Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-12-05
feIAL DlgPATeaEsl
FRO q KNOXVILLE.
THE SIEGE OF KNOXVILLE.
The Late Battle near that Place.
GREAT FEDERAL ViDTORF.
ITO the Cincinnati Gazette.l


KNOXVILLE, Nov %.
This Is the twelfth day of Longs.reet
before Knoxville. He is threatening sn
assault, and the siege is causing some in
convenience in getting forage, and consid-
ereole labor in fOrtifying our position,
temporarily suspended our comDunics-
tions, destroyed much property, (chisAs
rebel, and some loss of men by the easu-
alties OF wsr. No panic, retreat, starva-
ton, assault or investment has occurred
thus far The siege is another rebel fail
ure. p he metal of the men Of both sides
have been tested, and our Western boys
have no swe Of Longstreet's veterans. The
daily skirnishing has been spirited and on
several occasions very Severe, with lively
shelliDg on both sides. Our troops have
behaved spleniidly throug h1ut. Oar losses
will not exceed so in all Many OF the
slighly wounded are returning to duty.
We can i'll afford the loss Of the gallant
Saunders, who is universally regretted
Our principal fear new is that the rebels
will escspe without punishment Of their
impudence.
The army is in excellent spirits and i'm
proving in health.
l ~ t-4S NlAGluuALl GAL6fte.l
KNOXVILLE, Nov. 90.
The great rebel blow, anxiously antici-
pated go long, was struck this morning
Re-enforced by the troops of Sam. Jones,
Jackson and Williams, General LongstreeL
sought to snnihilste the Army Of the Ohio
by single blow; for which purpose he
selected seven picked regiments. Skir-
mishing commenced last night at ten, and
continued sharply until near daylight on
our left front, before Fort Saunders, COM
manded by General Ferrer, and defended
by the 18th New York, BeDjamin's Sd Uni
ted States artillery, and Buckley's Rhode
Island battery. Our pickets were driven
in, and the enemy had possessed them
selves Of some rifle pits, but the Mssss-
chusetts boys drove them back. Suddenly
the rebel storming party, led by the
sixteenth and seventeenth Georgia, and
thhe thirteenth Mississippi, under cover
Of our own retreating men, came to the as
sault, and approached to within one hun
dred yards of the fort unharmed. Then
ensued q scene of desperate daring, stub
born resistance, death, carnage and hor-
Tor, r,Sscarcely equalled during the war
These men, veterans Of the Potomac and
the flower Of Longstreets Army, confident
Of the promised victory, plunged into
hailing hell Of lead. Wires had been
stretched from stump to stump, in front Of
the works, by Captain Poe. Over these
the advancing enemy fell in confused
heaps with the killed and wounded sround
them. Our artillery men hurled shell by
hand forward upon the fallen and doomed
rebels.
Hot and hottor came the storm Of shells.
The ground over which they passed was
earpeted with the slain. The ditch was
filled with the dead, wounded and diving.
Not one on their side faltered; not a score
Of the gallant stormers escaped. The sun
rising looked down through the cold mist
and chill of that November morning, upon
the remains Of an army. One thousand
killed sad wounded and prisoners, was
the cost Of the assault on Fort Saunders
Nobly has it sustained the reputation Of
is nsuesak', fesrfully TeVenged his ial.
Among the killed we're Colonel Glrarde,
Of the 18th Mississippi, aud Lieutenant Col
onel 0'B-ien, the brother Of Mrs. Brown
low, is aIrisoner. General Burnside Of
fsred the rebels an srmistice from ten
O'Clock in the morning till five o'clock in
the afternoon to remove their wounded and
bury their dead. It was accepted The
r"hel officers and prisoners express aston
I-hment at the strength Of our works and
the ValOF of our men.
Our loss will not reach 80, all told. Over
90 Of this cOnsi,s Of members Of the 9th
Kentucky, who were captured on the south
of the river.
Whether Longstreet is satisfied with the
impregnsbility Of Knoxville we know not
Whist his next movement will be may be
predicted with confidence. Beside $50
prisoners, we have three battle flags, one Of
which was planted on our works ct one
time.