Evening star., 1863-04-11
THE TAZ0O PASS EXPEDITION.
Admiral Porter's Official Report.

Rear Admiral Porter's official report OF his
recent expedition through Steel Rayou, Deer
Greek, and other bayous, was received al the
Navy Department on " ednR sday the sth inst.
With his iron -clads, Porter was eight days in
the heart CT the country, navigating a series OF
bitches in W which noteyen fatboat ever fioa.ea
before In those eight days, although making
hcT.ultan efforts, he worked his way onlV
se,eniy miles and back again one rwenty-
four houIs wa consumed in accomplishing
four mills. The >hanbels in both creeks and
II. Atns were excpe dinghy narrow; SO narrow i'm
lia,. that The boats nearly touched bo tn banks
1hsy were choked with fall. n trees, which mad
10 be removed, or with clumps or rows of will
,ows. which had TO be pulled up hy the roots.
or a time the fleet toilsomely crept along un-
observed, the levee, " hich often was three feet
above The guns, assisting to scren it,
When the inhabitants perceived the dreaded
view, anG the negroes evinced grea, iov az the
approach of the yankees" The torch was
quickly applied to the cotton by a rebel gov
ernment agent, until ~, COO bales were destroyed
teside that marked e. ). A.. which Porter him
self burned, and a considerable quantity.
enough, lie says, to buy gunboat, which he
carrie of with him.
he fleet had ACCOMPLISHED q good mart of its
voyage before any efforts were made to stop it.
News finally came that a rebel for ce OF infantry
with artillery, was preparing 70 dispute the
passage; mat larger force was on its way
from Haines' Bluff. on the Yazoo and tba. the
negroes were being forced at the point of the
bayonet to :eil trees TO obstruct the channel.
Sending one OF his smaller boats armed with
hcTltZer, forward, Admiral Porter fought
his way successfully, and for a time put the
rebel guns To flight Trees were felled before
liim-these he removed, and continued on his
difficult way. Even the information that trees
Wire oelnS felied in his rear. 10 hem him IN.
Gould not induce him to turn back. He p4r.
sisted In going forward; but finally. when
within SGU yards of Rolling Fork, from which
il would have been plain sailing do Wn the Big
SUIfiower River into the YaZoo, miles above
the fornfled places in the rear of Vicksburp
he was obliged TO turn back
Had Gen. sherman, with his soldiers. wha
mad shorter road than the gRnboafs TO travel.
reached this point early rs they should. a
passage could have been forced and the YaIoo
antered bur, receiving no intelligence of Sher-
mans movements, which were necessarily inn
pedtd by want of transportation. as we'll "A
10y other causes, Admiral Porter deemed IL
prudent 10 return.
he ohstuctIcns thrown by the Rebels in the
way of his retrograde movement would have
hcen more serious than they were had not the
natural obstacles been removed during the for
ward voyage, and had not General Sherman's
forces, nrst detachment and then the main
h0dy. appF AIRED at critical moment
Admiral Porter reports that the country
through which he passed is rich and fertile.
abcunding in live stock and with barns filed
VI it'll corn, of which the Rebel Government
owns considerable proportions.
L he white Presidents were, he thinks better
inclined TO the Union cause when he left than
when he came among them. As for the negroes,
all the able bodied ones who were not forced
'o stay followed General Sherman's soldiers
J he rest are in such state OF demorali2ation
that Admiral Porter thinks that little more
planning Will be done this season, and predicts
serious trouble for the r.as ters 10 come