Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1862-03-13
Army Correspondence.

MISSION to publish it IL we Thought proper,
by the person to whom it was addressed
We chcerfully give il place:1
PADUcAH. KY. Feb. %.
Folks AT HoNE.-I embrace this OPP
portunity to let you know that MY wander
ings are at an end. for the present at least.
Let me see. in my last letter was in Chi
cago' enjoying myself. Well. all / can
say for Chicago is. that IL would be quite
a city IL il were not 30 far FROM Plymouth;
but it is decidedly great city. built OF
brick. stone and iron. And now, to com
menee history Of my travels. On Thurs
day morning FEB. goth. we shouldered
our knapsaeks snd marched down TO the
depot of the Illinois Central R. r. where.
to my great surprise. found all the men
that were left at Camp Ellis. Bob. Multi
gan. and all the rest Of them. We got a.
board the cars and left for Cairo about ten
o'clock. The first fifteen or twenty miles
was oak bnrrens. covered with grubs and
scrub oaks where it is not cultivated, then
we came to the Illinois .Prairies- O.
the prairics. the Laporte prairies are moth
ing to theml Nice rolling prairies. hun
dreds Of miles in extent where for miles to.
gether not tree of any kind is in sight. then
there would he few miles tina. yon could
see timber in the distance. AT about one
bundled miles from Chicago We passed
through strip Of timber one or two miles
wide. then. nothing but p,airies again.
AT three o'clock we reached Urbana
station. or Champagne city. where we met
he Government train loaded with secesh
prisoners taken at Donelson. and on their
way to Camp Douglas. where they are to
be kept until peaceis declared. We stayed
there aesr hall an hour. and had our dinner
of hot coffee, and bread and meat. Our
boys had great deal Of gas with tine Sc
cesh. The most of them seemed in good
spirits. but some were quite down hearted.
Generally the most of them were not uni
formed at all. and were very poorly cloth
ed Bob said that the only way you could
tell an officer from a private was by his
having. black patch on the seat of his
brooches, which were butternut colored
Kentucky jeans. The most of them had
old Topped wool hats. some had caps. AS
general thing, they looked black, dirty
and greasy. and a great many of them
showed the yellow tinge of the gentleman
Of the south. the result of their domestic
institutions; yet. there were some fine look
ing men among them The most that we
talked with. seemed greatly surprised at
the treatment they received from our men,
and@a good many expressed g. wish that
they could enlist. go back with us. and
fight for Uncle Sam. They said that their
officers told them that they must not sur
render. that Our troops would hang them
if they did. There were Ave hundred Of
them. mostly from Alabama.
Finally we got started again. and on we
vent over the prairies until shutdown. when
We reached town called Centralia at the
crossing Of the ST Lonis & Alton II. r.,
about one hundred and ninety miles from
Chicago. The rest of the way it was so
dark that could not see the country, but
it is prairie for some miles further. then
the rest OF the way. timber. swamps. bluffs.
and rocks. The boys said it was thorough
est country they ever saw;I know it was q
very rough road. We reached Cairo just
As it began to be daylight. The distance
ofthe ride was s65 miles.
Feb. 2sth.-Lieut. Fisher went to the
commander OF the division at Cairo and
made inquiries for the Indiana 4S,h. and
was told that it was at Fort Donelson,
and that we should go on the Erst boat
going up the river. but that none would
leave until night so we stacked our KNAPP
sacks and started out to look at the town.
The ground was frozen in the morning.
and the coolest since have been here, but
before noon the mud was half knee deep on
the leyee. The town itself lies about
twelve feet below the levec. and looked so