The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-04-10
NEAR GREENWOOD, Tallahatchie river,
March 2Sth. 1868.

mdtCu -Cllli 1COO-
Leaving Memphis on Friday, TIE Goth
inst, your correspondent arrived at Hei-
ena the next day, and had the pleasure
of seeing many Evansville boys, who are
stationed at that point. The health and
spirits of the troops at Helena are most
excellent The members Of the 18th
and Oath Indiana Regiments, in particu-
lar, are the most rugged looking speci-
mems of humanity l have seen for many
day. Those regiments each number
600 or 100 men fit for duty-veterans,
IN --m11u cats II called on to do so.
Our boat remained at Helena only
few hours, and was deprived of the
privilege of visiting the encampments
! situated on the hills back of the town. |
shall try and do so on my return In
boat loaded to the guards with cannon
and ordnance stores, we left Helena on
| Saturday afternoon for the Yazoo Pass,
and succeeded in reaching this point the
succeeding Friday-yesterday.
| Correspondents are oftentimes Justly
charged with drawing on their magma
tons to such an extent as to greatly ex-
aggerate the scenes they describe None
have been able to overstate the difficult
ties attending the navigation of the va
zoo Pass by steamboats,. | frankly con-
| TESS my inability to do it juctice Barges
and flats could be taken through it with
out difficulty or danger, and in much less
time than that required for steamboats,.
Not steamer has made the trip with
out presenting the appearance, in great
err or less degree, of complete wreck.
Our own boat, the Curlew, would hardly
be recognized, in her present dilapidated
condition, by her Evansville friends
The Pass from the Mississippi into
Moon Lake is short, and not unusually
crooked The stream is narrow and the
current very swift, but boats get through
without much trouble or danger. The
Charley Bowen. with two companies of
the l1th Indiana, had been sent in adj
vance of us to cut the levee and widen
the Pass, and when we arrived the water
was rushing through the enlarged open
ing and spreading over the county
Moon Lake is a most beautiful body of
water. 1t presents the appearance of
large section of the Mississippi River,
about nine miles in length, and derives
portion of the river, wItIc1r;~ IS pFr42a
quently happens, cutting for itself new
channel, left this bend in its present
shape, with only narrow pass between
it and the new channel. This Pass was
closed by the State of Mississippi, and a
large levee constructed in order to re-
cover a large quantity of swamy land
from the water, and make it fit for cult
walton.
Running few miles across the Lake,
we entered the Pass leading from the
Lake to Coldwater River, and here our
trials commenced. Our boat was long
and heavily loaded, and would not read
lily answer to her helm, unless under a
Roadway that could not be given her in
the narrow, crooked channel.
We entered the Pass to the Coldwater,
which is estimated to be about sixteen
miles in length, on Saturday afternoon,
in company with the steamer Alone. Our
progress that afternoon was one mile
Steamboating whole afternoon, and
making one milel Just here | might
mention a specimen of the kind of com
mon sense that chara cterizes many of
our military operations. Our steamer
was loaded to the guards, as l stated be-
fore. The Alone, which was shorter
boat, had no load whatever, save two
siege guns, and two companies of sol
diers placed on her as a guard. Al
though provisions and troops are IN
great demand at this point, large boat
was sent through the Pass, requiring six
days to make the trip-the Government
at heavy expense per day for the boat
and nothing ON herl We should like
to know just how much it cost to get
those two siege guns which constituted
the Alones only freight to this point?
On Sunday morning we were under