From the Trans Mississippi.
--In the telegram published yesterday announcing the capture of one of
Banks's couriers to
Franklin, it should have read "
Banks says hasten up, I am surrounded by rebel cavalry," and not that "Hasten was surrounded by rebel cavalry." The Mobile papers of Tuesday repeat the intelligence that
Banks, with 40,600 men, had attacked the
Confederates at a point on the
Red river, below
Shreveport, La., and had been entirely routed.
The Yankee
Surgeon General had telegraphed to
Baton Rouge, acknowledging a complete defeat, and asking how many wounded could be accommodated in that city.
A letter in the St. Louis
Republican, dated March 15th, from Fort DcRussey, after its capture by the
Yankees, shows what preparations had been made for this movement of
Banks:
‘
To understand the importance of the great expedition up the
Red river, it is necessary to review the military situation in the beginning of March.
Sherman had returned to
Vicksburg from his grand but disappointed raid into
Mississippi, and instead of directing his forces towards
Mobile, the point of the greatest and almost the only position of vital concern to the rebels he detached a portion of them to
Gen. Banks's assistance, who, it appears, had predetermined on scattering or demolishing the force in
West Louisiana.
’
It is altogether probable that something in the seasons had dictated this choice to
Gen Banks. --For example, the
Red river is only high enough to be navigable by the largest vessels during this month and the next, while the task of taking
Mobile is one which might be undertaken at any time, thought it is unaccountably strange that it was not begun in December instead of May.
As is well known, the columns under
General Franklin crossed from New Orleans to
Brashear City about the 1st inst., and thence took up the line of march along the
Bayon Teche, substantially the same route pursued nearly a year ago, via Opelou
Alexandria.
The forces under
General A. J. Smith, from the Department of the Tennessee, comprising the Brigades under
Gens. F. K. Smith,
Thomas, and
Ellett, embarked at
Vicksburg on the 10th and proceeded down to the mouth of
Red river, where they found an immense fleet of gun bouts ready for the ascent.
The twenty transports, preceded by the twenty gunboats, started from the
Mississippi on the 10th, and ascended the
Red river as far as what is called the
Old river, when we turned into the Atchafa lays, instead of continuing up
Red river.
We found it, for twelve miles, a deep and navigable stream.
Touching the naval force it may be well to remark that a more formidable fleet was never under a single command than that now on the western rivers under
Admiral Porter.
The following paragraph, from the same letter, is worth extracting.
Sherman's men, it seems, have brought disgrace on the
Red river forces of
Gen. Banks.
They ought to be excused, for what with their natural aptitude for pillage, how could they be expected to be honest after having the
experience of Sharman's advance to
Selma:
‘
I should not be a faithful historian (says the writer) if I omitted to mention that the conduct of the troops, since the late raid of
Gen. Sherman, is becoming very prejudicial to our good name and their efficiency.
A spirit of destruction and wanton ferocity seems to have seized upon many of them which is quite incredible.
At
Red River Landing they robbed a house of several thousand dollars in specie, and then fired the house to conceal their crime.
At Simmsport a party of them stole and robbed and insulted a family two miles distant.
’
