, 1864-04-01

FROM GEN, BANKS hEPART-
MEhT.
The Expedition to West Louisiana

A Formidable Fleet Of Gunboats--
Operations on the Atohafa- i.
- lsya--fnrther Details
:: from ft. DeRuasy.
Especial Correspondence Of the chicaso T1ibune.l
slxasronT, ArcHA1A1ATA RIVER,
March 10, 1861
The much talked of Red River expedition
collected itself slowly at the mouth Of TINT
stream. The troops recently from the raid
into Mississippi. composed Of the divisions
Of A..J. Smith, T. Kilby Smith, the :, brigade
Of Gen: Warner. and ryvrtlon of the Marine
Brigade, under Genera! El1et, embarked ut
Vickshurg on the 9th, and on the 10th
steamed down the river on the steamers il
the following order
clarabeli, :: :. Sioux City, .-'
Des Moines, . Dladem,
J; R:ltiss Msntte1' 1M9 - EBsfsS}d, EE.ssftS}d
Choute3u, Hastings,
Adriatic, Autoctat. {M)
Southwestern, I J. Ralias. lAl
Ewing, Woodford, tHospital).
On landing at the point, on Friday night,
the troops gathered In all the hogs, sheep,
chickens. Sc, they could find, aud finally
set fire to the houses. Next morning the eI-
pedit,on started up Rcd River, The follow
inr runboats took the lead, continuing m
Red River: :
Osace. Ddonitor, choctaur. f9ron .rlad,
Ne. =, (tin,elad,(' Neosho. t1onitoE).
EEastpo1f gi a19neo) Esa5e1G. sa. H. mfGn,stso)
01@NA-7 Prace. fram.1
The transports, however, we're unexpect.
ed1v turned down the old bed of Red River.
After passing Trumbull,s Island, into the
Atchafa1aya, couyoyed by the
Benton, {lron.eaad,) chi1icothe, ftur1at,)
Calondelet. 0uehita, (gueril1al
ITas1fIp1f1!K: InnIsgf!Kfs:. Gbsmnion fijnS1a3;
Lexington, {Wooaen)
?. At In the evening the boat landed 1T
!. simmsport, about six miles below the en-
trance a7d fifteen from the mouth OF the Red.
Several very dne plantations were located on
the banks of the river, some Of them exhibit
Ing evidences OF taste quite unlocked for.
There Was little OF no industry beyond the
cultivation OF ground enough to suosist from.
A few white women were to be seen, the men
were absent. Slmmsport, understand, Is no
longer. A few ;chimneys mark the site. It was
hTF SrNNRA41FhfY
r1at - Iohn ! E,,.t n th.,r sn.a.satr. .
tnet eao o!,at, oouu a. Hs* - t1e!. sueeess.e
visits, IN reclamation lot nFing into his boats,
the Queen OF the West and Monarch: Gen.
Banks forces In their march. through utter
wards cleaned M what was left,
T1,a,n x,o-e .t1r., fort1a co+,or. ,,,,5or ,o,-
.".,s -. -. o.,1, -. ~ ~. -
stIuct1on' one On eacn 6ioe Oh nc fsef' anu
evidences Of much crossing. twenty little
ecowB and akiGs were captured, together
with some cotton, all of which fell prizes to
~. <rn.hn,ta 1na,con1d bnt wonder thst so
smne1.ant st rsana as thu s,crns",sxa a sd w1,,cb
important stream Is me AecnaalAss, WINCH
ut this low stage Of water admits the heaviest
eunboats, has been utterly neglected. It Is
ofifse1f the most efficient nrotectfon In t],e
s....s.s,.sa, aas ~ t,at.s-iea 49,. 49,
nlsshslppl, anu !e' pa1,el.ss s lAtH oeen re-"
peatealy nrlng lnto ouf ooA1s ae Mofganz,a,
where they might have been easily caught
and trapped by = few lieht draft gunboats. of
aa 1rh;ch ~ hove so rnanv Commandment i,,s at
rannd a,va ~ Cit.- r. oTd a. c1seghsrc 1 AN'~ A'
We soon discovered that The enemy had q
large camp In. the ne1ghborhood, and had
aed at the. approach Of our cunboats. On
!1ua.HS ~ -" 49, - .-s,ai;S 49, 1:..,,a.s
Ine oepTis =. LIZ cR etauinS .snss. he1ues ~
le1L y ~. nassC xSAt Ag311ntns eA1S 9eu.
sm!th aosansea ous antse s nll'es, ~ eApge.lng ~
ma IN ~ en'leneheu euint IVY .9oassna
strong. IN GoMng 4h ~ t1 10 ~ ns iou1o talss =
Bayou aud bayou Giaize, ano ha1l a'nne ~ 1nt
ther down second supporting WoFk Inc
wooden pf1dge crossing INTO inc ioFt ma
been burnedand other evidences Or Hight; An
immense amount OF work seems to have been
done hereabout, md continual camp In the
neighborhood; among the rest a stupendous
raft of timber was being built across the Bayou
Glaize, mile and half from SiuIns-
port This, indeed, seems to be new scheme
In their defense: To build these forts back
test the roads 10 the Interior This, while 1t
abandons the streams to us, is most un-
promikinr prospect for West Louisiana, which
Ia furroWed with q network of nayigabIe
bayous and streams during high water. OF
this kind is Bayou Glaizc, and' the raft WIS
hei,p constructed to prevent the gunboats
near}nr the FORT a pontoon train in the
BAYOU had been used for crossing the Atcha-
falaya. Our forces marched out eight mules,
captured q lew wagons, : uozen prisoners,
and then returned. 81. ,~-...,..
Next morning, The !4th, We steamed up!he
Achafalaya, and up the Red River, having
nsemba5ked the troops M VINO were TO maEeh M
miles from Alexandria, whittier the rebels
were supposed to have retrcated. The twen-
| ty gunbOats, conveying, as many steamers,
naturally suggested the contrast between this
expedition OF national forces and the first
! one which eyer aseended the stream, under
the brave Col Ellet, less than year before:
fefnaps more foTmtdable deet never moved
70 attack anT position IN the world: comprls-
ing over 5o guns, and come Of the most
formidable xesseis afloat- During the day
! Me met n9a.ihF lumber ana piles, indicating
| that me Piacs nag oeen evacuated, and that
| the gnnboats Which had asSended the day
! pteTiops, we{e busy pulling the TAT to pieces
| with which me- ne enemy haa Il Maoped to obstruct
| me fvef. Mnen apout niteen mnes from
Gordon's Lanomg, Dy I1VeI' put not more
tnan nye oy lano, We saga.ee suaaa eartn-
T.. mvin ~ Ess:er MI dnse-ted Tia nar;rot;on
OF the r1Tcf proved fefy anacult LOT laTge
vessels, 80 rpld Is me cu1fen! 4; ana so 10TH.
GUS fhe channet Iae Aees .tsa up INA laat nigas
about tWeise mnes iom ,1., W H. rott, tne aom1-
ral communicating Win me aasanee squad
ron, which "as already noolea ~ the fof1'
.-: FoRT Ds RussK1, March Is, 1861.
MeanWhAe, as hter "aIm learned. the
Simmsport and made 3 most wonderful
march Of thirty miles in less than twenty -four
hours, including detention5 from the neces-
the rebel cavalry harrassed the column. I'm
fortunately We naQ Out CoupSuy u cRyal1J