Natchitoches union. [volume] ([Natchitoches, La.]) 1859-1864, 1862-09-11
CAMP NoRwooD, Vicksburg,
August Gath, 1862.

II y
received by some of our boys. Ever,
man seemed to vie with each other al
to who should read first, &c. Each on.
awaited his turn as is generally dont
at the mill. tbs always q welcome
visitor among us. Judging from the
contents, | should not think Natchi
toches very dull, which is more thar
can be said Of some other places ol
much larger proportion. Vicksburg,
however, is doing well enough because
there is good crowd of soldiers in its
vicinity. Since the abandonment OF
the siege Of Vicksburg by the yankees,
the "Little Hill City, (as Mississip-
plans persist in calling it since tho
faif Of New Orleans) presents quite q
lively appearance. Soldiers continually y
crowd the sidewalks. 1t is astonish-
ing to see what little damage has been
done by the yankees. will venture
to say that stranger who knew moth
ing Of the siege Of Vicksburg would
pass through the city without having
the slightest idea that such thing las
bombs, shells, &c, had ever been near
the place. Most Of the damage done
is oh the levee. The yankees abandon
ed this place very suddenly, and as
suddenly made their appearance again
Some days ago, great excitement pre-
vailed on account OF report concern
ing gunboats. The whole town and
every camp around presented but one
sceae of anxiety and excitement; an
xious Tor tho fate of the Fair Play, one
of oar steamers, and excited and angry
for want of marching orders. But, to
make long story short | shall begin
by saying: OIL Monday, the 10Th inst,
a rumof was afloat that the yankee
fleet had come down as far as MiIiken's
Bend and captured the steamboat
Fair Play loaicd with arms and am
for our troops on the other
side Of the river. The Fair Play left
the Vicksburg wharf on Monday at II,
?. m, arrived at Milliken's Bend at |
., u. IN, let down steam and remained |
th,4e until A, a. m, when the fleet, on
! portion of it, came in sight and then
'ketdaol1tcd. The fleet then captured the
,oat and everything on board. In the
meantime, various enquiries were made
tho visit OF the feet. Some
hought they had come down with our
Sort Donelson prisoners to be exchang-
ID at this place, while others took diff
erent view of the subject and thought
heir object was a simultaneous attack
III the city, by land and water. But
heir intcutiun was neither an cx-
hange!of prisoners nor an attack, it
vas nothing more than marauding
expedition to retaliate for our firing
nto their transports as they came
Town the river. They went up tho
1azoo river short distance only be.
ause tremendous sand bar prevented /
heir progress further. Returning to
he Mississippi, they burnt certain
ir. Sneid's gin, shot a whole through
lis house, besides committing other
Expectations. On the edge Of the river
we're five cannons sent up there by our
authorities to erect battery in defence
{ that point, but as usual the yankees
we're faster than we arc, and the con
equencc was they took them, bursted
|lrce of them and the other two (brass
icccs) they kept. On the evening of
nc 10Th, our regiment was ordered
ut. Au attack was expected that
light or the next day surc-but no
igns Of yankee. The 1nvincibles
to turn out twenty-six men,
INK and fife. So much for the yankee
cet, Fair Play, &c. 3za1yf
] must now turn to something of o
lore serious nature. The 22d Of this
lontil completed the fifth month of
ur service as Confederate troops, and
uring those five months VIC have un.
ergone trials and hardships with com
aratively speaking but few deaths.
hey died of disease it is true, but
Jill in the defence of their country.
hey did not distinguish themselves
II the battle field, by deeds of vaIor
nd skill, but their name will ever be
,membered, | am sure, by the people
Natchitoches as being among the
blenders OF their fircsides. But the
lst on our record is our Cd Lieut. A.
|. Tauzin. After an illness of typhoid
'vcr; of eight or ten days, he was
to private house two miles
Glow town on the morning of the 22d,
nd died oyesterday MORNING. His,
neral took place last evening, at
alfpast FIVE o'clock. His body was
'corted to the graveyard by our com
any and was buried with all the mill
Try honors due his rank, lie died a
atriot and q good soldier. From his