Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-04-30

England troops, with the 4th Wisconsin and
Michigan regiment. The naval forces are under
Captain Furagut, and the mortar fleet under
the special charge of Lieutenant Commanding
Porter.
We are without any accounts from the heet
since it, departure from Ship Island and Key
West 10 the rendezvous at the mouth Of the Mis-
sissippi. except such have reached Us from reb-
Ell sources.
THE PROGRESS or THK FLEET Up THE MISSISSIPPI
A Richmond dispatch published in the orfOlk
papers Of April 10TH says that Official iniorma-
ton from New Orleans states that an attack on
Forts Jack son and St. Philip commenced yester-
day, the 18th" We have nothing then for a
week.
The Richmond Examiner Of the 22d says Of
fci al dispatches received in Richmond on the
2lst, state that 1.-THE bombardment of the forts
before New Orleans continued during the whole
Of Saturday, (the 18th and that there were no
casualties on the rebel side. Ii is stated that the
Federal armament, owing to The shallowness OF
the water. cannot get sufficiently near'the forts
10 batter their walls to any extent, and there Is
no possibility of reducing them except by she'll
ing out the garrison"
Next we have the following telegram in the
April 23d, which states:
There has been heavy and continued BON
bardment at Fort Jackson all night. 1t is still
progressing. The rebels in the fort represent
themselves still cheerful, with an abiding faith Of
ultimate success. They state that they are ma
king repairs as best they can. Their barbette
guns are still IN working order, though most of
them have been Disabled at times. They assert
that have fired 1000 ID inch shells, OF which
O. = A. =
ton must soon become exhausted. but assert that
they can stand it az long as we can
The next news we have is from Richmond
paper Of the 18th, stating that Federal gunboat
had run past the forts and WAS between taem and
the city. This probably on the 23d or 9th.
Following close upon the heels Of this we have
n dispatch from Mobile, dated April %. stating
that the Federal feet passed Fort Jackson at
o'clock on the preceding afternoon. This news
created intense excitement in New Orleans. Bus
iness was suspended. The steamboats,, except
those necessary to transport ammunition and
troops. and all the cotton in the city, were burn
ed At o'clock on Monday the telegraph ope
ratOr at New Orleans bid his fellow operator at
Mobile goodbye, saying the FEDERAL feet was be-
fore the city.
The Richmond Examiner of the 26th also an
nounces that New Orleans has been taken.
DISTANCES FROM NEW ORLEANS
MILES.
To Forts St Philip and Jackson. 10
To Southeast Pass (Dalize). 1881 :
To Mobile. by land. .l35
Mobile TO Pensacola, by land. minimum. 80
New Orleans to Baton Rouge. l40
10 Natcbez. ............... Jul
10 Nicksburg' ............... 4oo
10 memphis. ~
run OTHER APPROACHES TO NEw ORLEANS.
Although there are probably dozen other ap-
proaches to New Orleans than 10y the direct course
of the Mississippi river, yet we have no mention
of any advance on the city but that up the river
past Fort jackson The most prominent of these
approaches is by Lakes Borgne and Ponchartrain,
but this was more strongly defended than the
river. One of the other water avenues to the
city is by a canal connecting Back Bay (errone-
ously printed BLACK" Bay in the maps with the
Mississippi river Just below the English Turn.
On this canal. five miles from the mouth is stu
ated Fort Dnpree. This is one of the old forts
built in the last war, and can be approached only
by vessels drawing less than five feet. This is at
least fifty miles above. and i'm the of the forts
on the Mississippi Ii is possible our light draught
gunboats may have got into the river above Fort
jackson by this canal.
THE REBEL FoRTIFICATIoNs.
To the New Orleans correspondent of the Rich
mond Dispatch we owe the following statement OF
the Notifications guarding the approaches to New
Orleans by the Mississippi:
1.-The Mississippi is fortified a. to be mpass-
able for any hostile fleet or hotilla. Forts Jack
sor and st. Phillip are armed with lIO heavy
guns (eght Founders. riAed by Barkley Britten,
and received from England.) The navigation OF
the river is stopped by dam of about quarter
of a mile from the above forts. No hotilla ON
earth would force that dam in less than two
hours during which il would be within short
and cross range OF 40 guns of the largest
calibre, many of which would be served with
red hot shot, numerous furnaces for which
have been erected in every fort and every battery
In day or two we shall have ready two iron
cased floating batteries. The plates are four and
half inches thick. of the best h,mmered iron.
received from England and France. Each
iron-cased battery will mount twenty 6S
FOUNDERS placed so 20 skim the water. aud strike
the enemy's hull between wind and water. We
have abundant supply of incendiary shells, Gu
poa furnaces for motion iron, cOngreve rockets
and fire ships.
Between New Orleans and the forts there is
a constant succession of earthworks. At the
plain of Chamette near Janin's property, there
are redoubts armed with rhed cannon, which
have been found % be effective at five miles
range A ditch thirty feet IN width. and twenty
feet deep, extends from the Mississippi to La Cy-
priere.
In Forts ST. Phillip and Jackson there are
1900 men, OF whom goody portion are expe-
rienced artillerymen and gunners who have serv-
Ell in the navy.
AT New Orleans itself we have $4,000 in
fantry and as many more quartered in the imme-
date neig hborhood. In discipline and drill they
are far superior to the Yankees. We have two
very able and active Generals, who possesses our
entire confidence-General Mansfield Lowell and
Brigadier General Ruggles. For Commodore We
have old HOllins-a Nelson in his way.
I'VE are ready TO give the Yankees hot re
ception when they come. Around we are all mad
with excitement and rage. Our only tear Is that
the Northern invaders may not appear We have
made such extensive preparations to receive then
that i, were vexatious if their invincible armada
escaped the fate we have i'm store for il"
Death OF Judge Dewey.
We are called upon to announce the death Of
another of the pioneers of Indiana Hon Charlie,
Dewey died at his residence in Charestown
Clark county, on Friday evening. April 25th
about shutdown. aged seventy eight years Some
years ago he met with an accident by breaking