New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-01-16

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he entire ranGe OF bluffs, and form Jew line Of
battle at VicLsburp
The Plaza Of assault Contemplated that the gun-
boats Should attack the at.er,cs at Hainess Blnh
at - O'clock on NewYrar's morning. About halt
OF he iron-clads were 70 up the stretch III front
o! the binils under Of the darkness, and get
position in the river directly under the Rebel bat
tedes. Tee other iron.clads, with the Lexington,
Tyler, ,rInora, and Forest Rose, were to lay AZ
The foot Of the stretch until the troops were ready
to move, when all the iron.clads would close mp on
The batteries After the gunboals had engaged the
enemy for an hour Gen. Steele. Win picaeu ioioo
Of ten thousand men, WAS to debarh, and move up
by land to the Rebel position. At gwen signal
TIE boats were to cease firing ard Steele vac "
charge aud carry the nights by storm.
Oar boats bad frequently been up and down lhe
river 70 the bend half mile from the enemy
works and it was OF this point that the Benton ara
other eunboats lay when they engaged the batteries
last Saturday, when Capt. Gwln was go Dadly
wounded. But beyond this point no vessels mao
ventured, and from our experience lower down Inc
river il fair TO anticipate the presence OF III
Vulnerable tOrpedOes in this stretch. In tins enei,
gency !, would have been extremely reckless to send
auy iron-clsd up until the torpedoes had been re-
moved or some certain information OF Their nom
existence gained. To send sLifis ahead wouid nave
subjected the men to certain deatn as soon as oo
served Here was dilemma thai threatened W oe'
feat the whole movement.
But in the emergency Col. Ellet of the ram feet
proposed tako the ram LiOneSs and III her up win
huge rake drag, to project some distance l front
of her and thus Tigyed, 10 take the chances OF being
discovered aud precede the feet np the stretch close
10 the batteries. The courage dsplayrd in this prof
fer will be appreciated when IT Is known that for
distance OF halt mile lie would lie running directly
INTO the face of the Rebel batteries, with sure
chance of destruction if observed. But notwi,h-
standing The greatness OF the danger, Col. Eilets
courage was equal to il. His proposition being &C.
copied most gladly, he Immediately sci 10 work tit
ting his vessel for her perious tip aud III the morn
ing was no, only al ready, but was the first vessel
10 move toward the enemys position
There seems to be hardly shadow of doubt that
the movement would have succeeded had II been
possiLle To make It, For some reason or other the
enemy had withdrawn large numbers of bis troops
from his right and concentrated them on ois ieit and
we have Information gong 70 show that on that
morning he Lad but four thousand men at the point
TO lie assailed. But ii was simply an impossibllly
10 make the movement go dense was the fog; aud
morning and daylight approached, the boats still
feeling their way along the stream, orders were
pas sed along TO turn buck and reluctantly the ex.
pedtion was abandoned. twas an expedition that,
If carried forward, would have afforded abundan,
opportunity to officers aud for distinction aud
promotion. II was f0rcrn hope which, # sue
ce,sful would have led 20 the sure capture Of Nicks
burg but otherwise would have caused the cutting
up OF cur TROOPS the loss Of Col Eiet and bis ram,
and most likely the sacrifice of the Louisville, De
Nab, CINCINNATI ana Benton, tle 1Our llht
were to move 40 under the batteries.
Another probable cause for the abandonment OF
the movement was the fact that two transport
engineers had deserted on the previous evening with
full knowledge Of the movement, and had gone 10
the enemy. This rendered 1t likely that they had
knowledge Of our intentions and would be prepared
for us.
With the abandonment OF this movement aban-
doned the project Of carrying the eDemys position.
Still, Gen. Sherman held his position, occasionally
Int lptEI in
plan for the withdrawal OF his army. 10 accom-
plsh this was 10 mean undertaking, and 1t i'd but
Justice 10 say THAT the retrograde movement from In
front Of the enemy was most admirably executed.
One of the chief difficulties 10 conterd with vas the
ep,barkauon of the troops so 10 tie enemy. Il
was not 10 be supposed that the retreat could be
made wholly unObserved, or at most that 1t would
escape detection more than few hours. Bot then
tae gunboat feet was " hand TO cover the embaFka-
ton; vet these could not cover every point OF the
river so that dash might not be successfully made
aud some OF the enormous feet Of transports
destroyed.
Thu sday night, at midnight, orders were sent
along the line Tor an instantaneous movement 10 be
mace in the most quiet aud orderly manner Pickets
were still out and sentnels paced their BEATS in the
bright moonlight, in front of our lines, keeping up,
TO the obserynt eye Of oar wary enemy all the ap-
pearance of determination TO remain. The troops,
meanwhile were formed IN marching order, camp
equipage was packed, aud everything placed IN
aware Of the direction they were to take. Our
pckets and sentinels were then quietly withdrawn,
and al / O'Clock the whole army was In motion,
and at daylight were hating upon the bank Of the
river.
| The embarkation commenced Immediately, aud
proceeded rapidly and in good order, with but
siugle accident, and that OF trivial character
| A brigade Of Gen. Morgans division bad en-.
barked at the mouth of the CnickaSaw Bayou, and
were lying at the bank, apparently waiting 0rders
TO move protected only by the light. draft gunboat
Marmora, Capt. Getty. Between IL o'clock noon
and p. NJ. "a large body Of infantry administers
came upOn them across an open Held against which
they were lying. The skirGnishers supported
by five or ak thousand infantry drawn up in the
edge Of the wood skirtng the neld, about half mile
from the river, and battery Of light artillery.
crop OF corn had been raised upon the field duriog
last Summer, the stalks Of which were still STAND
ing The enemys administers sneaked mp through
this corn unobserved until within an eighth Of mile
of the transports, when they commenced hring upon
s,ragglers tie banks Of the river. Oar Infantry
were crowded together upon the vessels filling
every part Of them from boiler 10 hurrcsne-deck,
and completely preventing any organized defense.
Still the seized their muskets OF the first report
from the enemy and cracked back with earnestness.
| The Marm0ra was getting up her anchor at the
time the Rebels discovered Themselves and was lust
10 position 10 rake them. Her men were called 10
quarters, and responded with remarkable elacrty
80 that scarcely three minutes had elapsed after the
first shot from the Rebels before the Maunora'
riAed howi.zers we're rakng them. They were evI-
IDENTIFY taken by surprise, having supposed, from hor
build, that the Marmora WAS trsDsp port and that
there was no gunbost in the immediate vicinity Of
the transports When they discovered their mistake
they beat hasty retreat 70 the OF the woods
the little gunboat all the while pelIiDg them most
numerically with shell and shrapnel.
The Lexington. Capt Shirk which was anchored
about mile further down the stream on hearing
the firing, got under way and was promptly on the
spot, participating in the action, her long range guns