American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1863-03-06
CANTON MISSISSIPPI MARCH g. 1863
THE NEGRO REGIMENTS.

TIE NEGRO REGIMENTS.
The Examiner Of the 9th thus humor-
ously but truihfuIly depicts the effects
of an attack Of artillery on the negro
regiments which recent act Of Lincoln's
Government has authorized TO be raised:
On the FIRST of April fifty thousand
negroes. who have been previously
drilled in various camps of instruction,
will be debarked AZ Acquia Creek. Pug
nacious Joseph Hooker, foaming at the.
mouth from long delay. will organize
them into brigades and divisions with
the velocity of frenzied impotence. But
1 it will require six weeks Of incessant toll
to perform this simple feat II is at last
accomplished. TIE pontoons are laid
safely and crossed without opposition.
to prevent accident. the Grand Colored
Division is put in the van. Greeley. its
commander. remains at Acquia Greek
ner Of Burnside. The skirmishers Of
the Grand Colored Division are thrown
out. They depluy.
The voice Of an overseer calling hogs
! Is heard in distant field. They rally
on the reserve. No rebels being visible.
they are thrown forward. They feel for
the enemy. bat he is not to be felt. They
FIRE at nothing. fifty feet in the air. and
hit it every time. The rebels being thus
driven to their earth works, the Grand
Colored Division advances at the pee de
charge. singing Methodist refrain. to
storm the enemy's position and to carry
the crest at all hazards. OF a sudden.
the artillery Of A. P. Hills command
belches forth hurricane of shell and
sharpnel. There is rising Of wool. as
of quilts upon the fretful porcupine. un
der the caps of dusky Brigadiers and
sooty Major Generals ; there is stimuli
taneous effusion of melifiuous perspira-
Etion from Fifty thousand larry hides !;
there is display of ivory like Fifty
thousand flashes of lightning /; fifty thou
sand pairs Of charcoal knees are knock
ing together. and one hundred thousand
Ethiopian eyeballs are rolling madly in
their sockets. like SO many drunken and
distracted moons dancing in an ebon
sky the Grand Colored Division trem-
bles like a mighty pointer dog on an icy
pavement-there is universal squat.
as if all Africa hal been kicked upon its
! shins. and at the self same moment a
scattering. as if all the blackbirds. crows
and buzzards in creation had taken wings
at once To man. The Northern army
lies PROSTATE in the field. asphy xlated
/ by the insufferable odor bequeathed to
the atmosphere, by the dark departed
host. For like cause. the rebel army
| is in full retreat TO Richmond. Solitary
and alone, with his nose in his hand, 4.
P. Hill surveys the silent scene.
ET Major Capers. who is at present
in command of Chambliss' 18Th Lou
isiana battalion of parish rangers, took
the command up TO Bunch's bend, a
short time since. for the purpose Of seiz
ling steamboat, bat got there too late.
Major Capers then destroyed all the cot>
ton in the bend. cut The lcvee in two
places, and then made preparations TO
1 fight any of the thirving parties who
could be found. The next day scout
ing party of twenty men went down
Lake Providence as far as Baxter bridge.
wnere. it had been reported. gang of
abolitionists had gone TO pilfer. The
Yankees. having been advised of the adj )
vance of our men through faithful con-
ltraband. made good their escape to their
camps before we could oyertake them.
/ Following The lake few miles further
we came across squad of Yankees,
perfectly surprising them.
Our men dismounted and Immediately
formed line of battle. but the Yankees.
seeing our position. avoided direct adj
vance and attempted to flank US. Our
men fell back and prevented them from
making flank movement. when we gave
them very decent little thrashing. We
killed twenty. wounded ten. killed six
horses and captured one horse, saddle
and bridie Our loss was few guns.
blankets, etc.; not a man received the
slightest wound. Had our men started
twelve hours earlier on their scouting
Iexedition. they would have captured
Gen. Grant and Col. Ditzler. the COM
mander at Providence. who had, in
company with ten officers. been out the
day previous at Mrs. Blackburn's place.
The 18Th battalion will yet do some
good If old granny" Blanchard. at Mon
roe. will only let them alone Ecks
burg Whig.
FROM YAzOo PASS.
The best information We have from
4 this point is that the feet Of the enemy
IS still az the mouth Of the pass in Cold
s w ater 1t is composed of five stern and
two side wheel boats. carrying two guns
i each. and few Transports. Nothing
definite IS known as to their strength.
Il 4 L.. 4