Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-03-03
special to Chicago Tribune.I
In SIGHT OF VIcKsBURo, Feb. %, |
VIA CAIRO, Feb. %.

VIA CAIRO, Feb. %.
On Tuesday evening, February 10th, the
Queen of the West, with the tender, De So
to, ran past the rebel batteries at Warren
ton, without receiving shot. She passed
NatChez the following day, and anchored
for the night at the mouth of Old river,
forty-fve miles below. On Thursday, the
18th, she cruised in the Atehafalaya, cap
turing and destroying train of army
wagons, seventy barrels of beef and an
artillery wagon, containing baggage. Up
on her return she was fred into from the
right bank of the Atchafalaya, by the citi-
zens, who, in daylight, had been seen
quietly smoking their pipes in their houses.
First Master Thompson of the Queen was
very seriously wounded. He is not expect
ed TO live.
On Friday morning, the Queen again
entered: the Atchafslaya, and in retalia-
ton burned every house, barn, sugar mill,
and negro quarters, between the mouth of
the liiver and semmesport. At the latter
place she captured rebel mail, and first
learned of the occupation of Berwick Bay
and Lower Atchafalaya, by Admiral Far
ragut.
On Friday night she entered Red river,
and anchored for the night at the mouth of
Black river. At ten o'clock on Saturday
morning we captured the Confederate
steamer Era No. 5, laden with stores for
the Rebel army at Little Rock. There
were on board fifteen privates and three
commissioned officers. The privates were
paroled and the officers retained. We had
heard that a rebel battery was in position
eighty miles from the mouth of Red river,
at GOrdon's Landing, and as we approach
ed within three hundred yards of the fort,
while rounding point, the pilot ran the
Queen hard aground. In this position the
rebel batteries opened fire upon US, with
guns of heavy calibre.
The Queen had no guns bearing on the
fort, and could not reply. One shot com
ing between a casemate and the deck per-
forated the steam chest, and we were COM
PEELED to abandon her and escape down the
river, some in skifs, some on cotton bales,
and some on the De Soto. The steam pene-
trated every portion of the vessel, but the
fracture was so small that but one man
was scalded very seriously. One engineer
is not expected to live. One white man
and four negroes were drowned.
The following are prisoners 1st Master
Thompson, I'd Master EddisoD, Sd Master
Duncan, Engineer Taylor (scaldei, one
blacksmith, two carpenters, Surgeon Booth,
Adjutant Bailey, privates JarbOn, Will
iams, Mccullough, Larmer, Smith, Halls.
ten, Faulkner, Bates, Rice, Brown, Hill, and
3Onegroes. The correspondent of the New
York Herald was taken prisoner, and is
now with the rest at Alexandria, La Col
Ellet escaped to the De Soto on bale Ot
cotton. The enemy have possession of thC
Queen of the West
Ali the escaped survivors were removed
to the Era No. 5, and the De Soto was
blown up and sunk. We we're pursued By
the gunbOat W. H. Webb, but fortunately
just before she overlook us, when we wer'
eight miles south of Nstchez, we met the
United States gunbOat IndianOla, which
had run the batteries at Vieksburg tbs
Friday previous. The Indianola fired two
guns at the Webb, and she ran like a deer
We remained with the Iudianola two
days and started for Vieksburg on Wed
nesday evening.