The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-10-05

'tI"s 55iH&, 10 SLOW uiScaSc
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LIRE on THE MlsSisslrpL "A letter to
the Detroit Trtbpne, from lone who has
tried il, describes how safely Yankee
may navigate the Mississippi even
though he has Stanton's pass to go "un-
molested" on his route lie says:
Nou have heard OF the guerrillas. |
have seen them. Shah | undertake TO
tell You how 4 man feels when on the
point OF becoming their prey?
On the 10th instant, | was travelling up
the Mississippi on The steamer Empress.
was sitting in nay room, eating a hit Of
watermelon, when / heard a sudden
crash, like the falling Of a heavy box in
the bow Of the boat At the next breath
were half dozen similar sounds, and
then saw people running through the
cabin uttering variety OF ordinations.
| saw General Mcneil buckIing on his
sword, running to and fro, and giving
orders. Some were on their hands and
knees, crawling along the floor, and some
were lying still and low 1t did not take
me long to decide what kind of scrapc
we had got into.
OF course, having no responsibility
except for myself, lay down, too-hum-
bly,, fiat on the floor Bang bang
crash crash rattle rattle! came the
sounds. 1t was artillery and infantry
At times, when a shell exploded inside
the boat, it made the whole structure
tremble. Bang bang! then they would
stop. Shall we not soon be past the
danger? Alas no--the shots strike
thicker and faster. The cabin is full of
splinters. 1t is dangerous place, and
yet we are just opposite the battery
Harl the whistle blows. The boat is
going to land. The bell rings We are
sinking, or burning, or what is worse,
have surrendered Here is room for un-
pleasant reflections No, the firing does
not cease, and the engine works again.
Thank God itWorks more vigorously
than it did a moment ago. But the pro-
lectiies strike us like hail. The bullets
pop through her like beetles through my
study on a sultry evening. Can get
safer place? The women arc budding
together, some fainting and some scream
Ing-though others are behaving them
selves courageously. Crash goes a shell
through the whole length of the cabin.
Let me find q safer place. The firing is
now in the rear. | go into the kitchen.
Here is the range-and here is the wheel
house. Better protection than nothing.
Pop! pop pop! comes the solid balls.
Bang 60 the shells as they explode in
side The boat There is 10 time to con
sider. | compose myself in The dirt on
the kitchen floor The good boat keeps
up some Roadway, though slow.
We are past the battery. Whirr
Whirr have heard descriptions OF
that sound from cur brave soldiers, bat
never before had the pleasure of hearing
the sound, 1t repeated itself every half
second - whir-r-r right alongside of
where am now standing. Whir-r! an
other strikes in the water, ans. another.
Now shell eXplodes in the air and the
water leaps up in half dozen Jets We
must be getting out OF range; thank
God And there is the smoke of a
gunboat stcaming down to meet us. Our
Sltutii H Oui Nui bCttGl rs diSdDlI'i~
We are scarcely moving Weare falling
behind The current will carry us in
few minutes directly into the jaws Of that
battery again. Yes it is a gunboat, and
not black tug The unoffending will
have an avenger.
But how slow she comes Bang
whir-r-ri The battery again No. 1t
is the gunboat sending the proiectile past
us down the river.
Bang bang again and again. The
women are screaming again-one or two
OF them, mean. They cannot be con
WINGED that it is our dogs barking now.
The gunboat has rounded under our
stern, and the boom Of her guns comes
in our cabin window The women &C
tually feel the concession and think they
are hit.
But the danger is now past We are
tied fast to the guaboat and towed to the
opposite. bank,