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Anson R. Butler letters, 1861-1900
1862-11-08 Page 2
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You ought to see a Forage Train going out to see dust. Last Tuesday I went onto the Levee back of our camp and sat down to see one go out. The road runs paralell with the Levee for 2 miles or more & I was 12 or 15 higher than they so I could see all 90 teams most of them 6 mules, but some were 4 & 4 horse instead of mules. Every team from 4 to 6 Infantry riding in the wagon in full shooting and livery rig as a part of the guard for them, which opposite our camp they halted and waited a few moments when some 200 cavalry came thundering down the road and past all the teams till out ahead (they were the rest of the guard) then the command "forward march" came. Whips craked and all started of on a gallop, trains an all and such a cloud of dust. They came back next day with 90 loads of corn, potatoes (sweet) etc. gathered from the Secesh. Such is war. Killing and robbing go hand in hand and cant be helped. I went up town that day and all over it. It is larger than I had supposed but the Houses are of a very inferior class generally every where all over the place are huckster shops on almost every lot just inside the yard fence a booth and cakes, pies, apples, etc for sale which clouds of dust that almost choke one cover everything, and the stores and shops fare no better. I found 3 or 4 pretty good sized stores one very large and well filled drug store. Things are high. Calico from .50 to 1.00 per yd, tobacco from 1.50 to 2.00 per pound. Apples 2 & 3 for 5 cts a slice of bread & butter 5 cts. Butter 50 cts per pound, a dinner in a saloon 50 cts consisting of a cup of coffee slice of bread & butter, slice of ham & one egg I found some pretty fair residences and 3 churches. 2 are used for hospitals. went round to the fort and among some of the regiments and down through 3 or 4 regiments on my way home and when within one regiment of our camp I stopped at a sutler shop and asked what regmt. it was. Said it was 1st Ind. Cavalry I asked what part of the state. Said around
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You ought to see a Forage Train going out to see dust. Last Tuesday I went onto the Levee back of our camp and sat down to see one go out. The road runs paralell with the Levee for 2 miles or more & I was 12 or 15 higher than they so I could see all 90 teams most of them 6 mules, but some were 4 & 4 horse instead of mules. Every team from 4 to 6 Infantry riding in the wagon in full shooting and livery rig as a part of the guard for them, which opposite our camp they halted and waited a few moments when some 200 cavalry came thundering down the road and past all the teams till out ahead (they were the rest of the guard) then the command "forward march" came. Whips craked and all started of on a gallop, trains an all and such a cloud of dust. They came back next day with 90 loads of corn, potatoes (sweet) etc. gathered from the Secesh. Such is war. Killing and robbing go hand in hand and cant be helped. I went up town that day and all over it. It is larger than I had supposed but the Houses are of a very inferior class generally every where all over the place are huckster shops on almost every lot just inside the yard fence a booth and cakes, pies, apples, etc for sale which clouds of dust that almost choke one cover everything, and the stores and shops fare no better. I found 3 or 4 pretty good sized stores one very large and well filled drug store. Things are high. Calico from .50 to 1.00 per yd, tobacco from 1.50 to 2.00 per pound. Apples 2 & 3 for 5 cts a slice of bread & butter 5 cts. Butter 50 cts per pound, a dinner in a saloon 50 cts consisting of a cup of coffee slice of bread & butter, slice of ham & one egg I found some pretty fair residences and 3 churches. 2 are used for hospitals. went round to the fort and among some of the regiments and down through 3 or 4 regiments on my way home and when within one regiment of our camp I stopped at a sutler shop and asked what regmt. it was. Said it was 1st Ind. Cavalry I asked what part of the state. Said around
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