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PREFACE.

When flashing eyes and clashing arms

In direful fury meet,—

I tell you, then, 'tis life or death,
Or victory, or defeat!

While the moderate dimensions of this work, and consequent cheapness, place it within the reach of all, it is hoped that its contents will be found adapted to the tastes, and habits of reading, of that numerous class who have neither time nor inclination to peruse a prolix, consecutive history of the war: and that it will also be found to contain much interesting matter, not included in any hitherto published history; thus rendering it a conservatory of valuable materials, for his use, who shall, in the future, aspire to the high honor of giving to the world the history of the greatest of all modern wars.

Believing it too early to write the history of the war, while it is yet in progress, and while many facts, destined to impart new phases to many of the acts and motives of prominent actors, are yet perdue, in the inaccessible portfolios of officers and others, and may, when disclosed, require essential modifications of premature history, it was deemed best to make the present offering but a conservatory of materials-a depository of known facts, of intense interest, and worthy of preservation.

Impartial history requires abiding the time and waiting for the facts, lest men and their motives should

frequently be misjudged, their conduct misunderstood, and praise or censure improperly bestowed.

Like all works of historical character, this has been, to a considerable extent, derived from the writings of others, and consequently, has but small claim to originality-if, indeed, such a condition of mental action as exclusive originality of thought be recognized, when it is perfectly logical, that to minds exactly similarly constituted, and under precisely similar circumstances, identical thoughts may be suggested, or, to put the case stronger should be suggested; and, consequently, all our thoughts may have been thought ten thousand times before.

In conclusion, it is incumbent on the compiler to state, that aside from personal observation and private correspondence, he is chiefly indebted for the facts of this work to Southern debates, official reports, and the army correspondence of the loyal press: and in no instance has any published history of the war been consulted. When, on comparison of accounts, the facts of one have been found correctly stated, in proper terms, both the facts and the language, in some instances, have been adopted. Under other circumstances, modifications, more or less extensive, have prevailed. The poems introduced are, unless otherwise credited, what the world calls original, at least in composition.

As the materials for a work of this kind are by no means exhausted, and will continue to accumulate as long as the war shall last, it is quite probable that a second volume may follow should this meet an encouraging reception. Awaiting the decision of an intelligent reading public, the present volume is hopefully submitted by the

COMPILER.

PROLOGOMENA.

"The tragedy has now been played, which was to overthrow the Government of Washington, and Hancock, and Adams, and Jefferson: and let those who have sought to aid a crusade so causeless and infernal, look upon it and receive instruction. For such unalloyed villany and baseness, I assert that the records of depravity and infamy, from the fall of man to the present moment, may be ransacked in vain, and those who remain among us and merely take side politically with a wholesale murder, that they are too cowardly to help on, with arms in their hands, will cer

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tainly occupy an important niche in the world's pillory hereafter.

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"The loyal mind is for an out and out, up and down, horizontal and diagonal overthrow of the rebellion, without any condition or compromise, of any name or kind, to the ninth part of a hair; and while it does not want to see the Government go out of its way to look after incidents, it will rejoice to see the alleged cause of the rebellion fall with it; that wicked men and devils, hereafter, may not be tempted to repeat, in the next century, the experiments of this."

HON. D. S. DICKINSON.

O for a tongue to curse the knave,
Whose treason, like a deadly blight,
Comes o'er the councils of the brave,

And blasts them in their hour of might!
May life's unblessed cup for him,

Be drugged with treacheries to the brim.—MOORE.

When at length the rash and wicked attempt was made, had a man of Jacksonian stamp been at the helm of State, the rebellion would have been suppressed as was that of Calhoun in 1832, the particulars of which event must give place to the following poem, by F. D. H. Janvier, as more appropriate to this work.

THE STIGMA.

It is related that some thirty-two years ago, John C. Calhoun, a Senator of the United States from the State of South Carolina, and at that time employed in perfecting the great nullification scheme of which he was the author, was, one night at a late hour, seated in his room alone, and engaged in writing, when falling asleep, he had a dream, the incidents of which are here woven into verse.

Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the interim is

Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream.-SHAKSPEARE.

In a chamber grand and gloomy, in the shadow of the night,
Two wax tapers flaming faintly, burned with a sepulchral light—
On an oval oaken table, from their silver stands they shone,
Where, about them, in disorder, books and manuscripts were

strewn ;

Where, before them, sat a Statesman, silent, thoughtful and alone!

Suddenly a stranger entered,-entered with a serious air,
And with steady step advancing, near the table drew a chair!

Folded in an ample mantle, carefully concealed from sight,
There he sat, and his companion watched him through the waver-

ing light,

Wondering at his bold intrusion, unannounced, and in the night!

Wondering at his staid demeanor, wondering that no word he spoke,

Wondering that he veiled his visage in the volume of his cloak"Till as though unwilling longer, satisfaction to postpone,

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Senator from Carolina," said he in a solemn tone,

"What are you engaged in writing, here at midnight and alone ?"

Then the Statesman answered promptly, ""Tis a plan which consummates,

When complete, the dissolution of the Union of the States."
Whereupon rejoined the stranger, in an accent of command,
"Senator from Carolina, let me look at your right hand.”
And the Statesman had no power that calm dictate to withstand.
Slowly, then, uprose the stranger, and the startled Statesman saw
From the fallen cloak emerging, one from whom he shrunk with

awe!

Stern and stately stood before him, Freedom's first and favorite

son

He whose patriotic valor universal homage won—

He who gave the world the Union—the immortal Washington!

And he thrilled with strange emotion, in the patriot's steadfast

gaze,

As he held the hand he proffered, held it near the taper's blazeAs he thoughtfully proceeded-" Then you would with this right

hand,

Senator from Carolina, desolate your native land;

You would sign a declaration this fair Union to disband!"

And the Senator responded: "Yes, should chance such service claim,

To an Act of Dissolution I would freely sign my name."

But the words were scarcely spoken, when amazed he saw expand, Dim at first, then deeper, darker, an unsightly blackened brand, Like a loathsome, leprous plague-spot, on the back of his right hand.

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