Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-11-02
Communications.

Uuuttttultlk
Correspondence Vi the Charles City IntelIgencer
Letter From Rev. j. G. Witted.
CAMP 5srH U. S. CoLoREp ISFASTRY.,
Near Brookhayen, Miss, Oct. IL, 1866. |
FRIEND HILDRETn You will see by the
date above that we are still near Brookhaven.
Our Colonel, S. NJ. Preston has returned to
the regiment, and is assigned to this post
Lieut. Col. Gclson is detailed for ,me special
service in Natchez and Major Reynolds is in
command of the seven companies here
These are all the changes that have taken
place since wrote you last
1t is more than seven months since our reg
iment received any pay, SO our pockets are as
empty as the hold of a collier, bound to Rus
sia. from New Castle-or Shields. Worse than
this. The stomachs of our men have been al
most as empty during a great portion of the
time We have been here. They have had lit
tie more than half rations and these not of the
rery best quality. To what cause or causes are
we to attribute this treatment, think you ?
To the poverty of the Government! Certain
ly not. To the carelessness or dishonesty of
Commissioners and Quartermasters Who
dare affirm this No one ought to do this
without good and sufficient proof; certainly
not Chaplain, though some of these Quarter
masters are anything but friendly to ministers
in the army, SO | am told Pc,haps the cause
may be found to lie in the scarcity of the
conveyance. This is an inland post, and the
facilities for conveying fodder and provisions
to such posts may not be very great or veiy
numerous.
This reminds rue that the railroad between
here and New Orleans has been repaired and
reorganized, and the cars pass through this
place daily. The name of this road is the
" Great Northern, Jackson & Mississippi Rail-
road
Brookhavcn is l2S miles from New Orleans,
and rs miles from Jackson, the capital OF the
including every age, shade and color, is lit
tie over three hundred The most prominent
buildings in the village are two churches-one,
an Episcopal Methodist, the other Presbyte-
rian-a Masonic hall and college for young
ladies. The private residences, with two OF
three exceptions, are very plain, nor have
seen anything like an elegant mansion on
any of the plantations round here. People
came to Brookhaven, Judge, to make for
! tunes and not to enjoy fortunes already made
Just previous to the rebellion, great amount
of business was done here as many as 20 600
bales of cotton were shipped from this place to
New Orleans yearly. The railroad depot, 1t il
( said, was one of the best in the State but this
along with some other buildings, was destroy
ed by Col. d. I'll. Grierson's troops in thu
spring of 1868. For brief history of Col. G..
raid into and through this State, see Harper,
Monthly Magazine for February. 1865, Part
of his force consisted of the 2d Iowa Cavalry
Three cheers again for Iowa!
Our camp ground is nearly two Iailcs from
Brookhavcn, and is known by the name o
"old Brook" A more pleasant place for q
soldiers camp could hardly be found. Their,
are somc good springs of water within shor
distance, which afford bountiful supply o
water. Our tents are pitched in an oak grove
in a pine forest, and is the private propert,
of Mr. Milan, a returned rebel captain, who
by the way, unlike many Others of that class
learn, both he and his wife were very kind t.
their slaves, most of whom are still with them
That the present servants Of planter wcr'
formerly his slaves, is by no means suffieien
evidence to show that, as a master, he was ei
ther kind or humane to these servants whel
they were his slaves. No, in many instances th
poor creatures left their masters and have beel
sent back by Provost Marshals whose sympa
thies were with the master rather than tn
slave. Others, again, seeing this, have bee
afraid to leave their plantations, not knowin
where to 60, especially If they have numbe
of small children to provide for. ought I
: say here, however, Honor and justice deman
it,--thst in some .tew instances, the planter
keep their former slaves on the place, not be
, cause their labor is needed, but because il sen
of the plantation where they have been Dor
and brought up and married and raised chi
drcn, they and their little ones will become
like many, far too many Others. poor despisc
outc,sts, without friends and without hom,
All honor to such men, say. though in f,.c
: they are doing only what justice, in almos
. every one of these cases, demands from them
' for, had these fathers and mothers been pai
|. for three years of toll on the plantations,
: sufficient sum might have been saved froI
+ their wages, to get them home, or, at least
@ enable them to provide for themselves an
d families. till they could obtain employmer
!. and fair wages. Besides these, however, thel
d are some who remain on the plantations
live and do as little work as possible. The
are lazy set-a disgrace to the Others. an
n deserve but little sympathy from white pc
a pie, and assure you they get none at all fro
If the industrious colored people anywher
i When remember, however. how they ha'
e been educated, or brought up, cannot ca
of even these entirely. But enough Of Ii