“The old man again broke down and for a time was unable to proceed, but at last said:
“You can see how the fates were against my family. When the news was received at home my poor wife could not rally under these successive blows, and she lay sick for months. I thought she would soon follow the poor boys. When she did recover it was only partially. She was never well afterwards.
“After the battle, Gen. Anderson thought he would look up his military family, as his headquarters had been sent to the rear during the conflict. Capt. Day and Capt. Jackson were near him all the time, and were no better posted than the General as to where the headquarters were. Finally they were found some three miles to the rear. The orderlies, driver, cook, etc., were found established at the headquarters; but old Ham, poor old man, was nowhere to be found. A general search was at once instituted, and finally he jumped up like a rabbit from some thick underbrush. When he came out he looked all around, and at last realizing who the parties were that had discovered him he threw up his hands and exclaimed:
“'Bress the good Laud, and you'uns are not all killed. Afo' de Laud I never 'spected to see any you good people agin. And heah is Massa Gen'l Tom, and Massa Jackson and Massa Capt. Day. Well! well! if dis isn't a sprize to ole Ham.'
“The General said:
“'Ham, how did you get here? What made you run away? I thought you were going to stay with us.'
“'Yes, sah, I thought so, too; but, sah, de shell, de guns and de bums dey all come rite down over whar I was, and I not know how to fight. One ob de mans git me a gun and fix it up, and I git behind a tree and poke it out and pull de trigger, and bress de Laud it shoot de wrong way and I fine myself knocked ober away off from de tree. Den I said dis is no place for dis darkey, and I gits; dats what I does, and I corned along pretty fas' and I got wid de wagons, and pretty soon de hossmen ob de Sesh—I b'leves dey calls 'em cabalry—dey come on de run and burned up de wagons and slashed 'bout and cussed about de Yanks and swared about de niggers and skeered me out ob my breff. Den I gits in de woods and creeps under de brush and dar I stay, and sho' you born I thought ebery one was killed, I wouldn't never come out if you hadn't found me, sho'. I done thought I neber see Marfa no more. O, bress de Laud, I's hungry doe.'
“'Well, come along, Ham; I guess I will have to send you home; you seem not to take to war.'
“'Well, sah! Massa Gen'l, 'spect it be de bes'; for afore de Laud I feels curous when you is fitin'. Somehow I doesn't jes' feel rite all de time dey is shootin'. It seems dey would kill a darky jes'as quick as dey do a white man.'
“'Yes,' said the General; 'why not?'