tion, which he afterwards imparted to the you can't flap that bastard flag in these Union commanding generals. When he lines. Who's got another?" That was first struck the rebel lines with a view to the last of the flag insults.

get through them, he was fortunate enough. in his plan of concealment and observation to hear a Confederate soldier remark

to another: "The yanks will have hard work getting through our three battle lines here, but down below, where there is only a thin skirmish line, it ain't so safe, I reckon." The Captain thought he would take a look after that "thin skirmish line," and he found it. The heavy storm and dense darkness of the night enabled him to get through the line. He did not get through any too quick, for two shots were fired at him while between the Confederate skirmish line and his own. He finally came upon the pickets of his own brigade-a piece of good fortune pleasingly agreeable, and quite as remarkable as agreeable.

6

As Good as a Captured Gun. There was an odd character among Berdan's Sharpshooters, near Yorktown, known as "Old Seth." He was quite an individooal,' and a crack shot-one of the best in the regiment. "His "instrument," as he termed it, was one of the heaviest telescopic rifles. One night, at the time of roll call, Old Seth was non est. was somewhat unusual, as the old chap was always up to time. A sergeant went out to hunt him up, he being somewhat fearful that the old man had been hit. After

This

A Milesian's Plucky Defence of the Flag. The transport of the Confederate prisoners from New Orleans, to Baton Rouge, on board the steamer Empire Parish, elicited many a merry incident. In the saloon of the steamer there was noticed a lubberly rebel with a little flag, to which he seemed desirous to attract attention, as he occasionally flourished it, with remarks disparaging to the Union cause. An under-sized Union soldier was on guard, apparently indifferent to what was going on; but the sequel proved that, though his mouth was perambulating around in the advance of shut, his ears were open, for suddenly he the picket line, he heard a low "Halloo!" dropped his musket, and, quick as light-"Who's there?" inquired the sergeant. ning, "let go his left mawley," and the "It's me," responded Seth," and I've capfrontispiece of the rebel color-bearer being tured a secesh gun." "Bring it in," said in the way, there was a collision, in which the sergeant. "Can't do it," exclaimed the frontispiece got the worst of it, its Seth. It soon became apparent to the owner trying the while to secure his flag by hiding it in his bosom. He was foiled, as the plucky little Milesian (for he proved by his brogue that he was a "broth of a boy,") went down after it, secured it, and flapping the well-earned trophy in the face of his foe, remarked, "You bloody ribil, varmints sha'nt fire it agin, while the

sergeant, that "Old Seth" had the exact range of one of the enemy's heaviest guns, and they could not load it for fear of being picked off by him. Again the old man shouted, "Fetch me a couple of haversacks full of grub, as this is my gun, and the cussed

scrimmage lasts."

This was done, and, berton. The rebel commander propounded the old patriot kept a good watch over the following questions: In fact it was a captured gun

that gun.
-or as good as that.

Pemberton's Question about Grant
Answered.

"What regiment do you belong to?" "Is the Twenty-second Iowa an Abolition regiment?"

"How many nigger regiments have you fellows got out there?"

"What is that fellow Grant trying to do?"

"How many men have you got in your

army

?"

In one of the assaults upon Vicksburg Lieutenant-Colonel Graham, of the Twenty-second Iowa infantry,was taken prisoner. This officer, with three companies, had gained a position in the ditch in front of the rebel works. Sending for spades, he The answers of the indignant officer at commenced to throw up traverses to pro- these interrogatories can be readily imagtect him from an enfilading fire, and then ined; assuring Pemberton that "that sent for reinforcements. The Lieutenant- fellow Grant" meant to and would take Colonel, however, had barely time to con- Vicksburg, and receiving the reply, "No, gratulate himself on the security of his by he won't!" Colonel Graham was sent to join his friends in the prison.

Emptying a Hawk's Nest.

At one point in the battle of Chattanooga there was a lull-at least it had gone shattering and thundering down the line, and the boys were as much "at ease as boys can be upon whom, at any moment, the storm may roll back again. To be sure occasional shots, and now and then a cometary shell, kept them alive; but one of the boys ran down to a little spring, and towards the woods where the enemy lay, for water. He had just stopped and swung down his canteen, when, 'tick!' -a rifle ball struck it at an angle and bounded away. He looked around an position, and the fact that the colors of instant, discovered nobody, thought it was the Twenty-second had been planted on a chance shot-a piece of lead, that goes the parapet of the fort before them, ere at a killing rate without malice prepense; an awkward turn was given to his reflec- and so, nowise infirm of purpose, he again tions, by the ingenious enemy. Unable bent to get the water. Ping!' a second to reach our men with musket, bayonet or bullet cuts the cord of his canteen, and artillery, they resorted to the effective the boy "got the idea "-a sharpshooter mode of lighting the fuses of shells and was after him-and he went to the rightdropping them over the parapet into the about on the double quick to the ranks. ditch below. Unable to either run or stay, A soldier from another part of the line our men took a middle course, and surren- made a pilgrimage to the spring, was dered. struck, and fell by its brink. But where The party was conducted to the county was the marksman? Two or three boys jail, with the exception of Colonel Gra- ran out to draw his fire, while others ham, who was taken before General Pem- watched: 'Crack!' went the unseen piece

6

again, and some keen-eyed fellow spied a self and settle the matter. Having cansmoke rolling out from a little cedar. tered to the Colonel of the regiment that This was the spot, then, where the rebel was firing, I asked him, in angry tones, had made him a hawk's nest-in choice what he meant by shooting his own friends. Indian, a Chattanooga in the tree-and He answered with surprise, drawing the covert around him, was taking a quiet hand at steeple-shooting' at long

range.

A big, blue-eyed German, tall enough to look into the third generation, and a sharpshooter withal, volunteered to dislodge him. Dropping into a little runway that neared the tree diagonally, he turned upon his back, and worked himself cautiously along; reaching a point perilously close, he whipped over, took him as he lay, and God and his true right hand "gave him good deliverance." Away flew the bullet, an instant elapsed, the volume of the cedar parted, and, "like a big frog," as the boys described it, out leaped a gray-back, the hawk's nest was empty, and a dead rebel lay under the tree. It was neatly done by the German man grown. May he live to tell the story a thousand times to his moon-faced grandchildren.

Polk, the Reverend General, in the very
Tightest Place.

An English officer, Colonel Freemantle,

"I don't think there can be any mistake about it; I am sure they are the enemy." "Enemy! Why, I have only just left them myself. Cease firing, sir. What is your name?"

"My name is Colonel

of the

"I'll show you who I am, sir! Cease firing, sir, at once!"

who served for some time in the rebel brazen it out; my dark blouse and the inarmy, and lived long enough in the South creasing obscurity befriended me; so I to make the acquaintance of a number of approached quite close to him, and shook the prominent men there, afterward pub- my fist in his face, saying. lished a book relating his experience. In this book he tells the following story, as it was told him by Lieutenant-General I then turned my horse and cantered Polk:-Well, sir, it was at the battle of slowly down the line, shouting authoritaPerryville, late in the evening-in fact, tively to the Yankees to cease firing; at it was almost dark, when Lindell's battery the same time I experienced a disagreeacame into action. Shortly after the arrival, ble sensation, like screwing up my back, I observed a body of men, whom I thought and calculating how many bullets would to be Confederates, standing at an angle be between my shoulders every minute. to this brigade, and firing obliquely at the I was afraid to increase my pace till I got newly arrived troops. I said, "Dear me, to a small copse. When I put the spurs. this is very sad and must be stopped;" so in and galloped back to my men. I went I turned round, but could find none of my up to the nearest Colonel, and said: "Co'oyoung men, so I determined to ride my-nel; I have reconnoitered those fellows

pretty closely, and there is no mistake who they are; you may get up and go at them." And I assure you, sir, that the slaughter of that Indiana regiment was the greatest I have seen in this war.

Ahead of his Troops.

During the fog and darkness of the night on which Decatur was taken, General Dodge, Colonel Spencer, of his staff, and a few others, thinking that the troops, who were to cross at another point, had

Hovey's Brilliant Charge-the Preachers' quietly occupied the place, started in a

Regiment.

little boat to row directly across to the One of the most brilliant and daring town. The fog was so close that it was operations in the fight at Vicksburg, was impossible to see anything. As the boat performed by General Hovey, at the head neared the Decatur shore, a sentinel on of several of his regiments. He had met shore heard it splashing and hailed, "Who with varied success all the morning-some- goes there?" Thinking it to be a Union times gaining a little, and again being soldier, the General sang out, "General driven. The heights were steep, the ene- Dodge." Bang! went the gun of the my numerous, their positions almost inac- sentinel-he was a rebel picket. The cessible and protected by timber, while boat was instantly put to the right-about, from every crest on the heights their bat- and got safely away, although fired at teries rained hurricanes of death upon his by all the guard. The General wisely thirsty, weary column. Finally, about

noon,

the General

arranged a storming party, and heading them in person, moved directly up a gorge in the hills,every inch of which was swept by the musketry and artillery of the enemy. Two four and one six gun battery commanded the gorge, and on both sides of it were mass

ed heavy supports of

infantry. On went the storming party, determined not to take Decatur without

the aid of troops, and waited until he knew they had made a landing.

and in twenty minutes the gallant remnant of those who started were hurrahing over the possession of all the guns, the crest of the hills, and the total rout Lee's Great Army Surrendered and the Reof the infantry. In this charge the Twenty-fourth Iowa-a regiment made up largely of clergymen, and hence known as the "preachers' regiment "-was foremost, and was nearly annihilated. No more gallant thing has been done in the he could not possibly extricate himself. history of gallant efforts.

bellion in its Final Gasp. The first week in April-immediately following the evacuation and surrender of Richmond to General Grant-General Lee found himself in a position from which

His army lay massed a short distance west

of Appomattox Court House; his last | On receipt of this, General Lee at once avenue of escape toward Danville on the dispatched another, requesting a personal southwest was gone; Mead was in his rear on the east and on his right flank north of Appomattox Court House; Sheridan had headed him off completely, by getting between him and Lynchburg; General Ord was on the south of the court-house, near the railroad; the troops were in the most enthusiastic Lee was attended by General Marshall,

interview for the object named in General Grant's previous communication, viz., the surrender of the entire rebel army. A flag of truce proceeded to Appomattox Court House shortly after noon, and at about two o'clock the two generals met at the house of Mr. W. McLean. General

his adjutant-general; General Grant, by Colonel Parker, one of his chief aids-decamp. General Grant arrived about fifteen minutes later than General Lee, and entered the parlor where the latter was awaiting him.

The two generals greeted each other with dignified courtesy, and after a few moments conversation, proceeded to the business before them. Lee

spirits, and the rebel army was doomed. immediately alluded to the conditions Lee's last effort was that of attempting to cut his way through Sheridan's lines, but it totally failed.

named by General Grant for the surrender, characterized them as exceedingly lenient, and said he would gladly leave all On the seventh, a correspondence, look- the details to General Grant's own discreing to the surrender of Lee's army, com- tion. The latter stated the terms of pamenced between himself and General role-that the arms should be stacked, the Grant, the purport of General Lee's first artillery parked, and the supplies and munote being to ascertain the best terms on nitions turned over to him, the officers which he could surrender his army. Gen- retaining their side arms, horses, and pereral Grant's reply not being to Lee's mind, sonal effects. General Lee promptly asthe latter communicated to General Grant sented to the conditions, and the agreement a request for a personal interview at a of surrender was engrossed and signed certain place, at ten o'clock on the morning by General Lee at half-past three o'clock. of the ninth, to arrange "terms of peace." Thus substantially ended the interview. As this was changing the question at issue, Both generals wore the very impersonaand under discussion, and one which Gen- tion of dignity and courtesy in their beareral Grant had neither the inclination nor ing. Lee looked very much jaded and the authority to decide, he replied in a worn, but, nevertheless, presented the note which admitted of no misconstruction, same magnificent physique for which he and which virtually ended the negotiations. was always noted. He was neatly dressed