The National tribune., 1885-06-18
4 or battered down and the material

pulled OF battered down. and the material
hauled and dumped into the cribs, as they were
built link after link, extending one from the
other into the stream.
BAILEY WAS BUILDING THE DAMS
for the rescue of BaDks's gunboat fleet. be-
lieve the first object that passed between the
projecting wings of the dam was another mus
tered-out Confederate. He was following the
track of the one land probably many who had
gone before towards the Gulf and he too, prob
ably, made food tor the buZzards.
On Sunday, May /, one of those stupid, or
brilliant, moves which was always beyond the
comprehension of the average enlisted man was
accomplished. 1t had been known for some
time that we were to move camp-long enough
we thought, to have consummated all plans and
arrangements. The orders to fold the tents and
march came late in the day Sunday, and we
mounted and started without any definite place
to go. After apparently aimless wandcrings
sometime after dark we bivouacked III an old
plowed field Just below the city, amid rank
crop of burrs that had grown and matured the
year before. The next day we moved back
farther from the river and went into camp near
an old gin-house, and close by bayou. From
the former we procured much material to make
our camp COMMUNICATIONS for tents, etc.
The music of cannon to the west and south
west of us had been of such common occurrence
as TO hardly be noticeable; but on Wednesday,
May 4. we were surprised to hear heavy voileys
of artillery down the river from our position,
and that same evening it came rolling in again
heavily from the west. News came that night
of the capture of the transports and the block
ade of the river below US. That meant no re-
endorsements, no provisions, and, saddest to us
of all, no letters from home until we should
fight our way out of
THAT DETEsTABLE COUNTRY
the country OF dreary swamps and of the
Icgrees: a country where we could not get q
drink of water that would slake thirst We
could dig holes IN our camp ground that would
partially fill with water, but SO different from
that supplied by our springs and wells of the
North as hardly TO be recognized as drinking
fluid. As supplies became exhausted resu-
lar system of foraging was inaugurated. Sergt
Watkins and myself took quite regular alter
nate details at going out with train guards into
the surrounding country We generally had
to fight for what we got, aud did not always
return with loaded wagons. These little expe-
ditionS furnished an exciting variety to our
camp life and all were ready to go upon them.
If successful, the wagons would return loaded
with corn for the horses and cornmeal and
bacon to be distributed among the men; and
the man that was good forager would gener-
ally have good horseback-load of poultry, raw
sugar, molasSes, honey, etc, which went to his
private iarder or that of his mess. The enemy,
course knew he had forced Us TO subsist on the
country; but they frequently made it quite an
interesting business with US to get our ratlonS.
On one occasion when / was with the train
guard, while the wagons were being loaded
from a corn magazine" with some of the men
on guard. aud the rest on different duty-gath-
ering honey, ETC., rifles commenced talking to
US from the thicket bordering neighboring
lagoon. Men were hurrying the corn into the
wagons, bullets were whackins into the build
ings, trees and fences about US. carbineS were
replying busily, men were lariating bee-hives
and dragging them off, and
SOME WERE CATCHING CHICKENS.
All were intent and busy in their respective
lines of duty, and when we left the premises
we did so well loaded. That was a common
occurrence with the cavalry in the field while
the dams were being constructed. One day l
visited gin-house where the gin was running
under full stream almost under fire Of the skir
mish-Ine, which seemed to environ us from
river tn river above and below. That was the
first cotton gin / ever saw in operation, and it
was an interesting sight.
On the 10th | rode up to the city, and found
that the first dam had been completed, and
several--I think four-gunboats had made the
run down, and were moored in front of the
city. Several more were yet above, and the
river was falling so rapidly that it was deemed
best to construct another dam to concentrate the
water and thus make deeper channel on the
rapids above the first dam. The first one, too,
had received damages from one of the boats,
and repairs were going on simultaneous with
the construction of the new dam. And at the
same time the ring and din of many scores of
cold-chisels and hammers came from the boats
above. Besides unshipping all their ammuni
tion, and l believe some of their guns, they
were cutting bolt-h heads to take off their heavy
plate armor. All that heavy material was
hauled by teams to the landing at the city's
front Our regimental wagons were all one
night at that work, in such hurry were they
to get out, and j met the old teamsters on their
way to camp the next day asleep on their
mules.-H. C., Sergeant, 18th Ill. Cav, Shot
well, Mo.