Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

“Well,” I said, “we will detach all the cars and I will go with you on the engine;” and jumping on the engine, with one member of my staff, the rest remaining behind as there was no room for them, I said: “Let her go.”

“Shall we go slow,” said he, “so that we shall find out when a train is coming before we reach it, in time to back out?”

“ With only your engine you ought to back out very quickly.”

“Oh, well,” said he, “but I want your directions.”

“Very well; let her go as fast as she can go.”

“Then,” he says, “hold on to your cap, General,” and we went that nineteen miles in forty minutes, and got into the depot at Washington five minutes before any train started out.

Dropping a twenty-dollar gold piece in the hands of the engineer, I got off, woke a sleeping negro in a carriage, and told him to drive up to Postmaster-General Blair's house, opposite the White House, as fast as he could. As I drove up I saw Mr. Blair and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Fox, sitting together in his study. I went in. Fox knew that I had gone on the expedition to Hatteras, for it was one in which he was much interested. When he saw me he cried out: “Where from?”

Gustavus V. Fox, Ass't Secretary of United States Navy. From a photograph.

“ Direct from Hatteras”

“What news?”

I stated the result of the expedition. He was very much elated, and asked me to go right over and tell the President about it.

“We ought not to do that,” said I, “and get him up at this time of night. Let him sleep.”

“He will sleep enough better for it; so let us go and wake him up.”

We went over to the White House and got the watchman up. It took us some fifteen minutes to do it, and I remember remarking to Fox that if I was on the other side I could have come here and captured the President and carried him off. Then we went up into the