The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-06-30

slopes Of the Rocky Mountains or rains fall
ing in the Minnesota had gorged the sinuous
channel with n torrent of rushing water
The placid Ollio-here with no will of her
own-had risen and fallen, widened or mar
rowed in closest sympathy with mightier
Mississippi moods. rfo,
The fetid swainps and the rotting pools in
their midst had steamed and festered for
weary weeks under the burning sum Now
their water, blackened to inkiness by the
shower of dead leaves falling into them from
the cottonwoods and expresses, was silent
and gloomy rs the grave Of buried hopes
Every drop seemed surcharged with dormant
miasma, waiting a re-awakening by the
ardent sun.
Mcclellan had been succeeded by Fremont;
Fremont by Hunter, and Hunter by Haileck,
in command Of the Department, and Grant,
the unknown, undemonstrative Colonel OF
the 2lst H., E.l superseded the Snowy.
ELUSIVE, speech-making Prentiss in COM
mand of the post.
In all these long months preparations for a
coming contest lad gone on necessarily at
Cairo. The daily drills were pushed to utter
WEAKNESS; fleets discharged great stores Of
warlike supplies into the mammoth ware
houses. Great guns ard hills of shot were
piled up on the levee. The building of
strong forts went on unintermittentiy at
every available spot around Cairo. New and
more powerful gunboats steamed down from
Cincinnati and st. Louis, and anchored with
the rest in the calm waters Of the Ohio.
With every new accession to the concern
trated strength the File said to each other:
Well, now. / suppose everything is at
last ready, and the next thing will be an
order TO advance, and then the curtain will
roll up for the great drama"
But the sul,ry days of July became scorch-
ing ones OF August and these mellowed into
the haze of September and then into the
fading beauty Of October, and still 10 gen
eral advance.
McDowell's men were ingloriously beaten
at Bull Run; Stones at Balls Bluff; Lyon
died at the head of his troops at Wilson's
Creek; Mnliigan surrendered at Lexington
and still there was no advance.
Meanwhile the rebels we're not idle
They had violated Kcntuckys neutrality by
the occupation OF the first of the Iron Bluffs
at a place called Columbus, 20 miles be-
low Cairo This bluff-rsing some 100 feet
above the watcr-was so deliberately fortified
as to be deemed impregnable. The great
guns swept the river for five miles above the
Around this nucleus the rebels were gather
ing and disciplining as powerful force as
that mastering for the Union ut Cairo. Fully
80, 600 men were assembled there in the Fall
of 1861, and with these were gunboats and
great guns, and prodigious accumulation OF
military stores.
Each force was constant menace to the
other The soldiers ut Cairo looked forward
continually TO the day when they should
set about their appointed task OF whipping
| Pillows forces and capturing Columbus.
The rebels ut the latter place were in daily
expectation of Icing ordered to move i'll force
upon Cairo. But so far 10 collision had oc-
CURED between them, though the accession OF
! Gen. Grant 10 the command of the Union
forces had been speedily signaiiZed by the
successful seizure Of the important point OF
| Paducah, at the mouth of The Tennessee,
the occupation OF which looked like n demon
stration upon Columbus from the rear.
Dent We liver fear that for second y
said O'NeiI, one day, as Waiter suggested
that it looked as if the Government never in
tended giving them anything to do, except
guard those malaral mud banks. ''Oi'ye
been in the army Il good whole, and one
thing that Olive learned is that though the
Government sames moighty slow, it comes
ont roight mt last, livery time-sooner or later
and some of these days we'll pay up for this
long waitin' in a way that'll make yer Dyes
hang out of yer head until wan could knock
'em off wild stick"
] November opened with as little promise OF
activity IS its predecessors had given, but on
the afternoon OF the Cti feet of eight
transports was arrayed along the Ohio leyee
and five infantry regiments, Co. A, a squadron
OF cavalry and Taylor's battery of artillery
We're marched on board Of them.