Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-04-17
ARMY OF THE MISSISSIPPI.
CAMP New MADRID,

a rather early summer excursion toward the
Lakes, in charge and under the protection
of a rather large escort of the ''infernal
Yankees" The desire to spend the warm
weather in q colder climate than the one to
which they would have been sent, had they
continued in arms against the Nothern fires,
had much to do, no doubt, with their early
surrender but whether this is true or not
they certainly exercised the better part of
valor'' in giving in at the time they did, for
there was no possible chance for them to
escape, as our gunboats had cut of their re-
treat by river, and we were in their rear with
a superior force.
We will cease specializing, however, and
proceed at once to give an account of the
proceedings and movements that have re-
suited in one ofthe most complete victories
Of the campaign, and one that reflects more
credit on the planning and executing capaci-
ty of the General in command of the Army
Of the Mississippi, and demonstrates that
capacity more clearly, than anything that
has yet occurred during the war, for the
simple reason that in spite Of all the Difficult.
ties by which he has been surrounded and
with which he has had to contend, the de-
lays that have been forced upon him by want
Of diligence, or by jealousy in others, he has
accomplished this glorious result without
the loss Of a siaglelJc. The gunboat Caron-
dolet arrived at New Madrid on Saturday
morning, having run the blockade at Island
No. 10 on Friday night. The transport
steamers Emma, Ohio No. 2, VIM. d.
Terry, and Trio, with some six or eight fiat
boats arrived on Sunday evening, having
literally dug and chopped their way through
fifteen miles ofsand and timber from above
No. 10, around over the country into the
Bayou entering the river at this place, oc-
cupying nearly three weeks in the underta-
king, which is one of the grandest on record.
And, next to Gen. Pope, there is no man
in this division of the army so fully entitled
to the plaudit of well done thou good and
faithful servant as Col. Bissell, of the
Engineer Corps, for We are indebted to his
skill, to his untiring energy, for the success
full termination Of this great scheme by
which we were placed in possession of our
transports, and without which it would have
been impossible to cross the river.
The gunboat Pittsburgh arrived on Mon
day morning, having also run the blockade
tho previous night. Thus provided, the
work commenced on Monday morning
The transport boats were loaded early in the
morning with some light artillery, and the
10th and 10th Illinois Regiments, and cross
ed over about IL o'clock and landed about
two miles below the town on the Kentucky
shore, at n point where the gunboat Ca.
rondole had silenced a battery Of three heavy
guns on Sunday evening, driving off thu
gunners and spiking the guns. And here
let me say that this fact, with the subse'
quent action of these boats, has somewhat
changed our notion of the efficiency Of gun.
boats, which, we believe, under rrope,
direction, and under the control of such q
General as Pope, and such commanders as
those of the Carondolet and Pittsburgh,
much may be accomplished by them. The
boats returned Immediately after Gen.
Stanley's division, composed Of the 9th,
seth, 43d, and 63d Ohio Regiments, and q
battery of Parrot guns. Gen. Hamilton
and Gen. Plummer's Divisions were after
wards crossed over, making our effective
force about ten or twelve thousand men,
which wero Immediately on their landing
marched down the river towards Upton.
vile, about fourteen miles by land distan,
and the point at which tho rebels must eros,
the river if they attempted to escape. The
' 10th and 10th Illinois Regiments and tn,
. gunboats arrived there that evening, ant
q our Division encamped on the river abou
0 two and a half miles above. The enem!
? were thus completely ponned in, and we al
l expected that in this condition he woulC
I make a desperate fight, and layed down tina
night in the open air with our blanket
around us, thinking ofnothing else but tina
on the morrow we should have q desperate
bloody fight. Morning came and We wer
soon in motion for what we supposed woul,
be the scene of conflict, but as we neare,
the town we were met by an orderly will
0 the announcement that the enemy had sen
in a Gag Of truce and surrendered his Who'll,
force, three Generals, Cant, Mackall
(other don't know and about 70, 0O0) iv,
; thousand troops, three batteries of ligh
artillery and over COY seventy peices o
heavy cannon, with all their equipments ant
app~urtenances, ammunition and stores.-
} When that announcement was made to on
: army, foot-sore and weary as it was, ther'
wos a shout sent up for the Union and tn,
Q triumph Of the Union cause the deafeninl
o roar Of which could hardly be equaled b,
anything short Of an explosion Of all the ga
Q and bruggadocia ofthe Southern Confedera
o cy. We continued on march, and arrived il
town about noon, where we had been pre-
ceded by about three thousand Of the pris
Q oners, who were huddlod together along
y side Of the road and surrounded by q guard
II and A motley looking crew they were. 40 IN