Decatur Eagle, Volume 6, Number 7, Decatur, Adams County, 20 March 1862 — Page 1

THE DECATUR EAGLE:

VOL, 6.

\ JSC H DECATUR EAGLE. I» ISSUED EVERY THURSDAY MORNING, BY A . .1. 111 LL, [ EDITOR, PUBLISHER AND PROPRIETOR. OFFICE— On Second Street, in Patterson’s building, over the Drug Store. Terms’of Subscription: One copy, one year, in advance, $1 00 If paid within the year, ] 50 If not paid until the year has expired, 2 Ou iLTN’o paper will be discontinued until all arrerages are paid except at the option of the Publisher. Terms of Advertising: One square,(ten lines) three insertions, $1 00 Each subsequent insertion, ‘25 (EF’No advertisement will be con si dered L ss than one square; over one square will bp counted and charged as two; over t wo, as three, etc. 113* A liberal discount, from the above rates, made on all ad veri isemenls inserted for a period longer three months. LZThe above rates will be strictly adhered to under all circumstances. J O;E PRINTING: We are prepared to doall kinds of job-work, ina neat and workmanlike manner, on themest reasonable terms. Our material for the completion of Job-Work, beint/-new and of the lat ; e*t styles, we feel confident that satisfaction i can be given. TO MY CHILDREN. BY A SOLDIER IN THE ARMY. Darlings—l am weary pining; Shadows fall across my way, I can hardly see the lining Os the clouds—the silver lining, Ttiming darkness into day. I am weary of the sighing; Moaning—wailing through the air; Breaking hearts, in anguish crying For the lost ones—for the dying, Sobbing anguish ui despair, I am weary of the fighting; Brothers, red with brother’s gore. Only that the wrong we’re righting— Truth ami Honor’-, battle fighting—--1 would draw my sword no more. J am pining, dearest, pining, For your kisses on my cheek; F<>r your dear arms me twining; For vour soft eyes bn me shining; Fur your lov’d words; darlings—>p.ak! 7 ill me, in your earnest prattle, Os the olive branch and dove; Call we frum the cannon’s rattle; 'l ake my thoughts away from battle; Told me in your dearest love. Darlings—l am weary pining; Shadow's fall across my way, I can hardly see the linin' Os the cloud—the silver lining, Turning darkness into day. A very fat man min having taken a seat in omnibus, already crowded to the great annoyance of the passengers, several with partial breathing and muttering bps, inquired who such a lump of flesh as the new-comer could be, ‘I don’t know,’ responded a wag, ‘hut judging from the effect be products. I should suppose him a member of the press ’ Scientific Quizzing.—The late Dr. Wilson, senior Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, though a very grave man himself, was fond of quizzing and puzzling the country folks, who came to inquire after their relatives and friends in the college. One day seeing a man in the court with a letter in his hand, gaping and sta ring about, and not knowing where to go, he walked up to him and gravely inquired what he wanted. The man answered: “Can you tell me where to find Mr. Delehunt?” ‘Yea,’ replied the Doctor; ‘do you see that building before you?’ ‘Yes, air,’ •Then crucifv the quadrangle, and take the diameter of the plot beyond it, enter tbe opening before you, ascend the ligneous grades, then turn to your left, and you will find him either peripatounditv in bis cubicle, donninating in his fectory, or periscopoundtug through bis fenestra.’’ This poor man, who understood nothing of all this, and not remembering one word but the last, said: •And pray, sir, what is a fenestra?’ To which the Doctor replied: 'll is an orifice in an edifice to admit luminous particles.’ ‘Oh, thank you said the poor fellow.

THE FIGHT IN HAMPTON ROADS. Full Details of the Affair. THE MERRIMAC STILL AT NORFOLK. STATEMENT OF THE PILOT OF THE CUMBERLAND. He Thinks the Merrimac Uninjured, mid Says She can Get to Sea. &c. Ac. Ac, A t Mr. A B Smith, Pilot on board the U- ; nited States steamer Cumberland at the time of her battle with the iron plated steamer Merrimac, arrived in this city late last evening, and we obtained from him the following authentic statement of the great naval battle of Saturday and ! Sunday in Hampton Riads; On Saturday morningthe United States steamer Cumberland laid off in the roads at Newport News, about three hundred i 1 yards from the shore, tiie Congress being I two hundred yards south of us. The morning was mild and pleasant, and the day opened jwithout any noteworthy incident. About eleven o’clock a dark-look-I trig object was described coming round Graney Island through Norfolk channel, and proceeding straight in our direction. It was instantly recognized at the Merrimac. W« had been on the lookout for her for some time, and weie as well prei pared then as we could have been at any ocher time, or as we have been during the last six months. As she came plowing through the water right onward toward our port bow, she looked like a huge half-submerged crocodile. Her sides seemed of solid iron, except where the guns pointed from the nrrrow ports, am rose slantingly from the water like the roof of a house or tiie arched back of a tortoise. Prob i- ■ bly the ex it me high! of the apex from the water's edge, perpendicularly, was ten feet. At her prow I could see the iron ram projecting, straight forward, somewhat above the water's edge, and apparently a mass of iron. Small boats were slung or f istened to her sides; and the rebel fl Ig floated from one staff, while a pennant was fixed to another at the stern. There was a smoke stack or pipe near the middle, and she was probably a ■ propeller, no side-wheels or machinery , being visible. She is probably covered wiili railroad iron. Immediately on the appearing of the Mvrritn.c the command was given to* make ready for instant action. All hands were ordered to their places, and the Cumberland was sprung across the channel, so as her broadsides could bear on the Merrimac. The arm irnent we could bring to bear or. the Merrimac was about 1 eleven nine and ten-inch Dahlgren guns and two pivot gnns of the same make.— I’he gunners were al their posts, and we waited eagerly for approach within range. She came up at the rale of four or five knots per hour. ' When llie Merritnao arrived within a- 1 bout a mile, we opened on her with our pivot guns, and as soon as we could bear ' upon her, our whole broadside commenc- 1 ed. St 11 she came on. the balls bouncing ' from her mailed sides like India rubber, apparently making not the least impress- 1 ion, except to cut off her flag staff, and 1 thus bring down ths Confederate colors. ! None of her crew ventured at that time 1 on her outside to replace them, and she fought thenceforward with only her pen- t nant flying She appeared to obey her ' helm and be very readily handled, making l all her movements and evolutions with < apparent facility and readiness. We had t probably fired six or eight broadsides 1 when a shot was received from one of her t guns which killed five of our marines.— It was impossible tor our vessel to get < out of her way, and the Merrimac soon i crashed her iron horn or ram into the l Cumberland, just starboard the main I chains, under the bluff of the put bow. i knocking a hole in the side near the water I line ns large as the head of a hogshead, l and driving the vess*l back upon her an- I chors with great force. The water came 1 rushing into hei hold. The Merrimac < then backed out and discharged her guns i ut us, the shot passing through the main bay, and killing 5 sick men. The water i was all the while rushing in the hole | made by the ram, so that in five minutes i it was up to the sick bay on the berth ' deck. In the mean time her broadsides I swept our men away, killed and maimed, l and also set our vessel on fire in the for- l ward part. That fire was extinguished. I I can not tell bow many were wounded, i The sick bay, berth-deck were almost lit- I erally covered with men killed and woun- ' ded, but the surviving ones still fought well, and every one, officers and men, displayed the utmost heroism. Tbe fight lasted three fovrths of an hour, the Cumberland firing rapidly, aad all the time, tbe water pouring in the hold, and by and by the ports, as her bow kept sinking deeper sail deeper. Near the middle of

“Our Country’s Good shall ever be our Aim—Willing to Praise and not afraid to Elame.”

DECATUB, ADAMS COUNTY, INDIANA, MARCH 20, 1862.

the fight, when the berth-deck of the Cumberland had sunk below water, one of the crew of the Merrimac came out of a port to the outside of her iron-plated roof, and a ball from one of our guns instantly cut him in two. That was the last and only rebel that ventured within eight, the rest remaining in their safe, iron wall ed inclosure. We fired constantly, and' the Merrimac occasionally, but every shot told upon our wooden vessel and brave I crew. Iler guns being without the least elevation, pointed straight at us along the .surface of the water, and her nearness. She b> ing much of the time within three hundred yards, made it an easy matter to send each ball to its exact mark.— I Probably her guns would be useless at a ' consideiable distance, as it appears ini ' possible to elevate them. Finally, after l about three-fourths of an hour of tile most ■ severe fighting, our vessel sank, the stars and stripes still waving. That flor was finally submerged, but after the hull i grouned on the sands fifty-four feet below | the surface of the water, our pennant was 1 I still flying fiom the topmast above the ’ waves. None of our men were captured, but many were drowned as the vessel went i down. We had about tour hundred on! board, and I suppose from one hundred and fi ty to two hundred were killed du ring ihe engagement and drowned at the sinking. Lieutenant George V. Maurice was in command of the vessel, Captain Radford being absent on the Roanoke, all a Court of Inquiry, and though he hurried back to reach his vessel he could not' arrive till after she had sunk Very lew of our men swam ashore. most ot those i who were rescued from the water being saved by small boats. The Merrimac . seemed to be uninjured, although her small boats and fl igsi.atf where shot away in the commencement of the action. The Merrimac then turned her attention to the Congress, which lay probably two hundred yards to the south of where the Cumberland was. The Merrimac came up under her stern, and her ciew fired their pistols into the purls of the Congress as she approached. 1 saw her fire on liie Congress. The sailors of that vessel say that the Merrimac struck her; but of this lam not sure. The Congress had a good crew of fit'v men from the , Cutnberl md previously taken on board, filly from the Minnesota, frty of the Naval Brigade, fifty from the Roanoke, and some others. Lieut. Joseph Smith, who was in command, was killed by a shot.— A great many of the Naval Brigade were also killed. The entire command seemed ■to have had acted b-avely during the engagement, which probably l isted not over half an hour, when the white fl ig was 1 iuii up. During that night some sailor* and men of tbe Congress returned and set fire to her, and she blew up about twelve o’clock- Neither the shot of the l Cumberland nor Congress appeared to have any effect on the Merrimac, bound ing off harmlessly, with a loud, ringing sound from the iron plates. The engagement with the Minnesota resulted in the killing of 4 men on the latter vessel, which was aground. The Merrimac did not seem to like to ga near her, perhaps on account of her large ar matnenl of heavy guns, but more probably because she was airaid of also getting aground, the water being quite shallow in that neighborhood. The Minnesota is not much injured. She was off, and steaming down about six o’clock Sunday 1 night. The Monilor came in Satu'dav night, ; and proceeded up past the Minnesota — The rebel steamers Jamestown and Yorktown were not iron plated, or, at anv rate, only partially so. They came down in tbe daylight, making for the Minnesota, but, to their surprise, found the Monitor I ready to receive them. , On Sunday morning the Monitor moved , close up to the Merrimac, and, side by side engaged her for four hours and twenty minutes. Once the Merrimac dashed her iron prow squarely against the Mon ilor, but did not injure that vessel in the , least. The Monitor in tui n determined , to try her force in a similar operation, , but in some unaccountable manner the I wheel or other steering apparatus became entangled, it is said, and the Monitor rushed by, just missing her aim Capt. Worden is confident that be put three shot through the hull of his antagonist—probably through the ports. The Mon itor fired 178 pound cast iron shot. The wrought iron shot were not used, because their great weight and peculiar construction renders the guns much more liable to burst. The Merrimac fired about forty shots on the Monitor, which replied rapidly as possible, but, so far as it is known, neither vessel is damaged.— Those on board the Monitor say the balls rattled and rang upon both vessels and seemed to bound off harmless. The Merrimac is probably not injured at least more than the starting of a plate or so of her iron covering, and her ma-1 chinery being uninjured, she is propablv fit to come out again. It is impossible to keep the Merrimac from coming out.

J She can sail three knots an hour taster ■ I than the Monitor. From her evolutions t f should judge she can go nt the rate of , eight or nine knots an hour. It is im- ' , possible to board the Merrimac. Should I she come out again she will be obliged to . pass wiihin range of the Union gun at the Rip Rips, and a shot from her might I , crush her sides, but it is very d ifficult to : manage so heavy a piece of artillery, and : i the Union gun, in all probability, might be tired fitly times without touching her ■ I do not think the Merrimac is calculated I to carry much coal, and that might have been a reason for her retiring from the icontest. The Monitor perhaps might , follow up the rebel steamers and disable ! them but if she gets among the rebel batI teries a heavy fire might be concentrated on her from different points, and she be thus injured, or possibly she might be grappled to and towed ashore. These and other reasons may suffice to show 1 why the Monitor did not follow among i the batteries of Craney Island and NorI folk General Wool, I understand, has ‘ordered all the women and children awav from Fortress Monrie, in anticipation ol the Me-mmac's reappearance. During all Sunday morning, while the battle was raging between the t»o ironclad vessels, the high cliffs at Newport News an! vicinity were crowded with spectators, earnestly watching the progress of the fight. Injuries to the Merrimac. Fortress Monroe, March 11.—The official report of the naval eng-agemant sent to Richmond says that on the Merrimac two were killed and eight wounded. The muzzles of two guns were knocked off, the prow twisted, the armor damaged, the anchor and flagstaff shot awav, and the smoke-stack and steam-pipe riddled. ' Captain Buchanan was seriously wounded in the thigh. Capt. Layer has since , died of his wounds. Trustworthy information to day slates that her prow was shot away. ' j Serious damage was done to one of her prongs, and the torward part ol the vessel , was stove in. These are now being I strengthened, and a large force of workmen is employed in repairing her. A Rather Pleasant Incident. A few days ago, as General Buell was . riding on horseback through the streets! of Nashville, an aristocratic lady, a Mrs. 1 W., living in n tine, large house, stood at an open door or window, waved a reb-,-1 * flag toward him, and cried, “Hurrah for ' Jeff D ivis and the Southern Confederacy! ’ The General reined in his horse, ' turned toward tile ladv, touched his bat with all the courtesy and suavity for 1 which he is remarkable, and, surveying ' the tine house from top to bottom with the eye of a connoisseur, quietly remarked, -An excellent house 10l n hospital.’ In less tnan two hours every room was full of sick soldiers, and .Mrs. W. was poll \ tely reqeested to take kind careot them. We heartily eongratulr.te her upon her ‘ privilege of ministering to the needs of 1 suffering patriots. Destruction of the Cotton and Tobacco i Crops by the Rebel Government. Congress pased yesterday a substitute < for the original bill offered by Mr. Foote of Tennessee, to authorize the destruction f of cotton, tobacco, and other property in < military emergencies. Wo have obtained i the following copy of thu bill as fiualy 1 passed: . "Abi'l to provide for the destruction ol , cotton, tobacco, and other property, | when the same shall be about to tali j int the hands of the eni my : •‘Be it enacted by the Congress of the i Confederate States of America'. That it shall be the duty of all military ■ < commanders tn the service of the Confed- I I erate States to destroy all cotton, tobacco, | or other property, that may be useful to * the enemy, if the same cannot be safely ; I removed, whenever, in their judgment, ' the said cotton, tobac’o, and other property is about to (all into the hands of the 1 enemy. The following clause was struck ' out of the original bill on a motion to 1 amend: “The owners thereof shall re 1 ceive just compensastion therefor of the , Confederate government, under such ,' laws and regulations as may hereafter be / established by Congress.” i It will be seen seen the question of tbe ' compensation of the property destroyed is cut off, but it is understood that it is not possively determined by this special act, r.nd may, of course, be the subject of;tuture legislation. The amount of cotton liab’e to destruction, it is said, cannot amount to much more than five per cent, of the entire crop. The great bulk of it is still on the plantations, or at distant villages and depots — The same may be said of tobaeco. Removal of the crops is of course, in all cases, preferable to burning; and at all exposed points arrangements should be set on fool to remove the produce at first intimation ot danger. There is no need of spurs when the horse ie running away.

■ THE GREAT BATTLE IN NEW i MEXICO. Four Pays Fighting Near Fort Craig— Terrible Slaughter on Both Sides. 1 St. Lovis, March 13 —The Republican has advices from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to February 221, which state that the Texans have made various significant movements in the vicinity of Ft. Craig. O I On the 18th they advanced a column of intfantry, one thousand strong, in a line ot battle, in front of the fort, and al so moved a column of eight hundred cavalry to the west of the defenses. They advanced within a mile and a half of the works, and halted with the Secession fl ig floating in the breeze, and remained some time, and then commenced a retrograde movem<-nt. During the time of the advance Colonel Canby prudently concealed the grater part of his forces in the rear of the fort, when the enemy commenced retreating, and the infantry was separated from tbe cavalry. Col Canby ordered Maj. Duncan to charge the cavalry of the enemy with a squadron of dragoons and mounted men, which they did in gallant style, the enemy retreating before them until they arrived at a deep ravine. The Texan infantry, in the meantime, advanced to the relief ol the cavalry, and a skirmish took place at the ravine. Major Duncan, late in the evening was recalled, and the Texans continued to fall back. Il is reported that the Texans had eight pieces of artillery placed in a battery, masked, in a ravine but a short distance below where the skirmish took place. On the 19th and 20th the Texans crossed to the east bank of the R o Grande, in order it is supposed, to take possession of the heights opposite Fort Craig. Col. Canby crossed and pu sued th< m in force, when the Texans on the heights fired some fifty cannon shots, without damage to ovr forces. Col. Canby fired but two shots, deeming it imprudent to! waste ammunition. Ou the morning of the 21st two hundred Texan mules were captured, with their wagonmaster The Tex ms are on the highlands destitute of water. Col. Canby has the pass to the water guarded by a battery and 2,000 men, and ! all other outlets guarded in force. The 1 T> xans must either fight desperately fur 1 water, or surrender. When the express closed on the morning of the 21s, tbe booming of eannon 1 was heard in the direction of Valverde, announcing that the battle had begun. Later. The military express has just arrived ’ from Fort Craig, with the news of a series 1 of conflicts between our forces and the; Texans, which lasted from 9 o’clock A. ' M. ol the 21st until sundown of the same day. 1 1 The fight commenced in the morning, ’ between a portion of our troops under 1 Col. Roberts, and the enemy across the ’ Rio Grande, with varied success until one or two o’clock that day. Col. Canby then crossed the river >n force, with a battery of six pieces, under Cact. Mcßae, of the cavalry, but det' iled tn command of the battery; also a small . battery of two howitzers. Tho enemy were supposed to have seven or eight pieces. The battle commenced bv the artillery 1 and skirmishers, and soon became general. s '[’award evening most of thu enemy's ’ yuns were silenced. They, however, made a desperate 1 charge on the howitzer battery, but were b repulsed with great loss Capt. Mcßae's battery was defended by Capt. Plimpton’s company of United ' States intantry, and a portion of Col. Pi no’s regiment of New Mexican volunteers Tbe Texans charged dcsperatly and ' furiously, with picked m-n, about six hundred strong. They were armed with •! carbines, revolvers, and long one-pound bowie knives. Discharging their oarbines at a close j' distance, they drew revolvers and rushed on the battery in a storm of grape aud i canister. The Mexicans of Pino’s regiment were panic-stricken, and they inglorious fled | Captain Plimlon and thu infantry stood their ground and fought nobly till more than one-half were numbered with the dead. with his artillerymen cut down, his support either killed, wounded or flying from the field, Capt. Mcßae sat down calm'y and quietly on one of his guns, and w,lh a revolver in his hand refusing to fly or desert his post., he fought to the last, and gloriously died the death of a hero—the last man by his gun. The Texans suffered terribly in this charge. Many officers distinguished themselves on this day. Major Donald on, who was chief aid of Colonel Canby acted bravely, *u 1 was 1 conspicious ou every part of the field.

■ XII . . I_ » , His horse was wounded in several places, hut he was not injured. Kit Carson, in command of a regiment of volunteers, who were deployed as skirmishers, did good service during the action, and behaved well. We have, however, to name the loss of Lieuts. Michb r and Stone, whn, like Capt MeKae, nnbly and bravely maintained the honor of onr flag to the last, and glorious died the death of patriots. Many other officers were wounded. Our loss was about 2i)o killed and wounded; that of the enemy is believed tj be much greater. The greatest confidence is reposed in Col Canby, and if volunteers will do their duty, the Tixans be will ignominiously driven from tbe country. Important from Columbus—Discovery of an Elaborate I.ifenial Machine—Arinngements of the Rebels to Blow up the Federal Troops, Columbus, ky , March 9, 1865. The rebels who have been stationed ; here seem to have been possessed with the spirit of the devil himself. Not only hate their barbarities and attrocnies which have been visited on the head of any luckless wight who was the least suspected of being any bu’. a rank secessionist b. en unparalleled, but the means usid for the destruction of our army, in the event of our beating them buck inside their works tn a fight are not surpassed by anv heathen nation known to exist. The bluffs on the north end of these works are from two to two hundred and fifty to three ! hundred feel high, and exit nd up tbe river At that hight for s( me distance. Outside th> ir works for some distance is a sloping plain, which has been cleared of all trues and underbrush, and would be the only approach for our infantry in case we should come to a hand-to-hand fight. After two days explorations for infernal machines, and to discover where the bluff had been mined, as was reported to have been done, Cplain W. A. Schmitt and company, of the Twenty seventh leginn-nt discovered ridges of new earth, similar to ridges which are formed by covering gas or water-pipes in a city, and traced them to a cavern. Effecting an entrance, bu found a strong and rnd« wooden frame, covered by earth to attract no attention, [nude this, with the assistance of a light, he found implements similar to those used in a telegraph ( ffice, with wires running in a dozen directions. Following the raised rows of earth bw soon cams to a spot where something had evidently been buried. Digging down some five leet, ho came to a large iron cask, about three feet high and a foot and a half through, in shape as near as cat? be desetibed to a well (i ruled pear, with an iron cap fastened by eight screws. Taking off the cap were found grape, canister and 'our eight pound shell, surrounded by about two bushels of coarse powder. On the bottom of tbe cask there was a wo’den box containing several batteries, with hollow wires attached to two larger wires, covered with a substance impervious to water. con’ec'.ing with the cavern before spoken of. A doz-n of t .ese iron pots or casks were thus unittd with this cavern. Half » doz n of these caverns have been found, and probably seventy five or a hundred of these infernal machines are thus buried in the earth, some distance from the enemy’s .works; and the tine to be exploded w >ul l be when our infantry hid driven them inside their works, a Sentinel would give the operator inside the signa 1 , and he would send the electric sp irk through all the wires and decamp. The result may be imagined. Whole regiments could thus Le blown up and sent te eternity, without even a chance of escape. The discovei ii■ as tar as made are all on the north and north-east portion, of their works. Probably other parts of the works are similarly mined.—• Fortunately, their fiendish designs were discovered in time, and no damage has been done bv soldiers who are con-tantlv on the lookout for discoveries, and might by accident have sent off l.e train. Another class of infernal machines, called torpedoes have been discovered anchored in the river. They are round, about three feet long and a loot and a half in diamuter, with one end tapering off tn a point. The river is very high and the number can not be ma le out. It took three steamers five days to sink what are in the bottom of the river The very high stage of water has prevented any damage to either gun-boat or transport. Skirmish at Nashville. Louisville, March 10—Friday night last, a. squad of cavalry, under the notorious rebel Colonel John Morgrn, who was some time since erroneously reported kiled, attacked the Federal pickets Io miles south of Nashville, taking two prisoners and six Government wsgrins. On Saturday a party of Ohio Federal Cavalry attacked the rebels, killing lour of Morgan’s men. capturing eight, and recovering the six wagnoa They are now now in hot pursuit ol Morgan's gang, confident of capturing them.

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