Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-05-30

had Condition of Affairs an General
Banks Department-An Entire Brf-
gade Gobbied Up--Attempt at Open
ing Conn nm unications ~ 18th the River
81 5,O00.0OO i'm Cotton burned.



NV ORLEANS. Nav IL.
Military Affairs IN the Department of the Gull
are IN anything but pleasant condition, like the
school boy who INDUCED in green apples and got
"wus and wus." Unless we speedily stop in our
downward career there j. no conecturng TO what
depth We may fall. In my last, | believe,
told you Of a brigade that had been sent out from
Alexandra to capture the battery which is on the
northern bank OF the Red River. at Snagges
point. now informed that the entire ori-
gade was gobbled. and think this probable, mas
much as Colonel Major, who commands the rebe
forces there. has six thousand cavalry. Colonel
Major is a regular army officer, and was stationed
in Texas az the breaking out OF the rebellion
lie was the ranking officer in General Green's
cavalry DIVISION and upon the death OF that Off
Ger succeeded him. Majors successor in the
command of the brigade is Colonel Mclean, of
whose antecedentsiI have as yet learned nothing.
The other brigade in the same division is led by
Colonel Bagby. have these facts from an off
Ger who was for long time prisoner at Alex
audria and Opelousas About six or eight DAYS
since General A. j. Smith, who you know has
been under orders for nearly month to report at
Vicksburg. attempted to cut his way down to
| Vidalis. small town in COncorda Parish imme-
diately opposite NatcheZ, but was defeated by a
portion of Magruder's forces, and driven back
with the loss OF two thirds of his troops
No particulars of these fights have reached US,
inasmuch as the army at Alexandria is virtually
cut off. No boats able TO ascend or descend
| Rid river. But express riders of course come
and 60 frequently; their news, however. is care
| fully guarded by headquarters | am told that
Banks is again in the front. Even his presence
in the city, as | wrote you, is denied by his i'm
mediate friends. Still | am of the opinion that
/ was right in the assertion.
During the night of last Sunday an expedition
started from this city with the intention of turn
ing the rebel flank aud opening communication
between Alexandra and the Mississippi, in which
plous work devoutly pray that they may be sue
cessful, although. as there were but three trans
ports, which could not, by any possible means,
carry two thousand men. have not much hope
| OF victory, unless other troops from Vicksburg
were 20 cooperate with them have heard Of
some gunboats being sent up the river. | hope
this Is not true, for they can do no good, mas
much as the banks are very high. and the bat
terry arranged for plunging shots. It is said that
mules and horses are dying rapidly at Alexan-
dria for want of forage The Grapevine news,
said in this instance to be reliable, is that Gene
raj Polk, with a large force, is at Tangpaha,
pronounced Tang-i pa ho) about forty miles dis
tant from Baton Rouge, and that he medtates
the capture of that post
On last Saturday, the 7th a small force of
guerrillas pundered LabadOrville, a small town
near the line of the Opelousas Railroad, and
burned one hundred and twenty five bales of
cotton; and on Sunday the same party destroyed
eighty bales at Indian Village Colonel Day,
who commands the district, telegraphed for re
Inducements, and three hundred Vermont re-
cruits were sent to him. | was in error in say
ing the 10th New York constituted the gar
rison of Brashear City. That regiment is in
the front | should have said the l3st New
4 dali IN haar hat ba Ono
Railroad has been destroyed. Things look
squay.
| 1 apprehend that when the history of the Red
river expedition comes to he published it will be
| found that cotton had deal TO do in its man
agement There seems to have been tact
understanding between General Banks and the
principal planters of that region that cotton was
to be brought in under the additional trade
regulations" But the Admiral went up the
river and captured portion of this cotton as a
prize to the navy; thereupon, the rebels, seeing
that the understanding would not be adhered TO-,
applied the torch
| The quantity said to have been burned is two
hundred and City thousand bales, worth seventy
five millions OF dollars.
We have met with another disaster at Sabine
Pass. Texas the official dispatches of which
| reached here to-day. On Friday night the gun
boats Granite State and Wave. which formed a
| part cl Vhe Olochauihg squadron, were captured
by steamer disguised cotton boat She
succeeded in running alongside of both boats and
taking them, much after the fashion in which the
Harriet Lane was captured.
The Granite State had seven guns and $50
men, and the Wave mounted five guns and was
manned by 80 men.
With that wonderful facility which this de-
partment manifests for locking the stable door
| after the horse is stolen, a number OF gunboats
leave this port to night to endeayor to recapture
what should never have lost