The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-10-13
FoR The CLARION.
JACKSON, EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO.

"Reminiscences of '63---The Old Bow
man House---The 14th Mississippi
Infantry--Convicts as soldiers---The
Adams-Lowry Brigade.
Eighteen years ago, this writer marched
up Capitol street to the tune of The Bold
Soger Boy" played by the band of the 14th
Mississippi Infantry. Two decades of time
begin at length to clothe with weird and
fascinating interest the grand old days
when gray columns marched and counter
marched, and men laughed at fate, and slept
under the booming of cannon. And ex-
soldiers, who were rolicking youngsters
then, carelessly treading the weary march,
or watching, lynx-eyed and silent, on the
lonely vidette post, begin now to realize that
they were then passing through the great
epoch of their lives, and participating in
events of mighty import.
We had eampaigned in East Tennessee,
wintered in Kentucky, surrendered at Fort
Donelson, spent seven months in prison, and
been exchanged at Vicksburg. Afterwards
ne had retreated before Grant from Cold
| Water, until VanDorn turned him back by
striking his commissary department at Hol-
/ ly Springs Then came a lull in military
operations in this quarter, and the 14th, by
some hook or crook, got ordered to Jackson
on provost duty. We reported to Briga-
dier General John Adams, commanding the
4th military district, whose headquarters
were upstairs in the old brick building
opposite the south side of the Capitol square
We went into camp in the old field west OF
the depot, where we remained five or six
months doing provost duty in town and on
the railroads, and had, in the language Of
that day, "a regular stavin' time"
Jackson was then the headquarters Of
every thing military and civil in this depart
ment, outside of Yicksburg Army team
sters swore at their mules, and their wagons
sunk to the hubs in the muddy streets
Quartermasters, commissares, paymasters,
and hoard of gamblers with bogus passes
in their pockets, thronged the sidewalks
i
sort. of the latter, and here many of the
members of the 18th were accustomed to
deposit their Confederate stamps and return
to camp in the dark hours of night, saddel
) but not much wiser men. In the basement
was large billiard room with bar attached
: and in the third story faro=banks drove q
thriving business. The Confederate House
: near the depot, was constantly thronged
and hotels, restaurants and eating house
s of every description had regular boom o
] business.
The impecunious officers and men of th
e I4th while on duty down town, used to pat
ronize the eating house of little Dutc
! woman-I have forgotten her name-dowl
near the guard house at the foot of Stat
q street. For one dollar she gave biscuit
| beef-steak, eggs and 'genuine" coffee. Th
more aristocratic officers, and those NOR
fortunate in the mysterious games of ken
-, and faro, took breakfast at Angeles.
- This old guard house at the foot of Stat
street was an institution of the times.
, was an old brick building on the east sid
and was the receptacle Of prisoners of ever
hue and nationality; Jew and Gentll
+ black and white, civil and military, a
found temporary shelter and protection b.
o meath its friendly roof 1t was a kind
gavside hotel for Yankee prisoners in trq'
e sit,t to the interior, and a safe refuge fo
] refractory Confederate awaiting the actio
1t of court-martial The "blue and the gray
, met here on common ground, and shoe
IF hands across tray of corn bread and blu
beef There was broad-shouldered, 81
foot, Young Keptuckian, splendid spec
Ie man of physical manhood, under sentenC
lie of death. He had murdered the major
his regiment in cold blood, deserted to th
i ,tenemy. and been recaptured. One nigh
OF two weeks before the day of execution,
N managed to get off his chains. and, Wht
h. detected, backed himself in the corner an
in de6ed the guard with heavy piece OF lrol
that he had gotten hold of by some mean
III He was overpowered after desperate stru
E. gle, and two weeks later, defiant still,
.ore open his shirt collar, and barred b
j., breast to the volley of musketry that Sc
~ him to eternity. -,
Tn prisoners, wore IA pldCk stoNC-P'E0 H~D5
he in army parlance ''camp-kettle; : ana
Il, had been frequently impOrtuned by the ot9
prisoners. to "come down out OF II" l
IN finally attempted to escape annoyance al
ed effect his release by civil process; and 0
to morning, the officer of Che guard was serV
with writ of habeds corpus. 1t was ma
of unintelligible jargon to him, and n
es knowing what better to do, after caret
in perusal he burned the papers, ana lock
I'm the civil officer who served them.
nc One of the most noted characters IN q
st, Department was private OF Company
I'm known in almost every command py y.,1
M euphonious sobriquet "Beauregaro blil
,,o though his baptismal name, IT he had eN
gone through process of that nature, y
IS, Bil Mitchell. His ubiquitous pi
ms. nessities obtained forhim VIC
spread acquaintance, and his adj
lille qualities as q forager we're app
of ciated bv all. While the army MADE
III, direct march of twenty-five mites, 3
To foraged for five miles on either hanK, a
&c came into camp at night loaded down W.
fresh pork, canteens OF sorghum ana WI
IN of hali-cured tobacco, called with a klnd
,he sardonic humor, "stingy green. e e
400 was an emotion not found In Bl
- omposition, and he parted with his SIC
'm onIy for money. He always got aFo1
in the officer of the guard by a plausll
nd story a piece of fresh pork, or eantt
tv of sorghum or Louisiana rum. lie was
old MEXICAN war soldier, and around
camp-6res. recited many chapter OF his
=, -. Iaid down In the books, he was