Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-08-13
TCorrespendence Of the Chicago Tribune
VICKsBURG, july 25. 1862

earnest III IliS war. DSSiFIBg room III
the central part OF the city, and seeing
one that suited me, made application for
it 10 the owner, very gentlemanly look
ing ply eician, and he told me he had moth
ing to say in the matter! By the terms OF
the Confscation Act, fine block of build.
iDgs, worth perhaps twenty or thirty thou
sand dollars, was taken from him, and
thus the earnings of lifetime were dashed
from bis grasp when he thought he held
them most securely. And this is only
single example. All these fine rows of
business structure, all these fine residences,
and there are hundreds OF the latter, built
in every style of taste and elegance, be-
longing. almost without exception, to
Uncle Sam. | have been making az esti-
innate, and find that On one street alone
Washington street.-The property acquired
| by Uncle Sam will be about $2,00U,000.
When the books are balanced, | rather
think it will be found that the cost of the
siege is we'll nigh cancelled by the trophies
gained by the siege.
Another item to be noted in this con-
nection, il that all the iron an good
portion OF the lead fired into the city Will
be saved. The secesh had gath 5red up all
| the pieces OF shell and all the solid shot we
fired, intending to use them when their
own missiles gave out, or to cast them
over. Of course all this pains. taking in
nured to our benefit. There is also a
very large amount of lead in the cotton
bales on the fortifcatiOns-the MIME balls
fred by our sharpshooters. Thus it will
be seen that the hot or cold iron or lead
that Gen. Grant threw into this rebellious
city, was not all thrown away.
The most magnificent residences in the
city are occupied by our Generals for their
headquarters. The one chosen by Gen.
Grant is at the foot Of Washington street,
situated upon high bluff, and while there,
such is the breeze almost constantly STIR
ring, one forgets the region he is in, and
| imagines himself back in the NORTH
The place occupied by Gen. Logan On his
absence by Gen. Smitb) as Governor Of
| the city. is one OF the most elabOrately
| decorated residences | ever saw. The
grounds are laid out very similar to those
OF the late DR.. Egan, on the West Side in
Chicago. am sure the loyal people Of
tie North will not blame the officers of
this army for enjoying, tor brief season,
atiaGna cam dign3tGte in the deserted
homes Of the rebel lords.
| The strictest regulations are still in force
in regard to drinking. Not thimbletull
OF anything that can intOxicate is to be
had, except through the Medical Depart
| ment. All sorts of shifts and eXpedents
are resorted to for the purpose OF obtain
ing the consent Of medical directors of
corps to purchase liquor, especially among
officers, who generally manage to get their
supplies OF commissary," sick or we'll.
| But the poor secesh, shrupken in body
and sunken in spirit, and not understand
| ing the pulling of the ropes, suffer terri
bly, in being deprived of this, one of the
elements of the Confederacy. Oh, if [
had the heart of copperhead, that heart
would be often, very often, torn and lace
rated by the sufferings OF the proud but
halt famished secesh OF the higher grades.
| Not long since lady Of one Of the very
first families, asked me to intercede to get
| her permission to buy quart of brandy,
pretacing her request by the assertion that
she never made bed nor cooked meal
of victuals in all her life, that her " serv-
ants" had all left her, and she needed
| something to strengthen her IN doing her
own work, which she was now obliged to
| do. put her in the way Of getting what
she wanted, and as she left NE with two
| bottles in her hand, reflected on the mu-
liability of earthly grandeur, and the
| means of sustaining Southern courage IN
der adversely.
SubsistiDg here, for citizeUs from the
North. is very precarious business, as is
also the procuring of shelter. There is
not 8 hotel open in the town, and thus
far but very poor excuses tor boarding
houses. If did not think fifty parties at
least would follow the recommendation,
and thus overdo the business, | would
recommend few enterprisiDg boarding
house keepers 10 come down here.
Spectators may as well make up their
minds to give Vicksburg wide berth at
present | saw the original Dick Robin
son, of Kentucky, IN limbo at the Provost
Marshal's office to-night-cause, cotton on
the brain. And those parties who have
permits from the Treasury Department to
trade, had better wait until Gen. Grant is
ready to add his protection to their per-
mission. 1t is just one of the easiest
things in the world tor cotton specua-
tor to get into difficulty at this slime. AS
to other articles, keep all your stocks at
home and you will save the cost OF re-
shipment, or worse, colhscatl0n.
A few evenings since | called on one OF
the old citizens here, and had many Incl
dents of great interest related to me of the
progress of the siege. My informant was
originally Union man, but being old, and
having an undue confidence in the status
quo, he went with the current. He told
me that during the first week or two Of
the siege the citizens kept up their spirits
admirably, expecting 10 Johnston to come
to their relief. But when day after day
passed and the prospect grew less imme-
dlase, the hopes of one after another
would give way. He says that women
who refused to leave the city at first un-
der any circumstances, would have given
all they had in the world to have been
outside the lines during the latter part of
the siege. He says it was pitituI to see
the poor creatures come out OF their caves
in the morning, often not having slept at
all, go TO their residences and get their
breakfast, and hasten back to their re-
treat, each way running the gauntlet OF
shell, shot or bullets. He says so far from
citizens getting accustomed to the cannon
ade and not minding ii, it became every
| day more and more terrible to them, and
wearing upon their nerves. dub, said
| he, you know that in time OF war cltI-
zens can never complain, 10 matter how
| hard they are treated" "Whst!" said |,
s'did you want Pemberton to surrender?"
| Yes" said he, ''half the citizens here
| deemed the last two weeks of his persis-
tence an outrage" He said he saw lit
J L