The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-03-08
.The wharves looked Is though they

"The Whafves looked as though tbeJ
had been deserted for half . century,
/ broken down. dilspidated, grass and mos,
peepipg up between the psvements, whsrs
oncs the busy felt Of commerce trode in
cessantly. The warehouses near the river
the streets as We enter them; the houses
and the stores and the public buildings
we look at them and hold our breathe
in utter amasement. Every step " take
increases our astcnishment. NJ pen, nc
pencil, no tongue can do justice to the
scene No imagination can conceive ol
The utter wreck. tho universal ruin, the
stupendous desola,ion. Rain--ruin-ru.
in--above and below; on the right hand
and the left; ruin, ruin, ruin, everywhere
and always-staring at us from every
paneless window; looking out at US from
every shell-torn wall; glariug at Us from
every battered door and pillar and versn.
dab; croucbine beneath our feet on every
sidewalk. Not Pompeii nor Hercula-
ueum, nor Thebes nor the Nile have ruins
SO complete, 30 saddening, 30 plaintiveIy
eloquent. for they speak TO us of an age,
not ours. asd long ago dead, with whose
people aud life ana idess We have no sym.
pathy whatever. But here. on these shat.
,ered wrecks Of houses-built in our own
style, many of them doing credit to the
architecture of our epoch-we read names
familiar to US all; telling ~ Of trades and
professions and commercial institutions,
which every modern city reckons up by
the hundred; yet, dead, dead; as silent as
the grave of the Pharaohs, Is deserted as
the bazaars of the merchant princes Of
Old Tyre. Whoever among US wished I'd
know how bis spirit would feel if he were
to revisit by the pale glimpses of the moon
the ruins of his native city after the pres
ent civilization shall have passed away,
learned it to his complete satisfaction on
the morning Of last Monday here. 1t was
early-few stragglers were abroad; just
enough to make the desolation the more
desolate by contrast; and the stiffness.
not the Sabbath, bat of the desert, hung
heavily over all. Hardly building in
all this part of the city-and this is the
business part-has escaped the terrible
crashing and smashing of the shells. And
right in the center of it, are at least, (I
should judge ten acres OF ruins, the mon.
uments Of the great fire which occurred
three years ago. This is il an open space
only blackenei walls aod solitary chim-
neys remain init. And. all around this
area of desolation, are the ruined houses
that still stand-"Gillmore's Town." as
the negroes call it; . triumph Of military
skill-of the art destructive Of all arts"
The negro, wearing the uniform of the
Government, was the frss Of Federal sol
diers to occupy the city. The Twenty
6rst United States colored, South Caroli-
mans. entered the city and ran up the
Stars and Stripes. They we're followed
By the Fifty-6f,h' Massachusetts,, also
colored, and as the men Of this regiment
marched up the streets with the tread Of
veterans, but almost Wild with Joy, and
thousand voices joined, as only negroes
can sing, in the glorious chorts Of
"Jon Browns body lies rnoulderiag in the grave;
His soul is marching on"
which rang out as a song of triumph up
on the early evening air, over the rebel
metropolis; and when "John Brown" be-
ing finished. they struck up With thrill
ing and far-sounding melody:
wen rally round the flag, boys
and then closed all with rousing cheers
for the "Stars and Sripes"-sIl this 10
the heart of Charleston. Surely Calhoun
must have groaned in his sepulcher, and
the spirit Of. John Brown been set at rest
forever.
OF the foreign element Of Charleston
the Irish were rebel. the Germans loyal,
and the English neutral.
For the remainder we let the CORES
pondent use his own words:
There are white loyalisis in Charleston,
but thus far they have shown themselves
with but two exceptions. to be infinitely
inferior 10 The negroes in courage. They
take you by the button-hole, away in some
corner, or where they are certain that We
are ell Northern men, and tell how they
have always been true to the Union. They
are afraid to fling out the flag; afraid to
rejoice openly with US; afraid to say that
their soul is their own-which indeed is
doubtful. But the negroes cheer US, bless
as, dance for JOY when they sec our glo-
rious flag-prsy for Us, fight for ar, s'ean't /
lore us enough" y they beautifully ex-
press it. The negroes may be Of an infe-
riOr race up North, but not down here BY
good deal.
/ The Rebel families in Charleston are
coued. They live in terror of us. Thus
far they are as we'll behaved as spsniels.
GONE TO GRASS.
At the beginning Of the Rebellioa or oi
the threats Of Rebellion, Mr.. & lalsb Cash.
ing predicted that the grass would grow
ia the streets Of Boston and New York il
: civil wsr resulted from Mr.. Lincoln's
election, The prophecy has failed--rathel
signally; and / 1enclos6 you d handful D!
proofs Of it. Ipnlled this clover and grass
Let noon TO- day in front Of the Cbarleston
i Hote1 and tha MtJpa Honse -vhsAh hAfrx~