Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-06-14

Immense nguFe then; but worse than the
figure were the two later facts-that
nobody bad the money and then nobody
had the -four. Some people eked out their
supplies by cooking the tender sprouts Of
the common cane, Of which there was an
Immense "brake" just below Vicksburg.
| have reason TO believe that few applica-
uons, and those only BY the poorest people,
were made TO the military powers for help
throughout all this trial. Sympathy aud
patriotism must have imprOVlsed q practi.
cal communism. The cruise and barrel
had little dust and unctiOn TO the last.
MULE NEAT AND PEA BREAD.
How about The mule meatf everybody
Will Inquire while ratiOns are being treat
ed. Both horse and mule meat were ex.
iensively sampled during the siege, though
not In the way that by many may be imag-
ined. On account OF the want OF
prnvender, nearly all tine horses Of the
garrison were turned out OF the lines,
and as the other side could not
safely take them unless they stray.
ed within reach, many Of them
were killed by the crOss.fre. Early in the
siege, when some Of the men complained
Of the scanty ration, General Smith, be.
lieve, who mad seen the thing done on the
plains, Issued circular TO bis brigades,
recommending that the experiment OF
horse meat be tried to piece II out. was
on hand that very evening when some
body, waiting Till dark, slid over the works
and cut steak out Of horse that had
been shot that day beneath them. IL was
cooked at General vaughn's fire and
every body tasted . little; but the flesh
was coarse, and nobody hungered for any
more. Some Of the soldiers did like It
and eat IL not TO speak Of rate and other
small deer which the LOulsiRnians, being
Frenchmen, were said TO prepare in many
elegant styles for the table. When Penn.
beTton was thinking about cutting his
way out, be had half dozen fellows-men
who looked like hexlcans or Indians
cutting mule n eat, at the old depot OF the
Southern Railroad, and jerking II over
slow fires, 10 make II handy and lasting
One morning, for trial, | bought pound
OF mule meat At this market and had IL
served at breakfast for the mess. There
was no need 20 try again. On the day Of
the surrender, and only then, a ration Of
mule meat was actually Issued; but no.
body need cat II, as General Grant Issued
abundant supplies Of the best that his
, army had,
Another expedient, amiably intended
J by Gen. Pembert0n 10 reinforce his L ON.
: missariat, became, unhAppily, famous at
the time by the name Of pea bread. II has
J been mentioned that part OF the siege ra.
tiOn was the common stock pea. II Oc.
, Cured TO the Genera, or to some profound
7 COmmissary, that this could be ground up
and mixed with meal, and issued as the
, "stah OF llfe." But the scheme did not
succeed, for the best nj reasons, t0.wit:
that the meal part was cooked an hour or
80 before the pea part got well warmed.
{ The fleets on the human system OF q hash
composed Of corn bread and rare pea bread
B combined may probably be imagined with.
I out any inquiry Of the doctors. From that
I time the soldiers had their peas and meal
J, served them at separate courses.
Q One great trouble In the trenches, not sC
: great In the town, was the scarcity anC
u bad quality Of tho water. The use Of the
e cisterns, on which the people In that cOun
e try nave 10 rely, was confined to the citi
c zens necessarily, and the drink OF the sol
s diers had TO be hauled In barrels from the
/. river. II was muddy and warm, and moi
: wholesome for many reasons, and caused
I many nf the disorders which prevailed
/ with ilects 80 fatal. As TO spirituOus
drinks, / believe the city was 40 bare oi
them as Murphy himself could wish. Even
Louisiana rum, the poison that had once
J. beeu 90 abundant, withdrew it's cOnsOla
e tions from the bcleaguered city.
THE COURSE OP LIFE.
. A state Of siege fulflls, In more WAYS
n than would be imagined by the uninitiated
I all that IL involved In the suspa nsion o
\ civilization. Its influences survive; itG
}, appliances vanish. The broader lines Of
X tue picture have been drawn the instant
g danger, the lowering death, the trOglOdytC
J.! existence, the discomfort, hunger, expo
T suTe-tbGse are things which affect the
d needs Oi life; but ~ these men become
e more easily Infatuated than 10 ths absence
81. Ill Q.
i- pleasures, have said all partitions were
+. broken down-as completely as In thai
Q Valley residence OF Revolutionary Gen
b eral OF Virginia, in which the apartments
:. assigned 10 his guests we're indicated bJ
o chalk lines upon the floor. Home was
% den shared with Othera, perhaps will
?. strangers. All Of the lnVasiOns into nor
d NAL restraints and1sanotitles that this i'm
i0 plies we're known, perhaps, only TO thosl
10 who could not undress TO rest, Of
. change their clothing except b.
J. arrangement. That people had 70 wal
9. on themselves Was matter Of course
d and by comparison . minor hardship.
g has been said there was no business, nl
of open stores, no hotels or places Of cOngre
10 CATION and discourse; no passage Of We
70 hlcles, no social pasbmes, no newspapers
st no voice OF the Sabbath bell. When TN
ls weight Of anxiety that rested on the heart
. Of the people 10 duly reok0ned, and will
10 1t the total lack OF all means BY which an
le xiety is usually diverted and the tension
'' OF thought relieved, 1t 10 great wOnde
le that many did not become insane, Tha
Of they did not, gives another proof OF tn,
le heroic texture Of the beleAguered pOpula
20 tiOn.
W II is not quite true that there were n
D. papers. lLOpies OF the Evening CItizel
ID were published during the siege by MI
T. James n. swords, In after years pro
Ii prietOr Of the Vicksburg HERALD. III
le Whig Office was burned just before th
le siege, and the Citizens quarters wer
o. struck by the shells time and again, 1t
lie ype scattered, its floors tiindered; but th
se semi. occasional issue was continued to th
le last. 1t was printed on the back Of wall
ne paper, and its circulation was limited
or sonnet mes papers were handed across Ii
at lines and sent to headquarters, and after
n. ward, by regular grade, through the circl
VI Of headQuarter attaches. Every one wa
IN worn to a irazzle, though the news II con
1g tanned was not generally OF kind to en-
IN courage perusal. In this state of sus
So pended animation it is really wonder
In ml how people continued TO drai
es out their endurance from on
In hopeless day TO another. Perhaps tn
es very vigilance they had 10 exercise agains
n the shells and the activity necessary I,
be avoid them, kept the besieged alive
Every day, TOO, somebody would start o
er speed a new story Of deliverance from