six cents a day), are very ingenious in the manu-
facture of knitted and drawn work, chief in this class
being very delicate lace known in commercial centers as
352 With Touch of Elbow.
the "Fayal" lace and made from the fiber of the century
plant. The separating of the fiber from the pulp is done
in Oporto by some sort of milling process, when the rough
fiber is returned to the islands, where the lacemakers take
it, reduce and polish it by hand labor into an exquis-
ite fabric, which, when woven into lace, becomes of great
value.
Grapes are a natural product of all the islands and
their cultivation, with the manufacture of wine, is the chief
industry. Every foot of ground is utilized. Seams and
caverns in the rocks having perpendicular walls fifty feet
high are often seen covered with a luxuriant growth of
grape or other fruitful vines. These are planted on shelv-
ing rocks that jut out from the walls often not more than
two feet wide.
Water fresh and cool from the hills flows continuously
into large stone troughs in the public squares, around
which bevies of dark-eyed women are to be seen with large
earthen jars, which, when filled with water and the gossip
of the day has been exhausted, they balance on their heads
and carry away. Sometimes water is transported by plac-
ing a large barrel or hogshead between two oxen or mules
and suspended from poles fastened across their backs.
There are no forest trees, though cultivated varieties
attain a wonderful growth. But there is a low, hardwood
bush, something like the sarvis berry growing in mountain
regions of the Pacific,, that is found in great abundance
on the higher elevations here. These are cut for fuel and
carried on the backs of donkeys to the villages below.
They generally go in large numbers, like the pack trains
of the West in an early day. The bushes are about six
or eight feet in length, and when laid across a donkey's
back there is nothing visible of the propelling power b:.t
With Touch of Elbow. 353
four little feet. One of these large trains moving slowly
down the side of a mountain is a strange sight, giving
the impression of a forest in motion and recalling the
scene in "Macbeth" as prophesied by the witches "Birnam
Wood moving to Dunsinane."
While traveling among the islands a book chanced to
come into my hands written in support of a theory not
altogether new, but rather an ancient tradition more re-
cently revived, to the effect that the Azores, Cape de Verde,
Madeira and Canary Islands are but the mountain peaks
of a lost or sunken continent once inhabited by a people
in a high state of civilization; but owing to a flood or
cataclysm of some kind the land gradually sank beneath
the surface of the water, carrying with it its precious
burden of human life.
Here, according to the legend, was located the Garden
of Eden; all science and literature known to the ancients
originated with its people, and the real kings and queens
of Atlantis were the mythological kings and queens of the
more ignorant Greeks and Egyptians; and finally the en-
gulfing of the island by the overflowing sea was nothing
more or less than the deluge recorded in the Bible.
The result of more recent scientific expeditions sent out
under the auspices of the British and American Govern-
ments tends strongly to support the belief entertained by
many that somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, situated
opposite the "Pillars of Hercules," an island continent
vast in extent as Australia once existed.
We come now to an investigation of the fortifications
in the harbor of Horta, where a gun of immense propor-
tions and of more modern cast than those mounted by its
side is the first object to attract the visitor, and the more
one learns of its history the more anxious he becomes to
354 With Touch of Elbow.
extend his observations. The gun was christened and its
record has gone down to history as
THE "LONG TOM."
It was a part of the armament of an American privateer
the General Armstrong sunk in the harbor of Fayal
in an engagement with a British fleet of battleships, Sep-
tember, 1814. The Portuguese later on recovered the
"Long Tom" and mounted it on their ancient works, where
it remained an object of special interest to travelers for
more than seventy years.
Having accidentally fallen upon this much, I at once
determined to learn the history of the big gun in detail,
and, after some delay and many trials, the services of a
native were obtained, who accompanied me in a systematic
search of the records kept at Fayal relating to this event,
and which, through my efforts, were translated into
English.
While it is very gratifying to hear the courage of one's
countrymen extolled by strangers in a strange land, it is
nevertheless surprising that no intelligent account of this
affair has ever been given to the world. A fleet of Amer-
ican battleships in command of a Rear-Admiral, carrying
some thousands of sailors and marines, has recently been
sent across the ocean to bring from their resting place
in a foreign land the remains of John Paul Jones for
final interment in the country for which his services as
a brave sea fighter were performed. This is a just but
tardy tribute to the memory of one for whose courage and
fidelity the people must ever feel grateful, though by it
we are reminded that the gallantry displayed by the officers
and men of the General Armstrong in the harbor of Fayal,
With Touch of Elbow. 355
having no parallel in the annals of our navy, has never
received any just recognition. The Government, however,
has taken interest enough in a general way to have the
Armstrong's big gun transported across the Atlantic and
placed among other curios in the Smithsonian Institution
at Washington, where an interested American may find
its history summed up in a placard containing two or
three short sentences.
The General Armstrong had been for months cruising
in the channel and off the coast of Gibraltar, inflicting
great damage upon British commerce, when, on the 26th
of September, 1814, she entered the port of Fayal to
obtain water and supplies. According to the usages of
civilized warfare a ship should be secure from the attack
of an enemy while in a neutral port ; but some time during
the day the Armstrong was followed by three large British
men-of-war the brig Carnation, mounting eighteen guns ;
the Portia, forty-four guns, and the line-of-battle ship
Plantaganet, mounting sixty-four guns the three ships
carrying two thousand men and mounting one hundred
and twenty guns in all. Admiral Lloyd, of the British
fleet, having been informed by the pilot in the harbor that
the American cruiser was in port, determined upon her
capture, and at once cleared his ships for action. Captain
Samuel Eeid, a young man then only thirty years of age,
in command of the Armstrong, at this hour had some
visitors aboard his ship, expecting to give them an even-
ing's entertainment, among the number being Mr. J. N".
Dabney, the American Consul at Fayal. Captain Reid
was assured by the Consul and his Portuguese friends on
board that his vessel would be entirely safe from attack,
being in a neutral port.
But the brig Carnation had already launched four large
356 With Touch of Elbow.
open boats and commenced loading arms into them.
Captain Eeid, at last forced to the conclusion that trouble
was imminent, requested his friends to leave the ship, as
in the event of an attack it was his purpose to fight. The
visitors accordingly went ashore, and, after holding a
council of war with his officers, Captain Reid decided to
attempt putting out to sea. But the wind was unfavor-
able, and he then resolved to take the Armstrong under
the batteries of the fort. Accordingly, all hands were piped
to quarters and the situation explained to them.
The sailors on board a privateer are not enlisted to fight,
only conditionally, and Captain Eeid now gave all who
chose to do so an opportunity to go ashore before hostilities
actually began. But not a man, from his first officer down
to the colored cook, left, and the unanimous decision was
to stand by Captain Eeid, the Armstrong and the Amer-
ican flag.
The decks were then cleared for action, and for better
defense (as the odds against them were likely to be very
great) the oars were gotten out and the Armstrong was
pulled up close under the guns of the fort.
Seeing the attempt first made to make sail, the British
ship Carnation set her top sails and got under way so as
to prevent the Armstrong leaving the harbor. This was
about 8 o'clock in the evening. A full moon shed a halo
of soft light over the bay, on whose glistening surface not
a ripple was to be seen, except that made by the oars of
the British boats now moving rapidly toward the privateer.
Captain Eeid, having ceased rowing, let go an anchor
bow and stern and tightened the chains so that his vessel
might remain broadside to the enemy. One of the British
boats, being considerably in advance, ran straight to the
stern of the Armstrong, and Captain Eeid in his shirt-
With Touch of Elbow. 357
sleeves, with a speaking trumpet called to them three
different times, but received no answer except by one of
the men, who in a gruff voice cried out, "What is it?"
The commanding officer of the boat then exclaimed, "Give
no answer, sir ! Eow away, my boys ! In with the oars !"
and soon, with their boathooks they grappled the side of
the privateer, and the command was then given, "Fire,
and board her, my men I"
Meantime Captain Eeid with his men at quarters,
numbering only ninety souls all told (including the cook),
stood motionless, awaiting the attack, and simultaneously
the report of the guns rang out on both sides. Lieutenant
Worth, a brother of former General Worth, of our army,
was severely wounded, and one man of the Armstrong was
killed at the first volley. The crew of the privateer, how-
ever, pouring a deadly fire into the boat, the enemy were
terribly cut to pieces and compelled to retire.
While this was taking place the other three boats made
all possible speed to the starboard quarter of the Arm-
strong, where they began the attack. But receiving a
charge of grape from the privateer's nine-pounders (there
were six of these guns) that decimated their ranks, the
cries and groans of the wounded and dying were heard
by the lookers-on from the shore. The enemy then made
a desperate attempt to board, but the fire from the priva-
teer was so well directed the enemy's numbers were deci-
mated and their boats soon rowed away in a sinking con-
dition.
Captain Eeid then got up anchor and drew the Arm-
strong in shore not more than a half pistol shot from the
fort, where she was again moored by both bow and stern,
having her port side close to the land. This was a strategic
movement of great importance, as the British now hesi-
358 With Touch of Elbow.
tated to train their big guns, for every shot that passed
over the Armstrong was likely to enter the city, so their
eventual success must depend upon boarding and in the
use of small arms. The Carnation meantime sailed out,
evidently determined to make a
FINAL ASSAULT.
The American consul, watching the contest from the
shore, had by this time forwarded a note to the Portu-
guese governor asking protection for the privateer. In
response the Governor went in person to Admiral Lloyd,
begging him to desist from further hostilities, but this
the Admiral flatly refused to do, and continued prepara-
tions for another attack.
About 9 o'clock P. M. the wind freshened and the
enemy's brig was seen towing out a flotilla of boats to the
number of fourteen, each containing fifty men. When at
a distance of a rifle shot, the boats left the brig and took
their position under cover of a ridge of rocks just in front
of the fort where now lies the breakwater, but within
musket range. The brig kept under sail so as to cooperate
with the boats.
During this time, as might well be imagined, terror and
dismay spread over the quiet and peaceful city of Horta.
The windows of the houses near the scene were filled with
anxious and terrified women; while the shore was thronged
with men, all watching with intense interest the approach-
ing combat. The little brigantine, meantime, appeared
as if asleep on the bosom of the water; not a sound or a
motion could be heard or seen on her decks, but every
preparation to receive the enemy had been made, and the
crew were hidden at quarters. For three long hours
With Touch of Elbow. 359
silence reigned supreme, while each combatant watched
the other with painful interest. At last, about midnight,
the British boats emerged from their temporary cover
behind the rocks, and moved to the attack. But instead of
moving by divisions as Captain Reid supposed they would
do, they came in a compact column and in line.
Breathlessly and calmly the men of the American vessel
stood to their guns, awaiting the commands of their offi-
cers. The "Long Tom/' a gun of forty-eight calibre, and
set on a pivot amidship, had been loaded to the muzzle,
while the other guns had been so arranged that after the
first broadside they could be immediately run in and the
portholes closed, as it was feared the enemy would reach
the deck of the Armstrong before they could be reloaded.
The British came gallantly to the attack. Captain Reid
again challenged, but received no answer. The fatal
order was then given, and a volume of smoke and fire
belched forth from the side of the Armstrong, while the
iron missiles struck death and terror into the ranks of the
enemy. Staggering under the shock, the British desper-
ately returned the fire and again plied their oars. Impetu-
ously coming forward amid shouts and cheers they
finally reached the bow of the privateer on her starboard
side, and the officers gave the command to "board." At
this moment a second broadside rang out from the priva-
teer. The crew of the Armstrong, with their boarding
helmets made of black leather with iron skulls, their faces
at the same time begrimed with powder, looked more like
demons than men, while they fought with pistols, pikes,
muskets and swords. Groans and shrieks, orders and
curses, mingled with the clashing of swords, were heard
far across the bay. Repeatedly the British attempted to
gain the decks of the American vessel, but as often were
360 With Touch of Elbow.
they beaten back with fearful slaughter. The combat
raged on both sides with the most reckless bravery and
determination. Mr. Alexander 0. Williams, First Lieu-
tenant of the Armstrong, was killed while courageously
commanding his division forward; and Robert Johnson
fell severely wounded, while Captain Reid was engaged in
a hand to hand combat with Captain William Matterface,
the commanding officer of the boarding force, who had
reached the Armstrong's decks. One thumb and one finger
of Captain Reid's sword hand (his left) had been severed
while discharging his pistol at another man with his right
hand. At this critical moment the English officer con-
fronting him made a desperate lunge and well-nigh closed
the combat in his favor; but Captain Reid, gaming a tem-
porary advantage, with a terrible blow cut the Englishman
down and he fell a corpse on the deck.
For more than an hour the battle raged with demoniac
fury. At last, after having exhausted all their powder,
the Americans threw cold shot into the English boats,
compelling them to push off for some distance to avoid
sinking. Finally Captain Reid with his own hand again
discharged the "Long Tom" into their ranks, producing
great havoc, resulting in the complete defeat of the at-
tacking force. This discharge threw the big gun from its
pivot onto the deck.
The scene now presented was appalling. The silvery
waters of the bay were red with blood, while the dark
forms of dead bodies were floating on its surface for many
yards away; and the cries of the wounded rent the still
air of night. Three of the enemy's boats had been sunk
outright, while four others were loaded with the dead and
dying. In one of the boats every man was killed but four.
In another only one man (an officer) escaped death, and he
With Touch of Elbow. 361
was wounded. The result was nearly a total extermina-
tion of the attacking force. The English themselves com-
puted the loss at 150 killed and as many more wounded,
but the Portuguese put the number at a much higher
figure. The loss of the Americans was 2 killed and 9
wounded.
But still not satisfied, the British returning to their
ships immediately prepared for another attack and soon
opened the guns of the fleet on the intrepid privateer.
She returned them broadside for broadside, until her
ammunition being entirely exhausted, and believing that
he must inevitably surrender or be annihilated, Captain
Eeid, after having reloaded the "Long Tom" with a solid
shot, turned her muzzle and blew a hole in the bottom of
his own ship. Five minutes later the Armstrong went down
with the American flag flying at her halyard peak, when
Captain Eeid with all of his men jumped into the bay and
swam ashore. Admiral Lloyd then demanded of the city
that the fugitives be surrendered and threatened, in case
of refusal, to raze it to the ground. But later he thought
better of it, as Captain Eeid and his men fortified them-
selves in a commanding position in the suburbs, where
they defied the enraged Admiral and challenged him to an
attack.
It appears the British fleet with two thousand soldiers
and marines had just started out as a part of the force of
Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane in the expedition against
New Orleans. But running into a hornet's nest in the
shape of the American privateer at Fayal caused such loss
and delay that the junction of the two forces was never
formed, and the battle of New Orleans was fought with
results even more disastrous to the British than the un-
fortunate affair at Fayal.
362 With Touch of Elbow.
Whether on land or sea, in every sphere of action into
which ambition leads, there is a regular order of progres-
sion and a constant struggle for the supremacy. To lose
step in this onward tide is to invite disaster, and whether
captured by the enemy or arrested and confined among
stragglers in the rear, the race can only be continued
under a burdensome handicap. But the man who "With
Touch of Elbow" holds to the ground once covered and
keeps the pace will never know defeat.
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