The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-03-14

are many men black rebels at heart that are
glad for IN excuse to behave themselves
For at last some lights getting through
their benightcd brains. This is rebel.
lion Of the aristocracy Of wealth against
republican institutions. These old slave
holders find that they have to contribute
voluntarily and Involuntary and be preysd
on by both parties, and then at the end Of
the war, if that ever comes. property will
be taxed to pay the expenses Of the war.
They are concluding that a wealthy, re-
pectable man cannot afford civil war on
any terms.
Col. Moore is drilling his men daily,
and We are making some progress with
still plenty of room for improvement. -
Company G, Capt Pierce, is at present
stationed Mt Salt River Bridge, on the II !.
Il st. Joe Rail Road, and we have 20
men at Salt River Bridge building a
block house. Our quarters here. in Han
nibal, are built with pine scantling frames
covered with pine lumber making build
ing about as close as barns are generally.
They form square or in other words in
Glade square piece Of ground of about
four acres us a parade ground on South
hillside, near one mile from the steamboat
landing.
This day, the It'll Of March, is the frs,
really leisure day that ! have had within
a month, and have improved it by plan
ming an excursion down to the great
Hannibal cave some p miles below here.
Col. Moore, Major b. b. King, and quite
number Of the boys we're along we
spent about one hour winding around and
through those dark and narrow passages.
1t does not in point Of grandeur any where
near come up to the description of caves
in Kentucky and Tennessee, yet it is
worth a whole days investigation. -
The openings are sometimes quite wide,
and 20 or 80 feet high, handsomely arched
over, but there is but little symmetry
about them nothing to induce any per-
son to think that they are in a fairy palace
by any means The cave has evidently
been formed by great CONFUSION separ-
ating the limestone formation at the bot
tom and moving the large masses apart.
and pushing up into the crevices plastic
clay from still lower depths. And then
again as the masses Of earth and stone
settled back near its former position it
naturally closed at the top first. In ad-
dition to what is now to be seen conven-
iently. there are many passages too small
for person to get through, which, with
little work, might be opened SO as to ad-
NIT person into other large rooms or
openings that have never yet been visited
by mortal man; indeed there is every ap-
pearnnce Of succession Of caves for
miles.
There used to be story pretty gener.
ally believed thN q certain man got lost
in this cave and wandered in the darl
some three days and came out near Saver.
ton, which is several miles below on the
river, but he could never show the
hole that he came out at afterwards. -
There is one beautiful spring of cool waite,
in the cave from which drank small
draught. One thing more and | am done
noticed on the hills in the vicinity sever
al vineyards just started by the never
firing Germans. God bless them, and may
your and my grand children visit thi,
cave when wars deadly blast has blows
over, and gentle peace returns to thi
land. and drink wine from grapes grow
on the tops Of those hills and cooled i,
that crystal spring in the cave that ha
scarcely changed in 20 years.
This day has been a beautiful one, III
sun is just setting, the iceis still in tn,
river at this place. Our regiment is on
on dress parade, the music sounds 6nel,
There have been several contrabands i
camp, and az we do not know what to a
with them We do nothing more than Civ
them little bread.
Yours, A. w. H.