John Anderson, Lafayette City, to James Anderson, Donegal
$$H172 Part of the Andrew S Anderson Collection$$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 AndersonClose