He would likely have been referring to Reconstruction. Mississippi suffered harsher and longer treatment by the Federal government that any other state. I have read and heard stories from my great grandparents of how they were treated. Many people just packed up and moved to Texas and other areas out west to escape the ordeal. Reconstruction was perhaps as devastating or more so than the War itself. My people lost property, livelyhoods and worse at the hands of the carpetbaggers, scallywags and the reconstruction government. Mississippi was occupied by union troops for any years after the War so its not unlikely that he may have seen troops riding past. I my humble opinion, Reconstruction is still alive and well in most of the South with way we are treated by the federal government, the return of confiscated tax dollars is certainly less than states up north and out west receive back. There are many other examples of why I feel this way. One of my grandmothers died about 10 years ago at the age of 98. On many occasions she told stories that her parents and grandparents had told her about Reconstruction. President Johnson was impeached, mainly because he wanted to follow Mr Lincoln's plan for reconstruction, which was much more lenient. The northern industrialists, politicians and others who wanted revenge,and to make money from the people of the South did not want Lenient treatment, although secession was legal and we had every right to defend ourselfs from an invasion. Just my $.02 cents.