_Nov. 16._ I had a talk with General Saxton. He was feeling very blue,
had just been to Hilton Head to get some tents for his new recruits of
which he enlisted about a hundred on his recent expedition to St.
Mary's.[74] There are some 3000 tents in warehouse there, but General
Brannan[75] refused to open it for him, alleging the advice of the
Medical Department, which closed it because yellow fever had been near
it. Now it is notorious that whenever one of General Brannan's men
wants anything from the same warehouse, he gives a special order and
it is opened for him, but not for General Saxton, the _Abolitionist_.
So the new recruits have to sleep in open air these frosty nights,
dampening their ardor somewhat. General Saxton agreed with me that if
there is no more earnestness and sincerity among other army officers
than among the specimens we have had here, we should all go to the
dogs. His expedition was so successful that he was in good spirits
till balked by General Brannan. The best item in it was that one of
the rebel prisoners taken was marched to Beaufort jail guarded by one
of his former slaves! The conduct of the negro troops was very well
spoken of by their officers, but is the subject of a good deal of
ribaldry among the white soldiers at Beaufort, who exhibit a degree of
hatred really fiendish towards the black regiment, taking their cue
from their commanding officer, of course.
We had a very interesting discussion on Wednesday about the future
management of the plantations. I advocated the subdivision of the
land, allotting to each family what it could cultivate and measuring
their crops separately. Mr. Bryant, who came from Edisto last
June,[76] preferred working the people in a gang with a foreman, and
paying them by the month. His people had worked very well in that way,
but it would be impossible to work the people on this island in that
way. They are too independent and too ignorant to see the advantages
of it, and too deceitful to enable any foreman to discriminate between
the lazy and industrious. Such a system, with the insufficient force
of white foremen we could supply, would be only a premium on deceit
and laziness, and would fail to call out the individual exertions of
the people.
The cotton crop will be worth, on this and Ladies Island, about
$40,000. I have stored twenty-five thousand pounds stone cotton[77] on
my plantations which will be worth at least $4000. The Pine Grove
people have done picking and commenced ginning this week. All the men
take hold of it readily. I can't find foot-gins enough here to gin
more than one fourth the crop, and I don't think it worth while to gin
by steam or horse-power, so remote as we are from mechanical
repair-shops. There are several power-gins which might be readily
fitted up in time of peace, but now it would cost too much. The
engines have been appropriated to sawmills in some cases, and worn out
in others, while the belting and other movable parts have all been
stolen by the negroes.
I have not yet decided whether or not to take care of these
plantations another year. General Saxton says he don't think our
relations with the people will be disturbed by the tax-commissioners,
but, if the estates are offered for sale[78] as they expect to do, I
don't see how he is to help it. I think I should like to buy this one
and see what could be done with the people. I should not expect to
make anything out of it. I don't believe much can be made out of this
generation by free labor, nor out of the next without teaching them to
read, and am sorry so little has been done as yet in the teaching
department. It is difficult to get people to stick to it, especially
in summer and during the unhealthy season.
I have already started ginning on nine plantations along this seaside
road and shall succeed in saving on the spot sufficient seed to plant
this island, I think. General Saxton has given me _carte blanche_ as
to ginning and general management of the crop. It seems to be his way
to leave all details to his subordinates, whom he holds responsible
for a proper result. If I had the same authority in New York I could
save something as compared with last year's crop, which was nearly all
eaten up by the brokers and agents and contractors, through whose
hands it passed, leaving but $200,000 net proceeds from a shipment of
about a million dollars' worth.
Mr. Lee has paid me the amount I advanced on my plantation pay-rolls
for July and August. I have finished up my pay-rolls for September and
October and intend to get him to go and pay off my people for these
months with my funds when paying the other plantations for June and
July.
In the prolonged absence of window-glass, I have resorted to other
expedients known to Irishmen, etc., but can't keep the wind out of my
chamber these frosty nights by any amount of ingenuity. Shingles might
do it, but they are as difficult to obtain as the window-glass, and
the towels won't stay put in a high wind.
We are very sorry to hear of Captain Hooper's serious illness. He had
kept up his strength so long on quinine during the summer, that a
break-down must be dangerous now. I imagine that General Saxton misses
his indefatigable zeal and straightforward gentleness.
I want to see what is to be done at the tax-sale and what sort of a
title is to be given. For I don't think I shall stay here another year
unless I can control my men better than I have done, and I don't
believe a better control can be had with the long-delayed payments
rendered almost necessary by the lumbering machinery of the
Quartermaster's department.
The next letter is from C. P. W., and sets forth the result
of his cogitations on plantation methods.