The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-05-10
FROM CAPT. BALLARD'S ROCK
ISLAND COMPANY.
CAMP NEAR MONTGOMERY, ALA,
ALL Q0fh 1SkS

DEAR Argus Two months ago we Capt.
Billiards. company left the city of Rock
Island as q new organization of is. soldiers.
with the expectation, on the part Of some of
us at any rate, of being stationed at some
point to drill and prepare for the field, but
instead of such privilege we were hurried
to the field of operation, and took our place
in the front. On the 18th day of March we
started from Camp Butler. H., and came to
New Orleans BY way of the Illinois Central
r. R., and the Mississippi river. From New
Orleans we marched across the country to
Haycock's Landing, and then took steamer
across Lake Ponchertrain; from there to
Lake Borgne and from there into the Gulf
Sound, passing Fort Pike from the Sound
through Grants pass into Mobile Bay, via
Forts Gaines and Morgan to Stark's Land
ing, where we disembarksd and marched six
miles to Fort Spanish, the key to the rebel
defences of Mobile. Our regiment the 47th
ILL., Inf'ty Vols being in the front limos, we
were ordered to join our command. which we
did under a heavy musket FIRE. which, for
those who had never been under fire, was
quite trial But the boys stood up to the
work like veterans, and from that time until
the fall of Mobile, on the 18th day of April,
we occupied the first and second lines OF the
works On the 18th we started on our march
for this place, making the trip in IL day,-a
distance of 225 miles. In that march we
travelled one hundred and fifty miles without
seeing house fit for white man to live in,
and only passed through one town on the en-
tire route and that was Greenville town
with capacity for about 1000 inhabitants, sit
uated As miles from Montgomery and about
% miles from the Alabama River.
On the 25th day of April we marched
through the streets of Montgomery. without
tmolestation or resistance, the rebs having
evacuated the place on the 22d, burning all the
warehouses and all the cotton, amounting to
about l60, 900 bales. On the 24th the city
was surrendered to our advance guard, by
the mayor. On the Both our transports ar
rived, ten in number, accompanied by two
gun boats bringing US FL. L. and 5. B, which
we much needed, as we only had corn meal
rations.
The city OF Montgomery is situated in a
basin of land sloping in every direction to
the river and is very tastefuliy arranged with
foliage, thong very irregularly laid out
The state house is a very common affair and
very small.
We are now camped one mile and half
north of Montgomery, on the Alabama River,
in q splendid camping ground. The 10th A
O., and the colored troops of Gen. Steele's
command, accompanied by about Is. 900 cav.
airy, are here. Where our next location will
be cannot tell.
The colored troops of Steele's command are
recruiting the contrabands of this section at
the rate Of $500 per day. The stragglers
from the rebel army are coming in By hun
dreds and being paroled and sent home; all
of whom agree that the confederacy is played
out. The oonfederacy money is not worth
anything-the merchants of Montgomery
took what they had and threw it out in the
streets, in some instances as much as $50, DOC
thrown out There are men here who paid
before we came, as high as 5000 in confeder-
ate money for q common straw hat. and now
$1,000 will not buy plug of tobacco.
should have stated before that LIST Lieut.
NJ. Shaughnessy was wounded the day of oui
arrival in front of Spanish Fort by gun.
shot and sent back to New Orleans. The
health of the company is good.
Enclosed please find copy of Governor I
H. Watts message to the general assembly
of the state of Alabama, at their last conven.
ton.
We find the people here resigned to thei,
failure; the men civil the ladies docile and
the niger enthuastic. We have had two cop
les of the ARGUS since we arrived at Fit Span
ish and by the time the company got through
with them it would have been pretty hard t.
have made out where it was published
Yours Respectfully,
BEE