, 1865-04-17

Huff, Adjutan tGeneral, HenL 70 lne tattery |
On the right where I found them h.rd at |
work erecting breastworks and gatting their
guns into position. Here are stationed the
FIRST I5o1AN4 HEAvY ARTILLERY
and part Of the 31st New York, numbering
eight guns In all. This battery Is near to
Aiinetta Buy, within range Of Fo:ts Tracy
md Hughic, which, when the Indiana boys
opened the next morning, poured an eysr4I3
lasting fire into them, shells bursting round !
In all directions and knocking down several
trees, but injurirg no one only five mules
who were IN the rear; they were killed and
q wagon blown to pieces. have visited this
equally,as much danger as any other part Of !
the line, has only had Que man injured.
HowARD's LANDING.
On the afternoon Of the LIST, while going
down to Howa.d's Landing to visit the Fleet.
met at Stark's Landing Gen. Bailey, who
had command there, and found pontoop
b,Idges and eyery facility to expedite tue
landing Of stores, guns, o., &C., required up
att the 'front.'. Alongside the road too was
newly erected shanly with the name Of Cole,
Saunders s. Co., Army News Agents, who
are ever welcome with the boys In blue, for
they are as anxious about Grant, Sherman &
Co., as about our own feet, " ho are constant
~ lOo6iuE u poHt Hltuout ooiu6 Qn5E0lnS,
except It may be
F1sH1Sa FOR ToRpEDoEs,
which are now the dread Of the navy. and
veil they may be. The Milwaukee, 0sage
aad Rodolpl are perfect wrecks but all the
government property has been got out, ex-
cept the wreck OF the Usage, which, will, un-
der the superintendence Of Capt. Tucker,
soon be cleared, none Of them being In more
than twelve feet Of water.
Inn pnX1np a11 h$r feoa T1$nt
many OF whom we're slaves near here not
long since, We journed on to Howard IS Land
ing. about q mile south and six from the
front, opposite which part Of the fleet is an
chored. THIS Is q charming spot, and used
to he famous Hotel before the war, known
to alt the
ARIs1oCRACY OF TIE sourn.
1t Is now>in a dilapidated state, having
suffered severely from the shell Of our 1eet
on the Goth Of last month. After talking to
/ the host and his family for while, who
seem pretty happy under the circumstances,
nc went on board the flagship, where I met
admiral Thatcher and Commodore Palmer
YANKEE pARIsG-04ru ILLINOIS BOYS.
Shortly our attention WAS drawn to
email boat lssuin9 from the south Of Spanish
Fort, propelled with two paddles and hav-
ing no rudder. One Of our ironclads,
thinking 1t was carrying rebels across to Fort
Tracy, sent two she'll at them on their way
up. All looked on in amazement at their
during. They still continued their course,
the rebels not firing, thinking evidently they
were our euemles, as our oEn gun5oat
! OPENED On them. Passing the fort (spanish),
in front On the bay s!de. .they boarded rebel
| cre!t to see what she contained. The craft
I was supposed to be eome destructive vessel,
cut loose to float down among our bouts, but
proved to be an old vessel that had prunco
frrf 10 nah MN NJ LNA
sooner than they saw 1t was our boys, the
guns at Forts Tracy and Hughie wem
leve1ed at them, sending shelf fast and
thick Lieut.. N. 6. K,dwoik. ed Iowa, with
Sergeant AEhby, company Ct; private r.
Pratt, company C.; private ]. Spreadall,
all OF the 9th Illinois, finding she conta,Lcd
nothing, returned amid grape and canister.
Passing Spanish Fort on their wsy back, at
least
TWO HUNDRED MusRErs WERE LETELEoEAT
THEM.
stn1 the gal1snt little band paddled on, and,
amid cheers from al1 spectators, landed safely,
rot even getting. their boat hit. At least
forty shells must have burst over and round
them. i more daring undertaking never
witnessed. they having to pass the whole
tlont of the fort on the bay side, and within
musket shot Of the enemy's whole force.
RETURNING on TIE MogNyG OF THE2p
10 The front, where firing WIS pretty lively In
the trenches, found tuat during my absence
as the artillery were concerned. Heavier
works were being commenced, aud guns.of
larger ca1iber being placed to bear on tho
fort. experimenting the works On the cast
side might be eecn Gen. McArthur with his
staff engineer, Capt. Wellman, both Of whom
They, loo, spend most Of their tina in the
trenches. Returning By the road, I met Gen.
4. J. Smith, who looked In q coed temper, as
usual, going the rounds TO sec how III: guer-
lllas were progressing. The other night Gen.
Granger lest two chickens out Of four he
and said he hid no doubt the guerillas stole
them. "Oh, no." says Gen. Smith, " I am
eure It was not my boys, from the fact that
they lett two behind. They always take
SWEET STRAINS OF MUSIC.
In the morning and evening the baud Of the
1st brigade, I'd division, play ed at the differ
1ebcls show their gratitude b. occasionally
dropping shell near handy. Here all is gaity
amid the sweet, strains Of music and the boom
Of shell.
DIFFERENT SCENE.
To the rear is a very different .scene-the
different division hospitals, come giving vent
to their feelings bF groaninS;, Others suffering
J.
having q limb amputated, and those that can
be moved to New Orleans being put in ambu-
lance WAGONS md conveyed over rough road
for five miles before they reach the l1nding,
taking With them two days cooked ration5,
which consists Of salt pork and hard biscuits
but these remaining fare no better, and yet
they tell me there Is schooner load OF med
ical stores laying ut anchor near to Fort
Gaincs, only twenty-five miles cff, and
through the neglect or imbecility # s1me
officer has been there six weeks, while our
sick and wounded are suffering from want.
TOBACCO SCARCE. -
Tobacco, too, the soldiers principal COM
fort, is Z scarce article. TIE General con-
mandiug, for some reason best known to
himself, excluded nearly all citizens from
proc .edins with the army-among them the
autler, who has many things to sell that are
greatly needed just now. 1t Is trus the
troops have not'mueh money, some having
eleven months pay due them, but the sutler
will trust in most instances, and many nse
waiting permission In New Or1caps to Join
the army. Those belonging to the 10Th army
corps have never before been excluded from
following the'a1my every where.
CAPTAIN G1LL1s.
At the south Of Spanish Fort, yesterday, I
met Captain Gilis. late Captain Of the Mil
waukee, who Is bringing nayal battery to
bear on their sand battery ut the foot Of tho
fort. This battcIy will have some u-lnch
guns IN nef, bronEht IRON the wrecks OF the |
milwaukee and Os1ge, and Is well covered |
by heavy breastworks. have no doubt from |
the posilfin selected they will soon silence
the 10-inch Columbiad ard 1o4-pound Arm
strong they (the enemy hare erected there
CALLING FIRE.
At little after s yesterday afternoon COM
menced one of the most CALLING fires the en-
envy has received yet. During the day things
wore gloomy nppearnnce-sca-ce -celY shell
was sent into the Tort BY our boys. New
works were near completion, and heavy siege
guns planted in the place Of smaller ones. t
At night they all opened together, knocking |
log after log away from their bzeastworks.
THIS fire Was continued through the night !
with great success. They nevertheless stood
to their guns, eyerlasttngly pouring in she,I |
during the evening and through The night. |
This morning things are little quieter, to
be renewed by and by with fresh vigor, when |
no doubt We shall see their white tiag.
From here to Blakely, By the old road, 1t |
Is fifteen miles, but yesterday our engineers |
bad pontoon bridge finished across the Ten |
saw River, By which seven niles are saved. !
We have most cheering accounts Of the sue
cess Of the boys In that direction. OCCASION
ally the boom Of a she'll is heard. Gen. Steele |
baa invested the place, having captured 500 |
prisoners In nj. Their gaf1ison Is ge:ling
small and beautifully less.
Your, WANDERING CITIZEN.
Kentucky tsuer1l1aR.
[From the Cincinnati tiazette, 13th.1