Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1862-04-30
ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.
FROM the Wisconsin State jon nal.
From the Eighth Wisconsin.
New MApRIp, April 10, 1862.

NEW Madrid, April 10. 1862.
After a loug silence, owing partly to
the absence of your correspondent from
the regiment, and partly to the fact that
there has been very little of special inter-
est in our history to write about, lind
mysels, this dismal rainy day, seated in the
house of Southern gentleman, now an
officer in the rebel army, and while indit-
Ing divers and sundry epistles to various
parties, | am reminded of a promise made
to communicate, occasionally, through
ycur columns. with tie numerous friends
of the SLh regiment. AT last, also, have
something to write SD ut, though the tel
egraph will have told you all long before
you SEE this. Still, there sre some tales
which will bear being twice toldn
Island Number 10, about which the
newspapers have said so much during the
last four weeks, has at length fallen, and
great is the fall thereof. Last Friday
night the guuboat Caroadoiet ran the
blockade under the most terrific fire from
all the rebel batteries, and came out of the
fiery ordeal unscathed.
Go Sunday night Col Bissell, with his
engineers, succeeded in getting four steam
transports and as aapy barges, through
|
side of the river, to New Madrid-a task
Oh which he had been engaged for two
weeks. Thus Gen. Pope was furnished
with transportation to take his army
across the river and attack the enemy in
the rear. But the rebels, anticipating
this, bad planted their batteries SD as to
command every available landing on their
side of the river for fifteen miles below
LII; Ill l..
cover the landing Of the troops, was the
object for which the Car0ndetet ran the
| blockade, and gloriously did she perform
| her mis- sion.
On Sunday afternoon she steamed down
the river toward Tlptonviile, reconnoiter.
ing the enemies batteries and drawing
their fire as -~ePt proudly and defanty
on. Toward evening, she returned toward
| New Madrid, stea;ning slowly up the river
until she came within range of the
rebel battery oppoSi Point Pleasant
Gen. Plummer's division, to which our
regiment belongs, has been encamped at
the Point, and this battery has been To
them source OF the greatest annoyance
throwing shot and she'll across the river
at the most unreasonable hours, and ren-
| dering it often inconvenient, as well as
|
shore. Oar boys were OF course greatly
interested in the fight between the Car.
ondolet and this battery, and gathering on
the shore, they waited with the most in.
tense anxiety for the result. Beside this,
during the still nights recently, when their
voices could be heard across the river. the
rebels were in the habit of ttntal'zi ng
them by asking in the most insulting man
ner, how we came on with our canal, and
why we didn't bring our Eastwood gun
boats. Our boys would reply that Com
Foote would answer that question early
enough for their satisfaction, and now they
watched to see whether their prediction
would hold good. They We're not disap-
| poiated. When she came within about
/ a mile OF their battery, the rebels opened
fire upon her. The O0rondOIet replied
slowly and deliberately, moving steadily
up the river, until within about three hun
bred yards OF the battery, when her firing
became more rapid and was seconded by
deadly volleys from the rifles of the sharp
shooters on board. The rebels could not
stand this but took to the woods as fast as
fast as their heel, could carry them, pur-
sued by a party of Our men, who went
ashore in small boats and spiked their
guns. When our boys on this eide,
beheld this impudent battery slenced,
their cheers rang out loud aad long across
the Mississippi and far into the Kentucky
| woods, and the man who thought Foote'S
| gun6Uats a failure was unanimously votel
a Ounce. One of our men, who had been
taken prisoner some time ago, and who
escaped on Sunday says, that after the Ca
r0ndotet ran the blockade, the rebels them
selves declared there aoas no use uttempt-
ing to stop the Yankee gunboats, for they
aooud go any@here, even through the
goods or 0yer mountains If they soanted to.
On Sunday night, the Pittsburgh also
ran the blockade, and the next morning
she and the Cdrondolet went to work and
| sieIced all the rebel batteries between
| Point Pleasant and New Madrid, thus
opening the way FIR Gen. POpe's Lraus-
ports t. GRO - the river. Immediately the
troops began 10 move over. Gen. Plum
mer's division started amidst drenching
rain, aud marched through the nud to
!, New Madrid, where We arrived before
| dark, in time To see the celebrated floating
battery captured. 1t is long, nondes-
cript concern, formerly a dry dock at New
Orleans, me,amcrphosed into rebel bat
terry, mounting thirteen gnns. AS it
| came dow within range OF the guns of
the upper fort, fire was opened upon it
Some Of our officers and men were hugely
alarmed, declaring that it was nothing
more nor less than Hollin's celebrated ram
which had come down to sink our trans
ports and destroy our gun boats. But as
it made Lo reply to the shots from the
fort, and rs no one could be discovered on
| il, party went out in boat to recon-
noiire, who went aboard aud found
| it deserted and scuttled and almost ready
/ 10 sink, which it did little farther down
the stream. Its auus however can be Sc
cured with little trouble when the river
falls. Our regiment crossed the river
about midnight and bivnuacked during
that and the following night on the KeD-
| lucky shore. The divisions of Generals
| PaiEe and Hamilton, which crossed before
u had gone immediately in pursuit of the
enemy, whom they intercepted that night
| at Tiptonville. Next morning they took
a large number OF prisoners, variously es-
| timated at from three to six Thousand
Meanwhile Commodore Foote had quietly
taken possession of the Island above and
| Notifications on the m finland. which the
rebels it seems began t. evacuate on Sun
day night, considering their fate sealed at,
1 4. 4 IL