Year: 1863

loaded, with hay, on FIRE at one time. All


the ferry boats from Pittsburg to5Louisville


were either sunk or burnt, and everything


removed to prevent our making use of it,


Cincinnati was put under, martial law; and


also Louisville; and river navigation suspeu-


ded by military orders. In fact, Gen. NJ,


who passed around Cincinnati, within eight


miles of the city, might easily have taken


the place, as oil the troops had been sent


away. This 1 know, for | was prisoner


there at the time, and ladies informed US


that the City Council had agreed, in case he


came, to ransom the place by paying three


millions of dollars and putting the COM


mand over the river. was taken prisoner


before we crossed the Ohio, and consequent


ly, what have written of occurrences after


that, / have learned. from others. I was
paroled by the officer commanding the
squadron that captured me, and ordered to
report to. Gen. Burnside. I travelled for


two days without a.guard, but on arriving
at Lexington, the extra seal of contempt
ible provost marshal had me confined for
twenty -four hours in the negro Jail, and af.
ter robbiug pe of all had, even to my
knife, sent me under guard to Cincinnati.


Here I was confined in "Kemper Barracks"
for the night, and the next day carried be.
fore Gen. Burnside. He received me very
politely, and after learning all the clrcum,
stances of my capture and parole, said he
would be obliged to disregard my parole and
hold me as prisoner Of war.


To this I strongly objected, and begged
him to hear what I had to say in defence Of
my position. I stated that although Iknew
my parole was illegal when I accepted it,
being not in conformity with the cartel, yet
1 regarded it as the duty of each army to
hold its prisoners; and when they could
not do SO, it was their duty to turn them
loose, but if parole was forced upon a
prisoner, which did not conform with the,
requirements of the cartel, the prisoner was
at liberty to disregard it; but if on the con.
trary he have honorably complied with it,
when he could show that by not doing so,
he might have effected his escape. T
thought it was one Of those cases which
ought to be considered as an exception to
the general rule governing exchange, and
entitle the prisoner to his release. That
this case was exactly mine, as the narrative
| had given would prove, and Therefore
claimed my release accordingly. The Gen
eral admitted the reasonableness of what I
said, and expressed a desire to do what was
fair and just, releasing me from my guard
and gave orders for US to have the freedom
of the barracks. After ] had gained this
much, I had sufficient ground to coupon,
and continued to write to him on the sub.
ject, repeating his own language in the
strongest terms, until after about two months
of importantly, I received letter from his
Chief Aid, Maj. Van Buren, stating that
the General admitted the justice of my
claim, but unfortunately all powerhad been
recently centred LIN the Secretary of War
and he had no further control over paroles,
but had sent statement'of my case to the
Secretary of War and recommended that I
be paroled and sent to City Point I once
sent copy of this letter to the Secretary
Of War, and wrote at the same time to Gen.
Cox, Commanding Department of Ohio, to
urge the matter and see that it was not over.
looked in the hurry Of official business
Finally, an order came from the Secretary
that in "consequepce.of my honorable con-
duct On q former occasion he had determin-
ed to make mine an accepted case, aud d.
rected that | be Immediately released and
sent to City Point" What joyous news,
for had almost began to despair. !; In fact
l vas regarded by my brother officers as
having mania on the subject, and when.
ever an improbable event was spoken of,
they would reply eyes, when Aston gets
MS parole" There were great many
others situated exactly as l was, but they
regarded the hope of success as so improba-
bic that could not prevail on them to urge
their claims. A man can do anything he
determines to do and [ was resolved on get
ting out, and if this plan had not succeeded
| intended to have tried another. [ would
not have remained there under the circum-
stances without knowing when I was to be
released for any consideration. In fact |
don't tbelieVe l could have done it. I would
have risked my life in an. attempt to break
out. Excuse my long story, but wished
to explain how it was that I was the only
one of Gen. Morgan's principal officers who
was not shaved, and now it was that got
paroled. a -.


My treatment was very kind during my
Imprisonment. My friends were allowed to
write to me, and received great deal of
sympathy and attention. Our rations we're
abuD dant and good. In fact, so far as I
could observe, all of our prisoners were
treated we'll after the excitement about
Vicksburg and Port Hudson had .subsided
and the reported capture of Charleston was
found to be lie. There were Individual
cases of hard treatment and some officers
we're hand-cuffed and chained, but in these
cases it was generally owing to their own
indiscretion in forgetting where they were.
1t is very easy matter under such circum.
stances to make ones self a martyr. 1 had
frcquent-almost daily-opportunity of
talking with leading Federal officers, and
after my release l was allowed to travel at
my leisure, aud therefore my opportunity
of talking with copperheads were frequent.