1863. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMEK. 



195 



A Look at the War. 



On tlie morning of June 2d we took 

 a seat in the train going sonth, witli a 

 company of surgeons and nurses bound 

 for the "battlefield of Vicksburg, in 

 which, we past field and open 

 prairie. 



The crops are backward, and in most 

 cases sufi'ering for want of rain. Cot- 

 ton is being damaged bj the cut worjn; 

 tobacco cannot be transplanted on ac- 

 count of the drouth, and the fields eve- 

 rywhere present a cloddy appearance. 

 The fruit crop throughout Egypt is 

 light, notwithstanding the brilliant 

 prospect some-; weeks since, the young 

 fruit has continued to fall off. 



The strawberrv season has been a 

 moderate one at Cobden and Jones- 

 boro. 



We stopped at Cairo nearly two days 

 waiting the steamer from St. Louis, it 

 having got aground on the way down. 

 "When it came it was loaded almost to 

 its full extent, and no disposition on 

 the part of the Captain to take on the 

 Sanitary goods as per contract with 

 the State. It is easily seen that his 

 sympathies are far away in Dixie, and 

 that he reluctantly carries out the con- 

 tract of the owners. With a strong ef- 

 fort a third of the ice is loaded, two 

 hundred out of thirteen hundred bush- 

 els of potatoes, and a part of the other 

 sanitary stores are placed on board, and 

 even this is due to the exertions of Col. 

 Hough, in charge of the party, C. T. 

 Chase the agent in charge of the stores, 

 and Mr. Yocumb the quartermaster. 

 The local sanitary agent was of as much 

 value as a wooden image, being more 

 ornamental than useful. It was prom- 

 ised that the remaining goods should 

 follow on the morrow, but we unhesitat- 

 ingly predicted, that with such an 



agent, the thing would not be done in a 

 month. The Sanitary Commission 

 should at once put some business man 

 in charge at this point, and permit 

 young fussy to take a summer school 

 of small youths, which would doubtless 

 better meet his capacity. 



If there was ever a set of inveterate 

 liars worthy of sharp punishment it is 

 these river boatmen. We doubt if thev 

 would tell the truth on any occasion, 

 more especially the time of leaving 

 port. The boat was loaded at 2 a. m., 

 but as a few more passengers might be 

 had from the morning train, we laid at 

 the levee until near seven o'clock. 



The City of Alton is a large boat, 

 draws when full loaded, as now, about 

 eight feet of water. Among her cargo, 

 are one hundred and fifty tons- of fixted 

 ammunition, this is piled up like box- 

 es of dry goods, as though it could not 

 be exploded until sent after the rebels. 

 The cabin and deck are full of passen- 

 gers, the members of the Sanitary Com- 

 mission numbering eighty-five, making 

 in all some three hundred persons, be- 

 sides the crew. This at once present- 

 ed a bar to any dreams of a pleasant, 

 quiet trip down the river, allowing the 

 wearv surgeons and nurses to recover 

 from the fatigues of the railroad trip 

 and two daj^s' starvation at Cairo. We 

 claim to be a philospher, and endure 

 what we cannot cure, but of one thing 

 we are certain, to not be caught the sec- 

 ond time. And in this connection we 

 would recommend to Gov. Yates or 

 Gen. Fuller when they again charter a 

 steamer, to send some person in charge 

 of the party who will see that the State 

 is not swindled out of her rights, and ; 

 that its employees have at least equal 

 treatment mth prisoners, dead heads 

 and other passengers. The clerk of 



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