The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1862-12-25
ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.
CAMP AT OXFORD, Mss,
Dec. llth 1860

CAMP AT OXFORD, Miss,
Dec. llth, 1862.
Mr.. ADVERTISER:
AS | have just been notified that VIC
are to move in the morning, thought
that | would drop you few lines to let
you and your numerous readers know
where We are; for after we leave here We
may not have a chance to write for some
time We left Tailahatchie on the 9Th,
aud marched to this placc-lG miles,
where we have been camped ever since.
we can advance no faster than the rail
road i; repaired, as we have to depend on
it altogether fer supplies, as we have no
transportation, only FIVE teams to regi.
mcnt. The bridge across the Tallahatch-
lie has been completed, and the fist train
vii! be in to night, and in the morning
we will take up the line of march for
Grenada. When We left the river We
took the iroad to this place instead of
following the wagon road, thereby cscap.
ing great deal of mud, and stealing
march on the rest of the brigade, who
did not get IN until the next night.
Three miles from the river we passed
Abbeyville. small place on the railroad
of fifteen or twenty houses; this was the
rebel depot for supplies, and when they
left they burned all the depot and com
missary buildings; the fires were still
burning when we left. In the middle Of
the depot was large pile of white beans
that looked as if they would burn for a
week. There must have been several
hundred bushels of them. 1mmenscplles
of sweet potatoes, burnt to cinder, lay
along the track, while the remains of
large piles of burnt canteens, tents, cook
! ing utensils, and other quartermastcr' S
stores showed that the butternuts de-
stroycd large amount OF property IN
their retreat. The rairoau from the rlv
er here has not been injured, the rebels
not having time to burn bridges or de-
stroy culverts. The cost of building
this road (Mississippi Ccn'ral,) must
have been enormous; there is no level to
to it. il is one continual cut or fill; fully
one half of the cuts arc thirty feet deep;
with ellis of corresponding height. One
fll that we passed over, nearly mile
long, must have been fully sixty feet
high; in the middle of these fills are
bridges; as these bridges were generally
pretty high some of the boys rather than
cross them would Chamber down the sides,
cross the ravine and come up on the op'
posite side; these, as might be expected,
were heartily laughed and jeered at BY
their more steady headed companions
never was much Of hand to stand II
, high places, but was getting along with
: out any particular trouble, till We came
to the highest one, this looked awful, th'
+; bridge was long one, and the ties yer.
narrow and placed farther apart than an,
that We had yet crossed, and what mad
it worse number that had undertake.
. . to cross had backed out and were retreat
ing. The prospect was not very inv''
: ing, but still l didn't like the idea {
backing out, SO started aoross not da1
E ing to look to the right or left, and past
n ed over all right, but as dutchman re
4 remarked afterwards in speaking of tn
bridge, sit wash tam tite pargain.'
experienced more nervousness on crossin
- that bridge than | ever did in facing
butternut's fire.
% The army is seizing a great deal of col
,, ton he.e. All 10 the bale. This ootto
's is generally secreted by the planters, bu
G the aurkeys will slip into camp and tel