The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1864-03-22

'"c oHioH oiHh occH ueIc-tWiCc DeiOr
has the rebel army been driven ava
and the stars and stripes carried in ,ri
umph amidst her naughty and aristocrat
ic people. Still they do not love US
Little children come out to meet us, ant
tell us they do not like the looks of ou
flag at all, while their proud mothers ant
sisters cast their contemptuous looks a
us, and wish that their soldiers were
powerful enough to annihlate us.
Jackson was once fine city. 1t wa:
regularly and neatly built. Large stores
elegant churches, and the most APPROX.
ed styles Of dwellings,, her tastefully ar.
ranged gardens and yards, together with
her own beautiful natural scenery, mus,
have made it truly charming. But where
are its charms They have gone, not
voluntarily, but by the rude hand OF
war;-gone midst fire and smoke, and
grea, confagration. 'Ts truly sad to
look upon its ruins, fcr lis grandeur is
no longer here. Its beauty has gone of
in ascending volumes of smoke and fire.
and in the midst of her own beautiful
yards, are to be fonnd only the blacken.
ed ruins of statel ly mansions.
The country is quite good between
Vicksburg and Jackson. Plantations
are not numerous AID are small The
timber, mostly bard wood-oak and
beach-is not heavy. From all the trees
the Spanish moss hangs in large festoons,
frequently dropping down two or more
feet from the limbs, giving the whole
woods funeral appearance This moss
is gathered, and when dried is used for
mats, but when green, is exceedingly
unhealthy for such purpose. The soil
is universally clay. The water is quite
good. The roads are quite good now,
but had not this been an extraordinary
season, they would have been well.nigh
impossible. Four days have We been
en- route from Vicksburg The woods.
the houses, the cotton gins, and king
cotton itself, all have helped to keep one
continued blaze Of ire-moving through
this wilderness pillar of fire to which
the oppressed of this land are eagerly
locking. After We crossed the Pearl riy
er, on pontoon bridge which the rebels
had not time to destroy, We came to the
pine woods. The Pearl rises close to
the city. 1t is muddy stream and car
ries down about as much water as the
Cedar-deeper but not so wide.
From Jackson 10 Brandon i, is twelve
miles. and the country is good for the
gre ater part Of the way. Brandon is a
fine little town Of two hundred inhabi
tants, perhaps. 1t was burned Nor
ton was the next town through which
we passed. Here we passed the l7th
army corps and marched until midnight.
February 10th we passed through
Hillsborough which met the same iierv
late. AT this town there was skirmish
ing, and we saw one dead rebel-said to
have joined tie army but day or two
before. He was said TO be immensely
rich and held the commission of Major.
On the lth we reached Chunky Greek.
Here two or three teams allowed to each
regiment were left behind, and on the
l2th the army moved with all possible
speed in the direction of Decatur, TO cap
turet he enemy's train. We reached De
catur but the enemy had fed. The town
was burned. and we pushed hastily on,
camping tha, night eight miles out from
Decatur. On the 18th we made rapid
march and drove the rebels out of camp
among the great pine trees, and cooked
our rations over their fires Sunday the
l4th, we reached the great Railway CEN
ter, Meridian. The enemy had evacua.
ted it. 1t was reported that the infant
ry went to Mobile, and the cavalry in all
directions. Meridian is a small town.
Its population in its palmiest days was
was not moro than five hundred. There
were no fine buildings. and gardens o,
yards tastefully arranged. AS Rail,
way center, all must see its importance.
We destroyed in all. some 48 miles of
railroad track-part Of the Mobile and
Ohio. and part Of the Vicksburg and
Charleston. We penetrated to within
two miles Of Alabama, and DESTROYED ev-
erything thst could be OF advantage to
the enemy. Our army held Meridian
and Marion until the eoth, when the
march was led backwards. An endless
amount Of cotton had been DESTROYED,
large quantities of supplies had been
gathered from the country. and negroes
had focked in by hundreds.
The country from jackson to Meridian