Thirteen Months in the Rebel Army

CHAPTER I.. How I Volunteered.

HOW I VOLUNTEERED.

Object in going to Arkansas. -- Change of Purpose. -- Young Acquaintances. -- Questioned on Slavery. -- Letter to my Parents. -- Unfortunate Clause. -- A Midnight Call. -- Warlike Preparations. -- Good Advice. -- Honor among Lynchers. -- Arrival at Court of Judge Lynch. -- Character of Jury. -- Trial commenced. -- Indictment and Argument. -- Excitement increases. -- Butler Cavins and his Lariat. -- The Crisis. -- The Acquittal. -- No Safety from it. -- First Impulse and subsequent Reflection. -- Attempted Escape. -- Night Ride. -- Helena. -- An Uneasy Boat Ride. -- Memphis. -- "A Blue Jacket." -- Committee of Public Safety. -- A Surprise. -- Dismissal followed by Unwelcome Letter and Policeman. -- Recruiting Station. -- Volunteering 15

CHAPTER II.. Infantry Service.

INFANTRY SERVICE.

Character of our Regiment. -- No Escape. -- A Fixed Resolve. -- Randolph. -- Camp Life. -- Sabbath. -- Father Daly. -- Washing. -- Fort Wright. -- Grand Defect. -- Rations. -- Stolen Waters. -- Mutiny. -- Sentence. -- Fort Pillow. -- Slaves. -- Aiding the Rebellion. -- Deep Earnestness of the People. -- Strength of the Fort. -- "Pillow's Trot Line." -- No Pay, and the Result. -- General Pillow described. -- Columbus, Ky. -- Hard Work. -- Pillow in the Ditch. -- The Batteries. -- Torpedoes. -- Battle of Belmont. -- False Report. -- Troops cross. -- Untimely Joking. -- The Tide of Battle. -- A Charge. -- Cruelty. -- Victory. -- Why? -- Loss. -- Burial of the Dead. -- How Not to Kill -- Accident. -- The Military Bishop 40

CHAPTER III.. Ordnance Service.

ORDNANCE SERVICE.

Transferred to Ordnance. -- Camp Beauregard. -- Was my Oath binding? -- Resources of the Rebels. -- Cannon stolen. -- Manufactured. -- A Rifling Machine. -- Beauregard's Bells. -- Imported Cannon. -- Running Blockade. -- Silence of Southern Papers. -- Small-Arms made. -- Altered. -- Abundant. -- Earnestness of all Classes. -- Imported Arms. -- England's Neutrality. -- Ammunition imported. -- Manufactured. -- Smuggled. -- A Railroad Episode. -- A Deserting Engineer. -- A New Hand at the Throttle. -- Caution. -- A Smash Up and Pistols. -- Reconciliation. -- Result of Smash Up. -- Bowling Green. -- Size of Army. -- Sickness. -- Personal. -- Kindness of Nashville People. -- Moral and Religious Efforts for the Rebel Army. -- Vices prevalent. -- Seminaries and Schools disbanded 79

CHAPTER IV.. Cavalry Service.

CAVALRY SERVICE.

New Field of Action. -- Promotion. -- Guerrilla Warfare. -- Characteristics. -- Tendencies. -- Captain J.H. Morgan. -- Character. -- Personal Appearance. -- Anecdotes. -- Success. -- Southern Cavalry superior to Northern. -- Advantages. -- Riding Courier. -- General Johnson evacuates Bowling Green. -- Excitement in Nashville. -- Preparations for Defense. -- Commissary Stores. -- Vandalism. -- Rear Guard. -- Line of Retreat. -- Dreadful Hardships. -- Losses. -- Forced March. -- Desolation. -- Cause of Retreat. -- Other Counsel. -- Accident. -- No Union Feeling evident. -- Intolerant yet Sincere 108

CHAPTER V.. Courier Service.

COURIER SERVICE.

New Duties. -- Battle approaching. -- Deserters and Scouts. -- A Providence. -- Position and Forces of the Confederates. -- Orders to prepare to move. -- My New Position. -- March to the Battle-field. -- Federals off their Guard. -- Care of the Confederates against Desertion. -- Council of War. -- A Dreary Night. -- Awfulness of War. -- The Fight opened. -- Beauregard's Address. -- The First Dead. -- Détour. -- Camp of 71st Ohio Volunteers. -- Failure of Strategy. -- General Johnson killed. -- Death concealed. -- Furious Fighting. -- Horse killed. -- Sad Scene. -- Rebels gaining. -- Struck by a Shell. -- Another Horse killed. -- The Wounded Cavalryman and his Horse. -- Sleep in the Camp of the 71st Ohio. -- Startling Reveille. -- Result of First Day's Battle. -- Victory for the Rebels. -- Arrangements for Second Day. -- Bloody Scenes. -- Grant's Attack. -- Rebels fall back. -- Fluctuations of the Day. -- General Hindman blown up. -- Retreat determined on. -- Leaving the Field. -- Horrors of the Retreat. -- Sleep among the Dying. -- Reach Corinth. -- Resolve 138

CHAPTER VI.. Hospital Service.

HOSPITAL SERVICE.

Wounded arriving. -- Care of my own Men. -- Appointment as Assistant-surgeon. -- Discharge from Rebel Army. -- Dreadful Scenes. -- Sickness. -- Nurses. -- Stoicism. -- Military Murder of a Deserter. -- No Pay. -- Go to Mobile. -- Spirit of the People on the Way. -- Met at Depot. -- No Means of Escape. -- The Stagnant City. -- Surveillance of the Press. -- Forced Charity. -- In charge of a Hospital. -- Selma. -- Kindness of Ladies. -- Piano. -- Artesian Wells. -- Model Hospital. -- Furlough to Richmond. -- Rigid Discipline. -- Disappointment. -- Bitter Thoughts. -- Crinoline and Volunteering. -- North asleep 175

CHAPTER VII.. My Escape.

MY ESCAPE.

Obstacles in the Way of Escape. -- Farewell to Selma. -- Gold versus Confederate Scrip. -- An unnamed Friend -- Conscription Act. -- Swearing in a Regiment. -- Soldier shot. -- Chattanooga reached. -- Danger of Recognition. -- Doff the Military. -- Transformation. -- A Bivouac. -- A Retired Ferryman. -- Conscience versus Gold. -- Casuistry. -- Embarkation and Voyage. -- Pistols and Persuasion. -- An unwilling Pilot. -- A Night-reverie. -- My Companion's Pisgah. -- Selim. -- Secession a destructive Principle. -- Practical Illustration. -- A third Night in the Rocks. -- Home and the Welcome. -- The Dying Deserter. -- One more Move--but how? -- My loss and Selim's Gain. -- Off for Home. -- Federal Officer and Oath of Allegiance. -- Plea for Treason. -- Sanctity of an Oath. -- Résumé. -- Home 196

THIRTEEN MONTHS IN THE REBEL ARMY.

CHAPTER I.. How I Volunteered.

HOW I VOLUNTEERED.

Object in going to Arkansas. -- Change of Purpose. -- Young Acquaintances. -- Questioned on Slavery. -- Letter to my Parents. -- Unfortunate Clause. -- A Midnight Call. -- Warlike Preparations. -- Good Advice. -- Honor among Lynchers. -- Arrival at Court of Judge Lynch. -- Character of Jury. -- Trial commenced. -- Indictment and Argument. -- Excitement increases. -- Butler Cavins and his Lariat. -- The Crisis. -- The Acquittal. -- No Safety from it. -- First Impulse and subsequent Reflection. -- Attempted Escape. -- Night Ride. -- Helena. -- An Uneasy Boat Bide. -- Memphis. -- "A Blue Jacket." -- Committee of Public Safety. -- A Surprise. -- Dismissal followed by Unwelcome Letter and Policeman. -- Recruiting Station. -- Volunteering.

Having spent my boyhood near Louisville, Kentucky, and falling in love with the character of the young men of that chivalric State, I found my way back to that region in the beginning of the year 1861, from my home in the city of New York. In March, I went down the Mississippi river to seek a school, and stopped in Arkansas, where I hoped to find a relative who was engaged in teaching. Failing to find either my kinsman or a remunerative school, I entered into partnership with a young man from Memphis named George Davis, for the purpose of getting out wine-cask staves, to be shipped to New Orleans and from thence to France. We located in Phillips county, Arkansas, bordering on the St. Francis river, more than 100 miles from Memphis. The venture proved profitable, and with five hired hands--Frenchmen--we were making money fast enough to satisfy a moderate ambition, and I had time to look about me and study the various phases of Arkansas society.

Frequent log-rollings--meetings of the neighbors to clear away the dead timber which falls during the winter--brought me into contact with the citizens for miles around. All sought acquaintance with the stranger youth, and were generally courteous and friendly. In trials of strength and skill, I occasionally gained an advantage which made me friends among the older, but evidently waked up envy in the breasts of some of the rougher young men. My refusal to drink with the crowd, also widened the breach which I noticed was forming without any cause on my part.

I was often sounded on the subject of slavery, which is the touchstone always used in the South to test the character of a new-comer. As a young man, I had no very fixed views upon the subject. I had the impression that where it existed it should be left to the control of those who were connected with it; and an outsider, as I was, had better keep hands off, so far at least as any direct efforts were concerned. Nor had I any disposition to promulgate the anti-slavery convictions of my boyhood, since I well knew they could have no good effect there; and as I had met a few radical and half-crazy men in the North, whom I could not avoid opposing, I was able to say some truthful things respecting them, which conciliated my questioners. Yet I would not include the great body of Northerners, whom I admitted I had met in my Kentucky residence (I hailed from Kentucky), as of that hated class called by them "abolitionist;" hence they still looked upon me with a shade of suspicion.

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