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7

captain and crew being unarmed,and consequently powerless to offer any resistence. There were some forty or fifty passengers on the boat, and they were ordered on shore and secreted, while the engineers and pilots were kept on board, a guard being placed over them to see that they obeyed every order given by the rebel captain in command. The boat still laid to at the wharf boat, and there was at first some anxiety among the passengers to know what the next move of the rebels would be, but their object was soon made manifest, as in a short time the steamer Alice Dean-the pride of Cincinnati river men and the finest boat now running in the Memphis trade, came gracefully rounding the bend of the river. It was soon evident that the Dean intended making no stoppage at Brandenburgh, so the McCoombs was headed out just in time to touch her bows, when the rebels, who still concealed on the McCoombs, jumped on board the Dean and effected the capture of that boat also. The passengers were then liberated, with instructions that they were not to leave the town, around which pickets had been posted to give war-ning of any approach, as well as to prevent the departure of those in the place. Before letting them go, however, they assured them that all private property would be respected, and they returned to the various owners about $10,000, which had been placed in the safe of the boat for safe-keeping. On going into the town they passed thirty or forty more men in possession of the place, under the command of Captain Taylor, formerly of Louisville ; the force under his command forming the advance guard of Morgan's army.

"About sundown, a rebel Lieutenant came down to Captain Ballard of the McCoombs, and CaptainPepper of the Dean, and told them he had the honor of informing them that General John Morgan had arrived in the city, and had made the Ashcraft House his headquarters. Our informants made use of their time and the liberty which had