St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-06-09

; tions for war. Every thing was fort
iied every where they were working
making entrenchments, planting can
non, cutting down trees every farm
house seemed filed with officers, eve
ry out-building with soldiers, and tent
lined the road-it was one constan
encampment, almost, that we passed
We saw the soldiers cooking, eating
marching, always with the Fiuandier
OF the company in front even of tn,
officers, just behind the music. Train
would pass US laden with cannon balls
iofSeS, anu ,iIe- ...----.- :.;o,, af ,yor
At Allessandria we stopped long
time to permit the soldiers, who hat
just crossed Mount Gents, to march on
They were all gay and in high spirits
although they had just marched, in
mud and rain, across the Alps. ]
talked with one of the soldiers, who
apologized for not being bien propre
VERY clean,) owing to the mud on
Mt. Cents, with the air Of an elegant
officer in paror-we were standing
near each other at the Depot the
gentlemen distributed segars among
them to refresh them. Meanwhile, to
refresh us, we were hearing various
rumors of the war having commenced,
near to us-of the prospect of TURNS
being attacked by the Austrians that
day, and in fact, at that very hour,
the Austrians were attempting to
cross the river Po, and the cannonad-
ing continued until night, (about 10
killed, and some 20 French) The Sd,
(the day before) they had been all
day trying to cross the Po, at "Fras-
sinnetto," not far distant, and had
been firing from 5 in the moraing un-
til 8 at night The river was swollen
too much for them to get over, thus
defended, however, as it was, by the
PiedInontesc and French. All this
was very exciting to brave and patri-
otto spirits, such as we Americans all
owned ourselves to be, and we were
quite formidable body in ourselves,
in number, when collected together.
When we got to Turin, we were
thankful to find the city quiet, but
alas all means of proceeding was
denied again to US" suspendu" be-
ing everything, for the troops. tried
to send telegraph of inquiry ahead,
but it was impossible. We had to go
to bed, and wait the events of another
day, as best we could. So anxious
was | to get on, that at FIVE next
morning (the 5th) l was up; but all
efforts to obtain private conveyance
across the mountain being in vain, the
horses being all pressed into service
for the war, we were told +; then we
rushed to the Diligence Office and
there, with a crowd of fellow-sullerers,
contrived to get booked at last for the
interieur" of q Diligence" and
then we left in triumph, with paid-for
billets, to go on that evening at 9
O'Clock. Now, how to spend the rest
of the day-we decided to go sight
seeing, not shopping, and we drove
to the Champ dc Mars-to the Cathc-
dral-to the Royal Palace, (where we
nearly saw Count Cavour, but not
quite, thoroughly explored the apart
ments of the Kings residence. They
are magnificent, truly. We also Wis
tied the Gallery of Paintings, but
after Florence it seemed insignificant
Turin is beautiful city; it made me
sad to think what might be it's fate
ere long. Every few hours soldiers
were entering from one side and EN-.
barking on the other, thus keeping up
constant excitement and noise il
the city. Poor fellows as they
marched through the streets, the
whole populace cheering and clappine
hands, and crying "Viva ltalie," an(
they singing and huzzaing, will
lunches of flowers at the end of theil
muskets, and music sounding, and al
SO gay, if so warlike-onc could bu
think how few would ever return
from this foreign soil, where they hac
so chccrfully come to die and as
remembered the anxious hearts of pa
rents and loving friends behind,
could not reprcss tears at the thought
Of the aching and grieving of those
who must SO soon be bereft Pool
creatures, how pitied them, and still
honored them for their enthusiasm
and efforts to hide their WEAKNESS.
When we passed the battle field o
Marengo, the day before, we behel,
evident preparations for second bat
tie on that plain, trees having beer
cut down, and various indications be
ing visible to show that Napoleon tn,
Sd has an eye to gaining fame on the
same spot where the great Napoleon
won such undying laurels. But t.
continue with my experiences at I
p. NJ, we bade adieu to the Hote
d'Europe, and ourselves, and carpe
bags, cloaks, baskets of provisions
&c, set forth to the bureau Ger
trale," to begin our pilgrimage acros
the Alps. When we reached the Dc
pot, we were deafcned by huzzas
and found grand illumination of tn
square, which made it quite spcct;
Gle. The lovely fountain in the centr
splashing under the lights of tn
houses, drowned the noise of the pc,
pie assembled to do honor to the SO
diers, the marching up of the dif1erer
companies all this was entertainin
, enough until we discovered that u
, were to rest quietly where we wer,
/ while all these "brave allies" wer
" forwarded" to Allessandria Her
was trial of patience, and faith, il
| deed We misunderstanding unde
) the starless vault Of heaven in dim OF
scurity, thankful the rain had ceased
listening to the departures of our loct
r motives, and at midnight were II
, warded by being mounted also in cars
: and in another half hour actually fel
ourselves move, after a short shrie
. from an engine, which was musi
, more welcome to my ears than burs
, of melody from full orchestra coul
| have been at that hour. We were OF
We reached Suza in some two and
half hours we found the Diligenc
! waiting we shivered and stood, OF
! arms breaking under the weight {
4, ~ l..