his face as honest and bright as in boyhood's days; and
George Dillinger--or was his name Hugh? Names become confused as the
mind runs back over so many years. What I saw there was but a section of
the past slipped forward, and given a different setting. My earliest
recollections were connected with these faces, when, at church or school
in the pleasant Summer-time, in one we listened to the good Irish
pastor's "sixteenthly" and "seventeenthly" and "in conclusion" as
sedately as our seniors; and in the other we took our regular flogging,
as prescribed by the lamented Solomon. The stalwart boys in blue were
the same boys still; but now they were the heroes of many a hard-fought
battle. The hurried questions and answers of that brief interview
touched upon as tragic scenes as ever employed the pen of genius. They
told how one fell here, another there--dead for the land they loved.

December 7, 1864, we started on a raid, the object of which was to
disturb the enemy's railroad communications toward the south. We
followed the Jerusalem plank-road one day's march, reaching Notaway
River in the evening, at Freeman's Ford. Our force was a strong one,
consisting of the Fifth Corps, under General Warren, and a division of
cavalry. With this force we felt quite at home within one day's march of
the main army. Once across the river, and at a greater distance, we
might stir up all the game we could take care of. Such was the feeling
expressed by the soldiers as they discussed the situation on the march
that day, and indulged in conjectures as to our probable destination and
the outcome of the expedition. Of course, the company wag had a hearing
while he expounded his views as to what we would do to the Confederacy
or the Confederacy to us. The soldiers had confidence in General Warren,
and regarded him as a prudent and efficient officer. He had the
reputation of being personally brave and fearless.

As evening approached, we turned to the right from the plank-road, and
halted in a corn-field, not far from the river. As we were about to
break ranks we heard on our right the clatter and snapping of gun-caps,
which, in a regiment armed with muzzle-loading guns, usually follows
the command to prepare to load. This sounded like business; but nothing
further indicating trouble occurred, and soon the cheerful camp-fires
enlivened the scene, and we proceeded to make ourselves comfortable.

It was the general impression that we would soon