The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-05-09

gard to the evacuation of Yorktown:
ONE MILE BEYOND YORKTOWN, Sunday,
10 o'clock, A.M.--All day yesterday the re.
bells kept up hot fire on Generrl Porters
divisi on. No one was hurt. Our Parrot
guns at Farnbalt Court House occasionally
answered them.
All last evening and up to midnight live.
ly firing was kept up. About that time
their fire slackened considerably and at two
o'clock stopped altogether.
We fred one or two more batteries at
them but got no answer.
About three o'clock this morning a
building at Yorktown was fred and Profess
sor Lowe and General Heintzelman went
up in a balloon and found it was their store
house at Yorktown wharf.
At daylight they reported the fort
empty.
At Z o'clock we occupied Yorkto wn
without gun being fired.
Of the guns of the enemy nearly all re-
naming were spiked and dismounted. By
the side of the river battery were large piles
of ammunition, powder, balls and shell.
Eighty guns were in Yorktown which is
surrounded by semi. circle. The earth
works were all constructed to cover one
another, but they must have eventually
yielded could we have got around them.
The gun we dismounted the other day
killed and wounded fourteen rebels.
The fort has been occupied by the first
battalion of New Orleans artillery, 9Th and
Both Alabama regiments, 10th and 18th
Louisiana regiments, and 18th and 45th
Georgia regiments.
These troops were ordered to report at
Towards Grove, four miles from Rich
mond, and left the fort at midnight.
A rear guard was left who waited for
our appearance and then retired in the
greatest haste.
Two deserters who left their regiments at
Williamsburg at daylight, say that the
whole rebel army is in panic.
Professor loves balloon reconnaissance
discovered their guard at A. M. to be four
miles out.
General Mcclellan Immediately ordered
out the artillery and cavalry and is pushing
after them at full speed.
All our gunbOats came up at nine o'clock
and landed some marines at Gloucester, who
raised the United States flag amid cheering
that could be heard across the river. The
boats all then left and are now running up
York river and shelling the banks GU both
sides.
A number of mines had been prepared
for our troops by placing percussion shells
under ground in the road ways and entran-
ces to the fort. No whites were to be found
and only few negro women and babies.
The town was squalid and filthy and a
few days of warm weather would have bred
pestilence.
Reports concur that the rebels consist of
a mob of about 100000 men, i'll fed, dirty
and disheartened.
The road from Yorktown to Hampton
on which men were encamped was guarded
by General Magruder, mounting large
number OF guns, part of which were taken
away and part spiked.
Several of their works were we'll built, and
we'll laid out, while others were wretched
contrivances.
The work upon them was finished on Fri.
day night.
Slaves were sent to the rear under guard.
The rebels have nothing behind on which
they can make stand.
Last night their camp fires all along
were the same as usual. Dense woods
along the Peninsula enabled them to leave
without being seen by the balloon.
The large guns of the rebels were mostly
Columbiads taken from the Norfolk Navy
Yard.
Some of them have been recently mount
ed. The Notifications, although of the
toughest character, were very formidable,
being surrounded by deep gorges almost i'm
possible to pass.
NEW YORK TIMES DISPATCH.
Times special from Yorktown. The
retreat of the rebels seems to have been
precipitate. They commenced dismounting
and carrying their guns back to Williams.
burg four days ago. Wagons have been
engaged in transporting their ammunition,
provisions ard camp equipage for over a
week past.
Their sick and WOUNDED, numbering over
$500, were sent to Richmond ten days ago.
The rebel soldiers and negroes were at work
on their entertainments until two o'clock
this morning, when their rear guard order
ed the work to cease and take up the march
to Williamsburg.
Duryea's Zouaves had FIVE men killed
and seven wounded by the explosion of a
torpedo; also the 38th New York Volun-
teers, Colonel Hobart, had two men killed
and four wounded. The 4th New York
Volunteers lost one man killed and two
wounded; the 7th New York Volunteers
lost two men killed.
Ten thousand rebels were sent from Win.
mes Mill to reinforce an army sent from
Richmond to oppose McDOwells advance,
last Thursday week.
No great battle is expected at Williams
burg, as the rebel troops, particularly those
under Magruder, have mutned on several
occasions. Within two weeks five thousand
of his men thre atened to lay down their
arms, unless they received food and clothing.
Three rebel Lieutenants, two sergents and
twenty men were captured the other side of
Yorktown and brought in.
Since the Sd, over 20 deserters have come
in, and they report their army as thorough
!. disheartened and demoralized.
The honor of first entering the enemys
man works belongs to the I'D regiment of
New York volunteers. The Texan rangers