The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-12-01
Letter from the .SOuth.--NO. 3.
AUGUSTA, GA, Nov. 9, 1865.

life are uncertain, and especially so is
Southern travel The cars never start till
a full half hour after time the speed is
usually only eight or ten miles an hour ;
the stops are frequent and very long. Af-
ter waiting an unusual length of time at
one station, | went out and found the con-
ductor talking politics. At another time,
he was sitting ON the platform with his
legs crossed, smoking. Most bridges are
down, and we cross on flat boats. At the
Great Peedee river, the negroes filled the
tender with water, by carrying it a long
way in pals. Our engine, on the Angus
ia road, started more suddenly than usual,
and tore out the front end of a car which
was rotten, and went on and left us. The
cars generally are novelty. The win
dows are broken out, many OF the seats
are gone, and rough boards are put in,
running Sidewise as in an omnibus. The
steps are broken off. and the iron railing
around the platforms gone. The door
is oftencst fastened by putting a stick of
wood against it, and in one instance when
it rained, the car leaked so, that a friend
spread his umbrella inside. The cars 90
| for days unswept. All the passengers
eat peanuts aud lunch, which they carry
with them, throwing the refuse on the
floor, which is kept warm and moist by a
shower OF tobacco juice raining down con-
stantly in all directions. Add to this that
every car is a smoking car in dead ear
nest, and that you must ride day and
night when the train starts, till it reaches
its destination, and you have a picture of
southern travel more amusing to contem-
plate than pleasant to experience. Indeed
the war made sad havoc with all railroads
here, and the soldiers of the chivalry
stripped and battered and bcSmeared the
cars with the slime of whiskcy and seces-
sion, SO that it will be long time before
they can be pleasant modes of convey
ance. Hundreds of depotS were burned,
the tall, bare chimneys standing like cx-
clamation points along the line, and the
demolished engines rusting on the side
tracks, and the miles of railroad torn up
from first to last 10y raiders, might be reck-
oned by the thousand You see the rails
twisted around trees and stumps in every
conceivable shape, except where Sherman 5
army went. They were old stagers at the
work, and gave the rails all Il similar and
peculiar bend with cant hooks know
them at once as Sherman's interrogation
points. On the road from Savannah to
Augusta. there is break of Is miles sup
piled by mule teams, which make about
three miles an hour. 1t was here that the
delights of southern travel eliminated
The roads were rough and muddy. The
Jersey wagons were hard and crowded
The mules exposed their ribs more than
their heels. and there was no way but to
give ones self up to the inspirations of the
hour. Passing field Of sugar cane, the
passengers would get out and call the
field hands up to the fence with canestalks,
from which for the next mile or two all
were busy in sucking the delicious juice
Coming to a pcrsimmon tree, the fruit of
which is about the size Of large plum,
and as soft and sweet, being filled with
seeds, its outworhs would be carried at
the first charge, and soon its very citadel
invaded. Again, giving a peculiar call,
some of the passengers understanding the
dialect, would bring up brigade of hogs.
thin and Iank, with noses like gimlet
The abound everywhere in the south like
the irogs of Egypt. securing the country
and being honorcd with the entire freedom
Of the city.
About eight O'Clock in the evening we
stopped at L large planters house for sup
per- 1t presented one of the widest and
most picturesque scenes ever saw. By the
roadside, as we aighted, was large blaz-
inc fire of lightwood (pitch-pine) shooting
up its flames and volume of tar smoke, and
surrounded by a circle of negroes and poor
whites, their forms seeming wierd and
spectral in the darkness A few feet from
the door Of the mansion, and raised upon
a barrel covered with earth, was another
fire lighting up wide circle of the
swampy darkness. Fires like these are
very common about the country houses of
the south. Their candles often are a
piece Of lightwood. Their lanterns al
ways are stick OF lightwood.
! On entering the house, we were greeted
by a blazing fire in a vast old-fashione(l
fire place. The supper, consisting Of
smoking shote and fried chicken and
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