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Union people who had been driven from their homes by rebel tyranny, and were electrified by the first sound of Union guns echoing through the Sequatchie valley.
After a night's rest, Gen. Negley proceeded towards Chattanooga.
He arrived opposite the place on the morning of the seventh of June, having in the mean time (the sixth) rested on the top of the Cumberland mountain.
At two o'clock P. M., on the seventh, Gen. Negley, with a military force, proceeded to reconnoitre.
He soon ascertained that there was a large force of the enemy on this (north) side of the river, having crossed evidently with the intention of attacking the Illinois regiment, Lieut.-Colonel Scott, which had arrived the day before the main body of Federals reached the point, they having crossed the mountains by a shorter route than the principal force.
The rebels also showed a water-battery from the beach at the ferry-landing, near the town.
The Illinois regiment, deployed as skirmishers, was sent down the hill to feel the enemy.
The latter, finding our forces ready to meet them, recrossed the river.
Gen. Negley placed his artillery in position commanding the town, and waited to see what the enemy would do.
At a little after five P. M. the enemy's riflemen commenced firing on our skirmishers, and shortly after the rebels opened with shell on them from their water-battery, and from a battery on the mountain westward of the town.
Then General Negley gave orders to his batteries to fire, and for two hours a brisk cannonading was kept up, during which time all of the enemy's guns were silenced, three of them having been dismantled.
The accuracy of the Federal artillerymen drove the enemy entirely away from their pieces.
Having silenced all the enemy's batteries, Gen. Negley retired to his camp for the night.
The next morning (Sunday, June eighth) it was ascertained that the enemy had been working all night; had increased the height of their water-battery; had thrown up new earthworks, and had evidently made extensive preparations of defence.
Information was received from a prisoner that the enemy's force had been increased during the night from three to five thousand.
At eight o'clock Gen. Negley resumed firing on the enemy, and continued for upwards of an hour and a half without receiving any response from their batteries; but their riflemen, protected by a stone wall and by their earthworks, kept up a continuous firing upon the Union skirmishers.
There were no other indications of there being any persons in Chattanooga in warlike array except occasional knots of officers and men, who dispersed with alacrity as our shells fell among them.
The town was evacuated by the inhabitants during the night.
Gen. Negley, having accomplished the object of his expedition, withdrew a portion of his force.
The loss on either side is not ascertained, but we have the assertions of prisoners that the loss of the enemy is large.
The only flags displayed by the rebels in town were the hospital flags and a black flag.
A man who displayed a black flag on the rebel intrenchments was killed by one of the Union sharp-shooters.
A rebel account.
Chattanooga, June 8, 1862.
The shelling of Chattanooga by the enemy's forces, commenced yesterday afternoon about half-past 5 P. M. It was known that a portion of Gen. Mitchel's forces, under Gen. Lytle, was approaching this point from Winchester, Tennessee, where they had been committing all kinds of robbery and outrage.
On Wednesday, the fourth inst., Col. Adams, who is in command of all the cavalry forces here, allowed himself to be surprised with three hundred and fifty men of the First Kentucky regiment, at Sweden's Cove, about thirty miles north-west of this place, on the road leading from Winchester to Jasper.
He made his escape with the loss of only six men, instead of twenty, as reported.
It is supposed that this force, estimated from one thousand five hundred to three thousand, under Gen. Lytle, came through Haley's Cut-off, a gorge in the mountain of Waldron's Ridge, already described, two miles this side of Kelly's Ferry, which is ten miles below this point, and reached the opposite side of the river yesterday morning.
Their main body was concealed in the woods covering the ridges and heights, about one mile from the river.
On Saturday morning some small parties of the enemy were seen at the head of the lane running down to the ferry, and our scouts fired upon them, killing, it is said, one officer.
The enemy showed no force at this time; neither did they make any demonstration.
It appears, however, they were busy making reconnoissances, and getting their light field-pieces and mortars in battery, when our battery, having injudiciously sent a few round shots where some parties were supposed to be concealed, near an old barn at the head of the lane, the enemy opened fire, their sharp-shooters at the same time showing themselves in the woods near the bank of the river.
The frightful whizzing of the shell, as they fell rapidly near the dwellings of some families residing near the vicinity of the ferry, produced the greatest consternation among the women and children, who were seen running in every direction, from the river to the centre of the town in the wildest terror, while the most heart-rending cries and screams of others in the houses frantically illustrated some of the horrors of war.
Our batteries returned the enemy's fire, and one of the gunners of the Merrimac being here, did good execution at one of our guns, silencing two of the enemy's. Our sharp-shooters did good work at the same time, killing a number of the enemy.
The firing ceased about half-past 8 o'clock P. M., and I have already sent you the only casualties that occurred, by telegraph.
A few buildings were injured, but no accidents occurred.
This morning the enemy commenced shelling the town again about ten o'clock, and continued 