company D, on the left foot, inflicting a severe horses. It was thought at one time a regular wound; slightly bruised John Reddy, a drum- engagement would be brought on. Our boys mer-boy, and then hopped into the air and came were ready for it. Gens. Heintzelman and Porter down without exploding. Musser subsequently died of his injuries. He lived in Jefferson County, Pa., and was a single man. Gen. Morell and staff and Gen. Martindale and staff were in the foremost places of danger with their regiments. The Berdan sharpshooters made fearful havoc among the enemy's gunners, picking them off by the dozen. Col. Berdan says they killed at least fifty of the rebels and wounded a hundred. Toward night the enemy commenced shelling them by running a gun out from behind the left end of the fort, discharging it and then dragging it in to load again, the only way they were enabled to work the gun. They tried the plan of covering the working of guns by running a plank upon the parapet, and turning it upon the edge; but they did not seem to like to trust it. The attempt at shelling was not long continued. As soon as a gunner showed himself the aim of the unerring rifle would enforce on him the propriety of retirement. At first the rebel sharpshooters attempted to shoot our men from rifle-pits; but they found even these places too hazardous, and were not long in withdrawing to safer positions behind the intrenchments. During the afternoon a small mounted party, led by an officer wearing a white shirt, the bosom of which was distinctly visible, ventured outside the fort. A member of the sharpshooters, who goes by the soubriquet of "California Joe," observed that "he was best at a white mark." He quickly drew up his telescopic rifle, took aim, fired, and the man reeled in his saddle and fell to the ground, apparently dead. At one time during the day a squad of rebel cavalry came out, apparently to charge upon our sharpshooters. Suddenly a shell from one of our guns fell in their midst, scattering them like chaff before the wind. They scampered off into their intrenchments, and no more cavalry was seen during the day, except an occasional mounted man. At half-past four P.M. the enemy opened heavy firing from earthworks on the left of where the above shooting occurred. They made Gen. Martindale's brigade their target. Our people were ready for them. The Third Massachusetts battery took a position, and returned the fire with splendid and, as is believed, most telling effect. The rebel gunners showed more skill in sighting their pieces here than was shown from the other portion of the intrenchment. The sun was shining on our pieces, which gave the enemy a great advantage. At one of our guns two men were killed, and all the others disabled but four. Lieut. Dunn's horse was shot under him, as also the horses of Sergeants Strode and Foster. Our men did not shrink. They were plucky as steel, and had the last shot. Before the firing ceased Gen. Hamilton's division arrived on the ground. Capt. Randolf's Sixth Rhode Island battery relieved, during the last of the firing, the Third Massachusetts battery. Captain Randolf lost five or six were present at frequent intervals, giving the necessary orders and watching the course of events. A shell passed only a few yards over the head of Gen. Jameson, striking within a few feet of one of his sentinels. Several solid shot came into the camp, but without injuring any one. Soon after the arrival of the division, Professor Lowe got his inflating apparatus to work, and in a few hours had his war-balloon at a goodly altitude in the upper air. The afternoon had now far advanced, and it was almost too late for successful æronautic observations. Several shots struck near the spot where the balloon was located. It was nearly sundown, when the last gun was fired. The rebels had fine range of the best locations for our artillery, and the grounds on which we were encamped; but the casualties were very slight indeed compared with the inju ries which our sharpshooters inflicted upon them. Whenever they made a good shot, they would utter unearthly yells. Their bands were playing "Dixie," and other airs, which were distinctly heard in our camp-ground. The accompanying diagram will give an accurate idea of the rebel works, and the positions of our artillery and men. The principal portion of our troops, which had arrived, were located in the large fields on either side of the road, nearly surrounded by woods. In front, where our pieces were planted, there is an extensive field, and then a lower ground, a large plain, in front of the rebel works. The Yorktown turnpike runs through to the centre of the fortifications, which have dense woods behind them. The following is a complete list of the killed and wounded. KILLED. Charles L. Lord, private, battery C, Massachusetts artillery. Edwin W. Lewis, private, battery C, Massachusetts artillery. I. Ide, Co. E, Berdan's sharpshooters. John Reynolds, private, leg amputated, Weeden's battery. Adam Musser, private, Co. I, Sixty-second Pennsylvania volunteers. David Phelps, private, Co. H, Berdan's sharpshooters. WOUNDED. M. C. Barrett, Co. B, Twenty-second Massa chusetts, slightly. G. P. Field, private, Co. B, Twenty second Massachusetts, slightly. A. O. Emerson, corporal, Co. B, Twenty second Massachusetts, slightly. S. W. Bailey, private, Co. B, Twenty-second Massachusetts, slightly. C. H. James, private, Co. B, Twenty-second Massachusetts, slightly. Lieut. W. D. Morris, Co. B, Twenty-second Massachusetts, slightly. DOCUMENTS. Frank B. Smith, private, Co. B, Twenty-second ceed immediately, in company with two of the John Collingshill, private, Co. H, Twenty-second Massachusetts, severely. C. H. Tucker, corporal, Co. C, Martin's battery, slightly, lost his speech. Freeman Carey, Co. C, Martin's battery, slightly. Tim Donohue, Co. C, Martin's battery, thumb amputated. Cyrus Wilcox, Co. C, Berdan's sharpshooters, slightly. C. W. Peck, corporal, Co. F, Berdan's sharpshooters, slightly. James Way, sergeant, Co. C, Berdan's sharpshooters, slightly. Wm. Parker, Co. B, Berdan's sharpshooters, slightly. William Bombaugh, private, Co. D, Sixty-second Pennsylvania, severely. Corp. Tucker's case is very remarkable. The shot, in passing, did not strike him, but the velocity of the missile raised the skin on his breast, and bereft the poor man of his speech. Prompt attentions were given to the wounded. The hospitals were in charge of Dr. Wyman, Division-Surgeon, and Dr. Waters, General Morrell's Brigade-Surgeon. A large dwelling, about three quarters of a mile from where our guns were planted, the former residence of Dr. Clark, of Delaware, is used as a temporary division hospital. To Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy Two officers of their navy have this instant boarded us from Island Number Ten, stating that by order of their commanding officer they were ordered to surrender Island Number Ten to the commander of this fleet. As these officers knew nothing of the capture of the batteries on the Tennessee shore, I have sent Capt. Phelps to ascertain something definite on the subject. I am, with Gen. Pope is now advancing from New-Madrid, defence. gunboats, and take possession of the Island. The A full report will be made as soon as we can COMMODORE FOOTE'S REPORT. FLAGSHIP BENTON, ISLAND No. TEN, Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy: war. I have caused hasty examination to be made of the forts, batteries and munition of war captured. There are eleven earthworks with seventy heavy cannon, varying in calibre from thirty-two to one-hundred-pounders, rifled. The magazines are well supplied with powder, and there are large quantities of shot and shell and other muni · tions of war, and also great quantities of provisions. Four steamers afloat have fallen into our hands, and two others, with the rebel gunboat Grampus, are sunk, but will be easily raised. The floating battery of sixteen heavy guns, turned adrift by the rebels, is said to be lying on the Missouri shore below New Madrid. The enemy upon the mainland appear to have fled with great precipitation after dark last night, leaving in many cases half-prepared meals in their quarters, and there seems to have been no concert of action between the rebels on the island and those occupying the shore, but the latter fled, leaving the former to their fate. A. H. FOOTE, Flag-Officer. works, erected with the highest engineering skill, are of great strength, and with their natural advantages would have been impregnable if defended by men fighting in a better cause. } FLAG-STEAMER BENTON, These A combined attack of the naval and land forces would have taken place this afternoon or to-morrow morning had not the rebels so hastily abandoned this stronghold-to mature the plans of attack having absolutely required twenty-three days of preparation. Gen. Pope is momentarily expected to arrive with his army at this point, he having successfully crossed the river yesterday under a heavy fire, which no doubt led to the hasty abandonment of the works last night. I am unofficially informed that the two gunboats which so gallantly ran the fire of the rebel batteries a few nights since, yesterday attacked and reduced a fort of the enemy opposite, dismounting eight heavy guns. The following is a copy of the order of Gen. McCall on assuming command of the rebel forces on the fifth instant: SOLDIERS: We are strangers, commander and commanded, each to the other; let me tell you who I am. I am a general made by Beauregard, a general selected by Beauregard and Bragg for this command, when they knew it was in peril. They have known me for twenty years; together we have stood on the fields of Mexico. Give them your confidence now; give it to me, when I have earned it. Soldiers, the Mississippi Valley is entrusted to your courage, to your discipline, to your patience. Exhibit the vigilance and coolness of last night and hold it. W. D. MCCALL, Brigadier-General Commanding. I regret that the painful condition of my feet still requiring to use crutches, prevented me from making a personal examination of the works. I was therefore compelled to delegate Lieutenant Commanding S. Phelps, of the flag-ship Benton. A. H. FOOTE, Flag-Officer Naval Forces. GENERAL POPE'S REPORT. EXPEDITIONARY FORCES, Major-Gen. H. W. Halleck: I directed Capt. Walke to run down with the two gunboats at daylight on the seventh to the point selected for crossing, and silence the ene my's batteries near it. He performed the serv ice gallantly, and I here bear testimony to the thorough and brilliant manner in which this officer discharged his difficult duties with me, and to the hearty and earnest zeal with which, at all hazards, he cooperated with me. As soon as he signaled me, the boats containing Paine's division moved out from the landing and began to cross the river. The passage of this wide, furious river, by our large force, was one of the most magnificent spectacles I ever witnessed. By twelve o'clock that night, the seventh, all the forces designed to cross the river were over, without delay or accident. As soon as we commenced to cross, the enemy began to evacuate Island No. Ten and his bat teries along the shore. The divisions were pushed forward to Tiptonville as fast as they landed Paine's leading. The enemy was driven before him, and although they made several attempts to form in line of battle and make a stand, Paine did not once deploy his columns. The enemy was pushed all night vigorously, until at four o'clock A.M. he was driven back upon the swamps and forced to surrender. Three generals, seven colonels, seven regiments, several battalions of infantry, five companies of artillery, over one hundred heavy siege-guns, twenty-four pieces of field artillery, an immense quantity of ammunition and supplies, several thousand stand of small arms, a great number of tents, horses, wagons, etc., etc., have fallen into our hands. Before abandoning Island No. Ten, the enemy sunk the gunboat Grampus, and six of his transports. These last I am raising, and expect to have ready for service in a few days. The famous floating battery was scuttled, and turned adrift with all her guns aboard; she was captured and run aground in shoal-water by our forces, at New-Madrid. The canal across the peninsula opposite Island No. Ten-and for the idea of which I am indebted to Gen. Schuyler Hamilton was completed by Col. Bissell's Engineer regiment, and four steamers were brought through on the night of the sixth. The heavy batteries I had thrown Our success is complete and overwhelming. up below Tiptonville completely commanded the Our troops, as I expected, behaved gloriously. lowest point of the high ground on the Ten- I will, in my full report, endeavor to do full justnessee shore, entirely cutting off the enemy's ice to all. Brigadier-Generals Paine, Stanley, retreat by water; his retreat by land has never and Hamilton crossed the river, and conducted been possible through the swamps. On the their divisions with untiring activity and skill. night of the fourth, Captain Walke, of the I am especially indebted to them. Gen. Paine, navy, ran the enemy's batteries at Island No. fortunate in having the advance, exhibited unTen, with the gunboat Carondelet, and report- usual vigor and courage, and had the satisfaction ed to me here. On the night of the sixth, the to receive the surrender of the enemy. Of Col gunboat Pittsburgh also ran the blockade. Our Bissell, of the Engineer regiment, I can hardly transports were brought into the river from the say too much. Full of resource, untiring and bayou, where they had been kept concealed; determined, he labored night and day, and comat daylight on the seventh, had Paine's divi-pleted a work which will be a monument of ension loaded. The canal had been a prodigious- terprise and skill. ly laborious work. It was twelve miles long, six miles of which were through heavy timber, which had to be sawed off by hand four feet under water. The enemy has lined the opposite shore with batteries, extending from Island Ten to Tiptonville, Merriweather Landing, to prevent the passage of the river by this army. We have crossed this great river with a large army, the banks of which were lined with batteries of the enemy to oppose our passage; have pursued and captured all his forces and material of war, and have not lost a man, nor met with an accident. JOHN POPE, RECORD OF THE SIEGE. March 15.-Commodore Foote, with several gunboats and a part of the mortar-fleet, left Hickman for Island Number Ten. through the swamps of this region, and may yet be surrounded or overtaken, The Carondelet, having run the blockade, proceeded forthwith to the performance of her allotMarch 16.-Bombardment commenced. ted duty. The rebels, to oppose any attempt that March 17.-Rifled gun on board the St. Louis might be made to cross the river, had planted exploded, killing and wounding fourteen men. cannon-field-pieces-along the left bank of the March 18.-General Pope repulsed the gun-river for a distance of twelve miles, extending boat fleet at New-Madrid. A rebel transport, loaded with cannon, reported sunk by the fire from the fleet. March 19.-Commodore Foote reports the island harder to conquer than Columbus. Firing continued night and day. from above New-Madrid to below Point Pleasant. The Carondelet proceeded to the latter place, giving the rebels an occasional broadside by the way. Reversing her course, she then moved up the stream, and opened her broadside - guns. Broadside after broadside was discharged as she March 20.-Cannonading continued all day. moved slowly and steadily up the stream. The All the guns but one in the upper battery report-rebels fired their guns as she approached, and ed dismounted. Hollins's ram sent from Mem- fled in confusion--those of them who were not phis. slain. Thus twelve miles of rebel batteries were literally swept out of existence. When the Pittsburgh arrived, Sunday morning, she found the work accomplished. One gunboat took possession below, the other above, the army that was to cross, and there waited to receive any rebel craft that might venture to approach from either direction, with "bloody hands, and hospitable," but rather moist, "graves." March 21.-Firing continued at intervals. March 22.-But little firing from the gunboats, to which the rebel batteries made no reply. March 23.-Mortars fired with considerable regularity all day; result not ascertained. March 24.-Firing continued at intervals; rebel batteries replied but seldom. March 25.-Affairs unchanged. March 26.-Main works of the enemy reported overflowed. Operations slackened. March 27.-Firing continued at intervals only. Residents captured report the rebels fifteen thousand strong. March 28.-Heavy firing from the fleet. Upper battery reported silenced; enemy lost sixty killed, and twenty-five wounded. Rebels constructing new batteries. March 29.-Firing very heavy. At twelve o'clock, Monday, our transports emerged from the bayou through which they have been so long making their slow and toilsome progress, and were once more upon the broad river, but on the other side of the enemy's position. Immediately they commenced the performance of their allotted duty, which was to transport our army across the river. By nine o'clock last evening, nine thousand men had been ferried across, and the expectation was that by two March 30.-Heavy bombardment, to which the o'clock to-day thirty thousand men would be in rebels make no reply. March 31.-Same condition of affairs. April 1.-An expedition from the fleet proceeded to the upper rebel fort and spiked six guns. the position they were to occupy. At that hour a simultaneous attack would have been made upon the rebel position by the gunboats both above and below; the mortars would again have belched their thunders, and one of the biggest fights with big guns which the world ever witnessed would have been seen-if the rebels had Gun-not run away! which they did. Of this fact the flag-officer was apprised by the rebel steamer which came out last night. April 2.-Operations not reported. April 3.-Rebel heavy floating battery detached from shore and drifted down the stream. boat Carondelet ran the blockade. April 4.-Firing active, and good execution to the rebel works reported. April 5.-Transports and barges arrived at New-Madrid. Heavy firing all day. April 7.-Gen. Pope succeeds in landing Gen. Paine's division on the Tennessee shore. The whole army to be moved over. Gunboat Pittsburgh ran the blockade. April 7.-Surrender of Island Number Ten. (See Supplement.) CHICAGO "POST" ACCOUNT. ON ISLAND TEN, MISSISSIPPI River, Tuesday, April 8, 1862. Island Ten has been abandoned. The rebels have departed in undignified haste, with the exception of some five hundred, who have surrendered as prisoners of war. Our victory is complete in all except the capture of the whole rebel force, the greater part of which is scattered The steamer was the De Soto, a Red river packet, as I am informed by the blue sideboard on her upper works: The tug which went off to her brought the rebel messenger-one Lieut. McDowell, a sprig of St. Louis rebelism -on board the flag-ship. This young man informed the Commodore that he had come from the officer in command of the confederates on the Island, with orders to surrender the Island to the flag-officer of the flotilla. Com. Foote replied that he would receive the surrender, but he asked somewhat sharply where the rest of the command was. ficer said they had retreated. Where had gone to? They had gone to Hick—, rea McDowell did not know. The f Meanwhile, the gunboat St. Louis has ordered to go up at once to Hickman and j Louisiana for active work, in case the re should make their appearance there, Col. B ford despatched a regiment of infantry to the same place. No rebel soldiers, however, made their appearance there. three or four days. A messenger has already gone to Cairo to bring down one of the large submarine steam elevators there, which were built expressly for lifting sunken steamboats. So we shall soon add to our fleet of transports nine or ten first-class boats, whose owners will not be very apt to present their bills monthly. The fortifications are admirably constructed and of immense strength. The rebels commenced building them before they came up to Columbus; the breastworks are well settled and firm. Served by brave men in a better cause, they would have held the river much longer than three weeks. But these fellows could not stand our gunboats on both sides of them, and thirteen-inch bombshells in their midst. The effect of these shells upon the Island was truly terrific. The earth is ploughed and furrowed as with an earthquake. Small caverns were excavated by the tremendous explosions, and in one place an unexploded shell has penetrated the earth to the depth of sixteen feet, leaving a round hole like a wall. Huge cottonwood trees, two and three feet in diameter, were hit and blown to atoms. The rebels could not stand such missiles, and would not. They constructed "rat-holes," by felling large trees and placing short logs slantingly against them, covering the whole with earth. Into these they crawled with the utmost agility whenever the voice of a mortar was heard. Every battery on the Island is provided with one of these rat-holes in convenient proximity for the gunners. It is difficult to conceive of an engine more terrible in its destructive effects at the distance of three miles than these enormous shells. Their retreat was an inglorious and disgraceful flight. According to the accounts given by the prisoners themselves, the rebel soldiers were completely demoralized. The officers seem to have had no command over them, but rather to have shared their terrible fright. When our gunboats ran the blockade, and they found themselves unable to prevent it, both officers and men lost all confidence in each other or in themselves. They felt that their time was drawing nigh, and when, about seven o'clock last evening, they learned that Gen. Pope's army was crossing the river, they perceived that it had arrived. The men, somehow, had the information almost as soon as the officers. Had bedlam broken loose, the scene could not have rivalled that which I am told the flight of these rebellious wretches presented. Every man seized his gun and incontinently took to his heels. It was every man for himself, each striving on his own individual bottom to double the point of Reelfoot Lake before Gen. Pope's army should close up the only avenue of escape. The number of rebel troops on the mainland was about seven thousand, a considerable part of the force, which at one time reached fourteen thousand, having been withdrawn to reënforce Beauregard at Corinth. The commanding officer was Brig.-Gen. McCall. He was specially detailed by Beauregard to succeed Brig. Gen. MeCown, who was ordered to Richmond, in command of this "Key of the Mississippi," as he is pleased to call it in his proclamation, dated April fifth, assuming command. The original of this proclamation was found in Brig.-Gen. McCall's late headquarters, that doughty commander having been too busy in taking care of himself to think of such trifling matters as important official papers-among them a plan of Fort Pillow. The proclamation is a somewhat curious document as showing how very valorous a rebel brigadiergeneral may be only two days before he ignominiously runs away. I sent the interesting document by telegraph, in advance of this letter. The value of captured property amounts to over a million of dollars. There are nine steamboats-the Yazoo, H. R. W. Hill, Grampus, Ohio Belle, Admiral, Champion, De Soto, Red Rover, and Mars-worth four hundred thousand dollars. The first four were scuttled and sunk, but will WASHINGTON, April 9, 1862. be raised easily. There are seventy heavy position-guns of the first class, some of them navy to-day to Flag-Officer Foote by telegraph : The following congratulatory letter was sent guns, stolen from Norfolk. There are four mortars-small affairs, nothing like our thirteen-inch fellows. There are over ten thousand pounds of powder; one single magazine contains seven thousand pounds. Why they did not destroy it is a mystery only to be solved upon the supposition that they were in too much of a hurry to save themselves. There are shot and shell in vast quantities. There are tents for seven thousand men. There is at least a warehouse full of No rebel gunboats were captured, and it is probable they had none at the Island, except the Grampus, which they sunk. This was nothing but a common stern-wheel steamboat, mounted with two small guns. The floating battery, about which so much has been said, was discovered yesterday afternoon floating down the river toward New-Madrid. One of the batteries there fired upon it, but receiving no response, the machine was then boarded and found to be abandoned. It was navigated to the shore and secured at Point Pleasant, and it is to be added to the number of our trophies. Its guns, however, are alone valuable. LETTER OF SECRETARY WELLES. NAVY DEPARTMENT, April 9, 1802. Flag-Officer A. H. Foote, Commanding Gunboats of Western Waters: SIR: A nation's thanks are due you and the brave officers and men of the flotilla on the Mississippi, whose labors and gallantry at Island No. Ten, which surrendered to you yesterday, have for weeks been watched with intense interest. Your triumph is not the less appreciated because it was protracted and finally bloodless. To that Being who has protected you through |