Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-12-06

thoroughly impressed Win the loea tnat
he was the ablest of Union Generals.
Toward the latter part Of July the army
under Sherman returned from jackson
and the writer's regiment with many other
troops went Tito camp two miles below
Vicksburg, immediately on the river.
As a most toilsome, dangerous and inn
portant campaign had been entered upon
and conducted to an eminently successful
issue, it was only meet that all who had
engaged in it should have and enjoy a.
well earned period of rest
Two miles below Vicksburg the bluffs re-
,ede a half mile from the river, and upon
the level place intervening the troops en-
camped. Meantime their duty was light, a
title drill in the morning and dress parade
at night.
About this time the enlistment Of colored
troops began in the Department of the
Tennessee, and the negro in the brand new
uniform of Union soldier was looked upon
with curious eyes.
A few of the white troops at first found
fault with the idea Of utilizing the colored
nan in this way, but after little all took
it as a matter Of course.
While passing through Louisiana and
Mississippi quite number of negroes had
followed the army. These at first were
shy, very respectful, and looked upon every
Union soldier as q sort of savior-a being
whom the Lord had sent South to liberate
the poor down-trodden slave. Following
the army, however, and observing the
many human traits of "Mr. Linkum's
sojers'' soon disabused Sambo's mind of
any erroneous first Impressions.
The writer's tentwas but few feet from
the river bank, but though there was over
head q hot July sun there was at nearly
all times delightful breeze.
A little to the north was Vicksburg, to
the northwest was the great bend in the
river that made the peninsula to the west
ward, and across which, twenty miles dis
tant, the now victorious army three months
before had trudged through mud and
mire.
The writer in his leisure moments prose-
cuted his medical studies, but sometimes
lay idly upon his cot and looked out upon
the great river as it swept by ''unvexed"
to the sea.
Often great logs and large trees floated
by in the free current, and now and then a
dead horse or mule and occasionally r.
dead body of a man.
But so cheap had human life become as
the war progressed, that an unknown
body floating by excited but little COM
ment
So the time went by not unpleasantly,
but few wero sick and, these were made
quite comfortable in the large hospital tent
on the river bank.
AT the Wnar1 IN IrOnG OF NlcKSDurB were
always a number of steamboats,, engaged
in receiving Hl.>- discharging cargoes.
About 10 a. m. one day, terrific explo-
sion was heard in the direction of Vlclzs-
burg, and looking toward the steamboat
landing, an immense column of smoke and
debris of all kinds was seen rising in the
air: in a moment this spread out and
locked precisely like huge mushroom.
1t was at once conjectured that a steam
boat had blown up, and as detail of men
had been made from the regiment that
morning for duty at the wharf, the surgeon
at once called for the amblance, and with
the writer, drove rapidly to the scene of
the accident
A steamboat loaded with ammunition
had blown up. Part of the ammunition
consisted of conclusion she'll. A case of
these 1T was supposed had fallen through
the gangway from the deck of the steamer
to the bottom of the hold, when an explo-
sion followed that Immediately involved
all the ammunition on the boat.
Upon reaching the wharf several dead
bodies were seen lying upon the pave
ment, and all around were pieces of the
boat and debris of all kinds that at the