The leader., 1899-08-02
Mississippis Capital In War Times.

Mississippfs Capital In War Times.
When the editor of this department
rode into the eastern suburbs of Jack.
son from the seige of Vicksburg on the
afternoon of July Il, 1868, he found his
family, with nearly the entire popula.
ton of the city, camped near Bailey
lake And they were not even then
beyond the reach of the heavy cannon.
aiding from the enemy's lines, extend.
ing from the lunatic asylum to the
woods just south of the city. When
later we returned to the city and rode
up State street, we appreciated the new
name by which jackson had come to be
known, "Chimneyville. Here are
some of the pen pictures of newspaper
correspondents transferred to our scrap
book at the tim. jackson was worse
wrecked than any other city in the
South, except Atlanta, and the Federal
soldiers We're not the only ones who
contributed to her desolation:
jackson has n deplorable appearance.
The block or square in which the Appeal
Office used to be situated, and the one south
of it on the other side of Capitol, and
fronting on State and Pascagoula streets,
comprising. since the last confiagration,
the main business houses of the city, are in
ashes. These two blocks include the Epis-
copal church and the buildings from there
to Concert Hail. on State street the post
office, Julienne's bookstore, sweeping round
to Spengler's row, and down to Mrs.
McMaster's, including the post surgeons
office, medical directors office, and the
Office of commander of the post On the
opposite side of the street the fiery destruc-
ton began with McMurry's livery stable,
consuming the whole mass of buildings to
Strauss store, thence to Angeles saloon,
Griffith clearinghouse, thence to Cleary's
store, thence down Pascagoula street, eat
ing out the entire block.
The next block, running along State
and South, in succession of the one lust
named, being already pile of ruins, hav.
ing been burned by the enemy during the
hrst visit, the house burners ceased their
destruction in that part of the city. Mrs.
Clifton's house is said to have been burned.
The capitol was not injured nor was the
governors mansion. No act of wanton
insult to ladies is reported, but houses were
freely entered and sacked. The beautiful
suburbs of Jackson are all scorched, with
cred and destroyed"
Mrs, Masters corner above referred To
is where the Harding building now stands,
ana McMurry's stable was on Clarion
Ledger corner
Another correspondent: DIR. Bailey ar
rived here from Jackson yesterday The
half has not been told touching the vandal-
Ism OF the enemy while in occupation of
that Inflated city, Every unoccupied house,
ana nearly all of those whose owners re-
manned to protect them, was sacked and
Quilted. Officers as high as colonies were
seen to enter and steal articles of value and
carry them away. Mahogany and rose
wood bedsteads, with mattresses, mosquito
bars, and all the appendages of complete
and elegant couch, with bedsteads set up,
and the whole standing as if in bed
chamber, together with rosewood marble
stabbed dressing cases, beaureaus chairs
sofas. fine tables, pianos, ottomans, mir
rors, and all the costly furniture of the
cltlzens, were scattered all along the en-
trenchments from the southern bend of
fearl river to the extreme northern line of
the works. On these beds the Yankees
slept, and carried on their vile debauch-
cries, played cards and gambled ate and
drank on the tables, and on their departure
broke the stolen plumber into fragments
One general carried off two fine parlor
chairs from Mr.. Helms residence. They
hauled of wagon loads of books from the
State library, took what books they pre-
ferred. and destroyed the rest This library
was one of the most select and costly in
the Confederacy. In Mr.. Hobson's resi-
dence they cut his family portraits, mutt
lated everything they could not carry of,
cut large square pieces from the center of
his carpets, and wrote obscene sentences
upon the walls
Another correspondent: lone must visit
jackson to realize the extent of its de-
struction. 1t is a wreck of its former self
From the Bowman House, including that
fine hotel, to the freight depot of the
Nicksburg railroad, there are not exceed
ing ten buildings standing upon both sides
OF state street. The same is the case on
the streets leading from State street to the
New Orleans railroad. Look where you
will, ruin meets the eye. The numerous
chimneys still standing upon the burnt dis
tricts, and the undisturbed debris of
charred walls and destroyed wares will re-
main until the end of the war, silent but
terrible monuments of the devastating in
road of the banded horde. They did not
burn the State house, but nearly DESTROYED
the State library, the geological cabinet,
etc, pillaged the Masonic and Odd Fellows,
halls, burnt the Catholic and Episcopal
churches, the penitentiary, the institutions
of the dumb and blind, and every shop and
factory in the place. They burned all the
railroad depots, cars, etc, and many pri-
vate residences. So nearly complete did
they consider their nefarious work that
they now call the former capital of the
proud State of Mississippi "ChimneyviIle,n
not an inappropriate name in its present
garb."
The grasshoppers have done much
damage in Bolivar county, especially
on the Dahomey plantation. where one
cotton patch Of 500 acres wac DESTROYED
and s,ooo asses much dsuassd.