The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1863-05-07
NO 6
From The Army or The Potomac.

Port Royal. on the Rappaha mock, cone
Twelve miles below Fredericksburph. A
Washington correspondent Of the N. Y.
Commercial Advertiser. writing on the
9Th. ssrs: 81
6 n. Hooker is not idle. During the
long sicrm just epded. he made fsist Of
crossing at Kelley Ford, up the river,
aud another at Port Royal, down the nv
jr, Nov whether he will sdvanoo Of
ons Of these points, or, elsewhere, DO orr
knowS. Tie General is understood 10
keep bis own counsel, and when be is
ready 10 start. hard 6ghiuo may be sx.
pec'td, unlers Tue willy rebels letrsat 70
the n nth Anna and Psmuuky Rivers.
which is thought to be their line Of ds>
EXPEDITION TO PORT ROYAL.
Ii will be recoIlected that on the 2Sl
ap expedition made descent upon Port
Royal, entirely surprising the rebel
troops there. s correspondent. Of the
N. Z Herald gives the following account
Of this abd second similar sffair. and Of
the place at wbiob the general passage Of
the army has since been made.
Two expeditions Lave been sent ont
this. week to Port Royal. The first was
under Gen y. u5Ieday, with portion Of
his division, AID rubber pontoou boais,
which ,Ielurued Wednesday noon. Tho
Secoud, scot out by Gen. WadswOrtb,
was under C,1, Morrow of the 24th Mich.
igsu, who had in his command the l4,h
Brooklyn regiment. CO... Fowler the
Ewen y.fOutb Michigan, lieut.. Colonel
Flanagan a sesliyu oi battery B. Fourth
New York, Capt. SteEert, and several
rubber pontoon boats. The expedition
left camp Wednesday afternoon, and a,
6 o'clock yesterday morning thirteen pon.
'oor lOats crossed the RsppabanDOck
fiom Port Conway and landed at Port
Royal, withvu' receiving shot from he
enemy.
Port Royal was held by abouttwo hun.
dred Of the rebel cavalry aud infantry,
who fell ba@k on the approach Of our
small force Of three hundred men. The
defence of. the town we're riae.pits in
front AID fort in the rear, But there
were no yuAs in the latter, and no sharp
shooters in tie former. -..-....
1 Colonel Morrow's cemmand captured
small wagon tram and about thirty hor-
'es, burned three wagons, swan the hor-
ses across the river, took two cilizsne aud
three soldi'rs prisoners, removed the
mail mater aud Office stamps from the
post office. and brought over two ladies.
whose homes are on this side of the riv.
er, about twelve miles from Port Cor way,
bnt WHO have been in Dixie since last
fall. Thy represent dat the inhsbit-
arts are almost destitute OF provisions,
and that part Of the rebel army is sub
sisting on bread alone. their rations be-
ing ore pound of -four daily.
The wagons we're loaded with whsst,
which Colone! Morrow ordered 10 be de-.
stroyed. q. ~
Negro slaves, who were offered their
freedom, refused to come over With our
troops. lOns small store was broken o.
pen by The boys. who con6scaied shout
: hundred dollars Of COME money,
ladies, shoes. pocket-corbs aud fancy
goods $3.50 .H -s 70 81 jfl
The expedition returned 10 safety at g.
IeyeD o'clock. and h,ulsd up, their pom,
| toous, not a guu disturbing them until
the lat pUutoCn was taken from the Iiv-
, er, when three shots were fred without
: effect #r-l l.. gir estf..
When the command had been naroh.
iag tw hours Col. Taylor. Of the cavalry
. picke,s, dispatched one Of his staff to in.
lorm Colonel Morrow that the rebels had
: Just appeared At Port Royal in large force
--cavelry Infantry aud artillery but they
were tou late 10 capture the Invading Yam
KEGS.
From all that could b. learned, il ap-
pears quite certain that there 10 a large
body Of rebel troops three miles above
Port Royal q f5af f..l s-es7 d
Port Royal has usually about four
hundred aud fifty inhabitants, hslf Of
them free negroes. The town was laid
: out the year alter Philadelphia vas, the
II .trees running at right angles. Port
. Conway was tbs birthplace Of Ex PrsSi-
: dent James Madison, and is but q very
small town. ON the roai to Port Con-
way there is some Of the finest plantations
:. in Virginia, aud there are productive %.
tarps on both banks o! the Rappahan-
uock. ...... -. o..
Colonel Morrow is a native VirginiAD.
md served in The Mexican war from that
4. State. For rapid marches, and 8 psrilouS
a dash iIto the enemy's country, the force
:. which he led deserves honorable msa.
= I, ton. They were not even diShsartsnsd
u by the deep mud Of Virginia roads, or
:. the rain which poured down upon them
while they were preparing 10 cross and
until they had returned 10 camp. The
:. rubber pontoou boats were never before
used in the Army Of the Potomac, though
they have beeu used at the West. "
;, PORT ROYAL.
The following ia fuller description sl
Port Royal, compiled from rebel sour.
= ces:
Port Royal is post village in C.roli.
: ma county, situated on the right bank Oi
tie RappahannOck River, forty-fouf uil''
= north east of Richmond. A feTy eros.
70 sss The river. It is good wharf and
,samboa landing, and contains Two .
} cademies, dozen stores and four huud'
y :, red and seventy inhabitants. Heretofore
;, it has been a prominent point iOr tho
= shipment of wheat, corn snd tobacco.