The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1864-04-26
c8so April Is, 1874

up fAe river ~ ne Etat}e faAeyt leaasA
dova wi,h passengers. and with Eaabeat
saser Cloud. Sc ~, under Acting Master
Ferguson, 10 tor. We weTe about three
miles below lhe Fort, and could ses moppt-
Cd psekets On The shore Aftsr tie ganboai
got within reach she opened On fhe Fort,
with she'll, bat NE, With no reply She oou-
,inaei slowly until she sog hear the fort and
near the shore. where she fred shot or
two aud then stepped. We had followed
her at a disiaHee, and nov. about 10 A NJ.
came abreast and passed her aud the for,
As We came up We saw FIRE and smoke pro-
eeedng from tie shoie, which proved to be
SOME buildings and some hay on the leyee
We also. for short time saw people moving
about. some en- foot and some on horseback
behind the smoke and soon several per-
sons came to the bank Of the river with a
white hag The gunboat senia skifT ashore,
which returned ia about twenty minutes,
and thea the gunboat landed. We, at this
time were mile above, and being signaled
by the gunboat, returned and landed by the
boat While returning near the shore we
saw numerous dead bodies strewed along
the river and on the sides of the bluG We
found, on landing, quite number. q Con-
iederate officers, among them Brigadier
General Chalmers, iih bis staff, and G. W.
Anderson, Of Gen. Smiths staff, and others
Of the rebel officers whose names did not
learn.
Arrangements were made TO parole all the
wounded, and men were detached to bring
them in. An agreement for truce till =.
NJ. was agreed upon, and permission freely
given to visit the fort and grounds Es-
corted by Capt Lindsey, formerly ofNatchez,
now in the rebel army, your correspondent
visited the fort and adjacent grounds-the
scene Of action the day preceding.
THE ASSAULT AND CAPTURE orIHE FORT.
We have CLEANED the facts Of the fight from
authentic sources, and they may be relied
upon as truthful. The rebels, under For
rest, appeared and drove in the pckets
about sunrise on Tuesday morning. The
garrison Of the fort consisted Of about two
hundred of the Thirteenth Tennessee vol
unteers and four hundred negro artillery,
all under command Of Major Booth the
gunboat No. 7 was also in the river. The
rebels first attacked the two outer forts, and
in several attempts to charge were repulsed.
They were constantly reinforced, and ex-
tended their lines to the river on both sides
Of ths fort. The garrisons in the two outer
forts were at length oyerpowered by supe-
rior numbers, and about noon evacuted
them and retired to the fort on the river
Here the fight was maintained with great OBJ
stinacy, and continued till about ?. NJ
The approach to the fort from the rear is
over gentle decliyity, cleared and fully ex-
posed to a raking FIRE from two sides Of the
fort. About thirty yards from the fort is a
deep ravine, running all along the fort,
and SO deep at the bottom as to be hidden
from the fort, and not commanded by its
guns. The rebels charged with great bold
ness down The decliyity, and faced without
blanchlng a murderous fire from the guns
aud small arms Of the fort, and crowded
into the rayine where they were sheltered
from the fire by the steep bank which had
been thue left by some unaccountabe neg
lect or ignorance Here the rebels organ
lied for final charge upon the fort, after
sending flag of truce with demand to
surreeder, which was refused The APP
proach from the rayine was up through a
deep narrow gully, and the steep emtank-
ments Of the fort. The last charge was made
about A 7. NJ, by the whole rsbel hrcs, and
was successful, after a most desperate and
gallant defence.
The rebel army was estimated at from o.
900 to 4 900, and succeeded by mere force
Of numbers. The guuboat had not been
idle, but guided by signals from the fort,
poured upon the rebels a constant stream Of
shot and she'll She fred 260 shells, and as
testified to by those who couhl see, with
marvellous precision and fatal eEcst. Major
Booth, who was killed near the close Of tie
fight, conducted the defence with great cool
ness, skill and gallantry. His last signal
to the boat was 1--WE are hard pressed and
shall be overpowered." He refused to sur
ronder, however, and fought TO the last.
By the uniform and voluntary testimony Of
rebel officers, as well as the survivors Of the
fight, the negro artillery regiments fought
with the Bravery and GOODNESS Of veterans
and served the guns with skill and precis-
ion. They did not falter or finch until at
the last charge, when il was evident that
they would be oyerpowered, they broke and
fed towards the river, and here commenced
the most barbarous and cruel outrages that
even the fendishuess Of the rebels has per.
petrated during the war.
REBEL ATROCITIES.
After the rebels were in undisputed pos
session Of the fort and the survivors had
surrendered, they commenced the indiscrim-
mate batchery Of all the Federal soldiery.
The colored soldiers threw down their guns
and raised their arms in token Of surrender,
bat not the least attentions was paid to il.
They continued to shoot down ell they
found. A number Of them finding DO quar-
ter was given, ran over the bluff to the
river, and tried to conceal themselves under
the bank and in the bushes, we're pursued