From General lee's army.
[from our own Correspondent.] Army of Northern Virginia, March 28th, 1864.
It has been some time since I have had any items of interest to communicate from the lines of this army.
The winter is now supposed to be well over, and if Grant is terribly in earnest we may soon expect to see the first blood of the campaign flow.
The snow of Tuesday last has melted, and leaves the roads for the time being quite deep in mud; but, with the drying winds and warming sun, we may soon expect them to be in condition for campaigning purposes.
I suppose it may be as well for me to tell you that during the last snow there were several fights in the lines of this army--not with leaden, but snow balls.
Doles's Georgia and Walker's (Stonewall) Virginia brigades had a pitched battle.
Walker drove Doles back, capturing his camps and his ammunition.
Gov. Vance, of North Carolina, arrived here on Friday last, and was received by Maj. Bridgford, Provost Marshal General of this army, and entertained most handsomely with refreshments.
At night Gov. V. repaired to the headquarters of Gen. Daniel, whose guest he became.
On Saturday he addressed the troops of that brigade in a speech of two hours. The effort was replete with argument, and being interspersed with anecdotes, was well received.
Gens. Lee, Rodes, Johnson, and many other General officers, were in attendance.
He will address the rest of the North Carolina troops during the coming week.
I expect to hear him to-morrow, and will give you an account of what he says and how he speaks.
Major Harmon, the popular Chief Quartermaster of the second corps, has been promoted to the chief of the forage department, and next to Col. Corley in the Q. M. department of the army, with position on Gen. Lee's staff.
Col. A. S. Rogers is promoted to the post of Chief Quartermaster of the second corps.
The boys are amusing themselves with tournaments and hope.
One of the former came off last week and another is set down for Tuesday week, if the weather and Gen. Grant should permit.
I am frequently asked how the soldiers are fed My reply will be their bill of fare: They are now getting corn meal instead of flour; quarter of a pound of meat per day, with occasional issues of rice and molasses, sugar and coffee.
The animals are in better plight than at any time since the war began — they are now getting five pounds of corn per day and six pounds of bay. During the winter Major Harmon has been acting Chief Quartermaster of the army, and the condition of the stock attest his peculiar fitness for the post of chief of forage, to which he has recently been assigned.
Brig. Gen. Wm. Malone, who has been absent from the army since January, on furlough, and in attendance upon the Legislature, returned to camp on Thursday last.
There is great complaint, and I think justly, among the officers about the ration bill.
Under the old law they could purchase as much as they deemed necessary, now they are allowed one ration and cannot buy any. The result is that none of the officers will be able to keep servants.
Surely Congress could not have been so demagogically as to mean this seriously, though it is said by some that such was their purpose. 