, 1862-03-22
COM. FOOTE'S EXPEDITION.
TIE SIEGE OF ISLAND no. TEN.
EFFECTS OF THE BoMBARDMENT.
The Position Hard to Take, but Grad
ually Yielding.

The Position Hard to Take, but Grad
ually Yielding. |
sIXTH DAY.
Especial Correspondence Of the Chicago Trlb1ac.] |
ONA CoR.i CHIB NEAR ISLAND No. TO-
Mississippi River March 1o, 1862.
Iwrite to you from the top Of corn crib |
filed with pletloric ears which would aston |
ieh even Chicago elevator, for fu1lness and
size. The rich a1luyial mud of the Missls- |
sippi bottoms teens with fertility, and most /
abundantly repays the husbandman with |
golden cars. There can be no more fertile |
soil than this for corn, although I am inform |
ed no other vegetable hourishes In it. / |
write from the co.n crib becanse from its ele- |
waited position command better |
range of distant Secessia, and can
more easily watch the effect Of our
shells as they hustle through the air, car
rying cur compliments in manner which
must be mortar flying to the rebels. The crib
is the property Of an aged secessionist, who
fed these parts. Then he heard the Lincoln
gunboats were coming. His hens, cows and
pigs haye been appropriated as contraband By
cur soldiers and jolly Jacks, whose e1pedi-
tions in this direction would furnish material
for dozen comic montllies. The gunboats
have been Idle to-day, with the exception Of
the Benton, which has sent an occasional rifle
into the upper fort, just to let the rebels
know she Is sill alive, aud to prevent
them from repairing the breaches al
ready occasioned By our shells The
.norta1s hare kept up a we'll directed and con-
tinuous fire all day with excellent results.
The enemy cannot stand CIR shells and they
must leave their works ere long Already their
cncampmcnts arc visibly diminishing in size
from day to day. The tents upon the main
shore have almost entirely. disappeared, and
those upon the island seem barely able to ac-
commodate the men who work the batteries.
The enemy have replied but two or three times
from the upper fort, as our boats are out of
their range The batteries upon the island,
however, fayc fired many well directed shots
even at their long range, apparently from 4
12Spound rifed gun. They have fred clear
over our mortar boats into the middle Of the
river. and upon one Or two occasions barely
+ missed our transports which were flying round
the point supplying the mortar-boats with am
t munition. During the afternoon q rebel gum
boat came round the point upon the Tennessee
shore and fired at Our boats once or tRicc, but
out Of range. Our boats replied and the rebel
craft put back
During the afternoon went ashore, and in
company with the correspondent Of the Ciu-
| clnnati Times, started of upon a reconnoiter-
| ing expedition. We followed the road round
HE point by wading Eloughs and crossing
| sHitt flowing creeks on uncertain coztluroys,
until NC came 10 an old decayed grist mill,
| Lit going to ruin. There were no signs Of
life about the establishment, except an aged
African bcstraddling sorrel mule, in blissfnl
| uncertainty whether his life would come to
| IN end BY rebel g,a:e from the battery oppo-
| site, or the MIME bullets Of our pickets, who
were stationed behind . fence above Us. We
kcpt on our way along the river edge, passing
deserted cabins, whose occupants had fed,
leaving tEcir stock to look outfor themselves,
until VIC came to q log house with quite an
imposing front for this countTy-a fine little
grove Of cotton wood hung thickly with mis-
stretching away in the rear to the edge Of tie
timber. Two or three lazy con1rabands
stretched cut upon the dead leaves Ia front OF
the house summing themselves; sleepy mule
lltched to TIE ga1c post and two still e1ecpier-
looking planters sitting upon q bench
i Under = tumble down shed, made mp the fore
| ground. They eyed rs askanee as We
approached and at first were little disposed to
enter into conversation. They profCssed to
br Union men, but their conversion evidently
dated no farther back than the arrival of ou1
ticet. AL their 1nterroyltorirs and opinions
about our forces were couched in the third
person. It was always, " Where is your Gen
cral, > 5cura:my, y a your guuboats," etc,
not IL eur.'' They informed me the rebels
lad not visited them OF late, but within two
l1elplEg themselves to corn and poultry. They
pointed me to a cabin deserted and stripped O
! everything It contained 1t had formerly beer
| tc1aanted By au old man and his son. The SOL
had been impressed into the rebel army an6
the old man enlisted in the three months ser
vice. When his time was up he desired tt
lcaye but was prevented. The first time NJ
opportunity presented he ran away and return
ed to his home.
He was pursued, captured, arhipped ana
branded, and his house destroyed. Ny seces
sion Union friends bitterly bewailed the war
They had lost their negroes, their money ami
l their possessions. The rebel army quafterct
: upon the island had stripped them Of nearl,
al their crops, and pow they ezpoete!
directed them to the headquarters Of Col
$ Buford, and they left TO seek protection. "
f left them and kept on our way about half
f nile further down the river, until VIC WEI
= opposite the foot Of the Island, and con
$ whole extent. The island contains abot
e seven hundred acres, the most Of it heayil
>, tjmbered- The head Of the island upo
which the battery is located presents
f2nar' 9RRi Reb area b,S Of sf2sfSa fssssa lam
# thickly oyergrown with shrubs aud weed
Between The bar and tie Missouri shore the.
y is wide shute in the deep channel, in whic
b the rebels sunk large side-whcel steame
n the Winchester, the very day before our a
siye firm, which in former times has been
G mint to its owner. The farm buildings st1
b | remain, although our ehells have made 81
n work with them. Directly below the farr
and On the eastern side OF the island, Ii
8: 1noorsd to. the bank i the floating batter
n fet in length and was formerly tt
Algicrs dry dock at New Orleans. It Vt
lowed up to this point by four steamers, ar
T. wing hero only q week or two since. Il
= protected BY plates Of boiler iron. VIII
y 1;oatirg she is sunk to the va,
s. line but in spite Of this advantas
T. she is anything. but invulnerablc. Below t
centre Of the Island there are no batteries. a.
! the land runs off to q sharp knife like poi1
From one point of vantage we commanded
Us thorough view Of the island and Its surrour
at ings, being within easy pistol shot of the n
te It's bad they been inclined that way. We COT
~ easily distinguish with the eye the unifor1
tn Of the soldiers, the men upon the battery,
Us Stars and Bars flying above the tents, t
H. steamers Ohio Belle, Prince Of Wales, a
the splendcd palace Natchcz all Of them ar
ed in Cincinnati and seized at Memphis, III
behind tie island, with steam up, apparent
to convey away troops. =:
{Late Accounts By MALL
" FLAG 6H1r BENTON, Mnrch 18.-It il und
;: stood That another close attack by the RI
ph boats, rs that Of yesterday, will not be ma
ID until large Infantry force can be brought
is bear against them in the rear from Pope's
ur some other column. From Yesterdays O,
ad ratione, the rebels will contest every inch
ee, | ground, and blood will fiow in streams beft
nk they will giEe up this point Once on the
th | treat from this position it is expected ter
et, Will seize the demoralized and de1uded arm
10 and it will be hard to force them to ms
Oh another stand On the river
Nothing has been learned iu reaard to
zas firing down the river last niphf and Il Il :,