Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1862-04-17

next. The Senate resolution transferring the
supervision Of the Capitol extension from the
War Department to the Department of the In
terror was passed.
THE LATEST WAR NEWS.
The intelligence from Yorktown is important
The Confederates continue to be reinforced from
Richmond and Norfolk. On Thursday they
landed troops at Yorktown and at Glouceste,
Point opposite, and balloon reconnaissance re-
vealed the fact that they have strengthened their
Notifications and placed many additional guns
in position. There were three skrmishes on
Friday, the Confcderates sallying out in consid-
cradle numbers on the Federal advance pickets
The casualties on the Federal side were two
killed and seven wounded. The Federal army
is busily engaged in making preparations for an
advance. A balloon was sent up by the Con-
federates on Friday, the first which we have had
any notice Of on their side during the war.
A brief dispatch to the Navy Department,
dated Cairo, Saturday last, announcing that
Commodore Foote left New Madrid that day
with the iotilla and mortarboats, with large
body of troops, en- route for Fort Pillow, few
miles above Memphis. Before reaching this
work, however, the Federal advance will have
to pass four other Confederate Notifications, the
first Fort Osceola, about forty miles south of
Island No. 10, and the next Fort Wright, FIVE
miles below, in Tennessee Of these we have
no information Of the condition or armament.
but Fort Randolph, thirty-five miles above Mem
phis, and FIVE miles below Fort Wright, is said
to be military position naturally strong. 1t
is an earthwork built upon the Second Chicka-
saw Bluffs, more than one hundred feet above
the river and Immediately south of Island No..
"a. The lower part commands the three months
OF the Hatchie river, that empties into the Mis-
slsslppl just above the town of Randolph, at the
upper edge of the bluffs. These bluffs form
natural parapets of batteries and, at this point,
commands view of the Mississippi river for
six miles each way The town of Randolph.
near which the fort stands, consists of about
dozen houses. The next work is Fort Harris.
a small earth ratification about ten miles above
Memphis, and then is Fort Pillow, a strong
earthwork, with bastions, walls and trenches.
mounting thirty guns en- barbette, the chief de-
tense OF Memphis. 1t is probable that some of
these works have been abandoned since the fall
of Island No. 10, and their ornaments concen-
trated at the two most important points, Forts
Randolph and Pillow.
We have advices from General Hunters De-
partment to Monday, the 18th inst, by an arri-
val at New York. No movements of Importance
had taken place in the vicinity of Port Royal
but General Hunter was actively engaged in
for his campaign. The lombard
ment of Fort Pulaski had not yet commenced,
the original intention of commencing it on the
lst instant having been given upon account,
probably, of the change of commanders. 1t
was reported that messenger from Savannah
had succeeded in reaching the fort, notwithstand-
ing the blockade, and had given assurances to
the garrison that the first gun fred upon the
fort should be the signal for the march of thirty
thousand men to their relief. 1t was reported
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A Federal force occupied Huntsville, Ala, or
Thursday last and captured two hundred pr
soners and large amount of railway property
and cutting off direct communication between
Memphis and the coast States, the Memphis ane
Huntsville is one hundred and sixteen miles
south from Nashville, and has about six thou.
sand inhabitants. Later advices from this point
state that the Federal forces advanced on Satur.
day last east and west of Huntsville, Ala, on
the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, and now
hold about one hundred miles of that important
line of Southern communication. The farthes
point reached east was Stephenson Junction
which was seized, the Confederate force occupy.
ing the place retiring on the approach of the
Federal troops. On the west the town of De.
catur, on the Tennessee river, was occupied.
A North Carolina paper states that the Fed.
erals have occupied Shepardsville, Cartarct coun.
ty, about fifteen miles from Beaufort, and Swans.
boro', a small port on Bogue Sound, about fifty
miles from Wilmington, and advanced to Pol.
louisville, in Jones county The reported
movements on Newbern are not mentioned. but
this doubtless is owing to the suppression Of
such intelligence by order of the Government.
A Confederate account of the battle of Pea
Ridge claims that their loss was not more than
one hundred and fifty killed, while the Federal
loss is estimated at four times as many. The
Federal forces, it is admitted, occupied the field
after the battle, but were in such condition as
prevented them from persung their enemy, and
soon after fell back towards Arkansas, The &C.
count says that the deaths of Gems. McCulloch
and Mcintosh lost the Confederates the fruits Of
their victory.
Gen. Van Dorm, at the head of ten thousand
men, at last advices was at Pittman's Ferry, on
the Current river, in Randolph county, Arkan-
sas, near the Missouri line, probably on his way
to reinforce the army under Gen. Beauregard.
The Confederates are reported to be with
drawing their forces from Northwestern Arkan-
sas and concentrating them at Pocahontas, in
the Northeastern section of the State. and at
last accounts it was supposed had force of ten
thousand men there. The Federal forces are
between Grecnville, Mo-, and the Arkansas line
Gen. Sigcl had returned to St. Louis.
A private letter from Gen. Mcclellan, receiv.
ed at Washington, says that he found Confede-
rate Notifications at Yorktown ten times strong
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