Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-12-15
LETTER FROM RI IL ieTH.
CAMP or ID RI low 4 Vols.
MAR AnnxYyILLs, Mias., Dec. Y.

Eos, DEMOCRAT: lie. the expecta.
ton of . general enga cement at The
Tallahatchie,I have forb orne writing an
account Of our travels since leaving Co.
rinth, but ~ oil hopes Of fight this side
Of jackson are dissipated, | thought q
few lines from This point might interest
few of your readers. Where the
main army is 1t present, cannot tell,
but our division is in camp near the rail
read, engaged in guarding and repair
ing it,so that the army may be snppl'ed
with the bacon and hard crackers they
20 much noed. The rebel works o few
miles north OF here are truly form'da-
bic, indeed they are little better than
any have seen Of their workmanship
since l have been in the service. A
strong Iedcnbt is built on the north
bank Of the river, connected with the
main works by bridge, yet 80 situated
taat we could not have held it had we
gained it, owing 10 the batteries com.
manding It. Then came huge rampant
Of earth built on the very brink Of the
south bank, connecting forts at every
commanding position, 'orming an i'm.
prcgnable work to repel Infantry. We
never could have taken this petition by
bayonet charges, nor is it certain that
We G. u.d have shelled the rebels ont, tor,
owing 10 the nature Of the ground, il
being very swampy, it would have been
d ficult to have worked our batteries.
They left in great haste, howeyer,lor the
flank movement Of our Memphis force
rendered their great works uutepable.
They were unable TO transport al! their
stores, or perhaps were panic stricken, for
a large building at the depot was burned,
together with many camp cqnipsges OF
considerable value. The remains OF
several cais.ons and .one artillery forge
were found in the ashes. They placed
great confidence in their Taliahatchie
forts, and deemed them the Manassas
which would bring the western army
to h, 1t, and save Jackson, the Rich
moud OF the southwest. Newspapers
which we picked up in their old camps
all teen with defiance towards Us, and
not a few contained letters from persons
in their army, in which they declared
that these hlls wonld be covered with
their dead before the yankee flag"
could he raised or them. iet,atter all
their bragadocio aud heroic declarations,
the Stars and Stripes hoat as peacefully
over the monuments q their useless la.
Dor, as at Camp Mcclellan. Not a hos.
tile bullet cut the cir. but our cavalry
rode down to their fortress one frosty
mornipg and cody proc eded TO pick up
the healthy men "who couldn't keep
up," aud these numbered not few.
As general thing, the prisoners cap
tured here were well clothed, but were
terribly discoura ged. They cursed jeff
Davis roundly tor drawing all the troops
t,om the west to the east, an! allowing
Grant to travel along 60 quietly. The
usual characteristic OF the Sontherners,
that Of Dragging, was predominant in
all conye'sad .ltb, yet despite their
efforts t. conceal it, they long tor peace
at any cost. They frank y acknowledge
that they are well whipped in the West,
and those who have fought in Virginia
as well as here, declare that did the
eastern Union troops stand up under
ire with the steadiness Of the
" estern men, Richmond would have been
taken long ago. They said all they had
o do in Virginia was TO fire q voley.
,aiss yell, and then Mcclellan "leil
,ack to new base Of operations" but
'ere, said they, q louder yell ech oed
ack, and a hotter volley Of bullets
w,pt into them. They are destitute of
blankets, but have, no doubt, plenty 10
at, as VIC find The country well stocked
wherever we 60. All their accounts
gee that Pemberton has but ,hn,y
completely armed men, and
bout twenty thousand conscrlp,s, about
ne-third of them aimed. and the whole
them discouraged. Our cavalry con-
nne 10 gather them in each day, as
ley follow IN their rear, and By the time
icy reach Jackson all their bumps OF
will have dwlodled
way. They regard Vicksburg as
'ck which no Uoion thuuders can move,
nd omlnously shake their heads, saying
'at we will reach orr stopping place
ciore olg.'
We noice that the eastern army is
gain pouring forth its dubious com
lants about the rain and mud; the
government should furnish those deli.
ate Youths with seine o,ber moaps q, ,