Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1861-11-02

bic appearance. Tbee< i. .,.ssr in camp
thai We ar to whites herr, atd orders have
bess eivsn to have ~ tipts dorsd. This
greatly displeases the men; they say they
would much rather winter in Padacah or st.
Louis. There are reports. howeveH, and they
seem to Be generally credited BY the oAseers,
that we will soon move northwsrd. perhaps
towards Paducsh. Iiearned in Jsckson from
. eentleman who is q resident Of the town,
,thst they had no fortifcstions whstever
around the city, the only defence being a few
cannon placed At the different roads leading
into town. This gentleman left there a week
ago, bringing with him bis negroes, some
twenty in number. whom he has left on q
plantation in Tennessee. s4 a
l find the Notifications around here grand
and formidable. In rear ofthe camps, the tim
Der bss been cut down for = quarter of a mile,
and scattered over the hills in such = way -
to impede an attack Of the enemy. In the
openings. large breastworks of earth have
been thrown up and heavy pieces or ord
nance placed at al assaiI.ble points. This
work refers only to the hills and bluffs around
and back Of the town. Beneath the blulfs,
at the upper end Of the town, 4 large sand
battery has been thrown mp, upon which sev-
eral large cannon are mounted, which COM
mand the river to the northward. The Lin
coin gun boats, four in number, made their
appearance again on Monday last, and near
ed the point above the town. One, the lar
gest of the four, rounded the point and drift
ing slowly down With the stream, came with
in two miles Of our betteries. A brisk can
nonade was kept up for the space Of an hour,
when the boat slowly: withdrew, riddled
with balls and her smoke stack knocked
down. With difficulty she managed to get
around the point, where she sunk in very
deep water. Her crew was saved by the
coming up of the other steamers, which boats
Immediately turned their bows up stream
and steamed it to Cairo. i
Several companies and regiments hive
been ordered to the Missouri side since the
fight Of Monday, and among them the ce!e-
brated Watson battery. News resshed camp
this morning that sixty Of our cavalry, who
were scouting. had been taken prisoners by
the Federals, but we give no credence to the
report as no one can tell where it originated.
Another runnor came ii last night to the
effect that Gen. JEFF. Thompson had capsur-
ed Birds Point. but it proved false. A small
portion Of our cavalry. some forty in number,
while scouting near that place, encountered
about seventy Of the enemy we'll armed and
mounted. A fight ensued in which the enc
my was put to fight, killing ten Of their men
and wounding many others. The only loss
we sustained was the killing of three horses
and wounding several Others. From th.. lit
tie brush, the rumor that Birds Point was
taken had its origin in csmp. We received
by ursTUEu rue yvor1Uus new rrmr ru- 'rsrre
Manassas had sunk two ships at the bead Of
the passes, and driven the Brooklyn to sea.
Would like very much to have such a ma
chine as the Manassas up here-we would
quickly demoIish the squad Of gun boats that
come /" foolin' round here SO often.
l was told by a gentleman on the cars that
Gen. Price had taken Siegel and command
prisoners, and that he was marching on to
St. Louis. The health Of the camp is good,
and from the doctors morning reports, the
hospital seems quite empty. Cold weather
is upon Us and ample preparations are being
made to provide the best We can for the SOL
diers during the winter. We hope ere long
to receive from the fair hands of Louisiaaa's
noble daughters such articles ~ will add to
the comfort Of the soldiers: for surely ZONE
need them greatly.
= The number OF soldiers have greatly dim;n-
ished within = month--they having been NOV
ed to different prominent points in the State
The number here now l knows, but am not
allowed to tell. Suffice it tosay that we are
many, very many. On all the old fields, and
even in the woods, nothing but t.nts can Be
seen. Our cavalry is likewise very numer-
ous and ere all mounted on large and beam
tiful horses. They are continually on the
q~e vive, scouting the country beween here
and Padueah, night and day.
The number Of prisoners have greatly in.
creased within . month They seem very
well satisfied and many have refused to he
exchanged. An amusing incident occurred
in their prison some tune ago, and though
the anecdote is somewhat old, still il will
bear repetition !: A number. of officers went
in one day to zee the csptives. One Of the
officers asked . young fellow F" If he would