Whittling Sticks

From Three Months in the Southern States, April - June 1863 by Lieut-Col.

Fremantle. Fremantle was an English "tourist" who came to America to see the conflict firsthand.

July 2nd, 1863 (Morning of the second day of the battle of Gettysburg)

  
I climbed up a tree in company with Captain Schreibert of the Prussian
 army. Just below us were seated Generals Lee, Hill, Longstreet, and Hood, 
in consultation — the two latter assisting their deliberations by the truly
American custom of whittling sticks.

"Battle Scarred Veteran" at Gettysburg,  photo taken by Detroit Publishing Co. in 1903, from Library of Congress Collection

A Slave Auction

From Three Months in the Southern States, April - June 1863 by Lieut-Col.

Fremantle. Fremantle was an English "tourist" who came to America to see the conflict firsthand.

June, 12th, 1863  (Charleston SC)

I went to a slave auction at 11; but they had been so quick about it that the whole affair was over before I arrived, although I was only ten minutes late. The negroes — about fifteen men, three women, and three children — were seated on benches, looking perfectly contented and indifferent. I saw the buyers opening the mouths and showing the teeth of their new purchases to their friends in a very business-like manner. This was certainly not a very agreeable spectacle to an Englishman, and I know that many Southerners participate in the same feeling ; for I have often been told by people that they had never seen a negro sold by auction, and never wished to do so.

Dealers inspecting a negro at a slave auction in Virginia., from the Illustrated London News
(as part of the NYPL Digital Collection)

How Can you Subdue Such a Nation as This!

From Three Months in the Southern States, April - June 1863 by Lieut-Col.

Fremantle. Fremantle was an English "tourist" who came to America to see the conflict firsthand.

May 29th, 1863 (With General Polk near Shelbyville)


Before going to bed, General Polk told me an affecting story of a poor widow in humble circumstances, whose three sons had fallen in battle one after the other, until she had only one left, a boy of sixteen. So distressing was her case that General Polk went himself to comfort her. She looked steadily at him, and replied to his condolences by the sentence, " As soon as I can get a few things together, General, you shall have Harry too." The tears came into General Polk's eyes as he related this episode, which he ended by saying, " How can you subdue such a nation as this ! "

General Leonidas Polk, From the Library of Congress Collection

One Fork (One Prong Deficient)

 From Three Months in the Southern States, April - June 1863 by Lieut-Col.
 Fremantle.  Fremantle was an English "tourist" who came to America to 
see the conflict firsthand.

Description of General Joseph Johnston
(In Louisiana)

20th May, 1863 

General Johnston received me with much kindness, when I presented my letters of introduction, and stated my object in visiting the Confederate armies.

In appearance General Joseph E. Johnston (commonly called Joe Johnston) is rather below the middle height, spare, soldierlike, and well set up ; his features are good, and he has lately taken to wear a greyish beard. He is a Virginian by birth, and appears to be about fifty-seven years old. He talks in a calm, deliberate, and confident manner ; to me he was extremely affable, but he certainly possesses the power of keeping people at a distance when he chooses, and his officers evidently stand in great awe of him. He lives very plainly, and at present his only cooking-utensils consisted of an old coffee-pot and frying-pan — both very inferior articles. There was only one fork (one prong deficient) between himself and Staff, and this was handed to me ceremoniously as the "guest." 

He has undoubtedly acquired the entire confidence of all the officers and soldiers under him. Many of the officers told me they did not consider him inferior as a general to Lee or any one else. 

He told me that Vicksburg was certainly in a critical situation, and was now closely invested by Grant. He said that he (Johnston) had 11,000 men with him (which includes Gist's), hardly any cavalry, and only sixteen pieces of cannon; but if he could get adequate reinforcements, he stated his intention of endeavouring to relieve Vicksburg. 

From Three Months in the Southern States

Most Unjust War

This entry is from Three Months in the Southern States, April - June 1863 by Lieut-Col. Fremantle.  Fremantle was an English "tourist" who came to America to see the conflict firsthand.

May, 16, 1863, somewhere near Jackson, Louisiana on the road

. . . . The natives, under all their misery, were red-hot in favour of fighting for independence to the last, and I constantly hear the words, "This is the most unjust war ever waged upon a people by mortal man."

At 11 A.M. we met a great crowd of negroes, who had been run into the swamps to be out of the way of the Yankees, and they were now returning to Louisiana.

At 2 P.M. a wounded soldier gave us the deplorable information that the enemy really was on the railroad between Jackson and Brookhaven, and that Jackson was in his hands.  This news staggered us all . . .

From Frank Leslie's Illustrated, March 7, 1863.  Pickets of the First Louisiana
"Native Guard" guarding the New Orleans Opelousas and Great Western Railroad