The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-04-09

capture Of blockade runners in Brazos
river by the United States steamer Pen0b-
scot:
The Brazos river, about forty miles from
but with a shoal bar. We have lately made
it the scene of one Of the most successful
exploits in destroying and capturing block
ado runners.
The Penobscot, relieved from the Calves
ton station in the latter part of last month,
was ordered to watch the entrance to this
river. On our arrival there we saw seve-
raj schooners inside. protected by strong
battery, but though we kept vigilant watch
day and night We could discover nothing
summing.
But at last our patience was rewarded
On the 18th of February, in the early gray
of the morning, two vessels we're discover
ed underwriting to get in. We were quick
ly in chase. The first one we drove on
shore and she soon became 2 hopeless
wreck. The other one was further off and
became our prize. She was a fine schoOn-
er, loaded with powder, arms, medicine,
&c. think her captain was down east
Yankee, though Of course claiming to be
british subject" A more miserable,
dirty-looking set than her crew think /
never saw. It wouldn't be worth the sacri-
ice W Of good rope t to hang them
took possession. That night came on .
''norther''-a fresh gale with rain and fog.
The next day the storm still continued and
we lay hid in q dense fog. At noon it sud-
denly cleared, when to our surprise we
discovered fleet of eight vessels under
way and coming over the Brazos bar. At
the same time they discovered US. But
four Of them had come too far to turn back.
The men had just gone to dinner. but
they came tumbling up the hatchway, and
the capstan ran around as it never went
before. We were quickly under way, and
the chase began. We steered right for the
rebel batteries. Great clouds of black
smoke rolled from the smoke stack. The
hungry mouths of the furnaces were fed
with slush and pitch, coal and wood. The
monsters beneath our decks shook their
arms of steel, and bent with untiring power
to their task. The ship quivered like leaf
as they urged her on. The white sails
dropped from their tapering spars and
were spread by the strong arms Of humid
red men. The ship fairly flew. In less
time than l eau write it, we were at the
river bar, and two schOOners with full
loads of cotton, driven on the sands and
dashed by the breakers, became shatter-
ed wrecks. The long guns of the rebel
batteries poured forth q storm of fire.
Rifle shells whistled above the gale and
round shot came plunging from wave to
wave. But the PenObscOt has charm
| our eleven-inch thunders back. We watch
the huge shell as it flies through the all, and
almost feel like kissing the old guu as we
see its missile burst in the fort. The Par
rott sends it's compliments, 700. But we
cannot stop to fight, and so while the reb-
els chafe with impotent rage, we speed on
for the doomed vessel.
A she'll brings the nearest one to, and
while = prize crew takes charge of her we
steer for the other, the only remaining one
| that got outside. The tenth shell stops her,
| add we soon have her in tow. We let
them lie OFT the river with US that night for
the rebs to look at, and the next day all
three prizes started for New Orleans
They are all tied up here now. Ensign
respondent had the pleasure Of bringing
them down. They are all fine vessels
One had cargo Of powder, arms, &C., and
another had 100 bales of cotton, worth
about $4,000. and $4,000 in Confederate
notes, and the other had cargo of lao
bales Of cotton, worth about $50, 900, 5000
| in gold coin, and about 900 in gold
watches diamonds &c. On the whole.
quite good days work for one gunboat.-
The rebel Captains have already con-
demned their vessels by written deposit
lions, and they don't steal half here as they
do in New York.
Washington correspondent OF the Cincin-
natl Commercial makes the following re-
marks about the Coles county outbreak.
The Associated Press dispatches of this
morning fully corroborate what I have
been trying to make the people believe for
many weeks past-that there is in the
| Northwest q party strong in numbers who
are determined to inaugurate civil war iii
the loyal States, Indiana, Illinois aud Ohio
especially. An instruction has broken
out in several counties in Illinois. 1t is
said that "the rebels, three hundred strong,
are intrenched at Gillady's Mills, ten
miles northeast of Charleston" and by a
typographical or clerical blunder il is
Missouri. But the Charleston referred to
Is in Coles county, Illinois, and the rebels
spoken of are men belonging to the organ
izatiOn known as the Knights Of the Gold
en- Circle, and controlled by members OF
Congress FROM Indiana aud ulinOis-per-
haps Ohio too, b0t Sat the last meeting Of
the CAbal our Stale had not the honor of q
representative, owing to the session Of the
Democratic Convention at Columbus.
These men, ut their last secret meeting in
this city, knesc. that the disturbance ,cas
about to take place. They had been in
formed Of the whole programme. and
while do not charge that they "couhte-
| u0uCCu ~ OAk0CSAys IL Ceu Oc proven LO6I
they knew the outbreak was intended. and
they offered no rem0nstranCe.
just as long as the loyal people Of the
Northwest continue to regard the traitor
Gus organization as myth, except when
theya are occasionally aroused, as in this
instance. to painful sense offs existence,
40 long there is danger of civil war in the
States of illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Out
breaks will multiply, and the Northern
rebels will increase in number day by day.
They have commenced this demon stration
earlier than was expected, and in sec
ton where they were not thought to be
very formidable. They will act with more
concert and spontan6ty three months
hence, when the soldiers now 1t home on
furlough shall have returned to the army.
leaving them no foe but peaceable citizens
to contend against. The incredibly that
laughs away every allusion to this subject
IL dangerous to the welfare Of the country.
end can result only in scenes more horfi-
role than have been enacted on Southern
battle-felds within the past year. It is
the duty of the loyal population of the
Northwest to take measures for the sup
preston Of this instruction in embryo. II
they fail to do so, the fault will be theirs.
and they will have. only themselves to re-