Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-05-02


0 Smith vas aboat thirty years Of ago. She is
, the mother Of some Eve or seven children, the
majority of whom are young.
The night up TO this hour has passed tolers.
bly, qniet. Occasionally the silence Of the hour
q would be broken by a few shots from the qua
boats, as they attempted thus to fath0m the
meaning OF certain noises in the distance, or to
draw the enemy's FIRE.
] The enemy now holds his position, with 8
regiment dspleYed ss szirmishers, about tr7o
hundred yards from our pickets and videttes on
the Sommerton road. Occasionally there wouId
be rife shot OF two exchanged, bat nothing
} more. On the Edenton road we could not End
the enemy's whereabouts. On the South Qaay
aud Blackwater roads be remained the ssu1e.
0n the other side of the EsnsenoDd river the
rebels kept their piekets posted in The edga Of
woods on either side of the Providence Church
road. Down the river some distance the enemy
stte 9pted to build battery in the neighborboed
Of thA Hf the Jericho canal. On finding
this out the guu~ ats Wens into action, and sue
ceeded in driving him Of, while we threw up
another fertilization, on high bluff on the other
side of the river
Cen. Peck has to-day issued the following
congrstulstoTy order:
General Order No 81
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES Forces
SUFFOLK, Va, April 13 1858. :
Inc commanding general congratulates the
troops upon the patience and foriitude with
which the fatigUes of the past three days have
been met and the spirit and vigor with which
the enemy has been repulsed wherever he has
appeared. He believes the gallant soldiers Of
his command win s;heerfully Join him in ae-
{ knowedging the valuable cooperation Of tee
\ Rvsl forces
"A By command Of Msjor Gen. Peck.
/ BENZ. B. FOSTER,
Acting Assistant Adjutsni-Gener
APRIL IA, 8 A. M.-During the entire night
we wers engaged IN the construction of new
fortifcsions, by order of Con Peck, under the
immediate sUperintendenes Of Lieut. James,
typographical engineers. For this work we
used, and are using, every sbie-bOdied contra
/ band IL town. We even went through the
town and have taken the men-servants out Of
the saloons, private houses, etc.
The gunboats are hard at work shslling the
woods on the off side of the Nansenond river,
at every point where it is thought the enemy is
likely TO be, or contemplate erecting batteries.
About 10 O'Clock last night desertsr came
into our lines, bringing the following inlorma-
! ton
''The ConfsdeTates have taken two thousand
/ prisoners at Washington. n c. including the
I Federal killed and wounded. They captured
the whole garrison, including guns and every I
/ thing else'
/ Whether this news is true or not, your CORE /
/ spondent cannot tell, other thaa the report Of
: this deserteT.
The same authority says that the enemy
now ir front ofus is thiFtY-hve thousand strong,
with eighty pieces of artillery. This artillery,
with very faw exce5ti1n5 Is lig..t Il was (
thought by the rebel generals thot in the event
Of their Appearing in such f0rcs before Suffolk ]
We woulf evsc1ats the same in order to pro- 4
tect Norfolk and Portsmouth. Also, that they /
make their present movements, in connection /
with the uov6Tneot of the rebel iTon-clsd Rich
mond down the james river Thev believe 4
their iron clad can destroy OF drive off our feet /
sad prevent anY communication bstWaou Old /
Point and Norfolk aud Portsmouth, while the 4
army is to move so as to get between US and /
those places, thus preventing our retreat. and /
locking toward a capture Of our entire force.
The reader must take this view just as Il |
IS received and give crsdencs to it accordingly.
We have iHat received information ehat the 1
banks of the Nsnsenond river, for several miles /
below Suffolk, are lined with infantry. They /
are firing On the gunboats. The enemy have I
o1ened on these latter with artillery. The /
flagship Mount Washington has suffered Sc I
verely.
THE FIGHT on TUESDAY.
At eleven o'clock the enemy Opened from the /
direction Of tho Sommart0n road with heavy
artillery. We replied with our batteries, when /
the enemy oRened with some light field artillery /
against our left To this latter fire we respond
ed with our guns from Fort Dix. Another fort /
next TO the right, opened with its guns, and /
still another one to the right Of this again. The
enemy replied with moderate rapidity, changing
his position IS fast as We obtsined the range of
bis guns. Thus the cannonading continued for
s0rne little while.
The general scene e. this tins was one of ne
eulisr interest. On General TeTTyis front,
short distance forwsrd. were two or thras
houses in full flames. Oar infsntry stood mp to
the bTeastw0rks, while our skirmishers were de-
poyed for quito distance forward all along in
front. The enemy's skirmishers stretched out
about The same distance, but they had the sd-
vantage of rails and other things 20 protect
them, while our men had to lay down and get
up in broad open space, one that we had
cleared ourselves, on smooth open plain.
Oar infsutry reserves held their positions,
with cavalry, TO the right and left, the camps in
the back grouad forming sn entire circle the
town in the midst Of this the toTtu0us, winding
NaBsemond behind This again, with its burden
of white and lead-eolorsd g1nboats, and ct ceie.
ras always incident to scenes of this character.
In less than an hour the enemy stopped firing and
fell back one mile Our cavslry then went out
to ehsrgs on piece of artillery numbered up in
tho road, when 8 force of rebel sharpshOOtsrs
rose up in the woods and delivered at them
whole volley.
We could now see that cur shots had dons
some execution; for several Of the enemy's
horses ran of riaeriess, while more lay dead on
advanced again with two sections and renewed
tho fight. So plain was the enemy to view that
we could see their officers or eaTsrY men,
waving their swords and rushing 70 and fro in
haste aud almost recklessness. The wind being
strong, blowing toward the enemy, a de.aeh-
ment of the 1lth Pennsylvania cavalry ad-
vspesd again and set fire to several houses BY
the roadside
This they did in the coolest and quiekest man
ner possible. Our shells also set fire to some
woods near by. By this maneayer we caused 9
dense smoke TO blow, so to speak, directly in
the face of tbs enesayss force working their guns.
In order to get clear Of the smoke the enemy
would thus be compelled to move his artillery
nearer. or to either side of the road, thereby
giving us q better chaacs for sight and range
After his the firing became less lively, the enc
my firing a few shots, then retiring. and then
again advancing, and the like Up 20 this
period the engagement WAS confined 20 acting
BsigsdieT- General Fosters and acting BrigadieT
General Murphy's Irish legion) briga5es
By one o'clock the enemy had ceased firing,
doing so only occasionally, and wo were
sbslling them out of tho woods. We have no
news yet Of any one being killed OF seriously
wounded.
AN IsFoRTANT EVENT TO HAPPEN TWEEN
TY-THREE YEaRs HEECE.-The date Of the
end Of tho world is satisfactorily fixed for the
yeer 1885 There is sn enciaut prediction, re-
paatsd by N0stradraus in bis "Centnies,' which
says ihat when S.. George shall cruelty the
Lord, Rhan St. Mark shall raise Him, and ST.
John shal assist IS His ascension, The end Of
the world shall como In lac year 1886 it VIII
happen thst Good Friday shall fan on st.
Georges day, Easter Sunday on St Marks day,
and Holy Thursday, or Aseensenday, will be /
also the feast Of st. John ths Baptist =