bery one killed
or cotched by dem Sesh; den whar's de use ob me stayin' any mo' at dat
place, Marsa Gen'l?' "'Well, Ham, did you ever study law?' "'No, sir;
I 'spect not; I dunno what it am.' "'I think you would have made a
good lawyer, Ham.' "'Well, Marsa Gen'l, de truf is, ole Ham no good for
nuffin'. I cannot stand dis fitin'; dat am de truf, Marsa Gen'l. So, you
see, I is no good. I stay all right jes' as long as it am all quiet; but
whar am de use ob me stayin' by myself?'

"The General laughed and said that was too good to keep. He let Ham off,
sending him out with Capt. Day and Jackson to get some tents and camp
equipage from the A. Q. M. The next day he amused himself telling Papson
and Sherlin what Ham said about 'no use for him to stay by hisself when
de big Gen'l gone.' They all enjoyed the joke except those that came
in early. Ham came back after a while to the General and begged him to
promise not to tell 'Marfa,' and then went off satisfied.

"Biggs soon followed up and took possession of the ridge to the east
running from the old Mission House to the Little Combination River,
called Middleton's Ridge, and also a spur branching off from the regular
chain of mountains down to the river west of Chatteraugus, known as
Looking-Glass Mountain. The line thus formed was in the shape of a
horseshoe, and, with the river washing the north side of the town,
Rosenfelt was completely encircled; the object of Biggs being to force
a surrender by starving him out, Biggs now fully commanding all
Rosenfelt's communications both by rail and river. This was the position
of the two armies at this time.

"Gen. Silent was ordered to leave Victor's Hill and proceed to
Chatteraugus, sending as many troops as could be spared from the Army of
the West. Gen. Meador was directed to send 20,000 men from the Army
of the East, in order to protect the communications of the Army of the
Center. In the meantime Broomfield had been ordered to move with his
force, then in Kentucky, on Knoxburg. Gen. Hord had come on transports
up the Combination River to Nashua with his corps from the Army of
the East, and had sent them in advance to protect the railroad between
Nashua and Bridgeton.

"Gen. Silent learning the situation, sent the troops forward from
Victor's Hill and hastened to the scene himself. The first order he
issued in connection with the Army of the Center was that of relieving
Rosenfelt of his command and placing Gen. Papson in hi