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"Upon examining the records, I found that Governor Moore, of Louisiana, had raised a regiment of free colored people, and organized and officered it; and I found one of his commissions. I sent for a colored man, as an officer of that regiment, and got some fifteen or sixteen of the officers together-black, and mulatto, light and dark colored-and asked them what they meant by being organized under the Rebels.

"They said they had been ordered out, and could not refuse; but that the Rebels had never trusted them with arms. They had been drilled in company drill. I asked them if that organization could be resuscitated, provided they were supplied with arms. They said that it could. Very well, I said, then I will resuscitate that regiment of Louisiana militia.

"I, therefore, issued an order, stating the precedent furnished by Governor Moore, and in a week from that time, I had in that regiment a thousand men, reasonably drilled, and well-disciplined; better disciplined than any other regiment I had there, because the blacks had always been taught to do as they were told. It was composed altogether of freemen; made free under some law.

"There was a very large French and English population in Louisiana. I ascertained that neither French nor English law permitted French or English subjects to hold slaves in a foreign country. According to the French law, any French citizen holding slaves in a foreign country, forfeits his citizenship. According to the British law, any Englishman holding slaves in a foreign country, forfeits one hundred pounds.

"I, thereupon issued an order, that every person should register himself; the loyal as loyal; French

subjects, as French subjects; English subjects, as English subjects, &c., under their own hands, so that there could be no mistake in the books of the Provost Marshal. That was accordingly done.

"I then said to those who claimed to be French and English subjects: 'According to the law of the country to which you claim, by this register, to owe allegiance, all the negroes claimed by you as slaves are free, and being free, I may enlist as many of them as I please.' And I accordingly enlisted one regiment and part of another, from men in that condition.

"We had a great many difficulties about it. But the English Consul came fairly up to the mark, and decided that the negroes claimed as slaves by those who had registered themselves as British subjects, were free; so that I never enlisted a slave. Indeed, it was a general order, that no slave should be enlisted.

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"I sent an expedition under General Weitzel to Donaldsonville, and swept down through that country to Berwick Bay; drove out the enemy, who were there in considerable force, and brought the whole of that region, from one end to the other, within the Union lines.

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"In taking possession of that district, which had heretofore been in possession of the enemy, we obtained possession of a region of country containing more sugar plantations, and more slaves, than any other portion of Louisiana. Some 15,000, perhaps 20,000 slaves came, by that one expedition, under our control; and, as Congress had passed a law declaring that all slaves held by Rebels, in regions that after

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ward should come into our possession, should be free, all those slaves became free.

"I enlisted a third regiment, and two batteries of heavy artillery, from among those negroes thus made free. Two of these colored regiments were employed in guarding the Opelousas Railroad, running from Algiers to Berwick Bay, and when I left there they were still thus employed.

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"I turned over to my successor, of soldiers, 17,800, including the black regiments, though I had but 13,700 to start on."

STORY XL.

SCENE IN THE CAPITOL GROUNDS, WASHINGTON.

AN amusing scene is represented by a newspaper correspondent, as having occurred in August, 1862, in the capitol grounds at Washington. He says:

While on the steamer Adelaide, the Fortress Monroe boat from Baltimore, I became acquainted with a Mr. Graves, an English gentleman from Manchester, who was on his way to the fortress for the purpose of making a visit to the army of the Potomac. When the army evacuated Harrison Landing he started for Washington, and it was within half an hour after he left there, that an amusing scene occurred, of which the following is his own version.

He entered the capitol grounds and asked an officer whom he met, what that magnificent structure was used for? (meaning the capitol.)

"That," answered the officer, "is the bakery for the United States army. (The basement was in fact appropriated for that purpose at that time.) This singular answer somewhat took Mr. Graves aback, who, remonstrating at what he considered an unwarrantable joke, under the circumstances, received for reply, "That is the only answer you will get, sir, and if you don't like it you must take your own remedy." When the gentleman asked his name, "John Smith," answered the officer. Highly incensed at this second indignity, Mr. Graves demanded his card, producing his own.

The officer now appeared to wish to get rid of the matter, turning on his heel in the direction of the capitol exclaiming "Pshaw!" The Englishman followed him up the steps of the capitol. On reaching the top, the officer turned round and said, "Well, sir, what are you following me for? What do you want?" "I want your name," answered Mr. Graves, "and I will follow you till I learn what it is." The officer ordered him to leave the place, but to no purpose. Both parties appeared to be getting excited, when fortunately, at this instant a door opened, and Captain Darling made his appearance. "Captain Darling," commanded the officer, "take this man away." Captain Darling at once advanced and took charge of Mr. Graves. "I demand that you tell me the name of that officer," said Mr. Graves, "before I leave." "That," said Captain Darling." is General Halleck, commander-in-chief of the American army." The Englishman wilted.

STORY XLI.

NARROW ESCAPES.

AT the battle of Fort Henry, a soldier had the plate of his belt struck by a bullet, and the U in the U.S. entirely obliterated: and yet he was unhurt.

Another had the pictures of his wife and mother in separate cases in his side pocket, and a ball passed through both, and lodged in the inside one; the cases thus saving his life. He sent them to his wife by express.

A member of the 8th Missouri had a half dollar in his pocket, which was struck with so much force as to bend the edges together and enclose the ball.

A colonel of one of the regiments found four of his men hid behind a stump, and riding up with great gravity, asked them if that stump needed so large a guard. At that instant a cannon ball sent it a kiting, without hurting one of them.

A private soldier received ten wounds, and yet sat on a log and loaded and fired as long as he could see the enemy.

Among the wounded who arrived in Louisville after the battle of Murfreesboro, was Joseph Rock, a private in Company B, 23d Kentucky, aged eighteen years, who was in the thickest of the fight. He was shot in the right breast, a Minnie ball striking the buckle of his suspender, driving it through a portion of the lungs, and lodging under the skin in his back. The surgeon cut through the skin and took out the ball and buckle, which were fastened together. Beside this, he had three

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