I stayed in Canada, at Windsor and Kingsville, four months. During that
winter (1863-4) occurred cold New Year’s Day. I went to a Methodist
watch meeting the night before and stayed until after midnight. When
I got back to my hotel at Kingsville it was blustering and getting
cold fast. The next morning by seven or eight o’clock it was so cold
that neither the young man that was with me nor myself could hardly
get out of bed. It was eighteen degrees below zero then, and got
worse during the day. Lake Erie froze over from side to side so thick
as to allow heavy teams to cross over it a distance of forty miles.
Some Confederate prisoners who were confined at Johnson’s Island made
their escape on the ice to Canada. One of these in making his escape
was wounded by the Federal guard and was taken to a farmhouse near
Kingsville. Everybody skated in that country, and I soon learned the
sport. While so engaged I became acquainted with the Misses Harris, two
handsome and refined young ladies, residing at Kingsville, who were the
granddaughters of Simon Girty, the renegade. Their mother, the daughter
of this infamous character in the pioneer days of our country, was then
still living.
I learned to make cigars while I was up there in Canada, and I got
short of funds before I left, and my landlady took my stock of
cigars which I had left for a balance on my board-bill. It was very
small,—only $1.75 a week for board and lodging.
When I went to Canada, I got to the Hirons House in Windsor and
thought I would register. I looked over the register to see if I knew
anybody stopping there. I knew there was a lot of Confederates who
had gotten out of Camp Douglas and gone to Canada. I looked over the
page, and nearly every one whose signature I saw on it—I recognized a
good many of them—had registered his name, Company, Regiment, Brigade,
Confederate States Army. Thinks I, if they can so register, I can too.
So I wrote my name in full with Company and Regiment, Gen. John H.
Morgan’s Command, C. S. A.