Glorious Xeius. 93 



with the help of lemon-peel, preserved pine-apples, Vanilla 

 essence, and sugar. 



General Granger invited us to interrupt the monotony of our 

 life by visits to Stevenson, which were not v/ithout danger, and 

 perhaps for that reason more tempting. Whenever we wanted 

 to make such an excursion, I telegraphed to my old friend 

 General Meagher, commanding then in Chattanooga, to send 

 me a locomotive, which he never failed to do, in spite of the 

 L^rumbling of the officers in charge of the railroad department. 

 I le generally sent only a locomotive with a so-called ' caboose ' 

 attached, and perhaps one transport waggon. Stevenson was 

 only ten miles distant, but the road passed through the woods, 

 which were always haui\ted by guerillas, who were more lively 

 at that time than ever. We took, therefore, the precaution 

 of taking with us ten or twelve soldiers, who were placed on 

 the top of the waggon, and who, with their guns ready, watched 

 die woods as we passed them. Such a trip was always exci- 

 ting, for we could never be sure whether we would not meet 

 svith some wild running locomotive or get off the rails, for the 

 ' oad was in a fearful condition, and our train rattled along like 

 a horse-waggon on a corduroy road. The movement became 

 sometimes so violent that the iron cooking-pots in the caboose 

 were thrown out of their holes in the stove. We had, however, 

 no accident, and amused ourselves much in Stevenson, thanks 

 to General Granger, who treated us with the fine music of his 

 bands and most exquisite dinners, for the General was a km- 

 vivant. Stevenson itself is an insignificant place, stretching 

 along a most dreary bare hill, but which looked then quite 

 grand, on account of the great number of military wood 

 buildings.. ^ 



From the army we heard only vague reports, but they were 

 so contradictory, that we did not believe in any. At last, on 

 the 1 8th of December, news arrived of great victories achieved 

 by our army, which was said to have taken forty or fifty guns. 

 Hood's army was reported as being in full retreat, and we 

 expected them every moment to appear before Bridgeport. 

 Tv\'o gunboats arrived for the protection of our island, and 

 Colonels Tavlor and Corvin werebusv with strenCTthenin? Bridge- * 

 port as much as possible and in disposing of the few troops 

 left in that place. 



The glorious news was confirmed ; General Thomas had 



