The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1862-09-09
A YANKEE VIEW OF THEIR AFFAIRS
IN THE WEST

following lugubrious account of their affairs in
the West and Southwest:
Continued rumors reach us regarding the move
mento of Bragg into East Tennessee | do not
know whether to regard it as a ruse to deceive
| our commanders, or real military expedition -
There are unqLestionably a large number of rebel
troops in that direction, and the whole talk of the
inhabitants through Northern Mississippi is that
Bragg has gone there himself IF so he has left
force enough to look after his interests here and
that force is In command of man who knows
we'll how to WELD It, to wit: General Price I'm
der these circumstances we are safe from serious
molestation just at present, Buell. must first be
conquered.
Arkansas is being overrun by strong guerrilla
bands. Hindman has collected force of twenty
five or thirty thousand, and there are almost as
many more ranging this country for spoils. There
have been a number ofskirmishes, of which no.
body seems to have the rights, and nothing is
known except that strong federal expeditions have
been attacked and overpowered, and that large
number of prisoners and valuable stores have been
taken from US. There will probably be some i'm
portant movements in that locality before long
| good deal has been said in connection with
the Vicksburg afflir, about sending troops there
and reducing the place by siege. This is all
very we'll for those who know nothing of the eli
mate of the country, but they who have been
there are keenly alive t. the perils of that cam
pagn. None have ventured it and come off un-
scathed. Our fotilla is full of wan countenances
aud death has been among its brave to an
| alarming extent. Officers and men have both suf-
fered The former have been seriously i'll, and
the latter have died like rotten sheep The SOL
dier Jared no better, and some Of the regiments
went back with almost decimated ranks. This
is the true history of the siege of Vicksburg.
The 1azoo river ftly named by the red
skinned hunters who traversed its tortuous chan
mel in days gone by. Yazoo-Death river What
could be more significant? Their symbolical Ian
guage never fail them, and in this instance it was
well applied, for if it be not river Of death then
none exist. Old settlers tell me that no man can
drink its water in the hot season and live longer
than few months. It is impregnated with such
rank vegetable matter, gathered from the tropical
luxuriance which borders its banks and those Of
its tributaries, that its water is conveyed into slow
poison, which is to destroy human life. IF
you would find counterpart to its sombre shades
and its stained, murky waters, you must 90 into
the depth of swamps, which it drains, and look
upon the green scum and crawling reptiles who
shun the sunlight and breed pestilence and death
alone. The simple substance of it is, that an
army of twenty five thousand men would find their
graves between now and the first of October, with
out ever facing the enemy The fotilla has al
ready accomplished its destiny in that line, and
if an army is to be maintained anywhere in that
locality it must be removed from the river, and
provided with pure water-and you might dig un-
til you lost daylight in that red hot SOIL and not
find enough to wet the palm of the hand.
| suppose by this time you have undergone. va
rious surmses in regard to the northern trip which
Com. Davis and Gen Curtis are making The
precise reasons for their pilgrimage to the seat of
authority are not known, but the nature Of their
derelictions is public enough Davis proved him
self an infant in conception, and an imbecie in
execution, from the moment he left Memphis to
besiege Vicksburg until he came away with the
indellible disgrace of having been whipped and
bullied by the Arkansas into abject submission
The fear of losing a vessel was strong enough to
overcome the hope of glory, and there was moth
ing but folding of hands and crossing of arms
The results Of the expedition were these Gained
nothing. Lost-the Curondoiet shot to pieces,
the Louisville disabled the Benton ridded, the
Tyler demolished, the ESSEX and Sumter thrown
away, and the rams Lancaster and Queen sent
into dry docks for weeks. The loss of the Esser,
alone, the river fotilla is irreparable She has
been under reconstruction for six months, and has
cost mint of money and on her first trip she was
cut off and compelled to 60 to New Orleans The
gunboat fotlla is actually ruined, and we shall
know it to our sorrow before sixty days pass over
our heads.
two or three ways. The unlicensed system which
governed his movements in Arkansas has brought
misery to thousands of unprotected families, and
corresponding degree Of Obloquy to the Union
cause He was of course compelled to subsist
upon the country through which be passed, but
that was no reason why houses should be despoiled
and burned, innocent white women outraged, and
black ones converted into the instruments of
promiscuous harlotagc which it would be hard to
find parallel for. These performances were the
work Of stragglers and unknown persons, and
should not be charged to the main army; but the
cause will be made to father it all, and the COM
mander must be held responsible. He should
have prevented such dscredtable occurrences.
His refusal to go to Vicksburg based on
two or three reasons. One was that which has
already been enlarged upon in this letter-the
deadly nature of the climate and locality. Anoth-
er is that his force is nearly all cavalry, and in
tended for a moving campaign, rather than sta
tionary siege. A third was that his appointed
field was Arkansas and Missouri, and his. prefer
ence border warfare. Among all these he found
sufficient. ground for very peremptory refusal to
obey the order of his superior officer.
Loud complaints we've also made OF his cotton
transactions Only privileged persons were al
lowed TO buy cotton, and they bought at rates
which made independent fortunes in a day. All
that has been done away by the opening Of the
market to all competitors, and much injustice has
thus been remedicd.
A scout who has just returned from a weeks
Journey in the neighborhood of the rebel army re-