April 24, 1863, The Charleston Mercury
FROM NEW ORLEANS.
JACKSON, MISS., April 21. – The New Orleans Era thus sums up the results of battle of Grand Lake: ”One thousand rebels captured, the rams Queen of the West and Diana, the transport Cornie, with three rebel gunboats and three other transports either captured or destroyed.’ The Yankee wounded, 190 in number, had arrived at the St. James Hospital. FARRAGUT states that he has only four days’ rations. The rebels have erected heavy batteries at Grand Gulf. Col. ELLET, lately the Yankee commander of the Queen of the West, is alive and commands the ram Switzerland. There are upwards of 10,000 negros in the Department of New Orleans consuming Government rations. The measles prevails amongst them as an epidemic. One hundred employees of the Yankee Government at Louisville have deserted to the Confederates.
MOVEMENTS IN MISSISSIPPI.
JACKSON, April 21. – The enemy reached Senatobia from the rear at noon yesterday. They sent a detachment to Sardis to cut the telegraph wires there. Their infantry are provided with bridles to carry off all the horses they could find, and negros were driven off, willing or unwilling. The Yankees are now undoubtedly retreating. Trustworthy citizens report that a large Yankee cavalry force camped within twelve miles of Houston on Sunday night. They avowed their purpose to destroy the Mississippi Central Railroad, commencing at Wiaona or Duck Hill. A telegram announces that the Yankees have burned the Court House and other buildings at Hernando. They state their loss on Sunday to have been one Major, one Captain and seventeen privates killed, and about fifty wounded.
THE CAMPAIGN IN TENNESSEE.
CHATTANOOGA, April 22. – The enemy, 8000 strong, have advanced upon a village five miles this side of McMinnville and destroyed a locomotive. McMinnville is reported to be in the possession of the enemy. The enemy is also reported to be in force near Wartrace. The fight at Tuscumbia was a desperate hand-to-hand encounter. Sixty-six prisoners, captured by RODDY’S cavalry, reached Chattanooga this evening. They are mostly mounted infantry. The Yankee officers say that we will be forced to give up Tuscumbia.
TULLAHOMA, April 22. – A bridge has been burned near McMinnville and telegraphic communication interrupted, but it is not supposed that he enemy holds McMinnville. We expect news from that point tomorrow.
LATEST FROM VICKSBURG.
VICKSBURG, April 21. – All quiet here. The battery on the Peninsula opposite has been silent all day; the enemy appears to be at work there. A party of our men surprised some of the Yankees across the river last night, killing one of them. Firing was heard today in the direction of New Carthage. The river is falling rapidly.
JACKSON, April 23. – The enemy passed Vicksburg at 1 a.m. this morning. Gen. STEVENSON says that one was a gunboat and five transports, sunk to the guards and so arranged as to resemble gunboats. Two were disabled and one sunk. The wreck of one boat is in sight at Brown and Johnston’s wharf. The smokestack and one wheelhouse are out of the water. No other boats are visible. The fleet was at Grand Gulf yesterday. Gen. TAYLOR is retreating back of the town of Opelousas, towards Alexandria.
VICKSBURG, April 23. – One Yankee transport lies sunk to her hurricane roof, at Brown and Johnston, five miles below the city. Two Yankee prisoners, who escaped from the sinking transport, were brought over the river this morning. They report that the boilers of the transports were burst by our batteries, and that two of their pilots were killed by our musketry.