The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1862-06-10
Correspondence of the Guardian.
ST.. JAMES HOSPITAL, New ORLEANs,I
Nav 3th 1850

FRIEND Rich The Guardian of Feb.
rs. containing in print the little note |
wrote you just before leaving New Eng
land, has reached me here today. Not
ing in its concluding passage promise
to write you from this end of our journey,
in case "we weather the stormy point of
Hatteras," l am forcibly reminded at
once of my promise, untitled as yet, and
of our terrible passage OF that very Hat
teras, which we did weather indeed, bu,
by the narrowest possible margin. Twill
not write to you the horrors Of that aw-
full nj ght, nor the other disasters and de.
lays which stretched out our voyage
from Boston to Ship Island TO full
month. They are among the things
which we would not forget, indeed yet
their narrative, like their memory, is not
pleasant. We reached Ship Island al
last, on the 20lh MAJ ch encamped with
twelve or fifteen other regiments on that
narrow strip Of barren sand bank, nearl,
a month and fairly jumped for Joy when
ordered to exchange that repulsive and
desoiate Island, which were uncomfortable
for dog, except for the teemng military
population which thronged it, for active
service in the Expedition against Fort
Jackson and ST. Philip. The troops en-
barked on the 18th. The Forts, whic h
you know were the two full Harmed sem
tinels set TO guard the gate of the south
west, were bombarded and passed. by our
gunboats on the 25th, think, and finally
capituated on the Goth. Full accounts
of the battles and maneuvers must have
already reached you through the public
prints. will only say of it, therefore
that never thought to witness such a
magnificent display of fire works as the
bombardment Of Fort Jackson. NV CD.
portunity to see it was very good, fol
one not actually engaged in the combat
The Steam ship "Mississippi," to which
we have adhered in all our voyages thus
far, carried also Gen. Butler and his staff,
and was much nearer the scene of con-
flict than any other of the transports oil
land forces. 1t is also the boast Of my
regiment that it was the first to reach
the city, and the first TO set its foot and
form its line upon the levee OF New Or.
leans. We entered the city in triumph
on the Is, Of May, date to be set down
for commemoration with the 9th ofJanua.
ry. The military force of the Confederacy
had fled 10 other parts, taking with them
what treason they could. Thus has sue
cess crowned the military operations of
the United States in the last important
department. If the news from other
quarters up to this date be as good as the
latest we have leads us to expect, now.
in very little more than year from the
fall of Sumpter, and the first flow OF
loyal blood in Baltimore. the upstart
Empire, calling itself Confederacy, is
pierced in every side, and broken at ev-
cry corner.
We cannot be said to have been recei-
we'd with welcome There have been
scarcely any demonstrations of violant
hostility, nor on the other hand any dis
play of Union sentiment-we have no
open evidence that such thing exists
in this city-or Of rejoicing at the deliv-
erance which we brought. Yet il was a
verltable deliverance. The day we en-
tered there was not months provision
FOR its population in the city. The fieLd
famine was already staring them in the
face. Already it had fixed It's lpins fangs
in respectable and once wealthy families
Provisions Of all kinds commanded fab
ulous prices. You will find it hard to
believe that here where the current of the
mighty River would bring down all the
exuberance Of your State, almost without
cost. or labor, or trouble, if only let
alone, flour could now be sold at thirty
five dollars barrel or more, eggs at a
dollar and half per dozen, and other
necessities Of life in about the same pro.
portion 10 normal rates. But such is the
fact. Now, northern -four, brought by
government transports 10 feed our army,
is sold 10 tie needy at seven dollars and
a half; and to-day a thousand barrels of
beef have been distributed to the desti.
tute and starving of this city.
We have first class hotel, with all the
=" modern provements." converted into
p hospital, and an elegant and commodi-
Gus one il makes, sufficient to accommo-
date 600 or 700 patients. We have as
yet only about 100 in 1.-THE accumula.
tions Of nearly month s service in the
field and on fatigue duly-lrom the time
we left Ship Island with sound or well
men only, or as near as might be. This