Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-07-18

Especial Correspondence Of tie Chicago Timssl
On Thursday, the Goth ult, the lombard
ment OF vicksburg was commenced by Com
modoTe Porter's mortar feet, at about eight
O'CLOCK in the morning. The shells were di-
rooted against the upper fort below the town,
which mounted eight guns. The lombard
ment continued on that fort sll day without
result.
On Friday morning the firing was aEain
opened and continued until the afternoon, at
winch Time Porter signaled TO she'll the
Town, Which was done with deliberation asa
great accuracy. The effect of the she'll could
not De well discovered from the Octorara.
then anchored in the stream about two miles
below the town. The shells could be seen tc
burst, but the effect of the bursting was hid
oeI oy the buildings in front. This contin-
ued TIL about four o'clock, when the fleet
Tas signaled to cease firing, which it did
Ihe batteries on shore replied very lightly
and at long and irregular intervals. Their
hiring was very Inaccurate.
About half an hour after the cessation Of
this Commandment the water battery opened
on the mortars, which replied till the battery
ceased firing. During the whole time the
Octorara fired ten shots FROM her one hun
dred-pound rifle, almost everyone Of which
was directed with surprising accuracy, till
the gun became heated, when it began to
| throw high and needed depression.
When the firing ceased, at four P NJ. the
Captains Of divisions were sig1a.ed to report
on the flagship, when an order was issued to
opeo 1re with the entire aeet upon the town
! ~ O'Clock that night. At So'ciock there
] fore, the entire mortar fleet vomited heavy
rain Of shells upon the devoted city, the round
missiles seeming TO oa eager frst to srr1ke
and the last fred often outstrippiug its pre-
| decessors. This terrible lire continued about
! one hour, when sn order was issued TO cease
firing.
| 1t appears that n order came from Com.
Farragut, whose fleet was five miles below
the town, in the bend, to again shell the town
at O'Clock next morning, when portion Of
his fleet would run past the rebel batteries.
This order was obeyed, and again the sky
| was shaken by the bursting If bombs and
the explosion Of morLars.
at about 5 O'Clock that morning, as the
! sun was shining, Farragul's fleet came up,
| and eight Of them passed the batteries, pour
! ing broadsides into the town and batterics.-
! These eight vessels consisted Of three men
! of-war, TWO sloops-oI-Tar, ard three gunboats.
] During ttis daTiIS passage the renel batteries
poured in iron hail or tie feet, scarcely dam
aging any Of them, and disabling aone. The
| firing from the batteries was h;Eh, and cut
much rigging.
! The fagskip (tne Hartfo1a) ESs struck On
| the stGEboard side twice-one shot aeaT the
stern, the other near the bo7r. These shots
| struck some ten feet above the water line,
passing through the bulwarl,s. Two Of this
| deet passed above the mouth of the Tszoo
! river; the others anchored e Tie stream,
| where they remain.
I When our informant left, the damage sus-
| tanned by the city must have been very great.
| Topping houses, falling chimne-s and crash
| ing roofs, with here AID there slight confa-
grafton, present TO the imagination picture
beyond all power Of Pen-painting.
( Captain Curry vas informed bv refugees
| from the Consumption slong the shore that
] the women and children mad been removed to
some distance from Eicksburg, and were on
; the line Of the jackson railroad, dwelling in
holes dug along the hillsides.
only through the immediate range sbou,
/! Vicksburg, but through all Mississippi. Hun
ger and starvation are rife, s2d the Captain
| asserts thst many runawa;s whom be saw
looked like skeletons, covered with a paid
skin, within which their bones seemed to rat
tie.
Orr V1cgssvRe, July !.
The gunboet aotilla arrived here this NOR
ming, and, for tie first time, We Of the North
have directed means of information respect
ias tia eseata which are Transporting herea-
bouts. WE found, or nearing TIE towr, that
Com. FsTrsgut's feet is act OIL: here, cut in
measure encompasses tie position, as four
sloops Of var AID for G.nbosts have rul tie
blockade, ard COW lie Doo-ed =: zee same
anchorage as the river dotiils. These arc
tie Hartford flagship, The Richmond, Wi
noas, Psnolz, Wissahikon, Sciota, Irocccis
and Oneida. They came up oI Saturday
morning at deybreak.
The batteries are placed in bend Of the
river, which is about four miles il length
The af1air Of Saturday morning was regu-
lar assault upon the works, intended 70 take
the place, if possible, and ii rot, to ascertain
to certainty what their strength and loca-
ton was. The line Of battle was as follows:
Gunboat Oneida, sloop-of-war 1roquois, sloop-
of-war Hartford, guuboat Sciota. gurboat
Wissahikon, soop-of-war Richmond, gunboat
Winona, gunboat Pamela, sloop-of-war Brook
lvn, gunboat kennebeck, GuDboat Owosco.
The remainder of the feet, consisting Of
mortar boats and transports, remained behind.
The West6sid, New York ierry-boat, fol-
lowed far enough to engagein the fight with
he. hcw:tzers, and received = rifled shot IN
the steam pipe, which scaldod eight men to
death The adTance was made at 3 O'Clock
IL the morning, and az about daylight me
leading vessel turned the point and came with
in rauge Of tas eEemv's batteries. Before
than was q serni-circie Of bluffs, about four
miles in length, and at the foot OF which ran
the channel close in. The ONEIDA received fire
at her first appearance, and replied without
delay The others joined in the engagement
as they came within range, and in lew min
utes the entire fleet was under fire. The line
kept advancing until it arrived opposite the
town, when signal from the flagship brought
it to halt, and general engagement ensucd,
which lasted two hours and forty minutes
It was now, for the first time, that the strength
Of the enemv's position and resources was un-
dcrstood Tks bluffs above and below the
city were lined with batteries and from three
sides q raking and broadside fire was poured
into our vessels, which was tremendous. The
batteries were placed in three tiers-the first
al the Water-une, The SeCOHu LaII "aJ up lAc
bluff, and the third On the summit, a hundr ed
feet above tie vessels. 1t is described by par
cipants as bewildering sort of an affair.
The batteries were located in promlscuous
order, and were only to be discovered when
they opened fire. The town seemed full Of
ASSISTANTS. The fire proceeded not only from
earthw orks, bit from behind walls, and all
buildings we're full OF sharpsnooters, who
poured in volleys of musketry, which swept
the decks and did great execution. The oosts
directed their oroadsides as they could define
the position of the batteries, or leTeled at
buildings which were conspicuous for the
heat of their fire. Some Of the buildings had
cannon in the cellars, which opened on the
hillside. IN fact, the fire was so heavy that