The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-06-06
our balls and shells deal lightly with that
party in the coming day
Reconnaissance IN FORCE.

party in the coming day
Reconnaissance IN FORCE.
Hardly had the head Of the rebel COM
pany passed out Of sight till an orderly was
started galloping back to our rear. Port
Royal Sherman's division had been waiting
just out Of sight, till the flag of truce should
leave, to enter upon its reconnaissance.
| Within ten minutes line of battle of ma
tional division bad swept past where Col.
| Thompson had been standing, and in TWEEN.
| ty more their pick t. had been driven in,
| and our lines swept on through the woods,
end up very close to hills that were said to
perfectly command Corinth. General Bob
McCook. looking out fo- road to lead his
brigade by, went plump into rebel camp
that had evidently been hastily deserted
but very short time before, and with bis
usual way of losing no chances, he managed
to snatch up fine rebel saddle, which be
| threw over his horses neck, as he came gal.
Looping back, to give out his orders to ad
vance.
Meantime General A. Med. McCook's
brigade went out, just to the left of Sher.
mans, The two swept up for mile or
two inside the rebel lines; the position of
| the woods and the nature of the ground
thus occupied, 1.-THE high land just beyond a
half dried swamp would be permanently
| held.
A few hundred yards toward our left, on
the Pennington road, a little squad OF onr
| cavalry were advanced into the edge of
some open fields. Ga the opposite side,
say eight hundred yards away, company
| 81 al lrx,x n
apparently with the mere purpose of watch.
ing our movements. They fred a single
shot at US which just bore up to carry the
| distance, and fell harmless among the
horses feet. Down to the extreme ri ght
there was little sharp picket firing, and
on the left an occasional shot, but in the
main the enemy offered no resistance what
ever.
Very much to everybody's surprise, our
troops were gradually ordered back to their
old camps again, and through the afternoon
the whole ground was abandoned.
Last night, it is said, the rebels came
back and reoccupied it with infantry and
cavalry in considerable force. Colonel Har-
lan's Tenth Kentucky has gone out to see
about it, and the Colonel will not fail to
give good account of himself.
HALLECK MOVING UP.
General Haeck has taken another hitch
forward with bis headquarters. This time
he has moved forward four miles from Mon.
terey. He is still about mile behind any
of our camps. excepting portion of our
reserves.
PRISONERS STORIES.
Some prisoners taken by General Bob
| McCook yesterday, during the reconnois~
sance, confirmed the reports that we have
heretofore had of dependency in the rebel
ranks since the series of our national sue.
cesses began swelling so rapidly. They say
our Reconnaissance on the center and right
have gone, in some instances, within three.
fourths of mile of their Notifications, and
that outside these they will make no serious
fight.
They deny that there has been any evac,
uation, and their statement 10 this particu-
lar was also confirmed yesterday by o negro
servant belonging to an Ohio regiment, who
had been taken prisoner at Pittsburg Land.
ing, and who managed to make his escape.
The prisoners say also, and the story has
been confirmed 10 various ways, that they
are shipping large quantities of their com
missary stores to some Central Mississippi
point, on the Mobile road. Things in fact
look, so they admit, as if they might either
make desperate stand, or, if they deemed
best, very rapid retreat. They put the
rebel numbers at from eighty to one hum
dred and twenty thousand, and say that
Beauregard has been heavily reinforced
from all quarters
There was sharp picket firing all through
last n ght, though the damage done seems
to have been very slight. AGATE.