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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 12068 ***
+
+CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD:
+SOUTHERN ADVENTURE
+IN
+TIME OF WAR.
+
+LIFE WITH THE UNION ARMIES,
+AND
+RESIDENCE ON A LOUISIANA PLANTATION.
+
+BY
+THOMAS W. KNOX,
+HERALD CORRESPONDENT.
+
+WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+1865.
+
+
+
+
+TO
+THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PRESS,
+WHO FOLLOWED THE
+FORTUNES OF THE NATIONAL ARMIES,
+AND RECORDED
+THE DEEDS OF VALOR THAT SECURED THE PERPETUITY OF THE REPUBLIC,
+THIS VOLUME
+IS SYMPATHETICALLY INSCRIBED.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE REBEL RAM ARKANSAS RUNNING THROUGH OUR FLEET.]
+
+TO THE READER.
+
+A preface usually takes the form of an apology. The author of this
+volume has none to offer.
+
+The book owes its appearance to its discovery of a publisher. It has
+been prepared from materials gathered during the Campaigns herein
+recorded, and from the writer's personal recollections.
+
+Whatever of merit or demerit it possesses remains for the reader to
+ascertain. His judgment will be unprejudiced if he finds no word of
+promise on the prefatory page.
+
+NEW YORK, _September 15th, 1865_.
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+THE RAM _Arkansas_ RUNNING THROUGH OUR FLEET ABOVE VICKSBURG
+HAULING DOWN A REBEL FLAG AT HICKMAN, KENTUCKY
+THE OPENING GUN AT BOONEVILLE
+THE DEATH OF GENERAL LYON
+GENERAL SIGEL'S TRANSPORTATION IN MISSOURI
+SHELLING THE HILL AT PEA RIDGE
+GENERAL NELSON'S DIVISION CROSSING THE TENNESSEE
+RUNNING THE BATTERIES AT ISLAND NUMBER TEN
+THE REBEL CHARGE AT CORINTH, MISSISSIPPI
+ASSAULTING THE HILL AT CHICKASAW BAYOU
+STRATEGY AGAINST GUERRILLAS
+THE STEAMER _Von Phul_ RUNNING THE BATTERIES
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+ANTE BELLUM.
+
+At the Rocky Mountains.--Sentiment of the People.--Firing the
+Southern Heart.--A Midwinter Journey across the Plains.--An Editor's
+Opinion.--Election in Missouri.--The North springing to
+Arms.--An amusing Arrest.--Off for the Field.--Final
+Instructions.--Niagara.--Curiosities of Banking.--Arrival at the Seat
+of War.
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+MISSOURI IN THE EARLY DAYS.
+
+Apathy of the Border States.--The Missouri State Convention.--Sterling
+Price a Union Man.--Plan to take the State out of the Union.--Capture
+of Camp Jackson.--Energy of General Lyon.--Union Men organized.--An
+Unfortunate Collision.--The Price-Harney Truce.--The Panic among the
+Secessionists.--Their Hegira from St. Louis.--A Visit to the
+State Capital.--Under the Rebel Flag.--Searching for Contraband
+Articles.--An Introduction to Rebel Dignitaries.--Governor
+Jackson.--Sterling Price.--Jeff. Thompson.--Activity at
+Cairo.--Kentucky Neutrality.--The Rebels occupy Columbus.
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES.
+
+General Harney Relieved.--Price's Proclamation.--End of the
+Truce.--Conference between the Union and Rebel Leaders.--The First Act
+of Hostility.--Destruction of Railway Bridges.--Promptness of
+General Lyon.--Capture of the State Capital.--Moving on the Enemy's
+Works.--The Night before Battle.--A Correspondent's Sensation.
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE FIRST BATTLE IN MISSOURI.
+
+Moving up the River.--A Landing Effected.--The Battle.--Precipitous
+Retreat of the Rebels.--Spoiling a Captured Camp.--Rebel Flags
+Emblazoned with the State Arms.--A Journalist's Outfit.--A Chaplain of
+the Church Militant.--A Mistake that might have been Unfortunate.--The
+People of Booneville.--Visiting an Official.--Banking-House
+Loyalty.--Preparations for a Campaign.
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+TO SPRINGFIELD AND BEYOND.
+
+Conduct of the St. Louis Secessionists.--Collisions between Soldiers
+and Citizens.--Indignation of the Guests of a Hotel.--From St.
+Louis to Rolla.--Opinions of a "Regular."--Railway-life in
+Missouri.--Unprofitable Freight.--A Story of Orthography.--Mountains
+and Mountain Streams.--Fastidiousness Checked.--Frontier
+Courtesy.--Concentration of Troops at Springfield.--A Perplexing
+Situation.--The March to Dug Spring.--Sufferings from Heat and Thirst.
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE BATTLE OF WILSON CREEK.
+
+The Return from Dug Spring.--The Rebels follow in
+Pursuit.--Preparations to Attack them.--The Plan of Battle.--Moving
+to the Attack--A Bivouac--The Opening Shot.--"Is that
+Official?"--Sensations of a Spectator in Battle.--Extension of
+Distance and Time.--Characteristics of Projectiles.--Taking Notes
+under Fire.--Strength and Losses of the Opposing Armies.--A Noble
+Record.--The Wounded on the Field.--"One More Shot."--Granger in his
+Element.--General Lyon's Death.
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE RETREAT FROM SPRINGFIELD.
+
+A Council of War.--The Journalists' Council.--Preparations for
+Retreat.--Preceding the Advance-Guard.--Alarm and Anxiety of the
+People.--Magnificent Distances.--A Novel Odometer.--The Unreliable
+Countryman.--Neutrality.--A Night at Lebanon.--A Disagreeable
+Lodging-place.--Active Secessionists.--The Man who Sought and
+Found his Rights.--Approaching Civilization.--Rebel Couriers on the
+Route.--Arrival at Rolla.
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+GENERAL FREMONT'S PURSUIT OF PRICE.
+
+Quarrel between Price and McCulloch.--The Rebels Advance upon
+Lexington.--A Novel Defense for Sharp-shooters.--Attempt to Re-enforce
+the Garrison.--An Enterprising Journalist.--The Surrender.--Fremont's
+Advance.--Causes of Delay.--How the Journalists Killed Time.--Late
+News.--A Contractor "Sold."--Sigel in Front.--A Motley
+Collection.--A Wearied Officer.--The Woman who had never seen a Black
+Republican.--Love and Conversion.
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE SECOND CAMPAIGN TO SPRINGFIELD.
+
+Detention at Warsaw.--A Bridge over the Osage.--The
+Body-Guard.--Manner of its Organization.--The Advance
+to Springfield.--Charge of the Body-Guard.--A Corporal's
+Ruse.--Occupation of Springfield.--The Situation.--Wilson Creek
+Revisited.--Traces of the Battle.--Rumored Movements of the
+Enemy.--Removal of General Fremont.--Danger of Attack.--A Night of
+Excitement.--The Return to St. Louis.--Curiosities of the Scouting
+Service.--An Arrest by Mistake.
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+TWO MONTHS OF IDLENESS.
+
+A Promise Fulfilled.--Capture of a Rebel Camp and Train.--Rebel
+Sympathizers in St. Louis.--General Halleck and his Policy.--Refugees
+from Rebeldom.--Story of the Sufferings of a Union Family.--Chivalry
+in the Nineteenth Century.--The Army of the Southwest in
+Motion.--Gun-Boats and Transports.--Capture of Fort Henry.--The Effect
+in St. Louis.--Our Flag Advancing.
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+ANOTHER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI.
+
+From St. Louis to Rolla.--A Limited Outfit.--Missouri Roads in
+Winter.--"Two Solitary Horsemen."--Restricted Accommodations in a
+Slaveholder's House.--An Energetic Quartermaster.--General Sheridan
+before he became Famous.--"Bagging Price."--A Defect in the
+Bag.--Examining the Correspondence of a Rebel General.--What the
+Rebels left at their Departure.
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE FLIGHT AND THE PURSUIT.
+
+From Springfield to Pea Ridge.--Mark Tapley in Missouri.--"The
+Arkansas Traveler."--Encountering the Rebel Army.--A Wonderful
+Spring.--The Cantonment at Cross Hollows.--Game Chickens.--Magruder
+_vs_. Breckinridge.--Rebel Generals in a Controversy.--Its Result.--An
+Expedition to Huntsville.--Curiosities of Rebel Currency.--Important
+Information.--A Long and Weary March.--Disposition of Forces before
+the Battle.--Changing Front.--What the Rebels lost by Ignorance.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE.
+
+The Rebels make their Attack.--Albert Pike and his Indians.--Scalping
+Wounded Men.--Death of General McCulloch.--The Fighting at Elkhorn
+Tavern.--Close of a Gloomy Day.--An Unpleasant Night.--Vocal Sounds
+from a Mule's Throat.--Sleeping under Disadvantages.--A Favorable
+Morning.--The Opposing Lines of Battle.--A Severe Cannonade.--The
+Forest on Fire.--Wounded Men in the Flames.--The Rebels in
+Retreat.--Movements of our Army.--A Journey to St. Louis.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+UP THE TENNESSEE AND AT PITTSBURG LANDING.
+
+At St. Louis.--Progress of our Arms in the Great Valley.--Cairo.--Its
+Peculiarities and Attractions.--Its Commercial, Geographical, and
+Sanitary Advantages.--Up the Tennessee.--Movements Preliminary to
+the Great Battle.--The Rebels and their Plans.--Postponement of
+the Attack.--Disadvantages of our Position.--The Beginning of the
+Battle.--Results of the First Day.--Re-enforcements.--Disputes between
+Officers of our two Armies.--Beauregard's Watering-place.
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+SHILOH AND THE SIEGE OF CORINTH.
+
+The Error of the Rebels.--Story of a Surgeon.--Experience of a
+Rebel Regiment.--Injury to the Rebel Army.--The Effect in our own
+Lines.--Daring of a Color-Bearer.--A Brave Soldier.--A Drummer-Boy's
+Experience.--Gallantry of an Artillery Surgeon.--A Regiment Commanded
+by a Lieutenant.--Friend Meeting Friend and Brother Meeting Brother
+in the Opposing Lines.--The Scene of the Battle.--Fearful Traces
+of Musketry-Fire.--The Wounded.--The Labor of the Sanitary
+Commission.--Humanity a Yankee Trick.--Besieging Corinth.--A
+Cold-Water Battery.--Halleck and the Journalists.--Occupation of
+Corinth.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+CAPTURE OF FORT PILLOW AND BATTLE OF MEMPHIS.
+
+The Siege of Fort Pillow.--General Pope.--His Reputation for
+Veracity.--Capture of the "Ten Thousand."--Naval Battle above Fort
+Pillow.--The _John H. Dickey_.--Occupation of the Fort.--General
+Forrest.--Strength of the Fortifications.--Their Location.--Randolph,
+Tennessee.--Memphis and her Last Ditch.--Opening of the Naval
+Combat.--Gallant Action of Colonel Ellet.--Fate of the Rebel
+Fleet.--The People Viewing the Battle.--Their Conduct.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+IN MEMPHIS AND UNDER THE FLAG.
+
+Jeff. Thompson and his Predictions.--A Cry of Indignation.--Memphis
+Humiliated.--The Journalists in the Battle.--The Surrender.--A Fine
+Point of Law and Honor.--Going on Shore.--An Enraged Secessionist.--A
+Dangerous Enterprise.--Memphis and her Antecedents.--Her Loyalty.--An
+Amusing Incident.--How the Natives learned of the Capture of Fort
+Donelson.--The Last Ditch.--A Farmer-Abolitionist.--Disloyalty among
+the Women.--"Blessings in Disguise."--An American Mark Tapley.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+SUPERVISING A REBEL JOURNAL.
+
+The Press of Memphis.--Flight of _The Appeal_.--A False
+Prediction.--_The Argus_ becomes Loyal.--Order from General
+Wallace.--Installed in Office.--Lecturing the Rebels.--"Trade follows
+the Flag."--Abuses of Traffic.--Supplying the Rebels.--A Perilous
+Adventure.--Passing the Rebel Lines.--Eluding Watchful Eyes.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE FIRST SIEGE OF VICKSBURG.
+
+From Memphis to Vicksburg.--Running the Batteries.--Our Inability
+to take Vicksburg by Assault.--Digging a Canal.--A Conversation with
+Resident Secessionists.--Their Arguments _pro_ and _con_, and the
+Answers they Received.--A Curiosity of Legislation.--An Expedition up
+the Yazoo.--Destruction of the Rebel Fleet.--The _Arkansas_ Running
+the Gauntlet.--A Spirited Encounter.--A Gallant Attempt.--Raising the
+Siege.--Fate of the _Arkansas_.
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE MARCH THROUGH ARKANSAS.--THE SIEGE OF CINCINNATI.
+
+General Curtis's Army reaching Helena.--Its Wanderings.--The
+Arkansas Navy.--Troops and their Supplies "miss
+Connection."--Rebel Reports.--Memphis in Midsummer.--"A Journey due
+North."--Chicago.--Bragg's Advance into Kentucky.--Kirby Smith in
+Front of Cincinnati.--The City under Martial Law.--The Squirrel
+Hunters.--War Correspondents in Comfortable Quarters.--Improvising an
+Army.--Raising the Siege.--Bragg's Retreat.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE BATTLE OF CORINTH.
+
+New Plans of the Rebels.--Their Design to Capture Corinth.--Advancing
+to the Attack.--Strong Defenses.--A Magnificent Charge.--Valor _vs_.
+Breast-Works.--The Repulse.--Retreat and Pursuit.--The National Arms
+Triumphant.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+THE CAMPAIGN FROM CORINTH.
+
+Changes of Commanders.--Preparations for the Aggressive.--Marching
+from Corinth.--Talking with the People.--"You-uns and
+We-uns."--Conservatism of a "Regular."--Loyalty and
+Disloyalty.--Condition of the Rebel Army.--Foraging.--German Theology
+for American Soldiers.--A Modest Landlord.--A Boy without a Name.--The
+Freedmen's Bureau.--Employing Negroes.--Holly Springs and its
+People.--An Argument for Secession.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+GRANT'S OCCUPATION OF MISSISSIPPI.
+
+The Slavery Question.--A Generous Offer.--A Journalist's
+Modesty.--Hopes of the Mississippians at the Beginning of the
+War.--Visiting an Editress.--Literature under Difficulties.--Jacob
+Thompson and his Correspondence.--Plans for the Capture of
+Vicksburg.--Movements of General Sherman.--The Raid upon Holly
+Springs.--Forewarned, but not Forearmed.--A Gallant Fight.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE BATTLE OF CHICKASAW BAYOU.
+
+Leaving Memphis.--Down the Great River.--Landing in the
+Yazoo.--Description of the Ground.--A Night in Bivouac.--Plan
+of Attack.--Moving toward the Hills.--Assaulting the Bluff.--Our
+Repulse.--New Plans.--Withdrawal from the Yazoo.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+BEFORE VICKSBURG.
+
+Capture of Arkansas Post.--The Army returns to Milliken's
+Bend.--General Sherman and the Journalists.--Arrest of the
+Author.--His Trial before a Military Court.--Letter from President
+Lincoln.--Capture of Three Journalists.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+KANSAS IN WAR-TIME.
+
+A Visit to Kansas.--Recollections of Border Feuds.--Peculiarities
+of Kansas Soldiers.--Foraging as a Fine Art.--Kansas and
+Missouri.--Settling Old Scores.--Depopulating the Border
+Counties.--Two Examples of Grand Strategy.--Capture of the
+"Little-More-Grape" Battery.--A Woman in Sorrow.--Frontier
+Justice.--Trial before a "Lynch" Court.--General Blunt's
+Order.--Execution of Horse-Thieves.--Auction Sale of Confiscated
+Property.--Banished to Dixie.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+GETTYSBURG.
+
+A Hasty Departure.--At Harrisburg.--_En route_ for the Army of
+the Potomac.--The Battle-Field at Gettysburg.--Appearance of
+the Cemetery.--Importance of the Position.--The Configuration
+of Ground.--Traces of Battle.--Round Hill.--General Meade's
+Head-Quarters.--Appearance of the Dead.--Through the Forests along the
+Line.--Retreat and Pursuit of Lee.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+IN THE NORTHWEST.
+
+From Chicago to Minnesota.--Curiosities of Low-Water Navigation.--St.
+Paul and its Sufferings in Earlier Days.--The Indian War.--A Brief
+History of our Troubles in that Region.--General Pope's Expeditions to
+Chastise the Red Man.--Honesty in the Indian Department.--The End of
+the Warfare.--The Pacific Railway.--A Bold Undertaking.--Penetrating
+British Territory.--The Hudson Bay Company.--Peculiarities of a
+Trapper's Life.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+INAUGURATION OF A GREAT ENTERPRISE.
+
+Plans for Arming the Negroes along the Mississippi.--Opposition to the
+Movement.--Plantations Deserted by their Owners.--Gathering Abandoned
+Cotton.--Rules and Regulations.--Speculation.--Widows and Orphans
+in Demand.--Arrival of Adjutant-General Thomas.--Designs of the
+Government.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+COTTON-PLANTING IN 1863.
+
+Leasing the Plantations.--Interference of the
+Rebels.--Raids.--Treatment of Prisoners.--The Attack upon Milliken's
+Bend.--A Novel Breast-Work.--Murder of our Officers.--Profits of
+Cotton-Planting.--Dishonesty of Lessees.--Negroes Planting on their
+own Account.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+AMONG THE OFFICIALS.
+
+Reasons for Trying an Experiment.--Activity among Lessees.--Opinions
+of the Residents.--Rebel Hopes in 1863.--Removal of Negroes to West
+Louisiana.--Visiting Natchez.--The City and its Business.--"The
+Rejected Addresses".
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+A JOURNEY OUTSIDE THE LINES.
+
+Passing the Pickets.--Cold Weather in the South.--Effect of Climate
+upon the Constitution.--Surrounded and Captured.--Prevarication
+and Explanation.--Among the Natives.--The Game for the
+Confederacy.--Courtesy of the Planters.--Condition of the
+Plantations.--The Return.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+ON THE PLANTATION.
+
+Military Protection.--Promises.--Another Widow.--Securing
+a Plantation.--Its Locality and Appearance.--Gardening in
+Louisiana.--How Cotton is Picked.--"The Tell-Tale."--A Southerner's
+Opinion of the Negro Character.--Causes and Consequences.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+RULES AND REGULATIONS UNDER THE OLD AND NEW SYSTEMS.
+
+The Plantation Record.--Its Uses.--Interesting Memoranda.--Dogs,
+Jail, and Stocks.--Instructions to the Overseer.--His Duties and
+Responsibilities.--The Order of General Banks.--Management of
+Plantations in the Department of the Gulf.--The two Documents.
+Contrasted.--One of the Effects of "an Abolition War".
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+OUR FREE-LABOR ENTERPRISE IN PROGRESS.
+
+The Negroes at Work.--Difficulties in the Way.--A Public Meeting.--A
+Speech.--A Negro's Idea of Freedom.--A Difficult Question to
+Determine.--Influence of Northern and Southern Men Contrasted.--An
+Increase of Numbers.--"Ginning" Cotton.--In the Lint-Room.--Mills and
+Machinery of a Plantation.--A Profitable Enterprise.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+WAR AND AGRICULTURE.
+
+Official Favors.--Division of Labor.--Moral Suasion.--Corn-gathering
+in the South.--An Alarm.--A Frightened Irishman.--The Rebels
+Approaching.--An Attack on Waterproof.--Falstaff Redivivus.--His Feats
+of Arms.--Departure for New Orleans.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+IN THE COTTON MARKET.
+
+New Orleans and its Peculiarities.--Its Loss by the Rebellion.--Cotton
+Factors in New Orleans.--Old Things passed away.--The Northern
+Barbarians a Race of Shopkeepers.--Pulsations of the Cotton Market.--A
+Quarrel with a Lady.--Contending for a Principle.--Inharmony of the
+"Regulations."--An Account of Sales.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII.
+
+SOME FEATURES OF PLANTATION LIFE.
+
+Mysteries of Mule-trading.--"What's in a Name?"--Process of Stocking
+a Plantation.--An Enterprising White Man.--Stratagem of a
+Yankee.--Distributing Goods to the Negroes.--The Tastes of the
+African.--Ethiopian Eloquence.--A Colored Overseer.--Guerrillas
+Approaching.--Whisky _vs_. Guerrillas.--A Hint to Military Men.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX.
+
+VISITED BY GUERRILLAS.
+
+News of the Raid.--Returning to the Plantation.--Examples of Negro
+Cunning.--A Sudden Departure and a Fortunate Escape.--A Second
+Visit.--"Going Through," in Guerrilla Parlance.--How it is
+Accomplished.--Courtesy to Guests.--A Holiday Costume.--Lessees
+Abandoning their Plantations.--Official Promises.
+
+
+CHAPTER XL.
+
+PECULIARITIES OF PLANTATION LABOR.
+
+Resuming Operation.--Difficulties in the Way.--A New Method of Healing
+the Sick.--A Thief Discovered by his Ignorance of Arithmetic.--How
+Cotton is Planted.--The Uses of Cotton-Seed.--A Novel
+Sleeping-Room.--Constructing a Tunnel.--Vigilance of a Negro Sentinel.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI.
+
+THE NEGROES AT A MILITARY POST.
+
+The Soldiers at Waterproof.--The Black Man in Blue.--Mutiny and
+Desertion.--Their Cause and Cure.--Tendering a Resignation.--No Desire
+for a Barber.--Seeking Protection.--Falsehood and Truth.--Proneness to
+Exaggeration.--Amusing Estimates.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLII.
+
+THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT.
+
+The Nature of our "Protection."--Trade Following the Flag.--A
+Fortunate Journey.--Our Last Visit.--Inhumanity of the
+Guerrillas.--Driving Negroes into Captivity.--Killing an
+Overseer.--Our Final Departure.--Plantations Elsewhere.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIII.
+
+THE MISSISSIPPI AND ITS PECULIARITIES.
+
+Length of the Great River, and the Area it Drains.--How Itasca Lake
+obtained its Name.--The Bends of the Mississippi.--Curious Effect upon
+Titles to Real Estate.--A Story of Napoleon.--A Steamboat Thirty-five
+Years under Water.--The Current and its Variations.--Navigating Cotton
+and Corn Fields.--Reminiscences of the Islands.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIV.
+
+STEAMBOATING ON THE MISSISSIPPI IN PEACE AND WAR.
+
+Attempts to Obstruct the Great River.--Chains, Booms, and
+Batteries.--A Novelty in Piloting.--Travel in the Days Before the
+Rebellion.--Trials of Speed.--The Great Race.--Travel During the
+War.--Running a Rebel Battery on the Lower Mississippi.--Incidents of
+the Occasion.--Comments on the Situation.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLV.
+
+THE ARMY CORRESPONDENT.
+
+The Beginning and the End.--The Lake Erie Piracy.--A Rochester
+Story.--The First War Correspondent.--Napoleon's Policy.--Waterloo
+and the Rothschilds.--Journalistic Enterprise in the Mexican War.--The
+Crimea and the East Indian Rebellion.--Experiences at the Beginning
+of Hostilities.--The Tender Mercies of the Insurgents.--In the
+Field.--Adventures in Missouri and Kentucky.--Correspondents
+in Captivity.--How Battle-Accounts were Written.--Professional
+Complaints.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVI.
+
+THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SOUTH.
+
+Scarcity of the Population.--Fertility of the Country.--Northern Men
+already in the South.--Kansas Emigrants Crossing Missouri.--Change of
+the Situation.--Present Disadvantages of Emigration.--Feeling of
+the People.--Property-Holders in Richmond.--The Sentiment in North
+Carolina.--South Carolina Chivalry.--The Effect of War.--Prospect of
+the Success of Free Labor.--Trade in the South.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVII.
+
+HOW DISADVANTAGES MAY BE OVERCOME.
+
+Conciliating the People of the South.--Railway Travel and its
+Improvement.--Rebuilding Steamboats.--Replacing Working
+Stock.--The Condition of the Plantations.--Suggestions about Hasty
+Departures.--Obtaining Information.--The Attractions of Missouri.
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVIII.
+
+THE RESOURCES OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.
+
+How the People have Lived.--An Agricultural Community.--Mineral
+and other Wealth of Virginia.--Slave-Breeding in Former
+Times.--The Auriferous Region of North Carolina.--Agricultural
+Advantages.--Varieties of Soil in South Carolina.--Sea-Island
+Cotton.--Georgia and her Railways.--Probable Decline of the Rice
+Culture.--The Everglade State.--The Lower Mississippi Valley.--The Red
+River.--Arkansas and its Advantages.--A Hint for Tragedians.--Mining
+in Tennessee.--The Blue-Grass Region of Kentucky.--Texas and its
+Attractions.--Difference between Southern and Western Emigration.--The
+End. CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+ANTE BELLUM.
+
+At the Rocky Mountains.--Sentiment of the People.--Firing the
+Southern Heart.--A Midwinter Journey across the Plains.--An Editor's
+Opinion.--Election in Missouri.--The North springing to
+Arms.--An amusing Arrest.--Off for the Field.--Final
+Instructions.--Niagara.--Curiosities of Banking.--Arrival at the Seat
+of War.
+
+
+I passed the summer and autumn of 1860 in the Rocky Mountain Gold
+Region. At that time the population of the young Territory was
+composed of emigrants from Northern and Southern States, those from
+the colder regions being in the majority. When the Presidential
+election took place, there was much angry discussion of the great
+questions of the day, and there were threats of violence on the part
+of the friends of the "institution." The residents of the Gold Region
+were unable to cast their votes for the men of their choice, but their
+anxiety to know the result was very great.
+
+When it was announced that the Republican candidate had triumphed,
+there were speedy signs of discontent. Some of the more impulsive
+Southerners departed at once for their native States, predicting a
+separation of Dixie from the North before the end of the year. Some
+went to New Mexico, and others to Texas, while many remained to press
+their favorite theories upon their neighbors. The friends of the Union
+were slow to believe that any serious difficulty would take place.
+Long after the secession of South Carolina they were confident our
+differences could be healed without an appeal to arms.
+
+My visit to the Rocky Mountains was a professional one. During my stay
+in that region I supplied several Eastern journals with letters from
+Colorado and New Mexico. One after another, the editors of these
+journals informed me that letters from the Territories had lost their
+interest, owing to the troubles growing out of the election. Wishing
+to take part in the drama about to be enacted, I essayed a midwinter
+journey across the plains, and, early in February, stood in the
+editorial room of _The Herald_.
+
+I announced my readiness to proceed to any point between the Poles,
+wherever _The Herald_ desired a correspondent. The editor-in-chief was
+busy over a long letter from some point in the South, but his response
+was promptly given. Half reading, half pausing over the letter, he
+briefly said:--
+
+"A long and bloody war is upon us, in which the whole country will be
+engaged. We shall desire you to take the field; probably in the West.
+It may be several weeks before we need you, but the war cannot be long
+delayed."
+
+At that time few persons in the North looked upon the situation with
+any fears of trouble. There were some who thought a hostile collision
+was among the possibilities, but these persons were generally in the
+minority. Many believed the secession movement was only the hasty work
+of political leaders, that would be soon undone when the people of the
+South came to their senses.
+
+That the South would deliberately plunge the country into civil war
+was difficult to comprehend, even after the first steps had been
+taken. The majority of the Northern people were hoping and believing,
+day by day, that something might transpire to quell the excitement and
+adjust the difficulties threatening to disturb the country.
+
+Before leaving the Rocky Mountains I did not believe that war was
+certain to ensue, though I considered it quite probable. As I passed
+through Missouri, the only slave State that lay in my route, I found
+every thing comparatively quiet. In St. Joseph, on the day of my
+arrival, the election for delegates to the State Convention was being
+held. There was no disorder, more than is usual on election days in
+small cities. Little knots of people were engaged in discussion, but
+the discussions partook of no extraordinary bitterness. The vote of
+the city was decidedly in favor of keeping the State in the Union.
+
+Between the 7th of December and the 12th of April, the Northern blood
+warmed slowly. The first gun at Sumter quickened its pulsations. When
+the President issued his call for seventy-five thousand men for three
+months, to put down insurrection, the North woke to action. Everywhere
+the response was prompt, earnest, patriotic. In the Northern
+cities the recruiting offices were densely thronged. New York and
+Massachusetts were first to send their favorite regiments to the
+front, but they were not long in the advance. Had the call been for
+four times seventy-five thousand, and for a service of three years,
+there is little doubt the people would have responded without
+hesitation.
+
+For a short time after my arrival at the East, I remained in a small
+town in Southern New Hampshire. A few days after the first call was
+issued, a friend invited me to a seat in his carriage for a ride to
+Portsmouth, the sea-port of the State. On reaching the city we found
+the war spirit fully aroused. Two companies of infantry were drilling
+in the public square, and the citizens were in a state of great
+excitement. In the course of the afternoon my friend and myself were
+arrested, by a committee of respectable citizens, who suspected us of
+being Southern emissaries. It was with great difficulty we convinced
+them they had made a slight mistake. We referred them to the only
+acquaintances we had in the city. They refused to consider the truth
+established in the mouths of two witnesses, and were not induced to
+give us our liberty until all convenient proof of our identity had
+been adduced.
+
+To be arrested within twenty miles of home, on suspicion of being
+delegated from Charleston or Montgomery, was one of my most amusing
+experiences of the war. The gentleman who accompanied me was a very
+earnest believer in coercion. His business in Portsmouth on that
+occasion was to offer his services in a regiment then being formed.
+A few months later he received a commission in the army, but did not
+obtain it through any of our temporary acquaintances at Portsmouth.
+
+Our captors were the solid men of the city, any one of whom could
+have sat for the portrait of Mr. Turveydrop without the slightest
+alteration. On taking us into custody, they stated the grounds on
+which they arrested us. Our dark complexions and long beards had
+aroused suspicions concerning the places of our nativity. Suspicion
+was reduced to a certainty when one of them heard me mention my
+presence in Missouri on the day of choosing candidates for the
+Convention. Our purpose was divined when I asked if there was any
+activity at the Navy Yard. We were Rebel emissaries, who designed to
+lay their Navy Yard in ashes!
+
+On our release and departure we were followed to our homes, that the
+correctness of our representations might be ascertained. This little
+occurrence, in the center of New England, where the people claim to
+be thoroughly quiet and law-abiding, indicated that the war spirit in
+that part of the North was more than momentary.
+
+The West was not behind the Eastern States in the determination
+to subdue the Rebellion. Volunteers were gathering at Cairo, and
+threatening to occupy points further down the Mississippi. At
+St. Louis the struggle was active between the Unionists and the
+Secessionists.
+
+A collision was a mere question of time, and of short time at the
+best.
+
+As I visited _The Herald_ office for final instructions, I found that
+the managing editor had determined upon a vigorous campaign. Every
+point of interest was to be covered, so that the operations of our
+armies would be fully recorded from day to day. The war correspondents
+had gone to their posts, or were just taking their departure. One
+correspondent was already on the way to Cairo. I was instructed to
+watch the military movements in Missouri, and hastened to St. Louis as
+fast as steam could bear me.
+
+Detained twelve hours at Niagara, by reason of missing a railway
+train, I found that the opening war gave promise of affecting that
+locality. The hotel-keepers were gloomy at the prospect of losing
+their Southern patronage, and half feared they would be obliged to
+close their establishments. There were but few visitors, and even
+these were not of the class which scatters its money profusely. The
+village around the Falls displayed positive signs of dullness, and
+the inhabitants had personal as well as patriotic interest in wishing
+there was no war. The Great Cataract was unchanged in its beauty
+and grandeur. The flood from the Lakes was not diminished, and the
+precipice over which the water plunged was none the less steep. The
+opening war had no effect upon this wonder of the New World.
+
+In Chicago, business was prostrated on account of the outbreak of
+hostilities. Most of the banks in Illinois had been holding State
+bonds as securities for the redemption of their circulation. As these
+bonds were nearly all of Southern origin, the beginning of the war
+had materially affected their value. The banks found their securities
+rapidly becoming insecure, and hence there was a depreciation in the
+currency. This was not uniform, but varied from five to sixty per
+cent., according to the value of the bonds the respective banks were
+holding. Each morning and evening bulletins were issued stating the
+value of the notes of the various banking-houses. Such a currency was
+very inconvenient to handle, as the payment of any considerable sum
+required a calculation to establish the worth of each note.
+
+Many rumors were in circulation concerning the insecurity of a
+Northern visitor in St. Louis, but none of the stories were very
+alarming. Of one thing all were certain--the star of the Union was
+in the ascendant. On arriving in St. Louis I found the city far from
+quiet, though there was nothing to lead a stranger to consider his
+personal safety in danger. I had ample material for entering at
+once upon my professional duties, in chronicling the disordered and
+threatening state of affairs.
+
+On the day of my arrival, I met a gentleman I had known in the Rocky
+Mountains, six months before. I knew his courage was beyond question,
+having seen him in several disturbances incident to the Gold Regions;
+but I was not aware which side of the great cause he had espoused.
+After our first greetings, I ventured to ask how he stood.
+
+"I am a Union man," was his emphatic response.
+
+"What kind of a Union man are you?"
+
+"I am this kind of a Union man," and he threw open his coat, and
+showed me a huge revolver, strapped to his waist.
+
+There were many loyal men in St. Louis, whose sympathies were evinced
+in a similar manner. Revolvers were at a premium.
+
+Some of the Secessionists ordered a quantity of revolvers from New
+York, to be forwarded by express. To prevent interference by the Union
+authorities, they caused the case to be directed to "Colonel Francis
+P. Blair, Jr., care of ----." They thought Colonel Blair's name
+would secure the property from seizure. The person in whose care the
+revolvers were sent was a noted Secessionist, who dealt extensively in
+fire-arms.
+
+Colonel Blair learned of the shipment, and met the box at the station.
+Fifty revolvers of the finest quality, bought and paid for by the
+Secessionists, were distributed among the friends of Colonel Blair,
+and were highly prized by the recipients.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+MISSOURI IN THE EARLY DAYS.
+
+Apathy of the Border States.--The Missouri State Convention.--Sterling
+Price a Union Man.--Plan to take the State out of the Union.--Capture
+of Camp Jackson.--Energy of General Lyon.--Union Men organized.--An
+Unfortunate Collision.--The Price-Harney Truce.--The Panic among the
+Secessionists.--Their Hegira from St. Louis.--A Visit to the
+State Capital.--Under the Rebel Flag.--Searching for Contraband
+Articles.--An Introduction to Rebel Dignitaries.--Governor
+Jackson.--Sterling Price.--Jeff. Thompson.--Activity at
+Cairo.--Kentucky Neutrality.--The Rebels occupy Columbus.
+
+
+The Border States were not prompt to follow the example of the States
+on the Gulf and South Atlantic coast. Missouri and Kentucky were
+loyal, if the voice of the majority is to be considered the voice of
+the population. Many of the wealthier inhabitants were, at the
+outset, as they have always been, in favor of the establishment of
+an independent Southern Government. Few of them desired an appeal to
+arms, as they well knew the Border States would form the front of the
+Confederacy, and thus become the battle-field of the Rebellion. The
+greater part of the population of those States was radically opposed
+to the secession movement, but became powerless under the noisy,
+political leaders who assumed the control. Many of these men, who were
+Unionists in the beginning, were drawn into the Rebel ranks on
+the plea that it would be treason to refuse to do what their State
+Government had decided upon.
+
+The delegates to the Missouri State Convention were elected in
+February, 1861, and assembled at St. Louis in the following April.
+Sterling Price, afterward a Rebel general, was president of this
+Convention, and spoke in favor of keeping the State in the Union. The
+Convention thought it injudicious for Missouri to secede, at least at
+that time, and therefore she was not taken out. This discomfited the
+prime movers of the secession schemes, as they had counted upon the
+Convention doing the desired work. In the language of one of their
+own number, "they had called a Convention to take the State out of the
+Union, and she must be taken out at all hazards." Therefore a new line
+of policy was adopted.
+
+The Governor of Missouri was one of the most active and unscrupulous
+Secessionists. After the failure of the Convention to unite Missouri
+with the Confederacy, Governor Jackson overhauled the militia laws,
+and, under their sanction, issued a call for a muster of militia near
+St. Louis. This militia assembled at Lindell Grove, in the suburbs
+of St. Louis, and a military camp was established, under the name of
+"Camp Jackson." Though ostensibly an innocent affair, this camp was
+intended to be the nucleus of the army to hoist the Rebel flag in the
+State. The officers in command were known Secessionists, and every
+thing about the place was indicative of its character.
+
+The Governor of Louisiana sent, from the arsenal at Baton Rouge, a
+quantity of guns and munitions of war, to be used by the insurgent
+forces in Missouri. These reached St. Louis without hinderance, and
+were promptly conveyed to the embryonic Rebel camp. Captain Lyon, in
+command of the St. Louis Arsenal, was informed that he must confine
+his men to the limits of the United States property, under penalty of
+the arrest of all who stepped outside. Governor Jackson several times
+visited the grounds overlooking the arsenal, and selected spots
+for planting his guns. Every thing was in preparation for active
+hostility.
+
+The Union people were by no means idle. Captain Lyon had foreseen the
+danger menacing the public property in the arsenal, and besought the
+Government for permission to remove it. Twenty thousand stand of arms
+were, in a single night, loaded upon a steamer and sent to Alton,
+Illinois. They were conveyed thence by rail to the Illinois State
+Arsenal at Springfield. Authority was obtained for the formation of
+volunteer regiments, and they were rapidly mustered into the service.
+
+While Camp Jackson was being formed, the Union men of St. Louis were
+arming and drilling with such secrecy that the Secessionists were
+not generally aware of their movements. Before the close of the day
+Captain Lyon received permission for mustering volunteers; he placed
+more than six hundred men into the service. Regiments were organized
+under the name of "Home Guards," and by the 9th of May there were six
+thousand armed Union men in St. Louis, who were sworn to uphold the
+national honor.
+
+Colonel Francis P. Blair, Jr., commanded the First Regiment of
+Missouri Volunteers, and stood faithfully by Captain Lyon in all
+those early and dangerous days. The larger portion of the forces then
+available in St. Louis was made up of the German element, which was
+always thoroughly loyal. This fact caused the Missouri Secessionists
+to feel great indignation toward the Germans. They always declared
+they would have seized St. Louis and held possession of the larger
+portion of the State, had it not been for the earnest loyalty of "the
+Dutch."
+
+In the interior of Missouri the Secessionists were generally in the
+ascendant. It was the misfortune of the time that the Unionists were
+usually passive, while their enemies were active. In certain counties
+where the Unionists were four times the number of the Secessionists,
+it was often the case that the latter were the ruling party. The
+Union people were quiet and law-abiding; the Secessionists active
+and unscrupulous. "Peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must," was the
+motto of the enemies of the Republic.
+
+In some localities the Union men asserted themselves, but they did not
+generally do so until after the first blows were struck at St. Louis.
+When they did come out in earnest, the loyal element in Missouri
+became fully apparent.
+
+To assure the friends of the Union, and save Missouri from the
+domination of the insurgents, it was necessary for Captain Lyon to
+assume the offensive. This was done on the 10th of May, resulting in
+the famous capture of "Camp Jackson."
+
+On the night of the 9th, loyal parties in St. Louis supplied a
+sufficient number of horses to move the light artillery necessary to
+accomplish the desired object. On the morning of the 10th, Captain
+Lyon's command moved from various points, so as to surround the Rebel
+camp at three o'clock in the afternoon. At that hour General
+Frost, the Rebel commander, was surprised at the appearance of an
+overpowering force on the hills surrounding his position. A demand for
+surrender gave half an hour for deliberation. At the end of that time
+General Frost concluded to capitulate. The prisoners, less than a
+thousand in number, were marched to the arsenal and safely secured.
+
+This achievement destroyed Camp Jackson, and established the United
+States authority in full force over St. Louis. An unfortunate
+collision occurred between the soldiers and the crowd outside.
+Provoked by insults terminating in an assault with fire-arms, a
+portion of the German troops fired upon the multitude. Upward
+of thirty persons were killed or wounded in the affair. With the
+exception of this unhappy collision, the capture was bloodless.
+
+General Harney arrived at St. Louis soon after this event, and assumed
+command in Missouri. The agreement known as "the Price-Harney truce"
+was immediately made. Under an assurance from Governor Jackson that
+the State troops should be disbanded, General Harney promised that no
+hostilities should be undertaken, and attempted to cause the dispersal
+of the Union volunteers. The status of the latter had been so fixed
+that General Harney was not empowered to disarm them, and he so
+informed, the State authorities. His message announcing this read
+nearly as follows:--
+
+  "I have ascertained that I have no control over the Home Guards.
+                     "W. S. HARNEY, _Brig.-Gen_."
+
+This message was received at the Police Head-Quarters in St. Louis, on
+the morning of Sunday, May 15th. It was misunderstood by the parties
+who read it. They inferred, from the tenor of the dispatch, that
+General Harney was unable to restrain the Union volunteers.
+
+The most frightful stories had been circulated concerning the
+blood-thirsty character of these soldiers, particularly the German
+portion. Visions of murder, pillage, house-burning, and all the
+accompanying outrages committed by an unrestrained army, flitted
+through the minds of the Secessionists. The story spread, and gained
+intensity with each repetition. "The Dutch are rising; we shall all
+be slain in cold blood!" was the cry, echoed from house to house. Not
+less than five thousand people fled from the city on that day, and as
+many more within the succeeding twenty-four hours. Carriages,
+wagons, drays, every thing that could transport persons or valuables,
+commanded exorbitant prices. Steamboats were chartered as ferries to
+the Illinois shore or to go to points of safety, either up or down the
+river. Many persons abandoned their houses, taking with them only a
+few articles of value or necessity, while others carried away nothing,
+in their haste to escape.
+
+In a few days the excitement subsided and nearly all the refugees
+returned, but there are some who have never been in St. Louis since
+their remarkable hegira. In their determination to obtain their
+"rights," they entered the Rebel army and followed its checkered
+fortunes. Less than half of these persons are now alive.
+
+For a time after the appearance of General Harney's proclamation,
+there were no hostile demonstrations on either side. Governor Jackson
+had promised to disband the small force of militia at Jefferson City,
+but he failed to do so. The Rebel flag was flying in Jefferson
+City, from a staff in front of the Governor's mansion, and over the
+head-quarters of the Missouri State Guard. Missouri, through her State
+officers, was in favor of an armed neutrality, which really meant
+nothing less than armed secession.
+
+The Secessionists were quietly but earnestly at work to effect their
+object. They did not heed their promise to remain inactive. The Union
+authorities observed theirs to the letter. The Camp Jackson prisoners
+were paroled and restored to liberty. A portion of them observed the
+parole, but many did not. General Frost remained on his farm and
+took no part in the Rebellion until relieved from his parole, several
+months later. It is proper to add, that he was of very little account
+to the Rebels when he finally entered the field.
+
+While watching the progress of affairs in St. Louis, I determined upon
+a visit to Jefferson City. Though the Rebel flag was flying over the
+State Capitol, and the nucleus of the Missouri State Guard (Rebel) had
+its camp in the suburbs, the communication by railroad had not been
+interrupted. Taking the morning train from St. Louis, on the 27th
+of May, I found myself, at three o'clock of the afternoon, under the
+secession banner. The searching of the train for articles contraband
+of war was then a new feature.
+
+In the early days only the outside of a package was examined. If the
+"marks" indicated nothing suspicious, the goods were allowed to pass.
+Under this regulation, a large number of boxes marked "soap" were
+shipped on a steamboat for Lexington. So much soap going into Missouri
+was decidedly suspicious, as the people of the interior do not make
+extensive use of the article. An examination disclosed canisters of
+powder instead of bars of soap. The discovery was followed by the
+promulgation of an order requiring a rigid examination of all
+packages that might be of doubtful character. This order, with various
+modifications, was kept in force for a long time.
+
+In starting from St. Louis, I left a company of Union volunteers at
+the railway station. At Jefferson City I found the depot filled with
+the Rebel soldiers, or "neutrals," as Governor Jackson persisted in
+calling them. The particular duty they were performing I was unable
+to ascertain, but they bore unmistakable signs of being something more
+than a "neutral" body of men. Their camp was just in rear of the city.
+The Rebel flag, which floated above the camp, was recognized as the
+emblem of their neutrality.
+
+The proprietor of the hotel where I stopped held the reputation of
+an earnest friend of the Union, ready to Suffer any thing rather than
+sink his principles. He introduced me to several citizens, most
+of them, like himself, thoroughly loyal. We discussed freely the
+condition of affairs in Missouri.
+
+It was evident the State authorities intended war, as soon as the
+necessary preparations could be made. They were not quite ready to
+strike their first blow, but when they should be prepared, they would
+not hesitate a moment. Governor Jackson was exerting himself to the
+utmost to accumulate arms and military stores at various points in
+the State, where they would be of most value. In defiance of the
+truce between Generals Price and Harney, companies were being formed
+throughout the State, and were drilling for service in the field. Time
+was of great importance to the Rebels, and this they had secured by
+means of the truce.
+
+During my stay at Jefferson City, I met the three, men most prominent
+in bringing war upon Missouri. These were Governor Jackson, General
+Sterling Price, and Jeff. Thompson. Governor Jackson was elected in
+the previous December, before it was thought any serious trouble would
+grow out of Mr. Lincoln's election. He was not looked upon as a man
+of great ability, but no one doubted his desire to promote the best
+interests of the State. Those who knew him said his strength lay more
+in a public than in a private direction. He had few, if any, personal
+friends, and was considered dangerous when his passions were roused.
+Some said he was cold and treacherous, giving all around him a feeling
+of aversion. Even among the Secessionists, and those who should have
+been his ardent supporters, he was never mentioned with enthusiasm.
+
+Within two weeks from the day I saw him, Governor Jackson, by his own
+act, was a fugitive from the State capital. He never returned. After
+wandering in Arkansas and Louisiana, during the early part of the war,
+he died at Little Rock, in 1863, in a condition of extreme poverty.
+
+Of General Price, I heard many praises, even from those who opposed
+his course. He was said to be a man of warm friendship, of fair
+abilities, and quite popular among the masses of the inhabitants. He
+possessed much personal pride, and his ambition for public honor was
+very great. At the outset he deprecated secession, and prophesied a
+devastating war as the result. He was inclined to be loyal, but his
+ambition was greater than his patriotism. The offer of a high position
+in the Rebel service touched his weakest point, and carried him with
+the insurgents.
+
+In the Rebel service he never obtained much distinction. His principal
+successes were in saving his army after defeat. He displayed a
+capacity for annoying the Union armies without doing great damage.
+Though his oft-repeated promise of victory was never fulfilled, it
+served to keep many Missourians in the Rebel ranks. He was constantly
+expected to capture St. Louis. Some of the Rebel residents fully
+believed he would do so, and kept their wine-cellars ready for the
+event. Until the official announcement of the surrender of all forces
+west of the Mississippi, they did not abandon hope. General Price had
+given his promise, and, as they argued, was sure to keep it.
+
+Of Jeff. Thompson little can be said. Previous to that time he had
+been known as the mayor of St. Joseph, and a politician of some little
+importance in Northwest Missouri. He was famous for much gasconading,
+and a fondness for whisky and other material things. I could never
+learn that he commanded much respect. During the war the Rebels
+never trusted him with any command of importance. He made a very fair
+guerrilla, and, in 1861, gave our forces at Cairo and Bird's Point
+considerable annoyance. History is not likely to give him a very
+prominent place in the roll of distinguished military heroes.
+
+At this time Cairo was the most southerly point on the Mississippi in
+possession of the National forces. We could have occupied Columbus
+or Hickman, Kentucky, had not the sacredness of the soil prevented.
+Kentucky was neutral, and declared that neither party must set foot
+within her limits. Her declaration of neutrality was much like that
+issued by the Governor of Missouri. The United States forces were
+under great restrictions, while the Rebels could do pretty much
+as they pleased. General Prentiss sent a small expedition down the
+Mississippi, some sixty miles below Cairo. The Kentuckians were
+greatly enraged because our forces landed at Hickman and tore down a
+Rebel flag which the citizens had hoisted. It was an invasion of their
+soil, for which they demanded apology. A few weeks later the Rebels
+occupied both Hickman and Columbus, without any objection on the part
+of the neutrals.
+
+Columbus was made very strong by the Rebel engineers, and supplied
+with many heavy guns for its protection. At the same time, General
+Prentiss pushed forward the defenses of Cairo, in readiness for any
+attack by the Rebel gun-boats. For more than half a year Columbus
+was the northern limit of the Rebel domination of the Great River. On
+assuming command there, General Polk announced that Columbus was the
+throat of the Mississippi, and must be held at all hazards. The Rebels
+repeatedly urged the capture of Cairo, but it was never attempted.
+
+[Illustration: HAULING DOWN A REBEL FLAG AT HICKMAN, KY]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES.
+
+General Harney Relieved.--Price's Proclamation.--End of the
+Truce.--Conference between the Union and Rebel Leaders.--The First Act
+of Hostility.--Destruction of Railway Bridges.--Promptness of
+General Lyon.--Capture of the State Capital.--Moving on the Enemy's
+Works.--The Night before Battle.--A Correspondent's Sensation.
+
+
+On the first of June an order was received from Washington, relieving
+General Harney from command in Missouri. Captain Lyon had been
+promoted to the rank of a brigadier-general of volunteers, and was
+assigned to duty in General Harney's stead. On the 5th of June,
+General Price issued a proclamation, calling for the State Guard to be
+in readiness to defend Missouri against all enemies. The appearance
+of this proclamation was not altogether unexpected. It was far more
+satisfactory to the friends of the Union than to the Secessionists, as
+it showed the hostile position of Governor Jackson and his abettors,
+and gave an opportunity for proceeding actively against them. It
+demonstrated very clearly that the Secessionists were determined to
+make their actions correspond to their words.
+
+It was ascertained that, a few days before the publication of Price's
+proclamation, Governor Jackson was in consultation with an agent of
+the Rebel Government, who promised twenty-five thousand men, and arms
+and ammunition for fifty thousand more, if the State were fairly and
+unequivocally out of the Union. He had also conferred with an agent
+from the Indian Nation, with a view to putting several thousand
+Indians into the field on the side of the Rebels. General Lyon wanted
+an "overt act" on the part of the Rebels, before commencing actual
+hostilities. Price's proclamation was the thing desired.
+
+The troops in and around St. Louis were drilled as thoroughly as
+possible. Every day added to their effectiveness. Recruiting was
+pushed, trade with the interior was suspended, and boats passing down
+the river were made subject to stoppage and search at the arsenal.
+Every thing was assuming a warlike appearance. The Government was
+very tardy in supplying General Lyon's wants. In many cases it did not
+authorize him to do what was needed. Much of the money for outfitting
+the troops for the field was voluntarily contributed in the Eastern
+cities, or by patriotic men in St. Louis. In several things,
+General Lyon acted upon his own responsibility, under the advice and
+co-operation of Colonel Blair.
+
+On the 9th of June, Governor Jackson and General Price asked General
+Lyon to give them a safeguard to visit St. Louis. They wished to
+confer with General Lyon and Colonel Blair, upon the best means of
+bringing peace to the State and making an end of hostilities. The
+safeguard was granted, and, on the 11th of June, Jackson and Price
+reached St. Louis, and signified their readiness for the proposed
+conference. The meeting took place at the Planters' House, Governor
+Jackson declining to trust himself inside the walls of the arsenal,
+where General Lyon had invited him to be his guest. The interview
+began with many professions of goodwill on the part of Governor
+Jackson, and the assurance of his earnest desire for peace. He
+promised to disband the State troops, if General Lyon would first
+remove all United States troops from the limits of Missouri, and
+agree not to bring them back under any consideration. Of course, this
+proposition could not be entertained. A conversation then took place
+between General Lyon and General Price, but all to no purpose. Price
+and Jackson would do nothing, unless the United States troops were
+first sent out of Missouri. Lyon and Blair would not consent to any
+thing of the kind, and so the conference ended.
+
+Jackson and Price left St. Louis on a special train for Jefferson
+City, on the afternoon of the 11th. On the way up the road, they set
+fire to the bridges over the Gasconade and Osage Rivers, the former
+thirty-five miles from Jefferson City, and ninety from St. Louis,
+and the latter within nine miles of Jefferson City. If the conduct of
+these men had been neutral up to that time, this act made an end of
+their neutrality.
+
+General Lyon left the conference fully satisfied there was no longer
+any reason for hesitation. The course he should pursue was plain
+before him.
+
+Early in the forenoon of the 12th, he learned of the destruction
+of the bridges over the Gasconade and Osage Rivers. He immediately
+ordered a force to proceed up the road, and protect as much of it as
+possible from further damage. Within four hours of the reception of
+the order to move, the troops were on their way. On the next day,
+three steamers, with about two thousand men, left St. Louis for
+Jefferson City. General Lyon knew the importance of time, and was
+determined to give Governor Jackson very little opportunity for
+preparation.
+
+
+My first experience of a military campaign was on the expedition up
+the Missouri. I had seen something of Indian troubles on the Plains,
+in which white men were concerned, but I had never witnessed civilized
+warfare where white men fought against white men. A residence of
+several weeks in St. Louis had somewhat familiarized me with the
+appearance of troops at the arsenal and at the various camps in the
+city, but the preparations to take the field were full of novelty.
+
+I was on the boat which carried the First Missouri Infantry, and which
+General Lyon had selected for his head-quarters. The young officers
+were full of enthusiasm, and eagerly anticipating their first
+encounter with the Rebel battalions. Colonel Blair was less
+demonstrative than the officers of his regiment, but was evidently
+much elated at the prospect of doing something aggressive. General
+Lyon was in the cabin, quiet, reserved, and thoughtful. With Colonel
+Blair he conversed long and freely. Few others approached him. Outside
+the cabin the soldiers were ardently discussing the coming campaign,
+and wishing an early opportunity for winning glory in battle.
+
+To one who travels for the first time by steamboat from St. Louis in a
+northerly direction, a curious picture is presented. The water in
+the Mississippi above the mouth of the Missouri is quite clear and
+transparent. That from the Missouri is of a dirty yellow color,
+derived from the large quantity of earthy matter which it holds in
+solution. For several miles below the junction of the streams, the
+two currents remain separated, the line between them being plainly
+perceptible. The pilots usually endeavor to keep on the dividing line,
+so that one can look from the opposite sides of a boat and imagine
+himself sailing upon two rivers of different character at the same
+moment.
+
+Sometimes this distinctive line continues for fifteen or twenty miles,
+but usually less than ten. A soldier wittily remarked, that the water
+from the Upper Mississippi derived its transparency from the free
+States, from whence it came, while the Missouri, emerging from a slave
+State, was, consequently, of a repulsive hue. As Missouri is now a
+free State, the soldier's remark is not applicable.
+
+Steaming up the Missouri toward the State capital, we found the
+sentiment along the banks of the river strongly in favor of the Union.
+Home Guard organizations had been hastily formed, and were doing their
+best for the protection of the railway. Most of the villages along
+the Lower Missouri contained a strong German element, which needs no
+question of its loyalty. The railway bridges were thoroughly guarded,
+and each town had a small garrison to suppress any rising of the
+Secessionists. The conduct of the people in these villages was quite
+different from the course of those residing above Jefferson City.
+Where the inhabitants possessed no slaves, there was outspoken
+loyalty. In the most populous slave districts it was the reverse.
+Slaveholders declared that their interest lay in secession. There were
+a few exceptions, but they were very far in a minority.
+
+Our triumphal entry into Jefferson City was not marked by any
+noteworthy event. The Capitol was deserted. The Governor and most of
+the State officials had departed the previous day, in the direction of
+Booneville. We marched through the principal streets, and found many
+of the people delighted at our coming. We occupied the State House,
+and, of course, unfurled our flag from its cupola. A steamboat, seized
+at the landing, was pressed into our service for use further up the
+stream. An encounter with the Rebels was eagerly desired.
+
+We left a full regiment, a large force in those days, to retain
+possession of the place, and then pushed on in pursuit. The Rebels
+had disabled the railway, taking off nearly all the rolling stock and
+destroying a large bridge four miles west of the city. As the point
+where they had fled lay upon the river, we pursued them by water. At
+noon, on the 16th, General Lyon left Jefferson City for Booneville.
+Within twenty-four hours he fought his first battle in Missouri.
+
+It is slow work to proceed with a steamboat where one's way must be
+felt. Though we had only fifty miles to move, we advanced less than
+thirty before nightfall. Touching at a landing on the left bank of the
+river, fifteen miles below Booneville, a scout from the enemy's camp
+came easily into our hands. From being a scout of the enemy he became
+our scout, as he revealed in his fright all we wished to know. The
+enemy, confident of an easy victory, was waiting our approach, and
+expressed the most lively intention of destroying us all in the
+twinkling of an eye.
+
+Experience had not then demonstrated that there is little difference
+in the bravery of Americans, when well officered. Each side cherished
+the delusion that it had a monopoly of courage and endurance. One
+Southern man was thought equal to five Northern men in a fair contest,
+and if the former were given the advantage of a defensive position,
+any odds of numbers would be taken. There was nearly, though not
+quite, as much boasting on the part of our own press and people.
+The first severe battles made an end of the greater part of this
+gasconading.
+
+It is said the most trying moment on shipboard is when the deck,
+previous to an engagement, is sprinkled with saw-dust to receive the
+blood yet unshed. No man can know whose blood will be first to moisten
+that dust, or whose life will be passed away before the action is
+over. So on the eve of that first battle in Missouri, as I reclined
+in the cabin of our flag-boat, and saw the surgeons busy with their
+preparations for the coming day; as I saw them bring to light all the
+dreadful implements of their trade, and arrange them in readiness
+for sudden use--a coldness crept over me, and I fully realized we
+had earnest work before us. Since that time I have witnessed many a
+battle, many a scene of preparation and of bloody work with knife and
+saw and bandage, but I have never experienced a chill like that I felt
+on that early day of the Rebellion.
+
+The war has made us familiar with horrors. That which once touched us
+to the heart is now passed over with scarce a moment's thought. Our
+nerves have been hardened, our sensibilities blunted, our hearts
+steeled against suffering, in the terrible school through which we
+have passed.
+
+[Illustration: THE OPENING GUN AT BOONEVILLE]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE FIRST BATTLE IN MISSOURI
+
+Moving up the River.--A Landing Effected.--The Battle.--Precipitous
+Retreat of the Rebels.--Spoiling a Captured Camp.--Rebel Flags
+Emblazoned with the State Arms.--A Journalist's Outfit.--A Chaplain of
+the Church Militant.--A Mistake that might have been Unfortunate.--The
+People of Booneville.--Visiting an Official.--Banking-House
+Loyalty.--Preparations for a Campaign.
+
+
+Daybreak on the 17th found us slowly moving up the river toward
+Booneville. General Lyon sat forward of the steamer's cabin, closely
+scanning both banks of the stream. Four miles below the town his glass
+sought out two pieces of artillery, partially concealed in a clump of
+trees, and trained upon the channel by which we were to pass. At once
+our engines were reversed, and the boats moved back to a landing about
+eight miles below Booneville. A little before seven o'clock we were
+on shore, and our column of fifteen hundred men began its advance upon
+the Rebel camp.
+
+It was the story that has found its repetition in many a battle since
+that time. The enemy's pickets were driven in. The enemy, in line of
+battle, was discovered on a long ridge, and our own line was formed
+on a ridge parallel to it. Then we opened fire with our artillery (one
+battery was all we possessed), and received no response, save by a
+desultory discharge of small-arms. Next our infantry added its tenor
+notes to the bass of the field-guns; the Rebel forces melted steadily
+away, and the field was in our possession, twenty minutes after the
+opening shot had been fired.
+
+Once in retreat, the Rebels did not halt until out of harm's reach.
+Their camp lay in the line of retreat, but they made no stop in
+passing it. Following in the rear of our column, I entered the camp,
+and found many signs of a hasty departure. I found the fires burning,
+and dozens of coffee-pots and frying-pans filled with the materials
+for breakfast. Here was a pan full of meat fried to a crisp, from the
+neglect of the cook to remove it before his sudden exodus. A few feet
+distant lay a ham, with a knife sticking in a half-severed slice. A
+rude camp-table was spread with plates and their accessories, and a
+portion of the articles of food were carefully arranged. The seats for
+the breakfast party were in position, two of them being overturned.
+I could not help fancying the haste with which that table had been
+abandoned, only a few moments before. The tents were standing, and in
+some the blankets were lying on the ground, as if they had been
+very suddenly vacated. In one tent was a side-saddle, a neat pair of
+gaiters, and a hoop-skirt. The proper connection of those articles
+with the battle-field I was unable to ascertain.
+
+In that camp was a fine lot of provisions, arms, equipments, and
+ammunition. Saddles were numerous, but there were no horses. It was
+evident that, the hasty evacuation left no time for the simple process
+of saddling.
+
+Early in the day I had come into possession of a horse with a very
+poor outfit. Once in camp, I was not slow to avail myself of the
+privilege of supply. I went into battle on foot, carrying only a
+knapsack containing a note-book and two pieces of bread. When the
+fight was over, I was the possessor of a horse and all the equipments
+for a campaign. I had an overcoat, a roll of fine blankets, and a pair
+of saddle-bags. The latter were well filled from the trunk of some
+one I had not the pleasure of knowing, but who was evidently "just
+my size." Mr. Barnes, of the Missouri _Democrat_, was my companion
+on that occasion. He was equally careful to provide himself from the
+enemy's stores, but wasted, time in becoming sentimental over two
+love-letters and a photograph of a young woman.
+
+The flags captured in this affair were excellent illustrations of the
+policy of the leading Secessionists. There was one Rebel flag with
+the arms of the State of Missouri filling the field. There was a State
+flag, with only fifteen stars surrounding the coat of arms. There was
+a. Rebel flag, with the State arms in the center, and there was one
+Rebel flag of the regular pattern. The rallying-cry at that time was
+in behalf of the State, and the people were told they must act for
+Missouri, without regard to any thing else. In no part of the country
+was the "State Rights" theory more freely used. All the changes were
+rung upon the sovereignty of States, the right of Missouri to exclude
+United States soldiers from her soil, the illegality of the formation
+of Union regiments, and the tyranny of the General Government.
+
+The flags under which Missouri soldiers were gathered clearly blended
+the interests of the State with secession.
+
+Our troops entered Booneville amid demonstrations of delight from one
+portion of the inhabitants, and the frowns and muttered indignation
+of the other. The Rebels had fled, a part of them by land, and the
+balance on a steamboat, toward Lexington. Quiet possession obtained,
+there was time to examine into the details of the fight. We had lost
+twelve men, the enemy probably twice as many. The action, three years
+later, would have been considered only a roadside skirmish, but it
+was then an affair of importance. Every man with General Lyon felt far
+more elation over the result than has since been felt over battles
+of much greater moment. We had won a signal victory; the enemy had
+suffered an equally signal defeat.
+
+During the battle, a chaplain, provided with four men to look after
+the wounded, came suddenly upon a group of twenty-four Rebels. An
+imperative demand for their surrender was promptly complied with, and
+the chaplain, with his force of four, brought twenty-four prisoners
+into town. He was so delighted at his success that he subsequently
+took a commission in the line. In time he was honored with the stars
+of a brigadier-general.
+
+General Lyon was my personal friend, but he very nearly did me great
+injustice. Seeing myself and a fellow-journalist on a distant part
+of the field, he mistook us for scouts of the enemy, and ordered
+his sharp-shooters to pick us off. His chief-of-staff looked in our
+direction, and fortunately recognized us in time to countermand the
+order. I was afterward on the point of being shot at by an infantry
+captain, through a similar mistake. A civilian's dress on the
+battle-field (a gray coat formed a part of mine) subjects the wearer
+to many dangers from his friends, as most war correspondents can
+testify.
+
+While approaching the town, I stopped to slake my thirst at a well. A
+group of our soldiers joined me while I was drinking. I had drank
+very freely from the bucket, and transferred it to a soldier, when
+the resident of a neighboring house appeared, and informed us that
+the well had been poisoned by the Rebels, and the water was certain to
+produce death. The soldiers desisted, and looked at me with much pity.
+For a moment, I confess, the situation did not appear cheerful, but
+I concluded the injury, if any, was already done, and I must make the
+best of it. The soldiers watched me as I mounted my horse, evidently
+expecting me to fall within a hundred yards. When I met one of them
+the following day, he opened his eyes in astonishment at seeing me
+alive. From that day, I entertained a great contempt for poisoned
+wells.
+
+In Booneville the incidents were not of a startling character. I found
+the strongest secession sympathy was entertained by the wealthier
+inhabitants, while the poor were generally loyal. Some cases of
+determined loyalty I found among the wealthy; but they were the
+exception rather than the rule. Accompanied by a small squad of
+soldiers, myself and companion visited the house of a gentleman
+holding office under the United States Government. We obtained from
+that house several Rebel cockades and small flags, which had been
+fabricated by the ladies.
+
+With the same squad we visited the principal bank of Booneville, and
+persuaded the cashier to give us a Rebel flag which had been floating
+for several days from a staff in front of the building. This flag was
+ten yards in length, and the materials of which it was made were of
+the finest quality. The interview between the cashier and ourselves
+was an amusing one. He protested he knew nothing of the flag or its
+origin, and at first declared it was not about the building. According
+to his own representation, he was too good a Union man to harbor
+any thing of the sort. Just as he was in the midst of a very earnest
+profession of loyalty the flag was discovered.
+
+"Somebody must have put that there to ruin me," was his exclamation.
+"Gentlemen, I hope you won't harm me; and, if you want me to do so, I
+will take the oath of allegiance this minute."
+
+Soon after the occupation of Booneville, General Lyon sent a small
+expedition to Syracuse, twenty-five miles in the interior. This force
+returned in a few days, and then preparations were begun for a march
+to Springfield. Colonel Blair left Booneville for St. Louis and
+Washington, while General Lyon attended to the preliminaries for his
+contemplated movement. The First Iowa Infantry joined him, and formed
+a part of his expeditionary force. The Rebels gathered at Lexington,
+and thence moved southward to reach the Arkansas line, to form a
+junction with the then famous Ben McCulloch.
+
+The prospect was good that Central Missouri would soon be clear of
+Rebels. Our general success in the State depended upon occupying
+and holding the Southwest. General Lyon was to move thither from
+Booneville. General Sweeney had already gone there by way of Rolla,
+while another force, under Major Sturgis, was moving from Leavenworth
+in a southeasterly direction. All were to unite at Springfield and
+form an army of occupation.
+
+Preparations went on slowly, as the transportation was to be gathered
+from the surrounding country. Foreseeing that the expedition would
+be slow to reach Springfield, I returned to St. Louis. There I made
+preparations to join the army, when its march should be completed, by
+a more expeditious route than the one General Lyon would follow.
+
+At Booneville, General Lyon established a temporary blockade of the
+Missouri River, by stopping all boats moving in either direction. In
+most cases a single shot across the bow of a boat sufficed to bring it
+to land. One day the _White Cloud_, on her way from Kansas City to St.
+Louis, refused to halt until three shots had been fired, the last one
+grazing the top of the pilot-house. When brought before General Lyon,
+the captain of the _White Cloud_ apologized for neglecting to obey the
+first signal, and said his neglect was due to his utter ignorance of
+military usage.
+
+The apology was deemed sufficient. The captain was dismissed, with a
+gentle admonition not to make a similar mistake in future.
+
+At that time the public was slow to understand the power and extent of
+military law and military rule. When martial law was declared in St.
+Louis, in August, 1861, a citizen waited upon the provost-marshal, in
+order to ascertain the precise state of affairs.
+
+After some desultory conversation, he threw out the question:--
+
+"What does martial law do?"
+
+"Well," said Major McKinstry, the provost-marshal, "I can explain
+the whole thing in a second. Martial law does pretty much as it d--n
+pleases."
+
+Before the year was ended the inhabitants of St. Louis learned that
+the major's assertion was not far from the truth.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+TO SPRINGFIELD AND BEYOND.
+
+Conduct of the St. Louis Secessionists.--Collisions between Soldiers
+and Citizens.--Indignation of the Guests of a Hotel.--From St.
+Louis to Rolla.--Opinions of a "Regular."--Railway-life in
+Missouri.--Unprofitable Freight.--A Story of Orthography.--Mountains
+and Mountain Streams.--Fastidiousness Checked.--Frontier
+Courtesy.--Concentration of Troops at Springfield.--A Perplexing
+Situation.--The March to Dug Spring.--Sufferings from Heat and Thirst.
+
+
+The success of the Union arms at Booneville did not silence the
+Secessionists in St. Louis. They continued to hold meetings, and
+arrange plans for assisting their friends in the field. At many
+places, one could hear expressions of indignation at the restrictions
+which the proper authorities sought to put upon the secession
+movement. Union flags were torn from the front of private
+buildings--generally in the night or early morning. Twice, when
+Union troops were marching along the streets, they were fired upon by
+citizens. A collision of this kind had occurred at the corner of Fifth
+and Walnut streets, on the day after the capture of Camp Jackson. The
+soldiers returned the fire, and killed several persons; but this did
+not deter the Secessionists from repeating the experiment. In the
+affairs that took place after the battle of Booneville, the result was
+the same. Unfortunately, in each collision, a portion of those killed
+were innocent on-lookers. After a few occurrences of this kind,
+soldiers were allowed to march through the streets without
+molestation.
+
+About the first of July, there were rumors that an insurrection would
+be attempted on the National holiday. Ample provision was made to give
+the insurgents a warm reception. Consequently, they made no trouble.
+The printer of the bills of fare at a prominent hotel noticed the
+Fourth of July by ornamenting his work with a National flag, in
+colors. This roused the indignation of a half-dozen guests, whose
+sympathies lay with the Rebellion. They threatened to leave, but
+were so far in arrears that they could not settle their accounts.
+The hotel-keeper endeavored to soothe them by promising to give his
+printing, for the future, to another house. Several loyal guests were
+roused at this offer, and threatened to secede at once if it were
+carried out. The affair resulted in nothing but words.
+
+On the morning of the 11th of July I left St. Louis, to join General
+Lyon in the Southwest. It was a day's ride by rail to Rolla, the
+terminus of the Southwest Branch of the Pacific road. I well recollect
+the strange and motley group that filled the cars on that journey.
+There were a few officers and soldiers _en route_ to join their
+comrades in the field. Nearly all of them were fresh from civil life.
+They wore their uniforms uneasily, as a farmer's boy wears his Sunday
+suit. Those who carried sabers experienced much inconvenience when
+walking, on account of the propensity of those weapons to get between
+their legs. In citizen's dress, at my side, sat an officer of the old
+army, who looked upon these newly-made warriors with much contempt,
+mingled with an admiration of their earnestness. After an outburst
+of mild invective, he pronounced a well-merited tribute to their
+patriotism.
+
+"After all," said he, "they are as good as the material the Rebels
+have for their army. In some respects, they are better. The Northern
+blood is cold; the Southern is full of life and passion. In the first
+onset, our enemies will prove more impetuous than we, and will often
+overpower us. In the beginning of the struggle, they will prove our
+superiors, and may be able to boast of the first victories. But their
+physical energy will soon be exhausted, while ours will steadily
+increase. Patience, coolness, and determination will be sure to bring
+us the triumph in the end. These raw recruits, that are at present
+worthless before trained soldiers, distrusting themselves as we
+distrust them, will yet become veterans, worthy to rank with the best
+soldiers of the Old World."
+
+The civilian passengers on a railway in Missouri are essentially
+different from the same class in the East. There are very few women,
+and the most of these are not as carefully dressed as their Oriental
+sisters. Their features lack the fineness that one observes in New
+York and New England. The "hog and hominy," the general diet of the
+Southwest, is plainly perceptible in the physique of the women. The
+male travelers, who are not indigenous to the soil, are more roughly
+clothed and more careless in manner than the same order of passengers
+between New York and Boston. Of those who enter and leave at
+way-stations, the men are clad in that yellow, homespun material known
+as "butternut." The casual observer inclines to the opinion that
+there are no good bathing-places where these men reside. They are
+inquisitive, ignorant, unkempt, but generally civil. The women are
+the reverse of attractive, and are usually uncivil and ignorant.
+The majority are addicted to smoking, and generally make use of a
+cob-pipe. Unless objection is made by some passenger, the conductors
+ordinarily allow the women to indulge in this pastime.
+
+The region traversed by the railway is sparsely settled, the ground
+being generally unfavorable to agriculture. For some time after
+this portion of the road was opened, the natives refused to give it
+patronage, many of them declaring that the old mode of travel, by
+horseback, was the best of all. During the first week after opening
+the Southwest Branch, the company ran a daily freight train each way.
+All the freight offered in that time was a bear and a keg of honey.
+Both were placed in the same car. The bear ate the honey, and the
+company was compelled to pay for the damage.
+
+I have heard a story concerning the origin of the name of Rolla, which
+is interesting, though I cannot vouch for its truth. In selecting a
+name for the county seat of Phelps County, a North Carolinian residing
+there, suggested that it should do honor to the capital of his native
+State. The person who reduced the request to writing, used the best
+orthography that occurred to him, so that what should have been
+"Raleigh," became "Rolla." The request thus written was sent to the
+Legislature, and the name of the town became fixed. The inhabitants
+generally pronounce it as if the intended spelling had been adopted.
+
+The journey from Rolla to Springfield was accomplished by stage,
+and required two days of travel. For fifty miles the road led over
+mountains, to the banks of the Gasconade, one of the prettiest rivers
+I have ever seen. The mountain streams of Southwest Missouri, having
+their springs in the limestone rock, possess a peculiarity unknown
+in the Eastern States. In a depth of two feet or less, the water
+is apparently as clear as that of the purest mountain brook in New
+England. But when the depth reaches, or exceeds, three feet, the water
+assumes a deep-blue tinge, like that of the sky in a clear day.
+Viewed from an elevation, the picture is one that cannot be speedily
+forgotten. The blue water makes a marked contrast with surrounding
+objects, as the streams wind through the forests and fields on their
+banks. Though meandering through mountains, these rivers have few
+sharp falls or roaring rapids. Their current is usually gentle, broken
+here and there into a ripple over a slightly descending shallow, but
+observing uniformity in all its windings.
+
+My first night from Rolla was passed on the banks of the Gasconade.
+Another day's ride, extended far into the second night, found me at
+Springfield. When I reached my room at the hotel, and examined
+the bed, I found but one sheet where we usually look for two.
+Expostulations were of no avail. The porter curtly informed me,
+"People here use only one sheet. Down in St. Louis you folks want two
+sheets, but in this part of the country we ain't so nice."
+
+I appreciated my fastidiousness when I afterward saw, at a Tennessee
+hotel, the following notice:--
+
+"Gentlemen who wish towels in their rooms must deposit fifty cents at
+the office, as security for their return."
+
+Travel in the Border and Southern States will acquaint a Northerner
+with strange customs. To find an entire household occupying a single
+large room is not an unfrequent occurrence. The rules of politeness
+require that, when bedtime has arrived, the men shall go out of doors
+to contemplate the stars, while the ladies disrobe and retire. The men
+then return and proceed to bed. Sometimes the ladies amuse themselves
+by studying the fire while the men find their way to their couches,
+where they gallantly turn their faces to the wall, and permit the
+ladies to don their _robes de nuit_.
+
+Notwithstanding the scarcity of accommodations, the traveler seeking
+a meal or resting-place will rarely meet a refusal. In New York or New
+England, one can journey many a mile and find a cold denial at every
+door. In the West and Southwest "the latch-string hangs out," and
+the stranger is always welcome. Especially is this the case among the
+poorer classes.
+
+Springfield is the largest town in Southwest Missouri, and has a fine
+situation. Before the war it was a place of considerable importance,
+as it controlled the trade of a large region around it. East of it the
+country is quite broken, but on the south and west there are stretches
+of rolling prairie, bounded by rough wood-land. Considered in a
+military light, Springfield was the key to that portion of the State.
+A large number of public roads center at that point. Their direction
+is such that the possession of the town by either army would control
+any near position of an adversary of equal or inferior strength.
+General Lyon was prompt in seeing its value, and determined to make an
+early movement for its occupation. When he started from St. Louis
+for Booneville, he ordered General Sweeney to march from Rolla to
+Springfield as speedily as possible.
+
+General Sweeney moved with three regiments of infantry and a battery
+of artillery, and reached Springfield in five days from the time
+of starting; the distance being a hundred and twenty miles. He then
+divided his forces, sending Colonel Sigel to Carthage, nearly fifty
+miles further toward the west, in the hope of cutting off the Rebel
+retreat in that direction. Major Sturgis was moving from Leavenworth
+toward Springfield, and expected to arrive there in advance of General
+Lyon.
+
+Major Sturgis was delayed in crossing a river, so that the Rebels
+arrived at Carthage before Colonel Sigel had been reinforced. The
+latter, with about eleven hundred men, encountered the Rebel column,
+twice as large as his own. The battle raged for several hours, neither
+side losing very heavily. It resulted in Sigel's retreat to avoid
+being surrounded by the enemy. Wonderful stories were told at that
+time of the terrific slaughter in the Rebel ranks, but these stories
+could never be traced to a reliable source. It is proper to say that
+the Rebels made equally large estimates of our own loss.
+
+On General Lyon's arrival all the troops were concentrated in the
+vicinity of Springfield. It was known that the Rebels were encamped
+near the Arkansas border, awaiting the re-enforcements which had been
+promised from the older States of the Confederacy. General Fremont had
+been assigned to the command of the Western Department, and was daily
+expected at St. Louis to assume the direction of affairs. Our scouts
+were kept constantly employed in bringing us news from the Rebel camp,
+and it is quite probable the Rebels were equally well informed of
+our own condition. We were able to learn that their number was on the
+increase, and that they would soon be largely re-enforced. After three
+weeks of occupation our strength promised to be diminished. Half of
+General Lyon's command consisted of "three-months men," whose period
+of enlistment was drawing to a close. A portion of these men went
+to St. Louis, some volunteered to remain as long as the emergency
+required their presence, and others were kept against their
+will. Meantime, General Lyon made the most urgent requests for
+re-enforcements, and declared he would be compelled to abandon the
+Southwest if not speedily strengthened. General Fremont promised to
+send troops to his assistance. After he made the promise, Cairo was
+threatened by General Pillow, and the re-enforcing column turned in
+that direction. General Lyon was left to take care of himself.
+
+By the latter part of July, our situation had become critical. Price's
+army had been re-enforced by a column of Arkansas and Louisiana
+troops, under General McCulloch. This gave the Rebels upward of twelve
+thousand men, while we could muster less than six thousand. General
+Price assumed the offensive, moving slowly toward Springfield, as if
+sure of his ability to overpower the National forces. General Lyon
+determined to fall upon the enemy before he could reach Springfield,
+and moved on the 1st of August with that object in view.
+
+On the second day of our march a strong scouting party of Rebels was
+encountered, and a sharp skirmish ensued, in which they were repulsed.
+This encounter is known in the Southwest as "the fight at Dug Spring."
+The next day another skirmish occurred, and, on the third morning,
+twenty-five miles from Springfield, General Lyon called a council
+of war. "Councils of war do not fight" has grown into a proverb. The
+council on this occasion decided that we should return to Springfield
+without attacking the enemy. The decision was immediately carried out.
+
+The beginning of August, in Southwest Missouri, is in the midst of the
+warm season. The day of the march to Dug Spring was one I shall never
+forget. In Kansas, before the war, I once had a walk of several miles
+under a burning sun, in a region where not a drop of water could be
+found. When I finally reached it, the only water to be found was in
+a small, stagnant pool, covered with a green scum nearly an inch in
+thickness. Warm, brackish, and fever-laden as that water was, I had
+never before tasted any thing half so sweet. Again, while crossing the
+Great Plains in 1860, I underwent a severe and prolonged thirst, only
+quenching it with the bitter alkali-water of the desert. On neither of
+these occasions were my sufferings half as great as in the advance to
+Dug Spring.
+
+A long ride in that hot atmosphere gave me a thirst of the most
+terrible character. Making a detour to the left of the road in a vain
+search for water, I fell behind the column as it marched slowly along.
+As I moved again to the front, I passed scores of men who had fallen
+from utter exhaustion. Many were delirious, and begged piteously for
+water in ever so small a quantity. Several died from excessive heat,
+and others were for a long time unfit for duty. Reaching the spring
+which gave its name to the locality, I was fortunate in finding only
+the advance of the command. With considerable effort I succeeded
+in obtaining a pint cupful of water, and thus allayed my immediate
+thirst.
+
+According to the custom in that region, the spring was covered with a
+frame building, about eight feet square. There are very few cellars
+in that part of the country, and the spring-house, as it is called,
+is used for preserving milk and other articles that require a low
+temperature. As the main portion of the column came up, the crowd
+around the spring-house became so dense that those once inside could
+not get out. The building was lifted and thrown away from the spring,
+but this only served to increase the confusion. Officers found it
+impossible to maintain discipline. When the men caught sight of the
+crowd at the spring, the lines were instantly broken. At the spring,
+officers and men were mingled without regard to rank, all struggling
+for the same object. A few of the former, who had been fortunate in
+commencing the day with full canteens, attempted to bring order out
+of chaos, but found the effort useless. No command was heeded. The
+officers of the two regiments of "regulars" had justly boasted of the
+superior discipline of their men. On this occasion the superiority was
+not apparent. Volunteers and regulars were equally subject to thirst,
+and made equal endeavor to quench it.
+
+Twenty yards below the spring was a shallow pool, where cattle and
+hogs were allowed to run. Directly above it was a trough containing
+a few gallons of warm water, which had evidently been there several
+days. This was speedily taken by the men. Then the hot, scum-covered
+pool was resorted to. In a very few minutes the trampling of the
+soldiers' feet had stirred this pool till its substance was more like
+earth than water. Even from this the men would fill their cups and
+canteens, and drink with the utmost eagerness. I saw a private
+soldier emerge from the crowd with a canteen full of this worse than
+ditch-water. An officer tendered a five-dollar gold piece for the
+contents of the canteen, and found his offer indignantly refused. To
+such a frenzy were men driven by thirst that they tore up handfuls
+of moist earth, and swallowed the few drops of water that could be
+pressed out.
+
+In subsequent campaigns I witnessed many scenes of hunger and thirst,
+but none to equal those of that day at Dug Spring.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE BATTLE OF WILSON CREEK.
+
+The Return from Dug Spring.--The Rebels follow in
+Pursuit.--Preparations to Attack them.--The Plan of Battle.--Moving
+to the Attack--A Bivouac.--The Opening Shot.--"Is that
+Official?"--Sensations of a Spectator in Battle.--Extension of
+Distance and Time.--Characteristics of Projectiles.--Taking Notes
+under Fire.--Strength and Losses of the Opposing Armies.--A Noble
+Record.--The Wounded on the Field.--"One More Shot."--Granger in his
+Element.--General Lyon's Death.
+
+
+The return of General Lyon from Dug Spring emboldened the enemy to
+move nearer to Springfield. On the 7th of August the Rebels reached
+Wilson Creek, ten miles from Springfield, and formed their camp
+on both sides of that stream. General Ben. McCulloch was their
+commander-in-chief. On the night of the 8th, General Lyon proposed to
+move from Springfield for the purpose of attacking their position.
+The design was not carried out, on account of the impossibility of
+securing proper disposition of our forces in season to reach the
+enemy's camp at daylight.
+
+During the 8th and the forenoon of the 9th, preparations were made for
+resisting an attack in Springfield, in case the enemy should come upon
+us. In the afternoon of the 9th, General Lyon decided to assault the
+Rebel camp at daylight of the following morning. A council of war
+had determined that a defeat would be less injurious than a retreat
+without a battle, provided the defeat were not too serious. "To
+abandon the Southwest without a struggle," said General Lyon, "would
+be a sad blow to our cause, and would greatly encourage the Rebels. We
+will fight, and hope for the best."
+
+In arranging a plan of battle, Colonel Sigel suggested that the forces
+should be divided, so that a simultaneous attack would be made upon
+either extremity of the enemy's camp. The two columns were to move
+from Springfield at sunset, bivouac within four miles of the proposed
+battle-field, and begin their march early enough to fall upon the
+enemy's camp a little past daylight. We left Springfield about sunset
+on the 9th, General Lyon taking about three thousand men, while
+Colonel Sigel took less than two thousand. Exceptions have frequently
+been made to this mode of attack. Had it been successful, I presume no
+one would have found it faulty. It is an easy matter to criticise the
+plans of others, after their result is known.
+
+The columns moved by different roads to obtain the desired positions.
+The march was as silent as possible. The only sounds were the rumbling
+of wheels and the occasional clank of arms. No one was heavily
+encumbered, as we expected to return to Springfield before the
+following night. Midnight found us in a hay-field, four miles from the
+Rebel camp. There we rested till morning.
+
+On the previous night I had been almost without sleep, and therefore
+took speedy advantage of the halt. Two journeys over the Plains,
+a little trip into New Mexico, and some excursions among the Rocky
+Mountains, had taught me certain rules of campaign life. I rarely
+moved without my blankets and rubber "poncho," and with a haversack
+more or less well filled. On this occasion I was prepared for sleeping
+in the open air.
+
+One bivouac is much like another. When one is weary, a blanket on the
+ground is just as comfortable as a bed of down under a slated roof. If
+accustomed to lie under lace curtains, a tree or a bush will make an
+excellent substitute. "Tired nature's sweet restorer" comes quickly to
+an exhausted frame. Realities of the past, expectations of the future,
+hopes, sorrows, wishes, regrets--all are banished as we sink into
+sweet repose.
+
+At dawn we were in motion. At daylight the smoke hanging over the
+enemy's camp was fully before us. Sunrise was near at hand when
+the hostile position was brought to our view. It lay, as we had
+anticipated, stretched along the banks of Wilson Creek.
+
+Until our advance drove in the pickets, a thousand yards from their
+camp, the Rebels had no intimation of our approach. Many of them were
+reluctant to believe we were advancing to attack them, and thought the
+firing upon the pickets was the work of a scouting party. The opening
+of our artillery soon undeceived them, a shell being dropped in the
+middle of their camp.
+
+A Rebel officer afterward told me about our first shell. When the
+pickets gave the alarm of our approach, the Rebel commander ordered
+his forces to "turn out." An Arkansas colonel was in bed when the
+order reached him, and lazily asked, "Is that official?" Before the
+bearer of the order could answer, our shell tore through the colonel's
+tent, and exploded a few yards beyond it. The officer waited for no
+explanation, but ejaculated, "That's official, anyhow," as he sprang
+out of his blankets, and arrayed himself in fighting costume.
+
+Before the Rebels could respond to our morning salutation, we heard
+the booming of Sigel's cannon on the left. Colonel Sigel reached the
+spot assigned him some minutes before we were able to open fire from
+our position. It had been stipulated that he should wait for the sound
+of our guns before making his attack. His officers said they waited
+nearly fifteen minutes for our opening shot. They could look into the
+Rebel camp in the valley of the stream, a few hundred yards distant.
+The cooks were beginning their preparations for breakfast, and gave
+our men a fine opportunity to learn the process of making Confederate
+corn-bread and coffee. Some of the Rebels saw our men, and supposed
+they were their own forces, who had taken up a new position. Several
+walked into our lines, and found themselves prisoners of war.
+
+Previous to that day I had witnessed several skirmishes, but this was
+my first battle of importance. Distances seemed much greater than they
+really were. I stood by the side of Captain Totten's battery as it
+opened the conflict.
+
+"How far are you firing?" I asked.
+
+"About eight hundred yards; not over that," was the captain's
+response.
+
+I should have called it sixteen hundred, had I been called on for an
+estimate.
+
+Down the valley rose the smoke of Sigel's guns, about a mile distant,
+though, apparently, two or three miles away.
+
+Opposite Sigel's position was the camp of the Arkansas Division:
+though it was fully in my sight, and the tents and wagons were plainly
+visible, I could not get over the impression that they were far off.
+
+The explosions of our shells, and the flashes of the enemy's guns, a
+short distance up the slope on the opposite side of the creek, seemed
+to be at a considerable distance.
+
+To what I shall ascribe these illusions, I do not know. On subsequent
+battle-fields I have never known their recurrence. Greater battles,
+larger streams, higher hills, broader fields, wider valleys, more
+extended camps, have come under my observation, but in none of them
+has the romance exceeded the reality.
+
+The hours did not crowd into minutes, but the minutes almost
+extended into hours. I frequently found, on consulting my watch, that
+occurrences, apparently of an hour's duration, were really less than a
+half or a quarter of that time.
+
+As the sun rose, it passed into a cloud. When it emerged, I fully
+expected it would be some distance toward the zenith, and was
+surprised to find it had advanced only a few degrees.
+
+There was a light shower, that lasted less than ten minutes: I judged
+it had been twenty.
+
+The evolutions of the troops on the field appeared slow and awkward.
+They were really effected with great promptness.
+
+General Lyon was killed before nine o'clock, as I very well knew.
+It was some days before I could rid myself of an impression that his
+death occurred not far from noon.
+
+The apparent extension of the hours was the experience of several
+persons on that field. I think it has been known by many, on the
+occasion of their first battle. At Pea Ridge, an officer told me,
+there seemed to be about thirty hours between sunrise and sunset.
+Another thought it was four P.M. when the sun was at the meridian.
+It was only at Wilson Creek that I experienced this sensation. On
+subsequent battle-fields I had no reason to complain of my estimate of
+time.
+
+The first shell from the enemy's guns passed high over my head. I well
+remember the screech of that missile as it cut through the air and
+lost itself in the distance. "Too high, Captain Bledsoe," exclaimed
+our artillery officer, as he planted a shell among the Rebel gunners.
+In firing a half-dozen rounds the Rebels obtained our range, and then
+used their guns with some effect. The noise of each of those shells
+I can distinctly recall, though I have since listened to hundreds of
+similar sounds, of which I have no vivid recollection. The sound made
+by a shell, in its passage through the air, cannot be described, and,
+when once heard, can never be forgotten.
+
+I was very soon familiar with the whistling of musket-balls. Before
+the end of the action, I thought I could distinguish the noise of
+a Minié bullet from that of a common rifle-ball, or a ball from a
+smooth-bored musket. Once, while conversing with the officer in charge
+of the skirmish line, I found myself the center of a very hot fire.
+It seemed, at that instant, as if a swarm of the largest and most
+spiteful bees had suddenly appeared around me. The bullets flew too
+rapidly to be counted, but I fancied I could perceive a variation in
+their sound.
+
+After I found a position beyond the range of musketry, the artillery
+would insist upon searching me out. While I was seated under a small
+oak-tree, with my left arm through my horse's bridle, and my pencil
+busy on my note-book, the tree above my head was cut by a shell.
+Moving from that spot, I had just resumed my writing, when a shot tore
+up the ground under my arm, and covered me with dirt. Even a remove
+to another quarter did not answer my purpose, and I finished my notes
+after reaching the rear.
+
+It is not my intention to give the details of the battle--the
+movements of each regiment, battalion, or battery, as it performed
+its part in the work. The official record will be sought by those who
+desire the purely military history. It is to be regretted that the
+official report of the engagement at Wilson Creek displays the
+great hostility of its author toward a fellow-soldier. In the early
+campaigns in Missouri, many officers of the regular army vied with the
+Rebels in their hatred of "the Dutch." This feeling was not confined
+to Missouri alone, but was apparent in the East as well as in the
+West. As the war progressed the hostility diminished, but it was never
+entirely laid aside.
+
+The duration of the battle was about four and a half hours. The
+whole force under the National flag was five thousand men. The Rebels
+acknowledged having twelve thousand, of all arms. It is probable that
+this estimate was a low one. The Rebels were generally armed with
+shot-guns, common rifles, and muskets of the old pattern. About a
+thousand had no arms whatever. Their artillery ammunition was of
+poorer quality than our own. These circumstances served to make the
+disparity less great than the actual strength of the hostile forces
+would imply. Even with these considerations, the odds against General
+Lyon were quite large.
+
+Our loss was a little less than one-fifth our whole strength. Up to
+that time, a battle in which one-tenth of those engaged was placed
+_hors de combat_, was considered a very sanguinary affair. During the
+war there were many engagements where the defeated party suffered a
+loss of less than one-twentieth. Wilson Creek can take rank as one
+of the best-fought battles, when the number engaged is brought into
+consideration.
+
+The First Missouri Infantry went into action with seven hundred and
+twenty-six men. Its casualty list was as follows:--
+
+   Killed................................   77
+   Dangerously wounded...................   93
+   Otherwise wounded.....................  126
+   Captured..............................    2
+   Missing...............................   15
+                                           ---
+          Total..........................  313
+
+The First Kansas Infantry, out of seven hundred and eighty-five men,
+lost two hundred and ninety-six. The loss in other regiments was quite
+severe, though not proportionately as heavy as the above. These two
+regiments did not break during the battle, and when they left the
+ground they marched off as coolly as from a parade.
+
+At the time our retreat was ordered our ammunition was nearly
+exhausted and the ranks fearfully thinned. The Rebels had made a
+furious attack, in which they were repulsed. General Sweeney insisted
+that it was their last effort, and if we remained on the ground we
+would not be molested again. Major Sturgis, upon whom the command
+devolved after General Lyon's death, reasoned otherwise, and
+considered it best to fall back to Springfield. The Rebels afterward
+admitted that General McCulloch had actually given the order for
+retreat a few moments before they learned of our withdrawal. Of course
+he countermanded his order at once. There were several battles in the
+late Rebellion in which the circumstances were similar. In repeated
+instances the victorious party thought itself defeated, and was much
+astonished at finding its antagonist had abandoned the struggle.
+
+In our retreat we brought away many of our wounded, but left many
+others on the field. When the Rebels took possession they cared for
+their own men as well as the circumstances would permit, but gave no
+assistance to ours. There were reports, well authenticated, that some
+who lay helpless were shot or bayoneted. Two days after the battle a
+surgeon who remained at Springfield was allowed to send out wagons for
+the wounded. Some were not found until after four days' exposure. They
+crawled about as best they could, and, by searching the haversacks of
+dead men, saved themselves from starvation. One party of four built a
+shelter of branches of trees as a protection against the sun. Another
+party crawled to the bank of the creek, and lay day and night at the
+water's edge. Several men sought shelter in the fence corners, or by
+the side of fallen trees.
+
+Two days before the battle, ten dollars were paid to each man of the
+First Kansas Infantry. The money was in twenty-dollar pieces, and
+the payment was made by drawing up the regiment in the customary two
+ranks, and giving a twenty-dollar piece to each man in the front rank.
+Three-fourths of those killed or wounded in that regiment were of the
+front rank. The Rebels learned of this payment, and made rigid search
+of all whom they found on the field. Nearly a year after the battle a
+visitor to the ground picked up one of these gold coins.
+
+During the battle several soldiers from St. Louis and its vicinity
+recognized acquaintances on the opposite side. These recognitions were
+generally the occasion of many derisive and abusive epithets. In the
+Border States each party had a feeling of bitter hostility toward the
+other. Probably the animosity was greater in Missouri than elsewhere.
+
+A lieutenant of the First Missouri Infantry reported that he saw one
+of the men of his regiment sitting under a tree during the battle,
+busily engaged in whittling a bullet.
+
+"What are you doing there?" said the officer.
+
+"My ammunition is gone, and I'm cutting down this bullet to fit my
+gun." (The soldier's musket was a "54-caliber," and the bullet was a
+"59.")
+
+"Look around among the wounded men," was the order, "and get some
+54-cartridges. Don't stop to cut down that bullet."
+
+"I would look around, lieutenant," the soldier responded, "but I can't
+move. My leg is shot through. I won't be long cutting this down, and
+then I want a chance to hit some of them."
+
+Captain Gordon Granger was serving on the staff of General Lyon. When
+not actively engaged in his professional duties, he visited all parts
+of the field where the fight was hottest. Though himself somewhat
+excited, he was constantly urging the raw soldiers to keep cool and
+not throw away a shot. Wherever there was a weak place in our line,
+he was among the first to discover it and devise a plan for making
+it good. On one occasion, he found a gap between two regiments,
+and noticed that the Rebels were preparing to take advantage of it.
+Without a moment's delay, he transferred three companies of infantry
+to the spot, managing to keep them concealed behind a small ridge.
+
+"Now, lie still; don't raise your heads out of the grass," said
+Granger; "I'll tell you when to fire."
+
+The Rebels advanced toward the supposed gap. Granger stood where he
+could see and not be seen. He was a strange compound of coolness and
+excitement. While his judgment was of the best, and his resources were
+ready for all emergencies, a by-stander would have thought him heated
+almost to frenzy. The warmth of his blood gave him a wonderful energy
+and rendered him ubiquitous; his skill and decision made his services
+of the highest importance.
+
+"There they come; steady, now; let them get near enough; fire low;
+give them h--l."
+
+The Rebels rushed forward, thinking to find an easy passage. When
+within less than fifty yards, Granger ordered his men to fire. The
+complete repulse of the Rebels was the result.
+
+"There, boys; you've done well. D--n the scoundrels; they won't come
+here again." With this, the captain hastened to some other quarter.
+
+The death of General Lyon occurred near the middle of the battle. So
+many accounts of this occurrence have been given, that I am not fully
+satisfied which is the correct one. I know at least half a dozen
+individuals in whose arms General Lyon expired, and think there are
+as many more who claim that sad honor. There is a similar mystery
+concerning his last words, a dozen versions having been given by
+persons who claim to have heard them. It is my belief that General
+Lyon was killed while reconnoitering the enemy's line and directing
+the advance of a regiment of infantry. I believe he was on foot at
+the instant, and was caught, as he fell, in the arms of "Lehman," his
+orderly. His last utterance was, doubtless, the order for the infantry
+to advance, and was given a moment before he received the fatal
+bullet. From the nature of the wound, his death, if not instantaneous,
+was very speedy. A large musket-ball entered his left side, in the
+region of the heart, passing nearly through to the right. A reported
+wound in the breast was made with a bayonet in the hands of a Rebel
+soldier, several hours afterward. The body was brought to Springfield
+on the night after the battle.
+
+It was my fortune to be acquainted with General Lyon. During the
+progress of the war I met no one who impressed me more than he, in his
+devotion to the interests of the country. If he possessed ambition
+for personal glory, I was unable to discover it. He declared that
+reputation was a bubble, which no good soldier should follow. Wealth
+was a shadow, which no man in the country's service should heed. His
+pay as an officer was sufficient for all his wants, and he desired
+nothing more. He gave to the Nation, as the friend he loved the
+dearest, a fortune which he had inherited. If his death could aid in
+the success of the cause for which he was fighting, he stood ready to
+die. The gloom that spread throughout the North when the news of his
+loss was received, showed a just appreciation of his character.
+
+  "How sleep the brave who sink to rest
+   By all their country's wishes blest!"
+
+At that battle there was the usual complement of officers for five
+thousand men. Two years later there were seven major-generals and
+thirteen brigadier-generals who had risen from the Wilson Creek Army.
+There were colonels, lieutenant-colonels, and majors, by the score,
+who fought in the line or in the ranks on that memorable 10th of
+August. In 1863, thirty-two commissioned officers were in the service
+from one company of the First Iowa Infantry. Out of one company of the
+First Missouri Infantry, twenty-eight men received commissions. To the
+majority of the officers from that army promotion was rapid, though
+a few cases occurred in which the services they rendered were tardily
+acknowledged.
+
+[Illustration: DEATH OF GENERAL LYON]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE RETREAT FROM SPRINGFIELD.
+
+A Council of War.--The Journalists' Council.--Preparations for
+Retreat.--Preceding the Advance-Guard.--Alarm and Anxiety of the
+People.--Magnificent Distances.--A Novel Odometer.--The Unreliable
+Countryman.--Neutrality.--A Night at Lebanon.--A Disagreeable
+Lodging-place.--Active Secessionists.--The Man who Sought and
+Found his Rights.--Approaching Civilization.--Rebel Couriers on the
+Route.--Arrival at Rolla.
+
+
+On the night after the battle, the army was quartered at Springfield.
+The Rebels had returned to the battle-ground, and were holding it in
+possession. The court-house and a large hotel were taken for hospitals,
+and received such of our wounded as were brought in. At a council of
+war, it was decided to fall back to Rolla, a hundred and twenty miles
+distant, and orders were given to move at daylight.
+
+The journalists held a council of war, and decided to commence their
+retreat at half-past two o'clock in the morning, in order to be in
+advance of the army. The probabilities were in favor of the enemy's
+cavalry being at the junction of certain roads, five miles east of
+the town. We, therefore, divested ourselves of every thing of a
+compromising character. In my own saddle-bags I took only such toilet
+articles as I had long carried, and which were not of a warlike
+nature. We destroyed papers that might give information to the enemy,
+and kept only our note-books, from which all reference to the strength
+of our army was carefully stricken out. We determined, in case
+of capture, to announce ourselves as journalists, and display our
+credentials.
+
+One of our party was a telegraph operator as well as a journalist. He
+did not wish to appear in the former character, as the Missouri
+Rebels were then declaring they would show no quarter to telegraphers.
+Accordingly, he took special care to divest himself of all that
+pertained to the transmission of intelligence over the wires. A
+pocket "instrument," which he had hitherto carried, he concealed in
+Springfield, after carefully disabling the office, and leaving the
+establishment unfit for immediate use.
+
+We passed the dangerous point five miles from town, just as day was
+breaking. No Rebel cavalry confronted us in the highway, nor shouted
+an unwelcome "halt!" from a roadside thicket. All was still, though we
+fancied we could hear a sound of troops in motion far in the distance
+toward Wilson Creek. The Rebels were doubtless astir, though they did
+not choose to interfere with the retreat of our army.
+
+As day broke and the sun rose, we found the people of both
+complexions thronging to the road, and seeking, anxiously, the latest
+intelligence. At first we bore their questions patiently, and briefly
+told them what had occurred. Finding that we lost much time, we began,
+early in the day, to give the shortest answers possible. As fast as
+we proceeded the people became more earnest, and would insist upon
+delaying us. Soon after mid-day we commenced denying we had been at the
+battle, or even in Springfield. This was our only course if we would
+avoid detention. Several residents of Springfield, and with them a
+runaway captain from a Kansas regiment, had preceded us a few hours
+and told much more than the truth. Some of them had advised the people
+to abandon their homes and go to Rolla or St. Louis, assuring them
+they would all be murdered if they remained at home.
+
+In pursuance of this advice many were loading a portion of their
+household goods upon wagons and preparing to precede or follow the
+army in its retreat. We quieted their alarm as much as possible,
+advising them to stay at home and trust to fortune. We could not
+imagine that the Rebels would deal severely with the inhabitants,
+except in cases where they had been conspicuous in the Union cause.
+Some of the people took our advice, unloaded their wagons, and waited
+for further developments. Others persisted in their determination to
+leave. They knew the Rebels better than we, and hesitated to trust
+their tender mercies. A year later we learned more of "the barbarism
+of Slavery."
+
+Southwest Missouri is a region of magnificent distances. A mile in
+that locality is like two miles in the New England or Middle States.
+The people have an easy way of computing distance by the survey lines.
+Thus, if it is the width of a township from one point to another,
+they call the distance six miles, even though the road may follow
+the tortuosities of a creek or of the crest of a ridge, and be ten or
+twelve miles by actual measurement.
+
+From Springfield to Lebanon it is called fifty miles, as indicated by
+the survey lines. A large part of the way the route is quite direct,
+but there are places where it winds considerably among the hills, and
+adds several miles to the length of the road. No account is taken of
+this, but all is thrown into the general reckoning.
+
+There is a popular saying on the frontier, that they measure the roads
+with a fox-skin, and make no allowance for the tail. Frequently I have
+been told it was five miles to a certain point, and, after an hour's
+riding, on inquiry, found that the place I sought was still five, and
+sometimes six, miles distant. Once, when I essayed a "short cut" of
+two miles, that was to save me twice that distance, I rode at a good
+pace for an hour and a half to accomplish it, and traveled, as I
+thought, at least eight miles.
+
+On the route from Springfield to Lebanon we were much amused at the
+estimates of distance. Once I asked a rough-looking farmer, "How far
+is it to Sand Springs?"
+
+"Five miles, stranger," was the reply. "May be you won't find it so
+much."
+
+After riding three miles, and again inquiring, I was informed it was
+"risin' six miles to Sand Springs." Who could believe in the existence
+of a reliable countryman, after that?
+
+Thirty miles from Springfield, we stopped at a farm-house for dinner.
+While our meal was being prepared, we lay upon the grass in front
+of the house, and were at once surrounded by a half-dozen anxious
+natives. We answered their questions to the best of our abilities,
+but nearly all of us fell asleep five minutes after lying down. When
+aroused for dinner, I was told I had paused in the middle of a word
+of two syllables, leaving my hearers to exercise their imaginations on
+what I was about to say.
+
+Dinner was the usual "hog and hominy" of the Southwest, varied with
+the smallest possible loaf of wheaten bread. Outside the house, before
+dinner, the men were inquisitive. Inside the house, when we were
+seated for dinner, the women were unceasing in their inquiries. Who
+can resist the questions of a woman, even though she be an uneducated
+and unkempt Missourian? The dinner and the questions kept us awake,
+and we attended faithfully to both.
+
+The people of this household were not enthusiastic friends of the
+Union. Like many other persons, they were anxious to preserve the
+good opinion of both sides, by doing nothing in behalf of either. Thus
+neutral, they feared they would be less kindly treated by the Rebels
+than by the National forces. Though they had no particular love for
+our army, I think they were sorry to see it departing. A few of the
+Secessionists were not slow to express the fear that their own army
+would not be able to pay in full for all it wanted, as our army had
+done.
+
+Horses and riders refreshed, our journey was resumed. The scenes of
+the afternoon were like those of the morning: the same alarm among
+the people, the same exaggerated reports, and the same advice from
+ourselves, when we chose to give it. The road stretched out in the
+same way it had hitherto done, and the information derived from the
+inhabitants was as unreliable as ever. It was late in the evening, in
+the midst of a heavy shower, that we reached Lebanon, where we halted
+for the night.
+
+I have somewhere read of a Persian king who beheaded his subjects for
+the most trivial or imaginary offenses. The officers of his cabinet,
+when awaking in the morning, were accustomed to place their hands
+to their necks, to ascertain if their heads still remained. The
+individuals comprising our party had every reason to make a similar
+examination on the morning after our stay in this town, and to express
+many thanks at the gratifying result.
+
+On reaching the only hotel at Lebanon, long after dark, we found the
+public room occupied by a miscellaneous assemblage. It was easy to see
+that they were more happy than otherwise at the defeat which our arms
+had sustained. While our supper was being prepared we made ready for
+it, all the time keeping our eyes on the company. We were watched
+as we went to supper, and, on reaching the table, found two persons
+sitting so near our allotted places that we could not converse freely.
+
+After supper several individuals wished to talk with us concerning
+the recent events. We made the battle appear much better than it had
+really been, and assured them that a company of cavalry was following
+close behind us, and would speedily arrive. This information was
+unwelcome, as the countenances of the listeners plainly indicated.
+
+One of our party was called aside by a Union citizen, and informed
+of a plan to rob, and probably kill, us before morning. This was not
+pleasing. It did not add to the comfort of the situation to know that
+a collision between the Home Guards and a company of Secessionists was
+momentarily expected. At either end of the town the opposing parties
+were reported preparing for a fight. As the hotel was about half-way
+between the two points, our position became interesting.
+
+Next came a report from an unreliable contraband that our horses had
+been stolen. We went to the stable, as a man looks in a wallet he
+knows to be empty, and happily found our animals still there. We
+found, however, that the stable had been invaded and robbed of two
+horses in stalls adjacent to those of our own. The old story of the
+theft of a saw-mill, followed by that of the dam, was brought to our
+minds, with the exception, that the return of the thief was not likely
+to secure his capture. The stable-keeper offered to lock the door and
+resign the key to our care. His offer was probably well intended, but
+we could see little advantage in accepting it, as there were several
+irregular openings in the side of the building, each of them ample for
+the egress of a horse.
+
+In assigning us quarters for the night, the landlord suggested that
+two should occupy a room at one end of the house, while the rest were
+located elsewhere. We objected to this, and sustained our objection.
+With a little delay, a room sufficient for all of us was obtained. We
+made arrangements for the best possible defense in case of attack, and
+then lay down to sleep. Our Union friend called upon us before we were
+fairly settled to rest, bringing us intelligence that the room, where
+the guns of the Home Guard were temporarily stored, had been invaded
+while the sentinels were at supper. The locks had been removed
+from some of the muskets, but there were arms enough to make some
+resistance if necessary. Telling him we would come out when the firing
+began, and requesting the landlord to send the cavalry commander to
+our room as soon as he arrived, we fell asleep.
+
+No one of our party carried his fears beyond the waking hours. In
+five minutes after dismissing our friend, all were enjoying a sleep
+as refreshing and undisturbed as if we had been in the most secure
+and luxurious dwelling of New York or Chicago. During several years
+of travel under circumstances of greater or less danger, I have never
+found my sleep disturbed, in the slightest degree, by the nature of my
+surroundings. Apprehensions of danger may be felt while one is awake,
+but they generally vanish when slumber begins.
+
+In the morning we found ourselves safe, and were gratified to discover
+that our horses had been let alone. The landlord declared every thing
+was perfectly quiet, and had been so through the night, with the
+exception of a little fight at one end of the town. The Home Guards
+were in possession, and the Secessionists had dispersed. The latter
+deliberated upon the policy of attacking us, and decided that their
+town might be destroyed by our retreating army in case we were
+disturbed. They left us our horses, that we might get away from the
+place as speedily as possible. So we bade adieu to Lebanon with much
+delight. That we came unmolested out of that nest of disloyalty, was a
+matter of much surprise. Subsequent events, there and elsewhere, have
+greatly increased that surprise.
+
+After a ride of thirteen miles we reached the Gasconade River, which
+we found considerably swollen by recent rains. The proprietor of the
+hotel where we breakfasted was a country doctor, who passed in that
+region as a man of great wisdom. He was intensely disloyal, and did
+not relish the prospect of having, as he called it, "an Abolition
+army" moving anywhere in his vicinity. He was preparing to leave for
+the South, with his entire household, as soon as his affairs could
+be satisfactorily arranged. He had taken the oath of allegiance,
+to protect himself from harm at the hands of our soldiers, but his
+negroes informed us that he belonged to a company of "Independent
+Guards," which had been organized with the design of joining the Rebel
+army.
+
+This gentleman was searching for his rights. I passed his place six
+months afterward. The doctor's negroes had run away to the North, and
+the doctor had vanished with his family in the opposite direction. His
+house had been burned, his stables stripped of every thing of value,
+and the whole surroundings formed a picture of desolation. The doctor
+had found a reward for his vigilant search. There was no doubt he had
+obtained his rights.
+
+Having ended our breakfast, we decided to remain at that place until
+late in the afternoon, for the purpose of writing up our accounts.
+With a small table, and other accommodations of the worst character,
+we busied ourselves for several hours. To the persona of the household
+we were a curiosity. They had never before seen men who could write
+with a journalist's ordinary rapidity, and were greatly surprised
+at the large number of pages we succeeded in passing over. We were
+repeatedly interrupted, until forced to make a request to be let
+alone. The negroes took every opportunity to look at us, and, when
+none but ourselves could see them, they favored us with choice bits of
+local information. When we departed, late in the afternoon, four stout
+negroes ferried us across the river.
+
+A hotel known as the California House was our stopping-place, ten
+miles from the Gasconade. As an evidence of our approaching return to
+civilization, we found each bed at this house supplied with two clean
+sheets, a luxury that Springfield was unable to furnish. I regretted
+to find, several months later, that the California House had been
+burned by the Rebels. At the time of our retreat, the landlord was
+unable to determine on which side of the question he belonged, and
+settled the matter, in conversation with me, by saying he was a
+hotel-keeper, and could not interfere in the great issue of the day. I
+inclined to the belief that he was a Union man, but feared to declare
+himself on account of the dubious character of his surroundings.
+
+The rapidity with which the Secessionists carried and received news
+was a matter of astonishment to our people. While on that ride
+through the Southwest, I had an opportunity of learning their _modus
+operandi_. Several times we saw horsemen ride to houses or stables,
+and, after a few moments' parley, exchange their wearied horses for
+fresh ones. The parties with whom they effected their exchanges would
+be found pretty well informed concerning the latest news. By this
+irregular system of couriers, the Secessionists maintained a complete
+communication with each other. All along the route, I found they knew
+pretty well what had transpired, though their news was generally mixed
+up with much falsehood.
+
+Even in those early days, there was a magnificence in the Rebel
+capacity for lying. Before the war, the Northern States produced by
+far the greatest number of inventions, as the records of the Patent
+Office will show. During the late Rebellion, the brains of the
+Southern States were wonderfully fertile in the manufacture of
+falsehood. The inhabitants of Dixie invent neither cotton-gins,
+caloric engines, nor sewing-machines, but when they apply their
+faculties to downright lying, the mudsill head is forced to bow in
+reverence.
+
+In the last day of this ride, we passed over a plateau twelve miles
+across, also over a mountain of considerable height. Near the summit
+of this mountain, we struck a small brook, whose growth was an
+interesting study. At first, barely perceptible as it issued from a
+spring by the roadside, it grew, mile by mile, until, at the foot
+of the mountain, it formed a respectable stream. The road crossed it
+every few hundred yards, and at each crossing we watched its increase.
+At the base of the mountain it united with another and larger stream,
+which we followed on our way to Rolla.
+
+Late in the afternoon we reached the end of our journey. Weary, dusty,
+hungry, and sore, we alighted from our tired horses, and sought the
+office of the commandant of the post. All were eager to gather the
+latest intelligence, and we were called upon to answer a thousand
+questions.
+
+With our story ended, ourselves refreshed from the fatigue of our long
+ride, a hope for the safety of our gallant but outnumbered army,
+we bade adieu to Rolla, and were soon whirling over the rail to St.
+Louis.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+GENERAL FREMONT'S PURSUIT OF PRICE.
+
+Quarrel between Price and McCulloch.--The Rebels Advance upon
+Lexington.--A Novel Defense for Sharp-shooters.--Attempt to Re-enforce
+the Garrison.--An Enterprising Journalist.--The Surrender.--Fremont's
+Advance.--Causes of Delay.--How the Journalists Killed Time.--Late
+News.--A Contractor "Sold."--Sigel in Front.--A Motley
+Collection.--A Wearied Officer.--The Woman who had never seen a Black
+Republican.--Love and Conversion.
+
+
+After the battle of Wilson Creek and the occupation of Springfield,
+a quarrel arose between the Rebel Generals, Price and McCulloch. It
+resulted in the latter being ordered to Arkansas, leaving General
+Price in command of the army in Missouri. The latter had repeatedly
+promised to deliver Missouri from the hands of the United States
+forces, and made his preparations for an advance into the interior.
+His intention, openly declared, was to take possession of Jefferson
+City, and reinstate Governor Jackson in control of the State. The
+Rebels wisely considered that a perambulating Governor was not
+entitled to great respect, and were particularly anxious to see the
+proclamations of His Excellency issued from the established capital.
+
+Accordingly, General Price, with an army twenty thousand strong,
+marched from Springfield in the direction of Lexington. This point
+was garrisoned by Colonel Mulligan with about twenty-five hundred men.
+After a siege of four days, during the last two of which the garrison
+was without water, the fort was surrendered. Price's army was
+sufficiently large to make a complete investment of the fortifications
+occupied by Colonel Mulligan, and thus cut off all access to the
+river. The hemp warehouses in Lexington were drawn upon to construct
+movable breast-works for the besieging force. Rolling the bales of
+hemp before them, the Rebel sharp-shooters could get very near the fort
+without placing themselves in great danger.
+
+The defense was gallant, but as no garrisons can exist without water,
+Colonel Mulligan was forced to capitulate. It afterward became
+known that Price's army had almost exhausted its stock of
+percussion-caps--it having less than two thousand when the surrender
+was made. General Fremont was highly censured by the Press and people
+for not re-enforcing the garrison, when it was known that Price was
+moving upon Lexington. One journal in St. Louis, that took occasion to
+comment adversely upon his conduct, was suddenly suppressed. After a
+stoppage of a few days, it was allowed to resume publication.
+
+During the siege a small column of infantry approached the north bank
+of the river, opposite Lexington, with the design of joining Colonel
+Mulligan. The attempt was considered too hazardous, and no junction
+was effected. Mr. Wilkie, of the New York _Times_, accompanied
+this column, and was much disappointed when the project of reaching
+Lexington was given up.
+
+Determined to see the battle, he crossed the river and surrendered
+himself to General Price, with a request to be put on parole until
+the battle was ended. The Rebel commander gave him quarters in
+the guardhouse till the surrender took place. Mr. Wilkie was then
+liberated, and reached St. Louis with an exclusive account of the
+affair.
+
+While General Price was holding Lexington, General Fremont commenced
+assembling an army at Jefferson City, with the avowed intention of
+cutting off the retreat of the Rebels through Southwest Missouri. From
+Jefferson City our forces moved to Tipton and Syracuse, and there left
+the line of railway for a march to Springfield. Our movements were not
+conducted with celerity, and before we left Jefferson City the Rebels
+had evacuated Lexington and moved toward Springfield.
+
+The delay in our advance was chiefly owing to a lack of transportation
+and a deficiency of arms for the men. General Fremont's friends
+charged that he was not properly sustained by the Administration, in
+his efforts to outfit and organize his army. There was, doubtless,
+some ground for this charge, as the authorities, at that particular
+time, were unable to see any danger, except at Washington. They often
+diverted to that point _matériel_ that had been originally designed
+for St. Louis.
+
+As the army lay at Jefferson City, preparing for the field, some
+twelve or fifteen journalists, representing the prominent papers
+of the country, assembled there to chronicle its achievements. They
+waited nearly two weeks for the movement to begin. Some became sick,
+others left in disgust, but the most of them remained firm. The
+devices of the journalists to kill time were of an amusing nature.
+The town had no attractions whatever, and the gentlemen of the press
+devoted themselves to fast riding on the best horses they could
+obtain. Their horseback excursions usually terminated in lively races,
+in which both riders and steeds were sufferers. The representatives
+of two widely-circulated dailies narrowly escaped being sent home with
+broken necks.
+
+Evenings at the hotels were passed in reviving the "sky-larking"
+of school-boy days. These scenes were amusing to participants and
+spectators. Sober, dignified men, the majority of them heads of
+families, occupied themselves in devising plans for the general
+amusement.
+
+One mode of enjoyment was to assemble in a certain large room, and
+throw at each other every portable article at hand, until exhaustion
+ensued. Every thing that could be thrown or tossed was made use of.
+Pillows, overcoats, blankets, valises, saddle-bags, bridles, satchels,
+towels, books, stove-wood, bed-clothing, chairs, window-curtains,
+and, ultimately, the fragments of the bedsteads, were transformed into
+missiles. I doubt if that house ever before, or since, knew so much
+noise in the same time. Everybody enjoyed it except those who occupied
+adjoining rooms, and possessed a desire for sleep. Some of these
+persons were inclined to excuse our hilarity, on the ground that the
+boys ought to enjoy themselves. "The boys!" Most of them were on the
+shady side of twenty-five, and some had seen forty years.
+
+About nine o'clock in the forenoon of the day following Price's
+evacuation of Lexington, we obtained news of the movement. The mail at
+noon, and the telegraph before that time, carried all we had to say of
+the affair, and in a few hours we ceased to talk of it. On the evening
+of that day, a good-natured "contractor" visited our room, and,
+after indulging in our varied amusements until past eleven, bade us
+good-night and departed.
+
+Many army contractors had grown fat in the country's service, but this
+man had a large accumulation of adipose matter before the war broke
+out. A rapid ascent of a long flight of stairs was, therefore, a
+serious matter with him. Five minutes after leaving us, he dashed
+rapidly up the stairs and entered our room. As soon as he could speak,
+he asked, breathing between, the words--
+
+"Have you heard the news?"
+
+"No," we responded; "what is it?"
+
+"Why" (with more efforts to recover his breath), "Price has evacuated
+Lexington!"
+
+"Is it possible?"
+
+"Yes," he gasped, and then sank exhausted into a large (very large)
+arm-chair.
+
+We gave him a glass of water and a fan, and urged him to proceed with
+the story. He told all he had just heard in the bar-room below, and we
+listened with the greatest apparent interest.
+
+When he had ended, we told him _our_ story. The quality and quantity
+of the wine which he immediately ordered, was only excelled by his
+hearty appreciation of the joke he had played upon himself.
+
+Every army correspondent has often been furnished with "important
+intelligence" already in his possession, and sometimes in print before
+his well-meaning informant obtains it.
+
+A portion of General Fremont's army marched from Jefferson City
+to Tipton and Syracuse, while the balance, with most of the
+transportation, was sent by rail. General Sigel was the first to
+receive orders to march his division from Tipton to Warsaw, and he was
+very prompt to obey. While other division commanders were waiting
+for their transportation to arrive from St. Louis, Sigel scoured the
+country and gathered up every thing with wheels. His train was the
+most motley collection of vehicles it has ever been my lot to witness.
+There were old wagons that made the journey from Tennessee to Missouri
+thirty years before, farm wagons and carts of every description,
+family carriages, spring wagons, stage-coaches, drays, and hay-carts.
+In fact, every thing that could carry a load was taken along. Even
+pack-saddles were not neglected. Horses, mules, jacks, oxen, and
+sometimes cows, formed the motive power. To stand by the roadside and
+witness the passage of General Sigel's train, was equal to a visit to
+Barnum's Museum, and proved an unfailing source of mirth.
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL SIGEL'S TRANSPORTATION IN THE MISSOURI
+CAMPAIGN.]
+
+Falstaff's train (if he had one) could not have been more picturesque.
+Even the Missourians, accustomed as they were to sorry sights, laughed
+heartily at the spectacle presented by Sigel's transportation. The
+Secessionists made several wrong deductions from the sad appearance
+of that train. Some of them predicted that the division with _such_ a
+train would prove to be of little value in battle. Never were men
+more completely deceived. The division marched rapidly, and, on a
+subsequent campaign, evinced its ability to fight.
+
+One after another, the divisions of Fremont's army moved in chase of
+the Rebels; a pursuit in which the pursued had a start of seventy-five
+miles, and a clear road before them. Fremont and his staff left
+Tipton, when three divisions had gone, and overtook the main column at
+Warsaw. A few days later, Mr. Richardson, of the _Tribune_, and myself
+started from Syracuse at one o'clock, one pleasant afternoon, and,
+with a single halt of an hour's duration, reached Warsaw, forty-seven
+miles distant, at ten o'clock at night. In the morning we found the
+general's staff comfortably quartered in the village. On the staff
+there were several gentlemen from New York and other Eastern cities,
+who were totally unaccustomed to horseback exercise. One of these
+recounted the story of their "dreadful" journey of fifty miles from
+Tipton.
+
+"Only think of it!" said he; "we came through all that distance in
+less than three days. One day the general made us come _twenty-four_
+miles."
+
+"That was very severe, indeed. I wonder how you endured it."
+
+"It _was_ severe, and nearly broke some of us down. By-the-way, Mr.
+K----, how did you come over?"
+
+"Oh," said I, carelessly, "Richardson and I left Syracuse at noon
+yesterday, and arrived here at ten last night."
+
+Before that campaign was ended, General Fremont's staff acquired some
+knowledge of horsemanship.
+
+At Warsaw the party of journalists passed several waiting days,
+and domiciled themselves in the house of a widow who had one pretty
+daughter. Our natural bashfulness was our great hinderance, so that it
+was a day or two before we made the acquaintance of the younger of the
+women. One evening she invited a young lady friend to visit her, and
+obliged us with introductions. The ladies persistently turned the
+conversation upon the Rebellion, and gave us the benefit of their
+views. Our young hostess, desiring to say something complimentary,
+declared she did not dislike the Yankees, but despised the Dutch and
+the Black Republicans."
+
+"Do you dislike the Black Republicans very much?" said the _Tribune_
+correspondent.
+
+"Oh! yes; I _hate_ them. I wish they were all dead."
+
+"Well," was the quiet response, "we are Black Republicans. I am the
+blackest of them all."
+
+The fair Secessionist was much confused, and for fully a minute
+remained silent. Then she said--
+
+"I must confess I did not fully understand what Black Republicans
+were. I never saw any before."
+
+During the evening she was quite courteous, though persistent in
+declaring her sentiments. Her companion launched the most bitter
+invective at every thing identified with the Union cause, and
+made some horrid wishes about General Fremont and his army. A more
+vituperative female Rebel I have never seen. She was as pretty as she
+was disloyal, and was, evidently, fully aware of it.
+
+A few months later, I learned that both these young ladies had become
+the wives of United States officers, and were complimenting, in high
+terms, the bravery and patriotism of the soldiers they had so recently
+despised.
+
+The majority of the inhabitants of Warsaw were disloyal, and had
+little hesitation in declaring their sentiments. Most of the young men
+were in the Rebel army or preparing to go there. A careful search of
+several warehouses revealed extensive stores of powder, salt, shoes,
+and other military supplies. Some of these articles were found in a
+cave a few miles from Warsaw, their locality being made known by a
+negro who was present at their concealment.
+
+Warsaw boasted a newspaper establishment, but the proprietor and
+editor of the weekly sheet had joined his fortunes to those of General
+Price. Two years before the time of our visit, this editor was a
+member of the State Legislature, and made an earnest effort to secure
+the expulsion of the reporter of _The Missouri_ _Democrat_, on account
+of the radical tone of that paper. He was unsuccessful, but the
+aggrieved individual did not forgive him.
+
+When our army entered Warsaw this reporter held a position on the
+staff of the general commanding. Not finding his old adversary, he
+contented himself with taking possession of the printing-office, and
+"confiscating" whatever was needed for the use of head-quarters.
+
+About twenty miles from Warsaw, on the road to Booneville, there was a
+German settlement, known as Cole Camp. When the troubles commenced in
+Missouri, a company of Home Guards was formed at Cole Camp. A few
+days after its formation a company of Secessionists from Warsaw made a
+night-march and attacked the Home Guards at daylight.
+
+Though inflicting severe injury upon the Home Guards, the
+Secessionists mourned the loss of the most prominent citizens of
+Warsaw. They were soon after humiliated by the presence of a Union
+army.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE SECOND CAMPAIGN TO SPRINGFIELD.
+
+Detention at Warsaw.--A Bridge over the Osage.--The
+Body-Guard.--Manner of its Organization.--The Advance
+to Springfield.--Charge of the Body-Guard.--A Corporal's
+Ruse.--Occupation of Springfield--The Situation.--Wilson Creek
+Revisited.--Traces of the Battle.--Rumored Movements of the
+Enemy.--Removal of General Fremont.--Danger of Attack.--A Night of
+Excitement.--The Return to St. Louis.--Curiosities of the Scouting
+Service.--An Arrest by Mistake.
+
+
+The army was detained at Warsaw, to wait the construction of a
+bridge over the Osage for the passage of the artillery and heavy
+transportation. Sigel's Division was given the advance, and crossed
+before the bridge was finished. The main column moved as soon as the
+bridge permitted--the rear being brought up by McKinstry's Division. A
+division from Kansas, under General Lane, was moving at the same time,
+to form a junction with Fremont near Springfield, and a brigade from
+Rolla was advancing with the same object in view. General Sturgis was
+in motion from North Missouri, and there was a prospect that an army
+nearly forty thousand strong would be assembled at Springfield.
+
+While General Fremont was in St. Louis, before setting out on this
+expedition, he organized the "Fremont Body-Guard," which afterward
+became famous. This force consisted of four companies of cavalry,
+and was intended to form a full regiment. It was composed of the
+best class of the young men of St. Louis and Cincinnati. From the
+completeness of its outfit, it was often spoken of as the "Kid-Gloved
+Regiment." General Fremont designed it as a special body-guard for
+himself, to move when he moved, and to form a part of his head-quarter
+establishment. The manner of its organization was looked upon by many
+as a needless outlay, at a time when the finances of the department
+were in a disordered condition. The officers and the rank and file of
+the Body-Guard felt their pride touched by the comments upon them, and
+determined to take the first opportunity to vindicate their character
+as soldiers.
+
+When we were within fifty miles of Springfield, it was ascertained
+that the main force of the Rebels had moved southward, leaving behind
+them some two or three thousand men. General Fremont ordered a cavalry
+force, including the Body-Guard, to advance upon the town. On reaching
+Springfield the cavalry made a gallant charge upon the Rebel camp,
+which was situated in a large field, bordered by a wood, within sight
+of the court-house.
+
+In this assault the loss of our forces, in proportion to the number
+engaged, was quite severe, but the enemy was put to flight, and the
+town occupied for a few hours. We gained nothing of a material nature,
+as the Rebels would have quietly evacuated Springfield at the approach
+of our main army. The courage of the Body-Guard, which no sensible
+man had doubted, was fully evinced by this gallant but useless charge.
+When the fight was over, the colonel in command ordered a retreat of
+twenty miles, to meet the advance of the army.
+
+A corporal with a dozen men became separated from the command while
+in Springfield, and remained there until the following morning. He
+received a flag of truce from the Rebels, asking permission to send
+a party to bury the dead. He told the bearer to wait until he could
+consult his "general," who was supposed to be lying down in the
+back office. The "general" replied that his "division" was too much
+exasperated to render it prudent for a delegation from the enemy to
+enter town, and therefore declined to grant the request. At the same
+time he promised to send out strong details to attend to the sad duty.
+At sunrise he thought it best to follow the movements of his superior
+officer, lest the Rebels might discover his ruse and effect his
+capture.
+
+Two days after the charge of the Body-Guard, the advance of the
+infantry entered Springfield without the slightest opposition. The
+army gradually came up, and the occupation of the key of Southwest
+Missouri was completed. The Rebel army fell back toward the Arkansas
+line, to meet a force supposed to be marching northward from
+Fayetteville. There was little expectation that the Rebels would
+seek to engage us. The only possible prospect of their assuming the
+offensive was in the event of a junction between Price and McCulloch,
+rendering them numerically superior to ourselves.
+
+During our occupation of Springfield I paid a visit to the Wilson
+Creek battle-ground. It was eleven weeks from the day I had left it.
+Approaching the field, I was impressed by its stillness, so different
+from the tumult on the 10th of the previous August. It was difficult
+to realize that the spot, now so quiet, had been the scene of a
+sanguinary contest. The rippling of the creek, and the occasional
+chirp of a bird, were the only noises that came to our ears. There was
+no motion of the air, not enough to disturb the leaves freshly fallen
+from the numerous oak-trees on the battle-field. At each step I could
+but contrast the cool, calm, Indian-summer day, with the hot, August
+morning, when the battle took place.
+
+All sounds of battle were gone, but the traces of the encounter had
+not disappeared. As we followed the route leading to the field, I
+turned from the beaten track and rode among the trees. Ascending a
+slight acclivity, I found my horse half-stumbling over some object
+between his feet. Looking down, I discovered a human skull, partly
+covered by the luxuriant grass. At a little distance lay the
+dismembered skeleton to which the skull evidently belonged. It was
+doubtless that of some soldier who had crawled there while wounded,
+and sunk exhausted at the foot of a tree. The bits of clothing
+covering the ground showed that either birds or wild animals had been
+busy with the remains. Not far off lay another skeleton, disturbed and
+dismembered like the other.
+
+Other traces of the conflict were visible, as I moved slowly over the
+field. Here were scattered graves, each for a single person; there a
+large grave, that had received a dozen bodies of the slain. Here were
+fragments of clothing and equipments, pieces of broken weapons; the
+shattered wheel of a caisson, and near it the exploded shell that
+destroyed it. Skeletons of horses, graves of men, scarred trees,
+trampled graves, the ruins of the burned wagons of the Rebels,
+all formed their portion of the picture. It well illustrated the
+desolation of war.
+
+The spot where General Lyon fell was marked by a rude inscription upon
+the nearest tree. The skeleton of the general's favorite horse lay
+near this tree, and had been partially broken up by relic-seekers. The
+long, glossy mane was cut off by the Rebel soldiers on the day after
+the battle, and worn by them as a badge of honor. Subsequently the
+teeth and bones were appropriated by both Rebels and Unionists. Even
+the tree that designated the locality was partially stripped of its
+limbs to furnish souvenirs of Wilson Creek.
+
+During the first few days of our stay in Springfield, there were vague
+rumors that the army was preparing for a long march into the enemy's
+country. The Rebel army was reported at Cassville, fifty-five miles
+distant, fortifying in a strong position. General Price and Governor
+Jackson had convened the remnant of the Missouri Legislature, and
+caused the State to be voted out of the Union. It was supposed we
+would advance and expel the Rebels from the State.
+
+While we were making ready to move, it was reported that the Rebel
+army at Cassville had received large re-enforcements from Arkansas, and
+was moving in our direction. Of course, all were anxious for a battle,
+and hailed this intelligence with delight. At the same time there
+were rumors of trouble from another direction--trouble to the
+commander-in-chief. The vague reports of his coming decapitation were
+followed by the arrival, on the 2d of November, of the unconditional
+order removing General Fremont from command, and appointing General
+Hunter in his stead.
+
+Just before the reception of this order, "positive" news was received
+that the enemy was advancing from Cassville toward Springfield, and
+would either attack us in the town, or meet us on the ground south
+of it. General Hunter had not arrived, and therefore General Fremont
+formed his plan of battle, and determined on marching out to meet the
+enemy.
+
+On the morning of the 3d, the scouts brought intelligence that the
+entire Rebel army was in camp on the old Wilson Creek battle-ground,
+and would fight us there. A council of war was called, and it was
+decided to attack the enemy on the following morning, if General
+Hunter did not arrive before that time. Some of the officers were
+suspicious that the Rebels were not in force at Wilson Creek, but when
+Fremont announced it officially there could be little room for doubt.
+
+Every thing was put in readiness for battle. Generals of division were
+ordered to be ready to move at a moment's notice. The pickets were
+doubled, and the grand guards increased to an unusual extent. Four
+pieces of artillery formed a portion of the picket force on the
+Fayetteville road, the direct route to Wilson Creek. If an enemy had
+approached on that night he would have met a warm reception.
+
+About seven o'clock in the evening, a staff officer, who kept the
+journalists informed of the progress of affairs, visited General
+Fremont's head-quarters. He soon emerged with important intelligence.
+
+"It is all settled. The army is ready to move at the instant. Orders
+will be issued at two o'clock, and we will be under way before
+daylight. Skirmishing will begin at nine, and the full battle will be
+drawn on at twelve."
+
+"Is the plan arranged?"
+
+"Yes, it is all arranged; but I did not ask how."
+
+"Battle sure to come off--is it?"
+
+"Certainly, unless Hunter comes and countermands the order."
+
+Alas, for human calculations! General Hunter arrived before midnight.
+Two o'clock came, but no orders to break camp. Daylight, and no orders
+to march. Breakfast-time, and not a hostile shot had been heard. Nine
+o'clock, and no skirmish. Twelve o'clock, and no battle.
+
+General Fremont and staff returned to St. Louis. General Hunter made
+a reconnoissance to Wilson Creek, and ascertained that the only enemy
+that had been in the vicinity was a scouting party of forty or fifty
+men. At the time we were to march out, there was not a Rebel on the
+ground. Their whole army was still at Cassville, fifty-five miles from
+Springfield.
+
+On the 9th of November the army evacuated Springfield and returned to
+the line of the Pacific Railway.
+
+General Fremont's scouts had deceived him. Some of these individuals
+were exceedingly credulous, while others were liars of the highest
+grade known to civilization. The former obtained their information
+from the frightened inhabitants; the latter manufactured theirs with
+the aid of vivid imaginations. I half suspect the fellows were like
+the showman in the story, and, at length, religiously believed what
+they first designed as a hoax. Between the two classes of scouts a
+large army of Rebels was created.
+
+The scouting service often develops characters of a peculiar mould.
+Nearly every man engaged in it has some particular branch in which he
+excels. There was one young man accompanying General Fremont's army,
+whose equal, as a special forager, I have never seen elsewhere.
+Whenever we entered camp, this individual, whom I will call the
+captain, would take a half-dozen companions and start on a foraging
+tour. After an absence of from four to six hours, he would return
+well-laden with the spoils of war. On one occasion he brought to camp
+three horses, two cows, a yoke of oxen, and a wagon. In the latter
+he had a barrel of sorghum molasses, a firkin of butter, two sheep, a
+pair of fox-hounds, a hoop-skirt, a corn-sheller, a baby's cradle, a
+lot of crockery, half a dozen padlocks, two hoes, and a rocking-chair.
+On the next night he returned with a family carriage drawn by a horse
+and a mule. In the carriage he had, among other things, a parrot-cage
+which contained a screaming parrot, several pairs of ladies' shoes,
+a few yards of calico, the stock of an old musket, part of a
+spinning-wheel, and a box of garden seeds. In what way these things
+would contribute to the support of the army, it was difficult to
+understand.
+
+On one occasion the captain found a trunk full of clothing, concealed
+with a lot of salt in a Rebel warehouse. He brought the trunk to camp,
+and, as the quartermaster refused to receive it, took it to St. Louis
+when the expedition returned. At the hotel where he was stopping, some
+detectives were watching a suspected thief, and, by mistake, searched
+the captain's room. They found a trunk containing thirteen coats
+of all sizes, with no pants or vests. Naturally considering this a
+strange wardrobe for a gentleman, they took the captain into custody.
+He protested earnestly that he was not, and had never been, a thief,
+but it was only on the testimony of the quartermaster that he was
+released. I believe he subsequently acted as a scout under General
+Halleck, during the siege of Corinth.
+
+After the withdrawal of our army, General Price returned to
+Springfield and went into winter-quarters. McCulloch's command formed
+a cantonment at Cross Hollows, Arkansas, about ninety miles southwest
+of Springfield. There was no prospect of further activity until the
+ensuing spring. Every thing betokened rest.
+
+From Springfield I returned to St. Louis by way of Rolla, designing
+to follow the example of the army, and seek a good locality for
+hibernating. On my way to Rolla I found many houses deserted, or
+tenanted only by women and children. Frequently the crops were
+standing, ungathered, in the field. Fences were prostrated, and there
+was no effort to restore them. The desolation of that region was just
+beginning.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+TWO MONTHS OF IDLENESS.
+
+A Promise Fulfilled.--Capture of a Rebel Camp and Train.--Rebel
+Sympathizers in St. Louis.--General Halleck and his Policy.--Refugees
+from Rebeldom.--Story of the Sufferings of a Union Family.--Chivalry
+in the Nineteenth Century.--The Army of the Southwest in
+Motion.--Gun-Boats and Transports.--Capture of Fort Henry.--The Effect
+in St. Louis.--Our Flag Advancing.
+
+
+Early in the December following the events narrated in the last
+chapter, General Pope captured a camp in the interior of the State,
+where recruits were being collected for Price's army. After the return
+of Fremont's army from Springfield, the Rebels boasted they would eat
+their Christmas dinner in St. Louis. Many Secessionists were
+making preparations to receive Price and his army, and some of them
+prophesied the time of their arrival. It was known that a goodly
+number of Rebel flags had been made ready to hang out when the
+conquerors should come. Sympathizers with the Rebellion became bold,
+and often displayed badges, rosettes, and small flags, indicative of
+their feelings. Recruiting for the Rebel army went on, very quietly,
+of course, within a hundred yards of the City Hall. At a fair for
+the benefit of the Orphan Asylum, the ladies openly displayed Rebel
+insignia, but carefully excluded the National emblems.
+
+This was the state of affairs when eight hundred Rebels arrived in St.
+Louis. They redeemed their promise to enjoy a Christmas dinner in St.
+Louis, though they had counted upon more freedom than they were then
+able to obtain. In order that they might carry out, in part, their
+original intention, their kind-hearted jailers permitted the friends
+of the prisoners to send a dinner to the latter on Christmas Day. The
+prisoners partook of the repast with much relish.
+
+The capture of those recruits was accompanied by the seizure of a
+supply train on its way to Springfield. Our success served to diminish
+the Rebel threats to capture St. Louis, or perform other great and
+chivalric deeds. The inhabitants of that city continued to prophesy
+its fall, but they were less defiant than before.
+
+General Fremont commanded the Western Department for just a hundred
+days. General Hunter, his successor, was dressed in brief authority
+for fifteen days, and yielded to General Halleck. The latter officer
+endeavored to make his rule as unlike that of General Fremont as could
+well be done. He quietly made his head-quarters at the Government
+Buildings, in the center of St. Louis, instead of occupying a
+"palatial mansion" on Chouteau Avenue. The body-guard, or other
+cumbersome escort, was abolished, and the new general moved unattended
+about the city. Where General Fremont had scattered the Government
+funds with a wasteful hand, General Halleck studied economy. Where
+Fremont had declared freedom to the slaves of traitors, Halleck issued
+his famous "Order No. 3," forbidding fugitive slaves to enter our
+lines, and excluding all that were then in the military camps. Where
+General Fremont had surrounded his head-quarters with so great a
+retinue of guards that access was almost impossible, General Halleck
+made it easy for all visitors to see him. He generally gave them such
+a reception that few gentlemen felt inclined to make a second call.
+
+The policy of scattering the military forces in the department was
+abandoned, and a system of concentration adopted. The construction
+of the gun-boat fleet, and accompanying mortar-rafts, was vigorously
+pushed, and preparations for military work in the ensuing spring went
+on in all directions. Our armies were really idle, and we were doing
+very little on the Mississippi; but it was easy to see that we were
+making ready for the most vigorous activity in the future.
+
+In the latter part of December many refugees from the Southwest began
+to arrive in St. Louis. In most cases they were of the poorer class of
+the inhabitants of Missouri and Northern Arkansas, and had been driven
+from their homes by their wealthier and disloyal neighbors. Their
+stories varied little from each other. Known or suspected to be loyal,
+they were summarily expelled, generally with the loss of every thing,
+save a few articles of necessity. There were many women and children
+among them, whose protectors had been driven into the Rebel ranks, or
+murdered in cold blood. Many of them died soon after they reached our
+lines, and there were large numbers who perished on their way.
+
+Among those who arrived early in January, 1862, was a man from
+Northern Arkansas. Born in Pennsylvania, he emigrated to the Southwest
+in 1830, and, after a few years' wandering, settled near Fayetteville.
+When the war broke out, he had a small farm and a comfortable house,
+and his two sons were married and living near him.
+
+In the autumn of '61, his elder son was impressed into the Rebel
+service, where he soon died. The younger was ordered to report at
+Fayetteville, for duty. Failing to do so on the day specified, he was
+shot down in his own house on the following night. His body fell upon
+one of his children standing near him, and his blood saturated its
+garments.
+
+The day following, the widow, with two small children, was notified
+to leave the dwelling, as orders had been issued for its destruction.
+Giving her no time to remove any thing, the Rebel soldiers, claiming
+to act under military command, fired the house. In this party were two
+persons who had been well acquainted with the murdered man. The widow
+sought shelter with her husband's parents.
+
+The widow of the elder son went to the same place of refuge. Thus
+there were living, under one roof, the old man, his wife, a daughter
+of seventeen, and the two widows, one with two, and the other with
+three, children. A week afterward, all were commanded to leave the
+country. No cause was assigned, beyond the fact that the man was
+born in the North, and had been harboring the family of his son, who
+refused to serve in the Rebel ranks. They were told they could have
+two days for preparation, but within ten hours of the time the notice
+was served, a gang of Rebels appeared at the door, and ordered an
+instant departure.
+
+They made a rigid search of the persons of the refugees, to be sure
+they took away nothing of value. Only a single wagon was allowed, and
+in this were placed a few articles of necessity. As they moved away,
+the Rebels applied the torch to the house and its out-buildings. In
+a few moments all were in flames. The house of the elder son's widow
+shared the same fete.
+
+They were followed to the Missouri line, and ordered to make no halt
+under penalty of death. It was more than two hundred miles to our
+lines, and winter was just beginning. One after another fell ill and
+died, or was left with Union people along the way. Only four of the
+party reached our army at Rolla. Two of these died a few days after
+their arrival, leaving only a young child and its grandfather. At St.
+Louis the survivors were kindly cared for, but the grief at leaving
+home, the hardships of the winter journey, and their destitution among
+strangers, had so worn upon them that they soon followed the other
+members of their family.
+
+There have been thousands of cases nearly parallel to the above. The
+Rebels claimed to be fighting for political freedom, and charged the
+National Government with the most unheard-of "tyranny." We can well
+be excused for not countenancing a political freedom that kills men
+at their firesides, and drives women and children to seek protection
+under another flag. We have heard much, in the past twenty years, of
+"Southern chivalry." If the deeds of which the Rebels were guilty
+are characteristic of chivalry, who would wish to be a son of the
+Cavaliers? The insignia worn in the Middle Ages are set aside, to
+make room for the torch and the knife. The chivalry that deliberately
+starves its prisoners, to render them unable to return to the field,
+and sends blood-hounds on the track of those who attempt an escape
+from their hands, is the chivalry of modern days. Winder is the
+Coeur-de-Leon, and Quantrel the Bayard, of the nineteenth century;
+knights "without fear and without reproach."
+
+Early in January, the Army of the Southwest, under General Curtis,
+was put in condition for moving. Orders were issued cutting down
+the allowance of transportation, and throwing away every thing
+superfluous. Colonel Carr, with a cavalry division, was sent to the
+line of the Gasconade, to watch the movements of the enemy. It was the
+preliminary to the march into Arkansas, which resulted in the
+battle of Pea Ridge and the famous campaign of General Curtis from
+Springfield to Helena.
+
+As fast as possible, the gun-boat fleet was pushed to completion. One
+after another, as the iron-clads were ready to move, they made their
+rendezvous at Cairo. Advertisements of the quartermaster's department,
+calling for a large number of transports, showed that offensive
+movements were to take place. In February, Fort Henry fell, after an
+hour's shelling from Admiral Foote's gun-boats. This opened the way up
+the Tennessee River to a position on the flank of Columbus, Kentucky,
+and was followed by the evacuation of that point.
+
+I was in St. Louis on the day the news of the fall of Fort Henry was
+received. The newspapers issued "extras," with astonishing head-lines.
+It was the first gratifying intelligence after a long winter of
+inactivity, following a year which, closed with general reverses to
+our arms.
+
+In walking the principal streets of St. Louis on that occasion, I
+could easily distinguish the loyal men of my acquaintance from the
+disloyal, at half a square's distance. The former were excited with
+delight; the latter were downcast with sorrow. The Union men walked
+rapidly, with, faces "wreathed in smiles;" the Secessionists moved
+with alternate slow and quick steps, while their countenances
+expressed all the sad emotions.
+
+The newsboys with the tidings of our success were patronized by
+the one and repelled by the other. I saw one of the venders of
+intelligence enter the store of a noted Secessionist, where he shouted
+the nature of the news at the highest note of his voice. A
+moment later he emerged from the door, bringing the impress of a
+Secessionist's boot.
+
+The day and the night witnessed much hilarity in loyal circles, and a
+corresponding gloom in quarters where treason ruled. I fear there
+were many men in St. Louis whose conduct was no recommendation to the
+membership of a temperance society.
+
+All felt that a new era had dawned upon us. Soon after came the
+tidings of a general advance of our armies. We moved in Virginia,
+and made the beginning of the checkered campaign of '62. Along the
+Atlantic coast we moved, and Newbern fell into our hands. Further
+down the Atlantic, and at the mouth of the Mississippi, we kept up
+the aggression. Grant, at Donelson, "moved immediately upon Buckner's
+works;" and, in Kentucky, the Army of the Ohio occupied Bowling Green
+and prepared to move upon Nashville. In Missouri, Curtis had
+already occupied Lebanon, and was making ready to assault Price at
+Springfield. Everywhere our flag was going forward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+ANOTHER CAMPAIGN IN MISSOURI.
+
+From St. Louis to Rolla.--A Limited Outfit.--Missouri Roads in
+Winter.--"Two Solitary Horsemen."--Restricted Accommodations in a
+Slaveholder's House.--An Energetic Quartermaster.--General Sheridan
+before he became Famous.--"Bagging Price."--A Defect in the
+Bag.--Examining the Correspondence of a Rebel General.--What the
+Rebels left at their Departure.
+
+
+On the 9th of February I left St. Louis to join General Curtis's army.
+Arriving at Rolla, I found the mud very deep, but was told the roads
+were in better condition a few miles to the west. With an _attaché_
+of the Missouri _Democrat_, I started, on the morning of the 10th, to
+overtake the army, then reported at Lebanon, sixty-five miles distant.
+All my outfit for a two or three months' campaign, was strapped behind
+my saddle, or crowded into my saddle-bags. Traveling with a trunk
+is one of the delights unknown to army correspondents, especially
+to those in the Southwest. My companion carried an outfit similar to
+mine, with the exception of the saddle-bags and contents. I returned
+to Rolla eight weeks afterward, but he did not reach civilization till
+the following July.
+
+From Rolla to Lebanon the roads were bad--muddy in the valleys of
+the streams, and on the higher ground frozen into inequalities like a
+gigantic rasp.
+
+Over this route our army of sixteen thousand men had slowly made its
+way, accomplishing what was then thought next to impossible. I found
+the country had changed much in appearance since I passed through on
+my way to join General Lyon. Many houses had been burned and others
+deserted. The few people that remained confessed themselves almost
+destitute of food. Frequently we could not obtain entertainment
+for ourselves and horses, particularly the latter. The natives
+were suspicious of our character, as there was nothing in our
+dress indicating to which side we belonged. At such times the
+cross-questioning we underwent was exceedingly amusing, though coupled
+with the knowledge that our lives were not entirely free from danger.
+
+From Lebanon we pushed on to Springfield, through a keen, piercing
+wind, that swept from the northwest with unremitting steadiness. The
+night between those points was passed in a log-house with a single
+room, where ourselves and the family of six persons were lodged. In
+the bitter cold morning that followed, it was necessary to open the
+door to give us sufficient light to take breakfast, as the house could
+not boast of a window. The owner of the establishment said he had
+lived there eighteen years, and found it very comfortable. He tilled a
+small farm, and had earned sufficient money to purchase three slaves,
+who dwelt in a similar cabin, close beside his own, but not joining
+it. One of these slaves was cook and housemaid, and another found the
+care of four children enough for her attention. The third was a man
+upward of fifty years old, who acted as stable-keeper, and manager of
+the out-door work of the establishment.
+
+The situation of this landholder struck me as peculiar, though his
+case was not a solitary one. A house of one room and with no window, a
+similar house for his human property, and a stable rudely constructed
+of small poles, with its sides offering as little protection against
+the wind and storms as an ordinary fence, were the only buildings
+he possessed. His furniture was in keeping with the buildings. Beds
+without sheets, a table without a cloth, some of the plates of tin and
+others of crockery--the former battered and the latter cracked--a less
+number of knives and forks than there were persons to be supplied, tin
+cups for drinking coffee, an old fruit-can for a sugar-bowl, and two
+teaspoons for the use of a large family, formed the most noticeable
+features. With such surroundings he had invested three thousand
+dollars in negro property, and considered himself comfortably
+situated.
+
+Reaching Springfield, I found the army had passed on in pursuit of
+Price, leaving only one brigade as a garrison. The quartermaster
+of the Army of the Southwest had his office in one of the principal
+buildings, and was busily engaged in superintending the forwarding
+of supplies to the front. Every thing under his charge received his
+personal attention, and there was no reason to suppose the army would
+lack for subsistence, so long as he should remain to supply its wants.
+Presenting him a letter of introduction, I received a most cordial
+welcome. I found him a modest and agreeable gentleman, whose private
+excellence was only equaled by his energy in the performance of his
+official duties.
+
+This quartermaster was Captain Philip H. Sheridan. The double bars
+that marked his rank at that time, have since been exchanged for other
+insignia. The reader is doubtless familiar with the important
+part taken by this gallant officer, in the suppression of the late
+Rebellion.
+
+General Curtis had attempted to surround and capture Price and his
+army, before they could escape from Springfield. Captain Sheridan told
+me that General Curtis surrounded the town on one side, leaving two
+good roads at the other, by which the Rebels marched out. Our advance
+from Lebanon was as rapid as the circumstances would permit, but it
+was impossible to keep the Rebels in ignorance of it, or detain
+them against their will. One of the many efforts to "bag" Price had
+resulted like all the others. We closed with the utmost care every
+part of the bag except the mouth; out of this he walked by the
+simple use of his pedals. Operations like those of Island Number Ten,
+Vicksburg, and Port Hudson, were not then in vogue.
+
+Price was in full retreat toward Arkansas, and our army in hot
+pursuit. General Sigel, with two full divisions, marched by a road
+parallel to the line of Price's retreat, and attempted to get in his
+front at a point forty miles from Springfield. His line of march was
+ten miles longer than the route followed by the Rebels, and he did not
+succeed in striking the main road until Price had passed.
+
+I had the pleasure of going through General Price's head-quarters only
+two days after that officer abandoned them. There was every evidence
+of a hasty departure. I found, among other documents, the following
+order for the evacuation of Springfield:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS MISSOURI STATE GUARD,
+SPRINGFIELD, _February_ 13, 1862.
+
+The commanders of divisions will instanter, and without
+the least delay, see that their entire commands are
+ready for movement at a moment's notice.
+
+By order of Major-General S. Price.
+H.H. Brand, A.A.G.
+
+
+There was much of General Price's private correspondence, together
+with many official documents. Some of these I secured, but destroyed
+them three weeks later, at a moment when I expected to fall into the
+hands of the enemy. One letter, which revealed the treatment Union men
+were receiving in Arkansas, I forwarded to _The Herald_. I reproduce
+its material portions:--
+
+
+DOVER, POPE CO., ARKANSAS, _December_ 7, 1861.
+
+MAJOR-GENERAL PRICE:
+
+I wish to obtain a situation as surgeon in your army. * * * Our men
+over the Boston Mountains are penning and hanging the mountain
+boys who oppose Southern men. They have in camp thirty, and in the
+Burrowville jail seventy-two, and have sent twenty-seven to Little
+Rock. We will kill all we get, certain: every one is so many less. I
+hope you will soon get help enough to clear out the last one in your
+State. If you know them, they ought to be killed, as the older they
+grow the more stubborn they get.
+
+Your most obedient servant,
+JAMES L. ADAMS.
+
+
+In his departure, General Price had taken most of his personal
+property of any value. He left a very good array of desks and other
+appurtenances of his adjutant-general's office, which fell into
+General Curtis's hands. These articles were at once put into use by
+our officers, and remained in Springfield as trophies of our success.
+There was some war _matériel_ at the founderies and temporary arsenals
+which the Rebels had established. One store full of supplies they left
+undisturbed. It was soon appropriated by Captain Sheridan.
+
+The winter-quarters for the soldiers were sufficiently commodious to
+contain ten thousand men, and the condition in which we found them
+showed how hastily they were evacuated. Very little had been removed
+from the buildings, except those articles needed for the march. We
+found cooking utensils containing the remains of the last meal, pans
+with freshly-mixed dough, on which the impression of the maker's hand
+was visible, and sheep and hogs newly killed and half dressed. In the
+officers' quarters was a beggarly array of empty bottles, and a few
+cases that had contained cigars. One of our soldiers was fortunate in
+finding a gold watch in the straw of a bunk. There were cribs of corn,
+stacks of forage, and a considerable quantity of army supplies. Every
+thing evinced a hasty departure.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE FLIGHT AND THE PURSUIT.
+
+From Springfield to Pea Ridge.--Mark Tapley in Missouri.--"The
+Arkansas Traveler."--Encountering the Rebel Army.--A "Wonderful
+Spring."--The Cantonment at Cross Hollows.--Game Chickens.--Magruder
+_vs_. Breckinridge.--Rebel Generals in a Controversy.--Its Result.--An
+Expedition to Huntsville.--Curiosities of Rebel Currency.--Important
+Information.--A Long and Weary March.--Disposition of Forces before
+the Battle.--Changing Front.--What the Rebels lost by Ignorance.
+
+
+When it became certain the army would continue its march into
+Arkansas, myself and the _Democrat's_ correspondent pushed forward
+to overtake it. Along the road we learned of the rapid retreat of the
+Rebels, and the equally rapid pursuit by our own forces. About twenty
+miles south of Springfield one of the natives came to his door to
+greet us. Learning to which army we belonged, he was very voluble in
+his efforts to explain the consternation of the Rebels. A half-dozen
+of his neighbors were by his side, and joined in the hilarity of the
+occasion. I saw that something more than usual was the cause of their
+assembling, and inquired what it could be.
+
+"My wife died this morning, and my friends have come here to see me,"
+was the answer I received from the proprietor of the house.
+
+Almost at the instant of completing the sentence, he burst into a
+laugh, and said,
+
+"It would have done you good to see how your folks captured a big
+drove of Price's cattle. The Rebs were driving them along all right,
+and your cavalry just came up and took them. It was rich, I tell you.
+Ha! ha!"
+
+Not knowing what condolence to offer a man who could be so gay after
+the death of his wife, I bade him good-morning, and pushed on. He
+had not, as far as I could perceive, the single excuse of being
+intoxicated, and his display of vivacity appeared entirely genuine. In
+all my travels I have never met his equal.
+
+Up to the time of this campaign none of our armies had been into
+Arkansas. When General Curtis approached the line, the head of the
+column was halted, the regiments closed up, and the men brought their
+muskets to the "right shoulder shift," instead of the customary "at
+will" of the march. Two bands were sent to the front, where a small
+post marked the boundary, and were stationed by the roadside, one in
+either State. Close by them the National flag was unfurled. The bands
+struck up "The Arkansas Traveler," the order to advance was given,
+and, with many cheers in honor of the event, the column moved onward.
+For several days "The Arkansas Traveler" was exceedingly popular with
+the entire command. On the night after crossing the line the news of
+the fall of Fort Donelson was received.
+
+Soon after entering Arkansas on his retreat, General Price met General
+McCulloch moving northward to join him. With their forces united, they
+determined on making a stand against General Curtis, and, accordingly,
+halted near Sugar Creek. A little skirmish ensued, in which the Rebels
+gave way, the loss on either side being trifling. They did not stop
+until they reached Fayetteville. Their halt at that point was very
+brief.
+
+At Cross Hollows, in Benton County, Arkansas, about two miles from
+the main road, there is one of the finest springs in the Southwest. It
+issues from the base of a rocky ledge, where the ravine is about three
+hundred yards wide, and forms the head of a large brook. Two small
+flouring mills are run during the entire year by the water from this
+spring. The water is at all times clear, cold, and pure, and is said
+never to vary in quantity.
+
+Along the stream fed by this spring, the Rebels had established a
+cantonment for the Army of Northern Arkansas, and erected houses
+capable of containing ten or twelve thousand men. The cantonment
+was laid out with the regularity of a Western city. The houses were
+constructed of sawed lumber, and provided with substantial brick
+chimneys.
+
+Of course, this establishment was abandoned when the Rebel army
+retreated. The buildings were set on fire, and all but a half-dozen of
+them consumed. When our cavalry reached the place, the rear-guard of
+the Rebels had been gone less than half an hour. There were about
+two hundred chickens running loose among the burning buildings. Our
+soldiers commenced killing them, and had slaughtered two-thirds of
+the lot when one of the officers discovered that they were game-cocks.
+This class of chickens not being considered edible, the killing was
+stopped and the balance of the flock saved. Afterward, while we lay in
+camp, they were made a source of much amusement. The cock-fights that
+took place in General Curtis's army would have done honor to Havana or
+Vera Cruz. Before we captured them the birds were the property of the
+officers of a Louisiana regiment. We gave them the names of the Rebel
+leaders. It was an every-day affair for Beauregard, Van Dorn, and
+Price to be matched against Lee, Johnston, and Polk. I remember losing
+a small wager on Magruder against Breckinridge. I should have won if
+Breck had not torn the feathers from Mac's neck, and injured his right
+wing by a foul blow. I never backed Magruder after that.
+
+From Cross Hollows, General Curtis sent a division in pursuit of
+Price's army, in its retreat through Fayetteville, twenty-two miles
+distant. On reaching the town they found the Rebels had left in the
+direction of Fort Smith. The pursuit terminated at this point. It had
+been continued for a hundred and ten miles--a large portion of the
+distance our advance being within a mile or two of the Rebel rear.
+
+In retreating from Fayetteville, the Rebels were obliged to abandon
+much of the supplies for their army. A serious quarrel is reported
+to have taken place between Price and McCulloch, concerning the
+disposition to be made of these supplies. The former was in favor
+of leaving the large amount of stores, of which, bacon was the chief
+article, that it might fall into our hands. He argued that we had
+occupied the country, and would stay there until driven out. Our army
+would be subsisted at all hazards. If we found this large quantity of
+bacon, it would obviate the necessity of our foraging upon the country
+and impoverishing the inhabitants.
+
+General McCulloch opposed this policy, and accused Price of a desire
+to play into the enemy's hands. The quarrel became warm, and resulted
+in the discomfiture of the latter. All the Rebel warehouses were set
+on fire. When our troops entered Fayetteville the conflagration was at
+its height. It resulted as Price had predicted. The inhabitants were
+compelled, in great measure, to support our army.
+
+The Rebels retreated across the Boston Mountains to Fort Smith, and
+commenced a reorganization of their army. Our army remained at Cross
+Hollows as its central point, but threw out its wings so as to form
+a front nearly five miles in extent. Small expeditions were sent in
+various directions to break up Rebel camps and recruiting stations.
+In this way two weeks passed with little activity beyond a careful
+observation of the enemy's movements. There were several flouring
+mills in the vicinity of our camp, which were kept in constant
+activity for the benefit of the army.
+
+I accompanied an expedition, commanded by Colonel Vandever, of the
+Ninth Iowa, to the town of Huntsville, thirty-five miles distant. Our
+march occupied two days, and resulted in the occupation of the town
+and the dispersal of a small camp of Rebels. We had no fighting,
+scarcely a shot being fired in anger. The inhabitants did not greet us
+very cordially, though some of them professed Union sentiments.
+
+In this town of Huntsville, the best friend of the Union was the
+keeper of a whisky-shop. This man desired to look at some of our
+money, but declined to take it. An officer procured a canteen of
+whisky and tendered a Treasury note in payment. The note was refused,
+with a request for either gold or Rebel paper.
+
+The officer then exhibited a large sheet of "promises to pay," which
+he had procured in Fayetteville a few days before, and asked how they
+would answer.
+
+"That is just what I want," said the whisky vender.
+
+The officer called his attention to the fact that the notes had no
+signatures.
+
+"That don't make any difference," was the reply; "nobody will know
+whether they are signed or not, and they are just as good, anyhow."
+
+I was a listener to the conversation, and at this juncture proffered a
+pair of scissors to assist in dividing the notes. It took but a short
+time to cut off enough "money" to pay for twenty canteens of the worst
+whisky I ever saw.
+
+At Huntsville we made a few prisoners, who said they were on their
+way from Price's army to Forsyth, Missouri. They gave us the important
+information that the Rebel army, thirty thousand strong, was on the
+Boston Mountains the day previous; and on the very day of our arrival
+at Huntsville, it was to begin its advance toward our front. These
+men, and some others, had been sent away because they had no weapons
+with which to enter the fight.
+
+Immediately on learning this, Colonel Vandever dispatched a courier
+to General Curtis, and prepared to set out on his return to the main
+army. We marched six miles before nightfall, and at midnight, while
+we were endeavoring to sleep, a courier joined us from the
+commander-in-chief. He brought orders for us to make our way back with
+all possible speed, as the Rebel army was advancing in full force.
+
+At two o'clock we broke camp, and, with only one halt of an hour,
+made a forced march of forty-one miles, joining the main column at ten
+o'clock at night. I doubt if there were many occasions during the
+war where better marching was done by infantry than on that day.
+Of course, the soldiers were much fatigued, but were ready, on the
+following day, to take active part in the battle.
+
+On the 5th of March, as soon as General Curtis learned of the Rebel
+advance, he ordered General Sigel, who was in camp at Bentonville, to
+fall back to Pea Ridge, on the north bank of Sugar Creek. At the
+same time he withdrew Colonel Jeff. C. Davis's Division to the same
+locality. This placed the army in a strong, defensible position, with
+the creek in its front. On the ridge above the stream our artillery
+and infantry were posted.
+
+The Rebel armies under Price and McCulloch had been united and
+strongly re-enforced, the whole being under the command of General Van
+Dorn. Their strength was upward of twenty thousand men, and they were
+confident of their ability to overpower us. Knowing our strong front
+line, General Van Dorn decided upon a bold movement, and threw himself
+around our right flank to a position between us and our base at
+Springfield.
+
+In moving to our right and rear, the Rebels encountered General
+Sigel's Division before it had left Bentonville, and kept up a running
+fight during the afternoon of the 6th. Several times the Rebels, in
+small force, secured positions in Sigel's front, but that officer
+succeeded in cutting his way through and reaching the main force, with
+a loss of less than a hundred men.
+
+The position of the enemy at Bentonville showed us his intentions,
+and we made our best preparations to oppose him. Our first step was
+to obstruct the road from Bentonville to our rear, so as to retard
+the enemy's movements. Colonel Dodge, of the Fourth Iowa (afterward
+a major-general), rose from a sick-bed to perform this work. The
+impediments which he placed in the way of the Rebels prevented their
+reaching the road in our rear until nine o'clock on the morning of the
+7th.
+
+Our next movement was to reverse our position. We had been facing
+south--it was now necessary to face to the north. The line that had
+been our rear became our front. A change of front implied that our
+artillery train should take the place of the supply train, and _vice
+versâ_. "Elkhorn Tavern" had been the quartermaster's depot. We made
+all haste to substitute artillery for baggage-wagons, and boxes of
+ammunition for boxes of hard bread. This transfer was not accomplished
+before the battle began, and as our troops were pressed steadily back
+on our new front, Elkhorn Tavern fell into the hands of the Rebels.
+
+The sugar, salt, and bread which they captured, happily not of large
+quantity, were very acceptable, and speedily disappeared. Among the
+quartermaster's stores was a wagon-load of desiccated vegetables, a
+very valuable article for an army in the field. All expected it would
+be made into soup and eaten by the Rebels. What was our astonishment
+to find, two days later, that they had opened and examined a single
+case, and, after scattering its contents on the ground, left the
+balance undisturbed!
+
+Elkhorn Tavern was designated by a pair of elk-horns, which occupied a
+conspicuous position above the door. After the battle these horns were
+removed by Colonel Carr, and sent to his home in Illinois, as trophies
+of the victory.
+
+A family occupied the building at the time of the battle, and remained
+there during the whole contest. When the battle raged most fiercely
+the cellar proved a place of refuge. Shells tore through the house,
+sometimes from the National batteries, and sometimes from Rebel guns.
+One shell exploded in a room where three women were sitting. Though
+their clothes were torn by the flying fragments, they escaped without
+personal injury. They announced their determination not to leave home
+so long as the house remained standing.
+
+Among other things captured at Elkhorn Tavern by the Rebels, was
+a sutler's wagon, which, had just arrived from St. Louis. In the
+division of the spoils, a large box, filled with wallets, fell to the
+lot of McDonald's Battery. For several weeks the officers and privates
+of this battery could boast of a dozen wallets each, while very few
+had any money to carry. The Rebel soldiers complained that the visits
+of the paymaster were like those of angels.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE.
+
+The Rebels make their Attack.--Albert Pike and his Indians.--Scalping
+Wounded Men.--Death of General McCulloch.--The Fighting at Elkhorn
+Tavern.--Close of a Gloomy Day.--An Unpleasant Night.--Vocal Sounds
+from a Mule's Throat.--Sleeping under Disadvantages.--A Favorable
+Morning.--The Opposing Lines of Battle.--A Severe Cannonade.--The
+Forest on Fire.--Wounded Men in the Flames.--The Rebels in
+Retreat.--Movements of our Army.--A Journey to St. Louis.
+
+
+About nine o'clock on the morning of the 7th, the Rebels made a
+simultaneous attack on our left and front, formerly our right and
+rear. General Price commanded the force on our front, and General
+McCulloch that on our left; the former having the old Army of
+Missouri, re-enforced by several Arkansas regiments, and the latter
+having a corps made up of Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana troops. They
+brought into the fight upward of twenty thousand men, while we had not
+over twelve thousand with which to oppose them.
+
+The attack on our left was met by General Sigel and Colonel Davis.
+That on our front was met by Colonel Carr's Division and the division
+of General Asboth. On our left it was severe, though not long
+maintained, the position we held being too strong for the enemy to
+carry.
+
+It was on this part of the line that the famous Albert Pike, the
+lawyer-poet of Arkansas, brought his newly-formed brigades of
+Indians into use. Pike was unfortunate with his Indians. While he
+was arranging them in line, in a locality where the bushes were about
+eight feet in height, the Indians made so much noise as to reveal
+their exact position. One of our batteries was quietly placed within
+point-blank range of the Indians, and suddenly opened upon them with
+grape and canister. They gave a single yell, and scattered without
+waiting for orders.
+
+The Indians were not, as a body, again brought together during the
+battle. In a charge which our cavalry made upon a Rebel brigade we
+were repulsed, leaving several killed and wounded upon the ground.
+Some of Pike's Indians, after their dispersal, came upon these, and
+scalped the dead and living without distinction. A Rebel officer
+subsequently informed me that the same Indians scalped several of
+their own slain, and barbarously murdered some who had been only
+slightly injured.
+
+On this part of the field we were fortunate, early in the day, in
+killing General McCulloch and his best lieutenant, General McIntosh.
+To this misfortune the Rebels have since ascribed their easy defeat.
+At the time of this reverse to the enemy, General Van Dorn was with.
+Price in our front. After their repulse and the death of their leader,
+the discomfited Rebels joined their comrades in the front, who had
+been more successful. It was nightfall before the two forces were
+united.
+
+In our front, Colonel Carr's Division fought steadily and earnestly
+during the entire day, but was pressed back fully two-thirds of a
+mile. General Curtis gave it what re-enforcements he could, but there
+were very few to be spared. When it was fully ascertained that the
+Rebels on our left had gone to our front, we prepared to unite against
+them. Our left was drawn in to re-enforce Colonel Carr, but the
+movement was not completed until long after dark.
+
+Thus night came. The rebels were in full possession of our
+communications. We had repulsed them on the left, but lost ground,
+guns, and men on our front. The Rebels were holding Elkhorn Tavern,
+which we had made great effort to defend. Colonel Carr had repeatedly
+wished for either night or re-enforcements. He obtained both.
+
+The commanding officers visited General Curtis's head-quarters,
+and received their orders for the morrow. Our whole force was to be
+concentrated on our front. If the enemy did not attack us at daylight,
+we would attack him as soon thereafter as practicable.
+
+Viewed in its best light, the situation was somewhat gloomy. Mr.
+Fayel, of the _Democrat_, and myself were the only journalists
+with the army, and the cessation of the day's fighting found us
+deliberating on our best course in case of a disastrous result. We
+destroyed all documents that could give information to the enemy,
+retaining only our note-books, and such papers as pertained to our
+profession. With patience and resignation we awaited the events of the
+morrow.
+
+I do not know that any of our officers expected we should be
+overpowered, but there were many who thought such an occurrence
+probable. The enemy was nearly twice as strong as we, and lay directly
+between us and our base. If he could hold out till our ammunition was
+exhausted, we should be compelled to lay down our arms. There was no
+retreat for us. We must be victorious or we must surrender.
+
+In camp, on that night, every thing was confusion. The troops that had
+been on the left during the day were being transferred to the front.
+The quartermaster was endeavoring to get his train in the least
+dangerous place. The opposing lines were so near each other that our
+men could easily hear the conversation of the Rebels. The night was
+not severely cold; but the men, who were on the front, after a day's
+fighting, found it quite uncomfortable. Only in the rear was it
+thought prudent to build fires.
+
+The soldiers of German birth were musical. Throughout the night I
+repeatedly heard their songs. The soldiers of American parentage
+were generally profane, and the few words I heard them utter were the
+reverse of musical. Those of Irish origin combined the peculiarities
+of both Germans and Americans, with their tendencies in favor of the
+latter.
+
+I sought a quiet spot within the limits of the camp, but could not
+find it. Lying down in the best place available, I had just fallen
+asleep when a mounted orderly rode his horse directly over me. I made
+a mild remonstrance, but the man was out of hearing before I spoke.
+Soon after, some one lighted a pipe and threw a coal upon my hand.
+This drew from me a gentle request for a discontinuance of that
+experiment. I believe it was not repeated. During the night Mr.
+Fayel's beard took fire, and I was roused to assist in staying the
+conflagration.
+
+The vocal music around me was not calculated to encourage drowsiness.
+Close at hand was the quartermaster's train, with the mules ready
+harnessed for moving in any direction. These mules had not been fed
+for two whole days, and it was more than thirty-six hours since they
+had taken water. These facts were made known in the best language the
+creatures possessed. The bray of a mule is never melodious, even when
+the animal's throat is well moistened. When it is parched and dusty
+the sound becomes unusually hoarse. Each hour added to the noise as
+the thirst of the musicians increased. Mr. Fayel provoked a discussion
+concerning the doctrine of the transmigration of souls; and thought,
+in the event of its truth, that the wretch was to be pitied who should
+pass into a mule in time of war.
+
+With the dawn of day every one was astir. At sunrise I found our
+line was not quite ready, though it was nearly so. General Curtis
+was confident all would result successfully, and completed the few
+arrangements then requiring attention. We had expected the Rebels
+would open the attack; but they waited for us to do so. They deserved
+many thanks for their courtesy. The smoke of the previous day's fight
+still hung over the camp, and the sun rose through it, as through a
+cloud. A gentle wind soon dissipated this smoke, and showed us a clear
+sky overhead. The direction of the wind was in our favor.
+
+The ground selected for deciding the fate of that day was a huge
+cornfield, somewhat exceeding two miles in length and about half a
+mile in width. The western extremity of this field rested upon the
+ridge which gave name to the battle-ground. The great road from
+Springfield to Fayetteville crossed this field about midway from the
+eastern to the western end.
+
+It was on this road that the two armies took their positions.
+The lines were in the edge of the woods on opposite sides of the
+field--the wings of the armies extending to either end. On the
+northern side were the Rebels, on the southern was the National army.
+Thus each army, sheltered by the forest, had a cleared space in its
+front, affording a full view of the enemy.
+
+[Illustration: SHELLING THE HILL AT PEA RIDGE.]
+
+By half-past seven o'clock our line was formed and ready for action. A
+little before eight o'clock the cannonade was opened. Our forces
+were regularly drawn up in order of battle. Our batteries were placed
+between the regiments as they stood in line. In the timber, behind
+these regiments and batteries, were the brigades in reserve, ready
+to be brought forward in case of need. At the ends of the line were
+battalions of cavalry, stretching off to cover the wings, and give
+notice of any attempt by the Rebels to move on our flanks. Every five
+minutes the bugle of the extreme battalion would sound the signal
+"All's well." The signal would be taken by the bugler of the next
+battalion, and in this way carried down the line to the center. If
+the Rebels had made any attempt to outflank us, we could hardly have
+failed to discover it at once.
+
+Our batteries opened; the Rebel batteries responded. Our gunners
+proved the best, and our shot had the greatest effect. We had better
+ammunition than that of our enemies, and thus reduced the disparity
+caused by their excess of guns. Our cannonade was slow and careful;
+theirs was rapid, and was made at random. At the end of two hours of
+steady, earnest work, we could see that the Rebel line was growing
+weaker, while our own was still unshaken. The work of the artillery
+was winning us the victory.
+
+In the center of the Rebel line was a rocky hill, eighty or a hundred
+feet in height. The side which faced us was almost perpendicular, but
+the slope to the rear was easy of ascent. On this hill the Rebels had
+stationed two regiments of infantry and a battery of artillery. The
+balance of their artillery lay at its base. General Curtis ordered
+that the fire of all our batteries should be concentrated on this hill
+at a given signal, and continued there for ten minutes. This was done.
+At the same time our infantry went forward in a charge on the Rebel
+infantry and batteries that stood in the edge of the forest. The
+cleared field afforded fine opportunity for the movement.
+
+The charge was successful. The Rebels fell back in disorder, leaving
+three guns in our hands, and their dead and wounded scattered on the
+ground. This was the end of the battle. We had won the victory at Pea
+Ridge.
+
+I followed our advancing forces, and ascended to the summit of the
+elevation on which our last fire was concentrated. Wounded men were
+gathered in little groups, and the dead were lying thick about them.
+The range of our artillery had been excellent. Rocks, trees, and earth
+attested the severity of our fire. This cannonade was the decisive
+work of the day. It was the final effort of our batteries, and was
+terrible while it lasted.
+
+The shells, bursting among the dry leaves, had set the woods on fire,
+and the flames were slowly traversing the ground where the battle had
+raged. We made every effort to remove the wounded to places of safety,
+before the fire should reach them. At that time we thought we had
+succeeded. Late in the afternoon I found several wounded men lying in
+secluded places, where they had been terribly burned, though they were
+still alive. Very few of them survived.
+
+Our loss in this battle was a tenth of our whole force. The enemy lost
+more than we in numbers, though less in proportion to his strength.
+His position, directly in our rear, would have been fatal to a
+defeated army in many other localities. There were numerous small
+roads, intersecting the great road at right angles. On these roads the
+Rebels made their lines of retreat. Had we sent cavalry in pursuit,
+the Rebels would have lost heavily in artillery and in their supply
+train. As it was, they escaped without material loss, but they
+suffered a defeat which ultimately resulted in our possession of all
+Northern Arkansas.
+
+The Rebels retreated across the Boston Mountains to Van Buren and Fort
+Smith, and were soon ordered thence to join Beauregard at Corinth.
+Our army moved to Keytsville, Missouri, several miles north of the
+battle-ground, where the country was better adapted to foraging, and
+more favorable to recuperating from the effects of the conflict.
+
+From Keytsville it moved to Forsyth, a small town in Taney County,
+Missouri, fifty miles from Springfield. Extending over a considerable
+area, the army consumed whatever could be found in the vicinity. It
+gave much annoyance to the Rebels by destroying the saltpeter works on
+the upper portion of White River.
+
+The saltpeter manufactories along the banks of this stream were of
+great importance to the Rebels in the Southwest, and their destruction
+seriously reduced the supplies of gunpowder in the armies of Arkansas
+and Louisiana. Large quantities of the crude material were shipped
+to Memphis and other points, in the early days of the war. At certain
+seasons White River is navigable to Forsyth. The Rebels made every
+possible use of their opportunities, as long as the stream remained in
+their possession.
+
+Half sick in consequence of the hardships of the campaign, and
+satisfied there would be no more fighting of importance during the
+summer, I determined to go back to civilization. I returned to
+St. Louis by way of Springfield and Rolla. A wounded officer,
+Lieutenant-Colonel Herron (who afterward wore the stars of a
+major-general), was my traveling companion. Six days of weary toil
+over rough and muddy roads brought us to the railway, within twelve
+hours of St. Louis. It was my last campaign in that region. From that
+date the war in the Southwest had its chief interest in the country
+east of the Great River.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+UP THE TENNESSEE AND AT PITTSBURG LANDING.
+
+At St. Louis.--Progress of our Arms in the Great Valley.--Cairo.--Its
+Peculiarities and Attractions.--Its Commercial, Geographical, and
+Sanitary Advantages.--Up the Tennessee.--Movements Preliminary to
+the Great Battle.--The Rebels and their Plans.--Postponement of
+the Attack.--Disadvantages of our Position.--The Beginning of the
+Battle.--Results of the First Day.--Re-enforcements.--Disputes between
+Officers of our two Armies.--Beauregard's Watering-Place.
+
+
+On reaching St. Louis, three weeks after the battle of Pea Ridge, I
+found that public attention was centered upon the Tennessee River.
+Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Columbus, and Nashville had fallen, and
+our armies were pushing forward toward the Gulf, by the line of the
+Tennessee. General Pope was laying siege to Island Number Ten, having
+already occupied New Madrid, and placed his gun-boats in front of
+that point. General Grant's army was at Pittsburg Landing, and General
+Buell's army was moving from Nashville toward Savannah, Tennessee.
+The two armies were to be united at Pittsburg Landing, for a further
+advance into the Southern States. General Beauregard was at Corinth,
+where he had been joined by Price and Van Dorn from Arkansas, and by
+Albert Sidney Johnston from Kentucky. There was a promise of active
+hostilities in that quarter. I left St. Louis, after a few days' rest,
+for the new scene of action.
+
+Cairo lay in my route. I found it greatly changed from the Cairo of
+the previous autumn. Six months before, it had been the rendezvous of
+the forces watching the Lower Mississippi. The basin in which the town
+stood, was a vast military encampment. Officers of all rank thronged
+the hotels, and made themselves as comfortable as men could be in
+Cairo. All the leading journals of the country were represented,
+and the dispatches from Cairo were everywhere perused with interest,
+though they were not always entirety accurate.
+
+March and April witnessed a material change. Where there had been
+twenty thousand soldiers in December, there were less than one
+thousand in April. Where a fleet of gun-boats, mortar-rafts, and
+transports had been tied to the levees during the winter months, the
+opening spring showed but a half-dozen steamers of all classes. The
+transports and the soldiers were up the Tennessee, the mortars were
+bombarding Island Number Ten, and the gun-boats were on duty where
+their services were most needed. The journalists had become war
+correspondents in earnest, and were scattered to the points of
+greatest interest.
+
+Cairo had become a vast depot of supplies for the armies operating
+on the Mississippi and its tributaries. The commander of the post was
+more a forwarding agent than a military officer. The only steamers at
+the levee were loading for the armies. Cairo was a map of busy, muddy
+life.
+
+The opening year found Cairo exulting in its deep and all-pervading
+mud. There was mud everywhere.
+
+Levee, sidewalks, floors, windows, tables, bed-clothing, all were
+covered with it. On the levee it varied from six to thirty inches
+in depth. The luckless individual whose duties obliged him to make
+frequent journeys from the steamboat landing to the principal hotel,
+became intimately acquainted with its character.
+
+Sad, unfortunate, derided Cairo! Your visitors depart with unpleasant
+memories. Only your inhabitants, who hold titles to corner lots, speak
+loudly in your praise. When it rains, and sometimes when it does not,
+your levee is unpleasant to walk upon. Your sidewalks are dangerous,
+and your streets are unclean. John Phenix declared you destitute of
+honesty. Dickens asserted that your physical and moral foundations
+were insecurely laid. Russell did not praise you, and Trollope uttered
+much to your discredit. Your musquitos are large, numerous, and
+hungry. Your atmosphere does not resemble the spicy breezes that blow
+soft o'er Ceylon's isle. Your energy and enterprise are commendable,
+and your geographical location is excellent, but you can never become
+a rival to Saratoga or Newport.
+
+Cairo is built in a basin formed by constructing a levee to inclose
+the peninsula at the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
+Before the erection of the levee, this peninsula was overflowed by the
+rise of either river. Sometimes, in unusual floods, the waters reach
+the top of the embankment, and manage to fill the basin. At the
+time of my visit, the Ohio was rising rapidly. The inhabitants were
+alarmed, as the water was gradually gaining upon them. After a time it
+took possession of the basin, enabling people to navigate the streets
+and front yards in skiffs, and exchange salutations from house-tops
+or upper windows. Many were driven from their houses by the flood, and
+forced to seek shelter elsewhere. In due time the waters receded and
+the city remained unharmed. It is not true that a steamer was lost in
+consequence of running against a chimney of the St. Charles Hotel.
+
+Cairo has prospered during the war, and is now making an effort
+to fill her streets above the high-water level, and insure a dry
+foundation at all seasons of the year. This once accomplished, Cairo
+will become a city of no little importance.
+
+Proceeding up the Tennessee, I reached Pittsburg Landing three days
+after the great battle which has made that locality famous.
+
+The history of that battle has been many times written. Official
+reports have given the dry details,--the movements of division,
+brigade, regiment, and battery, all being fully portrayed. A few
+journalists who witnessed it gave the accounts which were circulated
+everywhere by the Press. The earliest of these was published by _The
+Herald._ The most complete and graphic was that of Mr. Reid, of _The
+Cincinnati Gazette._ Officers, soldiers, civilians, all with greater
+or less experience, wrote what they had heard and seen. So diverse
+have been the statements, that a general officer who was prominent in
+the battle, says he sometimes doubts if he was present.
+
+In the official accounts there have been inharmonious deductions, and
+many statements of a contradictory character. Some of the participants
+have criticised unfavorably the conduct of others, and a bitterness
+continuing through and after the war has been the result.
+
+In February of 1862, the Rebels commenced assembling an army at
+Corinth. General Beauregard was placed in command. Early in March,
+Price and Van Dorn were ordered to take their commands to Corinth,
+as their defeat at Pea Ridge had placed them on the defensive against
+General Curtis. General A. S. Johnston had moved thither, after the
+evacuation of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and from all quarters
+the Rebels were assembling a vast army. General Johnston became
+commander-in-chief on his arrival.
+
+General Halleck, who then commanded the Western Department, ordered
+General Grant, after the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson, to move
+to Pittsburg Landing, and seize that point as a base against Corinth.
+General Buell, with the Army of the Ohio, was ordered to join him from
+Nashville, and with other re-enforcements we would be ready to take
+the offensive.
+
+Owing to the condition of the roads, General Buell moved very slowly,
+so that General Grant was in position at Pittsburg Landing several
+days before the former came up. This was the situation at the
+beginning of April; Grant encamped on the bank of the Tennessee
+nearest the enemy, and Buell slowly approaching the opposite bank. It
+was evidently the enemy's opportunity to strike his blow before our
+two armies should be united.
+
+On the 4th of April, the Rebels prepared to move from Corinth to
+attack General Grant's camp, but, on account of rain, they delayed
+their advance till the morning of the 6th. At daylight of the 6th our
+pickets were driven in, and were followed by the advance of the Rebel
+army.
+
+The division whose camp was nearest to Corinth, and therefore the
+first to receive the onset of the enemy, was composed of the newest
+troops in the army. Some of the regiments had received their arms less
+than two weeks before. The outposts were not sufficiently far from
+camp to allow much time for getting under arms after the first
+encounter. A portion of this division was attacked before it could
+form, but its commander, General Prentiss, promptly rallied his men,
+and made a vigorous fight. He succeeded, for a time, in staying the
+progress of the enemy, but the odds against him were too great. When
+his division was surrounded and fighting was no longer of use, he
+surrendered his command. At the time of surrender he had little more
+than a thousand men remaining out of a division six thousand strong.
+Five thousand were killed, wounded, or had fled to the rear.
+
+General Grant had taken no precautions against attack. The
+vedettes were but a few hundred yards from our front, and we had no
+breast-works of any kind behind which to fight. The newest and least
+reliable soldiers were at the point where the enemy would make his
+first appearance. The positions of the various brigades and divisions
+were taken, more with reference to securing a good camping-ground,
+than for purposes of strategy. General Grant showed himself a soldier
+in the management of the army after the battle began, and he has since
+achieved a reputation as the greatest warrior of the age. Like the
+oculist who spoiled a hatful of eyes in learning to operate for the
+cataract, he improved his military knowledge by his experience at
+Shiloh. Never afterward did he place an army in the enemy's country
+without making careful provision against assault.
+
+One division, under General Wallace, was at Crump's Landing, six miles
+below the battle-ground, and did not take part in the action till the
+following day. The other divisions were in line to meet the enemy soon
+after the fighting commenced on General Prentiss's front, and made a
+stubborn resistance to the Rebel advance.
+
+The Rebels well knew they would have no child's play in that battle.
+They came prepared for hot, terrible work, in which thousands of men
+were to fall. The field attests our determined resistance; it attests
+their daring advance. A day's fighting pushed us slowly, but steadily,
+toward the Tennessee. Our last line was formed less than a half mile
+from its bank. Sixty pieces of artillery composed a grand battery,
+against which the enemy rushed. General Grant's officers claim that
+the enemy received a final check when he attacked that line. The
+Rebels claim that another hour of daylight, had we received no
+re-enforcements, would have seen our utter defeat. Darkness and a
+fresh division came to our aid.
+
+General Buell was to arrive at Savannah, ten miles below Pittsburg,
+and on the opposite bank of the river, on the morning of the 6th. On
+the evening of the 5th, General Grant proceeded to Savannah to meet
+him, and was there when the battle began on the following morning.
+His boat was immediately headed for Pittsburg, and by nine o'clock
+the General was on the battle-field. From that time, the engagement
+received his personal attention. When he started from Savannah, some
+of General Buell's forces were within two miles of the town. They were
+hurried forward as rapidly as possible, and arrived at Pittsburg, some
+by land and others by water, in season to take position on our left,
+just as the day was closing. Others came up in the night, and formed a
+part of the line on the morning of the 7th.
+
+General Nelson's Division was the first to cross the river and form
+on the left of Grant's shattered army. As he landed, Nelson rode among
+the stragglers by the bank and endeavored to rally them. Hailing a
+captain of infantry, he told him to get his men together and fall into
+line. The captain's face displayed the utmost terror. "My regiment
+is cut to pieces," was the rejoinder; "every man of my company is
+killed."
+
+"Then why ain't you killed, too, you d----d coward?" thundered Nelson.
+"Gather some of these stragglers and go back into the battle."
+
+The man obeyed the order.
+
+[Illustration: NELSON CROSSING THE TENNESSEE RIVER.]
+
+General Nelson reported to General Grant with his division, received
+his orders, and then dashed about the field, wherever his presence was
+needed. The division was only slightly engaged before night came on
+and suspended the battle.
+
+At dawn on the second day the enemy lay in the position it held When
+darkness ended the fight. The gun-boats had shelled the woods during
+the night, and prevented the Rebels from reaching the river on our
+left. A creek and ravine prevented their reaching it on the right.
+None of the Rebels stood on the bank of the Tennessee River on that
+occasion, except as prisoners of war.
+
+As they had commenced the attack on the 6th, it was our turn to begin
+it on the 7th. A little past daylight we opened fire, and the fresh
+troops on the left, under General Buell, were put in motion. The
+Rebels had driven us on the 6th, so we drove them on the 7th. By noon
+of that day we held the ground lost on the day previous.
+
+The camps which the enemy occupied during the night were comparatively
+uninjured, so confident were the Rebels that our defeat was assured.
+
+It was the arrival of General Buell's army that saved us. The history
+of that battle, as the Rebels have given it, shows that they expected
+to overpower General Grant before General Buell could come up. They
+would then cross the Tennessee, meet and defeat Buell, and recapture
+Nashville. The defeat of these two armies would have placed the Valley
+of the Ohio at the command of the Rebels. Louisville was to have been
+the next point of attack.
+
+The dispute between the officers of the Army of the Tennessee and
+those of the Army of the Ohio is not likely to be terminated until
+this generation has passed away. The former contend that the Rebels
+were repulsed on the evening of the 6th of April, before the Army of
+the Ohio took part in the battle. The latter are equally earnest in
+declaring that the Army of the Tennessee would have been defeated had
+not the other army arrived. Both parties sustain their arguments by
+statements in proof, and by positive assertions. I believe it is the
+general opinion of impartial observers, that the salvation of General
+Grant's army is due to the arrival of the army of General Buell. With
+the last attack on the evening of the 6th, in which our batteries
+repulsed the Rebels, the enemy did not retreat. Night came as the
+fighting ceased. Beauregard's army slept where it had fought, and
+gave all possible indication of a readiness to renew the battle on the
+following day. So near was it to the river that our gun-boats threw
+shells during the night to prevent our left wing being flanked.
+
+Beauregard is said to have sworn to water his horse in the Tennessee,
+or in Hell, on that night. It is certain that the animal did not
+quench his thirst in the terrestrial stream. If he drank from springs
+beyond the Styx, I am not informed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+SHILOH AND THE SIEGE OF CORINTH.
+
+The Error of the Rebels.--Story of a Surgeon.--Experience of a
+Rebel Regiment.--Injury to the Rebel Army.--The Effect in our own
+Lines.--Daring of a Color-Bearer.--A Brave Soldier.--A Drummer-Boy's
+Experience.--Gallantry of an Artillery Surgeon.--A Regiment Commanded
+by a Lieutenant.--Friend Meeting Friend and Brother Meeting Brother
+in the Opposing Lines.--The Scene of the Battle.--Fearful Traces
+of Musketry-Fire.--The Wounded.--The Labor of the Sanitary
+Commission.--Humanity a Yankee Trick.--Besieging Corinth.--A
+Cold-Water Battery.--Halleck and the Journalists.--Occupation of
+Corinth.
+
+
+The fatal error of the Rebels, was their neglect to attack on the 4th,
+as originally intended. They were informed by their scouts that Buell
+could not reach Savannah before the 9th or 10th; and therefore a delay
+of two days would not change the situation. Buell was nearer than they
+supposed.
+
+The surgeon of the Sixth Iowa Infantry fell into the enemy's hands
+early on the morning of the first day of the battle, and established a
+hospital in our abandoned camp. His position was at a small log-house
+close by the principal road. Soon after he took possession, the
+enemy's columns began to file past him, as they pressed our army. The
+surgeon says he noticed a Louisiana regiment that moved into battle
+eight hundred strong, its banners flying and the men elated at the
+prospect of success. About five o'clock in the afternoon this regiment
+was withdrawn, and went into bivouac a short distance from the
+surgeon's hospital. It was then less than four hundred strong, but the
+spirit of the men was still the same. On the morning of the 7th,
+it once more went into battle. About noon it came out, less than a
+hundred strong, pressing in retreat toward Corinth. The men still
+clung to their flag, and declared their determination to be avenged.
+
+The story of this regiment was the story of many others. Shattered and
+disorganized, their retreat to Corinth had but little order. Only the
+splendid rear-guard, commanded by General Bragg, saved them from utter
+confusion. The Rebels admitted that many of their regiments were
+unable to produce a fifth of their original numbers, until a week
+or more after the battle. The stragglers came in slowly from the
+surrounding country, and at length enabled the Rebels to estimate
+their loss. There were many who never returned to answer at roll-call.
+
+In our army, the disorder was far from small. Large numbers of
+soldiers wandered for days about the camps, before they could
+ascertain their proper locations. It was fully a week, before all
+were correctly assigned. We refused to allow burying parties from the
+Rebels to come within our lines, preferring that they should not
+see the condition of our camp. Time was required to enable us to
+recuperate. I presume the enemy was as much in need of time as
+ourselves.
+
+A volume could be filled with the stories of personal valor during
+that battle. General Lew Wallace says his division was, at a certain
+time, forming on one side of a field, while the Rebels were on the
+opposite side. The color-bearer of a Rebel regiment stepped in front
+of his own line, and waved his flag as a challenge to the color-bearer
+that faced him. Several of our soldiers wished to meet the challenge,
+but their officers forbade it. Again the Rebel stepped forward, and
+planted his flag-staff in the ground. There was no response, and again
+and again he advanced, until he had passed more than half the distance
+between the opposing lines. Our fire was reserved in admiration of the
+man's daring, as he stood full in view, defiantly waving his banner.
+At last, when the struggle between the divisions commenced, it was
+impossible to save him, and he fell dead by the side of his colors.
+
+On the morning of the second day's fighting, the officers of one of
+our gun-boats saw a soldier on the river-bank on our extreme left,
+assisting another soldier who was severely wounded. A yawl was sent to
+bring away the wounded man and his companion. As it touched the side
+of the gun-boat on its return, the uninjured soldier asked to be sent
+back to land, that he might have further part in the battle. "I have,"
+said he, "been taking care of this man, who is my neighbor at home. He
+was wounded yesterday morning, and I have been by his side ever since.
+Neither of us has eaten any thing for thirty hours, but, if you will
+take good care of him, I will not stop now for myself. I want to get
+into the battle again at once." The man's request was complied with. I
+regret my inability to give his name.
+
+A drummer-boy of the Fifteenth Iowa Infantry was wounded five times
+during the first day's battle, but insisted upon going out on the
+second day. He had hardly started before he fainted from loss of
+blood, and was left to recover and crawl back to the camp.
+
+Colonel Sweeney, of the Fifty-second Illinois Infantry, who lost an
+arm in Mexico and was wounded in the leg at Wilson Creek, received a
+wound in his arm on the first day of the battle. He kept his saddle,
+though he was unable to use his arm, and went to the hospital after
+the battle was over. When I saw him he was venting his indignation
+at the Rebels, because they had not wounded him in the stump of
+his amputated arm, instead of the locality which gave him so much
+inconvenience. It was this officer's fortune to be wounded on nearly
+every occasion when he went into battle.
+
+During the battle, Dr. Cornyn, surgeon of Major Cavender's battalion
+of Missouri Artillery, saw a section of a battery whose commander had
+been killed. The doctor at once removed the surgeon's badge from his
+hat and the sash from his waist, and took command of the guns. He
+placed them in position, and for several hours managed them with good
+effect. He was twice wounded, though not severely. "I was determined
+they should not kill or capture me as a surgeon when I had charge
+of that artillery," said the doctor afterward, "and so removed every
+thing that marked my rank."
+
+The Rebels made some very desperate charges against our artillery, and
+lost heavily in each attack. Once they actually laid their hands on
+the muzzles of two guns in Captain Stone's battery, but were unable to
+capture them.
+
+General Hurlbut stated that his division fought all day on Sunday with
+heavy loss, but only one regiment broke. When he entered the battle
+on Monday morning, the Third Iowa Infantry was commanded by a
+first-lieutenant, all the field officers and captains having been
+disabled or captured. Several regiments were commanded by captains.
+
+Colonel McHenry, of the Seventeenth Kentucky, said his regiment fought
+a Kentucky regiment which was raised in the county where his own was
+organized. The fight was very fierce. The men frequently called out
+from one to another, using taunting epithets. Two brothers recognized
+each other at the same moment, and came to a tree midway between the
+lines, where they conversed for several minutes.
+
+The color-bearer of the Fifty-second Illinois was wounded early in the
+battle. A man who was under arrest for misdemeanor asked the privilege
+of carrying the colors. It was granted, and he behaved so admirably
+that he was released from arrest as soon as the battle was ended.
+
+General Halleck arrived a week after the battle, and commenced a
+reorganization of the army. He found much confusion consequent upon
+the battle. In a short time the army was ready to take the offensive.
+We then commenced the advance upon Corinth, in which we were six
+weeks moving twenty-five miles. When our army first took position
+at Pittsburg Landing, and before the Rebels had effected their
+concentration, General Grant asked permission to capture Corinth.
+He felt confident of success, but was ordered not to bring on an
+engagement under any circumstances. Had the desired permission been
+given, there is little doubt he would have succeeded, and thus avoided
+the necessity of the battle of Shiloh.
+
+The day following my arrival at Pittsburg Landing I rode over the
+battle-field. The ground was mostly wooded, the forest being one
+in which artillery could be well employed, but where cavalry was
+comparatively useless. The ascent from the river was up a steep bluff
+that led to a broken table-ground, in which there were many ravines,
+generally at right angles to the river. On this table-ground our camps
+were located, and it was there the battle took place.
+
+Everywhere the trees were scarred and shattered, telling, as plainly
+as by words, of the shower of shot, shell, and bullets, that had
+fallen upon them. Within rifle range of the river, stood a tree
+marked by a cannon-shot, showing how much we were pressed back on
+the afternoon of the 6th. From the moment the crest of the bluff was
+gained, the traces of battle were apparent.
+
+In front of the line where General Prentiss's Division fought, there
+was a spot of level ground covered with a dense growth of small trees.
+The tops of these trees were from twelve to fifteen feet high, and had
+been almost mowed off by the shower of bullets which passed through
+them. I saw no place where there was greater evidence of severe work.
+There was everywhere full proof that the battle was a determined one.
+Assailant and defendant had done their best.
+
+It was a ride of five miles among scarred trees, over ground cut by
+the wheels of guns and caissons, among shattered muskets, disabled
+cannon, broken wagons, and all the heavier débris of battle.
+Everywhere could be seen torn garments, haversacks, and other personal
+equipments of soldiers. There were tents where the wounded had been
+gathered, and where those who could not easily bear movement to the
+transports were still remaining. In every direction I moved, there
+were the graves of the slain, the National and the Rebel soldiers
+being buried side by side. Few of the graves were marked, as the
+hurry of interment had been great. I fear that many of those graves,
+undesignated and unfenced, have long since been leveled. A single
+year, with its rain and its rank vegetation, would leave but a small
+trace of those mounds.
+
+All through that forest the camps of our army were scattered. During
+the first few days after the battle they showed much irregularity, but
+gradually took a more systematic shape. When the wounded had been
+sent to the transports, the regiments compacted, the camps cleared
+of superfluous baggage and _matériel_, and the weather became more
+propitious, the army assumed an attractive appearance.
+
+When the news of the battle reached the principal cities of the West,
+the Sanitary Commission prepared to send relief. Within twenty-four
+hours, boats were dispatched from St. Louis and Cincinnati, and
+hurried to Pittsburg Landing with the utmost rapidity. The battle had
+not been altogether unexpected, but it found us without the proper
+preparation. Whatever we had was pushed forward without delay, and the
+sufferings of the wounded were alleviated as much as possible.
+
+As fast as the boats arrived they were loaded with wounded, and sent
+to St. Louis and other points along the Mississippi, or to Cincinnati
+and places in its vicinity. Chicago, St. Louis, and Cincinnati were
+the principal points represented in this work of humanity. Many
+prominent ladies of those cities passed week after week in the
+hospitals or on the transports, doing every thing in their power, and
+giving their attention to friend and foe alike.
+
+In all cases the Rebels were treated with the same kindness that our
+own men received. Not only on the boats, but in the hospitals where
+the wounded were distributed, and until they were fully recovered, our
+suffering prisoners were faithfully nursed. The Rebel papers afterward
+admitted this kind treatment, but declared it was a Yankee trick to
+win the sympathies of our prisoners, and cause them to abandon the
+insurgent cause. The men who systematically starved their prisoners,
+and deprived them of shelter and clothing, could readily suspect the
+humanity of others. They were careful never to attempt to kill by
+kindness, those who were so unfortunate as to fall into their hands.
+
+It was three weeks after the battle before all the wounded were sent
+away, and the army was ready for offensive work. When we were once
+more in fighting trim, our lines were slowly pushed forward. General
+Pope had been called from the vicinity of Fort Pillow, after his
+capture of Island Number Ten, and his army was placed in position
+on the left of the line already formed. When our advance began, we
+mustered a hundred and ten thousand men. Exclusive of those who do not
+take part in a battle, we could have easily brought eighty thousand
+men into action. We began the siege of Corinth with every confidence
+in our ability to succeed.
+
+In this advance, we first learned how an army should intrench
+itself. Every time we took a new position, we proceeded to throw
+up earth-works. Before the siege was ended, our men had perfected
+themselves in the art of intrenching. The defenses we erected will
+long remain as monuments of the war in Western Tennessee. Since
+General Halleck, no other commander has shown such ability to fortify
+in an open field against an enemy that was acting on the defensive.
+
+It was generally proclaimed that we were to capture Corinth with all
+its garrison of sixty or seventy thousand men. The civilian observers
+could not understand how this was to be accomplished, as the Rebels
+had two lines of railway open for a safe retreat. It was like the old
+story of "bagging Price" in Missouri. Every part of the bag, except
+the top and one side, was carefully closed and closely watched.
+Unmilitary men were skeptical, but the military heads assured them it
+was a piece of grand strategy, which the public must not be allowed to
+understand.
+
+During the siege, there was very little for a journalist to record.
+One day was much like another. Occasionally there would be a collision
+with the enemy's pickets, or a short struggle for a certain position,
+usually ending in our possession of the disputed point. The battle of
+Farmington, on the left of our line, was the only engagement worthy
+the name, and this was of comparatively short duration. Twenty-four
+hours after it transpired we ceased to talk about it, and made only
+occasional reference to the event. There were four weeks of monotony.
+An advance of a half mile daily was not calculated to excite the
+nerves.
+
+The chaplains and the surgeons busied themselves in looking after
+the general health of the army. One day, a chaplain, noted for his
+advocacy of total abstinence, passed the camp of the First Michigan
+Battery. This company was raised in Coldwater, Michigan, and the
+camp-chests, caissons, and other property were marked "Loomis's
+Coldwater Battery." The chaplain at once sought Captain Loomis, and
+paid a high compliment to his moral courage in taking a firm and noble
+stand in favor of temperance. After the termination of the interview,
+the captain and several friends drank to the long life of the chaplain
+and the success of the "Coldwater Battery."
+
+Toward the end of the siege, General Halleck gave the journalists a
+sensation, by expelling them from his lines. The representatives of
+the Press held a meeting, and waited upon that officer, after the
+appearance of the order requiring their departure. They offered a
+protest, which was insolently rejected. We could not ascertain General
+Halleck's purpose in excluding us just as the campaign was closing,
+but concluded he desired we should not witness the end of the siege
+in which so much had been promised and so little accomplished. A week
+after our departure, General Beauregard evacuated Corinth, and our
+army took possession. The fruits of the victory were an empty village,
+a few hundred stragglers, and a small quantity of war _matériel_.
+
+From Corinth the Rebels retreated to Tupelo, Mississippi, where
+they threw up defensive works. The Rebel Government censured General
+Beauregard for abandoning Corinth. The evacuation of that point
+uncovered Memphis, and allowed it to fall into our hands.
+
+Beauregard was removed from command. General Joseph E. Johnston was
+assigned to duty in his stead. This officer proceeded to reorganize
+his army, with a view to offensive operations against our lines.
+He made no demonstrations of importance until the summer months had
+passed away.
+
+The capture of Corinth terminated the offensive portion of the
+campaign. Our army occupied the line of the Memphis and Charleston
+Railway from Corinth to Memphis, and made a visit to Holly Springs
+without encountering the enemy. A few cavalry expeditions were made
+into Mississippi, but they accomplished nothing of importance. The
+Army of the Tennessee went into summer-quarters. The Army of the Ohio,
+under General Buell, returned to its proper department, to confront
+the Rebel armies then assembling in Eastern Tennessee. General Halleck
+was summoned to Washington as commander-in-chief of the armies of the
+United States.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+CAPTURE OF FORT PILLOW AND BATTLE OF MEMPHIS.
+
+The Siege of Fort Pillow.--General Pope.--His Reputation for Veracity.
+--Capture of the "Ten Thousand."--Naval Battle above Fort Pillow.--The
+John II. Dickey.--Occupation of the Fort.--General Forrest.--Strength
+of the Fortifications.--Their Location.--Randolph, Tennessee.--Memphis
+and her Last Ditch.--Opening of the Naval Combat.--Gallant Action
+of Colonel Ellet.--Fate of the Rebel Fleet.--The People Viewing the
+Battle.--Their Conduct.
+
+
+While I was tarrying at Cairo, after the exodus of the journalists
+from the army before Corinth, the situation on the Mississippi became
+interesting. After the capture of Island Number Ten, General Pope was
+ordered to Pittsburg Landing with his command. When called away, he
+was preparing to lay siege to Fort Pillow, in order to open the river
+to Memphis. His success at Island Number Ten had won him much credit,
+and he was anxious to gain more of the same article. Had he taken Fort
+Pillow, he would have held the honor of being the captor of Memphis,
+as that city must have fallen with the strong fortifications which
+served as its protection.
+
+The capture of Island Number Ten was marked by the only instance of a
+successful canal from one bend of the Mississippi to another. As soon
+as the channel was completed, General Pope took his transports below
+the island, ready for moving his men. Admiral Foote tried the first
+experiment of running his gun-boats past the Rebel batteries, and was
+completely successful. The Rebel transports could not escape, neither
+could transports or gun-boats come up from Memphis to remove the Rebel
+army. There was a lake in the rear of the Rebels which prevented their
+retreat. The whole force, some twenty-eight hundred, was surrendered,
+with all its arms and munitions of war. General Pope reported his
+captures somewhat larger than they really were, and received much
+applause for his success.
+
+The reputation of this officer, on the score of veracity, has not been
+of the highest character. After he assumed command in Virginia, his
+"Order Number Five" drew upon him much ridicule. Probably the story
+of the capture of ten thousand prisoners, after the occupation of
+Corinth, has injured him more than all other exaggerations combined.
+The paternity of that choice bit of romance belongs to General
+Halleck, instead of General Pope. Colonel Elliott, who commanded
+the cavalry expedition, which General Pope sent out when Corinth
+was occupied, forwarded a dispatch to Pope, something like the
+following:--
+
+
+"I am still pursuing the enemy. The woods are full of stragglers. Some
+of my officers estimate their number as high as ten thousand. Many
+have already come into my lines."
+
+[Illustration: THE CARONDELET RUNNING THE BATTERIES AT ISLAND NO. 10]
+
+Pope sent this dispatch, without alteration, to General Halleck. From
+the latter it went to the country that "General Pope reported ten
+thousand prisoners captured below Corinth." It served to cover up
+the barrenness of the Corinth occupation, and put the public in
+good-humor. General Halleck received credit for the success of his
+plans. When it came out that no prisoners of consequence had been
+taken, the real author of the story escaped unharmed.
+
+At the time of his departure to re-enforce the army before Corinth,
+General Pope left but a single brigade of infantry, to act in
+conjunction with our naval forces in the siege of Fort Pillow. This
+brigade was encamped on the Arkansas shore opposite Fort Pillow, and
+did some very effective fighting against the musquitos, which that
+country produces in the greatest profusion. An attack on the fort,
+with such a small force, was out of the question, and the principal
+aggressive work was done by the navy at long range.
+
+On the 10th of May, the Rebel fleet made an attack upon our navy,
+in which they sunk two of our gun-boats, the _Mound City_ and the
+_Cincinnati_, and returned to the protection of Fort Pillow with one
+of their own boats disabled, and two others somewhat damaged. Our
+sunken gun-boats were fortunately in shoal water, where they were
+speedily raised and repaired. Neither fleet had much to boast of as
+the result of that engagement.
+
+The journalists who were watching Fort Pillow, had their head-quarters
+on board the steamer _John H. Dickey_, which was anchored in
+midstream. At the time of the approach of the Rebel gun-boats, the
+_Dickey_ was lying without sufficient steam to move her wheels, and
+the prospect was good that she might be captured or destroyed. Her
+commander, Captain Mussleman, declared he was _not_ in that place to
+stop cannon-shot, and made every exertion to get his boat in condition
+to move. His efforts were fully appreciated by the journalists,
+particularly as they were successful. The _Dickey_, under the same
+captain, afterward ran a battery near Randolph, Tennessee, and though
+pierced in every part by cannon-shot and musket-balls, she escaped
+without any loss of life.
+
+As soon as the news of the evacuation of Corinth was received at
+Cairo, we looked for the speedy capture of Fort Pillow. Accordingly,
+on the 4th of June, I proceeded down the river, arriving off Fort
+Pillow on the morning of the 5th. The Rebels had left, as we expected,
+after spiking their guns and destroying most of their ammunition. The
+first boat to reach the abandoned fort was the _Hetty Gilmore_, one of
+the smallest transports in the fleet. She landed a little party, which
+took possession, hoisted the flag, and declared the fort, and all it
+contained, the property of the United States. The Rebels were, by this
+time, several miles distant, in full retreat to a safer location.
+
+It was at this same fort, two years later, that the Rebel General
+Forrest ordered the massacre of a garrison that had surrendered after
+a prolonged defense. His only plea for this cold-blooded slaughter,
+was that some of his men had been fired upon after the white flag was
+raised. The testimony in proof of this barbarity was fully conclusive,
+and gave General Forrest and his men a reputation that no honorable
+soldier could desire.
+
+In walking through the fort after its capture, I was struck by its
+strength and extent. It occupied the base of a bluff near the water's
+edge. On the summit of the bluff there were breast-works running in a
+zigzag course for five or six miles, and inclosing a large area.
+The works along the river were very strong, and could easily hold a
+powerful fleet at bay.
+
+From Fort Pillow to Randolph, ten miles lower down, was less than an
+hour's steaming. Randolph was a small, worthless village, partly at
+the base of a bluff, and partly on its summit. Here the Rebels had
+erected a powerful fort, which they abandoned when they abandoned
+Fort Pillow. The inhabitants expressed much agreeable astonishment
+on finding that we did not verify all the statements of the Rebels,
+concerning the barbarity of the Yankees wherever they set foot on
+Southern soil. The town was most bitterly disloyal. It was afterward
+burned, in punishment for decoying a steamboat to the landing, and
+then attempting her capture and destruction. A series of blackened
+chimneys now marks the site of Randolph.
+
+Our capture of these points occurred a short time after the Rebels
+issued the famous "cotton-burning order," commanding all planters to
+burn their cotton, rather than allow it to fall into our hands. The
+people showed no particular desire to comply with the order, except
+in a few instances. Detachments of Rebel cavalry were sent to enforce
+obedience. They enforced it by setting fire to the cotton in presence
+of its owners. On both banks of the river, as we moved from Randolph
+to Memphis, we could see the smoke arising from plantations, or from
+secluded spots in the forest where cotton had been concealed. In many
+cases the bales were broken open and rolled into the river, dotting
+the stream with floating cotton. Had it then possessed the value that
+attached to it two years later, I fear there would have been many
+attempts to save it for transfer to a Northern market.
+
+On the day before the evacuation of Fort Pillow, Memphis determined
+she would never surrender. In conjunction with other cities, she
+fitted up several gun-boats, that were expected to annihilate the
+Yankee fleet. In the event of the failure of this means of defense,
+the inhabitants were pledged to do many dreadful things before
+submitting to the invaders. Had we placed any confidence in the
+resolutions passed by the Memphians, we should have expected all the
+denizens of the Bluff City to commit _hari-kari_, after first setting
+fire to their dwellings.
+
+On the morning of the 6th of June, the Rebel gun-boats, eight in
+number, took their position just above Memphis, and prepared for the
+advance of our fleet. The Rebel boats were the _Van Dorn_ (flag-ship),
+_General Price_, _General Bragg_, _General Lovell_, _Little Rebel_,
+_Jeff. Thompson_, _Sumter_, and _General Beauregard_. The _General
+Bragg_ was the New Orleans and Galveston steamer _Mexico_ in former
+days, and had been strengthened, plated, and, in other ways made as
+effective as possible for warlike purposes. The balance of the fleet
+consisted of tow-boats from the Lower Mississippi, fitted up as rams
+and gun-boats. They were supplied with very powerful engines, and
+were able to choose their positions in the battle. The Rebel fleet was
+commanded by Commodore Montgomery, who was well known to many persons
+on our own boats.
+
+The National boats were the iron-clads _Benton, Carondelet, St. Louis,
+Louisville_, and _Cairo_. There was also the ram fleet, commanded by
+Colonel Ellet. It comprised the _Monarch, Queen of the West, Lioness,
+Switzerland, Mingo, Lancaster No. 3, Fulton, Horner_, and _Samson_.
+The _Monarch_ and _Queen of the West_ were the only boats of the
+ram fleet that took part in the action. Our forces were commanded by
+Flag-officer Charles H. Davis, who succeeded Admiral Foote at the time
+of the illness of the latter.
+
+The land forces, acting in conjunction with our fleet, consisted of a
+single brigade of infantry, that was still at Fort Pillow. It did not
+arrive in the vicinity of Memphis until after the battle was over.
+
+Early in the morning the battle began. It was opened by the gun-boats
+on the Rebel side, and for some minutes consisted of a cannonade at
+long range, in which very little was effected. Gradually the boats
+drew nearer to each other, and made better use of their guns.
+
+Before they arrived at close quarters the rams _Monarch_ and _Queen
+of the West_ steamed forward and engaged in the fight. Their
+participation was most effective. The _Queen of the West_ struck and
+disabled one of the Rebel gun-boats, and was herself disabled by the
+force of the blow. The _Monarch_ steered straight for the _General
+Lovell_, and dealt her a tremendous blow, fairly in the side, just aft
+the wheel. The sides of the _Lovell_ were crushed as if they had been
+made of paper, and the boat sank in less than three minutes, in a spot
+where the plummet shows a depth of ninety feet.
+
+Grappling with the _Beauregard_, the _Monarch_ opened upon her with
+a stream of hot water and a shower of rifle-balls, which effectually
+prevented the latter from using a gun. In a few moments she cast off
+and drifted a short distance down the river. Coming up on the other
+side, the _Monarch_ dealt her antagonist a blow that left her in a
+sinking condition. Herself comparatively uninjured, she paused to
+allow the gun-boats to take a part. Those insignificant and unwieldy
+rams had placed three of the enemy's gun-boats _hors de combat_ in
+less than a quarter of an hour's time.
+
+Our gun-boats ceased firing as the rams entered the fight; but they
+now reopened. With shot and shell the guns were rapidly served. The
+effect was soon apparent. One Rebel boat was disabled and abandoned,
+after grounding opposite Memphis. A second was grounded and blown up,
+and two others were disabled, abandoned, and captured.
+
+It was a good morning's work. The first gun was fired at forty minutes
+past five o'clock, and the last at forty-three minutes past six. The
+Rebels boasted they would whip us before breakfast. We had taken no
+breakfast when the fight began. After the battle was over we enjoyed
+our morning meal with a relish that does not usually accompany defeat.
+
+The following shows the condition of the two fleets after the
+battle:--
+
+
+  _General Beauregard_, sunk.
+  _General Lovell_, sunk.
+  _General Price_, injured and captured.
+  _Little Rebel_,     "     "      "
+  _Sumter_,           "     "      "
+  _General Bragg_,    "     "      "
+  _Jeff. Thompson_, burned.
+  _General Van Dorn_, escaped.
+
+          THE NATIONAL FLEET.
+
+  _Benton_, unhurt.
+  _Carondelet_, "
+  _St. Louis_,  "
+  _Louisville_, "
+  _Cairo_,      "
+  _Monarch_ (ram), unhurt.
+  _Queen of the West_ (ram), disabled.
+
+
+The captured vessels were refitted, and, without alteration of names,
+attached to the National fleet. The _Sumter_ was lost a few months
+later, in consequence of running aground near the Rebel batteries in
+the vicinity of Bayou Sara. The _Bragg_ was one of the best boats
+in the service in point of speed, and proved of much value as a
+dispatch-steamer on the lower portion of the river.
+
+The people of Memphis rose at an early hour to witness the naval
+combat. It had been generally known during the previous night that the
+battle would begin about sunrise. The first gun brought a large crowd
+to the bluff overlooking the river, whence a full view of the fight
+was obtained. Some of the spectators were loyal, and wished success to
+the National fleet, but the great majority were animated by a strong
+hope and expectation of our defeat.
+
+A gentleman, who was of the lookers-on, subsequently told me of the
+conduct of the populace. As a matter of course, the disloyalists had
+all the conversation their own way. While they expressed their wishes
+in the loudest tones, no one uttered a word in opposition. Many
+offered wagers on the success of their fleet, and expressed a
+readiness to give large odds. No one dared accept these offers, as
+their acceptance would have been an evidence of sympathy for the
+Yankees. Americans generally, but particularly in the South, make
+their wagers as they hope or wish. In the present instance no man was
+allowed to "copper" on the Rebel flotilla.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+IN MEMPHIS AND UNDER THE FLAG
+
+Jeff. Thompson and his Predictions.--A Cry of Indignation.--Memphis
+Humiliated.--The Journalists in the Battle.--The Surrender.--A Fine
+Point of Law and Honor.--Going on Shore.--An Enraged Secessionist.--A
+Dangerous Enterprise.--Memphis and her Antecedents.--Her Loyalty.--An
+Amusing Incident.--How the Natives learned of the Capture of Fort
+Donelson.--The Last Ditch.--A Farmer-Abolitionist.--Disloyalty among
+the Women.--"Blessings in Disguise."--An American Mark Tapley.
+
+
+The somewhat widely (though not favorably) known Rebel chieftain,
+Jeff. Thompson, was in Memphis on the day of the battle, and boasted
+of the easy victory the Rebels would have over the National fleet.
+
+"We will chaw them up in just an hour," said Jeff., as the battle
+began.
+
+"Are you sure of that?" asked a friend.
+
+"Certainly I am; there is no doubt of it." Turning to a servant, he
+sent for his horse, in order, as he said, to be able to move about
+rapidly to the best points for witnessing the engagement.
+
+In an hour and three minutes the battle was over. Jeff, turned in his
+saddle, and bade his friend farewell, saying he had a note falling due
+that day at Holly Springs, and was going out to pay it. The "chawing
+up" of our fleet was not referred to again.
+
+As the _Monarch_ struck the _Lovell_, sinking the latter in deep
+water, the crowd stood breathless. As the crew of the sunken boat were
+floating helplessly in the strong current, and our own skiffs were
+putting off to aid them, there was hardly a word uttered through all
+that multitude. As the Rebel boats, one after another, were sunk or
+captured, the sympathies of the spectators found vent in words. When,
+at length, the last of the Rebel fleet disappeared, and the Union
+flotilla spread its flags in triumph, there went up an almost
+universal yell of indignation from that vast crowd. Women tore their
+bonnets from their heads, and trampled them on the ground; men stamped
+and swore as only infuriated Rebels can, and called for all known
+misfortunes to settle upon the heads of their invaders. The profanity
+was not entirely monopolized by the men.
+
+This scene of confusion lasted for some time, and ended in anxiety to
+know what we would do next. Some of the spectators turned away, and
+went, in sullen silence, to their homes. Others remained, out of
+curiosity, to witness the end of the day's work. A few were secretly
+rejoicing at the result, but the time had not come when they could
+display their sympathies. The crowd eagerly watched our fleet, and
+noted every motion of the various boats.
+
+The press correspondents occupied various positions during the
+engagement. Mr. Coffin, of the Boston _Journal_, was on the tug
+belonging to the flag-ship, and had a fine view of the whole affair.
+One of _The Herald_ correspondents was in the pilot-house of the
+gun-boat _Cairo_, while Mr. Colburn, of _The World_, was on the
+captured steamer _Sovereign_. "Junius," of _The Tribune_, and Mr.
+Vizitelly, of the London _Illustrated News_, with several others, were
+on the transport _Dickey_, the general rendezvous of the journalists.
+The representative of the St. Louis _Republican_ and myself were
+on the _Platte Valley_, in rear of the line of battle. The _Platte
+Valley_ was the first private boat that touched the Memphis landing
+after the capture of the city.
+
+The battle being over, we were anxious to get on shore and look at the
+people and city of Memphis. Shortly after the fighting ceased, Colonel
+Ellet sent the ram _Lioness_, under a flag-of-truce, to demand the
+surrender of the city. To this demand no response was given. A little
+later, Flag-Officer Davis sent the following note to the Mayor, at the
+hands of one of the officers of the gun-boat _Benton_:--
+
+
+UNITED STATES FLAG-STEAMER BENTON,
+OFF MEMPHIS, _June_ 6, 1862.
+
+SIR:--I have respectfully to request that you will surrender the city
+of Memphis to the authority of the United States, which I have the
+honor to represent. I am, Mr. Mayor, with high respect, your most
+obedient servant, C. H. DAVIS, _Flag-Officer Commanding_.
+
+To his Honor, the Mayor of Memphis.
+
+
+To this note the following reply was received:--
+
+
+MAYOR'S OFFICE, MEMPHIS, _June_ 6, 1862.
+
+C. H. Davis, _Flag-Officer Commanding_:
+
+SIR:--Your note of this date is received and contents noted. In reply
+I have only to say that, as the civil authorities have no means of
+defense, by the force of circumstances the city is in your hands.
+Respectfully, John Park, _Mayor of Memphis_.
+
+
+At the meeting, four days before, the citizens of Memphis had solemnly
+pledged themselves never to surrender. There was a vague understanding
+that somebody was to do a large amount of fighting, whenever Memphis
+was attacked. If this fighting proved useless, the city was to
+be fired in every house, and only abandoned after its complete
+destruction. It will be seen that the note of the mayor, in response
+to a demand for surrender, vindicates the honor of Memphis. It merely
+informs the United States officer that the city has fallen "by the
+force of circumstances." Since that day I have frequently heard its
+citizens boast that the place was not surrendered. "You came in," say
+they, "and took possession, but we did not give up to you. We declared
+we would never surrender, and we kept our word."
+
+About eleven o'clock in the forenoon, the transports arrived with our
+infantry, and attempted to make a landing. As their mooring-lines were
+thrown on shore they were seized by dozens of persons in the crowd,
+and the crews were saved the trouble of making fast. This was an
+evidence that the laboring class, the men with blue shirts and shabby
+hats, were not disloyal. We had abundant evidence of this when our
+occupation became a fixed fact. It was generally the wealthy who
+adhered to the Rebel cause.
+
+As a file of soldiers moved into the city, the people stood at a
+respectful distance, occasionally giving forth wordy expression of
+their anger. When I reached the office of _The Avalanche_, one of
+the leading journals of Memphis, and, of course, strongly disloyal,
+I found the soldiers removing a Rebel flag from the roof of the
+building. The owner of the banner made a very vehement objection to
+the proceeding. His indignation was so great that his friends were
+obliged to hold him, to prevent his throwing himself on the bayonet of
+the nearest soldier. I saw him several days later, when his anger had
+somewhat cooled. He found relief from his troubles, before the end of
+June, by joining the Rebel army at Holly Springs.
+
+On the bluff above the levee was a tall flag-staff. The Rebels had
+endeavored to make sure of their courage by nailing a flag to the
+top of this staff. A sailor from one of the gun-boats volunteered to
+ascend the staff and bring down the banner. When he had ascended about
+twenty feet, he saw two rifles bearing upon him from the window of
+a neighboring building. The sailor concluded it was best to go
+no further, and descended at once. The staff was cut down and the
+obnoxious flag secured.
+
+With the city in our possession, we had leisure to look about us.
+Memphis had been in the West what Charleston was in the East: an
+active worker in the secession cause. Her newspapers had teemed with
+abuse of every thing which opposed their heresy, and advocated the
+most summary measures. Lynching had been frequent and never rebuked,
+impressments were of daily and nightly occurrence, every foundery and
+manufactory had been constantly employed by the Rebel authorities, and
+every citizen had, in some manner, contributed to the insurrection. It
+was gratifying in the extreme to see the Memphis, of which we at
+Cairo and St. Louis had heard so much, brought under our control. The
+picture of five United States gun-boats lying in line before the city,
+their ports open and their guns shotted, was pleasing in the eyes of
+loyal men.
+
+Outside of the poorer classes there were some loyal persons, but
+their number was not large. There were many professing loyalty,
+who possessed very little of the article, and whose record had been
+exceedingly doubtful. Prominent among these were the politicians, than
+whom none had been more self-sacrificing, if their own words could be
+believed.
+
+There were many men of this class ready, no doubt, to swear allegiance
+to the victorious side, who joined our standard because they
+considered the Rebel cause a losing one. They may have become
+loyal since that time, but it has been only through the force of
+circumstances. In many cases our Government accepted their words as
+proof of loyalty, and granted these persons many exclusive privileges.
+It was a matter of comment that a newly converted loyalist could
+obtain favors at the hands of Government officials, that would be
+refused to men from the North. The acceptance of office under the
+Rebels, and the earnest advocacy he had shown for secession, were
+generally alleged to have taken place under compulsion, or in the
+interest of the really loyal men.
+
+A Memphis gentleman gave me an amusing account of the reception of the
+news of the fall of Fort Donelson. Many boasts had been made of the
+terrible punishment that was in store for our army, if it ventured an
+attack upon Fort Donelson. No one would be allowed to escape to tell
+the tale. All were to be slaughtered, or lodged in Rebel prisons.
+Memphis was consequently waiting for the best tidings from the
+Cumberland, and did not think it possible a reverse could come to the
+Rebel cause.
+
+One Sunday morning, the telegraph, without any previous announcement,
+flashed the intelligence that Fort Donelson, with twelve thousand men,
+had surrendered, and a portion of General Grant's army was moving on
+Nashville, with every prospect of capturing that city. Memphis was in
+consternation. No one could tell how long the Yankee army would stop
+at Nashville before moving elsewhere, and it was certain that Memphis
+was uncovered by the fall of Fort Donelson.
+
+My informant first learned the important tidings in the rotunda of the
+Gayoso House. Seeing a group of his acquaintances with faces depicting
+the utmost gloom, he asked what was the matter.
+
+"Bad enough," said one. "Fort Donelson has surrendered with nearly all
+its garrison."
+
+"That is terrible," said my friend, assuming a look of agony, though
+he was inwardly elated.
+
+"Yes, and the enemy are moving on Nashville."
+
+"Horrible news," was the response; "but let us not be too despondent.
+Our men are good for them, one against three, and they will never get
+out of Nashville alive, if they should happen to take it."
+
+With another expression of deep sorrow at the misfortune which had
+befallen the Rebel army, this gentleman hastened to convey the glad
+news to his friends. "I reached home," said he, "locked my front door,
+called my wife and sister into the parlor, and instantly jumped over
+the center-table. They both cried for joy when I told them the old
+flag floated over Donelson."
+
+The Secessionists in Memphis, like their brethren elsewhere, insisted
+that all the points we had captured were given up because they had no
+further use for them. The evacuation of Columbus, Fort Pillow, Fort
+Henry, and Bowling Green, with the surrender of Donelson, were parts
+of the grand strategy of the Rebel leaders, and served to lure us on
+to our destruction. They would never admit a defeat, but contended we
+had invariably suffered.
+
+An uneducated farmer, on the route followed by one of our armies in
+Tennessee, told our officers that a Rebel general and his staff had
+taken dinner with him during the retreat from Nashville. The farmer
+was anxious to learn something about the military situation, and asked
+a Rebel major how the Confederate cause was progressing.
+
+"Splendidly," answered the major. "We have whipped the Yankees in
+every battle, and our independence will soon be recognized."
+
+The farmer was thoughtful for a minute or two, and then deliberately
+said:
+
+"I don't know much about war, but if we are always whipping the
+Yankees, how is it they keep coming down into our country after every
+battle?"
+
+The major grew red in the face, and told the farmer that any man
+who asked such an absurd question was an Abolitionist, and deserved
+hanging to the nearest tree. The farmer was silenced, but not
+satisfied.
+
+I had a fine illustration of the infatuation of the Rebel
+sympathizers, a few days after Memphis was captured. One evening,
+while making a visit at the house of an acquaintance, the hostess
+introduced me to a young lady of the strongest secession proclivities.
+Of course, I endeavored to avoid the topics on which we were certain
+to differ, but my new acquaintance was determined to provoke a
+discussion. With a few preliminaries, she throw out the question:
+
+"Now, don't you think the Southern soldiers have shown themselves
+the bravest people that ever lived, while the Yankees have proved the
+greatest cowards?"
+
+"I can hardly agree with you," I replied. "Your people have certainly
+established a reputation on the score of bravery, but we can claim
+quite as much."
+
+"But we have whipped you in every battle. We whipped you at Manassas
+and Ball's Bluff, and we whipped General Grant at Belmont."
+
+"That is very true; but how was it at Shiloh?"
+
+"At Shiloh we whipped you; we drove you to your gun-boats, which was
+all we wanted to do."
+
+"Ah, I beg your pardon; but what is your impression of Fort Donelson?"
+
+"Fort Donelson!"--and my lady's cheek flushed with either pride or
+indignation--"Fort Donelson was an unquestioned victory for the South.
+We stopped your army--all we wanted to; and then General Forrest,
+General Floyd, and all the troops we wished to bring off, came
+away. We only left General Buckner and three thousand men for you to
+capture."
+
+"It seems, then, we labored under a delusion at the North. We thought
+we had something to rejoice over when Fort Donelson fell. But, pray,
+what do you consider the capture of Island Number Ten and the naval
+battle here?"
+
+"At Island Ten we defeated you" (how this was done she did not say),
+"and we were victorious here. You wanted to capture all our boats; but
+you only got four of them, and those were damaged."
+
+"In your view of the case," I replied, "I admit the South to have been
+always victorious. Without wishing to be considered disloyal to the
+Nation, I can heartily wish you many similar victories."
+
+In the tour which Dickens records, Mark Tapley did not visit the
+Southern country, but the salient points of his character are
+possessed by the sons of the cavaliers. "Jolly" under the greatest
+misfortunes, and extracting comfort and happiness from all calamities,
+your true Rebel could never know adversity. The fire which consumes
+his dwelling is a personal boon, as he can readily explain. So is
+a devastating flood, or a widespread pestilence. The events which
+narrow-minded mudsills are apt to look upon as calamitous, are only
+"blessings in disguise" to every supporter and friend of the late
+"Confederacy."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+SUPERVISING A REBEL JOURNAL.
+
+The Press of Memphis.--Flight of _The Appeal_.--A False
+Prediction.--_The Argus_ becomes Loyal.--Order from General
+Wallace.--Installed in Office.--Lecturing the Rebels.--"Trade follows
+the Flag."--Abuses of Traffic.--Supplying the Rebels.--A Perilous
+Adventure.--Passing the Rebel Lines.--Eluding Watchful Eyes.
+
+
+On the morning of the 6th of June, the newspaper publishers, like most
+other gentlemen of Memphis, were greatly alarmed. _The Avalanche_ and
+_The Argus_ announced that it was impossible for the Yankee fleet to
+cope successfully with the Rebels, and that victory was certain to
+perch upon the banners of the latter. The sheets were not dry before
+the Rebel fleet was a thing of the past. _The Appeal_ had not been
+as hopeful as its contemporaries, and thought it the wisest course to
+abandon the city. It moved to Grenada, Mississippi, a hundred miles
+distant, and resumed publication. It became a migratory sheet, and was
+at last captured by General Wilson at Columbus, Georgia. In ability it
+ranked among the best of the Rebel journals.
+
+_The Avalanche_ and _The Argus_ continued publication, with a strong
+leaning to the Rebel side. The former was interfered with by our
+authorities; and, under the name of _The Bulletin_, with new editorial
+management, was allowed to reappear. _The Argus_ maintained its Rebel
+ground, though with moderation, until the military hand fell upon it.
+Memphis, in the early days of our occupation, changed its commander
+nearly every week. One of these changes brought Major-General Wallace
+into the city. This officer thought it proper to issue the following
+order:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS THIRD DIVISION, RESERVED CORPS,
+ARMY OF TENNESSEE, MEMPHIS, _June_ 17,1862.
+
+EDITORS DAILY ARGUS:--As the closing of your office might be injurious
+to you pecuniarily, I send two gentlemen--Messrs. A.D. Richardson and
+Thos. W. Knox, both of ample experience--to take charge of the
+editorial department of your paper. The business management of your
+office will be left to you.
+
+Very respectfully,
+LEWIS WALLACE,
+_General Third Division, Reserved Corps._
+
+
+The publishers of _The Argus_ printed this order at the head of their
+columns. Below it they announced that they were not responsible for
+any thing which should appear editorially, as long as the order was in
+force. The business management and the general miscellaneous and news
+matter were not interfered with.
+
+Mr. Richardson and myself entered upon our new duties immediately. We
+had crossed the Plains together, had published a paper in the Rocky
+Mountains, had been through many adventures and perils side by side;
+but we had never before managed a newspaper in an insurrectionary
+district. The publishers of _The Argus_ greeted us cordially, and our
+whole intercourse with them was harmonious. They did not relish the
+intrusion of Northern men into their office, to compel the insertion
+of Union editorials, but they bore the inconvenience with an excellent
+grace. The foreman of the establishment displayed more mortification
+at the change, than any other person whom we met.
+
+The editorials we published were of a positive character. We plainly
+announced the determination of the Government to assert itself and put
+down and punish treason. We told the Memphis people that the scheme
+of partisan warfare, which was then in its inception, would work
+more harm than good to the districts where guerrilla companies were
+organized. We insisted that the Union armies had entered Memphis and
+other parts of the South, to stay there, and that resistance to
+their power was useless. We credited the Rebels with much bravery and
+devotion to their cause, but asserted always that we had the right and
+the strong arm in our favor.
+
+It is possible we did not make many conversions among the disloyal
+readers of _The Argus_, but we had the satisfaction of saying what
+we thought it necessary they should hear. The publishers said their
+subscribers were rapidly falling off, on account of the change of
+editorial tone. Like newspaper readers everywhere, they disliked to
+peruse what their consciences did not approve. We received letters,
+generally from women, denying our right to control the columns of the
+paper for our "base purposes." Some of these letters were not written
+after the style of Chesterfield, but the majority of them were
+courteous.
+
+There were many jests in Memphis, and throughout the country
+generally, concerning the appointment of representatives of _The
+Herald_ and _The Tribune_ to a position where they must work together.
+_The Herald_ and _The Tribune_ have not been famous, in the past
+twenty years, for an excess of good-nature toward each other. Mr.
+Bennett and Mr. Greeley are not supposed to partake habitually of the
+same dinners and wine, or to join in frequent games of billiards
+and poker. The compliments which the two great dailies occasionally
+exchange, are not calculated to promote an intimate friendship between
+the venerable gentlemen whose names are so well known to the public.
+No one expects these veteran editors to emulate the example of Damon
+and Pythias.
+
+At the time Mr. Richardson and myself took charge of _The Argus, The
+Tribune_ and _The Herald_ were indulging in one of their well-known
+disputes. It was much like the Hibernian's debate, "with sticks," and
+attracted some attention, though it was generally voted a nuisance.
+Many, who did not know us, imagined that the new editors of _The
+Argus_ would follow the tendencies of the offices from which they bore
+credentials. Several Northern journals came to hand, in which this
+belief was expressed. A Chicago paper published two articles supposed
+to be in the same issue of _The Argus_, differing totally in every
+line of argument or statement of fact. One editor argued that the
+harmonious occupancy of contiguous desks by the representatives
+of _The Herald_ and _The Tribune_, betokened the approach of the
+millennium.
+
+When he issued the order placing us in charge of _The Argus_, General
+Wallace assured its proprietors that he should remove the editorial
+supervision as soon as a Union paper was established in Memphis. This
+event occurred in a short time, and _The Argus_ was restored to its
+original management, according to promise.
+
+As soon as the capture of Memphis was known at the North, there was an
+eager scramble to secure the trade of the long-blockaded port. Several
+boat-loads of goods were shipped from St. Louis and Cincinnati, and
+Memphis was so rapidly filled that the supply was far greater than the
+demand.
+
+Army and Treasury regulations were soon established, and many
+restrictions placed upon traffic. The restrictions did not materially
+diminish the quantity of goods, but they served to throw the trade
+into a few hands, and thus open the way for much favoritism. Those who
+obtained permits, thought the system an excellent one. Those who were
+kept "out in the cold," viewed the matter in a different light. A
+thousand stories of dishonesty, official and unofficial, were in
+constant circulation, and I fear that many of them came very near the
+truth.
+
+In our occupation of cities along the Mississippi, the Rebels found
+a ready supply from our markets. This was especially the case at
+Memphis. Boots and shoes passed through the lines in great numbers,
+either by stealth or by open permit, and were taken at once to the
+Rebel army. Cloth, clothing, percussion-caps, and similar articles
+went in the same direction. General Grant and other prominent officers
+made a strong opposition to our policy, and advised the suppression of
+the Rebellion prior to the opening of trade, but their protestations
+were of no avail. We chastised the Rebels with one hand, while we fed
+and clothed them with the other.
+
+After the capture of Memphis, Colonel Charles R. Ellet, with two boats
+of the ram fleet, proceeded to explore the river between Memphis
+and Vicksburg. It was not known what defenses the Rebels might have
+constructed along this distance of four hundred miles. Colonel Ellet
+found no hinderance to his progress, except a small field battery near
+Napoleon, Arkansas. When a few miles above Vicksburg, he ascertained
+that a portion of Admiral Farragut's fleet was below that point,
+preparing to attack the city. He at once determined to open
+communication with the lower fleet.
+
+Opposite Vicksburg there is a long and narrow peninsula, around which
+the Mississippi makes a bend. It is a mile and a quarter across the
+neck of this peninsula, while it is sixteen miles around by the course
+of the river. It was impossible to pass around by the Mississippi,
+on account of the batteries at Vicksburg. The Rebels were holding the
+peninsula with a small force of infantry and cavalry, to prevent our
+effecting a landing. By careful management it was possible to elude
+the sentinels, and cross from one side of the peninsula to the other.
+
+Colonel Ellet armed himself to make the attempt. He took only a
+few documents to prove his identity as soon as he reached Admiral
+Farragut. A little before daylight, one morning, he started on his
+perilous journey. He waded through swamps, toiled among the thick
+undergrowth in a portion of the forest, was fired upon by a Rebel
+picket, and narrowly escaped drowning in crossing a bayou. He was
+compelled to make a wide detour, to avoid capture, and thus extended
+his journey to nearly a half-dozen miles.
+
+On reaching the bank opposite one of our gun-boats, he found a yawl
+near the shore, by which he was promptly taken on board. The officers
+of this gun-boat suspected him of being a spy, and placed him under
+guard. It was not until the arrival of Admiral Farragut that his true
+character became known.
+
+After a long interview with that officer he prepared to return. He
+concealed dispatches for the Navy Department and for Flag-Officer
+Davis in the lining of his boots and in the wristbands of his shirt. A
+file of marines escorted him as far as they could safely venture, and
+then bade him farewell. Near the place where he had left his own boat,
+Colonel Ellet found a small party of Rebels, carefully watching from
+a spot where they could not be easily discovered. It was a matter of
+some difficulty to elude these men, but he did it successfully, and
+reached his boat in safety. He proceeded at once to Memphis with his
+dispatches. Flag-Officer Davis immediately decided to co-operate with
+Admiral Farragut, in the attempt to capture Vicksburg.
+
+Shortly after the capture of New Orleans, Admiral Farragut ascended
+the Mississippi as far as Vicksburg. At that time the defensive force
+was very small, and there were but few batteries erected. The Admiral
+felt confident of his ability to silence the Rebel guns, but he was
+unaccompanied by a land force to occupy the city after its capture.
+He was reluctantly compelled to return to New Orleans, and wait until
+troops could be spared from General Butler's command. The Rebels
+improved their opportunities, and concentrated a large force to put
+Vicksburg in condition for defense. Heavy guns were brought from
+various points, earth-works were thrown up on all sides, and the town
+became a vast fortification. When the fleet returned at the end of
+June, the Rebels were ready to receive it. Their strongest works were
+on the banks of the Mississippi. They had no dread of an attack from
+the direction of Jackson, until long afterward.
+
+Vicksburg was the key to the possession of the Mississippi. The Rebel
+authorities at Richmond ordered it defended as long as defense was
+possible.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE FIRST SIEGE OF VICKSBURG.
+
+From Memphis to Vicksburg.--Running the Batteries.--Our Inability
+to take Vicksburg by Assault.--Digging a Canal.--A Conversation with
+Resident Secessionists.--Their Arguments _pro_ and _con_, and the
+Answers they Received.--A Curiosity of Legislation.--An Expedition up
+the Yazoo.--Destruction of the Rebel Fleet.--The _Arkansas_ Running
+the Gauntlet.--A Spirited Encounter.--A Gallant Attempt.--Raising the
+Siege.--Fate of the _Arkansas_.
+
+
+On the 1st of July, I left Memphis with the Mississippi flotilla, and
+arrived above Vicksburg late on the following day. Admiral Farragut's
+fleet attempted the passage of the batteries on the 28th of June. A
+portion of the fleet succeeded in the attempt, under a heavy fire,
+and gained a position above the peninsula. Among the first to effect
+a passage was the flag-ship _Hartford_, with the "gallant old
+salamander" on board. The _Richmond, Iroquois_, and _Oneida_ were
+the sloops-of-war that accompanied the _Hartford_. The _Brooklyn_ and
+other heavy vessels remained below.
+
+The history of that first siege of Vicksburg can be briefly told.
+Twenty-five hundred infantry, under General Williams, accompanied the
+fleet from New Orleans, with the design of occupying Vicksburg after
+the batteries had been silenced by our artillery. Most of the Rebel
+guns were located at such a height that it was found impossible to
+elevate our own guns so as to reach them. Thus the occupation by
+infantry was found impracticable. The passage of the batteries was
+followed by the bombardment, from the mortar-schooners of Admiral
+Farragut's fleet and the mortar-rafts which Flag-Officer Davis had
+brought down. This continued steadily for several days, but Vicksburg
+did not fall.
+
+A canal across the peninsula was proposed and commenced. The water
+fell as fast as the digging progressed, and the plan of leaving
+Vicksburg inland was abandoned for that time. Even had there been
+a flood in the river, the entrance to the canal was so located that
+success was impossible. The old steamboat-men laughed at the efforts
+of the Massachusetts engineer, to create a current in his canal by
+commencing it in an eddy.
+
+Just as the canal project was agreed upon, I was present at a
+conversation between General Williams and several residents of the
+vicinity. The latter, fearing the channel of the river would be
+changed, visited the general to protest against the carrying out of
+his plan.
+
+The citizens were six in number. They had selected no one to act as
+their leader. Each joined in the conversation as he saw fit. After a
+little preliminary talk, one of them said:
+
+"Are you aware, general, there is no law of the State allowing you to
+make a cut-off, here?"
+
+"I am sorry to say," replied General Williams, "I am not familiar
+with the laws of Louisiana. Even if I were, I should not heed them.
+I believe Louisiana passed an act of secession. According to your own
+showing you have no claims on the Government now."
+
+This disposed of that objection. There was some hesitation, evidently
+embarrassing to the delegation, but not to General Williams. Citizen
+number one was silenced. Number two advanced an idea.
+
+"You may remember, General, that you will subject the parish of
+Madison to an expenditure of ninety thousand dollars for new levees."
+
+This argument disturbed General Williams no more than the first one.
+He promptly replied:
+
+"The parish of Madison gave a large majority in favor of secession;
+did it not?"
+
+"I believe it did," was the faltering response.
+
+"Then you can learn that treason costs something. It will cost you far
+more before the war is over."
+
+Citizen number two said nothing more. It was the opportunity for
+number three to speak.
+
+"If this cut-off is made, it will ruin the trade of Vicksburg. It has
+been a fine city for business, but this will spoil it. Boats will not
+be able to reach the town, but will find all the current through the
+short route."
+
+"That is just what we want," said the General. "We are digging the
+canal for the very purpose of navigating the river without passing
+near Vicksburg."
+
+Number three went to the rear. Number four came forward.
+
+"If you make this cut-off, all these plantations will be carried away.
+You will ruin the property of many loyal men."
+
+He was answered that loyal men would be paid for all property taken or
+destroyed, as soon as their loyalty was proved.
+
+The fifth and last point in the protest was next advanced. It came
+from an individual who professed to practice law in De Soto township,
+and was as follows:
+
+"The charter of the Vicksburg and Shreveport Railroad is perpetual,
+and so declared by act of the Louisiana Legislature. No one has any
+right to cut through the embankment."
+
+"That is true," was the quiet answer. "The Constitution of the United
+States is also a perpetual charter, which it was treason to violate.
+When you and your leaders have no hesitation at breaking national
+faith, it is absurd to claim rights under the laws of a State which
+you deny to be in the Union."
+
+This was the end of the delegation. Its members retired without having
+gained a single point in their case. They were, doubtless, easier in
+mind when they ascertained, two weeks later, that the canal enterprise
+was a failure.
+
+The last argument put forth on that occasion, to prevent the carrying
+out of our plans, is one of the curiosities of legislation. For a long
+time there were many parties in Louisiana who wished the channel
+of the Mississippi turned across the neck of the peninsula opposite
+Vicksburg, thus shortening the river fifteen miles, at least, and
+rendering the plantations above, less liable to overflow. As Vicksburg
+lay in another State, her interests were not regarded. She spent much
+money in the corrupt Legislature of Louisiana to defeat the scheme.
+As a last resort, it was proposed to build a railway, with a perpetual
+charter, from the end of the peninsula opposite Vicksburg, to some
+point in the interior. Much money was required. The capitalists of
+Vicksburg contributed the funds for lobbying the bill and commencing
+the road. Up to the time when the Rebellion began, it was rendered
+certain that no hand of man could legally turn the Mississippi across
+that peninsula.
+
+The first siege of Vicksburg lasted but twenty days. Our fleet was
+unable to silence the batteries, and our land force was not sufficient
+for the work. During the progress of the siege, Colonel Ellet, with
+his ram fleet, ascended the Yazoo River, and compelled the Rebels to
+destroy three of their gun-boats, the _Livingston, Polk_, and _Van
+Dorn_, to prevent their falling into our hands. The _Van Dorn_ was
+the only boat that escaped, out of the fleet of eight Rebel gun-boats
+which met ours at Memphis on the 6th of June.
+
+At the time of making this expedition, Colonel Ellet learned that
+the famous ram gun-boat _Arkansas_ was completed, and nearly ready
+to descend the river. He notified Admiral Farragut and Flag-Officer
+Davis, but they paid little attention to his warnings.
+
+This Rebel gun-boat, which was expected to do so much toward the
+destruction of our naval forces on the Mississippi, was constructed
+at Memphis, and hurried from there in a partially finished condition,
+just before the capture of the city. She was towed to Yazoo City and
+there completed. The _Arkansas_ was a powerful iron-clad steamer,
+mounting ten guns, and carrying an iron beak, designed for penetrating
+the hulls of our gun-boats. Her engines were powerful, though they
+could not be worked with facility at the time of her appearance. Her
+model, construction, armament, and propelling force, made her equal to
+any boat of our upper flotilla, and her officers claimed to have full
+confidence in her abilities.
+
+On the morning of the 15th of July, the _Arkansas_ emerged from the
+Yazoo River, fifteen miles above Vicksburg. A short distance up that
+stream she encountered two of our gun-boats, the _Carondelet_ and
+_Tyler_, and fought them until she reached our fleet at anchor above
+Vicksburg. The _Carondelet_ was one of our mail-clad gun-boats, built
+at St. Louis in 1861. The _Tyler_ was a wooden gun-boat, altered from
+an old transport, and was totally unfit for entering into battle. Both
+were perforated by the Rebel shell, the _Tyler_ receiving the larger
+number. The gallantry displayed by Captain Gwin, her commander, was
+worthy of special praise.
+
+Our fleet was at anchor four or five miles above Vicksburg--some of
+the vessels lying in midstream, while others were fastened to the
+banks. The _Arkansas_ fired to the right and left as she passed
+through the fleet. Her shot disabled two of our boats, and slightly
+injured two or three others. She did not herself escape without
+damage. Many of our projectiles struck her sides, but glanced into the
+river. Two shells perforated her plating, and another entered a
+port, exploding over one of the guns. Ten men were killed and as many
+wounded.
+
+The _Arkansas_ was not actually disabled, but her commander declined
+to enter into another action until she had undergone repairs. She
+reached a safe anchorage under protection of the Vicksburg batteries.
+
+A few days later, a plan was arranged for her destruction. Colonel
+Ellet, with the ram _Queen of the West_, was to run down and strike
+the _Arkansas_ at her moorings. The gun-boat _Essex_ was to join in
+this effort, while the upper flotilla, assisted by the vessels of
+Admiral Farragut's fleet, would shell the Rebel batteries.
+
+The _Essex_ started first, but ran directly past the _Arkansas_,
+instead of stopping to engage her, as was expected. The _Essex_ fired
+three guns at the _Arkansas_ while in range, from one of which a
+shell crashed through the armor of the Rebel boat, disabling an entire
+gun-crew.
+
+The _Queen of the West_ attempted to perform her part of the work,
+but the current was so strong where the _Arkansas_ lay that it was
+impossible to deal an effective blow. The upper flotilla did not open
+fire to engage the attention of the enemy, and thus the unfortunate
+_Queen of the West_ was obliged to receive all the fire from the Rebel
+batteries. She was repeatedly perforated, but fortunately escaped
+without damage to her machinery. The _Arkansas_ was not seriously
+injured in the encounter, though the completion of her repairs was
+somewhat delayed.
+
+On the 25th of July the first siege of Vicksburg was raised. The
+upper flotilla of gun-boats, mortar-rafts, and transports, returned
+to Memphis and Helena. Admiral Farragut took his fleet to New Orleans.
+General Williams went, with his land forces, to Baton Rouge. That city
+was soon after attacked by General Breckinridge, with six thousand
+men. The Rebels were repulsed with heavy loss. In our own ranks the
+killed and wounded were not less than those of the enemy. General
+Williams was among the slain, and at one period our chances, of making
+a successful defense were very doubtful.
+
+The _Arkansas_ had been ordered to proceed from Vicksburg to take part
+in this attack, the Rebels being confident she could overpower
+our three gun-boats at Baton Rouge. On the way down the river her
+machinery became deranged, and she was tied up to the bank for
+repairs. Seeing our gun-boats approaching, and knowing he was helpless
+against them; her commander ordered the _Arkansas_ to be abandoned
+and blown up. The order was obeyed, and this much-praised and really
+formidable gun-boat closed her brief but brilliant career.
+
+The Rebels were greatly chagrined at her loss, as they had expected
+she would accomplish much toward driving the National fleet from the
+Mississippi. The joy with which they hailed her appearance was far
+less than the sorrow her destruction evoked.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE MARCH THROUGH ARKANSAS.--THE SIEGE OF CINCINNATI.
+
+General Curtis's Army reaching Helena.--Its Wanderings.--The
+Arkansas Navy.--Troops and their Supplies "miss
+Connection."--Rebel Reports.--Memphis in Midsummer.--"A Journey due
+North."--Chicago.--Bragg's Advance into Kentucky.--Kirby Smith in
+Front of Cincinnati.--The City under Martial Law.--The Squirrel
+Hunters.--War Correspondents in Comfortable Quarters.--Improvising an
+Army.--Raising the Siege.--Bragg's Retreat.
+
+
+About the middle of July, General Curtis's army arrived at Helena,
+Arkansas, ninety miles below Memphis. After the battle of Pea Ridge,
+this army commenced its wanderings, moving first to Batesville, on
+the White River, where it lay for several weeks. Then it went to
+Jacksonport, further down that stream, and remained a short time.
+The guerrillas were in such strong force on General Curtis's line of
+communications that they greatly restricted the receipt of supplies,
+and placed the army on very short rations. For nearly a month the
+public had no positive information concerning Curtis's whereabouts.
+The Rebels were continually circulating stories that he had
+surrendered, or was terribly defeated.
+
+The only reasons for doubting the truth of these stories were, first,
+that the Rebels had no force of any importance in Arkansas; and
+second, that our army, to use the expression of one of its officers,
+"wasn't going round surrendering." We expected it would turn up in
+some locality where the Rebels did not desire it, and had no fears of
+its surrender.
+
+General Curtis constructed several boats at Batesville, which were
+usually spoken of as "the Arkansas navy." These boats carried some six
+or eight hundred men, and were used to patrol the White River, as
+the army moved down its banks. In this way the column advanced from
+Batesville to Jacksonport, and afterward to St. Charles.
+
+Supplies had been sent up the White River to meet the army. The
+transports and their convoy remained several days at St. Charles, but
+could get no tidings of General Curtis. The river was falling, and
+they finally returned. Twelve hours after their departure, the advance
+of the lost army arrived at St. Charles.
+
+From St. Charles to Helena was a march of sixty miles, across a
+country destitute of every thing but water, and not even possessing
+a good supply of that article. The army reached Helena, weary and
+hungry, but it was speedily supplied with every thing needed, and
+put in condition to take the offensive. It was soon named in general
+orders "the Army of Arkansas," and ultimately accomplished the
+occupation of the entire State.
+
+During July and August there was little activity around Memphis. In
+the latter month, I found the climate exceedingly uncomfortable. Day
+after day the atmosphere was hot, still, stifling, and impregnated
+with the dust that rose in clouds from the parched earth. The
+inhabitants endured it easily, and made continual prophesy that
+the _hot_ weather "would come in September." Those of us who were
+strangers wondered what the temperature must be, to constitute "hot"
+weather in the estimation of a native. The thermometer then stood at
+eighty-five degrees at midnight, and ninety-eight or one hundred at
+noon. Few people walked the streets in the day, and those who
+were obliged to do so generally moved at a snail's pace. Cases
+of _coup-de-soleil_ were frequent. The temperature affected me
+personally, by changing my complexion to a deep yellow, and reducing
+my strength about sixty per cent.
+
+I decided upon "A Journey due North." Forty-eight hours after
+sweltering in Memphis, I was shivering on the shores of Lake Michigan.
+I exchanged the hot, fever-laden atmosphere of that city, for the cool
+and healthful air of Chicago. The activity, energy, and enterprise
+of Chicago, made a pleasing contrast to the idleness and gloom that
+pervaded Memphis. This was no place for me to exist in as an invalid.
+I found the saffron tint of my complexion rapidly disappearing, and my
+strength restored, under the influence of pure breezes and busy life.
+Ten days in that city prepared me for new scenes of war.
+
+At that time the Rebel army, under General Bragg, was making its
+advance into Kentucky. General Buell was moving at the same time
+toward the Ohio River. The two armies were marching in nearly parallel
+lines, so that it became a race between them for Nashville and
+Louisville. Bragg divided his forces, threatening Louisville and
+Cincinnati at the same time. Defenses were thrown up around the former
+city, to assist in holding it in case of attack, but they were never
+brought into use. By rapid marching, General Buell reached Louisville
+in advance of Bragg, and rendered it useless for the latter to fling
+his army against the city.
+
+Meantime, General Kirby Smith moved, under Bragg's orders, to the
+siege of Cincinnati. His advance was slow, and gave some opportunity
+for preparation. The chief reliance for defense was upon the raw
+militia and such irregular forces as could be gathered for the
+occasion. The hills of Covington and Newport, opposite Cincinnati,
+were crowned with fortifications and seamed with rifle-pits, which
+were filled with these raw soldiers. The valor of these men was beyond
+question, but they were almost entirely without discipline. In front
+of the veteran regiments of the Rebel army our forces would have been
+at great disadvantage.
+
+When I reached Cincinnati the Rebel army was within a few miles of the
+defenses. On the train which took me to the city, there were many of
+the country people going to offer their services to aid in repelling
+the enemy. They entered the cars at the various stations, bringing
+their rifles, which they well knew how to use. They were the famous
+"squirrel-hunters" of Ohio, who were afterward the subject of some
+derision on the part of the Rebels. Nearly twenty thousand of them
+volunteered for the occasion, and would have handled their rifles to
+advantage had the Rebels given them the opportunity.
+
+At the time of my arrival at Cincinnati, Major-General Wallace was in
+command. The Queen City of the West was obliged to undergo some of
+the inconveniences of martial law. Business of nearly every kind was
+suspended. A provost-marshal's pass was necessary to enable one to
+walk the streets in security. The same document was required of any
+person who wished to hire a carriage, or take a pleasant drive to
+the Kentucky side of the Ohio. Most of the able-bodied citizens
+voluntarily offered their services, and took their places in the
+rifle-pits, but there were some who refused to go. These were hunted
+out and taken to the front, much against their will. Some were found
+in or under beds; others were clad in women's garments, and working at
+wash-tubs. Some tied up their hands as if disabled, and others plead
+baldness or indigestion to excuse a lack of patriotism. All was of no
+avail. The provost-marshal had no charity for human weakness.
+
+This severity was not pleasant to the citizens, but it served an
+admirable purpose. When Kirby Smith arrived in front of the defenses,
+he found forty thousand men confronting him. Of these, not over six
+or eight thousand had borne arms more than a week or ten days. The
+volunteer militia of Cincinnati, and the squirrel-hunters from the
+interior of Ohio and Indiana, formed the balance of our forces.
+Our line of defenses encircled the cities of Covington and Newport,
+touching the Ohio above and below their extreme limits. Nearly every
+hill was crowned with a fortification. These fortifications were
+connected by rifle-pits, which were kept constantly filled with men.
+On the river we had a fleet of gun-boats, improvised from ordinary
+steamers by surrounding their vulnerable parts with bales of hay. The
+river was low, so that it was necessary to watch several places where
+fording was possible. A pontoon bridge was thrown across the Ohio, and
+continued there until the siege was ended.
+
+It had been a matter of jest among the journalists at Memphis and
+other points in the Southwest, that the vicissitudes of war might some
+day enable us to witness military operations from the principal hotels
+in the Northern cities. "When we can write war letters from the Burnet
+or the Sherman House," was the occasional remark, "there will be some
+personal comfort in being an army correspondent." What we had said
+in jest was now proving true. We could take a carriage at the Burnet
+House, and in half an hour stand on our front lines and witness the
+operations of the skirmishers. Later in the war I was enabled to write
+letters upon interesting topics from Detroit and St. Paul.
+
+The way in which our large defensive force was fed, was nearly as
+great a novelty as the celerity of its organization. It was very
+difficult to sever the red tape of the army regulations, and enable
+the commissary department to issue rations to men that belonged to no
+regiments or companies. The people of Cincinnati were very prompt to
+send contributions of cooked food to the Fifth Street Market-House,
+which was made a temporary restaurant for the defenders of the city.
+Wagons were sent daily through nearly all the streets to gather these
+contributed supplies, and the street-cars were free to all women and
+children going to or from the Market-House. Hundreds walked to the
+front, to carry the provisions they had prepared with their own hands.
+All the ordinary edibles of civilized life were brought forward in
+abundance. Had our men fought at all, they would have fought on full
+stomachs.
+
+The arrival of General Buell's army at Louisville rendered it
+impossible for Bragg to take that city. The defenders of Cincinnati
+were re-enforced by a division from General Grant's army, which was
+then in West Tennessee. This arrival was followed by that of other
+trained regiments and brigades from various localities, so that we
+began to contemplate taking the offensive. The Rebels disappeared from
+our front, and a reconnoissance showed that they were falling back
+toward Lexington. They burned the turnpike and railway bridges as they
+retreated, showing conclusively that they had abandoned the siege.
+
+As soon as the retirement of the Rebels was positively ascertained,
+a portion of our forces was ordered from Cincinnati to Louisville.
+General Buell's army took the offensive, and pursued Bragg as he
+retreated toward the Tennessee River. General Wallace was relieved,
+and his command transferred to General Wright.
+
+A change in the whole military situation soon transpired. From holding
+the defensive, our armies became the pursuers of the Rebels, the
+latter showing little inclination to risk an encounter. The battle of
+Perryville was the great battle of this Kentucky campaign. Its result
+gave neither army much opportunity for exultation.
+
+In their retreat through Kentucky and Tennessee, the Rebels gathered
+all the supplies they could find, and carried them to their commissary
+depot at Knoxville. It was said that their trains included more than
+thirty thousand wagons, all of them heavily laden. Large droves of
+cattle and horses became the property of the Confederacy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE BATTLE OF CORINTH.
+
+New Plans of the Rebels.--Their Design to Capture Corinth,--Advancing
+to the Attack.--Strong Defenses.--A Magnificent Charge.--Valor _vs._
+Breast-Works.--The Repulse.--Retreat and Pursuit.--The National Arms
+Triumphant.
+
+
+The Bragg campaign into Kentucky being barren of important results,
+the Rebel authorities ordered that an attempt should be made to
+drive us from West Tennessee. The Rebel army in Northern Mississippi
+commenced the aggressive late in September, while the retreat of Bragg
+was still in progress. The battle of Iuka resulted favorably to the
+Rebels, giving them possession of that point, and allowing a large
+quantity of supplies to fall into their hands. On the 4th of October
+was the famous battle of Corinth, the Rebels under General Van Dorn
+attacking General Rosecrans, who was commanding at Corinth.
+
+The Rebels advanced from Holly Springs, striking Corinth on the
+western side of our lines. The movement was well executed, and
+challenged our admiration for its audacity and the valor the Rebel
+soldiery displayed. It was highly important for the success of the
+Rebel plans in the Southwest that we should be expelled from Corinth.
+Accordingly, they made a most determined effort, but met a signal
+defeat.
+
+Some of the best fighting of the war occurred at this battle of
+Corinth. The Rebel line of battle was on the western and northern
+side of the town, cutting off our communications with General Grant
+at Jackson. The Rebels penetrated our line, and actually obtained
+possession of a portion of Corinth, but were driven out by hard,
+earnest work. It was a struggle for a great prize, in which neither
+party was inclined to yield as long as it had any strength remaining
+to strike a blow.
+
+The key to our position was on the western side, where two earth-works
+had been thrown up to command the approaches in that direction. These
+works were known as "Battery Williams" and "Battery Robbinette," so
+named in honor of the officers who superintended their erection and
+commanded their garrisons at the time of the assault. These works were
+on the summits of two small hills, where the ascent from the main road
+that skirted their base was very gentle. The timber on these slopes
+had been cut away to afford full sweep to our guns. An advancing
+force would be completely under our fire during the whole time of its
+ascent. Whether succeeding or failing, it must lose heavily.
+
+[Illustration: THE REBEL CHARGE AT CORINTH.]
+
+General Van Dorn gave Price's Division the honor of assaulting these
+works. The division was composed of Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas
+regiments, and estimated at eight thousand strong. Price directed the
+movement in person, and briefly told his men that the position must be
+taken at all hazards. The line was formed on the wooded ground at
+the base of the hills on which our batteries stood. The advance was
+commenced simultaneously along the line.
+
+As the Rebels emerged from the forest, our guns were opened. Officers
+who were in Battery Williams at the time of the assault, say the
+Rebels moved in splendid order. Grape and shell made frequent and wide
+gaps through their ranks, but the line did not break nor waver. The
+men moved directly forward, over the fallen timber that covered the
+ground, and at length came within range of our infantry, which had
+been placed in the forts to support the gunners. Our artillery had
+made fearful havoc among the Rebels from the moment they left the
+protection of the forest. Our infantry was waiting with impatience to
+play its part.
+
+When the Rebels were fairly within range of our small-arms, the order
+was given for a simultaneous volley along our whole line. As the
+shower of bullets struck the Rebel front, hundreds of men went down.
+Many flags fell as the color-bearers were killed, but they were
+instantly seized and defiantly waved. With a wild cheer the Rebels
+dashed forward up to the very front of the forts, receiving without
+recoil a most deadly fire. They leaped the ditch and gained the
+parapet. They entered a bastion of Battery Williams, and for a minute
+held possession of one of our guns.
+
+Of the dozen or more that gained the interior of the bastion, very few
+escaped. Nearly all were shot down while fighting for possession
+of the gun, or surrendered when the parapet was cleared of those
+ascending it. The retreat of the Rebels was hasty, but it was orderly.
+Even in a repulse their coolness did not forsake them. They left their
+dead scattered thickly in our front. In one group of seventeen, they
+lay so closely together that their bodies touched each other. An
+officer told me he could have walked along the entire front of Battery
+Williams, touching a dead or wounded Rebel at nearly every step. Two
+Rebel colonels were killed side by side, one of them falling with his
+hand over the edge of the ditch. They were buried where they died.
+In the attack in which the Rebels entered the edge of the town, the
+struggle was nearly as great. It required desperate fighting for them
+to gain possession of the spot, and equally desperate fighting on our
+part to retake it. All our officers who participated in this battle
+spoke in admiration of the courage displayed by the Rebels. Praise
+from an enemy is the greatest praise. The Rebels were not defeated
+on account of any lack of bravery or of recklessness. They were fully
+justified in retreating after the efforts they made. Our army was
+just as determined to hold Corinth as the Rebels were to capture it.
+Advantages of position turned the scale in our favor, and enabled us
+to repulse a force superior to our own.
+
+Just before the battle, General Grant sent a division under General
+McPherson to re-enforce Corinth. The Rebels had cut the railway
+between the two points, so that the re-enforcement did not reach
+Corinth until the battle was over.
+
+On the morning following the battle, our forces moved out in pursuit
+of the retreating Rebels. At the same time a column marched from
+Bolivar, so as to fall in their front. The Rebels were taken between
+the two columns, and brought to an engagement with each of them;
+but, by finding roads to the south, managed to escape without
+disorganization. Our forces returned to Corinth and Bolivar, thinking
+it useless to make further pursuit.
+
+Thus terminated the campaign of the enemy against Corinth. There
+was no expectation that the Rebels would trouble us any more in that
+quarter for the present, unless we sought them out. Their defeat
+was sufficiently serious to compel them to relinquish all hope of
+expelling us from Corinth.
+
+During the time of his occupation of West Tennessee, General Grant was
+much annoyed by the wandering sons of Israel, who thronged his lines
+in great numbers. They were engaged in all kinds of speculation in
+which money could be made. Many of them passed the lines into the
+enemy's country, and purchased cotton, which they managed to bring to
+Memphis and other points on the river. Many were engaged in smuggling
+supplies to the Rebel armies, and several were caught while acting as
+spies.
+
+On our side of the lines the Jews were Union men, and generally
+announced their desire for a prompt suppression of the Rebellion.
+When under the folds of the Rebel flag they were the most ardent
+Secessionists, and breathed undying hostility to the Yankees. Very few
+of them had any real sympathy with either side, and were ready, like
+Mr. Pickwick, to shout with the largest mob on all occasions, provided
+there was money to be made by the operation. Their number was very
+great. In the latter half of '62, a traveler would have thought the
+lost tribes of Israel were holding a reunion at Memphis.
+
+General Grant became indignant, and issued an order banishing the Jews
+from his lines. The order created much excitement among the Americans
+of Hebraic descent. The matter was placed before the President, and
+the obnoxious restriction promptly revoked. During the time it was in
+force a large number of the proscribed individuals were obliged to go
+North.
+
+Sometimes the Rebels did not treat the Jews with the utmost courtesy.
+On one occasion a scouting party captured two Jews who were buying
+cotton. The Israelites were robbed of ten thousand dollars in gold
+and United States currency, and then forced to enter the ranks of the
+Rebel army. They did not escape until six months later.
+
+In Chicago, in the first year of the war, a company of Jews was armed
+and equipped at the expense of their wealthier brethren. The men
+composing the company served their full time, and were highly praised
+for their gallantry.
+
+The above case deserves mention, as it is an exception to the general
+conduct of the Jews.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+THE CAMPAIGN FROM CORINTH.
+
+Changes of Commanders.--Preparations for the Aggressive.--Marching
+from Corinth.--Talking with the People.--"You-uns and
+We-uns."--Conservatism of a "Regular."--Loyalty and
+Disloyalty.--Condition of the Rebel Army.--Foraging.--German Theology
+for American Soldiers.--A Modest Landlord.--A Boy without a Name.--The
+Freedmen's Bureau.--Employing Negroes.--Holly Springs and its
+People.--An Argument for Secession.
+
+
+Two weeks after the battle of Corinth, General Rosecrans was summoned
+to the Army of the Cumberland, to assume command in place of General
+Buell. General Grant was placed at the head of the Thirteenth Army
+Corps, including all the forces in West Tennessee. Preparations for an
+aggressive movement into the enemy's country had been in progress for
+some time. Corinth, Bolivar, and Jackson were strongly fortified,
+so that a small force could defend them. The base of supply was at
+Columbus, Kentucky, eighty-five miles due north of Jackson, thus
+giving us a long line of railway to protect.
+
+On the first of November the movement began, by the advance of a
+column from Corinth and another from Bolivar. These columns met at
+Grand Junction, twenty-five miles north of Holly Springs, and, after
+lying there for two weeks, advanced to the occupation of the latter
+point. The Rebels evacuated the place on our approach, and after a day
+or two at Holly Springs we went forward toward the south. Abbeville
+and Oxford were taken, and the Rebels established themselves at
+Grenada, a hundred miles south of Memphis.
+
+From Corinth I accompanied the division commanded by General Stanley.
+I had known this officer in Missouri, in the first year of the war,
+when he claimed to be very "conservative" in his views. During the
+campaign with General Lyon he expressed himself opposed to a warfare
+that should produce a change in the social status at the South. When I
+met him at Corinth he was very "radical" in sentiment, and in favor of
+a thorough destruction of the "peculiar institution." He declared that
+he had liberated his own slaves, and was determined to set free all
+the slaves of any other person that might come in his way. He rejoiced
+that the war had not ended during the six months following the fall
+of Fort Sumter, as we should then have allowed slavery to exist,
+which would have rendered us liable to another rebellion whenever
+the Southern leaders chose to make it. We could only be taught by
+the logic of events, and it would take two or three years of war to
+educate the country to a proper understanding of our position.
+
+It required a war of greater magnitude than was generally expected at
+the outset. In 1861 there were few people who would have consented to
+interfere with "slavery in the States." The number of these persons
+was greater in 1862, but it was not until 1864 that the anti-slavery
+sentiment took firm hold of the public mind. In 1861 the voice of
+Missouri would have favored the retention of the old system. In 1864
+that State became almost as radical as Massachusetts. The change in
+public sentiment elsewhere was nearly as great.
+
+During the march from Corinth to Grand Junction, I had frequent
+opportunity for conversing with the people along the route. There were
+few able-bodied men at home. It was the invariable answer, when we
+asked the whereabouts of any citizen, "He's away." Inquiry would
+bring a reluctant confession that he had gone to the Rebel army.
+Occasionally a woman would boast that she had sent her husband to
+fight for his rights and the rights of his State. The violation of
+State rights and the infringement upon personal prerogative were
+charged upon the National Government as the causes of the war. Some
+of the women displayed considerable skill in arguing the question of
+secession, but their arguments were generally mingled with invective.
+The majority were unable to make any discussion whatever.
+
+"What's you-uns come down here to fight we-uns for?" said one of the
+women whose husband was in the Rebel army. "We-uns never did you-uns
+no hurt." (This addition of a syllable to the personal pronouns of the
+second and third persons is common in some parts of the South, while
+in others it will not be heard.)
+
+"Well," said General Stanley, "we came down here because we were
+obliged to come. Your people commenced a war, and we are trying to
+help you end it."
+
+"We-uns didn't want to fight, no-how. You-uns went and made the war so
+as to steal our niggers."
+
+The woman acknowledged that neither her husband nor herself ever
+owned negroes, or ever expected to do so. She knew nothing about Fort
+Sumter, and only knew that the North elected one President and
+the South another, on the same occasion. The South only wanted its
+president to rule its own region, but the North wanted to extend its
+control over the whole country, so as to steal the negroes. Hence
+arose the war.
+
+Some of the poorer whites manifested a loyal feeling, which sprang
+from a belief that the establishment of the Confederacy would
+not better their condition. This number was not large, but it has
+doubtless increased with the termination of the war. The wealthier
+portion of the people were invariably in sympathy with the Rebel
+cause.
+
+After we reached Grand Junction, and made our camp a short distance
+south of that point, we were joined by the column from Bolivar. In the
+two columns General Grant had more than forty thousand men, exclusive
+of a force under General Sherman, about to move from Memphis. The
+Rebel army was at Holly Springs and Abbeville, and was estimated at
+fifty thousand strong. Every day found a few deserters coming in
+from the Rebels, but their number was not large. The few that came
+represented their army to be well supplied with shoes, clothing, and
+ammunition, and also well fed. They were nearly recovered from the
+effects of their repulse at Corinth, a month before.
+
+Our soldiers foraged at will on the plantations near our camp. The
+quantities of supplies that were brought in did not argue that the
+country had been previously visited by an army. Mules, horses, cattle,
+hogs, sheep, chickens, and other things used by an army, were found in
+abundance.
+
+The soldiers did not always confine their foraging to articles of
+necessity. A clergyman's library was invaded and plundered. I saw one
+soldier bending under the (avoirdupois) weight of three heavy volumes
+on theology, printed in the German language. Another soldier, a mere
+boy, was carrying away in triumph a copy of Scott's Greek Lexicon. In
+every instance when it came to their knowledge, the officers compelled
+the soldiers to return the books they had stolen. German theology and
+Greek Lexicons were not thought advantageous to an army in the field.
+
+One wing of our army was encamped at Lagrange, Tennessee, and honored
+with the presence of General Grant. Lagrange presented a fair example
+of the effects of secession upon the interior villages of the South.
+Before the war it was the center of a flourishing business. Its
+private residences were constructed with considerable magnificence,
+and evinced the wealth of their owners. There was a male and a
+female college; there was a bank, and there were several stores and
+commission houses.
+
+When the war broke out, the young men at the male college enlisted in
+the Rebel army. The young women in the female college went to their
+homes. The bank was closed for want of funds, the hotels had no
+guests, the stores had few customers, and these had no money, the
+commission houses could find no cotton to sell and no goods to buy.
+Every thing was completely stagnated. All the men who could carry
+muskets went to the field. When we occupied the town, there were not
+three men remaining who were of the arms-bearing age.
+
+I found in Lagrange a man who _could_ keep a hotel. He was ignorant,
+lazy, and his establishment only resembled the Fifth Avenue or the
+Continental in the prices charged to the guests. I staid several days
+with this Boniface, and enjoyed the usual fare of the interior South.
+Calling for my bill at my departure, I found the charges were only
+three dollars and fifty cents per day.
+
+My horse had been kept in a vacant and dilapidated stable belonging to
+the hotel, but the landlord refused to take any responsibility for
+the animal. He had no corn or hay, and his hostler had "gone to the
+Yankees!" During my stay I employed a man to purchase corn and give
+the desired attention to the horse. The landlord made a charge of one
+dollar per day for "hoss-keeping," and was indignant when I entered a
+protest. Outside of Newport and Saratoga, I think there are very few
+hotel-keepers in the North who would make out and present a bill on so
+small a basis as this.
+
+This taverner's wife and daughter professed an utter contempt for all
+white persons who degraded themselves to any kind of toil. Of
+course, their hostility to the North was very great. Beyond a slight
+supervision, they left every thing to the care of the negroes. A
+gentleman who was with me sought to make himself acquainted with the
+family, and succeeded admirably until, on one evening, he constructed
+a small toy to amuse the children. This was too much. He was skillful
+with his hands, and must therefore be a "mudsill." His acquaintance
+with the ladies of that household came to an end. His manual dexterity
+was his ruin.
+
+There was another hotel in Lagrange, a rival establishment, that bore
+the reputation of being much the worse in point of comfort. It was
+owned by a widow, and this widow had a son--a lank, overgrown youth of
+eighteen. His poverty, on one point, was the greatest I ever knew.
+He could have been appropriately selected as the hero of a certain
+popular novel by Wilkie Collins. No name had ever been given him by
+his parents. In his infancy they spoke of him as "the boy." When he
+grew large enough to appear on the street with other boys, some one
+gave him the _sobriquet_ of "Rough and Ready." From that time forward,
+his only praenomen was "Rough." I made several inquiries among his
+neighbors, but could not ascertain that he bore any other Christian
+appellative.
+
+The first comprehensive order providing for the care of the negroes
+in the Southwest, was issued by General Grant while his army lay at
+Lagrange and Grand Junction. Previous to that time, the negroes had
+been disposed of as each division and post commander thought best,
+under his general instructions not to treat them unkindly. Four months
+earlier, our authorities at Memphis had enrolled several hundred
+able-bodied negroes into an organization for service in the
+Quartermaster's Department, in accordance with the provisions of
+an order from District Head-Quarters. They threw up fortifications,
+loaded and unloaded steamboats, and performed such other labor as was
+required. In General Grant's army there was a pioneer corps of three
+hundred negroes, under the immediate charge of an overseer, controlled
+by an officer of engineers. No steps were then taken to use them as
+soldiers.
+
+The number of negroes at our posts and in our camps was rapidly
+increasing. Under the previous orders, they were registered and
+employed only on Government work. None but the able-bodied males were
+thus available. The new arrangements contemplated the employment of
+all who were capable of performing any kind of field labor. It was
+expected to bring some revenue to the Government, that would partially
+cover the expense of providing for the negroes.
+
+The following is the order which General Grant issued:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS THIRTEENTH ARMY CORPS,
+DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE,
+LAGRANGE, TENNESSEE, _November_ 14, 1862.
+
+SPECIAL FIELD ORDER, NO. 4.
+
+I. Chaplain J. Eaton, Jr., of the Twenty-seventh Ohio Volunteers, is
+hereby appointed to take charge of all fugitive slaves that are
+now, or may from time to time come, within the military lines of
+the advancing army in this vicinity, not employed and registered in
+accordance with General Orders, No. 72, from head-quarters District of
+West Tennessee, and will open a camp for them at Grand Junction, where
+they will be suitably cared for, and organized into companies, and set
+to work, picking, ginning, and baling all cotton now outstanding in
+fields.
+
+II. Commanding officers of all troops will send all fugitives that
+come within the lines, together with such teams, cooking utensils, and
+other baggage as they may bring with them, to Chaplain J. Eaton, Jr.,
+at Grand Junction.
+
+III. One regiment of infantry from Brigadier-General McArthur's
+Division will be temporarily detailed as guard in charge of such
+contrabands, and the surgeon of said regiment will be charged with the
+care of the sick.
+
+IV. Commissaries of subsistence will issue, on the requisitions of
+Chaplain Eaton, omitting the coffee ration, and substituting rye. By
+order of Major-General U.S. Grant. JNO. A. RAWLINS, A.A.G.
+
+
+Chaplain Eaton entered immediately upon the discharge of his duties.
+Many division and brigade commanders threw obstacles in his way,
+and were very slow to comply with General Grant's order. Some of the
+officers of the Commissary Department made every possible delay in
+filling Chaplain Eaton's requisitions. The people of the vicinity
+laughed at the experiment, and prophesied speedy and complete failure.
+They endeavored to insure a failure by stealing the horses and mules,
+and disabling the machinery which Chaplain Eaton was using. Failing in
+this, they organized guerrilla parties, and attempted to frighten
+the negroes from working in the field. They only desisted from this
+enterprise when some of their number were killed.
+
+All the negroes that came into the army lines were gathered at Grand
+Junction and organized, in compliance with the order. There were many
+fields of cotton fully ripened, that required immediate attention.
+Cotton-picking commenced, and was extensively prosecuted.
+
+The experiment proved a success. The cotton, in the immediate vicinity
+of Grand Junction and Lagrange was gathered, baled, and made ready
+for market. For once, the labors of the negro in the Southwest were
+bringing an actual return to the Government.
+
+The following year saw the system enlarged, as our armies took
+possession of new districts. In 1863, large quantities of cotton were
+gathered from fields in the vicinity of Lake Providence and Milliken's
+Bend, and the cultivation of plantations was commenced. In 1864, this
+last enterprise was still further prosecuted. Chaplain Eaton became
+Colonel Eaton, and the humble beginning at Grand Junction grew into a
+great scheme for demonstrating the practicability of free labor, and
+benefiting the negroes who-had been left without support by reason of
+the flight of their owners.
+
+As the army lay in camp near Lagrange for nearly four weeks, and
+the enemy was twenty-five miles distant, there was very little war
+correspondence to be written. There was an occasional skirmish near
+the front, but no important movement whatever. The monotony of
+this kind of life, and the tables of the Lagrange hotels, were not
+calculated to awaken much enthusiasm. Learning from a staff officer
+the probable date when the army would advance, I essayed a visit to
+St. Louis, and returned in season to take part in the movement into
+Mississippi.
+
+At the time General Grant advanced from Lagrange, he ordered General
+Sherman to move from Memphis, so that the two columns would unite in
+the vicinity of Oxford, Mississippi. General Sherman pushed his column
+as rapidly as possible, and, by the combined movement, the Rebels were
+forced out of their defenses beyond Oxford, and compelled to select a
+new line in the direction of Grenada. Our flag was steadily advancing
+toward the Gulf.
+
+Satisfied there would be no battle until our army had passed Oxford,
+I tarried several days at Holly Springs, waiting for the railway to
+be opened. I found the town a very pleasant one, finely situated, and
+bearing evidence of the wealth and taste of its inhabitants. When
+the war broke out, there were only two places in the State that could
+boast a larger population than Holly Springs.
+
+At the time of my arrival, the hotels of Holly Springs were not open,
+and I was obliged to take a room at a private house with one of the
+inhabitants. My host was an earnest advocate of the Rebel cause, and
+had the fullest confidence in the ultimate independence of the South.
+
+"We intend," said he, "to establish a strong Government, in which
+there will be no danger of interference by any abolitionists. If you
+had allowed us to have our own way, there would never have been any
+trouble. We didn't want you to have slavery in the North, but we
+wanted to go into the Territories, where we had a perfect right, and
+do as we pleased about taking our slaves there. The control of the
+Government belongs to us. The most of the Presidents have been
+from the South, as they ought to be. It was only when you elected
+a sectional President, who was sworn to break up slavery, that we
+objected. You began the war when you refused us the privilege of
+having a national President."
+
+This gentleman argued, further, that the half of all public property
+belonged to the South, and it was only just that the State authorities
+should take possession of forts and arsenals, as they did at the
+inception of the war. It was the especial right of the South to
+control the nation. Slavery was instituted from Heaven, for the
+especial good of both white and black. Whoever displayed any sympathy
+for the negro, and wished to make him free, was doing a great
+injustice to the slave and his master, particularly to the latter.
+
+Once he said the destruction of slavery would be unworthy a people who
+possessed any gallantry. "You will," he declared, "do a cruel wrong
+to many fine ladies. They know nothing about working with their hands,
+and consider such knowledge disgraceful. If their slaves are taken
+from them, these ladies will be helpless."
+
+This gentleman was the possessor of several negroes, though he lived
+in a house that he did not own. Of course, it was a great injustice to
+deprive him of his only property, especially as the laws of his State
+sanctioned such ownership. He declared he would not submit to any
+theft of that character. I do not think I ever saw a person manifest
+more passion than was exhibited by this individual on hearings one
+afternoon, that one of his slaves had taken refuge in our camp, with
+the avowed intention of going North.
+
+"I don't care for the loss," said he, "but what I do care for is, to
+be robbed by a nigger. I can endure an injury from a white man; to
+have a nigger defy me is too much."
+
+Unfortunate and unhappy man! I presume he is not entirely satisfied
+with the present status of the "Peculiar Institution."
+
+The cotton speculators at Holly Springs were guilty of some sharp
+transactions. One day a gentleman residing in the vicinity came to
+town in order to effect a sale of fifty bales. The cotton was in a
+warehouse a half-dozen miles away.
+
+Remaining over night in Holly Springs, and walking to the railway
+station in the morning, he found his cotton piled by the track and
+ready for shipment. Two men were engaged effacing the marks upon
+the bales. By some means they had obtained a sufficient number of
+Government wagons to remove the entire lot during the night. It was a
+case of downright theft. The offenders were banished beyond the lines
+of the army.
+
+In a public office at Holly Springs our soldiers found a great number
+of bills on the Northern Bank of Mississippi. They were in sheets,
+just as they had come from the press. None of them bore dates or
+signatures.
+
+The soldiers supplied all needed chirography, and the bills obtained
+a wide circulation. Chickens, pigs, and other small articles were
+purchased of the whites and negroes, and paid for with the most
+astonishing liberality.
+
+Counterfeits of the Rebel currency were freely distributed, and could
+only be distinguished from the genuine by their superior execution.
+
+Among the women in Holly Springs and its vicinity snuff was in great
+demand. The article is used by them in much the same way that men chew
+tobacco. The practice is known as "dipping," and is disgusting in the
+extreme. A stick the size of a common pencil is chewed or beaten at
+one end until the fibers are separated. In this condition it forms a
+brush.
+
+This brush is moistened with saliva, and plunged into the snuff. The
+fine powder which adheres is then rubbed on the gums and among the
+teeth. A species of partial intoxication is the result.
+
+The effect of continued "dipping" becomes apparent. The gums are
+inflamed, the teeth are discolored, the lips are shriveled, and the
+complexion is sallow. The throat is dry and irritated, and there is a
+constant desire to expectorate.
+
+I trust the habit will never become a Northern one.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+GRANT'S OCCUPATION OF MISSISSIPPI.
+
+The Slavery Question.--A Generous Offer.--A Journalist's
+Modesty.--Hopes of the Mississippians at the Beginning of the
+War.--Visiting an Editress.--Literature under Difficulties.--Jacob
+Thompson and his Correspondence.--Plans for the Capture of
+Vicksburg.--Movements of General Sherman.--The Raid upon Holly
+Springs.--Forewarned, but not Forearmed.--A Gallant Fight.
+
+
+The people of Holly Springs were much excited over the slavery
+question. It was then early in December. The President's proclamation
+was to have its effect on all States, or portions of States, not
+represented in Congress on the first of January following. The
+slaveholders desired to have the northern district of Mississippi
+represented in Congress before the first of January.
+
+Three or four days after my arrival at Holly Springs I was with a
+small party of citizens to whom I had received introduction. The
+great question was being discussed. All were agreed that Northern
+Mississippi should be represented in Congress at whatever cost.
+
+"Grant has now been in Mississippi nearly two weeks," said the
+principal speaker; "we are clearly entitled to representation."
+
+"Certainly we are," responded another; "but who will represent us?"
+
+"Hold an election to-morrow, and choose our man."
+
+"Who will we send? None of us would be received. There isn't a man in
+the district who could swear he has taken no part in the Rebellion."
+
+"I have it," said the individual who first proposed an election.
+Turning to me, he made a somewhat novel proposition:
+
+"You can represent us in Congress. We've all been so d----d disloyal
+that we can't go; but that is no reason why we should not send a loyal
+men. Say yes, and we'll meet to-morrow, a dozen of us, and elect you."
+
+Here was an opportunity for glory. Only four days in a State from
+which I could go to Congress! I was offered all necessary credentials
+to insure my reception. My loyalty could be clearly and easily
+proved. My only duties would be to assist in fastening slavery upon
+my congressional district. Much as I felt honored at the offer of
+distinction, I was obliged to decline it. A similar proposition was
+made to another journalist. He, like myself, was governed by modesty,
+and begged to be excused from serving.
+
+The desire of this people to be represented in Congress, was a partial
+proof that they expected the national authority restored throughout
+the country. They professed to believe that our occupation would be
+temporary, but their actions did not agree with their words.
+
+They were greatly mortified at the inability of their army to oppose
+our advance, and frequently abused the Rebel Government without stint.
+They had anticipated an easy victory from the outset, and were greatly
+disappointed at the result, up to that time.
+
+"Just see how it is," said a Mississippian one day; "we expected to
+whip you without the slightest trouble. We threw the war into the
+Border States to keep it off our soil. Mississippi was very earnest
+for the Rebellion when Kentucky was the battle-ground. We no more
+expected you would come here, than that we should get to the moon.
+It is the fortune of war that you have driven us back, but it is very
+severe upon the cotton States."
+
+I ventured to ask about the possibilities of repudiation of the Rebel
+debt, in case the Confederacy was fairly established.
+
+"Of course we shall repudiate," was the response. "It would be far
+better for the Confederacy to do so than to attempt to pay the debt,
+or even its interest. Suppose we have a debt of a thousand millions,
+at eight per cent. This debt is due to our own people, and they have
+to pay the interest upon it. In twelve years and a half they would
+have paid another thousand millions, and still be as deeply in debt as
+ever. Now, if they repudiate the whole, the country will be a thousand
+millions richer at the end of twelve years and a half, than it
+otherwise would."
+
+In Mississippi, as well as in other Southern States, I frequently
+heard this argument. It is not surprising that the confidence of the
+people in their currency was shaken at a very early period.
+
+In its days of prosperity, Holly Springs boasted of two rival papers,
+each of them published weekly. One of these died just as the war broke
+out. The proprietor of the other, who was at the same time its editor,
+went, with his two sons, into the Rebel army, leaving the paper in
+charge of his wife. The lady wielded the pen for nearly a year, but
+the scarcity of printing-paper compelled her to close her office, a
+few months before our arrival.
+
+One afternoon, I accompanied Mr. Colburn, of _The World_, on a visit
+to the ex-editress. The lady received our cards and greeted us very
+cordially. She spoke, with evident pride, of her struggles to sustain
+her paper in war-time and under war prices, and hoped she could soon
+resume its publication. She referred to the absence of her husband
+and sons in the Rebel service, and was gratified that they had always
+borne a good record. She believed in the South and in the justness of
+its cause, but was prompt to declare that all the wrong was not on one
+side. She neither gave the South extravagant praise, nor visited the
+North with denunciation.
+
+She regretted the existence of the war, and charged its beginning upon
+the extremists of both sides. Slavery was clearly its cause, and
+she should look for its complete destruction in the event of the
+restoration of national authority. Through justice to itself, the
+North could demand nothing less, and the South must be willing to
+abide by the fortune of war.
+
+This woman respected and admired the North, because it was a region
+where labor was not degrading.
+
+She had always opposed the Southern sentiment concerning labor, and
+educated her children after her own belief. While other boys were
+idling in the streets, she had taught her sons all the mysteries of
+the printing-office, and made them able to care for themselves. She
+was confident they would vindicate the correctness of her theory, by
+winning good positions in life. She believed slavery had assisted the
+development of the South, but was equally positive that its effect
+upon the white race was ruinous in the extreme.
+
+She had no word of abuse for the Union, but spoke of it in terms of
+praise. At the same time she expressed an earnest hope for the
+success of the Rebellion. She saw the evil of slavery, but wished the
+Confederacy established. How she could reconcile all her views I was
+unable to ascertain. I do not believe she will take seriously to heart
+the defeat of the scheme to found a slaveholders' government. In the
+suppression of the Rebellion she will doubtless discover a brilliant
+future for "the land of the cypress and myrtle," and bless the day
+that witnessed the destruction of slavery.
+
+At Oxford, our forces found the residence of the ex-Hon. Jacob
+Thompson, who has since figured prominently as the Rebel agent in
+Canada. In his office a letter-book and much correspondence were
+secured--the letters showing that the design of a rebellion dated
+much further back than the first election of Mr. Lincoln. Some of this
+correspondence was given to the public at the time, and proved quite
+interesting. The balance was sent to the War Department, where it was
+expected to be of service. The books in Mr. Thompson's library found
+their way to various parts of the Union, and became scattered where it
+will be difficult for their owner to gather them, should he desire to
+restore his collection. If "misery loves company," it was doubtless
+gratifying to Mr. Thompson to know of the capture of the library and
+correspondence of Jefferson Davis, several months later.
+
+Our advance into Mississippi was being successfully pushed, early in
+December, 1862. There was a prospect that it would not accomplish
+the desired object, the capture of Vicksburg, without some
+counter-movement. A force was sent from Helena, Arkansas, to cut the
+railway in rear of the Rebel army. Though accomplishing its immediate
+object, it did not make a material change in the military situation.
+The Rebels continued to hold Grenada, which they had strongly
+fortified. They could only be forced from this position by a movement
+that should render Grenada of no practical value.
+
+General Grant detached the right wing of his army, with orders to make
+a rapid march to Memphis, and thence to descend the Mississippi by
+steamboats to Vicksburg. This expedition was commanded by General
+Sherman. While the movement was in progress, General Grant was to
+push forward, on the line he had been following, and attempt to join
+General Sherman at the nearest practicable point on the Yazoo River
+above Vicksburg. The fall of Vicksburg was thus thought to be assured,
+especially as General Sherman's attack was to be made upon the
+defenses in its rear.
+
+General Sherman moved, to Memphis with due celerity. The garrison of
+that city was reduced as much as possible to re-enforce his column.
+The Army of Arkansas, then at Helena, was temporarily added to his
+command. This gave a force exceeding twenty-eight thousand strong
+to move upon Vicksburg. It was considered sufficiently large to
+accomplish the desired object--the garrison of Vicksburg having been
+weakened to strengthen the army in General Grant's front.
+
+I was in Holly Springs when General Sherman began to move toward
+Memphis. Thinking there would be active work at Vicksburg, I prepared
+to go to Columbus by rail, and take a steamboat thence to Memphis. By
+this route it was nearly four hundred miles; but it was safer and
+more expeditious to travel in that way than to attempt the "overland"
+journey of fifty miles in a direct line.
+
+There were rumors that the Rebels contemplated a raid upon Holly
+Springs, for the purpose of cutting General Grant's communications and
+destroying the supplies known to be accumulated there. From the most
+vague and obscurely-worded hints, given by a Secessionist, I inferred
+that such a movement was expected. The Rebels were arranging a cavalry
+force to strike a blow somewhere upon our line of railway, and
+there was no point more attractive than Holly Springs. I attached no
+importance to the story, as I had invariably known the friends of the
+Rebels to predict wonderful movements that never occurred.
+
+Meeting the post-commandant shortly afterward, I told him what I had
+heard. He assured me there was nothing to fear, and that every thing
+was arranged to insure a successful defense. On this point I did not
+agree with him. I knew very well that the garrison was not properly
+distributed to oppose a dash of the enemy. There were but few men
+on picket, and no precautions had been taken against surprise. Our
+accumulation of stores was sufficiently large to be worth a strong
+effort to destroy them. As I was about ready to leave, I concluded to
+take the first train to Columbus.
+
+Less than forty-eight hours after my departure, General Van Dorn, at
+the head of five thousand men, entered Holly Springs with very slight
+opposition. He found every thing nearly as he could have arranged it
+had he planned the defense himself. The commandant, Colonel Murphy,
+was afterward dismissed the service for his negligence in preparing to
+defend the place after being notified by General Grant that the enemy
+was moving to attack him.
+
+The accumulation of supplies at the railway depot, and all the railway
+buildings, with their surroundings, were burned. Two trains of cars
+were standing ready to move, and these shared a similar fate. In the
+center of the town, a building we were using as a magazine was blown
+up. The most of the business portion of Holly Springs was destroyed by
+fire, communicated from this magazine.
+
+During the first year of the war, Holly Springs was selected as the
+site of a "Confederate States Arsenal," and a series of extensive
+buildings erected at great expense.
+
+We had converted these buildings into hospitals, and were fitting
+them up with suitable accommodations for a large number of sick and
+wounded.
+
+After ordering our surgeons to remove their patients, the Rebels set
+fire to the hospitals while the yellow flag was floating over them.
+General Grant subsequently denounced this act as contrary to the
+usages of war.
+
+The Rebels remained in Holly Springs until five o'clock in the
+afternoon of the day of their arrival. At their departure they moved
+in a northerly direction, evidently designing to visit Grand Junction.
+At Davis's Mill, about half-way between Holly Springs and Grand
+Junction, they found a small stockade, garrisoned by two companies
+of infantry, protecting the railway bridge. They sent forward a
+flag-of-truce, and demanded the instant surrender of the stockade.
+
+Their demand was not complied with. That garrison, of less than two
+hundred men, fought Van Dorn's entire command four hours, repulsed
+three successive charges, and finally compelled the Rebels to retreat.
+Van Dorn's northward movement was checked, and our stores at Grand
+Junction and Lagrange were saved, by the gallantry of this little
+force. General Grant subsequently gave special compliment to the
+bravery of these soldiers and their officers, in an order which was
+read to every regiment in the Army of the Tennessee.
+
+Our plans were completely deranged by this movement of the enemy. The
+supplies and ammunition we had relied upon were destroyed, and
+our communications severed. It was impossible to push further into
+Mississippi, and preparations were made for immediate retreat.
+The railway was repaired and the heavy baggage sent to the rear as
+speedily as possible. When this was accomplished the army began to
+fall back. Oxford, Abbeville, and Holly Springs were abandoned, and
+returned to the protection of the Rebel flag. Northern Mississippi
+again became the field for guerrilla warfare, and a source of supply
+to the Rebels in the field. The campaign for the capture of Vicksburg
+took a new shape from the day our lines were severed.
+
+A few days before the surrender of Vicksburg, General Grant,
+in conversation with some friends, referred to his position in
+Mississippi, six months before. Had he pressed forward beyond Grenada,
+he would have been caught in midwinter in a sea of mud, where the
+safety of his army might have been endangered. Van Dorn's raid
+compelled him to retreat, saved him from a possible heavier reverse,
+and prepared the way for the campaign in which Vicksburg finally
+capitulated. A present disaster, it proved the beginning of ultimate
+success.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE BATTLE OF CHICKASAW BAYOU.
+
+Leaving Memphis.--Down the Great River.--Landing in the Yazoo.--
+Description of the Ground..--A Night in Bivouac.--Plan of Attack.--
+Moving toward the Hills.--Assaulting the Bluff.--Our Repulse.--New
+Plans.--Withdrawal from the Yazoo.
+
+
+On arriving at Memphis, I found General Sherman's expedition was ready
+to move toward Vicksburg. A few of the soldiers who escaped from the
+raid on Holly Springs had reached Memphis with intelligence of that
+disaster. The news caused much excitement, as the strength of the
+Rebels was greatly exaggerated. A few of these soldiers thought Van
+Dorn's entire division of fifteen or twenty thousand men had
+been mounted and was present at the raid. There were rumors of a
+contemplated attack upon Memphis, after General Sherman's departure.
+
+Unmilitary men thought the event might delay the movement upon
+Vicksburg, but it did not have that effect. General Sherman said he
+had no official knowledge that Holly Springs had been captured, and
+could do no less than carry out his orders. The expedition sailed, its
+various divisions making a rendezvous at Friar's Point, twelve miles
+below Helena, on the night of the 22d of December. From this place
+to the mouth of the Yazoo, we moved leisurely down the Mississippi,
+halting a day near Milliken's Bend, almost in sight of Vicksburg. We
+passed a portion of Christmas-Day near the mouth of the Yazoo.
+
+On the morning of the 26th of December, the fleet of sixty transports,
+convoyed by several gun-boats, commenced the ascent of the Yazoo. This
+stream debouches into the Mississippi, fifteen miles above Vicksburg,
+by the course of the current, though the distance in an airline is not
+more than six miles. Ten or twelve miles above its mouth, the Yazoo
+sweeps the base of the range of hills on which Vicksburg stands, at a
+point nearly behind the city. It was therefore considered a feasible
+route to the rear of Vicksburg.
+
+In a letter which I wrote on that occasion, I gave the following
+description of the country adjoining the river, and the incidents of
+a night bivouac before the battle:--"The bottom-land of the Yazoo
+is covered with a heavy growth of tall cypress-trees, whose limbs
+are everywhere interlaced. In many places the forest has a dense
+undergrowth, and in others it is quite clear, and affords easy passage
+to mounted men. These huge trees are heavily draped in the 'hanging
+moss,' so common in the Southern States, which gives them a most
+gloomy appearance. The moss, everywhere pendent from the limbs of the
+trees, covers them like a shroud, and in some localities shuts out
+the sunlight. In these forests there are numerous bayous that form a
+net-work converting the land into a series of islands. When separated
+from your companions, you can easily imagine yourself in a wilderness.
+In the wild woods of the Oregon there is no greater solitude."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"On the afternoon of the 27th, I started from the transports, and
+accompanied our left wing, which was advancing on the east side of
+Chickasaw Bayou. The road lay along the crest of the levee which had
+been thrown up on the bank of the bayou, to protect the fields on
+that side against inundation. This road was only wide enough for the
+passage of a single wagon. Our progress was very slow, on account of
+the necessity for removing heavy logs across the levee. When night
+overtook us, we made our bivouac in the forest, about three miles from
+the river.
+
+"I had taken with me but a single blanket, and a haversack containing
+my note-book and a few crackers. That night in bivouac acquainted me
+with some of the discomforts of war-making on the Yazoo. The ground
+was moist from recent rains, so that dry places were difficult to
+find. A fellow-journalist proposed that we unite our blankets, and
+form a double bed for mutual advantage. To this I assented. When
+my friend came forward, to rest in our combined couch, I found his
+'blanket' was purely imaginary, having been left on the steamer at
+his departure. For a while we 'doubled,' but I was soon deserted, on
+account of the barrenness of my accommodations.
+
+"No fires were allowed, as they might reveal our position to the
+watchful enemy. The night was cold. Ice formed at the edge of the
+bayou, and there was a thick frost on the little patches of open
+ground. A negro who had lived in that region said the swamp usually
+abounded in moccasins, copperheads, and cane-snakes, in large numbers.
+An occasional rustling of the leaves at my side led me to imagine
+these snakes were endeavoring to make my acquaintance.
+
+"Laying aside my snake fancies, it was too cold to sleep. As fast as
+I would fall into a doze, the chill of the atmosphere would steal
+through my blanket, and remind me of my location. Half-sleeping and
+half-waking, I dreamed of every thing disagreeable. I had visions
+of Greenland's icy mountains, of rambles in Siberia, of my long-past
+midwinter nights in the snow-drifted gorges of Colorado, of shipwreck,
+and of burning dwellings, and of all moving accidents by flood and
+field! These dreams followed each other with a rapidity that far
+outstripped the workings of the electric telegraph.
+
+"Cold and dampness and snakes and fitful dreams were not the only
+bodily discomforts. A dozen horses were loose in camp, and trotting
+gayly about. Several times they passed at a careless pace within a
+yard of my head. Once the foremost of the _caballada_ jumped
+directly over me, and was followed by the rest. My comments on these
+eccentricities of that noble animal, the horse, provoked the derision
+rather than the sympathy of those who heard them.
+
+"A teamster, who mistook me for a log, led his mules over me. A negro,
+under the same delusion, attempted to convert me into a chair, and
+another wanted to break me up for fuel, to be used in making a
+fire after daylight. Each of these little blunders evoked a gentle
+remonstrance, that effectually prevented a repetition by the same
+individual.
+
+"A little past daylight a shell from the Rebel batteries exploded
+within twenty yards of my position, and warned me that it was time to
+rise. To make my toilet, I pulled the sticks and leaves from my
+hair and beard, and brushed my overcoat with a handful of moss. I
+breakfasted on a cracker and a spoonful of whisky. I gave my horse a
+handful of corn and a large quantity of leaves. The former he ate, but
+the latter he refused to touch. The column began to move, and I was
+ready to attend upon its fortunes."
+
+General Sherman's plan was to effect a landing on the Yazoo, and,
+by taking possession of the bluffs, sever the communication between
+Vicksburg and the interior. It was thought the garrison of Vicksburg
+had been greatly weakened to re-enforce the army in General Grant's
+front, so that our success would be certain when we once gained the
+bluffs.
+
+A portion of our forces effected a landing on the 26th, but the whole
+command was not on shore till the 27th. Fighting commenced on the
+27th, and became more earnest on the 28th, as we crowded toward the
+bluffs.
+
+In moving from the steamboat landing to the base of the bluffs on the
+28th, our army encountered the enemy at several points, but forced him
+back without serious loss on either side. It appeared to be the Rebel
+design not to make any resistance of magnitude until we had crossed
+the lower ground and were near the base of the line of hills
+protecting Vicksburg.
+
+Not far from the foot of the bluffs there was a bayou, which formed an
+excellent front for the first line of the Rebel defenses. On our right
+we attempted to cross this bayou with a portion of Morgan L. Smith's
+Division, but the Rebel fire was so severe that we were repulsed. On
+our extreme right a similar attempt obtained the same result.
+
+On our left the bayou was crossed by General Morgan's and General
+Steele's Divisions at two or three points, and our forces gained a
+position close up to the edge of the bluff.
+
+At eleven A. M. on the 29th, an assault was made by three brigades
+of infantry upon the works of the enemy on this portion of the line.
+General Blair and General Thayer from Steele's Division, pushed
+forward through an abatis which skirted the edge of the bayou, and
+captured the first line of Rebel rifle-pits. From this line the
+brigades pressed two hundred yards farther up the hillside, and
+temporarily occupied a portion of the second line. Fifty yards beyond
+was a small clump of trees, which was gained by one regiment, the
+Thirteenth Illinois, of General Blair's Brigade.
+
+[Illustration: GENERAL BLAIR'S BRIGADE ASSAULTING THE HILL AT
+CHICKASAW, BAYOU.]
+
+The Rebels massed heavily against these two brigades. Our assaulting
+force had not been followed by a supporting column, and was unable to
+hold the works it captured. It fell back to the bayou and re-formed
+its line. One of General Morgan's brigades occupied a portion of the
+rifle-pits at the time the hill was assaulted by the brigades from
+General Steele's Division.
+
+During the afternoon of the 29th, preparations were made for another
+assault, but the plan was not carried out. It was found the Rebels had
+been re-enforced at that point, so that we had great odds against us.
+The two contending armies rested within view of each other, throwing a
+few shells each hour, to give notice of their presence.
+
+After the assault, the ground between the contending lines was covered
+with dead and wounded men of our army. A flag-of-truce was sent out
+on the afternoon of the 29th, to arrange for burying the dead and
+bringing away the wounded, but the Rebels would not receive it.
+Sunrise on the 30th, noon, sunset, and sunrise again, and they lay
+there still. On the 31st, a truce of five hours was arranged, and the
+work of humanity accomplished. A heavy rain had fallen, rendering the
+ground unfit for the rapid moving of infantry and artillery, in front
+of the Rebel position.
+
+On the evening of the 31st, orders were issued for a new plan of
+attack at another part of the enemy's lines. A division was to be
+embarked on the transports, and landed as near as possible to the
+Rebel fortifications on Haines's Bluff, several miles up the Yazoo.
+The gun-boats were to take the advance, engage the attention of the
+forts, and cover the landing. Admiral Porter ordered Colonel Ellet
+to go in advance, with a boat of his ram fleet, to remove the
+obstructions the Rebels had placed in the river, under the guns of the
+fort. A raft was attached to the bow of the ram, and on the end of the
+raft was a torpedo containing a half ton of powder.
+
+Admiral Porter contended that the explosion of the torpedo would
+remove the obstructions, so that the fleet could proceed. Colonel
+Ellet expressed his readiness to obey orders, but gave his opinion
+that the explosion, while effecting its object, would destroy his boat
+and all on board. Some officers and civilians, who knew the admiral's
+antipathy to Colonel Ellet, suggested that the former was of the same
+opinion, and therefore desirous that the experiment should be made.
+
+Every thing was in readiness on the morning of the 1st of January, but
+a dense fog prevented the execution of our new plan. On the following
+day we withdrew from the Yazoo, and ended the second attack upon
+Vicksburg. Our loss was not far from two thousand men, in all
+casualties.
+
+General Sherman claimed to have carried out with exactness, the
+instructions from his superior officers respecting the time and manner
+of the attack. Van Dorn's raid upon General Grant's lines, previous to
+Sherman's departure from Memphis, had radically changed the military
+situation. Grant's advance being stopped, his co-operation by way
+of Yazoo City could not be given. At the same time, the Rebels were
+enabled to strengthen their forces at Vicksburg. The assault was a
+part of the great plan for the conquest of the Mississippi, and was
+made in obedience to positive orders. Before the orders were carried
+out, a single circumstance had deranged the whole plan. After the
+fighting was ended and the army had re-embarked, preparatory to
+leaving the Yazoo, General Sherman was relieved from command by
+General McClernand. The latter officer carried out the order for
+withdrawal. The fleet steamed up the Mississippi to Milliken's Bend,
+where it remained for a day or two. General McClernand directed that
+an expedition be made against Arkansas Post, a Rebel fortification on
+the Arkansas River, fifty miles above its mouth.
+
+After the first attack upon Vicksburg, in June, 1862, the Rebels
+strengthened the approaches in the rear of the city. They threw up
+defensive works on the line of bluffs facing the Yazoo, and erected a
+strong fortification to prevent our boats ascending that stream. Just
+before General Sherman commenced his assault, the gun-boat _Benton_,
+aided by another iron-clad, attempted to silence the batteries at
+Haines's Bluff, but was unsuccessful. Her sides were perforated by
+the Rebel projectiles, and she withdrew from the attack in a disabled
+condition. Captain Gwin, her commander, was mortally wounded early in
+the fight.
+
+Captain Gwin was married but a few weeks before this occurrence. His
+young wife was on her way from the East to visit him, and was met at
+Cairo with the news of his death.
+
+About two months before the time of our attack, an expedition
+descended the Mississippi from Helena, and suddenly appeared near the
+mouth of the Yazoo. It reached Milliken's Bend at night, surprising
+and capturing the steamer _Fairplay_, which was loaded with arms and
+ammunition for the Rebels in Arkansas. So quietly was the capture
+made, that the officers of the _Fairplay_ were not aware of the change
+in their situation until awakened by their captors.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+BEFORE VICKSBURG.
+
+Capture of Arkansas Post.--The Army returns to Milliken's
+Bend.--General Sherman and the Journalists.--Arrest of the
+Author.--His Trial before a Military Court.--Letter from President
+Lincoln.--Capture of Three Journalists.
+
+
+The army moved against Arkansas Post, which was captured, with its
+entire garrison of five thousand men. The fort was dismantled and the
+earth-works leveled to the ground. After this was accomplished, the
+army returned to Milliken's Bend. General Grant arrived a few days
+later, and commenced the operations which culminated in the fall of
+Vicksburg.
+
+Before leaving Memphis on the Yazoo expedition, General Sherman issued
+an order excluding all civilians, except such as were connected with
+the transports, and threatening to treat as a spy any person who
+should write accounts for publication which might give information
+to the enemy. No journalists were to be allowed to take part in the
+affair. One who applied for permission to go in his professional
+capacity received a very positive refusal. General Sherman had a
+strong antipathy to journalists, amounting almost to a mania, and he
+was determined to discourage their presence in his movements against
+Vicksburg.
+
+Five or six correspondents accompanied the expedition, some of them
+on passes from General Grant, which were believed superior to General
+Sherman's order, and others with passes or invitations from officers
+in the expedition. I carried a pass from General Grant, and had a
+personal invitation from an officer who held a prominent command in
+the Army of Arkansas. I had passed Memphis, almost without stopping,
+and was not aware of the existence of the prohibitory order until I
+reached the Yazoo.
+
+I wrote for _The Herald_ an account of the battle, which I directed to
+a friend at Cairo, and placed in the mail on board the head-quarters'
+boat. The day after mailing my letter, I learned it was being read at
+General Sherman's head-quarters. The General afterward told me that
+his mail-agent, Colonel Markland, took my letter, among others, from
+the mail, with his full assent, though without his order.
+
+I proceeded to rewrite my account, determined not to trust again to
+the head-quarters' mail. When I was about ready to depart, I received
+the letter which had been stolen, bearing evident marks of repeated
+perusal. Two maps which it originally contained were not returned. I
+proceeded to Cairo as the bearer of my own dispatches.
+
+On my return to Milliken's Bend, two weeks later, I experienced a new
+sensation. After two interviews with the indignant general, I received
+a tender of hospitalities from the provost-marshal of the Army of the
+Tennessee. The tender was made in such form as left no opportunity
+for declining it. A few days after my arrest, I was honored by a
+trial before a military court, consisting of a brigadier-general,
+four colonels, and two majors. General Sherman had made the following
+charges against me:--
+
+First.--"_Giving information to the enemy._"
+
+Second.--"_Being a spy._"
+
+Third.--"_Disobedience of orders._"
+
+The first and second charges were based on my published letter.
+The third declared that I accompanied the expedition without proper
+authority, and published a letter without official sanction. These
+were my alleged offenses.
+
+My court had a protracted session. It decided there was nothing in
+my letter which violated the provisions of the order regulating war
+correspondence for the Press. It declared me innocent of the first
+and second charges. It could see nothing criminal in the manner of my
+accompanying the expedition.
+
+But I was guilty of something. There was a "General Order, Number 67,"
+issued in 1861, of whose existence neither myself nor, as far as I
+could ascertain, any other journalist, was aware. It provided that no
+person should write, print, or cause to be printed "any information
+respecting military movements, without the authority and sanction of
+the general in command."
+
+Here was the rock on which I split. I had written a letter respecting
+military movements, and caused it to be printed, "without the sanction
+of the general in command." Correspondents everywhere had done the
+same thing, and continued to do it till the end of the war. "Order
+Number 67" was as obsolete as the laws of the Medes and Persians, save
+on that single occasion. Dispatches by telegraph passed under the eye
+of a Government censor, but I never heard of an instance wherein a
+letter transmitted by mail received any official sanction.
+
+My court was composed of officers from General Sherman's command,
+and was carefully watched by that distinguished military chieftain,
+throughout its whole sitting. It wavered in deciding upon the proper
+"punishment" for my offense. Should it banish me from that spot, or
+should I receive an official censure? It concluded to send me outside
+the limits of the Army of the Tennessee.
+
+During the days I passed in the care of the provost-marshal, I perused
+all the novels that the region afforded. When these were ended, I
+studied a copy of a well-known work on theology, and turned, for light
+reading, to the "Pirate's Own Book." A sympathizing friend sent me a
+bundle of tracts and a copy of the "Adventures of John A. Murrell."
+A volume of lectures upon temperance and a dozen bottles of Allsop's
+pale ale, were among the most welcome contributions that I received.
+The ale disappeared before the lectures had been thoroughly digested.
+
+The chambermaid of the steamboat displayed the greatest sympathy in my
+behalf. She declined to receive payment of a washing-bill, and burst
+into tears when I assured her the money was of no use to me.
+
+Her fears for my welfare were caused by a frightful story that had
+been told her by a cabin-boy. He maliciously represented that I was
+to be executed for attempting to purchase cotton from a Rebel
+quartermaster. The verdant woman believed the story for several days.
+
+It may interest some readers to know that the proceedings of a
+court-martial are made in writing. The judge-advocate (who holds the
+same position as the prosecuting attorney in a civil case) writes his
+questions, and then reads them aloud. The answers, as they are given,
+are reduced to writing. The questions or objections of the prisoner's
+counsel must be made in writing and given to the judge-advocate, to be
+read to the court. In trials where a large number of witnesses must be
+examined, it is now the custom to make use of "short-hand" writers. In
+this way the length of a trial is greatly reduced.
+
+The members of a court-martial sit in full uniform, including sash and
+sword, and preserve a most severe and becoming dignity. Whenever the
+court wishes to deliberate upon any point of law or evidence, the
+room is cleared, neither the prisoner nor his counsel being allowed to
+remain. It frequently occurs that the court is thus closed during the
+greater part of its sessions. With the necessity for recording all
+its proceedings, and frequent stoppages for deliberation, a trial by a
+military court is ordinarily very slow.
+
+In obedience to the order of the court, I left the vicinity of the
+Army of the Tennessee, and proceeded North.
+
+In departing from Young's Point, I could not obey a certain Scriptural
+injunction, as the mud of Louisiana adheres like glue, and defies all
+efforts to shake it off. Mr. Albert D. Richardson, of The Tribune,
+on behalf of many of my professional friends, called the attention
+of President Lincoln to the little affair between General Sherman and
+myself.
+
+In his recently published book of experiences during the war, Mr.
+Richardson has given a full and graphic account of his interview with
+the President. Mr. Lincoln unbent himself from his official cares,
+told two of his best stories, conversed for an hour or more upon
+the military situation, gave his reasons for the removal of General
+McClellan, and expressed his hope in our ultimate success. Declaring
+it his inflexible determination not to interfere with the conduct of
+any military department, he wrote the following document:--
+
+EXECUTIVE MANSION,
+WASHINGTON, _March_ 20, 1863.
+
+WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
+
+Whereas it appears to my satisfaction that Thomas W. Knox, a
+correspondent of _The New York Herald_, has been, by the sentence of a
+court-martial, excluded from the Military Department under command of
+Major-General Grant, and also that General Thayer, president of
+the court-martial, which rendered the sentence, and Major-General
+McClernand, in command of a corps of that department, and many other
+respectable persons, are of opinion that Mr. Knox's offense was
+technical, rather than willfully wrong, and that the sentence should
+be revoked: Now, therefore, said sentence is hereby so far revoked
+as to allow Mr. Knox to return to General Grant's head-quarters, to
+remain if General Grant shall give his express assent; and to again
+leave the department, if General Grant shall refuse such assent.
+
+A. LINCOLN
+
+
+With this letter I returned to the army. General Grant referred the
+question to General Sherman. In consideration of our quarrel, and
+knowing the unamiable character of the latter officer, I should have
+been greatly surprised had he given any thing else than a refusal. I
+had fully expected to return immediately when I left St. Louis, but,
+like most persons in a controversy, wished to carry my point.
+
+General Sherman long since retrieved his failure at Chickasaw Bayou.
+Throughout the war he was honored with the confidence and friendship
+of General Grant. The career of these officers was not marked by the
+jealousies that are too frequent in military life. The hero of the
+campaign from Chattanooga to Raleigh is destined to be known in
+history. In those successful marches, and in the victories won by his
+tireless and never vanquished army, he has gained a reputation that
+may well be enduring.
+
+Soon after my return from Young's Point, General Grant crossed the
+Mississippi at Grand Gulf, and made his daring and successful movement
+to attain the rear of Vicksburg. Starting with a force less than
+the one his opponent could bring against him, he cut loose from his
+communications and succeeded in severing the enemy's line of supplies.
+From Grand Gulf to Jackson, and from Jackson to the rear of Vicksburg,
+was a series of brilliant marches and brilliant victories. Once seated
+where he had his antagonist's army inclosed, General Grant opened his
+lines to the Yazoo, supplied himself with every thing desired, and
+pressed the siege at his leisure. With the fall of Vicksburg, and the
+fall, a few days later, of Port Hudson, "the Father of Waters went
+unvexed to the Sea."
+
+While the army was crossing the Mississippi at Grand Gulf, three
+well-known journalists, Albert D. Richardson and Junius H. Browne, of
+_The Tribune_, and Richard T. Colburn, of _The World_, attempted to
+run past the Rebel batteries at Vicksburg, on board a tug at midnight.
+The tug was blown up and destroyed; the journalists were captured and
+taken to the Rebel prison at Vicksburg. Thence they were removed to
+Richmond, occupying, while _en route_, the prisons of a half-dozen
+Rebel cities. Mr. Colburn was soon released, but the companions of his
+adventure were destined to pass nearly two years in the prisons of
+the Confederacy. By a fortunate escape and a midwinter march of nearly
+four hundred miles, they reached our lines in safety. In books and in
+lecture-rooms, they have since told the story of their captivity and
+flight.
+
+I have sometimes thought my little quarrel with General Sherman proved
+"a blessing in disguise," in saving me from a similar experience of
+twenty months in Rebel prisons.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+KANSAS IN WAR-TIME.
+
+A Visit to Kansas.--Recollections of Border Feuds.--Peculiarities
+of Kansas Soldiers.--Foraging as a Fine Art.--Kansas and
+Missouri.--Settling Old Scores.--Depopulating the Border
+Counties.--Two Examples of Grand Strategy.--Capture of the
+"Little-More-Grape" Battery.--A Woman in Sorrow.--Frontier
+Justice.--Trial before a "Lynch" Court.--General Blunt's
+Order.--Execution of Horse-Thieves.--Auction Sale of Confiscated
+Property.--Banished to Dixie.
+
+
+In May, 1863, I made a hasty visit to Western Missouri and Kansas, to
+observe the effect of the war in that quarter. Seven years earlier the
+border warfare attracted much attention. The great Rebellion caused
+Kansas and its troubles to sink into insignificance. Since the first
+election of Mr. Lincoln to the Presidency, Kansas has been rarely
+mentioned.
+
+I passed through this young State in the summer of 1860. I was
+repeatedly told: "We have old grudges that we wish to settle; if the
+troubles ever break out again in any part of the United States, we
+hope to cross out our account." When the war opened, the people
+of Kansas saw their opportunity for "making square work," as they
+expressed it, with Missouri and the other slave States. They placed
+two regiments of volunteers in the field with as much celerity as
+was displayed in many of the older and more populous States. These
+regiments were followed by others until fully half the able-bodied
+population of Kansas was in the service. In some localities the
+proportion was even greater than this.
+
+The dash and daring of these Kansas soldiers became proverbial. At
+Wilson Creek, two regiments from Kansas had their first experience of
+battle, and bore themselves most nobly. The conduct of other Kansas
+soldiers, on other battle-fields, was equally commendable. Their
+bravery and endurance was only equaled by their ability in foraging.
+
+Horses, mules, cattle, and provisions have, in all times, been
+considered the legitimate spoils of war. The Kansas soldiers did not
+confine themselves to the above, but appropriated every thing portable
+and valuable, whether useful or useless. Their example was contagious,
+and the entire army soon learned to follow it.
+
+During General Grant's campaign in Mississippi in '62, the Seventh
+Kansas Cavalry obtained a reputation for ubiquity and lawlessness.
+Every man who engaged in plundering on his own account, no matter to
+what regiment he belonged, invariably announced himself a member
+of the Seventh Kansas. Every countryman who was robbed declared the
+robbery was committed by the Seventh Kansas "Jayhawkers." Uniting all
+the stories of robbery, one would conclude that the Seventh Kansas
+was about twenty thousand strong, and constantly in motion by fifty
+different roads, leading to all points of the compass.
+
+One day a soldier of the Second Illinois Cavalry gave me an account of
+his experience in horse-stealing.
+
+"Jim and I went to an old farmer's house, and told him we wanted his
+horses. He said he wanted to use them himself, and couldn't spare
+them.
+
+"'That don't make no sort of difference,' said I; 'we want your horses
+more than you do.'
+
+"'What regiment do you belong to?'
+
+"'Seventh Kansas Jayhawkers. The whole regiment talks of coming round
+here. I reckon I'll bring them.'
+
+"When I told him that," said the soldier, "he said I might take the
+horses, if I would only go away. He offered me a pint of whisky if I
+would promise not to bring the regiment there. Jim and me drank the
+whisky, and told him we would use our influence for him."
+
+Before the war was ended, the entire armies of the Southwest were able
+to equal the "Jayhawkers" in foraging. The march of Sherman's column
+through Mississippi, and afterward through Georgia and South Carolina,
+fully proved this. Particularly in the latter State, which originated
+the Rebellion, were the accomplishments of the foragers most
+conspicuously displayed. Our army left very little for another army to
+use.
+
+The desolation which was spread through the Southern States was among
+the most effective blows at the Rebellion. The Rebels were taught in
+the most practical manner, that insurrection was not to be indulged
+in with impunity. Those who suffered most were generally among the
+earliest to sue for peace. Sherman's terse answer to the mayor of
+Atlanta, when the latter protested against the banishment of the
+inhabitants, was appreciated by the Rebels after our final campaigns.
+"War is cruelty--you cannot refine it," speaks a volume in a few
+words.
+
+When hostilities commenced, the Kansas regiments were clamorous to be
+led into Missouri. During the border war of '55 and '56, Missourians
+invaded Kansas to control the elections by force of arms, and killed,
+often in cold blood, many of the quiet citizens of the Territory. The
+tier of counties in Missouri adjoining Kansas were most anxious
+to make the latter a slave State, and used every possible means to
+accomplish their object.
+
+The Kansas soldiers had their wish. They marched through Missouri.
+Those who had taken part in the outrages upon Kansas, five years
+earlier, were made to feel the hand of retribution. If they had burned
+the buildings of free-State settlers in '56, they found their own
+houses destroyed in '62. In the old troubles they contended for their
+right to make whatever warfare they chose, but were astounded and
+horrified in the latter days, when the tables were turned against them
+by those they had wronged.
+
+Along the frontier of Missouri the old system of warfare was revived.
+Guerrilla bands were formed, of which Quantrel and similar men
+were the leaders. Various incursions were made into Kansas by these
+marauders, and the depredations were worse than ever.
+
+They culminated in the burning of Lawrence and the massacre of its
+inhabitants.
+
+To break up these guerrilla bands, it became necessary to depopulate
+the western tier of counties in Missouri, from the Missouri River down
+to the thirty-eighth parallel of latitude. The most wealthy of these
+was Jackson County. Before the war it had a slave population of not
+far from four thousand, and its fields were highly productive. Two
+years after the war broke out it contained less than three hundred
+slaves, and its wealth had diminished in almost as great proportion.
+This was before any freedom had been officially declared to the
+slaves in the Border States. The order of depopulation had the desired
+effect. It brought peace to the border, though at a terrible cost.
+Missouri suffered greatly, and so did Kansas.
+
+The most prominent officer that Kansas furnished during the Rebellion,
+was Brigadier-General Blunt. At the beginning of the war he enlisted
+as a private soldier, but did not remain long in the ranks. His
+reputation in the field was that of a brave and reckless officer,
+who had little regard to military forms. His successes were due to
+audacity and daring, rather than to skill in handling troops, or a
+knowledge of scientific warfare.
+
+The battle of Cane Hill is said to have commenced by General Blunt and
+his orderlies attacking a Rebel picket. The general was surveying the
+country with his orderlies and a company of cavalry, not suspecting
+the enemy was as near as he proved to be.
+
+At the moment Blunt came upon the picket, the cavalry was looking in
+another direction. Firing began, and the picket was driven in and fell
+back to a piece of artillery, which had an infantry support. Blunt was
+joined by his cavalry, and the gun was taken by a vigorous charge and
+turned upon the Rebels. The latter were kept at bay until the main
+force was brought up and joined in the conflict. The Rebels believed
+we had a much larger number than we really possessed, else our first
+assault might have proved a sudden repulse. The same daring was kept
+up throughout the battle, and gave us the victory.
+
+At this battle we captured four guns, two of which bore a history of
+more than ordinary interest. They were of the old "Bragg's Battery"
+that turned the scale at Buena Vista, in obedience to General Taylor's
+mandate, "Give them a little more grape, captain." After the Mexican
+war they were sent to the United States Arsenal at Baton Rouge, whence
+they were stolen when the insurrection commenced. They were used
+against us at Wilson Creek and Pea Ridge.
+
+At another battle, whose name I have forgotten, our entire force of
+about two thousand men was deployed into a skirmish line that extended
+far beyond the enemy's flanks. The Rebels were nearly six thousand
+strong, and at first manifested a disposition to stand their ground.
+By the audacity of our stratagem they were completely deceived. So
+large a skirmish line was an indication of a proportionately strong
+force to support it. When they found us closing in upon their flanks,
+they concluded we were far superior in numbers, and certain to
+overwhelm them. With but slight resistance they fled the field,
+leaving much of their transportation and equipments to fall into
+our hands. We called in our skirmishers and pressed them in vigorous
+pursuit, capturing wagons and stragglers as we moved.
+
+A year after this occurrence the Rebels played the same trick upon our
+own forces near Fort Smith, Arkansas, and were successful in driving
+us before them. With about five hundred cavalry they formed a skirmish
+line that outflanked our force of two thousand. We fell back several
+miles to the protection of the fort, where we awaited attack. It is
+needless to say that no assault was made.
+
+Van Buren, Arkansas, was captured by eighteen men ten miles in advance
+of any support. This little force moved upon the town in a deployed
+line and entered at one side, while a Rebel regiment moved out at the
+other. Our men thought it judicious not to pursue, but established
+head-quarters, and sent a messenger to hurry up the column before
+the Rebels should discover the true state of affairs. The head of the
+column was five hours in making its appearance.
+
+When the circumstance became known the next day, one of our officers
+found a lady crying very bitterly, and asked what calamity had
+befallen her.
+
+As soon as she could speak she said, through her sobs:
+
+"I am not crying because you have captured the place. We expected
+that." Then came a fresh outburst of grief.
+
+"What _are_ you crying for, then?" asked the officer.
+
+"I am crying because you took it with only eighteen men, when we had a
+thousand that ran away from you!"
+
+The officer thought the reason for her sorrow was amply sufficient,
+and allowed her to proceed with her weeping.
+
+On the day of my arrival at Atchison there was more than ordinary
+excitement. For several months there had been much disregard of
+law outside of the most densely populated portions of the State.
+Robberies, and murders for the sake of robbery, were of frequent
+occurrence. In one week a dozen persons met violent deaths. A citizen
+remarked to me that he did not consider the times a great improvement
+over '55 and '56.
+
+Ten days before my arrival, a party of ruffians visited the house of a
+citizen about twelve miles from Atchison, for the purpose of
+robbery. The man was supposed to have several hundred dollars in his
+possession--the proceeds of a sale of stock. He had placed his funds
+in a bank at Leavenworth; but his visitors refused to believe his
+statement to that effect. They maltreated the farmer and his wife,
+and ended by hanging the farmer's son to a rafter and leaving him for
+dead. In departing, they took away all the horses and mules they could
+find.
+
+Five of these men were arrested on the following day, and taken
+to Atchison. The judge before whom they were brought ordered them
+committed for trial. On the way from the court-house to the jail the
+men were taken from the sheriff by a crowd of citizens. Instead of
+going to jail, they were carried to a grove near the town and placed
+on trial before a "Lynch" court. The trial was conducted with all
+solemnity, and with every display of impartiality to the accused. The
+jury decided that two of the prisoners, who had been most prominent
+in the outrage, should be hanged on that day, while the others
+were remanded to jail for a regular trial. One of the condemned was
+executed. The other, after having a rope around his neck, was respited
+and taken to jail.
+
+On the same day two additional arrests were made, of parties concerned
+in the outrage. These men were tried by a "Lynch" court, as their
+companions had been tried on the previous day. One of them was hanged,
+and the other sent to jail.
+
+For some time the civil power had been inadequate to the punishment of
+crime. The laws of the State were so loosely framed that offenders had
+excellent opportunities to escape their deserts by taking advantage of
+technicalities. The people determined to take the law into their own
+hands, and give it a thorough execution. For the good of society,
+it was necessary to put a stop to the outrages that had been
+so frequently committed. Their only course in such cases was to
+administer justice without regard to the ordinary forms.
+
+A delegation of the citizens of Atchison visited Leavenworth after the
+arrests had been made, to confer with General Blunt, the commander of
+the District, on the best means of securing order. They made a full
+representation of the state of affairs, and requested that two of
+the prisoners, then in jail, should be delivered to the citizens
+for trial. They obtained an order to that effect, addressed to the
+sheriff, who was holding the prisoners in charge.
+
+On the morning of the day following the reception of the order, people
+began to assemble in Atchison from all parts of the county to witness
+the trial. As nearly all the outrages had been committed upon
+the farmers who lived at distances from each other, the trial was
+conducted by the men from the rural districts. The residents of the
+city took little part in the affair. About ten o'clock in the forenoon
+a meeting was called to order in front of the court-house, where the
+following document was read:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS DISTRICT OF KANSAS,
+FORT LEAVENWORTH, _May_ 22, 1863.
+
+TO THE SHERIFF OF ATCHISON COUNTY:
+
+SIR:--In view of the alarming increase of crime, the insecurity of
+life and property within this military district, the inefficiency of
+the civil law to punish offenders, and the small number of troops
+under my command making it impossible to give such protection to
+loyal and law-abiding citizens as I would otherwise desire; you will
+therefore deliver the prisoners, Daniel Mooney and Alexander Brewer,
+now in your possession, to the citizens of Atchison County, for trial
+and punishment by a citizens' court. This course, which in ordinary
+times and under different circumstances could not be tolerated, is
+rendered necessary for the protection of the property and lives of
+honest citizens against the lawless acts of thieves and assassins,
+who, of late, have been perpetrating their crimes with fearful
+impunity, and to prevent which nothing but the most severe and
+summary punishment will suffice. In conducting these irregular
+proceedings, it is to be hoped they will be controlled by men of
+respectability, and that cool judgment and discretion will
+characterize their actions, to the end that the innocent may be
+protected and the guilty punished.
+
+Respectfully, your obedient servant,
+JAMES G. BLUNT,
+_Major-General._
+
+
+After the reading of the above order, resolutions indorsing and
+sustaining the action of General Blunt were passed unanimously. The
+following resolutions were passed separately, their reading being
+greeted with loud cheers. They are examples of strength rather than of
+elegance.
+
+
+"_Resolved_, That we pledge ourselves not to stop hanging until the
+thieves stop thieving.
+
+"_Resolved_, That as this is a citizens' court, we have no use for
+lawyers, either for the accused or for the people."
+
+
+A judge and jury were selected from the assemblage, and embraced some
+of the best known and most respected citizens of the county. Their
+selection was voted upon, just as if they had been the officers of a
+political gathering. As soon as elected, they proceeded to the trial
+of the prisoners.
+
+The evidence was direct and conclusive, and the prisoners were
+sentenced to death by hanging. The verdict was read to the multitude,
+and a vote taken upon its acceptance or rejection. Nineteen-twentieths
+of those present voted that the sentence should be carried into
+execution.
+
+The prisoners were taken from the court-house to the grove where the
+preceding executions had taken place. They were made to stand upon a
+high wagon while ropes were placed about their necks and attached to
+the limb of a large, spreading elm. When all was ready, the wagon was
+suddenly drawn from beneath the prisoners, and their earthly career
+was ended.
+
+A half-hour later the crowd had dispersed. The following morning
+showed few traces of the excitement of the previous day. The
+executions were effectual in restoring quiet to the region which had
+been so much disturbed.
+
+The Rebel sympathizers in St. Louis took many occasions to complain
+of the tyranny of the National Government. At the outset there was a
+delusion that the Government had no rights that should be respected,
+while every possible right belonged to the Rebels. General Lyon
+removed the arms from the St. Louis arsenal to a place of safety at
+Springfield, Illinois. "He had no constitutional right to do that,"
+was the outcry of the Secessionists. He commenced the organization of
+Union volunteers for the defense of the city. The Constitution made no
+provision for this. He captured Camp Jackson, and took his prisoners
+to the arsenal. This, they declared, was a most flagrant violation of
+constitutional privileges. He moved upon the Rebels in the interior,
+and the same defiance of law was alleged. He suppressed the secession
+organ in St. Louis, thus trampling upon the liberties of the Rebel
+Press.
+
+General Fremont declared the slaves of Rebels were free, and thus
+infringed upon the rights of property. Numbers of active, persistent
+traitors were arrested and sent to military prisons: a manifest
+tyranny on the part of the Government. In one way and another the
+unfortunate and long-suffering Rebels were most sadly abused, if their
+own stories are to be regarded.
+
+It was forbidden to display Rebel emblems in public: a cruel
+restriction of personal right. The wealthy Secessionists of St. Louis
+were assessed the sum of ten thousand dollars, for the benefit of the
+Union refugees from Arkansas and other points in the Southwest. This
+was another outrage. These persons could not understand why they
+should be called upon to contribute to the support of Union people who
+had been rendered houseless and penniless by Rebels elsewhere. They
+made a most earnest protest, but their remonstrances were of no
+avail. In default of payment of the sums assessed, their superfluous
+furniture was seized and sold at auction. This was a violation of the
+laws that exempt household property from seizure.
+
+The auction sale of these goods was largely attended. The bidding was
+very spirited. Pianos, ottomans, mirrors, sofas, chairs, and all the
+adornments of the homes of affluence, were sold for "cash in United
+States Treasury notes." Some of the parties assessed declared they
+would pay nothing on the assessment, but they reconsidered their
+decisions, and bought their own property at the auction-rooms, without
+regard to the prices they paid. In subsequent assessments they found
+it better to pay without hesitation whatever sums were demanded of
+them. They spoke and labored against the Union until they found such
+efforts were of no use. They could never understand why they should
+not enjoy the protection of the flag without being called upon to give
+it material aid.
+
+In May, 1863, another grievance was added to the list. It became
+necessary, for the good of the city, to banish some of the more
+prominent Rebel sympathizers.
+
+It was a measure which the Rebels and their friends opposed in the
+strongest terms. These persons were anxious to see the Confederacy
+established, but could not consent to live in its limits. They
+resorted to every device to evade the order, but were not allowed to
+remain. Representations of personal and financial inconvenience were
+of no avail; go they must.
+
+The first exodus took place on the 13th of May. An immense crowd
+thronged the levee as the boat which was to remove the exiles took
+its departure. In all there were about thirty persons, half of them
+ladies. The men were escorted to the boat on foot, but the ladies were
+brought to the landing in carriages, and treated with every possible
+courtesy. A strong guard was posted at the landing to preserve order
+and allow no insult of any kind to the prisoners.
+
+One of the young women ascended to the hurricane roof of the steamer
+and cheered for the "Confederacy." As the boat swung into the stream,
+this lady was joined by two others, and the trio united their sweet
+voices in singing "Dixie" and the "Bonnie Blue Flag." There was no
+cheering or other noisy demonstration at their departure, though there
+was a little waving of handkerchiefs, and a few tokens of farewell
+were given. This departure was soon followed by others, until St.
+Louis was cleared of its most turbulent spirits.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+GETTYSBURG.
+
+A Hasty Departure.--At Harrisburg.--_En route_ for the Army of
+the Potomac.--The Battle-Field at Gettysburg.--Appearance of
+the Cemetery.--Importance of the Position.--The Configuration
+of Ground.--Traces of Battle.--Round Hill.--General Meade's
+Head-Quarters.--Appearance of the Dead.--Through the Forests along the
+Line.--Retreat and Pursuit of Lee.
+
+
+While in St. Louis, late in June, 1863, I received the following
+telegram:--
+
+
+"HERALD OFFICE,
+"NEW YORK, _June_ 28.
+
+"Report at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at the earliest possible moment."
+
+
+Two hours later, I was traveling eastward as fast as an express train
+could carry me.
+
+The Rebel army, under General Lee, had crossed the Potomac, and
+was moving toward Harrisburg. The Army of the Potomac was in rapid
+pursuit. A battle was imminent between Harrisburg and Baltimore.
+
+Waiting a day at Harrisburg, I found the capital of the Keystone State
+greatly excited. The people were slow to move in their own behalf.
+Earth-works were being thrown up on the south bank of the Susquehanna,
+principally by the soldiers from other parts of Pennsylvania and from
+New York.
+
+When it was first announced that the enemy was approaching, only
+seventeen men volunteered to form a local defense. I saw no such
+enthusiasm on the part of the inhabitants as I had witnessed at
+Cincinnati during the previous autumn. Pennsylvania sent many
+regiments to the field during the war, and her soldiers gained a
+fine reputation; but the best friends of the State will doubtless
+acknowledge that Harrisburg was slow to act when the Rebels made their
+last great invasion.
+
+I was ordered to join the Army of the Potomac wherever I could find
+it. As I left Harrisburg, I learned that a battle was in progress.
+Before I could reach the field the great combat had taken place. The
+two contending armies had made Gettysburg historic.
+
+I joined our army on the day after the battle. I could find no person
+of my acquaintance, amid the confusion that followed the termination
+of three days' fighting. The army moved in pursuit of Lee, whose
+retreat was just commencing. As our long lines stretched away toward
+the Potomac, I walked over the ground where the battle had raged,
+and studied the picture that was presented. I reproduce, in part, my
+letter of that occasion:--
+
+
+
+"Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, _July_ 6,1863.
+
+"To-day I have passed along the whole ground where the lines of battle
+were drawn. The place bears evidence of a fierce struggle. The shocks
+of those two great armies surging and resurging, the one against
+the other, could hardly pass without leaving their traces in fearful
+characters. At Waterloo, at Wagram, and at Jena the wheat grows more
+luxuriantly, and the corn shoots its stalks further toward the sky
+than before the great conflicts that rendered those fields famous. The
+broad acres of Gettysburg and Antietam will in future years yield the
+farmer a richer return than he has hithto received.
+
+"Passing out of Gettysburg by the Baltimore turnpike, we come in a
+few steps to the entrance of the cemetery. Little of the inclosure
+remains, save the gateway, from which the gates have been torn. The
+neat wooden fence, first thrown down to facilitate the movement of our
+artillery, was used for fuel, as the soldiers made their camp on the
+spot. A few scattered palings are all that remain. The cemetery was
+such as we usually find near thrifty towns like Gettysburg. None of
+the monuments and adornings were highly expensive, though all were
+neat, and a few were elaborate. There was considerable taste displayed
+in the care of the grounds, as we can see from the few traces
+that remain. The eye is arrested by a notice, prominently posted,
+forbidding the destruction or mutilation of any shrub, tree, or stone
+about the place, under severe penalties. The defiance that war gives
+to the civil law is forcibly apparent as one peruses those warning
+lines.
+
+"Monuments and head-stones lie everywhere overturned. Graves, which
+loving hands once carefully adorned, have been trampled by horses'
+feet until the vestiges of verdure have disappeared. The neat and
+well-trained shrubbery has vanished, or is but a broken and withered
+mass of tangled brushwood. On one grave lies the body of a horse, fast
+decomposing under the July sun. On another lie the torn garments of
+some wounded soldier, stained and saturated with blood. Across a small
+head-stone, bearing the words, 'To the memory of our beloved child,
+Mary,' lie the fragments of a musket shattered by a cannon-shot.
+
+"In the center of a space inclosed by an iron fence, and containing a
+half-dozen graves, a few rails are standing where they were erected by
+our soldiers to form their shelter in bivouac. A family shaft has been
+broken in fragments by a shell. Stone after stone felt the effects of
+the _feu d'enfer_ that was poured upon the crest of the hill. Cannon
+thundered, and foot and horse soldiers tramped over the resting-place
+of the dead. Other dead were added to those who are resting here. Many
+a wounded soldier lives to remember the contest above those silent
+graves.
+
+"The hill on which this cemetery is located was the center of our line
+of battle and the key to our position. Had the Rebels been able to
+carry this point, they would have forced us into retreat, and the
+battle would have been lost. To pierce our line in this locality was
+Lee's great endeavor, and he threw his best brigades against it. Wave
+after wave of living valor rolled up that slope, only to roll back
+again under the deadly fire of our artillery and infantry. It was on
+this hill, a little to the right of the cemetery, where the 'Louisiana
+Tigers' made their famous charge. It was their boast that they were
+never yet foiled in an attempt to take a battery; but on this
+occasion they suffered a defeat, and were nearly annihilated. Sad and
+dispirited, they mourn their repulse and their terrible losses in the
+assault.
+
+"From the summit of this hill a large portion of the battle-ground
+is spread out before the spectator. In front and at his feet lies the
+town of Gettysburg, containing, in quiet times, a population of four
+or five thousand souls. It is not more than a hundred yards to the
+houses in the edge of the village, where the contest with the Rebel
+sharp-shooters took place. To the left of the town stretches a long
+valley, bounded on each side by a gently-sloping ridge. The crest of
+each ridge is distant nearly a mile from the other. It was on these
+ridges that the lines of battle on the second and third days were
+formed, the Rebel line being on the ridge to the westward. The one
+stretching directly from our left hand, and occupied by our own men,
+has but little timber upon it, while that held by the rebels can
+boast of several groves of greater or less extent. In one of these
+the Pennsylvania College is embowered, while in another is seen the
+Theological Seminary. Half-way between the ridges are the ruins of a
+large brick building burned during the engagement. Dotted about, here
+and there, are various brick and frame structures. Two miles at our
+left rises a sharp-pointed elevation, known to the inhabitants of the
+region as Round Hill. Its sides are wooded, and the forest stretches
+from its base across the valley to the crest of the western ridge.
+
+"It must not be supposed that the space between the ridges is an even
+plain, shaven with, the scythe and leveled with the roller. It rises
+and falls gently, and with little regularity, but in no place is
+it steep of ascent. Were it not for its ununiformity and for the
+occasional sprinkling of trees over its surface, it could be compared
+to a patch of rolling prairie in miniature. To the southwest of the
+further ridge is seen the mountain region of Western Maryland, behind
+which the Rebels had their line of retreat. It is not a wild, rough
+mass of mountains, but a region of hills of the larger and more
+inaccessible sort. They are traversed by roads only in a few
+localities, and their passage, except through, the gaps, is difficult
+for a single team, and impossible for an army.
+
+"The Theological Seminary was the scene of a fierce struggle. It was
+beyond it where the First and Eleventh Corps contended with Ewell and
+Longstreet on the first day of the engagement. Afterward, finding the
+Rebels were too strong for them, they fell back to a new position,
+this building being included in the line. The walls of the Seminary
+were perforated by shot and shell, and the bricks are indented with
+numerous bullet-marks. Its windows show the effects of the musketry,
+and but little glass remains to shut out the cold and rain. The
+building is now occupied as a hospital by the Rebels. The Pennsylvania
+College is similarly occupied, and the instruction of its students is
+neglected for the present.
+
+"In passing from the cemetery along the crest of the ridge where our
+line of battle stood, I first came upon the position occupied by
+some of our batteries. This is shown by the many dead horses lying
+unburied, and by the mounds which mark where others have been slightly
+covered up. There are additional traces of an artillery fight. Here
+is a broken wheel of a gun-carriage, an exploded caisson, a handspike,
+and some of the accoutrements of the men. In the fork of a tree I
+found a Testament, with the words, 'Charles Durrale, Corporal of
+Company G,' written on the fly-leaf. The guns and the gunners, have
+disappeared. Some of the latter are now with the column moving in
+pursuit of the enemy, others are suffering in the hospitals, and still
+others are resting where the bugle's reveille shall never wake them.
+
+"Between the cemetery and the town and at the foot of the ridge where
+I stand, runs the road leading to Emmetsburg. It is not a turnpike,
+but a common dirt-road, and, as it leaves the main street leading into
+town, it makes a diagonal ascent of the hill. On the eastern side,
+this road is bordered by a stone wall for a short distance.
+Elsewhere on both sides there is only a rail fence. A portion of our
+sharp-shooters took position behind this wall, and erected traverses
+to protect them from a flanking fire, should the enemy attempt to move
+up the road from Gettysburg. These traverses are constructed at right
+angles to the wall, by making a 'crib' of fence-rails, two feet high
+and the same distance apart, and then filling the crib with dirt.
+Further along I find the rails from the western side of the road,
+piled against the fence on the east, so as to form a breast-work two
+or three feet in height--a few spadesful of dirt serve to fill the
+interstices. This defense was thrown up by the Rebels at the time they
+were holding the line of the roads.
+
+"Moving to the left, I find still more severe traces of artillery
+fighting. Twenty-seven dead horses on a space of little more than one
+acre is evidence of heavy work. Here are a few scattered trees, which
+were evidently used as a screen for our batteries. These trees did not
+escape the storm of shot and shell that was rained in that direction.
+Some of them were perforated by cannon-shot, or have been completely
+cut off in that peculiar splintering that marks the course of a
+projectile through green wood. Near the scene of this fighting is a
+large pile of muskets and cartridge-boxes collected from the field.
+Considerable work has been done in thus gathering the débris of the
+battle, but it is by no means complete. Muskets, bayonets, and sabers
+are scattered everywhere.
+
+"My next advance to the left carries me where the ground is thickly
+studded with graves. In one group I count a dozen graves of soldiers
+belonging to the Twentieth Massachusetts; near them are buried the
+dead of the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh New York, and close at hand
+an equal number from the Twelfth New Jersey. Care has been taken to
+place a head-board at each grave, with a legible inscription thereon,
+showing whose remains are resting beneath. On one board the comrades
+of the dead soldier had nailed the back of his knapsack, which bore
+his name. On another was a brass plate, bearing the soldier's name in
+heavily stamped letters.
+
+"Moving still to the left, I found an orchard in which the fighting
+appears to have been desperate in the extreme. Artillery shot had
+plowed the ground in every direction, and the trees did not escape the
+fury of the storm. The long bolts of iron, said by our officers to be
+a modification of the Whitworth projectile, were quite numerous. The
+Rebels must have been well supplied with this species of ammunition,
+and they evidently used it with no sparing hand. At one time I counted
+twelve of these bolts lying on a space not fifty feet square. I am
+told that many shot and shell passed over the heads of our soldiers
+during the action.
+
+"A mile from our central position at the cemetery, was a field of
+wheat, and near it a large tract, on which corn had been growing.
+The wheat was trampled by the hurrying feet of the dense masses of
+infantry, as they changed their positions during the battle. In the
+cornfield artillery had been stationed, and moved about as often as
+the enemy obtained its range. Hardly a hill of corn is left in its
+pristine luxuriance. The little that escaped the hoof or the wheel,
+as the guns moved from place to place, was nibbled by hungry horses
+during the bivouac subsequent to the battle. Not a stalk of wheat is
+upright; not a blade of corn remains uninjured; all has fallen long
+before the time of harvest. Another harvest, in which Death was the
+reaper, has been gathered above it.
+
+"On our extreme left the pointed summit of a hill, a thousand feet in
+elevation, rises toward the sky. Beyond it, the country falls off into
+the mountain region that extends to the Potomac and across it into
+Virginia. This hill is quite difficult of ascent, and formed a strong
+position, on which the left of our line rested. The enemy assaulted
+this point with great fury, throwing his divisions, one after the
+other, against it. Their efforts were of no avail. Our men defended
+their ground against every attack. It was like the dash of the French
+at Waterloo against the immovable columns of the English. Stubborn
+resistance overcame the valor of the assailants. Again and again they
+came to the assault, only to fall back as they had advanced. Our left
+held its ground, though it lost heavily.
+
+"On this portion of the line, about midway between the crests of the
+ridges, is a neat farm-house. Around this dwelling the battle raged,
+as around Hougoumont at Waterloo. At one time it was in the possession
+of the Rebels, and was fiercely attacked by our men. The walls were
+pierced by shot and shell, many of the latter exploding within,
+and making a scene of devastation. The glass was shattered by rifle
+bullets on every side, and the wood-work bears testimony to the
+struggle. The sharp-shooters were in every room, and added to the
+disorder caused by the explosion of shells. The soldiers destroyed
+what the missiles spared. The Rebels were driven from the house, and
+the position was taken by our own men. They, in turn, were dislodged,
+but finally secured a permanent footing in the place.
+
+"Retracing my steps from the extreme left, I return to the center of
+our position on Cemetery Hill. I do not follow the path by which I
+came, but take a route along the hollow, between the two ridges. It
+was across this hollow that the Rebels made their assaults upon our
+position. Much blood was poured out between these two swells of land.
+Most of the dead were buried where they fell, or gathered in little
+clusters beneath some spreading tree or beside clumps of bushes. Some
+of the Rebel dead are still unburied. I find one of these as I descend
+a low bank to the side of a small spring. The body is lying near the
+spring, as if the man had crawled there to obtain a draught of water.
+Its hands are outspread upon the earth, and clutching at the little
+tufts of grass beneath them. The soldier's haversack and canteen are
+still remaining, and his hat is lying not far away.
+
+"A few paces distant is another corpse, with its hands thrown upward
+in the position the soldier occupied when he received his fatal wound.
+The clothing is not torn, no blood appears upon the garments, and the
+face, though swollen, bears no expression of anguish. Twenty yards
+away are the remains of a body cut in two by a shell. The grass is
+drenched in blood, that the rain of yesterday has not washed away.
+As I move forward I find the body of a Rebel soldier, evidently
+slain while taking aim over a musket. The hands are raised, the left
+extended beyond the right, and the fingers of the former partly bent,
+as if they had just been grasping the stock of a gun. One foot is
+advanced, and the body is lying on its right side. To appearances it
+did not move a muscle after receiving its death-wound. Another body
+attracts my attention by its delicate white hands, and its face black
+as that of a negro.
+
+"The farm-house on the Emmetsburg road, where General Meade held his
+head-quarters during the cannonade, is most fearfully cut up. General
+Lee masked his artillery, and opened with one hundred and thirty
+pieces at the same moment. Two shells in every second of time fell
+around those head-quarters. They tore through the little white
+building, exploding and scattering their fragments in every direction.
+Not a spot in its vicinity was safe. One shell through the door-step,
+another in the chimney, a third shattering a rafter, a fourth carrying
+away the legs of a chair in which an officer was seated; others
+severing and splintering the posts in front of the house, howling
+through the trees by which the dwelling was surrounded, and raising
+deep furrows in the soft earth. One officer, and another, and another
+were wounded. Strange to say, amid all this iron hail, no one of the
+staff was killed.
+
+"Once more at the cemetery, I crossed the Baltimore turnpike to the
+hill that forms the extremity of the ridge, on which the main portion
+of our line of battle was located. I followed this ridge to the point
+held by our extreme right. About midway along the ridge was the scene
+of the fiercest attack upon that portion of the field. Tree after
+tree was scarred from base to limbs so thickly that it would have been
+impossible to place one's hand upon the trunk without covering the
+marks of a bullet. One tree was stripped of more than half its leaves;
+many of its twigs were partially severed, and hanging wilted and
+nearly ready to drop to the ground. The trunk of the tree, about ten
+inches in diameter, was cut and scarred in every part. The fire
+which struck these trees was that from our muskets upon the advancing
+Rebels. Every tree and bush for the distance of half a mile along
+these works was nearly as badly marked. The rocks, wherever they faced
+our breast-works, were thickly stippled with dots like snow-flakes.
+The missiles, flattened by contact with the rock, were lying among the
+leaves, giving little indication of their former character.
+
+"Our sharp-shooters occupied novel positions. One of them found half
+a hollow log, standing upright, with a hole left by the removal of a
+knot, which gave him an excellent embrasure. Some were in tree-tops,
+others in nooks among the rocks, and others behind temporary
+barricades of their own construction. Owing to the excellence of our
+defenses, the Rebels lost heavily."
+
+
+
+A few days after visiting this field, I joined the army in Western
+Maryland. The Rebels were between us and the Potomac. We were steadily
+pressing them, rather with a design of driving them across the Potomac
+without further fighting, than of bringing on an engagement. Lee
+effected his crossing in safety, only a few hundred men of his
+rear-guard being captured on the left bank of the Potomac.
+
+The Maryland campaign was ended when Lee was driven out. Our army
+crossed the Potomac further down that stream, but made no vigorous
+pursuit. I returned to New York, and once more proceeded to the West.
+
+Our victory in Pennsylvania was accompanied by the fall of Vicksburg
+and the surrender of Pemberton's army. A few days later, the capture
+of Port Hudson was announced. The struggle for the possession of the
+Mississippi was substantially ended when the Rebel fortifications
+along its banks fell into our hands.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+IN THE NORTHWEST.
+
+From Chicago to Minnesota.--Curiosities of Low-Water Navigation.--St.
+Paul and its Sufferings in Earlier Days.--The Indian War.--A Brief
+History of our Troubles in that Region.--General Pope's Expeditions to
+Chastise the Red Man.--Honesty in the Indian Department.--The End of
+the Warfare.--The Pacific Railway.--A Bold Undertaking.--Penetrating
+British Territory.--The Hudson Bay Company.--Peculiarities of a
+Trapper's Life.
+
+
+Early in September, 1863, I found myself in Chicago, breathing the
+cool, fresh air from Lake Michigan. From Chicago to Milwaukee I
+skirted the shores of the lake, and from the latter city pushed
+across Wisconsin to the Mississippi River. Here it was really the blue
+Mississippi: its appearance was a pleasing contrast to the general
+features of the river a thousand miles below. The banks, rough and
+picturesque, rose abruptly from the water's edge, forming cliffs that
+overtopped the table-land beyond. These cliffs appeared in endless
+succession, as the boat on which I traveled steamed up the river
+toward St. Paul. Where the stream widened into Lake Pepin, they seemed
+more prominent and more precipitous than elsewhere, as the larger
+expanse of water was spread at their base. The promontory known as
+"Maiden's Rock" is the most conspicuous of all. The Indians relate
+that some daughter of the forest, disappointed in love, once leaped
+from its summit to the rough rocks, two hundred feet below. Her lover,
+learning her fate, visited the spot, gazed from the fearful height,
+and, after a prayer to the Great Spirit who watches over the Red
+Man--returned to his friends and broke the heart of another Indian
+maid.
+
+Passing Lake Pepin and approaching St. Paul, the river became very
+shallow. There had been little rain during the summer, and the
+previous spring witnessed no freshet in that region. The effect was
+apparent in the condition of the Mississippi. In the upper waters
+boats moved with difficulty. The class that is said to steam wherever
+there is a heavy dew, was brought into active use. From St. Paul to a
+point forty miles below, only the lightest of the "stern-wheel" boats
+could make any headway. The inhabitants declared they had never before
+known such a low stage of water, and earnestly hoped it would not
+occur again. It was paralyzing much of the business of the State.
+Many flouring and lumber mills were lying idle. Transportation was
+difficult, and the rates very high. A railway was being constructed
+to connect with the roads from Chicago, but it was not sufficiently
+advanced to be of any service.
+
+Various stories were in circulation concerning the difficulties of
+navigation on the Upper Mississippi in a low stage of water. One pilot
+declared the wheels of his boat actually raised a cloud of dust in
+many places. Another said his boat could run easily in the moisture on
+the outside of a pitcher of ice-water, but could not move to advantage
+in the river between Lake Pepin and St. Paul. A person interested in
+the railway proposed to secure a charter for laying the track in the
+bed of the Mississippi, but feared the company would be unable to
+supply the locomotives with water on many portions of the route. Many
+other jests were indulged in, all of which were heartily appreciated
+by the people of St. Paul.
+
+The day after my arrival at St. Paul, I visited the famous Falls of
+the Minnehaha. I am unable to give them a minute description, my visit
+being very brief. Its brevity arose from the entire absence of water
+in the stream which supplies the fall. That fluid is everywhere
+admitted to be useful for purposes of navigation, and I think it
+equally desirable in the formation of a cascade.
+
+The inhabitants of St. Paul have reason to bless the founders of their
+city for the excellent site of the future metropolis of the Northwest.
+Overlooking and almost overhanging the river in one part, in another
+it slopes gently down to the water's edge, to the levee where the
+steamers congregate. Back from the river the limits of the city extend
+for several miles, and admit of great expansion. With a hundred years
+of prosperity there would still be ample room for growth.
+
+Before the financial crash in '57, this levee was crowded with
+merchandise from St. Louis and Chicago. Storage was not always to be
+had, though the construction of buildings was rapidly pushed. Business
+was active, speculation was carried to the furthest limit, everybody
+had money in abundance, and scattered it with no niggard hand. In
+many of the brokers' windows, placards were posted offering
+alluring inducements to capitalists. "Fifty per cent. guaranteed on
+investments," was set forth on these placards, the offers coming from
+parties considered perfectly sound. Fabulous sums were paid for
+wild land and for lots in apocryphal towns. All was prosperity and
+activity.
+
+By-and-by came the crash, and this well-founded town passed through
+a period of mourning and fasting. St. Paul saw many of its best
+and heaviest houses vanish into thin air; merchants, bankers,
+land-speculators, lumbermen, all suffered alike. Some disappeared
+forever; others survived the shock, but never recovered their former
+footing. Large amounts of property went under the auctioneer's hammer,
+"to be sold without limit." Lots of land which cost two or three
+hundred dollars in '56, were sold at auction in '58 for five or six
+dollars each. Thousands of people lost their all in these unfortunate
+land-speculations. Others who survived the crash have clung to their
+acres, hoping that prosperity may return to the Northwest. At present
+their wealth consists mainly of Great Expectations.
+
+Though suffering greatly, the capital and business center of Minnesota
+was by no means ruined. The speculators departed, but the farmers and
+other working classes remained. Business "touched bottom" and then
+slowly revived. St. Paul existed through all the calamity, and its
+people soon learned the actual necessities of Minnesota. While they
+mourn the departure of the "good times," many of them express a belief
+that those happy days were injurious to the permanent prosperity of
+the State.
+
+St. Paul is one of the few cities of the world whose foundation
+furnishes the material for their construction. The limestone rock on
+which it is built is in layers of about a foot in thickness, and very
+easy to quarry. The blocks require little dressing to fit them for
+use. Though very soft at first, the stone soon hardens by exposure to
+the air, and forms a neat and durable wall. In digging a cellar one
+will obtain more than sufficient stone for the walls of his house.
+
+At the time of my visit the Indian expedition of 1863 had just
+returned, and was camped near Fort Snelling. This expedition was sent
+out by General Pope, for the purpose of chastising the Sioux Indians.
+It was under command of General Sibley, and accomplished a march of
+nearly six hundred miles. As it lay in camp at Fort Snelling, the men
+and animals presented the finest appearance I had ever observed in an
+army just returned from a long campaign.
+
+The Sioux massacres of 1862, and the campaign of General Pope in the
+autumn of that year, attracted much attention. Nearly all the settlers
+in the valley of the Minnesota above Fort Snelling were killed or
+driven off. Other localities suffered to a considerable extent. The
+murders--like nearly all murders of whites by the Indians--were of
+the most atrocious character. The history of those massacres is a
+chronicle of horrors rarely equaled during the present century. Whole
+counties were made desolate, and the young State, just recovering from
+its financial misfortunes, received a severe blow to its prosperity.
+
+Various causes were assigned for the outbreak of hostilities on the
+part of the Sioux Indians. Very few residents of Minnesota, in view
+of the atrocities committed by the Indians, could speak calmly of the
+troubles. All were agreed that there could be no peace and security
+until the white men were the undisputed possessors of the land.
+
+Before the difficulties began, there was for some time a growing
+discontent on the part of the Indians, on account of repeated
+grievances. Just previous to the outbreak, these Indians were summoned
+to one of the Government Agencies to receive their annuities. These
+annuities had been promised them at a certain time, but were not
+forthcoming. The agents, as I was informed, had the money (in coin) as
+it was sent from Washington, but were arranging to pay the Indians in
+Treasury notes and pocket the premium on the gold. The Indians were
+kept waiting while the gold was being exchanged for greenbacks. There
+was a delay in making this exchange, and the Indians were put off from
+day to day with promises instead of money.
+
+An Indian knows nothing about days of grace, protests, insolvency,
+expansions, and the other technical terms with which Wall Street is
+familiar. He can take no explanation of broken promises, especially
+when those promises are made by individuals who claim to represent the
+Great Father at Washington. In this case the Sioux lost all confidence
+in the agents, who had broken their word from day to day. Added to the
+mental annoyance, there was great physical suffering. The traders at
+the post would sell nothing without cash payment, and, without money,
+the Indians were unable to procure what the stores contained in
+abundance.
+
+The annuities were not paid, and the traders refused to sell on
+credit. Some of the Indians were actually starving, and one day they
+forced their way into a store to obtain food. Taking possession, they
+supplied themselves with what they desired. Among other things, they
+found whisky, of the worst and most fiery quality. Once intoxicated,
+all the bad passions of the savages were let loose. In their drunken
+frenzy, the Indians killed one of the traders. The sight of blood made
+them furious. Other white men at the Agency were killed, and thus the
+contagion spread.
+
+From the Agency the murderers spread through the valley of the St.
+Peter's, proclaiming war against the whites. They made no distinction
+of age or sex. The atrocities they committed are among the most
+fiendish ever recorded.
+
+The outbreak of these troubles was due to the conduct of the agents
+who were dealing with the Indians. Knowing, as they should have known,
+the character of the red man everywhere, and aware that the Sioux were
+at that time discontented, it was the duty of those agents to treat
+them with the utmost kindness and generosity. I do not believe the
+Indians, when they plundered the store at the Agency, had any design
+beyond satisfying their hunger. But with one murder committed, there
+was no restraint upon their passions.
+
+Many of our transactions with the Indians, in the past twenty years,
+have not been characterized by the most scrupulous honesty. The
+Department of the Interior has an interior history that would not bear
+investigation. It is well known that the furnishing of supplies to the
+Indians often enriches the agents and their political friends.
+There is hardly a tribe along our whole frontier that has not been
+defrauded. Dishonesty in our Indian Department was notorious during
+Buchanan's Administration. The retirement of Buchanan and his cabinet
+did not entirely bring this dishonesty to an end.
+
+An officer of the Hudson Bay Company told me, in St. Paul, that it
+was the strict order of the British Government, enforced in letter
+and spirit by the Company, to keep full faith with the Indians.
+Every stipulation is most scrupulously carried out. The slightest
+infringement by a white man upon the rights of the Indians is punished
+with great severity. They are furnished with the best qualities
+of goods, and the quantity never falls below the stipulations.
+Consequently the Indian has no cause of complaint, and is kept on the
+most friendly terms. This officer said, "A white man can travel from
+one end to the other of our territory, with no fear of molestation. It
+is forty years since any trouble occurred between us and the Indians,
+while on your side of the line you have frequent difficulties."
+
+The autumn of '62 witnessed the campaign for the chastisement of
+these Indians. Twenty-five thousand men were sent to Minnesota, under
+General Pope, and employed against the Sioux. In a wild country, like
+the interior of Minnesota, infantry cannot be used to advantage. On
+this account, the punishment of the Indians was not as complete as our
+authorities desired.
+
+Some of the Indians were captured, some killed, and others
+surrendered. Thirty-nine of the captives were hanged. A hundred others
+were sent to prison at Davenport, Iowa, for confinement during life.
+The coming of Winter caused a suspension of hostilities.
+
+The spring of 1863 opened with the outfitting of two expeditions--one
+to proceed through Minnesota, under General Sibley, and the other
+up the Missouri River, under General Sully. These expeditions were
+designed to unite somewhere on the Missouri River, and, by inclosing
+the Indians between them, to bring them to battle. If the plan was
+successful, the Indians would be severely chastised.
+
+General Sibley moved across Minnesota, according to agreement, and
+General Sully advanced up the Missouri. The march of the latter was
+delayed on account of the unprecedented low water in the Missouri,
+which retarded the boats laden with supplies. Although the two columns
+failed to unite, they were partially successful in their primary
+object. Each column engaged the Indians and routed them with
+considerable loss.
+
+After the return of General Sibley's expedition, a portion of the
+troops composing it were sent to the Southwest, and attached to the
+armies operating in Louisiana.
+
+The Indian war in Minnesota dwindled to a fight on the part of
+politicians respecting its merits in the past, and the best mode of
+conducting it in the future. General Pope, General Sibley, and General
+Sully were praised and abused to the satisfaction of every resident
+of the State. Laudation and denunciation were poured out with equal
+liberality. The contest was nearly as fierce as the struggle between
+the whites and Indians. If epithets had been as fatal as bullets, the
+loss of life would have been terrible. Happily, the wordy battle was
+devoid of danger, and the State of Minnesota, her politicians, her
+generals, and her men emerged from it without harm.
+
+Various schemes have been devised for placing the Sioux Indians where
+they will not be in our way. No spot of land can be found between
+the Mississippi and the Pacific where their presence would not be an
+annoyance to somebody. General Pope proposed to disarm these Indians,
+allot no more reservations to them, and allow no traders among them.
+He recommended that they be placed on Isle Royale, in Lake Superior,
+and there furnished with barracks, rations, and clothing, just as the
+same number of soldiers would be furnished. They should have no arms,
+and no means of escaping to the main-land. They would thus be secluded
+from all evil influence, and comfortably housed and cared for at
+Government expense. If this plan should be adopted, it would be a
+great relief to the people of our Northwestern frontier.
+
+Minnesota has fixed its desires upon a railway to the Pacific. The
+"St. Paul and Pacific Railway" is already in operation about forty
+miles west of St. Paul, and its projectors hope, in time, to extend it
+to the shores of the "peaceful sea." It has called British capital to
+its aid, and is slowly but steadily progressing.
+
+In the latter part of 1858 several enterprising citizens of St.
+Paul took a small steamer in midwinter from the upper waters of the
+Mississippi to the head of navigation, on the Red River of the North.
+The distance was two hundred and fifty miles, and the route lay
+through a wilderness. Forty yoke of oxen were required for moving the
+boat. When navigation was open in the spring of 1859, the boat (the
+_Anson Northrup_) steamed down to Fort Garry, the principal post of
+the Hudson Bay Company, taking all the inhabitants by surprise. None
+of them had any intimation of its coming, and were, consequently, as
+much astonished as if the steamer had dropped from the clouds.
+
+The agents of the Hudson Bay Company purchased the steamer, a few
+hours after its arrival, for about four times its value. They hoped
+to continue their seclusion by so doing; but were doomed to
+disappointment. Another and larger boat was built in the following
+year at Georgetown, Minnesota, the spot where the _Northrup_ was
+launched. The isolation of the fur-traders was ended. The owners of
+the second steamer (the _International_) were the proprietors of a
+stage and express line to all parts of Minnesota. They extended their
+line to Fort Garry, and soon established a profitable business.
+
+From its organization in 1670, down to 1860, the Hudson Bay Company
+sent its supplies, and received its furs in return, by way of the
+Arctic Ocean and Hudson's Bay. There are only two months in the year
+in which a ship can enter or leave Hudson's Bay. A ship sailing
+from London in January, enters the Bay in August. When the cargo is
+delivered at York Factory, at the mouth of Nelson's River, it is
+too late in the season to send the goods to the great lakes of
+Northwestern America, where the trading posts are located. In the
+following May the goods are forwarded. They go by canoes where the
+river is navigable, and are carried on the backs of men around the
+frequent and sometimes long rapids. The journey requires three months.
+
+The furs purchased with these goods cannot be sent to York Factory
+until a year later, and another year passes away before they leave
+Hudson's Bay. Thus, returns for a cargo were not received in London
+until four years after its shipment from that port.
+
+Since American enterprise took control of the carrying trade, goods
+are sent from London to Fort Garry by way of New York and St. Paul,
+and are only four months in transit. Four or five months will be
+required to return a cargo of furs to London, making a saving of three
+years over the old route. Stupid as our English cousin sometimes shows
+himself, he cannot fail to perceive the advantages of the new route,
+and has promptly embraced them. The people of Minnesota are becoming
+well acquainted with the residents of the country on their northern
+boundary. Many of the Northwestern politicians are studying the policy
+of "annexation."
+
+The settlement at Pembina, near Pembina Mountain, lies in Minnesota, a
+few miles only from the international line. The settlers supposed they
+were on British soil until the establishment of the boundary showed
+them their mistake. Every year the settlement sends a train to
+St. Paul, nearly seven hundred miles distant, to exchange its
+buffalo-robes, furs, etc., for various articles of necessity that the
+Pembina region does not produce. This annual train is made up of "Red
+River carts"--vehicles that would be regarded with curiosity in New
+York or Washington.
+
+A Red River cart is about the size of a two-wheeled dray, and is
+built entirely of wood--not a particle of iron entering into its
+composition. It is propelled by a single ox or horse, generally the
+former, driven by a half-breed native. Sometimes, though not usually,
+the wheels are furnished with tires of rawhide, placed upon them when
+green and shrunk closely in drying. Each cart carries about a thousand
+pounds of freight, and the train will ordinarily make from fifteen to
+twenty miles a day. It was estimated that five hundred of these carts
+would visit St. Paul and St. Cloud in the autumn of 1863.
+
+The settlements of which Fort Garry is the center are scattered for
+several miles along the Red River of the North. They have schools,
+churches, flouring and saw mills, and their houses are comfortably and
+often luxuriously furnished. They have pianos imported from St. Paul,
+and their principal church, has an organ. At St. Cloud I saw evidences
+of extreme civilization on their way to Fort Garry. These were a
+whisky-still, two sewing-machines, and a grain-reaper. No people can
+remain in darkness after adopting these modern inventions.
+
+The monopoly which the Hudson Bay Company formerly held, has ceased
+to exist. Under its charter, granted by Charles II. in 1670, it had
+exclusive control of all the country drained by Hudson's Bay. In
+addition to its privilege of trade, it possessed the "right of eminent
+domain" and the full political management of the country. Crime
+in this territory was not punished by the officers of the British
+Government, but by the courts and officers of the Company. All
+settlements of farmers and artisans were discouraged, as it was
+the desire of the Company to maintain the territory solely as a fur
+preserve, from the Arctic Ocean to the United States boundary.
+
+The profits of this fur-trade were enormous, as the Company had
+it under full control. The furs were purchased of the Indians and
+trappers at very low rates, and paid for in goods at enormous prices.
+An industrious trapper could earn a comfortable support, and nothing
+more.
+
+Having full control of the fur market in Europe, the directors could
+regulate the selling prices as they chose. Frequently they issued
+orders forbidding the killing of a certain class of animals for
+several years. The fur from these animals would become scarce and
+very high, and at the same time the animals would increase in numbers.
+Suddenly, when the market was at its uppermost point, the order would
+be countermanded and a large supply brought forward for sale. This
+course was followed with all classes of fur in succession. The
+Company's dividends in the prosperous days would shame the best oil
+wells or Nevada silver mines of our time.
+
+Though its charter was perpetual, the Hudson Bay Company was obliged
+to obtain once in twenty-one years a renewal of its license for
+exclusive trade. From 1670 to 1838 it had no difficulty in obtaining
+the desired renewal. The last license expired in 1859. Though a
+renewal was earnestly sought, it was not attained. The territory
+is now open to all traders, and the power of the old Company is
+practically extinguished.
+
+The first explorations in Minnesota were made shortly after the
+discovery of the Mississippi River by Marquette and Hennepin. St. Paul
+was originally a French trading post, and the resort of the Indians
+throughout the Northwest. Fort Snelling was established by the United
+Suites Government in 1819, but no settlements were made until 1844.
+After the current of emigration began, the territory was rapidly
+filled.
+
+While Minnesota was a wilderness, the American Fur Company established
+posts on the upper waters of the Mississippi. The old trading-house
+below the Falls of St. Anthony, the first frame building erected in
+the territory, is yet standing, though it exhibits many symptoms of
+decay.
+
+At one time the emigration to Minnesota was very great, but it has
+considerably fallen off during the last eight years. The State is too
+far north to hold out great inducements to settlers. The winters
+are long and severe, and the productions of the soil are limited in
+character and quantity. In summer the climate is excellent, attracting
+large numbers of pleasure-seekers. The Falls of St. Anthony and the
+Minnehaha have a world-wide reputation.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+INAUGURATION OF A GREAT ENTERPRISE.
+
+Plans for Arming the Negroes along the Mississippi.--Opposition to the
+Movement.--Plantations Deserted by their Owners.--Gathering Abandoned
+Cotton.--Rules and Regulations.--Speculation.--Widows and Orphans
+in Demand.--Arrival of Adjutant-General Thomas.--Designs of the
+Government.
+
+
+I have elsewhere alluded to the orders of General Grant at Lagrange,
+Tennessee, in the autumn of 1862, relative to the care of the negroes
+where his army was then operating.
+
+The plan was successful in providing for the negroes in Tennessee
+and Northern Mississippi, where the number, though large, was not
+excessive. At that time, the policy of arming the blacks was being
+discussed in various quarters. It found much opposition. Many persons
+thought it would be an infringement upon the "rights" of the South,
+both unconstitutional and unjust. Others cared nothing for the South,
+or its likes and dislikes, but opposed the measure on the ground of
+policy. They feared its adoption would breed discontent among the
+white soldiers of the army, and cause so many desertions and so much
+uneasiness that the importance of the new element would be more than
+neutralized. Others, again, doubted the courage of the negroes,
+and thought their first use under fire would result in disgrace and
+disaster to our arms. They opposed the experiment on account of this
+fear.
+
+In South Carolina and in Kansas the negroes had been put under arms
+and mustered into service as Union soldiers. In engagements of a minor
+character they had shown coolness and courage worthy of veterans.
+There was no valid reason why the negroes along the Mississippi would
+not be just as valuable in the army, as the men of the same race
+in other parts of the country. Our Government determined to try the
+experiment, and make the _Corps d'Afrique_ a recognized and important
+adjunct of our forces in the field.
+
+When General Grant encamped his army at Milliken's Bend and Young's
+Point, preparatory to commencing the siege of Vicksburg, many of the
+cotton plantations were abandoned by their owners. Before our advent
+nearly all the white males able to bear arms had, willingly or
+unwillingly, gone to aid in filling the ranks of the insurgents. On
+nearly every plantation there was a white man not liable to military
+service, who remained to look after the interests of the property.
+When our army appeared, the majority of these white men fled to the
+interior of Louisiana, leaving the plantations and the negroes to the
+tender mercy of the invaders. In some cases the fugitives took the
+negroes with them, thus leaving the plantations entirely deserted.
+
+When the negroes remained, and the plantations were not supplied with
+provisions, it became necessary for the Commissary Department to issue
+rations for the subsistence of the blacks. As nearly all the planters
+cared nothing for the negroes they had abandoned, there was a very
+large number that required the attention of the Government.
+
+On many plantations the cotton crop of 1862 was still in the field,
+somewhat damaged by the winter rains; but well worth gathering at the
+prices which then ruled the market. General Grant gave authority for
+the gathering of this cotton by any parties who were willing to take
+the contract. The contractors were required to feed the negroes and
+pay them for their labor. One-half the cotton went to the Government,
+the balance to the contractor. There was no lack of men to undertake
+the collection of abandoned cotton on these terms, as the enterprise
+could not fail to be exceedingly remunerative.
+
+This cotton, gathered by Government authority, was, with a few
+exceptions, the only cotton which could be shipped to market. There
+were large quantities of "old" cotton--gathered and baled in previous
+years--which the owners were anxious to sell, and speculators ready to
+buy. Numerous applications were made for shipping-permits, but nearly
+all were rejected. A few cases were pressed upon General Grant's
+attention, as deserving exception from the ordinary rule.
+
+There was one case of two young girls, whose parents had recently
+died, and who were destitute of all comforts on the plantation where
+they lived. They had a quantity of cotton which they wished to take to
+Memphis, for sale in that market. Thus provided with money, they would
+proceed North, and remain there till the end of the war.
+
+A speculator became interested in these girls, and plead with all his
+eloquence for official favor in their behalf. General Grant softened
+his heart and gave this man a written permit to ship whatever cotton
+belonged to the orphans. It was understood, and so stated in the
+application, that the amount was between two hundred and three
+hundred bales. The exact number not being known, there was no quantity
+specified in the permit.
+
+The speculator soon discovered that the penniless orphans could claim
+two thousand instead of two hundred bales, and thought it possible
+they would find three thousand bales and upward. On the strength
+of his permit without special limit, he had purchased, or otherwise
+procured, all the cotton he could find in the immediate vicinity. He
+was allowed to make shipment of a few hundred bales; the balance was
+detained.
+
+Immediately, as this transaction became known, every speculator was on
+the _qui vive_ to discover a widow or an orphan. Each plantation
+was visited, and the status of the owners, if any remained, became
+speedily known. Orphans and widows, the former in particular, were at
+a high premium. Never in the history of Louisiana did the children
+of tender years, bereft of parents, receive such attention from
+strangers. A spectator might have imagined the Millennium close at
+hand, and the dealers in cotton about to be humbled at the feet of
+babes and sucklings. Widows, neither young nor comely, received the
+warmest attention from men of Northern birth. The family of John
+Rodgers, had it then lived at Milliken's Bend, would have been hailed
+as a "big thing." Everywhere in that region there were men seeking
+"healthy orphans for adoption."
+
+The majority of the speculators found the widows and orphans of whom
+they were in search. Some were able to obtain permits, while others
+were not. Several officers of the army became interested in these
+speculations, and gave their aid to obtain shipping privileges. Some
+who were innocent were accused of dealing in the forbidden fiber,
+while others, guilty of the transaction, escaped without suspicion.
+The temptation was great. Many refused to be concerned in the traffic;
+but there were some who yielded.
+
+The contractors who gathered the abandoned cotton were enabled to
+accumulate small fortunes. Some of them acted honestly, but others
+made use of their contracts to cover large shipments of purchased or
+stolen cotton, baled two or three years before. The ordinary yield of
+an acre of ground is from a bale to a bale and a half. The contractors
+were sometimes able to show a yield of ten or twenty bales to the
+acre.
+
+About the first of April, Adjutant-General Thomas arrived at
+Milliken's Bend, bringing, as he declared, authority to regulate every
+thing as he saw fit. Under his auspices, arrangements were made
+for putting the able-bodied male negroes into the army. In a speech
+delivered at a review of the troops at Lake Providence, he announced
+the determination of the Government to use every just measure to
+suppress the Rebellion.
+
+The Rebels indirectly made use of the negroes against the Government,
+by employing them in the production of supplies for their armies in
+the field. "In this way," he said, "they can bring to bear against us
+all the power of their so-called Confederacy. At the same time we are
+compelled to retain at home a portion of our fighting force to furnish
+supplies for the men at the front. The Administration has determined
+to take the negroes belonging to disloyal men, and make them a part
+of the army. This is the policy that has been fixed and will be fully
+carried out."
+
+General Thomas announced that he brought authority to raise as many
+regiments as possible, and to give commissions to all proper persons
+who desired them. The speech was listened to with attention, and
+loudly cheered at its close. The general officers declared themselves
+favorable to the new movement, and gave it their co-operation. In a
+few days a half-dozen regiments were in process of organization. This
+was the beginning of the scheme for raising a large force of colored
+soldiers along the Mississippi.
+
+The disposition to be made of the negro women and children in our
+lines, was a subject of great importance. Their numbers were very
+large, and constantly increasing. Not a tenth of these persons could
+find employment in gathering abandoned cotton. Those that found such
+employment were only temporarily provided for. It would be a heavy
+burden upon the Government to support them in idleness during the
+entire summer. It would be manifestly wrong to send them to the
+already overcrowded camps at Memphis and Helena. They were upon our
+hands by the fortune of war, and must be cared for in some way.
+
+The plantations which their owners had abandoned were supposed to
+afford the means of providing homes for the negroes, where they could
+be sheltered, fed, and clothed without expense to the Government. It
+was proposed to lease these plantations for the term of one year, to
+persons who would undertake the production of a crop of cotton. Those
+negroes who were unfit for military service were to be distributed
+on these plantations, where the lessees would furnish them all needed
+supplies, and pay them for their labor at certain stipulated rates.
+
+The farming tools and other necessary property on the plantations were
+to be appraised at a fair valuation, and turned over to the lessees.
+Where the plantations were destitute of the requisite number of
+mules for working them, condemned horses and mules were loaned to
+the lessees, who should return them whenever called for. There were
+promises of protection against Rebel raids, and of all assistance that
+the Government could consistently give. General Thomas announced that
+the measure was fully decided upon at Washington, and should receive
+every support.
+
+The plantations were readily taken, the prospects being excellent
+for enormous profits if the scheme proved successful. The cost of
+producing cotton varies from three to eight cents a pound. The staple
+would find ready sale at fifty cents, and might possibly command a
+higher figure. The prospects of a large percentage on the investment
+were alluring in the extreme. The plantations, the negroes, the
+farming utensils, and the working stock were to require no outlay. All
+that was demanded before returns would be received, were the necessary
+expenditures for feeding and clothing the negroes until the crop
+was made and gathered. From five to thirty thousand dollars was the
+estimated yearly expense of a plantation of a thousand acres. If
+successful, the products for a year might be set down at two hundred
+thousand dollars; and should cotton appreciate, the return would be
+still greater.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+COTTON-PLANTING IN 1863.
+
+Leasing the Plantations.--Interference of the
+Rebels.--Raids.--Treatment of Prisoners.--The Attack upon Milliken's
+Bend.--A Novel Breast-Work.--Murder o four Officers.--Profits of
+Cotton-Planting.--Dishonesty of Lessees.--Negroes Planting on their
+own Account.
+
+
+It was late in the season before the plantations were leased and the
+work of planting commenced. The ground was hastily plowed and the seed
+as hastily sown. The work was prosecuted with the design of obtaining
+as much as possible in a single season. In their eagerness to
+accumulate fortunes, the lessees frequently planted more ground than
+they could care for, and allowed much of it to run to waste.
+
+Of course, it could not be expected the Rebels would favor the
+enterprise. They had prophesied the negro would not work when free,
+and were determined to break up any effort to induce him to labor.
+They were not even willing to give him a fair trial. Late in June they
+visited the plantations at Milliken's Bend and vicinity.
+
+They stripped many of the plantations of all the mules and horses that
+could be found, frightened some of the negroes into seeking safety
+at the nearest military posts, and carried away others. Some of the
+lessees were captured; others, having timely warning, made good their
+escape. Of those captured, some were released on a regular parole not
+to take up arms against the "Confederacy." Others were liberated on a
+promise to go North and remain there, after being allowed a reasonable
+time for settling their business. Others were carried into captivity
+and retained as prisoners of war until late in the summer. A Mr.
+Walker was taken to Brownsville, Texas, and there released, with the
+privilege of crossing to Matamoras, and sailing thence to New Orleans.
+It was six months from the time of his capture before he reached New
+Orleans on his return home.
+
+The Rebels made a fierce attack upon the garrison at Milliken's Bend.
+For a few moments during the fight the prospects of their success were
+very good. The negroes composing the garrison had not been long under
+arms, and their discipline was far from perfect. The Rebels obtained
+possession of a part of our works, but were held at bay by the
+garrison, until the arrival of a gun-boat turned the scale in our
+favor. The odds were against us at the outset, but we succeeded in
+putting the enemy to flight.
+
+In this attack the Rebels made use of a movable breast-work,
+consisting of a large drove of mules, which they kept in their front
+as they advanced upon the fort. This breast-work served very well at
+first, but grew unmanageable as our fire became severe. It finally
+broke and fled to the rear, throwing the Rebel lines into confusion.
+I believe it was the first instance on record where the defenses
+ran away, leaving the defenders uncovered. It marked a new, but
+unsuccessful, phase of war. An officer who was present at the defense
+of Milliken's Bend vouches for the truth of the story.
+
+The Rebels captured a portion of the garrison, including some of
+the white officers holding commissions in negro regiments. The negro
+prisoners were variously disposed of. Some were butchered on the
+spot while pleading for quarter; others were taken a few miles on the
+retreat, and then shot by the wayside. A few were driven away by their
+masters, who formed a part of the raiding force, but they soon
+escaped and returned to our lines. Of the officers who surrendered as
+prisoners of war, some were shot or hanged within a short distance
+of their place of capture. Two were taken to Shreveport and lodged in
+jail with one of the captured lessees. One night these officers were
+taken from the jail by order of General Kirby Smith, and delivered
+into the hands of the provost-marshal, to be shot for the crime of
+accepting commissions in negro regiments. Before morning they were
+dead.
+
+Similar raids were made at other points along the river, where
+plantations were being cultivated under the new system. At all these
+places the mules were stolen and the negroes either frightened or
+driven away. Work was suspended until the plantations could be newly
+stocked and equipped. This suspension occurred at the busiest time in
+the season. The production of the cotton was, consequently, greatly
+retarded. On some plantations the weeds grew faster than the cotton,
+and refused to be put down. On others, the excellent progress the
+weeds had made, during the period of idleness, rendered the yield
+of the cotton-plant very small. Some of the plantations were not
+restocked after the raid, and speedily ran to waste.
+
+In 1863, no lessee made more than half an ordinary crop of _cotton_,
+and very few secured even this return. Some obtained a quarter or an
+eighth of a bale to the acre, and some gathered only one bale where
+they should have gathered twelve or twenty. A few lost money in the
+speculation. Some made a fair profit on their investment, and others
+realized their expectations of an enormous reward. Several parties
+united their interest on three or four plantations in different
+localities, so that a failure in one quarter was offset by success in
+another.
+
+The majority of the lessees were unprincipled men, who undertook the
+enterprise solely as a speculation. They had as little regard for the
+rights of the negro as the most brutal slaveholder had ever shown.
+Very few of them paid the negroes for their labor, except in
+furnishing them small quantities of goods, for which they charged five
+times the value. One man, who realized a profit of eighty thousand
+dollars, never paid his negroes a penny. Some of the lessees made open
+boast of having swindled their negroes out of their summer's wages, by
+taking advantage of their ignorance.
+
+The experiment did not materially improve the condition of the negro,
+save in the matter of physical treatment. As a slave the black man
+received no compensation for his labor. As a free man, he received
+none.
+
+He was well fed, and, generally, well clothed. He received no severe
+punishment for non-performance of duty, as had been the case before
+the war. The difference between working for nothing as a slave,
+and working for the same wages under the Yankees, was not always
+perceptible to the unsophisticated negro.
+
+Several persons leased plantations that they might use them as points
+for shipping purchased or stolen cotton. Some were quite successful
+in this, while others were unable to find any cotton to bring out.
+Various parties united with the plantation-owners, and agreed
+to obtain all facilities from the Government officials, if their
+associates would secure protection against Rebel raids. In some cases
+this experiment was successful, and the plantations prospered, while
+those around them were repeatedly plundered. In others, the Rebels
+were enraged at the plantation-owners for making any arrangements with
+"the Yankees," and treated them with merciless severity. There was no
+course that promised absolute safety, and there was no man who could
+devise a plan of operations that would cover all contingencies.
+
+Every thing considered, the result of the free-labor enterprise was
+favorable to the pockets of the avaricious lessees, though it was not
+encouraging to the negro and to the friends of justice and humanity.
+All who had been successful desired to renew their leases for another
+season. Some who were losers were willing to try again and hope for
+better fortune.
+
+All the available plantations in the vicinity of Vicksburg, Milliken's
+Bend, and other points along that portion of the Mississippi were
+applied for before the beginning of the New Year. Application for
+these places were generally made by the former lessees or their
+friends. The prospects were good for a vigorous prosecution of the
+free-labor enterprise during 1864.
+
+In the latter part of 1863, I passed down the Mississippi, _en
+route_ to New Orleans. At Vicksburg I met a gentleman who had been
+investigating the treatment of the negroes under the new system, and
+was about making a report to the proper authorities. He claimed to
+have proof that the agents appointed by General Thomas had not been
+honest in their administration of affairs.
+
+One of these agents had taken five plantations under his control, and
+was proposing to retain them for another year. It was charged that he
+had not paid his negroes for their labor, except in scanty supplies
+of clothing, for which exorbitant prices were charged. He had been
+successful with his plantations, but delivered very little cotton to
+the Government agents.
+
+The investigations into the conduct of agents and lessees were
+expected to make a change in the situation. Up to that time the War
+Department had controlled the whole system of plantation management.
+The Treasury Department was seeking the control, on the ground that
+the plantations were a source of revenue to the Government, and should
+be under its financial and commercial policy. If it could be proved
+that the system pursued was an unfair and dishonest one, there was
+probability of a change.
+
+I pressed forward on my visit to New Orleans. On my return, two weeks
+later, the agents of General Thomas were pushing their plans for the
+coming year. There was no indication of an immediate change in the
+management. The duties of these agents had been enlarged, and the
+region which they controlled extended from Lake Providence, sixty
+miles above Vicksburg, to the mouth of Red River, nearly two hundred
+miles below. One of the agents had his office at Lake Providence, a
+second was located at Vicksburg, while the third was at Natchez.
+
+Nearly all the plantations near Lake Providence had been leased or
+applied for. The same was the case with most of those near Vicksburg.
+In some instances, there were several applicants for the same
+plantation. The agents announced their determination to sell the
+choice of plantations to the highest bidder. The competition for the
+best places was expected to be very active.
+
+There was one pleasing feature. Some of the applicants for plantations
+were not like the sharp-eyed speculators who had hitherto controlled
+the business. They seemed to be men of character, desirous of
+experimenting with free labor for the sake of demonstrating its
+feasibility when skillfully and honestly managed. They hoped and
+believed it would be profitable, but they were not undertaking the
+enterprise solely with a view to money-making. The number of these
+men was not large, but their presence, although in small force, was
+exceedingly encouraging.
+
+I regret to say that these men were outstripped in the struggle for
+good locations by their more unscrupulous competitors. Before the
+season was ended, the majority of the honest men abandoned the field.
+
+During 1863, many negroes cultivated small lots of ground on their own
+account. Sometimes a whole family engaged in the enterprise, a single
+individual having control of the matter. In other cases, two, three,
+or a half-dozen negroes would unite their labor, and divide the
+returns. One family of four persons sold twelve bales of cotton, at
+two hundred dollars per bale, as the result of eight months' labor.
+Six negroes who united their labor were able to sell twenty bales. The
+average was about one and a half or two bales to each of those persons
+who attempted the planting enterprise on their own account. A few
+made as high as four bales each, while others did not make more than
+a single bale. One negro, who was quite successful in planting on his
+own account, proposed to take a small plantation in 1864, and employ
+twenty or more colored laborers. How he succeeded I was not able to
+ascertain.
+
+The commissioners in charge of the freedmen gave the negroes every
+encouragement to plant on their own account. In 1864 there were thirty
+colored lessees near Milliken's Bend, and about the same number at
+Helena. Ten of these persons at Helena realized $31,000 for their
+year's labor. Two of them planted forty acres in cotton; their
+expenses were about $1,200; they sold their crop for $8,000. Another
+leased twenty-four acres. His expenses were less than $2,000, and he
+sold his crop for $6,000. Another leased seventeen acres. He earned
+by the season's work enough to purchase a good house, and leave him
+a cash balance of $300. Another leased thirteen and a half acres,
+expended about $600 in its cultivation, and sold his crop for $4,000.
+
+At Milliken's Bend the negroes were not as successful as at
+Helena--much of the cotton crop being destroyed by the "army worm." It
+is possible that the return of peace may cause a discontinuance of the
+policy of leasing land to negroes.
+
+The planters are bitterly opposed to the policy of dividing
+plantations into small parcels, and allowing them to be cultivated
+by freedmen. They believe in extensive tracts of land under a single
+management, and endeavor to make the production of cotton a business
+for the few rather than the many. It has always been the rule to
+discourage small planters. No aristocratic proprietor, if he could
+avoid it, would sell any portion of his estate to a man of limited
+means. In the hilly portions of the South, the rich men were unable to
+carry out their policy. Consequently, there were many who cultivated
+cotton on a small scale. On the lower Mississippi this was not the
+case.
+
+When the Southern States are fairly "reconstructed," and the political
+control is placed in the hands of the ruling race, every effort will
+be made to maintain the old policy. Plantations of a thousand or of
+three thousand acres will be kept intact, unless the hardest necessity
+compels their division. If possible, the negroes will not be permitted
+to possess or cultivate land on their own account. To allow them to
+hold real estate will be partially admitting their claim to humanity.
+No true scion of chivalry can permit such an innovation, so long as he
+is able to make successful opposition.
+
+I have heard Southern men declare that a statute law should, and
+would, be made to prevent the negroes holding real estate. I have
+no doubt of the disposition of the late Rebels in favor of such
+enactment, and believe they would display the greatest energy in its
+enforcement. It would be a labor of love on their part, as well as of
+duty. Its success would be an obstacle in the way of the much-dreaded
+"negro equality."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+AMONG THE OFFICIALS.
+
+Reasons for Trying an Experiment.--Activity among Lessees.--Opinions
+of the Residents.--Rebel Hopes in 1863.--Removal of Negroes to West
+Louisiana.--Visiting Natchez.--The City and its Business.--"The
+Rejected Addresses."
+
+
+In my visit to Vicksburg I was accompanied by my fellow-journalist,
+Mr. Colburn, of _The World_. Mr. Colburn and myself had taken more
+than an ordinary interest in the free-labor enterprise. We had watched
+its inception eight months before, with many hopes for its success,
+and with as many fears for the result. The experiment of 1863, under
+all its disadvantages, gave us convincing proof that the production of
+cotton and sugar by free labor was both possible and profitable. The
+negro had proved the incorrectness of the slaveholders' assertion that
+no black man would labor on a plantation except as a slave. So much we
+had seen accomplished. It was the result of a single year's trial. We
+desired to see a further and more extensive test.
+
+While studying the new system in the hands of others, we were urged to
+bring it under our personal observation. Various inducements were held
+out. We were convinced of the general feasibility of the enterprise,
+wherever it received proper attention. As a philanthropic undertaking,
+it was commendable. As a financial experiment, it promised success. We
+looked at the matter in all its aspects, and finally decided to gain
+an intimate knowledge of plantation life in war-time. Whether we
+succeeded or failed, we would learn more about the freedmen than we
+had hitherto known, and would assist, in some degree, to solve
+the great problem before the country. Success would be personally
+profitable, while failure could not be disastrous.
+
+We determined to lease a plantation, but had selected none. In her
+directions for cooking a hare, Mrs. Glass says: "First, catch your
+hare." Our animal was to be caught, and the labor of securing it
+proved greater than we anticipated.
+
+All the eligible locations around Vicksburg had been taken by the
+lessees of the previous season, or by newly-arrived persons who
+preceded us. There were several residents of the neighboring region
+who desired persons from the North to join them in tilling their
+plantations. They were confident of obtaining Rebel protection, though
+by no means certain of securing perfect immunity. In each case they
+demanded a cash advance of a few thousands, for the purpose of hiring
+the guerrillas to keep the peace. As it was evident that the purchase
+of one marauding band would require the purchase of others, until
+the entire "Confederacy" had been bought up, we declined all these
+proposals.
+
+Some of these residents, who wished Northern men to join them, claimed
+to have excellent plantations along the Yazoo, or near some of its
+tributary bayous. These men were confident a fine cotton crop could be
+made, "if there were some Northern man to manage the niggers." It was
+the general complaint with the people who lived in that region that,
+with few exceptions, no Southern man could induce the negroes to
+continue at work. One of these plantation proprietors said his
+location was such that no guerrilla could get near it without
+endangering his life. An investigation showed that no other person
+could reach the plantation without incurring a risk nearly as great.
+Very few of these owners of remote plantations were able to induce
+strangers to join them.
+
+We procured a map of the Mississippi and the country bordering its
+banks. Whenever we found a good location and made inquiry about it at
+the office of the leasing agents, we were sure to ascertain that some
+one had already filed an application. It was plain that Vicksburg was
+not the proper field for our researches. We shook its dust from our
+feet and went to Natchez, a hundred and twenty-five miles below, where
+a better prospect was afforded.
+
+In the spring of 1863, the Rebels felt confident of retaining
+permanent possession of Vicksburg and Port Hudson, two hundred and
+fifty miles apart. Whatever might be the result elsewhere, this
+portion of the Mississippi should not be abandoned. In the belief that
+the progress of the Yankees had been permanently stopped, the planters
+in the locality mentioned endeavored to make as full crops as possible
+of the great staple of the South. Accordingly, they plowed and
+planted, and tended the growing cotton until midsummer came. On the
+fourth of July, Vicksburg surrendered, and opened the river to Port
+Hudson. General Herron's Division was sent to re-enforce General
+Banks, who was besieging the latter place. In a few days, General
+Gardner hauled down his flag and gave Port Hudson to the nation. "The
+Father of Waters went unvexed to the Sea."
+
+The rich region that the Rebels had thought to hold was, by the
+fortune of war, in the possession of the National army. The planters
+suspended their operations, through fear that the Yankees would
+possess the land.
+
+Some of them sent their negroes to the interior of Louisiana for
+safety. Others removed to Texas, carrying all their human property
+with them. On some plantations the cotton had been so well cared for
+that it came to maturity in fine condition. On others it had been very
+slightly cultivated, and was almost choked out of existence by weeds
+and grass. Nearly every plantation could boast of more or less cotton
+in the field--the quantity varying from twenty bales to five hundred.
+On some plantations cotton had been neglected, and a large crop of
+corn grown in its place. Everywhere the Rebel law had been obeyed
+by the production of more corn than usual. There was enough for the
+sustenance of our armies for many months.
+
+Natchez was the center of this newly-opened region. Before the war it
+was the home of wealthy slave-owners, who believed the formation of a
+Southern Confederacy would be the formation of a terrestrial paradise.
+On both banks of the Mississippi, above and below Natchez, were the
+finest cotton plantations of the great valley. One family owned nine
+plantations, from which eight thousand bales of cotton were annually
+sent to market. Another family owned seven plantations, and others
+were the owners of from three to six, respectively.
+
+The plantations were in the care of overseers and agents, and rarely
+visited by their owners. The profits were large, and money was poured
+out in profusion. The books of one of the Natchez banks showed a daily
+business, in the picking season, of two or three million dollars,
+generally on the accounts of planters and their factors.
+
+Prior to the Rebellion, cotton was usually shipped to New Orleans, and
+sold in that market. There were some of the planters who sent their
+cotton to Liverpool or Havre, without passing it through the hands of
+New Orleans factors. A large balance of the proceeds of such shipments
+remained to the credit of the shippers when the war broke out, and
+saved them from financial ruin. The business of Natchez amounted,
+according to the season, from a hundred thousand to three hundred
+thousand bales. This included a great quantity that was sent to New
+Orleans from plantations above and below the city, without touching at
+all upon the levee at Natchez.
+
+Natchez consists of Natchez-on-the-Hill and Natchez-under-the-Hill.
+A bluff, nearly two hundred feet high, faces the Mississippi, where
+there is an eastward bend of the stream. Toward the river this bluff
+is almost perpendicular, and is climbed by three roads cut into its
+face like inclined shelves. The French established a settlement at
+this point a hundred and fifty years ago, and erected a fortification
+for its defense. This work, known as Fort Rosalie, can still be traced
+with distinctness, though it has fallen into extreme decay. It was
+evidently a rectangular, bastioned work, and the location of the
+bastions and magazine can be readily made out.
+
+Natchez-under-the-Hill is a small, straggling village, having a few
+commission houses and stores, and dwellings of a suspicious character.
+It was once a resort of gamblers and other _chevaliers d'industrie_,
+whose livelihood was derived from the travelers along the Mississippi.
+At present it is somewhat shorn of its glory.
+
+Natchez-on-the-Hill is a pleasant and well-built city, of about ten
+thousand inhabitants. The buildings display wealth and good taste,
+the streets are wide and finely shaded, and the abundance of churches
+speaks in praise of the religious sentiment of the people. Near the
+edge of the bluff there was formerly a fine park, commanding a view of
+the river for several miles in either direction, and overlooking
+the plantations and cypress forests on the opposite shore. This
+pleasure-ground was reserved for the white people alone, no negro
+being allowed to enter the inclosure under severe penalties. A
+regiment of our soldiers encamped near this park, and used its fence
+for fuel. The park is now free to persons of whatever color.
+
+Natchez suffered less from the war than most other places of its size
+along the Mississippi. The Rebels never erected fortifications in or
+around Natchez, having relied upon Vicksburg and Port Hudson for their
+protection. When Admiral Farragut ascended the river, in 1862, after
+the fall of New Orleans, he promised that Natchez should not be
+disturbed, so long as the people offered no molestation to our
+gun-boats or army transports. This neutrality was carefully observed,
+except on one occasion. A party which landed from the gun-boat _Essex_
+was fired upon by a militia company that desired to distinguish
+itself. Natchez was shelled for two hours, in retaliation for this
+outrage. From that time until our troops occupied the city there was
+no disturbance.
+
+When we arrived at Natchez, we found several Northern men already
+there, whose business was similar to our own. Some had secured
+plantations, and were preparing to take possession. Others were
+watching the situation and surveying the ground before making their
+selections. We found that the best plantations in the vicinity had
+been taken by the friends of Adjutant-General Thomas, and were gone
+past our securing. At Vidalia, Louisiana, directly opposite Natchez,
+were two fine plantations, "Arnuldia" and "Whitehall," which had been
+thus appropriated. Others in their vicinity had been taken in one way
+or another, and were out of our reach. Some of the lessees declared
+they had been forced to promise a division with certain parties in
+authority before obtaining possession, while others maintained a
+discreet silence on the subject. Many plantations owned by widows and
+semi-loyal persons, would not be placed in the market as "abandoned
+property." There were many whose status had not been decided, so
+that they were practically out of the market. In consequence of these
+various drawbacks, the number of desirable locations that were open
+for selection was not large.
+
+One of the leasing agents gave us a letter to a young widow who
+resided in the city, and owned a large plantation in Louisiana,
+fifteen miles from Natchez. We lost no time in calling upon the lady.
+
+Other parties had already seen her with a view to leasing her
+plantation. Though she had promised the lease to one of these
+visitors, she had no objections to treating with ourselves, provided
+she could make a more advantageous contract.
+
+In a few days we repeated our visit. Our rival had urged his reasons
+for consideration, and was evidently in favor. He had claimed to be
+a Secessionist, and assured her he could obtain a safeguard from the
+Rebel authorities. The lady finally consented to close a contract with
+him, and placed us in the position of discarded suitors. We thought of
+issuing a new edition of "The Rejected Addresses."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+A JOURNEY OUTSIDE THE LINES.
+
+Passing the Pickets.--Cold Weather in the South.--Effect of Climate
+upon the Constitution.--Surrounded and Captured.--Prevarication
+and Explanation.--Among the Natives.--The Game for the
+Confederacy.--Courtesy of the Planters.--Condition of the
+Plantations.--The Return.
+
+
+Mr. Colburn went to St. Louis, on business in which both were
+interested, and left me to look out a plantation. I determined to make
+a tour of exploration in Louisiana, in the region above Vidalia. With
+two or three gentlemen, who were bound on similar business, I passed
+our pickets one morning, and struck out into the region which was
+dominated by neither army. The weather was intensely cold, the ground
+frozen solid, and a light snow falling.
+
+Cold weather in the South has one peculiarity: it can seem more
+intense than the same temperature at the North. It is the effect of
+the Southern climate to unfit the system for any thing but a warm
+atmosphere. The chill penetrates the whole body with a severity I have
+never known north of the Ohio River. In a cold day, the "Sunny South"
+possesses very few attractions in the eyes of a stranger.
+
+In that day's ride, and in the night which followed, I suffered more
+than ever before from cold. I once passed a night in the open air in
+the Rocky Mountains, with the thermometer ten degrees below zero.
+I think it was more endurable than Louisiana, with the mercury ten
+degrees above zero. On my plantation hunt I was thickly clad, but the
+cold _would_ penetrate, in spite of every thing. An hour by a fire
+might bring some warmth, but the first step into the open air would
+drive it away. Fluid extract of corn failed to have its ordinary
+effect. The people of the vicinity said the weather was unusually
+severe on that occasion. For the sake of those who reside there
+hereafter, I hope their statement was true.
+
+Our party stopped for the night at a plantation near Waterproof, a
+small village on the bank of the river, twenty-two miles from Natchez.
+Just as we were comfortably seated by the fire in the overseer's
+house, one of the negroes announced that a person at the door wished
+to see us.
+
+I stepped to the door, and found a half-dozen mounted men in blue
+uniforms. Each man had a carbine or revolver drawn on me. One of my
+companions followed me outside, and found that the strange party had
+weapons enough to cover both of us. It had been rumored that several
+guerrillas, wearing United States uniforms, were lurking in the
+vicinity. Our conclusions concerning the character of our captors were
+speedily made.
+
+Resistance was useless, but there were considerations that led us to
+parley as long as possible. Three officers, and as many soldiers,
+from Natchez, had overtaken us in the afternoon, and borne us company
+during the latter part of our ride. When we stopped for the night,
+they concluded to go forward two or three miles, and return in the
+morning. Supposing ourselves fairly taken, we wished to give
+our friends opportunity to escape. With this object in view, we
+endeavored, by much talking, to consume time.
+
+I believe it does not make a man eloquent to compel him to peer into
+the muzzles of a half-dozen cocked revolvers, that may be discharged
+at any instant on the will of the holders. Prevarication is a
+difficult task, when time, place, and circumstances are favorable. It
+is no easy matter to convince your hearers of the truth of a story
+you know to be false, even when those hearers are inclined to be
+credulous. Surrounded by strangers, and with your life in peril, the
+difficulties are greatly increased. I am satisfied that I made a sad
+failure on that particular occasion.
+
+My friend and myself answered, indiscriminately, the questions that
+were propounded. Our responses did not always agree. Possibly we might
+have done better if only one of us had spoken.
+
+"Come out of that house," was the first request that was made.
+
+We came out.
+
+"Tell those soldiers to come out."
+
+"There are no soldiers here," I responded.
+
+"That's a d--d lie."
+
+"There are none here."
+
+"Yes, there are," said the spokesman of the party. "Some Yankee
+soldiers came here a little while ago."
+
+"We have been here only a few minutes."
+
+"Where did you come from?"
+
+This was what the lawyers call a leading question. We did not desire
+to acknowledge we were from Natchez, as that would reveal us at once.
+We did not wish to say we were from Shreveport, as it would soon be
+proved we were not telling the truth. I replied that we had come from
+a plantation a few miles below. Simultaneously my companion said we
+had just crossed the river.
+
+Here was a lack of corroborative testimony which our captors commented
+upon, somewhat to our discredit. So the conversation went on, our
+answers becoming more confused each time we spoke. At last the leader
+of the group dismounted, and prepared to search the house. He turned
+us over to the care of his companions, saying, as he did so:
+
+"If I find any soldiers here, you may shoot these d--d fellows for
+lying."
+
+During all the colloquy we had been carefully covered by the weapons
+of the group. We knew no soldiers could be found about the premises,
+and felt no fear concerning the result of the search.
+
+Just as the leader finished his search, a lieutenant and twenty men
+rode up.
+
+"Well," said our captor, "you are saved from shooting. I will turn you
+over to the lieutenant."
+
+I recognized in that individual an officer to whom I had received
+introduction a day or two before. The recognition was mutual.
+
+We had fallen into the hands of a scouting party of our own forces.
+Each mistook the other for Rebels. The contemplated shooting was
+indefinitely postponed. The lieutenant in command concluded to encamp
+near us, and we passed the evening in becoming acquainted with each
+other.
+
+On the following day the scouting party returned to Natchez. With
+my two companions I proceeded ten miles further up the river-bank,
+calling, on the way, at several plantations. All the inhabitants
+supposed we were Rebel officers, going to or from Kirby Smith's
+department. At one house we found two old gentlemen indulging in a
+game of chess. In response to a comment upon their mode of amusement,
+one of them said:
+
+"We play a very slow and cautious game, sir. Such a game as the
+Confederacy ought to play at this time."
+
+To this I assented.
+
+"How did you cross the river, gentlemen?" was the first interrogatory.
+
+"We crossed it at Natchez."
+
+"At Natchez! We do not often see Confederates from Natchez. You must
+have been very fortunate to get through."
+
+Then we explained who and what we were. The explanation was followed
+by a little period of silence on the part of our new acquaintances.
+Very soon, however, the ice was broken, and our conversation became
+free. We were assured that we might travel anywhere in that region
+as officers of the Rebel army, without the slightest suspicion of our
+real character. They treated us courteously, and prevailed upon us to
+join them at dinner. Many apologies were given for the scantiness of
+the repast. Corn-bread, bacon, and potatoes were the only articles
+set before us. Our host said he was utterly unable to procure flour,
+sugar, coffee, or any thing else not produced upon his plantation.
+He thought the good times would return when the war ended, and was
+particularly anxious for that moment to arrive. He pressed us to pass
+the night at his house, but we were unable to do so. On the following
+day we returned to Natchez.
+
+Everywhere on the road from Vidalia to the farthest point of our
+journey, we found the plantations running to waste. The negroes had
+been sent to Texas or West Louisiana for safety, or were remaining
+quietly in their quarters. Some had left their masters, and were
+gone to the camps of the National army at Vicksburg and Natchez. The
+planters had suspended work, partly because they deemed it useless
+to do any thing in the prevailing uncertainty, and partly because the
+negroes were unwilling to perform any labor. Squads of Rebel cavalry
+had visited some of the plantations, and threatened punishment to
+the negroes if they did any thing whatever toward the production of
+cotton. Of course, the negroes would heed such advice if they heeded
+no other.
+
+On all the plantations we found cotton and corn, principally the
+latter, standing in the field. Sometimes there were single inclosures
+of several hundred acres. The owners were desirous of making any
+arrangement that would secure the tilling of their soil, while it
+did not involve them in any trouble with their neighbors or the Rebel
+authorities.
+
+They deplored the reverses which the Rebel cause had suffered, and
+confessed that the times were out of joint. One of the men we visited
+was a judge in the courts of Louisiana, and looked at the question
+in a legal light. After lamenting the severity of the storm which was
+passing over the South, and expressing his fear that the Rebellion
+would be a failure, he referred to his own situation.
+
+"I own a plantation," said he, "and have combined my planting interest
+with the practice of law. The fortune of war has materially changed my
+circumstances. My niggers used to do as I told them, but that time is
+passed. Your Northern people have made soldiers of our servants, and
+will, I presume, make voters of them. In five years, if I continue the
+practice of law, I suppose I shall be addressing a dozen negroes as
+gentlemen of the jury."
+
+"If you had a negro on trial," said one of our party, "that would be
+correct enough. Is it not acknowledged everywhere that a man shall be
+tried by his peers?"
+
+The lawyer admitted that he never thought of that point before.
+He said he would insist upon having negroes admitted into court as
+counsel for negroes that were to be tried by a jury of their race. He
+did not believe they would ever be available as laborers in the field
+if they were set free, and thought so many of them would engage in
+theft that negro courts would be constantly busy.
+
+Generally speaking, the planters that I saw were not violent
+Secessionists, though none of them were unconditional Union men. All
+said they had favored secession at the beginning of the movement,
+because they thought it would strengthen and perpetuate slavery. Most
+of them had lost faith in its ultimate success, but clung to it as
+their only hope. The few Union men among them, or those who claimed
+to be loyal, were friends of the nation with many conditions. They
+desired slavery to be restored to its former status, the rights of the
+States left intact, and a full pardon extended to all who had taken
+part in the Rebellion. Under these conditions they would be willing to
+see the Union restored. Otherwise, the war must go on.
+
+We visited several plantations on our tour of observation, and
+compared their respective merits. One plantation contained three
+thousand acres of land, but was said to be very old and worn out. Near
+it was one of twelve hundred acres, three-fourths covered with corn,
+but with no standing cotton. One had six hundred acres of cotton
+in the field. This place belonged to a Spaniard, who would not be
+disturbed by Government, and who refused to allow any work done until
+after the end of the war. Another had four hundred acres of standing
+cotton, but the plantation had been secured by a lessee, who was about
+commencing work.
+
+All had merits, and all had demerits. On some there was a sufficient
+force for the season's work, while on others there was scarcely an
+able field-hand. On some the gin-houses had been burned, and on others
+they were standing, but disabled. A few plantations were in good
+order, but there was always some drawback against our securing
+them. Some were liable to overflow during the expected flood of the
+Mississippi; others were in the hands of their owners, and would not
+be leased by the Government. Some that had been abandoned were
+so thoroughly abandoned that we would hesitate to attempt their
+cultivation. There were several plantations more desirable than
+others, and I busied myself to ascertain the status of their owners,
+and the probabilities concerning their disposal.
+
+Some of the semi-loyal owners of plantations were able to make very
+good speculations in leasing their property. There was an earnest
+competition among the lessees to secure promising plantations. One
+owner made a contract, by which he received five thousand dollars in
+cash and half the product of the year's labor.
+
+A week after the lessee took possession, he was frightened by the
+near approach of a company of Rebel cavalry. He broke his contract and
+departed for the North, forfeiting the five thousand dollars he had
+advanced. Another lessee was ready to make a new contract with the
+owner, paying five thousand dollars as his predecessor had done. Four
+weeks later, this lessee abandoned the field, and the owner was at
+liberty to begin anew.
+
+To widows and orphans the agents of the Government displayed a
+commendable liberality. Nearly all of these persons were allowed to
+retain control of their plantations, leasing them as they saw fit, and
+enjoying the income. Some were required to subscribe to the oath of
+allegiance, and promise to show no more sympathy for the crumbling
+Confederacy. In many cases no pledge of any kind was exacted.
+
+I knew one widow whose disloyalty was of the most violent character.
+On a visit to New Orleans she was required to take the oath of
+allegiance before she could leave the steamboat at the levee. She
+signed the printed oath under protest. A month later, she brought this
+document forward to prove her loyalty and secure the control of her
+plantation.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+OH THE PLANTATION.
+
+Military Protection.--Promises.--Another Widow.--Securing
+a Plantation.--Its Locality and Appearance.--Gardening in
+Louisiana.--How Cotton is Picked.--"The Tell-Tale."--A Southerner's
+Opinion of the Negro Character.--Causes and Consequences.
+
+
+Parties who proposed to lease and cultivate abandoned plantations were
+anxious to know what protection would be afforded them. General Thomas
+and his agents assured them that proper military posts would soon be
+established at points within easy distance of each other along the
+river, so that all plantations in certain limits would be amply
+protected. This would be done, not as a courtesy to the lessees, but
+as a part of the policy of providing for the care of the negroes.
+If the lessees would undertake to feed and clothe several thousand
+negroes, besides paying them for their labor, they would relieve
+the Government authorities of a great responsibility. They would
+demonstrate the feasibility of employing the negroes as free laborers.
+The cotton which they would throw into market would serve to reduce
+the prices of that staple, and be a partial supply to the Northern
+factories. All these things considered, the Government was anxious to
+foster the enterprise, and would give it every proper assistance. The
+agents were profuse in their promises of protection, and assured us it
+would be speedily forthcoming.
+
+There was a military post at Vidalia, opposite Natchez, which afforded
+protection to the plantations in which General Thomas's family and
+friends were interested. Another was promised at Waterproof, twenty
+miles above, with a stockade midway between the two places. There was
+to be a force of cavalry to make a daily journey over the road between
+Vidalia and Waterproof. I selected two plantations about two miles
+below Waterproof, and on the bank of the Mississippi. They were
+separated by a strip of wood-land half a mile in width, and by a
+small bayou reaching from the river to the head of Lake St. John. Both
+plantations belonged to the same person, a widow, living near Natchez.
+
+The authorities had not decided what they would do with these
+plantations--whether they would hold them as Government property, or
+allow the owner to control them. In consideration of her being a widow
+of fifteen years' standing, they at length determined upon the latter
+course. It would be necessary to take out a lease from the authorities
+after obtaining one from the owner. I proceeded at once to make the
+proper negotiations.
+
+Another widow! My first experience in seeking to obtain a widow's
+plantation was not encouraging. The first widow was young, the second
+was old. Both were anxious to make a good bargain. In the first
+instance I had a rival, who proved victorious. In the second affair I
+had no rival at the outset, but was confronted with one when my suit
+was fairly under way. Before he came I obtained a promise of the
+widow's plantations. My rival made her a better offer than I had done.
+At this she proposed to desert me. I caused the elder Weller's advice
+to be whispered to him, hoping it might induce his withdrawal. He did
+not retire, and we, therefore, continued our struggle. _He_ was making
+proposals on his own behalf; I was proposing for myself and for Mr.
+Colburn, who was then a thousand miles away.
+
+My widow (I call her mine, for I won at last) desired us to give her
+all the corn and cotton then on the plantations, and half of what
+should be produced under our management. I offered her half the former
+and one-fourth the latter. These were the terms on which nearly
+all private plantations were being leased. She agreed to the offer
+respecting the corn and cotton then standing in the field, and
+demanded a third of the coming year's products. After some hesitation,
+we decided upon "splitting the difference." Upon many minor points,
+such as the sale of wood, stock, wool, etc., she had her own way.
+
+A contract was drawn up, which gave Colburn and myself the lease of
+the two plantations, "Aquasco" and "Monono," for the period of one
+year. We were to gather the crops then standing in the field, both
+cotton and corn, selling all the former and such portion of the latter
+as was not needed for the use of the plantations. We were to cultivate
+the plantations to the best of our abilities, subject to the fortunes
+of flood, fire, and pestilence, and the operations of military and
+marauding forces. We agreed to give up the plantations at the end of
+the year in as good condition as we found them in respect to stock,
+tools, etc., unless prevented by circumstances beyond our control. We
+were to have full supervision of the plantations, and manage them
+as we saw fit. We were to furnish such stock and tools as might be
+needed, with the privilege of removing the same at the time of our
+departure.
+
+Our widow (whom I shall call Mrs. B.) was to have one-half the
+proceeds of the corn and cotton then on the plantations, and seven
+twenty-fourths of such as might be produced during the year. She
+was to have the privilege of obtaining, once a week, the supplies of
+butter, chickens, meal, vegetables, and similar articles she might
+need for her family use. There were other provisions in the contract,
+but the essential points were those I have mentioned. The two
+plantations were to be under a single management. I shall have
+occasion to speak of them jointly, as "the plantation."
+
+With this contract duly signed, sealed, and stamped, I went to the
+"Agent for Abandoned Plantations." After some delay, and a payment
+of liberal fees, I obtained the Government lease. These preliminaries
+concluded, I proceeded to the locality of our temporary home. Colburn
+had not returned from the North, but was expected daily.
+
+The bayou which I have mentioned, running through the strip of woods
+which separated the plantations, formed the dividing line between the
+parishes "Concordia" and "Tensas," in the State of Louisiana. Lake St.
+John lay directly in rear of "Monono," our lower plantation. This lake
+was five or six miles long by one in width, and was, doubtless, the
+bed of the Mississippi many years ago.
+
+On each plantation there were ten dwelling-houses for the negroes. On
+one they were arranged in a double row, and on the other in a single
+row. There was a larger house for the overseer, and there were
+blacksmith shops, carpenter shops, stables, corn-cribs, meat-houses,
+cattle-yards, and gin-houses.
+
+On Aquasco there was a dwelling-house containing five large rooms, and
+having a wide veranda along its entire front. This dwelling-house was
+in a spacious inclosure, by the side of a fine garden. Inside this
+inclosure, and not far from the dwelling, were the quarters for the
+house-servants, the carriage-house and private stable, the smoke-house
+and the kitchen, which lay detached from the main building, according
+to the custom prevailing in the South.
+
+Our garden could boast of fig and orange trees, and other tropical
+productions. Pinks and roses we possessed in abundance. Of the latter
+we had enough in their season to furnish all the flower-girls on
+Broadway with a stock in trade. Our gardener "made his garden" in
+February. By the middle of March, his potatoes, cabbages, beets, and
+other vegetables under his care were making fine progress. Before
+the jingle of sleigh-bells had ceased in the Eastern States, we were
+feasting upon delicious strawberries from our own garden, ripened in
+the open air. The region where plowing begins in January, and corn is
+planted in February or early March, impresses a New Englander with its
+contrast to his boyhood home.
+
+When I took possession of our new property, the state of affairs was
+not the most pleasing. Mrs. B. had sent the best of her negroes to
+Texas shortly after the fall of Vicksburg. Those remaining on the
+plantations were not sufficient for our work. There were four mules
+where we needed fifty, and there was not a sufficient supply of
+oxen and wagons. Farming tools, plows, etc., were abundant, but many
+repairs must be made. There was enough of nearly every thing for a
+commencement. The rest would be secured in due season.
+
+Cotton and corn were in the field. The former was to receive immediate
+attention. On the day after my arrival I mustered thirty-four laborers
+of all ages and both sexes, and placed them at work, under the
+superintendence of a foreman. During the afternoon I visited them in
+the field, to observe the progress they were making. It was the first
+time I had ever witnessed the operation, but I am confident I did not
+betray my inexperience in the presence of my colored laborers. The
+foreman asked my opinion upon various points of plantation management,
+but I deferred making answer until a subsequent occasion. In every
+case I told him to do for the present as they had been accustomed, and
+I would make such changes as I saw fit from time to time.
+
+Cotton-picking requires skill rather than strength. The young women
+are usually the best pickers, on account of their superior dexterity.
+The cotton-stalk, or bush, is from two to five or six feet high. It is
+unlike any plant with which we are familiar in the North. It resembles
+a large currant-bush more nearly than any thing else I can think of.
+Where the branches are widest the plant is three or four feet from
+side to side. The lowest branches are the longest, and the plant,
+standing by itself, has a shape similar to that of the Northern
+spruce. The stalk is sometimes an inch and a half in diameter where
+it leaves the ground. Before the leaves have fallen, the rows in
+a cotton-field bear a strong resemblance to a series of untrimmed
+hedges.
+
+When fully opened, the cotton-bolls almost envelop the plant in their
+snow-white fiber. At a distance a cotton-field ready for the pickers
+forcibly reminds a Northerner of an expanse covered with snow. Our
+Northern expression, "white as snow," is not in use in the Gulf
+States. "White as cotton" is the form of comparison which takes its
+place.
+
+The pickers walk between the rows, and gather the cotton from the
+stalks on either side. Each one gathers half the cotton from the row
+on his right, and half of that on his left. Sometimes, when the stalks
+are low, one person takes an entire row to himself, and gathers from
+both sides of it. A bag is suspended by a strap over the shoulder, the
+end of the bag reaching the ground, so that its weight may not be
+an inconvenience. The open boll is somewhat like a fully bloomed
+water-lily. The skill in picking lies in thrusting the fingers
+into the boll so as to remove all the cotton with a single motion.
+Ordinary-pickers grasp the boll with one hand and pluck out the cotton
+with the other. Skillful pickers work with both hands, never touching
+the bolls, but removing the cotton by a single dextrous twist of the
+fingers. They can thus operate with great rapidity.
+
+As fast as the bags are filled, they are emptied into large baskets,
+which are placed at a corner of the field or at the ends of the rows.
+When the day's work is ended the cotton is weighed. The amount
+brought forward by each person is noted on a slate, from which it is
+subsequently recorded on the account-book of the plantation.
+
+From one to four hundred pounds, according to the state of the plants,
+is the proper allowance for each hand per day.
+
+In the days of slavery the "stint" was fixed by the overseer, and was
+required to be picked under severe penalties. It is needless to say
+that this stint was sufficiently large to allow of no loitering during
+the entire day. If the slave exceeded the quantity required of him,
+the excess was sometimes placed to his credit and deducted from a
+subsequent day. This was by no means the universal custom. Sometimes
+he received a small present or was granted some especial favor. By
+some masters the stint was increased by the addition of the excess.
+The task was always regulated by the condition of the cotton in the
+field. Where it would sometimes be three hundred pounds, at others it
+would not exceed one hundred.
+
+At the time I commenced my cotton-picking, the circumstances were not
+favorable to a large return. The picking season begins in August or
+September, and is supposed to end before Christmas. In my case it was
+late in January, and the winter rain had washed much of the cotton
+from the stalks. Under the circumstances I could not expect more than
+fifty or seventy-five pounds per day for each person engaged.
+
+During the first few days I did not weigh the cotton. I knew the
+average was not more than fifty pounds to each person, but the
+estimates which the negroes made fixed it at two hundred pounds. One
+night I astonished them by taking the weighing apparatus to the field
+and carefully weighing each basket. There was much disappointment
+among all parties at the result. The next day's picking showed a
+surprising improvement. After that time, each day's work was tested
+and the result announced. The "tell-tale," as the scales were
+sometimes called, was an overseer from whom there was no escape. I
+think the negroes worked faithfully as soon as they found there was no
+opportunity for deception.
+
+I was visited by Mrs. B.'s agent a few days after I became a
+cotton-planter. We took an inventory of the portable property that
+belonged to the establishment, and arranged some plans for our mutual
+advantage. This agent was a resident of Natchez. He was born in the
+North, but had lived so long in the slave States that his sympathies
+were wholly Southern. He assured me the negroes were the greatest
+liars in the world, and required continual watching. They would take
+every opportunity to neglect their work, and were always planning new
+modes of deception. They would steal every thing of which they could
+make any use, and many articles that they could not possibly dispose
+of. Pretending illness was among the most frequent devices for
+avoiding labor, and the overseer was constantly obliged to contend
+against such deception. In short, as far as I could ascertain
+from this gentleman, the negro was the embodiment of all earthly
+wickedness. Theft, falsehood, idleness, deceit, and many other sins
+which afflict mortals, were the especial heritance of the negro.
+
+In looking about me, I found that many of these charges against
+the negro were true. The black man was deceptive, and he was often
+dishonest. There can be no effect without a cause, and the reasons
+for this deception and dishonesty were apparent, without difficult
+research. The system of slavery necessitated a constant struggle
+between the slave and his overseer. It was the duty of the latter to
+obtain the greatest amount of labor from the sinews of the slave. It
+was the business of the slave to perform as little labor as possible.
+It made no difference to him whether the plantation produced a hundred
+or a thousand bales. He received nothing beyond his subsistence and
+clothing. His labor had no compensation, and his balance-sheet at the
+end of the month or year was the same, whether he had been idle or
+industrious. It was plainly to his personal interest to do nothing he
+could in any way avoid. The negro displayed his sagacity by deceiving
+the overseer whenever he could do so. The best white man in the world
+would have shunned all labor under such circumstances. The negro
+evinced a pardonable weakness in pretending to be ill whenever he
+could hope to make the pretense successful.
+
+Receiving no compensation for his services, beyond his necessary
+support, the negro occasionally sought to compensate himself. He was
+fond of roasted pork, but that article did not appear on the list
+of plantation rations. Consequently some of the negroes would make
+clandestine seizure of the fattest pigs when the chance of detection
+was not too great. It was hard to convince them that the use of one
+piece of property for the benefit of another piece, belonging to the
+same person, was a serious offense.
+
+"You see, Mr. K----," said a negro to me, admitting that he had
+sometimes stolen his master's hogs, "you see, master owns his
+saddle-horse, and he owns lots of corn. Master would be very mad if I
+didn't give the horse all the corn he wanted. Now, he owns me, and he
+owns a great many hogs. I like hog, just as much as the horse likes
+corn, but when master catches me killing the hogs he is very mad, and
+he makes the overseer whip me."
+
+Corn, chickens, flour, meal, in fact, every thing edible, became
+legitimate plunder for the negroes when the rations furnished them
+were scanty. I believe that in nine cases out of ten the petty thefts
+which the negroes committed were designed to supply personal wants,
+rather than for any other purpose. What the negro stole was usually an
+article of food, and it was nearly always stolen from the plantation
+where he belonged.
+
+Sometimes there was a specially bad negro--one who had been caught in
+some extraordinary dishonesty. One in my employ was reported to
+have been shot at while stealing from a dwelling-house several years
+before. Among two hundred negroes, he was the only noted rascal. I
+did not attribute his dishonesty to his complexion alone. I have known
+worse men than he, in whose veins there was not a drop of African
+blood. The police records everywhere show that wickedness of heart
+"dwells in white and black the same."
+
+With his disadvantages of position, the absence of all moral training,
+and the dishonesty which was the natural result of the old system
+of labor, the negro could not be expected to observe all the rules
+prescribed for his guidance, but which were never explained. Like
+ignorant and degraded people everywhere, many of the negroes believed
+that guilt lay mainly in detection. There was little wickedness in
+stealing a pig or a chicken, if the theft were never discovered, and
+there was no occasion for allowing twinges of conscience to disturb
+the digestion.
+
+I do not intend to intimate, by the above, that all were dishonest,
+even in these small peculations. There were many whose sense of right
+and wrong was very clear, and whose knowledge of their duties had been
+derived from the instructions of the white preachers. These negroes
+"obeyed their masters" in every thing, and considered it a religious
+obligation to be always faithful. They never avoided their tasks, in
+the field or elsewhere, and were never discovered doing any wrong.
+Under the new system of labor at the South, this portion of the negro
+population will prove of great advantage in teaching their kindred the
+duties they owe to each other. When all are trained to think and
+act for themselves, the negroes will, doubtless, prove as correct in
+morals as the white people around them.
+
+Early in the present year, the authorities at Davies' Bend, below
+Vicksburg, established a negro court, in which all petty cases were
+tried. The judge, jury, counsel, and officers were negroes, and no
+white man was allowed to interfere during the progress of a trial.
+After the decisions were made, the statement of the case and the
+action thereon were referred to the superintendent of the Government
+plantations at that point.
+
+It was a noticeable feature that the punishments which the negroes
+decreed for each other were of a severe character. Very frequently it
+was necessary for the authorities to modify the sentences after the
+colored judge had rendered them. The cases tried by the court related
+to offenses of a minor character, such as theft, fraud, and various
+delinquencies of the freed negroes.
+
+The experiment of a negro court is said to have been very successful,
+though it required careful watching. It was made in consequence of
+a desire of the authorities to teach the freedmen how to govern
+themselves. The planters in the vicinity were as bitterly opposed to
+the movement as to any other effort that lifts the negro above his old
+position.
+
+At the present time, several parties in Vicksburg have leased three
+plantations, in as many localities, and are managing them on different
+plans. On the first they furnish the negroes with food and clothing,
+and divide the year's income with them. On the second they pay wages
+at the rate of ten dollars per month, furnishing rations free, and
+retaining half the money until the end of the year. On the third they
+pay daily wages of one dollar, having the money ready at nightfall,
+the negro buying his own rations at a neighboring store.
+
+On the first plantation, the negroes are wasteful of their supplies,
+as they are not liable for any part of their cost. They are inclined
+to be idle, as their share in the division will not be materially
+affected by the loss of a few days' labor. On the second they are less
+wasteful and more industrious, but the distance of the day of payment
+is not calculated to develop notions of strict economy. On the third
+they generally display great frugality, and are far more inclined to
+labor than on the other plantations.
+
+The reason is apparent. On the first plantation their condition is
+not greatly changed from that of slavery, except in the promise of
+compensation and the absence of compulsory control. In the last case
+they are made responsible both for their labor and expenses, and are
+learning how to care for themselves as freemen.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+RULES AND REGULATIONS UNDER THE OLD AND NEW SYSTEMS.
+
+The Plantation Record.--Its Uses.--Interesting Memoranda.--Dogs,
+Jail, and Stocks.--Instructions to the Overseer.--His Duties and
+Responsibilities.--The Order of General Banks.--Management of
+Plantations in the Department of the Gulf.--The two Documents
+Contrasted.--One of the Effects of "an Abolition War."
+
+
+Nearly every planter in the South required the manager of his
+plantation to keep a record of all events of importance. Books were
+prepared by a publishing house in New Orleans, with special reference
+to their use by overseers. These books had a blank for every day in
+the year, in which the amount and kind of work performed were to be
+recorded by the overseer. There were blanks for noting the progress
+during the picking season, and the amount picked by each person daily.
+There were blanks for monthly and yearly inventories of stock, tools,
+etc., statements of supplies received and distributed, lists of births
+and deaths (there were no blanks for marriages), time and amount
+of shipments of cotton, and for all the ordinary business of a
+plantation. In the directions for the use of this book, I found the
+following:--
+
+
+"On the pages marked I, the planter himself will make a careful record
+of all the negroes upon the plantation, stating their ages as nearly
+as possible, and their cash value, at the commencement of the year.
+At the close, he will again enter their individual value at that time,
+adding the year's increase, and omitting those that may have died. The
+difference can then be transferred to the balance-sheet. The year's
+crop is chargeable with any depreciation in the value of the negroes,
+occasioned by overwork and improper management, in the effort,
+perhaps, to make an extra crop independent of every other
+consideration. On the other hand, should the number of children have
+greatly increased during the year; the strength and usefulness of the
+old been sustained by kind treatment and care; the youngsters taught
+to be useful, and, perhaps, some of the men instructed in trades and
+the women in home manufactures, the increased value of the entire
+force will form a handsome addition to the side of _profits_."
+
+
+On the pages where the daily incidents of the plantation were
+recorded, I frequently discovered entries that illustrated the
+"peculiar institution." Some of them read thus:--
+
+
+_June 5th_.
+Whipped Harry and Sarah to-day, because they didn't keep up their
+rows. _July 7th_. Aleck ran away to the woods, because I threatened
+to whip him.
+
+_July 9th_.
+Got Mr. Hall's dogs and hunted Aleck. Didn't find him. Think he is in
+the swamp back of Brandon's.
+
+_July 12th_.
+Took Aleck out of Vidalia jail. Paid $4.50 for jail fees. Put him in
+the stocks when we got home.
+
+_July 30th_.
+Moses died this morning. Charles and Henry buried him. His wife was
+allowed to keep out of the field until noon.
+
+_August 10th_.
+Sent six mules and four negroes down to the lower plantation. They
+will come back to-morrow.
+
+_September 9th_.
+John said he was sick this morning, but I made him go to the field.
+They brought him in before noon. He has a bad fever. Am afraid he
+won't be able to go out again soon.
+
+_September 20th_.
+Whipped Susan, because she didn't pick as much cotton as she did
+yesterday.
+
+_September 29th_.
+Put William in the stocks and kept him till sunset, for telling
+Charles he wanted to run away.
+
+_October 8th_. William and Susan want to be married. Told them I
+should not allow it, but they might live together if they wanted to.
+
+
+(The above memorandum was explained to me by one of the negroes. The
+owner of the plantation did not approve of marriages, because they
+were inconvenient in case it was desired to sell a portion of the
+working force.)
+
+
+_October 1st_. Took an inventory of the negroes and stock. Their value
+is about the same as when the last inventory was taken.
+
+_December 3d_. Finished picking. Gave the negroes half a holiday.
+
+Nearly every day's entry shows the character and amount of work
+performed. Thus we have:--
+
+
+_February 10th_. Fifteen plows running, five hands piling logs, four
+hands ditching, six hands in trash-gang.
+
+
+In the planting, hoeing, and picking seasons, the result of the labor
+was recorded in the same manner. Whippings were more or less frequent,
+according to the character of the overseer. Under one overseer I found
+that whippings were rare. Under other overseers they were of common
+occurrence.
+
+The individual who prepared the "_Plantation Record_" for the
+publishers, gave, in addition to directions for its use, instructions
+for the overseer's general conduct.
+
+I copy them below, preserving the author's language throughout.
+
+
+THE DUTIES OF AN OVERSEER.
+
+It is here supposed that the overseer is not immediately under his
+employer's eye, but is left for days or weeks, perhaps months, to the
+exercise of his own judgment in the management of the plantation. To
+him we would say--
+
+Bear in mind, that you have engaged for a stated sum of money, to
+devote your time and energies, for an entire year, _to one object_--to
+carry out the orders of your employer, strictly, cheerfully, and
+to the best of your ability; and, in all things, to study his
+interests--requiring something more than your mere presence on the
+plantation, and that at such times as suits your own pleasure and
+convenience.
+
+On entering upon your duties, inform yourself thoroughly of the
+condition of the plantation, negroes, stock, implements, etc. Learn
+the views of your employer as to the general course of management he
+wishes pursued, and make up your mind to carry out these views fully,
+as far as in your power. If any objections occur to you, state them
+distinctly, that they may either be yielded to or overcome.
+
+Where full and particular directions are not given to you, but you are
+left, in a great measure, to the exercise of your own judgment, you
+will find the following hints of service. They are compiled from
+excellent sources--from able articles in the agricultural journals
+of the day, from Washington's Directions to his Overseers, and from
+personal experience.
+
+"I do, in explicit terms, enjoin it upon you to remain constantly at
+home (unless called off by unavoidable business, or to attend Divine
+worship), and to be constantly with your people when there. There is
+no other sure way of getting work well done, and quietly, by negroes;
+for when an overlooker's back is turned the most of them will slight
+their work, or be idle altogether. In which case correction cannot
+retrieve either, but often produces evils which are worse than the
+disease. Nor is there any other mode than this to prevent thieving and
+other disorders, the consequences of opportunities. You will recollect
+that your time is paid for by me, and if I am deprived of it, it
+is worse even than robbing my purse, because it is also a breach of
+trust, which every honest man ought to hold most sacred. You have
+found me, and you will continue to find me, faithful to my part of the
+agreement which was made with you, whilst you are attentive to your
+part; but it is to be remembered that a breach on one side releases
+the obligation on the other."
+
+Neither is it right that you should entertain a constant run of
+company at your house, incurring unnecessary expense, taking up your
+own time and that of the servants beyond what is needful for your own
+comfort--a woman to cook and wash for you, milk, make butter, and so
+on. More than this you have no claim to.
+
+Endeavor to take the same interest in every thing upon the place,
+as if it were your own; indeed, the responsibility in this case is
+greater than if it were all your own--having been intrusted to you by
+another. Unless you feel thus, it is impossible that you can do your
+employer justice.
+
+The health of the negroes under your charge is an important matter.
+Much of the usual sickness among them is the result of carelessness
+and mismanagement. Overwork or unnecessary exposure to rain,
+insufficient clothing, improper or badly-cooked food, and night
+rambles, are all fruitful causes of disease. A great majority of the
+cases you should be yourself competent to manage, or you are unfit for
+the place you hold; but whenever you find that the case is one you do
+not understand, send for a physician, if such is the general order of
+the owner. By exerting yourself to have their clothing ready in good
+season; to arrange profitable in-door employment in wet weather;
+to see that an abundant supply of wholesome, _well-cooked food_,
+including plenty of vegetables, be supplied to them _at regular
+hours_; that the sick be cheered and encouraged, and some extra
+comforts allowed them, and the convalescent not exposed to the chances
+of a relapse; that women, whilst nursing, be kept as near to the
+nursery as possible, but at no time allowed to suckle their children
+when overheated; that the infant be nursed three times during the day,
+in addition to the morning and evening; that no whisky be allowed upon
+the place at any time or under any circumstances; but that they have,
+whilst heated and at work, plenty of pure, _cool_ water; that care be
+taken to prevent the hands from carrying their baskets full of cotton
+on their head--a most injurious practice; and, in short, that such
+means be used for their comfort as every judicious, humane man will
+readily think of, you will find the amount of sickness gradually
+lessened.
+
+Next to the negroes, the stock on the place will require your constant
+attention. You can, however, spare yourself much trouble by your
+choice of a stock-minder, and by adopting and enforcing a strict
+system in the care of the stock. It is a part of their duty in which
+overseers are generally most careless.
+
+The horse and mule stock are first in importance. Unless these are
+kept in good condition, it is impossible that the work can go on
+smoothly, or your crop be properly tended. Put your stable in good
+order; and, if possible, inclose it so that it can be kept under
+lock. Place a steady, careful old man there as hostler, making him
+responsible for every thing, and that directly to yourself. The
+foreman of the plow-gang, and the hands under his care, should be made
+answerable to the hostler--whose business it is to have the feed cut
+up, ground, and ready; the stalls well littered and cleaned out at
+proper intervals; to attend to sick or maimed animals; to see that the
+gears are always hung in their proper place, kept in good order, and
+so on.
+
+It is an easy matter to keep horses or mules fat, with a full and open
+corn-crib and abundance of fodder. But that overseer shows his good
+management who can keep his teams fat at the least expense of corn
+and fodder. The waste of those articles in the South, through shameful
+carelessness and neglect, is immense; as food for stock, they are most
+expensive articles. Oats, millet, peas (vine and all), broadcast corn,
+Bermuda and crab-grass hay, are all much cheaper and equally good.
+Any one of these crops, fed whilst green--the oats and millet as they
+begin to shoot, the peas to blossom, and the corn when tasseling--with
+a feed of dry oats, corn, or corn-chop at noon, will keep a plow-team
+in fine order all the season. In England, where they have the finest
+teams in the world, this course _is invariably pursued_, for its
+economy. From eight to nine hours per day is as long as the team
+should be at actual work. They will perform more upon less feed, and
+keep in better order for a _push_ when needful, worked briskly in that
+way, than when kept dragging a plow all day long at a slow pace.
+And the hands have leisure to rest, to cut up feed, clean and repair
+gears, and so on.
+
+Oxen. No more work oxen should be retained than can be kept at all
+times in good order. An abundant supply of green feed during
+spring and summer, cut and fed as recommended above, and in winter
+well-boiled cotton-seed, with a couple of quarts of meal in it per
+head; turnips, raw or cooked; corn-cobs soaked twenty-four hours
+in salt and water; shucks, pea-vines, etc., passed through a
+cutting-box--any thing of the kind, in short, is cheaper food for them
+in winter, and will keep them in better order than dry corn and shucks
+or fodder.
+
+Indeed, the fewer cattle are kept on any place the better, unless the
+range is remarkably good. When young stock of any kind are stinted of
+their proper food, and their growth receives a check, they never can
+wholly recover it. Let the calves have a fair share of milk, and also
+as much of the cooked food prepared for the cows and oxen as they will
+eat; with at times a little dry meal to lick. When cows or oxen show
+symptoms of failing, from age or otherwise, fatten them off at
+once; and if killed for the use of the place, _save the hide
+carefully_--rubbing at least two quarts of salt upon it; then roll up
+for a day or two, when it may be stretched and dried.
+
+Hogs are generally sadly mismanaged. Too many are kept, and kept
+badly. One good brood sow for every five hands on a place, is amply
+sufficient--indeed, more pork will be cured from these than from a
+greater number. Provide at least two good grazing lots for them, with
+Bermuda, crab-grass, or clover, which does as well at Washington,
+Miss., as anywhere in the world, with two bushels of ground plaster to
+the acre, sowed over it. Give a steady, trusty hand no other work to
+do but to feed and care for them. With a large set kettle or two, an
+old mule and cart to haul his wood for fuel, cotton-seed, turnips,
+etc., for feed, and leaves for bedding, he can do full justice to one
+hundred head, old and young. They will increase and thrive finely,
+with good grazing, and a full mess, twice a day, of swill prepared as
+follows: Sound cotton-seed, with a gallon of corn-meal to the bushel,
+a quart of oak or hickory ashes, a handful of salt, and a good
+proportion of turnips or green food of any kind, even clover or peas;
+the whole thoroughly--mind you, _thoroughly_ cooked--then thrown into
+a large trough, and there allowed _to become sour before being fed_.
+
+Sheep may be under the charge of the stock-minder; from ten to twenty
+to the hand may be generally kept with advantage.
+
+Sick animals require close and judicious attention. Too frequently
+they are either left to get well or to die of themselves, or are bled
+and dosed with nauseous mixtures indiscriminately. Study the subject
+of the diseases of animals during your leisure evenings, which you
+can do from some of the many excellent works on the subject. _Think_
+before you _act_. When your animal has fever, nature would dictate
+that all stimulating articles of diet or medicine should be avoided.
+Bleeding may be necessary to reduce the force of the circulation;
+purging, to remove irritating substances from the bowels; moist,
+light, and easily-digested food, that his weakened digestion may not
+be oppressed; cool drinks, to allay his thirst, and, to some extent,
+compensate for diminished secretions; rest and quiet, to prevent undue
+excitement in his system, and so on through the whole catalogue of
+diseases--but do nothing without a reason. Carry out this principle,
+and you will probably do much good--hardly great harm; go upon any
+other, and your measures are more likely to be productive of injury
+than benefit.
+
+The implements and tools require a good deal of looking after. By
+keeping a memorandum of the distribution of any set of tools, they
+will be much more likely to be forthcoming at the end of the month.
+Axes, hoes, and other small tools, of which every hand has his own,
+should have his number marked upon it with a steel punch. The strict
+enforcement of one single rule will keep every thing straight: "Have a
+place for every thing, and see that every thing is in its place."
+
+Few instances of good management will better please an employer than
+that of having all of the winter clothing spun and woven on the place.
+By having a room devoted to that purpose, under charge of some one
+of the old women, where those who may be complaining a little, or
+convalescent after sickness, may be employed in some light work, and
+where all of the women may be sent in wet weather, more than enough of
+both cotton and woolen yarn can be spun for the supply of the place.
+
+Of the principal staple crop of the plantation, whether cotton, sugar,
+or rice, we shall not here speak.
+
+Of the others--the provision crops--there is most commonly enough made
+upon most plantations for their own supply. Rarely, however, is it
+saved without great and inexcusable waste, and fed out without still
+greater. And this, to their lasting shame be it said, is too often the
+case to a disgraceful extent, when an overseer feels satisfied that he
+will not remain another year upon the place. His conduct should be the
+very opposite of this--an honorable, right-thinking man will feel a
+particular degree of pride in leaving every thing in thorough order,
+and especially an abundant supply of all kinds of feed. He thus
+establishes a character for himself which _must_ have its effect.
+
+Few plantations are so rich in soil as not to be improved by manure.
+Inform yourself of the best means, suited to the location and soil
+of the place under, your charge, of improving it in this and in every
+other way. When an opportunity offers, carry out these improvements.
+Rely upon it there are few employers who will not see and reward such
+efforts. Draining, ditching, circling, hedging, road-making, building,
+etc., may all be effected to a greater or less extent every season.
+
+During the long evenings of winter improve your own mind and the
+knowledge of your profession by reading and study. The many excellent
+agricultural periodicals and books now published afford good and cheap
+opportunities for this.
+
+It is indispensable that you exercise judgment and consideration in
+the management of the negroes under your charge. Be _firm_, and, at
+the same time, _gentle_ in your control. Never display yourself before
+them in a passion; and even if inflicting the severest punishment, do
+so in a mild, cool manner, and it will produce a tenfold effect. When
+you find it necessary to use the whip--and desirable as it would be to
+dispense with it entirely, it _is_ necessary at times--apply it slowly
+and deliberately, and to the extent you had determined, in your own
+mind, to be needful before you began. The indiscriminate, constant,
+and excessive use of the whip is altogether unnecessary and
+inexcusable. When it can be done without a too great loss of time,
+the stocks offer a means of punishment greatly to be preferred. So
+secured, in a lonely, quiet place, where no communication can be held
+with any one, nothing but bread and water allowed, and the confinement
+extending from Saturday, when they drop work, until Sabbath evening,
+will prove much more effectual in preventing a repetition of the
+offense, than any amount of whipping. Never threaten a negro, but if
+you have occasion to punish, do it at once, or say nothing until
+ready to do so. A violent and passionate threat will often scare the
+best-disposed negro to the woods. Always keep your word with them, in
+punishments as well as in rewards. If you have named the penalty for
+any certain offense, inflict it without listening to a word of excuse.
+Never forgive that in one that you would punish in another, but treat
+all alike, showing no favoritism. By pursuing such a course, you
+convince them that you act from principle and not from impulse, and
+will certainly enforce your rules. Whenever an opportunity is
+afforded you for rewarding continued good behavior, do not let it
+pass--occasional rewards have a much better effect than frequent
+punishments.
+
+Never be induced by a course of good behavior on the part of the
+negroes to relax the strictness of your discipline; but, when you have
+by judicious management brought them to that state, keep them so
+by the same means. By taking frequent strolls about the premises,
+including of course the quarter and stock yards, during the evening,
+and at least twice a week during the night, you will put a more
+effectual stop to any irregularities than by the most severe
+punishments. The only way to keep a negro honest, is not to trust him.
+This seems a harsh assertion; but it is, unfortunately, too true.
+
+You will find that an hour devoted, every Sabbath morning, to their
+moral and religious instruction, would prove a great aid to you in
+bringing about a better state of things among the negroes. It has
+been thoroughly tried, and with the most satisfactory results, in many
+parts of the South. As a mere matter of interest it has proved to be
+advisable--to say nothing of it as a point of duty. The effect upon
+their general good behavior, their cleanliness, and good conduct on
+the Sabbath, is such as alone to recommend it to both planter and
+overseer.
+
+In conclusion:--Bear in mind that _a fine crop_ consists, first, in an
+increase in the number, and a marked improvement in the condition and
+value, of the negroes; second, an abundance of provision of all sorts
+for man and beast, carefully saved and properly housed; third, both
+summer and winter clothing made at home; also leather tanned, and
+shoes and harness made, when practicable; fourth, an improvement in
+the productive qualities of the land, and in the general condition of
+the plantation; fifth, the team and stock generally, with the farming
+implements and the buildings, in fine order at the close of the year;
+and young hogs more than enough for next year's killing; _then_, as
+heavy a crop of cotton, sugar, or rice as could possibly be made
+under these circumstances, sent to market in good season, and of prime
+quality. The time has passed when the overseer is valued solely upon
+the number of bales of cotton, hogsheads of sugar, or tierces of rice
+he has made, without reference to other qualifications.
+
+
+In contrast with the instructions to overseers under the old
+management, I present the proclamation of General Banks, regulating
+the system of free labor in the Department of the Gulf. These
+regulations were in force, in 1864, along the Mississippi, from Helena
+to New Orleans. They were found admirably adapted to the necessities
+of the case. With a few changes, they have been continued in operation
+during the present year:--
+
+
+HEAD-QUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF, NEW ORLEANS, _February_ 3, 1864.
+
+GENERAL ORDERS, NO. 23.
+
+The following general regulations are published for the information
+and government of all interested in the subject of compensated
+plantation labor, public or private, during the present year, and in
+continuation of the system established January 30, 1863:--
+
+I. The enlistment of soldiers from plantations under cultivation in
+this department having been suspended by order of the Government, will
+not be resumed except upon direction of the same high authority.
+
+II. The Provost-Marshal-General is instructed to provide for the
+division of parishes into police and school districts, and to organize
+from invalid soldiers a competent police for the preservation of
+order.
+
+III. Provision will be made for the establishment of a sufficient
+number of schools, one at least for each of the police and school
+districts, for the instruction of colored children under twelve years
+of age, which, when established, will be placed under the direction of
+the Superintendent of Public Education.
+
+IV. Soldiers will not be allowed to visit plantations without the
+written consent of the commanding officer of the regiment or post to
+which they are attached, and never with arms, except when on duty,
+accompanied by an officer.
+
+V. Plantation hands will not be allowed to pass from one place to
+another, except under such regulations as may be established by the
+provost-marshal of the parish.
+
+VI. Flogging and other cruel or unusual punishments are interdicted.
+
+VII. Planters will be required, as early as practicable after the
+publication of these regulations, to make a roll of persons employed
+upon their estates, and to transmit the same to the provost marshal of
+the parish. In the employment of hands, the unity of families will be
+secured as far as possible.
+
+VIII. All questions between the employer and the employed, until other
+tribunals are established, will be decided by the provost-marshal of
+the parish.
+
+IX. Sick and disabled persons will be provided for upon the
+plantations to which they belong, except such as may be received in
+establishments provided for them by the Government, of which one will
+be established at Algiers and one at Baton Rouge.
+
+X. The unauthorized purchase of clothing, or other property, from
+laborers, will be punished by fine and imprisonment. The sale of
+whisky or other intoxicating drinks to them, or to other persons,
+except under regulations established by the Provost-Marshal-General,
+will be followed by the severest punishment.
+
+XL The possession of arms, or concealed or dangerous weapons, without
+authority, will be punished by fine and imprisonment.
+
+XII. Laborers shall render to their employer, between daylight
+and dark, _ten_ hours in summer, and _nine_ hours in winter, of
+respectful, honest, faithful labor, and receive therefor, in addition
+to just treatment, healthy rations, comfortable clothing, quarters,
+fuel, medical attendance, and instruction for children, wages per
+month as follows, payment of one-half of which, at least, shall be
+reserved until the end of the year:--
+
+For first-class hands..... $8.00 per month.
+For second-class hands....  6.00 " "
+For third-class hands.....  5.00 " "
+For fourth-class hands....  3.00 " "
+
+Engineers and foremen, when faithful in the discharge of their
+duties, will be paid $2 per month extra. This schedule of wages may
+be commuted, by consent of both parties, at the rate of one-fourteenth
+part of the net proceeds of the crop, to be determined and paid at
+the end of the year. Wages will be deducted in case of sickness,
+and rations, also, when sickness is feigned. Indolence, insolence,
+disobedience of orders, and crime will be suppressed by forfeiture of
+pay, and such punishments as are provided for similar offenses by Army
+Regulations. Sunday work will be avoided when practicable, but when
+necessary will be considered as extra labor, and paid at the rates
+specified herein.
+
+XIII. Laborers will be permitted to choose their employers, but when
+the agreement is made they will be held to their engagement for one
+year, under the protection of the Government. In cases of attempted
+imposition, by feigning sickness, or stubborn refusal of duty, they
+will be turned over to the provost-marshal of the parish, for labor
+upon the public works, without pay.
+
+XIV. Laborers will be permitted to cultivate land on private account,
+as herein specified, as follows:
+
+First and second class hands, with families..... 1   acre each.
+First and second class hands, without families.. 1/2  "    "
+Second and third class hands, with families..... 1/2  "    "
+Second and third class hands, without families.. 1/4  "    "
+
+To be increased for good conduct at the discretion of the employer.
+The encouragement of independent industry will strengthen all the
+advantages which capital derives from labor, and enable the laborer
+to take care of himself and prepare for the time when he can render so
+much labor for so much money, which is the great end to be attained.
+No exemption will be made in this apportionment, except upon
+imperative reasons; and it is desirable that for good conduct the
+quantity be increased until faithful hands can be allowed to cultivate
+extensive tracts, returning to the owner an equivalent of product for
+rent of soil.
+
+XV. To protect the laborer from possible imposition, no commutation
+of his supplies will be allowed, except in clothing, which may be
+commuted at the rate of $3 per month for first-class hands, and in
+similar proportion for other classes. The crops will stand pledged,
+wherever found, for the wages of labor.
+
+XVI. It is advised, as far as practicable, that employers provide for
+the current wants of their hands, by perquisites for extra labor,
+or by appropriation of land for share cultivation; to discourage
+monthly-payments so far as it can be done without discontent, and to
+reserve till the full harvest the yearly wages.
+
+XVII. A FREE-LABOR BANK will be established for the safe deposit of
+all accumulations of wages and other savings; and in order to avoid a
+possible wrong to depositors, by official defalcation, authority will
+be asked to connect the bank with the Treasury of the United States in
+this department.
+
+XVIII. The transportation of negro families to other countries
+will not be approved. All propositions for this privilege have been
+declined, and application has been made to other departments for
+surplus negro families for service in this department.
+
+XIX. The last year's experience shows that the planter and the negro
+comprehend the revolution. The overseer, having little interest
+in capital, and less sympathy with labor, dislikes the trouble of
+thinking, and discredits the notion that any thing new has occurred.
+He is a relic of the past, and adheres to its customs. His stubborn
+refusal to comprehend the condition of things, occasioned most of
+the embarrassments of the past year. Where such incomprehension is
+chronic, reduced wages, diminished rations, and the mild punishments
+imposed by the army and navy, will do good.
+
+XX. These regulations are based upon the assumption that labor is a
+public duty, and idleness and vagrancy a crime. No civil or military
+officer of the Government is exempt from the operation of this
+universal rule. Every enlightened community has enforced it upon
+all classes of people by the severest penalties. It is especially
+necessary in agricultural pursuits. That portion of the people
+identified with the cultivation of the soil, however changed in
+condition by the revolution through which we are passing, is not
+relieved from the necessity of toil, which is the condition of
+existence with all the children of God. The revolution has altered its
+tenure, but not its law. This universal law of labor will be enforced,
+upon just terms, by the Government under whose protection the laborer
+rests secure in his rights. Indolence, disorder, and crime will be
+suppressed. Having exercised the highest right in the choice and place
+of employment, he must be held to the fulfillment of his
+engagements, until released therefrom by the Government. The several
+provost-marshals are hereby invested with plenary powers upon
+all matters connected with labor, subject to the approval of the
+Provost-Marshal-General and the commanding officer of the department.
+The most faithful and discreet officers will be selected for this
+duty, and the largest force consistent with the public service
+detailed for their assistance.
+
+XXI. Employers, and especially overseers, are notified, that undue
+influence used to move the marshal from his just balance between
+the parties representing labor and capital, will result in immediate
+change of officers, and thus defeat that regular and stable system
+upon which the interests of all parties depend.
+
+XXII. Successful industry is especially necessary at the present time,
+when large public debts and onerous taxes are imposed to maintain and
+protect the liberties of the people and the integrity of the Union.
+All officers, civil or military, and all classes of citizens who
+assist in extending the profits of labor, and increasing the product
+of the soil upon which, in the end, all national prosperity and power
+depends, will render to the Government a service as great as that
+derived from the terrible sacrifices of battle. It is upon such
+consideration only that the planter is entitled to favor. The
+Government has accorded to him, in a period of anarchy, a release from
+the disorders resulting mainly from insensate and mad resistance to
+sensible reforms, which can never be rejected without revolution,
+and the criminal surrender of his interests and power to crazy
+politicians, who thought by metaphysical abstractions to circumvent
+the laws of God. It has restored to him in improved, rather than
+impaired condition, his due privileges, at a moment when, by his own
+acts, the very soil was washed from beneath his feet.
+
+XXIII. A more majestic and wise clemency human history does not
+exhibit. The liberal and just conditions that attend it cannot be
+disregarded. It protects labor by enforcing the performance of its
+duty, and it will assist capital by compelling just contributions to
+the demands of the Government. Those who profess allegiance to other
+Governments will be required, as the condition of residence in this
+State, to acquiesce, without reservation, in the demands presented by
+Government as a basis of permanent peace. The non-cultivation of the
+soil, without just reason, will be followed by temporary forfeiture to
+those who will secure its improvement. Those who have exercised or
+are entitled to the rights of citizens of the United States, will
+be required to participate in the measures necessary for the
+re-establishment of civil government. War can never cease except as
+civil governments crush out contest, and secure the supremacy of moral
+over physical power. The yellow harvest must wave over the crimson
+field of blood, and the representatives of the people displace the
+agents of purely military power.
+
+XXIV. The amnesty offered for the past is conditioned upon an
+unreserved loyalty for the future, and this condition will be enforced
+with an iron hand. Whoever is indifferent or hostile, must choose
+between the liberty which foreign lands afford, the poverty of the
+Rebel States, and the innumerable and inappreciable blessings which
+our Government confers upon its people.
+
+May God preserve the Union of the States!
+
+By order of Major-General Banks.
+
+Official:
+GEORGE B. DRAKE,
+_Assistant Adjutant-General_.
+
+
+The two documents have little similarity. Both are appropriate to the
+systems they are intended to regulate. It is interesting to compare
+their merits at the present time. It will be doubly interesting to
+make a similar comparison twenty years hence.
+
+While I was in Natchez, a resident of that city called my attention to
+one of the "sad results of this horrid, Yankee war."
+
+"Do you see that young man crossing the street toward ----'s store?"
+
+I looked in the direction indicated, and observed a person whom I
+supposed to be twenty-five years of age, and whose face bore the
+marks of dissipation. I signified, by a single word, that I saw the
+individual in question.
+
+"His is a sad case," my Southern friend remarked.
+
+"Whisky, isn't it?"
+
+"Oh, no, I don't mean that. He does drink some, I know, but what I
+mean is this: His father died about five years ago. He left his son
+nothing but fourteen or fifteen niggers. They were all smart, young
+hands, and he has been able to hire them out, so as to bring a
+yearly income of two thousand dollars. This has supported him very
+comfortably. This income stopped a year ago. The niggers have all run
+away, and that young man is now penniless, and without any means of
+support. It is one of the results of your infernal Abolition war."
+
+I assented that it was a very hard case, and ought to be brought
+before Congress at the earliest moment. That a promising young man
+should be deprived of the means of support in consequence of this
+Abolition war, is unfortunate--for the man.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+OUR FREE-LABOR ENTERPRISE IN PROGRESS.
+
+The Negroes at Work.--Difficulties in the Way.--A Public Meeting.--A
+Speech.--A Negro's Idea of Freedom.--A Difficult Question to
+Determine.--Influence of Northern and Southern Men Contrasted.--An
+Increase of Numbers.--"Ginning" Cotton.--In the Lint-Room.--Mills and
+Machinery of a Plantation.--A Profitable Enterprise.
+
+
+On each of the plantations the negroes were at work in the
+cotton-field. I rode from one to the other, as circumstances made it
+necessary, and observed the progress that was made. I could easily
+perceive they had been accustomed to performing their labor under
+fear of the lash. Some of them took advantage of the opportunity for
+carelessness and loitering under the new arrangement. I could not be
+in the field at all times, to give them my personal supervision. Even
+if I were constantly present, there was now no lash to be feared.
+I saw that an explanation of the new state of affairs would be an
+advantage to all concerned. On the first Sunday of my stay on the
+plantation, I called all the negroes together, in order to give them
+an understanding of their position.
+
+I made a speech that I adapted as nearly as possible to the
+comprehension of my hearers. My audience was attentive throughout.
+I made no allusions to Homer, Dante, or Milton; I did not quote from
+Gibbon or Macaulay, and I neglected to call their attention to the
+spectacle they were presenting to the crowned heads of Europe. I
+explained to them the change the war had made in their condition,
+and the way in which it had been effected. I told them that all cruel
+modes of punishment had been abolished. The negroes were free, but
+they must understand that freedom did not imply idleness. I read to
+them the regulations established by the commissioners, and explained
+each point as clearly as I was able. After I had concluded, I offered
+to answer any questions they might ask.
+
+There were many who could not understand why, if they were free, they
+should be restricted from going where they pleased at all times. I
+explained that it was necessary, for the successful management of the
+plantation, that I should always be able to rely upon them. I asked
+them to imagine my predicament if they should lose half their time, or
+go away altogether, in the busiest part of the season. They "saw
+the point" at once, and readily acknowledged the necessity of
+subordination.
+
+I found no one who imagined that his freedom conferred the right of
+idleness and vagrancy. All expected to labor in their new condition,
+but they expected compensation for their labor, and did not look for
+punishment. They expected, further, that their families would not
+be separated, and that they could be allowed to acquire property for
+themselves. I know there were many negroes in the South who expected
+they would neither toil nor spin after being set free, but the belief
+was by no means universal. The story of the negro at Vicksburg, who
+expected his race to assemble in New York after the war, "and have
+white men for niggers," is doubtless true, but it would find little
+credence with the great majority of the freedmen of the South.
+
+The schedule of wages, as established by the commissioners, was read
+and explained. The negroes were to be furnished with house-rent,
+rations, fuel, and medical attendance, free of charge. Able-bodied
+males were to receive eight dollars a month. Other classes of laborers
+would be paid according to the proportionate value of their services.
+We were required to keep on hand a supply of clothing, shoes, and
+other needed articles, which would be issued as required and
+charged on account. All balances would be paid as soon as the first
+installment of the cotton crop was sent to market.
+
+This was generally satisfactory, though some of the negroes desired
+weekly or monthly payments. One of them thought it would be better if
+they could be paid at the end of each day, and suggested that silver
+would be preferable to greenbacks or Confederate money. Most of them
+thought the wages good enough, but this belief was not universal. One
+man, seventy years old, who acted as assistant to the "hog-minder,"
+thought he deserved twenty-five dollars per month, in addition to
+his clothing and rations. Another, of the same age, who carried the
+breakfast and dinner to the field, was of similar opinion. These were
+almost the only exceptions. Those whose services were really valuable
+acquiesced in the arrangement.
+
+On our plantation there was an old negress named "Rose," who attended
+the women during confinement. She was somewhat celebrated in her
+profession, and received occasional calls to visit white ladies in the
+neighborhood. After I had dismissed the negroes and sent them to their
+quarters, I was called upon by Rose, to ascertain the rate at which
+she would be paid. As she was regularly employed as one of the
+house-servants, I allowed her the same wages that the other women
+received. This was satisfactory, so far, but it was not entirely so.
+She wished to understand the matter of perquisites.
+
+"When I used to go out to 'tend upon white ladies," said Rose, "they
+gave me ten dollars. Mistress always took half and let me keep the
+other half."
+
+"Well, hereafter, you may keep the ten dollars yourself."
+
+"Thank you."
+
+After a pause, she spoke again:
+
+"Didn't you say the black people are free?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"White people are free, too, ain't they?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then why shouldn't you pay me ten dollars every time I 'tend upon the
+black folks on the plantation?"
+
+The question was evidently designed as a "corner." I evaded it by
+assuring Rose that though free, the negroes had not attained all the
+privileges that pertained to the whites, and I should insist on her
+professional services being free to all on the plantation.
+
+The negroes were frequently desirous of imitating the customs of white
+people in a manner that should evince their freedom. Especially did
+they desire to have no distinction in the payment of money, on account
+of the color of the recipient.
+
+After this Sunday talk with the negroes, I found a material
+improvement. Occasionally I overheard some of them explaining to
+others their views upon various points. There were several who
+manifested a natural indolence, and found it difficult to get over
+their old habits. These received admonitions from their comrades, but
+could not wholly forget the laziness which was their inheritance. With
+these exceptions, there was no immediate cause for complaint.
+
+During the earlier part of my stay in that region, I was surprised at
+the readiness with which the negroes obeyed men from the North, and
+believed they would fulfill their promises, while they looked with
+distrust on all Southern white men. Many owners endeavored in vain to
+induce their negroes to perform certain labor. The first request made
+by a Northern man to the same effect would be instantly complied with.
+The negroes explained that their masters had been in the habit of
+making promises which they never kept, and cited numerous instances to
+prove the truth of their assertion. It seemed to have been a custom in
+that region to deceive the negroes in any practicable manner. To make
+a promise to a negro, and fail to keep it, was no worse than to lure a
+horse into a stable-yard, by offering him a choice feed of corn, which
+would prove but a single mouthful. That the negroes had any human
+rights was apparently rarely suspected by their owners and overseers.
+The distrust which many of the negroes entertained for their former
+masters enabled the lessees to gain, at once, the confidence of
+their laborers. I regret to say that this confidence was abused in a
+majority of cases.
+
+I gave the negroes a larger ration of meat, meal, and potatoes than
+had been previously issued. As soon as possible, I procured a quantity
+of molasses, coffee, and tobacco. These articles had not been seen
+on the plantation for many months, and were most gladly received. As
+there was no market in that vicinity where surplus provisions could
+be sold, I had no fear that the negroes would resort to stealing,
+especially as their daily supply was amply sufficient for their
+support. It was the complaint of many overseers and owners that
+the negroes would steal provisions on frequent occasions. If they
+committed any thefts during my time of management, they were made
+so carefully that I never detected them. It is proper to say that I
+followed the old custom of locking the store-houses at all times.
+
+Very soon after commencing labor I found that our working force must
+be increased. Accordingly, I employed some of the negroes who were
+escaping from the interior of the State and making their way to
+Natchez. As there were but few mules on the plantation, I was
+particularly careful to employ those negroes who were riding, rather
+than walking, from slavery. If I could not induce these mounted
+travelers to stop with us, I generally persuaded them to sell their
+saddle animals. Thus, hiring negroes and buying mules, I gradually put
+the plantation in a presentable condition. While the cotton was being
+picked the blacksmith was repairing the plows, the harness-maker
+was fitting up the harnesses for the mules, and every thing was
+progressing satisfactorily. The gin-house was cleaned and made ready
+for the last work of preparing cotton for the market. Mr. Colburn
+arrived from the North after I had been a planter of only ten days'
+standing. He was enthusiastic at the prospect, and manifested an
+energy that was the envy of his neighbors.
+
+It required about three weeks to pick our cotton. Before it was all
+gathered we commenced "ginning" the quantity on hand, in order to make
+as little delay as possible in shipping our "crop" to market.
+
+The process of ginning cotton is pretty to look upon, though not
+agreeable to engage in. The seed-cotton (as the article is called
+when it comes from the field) is fed in a sort of hopper, where it is
+brought in contact with a series of small and very sharp saws. From
+sixty to a hundred of these saws are set on a shaft, about half an
+inch apart. The teeth of these saws tear the fiber from the seed, but
+do not catch the seed itself. A brush which revolves against the saws
+removes the fiber from them at every revolution. The position of the
+gin is generally at the end of a large room, and into this room the
+detached fiber is thrown from the revolving brush.
+
+This apartment is technically known as the "lint-room," and presents
+an interesting scene while the process of ginning is going on. The air
+is full of the flying lint, and forcibly reminds a Northerner of a New
+England snow-storm. The lint falls, like the snow-flakes, with most
+wonderful lightness, but, unlike the snow-flakes, it does not melt.
+When the cotton is picked late in the season, there is usually a dense
+cloud of dust in the lint-room, which settles in and among the fiber.
+The person who watches the lint-room has a position far from enviable.
+His lungs become filled with dust, and, very often, the fine, floating
+fiber is drawn into his nostrils. Two persons are generally permitted
+to divide this labor. There were none of the men on our plantation who
+craved it. Some of the mischievous boys would watch their opportunity
+to steal into the lint-room, where they greatly enjoyed rolling upon
+the soft cotton. Their amusement was only stopped by the use of a
+small whip.
+
+The machinery of a cotton-gin is driven by steam or horse power;
+generally the former. There is no water-power in the State of
+Louisiana, but I believe some of the lakes and bayous might be turned
+to advantage in the same way that the tide is used on the sea-coast.
+
+All the larger plantations are provided with steam-engines, the
+chimneys of which are usually carried to a height sufficient to remove
+all danger from sparks. There is always a corn-mill, and frequently a
+saw-mill attached to the gin, and driven by the same power. On
+every plantation, one day in the week is set apart for grinding a
+seven-days' supply of corn. This regulation is never varied, except
+under the most extraordinary circumstances. There is a universal rule
+in Louisiana, forbidding any person, white or black, smoking in the
+inclosure where the gin-house stands. I was told there was a legal
+enactment to this effect, that affixed heavy penalties to its
+infringement. For the truth of this latter statement I cannot vouch.
+
+With its own corn-mill, saw-mill, and smithery, each plantation is
+almost independent of the neighborhood around it. The chief dependence
+upon the outside world is for farming tools and the necessary
+paraphernalia for the various branches of field-work. I knew one
+plantation, a short distance from ours, whose owner had striven
+hard to make it self-sustaining. He raised all the corn and all the
+vegetables needed. He kept an immense drove of hogs, and cured his
+own pork. Of cattle he had a goodly quantity, and his sheep numbered
+nearly three hundred. Wool and cotton supplied the raw material for
+clothing. Spinning-wheels and looms produced cloth in excess of what
+was needed. Even the thread for making the clothing for the negroes
+was spun on the plantation. Hats were made of the palmetto, which grew
+there in abundance. Shoes were the only articles of personal wear not
+of home production. Plows, hoes, and similar implements were purchased
+in the market, but the plantation was provided with a very complete
+repair-shop, and the workmen were famous for their skill.
+
+The plantation, thus managed, yielded a handsome profit to its owner.
+The value of each year's cotton crop, when delivered on the bank of
+the river, was not less than forty thousand dollars. Including wages
+of the overseer, and all outlays for repairs and purchase of such
+articles as were not produced at home, the expenses would not exceed
+five or six thousand dollars. Cotton-planting was very profitable
+under almost any management, and especially so under a prudent and
+economical owner. Being thus profitable with slave labor, it was
+natural for the planters to think it could prosper under no other
+system. "You can't raise cotton without niggers, and you must own the
+niggers to raise it," was the declaration in all parts of the South.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+WAR AND AGRICULTURE.
+
+Official Favors.--Division of Labor.--Moral Suasion.--Corn-gathering
+in the South.--An Alarm.--A Frightened Irishman.--The Rebels
+Approaching.--An Attack on Waterproof.--Falstaff Redivivus.--His Feats
+of Arms.--Departure for New Orleans.
+
+
+Our cotton having been ginned and baled, we made preparations for
+shipping it to market. These preparations included the procurement
+of a permit from the Treasury agent at Natchez, a task of no small
+magnitude. An application for the permit required, in addition to my
+own signature, the names of two property-owning citizens, as security
+for payment of the duties on the cotton. This application being placed
+in the hands of the Treasury agent, I was requested to call in two
+hours. I did so, and was then put off two hours longer. Thus I spent
+two whole days in frequent visits to that official. His memory was
+most defective, as I was obliged to introduce myself on each occasion,
+and tell him the object of my call.
+
+A gentleman who had free access to the agent at all times hinted that
+he could secure early attention to my business on payment for
+his trouble. Many persons asserted that they were obliged to pay
+handsomely for official favors. I do not _know_ this to be true. I
+never paid any thing to the Treasury agent at Natchez or elsewhere,
+beyond the legitimate fees, and I never found any man who would give
+me a written statement that he had done so. Nevertheless, I had much
+circumstantial evidence to convince me that the Treasury officials
+were guilty of dishonorable actions. The temptation was great, and,
+with proper care, the chances of detection were small.
+
+Armed with my permit, I returned to the plantation. Mr. Colburn, in
+my absence, had organized our force, lately engaged in cotton-picking,
+into suitable parties for gathering corn, of which we had some three
+hundred acres standing in the field. In New England I fear that corn
+which had remained ungathered until the middle of February, would be
+of comparatively little value. In our case it was apparently as sound
+as when first ripened.
+
+Corn-gathering in the South differs materially from corn-gathering in
+the North. The negroes go through the field breaking the ears from the
+stalks without removing the husk. The ears are thrown into heaps at
+convenient distances from each other, and in regular rows. A wagon is
+driven between these rows, and the corn gathered for the crib. Still
+unhusked, it is placed in the crib, to be removed when needed. It is
+claimed that the husk thus remaining on the corn, protects it from
+various insects, and from the effect of the weather.
+
+Every body of laborers on a plantation is called a "gang." Thus we had
+"the picking-gang," "the corn-gang," "the trash-gang," "the hoe-gang,"
+"the planting-gang," "the plow-gang," and so on through the list. Each
+gang goes to the field in charge of a head negro, known as the driver.
+This driver is responsible for the work of his gang, and, under the
+old _régime_, was empowered to enforce his orders with the whip, if
+necessary. Under our new dispensation the whip was laid aside, and a
+milder policy took its place. It was satisfactory with the adults; but
+there were occasions when the smaller boys were materially benefited
+by applications of hickory shrubs. Solomon's words about sparing the
+rod are applicable to children of one race as well as to those of
+another. We did not allow our drivers to make any bodily punishment in
+the field, and I am happy to say they showed no desire to do so.
+
+As I have before stated, our first organization was the picking-gang.
+Then followed the gin-gang and the press-gang. Our gin-gang was
+organized on principles of total abstinence, and, therefore, differed
+materially from the gin-gangs of Northern cities. Our press-gang,
+unlike the press-gangs of New York or Chicago, had nothing to do with
+morning publications, and would have failed to comprehend us had we
+ordered the preparation of a sensation leader, or a report of the last
+great meeting at Union Square. Our press-gang devoted its time and
+energies to putting our cotton into bales of the proper size and
+neatness.
+
+The corn-gang, the trash-gang, and the plow-gang were successively
+organized by Mr. Colburn. Of the first I have spoken. The duties of
+the second were to gather the corn-stalks or cotton-stalks, as the
+case might be, into proper heaps for burning. As all this débris came
+under the generic name of "trash," the appellation of the gang is
+readily understood. Our trash-gang did very well, except in a certain
+instance, when it allowed the fire from the trash to run across a
+field of dead grass, and destroy several hundred feet of fence. In
+justice to the negroes, I should admit that the firing of the grass
+was in obedience to our orders, and the destruction of the fence
+partly due to a strong wind which suddenly sprang up. The trash-gang
+is usually composed of the younger children and the older women.
+The former gather and pile the stalks which the latter cut up. They
+particularly enjoy firing the heaps of dry trash.
+
+It was on Saturday, the 13th of February, that our press-gang
+completed its labors. On the afternoon of that day, as we were hauling
+our cotton to the landing, the garrison at Waterproof, two miles
+distant, suddenly opened with its artillery upon a real or supposed
+enemy. A gun-boat joined in the affair, and for half an hour the
+cannonade was vigorous. We could see the flashes of the guns and the
+dense smoke rising through the trees, but could discover nothing more.
+When the firing ceased we were somewhat anxious to know the result.
+Very soon a white man, an Irishman, who had been a short time in
+the vicinity to purchase cotton, reached our place in a state of
+exhaustion. He told a frightful story of the surprise and massacre
+of the whole garrison, and was very certain no one but himself had
+escaped. He had fortunately concealed himself under a very small
+bridge while the fight was going on. He called attention to his
+clothes, which were covered with mud, to prove the truth of his
+statement.
+
+For a short time the situation had an unpleasant appearance. While
+we were deliberating upon the proper measures for safety, one of our
+negroes, who was in Waterproof during the firing, came to us with
+_his_ story. The fight had been on our side, some guerrillas having
+chased one of our scouting parties to a point within range of our
+guns. Our men shelled them with artillery, and this was the extent
+of the battle. The story of the Irishman, in connection with the true
+account of the affair, forcibly reminded me of the famous battle of
+Piketon, Kentucky, in the first year of the war.
+
+On the next day (Sunday) I rode to Waterproof, leaving Colburn on the
+plantation. Just as I arrived within the lines, I ascertained that an
+attack was expected. The most stringent orders had been issued against
+allowing any person to pass out. Ten minutes later a scout arrived,
+saying that a force of Rebels was advancing to attack the post. The
+gun-boat commenced shelling the woods in the rear of Waterproof, and
+the artillery on land joined in the work. The Rebels did not get near
+enough to make any serious demonstration upon the town. The day passed
+with a steady firing from the gun-boat, relieved by an occasional
+interval of silence. Toward night the small garrison was re-enforced
+by the arrival of a regiment from Natchez. On the following day a
+portion of General Ellet's Marine Brigade reached Waterproof, and
+removed all possibility of further attack.
+
+In the garrison of Waterproof, at the commencement of this fight,
+there was a certain officer who could have sat for the portrait
+of Falstaff with very little stuffing, and without great change of
+character. Early in the war he belonged to an Eastern regiment, but on
+that occasion he had no commission, though this fact was not generally
+known. Nearly as large as Hackett's Falstaff, he was as much a gascon
+as the hero of the Merry Wives of Windsor. He differed from Falstaff
+in possessing a goodly amount of bravery, but this bravery was
+accompanied with an entire absence of judgment.
+
+In the early part of the fight, and until he was too drunk to move,
+this _preux chevalier_ dashed about Waterproof, mounted on a small
+horse, which he urged to the top of his speed. In one hand he
+flourished a cane, and in the other a revolver. He usually allowed the
+reins to lie on his horse's neck, except when he wished to change his
+direction. With his abdomen protruding over the pommel of the saddle,
+his stirrups several inches too short, one boot-leg outside his
+pantaloons and the other inside, a very large hat pressed nearly to
+his eyes, and a face flushed with excitement and whisky, he was a
+study John Leech would have prized. Frequent and copious draughts of
+the cup which cheers and inebriates placed him _hors de combat_ before
+the close of the day.
+
+From the crest of the levee, he could at any time discover several
+lines of battle approaching the town. Frequently he informed the
+commandant that the Rebels were about to open upon us with a dozen
+heavy batteries, which they were planting in position for a long
+siege. If the enemy had been in the force that this man claimed, they
+could not have numbered less than fifty thousand. When unhorsed for
+the last time during the day, he insisted that I should listen to the
+story of his exploits.
+
+"I went," said he, "to the colonel, this morning, and told him, sir,
+to give me ten men, and I would go out and feel the enemy's position.
+He gave me the men, and I went. We found the enemy not less than a
+thousand strong, sir, behind Mrs. Miller's gin-house. They were the
+advance of the whole Rebel army, sir, and I saw they must be driven
+back. We charged, and, after a desperate fight, drove them. They
+opposed us, sir, every inch of the way for two miles; but we routed
+them. We must have killed at least a hundred of them, sir, and wounded
+as many more. They didn't hurt a man of us; but the bullets flew very
+thick, sir--very. I myself killed twelve of them with my own hand,
+sir. This is the way it was, sir. This revolver, you see, sir, has six
+barrels. I emptied it once, sir; I reloaded; I emptied it again, sir.
+Two times six are twelve, sir. I killed twelve of them with my own
+hand. Let it be recorded.
+
+"On my way back, sir, I set fire to the gin-house, so that it should
+no more be a shelter for those infernal Rebels. You yourself, sir, saw
+that building in flames, and can testify to the truth of my story."
+
+In this strain the warrior gave the history of his moments of glory.
+The portion I have written was true in some points. He found three
+men (instead of a thousand), and pursued them a few hundred yards. He
+discharged his revolver at very long range, but I could not learn
+that his shots were returned. He fired the gin-house "to cover his
+retreat," and gained the fortifications without loss. I do not know
+his locality at the present time, but presume he remained, up to the
+close of the war, where storms of shot and shell continually darkened
+the air, and where lines of battle were seen on every side.
+
+The siege being raised, I returned to the plantation. From Waterproof,
+during the fight, I could see our buildings with perfect distinctness.
+I had much fear that some Rebel scouting party might pay the
+plantation a visit while the attack was going on. I found, on my
+return, that Colburn had taken the matter very coolly, and prevented
+the negroes becoming alarmed. He declared that he considered the
+plantation as safe as Waterproof, and would not have exchanged places
+with me during the fight. The negroes were perfectly quiet, and
+making preparations for plowing. While the fight was in progress, my
+associate was consulting with the drivers about the details of work
+for the ensuing week, and giving his orders with the utmost _sang
+froid_. In consideration of the uncertainty of battles in general, and
+the possibility of a visit at any moment from a party of Rebel scouts,
+my partner's conduct was worthy of the highest commendation.
+
+Before leaving Waterproof I had arranged for a steamer to call for our
+cotton, which was lying on the river bank. Waterproof lay at one side
+of the neck of a peninsula, and our plantation was at the other side.
+It was two miles across this peninsula, and sixteen miles around it,
+so that I could start on horseback, and, by riding very leisurely,
+reach the other side, long in advance of a steamboat. The steamer came
+in due time. After putting our cotton on board, I bade Mr. Colburn
+farewell, and left him to the cares and perplexities of a planter's
+life. I was destined for New Orleans, to sell our cotton, and to
+purchase many things needed for the prosecution of our enterprise.
+
+On my way down the river, I found that steamboat traveling was not an
+entirely safe amusement. The boat that preceded me was fired upon
+near Morganzia, and narrowly escaped destruction. A shell indented her
+steam-pipe, and passed among the machinery, without doing any damage.
+Had the pipe been cut, the steam would have filled every part of the
+boat.
+
+I was not disturbed by artillery on the occasion of my journey, but
+received a compliment from small-arms. On the morning after leaving
+Natchez, I was awakened by a volley of musketry from the river-bank.
+One of the bullets penetrated the thin walls of the cabin and entered
+my state-room, within two inches of my head. I preserved the missile
+as a souvenir of travel.
+
+On the next day the Rebels brought a battery of artillery to the spot.
+A steamer received its greeting, but escaped with a single passenger
+wounded.
+
+A gentleman who was on this boat had a very narrow escape. He told me
+that he was awakened by the first shot, which passed through the upper
+works of the steamer. He was occupying the upper berth in a state-room
+on the side next the locality of the Rebels. His first impulse was to
+spring from his resting-place, and throw himself at full length upon
+the floor. He had hardly done so, when a shell entered the state-room,
+and traversed the berth in the exact position where my friend had been
+lying.
+
+Having narrowly escaped death, he concluded not to run a second risk.
+He returned to St. Louis by way of New York. Wishing to visit New
+Orleans some time later, he sailed from New York on the _Electric
+Spark_, and enjoyed the luxury of a capture by the pirates of the
+"Confederate" steamer _Florida_. After that occurrence, he concluded
+there was little choice between the ocean and river routes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+IN THE COTTON MARKET.
+
+New Orleans and its Peculiarities.--Its Loss by the Rebellion.--Cotton
+Factors in New Orleans.--Old Things passed away.--The Northern
+Barbarians a Race of Shopkeepers.--Pulsations of the Cotton Market.--A
+Quarrel with a Lady.--Contending for a Principle.--Inharmony of the
+"Regulations."--An Account of Sales.
+
+
+The first impression that New Orleans gives a stranger is its
+unlikeness to Northern cities. It is built on ground that slopes
+downward from the Mississippi. As one leaves the river and walks
+toward the center of the city, he finds himself descending. New
+Orleans is a hundred miles from the mouth of the Mississippi and only
+six miles from Lake Pontchartrain, which is an arm of the sea. The
+river at the city is ten feet above Lake Pontchartrain, so that New
+Orleans is washed by water from the Mississippi and drained into the
+lake. The water in the gutters always runs from the river, no matter
+what may be its height. The steamers at the foot of Canal Street
+appear above the spectator, when he stands a mile or two from the
+landing.
+
+There is no earthy elevation of any kind, except of artificial
+construction, in the vicinity of New Orleans. The level surface of
+the streets renders the transportation of heavy bodies a work of the
+utmost ease. The greatest amount of merchandise that can be loaded
+upon four wheels rarely requires the efforts of more than two animals.
+The street-cars, unlike those of Northern cities, are drawn by a
+single mule to each car, and have no conductors. The cemeteries
+are above ground, and resemble the pigeon-holes of a post-office,
+magnified to a sufficient size for the reception of coffins. There is
+not a cellar in the entire city of New Orleans.
+
+Musquitos flourish during the entire winter. In the summer there are
+two varieties of these insects. The night-musquito is similar to
+the insect which disturbs our slumbers in Northern latitudes. The
+day-musquito relieves his comrade at sunrise and remains on duty
+till sunset. He has no song, but his bite is none the less severe. He
+disappears at the approach of winter, but his tuneful brother remains.
+Musquito nettings are a necessity all the year round.
+
+The public walks of New Orleans are justly the pride of the
+inhabitants. Canal Street is probably the prettiest street in America.
+Along its center is a double row of shade-trees, a promenade, and the
+tracks of the street railway. These shade-trees are inclosed so as to
+form a series of small parks for the entire length of the street.
+On each side of these parks is a carriage-way, as wide as the great
+thoroughfare of New York. Canal Street is the fashionable promenade of
+New Orleans. In the days of glory, before the Rebellion, it presented
+a magnificent appearance.
+
+Among the prettiest of the parks of New Orleans is Jackson Square,
+containing a fine equestrian statue of General Jackson. The pedestal
+of the statue is emblazoned with the words:
+
+"THE UNION--IT MUST AND SHALL BE PRESERVED."
+
+The French element in New Orleans is apparent on every side. The
+auctioneers cry their wares in mingled French and English, and the
+negroes and white laborers on the levee converse in a hybrid language.
+In the French quarter, every thing is French. The signs on the shops
+and the street corners, the conversation of the inhabitants and the
+shouts of the boys who play on the sidewalks, are in the vernacular of
+_La Belle France_. In Jackson Square, notices to warn visitors not to
+disturb the shrubbery, are posted in two languages, the French
+being first. On one poster I saw the sentence: "_Ne touche pas à les
+fleurs_," followed by the literal translation into English: "Don't
+touch to the flowers." I was happy to observe that the caution was
+very generally heeded.
+
+Before the war, New Orleans was a city of wonderful wealth. Situated
+at the outlet of the great valley, its trade in cotton, sugar, and
+other products of the West and South, was immense. Boats, which
+had descended from all points along the navigable portion of the
+Mississippi, discharged their cargoes upon its levee. Ships of all
+nations were at the wharves, receiving the rich freight that the
+steamers had brought down. The piles of merchandise that lay along
+the levee were unequaled in any other city of the globe. Money was
+abundant, and was lavishly scattered in all directions.
+
+With the secession of the Gulf States, the opening of hostilities,
+and the blockade of the Mississippi at its mouth and at Cairo, the
+prosperity of New Orleans disappeared. The steamers ceased to bring
+cotton and sugar to its wharves, and its levee presented a picture
+of inactivity. Many of the wealthy found themselves in straitened
+circumstances, and many of the poor suffered and died for want of
+food. For a whole year, while the Rebel flag floated over the city,
+the business of New Orleans was utterly suspended.
+
+With the passage of the forts and the capture of New Orleans by
+Admiral Farragut, the Rebel rule was ended. Very slowly the business
+of the city revived, but in its revival it fell into the hands of
+Northern men, who had accompanied our armies in their advance. The old
+merchants found themselves crowded aside by the ubiquitous Yankees.
+With the end of the war, the glory of the city will soon return, but
+it will not return to its old channels. More than any other city of
+the South, New Orleans will be controlled by men of Northern birth
+and sentiments. The day of slave-auctions in the rotunda of the St.
+Charles has passed away forever.
+
+New Orleans has a class of men peculiar to the South, whose business
+it is to sell cotton for the planters. These gentlemen are known
+as "factors," and, in former times, were numerous and successful.
+Whatever a planter needed, from a quire of paper to a steam-engine,
+he ordered his factor to purchase and forward. The factor obeyed the
+order and charged the amount to the planter, adding two and a half per
+cent, for commission.
+
+If the planter wanted money, he drew upon the factor, and that
+individual honored the draft. At the end of the season, it often
+occurred that the planter was largely in debt to the factor. But the
+cotton crop, when gathered, being consigned to the factor, canceled
+this indebtedness, and generally left a balance in the planter's
+favor.
+
+The factor charged a good commission for selling the cotton, and
+sometimes required interest upon the money he advanced. In the happy
+days before the war, the factor's business was highly lucrative. The
+advances to the planters, before the maturity of the cotton crop,
+often required a heavy capital, but the risk was not great. Nearly
+every planter was considerably indebted to his factor before his
+cotton went forward. In many cases the proceeds of the entire crop
+would but little more than cover the advances which had been made.
+
+In New Orleans nearly all cotton is sold "by sample." Certain men are
+licensed to "sample" cotton, for which they charge a specified sum per
+bale. A hole is cut in the covering of each bale, and from this hole
+a handful of cotton is pulled. Every bale is thus "sampled," without
+regard to the size of the lot. The samples are taken to the sales-room
+of the commission house, where they are open to the inspection of
+buyers. The quality of the cotton is carefully noted, the length of
+the fiber or staple, the whiteness of the sample, and its freedom from
+dust or fragments of cotton-stalks. Not one bale in twenty is ever
+seen by the buyers until after its purchase. Frequently the buyers
+transfer their cotton to other parties without once looking upon
+it Sometimes cotton is sold at auction instead of being offered at
+private sale, but the process of "sampling" is carried out in either
+case.
+
+In '63 and '64, New Orleans could boast of more cotton factors than
+cotton. The principal business was in the hands of merchants from
+the North, who had established themselves in the city soon after its
+occupation by the National forces. Nearly all cotton sent to market
+was from plantations leased by Northern men, or from purchases made
+of planters by Northern speculators. The patronage naturally fell
+into the hands of the new possessors of the soil, and left the old
+merchants to pine in solitude. The old cotton factors, most of them
+Southern men, who could boast of ten or twenty years' experience, saw
+their business pass into the hands of men whose arrival in New Orleans
+was subsequent to that of General Butler. Nearly all the old factors
+were Secessionists, who religiously believed no government could exist
+unless founded on raw cotton and slavery. They continually asserted
+that none but themselves could sell cotton to advantage, and wondered
+why those who had that article to dispose of should employ men
+unaccustomed to its sale. They were doomed to find themselves false
+prophets. The new and enterprising merchants monopolized the cotton
+traffic, and left the slavery-worshiping factors of the olden time to
+mourn the loss of their occupation.
+
+At the time I visited New Orleans, cotton was falling. It had been
+ninety cents per pound. I could only obtain a small fraction above
+seventy cents, and within a week the same quality sold for sixty.
+Three months afterward, it readily brought a dollar and a quarter per
+pound. The advices from New York were the springs by which the market
+in New Orleans was controlled. A good demand in New York made a good
+demand in New Orleans, and _vice versâ_. The New York market was
+governed by the Liverpool market, and that in turn by the demand at
+Manchester. Thus the Old World and the New had a common interest in
+the production of cotton. While one watched the demand, the other
+closely observed the supply.
+
+Some of the factors in New Orleans were fearful lest the attention
+paid to cotton-culture in other parts of the world would prove
+injurious to the South after the war should be ended. They had
+abandoned their early belief that their cotton was king, and dreaded
+the crash that was to announce the overthrow of all their hopes.
+
+In their theory that cotton-culture was unprofitable, unless
+prosecuted by slave labor, these men could only see a gloomy picture
+for years to come. Not so the new occupants of the land. Believing
+that slavery was not necessary to the production of sugar and cotton;
+believing that the country could show far more prosperity under the
+new system of labor than was ever seen under the old; and believing
+that commerce would find new and enlarged channels with the return of
+peace, they combated the secession heresies of the old residents, and
+displayed their faith by their works. New Orleans was throwing off
+its old habits and adopting the ideas and manners of Northern
+civilization.
+
+Mrs. B., the owner of our plantation, was in New Orleans at the time
+of my arrival. As she was to receive half the proceeds of the cotton
+we had gathered, I waited upon her to tell the result of our labors.
+The sale being made, I exhibited the account of sales to her agent,
+and paid him the stipulated amount. So far all was well; but we were
+destined to have a difference of opinion upon a subject touching the
+rights of the negro.
+
+Early in 1863 the Rebel authorities ordered the destruction of all
+cotton liable to fall into the hands of the National forces. The order
+was very generally carried out. In its execution, some four hundred
+bales belonging to Mrs. B. were burned. The officer who superintended
+the destruction, permitted the negroes on the plantation to fill their
+beds with cotton, but not to save any in bales. When we were making
+our shipment, Mr. Colburn proposed that those negroes who wished to
+do so, could sell us their cotton, and fill their beds with moss or
+husks. As we paid them a liberal price, they accepted our offer, and
+we made up three bales from our purchase. We never imagined that Mrs.
+B. would lay any claim to this lot, and did not include it in the
+quantity for which we paid her half the proceeds.
+
+After I had made the payment to her factor, I received a note from
+the lady in reference to the three bales above mentioned. She said the
+cotton in question was entirely her property; but, in consideration
+of our careful attention to the matter, she would consent to our
+retaining half its value. She admitted that she would have never
+thought to bring it to market; but since we had collected and baled
+it, she demanded it as her own. I "respectfully declined" to comply
+with her request. I believed the negroes had a claim to what was saved
+from the burning, and given to them by the Rebel authorities. Mrs.
+B. was of the opinion that a slave could own nothing, and therefore
+insisted that the cotton belonged to herself.
+
+Very soon after sending my reply, I was visited by the lady's factor.
+A warm, though courteous, discussion transpired. The factor was a
+Secessionist, and a firm believer in the human and divine right
+of slavery. He was a man of polished exterior, and was, doubtless,
+considered a specimen of the true Southern gentleman. In our talk on
+the subject in dispute, I told him the Rebels had allowed the
+negroes to fill their beds with cotton, and it was this cotton we had
+purchased.
+
+"The negroes had no right to sell it to you," said the factor;
+"neither had you any right to purchase it."
+
+"If it was given to them," I asked, "was it not theirs to sell?"
+
+"Certainly not. The negroes own nothing, and can own nothing. Every
+thing they have, the clothes they wear and the dishes they use,
+belongs to their owners. When we 'give' any thing to a negro, we
+merely allow it to remain in his custody, nothing more."
+
+"But in this case," said I, "the gift was not made by the owner. The
+cotton was to be destroyed by order of your Confederate Government.
+That order took it from Mrs. B.'s possession. When the officer came to
+burn the cotton, and gave a portion to the negroes to fill their beds,
+he made no gift to Mrs. B."
+
+"Certainly he did. The cotton became hers, when it was given to her
+negroes. If you give any thing to one of my negroes, that article
+becomes my property as much as if given to me."
+
+"But how is it when a negro, by working nights or Saturdays, manages
+to make something for himself?"
+
+"That is just the same. Whatever he makes in that way belongs to his
+master. Out of policy we allow him to keep it, but we manage to have
+him expend it for his own good. The negro is the property of his
+master, and can own nothing for himself."
+
+"But in this case," I replied, "I have promised to pay the negroes for
+the cotton. It would be unjust to them to fail to do so."
+
+"You must not pay them any thing for it. Whatever you have promised
+makes no difference. It is Mrs. B.'s property, not theirs. If you pay
+them, you will violate all our customs, and establish a precedent very
+bad for us and for yourself."
+
+I assured the gentleman I should feel under obligation to deal justly
+with the negroes, even at the expense of violating Southern precedent.
+"You may not be aware," I remarked, "of the magnitude of the change in
+the condition of the Southern negro during the two years just closed.
+The difference of opinion between your people and ourselves is, no
+doubt, an honest one. We shall be quite as persistent in pushing our
+views at the present time as you have been in enforcing yours in the
+past. We must try our theory, and wait for the result."
+
+We separated most amiably, each hoping the other would eventually see
+things in their true light. From present indications, the weight of
+public opinion is on my side, and constantly growing stronger.
+
+My sales having been made, and a quantity of plantation supplies
+purchased, I was ready to return. It was with much difficulty that I
+was able to procure permits from the Treasury agent at New Orleans to
+enable me to ship my purchases. Before leaving Natchez, I procured all
+the documents required by law. Natchez and New Orleans were not in the
+same "district," and consequently there was much discord. For example,
+the agent at Natchez gave me a certain document that I should exhibit
+at New Orleans, and take with me on my return to Natchez. The agent
+at New Orleans took possession of this document, and, on my
+expostulating, said the agent at Natchez "had no right" to give me
+instructions to retain it. He kept the paper, and I was left without
+any defense against seizure of the goods I had in transit. They were
+seized by a Government officer, but subsequently released. On my
+arrival at Natchez, I narrated the occurrence to the Treasury agent at
+that point. I was informed that the agent at New Orleans "could not"
+take my papers from me, and I should not have allowed him to do so.
+
+I was forcibly reminded of the case of the individual who was once
+placed in the public stocks. On learning his offense, a lawyer told
+him, "Why, Sir, they can't put you in the stocks for _that_."
+
+"But they have."
+
+"I tell you they can't do it."
+
+"But, don't you see, they have."
+
+"I tell you again they can't do any such thing."
+
+In my own case, each Treasury agent declared the other "could not" do
+the things which had been done. In consequence of the inharmony of
+the "regulations," the most careful shipper would frequently find his
+goods under seizure, from which they could generally be released
+on payment of liberal fees and fines. I do not know there was any
+collusion between the officials, but I could not rid myself of the
+impression there was something rotten in Denmark. The invariable
+result of these little quarrels was the plundering of the shippers.
+The officials never suffered. Like the opposite sides of a pair of
+shears, though cutting against each other, they only injured whatever
+was between them.
+
+Not a hundredth part of the official dishonesty at New Orleans and
+other points along the Mississippi will ever be known. Enough has
+been made public to condemn the whole system of permits and Treasury
+restrictions. The Government took a wise course when it abolished,
+soon after the suppression of the Rebellion, a large number of the
+Treasury Agencies in the South. As they were managed during the last
+two years of the war, these agencies proved little else than schools
+of dishonesty. There may have been some honest men in those offices,
+but they contrived to conceal their honesty.
+
+To show the variety of charges which attach to a shipment of cotton,
+I append the sellers' account for the three bales about which Mrs. B.
+and myself had our little dispute. These bales were not sold with the
+balance of our shipment. The cotton of which they were composed was of
+very inferior quality.
+
+_Account Sales of Three Bales of Cotton for Knox & Colburn._
+By PARSLEY & WILLIAMS.
+______________________________________________________________________
+ Mark, |    3 bales.                           ||    |    ||      |
+"K. C."|    Weight,    }  1,349 @..............|| $0 | 60 || $809 | 40
+       | 533--406--410 }                       ||    |    ||      |
+       | Auctioneers' commission, 1 pr. ct.....||  8 | 09 ||      |
+       | Sampling .............................||    | 30 ||      |
+       | Weighing .............................||    | 50 ||      |
+       | Watching..............................||    | 50 ||      |
+       | Tarpaulins ...........................||    | 50 ||      |
+       | Freight, $10 pr. bale ................|| 30 | 00 ||      |
+       | Insurance, $2.50 pr. bale ............||  7 | 50 ||      |
+       | 4 c. pr. lb. (tax) on 1,349 lb .......|| 53 | 96 ||      |
+       | 1/2 c.   "       "   "    " ..........||  6 | 74 ||      |
+       | Permit and stamps ....................||    | 65 ||      |
+       | Hospital fees, $5 pr. bale............|| 15 | 00 ||      |
+       | Factors' commission, 1 pr. ct.........||  8 | 09 ||      |
+       |                                       || -- | -- ||  131 | 83
+       |                                       ||    |    || ---- | --
+E.O.E. |     Net proceeds......................||    |    || $677 | 57
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+NEW ORLEANS, La., _February 22_, 1864.
+
+
+It will be seen by the above that the charges form an important
+portion of the proceeds of a sale. The heaviest items are for
+Government and hospital taxes. The latter was levied before the war,
+but the former is one of the fruits of the Rebellion. It is likely to
+endure for a considerable time.
+
+I knew several cases in which the sales of cotton did not cover the
+charges, but left a small bill to be paid by the owner. Frequently,
+cotton that had been innocently purchased and sent to market
+was seized by Government officials, on account of some alleged
+informality, and placed in the public warehouses. The owner could get
+no hearing until he made liberal presents of a pecuniary character to
+the proper authorities.
+
+After much delay and many bribes, the cotton would be released. New
+charges would appear, and before a sale could be effected the whole
+value of the cotton would be gone.
+
+A person of my acquaintance was unfortunate enough to fall into the
+hands of the Philistines in the manner I have described above. At the
+end of the transaction he found himself a loser to the extent of three
+hundred dollars. He has since been endeavoring to ascertain the amount
+of traffic on a similar scale that would be needed to make him a
+millionaire. At last accounts he had not succeeded in solving the
+problem.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII.
+
+SOME FEATURES OF PLANTATION LIFE.
+
+Mysteries of Mule-trading.--"What's in a Name?"--Process of Stocking
+a Plantation.--An Enterprising White Man.--Stratagem of a
+Yankee.--Distributing Goods to the Negroes.--The Tastes of the
+African.--Ethiopian Eloquence.--A Colored Overseer.--Guerrillas
+Approaching.--Whisky _vs_. Guerrillas.--A Hint to Military Men.
+
+
+On my return from New Orleans to the plantation, I found that Colburn
+had been pushing our business with a rapidity and skill that secured
+the admiration of everyone around us. He had increased our working
+force, and purchased a goodly number of mules. We had seventeen plows
+in operation, and two teams engaged in gathering corn, on the day
+before my arrival. The "trash-gang" was busy, and other working
+parties were occupied with their various duties. We were looking to a
+brilliant future, and echoed the wish of Jefferson Davis, to be "let
+alone."
+
+The enterprise of a lessee at that time, and in that locality, was
+illustrated by his ability to supply his plantation with mules. There
+were many who failed in the effort, but my associate was not of the
+number. There were but few mules in the Natchez market--not enough to
+meet a tenth of the demand. Nearly every plantation had been stripped
+of working animals by one army or the other. Before our arrival the
+Rebels plundered all men suspected of lukewarmness in the cause. When
+the National army obtained possession, it took nearly every thing
+the Rebels had left. All property believed to belong to the Rebel
+Government was passed into the hands of our quartermaster.
+
+A planter, named Caleb Shields, had a large plantation near Natchez,
+which had not been disturbed by the Rebels. His mules were branded
+with the letters "C.S.," the initials of their owner. As these letters
+happened to be the same that were used by the Confederate Government,
+Mr. Shields found his mules promptly seized and "confiscated." Before
+he could explain the matter and obtain an order for their return, his
+animals were sent to Vicksburg and placed in the Government corral. If
+the gentleman had possessed other initials, it is possible (though not
+certain) he might have saved his stock.
+
+Mules being very scarce, the lessees exercised their skill in
+supplying themselves with those animals. On my first arrival at the
+plantation, I took care to hire those negroes who were riding from the
+interior, or, at all events, to purchase their animals. In one day I
+obtained two horses and four mules. An order had been issued for the
+confiscation of beasts of burden (or draught) brought inside the
+lines by negroes. We obtained permission to purchase of these runaway
+negroes whatever mules they would sell, provided we could make our
+negotiations before they reached the military lines.
+
+Immediately after my departure, Mr. Colburn stationed one of our men
+on the road near our house, with orders to effect a trade with every
+mounted negro on his way to Natchez. The plan was successful. From two
+to a half-dozen mules were obtained daily. During the two weeks of my
+absence nearly fifty mules were purchased, placing the plantation in
+good order for active prosecution of our planting enterprise. At
+the same time many lessees in our vicinity were unable to commence
+operations, owing to their inability to obtain working stock.
+
+The negroes discovered that the mule market was not well supplied, and
+some of the more enterprising and dishonest sons of Ham endeavored
+to profit by the situation. Frequently mules would be offered at
+a suspiciously low price, with the explanation that the owner was
+anxious to dispose of his property and return home. Some undertook
+nocturnal expeditions, ten or twenty miles into the interior, where
+they stole whatever mules they could find. A few of the lessees
+suffered by the loss of stock, which was sold an hour after it was
+stolen, and sometimes to the very party from whom it had been taken.
+We took every care to avoid buying stolen property, but were sometimes
+deceived.
+
+On one occasion I purchased a mule of a negro who lived at Waterproof.
+The purchase was made an hour before sunset, and the animal was stolen
+during the night. On the following morning, Colburn bought it again
+of the same party with whom I had effected my trade. After this
+occurrence, we adopted the plan of branding each mule as soon as it
+came into our hands. All the lessees did the same thing, and partially
+protected each other against fraud.
+
+White men were the worst mule-thieves, and generally instructed the
+negroes in their villainy. There were several men in Natchez who
+reduced mule-stealing to a science, and were as thoroughly skilled
+in it as Charley Bates or the Artful Dodger in the science of picking
+pockets. One of them had four or five white men and a dozen negroes
+employed in bringing stock to market. I think he retired to St. Louis,
+before the end of May, with ten or twelve thousand dollars as the
+result of three months' industry.
+
+Some of the lessees resorted to questionable methods for supplying
+their plantations with the means for plowing and planting. One of
+them occupied a plantation owned by a man who refused to allow his own
+stock to be used. He wished to be neutral until the war was ended.
+
+This owner had more than sixty fine mules, that were running loose in
+the field. One day the lessee told the owner that he had purchased
+a lot of mules at Natchez, and would bring them out soon. On the
+following night, while the owner slept, the lessee called some trusty
+negroes to his aid, caught seventeen mules from the field, sheared and
+branded them, and placed them in a yard by themselves. In the morning
+he called the owner to look at the "purchase."
+
+"You have bought an excellent lot," said the latter individual. "Where
+were they from?"
+
+"All from St. Louis." was the response. "They were brought down two
+days ago. I don't know what to do about turning them out. Do you
+think, if I put them with yours, there is any danger of their
+straying, on account of being on a strange place?"
+
+"None at all. I think there is no risk."
+
+The lessee took the risk, and expressed much delight to find that the
+new mules showed themselves at home on the plantation.
+
+Several days later the owner of the plantation discovered the loss
+of his mules, but never suspected what had become of them. Two weeks
+afterward, the Rebels came and asked him to designate the property of
+the lessee, that they might remove it. He complied by pointing out
+the seventeen mules, which the Rebels drove away, leaving the balance
+unharmed.
+
+I landed at the plantation one Sunday evening, with the goods I had
+purchased in New Orleans. I was met with the unwelcome information
+that the small force at Waterproof, after committing many depredations
+on the surrounding country, had been withdrawn, leaving us exposed
+to the tender mercies of the indignant chivalry. We were liable to
+be visited at any moment. We knew the Rebels would not handle us very
+tenderly, in view of what they had suffered from our own men. A party
+of guerrillas was reported seven miles distant on the day previous,
+and there was nothing to hinder their coming as near as they chose.
+
+Accordingly, we determined to distribute the goods among the negroes
+as early as possible. On Monday morning we commenced. There was some
+delay, but we succeeded in starting a very lively trade before seven
+o'clock.
+
+Shoes were in great demand, as the negroes had not been supplied with
+these articles for nearly three years. A hundred pairs were speedily
+issued, when the balance was laid aside for future consideration.
+There were some of the negroes whose feet were too large for any
+shoes we had purchased. It was a curious fact that these large-footed
+negroes were not above the ordinary stature. I remember one in
+particular who demanded "thirteens," but who did not stand more than
+five feet and five inches in his invisible stockings.
+
+After the shoes, came the material for clothing. For the men we had
+purchased "gray denims" and "Kentucky jeans;" for the women, "blue
+denims" and common calico. These articles were rapidly taken, and with
+them the necessary quantity of thread, buttons, etc. A supply of huge
+bandana kerchiefs for the head was eagerly called for. I had procured
+as many of these articles as I thought necessary for the entire number
+of negroes on the plantation; but found I had sadly miscalculated. The
+kerchiefs were large and very gaudy, and the African taste was at once
+captivated by them. Instead of being satisfied with one or two, every
+negro desired from six to a dozen, and was much disappointed at the
+refusal. The gaudy colors of most of the calicoes created a great
+demand, while a few pieces of more subdued appearance were wholly
+discarded. White cotton cloth, palm-leaf hats, knives and forks, tin
+plates, pans and dishes, and other articles for use or wear, were
+among the distributions of the day.
+
+Under the slave-owner's rule, the negro was entitled to nothing
+beyond his subsistence and coarse clothing. Out of a large-hearted
+generosity the master gave him various articles, amounting, in the
+course of a year, to a few dollars in value. These articles took
+the name of "presents," and their reception was designed to inspire
+feelings of gratitude in the breast of the slave.
+
+Most of the negroes understood that the new arrangements made an end
+of present-giving. They were to be paid for all their labor, and were
+to pay for whatever they received. When the plan was first announced,
+all were pleased with it; but when we came to the distribution of the
+goods, many of the negroes changed their views. They urged that the
+clothing, and every thing else we had purchased, should be issued as
+"presents," and that they should be paid for their labor in addition.
+Whatever little advantages the old system might have, they wished to
+retain and ingraft upon their new life. To be compensated for labor
+was a condition of freedom which they joyfully accepted. To receive
+"presents" was an apparent advantage of slavery which they did not
+wish to set aside.
+
+The matter was fully explained, and I am confident all our auditors
+understood it. Those that remained obstinate had an eye to their
+personal interests. Those who had been sick, idle, absent, or
+disabled, were desirous of liberal gifts, while the industrious were
+generally in favor of the new system, or made no special opposition to
+it.
+
+One negro, who had been in our employ two weeks, and whose whole labor
+in that time was less than four days, thought he deserved a
+hundred dollars' worth of presents, and compensation in money for
+a fortnight's toil. All were inclined to value their services very
+highly; but there were some whose moderation knew no bounds.
+
+A difficulty arose on account of certain promises that had been
+made to the negroes by the owner of the plantation, long before our
+arrival. Mrs. B. had told them (according to their version) that the
+proceeds of the cotton on the plantation should be distributed in the
+form of presents, whenever a sale was effected. She did not inform us
+of any such promise when we secured the lease of the plantation. If
+she made any agreement to that effect, it was probably forgotten.
+Those who claimed that this arrangement had been made desired liberal
+presents in addition to payment for their labor. Our non-compliance
+with this demand was acknowledged to be just, but it created
+considerable disappointment.
+
+One who had been her mistress's favorite argued the question with an
+earnestness that attracted my attention. Though past sixty years of
+age, she was straight as an arrow, and her walk resembled that of a
+tragedy queen. In her whole features she was unlike those around her,
+except in her complexion, which was black as ink. There was a clear,
+silvery tone to her voice, such as I have rarely observed in persons
+of her race. In pressing her claim, she grew wonderfully eloquent, and
+would have elicited the admiration of an educated audience. Had there
+been a school in that vicinity for the development of histrionic
+talent in the negro race, I would have given that woman a
+recommendation to its halls.
+
+During my absence, Mr. Colburn employed an overseer on our smaller
+plantation, and placed him in full charge of the work. This overseer
+was a mulatto, who had been fifteen years the manager of a large
+plantation about seven miles distant from ours. In voice and manner he
+was a white man, but his complexion and hair were those of the subject
+race. There was nothing about the plantation which he could not master
+in every point. Without being severe, he was able to accomplish all
+that had been done under the old system. He imitated the customs of
+the white man as much as possible, and it was his particular ambition
+to rank above those of his own color. As an overseer he was fully
+competent to take charge of any plantation in that locality. During
+all my stay in the South, I did not meet a white overseer whom I
+considered the professional equal of this negro.
+
+"Richmond" was the name to which our new assistant answered. His
+master had prevented his learning to read, but allowed him to acquire
+sufficient knowledge of figures to record the weight of cotton in the
+field. Richmond could mark upon the slate all round numbers between
+one hundred and four hundred; beyond this he was never able to go. He
+could neither add nor subtract, nor could he write a single letter of
+the alphabet. He was able, however, to write his own name very badly,
+having copied it from a pass written by his master. He had possessed
+himself of a book, and, with the help of one of our negroes who
+knew the alphabet, he was learning to read. His house was a model
+of neatness. I regret to say that he was somewhat tyrannical when
+superintending the affairs of his domicile.
+
+As the day of our distribution of goods was a stormy one, Richmond was
+called from the plantation to assist us. Under his assistance we were
+progressing fairly, interrupted occasionally by various causes of
+delay. Less than half the valuable articles were distributed, when our
+watches told us it was noon. Just as we were discussing the propriety
+of an adjournment for dinner, an announcement was made that banished
+all thoughts of the mid-day meal.
+
+One of our boys had been permitted to visit Waterproof during the
+forenoon. He returned, somewhat breathless, and his first words
+dropped like a shell among the assembled negroes:
+
+"_The Rebels are in Waterproof_."
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"I saw them there, and asked a lady what they were. She said they were
+Harrison's Rebels."
+
+We told the negroes to go to their quarters. Richmond mounted his
+horse and rode off toward the plantation of which he had charge. In
+two minutes, there was not a negro in the yard, with the exception of
+the house-servants. Our goods were lying exposed. We threw some of the
+most valuable articles into an obscure closet.
+
+At the first alarm we ordered our horses brought out. When the animals
+appeared we desisted from our work.
+
+"The Rebels are coming down the road," was the next bulletin from the
+front.
+
+We sprang upon our horses and rode a hundred yards along the front of
+our "quarter-lot," to a point where we could look up the road toward
+Waterproof. There they were, sure enough, thirty or more mounted men,
+advancing at a slow trot. They were about half a mile distant, and,
+had we been well mounted, there was no doubt of our easy escape.
+
+"Now comes the race," said Colburn. "Twenty miles to Natchez. A single
+heat, with animals to go at will."
+
+We turned our horses in the direction of Natchez.
+
+"Stop," said I, as we reached the house again. "They did not see us,
+and have not quickened their pace. Strategy, my boy, may assist us a
+little."
+
+Throwing my bridle into Colburn's hand, I slid from my saddle and
+bounded into the dwelling. It was the work of a moment to bring out
+a jug and a glass tumbler, but I was delayed longer than I wished
+in finding the key of our closet. The jug contained five gallons of
+excellent whisky (so pronounced by my friends), and would have been a
+valuable prize in any portion of the Confederacy.
+
+Placing the jug and tumbler side by side on the veranda, in full view
+from the road, I remounted, just as the Rebels reached the corner of
+our quarter-lot.
+
+"We have pressing engagements in Natchez," said Colburn.
+
+"So we have," I replied; "I had nearly forgotten them. Let us lose no
+time in meeting them."
+
+As we rode off, some of the foremost Rebels espied us and quickened
+their pace. When they reached the house they naturally looked toward
+it to ascertain if any person was there. They saw the jug, and were at
+once attracted. One man rode past the house, but the balance stopped.
+The minority of one was prudent, and returned after pursuing us less
+than fifty yards. The whisky which the jug contained was quickly
+absorbed. With only one tumbler it required some minutes to drain the
+jug. These minutes were valuable.
+
+Whisky may have ruined many a man, but it saved us. Around that
+seductive jug those thirty guerrillas became oblivious to our escape.
+We have reason to be thankful that we disobeyed the rules of strict
+teetotalers by "keeping liquor in the house."
+
+I was well mounted, and could have easily kept out of the way of any
+ordinary chase. Colburn was only fairly mounted, and must have been
+run down had there been a vigorous and determined pursuit. As each
+was resolved to stand by the other, the capture of one would have
+doubtless been the capture of both.
+
+[Illustration: "STRATEGY, MY BOY!"]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX.
+
+VISITED BY GUERRILLAS.
+
+News of the Raid.--Returning to the Plantation.--Examples of Negro
+Cunning.--A Sudden Departure and a Fortunate Escape.--A Second
+Visit.--"Going Through," in Guerrilla Parlance.--How it is
+Accomplished.--Courtesy to Guests.--A Holiday Costume.--Lessees
+Abandoning their Plantations.--Official Promises.
+
+
+As soon as satisfied we were not followed we took a leisurely pace,
+and in due time reached Natchez. Four hours later we received the
+first bulletin from the plantation. About thirty guerrillas had been
+there, mainly for the purpose of despoiling the plantation next above
+ours. This they had accomplished by driving off all the mules. They
+had not stolen _our_ mules, simply because they found as much cloth
+and other desirable property as they wished to take on that occasion.
+Besides, our neighbor's mules made as large a drove as they could
+manage. They promised to come again, and we believed they would keep
+their word. We ascertained that my strategy with the whisky saved us
+from pursuit.
+
+On the next day a messenger arrived, saying all was quiet at the
+plantation. On the second day, as every thing continued undisturbed,
+I concluded to return. Colburn had gone to Vicksburg, and left me
+to look after our affairs as I thought best. We had discussed the
+propriety of hiring a white overseer to stay on the plantation during
+our absence. The prospect of visits from guerrillas convinced us
+that _we_ should not spend much of our time within their reach. We
+preferred paying some one to risk his life rather than to risk our
+own lives. The prospect of getting through the season without serious
+interruption had become very poor, but we desired to cling to the
+experiment a little longer. Once having undertaken it, we were
+determined not to give it up hastily.
+
+I engaged a white man as overseer, and took him with me to the
+plantation. The negroes had been temporarily alarmed at the visit
+of the guerrillas, but, as they were not personally disturbed, their
+excitement was soon allayed. I found them anxiously waiting my return,
+and ready to recommence labor on the following day.
+
+The ravages of the guerrillas on that occasion were not extensive.
+They carried off a few bolts of cloth and some smaller articles, after
+drinking the whisky I had set out for their entertainment. The negroes
+had carefully concealed the balance of the goods in places where a
+white man would have much trouble in finding them. In the garden there
+was a row of bee-hives, whose occupants manifested much dislike for
+all white men, irrespective of their political sentiments. Two unused
+hives were filled with the most valuable articles on our invoice, and
+placed at the ends of this row. In a clump of weeds under the bench on
+which the hives stood, the negroes secreted several rolls of cloth
+and a quantity of shoes. More shoes and more cloth were concealed in
+a hen-house, under a series of nests where several innocent hens were
+"sitting." Crockery was placed among the rose-bushes and tomato-vines
+in the garden; barrels of sugar were piled with empty barrels of
+great age; and two barrels of molasses had been neatly buried in a
+freshly-ploughed potato-field. Obscure corners in stables and sheds
+were turned into hiding-places, and the cunning of the negro was well
+evinced by the successful concealment of many bulky articles.
+
+It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when I arrived at the
+plantation. I immediately recommenced the issue of goods, which was
+suspended so hastily three days before. From two o'clock until dark
+the overseer and myself were busily engaged, and distributed about
+two-thirds of our remaining stock. Night came. We suspended the
+distribution and indulged in supper. After giving the overseer
+directions for the morrow, I recollected an invitation to spend the
+night at the house of a friend, three miles away, on the road to
+Natchez.
+
+I ordered my horse, and in a few moments the animal was ready, at the
+door. I told the overseer where I was going, and bade him good-night.
+
+"Where are you going, Mr. K----?" said the negro who had brought out
+the horse, as he delivered the bridle into my hands.
+
+"If any one calls to see me," said I, "you can say I have gone to
+Natchez."
+
+With that I touched a spur to my horse and darted off rapidly toward
+my friend's house. A half-dozen negroes had gathered to assist in
+saddling and holding the horse. As I sprang into the saddle I heard
+one of them say:
+
+"I don't see why Mr. K---- starts off to Natchez at this time of
+night."
+
+Another negro explained the matter, but I did not hear the
+explanation. If he gave a satisfactory reason, I think he did better
+than I could have done.
+
+Immediately after my departure the overseer went to bed. He had been
+in bed about fifteen minutes when he heard a trampling of horses' feet
+around the house. A moment later there was a loud call for the door to
+be opened. Before the overseer could comply with the request, the door
+was broken in. A dozen men crowded into the house, demanding that a
+light be struck instantly. As the match gave its first flash of light,
+one of the visitors said:
+
+"Well, K----, we've got you this time."
+
+"That," said another, "is no K----; that is Walter Owen, who used to
+be overseer on Stewart's plantation."
+
+"What are you doing here?" demanded another.
+
+Mr. Owen, trembling in his night-clothes, replied that he had been
+engaged to stay there as overseer.
+
+"Where is K----, and where is Colburn?"
+
+"Mr. Colburn hasn't been here since last Monday. Mr. K---- has gone to
+Natchez."
+
+"That's a ---- lie," said one of the guerrillas. "We know he came here
+at two o'clock this afternoon, and was here at dark. He is somewhere
+around this house."
+
+In vain did Owen protest I was not there. Every room and every
+closet in the house was searched. A pile of bagging in a garret was
+overhauled, in the expectation that I was concealed within it. Even
+the chimneys were not neglected, though I doubt if the smallest of
+professional sweeps could pass through them. One of the guerrillas
+opened a piano, to see if I had not taken refuge under its cover. They
+looked into all possible and impossible nooks and corners, in the
+hope of finding me somewhere. At last they gave up the search, and
+contented themselves with promising to catch both Colburn and myself
+before long.
+
+"We want to go through those d--d Abolitionists, and we will do it,
+too. They may dodge us for a while, but we will have them by-and-by."
+
+Not being privileged to "go through" me as they had anticipated, the
+gentlemanly guerrillas went through the overseer. They took his money,
+his hat, his pantaloons, and his saddle. His horse was standing in
+the stable, and they took that also. They found four of our mules, and
+appropriated them to their own use. They frightened one of the negroes
+into telling where certain articles were concealed, and were thus
+enabled to carry off a goodly amount of plunder. They threatened Mr.
+Owen with the severest punishment, if he remained any longer on the
+plantation. They possessed themselves of a "protection" paper which
+Mrs. B. had received from the commander at Natchez several months
+before, and were half inclined to burn her buildings as a punishment
+for having sought the favor of the Yankees. Their stay was of only an
+hour's duration.
+
+From our plantation the robbers went to the one next above, where they
+were more fortunate in finding the lessees at home. They surrounded
+the house in the same manner they had surrounded ours, and then burst
+open the doors. The lessees were plundered of every thing in the shape
+of money, watches, and knives, and were forced to exchange hats
+and coats with their captors. One of the guerrillas observed an
+ivory-headed pencil, which he appropriated to his own use, with the
+remark:
+
+"They don't make these things back here in the woods. When they do, I
+will send this one back."
+
+These lessees were entertaining some friends on that evening, and
+begged the guerrillas to show them some distinction.
+
+"D--n your friends," said the guerrilla leader; "I suppose they are
+Yankees?"
+
+"Yes, they are; we should claim friendship with nobody else."
+
+"Then we want to see what they have, and go through them if it is
+worth the while."
+
+The strangers were unceremoniously searched. Their united
+contributions to the guerrilla treasury were two watches, two
+revolvers, three hundred dollars in money, and their hats and
+overcoats. Their horses and saddles were also taken. In consideration
+of their being guests of the house, these gentlemen were allowed to
+retain their coats. They were presented with five dollars each, to pay
+their expenses to Natchez. No such courtesy was shown to the lessees
+of the plantation.
+
+On the following morning, I was awakened at an early hour by the
+arrival of a negro from our plantation, with news of the raid. A
+little later, Mr. Owen made his appearance, wearing pantaloons and hat
+that belonged to one of the negroes. The pantaloons were too small and
+the hat too large; both had long before seen their best days. He was
+riding a mule, on which was tied an old saddle, whose cohesive powers
+were very doubtful. I listened to the story of the raid, and was
+convinced another visit would be made very soon. I gave directions
+for the overseer to gather all the remaining mules and take them to
+Natchez for safety.
+
+I stopped with my friend until nearly noon, and then accompanied
+him to Natchez. On the next morning, I learned that the guerrillas
+returned to our plantation while I was at my friend's house. They
+carried away what they were unable to take on the previous night They
+needed a wagon for purposes of transportation, and took one of ours,
+and with it all the mules they could find. Our house was stripped of
+every thing of any value, and I hoped the guerrillas would have no
+occasion to make subsequent visits. Several of our mules were saved by
+running them into the woods adjoining the plantation. These were taken
+to Natchez, and, for a time, all work on the prospective cotton crop
+came to an end.
+
+For nearly three weeks, the guerrillas had full and free range in the
+vicinity of the leased plantations. One after another of the lessees
+were driven to seek refuge at Natchez, and their work was entirely
+suspended. The only plantations undisturbed were those within a
+mile or two of Vidalia. As the son of Adjutant-General Thomas was
+interested in one of these plantations, and intimate friends of that
+official were concerned in others, it was proper that they should
+be well protected. The troops at Vidalia were kept constantly on the
+look-out to prevent raids on these favored localities.
+
+Nearly every day I heard of a fresh raid in our neighborhood,
+though, after the first half-dozen visits, I could not learn that the
+guerrillas carried away any thing, for the simple reason there was
+nothing left to steal. Some of the negroes remained at home, while
+others fled to the military posts for protection. The robbers showed
+no disposition to maltreat the negroes, and repeatedly assured
+them they should not be disturbed as long as they remained on the
+plantations and planted nothing but corn. It was declared that cotton
+should not be cultivated under any circumstances, and the negroes were
+threatened with the severest punishment if they assisted in planting
+that article.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XL.
+
+PECULIARITIES OF PLANTATION LABOR.
+
+Resuming Operation.--Difficulties in the Way.--A New Method of Healing
+the Sick.--A Thief Discovered by his Ignorance of Arithmetic.--How
+Cotton is Planted.--The Uses of Cotton-Seed.--A Novel
+Sleeping-Room.--Constructing a Tunnel.--Vigilance of a Negro Sentinel.
+
+
+On the 24th of March a small post was established at Waterproof, and
+on the following day we recommenced our enterprise at the plantation.
+We were much crippled, as nearly all our mules were gone, and the work
+of replacing them could not be done in a day. The market at Natchez
+was not supplied with mules, and we were forced to depend upon the
+region around us. Three days after the establishment of the post we
+were able to start a half-dozen plows, and within two weeks we had
+our original force in the field. The negroes that had left during the
+raid, returned to us. Under the superintendence of our overseer
+the work was rapidly pushed. Richmond was back again on our smaller
+plantation, whence he had fled during the disturbances, and was
+displaying an energy worthy of the highest admiration.
+
+Our gangs were out in full force. There was the trash-gang clearing
+the ground for the plows, and the plow-gang busy at its appropriate
+work. The corn-gang, with two ox-teams, was gathering corn at the rate
+of a hundred bushels daily, and the fence-gang was patting the fences
+in order. The shelling-gang (composed of the oldest men and women)
+was husking and shelling corn, and putting it in sacks for market.
+The gardener, the stock-tenders, the dairy-maids, nurserymaids,
+hog-minders, and stable-keepers were all in their places, and we began
+to forget our recent troubles in the apparent prospect of success.
+
+One difficulty of the new system presented itself. Several of the
+negroes began to feign sickness, and cheat the overseer whenever it
+could be done with impunity. It is a part of the overseer's duty to go
+through the quarters every morning, examine such as claim to be sick,
+determine whether their sickness be real or pretended, and make the
+appropriate prescriptions. Under the old system the pretenders were
+treated to a liberal application of the lash, which generally drove
+away all fancied ills. Sometimes, one who was really unwell, was
+most unmercifully flogged by the overseer, and death not unfrequently
+ensued from this cause.
+
+As there was now no fear of the lash, some of the lazily-inclined
+negroes would feign sickness, and thus be excused from the field. The
+trouble was not general, but sufficiently prevalent to be annoying. We
+saw that some course must be devised to overcome this evil, and keep
+in the field all who were really able to be there.
+
+We procured some printed tickets, which the overseer was to issue
+at the close of each day. There were three colors--red, yellow, and
+white. The first were for a full day's work, the second for a half
+day, and the last for a quarter day. On the face of each was the
+following:--
+
+AQUASCO & MONONO
+PLANTATIONS.
+1864.
+
+These tickets were given each day to such as deserved them. They were
+collected every Saturday, and proper credit given for the amount of
+labor performed during the week. The effect was magical. The day
+after the adoption of our ticket system our number of sick was reduced
+one-half, and we had no further trouble with pretended patients.
+Colburn and myself, in our new character of "doctors," found our
+practice greatly diminished in consequence of our innovations.
+Occasionally it would happen that one who was not really able to work,
+would go to the field through a fear of diminished wages.
+
+One Saturday night, a negro whom we had suspected of thievish
+propensities, presented eight full-day tickets as the representative
+of his week's work.
+
+"Did you earn all these this week?" I asked.
+
+"Yes, sir," was the reply; "Mr. Owen gave them to me. I worked every
+day, straight along."
+
+"Can you tell me on which days he gave you each ticket?"
+
+"Oh, yes. I knows every one of them," said the negro, his countenance
+expressing full belief in his ability to locate each ticket.
+
+As I held the tickets in my hand, the negro picked them out. "Mr. Owen
+gave me this one Monday, this one Tuesday," and so on, toward the end
+of the week. As he reached Friday, and saw three tickets remaining,
+when there was only another day to be accounted for, his face suddenly
+fell. I pretended not to notice his embarrassment.
+
+"Which one did he give you to-day?"
+
+There was a stammer, a hesitation, a slight attempt to explain, and
+then the truth came out. He had stolen the extra tickets from two
+fellow-laborers only a few minutes before, and had not reflected
+upon the difficulties of the situation. I gave him some good advice,
+required him to restore the stolen tickets, and promise he would not
+steal any more. I think he kept the promise during the remainder of
+his stay on the plantation, but am by no means certain.
+
+Every day, when the weather was favorable, our work was pushed. Every
+mule that could be found was put at once into service, and by the
+15th of April we had upward of five hundred acres plowed and ready for
+planting. We had planted about eighty acres of corn during the first
+week of April, and arranged to commence planting cotton on Monday,
+the 18th of the month. On the Saturday previous, the overseer on each
+plantation organized his planting-gangs, and placed every thing in
+readiness for active work.
+
+The ground, when plowed for cotton, is thrown into a series of ridges
+by a process technically known as "four-furrowing." Two furrows are
+turned in one direction and two in another, thus making a ridge
+four or five feet wide. Along the top of this ridge a "planter," or
+"bull-tongue," is drawn by a single mule, making a channel two or
+three inches in depth. A person carrying a bag of cotton seed follows
+the planter and scatters the seed into the channel. A small harrow
+follows, covering the seed, and the work of planting is complete.
+
+A planting-gang consists of drivers for the planters, drivers for the
+harrows, persons who scatter the seed, and attendants to supply
+them with seed. The seed is drawn from the gin-house to the field
+in ox-wagons, and distributed in convenient piles of ten or twenty
+bushels each.
+
+Cotton-seed has never been considered of any appreciable value, and
+consequently the negroes are very wasteful in using it. In sowing it
+in the field, they scatter at least twenty times as much as necessary,
+and all advice to use less is unheeded. It is estimated that there are
+forty bushels of seed to every bale of cotton produced. A plantation
+that sends a thousand bales of cotton to market will thus have forty
+thousand bushels of seed, for which there was formerly no sale.
+
+With the most lavish use of the article, there was generally a surplus
+at the end of the year. Cattle and sheep will eat cotton-seed, though
+not in large quantities. Boiled cotton-seed is fed to hogs on all
+plantations, but it is far behind corn in nutritious and fattening
+qualities. Cotton-seed is packed around the roots of small trees,
+where it is necessary to give them warmth or furnish a rich soil for
+their growth. To some extent it is used as fuel for steam-engines, on
+places where the machinery is run by steam. When the war deprived the
+Southern cities of a supply of coal for their gasworks, many of them
+found cotton seed a very good substitute. Oil can be extracted from it
+in large quantities. For several years, the Cotton-Seed Oil Works of
+Memphis carried on an extensive business. Notwithstanding the many
+uses to which cotton-seed can be applied, its great abundance makes it
+of little value.
+
+The planting-gang which we started on that Monday morning, consisted
+of five planters and an equal number of harrows, sowers, etc. Each
+planter passed over about six acres daily, so that every day gave us
+thirty acres of our prospective cotton crop. At the end of the week
+we estimated we had about a hundred and seventy acres planted. On the
+following week we increased the number of planters, but soon reduced
+them, as we found we should overtake the plows earlier than we
+desired. By the evening of Monday, May 2d, we had planted upward of
+four hundred acres. A portion of it was pushing out of the ground, and
+giving promise of rapid growth.
+
+During this period the business was under the direct superintendence
+of our overseers, Mr. Owen being responsible for the larger
+plantation, and Richmond for the smaller. Every day they were visited
+by Colburn or myself--sometimes by both of us--and received directions
+for the general management, which they carried out in detail. Knowing
+the habits of the guerrillas, we did not think it prudent to sleep in
+our house at the plantation. Those individuals were liable to announce
+their presence at any hour of the night, by quietly surrounding the
+house and requesting its inmates to make their appearance.
+
+When I spent the night at the plantation, I generally slept on a pile
+of cotton-seed, in an out-building to which I had secretly conveyed a
+pair of blankets and a flour-bag. This bag, filled with seed, served
+as my pillow, and though my bed lacked the elasticity of a spring
+mattress, it was really quite comfortable. My sleeping-place was at
+the foot of a huge pile of seed, containing many hundred bushels. One
+night I amused myself by making a tunnel into this pile in much the
+same way as a squirrel digs into a hillside. With a minute's warning
+I could have "hunted my hole," taking my blankets with me. By filling
+the entrance with seed, I could have escaped any ordinary search of
+the building. I never had occasion to use my tunnel.
+
+Generally, however, we staid in Waterproof, leaving there early in the
+morning, taking breakfast at the upper plantation, inspecting the work
+on both plantations, and, after dinner, returning to Waterproof. We
+could obtain a better dinner at the plantation than Waterproof was
+able to furnish us. Strawberries held out until late in the season,
+and we had, at all times, chickens, eggs, and milk in abundance.
+Whenever we desired roast lamb, our purveyor caused a good selection
+to be made from our flock. Fresh pork was much too abundant for our
+tastes, and we astonished the negroes and all other natives of that
+region, by our seemingly Jewish propensities. Pork and corn-bread
+are the great staples of life in that hot climate, where one would
+naturally look for lighter articles of food.
+
+Once I was detained on the plantation till after dark. As I rode
+toward Waterproof, expecting the negro sentinel to challenge and halt
+me, I was suddenly brought to a stand by the whistling of a bullet
+close to my ear, followed by several others at wider range.
+
+"Who comes there?"
+
+"A friend, with the countersign."
+
+"If that's so, come in. We thought you was the Rebels."
+
+As I reached the picket, the corporal of the guard explained that they
+were on duty for the first time, and did not well understand their
+business. I agreed with him fully on the latter point. To fire upon a
+solitary horseman, advancing at a walk, and challenge him afterward,
+was something that will appear ridiculous in the eyes of all soldiers.
+The corporal and all his men promised to do better next time, and
+begged me not to report them at head-quarters. When I reached the
+center of the town, I found the garrison had been alarmed at the
+picket firing, and was turning out to repel the enemy. On my assurance
+that I was the "enemy," the order to fall into line of battle was
+countermanded.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI.
+
+THE NEGROES AT A MILITARY POST.
+
+The Soldiers at Waterproof.--The Black Man in Blue.--Mutiny and
+Desertion.--Their Cause and Cure.--Tendering a Resignation.--No Desire
+for a Barber.--Seeking Protection.--Falsehood and Truth.--Proneness to
+Exaggeration.--Amusing Estimates.
+
+
+The soldiers forming the garrison at Waterproof, at that time, were
+from a regiment raised by Colonel Eaton, superintendent of contrabands
+at Vicksburg. They were recruited in the vicinity of Vicksburg and
+Milliken's Bend, especially for local defense. They made, as the
+negro everywhere has made, excellent material for the army. Easily
+subordinate, prompt, reliable, and keenly alert when on duty (as their
+shooting at me will evince), they completely gave the lie to the Rebel
+assertion that the negro would prove worthless under arms.
+
+On one point only were they inclined to be mutinous. Their home ties
+were very strong, and their affection for their wives and children
+could not be overcome at once. It appeared that when this regiment
+was organized it was expected to remain at Milliken's Bend, where the
+families of nearly all the men were gathered. The order transferring
+them to Waterproof was unlooked for, and the men made some complaint.
+This was soon silenced, but after the regiment had been there three or
+four weeks, a half-dozen of the men went out of the lines one night,
+and started to walk to Milliken's Bend. They were brought back,
+and, after several days in the guardhouse, returned to duty. Others
+followed their example in attempting to go home, and for a while
+the camp was in a disturbed condition. Desertions were of daily
+occurrence.
+
+It was difficult to make them understand they were doing wrong. The
+army regulations and the intricacies of military law were unknown to
+them. They had never studied any of General Halleck's translations
+from the French, and, had they done so, I doubt if they would have
+been much enlightened. None of them knew what "desertion" meant,
+nor the duties of a soldier to adhere to his flag at all times. All
+intended to return to the post after making a brief visit to their
+families. Most of them would request their comrades to notify their
+captains that they would only be absent a short time. Two, who
+succeeded in eluding pursuit, made their appearance one morning as
+if nothing had happened, and assured their officers that others
+would shortly be back again. Gradually they came to understand
+the wickedness of desertion, or absence without leave, but this
+comprehension of their obligations was not easily acquired.
+
+A captain, commanding a company at Waterproof, told me an amusing
+story of a soldier "handing in his resignation." As the captain was
+sitting in front of his quarters, one of his men approached him,
+carrying his musket and all his accoutrements. Without a word the man
+laid his entire outfit upon the ground, in front of the captain, and
+then turned to walk away.
+
+"Come back here," said the officer; "what do you mean by this?"
+
+"I'se tired of staying here, and I'se going home," was the negro's
+answer, and he again attempted to move off.
+
+"Come back here and pick these things up," and the captain spoke in a
+tone that convinced the negro he would do well to obey.
+
+The negro told his story. He was weary of the war; he had been four
+weeks a soldier; he wanted to see his family, and had concluded to
+go home. If the captain desired it, he, would come back in a little
+while, but he was going home then, "_any how_."
+
+The officer possessed an amiable disposition, and explained to
+the soldier the nature of military discipline. The latter was soon
+convinced he had done wrong, and returned without a murmur to his
+duty. Does any soldier, who reads this, imagine himself tendering his
+resignation in the above manner with any prospect of its acceptance?
+
+When the first regiment of colored volunteers was organized in Kansas,
+it was mainly composed of negroes who had escaped from slavery in
+Missouri. They were easily disciplined save upon a single point, and
+on this they were very obstinate. Many of the negroes in Missouri, as
+in other parts of the South, wear their hair, or wool, in little knots
+or braids. They refused to submit to a close shearing, and threatened
+to return to their masters rather than comply with the regulation.
+Some actually left the camp and went home. The officers finally
+carried their point by inducing some free negroes in Leavenworth,
+whose heads were adorned with the "fighting cut," to visit the camp
+and tell the obstinate ones that long locks were a badge of servitude.
+
+The negroes on our plantation, as well as elsewhere, had a strong
+desire to go to Waterproof to see the soldiers. Every Sunday they were
+permitted to go there to attend church, the service being conducted by
+one of their own color. They greatly regretted that the soldiers
+did not parade on that day, as they missed their opportunities for
+witnessing military drills. To the negroes from plantations in the
+hands of disloyal owners, the military posts were a great attraction,
+and they would suffer all privations rather than return home. Some
+of them declared they would not go outside the lines under any
+consideration. We needed more assistance on our plantation, but it
+was next to impossible to induce negroes to go there after they found
+shelter at the military posts. Dread of danger and fondness for their
+new life were their reasons for remaining inside the lines. A portion
+were entirely idle, but there were many who adopted various modes of
+earning their subsistence.
+
+At Natchez, Vicksburg, and other points, dealers in fruit, coffee,
+lemonade, and similar articles, could be found in abundance. There
+were dozens of places where washing was taken in, though it was not
+always well done. Wood-sawing, house-cleaning, or any other kind of
+work requiring strength, always found some one ready to perform it.
+Many of those who found employment supported themselves, while
+those who could not or would not find it, lived at the expense of
+Government. The latter class was greatly in the majority.
+
+I have elsewhere inserted the instructions which are printed in every
+"Plantation Record," for the guidance of overseers in the olden time.
+"Never trust a negro," is the maxim given by the writer of those
+instructions. I was frequently cautioned not to believe any statements
+made by negroes. They were charged with being habitual liars, and
+entitled to no credence whatever. Mrs. B. constantly assured me the
+negroes were great liars, and I must not believe them. This assurance
+would be generally given when I cited them in support of any thing
+she did not desire to approve. _Per contrâ_, she had no hesitation in
+referring to the negroes to support any of her statements which their
+testimony would strengthen. This was not altogether feminine weakness,
+as I knew several instances in which white persons of the sterner sex
+made reference to the testimony of slaves. The majority of Southern
+men refuse to believe them on all occasions; but there are many who
+refer to them if their statements are advantageous, yet declare them
+utterly unworthy of credence when the case is reversed.
+
+I have met many negroes who could tell falsehoods much easier than
+they could tell the truth. I have met others who saw no material
+difference between truth and its opposite; and I have met many whose
+statements could be fully relied upon. During his whole life, from
+the very nature of the circumstances which, surround him, the slave
+is trained in deception. If he did not learn to lie it would be
+exceedingly strange. It is my belief that the negroes are as truthful
+as could be expected from their education. White persons, under
+similar experience and training, would not be good examples for the
+young to imitate. The negroes tell many lies, but all negroes are
+not liars. Many white persons tell the truth, but I have met, in the
+course of my life, several men, of the Caucasian race, who never told
+the truth unless by accident.
+
+I found in the plantation negroes a proneness to exaggeration, in
+cases where their fears or desires were concerned. One day, a negro
+from the back country came riding rapidly to our plantation, declaring
+that the woods, a mile distant, were "full of Rebels," and asking
+where the Yankee soldiers were. I questioned him for some time. When
+his fears were quieted, I ascertained that he had seen three mounted
+men, an hour before, but did not know what they were, or whether armed
+or not.
+
+When I took the plantations, Mrs. B. told me there were twenty bales
+of cotton already picked; the negroes had told her so. When I surveyed
+the place on the first day of my occupation, the negroes called my
+attention to the picked cotton, of which they thought there were
+twenty or twenty-five bales. With my little experience in cotton, I
+felt certain there would be not more than seven bales of that lot.
+When it was passed through the gin and pressed, there were but five
+bales.
+
+We wished to plant about fifty acres of corn on the larger plantation.
+There was a triangular patch in one corner that we estimated to
+contain thirty acres. The foreman of the plow-gang, who had lived
+twenty years on the place, thought there were about sixty acres. He
+was surprised when we found, by actual measurement, that the patch
+contained twenty-eight acres. Another spot, which he thought contained
+twenty acres, measured less than ten. Doubtless the man's judgment had
+been rarely called for, and its exercise, to any extent, was decidedly
+a new sensation.
+
+Any thing to which the negroes were unaccustomed became the subject
+of amusing calculations. The "hog-minder" could estimate with
+considerable accuracy the weight of a hog, either live or dressed.
+When I asked him how much he supposed his own weight to be, he was
+entirely lost. On my demanding an answer, he thought it might be three
+hundred pounds. A hundred and sixty would not have been far from the
+real figure.
+
+Incorrect judgment is just as prevalent among ignorant whites as
+among negroes, though with the latter there is generally a tendency to
+overestimate. Where negroes make wrong estimates, in three cases out
+of four they will be found excessive. With whites the variation will
+be diminutive as often as excessive. In judging of numbers of men, a
+column of troops, for example, both races are liable to exaggerate,
+the negro generally going beyond the pale-face. Fifty mounted men may
+ride past a plantation. The white inhabitants will tell you a hundred
+soldiers have gone by, while the negroes will think there were two or
+three hundred.
+
+I was often surprised at the ability of the negroes to tell the names
+of the steamboats plying on the river. None of the negroes could
+read, but many of them would designate the different boats with great
+accuracy. They recognized the steamers as they would recognize the
+various trees of the forest. When a new boat made its appearance they
+inquired its name, and forgot it very rarely.
+
+On one occasion a steamer came in sight, on her way up the river.
+Before she was near enough for me to make out the name on her side,
+one of the negroes declared it was the _Laurel Hill_. His statement
+proved correct. It was worthy of note that the boat had not passed
+that point for nearly a year previous to that day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLII.
+
+THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT.
+
+The Nature of our "Protection."--Trade Following the Flag.--A
+Fortunate Journey.--Our Last Visit.--Inhumanity of the
+Guerrillas.--Driving Negroes into Captivity.--Killing an
+Overseer.--Our Final Departure.--Plantations Elsewhere.
+
+
+We did not look upon the post at Waterproof as a sure protection.
+There was no cavalry to make the promised patrol between Waterproof
+and the post next below it, or to hunt down any guerrillas that might
+come near. A few of the soldiers were mounted on mules and horses
+taken from the vicinity, but they were not effective for rapid
+movements. It was understood, and semi-officially announced, that the
+post was established for the protection of Government plantations. The
+commandant assured me he had no orders to that effect. He was placed
+there to defend the post, and nothing else. We were welcome to any
+protection his presence afforded, but he could not go outside the
+limits of the town to make any effort in our behalf.
+
+There was a store at Waterproof which was doing a business of two
+thousand dollars daily. Every day the wives, brothers, or sisters of
+men known to belong to the marauding bands in the vicinity, would come
+to the town and make any purchases they pleased, frequently paying for
+them in money which the guerrillas had stolen. A gentleman, who was an
+intimate friend of General Thomas, was one of the proprietors of this
+store, and a son of that officer was currently reported to hold an
+interest in it. After a time the ownership was transferred to a single
+cotton speculator, but the trading went on without hinderance. This
+speculator told me the guerrilla leader had sent him a verbal promise
+that the post should not be disturbed or menaced so long as the store
+remained there. Similar scenes were enacted at nearly all the posts
+established for the "protection" of leased plantations. Trading stores
+were in full operation, and the amount of goods that reached the
+Rebels and their friends was enormous.
+
+I have little doubt that this course served to prolong the resistance
+to our arms along the Mississippi River. If we had stopped all
+commercial intercourse with the inhabitants, we should have removed
+the inducement for Rebel troops to remain in our vicinity. As matters
+were managed, they kept close to our lines at all the military posts
+between Cairo and Baton Rouge, sometimes remaining respectfully quiet,
+and at others making occasional raids within a thousand yards of our
+pickets.
+
+The absence of cavalry, and there being no prospect that any would
+arrive, led us to believe that we could not long remain unmolested. We
+were "in for it," however, and continued to plow and plant, trusting
+to good fortune in getting safely through. Our misfortune came at
+last, and brought our free-labor enterprise to an untimely end.
+
+As I stated in the previous chapter, Colburn and myself made daily
+visits to the plantation, remaining there for dinner, and returning
+to Waterproof in the afternoon. On Monday, May 2d, we made our usual
+visit, and returned to the post. A steamer touched there, on its way
+to Natchez, just after our return, and we accepted the invitation of
+her captain to go to that place. Our journey to Natchez was purely
+from impulse, and without any real or ostensible business to call us
+away. It proved, personally, a very fortunate journey.
+
+On Tuesday evening, a neighbor of ours reached Natchez, bringing news
+that the guerrillas had visited our plantation on that day. I hastened
+to Waterproof by the first boat, and found our worst fears were
+realized.
+
+Thirty guerrillas had surrounded our house at the hour we were
+ordinarily at dinner. They called our names, and commanded us to come
+out and be shot. The house was empty, and as there was no compliance
+with the request, a half-dozen of the party, pistols in hand, searched
+the building, swearing they would kill us on the spot. Had we been
+there, I have no doubt the threat would have been carried out.
+
+Failing to find us, they turned their attention to other matters. They
+caught our overseer as he was attempting to escape toward Waterproof.
+He was tied upon his horse, and guarded until the party was ready to
+move. The teams were plowing in the field at the time the robbers
+made their appearance. Some of the negroes unloosed the mules from the
+plows, mounted them, and fled to Waterproof. Others, who were slow in
+their movements, were captured with the animals. Such of the
+negroes as were not captured at once, fled to the woods or concealed
+themselves about the buildings.
+
+Many of the negroes on the plantation were personally known to some of
+the guerrillas. In most cases these negroes were not disturbed. Others
+were gathered in front of the house, where they were drawn up in line
+and securely tied. Some of them were compelled to mount the captured
+mules and ride between their captors.
+
+Several children were thrown upon the mules, or taken by the
+guerrillas on their own horses, where they were firmly held. No
+attention was paid to the cries of the children or the pleadings of
+their mothers. Some of the latter followed their children, as the
+guerrillas had, doubtless, expected. In others, the maternal instinct
+was less than the dread of captivity. Among those taken was an infant,
+little more than eight months old.
+
+Delaying but a few moments, the captors and the captives moved away.
+Nineteen of our negroes were carried off, of whom ten were children
+under eleven years of age. Of the nineteen, five managed to make their
+escape within a few miles, and returned home during the night. One
+woman, sixty-five years old, who had not for a long time been able
+to do any work, was among those driven off. She fell exhausted before
+walking three miles, and was beaten by the guerrillas until she lay
+senseless by the roadside. It was not for several hours that she
+recovered sufficiently to return to the plantation and tell the story
+of barbarity.
+
+From a plantation adjoining ours, thirty negroes were carried away
+at the same time. Of these, a half-dozen escaped and returned.
+The balance, joined to the party from our own plantation, formed a
+mournful procession. I heard of them at many points, from residents of
+the vicinity. These persons would not admit that the guerrillas were
+treating the negroes cruelly. Those who escaped had a frightful story
+to tell. They had been beaten most barbarously with whips, sticks, and
+frequently with the butts of pistols; two or three were left senseless
+by the roadside, and one old man had been shot, because he was too
+much exhausted to go further. I learned, a few days later, that
+the captured negroes were taken to Winnsboro; a small town in the
+interior, and there sold to a party of Texas traders.
+
+From our plantation the guerrillas stole twenty-four mules at the time
+of their visit, and an equal number from our neighbors. These were
+sold to the same party of traders that purchased the negroes, and
+there was evidently as little compunction at speculating in the one
+"property" as in the other.
+
+Our overseer, Mr. Owen, had been bound upon his horse and taken away.
+This I learned from the negroes remaining on the plantation. I made
+diligent inquiries of parties who arrived from the direction taken by
+the guerrillas, to ascertain, if possible, where he had been carried.
+One person assured me, positively, that he saw Mr. Owen, a prisoner,
+twenty miles away. Mrs.
+
+Owen and five children were living at Waterproof, and, of course, were
+much alarmed on hearing of his capture.
+
+It was on Thursday, two days after the raid, that I visited the
+plantation. Our lower plantation had not been disturbed, but many of
+the negroes were gone, and all work was suspended. It was of no use
+to attempt to prosecute the planting enterprise, and we immediately
+prepared to abandon the locality. The remaining negroes were set at
+work to shell the corn already gathered. As fast as shelled, it
+was taken to Waterproof for shipment to market. The plows were left
+rusting in the furrows, where they were standing at the moment the
+guerrillas appeared. The heaps of cotton-seed and the implements used
+by the planting-gang remained in _statu quo_. The cotton we planted
+was growing finely. To leave four hundred acres thus growing, and
+giving promise of a fine harvest, was to throw away much labor, but
+there was no alternative.
+
+On Saturday, four days after the raid, the corporal of a scouting
+party came to our plantation and said the body of a white man had been
+found in the woods a short distance away. I rode with him to the spot
+he designated. The mystery concerning the fate of our overseer was
+cleared up. The man was murdered within a thousand yards of the house.
+
+From the main road leading past our plantation, a path diverged into
+the forest. This path was taken by some of the guerrillas in their
+retreat. Following it two hundred yards, and then turning a short
+distance to the left, I found a small cypress-tree, not more than
+thirty feet high. One limb of this tree drooped as it left the trunk,
+and then turned upward. The lowest part of the bend of this limb was
+not much higher than a tall man's head.
+
+It was just such a tree, and just such a limb, as a party bent on
+murder would select for hanging their victim. I thought, and still
+think, that the guerrillas turned aside with the design of using the
+rope as the instrument of death. Under this tree lay the remains of
+our overseer. The body was fast decomposing. A flock of buzzards was
+gathered around, and was driven away with difficulty. They had already
+begun their work, so that recognition under different circumstances
+would not have been easy. The skull was detached from the body, and
+lay with the face uppermost. A portion of the scalp adhered to it, on
+which a gray lock was visible. A bit of gray beard was clinging to the
+chin.
+
+In the centre of the forehead there was a perforation, evidently made
+by a pistol-bullet. Death must have been instantaneous, the pistol
+doing the work which the murderers doubtless intended to accomplish by
+other means. The body had been stripped of all clothing, save a single
+under-garment. Within a dozen yards lay a pair of old shoes, and close
+by their side a tattered and misshapen hat. The shoes and hat were not
+those which our overseer had worn, but were evidently discarded by
+the guerrillas when they appropriated the apparel of their victim. I
+caused a grave to be dug, and the remains placed in a rude coffin and
+buried. If a head-stone had been obtainable, I would have given the
+locality a permanent designation. The particulars of the murder we
+were never able to ascertain.
+
+Three days later we abandoned the plantation. We paid the negroes
+for the work they had done, and discharged them from further service.
+Those that lived on the plantation previous to our going there,
+generally remained, as the guerrillas had assured them they would
+be unmolested if they cultivated no cotton. A few of them went to
+Natchez, to live near their "missus." Those whom we had hired from
+other localities scattered in various directions. Some went to the
+Contraband Home at Davis's Bend, others to the negro quarters at
+Natchez, others to plantations near Vidalia, and a few returned to
+their former homes. Our "family" of a hundred and sixty persons was
+thus broken up.
+
+We removed the widow and children of our overseer to Natchez, and
+purchased for them the stock and goodwill of a boarding-house keeper.
+We sent a note to the leader of the guerrilla band that manifested
+such a desire to "go through" us, and informed him that we could
+be found in St. Louis or New York. Before the end of May we passed
+Vicksburg on our Journey Due North.
+
+Most of the plantations in the vicinity of Natchez, Vicksburg, and
+Milliken's Bend were given up. Probably a dozen lessees were killed,
+and the same number carried to Texas. Near Vicksburg, the chivalric
+guerrillas captured two lessees, and tortured them most barbarously
+before putting them to death. They cut off the ears of one man, and
+broke his nose by a blow from a club. Thus mutilated, he was compelled
+to walk three or four miles. When he fell, fainting from loss of
+blood, he was tied to a tree, and the privilege of shooting him
+was sold at auction. They required his companion to witness these
+brutalities. Whenever he turned away his eyes, his captors pressed the
+point of a saber into his cheek. Finally, they compelled him to take
+a spade and dig his own grave. When it was finished, they stripped
+him of his clothing, and shot him as he stood by the brink of the
+newly-opened trench.
+
+Blanchard and Robinson, two lessees near Natchez, both of them
+residents of Boston, were murdered with nearly the same fiendishness
+as exhibited in the preceding case. Their fate was for some time
+unknown. It was at length ascertained from a negro who was captured at
+the same time, but managed to escape. That "slavery makes barbarians"
+would seem to be well established by the conduct of these residents of
+Louisiana.
+
+In the vicinity of Baton Rouge and New Orleans there were but few
+guerrillas, and the plantations generally escaped undisturbed. In all
+localities the "army-worm" made its appearance in July and August, and
+swept away almost the entire crop. Many plantations that were expected
+to yield a thousand bales did not yield a hundred, and some of them
+made less than ten. The appearance of this destructive worm was very
+sudden. On some plantations, where the cotton was growing finely and
+without a trace of blight, the fields, three days later, appeared as
+if swept by fire. There was consequently but little cotton made during
+the season.
+
+The possibility of producing the great staples of the South by
+free labor was fully established. Beyond this there was little
+accomplished.
+
+My four months of cotton-planting was an experience I shall
+never regret, though I have no desire to renew it under similar
+circumstances. Agriculture is generally considered a peaceful pursuit.
+To the best of my recollection I found it quite the reverse.
+
+For the benefit of those who desire to know the process of cotton
+culture, from the planting season to the picking season, I give the
+following extract from an article written by Colonel T. B. Thorpe,
+of Louisiana, several years ago. After describing the process of
+preparing the ground and planting the seed, Colonel Thorpe says:--
+
+
+
+If the weather be favorable, the young plant is discovered making its
+way through in six or ten days, and "the scraping" of the crop, as it
+is termed, now begins. A light plow is again called into requisition,
+which is run along the drill, throwing the _earth away from the
+plant;_ then come the laborers with their hoes, who dexterously cut
+away the superabundant shoots and the intruding weeds, and leave a
+single cotton-plant in little hills, generally two feet apart.
+
+Of all the labors of the field, the dexterity displayed by the negroes
+in "scraping cotton" is most calculated to call forth the admiration
+of the novice spectator. The hoe is a rude instrument, however well
+made and handled; the young cotton-plant is as delicate as vegetation
+can be, and springs up in lines of solid masses, composed of hundreds
+of plants. The field-hand, however, will single one delicate shoot
+from the surrounding multitude, and with his rude hoe he will trim
+away the remainder with all the boldness of touch of a master, leaving
+the incipient stalk unharmed and alone in its glory; and at nightfall
+you can look along the extending rows, and find the plants correct in
+line, and of the required distance of separation from each other.
+
+The planter, who can look over his field in early spring, and find his
+cotton "cleanly scraped" and his "stand" good, is fortunate; still,
+the vicissitudes attending the cultivation of the crop have only
+commenced. Many rows, from the operations of the "cut-worm," and from
+multitudinous causes unknown, have to be replanted, and an unusually
+late frost may destroy all his labors, and compel him to commence
+again. But, if no untoward accident occurs, in two weeks after the
+"scraping," another hoeing takes place, at which time the plow throws
+the furrow _on to the roots_ of the now strengthening plant, and the
+increasing heat of the sun also justifying the sinking of the roots
+deeper in the earth. The pleasant month of May is now drawing to a
+close, and vegetation of all kinds is struggling for precedence in
+the fields. Grasses and weeds of every variety, with vines and wild
+flowers, luxuriate in the newly-turned sod, and seem to be determined
+to choke out of existence the useful and still delicately-grown
+cotton.
+
+It is a season of unusual industry on the cotton plantations, and woe
+to the planter who is outstripped in his labors, and finds himself
+"overtaken by the grass." The plow tears up the surplus vegetation,
+and the hoe tops it off in its luxuriance. The race is a hard one, but
+industry conquers; and when the third working-over of the crop takes
+place, the cotton-plant, so much cherished and favored, begins to
+overtop its rivals in the fields--begins to cast _a chilling shade of
+superiority_ over its now intimidated groundlings, and commences to
+reign supreme.
+
+Through the month of July, the crop is wrought over for the last time;
+the plant, heretofore of slow growth, now makes rapid advances toward
+perfection. The plow and hoe are still in requisition. The "water
+furrows" between the cotton-rows are deepened, leaving the cotton
+growing as it were upon à slight ridge; this accomplished, the crop is
+prepared for the "rainy season," should it ensue, and so far advanced
+that it is, under any circumstances, beyond the control of art. Nature
+must now have its sway.
+
+The "cotton bloom," under the matured sun of July, begins to make
+its appearance. The announcement of the "first blossom" of the
+neighborhood is a matter of general interest; it is the unfailing sign
+of the approach of the busy season of fall; it is the evidence that
+soon the labor of man will, under a kind Providence, receive its
+reward.
+
+It should perhaps here be remarked, that the color of cotton in its
+perfection is precisely that of the blossom--a beautiful light,
+but warm cream-color. In buying cotton cloth, the "bleached" and
+"unbleached" are perceptibly different qualities to the most casual
+observer; but the dark hues and harsh look of the "unbleached
+domestic" comes from the handling of the artisan and the soot of
+machinery. If cotton, pure as it looks in the field, could be wrought
+into fabrics, they would have a brilliancy and beauty never yet
+accorded to any other material in its natural or artificial state.
+There cannot be a doubt but that, in the robes of the ancient royal
+Mexicans and Peruvians, this brilliant and natural gloss of cotton was
+preserved, and hence the surpassing value it possessed in the eyes of
+cavaliers accustomed to the fabrics of the splendid court of Ferdinand
+and Isabella.
+
+The cotton-blossom is exceedingly delicate in its organization. It is,
+if in perfection, as we have stated, of a beautiful cream-color.
+It unfolds in the night, remains in its glory through the morn--at
+meridian it has begun to decay. The day following its birth it has
+changed to a deep red, and ere the sun goes down, its petals have
+fallen to the earth, leaving inclosed in the capacious calyx a
+scarcely perceptible germ. This germ, in its incipient and early
+stages, is called "a form;" in its more perfected state, "a boll."
+
+The cotton-plant, like the orange, has often on one stalk every
+possible growth; and often, on the same limb, may sometimes be seen
+the first-opened blossom, and the bolls, from their first development
+as "forms," through every size, until they have burst open and
+scattered their rich contents to the ripening winds.
+
+The appearance of a well-cultivated cotton-field, if it has escaped
+the ravages of insects and the destruction of the elements, is of
+singular beauty. Although it may be a mile in extent, still it is as
+carefully wrought as is the mold of the limited garden of the coldest
+climate. The cotton-leaf is of a delicate green, large and luxuriant;
+the stalk indicates rapid growth, yet it has a healthy and firm look.
+Viewed from a distance, the perfecting plant has a warm and glowing
+expression. The size of the cotton-plant depends upon the accident
+of climate and soil. The cotton of Tennessee bears very little
+resemblance to the luxuriant growth of Alabama and Georgia; but even
+in those favored States the cotton-plant is not everywhere the same,
+for in the rich bottom-lands it grows to a commanding size, while in
+the more barren regions it is an humble shrub. In the rich alluvium of
+the Mississippi the cotton will tower beyond the reach of the tallest
+"picker," and a single plant will contain hundreds of perfect "bolls;"
+in the neighboring "piney-woods" it lifts its humble head scarcely
+above the knee, and is proportionably meager in its produce of fruit.
+
+The growing cotton is particularly liable to accidents, and suffers
+immensely in "wet seasons" from the "rust" and "rot." The first
+named affects the leaves, giving them a brown and deadened tinge, and
+frequently causes them to crumble away. The "rot" attacks the "boll."
+
+It commences by a black spot on the rind, which, increasing, seems to
+produce fermentation and decay. Worms find their way to the roots; the
+caterpillar eats into the "boll" and destroys the staple. It would be
+almost impossible to enumerate all the evils the cotton-plant is heir
+to, all of which, however, sink into nothingness compared with the
+scourge of the "army-worm."
+
+The moth that indicates the advent of the army-worm has a Quaker-like
+simplicity in its light, chocolate-colored body and wings, and, from
+its harmless appearance, would never be taken for the destroyer of
+vast fields of luxuriant and useful vegetation.
+
+The little, and, at first, scarcely to be perceived caterpillars that
+follow the appearance of these moths, can absolutely be seen to grow
+and swell beneath your eyes as they crawl from leaf to leaf. Day by
+day you can see the vegetation of vast fields becoming thinner and
+thinner, while the worm, constantly increasing in size, assumes at
+last an unctuous appearance most disgusting to behold. Arrived at
+maturity, a few hours only are necessary for these modern locusts
+to eat up all living vegetation that comes in their way. Leaving
+the localities of their birth, they will move from place to place,
+spreading a desolation as consuming as fire in their path.
+
+All efforts to arrest their progress or annihilate them prove
+unavailing. They seem to spring out of the ground, and fall from
+the clouds; and the more they are tormented and destroyed, the more
+perceptible, seemingly, is their power. We once witnessed the
+invasion of the army-worm, as it attempted to pass from a desolated
+cotton-field to one untouched. Between these fields was a wide ditch,
+which had been deepened, to prove a barrier to the onward march of
+the worm. Down the perpendicular sides of the trench the caterpillars
+rolled in untold millions, until its bottom, for nearly a mile in
+extent, was a foot or two deep in a living mass of animal life. To an
+immense piece of unhewn timber was attached a yoke of oxen, and, as
+this heavy log was drawn through the ditch, it seemed absolutely to
+float on a crushed mass of vegetable corruption. The following
+day, under the heat of a tropical sun, the stench arising from this
+decaying mass was perceptible the country round, giving a strange and
+incomprehensible notion of the power and abundance of this destroyer
+of the cotton crop.
+
+
+The change that has been effected by the result of the Rebellion, will
+not be confined to the social system alone. With the end of slavery
+there will be a destruction of many former applications of labor.
+Innovations have already been made, and their number will increase
+under the management of enterprising men.
+
+In Louisiana several planters were using a "drill" for depositing the
+cotton-seed in the ground. The labor of planting is reduced more than
+one-half, and that of "scraping" is much diminished. The saving
+of seed is very great--the drill using about a tenth of the amount
+required under the old system.
+
+One man is endeavoring to construct a machine that will pick cotton
+from the stalks, and is confident he will succeed. Should he do so,
+his patent will be of the greatest value. Owners of plantations
+have recently offered a present of ten thousand dollars to the first
+patentee of a successful machine of this character.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIII.
+
+THE MISSISSIPPI AND ITS PECULIARITIES.
+
+Length of the Great River, and the Area it Drains.--How Itasca Lake
+obtained its Name.--The Bends of the Mississippi.--Curious Effect upon
+Titles to Real Estate.--A Story of Napoleon.--A Steamboat Thirty-five
+Years under Water.--The Current and its Variations.--Navigating Cotton
+and Corn Fields.--Reminiscences of the Islands.
+
+
+As railways are to the East, so are the rivers to the West. The
+Mississippi, with its tributaries, drains an immense region, traversed
+in all directions by steamboats. From the Gulf of Mexico one can
+travel, by water to the Rocky Mountains, or to the Alleghanies, at
+pleasure. It is estimated there are twenty thousand miles of navigable
+streams which find an outlet past the city of New Orleans. The
+Mississippi Valley contains nearly a million and a quarter square
+miles, and is one of the most fertile regions on the globe.
+
+To a person born and reared in the East, the Mississippi presents many
+striking features. Above its junction with the Missouri, its water
+is clear and its banks are broken and picturesque. After it joins the
+Missouri the scene changes. The latter stream is of a chocolate hue,
+and its current is very rapid. All its characteristics are imparted
+to the combined stream. The Mississippi becomes a rapid, tortuous,
+seething torrent. It loses its blue, transparent water, and takes the
+complexion of the Missouri. Thus "it goes unvexed to the sea."
+
+There is a story concerning the origin of the name given to the source
+of the Mississippi, which I do not remember to have seen in print.
+A certain lake, which had long been considered the head of the Great
+River, was ascertained by an exploring party to have no claim to that
+honor. A new and smaller lake was discovered, in which the Mississippi
+took its rise. The explorers wished to give it an appropriate name. An
+old _voyageur_ suggested that they make a name, by coining a word.
+
+"Will some of you learned ones tell me," said he, "what is the Latin
+word for _true_?"
+
+"_Veritas_," was the response.
+
+"Well, now, what is the Latin for _head_"
+
+"_Caput_, of course."
+
+"Now," suggested the _voyageur_, "write the two words together, by
+syllables."
+
+A strip of birch bark was the tablet on which "_ver-i-tas-ca-put_" was
+traced.
+
+"Read it out," was his next request.
+
+The five syllables were read.
+
+"Now, drop the first and last syllables, and you have a name for this
+lake."
+
+In the Indian vernacular, "Mississippi" is said to signify "Great
+Water." "Missouri," according to some authorities, is the Indian for
+"Mud River," a most felicitous appellation. It should properly belong
+to the entire river from St. Louis to the Gulf, as that stream carries
+down many thousand tons of mud every year. During the many centuries
+that the Mississippi has been sweeping on its course, it has formed
+that long point of land known as the Delta, and shallowed the water in
+the Gulf of Mexico for more than two hundred miles.
+
+Flowing from north to south, the river passes through all the
+varieties of climate. The furs from the Rocky Mountains and the
+cereals of Wisconsin and Minnesota are carried on its bosom to the
+great city which stands in the midst of orange groves and inhales
+the fragrance of the magnolia. From January to June the floods of
+its tributaries follow in regular succession, as the opening spring
+loosens the snows that line their banks.
+
+The events of the war have made the Mississippi historic, and
+familiarized the public with some of its peculiarities. Its tortuosity
+is well known. The great bend opposite Vicksburg will be long
+remembered by thousands who have never seen it. This bend is eclipsed
+by many others. At "Terrapin Neck" the river flows twenty-one
+miles, and gains only three hundred yards. At "Raccourci Bend" was
+a peninsula twenty-eight miles around and only half a mile across.
+Several years ago a "cut-off" was made across this peninsula, for the
+purpose of shortening the course of the river. A small ditch was cut,
+and opened when the flood was highest.
+
+An old steamboat-man once told me that he passed the upper end of this
+ditch just as the water was let in. Four hours later, as he passed the
+lower end, an immense torrent was rushing through the channel, and the
+tall trees were falling like stalks of grain before a sickle.
+
+Within a week the new channel became the regular route for steamboats.
+
+Similar "cut-offs" have been made at various points along the river,
+some of them by artificial aid, and others entirely by the action of
+the water. The channel of the Mississippi is the dividing line of
+the States between which it flows, and the action of the river often
+changes the location of real estate. There is sometimes a material
+difference in the laws of States that lie opposite each other.
+The transfer of property on account of a change in the channel
+occasionally makes serious work with titles.
+
+I once heard of a case where the heirs to an estate lost their title,
+in consequence of the property being transferred from Mississippi to
+Louisiana, by reason of the course of the river being changed. In the
+former State they were heirs beyond dispute. In the latter their claim
+vanished into thin air.
+
+Once, while passing up the Mississippi, above Cairo, a
+fellow-passenger called my attention to a fine plantation, situated
+on a peninsula in Missouri. The river, in its last flood, had broken
+across the neck of the peninsula. It was certain the next freshet
+would establish the channel in that locality, thus throwing the
+plantation into Illinois. Unless the negroes should be removed before
+this event they would become free.
+
+"You see, sir," said my informant, "that this great river is an
+Abolitionist."
+
+The alluvial soil through which the Mississippi runs easily yields to
+the action of the fierce current. The land worn away at one point
+is often deposited, in the form of a bar or tongue of land, in the
+concave of the next bend. The area thus added becomes the property
+of whoever owns the river front. Many a man has seen his plantation
+steadily falling into the Mississippi, year by year, while a
+plantation, a dozen miles below, would annually find its area
+increased. Real estate on the banks of the Mississippi, unless upon
+the bluffs, has no absolute certainty of permanence. In several
+places, the river now flows where there were fine plantations ten or
+twenty years ago.
+
+Some of the towns along the Lower Mississippi are now, or soon
+will be, towns no more. At Waterproof, Louisiana, nearly the entire
+town-site, as originally laid out, has been washed away. In the
+four months I was in its vicinity, more than forty feet of its
+front disappeared. Eighteen hundred and seventy will probably find
+Waterproof at the bottom of the Mississippi. Napoleon, Arkansas, is
+following in the wake of Waterproof. If the distance between them
+were not so great, their sands might mingle. In view of the character
+Napoleon has long enjoyed, the friends of morality will hardly regret
+its loss.
+
+The steamboat captains have a story that a quiet clergyman from New
+England landed at Napoleon, one morning, and made his way to the
+hotel. He found the proprietor superintending the efforts of a negro,
+who was sweeping the bar-room floor. Noticing several objects of a
+spherical form among the _débris_ of the bar-room, the stranger asked
+their character.
+
+"Them round things? them's _eyes_. The boys amused themselves a little
+last night. Reckon there's 'bout a pint-cup full of eyes this mornin'.
+Sometimes we gets a quart or so, when business is good."
+
+Curious people were those natives of Arkansas, ten or twenty years
+ago. Schools were rare, and children grew up with little or no
+education. If there was a "barbarous civilization" anywhere in the
+United States, it was in Arkansas. In 1860, a man was hung at
+Napoleon for reading _The Tribune_. It is an open question whether the
+character of the paper or the man's ability to read was the reason for
+inflicting the death penalty.
+
+The current of the Mississippi causes islands to be destroyed in some
+localities and formed in others. A large object settling at the
+bottom of the stream creates an eddy, in which the floating sand is
+deposited. Under favorable circumstances an island will form in such
+an eddy, sometimes of considerable extent.
+
+About the year 1820, a steamboat, laden with lead, was sunk in
+mid-channel several miles below St. Louis. An island formed over this
+steamer, and a growth of cotton-wood trees soon covered it. These
+trees grew to a goodly size, and were cut for fuel. The island was
+cleared, and for several successive years produced fine crops of corn.
+About 1855, there was a change in the channel of the river, and the
+island disappeared. After much search the location of the sunken
+steamer was ascertained. By means of a diving-bell, its cargo of lead,
+which had been lying thirty-five years under earth and under water,
+was brought to light. The entire cargo was raised, together with a
+portion of the engines. The lead was uninjured, but the engines were
+utterly worthless after their long burial.
+
+The numerous bends of the Mississippi are of service in rendering the
+river navigable. If the channel were a straight line from Cairo to New
+Orleans, the current would be so strong that no boat could stem it.
+In several instances, where "cut-offs" have been made, the current
+at their outlets is so greatly increased that the opposite banks are
+washed away. New bends are thus formed that may, in time, be as large
+as those overcome. Distances have been shortened by "cut-offs," but
+the Mississippi displays a decided unwillingness to have its length
+curtailed.
+
+From St. Louis to the Red River the current of the Mississippi is
+about three miles an hour. It does not flow in a steady, unbroken
+volume. The surface is constantly ruffled by eddies and little
+whirlpools, caused by the inequalities of the bottom of the river, and
+the reflection of the current from the opposite banks. As one gazes
+upon the stream, it half appears as if heated by concealed fires,
+and ready to break into violent ebullition. The less the depth, the
+greater the disturbance of the current. So general is this rule,
+that the pilots judge of the amount of water by the appearance of the
+surface. Exceptions occur where the bottom, below the deep water, is
+particularly uneven.
+
+From its source to the mouth of Red River, the Mississippi is fed
+by tributaries. Below that point, it throws off several streams that
+discharge no small portion of its waters into the Gulf of Mexico.
+These streams, or "bayous," are narrow and tortuous, but generally
+deep, and navigable for ordinary steamboats. The "Atchafalaya" is the
+first, and enters the Gulf of Mexico at the bay of the same name. At
+one time it was feared the Mississippi might leave its present bed,
+and follow the course of this bayou. Steps were taken to prevent such
+an occurrence. Bayou Plaquemine, Bayou Sara, Bayou La Fourche, Bayou
+Goula, and Bayou Teche, are among the streams that drain the great
+river.
+
+These bayous form a wonderful net-work of navigable waters, throughout
+Western Louisiana. If we have reason to be thankful that "great
+rivers run near large cities in all parts of the world," the people
+of Louisiana should be especially grateful for the numerous natural
+canals in that State. These streams are as frequent and run in nearly
+as many directions as railways in Massachusetts.
+
+During its lowest stages, the Mississippi is often forty feet "within
+its banks;" in other words, the surface is forty feet below the level
+of the land which borders the river. It rises with the freshets, and,
+when "bank full," is level with the surrounding lowland.
+
+It does not always stop at this point; sometimes it rises two, four,
+six, or even ten feet above its banks. The levees, erected at immense
+cost, are designed to prevent the overflowing of the country on such
+occasions. When the levees become broken from any cause, immense areas
+of country are covered with water. Plantations, swamps, forests, all
+are submerged. During the present year (1865) thousands of square
+miles have been flooded, hundreds of houses swept away, and large
+amounts of property destroyed.
+
+During the freshet of '63, General Grant opened the levee at
+Providence, Louisiana, in the hope of reaching Bayou Mason, and thence
+taking his boats to Red River. After the levee was cut an immense
+volume of water rushed through the break. Anywhere else it would have
+been a goodly-sized river, but it was of little moment by the side of
+the Mississippi. A steamboat was sent to explore the flooded region. I
+saw its captain soon after his return.
+
+"I took my boat through the cut," said he, "without any trouble. We
+drew nearly three feet, but there was plenty of water. We ran two
+miles over a cotton-field, and could see the stalks as our wheels tore
+them up. Then I struck the plank road, and found a good stage of water
+for four miles, which took me to the bayou. I followed this several
+miles, until I was stopped by fallen trees, when I turned about and
+came back. Coming back, I tried a cornfield, but found it wasn't as
+good to steam in as the cotton-field."
+
+A farmer in the Eastern or Middle States would, doubtless, be much
+astonished at seeing a steamboat paddling at will in his fields and
+along his roads. A similar occurrence in Louisiana does not astonish
+the natives. Steamers have repeatedly passed over regions where corn
+or cotton had been growing six months before. At St. Louis, in 1844,
+small boats found no difficulty in running from East St. Louis to
+Caseyville, nine miles distant. In making these excursions they passed
+over many excellent farms, and stopped at houses whose owners had been
+driven to the upper rooms by the water.
+
+Above Cairo, the islands in the Mississippi are designated by names
+generally received from the early settlers. From Cairo to New Orleans
+the islands are numbered, the one nearest the former point being
+"One," and that nearest New Orleans "One Hundred and Thirty-one."
+Island Number Ten is historic, being the first and the last island in
+the great river that the Rebels attempted to fortify. Island Number
+Twenty-eight was the scene of several attacks by guerrillas upon
+unarmed transports. Other islands have an equally dishonorable
+reputation. Fifty years ago several islands were noted as the resorts
+of robbers, who conducted an extensive and systematic business. Island
+Number Sixty-five (if I remember correctly) was the rendezvous of the
+notorious John A. Murrell and his gang of desperadoes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIV.
+
+STEAMBOATING ON THE MISSISSIPPI IN PEACE AND WAR.
+
+Attempts to Obstruct the Great River.--Chains, Booms, and
+Batteries.--A Novelty in Piloting.--Travel in the Days Before the
+Rebellion.--Trials of Speed.--The Great Race.--Travel During the
+War.--Running a Rebel Battery on the Lower Mississippi.--Incidents of
+the Occasion.--Comments on the Situation.
+
+
+No engineer has been able to dam the Mississippi, except by the easy
+process which John Phenix adopted on the Yuma River. General Pillow
+stretched a chain from Columbus, Kentucky, to the opposite shore, in
+order to prevent the passage of our gun-boats. The chain broke soon
+after being placed in position.
+
+Near Forts Jackson and Philip, below New Orleans, the Rebels
+constructed a boom to oppose the progress of Farragut's fleet. A large
+number of heavy anchors, with the strongest cables, were fixed in the
+river. For a time the boom answered the desired purpose. But the river
+rose, drift-wood accumulated, and the boom at length went the way of
+all things Confederate. Farragut passed the forts, and appeared before
+New Orleans; "Picayune Butler came to town," and the great city of the
+South fell into the hands of the all-conquering Yankees.
+
+Before steam power was applied to the propulsion of boats, the ascent
+of the Mississippi was very difficult.
+
+From New Orleans to St. Louis, a boat consumed from two to four
+months' time. Sails, oars, poles, and ropes attached to trees,
+were the various means of stemming the powerful current. Long after
+steamboats were introduced, many flat-boats, loaded with products
+of the Northern States, floated down the river to a market. At New
+Orleans, boats and cargoes were sold, and the boatmen made their way
+home on foot. Until twenty years ago, the boatmen of the Mississippi
+were almost a distinct race. At present they are nearly extinct.
+
+In the navigation of the Mississippi and its tributaries, the pilot
+is the man of greatest importance. He is supposed to be thoroughly
+familiar with the channel of the river in all its windings, and to
+know the exact location of every snag or other obstruction. He
+can generally judge of the depth of water by the appearance of the
+surface, and he is acquainted with every headland, forest, house, or
+tree-top, that marks the horizon and tells him how to keep his course
+at night. Professional skill is only acquired by a long and careful
+training.
+
+Shortly after the occupation of Little Rock by General Steele, a dozen
+soldiers passed the lines, without authority, and captured a steamboat
+eighteen miles below the city. Steam was raised, when the men
+discovered they had no pilot. One of their number hit upon a plan as
+novel as it was successful.
+
+The Arkansas was very low, having only three feet of water in the
+channel. Twenty-five able-bodied negroes were taken from a neighboring
+plantation, stretched in a line across the river, and ordered to wade
+against the current. By keeping their steamer, which drew only twenty
+inches, directly behind the negro who sank the deepest, the soldiers
+took their prize to Little Rock without difficulty.
+
+For ten years previous to the outbreak of the Rebellion, steamboating
+on the Mississippi was in the height of its glory. Where expense
+of construction and management were of secondary consideration, the
+steamboats on the great river could offer challenge to the world.
+It was the boast of their officers that the tables of the great
+passenger-boats were better supplied than those of the best hotels in
+the South. On many steamers, claret, at dinner, was free to all. Fruit
+and ices were distributed in the evening, as well as choice cups
+of coffee and tea. On one line of boats, the cold meats on the
+supper-table were from carefully selected pieces, cooked and cooled
+expressly for the cenatory meal. Bands of music enlivened the hours
+of day, and afforded opportunity for dancing in the evening. Spacious
+cabins, unbroken by machinery; guards of great width, where cigars and
+small-talk were enjoyed; well-furnished and well-lighted state-rooms,
+and tables loaded with all luxuries of the place and season, rendered
+these steamers attractive to the traveler. Passengers were social,
+and partook of the gayety around them. Men talked, drank, smoked, and
+sometimes gambled, according to their desires. The ladies practiced no
+frigid reserve toward each other, but established cordial relations in
+the first few hours of each journey.
+
+Among the many fine and fast steamers on the Western waters, there
+was necessarily much competition in speed. Every new boat of the first
+class was obliged to give an example of her abilities soon after her
+appearance. Every owner of a steamboat contends that _his_ boat is the
+best afloat. I have rarely been on board a Mississippi steamer of
+any pretensions whose captain has not assured me, "She is the fastest
+thing afloat, sir. Nothing can pass her. We have beaten the--, and
+the--, and the--, in a fair race, sir." To a stranger, seeking correct
+information, the multiplicity of these statements is perplexing.
+
+In 1853 there was a race from New Orleans to Louisville, between the
+steamers _Eclipse_ and _A.L. Shotwell_, on which seventy thousand
+dollars were staked by the owners of the boats. An equal amount was
+invested in "private bets" among outside parties. The two boats were
+literally "stripped for the race." They were loaded to the depth that
+would give them the greatest speed, and their arrangements for taking
+fuel were as complete as possible. Barges were filled with wood at
+stated points along the river, and dropped out to midstream as the
+steamers approached. They were taken alongside, and their loads of
+wood transferred without any stoppage of the engines of the boats.
+
+At the end of the first twenty-four hours the _Eclipse_ and _Shotwell_
+were side by side, three hundred and sixty miles from New Orleans. The
+race was understood to be won by the _Eclipse_, but was so close that
+the stakes were never paid.
+
+In the palmy days of steamboating, the charges for way-travel were
+varied according to the locality. Below Memphis it was the rule to
+take no single fare less than five dollars, even if the passenger were
+going but a half-dozen miles. Along Red River the steamboat clerks
+graduated the fare according to the parish where the passenger came
+on board. The more fertile and wealthy the region, the higher was the
+price of passage. Travelers from the cotton country paid more than
+those from the tobacco country. Those from the sugar country paid
+more than any other class. With few exceptions, there was no "ticket"
+system. Passengers paid their fare at any hour of their journey that
+best suited them. Every man was considered honest until he gave proof
+to the contrary. There was an occasional Jeremy Diddler, but his
+operations were very limited.
+
+When the Rebellion began, the old customs on the Mississippi were
+swept away. The most rigid "pay-on-entering" system was adopted, and
+the man who could evade it must be very shrewd. The wealth along
+the Great River melted into thin air. The _bonhommie_ of travel
+disappeared, and was succeeded by the most thorough selfishness in
+collective and individual bodies. Scrambles for the first choice of
+state-rooms, the first seat at table, and the first drink at the bar,
+became a part of the new _régime_. The ladies were little regarded
+in the hurly-burly of steamboat life. Men would take possession of
+ladies' chairs at table, and pay no heed to remonstrances.
+
+I have seen an officer in blue uniform place his muddy boots on the
+center-table in a cabin full of ladies, and proceed to light a cigar.
+The captain of the boat suggested that the officer's conduct was in
+violation of the rules of propriety, and received the answer:
+
+"I have fought to help open the Mississippi, and, by ----, I am going
+to enjoy it."
+
+The careless display of the butt of a revolver, while he gave this
+answer, left the pleasure-seeker master of the situation. I am sorry
+to say that occurrences of a similar character were very frequent in
+the past three years. With the end of the war it is to be hoped that
+the character of Mississippi travel will be improved.
+
+In May, 1861, the Rebels blockaded the Mississippi at Memphis. In the
+same month the National forces established a blockade at Cairo. In
+July, '63, the capture of Vicksburg and Port Hudson removed the last
+Rebel obstruction. The _Imperial_ was the first passenger boat to
+descend the river, after the reopening of navigation.
+
+Up to within a few months of the close of the Rebellion, steamers
+plying on the river were in constant, danger of destruction by Rebel
+batteries. The Rebel Secretary of War ordered these batteries placed
+along the Mississippi, in the hope of stopping all travel by that
+route. His plan was unsuccessful. Equally so was the barbarous
+practice of burning passenger steamboats while in motion between
+landing-places. On transports fired upon by guerrillas (or Rebels),
+about a hundred persons were killed and as many wounded. A due
+proportion of these were women and children. On steamboats burned by
+Rebel incendiaries, probably a hundred and fifty lives were lost. This
+does not include the dead by the terrible disaster to the _Sultana_.
+It is supposed that this boat was blown up by a Rebel torpedo in her
+coal.
+
+It was my fortune to be a passenger on the steamer _Von Phul_, which
+left New Orleans for St. Louis on the evening of December 7th, 1863.
+I had been for some time traveling up and down the Mississippi, and
+running the gauntlet between Rebel batteries on either shore. There
+was some risk attending my travels, but up to that time I escaped
+unharmed.
+
+On the afternoon of the 8th, when the boat was about eight miles above
+Bayou Sara, I experienced a new sensation.
+
+Seated at a table in the cabin, and busily engaged in writing, I heard
+a heavy crash over my head, almost instantly followed by another. My
+first thought was that the chimneys or some part of the pilot-house
+had fallen, and I half looked to see the roof of the cabin tumbling
+in. I saw the passengers running from the cabin, and heard some one
+shout:
+
+"The guerrillas are firing on us."
+
+I collected my writing materials and sought my state-room, where I had
+left Mr. Colburn, my traveling companion, soundly asleep a few minutes
+before.
+
+He was sitting on the edge of his berth, and wondering what all the
+row was about. The crash that startled me had awakened him. He thought
+the occurrence was of little moment, and assented to my suggestion,
+that we were just as safe there as anywhere else on the boat.
+
+Gallantry prevented our remaining quiet. There were several ladies on
+board, and it behooved us to extend them what protection we could. We
+sought them, and "protected" them to the best of our united ability.
+Their place of refuge was between the cabin and the wheel-house,
+opposite the battery's position. A sheet of wet paper would afford as
+much resistance to a paving-stone as the walls of a steamboat cabin
+to a six-pound shot. As we stood among the ladies, two shells passed
+through the side of the cabin, within a few inches of our heads.
+
+The shots grew fewer in number, and some of them dropped in the river
+behind us. Just as we thought all alarm was over, we saw smoke issuing
+from the cabin gangway. Then, some one shouted, "_The boat is on
+fire_!"
+
+Dropping a lady who evinced a disposition to faint, I entered the
+cabin. A half-dozen men were there before me, and seeking the locality
+of the fire. I was first to discover it.
+
+A shell, in passing through a state-room, entered a pillow, and
+scattered the feathers through the cabin. A considerable quantity of
+these feathers fell upon a hot stove, and the smoke and odor of their
+burning caused the alarm.
+
+The ladies concluded not to faint. Three minutes after the affair was
+over, they were as calm as ever.
+
+The Rebels opened fire when we were abreast of their position, and did
+not cease until we were out of range. We were fifteen minutes within
+reach of their guns.
+
+[Illustration: RUNNING BATTERIES ON THE VON PHUL.]
+
+Our wheels seemed to turn very slowly. No one can express in words the
+anxiety with which we listened, after each shot, for the puffing of
+the engines. So long as the machinery was uninjured, there was no
+danger of our falling into Rebel hands. But with our engines disabled,
+our chances for capture would be very good.
+
+As the last shot fell astern of the boat and sent up a column of
+spray, we looked about the cabin and saw that no one had been injured.
+A moment later came the announcement from the pilot-house:
+
+"Captain Gorman is killed!"
+
+I ascended to the hurricane deck, and thence to the pilot-house. The
+pilot, with his hat thrown aside and his hair streaming in the wind,
+stood at his post, carefully guiding the boat on her course. The body
+of the captain was lying at his feet. Another man lay dying, close by
+the opening in which the wheel revolved. The floor was covered with
+blood, splinters, glass, and the fragments of a shattered stove.
+One side of the little room was broken in, and the other side was
+perforated where the projectiles made their exit.
+
+The first gun from the Rebels threw a shell which entered the side of
+the pilot-house, and struck the captain, who was sitting just behind
+the pilot. Death must have been instantaneous. A moment later, a
+"spherical-case shot" followed the shell. It exploded as it struck
+the wood-work, and a portion of the contents entered the side of the
+bar-keeper of the boat. In falling to the floor he fell against the
+wheel. The pilot, steering the boat with one hand, pulled the dying
+man from the wheel with the other, and placed him by the side of the
+dead captain.
+
+Though, apparently, the pilot was as cool and undisturbed as ever, his
+face was whiter than usual. He said the most trying moment of all was
+soon after the first shots were fired. Wishing to "round the bend" as
+speedily as possible, he rang the bell as a signal to the engineer to
+check the speed of one of the wheels. The signal was not obeyed, the
+engineers having fled to places of safety. He rang the bell once more.
+He shouted down the speaking-tube, to enforce compliance with his
+order.
+
+There was no answer. The engines were caring for themselves. The boat
+must be controlled by the rudder alone. With a dead man and a
+dying man at his feet, with the Rebel shot and shell every moment
+perforating the boat or falling near it, and with no help from those
+who should control the machinery, he felt that his position was a
+painful one.
+
+We were out of danger. An hour later we found the gun-boat _Neosho_,
+at anchor, eight miles further up the stream. Thinking we might again
+be attacked, the commander of the _Neosho_ offered to convoy us to
+Red River. We accepted his offer. As soon as the _Neosho_ raised
+sufficient steam to enable her to move, we proceeded on our course.
+
+Order was restored on the _Von Phul_. Most of the passengers gathered
+in little groups, and talked about the recent occurrence. I returned
+to my writing, and Colburn gave his attention to a book. With the
+gun-boat at our side, no one supposed there was danger of another
+attack.
+
+A half-hour after starting under convoy of the gun-boat, the Rebels
+once more opened fire. They paid no attention to the _Neosho_, but
+threw all their projectiles at the _Von Phul_. The first shell passed
+through the cabin, wounding a person near me, and grazing a post
+against which Colburn and myself were resting our chairs. This shell
+was followed by others in quick succession, most of them passing
+through the cabin. One exploded under the portion of the cabin
+directly beneath my position. The explosion uplifted the boards with
+such force as to overturn my table and disturb the steadiness of my
+chair.
+
+I dreaded splinters far more than I feared the pitiless iron. I left
+the cabin, through which the shells were pouring, and descended to the
+lower deck. It was no better there than above. We were increasing
+the distance between ourselves and the Rebels, and the shot began to
+strike lower down. Nearly every shot raked the lower deck.
+
+A loose plank on which I stood was split for more than half its
+length, by a shot which struck my foot when its force was nearly
+spent. Though the skin was not abraded, and no bones were broken, I
+felt the effect of the blow for several weeks.
+
+I lay down upon the deck. A moment after I had taken my horizontal
+position, two men who lay against me were mortally wounded by a shell.
+The right leg of one was completely severed below the knee. This shell
+was the last projectile that struck the forward portion of the boat.
+
+With a handkerchief loosely tied and twisted with a stick, I
+endeavored to stop the flow of blood from the leg of the wounded man.
+I was partially successful, but the stoppage of blood could not save
+the man's life. He died within the hour.
+
+Forty-two shot and shell struck the boat. The escape-pipe was severed
+where it passed between two state-rooms, and filled the cabin with
+steam. The safe in the captain's office was perforated as if it had
+been made of wood. A trunk was broken by a shell, and its contents
+were scattered upon the floor. Splinters had fallen in the cabin,
+and were spread thickly upon the carpet. Every person who escaped
+uninjured had his own list of incidents to narrate.
+
+Out of about fifty persons on board the _Von Phul_ at the time of this
+occurrence, twelve were killed or wounded. One of the last projectiles
+that struck the boat, injured a boiler sufficiently to allow the
+escape of steam. In ten minutes our engines moved very feebly. We were
+forced to "tie up" to the eastern bank of the river. We were by this
+time out of range of the Rebel battery. The _Neosho_ had opened fire,
+and by the time we made fast to the bank, the Rebels were in retreat.
+
+The _Neosho_ ceased firing and moved to our relief. Before she reached
+us, the steamer _Atlantic_ came in sight, descending the river.
+We hailed her, and she came alongside. Immediately on learning our
+condition, her captain offered to tow the _Von Phul_ to Red River,
+twenty miles distant. There we could lie, under protection of the
+gun-boats, and repair the damages to our machinery. We accepted his
+offer at once.
+
+I can hardly imagine a situation of greater helplessness, than a
+place on board a Western passenger-steamer under the guns of a hostile
+battery. A battle-field is no comparison. On solid earth the
+principal danger is from projectiles. You can fight, or, under some
+circumstances, can run away. On a Mississippi transport, you are
+equally in danger of being shot. Added to this, you may be struck by
+splinters, scalded by steam, burned by fire, or drowned in the water.
+You cannot fight, you cannot run away, and you cannot find shelter.
+With no power for resistance or escape, the sense of danger and
+helplessness cannot be set aside.
+
+A few weeks after the occurrence just narrated, the steamer _Brazil_,
+on her way from Vicksburg to Natchez, was fired upon by a Rebel
+battery near Rodney, Mississippi. The boat was struck a half-dozen
+times by shot and shell. More than a hundred rifle-bullets were thrown
+on board. Three persons were killed and as many wounded.
+
+Among those killed on the _Brazil_, was a young woman who had engaged
+to take charge of a school for negro children at Natchez. The Rebel
+sympathizers at Natchez displayed much gratification at her death. On
+several occasions I heard some of the more pious among them declare
+that the hand of God directed the fatal missile. They prophesied
+violent or sudden deaths to all who came to the South on a similar
+mission.
+
+The steamer _Black Hawk_ was fired upon by a Rebel battery at the
+mouth of Red River. The boat ran aground in range of the enemy's guns.
+A shell set her pilot-house on fire, and several persons were killed
+in the cabin.
+
+Strange to say, though aground and on fire under a Rebel battery, the
+_Black Hawk_ was saved. By great exertions on the part of officers and
+crew, the fire was extinguished after the pilot-house was burned away.
+A temporary steering apparatus was rigged, and the boat moved from the
+shoal where she had grounded. She was a full half hour within range of
+the Rebel guns.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLV.
+
+THE ARMY CORRESPONDENT.
+
+The Beginning and the End.--The Lake Erie Piracy.--A Rochester
+Story.--The First War Correspondent,--Napoleon's Policy.--Waterloo
+and the Rothschilds.--Journalistic Enterprise in the Mexican War.--The
+Crimea and the East Indian Rebellion.--Experiences at the Beginning
+of Hostilities.--The Tender Mercies of the Insurgents.--In the
+Field.--Adventures in Missouri and Kentucky.--Correspondents
+in Captivity.--How Battle-Accounts were Written.--Professional
+Complaints.
+
+
+Having lain aside my pen while engaged in planting cotton and
+entertaining guerrillas, I resumed it on coming North, after that
+experiment was finished. Setting aside my capture in New Hampshire,
+narrated in the first chapter, my adventures in the field commenced in
+Missouri in the earliest campaign. Singularly enough, they terminated
+on our Northern border. In the earlier days of the Rebellion, it
+was the jest of the correspondents, that they would, some time, find
+occasion to write war-letters from the Northern cities. The jest
+became a reality in the siege of Cincinnati. During that siege we
+wondered whether it would be possible to extend our labors to Detroit
+or Mackinaw.
+
+In September, 1864, the famous "Lake Erie Piracy" occurred. I was
+in Cleveland when the news of the seizure of the _Philo Parsons_ was
+announced by telegraph, and at once proceeded to Detroit. The capture
+of the _Parsons_ was a very absurd movement on the part of the Rebels,
+who had taken refuge in Canada. The original design was, doubtless,
+the capture of the gun-boat _Michigan_, and the release of the
+prisoners on Johnson's Island. The captors of the _Parsons_ had
+confederates in Sandusky, who endeavored to have the _Michigan_ in
+a half-disabled condition when the _Parsons_ arrived. This was not
+accomplished, and the scheme fell completely through. The two small
+steamers, the _Parsons_ and _Island Queen_, were abandoned after being
+in Rebel hands only a few hours.
+
+The officers of the _Parsons_ told an interesting story of their
+seizure. Mr. Ashley, the clerk, said the boat left Detroit for
+Sandusky at her usual hour. She had a few passengers from Detroit, and
+received others at various landings. The last party that came on board
+brought an old trunk bound with ropes. The different parties did not
+recognize each other, not even when drinking at the bar. When near
+Kelly's Island in Lake Erie, the various officers of the steamer were
+suddenly seized. The ropes on the trunk were cut, the lid flew open,
+and a quantity of revolvers and hatchets was brought to light.
+
+The pirates declared they were acting in the interest of the
+"Confederacy." They relieved Mr. Ashley of his pocket-book and
+contents, and appropriated the money they found in the safe. Those
+of the passengers who were not "in the ring," were compelled to
+contribute to the representatives of the Rebel Government. This little
+affair was claimed to be "belligerent" throughout. At Kelly's Island
+the passengers and crew were liberated on parole not to take up arms
+against the Confederacy until properly exchanged.
+
+After cruising in front of Sandusky, and failing to receive signals
+which they expected, the pirates returned to Canada with their prize.
+One of their "belligerent" acts was to throw overboard the cargo of
+the _Parsons_, together with most of her furniture. At Sandwich, near
+Detroit, they left the boat, after taking ashore a piano and other
+articles. Her Majesty's officer of customs took possession of this
+stolen property, on the ground that it was brought into Canada
+without the proper permits from the custom-house. It was subsequently
+recovered by its owners.
+
+The St. Albans raid, which occurred a few months later, was a similar
+act of belligerency. It created more excitement than the Lake Erie
+piracy, but the questions involved were practically the same. That the
+Rebels had a right of asylum in Canada no one could deny, but there
+was a difference of opinion respecting the proper limits to those
+rights. The Rebels hoped to involve us in a controversy with England,
+that should result in the recognition of the Confederacy. This was
+frequently avowed by some of the indiscreet refugees.
+
+After the capture of the _Parsons_ and the raid upon St. Albans,
+the Canadian authorities sent a strong force of militia to watch the
+frontier. A battalion of British regulars was stationed at Windsor,
+opposite Detroit, early in 1864, but was removed to the interior
+before the raids occurred. The authorities assigned as a reason for
+this removal, the desire to concentrate their forces at some central
+point. The real reason was the rapid desertion of their men, allured
+by the high pay and opportunity of active service in our army. In
+two months the battalion at Windsor was reduced fifteen per cent, by
+desertions alone.
+
+Shortly after the St. Albans raid, a paper in Rochester announced a
+visit to that city by a cricket-club from Toronto. The paragraph was
+written somewhat obscurely, and jestingly spoke of the Toronto men as
+"raiders." The paper reached New York, and so alarmed the authorities
+that troops were at once ordered to Rochester and other points on the
+frontier. The misapprehension was discovered in season to prevent the
+actual moving of the troops.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+With the suppression of the Rebellion the mission of the war
+correspondent was ended. Let us all hope that his services will not
+again be required, in this country, at least, during the present
+century. The publication of the reports of battles, written on the
+field, and frequently during the heat of an engagement, was a marked
+feature of the late war. "Our Special Correspondent" is not, however,
+an invention belonging to this important era of our history.
+
+His existence dates from the days of the Greeks and Romans. If Homer
+had witnessed the battles which he described, he would, doubtless, be
+recognized as the earliest war correspondent. Xenophon was the first
+regular correspondent of which we have any record. He achieved an
+enduring fame, which is a just tribute to the man and his profession.
+
+During the Middle Ages, the Crusades afforded fine opportunities for
+the war correspondents to display their abilities. The prevailing
+ignorance of those times is shown in the absence of any reliable
+accounts of the Holy Wars, written by journalists on the field. There
+was no daily press, and the mail communications were very unreliable.
+Down to the nineteenth century, Xenophon had no formidable competitors
+for the honors which attached to his name.
+
+The elder Napoleon always acted as his own "Special." His bulletins,
+by rapid post to Paris, were generally the first tidings of his
+brilliant marches and victories. His example was thought worthy of
+imitation by several military officials during the late Rebellion.
+Rear-Admiral Porter essayed to excel Napoleon in sending early
+reports of battles for public perusal. "I have the honor to inform the
+Department," is a formula with which most editors and printers became
+intimately acquainted. The admiral's veracity was not as conspicuous
+as his eagerness to push his reports in print.
+
+At Waterloo there was no regular correspondent of the London press.
+Several volunteer writers furnished accounts of the battle for
+publication, whose accuracy has been called in question. Wellington's
+official dispatches were outstripped by the enterprise of a London
+banking-house. The Rothschilds knew the result of the battle eight
+hours before Wellington's courier arrived.
+
+Carrier pigeons were used to convey the intelligence. During the
+Rebellion, Wall Street speculators endeavored to imitate the policy of
+the Rothschilds, but were only partially successful.
+
+In the war between Mexico and the United States, "Our Special" was
+actively, though not extensively, employed. On one occasion, _The
+Herald_ obtained its news in advance of the official dispatches to the
+Government. The magnetic telegraph was then unknown. Horse-flesh and
+steam were the only means of transmitting intelligence. If we except
+the New Orleans _Picayune, The Herald_ was the only paper represented
+in Mexico during the campaigns of Scott and Taylor.
+
+During the conflict between France and England on the one hand, and
+Russia on the other, the journals of London and Paris sent their
+representatives to the Crimea. The London _Times,_ the foremost
+paper of Europe, gave Russell a reputation he will long retain. The
+"Thunderer's" letters from the camp before Sebastopol became known
+throughout the civilized world. A few years later, the East Indian
+rebellion once more called the London specials to the field. In
+giving the history of the campaigns in India, _The Times_ and its
+representative overshadowed all the rest.
+
+Just before the commencement of hostilities in the late Rebellion, the
+leading journals of New York were well represented in the South. Each
+day these papers gave their readers full details of all important
+events that transpired in the South. The correspondents that witnessed
+the firing of the Southern heart had many adventures. Some of them
+narrowly escaped with their lives.
+
+At Richmond, a crowd visited the Spottswood House, with the avowed
+intention of hanging a _Herald_ correspondent, who managed to escape
+through a back door of the building. A representative of _The Tribune_
+was summoned before the authorities at Charleston, on the charge of
+being a Federal spy. He was cleared of the charge, but advised to
+proceed North as early as possible. When he departed, Governor Pickens
+requested him, as a particular favor, to ascertain the name of _The
+Tribune_ correspondent, on arrival in New York, and inform him by
+letter. He promised to do so. On reaching the North, he kindly told
+Governor Pickens who _The Tribune_ correspondent was.
+
+A _Times_ correspondent, passing through Harper's Ferry, found himself
+in the hands of "the Chivalry," who proposed to hang him on the
+general charge of being an Abolitionist. He was finally released
+without injury, but at one time the chances of his escape were small.
+
+The New Orleans correspondent of _The Tribune_ came North on the last
+passenger-train from Richmond to Aquia Creek. One of _The Herald's_
+representatives was thrown into prison by Jeff. Davis, but released
+through the influence of Pope Walker, the Rebel Secretary of War.
+Another remained in the South until all regular communication was cut
+off. He reached the North in safety by the line of the "underground
+railway."
+
+When the Rebellion was fairly inaugurated, the various points of
+interest were at once visited by the correspondents of the press.
+Wherever our armies operated, the principal dailies of New York and
+other cities were represented. Washington was the center of gravity
+around which the Eastern correspondents revolved. As the army
+advanced into Virginia, every movement was carefully chronicled. The
+competition between the different journals was very great.
+
+In the West the field was broader, and the competition, though active,
+was less bitter than along the Potomac. In the early days, St.
+Louis, Cairo, and Louisville were the principal Western points
+where correspondents were stationed. As our armies extended their
+operations, the journalists found their field of labor enlarged. St.
+Louis lost its importance when the Rebels were driven from Missouri.
+For a long time Cairo was the principal rendezvous of the journalists,
+but it became less noted as our armies pressed forward along the
+Mississippi.
+
+Every war-correspondent has his story of experiences in the field.
+Gathering the details of a battle in the midst of its dangers; sharing
+the privations of the camp and the fatigues of the march; riding with
+scouts, and visiting the skirmishers on the extreme front; journeying
+to the rear through regions infested by the enemy's cavalry, or
+running the gauntlet of Rebel batteries, his life was far from
+monotonous. Frequently the correspondents acted as volunteer aids
+to generals during engagements, and rendered important service. They
+often took the muskets of fallen soldiers and used them to advantage.
+On the water, as on land, they sustained their reputation, and proved
+that the hand which wielded the pen was able to wield the sword. They
+contributed their proportion of killed, wounded, and captured to the
+casualties of the war. Some of them accepted commissions in the army
+and navy.
+
+During the campaign of General Lyon in Missouri, the journalists who
+accompanied that army were in the habit of riding outside the lines to
+find comfortable quarters for the night. Frequently they went two or
+three miles ahead of the entire column, in order to make sure of a
+good dinner before the soldiers could overtake them. One night two
+of them slept at a house three miles from the road which the army was
+following. The inmates of the mansion were unaware of the vicinity
+of armed "Yankees," and entertained the strangers without question.
+Though a dozen Rebel scouts called at the house before daylight, the
+correspondents were undisturbed. After that occasion they were more
+cautious in their movements.
+
+In Kentucky, during the advance of Kirby Smith upon Cincinnati, the
+correspondents of _The Gazette_ and _The Commercial_ were captured by
+the advance-guard of Rebel cavalry. Their baggage, money, and
+watches became the property of their captors. The correspondents were
+released, and obliged to walk about eighty miles in an August sun. A
+short time later, Mr. Shanks and Mr. Westfall, correspondents of _The
+Herald,_ were made acquainted with John Morgan, in one of the raids
+of that famous guerrilla. The acquaintance resulted in a thorough
+depletion of the wardrobes of the captured gentlemen.
+
+In Virginia, Mr. Cadwallader and Mr. Fitzpatrick, of _The Herald_,
+and Mr. Crounse, of _The Times_, were captured by Mosby, and liberated
+after a brief detention and a complete relief of every thing
+portable and valuable, down to their vests and pantaloons. Even their
+dispatches were taken from them and forwarded to Richmond. A portion
+of these reports found their way into the Richmond papers. Stonewall
+Jackson and Stuart were also fortunate enough to capture some of
+the representatives of the Press. At one time there were five
+correspondents of _The Herald_ in the hands of the Rebels. One of
+them, Mr. Anderson, was held more than a year. He was kept for ten
+days in an iron dungeon, where no ray of light could penetrate.
+
+I have elsewhere alluded to the capture of Messrs. Richardson and
+Browne, of _The Tribune_, and Mr. Colburn, of _The World_, in front
+of Vicksburg. The story of the captivity and perilous escape of these
+representatives of _The Tribune_ reveals a patience, a fortitude, a
+daring, and a fertility of resource not often excelled.
+
+Some of the most graphic battle-accounts of the war were written very
+hastily. During the three days' battle at Gettysburg, _The Herald_
+published each morning the details of the fighting of the previous
+day, down to the setting of the sun. This was accomplished by having a
+correspondent with each corps, and one at head-quarters to forward the
+accounts to the nearest telegraph office. At Antietam, _The Tribune_
+correspondent viewed the battle by day, and then hurried from the
+field, writing the most of his account on a railway train. From Fort
+Donelson the correspondents of _The World_ and _The Tribune_ went to
+Cairo, on a hospital boat crowded with wounded. Their accounts were
+written amid dead and suffering men, but when published they bore
+little evidence of their hasty preparation.
+
+I once wrote a portion of a letter at the end of a medium-sized table.
+At the other end of the table a party of gamblers, with twenty or
+thirty spectators, were indulging in "Chuck-a-Luck." I have known
+dispatches to be written on horseback, but they were very brief,
+and utterly illegible to any except the writer. Much of the press
+correspondence during the war was written in railway cars and on
+steamboats, and much on camp-chests, stumps, or other substitutes for
+tables. I have seen a half-dozen correspondents busily engaged with
+their letters at the same moment, each of them resting his port-folio
+on his knee, or standing upright, with no support whatever. On one
+occasion a fellow-journalist assured me that the broad chest of a
+slumbering _confrere_ made an excellent table, the undulations caused
+by the sleeper's breathing being the only objectionable feature.
+
+Sometimes a correspondent reached the end of a long ride so exhausted
+as to be unable to hold a pen for ten consecutive minutes. In such
+case a short-hand writer was employed, when accessible, to take down
+from rapid dictation the story of our victory or defeat.
+
+Under all the disadvantages of time, place, and circumstances,
+of physical exhaustion and mental anxiety, it is greatly to the
+correspondents' credit that they wrote so well. Battle-accounts were
+frequently published that would be no mean comparison to the studied
+pen-pictures of the famous writers of this or any other age. They
+were extensively copied by the press of England and the Continent, and
+received high praise for their vivid portrayal of the battle-field
+and its scenes. Apart from the graphic accounts of great battles, they
+furnished materials from which the historians will write the enduring
+records of the war. With files of the New York dailies at his side, an
+industrious writer could compile a history of the Rebellion, complete
+in all its details.
+
+It was a general complaint of the correspondents that their profession
+was never officially recognized so as to give them an established
+position in the army. They received passes from head-quarters, and
+could generally go where they willed, but there were many officers who
+chose to throw petty but annoying restrictions around them. As they
+were generally situated throughout the army, they were, to some
+extent, dependent upon official courtesies. Of course, this dependence
+was injurious to free narration or criticism when any officer had
+conducted improperly.
+
+If there is ever another occasion for the services of the war
+correspondent on our soil, it is to be hoped Congress will pass a law
+establishing a position for the journalists, fixing their status
+in the field, surrounding them with all necessary restrictions, and
+authorizing them to purchase supplies and forage from the proper
+departments. During the Crimean war, the correspondents of the French
+and English papers had a recognized position, where they were subject
+to the same rules, and entitled to the same privileges, as the
+officers they accompanied. When Sir George Brown, at Eupatoria,
+forbade any officer appearing in public with unshaven chin, he made no
+distinction in favor of the members of the Press.
+
+Notwithstanding their fierce competition in serving the journals they
+represented, the correspondents with our army were generally on the
+most friendly terms with each other. Perhaps this was less the case
+in the East than in the West, where the rivalry was not so intense
+and continuous. In the armies in the Mississippi Valley, the
+representatives of competing journals frequently slept, ate, traveled,
+and smoked together, and not unfrequently drank from the same flask
+with equal relish. In the early days, "Room 45," in the St. Charles
+Hotel at Cairo, was the resort of all the correspondents at that
+point. There they laid aside their professional jealousies, and passed
+their idle hours in efforts for mutual amusement. On some occasions
+the floor of the room would be covered, in the morning, with a
+confused mass of boots, hats, coats, and other articles of masculine
+wear, out of which the earliest riser would array himself in
+whatever suited his fancy, without the slightest regard to the owner.
+"Forty-five" was the neutral ground where the correspondents planned
+campaigns for all the armies of the Union, arranged the downfall of
+the Rebellion, expressed their views of military measures and military
+men, exulted over successes, mourned over defeats, and toasted in full
+glasses the flag that our soldiers upheld.
+
+Since the close of the war, many of the correspondents have taken
+positions in the offices of the journals they represented in the
+field. Some have established papers of their own in the South, and a
+few have retired to other civil pursuits. Some are making professional
+tours of the Southern States and recording the status of the people
+lately in rebellion. _The Herald_ has sent several of its _attachés_
+to the European capitals, and promises to chronicle in detail the next
+great war in the Old World.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVI.
+
+THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SOUTH.
+
+Scarcity of the Population,--Fertility of the Country.--Northern Men
+already in the South.--Kansas Emigrants Crossing Missouri.--Change of
+the Situation.--Present Disadvantages of Emigration.--Feeling of
+the People.--Property-Holders in Richmond.--The Sentiment in North
+Carolina.--South Carolina Chivalry.--The Effect of War.--Prospect of
+the Success of Free Labor.--Trade in the South.
+
+
+The suppression of the Rebellion, and the restoration of peace
+throughout the entire South, have opened a large field for emigration.
+The white population of the Southern States, never as dense as that of
+the North, has been greatly diminished in consequence of the war. In
+many localities more than half the able-bodied male inhabitants have
+been swept away, and everywhere the loss of men is severely felt.
+The breaking up of the former system of labor in the cotton and sugar
+States will hinder the progress of agriculture for a considerable
+time, but there can be little doubt of its beneficial effect in the
+end. The desolation that was spread in the track of our armies will
+be apparent for many years. The South will ultimately recover from
+all her calamities, but she will need the energy and capital of the
+Northern States to assist her.
+
+During the progress of the war, as our armies penetrated the fertile
+portions of the "Confederacy," many of our soldiers cast longing eyes
+at the prospective wealth around them. "When the war is over we will
+come here to live, and show these people something they never dreamed
+of," was a frequent remark. Men born and reared in the extreme North,
+were amazed at the luxuriance of Southern verdure, and wondered that
+the richness of the soil had not been turned to greater advantage.
+It is often said in New England that no man who has once visited the
+fertile West ever returns to make his residence in the Eastern States.
+Many who have explored the South, and obtained a knowledge of its
+resources, will be equally reluctant to dwell in the regions where
+their boyhood days were passed.
+
+While the war was in progress many Northern men purchased plantations
+on the islands along the Southern coast, and announced their
+determination to remain there permanently. After the capture of New
+Orleans, business in that city passed into the hands of Northerners,
+much to the chagrin of the older inhabitants. When the disposition of
+our army and the topography of the country made the lower portion
+of Louisiana secure against Rebel raids, many plantations in that
+locality were purchased outright by Northern speculators. I have
+elsewhere shown how the cotton culture was extensively carried on by
+"Yankees," and that failure was not due to their inability to conduct
+the details of the enterprise.
+
+Ten years ago, emigration to Kansas was highly popular. Aid Societies
+were organized in various localities, and the Territory was rapidly
+filled. Political influences had much to do with this emigration from
+both North and South, and many implements carried by the emigrants
+were not altogether agricultural in their character. The soil of
+Kansas was known to be fertile, and its climate excellent. The
+Territory presented attractions to settlers, apart from political
+considerations. But in going thither the emigrants crossed a region
+equally fertile, and possessing superior advantages in its
+proximity to a market. No State in the Union could boast of greater
+possibilities than Missouri, yet few travelers in search of a home
+ventured to settle within her limits.
+
+The reason was apparent. Missouri was a slave State, though bounded on
+three sides by free soil. Few Northern emigrants desired to settle in
+the midst of slavery. The distinction between the ruling and laboring
+classes was not as great as in the cotton States, but there was a
+distinction beyond dispute. Whatever his blood or complexion, the
+man who labored with his hands was on a level, or nearly so, with the
+slave. Thousands passed up the Missouri River, or crossed the northern
+portion of the State, to settle in the new Territory of Kansas.
+When political influences ceased, the result was still the same. The
+Hannibal and St. Joseph Railway threw its valuable lands into the
+market, but with little success.
+
+With the suppression of the late Rebellion, and the abolition of
+slavery in Missouri, the situation is materially changed. From
+Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana, there is a large emigration to Missouri.
+I was recently informed that forty families from a single county in
+Ohio had sent a delegation to Missouri to look out suitable locations,
+either of wild land or of farms under cultivation. There is every
+prospect that the State will be rapidly filled with a population that
+believes in freedom and in the dignity of labor. She has an advantage
+over the other ex-slave States, in lying west of the populous regions
+of the North. Hitherto, emigration has generally followed the great
+isothermal lines, as can be readily seen when we study the population
+of the Western States. Northern Ohio is more New Englandish than
+Southern Ohio, and the parallel holds good in Northern and Southern
+Illinois. There will undoubtedly be a large emigration to Missouri
+in preference to the other Southern States, but our whole migratory
+element will not find accommodation in her limits. The entire South
+will be overrun by settlers from the North.
+
+Long ago, _Punch_ gave advice to persons about to marry. It was all
+comprised in the single word, "DON'T." Whoever is in haste to emigrate
+to the South, would do well to consider, for a time, this brief, but
+emphatic counsel. No one should think of leaving the Northern States,
+until he has fairly considered the advantages and disadvantages of the
+movement. If he departs with the expectation of finding every thing to
+his liking, he will be greatly disappointed at the result.
+
+There will be many difficulties to overcome. The people now residing
+in the late rebellious States are generally impoverished. They have
+little money, and, in many cases, their stock and valuables of all
+kinds have been swept away. Their farms are often without fences, and
+their farming-tools worn out, disabled, or destroyed. Their system of
+labor is broken up. The negro is a slave no longer, and the transition
+from bondage to freedom will affect, for a time, the producing
+interests of the South.
+
+Though the Rebellion is suppressed, the spirit of discontent
+still remains in many localities, and will retard the process of
+reconstruction. The teachings of slavery have made the men of the
+South bitterly hostile to those of the North. This hostility was
+carefully nurtured by the insurgent leaders during the Rebellion, and
+much of it still exists. In many sections of the South, efforts will
+be made to prevent immigration from the North, through a fear that the
+old inhabitants will lose their political rights.
+
+At the time I am writing, the owners of property in Richmond are
+holding it at such high rates as to repel Northern purchasers. Letters
+from that city say, the residents have determined to sell no property
+to Northern men, when they can possibly avoid it. No encouragement
+is likely to be given to Northern farmers and artisans to migrate
+thither. A scheme for taking a large number of European emigrants
+directly from foreign ports to Richmond, and thence to scatter them
+throughout Virginia, is being considered by the Virginia politicians.
+The wealthy men in the Old Dominion, who were Secessionists for the
+sake of secession, and who gave every assistance to the Rebel cause,
+are opposed to the admission of Northern settlers. They may be
+unable to prevent it, but they will be none the less earnest in their
+efforts.
+
+This feeling extends throughout a large portion of Virginia, and
+exists in the other States of the South. Its intensity varies in
+different localities, according to the extent of the slave population
+in the days before the war, and the influence that the Radical men
+of the South have exercised. While Virginia is unwilling to receive
+strangers, North Carolina is manifesting a desire to fill her
+territory with Northern capital and men. She is already endeavoring
+to encourage emigration, and has offered large quantities of land
+on liberal terms. In Newbern, Wilmington, and Raleigh, the Northern
+element is large. Newbern is "Yankeeized" as much as New Orleans.
+Wilmington bids fair to have intimate relations with New York and
+Boston. An agency has been established at Raleigh, under the sanction
+of the Governor of the State, to secure the immediate occupation of
+farming and mining lands, mills, manufactories, and all other kinds of
+real estate. Northern capital and sinew is already on its way to
+that region. The great majority of the North Carolinians approve
+the movement, but there are many persons in the State who equal the
+Virginians in their hostility to innovations.
+
+In South Carolina, few beside the negroes will welcome the Northerner
+with open arms. The State that hatched the secession egg, and
+proclaimed herself at all times first and foremost for the
+perpetuation of slavery, will not exult at the change which
+circumstances have wrought. Her Barnwells, her McGraths, her Rhetts,
+and her Hamptons declared they would perish in the last ditch, rather
+than submit. Some of them have perished, but many still remain. Having
+been life-long opponents of Northern policy, Northern industry, and
+Northern enterprise, they will hardly change their opinions until
+taught by the logic of events.
+
+Means of transportation are limited. On the railways the tracks are
+nearly worn out, and must be newly laid before they can be used with
+their old facility. Rolling stock is disabled or destroyed. Much of
+it must be wholly replaced, and that which now remains must undergo
+extensive repairs. Depots and machine-shops have been burned, and
+many bridges are bridges no longer. On the smaller rivers but few
+steamboats are running, and these are generally of a poor class.
+Wagons are far from abundant, and mules and horses are very scarce.
+The wants of the armies have been supplied with little regard to the
+inconvenience of the people.
+
+Corn-mills, saw-mills, gins, and factories have fed the flames.
+Wherever our armies penetrated they spread devastation in their track.
+Many portions of the South were not visited by a hostile force, but
+they did not escape the effects of war. Southern Georgia and Florida
+suffered little from the presence of the Northern armies, but the
+scarcity of provisions and the destitution of the people are nearly as
+great in that region as elsewhere.
+
+Until the present indignation at their defeat is passed away, many of
+the Southern people will not be inclined to give any countenance to
+the employment of freed negroes. They believe slavery is the proper
+condition for the negro, and declare that any system based on free
+labor will prove a failure. This feeling will not be general among the
+Southern people, and will doubtless be removed in time.
+
+The transition from slavery to freedom will cause some irregularities
+on the part of the colored race. I do not apprehend serious trouble
+in controlling the negro, and believe his work will be fully available
+throughout the South. It is natural that he should desire a little
+holiday with his release from bondage. For a time many negroes will
+be idle, and so will many white men who have returned from the Rebel
+armies. According to present indications, the African race displays
+far more industry than the Caucasian throughout the Southern States.
+Letters from the South say the negroes are at work in some localities,
+but the whites are everywhere idle.
+
+Those who go to the South for purposes of traffic may or may not be
+favored with large profits. All the products of the mechanic arts
+are very scarce in the interior, while in the larger towns trade is
+generally overdone. Large stocks of goods were taken to all places
+accessible by water as soon as the ports were opened. The supply
+exceeded the demand, and many dealers suffered heavy loss. From
+Richmond and other points considerable quantities of goods have been
+reshipped to New York, or sold for less than cost. Doubtless the trade
+with the South will ultimately be very large, but it cannot spring up
+in a day. Money is needed before speculation can be active. A year or
+two, at the least, will be needed to fill the Southern pocket.
+
+So much for the dark side of the picture. Emigrants are apt to listen
+to favorable accounts of the region whither they are bound, while they
+close their ears to all stories of an unfavorable character. To insure
+a hearing of both sides of the question under discussion, I have given
+the discouraging arguments in advance of all others. Already those
+who desire to stimulate travel to the South, are relating wonderful
+stories of its fertility and its great advantages to settlers. No
+doubt they are telling much that is true, but they do not tell all the
+truth. Every one has heard the statement, circulated in Ireland many
+years since, that America abounded in roasted pigs that ran about the
+streets, carrying knives and forks in their mouths, and making vocal
+requests to be devoured. Notwithstanding the absurdity of the story,
+it is reported to have received credit.
+
+The history of every emigration scheme abounds in narratives of a
+brilliant, though piscatorial, character. The interior portions of all
+the Western States are of wonderful fertility, and no inhabitant of
+that region has any hesitation in announcing the above fact. But not
+one in a hundred will state frankly his distance from market, and the
+value of wheat and corn at the points of their production. In too many
+cases the bright side of the story is sufficient for the listener.
+
+I once traveled in a railway car where there were a dozen emigrants
+from the New England States, seeking a home in the West. An agent of
+a county in Iowa was endeavoring to call their attention to the great
+advantages which his region afforded. He told them of the fertility of
+the soil, the amount of corn and wheat that could be produced to the
+acre, the extent of labor needed for the production of a specified
+quantity of cereals, the abundance of timber, and the propinquity of
+fine streams, with many other brilliant and seductive stories. The
+emigrants listened in admiration of the Promised Land, and were on the
+point of consenting to follow the orator.
+
+I ventured to ask the distance from those lands to a market where the
+products could be sold, and the probable cost of transportation.
+
+The answer was an evasive one, but was sufficient to awaken the
+suspicions of the emigrants. My question destroyed the beautiful
+picture which the voluble agent had drawn.
+
+Those who desire to seek their homes in the South will do well to
+remember that baked pigs are not likely to exist in abundance in the
+regions traversed by the National armies.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVII.
+
+HOW DISADVANTAGES MAY BE OVERCOME.
+
+Conciliating the People of the South.--Railway Travel and its
+Improvement.--Rebuilding Steamboats.--Replacing Working
+Stock.--The Condition of the Plantations.--Suggestions about Hasty
+Departures.--Obtaining Information.--The Attractions of Missouri.
+
+
+The hinderances I have mentioned in the way of Southern emigration are
+of a temporary character. The opposition of the hostile portion of
+the Southern people can be overcome in time. When they see there is no
+possible hope for them to control the National policy, when they fully
+realize that slavery is ended, and ended forever, when they discover
+that the negro will work as a free man with advantage to his employer,
+they will become more amiable in disposition. Much of their present
+feeling arises from a hope of compelling a return to the old relation
+of master and slave. When this hope is completely destroyed, we shall
+have accomplished a great step toward reconstruction. A practical
+knowledge of Northern industry and enterprise will convince the people
+of the South, unless their hearts are thoroughly hardened, that some
+good can come out of Nazareth. They may never establish relations of
+great intimacy with their new neighbors, but their hostility will be
+diminished to insignificance.
+
+Some of the advocates of the "last ditch" theory, who have sworn
+never to live in the United States, will, doubtless, depart to foreign
+lands, or follow the example of the Virginia gentleman who committed
+suicide on ascertaining the hopelessness of the Rebellion. Failing
+to do either of these things, they must finally acquiesce in the
+supremacy of National authority.
+
+The Southern railways will be repaired, their rolling stock replaced,
+and the routes of travel restored to the old status. All cannot be
+done at once, as the destruction and damage have been very extensive,
+and many of the companies are utterly impoverished. From two to five
+years will elapse before passengers and freight can be transported
+with the same facility, in all directions, as before the war.
+
+Under a more liberal policy new lines will be opened, and the various
+portions of the Southern States become accessible. During the war two
+railways were constructed under the auspices of the Rebel Government,
+that will prove of great advantage in coming years. These are
+the lines from Meridian, Mississippi, to Selma, Alabama, and from
+Danville, Virginia, to Greensborough, North Carolina. A glance at a
+railway map of the Southern States will show their importance.
+
+On many of the smaller rivers boats are being improvised by adding
+wheels and motive power to ordinary scows. In a half-dozen years,
+at the furthest, we will, doubtless, see the rivers of the Southern
+States traversed by as many steamers as before the war. On the
+Mississippi and its tributaries the destruction of steamboat property
+was very great, but the loss is rapidly being made good. Since 1862
+many fine boats have been constructed, some of them larger and more
+costly than any that existed during the most prosperous days before
+the Rebellion. On the Alabama and other rivers, efforts are being made
+to restore the steamboat fleets to their former magnitude.
+
+Horses, mules, machinery, and farming implements must and will be
+supplied out of the abundance in the North. The want of mules will be
+severely felt for some years. No Yankee has yet been able to invent a
+machine that will create serviceable mules to order. We must wait for
+their production by the ordinary means, and it will be a considerable
+time before the supply is equal to the demand. Those who turn their
+attention to stock-raising, during the next ten or twenty years, can
+always be certain of finding a ready and remunerative market.
+
+The Southern soil is as fertile as ever. Cotton, rice, corn, sugar,
+wheat, and tobacco can be produced in their former abundance.
+Along the Mississippi the levees must be restored, to protect
+the plantations from floods. This will be a work of considerable
+magnitude, and, without extraordinary effort, cannot be accomplished
+for several years. Everywhere fences must be rebuilt, and many
+buildings necessary in preparing products for market must be restored.
+Time, capital, energy, and patience will be needed to develop anew
+the resources of the South. Properly applied, they will be richly
+rewarded.
+
+No person should be hasty in his departure, nor rush blindly to the
+promised land. Thousands went to California, in '49 and '50, with
+the impression that the gold mines lay within an hour's walk of San
+Francisco. In '59, many persons landed at Leavenworth, on their way to
+Pike's Peak, under the belief that the auriferous mountain was only
+a day's journey from their landing-place. Thousands have gone "West"
+from New York and New England, believing that Chicago was very near
+the frontier. Those who start with no well-defined ideas of their
+destination are generally disappointed. The war has given the public
+a pretty accurate knowledge of the geography of the South, so that
+the old mistakes of emigrants to California and Colorado are in
+slight danger of repetition, but there is a possibility of too little
+deliberation in setting out.
+
+Before starting, the emigrant should obtain all accessible information
+about the region he intends to visit. Geographies, gazetteers, census
+returns, and works of a similar character will be of great advantage.
+Much can be obtained from persons who traveled in the rebellious
+States during the progress of the war. The leading papers
+throughout the country are now publishing letters from their special
+correspondents, relative to the state of affairs in the South. These
+letters are of great value, and deserve a careful study.
+
+Information from interested parties should be received with caution.
+Those who have traveled in the far West know how difficult it is to
+obtain correct statements relative to the prosperity or advantages
+of any specified locality. Every man assures you that the town or the
+county where he resides, or where he is interested, is the best and
+the richest within a hundred miles. To an impartial observer, lying
+appears to be the only personal accomplishment in a new country. I
+presume those who wish to encourage Southern migration will be ready
+to set forth all the advantages (but none of the disadvantages) of
+their own localities.
+
+Having fully determined where to go and what to do, having selected
+his route of travel, and ascertained, as near as possible, what
+will be needed on the journey, the emigrant will next consider his
+financial policy. No general rule can be given. In most cases it is
+better not to take a large amount of money at starting. To many this
+advice will be superfluous. Bills of exchange are much safer to carry
+than ready cash, and nearly as convenient for commercial transactions.
+Beyond an amount double the estimated expenses of his journey, the
+traveler will usually carry very little cash.
+
+For the present, few persons should take their wives and children to
+the interior South, and none should do so on their first visit. Many
+houses have been burned or stripped of their furniture, provisions are
+scarce and costly, and the general facilities for domestic happiness
+are far from abundant. The conveniences for locomotion in that region
+are very poor, and will continue so for a considerable time. A man can
+"rough it" anywhere, but he can hardly expect his family to travel on
+flat cars, or on steamboats that have neither cabins nor decks, and
+subsist on the scanty and badly-cooked provisions that the Sunny South
+affords. By all means, I would counsel any young man on his way to the
+South not to elope with his neighbor's wife. In view of the condition
+of the country beyond Mason and Dixon's line, an elopement would prove
+his mistake of a lifetime.
+
+I have already referred to the resources of Missouri. The State
+possesses greater mineral wealth than any other State of the Union,
+east of the Rocky Mountains. Her lead mines are extensive, easily
+worked, very productive, and practically inexhaustible. The same may
+be said of her iron mines. Pilot Knob and Iron Mountain are nearly
+solid masses of ore, the latter being a thousand feet in height.
+Copper mines have been opened and worked, and tin has been found in
+several localities. The soil of the Northern portion of Missouri
+can boast of a fertility equal to that of Kansas or Illinois. In the
+Southern portion the country is more broken, but it contains large
+areas of rich lands. The productions of Missouri are similar to those
+of the Northern States in the same latitude. More hemp is raised in
+Missouri than in any other State except Kentucky. Much of this article
+was used during the Rebellion, in efforts to break up the numerous
+guerrilla bands that infested the State. Tobacco is an important
+product, and its culture is highly remunerative. At Hermann,
+Booneville, and other points, the manufacture of wine from the Catawba
+grape is extensively carried on. In location and resources, Missouri
+is without a rival among the States that formerly maintained the
+system of slave labor.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVIII.
+
+THE RESOURCES OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.
+
+How the People have Lived.--An Agricultural Community.--Mineral
+and other Wealth of Virginia.--Slave-Breeding in Former
+Times.--The Auriferous Region of North Carolina.--Agricultural
+Advantages.--Varieties of Soil in South Carolina.--Sea-Island
+Cotton.--Georgia and her Railways.--Probable Decline of the Rice
+Culture.--The Everglade State.--The Lower Mississippi Valley.--The Red
+River.--Arkansas and its Advantages.--A Hint for Tragedians.--Mining
+in Tennessee.--The Blue-Grass Region of Kentucky.--Texas and
+its Attractions.--Difference between Southern and Western
+Emigration.--The End.
+
+
+Compared with the North, the Southern States have been strictly an
+agricultural region. Their few manufactures were conducted on a small
+scale, and could not compete with those of the colder latitudes. They
+gave some attention to stock-raising in a few localities, but did not
+attach to it any great importance. Cotton was the product which fed,
+clothed, sheltered, and regaled the people. Even with the immense
+profits they received from its culture, they did not appear to
+understand the art of enjoyment. They generally lived on large and
+comfortless tracts of land, and had very few cities away from
+the sea-coast. They thought less of personal comfort than of the
+acquisition of more land, mules, and negroes.
+
+In the greatest portion of the South, the people lived poorer than
+many Northern mechanics have lived in the past twenty years. The
+property in slaves, to the extent of four hundred millions of dollars,
+was their heaviest item of wealth, but they seemed unable to turn this
+wealth to the greatest advantage. With the climate and soil in their
+favor, they paid little attention to the cheaper luxuries of rational
+living, but surrounded themselves with much that was expensive, though
+utterly useless. On plantations where the owners resided, a visiter
+would find the women adorned with diamonds and laces that cost
+many thousand dollars, and feast his eyes upon parlor furniture and
+ornaments of the most elaborate character. But the dinner-table would
+present a repast far below that of a New England farmer or mechanic
+in ordinary circumstances, and the sleeping-rooms would give evidence
+that genuine comfort was a secondary consideration. Outside of New
+Orleans and Charleston, where they are conducted by foreigners, the
+South has no such market gardens, or such abundance and variety of
+wholesome fruits and vegetables, as the more sterile North can boast
+of everywhere. So of a thousand other marks of advancing civilization.
+
+Virginia, "the mother of Presidents," is rich in minerals of the more
+useful sort, and some of the precious metals. Her list of mineral
+treasures includes gold, copper, iron, lead, plumbago, coal, and salt.
+The gold mines are not available except to capitalists, and it is not
+yet fully settled whether the yield is sufficient to warrant large
+investments. The gold is extracted from an auriferous region,
+extending from the Rappahannock to the Coosa River, in Alabama.
+The coal-beds in the State are easy of access, and said to be
+inexhaustible. The Kanawha salt-works are well known, and the
+petroleum regions of West Virginia are attracting much attention.
+
+Virginia presents many varieties of soil, and, with a better system of
+cultivation, her productions can be greatly increased. (The same
+may be said of all the Southern States, from the Atlantic to the Rio
+Grande.) Her soil is favorable to all the products of the Northern
+States. The wheat and corn of Virginia have a high reputation. In the
+culture of tobacco she has always surpassed every other State of
+the Union, and was also the first State in which it was practiced
+by civilized man to any extent. Washington pronounced the central
+counties of Virginia the finest agricultural district in the United
+States, as he knew them. Daniel Webster declared, in a public speech
+in the Shenandoah Valley, that he had seen no finer farming land in
+his European travel than in that valley.
+
+Until 1860, the people of Virginia paid considerable attention to the
+raising of negroes for the Southern market. For some reason this trade
+has greatly declined within the past five years, the stock becoming
+unsalable, and its production being interrupted. I would advise
+no person to contemplate moving to Virginia with a view to raising
+negroes for sale. The business was formerly conducted by the "First
+Families," and if it should be revived, they will doubtless claim an
+exclusive privilege.
+
+North Carolina abounds in minerals, especially in gold, copper, iron,
+and coal. The fields of the latter are very extensive. The gold
+mines of North Carolina have been profitably worked for many years. A
+correspondent of _The World_, in a recent letter from Charlotte, North
+Carolina, says:
+
+
+In these times of mining excitement it should he more widely known
+that North Carolina is a competitor with California, Idaho, and
+Nebraska. Gold is found in paying quantities in the State, and in the
+northern parts of South Carolina and Georgia. For a hundred miles
+west and southwest of Charlotte, all the streams contain more or less
+gold-dust. Nuggets of a few ounces have been frequently found, and
+there is one well-authenticated case of a solid nugget weighing
+twenty-eight pounds, which was purchased from its ignorant owner for
+three dollars, and afterward sold at the Mint. Report says a still
+larger lump was found and cut up by the guard at one of the mines.
+Both at Greensboro, Salisbury, and here, the most reliable residents
+concur in pointing to certain farms where the owners procure large
+sums of gold. One German is said to have taken more than a million
+of dollars from his farm, and refuses to sell his land for any price.
+Negroes are and have been accustomed to go out to the creeks and wash
+on Saturdays, frequently bringing in two or three dollars' worth, and
+not unfrequently negroes come to town with little nuggets of the pure
+ore to trade.
+
+The iron and copper mines were developed only to a limited extent
+before the war. The necessities of the case led the Southern
+authorities, however, after the outbreak, to turn their attention to
+them, and considerable quantities of the ore were secured. This was
+more especially true of iron.
+
+
+North Carolina is adapted to all the agricultural products of both
+North and South, with the exception of cane sugar. The marshes on the
+coast make excellent rice plantations, and, when drained, are very
+fertile in cotton. Much of the low, sandy section, extending sixty
+miles from the coast, is covered with extensive forests of pitch-pine,
+that furnish large quantities of lumber, tar, turpentine, and resin,
+for export to Northern cities. When cleared and cultivated, this
+region proves quite fertile, but Southern energy has thus far been
+content to give it very little improvement. Much of the land in the
+interior is very rich and productive. With the exception of Missouri,
+North Carolina is foremost, since the close of the war, in
+encouraging immigration. As soon as the first steps were taken
+toward reconstruction, the "North Carolina Land Agency" was opened at
+Raleigh, under the recommendation of the Governor of the State. This
+agency is under the management of Messrs. Heck, Battle & Co., citizens
+of Raleigh, and is now (August, 1865) establishing offices in the
+Northern cities for the purpose of representing the advantages that
+North Carolina possesses.
+
+The auriferous region of North Carolina extends into South Carolina
+and Georgia. In South Carolina the agricultural facilities are
+extensive. According to Ruffin and Tuomey (the agricultural surveyors
+of the State), there are six varieties of soil: 1. Tide swamp, devoted
+to the culture of rice. 2. Inland swamp, devoted to rice, cotton,
+corn, wheat, etc. 3. Salt marsh, devoted to long cotton. 4. Oak and
+pine regions, devoted to long cotton, corn, and wheat. 5. Oak and
+hickory regions, where cotton and corn flourish. 6. Pine barrens,
+adapted to fruit and vegetables.
+
+The famous "sea-island cotton" comes from the islands along the coast,
+where large numbers of the freed negroes of South Carolina have been
+recently located. South Carolina can produce, side by side, the corn,
+wheat, and tobacco of the North, and the cotton, rice, and sugar-cane
+of the South, though the latter article is not profitably cultivated.
+
+Notwithstanding the prophecies of the South Carolinians to the
+contrary, the free-labor scheme along the Atlantic coast has proved
+successful. The following paragraph is from a letter written by a
+prominent journalist at Savannah:--
+
+
+The condition of the islands along this coast is now of the greatest
+interest to the world at large, and to the people of the South in
+particular. Upon careful inquiry, I find that there are over two
+hundred thousand acres of land under cultivation by free labor. The
+enterprises are mostly by Northern men, although there are natives
+working their negroes under the new system, and negroes who are
+working land on their own account. This is the third year of the
+trial, and every year has been a success more and more complete. The
+profits of some of the laborers amount to five hundred, and in some
+cases five thousand dollars a year. The amount of money deposited in
+bank by the negroes of these islands is a hundred and forty thousand
+dollars. One joint, subscription to the seven-thirty loan amounted
+to eighty thousand dollars. Notwithstanding the fact that the troops
+which landed on the islands robbed, indiscriminately, the negroes of
+their money, mules, and supplies, the negroes went back to work again.
+General Saxton, who has chief charge of this enterprise, has his
+head-quarters at Beaufort. If these facts, and the actual prosperity
+of these islands could be generally known throughout the South, it
+would do more to induce the whites to take hold of the freed-labor
+system than all the general orders and arbitrary commands that General
+Hatch has issued.
+
+
+The resources of Georgia are similar to those of South Carolina, and
+the climate differs but little from that of the latter State. The
+rice-swamps are unhealthy, and the malaria which arises from them is
+said to be fatal to whites. Many of the planters express a fear that
+the abolition of slavery has ended the culture of rice. They argue
+that the labor is so difficult and exhaustive, that the negroes will
+never perform it excepting under the lash. Cruel modes of punishment
+being forbidden, the planters look upon the rice-lands as valueless.
+Time will show whether these fears are to be realized or not. If it
+should really happen that the negroes refuse to labor where their
+lives are of comparatively short duration, the country must consent to
+restore slavery to its former status, or purchase its rice in foreign
+countries. As rice is produced in India without slave labor, it is
+possible that some plan may be invented for its cultivation here.
+
+Georgia has a better system of railways than any other Southern State,
+and she is fortunate in possessing several navigable rivers. The
+people are not as hostile to Northerners as the inhabitants of South
+Carolina, but they do not display the desire to encourage immigration
+that is manifested in North Carolina. In the interior of Georgia,
+at the time I am writing, there is much suffering on account of a
+scarcity of food. Many cases of actual starvation are reported.
+
+Florida has few attractions to settlers. It is said there is no spot
+of land in the State three hundred feet above the sea-level. Men born
+with fins and webbed feet might enjoy themselves in the lakes and
+swamps, which form a considerable portion of Florida. Those whose
+tastes are favorable to timber-cutting, can find a profitable
+employment in preparing live-oak and other timbers for market. The
+climate is very healthy, and has been found highly beneficial to
+invalids. The vegetable productions of the State are of similar
+character to those of Georgia, but their amount is not large.
+
+In the Indian tongue, Alabama signifies "Here we rest." The traveler
+who rests in the State of that name, finds an excellent agricultural
+region. He finds that cotton is king with the Alabamians, and that the
+State has fifteen hundred miles of navigable rivers and a good railway
+system. He finds that Alabama suffered less by the visits of our
+armies than either Georgia or South Carolina. The people extend him
+the same welcome that he received in Georgia. They were too deeply
+interested in the perpetuation of slavery to do otherwise than mourn
+the failure to establish the Confederacy.
+
+Elsewhere I have spoken of the region bordering the lower portion of
+the Great River of the West, which includes Louisiana and Mississippi.
+In the former State, sugar and cotton are the great products. In the
+latter, cotton is the chief object of attention. It is quite probable
+that the change from slavery to freedom may necessitate the division
+of the large plantations into farms of suitable size for cultivation
+by persons of moderate capital. If this should be done, there will
+be a great demand for Northern immigrants, and the commerce of these
+States will be largely increased.
+
+Early in July, of the present year, after the dispersal of the
+Rebel armies, a meeting was held at Shreveport, Louisiana, at which
+resolutions were passed favoring the encouragement of Northern
+migration to the Red River valley. The resolutions set forth, that the
+pineries of that region would amply repay development, in view of
+the large market for lumber along Red River and the Mississippi.
+They further declared, that the cotton and sugar plantations of West
+Louisiana offered great attractions, and were worthy the attention
+of Northern men. The passage of these resolutions indicates a better
+spirit than has been manifested by the inhabitants of other portions
+of the Pelican State. Many of the people in the Red River region
+profess to have been loyal to the United States throughout the days of
+the Rebellion.
+
+The Red River is most appropriately named. It flows through a region
+where the soil has a reddish tinge, that is imparted to the water of
+the river. The sugar produced there has the same peculiarity, and can
+be readily distinguished from the sugar of other localities.
+
+Arkansas is quite rich in minerals, though far less so than Missouri.
+Gold abounds in some localities, and lead, iron, and zinc exist
+in large quantities. The saltpeter caves along the White River can
+furnish sufficient saltpeter for the entire Southwest. Along the
+rivers the soil is fertile, but there are many sterile regions in the
+interior. The agricultural products are similar to those of Missouri,
+with the addition of cotton. With the exception of the wealthier
+inhabitants, the people of Arkansas are desirous of stimulating
+emigration. They suffered so greatly from the tyranny of the Rebel
+leaders that they cheerfully accept the overthrow of slavery. Arkansas
+possesses less advantages than most other Southern States, being far
+behind her sisters in matters of education and internal improvement.
+It is to be hoped that her people have discovered their mistake, and
+will make earnest efforts to correct it at an early day.
+
+A story is told of a party of strolling players that landed at a town
+in Arkansas, and advertised a performance of "Hamlet." A delegation
+waited upon the manager, and ordered him to "move on." The spokesman
+of the delegation is reported to have said:
+
+"That thar Shakspeare's play of yourn, stranger, may do for New York
+or New Orleans, but we want you to understand that Shakspeare in
+Arkansas is pretty ---- well played out."
+
+Persons who wish to give attention to mining matters, will find
+attractions in Tennessee, in the deposits of iron, copper, and
+other ores. Coal is found in immense quantities among the Cumberland
+Mountains, and lead exists in certain localities. Though Tennessee can
+boast of considerable mineral wealth, her advantages are not equal to
+those of Missouri or North Carolina. In agriculture she stands well,
+though she has no soil of unusual fertility, except in the western
+portion of the State. Cotton, corn, and tobacco are the great staples,
+and considerable quantities of wheat are produced. Stock-raising has
+received considerable attention. More mules were formerly raised in
+Tennessee than in any other State of the Union. A large portion of the
+State is admirably adapted to grazing.
+
+Military operations in Tennessee, during the Rebellion, were very
+extensive, and there was great destruction of property in consequence.
+Large numbers of houses and other buildings were burned, and many
+farms laid waste. It will require much time, capital, and energy to
+obliterate the traces of war.
+
+The inhabitants of Kentucky believe that their State cannot be
+surpassed in fertility. They make the famous "Blue Grass Region,"
+around Lexington, the subject of especial boast. The soil of this
+section is very rich, and the grass has a peculiar bluish tinge, from
+which its name is derived. One writer says the following of the Blue
+Grass Region:--
+
+
+View the country round from the heads of the Licking, the Ohio, the
+Kentucky, Dick's, and down the Green River, and you have a hundred
+miles square of the most extraordinary country on which the sun has
+ever shone.
+
+
+Farms in this region command the highest prices, and there are very
+few owners who have any desire to sell their property. Nearly all the
+soil of the State is adapted to cultivation. Its staple products are
+the same as those of Missouri. It produces more flax and hemp than
+any other State, and is second only to Virginia in the quality and
+quantity of its tobacco. Its yield of corn is next to that of Ohio.
+Like Tennessee, it has a large stock-raising interest, principally in
+mules and hogs, for which there is always a ready market.
+
+Kentucky suffered severely during the campaigns of the Rebel army in
+that State, and from the various raids of John Morgan. A parody on
+"My Maryland" was published in Louisville soon after one of Morgan's
+visits, of which the first stanza was as follows:--
+
+
+  John Morgan's foot is on thy shore,
+     Kentucky! O Kentucky!
+  His hand is on thy stable door,
+     Kentucky! O Kentucky!
+  He'll take thy horse he spared before,
+  And ride him till his back is sore,
+  And leave him at some stranger's door,
+     Kentucky! O Kentucky!
+
+
+Last, and greatest, of the lately rebellious States, is Texas. Every
+variety of soil can be found there, from the richest alluvial deposits
+along the river bottoms, down to the deserts in the northwestern part
+of the State, where a wolf could not make an honest living. All the
+grains of the Northern States can be produced. Cotton, tobacco,
+and sugar-cane are raised in large quantities, and the agricultural
+capabilities of Texas are very great. Being a new State, its system of
+internal communications is not good. Texas has the reputation of being
+the finest grazing region in the Southwest. Immense droves of horses,
+cattle, and sheep cover its prairies, and form the wealth of many of
+the inhabitants. Owing to the distance from market, these animals are
+generally held at very low prices.
+
+Shortly after its annexation to the United States, Texas became a
+resort for outcasts from civilized society. In some parts of the
+Union, the story goes that sheriffs, and their deputies dropped the
+phrase "_non est inventus_" for one more expressive. Whenever they
+discovered that parties for whom they held writs had decamped, they
+returned the documents with the indorsement "G.T.T." (gone to Texas).
+Some writer records that the State derived its name from the last
+words of a couplet which runaway individuals were supposed to repeat
+on their arrival:--
+
+  When every other land rejects us,
+  This is the land that freely takes us.
+
+Since 1850, the character of the population of Texas has greatly
+improved, though it does not yet bear favorable comparison to that
+of Quaker villages, or of rural districts of Massachusetts or
+Connecticut. There is a large German element in Texas, which displayed
+devoted loyalty to the Union during the days of the Rebellion.
+
+An unknown philosopher says the world is peopled by two great classes,
+those who have money, and those who haven't--the latter being most
+numerous. Migratory Americans are subject to the same distinction. Of
+those who have emigrated to points further West during the last thirty
+years, a very large majority were in a condition of impecuniosity.
+Many persons emigrate on account of financial embarrassments, leaving
+behind them debts of varied magnitude. In some cases, Territories and
+States that desired to induce settlers to come within their limits,
+have passed laws providing that no debt contracted elsewhere, previous
+to emigration, could be collected by any legal process. To a man
+laboring under difficulties of a pecuniary character, the new
+Territories and States offer as safe a retreat as the Cities of Refuge
+afforded to criminals in the days of the ancients.
+
+Formerly, the West was the only field to which emigrants could direct
+their steps. There was an abundance of land, and a great need of human
+sinew to make it lucrative. When land could be occupied by a settler
+and held under his pre-emption title, giving him opportunity to pay
+for his possession from the products of his own industry and the
+fertility of the soil, there was comparatively little need of capital.
+The operations of speculators frequently tended to retard settlement
+rather than to stimulate it, as they shut out large areas from
+cultivation or occupation, in order to hold them for an advance. In
+many of the Territories a dozen able-bodied men, accustomed to farm
+labor and willing to toil, were considered a greater acquisition than
+a speculator with twenty thousand dollars of hard cash. Labor was of
+more importance than capital.
+
+To a certain extent this is still the case. Laboring men are greatly
+needed on the broad acres of the far-Western States. No one who has
+not traveled in that region can appreciate the sacrifice made by
+Minnesota, Iowa, and Kansas, when they sent their regiments of
+stalwart men to the war. Every arm that carried a musket from those
+States, was a certain integral portion of their wealth and prosperity.
+The great cities of the seaboard could spare a thousand men with far
+less loss than would accrue to any of the States I have mentioned, by
+the subtraction of a hundred. There is now a great demand for men
+to fill the vacancy caused by deaths in the field, and to occupy the
+extensive areas that are still uncultivated. Emigrants without capital
+will seek the West, where their stout arms will make them welcome and
+secure them comfortable homes.
+
+In the South the situation is different. For the present there is a
+sufficiency of labor. Doubtless there will be a scarcity several years
+hence, but there is no reason to fear it immediately. Capital
+and direction are needed. The South is impoverished. Its money is
+expended, and it has no present source of revenue. There is nothing
+wherewith to purchase the necessary stock, supplies, and implements
+for prosecuting agricultural enterprise. The planters are generally
+helpless. Capital to supply the want must come from the rich North.
+
+Direction is no less needed than capital. A majority of Southern men
+declare the negroes will be worthless to them, now that slavery is
+abolished. "We have," say they, "lived among these negroes all our
+days. We know them in no other light than as slaves. We command them
+to do what we wish, and we punish them as we see fit for disobedience.
+We cannot manage them in any other way."
+
+No doubt this is the declaration of their honest belief. A Northern
+man can give them an answer appealing to their reason, if not to their
+conviction. He can say, "You are accustomed to dealing with slaves,
+and you doubtless tell the truth when declaring you cannot manage
+the negroes under the new system. We are accustomed to dealing with
+freemen, and do not know how to control slaves. The negroes being
+free, our knowledge of freemen will enable us to manage them without
+difficulty."
+
+Every thing is favorable to the man of small or large capital,
+who desires to emigrate to the South. In consideration of the
+impoverishment of the people and their distrust of the freed negroes
+as laborers, lands in the best districts can be purchased very
+cheaply. Plantations can be bought, many of them with all the
+buildings and fences still remaining, though somewhat out of repair,
+at prices ranging from three to ten dollars an acre. A few hundred
+dollars will do far more toward securing a home for the settler in
+the South than in the West. Labor is abundant, and the laborers can be
+easily controlled by Northern brains. The land is already broken, and
+its capabilities are fully known. Capital, if judiciously invested and
+under proper direction, whether in large or moderate amounts, will be
+reasonably certain of an ample return.
+
+FINIS.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field, by Thomas W. Knox
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 12068 ***