Columbus times. (Columbus, Ga.) 1864-1865, December 17, 1864, Image 2

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Newspaper Page TextDAILY TIMES. rs V. J4RRES, - - - Editor. COLUMBXJS: Saturday Morning, December 17,1864. The War in Georgia: We are still without definite and reliable news from the theatre of war in Georgia Although we received yesterday quite a batch of Augusta and Charleston papers, the dates were not so late as those received on Thurs day. Like ourself the reader will have to en dure the suspense awhile longer. If the tran sactions now transpiring r,e?<r Savannah should prove unfavorable to our cause, we should be in no hurry to receive the unwel come tidings; and if favorable, the news will keep and be so much the better when it does come. Let us possess our souls in patience. We have Richmond flies to the 7th and tel egraphic reports to the 11th. Military pre parations in that quarter are quite active, and important battles daily expected. All looks well for us in that vicinity. Nothing good, had or indifferent from the army of Tennessee, The fall campaigns of 1864, says the Rich mond Enquirer, 7th, promise to close must encouragingly for our cause. Grant, bathed and defeated, is confined to his trenches, un able to do anything towards the capture of Richmond or even Petersburg. Sheridan, notwithstanding his victories, is held within Uk a:, its and the lower Valley, unable to reap any of the advantages that usually attend such victories as he claims to have won over Early. Sherman, compelled to evacuate Atlan ta, sought to avoid the confession of failure by a forward retreat to the sea coast rather than a backward movement on Nashville; but his present position in the pine barrens of Geor gia, surrounded by Confederate armies, daily increasing iii strength, offers now really an encouraging prospect for the capture of his command. Thomas, left to defend the loyal States from the army of Hood, has been act ing only on the defensive, has been driven back from the Tennessee to the Cumberland, and now cowers in the fortifications of Nash ville, and whether he will be able to hold the city, remains to be seen. Thus, throughout the military horizon there is no cloud that overshadows our cause, or that should give special concern to our people. Even the tri umphant election of Mr. Lincoln is not wholly without encouragement to the early success of our cause. It is true he is rc-elected, and by a very large majority, but there can be no majority without a minority, and three year3 ago there was no minority for peace ; not one man dared avow himself for peace. Now New York city has given over 37,000 majority for peace; and in all the United States the mi nority numbers millions. A cause which from nothing , lises, in three years, to millions, though in a minority, is certainly a growing cause, and one which can and does encourage its friends. More than tbis. Mr. Lincoln's re election, while it develops the strength of the peace feeling among the enemy, places the question of reconstruction beyond even hope. So that while it secures our ultimate triumph, it prepares the people is the United States for the inevitable dismemberment of that country. Notwithstanding, therefore, Air. Lincoln's j re-election, and despite the rejoicing of the Republican parly, the enemy are divided , divi ded upon this very question of peace ; the minority is a growing and increasing minori ty, which from absolutely none , when that tornado ot popular excitement about Fort Sumter swept over that land, has since risen to millions, and to a majority of thirty-seven thousand in the metroplitan city ot their country. Their unity is gone. Henceforth despotic power may keep the peace, but it can not keep the consciences of men, nor prevent the peace feeling from finding expression at every election, and growing stronger and stronger with every deteat that befalls their armies. But what of Confederate unity ? Our ene mies arc- asserting, especially the New \ork Tribune, that ‘ the assumption of a thorough ly united and harmouious Confederacy is “equally devoid of bottom.” Is this so? The Tribune refers in corroboration ot its asser tion to the remarks of Mr. Leach, of North Carolina, lately'made in Congress, and to the course of Governor Brown and Vice President Stephens. That there exists differences of opinion among our people cannot be denied, but that our unity of purpose, our determina tion to succeed, has ever been disturbed, can not be shown in the conduct of any man or the action of any State. The enemy’s news papers would represent our leaders as quar relling among themselves, and our people as discordant and divided, criminating and re criminating each other, and paralizing the arm of public defence by internal discord and division. This misrepresentation is made to strengthen and encourage their own people ; it is a part of the Yankee code of war, in which prevarication, exaggeration and false hood make up alike the bulletin of a Lieuten ant Geueral as well as the report of a Corpo ral. Perhaps the fate of Sherman may teach the enemy a lesson of Confederate uni j j and when they see the people of a State, slandered with the insinuation of infidelity to the cause, swarming around the invader and destroying his army, even that enemy may, it is noped, confess the truth that we are a united people. Perhaps the Tribune may retract its vile slan der that “there is a chronic quarrel between nt he States and the Confederacy itself in ref erence to the quotas.” But would it not be well to prevent the enemy from discouraging lh e peace party by referring to such scenes as they misrepresent as evidence of piston and discord? Would not Gov. Brown n.ne done Georgia more service by a more temperate pnicst against the recommendation of Presi dent Davis than by his published message, which reads more like a bullying threat than a dignified State paper ? But it is to the gal lant action of the people of Georgia, rather than to any individual, that we would direct the attention of our enemy for evidence of Confederate unity. Is there division, or dis cord, or disseutiou now in Georgia? The march of Sherman has hushed the voice oi complaint, called the people together for common defence, and taught them that they cannot afford the luxury of dissensions. If Sherman ever makes a report of his retreat from Atlanta, he may tell what divisions he found in Georgia. Lincoln's Message. The oracle has spoken; the answer to much that has been vexing the minds of the people, both at the North and South, says the Augusta 'Consti tutionalist, has been delivered. It cornea not “trippingly on the tongue,” like a savory jingle of madrigals, but rather like Friar Bacon's brazea head, thunderous and stentorian, with lips that mumble of the earthquake and drip with innocent blood. There can be no mistake, this time. On former occasions Father Abraham, Seward being at his elbow, affected, in a salacious way, the par adox vein of Machiavelli, or the fine subtleties of Talleyrand, but now, the thin veil of sophistry is torn away from the problem and it is shown in all the livid ghastliness of unmistakable speech. We ask that every Confederate read and ponder the meaningof these words. We have not mush to thank Lincoln for in the past, and may have still less in the future : but for one thing at least let praise be aecorded, and that, the frank ness of his ultimatum. We have, for many months, urged upon the people of Georgia that just such a policy would meet them in their honest efforts at peace by negotiation. Not from any desire for more slaughter or wrong—God forbid!—but gui ded by the light of reason and that -philosophy which leaches by example, we have striven vigor ou«W through prejudice and calumny, tb prepare their minds for the inevitable sequel. It has come just as we predicted, and one thing alone remains for every true-hearted Southern to do, and that is. war to the last. Terribl*3 as the alternative is, it is the lesser evil; and those who think differently, sighing for the ilesb-pots of Egypt, are recreant to the soil and the Cause, unwortny of a breathing place or a grave in the land which the Lord our God has given us. Let, then, those goed folks who have been rasp ing their knuckles in a vain tug over the Gordian knot of Convention, fit their fingers to the sabre or the bayonet. These are the only quellers of the —cat secret. and the only diplomatists that can wrest a final peace from the grasp of despot ism. We feel that even these things which lower up on us like portentious evils, are but blessings in ambush. Sherman’s desolating march and Lin coln’s grim message are gloomy in their way, but the tramp of the Abolition soldiery has crushed out Georgia squabbling?, and the devilsh syllables of the Yankee President will link us with the gold en band of fraternity and the proof armor of de fiance. We can stand all that is threatened, we are still robust and agile; the incentive to battle on is even mo’ e imperative ; independence is far from doubtful. Patience, courage, tenacity—these will win the day, at last, with faith in God and faith in the faith. Western Kentuckt. —The large addition to his command obtained by Gen. Lyon, during his late campaign in Wistern Kentucky, says the Appeal, gives us gratifying proof that the people in whose midst he acted are by no means subju gated notwithstanding they have bet o rulod with an unsparing hand the last two years, by the worst of Fodoral tyranny, supported by bayonets. Gen. L. was in the State but a short time, y6t he addea to his force about four thousand recruits, all of whom were mounted. The rigorous rule exercised by Paine, at Paducah, and other des pots who have from time to time been deputized to carry out the schemes of the taskmasters at Washington, has by no means engendered a spirit of submission. Outrage has only confirmed the people in their hostility to the “best Government the world ever saw.” Tax Decision*.— Thompson Allen, Tax Com missioner, informs Mr. Y. L. Nabers, of Car rolton, Ala , that the five-fold penalty does not apply to future crops, and to bacon and to bacco due this spring. The bacon and tobac co are not assessed until 1864, and are not ready for market until 1864; other produce of 1863, if not delivered in kind, will be paid for at the assessed value and fifty per cent, added. Enterprise. —The Southern Express Com pany now have six wagons and teams running between the terminus of the Macon road and Atlanta, for the purpose of conveying express freight. The distance over which this haul ing is now done is about thirty miles, which will be cut down to fifteen or twenty in a very short while. The Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad. This railroad is now in operation from Gren ada to Senatobia, by steam cars, and from the hitter point accommodations are rendered to the public to Tallahatchie by horse cars. In a few days it i3 expected the cars will run to Coldwater, within thirty miles of Memphis. This will be getting pretty near the “blue coats.” We are iuformed officially (by the “Index”) that Lieut. Waddell, of the Confederate States Navy, has hoisted his flag on anew steamer, the She nandoah. She received her crow, armament, Ac., on the high seas, far from any neutral juris diction, and is said to be a better vessel than the Florida. From Petersburg. There was no movemant on these lines yesterday, j and the enemy was perfectly quiet, except on the j left, where the usual shelling and mortar firing ! was indulged in. From the river down to Arm strong’s Mill, everything was otherwise quiet. The usual number of deserters came in yester day. They can give no account of any move ment or arrival of troops in Grant’s army, and do not know whether to anticipate another battle on the lines south of the Appomattox or not. Os affairs beyond the James, they know nothing. The Sixth (Yankee) corps, attached to Sheri dan’s army, has not come up the James river, and consequently has not reinfsreed Grant. The latest reliable accounts represent this corps still in the Valley. If Grant has received any reinforce ments, they are new troops, or they are brought from other points than the Valley. The Richmond papers of yesterday make men tion of unusual activity on the lines below Rich mond, and accordingly prophesy an early battle near Chaffins. The Army of the James is report ed to have heen largely reinforced, and certain mancouveriug indicate an approaching attack. Probably Grant is under the impression that Lee has sent a portion of his army South to as« sist in heading off Sherman, in jvhich case he will attempt to force our lines here. He may elect to give battle on the north side of the Appomattox, where all hopes of gaining advantage may as well be given over.— [Petersburg Express, 7th . The Liverpool “Post,” of November 18tb, savs: We were informed last night that Captain Semraes, whose whereabouts has lately been tbe subject of several paragraphs in the pub lic journals, is in reality in Liverpool, occu pied in engaging men for service on board a privateer. It is said that he saw thirty-five candidates yesterday, and selected nine, and that he is to start on Sunday for Gibralter. A few days ago Mr. Stanton dismissed twenty clerks from the Quartermaster’s De partment, some on charge of disloyalty, and some for intense zeal in their opposition to Mr Lincoln’s re-election. One of them came directly to Mr. Stanton, and asked him if he considered a man disloyal because be favored .he election of McClellan. “By no means ’ was the reply, “but wheu a young man re ceives bis salary from an Administration, and spends his evenings in denouncing it in the most offensive language, he cannot complain if the Administration chooses one of its friends to take his place This i? what I have done in your case.’ About Pelrrsburg. A correspondent, of the Columbia Caroli nian, writes :. 7 » The most interesting portion of the entire line is arouu-i Petersburg, where the two armies have dug and dug until the entire face of the country between them resembles a Cro te»n labyrinth, which, to the casual eye has taught our men how to protect themselves, and you will find them burrowing like squir rels underground. They live in caves, hole3, chambers ingeniously constructed with bunks end fire places, and in a word, except in time of action, are completely sheltered. Sharp sbeotiug, tae pest of a soldier a lile in the trenches, continues incessantly; but beyond thirty or forty men daily killed or wounded along the lines—men only missed by the loved ones of the home circles—all ia quiet. That this comparative rest will not ooatinue long, is a general impression. In spite of our shell aod ’shot, the Dutch Gap canal is sup posed to be nearly completed, and the gath ering of the mammoth armada and arrival of Gen. Sheridan at City Point with a portion of his forces, are indications which certainly point to a grand combined land and naval at tack within a f w days. If Grant is unsuc cessful, and no one familiar with our prepara tions doubts the contrary, it is surmised that with his usu 1 promptness he will move south ward and commence a winter campaign some where else. Among all the antagonists that have con fronted Gen. Lee during the war, none have given that great chief more trouble, or occa sioned more anxiety than General Grant.— Although be Ins been repeatedly brought to the ground, beaten and discomfitted like a reckless prize fighter covered by his own blood, and bli led by the blows that were rained upon h.m, he has dashed again into the fray, ,<n<i again and again suffered the mortification of defeat., without once acknowl edging that he has been whipped. And he still clings with death-like tenacity. The re sources of an immense power are at his back. He calls for reinforcements to take the place of the tens of thousands over whose graves he stalks like the demon of death, j and they are furnished. Nothing is wanted I to make bis success complete but sheer hu | man inability to stand before the superior ! prowess of Southern men. With his peculiar obstinate bull-dog nature, Gen. Grant is a firm believer iu the “attrition” process, which wears out by repeated blows what is not ac complished by one. Hence the necessity of keeping our own army fully up to a proper level of strength. Hence the revocation of details ; the recommendations of the Presi i dent concerning negro labor, and the measures | about to be devised by Congress for a general | reorganization of the army. 1 Milledgeville. It has been two weeks since the Yankee Army left us, (to-day Friday) but the mourn ful relic3 of their presence are fresh as when they swarmed in our streets and crowded our residences and public squares. Many of our citizens who left the city at the approach of the enemy have returned, and familiar faces meet us at every step ; but a stillness almost Sabbath-like pervades our business streets, and the blackened, sightless walls of the Pen itentiary, Arsenal, Magazine and Depot re mind us constantly of the presence of the vandal hordes of Sherman. It is due to Sher man to say that most of the outrages commit ted by his men were perpetrated in private residences where the owners, both male and female, had left the premises. Where our citizens remained in their houses night and day, we hear of but few acts of diabolism such as were committed in unoccupied buildsngs. The attention of the enemy was principally directed to poultry, stock, provisions of all kinds, hogs, harness, money and valuables.— Negroes were treated very bad by their pro fessed friends and liberators. They were robbed of money, clothing, blankets—every thing stealable. Indeed, our negroes have cause to remember the enemy quite as feelingly as their masters’and mistresses. Many left us and followed the Yankee army. Some have returned and more followed in the same di rection ; but the loss of negroes in tbe section overrun by Shernign must be very great. It is a little remarkable that those negroes left who were least expected to leave, and in most cases they were idle and vicious characters.— It is a little singular, too, that those negroes who took up with the Yankees were univer sally known to be most free before the Yan kees came. Negroes who had been managed as they should be, were content to stay with their masters, but those who had been per- I milted to do as they pleased, were, the first to i run away. Our streets and public squares i are filled with private papers and public docs ! uments. Even private correspondence of a ; nature the mo3t sacred, is blown to and fro I by the wind and subject to the rude criticism !of the most vulgar and illiterate. The State ! House for many days has been knee deep in j papers The building is much defaced. The ! windows on the side towards the magazine are all broken, and the plastering injured.— I The fencing around the square is broken down, and many of the young trees in the square ruined, the bark being bit off by the horses tied to them. Our churches were not respec ted. They, too, bear the impress of the un hallowed footstep of the foul in v ader. But bad as it is with us, we are truly thankful it is no worse. But few ladies or children were insulted or even molested in their houses. It might have been expected to be much worse, i from the known character of Sherman’s Army. No occupied residences were destroyed. Many feared that the city would be burnt and were greatly relieved when assured that it would not be. In a few weeks our public offices will be put in repair and the business appertaining to them be progressing as though Sherman had never been in a thousand miles of Milledge vtlle. Confederate Union. Grants’ Inferfo. —A correspendent of the New York “Tribune,” writing from before Peters burg, on the 28th, says : A disagreeable place is Fort Hell, and especial ly so during a fierce bombardment. And yet to converse with its inmates, and to note the non chalance with which they narrate 1 heir hairbreadth escapes; to hear them tell of the jolly gport they have had in “dodging” the mortar sheila of the enemy, and to witness the complacency with which they “live, move and have their being” in a place where death is a daily visitor, impresses one with the conviction that there is, indeed, in the very atmosphere of danger, a delectable ex citement known to him long accustomed to peril. Talk to the garrison about being relieved by troops which have been occupying less perilous position, and the proposition receives no favor ; like the Irishman's hanging, they have become accustomed to it, have comfortable quarters, and are perfectly satisfied with their location. In their bomb-proofs they are secure against the invasion of ordinary shells, but the roofing of logs, with its covering of earth, affords them no protection from the enemy’s mortar shells, which, sometimes dropping perpendicularly, penetrate their retreat, killing or wounding the occupants. In'the night time the feat of dodging on© of these destructive missiles is one of easy accom plishment, as its course is marked by the burning fuse ; but in daylight the only signal of its com ing is the peculiar moan from which precedes its passage, and one must, indeed, be an artful dodger to avoid the cyle of destruction. And yet it is done daily, by the men who give these ugly cus tomers the go-by with the exhibition of no more concern for their personal safety than a school boy who steps aside to avoid the harmless snow ball aimed at him by his fellow. Gen. Suott a Plagiarist. —The New York Tribune has the following : Lieut. Gen. Winfield Scott is reported to have presented a copy of his autobiugphy to Lieut. Gen. U. S. Grant, with the following inscription: “From the oldest to the ablest General in the world.” Did Gen. Scott forget, or did he remem ber that Frederick the Great once sent a sword to Washington with the inscription: “ From the oldest General in the world to the greatest.” 1 • « ■ Ala \ ankee.—The following i* an extract from a dispateh. dated St- Pall, Miss., Nov. 14,1564. Captain Fisk has arrived here. He reports hav ing killed a number ©f Indians with bullets, and one hundred men, women and children with hard tack, saturated with strychnine. '-•a Correspondence ofth- Charleston Courier.] Gossip About the Confederates in Pans. Paris, Sept. 27, 1864. Notwithstanding the difficulty of egress from Siuthern ports, and the equally great obstacle of exchange at twenty for one, I would venture 'h** supposition that the States composing our Confederacy have never been more largely represented in Europe than at this time. Leam ington, a pleasant little village in England, i has become quite a Confederate colony, where . they marry and give in marriage, as in any - well organized community : and in all parts j of England, iu its cities and hamlets are to be* ; found Confederate families either prevented , from returning to their homes by the blockade j of our enemies or driven from them by their i barbarities. These families finding the warm ! hearts of the English people a refuge and j kindly sympathy. But it is in Paris that we find the greatest ] number and the greatest variety of the genus Confederate, attracted probably by the bright er and warmer sunshine, more like that of our own by greater freedom from so cial restraints than is to be found elsewhere ; possibly, too —though I will, in charity, be lieve otherwise—by the gaities and pleasures of this metropolis. Whatever may be the at traction, it certainly is not that they find, on the part of the French people, any very warm sympathy for our cause ; for they take very little interest in it. Whatever may be the at traction, they are here ia large numbers—a fact which does little credit to themselves or | honor to their country. In this crowd of un authorized representatives, South Carolina has, lam happy to say, but few. Louisiana has the greatest number. Until within the past few months, Paris has been the naval station of the Confederacy. Fifty or sixty officers were kept hero for more thaD a year waiting for vessels which the French govern ment encouraged us to build ; now the last shadow of hope in that quarter has been dis pelled; and most of these officers have been sent home. A good many are still retained, whom our authorities seem determined to al low to “figlu it out on.this line.” Since Mr. Seward’s assurance to the Empe ror Napoleon that he would not be interfered with in Mexico by the United States there has been a marked change in the policy of his Government towards us. We have not been permitted to finish the ships which were near ly completed, (and which have in conse quence been sold) and the Rappahannock, which has heretofore been looked upon as be yond their cognizance, is now cooped up in Cherbourg and not permitted to leave. So much for the sympathy of Louis Napoleon. Among the South Carolinians here who do honor to their State, is Dr. Simms, a native of Lancaster District, but more recently of New York, where he had gained very high rank among scientific physicians. His reputation has increased since he came to Paris. He has here a very extensive practice, and is most kind and hospitable to his countrymen. Mr. DeLeon is another South Carolinian here who will be remembered most kindly by all who have experienced the genuine hospitality so freely dispensed by himself and his amiable wife. He has now no official position. The marriage of Miss Mathilde Slidell, el dest daughter of our Commissioner here, with Mr. Erlauger, will take place in the first week of October. She is quite pretty, has very winning manners, and is very much loved by all who know her. Mr. Erlanger is the banker here who nego tiated the Confederate loan. This was a very lucky venture for him, as by it he cleared about three millions of dollars. This will be a pretty fair commencement for the young couple. Mr. Slidell has still another very charming daughter to make the Embassy (?) attractive. It is to be hoped that she will re serve herself for some war-worn Southern sol dier. We had the pleasure last week of seeing Capt. Semmes in Paris on his return from a short tour in Switzerland and Germany. One would not recognize in him, as he appears in his civilian’s garb, the mustached hero of the phantom ship. His care-worn, sun-burnt face, the old fashioned stock he wore and his appearance generally, betokened rather a country person. Yet when he talked there i was great animation in his grey eye3, and j his kindliness and modesty were truly char- : acteristic of the hero. He returns to the South ; by the next steamer. Paris is becoming more gay as the fashion able people are returning from the mountains and watering places, where they have been recruiting themselves for the winter’s pleas - ures, which here are serious labors. Every day we see new and handsome equipages on the Champs Elysees, and prettier dresses on the Bouleyards and in the Gardens. In the fashions there are some notable changes, first among which is the revolution in bonnets. There has been a serious and vi olent reaction against the “sky scrapers,” and j now the ladies have scarcely any head cov | ering at. all. | I propose, however, in another letter to I give more minute details on the subject, which may be more interesting to your fair readers than anything that I can write from this quar ter. I trust, however, they will believe me, that neither in the Parks of London nor on the Bouleyards of Paris, have I found any women half so sweet as our pretty Southern girls in ! calico. ESPERANCE. Milledgeville and Warrenton Railroad.— We understand that this Railroad with one or two exceptions, is graded all the way to Milledgo ville. The road from Macon to Gordon, and from Gordon to Milledgeville, can be repaired in a few days. Then if the iron from Milledgeville to May field, on the Warrenton and Milledgeville Road could be laid, which is only about 31 miles, we should havo a short and uninterrupted communi cation trom Central Georgia and Alabama to Rich mond. This route would be much shorter than either of the old routes if they were in good re pair. But it is very doubtful whether either can be repaired this winter; and if the one by the Central Railroad and Millen was repaired, it is very doubtful how long the enemy would permit them to remain in order. But the one through the middle of the State, will, in all probabilily, remain unmolested for the balance of this win'er at least. Under all these circumstances, would it not be great economy for the government to fin ish, that is, lay the iron on that small portion of the Warrenton and Milledgeville Railroad between Mayfield and Milledgeville? —Confederate Union. The Negro Question. —It now appears probable that the measure recommended by President Davis, for the raising of a corps of forty thousand negroes, to act as teamster3 ? cooks, and pioneer and engineer laborers will be adopted by Congress, omitting the eman cipation feature. Tbis aetion of Congress will accord with the 3entimeut of the country? and is all the sacrifices of principles demand ed by the existing emergencies. Mobile.— We infer (says the Memphis Appeal of the 15th) from the statements of our western ex changes, that all apprehensions of a raid on the Mo bile and Ohio railroad, or of an attach on Mobile, have subsided. The trains on the Mobile and Ohio railroad are running through as usual, and it was thought in Salma yesterday evening the raiders had turned back. The Mobile journals of Sunday are particularly silent as to the situation of affairs—a course adopted, no doubt, to prevent information as to the operations of the Federal land force reach ing the fleet. Rumors from Pollard.— Various reports, says the Memphis Appeal, 16th, relative to the condi tion of affairs in the vicinity of Pollard, and some of them seem to be entitled to credit. One statement is tha the enemy was in such close proximity to the post that the telegraph office had been closed, and the Government stores and railroad machinery re moved. The force is said to have marched out from Pensacola, and to number from three to five thou sand. If this be so from what we know of the strength of our cavalry force in that section, we judge no serious damage can be accomplished by the raiders. The evening train that left this city on the Mobile and Great Northern railroad, started with th© intention of proceeding no farther than Evergreen. TBCB OXTf ■ T- J. LOCAL EDITOR- Sales To-k Cl ..j, Livingston A Cos., ad vertise to-day an auction sale of negroes, silver ware, whiskey, furniture, See. Those interested please bear in mind. Audios Sales.— At auction yesterday by Ro sette, Lawhon and Cos., whisky sold for S3O per gallon : one buggy $2,400 ; horse $1010; hard ware, furniture, Ac., at good prices. The refugee asks ho charity. He asks nothing more than what you, who tarn coldly away from him, may hereafter be compelled to ask for your - selves—the privilege of making a home for his wife and little ones, where they may receive such courtesy and kindness as the unfortunate are enti tied to at the hands of every human being, but most of all at the hands of those who, though in terested in the same great cause, have not suffered for it like theia. A Christmas Tree. —We learn that it is the purpose of Mrs. McKenzie and Miss Birdsong, teachers of the female department of the Colum bus Free School, to get up for tho benefit of the little girls of that institution a Christmas tree, and to do so they solicit the co -operation of the friends of education in our midst. Contributions by gentle men or ladies of toys, trinkets, fruits, cakes or eatables of any kind thankfully received. These ladies deserve much credit for the manner in which this school has been conducted during the last six months, and we trust they may be gratified by receiving the proper encouragement in this en terprise. The children too, would be delighted at such a demonstration, and as they belong to a class not accustomed to much of the good thimgs of this life, we trust their yoang hearts maybe oaused to palpitate with pleasant emotions at the feast of good things which awaits them. Capt. Travis. —We have hitherto failed to chronicle the arrival in this city, of tbis gentleman with his celebrated Dill gun. He comes , we learn, to contract for the building at the Columbus Arse nal, of a battery for General Forrest. We are re quested to give notice that tho gun he brought here as a pattern for the battery, will be on exhi bition to-day at Goodrich A Co.’s Store, whore the Ladies of this vieiuity are respectfully invi ted to call and see it. Lands for Sale. —Hanserd & Austin adver tise for sale a large tract of valuable Florida lands. See advertisement. Raid on Piedmont Springs.— We learn from the Route Agent on the Western Road, (says the Salis bury Watchman,) that a tory raid was made on Piedmont Springs, in Burke county, on the might of the 29th November, resulting in a serious loss of property to Mr. Lindsay, the proprietor of the Springs. There was about 20 persons in the com pany. They spent the night at the Springs, faring well, and did not mi ko known their business until after breakfast next morning. They captured two wagons and teams, and pillaged the place of all movable property. They also carried off the ne groes, but they have since returned. Mr. Lindsay estimates his loss at about $20,000. The Springs are 15 miles above Morganton. A girl of sixteen, convicted in St. Louis of repea ted violations of the oath of allegiance, of carrying contraband articles across the lines, and of being a : rebel spy, has had her sentence, which was death, j commuted by General Rosecranz to imprisonment during the war. Execution of a Sentence.— Mrs. Sarah Hutch ins, recently convicted by a military court in th e sorely oppressed city of Baltimore, of procuring a sword for the rebel dragoon, Harry Gilmor, has been committed to the House ofCorrection at Fitch burg, Mass., under a sentance of imprisonment for five years. Mrs. Hutchins is one the most elegant and refined ladies of Baltimore, and has thus been torn ruthlessly from her husband and three inter esting little daughters, by the most grinding despo tism that has ruled since the days of Nero. Activity before Richmond.— The sounds from the enemy’s camps below Richmond through out Sunday night indicated that their troops were in motion ; but nothing positive is known of their j movements except that it was discovered on yes- j terday morning that the white troops had been j withdrawn from our front near Fort Harrison and their place supplied with negroes. The Yankee papers announced some days ago that all the ne- I groesin Grant’s army were to be put in the j 18th corps, under Weitzel, and we presume this arrangement was being carried into effect when the marching and countermarching of Sunday night was h*ard; all the negroes were beiDg brought over to this side from Bermuda Hundreds and Petersburg, and an equal number of white troops were being sent south of the river to fill their places. Negroes, on yesterday, lor the first j time, strutted on picket in front of Gen. Barton’s lines. Their appearance here has not caused any interruption of the usual quiet. They have de ported themselves peaceably, and, so far, have not been fired upon by our men. There is no longer any doubt that Grant has been reinforced by the Sixth corps, and that he will, in a few days, make another demonstration on our lines.— Express, 7 1'. Gen. Grant to Gen. Sherman. —The Wa3h iugten correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette asserts that one of the last messages that passed over the telegraph wires to Atlanta, before the place was abandoned, was one of the several thousand words, in cypher, from Grant to Sherman, embodying the final coun sels and direction of the Lieutenant General. MY WIFE. BY MAJ. GEO. M’KXIGHT. Ye soft winds sigh your mournful 3ong Above the bed Where sleeps the dear -st one among The myriad dead 1 Sweep gently o’er the grassy mound, Thou weeping willow, Where my own loved and lost hath found A dreamless pillow! Ye sunbeams! as ye play upon The hillock green, Spread o'er the slumber of this one Your.brightest sheen! Dai ling ! I loved thee as I ne’er Can love another; And mourn thee in thy happier sphere My children s mother ! Columbia, S, C. DIED, November 2d, 1864, at Tallassee, Ala., Martha M. Sims, eldest daughter of the late Wm- H. Sims, aged 15 years. Fold her gently to thy breast, Mother Eearth— Take our weary one to rest. From our hearth — Hearth, now desolate and drear— Oh, forgive this bitter tear ! Pearls are pure and without hue, In the sea — Daisies white and dainty too. As flowers can be ! Cold emblems these!—our lost dove Was purity itself, and love. Gentle Christian, without stain, Was our lost, Murmuring not at any pair, Tho’ sorely tossed, God has crowned her sweet young brow With wreaths of heavenly radience now. Father! our hearts are bowed Bleeding and torn— Butthou’st the friend avowed, To such as mourn. Beloved one, to Heaven we mete thee, Angel bands are there to greet uiee . Farewell !l Tallassee, Ala.. N ov. 1864 dec 17 It AUCTION SALES. By Ellis, Livingston X Cos ♦ —♦ ON Saturday, December 17ih T will sell in fr.nt of our store u 0 ° lock * wo 1 Negro Woman, fair cook and seam tress, with one child. dec 16 $6 By Ellis, Livingston X Cos WE will sell on SATURDAY, 17th December ’at " 11 o clock, in front of our store 1 No. 1 Negro Man, 40 years old, good field hand. 1 Very Fine Silver Plated Sett of Castors. dec 15 sl3 50 By Ellis, Living’s ton X Cos., YVE will sell on Saturday, December, 17th, at 14 I > o’clock, in front of our Auction Room— -1 Extra Fine Wheeler & Wilson, full Mahonany case, Sewing Machine, all complete, dec 16 $6 By Ellis, Livingston X Cos, AN SATURDAY, 17th of December, at 11 <>’«!oek, U we will sell in front of our Auction R ooin, 44 Sacks Salt, 10 Bbls. Corn Whiskey 2 Fine Feather Beds, 2 Mattresses, Bolsters and Pillows, I Chest Carpenters’ Tools, Clothing, etc., etc. dec 16 sl2 Florida Land* Cor Sale. A TRACT OF LAND situated iu Wakulla county, l*- Fla., on Wakulla river, 12 miles south of Talla hassee and six miles distant from both Newport and St. Marks; containing 760 acres, of which 160 acroi are pine, the remainder hammock. The growth is liveoak, whiteoak, wateroak, hickory, etc. All un improved excepting a few acres. For terms and further description apply to dec 17 3t HANSERD & AUSTIN. YARNS and OSNABFRGS TO EXCHANGE FOR G- H.OTJ3NT3D At the GRANT FACTORY. dec 17 ts Overseer Wanted. A MAN over fifty five, or'one whe is unfit for fiaii service, to attend to a plantation no ir Ofiumbai. Apply to J. R. IVEY, dec 15 lw SSOO Reward. STOLEN from my stable, the Bth inst., a small dap ple cream PONY’, white mane and tail, a sralien, very fat, four years old. Will pay S2OO for the pony and S3OO for the theif, delivered to me in America*. Ga., or E. J. Pinckard, in Columbus, Ga. dec 15 2w R. C. BLACK. Wanted, AT Lee Hospital, the Ist of January, ten able bodied NEGROES, men and women. A. D. BRIDGMAN, dec II ts Steward. TO GEORGIA EDITORS AND THE II4TLESS ! I WANT rabbit skins, coon skins, fox skins, otter skins, mink skins, beaver skins, and all other skins that have fur upon them. I want them for the pur pose of making hats, and will pay the highost cash prices, or swap hats for them. 1 Will give a giod rabbit hat for sixty rabbit skins; a good coon hat for two dozen good coon skins ; a good beaver hat for three beaver skin3; a good wool hat for two pounds of clean washed wool, free of cockleburrs. and cut from the live sheep’s back, and so on. The skins must be taken from the animals in winter and be well stretched before drying. Parcels may he sent by express, and hats in the same wav. J. A. TURNBR. Eatonton, Ga., Dec. 9,18G4. N. B.—All Georgia editors who will copy the above notice, four times, including this note, and also the following prospectus, the same number of times, sending me th ir papers in exchange, with the ad vertisements marked, shall receive by express, free of charge, a good, soft, rabbit fur bat which will bring in the market $100; provided they will have their heads measured and send me the dimensions files’ Slegister Revived. PROSPECTBS OF THJE COUHTRIHA J¥, \ ILE3’ Register, the most useful journal ever . 1 issued in America, has been revived in the pub lication of The Countryman. This journal is a fae simile of its original, in the nurnbor and size of its pages, its typography,and iilfthe'featuroswhichgave value to the standard publications issued by Mr. Niles. Besides the features of Niles’ Register, the Coun tryman has others which should render it still more attractive—to-wit: a department of elegant litera ture, rejecting the style of Yankee literary journals, and modeling itself after the best English miscel laneous weeklies, at the same time, ,being stamped with an independent, Southern tone, origi nal with and peculiar to itself. An altogether novel feature with it, is that it ii published in the country on the editor’s plantation, nine miles from any town or village, and devotes much attention to agriculture, rural sports, and everything that interests the country gentleman. The Countryman is a handsome quarto, of sixteen pages, published weekly on the editor’s plantation, near Eatonton, Ga., to which all communication* should be addressed. Our terms are $5 for three months, or S2O per annum. Send all remittances by express. J. A. TURNER, declOd-it Eatonton, tJa. Wanted WE wish to hire for the ensuing year, six good Negro 6’arper.ters, one good Blacksmith and one wagoner. dec 10 2w JEFFERSON IIA .VILTwN Sun and Enquirer copy. Wanted. QAAA LBS. PORK, for which we will pay OUUU cash or exchange salt. dec 10 6t JEFFERSON & HAMITQN. Sun and Enquirer copy. A Plantation tor Sale. THE UNDERSIGNED offers for sale a Pianta -1 tion on the Apalachicola river, 25 miles below Chattahoochee, containing 1,500 acres, more or loss. embracing 1,200 acres of unsurpassed bottom land, the halance superior pine land. In a favorable season sixty bushels of corn or 2,000 pounds pf seed cotton, may be safely’relied on. On the premises are first rate negro quarters, gin house, screw and sta bles. The dwelling is small but comfortable. There are two orange groves on the place, one on the river and in full bearing. A portion of the crep of 1863 sold for more than S9OOO. The other grove is youDg but in good condition, embracing not only oranges but lemons and other tropical fruits. The place is finely watered and healthy. A rare opportunity is offered for _the_ investment of Con federate money if application is made early. Titles perfect. _ _ „. „„ Apply to R- L. B ASS, Columbus, (M VAN MARCUS. dec 6 ts Steamer Shamrock. Stop the Horse Tihef! SSOO Reward. STOLEN from the premises of C. P. Levy, aA*e*i the new bridge, on the night of 30th November two BAY HORSES and one BLACK PONY. Above reward will be paid for the horses sad thief. JOHN D. GRAY Sc 90. dec2 4t To Rent. A SMALL FARM, containing about IPO a*r©a,W in the woods and forty cleared, about one m:le above the Fountain Factory, on the river. On the place is a good dwelling with three room?, a apple and peach orchard and variety of other fruit trees, good water, &c. For terms apply to Mrs. J. A. JONES, dee near Columbus Headquarters Military Division ) op the M bst. -r Macon, Ga., Nov. 29th, ls©4. / General Orders , 1 All supernumerary Officers of this Military Divis on not otherwise assigned to duty, will report to tka Commandant of tha Post. Macon, Ga, Bv command of General Beauregard. A. R. CHISOLM, dec 2 ocd2w A. D. C. and A. A. A. Headquarters Gov. Works, (Ord.) I Columbus, Ga., Dec. 1, 1864./ Wanted to Hire ! FIFTEEN NEGRO BLACKSMITHS. Good quarters furnished and liberal wages paid. Apply t© M.H. WRIGHT d«2lw C©l. Corn'd*.