t off by a prominent nose, a keen eye and a sandy
beard. There was nothing ferocious in his appearance but when in the
saddle he was not a man whom one would care to meet single-handed. There
was that about him which gave evidence of alertness and courage of the
highest order.

It was astonishing to see officers of Mosby's command walk up to union
officers, salute and accost them by name.

"Where did I meet you?" would be the reply.

"There was no introduction. I met you in your camp, though you were not
aware of it at the time."

Major Richards, a swarthy-looking soldier, remarked to me that he was
once a prisoner of the Fifth and Sixth Michigan cavalry. He was captured
near Aldie, in the spring of 1863, and made his escape when the Michigan
regiments were on the march back to Fairfax Court House, in the night,
when his guards were not noticing, by falling out of the column and
boldly ordering his captors to "close up" as they were coming out of a
narrow place in the road when the column of fours had to break by twos.
In the darkness and confusion he was mistaken for one of our own
officers. After he had seen the column all "closed up" he rode the other
way.

After awhile the farmer called us in to dinner and the blue and the gray
were arranged around the table, in alternate seats. I sat between two
members of the celebrated Smith family. One of them, R. Chilton Smith,
was a relative of General Lee, or of his chief-of-staff, a young man of
very refined manners, highly educated and well bred. He sent a package
and a message by me to a friend in Winchester, a commission that was
faithfully executed. The other was the son of Governor, better known as
"Extra Billy" Smith, of Virginia; a short, sturdy youth, full of life
and animation and venom.

"Mosby would be a blanked fool to take the parole," said he, spitefully.
"I will not, if he does."

"But Lee has surrendered. The jig is up. Why try to prolong the war and
cause further useless bloodshed?"

"I will never give up so long as there is a man in arms against your
yankee government," he replied.

"But what can you do? Richmond is ours."

"I will go and join 'Joe' Johnston."

"It is a question of but a few days, at most, when Sherman will bag
him."

"Then I will go west of the Mississippi, where Kirby Smith still holds
the fort."

"Grant, Sherman, Sheridan and Thomas will make short work of Kirby
Smith."

"Then, if worst comes to worst," he hotly retor