The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-05-03
EXPERIENCES
N ITH THE ARM IN VIRGINIA.
CAMPAIGNS OF 1Hf4.=

OF most disastrous chances;
or moving accidents by flood and
field;
OF hair-breadth 'scapes / the immi-
nent deadly breach;
OF being taken by the insolent foe
And old TO slavery; Of my redemption
And 'portance in travels history"
Merchant Of Venice. Act !. Sc. III
In the double hope CT dispelling the
intolerable cnnui which OroOds. Ike
al Incubus over the life Of a prisoner
Of war. and often drags down his
spirits to the lowest point of depres-
sion, and Of making a record Of events
which my children. in after years.
ma read with pride, and interest,
and affectionate sympathy. / COM
mence on this 23rd day Of November,
1864. within the frowning walls Of
the military prison Of Fort Delaware
the work Of writing out h notes
which have accumulated on my hands
since the commencement. in May last.
Of the gigantic campaign Of the pres
ent year.-nct yet terminated, and sig
nalized. already, by an amount OF
slaughter and desoiation to which
profane history affords no parallel.
And as l m~omentariiy recall those
varied. wonderful and thrilling events,
and survey, in mental retrOSQection.-
the incidents and accidents OF the
year,-the battles. sieges, marches, eX-
posures.-tha victories and disasters,
my personal periis and Providential
deliyerances,-I am filled with graf
.tude to the great Dispenser Of all
good, that He has ia mercy spared my
unworthy life amid uch and 50 great
dangers. Though it be my present
lot to experience one OF the most
bitter fortunes Of war-that Of cap
tivity,-how many have been cut Oft
forever by the eaden messengers Of
death. Oh the inexofable bolts Of
pestilence, from family, friends and
sacred home
On n end OF May. 1894. the bri-
gade to which L am attached. Gas
chief OF staff then commanded by
Brighten. S. d. RaInseur. broke up
winter quarters near Orange c. II
and moved down to the Rapid Anna
q stream dividing the counties OF
Orange and Cuipeper,-eitner side OF
which had been respectively picket
ed by the two armies during the en-
tire winter. On that day, the quiet
which had SO long and SO agreeably
prevailed was unbroken.
May 3.-Evidences of uneasiness,
upon the part Of the enemy. were
apparently early Ia the morning. and,
during the day, Immense wagon trains
were visible from the eIninence NOV
ing circuitOusly to our right,-a sure
prognostic that Grant. who had been
elevated to the extraordinary rank
Of Iieut.-General and assigned to
the command of the Army of the Po-
IOmac, was on the eve OF i~nauSuratin2
that grand campaign upon which the
Yankee press and public. with blatant
exultaticn, were building such eytraV-
agant expectations Of success.
May 4.-FHrther evidences, such as
the smoke Of distant fires. indicating
the burning OF winter quarters. &C.,
and the reduction OF the picket-iines
in our front,-increaSe the certainty
that the enemy Is on the move for
some OF the lower fords Of the river,
with a view to crossing General Lee,
with that wonderful military pre-
science which enables him to antici-
pate the designs of his adversary, has
already put the army in motion in that
direction. bat our brigade is ordered