My brother's name was Ralph Emerson, the family all calling him "Em" or "Emerson."
I said, "Emerson, I want a drink of water."
Just as he crossed the stream he stopped the team, took a tin cup that we carried along, and got down and handed me up a cup of water; and the five horsemen rode on.
As they were leaving us, the first spokesman said, "We'll see ye up town, boys."
As we were passing up the main street in Independence, we were aware that we were very much observed. This being the very earliest period of the war, there were no Confederate uniforms, but in order to distinguish an enlisted man from a civilian each soldier had a chevron of white muslin sewed diagonally across his left arm. The strip was about two inches wide and five or six inches long. These soldiers were to compose a portion of what was afterwards known as the famous flower of the Southwestern Army, C. S. A.
When we arrived about the central part of the town, we were halted. The man who halted us had on his left arm, in addition to the white chevron, one of red, just above the white one, on which were some letters, but I do not remember what they were. He had a cavalryman's saber and a Colt's revolver on his person. After halting us, he called to two other men, saying, "Come and search this wagon."
Just as the men were climbing into the wagon we were asked where we were going.
"To Kansas," said my brother.
"Go ahead—search that wagon," said the man who halted us.