, 1861-05-30

Ranors Of. an Attock-NegIecs Of ne Gouera-
ssenf-.bird's hias s-la Importance Aissour-
I I tdns 'Coming-F1pbdNe Increase Of Loual
Forces-H Louis &C. de- d,

Forees-6t. Louis &c. dc. d.
Especial Correspondence Chicago Trtbune1
= oA1Ro, Tncsday May Is.
Ithaa been no new thing with Us to be
warmed Of rebel movements for an attsck
upon Cairo. but on Monday these warnings
assumed shspa such as they had never taken
was conveyed to them in the anxious look Of
military men and the sudden impulse Of actly-
ity given to our defensive works. AL tho A.
tcrnoon and evening there was On evident
aD1iety at Headquarters which, more than
words could have done, impressed all with the
Vices were Is Of course military secret. 1t
was enough evidently to see our generals with
approximations; and the public report Of Largo
gatherings Of men at Union city, Jackson and
Memphis, all moving with one idea ofreyengo
upon Calro, and filed With the baseless en-
none Of it, significance with the crowds that
sWatmed the area Of the St. Charles, goaaiplng
upon these matters until late hour of the
night. We had only two dnys before been
awakened from our seeming lothargJ by the
reported movement Of troops into Virginia and
victory Of Gen. Bntfer, impaired fresh hope
for an active campaign, in which our western
troops should have no small ehare. Later In
the day doubt was thrown upon Gen. Bnt1ers
6uccess. It #as not only contradicted herc,
but there came reposts from Tennessee Of
Of courHe be attached to these, but they had
their weight as showing how the Southern
mind was being moved. Then canc reports
that {, ,0c0 men ~ were on the move, fired with
. mad discrimination to revenge the Cairo
blockade, and then to plant their Il victorious"
s1gn to the rebels Of that State.
OF course We were excited. Looking abont
rs, then, for the means Of defence, We realized
almost for the first time how cFiminally nesu-
geut the government Lad been Of the great
interests involved here We had six pound
e1s, hut what were they? We had three
twentyfour Founders, hut they we're useless
from want Of carriages upon which to be
mounted. Three more Plttsbnrg guns we're
on the way. but they were not here. Of all
the much-talked-of Siege pieces, only the NOR
'tar and the 8:lnch howitzez from ct. Louis
WeIe serviceab1e. These were quickly placed
ct the old distile1y. But there Was not sin
gle breastwork behind which onr gpnuers
could be covered from an cnemY'a fire, nor,
What WAS worse, wss there powder enough on
Birds PointI Ali there was our real weak
nees. As II the importance of this key to
Cairo had not been sufficiently talked about
to be as well understood at Washington - it
evidently Was at Montgomery. OF what Ya1uc
was The empty Trmoz, some weeks since, that
NE4% EEQkt u1A t1Uc1EN ILLS tQ4uf 10 Dc 0EEu-
pied? It Eaa not occupied; and II We would
we could not spare the men and the guns to
take it now And so the town worked up its
excitement, and went to bed with frat an as.
surancc that no rebel steamers were yet In
sight, and next an a5suInnce that their side
AIMS were well loaded. There was bright
moon, and this was some comfort.
Do your readezs understand the location: Of
Birds Pointe Undoubtedly, from its notori-
ETY., they think they do; but very much
question whether they are aware that it is the
extent of our view down the river. It Is about
two miles below the distillery point, and here
the Mississippi takes an abrupt turn to the
right. Boats coming up the river give warn
irg Of their approach when many miles dis.
tant, aud while yet only their smoke can bc
seen rising above the woods. They are 7isi-
bic to us only when they turn the Point, COM
ing up close under the lee to avoid the sWifter
current on the Kentucky shore With no
proaeh, and no gun boats to make that ap-
proach impossible, there is nothing that We
can see to hinder Gen+ Pillows steamers
lsnding troops upon the other side,
With cannon that an hours work could very
easily convert into entrencked batterles. The
people IN all that part Of Missouri are already
Eeceseionists ut heart, and Pillow could be Of
great service 70 them, as they wou1d not hesi-
tate to be to him The delay, therefore, in
occupying Birds Point with battery Of loyal
troops, touches US very seneitiyely; and t
more as It Is only one, and the most SERIOUS,
ed. Will I am upon this subject it might as
well be told that the communications to Gen.
Pren1iss from Washington have been feW, and
unimportant; that his oft repeated reprasen-
tatfons have been s1ighted; and that only
after aelaJe, and much trouble, have even the
pressing gnecessit Of the troops bssnpartially
ansEered / might enu1nerate quite d list Of
articles that ore Still lacking, not only for the
well being Of the men, but for the preserVa-
ticn, even, Of such equipment az they laYe
got. We arc disposed to be charitable about
It, and to overlook all lesser neglects because
OF the unpreparedne5s Of the Government for
q state Of var.
But Birds Pointl Who shau excuse the
long delay in quietfng Ill anxietics about that
important position. It is said to-day that Gen.
Hntney has ordered troops from st. Louis TO
occupy It, and that they are on the way. It
Is well known that five steamers have been
LOT aome Days under charter by the Govern
! ment, at st. Louis, all ready to start; andYes-
tcrday's st. Louis papers mention q rumor
| that regiment was likely to be sent at onca
either to fortress Monroe or Cairo. Ofcourae
this latter destination is the one intended, aud
| guns and the shout Of men that shall welcome
| these steamers on their arrival down to the
| Point. The telegraph may, aud hope it will,
inform you that such ia the actual fact before
this letter goes to print. At all events, rest
assured that another Sunday will not see Birds
Either the stars and stripes or the rebel fag
will float there In a few days. II the former,
al well; If the hitter, look out for hot work.
AL indications here point to momeatous
events in the not distant future
To day, therefore, our great apprehensions
are in measure quietea by the hope. Of re-
lief from st. Louis, coupled with the pronis-
ed arrival Of one or more Of the Chicago tugs,
and the 1urnor OF IN early reinforcement from
Indianapolis. It was said troops were on their
way last night. Doubtless the garrison will be
increased, this week, BY several thousand fresh
town, and not least among them Is the enqui-
y foy Gen. Mcclellan. He undoubtedly
knows his Own business best, but if the Ten
nesseeans come before be dees, he will have
lost IN opportunity for fame which Gen Prem.
| It's Will not fail to turn to honorable account.
There has not been u dsy but our operations
here haye been pfospected By one Or more reb-
el spice. They come mp On the steamer Che
ney from Columbus, KY, and find no trouble
In looking about under their assumed enrb of
town. It Is believed that residents WHO aro
among the loudest and NEST forward for the
"Unieu," nra IN daily communication with
the rebels. Tele9Aphic messages are not in
their power, however, since none but such Us
have been approved at headquarters are allow
cd to be sent South, aud none at Ill that are
W1itten III cypher. Some days there are not
more than tWo or three business messages
8: mt. The telegraph between here and Spring
fc1d is kept open constantly, day and night for
military reasons. But speaking Of spies, d
circumstance In point came to my.lnowled.e
last Saturday. 4 party Of us, including Frank
Leslie's artist, had arranged with b0atman
to show us the mysteries and miseties Of the
Kentucky bayou opposite, which occupies, as
you know, an extent of many mi1es. Our
trip satisfied US how fever aud egua Is manu-
any apprehension Of a hostile attack from
that side. On the Hny through, however, our
| guide told Us Of offers nade to him to pilot
rebel movements, for liberal compensation;
| and that he had once filed an appointment
| to meet some well-d1essed military men not
far down the river. Their proposition made
t him SO nervous that he determined to see them
no more; and only few days since he con-
| tronted one Of these Batne men on the leyee,
| him, when the man left in great haste. Two
+ spies we're arrested this morning, but dis
| charged because the evidence was not clear.
| One of them came up on the Cheney, which
| arrived ut an early and unusual hour this morn
! ing, and brings from Columbus 313 German
emigrsnts who had landed at New Orleans,
and bad fecn allowable be brought no further
north than Columbus.
The blockade here, as well rs at Memphis,
Is complete. It is perhaps too complete here,
but Gen. P1entiss cannot begin to discrim.
trouble: Among items 0f freight that hare
been held, a1e law library, household turnl-
ture, mate1aals purchased In Chicago for the
completion OF residence in Bol{var. etc
1ndivtdual baggage Is not as yet subject to ex-
animation. without there are reasonable