The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-09

Z SAT MUCH OF THE NIGHT OF THE DOOR
sTEP.
may be four thousand negroes now in
the place, with perhaps one company
Of white troops" Official records, L.,
| xiv, 22s.) As matter Of fact. our
whole force never equaled thousand,
including company cooks and those on
the sick list. But it was an enormous
| gain for our purpose that those thou
sand men were black, and Gen. Fine
gan justly added: "A few weeks will
suffice to corrupt the entire slave pop
ulation of east Florida.
On the other hand, we knew too well
that the confederates could observe
from the bluffs every steamer that
passed up or down the river. while we
could never tell how many our foes
were or where they were. There was
railway communication nearly all the
way to Savannah. and every time we
heard steam whistle it might mean an
army OF the way. Our greatest imme-
date solicitude was lest an attempt
should be made by the confederates to
drive Us out by stealing in some windy
night and setting fire to the upper part
| OF the town, which, being built of resin
GUS pine, was dry and combustible to
the last degree. Such a fire might easily
sweep the steamboats, also, and as the
most valuable buildings left in the town
| belonged to union men, the confeder-
ates had everything to gain and moth
ing to lose by the burning. Left on
shore far up in the enemy's country,
with our means of transporta ton and
our provisions gone, we should have
been in an awkward condition indeed.
Less serious-perhaps because we un-
derrated it-seemed the threat of the
confederate commander outside to bonn
bard the town. But at his formal re-
quest we sent out to him quite willing
" many women and children, some of
whom would have liked quite as well
to stay. A locomotive battery, with a
thirty-two-pound rifle gun, had several
times been run up within two miles of
the town, and one night they actually
shelled US. They had the range well,
and every shot fell near the post head
done, and the most formidable COM
plant was that of a citizen who said
that a shell had passed through the
thin wall of his bedroom and carried
away mosquito netting as it went.
At any rate there was enough of anx-
iety to make me very willing, one
morning, to look down the river and see
transports approaching with what
could only be union regiments-the
white regiments, doubtless, which were
TO relieve US and set us free to strike out
for ourselves, further up tho unknown
river. Those who know the fascina-
ton of the broad ST. Johns, even in
time Of profound peace, can perhaps
fancy the added charm lent to it by
the association Of war and adventure.
The troops proved to be large detach
ments of the Eighth Maine, Col Rust,
and the Sixth Connecticut, Maj. Meek
er, both regiments already familiar 10
US and more ready than most white
regiments to fraternize with the coll
ored troops and miDgle with them on
guard and outpost duty, as soon as be-
came necessary. / had in a day or two
the pleasure of commanding the first
slIirmish of the war, SO far as know,
where the two races were associated
on absolutely equal terms: a recon-
noissance along the railroad, with de-
tacbments from che two white regi-
ments and M own covering a small
railway oattery-a ten-pOund Parrot
gun on q handcar, under command Of
Mai. Corwin-and, being attacked on
our return BY locomotive cOnfederar
battery, half dozen men were killed
and wounded upon our side, and we
returned, having completed the Ut
most limit allowed our reconnaissance,
and always with q line of black and
white skirmishers stretched out like
checker-board-
Col Rust, as senior officer. had low
taken command of the post, and on
Friday, March p, wrote home: The
Burnside has gone TO Beaufort for ra-
tons and the John Adams to Fernsn-
dina for coal We expect both back by
Sunday, and on Monday hope 20 get
the regiment of 10 point further up
Magnolia, thirty-ive miles, or Pilot
town, eventy-fve-either OF which
would be a good post FOR Us Gen
Hunter Is expected every day, and Il is
strange he has not come" Unfortunate
". Hunter, then in command of the de-
partment, was one of the most inpul-
sive and changeable. as well "a the
most adventurous, of men The next
day brought an Official order recalling
the whole expedition and eTscuating
jacksonville once more On March p
we set sail down the river. The e1-
PLANTATION given Us on our return was
that we were. after all force too small
even when reinforced for the work we
had % do. Il IS enough % say that
when, IN the following year. Gen seq
mour reoccupied Jacksonville he had
with him twenty thousand men instead
OF one thoEsand. and the formidable
battle OF OlT.stee fo1nd bin with too
few.
SKATING IN CHINA.
tts Cttiity In Carrying on the Internal