e enemy have
attacked and taken Fort Hatteras, making many prisoners, and threaten
Newbern next. This is the second time my family have been compelled to
fly. But they are well.

CHAPTER VI.

Four hundred thousand troops to be raised.--Want of arms.--Yankees offer
to sell them to us.--Walker resigns.--Benjamin succeeds.--Col. J. A.
Washington killed.--Assigned, temporarily, to the head of the
passport office.

SEPTEMBER 1ST.--The press and congressional critics are opening their
batteries on the Secretary of War, for _incompetency_. He is not to
blame. A month ago, Capt. Lee, son of the general, and a good engineer,
was sent to the coast of North Carolina to inspect the defenses. His
report was well executed; and the recommendations therein attended to
with all possible expedition. It is now asserted that the garrison was
deficient in ammunition. This was not the case. The position was simply
not tenable under the fire of the U. S. ships of war.

SEPTEMBER 2D.--I voluntarily hunted up Capt. Lee's report, and prepared
an article for the press based on its statements.

SEPTEMBER 3D.--My article on the defenses of North Carolina seems to
have silenced the censures of the cavilers.

SEPTEMBER 4TH.--J. R. Anderson, proprietor of the iron-works here, has
been appointed brigadier-general by the President. He, too, was a West
Pointer; but does not look like a military genius. He is assigned to
duty on the coast of North Carolina.

SEPTEMBER 5TH.--Our Congress has authorized the raising and organizing
of four hundred regiments. The Yankee Congress, 500,000 men. The enemy
will get theirs first; and it is said that between 600,000 and 700,000,
for three years or the war, have already been accepted by the U. S.
Government. Their papers boast that nearly a million volunteers were
tendered. This means mischief. How many will rush forward a year hence
to volunteer their services on the plains of the South? Full many
ensanguined plains will greet the horrific vision before this time next
year; and many a venal wretch coming to possess our land, will occupy
till the day of final doom a tract of six feet by two in some desolate
and unfrequented swamp. The toad will croak his requiem, and the viper
will coil beneath the thistle growing over his head.

SEPTEMBER 6TH.--We are not increasing our forces as rapidly as might be
desired, for the want of arms. We had some 150,000 stand of small arms,
at the beginn