gestures, seeming about to assault Stanton.
Mr. Holt took a step forward to the side
Holt.
of the Attorney-General. The President
implored them piteously to take their seats.
After a few more bitter words the meeting
broke lip. That was the last Cabinet
meeting on that exciting question in which
Floyd participated. Before another was
called all Washington was startled i;\nth
the iTimor of those gigantic frauds which
soon made his name so infamous. At first
he tried to brazen it out with his customary
blustering manner, but the next day the
Cabinet waited long for his appearance.
At last he came; the door opened — his
resignation was thrust into the room, and
Floyd disappeared from Washington, with
a brand of infamy upon him, which only
ceased to increase in blackness till the
time when he was called to his final ac-
count.
Such was the end of Floyd and the begin-
ning of Stanton, Stcmton and Holt were
noble co-laborers in that dark period of the
countr/s political travail, and nobly did
they sustain themselves through the foiu*
years' conflict
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THE BOOK OP ANECDOTES OP THE REBELLION.
TTMiTiy the Flav— Female Artifloe.
The Federal commander at Camp Her-
ron, Missouri, having learned that a certain
very fine secession flag that waved defiantly
from a flagstaff in the village of Manches-
ter, twenty miles distant from the camp,
(until the successes of the Union forces
caused its supporters to conclude that, for
the present, " discretion would be the better
part of valor,") was still being very care-
fiilly preserved, its possessors boasting that
they would soon be enabled to re-hoist it ;
determined upon its siunmary capture.
On the 15th of November, 1861, First
Lieutenant Bull, of Company C, Ninth
Iowa regiment, was directed to take charge
of this little expedition, and to detail fif-
teen good men for the purpose, which detail
the Lieutenant made from Company C.
They left camp by the cars at half-past
five o'clock in the afternoon, landing at
Merrimac, three miles fit)m Manchester,
proceeding from thence to Manchester on
foot, and surrounded the house of Squire
B., who had been foremost in the seces-
sion movement of that strong secession
town, and was reported to be in possession
of the flag ill question.
But the 'Squire protested against the
imputation, declaring that the flag was not
in his possession, and that he knew not of
its whereabouts. His lady acknowledged
that she had for a time kept it secreted in
a box in the garden, but as it was likely
to become injured, she took it out, dried
it in the sun, when it was taken away by
some ladies who lived a long distance
in the country, whose names she reftised
to ^ve. Finally, after a thorough but
fruitless search of the house, after the
Lieutenant had put her husband under
arrest^ and he was being started off to
head-quarters, the lady, probably hoping it
would save her husband, acknowledged
that it was taken by a Mrs. S., who re-
sided a mile and a half in the country, —
not such a terribly long distance, after alL
Her husband was then sent to Merrimac,
escorted by four soldiers, and the remain-
der, conducted by the gallant Lieutenant,
started to visit the residence of Mrs. 8.,
in search of the flag.
The distance to the lady's residence
was soon traveled, the house surrounded,
and the flag demanded of Mrs. S., who
proved to be a very intelligent lady, and
had around her quite an interesting fiaun-
ily. The lady replied to the demand, that
she would like to see the person who stated
that she took the flag from. Esquire 6 — ^'s ;
that as to its whereabouts she had nothing
to say ; that the Lieutenant could search
her house, and if he could find any thing
that looked like a flag, he was welcome to
it. Aooordmgly, a thorough search was
made, in which the lady and her daughter
aided, but no flag was to be found. The
lady then thanked the officer for the gen-
tlemanly manner in which the search had
been conducted, and added that she trusted
he was satisfied. He replied that he was
quite satisfied that she had the flag, and
that it would have been fiar better for her
to have yielded it ; but as she did not, as
unpleasant as the task was, he should ar-
rest her and take her to head-quarters at
Pacific City.
Two men were then dispatched for a
carriage with which to convey the lady to
Merrimac, and from thence the lady was
informed that she would be sent by rail-
road. She accordingly made preparation
to go, but after an hour had elapsed in
waiting for the carriage, the lady again
demanded the name of the informants,
and when told that it was Mrs. B., and
that Esquire B. was already in custody,
she then asked whether any indignity
would have been offered to her had the
flag been found in her possession. To
this the courteous Lieutenant replied :
'^Certainly not. Madam; our olject
with Esquire B. was his arrest and the
capture of the flag; but with you, our
object was the flag."
" Will you pledge your honor," said sh^
" that if I surrender the flag I shall not
be arrested, nor my family disturbed.
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**Tou will not be arrested, nor your
fiunilj disturbed."
" I wish you to understand, Sir, that no
fear of arrest or trouble would ever have
made me surrender that flag ; but 'Squire
B-'s family induced me to take that flag to
save them from trouble, saying that it
should be a sacred trust, known only to
ourselves, and I consequently surrender
it"
She then went to a bed that had been
fruitlessly searched, took from it a quilt,
and with the aid of her daughters, pro-
ceeded to open the edges of the quilt, and
cut the stitches through the body of it,
and pulled off the top, when, behold ! there
lay the mammoth flag next to the cotton,
being carefully stitched twice and nearly
a half across the quilt. When taken out
and spread, it proved to be a magnificent
flag, over twenty-one feet in length, and
nearly nine feet in width, with fifteen
stars to represent the prospective South-
em Confederacy.
** Recollect," said the lady to Lieuten-
ant Bull," that you did not find it your-
self and when you wish detectives you
had better employ ladies."
She also added, that she gave up the
flag unwillingly. The daughter remarked
that she had slept under it, and that she
hvtd it, and that fifteen stars were not so
terribly disunion — ^in her estimation — af-
ter all
An Alabama Planter and the Anti-Slavery
Leaders Together.
About the time of the breaking out of
the rebellion, John 6. Whittier, the Mas-
sachusetts anti-slavery Quaker and poet,
met with an Alabama planter in Boston,
who expressed a desire to converse with
him, and an interview took place, during
which there was a free interchange of
views and opinions- concerning the events
of the day. The planter frankly acknowl-
edged that there was in the South a strong
feeling of hate toward the North and
Northern men, and they were determined
' to fight. He explained how this feeling
was fostered by the politicians of the
South, and how the feelings of the North
were represented there, and stated that
almost his sole object in coming to Boston
was to ascertain for himself whether the
fiwts were as they had been represented.
He was evidently surprised to find the
anti-slavery poet "so mild a mannered
man," and confessed that, generally, he
did not perceive that the feeling of the
North toward the South was so bitter and
unfriendly as he had been led to expect
He had received nothing but civility and
courtesy, and admitted that Southerners
generally received the same treatment
Finally, Whittier, after attending him
to some of the places of resort interesting
to a stranger, told him that, as he was now
here, he might as well see the worst of the
anti-slavery phase of Northern fanaticism
— as the fashionable phrase was, — and
proposed to visit Grandson. The planter
consented, and so they turned their steps
to the Liberator office, where they found
Garrison, Wendell Phillips, and Fred.
Douglass, and there they enjoyed a " pre-
cious season of conversation." Would it
not have been a sight worth seeing — ^that
conclave in the Liberator office, with Gar-
rison, Whittier, Phillips, Douglass, and the
Alabama planter, in the foreground ? The
planter went to his home a wiser, and per-
haps a sadder man, than he came, for, af-
ter hearing all that was said, he protested
that all he could do, while mourning for
the condition of the country, was to pray
over it
Holgting' the American Flav on Independ-
ence HaU by President Lincoln.
On the twenty-second of February,
1861, — ^the anniversary of Washington's
birthday, — the interesting ceremony of
raising the glorious flag of the American
Union was performed in Philadelphia, op-
posite Independence Hall, by President
Lincoln, then on his way to be inaugurated
at Washington.
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THE BOOK OP ANECDOTES OP THE REBELLION.
Just in front of the main entrance to
the State House, and but a few feet finom
the sacred hall of liberty, a large platform
had been erected for the Presidentelect
to stand upon before the people, while he
raised the starry banner of the republic.
The elevation, nearly six. feet, enabled a
vast multitude to observe everything en-
acted thereon. The front and sides of the
stage were wrapped around with an Amer-
ican flag, while lesser flags floated frt>m
the stanchions.
Before the flag was raised prayer was
offered, and in reply to words of welcome
addressed to Mr. Lincoln on behalf of the
city, through its chosen orator, the Presi-
dent spoke as follows :
lincoln.
"Fellow Citizens, — I am invited and
called before you to participate m raising
above Independence Hall the flag of our
country, with an additional star upon it.
I propose now, in advance of performing
this very pleasant and complimentary duty,
to say a few words. I propose to say that
when that flag was originally raised here,
it had but thirteen stars. I wish to call
your attention to the fact that, under the
blessing of God, each additional star ad-
ded to that flag has given additional pros-
perity and happiness to this country, until
it has advanced to its present condition ;
and its welfare in the future, as well as in
the past, is in your hands. Cultivating
the spirit that animated our fathers, who
gave ^eno^^l and celebrity to this Hall,
cherishing that fraternal feeling wliich has
so long characterized us as a nation, ex-
cluding passion, ill-temper, and precipitate
action on all occasions, I think we may
promise ourselves that hot only the new
star placed upon that flag shall be permit-
ted to remain there to our permanent pros-
perity for years to come, but additional
ones shall from time to time be placed
there, until we shall number, as was anti-
cipated by the great historian, i\vQ hun-
dred millions of happy and prosperous
people. With these remarks, I proceed
to the very agreeable duty assigned me."
The excitement was of a fearful char-
acter when the President-elect seized the
rope to hoist the flag of the country to the
crest of the staff over the State House.
The souls of all seemed startuig from
their eyes, and every throat was wide.
The shouts of the people were like the
roar of waves which do not cease to break.
For full three minutes the cheers contin-
ued. The expression of the President-
elect was that of silent solemnity. His
long arms were extended. Each hand
alternately pulled at the halyards, and a
bundle of bunting, tri-colored, which had
never been kissed by the wind before,
slowly rose and luifurled itself gracefully
alofl. If the shouting had been fearful
and tumultuous before, it became abso-
lutely maniacal now. From the smallest
urchin to the tall form wliich rivaled the
President's in compass of chest and length
of limb, there rose a wild cry, — ^remind-
ing one of some of the storied shouta
which rang among the Scottish hills in the
days of clfuis and clansmen. Suddenly,
when the broad bunting had reached the
summit of the mast, it unrolled at once i.i
all its amplitude, and blazed mngnificently
in the siuilight which then spread so
brightly upon its gorgeous folds. At the %
same moment the band struck up the
'Star Spangled lianner,' and a cannon
ranged in the square sent up peal af\er
peaL Mr. Lincoln was then o-scorted to
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his hotel, and in a short time the crowd
had mehed away.
The other morning, at the bi-cakfast
table, when I, an mM>bserved spectator,
happened to be present, Calhomi was ob-
Homace to tha Tiag by an Baffle. served to gaze frequently at his right hand,
WhUe they were hoisting the Stars and I ^^ ^nish it with his left, in a hurried
Stripes over the officers' headquarters at
Camp Curtin, near Harrisburgh, Penn., in
the spring of 1861, and just as the men
nad seized the halyards, a large eagle,
that came from no one knew where, hov-
and nervous manner. He did this so
often that it excited attention. At length
one of the persons composing the break-
fast party — his name I think is Toombs,
and he is a member of Congi-ess from
ered over the flag, and sailed majestically , Georgia— took upon himself to ask the
over the encampment, while the flag was occasion of Mr. Calhoun's disquietude
ran up. Thousands of eyes were up-
nomftge to the FUg by an Eagle.
" Does your hand pain you ? " he asked of
Mr. Calhoun. To this Mr. Calhoun re-
plied, in rather a hurried manner.
" Pshaw ! it is nothing but a dream I
had last night, and which makes me see
perpetually a large black spot, like an ink
blotch, upon the back of my right hand ;
an optical illusion, I suppose.**
Of course these words excited the curi-
osity of the company, but no one ventured
to beg the details of this singular dream,
until Toombs asked quietly :
" What was your dream like ? I am
not very superstitious about dreams ; but
sometimes they have a great deal of truth
in them.**
" But this was such a peculiarly absurd
tumed in a moment, and as the noble bin! ?^"^^'" «"^ ^^' Calhoun,-agaui bnish-
looked down, the cheers of three thousand ,' ^g *J^« ^^ ^^ ^'^ "S^^ ^^'^ 5 " ^o^«^-
men rent the au-! Never was such ova- ! «^' ^ ^^/^^ "«* '"^^^^^ ^ ™^^^ «» ^^^
tion paid the "Imperial Bird of Jpve.",^^^/^ ^^^ fr^«^^' ^ ^^ ^1**« »' ^
It lingered for a few moments, apparently ^^"!* _
not a particle frightened at the terrific j ^f couree the company were profuse in
noise, then, cleaving the air with its pin- *''*'"' expressions of anxiety to know all
ions, disappeared in the horizon.
about the dream, and Mr. Calhoun related
it:
Btrance Blotdh an CaUunm's Bl^ht Hand. ^At a late hour last night, as I was sit^
Notwithstanding the long period — some ting in my nwm, engaged in writing, I
thirty years — which has elapsed since the was astonished by the entrance of a vis-
ibUowing political narrative was given to itor who, without ^ word, took a seat o;)-
the world, it has still a fresh interest, and posite me at my table. This surprised me,
all the more striking in view of events as I had given particular orders to the ser«
which have come upon the American na-
tion in these later years. The * unob-
served spectator' whose pen made record
of the scene here described, was a verita-
ble eye-witness of the same:
S
vant that I should on no account be dis-
turbed. Tlie manner in which the intru-
der entered, so perfectly self-possessed,
taking his seat opposite me without a word,
as though my room and all within it be-
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THE BOOK OF ANECDOTES OF THE REBELLIOlf.
longed to him, exdted in me as much sur-
prise as indignation. As I raised my head
to look into his features, over the top of
my shaded lamp, I discovered that he was
wrapped in a thin cloak, which effectually
concealed his face and features from my
view ;• and as I raised my head, he spoke,
* What are you writing, senator from South
Carolina ? ' I did not think of his imper-
tinence at first, but answered him volun-
tarily, * I am writing a plan for the disso-
lution of the American Union/ (You
know, gentlemen, that I am expected to
produce a plan of dissolution in the event
of certain contingencies.) To this the in-
truder replied in the coolest manner possi-
ble, 'Senator from South Carolina, will
you allow me to look at your hand, your
right hand ? * He rose, the cloak fell, and
I beheld his face. Gentlemen, the sight
of that face struck me like a thunder clap.
It was the face of a dead man, whom ex-
traordinary events had called back to life.
The features were those of General
George Washington. He was dressed
in the Revolutionary costume, such as you
see in the Patent office."
Here Mr. Calhoun paused, apparently
agitated. His agitation, I need not tell
you, was shared by the company. Toombs
at length broke the embarrassing pause-^
"Well what was the issue of this
scono ? "
Mr. Calhoun resumed :
" The intruder, as I have said, rose and
asked to look at my right hand, as though
I had not the power to refuse. I extend-
ed it The truth is, I felt a strange thrill
pervade me at his touch ; he gi*asped it
and held it near the light, thus aflbrding
full time to examine every feature. It
was the face of Washington ! After
holding my hand for a moment, he looked
at me steadily, and said in a quiet way,
*A!id with this right hand, senator from
South Carolina, you would sign your name
to a paper declaring the Union dissolved ? '
I answered in the affirmative. * Yes,' I
said, 'if a certain contingency arises, I;
will sign my name to the Declaration of
Dissolution.' But at that moment a blark
blotch appeared on the back of my liand.
which I seem to see now. * What is that ? '
said I, alarmed, I know not why, at the
blotch on my hand. 'That,' said he,
dropping my hand, ' is the mark by which
Benedict Arnold is known in the next
world.' He said no more, gentlemen, but
drew from beneath his cloak an object
which he laid upon the table — ^laid upon
the very paper on which I was writing.
This object, gentlemen, was a skeleton.
* There,' said he, * there are the bones of
Isaac Hayne before you — ^he was a South
Carolinian, and so are you. But there
was no blotch on his right hand* With
these words the intruder left, the room. I
started back fix)m the contact with the •
dead man's bones and — awoke. Over-
come by labor, I had fallen asleep, and
had been dreaming. Was it not a singu-
lar dream ? "
All the company answered in the affirm-
ative, and Toombs muttered, " Singular,
very singular," and at the same time look-
ed curiously at the back of his ri^t hand,
while Mr. Calhoun placed his head be-
tween his hands and seemed buried in
thought
Flm Devotion of a Loyal Southern Woman
to the Colors.
A finely independent and successful
stand was taken by a woman in New
Orleans, on behalf of the Union, in the
dawning days of rebellion. She and her
husband, a Mississippi steamboat captain,
occupied the middle ftx)nt room of the
lowest range of sleeping apartments in
the St Charles Hotel, at the time when
the city was to be illuminated in honor
of secession. She reftised to allow the
illuminating candles to be fixed in the
windows of her room, and the proprietora •
remonstrated in vain — she finally ordering
them to leave the room, of which she
claimed, while its occupant, to have the
entire controL
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â– The secessionists, however, determined
not to be outdone in a matter of such
grave importance, proceeded to find and
appeal to the captain, — who was not in
the room at the time of the above pro-
ceedings. He heard their case ; said his
wife had reported him correctly on the
Union question, nevertheless he would go
with ^them to the room, and see if the
matter could be amicably arranged.
But the captain's disposition to yield
was not seconded, amicably nor otherwise,
by his better half. The proprietors there-
upon next proposed to vacate the best
chamber in her favor, in some other part
of the house, if that would be satisfac-
tory ; but the lady's " No !" was still as
peremptory as ever. Her point was
gained, and the St Charles was doomed
to have a dark front chamber. Pleased
with this triumph, Mrs. devised the
following manoeuvre to make the most of
her victory. Summoning a ^rvant, she
Bent him out to procure fqr her an Ameri-
can flag, which, at dusk, she suspended
fiom her window. When evening came,
the streets, animated by a merry throng,
were illuminated, but, alas ! the St. Charles
was disfigured by its sombre chamber —
when, suddenly, a succession of lamps,
Bnspended on both sides of the flag, reveal-
ing the Stars and Stripes, were lit up, and
the ensign of the Union waved from the
centre of a hotel illuminated in honor of
its overthrow I The eflfect was, to give
the impression that the whole house was
thus paying homage to the American flag;
and, what was a more significant fact still,
the old flag was greeted by the passing
crowd with vociferous applause. So
much for the firmness of a loyal-hearted,
true American woman.
^voviaianftl Govoniin«nt of Kantuoky on an
BjlouxbIozl
The notorious George N. Sanders found
himaelf one day, dilapidated and hungry,
under the hospitable roof of Colonel Wm.
H. Polk, of Tennessee, — George being
well known, even in his own partizan cir-
cle, as a sort of political black sheep.
After having partaken liberally of the
viands set before him by his old friend,
George signified by numerous signs, and
finally by words, that he wished the serv-
ants to leave the room. He then said :
" Polk, I knew you were f^ man with a
heart in your bosom; I told 'em so. I
said that no better man than Bill Polk
could be found. I told 'em so.
« Told who so ?' asked Mr. Polk, rather
surprised at the sudden and mysterious
language, accompanied by the removal of
the servants.
" Mr. Polk," said George, " I want your
horses and carriage for a time."
" Certainly, Mr. Sander^ if you wish
them."
"Mr. Polk," said Sanders, "I do not
appear before you in any ordinary charac-
ter to-day ; I am clothed with higher au-
thority ; I am an emissary."
The tone and manner indicated some-
thing serious — ^perhaps to arrest his host
"I am an emissary," repeated Mr. San-
ders, speaking in very large capitals, " fitjm
THE State of Kentucky, and hope to
be received as such. The fact is," con-
tinued he, coming down to the level of
familiar conversation, "I left the Provi-
sional GovemmerU of Kentucky a mile or
80 hack, on foot, finding its way south-
wardly, and I demand your horses and
carriage in the name of Uiat noble State."
Of course the carriages and horses were
harnessed up at once, and Mr. Sanders
proceeded to bring the Provisional Govern-
ment to Mr. Polk's house.
How shall this scene be described?
Hon. George W. Johnson, as much a Clay
man as the sacred soil of Tennessee could
afford, but still preserving his light and
active step ; McKee, late of the Courier,
following ; Walter N. Haldeman, with all
his industry and perseverance, trying to
keep up with his associates ; and Willis
B. Machen, vigorous, active, slightly sul-
len, but in earnest, with every boot he
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THE BOOK OP ANECDOTES OP THE REBELLION.
drew out of the snowy, muddy soil, giving
a groan of fatigue. Imagine this peripa-
tetic ** Grovemment " safely ensconced at
Mr. Polk's, on their road south !
"Mr. Sanders," said the * Governor,'
with dignified suavity, after the walnuts
and wine, ^ claimed to be an acquaintance
of yours, and we were very glad to send
him forward."
The Hon. Grovemor maintained through-
out, that easy, self-possessed n^auner, which
characterizes the gentleman.
The emissary shortly after suggested to
the Provisional Grovemment that he was
"broke," and wished to represent the
Seventh Congressional District of Ken-
tucky — that is, the Louisville District;
" for," said he, in his persuasive, confiden-
tial tones, " that is the only way I know
of for a man without money to get to
Richmond."
A session was at once held of the " State
C)ouncil," the result of its deliberations
being that Mr. Sanders was authorized to
proceed to Richmond and there represent
the interests of Louisville in the rebel