DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | George C. Burmeister diary, 1864

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1864-03-14 Page 4

several dozen, with great avidity, he appeared to be nearly starved, and listen what he said; “O Lor massa dis is de fust weat cakes I’se had since las Crismus year ago”.  I took him to camp and told him he was free it did me good to tell him so, he was very glad and expressed  his joy by shouting “O tank de Lor, tank de Lor for it I’se been waiting for you a long time an you has all come at las.”  He is quite a young able bodied darkey.  I went into the fort where I saw about 200 prisoners.  The fort is a great structure nor quite completed, with high walls and deep ditches, so it is very difficult for men to get into it.  As soon as the union troops got into the works the rebels surrendered, but one of their number, a boy, recently conscripted by them came running up to the rest with his gun in his hand when one of our soldiers shot him dead.  This is decidedly the best fort I ever saw, it is connected with another fort at the river, a quarter of a mile from each other, where the rebels had their best works, iron bomb proof covering and four heavy parrot guns which they formerly captured from the Indianola, if they had obtained time to have finished these works it would have been very difficult for us to have taken them if they had also a pretty strong garrison in them.  Those few rebels who guarded the place fought well, there is a company of Texas Germans with them mostly low Dutchmen, who are willing to lay down their arms provided we will not place the negroes on an equality with them in making soldiers of them, what a simple argument for these deluded men to use.

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several dozen, with great avidity, he appeared to be nearly starved, and listen what he said; “O Lor massa dis is de fust weat cakes I’se had since las Crismus year ago”. I took him to camp and told him he was free it did me good to tell him so, he was very glad and expressed his joy by shouting “O tank de Lor, tank de Lor for it I’se been waiting for you a long time an you has all come at las.” He is quite a young able bodied darkey. I went into the fort where I saw about 200 prisoners. The fort is a great structure nor quite completed, with high walls and deep ditches, so it is very difficult for men to get into it. As soon as the union troops got into the works the rebels surrendered, but one of their number, a boy, recently conscripted by them came running up to the rest with his gun in his hand when one of our soldiers shot him dead. This is decidedly the best fort I ever saw, it is connected with another fort at the river, a quarter of a mile from each other, where the rebels had their best works, iron bomb proof covering and four heavy parrot guns which they formerly captured from the Indianola, if they had obtained time to have finished these works it would have been very difficult for us to have taken them if they had also a pretty strong garrison in them. Those few rebels who guarded the place fought well, there is a company of Texas Germans with them mostly low Dutchmen, who are willing to lay down their arms provided we will not place the negroes on an equality with them in making soldiers of them, what a simple argument for these deluded men to use.