Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-06-11
MOrtester 1ailp Syn
THE DAILY SPY.



York Tribune furnishes that paper with the
following extracts from private letters from
officers OF Admiral Porter's ticet;-
''IN FRONT OF VIcKsBURG, June Il was
in a rifle pit yesterday, twenty yards from the
enemy's lines, on Shermans front. The poor
devils have had all their guns silenced, and
can't fire shot. They throw hand grenades
on men who are working away underneath
their forts, and who throw them back again.
You may talk of Sebastopol and Malakoff,
but it was baby work to this. Nothing ever
yet equaled the work of our soldiers in get
ting up to these works. You would have to
see it to believe it, All the Richmonds would
be nothing to the one twentieth Of the nine
miles of works these devils have thrown up in
front, and the distractions they have left be-
hind our army for six miles. If we can ever
get reporter to tell The truth, he will write a
tale Of more interest than any that has been
published for century. Now and then we
sink vessel, or get one sunk, but we will
pump the water out of them as soon as the
town talls-which will certainly be within ten
days"
NEAR VIcKsBURG, June l, l663.-There
is nothing new to communicate, except the
return of second expedition up the Yazoo.
They returned perfectly successful, having
destroyed eight transports and large amount
OF cotton and other valuables, and captured
some prisoners and provisions. The condi-
ton and position of our army in the rear of
Nicksburg is still good, and General Grant is
confident of success. l never saw such line
OF defences as are IN front Of Gen. Sherman's
lines. AT some places our parallels are with
In fifty yards of the enemy's works, and our
men lie down directly under the guns of the
rebels. If an assault is made by 10000 men,
they can not help taking the city. Tire enc
my can not have over 5000 in their works,
and Grant says he can whip any reinforce
ments they can bring up.
"Our boats below Vicksburg had a little
fight with guerrillas yesterday, at Carthage.
Our mOrtarS are still bombarding Vicks-
. burg, and doing great deal of good. We
have killed great number of beef cattle, and
done great deal of damage.
Our gunboats below come up every night
and fire slowly during the night.
IAN officer has just come up from Banks
and reports him i'll the same position that we
are here. He has closely invested Port Hud-
son. and says he is certain of going in They
are, however, strongly fortified, and may hold
out there some time"
Correspondent e of the N Y Herald.
Orders were received late last evening to be
ready at six o'clock this morning to lombard
the city. Accordingly at that hour every gun
along the line was in position, and opened
upon the unfortunate city. For full hour a
tremendous cannonade was kept up, the OBJ.
Ject at which 1t was directed being the court
house and vicinity. 1t lie impossible oconyey
anything like an adequate idea of the demon
stration. 1t is impossible that one hundred
and fifty guns, all raining at the same mo-
ment terrific storm of fire upon the belea-
IL tl,..,,
efforts in one locality have failed to produce
important results. The nextintelligence from
Vicksburg will be awaited with considerable
anxiety.
During the assault of the 22d some thirty
of our soldiers were taken prisoners and car
red to Vicksburg, where, after remaining in
confinement for two or three days, they were
paroled and sent across tine river to YOung's
Point, under a flag of truce. One of these
parOled prisoners returned tOhiS regiment last
night by way of Haine's Bluff. He reports
distressing condition of affairs in Vicksburg.
When our army was approaching from Big
Black river all the women and children near
the environs of Vickshurg were ordered to
come within the lines. under the impression
that Il greater degree of safety could be had
there than without. Experience has proved
this impression incorrect. The Union shells
are no feSpeCleIS Vi pSfSOHSs anu Wllen urOp-
ping in the vicinity of peaceful dwellings ex-
plode as viciously and as destructive as when
in he midst of an armed host. Large num-
bers of women and children have been killed,
he says. The very first shot fired by the NOR
tar boats killed woman and her child. Lat
terly the citizens have constructed for them
selves caves in the cellars of their dwellings,
to which, with their wives and little ones, they
retire when the cannonade becomes furious.
NV informant tells me that while in the Jail
with his c0mrade prisoners and number of
rebel soldiers who were incarcerated there be-
cause they refused to fight us, shell from
one of our guns entered the building through
the roof, and passed entirely through the
floors and ceilings, until it reached the lower
floor where it exploded with great violence.
Fortunately no one was killed; although sew
eral were seriously wounded.
The only hope of the rebel garrison is the
appearance of Gen. Johnston with large
army in our rear. Assured that their expec-
tations from this quarter wouldnot be realized,
they would at once surrender the city. He
estimates the troops there at fully thirty thou
sand, and says they are already on quarter ra-
tions Horses and mules are turned out of
the city, with the exception of those required
by officers, to economic the supply OF pro-
visions, and because they are merclessly
slaughtered by our shells.
From Gen. Blair and Gen. Osterhaus moth
ing has been heard for several days. The
former is between Big Black and the Yazoo,
near Sulphur Springs, and the latter at some
of the crossings of the Black. 1t is impossi-
bic that the enemy should make demonstra-
ton in our rear OF which we shall not be fully
and early apprised.
HUMPHREY MARsHALL's CAREER IN KEN