The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964 Page: 414
672 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
party the other, while Lt. and I walked through briars, brush, cane
and palmetto into the swamp to a bee tree. Going to work imme-
diately and relieving each other frequently, we soon had it down,
and "Bob" being ready and boss of the bees soon had them mas-
tered, the tree was cut open and we ate all we could of the fruits
of their and our industry, heaped up a tub full and left a cypress
knee full in the woods, for which Bob and Cap were to return
in the morning before we came along. We enjoyed it finely, forget-
ting our day's fatigue, and returned to camp a little after dark.
Oct. 6 Tuesday-Marched to Moundville 3 miles above Wash-
ington, crossing the [Bayou] Boeuf and [Bayou] Cocodrie at that
point just above their conflux in the [Bayou] Courtableau. The
Adjut. [John T. Johnson] and I went out and bought a pound of
butter each for $2.50 per lb. and was requested by the widow lady
to send someone to kill a beef for her, which I did. Heard the
enemy was advancing in large force in the vicinity of Vermillion,
not credited in official circles.
Oct. 7 Wednesday-Changing our course (previously nearly West-
ward) to one more Northward, taking the road to Alexandria, Flat-
town or Ville Platte, we arrived unconsciously at the last named
place at about 1 P.M., having marched 16 miles. We could not see
the town for the houses, chickens and women and were ignorant of
its presence until we smelt rum, and saw a woman with hoops on.
Wending our way through its labyrinthine streets, and wondering
if there was no chicken market in the country, if no soldiers had
ever sojourned in the vicinity of the place, or if Confederate money
would not be received for chickens, we filed to the right after emerg-
ing from the town, stacked arms and camped. After arranging our
domestic affairs there, Lt. [Ambrose D.] Kent and I brushed off
the dust, washed our faces and promenaded uptown, having two
or three very important objects in view, to-wit, First to procure
a canteen of water, which was anything but plentiful in the vicinity,
2nd to attack the inhabitants boldly in front and if repulsed then on
the flank, and by a persistent effort to finally lay them under trib-
ute for 1/ doz. chickens. But alasl as with many other great sublunary
schemes, and strategic plans, we met with great disappointment in
the main, having had paraded before our eyes the ghosts of pov-
erty and dead husbands until chickens, eggs, butter, the Confederate
money to which we intended finally to resort for success in our
purpose, all, all sank into insignificance, when compared to the
sufferings of Ville Platte during the last Yankee raid, etc. We were
consoled in our disaster, however, by an invitation to dine on eggs,
yams, etc., and afterward by a smoke, a drink of rum and finally
in our retreat by a game of billiards. We returned heavy hearted
to camp to find our messmates asleep as if perfectly unconscious
of the lofty aspirations and calamitous disappointments. When they414
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964, periodical, 1964; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101197/m1/476/?rotate=90: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.