The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-01-19
THE GALVESTON DISASTER
Interesting Adaitissal Details Of tho Sur
render Of the Union Forces.
The Bloody Fight on the Har-
riet Lane.
The Blowing Up Of the Flag
ship Westfield.
Governor Hamilton and the
Texans Safe.
ADMIRAL. FARRAGUT MOVING.
GENERAL LOvELL'S YACHT RETAkEN.
s ..-o.>o.,. ~. 80. 49,
ist Of officers ard Men Saved from
The West field.
HE eWhSC0 IN the ENGAGEMENT.
~ ror~CraSc nm droi
ist Of officers ard Men Saved from
the West field.
,HE oWhsc0 IN the ENGAGEMENT
Investigation in Progress on ADM
raj -arragut's Flagship,
&c, DC, &e.
pur New Orleans Correspondence.

Our New Orleans Correspondence.
New ORLEANS, Jan. 4, 1863
Before this reaches you IL is probable you viii have re
ved through cb sources some sccount OF the affair at
.lvcson, the seccssonSts not backward in giving
Ftcigcpcc Of ythng favorable to their side Of the
(se However, the disaster Galveston is sufficiently
mpletc, far II goes, although is by no means as
leDsve vbe reports circulation in secession circles
re wuuA Indicate n involved the capture Of the
rrct Lane the death &C her commander and the killing
wound,ur or nearly all her men, the blowing up OF the
yssp weslheld and the death OF Commodore Renlbaw
shout twenty OF his the capture Of two or three
sooners loaded with ccal, and the surrender OF the
Aols Union force III Galveston city, which numbered
- than three hundred men.
When General Banks was sent here TO relieve
neral Butler, Texas was added to tho Depart
ent Of the Gulf; and it generally understood
At as soon he could do so without endangcr
u l.s operations in the valley Of the Missis
pi he would detach sufficient body Of troops TO over
row rebel power that State. THIS force, ii was
bdcrsiood COOP crate with General A. j. Hamil
b. Military Governor Of Tcxas, and was 10 be the nn
rus around which tho loyal Of that state should
ply.
eneral Banks, however did not deem II advisable to
,ken his power in Tho valley Of the Mississippi by an
mediate movement upon Texas with any considerable
10y Of troop1. Undoubtedly he regarded the re estab
hmcDt Of tie Union authority sbcre OF secondary inn
rance and subordinate 10 the great purpose Of opening
c Mississrp river. A. the sane time he determined
scud small body Of men 70 hold Galveston, which
Ia IL was said would be abandoned by the navy unless
and force should lie sent TO occupy 1t at once Hu-
anity seemed demand protection for the refugees
DO lad Booked ,hi,her from the bitter pors,cnth 81
err enemies seeking protection under the cover Of TIE
jppoats which, they believed, would bold the city.
~ may have been the main motive for the expedition,
Ia NUT have been since the force despatched was en-
ely nsnfI Gent 10 mako any offensive movement even
Galveston suitable point from which 70 operate.
Whatever the considerations which induced The mca
re, CoIore Burr OF the Forty-second Massachusetts
gmscni was Galveston almost Immediately after
neral Banks assumed command Of the department with
REQ companies, numbecnR in all two hundred aud
xcpty one officers and men. These companies
spatchcd board tho transport Saxon, and reached
.ir destination Christmas Day They were welcomed
the lew ,uabants who remained and by the refugees
N, women and children--who thought ;hom elves
core.
SITUATION GaINEsros.
glance the map ard understanding Of tie stra-
" The island and harbor will satisfy kat Calves
has straicgcai advantages. II is situated on low,
ocy island, about thirty miles long and on average
out mile and ha;r wide. il Is separated from the
cut four the city, and to the west o, IL, Us
railroad bridge, spanning this water and connecting
island and The mainland. This bridge wac posses
of bhe ycbels, who had three batteries stationed at
end az Il, On tho mainland, and osc battery
,be island But even had IL not been in
br possession tho extent o! tho sand and
sbaio~ness Of the water, which Is acta-
forbade IN places, rendered u an easy matter
the enemy TO throw troops across Tho water IN
q indeed strength to tho situation, and
css would perhaps have been a. secure upcO The man
a uron the ISLAND.
hrce companies we're certainly inadequate 10 guard
~ thirty IN lee IN extent, even n " had all been IN
Dir possession. II was naturally supposed that the
road bridge was tho point Of danger, and the gunboas
70 expected 70 prevent the army from crossing The
rrici lauo, for this purpose, had been ssnt sp be
where sfo lying at the time of the attack was 90
row shallow that she could neither turn
nouvrc with eject; and The event showed with suii
nf cearn.cs that sne quite unable 70 perform
TO which ste Lad been assigned.
alvcslon possesses many advantages as base q opc
obs for the rctcls The comm 1nication by railroad
narnsrous points inland and The coasts render 10
Concentrate all their available troops there
ebert time. aud General magruder, who is now Ia
,nand Or the secession army Texas, did net fail To
blnsc'i promptly q all these advan'as c. lie c,l.
cd upwards a. three thousand men, and tho night
lie scsnbcr 81 bad his preparations complete fer a
sbnsd attack by and and water.
anita had been thrown ont by the IeSan newsiepe =
&c sAnse ". ore that attack about 10 be made
Tie Yankee gunboais. but these hints were gene
regarded as empty boasts. on Tie evening n
-
- beat, from the mainland, aud warned Commodore
thawt who vas % command q tho Ieet, ttat he
1ld 90 nttacked before morning But be did not
. theT statement, regarding 81 the many iae
she had 20 often henrd repeated.
isS ioft consisted ~ the following vessels The Wet
J, fhTshlp tircn'ciad, nine runel Commodore Rcr-
" rse 4.arrlct lane, cousnander waIrwfiglt; the
ssco, Connlanaer Law, aud We sachem.
be Transport Nay roa-dnan. with supplies on hoard
vea and Csgsstd tie bar about seven o'gCek IN 'ae
mug 81 he attack i0rtnnatelv rhe rd not arrive
ius. land any SUPPLIES. She lay inside the hart,a,
carr cd a Twelve POUND howit1cr on ncr how
ATTACK.
a. Gtli as the grave and one apucared
cllc.s attack Whether this fecrlty was
tn-a iHogCr glance was exercised arr guabe
b. Ia arg event, the darkness OF tho uiglt greatly
red tfe emmy movements.
commenced ITO At ack about three eclcck in the
NJ, Ia gpaon having sunk several lo-ss tefoTe. lie
down freq Galveston bay with I've vs.c,e aud enc
BEN sM-ciersly Formidable. as The event showed.
~as steamer n very light draneLt, hnbA after the
~ Itssise ppi rycr boat, with bdr machinery
tleely rrvleotsd with cotton, Uonpac.ly Gsed 90
side. From Der deck soticn had BEEN tuit ~ ~
Icsht ~ twenty ste or thirty feet pseked sEd fast
WITH bots, forIrsag lniyh parsIfi sall, zen be-
which sLlrpsbcc<ts. viii comparative fccurfy,
tr~ down uf%n the deck Of sny one N osf runeoais
On ~ they cam. " tina range. rive appeared iiks .
Gosanf ho1 @ with fseaeslacxs FOR ca iUusys All
ci several guns. Tie ofter fear vesses. AlihC0lb
zpne, AL thcy were all crowded with irfsLuy, Tic
Ity o. iLtin tifcneD
rfu nom IH rrf EArElFT fsyf
~ si.t Lay~ Lnan expected nc iIarr ~ fsrc wEs
bug Object ~ attsrs Tier Jesnap IN the
bel rendered hcv touparaive.y tc.J efs. AID 4 WIS
~ " ils e'egJ il.st rbc ste "A le asYafd q