The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-09-12
War News of the Week.

War News of the Week.
The operations at Charleston were quite
active during the week ending the 7th
and important advantages have been gain
ed. A furious bombardment on Forts
Wagner and Gregg had been kept up for
three days and nights, during which oul
.appers approached to the very walls Of
Fort Wagner. A dispatch to the Rich
mond Wing (reteD says:
About $50 of our men were killed and
wounded at batteries Wagner and Gregg
The attempt to assault battery Gregg Tas
repulsed before the enemy had completed
their landing. Great havoc is supposed tc
have been made in the enemys boats by
our grape and canister. At dark or
Wednesday, the enemy having advanced
their sappers up to the very moat of Wag
ner, and it being impossible to hold the
island longer, Gen. Beauregard ordered
its evacuation, which was executed be-
tween 8 D. m and a. m, with success.
We spiked the guns of Wagner and Gregg,
and:lwithdrew noislessly in forty barges !;
only one barge, containing IL men, was
captured.
Another dispatch, Sept 9TH, from Char
lesion to the same paper says:
A dispatch from Maj. Stephen Elliot,
commanding at Fort Sumter, announces
that flag of truce, demanding the imme-
,liate surrender OF that fort, has just been
:eceIved. from Admiral Dahlgren by Lieut.
-.rown, of the Palmetto State. Gen Beau
:egard has telegraphed to Maj. Elliot to
-eply to Dahlgren shat he can have Fort
'lumter when he takes it and holds 1t, and
that in the meantime such demands are
puerile and unbecoming. At p m the
ironclads and Monitors approached Fort
Sumter closer than usual, and opened a
hot fire against it. Our batteries on Sulli-
vans Island, including these of Fort Moul-
trIe, replied heavily. The firing Is still
going On"
Sumter it was believed must surrender
in a few hours Gen. Gilmore now holds
Cummings Point in full view of the city
and has opened with all his batteries and
Monitors on Fort Moultrie and Sullivan 9
island.
This news from rebel sources Is fully con
frmed by official dispatches from Gen
Gilmore. With Wagner, he captured Il
men and 10 cannon. The CITY and harbol
of Charleston are now completely covered
by the federal guns.
Chattanooga has been taken by Gen
Rosecrans without fight, Bragg evacua-
ting the position on the 9th, retreating
southwark. The place was fianked by
Gen. Crittendens corps, and as Bragg was
too short of supplies to stand siege, lac
had to run, and Crittenden took possession
About the same time, Gen. burnside hav'
ing defeated the rebels in a small skirmisi
at Kingston, advanced to Knoxville, Tenn.
and found the place evacuated by Buck
ner, who had fed in pursuit of Bragg; and
about the same time also, Gen. Shackle'
ford, Of Burnside's Corps, having advanced
upon Cumberland Gap, found it IN posses
sion of about 1000 rebels under Gen. Fra
zier, who surrendered, with IA pieces o
artillery, camp equipage, &c. Thus, a
length, is the entire state Of Tennessee il
full federal possession, and the gallan
Union Eaen OF eastern Tennessee are re
lieveo from the yoke of confederate thral
dom.
While thus the Union car rolls rapid,
onward at Charleston and in Tennessee, on
armies in the far west are not less success
full Gen. Steele has not only d-iyen tn
rebels from their impregnable position
at BAYOU Metarie in Arkansas after al
hours fight, but at last accounts was march
ing rapidly upon Little Rock, which thu
rebels were as rapidly leaving. Tht
strength of the rebels under Price, Hoime!
&c, in that region, it appears has beer
greatly e1agerated--not amounting to ovel
5000 men, while it had been reported a
from 10000 to 10000
Gen Blunt, i'll the Indian country, abou
whose safety some anxiety was felt, afte
cleaning that country of rebels, took pos
session of Fort Smith on the LIST inst. =
the rebel force, about 1000 in number
retreating to the south.
Gen. Grant and most of his army are a
New Orleans, and on the eve of startin;
upon an important expedition. While
the general opinion has been that the DIES
tination was Mobile, the later reports ar
quite confident the expedition is for Texa:
its object being. not only to reclaim
rebel State, but to oppose the schemes O
Louis Napoleon in Mexico. The proba
lilIties of trouble with France are dali
accommodating.