May 31.—A battle occurred in Lincoln County, Mo., between a large body of guerrillas, and the enrolled militia of the county, resulting in the defeat of the latter, with a loss of ten men.—The National gunboat Alert, lying at the navy-yard at Norfolk, Va., took fire this morning. The fire soon reaching her magazine, a shell exploded, which went through her bottom, and she sank immediately. — A cavalry reconnoissance was made from Somerset, Ky., to within four miles of Monticello, during which, sixteen rebels, with their arms and horses, were captured.
—A force of Union cavalry, under the command of Colonel F. M. Cornyn, Tenth Missouri cavalry, returned to Corinth, Miss., after the successful raid into Alabama. They were absent five days, during which time, they had a fight (May twenty-seventh) with a body of rebel guerrillas, under Colonel Roddy, at Florence, Ala., routing them with considerable loss; they destroyed seven cotton factories, with all their contents, valued at one million five hundred thousand dollars; a number of steam flour-mills and sawmills, a number of blacksmiths’ shops, a large number of wagons, an immense quantity of powder, and other ammunition, and a large quantity of English-manufactured arms. The bridge at Florence, and a number of houses were burned, and the Nationals returned with six hundred head of horses, mules, and oxen, one hundred prisoners, and a large number of negroes.
