The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-09-04
FROM THE ARMY OF CUMBER.
LAND.
THE CANNONADING OF CHATTANOOGA.

Correspondence of the Cincinnati Gazette.
On the evening of August Goth, Colo
mel Wilder's mounted force, the advance
of the army of the Cumberland, reached
the east foot of Walden's Ridge.
Early next morning Col. Funkhouser,
of the 98th Illinois, was sent with two re-
giments of mounted infantry and two pie
ces of rifled cannot to reconnoiter the po-
sition of the enemy at Harrison or Harri-
sons Landing They found the river guard
ed at this point by brigade of rebels,
with four pieces of artillery. They were
posted behind the Notifications erected
upon three of the neighboring hills, and in
rif1e-pits along the bank of the stream.
Two companies of men, sent in another
direction, found the enemy guarding the
ford at the mouth of the Chickamango,
above Harrison's Landing. Here also
they had constructed rife-pits
consisting, perhaps, of 1 200 men and four
pieces of artillery, Wilder boldly resolved
to beard the lion in his den, and accord
ingly set out for Chattanooga. A rapid
march down brought him opposite the ia
nous town. So utterly unlocked for was
his coming, that horse ferry boat, plying
quickly back and forth over the river,
came within an ace of falling into his
hands, his men getting within fifty yards
of it before they were discovered. When
Wilder first appeared, the rebels had but
three small pieces of artillery in position.
Unlimbering their own guns in short Or
der, our altillerists opened upon the en-
envy in fine style. Two steamboats, were
at the landing upon the other side of the
river, one of which was sunk and the other
badly disabled by our shells. When the
firing first commenced the large boat
made desperate efforts to get up steam
and clear out, but the terrible missiles ar
rested her proceeding, and soon sent her
to repose quietly on the bottom of the
Tennessee.
The cannonade commenced about ten
A. NJ, and continued at intervals until five
in the afternoon. Every piece from which
the enemy opened was eventually silenced,
although they fired with no less than nine
teen different guns. But few of their
shots, however, could reach Col. Wilder's
position, as the pieces used were mostly
12-pound howitzers and 6-pound ritled.
The missiles from these in almost every
case fell short. Capt. Lilly's Indiana bat
terry did splendid execution against the
rebel works, frequently throwing shells
directly into the embrasures, and sending
his round shot bounding and ricocheting
over the immense parapet, which seemed
to be at least fifteen feet broad
AT length the rebels got a 33-pound
rifled cannon into position, and trained it
against Lilly's guns. Most of its shots fell
far wide of the mark, but one fired with
more accurate aim than the rest, struck
plump into the midst of our artillerists,
killed four of Lilly's horses, and took off
a leg of Abram McCook, one of his cor
porals. This was the only casualty that
befell Wilders men.
About five the enemy's firing seemed
entirely to cease, and after that every
thing was quiet upon the Chattanooga
side, scarcely rebel being seen. A pom
toon bridge of forty-seven boats was
stretched up the river along the eastern
shore, ready TO be swung across. Wilder
endeavored to get possession of this, but
as the river is only about six hundred
ydiuo "luO d. tiilo PiaCo, tiiO dtIeipo "ao
frustrated by a line of sharpshooters post
ed advantageously on the river bank.
Previous to his attack upon Chattanoo-
ga, Wilder had some skirmishes with rebel
cavalry during his march over the noun
tains, in which he killed two, wounded
several, and captured forty. The loss of
the enemy in the cannonade of Friday,
could not, of course, be ascertained.
Yesterday portion of Wilder's COM
mand boldly crossed the Tennessee oppo-
site Shell Mound, and burned the small
railroad bridge over the Nicojak, thus de-
stroying for the time all communication
between the rebels at Chattanooga and
those in the vicinity of Bridgeport.
The stories told of the arrival of John
ston near Chattanooga, and the removal
of Bragg, are not, l think, credited at
headquarters. Nevertheless, both events
may at any time take place. The juno
ton of Johnston's forces with the Army
of Tennessee can alone check the advance
of Rosecrans, and Bragg may, at any time,
be sacrificed to appease the fierce resent
ment of the rebel soldiery.