Newspaper Page Text
Sljc ll) c chin Constitutionalist
by JAMES GARDNER.
THE FIGHT AT DAM no. 1. ON THE 16TH |
OF APRIL. 1862. ■
The following correct version of the a',
DwmNo. 1, on the Warwick River, Per.tnsu'.A,
written by an eye witness, has been banded -ata
for publication:
Having read several accounts o f 4 the flight on
the Warwick river, below Yorktown, on tire 16th
of April, tinding many great tr. /B takes m them, I
will as an eve witness, attempt to detail them,
and’at least let you know woere the light was,
und who did the lighting..
Que newspaper account says the f gh. was at
Pam No. 2. Colonel 'J. Bryan, of the 16th Geor
gia regiment, was in charge of Dam No. 2, and
no fight was there, though there was daily skir
mishing at this p\ace, by the pickets of the regi
meat who were.part of the time assisted by Tex*
tins. The fig'jt was at Dam No. 1. Some news
paper accoun ts say the 2d Louisiana regiment
managed t! .e arti.lery, and made the fight. That
regiment is, too gallant a body of men to wish to
assume t'.'aors they have not won. were
m tne fight, and they fought gallantry, but they
fired no piece of artillery. In passing, let me
say tbft 2d Louisiana was under the fire ot the
enemy's artillery nearly all the time the army
was on the Peninsula. - , _
The Troup Artillery, a part of Cobb s Georgia
Legion, had-one gun’at Dam No. 1 commanded
•ar Lieutenant Pope, which fired all day on the
t-nemv and of the manner in which the piece
•was used, the enemy h’-s already given their
<wn account-, and say it made terrible havoc
among tnem by the precision with which the
w answer some accounts already
published of the fight. Now for my statement:
On the Warwick River, Gen. Magruder caused
tc be thrown up dams to prevent the crossing
<-f the enemy, while bis forces were so small
that he could not meet the enemy. The dams
were numbered I. 2, &c. Opposite Dam No 1, is
a la’ge open field, in which were the batteries
c f tht enemy. At this point was stationed the
2d Louisiana, Colonel Levy commanding On
his-igbt Colonel McKinne. sth North Carolina;
next Colonel Bryan, 16th Georgia next Cobb s
Legion. On the morning ot the In.h Apr.;, un--
der oiden frum General Ccbb, Colonel Bryan
sent company D, Captain Montgomery on picket
du*v in * ont of the position of the sth North
Carolina to protect that regiment from the ene
■mt’s sbirp shooters, while they finished working
cn tbe trenches. Colonel Bryan’s regiment
being armed with Enfield rifles were selected as
n-ckets Captain Montgomery, with his company
denloved en a front of about three hundred
yards three men at intervals of about ten paces;
Captain M. taking position with one man just
Mow,Dam No. 1. During the entire day the enes
rv'a artillery played upon the Troup and ether
artillery at the Dam. Between 3 and 4 o clock,
tbe sth North Carolina being at work on their
trenches, the enemy made at attempt to cross
the river below the Dam (No. 1;) and owing to
•he thick covering of bushes, crossed to within
thirty yards of Cant- M. before being discovered.
The Captain and men fired and retired to carry
the information of their approach to the North ,
CKj-olina which regiment soon formed and j
charged the enemy, and held them at bay til. re
‘ Xced by tbe 16th Georjna; which regiment i
£sXd M soon as they heard the firing, witnout
wSng fi>r orders, or even to form in regular
order B With one company ied by Col. Bryan, in
double-quick, the Colonel calling to his legiment
to form and follow, which they did ; urged on by
A>wistan* Surgfeon, Dr. Eldridge, and .he
CLaptain, Rev. MnFlinn, reached the Dam in
time F o waist the 15th North Carolina in driving
thTerwmy from their trenches, (which a part ot
the enemy bad occupied.) Just as the enemy res
t the noble and gallant McKmme fell shot
A. death Os Col McK.JWW
t nnerved, for a moment, the sth North Carolina,
Md some officer of that regiment gave an order
“reure and form on the hill in the rear, which
’ order the North Carolina, 16th Georgia, and nth
GXgia, started to obey. Col. Bryan had been
ordered by Gen. Cobb to stand in the road with
a couSr to inform him of tbe armva! of rein
forcemeats. Col. Bryan seeing his command be-
Eng to retire, ran to his Adjutant asked
whnt he was doing, and by whose order he left
trenches “ADout face and into the trenches,
&D d the man tbtt refuses I will split with my
sword ’’ There was no hesitation, tbe regiment
taviugleft tbe trenches, as they supposed, under
propef orders. The 7th and Sth Georgia arrived .
about this time, and the enemy soon mak.ng ■
second charge were met by a caarge by nt
and Bth, and tbe left of the 16th Georgia, wbicn
was gallantly made, and the enemy driven to tne
® ther side ot the river. This charge terminated
the fight, with tbe exception of occasional firing
during tbe night. During the fight, which was
ust below tb« Dam, the 2d Louisiana was doing
good service, when any of the enemy showed
themselves in their front.
The fight was made by the regiments spoken
of and by, as I believe, none others, though
the Tigers were in the trenches and ready for the
tS Tae two Dams were, for a long time, under tbe
charge of Gen. Cobb’s Brigade, and it was not at
all unusual for a regiment to spend forty-eight
hours in the trenches, and in one instance the j 6tb
Georgia'was unrelieved for ninty hours.
Os the casualties on cur side there were about
twenty killed, and three times that number
wounded. Os tbe enemy’s dead, of course we
can only judge by their account, and by what we
saw.
We waited several days for the enemy to pra. (
pose to take and bury theirjdead lying in front of
our position, and, as they became very offensive
raised a flag of truce, and proposed to bury
their dead for idem. They chose to perform that
office themselves, and tbo'ugh they said in the .
preliminary conversation, they had but filteeiJj
missing, we carried to them twenty-nine bodies/
besides leaving several in the deeper water,
also several prisoners, some of whom died.
We estimated they had two hundred kiUed, and
tbe usual proportion of wounded, but their ac
counts in their own napers acknowledges loss of
more than that number in the batteries alone, by
the explosion of the shell from our artillery. It
was a desperate charge on the part of the enemy,
and none but brave men wouid attempted it; but
they met braver spirits than they expected, and
most of those that crossed never lived to gel
back. A large number of their killed and
wounded were moved during the night, and the
twenty-nine sent over by the flag of truce were
those they could not get at. The affair may be
called only a skirmish from the few killed and
tbe short duration of the engagement, though
dur-ng the time it lasted, a more continuous
rattle of musketry couid not eas'iy be imagined,
and the roar of artillery was quite as heavy,
principally from the enemies side heavier.
. From the Atlanta (<?a.) Inteligeneer, May i&th.
LAIE FROM NASHVILLE.
A friend has latfl on our table tbe Nashville
Union., ot tbe 20;h instant. This paper is now the
organ of Andy Johnson in Tennessee. It is pubs
lushed by "B. B. U inner & Bro,”,and is edited by
a tool of tue traitor Governor, who calls himself
“S. C. Mercer ” Every column of this dirty sheet
jsfilled'Jvith lies. The leading editorial of the
issue btjpre us denounces whatit terms the "Com
proraisers'At Washington,” by which it cleans
those who no not sustain the Lincoln Government
in its usurpations of the Constitution, and venture,
as many have only timidly done, to oppose tbe
giant stride of tbe "powers that be” to absolute
* despotism. Referring to the disposition of this
‘■c onservative” class of men in Congress to deal
xith leuity with the "rebels,” this organ of Andy
< Johnson closes his diatribe thus: -"Mercer and
lenity must be extended to the deluded and mt® -
takeu masses, if they repent, but for the arch
rebels we have nothing save banishment and
death.”
In his second leader, this "S. C. Mercer, ’ over
whose name at the head ot the editorial columns
of tbe pitiful sheet he edits is inscribed the mot.
to, "For Freedom and Nationality,” comes down
upon the Federal Senator Davis, of Kentucky, for
what he terms "Nullification in the United States
Senate.” As it may interest our readers to know
in what this •‘nullification” which the Kentucky
Senator advocates consists, we publish the extract
from his speech which has subjected him to the
reproaches of Andy Johnson’s rninton and tool.
Here it is:
“I said that, in my judgment, Congress had
passed unconstitutional measures, and so far as
these measures are unconstitutional, I will advise
tnv constituents to resist them and hear repeat
it.* The position I have adhered to all the time,
is that so far as the leg’slation of ibis Congress
in the judgment of my people should be uncon
stitutional, I will advise them to resist by all
the means they can command. Until the Su
preme Caurt of the United States has decided a
law to be constitutional, every cittzen has a right
to judge for himself, upon his own responsibility
ot the constitutionality of the law, and he has a
right to resist it according to his own judgment,
and to submit himself to the proper courts when
his conduct shall become subject to their judg
ment. If, by his course, he commits the crime
of treason, he isjustiy amenable to the punish
ment of a traitor.”
It is evident from the strictures made by the
Nashville ffwiow . upon the foregoing, that the
Kentucky Senator is no favorite of John
son nor of his mouth piece, the aforesaid editor.
The truth is, "Old Abe” and bis compeers begin
to look with a jealous eye upon Kentucky Sena
tors and representatives. Fort Warren may yet
hold some of them, at which we would not com
plain.
As a “setoff” io the diabolical outrages of tne
Yankee officers and soldiers upon women in Vir
ginia and elsewhere, and to Butler’s infamous
order in New Orleans to deal with the ladies of
that Cry, who do not smile upon, and bend in
humility before, their lord and masters, the Vans
kee soldiery, as harlots, thistool of Andy Johnson
telis the following audacious lie:
‘‘Beauty and Booty.”—"When the Confeder
ates evacuated Williamsburg, General Magruder
brought away six women who were suspected of
being friendfy to the Union cause, in order to
guard against their giving information. After
being held captives two or three days they were
set at liberty, and arrived at West Point this mor
ning, where they stated to Gen. Franklin that
their persons had been violated by General Ma
gruder and other officers high in rank.”
This is the coinage of this lying editor’s own
brain, and put forth to excuse, no doubt, past and
contemplated outrages upon defenceless women
within tbe limits of Nashville. S ich a villain
should be spit upon by every honest man. Woe
to the scoundrel should he ever come within
reach of the gallant Magruder or any of his
friends ’
Buell’s official report of the Battle of Shiloh
also ornaments the filthy sheet. This too, is like
ail the reports of the Federal Generals.
. Turning to its advertising columns, we notice
that theatrical exhibitions are in vogue in Nash
ville—managers, Duffield & Sands; principal
characters, Hamilton, Everett, Pierce, Fletcher,
Mrs. H. Berry, Miss Scanlan, and Miss Moore.
The Yankees, we presume are the only patrons of
the drama in Nashville. '
E. B. Glasscock is exercising the < ffice of U. S.
Marshal of the Middle District of Tennessee.
Most of the advertisements appear to be from
Yankee houses.
"The Union Central Committee” is composed
of the following individuals : Allen A. Ball, A.
V. S. Lindsey, John Lellyett, Russell Houston,
Horace H. Harrison, M. M. Brien.
A notice is given that in the election for judic
ial officers, the votes given for suspected parties
will not be counted. M. M. Brien, Turner S.
Foster and Nathaniel Baxter are announced as
candidates. Brien appears to be a favorite cans
didate. A
We have collected the foregoing items*for tW
benefit of our Tennessee friends who have been
driven from their homes, and some from NaMo
ville, and who must feel some interest in whaFis
j going on under Andy Johnston’s despotic rule .
From the Richmond Dispatch.
MOVEMENTS AT THE LINES.
From the best information before us we learn
that o£e of the Central road, when city bound,
had a narrow escape from capture or destruction
at Federal hands on Monday, but the engineer,
with prompitnde and nerve, applied extra pow
er, and the Jrain rushed through the Lincoln
lines with great velocity and safety arrived in
the city. Later in the day, however, a second
train appearing, some negroes Upon the road
waved handkerchief, and made such gesticula
tions as to warrant the conductor in believing
there was danger ahead, and having troops on
board, he moved very cautiously forward until
dis-erning artillery pointed on the track, put
back with all commendable expedition. From
possession of the road, the enemy retarded com
munication with our forces in the vicinity of
of Hanover Court House, and to prevent per
manent or obstinate occupancy, it was whispered
that a force would be moved forward in that di
riction to form a junction with Anderson, and.
Branob.acxiDg concert.
Arriving at a point atth9 right of the lines,
(Nine Mile road,) we found thd troops there drawn
up in line of battle, with banners .'floating and
ftrdnance pointed. Although in considerable
H'orce on the north bank of the Chickahominy,
(near Price's and Garnett’s farms,) tbe enemy
seemed loth to appear and engage. They bad
ushered in the day with picket firing, find had
driven oars in. We waited their approach. They
skulked in the densse woods, but came not At
eleven a’clock, however, tbe regular booming of
cannon told an action of some nature was occur
ring at a more distant point, more to the left, and
in the direction of the, Mechanicsville road. Pro
ceeding in that direction, it was discovered that
a sharp engagement was then progressing upon
tbe farm of Mrs. Vaughn, some six miles on the
York River Railroad. The foe had appeared in
much force in that locality, but were vigorously
attacked, and after some eighty m antes of lively
firing, both of artillery and musketry, the enemy
fell back, and our forces resumed their original
position at that point. The particular force en
gaged, and casualties, are not known. 'The peo
ple in the locality hastened to the city and great
ly magnified the affair.
Scarcely had this brisk attack ceased than loud
detonations on the extreme left told that meeting
forces, near Hanover C. H., had clashed in arms,
and that the grand overture to the coming tragedy
had begun with great vigor and will. So far
distant from our lines, (fifteen miles,) and travel
thither retarded by guards, and the lateness of
the hour, (two P. M.,J it was almost impossible
to obtain information of worth : yet from all that
we ean gather it would seem that a force bad
been dispatched there to dislodge the enemy
from the railroad, and to re open communication
at least to Hanover C- H. A part of Longrtreat’s
division was said to have moved up and attacked
in ene direction, while Anderson’s division and
Branch's command, moving down upon the
CotirtsHoase, assailed the foe in another. The
fire of ordnance was regular and rapid, incessant
AUGUSTA, GA., WEDNESDAY MORNING, JUNE 4, 1862.
volleys of muskesry being perfectly audable for
miles. After an hour’s duration, the firing ceased;
but was resumed again with increased fury
between 3 and 4 o’clock, lasting, without inter
mission until sunset. It ts known that we cap
tured some prisonersin the fight, (some fifty-odd,)
and the natural conjecture is that tbe enemy must
have been defeated.
That the great fight » approaching is ins
convertrole; it is even said that Johnston
crossed the s watnp last night to precipitate a
general engagement and bring his full force ins
to play. Anderson, Branch, and the restat the
Court-House, must form a faction, or they are
isolated and useless ; but to eflect this by a vigor
ous demonstration may usher in the
great histcrical battle so long expected and so
fraught with eoOsequences-
Ere this mav reach tbe reader s eye the first
gun will have fired and one ng lasting stream
of flame envelope our rob!- Jiy, battling as
heroes never did before ior freedom and for their
homes! Let none tremble—let cowards herd
with brutes—but let all ra their hearts and
hopes to to tbe God of batt. --, who gave us as
birthright, liberty, and who a ways crowns tba
brave. ,
ADDITIONAL.
About nine o’clock last night, a tram arrived
by the Fredericksburg rotd. which brought
down 53 prisoners, captured, in the first engage
ment yesterday afte-aoert. These all belong tc
to the 25th New York regiment, four companies
of which were detailed as skirmishers, and be"
fore they were aware of the presence of our for
ces they found themselves surrounded by the.
28th North Carolina regiment. A brisk skir
mish ensued, resulting in the capture of the
number above stated, and tbe comp'lete discom
fiture of the remainder of rhe detachment. The
prisoners think that nearly all the others were
either killed or wounded.
These men state that little confidence is felt
in the result of the anticipated general engage 1 -
ment by the rank and file ot tbe Federal army.
They acknowledge the superiority ot our sol*
diers, and confess tljat in a lsp.d fight they have
vary little hope of sa ccess. They had heard of
the splendid victory of Genetai Jacks.»n over
Banks, which bey represent have had an ex
ceedingly depressing effect upCn the private sob
diers. Our loss in this engagement was slight.
Later in the afternoon, commencing about four
o’clock, a terrific fight took place near the same
point, but of this we have no particulars.
By an officer who arrived here last night from
Fmcae...e, we were informed that an official dis
patch had been received by General Loring from
General Heth, stating that he was upon the eve of
victory when an unaccountable panic seized a
portion of his men. and he was compelled to fall
back with a loss of thirty silled, wounded and
missing, and two pieces of artillery.
The gentleman from whom we received this
information read the dispatch, and we are ins
duced to believe that it is perfectly reliable,—
He says that the artillery reported captured was
•one from Captain Otcy’s and one from' the Green
brier Artillery, the horses of which were killed.
Fromthe Montgomery [Ala.] Advertiser, May 27,
Our Iruky Correspf'Hdeuce.
LETTER FROM CCRINTE.
Cobijute, May 23, at Night.
Yesterday was one of great excitement and
expectation. Our army had marched out to the
I trenches with the fullest confidence that they
would meet the hosts of Halleck, and that the
God of Battles, ere this, would have crowned
with victory the hills of Corinth. But hour after
hour passed away without any important demon*
■etration being made, until about 3 P. K., when
our wearied soldiers, who had been under arms
eince 3 o’clock in the morning, returned once
more to their camps.
There was light skirmishing all along our
lines, and the enemy’s pickets were driven back
bevond Farmington: but few casualities occurred.
It is now evident that Halleck does not intend
to risk a battle until he has completely fortified
bis position, and made his chances of retreat safe
in case ofa defeat. A Tennessee countryman, who
j had been a prisoner by Halleck for some weeks,
j and who arrived here to-day, reports that the
enemy is fortifying his position in the vicinity of
Monterey, and that he bad nine heavy siege guns,
32- , pounders, placed in battery. Let him pursue
what course he will, I feel confident that every
day’s delay is only making more certain his des
feat. lam aware that our people are awaiting
the issue with breathless anxiety. But let them
be of good cheer, and with patience rely confi
dently on the result, There is luck in leisure
while delays to the enemy are dangerous. With
full hope in an over-ruling destiny, and trusting
to a merciful divinity to shape out our ends, let
us abide our time, but be vigilant and wary.
For as Timoleoc, with his brayes at Corinth, de
livered Syracuse from ibe bands of the Cartha
ginian tyrants, and put the barbarians to flight
with great slaughter, restoring that city to the
; people—so shall Beauregard, with his army of
Corinth, drive back the abolition tyrants from
Tennessee and Kentucky, and restore these States
once moie to their own people
There was a little skirmishing early this morn
ing, which was attended by the loss of one man
on our side, belonging to the 29th Tennessee, and
several of the enemy. We also took five prisons
ers, who were caught under the following circum
stances. It seems that the enemy had been
playingjajYankee trick on our pickets by sending
their men through the under-bush .of the Vhick
Woods jn rj-rder to approach as near as possible
r X> our works. To delude ar pickets and effect
this object, they were cow-bells around their
necks, and when they supposed their tn.ovepients
through the brush attracted the attention of our
men, they would tinkle the bells so as to lead one
to suppotSe it was but a stray cow grazing. Our
pickets, suspeet’Eg wrong, determined
on this ocCfi-sion to took after these horned cat
tle, and to make matters certain, by a flank move
ment gained the rear of the bellsringers, when
they came suddenly upon five of the cowbellians,
who, not belonging to the Mobile fraternity, were
immediately captured.
One of our men who was captured at Island
No. 10, made his escape from Camp Chase, near
Columbus, Ohio, on the 29th ult., and arrived
here yesterday. All the prisoners who were doing
well, were being removed to Johnson’s Island,
near Sandusky, Ohio, when he managed to mix
in with the crowd of spectators and sloped.—
He reports that Lieutenant Tidmarsh, well known
on the theatrical boards of New Orleans and Mo
bile as “Old Tid,” was as jolly ana gay as ever,
but seriously objected to the Northern climate. —
My informant states that there is a strong anti-
Lincnln party growing up in the Northwest,
which is making itself seriously felt through
every town in that country. They look upon the
abolition of slavery as putting the negro on a par '
with the poor white man, and forcing a compe- I
tition of labor between the two races, wench the
overrunning of our slaves in the North, if eman- !
cipated, would be sure to effect, consequently a
general indisposition and apathy is felt against
carrying on the war against slavery, the now
openly avowed object of the Lincoln dynasty.
Western men who believed that the capture of
New Orleans would re-open trade and afford
them a market for their produce, now see the con
trary efl'ec’, and that all commerce is totally de
stroyed. Besides this, however strong may have
been their fanaticism against slavery, they are
forced now to acknowledge, by the cogent rea
soning of the “Almighty dollar,” that their
bread, as well as ours, depends upon the institu-
tion of slavery. For, without slaves, we can
neither raise sugar nor cotton, which is tbe life
blood of our prosperity, and without this, we
are prevented from buying, and they are exclus
ded from selling to us, their grain, flour, pork,
mules, horses, coal, hemp, besides their.manufac.
tures, or obtaining employment so mechanical la
bor. Seeing therefore, our sugar and cotton fields
disappear, |and nil trade and commerce onjthe Mu- ,
! sissippi to New Orleans a chaired and smo
king gdesert, they are forced tu acknowledge,
as all Europe will be compelled to do, that
on the presordained ({institution of slavery
depends their commerce and prosperity of
tbe world. TheJ North will soon sell the far
greater extent than France or England, the
loss of our cotton and commerce, when her white
slaves wiil rise and emancipate themselves from
the wild despair cf beggarly starvation, which
must soon overtake them like the destroyidg
flames of a prairie fire. “ When the wicked bea i
eth rule, the people mourn.”
A malicious Captain of a company, desenoing
the feeling of his men the first time they
ever slept in camp, said they were intensa [in
tentsj. A bombshell immediately exploded near
the spot!
It has rained all day hard, ever since early this
morning, and stilb continues, OKA,
Feom th-s Richmond Dispatch of May 28.
LATE WAR NEWS.
Contradictory reports oi an engagement at
Lewisburg, Va., between our forces under Gen.
Heth and a large body of the enemy, have been
in circulation for two days past; and as it was
known that tbe Ottey Battery composed of young
men from this city, participated in the fight,
much anxiety has been manifested here to learn
the result. The Lynchburg papers, of yesterday,
coniain some particulars, which we copy. The
Republican says:
Capt. G. Gaston of Richmond, who was
wounded in the late fight at Lewisburg, .and who
is now in this city, has lurnished us the following
items of interest concerning the battle.
The fight occurred in the town of Lewisburg
and immediate vicinity on last Friday morning.
Tbe forces engaged on our side, about 1,800 in
number, were the 22d, 45th, and 50th Virginia
regiments, Edgar’s battalion, one company of
cavalry, two guns of the Oley battery, two guns
i of Lowry’s battery, one gun of Chapman’s bat
: tery, and guns of Bryan’s batteries, from
; M onroe county, all under command of General
Heth. The Yankees numbered from 5,000 to
6,000. Our men made the attack, drove tbe en
emy from two positions, when he was reinforced,
and having gained a position in our rear, in the
town of Lewisburg, through which be had been
driven, our forces fell back in good order, losing
no baggage or wagons, across the Greenbrier
river, the bridge over which they burnt. The
Yankees did not pursue our retreating forces,
and the destruction of Greenbrier bridge will
materially impede their advance,
Our forces will make a stand at , a very
strong position,
Gen. Heth acted with signal bravery, being in
the thickest of the fight at al! times.
The 45th regiment, who have been reported to
have'fled from the field, only retreated under or
ders, after being opposed to a vastly superior
■ force, by whom they were severely cut up.
We took some 75 prisoners, and lost none oT
I- our own except the wounded, who were left in
the hands of the enemy, some of our surgeons
who retired to visit our men, and possibly a few
stragglers.
i The guns of Bryan’s battery, and one gun of
' Otey’s battery, were taken. The cause es the
; capture of the latter was a misconception of the
; order to retreat
The failure of the Yankees to pursue our re-
■ treating forces with activity was caused, as Cap.,
tain Oley thinks, by the fact that they had sent a
part of their forces by a circuitous route to the
bridge, with the design of destroying it, and
thus cutting off our retreat—a plan in which,
however, they signally failed. •
rs. Major Edgar, of Monroe, a good man and gal
lant officer, was killed on the field.
Captain Finney, A. A. General, of Powhatan
county, was wounded in'the side, not danger
ously.
Capt. Thompson, of the 15th Regiment, was
mortvlly wounded.
None of the Otey Battery, save Captain 0., were
injured.
Captain Otey being ordered from the field to
have his wound dressed, can give no correct es
timate of the killed and wounded on either side,
though he saw a number of the enemy dead.
Passengers by the Western train last night
brought but little additional to the above. In
the particular of our loss, reports vary considers*
bly, some stating it only two killed and about
twenty wounded, others estimating the wtiole
loss as high as three hundred killed, wounded
and missing. We are inclined to that
our total casualties .will reach m the neighbor
hood of two hundred. ... f
The day preceding the fight, we captured at
scouting party of cavalry in Monroe, near the
Greenbrier river, numbering foriy»tw*o, without
fifing a gun. The day of the fight we took about
I eighty prisoner.?, al-' of whom were secured, i
i losing none of our own.
Gens. Cox and McCook was reported to have j
; been in command of the enemy.
The 22d Virginia regiment is said to have
sered considerably, losing more than all the oth- I
ers combined.
The Virginian has tfae following additional par* j
ticulars :
We captured 75-prisoners, 40 of whom were
cavalry and 35 infantry, inmuding some of the
pickets who were sleeping on their posts.
Among the casualties reported on our side is i
Major Finney killed. Major Edgar and Captain j
ts. G-. vicy wounded. The enemy’s loss is sup
posed heavy.
From the above, it would not appear that the
defeat was so disastrous as at first reported, but
merely a slight reverse.
Jygf”' We clip the following paragraphs from
the Richmond (Ya.) Examiner, of May 28 :
The Lines about Richmond.—lntelligence from
our lines yesterday states that a portion of our
forces engaged the enemv between Hanover Junc
tion and Hanover Court House about one o’clock
of the day.
The enemy were repulsed and we took sixty
seven prisoners, all of them belonging to Colonel
Kerrigan’s New York regiment.
Fifty-three of the prisoners, among them a
Federal captain, .reached here last night, and
were carried to the office of the Provost Marshal.
Their statement is that they lost eighty in killed.
Fourteen of the prisoners were so badly wounded
that they could not be transported, and were left
behind. Among them were two Yankee lieu
tenants.
About .our o’clock the fight was renewed, and
very heavy firing, which was distinctly heard in
the city, was continued to about seven o’clock.
We learn that the bulk of the Yankee forces
was posted on the farm of Colonel Williams
Wickham, former senator from Hanover Diss
trict.
It : s thought not improbable that the enemy
has been moving down his forces from Feeders
icksburg, and that the affair yesterday is a pre#
lude to a general engagement to-day.
The Trans-Mississippi District.—There aps
pears to be great dissatisfaction, in Arkansas es»
pecielly, at the withdrawal of the Confederate
troops from the Trans-Mississippi district. Gov*
ernor Rector has lately issued a proclamation
calling ter 6,500 men for State defence, to repel
the invasion of the Federate, and takes occasion
VOL. 14,—N0 23
in his proclamation to refer, in terms of severe
comment, to the defenceless condition in which
Southern Missouri, Arkansas and Texas have been
left by the withdrawal of the Confederate troops
east of the Mississippi.
We have reason to believe that these murmurs
■> injustice to tbe government, and that opera
tions will be immediately resumed west of the
Mississippi on the occurrence of events which
must take place in a tew days.
In view of this purpose, Major-General Magrus
der has been assigned to take command in the
Trans-Mississippi district, but will not, we learn,
proceed to his post for some days, in view of the
impending crisis in the immediate neighborhood
of Richmond.
■ -
JtEF We clip the following paragraphs from the
Montgomery (Ala.) Advertise/', of May 28tb :
A Negro Thief.—A man named James Austin,
a native of England, who has been for the past
twelve months a residence of the Confederate
States was arrested on Monday nigbj, and
mitted to jail in this city, on the moat undoubted
evidence that he had been endeavoring to iridiitfe
negroes to runaway. Some days sinde Marshal
Maxwell learned that a white man had endeavor' ,
ed to induce a negro belonging to Mr. Englehardt
to leave the city with him, and at once went td'
work to set a trap to catch the rogue. The negro"
was told to inform Mr. Austin that two other ne
groes also wished to get away, and desired to see
him. A meeting was arranged for, and on Mon- (
day night the Marshal and another gentleman, .
hibited and colored as becomes descendants of
Ham, went with the negro to the place of rendes>
vows. They were soon joined by Mr. A., who was
rejoiced at the apparent success of his enterprise,
and at once unfolded his plans. It was arranged
that they should all leave the city-next Friday
morning before day light, travel nights so as to
avoid detection, and after making their way
through the Confederate pickets go straight to
when they wouid be among their Yan
kee friends. As soon as they had learned all they
desired, one of the supposed negroes greatly astonr
isbed “Marse Jimmy,” by drawing a revolver and
informing him he was the Marshal of the city.—
Austin wilted. He had not a word to say, and the
officers tied him and took him to jail, where'he.,
now lies x This class of individuals are entitled ,
to strict attention at the b ands of a Southern com
munity.
Provisions for New Orleans. —Since our notice
of the arrest of the flour purchased here and in
Virginia, for the inhabitants of New Orleans, we
have been placed m possession of all the facts in
connection with the purchase, and we learn from
a copy of a dispatch now before us, that the
retary of War has ordered the release of all the
flour—purchased before the capture of New
Orleans—and the agent here is shipping it to <
Mobile, from there to be shipped under a flag ot/
truce, to those who are greatly in need of it. lhe
citizens of New Orleans have the sympathy of the
entire South, they have dene as much as any
people ever did, to sustain both, with men and
money, the cause for which we are struggling.
From the Charleston Courier; May 29th. . ’
LATE FROM GEORGETOWN, WACCAMAW
AND BLACK RIVER.
We have been kindly furnished with the fol»
lowing extracts of a letter from Captain Thos. W.
Daggett, Superintendent of Keithneld Mill, post,
marked Georgetown, May 27th,
KeITHKLeid Miu, May 26, 1862.
Last Wednesday the enemy landed on both
South snd Cat Islands, and while at the latter
place, burnt and destroyed all the works on the
Island. Three o’clock Thursday morning we
heard them steaming up the bay. My boat was
not launched, but by great exertion 1 managed to
get her off, and attempted my escape out of the
creek about four o’clock. As I passed out at the
mouth of the creek I met the enemy’s boats slip
ping in very cautiously, like serpents. 1 was
obliged to run within rifle shot of them, but my
steam boat (the Wee Nee) being low enabled me
to pass unmolested, until out of their reach. I
then made all possible speed up Black river to
the mill, remove! all the rice and corn to a place
of safety, and taking on board a full load of women
and children, refugees from Georgetown, started
up the river.
While the enemy were un the Waccamaw,
(stealing 240 bbls, of of rice, four negroes and
two fiats of Mr. J. I. Middleton, together with five
negroes from Mr. Charles Alston, Sr.,) two of
Captain Tucker’s sharpshooters made some ex
: celleat rifle practice upon the new adventurers
but with what damage is not known. They res
taliated by shelling the camp of Captain Tuckers
Company, but failed to make any other im pres*
sion than to kill an old mule near by.
One of thuir stolen flats, loaded with rice, and
taken iu tow, sunk before they.had gone half a
-mile from the point where they’took it from.
Supposing the enemy wfiuld return for more
plunder, the mill, with the store house and rice
on band, was burnt. The house occupied by Mr.
Lemuel W. Daggett was burnt. I regret to say
he lost everything but the clothes upon his person
at the time.
Mr. W. H. Mayrantjlost all his negroes but
three.
The prize brig Joseph was burnt by Capt. Per*
ry right in sight of the enemy’s gunboat. A
quantity of rosin and turpentine belonging to
Mr. A. Morgan was burnt.
The barns of Mr. Jos. Pyatt and Dr. Foster
were also destroyed by firs»
The steamer Nina is safe.
• Merriman (formerly U. 8. Collector at George
town, S. C„) and a negro named Prince, were
recognised among the parties on ooard the
my’s steamers.
The fire of our men was restained bv our coms
manding officer, otherwise they would not have
left with as full numbers as they came.
Whilst coming down Black river Sunday I was
completely surprised to observe,two white flags
flying from one of the plantations. The report
that the enemy were than on the river was un
true.
They have not paid us a visit since the surs
prise of Thursday last.
I will keep you posted jn regard to the enemy’s
movements around here.
An Exploit of Florida Rangers —Capt. H. T
Blocker, of the Beauregard Rangers, gives the
following account of an affair on Crooked River,
in Walkulla county, which occurred,on the twen
tieth :
General :—I have the honor to report, that o<?
yesterday morning at half-past three o’clock, ■
left this camp with a detachment of thirty# tree
men for Crooked River, at which point wc a
- atone o’clock, P. M. In a short time ‘ r
ouP arrival, I discovered a b ? at J®* f
blockading vessel and approaching i'
said river, I immediately placed my
bush on Carr’s Hill, and when the boat CA ’ ne °P'
nosite we opened fire on the enemy and killed
or wounded all the party of twenty-one, except
fou7 It gives me pleasure to state that my men
acred gallantly throughout the waole affair.
The-e was no one hurt on our side although our
fire was returne i from the boat. Had my men
hppn orooerly armed, not one of the enemv could
have eseaped.-Jfaccw (tfa.) Telegraph, Muy 29.
We have put a lock on Charleston harbor, and
she can’t find a key to fit.
Louie vMe (Ky.) Journal.
It doesn’t matter about the key, the windows
are open..