Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-09-05
The Capture Of Csanbenta on the Kappa.
hmumociE.

ElauEetanE, 8CIne tWsuty-nYa mics ron l'
mouth. The boats waTo ia the water IN Iea1t
ness for selling, while the men, secresed be
tween two hills, lOunged about upon the grass
y cooked tteir rations by the hivousc IRE.
i T,eutarant Wood, tbs commander OF the party,
I .Vss aF. on a Reconnaissance. and did not return
until 5. e following evening, at which tins inus-
diaie preparations for departure were begun.
We knea then, for the first time, that cur Ob.
/ isgt Was % cspture one Of The Yankee bl5ek-
a6srs by boarding hsI "a tbs night. At fOaT
o'clock foo men were called TO quarters, arms
inspected, aud cmmrIniti5n distributed After
prayer by 3ir. Wood the boats were u1suped.
TIE crews were Ia hne spirits, and, with m1fi d
Z OARS, raWe5 rapidly and silently down the
stream, sending eut no noise save the ripping
I of toe wsvos around tie cutters bows, IS fEsy
/ plouEhod iheir way thTsugh the. water
/ About 10 O'Clock the mo0th Of the river was
reached and tue boats were halted for an hour
( to rest the lnen sHd issue Instructions for the
/ a.aack. Towagd midnight we wsre again in
| motioB, pulling cautiously toward the spot
/ wheEo ila g1uhoats usually lay. /. g&s wsrE1,
/ quiet. gtaTiig glt evening, with hard y bfesth OF
I wind aA0sl. Upon reaching the mo0rinR
/ gTOH1d the siesnsE was nowhere 20 be seen, and
/ no trace uf her YVES visible, however, sigoal
! light some mile or 30 away showed rs her posi-
! ucu. and soon afterwards the SQUAD Of machinery
/ tod us she wss IN motion. This was contrary
4 to hsr usual custom, and seemed evidence thGt
our coming bad been made known by spies snd
traitors on the shore; aud, ss i was impossible
10 board her while UudeT way, nothing remained
bus tor rs 10 re;Urn and wait q mora favorable
/ opportunity.
/ Tuning up The river keeping out of sight
I under the wooded banks, We pulled soma fifteen
miles ard entered the mouth Of a creek with
/ high shores on either side. Here the boats were
ssereiea, snd mes srd officers, thoroughly OK
/ hsusted, threv Themselves down on the groUnd
10 sleep. Daylight soon cams, and with it JAs
sound Gi 40 approaching steamer, making her
( '-sv directly iGWsyd MS. From tbis Lieutenant
! Wood naturally supposed We had been sesn,
I and fiat the steamer was in pursuit Of US. HIS
/ plan of batls was qsickly formed, and was zu
/ excellent one. Sending tho boats high up the
/ creek for protection, he ordered Lisu'eaaRt
I HCge, WITH the main body Cf men, to follow
{ tism on land, keeping about dozen nlsn wisb
/ him a. The mouth of the creek The Yankees,
/ if TO p0rsIit Of as, would undoubtedly follow
/ the a0st5, and we could thus get them between
two 6Tes ard possibly cut Of thsir retroat.
Upon reaching the creek the sse1Tu5r
came 30 aucbar and sent ashore five
! boats, eontaiuing sone eighty men. Our
men lay smbHshsd in p small c3ppiec some Hve
or SIX ysrds from the water; but, unfortunately,
iuat ss the first boat came abreast Of tAeza. cue
0f them incsutioasiy exposed hlHsslf and drew
lhs attention of tho Yankees They immeli
s-ey fred upon him, shouting from boat 80
( boat, " shoot him-kill hiu-5ou't let ths id
rebel get away" firing their rifles rapidly Aad
Gt random After the first shot Lieut. Weod,
With all bis ccouass, Was unable to restrain the
men. They were bound to f-e, and mno3ia-
ataiy poured a volley into The boats This pro
arce3 q great cous'eynstln, ard sll that were
able pulled swsv 07 rapidly p0ysib'e-Uot
vzilag % load their rauszsls after the first dis
charge. Tae foremost beat was now sgrouRd,
and .o lis our mon turned their fire.. Tns Yam
l-ae8 draEgea ilt0 fHs bottom Of the beat, aud
i5e csptsn. the only brave nan IN the party,
shouted and cursed 20 make them point their
oars aud shove CH. Two or three Of the men
wc-e wounded before she could get Of 6Bd lHss
ss -ha boat got out into the stream the captain
also received g fatal s5ol At the ssm5 tins tbs
f5E Ea8 shot jowu, hui vss instantly rePnead
ur0n shorter STAFF The steamer sls0 COM 1
mencs3 sbsIFng the woods, and the fro was
Ee0t up uitil the soais were an, when she, too,
kG sly rsrezta3 down The river. F1om the
Philadelphia fnCRiTsr, Of the 20,h, received
giuer, We learned that the Yankee Captain,
uOgChkiss, was killed, and several cf the meu
wounded By guaTiiles.' We have a5C5Ttained
also tha5 tbs Yankees were ignorant OF our
presence, and came uD the river to destroy the
hcEse of hr Jones, row prisoner in the Old
Capitol prison. On the Wsy up early in The
morning, they had desolsted the hone Of Mr.
Hu.cHins, carrying Of everything possible, and
shooting bis sock in the fslj.
That evening we pulled up ta our oTgjG.l
starting psiHt snd by dark bsd the boats again
cu5 Of lie wsLsr. When the wagons came they.
were put upon them, and we started acrosss the
cuua-y for new scene Of operations.
Worn cut by hard marching and severe labor,
II was Necessary to give the men q day Of rest,
aud # qss rot uaiil the 18Th that We reached
tho RsDpshaunccb. This boats were again
srncasd in Meschum's Creek, just inside Of
Grsy's Point, and about ten miles from the
Chssspsa ke. Just as the mouth Of the nver is
@ s1laH bsy OF cove, called Buffers Hole, il
which the blockadeTs usually ran at night for
p ssle anchorage. The river is some three OF
four Hiics wide Upon the opposite side ia
sbHgTsy Point, from which the land ruus down
into Nobjsc,S bay sod the mouth of the Piauka-
tank. There are two sets Of blocksders here.
OF the mouth oe the lsttey-mendoned river the
steamers belong 10 The North Atlantic Squad
ron, -" wm'e at the R3ppshanuock they axe from
she "P5tomsc F.otilla." They communicate with
each other, howsv,r, ard are near enough te
siensi 90 night with blue aud red lights. At
this tis1e three steamers were Of the Rsppahan-
ucck-fhs Cur tuck, the Reliance, and the Sat
site. One or 81 OF tLese we were determined
10 have
It was a5cut six o'clock ia the evening Of the
l9.h when the boats were again Eaunea7 and
s.Ggte1 down Tho cresk. The sun was just set
/ ting as we entered tie Rtppsh2nnOek, and a.
dark We were running under the dim shadow o.
/ tho wooded shore. II was beautiful night
/ The land lcomad up in the dark, the river ran
calm and plscid go ilre hay. the stars sh0ue in
1 the sky, aud Ia ;5e E1st brighter thag all hung
che crescent moon. Added 20 tho picture vas
4 lire af black boats, GHed with armed mon,
I creeping sne6e-liks over ibe water, prepared to
=pviug upon the foe whenever he came in sight.
! Iste ia the night Lieut Wood called The boats
/ alongside his own and gave instructions for the
( attack; tscn, after "a ie-vsnt prayer we pushed
ous Ia she bay FROM pickets on the point we
/ lesrued the steamers Jag some three miles cut
! towsJj B1tleT's hole, bat alter careful search
/ they were rot 70 be found, and ne were forced
I 20 rc5uru without accomplishing anytbiog.
It v.ss day q5le8k when we entered Meschums
[ creek, aud 10 half an heHr alter tie boats ware
l uo0rsd in their former hiding place. The next
. si bt we tried it, bot with no bettsr SUCCESS
/ Ed1sv, TIE next day. We remained inactive, but
/ Saturday night resolved to try again.
It wss late in the night when We hauled out
/ iu the stream, and once more pan down toward
I tho bay. lt vas just such sn svsHing as before
I hut tthare were signs Of an approaching storm.
AS We rounded Grey point the air was sill
ard sultry. The crescent moon, blood rcd and
! clauied stood upon the tops Of the trees, the
stars shone dinly, The dark pines threw a solemn
shadow upon the wster, and from the shore
came the thousand night sounds Of birds and
insects.
T, ,sseutly the sky became obseBrsd, and q
nor.hsrly storm rose rapidly, B9hin3 Us a black
cloud lowered ia the sky. iron which came fre-
1ueot fsshes Of lightning. aud short gusts of
t,ind besan 20 sg,tate the waters Before We
raached tho bay The storm had come, and we
y-.rs tossing upo1 Sac waves ike children s
l.oets. while the wind whsted With fury aIound
cur esTs.
,-.. ( shogsd the blackaders a short distance
.Ls,5 tbeir black hnls rising from tae water,
. -or-s two or three hundred yards apart. Fbs
O.. botts were now rahZei alongside each Other
+ eri rhe Plan Of attack made kaown There