At  Nashville  we  were  quartered  in  a  vacant
female  seminar}-  building,  and  subjected  to  another
tedious  ^vait  of  four  da\'s  for  transportation  north-
ward. The  boys  were,  however,  comfortabh'  housed
and  fed,  and  had  libert}-  to  go  about  the  cit}^  as
they  pleased  within  certain  hours.  At  7  p.  m.,  on
the  llth,  a  train  of  empty  box  cars  was  assigned
to  us,  in  which  we  had  another  cold  and  uncom-
fortable journe\'  of  eighteen  hours,  arriving  at
Louisville  about  noon  on  the  15th,  and  were
assigned  quarters  in  the  military  barracks.  Here
was  fire  and  shelter  and  food,  and  the  boys  were
just  getting  to  feel  warm  and  happy  again  when  a
detachment  of  the  provost  guard  appeared,  with
orders  to  permit  none  of  our  men  to  go  out  until
we  were  ready  to  leave  the  city.  These  orders,  it
appeared,  were  given  b}'  the  post  commander,  in  the
fear,  no  doubt,  that  a  regiment  of  veteran  soldiers,
just  arrived  from  the  field  of  war,  would  sack  the
city  if  not  put  under  restraint.  From  our  point  of
view,    the    proceeding  was    an    outrage   not    to   be


"  Yp:teranizing."  133

submitted  to  for  a  moment,  and  a  vigorous  protest
was  entered  by  the  regimental  commander,  who  in
reporting  at  post  headquarters,  announced  himself
as  responsible  for  the  conduct  of  his  men  in  Louis-
ville as  elsewhere,  and  demanded  for  them  the
absolute  freedom  of  the  city  with  all  the  liberty
that  any  citizen  could  have;  that  none  of  them
should  be  molested  or  restrained  by  the  provost
guard  except  for  crime  or  disorderly  conduct ;  that
the  uniform  of  a  veteran  soldier  should  entitle  him
to  the  respect  and  gratitude  of  all  loyal  people  ever\'-
where  and  especialh'  of  other  sol4iers,  including  post
commanders  and  provost  guards.  These  demands
were  all  fully  conceded,  after  a  brief  argument,  and
it  is  now  a  pleasant  reflection  that  the  conduct  of
the  men  was  such  as  to  fully  justify  all  that  was
claimed  and  obtained  for  them.
