The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-01-10
War News of the Week

The great features of the war news of
the week are the battle of Murfreesboro
and VIcksburg The former we have dis.
posed of in separate article In refer
ence to the latter the news is less encou :
aging Gen. She.mans grand expedition
against Vicksburg arrived at the mout tn Of
Yazoo river about the 23d ult, and as
cended that stream. On the Goth it ar
rived opposite the enemys batteries on
Dromgoole's bluff, which the gunboats at
learn, taking them. The Benton received
some 80 shots, several entering her port
holes killing one man, and wounding H.
among whom was Capt. Gwin, seriously
Sherman debarked his troops several
miles below, aud marched to the rear of
Vicksburg. BY desperate fighting from
the Goth to the 3lst, he had worked his
way to within two miles Of the city, but
was there met by such an overwhelming
force that he has fallen back to await,
either Farrigut and Banks from below, or
reinforcements from above His loss, thus
far, is from 5000 TO 10000 The enemy
are very strongly entrenched, and have
from $4,000 to $4,000 men.
Tie army of the Potomac remains per-
the larger portion of Lees army has been
withdrawn from fredericksburg to Rich.
mond, or, possibly, sent to reinforce Bragg
or Nicksburg.
The rebel John Morgan has left Ken
lucky, having had rough time in max
ing his escape, losing his guns and half
his men as killed wounded and prisoners.
Forrest, also, the guerilla chief on the r.
K from Columbus 10 Jackson, has been
badly handled and about cleaned out by
Col. Sullivan near Lexington, Tenn, losing
his guns and 1000 men.
Grant remains at Holly Springs, having
sent a large portion of his army to Sher
man and another column, IL is SAID, TO
Rosecrans. Col. Dickey made brlllian:
and successful rad on the Mobile 4 O. X.
r. between Oklahoma and Saltillo, effectu-
ally destroying some 80 miles of it.
One of the most brilliant affairs of the
war, quite eqnal to Stewart 5 or John Msr-
gans best was Il dash, week ago, by
cavalry force from Gen. Changers army,
OF about 5000 men. under Col Carter,
arro>s the Cumberland mountains into
Eastern Tennessee, destroying miles of
the East Tennessee 4. Va r. L. near
Knoxville, burning many important bridges
and INJECTING damage that will take months
to repair The road was the main artery
Of supply and communication between the
west and the rebels in Virginia, and the
damage to them is incalculable. The
VIII ole thing was done by Col Carter with
out the loss OF a man.
The famous Erickson Monitor foundered
at sea off Hatteras on the 3lst ult, and
sunk, taking down with her four officers
and II men. She is, OF course, total loss
The latest despatch from Nashville
places our total loss in the recent battle
at abou, 1000, and that of the rebels at
from 10000 Is 10 .009
\ rebel forces Of 1000, under Marina
duke, got in the rear Of Gems. Heron and
Blunt, and opened fire on Springfield, Nc. /.
There was fsh,idg yesterday, the enemy .
being finally re. ulsed Federal refoce /
ments were coming in.
According to Richmond papers, Fede I
raj movement has been commenced from /
Newhern, \. c., aimed, it is thought. /
against Wilmington.
Admiral Wilkes has captured the rebel /
ron clad Virginia, in the Gulf of Mexico