The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-06-17
Southern correspondence.
NEW ORLEANS, June IS, I86

4 | arrived here last night via Cairo, Column
bus and Memphis, and take the earliest OPP
portunity to give your readers a reliable ac-
count of the state Of things in the South.
Mail communication having been cut of,
have engaged special messenger, at great
expense, to bear this letter to you. He
travels under a pass signed by Gems Twiggs
and Pillow, and endorsed by the editor Of
the New Orleans Delta. secured this pass
10y representing myself as an agent of Mr.
Russell, of the London Times, wishing to
send one of his letters to New York to over
take the Galway steamer. You observe
this letter on the outer envelope is directed
to the Times.
Our people labor under many delusions
and misconceptions in regard to the South
and its people. l was treated with the
greatest courtesy and kindness at all points
on my way here, although | made 70 at
tempt to disguise the fact that | was a
Northern man. A Cairo found a force Of
four or FIVE hundred men, the greater part
OF them negroes. They were without camp
equippage or provisions with the exception
Of whisky. Each man had a two gallon Jug
of this patriotic fluid strapped to his back
with q gatta percha tube extending from
the mouth of the jug and attached to a hook
on his breast. Every few minutes | OBJ
served the men would drop their heads and
take a suck from the tube. 1t is nv candid
opinion that five or six Southern gentlemen
like Henry A. Wise and Wigfall could come
up with their niger whips and drive the
whole Of the vagabonds into Lake Michigan.
hn nd ii
and scaping knives. Ibid not see a cannon
or rife on the ground. General Prentiss
spends his time playing five cent poker and
ten pins. Around Columbus there are en-
camped 476, 223 men, and the river bank is
lined for ten miles with ninety-two pound
guns. Each private in the army here is
provided with two colored servants. one
male and the other female. A box of
Havana segars, and bottle of champagne
are served out every day with each mans
rations The commanding officer told me
confidently that large majority of his rife
men could hit an aboitiOnist in the eve nine
times out of ten at distance Of two and
three quarter miles, and have no reason to
doubt the assertion, as | saw one Of them, at
the distance OF one hundred and ten yards,
shoot an artificial tooth out OF ladies
mouth without disturbing the balance. The
trial was made with the Iady's consent
The road between Columbus and Mem
phis is crowded with travel and most Iuxu-
riantly and maguifcently managed |
was placed on a reclining silk velvet cush-
toned seat with young girl on each side
of me to fan me. At intervals of fifteen
minutes negro servants passed through the
cars with iced juleps and whisky cocktails
1t is said blood will tell" | believe it,
II is strange what an amount of stimuat-
ing beverage a man of pure southern blood
can drink without showing any effects. 1t
seems as natural to them as milk to babe
As for myself, after two hours drinking. |
was afflicted with peculiar and strange sens
atoms. The persons in the car seemed
multiplied by thousands, and I could not
distinguish a word of their conversation
The sound of their voices came to me in
confused murmurs like the sound of dis
tant waterfall The train seemed going
round in a circle with the speed of whir-
wind. In despair I sank back and slept
awoke at Memphis refreshed and all right.
l found business lively here, and the business
men in great spirits Seventeen lager beer
breweries are going up in a week They
will be able to supply the whole South
Every branch of manufacturing is in a
hi2hly fiOurishing condition.
allied on Gen. Pillow and found him
hard at work, surrounded by his aids His
plans for the summer campaign are almost /
completed He expects to he in Chicago on /
the 4th Of july aud at St. Paul some time +
in August He ~ a very modest, retiring /
man, and expressed himself with much in