Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1865-03-23

wei known leAlAn VINO 10 ohB"B,a ~
the torpedo business, writes to one OF hn
associates in Texas under date OF Richmond
Va, Jan. 18Th, rs follows:
! You of course are aware that
when Stephens AMI Williams were ordered
to the front, all torpedo matters were tura-
ell over to - My first impulse
was TO return to Texas, but Geo. Stephens
and Williams persuaded me TO remain and
abide my time with patience. then pro
posed plan, ns suggested by Capt. W. TO-
attack the fleet in James River. II VISA
endorsed by $. anl W. and offered 20 Gen.
Lee for his consideration. lie fully approved
OF il and ordered me ut once to construct
the work. proceeded with the work but
was prevented from completing and carry.
ing out the plan by the Navy Department,
which claimed the control Of the water de-
fences of Richmond as well as every other
place. Luckily we have no Navy depart
ment this side The Mississippi river. Ed.
Tell was ordered on the lower james
River, but the Yankees had every place so
well guarded that it was found impractica"
Bile to operate there, so it was given up by
Gen. Lee.
son the Doth Of October, was ordered
by him to 60 down to North Carolina, and
defend the Roanoke and other river, o:
Eastern North Carolina. How well play
ed my part you may gu 80, when tell you
that feet of l3 gunboats started up ths
Roanoke to burn he iron. clad and three
gunboats building at Halifax, N. G., re"
duce Fort Branch on the same river, destroy
the Weldon bridge, establish n new line,
and thus take military possession Of East
ern North Carolina. or the Is gunboats
that started, only 8 returned. One was
sunk by Il light battery of 10 ID. Parrotts,
2 pieces, and the Other g were blown up by
my torpedoes with the probable loss of NJ
teen to eighteen hundred men. One of tho
boats, the OtSego, large double ender, 800
feet long, carrying II eleven inch guns,
crew Of 800 men, and so soldiers ran into
q trap | LAID for them. 2 les from Ply
mouth, the starting point and was blown
up the boat n total loss, only some ID TO 6u
men getting ashore alive The BeaSsty, an
other large boat, was Suuk within lOJ yards
of her, and was literally blown 10 atoms.
1t is not known that On" soul got ashore a.
live. They continucd on up, aud two more
were blown up miles higher up the river,
ut Cedar Landing, Two miles above this
ut Shad Island bend, the last wo were sunk,
There was great loss OF life by every eE-
plosion. un reaching pp't above, they
were attacked hy the above mentioned
Light battery. and lost their seventh boat
They tound they had to go back or lose
their whole fleet The whole expedition
came To grief
"One great difficulty | had to contend
with WAS the want of u proper boat to op-
crate with | went To Wilmington myself
and sent twice to obtain proper boat but
could not get one. The Navy had plenty
hut would not let me have one. | verify
believe with the right kind of boat to have
gone in their rear with not n single boat OF
the whole fleet woull have gotten back to
salt water.
The above is modest account of the
biggest lick that has been struck during
this war. Our readers will remember the
Yankee accounts Of it, These were gar.
blcd and the loss cut down to three vessels,
and hut one account rappelred Doubt
less other and fuller accounts were sup
pressed Were We at liberty to mention
the name of the writer, no Texas reader OF
this paper but would give implicit credenoe
to every word he says. Free Masons who
are familiar with the Grand Lodge will all
remember the golden Jewel. That the
HlHU. Dul uuli puoIlsH ~ yoe
love him.-UouSton Telegraph.
Mrs. Senator Foote'S departure from
Washington was welcomed almost rs much
as her coming. The lldies at her hotel, in
particular, are greatly wroth with her. In
their gentle hearts they took pity on her
suffering in rebeldom and sought to well
come her to a land where she would find
something 10 eat, and cease suffering from
"nolhing TO wear" To their great disgust,
she responded by depicting the delights Of
Richmond, and absolutely came of with
flying colors. Said the wife Of an eminent
officer, 81 trie to be polite to her, but when
she told me that the day before she left
Richmond she saw as good a market as she
ever saw in her life couldn't stand any
more of it, The general verdict Of the la
dies was, that if Mrs. Foot was type OF
Southern Uuionism, Mr. Seward might well
come her as much as he pleased, but we had
better keep fighting while longer YGa-
kee paper.
The New Orleans Picsyune says, there
are now three States Of "Virginia." That
portion under the Confederate rule with
the capitol in Richmond West Virginia,
with capitol in Wheeling, and the New
York Her I'd of the 10 h, says: "fhe con-
stitutional amendment for the abolition and
prohibition Of slavery has been adopted by
the loyal Legislature of Virginia, sitting ai
Alexandria
For the information Of several inquirers
we will state that we are not in possession
of any reliable information which leads rs
70 beiieye that Gen. Joseph E. Johnston 10