Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-05-25
The Argus Daily Short Story
The Cotton Buyer-By Albert Chittenden.
Copyrighted 1910. by Associated Literary PresA

In 1862, when President Lincoln fear
ed that the want of cotton by the Eng
hsh and other foreign manufacturers
might lead 10 intervention. he issued
an order TO his generals to give every
facility in their power TO persons de-
NIT them to ship it on the army wag
ons going north empty for supplies for
the troops. At the time cotton could
be bought for a song in the south, and
before the war closed 1t had risen to
a dollar a pound in the northern
states.
! was then young and eager to make
money. Having some capital. / went
down into Virginia and rode among
the plantations in the neighborhood Of
the Union armies, buying cotton wher-
ever | found aD opportunity to get 1t
within our lines and send it north.
One day had been out a few miles
beyond the Union vedettes to a planta-
ton where | had been told was stored
large stock of cotton. There was no
enemy in that direction. and If there
were L COnSiuSTGu my tOCdlIOD
against interference. for ! was citi-
zen engaged in assisting the southern
planters 10 turn their cotton into mon
ey. l bough= fifty bales on condition
that ] could get transportation for
them and rode back to the Union lines.
Something about the arrangement of
the camps looked different from what
bad left. Indeed. | found a great
deal of difference. While | had been
away the corps l had left had moved
and another had taken its place. The
officer of the picket post would not al
low me to go where | liked. but took
me to the provost marshal, Major
Campbell.
| noticed that the moment the pro-
vost marshal looked at me he gave a
family perceptible start. | told him
who l was and the business was en-
gagged in. He listened TO my story.
then said be would report my case to
the general commanding. He left me
to do so and was going so long that,
tired of waiting. was about to mount
my horse and ride away when sentry
stopped me. | asked him why he de-
tanned me, and he said that he had
been ordered not to let me leave till
the provost marshal returned.
Major Campbell rode up as l was
talking with the sentry. He asked me
to come into his tent and. getting out
the army demijohn. invited me to have
something. He chatted In familiar
way, seeming much interested in my
cotton purchases and asking me a
number of questions pertaining to the
business. He told me that the gen.
eral would like to see me, but was too
busy to receive me till the next day.
had left my belongings at a house
a short distance in rear of the army.
and when the conversation Jagged
arose and said would ride there. re
turn in the morning and call on the
general. Major Campbell said that
there was no necessity for me to go
away, since he would be happy to give
me a cot in a tent with subaltern
officer and my meals at his mess. But
said | wished some clean linen and
would prefer to GO At that he told
me as politely as possible that the
general had directed him to bring me
to his headquarters the next day and
he would not dare risk losing me.
This was equivalent TO telling me
that I was temporary quasi pris-
oner. Nevertheless / did not think
much of the matter, for If permitted
to go l might find it inconvenient TO
In that event the major
would be liable TO censure for disobe-
Hence of orders. So made a virtue
Of necessity, saying that l would be
happy to accept his hospitality.
During the evening ! played the
army game with the major and sew
aral other officers In his tent. the.
army game being draw poker. with |
sreenbacKs in lieu of chips. Somehow J