John Anderson, Lafayette City, to James Anderson, Donegal

Back to Search View Transcript
Document ID 212207
Date
Document Type Letters (Emigrants)
Archive Anderson
Citation John Anderson, Lafayette City, to James Anderson, Donegal;Copyright Reserved by Andrew S Anderson; CMSIED 212207
45144
$$H172 Part of the Andrew S Anderson Collection$$H

[note in top Left-hand corner]
Direct Same
as usual
4th District                                    Lafayette-City
N-Orleans [New Orleans?]                        June 27th


My Dear James
                        As our busy season is over for the
present and I shall have very little to do for the next two or
three months I thought I would try and give you some Idea of
what sort of place New-Orleans is, it is built on a bend in the
Mississippi (the Father of Waters) its shape is that of a
half-moon and inconsequence it is called the Crescent City. You
will be no doubt surprised when I tell you that for the last
four months the River is between three and four feet higher than
the City, there is nothing to keep out the water only an
artificial embankment of earth or as it is called here a levee,
the River has never been known to have been so high as it is
this season. About ten weeks ago the levee in the opposite side
of the River broke and in less than a week the little town of
Algiers (just opposite our house) was inundated so that the
inhabitants had to go through the streets in skiffs and since
they have nearly all had to leave, they tried but found it
impossible to stop the break until the River falls, for several
hundred of miles up the River the plantations are protected by
Levees raised of earth numerous breaks have occurred and in
consequence hundreds of thousands of Acres of Cotton and corn
have been destroyed so that I believe it must seriously affect
the business of New-Orleans next year, the town of Cairo (built
on a low swamp at the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio
Rivers) has been swept almost entirely away the Inhabitants all
escaped with their lives only with one exception an Irishman who
was drowned, the River is falling for a couple of weeks past but
even it is was still rising there is no danger of New-Orleans
now by so many breaks having occurred above a great volume of
water finds its way to the Gulf of Mexico through channels it is
the only thing that has saved New-Orleans as there is no doubt
but New Orleans would have been several feet under Water for the
past two months had not these breaks happened above. I enclose
you a copy of the Bell crevasse (opposite our place) which gives
a very good view of it as I saw it about 3 weeks after it
happened. I crossed in a ferry boat to see it once and once I
crossed the River in a little skiff it looks very much like what
one would suppose a young Niagara and at night the noise of it
is heard two or three miles off.

June 29th
[L---?] I left home I was accustomed to hear a great deal of
talk about American liberty in New Orleans a man can walk up to
another on the street and shoot him through the head if he has
got money he very well knows that a hair of his head will not
fall, you may say how can such a thing be, the reason is the
City's government is in the hands of a pack of thieves and
murders [murderers] that have got into office at the point of
the Revolver and Bowie Knife, for three years past no one dare
go to the polls if he has any regard for his life or if he did
not vote the American or no-nothing ticket, the Recorder (or as
you would call him the Judge) of the fourth District where we
live is well known to be not only a thief but a murderer and
assassin having killed several men at the election for Mayor a
Month ago the citizens attempted a reform of the present state
of things by forming a vigilance committee on the same plan as
they did some years ago in California, they came at night and
took possession of the City Arsenal about two thousand of them
and armed themselves and raised barricades by tearing up the
streets and piling up Cotton bales and placing cannon at the
entrance of every street leading to it, it is just beside where
our market-House is and I expected to have had the pleasure of
seeing them [----?]  some of the things but was disappointed,
one night some of their own party had been out on patrol and in
returning did not attend to the orders they had received but
came by another street the consequence of which neglect being
the discharge of a cannon loading with grape shot killing four
and wounding 8 or ten more, the City has been quiet since the
Election but my opinion is that the vigilance committee are
still organising and are only waiting until some of the thugs
commit some act of violence when they will rise and hang or hunt
them from the City, every man that wants to take care of himself
now carry a Colt's Revolver or Bowie Knife. I don't think there
is one man out of every twenty in New-Orleans that is not armed.

July 4th
At the time I left home I owed Mr Davis £4-0-0 which I got from
him at one time to give Dr White, when I was leaving he would
not allow me to borrow the money from any one to give him, I
enclose you a draft which you will please hand to him (with my
best thanks). I wrote to Fanny about ten days since, tell Jane
that I will write her a long letter after Lizzie's death which
cannot be far distant now, in all her sufferings she never
forgot to make enquiries to find out if I was comfortable, and
has always expressed her gratitude to my Father and all at home
for your kindness to her, you can let Jane and Fanny see this
letter when you read it and tell William I never got the letter
you told me he had written.


Your affectionate Brother
John Anderson

Transcribed by Andrew S Anderson