New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-06-11
r.,,i,ued from First faec.

ua C;,v Can't. A. ii. klty, W M i Lo
Fort; the P.eurss C sans;r.. the Cincinnal was
Desn Ne. rssdv. and the Conestoga wac a. ~
nos ~ wsrs deprived of their serviceS II Te snou'u
need them. ,nd.- the command of Col.
rlet. who is entirely indepenoeps OIL ti,1 ,r ana
~ wtbout authority consultation Win any ohe'
pa nraceded the gunboats. and planted the stars
- Str;res at the Fort, much to the chaSriln n'a
;DJicuation, understand, OF the Comuiouo'o. o'
Eitrh had also moved the two Inoiahs iesine.s'
the 49d and 10Th down TO Pillow, and was occaly
ing the Fort wheh lhe guHD''
No one was in or about Pillow when 1t was iirF
.,n-oached Every soldier had gone away the
night previous, and the Rebel gnhooa's " "'''"
had also departed under cover OF the night
me Boheuisns were early on the ground, sno
han rambling up and down tie biuti, through
.yines and over hills, examining the batteries !"e
deserted camps, and the rulned BARRACKS, ske'G1
the situation, entering magazines, ana doihe si INC
necessary but dsagreeable duties that appeHain 10
their ayocatlon.
r,ic POSITION ANB STRENGTH OF PILLOW.
The aitaa,ion Of the Mississippi ct Pillow rs has
been often stated, ia most favorable fer delense.
The river at Craighead Point mases very suuu.H
bend, running nearly north and son'h' a'u - ,he
ihg go remarkably, that al the o%er eHu .ra ~
works II is not more than nan LILY of mile;
ther first batteries is about three-quar'es1 i n,no
bringing pil boats within easy range Oh lueli Huis
end rendering their escape almost al infossiOi'y,
polo,,- tho noint there are two large sahd-nais
which render navigation quite dincniI. lne roc.,
nv which mean the series of fortihcatIons, is on
tSs First Chickasaw Bluff is composed OF nine M
ferent works, extending about han nie. ne
Blnf is some eighty feet high, very precipoIs ana
rugged reminding one GOOD deal o. the iiNer onhS
ns.T Columbus, ny, furnishing an excellent ioea-
ton for defense. ,. ,..
The country about the Fort is exceedingly uneven
and rough. and presents the most formidable oosta-
cles 70 pedestrians everywhere. There are oecp
r,,vines steep ascen,s, wild gorges, sudden ana
urexuected decllyities on every hand; While IN the
rear of the Fort there is unbroken line OF heavy ana
carefnlIy-built breastworks, sOme seven miles IN
length, TO reals. any snd all attacks by land.
These hIeastwoTks are far superior, considering
their length, l have seen during the war. tsu'ny
thew are merely thrown-up entertainments OF EARN,
but these are regularly and scientifically made with
broad paapes, heavy escarpments, ana counter,
.carps neatly lined with timber and firmly secured
by dee driven posts &c. The labor OF construct
ing the deienses must have been immense, aho can
well believe az l was told by persons hvlpg III the
vicinity that the work was begun year ago las,
kprii, and that sometime four or FIVE Thousand
negroes have been employed upon the Pillow AT one
time.
The anproarhes to the rear of the fort naeces-
sble to cavalry or artillery, for in addition TO the
extreme rueeedness Of the vicinity large trees have
been cut down everywhere for abattis, making IL a
most ungtsteful task to reach the breastworks at
almost any point. We Bohemians, before we had
been doing the place for half an hour, were as
crimson I'm The face and as faded III limb as II we
had been toiling Tor twenty four hours IN an equA-
torial sun. Two or three Of our messmates, who
chanced TO be feshy and incapable OF any great en-
durauce, were speedily exhausted, ana cohid nar0iy
get back to the rotiila. .
To attempt TO take the Rebel breastworks would
be The most fororn Of foforn hopes and their pos
session by an enemy would require the lnyinci6le
srIlt and desperate courage of the original Z0uavet
or Turcos or Napoleons Old Guard
THE REBEL BATTERIES.
The works exrected NJ the base OF the Bluff, auc
on the bank al some distance from the river very
well and carefully built for about fifty guns though
it is not probable that than sorty were mountef
AAs some Of these have been removed, Others burst
and all dismounted it is impossible to determine
what was the armament OF Pillow but VIII en-
fcations along the river.
The first work is heavy fertilization Of earth an(
sand sand bags, which has contained verv large
gun, probably s l2S-pounder, but which has burst
cansng the earth TO fall in and around it, and render
ing the caber OF the piece the merest conjecture.
The second work is fertilization OF The same
kind with embrasures for six guns, ak 32-pound
Iifed pieces judge from the one d snoanted, ana
the fragments of two others that had been exploded
The other two are lot visible, and 1t Is supposed
that they have been carried OF by the foe.
The third work mas embrasures Tor seven guns.
The grncarriages are burned, and bat one guI-a
sixty-two smoothboYe-remains; the other Fix, II
is supposed, having been burned. These pieces
it is said, thirty-two ana 6ilounders-.wo OF then
rifed.
The fourth work contains five 62-pouni smooth
bores. Two Of them have disappeared; one Is dis
mounted, and the fourth was burst.
The fifth is q water-battery, that bears the sem
blance of never having been mounted though their
are places Tor five or Elk guns.
Ia the sixth work there must have been four ~
Founders, two of them riRed, while two are gone
making, according TO the embrasures, the number o
Elk guns, which the work must have contained: =,
The seventh work is a large fort, that was bull
for seven guns but not one OF the guns has bee
left. They were probably 32-pounders, judgin
from the gun-carriages.
At the upper end of this last work is a lO-incl
Dahlgren gun, for throwing shells, which Is DIS
mounted and lying inglonousiy on the "mvaded
coil Of Tennessee.
Near the first battery is an S-inch rifed Columbi
I'D, exploded and 10.inch Columbiad smooth bore
which has been dismounted and is spiked.
All the guns that have been left behind are spiked
but no doubt they Can be restored TO usefulness
The guns are mostly from the Iredtgar works, al
Richmond Va; some few bearing the mark o.
Memphis manufacturers.
On the summit of the bluff commanding q view Of
the river for several miles and overlooking Craig
head Point, are stationed two lO-inch mortars made
with chambers after the old fashion. They are 30
placed that if shells fell short, they would drop
down the bluff and be therefore entirely harmless.
Our bombs must have burst IN this vicinity often,
for we saw great many fragments on the ground.
At the lower end OF the lowest battery, We saw a
I3inch mortar, whose explosion l mentioned in a
previous letter, split in twain like stick Of sea
soned wood from well-drected blow OF an az.
The guns that have fallen into Possession are
Of little value. and number little more than twelve
in all. Tie pieces are two 12S-pounders, two 10
inch mortsrs TWO lrihedt 32-pounders, and five
tsmooth bore 32s, with two or three old guns Of lit
tie If any use.
A quantity of round shot, shell, and ammunition
is 1ef behind, which the enemy could not did Lot
hay tirne tn nf