St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1862-07-03

June 18th, 1852.
u DEAR BRoTuER.-The last letter
wrote you was from our camp near Corinth.
After the rebels skedaddled the whole ar
my advanced about twenty miles, but por-
tons, (cavslry) went many miles further,
but could not find any enemy. We were
then ordered to fall back to where We now
are, about nine miles from Corinth (south)
on account of better camp ground and wa
ter. Where we were, the only water We
had was BY digging wells about twelve, feet
deep,and the water then was ofpoor quality
You would be astonished to see this
country, now settled some fifty years. All
the way from Pittsburg Landing on the
Tennessee River, to here; our: way was
through heavy timber, with here
and there olearings Of from fifty to
one thousand acres houses. with, one
Or two exceptions, built like those: Of
our frontier, Of logs. I have seen very
few people. AT a small village we passed
through, called Danville, we saw about a
dozen women, and in all I, have not seen
over fifty men residents of the county,
Every farm is laid waste and nothing plant.
ed, with but rare exceptions. This, too,
islthrough country traversed by three
railroads. The grand junction of these
reads is near here-the Mobile and Ohio,
the Memphis, and another running towards
New Orleans, the name of which l. cannot
recall. The country is high and rolling,
and Of yellow clay nature. The roads
are awfully dusty. The dust is four inch
es deep, and so fine and povdcry that a
few teams fill the whole air with clouds of
dust. We are blessed in having no mus
quitoes, and this is the only redeemin g
quality Of this part of Mississippi.
Our Battery is in Gen. Pope's Division,
Col: Carliu's Brigade. The 18th and 5th
Minnesota are not far from us. We ex-
pect to remain in camp for some days.
All our grain and provisions comes from
the Tennessee River, about twenty-five
miles from here, and I believe the whole
army is to rest here until the stock now
at Pittsburg Landing is brought up, when,
now that Memphis is ours, we shall prob
ably get our provisions from the latter
place by rail. I believe this is the rea-
son why We did not move further South
at once. With such an immense army of
men and horses to feed it would have been
impossible to advance many miles with our
supply stores at Pittsburg Landing. To
give you an idea of how many teams it
takes to bring US provisions, I will state
that on day before yesterday passed eight
males of six-mule wagons all in row COM
ing out, and more were going in. When
one wagon meets with an accident, the
whole train must stop, the road not being
wide enough to pass each other. ~.
The weather is quite warm,
but as We are in the woods it does not af-
feet us much. Blackberries are ripe, In
great abundance all about us. There will
be great many apples, peaches and
plums. What few people We have seen
are very destitute, aud live almost entirely
upon milk and vegetables, and of the lat
ter these are but fcw. I really do not
know what the people down here will do.
Many of them have not seen coffee or -four
for months. Tobacco is $3.50 per lb.,
salt $50 per so lbs, flour $25 per barrel,
&c., &c.
Aff., ALEX.