The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1892-11-11
miles from Port Gibson.

thirteen miles from Port Gibson.
All the force Of the neighborhood
was collected, and in a short time
four block houses were erected al
the angles of the square, while pal
isades were planted, much after the
fashionof the present picket fences.
Loop-holes were made both in
houses and palisades for musketry.
The fort was in the form Of a square
OH a gently swelling ridge, but the
civil engineers who superintended
its construction forgot to enclose a
fine spring fifty yards from the
main outworks. Their supply Of
water would have been exhausted
in twenty-four hours had the In
dians appeared in force. The H.
dians, however, satisfied with their
success at fort Minis, retired to their
former strongholds, where they
were soon afterwards defeated by
Gen. Jackson and forced TO sign a
treaty.
In 1915. when Jackson led his
troops back to Tennessee after his
victory at New Orleans, ne halted
one night at the little fort. In ai-
ter years the block houses were
used as a neighborhood school, and
were finally torn down and convert
ed into negro cabins. The spot is
now a cotton field, and the memory
OF its former glory is fading from
the recollection OF even the Oldest
inhabitants.
In Sept, 1913, rumor reached
Port Gibson that the Indian were
advancing from the east sparing
neither age nor sex. Ii was also
said that the Choctaws would make
common cause with the Creeks.
There was no foundation for this
report as the Choctaws had been
the steady friends of the whites, and
at that time (lSl3) we're, with their
chief Pushmataha, doing good service
under Gen. Jackson.
This rumor was followed by an
other to the effect that the Indians
had reached the old line about twen-
ty-fve miles northeast of Port Glib
son, and that unless their advance
was checked, houses and families
would fall a prey to their cruelty.
Runners were sent in every di-
rectinn warning the people to seek
safety in flight. Those able to bear
arms collected at place appointed
for q general rendezvous TO devise
means of defence. / was then n
small boy and remember well the
CONSERVATION when it was announc-
ed at the door of the school house
that the Indians were upon us.
Some were overcome by fear and
wept, while all hurried home to find
our mothers in tears and great trib-
ulation. Such effects as could be
easily carried were thrown into q
cart and the more cumbrous arti-
cles were taken to place of securi-
ty in the surrounding canebrake.
The poverty of the early settlers
made a sudden flight no difficult un-
dertaking, while the almost impen-
etrable cane offered protection to
the fugitives and their families.
The oxen are yoked and put to
the cart baggage and children ale
tumbIed in; the old plow-horse re-
ceives a liberal share of TIE cargo
in the persons Of three urchins who
hold on stoutly to the name and to
each other, and off starts the caval-
cade, our faces being turned TO-
wards Washington. The day was
bright and beautiful. The sun shone
out cheerily and the whole aspect
of nature was mild and placid.
Two miles from home several roads
conyerged at a place known as Rae
coon Box, where once rang the
shout of the race course, the mill
tia muster and the drunken reyel I;
for the men found solace from the
cares Of frontier life in Ben Miller's
whiskey. On Saturdays after the
labors OF the week. the entire neigh
borhood gathered to run their hor-
ses on race track marked out on
the public highway, and settled
neighborhood disputes by knock
down.
AT the Raccoon Box our little
party was joined by twenty or more
families all on their way to head
quarters. The road was narrow,
scarcely admitting the passage of
two wagons abreast and some-
times the driver in the rear, fancy
ing an unusual noise might be saw
age yell, would endeavor to pass to
the front. But The attempt was sell
dom successful, those in the van
not being disposed 10 give any ad-
vantage TO their less fortunate COM
panions who closed the line Of The
heterogeneous procession.
The scene was ludicrous. Here
three white-haired urchins were
pelting an old plow-nag into a fast
walk there. young mother, simi-
larly mounted, carried one child in
her lap, while two others held on
desperately. Farther on a rickety
cart, drawn by pair Of stalwart
oxen, was loaded with beds, boxes
and children thrown promiscuously
together-the latter crying Justify
| 10 be released from their vile i'm
prisonment, while the rod was oc-