The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-08-17


the bogus Nahoney Convention.' y q
Hsgsg sai "a Correspondents Of the Hawk,Eys
msns FROM BIRDS POINT. sj.rsas
BIRDs PoISr, Mo-, Aug. Z, 1851. Is
M EDrfoR As Iowa has Regiment at the
"Point, few lines from member will doubt.
less be interesting to many Of your readers.
We arrived here on the evening Of the Cd,
amid the roaring Of artillery and cheering of
thousands of soldiers-Major Gen. Fremont &C.
eonpsuied the feet. sxaqe d as
The 5000 troops then here, we found "lying
upon their arms" awaiting an attack from Gen'l
Pillow, who Was reported ~ having 90, 900 troops
st New Madrid, only forty or fifty miles below.
The addition of Eve or six thousand troops to
the number here seemed to quiet all fears, and
nothing has been done upon the Notifications
until yesterday afternoon, when several hundred
men were called ont to complete them. This
vigilance was caused by the report that JEFF
Thompson was marching on the two Regiments
left at Cape Girardeau, forty miles above us, and
that Pillow had broken up his camp and was ad-
vancing on US. The work progresses finely and
If the enemy win postpone their attack until
next week, we win be able to give them terri
bly, bloody fight m s.94
As have never seen correct description of
this place, will endeavor to describe it and give
it's history. Birds Point, named from the Bird
family, who have owned it for sixty years, lies
e1vo nat sa;poc<1v orros;&o .,I ,>,,X.f -
the bend of the Mississippi to the south, after
receiving the waters of the Ohio. The country
for miles around is the richest Of bottom lard,
well suited to the culture of corn, hemp and cot.
ton. With the exception Of the improvements
Of Col Bird, nothing butt wilderness of gigan.
tic trees meets the eye. Some of the pecan trees
are eight feet in diameter and more than two
hundred feet high. There are but about dozen
buildings here, the principal Of which is Col
Birds residence, large frame hotel and the de-
pot Of the Cairo 4 Fulton R. r !, now completed
twenty three miles into the country. The resi-
dence of Colonel Bird is one Of the old Virginia
styled mansions, surrounded by orchards Of aged
spple, ounce, pear and other fruit trees-no Or
namental trees He lis said to own nine thousand
acres Of land here in one body and forty-six me-
groes. But four or five hundred acres are under
improvement here now, as much Of it has fallen
into the river. l am told that one hundred and
fifty yards have caved of since June 1st, requir-
Ing the houses and R. r. to be moved back, but
It has now stopped. The timber is from one
fourth to three.fourths of mile from the bat.
teries, close enough for the enemy to pick off
our gunners if they get in aud have rifles. For
tunately cypress swamp lies between the two
roads, impossible for artillery and horse, and
acres Of the heavy timber have been cut down
along these roads leading to the camp. We
have two Regiments out on these roads as ad
vanced guards. The Illinois 10th, eight miles
south at Norfolk, on the Mississippi, and the
18th, seven miles out west on the R. r. If at
tackled by superior forces they can retreat in,
and if the enemy follow them throug6 the passes
our artillery will NOW them dawn like grass
Pillow cannot take this point without loss Of
ten thousand men-a price be will hardly feel
like paying for position he cannot long hold.
We have NO recourse but to fight or die. If we
jump into the river, we will. be washed to the
hostile shore Of Kentucky, to be picked up by
providers who will doubtless follow Pillow up
from that side Of the river. But laying all jokes
aside, our position here is becoming rather crit
ical, rendered more 20 by some little circumstan-
ces which shall mention. @
One is our being weakened constantly by the
departure of the three months volunteers from
both Cairo and this place, and another is the
greet disss tisfaction existing in the I'd Iowa Re-
giment produced by the resignation Of number
Of its best officers. A majority Of the officers,
when at St. Louis Arsenal recommended the ap-
pointment Of Major Croker, for Colonel, over
Lieut.. Col Tuttle, commanding. Some of our
officers have sworn never to serve under Major
Croker. and tteir men, to some extent, are Of
the same feeling. Another cause Of discomfort
among the men is their being deceived about
their. new arms They expected to ger them when
at N Arsenal and we're assured, before leaving,
that IL arms were 70 accompany them. wiich,
u 16detstand, Was the intention, but they ship.
ped lot Of old guns in mistake, which have been
sen. back This feeling destroys the usefulness
Of The Regiment, and we cannot see but that i,
is, IN great measure, uncslled for, at least 60
far - arms are concerned, - it is as much "a
ths interest Of the officers, q tbs men, to have
the regiment armed with the best Of guns, and
they will doubtless b obtained a. soon as pos
sible.