, 1862-05-19
8 : ~ (]l5.)e ee l44 l4l d 1

Especial Correspondence Of the Chicago Trfbune.1
CAHP SHILOH, May II, 1862.
The weather to-day Is oppressiyelY hot, and
the soldiers are seeking the shade wherever it
can be obtained. Some Of the camps are sit
uated In pleasant places, upon elevated spots,
with treea sufficiently numerous to make an
agreeable shade. Others ere, however, pitched
in the midst Of thick groves, where there is
shade enough, Of course, but little or no sir
stirring. Where the camps are pitched in
the open fields, the soldiers generally cut |
down branches Of trees and set them up In |
front Of the tents, making very grateful |
shade, and under which siesta. or even |
good nights rest can be enjoyed, now that the |
cool nights have given place to those Of amore
delicious temperature. With clear sky, q
full moon and an atmosphere as balny IS that
Of Italy, one would suppose that sickness
would be on the decrease in the various camps.
But this Is not the case. In Gen. Wal1ace's
division, there are, at the present writing,
eight hundred cases Of sickness, principally
diarThea aud typhoid fever. AS there are
but eleven fragments Of regiments in his di-
vision, averaging certainly not over five hun
dred men each, it will giTe You SOME idea Of
the large amount Of sickness and mortality in
the various camps.
Irode ont to the front yesterday, extending
my tour to within sight OF the rebel pickets. I
passed out to the centre, leaving Gen. Nelson's
division, in Buells army, to the left, and going
outside Of our entertainments, rode down in
| front Of them distance Of nearly three miles,
| to the extreme right. In doing so, passed
| On my right hand the divisions Of Gen. 7. ".
Sherman, Gen. Davies, Gen. Hurlbut and
+! Gen. ". 7. Sherman. The entrenehmeuts are
formidable field works. ditch in front and q
b1eastwork Of logs and earth They run up
| some distance in front Of d clear space, the
rebel or west side Of which Is fringed By
| woods, in which their p.ckets are stationed,
| the distance being about q mile and half
across. It is splendid situation for pitched
battle, and the only one Of any extent
have yet seen in this region Of country. a
| short time before my arrival at the front our
pieket6 had been driven in by reconnois-
eance In force Of the enemy, and all the diyis-
ions named above were under arms immedl-
ately awaiting the appearance Of the rebel at
tacking column. The infantry had their arms
stacked in front of their lines, the cavalry
we're placed in the best positions and the ar
tl1lery upon the most commanding elevations,
giving the guns the sweep Of large extent
Of country in every direction. Among
the batteries in position were Barrett's Qate
Tay1or's Ch:cago) Waterhouse's, slfverspar1e'f
alortin's, ua,) Bouton's, chicago) and Tentt
Ohio, {Taylor's) and another of the above bat
teries we're supported by Col. David Stuart's
Brigade. found the Colonel mounted AMI
il front Of his lines, his camp equipage al
} packed and everything prepared for action
The boys we're sure fight WAS bound to com
) | off, and every man was On the qui vIpe for it
, It being late in the evening, however
I had no idea there would be q genera
, , action, and SO gave them my opinion tina
i they would sletp in their tents that night
J It was no doubt truly . arcconnoiEslnce.in fore
; Of the enemy's left wing, similar to that whie]
! drove in portion Of Pope's division On Fri
l day, and in which latter ne 70 doubt suffere
T come loss. Besides the death Of Major AZ
: { llugtop, learn that q Lieutenant Colonel {
). Wisconsin regiment lost his leg and subst
r quently his life. His body was taken dow
!, to the Landing yesterday, but have not Il
q been able to obtain his name. His regimen
is also reported to have been much cut up b
y a masked battery which suddenly openo
pptn< it.
T. The report in the camps is that Beaurega1
+ has been largely reinforced by the arrival
# Pillows forces from Island No 10, and Of Ge1
Q Lovell's from New Orleans. It Is also state
II That Van Dorm and Price are both at Corintl
t. in fact that tile entire West and Southwest a
l. Hocking to the army OF Beauregard. This r
N rost may be true or false; there is no telln:
i but am myself Of the opinion that we .
Ct ourselves awaiting reinforcements from Il
: Mississippi, and possibly the East, and a
3 not yet ready to s'take the BIT
!, by the horns" The opinion Of some
p our Generals is that Beauregard
,e resolved to make an attack in force at an ear
~ ~ cay, such an attack, only iu much great
~. ~ strength, as he made on the 9Th and 7th
-. Though our liues since then arc much mo
~ ~ EXTENDED, they are much stronger. ALL t.
~ more assailable positions are fortified, and
~ ~ eesnls to lit that Beaurt gard dare NOT risk
Htlth%h Nu t14a PCaik1oA eo aANuuIAV15
II II and offended by troops whose courage Il
- been Eo well tried upon more than one bloo
- and victorious field Another theory is til
~ the rehcl General is throwing out these reco
~ noissances in force as blind, to prevent Q
~, 1iocps from. too suddenly advancing upon l
n position, and thus disalrangiug the order
~ ~ evacuation Of the place, and the retirement
ha Lis army upon Grand Junction. I still no
~ ~ ever cling to the opinion that Beaurega
80 means to fight at Corinth, and that these
"a counoi5anccs are nothing more than the usr
81 ! meyrs which IN asrute commander uses in
az az der to obtain knowledge Of tue position
Int Lis cueEly and Of his operations.
~ ~ The advance Of Gen. Pope on Friday
nn placlpg his siege pieces in position. The e1
- my had proba.ly some inklipg Of this, aud
a, Il strong reconnaissance compelled that vi
~ q; the army-the iett-to fall back to its @
,v ginal position.
hls THUS do matters stand at present. We.
~ not ct ready for an effective attack, or ratl
~ a-sault, upon The enemy; and he acts
ma @ if he was iu stronger torce and intended {
.sif King an offensive defensive movement in or
i, a. a. 10 e1nbarass our further advance, or give
~ m opportunity for an orderly retreat. T.
- Ne not ready is evident from the flct i
,te | we do not Jet tDake regular, persistent
nv tack, but are, as it were, merely feeling
.aa w*y up to the position from which the gr:
,ta 'ta assault is yet to be made. Our siege guns
~ w the right hure baen suddenly stopped in tt
~ advance, and are } ct at Monterey, aud the
III ,en that nearly the whole exteat Of our line
49,, ~ t'tirg fortified shows that a pause has b
~ come to even in our usually slow onw
u ~" movement.
~ ~ There arc DC reports to-day OF the eyac
~ ton Of Corinth. They were rife during
;., e"o sctk, and many correspondents wrote to Il
nis respective journals that the place had actu
tt,, t'esn deserted Tor some days, and that Qua
'A0 EuEs had been found there.
NIT I saw some cavalry yidcttes to-day, '
,1.r stu,td that they had been in sight OF the fo
~ "a ,ea,lons Of Coriuth; that they are Of 6.
,;sr r'reI grh,and extend eotae four five mile.
49, t,oiit If tile place. have also heard it Sta
~, | that they are tlauked on each wing by a
t;,e rass or Ewump. attach but little cfedeE
however, t. the statements OF soldiers ger
vh. silly. must say il, and say it With no il,
iis. lltn OF dispara a@' uleut, that, officers and
,ley art ore .d1ully addicted to "dra~iu
,s- long bow,n as the old saying has it, IF
listening TO some OF H1e stories you hear
v lated with The appearance Of the greatest
'' dur and trutbfuiuess, you cannot but com,
Inn. tie conclusion that Munchausen must b
reQucathcd bis gift to much wider cirel
i, his desc. ndants Than is gcperally suppose.
I Imagined. II is said that The stories Of
evacuation Of Corinth last week were SO