The New York herald., 1862-10-31
Our Apalachicola Corrsspondence.

;Our Apalachicola CorrespOndence.
APALAcHIooLA, Fla, Oct. 10, 1862
TAe Attack ApalacAicola-Operations Of As 0uH'es-
me ToWw Fired BY SAeIs-Capiurs Of Vessel Loaded
,0ifA Copo's-TAs Rebel Ram CAaitaho cAes-Osw Vssss
Watching for H~-PrepayatioHs for the Destruction 0
TIE 7oWn-Naual Changes, 4c, DC.
An expedition was formed on the morning OF tho
18th Of October, to proceed several miles up Apata.
chcoa river in order cut out cotton soop that was
reported reGdy run the blockade The expedition was
made MP Of boats from the United States steam gunboa
Sycamore and the United States gunboat Fort Henry The
boats were armed, each having twelve vepounder boat
howtxer and rifles for the and the officers. Two
boats sard up the river before break Of day. and atsr
rowing four niles they discovered the cotton
soop n small bay inlet the eastern bank Of the
river Before the sloop could be reached by Sailors
the cbos at Apaachcola city had gained knowledge Of
our intentions, and the result that shortly after
troop OF cavalry came down from adjoining town TO
protect the soop with her load Of cotton Our men were
obliged TO seek place Of greater safety by moving out
into the river and sent boat down to the Sycamore and
Fort Henry for help. Two boats sent up the
river as soon as possible also an additional boat from the
storeship j. L. Davis, and still another from the United
States steamer Somersea steamer that had Just arrived
from Cedar Keys, Fla. Az soon as all the boats had col
Iected up the rver two them sent TO capture the
deliberate aim fired upon advance wounding three of
our men, The Are was Immediately returned from the
hewtacr in tue Sagamores launch in the direction from
which the rebel bullets had The canister must have
had effect upon the rebels for that and the shrapne
were distributed pretty freely into the ambush.
The guerilla bands here in florida seem TO have adopted
the mode Of warfare practsed by the Indians 10 these
The rebels were Quickly driven from the sloop,
which then unlastensd from its moorings and towed
down Apalachcola river though u was necessarily slow
atu auttl cd fha
and now she slow y filling with water Before ar
irving the mouth Of the river 1t found necessary
or raft them down the river to the gunboats The rebel
company had gone advance OF the soep and our boats
and had secseted themselves behind embankment and
in the toehouses along the wharves In the city OF Apaa
chicoa. The rebels fired another volley into our
boats slightly woundng several mea, but killing none
although our enemies but short distance OF and
fred a number Of times. Our howitzers imned-
atey turned upon enemies and whenever one Of them
attempting to fire from behind storehouse or
fence discharge OF canister and shrapnel was fired into
their midst shell fired which exploded In Of
tho buildings blowing the roof o from 1t and setting II
other buildings on re and by this time rebels hay.
ing killed and several wounded, concluded they
were getting the worst Of It, and stopped firing into
confagraon which our exploding shells had cnkndlcd
Our men nnally arrived safely on their respective
shpe having captured sioop with eighty bales Of cot
ton and two prisoners It supposed that the rebel
Chattahoochee which reported TO be ready to como
down 10 demelsh the ships on the blockade hero would
advantage II she had attacked boats when in the
river The ChattAhoochee s commanded by Catssby Ap
JONES' who was second n command Of the herrimac at
the time Of fght with the Monitor last spring The
OF this rebel ram also belonged part TO the Merr
The gunboats expecting this rebel steamer as
as there seven feet Of water at the mouth Of the
river. She is said 70 have heavy armament and to be
partially but the gunboats Sycamore and Fort
Henry prepared to meet hor Tho rebel steamer will
have hard fighting when she down. and
will lind IL very difficult matter to run the blockade and
get into the port OF Nassau, Mp.
ho nj tad atp
woundea Of them seems that
guerilla band enticed boat ashore by displaying three
white flags from the houses shore. As soon the men
had landed they fired upon from the windows Of the
houses the ns Of truce flying all the time The sailors
got oil In their boats with their wounded, and soon re-
turned with larger force and burned the town. II is
ported that the Sycamore will be obliged to 60 to Key
West In few days Her ocers and hope the rebel
ram will down before they obliged to leave this
station. Lieutenant Commander Bigeow has been de-
tached from the Sycamore, and our lieutenant com.
mander (Engsh) has been ordered TO the command
Alag Of truce has arrived from Apaachicola with re-
quest that our naval surgeons should 80 up to the town
aud dress the stumps Of some OF the rebels who had
their limbs blown OF by fragments from shells Drs.
Stevens Scofod and Draper have volunteered their SER
vises act Of kindness to eur enemies.
Apalachicoa once the largest commercial town in
Florida; but everything looks desolate. A small
rebel steamer down the river from Columbus Ca
about week and supplies the inhabitants with corn
meal this about the only food they have 70 keep
them starvation The rebels In this State have
piled the rebel army in Virginia largely with salt beef
SO that the cattle Of nearly all the planters have been
killed and packed In salt for the government. Largo
quantities Of salt OF course required and the rebels
had erected salt works oil along tho bays the Gulf
coast Of Florida. The gunboat Sycamore demolished
thirty Of these salt works In st. Andrews Bay about
Q month ago. We have demolished the works here in
Apalachcoa Bay, and the works at 81. Marks, Cedar
Keys and ~ Tampa have also been broken up. Should
the rebels again fre upon boats when they approach
Apalachcols it s the determination Of commander
10 lay the city in ashes.