CHAPTER I.
PAGE
Departure from Cork—The Atlantic in March—Fellow-passengers—American politics and parties—The Irish in New York—Approach to New York[1]
CHAPTER II.
Arrival at New York—Custom-house—General impressions as to North and South—Street in New York—Hotel—Breakfast—American women and men—Visit to Mr. Bancroft—Street-railways[10]
CHAPTER III.
“St. Patrick’s day” in New York—Public dinner—American Constitution—General topics of conversation—Public estimate of the Government—Evening party at Mons. B——’s[22]
CHAPTER IV.
Streets and shops in New York—Literature—A funeral—Dinner at Mr. H——’s—Dinner at Mr. Bancroft’s—Political and social features—Literary breakfast: Heenan and Sayers[34]
CHAPTER V.
Off to the railway station—Railway carriages—Philadelphia—Washington—Willard’s Hotel—Mr. Seward—North and South—The “State Department” at Washington—President Lincoln—Dinner at Mr. Seward’s[43]
CHAPTER VI.
A state dinner at Mr. Abraham Lincoln’s—Mrs. Lincoln—The Cabinet Ministers—A newspaper correspondent—Good Friday at Washington[60]
CHAPTER VII.
Barbers’ shops—Place-hunting—The Navy Yard—Dinner at Lord Lyons’—Estimate of Washington among his countrymen—Washington’s house and tomb—The Southern Commissioners—Dinner with the Southern Commissioners—Feeling towards England among the Southerners—Animosity between North and South[73]
CHAPTER VIII.
New York Press—Rumours as to the Southerners—Visit to the Smithsonian Institute—Pythons—Evening at Mr. Seward’s—Rough draft of official dispatch to Lord J. Russell—Estimate of its effect in Europe—The attitude of Virginia[99]
CHAPTER IX.
Dinner at General Scott’s—Anecdotes of General Scott’s early life—The startling dispatch—Insecurity of the capital[105]
CHAPTER X.
Preparations for war at Charleston—My own departure for the Southern States—Arrival at Baltimore—Commencement of hostilities at Fort Sumter—Bombardment of the fort—General feeling as to North and South—Slavery—First impressions of the city of Baltimore—Departure by steamer[111]
CHAPTER XI.
Scenes on board an American steamer—The Merrimac—Irish sailors in America—Norfolk—A telegram on Sunday: news from the seat of war—American “chaff” and our Jack tars[117]
CHAPTER XII.
Portsmouth—Railway journey through the forest—The great Dismal Swamp—American newspapers—Cattle on the line—Negro labour—On through the pine forest—The Confederate flag—Goldsborough: popular excitement—Weldon—Wilmington—The Vigilance Committee[126]
CHAPTER XIII.
Sketches round Wilmington—Public opinion—Approach to Charleston and Fort Sumter—Introduction to General Beauregard—Ex-Governor Manning—Conversation on the chances of the war—“King Cotton” and England—Visit to Fort Sumter—Market-place at Charleston[138]
CHAPTER XIV.
Southern Volunteers—Unpopularity of the Press—Charleston—Fort Sumter—Morris’ Island—Anti-union enthusiasm—Anecdote of Colonel Wigfall—Interior view of the fort—North versus South[146]
CHAPTER XV.
Slaves, their masters and mistresses—Hotels—Attempted boat-journey to Fort Moultrie—Excitement at Charleston against New York—Preparations for war—General Beauregard—Southern opinion as to the policy of the North, and estimate of the effect of the war on England, through the cotton market—Aristocratic feeling in the South[162]
CHAPTER XVI.
Charleston: the Market-place—Irishmen at Charleston—Governor Pickens: his political economy and theories—Newspaper offices and counting-houses—Rumours as to the war policy of the South[173]
CHAPTER XVII.
Visit to a plantation; hospitable reception—By steamer to Georgetown—Description of the town—A country mansion—Masters and slaves—Slave diet—Humming-birds—Land irrigation—Negro quarters—Back to Georgetown[180]
CHAPTER XVIII.
Climate of the Southern States—General Beauregard—Risks of the post-office—Hatred of New England—By railway to Sea Island plantation—Sporting in South Carolina—An hour on board a canoe in the dark[195]
CHAPTER XIX.
Domestic negroes—Negro oarsmen—Off to the fishing-grounds—The devil-fish—Bad sport—The drum-fish—Negro quarters—Want of drainage—Thievish propensities of the blacks—A Southern estimate of Southerners[204]
CHAPTER XX.
By railway to Savannah—Description of the city—Rumours of the last few days—State of affairs at Washington—Preparations for war—Cemetery of Bonaventure—Road made of oyster shells—Appropriate features of the cemetery—The Tatnall family—Dinner-party at Mr. Green’s—Feeling in Georgia against the North[216]
CHAPTER XXI.
The river at Savannah—Commodore Tatnall—Fort Pulaski—Want of a fleet to the Southerners—Strong feeling of the women—Slavery considered in its results—Cotton and Georgia—Off for Montgomery—The Bishop of Georgia—The Bible and slavery—Macon—Dislike of United States’ gold[225]
CHAPTER XXII.
Slave-pens: negroes on sale or hire—Popular feeling as to secession—Beauregard and speech-making—Arrival at Montgomery—Bad hotel accommodation—Knights of the Golden Circle—Reflections on slavery—Slave auction—The Legislative Assembly—A “live chattel” knocked down—Rumours from the North (true and false) and prospects of war[234]
CHAPTER XXIII.
Proclamation of war—Jefferson Davis—Interview with the President of the Confederacy—Passport and safe-conduct—Messrs. Wigfall, Walker, and Benjamin—Privateering and letters of marque—A reception at Jefferson Davis’s—Dinner at Mr. Benjamin’s[248]
CHAPTER XXIV.
Mr. Wigfall on the Confederacy—Intended departure from the South—Northern apathy and Southern activity—Future prospects of the Union—South Carolina and cotton—The theory of slavery—Indifference at New York—Departure from Montgomery[258]
CHAPTER XXV.
The River Alabama—Voyage by steamer—Selma—Our captain and his slaves—“Running” slaves—Negro views of happiness—Mobile—Hotel—The city—Mr. Forsyth[265]
CHAPTER XXVI.
Visit to Forts Gaines and Morgan—War to the knife the cry of the South—The “State” and the “States”—Bay of Mobile—The forts and their inmates—Opinions as to an attack on Washington—Rumours of actual war[277]
CHAPTER XXVII.
Pensacola and Fort Pickens—Neutrals and their friends—Coasting—Sharks—The blockading fleet—The stars and stripes, and stars and bars—Domestic feuds caused by the war—Captain Adams and General Bragg—Interior of Fort Pickens[284]
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Bitters before breakfast—An old Crimean acquaintance—Earthworks and batteries—Estimate of cannons—Magazines—Hospitality—English and American introductions and leave-takings—Fort Pickens: its interior—Return towards Mobile—Pursued by a strange sail—Running the blockade—Landing at Mobile[303]
CHAPTER XXIX.
Judge Campbell—Dr. Nott—Slavery—Departure for New Orleans—Down the river—Fear of cruisers—Approach to New Orleans—Duelling—Streets of New Orleans—Unhealthiness of the city—Public opinion as to the war—Happy and contented negroes[325]
CHAPTER XXX.
The first blow struck—The St. Charles Hotel—Invasion of Virginia by the Federals—Death of Col. Ellsworth—Evening at Mr. Slidell’s—Public comments on the war—Richmond the capital of the Confederacy—Military preparations—General society—Jewish element—Visit to a battle-field of 1815[338]
CHAPTER XXXI.
Carrying arms—New Orleans jail—Desperate characters—Executions—Female maniacs and prisoners—The river and levee—Climate of New Orleans—Population—General distress—Pressure of the blockade—Money—Philosophy of abstract rights—The doctrine of State Rights—Theoretical defect in the constitution[353]
CHAPTER XXXII.
Up the Mississippi—Free negroes and English policy—Monotony of the river scenery—Visit to M. Roman—Slave quarters—A slave-dance—Slave-children—Negro hospital—General opinion—Confidence in Jefferson Davis[366]
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Ride through the maize-fields—Sugar plantation; negroes at work—Use of the lash—Feeling towards France—Silence of the country—Negroes and dogs—Theory of slavery—Physical formation of the negro—The defence of slavery—The masses for negro souls—Convent of the Sacré Cœur—Ferry-house—A large landowner[378]
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Negroes—Sugar-cane plantations—The negro and cheap labour—Mortality of blacks and whites—Irish labour in Louisiana—A sugar-house—Negro children—Want of education—Negro diet—Negro hospital—Spirits in the morning—Breakfast—More slaves—Creole planters[391]
CHAPTER XXXV.
War-rumours, and military movements—Governor Manning’s slave plantations—Fortunes made by slave-labour—Frogs for the table—The forest—Cotton and sugar—A thunderstorm[405]
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Visit to Mr. M‘Call’s plantation—Irish and Spaniards—The planter—A Southern sporting man—The creoles—Leave Houmas—Donaldsonville—Description of the city—Baton Rouge—Steamer to Natchez—Southern feeling; faith in Jefferson Davis—Rise and progress of prosperity for the planters—Ultimate issue of the war to both North and South[410]

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MAP TO ACCOMPANY “MY DIARY NORTH & SOUTH”
WITH THE AUTHOR’S ROUTE COLOURED

MY DIARY NORTH AND SOUTH.

CHAPTER I. Departure from Cork

Departure from Cork.—The Atlantic in March—Fellow-passengers—American politics and parties—The Irish in New York—Approach to New York.