From Island No. 10

Special to the Chicago Tribune.

CAIRO, March 27.

An agent who arrived on the Conestoga this morning with intelligence from Island No. 10 up to two o’clock Wednesday p.m., reports as follows:  Col. Buford sent a force to make a reconnaissance of the Kentucky shore on Wednesday night, which succeeded in capturing six prisoners belonging to a Tennessee cavalry force.  They report the strength of the enemy near Island No. 10 at 15,000.  Gen. Bragg is in command.  1,500 reached it, having come from Humboldt to a point on railroad only fifteen miles distant.  Still larger reinforcements were expected by the same route last night.  Measures have been taken to intercept this means of communication.

Capt. Stanford of the mortar fleet succeeded in landing several shells right into the batteries on the Island.  After a close reconnaissance in a skiff, two shots were fired from the Island batteries yesterday morning, one of them aimed at one of our boats, but fell far short.  The firing at Point Pleasant on Wednesday morning lasted an hour and ten minutes.  It is supposed that one of the rebel gunboats in attempting to pass up the river was exploded.  The bloating battery still lies moored alongside the Island.  There is not later intelligence from the Tennessee.  Troops are constantly departing and movements are doubtless on the tapis [sic] there of intense interest.

CAIRO, March 28.

A copy of the Memphis Appeal, of date March 25^th, was received last night.  It is barren of military intelligence, and made up of extracts from Northern newspapers.  A statement is made editorially that during the first four days of the bombardment at Island No. 10, only one person, and he a citizen of Memphis, was killed.  The Appeal indulges in no comments and expresses no opinions as to the result.

Special to Chicago Times.

An agent who has been some time connected with the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, arrived here to-day.  He says Gens. Polk and Cheatham have left Humboldt with their forces to join Beauregard, who is concentrating his forces at Corinth, the junction of the M. & O. and Memphis and Charleston Railroad.  Their pickets extend to within eighteen miles of our forces at Savannah.

The superintendent of the mortar boats has gained some very valuable information by the balloon ascension, which is invaluable.

A steamer has just arrived from the Tennessee river with a lot of prisoners taken near Pittsburg, Tenn.

A large number of troops continue to arrive and depart from this place.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Saturday Morning, March 29, 1862, p. 2