, 1862-08-20
THE FIGHT AT BATON ROUGE.
The Destruction of the Rebel
Ram Arkansas,
!, WAsnIScEoS, July 19.-The navy depars-
ment is in receipt Of vo1uminious dispatches
from Admiral Farragut, and among them Is
the following:
FLAG SHIP HARTFORD,

N+Ae A0AA1"AA6'
FLAG SHIP HARTFpRD
BATON ROUGE, August 7, 1861.
SIR: It is one Of the happiest moments. of
my life that am enabled to inform the depart
ment Of the obstruction Of the ram Arkansas,
not because I held this iron clad in such
the fourth inst, sent the Tennessee up to
Baton Rouge with provisions for commander
Porter and the gunboats stationed at that
place. On the night Of the fifth, she returned
With the Information that the enemy had
made combined attack upon Baton Ronge
Music, snd calling for assistance. At Daylight
the Hartford Was under weigh fer this place,
with orders for the other vessels to follow ms
as. fast as ready.
company with'the Brooklyn, West6eld, Gliu-
Caynga up, agrecably to q request of Gen
Butler, il consequence Of the guerillas firing
into some Of bis Transports: On my arrival
was informed By Com. W. D. Porter thai yes
terdsy morning, at 2 O'Clock, the cnemy's
forces, under Gen. Bfe:kinridge, attacked
Gtn.: Williams and drove ID his piekets. Gen.
Williams having had ample warning oil was
prepared for him. The fight was continued
with great energy on both sides until 10
o'clock il the forenoon, by which time the
enemy had been driven two or three miles.
but unfortunately, the gallant Gen. Williams
w2s killed. Fortunately he had tuforued
lieutenant commanding Ransom the evening
before Of his plans, and requested him not to
IRE gun until he notified him, and when he
did so, our gunboats opened with fine effect,
place. Lieut.. Roe says the enemy are
Still lowering in the rear Of Baton Rouge, aad
that information Is received that added to the
5000 already in the vicinity, 1000 more are
approaching from Manchas, and others from
licEshnEg: I keep in constant conmunica-
t1on with the con1mander-in-chief Of the
troops here, and am ready to open fire when-
Porter says the Arkansas had q crew
Of $50 n1c1, and mounted ten guns, six eight
inch and four fifty ponder rifles. The gun
boat Essex commanded by him mounted
seEen guns, and had only forty men On dq1y
lowing rebel account Of the Arkansas is sub
mitted to the secretary Of the navy By Admi-
raj Farragut:
FLAG SnIP HARTFORD,
NEW ORLEANS, August 10, 1857. {
sm: Since forwarding the reports Of Lieu
tenants Fairfax, Ransom and Roe, we have
Arkansas. all OF whom I hive catechised
very closely. They agree very well respecting
her exit from the Yazoo and her passage Of
the f1eets. and they also agree as to the nun-
ber Of killed and wounded on each Of these
occasions, making in all eighteen killed and .
| they plated the deck with iron and fortified
| her with cotton inside. She then came
| down in command Of Lieutenant e.
| 4. Stevens, Lieutenant Brown being sick at
| VjcEsburg and With the intention Of making
a combined attack with General Breckiarid.,e e
on Baton Rouge, but her port engine broke
down. They repaired it in the course OF the
day and went out to meet the Essex. The
Dext morning when they saw her coming up,
| tie st:rboard engine gave way and they ran
| her ashofe,s she being unmanageable. They sa1
that when ol1r gunboats were seen coming uI
and the Essex commenced firing;t the captain
| set the ram on fire and told the crew to ra1
ashore. They also state that the gunboatt
Webb and Music were sent for to tow her VI
1iKeEt :bnt- that they did NOS arrive, ahl
neither Of them had been seen.
WASHINGTON, August 19.-Adnlirl Farsa
gut, under date of the 10th Of August, thu
addresses the secretary Of the navy:
SRI request to inform the department
that at the town Of Do1aldoouville they hav
pursued a uniform practice Of firing upon on
steamers passing up and down the river.
did not discontinue this practice I would dc
stroy their town. The last TIME passed u
to Baton Rouge to the support Of the army
anchored about six miles above Donaldson
Vile, and heard them firing upon the vessel
coming up. In the latter case they made
~At%SI7A>~3 ElAI
they ran away The next night they fired upo
the st. Charles, I therefore ordered them
send their women and children out of town a
! certainly intended to destroy it on my wa
down to the river, and fulfilled my pro1nis
to 4 certain extent. burnt down the hotel
and wharf buildings, aud also the dwellia
house and other buildings Of Mr.. Philli
Dady, who is said to be q captain of guerilla:
He fred upon our men and they chased hi'
of. We also brought off some ten or twels
of his negroes, and supplied ourselves wit
cattle and sheep from his place.
Commander Wainwright died on the LOT
. inst, after an illness Of two weeks.
New YORK, august 1o.-Tnere was recen
1y q village named Donaldsonyille, former
the capital Of Louisiana, on the Mississippi
eighty two miles above New Orleans, whit
having become infected with the rebel gue
illaE, who made business Of firing upe
, Union boats, even upon transports flied vii
eick and wounded. The captain Of the s1oo
of-war Brooklyn, on the 9th inst, sent wo
to have the women and children removed, II
! the next day Donaldlon1il1e was obliterat'
| hv fra