, 1862-04-23
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER EXPE-
DITION.
MATTERS AT FORT WRIGHT,
Military Affairs and Prospects.


N6JfI+ory Affair.". ord p-o.o.+o
e e1A" @Aesp7es8'
-------
- W. y o"n nep'tes1.l
P1rn Po1sr =. + BaHn. qn AMI i: Il. ists.
rm POSITION.
Yesterday was a t1av of pcnuiue Southern
Incidence upon the part Of the 6oti1la, No
n anv hind wns 1uade except the
occasional arrival or departure of transport.
Moi q pnn Kas fred from the feet OF a shell
ftom the mortars. Far down the river half a
dozan ha,vv o1ns were heard. probably from
~ ra,a, ,,rnhnats she1,,nx our p1ckets. The
4,,u 4hosa hnsv Ar1e1s of the Har. n1iad nil
rs. t;.t, ,,,.,5 +h;++or with +hn}r ,noeeo,oe n
~ r,,,,,,oeta and nortar raf.s What Wa
ao.e h, INV tr.nsno,+s T hare not ascerta;nod
Tbpr are at 1east twp miles ahoye Ms. 1yin1
,.,h;,a +he 1,ars wo arp 1;tb;n half 1n;1e
~ The extremity of tba no;,t~ tho river aen~
t7,a1e ~ +ho 4ao+--.,,a o,+n,,,,r,o,+5an :. d1f
se,1t 1hs-a ea;.,> a.e,,ah hawa1a- ia tho
.aa.1a,. a,...1xo... .,,a-..te. - fo, pnno =,
ha1;o.a ttot t :. h,,.,1,, a. 1vr,ra "a Comrnit-
~ - w., ~ aad Jaa-s N o,-onpret;on With
~ e. oa;oor fo- AZ rsduct;on of fbe ene,
,,,1,a ror1.e 1,s1orr, ~.
Tha raother uas of a character ia entfee one
;nt, tbo noat dreamy ,ndo1encc. The sun
,a,,.o5 5o.r, h;r ro7a r;tb a f7erceness that
!,aaa +1e aecr ,wninoz nos;t5ve,v de,1phtfn1
,rt,a ~, ,ras MA rnn1;nr ,od odnrons With
tho ecent IF flowers and the maturing 7ere-
to+ior nj +raes and berh7 Eveut1inp in
dnced IN renose The old sailors supine upon
the fnn-cost1e and snin marvellous yarns. On
aoct eon,e ve-a rcad;ng some arpuine moot
I'd no;n+s for fhe tvnnhoat is q very -acaaemi-
ca1 ornTe for discussion. some smoking. some
s1cpntng. and all Indifferent as to what might
tnyn m,
REBEL SCARE.
All sorts Of rumors were flying about, dis
cussions IS to the intentions of the enemy,
calculations Of chances in case Of an attack.
The strength Of the rebel works below US is
yariously positioned with each new arrival Of
scout OF descrte7. Now it is twenty, now
fiffv, now one hundred guns The latest ar
rived descrters insist upon one hundred guns
and FIVE Thousand troops. They further state
that the Reconnaissance Of the Benton aud Ca
rondelet, during the first day of our arrival
caused perfect panic. The rebel gnnboats
aud transports got up steam and " "skedad-
dled''lin every direction as fast as their speed
would allow, The fcrces in the works made
similar preparatious. With the expectation of
a combined land and river attack, and for a
time general disorder reigned supreme. Our
own boats were none the less astonished, rs
they run upon the enemy by accident, and, Of
eourse, were not prepared for attack.
OF Gen. Popc's movements [ cannot speak.
Rumor places him here, there and everywhere.
I have all kinds of etatenlents relative to his
purposes, but any Of them would be contra,
band. Last night the runor reached us that
the Monitor had eunken the Me1rimac after an
hours fight. The glorious news spread
through the feet Ike vildfre, and produced
the utmost enthusiasm from officers to powder
hoys. I can oulv hone the glorious news i
true. but it seems too good to believe. Like
doubling Thomas, can only believe what ]
sec,
EFFECTED ATTACK.
Last evening, about seven O'Clock, the re
bel eunboats ran I'D to the point aud took DO
| sitiou lust behind its extremity, with a ful
head of steam On, Frequent signals were in
I tercbapued betw cen them, and repeated seem
iug1y far down the river. These suspicious
| circumstances induced the belief, that some 0
| tleir boats would steal round the point aut
/ attempt to pIck off some Of our mortar RATS
! If rot to eurare the lower ruuboats in th
! tavor;np darkness. cxnectfnp to rive us fer
shots hefare the arrival Of the upper boats
To cnard AGAINST a s,,rnr;se Of this kind. ey
I rrv nroo,u4;on ,rae otsrrro5 cucras yer
etr.no+bonca ard 1o,l.or.s sta+;onod nno
| the Stern and naddle hov with orders tn re
nort instantonponstv onr n,oromcn, =, thc Il
rcct;o, of tho mint The stern ouns wrr
,ra,nea and trained IN +he no;nt and ever
,r,,,,,,+;on ,,o5a IA ra;,h ,nobnr and n-a
cornc t1e rebel crafts with f,.v comn1imcn
fran onr INV rifles Similar nrcnar,t;or
vere observed mon the Cairo and canand
,et 1xino either eide of MS The ,ook.ou,
u1,on the shore also snrcad their 11ors mo,
r;d41r ca ,bo+ -, on,r,c,1, x,;t,,,,
80 '4.Ao
discovery, despite the character Of II
night, would have been well Ugh impo5sib1
Tic night was most favorable for any hazar
,4,.~.-;., a,,,+ a;,,,+ .,,,on1- :, ~
..zon:., - oo,,,,,.oaa ..;n;,,x ,aa f,r Ala,
:. -, 49, --:t,~5,+
no''s - o'e" uo"n "i."oue AAsei n','
The heavens were one perfect ehect OF tam
The bolts seemed to descend upon cur re
he,as a,,d t,p ,;xer at times seemed a,i
80 ~ a'St- t>,..;,
Will Hers sefFeh'a. iue nes1t7 "eie tetI'A
occasionally bursting with savage roar j.
alorc unr heads. and diving away across +
, ..,-....:
"ooos WILL nea'5 r"l1'p't'lg gre'efoe,a'lons'a
} LOW shrinking through the ar ike 9lSan
r. Shells Tt almost seemed at intervals rs if I
t;r,oe ~, r,,,,,h<r af+1o ,oot ~,
r '1t'eo t4ie h1ii'pe1 ~ LIZ 1se ~
p alongside pouring IN their united broad*ld
The repeated siypalliprs Of the enemy be1t
! re o75.d n tho ;r,7-tss,,, and II r,s u
! '' -.
tLis idea several times in the night VII
0 awakened BIZ an unusually loud peal The
n er,7 houcrnr ,;;d not make his anre,raYce
~
a1, not "pout loaa Guy" - tue .''o,n
Il | withdrew from his position and went far d6
;, eso,.o -i.;,o .1,,.o t,,a goods Evi6e,
e ~ s,lohc si7tus ~ ,cd ,,ooS, ;r,,rosso1
LUG eSsson u ~: ~ 4iau usei ~. 80.
on thv'1 neHorlss, ino .nc ts,s,e - tha,', nnus
a1teGp1 10 run piochaue lnuueeo eus.n
guard The point anu give ume1y "arhlug
p any such ATTEMPT.
IL THE BoNDARDMExT.
y, To.dav fTbnr.dap, ia c1oudv dn1| .
| drjzzly, Tic fog hanus in heavy folds III
y tie river. through WHICH tAs huls Of tue Il
!; gan be Glnly seen ns if sailing in the ciou
,s During the forenoon, everything has b
- quit, and not suund been heard to br
y uien the still laouotouy Of the scene.
i'd At noon, the lowest mortar opened fire,
About one d clock three others Joined iu c
er cert. The enemy in accordance With tt
und f1,n tn;s 1ev1 ptHPi
- aud accurate fire was Kept up on both sit