ries on the two horns of the crescent can enfilade the passing vessel, pouring in a terrible cross-fire, which the vessel can return, though at a great disadvantage, from her bow and stern chasers. We fully realized this last night; for, as we got within short range, the enemy poured into us a terrible fire of grape and canister, which we were not slow to returnour guns being double-shotted, each with a stand of both grape and canister. Every vessel in its turn was exposed to the same fiery ordeal on ncaring the centre battery, and right promptly did their gallant tars return the compliment. This was the hottest part of the engagement. We were literally muzzle to muzzle, the distance between us and the enemy's guns being not more than twenty yards, though to me it seemed to be only as many feet.

"Matters had gone on in this way for nearly an hour and a half-the first gun having been fired at about half past eleven o'clock-when, to my astonishment, I heard some shells whistling over our port side. Did the rebels have batteries on the right bank of the river? was the query that naturally suggested itself to me. To this the response was given

that we had turned back. I soon discovered that it was too true. Our return was, of course, more rapid than our passage up. The rebels did not molest us much, and I do not believe one of their shots took effect while we were running down rapidly with the current. It was a melancholy affair, for we did not know but what the whole expedition was a failure; neither could we tell whether any of our vessels had been destroyed, nor how many. We had the satisfaction of learning soon afterward, however, that the Hartford and Albatross had succeeded in rounding the point above the batteries. All the rest were compelled to return. As I passed the machinery of the vessel, on my way forward, I was shown a large hole that had been made by an eighty-pounder solid conical shell, which had passed through the hull of the ship, damaging the machinery so as to compel us to return."

During the naval combat, General Banks marched three divisions of his army from Baton Rouge, to a point within seven miles of Port Hudson, where after engaging in a skirmish with the enemy, with trifling loss, they returned to their starting point. Being unprepared as yet to undertake the capture of Port Hudson, General Banks now turned his attention to that portion of the State west of New Orleans, and bordering on the Teche river. This diversion, it was afterward discovered, would have been made unnecessary, had General Banks possessed the means of learning the exact force of the rebels at Port Hudson, which was by no means so formidable as he had reason for believing.

The Teche river is a tortuous stream rising in St. Landry parish, and flowing southwardly. On its bank are the towns of Franklin, Martinsville, and Opelousas. General Weitzel had previously made an unsuccessful ex

pedition up that river, and to guard against further invasion a considerable rebel force was now posted in that region, and heavy earthworks were thrown up in the vicinity of Patersonville. The district of country bordering on the Teche, comprised the parishes of Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption, St. Mary, and St. Martin, rich in agricultural wealth, and having a large slave population. This district had furnished valuable supplies to the rebel army.

OPERATIONS ON THE TECHE AND ATOHAFALAYA RIVERS, LA APRIL 13-20, 1863.

General Banks having concentrated his forces at Brashear, General Weitzel's brigade was crossed over to Berwick on the 10th of April, without opposition, followed on the succeeding day by General Emory's division, and both commands advanced upon the fortified position a few miles above Pattersonville. On the 13th, there was considerable artillery firing, in which the gunboat Diana, a late Federal capture, took active part. On the 12th, the division of General Grover left Brashear on the gunboats Clifton, Estrella, Arizona, and Calhoun, and transports, and proceeded up the Atchafalaya river, which joins the Teche at Berwick City, into Lake Chetimacha. The object was to get into the rear of the enemy, and if possible cut off his retreat if he evacuated his position, or to assail him in rear at the time of the attack in front. The expedition effected a landing early the next morning, about three miles west of Franklin, near a spot called Irish Bend. At this time, the gunbat Queen of the West, which had been captured previously by the enemy, was blown up and destroyed on the lake. Skirmishing immediately ensued with a small force of the enemy, that fell back as General Grover advanced. His position was about eleven miles distant from General Banks.

BATTLE OF IRISH BEND, LA.

APRIL 13, 1863.

A correspondent in the army thus describes this battle:

"About seven o'clock A. M., the advance reached the edge of a dense line of woods near what is known as Irish Bend (a sharp bend of the Teche), about eleven miles distant from the rebel earthworks, where General Banks was engaging the enemy. Here our force was met by a strong one of the rebels, in position, from the banks of the Teche, across

the front and right flank of General Grover's division. The enemy was strongly posted at this point, their right flank supported by artillery, and their left extending round into another wood, in such a manner as to completely encircle any force which should simply attack their position in the wood first spoken of.

"Colonel Birge, of the Third Brigade, of General Grover's division, at this time in command of the advance, and supported by two sections of Rogers's battery, now skirmished with the rebels in front for about an hour, our skirmishers and their supports engaging the infantry and dis mounted cavalry of the enemy. Colonel Birge then ordered the Twentyfifth Connecticut and One Hundred and Fifty-ninth New York in front of the first skirt of woods. He had no sooner done this than the enemy commenced a flank attack, endeavoring to take the section of Rogers's battery which was on the right. These two regiments, assailed by a fire on their front and right from an enemy very perfectly concealed, replied ineffectually to the fire, became shaken, and finally commenced to fall back, when General Grover rode up to the front and rallied them, at the same time ordering General Dwight to hasten up with his brigade. The section of Rogers's battery was compelled to limber up and go to the rear, the fire of the enemy being so lively as to pick off nine cannoniers at their guns.

"At this time General Dwight moved on the field with his brigade, and placed the Sixth New York on his right, in such a manner as to outflank the enemy's left, in a similar way that the enemy had outflanked our right. The Ninety-first New York was ordered in front to advance against the woods, with the First Louisiana supporting the Sixth New York, and the Twenty-second Maine and One Hundred and Thirty-first New York in support of the Ninety-first New York.

The order to advance was given, and like veterans they moved forward across the field, through the woods, and over another field, the enemy slowly but surely falling back before them; sweeping on, taking from him all his positions, and finally compelling him to so hasty a retreat that he left over one hundred prisoners in our hands. Then the position which Colonel Birge's brigade failed to take, with a loss of something over three hundred men, was taken by General Dwight, with a loss of only seven killed and twenty-one wounded.

"General Dwight was now ordered to halt, take a favorable position, and hold it. This was done, the enemy continuing to manoeuvre in front of General Dwight's and Colonel Birge's commands, for two or three hours.

"Our troops in the mean time, had been ordered by General Grover to rest in their places until further orders, which they did until about

three P. M., when an order was given to feel the enemy on the front and flank, with a view to our attacking their position in force.

"Before any considerable advance further was made the enemy evacuated, retreating to the woods and canes, having previously set fire to the gunboat Diana, and transports Gossamer, Newsboy, and Era No. 2. They were signally repulsed, with a loss of from three to four hundred. On the field of battle, one hundred and fifty prisoners were taken, and thirty wounded.

"Among the killed is General Riley, and among the wounded, Colonel Gray."

This success of General Grover was followed by the evacuation of the works before General Banks. Early on Tuesday, the 15th, the cavalry and artillery, followed by General Weitzel's brigade, with Colonel Ingram's force of General Emory's division, as a support, followed the enemy. So rapid was the pursuit that the enemy was unable to remove their transports at New Iberia, and five, with all the commissary stores. and ammunition with which they were loaded, were destroyed at that place, together with an incomplete iron-clad gunboat. On Thursday the army reached New Iberia. A foundry for the manufacture of cannon and other munitions of war was immediately taken possession of, and a similar one had been seized two days before at Franklin. Two regiments were also sent to destroy the tools and machinery at the celebrated salt mine of the town. Thus far about fifteen hundred prisoners had been captured, and more than five hundred horses, mules, and beef cattle taken from the plantations. The Federal loss was small. The entire force of the enemy was about ten thousand men.

On the next day, the 17th, the army moved forward, but General Grover, who had marched from New Iberia by a shorter road, and thus gained the advance, met the enemy at Bayou Vermilion. Their force consisted of a considerable number of cavalry, one thousand infantry and six pieces of artillery, massed in a strong position on the opposite bank. They were immediately attacked and driven from their position but not until they had succeeded in destroying by fire the bridge across the river. The night of the 17th and the next day was passed in rebuilding the bridge. On the 19th, the march was resumed, and continued to the vicinity of Grand Coteau; and on the next day the main force of General Banks occupied Opelousas. At the same time, the cavalry, supported by a regiment of infantry and a section of artillery, were thrown forward six miles to Washington, on the Courtableau. On the 21st, no movement was made, but on the next day, Brigadier-General Dwight, of General Grover's division, with detachments of artillery and cavalry, was pushed forward through Washington toward Alexandria. He found the bridges over the Cocodrie and Bœuf destroyed, and during

the evening and night replaced them by a single bridge at the junction of the bayous. Orders were also found there from General Moore to General Taylor, in command of the Confederate force, directing him to retreat slowly to Alexandria, and, if pressed, to retire to Texas.

Bute a-la-Rose, with its garrison of sixty men, two heavy guns, and a large quantity of ammunition, was captured by General Banks. The result of the expedition thus far is thus stated by General Banks: "We have destroyed the enemy's army and navy, and made their reorganization impossible by destroying or removing the material. We hold the key of the position Among the evidences of our victory are two thousand prisoners, two transports, and twenty guns taken, and three gunboats and eight transports destroyed." The Federal loss in the land battle was six or seven hundred.

Admiral Porter took possession of Alexandria on the 6th of May, without opposition, and General Banks established his headquarters at that place on the day following. This town is situated on the Red river, one hundred and fifty miles from its mouth. Admiral Porter thus describes his operations at this time in a dispatch to Secretary Welles, dated May 13:

"SIR: I had the honor to inform you from Alexandria of the capture of that place, and the forts defending the approaches to the city, by the naval forces under my command. Twenty-four hours after we arrived the advance guard of Uuited States troops came into the city. General Banks arriving soon after, I turned the place over to his keeping. The water beginning to fall, I deemed it prudent to return with the largest. vessels to the mouth of the Red river. I dropped down to Fort de Russe in the Benton, and undertook to destroy these works. I only succeeded, however, in destroying the three heavy casemates commanding the channel and a small water battery for two guns. About six hundred yards below it I destroyed by bursting one heavy thirty-two pounder and some gun carriage.: left in their hurry by the enemy.

"The main fort, on a hill some nine hundred yards from the water, I was unable to attend to. It is quite an extensive work, new and incomplete, but built with much labor and pains. It will take two or three vessels to pull it to pieces. I have not the powder to spare to blow it up. The wessels will be ordered to work on it occasionally, and it will be soon destroyed. In this last-mentioned fort was mounted the 11-inch gun, which I am led to believe lies in the middle of the river, near the fort, the rebels throwing it overboard in their panic at the approach of our gunboats. The raft which closed the entrance I have blown up, sawed in two, and presented to the poor of the neighborhood. I sent Commander Woodworth in the Price, with the Switzerland, Pittsburg, and Arizona,