The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1864-06-15

/ am, gentlemen, very respectfully and
truly yours,
j. G. FREMONT.
| From Capt. Contal.
DUvALL's BLUFF, ARK, May 25, ga.
Eds. Times Your favor of 23d of April,
was gratefully received, eagerly pcrused,
and highly appreciated. thank you for
your compliment, but feel it is unmerited !;
but it certainly made pleasant many an
otherwise weary hour. x =
Well, you see by this date, we have at
last taken the field, but in different direc-
ton from what we anticipated. The re-
verses Of Banks and Steele, drew all the
available troops into this department., our
regiment among the rest. We came to
this place by detachments of from 100 to
400 men, by boats, first down the ancient
sire Of waters TO the mouth Of White river.
and up the latter stream some 200 miles, to
this place. White river is one Of THE
crooked streams, and we made more S'es
and &c.'s in following its sinuous channel
than is found in Webster's Spelling Book.
The water Of the river is very clear and
pure, and runs in very narrow as we'll as
crooked bed, but is always deep enough for
the largest river. steamers. The bottoms
are low and very wide towards the mouth,
but uninhabitable, being cverflowed in
high water. The channel occasionally
makes wider detour and sweeps spur
off of the high lands or low clay bluffs,
affording landing and rery small
village.
We left Jefferson Barracks at G A, NJ.
May 18th, reached the mouth of White
river at noon, on the Goth, and this place at
the close of the 22d, taking fifty. four hours
to make the last 200 miles. Duvall's Bluff
has some sixteen or eighteen hundred in.
habitants, mostly contraband, and living in
houses of the rudest construction, made
mostly of boards riven from the giant oaks
that belt the river. 1t is the present ter
minus of the Memphis & Little Rock R. R.,
the road being completed from Little Rock
to this place, and is also the point to which
Steele's supplies are shipped via White
river and the NJ & L. r. r. r., enroute to
his army it has been built within the last
six months. There is no water here except
river water.
The country surrounding US is full of
guerlillas, who make some pretty bold
dashes occasionally, an instance of which
occurred the second day after our arrival.
A small party made dash into govern.
ment herd of mules which were grazing on
the prairie about three miles from here, and
captured about 800. A detachment from
our regiment, under command of Major
DRUMMoND, was sent in pursuit. had
the honor, with my company, of being
chosen to form part of the detachment.
We were several hours behind them, and
the difficulty in obtaining information
through the country which we passed, rem
dered our progress slow and our course
very uncertain. We followed them about
35 miles, to little town on the river above
here, where We learned that the rebs. were
in force under Marmaduke some ten miles
south Of US, and believing "discretion to
be the better part Of valcr," we turned our
faces towards camp, where we arrived after
being in the saddle about twenty hours
and riding about seventy FIVE miles. So
much Cor our first intro duction to actual
service. The boys of my company, take
pleasure in saying, acted like soldiers
what little was to be done, was done with
that dispatch and alacrity which gives eff
cheney to this branch of the service, and
confirmed my previous opinion that they
may be fully depended upon under any
circumstances. Maj. D. evinced consider
able sagacity as well as knowledge of the
skirmish tactics, and l doubt not but, with
experience, he will make a very efficient
officer, and place another gem in the coronet
Of Iowa's fame.
Our entire regiment is now in fine health
and spirits, and arc ready to follow thei,
old war.horse, Col. TEuMBULL, wherever he
may lead them. Col. T. now commands
this post. The Sd U. S. Cav, the 18th
Ill Cav, and the l26th ILL., INIT, and several
detachments arc here, also three gun
boats.
The appearance of the country is quite
good, much better than that part of Mo.
through which We passed but it is nearly
deserted. Large and splendid farms are
lying idle; agriculture is very much neg
lected, but what few crops have been put
in, look well. Wheat will be ready for the
reaper IN two weeks. News outside Of our
lines is very stale in the east by the time it
reaches us. We have not met with the
clean, bright face of the TINES since our
arrival, but are looking very anxiously for
it.
Give our warm regards to Sergt WYMAN
and all other friends. Luce and Stiles send
their best wishes to the TINES proprietors
and other McGregor friends.
Yours truly, but in haste,
BENZ. CONTAL.
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