The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-10-18
FIVE DAYS IN DIXIE!
statement Of . Releasea Praseaer.
correspondence Of the N. Y. World.


statement Of ReleaseA Pr1seaer.
correspondents Of the N. 7. World.
s-rAxER NcGnL, FLAG OF Tsucs FLEET,
Near Cairo, Oct. 8, 1862.
uhen 7 wrote to you last was Ruthless
DE- camped at Rienzi, Miss I am now .
paE.hle Gentleman just returned from the
South. n, r.;a., Cav.
II came to pass in this way. On FRIDAY, sep
,.nhe, 10 a party of us rode out from our camp
49, miles to the west. 1t is common thing,
sS;s cavalry scouting-useful in its way and not
'no dangerous. The day was fine and the
ON vas setting gorgeously as we entered the
,s.r lane which leads from "Widow Reese's" TO-
ward Rienzi.
THE sKIRNIsH.
1,s, &C we nassed the mieale of the lane, it is
half. mile long, and the fence on either side
a;0bt or nine rails high, party OF guerrillas
oaIIoned 10 at the eastern end to meet US, as
bold scamps as you ever saw, twice our little
sonad in number, armed with double.barreled
shot guns and pistols, and we'll mounted. You
emile at shot-guns? Let me tell you that at
Close quarters, each barrel loaded with q musket
hail and three buck.shots, they are very efiec'
tive.
email battle. Suffice it to cay that the balls
,rb;s,Iad merrily, till in about two minutes, the
,oI;oh,e gentleman and one of his wounded COM
nsn;ons. private soldier, shot painfully in the
t.ce found themselves the center of an isosceles
,r;.angle two sides composed of fence corner,
.he third rank of mounted foes. With sixteen
.,n barrels playfully presented at ones breast
E Il time to surrender. The last message from
NV retreating companions came in the form OF q
bnlet from Sharpes carbine. 1t few harm.
lessly over my head.
BALLoU's
STAYING ride of nine miles brought US to the
farmhouse of Jerry Ballou, decent old man,
who gave US supper, good bed, snd a chance
To nurse nv wounded man. AZ we rode up, bis
little daughter looked curiously at me.
"Paw, Is that Yankee?"
eyes little DEAR" said /, land if I had known
was coming to make you visit would Eave
worn my horns"
With fair bed, cool air, and no mosquitoes,
could not but sleep soundly, albeit the room
was rather crowded. In another BED lay my
wounded man; around the little fire on the
hearth were four OF the guerlillas keeping vigil;
nv the side of my bed was cradle with baby
IN It while now and then the young ladies of the
family would saunter through the room, and
waking for en- instant, would see them gazing
with intense curiosity at the csPtlves.
At breakfast heard phrase which is said to
be common in Mississippi
"Wlll YOU .hsve.some of them molasses?"
Nav there not be certain pathological philo-
sophy about that? Who shall say that molasses
is NOT, or are not, a noun plural?
BALDWIN.
Breakfast dispa patched, we soon rode ten miles
southeast to Baldwin, little station on the No.
bile & 0Aio Railroad, twenty miles south of
Rienzi Our trains of cars run from Columbus,
Kv, to Rienzi; the rebel trains run from Mobile
up to Baldwin. The intervening distance is de-
batable ground, the track tore up and bridges
burned at many points.
Let me say at this point, that thenceforth dur
ing our sojourn in Dixie we were treated with
the most eminent courtesy and kindness by eve
~ rebel officer and soldier we met, save one, to
be mentioned in his turn. There was demon
stration of good fellowship in their manner which
was perfectly refreshing. Meeting afterward a
number of brother officers, we could not but
agree that we had been received with mole &C
tive kindness in Mississippi than we would have
been in Illinois; partly perhaps because we we're
objects of curiosity, and partly because the tenn.
permanent OF the South is warmer and more de-
monstratve than that of the North.
ABOUT Monty.
At Baldwin we first met the motley currency
of Dixie-Confederate notes, cotton bills shin
plastsrs aud, most curious of ALL railroad money
printed on second hand paper, which had been
used for ledgers and day books Think, ye anti
quarans, of pecuniary palimpsests
said to the officer Of the guard
"You seem to have plenty of money herea-
bouts?"
"Oh, yes-all you've got to do is to print the
head OF woman on piece of brown paper, anC
twill pass"
SAVAGE CIVILIANS.
Such abuse as we received came from non
combatauts, women, citizens and the like. One
of our party OF captives-the list swelled as WI
proceeded--vas loudly attacked with curses by
person in uniform who rode up to him in the
main street OF Tuka The Illinois officer quietly
responded
"What is your rank, sirs"
"First Lieutenant"
'In the Quartermaster's Department."
eyes"
81 thought 500
"Why?"
because have noticed, in both armies, tina
the men who are the most malignant toward pris
ouers are those who never get where the bullet.
whistle :"
tGreat discontinue of the Quartermaster, anc
loud laughter and applause from the rebel col
diers vho stood by
TUPELO.
Next morning we were dispatched by rail te
Tupelo, some twenty miles further south, on the
Mobile and Ohio road. was met at the cars by
aCaptain of General Moore's staff, who took mt
to breakfast and played the part of host tor the
better part Of the day. What tall, round shout
dered, amiabe Texan he was, to be sure
graduate of West Point, Secessionist from the
beginning, devotee of the doctrine Of State
rights and Southern wrongs, he was yet as gen
tie as a woman in his discourse. All that brgh
September morning we sat in the shade OF {
broad piazz at the house vas deserted, as abou
half the houses in Dixie seem to be-and talked
of history and politics. OF course we laughed
at each others extreme views" and came to NJ
agreement on any proposition.
YOU of the North" said he, shave invaded
our country"
mo, sir; Mississippi is part of our country
Do the police of New York invade the Five
Points when they 60 there to quell riot?"
You of the North have contracted an enor-
NOUS debt. How are you going to.pay it,"
Fund it and pay the interest. Aud you o
the South have little debt of several hundred