The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-03-29

standing there, SO firm and immoveahle
he might have felt wholesome dread 0
meeting on the battlefield men who TO
an entire day had so patiently endured
the storm Of their iron hail, and at nigh
could as coolly face the conflict of heaven
artillery.
We little thought then that while ou
men were thus patiently enduring the
storm, to guard themselves from sur
prise. our frightened foes were hurryins
on board their vessels. to fee away anc
leave the labor of months and thousand:
ofdollars of property behind them. The
discovery came later.
THE DISCOVERY.
About daylight most of the troops who
had been under arms during the night
were relieved and marched back into
! camp for breakfast We were fairly in
the midst Of the enjoyment of that meal
j the men were groIped about their camp
fires, eating, drinking, laughing and Joking
after the fatigues of the night, when we
were startled by series of uproarious
cheers in the direction of the fort. We
| listened The cheers were repeated
/ What could it mean? Presently rumoI
/ began to circulate that the enemy had
evacuated their works during the night
leaving behind them. Could it be posi-
/ bic? Yes, for the next moment there
+ comes messenger confirming the fact,
I In very few minutes your correspondent
/ Is mounted, thanks TO the kindness of
/ Major Noyes, of the Thirty ninth, and in
company with the Majoa and some other
! friends, is on his way to view the works
{ of our late adversaries.
TIE EoRrs.
Z. 81. /. l. Il
the fort, as if there was but one, for, until
7 alter the evacuation, /, in common with
most others, had supposed that 10 be the
case. There are, however, two, or perhaps,
more properly speaking. the upper one
might be called an intrenched camp, pro
tec;ed by ditch and breastwork, and
mounting four heavy guns. This Is stu
ated just at the edge OF the village at its
upper side, aud on the bank of the river
1t incloses perhaps two acres Of ground,
and Is nearly filed with tents, which had
evidently been abandoned in the greatest
haste. Ihe place more resembles n den
OF thieves than an encampHen; OF 4 civil
lied army. It l. strewn with the wrecks
of all sorts of household and domestic
property, evidently the plumber of the
stores and houses in the vilage. Carpets,
parlor and cooking stoves, mirrors. tables
chairs crock4ry and glassware, were min
ged in prorEscu0us confu- :on with old
mu.kets, bro ken shot guns, dIlap.dated
wearing apparel. hats and caps. rusty
knives aud swords worn out harness,
leakv canteens, and odds and ends of
every description The vlllarge have evi-
IDENTITY bcen totally abandoned by its
original inhabitants. and completely gut
ted Jy the rebel so!diery. who, when they
f.. -
thing in confusion in endeavorinc 70 select
the most portable Things TO carry with
them They had also thrown large
quantity OF articles Of e-ery kind into the
river, including a number of wagons and
several pieces OF cannon. They had raised
such mound OF these things that the
! top of it projected above the water, and
no doubt most Of the more valuable arti-
cles. including the cannon, viii be recoy-
cred when the river falls
/ The lower fort i a much more com, lete
work than the upper one. Ii Is square
earthwork, with thanking bastions on each
corner, ana l. capable Of holding 4 thou
sand men. 1t mounted twelve guns, a,
follows:
/ Five 2+pound siege guns, four 32-pound
coiumb!ai-, one lS-pouud field piece, one
F long lS pound siege gun, one brass rihed
6-E.ound field piece.
+ In addition to these there was. at least,
one field battery which the rebels took
away with them. These guns were all
spiked by the rebels before they left, but
50 imperiectly that in less than three
hours after our troops entered the lower
fort the mechanics of Col B~se!l regi-
ment had extracted the spi6es from hear!y
all, cleaned them and loaded them for
action The places of two or three, which
could not Immediately be made fit for
service, were supplied by our own guns,
and in twelve hours from the time the
rebels Quilted the fort--having rendered
it, as they supposed, useless for time at
@east-it was again in perfect order, anu
garrisoned by u detachment OF Federal
troops 1t is supposed that the most OF
the rebel steamers passed up the river to
Island No. Ten with their loads on. and
Gen. Pope proposes to give them warm
reception should they attempt TO pass
down the river
/ The fort. like all their river Notifications,
is situated at a bend in the river, and
commands the channel for several miles
in either direction.
/ Below the lower fort, on the river bank,
/ is a camp capable of accommodating seve-
! raj thousand men. 1t is well built, with
with cabins and tents Of good quality, and
! very comfortably furnished, but presents
no remarkable features Like the other,
/ it was vacated in great haste, as everything
| in the tents is left standing just as the
owners last used it Near the camp Is a
wagon ward and a corral containing proba-
/ bly, two hundred mules and horses. Very
/ few wagons, however, Were found. These
had either been removed some time pre-
viously, or were thrown into the river by
the rebels when they left.
had intended to give you some idea oi
the present appearance OF the town Itseii
as left by the secession soldiery, and also
| some incidents Of the siege and lombard
ment, but my letter has already reached
an unconscionable length, and my time is
exhausted so / must reserve them for Z
future letter. l append the list of killed
and wounded, so far as l have been able
to obtain them. The list is correct as fan
as it goes and believe it is about full
hiHe2-Cart Carr, Tenth Illinois; pri
Yates Lewis Nine, Co. B, Thirty-nintt
Ohio; Peter Ward, Co F, twenty seventh
Ohio; VIM. Peacock, Co. A, First U. S
Infantry Sohn johnson, do; VIM. Nc
Gam, do Timothy Neligan, do.
Hounaed-Corporal Chas Laney. Co A
First U. S Infantry; privates Michae
Clark, do; VIM Jahr, do; VIM Val
Horn, Co G, Thirty-ninth Ohio; JOSEPH
; Adams, Co II, Twenty seventh Ohio; Johl
Clark, do; Joseph Estall, do; w. J. Breed
Co |. Forty third Ohio: Isaac A. Davis
Co. E, do; John Friend, do; jaime
) Pierce, do.
"You find your moostarchers grea
deal OF comfort, don't You. Tom 7? A"
, we'll, yes ); but I'm almost afraid mus