New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-08-19
FROM LOUISIANA.
v,om New.OrIcans 60 Shreveport Lou"
,.;aus swamp It's Char"c'cr'''e.-
u.,ous and Plantations - hem'"''-
..,ces Of she Fed River Expe""'o"-
y..e.-Fires-Towns ON the Ei'er-A'
Shrevepcrs.

Trce.-Fires-Towns ON the i'i'er-
shreveport.
,,,u, Our Special Correspondent o. ,oc-
H' SHREVEPORT. La, July 20 1860.
,r.;r,oo, DAYS from New-Orleans to Shreve-
-, and that with all the advantages oil sooa
r., IN the Mississippi and an "easy current IL H'u
- a stern on our boat as broad anu as H'' "s
49,. m,usail and the wind nearly all the TINE In our
10y, lis now four days since the tedious length VI
,rovage showed its ycarnedfor termination through
,;,e forests of Caddo Parish-the important news
- u, atty and the prominent phases OF the ni''ar!
lection have been committed to writing ana sent u
.-eoa vet the unooasing 'chuf. chui oi the ENGINE
,n sounding in my with almost the dlstiue'ne's
,esHty Indeed, were your correspondent music'aii
1 sboud undertake play piece no matter whe'nei
!. shopd be O quckslep or dead march, ne "0uu
,,e IN accommodate its time to the measured seesa"
.,,okes O. the engine "Wly must little boys nave
,,onael,," exclaimed little fellow who was "r'hAs
.,,b The cole. "Why must steamboats, have seape
,,oes r. was ny impatient mutual ejaculation more than
score Of tines as our splashing wheel urged US tedi'
Ously along.
Wen It is oil over now and as can say nothing IN
,vor az the boat will say nothing against her she
!. ona OF a class known "coasters' whose light
s-an-bt enables them TO enter bayous aud bring out
,e,ebt for larger vessels She was the only craft adj
versed for Red River and your correspondent had no
choice but 20 take her. May she make many aud profit
able trips may wind and current ever be in her iavor
nav sac never again the day when al illnatured
Fate shall doom ne 10 travel another foot on her,
THE RED RIVER COUNTRY.
We put into the Mouth of the Red River the morn
r Of the 3d. and, in obedience TO the lately issued
o,der prohibiting boats 10 run il this stream al night
dropped our anchor about 50 miles above, soon after
.upset And now while the dronilg siwmer OF the
boilers is slowly dying into silence and lulng every
boy into drowsiness or sleep almost impossible so
iutolerable is the heat and eager the muskeoes,
Twill speak somewhat of the country through which We
have passed. When troops were formerly up ibis
river important events thieky impending that
but little was said OF any thing else.
From here to the Mississippi the country is fiat,
thiek.grown and gloomy swamp prolific of but little
else than murRy fog and those winged denizens Of the
air that surround you in company with TIE darkness OF
the evening al bite. If ueGtion these pests Of hu
nanity more Than once it is because. no matter how
YOU nav be engaged. they beset your every thought
and generally reserve TO themselves the larger half
Could tie impression be transferred TO your columns
would crush one on ny paper. right lere. so that
doubters might realize the almost inconceyaoe size Il
which a n,usketo, under favorable circumstances
will grow. The entire region is interaced with 6
literal network OF bayous--not welldefined streams
on tie banks Of which might sit and rest but broad
sheets Of water whose level except ut very low water
IS scarcely perceptby lower than that Of the surround
ing country. They formed and supplied by slow
drainage the ground merging itself gradually from
mud into muck and from muck into water. The
plantations which scattering but very productive,
are generally several miles back from the river In
truth in many places nothing but amphbious animal
could live six consecutive months Immediately upon
the river The soil and the excessively rank under
growth emit miasmatic dampness that the forest
seems 10 hover over and retain possession peculiar
70 the locality. The time may come when enterprise
and capital will render these swamps safely and Irot
ably habitable; but they are now even clmatized
people fear them.
ALEXANDRIA.
The 4h found us again under Roadway and the afier
noon The 9Th brought us to the HIGHER rolling country
and to Alexandria, which tie military depot OF
Gen. Banks's expedition. During these two days we
passed along a region which vari.s in no general
feature from that described in tae proceeding para
graph There Yves tie same low swamp the same
heavy oyer.hanging trees on either side, the same
bayous making OF through the woods and disappearing
IN tue thickness of the forest foliage. Alexandria
showed us the first noteworthy sign Of c!vization-no
20 much on account of the town. for its houses were
nearly all burned upon evacuation Of the place in
fire Spring Of 1854 aud partially replaced with
shansies; bat there force of 5000 men was camped
and ali tie pecuarites Of soldier life with which have
so long been associated appeared once more. a fleet
Of dozen steamers moored along the landing.
soldiers flied the streets, the inevitable contrablnd
natron with her hands under her apron, stood apart
lOm the crowd and watched our approach, while
rather of in the BACKGROUND strecie ed tie camp with
hs headquarters ai, It's smell OF cooking ratons, and
IL variety Of tents embracing every grade and shape
ron tie tall Sibey which was much in vogue when
soldering was an eUharaiing luxury to the dminu
tive "rup tent" Of later and moro useful days Many
oi,he men were expcctantly waiting TO be mustered
out Others were looking with equal irnpatence fol
orders to In0rch-to Houston they thought,
SHREVEPORT AND BELOW.
Bot our destination was not here and night coming
on and cutting OF commuucat with the shore ther
was 10 further opportunity of making inquiries. ~
sunrise we were several miles above Alexandria, th'
course Of the liver now leading through an elevated
rolling country with occasional patches OF prairie
scattering pines aud sand hills. Thirty miles above
Alexandra is the little town Of Coio, which is The
fri town above that place. 1t was here my memory
Is oorrect that the Rcd River Expedition first met
with resistance after leaving Alexandria. II consists
Of about dozen one-story houses Of ancient pattern
end tumble down procliyites.
Just above COtila We come to the heavy pine fores
vlel extends on up to Shreveport, perhaps beyondi
AID henceioh we nothing but pines. Where there
hssameness or monotony in anything one naturally
GRAVES and seeks for relieving features
CONGREGATIONAL TREES.
fo~ltI.ee THE foot tli-