Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1863-05-20

The Yicksburg Wing of the 18th ult.,
gives the following account of the passing
of the enemy's feet ut that place on the
night of tho 18th ult:
The AFFAIR ON THURSDAY NIGHr.--We
we're enabled yesterday to gain some fur
ther particulars of the bombardmcnt OF
| Thursday night whcn tho Yankee fleet ran
our batteries. Tho feet consisted Of the
! gunboats Benton, General Price, Cincinnati
| and TuscUmhG rams Aleck Scott and La
| fayctt, and transports Henry Clay, Forest
Queen and Silver Waye---t the latter stern
| wheel steamer. The Henry Clay was among
the first boats to come down but ere she
passed Hoadley's guns it was discovered
she was in q sinking condition, and the
crew abandoned her. Some reached the
Louisiana shore we're and brought here
yesterday. The Henry Clay was n aide
wheel transport and hud six thousand ra-
tions OH board. The other boat sunk proves
to have been tho ram Lafayette, and the
one burned the transport Silver Wave.
The damage to the other boats is not known,
but aiyices from below Warrenton state
that where the boats were lying yesterday
the vessels were all undergoing repairs,
nj d that the groans of persons on board in
dicate they sustained serious damage. Our
loss here was small. Two men were killed
at the upper batteries by the premature
discharge of q gun, and one by the enemy's
she'll, Seven government mules were kill.
ed in Que lot by the explosion Of she'll
from the passing boats, and several baild-
ings injured. We heard Of no casualties
below. The hring OF our guns was very
Itx,I Ini,
We had n conversation since writing the
above, with woman who was on the Henry
Clay at the time she sunk, and from her
learn that four or FIVE lives including the
captain and pilot, were lost. The Clay
was struck three times, once in her upper
works, her wheel.house and stern. The
third shot tore tremendous hole in her
hull, and she immediately commeced set
Ting, when the crew abandoned hor in
two boats and started for the Mississippi
shore, but fearing they would be shot,
wheeled round and went over to the point,
whe; four remained until VIC sent boats
after them yesterday.
A wooden gunboat or ram (the Lafayette,
says rumor) was next to suffer severely
AS she rounded the point> Hoadley's men
poured shot after shot into her, and our
informant says that this craft TOO was run
towards the shore, where she sunk out Of
sight.
This woman asserts, positively, that 1t
was the Silver Wave which we set on fire
aud destroyed. This steamer had two bar
ges in tow, loaded with hay to protect her,
which our guns set on fire, and in n few
minutes the flames communicated to the |
steamer, when IL became evident that the |
boat could not be saved, and she was |
abandoned 10 the deyouring element, which |
very soon consumed her. All the boats
we're either protected by hay or cotton.
Even the iron-clads had small crafts in
tow with bales Of hay piled up to protect
their sides. Therewere few men on the boats,
only enough to work them--and they we're
forced on board. One man was taken on
board the Silver Wave in chains. by order
If Grant. But half the expedition came
lown on Thursday night. The other was
o come down about the came time last
hight, IL the first was in any way success.
al. The object Of the expedition, says this
woman, was to get all the boats possible
'elow and then cross Grants army TO the
side, below warrenton.