like music of the wind, were loud; but,
above the clatter and confusion, the
prayers of those boys assuredly were
heard by the Highest.



The Day and the Bvent.
"Day 19. — Morning prayer: Psalm
XCV. — VenitCy extdtemus — ^*0 come, let
us sing unto the Lord ; let us heartily re-
joice in the strength of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with
thanksgiving, and show ourselves glad in
him with psalms.' " This was the opening
psalm for the day, said or sung in many
Christian churches, by minister and people
responsively, at the hour when the Kear-
sarge, just out of French waters, was
rounding-to to meet the Alabama. When
the morning service was closing, the Ala-
bama lay a harmless mass of wood and
iron at the bottom
of the ocean, and her
commander, saved
from drowning by
the clemency of his i
conqueror, was, with I
his treacherous ally,
approaching the
British shore, where 5
he might, had he 7
been piously inclin- ^.
ed, have listened to :
the evening service -
for that day, closing '
with the last re-
sponse of the Jl^««rt-
cardium et judicium

— " I shall soon destroy all the ungodly
that are in the land; that I may root out
all the wicked doers from the city of the
Lord." It is well known that the fact of
the fight between the Eearsarge and the
Alabama, on the Sabbath day, was not
sought or arranged for by Captain Win-
slow to take place then. Having received



notice that Captain Semmes, of the Ala-
bama, encouraged by Mason, Slidell, and
otder Confederate minions abroad, intend-
ed to come out, at some time, and fight,
Captain Winslow held himself in readi-
ness to meet his antagonist at any day or
hour. Perhaps the holy day could in no oth-
er way have been so peculiarly hallowed as
by the summary and complete destruction
of such a crafl as the Alabama. Query :
Did that very devout man, John Slidell,
who was so busy with his secession
schemes in that part of Europe, join in
the * Venite exuiteniusy as his morning de-
votional exercise for the day in question ?
It would be interesting, too, to know the
hoary intriguer's religious meditations
when night closed in upon him !



Up the Cumberland— GMt of the Old BCaJor.
The opening of the Cumberland river,
free fit)m secession enemies, was a joyous
event to the Tennessee Unionists, and the
demonstrations were enthusiastic beyond



Gunboat

all description. Here and there, however*
a contrary spirit was manifested. As one
of the Federal gunboats passed up the
river,, there was at one of the large houses
a group of ladies observed, who stood
looking at the boat "Hurrah for the
Union ! " yelled old Major — , from the roof
of the pilot-house. No response from the



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895



ladies. '^ Hurrah for the Stars and
Stripes ! " yelled the Major again. Still
no response. " Why don't you wave your
handkerchief ? " angrily roared the Ma-
jor, while the decks and guards now ex-
ploded with uncontrollable roars of laugh-
. ten " Haven't you got any feelings ?
Secesh! Secesh! (pointing the finger,
afler the manner of little boys, crying
shame,) Secesh ! Secesh ! O you villains!
Hurrah for the Unk>n ! Death to rebels I
Hail Columbia ! " &C., &c



BrtnlbToement of Fort Piokons— How it was
Done.

Why and how Fort Pickens was so
skillfully reinforced is thus made to ap-
pear : The gallant Slemmer, with a hand-
ful of men to garrison an extensive fortifi-
cation, having for some time suspected that
the secessionists were tampering with his
men, intercepted a couple of letters which
had been smuggled into Pickens and ad-
dressed to a sergeant. The writer oflered
this man the sum of two thousand dollars,
and a commission, which would make him
the companion of the gentleman of the
South in arms ; and, as an inducement to
the faithful fellows who so long had held
those stone walls agamst thousands, five
hundred dollars were promised to every
private who at that price would become a
traitor to the United* States. The men,
true soldiers as they were, remained stead-
fast to their colors. The sergeant was
fi)rthwith sent a prisoner to the command-
er of the naval force lying off the harbor.
That very day, a messenger arrived from
Washington, bringing a verbal order to re-
inforce ; this messenger had been captured,
but had destroyed his dispatches, the con-
tents of which luckily he knew. The or-
der was now passed to throw into Pickens
all the artillery, soldiers, and marines in
the squadron. How the work was done,
the surgeon's story which here follows wiU
teU:—

We had shoved off, and were struggling
bard against the tide to reach the steam
25



frigate that was to tow us in. At length
we reached her, and I seized the man-
ropes to climb her steep sides. <<Sure,
and that's a cruel limb, Docther, an' you
wid yere sthiff ould legs." " Watch till
she rises," said the coxswain, " now's your
time, Sir." I hauled my rheumatic limbs
painfully up, trusting to my hand, and
reached the deck. Here artillery-men
and marines were assembled ; and on deck
I left them to go below, where cigars, cof-
fee, and chat awaited me, and in which I
mdulged until the steamer came to anchor,
apd I was summoned to repair to another
and smaller steam vessel which was to tow
us in further. It was two o'clock in the
morning when we got aboard the small
steamer, and ran in toward the shore of
Santa Rosa.^ The first detachment of
boats must have landed its party under
cover of the obscurity; for the young
moon had long since gone down, leaving
the sentinel stars to give us a foint light
On we steamed, and by-and-by came to
and dropped anchor at least two miles from
Fort Pickens. '^ Come, men, bear a hand
— ^no time to lose I " said the Captain ; and
down the steamer's sides tumbled the men
into the boats. A senior surgeon and I
jumped into the Captain's gig, into which
he followed, and away we went — two long
miles to pull against a tideway. " Lively
stroke, lads, give way ! " The oars bent,
and every blade shone as it fiashed through
the phosphorescent water. On, on, on!
How long those miles seemed ! We con-
versed gravely, occasionally looking aft to
see whether the boats were keeping way
with us. We conveised gravely, for I
suppose we were all speculating on what
might be the manner of our return. I
take no shame to myself in confessing that
I did not hold a very cheerful view of the
expedition. The first detachment of boats
was returning as we started. Night had
favored them, while we — ! "Rather
bright to the eastward," said I. " Yes,"
said the Captain, " well have morning on
us directly ; strike out, men ! " Mornings



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THE BOOK OP ANECDOTES OP THE REBELLION.



thought I, and we were not more than half'
way. The men pulled like good fellows,
we keeping near the shore to avoid the
strength of the current. Near, yet just
without easy rifle range ; for the chaparral
afforded excellent cover for riflemen. It
was so light now that I could see my
hands, and morning was coming on more
rapidly than I ever knew it to break be-
fore.

"Give way, lads I — ^whose oar is that
out of water ? ''

"Smith's, Sir; he*s a haulin' off his pea-
jacket, Sir."

"Give way I"

The Captain had been searching with
his glass for the fort At length he said :
" Ah, there it is I " An opsdine light by
this time pervaded the eastern sky, reveal-
ing our boats to any watchftd eye. I was
gazing into the distance to catch a glimpse
of the fort I soon made out its dark out-
line, and almost at the same moment I,
Bob Harding, saw another sight, which to
me was of particular interest It was the
white mass of the hostile Fort McRae, on
the side of the harbor opposite to Pickens,
and, like Pickens, commanding the en-
trance. The white mass of masonry,
dotted regularly with dark embrasures,
occupied my attention exceedingly as our
boats pulled right for it ; for our Captain
had, it seems, determined to land in front
of Pickens, on a beach that McRae might
have swept with a storm of shot and shell.
It was quite light enough by this time for
the enemy to distinguish every boat, nay,
every man. " Give way T As we round-
ed a sandy point right under the hostile
guns, I kept my eyes fixed on four embras-
ures in McRae. By Jove ! how big and
black they seemed ! I watched them ; for
I felt assured that before we should have
pulled much farther one or more sheets of
red flame would burst forth, and then those
who lived would be swimming for it No
one spoke. Bright, brighter, grew the
east The oars buckled and the waters
hissed as we dashed toward the beach.



Soon the boats found bottom. Out jumped
the men and marines ; and we officers,
mounted on the shoulders of some of the
boat's crew, landed, the surf overtaking
and wetting us all. The men drew up on
the beach. Surely, thought I, now McRae
will open upon us. Now's their chance.
We started to lead the men across the sand
to the sally-port of the fortress. Bang !

"Who fired that musket?" said the
Captain, at whose side I stood.

" It's the ould Docther, Sir," said Pri-
vate Brennan ; " he's filled my muskit wid
tebacky cuds, an' I'm aflher emptyin* it.
Sir. Och ! but he's a powerful man wid
the tebacky, ony way."

" Keep silence there," said the Captain
— "come on, men ! Here you are ! Tum-
ble in ! Sailor men, back to the boats ? "

Into the fort went the marines, led by my
friend, the surgeon, while the Captain and
I made for the boats, and started to return
to our ships, with the Lieutenant, who had
staid on the beach to guard our flotilla.
As we passed McRae I said to myself,
" Now it*s coming. Bob ! " I watched the
embrasures. They looked twice as ugly as
a ship's port-holes, and every gun seemed
pointed to my devoted head. I knew that
I would be the only one hit, for at me they
aimed. The men pulled cheerily, and
afler a while I made up my mind that we
were to get back to our floating homes with
unbroken limbs. The east was glowuig
with a warm, rosy light ; the morning was
lovely.

" Are you one of those who admire sun-
rise?" said the Captain.

" No, Sir, I am not ; and I must say
that this morning it was especially unwel-
come. A few minutes since I would have
been glad of an hour more of darkness."

The Captani laughed.

" Did not you expect McRae to open on
us ? " asked I.

" Most certainly," replied he.

7%at is the way that Foj^ Pickens was
reinforced from the Federal squadron on
the morning of the thirteenth of April,



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NAVAL EXPLOITS, CHASES, ESCAPES, PRIZES, ETC.



397



1861, by daylight, in face of a fully armed
fort and other batteries — ^reuiforced while
H large body of men held the opjwsite
shoi'e.



WiUiniT to part with hia other Le^.
The river at Port Hudson makes a ma-
jestic curve. At the memorable siege, re-
sulting in the capture of that stronghold,
rebel cannon were planted along the con-
cave brow of the crescent-shaped bluffs of
the eastern shore, while beneath the bluff,
near the water's edge, there was another
series of what were called water-batteries



I



Willing to part with his other leg.

lining the bank. As the Federal ships en-
tered this curve, following the channel
which swept close to the eastern shore,
they were, one after the other, exposed to
the most terrible enfilading fire from all
the batteries following the line of the
curve. This was the mo^t desperate point
of the conflict ; for here it was almost lit-
erally fighting muzzle to muzzle. The
rebels discharged an incessant cross-fire of
grape and canister, to which the heroic
squadron replied with double-shotted guns.
Never did ships pass a more fiery ordeal.

Lieutenant-Commander Cummings, the
executive ofiicer of the ship Richmond,



-was standing with his speaking-trumpet in
hi 4 hand cheering the men, with Aldenby
his side, when there was a simultaneous
j flash and roar, and a storm of shot came
I crashing through the bulwarks from a rebel
I battery, which they could almost toudi
j with their ramrods. Both of the officers
I fell as if struck by lightning. The Cap-
tain was simply struck down by the wind-
age, and escaped unharmed. The speak-
ing-trumpet in Commander Cummings'
hand was battered flat, and his left leg
was torn off just below the knee. As he
fell heavily upon the d^ck, in his gushing
blood, he exclaimed —

** Put a tourniquet on my leg, boys.
Send my letters to my wife. Tell her
that I fell in doing my duty ! "

As they took him below, and into the
surgeon's room, already filled with the
I wounded, he looked around upon the un-
, fortunate group, and said —
I " If there are any here hurt worse than
I am, let them be attended to first ! "
I His shattered limb was inunediately am-
' putated. Soon after, as he lay upon his
couch, exhausted by the operation and
faint from the loss of blood, he heard the
; noise of the escape of steam as a rebel
shot penetrated the boiler. Inquiring the
cause, and learning that the ship had
become disabled, he exclaimed, with fer-
vor —

"I would willingly give my other leg, if
we could but pass those batteries ! "
I The hero died of his wound a few days
after.



Dazlnir Attack npon a Paymaster'a Boat.

The following record is only one among
very many which illustrate the skill and
valor exhibited by our officers, whether
duty called them to the performance of
gallant deeds on the land or on the sea.

Captain Spencer, aid to General Wool,
received information one day, from two
ladies who went from Norfolk to Fortress
Monroe with a fiag of truce, that near
midnight a six-oared boat was to leave



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898



THE BOOK OF ANBCDOTEB OF THE REBELLION.



Norfolk for Richmond with money for the
payment of the rebel rfoldiers. He re-
quested permission of General Wool to at-
tempt their capture, but was told not to
place too much confidence in the informa-
tion thus received. Nevertheless, permis-
sion was given, and selecting two good
oarsmen on whom he could rely, he started
at dark, with oars muffled, and awaited the
coming of the enemy's boat. He had pre-
viously given direction to his men to pull
directly for the boat, and, on the moment
of striking, to * back water ' instantly.

About midnight the boat was heard, and
taking his statk^ n in the bows, with a 9-inch
shell in his hands, he gave the order to
' give way.' The moment his bows struck
the rebel boat, he threw the shell into the
middle of it^ and was himself drawn back;
luckily receiving no injury from the explo-
sion. Not so the boat and occupants, how-
ever, the former of which was broken in



two, and the latter were scattered in all
directions in the water, though not before
discharging their pistols at him, two balls
going through his cap, and three perforat-
ing his coat. The men were then told that
if they submitted quietly, they would be
saved, otherwise he would leave them to
their fate.

They preferred to submit, and, arming
himself with his pistol in one hand and a
dirk (taken by him at the battle of Bull
Run from a secesh) in the other, he took
them into his boat, one by one, handcuffing
them as they were puUed in. In addition
to which, from the stem of the enemy's
boat, which floated, he took eleven hun-
dred dollars in gold, and five thousand dol-
lars in their worthless paper money.. It
was with difficulty that he reached the
fort, the gunwale of the boat being almost
level with the water, on account of its in-
creased freight.



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PART v.— VARIETIES OF THE WAR

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PART FIFTH:

ANECDOTES OF THE REBELLION— MILITARY ORGANIZATION
AND EQUIPMENT, DISCIPLINE, DRILL AND PARADE, RE-
VEILLE, REVIEWS, ORDNANCE, PASSES, PAROLES,
FURLOUGHS, COUNTERSIGNS, ETC.



MusTBRiNO in; Splendid Specimens of Soldierly Motembnt; Dexterous Handling
OF Arms; Evolutions, Comical and Piquant; Queer Dilemmas; Uncouth Sub-
jects AND Yerdant Victims; Grotesque Performances; Novel Terms and Phra-
seology; Bivouac Sights; Tasks and Pleasantries, Mistakes, Jocularities,
Facbtlsb, &c., &c.



rmUHonsbcldatBaj!
WhT, NorthnwQ, whj ?
LeM than half maintdai the flag!
Why, Northmen, whj ? "
Hamaa'8 gmUows oof^t to be the &te of ell such ambitkHu men wlio would Inn^re thdr eoontiy In etrfl irar, and
all the erils in its tnin, that they might rdgn and ride on its whiriwlnds and direct the etorm.— Aitdexw Jaokmit.
That's right, boys ' make your eolfee, break the orders, and— «atGh the shells.— Odtkbal Robbokars.
I foel that I was bom tv something better than mending old clothes.— Bnufsmi, when a tatlor^s appnntiet.
You can't go in and keep yoar cigar. —Soldier on guard <l«ly, to LixumAHT-OEHnuL Gbaht.

I don't care a ; if MoCleUan himself was here without the countersign, he should mark ttane till the eocpo-

ral eomes. Quick ttane *, march '—Soldier on guard at Camp Joe HoU, to Qek. Nilboit.



the custom of

Colonel of the

hty-fifth Pennsyl-

ia Volunteers, to

:e the rounds eve-

Dight in person,

satisfy himself

every sentinel

at his post and

ig his duty. On

occasion, while

in the discharge of that self-unposed duty,
he approached a post, and received the
challenge as usual, " Who comes there ? "
" Friend with the countersign," was the
Colonel's rei)ly.

Here the peor sentinel was at a loss.
The rest of his in8tnicti(His had been for-
gotten. The Colonel was a very particu-



lar man, and insisted that every thing
should be done exactly right. So, after
spending considerable time in the endeavor
to impress the ' role ' upon the mind of the
sentinel, suggested that he would act as
sentinel while the other should personate
the Colonel. * Blinky ' — for such was this
soldier's surname in the regiment — amoved
back a few paces and then turned to ap-
proach the Colonel. "Who comes there?"
chaUenged the Colonel.

" Why, BUriky; donH you know me,
CoUmell''

This was too much for even so patient
and forbearing a man as Colonel Howell.
"As green as verdigris," thought he. The
gun was handed over, and the Colonel
passed on to the next post, meditating
upon the vanity of all earthly things in
general, and of things military in particular.



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THE BOOK OP ANECDOTES OF THE REBELLION.



"Mark Time I "-General Nelson in a Fix.

The following story is told of the late
General Nelson, of Kentucky. Occasion-
ally some of the shreAvd privates would
get and u-^e an opportunity to cut the
feathers of |>ompous officers, which always
afTorded merriment to the whole camp. In



'• Mark Time."

fact, officers who clothe themselves with
unapproachable dignity, and say, either by

word or action, I am General , or I

am Colonel , or, when slightly ' riled,'

by* (oath,) I'll let you know I am Captain
of Company A, or B, or C, naturally be-
come targets for rear rank victims. This
was well illustrated at Camp Joe Ho!t.
The camp guards after night were instruct-
ed to allow no one to pa!?s in or out with-
out giving a countersign, and to retain as
prisoners those who came from outside to
the lines without it. General Nelson
came to one such guard, on a certain eve-
ning, just after the countersign had been
given out, and held something like the
Ibllowing conversation :

"Haiti who comes there?" says the
guard.

"I am General Nelson, commanding
this army."

" I don't care a — ; mark time, march.



Corporal of the Guard No. 1," cocking his
piece.

"You fool, ril have you pun-
ished like — ," replied the General, com-
mencing to mark time slowly. ( He was
a bad swearer.)

'• I don't care a ; if ^IcClellan was

here without the countersign, he shouLl
mark time till the Corporal comes. Quick
time, march."

" Let me rest," said Nelson, swearing
and sweatir.g.

" No Siree ; mark time," was the inex-
orable reply.

By this time the news had spread like
wildfire through the camp, that one of the
guards had Nelson out at Post No. 1,
marking time, and half of the regiment
was collected on that side, enjoying tlie
joke hi!gely. The Corporal was \ery
slow in coming, and every time Nel on
would slacken speed, the guard would
cock his gun and command, " Mark.timc."
There was a dreadful crash of oaths just
around there, — the atmosphere was black
and blue with them. The above are but
faint samples.

By the arrival of the Corporal, the
Generars rage had so far subsided, that
he, too, began to enjoy the humorous sde
of the joke.

r?ntry Enoovnter with a Regular.
AVlien Sherman's famous Battery passed



Ckoenil Sbenuan.



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DISCIPLINE, DRILL, PAROLES, FURLOUGHS, ETC.



403



through Perryville, one of the soldiers,
while the horses were feedmg, went into a
tavern outside the camp limits, and filled
his canteen with the villainous mixture of
camphene and strychnme, which is called
"whiskey." In coming back within the
limits, the sentry challenged him, and put
a firmly held musket across his path, to bar
his progress. With a quick motion the artil-
leryman grasped the musket barrel, closed
with the astonished sentry, and be-
fore he could recover fix)m his stupe-
faction, grasped him tightly by the
throat. His useless musket dropped
from his nerveless hand. The artil-
leryman, still holding him by the '
throat with liis left hand, drew from .^
his girdle a long and sharp knife,
which glittered in the light of the \
distant watchfire before the eyes of ;
the terrified sentry. The latter sank
upon his knees in a paroxysm of
terror. He would have begged for
mercy but he could not speak. Sud- ^
denly the artilleryman hurled him
from him, caught up his gun, and
brought it to a charge.

" Now, you rascal," said he to the trem-
bling sentry, ** listen to me. I am a regu-
lar — mind, a regular. Now, don*t you go
for to stop a regular agin. Jlegulars never
stop. In the bright lexicon of a regular's
vocabulary, there's no such word as %i<yp.
Regulars is on the go all the time. They
go with the password, and they goes with-
out the password ; passwords is nothin' to
them, and they is nothin' to passwords.
My friend, (in a softer tone,) take yer gim.
The night is dark, the air is chill. Take
some," (pouring fit>m his canteen into a
tin cup.)

'* What is it ? " faltered the sentry.

"Water, you lobster, you; or more
properly, whiskey and water."

The sentry took a long and deep draught,
and the regular' passed on. Soon after,
when the relief guard came around, they



found the sentry in a condition not easily
described. He was taken to the guard-
house, and thence to the hospital. The
poisonous liquor made him nearly mad.
On getting well, he swore, first that he
would never again try to stop a " regular ; "
and, second, that he would never touch
Perryville whiskey again ; third, that he
would give Sherman's artillerymen a spe-
cially wide berth.



Sentry^B BDOOimter with a Regular.

Fatting him throntfli the Discipline.
One summer's day, about one o'clock, a
long, gaunt, bony man, with a queer ad*
mixture of the comical and doleful in his
countenance, that fairly reminded one of a
professional undertaker cracking a dry
joke, undertook to reach General Grant's
tent, by scramblmg promiscuously through
a hedgerow and coming in the back way
alone. He was stopped in his venture-
some career, however, by one of the host-
lers, who cried out to some purpose, " Keep
out o* here!" The individual in black
replied that he thought Greneral Grant
would allow him inside, and strode ahead.
* You'll — soon find out," was yelled in
reply. On reaching the guard, who very
naturally took him to be one of the Sani-
tary or Christian Commission folks, he was
stopped instanter with —



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THE BOOK OF ANECDOTES OF THE BEBELLION.



^ No sanitary folks allowed inside."

After some parleying, of the usual char-
acter, the intruder was compelled, hit or
miss, to give his name, and at last did so,
announcing himself as —

^Abraham Lincoln, President of the
United States, desiring an interview with
General Grant."

The guard saluted the Commander-ui