The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-05-09

scOplc rifles. The other night, at roll cal,
"old Seth" was non est. This was some.
what unusual, as the old chap was always
up to time. A Sergeant went out to hunt
him up, be being somewhat fearful that the
old man had been hit. After perambulat-
ing around in the advance Of the picket
line, he heard a low "halloo." "Who's
there ?" inquired the Sergeant. "It's mt"
responded Seth F; "and I've captured Se~
cesh gum" "Bring it in," said the Ser
geant. "Oan't do it," exclaimed Seth.
1t soon became apparent to the Sergeant
that "Old Seth" had the exact range of
one of the enemy's guns, and they could not
load it for fear of being picked off by him.
Again the old man shouted--"Fetch me a
couple of haversacks full of grub, as this is
my gun, and the cussed varmints shsn't fire
it agin while the scrimmage lasts" This
was done, end the old patriot has kept good
watch over that gun. In fact it is soaps
tured gum"
REBEL PROBATION.
The rebcls are very careful of their lives.
The other day the sharpshooters on the ex>
treme left of the line, kept the enemy from
using gun. They did not dare to load it.
They got colored man on their ramparts
by force, which could be plainly seen by
our troops, und compelled him to load the
gun. 1t was life or death with him. He
commenced to load, when one of the sharp
shooters picked him off. 1t was '.justifi
able homicide" as the gun might have
killed several of our men, as it was in easy
range.
CUR PICKETs AND THE REBELS
Within the last torty-eight hours Gen.
- has advanced his pickets within fif-
teen rods of the enemy's picket lines in
front of Yorktown. Between the two
lines of these two armies runs deep ra-
vine, the lower border of which is skirted
by dense wood, and concealed in this are
our pickets. On Monday our pickets dis.
tincty heard rebel officer command his
men not 10 fire upon our men with their
muskets except in case of an attempt to
cross the ravine So near are our men to
the rebel pickets that almost every word
spoken by the latter is plainly audible
to US.
THE BATTLE OF LEES MILLS.
From one of them, who was with the re-
bells until after the battle of Lees Mills, we
learn that they had near two hundred killed
and wounded; most of them were shot in
the head and arms. A gang of some three
thousand negroes, from Georgia and Ala
bama, were at work raising the dam, being
the dam which belongs to Lees Mills, and
which was used to back the water up where
our troops were trying to cross it. The
shells OF our artillery were occasionally
thrown in that direction, and some ten or
twelve killed, which caused stampede, and
they had to be driven back at the point of
the bayonet.
1t was their work which raised the water
some two feet while the four companies of
the Vermont Third we're over on Wednes-
day, and caused US the loss of taoenty mine
men, who, wounded, fell in the mud, and
we're drownded or strangled in this bog.
Their bodies were mostly taken out under
the flag of truce last Saturday.
GENERAL MAGRUDER AT YoRKTowN--HE
TREMBLETH IN THE KNEES.
General Magruder is at Yorktown, and
has lost the braggadocia with which he
was wont to march all the troops upon the
peninsula, on the doublequick, down to
Newport News, last fall and winter, to give
the Yankees -.
By the time he reached Bethel, however,
he generally considered discretion the bet
ter part of valor and announced to bis men
that we had received reinforcements, and
he would have to wait until they went away.
He is represented as much depressed in
spirits, and, in conversation with other off
GERS, says it's no use in fighting if they can.
not stand at Yorktown; that we have an
immense force here, and will just overrun
them, and ruin everything and everybody in
our march.
THE REBEL FORCE AT LEES MILLS.
The rebels had engaged at Lees Mills
only two regiments and seven pieces of ar
tillery; they had more artillery and infantry
about mile back, but did not bring them
into action.
The infantry were the Louisiana Cut
Throats," and the fifth North Carolina"
when our battery opened upon them in the
morning, they did not know where the shot
came from for some time, but fnally con.
cluded it was from the edge of the woods,
and returned the fire. Our shells made fear
full havoc, exploding right over their guns
and forty or fifty men were soon carried
out dead and wounded, when the order was
given to cease firing as they could not see
where their shots were go ng, and did not
know what they were doing. Some of the
artillery were 10th to quit, and we're firing
a parting salute, when shell tore through
the carriage of their gun and exploding,
killed all the men and threw the gun seve-
raj feet. The rifle balls were singing all
around, and whenever head was shown,
pop went a ball, and added another to the
list of killed and wounded.
"Down on your knees, you --,
and crawl out" cried the Colonel. "The
Yankees will blow US all to -, if
we don't let them alone" They then
crawled out of the Fort through the ditch
which had been dug for this purpose, and
seeking cover in the woods, all was soon
quiet. They thought they were perfectly
safe as long as we did not fire with our ar.
tillery, as they had no idea we would at
tempt to cross. When the artillery again
appeared, reinforcements having come up,
the Colonel in command of the brigade was
riding over near the edge, to see the loca>
tion of the ground, when a rife ball took