half of them loaded with ball, were discharged.  When the smoke lifted, the body had fallen backward, and was still.  Several balls had passed through his head, and some through his heart.  His body was tumbled into the rough pine box, and buried by the men that shot him.  Such was the fate of a Tennessee patriot.  His blood will be required of those who instigated the Rebellion.  General Hardee said afterward, when the scene was described to him, “I think the man was half crazy from brooding over his fancied wrongs.  His execution was necessary to prevent others from deserting, but no sum of money could have induced me to witness it.”  General, were they “fancied wrongs!”

This scene strengthened my purpose to disconnect myself from the South as soon as I could get my pay, which was now many months in arrears.  I could not travel many hundreds of miles without means, and in a direction to excite suspicion in the mind of every man I might meet.  But the paymaster was not in funds; and while he approved and indorsed my bills, he said I must go to Richmond to receive the money.  I had not means to go to Richmond.  My horses, of which I owned two, I was determined to keep, to aid me off; hence I was forced to continue in my position as assistant-surgeon for a time.

On the 17th of April, the surgeon-general to whose staff I was attached left Corinth for Mobile, nearly three hundred miles distant, with a train conveying about forty wounded men.  The journey was tedious, and to the wounded, painful, as they occupied box-cars without springs, and the weather was exceedingly warm.  A few of the men were left under the care of physicians by the way, being unable to endure the motion of the cars.  We proceeded leisurely from station to station, stopping long enough to receive provisions for all on board from the citizens on the line of the road, which were freely and gratuitously furnished.  Wherever we stopped long enough to give the people time to assemble, crowds came to offer relief,—­ladies with flowers, jellies, and cakes for the poor fellows, and men with the more substantial provisions.  One rich old gentleman at Lauderdale Springs, named Martin, sent in a wagon loaded with stores.  This exuberance of supplies thus voluntarily furnished, is an index of the feeling of the masses in the South as to the cause in which they have embarked their all.

At the end of two and a half days we reached Mobile, and were met at the depot by a large company of ladies with carriages, to take the wounded men to a spacious and airy hospital, prepared with every necessary and comfort which could be devised.  A large number of servants were in attendance, to carry those too severely wounded to ride in the carriages; and whatever water, and clean suits, and food, and smiles, and sympathy, and Christian conversation, and religious books, could do for their comfort, was done.

After seeing the men nicely cared for, and resting, I set myself to investigations as to the possibility of escape from Mobile out to the blockading fleet, in case I could not get my pay to go home by land.  I met no cheering facts in this search.  There were about 4000 troops in and around the city.  Fort Morgan was strongly guarded, and egress was difficult, while the Union fleet lay far out.  I gave this up, as not feasible for the present, at least.