Notes of the war.
The Northern papers of Thursday last contain some further notes and comments on the war movements, from which we select the following:
A Federal dispatch from
Cape Girardeau, Mo., Sept. 2d, says:
‘
General Prentiss' little army, which left
Ironton some days since, arrived safe at
Jackson, ten miles west of here, yesterday morning.
No enemy was met. A scout who arrived from
Hardee's Confederate camp reports that they immediately commenced retreating on hearing of
Prentiss' advance, rapidly moving towards
Arkansas with his force of 6,000 men. The enemy are reported to be strongly fortified at Sikestown.
’
The following telegrams in regard to the movements of the Confederate army in
Missouri, we give for what they are worth:
Rolla,
Mo., Sept. 2.--A gentleman from
Springfield reports that
Ben. McCulloch, with 5,000
Texas,
Louisiana and
Arkansas troops, was marching towards
Arkansas, and was last heard from at Chelatable Springs, near
Mount Vernon.
The wounded were being moved from the
Springfield hospital and taken Southward.
On Sunday
Generals Price,
Parsons,
Slack and
Churchill moved towards
Bolivar with a force of ten or twelve thousand Confederates.
When last heard from they were marching towards
Jefferson city.
Louis, Sept. 3. --Later dates from
Lexington confirm the safety of that place, and the withdrawal of the
Confederates.
There is much disaffection in
McCulloch's army.
He is now in
Arkansas.
This is reliable.
A party of the
Dout County Home Guards were surprised early on Sunday morning at Burnett's Mills, by three hundred and fifty Confederates.
Two of the Guards were killed and wounded, and the
Confederates also had several killed and wounded.
A dispatch from
St. Louis reports that
Col. Dohena, of the Indiana Legion, has been court-martialed on the charge of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, and sentenced to be dismissed from the service of the
United States.
The court was presided over by
General Pope, and the finding was approved by
General Fremont.
Engagement between Gunboats.
Under date of
Cairo, September 4th, the
Northern papers have the following:
‘
The Federal gunboats
Taylor and
Lexington had an engagement off
Hickman, Kentucky, this afternoon with the Confederate gunboat
Yankee and two batteries on the
Missouri shore, supported by about 1,500.
Confederates, who also fired upon our boats.
None of the enemy's shot took effect.
The
Taylor and
Lexington fired about twenty shots, with what effect is not yet known, and returned to
Cairo this evening.
On their way up they were fired at with small arms from
Columbus and Chalk Bluffs,
Kentucky.
Colonel Hicks, of the Illinois Regiment, who was sent to arrange an exchange of prisoners, returned last night from
Charleston, Missouri.
The Confederates had but three Federal prisoners.
It is reported that the
Confederates have fallen back from Sikestown to
Madrid.
General Grant took command of the post to-day.
’
The engagement at Hatteras Inlet.
Commodore Stringham, who commanded the Federal fleet at
Hatteras, has made his official report.
It contains no facts additional to those already published.
He concludes by saying:
‘
"I have naught but praise to accord to the officers, seamen and marines, and the officers and soldiers of the army who were present for their gallantry and cheerful devotion to duty and to their Government, the
United States of America, which they all cheerfully and heartily serve."
’
Fortress Monroe, September 3.--The steamer
Geo. Peabody left
Old Point for Hatteras Inlet at 4 o'clock P. M., with a large quantity of commissary and ordnance stores.
The gunboat
R. B. Forbes was gotten off the beach at
Cape Charles night before last, with three feet of water in her hold, and proceeded to
Washington this morning for repairs.
She would have gone to pieces had not the weather been unusually mild.
The contraband slaves at
Old Point now number 1,800 souls, including women and children.
A flag of truce is just down from
Norfolk with the crews of the barks
Rowena and
Glen, schooner
Mary Alice and brig
Joseph, all captured by the privateer
Dixie, with the exception of the
Joseph, which was taken by the privateer
Savannah.
The captain and mates of the
Glen were detained as prisoners at
Richmond.
The
Captain of the
Mary Alice is almost direct from
Charleston.
He reports that the force there does not exceed 4,000 men, and that they apprehended an attack from the recent naval expedition to the
North Carolina coast.
Congressman Ely is still at
Richmond, and has to take his turn in cooking and carrying water for the prisoners.
Colonel Corcoran, of the Sixty-ninth New York Regiment, was lately put in irons for several hours, for refusing to answer to his name on the roll.
Butter at
Richmond is worth 50 cents per pound, ham 30 cents, and coffee 45 cents per pound.
Captain Darns made a reconnaissance yesterday in the direction of
Rock river, and captured two of the mounted ‘"Worth Guards."’
The Baltimore Exchange, of Thursday, thus alludes to the last grand sensation canard at the
North:
‘
The Washington Star and New York Herald treat their respective publics to a first-rate sensation, in the form of a plausible ‘"confirmation"’ of the rumored death of
President Davis--their authority being a contraband from
Manassas, whom the
Star slyly describes as a ‘"party."’ Another ‘"reliable party"’ is said to have sent a dispatch to the same effect from
Louisville; and this spirited enterprise in journalism succeeds, to the extent of disturbing the tranquility of a number of worthy but overcredulous people.
But, unfortunately for the life of the story, the Richmond Dispatch of Tuesday has arrived with the proclamation of
President Davis calling Congress together that day in the
Capitol.
This should be conclusive.
Does the
Herald or Star imagine that if their
President and
Commander-in-Chief were really dead, the
Confederates would publish the important fact to
Washington and the
Federal camps, by means of half-mast flags?
’
"a local Secession Directory."
Under this caption the New York Journal of Commerce calls attention to the ‘"grand, gloomy and peculiar"’ doings of the political detectives of New York.
They have prepared, it says, a complete black list (with a running commentary of free and easy notes) of all the leading spirits among the secession sympathizers in that city.
There are said to be at least seven hundred of such candidates for the Union-saving cells of Fort Lafayette.
The subjoined paragraphs are from the Washington Star of Wednesday evening last:
‘
This morning the
Government received a telegram from
General Rosencranz, embracing information that he was then, with a considerable portion of his command, at a point half-way between
Bulltown and Flatwoods, on his way to attack
Wise and
Floyd, or either of them who might be in the vicinity of
Summerville or
Gauley bridge.
He started from
Clarksburg (his headquarters) upon this expedition, leaving an ample force to protect the
Cheat Mountain pass, in
Lee's front.
By this time he has doubtless joined
General Cox, and the thus increased Union force is probably up with the enemy, if the latter has not executed another of
Wise's favorite and famous ‘"thorough-bred"’ movements (to the rear.)
Yesterday afternoon, between 6 and 7 o'clock,
Beauregard threw a considerable force within three-fourths of a mile of
General McClellan's pickets in front of the
Chain Bridge.
The long roll was beaten, and every preparation was made to meet the enemy, not only by our troops in the immediate vicinity, but by all on both sides of the river.
Up to noon to-day we have not heard whether the force thus advanced in that particular quarter remained there or retired.--The movement was evidently, however, a part of
Beauregard's plan for a general advance to immediate proximity to our lines.
The city has been full this forenoon of a story to the effect that this morning, between 1 and 2 A. M., Munson's Hill was taken possession of by a body of our troops, after a severe fight with artillery, in which the enemy were routed with great slaughter.
Not a cannon report was heard here or in any of the forts over the river last night, at any hour; nor had the
Government in this city heard of any engagement there per telegraph, to-day, up to 2 P. M.
So we need hardly say that
Munson's Hill had not been taken by
General McClellan up to that hour.
How soon he may choose to take it, we know not.
The Navy Department to-day received official information from two points in the
Gulf, dated on the 13th ult., from which it is evident that three or four of our vessels of war have reliable information of the position of the privateer
Sumter, and have probably by this time closed down upon her, as they were then preparing to do (from different points) immediately.
The Navy Department have information that the prizes taken from the disunionists in the waters of
Florida and that immediate region, are being rapidly sunk (filled with stone) in the entrances to various small harbors of that State upon the
Gulf side; thus blocking up their navigation.
The scheme of thus rendering them unfit to harbor privateers, &c.,
works admirably there, as it will work on the coast of
North Carolina.
’
The Star also reports the arrival of another prize — the schooner
Admittance, of
Baltimore, laden with tobacco — captured below
Port Tobacco creek, by the steamer
Yankee.
The following order from
Gen. Scott appears in the same paper:
‘
The
General-in-Chief is happy to announce that the Treasury Department, to meet future payments to the troops, is about to supply, besides coin as heretofore, Treasury notes in fives, tens and twenties, as good as gold at all banks and Government offices throughout the
United States, and most convenient for transmission by mail from officers and men to their families at home.
Good husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers, serving under the Stars and Stripes, will thus soon have the ready and safe means of relieving an immense amount of suffering which could not be reached with coin.
’
Alluding to the condition of things at
Mathias Point; the
Star makes the following characteristic statement:
‘
It is undoubtedly true that the enemy is not now in any considerable force at
Mathias Point, and that there is a scarcity of powder and an absolute dearth of lead among them there — their missiles to be fired from their small arms being of whatever they can contrive them, except lead, of which they have absolutely none.
’
The Federal papers say there is but one drawback to the results of the naval demonstration upon Hatteras Inlet, and that is, the departure of several privateer steamers from the inlet a few hours before the arrival of the fleet at that point.
The Balloon Experiment.
Since the last ascension of
Professor Lowe, when he was fired upon by the
Confederates and narrowly escaped fatal results, he has been engaged in perfecting machinery by which the motion of the car can be better regulated, and an ascension made with more safety.
