Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-10-21
Our Army Correspondence from Hell
eua.

last tuesday, is the result.
Our Army Correspondence from Hell
ena.
HELENA. ARK. Oct l3. 1862
In nv letter last Saturday ! could only say
that had made a morning call upon the Indiana
troops yet remaining here Most OF the men
were out OF camp on Sunday, and on various du
ties A lev were out as yerILible scouts, looking
after the men. and being looked after in turn;
few we're engaged in wheeling slnd To the top OF
hlllock in town. which they propose to call
fort when il is done. but by far the largest details
were known as Ioraging parties, but which We
plain people would call corn gatherers. The du
ties OF these parties not of the most pleasant
character. | never fancied corn gathering any
way, not even with patent hu>kng fingers, but
here in spite OF guard which Processes To pro
tect the teams and men, squad OF Texas ran
gers often drops down. like wolf on the fold, ;"
the poet would say, AMI IN very uncrvil way
invite men aud teams 10 drive DixlewaTd
with their loaded wagons In vain onr men plead
the Constitutions; in vain they demonstrate ia the
sacred name oil liberty: 20 they must. Sub-e.
quenty they parole the men, but never the horses
nor mules nor wagons, nor arms. A similar fate
often attends men IN other VOC itIOns. Few
weeks ago Gen Steele detailed eight % the FIRST
Indiana Cavalry To guard the premises of a sc
cessiOnist. some two miles IN advance of our
lines, who complained that men might posi-
bly, disturb his sweet potatoes or chickens That
night the Rangers came. by concert 40 doubt.
anu relieved our guards-of horses aud arms. and
then of guard duty. sending them back to camp
minus these essentials OF good soldier
A lew days ago the proprietor OF a plantation
demonstrated against our corn gathering opera
tons lie told our men that he owed no allegi-
ance to the Unit Stite-, and would not contri
butte To his support They told him that he could
al l.fal.
he did, receiving oider on the Government for
the value OF his corn payable at the close Of the
rebellion. on proof Of continued toyaliy hencJorth
10 that oiSfaBt day Ii might as vel have been
made pay able when Gabriel blows. DE protested
vehemently, and plead the constitutional protec
ton OF lite. liberty, and the pursuit OF happiness
and the rights OF property, but the Quartermaster
told him that instrument was not current in Ar
kansas, and he had to retire and muse upon the
speculation he had made ia voting himself out OF
the Union.
While at the Gath. last Saturday. away out in
the sand hills | met Col Polk, a nephew of the
celebrated RI Rev Mai Gen. Polk of the rebel
army, and OF the late President Polk, and an
avowed secessonist. DE uid not seem very cheer
ful-n Tact he was IN bad humor just then.
Some eueuillas-he SAYS they OF the Fed
era pers'asioii-had burned his cotton Gin the
night before and lac had hardly recovered from
the loss and gain OF his 100 negroes He lost
them by their going To Gen Curtis, some two
months ago. ami obtaining Tree papers. He was
stubborn over II. and. said let them 90 they were
but pest ANYHOW, aud moieOver Gen. Hindman
would tie along IN II few DAYS and Iecapture them.
The darkies were jubilant. too They had n
good time generally. eating at Uncle Stmnel's
table and doing miscellaneous duties in and
about the camp. Meanwhile cotton was rpening
on the plantation ana moreover the Folks. little
and BIZ. very much missed the Offices OF the dar-
kies. while the darkeS discovered that, after all.
this thing YOU call heeGom has two sides TO it,.
and one of them is the starving and naked SIDE.
and they sighe.i tor the flesh pots OF the Polk
plantation Under these circumstances a recon
citation was not difficult. Who made the hr>t
proposition 20 not know. but after deliberate
ara pIUtracled negotiations IN which he inst
offered them "A share of the cotton and they
fused, rates of wages were agreed upon. and la
oi the 100 are IN their old quarters. picking and
caring tor his extensive cotton crop. the he.IOes
nj least delighted with their return To their old
home. A planter from over the river WAS IN
town TO-DAY, irving 10 hie his old hands, but the
views OF buyers and sellers were too tar apart
when lett. They viii. however, come together.
I Starvation On the hand and wasting cotton
/ on the other viii mike each little Welding.
A more iororu and diScOnsolate set ot beings
/ than the free negroes here have never seen,
except their brethren at Cairo All their dreams
of hugh living and glorious times in freedom have
vanished in Thin air. The women NOPE along the
bank half dead with aeue, supernduced by expo
sure OF else IL Is their native energy as developed
without master. The men hang around on
fences or loll on the corn and hay piles, AMI often
on the now cold and vet grouhd-these are the
II, X ones. The Hble bottled are ut work on the
fort and elsewhere The employing of them
whether men OF women. cooks ia about played
out. Solder cooking was bad enough, in the
hands OF white men. or dAIkies brous Int from the
north but uu>te'l 10 cotton field negroes of either
gender. IL becomes intOlerdble A | had time
+ to-day stopped uccasioual, 10 hire a few Go take
home Nth me. The most OF them sluggish,
shook their he td>. unless | would take the Who'll,
generation from the old mamma down to the
smallest piccannny. aud then they were not anx
ious. They seem To have horror ct being sep
arste,i irum each other. AT one time, how ever.
got iarly caught | stumbled upon one boy
about twenty i've who seemed 10 have neither
vile nor child. iather or mother. or other bloot
KIN To tie him To the south. he had heard OF tn,
cruelties pracliced sometimes upon the returning
slave. and with his confessed anxiety TO 20 hom,
he VAS afraid of meeting these. ''Bress de Lon
Massa. YES 20 wid YOU" Here WAS a >tumper
and was put to my wits get OF the ezra pe
| suggested first a want OF funds. but he said HI
had the money. whereupon began 70 interrogat
him a. 10 hi> knowledge OF scientific gardening
} OF which fortunately found him ignorant Thei
YOU will not suit said ! leaving him sad and dis
appointed lie was the only one who want TO g
north that have seen. I. A q
HrLtxA. Oct. IL. 1862
Have ! told you about that forig IL Is Oh
taper end of a sand ridge. now being elevated b
wheeling NJ The sand which has been washe
down during The ases since the food. Ii i prob
ably 100 yards squate at IT. base, and Will be
when finished. huge sand hill, probably fort
feet hgh and on this the ordnance j. 10 lie loca
ted But what troubles me. would u had {
60 there 10 be shot At l. that the ridges Hroun
il are higher Than the fort will he. ana moreo,e
there j. no back door out of which one can con
Veniently retire in 81 urgent Necessity, with
out Iuulbing down in break neck style INTO Oh
sand below Col. Slack. of the 4ath. - at pres
ent entrusted with guard duty around the Tort
which consists in the not dangerous task OF keep
ing two or three hundred negroes at their wheel
birfuws Slack his captured house near b'
and 80 has Lieut. Col. Robinson ana other ofh
Gers also Where that tort amounts Ia anything
other lhana monument 20 Gen Cuftiss Jolly
agree To confess that somebody knows more tba
Go about military engineering.