Chapter I: Preface

The following unpretending narrative of some of the actual experiences of a boy in the War of the Rebellion is fraternally dedicated to my comrades of the G. A. R.

Part of these adventures were recorded in the press of the country at the time of their occurrence, and more recently, in detached and crude form, in different papers.

Through the kindly interest of many friends, and especially that of my relative and comrade, Col. J. H. Madden, of Danville, Illinois, the revised and collated Story is now offered to the public and corrected from the original notes and MSS.

Yours in F. C. & L.,

THE AUTHOR.

CONTENTS.

[Transcriber's Note: Chapter XVIII was duplicated in the text. The Table of Contents has been changed to reflect the chapter numbers given in the text.]

CHAPTER. PAGE

I. Introductory 9

II. On Duty as a Spy at the Rebel Capital, Montgomery, Alabama--Living
in same Hotel with Jeff Davis and His Cabinet--Conspirators from
Washington Interviewed--Bounty Offered by Confederates before a Gun
Was Fired--Fort Sumter and Fort Pickens 19

III. Pensacola, Florida--In Rebel Lines--Fort Pickens--Admiral
Porter and the Navy 28

IV. Crossing the Bay to Fort Pickens, etc. 38

V. Rebel Newspapers--On Admiral Porter's Ship 52

VI. Admiral Porter Saves the Boy's Life--Interview with the Rebel
Flag-of-Truce Officers, Who Claim Him for a Victim--Scenes on Board
a Man-of-War--Return Home by Sea--Reception in New York--Telegraph
Acquaintances--New York Papers Record the Adventure in Full Page 65

VII. Reporting to the Secretary of War, at Washington--Ordered on
Another Scout to Virginia--In Patterson's Army, in Virginia, before
the Battle of Bull Run 80

VIII. A Night's Scout in Johnston's Army--Rebel Signals--Visitors
from the Union Army Headquarters Report to Rebel Headquarters--General
J. E. Johnston's Escape to Beauregard Reported to General
Patterson--Fitz-John Porter Responsible for the First Battle of Bull
Run, as He Was Cashiered for That of the Second Bull Run--An
Important Contribution to the War History of the Time--The Story
since Confirmed by the _Century_ Historians of Lincoln, Secretaries
Nicolay and Hay 94

IX. Reporting to General Bank's Headquarters for Duty--The Life of
Jeff Davis Threatened--Captured at Harper's Ferry--Interesting
Personal Letters Corroborating the Supposed Death of the "Boy Spy" 114

X. At Beauregard's Headquarters--On Duty at Manassas 125

XI. Important Documents Intercepted at Manassas, which Established
the Fact that the Rebel Army had no Intention, and Were not Able to
Advance after Manassas--The Rebel Army Demoralized by Success, and
Twenty-five Per Cent. Absent from Epidemic--On the Field after the
Battle--Observation Inside Rebel Camps--Talking with Richmond by
Wire--Captured by Rebel Picket in Sight of the Signal Lights at
Georgetown College 134

XII. Another Escape, etc. 154

XIII. One More Escape--"Yanking" the Telegraph Wires--"On to
Richmond!"--A Close Shave 166

XIV. On to Richmond--A Night of Terror--A Ghastly Find in the
Woods--Attacked by Bloodhounds--Other Miraculous Escapes--First
Visit to Fredericksburg--A Collection Taken up in a Church in
Virginia for the "Boy Spy"--Arrives in Richmond 178

XV. Sick In Richmond--Concealed by a Colored Boy and Unable to
Move--An Original Cipher Letter Sent Through the Blockade to
Washington that Tells the Whole Story in a Few Words--Meeting
with Maryland Refugees--The "Boy Spy" Serenaded--"Maryland, My
Maryland"--Jeff Davis' Office and Home--A Visit to Union Prisoners
at Libby Prison, etc. 195

XVI. Richmond--Hollywood--Jeff Davis--Breckinridge--Extra Billy
Smith--Mayor, Governor, etc. 214

XVII. Richmond--A Close Shave 227

XVIII. Richmond on an Autumn Morning--A Group of Good Looking
Soldiers--Jeff Davis Passes By--The Battle of Ball's
Bluff--Richmond Newspapers 238

XVIII. A Narrow Escape--Recognized by Texas Friends at a Richmond
Theatre--Personnel of the Maryland Battery--Refugees from
Ireland--Camp Lee, near Richmond--Our Captain--Lieutenant
Claiborne, of Mississippi--Our Section Drills--Horses for Our Use
in Town and Adjoining County--Visits of Ladies--Capitola--Popularity
of Refugees--The Entertainment for Marylanders--Tableau--Jeff
Davis Strikes the Chains from the Enslaved Maryland Beauty 245

XIX. Richmond, Fall 1861--Daily Visits to the War Office, Mechanics
Hall--Evenings Devoted to Visits in Town--Mixed up with Maryland
Ladies--Fort Pickens Opens Fire on Pensacola Batteries--General
Winder, of Maryland--Jeff Davis Inaugurated President--Shake Hands
with Jeff Davis 261

XX. One Sunday in Richmond--Jeff Davis' and General Lee's Homes and
Church--Recognized at Libby Prison--Visit to Texas Camp--A
"Difficulty" Renewed--Thrilling Experience--A Night in Richmond with
Texas Boys 272

XXI. Maryland "Refugees"--Coercing into the Union in East Tennessee
"Refugees"--Parson Brownlow Interviewed--A Happy Experience with
Maggie Craig--The Battle of Mill Spring--First Union Victory as
Seen from Inside the Rebel Army 293

XXII. Cruelty of General Ledbetter--Another Narrow Escape--Ordered
to Cumberland Gap--A Wearisome Journey--Arrived at the Gap--The
Stolen Letter--Alone in the Darkness--The North Star--Day Dawn 314

XXIII. Return Home from Cumberland Gap--Meeting with Parson
Brownlow on His Trip to Washington 339

XXIV. Arrival at Washington--Meets Hon. John Covode--J. W. Forney
and Senators--Testimony Before Committee on the Conduct of the
War--Remarkable Interviews with Secretary Stanton--A Visit to Mr.
Lincoln, at Washington--The Telegraph Corps--Again Ordered to the
Front, at Fredericksburg, Virginia 356

XXV. Geno--Fredericksburg--A Chapter of War History not in
_The Century_ Papers 377

XXVI. A Scout to Richmond Develops Important Information--No
Force in Front of McDowell to Prevent his Co-operating with
McClellan--The Secretary of War Responsible for the Failure of
the Peninsula Campaign--Our Spy as a War Correspondent Antagonizes
the War Department by Criticism in the Papers--Is Arrested on a
Technicality and Sent a Special Prisoner to Old Capitol by the
Secretary of War's Orders 396

XXVII. Old Capitol Prison--Belle Boyd, the Rebel Spy, a Companion
and Friend--A Disguised English Duke--Interesting Scenes and
Experiences in this Famous State Prison--Planning to Escape
Disguised as a Contraband--Released on Parole by Order of the
Secretary of War 412

XXVIII. Fired Out of Old Capitol Prison--"Don't Come Here
Again!"--My Friend the Jew Sutler--Out in a New Rig--At the
Canterbury Theatre 431

XXIX. Life at Headquarters Army of Potomac--Some Startling
Revelations as to the "True Inwardness," not to say Cussedness,
of Our High Union Officials--Interesting Descriptions of Family
Life at Headquarters--"Signals"--Ciphers--Again Volunteering for
Secret Service Inside the Rebel Army--A Remarkable Statement about
Burnside and Hooker--Introduction to General Meade--A Night on the
Rappahannock Interviewing Rebel Pickets 451

XXX. Conspiracies among Union Generals and Northern Politicians--The
Defense of that Unappreciated Army, the Cavalry--Hooker and Dead
Cavalrymen--Stoneman's Celebrated Raid to Richmond Truthfully
Described, and Its Failure to Capture Richmond Accounted for--A
Chapter on the "Secret Service" not Referred to in Official Reports
or Current War History 480

XXXI. Farewell to Fredericksburg--General Pleasonton--Cavalry
Fighting at Brandy and Aldie--Looking after Stuart's Rebel
Cavalry--A Couple of Close Calls--Chased by Mosby's Guerrillas--With
Custer in Frederick, Md., the Day before the Battle, Flirting with
the Girls 510

XXXII. Sent to Find General Buford--A Hasty Ride--The Battle of
Gettysburg--Cemetery Ridge--General Doubleday--General Hancock--The
Second Day of the Battle 519

XXXIII. Closing Chapter 548

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE.

"If You are around Here when We Begin the Job, You Will Find out
all about That." _Frontispiece._

A Close Call at Gettysburg 537

"Ah! Sketching, Are You?" 66

An Interview with Parson Brownlow 304

"Are You Union, or Confederate?" 338

"Bill, Ain't He the Fellow?" 282

Cavalry Picket on the Rappahannock 473

"Colonel Mosby's Soldiers, I Reckon, Sir?" 516

Cumberland Gap--This Was Enough for Me 329

Geno Was Not only the Prettiest, but the Sweetest Girl I ever Saw 381

"Get Up Here, You Damned Old Traitor." 316

"Halt!" 150

He seemed to have Forgotten all about Dressing Himself 359

I'd Cut Him and Feed the Pieces to the Sharks 44

I had Stepped onto the Decaying Body of--_a Man_! 181

In an Instant He Put the Point of His Sword against My Breast 347

In Old Capitol Prison--Disguised as a Contraband 427

In Old Capitol Prison--I Admit that I Broke Down Completely 413

I Was Being "Toted" Back to the Rebel Army 158

I Whispered to Him as I Went Past: "Norfolk is Taken." 223

I "Yanked," or by a Dexterous "Twist of the Wrist," I Was Able to
Break the Wire 170

Landing Kerslop over the Side onto the Ground 177

Miss Mamie Wells Ministering to the Wounded [Transcriber's
Note: This illustration is not found in the text.] 400

On a Scout to Richmond 396

Recognized by Texans at Richmond Theatre 248

Refusing in Her very Decided Manner to Walk under "That Flag" 383

Tail Piece--To the Boy Spy 556

Tapping the Telegraph Wire--"Are the Yanks in Fredericksburg?" 493

"Thank God, I'm Safe among my Friends." 121

The Sergeant kindly Gave Him the Steel 441

"To Father: I am Safe; Are All Well at Home?" 352

We hastily Dressed and Ran Back from the Bank 95

You always Say _Down_ Here, and That You're Going to go up Home 197

THE BOY SPY.