DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | Anson R. Butler letters, 1861-1900

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Anson R. Butler letters, 1861-1900

1862-10-29 Page 2

with what cake I had not in my hand under my arm (ginger bread) I went all over the city, so to speak, at least a large share of it. It is finely built. I think a larger share of fine buildings than in St. Louis,  judging from the travel in the streets is busy now too. You can go nowhere without seeing soldiers, both infantry & cavalry on horse & foot, drunk & sober. The Levee is covered with them some watering horses some looking on while the usual amount of drays, carriages, hucksters. etc. make it look lively. I went into a store and asked the man there which side he was on. He said Union for ever. Had quite a talk with him. Went into another saloon & bought some cake & pie to take along, and went to a point of a high bluff above the levee where our boat lay (very high at that) and looked around. There was a butternut gentleman standing there & I asked him if he saw the naval fight here, he said yes that he was standing where we were the whole time, and showed me where it commenced up the river. where this or that boat got shipped, where those lay that sank, except one which is clear under water & showed me where two shots that were accidental struck a large brick ice house. He said it was grand, said he was an unconditional Seseshionist & that if they could ever get the city back they would make the Unionists skedaddle I told him it would be biting off the nose to spite the face, for before they got it Sherman would burn it. Said he expected so or it would have been tried.

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with what cake I had not in my hand under my arm (ginger bread) I went all over the city, so to speak, at least a large share of it. It is finely built. I think a larger share of fine buildings than in St. Louis, judging from the travel in the streets is busy now too. You can go nowhere without seeing soldiers, both infantry & cavalry on horse & foot, drunk & sober. The Levee is covered with them some watering horses some looking on while the usual amount of drays, carriages, hucksters. etc. make it look lively. I went into a store and asked the man there which side he was on. He said Union for ever. Had quite a talk with him. Went into another saloon & bought some cake & pie to take along, and went to a point of a high bluff above the levee where our boat lay (very high at that) and looked around. There was a butternut gentleman standing there & I asked him if he saw the naval fight here, he said yes that he was standing where we were the whole time, and showed me where it commenced up the river. where this or that boat got shipped, where those lay that sank, except one which is clear under water & showed me where two shots that were accidental struck a large brick ice house. He said it was grand, said he was an unconditional Seseshionist & that if they could ever get the city back they would make the Unionists skedaddle I told him it would be biting off the nose to spite the face, for before they got it Sherman would burn it. Said he expected so or it would have been tried.