The Portland daily press., 1862-10-01

peen met. Oniy splendid artillery duel'-
and surrender. That is all.
"They say we were short of ammunition
In the street below were six four-horse teams
loaded with ammunition-and 1 sac four waq
on loads slowed away Sunday, at midniqht
in room not a stones throw from the table al
which am now writing.
We had hundreds of thousands of pounds OF
ammunition, and eleven thousand Enfield ri.
fles, not one of which was used If this is be.
ing short, confess l don't understand the
meaning of the word
"They say also, we were short of rations
Well, the rebels carried away hardbreak, rice
coffee, sugar, molasses, pork, beef, and beans
for three days steadily, and then finished up
by burning car load after car load of rice and
beans; the air even now is full of the odor OF
burning beans.
am not telling you guess-work, nor ''they
say" when assure you we could have held
out ten days longer, had Col. Miles SO ordered.
Instead of a word of encouragement to our
men, | am told that Monday morning, an hour
before the surrender, Col Miles sent up to the
entrenchments, and told the men it would be
useless to fight, as they would all be in h. in
less than an hour. My informants are Capt.
Ward, and Lieut.. G. A. Banta, of the n Y.
18th, brave, but mortified officers, who
| took breakfast with me the next morning.
Finding on Monday that the rebels were to
get everything, and having seven pieces of
animated ebony" to feed, obtained a two
horse wagon, went to the commissary stores,
loaded up coffee, tea, sugar, rice, bacon, and
candles, &c, &c, and had it driven home
While loading, Stuart's cavalry came up, and
asked what | was getting. / said, "by the
cartel private property is to be respected."-
"Oh yes" they replied and rode off, 1 was
stopped no less than three times while going
through the street with the team,-but the
"private claim" was quite sufficient protection
As a consequence l have been able to feed
nineteen people, the entire week, and will do
the same for week to come, by which time,
please Heaven, we may find rescue.
The modification of the surrender was in a
degree compensated for to the soldiers in the
death of Col. Miles. But there is one feature
in the case for which there can be no compen-
sation. 1t is well known that the slaves follow
in the wake of our army; an immense num-
Der of these poor God-forsaken creatures had
sought protection in the Ferry, but Col. Miles
had invariably refused TO let them pass over
the B. d o. r. r., always promising their mas
tiers that they should sometime be returned
to them. Indeed, he had ordered the return
of some, but the troops rescued them, and
ducked the owner, so that slave hunting for
the time being was abandoned
But with the influx of rebel troops came
the human hyenas in search of living prey
Every nook, corner, Granny, barn, and stye has
been searched, and men, women, and little
children in droves, have been carried off.
Our hospital laundresses, and our men serv-
ants, without a word of warning, were seized
upon and carried home, or shut up in Charles
ton Jail.
In this matter, however, secesh is at fault to
the tune of seven, to my personal knowledge.
l am almost tired of night-watching, and my
revolver begins to grow heavy. 1t holds but
five balls, but before secesh gets my seven eb-
onies, my body will pay for the two balls want
ing. Oh, this traffic in human flesh! Heav-
en- send the day when the African shall cease
to be born with a black skin. For this let
Christians pray, instead Of wasting breath in
behalf of hard-hearted masters, for am NOR
ally certain it would require lesser miracle
TO change the skin Of the negro, than the hearts
of their owners.
This has been an anxious week. We have
buried seventeen men just opposite my win
dow, under an apple tree, without shroud or
coffin. The rebel surgeons took sheets, shirts.
bandages, &c, from the hospital, together with
several jars of eurrant jelly; but, npon the
whole, robbed US of less than could be expect
ed. Yesterday they wholly evacuated the
town; but, from the rapid cannonading heard
in the distance, We judge they have found an
avenger.
As they blew up the r. r. bridge, and burn
ed the pontoon, of course there is no such
thing as getting away from this place, unless
We ford the river. This am not prepared to
do, as my notions ofpersonal salvation involve
the saving of my chest of clothing, and good
Mr.. Jewett's keg of tamarnds, which keg
goes to Baltimore with me, and am not able
as yet, to carry as much upon my back.
had "hearn tell" of the seeesh army, but
God forbid my ever looking upon such an un-
godly crew again. just suppose meal bag
draggled through the mud, dipped in bacon
fat, and stuffed with rags, animated, and you
have decent representation of live secesh;
especially the live part-for the vermn fire.
quently dropped from their clothes as they
walked the street. Faugh. and then to think
they drove our troops out of town like cattle!
Well, 1t may be as secesh says; they say our
men are so well dressed they don't dare fight,
for fear of spelling their clothes. am sorry
cannot return the compliment.
II 1-2 NJ. Saturday. Our blue coats are Just
coming over Maryland Heights, and l have
screamed myself hoarse in gladness. Who they
are, or where from, we cannot as yet tell. but
they are blue coats and carry muskets. We
can see the bayonets glitter in the sun.
May be our desolated town is to be the scene
of another battle. Ifit proves as bloodess as
the last, and our troops turn drivers, shall be
content TO be spectator. Otherwise / shall
pray earnestly for my proposed regiment OF old
women, each armed with broom, and we
VIII see what can be done toward sweeping out
both sides.
Its lamentabe truth that our officers come
into the service more frequently for pay, than
ooh. -