Alexandria Gazette

Captain Townsend, of the schooner David G. Foster, who arrived at New York on Thursday, gives the following account of the capture of vessels in Wachapreague Inlet, on the Eastern shore of Virginia, a few days since:

"A party, twenty-five in number, made a sudden attack upon several small vessels lying for the night in Wachapreague Inlet, on the Eastern shore of Virginia, capturing five of them. These were the schooners: Irishman, Davis, John J. Houseman, the Alexander, and the Government's schooner Alliance, the latter loaded with supplies to the value of $30,000.

The raiders pulled into Hogg's Island, but were prevented from landing there as it was occupied by Union troops. There were several fishermen's boats around, and these, they seized, so as to prevent a report of their presence reaching the other vessels. The schooners were trading for sweet potatoes and other provisions, consequently having a considerable sum of money on board.

The capture was complete, not a vessel escaping. The crews were all made prisoners and brought on board the Alliance, where they were detained from Friday night till Sunday.

On Monday morning the schooners, with the exception of the Alexander, were taken out to sea.

The Alexander was run ashore and abandoned. The other vessels were cut adrift off the Capes. One of them—the John J. Houseman—was afterwards boarded by the schooner Envoy, and brought into New York, Rhode Island. The fishermen, after a few days' detention, were set free and they report that when last seen the raiders on the Alliance were beating off the Capes, it then blowing hard from the east-northeast. The negro cook of the Houseman was killed by the raiders."