The Burlington weekly hawk-eye., 1862-05-10
From the New OrIean. Fleet.
The following letter is from William Sells, ad-
dressed to his father, the Secretary of State--
1t gives US pleasure to publish it: aR
r--. o. s. STEAMER MIAMI,I

afsa u s. STEAMER MIAMI
MOUTH MISSISSIPPI RIVER, April 8, '62.
DEAR FATHER:-I have heard nothing from
home since left Baltimore, which was the last
OF February. lhave written you several letters
since, one from Port Royal, one from Kew
West, and one from Ship Island The great
battle has not yet taken place, bat will, quite
soon, as the vessels are nearly all here. 1t NAV
take plscein the next 10 days, or sooner Gen.
Butler has landed some OF his troops about
6,OO0) at Biloxi, but for what purpose cannot
tell. The general impression here, is, that this
will not only be the greatest battle of the war,
but the gr' atest naval engagement on record.
The Forts mount about 400 guns. Fort jackson,
the first, has two tiers of casemated guns, and
one of barbette guns, One half mile up above
Fort Jackson is Fort Phillip, with one tier of
guns. q
just below Fort Jackson there is an immense
chain across the river buoyed on six schooners
hlied with wood so they cannot be sunk At
each end of the chain s land battery, but the
worst place is above the chain at Englisntown.
There they raked us four times; but land bat
teries are easily shelled out But to take these
places we are amply prepared, think. There
are some in the feet that think we will be whip.
ped; but have no such thoughts. think the
men that have charge OF the expedition, kno,o
H'e,r business. We have 81 bomb schooners,
each cerrying l3-inch mortar, and will throw
Q shell three miles, and are very accurate and
desperate. The shell contains pounds of pow
der. In addition, we will have about 80 war
steamers, some of our best sloops and gun.
boats, including the Mississippi, Pensacola.
Richmond, Hartford, Iroquois, Brooklyn, bar
r.et Lane, &c, including four New York ferry
boats with immense power to tow schooners.-
we have now two s.inch guns, one rife, four
"a FOUNDERS, and the best gunneIs in the feet
n NO nat l. 4 n
late, the Captain has taken hold personally
We are to have for the fight, four more 6 inch
guns from the frigate Colorado She can't get
over the bar Also, 80 more men. which will
give US crew Of 200 men. But we expect To
come out Of the fight with much less. An the
large vessels carry twelve pound howitzer go,
me top" OF each mast They expect to 90 with.
IN Three hundred yards Of the forts and drive the
gunners from their guns
The captain of the Colorado. as be can't get
ms vessel in, has volunteered to cut the chain.
,neye |, volunteered to take charge of our powder
division, which is 80 men. They are also nike
men and 6oafdsrs, and here, each man !.ais hi.
men. -tDes Moines Register
e -D----
-FOUR TO 0NEs--lt is q suggestive considerr.
ton that Of the five soldiers from this place who
were killed In battle or died from their wounds.
four were Republicans and one was Democrat
The four Republicans were Theodore Weeks.
n. w. Doty, E. w. Barnum and John Watson.
The Democrat was Andrew Slstten. The four
Republicans to one Democrat, will hold good In
the II Regiments organized in this State. Il il
natural that this should be 80, when It is under.
stood that there are Democrats In this and eyery
other community who have done their beat to
dissuade their loyal political brethren from en-.
gag'ng as soldiers 10 the service Of their coun-
Try. Time and again we have heard these Dem.
oersn Of the Magnolia Hill stripe, urge passion
ately that this WAS "Lincoln's war--a did black
Abolition war, and that the Republicans might
aeasH out These appeals have had their ef.
iect; and We have practical illustration Of this
eject at homo In the circumstance that such 8
anproportionats number Of Republicans from
Des MoInes have fallen in defense Of their coun.
try. fRegister. - =