Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-07-25
How Pine Bluff Met Civil War Crisis
 is Told in Old Letter Which Tells an Interesting Story of Pine Bluff in Sixties

\ N STRIKING picture of Pine Bluff sEA in the stormy days of 1861 i
 r revealed in letter written b. thu late Colonel George John Ryan T foriner Pine Bluffian, and published in the Pine Bluff Press Eagle of Feb ruary 5, 1885.
 The letter, "Pine Bluff a Year' Ago." describes vividly the scenes a Pinc Bluff as the Civil war began the sending away of the last man, first company of troops and the company that took the last man from every family.
 It is Contained in copy of the Press, Eagle of that date in the pos session of Ben Scull, 715 Ash.
 Tha letter, in part, is as follows: fs.This evening, while examining files < of papers, and trying to divert my mind from the terrors inspired by the thermometer marking several degrees below zero, picked up copy of the Press Eagle and was stunned at dis covering in it the announcement of the death of my old friend and Pine Bluffs esteemed citizen, Captain w. 1T. D. Wilson, which occurred August 26, 1884, This revelation was sad, very sad surprise to me; and l had scarcely recovered my composure when my eye discovered in the death column of subsequent issue of the same paper the name of F. G. smart, another old friend, who had more re- gently, beckoned across the dark river.
 q fell to ruminating upon the events of the past, and memory car ried me back to the time when l first trod the soil of Pine Bluff, and be- came acquainted with it's honorable { whole-souled generously hospitable, and then very happy and prosperous inhabitants and I concluded that a short description of that event might be of interest.
 Napoleon Lively.
 "About twenty-four years ago first walked the streets of Pine Bluff
 one of the most thriving cotton { markets of the state. left New N Orleans on the Steamer Pine Bluff, q nice stern-wheel craft. The trip up < the Mississippi river to Napoleon $ was u very lazy one, accosioned by ' the great number of way landings < that had to be made. At that time Napoleon was in it's glory as city where man inclined towards game 2 of draw could have his pile covered and raked in; and, if he was dis noscd to quarrel at the result, could easily find n gentleman who stood 2 in solid with the coroner on whom 2 he could rely as corpse furnisher
 Fl had my young head pretty well filled with "Murrell gang literature, and, in consequence, had a holy hor- TOT of the town. However, l ven tured ashore. But l witnessed no ghootings or killings, and when the vessel backed out from the wharf bout landing, I had quite a favorable S opinion of the struggling little town,
 Reached Pine Bluff.
 aIt was a Sunday morning in May S 1861, when we reached Pine Bluff I The sun was shining brilliantly as the { rang plank was run out, and all nature seemed us peaceful and happy as the King of Days smiles were warm. The levee and high bluffs were covered with people, black and white, all in Sabbath attire, and seeming quite interested in the boats arrival. Quite number of gentle men came aboard and shook hands x cordially with the officers of the yes gel, and with many of the passeng- CTS, who proved to be Pine Bluffians returning from business and pleasure trips. After the friendly greetings, New Orleans and Memphis papers were inquired for, and eagerly taken.
 Then the little right hand stall was visited and some kind of refreshing beverage sampled. In the meantime, < hotel porters came aboard and took possession of the baggage that had to be left at port, and the boats crew commenced discharging freight, from the hurricane deck. l took a as appeared along the high bluff. The picture is still fresh in my < mind. l can see the long, low store house, the cotton bales. the sugar hcgsheads, the business structures, the telegraph office the saloons, the cross on the little Catholic church, the happy groups of laughing negro children, the turbaned "Auntie" and xhe Swallowed tailed "Uncle," the lazy looking mules, the spirited sad < de- horses, held by coffee-colored urchins, while "Old Marse' or "Young Marse" was down ter de boat"