Cairo, April 4th, 1862.
Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary Navy :
This morning the Benton, Cincinnati and Pittsburg, with three mortar boats, opened and continued for more then an hour a fire on the rebels heavy floating battery at Island No. 10, when the latter, having received several shells from the rifles and mortars, cut loose from her moorings and drifted two or three miles down the river, The shells were thrown from the flotilla into different parts of the Island and into rebel batteries lining the Tennessee shore. The return fire produced no effect on the squadron. No more men than were actually necessary to man the batteries were visible.
(Signed) L. H. FOOTE, Flag Officer.
Chicago, April 4th. A special dispatch to the Journal from Cairo, says a boat arrived from Island 10, last night. Firing was resumed on Saturday morning by gunboats and mortars. One of our shells burst on the rebel steamer Winchester, which set her on fire and burned her to the water’s edge.
During the firing the rebels towed their floating battery up to a position, and tried to reach us with shot from her 32-pounder rifled guns. The shot fell far short, and after a couple of hours maneuvering it was taken back to its old position. The rebels are planting batteries all along the Tennessee river to prevent the landing of Federal troops from Missouri.
The Daily Manchester American, Manchester, NH