The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-09-30
Ratchez Bombarded BY Commodore
Porter
surrenrender Of the City TO the Fed
erals.
BAYOU SARA BURNED.

The New Orleans Delta Of Sepiember
9th gives foil particulars Of two battles
by the iron-clad gunboat Essex, the des-
truction Of Bayou Sara, and the bonn
bardment and capture Of the city Of
Natehez.
The United States iron-clad steamer
Essex, Commodore w. ID. Porter arrived
from up the river yesterday. We have
some very important and interesting
news by this arrival, comprising some OF
the acts and doings Of this monster iron
ship with iron hearts
About week (more or lcss) ago, as the
Essex was cruising along ia the river,
the lookout reported the rebel gunboat
VIM. H. Webb in sight. Chase was Civ
en- Immediately, and she was pursued
past the guns at Yicksburg The Essex
then started down Che river, and on
reaching Natchez, sent boats crew
ashore for ice The boat, on nearing the
shore, was fred into by the rebels and
several of the crew wounded For this
act Of temerity the whole shooting force
of the Essex was brought 20 bear upon
the Inflated city for about two hours and
a half, when a deputation was sent down
with proposition TO surrender the city
and hoist the Stars and Stripes. COM
modorc Porter then ordered the firing to
cease, and proceeded down thcriyer until
| of Bayou Sara where he came 10 stop
long enough to burn that ll-fated abode
Of rebels. There were but two houses
left standing--one belonging TO gentle
man who is said 10 be friendly to the
| Union cause, and the other the property
of a lady We did not learn what insult
was the immediate cause of this vista
! ton of vengeance.
/. On Sunday as the Essex was coming
| down the river, a rebel battery Of thirty
four guns, opposite Port Hudson, opened
upon her, and fierce battle, at not more
than eighty feet distance, began, which
lasted an hour. At the end of that time
the battery was silenced and the steamer
| passed on down.
The rebel battery was mounted with
guns Of very heavy calibre: but the
circumstance only suffice to prove the re.
markable powers of resistance of the
Essex. Her iron sides we're struck in a
multitude of places with l0-inch ant
other sized balls, the result in all cases
being the same-a slight indentation into
the sides of the steamer, and then the
ball breaking into thousand fragments
and falling harmlessly into the water
The Essex commenced with the uppeI
gun, and silenced them all, one after tn
other. She is truly a formidable craft
and comes fully up TO the most sanguin
expectations of her designer and builder
who, our readers will recollect, is Commo
dore Porter himself Certainly nothinl
the people of New Orleans have ever seel
in the shape OF. an "iron- clad can com.
pare with the Essex.
In the contest with the battery at Por
Hudson, the smoke pipes and the VENT
lator were perforated in numerous places
and present something the appearance o
being rust-eaten.
II was impossible to ascertain wha
the loss of the rebels was, as those en-
gagged in the Essex were too we'll pro
tected by iron armor to permit their see
ing more; but as the action was at YER
close quarters, the loss on shore mus
have been heavy. There was no casualt
on the steamer
The names Of Porter and Essex hav
already passed into history in forme
generation, and the exploits Of the gaIlan
old frigate in the waters of the PacG,
have been the animated theme Of dis
course around millions of America
hearthstoues This generation can now
too, boast Of Porter, the son of the gal
liant sailor who shed so much lustre upo
the United States Navy; and the Essc,
too, craft Of his own invention, named
after the famous cruiser, and, like he
distinguished for being almost without
rival in her line of service
Some Of the guerrillas that infest III
right Of the river, above New Orleans, fin
+ ed from ambush upon a railroad car con
tanning United States soldiers, near Boo
tee station, yesterday morning, Septem
Der 9TH. Several Of these bushwhackel
were punished on the spot, among Ii
z rest an officer, supposed TO be the leade
, who, becoming a little bold after the al
sault was made, came out upon the trac
and was instantly shot dead The repo
that our troops lost a battery there is er
lircly false
A large Union meeting was held
Jefferson City, September I'd Judg
Heistand gave an able exposition OF Il
American troubles, showing phil,
sophie comprehension of them, and pre-
senliug his whole case with great for
and power. lie proved that the Soul
has wantonly gone into rebellion tn
that rebellion, under the circumstance
was a great crime, of terrible malignit
lie painted in glowing colors the pro
q perity of the South at the breaking o
Of the rebellion, and gave in contrast
dark and sad picture Of the state Of Ne
Orleans and Louisiana entire when Il
national tlect passed the forts Rcb
victories and dispatches were criticize
g and their eXaggcration and falsity e.
, posed He went back to the origin
the rebellion, and showed the sourc
from which il was derived he show,
that the poor would have no chan
| against the rich, the weak against d
% strong, under the system inauguratcd ]
O. the secession leaders,