June 9, 1863, The New York Herald
Our news from the Army of the Rappahannock confirms the statement that the rebels still occupy Fredericksburg. Reports received in Washington yesterday say that the First Division of the Sixth army corps were still in position on the south bank of the river which they occupied on Friday. They had advanced no further than the open plain behind the rifle pits, from which the enemy were driven. A visit to the front disclosed the enemy in unusually strong force in his old position on the right, left and front of our advance column. The enemy are constantly busy, and large columns seem to be moving up and taking position to await further operations of our forces.
General Hooker was across the river, and visited the picket lines on Saturday. The picket firing on that day was almost continuous; but since then our pickets have been nearly unmolested. The enemy appear to be in large force on the south side of the river, and it cannot be ascertained whether any considerable portion of Lee’s army have been withdrawn.
A late raid of our troops, with the assistance of three gunboats, up the Mattapony river into King William county, Va., which was directed by General Keyes from Yorktown, has resulted in a decided success. After meeting with some brief resistance from the enemy our troops destroyed a rebel foundry at Aylette, together with several mills, machine shops, a lumber yard and four government warehouses laden with grain. The expedition was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Tevis, and returned to Yorktown on the 6th inst., after accomplishing a very successful result with a trifling loss.
A despatch from near Vicksburg, dated on the 2d of June, reports the return of Gen. Blair’s expedition through fifty-six miles of country, from the Big Black to the Yazoo, and eleven miles below Yazoo City. Several bridges and a number of grist mills and cotton gins, used to grind corn, were destroyed; also a large quantity of cotton belonging to the rebels. The country towards the Yazoo is said to be teeming with agricultural riches. Cattle, sheep and hogs abound in all directions. Flourishing crops of corn, oats, wheat and rye are seen on every side. Hundreds of negroes fled at the approach of our troops, and followed them into our lines.
Telegrams from Memphis to the 3d inst. say that Gen. Osterhaus was watching Joe Johnston on the west side of Black river bridge with an entire division, ready to intercept his junction with Gen. Pemberton. Gen. Johnston had shown himself with a strong force near the bridge on the 1st and 2d inst., but fell back again to Jackson on encountering the fire of our troops. The same authority states that communication with General Banks is kept up on the Louisiana shore, that guerillas infest the region between Lake Providence and Grand Gulf with impunity, and that every negro with a federal uniform on is hung as soon as captured.
The formidable batteries along the Mississippi, on the first line above the water batteries, are all silenced save one at the extreme upper part of Vicksburg, which mounts two heavy guns and two twenty-eight pounders. The rebel battery on Fort Hill is composed of six guns of very heavy calibre. Our forces have mounted six heavy guns in front and a battery bearing diagonally at that point.
The rebel accounts of the state of affairs at Vicksburg are exceedingly interesting. We give large extracts from them today. The despatches from their own friends, and correspondents in the Southwest do not meet with much favor or credit. The Richmond Examiner calls them […..] telegrams.” This is not very complimentary, nor is it calculated to increase the value of the reports we receive from rebel sources. The same journal says that all the telegrams received through the Southern Associated Press agents relative to General Grant’s losses and so forth are nothing but gas, braggadocio, blunder, absurdity and improbability.
The latest news from General Rosecrans’ Army of the Cumberland, by way of Cincinnati, up to yesterday, reports all quiet there and the men in good health and spirits. According to a despatch from Nashville our troops had a little skirmish with the rebels, and pursued them to Spring Hill, which place, it is said, they had immediately evacuated. In this affair – the date of which is not mentioned – we lost fifty men. The river was falling rapidly, with only two feet of water on the shoals.
The United States steamship Continental, from New Orleans, with dates to the 2d inst., brings some interesting though not very important news. Our correspondence from there contains a valuable account in detail of the late attack on Port Hudson.