The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-09-05

sary facilities for transporting supplies and
troops, the impassable mountains on eithe,
side, and the abundance of water, it is one
OF the strongest places of defense I have
ever seen, and yet strange to ray not q
breastwork or redout has been erected to
contest the advance Of our forces. The
barricades IA the road, above alluded to-
were mere osstructiens to delay our army
TO enable theirs to get out of our way and
not for defense.
On Tuesday We marched IL miles down
the valley and got to Andersons Station
at clock P. n. The day was exceeding.
ly warm and the men suffered greatly
from the dust and heat. Large numbers
broke down upon the way and lay down
by the roadside to await the cool of the
evening. 1t was ten o'clock at night be-
fore they got into camp. At Anderson we
crossed the Alabama line and bid adieu TO
Tennessee. There is nothing unusual in
the general appearance of the country to
indicate the boundary line of these States
The fountains seem to run north and
south, and the line passes across them,
cutting this valley through near the CEN
tire, leaving the northern half in Tennssee
and the southern hal: In Alabama The
scenery all along this valley is wild and
romantic and in many places really grand
The mountains are quite lofty and are so
| ittsrwoien as to give this valley the ap-
pearance of a succession of basins, each
resembling parrallelagram, joining to-
gether ir a sort of zigzagular direction
! These basins grow gradually larger and
wider aswe follow down the valley The
( first one at Tantillion is about one-eghth
! of a mile vide and one mile and three
| quarters long. When you get near the
| centre OF this apparent depression in the
n;ountairs II seems to be entirely closed
! up on all sides high ridges at least 1000
! feet above the valley, running at right
| angles to each other But as you approach
| the south end you discover another basin
exactly similar to the one you have just
| left except that it Is a little larger every
wav and bears Off in southeasterly di-
rection AS you leave this one you enter
, another running que south then one run
ming southeast again, ana .oon. Each one
increasing in size These basins continue
| ill along Crow Creek Until itanws into the
Tennessee river SIX miles south OF Steph-
enion and near the northeast corner of the
State of Alabama.
Crow Creek valley is thickly settled, and
from the appearance of the growing cot
ton and corn. the sol. is Of the very best
quality There is but little cotton plant
ed Nearly all the, land. however is plant
cd in corn, AID | never saw corn look
more promising There has also been
harvested through here large crop of
wheat, but from the fact that but little of
it is found among the inhabitants. II
doubtles, has teen taG1a OF by the rebel
army.
There are many families in this beauti-
full valley who seem 10 be entirely desti-
tute. Some even at the point of starva
ton. All the mea capable ci'bearing a ms
are gone-l have not seen one since eros
sing the mountains-and the women an
children, IN their ragged and suffering
condition. too plainly indicate the desii
tuition of the country. have visited sey-
eral families since our arrival here, and
tHfKe IAffasdt trQm easb o tale q sntter:nlg :l
lilies have been with out meat, -four or meal
for weeks at a time-subsisLing as they
say on "yarbs and berries" A, present
they seem to live chiefly on sweet potatoes,
fruit and green corn, of which there is an
abundance. Peaches are very plenty and
cheap, but apples seem to be scarce.
ON Wednesday re arrived at his place
and encaDped on the railroad within loo
yards or one of the finest springs | ever
saw. I. seerts tc be a cave OF considerable
little stream flows down over the rocks
lhe place is named after the spring We
ere lust three miles northwest. of Stc,en
son. Our camp is located i'll field be-
tween Crow Creek and the railroad. The
creek here, is two or three rods wide and
quite deep, and is constantly full of SOL
diers bathing
Here, as at Anderson, the inhabi,ants
ale woeiully destitute. Clese by cur camp
lives q widow in little log house her
husband was killed in the battle of Stone
river. She has six children. She told me
! this morning that she had not had any
neal in the house for the last ten DAYS,
aad that she had but about bushel and
! q half of corn left to live on unit, the new
| crop was tt for the mill. That the only
| way she haG to get her corn to the mill
was to carry it there on her back, and that
| the mill was four miles distant Three of
| the children were sick, and all look ed as if
! they were in the last saages of starvation.
I She assured nae that there were many
! families through the mountains that were
| in a still worse condition than she was
I She had small patch of corn planted
near her house, but the army have entire
| " destroyed it, and in less than a week
tnere will not blade remain. Her gar
! QeU, ueF main Te!laDce', las also tttu pun
dered OF everything by our troops -
As for tea or coffee she declares that she
bad not had particle of either in the
house for over yeal; and over four
weeks ago she used her last morsel OF
sugar There are other women here, whose
husbands are still in the rebel army, who
are no better Oft tha' AS one.
rhe universal desire Of the women
for there are scarcely any men-is to have
this war brought to close. They don,
seem i care which side whips only &C
their husband and friends can retur,
home and provide 70, their suffering fam
lilies. All throurh here the people are
exceedingly ignorant. They are OF the
same character of those jnhabiting the
northern base of the Cumberlarl noun,
tains, of which have spoken in my for
met letters.
We shall probably sta here but shor
time. Every preparation is being made
for move on to Chat.a ooga. The rail
road is in running order to Stevenson, ane
) an entire pontoon bridge passed down yes
terday On the cars. Our forces have alst
occupied Bridgeport and in less than
week we shall have the cars running I,
that rlace and the bridge there across tn,
Tennessee river repaired. Supplies arr
, daily sent forward in great quantities ant
in less than a week the whole army af th'
Cumberland will be safely lodged on th'
Tennessee.
Gen. McCook's corps are now at Hunts
vile and holds the Nashville and Decatur
railroad over which he receives his sup
plies The Federal forces also hold tn.
Memphis and Charleston railroad from
Memphis to Tuscumbio, AMI will soor
unite with US at Decatur. Our possession
, of Stevenson and Bridgeport will enable
US to repair that road from Bellefon,e te
Bridgeport We will then have five con
tinuous lines of communication with the
northern States. lst by way of the Nash.
vile and Chattanooga railroad I'd by the