The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1862-04-17

ploded. The huge fragments are still
lying about the battery, and the shat
tered carriage still retains its original
position. It.is the exact mate Of the
Lady Polk which exploded at Colum-
bus, and after the fate of its namesake,
its title Of Lady Belmont was changed
to its present one. 1t is curious coin
cidenceathat it should have met a sirni.
lar fate. iaHf 40 hsllrf95 Yi>H ri
The second battery is only few
rods below the first, constructed in a
similar manner, crescent in shape, and
mounts three thirty-twos and twenty.
four pound rifle. Two thirty-twos
which have never been mounted lie at
the entrance. The third battery is To-
Gated at the centre of the right bank.
and mounts four guns, two thirty.four
pound rifle, two thirty..wos, and one
slxty-four. Atwenty four pound rifle in
this battery burst during the firing upon
the CarOndelet the night she ran the
blockade. Only one man was injured
by the explosion, according TO the rebel
accounts. The same night tree was
thrown down aud fell into this battery,
killing lieutenant and sergeant. The
fourth battery is, fully quarter of a
mile below the last mentioned, and in
the peach orchard of which l have
spoken. Two twenty-four pound rifles
are in position, and another of the same
character not yet mounted. The bat
terry in reality was never used or even
finished. The loose character Of the
earthworks, the sand bags strewn
about, the barrows, spades and pickets
lying around, and the fresh tracks in
the mud, indicated that the rebels were
at work upon it Yesterday.
Attached 10 all the batteries are case
mates, consisting merely of holes dug
into the ground rooted with fence rails
and heavy earthwork, into which at
flash from our mOrtars the rebels could
rush and conceal themselves from our
shells. The bank also is burrowed with
holes of a similar character to afford
protection for their pickets who were
stationed upon the narrow margin of
shore at the imminent risk of being
buried under the superintendent mass
of earth towering above them, There
were but two or three magazines upon
the island containing few zinc tanks
of unusually fine powder in linen cart
ridges, and q small store of couical
shells, thirtytwo and sixty-four pound
solid shot, grape and canister, in all,
perhaps thirty rounds to each gun,
which accounts for the apparent disin-
clination of the Island rebels to fire
upon us. The floating battery mount.
ing nine nine inch Dahlgrens formerly
laid under the guns Of the third bat.
terry, but after the severe punishment i,
received week since, it was set adrifi
and subsequently was sunk by our gun
boats below. Out of the whole mum
ber of guns only three were spiked and
these but partially.
THE PRISONERS.
/ There was a force Of three hundred
and twenty-five men upon the Island
divided into three artillery companie!
and one of infantry. u
i The Commandant of the post, b,
virtue of his seniority, was Capt. w
Y. G. Humes, formerly a lawyer a
Memphis. The whole force was drawn
up for our inspection by Col. Buford
and after being stripped of their guns
, cu;lasses and side arms, they were con
veyed on board the transport and Is
: land No. 10 passed from Southern
sway, and was trodden by Northerr
freemen.
The privates from Alabama wer,
minly Americans, butthe majority of th
artillery companies were made up o
Irish laborors from Memphis. One com
pany, the Belmont battery was entirel,
I, of Irish, and composed mainly of Chi
cago laborers who obtain employment
and were impressed into the rebel ser
vice. Without exception, they declaI
,, ed themselves strongly for the Union
were heartily glad they were to II
,, longer fight against the North, an
were all anxious to go to Chicago, eve
as prisoners. 1t is to their credit tina
for three days prior to the surrender
: they absolutely refused to do duty, an
( adhered to their determination with S
I much boldness that they actually cal
: ried their point. In this they wer
D materially aided by disaffection, NOR
or less, in all the companies. The of
: GERS were actually afraid of their mer
had no command over them, and tw
u of them placed themselves under Co
e Buford's protection against .assassinf
6 ton. In appearance the privates wo"l
= not bear comparison with the yer
> poorest of our soldiers. They were u
ignorant, degraded set of beings, excI
n cisine brute force without intelligenc
II and moving like machines at the bee
! of their officers. They were in realit,
0 slaves the white "trash" of the Soutl
The officers, however, were youn
IS men-none Of them being over thirt
e years of age-of intelligence and spi
e it, evidently gentlemen's sons, dressc
:, in gaudy uniforms, and, dashy and jaul
q ty in style. They took their captn'
e with the utmost nonchalance, damne
the Yankees for not giving them ia
i stand up fight, and damned their ow
-e forces on the main shore who had tie
N without letting them know of it. Ih
Of is an actual fact. The entire force lie
Y, Yesterday witbou: informing them. an