Read here

The South: a tour of its Battle-Fields and Ruined Cities ... being a description of the present state of the country ... Illustrated

John Townsend Trowbridge · 1866 · Scanned text

206,750 words · about 14 h 29 min to read

Period artwork: Interior of the Bodleian Library, 1845
About this edition

Scanned text — may contain errors · original scans are not available here · view the original source

Licence: PDM · British Library Digitised Books dataset db14 (doi 10.21250/db14) marks the OCR texts CC Public Domain Mark 1.0 (c. 1510-c. 1900 publications); text+metadata JSONL release doi 10.23636/r7w6-zy15 is CC0 1.0. Public Domain Mark is a status label, not a new copyright licence. · Digitised by the British Library (with Microsoft). Text: British Library Digitised Books, CC Public Domain Mark 1.0.

Text from British Library, read from page scans by OCR and set out for reading on screen; no words of the book are rewritten or summarized. How RedLectern is built

About this book

Author
John Townsend Trowbridge
Language
English
Published
1866
Length
206,750 words · about 14 h 29 min
Sections
81 reader sections
Text
Scanned text, read from page scans by OCR; may contain errors
Rights
Public Domain Mark 1.0

 

Contents (81)
  1. Front matter about 1 min
  2. Preface about 2 min
  3. Chapter I under 1 min
  4. Chapter II about 48 min
  5. Chapter III about 8 min
  6. Chapter IV. South Mountain about 6 min
  7. Chapter V. The Field Of Antietam about 20 min
  8. Chapter VI. Down The River To Harper's Ferry about 11 min
  9. Chapter VII. Around Harper's Ferry about 8 min
  10. Chapter VIII about 8 min
  11. Chapter IX about 8 min
  12. Chapter X. Bull Run about 28 min
  13. Chapter XII about 9 min
  14. Chapter XIII. The Field Of Fredericksburg about 13 min
  15. Chapter XIV. To Chancellorsville about 14 min
  16. Chapter XV. The Wilderness about 8 min
  17. Chapter XVI. Spottsylvania Court-house about 12 min
  18. Chapter XVII. The Field Of Spottsylvania about 9 min
  19. Chapter XVIII about 6 min
  20. Chapter XIX. The Burnt District about 8 min
  21. Chapter XX. Libby, Castle Thunder, And Belle Isle about 12 min
  22. Chapter XXI. Feeding The Destitute about 7 min
  23. Chapter XXII. The Union Men Of Richmond about 20 min
  24. Chapter XXIII. Markets And Farming about 6 min
  25. Chapter XXIV. In And Around Richmond about 7 min
  26. Chapter XXV. People And Politics about 16 min
  27. Chapter XXVI. Fortifications about 9 min
  28. Chapter XXVII. In And About Petersburg about 15 min
  29. Chapter XXVIII. James River And Fortress Monroe about 5 min
  30. Chapter XXIX. About Hampton about 6 min
  31. Chapter XXX about 19 min
  32. Chapter XXXI. The about 9 min
  33. Chapter XXXII. East Tennessee Farmers about 7 min
  34. Chapter XXXIII. In And About Chattanooga about 8 min
  35. Chapter XXXIV. Lookout Mountain about 6 min
  36. Chapter XXXV. The Soldiers' Cemetery about 4 min
  37. Chapter XXXVI. Mission Ridge And Chickamauga about 11 min
  38. Chapter XXXVII. From Chattanooga To Murfreesboro' about 7 min
  39. Chapter Xxxviii. Stone River about 6 min
  40. Chapter XXXIX. The Heart Of Tennessee about 16 min
  41. Chapter XL. By Railroad To Corinth about 10 min
  42. Chapter XLI. On Horseback From Corinth about 9 min
  43. Chapter XLII. Zeek about 4 min
  44. Chapter XLIII. Zeek's Family about 8 min
  45. Chapter XLIV about 15 min
  46. Chapter XLV. The Field Of Shiloh about 16 min
  47. Chapter XLVII. From Corinth To Memphis about 6 min
  48. Chapter XLVIII. Freedmen's Schools And The Freedmen's Bureau about 15 min
  49. Chapter XLIX. Down The Mississippi about 14 min
  50. Chapter L. In And About Vicksburg about 9 min
  51. Chapter LI. Free Labor In Mississippi about 11 min
  52. Chapter LII about 15 min
  53. Chapter LIII about 6 min
  54. Chapter LIV. Davis's Bend about 7 min
  55. Chapter LV. The Lower Mississippi about 15 min
  56. Chapter LVI. The Crescent City about 13 min
  57. Chapter LVII. Politics, Free Labor, And Sugar about 15 min
  58. Chapter LVIII. The Battle Of Mobile Bay about 6 min
  59. Chapter LIX. Mobile about 4 min
  60. Chapter LX. Alabama Planters about 17 min
  61. Chapter LXI Wilson's Raid about 10 min
  62. Chapter LXII. Notes On Alabama about 17 min
  63. Chapter LXIII. In And About Atlanta about 13 min
  64. Chapter LXIV. Down In Middle Georgia about 12 min
  65. Chapter LXV. Andersonville about 9 min
  66. Chapter LXVI. Sherman In Middle Georgia about 11 min
  67. Chapter LXVII. Plantation Glimpses about 9 min
  68. Chapter LXVIII. Politics And Free Labor In Georgia about 20 min
  69. Chapter LXIX. Sherman In Eastern Georgia about 11 min
  70. Chapter LXX about 4 min
  71. Chapter LXXI. Charleston And The War about 8 min
  72. Chapter LXXII about 5 min
  73. Chapter LXXIII about 18 min
  74. Chapter LXXIV. The Sea Islands about 7 min
  75. Chapter LXXV about 13 min
  76. Chapter LXXVI. Sherman In South Carolina about 10 min
  77. Chapter LXXVII. The Burning Of Columbia about 19 min
  78. Chapter Lxxviii. Notes On South Carolina about 9 min
  79. Chapter LXXIX. The Ride To Winnsboro' about 11 min
  80. Chapter LXXX about 5 min
  81. Chapter LXXXI. Conclusions about 12 min

Continue:

Front matter

THE ETEEE I I I i , i r \ PEOSPECTS , THE SOUTH: A TOUR OF ITS BATTLE-FIELDS AUD RUINED CITIES, A JOURNEY THROUGH THE DESOLATED STATES, AND TALKS WITH THE PEOPLE : BEING A DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT STATE OF THE COUNTRY — ITS AGRICULTURE— RAILROADS — BUSINESS AND FINANCES — GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF CONFEDERATE MISRULE, AND OF THE SUFFERINGS, NECESSITIES AND MISTAKES, POLITICAL VIEWS, SOCIAL CONDITION AND PROSPECTS, OF THE ARISTOCRACY, MIDDLE CLASS, POOR AVHITES AND NEGROES. INCLUDING VISITS TO PATRIOT GRAA'ES AND REBEL PRISONS AND EM- BRACING SPECIAL NOTES ON THE FREE LABOR SYSTEM EDUCATION AND MORAL ELEVATION OF THE FREEDMEN ALSO, ON PLANS OF RECONSTRUCTION AND INDUCEMENTS TO EMIGRATION. FROM PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIENCE DURING MONTHS OF SOUTHERN TRAVEL. By J. T. TROWBRIDGE, AUTHOR OF "NEIGHBOR JACKWOOD," " CUDJO'S CAA'E," ETC ILLUSTRATED.

SOLD BY AGENTS ONLY. HARTFORD, CONN.: PUBLISHED BY L. STEBBINS. 1866. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, By L. STEBBIN9, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United StnteB rot tne District of Connecticut.

Preface

. ♦ In the summer of 1865, and in the following winter, I made two visits to the South, spending four months in eight of the principal States which had lately been in rebellion. I saw the most noted battle-fields of the war. I made ac quaintance with officers and soldiers of both sides. I followed in the track of the destroying armies. I travelled by railroad, by steamboat, by stage-coach, and by private convey ance ; meeting and conversing with all sorts of people, from high State officials to " loAv-doAvn " whites and negroes ; en deavoring, at all times and in all places, to receive correct impressions of the country, of its inhabitants, of the great contest of arms just closed, and of the still greater contest of principles not yet terminated. This book is the result. It is a record of actual observa tions and conversations, free from fictitious coloring.

Such stories as were told me of the war and its depredations would have been spoiled by embellishment ; pictures of existing con ditions, to be valuable, must be faithful ; and what is now most desirable, is not hypothesis or declamation, but the light of plain facts upon the momentous question of the hour, which must be settled, not according to any political or sec tional bias, but upon broad grounds of Truth and Eternal Right. I have accordingly made my narrative as ample and as literally faithful as the limits of these pages, and of my own opportunities, would allow. Whenever practicable, I have

PREFACE.

. IV stepped aside and let the people I met speak for themselves. Notes taken on the spot, and under all sorts of circum stances, — on horseback, in jolting wagons, by the firelight of a farm-house, or negro camp, sometimes in the dark, or in the rain, — have enabled me to do this in many cases with absolute fidelity. Conversations which could not be reported in this way, were written out as soon as possible after they took place, and while yet fresh in my memory. Idiomatic peculiarities, which are often so expressive of character, I have reproduced without exaggeration. To intelligent and candid men it was my habit to state frankly my intention to publish an account of my journey, and then, with their permission, to jot down such vdews and facts as they saw fit to impart. Sometimes I was requested not to report certain statements of an important nature, made in the glow of conversation ; these, not without regret, I have suppressed ; and I trust that in no instance have I violated a confidence that was reposed in me.

I may add that the conversations recorded are generally of a representative character, being selected from among hundreds of such ; and that if I have given seemingly undue prominence to any subject, it has been because I found it an absorbing and universal topic of discussion. May, 1866.

Chapter I

— The Start. Harrisburg. — First Indications of War. — Reminiscences of Lee's Invasion. — On to Gettysburg. — The Town and its Inhabitants. — The Hero of Gettysburg. .Page 17

Chapter II

— The Field of Gettysburg. Cemetery Hill. — Pivot of the Battle and of the War. — Culp's Hill. — Rock Creek. — Cemetery at Sunset. — John Bums. — The Peach Orchard. — Devil's Den and Little Round Top. — Round Top. — Meade's Head-Quarters. — AAroman's Heroism and Humanity. — A Soldier and his Benefactor. — Harvest of Bullets 20 CHAPTER in. — A Reminiscence of Chambersburg. Quiet Country. — Ruins of Chambersburg. — Burning of the Town. — Flight of the Inhabitants. — Escape of the Raiders. — Death of Three Rebels. — Homeless Inhabitants. — State Appropriation for their Relief. — No Loss without Gain 34 CHAPTER IT. — South Mouktaix. Hagerstown. — Valley of the Antietam. — Boonsboro'. — The Rebels in Maryland. — View of the Mountain. — The Ascent. — Scene of General Reno's Death. — Rebels buried in a Well. — A Mountaineer's Story. — View of Catoctin Valley. — Strong Rebel Position. — Patriot Graves. — Antietam Valley at Sunset " 40

CHAPTER V.

— The Field of Antietam. Rebel Line of Retreat. — Keedysville. — Brick Church Hospital. — Porter and his Reserves. — Banks of the Antietam. — Scenes at the Straw-Stacks. — Unfortunate Farmers. — Hospital Cemetery. — The Corn Field. — The Old Ploughman. — A Lesson for Vanity. — A Soldier's Name. — The Dunker Church. — Sharpsburg. — Shelter from the Rain. — Southern Pronunciation. — Burnside's Bridge. — Ancient and Modern Heroes. — Antietam National Cemetery. — The Battle 44

CHAPTER VI.

— Down the Ria-er to Harper's Ferrv. Search for a Vehicle. — " Mr. Bennerhalls." — Mr. Benner without the " halls." — Leaving Sharpsburg. — Mountain Scenery. — Capt. Speaker's Narrative. — Surrender of Harper's Ferry. — Escape of Twenty-two Hundred Cavalry. — Capture of Rebel AVagon Train. — Morning in Greencastle. — Arrival at the Ferry 57

CHAPTER VII.

— Around Harper's Ferrt. River and Mountain Scenerv. — Maryland Heights. — John Brown's Engine-House. — Reminiscence of John Brown. — Political Inconsistency. — Negro from Shenandoah Valley. — Folly of Secession 64

CHAPTER VIII.

— A Trip to Chaelestowx. Railroad Passengers. — A Desolated Countrv. — Farmers and Land. — A Dilapidated Town. — Meeting an Acquaintance. — Boarding-House Fare. — People and the Government Policy. — Charlestown Jail and Court-House. — John Brown's Trial. — " His Soul Marching On." — A One-armed Confederate. — John Brown's Gallows. — Scene from the Scaffold. — The Church and its Uses VI TABLE OF CONTEXTS.

CHAPTER IX.

— A Scene at the White House. Washington. — A Crowd of Pardon-Seekers. — President's Reception 75

CHAPTER X.

— Bull Run. From Alexandria to Manassas. — Manassas Junction. — "Overpowered," but not Whipped. — Ambulance Wagon. — The Driver and the Roads — Scene of the First. Bull Run. — Soldiers' Monument. — Luncheon in the AVoods. — Scene of the Second Bull Run. — The Monument. — Groverton. — The two Battles and their Lessons. — The Stone House. — Miscegenated Cider. — Virginia Negroes 81

CHAPTER XI.

—Visit to Mount Vernon. Down the Potomac. — Landing at Mt. Vernon. — A Throng of Pilgrims. — Tomb of AVashington. — Character of AVashington. — Mansion and Out-houses. — Girl at the Wash-tub. — AVashington's Well. — Shade-Trees. — AA7ithin the Mansion. — Relics. — The Portico. — AVashington's Love of Home. — Thunder-storm 91

CHAPTER XII.

— " State Pride." Acquia Creek. — Railroad and Stage-Coaches. — View of Fredericksburg. — Crossing the Rappannock. — Ruins of the Town. — " A Son of Virginia." — " State Pride " and " Self-Conceit." — Virginia and South Carolina. — Back in the Union. — Down at the Hotel. — Another Name for State Pride 100

CHAPTER XIII.

— The Field of Fredericksburg. The Situation. — The Stone AVall of History. — A Rebel Eye-witness. — Stripping the Dead. — Strange Breastworks. — Fidelity of a Dog. — Gen. Lee's " Human ity." — Private Cemetery. — The Marye House. — Negro who didn't see the Fight. — Southern Consistency. — Dissolution of the Rebel Army. — The Buried Dead. — House of Washington's Mother. — Mary Washington's Monument. — The Lacy House. — Scene from the Windows. — Storming of Fredericksburg 106

CHAPTER XIV.

— To Chancellorsville. 'Lijah and his Buggy. — A Three-Dollar Horse. — Trade in Soldiers' Clothing. — Small Farmers. — Right Ignorant but Right Sharp. — Sedgwick's Retreat. — Farms and Crops. — Views of Emancipation. — Poor Whites and Niggers. — The Man that killed Harrow. — Along the Plank-Road. — Tales of the Old Times. — Chancellorsville Farm. — AVhat was under the AVeeds. — Bones for the Bone-Factory. — Chancellorsville Burying-Ground. — Death of Stonewall Jackson 114

CHAPTER XV.

— The Wilderness. Days of Anxiety. — Inflexible Spirit of the People. — Locust Grove. — The Wilderness Church. — Relics of the Battle. — Skeletons above Ground. — AVilderness Cemetery. — A Summer Shower. — The Wounded in the Fire. — The Rainbow..l23

CHAPTER XVI.

— Spottsylvania Court-House. Elijah " Cut." — Richard " H." Hicks. — Poor AVhites and the War. — Dead Men's Clothes. — A " Heavy Coon Dog." — Traces of the Battle. —View of the Court- House. — Grant's Breastworks. — County Clerk. — AVhites and Blacks in the County. — Ignorance of the Lower Classes. — The Negro " Fated " 129

CHAPTER XVII.

— The Field of Spottsylvania. The Tavem-Keeper's Relics. — A Union Officer's Opinions. — The Landlord's Cornfield. — Rebel and Yankee Troops. — Scene of the Decisive Conflict. — Graves of Spottsylvania. — AVomen " Chincapinnln." — Leaves from a Soldier's Testament..l37

CHAPTER XVIII.

— "On to Richmond." A Bubble Vanished. — Desolate Scenery. — Virginia and Massachusetts. — Ashton. — Suburbs. — Northern Men in Richmond. — Appearance of the City 143

CHAPTER XIX.

— The Burnt District. Buins of Richmond. — Why the Rebels burnt the City. — Panic of the Inhabitants. Origin of the Fire. — Conflicting Opinions. — Fire of December, 1811. — Rebuild ing. — Negroes at AVork. — Colored Laborer. — Hasty Reconstruction 147

CHAPTER XX.

— Libby, Castle Thunder, and Belle Isle. Libby Prison. — Castle Thunder. — James River. — Manchester Bridge. — Negroes with Bundles. — Old Negro's Story. — Belle Island. — Talk with a Boatman. — Hatred of the Confederacy. — Skiff to Brown's Island. — Father and Daughter . . 153

CHAPTER XXI.

— Feeding the Destitute. Destitute Ration Tickets. — White and Black Mendicants. — Spirit of Rapacity. — Certificates. — Spurious Cases. — American Union Commission 161

CHAPTER XXII.

— The Union Men of Richmond. One of the Twenty-one. — His Account of Confederate Times. — Rebel Fast Days. — Insurrection of Women. — Mr. L- — 's Story. — Colonel Dahlgren's Body. — Slight Work for Union Men. — Story of Mr. W . — In Salisbury Prison. — Union Women. — Minor Prisons. — " One Honest Yankee." — Books for the Prisoners. — White and his Mule Cart. — Scene in a Prison Yard. — The Premises by Moonlight. — Not a "Love Affair." — Escape of Two Prisoners — A Halter Case. — Running the Lines to Butler. — Partiality to Traitors. — Union League 166

CHAPTER XXIII.

— Markets and Farming. Mixed Population of Richmond. — Market Carts. — Scene at the Stalls. — Vegetable Gardens. — Experience of a Jersey Farmer. — Farms for Sale 178

CHAPTER XXIV.

— In and abound Richmond. St. John's Church and Patrick Henry. — St. Paul's and Jeff. Davis. — State and Confederate Capitol. — Negro Auction-Rooms. — Hollywood and Oakwood Cemeteries. — General Lee's Head-Quarters Wagon. — Rebel Conscript Camp. — A Champion of Slavery. — A Rebel. — Secesh Song 182

CHAPTER XXV.

— People and Politics. A Conservative Union Man. — A Confederate Soldier's Opinions. — Female Secessionists. — Confederate Soldiers and the Ladies. — "Bomb-proof" Situations. — Governor Pierpoint. — Advantages to Northern Business Men. — State Debt and Finances. — Virginia Enterprise. — Coal Mines on the James. — Speech of a Played- Out Politician. — A Rival Candidate. — Political Views. — New Men 187

CHAPTER XXVI.

— Fortifications. —Dutch Gap. — Faek Oaks. Ride with Major K . — Forts and Earthworks. — Winter Quarters of the Army of the James. — Affair at Laurel Hill. — At New-Market Heights. — Gallop across the Country. — Butler's Canal. — Origin of the Name " Dutch Gap." — Cox's House. — dut on the Nine-Mile Road. — Fair Oaks Station. — Seven Pines. — Charge of Sickles's Brigade. — Savage's Station. — Two Sundays 198

CHAPTER XXVII.

— In and about Petersburg. From Richmond to the "Cockade City." — Evening with Judge . — Story of Two Brothers. — Shelling of Petersburg. — Black Population. — Ride with Colonel E . — The " Crater.". — Forts Hell and Damnation. — Forts Morton and Stedman. — " Petersburg Express." — A Beautiful but Silent City. — Signal Tower . .205 CHAPTER XXVHL — James River and Fortress Monroe. City Point. — Landmarks of Famous Events. — Hotel under the Fortress. — Jeff. Davis's Private Residence. — Circuit of the Ramparts. — Pardoned Rebel. .215

CHAPTER XXIX.

— About Hampton. Burning of Hampton. — Freedmen's Settlements. — Visits to the Freedmen 219

CHAPTER XXX.

— A General View of Virginia. Fertility. — Natural Advantages. — Old Fields. — Hills and Valleys. — Products. — TABLE OF CONTENTS. Value of Land. — Manufactures. — Ovsters. — Common Schools. — Freedmen s Schools. —Negro Population. —Old Prejudice. — Wages. — Negroes in Tobacco Factories. — Freedmen's Bureau. — Secession. — Railroads. — Finances. — "r°s7 pects 22*

CHAPTER XXXI.

— The "Switzerland of America." East Tennessee. — Home of President Johnson. — Knoxville. — An Old Nigger- Dealer. — T able-Talk. — East Tennesseeans and Niggers. — Neighborhood Feuds. — Persecution and Retaliation.— Story of a LoyalRefugee 237

CHAPTER XXXII.

— East Tennessee Farmers. Description of the People. — "Domestic." — School-Fund and Schools. — Sects. — Farming. — Horses and Mules. — Grazing. — Want of a Market. — Products. — Mines. 243

CHAPTER XXXIII.

— In and about Chattanooga. View from Cameron Hill. — Mixed Population. —Post School. — Freedmen's Schools. — Freedmen. — Contraband Village. — Parade of a Colored Regiment 248

CHAPTER XXXIV.

— Lookout Mountain. A Bag of Grist. — Ascent of the Mountain. — The General's Orderly. — View from Point Lookout. — " Battle in the Clouds." — " Old Man of the Mountain." 255

CHAPTER XXXV.

— The Soldiers' Cemetery. National Cemetery of Chattanooga. — The Cave. — Interring the Dead 260

CHAPTER XXXVI.

— Mission Ridge and Chickamauga. Storming the Ridge. — Rossville Gap. — A Dreary Scene. — The " Deadenirrgs." — Dyer Farm. — Camp of Colored Soldiers. — African Superstition. — Disinterring the Dead. — The Blunder of Chickamauga. — General Thomas's Fight 263

CHAPTER XXXVII.

— From Chattanooga to Murfreesboro'. Traces of Military Operations. — "Union Men." — Passing the Cumberland Mountains. — The Country. — Story of Two Brothers. — " Little Johnny Reb." — Railroad Travel. — General Hazen's Head-Quarters. — Rebel Persecutions 270

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

— Stone River. Fortress Rosecrans. — Rebel and Union Lines. — McCook Surprised. — Round Forest. — Cemetery of Hazen's Brigade. — New National Cemetery ' 275

CHAPTER XXXIX.

— The Heart of Tennessee. Nashville. — Cotton and Cotton Seed. — Battle of Nashville. — Legislature and Politics. — Governor Brownlow. — Major-General Thomas. — On Freedmen. — Freedmen's Bureau. — Black and White Industry. — Freedmen's Schools 279

CHAPTER XL.

— By Railroad to Corinth. Condition of Railroad. — Battle-Ground of Franklin. — Crossing the River at Decatur. — A Young South Carolinian. — AVhipping a Negro. — A Night in the Cars. — Morning in Corinth. — "Mighty Particular." — The Corinthian Style. — Game. — Mr. M 's Family and Servants. — Fate of a " Respectable Citizen." 290

CHAPTER XLL

— On Horseback from Corinth. Winter Morning in the Woods. — Stop at a Log-House. — An Old Lady's Misfortunes. — Old Lee's Story. — A Roadside Encounter 297

CHAPTER XLII.

— Zeek. Talk by the Way. — Mistletoe. — Farm-Houses. — Route of the Armies. — Beauregard's Bivouac. — Across Owl Creek. — Zeek's Home CHAPTER XLHL — Zeek's Family. A Tennessee Farm-House. — The Farmer. — The Kitchen. — Too well Ventilated by Half. — The Farmyard. — Mule-Pen and 0 ut-Buildings 306

CHAPTER XLIV.

— A Night in a Tennessee Farm-House. Concerning Doors. — Talk by the Firelight. —Depredations of the Two Armies.— Hunting Conscripts. — Origin of the Name " Owl Creek." — Reminiscences of the Battle. — Smart Son-in-law. — Zeek Retires. — The Bridal Chamber 312

CHAPTER XL

V. — The Field of Shiloh. Departure. — Bridal Home.— Before and After the Battle. — Hildebrand's Picket Line. — Graves in the Woods. — Shiloh Church. — Skeletons Rooted up by Swine. — Romance of the Widow Ray House. — Romance of a Bale of Hay. — Members of One Family. — Sheep Pasture. — The " Long Avenue." — Trenches of the Dead. — Pittsburg Landing. — General Prentiss's Disaster 321

CHAPTER XL VI

— Waiting for the Train at Midnight. Mrs. M on Slavery. — Hunting for the Railroad. — Negro Encampment 328

CHAPTER XL

Vn. — From Corinth to Memphis. West Tennessee. — Two Sides to the Picture. — Commerce of Memphis 332

CHAPTER XL VIII.

— Freedmen's Schools and the Freedmen's Bureau. Freedmen in Memphis. — Colored Benevolent Societies. — Schools. — Officers of the Bureau. — Old Wrongs Righted. — Summary Justice. — Milly Wilson's Story. — Cases from Mississippi. — Business of the Bureau. — Suppressed Wills 336

CHAPTER XLIX.

— Down the Mississippi. A Mississippi Steamboat. — Passengers. — Supper. — Evening Amusements. — Steamboat Race. — River and Shores. — Landings. — Captain and Colored Gentleman. — An Awful Thought. — Helena. — A Colored Soldier's Return. — Condition of the Levees. — Freshets. — Best Protected Plantations. — Negro Insurrections 347

CHAPTER L.

— In and about Vicksburg. Sight of the Town. — Yankee Canal. — Hills of Vicksburg. — Caves. — An U nder- Ground Residence. — Bombardment. — Famine. — Ride to the Fortifications. — Grant and Pemberton Monument. — Sherman's Unsuccessful Assault. — Chicknsaw Bayou. — Indian Mounds. — Fortifications below Vicksburg. — " AVill the Freedmen AVork? " 356

CHAPTER LI.

— Free Labor in Mississippi. Laborers defrauded of their Hire. — " Honesty " of a Planter. — ■ Northern and Southern Master. — Freedmen and Planters. — "Furnishing Supplies. — Slave Labor on Mr. P 's Plantation. — Overseers and Negroes. — Change at Christmas 362

CHAPTER LII.

— A Reconstructed State. Ignorance of the Free-Labor System. — Serf Code. — Freedmen in Civil Courts. — Convention and Legislature. — State Militia. — AVhite and Black Offenders. — Persecution of Union Men. — A Pardoned Rebel. — Freedmen's Schools 369 CHAPTER LHI. — A few Words about Cotton. Best Cotton Lands. —Anxiety of the Planter. — Fascination of the Culture. — Northern Planters. — Estimate of Cost and Profits. — Prospect of Crop 379

CHAPTER LIV.

— Daa-is's Bend. — Grand Gulf. — Natchez. Home of Jeff. Davis. — Colony of Paupers. — Other Farms on the Peninsula. — Success of the Freedmen. — Colored Courts. — Village of Grand Gulf. — The " Gulf." — Situation of Natchez. — Cargoes of Cotton. — Talk with an Overseer X

CHAPTER LV.

— The Lower Mississippi. Used-up Deck Hands. — Toilsome Work and Brutal Treatment. — French Custom. — Steamboat Acquaintances. — Pay for Slaves. — Jim B and his Niggers.— "A Mountain Spout of a AVoman." — Talk with an Arkansas Planter. — Louisiana Planters. — Deck Passengers. — Black AVoman's Story. — French Inhabitants. — Creoles and Slaves. — Villages and Plantations. — Levees. — The River flowing on a Ridge. — Unavailable Swamps. — River Water. — River runs Up Hill 388

CHAPTER LVI.

— The Crescent City. Midwinter at New Orleans. — French Quarter. — Anomalous Third Class. — Style of Building. — Levee. — Where the Cotton goes. — Shipment of Cotton during the War and since. — Freight of a Liverpool Steamer. — St. Charles Rotunda. — One of the Crowd. — His Scheme for making a Fortune. — His Opinion of the Planters. — Northern Men in Louisiana. — Planters and Niggers. — Hard Overseers. — General Phil. Sheridan. — Military Division of the Gulf. — Troops in Texas. — The Mexican Question. — The South to be Northernized. — Sheridan's Personal Appearance. — Governor Wells. — Deeds and Professions. — Mayor Kennedy. — On the Future of New Orleans and the South. — Street Railroads. — Property owned by People of Color. — A Black and White Strike 397

CHAPTER LVII.

— Politics, Free Labor, and Sugar. Radical Union Men. — On the President's Policy. — On General Banks. — Gentleman who had no Vote. — Newspapers. — General T. W. Sherman. — Rebel Militia. — Colored "Cavalry" Drilling. — Capital and Labor. — Louisiana Serf Code. — Planters and the Bureau. — Dependence of the Negroes. — Defrauded by AVhites. — Independent Homes for the Freedmen. — Colored Schools. — Northern Men. — A Sugar Plantation. — Abandoned Parishes. — Sugar and Cotton. — Cane Planting. — Field of Cane in June. — A Sugar-Mill. — Sugar Crop. — White Laborer 406

CHAPTER LVIIL

— The Battle of Mobile Bay. Lake Ponchartrain. — Capture of the " Waterwitch." — Morning in the Gulf. — Entering Mobile Bay. — Scene of Farragut's Fight. — A Poet in the Battle 415

CHAPTER LIX.

— Mobile. The Merchant Fleet. — Harbors on the Gulf. — Spanish Fort. — Obstructions in the Channel. — Up Spanish River. — The City. — The Great Explosion. — Business 420

CHAPTER LX.

— Alabama Planters. River Steamers. — Character of Alabamians. — One of the Despairing Class. — Mr. J 's Experience. — Mr. G 's Opinions. — Mr. H of Lowndes County. — Planters' Justice. — One of the Hopeful Class. — Agricultural Associations 423

CHAPTER LXI.

— AVilson's Raid. Shores of the Alabama. — Plantation Ploughs. — Author's Ignorance Enlightened. — Selma. — Ruins of the Town. — Chain-Gang. — Battle of Selma. — A Freedman's Story. — Loyalty and Fidelity. — Negro Boy Arthur. — Raiders in Lowndes County. — Planter's Wife and the Wine. — Track of AVilson's Cavalry 433

CHAPTER LXIL

— Notes on Alabama. Montgomery. — The Capitol. — Where the Confederate Egg was Hatched. — Men of the Back Countrv. — Small Farmers in the Legislature. — Original Secessionists and Union Men. — Young Man of Chambers County. — A Prisoner at Harrisburg. — Life among the Yankees. — Return Home. — Disloyalty of the People. — Newspapers and Churches. — Northern and Southern Alabama. — Union Men of Randolph County. — Great Destitution. — Service of the Freedmen's Bureau. — Negro in Civil Courts. — Freedmen's Schools. — Cotton Stealing. — Prospect of Cotton Crop. — How to Hire the Freedmen. — All Sorts of Contracts. — Northern Men in Alabama. — Topography. — Tree Moss. — Best Cotton Lands. — Disadvantages- Artesian AA ells. — Region of Small Farms. — Climate. — Common Schools. — First Cotton Crop. — Indian AVar. — Railroads 441

CHAPTER LXIII.

— In and about Atlanta. Closing Battles of the War. — The Yankees at AVest Point. — Foggy Night at Atlanta. —City by Daylight. — Colored Soldier's Widow. — Property Destroyed.— Religion a Nuisance. — Rebuilding. — Rents. — White and Black Refugees. — Accounts by Citizens. — Negro's Horse. —Jesse AYade, the Poor AVnite; on Sherman's Strategy ; on Schools ; on Reconstruction. — Nigger versus AVhite Man. — Out-door Convention of Freed People. — Georgia Railroads and Banks 452

CHAPTER LXIV.

— Down in Middle Georgia. Last View of Atlanta. — Negro Emigration. — Indigent Negroes. — Niggers' best Friends. — Railroad to Macon. — The Country. — City of Refuge. — Colored Population. — Murders and Shootings. — Need of Cavalry. — Georgia and the War. — Freedmen's Bureau and the People. — Negro of Middle Georgia. — Infraction of Contracts. — Control of Bureau Funds Macon Freedmen's Schools. — Union Men in Georgia. —An Old Settler's Story. — " No Party " Cry. — Confederates and Yankees 460

CHAPTER LXV.

-Andeksonvh.le. Yankee Prison at Macon. — " Death's Acre." — Trial of Captain Wirz. — His Personal Appearance. — Scene of his Crimes. — Name of the Town. — Present Appearance. — Ihe Stockade. — Double Walls. — The Dead Line. — Prisoners' Caves. — Huts and Barrack Sheds. — Out-Buildings. — Cemetery. — Death Record. — Inscriptions. — Rebel Owner's Claim. — Testimony of Georgians 468

CHAPTER LXVL

— Sherman in Middle Georgia. Tradition regarding General Sherman's Gloves. — Confederate General's Testimony. — Criticisms and Anecdotes. — "The Great Robber " in Jones County. — Confederate Stockings. — Yankee Soldiers and Rebel Dogs. — Shennan's Field Orders. — Pillagers. — Shooting Horses and Stock. — Army and its Stragglers. — Negro and the Trunk. — Persuasion of a Rope. — The "Great Robber" in Putnam County. — Not a Raid. — Movement of the Army. — Panic of the People. — Flight from Milledgeville. — Masters and Slaves 475

CHAPTER LXVII.

— Plantation Glimpses. Worn-out Plantations. — Houses on Props. — A Northern Man's Experience. — Men and Women Ploughing. — Home Manufactures. — A Planter's House. — Old Master and Young Master. — A Georgia Woman and the Yankees 482

CHAPTER LXVIII.

— Politics and Free Labor in Georgia. Milledgeville. — State Legislature. — Repudiation. — Complaints of Confederate Despotism. — Value of Slave Property ; to be Paid for by the Government. — Common- School System. — Freedmen's Schools. — Negro with the Small-Pox. — Georgia Planter and Niggers. — Kinder than the Yankees. — Poor Whites in New York and Massachusetts. — Abuse of the Yankees; of Freedmen's Bureau. — Mr. C— — of Oglethorpe County ; why he damned the Yankees. — Tax on Color. — Southern Methods. — State Commissioner of the Bureau. — Planters' Profits. — Meanness of the Georgians. — Sending Negroes out of the State. — Ignorance of the Freed People. — Tendency to Idleness. — Bribes Offered. — Cruelties to Freedmen. — Public Sentiment on the Subject. — Cotton Crop 488

CHAPTER LXIX.

— Sherman in Eastern Georgia. Sherman and the Railroads. — Condition of the Tracks. — General Grant on Sherman's " Hair Pins." — Machinery for Destroying Track. — Condition of the Bent lron. — Railroad Buildings. — One Glove off: — The "Bummers" in Burke County. — People Stripped of Everything. — Sherman and the Old Woman. — Buried Gold and Silver. — Shrewdness of Planter's Wife. — A " Sorry " Watch. — Experience of a Northern Man. — Running off Goods and Stock. — Hiding Plaee in TABLE OF CONTENTS. the Bushes. — Coming of the Soldiers. —Stopped by Yankee Cavalry. — Why the Women screamed. — Pursuit of a Horse. — Luck of a Poor Planter. — Reduced to Corn-Meal Bran. — By Stage to Scarborough. — By Rail to Savannah. — Comments of the Passengers. — By the Ogeechee River. — Importation of Hay... 501

CHAPTER LXX.

— A Glance at Savannah. Sherman at Savannah. — Conference with Secretary Stanton. — Issuing of General Orders No. 15. — Aspect of the City, — Situation. — Inhabitants. — Trade. — Colored Schools. — Bonaventure Cemetery ou»

CHAPTER LXXL

— Charleston and the War. Charleston and Savannah Railroad. — Steamboats. — Morning in Charleston Harbor. — Objects in the Mist. — Historic AVater. — Charleston and the Old Flag. — Early Walk in the City. — Turkey Buzzards. — People and Houses. — Great Fire of 1861. — Its Origin. — Picturesque Ruins. — Damage done by Shells. — ■ Spite against Firemen. — Panic and Flight of the Inhabitants. — A Northern Man's Experience. — Nineteen Months' Bombardment. — Not a Joyful Anniversary. — Evacuation by the Rebels. — Fire and Explosion. — The City isolated 511

CHAPTER LXXII.

— A Visit to Fort Sumter. Harbor Obstructions. — Destructive AVater AVorm. — Palmetto Wharves. — Fort Sumter from without. — A Mass of Ruins. — Effect of Bombardment. — Section of the Old Wall. — Landing at the Fort. — Inside View. — The Old Flag again. — Situa tion of the Fort. — Old Iron under the AValls. — Cost of United States Forts. — Garrison. — Beauregard's Bombardment. — Major Anderson's Fame. — Fame not so cheap since. — Military Duty and Common Sense. — Policy of the Government. — The Fort from Morris Island 517 CHAPTER LXXUL — A Prison and a Prisoner. General S 's A'isits to Charleston. — Taken Prisoner. — Jumping from the Cars. — Circular Perambulation. — The Man with the Bag of Corn. — Pine-leaves and Tobacco. — Chased by Blood-hounds. — AVhat he lived on. — Visit to a lone Widow. — Night in a Canebrake. — A Man on Horseback. — Proffer of a Canteen. — A Friend in Need. — Night in a Gin-House. — Parting in the Morning. — Entangled among Streams. — Taken for a Spy. — Recognized. ■ — How he got his Clothes again. — Sent to Macon. — Tunnelling the Ground under the Stockade. — Betrayed. — Sent to Charleston. — The AATork-house. — Jail and Hospitals. — Entrance to the Work-house, Rooms, and Cells. — Prisoners' Bunks. — Visited by a Shell. — Watching the Shells by Night. — A Taste of the pure Air. — Negro AVhippings. — Tower of Observation. — Mountain of Offal. — "Kindness" to Prisoners. — Plans of Escape. — Exploring the Cistern. — Tunnelling the Walls. — Betrayed again. — Grand Scheme to Capture and Fire the City. — Exchanged .521

The opening of the book is shown; the full text loads in the reader.

Loading the full text…