Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-09-01
From Bolivar, Tennessee.
A Visit to The Negro Quarters-HOp the Darkies
Sport. Eat and Work, &c, &c, &c.
BoIIyAR TFNN Auoust 81

attention ms exhlOlton on 4 new neld 10 me may
not be uninteresting. In company with Captain
Ryan, of Gen. Rosss staff-a very popular off
Ger and an unassuming gentleman-I visited last
evening the quarters of the negroes who are at
work on the fortifcations. They occupy a num-
Der of houses and outbuildings connected with
some steam mill property on the banks of the
river. They had Just finished their supper as we
arrived, and were lolling and laughing about the
grounds. We passed hastily through sleeping
department two, the beds consisting of the
bare floor, and he was fortunate who had a bundle
for pillow. Yet that resting place seemed to be
all that was desired, upon which. some were al
ready piled in such shape and such proximity as
inclination prompted.
We proceeded to the building occupied bv the
physician, in front of which the negroes were then
gathering. The tuning up of violin indicated
purpose of the crowd Three or four candles
were lit a ring was formed and by the light of
the candles got the first fair sight of the motley
group. Three or four hundred of these black
skins, of all ages and sizes, and draped in all
kinds of costume. stood in the ring and their
glistening eyes and grinning mouths, as far back
into the crowd they could be discerned, told
that they were to "have little dance tonight" f"
While the preliminaries were being arranged the
fiddler retained stocal indifference and disdain
to all appeals of his fellows, as if such importu-
mites were an infringement upon the dignity of
gentlemen
indulge in with as little sense or reason. But DO
sitiOn is everything, we'll with negroes as mill
tary men.
The fiddler was ready, the dancers were i'm line
and away went BOTH An old Virginia reel was
worked off with sprightliness and energy, and
with some touches of the art that / never wit
messed before Barefoot or shod, those feet were
nimble enough on this occasion. Everything had
passed along silently for some time, except the
strains of the fiddle and the patter of the feet,
whose exercises engaged the undivided attention
of the crowd, when the lord of the fiddle threw
his head back. and with some double rakings on
his fiddle strings, exclaimed, g Dis is de way to
get to hebben." This seemed to be the signal
for general Outburst. The fiddle went faster
and the feet quicker - If Sally was only here
for de lady instead of dis big nigger" said one of
thedancers. "And Dinah, ,""and Chloah. "and
Jane and a hundred other names went through
the crowd
As matters were now taking the high pressure
style, Mr.. Bones came jumping into the ring
with two big ribs he had saved from his rations,
and, striking an attitude that set all cork bediz-
ened imitators into the shade, added his weight
and muscle to the prOpelling power. Mr. Banjo
soon followed, and the patters, who hit shins,
knees head, and breast in perfect time with the
music, became inspired; in fact, everybody was
marking time in some way, and so on the thing
rushed, through the reels, cotillions, iigs, and
fancy dances mentioned on the "small bills
The second scene introduced love song, dur
ing which the singers walked around the ring,
and. at the end of each verse. received "A new re-
cruit. The tune an old Methodist one, and
was SO drawn out through the noses of the per-
formers that | could not gather many of the
words 1t commenced:
Were going down to New Orleans,
The place from which we started
And Mary Jane and MY Darling" which
were woven into the chorus, determined the char
acter of this part of the entertainment.
For the next performance, a muscular boy en-
tered the ring with an iron baking kettle, and
big cracker-box. Arranging them in a row, the
music commenced, and he set in with dance
around and over his playthings. Keeping time
with the music, he seized the baking kettle, ad-
justed it in his teeth dropped his hands, and con-
tinued the dance for some minutes, when, drop
ping the kettle, he seized the hox in a similar
way, and went through the same dance, and con
cluded by serving the other kettle i'm the same
way. As the company were preparing for break
down cotillion, We concluded we had seen enough
for one entertainment, and departed.
These scenes, l learn, are enacted nearly every
night They are varied by " bind-mans buff, -
and other similar plays. wrestling, buttng &c
On Sunday night they hold prayer meeting
which. for ''gOries, "hallelujahs, and the like,
is said to be of the first order
In the morning we returned to see the turn out
for work. The breakfast table was Just spread
as we arrived, or, rather, on rough boards set on
stakes in open building, huge crackers and
big pieces of beef were arranged and boxes of
crackers strewed along at convenient distances,
to replensh that article therefrom. Each nigger
had cup, with which he repaired to the kettle
for hot coffee when he desired, and, seizing his
cracker and meat in his fingers, the delicate ope-
ratiOns of a few hundred voracious jaws soon
left no remnants behind. These negroes, for
convenience in working are divided into compa-
nies of from twenty five to fifty, over whom is a
negro captain. and all, of course. under the di-
rectiOn of the proper officers in charge of the
works. The "captain" realizes his importance,
and manages to get an old pair of military pants,
coat, cap, belt, or feather, to indicate his posi-
ton" A negro now seized "secesh" drum
and beat upon it, which the signal for falling
into line, each company on its own particular
ground.
The calling of the roll was decidedly amusing.
There was so many "Sams, Caesars" and
''Jims." that resort was had to numbering them.
The number they could not remember, though
they had been told il over and over again tor
weeks, "Sam" No. is called two or three
times, and "Sam' says. Oats my name, but
doesn't reckamember dat number" Sam No.
10 ran away last night and "Sam" No. % is
sick though he had just disposed of his morning
rations. After the roll call is completed, the
"crack" company, under the lead of fife and
drum, start out to their labors, the other COM
panies following. As well the negro plays the
fiddle and banjo, he is very Indifferent musician
fife or drum.
a majority of these negroes have been drafted
from loyal owners for this particular business and
will be returned when the Notifications are fin
ished. Others are negroes who have escaped
from their masters and come within the lines and
have been set to work. Some have run away af-
ter being set to work and returned to their mas
tiers. Others, not thinking that this kind of work
corresponded with their ideas of "liberty," have
sought that object in other quarters. At best the
most of these negroes will be spoiled, so far as
any further usefulness to their masters or them
selves is concerned. They will catch just enough
of the idea of liberty to become lawless, and
many of the citizens would prefer that they should
be run out of the State rather tSan that they
should remain to contaminate the rest of the
slave population. Some men and officers think
they are doing cunning thing to be spending
their time in coaxing niggers, and particularly
the wenches, away from their masters, although
they are violating the orders of their command
ers. and know they are only leaving their vic
tins to misery when they shall have gotten
through with them.
From the Louisville Journal.
The Attack on Gen. Buell..