The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-09-03
CAMP OF THE So Iowa CAVALRY, !
Helena. Ark. Aug. 23.
AR. j. b. Ho,cell

II y
poudent in this army, at least not in on
regiment. If you can find anything il
the following. which you think will be o
interest to your readers, you are at libert,
toPublish it.
1 Before this reaches ,ou, you will Lav,
heard of the total wreck Of Tue steamboa
"Acacia," on board of which was Lieut.
Col, Trimble, who escaped ON piece o
the wreck and foated down to our camp
distance of thirty miles, where he wa
taken of by some Of our own men. Th
Colonel escaped with bis pants, shirt nm,
hat only. Having lost everything else
he said be could not afford to lose bis pas
sage too. He has been absent from the
regiment since the battle of Pea Ridge
and has not yet recovered from the severe
wound he received there.
The army has been unusually quiet fol
the past few days, but the indications arc
that we will soon make move II i.
reported this morning that Gen. Curt,
has sent his family home, and that Col
Phelps who, it is understood. is to BE-
Military Governor, of this State, has ar.
rived. These are construed by the know
ing ones into indications Of q 'tspeedy nd
vance"
The work on the Notifications is pro.
crossing. When completed the Missis.
eiprians will be able to have ball any
time they collect OH the bank of the river
in sufficient numbers.
The report going the rounds Of the
papers, about our capturing seven hun
dred prisoners at Clarendon not long
since il all hoax, none of our troops
have been there since ve left last month.
The health Of the army is improving,
but there is still fever and ague enough
to 60 around We have suffered but lit
tie from the heat, indeed it has not been
SO hot here as it is in Iowa the nights
are very cool. We are furnished with
mosquitoe bars to keep otfthe insects, but
left to themselves they do not appear so
ferocious as the inhabitants.
We fare very poorly for vegetables. =
They are not very plenty in the country,
and through the system of guarding every
man $ premises who happens to have vege-
tables or fruit, they are enabled to get
prices for all they have to sell.
Peaches are plenty at one dollar bushel
some miles in the country; apples the
same price, but not SO plenty; potatoes
are scarce at one City. So you see the
soldiers "green backs" won't go far. BY
the way, when is the small money COM
ing? These FIVE dollar bills are great
bore to the soldier. He must make his
own change with the paymaster, with the
suffer, and with the man Of guarded
premises. Now this paying these rebels
for what we necJ is all wrong. Merely
because they take ''thc OATH, are they
entitled to their pay when the soldier on
extra duty is told he must wait; there is
not money enough to pay him. Why not
give them vouchers and let them wait
and take their turn with the other credit
ors OF the Government Uncle Sam
may be able to pay ali his debts, but if
the practice Of paying the rebels FIRST and
our own men when convenient is followed.
1t is my opinion the money won't last till
the end Of the war. II thesa rebels held
few hundred or few thousand dollars
of the U. S. vouchers, not transferable,
think you not they would be quite as like
y to remain quiet, at last 7 | think they
would. At Batesville, where we staid
seven months, nearly one hundred thou
sand dollars was paid out, and 4 good
share went to the natives for forage, &C.,
at exorbitant prices. They have since,
with hardly an exception, turned out good
secesh, and are raising and feeding COM
panies 70 fight against us.
l believe the men from Keokuk are
mostly well. Very few men of COMPANY
G have been sick since VIC came here.
! notice quite number here from Ke-
okuk, in citizens dress. Don't suppose
any OF them came away on account Of the
draft. They say not, and l have no dis
position to question their words. We
would oil like TO see keokuk once morn
before We go into the wilderness again.