Showing posts with label CSS General Beauregard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CSS General Beauregard. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

From the South

CAIRO, April 23. Special to Chicago Times. The steamer Desoto arrived to-day from the flotilla off Ft. Pillow, having on board the first shipment of cotton sent up the river since the commencement of hostilities. A citizen of Kentucky connected with the government secret service returned on board the Desoto from a visit to Memphis. He was sent thither by one of our Generals in the field, and having obtained information of value to the Government, is making his way back. He brings Memphis papers of the 17th and New Orleans of the 15th. At the latter place the battle of Pittsburg was pronounced a splendid success of the Confederate army. The people were jubilant over the achievement, and enlisting of forced levies was going throughout the valley of the Mississippi with rapidity. He was at Corinth, and estimates the forces present at fully 150,000. The conscription act passed by the Confederate Congress, and under its provisions all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 & 35 were enrolling themselves for the defense of the Confederacy. The approaching contest is expected to result in the deliverance of the Southern soil from the presence of the Yankees, who are characterized as Goths and Vandals. Their great stand is to be made at Corinth, and in the result of the battle is deemed to depend on the fate of the Confederacy. Nor do the Southern people doubt the issue of the contest. The churches in New Orleans have given up their bells to be made into cannon. The women are yielding up their jewelry to enrich the Southern treasury, and throughout the South there rules a universal feeling of enthusiasm and sympathy for the cause. Entire confidence is reposed in the ability of Beauregard to whip the enemy and reclaim the country, so that the result of defeat is not discussed. The report of the wounding of Beauregard is false. The remains of A. S. Johnston were received at New Orleans with impressing demonstrations, and after lying in state for two days in the City Hall, were placed in the receiving vault of the St. Louis cemetery in that place. Great preparations were being made for a grand funeral pageant on the burial of the deceased chieftain. The citizens of Memphis are manifesting considerable alarm for the safety of their city. The greatest exertion is being made to put the defenses of the city in the best possible condition. Two new gunboats are already on their stocks, and will be ready for their armament in a week. These are to be named Beauregard and Arkansas, and are to be rendered almost impregnable by shot or shell. The former is defended by compressed cotton placed between her timbers. Her sides will exceed five feet in thickness. The Arkansas is iron plated. Both gunboats will be provided with powerful engines, and will be constructed according to the most approved principles of naval architecture – besides being fitted with enormous rams of iron projecting from their bows. With the latter they expect to run down our fleet, and destroy it at their leisure. Ft. Harris, just above Memphis, is being thoroughly fortified, and the rebels declare they will contest the passage of the Yankee flotilla down the Mississippi mile by mile. On the river between Memphis and Ft. Pillow the rebels have twelve gunboats. At Memphis the citizens desperately declare they will burn their property, rather than give it to the Yankee hordes. The expediency of burning the buildings is being discussed. At Chattanooga on Saturday night a large fire was observed in the direction of the rebel camp. Our scouts report that the enemy are drawing in their lines, and it is supposed that they are destroying their commissary stores, which cannot have conveyed owing to the bad state of the roads. The weather here has been very unpleasant, and it has rained for nearly a week. The roads are almost impassable. Health of the army is good. Gen. Halleck is renovating and making great improvements since his arrival. The report the Lieut. Col. Moore and Maj. Warden of the 13th Michigan regiment, were wounded at the battle of Pittsburg, is a mistake. I saw them both. – Their regiment made a forced march of 38 miles, and arrived on the battlefield on Monday p. m. The regiment acquitted themselves nobly. The body of Gov. Harvey has not yet been recovered, and everything that can bee done for the recovery of the body is being done. The Tennessee river is still rising, but slowly. Our pickets encountered some strolling rebels last night and captured about 20, including a Captain. Quite a number of deserters come in every day. Large reinforcements arrived here to-day.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Friday Morning, April 25, 1862, p. 2

Friday, December 11, 2009

What a Memphis Paper Says --- Report of another Reliable Gentleman (?) &c.

CAIRO, April 23. – A gentleman has just arrived from Memphis with the Memphis Appeal of the 17th inst., from which I am allowed to extract the following:

In an editorial, devoted to the needs of the Mississippi valley, while acknowledging the danger of the success of the Federal flotilla, advises the employment of every one, black and white, to the extend of his ability, for defense, and advocates the construction of the most approved description of gunboats. Whatever can be done with wood and iron, and brain and muscle, must be done and done expeditiously.

The fearful mortality of Confederate officers in the recent battle of the west is explained by the fact that the enemy have organized bodies of sharpshooters whose assigned duty it is to pick all of the mean appearing on the field with plumes or epaulettes.

The Appeal advises the organizing of similar bodies of men in rebeldom.

The Federals had made no demonstration on the line of the Memphis and Ohio Railroad between Memphis and Union City; this road is operated to Taunton, Gibson county, only about 10 miles from Humboldt.

Capt. Bankhead, commanding Bankhead’s Confederate battery, when into the Shiloh battle with six pieces, and brought out twelve.

A report was current at Memphis by way of Corinth, that the Federals had abandoned Tennessee.

Gen. Prentiss, surrendered himself prisoner to private Simons, of Capt. Bethel’s company of the 22d Tennessee regiment, who conducted him to Col. Freeman; the Colonel received his sword and returning it introduced him to his regiment; when the regiment discovered the quality of their captive they vociferously cheered him. – Gen. Prentiss acknowledged the compliment by doffing his hat, and in a polite, set manner said: “Boys you have a right to cheer, for you fought like tigers.”

The Appeal says that the Confederate losses are enormously exaggerated. The killed will not exceed one thousand and their wounded five hundred, and their prisoners eight hundred, and ascribes their defeat to whisky found in the federal encampment on Sunday night.

Beauregard was not wounded, as reported by the Federal press.

The Remains of Gen. A. S. Johnston, after laying in state two days in the city Hall, were on Monday, the 14th inst., placed in the fault of the St. Louis Cemetery of New Orleans.

Our informant left Memphis the 17th, and on a pass managed to reach Humboldt, when he received safe conduct to Trenton, the present terminus of the Memphis and Ohio Railroad; from here he walked to Union City and Hickman. – There are no forces of either belligerents at Union City. From Hickman he came to this city on the Desoto. He represents that the existence of a Union sentiment at Memphis is all bosh.

Since the passage of the conscription bill by the Confederate Congress, all males between 18 and 35 have joined the army. There is no impressments; the people enter upon this service with zeal and ardor.

Business is almost entirely suspended, except in that class of goods needed for the army. – Confederate money is current, and readily taken at par in exchange for goods. There is no other money afloat.

Three gunboats were being constructed at Memphis, two of which, the Arkansas and Beauregard, would be finished in a week; the other would require a month to complete it. – The Arkansas is plated with two thicknesses of railroad iron, placed transversely, and is alone considered more than a match for the combined Federal flotilla. The Beauregard is a wooden boat with 30 inches of compressed cotton placed between heavy wooden timbers 18 inches thick, making a resistance to our shot of over five feet of wood and cotton. This they also consider impregnable. The rebels are thoroughly informed as to the construction of our boats, and think they have discovered and averted their weak pointes. Their boats are built upon a different model – are long and narrow, furnished with engines of enormous power, with all the modern improvements, and provided at the prow a la Merrimac.

He reports 18,000 in the rear of the Chickasaw bluffs, and throwing up intrenchments to provide against anticipated attack in the rear. The country back of the bluffs is now inundated.

Gen. Bragg is at Corinth. Gen. Price is to take command of Fort Pillow.

At Memphis the burning of the city is still discussed. The general impression seems to be that it will not be attempted. Cotton, tobacco, molasses and sugar is gathered in enormous piles upon the levee, and will be consigned to the flames upon the appearance of the federal fleet above Memphis.

The steamer DeSoto, just arrived from below, brings the first shipment of cotton from the valley of the Mississippi to northern ports since the war commenced.

Island No. 10 is to be fortified in accordance with plans from the War Department.

The DeSoto brings no intelligence of interest. The firing was resumed on Tuesday slowly and moderately; when the steamer left an expedition was being planned from the fleet to make a reconnioisance somewhere in the vicinity – destination unknown.

The 2d Illinois volunteers arrived from camp Dubois; they were assigned to this post in obedience to the request of Gen. Strong. Another regiment will speedily follow.

Now news from Pittsburg.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 26, 1862, p. 3