N.LESTER JOHN T.SHUEMAKER JAS.

M.SMITH, Members of Congress.
Of course, we were rather amused than alarmed at these threats, and made light of the feeble opposition offered to our progress.

Some of the officers (in the spirit of mischief) gathered together in the vacant hall of Representatives, elected a Speaker, and constituted themselves the Legislature of the State of Georgia! A proposition was made to repeal the ordinance of secession, which was well debated, and resulted in its repeal by a fair vote! I was not present at these frolics, but heard of them at the time, and enjoyed the joke.
Meantime orders were made for the total destruction of the arsenal and its contents, and of such public buildings as could be easily converted to hostile uses.

But little or no damage was done to private property, and General Slocum, with my approval, spared several mills, and many thousands of bales of cotton, taking what he knew to be worthless bonds, that the cotton should not be used for the Confederacy.

Meantime the right wing continued its movement along the railroad toward Savannah, tearing up the track and destroying its iron.