Then everything seemed to melt away before them. The fire of the
Southern cannon ceased suddenly, and Colonel Winchester exclaimed that
their works had been abandoned. They charged forward, seized the cannon,
and now rode without resistance into the capital of the state, from which
the President of the Confederacy hailed, though by birth a Kentuckian.
Dick and his comrades were among the first to enter the town, and not
until then did they know that Johnston and all but a few hundreds of his
army were gone.
"We've got the shell only," Dick said.
"Still we've struck a blow by taking the capital of the state," said
Colonel Winchester.
Dick looked with much curiosity at the little city into which they were
riding as conquerors. It was too small and new to be imposing. Yet
there were some handsome houses, standing back on large lawns, and
surrounded by foliage. The doors and shutters of all of them were closed
tightly. Dick knew that their owners had gone away or were sitting,
hearts full of bitterness, in their sealed houses.
The streets were deep in mud, and at the corners little knots of negroes
gathered and looked at them curiously.
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