The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1863-07-31
7THEowEEKuYlAPIoNEERlqANnxDEMocRAr

were made by the hundred all day Mon
day. You would hear Of nothing but the
vicksburg news, go where, you would.
One of the most amusing features of the
day was the effect to be observed Upon the
"secesh . female population. OF sud
den everything bore the rebellious symbols
of the "red, white and red" White
dresses with red founces, bonnets trimmed
with red and white roses, white ribbons
around the neck with red bows, &C., &C.,
were all, the rage. g g won't believe it, /"
said one, 6 until ! see an order from Gen.
Pemberton that says SO! y But, ! am
happy to say, the disbelief of our fair
friend had no effect upon the facts of the
case; and she was "obliged to believe
it," even 80 much against her will a
Friday night, when we left, the news
being fully confirmed, Memphis blazed out
in all the glory of tallow-candle illumina-
ton! Feeling considerable sorrow at leav-
ing so beautiful place, took q final look
at the familiar scenes Met "secesh %
friend who keeps bookstore on Main
street. I asked him how he liked the
news. He liked it, because it denoted a
speedy peace. Agreed with him at once.
eyes" he continued, "Mr Lincoln told a
friend Of Mr.. So-and-so, who told Mr..
Such-a-one, who told Mr.. Blank, who told
friend of mine, that all he was waiting
for was just to whip the Confederates once,
and he would acknowledge the independ-
ence of the Southern Confederacy without
further delay!" |, of course, had no more
to say. "a 5.e.t.5
The steamboat in which took passage
was the 81. II. Dickey," doubtless a very
fine boat before the war commenced; al
though somewhat ''demoralized," at pres
ent. On her upward trip she was fred
upon by guerrillas, and received seventeen
six-pound balls in various points of her
hull. One grazed the tiller-rope,y others
shattered a beam just overthe steam-pipe !;
| and her escape from capture was little less
| than miraculous. .i s.fr..,.i ..,-t
/ have frequently seen hotter weather at
the North Gin fact, our thermometer was
at no time above a95;) but never saw so
oppressive weather any place, as expert
enced during those two days on the Dickey
| / can stand the sunshine as / have seen it
in the harvest-feld, as it beats down upon
devoted hearts, in city streets; but, am
free to own, that the steamy, boggy, STIFF
ling heat of the river, was too much for
me. We had crowd of passengers; and,
! between the heat of the day, the mosoui-
toes a. night and the puculiar character of
the victuals was never more pleased in
my life than to see the spires Of Vicksburg,
looking at me through the river mist on
Sunday morning.
Vicksburg has certainly, like old Jerusi-
lem, "receiyed doubly at the hand of the
Lord, for all her sns'' In time of peace
it must have been place of singular besu-
ty. It's commanding views; its regular
streets; its fine buildings, and its luxu-
RANT shade trees, are features of beauty
which distinguish it far above the general
| ity of American cities. But now, al
though it yet possesses these elements of
beauty, in great part, the streets are va
can't, the stores are in ruins and tenant
less, and the city itself possesses the aw-
ful stiffness of death! Go where you will,
the marks of our shells are everywhere
visible. Scarcely a house has escaped,
and may of the more prominent ones are
riddled with balls. Very few civilians
were killed, however. They dug immense
caves in the clay bluffs upon which the
city is built, and in those retreats, far
from where shells ever penetrate, they
!were safe. visited one of these subtel IA
mean retreats, and the wine baskets, and
long Decked bottles, labelled sold Bour-
bon," ,"Cognac, DC, showed that the
Vicksburgers were not without sp ritual
consolation in their affictions. -.d
The Notifications in and around Vicks-
burg have been described; but no les-
cription would do them justice. The city
is batteries all over Guns We're mounted
in the streets, on the levee, on the hills,
in the suburbs, in fact, as | said before all
over the place. My only wonder is that
we ever got the place; and am convin-
ced, that, after taking that, we need not
stand back at anything.
The Fourth Minnesota, is in the imme-
diate neighborhood of the city. The Fifth
is at Youngs Point, at the mouth of the
Yazoo. Being rather pressed for time,
had no. opportunity to visit either of
them. My own regiment-the Thirds
at Oak Ridge, post, as its name would
imply; among the hills, distant about ten
miles from here, and as many more from
Vick sburg. Tie road from here out is
full of picturesque scenery. For the first
four miles you journey along the. base OF
the series OF abrupt ridges known as 'Sny-
der's Bluff . The sides of the road are
lined with camps of Divisions, which have
now gone out to the Big Black" and
the hills are crowned with batteries, in
which ten thousand men could resist an
hundred thousand. At this point, the
road leaves tue direct route to the front,
climbs the ridge, aud leads through the
magnificent groves of the upper land, to
the important cross roads, which it is the
duty of our regiment to guard. a
t. The camp is beautifully located; and, if
they had tents, know of nothing that would
be more pleasant But, in spite of the
picturesque scenery; the cocl breeze, the
blackberries, figs, peaches and other deli
cacies of the season, the rail pens ip
(which they are bivouacked, are an un-
houbted drawback upon this enjoyment
b The regiment is in the best of health
and the best Of spirits. The place which
they hold is of the utmost Importance to
Grants line OF communication, and the
boys are proportionably pleased at the
prospect of a brush with the guerillas.