The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-05-18
Cen. Lyons Compliments to the
Country.
A NEST OF REBELS BROKEN UP.


The Union men of Washington county
having been threatened with determination,
and some of them having been driven from
Potosi, the county-seat, complaint was made
to Gen Lyon, of the St. Louis Arsenal, and
that brave and gallant officer determined to
give the Union men in that section of the
country protection. Accordingly an expe-
dition was planned and put under the COM
mand of Capt. Cole, of company A, Fifth
Regiment of q. S. Volunteers. At 10
o'clock, P. NJ, Tuesday, May 14th, Capt.
Coles command, consisting of some $50
men, left the Arsenal on a special train for
their destination. They arrived at Potosi
at 3 o'clock, A. NJ, on Wednesday, and i'm
medately threw chain of sentinels around
the entire town. Guards were then station
ed around the dwellings of the most prom
inent secessionists, and, shortly after day
light some $50 men found themselves pris-
oners and were marched off to the Court
House. Here the prisoners were formed in
line, and by the assistance of a gentleman
who had been driven out of Potosi, who
knew ali of the inhabitants of the place, the
Union men were recognized and released,
amounting to over half of those taken pris-
ouers. Some fifty of the secessionists were
! also released, on parole of honor, after sub
/ scribing to the usual oath, not TO take up
! arms against the United States, and nine of
! the leaders were marched off to the cars
The guard then made a descent Hpon a Sc
cession lead mandatory, and captured some
near four hundred pigs of that very useful
article in time of war, which belonged to a
man who had been furnishing lead to the
| Southern rebels. The mans name is John
Dean, and he is now prisoner at the Arsen-
al 1t appears he was not satisfied to simply
sell the lead to the enemy, in defiance of
the authority of the government, but was en-
gagged with his own team in hauling it to
near the Arkansas line, where traitors could
get possession of it without dagger. The
guard captured several pistols, rifles shot
guns, and a quantity of secession uniforms,
most of them unfinished, and some uniform
cloth. After being furnished with break
fast and dinner, and very handsomely
treated by the Union men of Potosi, and
invited to stay q month ins that place, at
their expense, the command started for
home. On their way back, the train made
a halt at De Soto, in Jefferson county,
where there was to be a grand secession
Z" love feast " and flag raising. Here they
found a company of secession cavalry drill
ling for the occasion, which took to their
heels as soon as they got a sight of the 0.
S. troops. In their flight, the cavalry left
some thirty of their horses, which were
captured by the troops and placed under
guard. The pole, one hundred feet high,
on which the rebels were going to
fly the secession flag, was very
soon graced with the stars and stripes
amid the widest enthusiasm of the Union
men and government troops. The next
move was to capture the rebel flag, which
known n he In and fOr this
agreeable duty, Captain Cole detailed a
guard of six men, under command Of Ser
geant Walker, accompanied by DIR. Frank
lin, Surgeon of the Fifth Regiment. The
guard surrounded the house supposed to
contain the flag, and DR.. Franklin and Ser
geant Walker entered. After searching in
vain for some time, the Doctor thought be
observed the lady of the house sitting in
rather an uneasy position, and be very po-
litely asked her to rise At first the lady
hesitated, but finding the Doctors persua-
sive suavity irresistible, she rose slowly,
and 10 the blood red stripe of the rebel
ensign appeared below the lady's hoops.
The Doctor bowling a graceful "beg par
don, madam" stopped, and quietly catching
hold of the gaudy color, carefully delivered
the lady of a secession flag, 80 feet long
and feet wide. The Doctor bore off bis
pflZeln triumph 10 tue camp WueT6 the troops
greeted him with wild shouts, and charac-
terized his feat as the browning glory of the
occasion. Here the troops captured another
rebel leader, and after placing thirty men
under Lieut.. Murphy, to guard the Union
Z flag, and the thirty horses, Captain Coles
command started on their way. At Vic
toria, the train stopped moment, when an
other secessionist came up hurrahing for
JEFF. Davis, and quick as thought the ardent
rebel was surrounded by half-dozen bayo-
nets, ard marched into the cars prisoner of
war, and the train moved on. They arriv-
ed at the Arsenal about 81 o'clock ?. NJ,
where a crowd of soldiers and visitors were
awaiting them. The spoils were unloaded,
and the prisoners marched to safe and COM
Portable quarters. Gen. Lyon received them
in the spirit of true soldier, and the troops
gave three cheers for Gen. Lyon, three for
Col. Blair, and three for the stars aud
stripes, and then caught the secession flag
and tore it into shredS in twinkling.
FroY1 the Cincinnati Price Current