Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1862-04-17
PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

PROGRESS OF THE WAR.
From rebel sources we learn that Fort Pu-
laski near tie mouth of the Savannah river,
was surrendered to the federal army on the
18th with its garrison and all its stores. The
fort is only IS miles from Savannah. 1t is a
great victory in itself and greater in prospec-
tive results.
The special correspondence of some of the
Western papers confirm the general truth of
the dispatches given in our last, respecting the
battle of Pittsburgh Landing, about 20 miles
from Corinth. But no official dispatches have
yet been received by government There are
several reasons for this There is no person
authorized to send such dispatch directly from
the field, except the department commander,
Gen. Haeck, who was at st. Louis the re-
port of the battle must be made from colonies
to brigadiers and commanders, and thence to
division commanders, and thence to Gen. Hal
leck, when the latter will have to write his re-
port, which could not he done until he reached
the headquarters of his army; it is also 10 be
borne in mind that this report should embrace
full list of the killed, wounded and missing,
which takes considerable time especially where
some of the troops had but just arrived, where
they are now in the face of a great army, and
on the eve of another great battle 1t may be
several weeks before this report is received.
Gen. Mitchell, of Gen. Bucll's Division, has
made rapid march from Columbia, little be-
low Nashville, in Tennessee, TO the southeast,
and takes possession of Huntsville, Alabama.
This is on the Memphis and Charleston rail-
road, more than hundred miles east of Corinth.
and it completely cuts off Beauregard from all
direct railroad connection with East Tennessee,
North Carolina and Virginia. The value of
this piece of strategy can hardly be overesti-
mated. 1t is another of the many disappoint-
mems the rebels have experienced of the sort.
They have been defen ing this railroad in East
Tennessee above Knoxville, and kept large
force there for that purpose, and our troops
have made several feints of move in that di-
rection. Now they see the line cut below them,
at one blow severing Beauregard from his chief
source of supplies and outfanking the rebel
army in eastern Virginia and making it useless
there for any other purpose than to repress and
prosecute the Union men. The next day, Satur-
day, he organized two divisions one moving
east and the other west, and took possession OF
one hundred miles of this railroad. SO sudden
was this movement that it took the rebels COM
pletey by surprise, so that all the rolling stock
of the railroad for that distance fell into our
hands, This movement will have an important
influence in deciding the expected battle at
Corinth.
Gen. Mcclellan is busily engaged in investing
Yorktown which, it is reported, he finds much
stronger defended than he anticipated. 1t is
also reported that the rebels have from 10000
to 100000 men in the place, and 500 guns,
many of them of large calibre. The much
praised and well abused general of the federal
troops investing this strongly intrenched and
fully garrisoned place will here find a field for
the display Of his abilities.
Gen. McDowell's Division is reported to be
about 10 miles beyond Manassas, struggling TO
move forward in spite of the obstacles placed
in the way by the rebels.
Gen. Banks is feeling his way along carefully
up the valley of the Shenandoah.
Gen. Fremont's Division is also making some
progress in Western Virginia.
The Merrimac followed by the whole of the
rehe! fotilla has come out from Norfolk, and
destroyed three small vessels of little account
A few shots from the Naugatuck sent her under
the protecting guns of the batteries at Craney
Island, where she evidently remains to prevent
the passage of our gunboats up the James
River to aid in the reduction of Yorktown.
There is nothing new from the Southern
coast, save that our two Vermont Regiments,
the It'll and sth, were at Key West, on the LIST
instant.