From The Thirteenth Regiment

Camp of 1:;: li lic::. Mich. InPty, on line of Charleston and Mempbis 11. K.,aud on the iine between tlie States of Miss aiul) AÏabama, June 6. 1862. Fbibnd Pond : I liavo befóte writtcn to " the News," also to " the Journal," and having a liüle timo this morning, I propose inflicting au epistle 011 you, thinking tliat tlio readers of your paper fcel a tlocp interest in tlio movement of our troops in this portion of llebeldom, partioularly in evcrything that concerne fylfehigan regimenis. I am happy to say that the health of the l.'ïth is now good. Our nurnber hits been considerably redueed in eonaeqncncc of aickness - having had to leave ftbout 4Ü0 men in hoapitals and convalescent bavraeks - Öuriog our long maróh from the Ohio river to this point. We have now less than 601) efficiënt metí in the regiment, and yot vo are as full is the régimen ta will average. Our regiment was Ordered away f'rora Kalamazoo just nfter W had had about 350 cases of nieasles. Neftrly all of theso men failed on accouut of debility, when put upon the march through Kentueky and Tennrssfie, and the comuion experience of all regiments has been, that when men havo been loft behind on account of sickness, but few of them regain their regimanta ; thoy are either sent homo or placed upon special duty when tliey recover, at the points where tliev were loft. This bas been more partioularly the easc witn 258 men left at . Nashville, whero they have been retained to perform various kinds of duty. After the battle of Shiloh, the movements of the army were .[uito slow, in consequence of heavy rains and the almost impassiblc condition of the roada, which would neithei admit of tho passage of army wagons nor ordnance. For weeks our men were compellcd to carry their provisión? from tho Tenncsee river to the camps, (an average of four müc-) on their backs; but new roads wBre made from all points of our extensivo linos, through tho wilderness towards the en einy's lines at Corinth, and the vast anny which had been greatly reinforced, was moved eaütionsly, and ([ think) skiüfully, forward. On arriving withiu two miles of the rebel fortifications, we made in trenchments along ourentire lines, (about seven miles). Prom these ve gradinily advaneed, driviog back the cueiuy's piökets and planting heavy siego gúna, - Durtng the time we were fbrowirig np our intrenehtnents, a coüstant SKinnish ing n'ro was kept up bctwecn the pickets, and from time to time the artillery would opon with sliell, grape, canister and ?')lid shot, but no general engagement tok plaoo. ïwo weeks aso last Monday the I3th had a warm time, and behaved with sueh bravi'ry and coolness that Gen. öahfikld compümer.ted them highly. Our boys were deployed as sTcirtnighers, w!cn a Lóaisiana regiment moved rapidly upöti them i:i lina. A portion of a regiment of Ohio cavalry r;ui, leaving their horses tied in the rear ; but the 13th Óboyed the order to " rally on the reserve," and promptly drovo tha Eouisiana Xrgefa froiu tlie field. We lost threo uien badly woundud, and whcn tlio fire ccased, the Oliio esvalry returnod back to sec to their horses, whicli they found all right. Col. Siiokmakkr asked one of them why they ran ? The cool reply was, " because we were attacked." Tho truth is, the cavalry have not got a good name horo ; but from a!l I can féartr, tbc 2d and 8d Mtchigttb bear a good reputation. But to return, wo supposed the day was near when we would raafee an attack Everything was in readiness, and on ]A-iday, May 30th, we were told the &ïége guns would " open the ball"' by sheliing the onemy's positinn. Soon after sunrise a dense smoke ai'ose over Coriiith, accompaniad by heavy and rapid explosions. The enemy hud set fiie to the depot buildings, fiüed wilh such army stores as cou'd rnt be earried aw.y. The storehouses ooutaining sliells were also lirod, which caused the rapid eïpi&sions. Gou. Nelson at once moved his divi.sion forward, and arrived in the desorted town in time to extinguish some buildings that had been fired by the last retiring enemy. Our división soon moved forward. The houses wero ncarly all deserted, the Corintliians had gone, and I was told tliat they had been sent away by the rebül cominanders when they took possession of the town some two uionths tfefore. It is a small town, very well built, and I should say eontaincd about 1000 inhabitants. It is a new town and was suppnrtcd by the. business brought there by the intersection of the MetDphia and Charleston, and Mobik and Ohio railroads. Tho feeling causod amongst the troops, when it beeame known that the rebels had fled, wns disappointment, as ail feit coniidonce in the ability of the government forecs to havo gained a signal victory; and perhaps by prompt and vigorous flank movements,we would havo been cnabled to bag a large portion of thoir army, with ordnanco, aimnunition, and military stores. But it appears that the work of evacuation had been quictly going on for a number of days; and the only thing that isunaceountable to me is, that the commander of our forcos was not aware of such important movements, so thnt the attack could have been made before the entire force esenped. Popk's army, with two divisions of Bükll'?, have gone south after the mnin body of the encmy, and it is thought that a íight may have taken place. On Monday last, this división, (the 6th,) under tlio comniand of Gen. 'f hos. J. '(j)D, wan orderod to this place. The objeot is in part to guard the Mempliis and Charleston railroad while the Michigan Mechanies and Engineeis pair the bridgos, and put the road ra ruim7)g ordor. A oowardly act was porpetruted on the latter regiment a few days ago. Two of the men went a short distance from the camp to bathe in the river, when thcy were fired npon, onc killed and the bthar badly wouuded. I hopo G'en. Wood will act as promptly in making the nei;liboihood rcsponsiblo for all suoh cowardly acts as others have done under like eiieuinstanccs. The country heve is at our mercy, and the sooner cold blooded inurderers, and t!ie community that encourages them are made aeijuainted with the fiict tlie better. My sentinients rogardiijg the South and Southern poojtla are somewhat different from wiiat tlioy were beföre 1 caine here. I have often listened to the oomparisons made bctween the two sections of the country, by Northern men, and received them with " a grain or two of allowanec," on account of sectional prejudice; but so far ns my experiinco _'xx for the last four mouths, I do not tliink that any statement I have heard Iiasevcr failed to do tho South ampie justice. J liever expected to soe in any poition of the UnitedJStates so niuch evidene: ol ignorance, indolenco and sloth. Evorytliinr; that is done is done at the greatesl (-,'iilvantage, and dono poorly, too, - Farms are not half improved, nor half worked, and tho facltting ini])lLincnts are i of the ni'icst nnd most primitivc. kind. So far as I onn judeo, thcy plnut j si . j e;rn enonli to fecd tho fu'.nüy, iho j ncgroes, and tin: liogi, and then the I w j ' foriucr turn in and eeimuno tlic lat ter ; ■ : i nnd from year to year tliis lias been the casi!. When tlio poor furui beeomcí worn out from defectivo agricjJturo, the ! eondition of thoss poor creatures beeomea deplorablo. iiut tlio intelleutuul cotidition of tha poople is entirely ncglectcd. I do not thir.k that iu 400 miles travel throiigh Koiituoky, Louisiana,and a sn;;ill [jortion ! of Mtssissippi, I Lavo seen as many scbool-lmusèi as I would see in Michigan in travel ÏDg 20 miles. I can uot remambcr scoitig over fouv or five, except in villages, ind there we soe nothing but boarding schools, or seminaries in tended for the edueation of the rich. The people never go iway from home. Two days ago, as we were marching to tli is point, a halt was ordered which broogtrt me directly in front of i sinall farm-house. A wumati stood in the door, surrounded by a family of children. I asked her how far it was to Inka. Sho replied, ' fivo miles." I askud if tlio roitd3 were good. She said she " could not teil, as she had never been thore." I asked hr-r how long she had lived here. She replied, ll-ail her lifo - that t-he was born hcre." I remarked that sho had not traveled mucli ; sho replied that she " had been as far as Burnsville, three miles from whero she was boru, but nevor further.'1 With regard to the country through whieh we have marchec), the quality of the soil from West Point, on the Ohio rivcr, to ten miles north of Nashville, would average from ral.lier poor to middling; but from ten miles north of Nashville, to sixty miles south, through Franklin and Columbia, it is the most charming country I ever beheld. The roads are all JIcAdamizod, and on cithi -r side aio elegant catates. Sonie distance gouth of Naslivillc, we fouud the estute and resideiice of the late Gen. Zolmcoffer; further south still, that of Gen.PiLlow and his brother ; and adjoining theni, that of Andruw Jackson Poi.k, cousin of Ex-President Polk, and brothor of the MrM Recorend Hishop and Creneral, Lkomims Polk, of the rebel arir.y, Tliis is tho ünest estáte we saw during our en'ire maroh. Thero aro 1,500 aeres, valued nt S 125 per acre. Land around Nashville was vcry high before the war broke out, selling from thrce to six miles out at from $100 to $600 per aci-e. Before I caine here I entertaimd a more cxalted opinión ef the bravpry and ehivalry of the South than I da af jresent. They nill haug out the black ' ilnrr - then nui away nnd Inave it I They wül protest that they will figb so long as ibero is a man or a dollar left - aba whon we take pos3ession of thcir country, tliey will declare that they took no hand in the rebellioh, or that they had always boen true to the Union ! And in i;inetyuino casos out of every onn luiMÜred fcüey do not teil the truth. Yet I do not thirk that tho sentiment of the peop'o here is as oiucfa opposed to the Union as in Tennes-ee and even Kentucky ; but" it may be owin;; to the fact that they feel the efl'i;ets of (ie war worse, and tliüt should it continuo, actual starvation may befóte anothur spring staro thcin m tlie face. - Flour liere is $10 per hundred, and quiniiie $21) per ouncc; alcohol $6 per gal Ion, and calicó 40 cunta per yard, and nolliing to uirclia.se it with at that, sliould Confedérate scrip bc refused. lint I have spun tiiis yarn out too Iota and must close, as I began, by subscribtng mvself Your Frienrl, AlSX. J-jWino. The cold wesither lins kept Wnol bnck,atírl the purebases yet made wil! not, probubly, exceed 2,000 lbs. - We noticed severul loads in yesterday. JNot above 40 cents has yet bien of lured is i;ir as we can learn. Z?Lr Illinois votei on tho new G:mstitution on Mondny, and it is eupI poscd it U adopted. The Chicago Tribune senJs np an awful wail at tbc ree uit. I Z'S" 'be Wisconsh Lcgishiíiiro a. jonnit'íl sine die on Tuesduy, hnving repéaled the Personal Liberty Laws. EP Mrs. Gen. Lke and her two daughters havo boen released from duranee rile and sent within tho rebel lines. Gi-eut paius were taken to present them carrying any news that might benefit the robels.