The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-06-02

Tuesday Morning, June 2, 500.
A Journey through the South.

A Journey through the South.
Mr.. Coburn, the correspondent of the N. Y.
World, who was captured at Vicksburg on the
Sd May, gives an account of his three weeks
experience in the South. We copy the fol-
lowing:
AT Vicksburg we remained two DAYS, being
confined first in the common Jail and after
wards to the upper stories of the court house.
AS we learned that night from Col. Jacob
Thompson formerly Secretary of the Interior)
our case was referred to the Richmond author
tiles, who had ordered us to be sent eastward
we knew not where; and not until we left
Atlanta, eight days after, were we certain that
we were en- route to Richmond.
THE IMPRESS IONS OF vIcKsBURG,
as given, are, tn at, Vicksburg is not so for
midable place as represented.
We guess the number of guns on the river
side to be less than forty, and never to have
exceeded seventy. OF these we are informed,
only three are ten inch, two nine and four
eight, three ri1ed, and the rest 80 Founders.
There is but one casemated battery in the vi
cinity. The earthworks are, however, perfect
of their kind. Negroes are still at work on
bomb-proois and magazines, probably to guard
against mortar shells. A landing from the
front is in our judgment feasible, though now
happily needless. The rumored fortifcations
In the streets are simply little pits or shoul-
ders oil fainparts projecting into the roadway.
The works back of the city are the ordinary
entrenchments commanding the roads and
small earthworks on the ridges. Every hill on
the outskirts Is crested with an earthwork
Judging from the works at their tenderest
point tBig Black Bridget, the defences at the
rear are rudimentary only. The country is
rough, succession of small hills, TO the banks
OF the Big Black, but the roads are good and
the hills each commanding the other. Unless
by some overwhelming attack, the Confed-
crates may resist a large force at every rod,
and so prolong the siege
have a grounded conviction, based upon
concurrent testimony, that at the time of our
sojourn there were not more than fifteen thou
sand troops west of the smaller streams, and
six thousand east. Could these all be concen-
trated upon one decisive point they might
with their works repel five times their num-
bers, but repitition of such plan of attack
on our part they may never hope for again.
The confederate hopes of Vicksburg are
mainly hung upon General Joe Johnston, who
arrived at jackson on the 18th, and was pur-
sued thence after destructive fight next day.
His plan appears TO be TO amass a considerable
army outside aud drive off the besiegers. We
do not believe his intention il to get inside of
Vicksburg, but to leave that post to Pember-
ton.
INTERIOR OF THE CoNFEDERACY.
Ourjourney to Atlanta was without interest.
Morning and evening, for three days, we passed
regiment of infantry encamped at the termi-
nj. About six thousand in all may have passed.
These were the reinforcements for Nicksburg,
collected by Joe Johnston north of jackson.
They hailed from Savannah and Edisto Inlet.
On one train we noticed large rified English
siege piece. On the 1lth we passed General
Johnston and staff at Montgomery.
Railroad travelling is SO bad that we think
800 day would be the maximum of troops
which could be carried over the roads from
McDowells Landing on the Tombgbee to
Brandon, where we hear the southern road is
cut. Provisions could be taken through in
very small quantities, and there are no troops
nearer than Mobile or Charleston.
A break of guage occurs between West
Point and Montgomery. Changes are inevita-
bic between the latter and Selma, a hundred
and fifty miles, which is performed by boats
on the Alabama river Another break of five
miles occurs at the Tombigbee below Demop-
oils. Atlanta is a large railroad center.
Toward that point Col. Streight was marching
when he was arrested by Forrest.
The negro, we discovered, is of the greatest
service to these people in carrying on war. He
is employed on railroads, machinery, transpor-
tation, and manufactures. We have seen one
of them driving locomotive. We saw none
armed, but heard of them in South Carolina. 4
THE CROPS.
Fruits we had sometimes, such as black
berries and strawberries. The crops look well,
corn being the greater portion Of the arabic
land. Not tenth, or perhaps even twentieth,
of the cotton usually raised has been planted.
Very little tobacco in West Virginia and East
Tennessee. There will be no positive starva-
in the South so long as they have so much
corn, but there will be a shortness of many
things painful to bear.
THE FEELINGS OF THE PEOPLE.
1t is only the truth to say that great maori-
ty OF the higher class people of the South are
unanimous in their belief in the virtue wisdom
and justice of their cause. They profess TO
believe in Southern independence" Southern
wealth, and eventual prosperity aud greatness.
There may be Union sentiment at the South
but 1T has, like other sentiments, very little ex-
preston. The South has all the unison it
needs to carry on the war. In a military sense
the South is united
Yet there are Union men and Union women
in the South. They are confined to no sec
ton, but abound most in the region described
IN circuit OF hundred and fifty miles round
Atlanta. Northern Alabama, Northern Geor-
gia, East Tennessee and Western Virginia
contain them; Richmond itself does In num-
bers. We have discovered the best evidences
of it in many instances. When travelling
along the route and the proprietors of eating
houses secretly thrust back our money iuto
our hands-when men come up and shake us
warmly by the hand and entreat us to repre-
sent to the North the need of pressing on !;
when they send us boquets and other friendly
assurances, we feel in special sense the pro-
foundness of this sentiment" But our expe-
rience is tame beside that of the gallant Off
GERS and men of the Indianola and the "raid-
ers" under Col. Streight. These people had
boquets,w money concealed in them, thrown
to them; the tars had plugs OF tobacco, offer
ings of food, and other substantals.