Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1863-03-06

ed in return the capture Of thirty Conederates.
We are now told by the correspondent Of the
Inquirer that but " four Confederates, three of
whom were wounded, fell into our hands but !
the writer expresses the usual belief that
g their losses in killed and wounded will great
ly exceed ours" Pursuit was made, but the
enemy escaped, it is said, across the Kappa |
hammock. 1t has since been reported that a |
large force of Confederate cavalry has entered |
Leesburg; but whilst the streams are so much
swollen there are no means Of verifying the
fact.
A singular story Of skirmish which took
place on Wednesday last, in the Valley Of
! Virginia. reaches us, strange to say, by way
of Wheeling On that day detachment of
Confederate cavalry, numbering eighty men, |
entered within the Federal lines near Stras-
| burg, and captured picket Of twelve men,
Five hundred Of the 18th Pennsylvania, and
lst New York cavalry, after re-capturing, as
is alleged, most of the prisoners and horses,
pushed on, contrary to orders, beyond Wood
stock. After driving in the Confederate pick
cts, they stood parleying on the road until
they were attacked by the enemy, who sudden
| ly charged upon them, throw them into con-
! fusion and killed, wounded and captured some
two hundred of them in fight Of twenty
miles. Our men" says the Wheeling cor
respondent, although outnumbering the enc
my, made no stand" The whole affair is
characterized as " dssraceful' on the part of
the Federal cavalry, which it undoubtedly
was.
Quite variety of rumors are said to be cur
rent at Cairo in regard to naval and military
operations before Vicksburg. One is that the
| Federal gunboats have succeeded in passing
through the cutoff, and that the transports
| will follow as soon as the Confederate bate
ries are reduced The whole force is then to
descend the river and attack Port Hudson
Another report has it that feet of the small
er gunboats had reached the Yazoo River by
way of Union Lake, and was playing ha-
voc' in the rear of Vicksburg. If is also ru-
mored that some Of the Federal gunboats have
succeeded in penetrating-Dia Lake Proyi-
| dence--into Red River--and finally, like a
grand, but omnous crash of instruments at
the close Of delightful overture, we are told
that there are, likewise, reports of serious dis
asters to the Union forces before Vicksburg,
and of troops and gunboats being captured
But the evil part of the tidings, we are consi-
derately assured, is not credited.
TUESDAY, March 3.--The Federal iron-clad
gunboat lneianola, which ran the gauntlet of
the batteries at Vicksburg short time since,
heavily armed, and coaled and provisioned for
a longtruise, has shared the fate of the Queen
Of the West, and is now in the hands of the
Confederates. The Importance Of this capture
to the latter can scarcely be over-estimated, as
the Northern journals have been accustomed
to speak Of the Indianola as the finest and
most powerful iron-clad on the Mississippi
Com. Porter, in his despatch to the Secretary
of the Navy, reports that the Indianola was
attacked at some point twenty-five miles below
Vicksburg, by the rams Queen Of the West and
Webb, who, in the curious phrase of the Off
cial despatch, rammed hes" until she sur
rendered ,-"a of which, adds the Commo-
dore Indignantly, can be traced to a non
compliance with my Instructions
The Confederate steamer Florida has again
been heard from. On the 18th ultimo she cap
tured and burned the ship Jacob Bell, from
Chine for New York. The Jacob Bell had six
teen hundred chests of tea on board. Her pas
sengers and crew were transferred to Danish
vessel, which arrived at st. Thomas seven days
later
"WEDNESDAY, Mar. A brief telegram from
Fortress Monroe, covering an extract from the
II Petersburg Express of Saturday last states
that great battle has been fought at Vioks-
burg, with heavy loss on both sides, but with
no decided result
Rumors still more ominous have been cur
rent in Washington for several days past and
have found their way into the Northern pa
pers. The New York Tribune, in its money
article of Saturday, ascribed the rise in gold
to the reports on Wall street of serious disas-
| tiers at Vicksburg. The Washington cores
pondent of the New York World after allud-
ing to the loss Of the Indianola, ntimates that
- other greater disasters before Nicksburg
have not been made public.
| The Federal cavalry across the Potomac APP |
pear to be either remarkably negligent or sim
| gularly inefficient. A few days ago we gave |
an account of what the writer called 50 a dis |
graceful affair, which occurred in the vicin- |
ty of Romhey, and which resulted in the cap
ture of a foraging party of infantry and ca
valry, numbering some eighty or ninety men.
Still more recently body of cavalry which |
was sent in pursuit of a small detachment of |
| ConiederateS, was in turn attacked by an in
ferior force, and utterly routed neur Wood |
stock, with the loss at least of two hundred
men. This also was very fifty described as
" another disgraceful affair
| To-day VIC reproduce from the Washington
Star of yesterday, special despatch which |
announces that "a bungle has taken place on
our front" The bungle'' referred to was
the surprise on Monday night last at Aide of
fifty men Of the Vermont cavalry by body |
of Confederaies estimated at seventy strong |
The latter managed to capture fifteen of the
men and both the captains in command.
We have further details in regard TO the
capture Of the lndianola. The last account
! has it that the engagement lasted for several |
hours, and that she was only surrendered |
when in sinking condition. On the other
hand, telegram from Cairo states that she |
was taken by boarding, and carried down
the river 10 Port Hudson. The correspondent
of the New York World, writing from Wash
ington, states that, in addition TO the loss Of
the lndianola, there are rumors Of other and
greater disasters at Vicks6urg, of which no |
! particulars have been received
| THURSDAY Mar. 5.--We have European adj |
| vices TO the Goth ult. There were rumors cur
rent, but unconirmed, that France regarded |
the blockade of Charleston as having been rails |
ed legally.
! Notwithstanding the reports which reach us
/ from Memphis, and which are said to be CON |
/ fdently believed in well-informed circles to |
/ the effect that the Confederates are evacuatieg |
/ Vicksburg, there is nothing beyond this mere
rnmor to justify ANY one in giving credence to
/ the story.
| The alleged capture Of Fort McAllister, on
the 0gechee river, work which constitutes
one of the principal deiences OF Savannah, al /
though stated by the Washington Star to be |
confirmed from Southern papers, and tele- |
/ graphod on Monday evening TO President Lin /
coin by General Dix, is equally doubtful. The |
statements from other sources in regard to this |
affair differ SO essentially as TO entirely non /