April 11, 1863, The Charleston Mercury
LATEST FROM VICKSBURG.
VICKSBURG, April 8. – Everything quiet here. Two more transports left this afternoon, bound up the river. A number of transports are still in sight.
LATEST FROM PORT HUDSON.
PORT HUDSON, April 9. – All quiet here. The enemy fleets, above and below, have disappeared. The former is above Bayou Sara. Forty exchanged and paroled prisoners from New Orleans arrived here yesterday. Our troops at this point are in excellent spirits, and are vigilantly watching the Yankee vessels.
We have trustworthy information from St. Joseph, La., to the effect that HARRISON’S pickets are skirmishing with the enemy. Three flats, loaded with Yankees, came down the Tensas a few days ago.
THE LATEST FROM TENNESSEE.
CHATTANOOGA, April 9. – The enemy occupies Lebanon with a division, under Gen. REYNOLDS. The Yankees are also in force at Carthage. The news we get from Kentucky is cheering. The Louisville Democrat spurns the tyranny of the Union Democratic Convention and its platform. All is quiet at Columbia. Twenty more prisoners reached here yesterday. We have advices from Memphis that the enemy is preparing more empty boats as […..] clad,’ for the purpose of landing troops at Vicksburg. The Yankee boats had returned from Steele’s Bayou, badly damaged. More families have been exiled from Memphis on account of raids on the railroad.
VAN DORN’S cavalry has succeeded in capturing one gunboat and two transports on the Cumberland River, near Palmyra, which were burned. A grand review took place yesterday at Tullahoma.
THE FOOD QUESTION AND THE SPECULATORS.
RICHMOND, April 10. – The President will issue his Proclamation tomorrow morning, urging the people to direct their agricultural labor mainly to the production of food crops. He takes an encouraging view of the present position of affairs, and urges the raising of food for man and beast, as the means of averting the only danger that the Government regards with apprehension. He administers a rebuke to the speculators.
REPULSE OF THE ENEMY IN FLORIDA.
PALATKA, FLA., March 31. – On Friday, the 27th inst., the large transport steamer Ben DeFord landed at this place for the purpose of occupying the town. A fine cavalry corps stationed here, under command of Capt. J. J. Dickison, met them very handsomely. We fired upon them with Enfield rifles, at a distance of about one hundred yards, killing and wounding a great many, the notorious Colonel MONTGOMERY, the Kansas […..]’ and outlaw, among the number. They immediately fled to their boat, and did not return the fire until they were out in the stream. It is almost a miracle that we had only one man wounded from the amount of shell and grape thrown. They retreated across the river, and took on board two companies of negros whom they had there engaged plundering and stealing. They then steamed off down the river, and we have not heard from them since. We have just received a despatch which states that they have burnt Jacksonville and left the river. – Savannah News.