Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-12-09
VOL. XVI.
GunbOut Blown up IN North CuroIIna.

| We have already published a dispatch
from the rebel papers that g q Yankee gun.
boat" had been or was about to be taken
in North CarSlina, when its commander
blew it up. A correspondent Of the New
York Herald furnishes full account Of
the affair as follows:
/ "On the 18th ult., the 0. S. gunboat
Ellis, Lieutenant Commanding W. P. Cush-
ing, left Newbern and went up New river
| to OnsloW, taking on the way schooner
with cargo worth $4,000. On arriving
/ at OnsloW the town was taken; twenty
five stand of arms, the Postmaster's ne
| grOes and two fine sehooners captured and
| oonfscated, and the salt works destroyed.
On starting down the river again the boat
passed a rebel camp on the left bank,
which it shelled with good effect. A few
| miles below the channel runs through a
sand bar, having been dredged not long
ago, and is difficult Of navigation. The
rebels here opened upon the Ellis with two
| pieces Of artillery mounted on a high
bluff The firing was returned, and an
hours action ensued. The enemy were
driven away, but the tide had gone down,
and it was two hours before it was deemed
safe to attempt to pass the bar. When the
trial was made, the vessel ran aground
within three hundred yards of the bluff.
An effort was made to tighten the vessel,
but in vain. The Captain then called all
hands and addressed them in a short
speech, in which he said he would make
one more trial at next high tide to get the
Ellis of, if not attacked in the interim.
If the attack was made, the only alterna-
tive would be to go up with the boat or
surrender Internationally. The latter he
would not do. He, therefore, put all but
five men on board the captured schooner,
which passed the bar. All the men volun-
teered to stand by the gallant Captain, so
that he had to pick out the Eve himself
Early next morning the rebels commenced
the attack, giving The vessel cross fire;
their shells almost knocking her to pieces.
Having fought as long as possible, the
Captain set the Ellis on fire in several
places, and rowed off with his men in the
gig, just as the enemy's boats were coming
out to board the Ellis. The gig passed
unharmed through shower of missiles,
and the party gained the schooner just as
the Ellis blew up with q tremendous ex-
plosiOn. The rebels attempted to pursue,
but in vain. The schooner, with its cap
tors, has arrived in safety at Beaufort.
Letter from General Pape---His Refer.
ence 10 General Banks Corps.
The following letter of explanation from
General Pope to General Halleck is pub
lished:
WASHINGTON, December 3, 1852.
GENERAL: With your report, published
this morning in the Chronicle newspaper,
is dispatch Of mine containing the fol- !
lowing paragraph:
Banks corps is very weak, number |
ing not more than 5000 men, and is much !
This paragraph might seem to imply I
some reproach upon that gallant corps, but /
such would be very far from my intention, /
and very unjust That corps, under its |
gallant leader, had fought the bloody bat
tie of Cedar Mountain, and had there rem
1ered service which merits the gratitude /
of the country. But in that severe and
hard-fought action, General Banks himself
was so badly injured as TO be unfit for du-
ty. Generals Augur, Geary and Carroll |
had been badly wounded nearly all of
the field and company officers, particularly
Of the Massachusetts regiments, had been
killed or wounded, and the corps was near
" destitute of officers.
After such service as they had rendered,
and the broken condition in which their
gallant and heroic fighting had left them,
they should for time have been with
drawn from the presence Of the enemy IN
Ill they could be rested and their officers
replaced. should have dcne so at once,
but that it was impossible at that time TO
spare q man from the front.
In the hu' ry and brevity of telegraph
ic dispatch, it was not possible to explain
10 you why this corps was really unfit for
service.
God forbid that 1 should be supposed,
sven by misconeeption of my dispatch, to
,ast even the implication of reproach upon
his gallant corps and its intrepid leader
/ trust you will make this letter public,
n justice to General Banks and his corps.
l am, General, respectfully, your obedient
servant, JOHN POPE. Major-General. i
MaiOr-General H. W. HALLEcK, General-in-
Chief