December 24.—Yesterday a foraging party was sent out from the Union camp at Tullahoma, Tenn., under the command of Lieutenant Porter, of the Twenty-seventh Indiana volunteer infantry. There was a guard of the Fourth Tennessee cavalry, and a detail from the battery, to guard and load forage. They went to Lincoln County, loaded up, and were on the way to camp for the night. The train was divided—one half under Sergeant James, of the battery, was in camp about one mile ahead; Lieutenant Porter, with the rear part of the train, was on his way to the same place. There was one wagon considerably ahead of the others, accompanied by George Jacobs, driver; John Wesley Drought and Newell Orcutt, foragers; and James W. Foley, battery wagon-master—when they were surprised by four guerrillas, and told to surrender or they would blow their brains out. They being unarmed, could make no successful resistance. Lieutenant Porter then came riding up, when he was seized also. They were then taken through the woods some eight miles, and halted to camp, as the guerrillas said, for the night They then tied their hands behind their backs, asked if they were ready, and fired, when all fell except the Lieutenant, who being uninjured, ran. The bodies were then dragged to the end of the bluff and thrown into Elk River. Drought was killed instantly. His body floated down and lodged on a tree-top. Jacobs was only wounded in the arm and was drowned. Orcutt was shot through the bowels, and managed to get out of the river, but died next day. Foley having loosed his hands, reached shore, but being severely wounded in the groin, lay near the river all night, where he was found next day by a citizen and properly cared for.—The schooner Fox captured the British schooner Edward, from Havana, off the Suwanee River, while endeavoring to run the blockade.—The United States steamer Sunflower, off Tampa Bay, Florida, captured the rebel sloop Hancock.
—A battle took place near Bolivar, Tenn., between a party of rebel raiders belonging to the command of General Forrest, and five hundred of the Seventh Illinois cavalry, under Colonel Edward Prince, who had been sent out to scout and patrol the crossings on the Mississippi Central Railroad. Finding himself overpowered by numbers, Colonel Prince fell back on Summerville, with a loss of three killed and eight wounded. (Doc. 50.)
—The rebel House of Representatives, by a vote of four to one, resolved that a “person otherwise liable to military duty shall no longer be exempt by reason of having provided a substitute. It declared also that the substitute should not be discharged, and rejected a proposition to refund to the principal any portion of the money paid for his substitute.”—The enlistment of colored troops at Nashville, Tenn., continued with great success.—The ship Martaban, from Moulmein to Singapore, was captured and destroyed by the rebel privateer Alabama.
