, 1862-03-04
OUR CAIRO CORRESPONDENTS


head, and mud Of the most unctious consis-
tency beneath. The heayy-timbcred margin
of Kentucky, opposite, is draped in fog. The
camps are just discernible; the tents which
CLEANED so Whitley yesterday, looking to-day
Ike Indian wigwams; the long, low barracks
at Fort Holt and Birds Point are d1mly dis
ccrnible through the vapor seemingly rising
out Of the turbid water Of the Ohio This
side, the transports have mysteriously disar-
pcared, and in their places are coal barges, MI
gratoEy tin and copper shops, and all sorts OF
contr1vances mounted on floats, which are
seemingly as appropriate for river navigation
as an elephant would be to play Dedalus.
The Government ferry-boat Cairo, ricketty,
tumble-dOwn affair, is crossing the river, with
two OF three unhappy looking soldiers around
her rusty s1aohe.pipes. 1t is astonishing that
more or less Of these cookie shell concerns
called steamboats,, commissioned by the Gov
e1nment, do not go to the bottom Of the Ohio
daily. 4 day or two since the DR.. Kanen
coming round the bend, struck floating log
and stove l,ule in her bows. She i1nmcdi-
ately commenced leaking, WIS ruQ fer rods
up against stern wheeler, when all hands, as
if conscious that the card house would tumble
about their heads, struck out. In less than
two minutes after, the hulk had sunk with its
load Of pig-iron, and her upper works, shat
tered to fragments, went floating down the
NullEut.
The transport Economy, which left here
loaded down with troops, sunk in the Cum.
berland 4 few days since. bnt fortunately no
lives were lost that we hear Of. So few Of
these accidents are matter OF surprise
The Ohio is swel1ed to the very margin Of
water is dotted with every description
! Of drift, hur1yipg South Planks, boards,
| branches, logs and huge trunks Of the syca-
more and cotton-woods, from the forests Of
the Cumberland and Tennessee choke up the
/ current Picture in the background the IN
| ending files Of lea1css trunks wreathed in fog
| rolling up in clouds from the Mississippi; in
! the centre, sea Of mud; filthy area yards
! tenanted with red, grunting swine; little.
squat, e-story, faded houses, si1l-deep in the
capped, sioN-paclng guards in front; in the
! foreground, 1he muddy Ohio, and on its sell
i yldSe an unhappy man yaln1y cndeavoring to
persuade strong minded mule Of the ncces.
sity Of drinking, and you have Cairo
us of Columbus, which, like the fate of Tan.
now eludes us. without transcendins
the barriers of the third Stantonic order, and
its Halleckian and Cullomic revisions, 1 may
TO be obtained about it, and everything must
be matter Of inference appertaining to this
mysterious Fertilization and its fate.
At Cairo there is nothing outwardly TO indi
cate noyc in that direction. The transports
are not here-the troops arc not here. Re
ports from scouts and refugees would indicate
that Columbus is being evacuated, and con
tirmat0Ty Of This are the statements Of lat
McMph1s papers that Beanrcgard has ordere{
the evacuation and ordered = stand at Islant
No. 10. This island is located near Hickman
between Columbus and New Madrid, ant
about twenty miles south Of Columbus. Th'
rebel statement Of its strength and positio,
is simple gasconadc- It is not stron!
position With guns Of long range it migh
cause the gunboats some annoyance, bu
against the mortar boat5 It would be totali.
, Ineffective Another incident, taken by itsel
rerhape Of no consequence in connection wit!
the surroundings, lends weight to the tAeor,
of evacuation On Saturday night, about min
O'Clock, q Very bright light was visible on til
horizon for nearly an hour, casting stron,
reflection upon the clouds, Indicative Of
laJge confagTatiou. The light was in the di
rcclion Of Columbus, and seemingly about tn
same distcncc eft >Isis may have been th
resuit oftlls burning Of the barracks, aud pos
6ibIy OF the to~n. Il may lave been til
cleaning Of the watch fires Of our troops o
l the Missouri shore. The theory of cyacuatlo
is last gaining crcdcnce from movement
, ; Of our own forces Which I am not s
liberty to detail. To-day the gunboai
: Louisville and Cincinnati have bee
T. ! down os!cusibly On an armed recor
noiseancc, but the real objects and results llay
1 not transpircd, and probably, from the impel
e ctrablc secresy clouding these movements
will not transptre for the present. One mist
: as well attempt to see through six.foot sso1
c wall or reach the clouds with q walking can
n as attempt to find out what is going on
Cairo, or having found it out to inform al
= one Of it out Of Cairo.
4 Some good news has reached lis from HI
sGnri. Our forces which have been in pursu
e Of jeff. TLomp6on's swamp foxes, on Satu
l. day canle up with their rear, and smart Ski
. ! mish cusucd. in which the Iowa aud SONIC
The Missouri troops participated. The sErml
IS resulted in the complete rout Of the rebels, Il
9 capture Of forty prisoners and four stu.
.: pieces. Couriers were sent back to tic ma
t. hody and Capt Nolcman with seven hundr
H.; cavalry was soon iu hot pursuit, and at Ia
u, The fkiImish took place five miles south
ID Sikeston, d email place Just back 6f Charlt
- ton, on the road leading from New Madrid
ic "a Saturday, tho day following, aaotl
-, skirmish ensued- a detachment Of sixteen m
~ from Capts- Burrin and Noleman@s caya]
IN were ordered out from Charleston, upon
~ reconnaissance, and came upon forty Of t
- rebels under the command Of Lieut.. Swami
oS The rebels gradually rctrcatcd with the rcs1
h. Of leading our men into IN ambuscat
where they were exposed to calling f
killing one Of onr men, mortal]y wouudi
sc two and slightly wounding three. Our IN
LIZ posed, fve Of the rebels, rs they were seen
as carry off that number. Two Of our N
,,a were taken prisoners. 4 strong picket gus
NC has been thrown out, and there can be
Is, little doubt that Thompson's forces will
Of basged. Tue willy Thompson himself is
Ii, G. F. U
MS P. s.-Thc news has lust reached the c
,ry BY gunboats sent down, that Columbus
- / burned and cy1cuateG.