considerable force of artillery and nine gunboats. The fleet was commanded by Commodore Hollins, the land forces by Generals McCown, Stewart and Gantt. On the 11th, the Federal siege guns were delivered to Colonel Bissell for his engineer regiment, who had been sent to Cairo. They were at once shipped to Sykestown, reached New Madrid at sunset on the 12th, and were placed in battery during the same night, within eight hundred yards of the enemy's main work, commanding the river above it. They opened fire at daylight on the 13th, just thirty-four hours after they were received at Cairo. A brigade, consisting of the Tenth and Sixteenth Illinois, under Colonel Morgan, of the Tenth, was detailed to cover the construction of the battery, and to work in the trenches. It was supported by Stanley's division, consisting of the Twenty-seventh and and Thirty-ninth Ohio, under Colonel Groesbeck, and the Forty-third and Sixty-third Ohio, under Colonel Smith. Captain Mower, First United States infantry, with companies A and H of his regiment, was placed in charge of the siege guns. The enemy's pickets and grand guards were driven in by Colonel Morgan, from the ground selected for the battery. The work was prosecuted in silence, and with the utmost rapidity, until at three o'clock, a. M., two small redoubts connected by a curtain, and mounting four heavy guns were completed, together with rifle-pits in front and on the flanks for two regiments of infantry. The batteries opened as soon as the day dawned, and were replied to in front and on the flanks by the whole of the enemy's heavy artillery on land and water. The Union guns were served by Captain Mower with vigor and skill. In a few hours they disabled several of the gunboats, and dismounted three of the heavy guns in the enemy's main work. Shortly after the Union batteries opened, one of the 24-pound guns was struck in the muzzle by a round shot from the enemy's batteries and disabled. The cannonading was continued furiously all day by the gunboats and land batteries of the enemy, but without producing any impression. Meantime the Union trenches were being extended and advanced toward the bank of the river. General Paine now made a demonstration against the rebel intrenchments on the left, supported by Palmer's division. The enemy's pickets and grand guards were driven in, and the skirmishers forced their way close to the main ditch. A furious thunder storm began about eleven o'clock that night, and continued almost without interruption until morning. Just before daylight, General Stanley was relieved in his trenches with his division by General Hamilton. A few minutes after daylight, a flag of truce approached the batteries, bearing information that the enemy had evacuated his works. Small parties were at once advanced by General Hamilton to ascertain the truth of this report; and Captain Mower, First United States infantry, with companies A and H of that regiment, were sent forward to plant the United States flag over the abandoned works. The enemy had made a hasty and precipitate flight. Their dead were found unburied, their suppers stood untouched on the tables-candles were burning in the tents. Private baggage of officers and knapsacks of the men were left behind. Neither provisions nor ammunition were carried off-everything gave evidence of a panic. Artillery, field batteries and siege-guns, amounting to thirty-three pieces; magazines full of fixed ammunition of the best character; several thousand stands of inferior small arms, with hundreds of boxes of musket cartridges; tents for an army of ten thousand men ; horses, mules, wagons, intrenching tools, etc., were among the spoils. Their flight was so sudden that they abandoned their pickets, and gave no intimation to the forces at Island No. 10. The Union loss was fifty-one killed and wounded. The enemy's loss could not be ascertained. A number of his dead were left unburied, and over a hundred new graves were found. ISLAND No. 10. When the necessity of an early evacuation of Columbus became apparent to the rebel leaders, they commenced the fortification of Island No. 10, in the Mississippi river, forty-five miles below Columbus and twentysix from Hickman. It is located 250 miles below St. Louis and 997 from New Orleans; and when chosen by the secessionists it was deemed impregnable. The earthworks were constructed with great skill, and well calculated to resist any assault which could be made from the river above, while they held undisputed control of the navigation below, and had at their command a formidable fleet of gunboats. New Madrid, on the Missouri shore of the river, a few miles below, was fortified and garrisoned by rebel troops, and they had easy communication and abundant facilities for supplies and reinforcements, if needed. The energy and perseverance of General Pope, which enabled him, despite the most serious obstacles, to invest and capture the town of New Madrid, was the first note of warning received by the rebels at Island No. 10 that their position was no longer tenable. The topography of the peninsula on the Tennessee shore, immediately back of the island, where most of the rebel forces were located, is very peculiar; and if the disadvantages of position which the course of events gradually unfolded could have been foreseen, the site would never have been selected. Commencing at a point about a mile and a half above the island is a range of high land, which extends back south-eastwardly to Reelfoot Lake, a distance of four miles. This lake, in the rear of the peninsula, is fifteen miles in length, and terminates in a swamp, which extends south of Tiptonville, a town on the river bank, below the peninsula. The swamp at that time varied in width from one and a half to eight miles, its narrowest point being four miles above Tiptonville, where the rebels had prepared a corduroy road and bridge, as a means of escape from their position, should retreat by land become necessary. On the 15th of March, the gun and mortar-boats comprising the fleet of Commodore Foote commenced the investment and bombardment of Island No. 10, and the rebel batteries and camps at the adjacent peninsula on the Tennessee shore. The fleet consisted of eleven gunboats, and twelve mortar-boats, each of the latter carrying one immense mortar, throwing a shell of two hundred and twenty pounds weight a distance of from two to three miles. The Commodore engaged the rebel batteries almost daily for three weeks, deeming it imprudent to risk the destruction of his vessels by close action, as any misfortune to them would have placed all the towns on the Upper Mississippi at the mercy of the armed steamers of the enemy. The rebels had eighty guns of heavy calibre in the batteries on the island and the adjacent peninsula, while the iron-clad ram Manassas, and a fleet of twenty vessels-gunboats, steamers and transports, were moored under their guns, prepared to act as opportunity or emergency might require. One or more gunboats would advance to attack a shore battery from the right hand of the river—or engage the water battery on the island, approaching from the left bank. The mortars kept continually changing positions, generally hugging the shore on the left bank where the rebel batteries could not reach them, as they were covered by a promontory, or neck of land, made by the bend of the river; and their fire was kept up so unceasingly, that frequently a mortar-shell was thrown every hour during the night. At two o'clock on the morning of April 1, a most daring enterprise on the part of Colonel Roberts, of the Forty-second Illinois regiment, was crowned with success. Taking advantage of a severe storm while the elements were raging furiously, and a dreadful hurricane, accompanied with thunder and lightning, was sweeping the earth and driving the vessels from their moorings, he started with forty picked men, in six yawl boats, and with muffled oars rowed towards the upper water battery on Island No. 10, keeping close to the edge of the river bank. The boats, favered by the intense darkness, approached within from different regiments wandered through the city and committed some acts of depredation; but were speedily checked by a strong Provost-Guard appointed by the commanding General. The forts taken were Fort Dixie, 4 guns; 1 100-pound rifle and 3 32-pounders. Fort Thompson, 12 guns; 2 100-pound rifle and 10 32 pounders. Fort Ellis, 8 guns; 1 8-inch columbiad, 1 100-pounder, under casemate, and 6 32-pounders. Fort Lane, 4 guns; 2 100-pounders and 2 32-pounders. Two forts, at the foot of the city, mounting 2 guns each. Three guns on a car and two lying on the wharf. The Federal loss was about 100 killed and 450 wounded. That of the rebels, who were protected by their fortifications, about 220 in killed and wounded. About 300 prisoners were taken by Lieutenant Ham· mond of the gunboat Hetzel, who was serving one of the guns of Mc Cook's battery. NAVAL OPERATIONS. The naval operations under Commander Rowan, were conducted with great skill and success. The navigation was impeded in every possible way by the rebels. Sunken vessels closed the main channels at all accessible points, while torpedoes, chevaux-de-frise and fire-rafts threatened destruction on every side. Captain Rowan hoisted his pennant on Thursday morning on board the steamer Delaware. At halfpast eight A. M., the gunboats commenced shelling the woods in the vicinity of the proposed place of landing, taking stations at intervals along the shore to protect the advance of the troops. At half-past nine A. M., the troops commenced landing, and at the same time six naval boat howitzers with their crews, under the command of Lieutenant R. S. McCook, of the Stars and Stripes, were put on shore to assist the attacks. The army commenced to move up the beach at half-past eleven A. M., the debarkation of troops still continuing. In the mean time the vessels were slowly moving up, throwing shell in the woods beyond. At a quarter-past four, P. M., the first of the enemy's batteries opened fire on the foremost of the gunboats, which was promptly returned at long range. The troops were now all disembarked, and steadily advancing without resistance. At sundown the firing was discontinued, and the fleet came to anchor in position to cover the troops on shore. At half-past six, A. M., Friday, 14th instant, there was heard a continuous firing of heavy guns and musketry inland, and immediately the fleet commenced throwing shells in advance of the position supposed to be held by the Union troops. The fleet steadily moved up, and gradually closed in towards the batteries. The lower fortifications were discovered to have been abandoned by the enemy. A boat was dispatched to it and the stars and stripes planted on the ramparts. As they advanced, the upper batteries opened fire. The fire was returned with effect, the magazine of one exploding. Having proceeded in an extended line as far as the obstructions in the river would permit, the signal was made to follow the movements of the flagship, and the whole fleet advanced in order, concentrating their fire on. Fort Thompson, mounting thirteen guns, on which rested the enemy's land defences. The army, having driven them out of these defences, the forts were abandond. Several of the vessels were slightly injured in passing the barricades of piles and torpedoes which had been placed in the river. The upper battery having been evacuated on the appearance of the combined forces, it was abandoned and subsequently blew up. They now steamed rapidly up to the city. Upon the approach of the Federals, several points of the city were fired by the enemy, where stores had been accumulated. Two small batteries, constructed of cotton bales, and mounting two guns each, were also fired by them. Two small steamers were captured, another having been burned. A large raft, composed of barrels of pitch and bales of cotton, which had been prepared to send down upon the fleet, was fired, and floating against the railroad bridge, set it on fire and destroyed it. In addition to the prizes, a quantity of pitch, tar, and a gunboat, and another vessel on the stocks, several vessels afloat, and an immense quantity of arms. and munitions of war, fell into their hands. Washington, Morehead City and Beaufort were in turn occupied by General Burnside's forces without resistance, and the inhabitants generally evinced a friendly spirit. The commandant of Fort Macon having refused to surrender, preparations were immediately made to invest and capture that place. THE CAPTURE OF NEW MADRID, MO. Shortly before the evacuation of Columbus, General Pope, with a large force, was dispatched by the commander of the Department to besiege the town of New Madrid, on the Mississippi river, in the extreme southeastern section of Missouri. This place had been strongly fortified by the rebels, and garrisoned by five regiments of infantry and several companies of artillery. The town is about seven miles below Island No. 10, but owing to a bend in the river, lies nearly west. Its possession was deemed important, in order to advance the Union forces down the Mississippi. The enemy had one bastioned earthwork, mounting fourteen heavy guns, about hal a mile below the town, and another irregular work at |