Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-03-23
Communications.
Correspondence OF the Charles City In,eligencer
Letter from New Orleans.
New ORLEANS. Feb. %. 1865

New ORLEANS, Feb. 90, 1865.
MY DEAR HuDRErH Here we ar,
at last, very near the great mouth o
the Father of Waters" and such :
montA-oh, how filthy The water il
filthy, the city is filthy, and filthie1
still are the people. Gen. A. ]. Smith.
command, of which the 9th low,
forms part, are encamped just below
the city, in the mud, and among al
kinds of reptiles and insects. One
man climbed tree the other day tc
gather moss, and while up there he
was bitten by congo" a species Of
snake with legs, causing his death,
and yesterday he was buried. We are
all anxious to get out of this. 1t is
expected that we shall soon receive
orders to start for the vicinity of Mo-
bile.
We have just heard the news of the
fall of Charleston, and there has been
a salute fired here of thirty-six guns.
We think the "shell" of rebeldom is
cracking some. The city of Charleston
was the birthplace of the rebellion,
and it is with excessive joy that we
now hear of her capture. Let us take
a retrospective view of the scene
On the llth of January, 1861, Gov.
Pickens sent A. G.. Magrath and Gen.
Jarnison to Major Anderson, command
ing the U. S. forces at Fort Sumpter,
with note demanding the surrender
of the fort and public property under
his control Major Anderson declined
to comply with the demand, referring
Gov Pickens to the Washington au-
thorities. Accordingly on the same
day the Governor addressed a formal
demand for tho delivery of the fort to
President Buchanan. The President,
on the 9th of February, refused to per-
NIT the surrender, and declared that
if the South Corolinians assaulted the
fort, upon them would rest the re-
sponsibility for the beginning of civ
il war. The question of an attack
was then referred to the Confederate
Congress at Montgomery, and by that
body left to the discretion of the rebel
President. Accordingly, Gen. Beaure-
gard, on the llth of April, made an
other demand on Major Anderson to
surrender, which was met with a
prompt refusal. Beaurcgard replied
OH the same day, stating that he knew
Major Anderson's opinion of his own
weakness /; proposed that if that off,
Ger would fix date for the evacuation
Of the fort, and would not fire till he
was fired upon, no attack should be
made. Anderson, on the 18th, fixed
the 18th for the date for evacuation,
provided he should not receive further
instructions from his Government for
supplies. To this he received answer
Immediately that the fort would be fir
ed on within an hour and at half
past four o'clock on the morning of the
18th of April, 1861, civil war COM
menced its hellish work in the United
States.
The remainder of this sad story
need not be recounted. We all re-
member the gallant defence, and final
capitulation to the insurgents, of the
little garrison. Who will ever fifty
and impartially tell the history of the
mournful events of which the attack
on Sumpter was the precursor What
pen will be able to fairly detail the as
founding changes that have since be-
fallen our once happy and prosperous
land? Years must roll away, popular
passions subside, and the archives Of
both contending parties be brought tc
light, before anything like truthful
exposition of events can be made.
Meanwhile, the streets of Charles
ton are strewed with the ashes Of
princely dwellings; houseless, home
less wretches wander amid her ruins
and reflect on the woful results Of hei
peoples madness. Charleston I! hal
lowed by thousand patriotic and SO
cial associations by the memory of tht
great and good who formerly made iti
ways sacred--and now how
| "Fallen, fallen, fallen,
| Fallen from her high estate"
Over Charleston, South Carolina
and over the forts and other dcfencel
in its vicinity, the national flag agar
floats, and shall float forever
Yesterday l stepped into the ofio.
of the U. s. Christian Commission, OF
Carondclet street. This association il
under the superintendent Of that esti
mablo Boston Yankee and true philan
thropist, DR.. j. v. G. Smith. The ex
tcnsive rooms of the Commission wer'
thickly populated with war-worn sol
diers, who presented quite mercan
tile and clerical appearance, as seate'
at desks and tables they drove
The gray goose quill,
Slave of my thoughts, obedient to my will.
They were all engaged in consul,
ling with those who
Miss me at home.
One handsome young private, wit
la pleasing smile on his lips and sci