Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-03-28


Our last accounts, by mail, from No. 10,
come down TO Saturday night.
Correspondence Cincinnati Gazette 1-Some
OF the officers think We will be able To drive
the rebels off in the course of week by the
mortar Smelling. but my faith is weak We
could make the island hot, but il driven off
they would come right back as soon as our
IRE slackened. The damage to the works be
ing easily repaired, the shells would have to
dsmount their guns to prevent their holding
1t, and the chances of that are very remote
Battery a may be siienced.
ltwoud not materially weaken the strength
OF the position if il was and the gunboas are
too few and vulnerable to undertake 50 big
Job as the taking OF the others, subject, as
they would be. to the concentrated aud cross
hre OF the whole, with the old dock thrown
IN. This Commodore Foote fully understands,
and very prudently and wisely retrains from
the attempt. The public, therefore, must not
attribute the delay to any timd or hesitating
policy on his part.
A correspondent writing on the 22d, says
The rebel floating battery cannot be seen
to day, and it is thought has been taken below
to open the blockade at New Madrid. The
enemy is greatly annoyed at the interruption
of communication at that place, and unless
he succeeds in removing II, will abandon his
position here, where he can communicate only
by land, over which it is impractcable TO
transport ordnance stores or supplies. Our
morlars aud gunboals are still throwing shot
and shell at distant intervals into The tort in
the beud of the river the enemy not reply ing,
and can be distinctly seen repairing and
strengthening his works. From the head OF
the island shell is occasionally thrown over
at our fleet, some of which strike very close,
but they generally fall short.
AN ASSAULT PRoPosED.-The policy Of
running our gunbuals down in front OF the en-
envy batteries, and making a bold assault,
has been a subject OF discussion with some of
our naval officers. We believe they generally
concur in prOnouncing it imprudent and LaZ-
ardous. Commodore Foote's object, thus far
foreshadOwed, is to keep continual fire from
our mortars, stationed out of the endmy's
range, to perplex him and necessae the sur
render OF his upper battery, when our gun and
mortar boats shit their position and o1.
tain flanking fire at his remaining works.
This would soon result in their destruction.
A dispatch dated the 23d says -
Our gunboats were held in readiness on
Friday night to receive an attack which, from
the mysterious movements of the enemy, was
at That time unprecedented from bis batteries
but no demonstration was made. Irregular
firing was kept up by our troops all day yes
terday. And thus tar operations have been
suspended TO day.
The rebel floating battery, the disappearance
of which induced the belief that it had been
taken below, was Only submerged by the rebels
and can now be seen a little below its former
position. Yesterday afternoon tile rebels threw
twelve or fifteen shells at us, from a large
pivot gun at the head of the island. Some of
these passed over us; others tell close, but
none Of them did any damage.
Up to the present time 1920 bomb shells
have been thrown from the mortars, and 100
shot and shell from the gunboats. Our forces
now occupy Hickman, and the gunboat
Louisville having been repaired, is anchored
off the town.