The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-01-17
Army Correspondence.
GALLATIN, Tenn, Jan. 4, 1S6

GALLATIN, Tenn, Jan. 4, 1863.
To the Free 7eader-For the past fo,
at days we have been in listening to the il
y cessant war of artillery in the direction
y Murfreesboro, where Rosecran's great arm
e. and the great army of the Southwest a,
l. engaged in mortal conflict. Though nea
. ly 80 miles from the bloody ffeld-da
and night is plainly heard the inevitabl
boom boom of 80 and Ga Founders, sene
!. ing forth their deadly missiles, as tn
waves of battle surge to and fro. Tn
struggle is a desperate one! The 5000
Tennessee troops who are the foremos
ranks, have leagued together to sacriic
the very last man before they will b
driven from their homes and firesides
and they fight with the desperation 0
maniacs Whoever achieves the victor.
here will have gained an advantage which
all the strategy of human genus canno
neutralize Shold Rosecrans gain the day
defeat, rout, and disperse the rebe
boards, the war in the southwest viii
dwindle into mere guerilla raids and ma.
rauding expeditions But should the God
Of war decide against him, the great army
of the Cumberland will be hurled back to
the Ohio, and Cincinnati and Louisville
will again be threatened by the southern
army.
For the last two days, n continuous flow
of reinforcements has been pouring into
Nashville from points up the railroad -
Train after train passes down crowed with
regiment after regiment, hurrrying on to
the bloody field The rebels have full
100000 men ready to hurl upon US, while
Rosecran's army be even superior to theirs.
On New Year day the lines were engaged
for over eight miles, and the carnage is
! represented as being perfectly awful. On
! Friday the fury of battle increased, and
Yesterday was the b!oodiest day of all
Although thus far we have gained few
miles of ground, yet We have achieved 10
material advantage. While We drove
them or our left, they were driving US on
the right; and on Friday, when we check
ed them on our right, they checked US on
our left What We have gained by fore
ing their centre back, has been counter
balanced by placing their hanks SO much
TO the rear of our centre, and thus COM
pelling us to throw our reinforcements to
the hanks TO sustain them instead of the
centre to follow up our advantage there
Thus, for four long days has the great
beam of the balance vibrated And to-
day, while the distant echo Of the caanon's
roar announces the renewal Of the fight,
the prospects OF victory are suspended
over the bloody field in perfect e9uapois
And all of US not engaged await with
orea,hless anxiety the result of the day.
Since the fight at Nurphreesboro has
commenced we have been less annoved
with alarms The last one sc had on
Tuesday morning last. A body Of rebels
came to the river opposite to where Col
Naudevers Brigade is encamped, about
two ana half miles from here, aud fired
upon pickets- The fire was returned by
our men when the rebels took refuge in a
large farm house, a short distance from
the opposite shore As the proprietor of
the house is notorious old secesh, the
2d Minnesota Battery was placed into po-
sition and the house was reduced TO ashes
The firing OF this battery Of course brought
out all the forces in and around the town.
The streets were barri AIDED with wagons.
Nickliu's battery was placed in the public
square, aad other preparatory steps taken
to give the enemy hearty reception
should they be making move on this
place. Gen. Paine and staff then rode
down to the river and after learning the
particulars in reference to the cannonad-
ing returned and ordered the troops to
iheir quarters
Quite number of farm houses, within
a few miles Of this place, have been burn
ed down-during the past ten days, by un-
known incendiaries. As some of these
houses belong to Union men, and some 10
secessionists, the opinion is that it is the
work of negroes who are seeking revenge
for having their wives and children sent
south.
There is considerable apprehension here
among all classes in reference to the effect
the Presidents Emancipation Proclama.
ton will have upon the negro population.
The negroes make no distinction between
Union or disun;on people. They are as
liable to destroy the property of one as
the other, should they be instigated to
rebel The slaves themselves would never
think OF an insurrection but there are a
good many free negroes through here, and
they are the ones who are nasty feared
Some of them had married slave wives,
who have been sent out of the country
carrying with them their children. These
men have an idea that after New Years
our army will sustain them in any outrage
they may commit against the inhabitants.
This notion has also been, to some extent,
impressed upon the minds of the slaves
whe are easily bribed with the prospect of
plunder. to commit any outrages, no mat
ter how brutal and inhuman The mere
idea Of gaining their freedom is no IN
ducenent to these slaves to rebel. Free
spectacle as slaves. 1t is a disgrace among
the darkies not to have massa or missus
and hence it would be regarded as de-
graduation by them to be made free.
why" said one to me, the other day.
when mentioned the Presidents Procla-
nation to him, " we niggers don't want to
be free. It's not spectacle to be loain'
round here wild out home. Jist look at
de free nisgers-days no 'count-ragged,
poor an dirty. an half de time has to
beg dare vittles from 'pectabls slav ves.
Day can't fool dis chile wild dare free nig-
ger bisiness. is seed 'nuF o dat" 1t
was enough for me- l saw the pint and
had no more to say. There is one thing,
however, certain and that is, should this
army ever leave here, you'll see one of
the most precipitate skedaddles among
the free niggers, mortal eye ever beheld.
This post is in the command Of Gen.
Paine, of Illinois, who may be set down,
xifont further ranork as one of GadS