The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-01-12
NAE Mf.MOEIES.


The ,eige OF rinth,-'iiow Not 70 do II =
The uiMtOry movements OF iIaIivyh, u
such length referred to hereafter uiloidet
the best possible illustration Of the methoC
show not 10 do It," AS an distractions
he WIS AN eminent success. The labor eX
pended on the amazing extent 81 his line
OF iOuihcauun, 10 all ri refuge IN case ul
retreat, wnica seemed his sole purpose, Il
was estimated by good engineers, VAS sui
ficlent completely 10 have done The grading
for railroad between Shiloh Church and
Corinth. Aud that purpose was essentially
furthered by It's 50 wasting the strength OF
that great army, as WAS set iOIth 81 much
at length. The foul water, the constant
rains, the ground reeking with accumu
lated fifth which could not be more than
partially abated, necessarily gave forth ex
hslations charging the atmosphere with
deadly miasmtc,-these anu other cir
cumstanCes, already enumerated, could
not better have reduced our forces. Prop
or to mention what early settlers in the
west ever experienced; that turning ny
new ground, as breaking prairies and grad
Ing railroads, always caused sickness. "
That fortifying" thus further reinforced
the armies OF disease and death, our com,
manders powerful auxiliaries.
Our men became dispirIled, homesick
iscouraged-hopeless. eff they could
but decently die and have done with It,"
often entered into tie protests they conf
dentially made 10 medical officers; in
stances where officers became almost mutt
nous. 1t was related to me where principal
ones like Pope and Sherman became al
most furious at such ruinous delays, for no
good reasons apparent to them. Halleck
remained wonderfully calm aud cool; his
manner indicating that he was master OF
the situation" Had his especial plans to
accomplish, which would develop In his
own good time-und they did!
Reports circulated among us confirming
IN advance what afterwards was fun,
known. Sherman had pushed his divis.
Ion to point commanding the NJ. ~ o.
have cat 1t. Pope, in like manner, hau the
Memphis ~ Charleston. Altogether the
armies closely invested the town like n
hall moon the center being the main
body, slowly advancing, and the tanks
reaching beyond IL on either side. Report,
cd that AT one Of the councils Gen Pope
urged that the time had come for decisive
action. Said he mad climbed high tree
In the thick branches of which, secure
OF Co,inth, ana of the situation of things
In and about there. That the Notifications
were not heavy. That evidently it would
not be very difficult to enter, make a gen.
eral assault and end the siege. AT least 1t
was feasible SO eifectually TO destroy the
railroads AS at once to cut off their sources
OF supplies, and thus terminate It, This
speculation Mas said to have been met
derisvely Icy Halleck, VINO rudely i'm
prov,sed and sung Il parody on an old
nursery rhyme:
"John Pope, he,
Dld climb "A tree,
Old COrinth Tor 10 see, ec--ee."
And this In the spirit Of Nero, while be-
hind and around him his own army was
beseiged and being rapidly dIsintegrated
by the irresistible ones referred to, under
that invihcible Commander, whose name
Is Death!
III this condition was severe on field and
line offices and men, this awful, wasting,
slow progress through that valley of disease
and death, it was not less so on the medi.
Cal staff. Literally, there was no end to
the demand for their services-nor was
any respite. And they did fall by the way
side; because exhausted sickened and had
10 be relieved; died from 1t, like other
men; which multiplied by so much the
duties of those remaining-already In
great excess-who still held out. Loss of
sleep rendered the conditions doubly hard,
and some became crazy from the superad
cd care. Before being relieved at Savan'
nah, Tenn, and rejoining the regiment. the
body Of our Ass. Surgeon Wheeler, was
brought there for temporary interment,
who became insane and died from these
enumerated causes.
Ordered to the regiment, the way proved
difficult My horse had been sent forward
as he would have been an ncumbrance II
he had not The way was difficult, mud
deep, ravines had become streams. Owl
creek still on rise, with numerous extra