[Illustration: “RESTING QUIETLY IN THEIR POLISHED CASE OF DARK MAHOGANY WITH ITS SOFT LINING OF TUFTED CRIMSON SILK.”] Resting quietly in their polished case of dark mahogany, with its soft lining of tufted crimson silk, they look harmless indeed and as though their lives had been uneventful. Yet, could they speak with other tongues than those of fire and smoke, they could tell a tale to interest and thrill--of scenes of bloody encounter and deadly strife, of combat and carnage, of victory and defeat, of raid and destruction, of pursuit and capture, of loss and recovery, of separation and reunion,--in short, the exciting story of war, and the captivating tale of peace. You take up the pair of revolvers with a new interest. Yes! they are handsome. Shapely and well proportioned, they deserve your exclamation of admiration. The blued steel of barrels and cylinders contrasts attractively with the silver mounting of the handles, so well fitted to the grasp. [Illustration: “YOU TAKE THEM IN HAND! YOU GLANCE ALONG THE SIGHTS!” ] You take them in hand! You glance along the sights! Ah! my friend, time was when the threatening glint of the eye that brought these sights in line was quite different from the gentle light in yours. And now you read inquiringly the inscription, showing the presentation, deeply engraved upon the silver handle band of each seven shooter. Yes, I am the regimental commander to whom they were presented, by the braves of the gallant 19th Regiment of Ohio Infantry, nearly forty years ago. I had lived but little over half that many years, when they came to me and, since the date you read upon them, I have grown grizzled. The scene of the presentation, the causes that led to it and the after events of note, are as vivid as though they were of yesterday and yet there is the strange feeling as though I spoke of some other and not of myself. I take it that most of us who served through those four momentous years of gigantic war now feel as though the experiences were those of a third person, of whom we had knowledge, intimate indeed, but with whom we had not identity. As you ask for the story, it shall be given unto you. CONTENTS. PAGE PROLOGUE 5 SCENE I. The Battle 9 SCENE II. The Presentation 24 SCENE III. The Capture 29 SCENE IV. The Reunion 44 Epilogue 51 The Twin Seven-Shooters. SCENE I. THE BATTLE. The recital will start fairly on Christmas day of the year 1862, near Nashville, in the camps of the Army of the Cumberland, then commanded by General Rosecrans.