,.j-;//ifT,:»-'*-,w^f^=V' 



112 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



April 



of time, and most esiiecially during the long 

 months of the mosquito infliction. It is an old 

 proverb that " one half the world do not know 

 how the others live, " and certainly the outside 

 world know lilt! e ia regard to the doings among 

 these river sweeps, cut off from their fellows by 

 cypress swamps, deep bayous and long tangled 

 forests of Cottonwood. The earthquake of 1812, 



that s'lnk the village of a few miles to the 



west, has left its traces here. Island No, 10 was 

 in that convulsion, cut off from the main lacd 

 and the Mississippi, induced to take the new 

 channel through the valley sunk by the unseen 

 power. The motion of this remarkable phenom- 

 ena was from east to west, settling the earth in 

 parallel valleys, now forming long bayous that 

 reach for long miles into the country, and render 

 it almost uninhabitable. If the deep toned thun- 

 der of the earthquake gave warning of God's 

 wrath, sinking whole villages and farms into the 

 deep recesses of the bayou, no less disastrous 

 to human life are the bellowing of these 

 monster mortars, which make the earth vibrate 

 for miles, and whose deep tones are heard in a 

 radii of sixty miles. They fly through the air 

 in graceful circles, with an unearthly scream, 

 "and wing a death to rob a tomb." We have 

 seen them drop into the rebel camp amid the 

 tents, shutting out the sight by an immense clond 

 of dust and smoke, and doubtless sending many 

 of the rebels to their long homes. Again they 

 drop into the enemy's batteries destroying every- 

 thing but the big guns, but here the men flee to 

 the casemates and receive less injury. Some- 

 times they go beyond the range and fall into the 

 forest, from which come the booming sound of 

 the bursting shell, and a column of smoke rises 

 high above the trees. Others burst in mad ca- 

 reer nearly half a mile high — a bright flash like 

 ohaia lightning ; the sudden forming of a little 

 cloud, which sails graceflly off in the direction 

 of the wind, retaining its form for hours. Look- 

 ing at the surface of the river at the sametime, 

 innumerable jets of water go up, to mark the 

 spot of the falling fragments. Some times they 

 burst just over the devoted works, and at others, 

 sink deep into the yielding soil, and bursting, 

 send a column of mud high into the air. Were 

 it not for the death and destruction that mark 

 their explosion, we might look upon them with 

 pleasure. As it is, they are to us a matter of 

 awe, of wonder and admiration, at their un- 

 earthly sound and destructive power— of wonder 

 that such a huge body can be hurled through the 

 air for so long a distanoe by the force of such | 



simp'es as carbon, sulphur and nitre — each so 

 harmless in inself. Of admiration, that the 

 genius of man is capable of constructir^g and 

 commanding such a mighty foe, — the graceful 

 circling of the monster shell as it sails through 

 the air, looking no larger than a good sized mar- 

 ble, bursting into a thousand fragments at the 

 will of the gunner, and sending back its thunder 

 tones. 



Standing just back of the guns or mortars, the 

 flying shot can be seen for a long distance with 

 the naked eye, but shot coming toward you are 

 invisible, and when you hear the sound, it is too 

 late to dodge, though most persons involuntarily 

 go through the^motions. 



Sunday, MA'fBk 16. — The wind still continues 

 N. W., though the weather is more spring like. 

 At a quarter past eight, a steamer came up past 

 the isLind to the lower land battery, but a well 

 aimed shot from one of the Benton's nine inch 

 Di^hlgren guns, sent her afloat, and she disap- 

 peared below the island. Soon after a white 

 flag was waved from the upper battery, and Com. 

 Foot sent one of the tugs with a flag of truce to 

 enqu're its cause, but was informed that they 

 were signaling their own boats below. The tug 

 returned, and at once the Benton opened a dam- 

 aging fire on the battery, which hauled down 

 the white flag and run up the stars andbars. 



The firing continued brisk through the day, 

 but the rebels did not reply until near 5 o'clock, 

 aud then with only three shots. To-day the 

 mortars threw two hundred and eighty shell, 

 and the Benton fifty. In the afternoon. Col. Bu- 

 ford tried the effects of a battery of artillery on 

 the lower part of the Island, but without any 

 damage. The enemy returned a brisk fire from 

 a thirty-two pounder, mortaly wounding one man. 

 The troops under Col. Buford are the 27ch, and 

 24th Ills., and 15th Wis. The Mound City had 

 been directed to take up a position at the Point 

 to protect the mortar boats, and was distant one 

 and three-fourth miles of the upper battery, and 

 within range of fire of the enemies batteries. 



Monday, Makch 17. — We have occupied so 

 much space already, that we must close. This 

 was the great day thus far — the weather was 

 spring like. At 9:45 the rebels fired two shots at 

 us, they having become impatient of our delay. 

 The Mound City was swung round with her head 

 down steam, and fastened to the shore with a 

 large hawser. At 10:30 a. m , the first mortar 

 shell was thrown, and soon after the Mound 

 City sent her first shot at the enemy. She 

 has one of the best gunners, Mr. McElroy 



