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T1 land a hv purs Bull witl of l! wilt oper eral cstii exce are as ii that a ba Pres his 1 “ a 1kindnessreelslt; wahalf and be ir to ftTJmar has ly h unti cies,Letter from Col. Owen’s Regiment.Cave City, Ky., July 1,1862. jThe Sixtieth has at last succeeded in leaving iU native State, and after more than four! months’ arduous duty and rigid dicipliue at Camp Morton has been ordered to Kentucky and Tennessee, to sustain the spirit of patriotism now making itself felt in those States.One half of the regiment left Indianapolis about three weeks since, and the remainder followed on the 2lst ult. Cave City was the point of rendezvous, and after full preparation the greater part of the regiment started, on Sunday morning, the 29th ult., on a long march to a region remote from railroads and other civilized institutions. While tarrying at this place, many of the officers found time to pay a visit to the Mammoth Cave, only nine and a half miles distant. Your correspondent, having never seen that marvel of caverns before, passed a most delightful afternoon in exploring the famous halls, chambers, pits and other curiosities, all of which have been so often described that it would be superfluous to do more than allude to them. In most particulars the Cave equals the vivid descriptions of the school-books, andgin some perhaps^ falls short, but altogether it is a sublime and wondrous spectacle, and one which it would well repaj' a long journey to behold.iA smaller, but very beautiful and interest-j ing cave, known as the Osceola Cave, lies about three miles distant, and was visited by the Colonel and a small party, in company with Mr. Dolley, the proprietor and discoverer, who took great pleasure in exhibiting all its beauties to best advantage. This cave is) 0^|iechiefly remarkable for its picturesque clusters CQQ^ of alabaster columns, and for its stalactites! and stalagmites, which abound in almost every part of the cave. Some delicate and fairy-like, others grand and massive. Besides these there arc in the vicinity many smaller caves, but from their proximity to the cave they attract little attention. The whole country seem cavernous, and the surface is covered with the characteristic “sink-holes.As for agriculture, this part of the State presents,. nothing whatever thal is favorable.Corn is later than in Indiana and looks white! and sickly. A great part of the timber i»!mos scrub-oak, and what soil can be found between the rocks is red and barren, much like that we read of in scripture, where the peas would'nt sprout.One of the most amusing scenes imaginable was the capturing and breaking the herd of mules sent us for transportation. They hadnever been subjected to any authority, and their violent resistance to the mild measures! used to render them servicable caused somejJun ludicrous and some dangerous accidents; but all the unruly quadrupeds are now tolerably well accustomed to the harness and will be more 90 before we arc done with them. It may be a consolation to those who are concerned about the health of their friends to know that our regiment is accompanied by two four-liorse spring ambulances, most comforta-coutrived for the conveyance of the sick or wounded.One thing the menmissja little is the baker’s bread always so plentiful at Camp Morton, and as hard bread lias been almost equally scarce of late, nothing but flour has been issued and the whole regiment has consequently been feasting on india-rubber “slap-jacks,’’ fried in grease and savoring delightfully of wood smoke.The weather is very hot but not oppressive, and there are cool anti plcasnt breezes towards night. The sight of finely wooded hills is decidedly refreshing after the exceedingly flat country around Indianapolis, and though wc shall have some rough roads to travel we an- (.ounIticipatc an agreeable and of course a success-armcredthessentkeptderneglin Akno’gainidiffithSthechaithetionbtaiphisthemiltsixtwitlcaplcomed.maccaningAplioiAct;anahisEuas apaign. II-
Newspaper Details
Evansville Weekly Gazette
Evansville, Indiana, US
Sat, Jul 05, 1862
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Stuart S.
USA 25 Jun 2019
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