We reached Knoxville in two days, and much to our surprise went into camp just north of the railroad track and in quite thick woods. Knoxville was a small town in 1861, and had no houses north of the railroad. Now she has nearly a city north of the railroad, and she has crowded herself across the Tennessee River. It was while here that we heard that up in Parson Brownlow’s home was a United States flag unfurled to the breeze, and some daring soldier said it should not flaunt, and went up to take it down; but Miss Brownlow, with pistol in hand, said: “The man that touches that flag will die!” Of course the Southern soldier did not die, as he had too much respect for the lady to disturb her flag. Miss Brownlow afterwards married my friend H. M. Aiken, and I had the pleasure of meeting her a few years ago, but said to her that I was not the soldier that went after the flag. After a few days in Knoxville we boarded the train and went as far as Johnson City, where again we went into camp. Why those continuous delays I have never been able to find out, and my readers can imagine how we chafed under the delay, as the armies were gathering around Manassas for battle. We fussed and fumed for a few days, when the rush order came to run with all speed to Manassas. We sped the best we could; but when we reached Lynchburg, Va., the battle had been fought and won, many of the wounded had been brought to Lynchburg, and this was our first sight of the bloody war. The first wounded man I saw was Hon. H. A. Edmondson, of Roanoke, Va., who was a brother of John K. Edmondson, before the war sheriff of Davidson county, Tenn. Having nothing to do, we were held at Lynchburg, the City of Hills; and as we bivouacked near Black Water Creek on a steep hill, we had no use for a pillow, but if a soldier got crossways the hill he had a chance of rolling into the creek, far below. While our troops had such success at Manassas, General Garnett had been killed at Rich Mountain. General Lee had been appointed to command the Department of West Virginia, and hitherward we were ordered; so we boarded the train for Millboro, Va., and stopped a few days at Staunton, where we met many of General Garnett’s soldiers, and they were in a bad plight, many of them without shoes and with stone bruises on their heels. In a few days we were on the train for Millboro, where we disembarked after some eight hours’ ride. Our destination was Cheat Mountain, some eighty miles from the railroad. [Illustration: PRIVATE HENRY H. COOK.]