Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-11-28

general had come home tired and was gone to
beds but in this country such thing would
be perfectly natural, and it would not, if it oc.
cured, be fair to infer that the general intend-
ed the least disrcspect to the head of the state.
RusscVS Letters.
Commodore Tatnall.
Commodore Tatnall, who is reported 10 be
the commander of the rebel fleet at Beaufort,
S. G., is an old officer of the L. S. navy ap-
pointed from Georgia He was considered a
skiIlful and experienced officer and has held
some very responsible positions. He was in
command of the U. S. fleet in China at the
time the allied French and English made the
attack on the Chinese forts. On that occasion
he suffered his feelings to lead him into the
STRIFE and was very much cumplimentcd by the
English for the assistance he rendered one of
their grounded gunboats Among his friends
at the north he was always held in the highest
estimation as a noble-hearted friend, a sincere
and devoted patriot During the summer Of
1860 he passed a few days in this vicinity The
bitter imprccation upon the heads of traitors
then uttered hy him on a public occasion, will
not he forgotten by those who heard him -
'Palsied be the hand or tongue Of him who
first attempts the dissolution of this glorious
Union While in Boston he improved his OPP
portunity 10 call upon friend and fellow COM
mander in the navy. Captain T., of ID. They
had not met for years. The past and the pre-
sent were rehcarscd. The fountains OF sacred
memories were stirred, and they laughed and
wept together. On taking leave of his friend,
Tatnall remarked, Il shall see you again p,
next summer Before next summer old Jack
will be in his grave was the earnest and touch
ing reply. Before that summer came, at the
first tap of the secession drum, the oath of al
lcgiance to traitors had been pronounced by
the lips if not by the heart OF Tatnall. When
the news of this came to the ear of his old
friend in the north, he exclaimed Would to
God old jack had been in his grave before
hearing such tidings as this a few days
brought him a Letter from his friend Tatnall,
closing with these words IL little thought
when last saw you, my dear p, that my old
friend and were to serve under different flags.
but the politicians would have it So Old Jack
sat down awhile, amazed, scornfu and vexed.
"A traitor to his flag. p0ldicidns would
have it So Poor ratnall.' Then rising re-
solutely from his chair, he continued He
was a noble fellow-but I'd hang him. dearly
as | love him. Yes, Id send him to the yard
arm if the devil stood there to catch him
The Contrabands at Beaufort.j
The correspondent of the New York Even
ing Post, who accompanied the great expedi-
ton, gives the following interesting incidents
of the 'contrabands' at Beaufort and Hilton
Head -
TIE CONTRABANDS.
The negroes ran to greet our boats as We
landed to take possession of the fort, and
among those found on shore by our Marines
were several belonging to Gen. Drayton, com
,Inr ,ft ,s.l,
ton Head was very well stocked with fellows of
the genuine ebony cast. Two of them were
taken on board the Wabash, and gave much in
teresting and valuable information in regard to
the situation of affairs an the island.
One of them asserted that his master had
that morning assured him that he might fall in.
to other hands before night, and he seemed 10
have been sufficiently pleas ID with the pros
pcct OF charge of matters, to get his little
bundle ready to be taken off
THE NEGRoES TRADING
Early in the morning after the victory, the
plantation negroes began to come into camp,
and with genuine African instinct for trade,
each man provided himself with a turkey, a
shoulder OF bacon. or two shoulders and brace
of hams, in the shape of struggling porker,
which he bore kicking and squeaing under his
arm. 1t was amusing TO see the pertinacity
with which these fellows would cling to their
prize even while waiting to be questioned, un-
tier guard of file of soldiers The instant
one was spoken to, the bit of wide-awake or the
rimless crown of straw which did duty as a hat,
would be jerked OFF with characteristic obse-
qlousness, the negro stand scraping and bow
ing, answering meanwhile his catechism, as well
as he could with the noisy and struggling beast
dstracting his attention.
Several who came in brought wagons loaded
with knapsacks and other accoutrements which
they had picked up on the way. All seemed
ready to " ork, and those who were fortunate
enough to have possessed themselves of some
stray horse or pair OF plantation mules found
abundant occupation
THEY ARE CARED FOR.
AS our troops were at first too busy in max
ing good their position to attend to anything
else, and the quartermasters had already more
on their hands than they could attend to, the
negroes who appeared were not encouraged ia
remain, but were ut once sent back on one pre-.
tence or another, to take care of themselves
Bu by the morning of the second day, fifty
were already gathered at headquarters, and the
signs OF a much greater influx were quite abun-
dant.
Those who remained were put under the
cn"' &c vi Ndpt' uoourlcn, the quaftermaster oil
Gen. Wrights brigade, who saw that their
wants were well attended to, giving up an old
building to their accommodation.
Our troops were accompanied in their first
reconnaissance hy DIR. J. j. aven, the efficient
surgeon of the third brigade, who reports the
negroes on the plantations further inland, as
almost wild with delight at the advent of oul
troops and the hasty flight of their masters
which they describe with the utmost gusto,
THE DAY OF DELIVERANCE.
20 Lord massa.' said one, 'wese so glad t
see you. We'se prayed and prayed the goot
Lord that he would send you Yankees, and w
| knowed yous was coming
How could you know that? asked DIR. Cra
ven. You can't read the papers how did yo,
get the newsP'
No, massa, we'se can't read, but wese cal
listen Massa and missus used to read, ant
sometimes they would read loud, and then w
would listen so'-maling an expressive gestur
indicative of close attention at a key-hole-
when Use get n chance | would listen, ant
jim, him would listen, and we put the bits to
gether and we knewed the Yankees was com
ing. Bless the Lord, massa.'
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE coNTRABANDs.
Another stout fellow asserted that the goo
Lord had appeared to him in the shape of
Yankee who assured him that his hour of de
liyerance was at hand.
The poor trusting creatures never seemed t
-