, 1862-05-24
From the Missi' sippi .Fioiilla.
MATTERS AND THINGS WITH
THE FLEET.
4 Little Geography and History.
TIE SITUATION AID PROSPECTS

lspeftal Correspondence the Chicago Tribune.7
@rss1rs1rr1 FLoInLA, NEAR FonT PILLOW.
SIEAMhR JoHN h. DIcKEY, May 10. 186o
The fleet still occupies the old position.
just north Of Craighead Point We arc still
annoyed by the Inhabitants on either shore
: who continue to carry news from us to tn.
snemy, In spite Of the attempts OF. our com.
mander to place an embargo upon these dis
patches tsAt 0sceola, and On either side Of
lte river south Of that and north Of Crafghead
Point, reside men, some Of them with their
'arniltes, who pretend to be Union, but who
are more than suspected Of being gnews-ca,1iers
between the hotilla and Fort Pillow. Sneak
ing about the transports in their trough.like
canoes, either engaged in the pretended ayoea-
tion Of selling chickens or vegetables. or
transporting proVender to the few lean kline
they Keep on.a Watery and barren farm, they
manage to keep well informed of the move
ments Of our vessels, and obtain accurate &C.
counts Of the preparations made for operations
t to be performed. By daylight the ensuing
morning, the whole budget Of news is in the
: hands of the rebel commander. Cralghead
Point-a name, with which, readers have
perhaps by this time become acauajnt-
ed-iust opposite Flower Island, WIS oace
the property Of one Thomas Craigheaa. On
the point are located some ten or twelve log
buildings, Including the residence OF the pro-
prietor, who was \ bachelor. and needed no
very ostentatious farm house. Upon the rich
soil of the small amount Of land he had man.
eged to reclaim from the waters and the uu-
deEgrowth and weeds, an annual crop of cot:
ton, wheat, and other produce was raised
/ sufficient to make Craighesd q man Of some
Importance in these parts. But in an er5,
hour he took to his plantation widow who
had handsome daughter. The result WAS his
own farm became too hot to hold him. and
abont q year ago, he departed suddenly, took
hls negroes with him, and the widow and her
daughter have not heard from him since. Soma
river men who were acquainted with Thomas
aver that he Joined the Confederate army and
still fights in its ranks. The place is perfect
ruin: The buildings are tumbling down for
Wsnl OF care; Ihe FENCES have been carried
of By the flood, and a mo1e forsaken and
ferlorn location one could not find even in
i Arkansas IN a weeks journey,
foft "flto", which is another name you
hsve read about in telegTaphIc dispatches and
correspondence, is situatsd on First Chicka-
say blon: This may prove to be no news
to the attentive geographer, but the property
upon which the fort is located. iucIudfnfr tfa
bluff, belongs to Mustang Linfment Bfagp.
formerly, If not at present, Q resident of ri.
Louis, and man Of some wealth. This NAV
be news. lam credlb1y informed by q reliable
t s1eamooa: pilot that the information is true,
The Union raMs, an account Of the arrival
Of which sent you by telegraph, via Cairo.
this morning, made 4 grand display on the
river in the afternoon Of the same day,
The exhibition seemed to have been given
1or the especial benefit Of the rebels, two
o. Whose steamers we're witnesses of the scene
from distance. 1t was the occasion Of the
daiiyery Of . numberof prisoners, who arrived
here this forenoon from StLuuIs to he er.
changed. The steamer l. NJ Kennett, bv Or
der of Commodore Davis, steamed down to
Flower Island this forenoon little after ten
O'Clock, carrying the prisoners under aag of
truce, and there patiently waited the appear
receive the men. LITER an 1iu honr r'aa1s ana 70
half spent in watching the rocks at
Fort Pillow and the adjacent waters.
in vain, the captain Of the Kepnett returned
shore until about five o'clock in the afternoon.
when smoke was seen above Craishead PoInt'
and directly two rebel steamers appeared in
view and came to stand. The kennett 3
second time made toward them, bearing her
living burden. This time they were received.
and . cue exchange entered into Then Il
was that the exhibition commenced -Hhether
by design or accident I an unable to deter
m1fe- Certain 1t is, however, that the sights
presented to the commanders and crews OF the
ing one In the first place, there we're the
e11 iron.clad gunboats three in the Ten
nessee channel and three in the Ar
IauEas cbannel-formfug, as it we're.
an ilon chain or an insurznountable black and
tuning foreground to i marine picture stretch
TlnF htYa ri ft3Sn 4.
moving eeven or eight tug boats, i've or six
| Dist class steamers, used as transports. and
Jour lams and their tenders, ali forming
| Water sketch which for animation and perfSc-
| ton in detail could not be surpassed even by
the pencil Of Cook or Danny, and which
would be really worthy the efforts Of both.
Fof more than an hour the movements Of this
| grand dio1ama were kept np the rebel steam-
efs remaining in position the while and their
occupants undoubtedly wondering spectators
aeet may have been caused By the exgenciea
of the case. but it appeared to be tram de-
e1gn. At least if the rebels came m AZ
usual on areconnoissance, they had the op-
pof1unlty Afforded them, and undoubtedly
strength in these waters somewhat enlarged.
Mhet6er 1t will have the effect Of evacuating
Fort Pillow Of its belli9erents, remains still
to be seen It is very certain that when the
hennett went down to the Point this morn
foItiacations or IN The ~ 3e ~ ataer on
Sauce Of tbeir tap of trnne l. c,naot ant ~,
Of us that We eyer mads rha eno1.~,t " sa.u S@a
| minutes On such an occasion, and several oc-
casioas OF the character hare occurred within
| the past few weeks =.
| A-report cama fntn, the f1o+i1,, +hfs. .eo.
| mon that the enemy had oo41,a1,r n S..antas
| Fort Pillow seven days since, and with men.
| guns and gunboats lay Off the town Of Ran.
| dolph, some twelve miles south of this place.
| 49, ~ 49, ;s sAsety E4Eut lug stofy, "a, such
~ htG ~ a1nssu at sno ZACH our commodore would
.t: oe t!s nfSs 1ae 70 9e maoe aware OF 1t, and
aeg ~ e!Hng MI " W 4oEance ana take possession
a. st nsi ~ ~ 4AaIteIs N tne name OF Uncle
A. ~ se aao +no fe9etM Nongfeest and would be
| e uist " o!4e1 reconnaissance. As he
| 4 Iae aot ooae tns, argue the utter falsity of
| aan lothpI.
| ~ W tre I&n5, lea3 stal1 find this q
| 2ugn sup5ect. 1aey aTe ae1 indiscriba-
1 " - aPpeataAces. ~ tney Prove In TACT
| Whey !aey appear TO be, they will be moat Sue
| Cess1a1 IN any encounter they may have with
ane enemy, Tor ELK more fearful specimens Of
| nas3! arch11eetnre were never seen On the
| muddy mississippi. The rebels will un-
doubtedly be frightened ont of their seYen
| senses when they first place their eyes unon
them, and 1t will only require one sIriu. sim-
ultaneous shrek from their whistles to cause
the largest Confederate fleet to strike aag anal
capitalate on any torms their antagonists NAV
be willing to propose. To speak in eoher
earnest, the rams ire exceedingly ill-lookinr,
Objects. They may prove very serTviceahia
however. Let the reader imanine a f1eet ~
six, Emal1-siz(d steamers, such as ar rnm.
I