Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-06-16
INDIANAPOLIS, IND, MONDAY, JUNE 49, 1862

The Monarch struck her squarey amdships, cut
ting her almost in two. In two minutes after
the collision the Gen. Lowell went to the bottom,
carrying down nearly all on board. number of
her officers and crew were picked up by the crew
of a small boat sent by the Monarch for that pur
pose; all others we're dtowned. Probably not less
than fifty or sixty rebels met death in this fearful
collision.
The Monarch was not Injured in the least She
now tunred her attention to the Gen. Beauregard,
which had succeeded in lodging the Queen. Be
ing too near to strike with sufficient force to sink
sink tie rebel, the Monarch ran alongside, and
throwing her grapnels aboard, opened her hot
water batteries pouring in streams OF boiling hot
water with pressure of 300 pounds to the square
inch Many persons must have been fatally
scaded by this terrible engine of death. Speed
lily, however, the rebel ram Sumter was seen ap-
preaching with all speei to run into the Mon
arch. The latter let go of the Beauregard, and
moved out of the way just in time to let the
Sumter run into the Beauregard, which she did,
leaving the latter in disabled and sinking condi
tion. She foated down with the current, and
would have speedily gone to the bottom, but upon
striking her flag, the Monarch went to her as
sistance and towed her to the Arkansas shore,
where she sunk in shallow water. Her officers
and crew were taken as prisoners on board the
Monarch. which then went 10 the disabled Queen
and towed her TO the shore. Thus ended the en-
gagement of the rams, three of the rebel gunboats
having been sunk, and the rest routed.
THE ENGAGEMENT AT cfosE QUARTERS
The gunboats, which had withheld their fire
while the butting was in progress, now opened
their batteries again upon the remnant of the re-
bel feet. The rebels replied with spirit, but
tinued gradually to retreat down the river, while
our gunboats continued steadily advancing Only
a few shots had been exchanged, when 50
FOUNDER Parr0tt shot struck the Gen. Bragg, pass
ing entirely through her near the water line.
About the same time she was discovered to be on
fire. The rebel crew ran her ashore, where she
was boarded by our marines, who extingaished
the fire and saved the vessel. Her officers and
crew escaped to the woods. This was the fourth
rebel craft put of the way. The other three
still retaeated down the river, hard pressed by
our gunbOats The JEFF. Thompson received
several shots and was soon discovered to be on
fire, but whether fired by our shells or her own
crew is not known. The crew ran her ashore
and after burning for short time, the fire
reached her magazine and she blew up, with a
tremendous report, filling the air with timbers
and fragments
The Little Rebel was also shot through her
hull and commenced sinking. Capt. Montgom-
cry, the rebel flag officer, ran her on the Arkan-
sas shore and took to the woods, followed by his
officers and crew.
Only two boats of the rebel feet now remained
the Sumter and the Van Dorm. The former,
without receiving any injury, was run ashore and
abandoned by her officers and crew, who like the
rest, took to the woods. The latter turned tail
upon the rebel fleet and started for Vicksburg in
disgust. Being feet at foot she succeeded in dis
tancing her pursuers.
Thus the battle was ended and the victory
won. In the short space of an hour and five
minutes the rebel feet swept from the Mis-
sissippi, with the exception of a single boat,
which, solitary and fOrlorn remains to represent
the boastful pretensions of rebedom on this in
land sea. The brilliancy of the engagement,
considered in the light of its important results is
not surpassed by any battle of the war. On our
side not a man was killed, and one only Colonel
Ellett) wounded. Not one of our boats save
the ram Queen of the West, sustained any injury;
yet the whole rebel feet was destroyed or cap
tured, and the city of Memphis was taken. 1t
was certainly fine job to be done before break
fast, and so deeply were the rebels themselves
impressed with the fact that irreverent secesh
heard in amaZement to exclaim, if the Fed
eral gunboats could perform such a work before
breakfast, he would like to know what they would
consider a good days work?
While the battle was in progress, the bluffs and
shores were lined with citizens of Memphis, ga
LIS III hOHucf dLldLciutHt At IL Ddllie, tue
like of which very few of them had probably
ever seen before. Among them were a good
many ladies, but the lachrymose story of the
Argus that they stood there with tears streaming
down their fair cheeks to witness the defeat, and
destruction, after another, of the Confederate
gunboats, must be taken as painful flight of a
somewhat imaginative newspaper reporter The
fact is undeniable that the people of Memphis
feel that the rebellion is played out" and are
ready to hail any change from the gloomy condi-
ton of things they have experienced during the
past year. The evacuation of Cornth took away
their last ray of hope. They are utterly at a
loss to conceive what the pretended military
strategy" which should prompt such a move
could be, and what makes il still darker is the
fact that they havn't the remotest idea of where
Beauregard has gone, what he is about, or what
has become of his army. Some say he is at Okla
Iona; some at Columbus; some that he has es-
capped to Texas; some that he has gone to Rich
mond. There is no longer much doubt that his
army is scattered to the four winds The region
between Memphis and Cornth is full of rebel sol
diers who have thrown away their arms and are
seeking to avoid capture by pretending to be
civilians who have never taken up arms. There
are also good many squads, large and small
roaming about the country, and picking up pre-.
carious subsistence by plunder and theft. But
the rebel "Grand Army of the Mississippi is an
institution of which l think we shall hear no
more.
RE ESTABLISHMENT OF FEDERAL AUTHORITY.
/ sent you by telegraph the correspondence be-
tween flag officer Davis and Mayor Park, by
which the city was formally surrendered to the
Federal authorities. Col. Fitch established his
headquarters in the city yesterday afternoon and
held a consultation with the Mayor, pursuant to
which soldiers were stationed last night in various
parts of the city to preserve order There was no
disturbance of any kind. Indeed the citizens
manifested a submissive and orderly behavior
quite at variance with the fire and thunder pro-
LESSONS of their journalistic mouthpieces. 1t is
my opinion that the newspaper organs of Mem
phis have all along played a tune more in har-
mony with the rebel leaders than the rebel fol-
lowers
The prisoners taken from the rebel gunboats,
between one and two hundred in number left
here to day for the North. Two of our gun
boats also left their moorings to day and pro-
ceeded down the river to see what is going on be-
tween here and Vicksburg, where Com. Farra-
CUTS feet is now held in check by rebel batteries.
These Vicksburg batteries are the last rebel forti
fcations on the Mississippi. If not evacuated
within very few days they will be taken by the
joint operation the fleets above and below them.
AN.
ConfIscatiOn of Property and Eman-