l road for six miles; then down
again, over steep rocks, yawning chasms, and great gullies; a road
that none but East Tennesseeans or soldier Yankees could have traveled
at all. This rough jaunt led us down into Battle Creek, which is a
delightful, picturesque valley, hemmed in by projecting ridges of
lofty mountains.

While here, they told me how this valley obtained its name, which is
certainly a very romantic legend, and no doubt true.

In early times there was war among the Indians. One tribe made a
plundering expedition into the camp of another, and after securing
their booty retreated. Of course they were pursued, and in their
flight were traced to this valley. There the pursuers believed them to
be concealed, and to make their capture sure, divided their force into
two bands, each one taking an opposite side of the valley.

It was early in the morning, and as they wended their way cautiously
onward, the mountain mist came down just as I had seen it descend
that morning, and enveloped each of the parties in its folds.
Determined not to be foiled, they marched on, and meeting at the head
of the valley, each supposed the other to be the enemy. They poured in
their fire, and a deadly conflict ensued. Not till nearly all their
number had fallen did the survivors discover their mistake, and they
slowly and sorrowfully returned to their wigwams. The plunderers, who
had listened to their conflict in safety, being further up the
mountains, were thus left to carry home their booty in triumph.

But we had no leisure for legendary tales.

The sun had set, and we stopped for the night with a rabid
Secessionist, whom our soldier-friend on the mountain had recommended
to us. He received us with open arms, shared with us the best his
house afforded--giving us his bedroom, and sleeping with his family in
the kitchen. We spent the evening in denouncing the Abolitionists,
which term was used indiscriminately to designate all Federals who did
not advocate the acknowledgment of the Confederacy. This did not go
quite so hard as it did at first, for practice had rendered it nearly
as easy for us to falsify our sentiments as to express them plainly.

Among other things we instanced to show the tyranny of the Lincolnites
in Kentucky, was the expatriation law. This law provides that all
persons aiding or abetting the rebels, or leaving the State and going
South with their army, shall be _expatriated_, and lose all their
right of ci