(Private)
New Orleans, January 26th, 1863.
Dear Sir: The
situation is the same as when I last wrote. There is no movement of troops, so
far as I am informed, and there appears to be no probability of an advance in
any direction.
The New York papers will state that the “Harriet Lane” has
escaped from Galveston and gone to sea. This is not true. She is still in the
harbor according to official advices just received here.
It is rumored here that the “Ovieto” has been captured.
Admiral Farragut does not believe it. When she escaped from Mobile the “Cuyler”
went in pursuit and neither vessel has yet been heard from.
Three days ago a steamer supposed to be the Alabama appeared
at the mouth of the river, and then steered off in a southwest direction. The
Admiral sent a vessel from here (The Mississippi) to follow her. As the “Alabama”
is the faster vessel and had a start of 100 miles, and the Mississippi started
from here 24 hours after the Rebel vessel was seen — it is not probable that
anything will be effected.
It should not be forgotten that here is the place to make
the proclamation effective. I am afraid Gen. Banks will never do it. He decides
and moves too slowly and is too much afraid of responsibilities. He does not
seem to regard with favor the three fine regiments already raised, and declines
putting them in the field. I told you that they had sent him a petition to be
put in the front rank at Port Hudson, that they might remove from their race
the stigma of cowardice, etc. In all the regiments Gen. Banks brought with him,
three cannot be selected so efficient as these three colored regiments, and in
my opinion, they would be worth any five of the raw regiments Gen. Banks brought
with him. I see Gen. Banks almost every day, but am perfectly ignorant of his
plans and intentions. I do not wish to retract or qualify any statement in my
late letters to you — nor in a letter to Mr. Flanders which I asked him to show
you.
If my letters are uninteresting or too frequent, please
inform me.
SOURCE: Diary and correspondence of Salmon P. Chase, Annual
Report of the American Historical Association for the Year 1902, Vol.
2, p. 350-1
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