The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-07-01
Our Army Correspondence.
Arrival Of the sixth Regiment 1t
Memphis.

, On BOARD STEAMER EMPREss,(
Orr. MEMPHIS, June 81, 1864.
To the Editor Of the Pioneer:
We have just arrived at Memphis, Tenn, at
z o'clock P. M, and having few leisure quiet
moments improve them by dropping few
lines to you.
Our trip down has been very pleasant one.
From Dunleith we came by special train to
Cairo on the Illinois Central Railroad, passing
through the beautiful and thriving towns of
Freeport, Dixon, Amboy, Decatur, Mendoza,
Bloomington and Centralia. This road passes
through an excellent country, far exceeding
my anticipations, and surprising anything that
1 had seen before. 1t is very thickly set
tied, and farming land in the northern and GEN.
trail part of the State generally of the best
(and much better timbered than I had sVppos-
ed) quality, but in the southern part the soil is
not so good, being of yellow color, and more
or less composed of clay, with an abundance of
timber fall kinds. There are numerous thriv-
ing towns along this route. that have such an
air of neatness and beauty that was really sur
prising to me, for I had not supposed the
and so many delightfully."- located pretty towns
and villages The enthusiasm along the read
was intense. At almost every house were to
be seen men, women and children at the DOORS
windows, or upon the balconies, porticos and
house tops, cheering, waving handkerchiefs
and flags, &c. In all these places women
seem to predominate-the men presume are
all away to the war. Besides more than filling
her regular quota, Illinois has just sent to the
field large number of To-day men. The
boundless fields Of grain and corn look as if
there is there now to harvest them before win
ter comes. There certainly must be thousands
of bushels that will never be gathered in, -
owing to the deficiency of men. Crops in ILL
nOis were little or no better than they were in
Minnesota when we left. Some perhaps will dis
credit it; nevertheless it is true. They enter
tain some fears of drouth, as there has been
no rain for several weeks; yet the crops don't
appear to have suffered much.
We arrived at Cairo on Sunday morning at
1 o'clock, and remained there until Monday
afternoon at 1 o'clock, the weather being the
hottest that I have ever experienced before,
giving us a delightful introduction to the
South, yet the men endured it first rate.
During the day we marched out to o svca-
more grove about mile and half from town.
where we bivouaced for the day beneath the
shade of the trees, and at night returned to
the city and laid nearly all night on the levee
without tents. Before morning we were
aroused by the approach of heavy shower,
which caused US to seek refuge under the avn
ings of stores wharfboats, &c.
The 9TH Minnesota arrived at Cairo from Pa
ducah on Sunday afternoon having been Or
dered to Memphis. They will be here tonight.
The 9th Minnesota also arrived there on Mon
day morning before we left, and started for st.
Paul. The meeting of the Regiments was
quite enthusiastic.
Cairo is detestable place. It looks as much
like city built on stills as anything else. The
buildings and sidewalks are elevated on frame
work about Is or 20 feet, to keep dry, as the
city is subject to foundations to such an extent
that steamboats, can pass through the principal
streets. 1t possesses better buildings than
had expected to see, and seems to have an inn
mense business. After the rain mud predom-
mated everywhere. 1t is doubtless the mud
diest, filthiest town in existence. The sole
idea of its inhabitants seems to be to make
thing are enormous. However, it is grow
ing town, and perhaps some day may rival st.
Louis.
We met several old regiments there some
going home on veteran furlOugh; others whose
term of service having expired, going home to
be discharged-none of them numbering over
300 or 400 men. Our regiment attracted a
good deal Of attention from its size, and re-
ceived various compliments for their fine ap-
pearance and behavior.
After leaving Cairo, we came down the river,
passing the towns of Columbus and Hickman
Kentucky; the battlefield of Belmont, Mo !;
New Madrid, Mo-, and Island No. Ten. Co.
lumbus is but small place, surrounded by
hills, upon which are three different fortifica-
by quite number of troops, both black and
white gunboat was lying at the levee as we
passed, already steamed up for action.
Hickman appears almost deserted, there be-.
ing no troops stationed there. Island No. Ten
is but small island, with only about so or 60
little buildings or huts used as quarters for the
men when 1t was garrsOned, but they are now
unoccupied. The Notifications on the Island
are very meagre and very poorly calculated to
Withstand an attack from gunbOats. And real
ly it is the last place should have thought of
as being Island No. Ten.
All the towns on the river show the desolat-
ing hand of war-deserted buildings, looking
as If they had not been painted for years, Win
dows knocked out, doors torn from their
hinges, fences gone, grass growing in the
streets, blackened walls and chimnevs stand
there as monuments of the folly of the damn
able rebellion. Most of the farms and plauta-
tions along the river have gone to destruction
about the same way, and are generally deserted
and unoccupied.
At II o'clock this morning we passed by
Fort Pillow the scence of the recent butchery
of negro troops. But there is nothing left
there now excepting the blackeued remains of
the burnt buildings, giving gloomy, desolate
appearance. 1t is situated upon bluff, about
sixty feet above tie water, being the highest
land on the river in that vicinity The banks
OF the river, covered with thick growth
OF underbrush and timber must have afforded
good opportunity for the rebels to have crawled
up to the Fort, and overwhelm it as they
did. 1t is not occupied now.
AT Memphis we find the Tenth Minnesota
under Col. Marsh, and about $40 of the Ninth,
the whole number that has yet come in. They
are coming in every day, badly used up. The
NINTH was the only regiment that formed line
OF battle, and withstood for the time the ter
rifle onslaught OF the rebels, and were the last
to retreat. General Sturgis is strongly
censured for this disgraceful affair-the whole
blame seems to rest upon him. have not yet
been able to learn the particulars of the affair,
but learn that it is in every way as bad as at
first represented. rfC Hac
Another large expedition leaves tomorrow
in search of Forrest. The Tenth is ordered to
accompany and probably the Seventh, as they
have arrived since I commenced writing this.
Memphis is the largest and finest town on
the river between st. Louis and New Orleans.
1t is really beautiful place-and before the
war had q population of between &c, ZOO and
10000, but Is now considerably dep0pulated.
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