Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-08-02

DAYS eheEc Uitb lue men NoIkrN edi nest
and have 30 douht, If the federalists give
them time, they will prove aTtilierymen in the
C. d. The ger. raj ordered prantice to be made
with rouna shot. After some delay, Kind Of
b ybrid ships caTTonade was loaded. The tar
get VAS a tree, abou. $500 yards distant, | was
iold. It appeared to NE about 400 yards off,
Every one was de5iroUs OF seeing the shot: but
we were at lhG wrong side for the wind, aud /
veniuTed to say so. However, the general
thought and SAID Otherwise. The word "hrtp'
was given. Alas, the friction tube would not
explode. Il was one OF new sort, which
the TenEesseeans are trying their 'pren-
tice hand at. second answered better.
The gun went of but where the bs,l went to
no one could say, as lhe smoke came into our
eyes. The party moved to windwaTd, and,
after ano her fuse had mi-seI, the qua was
again discharged at some five degrees eleva
tion, and the SHOT fell in good line, two hun
dred wards short Ct the ,arget, and did rot
ricsc6et. Gun No. Two was theH discharged,
and off went the ball, at no yarticular marx.
down the river but f it did 20 oil, so did the
gun also, for it gave d frantic leap and Jumped
with Tie carriage off The platform; nor vas
this wonderful, for it was an old fashioned
cadubered carcDade or h5wkszsr, v'S1h mad
been loaded with fun charge, and solid shot
enough 10 make 1t burst with Indignation.
Turning from this battery, Te visited another
nearer the wa&sr, with four guns (thiTy-tWo
pounders,) which were vel placed % sweep
the caannel with greater chance Of Ticochet !:
and higher up on The bank, toward high peak
commanding the Mississippi, here about seven
hundred yards broad, and q small continent
which runs into it, was another battery OF two
guns, with a very great command, but only mt
for shell, as the fire must be plunging. All
these batteries were very ilI constructed, and
in only one was the magazine under decent
cover Ia the first If was ia rear Of the bat
terry, up the bill behind it. The paTaPe,s were
of sand or soft earth, unprovided with msIiCns
Toe latter had few sand bags between the
guns.
For five weeks the Tennessee troops under
General Pillow, who is at the head Of the
forces Of the State, have been working at q Sc
rics of curious entertainments, which are sup
posed TO represent an entTenched camp, and
u hich look like an assembIage os mud beaver
dams. Ii a word, they are so complicated
that thev would prove exceedingly troublesome
to the troops engaged iH their defense, and it
would require very steady, experienced regu-
lars to man them 50 as to give proper 81 por'
to each other Tie maze Of breRstworEs, Of
Aanking psrspsts, Of p5rapets for field pieces,
s overdone Several of them might prove use
ful to an attacking force. In some places the
wood was cut down in front so az to fern
formidable natural sbattis; bat generally here,
as in the batteries beloW, timber and brush
wood we're left uncut upto easy mGgket shot
Cf the works, so as to screen an advance of
rihcuen, and 10 expose the defending force TO
considerable annoyance.
Seven or eight hundred men we're formed
into line for inspection. There were few Of
the soldiers in any kind Of uniform, and such
uniforms ss | saw were in very bad taste, and
consisted Of gaudy facings and stripes on very
strange garments. They were armed with old
pattern percussion muskets, and their ammuni-
ton touches were Of diverse sorts. Shoes Oft
en- bad knapsacks scarce, head-pieces Of eve
~ shspe-badges worked on the front or sides,
t.nsel in much request. Every man had 4 tin
water flask sud a blanket The general Cd
dressed the men, who were in iiae two deep
(and many OF them uBmis,skshle Irshman,)
and sid what generals usually say on sucu
occasions--complIments for The past, encour-
agsment for tBe future. "Nhen the hour Of
danger comes l vii! be with you" They did
not seem to care much whether he was OF not.
Randolph's Point is, no doubt, a very strong
position. The edges Of the plateau command
the rea Of The batteries beloH; the Tavjnes in
the bluff would give cover to large force Of
rfsmen, who could render the batteries untPn-
able if taken from the river face, unlsss the
camp 10 LleaA IrdE Oh kL- LDE or Tue pldltdl
vas carried Great loss Of life, and probable
failure. would result from any attack on the
works from the river merely. But a R0tils
might get past the ga1s without any serious
loss in he present state OF their service and
equipment; and there is nothing | saw TO pre-
ven. the landing Of 2 force ca the banks Of the
river, which, with a combined sctisn on he
part Of a q adequate force of gun-b03is, could
carry the position. As the river fails the
rouni-shot FIRE Of the guns will be even less ef-
feetive.
Having returned to tae steamer, the par y
proceeded up the river to another small camp
10 defense Of a battery Of four guns, CT rather
Of a small paTaileogTam OF soft sand cover
ing man little higher than tn knee, with
four guns mounted in it on he river face. No
communication exists through the woods be-
tween the two camps. which must be six or
seven miles apart. The force stationed here
was composed principally Of gentlemen. They
were all uniformed. A detachment worked
one Of the guns, which the general wished to
see fired with round shot. In FIVE or six min
utes af5er the der was given the gun was
loaded, and the word given, "Fire.' The
gunner pulled the lanyard hard, but Jhe
tube did not explode. Another was tried.
strong Jerk pulled IL out b-nt and iRcom-
bustible A third was inserted, which came
out broken. The fourth time was The charm,
and the ball was projected about 90 yards to
the right and 100 Yards short OF the nark-a
stump 1909 yards distant IN the river. 1t
must be remembered that there are 10 dIsparts,
taugea-s or elevatiBg screws 70 the Guns: the
officer was obliged to lay il by tae eye with
plain chock Of wood. The general explained
that the friction tubes were the result Of an
experiment be was making TO manufacture
thrm, but | agreed with ore of the off GERS,
who mutteTed in ny car, "Tbe old linlstOck
and poTtfre are a darned deal bptteT.7 There
were no SHELLS, ! could see, in the battery and
On inquiry | lesTnad the fuses were made Of
wood At Memphis, and were not considered by
the officers at all trustworthy. Powder is so
scarce that all gaiutes are iHtsTdcted, except
to the governor of the State. 10 he two camps
there were, was informed, about 600 men.
Ny eyesight, as far as I went, confirmed me Of
the exis euce Of S90 but [ did not visit all
the out wing tents o. landing the band bad
plavpd "God Save the QIeeu" and "DXie's
Land;'' on returning we had the "NaTsel-
laiseo AID the national anthem Of the
Southern Confederation, and, by way OF
Carenthesis, it may be added, il you DO
not already know the fact, that "Dixie's Lad"
Is a synonym for heaven. Il pears that
there was once a good planter, named
"Dixie,' who died at some period unknown,
to the Intense grief Of his animated property.
/ They foBnd expression for their sorrow iG
/ song, and consoied themselves by clamoriBg in
/ verse for their removal to the land to which
/ Dixie had departed, and where probably the
reyered spirit would be greatly surprised to
/ find himself in their company. Whether hey
were iil-reated after be died, and thus had
reason 20 depiore Lis removal, OF merely de-
/ sired heaven in The abstract nothing known
enables me 20 assert. But DiXie's land is now
generally taken to mean the seeded States
| where Mr. Dixie certainly is not at this present
/ writing. Tue song md air are The composition
| Of the organized African association for the
! advancement Of music and their own profit
which sings Ia New York, and il NAV be as
! well to add tbat in all 10y tour in the South
heard little melody from lips black or white
and only once heard negroes singing in the
fields.
By The Mempbis papers IL seems az Il that
institutlOn Of blood prevailed there as 10 New
Orleans, for | read IN ny paper as I went
along of two murders and one shoo ing as the
incidents Of the preyiou day, contributed by
s'the ocsl.D To contrast with this low state
Of social existence there must be high con-
di ion of moral feeling, for the journal ] was
reading contained a very elaborate article 10
show the wiokedness ct any one paying his
debts, and OF any State Acknowledge E ts liza
bilitias, which would constitute an invaluable
rade a'scun for BasiDghail street.
On the train coming North, my companion
was a very intelligent southern gentleman,
formerly edi OF of q newspaper. We etalked OF
the crime of the country, OF the brutal shoot
ings and stabbings which disgraced it. He
admitted their existence with regret, but ne
could advise and suggest TO remedy. "The
rowdies have rushed in upon US, so that we
can't master them" as the law powerless ?p
"Well, sir, you see these men get bold Of those
who should administer the law. or