Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-04-13
NEWS FROM NEW ORLEANS.
The Reported Battle ON the
Cane River.
rH.E4t. .,I .ra atr re
ACCOUNTS OF THE RESULT.
The Steamer La CrOssc Burned
i'ai o by Guerrillas. f
FROM THE TEcHE AND IA
FOURcHE. ~.
PLANTING INTEREST IN THESE QUARTERS
SACRIFICED.
Correspondence Of the New York World.l .
80 pfu632 NEW ORLEANS, April 2.
RuMoRED ENGAaEMENT ON CANE RIVER.

The Era and True Delta gave us quite full
accounts on yesterday of q great battle
fought on the 2sth, the Era says ''on Cane
river. some thirty-five miles above Alexan-
dria.n The True Della intimates that It re-
ceiyed its information from the military
officers on board two transports which ar
rived on Thursday night, while the Era
vaguely credits 1t to passengers" AS
these papers are the organs of the COM
manding general, and as no news of mill
tary operations in this department can be
published without permission, 1t would
have been easy for them to get authority
at headquarters to give the facts as appear
ing there without depending on passengers.
The telegraph is now at work up to Alex
andria, having been put In operation since
its occupation by that indefatigable officer,
Capt. Buckley. If these things were facts
they were known at headquarters here the
very day the news reached Alexandria.
On the contrary, / do know that on Thurs
day night when these boats first arrived,
their passengers and officers all told this
only, that battle had been fought and that
the slaughter on both sides had been terri
BILE, and that in consequence the federal for
ccs had been compelled to fall back again
to Alexandria. Not word was said about
prisoners being taken, nor about any sue
cess, other than a general belief that the
confederates had suffered very severely in
the engagement.
We hear on the street, indeed, that the
battle, for there certainly has been one,
ended very disastrously to the federal army,
so much SO. that the expedition will have
to be abandoned. A gentleman who is re-
lated to highly distinguished officer, says
that the latter has written to his wife that
the losses of the federal army have been
quite severe, and that he expects to be back
soon. Another strange thing is, that one
of the steamers brings down "nine hun
dred contrabands, mostly women and chill
dren." We have an abundant supply of
them now, and are trying to put them out
on the plantations. If the rebel forces have
been SO badly defeated and broken up, why
bring away the negroes from the planta-
tions? r.att
Perhaps the most significant item in this
batch of news is the burning of the steamer
La Crosse after her capture by ''guerrillas,"
this side of Alexandria. Several days after
they attacked the Millie Stephens, and she
escaped. 1t is said that this was done by
guerrillas--mere irregular plunderers are
called thus-and as the captOrs of the La
Crosse paroled the crew and retained the
officers (including an army officer) as pris-
were no more guerrillaS than any of Gen
eral Taylor's army, to which they undoubt-
edly belong. All these things seem to look
as though there was serious attempt being
made to turn the hunt of the tiger into
hunt by the tiger, especially, as 1t is found
necessary to prohibit boats from leaving
Alexandria during the night. -r
l believe, nevertheless, that there has
been a battle; and though l antlnwilling
to credit the stories current among staid
and sober men, that the Federal army has
met with severe disaster, / feel assured that
it has met with check to its advance. As
to Dudley's brigade, newswas brought here
with the last lot of prisoners that came
down, that it was entirely broken up in the
engagement, which resulted In their cap
ture. This doubted SO much that / would
not mention it in my last letter. but a Mas
sachusetts gentleman, who Is Interested In
that organization, told me to-day that 1t
was true. If so, Dudley's brigade could not
have done the wonders on the 2Sth with
which the Era and Delta credit it, ,..,- -
One of the most important civil officers
of the government residing here, has re-
ceiyed letter from Alexandria, from o sui
ficiently high parsonage to be reliable, as
surfing him that all the cotton which may
be expected from Red river has already
- .~7-f1. = a -. .Lf. a. 49, -..
peen sent doWn, anu as ui,s % oily one
nunureu anu tweh.y paics' .le P,osPec. w t.s y
very poqr one. AS iar ~ nealu iIonl, tne
tOlcn sas ees puthDy ~ s hove
paie ~ cos.on o sS an
which Is chiefly attributable 70 the lawless
conouct Oh sne nayai par.o. .ns s ex Pe9,.ln,i'
wnicn commenceu les w0rk ny Ihe lnuis-
criminate eeseruco,oh III Th a., prlta.e propel-
wlen,n ns Leacn. -. Lne plai.els . .a.e M
isning gnei Work oh thiir theiir o"h 9i'c"nW Accoun'-W
THINGS ON THE TEcHE AND LAFouRcHE.
have been altogether indisposed to be-
lieye Mi stories tending to show ANYTHING
ike 4 large force of the confederates on the
Teche. but the arrival of the transport
steamer Starlight from there on Thursday
evening. loaded down with duartermaster's
and commissary stores, and bringing the
news that the rest--three or four more
were coming with all the other government
nronertv at Brasbear. leaves no other con-
clusion than that the other side of the Teche
Il con,pletely I'M the hands OF the confed-
crates. F3G4aofg579r
Again the question arises, why was not
this nropertv taken IN the Atchafalays
whicb Vii Il the near way to Red river and far
lass danoero,,s than fo come arouhd bv seap
WIN dI6 thew NOT come by way Of Bayoli
I'at5nrcfe tn the easiest water route Ia 'the
cityY The answer IS unquestiouably that