Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-06-13
TELEGRA.PHIC.
THE FALL OF MEMPHIS.
Spirited GanboRt and Ram Encounter
oil lhe City.

Il Spirited Gslnboat and Ram Encounter
oil iAe City.
/ Came, June 9-The regular packe ct
Platte Valley, the first boat through
from Memphis, arrived here this morn
ling. Our forces are in possession of
1 Memphis.
The fotilla, consisting of FIVE gun
boats and eight rams, left Fort Wright
at O'Clock on Thursday morning, and
/ finding no distractions at Fort Ran
dolph, passed on, and at o'clock on
/ Thursday evening the gurboats anchored
1.-TWO miles above Memphis. The rams
1remained short distance above.
/ A reconnaissance was made, and the
henemy s feet, consisting of the following
Gen. Van Dorm, flagship; Gen. Price,
Gen. Bragg, Gen. Lowell, Jeff, Thomp-
son, Beauregard, Sumter and listle
Rebel, were discovered lying near Mem
|phis.
/ During the night the rebel feet mo-
hsed down the river, and at day light were
/ out of sight, but in half an hour after
/ ward were seen coming up, formed in
line of battle. Our gunboats had in the
| meantime weighed anchor, and, followed
by several rams, moved slowly toward
the rebel feet, when shot from the
Little Rebeb, from rihed gun of a long
range, fell within short distance of the
gunboat Cairo, which was in theadvance.
The Cairo repliedwith broadside, and
soon the engagement became general at
long range. s
The rams, in the meantime, advanced,
and the rebel ram Beauregard4 being
tsome distance in advance, was. singled
out by the Federal rams Monarch and
Queen of the West, each striving to be
/ first to strike the rebel craft. The
/ Monarc h.succeeded in striking her ramid-
| ships, almost cutting her in two and
causing her to eli and sink Immediately
in the channel directly opposite the
city.
| Al this juncture the Little Rebel
made dash at the Mouarch, which by
| this time was in the midst of the rebel
| feet, but By a skillfnl movement of the
| pilot of the latter, she dropped out of
the way, and the blow intended for her
struck the rebel boat Gen, Price taking
away her wheel, making it necessary for
her to run ashore, where she sent a
shot, which, unfortunately for the reb
els, struck the boat Gen. Lowell, render
/ ing her unmanaSeable. Immediately
after, she was run down by the Queen
of the West. A broadside from the
Benton took effect on the sides of the
j eff Thompson, when she ran ashore IN
flames and burned to the waters edge.
Four rebel boats having been dtsa-
bled, the remainder of their aeet rettett-
| ed dewnthe river, pursued by our boats,
firing as they advanced, resulting, in the
capture of the Sumter, Bragg and hit
| tie Rebel, which had been abandoned
| by most of their crews, Capt. Mont
| gomery, the Flag Officer, and most of
the officers and men, succeeded in max
ing their escape to the woods on the
Arkansas shane. Tha Federal ram
Lancaster was struck By the Beauregard
early in the engag ageniapt, and was slightly
! disa bled.
Colonel Ellet, commanding the Fed
eral rams, was struck in the breast by a
splinter, and was stunned temporarily,
| but soon recovered, and continued on
| deck throughout the action. This was
the only casualty on our side. Our
rams were manned by sharpshooters-
mostly from 1liinois-who did great
execution, picking off the enemys gun
ners at every opportunity. The rebel
! loss in killed, wounded and prisoners is
heavy, but not yet fully aseertaincd.
| Our tugs were busily engaged picking
up the crews of their disabled boats.
After the return of the guuboats from
| the pursuit, Commodore Davis sent the
| following note to the Mayor ofthe city
of Memphis:
~. S. FLAG STEAMER BENTON,
@OEF MEMPHIs, June s, 1862. -
'ssIR: / have respectfully to request
that you will surrender the city of Mem
| phis to the authority of the United
States, which have the honor to rep
resent. =
Il am, Mr.. Mayor, with high respect,
Your obedient servant,
&c. II. DAVIS, Flag Officer.
In reply the Mayor said:
,sYour note is received In reply |
have only to say, as the civil autheri-
| ties have no means of defense, by force
of circumstances the city is in your
hands,
Immediately after boats crew
landed and the national flag was heisted
over the postofice. The party was fol-
lowed by an excited crowd, but they
were not interfered with.
The 43d and 46th Indiana regiments
now occupy the place, Col. Fitch in
command. The city is quiet. No dem
onstrations whatever have been made.
Itjs even asserted that it will not be
necessary to declare martial law. Five
! of our gunboats now lie abreast OF the
city. We captured five large steamers
which were moored at the levee The
rebels burned new gunboat which was
nearly ready to be launched.
The Vicksburg Whig of the 4th says
the Federals have landed 5000 troops
at Baton Rouge. The Memphis Ava
lanche of the 9th says the locomotives
recently run off by railroad employees,
were recovered. The same paper says
all the bridges between Memphis and
Hum boldt have been destroyed.
From Washington.
Especial Dispatches to the Cincinnati Gasette.l
WASHINGTON, June 3.