victed, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

"SEC. 2.-Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

Thus the way was being fast prepared for the c.osing up of the war, and for the complete elimination out of our Constitution, politics, economics, and social life of what had always rested as a hindrance upon one-half the country in its proper development, and compelled the other half to reluctantly consent to its continuance for the sake of having one government, and one that recognized "the inalienable rights of every man to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness," even though for the time such rights were denied to the slave. For the sake of such a democratic government and such a Union, to take the place of the old confederation of separate States, the free States had adopted the Constitution, and pledged themselves to leave slavery to the slave States, the slave States being equally pledged not to extend slavery into free territory, nor require of the North any legislation to extend and perpetuate the system. The South had violated its agreement again and again, but it was not until the Mexican war had been carried on to secure Texas for additional slave territory, and the Fugitive Slave Law passed to make us slave catchers, and the Kansas outrages perpetrated on free territory to keep out freemen as settlers, and the war of Secession begun because we would not submit to all such unreasonable demands, that public feeling became strong enough and general enough to contend successfully against the aggressive and disruptive policy of the South. It became a duty to make this in fact a self-governed and successful republic based on the equal rights of all before the law. It was more than a duty; it was nothing less than a providential opportunity, which had never come before and might never come again, and which patriots and philanthropists and God-fearing men

could not disregard. Then, too, it was a peculiar Providence which had raised up and put Abraham Lincoln at the head of the government at such a time, and two such commanders as Grant and Sherman at the head of our armies, all men so anxious for peace, and ready to bring it about in the easiest and most magnanimous terms. To this point were we being fast led, by "a Power not ourselves that makes for righteousness," which to most of us means God, the sovereign ruler of men, and which the rest rejoice in as the saving force of the universe.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE LAST YEAR OF THE WAR.

Review of the Situation-Fight in Mobile Bay-Sherman in GeorgiaGrant's Investment of Petersburg-Evacuation of RichmondDecisive Battle at Sailor's Creek.

The year 1865 opened auspiciously upon the political and military prospects of the Union government. Almost at its beginning Fort Fisher, which guarded the approaches to Wilmington, N. C., and had so long held out against the efforts of the government to either capture the fort or seal up the harbor against blockade running, was taken, and was designated as the place where Sherman's army would meet a fleet with supplies, and what additional land forces he might need after having made his "March to the Sea." A formidable fleet, under Admiral Porter, and a sufficient land force, under General Terry, both admirably conducted, captured that fortification, most like a "Malakoff" of anything in our war, and put it with all its supplies and free communication with the North, at the service of Sherman's approaching army. It had been attempted before, but without success, and now when possession of this port was most needed to carry out with confidence Sherman's daring and complicated project, here it was, open to welcome him with re-enforcements and supplies, and one of his able

*

* General Schofield, who was with Sherman's expedition as far as Atlanta, and was sent back from there to look after Hood on his way to Tennessee, and helped Thomas defeat him at Nashville, and pursued him until his army was thoroughly broken up and scattered, performed an important part in the capture of Wilmington and the surrounding region, and met his old commander there to help him finish up his campaign and be present to witness the surrender of Johnston's army in North Carolina. Indeed, it was one of the feats of the war, removing him and his army corps of 15,000 men, with their artillery and baggage, over a distance of 1,800 miles by rail to Washington, and by sea to Wilmington, both within soventeon days.

and trusted commanders on hand to help him complete his victory.

A little previous to this, Farragut had even surpassed his achievements at New Orleans and up the Mississippi, by reducing the forts of Mobile bay, and destroying the rebel ram being built there, before it could get out to play havoc with our wooden flect. The Confederacy had proven itself remarkably skillful in constructing such vessels, and in defending its harbors by torpedoes. This bay was strongly defended by both, and Farragut had been impatiently waiting for a year for the government to furnish him with monitors enough, and a sufficient land force, to take possession of this harbor. It was not until the summer of 1864 that, with such means at his command, he went about his work. One of the most formidable rams ever built by the Confederacy-the Tennessee-was just finished, and might any day come out of the harbor and sweep away everything of wood. It was built upon the same plan as the Merrimac, which sank the Cumberland and blew up the Congress in Hampton bay, early in the war. It was commanded by Admiral Buchanan of the Confederate navy, who was in command of the Merrimac when she caused such consternation among all our fleets. The only defect about this ironclad was that its steering apparatus was not properly protected, and that it had insufficient machinery and steam power. Never had there been such a battle as this was to bo. It was to be a fight between that sca monster, assisted by a few gunboats, on one side, and our eight wooden sloops of war, and a variety of other smaller vessels, on the other. The whole of the Union flect must be driven through a nest of torpedoes. Admiral Farragut's plan of battle was to have each of his sloops of war attached, on the inside towards the forts, to one of the swift steamers, to increase her speed and drag her out of danger in case her own machinery was disabled. His flag

ship, the Hartford, was lashed on the inside to one of the double-enders, the Metacomet, and the admiral proposed to lead the advance, but was dissuaded from it by the unanimous advice of his captains, and that position was assigned to his old flagship at New Orleans, the Brooklyn. The four monitors were to go a little in advance, and on the right of the wooden vessels. The six war sloops, with a steamer attached, were to follow.

It was a clear, sunny August morning when a shell was exploded over Fort Morgan, and within half an hour the fleet came within range and the firing from the inside vessels became general, the fort and the Confederate fleet replying. The wooden vessels moved more rapidly than the monitors, and as the flagship came opposite the fort, and approached the torpedo line, she came nearly alongside of the rear monitor. To have kept on would have been to take the lead, with the ram Tennessee approaching, and with the unknown danger of the torpedoes underneath. At this critical moment the Brooklyn halted, and began backing and signaling. The flagship was immediately behind, and the following vessels were in close proximity, and the sudden stopping of the Brooklyn threatened to bring the whole fleet into collision, while the strong, inflowing tide was likely to carry some of the vessels ashore under the guns of the fort. The Brooklyn signaled, "The monitors are right ahead; we cannot go on without passing them." The reply was sent at once from the admiral, "Order the monitors ahead and go on." But still the Brooklyn halted, while to add to the horror of the situation, the monitor Tecumseh, a few hundred yards in advance, suddenly careened to one side and almost instantly sank to the bottom, carrying with her Captain Craven and the greater part of his crew, numbering in all 114 officers and men. Meantime the Brooklyn failed to go ahead, and the whole fleet became a stationary point-blank target for the guns of the fort and of the rebel vessels. It was during these few perilous moments that the most fatal work of the day was done to the fleet. Owing to the Hartford's position, only her few bow guns could be used, while a deadly rain of shot and shell was falling on her, and her men were being cut down by scores, unable to make reply The sight on deck was sickening beyond the power of words to portray. Shot after shot came through the side, mowing down the men, deluging the decks with blood, and scattering mangled fragments of humanity so thickly that it was difficult to stand on deck, so slippery was it. At one gun all the crew on one side were swept down by a shot which