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And soon the drafting time it came,

On the appointed day;

When high among the lucky names
Stood that of Billy Bray.

But deep was the perplexity
Which then and there befell,
For who he was, and where he was,
No mortal wight could tell:

Till he who had enrolled him

The man in "blue and brass,"
Had looked about, and found him out,
A snorting, live jackass!

And still, among those drafted ones,
High on the list doth stand,

The petted name of "Billy Bray,"
Of " O, my Maryland !"

STORY LXXVI.

SINKING OF THE CINCINNATI (Gunboat), AT VICKSBURG.

"ON the 26th of May, 1863, it was determined to make an attack upon the rebel batteries to the north of Vicksburg, and opposite General Steele's column. The gunboat Cincinnati, Lieutenant Bache, was to co-operate and attempt to silence the water-batteries, previous to the assault from the land side. Accordingly, a little after eight, A. M., she commenced dropping down below Young's Point. When about two miles from Vicksburg, the famous gun, 'Whistling Dick,' in position just north of the town, opened upon her.

"At first the aim was too high, and the balls passed

over without doing any damage, but as the boat neared the batteries, it became more accurate, as the sound of the passing balls, growing sharper at every shot, plainly indicated.

In order to attack the upper batteries it was necessary to drop below them, and round-to, with the head up stream. This position was a most unfortunate one, as it exposed the vessel to a raking fire, from one battery in front, and another from behind.

"The first shot which struck her, hit the iron plating, and did no material damage. But the captain had given orders to push up to within three hundred yards, and by the time she had reached that proximity, the shot hit her with fearful accuracy, generally passing directly through her port-holes.

"One battery, which fired from an elevation and at some distance, threw plunging shot, which went through her upper deck, and did great damage. Lieutenant Sokalski, of General Steele's staff, who had been sent to point out the position, to be taken in the assault, says that when Lieutenant Bache and two others beside himself were standing in the pilot-house, one of these plunging balls entered the port-hole of the pilot-house, passed through the thigh of the pilot, and then sheered down through the floor on to the gun-deck, at the same time breaking the wheel, and wounding another man through the hand and arm, with the splinters. Lifting the hatchway and rushing down the gun-deck, Lieutenant Sokalski found it filled with mangled and dead. It was a slaughter-pen. Blood and fragments of bodies, shot away, were scattered over the floor.

"It was discovered that one ball had passed through the boat below the water line, and that the boat was

sinking. It was evident that to continue the fight longer would be to throw away the lives of the crew, and orders were given to start up the river as fast as possible. Lieutenant Starr, who, I was told, was second in command, went to the pilot-house and directed movements as best he could with a broken wheel and sinking craft. In the meantime she was riddled by shot after shot, and was fast sinking. For three-quarters of an hour she was toiling, crippled, up stream; while the enemy, seeing her condition, redoubled the fury of the cannonading. More than fifty shot struck her before she reached the shore. But Lieutenant Bache refused to allow the colors to be lowered, and she sunk like the Cumberland, with the Stars and Stripes still waving."

MAJOR-GENERAL WM. T. SHERMAN.

WILLIAM T. SHERMAN, of Ohio, was sixth in the West Point class, of 1840, which numbered 42. He was sent with his company to California during the Mexican war, via Cape Horn, reaching there after the fighting was over, and thus saw no battle before that of Bull's Run, where he was distinguished.

He was Superintendent of the Louisiana State Military Institute when the Rebellion broke out; but eminently loyal as he was, he could not forbear to resign that position, and hasten to the service of his country, under the battle-flag of freedom. His heroism and generalship since then, are too well known to require special notice.

STORY LXXVII.

JOHN MORGAN'S RAID.

THE Rebel General John H. Morgan left Sparta, Tenn., on the 27th of June, 1863, with detachments from two brigades of cavalry, numbering, according to Captain Cunningham, of Morgan's staff, 2,028 effective men, with four pieces of artillery-two Parrot's and two howitzers, and crossed the Cumberland near Burkesville, on the 1st and 2d of July, in canoes and boats improvised for the occasion.

He had some difficulty in making the horses swim, but finally succeeded in getting all over by ten A. M. on the 2d. Colonel Dick Morgan then proceeded on a reconnoisance in force, having been told that Colonel Hobson's cavalry were about. He was met by Colonel Jacobs, with the 9th Kentucky cavalry, and repulsed after a gallant fight, yet claiming a victory. The loss was small on both sides.

Colonel Alston, Morgan's chief of staff, says that Col⚫onel Johnston, after much difficulty, succeeded in crossing the river, and joined Morgan, with the 2d brigade (number of men not stated,) after dark. He reported. having been much harassed by the enemy, but had succeeded in driving them back.

Captain Cunningham says, after driving back Jacob's cavalry, "our column marched on through Columbia, at which point it found the advance of Wolford's celebrated Kentucky cavalry, numbering 251 men, dispersed it, killing 7 and wounding 15 men; our loss, 2 killed and 2 wounded."

The facts in the case were as follows: the force he met at Columbia was a company of one hundred men, from the 1st Kentucky and 2d and 45th Ohio, commanded by Captain Carter, of Wolford's cavalry. Headed by this gallant officer they met and held in check an entire brigade of Morgan's men, for over three hours: and not till their brave commander had fallen, mortally wounded, and several others severely wounded, and six of the others slain, and ten or twelve wounded, did they think of retiring from the conflict. Captain Fishback fought them successfully for more than hour after the fall of Captain Carter, when, finding himself nearly surrounded, he withdrew his command, skillfully and successfully, and joined his regiment at Jamestown.

Colonel Wolford, then in command at Jamestown, having ascertained that Morgan's two brigades passed through Columbia that same night, July 3d, en route for Lebanon, sent dispatches to General Carter, and as soon as possible commenced pursuit, with about 1,200 men from the 1st Kentucky and 2d, 7th, and 45th Ohio regiments. Before reaching Lebanon, he was joined by the 2d East Tennessee, increasing his force to about 1,800 men, with two sections of Law's howitzer battery.

Arriving at the stockade at Green River Bridge, on the morning of the 4th of July, says Alston, "General Morgan sent in a flag of truce, and demanded the sur. render; but Colonel Moore quietly remarked, 'if it was any other day he might consider the demand, but the 4th of July was a bad day to talk about surrender, and must therefore decline.' The colonel is agallant man * * * and entitled to the highest credit for military skill. We would mark such a man inour army for promotion.

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