The first movement toward the formation of this expedition had been the selection of a large area of ground at Hempstead Plains, Long Island, for the encampment and drill of the military portion of it. Twenty or thirty wells were sunk in the plain at convenient intervals. The accumulation of quartermaster and commission stores began, and two regiments, the Third New Hampshire and Eighth Maine, had arrived, when, in obedience to orders from General Scott, commander-in-chief of the army, I assumed command of the camp-General T. W. Sherman being military commander of the expedition. Twenty thousand soldiers were to constitute the military part of the force. Scarcely had the two regiments pitched their tents when one of those periodical stampedes that were constantly occurring at Washington took place, and a telegram directed the immediate transfer of these regiments to the capital, notwithstanding the expense in preparing the ground at Hempstead, digging wells, and accumulating material-which was all thrown away, merely to add two raw regiments (one of whom had only received their muskets three days before) to the forces at Washington; and this on the strength of some cock-and-bull story by a contraband that the enemy was about to attack Washington in force, when he had no more intention of going there than he had of visiting the moon. Thus the camp of the "First Brigade, E. C." was transferred to the water-soaked clay of Capitol Hill-where the Eighth Maine (nearly all sixfooters) caught the mumps and measles to a man. In the pure atmosphere of the pine woods where they came from these diseases of childhood had never prevailed. After receiving the addition of the Forty-sixth, Fortyseventh and Forty-eighth New York regiments, the brigade was removed to Annapolis, which was the final rendezvous, and from this place were embarked on transports which, with the naval fleet, ultimately assembled at Hampton Roads. While at Annapolis the brigade encamped in the old grave-yard of Count de Grasse's French contingent of the Revolution, where the men slept in the hollows of the sunken graves of the Frenchmen who died there while in camp.

The expedition was now composed of about 20,000 soldiers and 5,000 sailors, all the largest transport vessels, such as the Vanderbilt, Atlantic and Baltic, in fact, all the available vessels that could be obtained and some of the finest men-of-war in the service; the frigate Wabash as the flag-ship, and Commodore Dupont, an old and experienced naval officer, to command the naval part of the expedition. He had with him the two Rogers, John and Raymond, and Commodore Davis, as associate commandThe land forces were under the command of General T. W. Sherman, and were divided into three brigades, the first commanded by Egbert

ers.

L. Viele, the second by Isaac J. Stevens, the third by Horatio Gates Wright. These eight officers were called together on board the flag-ship the night before the proposed departure of the expedition, to listen to the final instructions of the Government and learn the destination of the force. The council assembled in the inner cabin of the Wabash. The outer door was securely fastened, and a marine placed ten paces from it, with strict orders to allow no listeners to approach. Commodore Dupont then unfolded the carefully prepared instructions, and read them in a low tone that could not be heard beyond the immediate circle of those assembled.

To my utter astonishment the destination of this formidable armada was stated to be Bull's Bay, South Carolina, and Fernandina, Florida, two comparatively insignificant places; but more than this, the supposed "secret destination" had been imparted to me more than a month before in the City of Washington, as coining from a woman who was on terms of the closest intimacy with one of the members of Mr. Lincoln's Cabinet. He was a widower, and this woman, who possessed unusual attractiveness of appearance and manners, was a constant habitue of the Secretary's house, receiving his guests at receptions, accompanying him on occasional visits to the camps, and evidently a favored friend. She was a Southern woman by birth and sympathies; but when I learned, as coming from her, the destination of this great assailing force-which had been officially withheld from me I treated the idea with ridicule, not only from the insignificance of the destinations named, but from the natural supposition that it was impossible for such a woman to know anything about it. What, then, was my amazement, not to say consternation, when Dupont communicated in whispered tones to the council of commanders this same destination. I could hardly believe my own sense of hearing. What hope was there for the Union cause if the great secrets of the Government, the plans of her army and navy commanders, could be thus thrown to the winds of heaven-or communicated as these were directly to Jefferson Davis, as will be seen? As a matter of course I made known the fact to the officers present that this supposed "secret" was no longer a secret. A long conference ensued, lasting into the hours of the early morning. A close and careful examination of the charts furnished by the coast surveys exhibited the remarkable character of Port Royal as a harbor, and after receiving from Commodore Dupont, in answer to a question if this harbor would suffice as a safe place of rendezvous, the assurance that his fondest anticipations had never contemplated the occupation of so spacious a harbor, and that it would be sufficient without any other, it was earnestly urged upon the council to adopt Port Royal as the destination. The council adjourned, however,

without coming to a decision: but in re-assembling next morning, Port Royal was unanimously chosen. Sealed orders were then prepared for every vessel, not to be opened until each one was out of sight of land.

Port Royal is fifteen miles northeast from the entrance of Savannah River, and has the most capacious harbor on the southern coast south of Hampton Roads. The entrance itself is a broad inlet from the Atlantic, between two of the large sea islands that are formed along the entire extent of the coast. The island of Hilton Head is on the south and Edding Island on the north. The whole of this region has great historic interest. In fact Port Royal was the first settled spot on the North American coast. The first colony was sent out from France in the year 1562 under Jean Ribault, who, landing in Florida, afterward sailed northward, and discovering this harbor was so struck with its capaciousness that he called it Port Royal. The old chronicles describe it as "a place where all the argosies of Venice could ride upon its bosom." The first colony did not flourish, and another that was sent out from France was no more successful, and therefore in 1567 the French abandoned the idea of forming a permanent settlement here. Nearly a century afterward a colony from Scotland led by Lord Cadross formed a settlement here, and in 1670 William Sayle was sent out as governor. An English writer described it as a harbor where the whole royal navy might ride with safety, and as being admirably adapted "for a squadron of ships in time of war." It is not surprising that strenuous efforts were made by the South for its defense.

This destination was our secret, and was committed only at the last moment to the President at Washington. Nevertheless a dispatch from Jefferson Davis was found afterward at Fort Walker, one of the captured forts, informing the commander that Port Royal had been selected for the attack. "The woman in the case" had evidently been on the alert, and a preparation to meet us was made that would have destroyed a less thoroughly organized and equipped force. How much the cause of the Union suffered through all the bitter struggle from such similiar breaches of trust will probably never be known.

The three leading principles that govern a true plan of military operation are secrecy, celerity and audacity. The Port Royal expedition started out handicapped with the absence of the first of these, and the elements combined to deprive it of the second. Scarcely had the great fleet lost sight of the American coast when a storm commenced to gather that threatened for a time to disperse if not destroy it. The weather was unsettled from the first, the wind veering to all points of the compass. On the fifth day, or rather on the night of the fourth day, November 1, the

powers of the winds and waves culminated in one of the most fearful storms ever known on the Atlantic coast. The exigencies of the case had caused the drafting into the service of every description of craft-ocean steamers, coasters, sailing vessels, ferry boats, river steamers, many of them of light draft, and all were compelled to breast the fury of the gale. The steamer Baltic, of the old Collins line of European steamers, had in tow the large ship Ocean Express. The ship Great Republic was in tow of the steamer Vanderbiit. The steamer Illinois had in tow the ship Golden Eagle. Nearly all parted their hawsers during the night, the long hours of which will never be forgotten by those who passed through them in wakeful uncertainty.

When the morning dawned the fleet was scattered in every direction. The Peerless, the Osceola, the Governor, and the Union were wrecked. Several others were saved only by throwing overboard their guns or cargoes. The Belvidere found safety in putting back to Hampton Roads. It was almost a miracle that so many escaped. Nevertheless on Monday, the 4th of November, the seventh day after starting, the fleet was at anchor off Port Royal, ready for active work. First the channel had to be sounded and buoys placed to mark the entrance. A little more enterprise and daring on the part of Commodore Tatnall, who commanded the insurgent fleet inside the harbor, would have made this operation a very hazardous and difficult one. Once the channel was defined it was not a difficult matter to enter, but it was fortunate for the fleet that the storm had subsided. On the morning of the 5th, the light draft gunboats passed over the bar, followed the next day by all the men-of-war.

And now another dilemma presented itself. The Ocean Express, a large sailing ship that was in tow of the Baltic, and had parted her hawser during the night of the storm, contained all the small ammunition of the force as well as the heavy ordnance. This vessel had failed to put in an appearance off Port Royal, and it was feared that she was lost. At any rate, Sherman refused his assent to the commencement of hostilities until this vessel was heard from, or, if lost, until more guns and more ammunition could be procured from the North. As we had stripped the arsenals of all their available ordnance, it looked as if the expedition would have to be abandoned at the moment of success. It having been suggested to Commodore Dupont that when the forts were taken he, if found necessary, could dismantle some of his war vessels and send the guns on shore, he at once acquiesced, and it being further decided that the bayonet could supply the absence of small ammunition, Sherman reluctantly assented, and the order was given out for commencing the bombardment the next morning. During the night the