Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1864-04-22
DLSpA TONES.

son addressed the citizens yesterday in a
speech more radical than ever
Military matters are very quiet. The situ-
alton Of the rebel army remains Unchanged -
Considerable rain has fallen recently. The
rivers are rising rapidly. train Of cars
from Knoxville to Chattanooga was thrown
from the track at Athens yesterday. Several
soldiers were injured.
A Washington correspondent in speaking
Of the success Of Forests recent raid thto'
Tennessee and Kentucky, says that il is at.
tributed there to the crippled condition cf
Generals Smith and Griersun's cavalty, and
adds that these two Generals lost over 5000
horses and a large number Of transports
while in Mississippi, and are not now in con-
dition to take the aggrsssive. Had not tn
expedition been a wfetchel failure, and neces-
STATED a thorough remounting Of our regi-
ments, an operation requiring time and mon
ey, Forrest would never have been allowed to
cross the State # Tennessee, to penetrate in
TO Kentucky, and to get men and provisions
as freely as he has done.
About two thou .and Of Forests comand
are now occupying Hickman, Kentucky. near
Island No 10, and are firing on all the boats
going down the Mississippi river. Two If
his officers, Faulkner and DuckWith have
been plunderiDg the farmers OF their stock
aud forage, and conscripiing the farmers them
selves to greater extent than is. generally
supposed. The news received from the into
rior of Kentucky states that, in many local..
ties, the farmers have voluntarily brought
their horses and cattle to the rebels, receiv-
ing in exchange promissory notes. printed 10
V oh nd -.
lnto whose hands these objects were deliver
ed
II seems that after the sacsing Of Paducah!!
Forrest divided his forces into several bands +,
ordering them all over The State, so as to as
certain the resources existing in several To-
calties, the feeling Of the population, and the
chances Of another raid on larger scale.
The Norfolk correspondent Of the Philadel-
phia Inquirer gives full particulars Of the At
tempt OF the rebels to destroy the frigate Min
nesots by means Of a torpedo
" bout two clock IN the morning OF
the 9th inst. the deck officer Of the Minneso-
IA discovered a floating object moving toward
the frigate. 1t was hailed, but no reply vas
made but with the third hail. the officer
shouted, III you do not answer we will fire
into you. The answer was, "A boat from the
Roanoke-hre and be- An instant af-
terward the Minnesota experienced a lremen-
dous shock. Men we're thrown violently out
Of their hammocks, and balls and shells rolled
from their places where they were stored
The crockery ware was shattered into innu-
merable fragments. rhe force Of the concus-
sion was so great that it sprung some Of the
timbers and started he decks slightly out OF
pneiftnu Tho 81. ,l.h.
and was not properly adjusted. Had it been
rightly fixed TO the vessel. there can be no
doubt that il would have bksn blown to atoms
and the hundreds of unconscious sleeping me u
hurled into into eternity, without tie least
warning. mid the confusion and excite
ment prevailing, the renels Ihat brought the
torpedo down managed to escape. The reb-
els must have become possessed Of many i'm
portant facts concerning the strength and po
sition Of our feet
The picket boats in the river had been ma
terally reduced within a short time past
Three had been sent to Norfolk for repairs,
and another 10 the storeship at Fortress Mon
roe for supplies. These were the most for
midaole small gunboats Of the fleet. But,
Notwithstanding all this, it seems exceeding
ly strange that the mysterious craft could
come down the river pass all the remaining
picket boats and not be observed until al
most along side the flag ship, which lay near
er the mouth of the river than any other YES
sci of the feet. Had there been less Of
darkness prevailing and a full head of stem
on some Of the boats. the rebel boat could
have been captured. Where she came from
is not known; but it is surmised that she
ran out Of the Chuckatuck. She must have
been propelled by mufflsd oars as she neared
the flag ship; but as aoon as the torpedo was
attacked she steamed rapidly away"
Another correspondent says the deck and
walls OF the engineers steerage are badly torn
up. The paymaster's store-room is also tad
ly damaged. The shell-room appeared as
one mass of ruins, owing to the displace-
ment of the she'll. The shafl-alley Of the
propeller was crushed in, and prevented the
working of the machinery. The steamer
which caused this excitement was of small
dimensions, and was propeller. She did
not appear to be steamer, excepting the
smoke-stack. The only time that she showed
any signs Of life was when she was retrestng.
She was capable of containing but few men.
The Port Royal New South learns from
Jacksonville that dead negro was discover.
ed in the st. Johns on Wednesday, some
six miles above Jacksonville, anchored to a
torpedo, No attempt had been made to re-
move the body OF the torpedo IL is some
what singular that the rebels should bait their
Internal machines with contfSbands, but such
seems to be the fact.
CAIRO, Ill. April Is.
| The steamer city of Alton has arrived here
bringing Memphis dates of the lth inst
Rebel cavalry are securing the country in the
vicinity of Duvalps Bluff.
The steamer Lloyd was fred into while
going up White river by guerrillas and the
pilot wounded.
The rebel forces under Forrest are menac-
ing both Columbus and Paducah The por.
ton of Forests force advancing on Paducaf
passed Lovettsvile at noon to-day, and it il
expected they will make their attack to night
Our pickets at Columbus we're driver in by
the rebels to-day. Reinforcements have beer
sent from here to Columbus, and we have
five gunboats ready to receive the rebels,
LOUISVILLE, KY. April l3.
The Journal has special dispatch from
Knoxville, dated the 18th inst which says
The Knoxville Greenville Convention met to
day aud elected Hon. T. A. r. Nelson presi
dent, who declined the honor Col. f. A
Heiskel was then appointed chairman. Tn
entire session was consumed in the discuss
ion of resolution to expel any delegate VIII
Ia A.. ILL -. a.