The Big blue union. [volume] (Marysville, Kan.) 1862-1866, 1863-06-20
Down the MiSSisaippl.
Correspondence of the Union !

Q. n. Dept, 4th Iowa Cavalry, Marshars)
June 3 1893
EDITOR UNroS.-I think Ipromised to tell you
Of Dixie and my experiences therein.
must sum up the noticeable features of a
month Of active service within the narrow lin
its of single letter.
"On the water, on the water" floating in the
purple twilight. longingly gazed upon the rug
ged Arkansas hills and on the dear, dirty old
town Of Helena v hich was leaving perhaps for
ever. The low walls of Fort Curtis faded out
in the shadows,the picturesque nunnery with its
evergreen shrubbery was lost among the dark
old beeches which clothed the hills beyond, snd
Helena with the pleasant associations and MEM
ories connected with it went out in night and
darkness. 1t was starlight on the broad old riv-
er, and the soft south wind broke the dark wa
ters into crested ripples; dlvery mist cur
taine the shores "Down the river, down the
river" sang the men, wrapped myself in my
blanket and was lostin sleep till morning.
= We reached Milliken's Bend on the 3 9th
of April just as the shrill bugles called
retreat. tits very pleasant riding on the
water, but less so upon the Mississippi than
almost any other river. Vast plantations,
level and fertile, stretching away as far as
the eye can reach, trim hedgrdFs of Usage
orange and blooming rosevine, pala,laI
mansions with latticed verandas hung
with honeysuckles and climbing monthly
roses, gardens filed with all the floral
gems of this semi-tropical cline, avenues
of stately live.oaks with the dark gloss of
their foliage relieved by the pale green of
the catalpas and the brown of the magno-
lias,-all these may be admirable but they
are nevertheless monotonous, and one can
not help signing for variety even in the
midst of this garden of the New World
A few days of idleness at Milliken's Bend
and then we followed the course of the
army to Grand Gulf which had just fallen.
Ten miles through swampy country along
Roundabout Bayou, small black stream
disturbed only by water serpents and
monster turtles, brought US 10 the little
hamlet of Richmond, diugy, ruined town
on the Vicksburg and Texas Railway
Swamp, cornfield and bayou, bayou, corn
field and swamp brough, US to Perkin's S
Landing, few miles below Warrenton.-
From this point our supplies were forward
ed to Grand Cult by transport, but the
troops passed down by land. A lovelier
land I never beheld than that through
which We now travelled. Twelve miles of
our route lay along the southern shore of
the Lake of St. Joseph, a narrow but
pretty sheet of water, clear and limpid as
a mountain pool. Everything that bound
less wealth and refined culture could sug-
gest to enhance the lovcliness of land
made beautiful by nature had been there
employed for that purpose. Magnificent
dwellings, surrounded by acres of the
rorest flowers and shrubbery, which were
in turn bordered By groves of noble live
oaks, more stately yet more graceful than
any other tree in the South, and rendered
venerable by the pendent si|ken Spanish
! moss that hung from their dropping
branches like the gray hairs of patriarch
these and the broad, level, fertile fields
stretching miles into the distance met us
a. every turn. Alas that the flowers
should fade in Springtime and that the
highest achievements of civilization should
be sacrificed TO the harbarism of war
Dust and ashes mark the ground where
these princely mansions recently stood
At the landing opposite Grand Gulf, Miss
l was left behind with the train while my
regiment went 10 the front. So | did no.
see Jackson which livery much wished te
| visit, but turned back at Raymond fifteen
miles farther west. Mississippi is in ev.
cry particular the opposite of Louisiana
Grand Gulf was little hamlet nesting
under bold promontory that runs up be.
tween Black River and the Mississippi,
creating small bay at the mouth of the
former. On this bluff was planted the reb.
ell batteries. casemated and impregnable
IA H.a.& G. ahak nm &..A