From Fortress Monroe

Nothing heard of the Burnside Expedition – Rebel Account of the Defeat in Kentucky.

FORTRESS MONROE, Jan. 25. – The storm is now over.  Several rebel officers from Baltimore went by flag of truce to Craney Island.

A dispatch from Knoxville says that General Crittenden retired to and will make a stand at Monticello.

The Norfolk Day Book of Saturday has not a word about the Burnside expedition.  An extract is given from the Newbern Progress of Thursday last, which says, up to yesterday (Wednesday) we are not sure there is or has been a single Yankee gunboat over the swash at Hatteras.

The defeat in Kentucky is at last admitted.  The Day Book has a heading, “Further Particulars from Somerset.  Disaster not so bad as first reported.”  “Six hundred Confederates attack 14,000 Federals!”

The Petersburg Express sends us the following: –

General Crittenden began the attack on the enemy, supposed to number 1,500 afterwards found to be 14,000.  Zollicoffer was killed early in action.  Crittenden was wounded.  Colonel [Corral] took command and recrossed the Cumberland.  Our loss, 300, enemy’s 400 or 500.  Rutledge’s and McClerny’s batteries left on the field.  The enemy repulsed three times and then fled back to their fortification.  They then outflanked us.  We lost all our horses, tents, equipments, and eleven guns spiked or thrown into the river.  Colonels Powell, Battie, Stahn and Cummings wounded.  Major Fobb wounded in hip.  Our forces numbered 6,000.

It was reported in Norlfolk that the Federal steamer Louisiana was lost.

The Day Book has an article from the Charleston Mercury giving the particulars of the capture of Cedar Key.  Three schooners and five fishing smacks were loading with lumber and turpentine at the time.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, February 1, 1862, p. 4