Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1863-02-12
LETTER FROM THE TWENTIETH.
CAMP "TnREE WIDOWS, Mo-,
Jan. 3lst, 1863.

Jan. 3lst, 1868.
Our second campaign in Northwestern
Arkansas is ended. Jubiia.s Deo,
say. We have once more arrived at ,
place where We can get letters and pa
pers from home before they are montl
old. cior.d IN erceisis.
Well, ii you had been stuck in the mu,
as we have for the past three wee..s, o,
half rations, and no news, You would fel
like saying much more than that, anel no
be conscience stricken at your IRE yer
ence.
The whole Army Of the Frontier haa
been collected at Fayetteville imm ediate
ly after the raid on Van Buren,, and the
Sd and 4th days of January were deyo.
ted TO the work of reviewing the differ.
ent divisions bv Gems. Schotield and Her
ron, (Gen. Blunt having lett his troops 10
charge of his senior officer and gone-I
don't know whcre.) This reviewing
business being over, on the 9th "A move.
nent began, the different divisions 90
ing to different places. The first, Gen
Blunt's, went to Elm Springs, about
halt WY from Fayetteville to Benton
vile. The third, Gen. Herron's, went to
Huntsville, and the second, ours, late
Gen. Iotten's, nov commanded by Col.
Huston, of the eth Missouri Cavalry,
went to Richland Creek, about half way
between Fayetteville and Huntsville.
This same Richand Greek is a curious
affair in its way, which is very peculiar
one. 1t has a very considerable bed,
much larger than Duck Creek, ana there
was at the time when we were there, a
good deal of water in it, very clear and
runalng i'll swift current; but the sin
gular thing about it was the way it had
of sinking below the sand in some places
SO that its bed would DO perfectly dry,
then re-appearing for some distance on
the top of the ground, then ducking un-
der again, SO that it had the appearance Of
being merely succession of pools, rath
er than a creek; and then it CONSTANT,
changed its spots. You were bv no
means certain that because you found
water plenty at a given point half an hour
ago, you could dip up pint cup full
there now, and the places which were
dry in the morning were pretty sure to
be oyertiowed at noon, and dry as husk
again by night Our camp was yer,
pleasantly situated on the banks of this
eccentric stream, and such arrangements
were made aid orders given as We're un
mistakable evidence of an intention to
stay there for sometime bat the rebels
would not let us. Something was done
by our Southern brethren which made il
necessary for us to move to Huntsville,
while Gen. Heron went on to Carollton,
some thirty miles further to the east, 1t
was lucky chance, for within the next
two days after we left, there came storm
Of rain which completely filled up the
creek and oycrhowed the camp, and
would have caught US in a pretty predlc-
a.nent If we had been there. You will
recollect that we had been very near to
Huntsville once before. 1t was, be-
lieve, in the latter days of October, that
we made forced march on that place
from Pea Ridge, hoping to surprise
force Of rebels who were encamped near
there. We did not surprise them, and
we all felt somewhat disappointed that
We didn't 60 on to the village. We need
not have been; it is not much of a show,
tnat same town Of Huntsville, the coun-
ty seat of Madison county. 1t lies in
ravinc among the hills, quite undstin-
guishcd from ten thousand other ravncs,
for beauty or desirability of location. A
single street makes a painful effort to
keep itself straight, as it goes down the
side Of the hill on which the town is
Dit, auu cTosses TIE lueNltaole creek Al
the bottom Of the ravine. Once across.
it gives up the effort in despair, aud
straggIes of in all sorts Of ways as it
goes up the hill on the other side. There
is the usual amount Of struggling oak
timber and big rocks and small. sharp
pebbles, with an occasional fertile field
in the vicinity. In the center ofthe town
is large brick building, the Court House,
suppose, but it looks as if the curse Of
God had fallen heavily upon it. Near by