Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-04-07


LINCOLN, the convention adjourned without
day.
EDWARD sALOMON, Pres't.
W. c. WEBB, o.
F. N. STEWART, Secretaries.
Forests Rampage in kentueky---HiS Repulse
at Padueah.
The telegraph has given but very imperfect
accounts of FORESTS recent movements in
| Western Kentucky and Tennessee, where he
was plundering, burning, killing and doing
| whatever other damage he could to the Union
cause. We make up the following account
from the correspondence of the Chicago pa
| pers.
The first movement was made on Union
City, just south of the Tennessee line, where
| Col. Hawkins of the It'll Tennessee cavalry
was stationed with some 400 men. He sent
| word to Gen. Brayman, the commander of the
| District of Cairo, that Forest was advancing
| on him with some 1000 Gen Brayman ad-
| vised him to hold his position if attacked and
| he would bring him aid as soon as possible.
| He Immediately embarked the 25th Wiscon-
| SIN and three other regiments on steamers at
Cairo for Columbus. There he took the cars
| where he learned that Col Hawkins had sur
rendered his entire forces, who had already
been marched off as prisoners of war; Gen.
B. deeming it useless to proceed any further
returned. 1t subsequently appeared that it
was only detachment of Forests force.
numbering 1000 or 1900 under Faulkner, that
made the attack on Union City, and if Col
Hawkins had been made of sterner stuff he
might have held out till reinforced, and then
repulsed the enemy. Except the prisoners,
the rebels gained little here.
After capturing Union City, the rebels,
numbering in all about 300, under the COM
maAd of Gems. Forrest, Faulkner and Thomp-
son, proceeded to Paducah, reaching that
place at one P. M. of the 25th Their ad-
vance was made known to the garrison in
the town by the retreat of the pickets, and
by scouts. As the rebels advanced, entering
the town near the depot, the Union troops
retreated towards the fort. A rebel captain
and nine men rode up to the sergeant of the
guard and commanded him to surrender; the
sergeant replied by shooting the captain
thrOug h the neck, and afterwards succeeded
in making his escape to the fort The garri-
son of the place consisted of three compa-
MES of the l22d Illinois reg ment, a few Ken
lucky cavalry, just organizing, and about 300
negroes, in all numbering about 600 men, I'M
der command Of Col. Hicks. The rebels
formed line of battle about two miles and a
half in length, after which Forrest sent flag
of truce to Col. Hicks, stating that he had
men enough to storm and capture the fort but
as he desired to avoid unnecessary bloodshed,
demanded surrender, promising to treat his
captiyes as prisoners of war, and threaten
ing, in case of refusal, to give no quarter
The gallant Colonel replied to the summons
to immediate surrender, that he could not see
it that he had been placed there to defend
the fort, and could not as an honest soldier,
comply with the demand.
While the parley was going on, Forrest ad-
vanced his sharpshooters and placed them in
houses where they could pick off men in the
fort and On the gunboats. The battle soon
began and for several hours ragged with great
fury. The gunboats poured their broadsides
into the city, demolishing buildings and kill
ing and wounding many of the enemy. The
guns from the fort Numbered forth into the
rebel ranks, and as the Confederates rushed
up to the breastworks, moved them down like
grass. Forrest put his best regiments in
front, and, Notwithstanding they exhibited
great courage, some of the men marching up
to the very mouths of the guns, they were re-
pulsed four Or five times. Their Command
ing General said they had never faltered be-
fore. There were about eight hundred men
within the fertilization, but only about one
third actively participated in the fight. Col
Hicks calmly directed all the operations, and
showed such bravery and skill entitle him
to the highest praise. Owing to the ext
gencies of the case, but little time was given
for the removal of the women and children,
and in the fight several were killed or wound
ed. A large part of them were towed across
the river on the wharf-boat. The ferry-boat
returned for another load, but was fired upon
by the rebels, and not allowed to land.
Finding they could not carry the fort, the
rebels retreated to the town, and contented
themselves with plundering and destroying
the property. The Quar- buildings
and the commissary stores were destroyed,
but fortunately the quantity of stores was
not large. They made the attempt to break
into the banks, but failed to break open the
vaults. 1t is reported that some of the citi-
zens went about W tn the rebels and pointed
out the property of the Union citizens to be
destroyed One woman by the name of
Grimes, who was afterwards killed, ran
through the streets, exclaiming, "Let us kill
the Yankee rascals." A large number of
buildings were destroyed and one steamboat
on the stocks. The houses nearest the fort
were destroyed by the Union soldiers to pre-
Our guns continued their fire until about mid
night, when the rebels left, though they re-
manned about the city until 3 P. NJ. on Satur-
day, when they moved off in the direction of
Columbus
Our troops fought with the greatest bravery,
the negro troops remarkably well, working
the guns equal to the best men in the service.
As soon as the state of affairs was known at
Cairo, reinforcement of 1900 men, includ-
ing the 18th Wisconsin, and battery was
sent to the relief of Col. Hicks; also, sup
ply of ammunition, of which his stock was
nearly exhausted, but the rebels left before
they arrived.
The rebels took about 80 prisoners, con-
valescents taken from the hospitals. Among
them were Corp. Thos. S. Wakefield, Co. Z,
and Isaac Austin, Co. G, of the 25th Wis
consin These, with the 400 taken a day or
two before at Union City, Forrest offered to
i exchange for Confederate prisoners, man for
man; but Col. Hicks replied that he was not
authorized to make any such arrangement.
The number of white Federals killed is IA,
wounded 46. Eleven negroes were killed
and wounded, all shot in the head.
The rebels had 800 killed and about 1900
wounded The latter they took to Mayfeld
| by railroad; the former they left unburied.
Among the Confederate officers slain was
| Brig. Gen. A P. Thompson, a former resident
| of Paducah, whose body was recognized in
| the streets. -=.- ~. .s-
! 1t was piece of rare retributive Justice
that a considerable number of those who
persisted in the assault on the place were for
mer residents of Paducah, and that much of
the property destroyed belonged to them and