The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-03-30
TEE LATEST NEWS.
By LAST NIGHTS NAIL.
THE ATTACK PADUCAH.
Rebel BarbaFIsm.

The Louisville Journal of yesterday
says:
Several families arrived in the city
Yesterday afternoon, who are sufferers
by the recent fight at Paducah. They
left the town on Saturday afternoon at
two o'clock, the day after Forrest had
made the attack and been repulsed
They tell a sad story of the misery and
wreck Of property entailed upon the
people By the fight The rebels were
in large force, and the assault appears
to have been similar to the one made
on Fort Donelson, in the winter of 90
The rebels were gloriously drunk, and
but little better than a mob. They
made the attack upon Paducah without
giving the citizens a word of warming
The Federal force evacuated the imme-
date city, and concentrated at the forts,
erected on an eminence q short dis
lance in the rear Of the town. With
wild cheers and blasphemous oaths, the
rebel hordes thronged the streets and
commenced an indiscriminate pillage
of the houses. They discharged their
pieces in a reckless manner, wounding
many of the citizens.
At last Forrest succeeded in rally
ing his force, and, forming the regi-
ments in battle line, several desperate
charges were made upon the fort
The Federals met them with a wiJheT
ing fire, and in each onset the rebel
columns were broken and driven back
in confusion The forces inside of the
fort consisted Of Colonel Cunningham
colored troops and a Kentucky regi-
ment, the whole under the command
Of Colonel Hicks. Colonel Hicks Or
dered the town to be fired, and soon
a black cloud of smoke rolled above
the burning buildings. About this
time two gunboats arrived-No. 80 and
No 80 The citizens were fleeing from
the town, many of them taking refuge
in the fort; the buildings near the for
tifcations were in a sheet Of flame,
while a portion of the rebel column
was rallying in the streets away from
the fire for another charge.
The gunboats rounded to and squar-
ing their broadsides they raked the
streets with grape and canister, burst
ing a shell here and there. The slaugh-
ter was terrible and the rebels rapidly
retreated from the town Many eff the
citizens were killed and wounded by
this terrible raking fire. The lines re-
manned quiet during the night. The
next day the steamer Liberty arrived
from Nashville, and the Captain kindly
offered to take as many citizens on
board as his boat would carry and re-
move them from the scene of danger.
Many of the terrified people availed
themselves of the Captain humane
offer. When the Liberty left Paducah,
the rebels were forming and advancing
to make another attack The town was
still burning and the blackened ruins
doomed sadly from out the heavy hang
ing clouds Of smoke 1t was indeed a
wild, tragic scene. The passengers
huddled on the steamer, gazed with
fearful eyes on the ruined city, and they
knew they were homeless wanderers.
The rebel dead lay scattered along
the river bank, and throughout the de
serted streets. Women and children
had fallen victims to the fight; some
were killed outright, others were suffer
ing from painful wounds The Liberty
landed some Of the passengers at Evans
vile and other points along the river, a
few families coming faras our city. The
fort at Paducah is on a commanding emf
nence, and the position is very strong
The rebel force is estimated at from five
to eight thousand, though without doubt
this Is an over estimate.
The Mayor of the city, John Sawner,
an old an prominent citizen, was indis-
posed and confined to his room. Some
Of the rebel soldiery entered his house,
when he began to expostulate with
them upon the folly Of making a raid
upon the town. They became exaspera-
ted at him, and, drawing their pistols,
deliberately shot him dead
Mrs Judge Campbell, one of the
most respected ladies in the place and
Miss Smith, daughter of the proprietor
of the City Hotel, were among the ladies
killed
The rebels were under the command
of Gems. Forrest, Faulkner and A P.
Thompson. The last was killed by a
cannon ball lie was formerly citi-
zen of Paducah