We have received New York papers of Tuesday, the 22d.
Gold was quoted on that day at 227 ¾, having jumped from 222 the day before.
The destruction of Captain Brasher's "independent scouts" by Mosby's men.
The Philadelphia
Inquirer has a dispatch giving the particulars of the gobbling up of
Brasher's (called
Blazer in the
Dispatch yesterday) independent scouts near
Winchester last week.
It says:
‘
The command were in the saddle all day and night, and finally reached Cabletown, on the
Shenandoah river, about sixteen miles from
Harper's Ferry.
The next morning,
Captain Brasher captured two of
Mosby's men, and received information from them that a small party from the guerrilla chieftain's outlaws were about two miles from Cabletown.
Captain Brasher started with two of his men on a reconnoitering expedition, and discovered a party of between thirty and forty of the enemy.
He quickly returned to his main body, consisting of sixty-two men, and proceeded at once to meet them.
As soon as the enemy were in sight,
Captain Brasher drew up his men in line and charged them.--The rebels fell back until the rear of
Captain Brasher's command had passed a cross-road, when
Mosby, with over two hundred men, made a sudden dash on both sides of the road, and a sharp encounter ensued.
The Union scouts were confined at this time in a narrow lane, without much chance to manœuvre, and were, consequently, surrounded and subjected to a deadly fire.
Twenty-two of
Brasher's command were killed on the spot; among the number was
Lieutenant Cole. Eight were wounded; and the balance, thirty-two in number, were captured.
’
Some few of the captured have since made their escape.
One of them escaped by detaching himself quietly from his captors and taking refuge in a neighboring farm-house, where one of the occupants concealed him under a flooring, containing a trapdoor, covered by the carpeting of the room.
The entire party were suddenly caught in a premeditated trap.
Grant in New York.
The
Herald of Tuesday has the following notice of a visit of
General Grant to that city:
‘
Our great military chieftain, the gallant and able commander of all our national armies,
Lieutenant-General Grant, arrived in this city on Saturday last, and remained here till yesterday afternoon, when he took his departure to return to the supervision of affairs in front of
Richmond.
Of
General Grant's arrival and presence in this city we have been fully aware during all the time of his sojourn, but, at his request, made from high military considerations, have, until now, refrained from alluding to them.--He was present at the serenade at the
Astor House on Saturday night to
Mr. Fenton, Governor elect of this State; but, in reporting that affair, in conformity with the expressed desire of the
Lieutenant-General, we omitted any allusion to him. This is the first visit he has paid to this city in the last ten years, and so quietly and unostentatiously was it made, that comparatively few knew of it.
General Grant, before leaving New York, called on the veteran
General Scott.
These, the only two
lieutenant-generals of the
Republic, had a very interesting conference, and, just before they separated,
General Scott wrote on the fly-leaf of a copy of his autobiography, "From the oldest to the ablest general in the world, " and presented it to
General Grant.
’
A letter to the New York
Tribune, from the lines near
Bermuda, says:
‘
In a dispatch of that date, I mentioned that, on the evening of the 17th, the rebels made a night attack on our picket lines in the neighborhood of battery No. 3, near
Bermuda Hundred front.
I further stated that our loss amounted to forty men captured, including
Colonel Kaufman, of the Two Hundred and Ninth Pennsylvania.
Subsequent examination into the truth of the matter shows that our loss, instead of forty, amounted to about one hundred and twenty- five, including
Colonel Kaufman, before mentioned;
Captain Ed. B. Bead, of the Twelfth New Hampshire; a lieutenant, whose name I have not learned, and
Lieutenant J. P. Lane, of the Twelfth New Hampshire, wounded in the thigh.
’
At the point where this occurrence took place it appears that our lines approach those of the enemy very closely, and the rebels have a picket post close by; at any rate, when they made the move they did, they advanced a line, consisting of parts of
Hunton's and
Stewart's brigades, quietly forward under cover of the darkness, when our green troops, instead of falling back, as more experienced soldiers would have done, skedaddled to the rear to report that the enemy were upon them.
Having penetrated our lines, the two brigades parted to the right and left and enveloped the pickets on either hand, and succeeded in gobbling in the neighborhood of one hundred and twenty-five of them, and establishing their own picket lines over the captured ground, where they at once began throwing up rifle-pits.
Mr. E. T. Peters writes from
General Butler's headquarters, November 20th: "The enemy still holds the position of our picket line captured on the evening of November 17th, but that it is a matter of no great consequence. "
Another raid into Maryland.
The New York
Tribune announces another raid into
Maryland.
It says:
‘
At 3 o'clock on Sunday morning, a force of about forty rebels were discovered crossing from the
Maryland side of the
Potomac into
Virginia, above
Edwards's ferry, having with them fifteen or twenty led horses and some cattle.
They are supposed to have crossed during the night.
The
provost-marshal of
Montgomery county, as soon as he was informed of the matter, made inquiry, and is led to believe that there is a concerted horse and cattle stealing movement into
Maryland going on by
Mosby's and other guerrilla bands.
This troop was led by
Harry Gillmore, who left a note, pinned to the wall of a deserted building, announcing that this present raid was only a forerunner of what was to come.
’
The Latest from Price.
The following is a characteristic official dispatch from the
Yankee General Curtis, who could not get to
Price.
It is dated at Camp Arkansas, November 8th:
‘
We have just concluded the pursuit of
Price, whose rear guard crossed the
Arkansas river under fire of our guns.
He left another of his guns and his own carriage, which, with other arms and equipments, have fallen into our hands.
We are now rid of twenty or thirty thousand half- starved bushwhackers and half-starved vagabonds, who I hope may never return to disturb the peaceful inhabitants north of the
Arkansas river.
He is also beyond our posts of
Fayetteville,
Fort Smith and
Fort Gibson, which are now safe.
’
S. R. Curtis,
Major-General.
A speech from the New Governor of New York.
Governor Fenton, the newly-chosen governor of New York, was serenaded in New York city a night or two ago. In his address replying to the compliment, he said:
‘
I intend that New York, hereafter, shall occupy no hesitating or equivocal position.
[Prolonged and vehement cheers.] But, fellow-citizens, while we celebrate the victory on the 8th day of November, the
Republic is not yet saved.
We have important duties as citizens of the
Government yet to perform; and may I not hope that all will unite in a common purpose to allay the passions, the prejudices and the excitements engendered by the late political contest, and that we may forget even that we were Republicans or Democrats, remembering only that we are American citizens, proud of our country, and determined to maintain and perpetuate its honor and glory.
[Applause.] You will thereby, fellow-citizens, support the
National and State Governments; and in this way you will strengthen the arm of that brave and noble soldier,
Lieutenant-General Grant, who has led our armies forth to battle and to victory.
[Loud applause and three cheers for
Grant.]
’
The Rumored peace commissioners' Appointment.
The Yankee papers agree that
Lincoln will proclaim an amnesty, as usual, in his next annual message, but that he will not appoint any peace commissioners.
The New York
Tribune, after stating a number of reasons for the
Confederates not accepting a peace from
Lincoln on his terms, says:
‘
Hence we conclude that no thought of sending commissioners to
Richmond is entertained at
Washington.
The peace that might be graciously conceded by the potentate who bears sway in that city would not be such as the nation could accept as a guarantee of quiet and stability.
No man believes that
Jefferson Davis is prepared to make any such peace as the loyal millions would regard with satisfaction, or the world accept as a vindication of the nation's right to exist.
’
We believe, therefore, that the time has come for detaching the
Southern masses from the fortunes of the rebellion, and that overtures looking to that end will soon be made by the
President, either through his forthcoming message or otherwise, as circumstances shall seem to render expedient.
The New York
Herald says:
‘
There is a great deal of talk about peace propositions to the rebels, growing out of a speech by
Judge Pierrepont, at the Cooper Institute, prior to, and one by
General Butler, at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, after the election.
But the matter will probably end in a proclamation of the
President granting an amnesty to those people and inviting them to come back to their allegiance under the
Constitution and the laws and the decisions of the Supreme Court affecting the question of slavery.
If they choose to come back, an amnesty like this will give them the opportunity, and this is probably what the
President will do.
’
In reference to sending commissioners to
Richmond, he will doubtless hold to the opinion which he has always maintained: that such a course of action would be tantamount to recognising the rebels as a nation, and it would also be considered so in
Europe.
It is held that a lawful government can only deal with rebels in arms by a proclamation of amnesty, with conditions.
A Washington telegram gives the fountain from which all the peace commission rumors sprung. --The facts, it states, are as follows:
‘
General Butler intimated in his New York speech that the
Government could afford to be magnanimous and make another offer of a general amnesty to the rebels if they would submit and lay down their arms.
When
General Butler came to
Washington he was complimented by the
President upon this part of his speech.
From that fact, rumors have sprung that the message will contain a distinct proposition on the subject.
Mr. Lincoln is reticent, as he should be; but the stories of a commission sent to
Richmond to offer terms of peace are without the shadow of a foundation.
A proclamation may be issued in the course of a few weeks, but no commissioners will be sent to confer with the leading rebels upon any subject.
’
Another dispatch says:
‘
It is said here by prominent friends of the Administration that the sending of peace commissioners to
Richmond is not now contemplated, and that the
President will fully indicate his policy with regard to pacification in his forthcoming annual message.
’
A letter from New York, dated the 21st, says:
‘
We begin the week with something more than the usual variety of Wall street canards.
One is, that
Ex-Governor Seymour, of
Connecticut,
Tom Corwin, and three other distinguished gentlemen, embodying the combined Administration and Peace sentiment, are certainly going to
Richmond to offer the rebels terms of reconciliation and peace.
Another is, that
General Scott will be sent; and a third, that an eminent member of the
Cabinet will accompany him. I suppose there are some people here and there who can be found to give ear to these stories, else they would not be so persistently put in circulation.
But the motive for it, of course, the reader will bear in mind, is only to influence the gold market and in other ways to aid the speculative movements of the bulls and bears.
’
The Burning of Rome, Georgia--Scenes at the conflagration.
A correspondent of the New York
Tribune writes that paper an account of the destruction of
Rome, Georgia.
He says:
‘
Owing to the great lack of railroad transportation,
General Corse was obliged to destroy nearly a million of dollars worth of property, among which was a few thousand dollars worth of condemned and unserviceable Government stores.
Nine rebel guns, captured at
Rome by our troops, were burst, it being deemed unsafe to use them.
One thousand bales of fine cotton, two flour mills, two rolling mills, two tanneries, one saw mill, an extensive foundry, several machine shops, together with the railroad depots and storehouses, four pontoon bridges, built by
General Corse's pioneer corps for use on the
Coosa and
Etowah rivers, and a substantial trestle bridge nearly completed for use, were destroyed.--This trestle was constructed by the engineer corps, and, I am told, would have cost fifty thousand dollars North.
Recollecting the gross outrages which I alluded to above as being perpetrated upon
Colonel Streight by the "
Romans," our troops, as soon as they learned that the town was to be abandoned and a portion of it burned, resolved to lay
Rome in ashes in revenge for insults offered to our prisoners.
General Corse, however, had taken the precaution to station guards through all parts of the city, with orders to shoot down the first man caught firing a building without proper authority.
Stringent orders were also issued to arrest all citizens or suspicious persons found on the streets after the conflagration commenced.
The roaring of the flames, as they leaped from window to window, their savage tongues of fire darting high up into the heavens and then licking the sides of the buildings, presented an awful but grand spectacle, while the mounted patrols and the infantrymen glided along through the brilliant light like giant, spectres of horrid war. The citizens were terribly alarmed, expecting that the high wind would set fire to the hundreds of old wooden buildings with which the town Abounds, and their fears were increased by the incessant crackling and roar of the flames, which resembled in sound the near approach of a long railroad train.
’
A later letter says:
‘
Rome was evacuated at 10 o'clock this forenoon by our forces, but not until the
Etowah House, a respectable three-story brick hotel, was consumed by fire.
Stragglers managed to ignite a lot of straw in the building, and there being no
fire-engines in the town, it was impossible to subdue the flames.
A block of four brick stores was also wantonly destroyed by skulking stragglers, who are always in the rear when there is an opportunity to plunder and pillage private dwellings, but forever absent from the front when the musketry rattles.
All the barracks were laid in ashes, and a black veil of dense smoke hung over the war-desolated city nearly all day, arising from the smouldering ruins.
A few of the enemy's cavalry scouts hove in sight south of
Coosa river, on
Cemetery Hill, just as our rear guard was withdrawing, evidently for the purpose of watching our movements.
A few shots were exchanged, but the river intervening, prevented the following up our rear guard to harass our operations.
We strike tents at four o'clock to-morrow morning, and will march direct for
Altoona, twenty-one miles distant, where we will encamp for the night, resuming our march as far as
Marietta on the following day.
’
Another draft in New York.
Provost-Marshal-General Fry has written to
Governor Seymour, expressing his desire that a more careful examination should be made in towns and cities of persons liable to military duty, with the view of reaching the correct quota
for a future draft. Governor Seymour has issued a proclamation accordingly.
Miscellaneous.
An actor, now a member of a Pennsylvania regiment near
Richmond, has written to his friends telling them that his officers promise to let him have the lease of the
Richmond theatre as soon as the
Federal army takes that city.
It is generally understood that
Ex-Governor Hicks, of
Maryland, is soon to resign his seat in the Senate, and that
Hon. Montgomery Blair is to be his successor.
It is reported that the object of
Thurlow Weed's recent frequent visits to the capital is a negotiation for the purchase of the
National Intelligencer, which, it is reported, will certainly change proprietors on the 1st of January next.
Other parties are also in treaty for the paper.
The total vote of New York States, in the late election, was about seven hundred and thirty thousand--about fifty thousand more than the vote cast in 1860.
The Union majority on the Presidential electoral ticket is about seven thousand, and
Mr. Fenton is elected Governor by a majority of over eight thousand.
There are five hundred and seventy-eight National banks now doing business in the
United States with a total capital of $108,801,130.
Fred Douglas is to lecture in New York on Thursday evening. He will repeat his
Baltimore lecture, on which occasion a presentation is to be made to
Colonel Bowman, organizer of the negro regiments of
Maryland.
General Rawlings,
Grant's chief of staff, telegraphs that there is a great panic in
Richmond, caused by the movements of
Sherman.
Ten men, charged with being engaged in recruiting a guerrilla party for operations in
Kentucky, were arrested by detectives in
Cincinnati on last Thursday night.
The Trenton
Gazette states that
John P. Stockton, of that city, is much more likely to be elected
United States Senator than is
General McClellan.
The
Dayton Empire contains the card of
Mr. Vallandigham announcing that he "has resumed the practice of law."
The Masons of the
city of New York have taken initiative measures to supply the poor of the Sixth ward of that city with coal at cost.
With the consent of the Common Council, they propose to erect sheds on the little square at "
Five Points" to accommodate their enterprise.
Brigadier-General J. Hobart Ward has been mustered out of the service of the
United States.
