MARCH 31st.—Another stride of the grim specter, and corn-meal is selling for $17 per bushel. Coal at $20.50 per ton, and wood at $30 per cord. And at these prices one has to wait several days to get either. Common tallow candles are selling at $1 per pound. I see that some furnished houses are [...]
MARCH 30th.—Gen. Bragg dispatches the government that Gen. Forrest has captured 800 prisoners in Tennessee, and several thousand of our men are making a successful raid in Kentucky. Gen. Whiting makes urgent calls for reinforcements at Wilmington, and cannot be supplied with many. Gen. Lee announces to the War Department that the spring campaign is [...]
Camp at Lagrange, Tenn., March 29, 1863. All perfectly quiet except the regular picket firing every night which here exceeds anything I ever before met in my experience. ‘Tis singular, too, for we have a large force of cavalry here and I should think the rascals would hardly dare to venture so near them. A [...]
MARCH 29th.—No news. Yet a universal expectation. What is expected is not clearly defined. Those who are making money rapidly no doubt desire a prolongation of the war, irrespective of political consequences. But the people, the majority in the United States, seem to have lost their power. And their representatives in Congress are completely subordinated [...]
MARCH 28th.—We have nothing additional or confirmatory from the West. A letter from Gen. Beauregard states that he has but 17,000 men in South Carolina, and 10,000 in Georgia, 27,000 in all. He asks more, as he will be assailed, probably, by 100,000 Federals. The President refers this important letter to the Secretary of War, [...]
MARCH 27th.—This is the day appointed by the President for fasting and prayers. Fasting in the midst of famine! May God save this people! The day will be observed throughout the Confederacy. The news from the West, destruction of more of the enemy’s gun-boats, seems authentic. So far we have sustained no disasters this spring, [...]
MARCH 26th.—We have dispatches (unofficial) from the West, Stating that one of the enemy’s gun-boats has been sunk in attempting to pass Vicksburg, and another badly injured. Also that an engagement has occurred on the Yazoo, the enemy having several gun-boats sunk, the rest being driven back. It snowed a little this morning, and is [...]
Wednesday, March 25th. Early last evening the tremendous clatter of a sword that made such unnecessary noise that one might imagine the owner thereof had betaken himself to the favorite pastime of his childhood, and was prancing in on his murderous weapon, having mistaken it for his war steed, announced the arrival of Captain Bradford, [...]
MARCH 25th.—We have no news to-day, excepting the falling back of Rosecrans from Murfreesborough, and a raid of Morgan and capture of a train of cars. Rosecrans means, perhaps, to aid in the occupation of the Mississippi River. It will be expensive in human life. Although our conscription is odious, yet we are collecting a [...]
March 25, 1863, Southern Watchman (Athens, Georgia) Are our friends in the up country aware of the fact that the paper mills throughout the Confederacy will have to stop unless they can procure a larger supply of rags? This is even so. The Pioneer Mill near this place has adopted a new rule. They sell [...]
March 25, 1863, Charleston Mercury Another Female Food Riot took place in Salisbury, N. C., on the 18th. The women concerned in it compelled the merchants to share with them their stock of flour, and also robbed several families of the stock laid in for home use. Salt, snuff and molasses was also taken.
March 25, 1863, Galveston Weekly News The undersigned having been creditably informed that our Texas soldiers in Arkansas have suffered, and are yet suffering from sickness and disease, incident to an unhealthy country, and that hundreds (we may say thousands) have died, mostly for the want of necessary and proper attention, respectfully recommend to the [...]
March 25, 1863, The Charleston Mercury Lieut. FRITH, who blew up the Indianola, gives the editor of the Natchez Courier the particulars. He says that on Wednesday night a Federal gunboat, which he is pretty well assured was the Tuscumbia (afterwards turning out to be a Yankee scare-crow), and which, by the way, is represented [...]
March 25, 1863, Arkansas True Democrat (Little Rock) Batesville, March 15th, 1863. Mr. Editor: The military traveler sees many thing in this patriotic State worthy of preservation in the history of these eventful times. . . . Yesterday a prize drill came off in Shelby’s brigade. It was exciting and beautiful. The reward for the [...]
March 25, 1863, Dallas Herald Our informant who gave us the facts in regard to the capture of the Queen of the West, on Red River, and who was forced to go with the Queen down the Atchafalaya, relates the following incident: At one of the places burnt by the Queen, and owned by a [...]
March 25, 1863, Dallas Herald For several weeks past we have been compelled to print our paper on brown paper, and we shall probably be compelled to do so for several weeks to come. We have purchased a supply of white paper, which will cost us over $50 per ream by the time it reaches [...]
March 25, 1863, The Charleston Mercury COLUMBIA, TENN., March 18. In my last letter I gave you very fully the disposition of Van Dorn’s force upon Rutherford’s Creek, where he had taken position to meet the enemy. On the 10th we had retired from Spring Hill before a large force of the enemy, and taken [...]
March 25, 1863, Galveston Weekly News An army correspondent of the Chattanooga Rebel writes as follows: Our army is again in a good fighting trim, and the ranks rapidly filling up by the influx of absentees. I suppose it is better clothed, equipped and fed than ever before. The country is bountifully supplied with game, [...]
March 25, 1863, Galveston Weekly News Like most of our contemporaries, we are compelled to advance our terms of subscription, not for the purpose of increasing profits, but to save ourselves from loss. Having now to pay for white paper just about fifteen times the price when our terms of subscription were established, our readers [...]
MARCH 24th.—Judge Lyons has granted an injunction, arresting the impressment of flour by the Secretary of War, and Congress is debating a bill which, if passed, will be a marked rebuke to the government. Notwithstanding the wishes of the Secretary of War, the President, and Gen. Rains, Lt.-Col. Lay is still exempting Marylanders, and even [...]
MARCH 23d.—The snow has nearly disappeared, and the roads are very bad. No food is brought to the market, and such as may be found in the city is held at famine prices. I saw a letter to-day from Bishop Lay, in Arkansas. He says affairs in that State wear a dark and gloomy aspect. [...]
MARCH 22d.—It was thawing all night, and there is a heavy fog this morning. The snow will disappear in a few days. A very large number of slaves, said to be nearly 40,000, have been collected by the enemy on the Peninsula and at adjacent points, for the purpose, it is supposed, of cooperating with [...]
MARCH 21st.—The snow is nearly a foot deep this morning, as it continued to fall all night, and is falling still. It grows warmer, however. But we now learn that the Indianola was destroyed in the Mississippi by the officers, upon the appearance of a simulated gun-boat sent down, without a crew! This was disgraceful, [...]
MARCH 20th.—The snow is eight inches deep this morning, and it is still falling fast. Not a beggar is yet to be seen in this city of 100,000 inhabitants! Hood’s division, mostly Texans, whose march to the Rappahannock was countermanded when it was ascertained that the enemy had been beaten back across the river, were [...]
March 20, 1863, The Charleston Mercury (CORRESPONDENCE OF THE MERCURY.) RICHMOND, Monday, March 16. A curious wrangle has been going on in the Virginia Legislature about salt. Certain patriots own certain salt works, and out of the same have coined abundant money; wherefore certain other more patriotic patriots propose to turn the owners out of [...]