March 26, 1863, The New York Herald
Our intelligence from the Southwest today, confirming, as it does, the floating news which we have been in possession of for the past two or three days, is most important and satisfactory. There appears to be no doubt that Admiral Farragut’s entire squadron has arrived below Vicksburg, farther down than Warrenton. The Hartford and the Albatross have reached the Vicksburg cut-off. Admiral Porter’s splendid movement through the bayous into Deer creek, on his way to the Yazoo with five iron-clads, is also confirmed from the same source. The Monitor Lafayette is reported to be above Haines’ Bluff, on the Yazoo river, with other gunboats following her. Admiral Porter has struck out a new line of navigation through numerous bayous and water courses, by which he has got into the rear of the enemy’s position at Haines’ Bluff. Our map will correctly illustrate the line of operations followed so successfully by Admiral Porter.
The expedition on the Tallahatchie has not been so successful, the temporary check which it received by the disabling of the Chillicothe, as we before announced, being now confirmed.
We learn from Kentucky that the advance of the rebel army into that State is exciting much alarm. The advance of Longstreet’s forces are at Danville, and Breckenridge is said to be at Harrodsburg with a large army. He has issued a proclamation carrying out the conscription act, which is being rigidly enforced in all portions of Kentucky now under rebel rule.
No important movements are reported from General Hooker Army of the Potomac. Our cavalry had a brisk skirmish with the rebels in front of Chantilly, Va., on Monday evening. They drove the enemy for two miles, but getting into an ambuscade in the woods our troops were driven back by a heavy fire of carbines and pistols and a superior force of the foe. Reinforcements under Captains McGuire and Haberack then arrived, and drove back the rebels a distance of eight miles. Night coming on our column then returned to Chantilly, with the loss of one killed, three wounded, and one of their number taken prisoner.
We had a brush with the enemy at Brentwood, Tenn., yesterday morning, which resulted in the capture of three hundred of our troops by the rebels. It appears that the enemy’s cavalry, under Generals Forrest, Wheeler and Wharton, crossed Harpeth river six miles above Franklin, part of the rebel force attacking our force at Brentwood, nine miles from Nashville, on the Franklin road. Our troops, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Bloodgood, consisted of parts of the Thirty-third Indiana, Twenty-second and Nineteenth Wisconsin. After feeble resistance, with only one man killed and four wounded, our force surrendered to the enemy. All the government property was captured. General Green Clay Smith came up with a force and pursued the enemy six miles west of Brentwood, when he met the entire rebel force, numbering five thousand, with only five hundred men. He succeeded in retaking all the wagons and ammunition; but, being attacked by superior numbers, he was compelled to destroy them. He then fell back. When reinforcements reached him the rebels had decamped.
It was believed in Washington yesterday that the rebels are preparing to abandon Richmond, and are already removing their workshops and machinery to some place in the interior. It is also reported that they design making a last grand stand in the vicinity of Chattanooga.
The Union camp at Winfield, N.C., was attacked by a force of 300 rebels before daybreak on Monday, and the garrison made a vigorous defence from their block house, the gunboat, which was usually stationed there, being temporarily absent. A force of cavalry was immediately forwarded by General Peck from Suffolk, to aid the beleagured camp, at six o’clock on Monday evening; but the result of their enterprise has not reached us. General Foster, who, fortunately, was at Plymouth, where he expected an attack, sent the gunboat Terry and another, which, he reports, will be able to cut off the retreat of the enemy. It was feared that if relief did not arrive in time the besieged would be starved out; but no doubt the prompt reinforcements averted this necessity.