Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-11-29
-.. Correspondence or the n. Y. Post.
he 70 Element in the IN gasies Of

were several belonging TO Gen. Drayton con
mander of the post, whose plantation on Hilto
Head Island was well stocked with fellows O
the genuine e3ony cast. Two of them wer
taken on board the Wabash, and gave mucl
interesting and reliable information in regar,
to Il hc situation of affairs on the island.
@ larf them asserted that his master haC
that p, rning assured him hat he might fal
into ,i cr hands befere night, AMI he seemed
to 20 been sufficiently pleased with the prns
pee cllange Of masters TO gst LIS htll
bundle ready TO be taken Oft ss5 81
] Early in the morning after the victory tht
plantation negroes began to eoTne into camp
and with the genuine AfricaD instinct for trade
each had provided himself with a turkey, q
shoulder of bacon. or two'shouiders and brace
Of hams in the. shape Of a Struggling pdfkcr
which he bore kicking and sQuealing nader
his arm. i was amu sing 70 see the pt tFli8aci-
ty with which the fellows woald cling to their
! prize, even While waiting to be questioned mn
der guard of file of snldiers. The instant
one was spoken to, the bit of wide awake or
the rimless crown Of straw which id duty as
hat, would be jerlSed off with characteristic
| obsequiousness, the negro stand scrnping and
as well as he could with the noisy and strug-
Cling beast distraeting his attention. ...
Several who came in brought wagons load
ed with knapsacks and other acc0utremenIs
which they had picked up on the way. All
seemed ready to work, k,lnd those who were so for.
tunate as 10 have possessed Themselves cf some
stray horses Or a pair of plantation mules,
found abundant occupation.
AS our troops were al first too busy in ma
king good their position TO attend 10 anything
else, and the Quartermasters had already more
upon their hands than they could well attend
TO, the negroes who appeared were not cncour-
aged to remain but were at once sent back,
and on one pretense and another, to take care
of themselves. But by the morning Of The
second day fifty were already gathered at head
quarters, and signs Of Q much greater influx
were abundant. ..=
Those who remained were put under the
charge Of Capt. Goodrich, the Qnartermastcr
of Gen. Wrigbt's brigade, who saw that their
wants were we'll attended 10, giving up an old
building TO their accommodation. ...4.-..
Our troops were accompanied in their first
reconno slnce to the sand by Dr.. J.J. Craven,
the efficient surgeon of the 3d brigade, who
reports the negroes on the plantations further
inland, as almost wild with delight at the ad-
vent of our troops and the hasty fight of their
masters, which they described with tie utmost
gusto. f ess
20 Lord massa,p said one, "we'se so glad 10
see YOU We'se prayed and prayed the Good
Lord that he would send you Yankees, and we
knowed you'se was coming.7 s4sf.e,a sas|
How could you know .hat2" asked DIR
Craven You can't read the paper; how did
you get the news ?" +. go @
No, Massa, wese can't read, but we'se can
listen. Massa and Missus uses to read, and
sometimes they's read loud, and then We would
listen so'-makipg an expressive gesture indie
ativc- of close attention at a key hole" When
Use would git u chance I'se would listen, and
Jim, him would listen, and We put the bits to-
geth1r, and we knoWd the Yankees we're com.
ing. Bless the Loid, masSa y
Another stout fellow asserted that the good
Lord had appeared to him in the shape of a
= Yankee who assured him that his hour Of
deiYerlncc was at hand
The poor, trusting creatures, never scecmcd
to question that war which they had heard
was all about them must mean ther deliverance
from bondage with which they do not seem
to have been sufficiently in love to follow the
fortunes Of thcir fleeing masters
A drivers whip which was picked up, and
which the correspondent Of the Evening Post
now has in his possession, was shown 10 one Of
them, and he was asked if lie knew what it
was.
"Golly, massa,' said the negro, with sus-
picious, sidelong look at the familiar whip he
saw raised aioll. "Gucss dis nigger knows what
dat derc is, and he proceeded to explain the
use to which it was applied.
When some doubt was expressed as to the
negro statements in reg .rd 10 numbers, one O!
them answerrd:"W can't read, but We sc can
COUNT
How did you learn to count
"Pcking cotton, nlasSa. We'se all got to
count when we pick cotton, massa'
There seem; 10 be abundant work for them
to do in picking cotton on Hilton Head Is
land. which our troops have occupied and it
is to be hoped that their services will he in
some way turued TO account for this purpose.
Acres of it, already white for arv, st, were
found within less than "A mile of Fort Walker,
and will be lost unless speedily a;terd d TO.
Several buildings filed with unginncd cotton
were also found further back toward Skull
Greek, and on the Islands beyond that stream
similar deposits could be seen. A heavy smoke
which was seen at a distance the negroes report
ed to come from a lot of cotton which had been
fired by the retreatiug rebels.
For some reason The negroes appeared at first
inclined to wait until they were cale for beforcd
making their appearance but the few who were
dismissed on the first day spread the rcpcrt
that the Yankees were indeed at hand, aud the
next m prning Il number came in flom the main
Land, where their mas ters had reircatrd, MAX
ing their cseap, at night in canoe. The re-
ports must have spread as far up as Beaufort in
an asi onishil gly short space Of time, for when
our boats went up here the rcgrocs were ready
to greet til n.
by tina; singular sort OF freemasonry which |
seems TO bs established among the negroes, the
report viii speedily spread from one end Of the
South to the other, and bcli,re the SHOWS Of pe.
cemAcr sha Lave whitensd the plains Of the |
North even in distant Texas The story of our
appearance W III Lave travelled distorted by
thousand exaggeratims, 10 excite the eager
hopes Of those who are watching and waiting
so patiently for the deliverance WHICH is 50 near
at halu. d. ... -.......a, ..tr--.f. ....--t..F
H.- --------- ...f ..
BATTLE NARRATIvEs.-We begin TO think |
that the battle accounts hus far published on |
both sides Of this war have been fashioned on
old Jack Falstaf 5 narrative Of his adventures |
with the men Of buckram. Artcr tpading |
detailed description of an engagement the
reader drops The paper witlfa general idea that /
the forces on one side were but Que tenth the !