The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1863-06-18


ever 10 Washington, in dry time, can
imagine what We have suffered from
dust. LQRzo.
Hermann, GAseosAp1 Co. Mo-, June I, co
Dear Wife and Friends At Home:
I again will try to hinder You long
enough to read few lines, informing
you Of my Whereabouts and whatsbopts
We started, Sunday morning, for tbs
place and got here Monday night. The
country along the Pacific railroad is very
broken, the soil poor aud covered with a
growth of small timber; bu. few god
farms 10 sight Thirteen mile posts
have chased each other past US and hire
comes tbe little town of kirkwood. Thee
or four miles further and We dive under
ground and all is dark. About forty rods
and We again visit the upper regions
There are two tunnels not far apart rSn-
Mug under spurs of the hills, and through
the rock. Eighteen miles and We pass
Fl. Rocks Nineteen miles is Lecide,
one of the stations of the 9th Iowa.
Near by is the Merrimac river; the rod
near its bank for a considerable distance.
This is decidedly the toughest rockyest
section Of country have seen in the
West. In many places columns Of rock
stand up like monuments, showing the
marks of the tooth Of time. and telling
us that for thousands Of years the storms
have been chiseling them out Of the SOL
id rock, hewing away the softcst portions,
sending the debris down into the valley,
thu, preparing it for human habi'ation,
while the hardest portion stands stretch
ing up from so to 100 feet in the air
SO small are some of them that it seems
man might push i: over and lurl it in
to the valley below. At 2r. N we ar
rived at Franklin, the headquarters of
the 37th. This is pleasantly situated
little one horse town containg abou. half
dozen stores, as many tayerns, and the
usual percentage Of saloons ard beer
shops. 1t is situated at the junction Of
the Rolla with the Pacific railroad. Sand !
Of the finest aud whitest quality is found
hv,r, aud large quantities are shipped 70
Pittsburg to make glass. (Quere.) Why
not work it up at home instead Of sending
it to free State? Has the darkey any
thing to do with it? Fifty one miles is
South Point, another little place snugiy
nestled in among the hills. Fifty three
miles and we reach Washington, little
town not to be compared with the VI ash,
ington, where one Mr.. Lincoln lives. -
After passing few other little towns,
We arrived at Hermann, but from some
cause did not disembark, but went on %
miles further to St. Aubin, little villa
l04 miles from St. Louis. Here we arc
to wait until 6 p, IN. tomorrow, wnen we
return to our station at Hermann The
timber on the Missouri bottom IS good
there is plenty Of sycamore, and largt
groves Of pawpaw. June 1st, embarked
at 6 p. m and in due time arrived a
Hermann. This is smart little town
and is the county seat of Gasconade CO
The Inhabitants arc all Germans, o
Dutch, as the secesh papers call them
but they are loyal, to man. Across tn
river there are many sympathizers, O
copperhead>, many Of whom are Amer
cans, to their shame be it spoken,
Fruit of all kinds seems to do we'll her
among the hills This is grape pro
ducing region, and wine is made in lorg
; quantities, as much SO as sorghum
about Upton. Every man that owns Ian
has a vineyard. In the village the mai
part of their gardens are used to cult
= vate the grape The variety raised he1
e is the Catswba. The soil is poor cor
j. pared with your prairics, and they tt
10 me here that it is not the richest lar
s. that produces the best grapes. The Ia,
vs. should be mellowed deep, say from OF
g to two feet, and on dry soil. Some
+ the best vineyards are made on side hill
RI where the rock crops out, with but lit
IS earth on them They lay a wall aud {
~ up with earth, making plain surfa
I, about eight or ten feet wide, and til,
IL another wall, rising one above the 9th
!" to the TOP of the hill The vines are su
e, ported by hurdles. Posts or stakes a
IT set in the ground and bars nailed
90 about two feet apart. Flowers are Gull
10 waited here in great varieties. 1t is wit
p al pleasant location. As to society
is have none outside our own regiment,
80 We cannot converse with them. We a
er quartered in large school house. H
as our company being here and half eis
miles east Of US at Little Berger. The
e business is guarding bridge. Ours
ee that Of provost and patrol guard. Alme
he every day some chattels come to camp
to claim protection from rebel masters.
as They are Of course told they are safe,
e. Yesterday secesh STAKEHOLDER came
ct with permit from the Provost Marsf
he ofJefferson City to search for slave.
be Our Provost Marshal told him he cou
ct quietly search for him, but if he ma
- any disturbance or attempted to ia
it away bis slave, as be called him,