414 MAJOR JOHN F. LACEY 



Confederacy and was considering the course I should 

 take on my return home. As I intended to practice law 

 I wanted to prepare myself for admission to the bar as 

 early as I could so I took up my law books again and 

 carried some of them with me to read. During the siege 

 of Mobile I read Willard's Equity in my tent at night 

 after completing my official work for the day. An occa- 

 sional shell lighting near my tent somewhat diverted my 

 mind from the principles of equity, but I found it good 

 mental training, for if one could read a dry book under 

 the fire of siege guns he could study law almost anywhere. 



When we captured Mobile, Steele was next sent to 

 Montgomery, Alabama, with a large force of transports. 

 General A. J. Smith marched by land to the same place. 

 Some conflict arose as to whether Steele or Smith should 

 command the forces in Northern Alabama. Steele as- 

 sumed and held the command as the ranking officer for a • 

 time. Here I first met Captain C. A. Boutelle, U. S. 

 Volunteer Navy, afterward congressman from Maine. 

 Poor Boutelle. He since died demented. He brought up 

 dispatches announcing that the Sherman-Johnston truce 

 was declared off and that hostilities must be resumed. 

 The difficulty was not long in adjusting itself and there 

 was no more fighting. 



On the way up the river we had met a flag of trace in a 

 skiff announcing the cessation of hostilities, which was 

 greeted with great cheering. 



We returned to Mobile and there were ordered to Texas 

 to capture E. Kirby Smith and at the same time make a 

 diversion in favor of Juarez in his contest with Maxi- 

 milian in Mexico. We crossed the Gulf, landing at Bra- 

 zos, Santiago. The French fleet came up and paid us a 

 visit, the officers being quite anxious to know what so 

 large a force (42,000) could have to do in that part of 

 Texas. 



