memoirs of general william t. sherman-1-第24部分

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o　it　than　I。　　He　then　asked　in　his　quizzical　way；　〃Are　you　a　foreign　embassador？〃　　〃No。〃　　〃Are　you　the　Governor　of　a　State？〃　　〃No。〃　　〃Are　you　a　member　of　the　other　House？〃　　Certainly　not〃　　〃Have　you　ever　had　a　vote　of　thanks　by　name？〃　　〃No！〃　　〃Well；　these　are　the　only　privileged　members。〃　　I　then　told　him　he　knew　well　enough　who　I　was；　and　that　if　he　chose　he　could　take　me　in。　He　then　said；　〃Have　you　any　impudence？〃　　I　told　him；　　〃A　reasonable　amount　if　occasion　called　for　it。〃　　〃Do　you　think　you　could　become　so　interested　in　my　conversation　as　not　to　notice　the　door…keeper？〃　（pointing　to　him）。　　I　told　him　that　there　was　not　the　least　doubt　of　it；　if　he　would　tell　me　one　of　his　funny　stories。　　He　then　took　my　arm；　and　led　me　a　turn　in　the　vestibule；　talking　about　some　indifferent　matter；　but　all　the　time　directing　my　looks　to　his　left　hand；　toward　which　he　was　gesticulating　with　his　right；　and　thus　we　approached　the　door…keeper；　who　began　asking　me；　〃Foreign　ambassador？　　Governor　of　a　State？　　Member　of　Congress？〃　etc。；　but　I　caught　Corwin's　eye；　which　said　plainly；　〃Don't　mind　him；　pay　attention　to　me；〃　and　in　this　way　we　entered　the　Senate…chamber　by　a　side…door。　　Once　in；　Corwin　said；　〃Now　you　can　take　care　of　yourself；〃　and　I　thanked　him　cordially。

I　found　a　seat　close　behind　Mr。　Webster；　and　near　General　Scott；　and　heard　the　whole　of　the　speech。　　It　was　heavy　in　the　extreme；　and　I　confess　that　I　was　disappointed　and　tired　long　before　it　was　finished。　　No　doubt　the　speech　was　full　of　fact　and　argument；　but　it　had　none　of　the　fire　of　oratory；　or　intensity　of　feeling；　that　marked　all　of　Mr。　Clay's　efforts。

Toward　the　end　of　July；　as　before　stated；　all　the　family　went　home　to　Lancaster。　　Congress　was　still　in　session；　and　the　bill　adding　four　captains　to　the　Commissary　Department　had　not　passed；　but　was　reasonably　certain　to；　and　I　was　equally　sure　of　being　one　of　them。　At　that　time　my　name　was　on　the　muster…roll　of　（Light）　Company　C；　Third　Artillery　（Bragg's）；　stationed　at　Jefferson　Barracks；　near　St。　Louis。　　But；　as　there　was　cholera　at　St。　Louis；　on　application；　I　was　permitted　to　delay　joining　my　company　until　September。　　Early　in　that　month；　I　proceeded　to　Cincinnati；　and　thence　by　steamboat　to　St。　Louis；　and　then　to　Jefferson　Barracks；　where　I　reported　for　duty　to　Captain　and　Brevet…Colonel　Braxton　Bragg；　commanding　（Light）　Company　C；　Third　Artillery。　　The　other　officers　of　the　company　were　First…Lieutenant　James　A。　Hardie；　and　afterward　Haekaliah　Brown。　　New　horses　had　just　been　purchased　for　the　battery；　and　we　were　preparing　for　work；　when　the　mail　brought　the　orders　announcing　the　passage　of　the　bill　increasing　the　Commissary　Department　by　four　captains；　to　which　were　promoted　Captains　Shiras；　Blair；　Sherman；　and　Bowen。　　I　was　ordered　to　take　post　at　St。　Louis；　and　to　relieve　Captain　A。　J。　Smith；　First　Dragoons；　who　had　been　acting　in　that　capacity　for　some　months。　　My　commission　bore　date　September　27；1850。　　I　proceeded　forthwith　to　the　city；　relieved　Captain　Smith；　and　entered　on　the　discharge　of　the　duties　of　the　office。

Colonel　N。　S。　Clarke；　Sixth　Infantry；　commanded　the　department；　Major　D。　C。　Buell　was　adjutant…general；　and　Captain　W。　S。　Hancock　was　regimental　quartermaster；　Colonel　Thomas　Swords　was　the　depot　quartermaster；　and　we　had　our　offices　in　the　same　building；　on　the　corner　of　Washington　Avenue　and　Second。　　Subsequently　Major　S。　Van　Vliet　relieved　Colonel　Swords。　　I　remained　at　the　Planters'　House　until　my　family　arrived；　when　we　occupied　a　house　on　Chouteau　Avenue；　near　Twelfth。

During　the　spring　and　summer　of　1851；　Mr。　Ewing　and　Mr。　Henry　Stoddard；　of　Dayton；　Ohio；　a　cousin　of　my　father；　were　much　in　St。　Louis；　on　business　connected　with　the　estate　of　Major　Amos　Stoddard；　who　was　of　the　old　army；　as　early　as　the　beginning　of　this　century。　　He　was　stationed　at　the　village　of　St。　Louis　at　the　time　of　the　Louisiana　purchase；　and　when　Lewis　and　Clarke　made　their　famous　expedition　across　the　continent　to　the　Columbia　River。　Major　Stoddard　at　that　early　day　had　purchased　a　small　farm　back　of　the　village；　of　some　Spaniard　or　Frenchman；　but；　as　he　was　a　bachelor；　and　was　killed　at　Fort　Meigs；　Ohio；　during　the　War　of　1812；　the　title　was　for　many　years　lost　sight　of；　and　the　farm　was　covered　over　by　other　claims　and　by　occupants。　　As　St。　Louis　began　to　grow；　his　brothers　and　sisters；　and　their　descendants；　concluded　to　look　up　the　property。　　After　much　and　fruitless　litigation；　they　at　last　retained　Mr。　Stoddard；　of　Dayton；　who　in　turn　employed　Mr。　Ewing；　and　these；　after　many　years　of　labor；　established　the　title；　and　in　the　summer　of　1851　they　were　put　in　possession　by　the　United　States　marshal。　　The　ground　was　laid　off；　the　city　survey　extended　over　it；　and　the　whole　was　sold　in　partition。　　I　made　some　purchases；　and　acquired　an　interest；　which　I　have　retained　more　or　less　ever　since。

We　continued　to　reside　in　St。　Louis　throughout　the　year　1851；　and　in　the　spring　of　1852　I　had　occasion　to　visit　Fort　Leavenworth　on　duty；　partly　to　inspect　a　lot　of　cattle　which　a　Mr。　Gordon；　of　Cass　County；　had　contracted　to　deliver　in　New　Mexico；　to　enable　Colonel　Sumner　to　attempt　his　scheme　of　making　the　soldiers　in　New　Mexico　self…supporting；　by　raising　their　own　meat；　and　in　a　measure　their　own　vegetables。　　I　found　Fort　Leavenworth　then；　as　now；　a　most　beautiful　spot；　but　in　the　midst　of　a　wild　Indian　country。　　There　were　no　whites　settled　in　what　is　now　the　State　of　Kansas。　　Weston；　in　Missouri；　was　the　great　town；　and　speculation　in　town…lots　there　and　thereabout　burnt　the　fingers　of　some　of　the　army…officers；　who　wanted　to　plant　their　scanty　dollars　in　a　fruitful　soil。　　I　rode　on　horseback　over　to　Gordon's　farm；　saw　the　cattle；　concluded　the　bargain；　and　returned　by　way　of　Independence；　Missouri。　　At　Independence　I　found　F。　X。　Aubrey；　a　noted　man　of　that　day；　who　had　just　made　a　celebrated　ride　of　six　hundred　miles　in　six　days。　　That　spring　the　United　States　quartermaster；　Major　L。　C。　Easton；　at　Fort　Union；　New　Mexico；　had　occasion　to　send　some　message　east　by　a　certain　date；　and　contracted　with　Aubrey　to　carry　it　to　the　nearest　post…office　（then　Independence；　Missouri）；　making　his　compensation　conditional　on　the　time　consumed。　　He　was　supplied　with　a　good　horse；　and　an　order　on　the　outgoing　trains　for　an　exchange。　　Though　the　whole　route　was　infested　with　hostile　Indians；　and　not　a　house　on　it；　Aubrey　started　alone　with　his　rifle。　　He　was　fortunate　in　meeting　several　outward…bound　trains；　and　there；　by　made　frequent　changes　of　horses；　some　four　or　five；　and　reached　Independence　in　six　days；　having　hardly　rested　or　slept　the　whole　way。　　Of　course；　he　was　extremely　fatigued；　and　said　there　was　an　opinion　among　the　wild　Indians　that　if　a　man　〃sleeps　out　his　sleep；〃　after　such　extreme　exhaustion；　he　will　never　awake；　and；　accordingly；　he　instructed　his　landlord　to　wake　him　up　after　eight　hours　of　sleep。　When　aroused　at　last；　he　saw　by　the　clock　that　he　had　been　asleep　twenty　hours；　and　he　was　dreadfully　angry；　threatened　to　murder　his　landlord；　who　protested　he　had　tried　in　every　way　to　get　him　up；　but　found　it　impossible；　and　had　let　him　〃sleep　it　out〃　Aubrey；　in　describing　his　sensations　to　me；　said　he　took　it　for　granted　he　was　a　dead　man；　but　in　fact　he　sustained　no　ill　effects；　and　was　off　again　in　a　few　days。　　I　met　him　afterward　often　in　California；　and　always　esteemed　him　one　of　the　best　samples　of　that　bold　race　of　men　who　had　grown　up　on　the　Plains；　along　with　the　Indians；　in　the　service　of　the　fur　companies。　　He　was　afterward；　in　1856；　killed　by　R。　C。　Weightman；　in　a　bar…room　row；　at　Santa　Fe；　New　Mexico；　where　he　had　just　arrived　from　California。

In　going　from　Independence　to　Fort　Leavenworth；　I　had　to　swim　Milk　Creek；　and　sleep　all　night　in　a　Shawnee　camp。　　The　next　day　I　crossed　the　Kaw　or　Kansas　River　in　a　ferry　boat；　maintained　by　the　blacksmith　of　the　tribe；　and　reached　the　fort　in　the　evening。　　At　that　day　the　whole　region　was　unsettled；　where　now　exist　many　rich　counties；　highly　cultivated；　embracing　several　cities　of　from　ten　to　forty　thousand　inhabitants。　　From　Fort　Leavenworth　I　returned　by　steamboat　to　St。　Louis。

In　the　summer　of　1852；　my　family　went　to　Lancaster；　Ohio；　but　I　remained　at　my　post。　　Late　in　the　season；　it　was　rumored　that　I　was　to　be　transferred　to　New　Orleans；　and　in　due　time　I　learned　the　cause。　　During　a　part　of　the　Mexican　War；　Major　Seawell；　of　the　Seventh　Infantry；　had　been　acting　commissary　of　subsistence　at　New　Orleans；　then　the　great　depot　of　supplies　for　the　troops　in　Texas；　and　of　those　operating　beyond　the　Rio　Grande。　　Commissaries　at　that　time　were　allowed　to　purchase　in　open　market；　and　were　not　restricted　to　advertising　and　awarding　contracts　to　the　lowest　bidders。　　It　was　reported　that　Major　Seawell　had　purchased　largely　of　the　house　of　Perry　Seawell　&　Co。；　Mr。　Seawell　being　a　relative　of　his。　　When　he　was　relieved　in　his　duties　by　Major　Waggman；　of　the　regular　Commissary　Department；　the　latter　found　Perry　Seawell　&　Co。　　so　prompt　and　satisfactory　that　he　continued　the　patronage；　for　which　there　was　a　good　reason；　because　stores　for　the　use　of　the　troops　at　remote　posts　had　to　be　packed　in　a　particular　way；　to　bear　transportation　in　wagons；　or　even　on　pack…mules；　and　this　firm　had　made　extraordinary　preparations　for　this　exclusive　purpose。　Some　time　about　1849；　a　brother　of　Major　Waggaman；　who　had　been　clerk　to　Captain　Casey；　commissary　of　subsistence；　at　Tampa　Bay；　Florida；　was　thrown　out　of　office　by　the　death　of　the　captain；　and　he　naturally　applied　to　his　brother　in　New　Orleans　for　employment；　and　he；　in　turn；　referred　him　to　his　friends；　Messrs。　　Perry　Seawell　&　Co。　　These　first　employed　him　as　a　clerk；　and　afterward　admitted　him　as　a　partner。　　Thus　it　resulted；　in　fact；　that　Major　Waggaman　was　dealing　largely；　if　not　exclusively；　with　a　firm　of　which　his　brother　was　a　partner。

One　day；　as　General　Twiggs　was　coming　across　Lake　Pontchartrain；　he　fell　in　with　one　of　his　old　cronies；　who　was　an　extensive　grocer。　This　gentleman　gradually　led　the　conversation　to　the　downward　tendency　of　the　times　since　he　and　Twiggs　were　young；　saying　that；　in　former　years；　all　the　merchants　of　New　Orleans　had　a　chance　at　government　patronage；　but　now；　in　order　to　sell　to　the