The remainder of the brigade continued the march down the Bayov
Lafourche, toward Brashear City. I took a stroll through the town. This had
been a notorious place for Guerrillas and steamboats had been fired upon here
several times. Admiral Farragut had warned them that if the practice was not
discontinued he would burn the town. But they disregarded his warning: so
sometime in July last three gunboats came up the river and laid two-thirds of
the town in ashes. But the houses left standing might as well have been burned,
for the soldiers Saturday and Sunday morning made wasteful havoc with the
furniture and windows of those that were standing; and then too the piles of
bones, heads and feet of chickens and turkeys lying upon marble top tables and
scattered about in confusion told what fearful raids had been made in the
poultry yards. Many contrabands came in and occupied the deserted houses.
Information was received that one B. Molare was in command of a band of
guerillas, and was in the habit of coming home to his plantation and staying
all night. Colonel Holcomb ordered Company E under the command of Lieutenants
Krause and Mayne to go down and arrest him. We started about 9 p. m. with the
negroes who gave the information accompanying as guides. An hour's walk brought
us to the house. The men were stationed so as to allow no one to escape, and
the two lieutenants and myself went in. We found three ladies and a boy
occupying the house. They were well dressed and the furniture indicated
considerable wealth. One of the ladies, a buxom widow of about 25, seemed to be
spokesman for all hands. Lieutenant Krause informed her of our errand, and
asked her if Mr. Molare was at home. He was not, and in answer to questions she
made the following statement: Mr.Molare was not her husband, but her cousin.
Her husband was dead. Mr. Molare was not a captain, and was in command of no
military organization. He lived there because his house was burned in
Donaldsonville, but had not been there for two or three days. As to firearms
she said there were none about the place except two small pistols, which she
produced in a wooden case. She said they kept them for personal protection. She
then said we might search the house and she would show us every place where
firearms could be secreted. During the search some Confederate bank bills
turned up, and she said, “I suppose you have no faith in them?” I replied that
I had none in the least. We were not there to rob or plunder, but were there
for persons and things contraband of war. Not finding any arms Lieutenant
Krause sent for the overseer and told him he might consider himself a prisoner
and must go with us. He then said to Mrs. C: “I have been informed by pretty
good authority that Mr. Molare is at the head of a band of guerillas secreted
somewhere about here in the woods, and is in the habit of firing on boats as
they pass up and down the river. Now you may say to him if he does not come and
deliver himself up as a prisoner of war we will come here and burn this place
to the ground.” Then we left for camp. The next day Mr. Molare came and took the
oath of allegiance to the United States. On Saturday when rations were issued
to citizens, the widow and the rest of the family were regular customers.
SOURCE: Abstracted from George G. Smith, Leaves from
a Soldier's Diary, p. 30-4
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