The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1864-10-26
LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI.

LIFE ON The mlSSlSSlPPE
A letter to the Detroit Tribune, from
" one who has tried it," describes how
safely Yankee may navigate the Misss-
siPpi even though he has Stanion's pass Il
go " unmolestsd" " on his route. He says
You have heard 0f the guerrillas. hav.
seer. them. Shall 1 undertake 10 tell vol
how man feels when on the point Of be.
coming their prey'
On the 10th lnst., / was travelling up tn,
Mississippi on the steamer Empress.
was sitting in my rsom, eating bit of wa
termelon, when | heard sudden crash
like the falling Of q heavy box in the bow
of the beat. At the next breath were hal
dozen similar sounds, and ! then saw
people running through The cabia, uttsrin ,
variety Of exclamations. saw Genera
Mcneil buckilns on his swerd, ruanlng /,
and tro, and giving orders. Seine were OF
their hands and knees, crawling along th,
floor, and some were lying still and low
Il did not take NE long to decide wha
kind ofa scraps we had got into.
of course, has ing no responsibility sx
cept fer myself. Law down. too-humbIy
fat on the foor Bang! bang! crash
crash rattle! rattle! came the sounds.
was artillery and infantry. At times whe
a shell exploded inside the boat. it mad
the whole structure tremble. Bang bang
then they would stop. Shall we not sec
be past the dangers Alas! no--lhs shot
strike thicker and faster. The cabin
full VI splinters. II is a dangerous place
and yet we are just opposite the battery
Hark. the whistle blows. The boat |
gsiug to land. The bell rings. We ar
sinking or burning. or, what is worse, hav
surrendered. Here is rosm for unpleasap
reflections. No; the firing does not cease
and the engine works again. Thank Gsd
II works more vigorously than it did a ns
Hent ago. But the projectiles strike Y
like hail. The bullets pop through her lik
beetles through my study on sultry even
ING. Can get safer place? The we
men are huddting together. seme faiA,in
aud some screamiag-thsugh others nr
behaving themselves couraseously. Crash
goes q shell through the whole length Of IN
cabla. Let me find a safer place. Th
llrlng is now in the rear. 20 into I'll
kitchen. Here is the range-and here
the wheel-house. Better protection tha
nothing. Pop! Pop! pop! comes the So
I'D balls. Bang 20 the shells as tsey es
plode inside the boat. There is no time /
consider. compose myself n the dirt o
the kitchen floor. The good boat keeps u
some headway, though slow.
We ate past the battery. Whirr whirr
J have heard descriptions Of that soun
from our brave soldiers, but never befel
had the pleasure ef hcsring the sound.
repeated. itself every half second-whi-r.
right alsbs side OF where Ian now stant
lsg. Whir.r another strikes in the W.
ter, aud another. Nowa she'll explodes
The air. aud the water leaps up in ball
dozen jets. We must be getting out Of III
range; thank God And there is the SIN ok
Of sunboat steaming down to meet u
Our steam 10 out. Our boiler is disable,
We are scarcely meviug. We are fallin
behind. The current will carry us in
few minutes directly ints the jaws Of thu
battery again. Yes; il is a ganboat, an
not black tag. The uaoffending wi
have an ayenger.
Bathow slow she comes. Bang whir-r-r
The battery again! No. II 10 the gul
boat sending the prejsctils past Us dow
fthe river.
Rang! bang! again and again. The ",
men are screaming again--sne or two ,
them, Imean. They cannot be convince
that il is our dsgs barking now, The put