Affairs at the North.
--One of
Morgan's men,
Mr. Samuel G. Grasty, of
Danville, Va., formerly an officer in the
Wise Legion, who escaped from
Camp Douglas, near
Chicago, has reached this city after several weeks' tour through the
North.
Getting out from the prison, where the fare consisted of three crackers per day and a little piece of pickled pork, from the effect of which the men were dying rapidly, he walked to
Chicago, where a good secession friend furnished him with clothing and "greenbacks" to start for home.
Upon reaching
Baltimore he found that city in a complete state of terrorism.
A Southern friend begged him "for God's sake to get away from there, as there was not one Southern man in a hundred who was not spotted." Taking this advice, he went to New York city, where there is not a sign of war, and where a man can talk "secesh" to his heart's content, so he does not go into the streets to do it. At the boarding-house there were a majority of secession boarders, who freely discussed
Bragg's victory over
Rosecrans, and expressed the hope that its fruits would be reaped, and that very soon.
The New Yorkers were in high glee over the
Russian officers, and the streets on the day of their dinner at the
Astor House looked like a 4th of July celebration was progressing.
These officers have accepted invitations to
Chicago,
Baltimore, and other places.
Barnum has not got possession of them, though the show is almost as good as if he had. Speaking of
Barnum, the amusements in New York are in high feather — theatre, opera, circus, and concert, are as well attended, and even better, than in peace times.
The opera house fairly sparkles with the diamonds worn by the vulgar wives and daughters of the newly rich "shoddy" contractors.
It is needless to say that the contractors are "loyal," and anxious for the war to continue.
Among the common people and the middle classes, who are working for their bread, the irrepressible conflict does not seem so popular.
In
Baltimore negro regiments are being formed from slaves seized from the slaveholders of
Maryland, without notice or compensation.
In the trip through
Ohio and
Indiana with
Morgan our men underwent great hardship, but enjoyed the sport.
None of them fed a horse, as there was no time for that operation, but as soon as the horse they were on got broken down and hungry, he was turned loose and the saddle removed to some of the fine animals grazing in a field near by with which
Southern Ohio abounds.
In getting across the bay a Federal tug overhauled the canoe containing
Mr. Grasty and his companions--one of them
Wm. Jones, of
Danville, also an escaped prisoner — and sunk it with a cannon shot.
The party inside, however, leaped out and succeeded in escaping to shore.
