The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-09-11
FIFTY SOUTHERN GIRLS.
Taken as Prisoners of War and Held a:
Hostages at Vicksburg.

Taken as Prisoners of War and Held as
Hostages at Vicksburg.
Il was mixed up in one little unrecord-
ed event of the Civil War" said Gen
eral b., that was interesting from its
very unusualness, and which, as | look
back upon it, seems strangely pictur-
esque We were attached to what was
known as the 'tinclad' river steamboats,
that piled up and down the Mississippi
River after the surrender of Vicksburg.
| The term of tinclad' by the way, Is
somewhat misleading, as it is not re-
motely connected with the white metal,
but signifies rather boats heavily plank
ed with oak for the purpose of protect
| ing them somewhat from the ravages of
! bullets.
lone day our little battalion of four
companies was ordered to steam down
| the river disembark at Rodney, march
| to Port Gibson, and there consult sealed
orders in regard to further proceedings
Imagine our surprise upon reading the
instructions that we were expected to
capture and carry back to Vicksburg as
prisoners fifty of the most aristocratic
Confederate young women in the city.
However, we had served long enough to
| obey orders without question, and pro-
vided with guides familiar with the
town. we set about our bizarre and not
too agreeable task. We first establish
ed headquarters at the residence of a
prominent Confederate judge.
''Then different squads were sent out
to call at the homes of the young wo-
| a nd tbpr, Ia q nj pf
devious. The instructions were that
they must report at headquarters with
in two hours on penalty of their family
residence being burned to the ground.
The only information we could give
them (the whole transaction was as
much a mystery to us as to them) was
that they We're prisoners of war, but
We're on no account to suffer any dis
comfort or indignity.
"Of course there was great weeping,
wailing and crashing of teeth from ten-
der mothers loving sisters and irate
fathers and brothers But the incident
had to be accepted as belonging to the
fortunes of war, and at the end of two
hours forty-nine of the fifty, attended
by anxious friends and relatives, were
at the rendezvous, Mercy was i'm
plored for one delinquent. An addition
al hour was granted, and, at their own
suggestion, several Of the young women
were dispatched to her home to per-
suade her to follow their example in
gracefully submitting to the inevitable.
The result was that before the hour was
up the last fair prisoner had put in an
appearance though in very defiant
mood.
Our troubles, however by no means
ended here. Indeed, they We're hardly
begun. The next question was how to
transport our beautiful captives to Rod
ney. a distance Of twenty miles, over
roads that were in a frightful con-
dition from the devastation of war and
consequent neglect All the good horses, |
too, like all the good men, We're off
to the war; and as for carriages, they
had most decidedly fallen into a state
of innocuous desuetude. There was OBJ |
viously nothing for us to do, therefore, |
but to gather together all the broken |
down old horses and dilapidated veh-
icles in the vicinity, which we somehow |
to hitch together with plough |
harnesses, bits of rope, straps, ETC., |
With these improvised coaches, drawn |
up into line, began the process of load |
ing on our victims, and when they were |
all slowed away it was a motley pro- |
cession, / can assure you. Even the |
sound of farewells and the sight Of |
weeping eyes could not blind us to the |
must remember that we We're all pretty |
young fellows of SO. The civil war
humorous aspect of the scene. You
was fought by men whose average was
only twenty three. Well, we made our |
way slowly, amid tears and laughter, to
Rodney, where we embarked for Vicks-
burg, Upon arriving there the young
were taken before the provost
who put them on parole, con-
lining them to- the limits OF the city
Most of them had friends in the town
with whom they chose to remain, and |
suitable quarters We're found for the |
est,
1.-THE reason for the whole transaction
hen transpired. 1t seems that some
Northern young women school teachers
lad been taken prisoners by the Confed-
rates and were at that moment in their
amps, where they We're forced to wash
md mend for the soldiers and perform
ther emnial services. These Confederate
,oung women were, therefore, to be |
eld as hostages until the Northern
women We're released. There was little
elay in the exchange, and we had our
isitors in Vicksburg only thirty days.
hey were, however, very gay, delight
I'll days. Yankee officers and Confed-
rate maidens intermingled socially,
nd the acquaintance so rudely forced
pom the beautiful Southerners proved
;r,+, ,o1 |
ould, indeed, point to more than one
marriage that was the direct |
utcome of our raid upon Port Gibson.
Washington Times.
What made youse name de twins
Philippine and Manila ?" Oats all
i,,,4 ll,,r