Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-01-26
Our Army COrre>Pondeuce---F
Down the Ohio and rlIssissippf-
Capture OF Arkansas Post-Death OF
Captain SsWin.
U 5 GUNBoAT CHILLIcoTHE,
ARKANSAS PosT, ARKANSAS RlvLR, }
T,pt,arv IL lSEQ

ARKANSAS PoST, ARKANSAS RIvLR,
January ID, 1868
EDIToRs SENTINEL: Since | am no longer in
the Army of the Potomac, and since, in imitation
of Father Abraham and Others, it is fashionable
to change bases | have concluded. with your per-
mission, to change my correspondence from a
oclamatiou-emancipatiOn sheet to bona fde
buuernut Vne-tO paper that entertains Ihesen
timents of the army and navy.
| had contemplated to give YOU a description of
our departure over the falls from JeffersOnvile
Ind. and of the entertainments given to the Off
Gers of the Chiliicothe by the very hOSpitable PEG
pie of Jeliersonvile and New Albany, and OF our
"trip down the mOnotonOus Ohio, and OF the sui
geReris appearance of Cairo by day and its very
beautiful appearance from the river at night
with its sun5odts and its hundred steam trans
portS-and description of the once formidable
Fort Columbus and OF Island No 10. and OF Fort
Pillow, and of Memphis and its present appear
ance IN contrast with what IL WAS before the re
belon. and of the magnificent feet of transports
ut Helena, AK, and OF the army that is there,
under command of Generals German, HOvey and
Slack, aud particularly of the Indiana troops
there. and of divers other things that might be
entertaining-as, for instance, the heroic, god
like death of Captain Gwin, of the gunboat Ben
ton. (who, by the way, was AN lndIanian,) but
can but repeat his dying words they were: 81
give my love TO my wIfe-my life 10 my country -
He killed in the attack on VIcksburg. |
should also have liked To have described Admiral
Porter and all of his Officers and particularly the
Hoosier Captains that are in command of boats
composing the Adm;ral's feet; but | can bnt re-
peat their names, viz: Captain James Z. Foster,
Captain Pritchet, Captain George Brown. Cap
tain Leroy Fitch. as L must devote this letter to
"A description of the great naval land victory at
this Post ON the lllE inst
On the night OF the 10th inst Admiral Porter
feet attacked the Post and after II very terrific
cannOnade hauled of until morning. In the
meantime General McClernand had lanked the
enemy, so that should the gunbOats attack that
was to be renewed on the llth inst, be success.
iul , he would he able to bag the rebel forces In
other words, it seemed to me that the programme
for the llth inst. was like the game of Snipe.
The army held the bag and light. aud the navy
drove in the game. In the afternoon of the day
above mentioned the ball opened, and after a
very genteel "balance alp the work went bravely
on. Such another terrific cannonade as the gun
boats kept up was never before equaed on this
Continent. Our guns IRON the river dismounted
every gun in the fort, casemate'i or otherwise
One large pivot gun WAS shot into; one she'll
struck the muzzIe OF large casemated gun and
killed every man at il, (l3.) The tort was lite
rally ridGled, and the easements. (three feet in
thickness OF solid oak and plated with raj road
irOn,) bad the appearance OF a target board ut a
well contested shooting match. The accura OF
the shooting OF the fleet has never been surpassed
as for instance, two shots were fired IRON the
feet at battery outside of the fort where there
were stationed eight regiments OF rebels, viz: two
from Arkansas and six from Texas. The first
shot killed the six horses attached to the piece, the
second shot killed four of the horses belonging to
the caisson and blew it up with all its ammuni-
ton. The explosion WAS terrific. Another
shot OF ours killed IL men in their intrenchmenls
and actually blew one of theLI distance OF
twenty feet outside the intrenchments Ii has
been my fortune. not only in this war, but IN that
of others, to have been engaged in more battles
than Is usually allotted to mOrtals, but have
never vet seen such horrid mutllations, such
CHASTITY unnatural wounds, as our boats inflicted
on this occasion Ii you were to take a human
body aud crush it in a set OF cog wheels it could
not be more crushed and mashed than were these
poor erring mortals
Our casualties are about 600 killed and
wounded. none missing. The army sustained
the principal loss The land forces were COM
manded by Generals McClernand. Sherman, aud
Smith The loss of the enemy was oyerwhelm-
ingly complete Besides the killed aud wounded
we took 6,0U0 prisoners. not "A in or out of
the fort escaping. We also took all the guns OF
the fort, besides pieces OF held artillery aud
6 cassons. also 5000 stand of arms and acc0uler-
ments, and 700 horses and mules, including the
killed. also lUO wagons, and untold quantities OF
ordnance stores (the latter were mostly mannlac
tured in England) The rebels were warmly
clad and well shod. yet their different parapher.
MALTA were rather outre The dead are now
buried, and the prisoners will to-day be sent out
Viola tout for the present. w. Q. +.