, 1862-05-20
FROM FORT PILLOW.
From The Mississippi Flotilla,


TIE SITUATION BEFORE F0gT pILLoW.
From cur own Reportotl
UEos FIor1r1Ar OFT FoRr Pr11ow,)
May 18th, iS52,
The excitement consequent upon the brief
struggle OF Saturday morning last has now
nearly subsided, aud although there Is unusual
activity to be observed in the fleet, 1t does not
proceed Immediately from that cause, What
ever may prove to be Its origin, your cor
respondent cannot even approximate. So
well DO the managers Of the lotilla veil their
every motive and desire and many of their
movements in this respect The positions Of
the gunboats have been. s1ightly changed
within the pant few days, perhaps ow-
ing to the Withdrawal Of the ser
vices Of the Cincinnati and the
Mound City, the former now resting, as when
I last te1egraphed, beneath the bank Of the
Tennessee shore, in about twelve feet Of
water, and the latter on her winding way to
Cairo for repairs. The flag boat Benton floats
like large, ungain1y mud turtle, which she
greatly resembles in shape, just about in the
position taken after the engagement Of Satur-
day. The Louisville, lately stationed at Hjek-
man, Ky, has just arrived here, and with the
Pittsburgh, is acting as consort Of the Benton.
They rest lovingly aide by side-threc black,
bristling sWans-of the washtub Species
guarding the entrance to the 1otil1a. This
forms what is now denominatcd the first dlvl-
sion Of the fleet, under the immediate COM
mand Of Capt. Davis. The Second Division
is composed Of the st. Louis, Carondclet and
Cairo, and has been located for the time
being, on the Arkansas shore, mile from the
apex Of Crighead Point. Capt. Walker Of
the Carondelet has charge Of this division.
The fas; wooden steamer Conestoga has been
assigned 3 leading position Us 5kir1aisher in
the line of battle, when it shall be found she
has already done good service, and will un-
doubtcdly keep up her present excellent repu-
tation when again called to the fight.
Capt. stembe1, who was so seriously wound
ed in the action Of Saturday last, has been re-
moved to Cairo, where he Joined bis wife, and
ere this has undoubtedly gone home, to Gin
clnnai, with her. He is reported as in az
good condition as could be expected under the
circumstances, and his symptoms as favorable
as possible for them to be, considering the
character and location Of his injury. The
Captain has been in the United States Navy in
the ncishborhood Of thirty years, is about
fifty years Of age, and native of the State Of
Maryland. OF late he has called Columbus,
Ohio, his home, but more recently removed
to Cincinnati He was an officer Of the q. s.
steamship Mississippi for number Of Years,
md accompanied that vessel on the Japan ex-
| peditlon, and cruised considerably in East In
| dia. Previously, he was Comnaandant Of the
| Philadelphia Navy Yard He is regarded az
| an excellent and brave man, and it is to be re-
| GREETED that this fleet is at least for time to
| be deprived Of his valuable services. Every
one here is hopeful Of his speedy recovery,
We are enjoying most superb nights down
| in these God-torsaken woods. The days, espe.
cial1y the middle and latter portion Of them,
are excessively hot, dry and enervating, the
thermometer ranging at about 50 deg in the
shade, causing the shadow Of the cool side o1
our stsamcr to be eagerly sought after, and
tie desire for iced 1amonades and cooling
draughts Of the stronger sort is prevalent. Il
is only prcva1eut-neycr satisfied. But the
nfghts-the5 are really refreshing and invigor.
! ating in their GOODNESS and beautiful c]earness
of the atmosphere. But for those p1agucy
| pests, the gnats and mosquitoes, / would wish
always to enjoy such pleasant seasons. We
can bar these ont while sleeping, and hence
the hours Of repose are the most enjoyable wt
have. Sitting out upon the guards Of the
beat, Of 81 evening, the round, fair moor
Shedding its glad reflection in q broad eheeE
upon the turbid bosom Of the river, and il
front The green forests Of Arkansas, illnmin
ated here and there by glimmering light from
some plantation house, and occasionally
white steamer nesting beneath the shore
from which float strains Of martini music
in the rear, the deep morasses ant
1agoons Of Western Tennessee, inhabit
ed by numerous swcet-yoiccd songsters of thu
wood. South Of us the 1otilla, with thu
smoke Of IN enemy's S gunboat 1oating grace
fully over the point beyond; at the north tht
unb1oken, silent but swilt-1owing stream
you Cannot imagine scene the contemplation
Of which suggests more peaceful aud harmo
nious images to the oyer-heated brain of th
observer. The uninitiated 1ooker-on woult
| uot 1pA u 14oAAEAt 6AptusE Iu1t HlLnlQ Till
range lay tho implements OF grim visagei
VAR" the chips and the supporters Of the in
ferests Of q great nation, and just beyond
these the men and the breastworks Of . de
luded and desperate foe. Thus WAS the Ioca
lion and the surroundings on Monday night
at haHpest seven. The gunboats' bells la,
not yet ceased to echo the stroke, when
booming, 1eaplng, laundering oyer the poia
and through the quiet atmosphere came tn
1ond and deep-toncd voice Of mortar. Pres
entity there followed the wind aud lightning
Ike glare, viSidly reflected upon the surfac
} of the river, and the Lesser report, caused b.
the explosion Of tue shell. The decks o
our Steamer were Immediately GRO xdcd Will
. interested spectators, anxious to observe th
eject Of the missile and witness the advent q
, another, should it chance to come. An inter
val Of twenty minutes passed, when there VIA
. repetition Of the report and the explosion
1t Was at first supposed that the shells Her
directed at the tlotlila: They fell faE short .
. it, and almost all Of them at the edge Of tn
timber on our side Of Craghead Point. The
we're continued throughout the night at irree
ular intervals, occasionally accompanied b
the firing Of cannon, all pointed at the sam
location, until daylight on Tuesday morning
| *AcH. ciIAt1 ltntA 1At tAistiiS5 ol Liz E0oTLal
I or from the fact that they received no IT
eponsc from our mortar boat-which had bee
withdrawn from its position early the preced
: ing day-they ceased entirely and haVe No
} siuce been resumed. 1t is presumed that til
rebels, seeing lights fitting to and fro On tn
point, lad conceived the remarkably b.i
} liant idea that the National forces wer
, busy preparing an Agreeable surprise for ther
In the shape OF fortitcations located in disa
g1ctable proximity to those graclug the blu
, 1t Fort Pillow. Their conception was prem:
tu1e, so far us is generally known on the Heel
II any works d,e IN course Of construction d
Craishead. those interested keep wonderful
, dark on the subject, even III broad daylight
: SO da1k. i'll fact, that no newspaper man ha
L Jet discovered them, and what they do ~
/, oiscoser is hardly worth discovery; in cor
1rnias1on OF which reference is had to til
d Cairo correspondence of the Chicago Tsoae
l. in which the agony is so hugely piled or In
:, pretended truthful description Of the late e,
Il gagc1ncnt at this place. The Tto.es gentlema
e has remarkable scope Of vision. Stopp1u
! at the St. Charles is more agreeable than &
- Fort PILLOW, and it is very easy to see the Ii
r ter from the former and then telegraph wh
"a one sees. Very easy II one has no regard t,
- truth and possesses an imagination snscept
i bic of getting together the bloody and horl
n ble details Of most mild-mannered coute
without substIatum Of fact to build upon.
Is To return to my subject" as am led
originally quote from w. A. Christy. The fc
# tiacations were not injured by the she11ing
~ Monday night, for the very good and substa
r tial reason that there were no fortiacatio
n to bonlbard, excepting in the minds eye
the rebels. Seeing that no harm WAS bel,
re done by the expenditure Of powder, patfen
th | and iron on the part Of ouruis eis at the Fo