It  seemed  nip  and  tuck  to  us  fellows,  who  were  waiting  with  our
muskets,  as  to  which  would  quit  first  in  this  duel  of  big  guns.
The  rebels  had  fewer  cannon,  but  they  were  fighting,  as  their
smart  leaders  told  them,  for  their  wives  and  children.  A  heavy
rain  began  falling  about  this  time  and  the  rebel  cannon  ceased
firing  altogether.  As  some  of  the  boys  say  when  they  run
against  Leather  Breeches,  they  are  "sure  up  against  it."
The  next  morning  early  a  body  of  oiu*  cavalry,  sent  out  to  re-
connoitre, surprised  a  company  of  them  playing  cards  in  a  log
house  and  captured  -10  of  them.  The  boys  sent  up  a  wild  hurrah
when  they  heard  of  this.  We  cannot  forget  the  boast  of  the  South
that  it  would  take  four  * '  Yanks ' "  to  match  one  Southerner.  And
do  you  know,  mother,  I  somehow  had  the  feeling  that  the  South
was  more  than  our  match  man  for  man,  they  did  so  much
bragging.  But  that's  their  way,  besides  if  they  were  not  fighting
to  keep  us  away  from  their  homes  we  could  tell  better.  The
prisoners  we  talk  with,  and  we  see  them  every  day,  say  we
"Yankees"  are  fighting  to  free  the  niggers  so  they  can  marry
white  women.    What  miserable  stories  they  tell.
