Affairs at the South.
from the army of the
Kanawha — interesting correspondence between
Gens. Polk and
Grant--
Pensacola affairs, &c.
The latest items of news from the
South which could be gathered from our exchanges, will be found below:
From the army of the Kanawha.
From the Lynchburg
Republican, of the 28th, we gather the following in relation to the army of the
Kanawha:
‘
We conversed Saturday with a member of
Russell's Mississippi regiment, direct from
Sewell Mountain, and also a gentleman from Milborough, who placed us in possession of some additional intelligence from our army in the
West.
’
Nothing definite could be ascertained concerning the movements of
Gen. Floyd, but it was generally believed that he has gone to
Kentucky, as reported yesterday.
Gen. Loring has certainly returned with his forces to Greenbrier Bridge, near
Huntersville, where he will remain for the winter.
The health of our troops on
Sewell Mountain is greatly improving, but during the past three or four weeks great mortality has prevailed among the entire command.
Russell's regiment, which left
Lynchburg some three or four weeks since, has lost one hundred and sixty men by death.
Numerous reports prevail among our army as to the whereabouts of
Rosencranz.
The most general belief is that he has returned to the valley below
Cheat Mountain, and it is supposed that he will take possession of the
Big Spring Pass with a part of his forces.
Exchange of prisoners — correspondence between Gens. Grant and Polk.
The Cairo correspondent of the St. Louis
Republican,
writing on the 14th inst., says the following note was delivered to
Gen. Grant under a flag of truce:
Headquarters, 1st Division Western Department.
To
Commanding Officer at
Cairo and
Bird's Point:
I have in my camp a number of prisoners of the
Federal army, and am informed there are prisoners belonging to the
Missouri State troops in yours.
I propose an exchange of these prisoners, and for that purpose send
Capt. Polk, of the artillery, and
Lieut. Smith, of the infantry, both of the
Confederate States army, with a flag of truce to deliver to you this communication, and to know your pleasure in regard to my proposal.
The principle recognized in the exchange of prisoners effected on the 3d of September, between
Brigadier General Pillow, of the Confederate Army, and
Col. Wallace, of the United States Army, are those I propose as the basis of that now contemplated.
The following was
Gen. Grant's reply:
Headq'rs Dist. Southeast Missouri,
Cairo,
October 14, 1861.
General:
Yours of this date is just received.
In regard to the exchange proposed, I can of my own accord make none.
I recognize no Southern Confederacy myself, but will confer with higher authority for their views.
Should I not be sustained, I will find means of communicating with you.
The
Mount Lebanon (Bienville parish) Baptist, of the 17th, reports "another dry week, suited to picking cotton."
The West Baton Rouge
Sugar Planter, of the 19th, says:
‘
The weather, for the past week, has been alternately cloudy and clear, warm and cool, so that one scarcely knew what weather to prepare for. All this, however, did not interfere with sugar making.
It progresses steadily, the yield usually being fair, and in some places excellent.
All the sugar that we have seen is excellent.
’
Mayor Elam, of
Baton Rouge, requires all strangers visiting that city to call at his office and register their names, otherwise they will be treated as dangerous and suspicious characters.
No more than right and proper.
The Attakapas
Register, of Wednesday, has the following:
‘
The vessel which was reported as having been captured last week in the
Atchafalaya bay, by the U. S. steamer
Huntsville, of the blockading squadron, succeeded in making good her escape — having avoided the vigilance of the blockaders — and is now on the way to her port of destination.
’
We have new four gun-boats nearly ready for protecting our coast and have from the forays of the Lincolnites.
The
Mobile, now ready for operations, is a superior vessel of her class, and will be more than a match for the
Huntsville, or any other abolition pirate that may venture on this side of Barrel Stake.
The sloop
Purdy is already in commission, and has been well officered by our Bayon Sale planters.
The Campte (
Natchitoches parish)
Alluvion of the 12th, says:
‘
Mr. Evander Gandy was killed at
Springville, in this parish, on the 6th inst., by
Squire Fletcher.
They had been drinking together for some time, in a friendly manner, when a dispute, supposed to have been trivial in its origin, arose, and ended in blood.--
Mr. G. was shot five times, either of four of the wounds being mortal, and died instantly.
Mr. F. was cut in one or two places, but not seriously.
’
The
Alexandria Democrat of the 16th, says:
‘
The weather has partaken of a little touch of all four seasons.
The planters in the cotton picking line have done a good week's work, whilst our sugar planters have been steaming and rolling away on half matured cans, with a poor yield.
’
Fatal accident to soldiers.
The Memphis
Avalanche, of the 24th, has the following:
‘
Some soldiers were experimenting with a cannon at
Columbus on Tuesday, when it exploded, killing three and blowing off the arm of another.
We did not learn the names of the unfortunate ones.
’
The Houston
Telegraph, of the 16th, says:
‘
We understand the first two regiments of
Sibley's brigade are now full.
The third is forming.
All companies that offer, up to five thousand men, will probably be accepted.
’
Governor J. W. Henderson has withdrawn from the canvass for Congress in the Third District.
Under the head of "the oldest inhabitant gone," the Houston
Telegraph has the following:
‘
Died, on the 3d of August, at the residence of
Jas. Berry, in this county, James Strange, (Uncle Jimmy,) aged seventy-six years. He was a native of
South Carolina; served seven years in the United States army; and participated in the
battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815; was a soldier in the
Texas revolution, and regretted he was not young enough to take part in the present struggle, observing:"Had the
South acted when she ought, I would have been."
’
Meat packing in Memphis.
The Memphis
Appeal of the 22d, says:
‘
The firm of
Goyer,
Morton & Co., have purchased two hundred head of
Texas cattle which they will immediately kill and pack.
This is the commencement of an immense meat packing business that will be done in
Memphis this fall.
The delivery of hogs will commence when the advent of cold weather allows the requisite facilities.
’
Give'em the slip.
The N. O.
Delta, of the 23d, says:
‘
The privateer schooner
Francis S. Bartow, which has been blockaded for the past month in
Crooked river, by the steamer
Cuyler, has given the enemy the slip, and arrived at
Apalachicola safely on the the 6th.
’
Deserves Emulation.
A free market has been opened in
Mobile for those who are not able to purchase their own provisions.
Tickets are issued by the members of the ward committees to such persons as apply to them for assistance.
About four hundred persons are daily supplied with provisions.
A patriotic Young lady.
The Jackson
Mississippian notices the arrival at that city of the "Helen Johnston Guards," a splendid company of volunteers from
Madison,
Leake, and Atala counties.
The company was uniformed at the expense of
Miss Helen Johnson, (whose name they bear,) a wealthy young lady of
Madison county, distinguished alike for her generosity and her devotion to the cause of the
Confederate States.
Let this good example be followed by all whom
Providence has blessed with the means, and we shall have no lack of soldiers to defend our cause.
Prisoners Exchanged.
The Memphis
Appeal, of the 25th instant, has the following:
‘
We learn by passengers from
Columbus, that an exchange of prisoners took place at that point on Wednesday last.
A Federal boat, under a flag of truce, came down from
Cairo, and after anchoring in the middle of the river, was visited by the
Confederate officers, when an exchange was proposed by the Federalists, which was acceded to by
Generals Polk and
Pillow, upon the apparently unequal terms of permitting the unconditional release of sixteen Federal prisoners for the extension of a like favor to three Confederate soldiers, who had been so unfortunate as to fall into the hands of the enemy.
The interview is said to have been an agreeable one, the
Federal boat having been courteously (?) escorted without our lines by one our own vessel.
’
A happy reply.
From the Memphis
Appeal, of the 25th, we copy the following:
‘
An incident is related as having occurred between the officials engaged in the exchange of prisoners at
Columbus, the other day.--After the preliminaries were arranged, a repast was partaken of, during which one of the
Federal officers, rising, proposed "The memory of
George Washington." The company instantly rose, when
Gen. Polk responded, "The memory of
George Washington,
the first rebel." The toast, our informant says, was drank in ominous silence by the
Federal officers who were present.
The story is too good not to be true, or to be lost.
’
An Atrocious outrage.
We copy the following from the
Memphis (Tenn.) Appeal, of the 25th:
‘
We have announced that an attempt was made to burn the railroad bridge, a short distance this side of
Clarksville, last week.
The
Jeffersonian gives information of another outrage, by which, on Saturday night last, a train of twenty-five cars containing soldiers was thrown on the track near
Budd's Creek, and a short time since a large log was placed on the track.
The villains who commit such outrages as this should be ferreted out and brought to summary punishment.
’
Serious accident.
The
Clarksville (Tenn.) Jeffersonian, says that an accident occurred in that place, a few days since, at the funeral of
Capt. Beaumont, which for a short time produced some confusion and no little alarm.
A musket, in the hands of
Mr. Joshua Rice bursted and without doing any serious injury, inflicted some quite painful wounds about the head and neck of
Dr. Acree.
Mr. Rice's hands were also somewhat injured.
This gentleman, lately killed in a duel a few days ago, had for more than twenty five years been a member of Christ Church, Episcopalian, in
Vicksburg.
The vestry passed resolutions expressive of regret at his loss.
One of them reads as follows. "That deploring the death of
Mr. Lake, and regarding it as a personal calamity that has befallen each one of us, we deem the occasion an appropriate one to express our solemn condemnation of that code of honor to whose false teachings our lamented friend fell a sacrifice."
Commendable purpose a Confederate General.
A woman residing in
Memphis, whose husband is a volunteer in
Gen. Pillow's command, recently wrote him that she had not received any assistance from the city authorities, and added that she did not know how herself and children could get along.
The contents of the letter having reached
Gen. Pillow, he addressed a letter to the
Memphis press, in which he states that unless the families of the volunteers under him are properly taken care of, he will release all such as have families dependent upon them.
Cotton leaving the coast.
The Montgomery
Mail is informed that four steamers are running from
Columbus, Ga., to
Apalachicola, bringing all the cotton from that point to the interior landings.
There are about 8,000 bales at
Apalachicola.
The
Berryville (Va.) Conservator says:
‘
We learn that
Hon. A. R. Boteler has been endeavoring to secure the release of
Hon. C. J. Faulkner from his incarceration at Fort Lafayette, and that negotiations are now being made that are likely to result in his restoration to his family and friends.
’
