ntly we had had nothing but
hard-tack to satiate our hunger. At sunset he sent a guard to conduct us
to his tent, which was large and comfortable. We found the table well
supplied with a variety of savory eatables, and we were struck by the
contrast of the tent and the table with those of the Rebels.

The Blue and the Gray gathered around that hospitable board as gleeful
as boys, and as friendly as men who had been companions from childhood.
The supper being ended, a polite negro who looked like an Old Virginia
darky, and who acted in the two-fold capacity of cook and butler,
cleared away the dishes and supplied their place with cigars and bottles
of liquor of several varieties. More than once or twice the bottles
passed from hand to hand, and in order to prevent drunkenness I was
cautious to pour very sparingly into my tumbler. In the midst of this
hilarious scene our Yankee host proposed a health to President Lincoln,
which we of the Gray declined to drink; whereupon I offered to
substitute a joint health to Abe Lincoln and Jeff. Davis, which they of
the Blue rejected. I then proposed the toast, "The early termination of
the war to the satisfaction of all concerned," and that was cordially
drunk by all. It was nearly midnight when the Colonel told us that if we
would promise to go back and deliver ourselves up, he would not call a
guard to escort us; and we gave him our word, and bade him good night.
There we were in the darkness, our limbs unfettered, our hearts longing
for freedom, no Yankee eye upon us; and it is not strange that there
flitted across our minds the temptation to steal away and strike out for
Virginia; but though our bodies were for the moment free, our souls were
bound by something stronger than manacles of steel,--our word of honor.
We groped our way back, entered the circle of soldiers who were guarding
our fellow-prisoners, and went to sleep on the ground, while our late
entertainers reposed upon comfortable cots.

The next morning, July 16, we were hurried along by an unfeeling cavalry
escort to a station near Harper's Ferry, and there put into box cars
strongly guarded. On our arrival in Washington we were conducted along
the streets to the Old Capitol prison. "To what vile uses" had that
building come! It was superintended by a renegade Virginian, whose name
I am not sorry that I have forgotten; but let me do him the justice to
say that he behaved courteously and gave us a plenty to eat. The g