Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-03-26

TALLAHATCHfE RIVER, Miss, March
Rapidty OF l0comotion is quality that seem,
TO be denied to this expedition We are now
/ on our fourteenth day from Helena and have
made in sll about sixty miles. There is this con,
ISOLATION left Us, however in the contemplation o
this progress: We have overcome the difficult
/ part of our route. The Yaz0o pass and the Cold
4 water river deserve to be forever remembered as
( the most difficult water courses through which
a steamboat expedition ever attempted to pass.
! Stern wheel steambOsts-0f which this exDedi-
ton is almost exclusively eomp0sed--havs the
advantage of being narrow with their wheels
so placed that trees and other obstacles
on the banks cannot iniure them, unless the
vessel is backing; but in other respects they ere
the NEST complete Nuisance that were ever set
sfoat. The least puff Of wind throws them
about ss if they were mere straws. They are
very difficult to manage IN al respects, having
a notorious perversty for going Just where aud
how they please This hss been the great draw
back to our progress. The streams have been
so narrow and so perpiexingly crooked, with
such sharp bends and turns, thst the vessels
were constantly leaving the channel on short
expeditions inland Oa every such occasion,
some portions of the vessels would be left hang
ing upon the timber rs mementees Of the trip.
When TO these ineidsuls is added the trouble of
towing three coal bsrees, the cause Of our slow
advance will be at once eDDrehended-
But, happily, we are past these troubles. The
Tsllahatehia river, which we entered last night,
is a much broader stream than the Coldwster or
the Ysz9o pass, besides having cleared banks,
so that vessels can run along at q moderate rate
of speed, without the danger Of being torn to
pieces should an unlucky wind blow them on 90
a lee shore Il has been navigatsd by steamers
ever since steamers have been known on the
Western rivers Il is formed By the confluence
of the Coldwster snd Little Tallahatchie rivers,
and runs souiheasteriy for distance Of one
hundred and sixty miles, where it joins tae Yai-
lobusha river, and forms the Yaz0o. rs course
is winding and crooked, like all the Southern
streams bat IFS banks are gradual and wide,
and comparatively easy to be turned by steam
ers under ordinary headwsY. Il leads through
the most fertile aud productive region of the
State of Mississippi. rs banks are lined with
well cultivated plantations, on which cotton
grows in abundance. The average annual yield
Of this staple, on the lands wstered by the Tai
lshatehie, is not less than seventy-fve thousand
bales.
Our advent into these waters seem 20 have
been anticipated for some weeks yet we have,
met with po'ssTious opposition from the enemy
as yet We gather indications, however, ct
nearly every step, that preparations ore mskiug
TO receive rs lower down the e3Betry. Previ
Ous to our coming into the river, the reosie had
sent boats up to the hesd-waters Of this stream,
levying contributions Of cotton to build breast
works with. The location of the cotton forts
thus built is not so readily ascertained. Accounts
are very conflicting Some reports say that we
will find them st Greenwood, on Ysz5o river,
four miles below its head; while others persist
in saying that we shall meet with no Obstacles
until we reach Ysz)O City. All that We know
defaitely IS, that we have NIT with 10 enemy
as yet Not shot has been fred at any boat of
the feet. Not guerilla has shown himself as
any point. Not even q rebel scout or picket
hss been discovered since The expedition left
the Mississippi river. This may be eli
part Of g very nicely conceived and arranged
plan to lure US on as far into the interior aud
away from reinforcements ss possible with the
expectation OF them making miues meat of Us
all, or taking Us, in one grand body, prisoners
of war; but the fact, nevertheless, exists, that
We have moved through a region that seems to
have known nothing of war DeflIe, and to have
had 10 spprehensioHs that the dreadful sc0urge
would ever be brought to its own midst We
have seen, what have noticed nowhere else 10
the South, plantations teemiug with life and la
Dor; the planter, with his family, enjoying The
quiet of bis own domestic hearth, with his
COLONY Of blacks iadustriously engaged plant
ing and cultivatiDg his fields None have fsd,
as those in other regions have fed, to laave
their homes a prey to pilsging soldiers We
have had fair peep at the South as it was
And | must ssy the view has been a charming
one The sun has shown out gl0riously, reveal
ing orchards in full bloom vegetation ia It's
most splendid green apparel fields in process
of tillsge for the early summers crop; peace
and happiness on every hand, with their con-
comi:snts Of labor and apparent prosperity,
while war and It's rsvages were unknown.
But I have seen some hard sights, too saw
e fbaso
citizens. without cause or pretense, and drag
him swsy from bis home ss prisoner of war.
Three days afterward this man was released by
the order of superior officer, and bsstened
back TO what had been his peaceful, happy
home but, alas, how changed A hOme no
longer. During bis short absence his ouly child
had died his wife had fed in terror. no one
knew whitheri and unprineiped soldisrs had
stripped his house of is contents, destroying
wRntonly what they could not carry away as
plunder Such is war. Let those VINO assume
warfare and at the same time raise their hands
in pious horror at the exaggerated &C
counts of guerilla operations, contemplate this
picture Let them put Themselves in this mans
place. and then tell me that they would not be
fred with an.implscable hatred of everything
and everybody northern This is the wey we
are augmenting the Sauthern army, and swell
ing the lawless guerilla bsuds that annoy Us 50
much That man, if he be natural Souiberper,
viii never allow an opportunity to pass Of shoot
inc at any one who wears the livery Of those
who killed his child Tobhed him of his wife,
and destroyed his hema. he would be more than
a man should ne quietly submit t. such an out
rage with no attempt Al revenge
I should say, in this connection, that the COM
msuderB of this expedition do not Tecognizs
such acts as these On the contrary, they are
putting forth every exertion to restrain their
men But the education Of our soldiers has
been bad, and it viii bresk ont and manifest IT.
self ct times, despite the strongest efforts 20 sup
press it
Although, as / mentioned above, the enemy
have been gathering cotton on the banks Of this
river for forti6eaHons farther dow1 they have by
10 mesns secured All there IS. The country is
full Of cotton. Much of it is piled awsy in
gin houses, as though fear of cotton burn
ers had never possessed the people Indeed,
I do not believe tbey have ever had any organ
lied cotten-burneYs throughout this region, any
more than thsy have had organized gusrillas
The whole region seems to have been very little,
if sEv, disturbed BY the war. They have not
been invaded, have feared no invasion, and have
prepared for no invasion. Occasionally, how
ever, we have found timid One-usually him
self a load-mouthed sseessionist snd an sdvo-
cate Of a general system Of eotton-burning-
who had concealed his cotton. We End it stored
away in rough temporary shed, deep in the
woods, or on some high piees Of ground in
vast cane brake. q certain parson Hatch,
whose neighbors say he was the first and most
ultra seeessioRist in the country, had about two
hundred and fifty bales bid away ia a piece Of
thick woods Resr to the river bank. We
were wanting some cotton Just then, and
so we made free with this pile, which
laid so handy. The parson begged most pit
eously to be dealt with mildly. He asserted
that, few months ago, Gen. Havsy visited bis
place while on bis march 70 Grenade and his
soldiers destroyed about S20,000 worrh Of prop
erty for him. Il was too bad be said, 20 pick
out one man, to be SO hard upon. Il we would
only 60 about six miles farther down the river,
We would como to plantation where there were
about four hundred bales to be had. The par
son was very ready to tell on bis neighb0rs, and
very anxious to be spsred himself We did
spare him, after taking about sne hunbTed bales
which was all we needed at that particular time