Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-02-06
SATURDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 6, 1864.

4
| s. c., but to some city in Georgia Jim
heard gentleman ask Mr.. Davis at the
table, where Alexander Stephens was, who
has not attended Congress this session. and
who is said not to have visited Mr.. Davis
house or cllicc for over year. Davis re-
piled that hc had heard that Stephens had
gone to Europe, but lac had not thought it
worth while to inquire what had become oi
him.
jim accompanied Davis in his recent tour
around the Confederacy, and describes the
following scene AS having occurred on the
summit of Lookout Mountain Looking
down one bright day from the lofty eminence
commanding clear view into four States
and very distant view into fifth, Davis
saw tho Yankees almost beneath his feet,
across the valley, working like beavers on
their Notifications. II have them now"
said he, 'in just the trap set for them y
To which Lieutenant General Pemberton
who was sitting on horseback beside him,
replied, "Mr. Davis, yop are Commander-in-
Chief, and you are here You think the
enemy arc in trap, and can be captured by
vigorous assault / have been blamed for
no. having ordered general attack on the
enemy when they were drawing around me
their lines of decentralization ut Vicks sburg.
Do you now order an attack upon those
troops down there below US, and will bet
you my life that not one - man of
the attacking column will ever come back
across that valley except as prisoners"
When Davis was passing through North
Carolina hc only stopped at Wilmington to
consult with General Whiting. While there
he was pressed by numerous delegation of
Confederate 0ilice-holders to stop in Raleigh
fr,r lfoti xr,t
This he angrily declined. 1t appears that
the health of Mr. Davis is rapidly breaking
down under his neuralgia attacks, insomuch
that lie can no longer use his only good
eye Ivy candle light He continues his old
habit after dinner of stretching himself on
the carpet before the fire in room other
wise uniightcd, and it is fast becoming
dangerous for any one TO approach him.
Always of a violent and fretful temner,
this is becoming greatly aggravated by his
misfortunes, and jim declares him on one
occasion as fiinging about the chairs and
furniture when SO disturbed. About four
weeks ago pistol exploded in his room
when he was loading it, and the whole
family rushed up, feeling confident that, as
they had long feared, he had committed
suicide.
jim says that Mrs Davis, in conversation
with female friends, frequently talks of the
Coniederacy as hopeless, and is loud in
regrets for the lost pleasures OF Washington.
There Is no forage except in the Mississippi
Department, and the allowance for Davis
two horses is two quarts of corn each per
day, on which, says jim, they are growing
thin. Not long time ago Mr.. Davis received
a present OF twenty turkeys, the food for
which now comes from the corn rations OF
the quadrupeds, making them still thinner.
turkey, Jim says, lasts the family three
days, roasted or broied the first day, colo
the next, and hashed the third.
Mr.. Davis receives no company, has no
wine in his cellar, but has several kegs of
brandy sent frt m blockade runners az VIII
mington. Jim says that Mr. Davis told him
that the Yankees had killed all the people
whom they had found on his Mississippi
plantation, and that they were all found
lying pigglety, piggiety in hole, their legs
and arms cut off, and, in some cases, their
heads, bloody and beaten, protruding from
the ground, Jim say he believed this story
until one of his fello loT,servan:s, who could
read, told him it was lie to deceive them.
Then Jim determined to leave.
When he did leave, he was hid in hole,
in the earth at Charles City<for three DAYS
before he was found by his wife, the last fe-
male slave owned by Mr. Davis in the Presi-
genital mansion jim wore an overcoat.
and in ii the autograph name of Mr. Davis
and the date 1860. How 10 you keep your
coat so good r. we asked him. He answer
ed, "Oh, golly, Massa Davis gave it to me u
year ago, and | knew might never get
another, SO took care OF IT. He had on
his feet new but very coarse brogaas of un.
tanned leather, which "Massa Davis got
from the quartermaster, and lac told me to
take care of them for they cost S51'
The utmost distress prevails in Richmond
for food, there not being more than two or
three bccyPs killed in the city per day for
private consumption. Fresh beef was about
81 per pound when he LETT. For string of
three perch, weighing less than pound
each, he paid Sl3. Oysters were So a
quart, as they could oaly be obtained in the
night, on account of the Yankee occupation
of the James River by gnn-boats
The negroes are forbidden to 90 near the
Libby Prison, and he believes there are black
soldiers confined there, as he has seen them
at distance
Beauregard is known to have black pri-
soners at Charleston, who are reported TO be
subsisted on the miuimum ration that will
support life. lie says the lower two-thirds
o. Charleston is now uninhnbitable and in
ruins. Jim says he has not yet heard any
thing abont arming the negroes, and re-
marked :-''lf they oaly armed us they
would soon see on which side these poor
niggers would be-
Jim says that, at the time of Meade's al.
vance across the Rappahannock and fight at
Mine Run, Lee had made every preparation
to fall back having only thirty thousand
ragged aud disheartened troops with him.
Davis cent out all the clerks and employees
of the Quartermasttfs Departments with
axes and spades to block up the Mechanics
willie and Petersburg road leading to Rich.
mond, leaving open only one road by which
Ice Was expected 10 make his retreat, he
having sent word 10 Davis that he was
making all tls fuss and disturbance lac could
10 detan Meade, bat that lac could not hold
out long.
The negro appears to be intelligent, and
evidently knows whereof he aillrms.