Savannah daily herald. (Savannah, Ga.) 1865-1866, February 14, 1865, Image 2
£}aUtt iicraui.
BY S. W. MASON AND CO.
w .a , ■ - - -
SAVANNAH, TUESDAY, FEB. 14. 1505.
INTELLIGENCE FSiOII THE
NOBTAERN DISTRICT.
-i
Ilea. Sehhmniliinnig Lands and Carrie*
a Line of Works on James island.
Capture of Prisoners, «fco.
Wo hare received intelligence of some
Op »r dims 1q the Northern District, De
partrn *nt of the South, by Gen. Scffimi
m . flu nig, which were successfully car
ried, out. On the morning of the 10th,
Gen Sc him mil fln.nl g threw across from
P diy Island, a strong reconirqitering
force, to the lower eml of James Island.
A bridge was then erected across a .reek
waiea intersects the lower part of the
i-aand, and the force crossed over. Line
of battle was at once forced, and the
column pushed forward, carrying the
first line of the rebel defences with a
loss o. about sixty men killed and
wounded. About twenty prisoners, in
cluding a Major and two or three iine
odicers were captured. The line was
stai further advanced, holding a position
within two miles of Secessionville.—
Hearty and efficient co-operation was
rendered by a gunboat, which maintain
ed an effective'fire upon the left wing of
the enemy, and threw it iuto confusion.
At last ■accounts Gen. Schimmilfinnig
retained his position, and was in a good
condition for defence.
Personal.—Major General John G.
and family, sailed on the Arago
i \>:n Hilton Head on Saturday last for
the North. It is not likely that General
.Foster will return to the Department, as
lie is incapacitated from doing active
duty in the field by reason of a painful
wound he received in Mexico, and which
is broken out afresh. He has suffered
:£ieSiily from this wound, but neverthe
less lie as ever displayed an energy, de
termination, and vigor, that many men
in the best of health haVd failed to ex
hibit Gen. Foster bears with him the
.boat wishes of all in the Department, in
W&ttiVer sphere of duty and usefulness
he may be assigned to.
Maj. Gen. Q. A. Gillmore, has assum
ed c »mmand of the Department. His
reputation is too well known here, to
need any good word from us. He is a
courteous and skilfuH soldier, and a high
toned gentleman, and one who will at
tain a still higher reputation in the
•campaign before U3.
Oihi ofc Two Remarks. —We are com
pelled, by the extraordinary change in
the weather, to make a remark or two
on it. It is nasty and disagreeable be
yond all expression. Cold, drizzly, wet
and uncomfortable ; it is tit only tor hy
pochondriacs to seize, to nurse their
gloomy, melancholy, and dismal fancies
in; wear more lugubrious and funerral
looks and make themselves still more
dejected and despondent. The man that
can exhibit exhileration, glee, or vivaci
ty in such melanaholy days as these is
anew Boeder in the world, and de
serving bf attention, il he can commu
nicate to others the secret of hlo happy
ft bow of spirits. It would be worth a
fortune in these dismal times. Rut
when shall we be done with these win
try days ? Is there’to be no Spring this
year? Mr. Clerk of the Weather, can
you reply?
THE CAPTURE OP THE Gl T £RILLA
HARRY G7LMEU.
Washington, Feb. 7, 1865. —1n addi
tion to the brief account telegraphed to
the Herald yesterday, relative to the
capture of the notorious rebel guerilla
i and highwayman, Major Henry Gilmer,
; I communicate the following—-
The capture was made by Maj. Young,
of General Sheridan's scouts, who was
in command of twenty-five picked men.
Major Young had been out on a scout
for three continuous days before the cap
ture of Gilmer, tracking and capturing
rebel soldiers and guerrillas at different
points. On Sunday morning Major
Young learned that Harry Gilmer liaa
been in the country, in the vicinity of
Moorfield, having received authority
from General Early to consolidate
McNeil sand Wood’s rebel guer
illa companies with his own battalion,
with the ulterior design of raiding on
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad during
the winter, and to take part in other
operations during the ensuing spring.—
The consolidation did not please the offi
cers or men of the two companies
named. Their dissatisfaction was ex
pressed to Gilmer, and at the time of his j
capture he was bn a visit to, an influeu- j
tial person t© get his assistance in the '
matter.
Maj. Young tracked the wily guerilla
chief to a place near the South Fork
river, three miles west of Moorfield. So
accurate was his information in regard to
the whereabouts of Gilmer, that it came
down to the question of which one of
the two houses he was in—one occupied
l)3 r a it. an named Randolph, and the
other by a man named Williams—each a
short distance from the other. Guards
were placed on both while Maj. Young
in person started to search Randolph s
house. As he approached the stable he
saw a little colored servant girl, who
stopped on seeing the officers. He in
quired of her whose horses those were
tnere iu the stable, and did they
belong to soldiers ? She replied they
were not soldiers’ horses—they belonged
to Major Gilmer. This answer was satis
factory to Major Young, and he at once
started for the dwelling house, and was
met at the door by the landlady. To an
interrogatory put to her as to who was
in the nouse, she said no person except
members of her own family. The answer
was unsatisfactory, and a" search of the
premises was commenced, when, reach
ing a room on the second floor, the door
was gently opened, when Major Gilmer
and tiis cousin, a rebel officer, were
found lying in bed awake.
Maior Young in an instant was at the
bed side, seized Gilmer’s pistols, which
were on a chair, and then asked Gilmer
who he was. He replied, “Major Gil
mer,” and then added to his eoatronter,
“Who the devil are you?” The major
replied, “Major Young, of Gen. Sheri
daifs scouts.” .
The prisoners were ordered to dress,
and in a few minutes were attired in lull
suits of gray. They were thdn taken in
charge by me guard outside and marched
to Winchester. A splendid black horse
belonging to Gilmer, wnich he stole on
one of his raids into Pennsylvania, was
also captured. Major Gilmer on his
march to Winchester begged that he
might have some sort of a show given
him in a race for his life, as lie was
shamefully neglected by sleeping in a
house undressed. He said any officer
that slept in a house ought to be captur
ed and shot. Gilmer always carried with
him a thick English robe, made in baggy
style, so that he could get into it and
thus lie down in the woods and sleep.—
He was always attended by a favorite
bloodhound, who gave timely notice ot
the approach of strangers.
On the trip, Major Young encounter
ed the rebel Captain Stumpp, of the
Eighteenth Virginia regiment, of lrnbo
dan’s command He made a desperate
resistance to his capture, aud was only
induced to surrender when perforated
with bullets from the pistols of our men,
from the effects of which he died. Ou
the person of the officer, in his waist belt,
was three revolving pistols, of very novel
and peculiar English manufacture. They
have twelve chambers and one barrel for
ordinary firing, and an additional barrel
for throwing siugs. The hammer is so
arranged as to discharge one barrel at a
time, or one chamber aud the slugs bar
: rel at the same time. Tnese pistols are
made especially for guerrilla warfare,
and are the first captured by onr
troops.— He?'ild.
RATIFICATION OF THE CO.tSTI*
TUTIOKAL AMENDMENT ABOL
ISHING 1 ' SLAVERY.
Augusta, Mb., Feb. 7.—The Main
Legislature to-day ratified the constitu
tional amendment abolishing slavery,
and a salute of one hundred guns was j
fired in honor of the event.
Trenton, N. J., Feb. 7.—Governor
Parker to-day sent a messags to both
houses, enclosing a copy of the joint res
olution passed by Congress in regard to
the constitutional amendment to abolish
slavery.
In the Senate Mr. Scovel moved that
the Committee on Federal Relations re
port on it on Tuesday. Senators Chan
dler, Buckley and Randolph opposed im
mediate action.
Mr. Scovel replied, chaigihg that the
power which ruled New Jersey wanted
delay, promising three votes for a re
publican Senator and for till's amend
ment. He cosid not lend himself to
such a bargain. It woald not be kept.
The motion was lost, Senators Jen
kins and Kennedy, (dems.) and Scovel ,
and Horner, (reps.) voting for it.
Lee’s Army PisciiED. —The Portress
Men roe correspondent of the Norfolk
Old Dominion says :
“According to the stories-of deserters
from the enemy, the damages ti> the
Danville Road heretofore spoken of,
threatens to become more and mom se
rious. At the most these men- say, there
were only three weeks’supplies iu Rich
mond at the time of the accident, and
the consequence of a famine is threat
ened. The Danville road is the only one
that carries supplies to Lee's army to
any extent, and with ffs loss, the army
must very soon suffer for provisions,—
The country back of SSchmond is filled
with teams delivering rations, and even
the cavalry have been stripped of their
horses to facilitate the transportation.
As ail the rations that: can be brought
into the city are needed for the army,
the markets are completely denuded of
all provisions, and everything eatable
command fabulous * prices. Un
less something can be done, and that
very soon, the people of Richmond- will
starve, as they are reduced to
straits.
Rebel accounts from the State of Mis
sissippi say there is great activity in the
rnovemeifts of the national troops- in that
region. Transports loaded with them
are said to be moving up and down the
Mississippi river. The greater portion
of General Thomas’ army, it is- stated*
has marched westward, from Columbia
aud Clinton, on the Tennessee river,,
though a portion of it, including General
A. J. Smith’s corps, is reported to be still
in the vicinity of East port, Miss., and
Huntsville, Ala. Tnere is said to be no
change in affairs around Mobile. The
rebels claim that the pirate Tallahassee
escaped from New Inlet and went to sea.
just after the capture of Fort Fisher: 1 A
late fire at Summit, Mississippi, destroy
ed twenty-three houses, six hundred
bales of cotton aud large supplies of re
bel commissary and other stores.
A Freak of Fortune.— Mr. S
Drake, an actor of Cincinnati, and one
of the stock company now performing
at Pike's Opera House in that city, was
made heir by iiis grandfather to an al
most fabulous number of worthless Vir
ginia acres, which have lain unattended
ever since—rather an incumbrance than
otherwise. Last Saturday he received a
a letter from a prospecting company, who
have found oil on his premises, offering
him the snug little sum of $270,000
cash for his premises.
The St. Paul Press says the number of
skins bought this year is considerably
less than last year although the amount
paid for furs is probably greater. The
value of the fur trade in this country
has grown from $15,000 in 1850 to
$300,000 in 18(>4.
Wb are indebted to Dr. Meredith Cly
mer, Medical Director of the Depart
ment, for late New York papers.
j Telkglai uiic Communication in India.
—We noW by last home papers that
great effois are preparing to complete
] telegraphs communication from Europe
Jto India ad China. Within about a
| year from this time, Bombay, Galb,
; Calcutta aH Rangoon will be within
two days tiegraphic communication of
London oy Vie mere completion of the
Persian GuF line. The circuit from
Bombay to laugcon is now in working
order, sotha} the- great centre span of
communicatbn with China is nearly
made. But his quite possible, in the
absence of an/ efforts on the part of the
local goyernnint, or at least of local en
terprise, Singapore may continue shut
out of the circiit long after communica
tion is effected with China itself.
Considerable discussion has taken place
here and elsewhere as to the scheme of
opening a railway between the Bay of
Bengal and thA Gulf of Siam through
the Isthmus of Iraw, to enable passen
gers and goods t\> avoid the round of the
Straits of We think the utter
impracticability of any such scheme for
ordinary traffic his been pretty w r ell de
monstrated. Bull though the short dis
tance to be saved, coupled with the lim
ited extent to which it would be availed
of, would never compensate for the en
ormous cost of laying a railway of even
forty miles, still, as far as a telegraph
line is concerned, the route is one obvi
ously calculated to shorten the distance
of communication with China by some
six hundred miles, and consequently to
effect a palpable saving in cost. * The
only ground upon which we at present
depend that the line of telegraphic com
munication will be extended to-Singa*
pore, are our own commercial impor
tance and that of Java. These are pow
erful inducements certainly; but yet they
are altogether subsidiary to the impor
tance, commercial and otherwise, of
China and Japan ; and it is quite possi
ble that, to obtain an early realization of
the connection with China, the shorter
route, by Kraw, may in the first place
be adopted, whatever may be the ulti
mate intention as to extension -here.—
And we know' from experience, if this
shorter route w'ere to be selected, how'
long the period would likely be before
any further move would be made in this
direction.
We are, of course, talking of possibil
ities only ; the chances are that the main
route will be originally extended along
the Straits ; but if this be so we certain
ly have no reason to thank ourselves for
ft, whatever may be our grounds for con
gratulation. Why not iet us at once
proceed to connect Penang with Singa
pore; it will be a useful, and probably a
remunerative line in itself, and it will
form a span on the great highway of the
telegraphic communication with the far
East which will hasten our connection'
with Europe, and certainly prevent any
short cut departure from our doors, such.'
as w.*e have shown under other circum
stances to be possible.— Straits 'Times : ,
Major General Gillmore and staff
sailed on Thursday Dr Hilton Head.
Gen. Gillmore is appointed to the com
mand of the New Department of the
South, which includes South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, and a part, if not the
whole'of North Carolina. He supersedes-,
Gen. Foster, but Gen. Sherman, of
course, still remains in command of tile
army in the field as heretofore. The
past,services or Gen. Gillmore wiffle in
that Department are a guaranty that he
will conduct its affairs with the energy
and activity for which he is distinguish
ed.—N. Y» Tribune, 4 th.
Bibulous was staggering along the
other day after the snow, when an ava
lanche from the house top thundered
down, knocked his hat over his eyes,
and himself to the ground. His admi
ration of Nature was maintained so the
last: “Splend’d ’splay,” said he, getting,
up, “snowing ver-hard, and air filled
with meteors!”
Thieves, robbers and highwaymen are
now, many of them, armed with anew
weapon, called a “sand club ” It con
sists of a canvass bag twenty inches
long and four inches thick, filled with
sand. A blow from this terrible weapon
| leaves no mark, though its effects, if
| received on the head would be tataU