Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-04-27
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The Chicago Trp,uH >as a correspondent with
the Federal feet up the ii r.. We make the
follow NC extracts from bis letter Of the I3th:
The feet Is lying IDLE this morning awaiting orders.
0uf the id.sness cannot last lo0g Communications are
rapidly passing between the flagship and the land forces.
which lie two miles above Ms upon transports. OF tho
operations of the enemy, we can form no opinion. The
long reach Of Plumb, Point shuts him ont from our view
The reconnaissance OF the Benton, Caronde'pt and Cir
cinnsti, last evening. found his batteries MOUNTING twenty
six guns, and located midway up the bluff six gun
boats were living In the stream, Tbase yuDbos+s are
| simply old New Orleans tovbOats raced. The guns are
mounted on q flush deck, without any protection 10 gun
| or gunner Il being a favorite idea with HOllins, com
mander Of the rebel feet, that his men are best protected
when not protected at ali The machinery and boilers
! are projected by i~ron-platsd classmates. They are very
strong and powerful boats and can easily outsail us.
Had our boats been as fast ~ they, the rebels at the bluff
would never have heard the story Of our skirmish yester.
| day. from their gunbOats.
Early this morning. the Silver Wave went down the
river with 8 accommodating party. AT nine o'clock the
mortars were towed down, under protection Of the Pitts
burg. Eight were also stationed along the Arkansas
shore, within half a mile Of the apex OF the point. and
under heavy timber, which entirely coucesls them from
the view Of the enemy The rule. however. works both
ways. II is equally difficult for the mortar men % ar
certain the effect OF their shots, and a. soon a. recon
noissBnCes shall determine the practicability and safety
| Of II. the mortsrs viii undoubtedly occupy localities
where their practice will be more effective when they
are fairly moorrd and in operation they will a~ssuredly
| prove a very valuable arm Of the service in reducing
| Fort Pillow. The extent Of the works and their pecu-
/ HAT ioGhllOu ny clrFAIDut EtillrT LQtm a mQGl more
! eligible marx than the narrow strip and dead level Of
| Island No. 10. The Cincinnati, Cairo and St Louis are
At present protecting these mortars. Further up the river,
on the same shore, the Conestnga guards the ammuni-
ton boats, and a squad of pickets thrown out through
| the woods. Half a mile above, and behind some willow
bars, called Bulletin Bsr, from the fact that the steamer
Bulletin some years since ran high and dry upon them,
| Gen POpes transports are lying. Directly opposite. the
flag ships Msund City and CarondeIet, are. mOored in
| front Of the mortar ones. These positions were all at
tanned about two OcOck-
From The position OF the St Louis, which lies in the
| stream opposite the cleared field running back nearly TO
I the opposite shore Of the point l can distinctly make ont
| the rebel encsmpmeuts, one Of them located upon the
l crown Of the bl 4. From the appearance Of them.
however, I should Judge there was but q small force
upon the bluff, about enough to man the works About
| 3 o'clock, we could see from the smoke that the rebel
boats had returned and we're slowly making their way
| M the river in our direction. Nearer and nearer they
came until they were jest behind the head Of the point
| and only about half a mile distant The St Louis and
/ Cincinnati, the only boats nigh at hand, the others being
/ about a mile distant, went to quarters, and We eagerly
l watched for the appearance of the rebel craft around the
| point. We had made up our minds, this time, that they
had surely come up 70 attack us. The old sailors were
| spelling for the fight, and watched the distant point with
| eager eyes, but in vain. In a few minutes mortar No
| 36 Numbered forth j s frt welcome to Fort Pillow. Seven
others in rapid succession followed. making beautiful
shots. At the very first explosion, the rebel boats put
/ back for the fort. and another chance for q fight WA
| lost. The mortar bombardmeut was Kept no for three
| hours with great spirit aud apparently with good effect
| At sunset they ceased firing. and 4 splendid night closed
IN upon the landscape, flooded with moonlight and the
feet retaining their positions at anchor.
] About D. o CLOCK TINS evening the tug EreDuH, lying
| near Gen Pope's transports. TOOK fire aud burned 70 the
waters edge. The cause / have not learned.
On the 18th he says:
Yesterday morning the gunboats took position about
two miles above the mythical fort and every half hour
administered 70 the rebels, II there We're any in the
vicinity, a Lincoln pill as the l3Inch shells are term.
/ ed; but they made no reply. Fresh crews were sent
| down to the mo tars this morning, but no firing has yet
/ occurred. What the programme for the next f0rty-eight
hours is I Am unable 10 inform you. Newspaper cores
/ pOndents, l regret to say, have fallen into dHtavOr with
/ the commodore, who has hprstof0re been very oblgiug
TO them, owing 70 the disclosures Of the representative
of the Chicago Tines IN reference to the canal from the
1 head Of Il and No 10 % New Madrid He has, in Obedi.
enee to orders from Washington, denied them access to
the flagship. although they are still permitted to accom-.
pany the expedition on the transports,
Ilearn since my arrival here that Fort Pillow is stu.
ated near the town of Randolph, between that place and
the mouth Of Hatchie river, and not ten or twelve miles
above, a. has been generally supposed. Indeed it s the
Randolph f0rtiicatons about which we heard 30 much
last summer. This, at least, I find 10 be The general inn
precision here among those who should know best, and II
seems plausible from the fact that we Rre not now m0r5
than ten mi es from aUdo.ph.
One Of the rebel R1nboats made a very morrow escape
| Sunday evening. After cur boats had withdrawn from
the vicinity Of the rebel battery on the Arkansas shore
| referred 70 above, two or three Of them took position
under p thicsly timbered po ut, and shortly afterward'
one Of the rebel boats csHe putting up. thinking, nc
| doubt. that ours had fallen back some distance The In
| tention on the part Of orr men was 20 permit her to run
| past them, and then C1t her OF, which they could have
| then turned the poiut some three or four miles above
| and not knowing that the rebel boat was running her
head into a moose. set ~ a hrghtiul alarm Win mel
sfeHm whistle, which had the effect 20 Tighten the noisy
/ ftHa Trnbsst sway.
| Two deserters rom the enemy c-tns a.L-.4 ouf Gae,
this morning. and report that the batteries IN Fort Oscso
Ia just besw. arc manned BY five Regiments and that
the talk oFfghtiuE desperately. dying in the last ditch,
ma ing Il a new Thermopyla' and all that sort o
/ thing. I did not learn the commanders name. The de-
SerferE say The shells fired from cur mortaTs yesterday
| fell about two hundred yards short