came down to view the body for the first time.  I remember, as they came down the broad stairs together, the sorrow-stricken yet calm look of those two people.  Mrs. Dandridge was very calm—­her grief was too great for her to scream as the others did when they went in.  She stood and looked at her Mack; then turning to Boss, she said:  “Cousin Eddie, how brave he was!  He died for his country.”  Poor, sorrowing, misguided woman!  It was not for his country he died, but for the perpetuation of the cruel, the infamous system of human slavery.  All the servants were allowed to come in and view the body.  Many sad tears were shed by them.  Some of the older slaves clasped their hands, as if in mute prayer, and exclaimed, as they passed by the coffin:  “He was a lovin boy.”  It seems that all his company but five or six were killed.  At an early hour next morning the funeral party started for the home in Panola, where the body of the lamented young man, sacrificed to an unholy cause, was buried, at the close of the same day.

Edward stayed at our house some six weeks, his ankle was so slow in getting well.  At the end of that time, he could walk with the aid of crutches, and he took Fanny and went home.

* * * * *

Alarm of the Memphis rebels.

Not long after this the people were very much worked up over the military situation.  The Yankees had taken Nashville, and had begun to bombard Fort Pillow.  The officials of the Memphis and Ohio railroad company became alarmed at the condition of things, fearing for the safety of their stock.  The officers, therefore, set about devising some plan by which they might get the cars down on the Memphis and Jackson road, where they imagined their property would be safe from the now terrible Yankees.  The railroad officials at once set to work to buy the right of way through Main street, to give them the connection with the southern road named.  At first it was refused by the city authorities, but finally the right of way was granted.  When, however, the railroad men began to lay the ties and rails, the people grew furious.  Some fled at once, for they imagined that this act of the railroad officials indicated that the Yankees must be coming pretty near.  Boss became so excited, at this time, that he almost felt like going away too.  The family grew more and more uneasy; and it was the continual talk:  “We must get away from Memphis.  The companies are already moving their rolling stock, fearing the Yankees may come at any time and destroy everything; we must get away,” said Boss, speaking to the madam.

* * * * *

The family flee from Memphis.