Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-08-23
DEBORAH IN WAR Time.
Interesting Letter From S. w. Matte
son to Col. ID. H. Hughes.
THE SURRENDER OF yICKsBURG
Writing to Hughes at
Vicksburg. Tells How the Old
Town Tore Loose When
News Came of the
Surrender.

In looking over some old family
papers the other day, City Clerk F.
Nj. Hughes ran across a letter OF
unusual interest just at this time
when we are celebrating the fiftieth
anniversary of the civil war. 1t is
letter written just after the sur
render of Vicksburg by Sumner w
Matteson of this city to Col. d. H
Hughes, 38th regiment, Iowa Volun-
teer Infantry, and gives a very lucid
description of the way the news OF
the surrender of Vicksburg was re-
ceived at home:
Office of Clerk of District Court
Winneshiek County.
Decorah, Iowa, July 10, 1868.
Col. D. H. Hughes,
3Sth Regt. Iowa VOL Inft.
Dear Brother
Your letter of July I'd, before the
surrender of Vicksburg, is received
nothing from you since Did you
get too drunk to write, or what is
the reason you have not told us how
you found things.
Confirmation of the fall, or sur
render of Vicksburg, came on the
9th. We waited this time for a sure
thing, as we had twice before spent
powder and drank beer on il, very
much to the subsequent qualification
of the "copperheads. But at this
time, and on this occasion, it would
have astonished you to have been
a looker-on. | never saw anywhere
such a general rush, such an un-
bounded exhibition of glee. All ages,
classes and sexes turned into the
street. Boom, boom, went the can
non, waking up the old hills around,
followed and answered by anvils
from one end of Water street to the
other. All the old boxes and out
houses. which were not held down
to their foundations by the main
force of the proprietor, were piled
into the street, and you would have
thought Scotland was burning, sure.
Men threw up their hats, women
their shakers. and children generally
their heels. A procession of forty
rods, with pockets filled with Roman
candles. rockets and other combusti-
bles, marched up and down, with
the fire flying and flashing from their
ranks in all directions. Protheroe
set out barrel of rum, Beemer
drank, and barrels of beer were set
out on the street all the way down.
Men drank, boys drank; old NOVEL;,
Old Bridge, Fred Francis, and every
body drank, and | firmly believe
pretty nearly everybody got drunk,
A platform of boxes was erected, and
everybody made a speech. Men who
never spoke before, spoke then; and
such tumultuous, uproarious
noisy, general and universal jolliti-
cation | never saw or dreamed of
The Iowa boys We're toasted thou
sand times. Copperheads skunk in
to their holes and looked red in the
face. Brother Adams was freighten
ed at the general intemperance, ant
next day distributed. generally &
printed sheet of warning. Decoraf
never knew such time.
We are now in the receipt o.
glorious news all around. Vicksbure
led off, Port Hudson followed. Sue
cesSes have at last attended oul
arms in the East, and now toda!
news comes, which | don't yet be
lieve, that Charleston is burned.
The family, from top to bottom
are we'll. Averill has moved East
e. f. Cooley has sold out and goe
soon to Chicago. | have purchased
a quarter section of land of A. j
Smith over TO the Fort: the railroad
progresses, the draft progresses
though bloody in New York; we ex
pect it along here one of these days
We are all we'll, and sincerely hop
you are. GoOdby,
SUMNER.