Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-08-07
LETTER FROBr BATON RoUCa.
zite F'osff5OI, and Condition Of ossr Troops
There.

:; Correspondence Cincinnati Commercial
7 BArON ROUGE, July I6, 1562-For severa
, weeks 1 have been trying to coax or drive my
i sell into writing you letter, but with nothing
n q special interest TO write aboui-with the sur
! glowing IN the heavens like great mass o
: motion brass-wiih a thousand little streams 0
peTsplratlon tTickli1g down my back and drOp
ping from forehead, nose and chin upon th,
I paper-with my brains frying and sputtering II
my head, and merciiess hordes of musGuite
: hends pegging into me at every practicable point
> 1t Is no easy matter 70 write AS l said before
there IS nothing to write about. Rumors of an
attack, which have been current ever sinee o,tY
eneampmens here, have lost all interest and our
boys turn out at night, when the long roll beats,
win as much nonchalanco as they would form
for an evening parade. Van Dorn is considered
y q myth
Guerrillas abound between this place and
camp Moore, but beyond an occasional annoy
ance OF our pickots, they do not amount to any
considerable sum Some weeks ago, Col. Keith,
with detachment of forty mounted men, pen
etrated some thirty miles into the enerny's
country, smoked out guerrilla camp Of eighty
or hundred men, surprised them and captured
all their equippsge, horses, etc, killing num-
Der IN the affair. Returning at night, Colonel
heiths party were themselves waylsid at q
bridge over the Amite river, and lost Two soldiers
and negro guide in killed, and a number
]
Cassen, the leader Of the guerrillas in this
part Of the State, was captured, together with
two OF his oncers, few evenings since. From
q friendly cOatra5and, some of our troops learn.
ed that the guerrilla chief was in ths habit of
visiting his plantation near this city, and By
conceahug themselves about the plantation, his
capture was effected He has been forwarded
to New Odeans, to be dealt with by Gen. Butler
| do not know what disposition win be made
of him, but if ever g scoundrel deserved hang
/ ing, this man Csssell deserves it. He has
/ brought great trouble upon the people Of this
/ place. When the Federal feet made their an
/ peerance in front Of this city, and boat Was
sent ashore 70 treat for its surrender CssseI, at
! the hesd OF party Of mounted marauders. gal
I loped down TO the waters edge, and fired on the
/ boat, killing some and WOundiuc others This
OF course, drew the ire Of the gunboats on the
city, and broadslde after brOadsids was fred up
the streets, Into the principal buildings, and
away over the town into the woods emong the /
| crowds Of flying citizens. The affair has prob
ably been mentioned by the correspondents of
northern journals as simply firing into the city
but 1t was in reality terrible scene. Cassell /
had given no notice of his Intention to provoke
hosuities, and the town was full of non-cou-
bataut citizens, women and children. A terrible I
panic ensued. The halt, the lame, the blind /
frail women and children aud half frantic ne /
grOes, joined in a h0rried flight to the woods I
Some died IN the streets of pure fright, and I
women IN delicate situations" gave premature /
birth to children in the adjoining fields, amid the 4
roar of artillery and the bursting of shells Ne (
gTces at work in the cane OF corn fields, two or .
three miles back of town, were startled by the I
dropping Of the kissing globes among them, and 4
fed in dismay, firmly believing that the end of 4
the world was at hand. For days little children.
separated from theirparents, roamed through the
woods half starved, nearly eaten uD by mos
quitoes and frantic with terror. Fer alr this
Casseil is responsible, and richly deserves to be
hung. That he will be SO disposed of is the
earnest hope of all pesceable, well-dispOsed sol
diers. The guerrillss are growing bolder every
day. Our PIckets and soldiers gathering bsT-
lies, have been repeatedly fred on, though, for
tunetely. at such long range IS to shield them
from harm. A little judiciOus hanging would
probably have a salutaTy effect on the guerrilla
system Of warfare.
Colonel Mcmillan paid US a visit at our camp.
yesterday, for the FIRST time since being wounded
The colonel is vastly cut down in flesh but, for
tGnately, had "a good margin" to 90 upon
The wounds in his head and arm have healed
kindly, but tre ugly hole IN his side is disposed
% be more troublesome. For several weeks
though confined to his room, he has been attend.
ing closely to lis duties as commander of the
post.
Notwithstanding the stringent orders against
LA-l DyA4i'E GULLilaDditG5s quite NUMBER nave ,
wormed themselves into our camp, and sre en-
poyed as cooks aud servants. Some of these
have given Us valuable information, and it would
not only be cruel bat ungTateful, to turn them
over to the tender me-cies Of the rebels
Thare is a great deal more cotton in the coun-
try than was at first supposed. Much was
burned but large quantities, slowed away in Sc
cEet places by the owners are coming to light.
The dry weather and high water ruined a great
n ha hut ,obl,
within the last four weeks have contributed
greatly toward the making OF the late corn,
and the cotton and sugar fields. Vegetables
ere scarce and dear. A few miserable, stringy
csbbsges, hard, fbrous tomatoes, and potatoes
that look as if they might have been grown
81 IN Maumee "a region of country proFer5ial
for the insignificant size which this eSculent |
there attans-eonstitute the average stock in
the market
fIN THE NAME OF TIE PROPHET, Figs"
Figs are plenty and good, for which the Lord /.
be praised The individual who, wishing to dis I
Parage the value of any given article, asserts /,
that he wouldn't give a fig for it, knows not
whereof be speaks. Raw figs, figs aud cream. ,
or fig pies, are luXuries not to be spoken of 2
lightly. The fig is a curious thing. The tree
has no bloom, but the fruit starts out from the
twig, little green lump-s hg from the start ),
and continues to grow and expand until the :
warmth of the sun renders it fit for use. The :
proprietor of fig orchard may rest perfectly =
easy in the assurance tha. his fruit will not be .
nolested by predatory boys while green. One
5Uch experiment is enough to satisfy any boy,
even If he have the stomach Of an ostrich. 4
From the green fig, and from the leaves and
bark Of the tree, when broken there exudes q
thick white, milky fluid, which takes off the p
skin wherever it touches. Il
PROSPECTS or A FIGHT. n
Since writing the above, 1 have learned that =
there is something more serious than l at first "
supposed in the rumOIs of az impending attack, o
Cen. -, somebody or other, forgot who, is o.
reported, on good authority, as advancing on '
this place with a m0Dgrel horde Of from FIVE to Il
seven thousand men. Col. Mcmillan now has u
a force Of several hundfed cOntrsbands telling n
trees On the spot of wooded ground southwest v
Of the penitentary, and preparing for the reeep-
ion Of our distinguished visitors. If the troops z
are of the character we hear, although vastly Z
superior in numbers to any force we can bring Z
against them, we viii, with the assistance of the
Kineo, which lies in front of the city give them 4,
4 distast to our acquaintance g
The health of the regiment is, l think, better s.
han when l last wrote, through there are still H
deaths from low fevers. Our chap G
ain, Rev n. L. Brakeman, is lying dangerous 4
y i'll at New Orleans n
Drills, with the exception of Just enorsh in q
he cool of the morning to give US exercise, have .
been suspended, and we are sweating through o
he hested term as comfortably - possibly =
G. G. II. 8
TransporIaIiOU of tilo Dead.
IS the present circumstances OF the times