New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-03-11
Loss OF THE apEEN OF THE WET.
nh. Omein, Eepor, Of Col. EIIcs.
q. 8. srEasEH ERA No ,sss o.;


ANIMAL: have the honor to report 70 you
,ist left the landing below VicksbnFg' IN ooe
deuce to vour wri,ien instructions, on inc hiSus
lie l0th inst taking with me the DE Seyo anu VVa
barge and prOceedef down the river. we D.
Warren.en without lnterruptop' ,1lu 90 Won
River the following evening. Gesuoye.u, 40 ~"
directed the sEifs aud fiat boats along e''her SDoIe'
! ascended Red River on the mornihe VI tne -.
So far as The mouth Of the Atcnaiaiava. i""NinS
The he Soto sne coal-bsrge IN secure posiuoo,
oooodsd dovru the stream six miles from Its
,,nontb I uro. train of army wagons returning
f,om SimnuS.t. landed and destroyed them. On
reaching SSr,msport, | Learned that two Rebel
steamboats, had just left, taking with theul 'ne
troops ana artillery stationed at that point. Ihey
had left ep the bank seventy barrels OF Govern
ment beet which l broke up and rolled into the
river Ioureued another train Of wagons for some
distance But they re,reated into the swamps and
escaped. One Of their wagons, loaded with amnu-
milton and stores, fell into our hands and was de-
ftroyed.
On her return at night, "a party Of overseers ana
other civilians fired into the Queen from behind Il
levee aud Immediately fled under cover OF the dark,
ness First Master j. ID. Thompson, gallant ano
efficient officer, was shot through the knee.
Anchorng at the mouth of the Atchsfalaya, l
waited until morning, and then returned TO the sp9'
from which we had been attacked All tue ouiiu'
ms on three large adjoining plantations We're
burned by my order. started up the hed hIy n.
the same day, and reached Black River Oy hign''
On the morning OF the l4th, when about 10 miles
above the mouth Of Black River, a steamboat came
suddenly around a sharp bend IN the rver' ana w.S
CAPTURED before she could escape Sne proved 10 DC
The Era No s. laden with iorty-Hve hundred bush-
els of corn She had board TWO Rebel heulen-
ants and fourteen prvates. The latter at once pa
Toed and set ashore.
Hearing of three very large boats lying at Cor
dons Landing, thirty miles above, 1 deciueu on
making an effort to capture them, intending TO re-
turn if should find the battery al that point TOO
strong and ascend the Washita. l left the Era aud
coal-barge charge OF guard. We reached the
bend ius' below Gordon'e Landing before d1sk, the
deuse smoke of several boats, rapidly firing up,
could be seen over the tops OF the tress as We ap
preached. ordered the pilot 10 proceed very sowiy
and merely show the bow ct the Queen around inc
point From the sharp bend which the river 'nakes
at this place, there Was apparent officially Ill
withdrawing out of the range OF the enemy 8 guns,
whenever il might be desired. The Rebels opened
upon US with four 32-pounders the moment We
came In sight. Toer guns were in fine position,
sud at the third shot l ordered Mr. Garvey, the
pilot, to back the Queen out. Instead OF dong &c
lie ran her aground on the rght-hand shore.
The position at once became very hot one. Sixty
wards below, We would have been IN no danger.
As il was the enemy's shot struck us nearly every
time The Chief Engineer had hardly reported to
me- that the escape pipe bad been shot away, wben
an explosion below and rush Of steam around the
boat, told that the steam-plpe had been cut IN
two.
10 carry off Capt. Thompson, who lay wounded IN
my slaIeroom. Some persons had already taken the
yawl, however. and it was gone. The other yawl
on the De Soto, short distance below. For
tuuatey the cotton-bales with which the Queen
was protected, afforded avenue Of escape, and d
majority of the and officers succeeded in reach
ing the De Soto.
ordered this boat to be brought up as far q prac.
ticable without being struck and sent her yawl 70
the Queen: Lieut.. Tuthin and Third Master Dun
can braveiy volunteered for the pnrpose. l re
manned On the DE Soto over au hour, picking al
men and cotton bales. Lieut.. Tuth.ll barely AUG
eeeded in escaping FROM the Queen the Rebel
boarding her ia skiffs he escaped The Queei
could easily have been burned, but this could no;
done while Capt. Thompson was on board, and
was impossible 10 remove him. All the pa,sag,
had been blocked up with cotton; the interior OF IA
boat was intensely dark, full of steam, aud strewe
with shattered furniture. The die play Of bel
enabled the batteries 10 strike her with uDerrID
certainty. 10 have brought the DE Soto alonsd
would have ins ured her destruction, as the light
the stter's furnace would have rendered her con
spcu0us marx.
A dense Jog sprang up az we started down in III,
De Soto, and she lost her rudder by running into ht
bank. Drifting down Is miles, took Possession o.
the Era, and scuttled and burnt the DE Soto anC
barge, knowing that the Rebels would lose 10 time
IN pprsuing pushed on down through the fox
throwing the corn off to lighten her. We reached
the Mississippi al dawn, opposite ElllsS Cliffs. Mr.
Garvey ran the Era, boat drawing less than two
feet Of water, hard aground actually permitting hel
wheels TO make several revolutions after she struck
and il was with the utmost difficulty she could bt
gotten off, The dIsoysl sent uen,s openly expressed
by Mr.. Garvey, few hours previous " this occur.
renee rendered it necessary for me to place him
der arrest, ana fixed upon me the unwilling convic
tion that the loss Of the Queen was due TO the de.
Gberate treacbery OF her pilot. 1t 10 to be regretted
that the unfortunate illness OF Mr.. Scott Long, VINO
piloted the Queen past Vcksburg, rendered il necss
sary for 10 ntrust the management Of the Queen
10 Mr.. Garvey.
The next morning, short distance below Natchez
] met the lndianola. Capt. Brown thought that lie
might be able to ascend Red River and destroy the
battery at Gordon's Landing, and accompanied him
down III the Era, Leading the way. had not gone
three,nies when break in the dense fog disclosed
steamer rapidly moving up stream about mile
ahead at once rounded to and caused tue whistle
70 be blown to warn Captain Brown OF her pres
ence. As soon as the Rebel steamer, which was urI-
doubleday the Webb, perceived the I1dianola, sue
turned and fled. The latter fired TWO shots at her,
but without effect. learned afterwaTd that three
other armed boats had been sent in pursuit OF the
Era and had been turned back by the Webb On her
retreat. They all went back up Red River. On
reaching this stream, Capt Brown decided not to
ascend it, aud thought it best to return at once.
Thinking We might be attacked on the way up, |
seized l75 bales Of cotton. and protected tho Era's
machinery Ms far as practicable. AT ST. Joseph /
landed and seized the mails, aud learned from them
tia. Col. Adams was waiting for us at Grand Gulf,
with two pieces OF artillery. Ihirty-six shots were
hred at the Era while passing the point, none Of
which took effect.
Tn reaching Island l07, a body OF niemen Of eDed
heavy IRE upon tho Era from the Mississippi shore
Suspecting IL 10 be ruse TO draw us 10 the other
eoe OF the nyer, decided on keeping the right Of
tne Island Tie furnace OF the Era became 90
az 'hs point, Hound it necessary to stop aud
beng caused by this. The Era had barely passed
zoe lsiand when battery Of three guns opened
uPou cs from the Louisiana shore. Eorty.six shots