born I thought ebery
one was killed, I wouldn't never come out if you hadn't found me, sho'.
I done thought I neber see Marfa no more. O, bress de Laud, I's hungry
doe.'

"'Well, come along, Ham; I guess I will have to send you home; you seem
not to take to war.'

"'Well, sah! Massa Gen'l, 'spect it be de bes'; for afore de Laud I
feels curous when you is fitin'. Somehow I doesn't jes' feel rite all
de time dey is shootin'. It seems dey would kill a darky jes'as quick as
dey do a white man.'

"'Yes,' said the General; 'why not?'

"'Well, sah, I doesn't know why; it 'pears like dey wouldn't kill the
darkies when we work for dem so long. But de Sesh dey is quar folks dey
is; dey fight doe, don' dey, Massa Tom?'

"'Yes; they fight like other people.'

"By this time they were at headquarters, and Ham got hold of his
namesake and devoured it as a wild beast would have done. Ham was very
serious and finally said:

"'Massa Tom, I guess dey not fight any mo' berry soon, does dey?'

"The General replied that he did not know.

"'Well,' said Ham, 'I guess I stay wid you a while longer. You won't
write home 'bout me gittin' in de bush, will you'uns?'

"'No; if you wish us not to do so.'

"'O, for de Laud's sake! Marfa she d neber lib wid dis darky no mo' if
she know what I do. You won't tell her, Massa Tom, will you?'

"'No, Ham; I will keep it a secret from her.'

"'Well, den, I will try him once mo'. I 'spects I stay here nex' time. I
knows I do. O, I knows de nex' time, sho.'

"All right, Ham; you get around now and get our things together, and
look after my "traps."'

"'Yes, massa, yes.'

"Ham's conduct and explanations afforded great amusement for the boys
around headquarters for some time.

"Capt. Zeke Inglesby said:

"Uncle Daniel, I did not know before that Gen. Stephen Lyon, who was
murdered at Bethesda Springs, was your son. I know all about his murder.
I belonged to his brigade. That dastardly murder was considered by all
soldiers as one of the most outrageous acts and cold-blooded murders
ever known in civilized warfare."

"Oh, yes. I grieved over his death very greatly, he being the second
one of our dear boys murdered outright--the fourth dead since the war
began. It chilled the blood of our whole family. The strangest thing to
me was how Gen. Anderson, Capt. Jackson and Col. Peter could restrain
themselves so as not to mention the name of his murderer, in all their
conversations about his de