In Camp And Field

(Secticni XlX-Continued.) At the time the Tbirteen th army corps was advancing up the eastern shore ol Mobile Bay - joined by the Sixteenth corpa at the mouth of Fish river - to the investment and siege of Spanish Fort, a co-operêrating column, led by General Francis Steele, moved from Pensacola, Fla., and attacked Fort Blakely, twelve miles northeast of Mobile on the Tensaw river. As soon as Bpamsb Fort feil into our bands, the troops engaged in the investment of this place were ordered to Blakely, about ten miles uortheast and to the rigbt. The march was begun near noon of April 9. About half the distance had been accomplished wben a temfflc cannonade and musketry lire was heard at the front Undet the inspiration of tliis sound the column moved f aster, but by and by tbe dring ceased and word carne back tbal Blakely had been carned by assault. This was a suitry Sabbath afternoon and tbe very day tbat Lee surrendered at Appomatoz, April 9, 1865, though the latier evenl was not kDown to the Union forces about Mobile till vine days later. Toward uight tbe command went into camp uear Blakely, In a grove of pine trees. Early nen morning ttie scène ol tbe pretiuu day's butilo was visitea. At both Spamsti Fort and Blakely the Confedérate bad planted tor pea oes aoout tbe approacbe to tbelr works. These worklng partie were removing as tneir locatlon vva pointed out by Confedérate prisoners. lt was iaia tnat several of our men the day previou had trodden upon these terriblo iiiitruiuciit of death and were blown to aiorus, in most instanccs tuey were percuasum sneiis placed just beneath the surfacc of the cround ia such a mannet tbat tbe ireaU ol an unwary foot would cause instant explosión. Kor a halt mile or more the timber about Blakely Liad been felled wit ti tbe tops ut tbe trees pointinj from the works and with their sharpened extremitles tbe Drancbes stood ready to greatly impede the nd vanee of aa attackïog rorce. Bul througb. thcre and amidst a shower of bot, shell, ranmsier and bulléis, tbe Federáis made ibeir way to end over tne Confedérate works. Tbe principal part of the as3ault bad been borne by a división of colored trocps belongintf to General Sleele's command. These men, it was reported on every baad, bore tbemselves most gallantly. Passing into Blakely early on tbe momlog of April 10, lt ba ving beensurrendered at 5 p. m. the day previous, an opportunity was given to see ttnrps pretty mucn as the Confederates had left tbem. Une ihing that in teres ted tbe writer g restly was ome captured baversacks ccntamin Johnny'i rationa. Tbe meat was sucb as our men would rever have tasted unless reduced lo the verge of starvation, and the bread seemed indescribably poor, and of sucb. character as a Northern farmer would hardly feed to his bogs. It seemed to have been made from meal of wbicb more than half was bran, and after bcingr made into smal] pones- ■dodgers."- had beeD apparently cooked in tbe asbes and given about the appearance tbat two or tbree dajs' sun-drying would bestow. That men would consent to live on such food, and witb scarcely any pay, daily encounter tbe vicissitudes of army ufe, and, wheo occasioD called, cheerfully risked their live in battle, is a high tribute to Southern bardibood, pluck and courage. Mosi of the dead of both armies bad already been disposed of, but the body of one man is specially remembered. Be was a Texan Captain, tall and slender in person, witb long black hair and whiskers. His clothing was muoh better tban tbat worn by most persons in the Confedérate army, and it is remembered tbat he had on his teet neat, clean cotton socks that seemed to be similar to what are now knownas "Britishhose." The probability is tbat the clothes he had on were nearly all of Bntisb manufacture and had been secured when Mobile was a favorita port with blockade-runners. Drawn over tbe Texan 's face was a white, broad-brimmed slouch nat, so that his form. features and dress gave evidence of the typical Southerner of the better and weaithier class. Already there had begun to gather abouj tbe dead Texan a romantic history of tbe way he met death, and all the forenoon Ihere was clustered around him a group of Federal soldiers, recitiag and hearing recited tbis nistory: When the Federáis entered the works the evening provious all the Confederates jave themselves up as prisoners of war out the Texas Captain, who refused to surrender under any circumstacces, and when importuned by the Federáis said "No sir, surrender's not my name," anj "sbowed Igbt", as they used to say in army circles. Whether his efforts at resistance were such as merited death, or whether in the excitement of battle and tnumph, his life was taken in mere wantonness, is not inown; at any rate just above oi;e ear was a great bullet hole, and after Lee had signed the papers surrendering the Army of Northern Virginia to General Grant, one more name was added to a terrible deathroll already frightfully long. The writer listened to tbe recital of the dead Texan's story from the lips of a soldier standing by, who, when he finished, added, pointing to another soldier standing a little to one side: "There is the man that shot him." The man pointed out was as meek and innocent appearing as can be magíned, and with down-cast eyes admit;ed firing the fatal shot, and confirmed the story as narrated. The Texan was the last dead Confedérate seen upon a battle field by the writer. The flrst was seen two years beore, on the battle fleld of Fort Gibson in he Vicksburg campaign. He, like the Texan, was tall and snare, and tbus far seemed a typical Southerner, but he was attired in the coarsest of the crude dress of the Southern army, and nothing about lim gave any evidence of wealth or rev [nemen t, But both lay whero they feil on a &eW of battle taken possession of by tbe enemy, and thelr lifeless bodies were viewed by many of the then detested Yankees. Both gave their Uves in a hopeless cause, and both would have seemed to have died in vain- but, as to the latter, may be not; and, just as there are some poisons that nothing short of tire and furnace beat wiU destroy, so witb the Lates and passious engendered by slavery auU seces3ion- nothing save battle, blood and death could wipe them out. Much praise was bestowed upon the colored división wbo bore the brunt of the assault the rtay previous. Tho afternoon of April 10 the writer visiied the colored troops and conversed with some ol them. They were very proud of tbeir achievemeot, and seemed ready to llghl the whole (Southern Confeaeracy if the opportunity was only given them. One feilow was neen with a bullet hole throagh one ebeen, but no trace of the bullet could be seen elsewhere. The writer asked of the sufferer how ho could De affected in this way; a bullethole tlirough oue check, but no teeth knocked out, and no wound elsewhere about the lace. "Day ball come in al my mouf, sah,"said Bamba. "But how did ït fcet through your mouth without injuring your teelh and Li pst" was asked. "I had my mouf op'n," was answered. 'Why dia you have ït open!" was further asKed. "U. I was jist hollerin' Fort Pülerat um," said Samuo. Thi, ït seemed, was their Dattls-cry, and was toe means ot savin? this darkey froin a graat deal uguer aud more seriuus W0UD(1. Kon Pillow, it wíll be remembered, was the cene ot tin lodiscriminate inassacre of colored trnops ty Ueneral Forrest ia the spring ot 1S64. A little wnue before the war r.lused the Boulherners tried to enlist uegroes tn tbeir armies, and for this purpose a bilí was passed by tbe Confedérate Congres at Richmond. A conv of tbii in a Cnnffiriftrata paper is inwin possession ot tbe writer, and some of its provisión are Interesting. The tirst clause pro vides: "That In order to pro vide additioual f orces lo repel invasión, maiutain the rightf ui possessions Of the Confedérate States, secure their independence and praerve their inxtitutitms, the President be and is bereby authorized to ask for and accept trom the owners of slaves the services of sucli able-bodied negro men as he niay deern expedient, for and ilurin the war, to perform military duty in whatever capacity he may direct" The last clause provides: ''That nothing in this act suall üe construed to authorize a change in the relationt whic 11 the saicl slaves sball bear to their owners," etc, etc. In the same paper is a message from Jefferson Uavis to the Confedérate Congress, dated Marcu 18, 1865, in which occurs the following reference to the "Negro .Bill:" "'The bilí for employing negroes as soldiers bas not yet reached me, though the pnnted journals of your proceedings mtorms me of its passage. Mucti beneüt is anticipated from this measure, though far less tnan would have resulted from its adoption at an earlier date so as to afford time for their organization and instruction during the winter months." As migbt have been conjectured, the colored men did not flock to a Standard that was tbe emblem of a people bent on the perpetual enslavement ot the African race in America.