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Department if me G. ACofitainirg Reminiscences ofBivouac during the Great War of tilt tfltalffii; l'bi.« t» partinent i* open to s.tilnr* who lt;n rv«-l tn the Uakm Amvdwwy-the War of th* Rebellion- Incidental nfBwtt? €*m! and Man ta are e»n»«*t!y solicited,]■Ini«h80t aurlies5 atteirurtoyde-theTHE TBCBK r.i.9f.f ffi-V.After the defeat of tieo. Jose^ jKJohn-on'g command at Jackson, Miss.and the capture of that city in by the forces under General ,-hera the Thirteenth Army Corps, which rffl participated in nearly ail the engnifs moots tlmt preceded the capture o Vicksburg, including that .mesaotanif: it, n a,it • returned toUs camps in the rear of the hitter place.and soon thereafter to the bottoms be-| low the town, oil the river s hank. He®*in the hot and sultry J nly and early panof August, a rested from the wmrycampaign that had begun in the prevfifij om month of April. Gen. Banks, then in command of the Department of UseGulf, being short of troops for any offensive campaign against the enemy.applied to (ten. Grant for reinforcements, and the Thirteenth Corps, (thenin command of Gen. Ord, who subsequently was transferred toanolhercommand. ■ was sent to New Orleans. TN old division of General A. J. Smith, ofwhich the writer was a member, and of which he will only speak in this article.Brig. Gen. S. G. Burbridge, of Kentucky, commanding the first brigade, and Col. W. S. Landrum, of the ttih Kentucky Infantry, the second brijjB —was landed at Carrollton, la. where it lay during the few remaining days of August, when it received orders to move into western Louisiana. Taking cars at Algiers, opposite New Orleans, the command proceeded to Brashear C ity, situ* ated ou the banks of Berwick Bay. I lietown consisted of a few buildings largely in the decliue of usefulness, and exhibiting upon their broken sides, dilapidated roofs and rough interiors evi-deuces of the presence at some pfiWliillp time of contending armies. It that Gen, Banks encountered his first opposition to the advance of the Unionforces into western Louisiana—muchto the chagrin of the enemy, who were severely handled by the Nineteenth Corps. ’ The location, however, is fine, embracing a splendid view of the bay—acomparatively small but beautiful sheetof water—beneath whose gentle bosom millions of the finny tribe sportedmirthful glee and the succulent bivalverested serenely on its prolific bottom. How the “boys” used to wade out to the danger line after the delicious oyster!and how they came trooping in withtheir bats and caps rilled to their rimswith the toothsome shell fish!arera,re,mallt, wepect,pears...’OMALL3tS9rally.NLeaving Brashear City by steamer, we crossed the bay to the western shore,where we entered the garden of Louisiana. This section was one of the piostthickly populated in the State, and probably the richest district in the As we proceeded west along the Bayou Teche,(a narrow, sluggish stream of water, filled w ith alligators, and navigable for small steamers during the seasons of high water,)the plantations showed evidences of departed wealth and luxury. The impression the writer had when lie first saw a southern plantation, was that he hail dropped into a nourishing village. but close inspection revealed an entirely different settlement. A plantation in the south during the war consisted of the planter’s residence, (generally deserted. or occupied by the overseer or negroes,) the sugar or cotton mill, stables, various outhouses and the negro quarters, embracing twenty or.thirty buildings in all. 'Hie district | from Berwick Bay to Opelousas, and as far up as Alexandria, is famous for theproductiveness of its soil. There is probably no richer section of country in the United States, not excepting Pennsylvania's noted garden of Lancaster. But the war seemed to change the features of the country in western Louisiana, as it did everywhere else in the South. As the Union forces advanced the plantations were generally deserted bv the planters and all other white persons connected with then , leaving only the negroes ”to bold the fort” And they generally succeeded in possessing themselves of ali the valuables left after the bine bellied Yankees” had sampled the stock on hand.The Teche campaign w as a mask put on by Gen Banks to hide a more extensive one to the Bio Grande, under flu-immediate command of Gen. Daua —These expeditions rarely ever paid their ] cost. The enemy was always on the I alert, and generally had means of ascertaining the “true inwardness” of Federal movements even before they hadactually begun. 'Vhether or not heknew, or if lie knew cared to contest the advance of Banks into Texas bj way of the Brazos, subsequent events proved that he had in no wise depletes his forces in western Louisiana.The Teche expedition was under tin immediate command of Gen. Cadwaiader C. Washburn, and comprised th»1 third and fourth divisions of the thir teenth army corps, with the first brig ade of the latter division in the leademBrig. Gen. S. G. Burbridge commanding. Tlie weather was the most de-lightfuf ever experienced in the south. The orange tree was fragrant with ripening fruit, and the moss-covered live oaks afforded cooling shade from the warmth of the meridian sun. The heat oi day was tempered by the soft breeze from tiie Gulf, ami we sank to sleep ■ night refreshed by the fragrance of ; and blossom and fanned by gt 'zephyrs that creaped stealthily a like the silent tread of the moccasinTne life of the soldier was a com.____pleasure day. The march though weary ing gave strength to the body and xeo j to the appetite. Wholesome food plenty of it, strong digestive organs and freedom from care and measurably rec kless of danger, lent life viimr am!*animation to every member of ties com mand. It was a holiday repeated dai , for several weeks, with no special du 1 except the rewtine of march, eup ai 1 picket.fIt v.as a pleasant afternoon in Octoher when we halted at the outskirts the preity village of New Iberia, wbihas since become notorious for the per p i rat ion of some of the most fezfsouth. Hardly had the brigade hakesand the regimental tents lieen spreadwhen an order came detailing the wri ter as Provost Marshal of the town am his regiment as provost guard.fro BE CONTIKlTKD.l“Permanent. iThere are medicines which give on!;, temporary relief and then leave the wififerer worse off than b. tore, especial! (in *s of dyspepsia. R *raarabr| ym'..his . not the way with Brown s iroi Bitters. See wbat Mr. J M Gone*. o Gaiu* S C., says aimuttt.topfmee o tonic-. “My wife hasb-en greaiB uen.; filed i y it; she h? d been trout*! o w»o dyspecsia for cats, and now » b-ouevlshe is’permanently cured- L also cureliver and kidney complaints,
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Ames Intelligencer
Ames, Iowa, US
Sat, Feb 14, 1885
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