Sunday, November 4, 2012

From Island No. 10

ST. LOUIS, March 27. – A special to the Republican dated near Island No. 10, the evening of the 27th, says only 30 shells were thrown by the mortars to-day to which no response was made by the rebels.

This morning Col. Buford sent a reconnoitering party of 20 men of the 27th Illinois ashore.  They arrested three prominent residents who report 2,000 negroes are employed on the Island and at the batteries along the Island and at the batteries along the Kentucky shore; that 65 rebel troops including two Lieutenants and four negroes have been killed by shells; that the upper shore battery is abandoned but the others are being rapidly strengthened; that the enemy is 15,000 strong and that their encampment has been moved entirely out of the range of our guns; the rebels are confident of success and they have a good road to Trenton and other points by which they can retreat whenever they choose – they have plenty of provisions.  The rebel steamers loaded with troops were sent to watch the shore to prevent communication; the number of the enemy’s transports are eleven.

Two balloon ascensions were made by Capt. Steiner but the weather was too thick for favorable observation.

A partly finished gunboat building at Memphis was fire[d] the other night but extinguished before much damage was done.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, March 29, 1862, p. 3

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