Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1863-03-20

tempting 10 reacn the rear or ' lChSOurg from Z
the upper Yazoo, via the Coldwater and Tai
lahatchie rivers. At the last accounts, dated |
ten daysago it was reported to be progressing
favorably, and hopes were expressed that the |
boats in adgance would reach the Tallahatchie
the following day--the 9Th inst. As we have
heard nothing since, ut is probable that either
unexpected distractions have been met with,
or that the gunboats have descended the Tai |
lahatchie TO its mouth, where they would
have to force some strong Confederate de'enc- I
es before entering the Yazoo. 1t is quite likely /
that the rumored evacuation Of FieksbuFg
will turn out to be nothing more than the de-
parture Of Aportion Of the Confederate force
encamped there TO meet the new movement
now making from above.
A Memphis telegram Of the lth instant re-
ceived by way Of Chicago, states as rumor
that the Federal expedition which entered Ya-
ZOO Pass has been reinforced by Qqimby's d.
vision
/ Informa. sion has reached General Rosecrans,
who reports the same to the War DepaI tment
that the Coniederates are evacuating Vicls-
burg, and are moving their stores aud mate
rial into the interior. Commodore Porter sends
to the Navy Department an extract from the
Vicksb Wing of the 5th instant, in which
the destruction Of the lndianola Is ac-laowl-
edged, the causes which led to it being stated
The imitation Monitor whichis said to have
so fearfully alarmed the garrison at Fieksburg
was, according 10 Commodore Porter, sunk
by the batteries 10 attempting to pass them
TUHsDAM March 1.-THE Nazo6 Pass eS-
petition seems destined TO play an important
part in tie Federal operations against Ficks-
burg. The Cincinnati G0zette and the Chicago
I Tribune, announces with great positiyeness,
that the gnnboats and transports have success
fully descended the Coldwater and Tala-
hatchie rivers, and after capturing g twenty
six Rebel steamers, eighteen Of which were de-
! stroyed," had arrived above llaiues Bluff, on
: the Yazoo, and would soon commence an at
tack on Vicksburg. In apparent confirmation
Of this story, the Washington Star Of yester-
day, publishes despatch from admiral Porter,
dated Vicksburg, the 18th inst, IN which he
2 states that he had just heard the signal agreed
upon between himself and Commander Smith,
who is in charge Of the Iazoo Pass cXpedi-
ton, and who, if he succeeded in reaching the
J rear Of Vicksburg, was to fire of nine minute
guns, and afterwards three guns in quick sue
I cesson. Assuming the narrative Of The pro-
} gress Of the expeditions as furnished 10 the
: New York Heratd BY It's correspondent, WHO
writes from on board one of the vessels COM
prising the fotilla, to be correct in all the
t main particulars a comparison Of dates viii
z show, almost conclusively, that Commander
g smith could not have reached the vicinity Of
llaipes' Bluff on the 18th, as Admiral Porter
! inferred. Owing to the tortuous course Of the
: rivers to be traversed, the distance from the
entrance Of Yazoo Pass to Vicksburg by the
newly-opened routeis five hundred miles. The
expedition left the Mississippi river on The goth
, OF February, crossed Moon Lake the same day
, aud was working is way through the Pass at
! the rate Of one mile IN three hours and half
until the lst Of March when, with considers
bic damage to the beats, it succeeded in einerg-
ing into Coldwatct river. The distractions
! in The latter stream were found almost rs diff
! cult to overcome rs were those OF the Pass
The length Of The IColdwaIer to be traversed
+ before reaching tile Talahatchie, is eertaiuly
E not more than thirty mics; yet, after the lapse
of five days the vessels were moving slowly
: down the former stream, although it was ex-
4 pected that the Tallahatchie would be entered
a on the following day. This would bring ms
! to the 9Th Of the month, so that TO have reach
} ed the lower GaZou IN the neighborh00d OF
s llaines Bluff by The It'll, the remaining four
hundred miles Of river navigation must have
E been made IN bat ldtie more than one day
Ia this analyst Of srch facts, or what purports
to be facts, as havq reached us, we take the
statement Of The NeS York Tribune as to the
length Of the route, and that o; the cores
pendent Of the New ork Herald in regard to
the date at which il was believed that the ex-
pediton would debouch from the Coldwaier
into the Tallahatchle river. But il is very ge-
morally understood that there were ct other
obstacles that were certainly not less likely to
retard the progress of the expedition than
those which had already been surmounted -
AT the junction Of the Tallahatehie and lala-
busha rivers, it has been heretofore reported
that the Con.ederates had thrown~up fUrIi6ca-
tons to protect the entrance TO the IaZoo.-
They are also said TO have converted some Of
the steamers on those rivers into rams aud
ron-clads whilst below YNZOo City, az Liv-
I erpool Landing, tnirty-ise miles above llaines'
Bluff there was, not long since, a raft across
/ the stream protected by battery What is
more singular still, in view OF the publication
by the Washington Star Of Admiral Porter S
despatch OF the 7th, we printed yesterday an
other Of his dispatches " the Navy Depart.
} ment, dated on the l0th--three days later--in
/ which he reports The destruction Of the In
dianola, but says nothing concerning the pre-
sence OF the vessels composing the YazOo Pass
, Expedition in the vicinity Of llaines Bluff
From all this, we infer, that nothing oiiicigl
has been received from the officers in command
! OF the military and naval forces since the 9th
inst, ana that the reported capture Of seven
thousand Coniederates and twenty-six vessels
has yet 20 be confirmed in more authentic
form than that of q telegram to the Chicago
zri6ame, from Nicksburg, under date Of the
9th insAnt--ihe latest despatch from Admiral
Porter OF the 10th being entirely silent on the
subject.
From Tennessee there comes a report Of the
, presence OF twelve thousand Confedeates with
in twenty-eight miles of Fort Donaldson, me
nacing the capture of that post. The garrison
there, Is said, however, TO be ready for any
emergency
1t is feared at Louisville that another and
/ more formidable invasion oil Kentucky, BY The
! Coniederates, with view 10 the permanent
occupation OF the State is imminent In these
apprebeusions, we are told that military
circles participated
4 WEDNESDAY, March ls.--ll was reported At
4 Charleston, on the Ia instant, that General
Burnside had superseded Gen. Hunter In COM
inand Of The Department Of North Carolina
and Georgia that he had already arrived al
Hilton Head and assumed command, and that
the long contemplated attack upon either Sa-
Fannah or Charleston would probably be made
at springtide, which would be on the 10Th
lnstant--to morrow
We have also from Southern sources inlcll-
genee from Nicksburg to the oh instant. On
that day Federal gunhoat threw few shells
4 from the opposite side Of the river at the Con-