The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-20 00:00:00

'SUN,

our troops. Most of the flotilla had passed below
Randolph.

" 1 A. M. PENNOCK, Commander, &c.'

" ' Paducah, Friday, June 6.

" ' Colonel Noble, commanding at this port, with
nearly his entire command, is under marching
orders for down the river, and will leave to-morrow.'
" ' Cairo, Friday, June 6.

" There is yet some doubt that our fleet has
passed Fort Randolph, where the rebels are said to
have taken the guns which they removed from the
fort above. They left only five or six guns. Before
leaving they destroyed the barracks, camp equi-
page, gun coverings, and such stores as could not
be transported. They also burnt the cotton of which
the breastworks were constructed. The flotilla cast
off at 5 o'clock yesterday morning, and were fol-
lowed by the transports carrying the 46th Indiana,
Col. Fitch, who now occupy the works, which are
said to be of great strength, and if properly manned
could have successfully resisted a large force. The
rebels, after leaving the fort, destroyed the pontoon
bridge which they had constructed some weeks
since over the Hatchie River. When the De Sota,
which had arrived from the fleet, left, the gunboats
had passed the forts and gone down the river. It
is reported that the rebels have evacuated Fort
Randolph. If this is the case, nothing can prevent
the fleet from arriving at Memphis to-day.'
" Chicago, Friday, June 6.

" Cairo despatches state that the steamer Shing-
hies has arrived from the fleet, and reports that at
the time she left the flames were breaking out in
the barracks of the fort, and the gunboats had
dropped down the river.'

" ' Cairo, Friday, June 6.
' Fort Wright is evacuated, and we are now in
possession. The flotilla has passed Fort Randolph
en route to Memphis.'"
General Beauregard, with 80,000 men, was re-
treating southward at the date of last despatches
from Corinth :

" Corinth, Thursday. June 5.

" General Halleck moved his head quarters here
to-day, occupping the house formerly occupied by
Gen. Bragg. Gen. Thomas oocupies the one for-
merly occupied by Gen. Beauregard. The enemy
are reported 80,000 strong between Baldwin and
Okolona. At last accounts Pope's advance was on
this side of Twenty Milk Creek, and the enemy's
rear guard on the south side still retreating. An
English officer, who deserted, says high Confede-
rate officers told him they left here 120,000 strong,
but when they arrived at Booneville 50,000 had de-
certed, mostly Alabamaians, Louisienaians, and
Mississippians."
" Halleck's Head-quarters, Midnight, 4th,
via Louisville, June 5.

" A man, who left Grand Junction this morning
says that Memphis and Fort Pillow surrendered to
our forces on Friday night. Several regiments of
rebels, Mississippians, have dispersed and gone
home. -We have captured nine locomotives, partly
disabled, and several cars. It is expected, how-
ever, they will be in running order in a week."

" Cairo, June 5.

• " Ten Memphis refugees arrived to-day. They
were railroad_ engineers, and say that they ran
three locomotives out of Memphis, on the Memphis
and Ohio Railroad, to Humboldt, where they
switched them off, and brought them north to
Trenton, where they found the bridge over the
Obion river destroyed. They then ran the loco-
motives off the track, burnt two bridges behind
them, and cut the telegraph wires. They bring
the Memphis Argus of the 2d, which contains de-
spatches from Richmond of the Ist, of which the
following is the substance General Hill's divi-
sion commenced the fight on Saturday morning,
Rhodes', Garland's, Rain's, and Anderson's bri-
gades bearing the brunt of the battle. Until the
arrival of these reinforcements the Federals were
driven from their redoubts and their batteries
turned on them. General Lee and President Davis
were on the field. Their presence inspired the
enthusiasm of our troops. The Yankees stubbornly
contested every inch of ground, but were compelled
to give way before the impetuous charges of our
soldiers. A large number. of Confederate soldiers
are wounded in the arms and legs. Gen. Rhodes is
slightly wounded. The enemy tried to make a
flank movement about 7 p.m., but were repulsed.
' On Sunday the battle was resumed chiefly with
musketry. Prisoners are constantly coming in. Gen.
Hatton, of Tennessee, is killed. The carnage on
both sides is dreadful, the Yankees losing two to
our one. About 500 prisoners are already taken.
The last despatch sent on the Ist says the latest
intelligence from the battle field represents the
enemy to be driven back a mile and a half from his
position. Our forces now occupy his camps. We
captured three batteries after the most desperate
fighting. The enemy were protected by woods and
intrenchments.'"

Under date of Slane 3 a correspondent of the
Philadelphia Press writes from Fortress Monroe—

" The gunboat Dragon arrived here from City
Point last night, bringing down three refugees who
belonged to Norfolk, and who had been forcibly
taken from their houses and sworn into a company
to serve the cause of treason. They report that
every available building in Richmond had been
seized for hospital purposes, and that the mor-
tality among the sick and wounded was frightful.
Provisions of every kind were very scarce, and the
rebels were preparing to make a desperate stand
immediately in defence of their failing cause. Great
despondency and terror reigned among the people,
who express now no hopes of success for the Con-
federate arms. The cannonade of Saturday shook
the city of Richmond to its very base, and the inha-
bitants were fleeing in every direction for safety, in
anticipation of a panic and route of the rebel troops
and an advance of the exasperated Union army,
Hundreds of slaves could be seen in, the vicinity of
City Point, begging for deliverance with white flags,
but could not be rescued for the want of means of
transportation. The fleet moved up to Fort Darling
on Sunday night, and it is thought a desperate battle
is by this time in progress. Our James river fleet
has been greatly strengthened, and success this time
is pretty certain."

MIDDLE LEVEL INUNDATIONS.

LYNN, TIIIIRSDAY NOON.

To-day I found that the greatest efforts were
being made by the authorities to stop the tidal
waters by the completion of the now famous coffer-
dam. The tides have been decreasing for the last
few days, and it was thought that to-day would
offer a good opportunity for letting down the panels
and shutting out the water. Some of the lower
panels which were driven at first had not been dis-
turbed, but in those bays where they had failed
sheet piling had been driven, as I have before
stated, and cut off at a sufficient depth to serve for
the purpose of dropping down the next row of
panels upon them. When I left this morning they
were about to drop down the 12-feet panels, which
would it was hoped effectually stop the water. The
probability of the work now standing is consider-
ably greater than it was in the former instance,
although I have heard more 6an one authority ex-
press grave doubts as to the success of the dam.
I am glad to be able to state that no serious da-
mage is likely to result from the breaking of the
slacker at the Smeeth and Fen Sluice on Monday.
The leakage through the banks has not been so
bad the last 24 hours as before, as I have no further
damage to report as regards the holes in the cut.
At a meeting of the River Ouse Hailing commis-
-ioners, which was held at the Guildhall, Lynn,
s esterday, it was represented that considerable in-
jury had been done to navigation by the destruction
of the middle level outfall sluice, through the tow-
:ng path on the west side of the Ouse being
stopped. It was resolved that immediate steps be
'aken to get the middle-level commissioners to make
' towing-path for navigation purposes.

CAREER OF AN AMERICAN GENERAL—The Arne-
! rican
smith Genel Banks was originally a journeyman black-
,
after wavda a member of Congress, Speaker of the
[louse of Representatives and Governor of Massachus-
etts, At the outbreak of the civil war he was engaged in
the management of a western railway, which position he
relinquished to volunteer his services as a soldier in sup-
port of the VAion, Ho is a strong anti-slavery man,