Cairo, Illinois

HARPER'S WEEKLY.

[JUNE 22, 1861.

390

BIRD'S POINT, MISSOURI, OPPOSITE CAIRO, NOW OCCUPIED BY MISSOURI TROOPS.—SKETCHED BY ALEXANDER SIMPLOT.

PLACING THE HEAVY ORDNANCE IN POSITION AT CAIRO, ILLINOIS.—SKETCHED BY ALEXANDER SIMPLOT.

DEMOLITION OF THE OLD DISTILLERY AT CAIRO, TO MAKE ROOM FOR FORT DEFIANCE.—SKETCHED BY ALEXANDER SIMPLOT.

OUR CAIRO SKETCHES.

ON this page we publish a view of BIRD'S POINT, opposite Cairo, on the Mississippi, which has just been occupied, and is being fortified by the Missouri Volunteers; a picture of the ARRIVAL OF HEAVY ORDNANCE AT CAIRO; and another of the DESTRUCTION OF THE OLD DISTILLERY ON THE POINT, to make room for the new Fort Defiance. All three are from sketches of our correspondent, Mr. Alexander Simplot.

In sending us the last two he says:

CAIRO, ILLINOIS, May 31, 1861.

Inclosed please find a sketch of the heavy ordnance received at Cairo May ‘28, 1861. The army here have lately received three 32-pounders, three 24-pounders, a howitzer, and an 8-inch mortar, and were yesterday mounting and putting them in position. They are formidable-looking instruments, and have proved a great source of argumentation among the soldiers as to their relative qualification of doing mischief. The general opinion, however, on the subject seems to be that they are "some." Naturally their arrival caused quite an excitement among the military, and a shout went up as they rolled into the

lines, doubtless as noisy as that they are destined to emit from their iron throats.

In connection with this, I send you another representing the demolition of the Distillery on the Point, directly at the confluence of the two rivers. This Point commands the rivers in all directions, and is to be and is now being strongly fortified. The building represented in the sketch interfering with the proposed fortifications, had to be taken down. The soldiers apparently enjoyed the fun amazingly, and working at it with a will, soon razed it with the ground.

We shall continue to keep our readers fully posted on the movements of our array at Cairo.

SERVICE AT CAMP DENNISON.

ON page 394 we publish a picture of DIVINE. SERVICES AT CAMP DENNISON, OHIO, from a sketch sent us from Cincinnati. Camp Dennison is pleasantly situated among the hills skirting the Miami, on the Cincinnati and Columbus Railroad, about 18 miles from Cincinnati. There are now about 12,000 men there. Our correspondent assures us that the men seemed much subdued by the solemnity of the scene.