The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-04-03
wounded. The wounded were mostly but
slightly hurt.

THE OHIILICOTHE WITHDRAWN.
Captain Foster exhibited the utmost
GOODNESS and courage when this severe &C
cident befell him, ordering his men to re-
main quiet, and giving the necessary d.
rectiOns to bring his starboard gun into
range, as if nothing had happened, and
manifesting disposition to continue the
engagement, when he received orders to
withdraw out of range. The Chillicothe
was again brought out of action without
any material damage. He merely lost
shutter from one of his ports; otherwise
the vessel and her splendid battery were
as good and serviceable as when she went
into the action.
March H., Working parties of
soldiers, detailed from the Thirty-third
Missouri and some other regiments of Gen.
Fisk's brigade, were at work all last night
throwing up battery facing the enemy's
position. The location of this battery is
shown in the diagram I send you. 1t is
within quarter of a mile Of the rebel for
tifcations, and stands just within the edge
of the timber on the west side of Clayton's
slough, having a perfect range directly up
the neck on which the enemy stand, and
sweeping their entire line. 1t is built of
two tears of cotton bales, covered on the
outside with earth. A single thirty pound
ParrOtt rifle, taken from the gunboat Bat
tier, was mounted in this work, and tenn
porary magazine well stocked with ammu-
milton, so that at daylight this morningthe
battery was in complete readiness for
work. AS daylight approached brush was
thrown on the outside of the battery to
conceal it from the enemy. The battery
was located and its construction superin-
tended by Lieut. Col Wilson, of General
Grants staff, engineer-in-chiefo of this expe-
dition. The gun was manned by a crew
from the gunbOats, and is supported by
General Fisk's brigade.
March Is, 1S63-The ball was opened
by Lieut.. Domino with his land battery at
precisely half-past ten O'Clock, the time
that had been fixed upon. At the same
moment the Chillcothe let 80 her fasten-
ings, and turned her head down stream in
readiness to proceed to work Here lit
tie delay occurred, owing to the trouble
experienced in getting the mortar boat into
position, which prevented the DeKalb from
moving, compelling the Chillicothe to wait
for her. The delay was of nearly twen-
ty minutes duration, and resulted in
the enemy training all their guns upon
Battery Wilson, the name given to our land
battery in complement to Lieut.. Col. Will
son, the engineer who built it. Nothing
more serious occurred to the battery, for
tunately, during the short time it was alone
exposed to such fearful fire, than the
knocking off of a couple of bales of cotton,
which were quickly replaced. The battery
had both its guns directed full upon the
enemy's rified siXty-tOur FOUNDER, and the
embrasure in which that piece stood was
terribly mutilated by the spicy shells of
these PARROT guns.
THE GUNBoATs OPEN FIRE.
But soon the diversion came that was
to relieve our little battery. a little be-
fore l O'Clock the two gunboats got under
way together, aud proceeded down the
river to within six hundred yards of the
rebel works. They had hardly turned the
bend and obtained glance at the rebel
Notifications when they both opened
This fire quickly drew the rebel fire from
the land battery, which was left to the
tender mercies Of half dozen small pie
ces placed in position on the rebel forti-
ficatiOns.
RESULT OF THE ENGAGEMENT.
We have tried to-day most desperately
to reduce this fertilization. We have
brought our bravest artillery to bear upon
it at a short range, and have kept it at
play as long as it was possible to do so !;
still we have made but a slight impression.
To be sure, we compelled them to stop fir
ing. We poured such ali incessant and
deadly fire into the imbrasures in which
their guns are located that their gunners
! could not stand i, but yet the fort holds
out. We fired the last shot; indeed we
fired for three hours after the enemy had
ceased. Yet no one snpposes they have
given up the contest. They are plucky,
and will fight to the last. Some of our
officers fancy we disabled some of their
guns, but there is no evidence of this further
than their silence. My own opinion is that
their sill ence is a deep game. They discov-
cred defects in the location OF their guns,
and wish to remedy them. They ceased fir
ing, supposing that we would follow their
example. We did slacken our fire when
they ceased, but still we kept hammering
at them until dark l fancy that when we
call on them in the morning again we shall
find that they have changed the position
of their guns. Our Parrott battery rang
ed directly on their sixty-four FOUNDER,
and the aim of our gunboats was at the
same piece. Our guns cannot we'll be
worked under such heavy fire. Doubt
less we shall find to morrow that their
piece has been placed where it will have
only the gunboats to fight against.
THE BARON DEKALB.
was the unlucky vessel to-day, and, consid-
ering the length of time she was engaged
she got off very lightly After the Chilli
cothe withdrew the DeKalb was ordered
to remain and continue firing until dark
She did so, firing once every twenty min
utes, but getting no response after the main
engagement closed. She received about a
dozen shots during the action, at least
three of which were severe blows. One
passed obliquely through her seaboard
casemate, Just forward of the portfolio, and
raked through the main deck, finally lodg-
ing in the wardroom in the extreme part
of the vessel. The shot penetrated through
section of her casemate which was not