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

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Anson R. Butler letters, 1861-1900

1863-08-03 Page 2

Jo. Schlabach among the rest. They went to St. Louis. Van [name?] went out to the Reg., which is at Black River. No special news about the Reg. except that our Col. is now "acting Brigadier Gen." and Ferrely the Lieut Col., commands the Reg.  I forgot to tell you that the expedition to capture & destroy Yazoo City succeeded and brought back guns and ammunition by the pile. Cotton enough to line the Levee here for a mile. Thousands of Bales and Negroes by the boat load. We had one gun boat blown up by a Torpedo, which was all the damage done us, & she can be raised, as it is in only 10 feet of water now. The Yazoo is now open to trade and navigation clear up. The city here is undergoing repairs fast. Scores of men are cleaning the  streets of dirt & rubbish and hauling it off, buildings are being brushed up and out, and shops opened so that Washington Street looks Quite business like. The Levee always does. You would be astonished to see the huge piles of Cannon balls & Shell, Cannon, Mortars and immense piles of boxed ammunition that line the Levee, interspersed with Cotton bales, bales of hay, and provender of all kinds. Yesterday the two saw mills that we lay in front of got on fire. They were surrounded with houses for the hands, propritor and Negroes, and in ten minutes were in one huge, high, flame. We got our hose

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Jo. Schlabach among the rest. They went to St. Louis. Van [name?] went out to the Reg., which is at Black River. No special news about the Reg. except that our Col. is now "acting Brigadier Gen." and Ferrely the Lieut Col., commands the Reg. I forgot to tell you that the expedition to capture & destroy Yazoo City succeeded and brought back guns and ammunition by the pile. Cotton enough to line the Levee here for a mile. Thousands of Bales and Negroes by the boat load. We had one gun boat blown up by a Torpedo, which was all the damage done us, & she can be raised, as it is in only 10 feet of water now. The Yazoo is now open to trade and navigation clear up. The city here is undergoing repairs fast. Scores of men are cleaning the streets of dirt & rubbish and hauling it off, buildings are being brushed up and out, and shops opened so that Washington Street looks Quite business like. The Levee always does. You would be astonished to see the huge piles of Cannon balls & Shell, Cannon, Mortars and immense piles of boxed ammunition that line the Levee, interspersed with Cotton bales, bales of hay, and provender of all kinds. Yesterday the two saw mills that we lay in front of got on fire. They were surrounded with houses for the hands, propritor and Negroes, and in ten minutes were in one huge, high, flame. We got our hose