| From the American Citizen (Canton, Miss.) |
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| September 19, 1863 |
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| The Yankee Raid to Canton |
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| On the ever memorable morning
of the 18th July, 1863, the Yankees, consisting of
twenty-seven hundred well mounted and well equipped men, commanded by
Colonel (ranking Brig.-General) Bussey, marched in and took quiet
possession of our town {Canton, Miss.}.
Guards were placed at all the street corners, and were also detailed
to protect private property when asked for.
Very soon the fiery element was called into requisition, and
one railroad building after another followed in quick succession.
The N. O. & Jackson R. R. depot {New
Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern RR}, the shed at the junction,
a large lot of lumber—in fact every thing belonging to that company
except the office and tenanted cottages, was laid in ruins.
The large and valuable roundhouse and machine shop, and the
fine depot building of the Miss. Central Railroad, all of brick, were
also destroyed, and the tracks of both roads were torn up for a
considerable distance. |
| The entire loss in railroad
property is estimated at $2,000,000. |
| In reference to the treatment
of our citizens generally by the Yankees, it was not so bad as had
been anticipated. Here in
town they entered but few dwellings, and committed but few
depredations. Our friends,
in the suburbs, however, and surrounding country, did not fare so
well. The Yankees took
provisions wherever they could find them, robbed the planters in many
instances of all their stock, and took the negroes off that would go
with them. Many of these,
however, have got sick of their bargain and come back again. |
| Just at dusk on the night of
the 18th, the Yankees took leave of us, retiring towards Vicksburg. About 9 o'clock that
night, fire was discovered issuing from a shed in the rear of the
building on the North-east corner of the public square, known as the
red brick store, occupied by Mr. Witherspoon.
The shed contained a lot of cotton, and the fire soon
communicated to the storehouse. We
were entirely without the means of arresting the flames, and the
devouring element ceased not until every building on the north side of
the square was laid in ashes. It
is supposed by some that this block of buildings was set on fire by
our own negroes or low-down white men for the purpose of pillaging the
stores, but we incline to the opinion that it was done by the Yankees
for the purpose of destroying cotton, a considerable quantity of which
was stored on that side of the square. Gen. Jackson had, unwisely we think, set the example of cotton
burning the day before, having burnt the N. O. railroad car shed
containing about 700 bales. Jackson
having begun the work, Bussey concluded to finish it up, and celebrate
his departure, as the former had his arrival, by a grand conflagration
of our most valuable staple. |
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| [This article was prepared and
intended for our issue of last week, but was crowded out.] |
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