Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-22
An EX-CONFEDERATE IN NUBlA.
Travelling in styIe-A Royal welcome
I'm New DOngOIa-sktlIfaI Riders
An Arab bDinuer-Tribute 20 a Union
Soldier.
wilmington IN. c. Journal.

Soldier.
Wilmington N. c. Journal.
We are permitted to publish extracts
from a private letter from Gen. ColstOn.
dated New Dongola, sth February, 1870.
New DOngOla, or Msraka, is the chieftOwn
and capital Of the province Of Upper NUbia,
in Africa. The province is III defined, but
generally represented as lying between lati-
tude IL deg. 90 min. and 70 deg. 80 min.
north. It consists Of an extensive plain
about $50 miles long, but Of quite limited
breadth, embracing both banks of the Nile,
by which it is tTaversed throughout its
length. Ii was taken from the Mamelukes
by Ibraham Pasha in 1920. The city is
situated on the west bank of the Nile, and
has about 5000 inhabitants, and is i'm
pOrtant both as a military depot and as
slaves in exchange for goods Of all descrip-
tiOns from Caro-. It has also an indigo
mandatory. The General says:
81 have had long and tedious trip from
Cairo here, but it has, nevertheless, been a
pleasant one, because Of the variety Of in
teTesting sights on the road. From Wady
HULA here, 1 am altogether beyond the
range Of travellers and tourists, and every
thing presents the character Of entire novel;
ty, differing in many respects from the
country on the Nile. Think that l am
now about 1000 miles from the mouth of
that mighty river, whose sources have been
sought for in vain for many years and are
still nnKnOWn. 1 am very well and in fine
spirits, and enjoying the voyage thorough
". l am sort Of a king wherever 90.
The Governors, etc, come out to meet me
and do me honor, and everything that the
country affords is at my disposition in the
way of supplies, animals for transpOrta-
tiOn, etc. have Cnly to ask and
it is forthcoming though with
some delay. For example, l have called
for 400 camels to take my expedition to
KOrdofan, and it viii take eight or ten
days before they are ready for me. How
ever, l take it patiently enough. The
weather is magnificent, neither too hot nor
too cold, though it is 112 degrees in the
sun during the march. But it causes not
the least Inconvenience, and don't use a
parasOl yet. We have a charming camp
here under a large row Of noble sycamore
fg trees, near the river. The nights are
quite cool. We have here an abundance Of
good, fresh bread, milk, vegetables, chick
ems, mutton Of excellent quality, eggs, etc,
and We live very well. Plenty Of birds to
shoot if wanted, but 1 am saving my cart
ridges for a time of scarcity; though on the
march killed enough to have some every
day.
On the day Of my arrival here the Gov
ernOr "a Colonel who went to Mexico with
an Egyptian baLtaliOn) met me some miles
out Of town with a large train, and had
horses for me and some Of my officers. We
came into this town (Of mud hOuses) in
magnificent style. The troops Of the garri-
son were turned out to salute. My sol
dierS, artillery, etc, were in trst-Tate or
der and we entered triUmphantly. In front
s)de Nubian on a camel, with a dram on
each side Of him, on which he kept beat
ing. Two or three Arabs on swift drome-
daries, and two Arabs on splendid
HOwara horses, performed a fan
tasia for a mile or two. This consists
Of riding al full speed in describing curves
in front Of the caravan. The hOEse-riding
was wonderful, and beat a circus. While
the riders were describing sharp curves
they and their horses wOUld lean at an an
gle Of nearly fOrty-tive degrees to the right,
and as they wheeled sharply round, as
much again to the left, while fOurishing
their hands in the most graceful and stTik-
ing way. Then they would suddenly
check their horses short and make them
leap straight up in the air. Il was really
the best riding 1 ever saw.
As show is an important thing in this
country, 1 have put on my uniform with
gold shOulder-knOt5 and splendid signel-
lettes,. and l am treated with the profound
est respect. The day We got here the Gov
ernOT invited me and all my staff officers to
dinner, served in the Arab fashion, and
consisting Of more than twenty courses,
the main piece being the traditional NUT
ton, roasted whole, and can tell YOU that
for a good, well-cOo6ed, well-seasOned,
substantial dinner, it is hard 10 beat
the Arabs. l assure YOU we all had to
loosen our belts before getting up from
that table. Two camps above this I was
called out of nv tent about O'Clock
P. NJ. by a boy whom had enlisted as aid
TO the cook, but who is one Of the smaTtest
1 have ev r seen in this country. He is
very dark brown, but not negro, and fol-
lows me out whenever / 20 shooting. He
has the shaTpest ewes ever knew, and he
finds and shows me game when l never
would see il without him. he said there
was a crocodile on 9 sand bank in the river.
l went and looked, and on a little sand
island about three hundred yards of | saw
what l took TO be the trunk Of a palm
tree. I said to those around me that it
was a tree, for it looked too large at that
great distance for any crocodile. l
thought that which looked like an
open mouth was the root Of the
tree. l sent for my iUmelle, and when l
looked through / saw that it was a huge
crocodile, at least twenty-five or thirty feet
long. I told my orderly to bring his Rem
ington musket, and while preparing 10 fire,
the animal turned entirely round, exhibit
ing his huge proportions. l sighted the
rifle for three hundred yards, and sent
bullet at him. It struck the water about
twenty Yards short of him by TicOchet: for
he instantly dived and disappeared, though
the ball could. not possibly have hurt him
at that distance. 1t was like the hippOs
of last year; but before this journey is
over L exT ect to have a closer acquaintance
with both.
Altogether, am highly pleased with my
journey. 1t is a pleasure TO command, to
be independent, and have no cares.
know nv business well, and feel perfectly
at home on the desert among the Canels,
BedOuins and soldiers, knowing that / can
manage everything as it ought to be, and
they all know it., too, can tell you. The
only real trouble ! have had has been the
sickness Of my second in command, Lieut..
Col. Reed, who has been suffering from
chills and fevers. He first contracted this
disease on the Peninsula Of NiT-
ginia, in fighting against us, and il never
left him entirely. Afterward, some three
years ago, he lived in New Jersey one
summer, at a very unhealthy place, and he
has had chills ever since. Had Chills on
the boat while coming up the Nile, aud
since We have beer marching in the sun he
has suffered very much, and it was with
great difficulty that he got here. Of course
my march was much delayed by his feeble
condition. / leave him here, and the Gov
ernment will send him with an escort to
Wady Hulfa, and thence to Cairo. l am
very sOrry to lose him, for he is a capital
fellow, and like him very much, and he
likes me; for you must not imagine
that old soldiers retain any hostility be-
cause they fought each other. Il is those
who never had their fight out that have
been quarTeliTg ever since. We have
talked over our battles together, and think
all the more Of each other because each Of
us did his duty to his State and his section.
Gen. Stone has telegraphed me that he has
sent me another American officer to take
Reeds place, but as l am going on as soon
as l can get my camels ready, l do not
know when he will catch me-