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[492] force through which he would necessarily be obliged to pass. As the days and weeks passed, and brought no tidings from him, my apprehensions became so strong that I resolved to send one or two of my men to the rebel capital, in order to ascertain the cause of his unusual and long-continued absence.

My anxiety was equally shared by General McClellan, with whom Webster was a great favorite, and who placed the utmost reliance upon his reports. One evening, early in February, the General called upon me, and advised the sending of one messenger, or two, for the sole purpose of hunting up Webster, or discovering some trace of him. I informed him that I had already considered the necessity of some such action, and was upon the point of submitting the matter for his approval. Finding the General thus fully in accord with the proposition, I at once selected two of my men for this important mission. After mature consideration, I decided upon despatching Price Lewis and John Scully upon this delicate quest. My reasons for this selection, were that both Scully and Lewis had been connected with other operations in Baltimore, in company with Webster, and had thus been enabled to form the acquaintance of a great number of secessionists in that city, some of whom had gone South, while others, who remained at home, had influential friends in Richmond. During these operations, both Lewis and Scully had pretended the most earnest and sincere

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