The national Republican., 1862-10-08
INTERESTING FROM the GULF.
Our Forces Make a Successful
Raid upon the Rebels.
They Get JEFF. Thompson's sword,
Spurs, and Bride.

iuo t'"oWihb topNft Hdb bsou W. We'eou w
the headquarters Of the army; - lt
Ht,poUAprtas .Dspror THE GUIr.
New Orleans, Sept. "a, 1862
MAJOR general b. y. BUTLER,
Ctmmandbg Department II he Cuff:
GENERAL; Pursuant 10 youI orders of the 18th
instant. | embarked. on the Afternoon Of tina,
day, on board the steamer Ceres, at Lakoport,
with three companies Of the Twelfth regimen,
Maine volunteers, commanded respectively by
one company Capt. Pickermg's) Of the Twen.
~ sixth Massachusetts regiment. had pre-
viously sent 100 men Of the Thirteenth Connec
tout regiment, on board the gnnboat New Lon
don, whose commander, Capt. Read, had kindly
consented to co operate with me.
The object In view was TO surprise the village
II PODobatoula, the headquarters OF the rebel
Goneral JET. Thompson, forty eight miles north
Of the city on the line Of the jackson railroad.
To tha, end the New London was 10 land her
| men ut Manchac bridge, whence, at daybreak
next morning, they wero TO drive the enemy
| that might be found there northward to Pom.
ohatoua, while the remainder If the. force,
having fund our way ffteen miles up the Tan.
| gipaboa river in the night, should have landed.
marched ak miles westward and captured Pon.
| cbatouls in season TO secure those Of the enemy
] who had been driven up from Pass hanohac.
The attempt at surprise failed, for not only was
Mauchac Passin the darkness, but the Ceres,
too large for the easy navigation Of the marrow
and winding Tspgipahoa, failed in each of the
two succeeding nights TO reach her destination
on that river in season to admit Of our gaining
| Ponohatoula before daylight Iresolved, there
fore, to go with that steamer to Manohac bridge,
| and did so on the morning Of the 18th. From
that point Captain Winter was sent with bis
company southward, to make the destruction
Of the railroad on Manchac Island more com
plete, which duty he thoroughly performed
Capt. Piokering's company WAS left TO guard
the steamer, and the companies Of Captains
Thornton and Harrington began q forced
march Of ten miles upon Ponohatoula:
| A locomotive one mile below the village gave
notice Of our approach, (Which could not be
| concealed )and ran uorthward, giving the alarr
At the village, aud thence to Camp Moore fol
reinforcements. We met on entering Poncha
toula discharge OF canister, at seyenty
yards, from light battery, in charging which
Captain Thornton fell severely wounded. HI,
company then under Lieut.. Hight reinforced
, Captain Farrington's frst platoon on the enc
my's right, while Lieut.. Coon, with the seceht
platoon of that company, took position undel
partial cover on the left OF the enemy g line.
From these positions our men poured in so de
liberste and destructive a fire, that the enemy
! WAS driven from the 6eld, the artillery gallop
ing away, followed by the infantry on roaI
through the forest in u northw esterly direction
2 We then set FIRE to a train Of upwards OF TWEEN
" cars laden with cotton, sugar, molssses, &c.
took the papers from the fort and telegrap,
| ONCE, (destroying the apparatus Of the latter
n Jtu. spurs, Dffult
&C., from his quarters in the hotel, (ths swort
was presented by the so.called Memphis pa
3 triots.)
written document was obtained which
showed the rebel force at that point to consis
of fthree hundred troops of the Tenth Arkansas
one company of artillery With six pieces.
| 1had, however, received reliable inforna
ton that the enemy's force was week prsvi
Gus only two hundred infantry, and no artlle
Tha rHinfnrrpmpnts had fax N D1Ana al .
subsequent date. Our force engaged amounted
TO but one hundred and twelve men. We lei
| Of killed, wounded and missing, exclusive o
, those who have just come in-among the las
| the gallant Th0rn,on,J ten men at PoUc hatouia
Surgeon Avery, Ninth Connec ticut volunteers
| with his attendants, Voluntarily remained viii
I the wounded, but the former has since re
turned.
, We brought in eleven men, more or ,sss %
e verely wounded. One fatal case OF sun strok
| received on board the steamer. Our rsturl
from Ponobalonla was necessarily along tn
o railroad, through a swamp. and on which ther
possible TO bring of those OF our msn, y no wsr
i most severely wounded. 40 they would b. ex
|, posed for a long distance to the nre OF the al
II tillery, which, with horses attached, would b.
brought back upon the line of the road as 500
A as we should have lett the village. 1t did p
return, at the signal of the Inhabitants; but
J. though actively served. did us no harm.
4 Surgeon Avery reports twenty COY Of the en-
| emy Kllleu. captains TnOrntOn ana farrlng
= ton and the officers and men Of their respectiv
1 commands, though nearly exhausted by tb
march (twn miles Of which WAS over an opel
treste work) in the heat-of the day, bshave
nObly In the fight Captains Pickering an,
Winter. after a very rapid march, for whicl
they are entitled TO much credit, came up afte
e We had left the village, covered our rear, AM
, assisted in bringing in tho wounded. Lieuts
Msrtsr, Allen, Furegass and Commander Buch
anan, U, 8. N, who accOmpanis the sxpUdi
tiOp, rendered important services, and thei
i gallantry during tbe action deserves specia
] mention.
Il have the honor to De, General very res
pectfully, your Obedient servant
GEORGE O. STRONG,
A. A. General.