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273 33 Wartime Enterprises It was a brain-busy time. All the wheels of activity were rolling on diligently , swiftly, except the wagon wheels and artillery wheels of the Army of the Potomac. These, indeed, were so quietly resting in their lazy camps that the whole country had grown weary of reading in the newspapers the stereotyped announcement that “All is quiet on the Potomac.” The vociferous response of “On to Richmond” had also become a stereotyped re-print. From what has already been set forth, it may be imagined that my own brain was pretty well occupied, but there was still room in it for the formation of many plans and the development of a number of curious undertakings. Speculation in stocks and gold, especially the latter, was all the while running insanely wild in New York and other financial centers, and I formed an idea that it was almost true patriotism to be what was called a “bear” in gold. I therefore went in, a little at first and then deeper. I had good correspondents, was not by any means a bad judge of the changing situations and their effects upon the markets. On the whole, I succeeded pretty well, rarely making any important losses, except in stocks. I had not the least idea that there was anything wrong in it for a fellow in my position, and made no secret whatever of my transactions. My leading associate in New York was a banker named Edward Wollf, “Wollf & Dike.” He was a German by birth, of good family, highly educated , and we formed a strong personal friendship as well as business alliance . Not a great while after our first meeting, I was called upon to make a flying trip to New York to attend his wedding with a daughter of Mr. A. M. W. Ball of Elizabeth, New Jersey, the author of “Rock Me to Sleep,” 274 wartime enterprises in its original form. Afterwards there was a long newspaper controversy as to the claims of a then pretty well-known authoress, but I had seen the entire original from which the published verses were selected and was well convinced that all the fair poetess had to do was to change them somewhat, so, for instance, that she, a beauty of eighteen, might the better ask “time to Smooth the few silver threads out of my hair, etc.,” as the old gentleman had done, more appropriately. It makes me sad, now, to think of the end of it all. Years later under the pressure of disasters, Wollf went temporarily insane and committed suicide. I attended his funeral. But about my speculations. Strange as it may seem, there were those who did not like me. Many of them. I was too positive to be popular. The fact was that all sorts of men were dipping into the great gambling river of Wall Street. My own dippings were made alongside with those of senators and statesmen, not one of whom thought of concealment or supposed that he was doing anything which his position forbade him to do. We were all under the excitement of a tremendous fever to which none of us had ever before been subjected. I think, however, that the first strong impulse toward speculation came to me from my expense account, which was unpleasantly increasing. A salary of fifteen hundred dollars was sadly inadequate for a fellow who had upon his hands so many costly affairs, public and private, and who, by reason of his brother and sister, was really a man of family. Harry cost me something, but Kate cost me a great deal, for her social position had its imperative demands of many kinds and I was altogether willing to meet them. I now come to the story of my exceedingly curious vacation, in the early Fall of 1862. I was well entitled to a vacation and I went to the President about it. I even told him what I proposed to do with my outing and he smiled kindly, audibly. The state of affairs was this. Our army under Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside,1 had captured the most important points of the North Carolina coast, including New Berne, the mouth of the Neuse River, Fort Mason, etc. I had learned that the Navy Department was greatly in need of tar, turpentine, and other naval materials, and especially of white oak timber, seasoned if possible, for the new gunboats that were to be constructed. I had also...

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