in Huger is not dead! They had hopes of his life for the first
time day before yesterday. Miriam saw the ball that had just been
extracted. He will probably be lame for the rest of his life. It will
be a glory to him. For even the Federal officers say that never did
they see so gallant a little ship, or one that fought so desperately as
the McRae. Men and officers fought like devils. Think of all those
great leviathans after the poor little "Widow Mickey"! One came tearing
down on her sideways, while the Brooklyn fired on her from the other
side, when brave Captain Warley put the nose of the Manassas under the
first, and tilted her over so that the whole broadside passed over,
instead of through, the McRae, who spit back its poor little fire at
both. And after all was lost, she carried the wounded and the prisoners
to New Orleans, and was scuttled by her own men in port. Glorious
Captain Huger! And think of his sending word to Jimmy, suffering as he
was, that "his little brass cannon was game to the last." Oh! I hope he
will recover. Brave, dare-devil Captain Warley is prisoner, and on the
way to Fort Warren, that home of all brave, patriotic men. We'll have
him out. And my poor little Jimmy! If I have not spoken of him, it is
not because I have lost sight of him for a moment. The day the McRae
went down, he arose from his bed, ill as he was, and determined to
rejoin her, as his own boat, the Mississippi, was not ready. When he
reached the St. Charles, he fell so very ill that he had to be carried
back to Brother's. Only his desperate illness saved him from being
among the killed or wounded on that gallant little ship. A few days
after, he learned the fate of the ship, and was told that Captain Huger
was dead. No wonder he should cry so bitterly! For Captain Huger was as
tender and as kind to him as his own dear father. God bless him for it!
The enemy's ships were sailing up; so he threw a few articles in a
carpet-bag and started off for Richmond, Corinth, anywhere, to fight.
Sick, weak, hardly able to stand, he went off, two weeks ago yesterday.
We know not where, and we have never heard from him since. Whether he
succumbed to that jaundice and the rest, and lies dead or dying on the
road, God only knows. We can only wait and pray God to send dear little
Jimmy home in safety.

And this is WAR! Heaven save me from like scenes and experiences again.
I was wild with excitement last night when Miriam described how the
sold