From Washington

Times’ Dispatch.

WASHINGTON, May 8.

The following dispatch is from the commander of a corps in our army at Yorktown Peninsula, to his wife in this city:

WILLIAMSBURG, May 6.

“We had a hard fight yesterday in front of the rebel works covering this town. – Gen. Hooker Kept Gen. Longstreet in check till about 3 p. m., when Gen. Kearny’s division came into action, and the engagement continued till after dark.  A moment before our reinforcements came we gave way, being out of ammunition, and we lost some guns.  We afterwards recovered our ground, and held it during the night.  The rebels retreated, and at 7 a. m. we occupied their works.  Gen. A. P. Hill Commanded a rebel brigade, and Longstreet the whole.  We lost between 500 and 1,000 in killed and wounded.  We found 600 wounded in this town besides other prisoners.”

Our to-day’s dispatches from Fredericksburg contain little news of importance.  The merchants of Fredericksburg, who are largely indebted at the North, are selling out their estates and personal property, with the avowed intention of defrauding their Northern creditors.

An anonymous letter has been sent to nearly all the Union men of Fredericksburg, threatening their lives and property after our army leaves.

Letcher’s guerilla bands are infesting the hills, with the intention of capturing pickets and Union men.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Saturday Morning, May 10, 1862, p. 1

The Fight in Hampton Roads

In giving place to all the details which have yet reached us of the Naval combat in Hampton Roads on Saturday and the following night, which (though the Rebel assailants were ultimately driven back to their hiding places – the Merrimac, their best ship, apparently in a sinking condition) will inevitably be regarded by the impartial as a National defeat and disgrace, it seems our duty to recall some antecedent and not very creditable facts.

The Rebels opened fire on Fort Sumter on the 12th of April last – and the fact was known throughout the country forthwith.  It was intended and understood to be a challenge of the Nation by the Slave Power to mortal combat.  Norfolk, as by far the greatest Naval arsenal in the Slave States – perhaps in the country – was of course in imminent danger.  It was within less than a day’s passage of Washington and Baltimore, not two days from Philadelphia and New York.  On the 17th (five days after fire was opened on Sumter) the Virginia Convention pretended to take their State out of the Union, and, though the act was passed subject to ratification by a popular vote, Gov. Letcher immediately issued a Proclamation of adherence to the Southern Confederacy.  On the 19th, the Virginia traitors obstructed Elizabeth River below Norfolk, so as to prevent the passage of the National vessels from the Navy Yard down into Hampton Roads, and so out to sea.  On the 20th (eight days after the opening of fire on Sumter) the Navy Yard was hastily dismantled by our officers in charge of it, the Cumberland sloop-of-war, (sunk by the Rebels last Saturday) towed out, while the Pennsylvania, Delaware, Columbus, Merrimac, Raritan, Columbia, Germantown, Plymouth, Dolphin, and the United States – all ships of war of various sizes, from a three-decker down – were (it was reported) scuttled and set on fire to keep them from falling into the hands of the Rebels.  We do not learn that any attack was made by the Rebels (who were certainly in very moderate force,) nor that any effort was made to arm the workmen in and about the Navy Yard – who were naturally, instinctively loyal – nor to appeal to the loyalty of the vicinage.  It is popularly understood that Taliaferro, the Rebel chief, was drunk, so that he failed to attack, and let our Navy officers have things very much their own way.  That, with more power on hand than they knew how even to destroy, they might have blown every vessel to atoms in three hours, is at least a very strong presumption.  The Merrimac – Which inflicted so stinging a blow on us last Saturday – was one of those vessels.

Of course, we do not know that those Navy officers who have not yet openly affiliated with the traitors, did not here do their best.  We only know that somebody ought to have been put on trial for their shameful, disastrous miscarriage – by which the Nation lost and the Rebellion gained twenty-five hundred cannon and more military and naval material than could be bought for Ten Millions of Dollars.  We do not know that any one yet  has been, though nearly eleven months have elapsed since the disaster, and the then commandant at the Yard, still wears the uniform and pockets the pay of a U. S. officer.  That this is as it should not be is our very decided opinion.

The Merrimac, it was soon announced, was raised by the Rebels, and was being iron plated and otherwise fitted for the destruction of some of our vessels in the Roads.  She has been so fitting ever since, almost within sight of our fleet.  Several times she has been announced on the eve of coming out.  Once or twice it was given out by the Rebels that she was a failure; and, as a Western man has said, they “would rather lie on a twelve months’ note than tell the truth for cash,” this should have incited to greater vigilance.  If we had not the proper vessels on hand to resist her, they should have been hurried up at least six months ago.  Yet when she does at last see fit to put in an appearance, lo! One of our principal war steamships have been lying in the Roads disabled for four months and cannot get near her, while the only other ship fit to engage her gets aground – in water that her officers should know as thoroughly as their own cabins – and cannot be brought into action while two of our noble frigates are torn to pieces, one of them sunk, the other captured and burned, and some two or three hundred of our brave tars killed, drowned, or captured.

We do not attempt to fix the blame of these disasters.  Possibly, there is no one to blame; but the people will not believe it in advance of thorough scrutiny.  We respectfully call upon the commander-in-chief of the army and Navy to have this whole business sifted to the bottom. – {N. Y. Tribune.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, March 15, 1862, p. 2

Official Report of the taking of Roanoke Island

FT. MONROE, February 13.

The gun-boat Stars and Stripes arrived this noon from Burnside’s expedition with a bearer of dispatches for the Government.  They report the rout of the rebels as complete.  Three thousand prisoners were captured, and all their gun-boats burned or captured except two, which escaped in the canal.  The Federal loss in killed is 42, wounded about 140.  Rebels killed about 30 and their wounded less than 100.

The advance from Hatteras took place on Wednesday morning, consisting of about 60 vessels.  The fleet anchored off Stumpy Point that night and the next day proceeded to the entrance of Cotton Sound.  After a reconnoisance the attack commenced.  On Friday morning the Underwriter led on the column.  The rebel fleet was attacked and dispersed in half an hour by the navy, while the remainder attacked the lad batteries.  The fight continued till dark.

During the night ten thousand men were landed, and on Sunday morning 7,000 more.  A masked battery of three guns was soon discovered by skirmishers, and was attacked in front and both flanks.

The 21^st, 25^th and 27^th Mass., the 9^th and 51^st N. Y. and the 10^th Conn. Were particularly engaged.  The 25^th Mass. And the 10^th Conn. suffered most severely.

The fight lasted only two or three hours, when the battery was abandoned.  Our troops pursued, surrounded the rebel camp and took nearly the whole command prisoners.

O. Jennings Wise was shot twice while endeavoring to escape in a bot.  Col. Russell, of the 10^th Conn., was killed at the head of his regiment.  Col. D. Montelle, of the Depennel Zouaves, whose Zouaves were voluntary, was killed.  No other officers were killed above the rank of Lieutenant.  Our total loss in killed and wounded is less than 200, and the number of killed less than 50.

On Sunday P. M. a fleet of fifteen gun-boats started for Elizabeth City.  The place was shelled, and having been evacuated and partially burned by the rebel troops, was occupied.

The Sea Bird, which was the flag ship of Com. Lynch, was run down and boarded, and the gallant Commodore escaped by swimming to shore.

The news from Elizabeth City was received at Roanoke Island on Monday eve.

Gen. Wise was at Nag’s Head and succeeded in escaping to Norfolk.

The rebels made no fight after being driven from their entrenchments, which was done by the Hawkins’ Zouaves and the 21^st Mass.  Young Wise resisted the storming parties till he was wounded and carried off, when his command retreated with the others to the upper part of the island, where they laid down their arms.

Elizabeth City was about half burnt by the rebel soldiers.  The people sent a delegation to Com. Golsborough, asking him to send a force to assist in extinguishing the flames.

Edenton was taken possession of on Wednesday, by Com. Goldsborough, no opposition being offered.

Norfolk and Richmond papers attribute the loss of Roanoke Island to the blundering inefficiency of the navy.  They still persist in asserting that 1000 Federals were killed; they also charged some Roanoke Island farmer with directing and piloting the Yankees to the only point they could effect a landing, the landing being flanked on all sides by an extensive march.

A dispatch from Memphis to Norfolk, admits the Federal flag was cheered on Tennessee River, by people, and assert that the Federals neither seized nor destroyed any private property, not even cotton.

Gov. Letcher issued an order for the formation of home guards, for the defense of Norfolk, Petersburg and Richmond.

Bishop Ames and Hon. H. Fish returned to Baltimore, the rebels refusing to receive them.

The Richmond Dispatch says, our Tennessee exchanges give us gloomy prospects for the future in that part of the Confederacy.  Several leading journals intimate plainly that there is really a threatening state of affairs in East Tennessee, growing out of the idolatrous love of many of those people to the old Union.  The correspondent of the Memphis Avalanche writes that the condition of the interior counties is not improved by the lapse of time.  The people apprehend an immediate advance of the Northern men, and traitors to the south evince their joy.  In every village and neighborhood, the Unionists are making demonstrations.  In many of the Northern counties and even at Memphis there were exhibitions of joy on the arrival of the news at Beach Grove.  Armed bands of Johnson’s and Maynard’s followers are prowling about all directions through the mountains.  In the remote counties in the State men have been shot at night in their own houses, who adhered to the fortunes of the South.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Saturday Morning, February 15, 1862, p. 1