Friday, 15th.—Three days’ rations cooked. General Pemberton sent a circular address to the soldiers, in which he stated the time of conflict was near at hand. Started at sundown and marched until 1 A. M. Closed “en masse,” and, although on rough ground, were soon in the land of dreams.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Near Clinton, Friday, May 15. Awoke to prepare to march at 6 A. M., cooks having been up nearly all night baking the flour and meal. Retraced our steps back, leaving one of Sherman’s divisions to guard the place and we were to go and partake in more stirring scenes. Passed through Clinton in the afternoon and encamped at sundown four miles beyond.
15th May (Friday).—I nearly slept round the clock after yesterday’s exertions. Mr Douglas and I crossed the father of rivers and landed on the Mississippi bank at 9 A.M.
Natchez is a pretty little town, and ought to contain about 6000 inhabitants. It is built on the top of a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi river, which is about three quarters of a mile broad at this point.
When I reached Natchez I hired a carriage, and, with a letter of introduction which I had brought from San Antonio, I drove to the house of Mr Haller Nutt, distant from the town about two miles.
The scenery about Natchez is extremely pretty, and the ground is hilly, with plenty of fine trees. Mr Nutt’s place reminded me very much of an English gentleman’s country seat, except that the house itself is rather like a pagoda, but it is beautifully furnished.
Mr Nutt was extremely civil, and was most anxious that I should remain at Natchez for a few days; but now that I was thoroughly wound up for travelling, I determined to push on to Vicksburg, as all the late news seemed to show that some great operations must take place there before long.
I had fondly imagined that after reaching Natchez my difficulties would have been over; but I very soon discovered that this was a delusive hope. I found that Natchez was full of the most gloomy rumours. Another Yankee raid seemed to have been made into the interior of Mississippi, more railroad is reported to be destroyed, and great doubts were expressed whether I should be able to get into Vicksburg at all.
However, as I found some other people as determined to proceed as myself, we hired a carriage for $100 to drive to Brookhaven, which is the nearest point on the railroad, and is distant from Natchez 66 miles.
My companions were a fat Government contractor from Texas, the wounded Missourian Mr Douglas, and an ugly woman, wife to a soldier in Vicksburg.
We left Natchez at 12 noon, and were driven by a negro named Nelson; the carriage and the three horses belong to him, and he drives it for his own profit; but he is, nevertheless, a slave, and pays his owner $4½ a-week to be allowed to work on his own account. He was quite as vain as and even more amusing than Tucker. He said he “didn’t want to see no Yanks, nor to be no freer than he is;” and he thought the war had already lasted four or five years.
Every traveller we met on the road was eagerly asked the questions, “Are the Yanks in Brookhaven? Is the railroad open?” At first we received satisfactory replies; but at 6 P.M. we met an officer driving towards Natchez at a great pace; he gave us the alarming intelligence that Jackson was going to be evacuated. Now, as Jackson is the capital city of this state, a great railroad junction, and on the highroad to every civilised place from this, our feelings may be imagined, but we did not believe it possible. On the other hand we were told that General Joseph Johnston had arrived and assumed the command in Mississippi. He appears to be an officer in whom every one places unbounded confidence.
We slept at a farmhouse. All the males were absent at the war, and it is impossible to exaggerate the unfortunate condition of the women left behind in these farmhouses; they have scarcely any clothes, and nothing but the coarsest bacon to eat, and are in miserable uncertainty as to the fate of their relations, whom they can hardly ever communicate with. Their slaves, however, generally remain true to them.
Our hostess, though she was reduced to the greatest distress, was well-mannered, and exceedingly well educated; very far superior to a woman of her station in England.
Friday, 15th—News came again that Richmond has been taken, and that all of General Lee’s supplies are cut off. The Third Brigade of General Blair’s Division landed at this place today and went into bivouac. A gunboat came up the river from Port Hudson. Reports are coming in that General Grant is routing the rebels wherever he comes upon them in force. There are some prisoners and wounded being brought in from the front. The wounded are taken to the hospital and the prisoners to the North.
May 15, Friday. The President called on me this morning with the basis of a dispatch which Lord Lyons proposed to send home. He had submitted it to Mr. Seward, who handed it to the President, and he brought it to me. The President read it to me, and when he concluded, I remarked the whole question of the mails belonged properly to the courts and I thought unless we proposed some new treaty arrangement it would be best the subject should continue with the courts as law and usage directed. “But,” he inquired, “have the courts ever opened the mails of a neutral government?” I replied, “Always, when the captured vessels on which mails were found were considered good prize.” “Why, then,” said he, “do you not furnish me with the fact? It is what I want, but you furnish me with no report that any neutral has ever been searched.” I said I was not aware that the right had ever been questioned. The courts made no reports to me whether they opened or did not open mail. The courts are independent of the Departments, to which they are not amenable. In the mails was often the best and only evidence that could insure condemnation. [I said] that I should as soon have expected an inquiry whether evidence was taken, witnesses sworn, and the cargoes examined as whether mails were examined. “But if mails ever are examined,” said he, “the fact must be known and recorded. What vessels,” he asked, “have we captured, where we have examined the mails?” “All, doubtless, that have had mails on board,” I replied. Probably most of them were not intrusted with mails. “What,” asked he, “was the first vessel taken?” “I do not recollect the name, a small blockade-runner, I think; I presume she had no mail. If she had, I have no doubt the court searched it and examined all letters and papers.” He was extremely anxious to ascertain if I recollected, or knew that any captured mail had been searched. I told him I remembered no specific mention, doubted if the courts ever reported to the Navy Department. Foreign governments, knowing of the blockade, would not be likely to make up mails for the ports blockaded. The Peterhoff had a mail ostensibly for Matamoras, which was her destination, but with a cargo and mails which we knew were intended for the Rebels, though the proof might be difficult since the mail had been given up. I sent for Watkins, who has charge of prize matters, to know if there was any record or mention of mails in any of the papers sent the Navy Department, but he could not call to mind anything conclusive. Some mention was made of mails or dispatches in the mail on board the Bermuda, which we captured, but it was incidental. Perhaps the facts might be got from the district attorneys, though he thought, as I did, that but few regular mails were given to blockade-runners. The President said he would frame a letter to the district attorneys, and in the afternoon he brought in a form to be sent to the attorneys in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.
Read Chase the principal points in the Peterhoff case. He approved of my views, concurred in them fully, and said there was no getting around them.
15th. Theodore brought over a letter from Melissa. Good. Reported this morning for duty. I am glad we can be together. We now belong to the 1st Cav. Brig. 4th Div. 23rd Army Corps. Another beautiful day. Morgan expected. Thede and Dod got two beef creatures and butchered. Wrote a letter to Minnie. Read some in Victor Hugo.
Friday, 15th—To-night stopped to see two Lincolnites; got six shooter from one, single barrel from the other; stopped at Squire Henry’s; got some cherry bounce; played off Yankee on him; got all the information we wanted and went on to Wickwire’s; fed at Mr. Simpson’s; girls got up, chatted them awhile. I, Harper and Gibson then left the crowd, crossed the railroad and bought two horses and came on to Bracken’s and got breakfast. From there to Ashlock’s and got dinner. Came cross the pike and I left them, went by Bass’s and on to Crews and staid all night.
May 15. — Day was pleasant. Rode down to the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry with Whittier. Saw Dr. Perry there, and Dr. Heywood. Saw Osborne also. Stopped at General Griffin’s on my way hack.
May 15th. At eight forty A. M. the iron-clad Lafayette made her appearance, coming down Red river; she soon came out of same into the great Mississippi, and communicated with us. Between the hours of twelve and four o’clock P. M., picked up out of the Mississippi, which came down from above, supposed to have been thrown overboard by some gunboat steamer, sixteen bales of cotton, in the production of which Dixie is famous.
Artist – Alfred R. Waud; drawing on cream paper : pencil ; 18.9 x 10.3 cm. (sheet).
Library of Congress image.
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Wikipedia: The 23rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the “Southern Tier Regiment”, was an infantry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was organized in Elmira, New York on May 10, 1861 and was mustered in for a two year enlistment on July 2, 1861. The regiment was mustered out of service on May 22, 1863, and those men who had signed three year enlistments were transferred to the 80th New York.
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Image has been digitally enhanced.
