Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-02-13

the country TO which they are accredited, 8
long as there should be no ground to question
their good faith towards this government, ha
been uniformly avowed as the course of thi
government accordingly passport wa
granted in April 1861, TO the minister resi-
dent here, Of the Republic Of Bremen, q lik
passport was granted in August, 1851, to tn
French minister, attended by His Royal High
ness, the Prince Napoleon, and in April las
similar passport to the French minister
These passports were granted at the reques
of those distinguished persons respectively
and not on any suggestion of the government
or Secretary Of State. They severally trav
eled in private and unofficial character They
bore no communications whatever, formal OF
informal, verbal or written, from the govern
ment or from the Secretary of State to any Of
the insurgents, and brought none from any
such persons to this government or to the
Secretary ofState. Since the 4th of March, 1861
no communication, direct or indirect, formal
or informal, has been held by the government
or by the Secretary of State with the insur-
gents, their aiders or abettors. No passport
has been granted to any foreign minister to
pass the military lines, except by the Presi-
dents direction, and each of such ministers
who have received such passports have, upon
their return, waited upon the President as
we'll as the Secretary of State, giving them
such an account, unasked, as he thought
proper incidents Of his journey, of course.
These statements are to be qualified so far as
the facts 1elating to communications concern
ing the exchange Of prisoners and other mill
tary matters and in charge of the war de-
partment may effect them.
New York, Feb. II.
The Express prints Washington dispatch
stating that it is reported to-day that Secreta-
ry Seward has rejected the proposition of the
French Emperor, for the North to appoint
to their Consul in Montreal or
Mexico.
WASHINGTON, Feb. II.
Admiral Porte in terms of commentator
to the War Department the
report of CON- Ellet, commander of the Queen
of the West, containing an account Of her
of the batteries at Vicksburg. The
is the report:
UNITED STATES STEAM RAM QUEEN OF TnE(
WEST, below Vicksburg, Feb. 2,
ADMIRAL: In compliance with your in
structions started on the Queen of the West
at half-past four this morning, to pass the
batteries at Yicksburg, and sunk the rebel
steamer lying before that city. l discovered
after starting that the change Of
the wheel from its former position to the mar
row space behind the Queens bulwarks, did
not permit the boat to be handled with suf.
ficient accuracy. An hour or more was spent
in re-arranging the apparatus, and when we
reached the point the sun had risen, and any
advantage which would have resulted from
darkness was lost to us. The rebels opened
a heavy fire, but we were only struck three
times before reaching the steamer. She was
lying in nearly the same position that the
Arkansas was when Com. Ellet ran the Queen
into her on former occasion. The same
causes which saved the Arkansas then, saved
the City of Vicksburg this morning. Her
position was such that if we had run oblique
ly into her as we came down, the bow of the
Queen would unavodably have glanced. We
were compelled to partially round in in order
to strike, the consequence was that at the
very moment of the collision, the current be-
ing very rapid at this point, the stern of the
Queen acting on her bow as a pivot, swung
her around so rapidly that nearly all her mo-
mentum was lost. l had anticipated this,
and therefore caused the starboard gun to be
shotted with three of the incendiary projec-
tiles as recommended in your order. AS we
swung around sergeant Campbell, detailed
for the purpose, fired the gun "a pound
shell crushed through the barricade, just be-
fore he reached the spot, but he did not hest
tate. The discharge took place at the right
and set the rebel steamer in flames
which they afterwards extinguishing.
At this moment one of the enemy's shell set
the cotton near the starboard wheel on fire,
while the discharge of our gun ignited that
portion which was on the bow. The flames
spread rapidly and the dense smoke rolling
into the engine room suffocated the engineers.
[ saw that if attempted to run into the City
Of Vicksburg again my boat would certainly
be burned. ordered her to be headed down
stream and ordered every man to assist in
the flames. After much exer-
ton we finally put the fire out, by cutting
loose the burnt bales. The enemy of course
we're not idle, and we were struck - times,
and though the cabin door was knocked to
pieces, no material injury to the boat or to
any of those on board was inflicted. About
two regiments of sharp shooters in rifle pits
kept up continuous fire, but did no damage,
The gunboat was struck twice in the hull but
above the water line. One of our guns was
lismounted andruined. can only speak in
The highest terms of the conduct of every
man on board All behaved with cool deter
mined courage. ,.-. s.....s -.
l remain very respectfully,
CHARLES r. ELLET,
Commanding Ram Fleet.
T. D. PORTER, Acting Rear Admiral.
New YORK, Feb. II.
There is not much news of special char
acter this morning.
The 1ribune's special says the Joint Com
mittee on the Conduct of the War are prose-
cutting with vigor and effect the inquiry into
The insubordinate influence which pervaded
from the President countermanding the order
Of Gen. Burnside to cross the Rappahannock
and renew the Fredericksburg fight. The
investigation has already included the infu-
ence of Cabinet officer with that of unwar-
like Generals. r