Capt. Clark, of Co. K, writing to the Caledonian from Aligers, La., on the 7th inst., says :
On the morning of the 3d ,I went to Boutte upon the train going to Algiers, to confiscate negros, cattle and mules from Gen. Taylor’s, Capt. Ranson’s, (both active rebel officers) and other adjoining plantations, and to learn if possible whether this rebel force was designing our capture. I was there full five hours, conversed with white men and negroes from the river, and found that no advance had been made for three days.
The next morning, Sept. 4, I was ordered to detail 20 men from each of the three companies, 10 men from the battery and 1 gun, and proceed to the Boutte to look after the safety of the coming train, to learn what I could respecting the rebels, and to gather in and send off the balance of confiscated property there. My train consisted of two platform cars forward of the engine and one open cattle car behind it. The gun and 45 men were upon the forward cars, 5 upon the tender and 10 upon the rear car. I got upon the engine that I might direct its movements, and ordered the men to load their rifles, keep a vigilant lookout, and to signal to me should anything wrong or unusual appear.
As we approached the settlement and going at a very slow rate, our best vision was insufficient to detect a rebel’s foot or head, and nothing but smoke rising from the place where indians had been the day before, and two or three horses tied at the grocery, indicated the presence of any one, till within 30 rods of the station, I discovered the wire and one pole to be cut. While speaking of this a signal gun was heard and in a moment the volley of a company came into and about one engine and rear car, from our right and rear, and another from our right into my men upon the forward cars. Soon as possible, I ordered the men to fire, fall down and work as best they could. Finding it impossibile to retreat without losing every man and the train, I directed the engineer to put on steam and carry us through if possible, These two volleys had killed three or four, wounded more than half of the force, and so completely disabled the battery that when Corp. Pierce handed the cartridge there was not a man left upon the car able to drive it home. As we passed the shed where they wood and water the train, another terrible shower of leaden hail was sent into my thinned ranks, which completely swept the cars and seemed to take every live man I had left.
At the shed we were switched upon a side track, which is about 100 rods long and connects with the main track at both ends. Upon this was a passenger car with the breaks hard set, and upon it the rebels had also been careful to place road timbers expecting that if we ventured so far, to see us either thrown from the track by those timbers, or stopped upon it by that car. But God directed otherwise. Somehow the timbers were knocked out of the way, and the brakes were broken so that we passed along with but little injury to cars or speed. Several of the men who had jumped or were thrown from the train ran along and got aboard of the passenger car, and one, Lewis J. Ingalls, seeing the switch so arranged that we must be thrown from the main track, leaped off and adjusted it in season to run us out of and away from the trap they had supposed we could not escape. They were close upon us, and gave their best all along that run upon that side track. Their object was to capture both trains and then surprise the camp at the Bayou.
We run about a mile and met the up train. I had the passenger car attached to it, and all started for the city. I then ascertained that I had brought from the field 12 men who were not wounded, though some of those were struck by spent balls, 27 wounded and 6 killed. Eight wounded men were recaptured Sep. 5th, 3 escaped and have arrived here, and 4 are reported to have been buried at Boutte.
Lamoille Newsdealer, Hyde Park, VT