The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-12-19
A LAST vrRw or raR coasRRD-
 RRAcY.
lNsv York Sua.l

universal sentiment ot the south, certainly that of the soldiers; for we kne~ that il vas only a question of time, and very short time, too, when there would be q general collapse. And so when we started homeward. in April. 1865 VIC knew that we were going there to stay, that the end had come at last. Although many of the men had secured horses, still the large majority were on foot, Ike myself, aud iEudsed back on about the same route hy which had come to Virginia four years before.
 What eventfuI yearsl And what dii- ference in the country through which l had Iavelsd, boy of sixteen, in tas, train filled with my young comrades. cheering and singing improvised war songs, greeted every~heIe along the road with owe, fiow az hospitality, speed jag day and night through land teem ing wiih abundance, and noSl More than hall Of my young comrades had found shallow graves here aud there, from Malvern Hill 10 Appomatsox. and was 'ranping back alsne, through a desslate, wAr-strIcken couuuy. with thousand miles between me and home.
 Danville was the 6,st town l reached after ,he suriene or, and rumoTs had al ready reached there ot that event. There were few who were loud tn their asseF. tons that the government could hold ou, still, bat there wes one sure sign that those iu authority there had no hope the men were breaking into the commis sAry stores and government warehouses, and no effort was made to stop them Seeing a train oftwo coaches and . bag gage car at tho depot, headed soath, thought it would be good opportunity 10 get ride. A number of kegs oou' the s re Of beer kegs, and strongly hooped stood on the platform, and foar men were with much effort 10 Ading them in the car
 "What is thatI" asked one of the men.
 Specie" he replied.
 It WAS the Con teo CT ate treasury and the contents ot the K,caal sod bank vaults.
 coping on the plador@ of one If the coaches, a coloTed porter met me al the door with whispered; "Mr. DAvis in dAr"
 Who1"
 "Mr, DAvis."
 Not only did that train contain the Confederate treasury, bu, the whole gov ernmept-president cabinet, archives, everything.
 So l started southward and homevard afoot. The railroad was now lined with men, all moving in the same direction and no one could have told from any word or act of theirs that they were sol diers of a defeated army and lost cause, for while there was no exultation, there vas no d.j .c,ion; the one dominan, thought aRd teeliag was, " The war is ended, we are going homo," which many had let four years before, and had no, even heard from in three years. csugh, a freight train on the road and rode into Greensboro, N. C at about midnight on top of box car, whence could be seen on all sides aronnd and in inc town in. numerable camp fires of sIagRlers, pa roled men and deserteTs. and beyond these in ths woods was Johuston's dis. solving army. His men were leaving by hundreds.
 Getting into . car of a train On the sidetI ack to sleep, found it loaded with blankets, and the sun was high up before awoke. The 6rN thing that greeted my sleepy eyes next morning was tAls In the shallow dry ditch moi Eve yards away stood General BeAuvegard, speak ing 10 low voice to an ( fi CT seated oa an empty box. He held a cup of cofiee in one hand, and gesticulated slowly and earnestly ~ith the other. Two CT three officers were breakfasting of pine box while a negro was baking hoe e-cakes at a little fire on which steamed a pot ot cof fee. recognised no one except Beaure- gard.
 Some 6hy yards beyond this group, ou a low hull, steod a very small oRe. s'ory house. It was Johnston's headquarters On the opposite side of the train were a numbe of small fires, at which men were cooking, eating or sleeping. Some gen. | ius discovered that part of the rain vas loaded with posder, and in short time l barrels were rolled or thrown out, the heads knoo ked in and canteens and bot ties were 6 led to carry home. Out of mere wantonness, barrels of Cannon pow der were upset, and lay in heaps nc IT the fires. Remopsrapce and warning were received with .ers and Eidicule so | got out of my Car oa the other side, and cautioned one of General Beauregard's staff ] had scarcely got to the end ol the train, when pile of the loose powder vent oa. and, fortunately, only one pile The only damage vas the literal skinninR z of three or four men.
 This first senous evidence of turbulence occurred within a few yards Of head quar- tess, and the reckless spirit seemed to in. crease as the town became more crowded with new arrivals. and oulmin ated when the men found hquor. There were im- mepse quantities of army supplies stored here, and many of the soldiers seemed desirous Of helping themselves. A com paDy of cavalry bsoke into house where some 6ne uniform cloth vas stored. The guard gave the alarm ; an infantry force vas double quicked to the spot, coming up just as the cavalry were riding away. There wss quick command to halt. a saucy reply. q single shot, a vslIey. yells, shots, hyipg horsemen, some dead men lUin Q in fhe st,Ass and the d angAx nS au