The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-06-06
A Flying Visit TO Louisiana.

Operations against Port Hudson-Bdton
Rouge-the Negro Regiments-Cot Dyer
and the Evacuation of Pensdcold--Irreg-
ular Prdctitioners-tt 18th Maine.
New ORLEANS, May 18th, 1868.
To the Editor Of the Press:
A word or two occasionally from this De-
partment may not prove unacceptable to your
self or readers, as Maine is largely represent
ed in Gen. Banks command.
| left Pensacola last Sunday, in company
with Paymaster Usher, who had received
warm welcome from the troops stationed there,
taking passage onthe transport Crescent,which
was conveying :the 2Sth Connecticut volun-
teers from Pensacola to Brashear city. After
tedious passage, owing to delay from the in
tricacies of the channel at the entrance to
Berwick's bay, we reached Brashear city a
bout II o'clock Tuesday forenoon and occu-
pied the time previous to the departure of the
train for New Orleans in examining the sur
roundings of country now brought before
the public prominently, for the first time.
Everything indicated the recent presence of
large force, and the spoils of war, cotton,
sugar, mules, horses, cattle, arms and contra
bands, gave abundant evidence of the success
of our arms. Nearly all the troops had left
this point having gone farther on toward the
Red River in pursuit of dsheartened and
routed foe. noticed on the platform cars of
long freight train, large number of bar
rels marked &c. S. A. Salt" The capture of
so much of that much needed article, togeth-
ar with fha capfu nd off ha
salt mines has struck a blow that can hardly
be appreciated by those at home who want
for nothing. An experience of seventy-two
hours on picket without salt provisions or
salt is not relished by our men, and weeks of
waiting must tell hard on Southern endu-
rance.
The country from Brashear city, on the
line of the Opelousas railroad to New Or
leans is exceedingly fertile and in many of the
parishes, Lafourche, the scene of General
Weitzels operations, for example, is the gar
den of Louisiana. We reached New Orleans
late Tuesday evening, having found the uni
versal Yankee soldier at every plantation and
crossing place from Brashear to Algiers.
Wednesday forenoon we took passage in the
staunch steamer Iberville for Baton Rouge
and Port Hudson. At the many numerous
landings we invariably found some fresh
Northern countenance with its loyal heart,
ever watching through the heats OF the day
and the damp fever-bearing chills of the
night, that the bright flag which the soldier
had been taught to love from the earliest mo-
ments of his life should suffer no harm from
treacherous, traitorous hands.
Many of the plantations along the river are
worked by private individuals, who rent them
of the Government and use hired labor. That
this system has great disadvantages at the
start, know well by experience; but when
the negro begins to see, as he shortly must,
that ''the laborer is worthy of his hire" and
that reward viii be given only to those deser-
wing, the results of such a system doubt not
will prove far more satisfactory in pecuniary
point Of view than at present.
We had heard rumors prior to embarking
for Baton Rouge that the troops there were
under marching orders, and were not surprised
to find on reaching that place Thursday morn
ing, that acting Brig. Gen. Dudley had gone
with his brigade and the Illinois cavalry,
whose recent raid through the heart of All en-
emy's country is still fresh in the minds of the
people, to cut off and destroy railroad COM
munication between Clinton and Port Hudson.
This had been successfully accomplished, and
we learned late in the afternoon of the same
day that the troops had returned to within
twelve miles of Baton Rouge, bringing with
them large numbers of cattle and horses, TAX
en- during the march.
Baton Rouge has been so often described
during the present war, will forbear, merely
mentioning the fact that it is one of the larg-
est cities in the Southwest, and Of interest to
the tourist as the home of one who gave the
service of life time to the very flag now dis
honored by the acts of his neighbors. The
old bartle ground of last fall shows no signs
to-day of Breckinridge's severe repulse, save
here and there the mark of stray bullet in
the surrounding fences and trees. One could
easily imagine that the bones of glorious
"Rough and Ready" moved uneasily in their
narrow resting place, as traitorous hands en-
deavored TO place the "rattle snake rag" over
tuc toWh WHICH ildu euelttTcu HiIl Wnlc Nv
ing. Gen. Augur's division have strongly for
titled their position, leaving no means untried
of harassing the enemy constantly.
visited the camp of Col. Hamlin of Gen.
Ullman's corps D'Afrique, and met many old
friends from Maine, with whom l spent a
short time very pleasantly. All the officers
of this corps are hard at work, and we can
not but reap good results from this move
ment. l was informed by some of the Off
GERS of some of the volunteer regiments sta
toned there, that the drill of the colored reg
iments under Coils. Stafford and Nelson, first
formed in Louisiana, was inferior to none in
this Department, and the discipline was such
that they could not but make good fight
when called under fire. As / was passing
along heard Massachusetts volunteer say
to a negro who had just enlisted, "The rebels
take no negro soldiers prisoners" The ne
gro answered with an expressive shake of the
head, 1--WE do 'em, too"
We left Baton Rouge at ) p. NJ, without
having been able to crafty our Unsuitable
Yankee curiosity with trip to Port Hudson,
and reached New Orleans again early this
morning, from which place We propose to en-
bark for the District of Pensacola by the earli-
est conveyance.
nVa ,arIh afnr .1a Al auI