, 1862-07-12
Official Report of Ca plain s*rayer to
Fla. Officer Earrasut.

lie Nary Department has received dis
1'atcbes dated United States steam s}oop
Brooklyn, of Vieksburg, June q. The fol
lowing is from Captain Craven 10 Commodore
Farragus:
S11s--In obedience to your orders Of the 18th,
LETT Haton Rungc. on my way up the river, n
p II. # that day, On the 14th, ut nlne p. 1n- i
fvEt The n:arlnc guard and party OF seanen, in
nj Ibont ure hundred Men. uniler charge Of Lieu:.
L'Tly. at IAyoI Sara, for the puEpusc Of destroy
iE the telegraph apparatus and cutting the wires
an1 with orders to lnfo,n the authorities OF 1hst
town that we were on the river for the
purpose Of enforcing tile laws Of our common
cou1tty, and protecting its loyal citizens and tue
same time to warn them if anF no tile demonstra-
tinus were nude upon our vessels or Transports
es they 1a:scd in front of their town, by the
3n,eves won anG e The
be1aid Under contribution, if not dealt with more
se>et]Y.
About eleven IN the morning Lieutenant Lowry
returned with HIS party tp the ship. having tho.-
oughy accomplished this work. excepting seca-
ring the telegraph apparatus which had been re.
moved bnt tsw minutes before he landsa Abent
ard the vf1rol aud batteries destroyed. The peo-
pie ashore seened to be peaceablv disposed, Fe-e
quite civil, and made no disrespectfnl demon5tra.
| tions. The mayor or chief magistrate informed
Si.1t. Lowry that but two or three days previous
to unr arrival the tawn had been risitea by bands
o{ gnczsiuas; that they han .<:..uatted many o9s-
RACES against law ard ordes. and be naj arrested
lieutenant Hho commanded the party, Int be was
re=cued ty hle men and harre Of. to 10 the wocaa
| he represents these cuerrillas az IawIese get.
I Of men, whom the Inhabitants OF the country aud
small tow had greater dread Of than for the Wis,
| its OF our Dayy OF even our army; and be hoped
VIC wonld not hold him responsible for the acts oi
entth!oat eand Before leaving shoEe. Low1y
with the Tag OF the Union at the head Of bis party
| and to the time Of +" Yankee Doodle" marched
| tEl ongh several nf the principal streets,
Nc.passcd Natchez at ahout half uast ten OF the
nloEnln. Of the 18TH On the merning OF the afth
the Richmond joined ps, and at ahout halfpas1
nine of that morning we passed Rodney. We ar:
rived ct our present anehorage On the 1Sh at half
| past eleven in the morning
| No where OF our route were we nlolested. and
saw no charge IN the aspect Of thincs eirce OIL
laet trip excepting st GRIND Gulf The town thert
was Tiddlcd By shot and then destroyed bY fire
On small hill Just to the tight Of the town ~ss
small earthwork, which had been only recently
thrown up. and WAS capable Of receiving, three O.
!our small heid pieces It. as well rs the town
| wss entirely deserted
On the 10th inst. Commander Porter arrived
| here with ten OF his mottsr boats; yesterday th'
| 1lianf arrived with another, and this afternoon
! four others were towed up. Commander Porte
Informed me that hls hotila was fred upon st FL
lis Cliffs, and that it is the intention Of the rebel
| to mount troublesome battery at that place
aleo at Qultman's Landing as he learned at = faTn
morning were fired st from Ellis Cliffs and on tn
Empire Parish. One Eas bit two or three times
one shot temporarily disabling ore Of her boilers
! Yesterday morning sent the Oneiaa and Wfnon
to look after these places. Tomorrow sha1
seId the kafahdin to convev the two boats as ID
as Baton Rouge. or until ehe meets You-
| Here at FfckEburg the rebels appaar to be quit
huEy in extending and fortifsing their works, an
1t Is said they have some ten Thousand troop
Quarered in and about the town.