The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-09

CONTINUED from Page Thirteen.)
May 2zth, 1858, the regiment received over
800 recruits, Company K receiving in one
squad Is (Dan P. Smiths history Of Com
pany K, D. 49,. Letter Of Captain J. p.
Jones, July 9Th, 1868, from Port Hudson
Gust three days before the surrender)
says: First Alabama SIS strong" After
the losses at Port Hudson and recruit
arg fail of 1863, Northumberland Polk
reports the regiment Ts strong at Me-
r1dian. Mas Confederate Military His
terry, vol. Z, D. 53-54) Companies A, B,
q and X at once began toe construction
OF their batteries on the river. The
ground was hard. and progress slow ana
laborious, but by Feb. LIST. 1853, nearly all
the guns were in position. The men were
daily practiced in the drtu OF the squad,
company, battalion: and, after compile
ton of batteries, the artillery also. The
three new companies Of the regiment and
the many recruits to the seven old compa-
MES had no experience in any kind OF
drill, and these together constituted at
least two-thirds OF the regiment; but by
the superior tact and industry Of Colonel
Steedman and our Adjutant, Captain 8.
10. Steedman, q recent graduate of the
South Carolina Military Academy. assist
ed by our veteran officers just exchanged,
me regiment was soon thoroughly drilled
and disciplined. II was recognized as the
crack regiment of the Port Hudson army.
One OF the proofs that our regiment was
held in the highest esteem was that the
commanding general always called upon
the First Alabama for important detail
of men and officers to execute special Or
ders. Louisiana rum was the especial
H.
gar planters being unable to sell their
sugar. converted IL into rum. Details
from our regiment were sent out to de-
efrov these distilleries. We were also
ulaced as police guards on all roads lead
ing to distiIleries, and ordered to seize
and confiscate all rum being brought into
our lines. Many gallons were captured
every night and brought to our guard
house and poured out on the ground.
Many of our old comrades will remember
how the thirsty men would dip 1t up In
cups or drink it out OF the ditches until
driven off by the guards.
Our daily rations were blue beef" and
corn bread" to which were occasionally
added sweet potatoes and syrup. The Ia
dies CT Mobile presented each member OF
the regiment with full suit of clothes,
including ovorcoat5 AMI blankets; com
Portable log cabins were erected for Wild
ter quarters; and the regiment was in
fine health and spirits. Corn beer. of
which every company had ,ne or more
stands, was our luxury. Diversions were
sought in various ways by the men. but
chiefly through kangaroo courts" Cases
were worked up during the day, jury
aurpanneled that night, an Indictment
found. the c1se argued by our lawyers,
and the penalty of treating the crowd to
beer imposed by the court on the ansuc-
cazsfuI party to the suit. The men also
n.,hlished (wrote) daily newspaper
called The Mule" 1t dealt mainly IN
satire Of men and others on drill. and
was replied TO by a counter-newspaper
called 'swoodchuck." In a different way
our officers, mostly single, and hand
some set, too, had their pastime. There
were many large sugar planters In this
section, and their beautiful and accom-
pIished daughters in fine carriages and
Attended by retinues OF servants made
freauent visits to our camps ito see the
aol.iiers.-' Well. they saw the soldier.
and our officers saw them, result being
Ahat our officers made frequent visits to
4ha palatiai homes of these young la
dies, attending balls, banquets, etc. But
4he company officers. having no horses
ana the distance to these homes being
400 great to walk, had to leave the mo-
nopoly Of all these pleasures to the regl-
mermals II there was anything on earth
that a Southern woman during these days
could not resist It was a Confederate SOL
der with brass bars and stars on his coat
collar There was some fascination even
In a corporaIs stripes
In November Colonel Steedman hired
brass band of ten musicians, commanded
nv a Captain ONeal-al English sub
1ects-the officers of the regiment by vol
untary assessment paying the band For
profacieney it certainly had no superior.
ff an equal in the Confederate service.
Their instruments, too, were first-class.
They played for us on drill and at night
after taps took their position at the
Coloners tent and played us to sleep. We
also had many superior violinists.
vast quantities of bacon, cattle sugar
and syrup were shipped through Port
TTudson to the interior of the Confeder-
acv. The cattle were swum across the
river in full view Of our batteries. No
bacon and only a few of the poorest cat
tIe were left for our garrison.
On Nov. 1e. 1862. the Federal fleet under
Commodore Farragut arrived from below
in sight of our batteries. II was COM
nosed of the following vessels;
wood-Richmond. carrying q guns;
| hartford, carrying 26 guns; Mississippi,