Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-01-17

ned a desperate counter charge on !
both banks of the bayou. but the Fed |
eral camp fires made the task appear |
hazardous. and instead of attacking
he retreated bGSoEe daylight on the
18th with his whole command to a po-
sition above the gunboat This vessel
had been swung across the narrow
channel and scuttled. Her guns were
removed for duty in the works on
shore
During the night the gunboat Cotton
was seen by the Federals to burst into
flames. She had been stripped of all
valuables and set on fire. and after
the upper works burned away the hull
sank to the bed Of the bayou. COM
pletely blocking il against Weitzers
gunboats. Subsequently the water
washed a channel round the obstruc-
ton. and the passage up the bayou
ceased to be disputed at that point
But much more formidable works were
constructed a few miles above and
earthworks thrown up on the opposite
side to prevent a flank movement by
land or water.
The distance at this point from the
river back TO the swamp was about
three-fourths of a mile. A small force
could then hold at bay one greatly su-
perior in numbers. Several thousand
Confederates were posted here, and
those below were expected to fall back
as the Federal force advanced. With
the Cotton destroyed Weitzel had &C.
complished his purpose. and he recalled
the troops to the ships. A squadron Of
Confederate cavalry followed the Yer
monters to the cover Of the feet.
The fight on Bayou Teche was the
baptism of fire for the Eighth Yer
mont, yet it escaped with few scratch
es, although it captured forty-one of
the LOuisianians. Its good fortune was
due to the fact that it flanked the en-
emy's position and gave him a COM
plete surprise. But for its sudden and
gallant dash at the right time the Cal
houn would doubtless have been lost
while it lay aground under the fire of
the LOuisianians.
Weitzers loss on land was six off,
GERS and twenty-seven men. The bri-
gade was left in observation in western
Louisiana while Banks main column
marched toward Port Hudson.
1t was TO this region Of WeitZePs
operations that General Banks now
transferred his main army from Baton
Rouge, on the Mississippi Banks OBJ
ject was to reclaim this territory, COM
prising several rich and productive
parishes, or counties. from COnfeder-
ate control. The land sustained a
dense slave population and had fur
nished to the armies of the south in
estimable supplies.
Other Events of the, Week.
Fifty years ago Jan. 16 a Federal
army and navy expedition, comprising
the ironclad gunboat De Kalb and the
Twenty-fourth Indiana volunteers, cap
tured Duval's Bluff and Des Arcs. two
Confederate posts on the Arkansas riv-
err The same day the Federal force
, commanded by General ]. A. McCler-
nand which captured Fort Hindman
(also on Arkansas river on the 18th
sailed down the river to Napoleon, on
the Mississippi. 10 join Grants army
in a winter campaign against Vicks-
burg
Jan. II General A. E. Burnside or
dered a second attempt to capture
Fredericksburg by means of a flank
mar0h across the Rappahannock and
surprise, The troops of his army had
been unpaid from two to four months,
and there were much suffering and dis
content in the winter camps. Some
or the leading generals Of the Army of
the Potomac had lost faith in Burn
sides projects.
Jan, IS the Confederate cruiser Ala
bama was superior in speed to any
warship which the Federal navy could
send in pursuit of her, and engineers