The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-05-07
Erom the seth Regiment.


our Country.
Erom the seth Regiment
[Coutinued from, last eek.
After getting through the Co;dwatsr, and
entering the Tallihatchie, our difficulties
grew less. As the width of the river in.
creases we make more speed. Occasionally
we take on rails for steamboat use, some-
times foraging, or in other words, rclcvihg
the enemy Of a little beef, pork, &C., for the
comfort Of the inner man. This f,raging
business, is to the soldier, one Of the inn
portant features Of the war, serving the
double purpose Of weakening the rebellion
and administering to his appetite. The
privilege is, however, sometimes abused,
and articles entirely useless in the way OF
weakening the rebellion, are sometimes ta-
ken. The foraging is done sometimes by
permission of the Brigade Quarter master,
and sometimes without. The beef we pick
up down here is abomniably poor, and ey-
pect the rebels wish it still poorer.
We now pass occasionally, plantation
some of them quite we'll fixed, with negro
quarters, cotton press, cotton barn, &c,
and a few Of tn. better class of farm houses,
present quite an attractive appearance, even
to northerner. As usual, the white pop
Hlstion have left the negroes say they have
gone back to the hills some twenty Ave or
thirty miles. The negroes are generally de.
lighted to ace US, and in the present cond-
ton Of affairs, many are likely to prove con-
traband, but that is left entirely to them
selves. When they come aboard We take
them, But must not omit to mention the
many piles of burning cotton all along the
river-perhaps twenty-five or hundred
bales at place at one place, a rebel
steamboat, loaded with about three thou
sand bales. hard pressed by our gunboats,
was entirely consumed by fire, the river for
miles was strewn with partially burned
bales. Sometimes we find little cotton to
confscate. At one place we took three
hundred bales.
But at the risk Of being thought tedious ]
must follow more closely my journal. AZ
ter being on the way fifteen days, we ar
rive at our destination on the 11th day of
March. We tic up at landing about three
or four miles above the rebel fort, Pember-
ton. Our guuboats and mortars proceed a
mile and half or two miles further Our
regiment is at once ordered to land and pro-
ceed down the river, following wagon
road, about two miles. The gunboats ard
the rebel forts exchange shots during the
entire day. One of the rebel shells bit one
of our. balls just as it passed from the can
non. Killing two on the Chilicothe, and
wounding two or three. Several shells fell
quite near us, doing no harm. | am unable
to state what loss the rebels sustained, but
prisoners subsequently captured, state that
with all our cannonading, we only killed
seven. At night we returned to our boat,
not having been engaged. During the night
the forces kept up slight canqnadlng, and
we commenced the building of tempo
rary fort, made up Of cotton bales thrown
up. The next night also the work was re-
sumed, the bales had to be rolled distance
Of more than quarter of mile, part of the
way through the mud. ard was qnte job
Two or three large sized guns were planted.
The next day, Saturday, we moved every
thing from the boat and pitch tents, Mon.
day our regiment got on a steamboat and
went across the river in skirmish. We
extend our line out SONG five PAGES man 70
man, taking in quite scope. We were
ordered to watch closely for rebel pickets.
and fire at sight. Our way lay through a
thick and swampy cauebrake, very difficult
to get through and in the end, after getting
over perhaps ten miles, we found ourselves
divided into several detachments and lost
from each other. Night approaching we
iiu ouI way ooch W uio uout 1Hu aCCotu-
plish nothing further than little expert
snce in travelling through eanebrakes and
killing few rebel hogs aud calves.
Tuesday our company B,-was detail
d to go up the river some thirty riles, on
he little steamer Menona. as escort to Gen.
Ross and Fisk. Gen. Fisk's lady accompa-
hes him on the expedition snd was on
,oard. ! learn that through her, large
Quantities Of supplies are distributed here.
most suitable for hospital purposes. A
post commendablc post i9 which to act
rhc sick, here at least, have short supplies
nd inadequate attention. But to our trip
When near our journeys end. we were
ired into by by guerrillas, supposed to mum
'er ten or fifteen, and bid behind stuinps
nd logs. Our company, according to ar !.
was scattered in different parts
{ the boat, and as soon as as possible, re-
srned the fire. No damage to life or limb
n either side, but to punish them our COM
ANY landed and burned the buildings, they
'eing entirely deserted. Thursday we con-
4 y Al -. II K