New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-04-15
THE SIEGE OF yICKsBURG.

pedition-Iucidenis o. the Trip-Unex-
pected Attack from the RebeIs-The Diff
fcuIty Met With mt Fort Pembcrfon-
Interview with Rebel Under n II lag Of
Truce.
on BOARD STEAMER Ap. HIsH,l
| TALLAHATCHIE RIvKR, April g. 1863
| II strategy il to be measured by the strangeness
and difficulty of it's undertakings the author of the
Yazoo Expedition has earned name which " man.
kind will not willingly let die" Napoleon rushing
through the Great st. Bernard upon the slumbering
armies Of Italy, tried q project, possibly more
perlous certainly not more brilliant or decisive If
successful than the general who launched Ross
Fotilla ON the lawless torrent Of Mississippi Gre
vase, bound for the Tallahstchie, and Yazoo.
| New-Orleans pilot never dreamed even in night.
mare of Yazoo PAS. A wilderness Of Rnarled and
tangled branches choking up the passage; some
times almost interlocking across it, shutting in the
| prospect, and threatening with fracture AID wreck
at every turn; channel beyond parallel crooked
and perverse, made up Of zgzags and Devils
slbows; vast masses Of driftwood and forest debris
constantly clogging the progress. Such, in brief
and very faint outline is this most extraordinary
pass. 1t opens a chapter in the history OF en-
gineering and navigation. 1t isa labyrinth which
for its intrcacy and perplexty, II not for its deep
shadow and mystery, might almost rival the Gaia
combs Of Egypt.
And what shall say OF the sensations Of cabin
passenger during the tripl The Engineers bell lie
in constant conyulsons, premonitory n the culver
Of q rattlesnake. Forward for few turns OF the
wheel, then spasmOdlc jingle IRON the lower re-
gions; then pause, followed by rude bang, which
lara the boat from end 10 the other; then back
ward movement, varied by an occasional crash that
sweeps away the guard or knocks daylight into the
cabin; and few ttoppages TO repair the wheel, or
get the boat into the channel by means OF cable aud
oapetan, is the order of the day. Boats that come
oft ha Jaw NJ IA
little better than moving shipwTecks. The poor
| lecumseh, or Pike, with smokestacks down, guards
swept away, wheelhouse and cabin LAID bare, bur.
rcune deck torn away In places, fully deserve the
mos, prominent places In Frank Lesite's HHsfrdted
| The timber which lines the stream Is parked and
bruised in the encounter with the boats, Topped
OFF by the ak OF the pioneer, ike the vlstas Of
cleared track through an Adirondack "hre slash
There are some features Of tue expedition which
tend TO relieve Its discomfort aud annoyance. Here
and there arc plantations opening the prospect
through cleared and titled land for milo or more
The sward and foliage already green; tho peach
10 beginning to bloom, and long wastes OF yellow
flow ering weeds generally growing over tho
neglected soil where tho cotton whitened last year
The negroes .tand ia clusters, waving signals, and
nanliestng their glee 10y various groiesque and out
landish gyrations.
(" Massa' Q gone, AhaW
"The darkies stay, Ohio !"
But generally the quoudAm farm house Ia a COLON
| feH'NN
one sucb, where man was sitting with n baby in
his arms looking silently at n heap OF smoking
enbers all that LEFT Of his cabin, while half-a-
dozen children FROM slx years upwards were wan
deriug through the premises or searching among the
ashes. TIE sight was pisable enough, but not
more 20 than than that Of the mangled aud dead
soldiers, who have been fred upon from the neigh.
borhood, and perhaps from the shelter Of the very
house which has persisted from the Outrage. i am
satsed that the practice of burning and destroying
everything Of value in the locality Of this guerrilla
| firing is Ito only preventive.
Among the amusing features Of the trip are multi.
tudes Of sgn-boards. ching es, inscriptions, sus
pended bottles boxes, coats &c. Tom Jones, or
John Smith, anxious for cheap immortality. haa
inscribed his name n barrel-head or board from
comursary box far beyond reach, against the naked
trunk of some huge tree. Countrynnen OF future
times will stare and wonder bow they ever got there.
&" Walton" with monomania for advertising, has
| left his shiDge even In this wilderness One SOL
der has made an impromptu sacrifice to The Moses
which is very suggestive, and reads nearly as fol
| lows:
Tn, 10Th on their way YazoO River, steamer Creole
| All stove to hi
Our voyage has not been destined to pass without
a spice OF adventure and tragedy. On the lot OF
April Just after dinner, a dozen or 90 OF US were
standing OH the forward part Of the hurricane deck,
usual, quietly summing ourselves and enjoying the
| prospect when there was q discharge OF firearms
1
one two struggling shots, and instantly bursting
into full volley. AT the fret shot supposed that
some Of own soldiers were firing off their pieces.
The next, there was a whs'ling OF balls in most
disagreeably close proximity, crashing Of glass IN
the pilot-house, a singing sensation IN my own
| thigh, and scramble for what poor shelter the
| hurricane deck afforded. Ii WAS clear by that time
that we were under the well-drected and deadly
fire of forest asssssns. The patteripg OF bullets
continued for two or three minutes, while the half
| fIn On harE a II
they might kneeng or lying from behind hawser
and smoke stack. The boat, under the cool and
skllful hapdhng of Capt. lamont kept steadily and
swiftly OIL her way
AS viewed the g. situation" from behnd the pilot
house, and cav 'the boys" ramming, primins aud
firing ia all conceivable attitudes, and with admir-
able prOmptitude apparently untouched, concluded
that the affair would prove only an exciting ana
harmless adventure, and was disposed to chuckIe,
that we had escaped 10 easily. Imagine my con-
sternation therefore, when "A lew moments alter, IN
coming out OF cOneealment, we found Capt Marun,
commander of the boat, half lying, half leaning
against the hawser, and unable 10 rise. lie was
Immediately carried down stairs, placed on mat
tress, stripped OF his shirt and boots, when we as
covered that q cruel woand had passed through cue
bone OF the ankle; another had entered the muscle
of the chest. A dcck-hand was at the same time
carried into the cabin, shot between the SHOULDERS
and near the spine. There are moments which hnfry
AT plunge, and without the slightest warning
from UNCONSCIOUS security INTO lIbhIuehb anu
peril, aud face 10 face with the bloody and ghasLy
| forms Of Death. We are stunned and parnlyzed by
The sudden and errlt apparilioD Tins was one Oh
| them. No doctor was Oh board. The captain
we feared, was dying. There was 1rePi
dation and CONSERVATION; there was hurrying
10 and fro for water, bandsges, and pillows. NJ
ono knew now soon we shou DO attacked again
Every one felt how poorly we PREPARED for the
emergency. Hardly cOrporals guard was WIZ
us. The slugs mad passed through the boat as
though she were an egg-she No barncade