The following is a
general order issued to the army of the Mississippi, on the 17th inst., by the gallant
Beauregard.
It will be read with the deepest interest, as containing, in the fewest words possible, and with an admirable succinctness, the whole story of the events of the 6th and 7th:
Headq'rs Army of the Mississippi.,
Corinth, April 17, 1862.
Soldiers of the Army of the West:
You have bravely fought the invaders of your soil two days in his own position; fought your superior numbers, in arms, in all appliances of war. Your success has been signal his losses have been immense, outnumbering yours in all save personal worth of slain.
You drove him from his camp to the shelter of his iron-clad gunboats, which alone saved him from complete disaster; you captured artillery more than twenty-five flags and standards and tents, and over 3,000 prisoners. You have done your duty; your
Commanding General thanks you; your countrymen are proud of your deeds on the bloody field of
Shiloh, confident in the ultimate results of your valor Soldiers!
untoward events saved the enemy from annihilation.
His insolent presence still pollutes your soil.
His hostile flag still flaunts before you. There can be no peace so long as these things are. Trusting that God is with us as with our fathers, let us seek to be worthy of His favor, and resolve to be independent or perish in the struggle.
Kentuckians coming to the rescue.
Last Saturday morning, (says the
Southern Advocate, of the 24th,)
Gen. Humphrey Marshall's camp was made to resound with glad some shouts and huzzahs at the arrival of a squad of gallant and true Kentuckians from
Covington and its vicinity.
They came and enrolled themselves as soldiers for the war. They represent that thousands are ready to follow their example should
Gen. Marshall make another forward movement into
Kentucky.
No
Lincoln troops are in
Eastern Kentucky except some 800 at
Pikesville.
These are there as a blind to prevent the forward movement of our troops.
Infamous outrages on the Peninsula.
A gentleman of the highest respectability, just from
Williamsburg, gives the Petersburg
Express information of a series of the most diabolical outrages recently perpetrated on the lower Peninsula by the infamous vandals now in possession of that portion of
Virginia:
The first on the list is
Captain Samuel Holley, who resided in the lower end of
Warwick county, a gentleman about fifty-five years of age, of the highest respectability, and universally esteemed by his neighbors.
His residence was invaded by a lot of Yankee officers and men, who introduced themselves by a brutal proposition to
Capt. H's two daughters, both young and beautiful ladies.
While endeavoring to accomplish their designs by force, the indignant father shot one of the demons dead, and had taken aim at another, when he was instantly killed.
Mr. John Patrick, who resided near Warwick Court-House, was killed last week by a party of the invaders, while endeavoring to save an only and beloved daughter from a fate worse than death.
Deceased was a pious and consistent member of the Baptist Church, and we understand had for a long time filled the post of deacon.
He was nearly 60 years of age.
Mr. Edward Harwood, who also resided in the vicinity of Warwick Court-House, was brutally murdered a few days since, white defending his daughter's honor.
We were unable to ascertain the particulars of this case.
The fourth and last victim to the lust of these worse than demons who now infest that section of
Virginia, was
Dr. Thomas R. Dunn, of
York county, who resided near
Harwood's Mill.
He died in defence of his much beloved daughter, who was being outraged by a Yankee officer.
He killed the monster, but was in turn quickly killed himself.
Mr. Dunn is represented to us as having been a gentleman of universal and deserved popularity.
His age was 45 years.
These are the scoundrels who profess to have come South for the purpose of resolving the
Union and defending the old flag.
The accursed calendar of their crimes exceeds in enormity any we have ever been called upon to record.
The battle at South Mills.
A participant in the battle of "Sawyer Lane," (this is the name given to it by Col,
Wright,) on the 19th of April, furnishes the following to the Norfolk
Day Book:
‘
The battle commenced at 45 minutes after 11 o'clock A. M., and continued until 5 o'clock P. M., Our forces consisted of six companies of the Third Georgia regiment, (314 men,) and a section, (two pieces,) of
McCombs's artillery.
The enemy's force, as ascertained from the prisoners taken, and by the names and corps marked upon the graves on the battle-field, was
Hawkins's brigade, three regiments, 9th, 21st, and 89th New York volunteers, and
Reno's brigade, (second of
Burnside's expedition,) consisting of the 21st Massachusetts, 6th New Hampshire, and 51st Pennsylvania regiments, making their whole force of infantry, six regiments at least 5,000 men. The enemy had five pieces of artillery. (three rifled 12 pounder and two 12 pounder howitzers.) We disabled two of their pieces so badly that they were left on the field.
Our loss is five killed, seventeen wounded, and nine missing, supposed to be killed.
The enemy's loss, as far as can be ascertained, was over three hundred, including nineteen officers.
We captured 1,000 pounds of gunpowder, a large quantity of camp equipage, blankets, etc. twelve boxes of fixed ammunition for artillery, over three hundred stand of small arms principally rifles, a large coil, about 1,000 yards, of wire, (a piece of which I send you) supposed to be for telegraphic purposes, and a quantity of spades, picks, shovels, and entrenching tools.
The object of the enemy seemed to be to take possession of this place and destroy the locks of the canal.
From letters found on the battle-field, it appears they had heard that we were building, and had nearly completed, two small ironclad gunboats to run through this canal and destroy their fleet in the waters of
Albemarle Sound.
They have been effectually checked, and will not be anxious soon to repeat the experiment.
’
On the morning after the battle,
Gen. Reno sent by a flag of truce, a letter requesting permission to send to the battle-field for the purpose of bringing off his dead and wounded.
In his letter he says: ‘"Owing to a want of sufficient transportation, I was forced to leave a few of my wounded on the battle-field yesterday,"’ &c. We know he had a large number of carts, wagons, and other vehicles, which he stole along the whole line of his route up to the battle-field, and consequently his loss must have been very large, as he left 22 wounded on the field.
The Savannah
Republican, of the 23d, says:
‘
The story of the
Charleston prisoners, obtained from the
Federal, varying materially from the accounts that had previously reached us through our own sources, we had a long interview yesterday with
Corporal Charles T. Law, of the Phœnix Riflemen, who brought up the news of the surrender of the fort, and was present at the time the
Confederate flag was lowered.
His statement is minute as to details, and so entirely consistent throughout, that, independent of his high character for truth and honor, it seems to us that no man who speaks with him can doubt it. We annex it from notes taken in the course of conversation, and it will be read with interest, being a much fuller account than has hitherto appeared.
’
Corporal Law arrived at the fort in company with the signal man, whom he want to pilot, at 5 o'clock Friday morning--the day of the surrender.
He remind inside the works during the whole bombardment on that day, and left as the flag was lowered, making his way to the
South wharf as the enemy's steamer was approaching the
North landing.
When the bombardment commenced on Thursday none of the enemy's batteries on
Tybee were visible, except from the smoke, which pointed out the different localities to our garrison.
The shot and shell from the fort soon removed all obstacles of trees and sand, when all were discernible.
They were four in number--two mortar, one rifle, and one Parrot gun, the last mentioned being a short distance above the burnt chimneys, opposite to
King's landing.
They all bore chiefly on the southeast angle of the fort.
The firing of the enemy on Thursday was not so effective as to create an apprehension that the work would fall.
The enemy were obtaining the range of their guns for the operations of night and the day following.--Most of their shells fell outside the fort tearing up the earth in every direction.
The yard of the V, or demiloon, on the west side, was plowed up as if dug into pits by the shell which went over the fort.
Still a large breech was made in the wall, and the rifled guns poured shot and shell through it, utterly demolishing the bomb proof timbers, and damaging the officers' quarters.
The northeast casemates were all in which the garrison could bunk with any security whatever, through Thursday night; though but little sleep was enjoyed, as the enemy threw twelve shells per hour into the fort until daylight. --These facts were obtained from the officers of the garrison.
Corporal Law witnessed the whole of Friday's fight for himself, mingling freely with the garrison throughout the terrible scene.
It is impossible to give his account on paper.
The firing from both sides was equally rapid and destructive, so far as could be ascertained.
On the part of the enemy, one mortar battery was completely silenced, a portion of the rifle battery, and seven out of ten guns of the
Parrot battery dismounted.
One mortar had been planted on the northwest corner of Cockspur during the night of Wednesday, but this was silenced early in the fight, and seven kegs of their powder captured.
At the close of the fight all the guns of the fort were dismounted three two ten inch columbiads, know "
Beauregard" and "
Jeff Davis," which bore on the
Island) and a rifles . Every casemate gain in the section of the to No. 11 clouding all that could be brought to the enemy's batteries, except one, were mounted, and the casemate walls breaches almost every instance to the extent of the say between five and six feet in width mote outside was so filled with brief mortar that one could have passed over shod.
The officers' quarters were pieces, the bomb-proof timbers scatter every direction over the yard, and the to the entrance knocked off . The walls on the
Tybee side were all many places down to the level of the the casemates.
The protection to them in the
Northwest angle of the all been shot away, the entire cor magazine next the passage-way was and the powder exposed, while three actually penetrated the chamber; of moral Law is positive, for he examination himself before leaving.
Such was the condition of affairs,
Olmstead called a council of officers casemate, and without a dissenting they all acquiesced in the necessity of ulation in order to save the garrison utter destruction by an explosion momentarily threatened.
According o'clock P. M., the men were called guns and the flag lowered.
Early in the day
Colonel stead doubt of his ability to silence every on the
Island, and to this end he when night come on and the enemy's slackened, to change the position of heavy guns so as to bring them to have enemy.
As the day progressed however situation became desperate, and he was to yield under the circumstance states.
