The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1867-10-19
No l3

tam 70 ma all the relief which Saratoga
Cape May, SeidIitz or Piza could afford nay
inner man" In what "a Hard Shell
Baptist" preacher described as a very
peevish state health, brought on by the
war, " the surrender and its cOnseq quences
/ I hurried down to Vieksburg as soon as /
heard the " Prentiss House was opened by
J the General. / found it In full blast, a
magnificent Institution for comforting the
! hungry and weary, and for cheering and
4 fattening the careworn, desponding lean and
/ soured patriot Of the subjugated South.
/ only remained a few days, and was returned
/ to my family completely restored, physically.
and much better satisfied, mentally, with nv
own condition and that Of the country. The
large dinner room was crowded with eaters
from the North, South, East and West.
revelling upon the eatables and drinkables
of all climes. Three large tables were en-
circled by ladies; and Federal officials in
blue, with Confederates IN grey, Northern
merchants and Southern planters, obliviOus
of all differences, were peacefully mingled,
and fOrgetful alike of the past and indiffer-
ent to the future, were only intent upon the
one object before them-which was TO fill
themselves to the throat IN obedience to the
orders of the great General whose voice
was heard above the din Of steel and crock
cry, the popping of bottles and clatter of
glasses. Oyster soup, soup without oysters
and oyster without soup fried fish, boiled
fish Mississippi trout fish from the rivers
and fish from the sea roast beef boiled
beef, roast mutton, boiled mutton, mutton
with caper sauce beef and mutton, with
and without onions mutton and lamb, with
jelly and jam; hot boiled ham, cold ham,
hot shoat, cold sh0at, roast turkey; fowls
roasted, baked and fried potatoes mashed
and potatoes whole, potatoes baked and po-
tatoes fried upon one side, and potatoes fried
upon the other side, with celery, peas, cab
bage, tUrnips, and vegetables and sauces of
all sorts. Gentlemen and ladies, help your
selves. [ hope you are well supplied Oh,
it does my soul good to see you happy
Walters, hurry up the desert. Cranberry
tarts, apple pies and pies of all kinds plum
pudding, rice pudding, and cold pGtato
pudding for those that are az lore Fruits
and nuts from all countries, and wines from
Italy, Germany and France wines from the
Rhine and wines from the Po wines from
Portugal and wines from Ohio. Gentleman
and ladies', we are an immense people, In
spite of the war.
There stood the old veteran, and issued
his ORDERS as l heard him give them in the
midst of the Chickasaw wilderness more
than thirty years ago his eye Is undimed
and his natural voice unabated. His voice,
strong, clear and musical, and animating
everything about him In spite Of the liberia
ton of the darkies, which seems to have
taken the springs out of the heels of most of
them, all of those at the Prentiss House
(and all the walters are freedmen) move at
the Generals word of command ike
Frenchmen at a charge ordered by the great
Napoleon, as if strung with steel wire and
touched with a galvanic battery. They
know his will, and they must be polite neat
-, I, -
At the conclusion of my first dinner, un-
der its influence and the benign effects of
the speech and countenance of mine host"
1 felt indeed that Yicksburg is a thriving
city, and in defiance of shot, shell and FIRE,
and all she has suffered under such an in
stitution as General McMaekin. she will
rise and prosper His spirit pervades the
city, and actually animates all its depart
ments of business. The character Of such
a man electrifes wide sphere about him
with his own cheerfulness and energy. 1
left him considerably fatter, and full of
confidence that l am one of an immense
people, and that high destiny invites me on
ward and upward
The first time I ever saw him was in what
is now Pontotoc county 1t was soon after
the treaty session, IN 1888, which gave the
United States the guardianship of the land,
and right to sell the lands of the ChickasaW
Indians for their benefit The liberal treaty
made with them, and the richness of the
lands thrown into the market, made their
territory, for a few years, a sort of C'alifor-
MIA, to which the steps of thousands Of emf
grants were directed, and within which
many millions Of capital were accumulated
for investment The multitudes who
poured into this wilderness had an abun-
dance of money; but there was but little food
IN r F,w ot,JS
and comfort, the agents of the Government,
the land traders and emigrants were de-
pendent upon Thomas @. McMackin. He
supplied all their wants. On one occasion
he fed abundantly, In the open air, 100
people, and not only furnished them with
the best of substantial food, but with an
abundance of delicacies, and plentiful sup
ply Of champagne. 1t was amusing to see
the vast crowds of land hunters drinking
the sparkling beverage from tin cups lie
constructed at the land agency an immense
establishment including. comfortable hewed-
log, white-wash cabins with brick chimneys,
around great square, for dormit0ries,
vast dining room and tables, which, for
months, accommodated from 700 to 1000
men, with their horses The country was a
Wilderness, Inhabited by Indians, and his
nearest points Of supply were Tuscumbia
and Memphis, both more than 100 miles
distant. He was compelled to make his
resources; to have his lumber and brick,
and ali building materials made upon the
spot; to send his own wagon trains into
Alabama and Tennessee, over roadless
wastes Of forests, intersected by swamps,
creeks and rivers which had never been
spanned by a bridge or causeway. All these
difficulties were overcome by his activity,
/ energy and genius and his guests were
supplied, not only with all necessaries Of
| life, but with every delicacy and luxury that
/ the best hotels Of New Orleans could dis
| play-and all this too at the reasonable rate
1 of 8 per diem for man and horse. / heard
an old Virginia statesman in 1886, fun of
admiration Of the man who had actually
made this wilderness and solitary place
/ g blossom ike the rose" remark that he was
/ the only man be had ever seen who pos
/ sessed the ability to have provided the grand
army with which Napoleon invaded Russia.
/ felt confident at that time that he could
/ have performed efficiently the duties Of the
Chief Commissionary or Quartermaster OF
any army which ever marched in ancient or
modern times But his beneyolent task was