Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-01-30
From the Forty-seoond Regiment.

From the FOrty-SecOnd Regiment.
CARRoLLToN. LA, FIVE MILES BELOW NEW ORLEANS
January s. 1868
At last one-half of the Add Massachusetts
regiment has again encamped together, but
where is the remainder of it? Three hun
bred are prisoners of war at Galveston, and
two hundred are still unreported, Compa-
MES A, B, E, (Worcester,) f, Ueicester,)
and X, (Barre,) are here encamped upon
level plateau lying half mile back from the
Mississippi, and just back of the town, or city,
Of Carrollton. Companies c and II are on
the ''Shetucket' somewhere, and their long
continued delay causes considerable anxiety,
though they may still be at Norfolk, Va, the
last place at which they were reported. Com
panies G, l, and ID, were taken prisoners at
Galveston on the LIST inst, together with Col.
Burrill, surgeon Cummings, chaplain Sanger,
and several minor staff officers, and also
Lieut.. Stowell of company E. You have
! doubtless heard of the recapture of Galveston
| by the rebels, and may have more full partic-
place in which to CLEAN 'f defgly is the hardest
perienced. l will give you the version of the
affair as it is told here.
| Galveston was first nomnaly taken nos
session Of by our forces on the 18th of October
| last. 1t was surrendered to our forces and
| gunboats were stationed there to enforce a
proper respect for the Union and constitution.
| Now that Gen. Banks has assumed command
| of this department, with respectable army, a
| movement for the occupation of Texas was
Immediately initiated, together with a forward
movement against Vicksburg. These two
places are doubtless the objects against which
| this expedition is to operate Galveston be-
| ing at the time in our possession, a force was
| to rendezvous there and then proceed to such
| points as would best su6serve the cause Col,
| Burrill was appointed post conlmandant, and
| with three companies of the 42d Massachu-
| sets, who were on board the Saxon, landed at
Galveston about Christmas, while reinforce
ments were to be forwarded as RAPIDLY as pos
sible. But just before they arrived, and while
they were within sight of the place. three reb-
els Grams" and large land force made their
appearance on the scene and Immediate
~ commenced an attack. The Grams" made
for the three gunboats, and attacked them all at
| once. Two of them, whose names l do not
| now remember, were soon placed hOrS du
combat, and their crews either killed or made
prisoners. The Harriet Lane was not SO cas-
| lily disposed of, and she was only taken after
| fierce hand-to-hand fight on her decks, in
which sanguinary engagement all but eleven
Of her crew were killed While the battle
was raging on the river an equally holly con-
tested and uneven battle was in progress on
land. A force estimated at from three to five
| thousand had attacked the few brave men of
the AID who were lying on their bellies and
| backs and picking off all whom they could,
| while the whole rebel force was striving to an
| initiate them. Such an uneven contest could
1oet hut OBJ 81 f,oI
mere force of numbers, could not help but
being successful, and this became so evident
to Col Burrill that he ordered the colors of
the regiment to he torn into shreds before the
rebels should be allowed to capture them, and
this was done on the spot, just after which the
gallant band was captured, and are now pris-
oners. Quartermaster Burrill and adjutant
Davis succeeded in making their escape, by
means of row boat, to one of the gunboats
lying outside the bar and therefore are now
safe. That portion of the regiment now here |
had narrow escape from being captured af-
terward. They were on their way to Texas, |
and had yoyaged nearly forty miles across the |
gulf when they were hailed by the boat which |
brought the news to headquarters and they put
back in hot haste. Co.'S. A, b and I had pro-
ceeded only a few miles down the river when
they were hailed and so they Immediately re-
turned to their camp ground at this place, and
last night Co.'S. f and X rejoined them, glad
enough to touch foot on terra fy-mG again af-
ter life on ship board Of "a days.
The location of our camp is an excellent
one except that the nearest water to be had is
in the Mississippi river. On every side are
soldiers-from New York, Connecticut, Yer
mont New Hampshire and perhaps others
and no sound but the noise of soldiers, and no
business but that made by the same class of
people, is heard or thought of. Carrollton is
place of some 5000 or 1000 inhabitants
black and white, or rather it was before Sc
cession doctrines were preached. 1t must
have been quite a stirring, active river town
at one time, but now it has the deserted, for
saken appearance which all these southern
places seem to wear. Secession has seem
ingly rnined the south, if there was anything
previous to the war capable of being ruined
Wherever we have been the same slip-shod
way of doing business is visible. There is
no energy and whether you trade or not seems
to be matter of very small concern to the
traders in this section. A good smart Yam
kee would revoutionize the business Of any
southern town, and would make cheap" of
money in the operation reckon. Nothing is
sold for less than five cents. That is, if you
ask the price of an orange, the answer is
lhree for five cents. But you can't buy one
Tor two cents. They don't know anything |
ABOUT any change less than picayune. If an |
artlcle Is worth more than five cents, it will
not come short of ten cents! EVERYTHING