Page:The Immortal Six Hundred.djvu/254

   star performers of the show, with Capt. Ed Chambers as the manager.

Now spring had come and the fatal 9th day of April had brought to us the news of the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee, at Appomattox. President Lincoln was assassinated. The end had come, and we were men without a country—soldiers without a flag. We were broken indeed. Some days after General Lee's surrender the authorities at Washington ordered General Schoepf to ascertain how many of the prisoners at Fort Delaware prison would take the oath of allegiance to the United States Government. On first roll call about seven hundred of the fifteen hundred officers—prisoners of war—gave their assent to "swallow the yaller dorg" as we called taking the oath. We who refused to take the oath held an indignation meeting, protesting against the insult offered us by asking us to take the oath. Col. Van Manning, Maj. P. J. Otey, Colonel Fellows, and others spoke at this meeting