From the North.
Through the kindness of friends in the army, we have been placed in possession of New York,
Philadelphia, and
Baltimore papers, including dates up to the 25th of June, from which we get some additional intelligence relating to the movements of the war:
Lincoln on a Mysteries journey — Pope, the Rising Hero.
On Tuesday, the 24th,
Lincoln made a hasty journey through New York, in his ‘"Scotch capped long military cloak,"’ and stopped for nothing, as we are informed, until he reached
West Point.
This sudden movement has driven the New York editors to their wits' ends, and various are the conjectures and speculations as to its object.
The
Herald thinks there is something in the wind, and says:
‘
But what means this Northern journey at this crisis?
What can it be that has brought the
President, travelling all night, on this post-haste visit to
West Point?
We have no official or semi-official information on the subject; but by putting this and that together, we think a plausible and somewhat satisfactory conclusion may be reached.
First, then,
General Scott is at
West Point.
Secondly,
General Pope has arrived at
Washington — that splendid young officer, whose great achievements in
Northern Missouri and at New Madrid, at
Island No.10, and at
Corinth, have made his name among our loyal people as ‘"familiar in their mouths as household words."’ He has been called from the
West, and what for?
After the return of the
President to
Washington we expect to learn.
Meantime, we conjecture that this visit of
President Lincoln to
West Point is for the purpose of a military consultation with
General Scott, and that the special-object in view is the appointment of
General Pope to some important command in
Virginia.
Since the derangement in that quarter of the original plans of
General Scott and
General McClellan, our ‘"Onward to
Richmond"’ movement has been embarrassed in every possible way. We have suffered the costly humiliation of the expulsion of
General Banks from the Shenandoah Valley, and the War Office, in repairing this disaster, has not succeeded as well as could be desired.
The rebel
General Jackson has slipped through the snares that were contrived to catch him, and among our numerous generals now in the Shenandoah Valley service some unpleasant disagreements have taken place.
Thus we hear that
General Blenker is to be superceded by
General Carl Schurz, and that
General Shields has fallen from grace, while
General McDowell, from an unfortunate accident, is on the list of the sick or disabled.
At the same time it is given out that the rebel
General Jackson has been heavily reinforced, and that, to be on the safe side,
General Fremont is falling back down the
Valley for a junction with
General Banks and
General Sigel.
All these things, and many more that we have not touched upon, indicate some confusion in our military operations and among our many
Generals of the Shenandoah Valley.
We all know, too, that the repulse of
Gen. Banks has operated very much to delay the decisive conflict with the main rebel army at
Richmond, in delaying the reinforcements which were required by
Gen. McClellan.
In a word, we apprehend that the present posture of the campaign in
Virginia has carried the
President to
West Point, and that with his return to
Washington, or shortly thereafter, we shall hear of some comprehensive modifications on the military chessboard in
Virginia, including an important command to
Gen. Pope.
In this connection we understand that it is not alone by his late brilliant achievements in the
West that
General Pope has attracted the attention of the
President.
The President and the
General are from the same State, and it appears that the personal friendship which had been previously cultivated between them was strengthened by certain rebuffs and rebukes administered to
General Pope by the late Administration, in consequence of some friendly act or acts of his toward
Mr. Lincoln as our
President elect.
However this may be, our readers may rest assured that it is no holiday amusement that has carried
President Lincoln, between a late dinner and a very early breakfast, from
Washington to
West Point.
This mission, we believe, can only relate to the campaign in
Virginia; and while in regard thereto
General Scott is sought for counsel,
General Pope has been summoned for active service.
We hear some whispers of a possible breeze in the
Cabinet; but, independently of anything of that sort, the subject is sufficiently interesting for the present.
’
A Model Yankee brigade.
In connection with the projected changes in the
Valley of Virginia, above alluded to, we copy a portion of a letter in the New York
Tribune, dated
Winchester, May 9th:
‘
Blenker, with his staff, arrived here to-day, en route for
Washington, the
General, I am informed, having been relieved of his command, which is completely demoralized.
Under the able management and controlling influence of
Gen. Carl Schurz, the men may be brought back to a sense of propriety and decency.
Blenker is a medium sized, restless, overbearing sort of man, extremely rude and boisterous.
Himself and staff stopped here a night; and every time they moved about the hotel, the clank, clank, clank of their swords on the floor or over the stairways disturbed the rest of the guests.
The brief space allotted me would not allow anything like a recital of the barbarities and butcheries of
Blenker's men, and even should I recount a half dozen or so they would scarcely be credited.
While on marches everybody and everything suffered; tongues were cut out of cattle, and the poor animals left to suffer, and perhaps die; as many as fifteen sheep and lambs were sometimes stolen in a day, and slaughtered; articles of no value whatever to the soldiers were carried off and destroyed, &c. From the highest officer in the command to the lowest the demoralization was complete.
Matters finally arrived at such a pass that officers in the division tendered their resignations in order to escape the odium which the conduct of
Blenker's men threw upon them.
Gen. Fremont eventually ordered an investigation, and it is said, but with what truth I do not know, that during the examination of some men
Blenker became very insolent, upon which
Fremont took off his (
Blenker's) shoulder straps and Broke in two his sword.
After his arduous whiskey campaign
Gen. Blenker will probably be allowed a long rest.
’
Attack on a gunboat.
A dispatch from
Fortress Monroe (June 23) says:
‘
The
United States steam sloop-of-war
Wachusett arrived from
City Point this morning, and reports that on Saturday last the steam gunboat
Jacob Bell proceeded up the
James river to reconnoitre, but when abreast of
Turkey Island ran hard aground on a shifting sand bar, which accident the rebels soon observed, and took advantage of by bringing a battery of field pieces down on the south bank and opening upon the
Jacob Bell from rifle guns with shell and solid shot.
The gunboat did all she could to drive off the rebels, but did not succeed until she was considerably injured.
’
[It so happens that the ‘"rebels"’ were not driven off, but the gunboat
was.]
Memphis June 22, 1862.
Over two hundred merchants have taken the oath of allegiance.
Preaching the gospel of treason has been stopped by
General Wallace.
The rector of the Episcopal Church, who offered prayers for the Southern Confederacy last Sunday, has been effectually admonished.
Samuel Sawyer,
Chaplain of the Forty-seventh Indiana, preached this morning in the Methodist Church of the runaway rebel
Harris, nephew of the
Governor.
This evening he preached in the Second Presbyterian Church, which dismissed
the Rev. Dr. Grundy, on suspicion of his loyalty to the
Union.
Sawyer is the same clergyman who, in
East Tennessee, several years ago, was persecuted for writing an account of Deacon Netherlands cruel whipping of his slave behind his Church.
The citizens of
Brownsville, Hayward county, raised the Stars and Stripes yesterday.
The rebel militia General,
Coles, an original Secessionist of Hayward county, sends word to
General Wallace that since his cotton was burned he wants to take the oath of allegiance, and also the oath never to vote the
Democratic ticket again.
The
Providence Post, in noticing the arrest of
Pierre Soule by
General Butler, and his arrival at New York city as a prisoner, makes the following interesting remarks:
‘
"In 1860 this same
B. F. Butler was a delegate to the
National Democratic Convention.
Elected as a friend of
Mr. Douglas, he proved treacherous in the start and became his bittered opponent.
He helped to break up the convention.
He helped to nominate
John C. Breckinridge.
He was a co-worker with
William L. Yancey.
And when the several parties were well in the field he took the stump for his favorite.
No man in
Massachusetts did so much to sustain the Yancey-
Breckinridge disunion party as this same
B. F. Butler, now a
Major-General of volunteers.
"Now, of
Pierre Soule: At the adjourned session of the national convention be appeared in
Baltimore with credentials as a delegate from New Orleans.
There were two sets of delegates.
Soule and his associates were admitted to seats.
Soule was a Douglas man and an earnest friend of the
Union.
He made one of the most eloquent speeches for the
Union that any man ever listened to.--We do not believe it was ever surpassed.
He exposed the rottenness and disunion character of the Breckinridge party, to which
Butler belonged.
He was terribly severs.
Butler hated him. At least we suppose he did. Every disunionist at heart certainly hated him.
"Well,
Soule went home,
Douglas was defeated; and when defeated went to New Orleans.
Soule was still his friend, and honored him.
Douglas went home.
"Then came secession.
Soule resisted till resistance was useless.
Then he became silent.
He was with his old neighbors and friends.
He was at home, in New Orleans canal his lot was fixed.
"The next five hour of him,
Butler enters his city
as a conqueror.
By and by he is arrested and sent
North.
"That is all, and we suppose it is all right."
’
A correspondent of the New York
Tribune writes concerning the late
General Ashby:
‘
He was devoted to
General Jackson, and frequently declared that he should be proud to follow him in character, and for any duty.
As for his personal courage, it is enough to say that the very morning
General Banks entered
Winchester,
Ashby went to his headquarters disguised as a market-man, and in reply to questions from staff officers, described his rebel self.
The day before the
battle of Winchester he rode through the streets of that town, with one of his captains, in Union uniform.
One of the most gallant
Colonels in
Shield's command, who has observed
Ashby in three engagements, said in a verbal report to the
Government a few days ago, that the
Black Horse General had of late become the most reckless man to be found on either side; that he seemed to plunge into all forms of danger with delight, riding wherever the fire was flattest, waving his sword, discharging his pistol at our best officers, and continually inviting hand-to-hand encounters.
Our
Colonel once saw him leap his horse over an abandoned gun to make such an attack.
So peculiar, by its skill and daring, was his horsemanship, that be long ago became a marked man, and
General Shields predicted that
Ashby would surely be killed before
Jackson was driven out of the
Valley.
’
Drain of gold from New York.
The New York
Tribune, of the 23d, says:
‘
"The foreign drain of gold was unexpectedly large on Saturday, exceeding $2,400,000. and making a shipment of the week of over $3,000,000. In view of the figures of the commerce of the country, it is evident that the only explanation of this immense shipment is that large amounts of our securities have been sent out here for sale in addition to large amounts bought for American account in
London for resale here.
This shipment, although exciting surprise, does not cause the alarm it would under other circumstances.
As the banks are not paying specie, gold has, under the legal tender note act, become an article of merchandize, and its loss does not necessarily involve any change in the money market."
’
Various reports have been published in the
Northern papers stating that
Gen. Beauregard was in
Richmond, or on his way there.
The
Fortress Monroe correspondent of the Philadelphia Press, writing under date of the 21st, says:
‘
I learn from a member of the
Governor's Guard, of
Richmond, Va., captured at
Ashland yesterday morning, that
General Beauregard is positively at
Richmond, and is second in command to
Gen. Joe Johnston.
It was generally understood in the rebel camps that a number of his troops had arrived, and were with them, opposed to
McClellan.
My informant was an intelligent man, an old acquaintance of mine, and one I do not think would falsify the matter.
He says the food the
Virginia soldiers get is poor, but they have enough to eat always, except when on the march.
’
In the
Federal Senate, on the 23d,
Mr. Wade, from the
Committee on Territories, reported a bill providing for the admission of the
State of West Virginia into the
Union.
This bill virtually ignores the action of the late Convention held at
Wheeling to frame a constitution for
Western Virginia, and adds to the proposed new State the entire Valley of Virginia, including the counties of
Berkeley,
Jefferson,
Clarke,
Frederick,
Warren,
Page,
Shenandoah,
Rockingham,
Augusta,
Highland,
Bath,
Rockbridge,
Craig,
Botetourt, and
Allegheny.
It provides also for a new convention of the people of the territorial limits designated, regulating the county representation therein, the election to take place and the convention to meet at such time and place as the
Governor may designate.
The important requirement is also made that the constitution framed by the convention shall ‘"make provision that from and after the 4th day of July, 1863, the children of all slaves born within the limits of said State shall be free."’ The constitution is to be subsequently submitted to the vote of the people.
The Nigger again.
The Indiana State
Sentinel says:
‘
The 7th Indiana regiment marched from
Fredericksburg to
Port Republic in a destitute condition a large number without shoes, and their route could have been traced by the blood which marked their footsteps.
On Saturday night last four hundred wounded men from the battle-field of
Port Republic arrived in
Washington in box cars, and it was late the next day before they were removed to quarters where they could receive the much needed surgical attention and be reneged from their sufferings.
At the same time the
Government were supporting in comfortable quarters some eleven hundred lazy runaway negroes.
That shows the sympathy of the powers that be. The gallant men who had been wounded while bravely fighting the battles of the
Constitution and the
Union, must have found great consolation in this contrast in the paternal care of the governmental authorities.
Buncombe resolutions of stay-at-home patriots will not avail much with the wounded and neglected soldier.
’
Change in the military Commands at Washington.
A change has been made in
Washington by the divorce of the military from the civil jurisdiction, and the alteration of the mixed authority hitherto exercised by the military government of the
District.
General Wadsworth has been relieved from the command of all the military in the
District, except the Provost Guard on duty in the city.
Gen. Sturgis has been assigned to the command of all the military forces in the vicinity of
Washington, and has already begun to organize them into brigades, and to make arrangements to increase their efficiency to the greatest extent.
Miscellaneous.
Both Houses of the Federal Congress have passed a bill prohibiting polygamy in the, territories, and annulling the laws of
Utah on the subject.
The offence is punishable with a fine not exceeding $500, and imprisonment for five years.
Hallock telegraphs to the War Department that unofficial information has been received that White river has been opened for one hundred and seventy miles, and
Governor Rector and the rebel Government have fled from
Little Rock on a flatboat towards
Fort Smith.
It is mentioned as a significant item that a diplomatic dinner was given to the
Mexican Minister, at
Washington, a few evenings ago.
General Meigs tells the U. S. Senate that on the 13th he got a requisition for 1,880 horses, to supply those killed or broken down in
General McDowell's march — all wanted within eight days.
William C. Ross,
acting master in the U. S. Navy, has been taken into custody in New York on the charge of bigamy.
The accused, it is alleged, formed a matrimonial alliance with
Miss Brooks, of No. 40. Henry street, in that city, while his first wife, a native of
Portland.
Maine, was still alive and undivorced from him.
Ex-President Van Buren, (now eighty-one years old,) is suffering from a dangerous affection of the throat or bronchial organs.
He has maintained the seclusion of a thoroughly private life since his retirement from the Presidency.
In the New York
Times's account of the engagement on the 18th, below
Richmond, where the
Yankees claim a victory for the 16th Massachusetts regiment, this significant admission is made: ‘"It is to be regretted that many of the dead and wounded were left on the field."’
According to the correspondent of the New York
World, it was currently rumored at
Washington, on Saturday last, that
Secretary Stanton was about to resign the portfolio of the War Department, and would be succeeded by
Gen. Banks.
A daughter of
Captain Semmes, commander of the famous privateer
Sumter, attended a wedding at St. Paul's Church,
Newport, Ky., enveloped in a scarf of rich material, bearing the
Confederate colors,
red and
white, arranged in bars or stripes.
