The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1878-05-18
A MEAGRE BILL OF FARE.
The Hard Lines Of the People Of Vicks-
burg During the Siege. !.
Edward s. Gregory IN the Philadelphia
Weekly Times

Edward s. Gregory in the Philadelphia
Weekly Times]
How these people subsis.ed was anoth-
er wonder. The straits to which the gar
rison were reduced are known in fact.
after the tenth day Of the SIEGE" says
the report of Gen. Stephen D., Lee, the
men lived on about half rations, and less
than that toward the close. The ration
has been described to consist Of one-quar
ter pound Of bacon, one-half pound of
beet, tive-eights quart of meal, besides an
allowance of peas, rice, sugar and molas-
ses. Of this, anon. The citizens must
have had less; and where they got that
from was q mystery. Business, of course,
was suspended. There were some stores
that had supplies, and at these prices
climbed steadily in manner suggestive
Of the prophecy Of Jerusalem's undoing
A barrel of -four at last came to sell for
800 an immense figure then bnt worse
than the figure were the two facts-that
nobody had the money, and then nobody
had the flour. Some people eked out
their Supplies by cooking the tender
sprouts Of the common cane of which
there was An immense "brake' inst be-
low Vicksburg. have reason to believe
that few applications, and those only the
poorest people, we're made to the militia
~ powers for help throughout all this
trial. Sympathy aud patriotism must
have improvised practical communism.
The cruise and barrel had a little dust
and JUNCTION to the last. ;,4!
How about the mule meats everybody
will inquire while rations are being trea-
ted. Both horse and mule meat were ex-
tensively sampled during the siege,
though'not in tho way that by many may
be imagined. On account of the want of
provender nearly all the horses in the
garrison we're turned ont Of the lines,
and as the other side could not safely
take them unless they strayed within
reach, many Of them were killed by the
cross-fre. Early in the siege, when some
Of the men complained of the scanty ra-
ton, Gen. Smith, believe, who had seen
the thing done on the plains, issued cir.
culars to his brigades, recommending that
the experiment Of horse meat to be tried
te piece it out. was on hand that very
evening when somebody, waiting till
dark, slid over the works and cut steak
out Of horse that had been shot that day
beneath them. It was cooked at General
Vaughn's fire and everybody tasted a lit
tie; but the flesh was coarse and nobody
>hungered for any more. Some Of the SOL
diers did like it and eat it not to, speak
Of rats and other small deer which the
Louisianians, being Frenchmen, We're
said to prepare in elegant styles for the
table. When Pemberton was thinking
about cutting his way out he had half il.
dozen fellows, men who looked like Mex
leans or Indians, cutting mule meat at the
old depot of the Southern Railroad and
jerking it over slow fires to make it han.
dy and lasting. One morning, for trial,
l bought pound of mule meat at this
market, and had it served at breakfast
for the mess. There was no need to try
again. On the day of the surrender, and
only then, a ration Of mule meat was &c.
tually issued; but nobody need eat it, as
Gen, Grant issued abundant supplies of
the best that his army had. s, ~