Cairo Budget

CAIRO, April 30. – Heavy firing from the flotilla was distinctly heard at Tiptonville during Sunday and Monday, but no particulars have yet been received. The enemy’s foraging parties from Corinth are scouring the whole country along the line of the railroad. Gen. Halleck’s entire army has commenced advancing. Deserters contradict previous reports that the rebels were evacuating Corinth, but say that Beauregard has assured his troops that he will make a stand there and chastise our forces and drive them north. River has risen an inch in 24 hours. Loss of Government property would have been immense both here and at posts up and down the river, but for the energy and perseverance of Gen. W. K. Strong and Capt. Pennock, U. S. N., who have been indefatigable in their efforts to successfully to remove all stores out of the reach of the water. The Memphis Appeal and Avalanche of Saturday last have been received but give no news. The fall of Ne Orleans is referred to but no particulars given. Later arrivals from Pittsburg report that Gen. Pope’s division is within five miles of Corinth. His advance is continually skirmishing with the enemy. The whole army has advanced further into the interior and is fully equal to the approaching struggle. Col. Hogg of the 2d Illinois Cavalry, yesterday burnt the Rail Road bridge over the Obion River. CAIRO, April 30. – The packet delight arrived from Tiptonville this morning with a cargo of sugar, molasses and tobacco, reports an alarming stage of water below; hundreds of houses upon the river bank are submerged and washed away thousands of cattle, sheep, and hogs; many families are leaving in flatboats, and everywhere along the river there is great suffering in consequence of the unprecedented flood. The whole of Columbus is overflowed and the water running into the windows of houses. Hickman is also suffering greatly. The fortifications at Island 10 and those upon the main land opposite are as yet above the flood, excepting batteries known as the upper batteries on the Tennessee shore. Here there is an unbroken expanse of water from the Mississippi to Devil Lake. A large amount of cannon and heavy ordnance stores captured from the rebels on the main shore are still lying in the bayou which sets in from the Mississippi. These cannot be removed until the water subsides. An arrival from Tiptonville and New Madrid this morning reports a heavy and continuous cannonading herd throughout Monday night and Tuesday in the direction of Fort Pillow. – There has also been no boat up to-day or since the boat that left there on Monday noon. It is somewhat apprehended that the rebel fleet has been reinforced by the fugitive gunboats from New Orleans and an attack on our fleet has been made. Such an attack was not expected when the last boat left and Com. Foote was fully prepared to meet the enemy. No news to-day from the Tennessee. The Water in the Ohio rose another inch last night, and in the Mississippi half an inch. In several places it is now from six to ten inches above the top of the levee. The Mayor with large gangs of hands is raising the low places and throwing up additional embankments wherever needed. It is confidently believed that in this way the danger will be averted through a very slight storm of wind would inevitably inundate the city within the levee, and the surface water is accumulating rapidly and in many places is several feet deep. The principal streets away from the levee are navigated in skiffs and dugouts. Large trains of freight cars standing upon the levee are occupied as dwellings by families who have already been driven from their houses. The steamer Diligence which arrived this morning from Tiptonville, brought as passenger a refugee from Memphis, which place he left on Sunday. He came by way of the Memphis and Ohio Railroad to Humboldt; thence across the country to Ashport, and from thence up the river. He represents Humboldt as occupied by a small rebel force, who are engaged in throwing up defensive works. Humboldt is a small town, at the intersection of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, and the main trunk road running south from Columbus parallel with the Mississippi to New Orleans. The refugee brings Memphis papers, which however contain but little matter of interest further than the confirmation of the surrender of New Orleans. The Avalanche grumbles that the rebel government suppresses the details in regard to the affair, and says that nothing but the barren facts of the surrender are known. The same paper says that the Southern people are fast losing all confidence in their river defenses, and it is generally admitted that the Federal army can be no longer successfully resisted. It also insinuates a lack of confidence in the stability of the Southern Confederacy, by advising its patrons to invest whatever money they have in real estate while purchases can be made with the currency now in circulation, which is principally rebel treasury notes. The conscription law is being enforced, and Union citizens are secreting themselves or flying to avoid its operations. Memphis is represented by this refugee to be in the highest state of excitement, in anticipation the advent of the Yankees from either side at any moment. Merchants of strong and avowed secession proclivities are removing their goods to places of concealment and security, and large numbers of families are moving away. All the public stores have been put in readiness for immediate destruction at the slightest notice. The idea of burning the town is abandoned; the determined opposition of the property owners and municipal authorities being too great to be overcome. It is currently stated in Memphis that Beauregard has not to exceed 80,000 effective men at Corinth, and there is no hopes of his successfully resisting Gen. Halleck, who is believed to have an army at least 200,000 strong, admirable armed and disciplined, and composed of the best fighting stock in the North. A common expression is that Halleck is fooling with Beauregard, as a cat plays with a mouse preparatory to gobbling it up. The Southwest is admitted to be conquered, and the people are gradually preparing themselves to submit. The fall of New Orleans destroyed their last hope of success. When my informant left Memphis, it was reported that the rebel gunboat fleet from New Orleans were in sight and were bound up the river to join Hollis’s fleet at Fort Pillow. This has undoubtedly been accomplished, as I stated in my former dispatch and may account for the heavy cannonading heard in that direction on Monday and Tuesday. There has been no arrival from the Fort of from Pittsburgh. LATER – 7 P.M. – The steamer Glendale just in from Paducah, reports that a steamer had just arrived from Pittsburg Landing. The latter reports a serious skirmish between our advance party of the army, 5,000 strong, and a large body of rebels, five miles from Corinth – The Union forces were victorious. No mention is made of the losses on either side. The Federal Troops took 29 prisoners. Cannonading was still heard when the steamer left. The Glendale is chartered by the city of Cincinnati, and has on board twelve surgeons and an abundance of hospital stores and delicacies for sick and wounded soldiers. She is now coming look to after the comfort of disabled troops for the State of Ohio.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 3, 1862, p. 3