Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-04-14
our Army Correspondence Prom
1 Cairo.

OAlkOs Apfli o, 1co<.
MR. EDIToR:-You have read of Cairo pre-
sumo, but to appreciate it you must see it. /
don't believe that you can fairly imagine the
MANY good qualities it possesses, i think it is
entirely beyond the comprehension of any one.
1t being situated on a very narrow neck of land
IA peninsula in fact--and so very low, that it is
always inundated with water, not so much from
overflow as from supage through the levees,
principally from the Mississippi. This water co
vers large PARTON of the center of the town,
and remains for months notwithstanding a steam
engine is kept constantly going to pump it out.
You therefore cannot get through those streets
at all, and persons go on the sidewalks upon
planks, and they mostly ahoat. If it is not
sickly here during the summer months, it ought
to be.
Great activity prevails in this (Halleck's) de-
partment Troops are moving up the Tennessee
river in immense numbers, every boat being load
ed with them. We have an immense army up
that river now. 1t is ramored that Gen. Halleck
will take the field this week. If so. you may
expect to hear of battle very soon.
/ visited Birds Point last week, for the pur-
pose of invoicing large amount of Quarter
masters stores, which were turned over to Capt.
Bradshaw by the Quartermaster at that post.
Barracks have been erected by the troops sufh-
cicntiy extensive to quarter ten twelve thou
sand men. Indeed, / was told that thirteen thou
sand had been quartered in the Point at one
time the barracks are well constructed, being
in parallel lines. with streets running through
them as wide as Pearl street nearly, and il forms
quite town. Birds house is occupied as quar-
tiers for the officers, he having been taken from
there and imprisoned at St. Louis awhile, and
afterwards at Alton, but is now at liberty, aud
resides on another farm above the Point some
few miles. His negroes are mostly at the old
house on the Point. and are being worked by the
officers, driving carts, transporting the effects of
the men from one point to another, and seem
very well contented Most of them have
each a gun, and amuse themselves shoot
ing ducks, &c. The guns are cOntraband
the same as the negroes, and as they
cost the Government nothing, the officers give
them to the darkies. There ere some twenty
eight or thirty of these negroes now on the farm,
of all ages. i noticed squad of six or eight of
both sexes, ranging in age from two years to
about twelve or thirteen, several times in body,
and upon asking about them was told that they
were going to school. Some modern philanthro-
pist of the Abby Folsom school has taken up her
quarters in the barracks. and is engaged in the
very laudable(D occupation of teaching their
young ideas how to shoot. Just think of the
ideas of two year old niger, will your
Mr.. Bird is or was a very independent man,
have no doubt, judging from what can see, and
the amount of land which is very great and of
inexhaustable soil. He had grist mill and dis
tillery upon the land and every convenience that
is enjoyed by farmer, but now what sad pic
ture presents itself Our forces have had breast
works thrown up in the rear of the mansion, run
Mig from point above to a point on the river
below the house, which must be of some miles in
length. These Notifications are surrounded by a
wide ditch and are mounted with heavy guns.
Quite number Of guns are yet IN position,
although we have force of not more than two
or three hundred men there at present. The
orchard is standing, but the trees are hacked by
axes and scarihed by bayOnets, yet are striving
put the best face upon the matter possible, as they
are budding and preparing to bear fruit as usual.
but there are no grassy lawns nor turf now, and
the ground is trodden down hard by the constant
tramping of the armed hosts, and has become so
hard that the grass won't grow. 1t is most
dreary picture, and very sad to contemplate. His
beautiful farm is now dreary waste emphatical-
y, for there is not even yard of fence left, nor
rail. But the most melancholy sight of all was
the family graveyard. Here lay the buried dead
of years gone by, members of the family. of all
ages. The fence enclosing the burial ground
was completely gone, and the ground for con-
siderable distance around and Immediately ad
joining the graves of the Bird family is now oc-
cupied by the dead of the Federal forces from
the various States. Poor fellows, sleeping their
long sleep with rude boards at their head, with
misshapen letters cut thereon by the hands of
comrade, and some head boards with no letters at
all. But then in two or three instances saw
some very neat marble head stones, one of a sol
dier from Iowa. There is something heathenish
in the manner of burying our dead soldiers, by
not placing some kind of mark indicating who
the dead man is. There was a very genteel old
man in our Office yesterday making inquiry for
the body of his son who had died in one of the
hospitals here, but no one could tell him where
his son was laid, and the poor old man hadto re-
turn sorrowing to his home without finding his
boys body Yours truly, BEN f. REED.