John Harrison Wilson, The life of Charles Henry Dana

[217] army on this memorable campaign. At a stately mansion on Roundaway Bayou, surrounded by rich gardens, he and one of the staff-officers, on their way to New Carthage, spent a night, and, in exchange for the protection which their presence insured, received the bountiful hospitality of the proprietress. She had a cook famed far and wide for her Southern dishes, and upon this occasion made such a profuse display of them as caused her to be long and gratefully remembered. It was here that Dana came face to face with slavery, and heard for the first time that the rich planters of the region had taken lordly titles from their extensive estates. It was the innermost recess of slavery, and as the lands were as rich as any in the world, the negro population was denser than he had ever seen it before. He closely scrutinized everything about the place, and became profoundly interested in all he saw. While opulence and comfort surrounded the master and his family, the hard lot of the slaves could not be concealed. It is evident from his conversation, years afterwards, that Dana was deeply touched by what he learned here, and that it did much to confirm his bitter hostility to slavery and his desire to see it entirely abolished by any means the government might find at its disposal.

Although Dana had accompanied Grant and his staff to Smith's plantation, Hard Times, and De Shroon's Landing, and wrote full accounts of the operations up to those points, he was prevented from crossing the river with the first officers and troops, because every possible foot of space on the boats was required for the fighting men and the officers whose duty it was to lead them and to examine and locate the roads by which the advance could be made. All non-combatants, servants, baggage, and extra horses were left behind till the troops were across. It was upon this occasion that General Grant and his staff took only their tooth-brushes, and depended absolutely for subsistence