The National tribune., 1901-11-21
DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI.
Revisit to Scenes OF Camp and BaleChanges Wrought by
Time and the Great River.
By c. Nj. PARKER, Co. A, 46th Ind.

ity, to review the scenes of their marches
battles and camps; but the fates seemed
to conspire against them, and frustratet
their cherished plans, until, Oct. q last
a party. consisting Of Comrades h. j
Lister. Hez. Robson, L. w. Slceth ant
C. NJ Parker, of Go. a; Capt. trant
Swigart. Of Go. B; J. 5. Case, Co. Z; }
C. Dill and Capt. Chas. Fisher, 60; Il
BeGchIy Sharp, Go. +; tapr. James less
Co. G: Thos. Cary and William Moye,,
Co. H: Samuel johnson, W. j. Davis anl
First Lieut. and Adj't A. q. Sinks, GO
X. met at the Union Depot in st. Louis
Louis: and boarded the Illinois tentfa
and bearded ihe Illinois Central train tt
Cairo. where we took the steamer l'ets'
Lee down the river.
ISLAND no. 10.
The first place of interest TO us was
island No. 10. which We found had en-
tirely disappeared, having gone the way
of all the earth along the MISSISSIPPI
not a yestigc of it remained.
The next stop was at New MadIld
where we had been engaged in the IA
nous Island No. 10 campaign. We went
ashore, and while discussing matters per
tanning to the positions we occupied while
in front of that place, a Confederate calno
aIonr, We appealed to him to sustain
our positions, which we were so positive
were correct. when he took away our
breath by saying: You are all wrong;
your old positions are away out about the
middle of the river. This town has all
been rebuilt since the wah. See that
scheol-house yonder? Well, it was built
since the wah, and it has been moved
back three times, to keep the river from
getting il"
After enjoying the view of the sur
rounding country and talking with the CIT
i7ens and old Confederates, all of whom
started on for new scenes, and would
gladly have landed at Tiptonsville, where
in the general scramble to get away from
Island No. 10, by the COnfederates, we
landed in order to head them off; but mp
louisville is no longer on the river; sand
bar mile wide is in front of 1t.
FORT PILLOW.
We stopped at many landings and en-
joyed the sights now so novel to us OF
loading cotton and cotton-seed, ana un-
loading freight. until We arrived at our
old camp above Fort Pillow, where we
STAYED in the Spring of 1862 during op-
erations against Fort Pillow. We Went
ashore anxious to again visit the old
camp the plantation tHardin'sl, the Old
mansion, the deer park, etc; but again
we were doomed 10 disappointment, for
while trying to account for the changed
scenery, a resident of the neIghborhood
informed us that the whole plantation,
mansion and all, had dome gone down
the river."
We resumed our way sorrowfully, but
assured Gn our imaglnationsl that We
would find Fort Pillow all right, at all
events. as if was situated on high,
rocky hill that in war times stood up al
most over the river. Looking eagerly as
we rounded the point, we saw nothing
but wide sandbar covered with cot
tonwood forest of many years growth,
I5rart;pr, nf VO4H t'antgln
saw Fort Pillow a mile and half back
from the river, almost hidden from view
by the afore- mentioned cottonwood
Then we began to learn what tyrant
the Old Mississippi is; any place that 1t
cannot remove by washing down the river
it isolates from the river By landing in
front Of it acres and perhaps miles OF
sand and quickly grows thereon dark
green forest TO hide it from view Of pass
ing steamers.
Old Fort Randolph has met a similar
fate, and those who helped ps on June
8, 1862, to dsmantle that old fort and
load its heavy guns onto our steamers
will hear with Il degree of incredulity
that that old stronghold is now back from
the river at least one mile Those two
places so prominent in war times so
pregnant with historic events, are sink
ing into oblivion, soon to be lost sight Of
forever.
Leaving old Fort Randolph, We were
soon nearing Memphis. Just a few miles
above Memphis, on the beautiful morn
ing of June 6, 1862, while our transports
fioated slowly down the river, we waited,
watched and listened with bated breath
for the result Of the contest between the
Federal and Confederate fleets. But this
time there was no fleet, no distractions:
we glided smoothly down the river, landed
in front Of the city, bade good-by TO the
good steamer Reese Lee and her Captain,
l. artl md afFiE
that had done so much for our entertain
ment and enjoyment, and transferred our
baggage to the steamer Dewey, upon
which we We're to pursue our journey af-
ter q days sightseeing in and about Mem
phis.
MEMPHIS AND VICINITY.
Memphis has changed less since the
%sr than any place we had visited,
though it has grown wonderfully The
old vacant square where stood the flag
staff from which waved the Confederate
flag which was hauled down by the 4}d
and 10th Ind. June g, 1862, is now occu-
pied by n beautiful Government build
ing and the new city library.
As there are no battlefields Of note near
Memphis, we spent the day visiting the
city and the National Cemetery, where
sleep 1860 Union soldiers, 2,9S7 of them
from Indiana, l3 of our regiment: but
the only grave we could identify was that
or w. Il. HaTtZOg, OF Co. A, 10th Ind,
who was wounded at Champions Hill
and died while in the hospital in Mem
phis.
The cemetery is beautiful indeed, is
well kept, and is a fit resting-place for
the heroes who have earned a place
where yalor proudly sleeps"
Saturday evening, Oct % we resumed
our way oil the Dewey, a ''side-wheeler''
with all modern Improvements. On board
was Il party of ladies from Memphis All
were typical Southern women. very bright,
gociable and hOSpitable, and their pres
ence added much to the enjoyment OF our
whole party. Their quaint, broad. drawl-
ing pronunciation, their soft. low-ptched
voices, were novel and pleasing to MS. One.
tall, dark-eyed Alabamian, said: Il
have been up Nawth; | like you Nawthen
people very much; | like your style Of
doing business, yOuah push etc; but, say,
there is one thing l CANT go, and that
is that cold light bread you all eat"
Another said: Il have lived up Nawth;
lived in st. Louis; | like the Nawthen
men very much, but yuuah ladies are nm
sociable; they are cOld-blooded and hard
TO get acquainted with. | like the way
you build your houses; they are compact.
comfortable and convenient; why, | could
do my own work in q modern Nawthen
house easier than / can superintend my
help in a Southern house" AS to the
charge of being "unsociabc' 1 leave to
the Northern ladies to refute by their fu-
ture conduct. But the Southern ladies
that our parfy met were certainly very