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resolutions offered by W. G. Brownlow were miles above Smith field. The others were to land unanimously adopted, favoring emancipation, below at that place. We took up our line of recommending a convention to effect it, and re-march, and within about one mile came upon the questing Governor Johnson to call the same at rebel signal corps, who gave us a volley and fled. the earliest period practicable, and indorsing We followed, meeting with no opposition for the administration and war policy of President three miles, when we found them posted behind Lincoln. Governor Johnson made a powerful breastworks and reënforced. They were too speech in support of the resolutions.-THE Ninth strong for our skirmishers, and Captain Story, Connecticut and Eighth Vermont reenlisted vet- of company F, was ordered to charge the breasteran regiments arrived at New-Haven, Ct., this works with his command, companies I and D, evening. GENERAL JOHN W. GEARY, command-about fifty men; and lest this should seem small ing Second division, Twelfth (afterward Twen- for two companies, I will say, our whole regitieth) army corps, started from Bridgeport, Ala., ment only mustered three hundred men, and on an expedition down the Tennessee, last Tues- were put into six companies of fifty men each. day, taking with him one thousand men, and one We were ordered to fix bayonets, and then forgunboat. They shelled along the banks of the ward, every man's eye being on the breastworks river, occasionally routing a party of guerrillas and as he advanced toward it, expecting to receive a rebel cavalry, until within eleven miles of Deca- volley; but the rebels fled without firing. We tur. Here they came to a large force of infantry, pressed after them; and a mile further came to artillery, and cavalry. It was nearly dark, and a mill-dam, with a bridge to cross, and discoverthe General ordered the boat up the river again. ed a turn in the road on the opposite side, where But the rebels were not to be thus trifled with, the rebels had posted themselves to advantage. and sent a battery of flying artillery up both A company was ordered into the woods to keep sides of the river to head off the gunboat. The up a fire on them. The videttes were on the artillery went up the banks, and got in posi- road watching the movements of the enemy, but tion to play when the Nationals passed; but kept themselves well covered, as we had already the night was very dark, and the General with found they were good shots, having had two men his men passed in safety. The expedition halted wounded before reaching their breastworks. At ten miles below Bridgeport, at a small village, this point, Sergeant Thomas Porter, of company and sent out a company as skirmishers. They I, a daring and brave young man, ventured bewent in the town, drove some rebel pickets, and yond the videttes to get a shot, when he fell captured a mail and seventeen thousand dollars mortally wounded, the ball entering his shoulder, in confederate money. They returned to camp passing entirely down the back, and was exthis evening. tracted near the side.

-A BODY of rebel cavalry made an attack on the National pickets at Bristoe Station, Va., killing one man, and wounding two others of the Thirteenth Pennsylvania regiment. They were driven off after a few shots had been exchanged, but carried their wounded with them.—THE notorious guerrilla Reynolds, and his command, was surprised by a party of National cavalry, near Knoxville, Tenn., and ten of them killed. Reynolds and fifteen others were captured, together with their horses, equipments, and arms.

-THE expedition to Smithfield, Va., which left Portsmouth day before yesterday, returned this day. A participant gives the following account of it:

"The expedition consisted of three regiments, the Twenty-third and Twenty-fifth Massachusetts, and the Ninth New-Jersey. Our regiment, the Twenty-third, alone landed at a point nine

"At this time we heard firing in our rear, and feared that the guerrillas would give us trouble by attacking our rear-guard; but we were determined to clear our way in front first, and Captain Raymond was ordered to charge across the bridge at all hazards, and disperse the foe, which was handsomely done, capturing the officer of

the signal corps and two of his men, while the rest scattered in all directions, we not losing a man. In the morning we were informed that the Colonel's orders were from General Graham, commanding the expedition, to reach Smithfield at such an hour, expecting we should meet with little or no opposition; but, as the prospect was, that every mile was not only to be disputed, but that we were going to have considerable trouble in our rear with the guerrillas, the Colonel concluded to fall back to the river, under the protection of the gunboats, as we had already three wounded men to get there, and no ambulance to

convey them in. On turning back to the breast- learn. I think this expedition is the second works from which we drove the rebels, we took made under the command of Brigadier-General a different road from the one we came up in the Graham." morning, but had not gone far, before the guerrillas were following us, and a rear-guard was taken from company F, and they had something to do to keep them back, continually exchanging shots. The rebels were bold and daring; they knew every turn in the road, and would watch Ark., by a portion of the rebel forces under Gen

their chance to ride up and give us a shot, whenever opportunity offered. When within a halfmile of the river where we

ram B. Lord, of Newburyport, was wounded in the thigh, the ball passing in one side and out of the other.

-A FORAGE-TRAIN belonging to the National forces under the command of Colonel Williams, of the Kansas infantry, was attacked and captured at a point about eight miles from Camden,

eral Price.-Leavenworth Conservative.

-THE Richmond Examiner contained the folhalted, Corporal Hi-lowing review of the situation: "Whilst the black cloud is slowly gathering on the horizon which will soon overspread the heavens, and, amid roaring thunder, discharge its flashes of lightning, a silence full of awe reigns through all nature, unbroken except by the painful soughing of the wind and a faint muttering in the distance. Such is the apparent quiet that oppresses our mind, and makes us bend low before the fearful storm that we feel in our heart is not afar off. Even the busy hum of preparation is hushed; what man can do to prepare for the fearful day has been done, and the South, at least, stands ready, like the strong man armed; the good

harness bright and his heart full strong. Our men, after all their struggles and buffetings, riddled with wounds, broken by sickness, tried by cares, overcast by checks, are yet undaunted and unwavering; and once more, after imploring the Most High for his blessing, cast off the dust and ashes from their head, and rise at the call of danger, hopeful and confident as when they buckled

"We came to the river-bank and stacked our arms in front of the residence of General F. M. Boykin, who was a noted politician of the democratic school, as letters found on his premises proved. This place has of late been made the headquarters of the rebel signal corps. Here was found a brass field-cannon in good order. A few rods from here is a fort which was erected at the outbreak of the rebellion, and was to command not only the river, but all approaches to it by land. In it were a number of large guns dis-knight, with the sword loose in its sheath, his mounted, and ten so damaged that they will never be of any use again. It looks as if it had been deserted for some time. Just before dark, our regiment took up its quarters in this fort, as it was thought it would be a good position, in case the enemy should come upon us in force. We had not been in the fort more than two hours, before we were ordered to go aboard the transport, and that night moved down to Smith-on their maiden swords. People and army, one field; and the next forenoon the other part of the expedition came out, and we all returned to Portsmouth. A Lieutenant, belonging to frigate Minnesota who accompanied the expedition "So far, we feel sure of the issue. All else is to Smithfield, was killed, and also an officer of mystery and uncertainty. Where the first blow the Ninth New-Jersey killed, and one private will fall, when the two armies of Northern Virwounded. I believe those were all the casualties ginia will meet each other face to face; how Grant they met with. The Twenty-third had one mor- will try to hold his own against the master spirit tally wounded, Porter, of company I; two seri- of Lee, we cannot even surmise. But it is clear ously, Lord, of company I, Symonds, of compa- to the experienced eye that the approaching camny C; one slightly, Osborn, company G; and paign will bring into action two new elements one wounded and taken prisoner, Thomas, of not known heretofore in military history, which company F, who was sent with the quartermas-may not unlikely decide the fate of the gigantic ter and another man to signalize the gunboats crusade. The enemy will array against us his of our whereabouts. What damage we did the new iron-clads by sea, and his colored troops on rebels we do not know. The other part of the land. expedition took some prisoners, two of them

wounded; whether they killed any I did not VOL. VIII-DIARY 5

soul and one body, feel alike in their innermost hearts that when the clash comes, it will be a struggle for life or death.

"Europe will watch with nervous interest the first great trials made of these improved moni

tors, if it should be our good fortune to finish and equip our own vessels of that class in time to meet them on equal terms. For since Aboukir and Trafalgar—a longer pause than was ever before known in the history of Europe-there have been no great naval fights, where fleets have met and the empire of the ocean has been at stake. Great wars have been carried on by land, but the sea has not been the scene of like great conflicts. During this long truce, two new elements-steam and improved projectiles-have entirely changed the conditions of such contests.

"Vessels have become independent in their movements. Wind or tide may aid or impede, but they are no longer essential, and steam enables them to approach each other at will, untrammelled by external agencies. The power of the engines of war which they carry has steadily increased; and in precise proportion as the projectile gained in weight and distance, the means of defence were improved in the armament of vessels. Thus, we have now guns of a calibre unknown since the first days of artillery, and ships armed like the mailed knights of the middle ages. They promise a truly fearful character for the result of the first hostile meeting on a large scale.

on pivots, have ascended our rivers with impu-
nity, frightened the people on shore, and con-
trolled the country for miles around.
The pres
tige that attended them at first, and cost us so
dear, has, however, completely vanished. Like
every dreaded danger, they succumbed as they
were fairly looked in the face. Now we know
fully their vulnerability, and the perils of a water
transport for troops, with their helplessness when
attacked in boats.

"Since the first trials, however, the Yankees have made great efforts to remedy the evils that attended their early iron-clads-their want of buoyancy, their sinking too deep forward to approach well at certain landings, the necessity to tow them out at sea, and their slowness, which would embarrass the fleet to which they may be attached. They claim now to possess vessels as buoyant and free in motion as ordinary steamers, impenetrable to any known projectile, including the new Whitworth arms, and provided with a heavier armament than the last built iron-clads of the English. These they propose to carry into our harbors, and if we there can meet them, a conflict such as the world has not seen' yet will take place. The famous deeds of our noble Merrimac will be repeated, and England especially "The experiments heretofore made with iron- will watch the result with intense interest, as she clad vessels have been but very imperfect trials. well knows that these Yankee iron-clads were, in During the Crimean war certain floating bat-reality, not built for us, but for British ports teries' of the French attacked the very strong | and British vessels. After Mr. Seward's insolent batteries of Kinsburn, and silenced them with despatch to Mr. Adams, which Earl Russell so apparent ease. They were, however, mere iron conveniently ignored, they are amply forewarned. boxes, having neither masts nor yards, and, in fact, in no point like the iron-clads of our day, with their plate armor at the sides and their turrets on deck. A trial on a larger scale was contemplated against the forts of Venice, when peace came and resigned them to the dockyard.

"Another fleet of smaller but equally dangerous vessels has been built in the interior of the country, and there is no doubt that the Yankees will again send out the fleet of light gunboats, well armed and iron-clad, to force their way into regions otherwise inaccessible, to carry war to "In our navy, also, the vessels of the enemy waters where they are least expected, and to overhave, with the exception of the fight with the come shore defences by a tempest of converging Merrimac, attempted only the reduction of stone fire. They will again try to illustrate the powerwalls at Charleston. Successful in beating down ful aid which a land army may receive from the brick and mortar, and reducing granite to atoms, kindred branch afloat, manoeuvring on its flank, their projectiles have been found powerless against and supporting it by bold demonstrations. It is sand-bags and heaps of rubbish. The only seri- fortunate for us that we are both forewarned and ous encounter that can be called a fair trial of forearmed. We have been steadily informed of iron-clads resulted in the destruction of the mon- the powerful engines of war prepared for our deitor Keokuk, by the superiority of our project-struction. We have had our successes on the iles-steel bolts and spherical shot-devised by Lower James and in Charleston harbor. Brooke, the ingenious inventor of the deep-sea "We have, just in time, received the instructsounding-line. The Yankee gunboats occasion-ive account of the first trial of an English-built ally, with their light draughts and powerful guns iron-clad, the Danish monitor Rolf Krake, before

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