e, thus keeping the citizens in a constant state of
anxiety and trepidation. The pillaging and murdering of the peaceable
and inoffensive citizens of that would-be loyal State by these organized
bands of ruffians, constitute to my mind one of the darkest pictures of
our civil war.

Twenty-two miles over a macadamized road, through the celebrated "Blue
Grass" region, brought us to Winchester, a pleasant inland village in
Clarke county, where we were allowed to remain for the full period of
eight days. Our next stopping place was at Richmond, a very inviting
post-village of about fifteen hundred inhabitants in Madison county,
twenty miles south of Winchester. This march, which occupied two days,
took us through some of the most picturesque natural scenery to be found
in the State, including Boonesboro, the scene of Daniel Boone's famous
exploits with the Indians, at which place the entire brigade crossed the
Kentucky river in a common scow which would hold only fifty men at a
time. This delayed us for at least half a day, so that we had a good
view of the wild surroundings.

I must here relate a personal incident. After arriving at Richmond, I
was sent back to Winchester to bring forward some stores and supplies
which had been necessarily left there. Our teams had not arrived from
Covington, and I was detained for three days awaiting their appearance.
I was stopping at the house of one Mr. Bush, a well-to-do planter, whose
acquaintance I had made while the regiment was encamped there. On the
third night of my stay with him I was suddenly aroused from a sound
sleep at one o'clock by two soldiers who had entered my room, and who
immediately confronted me, one with a drawn sword, and the other with a
revolver, which he held in one hand, and a lighted candle in the other.
They said nothing, except to caution me that any attempt to move from my
present position would be at the peril of my life. One of them commenced
to search my clothes, while the other stood guard over me, holding his
glistering revolver uncomfortably near my head. I thought my hour had
probably come, taking it for granted that the men were rebel soldiers
and had taken advantage of my isolated situation to first rob and then
dispatch me. But I finally mustered courage enough to ask them their
business as politely as I knew how, and was promptly informed, greatly
to my surprise, that I was a rebel spy and their prisoner and that they
were Union soldiers sent