The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-05-16
The Evacuation of Yorktown
PARTICULARS OF THE OCCUPATION
OF THE ENEMY's WORKS. '~'
M,CLELLAN'S PREPARATIONS TO BE
f..f DUCE THEM. lllH

The telegraph has given US the main
facts relative to the capture OF Yorktown'
but we CLEAN few additional items from
the New York papers of Tuesday.
General Mcclellan telegraphed the War
Department, on Monday evening, that the
rebels abandoned in their works at York.
town two three-inch riaed cannon. two
four.and q. balf,ipch rifled cannon, sixteen
thirty two Founders, six forty two pound
ers. nineteen eight-inch columbiads, four
nine inch Dahlgreens, one ten-inch colum-
biad. one ten-inch mortar, and one eight
inch siege howitzer, with carriages and
implements complete, each piece supplied
with saventyssix rounds of ammunition.
On the ramparts there are also four maga-
zines. This does not include the guns left
at Gloucester Point, and their other works
on our left.
The rebel soldiers and negroes were at
work on their entertainments until o'clock
on Sunday morning, when their rear guard
ordered the work to cease, and the march
for Williamsburg to be taken up. In the
house of Mrs. Nelson, where Magruder had
slept the night before the evacuation, were
found several opan letters lying unfolded on
q table. Two were addressed to General
Mcclellan, one to the first Yankee who
comes, one to Abe Lincoln. One of those
to Gen. Mcclellan reads as follow
GEN. McCLELLAN-YOu will be surpriss
ed to hear of our departure at this stage OF
the game, leaving you in possession OF this
worthless town but the fact is, Mcclellan,
we have other engagements to attend to,
and we can't wait any longer. Our boys
ere getting sick of this damned place, and
the hospital likewise; so, good buy Tor
little while.
Adjutant TERRY, G. S. A. NJ.
Tents were left standing, with bedding
and articles OF luxury in them. On the
canvas and sides OF the huts were carica.
lures of the Yankee soldiers. Many of the
tents were cut in different places. Four
large trucks for carrying heavy guns stood
near the dock, with an immense quantity
of lumber.
In the inside intrenchments were wooden
guns projecting from the embrasures. Fort
Magruder, which we built strong works to
reduce, was found to be veal place. Its
inside works were sand bags, piled up with
L., of ,rood inf blo oL op bo opI
On the parapets northeast of Yorktown
six guns were left On the south side two
smooth bores were found spiked. Portions
ofYorktown were undermined. The magas
zine doors are forbidden to be. opened tor
fear of explosion. Torpedoes and shells,
with fuse fastened to small wires, lie in
the roads, redoubts, &c. The Fifth Regi>
ment New York Duryea's Zouaves) had
five men killed and several wounded by the
explosion of o torpedo. The.Thirty eighth
New York Volunteers, Colonel Hobart
Ward had two men killed and four wound
ed by the bursting Of prepared shell. His
regiment was among the first to enter the
rebel works. The Fortieth New York
Volunteers lost one man killed and two
wounded. The Seventeen Regiment New
York Volunteers lost two men killed. Other
casualties have occurred, but cannot send
you particulars at present.
AS soon as the evacuation of Yorktown
became known in the camps, the bands of
the different regiments commenced playing,
amidst cheering of the soldiers. The fol-
lowing order was sent to divisions and brig
AIDES, at A. NJ, from General Mcclellan
"Commandants of regiments will prepare
to march with two days rations, with the
utmost dispatch. Leave not to return"
At about A. NJ. the troops began to
march, the First Regular Cavalry and four
batteries of artillery leading. Tents were
struck, knapsacks strapped, and, within an
hour after the order was given the troops
were marching beyond Yorktown.
A number of guns, some of them spiked,
were left at Gloucester Point, but the pre-
else number l am not able to state. The
Notifications Of Gloucester consisted only
of outside earthworks, and could easily have
been taken. The main body of the rebels
are eDcamped three miles from Williams.
burg, near james river.
On the night of the Sd, terrific firing was
kept up until IL o'clock within the rebel
WUIhos OuC vi Jul 0CuCLdlS vi tLc lEe0COs
es reported that it was volleys of musketry
and heavy cannonading against our lines,
which proved mistake. One of the rebel
magazines had burst, and the fire scattered
to where large number of boxes filled with
cartridges were piled up. AS each box
caught the fire, the report was similar to
regiment discharging volley. Nineteen
rebels were killed and over sixty wounded.
The works at Yorktown are nothing like as
formidable as we had been led to believe.
The rebel council of war was held in Mrs.
Nelson's house at Yorktown, on Tuesday
and Wednesday last. JEFF. Davis and two
members of his Cabinet, Generals Lee, Ma
gruder and nine other Generals were preg-
ent. The debates were warm and exciting,
but fiually it was resolved to evacuate. The
Generals intrusted with the orders of evac.
uation kept it profound secret from the
officers and men,
The honors of first entering the enemys
works belongs to the I'D Regiment of New
York volunteers, as will be seen by the fol>
lowing sent to headquarters: