The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-06-29

SsFen9em Oh tme ks0UeA rVEceD ~ "c"s
/ From the Indianapolis Journal June 90
We had yesterday the pie sure oi an inter
| view with John s, Collins. a son OF the well
known Methodist clergyman. nov deceased, Rev
| John A. Collins, of Baltimore, who has just esi
] capped from the Memphis jail, after conhne-
ment of two months for the offence OF loving
his country aud adhering to his allegiance.
In regard to his own case, We learn thaths Union
sentiments led to the suspicion that he was The
author of q letter in the n. \. Tribune, from
| Memphis giving an account of the reception of
some Mississippi troops in that place, when on
| their way to Pensacola, in which decided Union
feeling was manifested, and on this suspicion was
arrested. He was taken before the City Record
| err Mr.. Dickinson, who kindly expressed his re-
gret that he was unable to hang him, and had to
content his patriotic soul with putting him in the
city jail Heescaped by means which we can
not publish without compromising persons still
in Tennessee, and after hiding in the city for
day or two, made HE way past, the guards, got
to jackson, Tennessee, thence TO Union City,
rendezvous of Tennessee troops, thence to Col
umbus, Kentucky, and from that point walked
to Cairo, getting neither food nor sleep from
the time of leaving Memphis. ) In regard to the
troops in Tennessee and their condition we learn
some interesting facts Hs says there is not the
remotest danger Of an attack OF Cairo. The reb-
els are much too an xous for their own safety to
venture so far away from home. AT Memphis
there are very few or no troops, except the home
guards, and the only guns were three or four "a
Founders mounted in decidedly original way,
by resting the turnions on two heavy piles
driven in the ground, and fastening them
there by staples driven over the tunnios into
the piles. This neat arrangement, allowing no
room for recoil, is likely to smash things when
the friDo ba1 R,tfh fhnuuh M.mnhia " nj.
most entirely stripped of troops there were very
large forces in the vicinity. and in the way of
an advance upon it. His estimate is that there
are 8 1870 men at Union City, near the Kentucky
line; 5000 at Randolph; l3, 600 at Germantown;
and l 600 at Corinlh, Mississippi these COM
prising the whole available force of the South
west. He passed all through and carefully exam
ined the camp at Union City. saw all the arms
and ascertained accurately the condition of the
men there, and he saws of the s, 100 only about
1000 are armed, and they are armed only with
fint-lock muskets altered to percussion locks
And this very inefficient armament, he SAYS, is
the prevailing one among the Southern forces he
has seen, the Southern leaders and papers pur. |
posely msrepresented the character of the arms |
in The hands of their men, and as an instance he |
states that it was reported THAT SO cases of |
splendid rifles of the very best pattern had ar
rived at Union City and were being distributed"
yet these cases arrived on the same train he did,
and he saw them opened Erery one contained
uttered Rinttock nsuskeis. There were only four
guns at Union. In additian to his own examin
alton he learned from the conversation of some
of the military leaders that the troops were i'll
armed, and i'll fed as we'll On the same train
with him from Jackson to Union were Generals
Sneed, Cheatham, Anderson and Clark, whose
conversation among themselves he frequently
overheard They rallied bitterly at the stupidity
and imbecility of Pillow, who don't seem to
have improved since his Mexican experience
and they all talked in desponding tone of the
i'll condition and feeling of their men. None had
been paid, few had been properly clothed, still
fewer properly armed, and many were diseon-
tented.
Gen. Clark, in response to question by Mr..
Collins, who was of course strongly "secesh
for that trip only. stated that the South had ex-
cellent material for an army, but the lack of
arms, clothing and suitable provisions had great
" demoralized the men, and many were serious
j dscontented. n
Provisions in Memphis, Mr.. c. says, are much
iearer than they appear to be by the market re-
ports in the papers. Flour is ten cents pound,
aud is largely sold in ten. pound sacks at dollar
10 poor people Bacon of almost any kind is
twenty FIVE cents pound to consumers The
destitute and suffering of the poorer classes is
very great aud constantly Increasing
The abuse of Union men, he says is terrible, far
anything reported in the papers, for
many cases are disposed of and never reported.
he can count up fifty men within his own know
edge who have been made way with in some
way or other, and thinks there are fifty more in
who will never be heard of. His
experience has been hard one, and in hearing
t we could appreciate the JOY with which he
irst saw the Stars and Stripes at Cairo after
,is long walk of twenty miles, without rest
,r food, from Columbus.