ept
on their arms, but no attack was made. A week or two afterwards, I had
occasion to visit New Orleans on business, and while there, heard a
report that Plaquemine was "gobbled up" by the rebs. I was very much
relieved on my return to find everything in _statu quo_. A raid
shortly afterwards on Bayou Goula, a trading station a few miles below
us, resulted in the destruction of considerable property, but no
captures of prisoners.

On the twenty-fifth of May the gunboat 54 was sent to cruise on the
river in our neighborhood, and it was a welcome reinforcement to our
meagre numbers. On the twenty-eighth of May the cavalry of General
Banks' army, on their retreat from the Red River campaign, passed
through our post, remaining a short time in our vicinity. Among them
was a portion of our Third Rhode Island cavalry, and no hospitality
ever gave greater mutual pleasure than that which it happened to be in
our power then to grant. The record of that expedition has been made
up, but there was a refreshing vigor of opinion expressed by our
comrades on the conduct of the campaign. It seemed very lonesome when
they left us with their commander,--a true Rhode Island son, General
Richard Arnold.

Orders came within a day or two from Baton Rouge, announcing a change
of commanders of the district, and exhorting us to get everything into
fighting trim. It will be remembered that flushed with victory the
rebels followed close on the heels of our retreating army, and were
only stopped by the lack of transportation to cross the swift and deep
Atchafalaya. Of course we presumed that they would make one of their
raids down the coast and attack our post, and that of Donaldsonville,
some twenty-five miles below us, which constituted the principal
defences on the river above New Orleans. With the exception, however,
of capturing some of our cavalry pickets, we had no trouble, though
frequent alarms kept us on the qui vive. The beating of the long roll
was almost a nightly occurrence; but this I should not mention to
soldiers, except to refer to an instance that now occurs to me in
illustration of the rapidity of the mind's movements, at times. About
the time of the raids on our northern frontier, I was dreaming one
night, that we were ordered home to proceed at once to some point on
the border. All the movements incident to our departure and to our
arrival at Providence, were before me. As we were halting in Exchange
Place, with arms stack