The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-12-17
ECHOES OF
THE PAST.
Excerpts From the Diary of
Capt. A. J. Campbell.
The Home. Sick Rebels Are at Last in
Dixie's Borders, But the Jour-
ney is Yet Unfinished.
Huddled Together on the Boats. without
Covering, the Prisoners Are Left
to the Mercies of the Elements.
"a DeplOrable Picture.

GContinued from last week-Article l2.l
CAIRo.-Sept. Z, lS62.-The scene
here this morning beggars descrip-
ton. Some five boats are anchored
out in the river with ten thousand
rebels on them, covering them from
top to bottom and from stem to
stern. Last night about midnight
we were walked by streams of water
pouring down upon us and our bag
gage. We were not alone in taking
the pelting storm. No less than
three thousand rebels had to stand
out and take the rain as it came,
presenting deplorable picture this
morning.
At last old Follett has been
thoughtful enough to send some
buckets over for us to draw water.
Heretofore we have managed to get
it in bottles and several buckets we
happened to have with us. We live
principally oh bread and water
having little or no means of cooking
our scanty rations of salt pork and
coffee. We are kept out of the cook
room and state rooms. (Some oi
the sick are ADMITTEDLY
Got in speaking distance OF the
Fanny Bullet, 53rd and 49th Ten
nessee regiments and others aboard
Everybody was talking across from
one boat to the Other-worse thar
bedlam. Learned that the trail
from Chicago, with the both Tennes
see aboard, ran off the track, killing
several and crippling some: Can
hear anything from my brother
who is a member of the regiment
Just now I see Yank whipping
, an "intelligent contraband" with
bull whip. / suppose the negro wa
TRYING to get a chance to slip Of
board with us.
Some of our officers came near gel
/ ting into row with the sentinel'
q They took the guns away from seV
:. eral of them. Boys on the othe
boat inquiring for newspapers an
: pocket knives. They say that the
: have not seen a paper since the
were imprisoned, and that the
knives were taken from them. La
night the select One Hundred q
II aboard the DiBgent. The boa
e loaded with prisoners are the olde
y and craziest boats on the river, an,
q if we get to Vicksburg without a
accident, we may thank our Max,
/ for preserving us through ditticu
Sies.
Sept. 8. Here yet! When we fir
+ arrived we were told that we wou
Of leave on the 9Th, and then on tl
le 7th. Rained but little last mig
p and our undried bedding got but Ii
: tie wetter. Have taken a viole
D. cold. Mai. Campbell consider'
this the beginning of the pulmona
trouble from which he died the fc
re lowing May.l Don't see how we a
20 to stand such fare much longer. r
~ bells are making coffee in tin L
is preservers and every kind of ves'
is that could be named.
a Bird Point, Mouth of Ohio
~ Started at 1:l5. Our fleet consi
''' of eight boats, preceded by a gu
boat. At 3:45 we passed Baldwin
OF willie, Mo. Place seemed to be
ty serted. A little after four we pass
"a the Tecunlseh, loaded down W
,is Federal soldiers. This is the boa
40 was taken to st. Louis on, a pri
ITS ner. At 1920 we arrived at Colu
Ort bus, twenty miles to Cairo a
fortv-five to Island 10. Just op
site this town is where our for
as were driven to the river. The
.ho is on a high dirt bluff above
80 town in bend of the river. A
VIZ i'm such a place would seem to
ar impregnable. The fort has b.
md changed so that the guns bear do
an the river, The town is small @
partly burned.
We arrived at Hickman at B
1t is very pretty, more pictures
sed than any town L ever saw, situa
the in the coves and on the hillsi
has which curve in and out along
hot river. At this place the ladies "
out Ell masse, cheering us on our
lro- turn to DiXie-no men at all.
test along below the ladies were
lected, cheering us. Anchored
the night at Battery l, just at
Island 10. This was the bat
CtoI spiked by the Federals on the n
Fall previous to the fall of the place.
re- Ddcotdh loaded with prisoners
not ed us in the night. Our fleet
o,, numbers ten boats.
ein. Sept. 8. Started this morning
g of light. The main channel is on
hich Tennessee side. The Federal
mas boats passed down the opposite
at night during thunder storm
ter besieging the place month
digging a canal across the b
,xico The wrecks of four steamboats,
train still visible They were scu
,ings and sunk by the Confederate
rs keep them from falling into
the hands of the enemy. AT 5
Diaz O'Clock we passed another wree
shed posite New Madrid. we met
tally De SOTO upwairut -, tront OUtT Uhon ' ~ a.
ue- ed back and notified all the boI
was hoist white flag. But few sol
at the points along this river.