American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1861-08-17
Correspondence of the Cincinnati Commercial.

( Correspondence of the CncinnatE Commercial.
CAIRO, Aug. I, AN.
Cairo is alive with excitement. At A.
NJ, Gen. Prentiss received dispatches from
! Cape Girardeau, announcing that the enemy,
under JEFF. Thompson, had driven in our
/ pickets, and were advancing on that point
Gen. Prentiss Immediately dispatched the
steamer Iatan and gun boat W. II. Brown
for the cape, with eight hundred men from
McArthur's and Payne's 18th and 9th Iii
noiS regiments, together with four six pound
field pieces, in charge of Capt. G. c. Camp
bell, of the Getaway artillery-the entire
force being under command of Colonel Nc
Arthur, Of the 18th Illinois, The troops
left Cairo in high glee, in anticipation of an
engagement with the enemy. Col Marsh,
of the Goth Illinois, is in command ct Cape
! Grardeau. The steamer E. III. Ryland.
! Capt. Sheridan, which left st. Louis Monday
night, passed the cape at noon yesterday.
| Our force had laid on Their arms all night,
and Col Marsh was throwing up entrench-
ments back Of the town, and is satisfied that
! he is strong enough to -Tepel force of six
| or eight thousand. The Ryland's passen-
/ gers report the enemy twenty miles back of
tthe cape, and advancing. 1t is rumored here
that Gen. Fremont will dispatch two regi-
ment5 from St. Louis to the cape forthwith
This, together with Gen. Printiss' reinforce
ments from Cairo to-day, will make the to-
tai force at Cape Girardeau five thousand,
including Six-Pound field pieces. Opposite
Cape Grardeau Capt. Stewart has $50 cav
airy, which are available. Gen. Fremont
has authorized Stewart to recruit a mounted
force of five hundred men at that point forth
with
A Union man, who was driven from Prices
Landing on the Mississippi, ten miles above
Cairo, arrived here to-day. He says Captain
Price, of the-rebel army, slept at his house
last "Wednesday night, and that he conveyed
him to New Madrid, arriving there on Thurs
day. He states that four additional steam
ers had reached that point from below with
reinforcements for the enemy. Strange as
it may appear, he positively asserts that the
best drilled organization at New Madrid, is
a negro caTairy company! He also AYERS
that the plan for the rebels is for j eff.
Thompson to attack Cape Girardeau with
his force of 5000, in order to attract the at
tention of Gen. Prentiss in that direction,
while Gen. Pillow, $4,000 strong, ITO adj
vance on Birds Point, both attacks to be
made simultaneously. 4 scout, who left
Pillow ,csmpat New Madrid, on Sunday,
says he estimates his force at 10000 while
our scouts is confident it does not exceed
h9o00 Gen. Pillow is throwing up entreneh-
ments there. New Madrid will doubtless
be the chief Northern rendezvous for the
rebels for the. present, tCol. Ketehsin with
1000 rebels, is eneamped six miles west Of
Charleston, Missouri, evidently moving to-
ward Birds Point or Cape Girardeau. The
border counties in Missouri are overrunswith
marauding parties, who are committing dep
relations and numbering Unionists. They
are particularly bfutal-to the German popu-
lation. One entire family in the vicinity of
Charleston, including the husband, wife and
three children, were cruelty murdered on
Monday night, and their stock and house
hold goods appropriated.
| Col Cooks Seventh Illinois regiment ar
rived at Cairo from Mound City, to day, on
the steamer Wisconsin No. 2, and will occu-
| py the quarters recently vacated by Col.
Morgan's 10th Illinois The stealne War
saw is TO be temporarily used for hospital
purposes for the troops at Camp Lyon
| Birds Point). Dr. Burke is in charge.
Capt. Lattimer, of theiB. 7. Cheeny, the
Cairo and columbus mail packet, captured
at Columbus on Thursday last, arrived here
from that point to day. He claiHs>that she
was seized by piratieal parties, who claim
her as S35 900 prize, and that the seizure
was made without the consent of the Con-
tolerate authorities. She now lies at Mem
phis with the sstars and bars" fling at her
/ iack-staff over the star bangled banner.
The leading citizens of Columbus have pc
titioned Gen. Pillow. to release the boat,
and the captain anticipates success in the
enterprise.
Lattin1er says he was not perTatted to
pass the rebel lines, but was informed BY
officers that it was the intention of Pillow
TO have attacked Birds Point yesterday
morning. he says his force is 20. 900 strong
| doubtful and moving toward Cape Girar-
deau (sixty miles by land) and to St. Louis.
Once at the Cape, they will cross the Missis-
sippi and rush over to Jonesboro, Illinois,
only twenty miles distance, take the Illinois
Central Railroad thirty five miles from Cairo,
cutting off railway communication and har-
RAISING Cairo.