Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-10-22
Matters in Dixie.

4 Mr. Montgomery, the business man
/ ager of the Nicksburg Whig, arrived IN
! Cairo Yesterday, by the steamer Belle
Memphis. At the time our feet went be
low to exchange the prisoners from Camp
Douglas, Mr.. Montgomery visited the
! boats and endeavored to secure passage
/ for himself and family to st. Louis. Cap
I tain Lulare, who had charge of the trans
ports, refused to bring him away without
! the consent of the Confederate authorities
as it would be n manifest violation OF the
I flag of truce This consent was sought by
| Mr.. Montgomery, but he failed in obtain
ing it, Finally he received permission to
come through the lines via fernando to
Memphis. He at once ayailed himself Of
this leniency, and like George Augustus
I Sala, made Journey due North. On
reaching Memphis last Monday, he was
arrested as Il spy and confined in the Irv-
ing prison for twenty-four hours. At the
end of that time the authorities became
convinced that he had visited the Feder-
al limits in a far different capacity. and
he was released from custody.
| According to Mr.. Montgomery story,
the Confederacy is not an Arcadia. In
| Vicksburg, the following prices ruled at
the time he left.
Chickens, - each flour $50 per bar
rel bacon, 3nc per pound; ham, soc !;
common shoes, such rs are furnished to
our army at 81 70, brought $50 IN Vleks-
burg. Cotton cloth 81 per yard; wooien
and silk goods, none in market. w his
key SIS per gallon; butter. sc per pound,
and not of quality that would command
premium IN the New ork marked
Corn 81 % per bushel.
As an offset to the above, wages are very
high, but not enough so to eounterbat-
ance such exorbitant rates. Common day
laborers readily get five dollars for one
days work draymen receive 81 90 for
each load transported, in place OF soc, the
price for such service before the war;
cIerks.in mercantile houses are paid twice
as much as in the North, but find IT diff
cult to keep up appearances on the stl-
pends they receive. Negro labor Is being
substituted for white labor wherever 1t Is
practicable. The war has swallowed up
nearly all the able bodied white men, and
Sambo is now permitted to do various
things that formerly were outside his line
of duty. The doctrine OF the Enquirer
that this is Il white mans war, is most
clearly proved by the complete and
thorough nature of the consumption IN
Dixie.
Mr. Montgomery gives some interesting
information concerning the bombardment
of Vicksburg by the Federal fleet IN } uly
last. When our fleet took position above
and below VicksLurg there were less than
1000 men in the defenses, and at no time
were there more than 5000 within forty
miles of the city. When Farragut's fleet
attacked the batteries all but two guns
were silenced, and had Gen. Williams
land force made an assault it would have
found no difficulty in carrying the POSI-
ton. The Confederate commanders look
ed upon the city as certain to fall when
ever attacked, and most of the valuable
movable property in Vicksburg was taken
into the interior of the State, to save 1t
from the rapaeity of the Yankees. Real
estate was for sale at low rate, and an
enterprising speculator could have lald
the foundation of a fortune.