The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1870-04-07

DEAR SIR:
1t il such long tins Since
1 heard FROM any of my Iowa friends, out
side Of our family, tnat begin to feel
kind ofhonse sickness over it, and feeling
that you would not consider it an annoy
ance to be compelled TO read few lines
from an cd acquaintance sojourning in
the land of Reconstruction, 1 devote por-
ton of this evening to bringing your fam
| iliar countenance more clearly before me,
and to entertain i. for a short time with
any thoughts that may suggest them
selves on the occasion. Well, suppose,
myself and my ideas OF things will have
to be the theme of discourse, as presume
am about the only individual, in this
part of our great nation, with whom you
are personally acquainted, You are
aware, of course, that am now mem
Der of the 10th Infantry, our cid 18th hay
ing been consolidated with the saith at the
last Reorganization, to form the 10th.
Since my arrival in Mississippi, my du-
1 ties have been various; most of the time,
however, serving on military commission
and courts martial. The great case which
occupied so much of our time during last
summer, has at last been turned over to
the civil authorities without the proceed
ings OF the military comm ission being
published or acted on. This, Of course, is
owing to the great pressure, political or
otherwise, which has been brought to bear
by the Yerger family on the great people
/ of our country, who furnish the wisdom
l necessary to the smooth running of the
machine.
During the registration and election, l
was Military Inspector of the Counties of
Bolivar aud Coahoma. both of which gave
Republican majorites. There was not
l any disturbance in either County, during
the whole time occupied in registering
| and holding the election, They are two
! of the heaviest cotton counties in the
State, and, of course, in the population
| as it requires labor to produce the article,
and the white people Of the State are not,
! as a class, noted for their anxiety to full
| fill the Scriptures by learning their bread
| by the sweat Of the brow" 30 far is it to
the contrary, that they concede to the col !.
ored population all the privileges to be
derived from the strict observance of that
portion of the Sacred text.
On the 18th of last month was ordered
up to Sunfower County, where detach-
ment Of the regiment Is on duty, assist
ing the Sheriff to enforce the law and pre-
serve peace and order in the community.
| Sunfiower County is bounded on the east
by the Tallahatchie river. of which You
have, doubtless, some lively remem-
brances: Shell Mound and Fort Pember-
ton are in the southern part of the Coun-
ty. Those places you may also have
heard some talk about during the time
you were engaged in coercing the chival-
rous people who were fighting for their
| rights. The old Mound looks as natural
As looked over the ground, my mind
| was carried back to the remembrance of
OLD scenes, and many were the forms and
faces that presented themselves, claiming
the right to be remembered in connection
with the darkness end the sunshine, the
sorrows and the pleasures of March and
April, 1858. The graves at the foot of the
Mound are now leveled with the surface.
The forms we laid there now rest in the
National cemetary at Vicksburg. with the
| Flag OF the Union, for which they died,
waving over them. May they rest in
peace.
Fort Pemberton was very large work
commanding both, the Yazoo and ITALIA.
hatchie. Before Isaw it was under the
impression that it was at the confluence
Of the last named and the Yallabusha, but
l SuS AuOulu Vi LIE dlidDuSud is quite q
| long distance below the Fort there also.
was very heavy work. Did it ever oc.
cur to you that the means by which. the
expedition got down there, was the very
l thing that prevented us from taking the
place afterwards. This must be true, for
If the Levee had not been opened at Moon
Lake, which flooded the country, the
swamp above the Fort could have been
crossed by the troops, and the work taken
by assault at the time their guns were
silenced by the Dekalb and Chillicothe.
March Goth, 1879.
There, you can give me credit for hon
estly putting in the date above, instead o,
finishing my letter without il and charg-
ing the delay to the Post Office Depart.
ment.
Well, since commenced the writing OF
adversely to the claims of General Ames
to seat in that august body, and Yerger
has escaped. A a0ely remarkable coinct-
dence, as the Elder, Mr.. Weller, would
probably say. Yerger has flown, and the
pub. ic mind of the chivat'y, is placed at
rest on his account. It would have been
great piece of martyrdom from all &C.
counts ('ohich they read, had the United
States undertook to regard his crime in
any other light than the fancies of a GRAVY
GENTLEMAN. As for General Ames, I
think the Senate might just as well save
Time ana trouble by quietly giving him
his seat, for, If may be allowed to ex-
press it, it's my opinion he is the only one
they will get. and if they send him back
to Mississippi, marked. rejected, Mis-
sissippi will respectfully return him to
them again, with the information that
from personal experience, It has found him
to be a true and Just man, and that cont
modify being rather scarce in these parts,
besides, mistakes are liable to be made II,
finding 1t, II pretera to hold on to an article
pItich has stood the test, and in aphich it
places implicit confidence. won't say that
the language will be exactly as have
stated it, but 1t will amount to about the
l same.
think / win bring this to close as
| soon as possible, for fesr might be in
| terrupted and put it for eight days more.
By reference to Ayers Family Almanac
you will find this is receiving its finishing
touches on Sunday, which is time SET
| apart North of Mason and Dixon's Line)
for business of different character. 1
hope no objections will arise to the read
Ing of it however, on account of the time
occupied in its production.
S. X. NJ.