Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1863-04-25
rURrIsHED (pAILYl RY
EDGAR SNOW DEN, JR.
me- OFFICE-No. lo4 King street, over
& ~ .. formerly French,sl Book S Store:
gow the vicksburg Batteries were Passed by
A'S admiral Porter's Vessels.


1rorrosnondence Of the =. Y Times.l
correspondent of the Times, writing from
near yicksburg, furnishes some interesting
,ort;cn)ars Of the running of the Vicksburg
batteries bv the Federal fotilla. He says:
"Last night Thursday, the 10th everything
WAS ia complete readiness before dark. lne
plan decided upon was that the ron-clads
Should pass down in single hle, with Intervals
between the boats Of few hundred yards, ana
shat, when in frontof the batteries, they shouio
engage them with their broadslde guns, making
IS much smoke as possible, under cover OF
which the TRANSPORTS should endeaVor to pass
unseen. :,
''The Won phuI, having on board General
Grant and wife, Gen. McClernand and wife,
together with several other military officials
and ladies' came down from Millikens Bend,
and took a position just at the head OF the ca
nal, where her passengers had most excellent
view of the whole transaction. The Rocket,
with Gen. Thomas made its appearance near
the canal. and landed the General who pro-
ceeded further down in skif, and took po-
sition where he could speak the gunboats after
passing the main batteries. Other parties pro-
eeeded down in skifs, yawls, tugs, &C., and
best view of the coming spectacle could be OBJ
tained. In short, by 9 o'clock, the audience
was seated, and waiting impatlently TOR the
opening Of the performance. There were IN
eli perhaps thirty boats at the landing, each OF
which was black with spectators, OF whom not
few we're ladies; these, and the stars, were
the witnesses, and instituted an audience at
once large and respectable.
''Hght twinkled buslly from the Vlcksburg
Ailsdes until about 10 O clock, when they dis
sppeared, and about the same moment song
and laughter on our side were hushed, as a
shapeless mass of what looked like a great
fragment Of darkness was discerned floating
Aolseless down the river. 1t was the Benton
it passed and disappeared in the night, and
was succeeded by another bank Of darkness
the Lafayette, with the Price lashed to her
starboard side. And thus they continued
across the narrow vista which opened itself to
cur eyes, as if huge shadows detached them
selves from the darkness above, hoated across
our vision, and disappeared in tee darkness
below. Ten Of these noiseless shapes revealed
selves and disappeared, and then we knew that
sl the actors in the play had given US the first
scene Of the first act
Three quarters of Al hour passed; people
heard nothing, save their own suppressed
breathings; saw nothing, save p long low bank
Of darkness, which, like black fog, walled
the view below, and joined the sky and river
Il the direction Of Vicksburg. And all watch
Cd this gathering of darkness, tor in it we
knew we're thunders, and lightnings, and vol
canoes, which at any instant might light up
LIE sky with fierce irruptions
80 long time passed without anythingoc~
curing, that people began to believe that the
rebels had determined, for some malevolent
purpose, to allow the fleet to pass below with
S0t Obstruction; this supposition was hardly
pE9ached ere it was contradicted most emphat-
Iis'lg At quarter before eleven, two bright,
sNsFp lines o fame flashed through the dark-