Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-10-17
BY JOHN MAHIN.
Letters from Dixie.
NUMBER ONR.

COLUMBUS, Ky, October 6, 1862.
Arriving at this place y. stcrday morning b
steamboat from St Louis, we went immed
stely to procure transportation to Corinth
Mississippi. We soon learned, however, tha
communication was entirely cut off, a rebe
raid having occurred on the line of tn,
road and telegraph some thirty miles this sid,
of Cernth particulars of which in all proba
bility have reached you by Telegraph b fore
this
The further prosecution of our journey
being for the time impracticable, nothing re.
manned for us but to hunt lodgings and make
the most of sojourn of several days in this
place. We were fortunate in finding tenn
perary home in the family of a very intelli-
gent cergyman-an old resident and sound
union man-who enter, aimed us by relating
many incidents that came under his observa-
ton while this place was being fortified by
Gen. Pillow, during its occupat on by Gen.
Bishop Polk's army and also by the Federal
army, as we'll as particulars concerning the
battle of Belmont, of which he was an eye
witness, many of which would doubtless be
iuteyes,ng to most of the readers of the Jour-
nal, had time and space in which to repeat
them.
lie says that in this town the proportion
of secessionist to that of unionists is as two
to one among those that remain of the former
inhabitants of the place. Two principal caus-
es, he informed us, rad operated to the detri-
ment Of unonism in this section of country;
First, the indiscriminate plundering by the
Federal soldiers of unionists as we'll as scces-
sionists; and secon, ,ly, the fact, bv them we'll
known, that men who did all in their power
in the first place to innoculats the masses
with the spirit of rebellion, and afterwards to
persecute resident unionis,s and butcher
union soldiers, are now holding high official
positions under government. And he pro
ceeded to tell who they are and where they
can be found
was quite surprised to find that, although
protesting to be conservative democrat, he
is strongly in favor of clpation-con-
tending, like those who are branded by the
democratic press of the North with the some
time odious name Of Abolitionist, that slavery
is not only the cause of this war, but the
fruitful source Of mos, of the evils which the
people of the South has suffered and that
this war, in the providence of God, is the
open door through which all loyal and good
men everywhere are imperatively called upon
to cast out the hideous monster forever.
We spent the most of yesterday in examin-
ing the Notifications and relics of the rebel oc
cupation of the place. The former certainly
look as though they might have been impreg-
nsble, ESPECIALLY when we remember that they
were occupied by troops numbering at vari-
Gus times from ten to eighty thousand. l will
not attempt description of them, for we
have all read far one than I could ever
hope to give in Bull Run Russell's letters to
the London Times.
Among the latter we noticed first Gen. Pill
lows famous ch: in earle, which was greatly
relied upon as a secret obstruction to the Fed
-eral gun-boats, should they attempt to run the
blockade, as from the position It occupied
some half mile or so of it remaining to mark
the place-it would have clogged and stopped
them directly under their heaviest guns
The links are made of two inch round iron,
very short and a strong brace across the
middle Of each link
Starting at the foot of the Levee, near the
R. R. depot, we first noticed vast pile OF
shot and shell. comprising nearly everything
that has been invented in that line-shrap
nell, grape, canister and solid shot both sphcr
ical and conical Of neary all sizes, besides
tons of bombshe'ls. We next noticed about
twenty Of those Internal torpcdo,s which you
will remember were planted under and about
the Notifications. They would hold, l sup
nose. about two bushels of combustible ma
terial and would doubtless have realized the
most sanguinary expectations of their diabol
ical inventors, had they not been fortunately
discovered. Then there vera six large an
chors, weighing as we discovered by the marx
thev bore. from six to seven thousand pounds.
We also saw upwards of thirty cannon rang
ing from thirty two to one hundred and twen-
ty Founders, all of which together with
more of the same species Of property was
left here when the rebels evacuated the place.
At that time, we are informed, they burned
some eight thousand bushels Of corn and
about thirty of the best houses in the town
which, one would suppose. was more than hal
the entire village. Our host informs US thai
it taxed his powers of watchfnlness and in
tercession to save his church and parsonag'
from the torch of the ruthless barbarians
who came into Kentucky under the gu'se
friends and for the ostensible purpose o
protecting the Kentuckians in their r'ghts-
much as Lee protected the citizens Of Freder
ick and Washington counties, Maryland.-
We shall visit the Belmont battle groun'
this afternoon. C.E.
SHARP-SHooTERs.-The War Department
has authorized Henry Marksall, Esq, of Du
buque, to raise one or more companies Q
Cborv Chootars tn he known nc the Hawk