E-text prepared by D. Alexander, Janet Blenkinship, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from digital material generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries (http://www.archive.org/details/americana) Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive/American Libraries. See http://www.archive.org/details/winninghisway00coffrich WINNING HIS WAY. by CHARLES CARLETON COFFIN, Author "Story of Liberty," "Boys of '76," "My Days and Nights on the Battlefield," "Our New Way Round the World," "Following the Flag," Etc. Boston, Mass.: Perry Mason & Co. 1888. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by Charles Carleton Coffin, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. FIRST YEARS 1 II. HARD TIMES 27 III. MERRY TIMES 42 IV. MUSIC AND PAINTING 63 V. THE NIGHT-HAWKS 82 VI. PAUL'S FRIENDS 91 VII. IN A TRAP 103 VIII. KEEPING SCHOOL 116 IX. RALLYING ROUND THE FLAG 126 X. A SOLDIER 144 XI. SCOUTING 156 XII. MISSED FROM HOME 170 XIII. THE MARCH 175 XIV. THE BATTLE 180 XV. SHOWING WHAT HE WAS MADE OF 190 XVI. HONOR TO THE BRAVE 200 XVII. CHICKAMAUGA 207 XVIII. HOW HE LIVED IN THE MEMORY OF HIS FRIENDS 211 XIX. WHAT BECAME OF A TRAITOR 217 XX. DARK DAYS 224 XXI. CONSECRATION 233 XXII. UNDER THE OLD FLAG 241 XXIII. THE JAWS OF DEATH 248 XXIV. HOME 253 WINNING HIS WAY. CHAPTER I. FIRST YEARS. Many years ago, before railroads were thought of, a company of Connecticut farmers, who had heard marvellous stories of the richness of the land in the West, sold their farms, packed up their goods, bade adieu to their friends, and with their families started for Ohio.