LEDGER & TRANSCRIPT;
PHILADELPHIA, WEDNESDAY. SEPT. 23
[From the St. Louis Reveille.]
The Hancock War—The Battles of the 11th and 12th—Brave Defence of the Mormons. By the splendid steamer Ocean Wave, which arrived here on Sunday morning, we learn that a collision had taken place between the hostile forces in Hancock, on the afternoon of Friday last. The Mormons marched out to meet the advancing forces of the Anties, and, encounter-ing them about one mile east of the city, com-menced the action, which, after about two hours' firing, ended by the latter withdrawing their force and leaving the Mormons in possession of the field. A second fight was expected to take place the same evening.
Letters had passed, previous to the fray, be-tween Maj. Parker, commanding in Nauvoo, and Col. Singleton, the leader of the Anti-Mormons, in which the latter made certain propositions, which he said if the Mormons would accede to, all difficulties would be adjusted. These were :
1st. The Mormons to surrender up their arms. 2d. All their agents, who may remain to dispose of their property, must leave the State in sixty days. 3d. An attorney to be selected to take su-pervision of all writs, serve and settle the same between the parties, &c.
These propositions were agreed to by the Mor-mons, but when submitted by Col. Singleton to the officers of the Anti-Mormons, they rejected them. Col. S. and Col. Chittenden immediately threw up their commands, both declaring that the Mormons had shown a willingness to make peace, highly creditable to them as a people, and they resolved to take no further part against them. Col. Brockman was then elected to the command of the assailing force, and the fight mentioned above was the result.
Later—Another Battle.
The steamboat Alvarado arrived down last evening from Warsaw, and from her officers we learn that the Mormons and Anti-Mormons had a second battle on Saturday afternoon, which ended, as before, in the Anties retreating to their camp.
An eye-witness, who watched the progress of the second battle from the top of the Mormon temple in Nauvoo, describes it as a very spirit-ed engagement, in which the new citizens and Mormoms prevented the advance of their foes at every point.
The Nauvooites have thrown up three breast-works, at about one and a half miles from the city, towards the road leading to Carthage, and behind these the defending forces are posted, with five pieces of artillery. At about 12 o'clock, M., the new citizens fired two six-pound shot into the Anties' camp, upon which the latter sent out a flag of truce, with a request to hold another "talk;" but the citizens of Nauvoo re-turned for answer, that they were done talking with them, and that hereafter they should fight until the others became desirous of a peace. The action now commenced from the artillery on both sides—over eighty discharges of cannon were heard from both parties during the course of an hour and a half. They now closed in and commenced discharges of musketry at each other.
A movement was then made by the Anties to outflank the Nauvoo right, and pass their breastwork, which was defended by the Spartan band of Mormons, with "sixteen chamber ri-fles;" the latter drew out from the breastworks, to repel the advancing force, and succeeded in beating them back. During this skirmish on the right, a man named Anderson, the leader of the Mormon Spartans, fell, shot through the lungs by a rifle ball, and almost instantly expired.—About the same moment, his son, a boy of about fifteen years of age, who was engaged in ano-ther portion of the ranks, was struck on the shoulder by a six pound shot, and his body made a crushed mass of bones, the whole breast being torn to pieces. Another Mormon was struck during this part of the fight with a cannon shot, and killed instantly. His name was Norris, a blacksmith. The fight continued for two hours and a half, and every attempt the Anties made to pass the position of the Nauvooites, they were successfully beaten back, until, at length, they were forced to retire to their camp, leaving the field in possession of the new citizens and Mor-mons.
During the progress of the fight an invalid Mormon was posted upon the top of the temple, with spy-glass in hand, watching its progress; and the wives of the citizens, with their chil-dren, were gathered at the base of the holding, with upturned eyes and painfully anxious faces listening to his report of the battle, which, from time to time, he related to them from above.—Our informant says that he heard many of these poor Mormon mothers declare that they would perish in the streets of Nauvoo, defending it against this mob, if it should drive their hus-bands in from the field where they were posted.
The number of killed on the part of the Anti-Mormon force is unknown. At Carthage they only acknowledge to six badly wounded—Capt. Smith, one of the number, mortally. Every preparation was making on both sides for another battle.
All capable of bearing arms in Nauvoo are engaged in the fight. Many of the women and children of the new citizens are in the city, without, the power or opportunity to leave; their husbands are in the field battling against an un-reasonable mob, and they are left a prey to the worst of fears.
The report of the first fight was a wildly exag-gerated rumor, only one Mormon having been wounded in the keel, and several Anties badly frightened—the main bodies of the opposing forces not having ventured within musket shot range.
[Correspondence of the Reveille.]
The War at Nauvoo.
QIUNCY, Illinois, September 13, 1846.
Editors of the Reveille:—In my note of last evening I gave you such information as I was possessed of. I now have that which is better authenticated, and send it to you John Wood, Esq., Mayor of this city, returned about daylight this morning from Nauvoo, where he and some two or three others had been, with the intention of bringing about a reconciliation, if possible. At nine o'clock this morning he ad-dressed a meeting of the citizens, giving an ac-count of what he saw and heard only; but, as he was mostly in Nauvoo, he could not tell how the Anties fared, and what number of their men, if any, were killed or wounded. Of the Nau-vooites three were killed Captain Anderson, his son, (a youth of some 14 years of age,) and one other, whose name I forget, were the slain. There were three or four wounded, but none very seriously. This was in the battle of yester-day, (Saturday.)
At about nine o'clock they commenced with ther cannon, and, after plying it for an hour and a half, went to work with their rifles at point blank shot. In the early part of the cannon-ading the Nauvooites retreated a short distance, but after that both parties stood their ground without flinching, until the Anties withdrew for want of ammunition. A party of 60 came here last night to procure powder and balls, and are now about leaving on their return. A foun-dry here has been casting six-pound balls ever since their arrival. There is a report that Capt. Smith, of the Carthage Grays, was mortally, certainly badly wounded. Mr. Wood supposes the Anties outnumbered the Navooites 4 to 1.
When Capt. Anderson was shot, he called to one of his men, gave him his gun, and said, "I think I am a dead man—you had better charge"—and fell, a corpse! His son, also among the slain, in conversation with Mr. Wood the day before, said "if he was killed it would be in fighting for his mother." Poor boy ! a cannon ball mangled him horribly. Mr. Wood, at the close of his address, made a very brief but fer-vent appeal in behalf of the Nauvooites, which was received with much applause. He was fol-lowed by a Mr. Morris, a regular mobocrat, not-withstanding his "anxiety" for peace; and the same people who but a few moments before were expressing sympathy for the Nauvooites, were just as clamorous in their admiration of the Acties. The meeting was held simply for Mr. Wood to inform the people, at once, of what he knew. The feeling created by his rela-tion was not such as the Anties desired; so upon the Sabbath one of their leaders must needs get up, with his appeals to prejudice and passion, to bring the people back to a frame of mind in uni-son with their own, and the speaker succeeded but too well. As the Anties will now have a further supply of ammunition, and the Nauvoo-ites express a determination not to yield, more bloodshed may be looked for. I still think, or at least hope, that the latter may be success-ful. H.
P.S—Another meeting, numerously attend-ed, was held this evening. A committee of one hundred was appointed to proceed forthwith to the scene of action, and endeavor to effect a reconciliation. The committee adjourned to the 'Quincy House," to make arrangements for their immediate departure. So far as I can learn, the larger portion of this committee are in favor of the instant departure of the Mormons, and the surrender of these persons against whom Car-lin has writs. Will they offer any better terms than have already been offered? and will the Nauvooites capitulate to a mob, whom the Go-vernor has ordered them to disperse? For the honor of the State—provided the Slate has any honor, which is doubtful—it is to be hoped they will not.
In addition to the above, the St. Louis He- publican has the following account from Nau-voo :—
During Friday night the Mormons threw up entrenchments across three of the principal streets leading into Nauvoo—the one imme-diately North of the Temple, the one South of it, and the one South of that—and then stationed their men in a grove of timber about half a mile beyond their entrenchments.
The Anti-Mormons divided their forces, one portion being detatched up the river towards the Northern part of the city, and the other towards the lower or Southern part, to a street not en-trenched or defended Upon this movement being made to the Southern part of the city, a portion of the Mormons, with one or two pieces of artillery, flying from house to house, defiled down and defended this fourth street, by which it was supposed the Anties intended to enter the city.
The fire of cannon and small arms was kept up so vigorously by the Anties, that the balls for their cannon having become nearly exhausted, they withdrew the infantry portion of their force, leaving their cannon and a guard upon the spot they had occupied on their first advance. The detachment to the Northern part of the city, after making a demonstration in that quarter, return-ed to their encampment.
The Anti-Mormons, it is stated, marched up boldly in front of the Mormon line, under the fire of their cannon, and formed regularly into line.
During the engagement of Saturday, on the Mormon side, Captain Anderson was killed by a musket ball, which struck him in the neck His son, a boy of about fourteen years of age, was killed by a six pound shot, which struck him just below the arm. A man named Norris was also killed by a similar shot, which struck his shoulder, carrying away the upper psrt of his body. Two or three others were wounded on the side of the Mormons, by shots from small arms.
Our informant states that thirty-three cannon shots were fired by the Mormons, and forty-four by the Anties. The action commenced about one o'clock, and lasted nearly an hour ; the lat-ter part of it was maintained principally by small arms. At six, P. M , all was quiet. The Anties had sent to Quincy for a supply of ammunition and cannon balls, and had made provision to cast balls in their camp. It is probable the conflict would not be renewed until to-day, as the Anties would await the return of the messengers from Quincy and elsewhere.
The Mormon force is estimated at from five hundred to six hundred, but our informant states that they have very little ammunition, and are almost entirely destitute of provisions. He thinks that their destitution of provisions and ammunition must yet render them an easy con-quest, although many of them, men and women, swear they will die on the soil before they will be driven away. His description of the scenes of distress and alarm to be witnessed in the city is truly appalling. Women and children fran-ticly running in the streets, with their husbands in the field, and they without home or refuge from the storm.
In many cases the balls fired by the Anties are gathered up by the women and carried to the Mormon camp to be used again. Such of the women and children as can, have crossed the river to Montrose. Many of the new citizens have also gone over. Those who remain, it is thought, will sell their lives dearly. It is stated by some of the Mormon leaders, that they have a mine laid in the streets, by which they hope to effect great destruction of the Anties, if they gain an entrance into the city.
We have thrown together all the facts we have been able to collect. The affair has but commenced, and our knowledge of those en-gaged on the side of the Anties, whatever may be said of the correctness of their proceedings, warrants us in the expression of the belief that it will not cease until the Mormons are ex-pelled.
Mr. Parker informs us, that in the fight of the evening of the 11th, mentioned by our corres-pondent above, there were only two Mormons injured. One, John C. Campbell, was wounded in the heel by a ball, which struck the ground, and glancing, tore away the back part of his foot. Another, Benj. Whitesides, was wounded in the knee.
