Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-04-04
Our Army Correspondence - Trip
from Nashville 20 Cairo.

,
landings, by getting on board Of large Sc. Louis
boat, and going straight along. Your correspond
eut. however wished 20 all of the country that
was to be seen. and took passage on the John
Bell, a small trader, for that purpose just as
the last ST. Louis boat pushed OF from the land
ing. Uncle Samuel served the bell Tor the pur-
pose Of Transporting railroad cars from Clarks-
vile 70 Nashville, and party OF i've or six OF
us who had stored our dunage in her quiet little
cabin. were forced 70 seek other quarters. We
selected the Masonic Gem. another little boat of
the same class with the Bell. but bound TO Louis
vile. supposing. without any delay. We could get
a boat at Smithland bound down. In this we
we're disappointed. The Gem was three days and
three nights out on the Cumberland, stopping at
every landing and remaining as long as any one
on board desired to stop. Good fare. good com
pany, fine spring weather and the novelty of new
and ever changing scenery, made the trip down
the Cumberland a very pleasant one. We had
ample time to examine the Notifications and
towns along the banks. to talk freely with the
people, and to compare notes of our observations
of men and things. The conclusion come 10 on
the loyalty of the people was, that they more
10 be trusted than their astocratc rulers at Nash
vile. The burning of the large iron works of
John Bell is generally condemned piece of
vandalism unworthy of our Government. The
works should have been seized and held, but not
ActllOltu ~ II property anu Qiltl-
jured save the destruction of the mill The tall
stacks rising above small square Of blackened
ruins make the only stain that the restoration or
conquest of this portion of Tennessee has left
upon our National ensign This, too, is "A mat
ter Of opinion but loyal Kentuckians from Bur
nett's district, who rsked and lost their all for
their love for the old Union, condemn the act,
and such men will DO 10 tie 10.
Forts ponelson and Zollicofer, GAINESVILLE, &c,
by our party with care, but of these will have
occasion to speak again.
Our little boat arrived at Smithland on Sunday
evening and left Us in a miserable hotel in that
Goo forsaken little town. Smthland is pulling
back with the tenaciiy of a stubborn mule Ii
was a better town thirty years ago than il is now
If not secesh il has every appearance of dying by
inches of that disease The supply boats up the
Cumberland are mostly from Cincinnati and
Louisville, those up the Tennessee from st.
Louis, and seeing'but little prospect of getting
boat for Cairo. party resolved TO charter
a skif and launch out on the broad waters of the
lower Ohio in the hope of reaching Paducah in
safety. There eight of Us, two dogs, four
good sized trunks and six carpet sacks, sinking
our frail bark until the slightest ripple tapped into
it, To make our situation more comfortable the
boatmen told Us that we would in all probability
be fired into from the dense thickets on shore by
termined Union men; not. they added to allay
our fears, that the people would wish to injure us
but they, the b0atmen. would be the target The
old feuds again. But one of our party. Captain
in. the LIST Illinois cavalry, armed, and he
with Colts navy in each hand was placed on
the stern seat with your correspondent to watch
the first symptoms of an attack. Away went,
and were soon in the middle Of the river winch
from Smithand TO Cairo is two miles wide in
=.
steamers left long swell upon the waters and
kept our overloaded craft dipping constantly. Two
men were appointed to bail with their caps and
one with tin cup and by this means We kept the
water from drowning the smallest dog, the owner
of which dreadlully uneasy for fear his fam
lily pet would mbbe too much of the muddy wa
ter Of the Ohio. In this way we proceeded about
five miles, when hugging the Illinois shore close,
a large steamer was observed rounding a bend di-
rectly on our track. The oarsmen were notified
but they had been fishing black bottle from the
bottom of the boat very often, and were in a fit
condition to butt a locomotive off the track, or
do any other fool hardy thing. Don't you see
the boat cOmingr' we all exclaimed, some with
curses, but the oarsmen pulled steadily forward,
one of them, an Irishman quietly answering,
I'VE won't hurt her, darling" | must confess
would rather have charged rebel battery up a
perpendicular rock than 10 have butted that boat.
his seat without capszing our vessel The liz
seemed 10 be up with US. when the Illinois captain
tore one or the foot boards from the bottom of
the skif, and turned her head TO the shore The
huge steamer passed very close to US, tearing the
water open on her track, but by the time the big
waves reached US our little boat was grounded on
the overfowed bank, and the angry waters broke
over us without any more serious damage than
thoroughly soaking men and baggage-dogs and
all.
Without any other adventure, crossing over,
however the overfowed lands above the head of
Tennessee island into the Tennessee river, ar
rived about noon at Paducah 1t is a pretty
town, with good hotels, and stirring with life. 1t
Is the depot for supplies To forces up the Ten
nessee, and TO Judge by the number oil camps in
the vicinity. there a large force still there.
The "trip from Paducah to Cairo is made in -four
or FIVE hours and "A boat can De got at almost any
hour of the day. The river at the present stage
OF water is like bay or inland sea-the shore,
mainly low and overfiOwed and thiekly wooded
the maple the water elm and the cotton wood
being already in bloom. Mound City is
level with the water, and with its palatial hote
and large hospital presents fine appearance from
the river Cairo, the Eternal City OF the Swamps
unlike the seven hilIed Rome, rests securely be
low the waters that swell their foods around it
Ii has been often described-so often that il would
buildings along the levee, however. are of a bet
ter class than | expected to find. Large foui
story bricks are numerous and the throng on tho
street running up the Ohio is equal to that OF
Broadway, New York, and composed of as many
nationalities-sOldiers, sailors. Jews and Gentles
elbowng each other in the race OF life.
rHoxE.
The merry party with which left Nashvill,
was % scatter a. Cairo, and with a feeling that
was once more among strangers, took my carpe
sack in hand at the wharf boat to go direct 10 TIT
ST. CiarleS-the famous hotel of Cairo, and
good one il is. by the way IL was night and n
passed rapidly through the crowd fancied
heard my name repeated n dozen times. Ii was
not fancy either. for | had scarcely registere,
when was surrounded by group of real genu
inc HoOsierS all anxious 20 hear from home anC
To make me feel at ease Capt Bradshaw of on
city Is IN charge OF the transportation department
az this point and to him and his assistants, Jane
Morrison and Il. + Reed | am indebted 70
many tavOrs. ! am resting and to. morrow vii
proceed to New Madrid in company with Samue
Burgess and Spicer Jones of our city. and if | e.
cape JEFF. Thompson's scouts will visit Column
bus and the gunboat feet on my return. "a