The following interesting letters, which are taken from leading New York newspapers, are now added to the 3d edition of this work. They form so unusual a testimonial from military officers, and also from the union men of the South, of the truthfulness and value of the book, both as a sketch of war scenes, drawn from a military point of view, and as a reliable account of the union sentiment which secretly prevailed at the South, that the Executive Committee have deemed them a desirable appendix to the foregoing pages.  
AN INTERESTING INCIDENT.
 
Editor of the ————.
 
The re-publication of Judge Nott's "Sketches of the War," recalls an incident, connected with one of those unfaltering unionists of Tennessee, which I trust will prove interesting to your loyal readers.
 
In the month of Oct., 1863, when on a scouting expedition, after Faulkner, which left union City, under the command of the celebrated Captain Frank Moore, of the 2d Illinois Cavalry, we passed through Como. It was after noon, and I, with my[Pg 176] two companies of the 4th Mo. Cavalry, was ordered to "turn in" and feed, at a house, about a quarter of a mile out of town, where there seemed to be plenty of forage and "shoats." After seeing my command properly disposed, I stationed a guard at the house, and entered the gate. The lady of the house met me on the porch and invited me in. I observed to her, after entering, that I was obliged to stop to feed my command, as they were very tired and hungry, and asked if she could prepare a meal for some half dozen officers. She assented, and immediately went to the kitchen to give the necessary directions. When she returned, I inquired:
 
"Is your husband at home?"
 
"No, sir. He is absent, looking for his stock."
 
I was then convinced of what I expected at first, from her frightened looks and distant manner, that her husband was in the rebel army.
 
"What," I ventured to ask, "is your husband's name?"
 
"Hurt, sir."
 
"Hurt, Hurt," I repeated after her. "That name sounds familiar. I have seen or heard it somewhere. Ah! now I remember. It was in a little work written by Captain Nott, called 'Sketches of the War'."
 
"Indeed!" she exclaimed. "Did you know him?"
 
"Very well. I was his 2d Lieutenant in the 4th Mo. Cavalry, my present regiment. We left New York for St. Louis, and entered this regiment together, in August, 1861. Unfortunately, however, we were soon separated; for Captain Nott and his company were transferred to the 5th Iowa Cavalry, and I have not seen him since. It was a bitter disappointment to me, and I have never fairly got over it."
 
[Pg 177]
 
"Then you are really union soldiers? I'm sure you are."
 
"How could you doubt it?" I asked. "You see we wear the United States uniform."
 
"That is not always conclusive, Captain. It was only the other day, that a force of rebel cavalry, disguised in blue coats, surprised and routed a detachment of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry, in this very place. I never heard such horrid yelling in my life. They acted like demons. Since then, we are obliged to be very cautious."
 
Here Mrs. Hurt excused herself, and, stepping to the door, directed Tom to call his master. Returning, she continued:
 
"I must apologize, Captain, for deceiving you as to my husband's whereabouts. You see the difficulties of our situation. He will be here presently. His stock usually stray no farther than the nearest corn-field."
 
Smiling at her explanation of what at first looked to me very much like a white lie, I observed, that I fully appreciated the dangers attending life in a country raided over alternately by each of two hostile parties; and that I well understood why, at first, I believed myself in a "secesh" house.
 
"I presume," I continued, "you have not seen Captain Nott's little book, describing his visit here, and his adventures in these parts?"
 
"Oh, yes. And what is more, it is in a safe place. We hide it away, for fear it might get soiled."
 
She undoubtedly knew it would not be quite safe to let the "Johnnies" find it.
 
Mr. Hurt now appeared, just as we were sitting down to dinner. Several of my officers had come in.
 
[Pg 178]
 
"Husband, these are the friends of Captain Nott. I have explained your absence."
 
"I am delighted to see you, gentlemen; tell me all about the Captain. We have entirely lost track of him."
 
"The last news we had of him, he was a prisoner at Camp Ford, Texas. He was Colonel of the 176th New York Infantry. There is a rumor that he died in prison, but we do not credit it."
 
"I hope it is only a rumor. I never met a man, in my whole life, for whom I formed so strong an attachment. And if ever I find out where he is, I will visit him, if it takes me to China. I never saw an officer who had such remarkable control over his men. At the same time they seemed to idolize him."
 
We continued to chat till dinner was over, when Mrs. Hurt produced a copy of "Sketches," which had been sent by the author. "Nothing," she said, "would induce us to part with it."
 
The second edition of this charming little work, beautifully bound, and appropriately embellished with cavalry insignia, has just been issued from the Press. Judged by its predecessor, which has long since been exhausted, I have no doubt but this edition will meet a cordial welcome wherever real merit is recognized and rewarded. To facilitate in some degree its circulation, I desire to say something in its behalf: in the first place, because of my attachment to the author, under whom I entered the service; in the second place, because the work is a very deserving one; and thirdly, because it is published for the exclusive benefit of disabled soldiers.
 
Compiled from a series of letters originally written to the pupils of Ward School 44, of this city, of which the author was[Pg 179] formerly a trustee, it might be inferred that the style and subject-matter would be exclusively adapted to the tastes and comprehension of children. The fact is otherwise. The author, as he states in the preface, has "carefully avoided that 'baby talk' and paltriness of subject," so common in works for juveniles, and has given "just such incidents and topics, as he would have chosen for their fathers and mothers." To the generality of adult readers, I venture the assertion, few works of romance will be found more absorbingly interesting. For myself, I freely say, that not only was I intensely interested; but, accustomed as I was, to all the details of cavalry service, I learned much from this little volume, which could not be found in "Tactics" or "Regulations." It is an excellent work for officers to read, both for amusement and information.
 
Beside the exceeding attractiveness of the story, the scholar is fascinated by the dignity and purity of the composition—the simplicity of the style, and the surpassing clearness, naturalness and minuteness, which mark the book throughout. Nothing seems to have escaped the observation of the author; and whatever he observed, he remembered. The smallest details are garnered, and made to contribute to the interest of the narrative. One of the prominent features of the work is, that most of the incidents, thrilling in themselves, are put in the colloquial form, thus giving them a directness and vivacity, which is lost in the third-person style. But, perhaps, the distinguishing charm lies in the fact, that the author has stamped himself upon his work. Every page illustrates the nobleness and real goodness of heart, which ever characterized his actions.
 
Oscar P. Howe, 
Captain 4th Mo. Cavalry.
 
[Pg 180]
 
From the New York Tribune.
 
A new edition of "Sketches of the War," by Charles C. Nott, is published by A. D. F............