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270 stopped to inquire whether he was guilty or not of any offence against them or their cause before taking vengeance upon him. He was reduced to poverty by the burning of his hotel, and I could not help feeling the keenest regret for the occurrence, although I recognized it as one of the inevitable calamities of warfare. I was, myself, in the hotel when it was fired, and barely succeeded in escaping from the building with my life. Not expecting any such occurrence, I had taken rooms, and was proceeding to make myself comfortable, when, all of a sudden, I found that it was in flames, and that it would be as much as I could do to get out unscathed. The men who fired the building did not give the proprietor an opportunity to make explanations, or if they did, they refused to believe him. Knowing what the passions of men engaged in warfare are, and how little consideration they are disposed to give those who are suspected of aiding the enemy, I was not altogether surprised at this action, but I thought the officers in command might have succeeded in restraining their soldiers until the exact truth of the matter could have been ascertained.

The next day after this occurrence I visited the camp of General Dan. Adams, from whom I gained a number of points which were useful to me in making my arrangements for the future. He gave me a tolerably definite idea of how things stood, and advised me what course to take if I wanted to go into active service again. Among other things, he said it was understood that the Federal General Grierson was on a raid in the direction of Natchez, but he thought he would most likely have a speedy stop put to that kind of performance. As for himself, he told me that he had been ordered to re-inforce General Joe Johnston at Big Black, and that he expected to start for that point shortly. Exactly what was on foot he did not know, but thought it likely that the Federals were about to make an attempt on Yicksburg, and that Johnston intended to be well prepared to receive them in his best style.

Several times already had the Federals made attacks of greater or less importance on Vicksburg, which city was now the most important position held by the Confederacy, and commanding the Mississippi River as it did, its possession was considered a matter of the most vital importance. The fall of Vicksburg, everybody knew, would practically give the Federals possession of the river throughout its entire length;