The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-04-21

FgOa THs Trans MISSISSIPPI In the telegram
slblshed yesterday announcing the capture Of one
of Binhs's eouriers TO franklin, il should have
Kad 'Blnks Gays hasten up, | am surrounded by
rebel cavalry and not that "Hastonup was sur
uuaaed by rebel caValfy." The Mobile papers Il
tuesday repeat The intelligence that Banks, with
GO men, mad attacked the COnfederates at d
punt On The Red river, below Shreveport La, and
l.d been entirely routed. The Yankee Surgeon
General had lsiegraphed 10 Eaton Rouge, az know
:4sing complete defeat, and asking how many
wounded could be accommodated in that city A
4ilcr in the st. Louis ReFaticcn, dated March 18th,
Son Font DeRussey, after its capture by the YAM
sec., shows wha, preparations had bsen made for
ai movement of Banks:
To understand the Importance of the great exbe
iuga up the Rel river, II Is necessary to review
The military situation In the beginning of March.
sssimsh had returned TO Vicksbufs from his
grand but Disappointed raid lntO Mississippi, and
ias.sd o directing his forces tow ards Mobile the
Psin! Of The sealesi ana almost the only position
9! vital euncern TO the rebels. no detached pOr
lion 81 them 10 Gen. Banks's assistance, who, il
agpssn, had predetermined on scattering or de-.
nodsbhs the force In West Louisiana.
It's altogether probable that something In the
seasons had dicta:ed this choice to Gen Banks
fm example, The He'd river is only high enough to
be nayissbie by the largest vessels during this
l>alh and The negt, while tt2 task of taking No
aue i. ooe which might be undertaken at any
lms, lh0u;, II Ia unaceountabiy stsan:e that it
sis 10, brsnn in December inStrad of May
Asls well knuvp. tbs columns under General
ifahAi.a crossed iros. New Orieaas 10 Erashear
iii abou, the 81 inst and thence took up the line
march along the Bayou Teche, substantially the
.asr route pursued nearly year ago, via opeiou-
sa' To Alexandria. The forces under Genesai A.
!sHith, from tho Department Of the Tennessee, /,
rOnprsRg tie trigades under Gems. v. X. Smith,
ihSmas, and Elicit, embarked al Vicksburs on the
lua ahd proceeded down to the mouth OF kcd
,"ti, where they found an immense iteet OF gun
'ols ready f0i the ascent.
iae twenty transports, preceded by the twenty
eaAboals, started from the Mississippi On the IUt
sAa assembled the Red river liz far As what Is called
.Ae euid river, whea We turned into the Aicliaia
,ala' Instead 0i continuing up Red river. We
iouhd Il, for twelve miles, deep and navigabie
tIran
Touching the naval force II may be we'll to re
"S'A thit more formidable fleet was never under
shse command than that now on the western
''ef8 Under Admiral Porter.
.he following paragraph, from the same letter,
Is woith extracting. Shsrmun's y men, ii seems,
AaVs bro1Iht disgrace on the Red river forces OF
zen Banks. They ought 70 be excused, for what
" va" 'Hsi natural aptitude for pitlage, how could
"'y DC expected 10 be honest after having the
''penence Of shsriaan's advance 10 Selma:
-, shoaid not be a faithful historian (says the
s.eI II omitted 10 mention that the conduct Of
-. uoops, since The lata raid Of Gen sherman, il
,hs;, ,h;ps very prejad.eial to cur good name and
s. ,"s emciehey' spirit of destruction and wan
A. s'oeity s.cins 10 have seized upon many OF
I,as,'hieh ~hieh Is quite Incredible. Al Ned River
.nIss.' 'ney iooaed house OF several thousand
,sl, ~ specie, and then fred the house TO c0n
Ss, .a,. 'nen ensie. A. simmsport q party Of them
miles disis1t.