Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-05-22

i'm Loufsiann-FOurt Musca.
tine Companies I'm Friendly
Greeting.
CAMP ON WATERFORD PLANTATION, La
May7.
Ed. JoURNAL:-After a long absence,
,nce more undertake to pen few lines for
your interesting and popular paper, hoping
that they will not prove unintcresting to you
and your numerous readers.
On the 26th of April, marching orders were
received and the Third Brigade, composed of
the 18th, 18th, 18th and 9th Iowa regiments,
took up their line of march for some place
unknown except to those in command. Their
route the first day was little west Of south,
over fiat country, which, to all appearances,
is lower than the level of the Mississippi, and
is very good for cnltivating cotton or corn
Marching on over a number of plantations,
all deserted, except by few old negro men,
and some women and children of the same
color, we camped within ten miles of the reb-
ell town of Richmond, bivouacking on the
ground, as we had marched without tents.-
During the night we had slight shower of
rain. On the 9th we again started, and af
after proceeding about mile we encountered
one of the heaviest rain storms l have ever
seen or felt. For about two hours the rain
descended in torrents, drenching us all to
the skin and making the water on the ground
run like small rivulets. The ground was COW
cred with water to the depth of from four to
six inches, through which we plodded our
way, laboriously, it is true, but yet all in good
spirits. To see the officers, wet as drowned
rats, standing with their backs to the storm,
proved source of considerable sport to all.
Some few looked as if they had been caught
away from home, while others enjoyed their
discontinue hugely. One, a captain Of cav
airy, came riding along, not even having a
pancho to cover his shoulders, a cap on his
down his neck and back, was received by the
whole brigade with three hearty cheers, as
he rode through the lines. He thought, per-
haps, that what was fun for us was (dlmost)
death to him. After marching for about an
hour and half through the mud and water,
we crossed Roundabout Bayou on pontoon
bridge, and came into the town of Richmond
We took peaceable possession of the place
and Immediately took up quarters in some Of
the deserted dwellings. There are some few
brick buildings in the place, among which are
the Court House, Jail and Orange Hotel. A
number of negro pens are also here, showing
that the bartering of human flesh was carried
on here. noticed printing press and some
few type, the remains of printing office
which had been carried on here. The title o.
the paper did not learn, nor whether it haG
been destroyed by our own men or by thu
secesh. Some four or five weeks ago scout
ing party was sent out from Milliken's Benz
to this place, who, being unable to cross thu
Bayou, tossed the rebel gentry their compli
ments in the shape Of some "a pound shells, thu
marks of which were plainly visible on sever
al Of the buildings in the town. Three Of
them passed through the printing office, tw'
through the Orange Hotel, and between two
ladies', who were sitting in one of the room.
on the second floor, one of whom jumped
off porch to the ground, distance of Il
feet. However nobody was hurt, the valian
sons of the South having practiced the oil
proverb,
'He who fights and runs away
Will live to fight another day"
In the afternoon we moved out half
mile and put up at the ''Cotton Gin," wher
we had very good fare, considering that Uncl
Sam furnished the bread and meat and al
other nccessaries-barrin few sheep an
hogs that he diint furnish.
| On the 2Sth, after hasty breakfast, W
once more started and pushed on on the road
Carthage. And now came the tug, not Q
war, but to see who could get the deepest in
to the mud and then get out again, as tn
mud ranged from two to fifteen inches deep
We pushed on, however, and by tw
o'clock had marched eight miles
bringing heavy train of provision
wagons and artillery with US, the "Army c
the Mississippi not knowing what is mean
by "cant move on account of bad roads,
The command shalt was given and "
camped on this plantation, which contain
1000 acres, and is owned by a secesh VIII
lives in New Orleans. He had planted tn
most of it in corn, hoping to furnish the rebe
army with considerable Of that article, bu
alas for all human calculations. Uncle Sam
uel came along and put a veto on his specu
lations. The negro quarters are all new, be
ing twenty in number and each built for tw
families. There is large cotton gin and
mill, running two burrs, on the place, whic
are said to be the best in the county. Hav
ing engineers and millers in our brigade, tn
mill was started, and once in while the boy
have mess of ''eorn-dodgers' for breakfast
or mush for supper. The negroes on this
like all other plantations, have been run Soutl
for fear they would fall into our hands.
| What few females have RENAME,
on p, the homesteads, are rabid she-cesl
and hate the yankees worse thai
they do "Old Nick" The report here is tina
| Grand Gulf is ours. and as secesh prisoner
begin to come in, the report is very likel,
true. On Tuesday last $50 passed here Of
their way to Northern prisons, and to-da,
about so more. One of them, a six footer
remarked, as he passed our camp, that I'll
had got out of id big fight by gettinI
gobbled up in little one;" no doubt refer
ring to the fight soon to come off at Vicks
burg, and from the looks of all of them they
| appeared glad they were captured. There il
movement now going forward which will
make the fall of Vicksburg certainty in
very short time, but it would be improper t,
state where or how they are moving.
Last Saturday large mail was received
the cause gifts being SO large, was the ertr'
number of copies of that patriotic (') famil,
paper known as the "Muscatine Courier,
besides number Of packages containing the
speech of Hon. E. H. Thayer, in favor o
Southern Rights, or in other, words, Thayer'.
secesh speech. A number Of copies of thi.
foul sheet were subscribed for by the soldier.
after pay day, for six months, some of then
not knowing what they were subscribing for
until after they received the first number
when they began to smell very large mice
and, like the female auctioneer, enquired "whe
bids, who bids-for myshare of the Courier''
They soon found out that it was not the pa
per for them, and offered their subscriptions
for Is and 10, and as low as cents, giving
this assurance: that the paper would be forth
coming until the end of that time, If nothing
happened. Those who did subscribe for il
are very benevolent set of fellows, and did
not wish to see or hear of any body starving