Oh, how sad is the memory of the past! If my faith was all I had in this world I should consider myself most miserable, but I thank God that while I still continue to suffer, my faith is in Him. When I got well I learned that my folks had made ready to have funeral services for me, as Comrade Ledierer had sent word to them that I was killed way back there at the negro shanty, at which place we were separated from each other. Now the time had come for me to return to Washington. General Lee’s army had surrendered, and my time of service had nearly expired and my furlough also. At last the day came when I bid my kind old mother and friends good bye and once more started to join the army. My desire now was to continue the tale of my escape from prison to the Senator from Pennsylvania, and get the gold he had promised to give me, but when I got to Harrisburg, I found that he had been taken ill and had been sent to an insane asylum, and while there had died, at least that was the report at that time. Soon after I got to Washington we were all mustered out of service and sent home. While I was on my way to Washington, and while in Baltimore waiting for a train to go to Washington, there was a guard who attempted to arrest me. I had been home three months, under a doctor’s care, and of course my furlough of thirty-five days had expired, but I had a sworn certificate from the doctor and a pass from the provost marshal of the place where I lived, but this did not suit the guard, who was bent on taking me for desertion. After twenty-five years had expired I got my ransom money from Uncle Sam on account of that guard at Baltimore keeping my furlough. Now this ends the tale of my escape from rebel prisons, and since all of this prison suffering I have lived in Oceana county, Michigan, and have reared up a family of five children, one boy dying at the age of thirteen years. I have had both shoulders broken, my right shoulder blade, right arm and left hip misplaced and broken, and also my left leg below the knee, and am now left almost a total cripple. This ends the short tale of suffering, but suffering not ended until this life is closed. Transcriber’s Note: The following changes have been made to the original publication: Page 6 rebels had very strong foritfications _changed to_ rebels had very strong fortifications Page 52 crevises of the rocks _changed to_ crevices of the rocks Page 72 on small abuttments _changed to_ on small abutments Page 77 through the crevises _changed to_ through the crevices Page 85 to thank God for His deliverence _changed to_ to thank God for His deliverance End of Project Gutenberg's In Defense of the Flag, by David W. Stafford