Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-10-08
LATER FROM NEW ORLEANS.

/ NASHlNGIONJ OCJ. 6.
The following report has been forward
| ed to the Head Quarters of the Army
HEADQUARTERS DEBT OF THE GULF,
New ORLEANS, Sept. "a, 1862.
To Major General B. F. Butler, Com
manding Department of the Gulf: Pur-
suant to your orders of the 18th inst, l
embarked on the afternoon Of that day on
board the steamer Ceres at Lakeport with
three companies of the 18th Regiment Mis-
souri, Volunteers, commanded respectively
by Captains Thornton, Harrington and
Winter, and one company, Capt. Picker
ing, of the 26th Massachusetts Regiment.
l had previously sent 100 men of the 18Th
Connecticut on board the gunboat New
London, whose commander, Captain Read,
had kindly consented to cooperate with
me.
The object was to surprise the village Of
Ponchitoula, the headquarters of the rebel
General JEFF Thompson, forty-eight miles
north Of the city, on the line of the Jack
son Railroad. To that end the New Lon
don was to land her men at Msnohac
Bridge, whence, at daybreak next morn
ing, they we're to drive the enemy that
might be found there, northward to Ponchi-
toula, while the remainder of the force
having found the way up the Tangi-Pabos
in the night, were to land and march six
miles westward, and capture Ponchitoula
in season to secure those Of the enemy who
had been driven up from Pass Manchac.
The attempt at surprise failed, for not
only was the New London unable to get
over the bar, but the Ceres, too large for
the easy navigation of the narrow and
winding TarzipabOa, failed in each of the
two succeeding nights to reach her desti-
nation on that river in season to admit of
our gaining Ponchetonla before daylight.
l resolved, therefore, to go with the steam
er to Manchac Bridge, and did SO on the
morning os the 10Th. From that point
Captain Winter was sent with his oompa-
ny southwark to make the destruction Of
the railroad on Manchac Island complete.
which duty was thoroughly performed.
Capt Pickering and company was left
TO guard the steamer. The companies Of
Captains Thornton and Harrington began
q forced march Of ten miles upon Ponche-
toula. A locomotive one mile below the
village gave notice of our approach, which
could not be concealed, and ran north
ward giving the alarm to the village, and
thence to Camp Moore for reinforcements.
We met on entering Ponchitoula, a
charge Of canister at 72 yards, from a light
battery, in charging which, Captain Thorn
ton fell, severely wounded. His company
then, under Lieutenant Hight, reinforced
Captain Farrington's platoon on the enc
my's right, while Lieutenant Coan, with
the second platoon of that company, tooh a
position under partial cover, at the left of
the enemy's lihe.
From these positions our men poured in
so deliberate and destructive FIRE that the
enemy was driven from the field The ar
tillery gallOped away, followed by the in
fantry, on a road through the forest
moving in a north-westerly direction,
We then set fire TO a train Of upwards Of
twenty cars laden with cotton, sugar, mo-
lasses, &C., and took the papers from the
post and telegraph Office destroying the
apparatus in the latter, and secured JEFF.
Thompson's sword, spurs, briddle, Sc,
from his quarters in the hotel. The sword
was presented to him by the so-called
Memphis patriots