Repulse Of Our Iron Clad Boats

Washington, may 17. The follpwiog has bcen received at the War Department : Wn.i.iAMsiíURo, May 17. Tho gunboate Galena, Monitor, Aroostook, Naogaluck, and Port ' ni wuie repulsad from Fort Barling, ' sevon miles below Richmond, yebterday. A portion oí ttiom havo returnad to Jnmestown [áluod, near this placo, in James Jiivor. Sevonteon have already buon buriod, and Lhero ure bera wouoded bord tho vossels, includiog Liuutenant RIorriB. Tho 100ioiiikI gun on tho Naiiyatuok oxploded at the first fire. (Signed) David CampbELI. By authurity oí Gen. MoUlellao. THE ItKl'ULSE 01' TI1U GALENA. New York, May 20. The following waa writton on board tile Galena ycstorday iporaing : " Wu ran up to Watches' Bluff, wlmro wc fotiud the river full oí Bunken etoamers, tho Jainoslout), Yorktovi),.:ind a number of o: hura. Tho bank was üncjd with rillo pits, and on i the top oí' tho bluff tho rebol liad a vetY heavy battcry, mountington guns, aome of thetn ten nchee, and three or four vory heavy íiflos. Wo ran within half a nulo ol tho battory, anohored, and swuDg broadside to thorn. They oponed fire, tho üi'-st hot striking our port bow and going llirough the armor. About íiva minutos aftor wo got anothor shot vory oent where the fi rat oob truck. As it caine through t killud oro man instantly and woimded four moro. We fought them four hours until we got out of amraunition, vrhen wc had to retiro. Wo got tWenly-eight shots in our nido and foventeen on doek. We bad tweive men killed, tvvo dangorously wouoded, who bave since diod, and fiftoen slighlly woundod. '■ We mad.e a gallant fight, bnt hnd wo taken tlie battery we could not have beid it, and ihu obstructions in the river prevented our going up any high er. One thing wo have domonstrated, the Galunu ciipaottaod lioavy shot ut ;i short rango. Wo lirod two hundred and thiriy-cight round, ;i!I that we luid. Had we had plenty of shc'ls wo oould havo silonoed tho reboLs in twe hours.'' Washington, May '20. A priyato letter írom un officer of one of the flotilla, speaking of the recent engagement, snys tho (á-alena, iron lad, was adrnirably maoeuvered, o í oautil'ully and saucily thatsiio passed ivo or six times as close as tho could Ket, and siléncad one of tho batterie?. She then passed and ropassed the. second battery six times, but finding ihey were using so much amraunition, for which we ex poet to liavo botter use further up, öom. Bogera ordered the wooden vesoels to run up", whiie he in the Galena luy abreat off the battery and discorcertod tho rebol giinners. ïhe Galena then followed, bnt tho buoys had been displaced and misphicod so that the pilots last eveniog ran the Galena aehore, and -sho is atül aground. No one of our vessels is seriouly ídjuied. THE MONITOR IN' THE FHM1T. Washinoton, May 20. The iollowing is the report of Wm. F. Jeflers, comrnanding tho Monitor in tho lato engagement aear Kichmond. It is addressed to Oom. Bogors : D. s. [iion c:lai Stbahbb MoxrroB, ) James Ilr. k, V.:., Maj l'i. j " Sir- I submit tho folio wing report of tho movementa of this vessel dunng tho aotion ofyesterday. Bhort]y aiter emerging from oor position near Kingsland Greek, a sharp fire of inusketry waa coromcQced frotn boih banks on all the ships. At half-past stíven I disoovered an extensivo fortificatioo od an elevatioo of about 200 feet with Böveral smaller balteries, all appurently mounting guoe of tho heavest calibro. At the fout oí tho bluf? in tho river thero is in obstruotion formad of Bunken véasela and stoamers gecored With ohaios. The Galena having anühored nbout ono thouAand yarda distaot from the fort, and benig warm ly öogaged, I endeavored to pasa afaead of her and taka oñ sonie of the fire,but I found that my guns could not be elevutod safficiently to point at tho fort. I then took position on tho line with the Galena and maintained a delibérate lire UDtil tho clono of the action, wheo, in oompany with tho other veaseis, I dropped down to the anchor age. The fire of tho eneiny was romarkably well directecl, but vaiuly, towards ibis vessel. öho was struck three times,one solid S inch shot square on the turret, and two solid shot oo the sido artnor forward of the pilothouso. Neilher caused any datnage boyond bendiogthe platea. I ani happy to report no casualties. In eoncluaion perrait me to sy the action was most galla ntly fpugbt, Against grent odds and with tho usual effect agaiost earthworks. iSo long as our ves8el8 kept up v rapid fire they rarely retunmd iiro, but tho mo inent our firo slackoned, tbey romanned thoir gans. It was impossihle to such worksezoept with the aid of a land foroe."