to them, more than to the Southerners themselves, was due the imposition of the hard terms which were the price of peace. To the "Copperheads," therefore, as a class, the South owe little or nothing; and, according to my view, they were the kind of friends that people in difficulties had best be without.
The Projected Attack by Way of the Lakes.
The great scheme to which I have alluded was no less than an attack upon the country bordering upon the great lakes; the release of the Confederate prisoners confined at Johnson's Island in Lake Erie, near Sandusky, Ohio, and at other localities; their organization into an army, which was to engage in the work of devastating the country, burning the cities and towns, seizing upon forts, arsenals, depots, and manufactories of munitions of war, for the purpose of holding them, if practicable, or of destroying them ; and, in fine, of creating such a diversion in their rear as would necessitate the withdrawal of a large force from the front.
A Diversion in the Reaer of the Enemy.
It was expected, in event of the success of the plan, that the Federal forces would be placed between two fires, and that the commanders of the Confederate armies in the South and in the North would be able between them to crush the enemy, and dictate terms of peace, or at least give a new phase to the war, by transferring it from the impoverished and desolated South to the rich, prosperous, and fertile North. As I have before stated, much reliance was felt by many on obtaining something more than mere sympathy from the "Copperheads." I, for one, however, had no great expectations that any considerable number of recruits would be gained on Northern soil, and founded my hopes more on the personal efforts of true and tried Southern men, than upon assistance of any kind from those who were not closely identified with Southern interests.
While the plans for the proposed grand attack in the rear was maturing, I was asked to attempt a trip to Richmond, and consented without hesitation. I was to consult with, and receive final instructions from the Richmond authorities, with regard to the proposed raid on the lake shores, and was also to
