Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-03-10

'' improvement Of home for the support az
At eorafert Of the family which had been reared q
, the homestead, were dashed from It's mdepel
IS dent possessor, by the vile hands, acsgatod ;
. the blaexhearts Of a megcensry soldiery, C
o ganized ostensibly to fight for constitution
d liberty, but really to rob and plundsr q peopI
4 who dared to resist tyranny. Even the dali.
3 bread" and the simplest means Of making Q
purchasing any more were taken from man.
families. If a man uttered g word Of complain
, or threatened to resist them in their burglsrie
and robbaries at the dead hour Of the night, biz
premises were burned for his temerity. Fsmi
lies were driven oat Of their beds and from
their homes at night, to wander in the forests
for protection, while she fsndish work Of pillsgs
and robbery went on. Need tell you that
these things took place within two miles, and
some Of them in sight Of tho headquarters Of
the educated eulighted and Christian eommaa-
der Of the United States army in Mississippi.
For three weeks and more did this work 90
on, day and night, unmolested. They became
SO bold that their forage trains were escorted BY
8 single company Of armed men, until near the
close Of their mad career, when they got alarmed
at nothing, and sent cut a regiment or two.
They took their forage trains as far as ten or if
teen niles from their main lines. The robbers
went in squads Of two, four and SIX, al over the
country, to steal sheep, pigs and poultry. II
they met eountryman on the high way, they
took his horse or mule to carry the stolen goods
to their camp. The facility with which the rob
beTs could 6nd out what was on q place and
appropriate it, struck our women and children
with smszemeat. No place of concealmeut
escaped their hawlz-syes-no recess escaped |
their vulture-clsws-no sweet meats, preserved /
fruits OF anything having sweet saTor, escaped I
tie scent Of the blood hounds They could hide
the contents Of a bse-gum-honey, wax, bess /
and sn--quicker than a dog could swallow
lump of butter l. is the opinion Of many
persons that the boasted braves of the North !
west never saw as much sugar and preserved /
fruits, and domestic wines in their lives as they
saw and stole in Mississippi The officers eat
with silver knives snd forks, gils-edge China |
ware, and gold any silver goblets, which they
stole from our women. They often took paTlor +
furniture and other eonvenisuces from houses to
their filthy, lousy camps, and used .hem. They /
appropriated private houses in town snd country |
for their oecupancy-tskiug possession Of the |
landlsdy's keys aad usurping the proprie torshiP,
eondasceniiog to allow the family to eat al their
own tables. The greatest humiliation which /
our women had to bear was the rigid search /
which their wardro5es, bureaus, trunks, closets,
5e5s, eupbsards, safes, lardors and kitchens had /
20 us dergo by of6ears and men protesting to be
gantleman ald somebody at home- Taey fIs-
quendy coEnmensej on many eoaveniencss, and
ottel On tss 8Aat Of them IN the family econ
omT-cgitoised t1aic mode Of cooking and the
materials used, etc. The cowardiy scamps
would draw aud braulish their swords, and g
about the ya-is AID adjacent lots, sticking lheu
down in ihe ground, hoping to find a soft place
'' where she earth had recently been removed
and deposit Of something valuable bad been
MADE; and, If successful, as repors says they
waTe sometimes it was exbumsd by their val
ture Claws quicker than bull terrier could open
a r2s hole. Houses were visited st the dead
hours of the night, and ladies' were made 20 get
out Of their beds and take money and jewel,y
of tbsir persons and surrender them TO the black
hearted thieves, under threats Of the most dire
ful character
When the bandit robbers returned, they
were frightened out Of their senses. They ae-
tually believed Bragg was approaching frem
the north, while Price vas close on their
columns from the south They posted their
artillery and cavalry in line Of battle for hours,
while their infantry and baggage trains moved
nerth in " d0uble-quick." They posted their
brsYest keen-eyed Yankees on the tops Of tie
highest houses with spy-glasses to discern in
the distance the approach Of the adgsaeing
columns under Van Dorm and Forres.
Our prospects sppear gloomy, indeed, for the
future Of this year. It is supposed BY many
that there is not bread and meat enough in the
country left to last until the new crop can be
made There is not stock enough In the country
to make the tenth part of tbs usual crop, and
many persons hgys not the means to purchase
the stock even to make grain crop. Our ne
groes--the best Iaboring hsnds-being enteed
or driven away from US Our mules, horses and
oxen taken our plantation tools and imple-
nents destroyed our stock-hOgs and cattle and
poultry used up; our corn and smoke houses
smptied every blade Of fodder and grass con
sumed; our gardens, orchards and fields de-
vssiatsd our fences burned, and our money
wrested from Us by force fraud and strasagem,
And base lying Under these circumstances,
some Of our wisacres, ensconcsd behind our
lines, create 9 pressure on the governor to con
yene the Legislature against his judgment, and /
after hard beating and scolding quorum is
obtained a. heavy expense; large appropTia-
ions are said to have beea made, and our taxes
increased on last years list, when the Legislators
knew that many on the tax rolls had lost by the
hands of the bandit robbers" the last article
of their taxable property, except their lands,
and they were rendered useless or unsYailing
he present year.
Yet, the people generally, who have been
compelled to submit to these outrages for the
8ant Of proper protection are not broken in
spirit, but are confident Of success. Some Of
our people took. the aeeurssd "oath, under com.
pulsion, as they say-others took it with prom
se Of protection, and others again tsOk it vol
unfairly. Some good and true men took tiff
We judge them by their past livss-and hey BIT
erly repent Of it. They gained but little by It,
for open and svOwed secessiOnist5 received rs
much protection as they did.
It IS due to the enemy to state that after they
sere regularly located upon application, they
yusrdsd the premises Of various citizens in tho
country fom farsh=r dspreasaons. Il is also
proper to state thss when they evseasted Ozf0rd,
guaTd was lett who said they were left to pro
aet tie town from fso In several instances I
logees weEe fred ~ the refreshing soldiers. bu.
.he FIRE was extinguishad, ibe jail being tbs Oa.y
loQs3 thas was burned