lass of champagne,
but told him we had cracked the last bottle, and would not have any more
until the next day, as I had only that morning requested my friend, the
general commanding at New Orleans, to send me a fresh supply, which he
would do at once, I had no doubt. Well, you ought to have seen the boys
try to keep from laughing, stuffing handkerchiefs in their mouths, etc.
But not a man laughed. The old citizen said it was no matter, as he
would drop in the next day, and drink with us. We talked about the war,
and it is my impression he was anxious for us to believe he was a loyal
man. But after a while he asked me what particular duty I was on, there
at Carrollton. I hesitated a moment, and finally told him that I hoped
he would excuse me for not telling him, but the fact was it would be as
much as my "commission" would be worth to unfold any of my plans. I
told him that time alone would reveal the object of our being there, and
until such time as my government thought it best to make it public, it
was my duty as an officer, to keep silent. He said certainly, that was
all right, and he admired me for keeping my own counsel. (I was probably
the highest private and rawest recruit in the army.) He said there was a
natural curiosity on the part of the people of Carrollton to know who
we were, as we lived so high, and seemed such thorough gentlemen. I
admitted that we were thorough gentlemen, and thanked him for the high
opinion that the cultured people of Carrollton had of us. He wound up
by pointing to his orange grove, and said he-would consider it a special
favor if we would consider ourselves perfectly free to go there and help
ourselves at any time, and particularly that evening, as a number of
young people would be at his house for a quiet dance. I told him that
a few of us would certainly be present, and thanked him kindly. When he
was gone I told the boys, and they wanted to give three cheers, but I
got them to keep still, and we talked all the afternoon of the soft snap
we had struck, and cleaned up for the party. My intention was to pick
out half a dozen of the best dressed, recruits, those that could make a
pretty fair showing in society to go with me, but they all wanted to
go, and there was no way to prevent it, so all but one Irishman, that we
hired to stay and watch our camp, went. Well, we ate oranges fresh from
the trees, joined in the dance, ate refreshments, and drank the old
gentleman's wine, and had a