New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1862-01-04
Letter frorn v,rginia.
Special 10 the New Orleans screscen.. III gtssst

4
5 ID q. sgs si,s+ RICHMOND, Dec. r. 1861. n
4fr. Editor We have had, i suppose, about as
good Christmas, go far, as the most Of people.
The weakness Of spirit manifested by She United
States in regard to the Trent affair has acted some
what as drawback to onr hilarity, but still there
has been "a profuse popping Of FIRE crackers, g
gfeat shooting Of Rockets egg nogg in sluices,
plenty of turkey and plum pudding, fair amount
Of dancing drunkenness by the dozen, fights Of all
KINDS, from a bloody nose to broken skull, pa
rades Of soldiers, much drunrbeatiug and horn
footing, and general jail delivery OF negroes, I
darkening the atmosphere, blockading the streets,
and distressing their masters and mistresses by
neglecting their business. Thus, at one OF our |
niger to wait on the dinner table, and at night
not black rascal was to be found to hand round
the refreshments provided for the dancers. These
| barbarisms Of slavery" are, somewhat tough OF
digestion at the time but after they over, after
/ the Christmas holidays are ended, our negroes all
hired OUT and cur accounts all squared, I'VE soUn
forget them. Christmas as has been quite
truthfnlly observed, t'comes bnt once year y and
while it lasts all boys, dogs and darkies ought 70
! be allowed to have their swing g
| Our city, regret to say, exhibits an alarming
proclivity to anarchy Fights and fires are the
order Of the night, and extortion rules the day.
man was killed at the theatre last night, and 70.
night an arrangement has been made for general
row at that den finebriety and iniquity, between
party Of Baltimore Plugs and 9 sanadg OF Butch
4
in part to the presence of large numbers OF sol
diers on furlough-W -Wise's Legion Is spending its
Christmas here-and partly, alsos to the promiscu-
GUS stampede and exodus Of gamblers from Wash
i ington to this place, which occurred about the
i time the war broke out. For awhile, the gamblers
| owned the town, and reveed at will therein. One.
of them the better to advertise his Calling run up
4 sort Of Babel near the Exchange, while another
exhibited his g tiger y within q few feet OF the
i ladies Of the Spotswood. This was " toiersble and
not to be endured By our virtuous President who
a. o;&r III
Of righteous indignation, that his police, by two
). we'll timed and vigorous t' descents," have driven
faro out of town, or into the darkest obscurity.
4 remains now to close the theatre and the negro
concert hall entirely and to shut mp the bar rooms
at dark instead of at 10 O'Clock, and our city Will
become the model Of the South. 'sfy ~
II dwell upon these topics in order to give your
seaders an accurate view Of the Confederate eaPl
j tai as the war progresses. Whether the rigid
system which is about to be inaugurated will coun
81 teract the effect produced by the literally innu-
| merable eating houses and tobacco shops-.fol
these continue to multiplyit boots not to cenjec
! ture. Nor will it pay to speculate on the grave
fact that all the clothing stores in the Confederacy
J. seem to be concentrating here. One thing how
ever is quite certain, and that is the evident dis
like of the Government people to the Seat Of Coy
4 ernment. You see they are not toadied here q!
they were in Washington their pay is less and thei
:. expenses are higher. tts w 2s& a23E9s ~ #aa
q Of news L have little to effar you, except tn
e death of Prince Albert, the return Of Gen. Scott
: the release Of Ely the back down of Lincoln, th
,f appointment of Robert Ouid Assistant Secretar
q OF War, and the reported crossing Of Green rive
8. by 5000 Hessians-all of which you have alread
nj heard from other sources. ss!,. g 81
I'll It appears, from a statement in the Baltimor
II News Sheet that the Casualties in two regiment
engaged at Drainesyille amounted to so killed an
Iywounded. Yet Gen. Ord had the effrontery to r
I port :. two killed and three woundeds!n The irr
q deemable liar! Your correspondent reflects Wit
ce1 pain on the singular circumstance that the cor
lg panyto which he once belonged lin the Eeven1
pl Virginia Regiment, got lost early in the acti0
no and was not seen or heard Of any more until y
ne fight was all over, although the Adjutant mat
ef three separate and distinct searches for it TT
, eomical affair has not yet been accounted 70
fd' neither has any official report of the battle
i, peared. 5...
ne Adjoining my rooms there is largish shed
W. pine boards securely rooted, and called the Tex
"a. Depot A number Of sturdy fellows are general
ne, standing about the door wherein pass, and a'
catch glimpse Of the inside 1 see many big box
piled up, and away in the background aLcouple
fellows smoking coziy by the stove. Eyident
rd +" the lone starr is not neglecting her children
nd this far-off land. ........,..
y; The Southern Literary Messenger for the mon
ny of December has just appeared The dark hue
he the paper which it is printed indicates the pre-
lal sure of the war Iobserve that the leading arc
on the " characteristics Of the negro" is by Dr..
q. Holcombe, of Waterproof, Louisiana. I, -,