, 1862-04-02
OUR ISLAND no. 10 LETTER.
THE SITUATION AFTER TWO
WEEKS,
Boats Gone Through to Gen, Pope.

30aIS tT01fG tfT111pn Ia lien, T{tnA.
EAGFAhaI4U1Ao AVUh1MG TU a
BATTLE.
......
lePeeaaa correspondence eaacaso Isloone.1
Orr IsIASn % No. II. Sundsv + Marrh ~ cisan; arh
Exactly two weeks have transnired since the
first gun was fired by our feet Mt the Island
batteries. and still NE remain. annarent1r mn
nearer the capture Of the Island than 1T that
time, The cause it is impossible for m ont.
sider to solve. A fortn5pht,s DELAY in front of
~, aro,,, :. ,-,,--.,+ ,7-;+t, ah,,.aa - =
49, eosns 10 51'n' MIL ea'sneeS' IL
thro"1ng INTO thc1r power the accomplish
ment Of secret results. In q fortnight's time
they NAV have received heavy reinff,rccncnts
49, ,rt.;a,, 49, ,ra.,,,,1,;- 1...s..
a'act WHICH tne -nen0pn1s papers coTooosEate;
they may have built new batteries, afact Which
the balloon reconnaissance last week develop
I'd aoain II tvos off,r;,;no t,o ,oost co,1-
'' =. va ''uo'a tAe inos' eola-
p1ete opportunity 10 dceamp intact, after
shipping their guns and destroying their valu-
abIes. if they had been 50 di:posed. and Tins
ho,-o +,rnoa 1-1o,a " IN 80 o,,at.,a. aro.,
n1's '"1 ,l rea Is.'u ~ ~ 'ulo 'uolnsf tna.-
assas. "hc1hef inc deiay has peen 1aEor-
liz
,ye arr v2itinr FIR t]c accomplishment of
n-',,e, - y.
0en. rope p1ans pelo", an accompnshmcnt
not yet reached, if we can judge from the con-
hoan o7rastocoo,7s ~ - !a.a,S =; a..v ~ 1.s'
peen ao'ao''5.oo9 " 1ne leoeis' Ill uans IT,
spec1s, cannot be doubted.
| 1t is with no surprise that learn from a
oe,,t1o,n,n 3pe+ -rr;rca fran, fro;-o +,,o+ .,<,
| '1os "!44'eu '4oal e'1o' tn'at lhe
! pGQ11E 1TE QGGtn11Qr TO GrSN 11Ni0if5 lGC1lt
| Island No. 10, and are asking why the attack
| is not made. Nanv here are askinn +hc s,n,c
n,a-+;o, a,a IN 49, ....,,,;,,a- -, -..,.
| quesuon' anu AL are growing rusty WILL the
| to the Memphis papers, the rebels arc I'M.
,rov5no +be;r ti,,o zond;n,r rc;ntareon,o,te = -
~. 1880 a.o lsl14e eeI.s ~, ~
| .ne 'sl1no '1iu noniteins ne'ss suns' LUIS
however, is exceedingly doubtful, and proba-
| peop1e anu efc'en' Iae1n 1Rofa ash1ns trooo4e-
some questions.
| There are some favorable features, however,
| which rror,d ecou IN ;,a;o,ta , s,,,.odr ,,ovo
49, sl.. :.,
Yesterday Tue steamer Pike arrived with some
long range steel riled guns, and large guam
| tity of hand u,enad.s for t,e .ruc,o,.s rha
c,,ra rom ,e,,,,,;o+o,,, s'.aa .a
Sans were i"'nieeatel5 olscAaIgea auo placed
| in position. Later the Ike Hammitt arrived
| with the Assistant S,.cretarv of. War m
ho,,1 who Ind oo,,o ,,,e4 ,,,-+, f.o,,, w..
| ~ VIZ .'o eo1e posS Aa7Ie 1toa "Asu-
lnston. a snort interview Eas held with the
! Flag Officer, after which the Secretary return
s. ~ ~. S 80 .s-s oA,s 1es u''sa s'nce n's
"eht VI ~ washington, nls sudden reappear-
| auce wonld Stem to indicate 4 movement Of
some descrirtion,
Tt,c fir1ng far = d,r ar +wo ,,os oo,,+;,naa
1oA y "-s VI wv HIS conelnueu
n1ueh 1he same as during the week, in fact
during the fortnight past. Tic gunboats
have. renai,rd ;1le. ard hrt f.v of Tho 1,r-
+,,s 1.-, han T., ,,r,ot;a, IT,, ~
.1is Alfs p1eh- Ia p.Suec" lug 4al-
Ter enter upon their daily duties Us
regularly, as the mechanic goes to his
slop or the factory girl to llcr loom At cislit
bells tie tugs take the mortar men from the
ammunition boats to their respective RATS and
at half past eight the first mortar is fired.
Firing is continued once au hour until one
! O'clock when tho tugs bring down their din
| lleT. Meals are furnished at half past one,
and firing is resumed and kept up at the saulc
rate until four o'clock. The tugs come down
again and take the mortar men back for the
night, with the exception Of the crew of one
raft vito remain md fire at intervals Of two or
three hours, until lAe next morning. Tins
tic DAYS 20 tcdous1y along, the lourS marked
by mortar explosions; tic s1nboats lyine
1azily in the Stream, putting their vIi7is II
smoke fro,n their cEin;ncys. thc marines
]ounging listlcssly about decks, writing cpis-
ties Eomewards, reading old ra,crs and siro
king o!d pipes. The transports, tied to the
banks, sometimes do not wet their wheels for
days, and thus VIC lie through these delicious,
bal11ly spring hours, watching tho blossom
ing Of thr trees, listening to the carols
OF the birds and the heavy rcyerheratfnns nj
the occasional explosions. Forgetting that We
arc in the midst Of war, and that Tomorrow
may witness scenes of strife and carnage. sui
] plurous clouds yelling the woods, and tie
lrim dogs Of war dcyourine in tlcir founders
Ill the Ecntlcr uttcrances Of nature.
The land forces have removed some three
miles up the river, and are encamped uDon q
broad plat Of sround, before their occupation
c;r1'ct.d green with the Young wheat, and the
, only dry locality for miles about, with the
exception Of the Island itself which would
not lust now he IN agreeable cam ping ground.
Their CAMPS arc Oh tho upper R5bcrtss
plantation. of which 1 have spoken in
q previous letter, and their newt dno1
| nci!lhors contraLands, belonging 10 the
, estate. Their wlitc Sihlcy tcufs1 with the
thin bluc columns Of smoke cur1in,, NJ, fr,,n
them. form nuitc 1,ictnrcsone c3nnsrt n thr
dreary laudsca1,e' The eontr,hands st f;r.t
| wcre cxceedineir Terrified NJ thrir annroach os
they lad been told thev worl1 All s,e sto}en
, and probably 1nurdercd. GraduaIIv tfex INV