The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1862-11-28
Interesting from New.Orleans.
Further Details Of the Operations Of
Gen. WeitZel.
INTERVIEW WITH MRS. GEN. BRAGG
THOUSANDS OF NEGROES FREED
Immense Quantities of Sugar and
Sugar Cane i'm the Country.
Correspondence of the New York Times
New ORLEANS, Nov. 8.


try may not be uninteresting to the gem
eral reader Thibodeaux is situated on
the west side of the river. In reaching it
by steamer you go to Donaldsonville, so
miles, and then down the Lafourche to
Thibodeaux, so miles. To reach the town
from this place you cross the Mississippi to
Algiers opposite, and on tho New Orleans
and Opelusas Railway you have only to
travel AS miles.
Crossing these prairies, you come to the
higher and more solid ground lying along
the borders of the Lafourche, and are soon
IN the midst Of the finest sugar-growing
country in the world. Ten miles of travel
through this agricultural wealth, and you
come to TlibodeauX, small town of pos
sibly thousand inhabitants. In all this
country, for miles, is now to be seen ready
for the sickle, or rather the knife, the most
splendid crop of sugar-cane that was ever
seen in the world. Nothing like the size
Or height was ever before known, and it is
calculated that, had there been no war.
and the planters been left to quietly pursue
their avocation, their income this year
would have been unprecedented in the
history of the crop. But now, alas all is
to be wasted. For miles the ripening cane
is to be seen, growing richer and richer by
every full breeze, but ripening still only to
be wasted and lost. The appearance of
our troops has ended all work among the
negroes, and sent majority of the planters
flee ing from us with undisguised fear. A
few remain and welcome our presence, but
their labOrers, unfortunately, are demoral-
izel by the surrounding example, and they
suffer with the rest.
INTERVIEW WITH MRS. BRAxTON BRAGG.
In the vicinity of Thbodeaux is situated
the plantation of Major General Braxton
Bragg. 1t of course attracted the atten-
ton of our soldiers, and his negroes seemed
to have very intelligent idea of the rela-
ton in which their master stood to the
National troops. AS our soldiers advanced,
Lieut. Col. Warner, of the Thirteenth
Connecticut, received a word from Mrs.
Bragg that she would like to have a guard
to protect her property. This request was
promptly complied with, and when Col.
Warner came up, two men of his regiment
were pacing quietly before the door of the
mansion. They had, however, arrived too
late to save the property entire. The ne
groes had taken advantage of the oppor-
tunity to break open the closets, invade
the bureaus, and rip open the feather and
moss beds, in search of treasure, and
otherwise destroy the valuables in the
different rooms. Upon Col. Warmers ap-
pearance, Mrs Bragg, with some excite
ment, commenced expressing cher mind"
/ knew this lady many years ago, long be-
tore she was married, and few women were
handsomer, or more eloquent with the
tongue. / can readily imagine, therefore,
that Col Warner got the worst of it, so far
as words were concerned; at any rate,
venture to remark that she had the "last
say" Col. Warner suggested that it was
q sad time; the lady said, No one asked
the National troops to come into this Vi
cinity, and why are they here?" Be
cause" said the Colonel, "our duty, and
my duty, which learned from your once
honored husband, taught me to follow my
flag, and defend every portion of my coun-
try" Mrs. Bragg insisted that the Yam
KEGS were intruders and invaders of the
South" The Colonel replied in courteous
language that he could not understand his
position in That light, and incidentally re-
marked that, as an Old friend of Gen.
Bragg's, he would have been pleased to see
him At this allusion the lady's dark and
sparkling eyes flashed, and she said: eff
You would see Gen. Bragg, you should
meet him in the West, and not here on his
plantation. The Colonel, with a little
malice, replied that ''Our Western troops
had been trying for some time to meet
Gen. Bragg, but that their efforts had not
teen altogether successful" Hereupon the
lady demanded protection, and getting into
carriage, rode beyond the immediate
lines OF our troops-sad, no doubt, to feel
that her husband, the trusted friend of
Gen. Taylor, and the hero of one of the
best fought battles on our continent, was
now fleeing out Of Kentucky defeated
rebel. She could find no comfort in her
ruined home, no consolation in the fact,
that her estate was gone forever.
A NEGRO CARNIVAL.
was over the river yesterday visiting
severallarge plantations, where every negro
had run away after pillaging his masters
plantation and house-ruin everywhere.
Allen had three hundred and fifty negroes,
or which not one remains-and, of course,
the standing cane will all be lost SO with
every plantation in the vicinity.
Men who were rich wake up to the disa-
greeable fact that their wealth has departed
All the houses have been ransacked by the
negroes, who have taken what they want
ed. Across the bayou opposite our camp
there is q most remarkable and picturesque
aSSamh ra Of over thraa fhouSaud narrOac
OF all sizes and ages and tints; there they
are holding high carnival; having seized
their masters carts, private carriages, hor-
ses, mules, &c, with plenty of sheep, poul-
try and bread, they are enjoying their free
dom for the first time, with vengeance.
1t is one of the quaintest and most laugh
able sights in the world to see the big ne
groes lolling back in carriages or driving
along the road, driven by one of their own
color They did not join us in any num-