The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-23 00:00:00

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TEE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

(From the Special Corespondent of the Times.)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9.

The news of two great events is carried to Europe
"by this mail. One might have been, and, indeed,
'was anticipated as exceedingly probable, and affords
another instance of the want of capacity in choosing
defensive positions and in estimating the value of
the enemy's means which has been illustrated by
emveral similar actions on the part of the Ceenfede-
rates. Island No. 10 has suTrendered, with either
the whole or a large part of its garrison, and the
rout of the covering army, with a heavy loss in guns
and prisoners. Thee other is, if the confused and
hurried reports Which have been received up to the
departure of the steamer are to be depended upon in
the main, a battle of colossal dimensions, commenced
by an attack of the Confederates from Corinth on
the Federal army at Pittsburg, and ending in their
repulfse after a prodigious, if not fabulous slaughter
on both sides. Let us take a survey of the two
events in due order. When the Confederates evacu-
u.ted Columbus by order of General Beauregard,
who saw the position was net tenable in conse-
quence of the Federal adeeance and successes in
Kentucky and Tennessee, they took their stand on
an island in a bend of The Mississippi, abcut 45 miles '
from Columbus. The river here makes one of the
remarkable turnee which distinguishes its course,
forming two 'angles, or zigzags, the one which is
higher up the stream' having its apex pointed
south, the oilier having its apex towards the north.
The left ' Tennessee bank was in the possession of
the Crenfederates, and Island No. 10 lay just below
the apex of the first zigzag close to the shore, over
which there are at this point bluffs or high banks,
the opposite shore on the Missouri, or right bank of
the river being, as is usual where such bends occur
along the Mississippi, low and swampy, and covered
'with dense forests of cotton wood. At the Missouri
side, at the apex of the second angle, lies New
Madrid, which is considerably to the north of the
island, though it is some six miles below it on the
river. Incredible as it may appear, the Confede-
rates overlooked the vital importance of this place
so far that they allowed General Pope, ad-
reining along the Missouri side, to occupy it
almost without any opte'osition. That active and
able officer at once strengthened himself and pro-
ceeded to throw up powerful batteries below New
Madrid on the right bank, so as to command the
-river and intercept any communication with the
-enemy from below. The transports and such gun-
boats as the Confederates posseesed were thus shut
up between these lower batteries and the flotilla of
Commodore Foote, whife'n had come down the river
and was engaged in 'oombarding the island and the
batteries defendirg it. The difficulties with which
Commodore Foete had to contend have been de-
scribed in a frermer letter, but he continued the bom-
bardment with perseverance, while under cover of
it hie ',len were carrying out the ingenious and ad-
Thiveable idea of opening a communication with
General Pope and the Mississippi below the enemy
by cutting a canal from the right bank above them
across the base of the triangle, at the southern apex
of which is the island, to the river at the northern
apex near New Madrid. The swampy nature of
the country, at this time overflowed by the river,
was favourable to such an undertaking, but, never-
theless, it was one of no ordinary magnitude under
the circumstances, and its successful accomplish-
ment is 'very creditable to the Federals. It is ob-
vious that Island No. 10, at any time a weak if
not an untenable position in face of a properly
equipped mortar and gunboat flotilla, could only
be secured by driving General Pope out of New
MadrVe and recovering possession of both banks of
the raver. Some feeble attempts in that direction
anear to have been in contemplation, if we are to
eiredit the rumours that Van Dorn, Price, and
others were collecting troops to attack him. But
they did not come. From the 20th of March
up to the date of the surrender the mortar and
gun boats, checked in their first attempts to re-
duce the island by a vigorous bombardment, con-
tinued a slow and laborious fire at regular intervals,
to which the confederate batteries replied without
effect. The results of the mortar firing, however
inaccurate, must have been demoralising to the
ill-
disciplined—as they would, indeed, be to any
troops exposed to it without proper casemates and
defences, although no precise information is to be
had on that point, or in reference to their losses.
The fiest offensive step of consequence was taken
by Commodore Foote, who despatched Colonel Bu-
fora on the 31st of March, 'with some 3,500 men, to
:ereak up a camp established at a place called Union
City, which kept open the communications of the
Confederates on the island, and on the bank of the
river with Memphis. This was effected without
opposition or loss, although the Confederates, if in
force, might have fallen on the expeditionary co-
lumn and destroyed it. When the canal was com-
pleted, Commodore Foote sent some boats, flats,
and barges by it to General Pope, which wefe
safely carried through the Chepusi Bayou into the
river again at New Madrid. Then, on the night of
April 2, the armed launches of the flotilla made a
dash at one of the strongest of the enemy's water
batteries, landed. without a shot, spiked the seven
guns re:minted in it effeetually,and returned in per-
fect, security without the less of a man. This was
b'ut the prelude to another bold coup. On the
night of Friday, April 4, the gunboat Carondelet
set out in a storm of thunder and rain, and ran pat
the Confederate batteries down to New Madrid;
sustaining a wild and furious fire without a particle
of damage. On the following Sunday night (April
6th) the gunboat Pittsburg ran the gauntlet with
equal success and impunity. General Pope, thus
strengthened and provided, also, with four small
steamers and the barges sent through the canal,
made a careful reconnaissance of the opposite shore
on the 6th of April, and resolved to effect a landing
below and in the rear of the enemy. One of the
Confederate batteries was engaged and silenced by
the Carondelet, and ender her fire a detachment of
Illinois infantry landed, spiked the guns, and de-
molished the work very easily. Next day (April
7th) the two gunboats proceeded to a point near
Tiptonville (Merriweather's Landing), twelve
miles below New Madrid, and destroyed the
works covering the landing. The barges and
steamers were at once put in requisition, and at 11
a.m. four regiments of infantry and one battery,
under General Paine, were thrown across the river,
on the Tennessee shore, and these were speedily re-
inforced by another division of equal strength under
Gen. Granger. It is clear Gen. Pope had not the
least apprehension of any attack on New Madrid.
As soon as the Confederates were apprised of this
movement in their rear cutting in on the line of
their retreat they gave up all hope of holding their
Position or escaping from it. Before 4 p.m. they
sent a flag to announce the surrender of island No.
10. No doubt many of the garrison, if not the great
majority, escaped, but they left behind them some
100 pieces of artillery, great quantities of ammuni-
tion and supplies, and all the sick they could not
trove. Gen• Pptonville theaine, moreover, in his advance on
'mite evening, came upon General
"Makall and 2,000 14,„:
Whom he captured, together
with baggage,
A despatch amillueiti°ll, and commissariat stores.
from Geseiria
Halleek, dated "St.
8,,, recapitulate, Louis, April the success, " com-
pleteas and ovei-whelming" describes it, without
the lose of " a single man," as folio,
" General Pope has captured three Generals,
ofwar, 100 siege piece
6.000 prisoners
field batteries, with inlraonSo quantities of small
arms, tents, waggons, and horses."
This is indeed Napoleonic . The fleeting battery
of the Confederates and several of their transports,
steamers, and gunboats have also fallen into the
Confederates
hands of the victors. Meanwhile the C
massed at Corinth, in Mississippi, under Generals
Sidney, Johnston, and Beauregard were preparing
to retrieve the fortunes of the Confederate cause by,
a tremendous blow, tho consequences to be antici-
pated from which probably rendered them indif-
ferent to the fate they must have known to be im
pending over Island No. 10. It may be remem-
bered that the Federal General Grant had, by
late advices, advanced as far as Pittsburg, below
Savannah, and at the opposite side of the Ten-
nessee river, where he was awaiting the arrival
of General Buell before he attacked the Confede-
rates. As far as can be judged, the Confederates