a vast quantity of good things and many ladies, who had come on in the
excursion train, behind them. There were about 6,600 men there, it was
said--rude, big, rough fellows, with sprinklings of odd companies,
composed of gentlemen of fortune exclusively. The soldiers who were only
entitled to the name in virtue of their carrying arms, their duty, and
possibly their fighting qualities, lay under the trees playing cards,
cooking, smoking, or reading the papers; but the camp was guarded by
sentries, some of whom carried their firelocks under their arms like
umbrellas, others by the muzzle with the butt over the shoulder; one for
ease, had stuck his, with the bayonet in the ground, upright before him;
others laid their arms against the trees, and preferred a sitting to an
upright posture. In front of one camp there were two brass fieldpieces,
seemingly in good order. Many of the men had sporting rifles or plain
muskets. There were several boys of fifteen and sixteen years of age
among the men, who could scarcely carry their arms for a long day’s
march; but the Tennessee and Mississippi infantry were generally the
materials of good soldiers. The camps were not regularly pitched, with
one exception; the tents were too close together; the water is bad, and
the result that a good deal of measles, fever, diarrhœa, and dysentery
prevailed. One man who came on the train was a specimen of many of the
classes which fill the ranks--a tall, very muscular, handsome man, with
a hunter’s eye, about thirty-five years of age, brawny-shouldered,
brown-faced, black-bearded, hairy-handed; he had once owned one hundred
and ten negroes--equal, say, to £20,000--but he had been a patriot, a
lover of freedom, a fillibuster. First, he had gone off with Lopez to
Cuba, where he was taken, put in prison, and included among the number
who received grace; next he had gone off with Walker to Nicaragua, but
in his last expedition he fell into the hands of the enemy, and was only
restored to liberty by the British officer who was afterward assaulted
in New Orleans for the part he took in the affair. These little
adventures had reduced his stock to five negroes, and to defend them he
took up arms, and he looked like one who could use them. When he came
from Nicaragua he weighed only one hundred and ten pounds--now he was
over two hundred pounds--a splendid _bete fauve_; and, without wishing
him harm, may I be permitted to congratulate American society on its
chance of getting rid of a considerable number of those of whom he is a
representative man. We learned incidentally that the district wherein
these troops are quartered was distinguished by its attachment to the
Union. By its last vote Tennessee proved that there are at least forty
thousand voters in the State who are attached to the United States
Government. At Columbus the passengers were transferred to a steamer,
which in an hour and a half made its way against the stream of the
Mississippi to Cairo. There, in the clear light of the summer’s eve,
were floating the Stars and Stripes--the first time I had seen the flag,
with the exception of a glimpse of it at Fort Pickens, for two months.
Cairo is in Illinois, on the spur of land which is formed by the
junction of the Ohio River with the Mississippi, and its name is
probably well known to certain speculators in England, who believed in
the fortunes of a place so appropriately named and situated. Here is the
camp of Illinois troops under General Prentiss, which watches the shores
of the Missouri on the one hand, and of Kentucky on the other. Of them,
and of what may be interesting to readers in England, I shall speak in
my next letter. I find there is a general expression of satisfaction at
the sentiments expressed by Lord John Russell, in the speech which has
just been made down here, and that the animosity excited by what a
portion of the American press called the hostility of the Foreign
Minister to the United States has been considerably abated, although
much has been done to fan the anger of the people into a flame, because
England had acknowledged the Confederate States have _limited_
belligerent rights.
<td>
Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:
But had the Adminstration been as strong=> But had the Administration
been as strong {pg 19}
Linclon is preparing either to abandon=> Lincoln is preparing either to
abandon {pg 20}
who is acting as aid-de-camp=> who is acting as aide-de-camp {pg 36}
small detatched batteries=> small detached batteries {pg 38}
connect him with the the North=> connect him with the North {pg 49}
Colonol Harvey Brown received=> Colonel Harvey Brown received {pg 92}
welcome her approach=> welcomes her approach {pg 99}
The Powhattan is a paddle=> The Powhatan is a paddle {pg 104}
accusomed for so many weeks=> accustomed for so many weeks {pg 106}
I had received premission to go on shore=> I had received permission to
go on shore {pg 108}
though not premitted=> though not permitted {pg 110}
the usuages of civilized nations=> the usages of civilized nations {pg
113}
consider the cause of theo cuntry=> consider the cause of the country
{pg 125}
tike outlying skeleton pickets=> like outlying skeleton pickets {pg 133}
àmes damnées=> âmes damnées {pg 138}
Or the fustian about dying=> Of the fustian about dying {pg 148}
stopping oyposite=> stopping opposite {pg 148}
lanky pony, whip in hand, superintend=> lanky pony, whip in hand,
superintended {pg 153}
the rain fell in torents=> the rain fell in torrents {pg 156}
year of its purshase at about=> year of its purchase at about {pg 161}
fifty-five, in the neigborhood=> fifty-five, in the neighborhood {pg
163}
At lest=> At last {pg 164}
fifty-sixth Irish=> fifty-six Irish {pg 175}
a brass buckle incribed=> a brass buckle inscribed {pg 178}
and did not riochet=> and did not ricochet {pg 179}
greater chance of riochet=> greater chance of ricochet {pg 180}
on retnrning we=> on returning we {pg 183}
agressive article=> aggressive article {pg 185}
<td>
End of Project Gutenberg's The Civil War in America, by William Howard Russell