he had a barrel of sorghum molasses, a firkin of butter, two sheep, a pair of fox-hounds, a hoop-skirt, a corn-sheller, a baby’s cradle, a lot of crockery, half a dozen padlocks, two hoes, and a rocking-chair.  On the next night he returned with a family carriage drawn by a horse and a mule.  In the carriage he had, among other things, a parrot-cage which contained a screaming parrot, several pairs of ladies’ shoes, a few yards of calico, the stock of an old musket, part of a spinning-wheel, and a box of garden seeds.  In what way these things would contribute to the support of the army, it was difficult to understand.

On one occasion the captain found a trunk full of clothing, concealed with a lot of salt in a Rebel warehouse.  He brought the trunk to camp, and, as the quartermaster refused to receive it, took it to St. Louis when the expedition returned.  At the hotel where he was stopping, some detectives were watching a suspected thief, and, by mistake, searched the captain’s room.  They found a trunk containing thirteen coats of all sizes, with no pants or vests.  Naturally considering this a strange wardrobe for a gentleman, they took the captain into custody.  He protested earnestly that he was not, and had never been, a thief, but it was only on the testimony of the quartermaster that he was released.  I believe he subsequently acted as a scout under General Halleck, during the siege of Corinth.

After the withdrawal of our army, General Price returned to Springfield and went into winter-quarters.  McCulloch’s command formed a cantonment at Cross Hollows, Arkansas, about ninety miles southwest of Springfield.  There was no prospect of further activity until the ensuing spring.  Every thing betokened rest.

From Springfield I returned to St. Louis by way of Rolla, designing to follow the example of the army, and seek a good locality for hibernating.  On my way to Rolla I found many houses deserted, or tenanted only by women and children.  Frequently the crops were standing, ungathered, in the field.  Fences were prostrated, and there was no effort to restore them.  The desolation of that region was just beginning.

CHAPTER X.

TWO MONTHS OF IDLENESS.

A Promise Fulfilled.—­Capture of a Rebel Camp and Train.—­Rebel Sympathizers in St. Louis.—­General Halleck and his Policy.—­Refugees from Rebeldom.—­Story of the Sufferings of a Union Family.—­Chivalry in the Nineteenth Century.—­The Army of the Southwest in Motion.—­Gun-Boats and Transports.—­Capture of Fort Henry.—­The Effect in St. Louis.—­Our Flag Advancing.