assist in upholding the integrity of the
government in its day of greatest peril. In the language of that good old
hymn, I realized that

"I can but perish if I go,"

and said:

"I am resolved to try."

And I did. With what result will be seen.

I expected to encounter opposition at home, and consequently I kept my
plans to myself. A year had passed away, and yet I was not enrolled among
the "boys in blue." Three hundred thousand nine months' volunteers were
called for by President Lincoln, and proclamation was made that if the
necessary quota from each State was not filled by the fifteenth of August,
1862, a draft would be resorted to. I concluded to step in out of the
draft. War meetings were held almost every night in the old Armory Hall on
High street in Pawtucket. I was a regular attendant in the capacity of
reporter for the newspaper upon which I was employed. The speakers were
generally men past middle life, whose principal business seemed to be to
urge the young men to volunteer, and not to volunteer themselves. One
evening, for some reason, there was a dearth of speakers, and after a
while some one in the audience called out my name, and soon the call
became so loud and so general that I was compelled to respond. I ascended
the platform, and, as nearly as I can remember, I spoke as follows: "Young
men, one thing has especially impressed me this evening. Every speaker who
has preceded me has said to you, '_Go!_' Now, boys, I say _Come!_" and
turning to a recruiting officer who sat on my right, I said, "Put my name
down!" I think it was the shortest speech I ever made; at any rate, I know
it was the best received. There seemed to be no bounds to the enthusiasm
which was manifested, and the recruiting business in Pawtucket at once
received a "boom."

After the meeting was over and congratulations were ended, I went home.
Now began the "tug of war." The house was silent--very silent--and so was
I. I didn't sleep much that night. In my wakefulness I concluded not to
say anything to my family about what I had done, but leave her to learn
the news from some other source. But this little scheme was upset very
early in the morning by the lady of the house asking me concerning the war
meeting of the previous evening, and the names of the speakers. After
giving her such general information as I possessed, I hesitatingly
informed her that she had had the honor of entertaining one of the
speakers over nigh