The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-12-11

Gun, AAoSiSCdHG huJuldAt OtucrdI OI Cn0 O6-
partment of the Ohio, has received the
following official dispatch:
KNOXVILLE, November 80,
VIA CUMBERLAND GAP, Dec. 2, 1868.
The enemy attacked US early this morning.
in force, but we repulsed them with consider
able loss. All is well.
(SigneD A. E. BURNSIDE, Maj. Gen.
Special Dispatch to the Chicago Tribune
KNOXVILLE, Nov. 3O-The great rebel
blow, anxiously anticipated so long, was
struck yesterday morning. Reinforced by
the troops of Sam. Jones, Jackson and Will
liams, Longstreet sought to annihilate the
Army of the Ohio by coup de guerre.
He selected seven picked regiments. Skir-
mishing commenced Oh Sunday night at
ten O'Clock, and continued sharply until
near daylight on Monday, on our left front
before Fort Saunders, commanded by Gen.
Ferrero, and defended by the 10th New
New York, Benjanin's Sd United States
Artillery, and Buckley's Rhode Island
Battery.
Our pickets were driven in, and the enc
my had possessed themselves of some rifle.
pits, but the Massachusetts boys drove
them back, when suddenly the rebel storm
ing party, led by the 10th and 18th Geor-
gia and 18th Mississippi, under cover of
our own retreating men, came to the
assault.
They approached to within one hundred
yards of the fort unframed. Then COM
menced series of desperate and daring
attacks and stubborn resistance, causing
death, carnage and horror scarcely equalled
during the war. These men were the vet
Grams of the Potomac-the flower of Long,
streets army-and, confident of promised
victory, plunged into boiling hell of lead.
Wires had been stretched from stump to
stump, in front of the works, by Capt. Poe.
Over these the advancing enemy fell in
confused heaps, with the killed and wound
ed around them.
Our artillerymen hurled shell by hand.
Forward, over the impediments, came the
doomed rebels! Hotter and hotter be-
came the battle, until the ground over
which they passed was carpeted with the
slain! The ditch was piled with dead,
wounded and dying.
Not one on their side faltered-not q
score of the gallant stormers escaped. The
sun, rising, looked down through the cold
upon the remains of an army.
One thousand killed, wounded and pris-
oners was the cost of the assault on Fort
Saunders. Nobly has it sustained the
reputation of its nsmesake, and revenged
his fall. Among the killed is Col. Girarde,
of the 18th Massachusetts. Lieut. Col.
O'Brien, the brother of Mrs. Brownlow, is
a prisoner.
Gen. Burnside offered them an armistice
from 10 A. M. to P. NJ, to remove their
wounded and bury their dead. 1t was ac-
cepted. The rebel officers and prisoners
express establishment at the strength of
our works and the valor of our men,
Our loss will not reach eighty, all told.
Over fifty of these are men of the 9th
Kentucky, captured on the south side of
the river.
Whether LOngstreet is satisfied of the
impregnability of Knoxville, we know not;
but We await his next movement with con-
fidence.
Besides $50 prisoners, we have three
battle flags. One Of them was planted on
our works at one time.
The twelve days of Longstreet before
Knoxville, threatening assault and siege,
have caused scarcity of forage, and given
us considerable labor to fortity our posi-.
ton, besides temporarily suspending our
communications and destroying much
property, chiefly rebel. There has been
ONE loss of men by the casualties of war,
y but no retreat, starvation or actual invest
ment has occurred thus far The siege is
another rebel failure
The mettle of the men on both sides has
been tested, and our boys are found to
have no awe of LOngstreet's veterans.
Our troops have behaved splendidly
throughout. Our loss will not exceed 800
in all, many of whom are only slightly
wounded, and are returning to duty.
CINCINNATI, Dec. "A special dispatch
to the Commercial, dated Cumberland
Gap, says there was fighting yesterday at
Walkers Ford, twenty miles from the
Gap, between Fosters and Longstreets
cavalry.
We captured four pieces of artillery.
Two OF our surgeons were found muir
dered near Jonesville.
HOME LIFE INSURANCE CoMpANY, New
York, offers the most liberal advantages to
parties desiring to effect insurance
Rev. EDWD EGGLESTON,
st. Paul, State Agent for Minnesota.