The American Civil War

April 22. —Tompkinsville, Ky., was visited by a party of rebels who burned the court-house and several other buildings in the place and killed five Union men.—Two regiments of the First army corps of the army of the Potomac, marched to Port Conway, crossed the river to Port Royal on pontoons, and captured a rebel mail and took several prisoners.—New- York Times.

—The rebel steamer Ellen was this day captured by a party of Union troops in a small bayou in the vicinity of the Courtableau, La.—(Doc. 171.)

—Seven men belonging to the Eighth regiment of Missouri cavalry who were captured on the nineteenth by a band of rebel guerrillas in Dallas County, having been carried to Cedar County, Mo., were stripped of their clothing and inhumanly shot. Immediately after this, the guerrillas proceeded to the house of Obadiah Smith, a Baptist minister in-Cedar County, and on his attempting to escape they shot him.—St. Louis Democrat.

—The cargo of the steamer Wave (destroyed by the rebels to prevent her from falling into the hands of the Unionists) was this day captured in the vicinity of Bayou Cocodue, La., by an expeditionary force under the command of General Dwight— (Doc . 171.)

—A portion of General Reynolds’s national forces entered and occupied McMinnville, Tenn.— Major McGee, of the Third Virginia cavalry with sections of Rowan’s, Utt’s, and White’s cavalry, encountered a force of three hundred rebels at a point near Strasburgh, Va., and after a brief and brilliant fight drove them from their position. One man of Rowan’s company was killed, and mother wounded. The rebel loss was five killed, and nine wounded, beside twenty-five prisoners and forty horses.

—Six gunboats and twelve barges succeeded in passing the rebel batteries at Vicksburgh tonight,—National Intelligencer.

April 21.—Captain Laypole, with seven men of the Fifth and Sixth Virginia rebel cavalry, were captured near Berryville, Va., by a party of the Second Virginia loyal infantry and New-York First cavalry, under Lieutenants Powel and Wykoff.—Colonel McReynolds’s Despatch.

—At Nashville, Tenn., by order of Brigadier-General R. B. Mitchell, all white persons over the age of eighteen years residing within the lines of his command were compelled to subscribe to the oath of allegiance or non-combatant’s parole, or to go South.

April 20.—The Union forces under General Banks occupied Opelousas, La., when Colonel Thomas E. Chickering, of the Forty-first Massachusetts regiment, was appointed Military Governor and Provost-Marshal.—(Doc. 171.)

—A brisk cavalry skirmish took place near Helena, Ky., in which several rebels were killed and wounded.

—An engagement took place at Patterson, Mo. Colonel Smart, commanding the National forces, sent the following report of the affair to Brigadier-General Davidson:

“The line was cut off as soon as the engagement began, which was six miles from our post I had a scout out on Black River, who found the enemy early in the morning, but they succeeded in cutting them off, so that they could not communicate with me.

“The number of the enemy was between one thousand five hundred and three thousand. I think they had six pieces of artillery. I could not ascertain who commanded the enemy.

“The attack began about twelve o’clock, on the Reeve’s Station road, with a scout I had sent out in that direction. I then sent Major Wood on to reenforce with a battalion. He held them in check and skirmished them into town. This gave me time to load my trains and have them ready to move, if I had to retreat.

“Before I left the town I destroyed what stores I could not bring away; nothing fell into the hands of the enemy. The fight continued to Big Creek, about eight miles this side of Patterson. The engagement was severe in the extreme. After fighting hand to hand at Big Creek they got in my front and attempted to cut off my retreat, but I forced my way to the ford on this side of the creek. The enemy did not renew the engagement. My loss in killed, wounded, and missing in the action was about fifty.

“I had scouts on the Bear River, Greenwood Valley, and Bush Creek roads, also on the Reeve’s Station road, which I have not heard from.

“I will send you an official report as soon as I can learn all the details. Major McConnell was wounded and fell into the hands of the enemy. I think his wound was mortal. My regiment fell back in good order, and are now together, except the scout above mentioned. I had about four hundred men in the engagement.”

—Bute A La Rose, La., was captured by the National gunboats Estrella, Clifton, Arizona, and Calhoun, after a short engagement. An officer on board the Clifton gave the following account of the affair: “Just before we came to the fort there is it sharp bend in the river, and when we came round that bend we were only one quarter of a mile from the fort. The sailing order was that the Clifton and the Arizona should go ahead abreast, the Calhoun next, and the Estrella, Captain Cook, the senior officer, brought up the rear. The river being narrower than we expected, we could not sail two abreast, and the Clifton took the lead. We were all at quarters. As we came around the point we went ahead with full steam; as soon as we caught sight of the fort we fired our two bow nine-inch guns. No sooner had we fired than I saw the white smoke rolling out of the enemy’s guns. One of the balls came whistling over my head about two feet, and struck the walking-beam, and the way the cast-iron flew about the deck was a caution. It was a thirty-two-pound solid shot; it struck with such force that it split the ball in two, and a part of it glanced off and came down through the hurricane deck and brought up on the spar-deck, and another shot fell under our bow. As we came up nearer the fort, they fired over us. By this time we caught sight of the rebel gunboats, lying on the opposite side of the river, making a cross fire on us. The first shell that they fired burst on the port bow, and killed Richard Ribey, second captain of the broadside gun. He was in the act of firing the gun when he was shot. By this time the enemy was running pell-mell out of the fort, and had hauled down their flag and were waving a white one. The rebel gunboats escaped up the river after firing a few shots.”

April 19.—Yesterday, three regiments of infantry and one of cavalry left Memphis, Tenn., on a reconnoitring expedition, and when near Nonconnah, the cavalry came up on a detachment of Blythe’s rebel cavalry; a fight ensued, resulting in the repulse of the rebels. This morning the cavalry again attacked the rebels, and succeeded in driving them across the Coldwater River in great confusion, killing twenty, wounding forty, and capturing a large number. After crossing the river the rebels received reinforcements, and the Nationals fell back to Hernando. Being reenforced there by infantry and artillery, under Colonel Bryant, the Unionists again moved on the Coldwater, and attacked the rebels on the opposite side of the river, continuing the contest until sundown, and losing five killed and fifteen wounded.

—Major-general Dix, in a despatch to the War Department, said: “I deem it due to the forces at Suffolk to notice briefly their gallant conduct during the last six days. On Tuesday General Peck’s right was attacked, and the enemy’s advance was gallantly met by Colonel Foster’s light troops, driving him back to the line of his pickets. Anderson’s division was engaged at the same time on the water-front with our gunboats and batteries, and suffered materially. On Wednesday a rebel battery of twenty-pounder rifled guns was effectually silenced, and an attack on the Smith Briggs, an armed quartermaster’s boat, was repulsed. Repeated attempts have been made on our lines, but have all been foiled. The storming of the enemy’s battery near the west branch of the Nansemond by General Getty and the gunboats, under Lieutenant Lamson, of the navy, and the capture of six guns and two hundred prisoners, closes the operations of the six days against the enemy’s large force very satisfactorily.” The Eighty-ninth New-York and the Eighth Connecticut were the storming party. —See Supplement.

April 18.—The rebel side-wheel steamer St John was captured while endeavoring to run the blockade into Cape Romaine Inlet, by the National steamer Stettin.—A reconnoissance of Sabine Pass, Texas, was made by a party from the National gunboats Cayuga and New-London. On landing near the light-house they were fired on by concealed rebels, Captain McDermott of the Cayuga being killed, and his crew of five men captured. Captain Reed of the New-London was wounded, together with four of his men.— Fayetteville, Ark., garrisoned by a force of National troops under the command of Colonel Harrison, was this morning attacked by a strong body of rebels, but after a desperate contest of six hours’ duration, they were repulsed with considerable loss.—(Doc. 172.)

April 17.—Brigadier-General Daniel A. Donelson, commanding the rebel department of East Tennessee, died near Knoxville. He was the nephew of General Andrew Jackson.—The rebel schooner Alabama, was captured off Mobile, while endeavoring to evade the blockade, by the National steamer Susquehanna. — Com. Hitchcock’s Despatch.

—A large detachment of the Ninety-ninth and One Hundred and Thirtieth New-York regiments had a successful skirmish with the rebels at the South-Quay road, near Suffolk, Va., and succeeded in killing and wounding a considerable number of them. In the encounter the Nationals had two killed and three wounded.

—Colonel H. B. Grierson, in command of a strong force of Union cavalry, left La Grange, Tenn., on a raid through the State of Mississippi. (Doc. 170.)

—A skirmish took place at Bear Creek, Tenn., between a party of Nationals under the command of General Dodge, and the rebels, resulting in the retreat of the latter. Captain Cameron of the Ninth Illinois cavalry was killed.—A detachment of National troops under General Grover, encountered a large force of rebels at Bayou Vermilion, La., and opening upon them with artillery, drove them from their position.—(Doc. 171.)

April 16.—A fleet of eight National gunboats and several transports, under the command of Admiral Porter, passed the rebel batteries at Vicksburgh, to-night, without any material damage, except the loss by fire of one of the transports, laden with commissary stores and forage.— (Doc. 169)

—A party of Indians attacked a detachment of eighteen soldiers at Medalia, thirty miles from Mankato, Minnesota, killing one and wounding two, besides killing a boy and two men belonging to the settlement.—The British steamer Gertrude was captured off Harbor Island, W. I., by the National gunboat Vanderbilt.

April 15.—Franklin, St. Mary’s Parish, La., was occupied by the National forces, under General Banks. — The siege of Washington, N. C, was raised. The rebel force, which for nearly three weeks had invested that place, left suddenly this evening. General Foster, who arrived at Newbern yesterday, was preparing an expedition to march for the relief of the town, when the account of the departure of the rebels reached him.—See Supplement.

—At a point seventy miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah, Colonel Evans, with a party of National troops, attacked and put to flight two hundred Indians, thirty of whom were killed. The Union forces followed them fourteen miles, scattering them in every direction. Lieutenant Peck was killed and two sergeants were wounded on the National side.—A battalion of cavalry from California arrived at New-York from San Francisco, under the command of Major De Witt C. Thompson.—Fighting was continued on the Nansemond River, Va., and its vicinity.

—A detachment of two hundred of the Thirty-ninth Kentucky mounted infantry, under the command of Colonel J. Dills, made a forced march on Pikeville, Ky., and after a sharp fight, captured seventeen rebel officers and sixty-one privates, with their horses, arms, and equipments. At the same time, eight scouts from the command of General Julius White, belonging to the Fourteenth Kentucky infantry, captured in Breathitt Co., Ky., a rebel captain and twelve privates.

April 14.—Yesterday the rebel works on the Bayou Teche, La., were attacked by the National forces under Generals Banks and Emory, and today, after a desperate conflict of several hours’ duration, the works were carried and the rebels driven out.—The rebel gunboats Diana, Hart, and Queen of the West, were also destroyed. The two former were burned by the rebels, to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Unionists, and the iron-clad ram Queen of the West, was attacked by the United States gunboats Estrella, Calhoun, and Arizona, set on fire and destroyed.— (Doc. 167.)

-—The United States gunboat West End, lying in the Nansemond River, four miles below Suffolk, Va., was this day attacked by a rebel battery, and considerably damaged. During the engagement, seven of her crew were killed or wounded.

—General Foster escaped from Washington, N. C, in the steamer Escort, which ran the rebel blockade on the Pamlico River to-day.

—To-day a fight took place on the Nansemond River, Va., between the United States gunboats Commodore Barney, Mount Washington, and Stepping Stones, and a powerful rebel shore battery, in which, after a four hours’ bombardment, the latter was silenced.—(Doc. 168.)