Savannah morning news., 1885-11-27

ture it when the fiatboats are full" which
we finally did, aud it went into the Trea-
sury, Gems. Greed and Avarice did not
get bale Of it. and 1 am sure no one in
the navy did.
Al 6rand Ecore the army came too with
Ihe Two bowers and both steel anchors,
ana nnally got out anchors astern; and
there 1t lay---well, just ten DAYS before
moving on. All this time those army
wagons just did nothing but haul IN cot
ton.
Cotton was king here, as it had been all
along the road and on the river. II was
perfect Juggernaut; it crushed every
Ihlng else; transports went to Alex
andrla with it and stored 1t away for
further transportation; the looms of
Massachusetts were provided for for
years to come, and the sinews of war in
the South would be much strengthened.
what practical way to carry on war
and how the "Neros tiddled while Rome
was burning"
How Gems. Smith, Franklin, Mower and
Emory fretted under it all, no man can
tell; but 1t was a reign of cotton they
could not appeal. They were led to be-
lleve 1t was by order of the government.
Who knows to this day whether 1t was
or not? 1t was certain there was an un-
Outstanding between somebody and Gen.
back as we advanced and left the cotton
TO go TO New Orleans, and when we
nad emptied the country we moved on as
the hand-organ man and the monkey
do when they have taken all the six
pences.
At last we moved on from Grand Ecore
tor Shreveport. The people all along were
KIND 10 us as we went UP, and gave us in
formation cheerfully whenever we asked
lnlr = h,F,. F.,
formation always led us into difficulties.
Where they told us deep water was we
found shoals and snags, and where we
were told to go through cut off we found
1t blind. But how could these poor peO-
pie know! Likely they had never been
on a steamboat or on the river IN their
lives.
The admiral goes on to describe the fall
ure OF the expedition and incidentally
mentions Banks defeat at Mansfield and
his retreat. The difficulties with which
the fleet was extricated are graphically
| described, as is the remarkable change of
| disposition on the part Of the kind hearted
| inhabitants, who suddenly became trans
| formed into sharpsh ooters. The fleet, he
says, got out by ''main strength and nom
sense"
After the second fight near Mansfield,
| he says Gen. A. j. Smith sent word to
| DduhS Iudb ulS COIp6 ublu Tue uelu, Tue
| train and the guns that had been cap
tured from Banks, and that the enemy
I was thoroughly broken up. But Banks
sent him orders to retreat. So Smith had
to go, leacing the previous train that the
COntederates had divested Of those neces-
sary appurtenances, the mules. When
the enemy sent in a flag OF truce next day
to ask permission to bury their dead, they
found no one on the battle-ground but
their own surgeons attending to their
wounded.
On the following day, when Gen. Smith
came up with Banks, he called on him to
report, when Gen. Banks, with that
courtesy which always distinguished him
said: "Gen. Smith, allow me to thank
| you for saving the army. But for you, sir
all would have been loss"
Gen. Smith here took advantage of the
opportunity to deliver a retort, for those
remarks Gen. Banks had the credit Of
making about the appearance OF his men
| "DoE't thank me. sir,' he said. ssIt
wasn't l who did 1t. 1t was those ID
ragged guerrillias of mine, and if you will
let us we will turn around now anc
march into Shreveport"
In concluding this interesting chapter
the admiral says: No one can ever un
deTstand-and never wIll-how it wat
that after the Confederates had been so
cut up by Smiths Corps our army never
turned towards Shreveport again. NJ
opinion is. that if ever there was any
agreement made with Kirby Smith thai
we might come and take the cotton out, il
was done to entrap us, and when oul
army was moving along in perfect Sc
curity and without expectation of being
molested, they were attacked at point
very favorable for the enemy, with The
fatal result mentioned, though this takes
no account of the subsequent inactivity