THE GAZETTE., LEWISTOWN, PA. Wednesday, May 14, 1862. $1 per annum in advance —$150 at end of ail moflh*—hi at end ef year. Paper* -nt oat of the C-ouiity must be pai<l for in sJvane*. g&rTh* i?b*crtpt!oE of those out of this county to whom t I.U prer .yh comes mirte-t. hm expire-!. unlesi re uow-'l w!!i t* d continue-J. If, tii- r nl-io & liuill :u Mifflin couuly.tieyouU bk.b *-? tct'.nl no rona to future rhatt owe u; fr üb*crlptior;. These ths paper with til- markctl, ill therefore th_it they Lava come under our rule, od If i ayaemt I* act made within one month the;, after • ahail discontinue all such. Flag of the fret- henrt a only home, By rmgel hands to valor jjiveni Thy stars have lit the welkia dome And ah thy Lues were born in heaven; Forever float that standard sheet.' Where breathes the foe bat falls before us With freedom's soil beneath our feet. And freedom's banner streaming o'er us. HUE PEOPLE'S STATE CONVENTION. Tit HE PEOPLE OF PENNSYLVANIA, who desire A cordially to unite m sustaining the NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION in its patriotic eflorts to sup press a sectional arid unholy rebellion against the UNITY OF THE REPUBLIC, and who desire to sup port, by every power of the Government, one hun dred thousand heroic brethren in arms, braving dis ease and the peril* of the field to preserve the Union of our Fathers, are requested to select the number of Ik-lezates equal to the Legislative Representation of the State, at such times and in suck manner as will best respond to the spirit of this call, to meet in ST A T E CON V ENTION at H ARRI3BURG. oa THURS DAY. the SEVENTEENTH DAY OF JULY next, at 11 o'clock, on said day, to nominate Candidates for the offices of AUDITOR GENERAL and SURVEY OR GENERAL, and to take such measures as may be deemed necessary to strengthen the Government in this season of common pern to a common country. A. K. McCLURE, ' Chairman People's State Committee. GEO. TV H uuuhlt, > Secretaries. Jons M SCMJVAV, J C For Auditor General, lion THOMAS E. COCHRAN. Dr. Bronson on Our Dangers. Dr Bronson has long been knowu as one of the strongest intellects of the country. — Ho was formerly a conservative among the 'conservatives' on the slavery question, but since slavery has opeuly rebelled against our government, he sees the dangers in it, and has become one of the ablest opponents of its aggressive and dangerous character While the masses of the people are taking courage from the victories we gain in battles, Bronson's great mind still takes in a view of the future, and sees startling dangers in the prospect In a late number of his Re view he has a leDgthy article on 1 The Great Danger Now to be Guarded Against,' which we should like to copy entire, but which our space compels us to take but a few extracts from. AmoDg other things he says: the great danger now to be guarded against dses not come from tiie avowed rebels. At the moment we are writing, our victorious ar mies have penetrated into Tennessee, and tak' n possession of its capital,and already we hear that a new State government is soon to be elected, and Tennessee is to have her full represntation in both Houses ofCougress. The press recommends to the Government that ae fa°t as a State is reconquered, it shall recognize it as loyal, allow it to elect its State and Federal officers, and resume its place in the Union. Whether the government will adopt such a policy or not, we know not, for we are not its organ, and are not in its se crets. ***** But precisely now comes our danger, and nevsr, at any moment since the secession of South Carolina, has the danger to the Re public been greater or more imminent. The old pro-slavery party at the North, aided by the Border States nominally in the Union, but in the Union only through fear of our battalions, rears its head, and threatens to reader all our sacrifices useless, and all our victories abortive. This party is all the more dangerous, because it professedly adopts what was in the outset apparently the policy of the Administration itself, and claims to approve and sustain the executive—a policy the useless and dangerous character of which Mr. Conway, of Kansas, in the remarkable speech placed at the head of this article, was the first thoroughly to expose. Let Tonnes see and one or two more of the rebellious States, or even Tennessee alone, be represen ted, and this par*y has regained its majority in Congress, and the whole nation is brought under the domination of the slave interest, represented now principally by the Border States, nominally loyal, but really disloyal. Here is the danger, which will only be in creased by any addition to the representation in Congress of the so called Uuion men in the seceding States. * * * * If one thing more than auother should be insisted on, it is that the expenses of putting down the rebellion sheuld be paid out of the property of the rebels, of rebel States and rebel individuals. This is alike the dictates of justice and sound policy. But even as Congress is now constituted this could hardly be effected. Let all the se ceded States conte back, and the United States would soon find that, in addition to the Fed eral debt, in addition to the damages done to property of so called loyal men. by either ar my, Federal or Confederate, the Federal treas ury would be drawn upon to pay the script of the Confederacy, and discharge all the ob ligations contracted by the rebels in their war against the Union. Some Northern " doughface"—say the Hon. Mr. Diven, of New i'ork, for instance, could be found to in troduce u bill to that effect; it would be sup ported by all the Union men of the Border States from interest and the desire to stand well with their neighbors, late rebels to the government, by tbc whole southern delega tion, as a matter of course, and by a fair share of Northern men who would be anxious to prove Inat the era of good feeling had re turned, and that they entertained no grudge against their southern brethren, and t&a bill jvould be passed, if necessary, even over the Presidential veto. As sure as the armies of the L'niwn continue, to be victorious, and the seceded States are suffered to return to the Union the ni<ment they lay down their arms, this is what will be done. It will be the reb els, not the leys lists, to whom wul ip cre the victory. Slavery will again be ID power, and tbe cottun lords wiil dominate as of old in the hails of Congress, the Rxecu tive chair, and the departments, threatening anew if we of the free States show aiiy dis position to assert our rights, to secede, to convulse the cation wg;iio with civil war, to murder again Mr fathers, husbands, sons and brothers, till they break our spirit, and we become as tame and docile as their r >wn negroes. Is this the premium to be pail for treason ? And this tbe penalty to be inflict ed 011 loyalty ? gsztjfXs members of Congress are be ginning to feel themselves out of the woods on account of our glorious successes by sea and land, the union-savers begin to ap pear again. A meeting was held at Wash ington City on Saturday last, at which many locofoco demagogues tried to white wash themselves into union-savers, but the thing will fall to the ground, no matter who is at the head of it. The people have willed it that the rebels must be put down thoroughly and completely without regard to sLvery. tA,Oar old friend T. T. Worth has been appointed Superintendent of State Printing. An excellent appointment of a worthy man. GENERAL McCLELLAN'S ARMY. Gen. McClellan's army continues its vic torious advance, and at 3 o'clock on Satur day afternoon the van was within 22 miles of the rebel capital. Gen. Stoneman's headquarters were at New Kent Court House, 5 miles in the rear, and Gen. Mc- Clellan, with the main body, was rapidly following. The rear guard of the rebels was driven out of New Kent on Friday, and cn the same day an engagement occur red at Slater's Mills, three miles distant, in which fourteen of the rebel cavalry were killed, and several captured. The correspondent of the Associated Press furnishes some interesting details of the fi j-ht in front of Williamsburg on Monday a week, respecting which we published a brief des patch last week. Tbe attack was commenced by the enemy on our forces, consisting prin cipally of Gen. Hancock and Gen. Hooker's brigades. The action was very heavy at times, but the enemy were repulsed at all points. A brillant victory was finally achiev ed in the afternoon by Gen. Hancock's brig ade. The Ilebel troops under Gen Early ad vanced in line of battle to within two hundred yards of Gen. Hancock's brigade, whan they were received with a heavy fire followed by a bayonet charge, before which they fled panic stricken, leaving eighty of their dead and for ty vrcunded on the field. We also took near ly two hundred prisoners. Our loss was s< v enteen killed and about f >rty w uaded, This successful result was bailed with shouts of joy in our camps. Gen. Hancock's brigade held two of the enemy's redoubts during the night. Gen. McClellan arrived on the fi-l-J at five o'clock and assumed command. The rain had given place to clear weather the day before, and the army was iu good spirits. Some interesting events transpired it Hampton Roads on Thursday. The bom bardment of the Rebel batteries on Sowell's Point and Craney Island was actively carried forward by the Monitor, the Naugatuck, and other vessels of the fleet. The Merrimac finally appeared, but as she evinced a disin clination to come out into the roadstead, and our vessels were equally disinclined to go up to her, the combat ceased. The scene was a lively one for some time, and was witnessed by President Lincoln and Secretary Stanton, who arc still at Fortress Monroe. It is be lieved that the Rebel batteries were consider ably damaged by the fire, and Sowsll'e Point was reportod evacuated. The gunboats Galena (iron-clad), Aristo k and Port Royal, which went up the James river in the morn, ing, soon silenced the Rebel battery at Day's Point, and passed on towards Hog Island, about which the principal defences of the river are located. A despatch from General McClellan, dated at Williamsburg atnooa on Friday, states that the Galena was aground off Hog Island, but he thought not badly, and he had sent to Captain Ilodgers all the assist ance he needed. So far but brief mention has been made of a hard fight at West Point between our advance and the Rebels, but we have no offcial accounts in relation to it. It appears to have been an attack on our troops landing there by the Rebels in strong force, but they were repulsed and driven off by the fire of the gunboats. General McClellan's despatch of Friday noon speaks in the most satisfactory terms of the condition of affairs. He had formed a junction with General I ranklio's Division, and the army wasmoving forward in magnificent spirits. II KADYCARTERS, CUMBERLAND, VA., ) Sunday Evening, May 11. j Ihere has been no movement of troops to day as Gen. MeClellan was desirous of ob. serving the day, and giving his men an opportunity to rest. Ihe reports *0 day brought in by scouting parties sent to the Chickahominy on the left a distance of 13 miles, confirm the burning of both the bridges across that river. The enemy was seen in considerable force on the opposite side. A strong picket of the enemy made its appearance about tvro miles from the White House to day. They were not interfered with, until be> coming too bold, when a gunboat, which arrived about 1 o'clock, shelled them out. — The noise must have been heard at Richmond, jM it is only 20 milss off. WAR NEWS, THE FIGHT 3ELOW NEW ORLEANS. [Correspondence of the w York Times.] MISSISSIPPI RIVER. April 18, 18G2. The work of reducing the rebel strongholds will he commenced this morning. How long the struggle will be prolonged no one is able to prophesy. We all know that a formida ble task is before us; that desperate men fighting for the last stake, are our opponents. : But of cur ultimate success everybody is con- j fident. Preparations for the encounter have been made on a scale commensurate with the - magnitude of the undertaking, and our men, . profoundly imbued with the righteousness of their cause, are filled with zeal and eDthus iasm. Tin Fighting Eoice. Our fighting force consists of six sloops of war, sixteen gunboats, and twenty one mor tar vessels. There are also a few ship?, barks, and schooners, containing ordnance, coals, and other stores, hovering in the rear of our fleet. This squadron is now at anchor about three miles from Forts Jackson and St. Philip, in readiness for the attack. The advanee to this point has been by easy stages. This was a necessity, because where concerted action | is required of any large force, there are al ; ways matters of detail to be arranged, and lets and hindrances to be overcome, which human foresight is powerless to anticipate, I but which must receive attention as they de- ( vclop themselves during the successive stages of preparation. Preliminary Incidents. There have been many incidents connect ed with our movements. Every day our gun boats have had skirmishes with the forts and the armed steamers of the enemy. In these encounters no injuries have resulted to us, but our metal had several times carried des truction with it, at least our lookouts have so reported. W<■ certainly know whenever the rebel vessels have attempted to make a re conncissance, they invariably have been driv en back without accomplishing their purpose. A day or two since I was present at one of these engagements. Exciting Engagements icW- lite Furls. Capt. Porter, commanding the mortar flo til'a, i. :ng desirous of ascertaining the range of the mortars before stationing his vessels for the bombardment, brought up the sehoon j ers Arietta, Capt. Thomas Smith: John Grif j £ch, Capt. Henry Brown, and Orvetta, Capt. | Francis Blanchard, anchoring about 24 miles ! from the forts. I availed myself of an oppor i tnnity to witness the test from the gunboat ' Ownco, which bad followed the schooners up the river. Although our vessels took their ! position about mid day, in plain sight of the j rebel forts, neither side opened fire until five i o'clock in the afternoon. This delay, then ! incomprehensible, has since been explained to me iiy the fact that a boat from the English ! war vessel Barrucouta, had gone to the forts * with despatches to the British consul, and , hostilities could not be commenced without j endangering the lives of those who had been sent en the mission. As soon as she return j ed firing began, the first bomb having been ! thrown from the Arietta. Fort Jackson re | plied with rifle shot, and for half an hour and ; more the affair was exciting. The tire of the I rebels was directly in the line of the inortar | vessels, but of the thirty shots none fell near ier than fifty yards of the schooners. lob ; served the effect of our shells upon the fort. The gunners, after the first two explosi ms, retired from their barbette guns, and after wards only used them in the casemate*. Capt. Porter expressed himself satisfied with the result of the practice, and at nightfall the schooners retired a short distance, taking a position under the guns of tin; large ve-sol". which were station" ] in hue to close the west bank of tlie river, just out oi range, ami cot ceah-j front the forts as follows: Tim ()n#?i da. It: hniond. Mississippi, \ arena. Iroquois. Iliitfird and Pcnsacola '1 he little piece oi practice had been watclmd fiotn those vessels with great interest. .Visiring our lintl-is. The mortar schooners at best afford a small mark for them t<> fire at, but the chances of strikingthemare still further decreased by the screen of woods which hides the tiuils com pletely from the forts, fcstiil further to con coal them from observation, their masts have becu dressed with evergreens. All yesterday afternoon, the sailors were busy in the tan gled chapparal cutting the branches and limbs of the trees for this purpose. It was great fun for the tars, who felt no fear, in the glow of their excitement, at disturbing the rattlesnakes and alligators which infest the morass. Three of the mortar schooners are station ed at the east bank of the river in a position where they can best operate upon Fort St. Philip. These have been disguised different ly. A covering of foliage would only render them the more conspicuous as targets. Bat Yankee ingenuity has been compelled to ren der their assistance. The hulls of these ves sels are covered with a shaggy wall of aqua tic growth, and are thus made to assimilate in color to the vegetation of the marsh. A Fire Raft Destroyed. An hour after the review, the men had an opportunity to test, in a practical manner, their means for destroying fire rafts, and they prove to be an admirable success. A turgid column of black smoke, arising from resinous wood, was seen approaching us from the vicinity of the forts. Signal lights were made, the varied colors of which produced a beautiful effect upon the foliage of the river bank, and rendering the darkness intenser by contrast when they disappeared ; instantly a hundred boats shot out toward the raft, which now was blazing fiercely and casting a wide j zone of light upon the water. Two or three of the gunboats then got under weigh and steamed boldly toward the the unknown thing of terror. One of them, the Westfield, Cap tain Renshaw, gallantly opens hersteam valves, and dashes furiously upon it, making the sparks fly and timbers crash with the force of her blow. Then a stream of water from her hose plays upon the blazing mass. Now the small boats lay alongside, coming up helter skelter, and actively employing their men.— We see every thing distinctly in the broad glare—men, oars, boats, buckets, and ropes. ; The scene looks phantom like, supernatural; ■ intensely interesting, eitremely exciting, in extricably confused. But finally the object is nobly accomplished. The raft, yet fiercely burning, is taken out of range of the anchor-I ed vessels and towsd ashore, where it is slow ly consumed. As the boats rpturn they are cheered by the fleet, and the ecene changes to one of darkness an<J repose, broken occa sionally by the gruff hail of a seaman when a boat, sent on business from one vessel to an other, passes through the fleet. The Siege Six Days Advanced. MISSISSIPPI RIVER, April 23,1862. The siege of Forts Jackson and St. Philip has been in progress almost uninterrupedly during ihe pa&t sx days and fire nights, an still are not reduced. All this time I have been patiently waiting the end, convinced that a snccinct narrative <f operations, after success had been achieved, would be far me re acceptable to you than a diffused statement of events in the order of their occurrence. The Fori* Passed—Enemy Re fuse to Sur render. I will premise with the statement that to day—the 23d day of April —wiil henceforth be remembered as the date of one of the most desperate of naval battles. At 3 o'clock in the morning the greater part of Commodore Furragut'a squadron—consisting of five sloops , of war and nine ganboats —successfully pas sed up the river, runniog through a fearful fire, and are now above the forts. The mor tar flotilla and eight armed steamers are still below the enemy, who are thus placed be tween two fires, with his supplies from New Orleans cut off, and rendering his surrender merely a question of time. Of the damage that has resulted to either side, I have at present little knowledge. From my position with the mortar vessels I can see the masts of our fleets, apparently three or four miles be yond the forts, and the flag of the Union is flying from the top of every spar. The burning hulls of three rebel steamers have passed by us down the river, and that famous bugbear, the rani Manassas, is des troyed. I saw it sinking, a burning wreck, its two smoke stacks tottering, its cylinders pierced with yawning holes made by rifled shot; and in the cabin where I am now writ ing is a logslate, taken from her deck just be fore she sank by Mr. Geo. W. Sumner, the executive officer of this vessel. The edges and frame of the slate are charred, but not so badly as to prevent our reading on the outside these words: " Master's log, C. S. steamer Manassas." On the inside is writ ten ; "From 6to 8 evening, kept up fires.— At 7.30. steamer Diana passed up, Signed R. T. W," which are probably the initials of the name of the officer who had the watch.— Although the loss of the rebels cou'd not have been otherwise than severe, they refused to surrender. Communication had been bad with them by means of a flag of truce, when Capt. Port ;r demanded that they should yield unconditionally. Their reply was that the terms were in admissible, and until the last man fell they should fight. Eire Opened. Fire was opened on the morning of Good Friday, April 23. At an early hour the twenty bomb vessels were towed by the steam ers Westtleld, Clifton, and Miami to the po sitions which had been selected for them.— Fourteen of the schooners were moved to the western side of the river, close to the bank, where they were hidden by the trees from the enemy's observation, and the remaining six. ; instead of three only as was at first intended, j were placed in a more exposed position on the opposite side of the stream. The first schoon- ; er in the line on the western side was station ed a little less than a mile and three quarters from Fort Jackson, and the thirteen others lay astern of her, with the bowsprit of each c verlapping the taffrail of the one immediate ly in advance. The vessels across the river were in full view of Fort St. Philip, whence they were distant nearly two miles and a half. Commencement of the Siege. The engagement was opened by Fort Jack son a few minutes before 'J o'clock, and the gunboat Owaseo, which had gone a length or two ahead of the mortar \i>se'<, was the first to reply. Presently tho houib flotilla c>m menced tin-owing it* shells, somewhat slowly at firMt, fcnt with increasing rapidity as the sailors became accustomed to their work, un til a bt-uib was sent from each vessel, on nn average, once in five minutes. There w ere T'J si:ol* fired from the f>rts during the first li' iir and a half, the larger number of which came i', ,ni Fort Jackson. 31 >st of them pas >< 1 over the masts of the schooners on the left, dropping in range of those on ihe other sii ire, tod from I-30 to 200 yards short. Af ter awhile, however, the rebels got the range of these .-ix vessels, accurately, and (he balls fell a unit them, especially from Fort Philip, terribly thick and fast. In return, the bombs were directed spiritedly upon the fort, and with such effect that the enemy slackened his fire. Ic is wondvrful that our vessels were not smashed to pieces. Solid shot struck the water close beside them, wetting the men with the spray, or lodging in the soft mud of the river bank, directly between the schooners, a thick column of earth high up ah >ve their masts. These vessels all belonged to the second division of the flotilla. The dan ger to which these vessels were exposed far outweighed the advantages which might re sult from retaining the position, and in the evening, Captain Porter ordered them to re treat. The next morniDg they were towed into the rear of the line of vessels on the left, where they remained until the end of the bombardment. Only three of them were struck, and not a soul was injured on board of them. Captain Queen's vessel, the T. M. Ward, had a large hole made in her by a ten inch ball. It entered her starboard quarter, smashing the cabin, and passing directly over the top of the magazine, through the port side into the water. Another shot entered the deck of the Adolph Hugel, forward, and lodg- j ed iD the hold. Still another carried away the cutwater of the Sidney C. Jones. A Scene from the Masthead. The Hartford, Pensacola, Richmond, Brook lyn, and Mississippi had come up close to the rear line of mortar vessels, just without the range of the enemy's guns, and were steaming only enough to keep their relative positions against the force of the current. A dozen smaller steam-vessels dotted the smooth sur face of the river, like the chessmen upon a board when the game is nearly finished. Of these gunboats the Owaseo, Kennebec, Wissa kickon, Cayuga, and Seiota, were at the head of our lines, belching out shell upon the ene my from their eleven inch pivot guns witli fu rious rapidity, and with them the sloop of war Iroquois, Capt. De Camp, whose gallantr ry is everywhere admitted. The Iroquois seemed to be a special target for the enemy, shells ploughed up the water all around her, but she escaped with only two of her crew slightly wounded. More Fire Rafts. Over the woods we can count seven or eight moving columns of Bmoke, which indicate that the rebel steamers are passing about, probably plotting some tpischief against us. Soon one, and then and aftorwards a third appear in view, steering tpward the forts.— Before reaching them, however, the steamers dash to oover again, and we see that three huge burning rafts have been set adrift. The swift current sweeps them toward us. Near er and nearer these seemingly formidable rafts approach, but they occasion little anxiety. We know how to dispose of them. The sailors from the large ships are called opt of the rig ging. which they have been permitted to oc cupy as interested spectators o'f the battle, and jo a short time boats bare the rafts in tow, and they are landed on the river hank to hum away. Frri,\g Ceased for the Night. The war waged in this way all At intervals the fire of the enemy was brisker than at others. As nearly as we could judge the rebels were unable to stand long under our fire at their barbette guns, but retreated to their casemates, where having gained rest and a fresh supply of courage, they would return only to be driven away again after fi ring a few rounds. About 5 o'clock p. m., we observed flames apparently in the centre of ! Fort Jackson, and after it broke out there was no further firing from either fort. At night fall a signal was made from the Harriet Lane for the schooners to cease operations, and the night was passed in quiet, without even a fire raft appearing to disturb our repose. Immense Rebel Fle-ating Mat fen/. Friday evening. April 25. 1802. The mortar flotilla, with which I have been more especially connected, was ordered sud denly. about 5 o'clock in tho afternoon, to ge r under way, and repair to this place, (Pi j lot Town), where most of the vessels are now at anchor. The reason for this unexpected order is explained by the circumstauce that an immense floating battery, iron clad and heavilv armed, survived the fire of our fleet as it ran the gauntlet of the forts, and could ' be seen a mile or two above us, with no ade quate force to interpose, should the rebel mas ters attempt to clear us out of the river.— This formidable battery at the forts is an un wieldy contrivance. It is constructed of a New Orleans dry dock, and is unmanageable in a i tide way. Should it venture down the river, we have an open sea by which to avoid it.— As it would be impossible to get it back again ; a sufficient force could be brought to destroy !' t- Despatch from Farragut. The is no doubt that Commodore Farragut, with a large squadron, is now at New Or leans. Read the following letter, a copy of which I was permitted to make. It was writ ten when the flag officer was warm from the | conflict, and the words have the ring of true l metal in them : Dear Porter : We had a tough time of it as Boggs will tell you, but, thank God, the number of killed and wounded was very sruall, considering. This ship had two kill ed and eight wounded. We destroyed the ram in a single combat between her aud the old Mississippi, but the ram backed out when i she saw the Mississippi coming at him so rampantly, and he dodged her and ran on shore, whereupon Smith put two or three broad sides through him, and knocked him ail to pieces. The ram pushed a fire raft on to me, and, in trying to avoid it, I ran the s ip on shore. lie again pushed the fire raft j on me, and got the ship on fire all along one ! side. I thought it was all up witii us, but we put it out and got oil" again, proceeding up the river, fighting our way. We had de stroyed all but two of the gunboats, and these will" have to surrender with the forts. lin I tend to follow up my success and push for ! New Orleans, and then come down and attend | to the forts, so you hold them in statu quo un til I come back. 1 think if you send a flag j of truce and demand their surrender th y will i yield, for their intercourse with the c'ty is cut off. We have cut the wires above the ' Quarantine, and are now going ah°ad. I took | 300 or 400 prisoners at the Quarantine. They ! surrendered, and I paroled them not to take :up arms again. 1 could nut stop to take care of them. If the General will eoine up to the bayous and land a few men or as many as he pleases, he will find two gunboats there to protect hurt fr-mi the gunboats that are at the forts. 1 wish t-> get to the English Turn, where they say they have not placed a battery vet. but have two above nearer New Orleans. They will riot Le idle, and neither will I. Yon supported us most nobly. Very truly yours. D. G. FAREA OCT, To Capt. T. D. Porter, Com Mortar Flotilla £/>!■ ><>/i'l Fijhf <f the Yuruua. This i{p.-patch was brought to Capt. Porter this afti-rnoon by Capt. Buggs. lute citnmau der ' f the Varuna, whose vesscd was sunk in the action. Frnui Capt. Boggs I obtained some further information, lie stated that, before the Varuna sunk, she destroyed alone six of the rebel steamers, of which he learned the names of four, viz: the William II Webb, Palmetto, Phujnix, and Jackson. As he pas sed the forts, Cant. Hoggs, as well as all the other vessels, received their fire. The Rich niond and one or two more of the large steam sloops, slowed down and poured three or four broadsides each into the enemy. The Varuna did not wait after delivering two broadsides, but pressed directly on into a hornet's nest of rebel gunboats, which were a mile or two above. She was assailed by these two or three at a time, in ram fashion, butting at her wiih their iron cased prows, and several large holes were made in iier. As long as his vessel floated Capt. Boggs fought gallantly with bis guns, and drove the enemy's steamers ashore, where they were tired by their own crews.— One of the Varuna's shot disabled still anoth er steamer by making a hole in her boiler, and this vessel surrendered to the Oneida, who took her officers and crew prisoners. The Varuna's last guns were fired when her decks were under water, and no clothing or other property was saved by a soul on board. There were three of the Varuna's crew killed in the action, and seven wounded, two of whom are not expected to survive their injuries. Inclu ding the ram, there were eleven of the rebel steamers destroyed, and the captain of the ram is a prisoner on board the Mississippi. The Gunboats Under Weigh. The night was calm and starlight. The rebels, all day, had preserved an ominous si lence. Not a single gun had been tired from either fort, and the fact argued that they had either evacuated their position or were reser ving their ammunition in anticipation of the grand attack. Precisely at two o,clock two signal lanterns were hoisted upon the Hart fead's mizzen peak, and, in a few moments, the voices of the boatswains rang clearly over the river, " up all hammocks," which meant that the men were to forego their sleep and get the ships under weigh. There was some delay in getting up anchors, and ranging into position, and it was not until 3} o'clock that the vessels began to move, which they did in three divisions, in order as follows: The Plan of Attack. The steam sloops Hartford, Brooklyn, and Richmond, and the gunboats Sciota, Iroquois, Kennebec, Pinola, Itasca, and Winona. These vessels were especially under the direction of Commodore Farragut, and were to fire upon Fort Jackson. The steam sloops Pensacola, Mississippi, Oneida, and Varuna, the tile gunboats Kath adin, Kineo, Wissahicon, and Cayuga, under Capt. Bailey, of the Colorado, composed the Second Division, to operate against Fort Phi}- ip . The Harriet Lane. Westfield, Owasco, Mi. ama, Clifton, and Jackson, comprised the Third Division, under Capt. Porter. These were to take a position from which tbey could pour an •n<n£sH®*3re of grape an ] *bra 6 , 8 into Fort J action, and ibey went joined i 9 | the Portsmouth, sloop of war. a sailing Tfc / I which only coold reach her position i n §*;. M of the exertions of her officers and ere-/>!■ time to deliver one broadside. Fighting in Earnest. As soon as the vessels got under Lead w jl a furious fire wss thrown in the direction*;■ the forts from the whole line of mortar eels, which seemed to shake the verv wateN 3 and at times, I could count nine "bomt.i| once in their flight as they twinkled throu £ ; I the air, radiantly as failing stars. The rebe .l seemed cognixant of our coming, for thef ]] 11 most of the fleet had hardly got abreast. [d the line of fire from the forts when s,g n;s |1 rockets were made from Fort f?t. Philip, a . ill shots began to fall rapidly upoD thetn. f,. r l a time there was no reply; but soon we hear the noise of the broadsides, which souc I' ed, in comparison with the bombs, pack of Chinese fire crackers let off together I A fire raft cast a lurid glare near Fort ?• I Philip, and for half an hour the din wa> tr rible. Pandemonium could scarcely be more awe inspiring. At the end of that time i began to grow lighter, and I soon seen the Harriet Lane, with Capt. Porter, and all the vessels of his division, coming rapidly down the river. Behind them were the gunboats Kennebec Winona, and Itasca, which had been unable to pass beyond the forts. The Itasca at the time tyis under a shower of shell from Fort St. Philip. I was afterward inf rmod that when she was directly ncder the funs j of the fort a shot passed through her boiler and this rendered her unable to proceed. 0a I her way down r>he wasexposed to a raking fire, j and received thirteen shots below net water i line. Singularly enough, only two men wen ! injured on board of her. Their names are Richard Kane, Captain of the hold, who was ! struck by a splinter, and Raney, a fireman, who was scalded upon his arm and face hv I the escape of steam. Cheering Neics—The Forts Passed. It was now about 5 o'clock, and themcr tars, which had kept up their fire incessantly were signalized to cease. Than a report was spread that the larger part of the sqadr u had passed beyond the forts, and cheers upon cheers of exultation made the welkin rine. I visited the Harriet Lane, and learned that although she had heeu exposed to a furious fire, no damage of eon-equence had resultc i to the vessel. One shot bad cut her rigging, and another, had struck the brass hand rail on the bridge between her paddle boxes. A piece of the rail about six inches long was broken off a:.d forced through the body of Michael Fitzgerald, the second captain of the after pivot gun, poriucing a wound which h* did not long survive. The same fragment of metal also struck George W. Iluston. one of the gun's crew, breaking his thigh, and ma king the amputation of his leg necessary. WASHINGTON, May 8, p. m —The following ! despatch from a bearer of despatches from | Com. Farragut, who lias arrived at Fortress Monroe, was received at the War Department this evening : FORTRESS MONR< E. M.IJ Bth. Hon Gideon Welles, Sec'y. of the Navy: 1 have the honor to announce that, in the providence of God, which smiles upon a just cause, the squadron under Flag Officer Fan . gut has been vouchsafed it glorious vicf<: y and triumph n the capture of the City of N'ta Orleans, Farts Jackson. St. Philip. Licinyston ami Pike—the Latteries Itcluic ami cboec New Orleans, Us well as the total destruction of the enemy's (jttnf/oals, steam rants, float in a batter ies, (ironclad.) fire rafts and obstructions— bombs and Chains ! j The enemy, with Xheir own hands, destroy ed irum ebjht to ten millions Worth of c tt.u : and shipping ! Our loss is do killed and 123 wounded. The enemy lost from I.OUJ to 1,500, be : sides several iiundred prisoners. Th> tray is now clear and the rtbel def tiers destroyed from the yu/J'to Baton liouye. a, i probabhj to Memphis ! j Our flag waves triumphantly oxer tlieui a!:! I am the bearer of despatches. (Signed) THEOD.RLS BAILEV, Captain, and second in command of the attacking force of the gunboat Cayuga. CAPTURE OF NORFOLK. President Jjincoln in Person. the DmUirkatiun and Debarkation of Troops —If - dnlaris that Xorfulk Must fait—and that 'J he M< rrimac must tSucvumb to the A aval J J bicer i and re mains to sec it done. WASHINGTON, May 11. The following was received at the War Pe partinent this muring: FORTRESS MONROE, May 10th,) 111 o'clock at night. J Norfolk is ours and also Portsmouth and the Navy lard. Gen. Wool having complet ed the landing of his forces at Willoughby point, about nine o'clock this morning, com pleted his march on Norfolk with 5.000 men. Secretary Chase accompanied the General.— About five miles from the landing place a rebel battery was found on the opposite side ot the bridge over Tanners creek. After a few discharges of companies of infantry the rebels burned the bridge ; this compelled our forces to march around five miles further.— At five o'clock in the afternoon our forces were within a short distance of Norfolk, and were met by a delegation of citizens and the city was formally surrendered. Our troops marched in, and we now have possession. [Second Despatch.] PHILADELPHIA, May 11. Information has been received here of the surrender of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Gosport and the navy yard, by the rebels, to a Feder al force 5,000 strong, under Major General Wool. The rebels before the surrender blew op and sunk the monster Merrimac, and burnt the Navy Yard. [ Third Despatch.] FORTRESS MONROE, May 11, Hon. P. Watson, Assistant Secretary of War: The Merrimac was blown up by tho rebels at two minutes before.five o'clock this morning. She was set fire to about three o'clock and the explosion took place at the time stated. It was said to have been a grand sight by those who saw it. Ihe Monitor steamer and the gunboats have gone up towards Norfolk. (Signed) E. S. SANFORD. issue our paper somewhat earli er than usual this week, all hands being bent—wind, weather, &o. permitting—on taking a few days' trip to the wilds of Lick ing, where the speokled beauties abound.
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