e six we saw pass captives, Sunday,
would probably be sent to Fort Jackson for life. I think the guerrilla
affair mere murder, I confess; but what a dreadful fate for these young
men! One who passed Sunday was Jimmy's schoolmate, a boy of sixteen;
another, Willie Garig, the pet of a whole family of good, honest
country people....

These soldiers will get in the habit of talking to me after a while,
through my own fault. Yesterday I could not resist the temptation to
ask the fate of the six guerrillas, and stopped two volunteers who were
going by, to ask them. They discussed the fate of the country, told me
Fort Pillow and Vicksburg were evacuated, the Mississippi opened from
source to mouth; I told them of Banks's and McClellan's defeat; they
assured me it would all be over in a month,--which I fervently pray may
be so; told me they were from Michigan (one was Mr. Bee, he said,
cousin of our General); and they would probably have talked all day if
I had not bowed myself away with thanks for their information.

It made me ashamed to contrast the quiet, gentlemanly, liberal way
these volunteers spoke of us and our cause, with the rabid, fanatical,
abusive violence of our own female Secession declaimers. Thank Heaven,
I have never yet made my appearance as a Billingsgate orator on these
occasions. All my violent feelings, which in moments of intense
excitement were really violent, I have recorded in this book; I am
happy to say only the reasonable dislike to seeing my country
subjugated has been confided to the public ear, when necessary; and
that even now, I confess that nothing but the reign of terror and gross
prejudice by which I was surrounded at that time could justify many
expressions I have here applied to them. Fact is, these people have
disarmed me by their kindness. I expected to be in a crowd of ruffian
soldiers, who would think nothing of cutting your throat or doing
anything they felt like; and I find, among all these thousands, not one
who offers the slightest annoyance or disrespect. The former is the
thing as it is believed by the whole country, the latter the true state
of affairs. I admire foes who show so much consideration for our
feelings.

Contrast these with our volunteers from New Orleans--all gentlemen--who
came to take the Garrison from Major Haskins. Several of them passing
our gate where we were standing with the Brunots, one exclaimed, "What
pretty girls!" It was a stage aside that we were