Quiner Scrapbooks: Correspondence of the Wisconsin Volunteers, 1861-1865, Volume 9

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1000   blacks.      Contrabands   and   soldiers up to hiP neck, and bring him the beat oi ine. - j      ,, ,
^„,„    .        , -      .,     , ,   ,    .     liuns. a   do-able-barreled "stub and twirtt."—place,    scattered   considerably,  and   con-
were at work opening tli« levees and the in-1^^.,;^, ^„„jh„, ,«bel   approaching he   made tains some very handsome private residcn- habitants  ofthe   countrv   K.iy,   when   the for him under cover gf a Itne?', and when in „„„        ¦,.-.   „^,„    ,.i..oenn»   .,r,^...wI.,     ti, work is dono it will drown thoni nil out.  For bailing di«laacc be gave tbe order, and the f "•   ^'»^ '^   P^-'^^"' ^''^^I'f =''   ^ >« ,    • . .    ,   r       .1    reb. wheeling to ran, VVdliaws fired ; be did town 13 built on the   level, insido   ofthe he hrst  three   tlays und n.ght.s before  the ^^^^j„ ^j^^^,,^, ,„„j,i,i,„ ^.^ „^^.. ^ Lord !"levee.    At  the present timo   the  rivcr is letter wa.swniten. It li.id rained niccssantly^    We have beard  that Congress i« debating .bout four  feet higher  than thc land on Ibc wilier says "tlicio   arc thou.sands  of the tiuestion  of armiug thc negro.    Let Hub    ...... •    ,   -,.    i   .  .i    .
acres of cotton > here vet   unpieked,   wbich debate eeaao-sound the  reveilU..^,nake the'^hich   tho   town   is  bmit; but  the levee
the contrabands, of ;hom there aro  2,'^^^T\-Y'\'^L^^t\tfZfvT coming ,„. so that  when
.   _ .,,  ,'        .    . ,,        \„   bodied negroes from X8 to 4.1 nw, before an-the Icvco is rut and the   ,y„tor   allowed to
here now, wdl bo   set at   presently.     We   ,, .^ c+op ia put in,  and I ask,  when this bJ        .u        u -       -        i       .i
ought to   confiscate  enough cotlon,   mules, 3onc, it the rebellion in that  region or State ^"" ^»^'"^"S^'^^^'""y   imagine where thc
...    T -^•_   .. ....... . -.     « 111 u«     'fjjg   Lake   is   about   one
west from thc rivir.    Alter
,- ..» i.u,. .,1.^.. ..„ ..ork about a week  at thei.
armthcraaclves. ,   /-.       i-.      . r v- i
need it.    Fugitive slaves arc coming in daily      I ask you, who sa.y   the   negro   ww-V////i<, onab Gon. Orant came up  trom   Vicks-
. , .   !.._.   .  ..._    . _ ¦ . . . .. .       .       ..    J^
he .as In   a skirmish  a our wholearmy and navy. navigabU.    As thero  \vas no regular cav-
few days ago a negro killed one secesh  and    J'';^P/[-^^^^^^^^^^ bim as a body guard,  all
took another pri.soncr. The idea that they be tbe prunal cause of our i^ucceaa I Does *"" ***"™ mules were cellected, and a de- won* t fight for their freedom when occasion the (Jen. nd wish infonnation about forage, tail of Infantry mounted upon them, and reo..irn.^, is exploded down here. he asks the negro.    Does be want iiitelligeni;e ,.;th these  he set  out,  went about  ten
.* , ,,   . . ,      . ,     of the rebel m«aler 8 cotton, horses and cattle
I am   unable lo   say, jnst what is to bc   ^^^ where old "massa" himself is hid, he asks Ibc Older of exercises down  here.    It looks  the Kthlopeivn. Does he want thc corn shucked
18 if wo were lo   insulate thc rebels on tbe' •"''^ '•'"' "'"'^» ^^ ¦¦"" *''*'''""' "'"' "•" "'•-' ^o^ u -  V .„   f T- 1   u        ...1   . r        x ton cbi, "OufTy"   points the way.     Does he
*ieight8 of ^ icksburf,till iboy arc forced  to. ^.-..hV drive  in from the  rebel plantations :om»,do\vn t.xr. cr>.,v.n,:.... < ^ -.-.^ " .     ^(,i, |„.|.vea, 40 sheep, fS hoga, the negro tell
Prom Grant's   Army near   y iil'ksblirg. tU path through the ewampa and around th Oorrei|>onJ«i)ce of the 3*ntlnel. j ba^o.-^.     Does  thc hospital need a bundro.
MoARTiioa's i>ivi3io»,   PtoviDnc.ai fci., 1     iduvkens, "Kcd" will show yon wbora the „,    „ „     ,   ,    ,f'«|"'.'**'^y *'"{»•*.   r    I roost   lithe army to move to-day to engagel imcnts are here.
The Genoral'.s whole divuion has been herp mj, enemy, the negro points ont the meund since      the     9th     inat.       The |  work   ol  f^p ^^e cannon, the lower land for the infant cutting througli   the  kveea  aiul  ilitehing to  ^p^  ^j,, ^q^j fg, ^ho cavalry to flank the en-1 tapped   one of the great   Negro   District tbe lake, ia   rapidly   progr.-s.Hing.     There   i« .my, and tho routa the enemy must take,and
horses ic, down here, to pay all   exponses.ia not »l an end V    I give it as the conviction town will be.     fl
of thc cxnedilion   and to   oav the   soldiers «f «ny obsery^tion and conference with them, hundred rods wc
ot  the cxpcd lion   and to   pay the   soldiers ^^^^ jj. (,^    ^ess doei pot arm thom they will        .     , . .
now when it is due and when their famdies armthcraaclves. "
need it.    Fugitive slaves arc coming in daily      I ask you, who sa.y   the   negro   w«w-V////i<, c«nal, <Jon. Grant
t)v scores.    Some have been shot In making ^^f- ^° ?°"^^*y f '""\ '"^^'''^  ^\ •""'l^^ ^*?' ''"'B  *« "^^^ *^°^^   m^t\ex9,  stood.    He i]
their  cs-cane    and   reach   our   lines badlv^.**^^'  . Tk  '^l,     '"1     ^''^  'f?''^ termined to follow around thc edge of t
tntir  escape,   ana   icatn   our^   lines uauiy ^ith tbo negro, armed bv the government, or ->      i     tj x        -e •
wounded.    I saw ono yesterd.ny with a ball arming thanntelves, far more than they .iruad Lake, strike tho Bayou, and see if it w
hole through his  thigh.
miles, ascertained all he desired, came up¬ on some Guerrillas, had a brush wilh them and got back safe to camp. A few days after Gen. McArthur with tbo balance of our division, arrived and are encamped up¬ on tho opposite side of the Lako. Tbe 14th, IGth, 17lh and 18tb Wisconsin rog-
Sinco  we have arrived here   we   have
now talk of re. ¦ >Shig the lake by lificka. Con¬ trabands a^e chiefly doing the work. Mnj. Reynolds, oT the Sixteenth Wiaconsin, nnd othera overseeing tlie work, tuy ilmt "' one contraband is worth three aoldiera to work." They are coining lo us at the rate olf one hun.- .Ired a «lay. Siich perilous sufTerings as they endure to get to «s, beggars description.— Some aro handeufted, others whimMjd, some torn by; doga, and othera bore footed and bleeding from traveling ; oue ia ahot through the thigh and is now in the hospital, and an¬ other poorlfjUow, deaf, did not bear our pick¬ ets when tbey hultwd him, and waa ahot through ihc b-g below the knee.
They a; k from u-s protection, work and ra- liona. I iim often aaked if I will not aid them to anna. Tbey aay "MaaaawiUinlo fight till de war's ended." \ rcallv believe there ia mord truth than poetry in Ibis,
Onr acoiits, some aev.Mity iu nuinbcr, en¬ gaged three hundred rebela on tbe ioib, put-| ting them lo flight. They killed some, woun¬ ded some, and  took  twenty-six   priaonera.—i
tbe ridge to cross to flank ua.
Would not auocesa attend any general, lead ing on to battle auch a host? If not intelligent in letters, they arc in what is better, (fur the present distreaa.) in ways and means uf mili¬ tary suooeas. They have nothing to lose but life, in fighting, and everything to gain in by fighting I
Tliey say a sudden doath ia far preferable to a lingering death to themselves and their wives and children in bondage t I aay to thera, "Davia has ordered ever ono instantly shot, if captured and armed. You will not be treated aa prisoners of war."    Say they,
and ihity are pouring in with a vengeance. Tbo town is perfectly swarming wilh Ihem, and still they come. Chn plain Liv- erniore has been placed in charge of them, to register their names, find them quar¬ ters and rations. The men are set to work digging in the canal, and thc fami¬ lies to picking cotton, of wbich there arc plenty of fields remaining yet unpicked. These ncgros are tho lowest of any I ever saw.    In physical  appearance   they   are
Masaa, wa'i* far's as well, if took, as dem wiUj superior to those I .saw in Tennessee ; but
dat wc takes."    I guess it would be so. Readl.. they are very ignorant.
"irrl'iTuiut.' " ' L. 8. L.v,«Moi«,     '        At present we are in a great cotton dis-
In charge of Ooutrabonds.      trict; a few miles back thero are thous-
rnoM THE sir-KKNTii REoiMEMT. f ands of bales.    Last ycnr it was burnctl
CiMP AT i-iKi PkoviDK,\-cB, I     , IO tbls scctiou,   butthls   year  what was L«ul»ana, Ptbruary 21, ISM.     f •  .     , • .i     •     .i     i   T mi
OS—.. T        . I    » I 1   picked 18 mostly in thc bale.    All the cot-
otiKo I wrote you last, wo havo  moved i •     , .    •'  , ..»,..
aeu •»"¦»«'»"";""^, of r„ r FirsrK«„«7 ftn^ V! I, 1 u ..       7   '<>» ^iiyers have been ordered North ; tho
The orderly sergeant ol Oo. )•., J*irat l{.an»fttt, friHJi Vicksburg  whero   wc were   then, to > •' . '
waa killed,   and   ^^P*-   pucker, of the aaine j^^. Providence, our present placo of en
conipauy. was severely wounded in the braa<'t ' '     ^    v i    .....
and mouth.    His   recovery   was   d»)ubtful at campment.    First our brigade camo up to
first, but hopeful now.    Thirteen others were wounded.
While tho impression ia that a negro will not fight, I cnn but raeiitbui hero the bravery .if ".Iim Williams," a nigro. He borrowed an Enfield rifle of one of the Niuety-Fitib Illinoia, slipped by the guard.-", jayhawked a mule, pitched into the battle, met three rebs, and ordered them to surrender. Two dropped tbeir guna and came to him, but tlic third tir¬ ed at him three timea before Jini got a ahot at him. But when ho fired he killed the rebel d'^ad, hitting him square in the tore bead.— He made one of th.<  prisoners wade a bayou
see the practicability of digging a ranal from tha Mississippi into "Providence Lake distance of about a hundred rods, tbroogh which we could get our boats in-' to the Lake, and into IJayou Mason, wbiob connects with Rcd River. Two or three days were spent in iiiVestigation, and our officers came to tho conclusion that the thing was practicable, and so we set to work at it.
Lake Providence is a small, handsome
Government intends to confiscate ; but I am afraid that the Government means two or three individuals, who wear one or two stars upon each shoulder. There is money made out of this cotton business. I don't .see what harm it would do to let thc cotton buyers buy thc cotton, paying for it in our Green Racks, which would ; root out the bogus confederate notes
I don't know how the canal svill work. I do not think that wc will succeed in gel¬ ling any large crafts through that draw much water.    Some think it is tnerely a