CHAP.XII.] ADVANCE OF CONFEDERATES INTO KENTUCKY, ETC.

a gentleman highly respected and honorable in all the relations of life, organized from the young men of Columbus and vicinity a company of Rangers, for the mere purpose of drill to learn camp life, and to amuse themselves in hunting. A squad of this company went some 10 miles up the river on the Kentucky side. Some evil-disposed persons reported their presence in the neighborhood to the commander at Cairo, and he determined to capture or slay them. Accordingly a troop of 200 armed soldiers landed in the dead of night, marched in secrecy toward the encampment; as they would approach the dwelling of a citizen it would be surrounded, and the peaceful inmates, aroused in utter astonishment from their slumbers, would be placed under guard. Thus this force moved on, arresting the citizen and administering oaths until they approached the camp of the Rangers, avowing their object to be to arrest them or shoot them down if they resisted. The boys had left the evening before and returned to their homes, dreaming of anything less than they had become the objects of suspicion and of search to the army at Cairo. It has never suited the pleasure of any person connected with this flagrant infraction of Kentucky neutrality to allege any fault committed by a single individual of that party of Rangers. It was a wanton, unprovoked invasion of Kentucky soil to hunt down and murder Kentucky citizen.

Only a few days after the occurrences related above, another instance of their utter disregard of the rights of the people of Kentucky presents itself in a scene that was enacted in this place, as follows; There existed in our midst a diversity of opinion on the great question that was dividing the nation, one party favoring the doctrine of secession, the other for the Union. Each party, as was customary, manifested their opinions by the display of symbols that represented its peculiar views. The secession party had its flag, the Union party theirs. This was a matter that concerned ourselves alone. A flag of the Southern Confederacy floated from a pole on the river bank. The City of Alton, a steamboat belonging at Cairo, came down to Columbus filled with troops and having on board several cannon. She was run in to shore where the secession flag was floating, and the officer in command of the expedition demanded, in a rude and authoritative manner, by whose authority that flag was placed there. He was told it was done by citizens of Columbus. He then ordered it to be taken down. He was told it would not be done by any citizens. He then said if it was not taken down immediately he would shoot it down. He was told to shoot it down then. Thereupon three men came on shore, and, standing under the protection of their cannon, and guns bearing in point-blank distance of our persons and our dwellings, one of these men tore down the flag, took it on board the boat, and amid shouts, jeers, and derision, it was stamped upon and carried away.

We had in all former periods of our national history been in the habit of manifesting our peculiar views by any emblem we chose to adopt, and had felt it as one of the blessings of our form of government that we had the right to canvass and call in question the facts of our rulers in any method we might desire, so that we preserved the peace. We had, however, presumed too far in our trust in Kentucky neutrality. We had also been told by General Buckner, the commander of the military force of our State, that he had entered into an agreement with General McClellan which secured to us perfect immunity from all future disturbance; but even this consolation was denied us, for quickly upon the heels of this last act comes the denial of General McClellan that any such arrangement existed, and that, too, in such terms as to