there to arrest me. I at once felt relieved,
knowing that I could readily establish my identity, and furthermore that
I was tolerably safe anyway in the hands of Union soldiers. Mr. Bush,
who had followed them into the room in his night-clothes, immediately
assured them that I was not a rebel spy, or even a rebel, but a member
of the Twelfth Rhode Island Volunteers, and manifested considerable
indignation that he should even be suspected of harboring rebel spies.
Some papers and letters in my pockets supported the testimony of my
host, and after considerable time spent in examining them, my brave (?)
captors concluded that I was not the man they were looking for, and left
me without so much as an apology for their mistake, to ponder upon my
deceitful appearance. I learned the next day that two rebel spies had in
fact been prowling about the neighborhood for several days, and that
these officers (for such they were) had been searching for them.

A week at Richmond, three days at Paint Lick Creek, a tributary of the
Cumberland, a week at Lancaster, and on we go, still southward, till we
reach Crab Orchard, a Kentucky watering place of considerable note,
where we remained for ten days. It was not every brigade that was
allowed to spend this length of time at a fashionable southern watering
place during the sultry days of June, at the expense of the Government.

Instead of proceeding still further southward, as had been expected, we
were here suddenly ordered to execute a "right about face," and retrace
our steps to Nicholasville, a point twelve miles south of Lexington,
where it was understood we were to take the cars en route for the
far-off city of Vicksburg, where we were to assist General Grant in the
siege against that rebel stronghold. This was not encouraging news to
soldiers whose term of enlistment would expire in a little more than
thirty days. Back we went, however, through the dust and heat, making
the distance in two long days, the boys frequently rallying each other
on the march with the remarks: "It's all in the nine months, boys;" and,
"Why did you come for a soldier?"

Just as we got in sight of Nicholasville another surprise awaited us.
One of the General's aids came dashing up to Colonel Browne with orders
detaching his regiment from the brigade and directing him to report to
General Carter at Somerset, more than seventy miles away, without delay.
Half of this distance lay directly back over the route w