be at all surprised at the
revelations I made. He knew all about the condition of the country,
civil and military, but seemed to feel himself powerless to prevent the
downward tendency of things, and he was right. It was no longer in the
power of any one man to save the country. The body politic was already
dead. The people themselves had given up the contest, and this being the
case, no army could do more than retard the catastrophe for a few
months. Besides, his army itself was melting away. That very night, as I
learned at the breakfast table, one hundred and sixty men deserted in a
body. It was useless to attempt to shoot deserters when demoralization
had gone to this extent." A few weeks subsequent to the date referred to
in the above extract, General Johnston was ordered to "drive back
Sherman." He states in his "Narrative" in reference to accepting the
command: "This was done with a full consciousness on my part, however,
that we could have no other object in continuing the war than to obtain
fair terms of peace; for the Southern cause must have appeared hopeless
then to all intelligent and dispassionate Southern men."

We passed Abaco light soon after dark, and shaped our course direct for
Charleston. At early dawn the next morning, while I was lying awake in
my room on the bridge, I heard the officer of the deck give the quick
sharp order to the helmsman "hard a-port!" The steering wheel in all of
the blockade-runners was upon the bridge and immediately forward of the
captain's state-room, and the officer of the deck kept his watch upon
the bridge. As I never undressed at night, while at sea in command
during the war, I was out upon the deck in a moment; and then I saw
distant two or three miles and directly in our former course, a large
side-wheel steamer. From her size and rig, I guessed her to be the
"Vanderbilt;" and I was afraid that the Chameleon had at last found more
than her match, for the Vanderbilt enjoyed the reputation of great
speed. We wore round before we were discovered, but as the strange
steamer's bow was pointed in our direction a few moments afterwards, it
was plain that we would have to make good use of our heels, and that the
race would be a trying one. The Chameleon was in fine condition for the
ordeal, and the usual precaution of cleaning fires, and raising the
steam had been taken before daylight. My staunch old quartermaster,
McLean, who had been with me in nearly all the chances and