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[439]

Record of the siege.

March 15.--Commodore Foote, with several gunboats and a part of the mortar-fleet, left Hickman for Island Number10.

March 16.--Bombardment commenced.

March 17.--Rifled gun on board the St. Louis exploded, killing and wounding fourteen men.

March 18.--General Pope repulsed the gunboat fleet at New-Madrid. A rebel transport, loaded with cannon, reported sunk by the fire from the fleet.

March 19.--Commodore Foote reports the island harder to conquer than Columbus. Firing continued night and day.

March 20.--Cannonading continued all day. All the guns but one in the upper battery reported dismounted. Hollins's ram sent from Memphis.

March 21.--Firing continued at intervals.

March 22.--But little firing from the gunboats, to which the rebel batteries made no reply.

March 23.--Mortars fired with considerable regularity all day; result not ascertained.

March 24.--Firing continued at intervals; rebel batteries replied but seldom.

March 25.--Affairs unchanged.

March 26.--Main works of the enemy reported overflowed. Operations slackened.

March 27.--Firing continued at intervals only. Residents captured report the rebels fifteen thousand strong.

March 28.--Heavy firing from the fleet. Upper battery reported silenced; enemy lost sixty killed, and twenty-five wounded. Rebels constructing new batteries.

March 29.--Firing very heavy.

March 30.--Heavy bombardment, to which the rebels make no reply.

March 31.--Same condition of affairs.

April 1.--An expedition from the fleet proceeded to the upper rebel fort and spiked six guns.

April 2.--Operations not reported.

April 3.--Rebel heavy floating battery detached from shore and drifted down the stream. Gunboat Carondelet ran the blockade.

April 4.--Firing active, and good execution to the rebel works reported.

April 5.--Transports and barges arrived at New-Madrid. Heavy firing all day.

April 7.--Gen. Pope succeeds in landing Gen. Paine's division on the Tennessee shore. The whole army to be moved over. Gunboat Pittsburgh ran the blockade.

April 7.--Surrender of Island Number10. (See Supplement.)


Chicago post account.

On Island No.10, Mississippi River, Tuesday, April 8, 1862.
Island 10 has been abandoned. The rebels have departed in undignified haste, with the exception of some five hundred, who have surrendered as prisoners of war. Our victory is complete in all except the capture of the whole rebel force, the greater part of which is scattered through the swamps of this region, and may yet be surrounded or overtaken.

The Carondelet, having run the blockade, proceeded forthwith to the performance of her allotted duty. The rebels, to oppose any attempt that might be made to cross the river, had planted cannon — field-pieces — along the left bank of the river for a distance of twelve miles, extending from above New-Madrid to below Point Pleasant. The Carondelet proceeded to the latter place, giving the rebels an occasional broadside by the way. Reversing her course, she then moved up the stream, and opened her broadside-guns. Broadside after broadside was discharged as she moved slowly and steadily up the stream. The rebels fired their guns as she approached, and fled in confusion — those of them who were not slain. Thus twelve miles of rebel batteries were literally swept out of existence. When the Pittsburgh arrived, Sunday morning, she found the work accomplished. One gunboat took possession below, the other above, the army that was to cross, and there waited to receive any rebel craft that might venture to approach from either direction, with “bloody hands, and hospitable,” but rather moist, “graves.”

At twelve o'clock, Monday, our transports emerged from the bayou through which they have been so long making their slow and toilsome progress, and were once more upon the broad river, but on the other side of the enemy's position. Immediately they commenced the performance of their allotted duty, which was to transport our army across the river. By nine o'clock last evening, nine thousand men had been ferried across, and the expectation was that by two o'clock to-day thirty thousand men would be in the position they were to occupy. At that hour a simultaneous attack would have been made upon the rebel position by the gunboats both above and below; the mortars would again have belched their thunders, and one of the biggest fights with big guns which the world ever witnessed would have been seen — if the rebels had not run away! which they did. Of this fact the flag-officer was apprised by the rebel steamer which came out last night.

The steamer was the De Soto, a Red river packet, as I am informed by the blue sideboard on her upper works. The tug which went off to her brought the rebel messenger--one Lieut. McDowell, a sprig of St. Louis rebelism — on board the flag-ship. This young man informed the Commodore that he had come from the officer in command of the confederates on the Island, with orders to surrender the Island to the flag-officer of the flotilla. Com. Foote replied that he would receive the surrender, but he asked somewhat sharply where the rest of the command was. The officer said they had retreated. Where had they gone to? They had gone to Hick--, really, Mr. McDowell did not know.

Meanwhile, the gunboat St. Louis had been ordered to go up at once to Hickman and join the Louisiana for active work, in case the rebels should make their appearance there. Col. Buford


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A. H. Foote (3)
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