"I might, but, on account of a plan that I have got, I don't want to get away yet."
"Why, what is it?"
"Well, I'll tell you. I want to go with Grant's army to Lagrange, and see which way it goes from there, and then I'll come back and report it."
"That's a good idea, certainly; get all the information that you can."
"Prisoner!" called Levi, getting more impatient; "the mules are done eating and we must go!"
I then bade Mrs. McKisic good-by, and we resumed our march. On my return to the regiment, I related the incident to the Colonel, and he replied: "If the women are a mind to take advantage of the disgraceful surrender of Holly Springs, I don't know as I have any objection."
During the march of the army north-west, from its campaigns against General Price, and when we were near the Tennessee line, thinking that an opportunity might occur of retaliating upon a certain doctor living in the State of Tennessee, who had been instrumental in causing the arrest and imprisonment of myself and ten others, by false accusations, I called upon General Grant and told him what we had suffered by the doctor, and asked him if I might take the same men and go through the lines some night and kill him.
The General said, "I can not give you leave to take a man's life, except under such circumstances as are warranted by the rules of war; if you wish to capture him, I'll give you the countersign."
The next evening a party of eleven men, without the countersign, went through the lines, unobserved, and repaired to the house of the said doctor. Stopping at a neighboring house, about a mile from the doctor's, was a Miss Armstrong, a sister of the Confederate General Armstrong. I had paid some attention to her the summer before. When we came near where she lived, I said to the men, "I have an old acquaintance living about a mile from here that I want to see. You go on and capture the doctor, and wait there until I come." I found the lady at home, and passed the evening with her very pleasantly. Before I was aware of it, two hours had passed. Recollecting my promise to meet the men at the doctor's, I bade the lady adieu and hastened on, fearing, perhaps, my long absence had caused them to return to camp without me. When I arrived, I found the men impatiently waiting for me. Seeing only my own number of men, I inquired: "Was the doctor at home?"