Latest Northern news.
Latest from Missouri--the numbers of Price's army, &c.
From the New York Herald, of the 30th, we extract the following interesting intelligence:
Advance of Federals on Springfield.
Otterville, Jan. 29.
--The movement foreshadowed by the preparations of the past week has taken place.
One division, under the command of Gen. Jeff. C. Davis, has already taken up its march for the South.--They left Versailles yesterday morning.
Their destination is supposed to be Springfield.
The division consists of five regiments; the 8th and 22d Indiana, the 37th Illinois, and 9th Missouri, accompanied by two batteries, of 24 pieces, and three companies of cavalry under the command of Maj. Hubbard.
From the skill and energy of Gen. Davis important results are confidently predicted.
The next division, under Gen. Turner, is expected to leave to-morrow or Friday.
Emissaries from Gen. Price, bearing printed commissions signed by him, are busily recruiting through all this section.
A number have been captured and brought in, upon when the documents were found.
They are authorized to enlist for from three to twelve months, or during the war.
There are about fifty prisoners here awaiting the order of the Provost Marshall General.
From Springfield, Mo.
Rolla, Jan. 27.
--A gentleman who left his home in Green county, a few miles from Springfield, on Wednesday, arrived here yesterday.
He says that there are no entrenchments being built at Springfield, and but little uneasiness is manifested by Price or his officers.
There is a general cry for reinforcements, and the rebels say they are on their way; but their accounts do not agree as to numbers.
He met a large number of Union troops at Lebanon, and our pickets were out several miles from that place.
A skirmish had taken place near Lebanon, on the entrance of our troops, and a rebel captain killed and several men taken prisoners.
Government teams are constantly moving westward; but the roads are almost impassable owing to the depth of the mud.
Gen. Price's force.
St. Louis, Jan. 28.
--A large body of troops is moving from Rolla, Sedalia, and Otterville, the destination of which is supposed to be Springfield.
The following is from Major Wright's report to General Wyman:--‘"Price's force does not exceed 8,000 or 10,000, all State troops.
Price has been notified of his appointment of Major-General in the Confederate army but has not been confirmed, consequently the, Confederate forces decline to reinforce him. They say to him they have 30.000 troops ready to join him when they receive the official notice that McIntosh has gone to reinforce the rebels in the Indian nation.
Most of General Rain's men have gone home, the balance (400) are at Sarcoxie and Granby, it is said.
Last Thursday Price was informed that the Federals were moving against him in force from Rolla.
It caused great excitement in the rebel camp.
Price expects his appointment to be confirmed within two weeks, when he will be reinforced by the Confederates from Arkansas.
Unless he can take command of the whole force he will be obliged to retreat.
He has a large number of wagons, and is putting everything in readiness to decamp.
He intends falling back on Pineville unless speedily reinforced.
He has a large number of men on the sick list, also foraging parties capturing men. Many Union men were destroying their property.
He has also fifteen days supplies on hand.
Each rebel regiment has on organized corps of the best marksmen to pick off field officers."’
A large amount of property was seized by the Provost Marshal, to pay the amount assessed against prominent Secessionists by Gen. Halleck, for the benefit of the Union refugees, and will be sold at auction on Monday, February 3.
The skirmish at Occoquan heroic courage of the Texans.
Washington, Jan. 29.
--Gen. Heintzleman's dispatch gives the following particulars of this severe skirmish near the Occoquan river: ‘
Late last night Lieut. Col. Burke, with 50 men from the 37th regiment, which was then on outpost duty in front of the division, and a few mounted men, left the picket post at Accotink, and in obedience to orders, proceeded to the houses of Mrs. Lee and Potter, just beyond the village of Colchester.
The two houses in question were located on each side of the Colchester road, and within 150 yards of the Occoquan.
The detachment of our men reached the vicinity about midnight Lieut. Col. Burke divided his men into four sections.
As Massy's men approached Mrs. Lee's house, the sentry at the door fired his gun and gave the alarm.
He was immediately shot down. --The rebel rangers within, nine in number, under command of Major Burrows, came to the upper windows and fired down upon our men. The fire was returned, and for nearly half an hour the bullets flew thick and fast in every direction.
Lieut. Col. Burke came up with the remaining 25 men, and burst open the door.
One of the rebels was met with a lantern in his hand, and was in the act of blowing out the candle when he was shot.
Four of the rangers were seen to fall out of the windows dead upon the ground.
The fire of the rebels gradually, ceased, and it is believed that not one of the nine who were in the house escaped alive.
Two of our men were wounded, and three are missing, one of whom, Robert Pedden, of company F, is supposed to have been killed.
The names of the other two missing men, are John Brady and Martin McGowan, of Company G.
Patrick Malons was dangerously wounded in the arm, breast, and hip, and John Malons was wounded in the foot.
Both belong to company G.
A young man named Jas. Clark, a civilian, who was also in the house, and who begged for his life succeeded in getting out of one of the lower windows, and was taken prisoner.
In the meantime, Lieut. Smith had arrested Mr. Potter, the only person who was found in the other house. ’
Paying for the whistle.
The Paymaster General of the Northern army estimates the annual cost of the hands of volunteer regiments at over $5,000,000, exclusive of the cost of clothing, subsistence, and transportation.The Burnside expedition.
The Herald. congratulates itself and the North that the disasters attending the Burnside, fleet are no worse than they are, and says: ‘ The expedition now being fitted out under Commodore Porter promises to carry out fully the design of our naval enterprises, and there is little doubt that if we persevere we shall soon be in possession of the whole of the Southern coast, from Norfolk to Matamoras, together with a hundred million dollars worth of cotton, which there will be little difficulty in capturing and shipping to the North. ’Loss of the city of New York.
The Herald publishes lengthy communications from the fleet, from which we take the following, written from on board the U. S. steamer Cossack: ‘ Hatteras Inlet. Jan. 15.--Our destination is as yet a profound mystery, and the unfavorable weather of the past few days has interfered with any movement of the fleet from this point towards its point of attack. To-day some six or seven of the gun-boats made are connoissance up Pamlico Sound, but saw no sign of the enemy. An attack was expected from rebel vessels, but none took place. One of the gun-boats got aground, but has been hauled off. ’More Troubles and difficulties.
Hatteras Inlet. Jan. 10, 1862.
--I thought I would have been able by this time to date my correspondence from some point further into the heart of ‘"Dixie;"’ but though this is the seventh day that we have been waiting on the sand bars of Hatteras Inlet, our departure seems as remote as ever.
From the moment of our arrival here the fleet has been subjected to a most annoying series of mishaps, occasioned by the stormy condition of the weather and an almost universal ignorance of the locality.
Two-thirds of the vessels have been aground most of the time and the water all around us seems to be entirely shallow, without any discoverable outlet to the deep waters of the Sound beyond.
If there is a channel nobody appears to know where it is, and the fleet might as well be high and dry on the beach around Forts Clark and Hatteras as in its present place, so far as a likelihood exists of getting away.
General Burnside chartered five steam-tugs at Annapolis to come down here and render assistance in moving vessels of the fleet; but not a single one of them has made its appearance as yet, and the only available boats for the purpose are a few ferry-boats, such as ply on the North and East rivers.
Loyalty of the North Carolina Unionists.
To obtain pilots acquainted with the Sound is no easy matter. A few days since Commodore Goldsborough had an interview with some of the inhabitants about here with a view to getting one to assist in the pilotage of the fleet. These men are of course Unionists, but how far their patriotism goes will be evidenced by the following abstract of a conversation which ensued between the Commodore and one of them: Commodore.--‘"Wouldn't you like to make some money? We will pay you well to do this business; good, hard gold at that."’ Native.--(With an indescribable draw! and accent.)--‘"Wal, yass, I would, but I run a risk of getting ill treated by the s'eshioners."’ Commodore.--‘"But we will protect you from any danger of that kind."’ Native.--‘"Yaas, I understand that, but"’-- (hesitating) Commodore.--‘"What?"’ Native.--(Bringing out his words with jerk.)--‘"Wall, now, you know you moughtn't succeed in this business, and them 'are s'eshioner 'ed treat me bad."’ He could not be prevailed upon, nor either of the others. It is to be hoped that these men are not a sample of the Unionists of North Carolina. On Friday last the gun-boat Suwanee, which had just reached here after repairing damages that had happened to her at Annapolis, got aground and bilged soon after.--Some efforts have been made to remove her, but she sank so deep into the sand and Miof the bar on which she struck, that they proved unavailing. She is now worthless as a vessel, and lighters are alongside taking out her stores, armament, valuables, &c.--The gun-boat Ranger got aground at the same time and on the same bar, but has since been hauled off without much damage.The enemy reconnoitering.
Our long delay here, where our presence, cannot but be fully known to the enemy, has given them an opportunity of preparing for us. Within the past week two or three little steamers have been observed away to the northward, reconnoitering our position and strength. The ‘"Hotel D' Afrique"’ is the appellation of a wooden building on shore near Fort Hatteras, in which ‘"contrabands"’ are quartered. Among recent arrivals at the ‘"hotel"’ are two negroes from the vicinity of Albemarle Sound, who escaped from their master and made their way here in a small boat. They the rebels are making active preparation for our reception at Roanoke Island, where the attack is expected by them, and have about 2,000 men in the vicinity, with troops organizing in the towns near by. The negroes, while drifting past the island, were challenged by the sentries on the forts and twice fired upon. The name of the schooner laden with coal, which sank a few days since is the T. P. Leonard. She belonged to Philadelphia, and had been chartered by the Government to accompany the expedition.Important from Kansas.
Leavenworth, Jan. 28.
--Maj. Gen. Harter has issued an order to the effect that in the expedition about to be started South from this department, called in the newspapers Gen. Lane's expedition, it is the intention of the Major-General commanding this department to command in person, unless otherwise expressly ordered by the Government.
Transportation not having been supplied, we must go without it. All tents, trunks, chests, chairs, camp-clothes. &c., must be at once stored, or abandoned.
The General commanding takes in his valise but one change of clothing, and no officer or soldier will carry more.
The surplus room in the knapsack must be reserved for ammunition and provisions.
