SCHEME FOR A NEW REBELLION.--ANDREW JOHNSON AND HIS CO-
CONSPIRATORS.--THE GENERAL OF THE ARMY AND SECRETARY OF WAR
SAVE THE COUNTRY.--“TOM” ANDERSON'S BRUTAL MURDER.--UNCLE
DANIEL DIES.
“Forgiveness to the injured does belong,
But they never pardon who have done the wrong.”
--Dryden
“Jones surrendered to Sherwood. Mobile had fallen Iand all the minor
commands in rebellion were trying to see which could get in first. The
President of the Confederacy had been captured by Wellston. Our great
armies were mustered out of the service, and peace once more reigned
throughout the land. The then President had by his declarations shown
such bitter hostility toward the leading rebels that they were greatly
alarmed, and many were leaving the country. The General of our armies
had established his headquarters at Washington, and all matters
pertaining to the future were now in the hands of the civil authorities.
“Gen. Anderson had returned to my house, where he found joy and
happiness in our little family at his safety after passing through
the storm of this great struggle. His wife and little Mary, as well as
little Jennie, seemed as though they would never get through kissing
him. Henry and his wife (Seraine) were now with-us. Lieut. Whitcomb
returned to Detroit to his parents. Gen. Anderson and Henry were all who
were left of the eight of my household who had entered the service. You
can imagine the sadness this brought back to me. David's wife (Jennie)
became melancholy and more depressed than usual. She was stricken with
fever and died in about three weeks after the General's return. This
left this dear child”--pointing to Jennie Wilson--“alone in the world,
without a protector, save her poor old grandfather. Mary Anderson, the
General, Henry and Seraine were all kind and willing to do anything for
her that they could. She was sole heir to her father's farm, which had
been left in my hands, and naturally looked to me, and so we have ever
since lived together.
“Henry, Seraine, Gen. Anderson and his family stayed with me until the
General could determine whether he would remain North or venture to
return to his old home in Mississippi. Old Ham and Aunt Martha, after
the murder of Mr. Lincoln, seemed to have lost all energy, and were
unusually silent and melancholy, seldom speaking to any one, save in the
expression of their great joy at the safe return of their Marsa Gen'l.'
One day, while we were sitting on the porch, the General said to Ham,
who had come to the front of the house:
“'Ham, what is the matter with you and Aunt Martha? You seem to be in a
serious mood all the time, since my return?'
“'Yes, Marsa Gen'l, we is monstrous serious, sah. We feels bad 'bout
Marsa Lincum, what dem 'Sesh kill. He war our bes' frien', He make us
free, and we feel dat dar am some wrong somewhar, dat dem 'Sesh starve
de Union sogers; dey shoots dem when dey wants to, and dey kills our
President, and none of dem get hunged for dis. If dis is de way dat
matters is a-gwine, what am goin' to 'come of de darkies? Whar am dey
gwine? What am gwine to 'come ob Marfa and Ham? Dat's what am worryin'
us.'
“'Well, Ham, you need not worry about that. You will be taken care of. I
will see to that.'
“Just then Aunt Martha came into the house, and hearing the
conversation, the good old woman became greatly excited. When she heard
what the General said to Ham she caught hold of the former, and in her
way gave expression to her feelings. She said:
“'Marsa Gen'l, I's mighty feered somethin' bad gwine to happen to us
poor colored folks. Dar frien's seem de only ones what get kill, and
when dey do de folks do nuffln wid de 'Sesh. Dey send dem home agin, so
dat dey do jes' what dey please. You mind what Aunt Marfa say, dem 'Sesh
do wid de darkies what dey wan' to in less den no time. Dey is free; I
know dat; but who dey work for? Mus' dey be under de same ones what sell
dem before de 'bellion? If dey is, den de 'Sesh make dem young darkies
what's comin' on b'lieve anything dey wants to; and afore dey is growd
up dey be helpin' de 'Sesh, and den what we do? I tells you dis bin on
my min' and in Ham's head, too. We trus' in de good Laud; and you, Marsa
Gen'l, you kin fix dis. I's sure you kin. De good Laud spare you for
dis; I know he do. I's sure dar was six mans in dis family, all kill, my
good old missus die, den my good young missus, she die; dey was all kill
and die 'ceptin' you, and I knows dat you are save to take keer of us
darkies, or you bin kill long afore dis!'
“'Well, aunty, I will do all I can for everybody. You and Ham shall be
cared for; have no fears about that.'
“'Dat be good. I always know you look after us, Marsa Gen'l, case we
sabe you life; but, den, my chillens, Laud knows whar dey is. Ham and
me bin talkin' 'bout dat. We wants dem to get long, but we not know dem,
nor whar dey am. Maybe we see dem some day.'
“'All right, aunty, we will talk about this hereafter.'
“Poor old darkies! They both went back to the kitchen better satisfied
and much happier.”
Dr. Adams said: “Uncle Daniel, Aunt Martha did not miss it very far, did
she?'
“No; the poor old woman had a presentiment that matters would not be as
peaceful and well for the colored people as was anticipated.
“Just at this time old man Joseph Dent rode up to the gate. He was as
glad to see the General as if he had been one of his own family. We
talked over the war, and praised the old man for the part he had
played in assisting us in discovering the plots of the conspirators. He
returned to the farm greatly delighted that his work was appreciated.
“We all remained at home for some time trying to shake off our many
sorrows. Mary Anderson and Seraine tried to make it pleasant for all.
The General interested us in giving his experiences, and Henry in turn
his with the conspirators. Time wore on, and finally Gen. Anderson
concluded to go to Colorado for the purpose of seeing what he could
do in the mines, leaving his wife and daughter still with me. Henry
remained with us; he and Seraine visiting occasionally with his friends
at Detroit.
“Congress was engaged in trying to agree upon a plan for the
reconstruction of the South, as well as to reorganize the army. When the
law was passed for the latter purpose I was written to by the Secretary
of War in order to ascertain Gen. Anderson's whereabouts. I wrote him,
giving his address. The General was tendered a position in the army.
He came home and consulted his wife, but finally declined it. He
recommended Lieut. James Whitcomb, his Aid-de-Camp, Seraine's brother,
for a position, and he was appointed a Lieutenant in the cavalry arm of
the service. He is still alive and in the army, but transferred, as I
understand, to a different branch of the service.
“The General concluded to go to Washington city, where he remained some
weeks. On returning he thought he would settle there in the practice of
the law. His wife did not wish to go until he had tried the chances of
success. So it was arranged that his family should remain with me, his
wife wishing to return to her old home when she felt that it was safe
for the General. He returned to Washington, and did very well.
“By this time there seemed to be some friction between the President and
Congress. This condition of things continued, with ill-feeling, and the
breach still widening. The President differed widely with the Republican
majority, as well as the Secretary of War and the General of the Army,
as to the reconstruction of the States recently in rebellion. Every
measure that Congress would pass with a view of taking charge of the
colored people or aiding them in their perilous condition, was rejected
by the President, and had to be passed over his veto. It was the same
with matters in reference to reconstruction. He began haranguing the
populace from the balcony of the Executive Mansion, in order to create
an ill-feeling and prejudice in the minds of the people against their
representatives.
“He, however, very suddenly changed his views as to the proper treatment
for the leaders of the rebellion. Instead of wishing them tried and
punished, as formerly, he thought a portion of Congress should be tried
and punished. He turned his back on his Union friends and made the
leading rebels and their sympathizers of the North his confidants.
Jefferson Davis and all those under arrest for treason were, under
his new programme, released. He denounced leading Republicans as
conspirators and traitors. He was cajoled by every conspirator of the
late rebellion. Finally the visits of certain men from Maryland and
Virginia became so frequent that it aroused a suspicion in the minds of
the Secretary of War and the Chief of Staff to the General of the Army,
and very soon this suspicion extended to the General himself that a new
conspiracy was being organized. The General was led to believe this,
first, on the ground that the President at one time wanted all the
leading men who had been paroled by the General arrested and tried by
the U. S. Court in Virginia. This the General of the Army had resisted
in such a manner as to cause quite a coolness between the two. The
same men that he at one time desired to see hanged had now become his
companions, confidential friends and advisers.
“Information was received about this time, through a source that could
not be doubted by the Secretary of War nor by the General of the Army,
of a programme which had been agreed upon by the President and certain
rebels claiming that their States were sovereign, were States now
as ever, with all their rights--that of representation included. The
President determined to issue his proclamation for an election of
Senators and Members of the House of Representatives from all the States
lately in rebellion, and if they came to Washington claiming their
seats, and should not be admitted by the Republican majority, he
would organize a Congress with the Southern members and the Northern
Democrats, and as President would recognize them as the Congress of the
United States and send his messages and communications accordingly. If
the Republicans resisted he would disperse them by force, and thereby
make them the rebels against the lawful Government, as he claimed, and
in that way turn it over to its enemies and their sympathizers, with
himself as their chief instead of Mr. Davis, holding the Capital and all
the Government archives. If he could induce the General of the Army to
obey his orders he could carry out this scheme; if not, he would get rid
of the General and try and find some other officer upon whom he could
rely. To be prepared in case he could not use the Commander of the Army,
a force was to be organized in Maryland and Virginia, which was to sweep
down upon Washington and take possession before outside forces could be
organized against the President's authority, using in connection with
this force such of the army as would obey him. He tested the General
of the Army and found he could not use him to aid in starting a new
rebellion. He then concluded that he would send him away to Mexico, and
put in some pliant tool as Secretary of War, and then put this scheme in
operation.
“Just about this time an application was made to the General of the
Army, without coming through the Secretary of War, by the State of
Maryland, for its quota of arms. This at once struck the General as
strange. He went to the Secretary of War, and upon consultation the
application was placed among the relics of the past. In a day or so
the President inquired of the General if he had received such an
application. The General said he had, and was asked what he was going to
do. He answered that it would be looked into. This seemed to the General
very unusual, for a President to be looking after such things.
“I had gone to Washington to look after pay that was due three of my
sons when killed. While sitting with Gen. Anderson in his room, soon
after my arrival, a knock was heard at the door. A boy entered with a
note from the Secretary of War, saying he had just heard of my arrival
and desired to see me.”
“The next morning as soon as I could I went to his office. When I met
him he was very cordial with me; conversed about the murder of Mr.
Lincoln and the utter collapse of the rebellion, as well as the great
loss in my family. I spoke to him about my business, and he at once
directed matters so that it would be attended to without delay. The
Secretary then said to me that it was through my direction that Mr.
Lincoln and himself had been able to thwart the late conspirators in
many of their diabolical schemes during the war, and that they failed
only in one--that of preventing the murder of the President.
“In speaking of this sad calamity the great tears stood in his eyes.
'But,' said he, 'my dear friend Lyon, we are now standing upon the verge
of a volcano, and this time, if the schemes of the conspirators can be
carried out, we will be in more danger than ever; and we who have just
put this great rebellion down will be compelled to play the part of
rebels ourselves in the next great drama.'
“I was almost struck dumb by this announcement, and thought the
Secretary was perhaps unnecessarily alarmed at some minor matter. He
rang his bell for a messenger, and sent him across the street for the
General of the Army. He soon came in, and after pleasant greetings we
all retired to the Secretary's private room. There he was about to
make me acquainted with this whole matter, when the General said to the
Secretary that he desired his Chief of Staff to be present. He was sent
for, and soon entered. I was put under a pledge of secrecy, and then the
whole scheme was revealed to me as I have told it to you, except that it
was given to me more in detail. The name of their secret informant was
given, and I was then truly surprised and could no longer doubt the
facts as to the conspiracy for the second rebellion. The man who had
unfolded the scheme to the Secretary of War and to the General of
the Army was a man of reputation in a marked degree; had held a high
position in the Confederate service, but had seen enough of war, and
also respected his parole to the General of our Army.
“The General did not know at what moment he might be relieved from the
command of the Army, and was therefore anxious that the Secretary of War
might in some way be prepared for the emergency, should it arise; but
said that he could not personally be a party to any preparations for
such an event while he was subject to the orders of the President. So he
said that he would retire, but would leave his Chief of Staff, who, he
said, seemed to be belligerent enough for any purpose. When the General
withdrew the Secretary said:
“'Now, Mr. Lyon, what can you do to aid us, or what do you suggest?'
“I said: 'Give me until this evening to reflect upon the matter and I
will meet you gentlemen here at any hour that may be agreed upon.' So
eight o'clock was designated, and we separated.
“During the day I made inquiry of Gen. Anderson about the disbanded
soldiers; how they, or some of them, could be organized in an emergency,
and supposed the case of the rebels trying their rebellion over again.
He laughed at the idea, but said there was but one condition of things
that could possibly bring about such a result, and that was if the
President should undertake the restoration of all the rebel States
without the action of Congress, as he had heard hinted by some leading
rebels who had recently been in Washington.
“I asked him if it would not be well for some men of influence to be on
the alert.
“'Yes,' he replied; 'there ought to be a secret force in Washington and
elsewhere, until the reconstruction of the rebel States is complete.'
“I said no more to him at this time on the subject. Gen. Anderson said
he would call and see the General of the Army in a day or so, as he had
only visited him occasionally since in Washington, but that his calls
were always made very pleasant.
“At eight o'clock sharp I went to the War Office and found the Secretary
and the Chief of Staff to the General waiting for me. We at once entered
into conversation on the subject of the conspiracy. I made the same
suggestion that Gen. Anderson had intimated to me, which was at once
discussed and thought to be a good proposition. But how could it be done
without the whole matter being made public in some way? The Secretary
thought this was a matter that should be kept within the knowledge of a
very few discreet men.
“'True,' said I; 'but you must have a nucleus here in Washington if you
can find the man to organize it. I know a man who would be perfectly
safe, but I have a suggestion in connection with him that I think
better. It is this: My son Henry is very anxious to go to the Black
Hills, but that country being unsafe, on account of the Indians, I have
been thinking that a large number of discharged soldiers would jump
at an enterprise of this kind. They could be organized and have it so
arranged that they could be got together quickly for any emergency; and
if the emergency should not arise, when the danger should be passed
the General of the Army could properly issue an order preventing
any organization or combination of men from entering the Black Hills
country, and instruct the army in that part of the West to carry out the
order. This would let the men at the head of the organization out of
the scrape, and would afford them an ample excuse for abandoning the
enterprise.'
“The Secretary said: 'This seems feasible; who could you trust with this
management?'
“I replied: 'Gen. Tom Anderson.'
“'Just the man,' replied both gentlemen.
“'The Secretary said: 'This part is in your hands. We do not wish to see
anyone but you on this part of the plan. We will give our confidence
to no one else. We hope you will not delay. We will look out for
Washington. You need not hesitate; these two men, Gen. Anderson and your
son, will be amply compensated.'
“The Chief of Staff to the General then remarked: 'I think I know the
man to take hold of matters in Washington.' He then named a man who had
been a Union officer, and who was then in the city. He was sent for
and had an interview the following afternoon with the two gentlemen
mentioned. I immediately returned, met Gen. Anderson, and asked him
to go with me to my room. When there I laid the case before him fully,
imposing entire secrecy, should the terrible threatened disaster be
averted, saying to him that Henry, my son, being young and thoughtless,
must not know the inside, but must look upon it merely as a matter
of precaution, and with the intention of carrying out the Black Hills
scheme in order to get into that rich mineral country.
“The General readily assented to all, and at once prepared to return
home with me. He visited the General of the Army the following day.
“The next morning I again visited the Secretary of War, and explained
to him the General's readiness to act. He was delighted with the
arrangement, and said to me that I must return in two weeks and let him
know how matters were progressing; that it would not do to communicate
in writing. I bade him good-by, and the General and I left for home.
“On our arrival his wife and the two children were greatly delighted, as
well as the rest of the family, including Ham and Aunt Martha. His
wife, finding that he was to remain at home for some time, was extremely
happy. Henry was now called into council and put in possession of a part
of our plan. They at once went to work diligently, and in a very short
time had made up a secret organization with a view, as understood, of
going to the Black Hills, and by moving about in the country found that
any number of good soldiers could be rendezvoused at Indianapolis ready
to move by rail in any direction required, the Black Hills being the
objective.
“Gov. Morton was sent for and had an interview with the Secretary of
War. What arrangement or understanding was had between them I did not
know, nor did I ever learn. The only thing he ever said to any of us was
to Gen. Anderson, that there were plenty of arms, etc., in Indianapolis,
and if he should ever have to start for the Black Hills to let him know
at once. I suspected that he was fully posted.
“I returned in about two weeks to Washington. In the meantime the
President had attempted to send the General of the Army out of the
country into Mexico, on some civil mission. The General had positively
refused to go. By this time there was quite a bitter feeling. The
President expressed himself freely. The General was silent.
“The Secretary of War had been requested to resign, which he had refused
to do, and the excitement was warming up considerably. Many telegrams
were coming to the General of the Army from his old soldiers, saying
they were ready to come to Washington in case of trouble with the
President on the question of the enforcement of his views against the
action of Congress. The General would destroy these telegrams as fast
as they came. I told the Secretary of the progress of Gen. Anderson and
Henry in reference to the Black Hills. He was very much gratified at the
result.
“I was invited to come to the War Office at about 8:30 o'clock that
evening. On arriving I was admitted by the Secretary himself. Inside the
door I found a sentinel with musket in hand, regularly on duty. I said
to the Secretary, 'How is this?' His only reply was: 'It looks warlike,
does it not?'
“On entering his private room I found the Chief of Staff to the General
of the Army and two other gentlemen. One was a man whom I knew well, the
same mentioned by the parties as being the one to take care of
Washington city. The other gentleman I had never seen. He was a resident
of Washington city, had been a Colonel in the Union army, and was now
acting as Adjutant-General and organizer under the former. These men
remained during every night in the War Department with the Secretary of
War, having spies out in Baltimore and Richmond, as well as in
Washington, and knew of every movement that was going on. They also knew
of every meeting of leading rebels with the President. I learned that
their organization, secretly armed and equipped in Washington, amounted
to over 2,000 men, the object of which was not disclosed to the men more
than that it was a military organization in favor of the Union, and to
be ready on call for any emergency.
“If the President had attempted to carry out his scheme, and any
movement had been made from either Baltimore or Richmond, or from any
part of any State, the first prisoner would have been the President. The
Secretary of War determined that his Department should not go into the
hands of any one who would be subservient to any set of conspirators, or
the President, who was to be at the head of them.
“I returned home the next day full of alarm for our country. I greatly
feared another scene of blood and desolation. I was so worried over the
situation that my family thought me ill.
“Gen. Anderson returned that night from Indianapolis, and Henry from
near Fayette. I told the General what I had seen and learned. When I
told him how the gentleman in charge of the secret forces in Washington
seemed to feel, and that he would make the President a prisoner the
first thing if any move was made, he remarked:
“'That is the way to do it! Cut off the head the first blow, and the
body will soon die.'
“Things went on in this way for a time. The President had copies of
telegrams given him from the telegraph office, which were sent from
different parts of the country, tendering the services of different
organizations of soldiers to the General of the Army. He also discovered
in some way that he would be in danger should he attempt the use of
force.
“The House of Representatives now presented articles of impeachment
against him. This alarmed his co-conspirators, and the embryo rebellion
collapsed.
“I have no doubt that if the President at that time had had a General
of the Army and a Secretary of War who could have been used by him to
further his and his co-conspirators' schemes, within ninety days from
the time when I first went to Washington, as stated, this country would
have been plunged into another bloody rebellion with an unscrupulous,
courageous and desperate man at the head of it, and at the same time
in possession of the Capital of the Nation. The country has never known
what it escaped and what it owes to those men--the Secretary of War and
the General of the Army and his Chief of Staff--for standing as they did
against these machinations.”
“Uncle Daniel,” said Dr. Adams, “why was this matter kept so profoundly
secret?”
“There were two reasons: First, the country was easily excited at the
time, and on that account, when the danger was passed, it was thought
best to say nothing, and all who knew of it had been put upon their
honor not to disclose it. Second, it could not be verified as to the
co-conspirators in Maryland and Virginia, and the plan agreed upon by
them, without involving a man heretofore mentioned, in high position
among the very persons who were conspiring to do the deed. His exposure
would doubtless have cost him his life; and I hope you will not now ask
me to say whether he is living or dead.”
“I will inquire no further on this subject,” said Dr. Adams, “but would
like to know what became of the Black Hills scheme?”
“That scheme failed at or about the same time of the collapse of the new
rebellion.
“Time passed, and finally the country got rid of this President by
electing the General of the Army. We all, or many of us at least,
breathed more freely. The reorganization of the South became a fixed
fact, and the machinery moved smoothly for awhile. My son Henry was
still anxious to go to work and try his fortune in the Black Hills
country. About this time his wife bore him a fine son. He therefore left
her with me and started fortune hunting.
“Gen. Anderson made a visit to his old home in Mississippi and was,
to all outward appearance, well received. He returned home, and, after
talking the matter over with his wife, they thought it would be safe
to return. The Union men were at that time in power in Mississippi, and
many Northern people were flocking there and purchasing property.
Very soon the General and his family got ready to leave Allentown for
Jackson, Miss. When the time came for them to leave, the sorrow with
us all was very great. Mary Anderson and Seraine wept, and held to one
another, instinctively fearing that this separation was forever. The two
children, little Mary and Jennie, shrieked and screamed, and begged not
to be separated. The scene was heartrending. I felt as though my last
friend was leaving me. The General and I acted like children. We both
wept and embraced each other--neither could speak. I held poor little
Mary in my arms and bathed her blessed cheeks with my tears. Old Ham
and Aunt Martha would go with 'Marsa Gen'l' They both wept and heaped
blessings upon us all. As far off as we could see the poor old people,
they were bowing and bidding us good-by. God bless their poor souls;
they were as good and as kind a couple as ever lived!
“Seraine and I had procured good help before they left, and were, in
that particular, in excellent shape; but when the General, his wife,
little Mary and the old couple left, it was desolate, sure enough. We
were lonely in the extreme. We had been so long together, and had passed
through so many trials, had grieved, and had experienced so many sorrows
together, that no one could describe our feelings. The General, however,
felt that he could do well again at his old home, and he thought the
people down there were reconstructed and satisfied with their wrong
course.
“I spent most of my time out at the farm. I would take my Jennie, as I
called my granddaughter, with me and explain everything to her, as
much to employ my own mind as hers. Henry wrote us very often. He was
delighted with the country and was doing quite well; had made money,
and was investing it in property in Yankton. Seraine's father and mother
visited us frequently, and we were living as happily as we could under
all the circumstances.
“In a few months Gen. Anderson visited us. He was feeling satisfied with
his home and was doing well. He gave a glowing description of old
Ham and Aunt Martha's happiness now that they could see other colored
people. The President had offered him (Anderson) a foreign mission,
which he had declined on account of his fine prospects in his profession
in Mississippi.
“The next year after Henry left us he returned, but was determined to
make his new home his permanent one, and insisted on Jennie and I going
with him. He said he would not leave us alone, and would stay in Indiana
if we could not go with him and Seraine. He could not think of leaving
Seraine and his fine baby boy any more. I thought I ought not to
interfere with the boy's prospects, so I agreed to go with them. I
rented my house, made arrangements about the farm, and we all left
for Yankton. Henry had purchased a nice place, and we lived there very
happily together. We kept up our correspondence with Gen. Anderson and
his family.
“One day Henry came into the house very much excited, saying that he had
just seen Wintergreen on the street, who pretended not to recognize him.
The town was settling up and growing very fast. Many people from the
South were coming into the Territory as well as the town. I told Henry
to beware of this man; that he, knowing that Henry had his secrets,
might, through fear, if nothing else, do him some harm. One day there
were quite a number of persons near a billiard hall, in a dispute about
some matter. Wintergreen was in the midst of the crowd. Henry stepped
up out of curiosity to ascertain the cause of the trouble. Wintergreen
spied him, drew his revolver, and shot him dead.'
Dr. Adams exclaimed, “My God! Your last son!”
“Yes,” said Uncle Daniel with a tremulous voice, “this was the last of
my dear family. So you see, gentlemen, as I first stated, my home is
desolate. Why should I wish to buffet the world longer? This was the
fulfillment of my good wife's dream--the seven fingers were now gone.
“Wintergreen escaped. The distress of Henry's wife, as well as my
own grief, I will not undertake to describe. We conveyed his body to
Allentown and there laid him to rest with his mother and brothers. Gen.
Anderson, learning of our affliction, met us at our old home. Seraine
and I remained with our little family at Allentown, I getting back my
house. I broke down under this last sorrow, and was confined to the
house for more than a year. Seraine cared for me as she would for her
own father, and this child here, my dear Jennie, was with me and by my
bedside nearly the whole time of my sickness. God bless her!”
“So say we all!” was the response from those present.
“Gen. Anderson visited me several times during my illness. His wife and
little daughter came and spent a month with us, which added greatly to
what happiness we could then enjoy.
“The men who had been in rebellion now began to show their feeling and
take hold of the politics of the South. Gen. Anderson was very prominent
as a lawyer and a leader in political affairs in Mississippi. The rebels
now commenced to organize secret societies similar to those that were in
the North during the war. Another Presidential canvass came on, and the
then President was re-elected. Very soon political matters in that part
of the country, in State affairs, became very exciting. Prominent men
were threatened; colored men were whipped and driven away from meetings;
raids were made upon their houses in the night-time and many were
murdered--some white men sharing the same fate.
“Gen. Anderson used all of his influence to stay this tide of oppression
and wrong. He was threatened with violence, but did not believe they
would assault him. He was a brave man, and could not think of leaving
his friends, but determined to stand by them. Quite a number of Northern
men were driven from that part of the country, and their property
destroyed. A perfect reign of terror prevailed.
“The General moved into another county, so as to be out of the
excitement as much as possible. At a political meeting near the capital
of the State, Gen. McKee, a Northern man, without any provocation
whatever, was brutally assaulted and almost murdered for making a
Republican speech. This character of conduct continued until one day in
court, where some of these men were being tried for their outrages,
the General denounced this course as brutal, and such as ought to
make barbarians blush. A mob collected around the court-house and made
threats of violence against him, denouncing him as a ----- Yank and not
fit to live. They then and there notified him to leave the State within
five days, and that if found there longer than this his life should pay
the forfeit.
“He had determined not to leave, so he prepared himself and remained at
home. At the end of the five days a mob collected about his house and
demanded that he leave at once. They were boisterous and threatening.
One of his neighbors was at his house and prepared to assist the General
in defense of his home and family. His wife and little girl were so
much alarmed that they screamed and cried for help. Finally the General,
standing in his door, flatly refused to leave. A volley was fired at
him, one shot taking effect in his right thigh. His little daughter ran
to him and threw her arms about his neck, shrieking and begging for her
papa. His neighbor fired from a window, wounding one of the mob.
[Illustration: Murderous assault upon Gen. Anderson and family 449]
“This was like fanning the flame. They rushed upon the house, firing
indiscriminately. The General was shot three times and fell dead. His
little daughter, with her arms about his neck, received a shot in her
left breast, from which she died in a few minutes. His neighbor, Gibson,
was as brutally murdered in the house, being riddled with bullets. Old
Ham ran out of the kitchen to make his escape and was shot dead in the
yard. Mary Anderson fell senseless to the floor. Old Aunt Martha was the
only soul left to do anything. She was on her knees praying while the
mob was doing their desperate and bloody work. They retired yelling like
Indians after taking scalps. Poor old Martha ran to one of the neighbors
for help, but could get none from white people. A few old colored people
gathered at the house and cared as best they could for the dead.
“For two days this family of dead and stricken lay without a white
person coming to the house to aid or assist. The enemies would not, and
the few friends were afraid to do so. The General, little Mary, and Mr.
Gibson were buried by the colored people in the best manner they could.
Mary Anderson became a raving maniac and died in about one week after,
and was buried by the side of her husband and daughter, a minister and a
few women having come to look after her since the interment of the
other dead. Old Ham was laid away by the colored people. Aunt Martha
was grieved beyond expression, and alarmed for fear she also would be
murdered. She prayed night and day to be brought back to her 'Marsa
Lyon.'
“The colored people, having great respect for the General and his
family, made up money enough to send Aunt Martha back to my house. A
young colored man ventured to come with her, for which I remunerated
him. This poor old woman's story was enough to melt the most obdurate
heart. She talked constantly of the General, his wife, little Mary, and
poor old Ham, and felt that the 'good Laud' had deserted them for some
reason.”
We were all dumfounded at the recital of these barbarous murders.
“My God!” exclaimed Dr. Adams, “what is this people coming to?”
Col. Bush shed tears, but could not speak. All were silent. Uncle Daniel
left the room, but returned in a few moments and said:
“My friends, you can now see why I so often have said, 'What have I to
live for?' Why should I desire to remain here and brood over my great
misfortunes and sorrows longer?”
Finally Col. Bush walked the floor, and in a most subdued tone, said:
“For such a man and so noble a family to die in such a villainous
manner! Did no one suffer punishment for this diabolical crime?”
“No, not one was punished. The matter was investigated, but that was
all.”
“Well, I have asked myself heretofore the question, why did I give my
right arm for such a Government? That such a man, who had served his
country as faithfully as he, could be thus brutally murdered, with his
family, and no one punished for it, is a marvel to me; and no doubt some
of his murderers are now holding high official position!”
“Yes,” said Uncle Daniel, “one of the instigators of this crime has held
office ever since, as a Southern patriot who nobly assisted in ridding
the South of one of those Northern Yankees.”
“Uncle Daniel, what became of Aunt Martha?” inquired Maj. Clymer.
“Poor old woman, she lived with Seraine and me for about three years
after her return, when she sickened and died. When she spoke on any
subject she would finally get to those murders. They preyed upon her
mind constantly, and I think hastened her death.”
“How strange that all who were connected with your household during the
war should have had such a fate!”
“Yes, my friends, it has been the one unaccountable mystery in my life.
Poor old Joseph Dent died in the same year, and I was left almost alone.
My dear Jennie, a few years ago, married Mr. Wilson, and I came to live
with them in Oakland. Seraine went to her father and mother in Michigan.
They are both alive and she remains with them. Her son Harvey--named for
his uncle, my youngest son, who was murdered at the battle of the Gaps,
if you remember--is now in Chicago working as one of the cash-boys in a
dry-goods store. I thought, as he was the last link in our family, that
the Government owed it to us to send him to the West Point Military
Academy, but I could not get him into the school. The member from here
was not favorable, inasmuch as he was an anti-war Democrat during the
rebellion. Harvey is making his own living now and I hope he may have
a bright future. He often comes to see us. Poor Seraine; when the boy
could not get into West Point, it almost broke her heart. She said to
me:
“'Father, how shallow is this world. You, his grandfather, lost seven
sons, six in the army. This boy's father was starved near unto death in
Pine Forest Prison. I, his mother, risked my life in going through
the rebel lines to obtain his release. He was murdered by one of the
conspirators; and now we are forgotten. No one cares what we suffered
during and since the war. My son cannot even have the poor privilege of
being educated by the Government, when the sons of nearly every rebel
General who tried to destroy the Union are now under the guardianship of
the Government, being educated either at West Point for the army, or at
Annapolis for the navy.'”
Dr. Adams said: “This is hard; it is uncharitable, and shows a
great want of the proper gratitude that should be due under the
circumstances.”
Col. Bush said: “What does the Government or people care for those who
made the sacrifices? We are so far away from the war now in space of
time, that we are not only forgotten, but regarded as pests in society.
Are the people not grumbling about what has been done for the soldiers?
Do they not complain about our pensions? A few years more, however, and
all of us cripples, one-armed and one-legged and those who are wholly
armless and legless, will have passed away out of sight. The recognition
now is not to the victors, but to the vanquished. If you wish to be
respected by a certain class, North or South, only make it appear that
you headed a band of marauders during the war, dealing death to
Union men and destroying their property, and you will be invited to
agricultural shows, to the lecture halls, and upon the stump; and if
still living in the South, you will either be sent to the United States
Senate, made Governor, or sent on some foreign mission.”
“Uncle Daniel, what became of Thomlinson and Carey, the Canadian
conspirators,” inquired Inglesby.
“They are both dead, and many of their co-workers also. There has been a
very great mortality among the leaders of the rebellion. That is to say,
the older men--those who were somewhat advanced in years when it began.”
“Are many of the Northern men of whom you have spoken in your narratives
as rebel sympathizers, Knights of the Golden Circle, or Sons of Liberty,
still living?”
“Yes, they were generally young or middle-aged men, and with few
exceptions are still living, and are, almost without an exception, in
some official position--some of them in the highest and most honorable
in our Nation.”
“This could not have occurred in any other Government than ours, and is
passing strange,” said Dr. Adams.
“Yes, that is true; but do you not remember my mentioning the fact that
Hibbard, who was connected with one of the rebel prisons during the war,
came North last Fall to teach us our duty? I also said that probably he
would be sent abroad to impress some foreign country with our Christian
civilization.”
“Yes, I well remember what you said.”
“Well, I see by the papers that he has been appointed to a Foreign
Mission. I also see that a man of great brutality, who is said to have
been connected with one of the prisons in Richmond, has been put
in charge of all appointments in the greatest Department of the
Government--the Treasury.”
“Are these things so? Can it be possible?”
“Yes, these are truths. This is merely testing us in order to see how
much the people will bear; and they seem to bear these things without a
murmur. The next will be stronger. If the people of the South see that
they are sustained in this by the people of the large cities North, on
account of a fear that they may lose Southern trade, what may they not
demand? Certainly, very soon nothing less than Vice-President will be
accepted, and the same people who sustain these things now will cry out
that this is right!”
“It does look so. I have been studying this question since you have been
reciting your experiences and giving the views of yourself and others,
and am now prepared to agree that greed is at the bottom of all
this. This same greed is one of the several dangers that threaten
our country's institutions to-day. It causes crimes and wrongs to be
overlooked, and in many cases defended, in order to gain influence with
the people who are determined by any means in their power to control the
Government.”
“Yes; and see the progress they are making in this direction. As I
have said, there is not a man, with but very few exceptions, North, who
denounced the war and those who were engaged in prosecuting it, who is
not in some official position. Turn to the South. So far as they are
concerned it may seem natural for them to select from their own class;
but why should the North fall in with them? You have given, in your
answer to me, the only reasonable answer--that of greed and gain; but to
see this great change in the minds of the people in so short a time is
strange indeed. Twenty years ago they were thundering at the very gates
of our Capital. To-day they control the country. There is not a man,
save the President of the Southern Confederacy and a very few of the
leaders in the war made to destroy our Government, who is not now in
some honorable position if he wishes to be. We find them representing
us in the first-class missions abroad, in the second-class and in the
third-class; and there not being high places enough of this kind, that
the world may know the Confederacy has been recognized fully by our
people since its downfall, those who were in high positions under it now
take to the Consulships and are accepting them as rapidly as can well be
done.
“You find your Cabinet largely represented by their leading men, and
many of your Auditors, your Assistant Secretaries, Bureau officers,
etc., are of them. This not being satisfactory, all the other
appointments South are made up of those men to the exclusion of every
one who was a Union man before, during, or since the war. The Government
not furnishing places enough, all the State, county, and city offices
South are filled in the same manner by this same class. This still does
not satisfy, and all men sent to the United States Senate or to
the House of Representatives from the South, with only one or two
exceptions, are of the same class. In fact all of Jeff. Davis's Cabinet,
his Senate and House of Representatives, and his Generals that are
living, and who desire, are holding official positions of some kind.
What does this argue? Does it not notify us who have made sacrifices
for this Union that our services are no longer desired, and that we are
waste material, of no further use for any purpose?
“Who could have believed, while the war was going on, that this state
of things could ever have existed? Suppose this picture had been held
up before my seven dead sons when they entered the service. Suppose
they could have seen their mother's dream realized--all in their graves
beside their mother, and their father living on the charities of a
grandchild, laughed at in the streets by young men when speaking of
the wrongs inflicted by the rebellion, and told that this is of the
past--how many of them do you suppose would have gone right up to the
enemy's guns and been shot down in their young manhood?
“Suppose Gen. Tom Anderson could have seen a howling mob murdering his
family and no punishment for the murderers; would he have risked his
life hunting up the Knights of the Golden Circle and chancing it in
battle, as he did, for his country, that the rebels might control it,
and that, too, through the influence of the North, whose all was at
stake, and whose fortunes were saved and protected by such men as he? I
doubt if patriotism would have gone so far. Can you find me the patriot
to-day that, deep down in his heart, likes this condition of things?”
“Yes; but Uncle Daniel, these men are not rebels now. They are
Democrats,” said Maj. Clymer.
“Yes, true; but they are no more Democrats now than they were then, and
they were no less Democrats then than they are now. But I should not say
more; I have had trouble enough. Why should I grieve for the condition
of things which were not expected? I and mine have paid dearly for this
lesson. I hope it may never fall to the lot of any one else to pass
through such an experience. I shall see but little more trouble. May God
forgive all and protect the right.”
[Illustration: Death of Uncle Daniel 456]
Uncle Daniel here ceased speaking and sank back in his chair. His
granddaughter came into the room. Seeing him, she screamed and fell upon
his neck. We moved quickly to him. He was dead.
THE END.