April 20, 1863, The New York Herald
There is nothing new to report from General Hooker’s army. Everything appears to be quiet there. From Vicksburg, Port Hudson or Charleston we are equally devoid of intelligence, which would imply that no movements of any consequence are progressing at these points.
Governor Johnson, of Tennessee, has been authorized to raise twenty-five thousand troops for special service in the eastern part of the State.
Great excitement existed in Nashville yesterday by rumors of an attack by the rebels under Van Dorn; but there does not seem to be any confirmation of them.
A serious riot occurred at a Union meeting in Brown county, Indiana, on Saturday, by which one man lost his life. It appears that a few members of the Knights of the Golden Circle made a raid upon the meeting, armed with guns and revolvers, and had a melee. They were arrested by the police, one of the, a Mr. Louis Prosser, being severely wounded. Another affair of the same kind occurred at Danville, Indiana, the same day, in which one man was mortally wounded and several others less seriously. Indiana appears to be the headquarters of the belligerent portion of the Knights.
Our news from Newbern, N.C., is up to the night of the 16th inst., and comes by the United States transport Ella S. Terry, which arrived here last night. Our correspondence from Newbern gives a very detailed account of all the affairs which have recently transpired in that vicinity. In running the blockade General Foster had some tough work to go through. The Escort, on which he was, was fired upon two hundred times, and received eighteen shots which passed through her. The damage suffered by her pilot and crew has already been reported. The feat performed by this transport is worthy of all commendation. Without any armament she ran the fire of the rebel batteries twice – the first time in conveying the Fifth Rhode Island regiment up the river, and the second time in bringing General Foster down in open daylight.
By the arrival of the bark J.W. Andrews at this port yesterday we have some further particulars of the firing into the British gunboat Cygnet, by one of our gunboats, in the Bahama channel on the 4th instant. It turns out that it was the Connecticut, and not the Vanderbilt, as formerly reported which mistook the Cygnet for the Alabama, and gave her a shot. The captain of the British vessel went on board the Connecticut after the affair, and the whole thing was amicably arranged. Capt. Hardy, of the bark Andrews, reports these facts as communicated to him by the commander of the Cygnet, who boarded his vessel on the 6th inst. while on his voyage from Neuvitas.
We publish today a letter from Gen. Corcoran relative to the late unfortunate collision at Suffolk, which terminated in the death of Lieutenant Colonel Kimball. The General gives a full statement of the occurrence, and alleges that Lieutenant Colonel Kimball was not on duty at the time, and was not justified in violently attempting to arrest the progress of his commanding officer, who was in the performance of his duty, in visiting the outposts. General Corcoran, while regretting the disaster, states that the attack made upon him rendered the action which he took an imperative necessity.