Santa Fe gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1859-1864, 1863-11-07

times twenty Or more in single room, weary,
weak, and sick from their long march aud sbstin-
ence, spiitess and sad and many Of them longing
to be once more on old massas plantation. On
the morning Of July 80, having slept the night
previous in the Presbyterian church. went out
early to examine the premises. The first object
thOt attracted my attention in tho rear of the
church was the tall skeleton Of a negro man Sit
ting on the ground, with his back to post, and
his head hanging down upon his breast, and bis
arms resting almost powerless at his side. He
evidently was very sick. raised bis head little,
and asked what allied him "0l, sir," he feebly ex
claimed, al have the di re-a and the fever. -
"Iiaye you no lriends?n | asked "Yes my
mother and sister live in that house there" point
ing to little frame building containing dozen
or more inmates, "and have come out here 10 be
COOL" passed to the front, and on the stone
door sill found another lying with gourd filled
with water at his side. As looked at his dirty
and wasted form | thought his sniierngs would
be but short. lie had burning fever, and some
kind negro had brought him water reused him
upa little, and he told me that he had no medi-
cine, no bread nothing TO est. A soldier hap
pened to pass just then with some biscuit under
his arm asked one for the negro, which he
readily gave. | had no medicine turned to en-
ter the basement, and was met by third negro,
with swollen feet, trembling from weakness and
want asking for l!ttlo water. A fourth negro
was passing with bucket of water and the sick
man was served, an his fevered lips cooled Such
was my m, rning visit before six O'Clock, All
these men told me that they had been servants Of
officers IN the Union army, and when taken sick
were driven away
After breakfast | set out with another delegate
to visit one Of the post hospitals As we passed
along the streets we encountered on every hand
negro men, women and children, gathered in little
groups on the pavement, IN vacant lots, and in the
yards that surround houses already flled to over.
flowing with Others of the same color The want
and wretehodness of these unfortunates stared US
fully in the face. went into Baptist Church,
where large number had taken quarters. shall
not attempt to describe the scene. | had before
me as filthy ard ptiable group Of suffering hu-
manity as was ever gathered together. learned
from themselves that they were mostly from be-
yond Jackson. They were mostly plantation ne
yroes, aud many Of them were longing to be buck
to their old homes We passed on to the hosp
tai. While the surgeon in charge was pointing
out to Us the grounds and stating his plans wc
saw poor negro who had crawIsd half way up
ono Of the terraces which surround the building,
and was apparently dying, The Doctor remarked
that he would die there; that he had crawled up
there to got sone medicine, and that they were
frequently found dead in the shrubbery and fence
corners.
About the lst of August the military authori-
ties became alarmed lest poStence should break
ont among them and extend to the army. Per.
emptory orders were issued to at once remove
across the river all negroes, Of every age and sex,
whether sick or we'll who were not in some EN-.
| ployment One morning went out to inform a
certain Lieut. W, who with an inadequate
force was executing the order, that one of them
in the Baptist church was dead, aud that another,
a woaan, was lying behind fence dying He
told me that he had detailed for the purpose oil
removing the negroes, twenty army wagons; that
he hauled them, well, sick, and dead, with all theiI
traps, to the river where he bad steamer to
convey them across to a point opposite the lower
part OF the city; that he had one wagon to hau
The dead, and that some days he found ms many as
twenty; that 10 one house he found six dead bo-
dies, with living ones sitting and lying around
them apparently unconscious Of their situation
Holes were dug on the rivers bank and tho dead
buried The searching out and removal Of these
negroes consumed about fifteen ortwenty days
About three hundred were thus removed to the
low grounds opposite Vicksburg and there LEFT
in the weeds, without any shelter, under the care
of man who was appointed to organize then
into camp and separate smallpox cases from tht
rest-n general to do what he could for their re-
lief lie was soon taken sick, and certaiI
Cupt,-- was appointed to take charge Of all th,
contnbands in and around Vicksburg, The cap
tain was soon Frustrated by disease, but was a
bis work again when left Vicksburg August q
Capt - appointed chaplain to take chaVg
, of those who had been removed from the city il
place of the man who was first appointed. II,
entered upon bis labors but was sOOa PROSTATE,
with disease, and was conveyed across the river il
, a skiff, whence he made his way to house ad
, Joining that ofthe United States Christian Com
mission. Here he was found alone ard very sick
} He was invited to our house, where he was st
} remaining when left the city. The chaplain toll
mo that these negroes had suffered and were sti
suffering untold want and wretchedness; that neal
/, ly four hundred had died since he had take
3 charge of them; that from fifteen 10 twenty di
Q daily. Sometimes they would crawl off into th
. weeds and die, where their bodies would be foun
r only by the stencil which arose from their decay
That thera wos No white man with them but