The New York herald., 1862-04-13
Omciai Report OF General Mitchell.


OMeial Report OF General Mitchell.
WASHINGTON, April IL, 1862
The following despatch has been received by the
HEADQUARTERS THIRD rpvlslos, /
HUNTSVILLE Ala, April II, 1862.
Aer a forced march CT Incredible difficulty, leaving
Fayetteville yesterday twelve clock NJ my advanced
guard consisting Of Twichiu brigade Kennetts cavalry
and smonsons battery, entered Huntsville this morning.
at six O'Clock The city completely taken by surprise,
10 one having considered march practicable in tho
time We have captnred about two hundred prisoners,
fifteen locomotives alage amount Of passenger and box
platform cars the telegraph apparatus and Office and TWO
Southern mails.
Ne hare at last succeeded IN cutting the great ayey of
rdiftay communication bewces ae Soafhe,n States.
o. N. MITCHELL, Brigader General Cong.
sketch Of Huntsville and Vicinity.
The capture Of Huntsville is of importance tlah
viii be az the ars glance of the despatch Our little
map viii show its position regards Decatur, from
which il is cny distant abont tweptysour miles But
st, greater value TO be attached TO the capture OF this
place u is Situated the main trunk line which con.
meets Richmond with Memphis and the cities OF the
Southwest and its possession by the Union troops de
stroys the connection between The forces under Besure
gard a those under loe and Johnston in Virginia The
for the transportation Of supplies also cut Of by
Their flank Another road 10 Corjnth 10 opened our
forces and fresh troops poured upon them via the
Memphis sud Charleston Rilrosc, which with
othsr lines al Corptb.
Huntsville beautiful town Of Madison county Ala
bsna, Of wh county is also the capital 10 is sla-
ted on the Memphis and charsstop Railroad, two hun
dred and miles from knoxs llc ninety miles
from Chattanooga, twenty -iOsw miles from Decatur,
sixty miles nom TuscuWbia, little seventy
niles from Florence, hundred and nineteen niles
from CorLtb, one hundred and sixty miles from the
Grand Jan.tcn, two hundred and twelve miles
from Nsmphis, hundred forty-seven miles from
Mobile by railroad, bot only about three hondred miles
air line Eve hundred hfty miles from New or
by rail- but scarcely hundred miles in straight
ne about three hundred ,nos from Fort rickens and
,be CuW coast reckoning the bird es; about four
harcred miles from the about 6ve baroi
and forty miles from iynchbarg Virginia, and nearly
seven hundred miles from Echuoad. IL is also distant
| from Tuscaloosa about hundred and fifty miles
in northDortheasteriy direction; about han.red
and eighty miles from Montgomery, and hundred
sixteen miles south by east from Nashville IL contains
many handsome brick buildings, among which the
court house, erected AZ cost o s45 000 and The bank
stone edlce, built in very splendid style and with an
Ionic porco) which cost about eighty thousand dollars
There here established several churches. United
Stales land Office three newspaper Offices which fonrished
rary previous to the rebellion, and female semina-
ries one of which estimated have least
$40 900 In 1854 Huntsville had population OF about
four ibonsand persons; but what il may possess
excess o The Nn"n troops is matter OF doubtful est ma
ton. Huntsville is considered The most beautiful town
| of The South, with the exception Of Colombia
| South Carolina. Il is also The home Of the Hon
| Cleinert G. Clay, ey'rnited states senator Iom
Alabama, and a member Of The rebel Congress
Madison county is situated in the northern part Of Ala
bsma, bordering on Tennessee and has Of abou,
eight hundred aud Gty square mlss. s ntersected
by Flint and Rock creeks ailments VI the Tennessee,
river, which forms the southern boundary The surface
Of the country hily but the soil s very fertile and
extensively cultivated. Limestone uIder'ies large part
of the surface. railroad has boen between
Winchester, Tennessee aud Huntsville Alabama, but
| yet has only reached Fayetteville, in the former
state, about half the distance Madison county
| imo one Of the most jensey populated portions o.
the state Of Alabama, having at last returns popn
lston Of nearly twenty thousand persons Of whom
| more than one hah slaves. who outnumbsrsd the
free residents by two Thousand two hundred per
| sons. The adjoining counties In Alabama namcd
Morgan Jackson and Limestone Counties and the Tenncs
| zee state line borders the northern side.
sTRArgeicAL IMPORTANCE or HUNTSVILLE.