St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1861-08-15
Correspondence Of the Chicago Tribune
From Cairo.

Birds Point on Saturday. Their tents
arc pitched above the Notifications
and the railroad depot, covering the
great common from the river back to
the woods. Quite change, too, it
makes in the appearance of things in
that locality. Five thousand addition
to the population of a village, even in
these war times, is something Of an
! item. The life of the place seems re-
vived and | doubt not that visit
from Gen. Pillow is more than ever
earnestly hoped for. There are 5000
good troops over there now-more than
a match, with their defenccs, for a
world of seccssionists.
The splendid Iowa Second, which
for two or three months past has been
the terror of the evildoing rebels of
Northwestern Missouri, is there in full
force, with their trophies of war
around them. They have a couple of
pieces of artillery taken from the sc.
ceshcrs of st. Joseph. One of them
captured by Lieut.. Slaymakcr-is Of
new construction, the invention of a
St Joseph secesh. 1t will carry q
pound ball, and loads at the brccch
When taken, the seccsh owner refused
to tell the boys how to load it-said
he would swing first. But he was
saved the necessity of swinging, for
the boys soon learned the chow" of
the thing, and they can now manage
it to perfection, sending ball, at 500
yards, with an accuracy that would
credit the secesh inventor. ! am free
to say that the Sunday evening parade
of this regiment was about the finest
military spectacle | have ever wit.
messed. The Colonel of the regiment,
Hon. Samuel r. Curtis, is at Washing.
ton City, but his command is ably ad-
ministered by the under officers of his
staff.
Capt. Bueps battery of six rihcd
cannon is big feature of the new
arrival. Main dependence is placed
on this arm of the service, and mas
much as Pillow is particularly strong
in this line, Capt. Buel will have a
fine opportunity to exhibit the superb
GRITTY of Northern artiIIeristy. And l
| don't for moment question the issue,
supported as he will be by the splen-
did art.llerymen, who, for three
months past, have been drilling in
Camp Defiance.
Lieut.. Willard and suite came home
on the Alton. The boys look in fine
condition. They have been on the
constant go, chasing seccssionists by
rail, by water, and upon land. They
shipped and unshipped their guns just
tweaty-one times, but-miserable to
tell got nary" shot at secession
humanity. They promise to make the
eur fly" in satisfaction of their dis
appointments, whenever opportunity
offers.
Gen. Fremont went up river Satur-
day evening Oh board his flagship"
the Alton. The remaining boats of
the fleet have also gone somewhere
up stream, but whercaway, or when
to return, nobody knows. l am of
opinion they have gone for troops, but
an opinion about the purposes or
movements Of Gen. Fremont amounts
to very little. There is one thing he
can certainly excel all others in doing
keeping his own counsel. No one
not even his private secretary
knew the destination of the other
days expedition from st. Louis, and
until the boats rounded to at Birds
Point, every man was in ignorance of
it. This much we now know-seven
SPLENDID regiments of troops are now
encamped on the Point. Col. LAWYERS
regiment (the 22d llinois) are under
marching orders, the intention being
LAS it is undcrstood) to move six or
seven miles out on the Charleston road
forming the advance column of the
army.
News from below is to the effect
that the rebels are still gathering
about New Madrid They show no
disposition, however, as yet, to inter
fere with our Birds Point cncamp-
ment.
Fremont's arrival seems to have
given a new life to military matters
here.
For few days past it has been OK.
ceedingly hot, the thermometer rang
ing from 960 to l04o. Not o breath
of air has been stirring, and the close,
enveloping heat has been almos: I'M
endurable. Yesterday, however, clouds
blew up from the southwest, and the
grateful tanning of the wind was as
water to the fainting
The gun-boats constructed for this
post will arrive here from New Alba
ny in day or two. They will prove
welcome addition to the force of
General Prentiss
A Cairo despatch of the 9Th, says
Reports continue to arrive of the
movements and plans of the rebels in
Missouri and elsewhere. At Norfolk,
Wednesday, from Col. Turchins camp,
armed men, both horse and foot, were
seen on the Kentucky side. Col. Tur-
chin yesterday sent out scouting
party Of seventeen men, in command
of Capt. Colby. They went to Charles
ton, on the Cairo and Fulton road, and
there heard til t a force, reported 5000
strong, had been in that vicinity me-
nacing the railroad +; but had hastily
retrcated to New Madrid, and found
shelter under General Pillow there.
The secessionists with whom the
scouts conversed were very outspoken
and defiant, aud boastcd that in sixty
days the Federal forces would be
glad to retreat across the Mississippi.
The rebel Missonrians will be likely
to become Arkansas travellers in
less than that time.
Three dcserters from Capt. Will
liams' company of the 10Th, have been
taken. One who seduccd the others
away will be court martalled' and
shot. He is Mississippian, and
deliberate traitor. The party are I'M
der guard.
A loyal magistrate at Commerce,
Missouri, was driven out by the rebels
and fed to Cape Girardeau. His