From the South.
Our Southern exchanges furnish the following interesting intelligence:
From Vicksburg — the shelling again commenced.
The following items are from the
Vicksburg Evening Citizen, of Friday:
‘
Yesterday morning the
Federal ram,
Monarch, and the
gunboat Luther No. 3, went up the
Yazoo river.
At 3 o'clock in the evening one or two others were seen going up. Our preparations in that quarter are ample to meet and repel the enemy.
’
Yesterday afternoon, about 4 o'clock, the enemy's mortar boats below here opened fire upon our batteries.
They were laying off near the
Louisiana shore, and it is also supposed that they have a land battery of two guns on shore near
Mr. Burney's place.
They kept up a vigorous bombardment for three hours, and averaged about one shell a minute.
At first their aim was directed at our batteries, but afterwards they commenced throwing, their shells indiscriminately in every direction, nearly all falling short.
Some came within a short distance of the city; some fell in the river, and some were seen to fall in
DeSoto.
Our batteries escaped injury, and nobody was hurt.
Some old houses below the city were struck, but no serious damage done.
The principal damage was the digging up of a patch of potatoes by the shells.
A shell struck the residence of
Mr. Victor F. Wilson, entering the northwest corner, and from thence to the cellar, where it exploded, tearing things to pieces generally, and coming out at the top of the building.
We are informed that one of our citizens, a noncombatant, was wounded yesterday by the explosion of a shell.
The mortar fleet opened on our batteries this morning at 6 o'clock, and kept up their fire at about the same rate as yesterday.
Towards 10 o'clock the firing slackened considerably, and longer intervals of silence relieved the incessant cannonading of the previous three or four hours.
Our batteries opened about 11 o'clock upon a squad of gunboats that had taken shelter behind the point of timber below, and sent the splinters flying in all directions.
It is reported that some of the shot struck the masts and did good execution on the decks.
One gunboat made a narrow escape from destruction.
She ventured within range of our guns, when a few well-directed shot made her get out of the way quick.
As we go to press they are evidently trying their best to shell the
Court-House, but they are all falling short.
We have no further news from the fleet above to-day.
Some of them are reported to be in the bend above here, and some are reported to be up the
Yazoo.
Persons who have been in elevated places, where they could have a good view of the steamer in the river above, whose smoke is plainly visible here, inform us that it is not a gunboat, but a regular steamboat.
We cannot tell whether it is the Mears or one of the enemy's transports.
The Army of the West on the move.
On yesterday morning at daylight a portion of our forces, under
Brigadier-General Maxey, crossed the river and occupied
Bridgeport.
The advance was led by
Col. McKinstry with the 32d Alabama regiment, and the crossing was made on the part of our troops by wading the river.
Soon after the passage of our troops across the river a brisk fight commenced between them and the rear guard of the
Yankee army, reported by prisoners captured to consist of about two regiments, which were left to cover the retreat of the main body of
Buell's forces.
The latest report we have from the river is up to 2½ o'clock, at which time the fight was still progressing, our brave boys driving the enemy closely, killing, wounding, and capturing them as they fell back.
From a note addressed to the
Provost Marshal by
General Maxey's
Adjutant General, written at 1 ½ o'clock P. M., we learn that the fight was raging at that hour, and an officer who came up in charge of several prisoners last night, states that at the time he left (2½ P. M,) the battle had not ceased.--All reports from the scene of strife are of the most cheering character, and we doubt not our forces will follow up the retreating foe and harass and annoy him, if they do not cut off his retreat entirely.
In this connection we may state that the railroad bridge at
Bridgeport will be immediately repaired for the passage of trains, a corps of workmen having already been organized by
Col. Cole,
Superintendent of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad who will proceed at once to the work assigned them.
We understand that
Col. Cole, under the direction and by the aid of the military authorities will have the road repaired as rapidly as the work can be done, and from his well known energy and the resources at his command, we feel sure that he will "carry up his corner" equally with others who have undertaken to open up the road to our State capital.--
Chattanooga Advertiser, Aug, 27th.
A private letter recently received in
Petersburg from a lady in
Norfolk has been published.
We copy the following interesting extracts:
‘
Poor, unfortunate
Norfolk!
Would that the torch had been applied to every dwelling here, and the city laid waste.
Better, far better, to have been a scene of desolation than the stage on which such humiliating scenes are daily enacted.
I sincerely hope, if the rulers find it necessary to evacuate any more cities, they will not leave one stone standing upon another.
Let the vandal foe find nothing but wide-spread desolation.
It will not only show our determined and self-sacrificing spirit, but will discourage them.
They will find no prey to feed upon.
’
You remember, when I left
Petersburg, you told me I was coming where luxuries were abundant and goods cheap.
Never was there a greater mistake.
To be sure, some articles are rather more plentiful and a little cheaper, but the discount on our money is very
heavy. Goods are not allowed to be brought here now, and we are as much blockaded as ever we were.
At first they allowed a few goods to come through Yankee sutlers, but now that is forbidden.
None of our
dry goods merchants have replenished their stocks, and very few persons encourage the
Yankee stores.
Calico is 40 cents a yard; very inferior
bleached cottons the same, and scarce at that.
Brown sugar to-day is 30 cents per pound and butter 40 cents. Taking into consideration the scarcity of money, you see we are very little better off than before the evacuation.
Then everything was high, but money never was so plentiful; now everything is still high, and money never was so scarce.
Gen. Vicle has issued an order prohibiting traders from selling more than one pound of tea and a half bushel of salt at any one time.
At first this order was incomprehensible to us, and even now the only reason we can allege is, they found out we were sending it surreptitiously to our friends in the army, so they thought they would put it out of our reach.
To-day, I learn, they are fitting up Fort Norfolk as a prison, and are going to erect accommodations for two thousand prisoners. They intend to make every man take the oath or imprison him there.
I will never take the oath and very few of our citizens will.
They are still firm in their cherished principles and will never relinquish them.
Subjugated for a while, but not subdued Oh!
when will the day of our deliverance come?
But the crowning act is the emancipation of the negroes here.
Every negro man, woman, and child is as free as you or
I. Much more so, for they are insured protection, which is denied us, and granted more liberties.
If half a dozen gentlemen assemble in the street to talk, they are dispersed by the guard, but the negroes can assemble by scores and hundreds without molestation.
Some few remain with their owners yet, but will probably leave soon.
The streets are lined with them.
They are trying to get homes to receive their own wages, but I hope none of our citizens will encourage them.
Several have been to me, knowing that I was in want of a nurse; but I invariably drive them off, telling them I am determined not to hire a runaway negro.
I have been doing all my house work for some time, and have to walk my baby on the pavement morning and afternoon, until I am almost broken down, yet I will endure all that, and more too, before I will hire one of them.--My cock is still with me, but more good for nothing than ever, and as surly as she can be, and I expect nothing less than to rise some morning and find that I shall have to cook my own breakfast.
That has been the case with hundreds.
I could fill a sheet of paper with incidents which have occurred here that would make your blood boil.
And we have no means of redress, let the negroes say and do as they please.
The authorities only laugh at us and tell us we brought it all on ourselves.
Some owners are actually paying their servants wages.
Is it not outrageous?
And how can we endure it?
The authorities boldly acknowledge that
they know no distinction of color. And the
Governor is
Gen. Vicle, whom the
Norfolk ladies were so infatuated with.
So kind, so polite, so lenient.
Better say shrewd and cunning, like the rest of the
Yankees and their master Belzebub and his
mate Seward.
They have a gang of negroes, provided with brooms, shovels, and hoes, who go through the farce of cleaning the streets, and who are regularly drilled every afternoon, using their utensils in place of guns.
And the
Northern people, as a general thing, seem utterly ignorant of the state of affairs here.
It has never been alluded to in their papers.
I believe it is done to bring us into measures; but we will be stubborn to the last.
They are taking possession of all the rebel property as they need it.
The gentleman who has been occupying
Dr. Wm. Selden's elegant mansion, to take care of it in
Dr. S.'s absence, has been ordered by
Gen. Vicle to vacate it, as he wishes it for his headquarters.
They say this is only the beginning of what they intend to do.
Curtis's free papers.
The following is a copy of an emancipation paper and pass issued by the
Federal commander in
Arkansas:
Headq'rs of the Southwest,
Helena, Ark., July 21, 1862.
Special Order, No. 157.
Jerry White, a colored man, formerly a slave, having by direction of his owner been engaged in rebel service, is hereby confiscated as being contraband of war, and not being needed in the public service, is permitted to pass the pickets of the command northward, and is forever emancipated from his master, who permitted him to assist in attempting to break up the
Government and laws of the country.
Thousands of negroes, seat forth under similar papers, have been shipped to the
North, yet, according to their own reports, some five thousand runaways yet remain within the
Federal lines at
Helena.
Most of the officers, and many of the privates, have supplied themselves with servants of both sexes.
Of the condition of affairs in the vicinity of
Helena a gentleman recently from that point gives the
Memphis (Federal)
Bulletin a gloomy account.
It is stated that the negroes, manufacture all sorts of lies about having worked at
Fort Pillow, and thus obtain passes to go North.
These remain upon their master's farms as long as they can get anything to eat, and instead of working they set themselves to stealing horses, mules, and cows; in fact, all sorts of stock are taken, and disposed of by them at astonishingly low prices.
The overseers on the plantations have gone off, and the negroes are masters of the situation.
This is the
Northern coloring of affairs in that portion of
Arkansas under control of the
Federal army, and although it is doubtless colored as favorably as possible, it exhibits a condition gloomy enough.
From this our people may learn the character of the war they will see, if, by their own supineness, they suffer it to be brought home to their own doors.
An officer from
Sullivan's Island reports that one or more of the blockading fleet commenced shelling
Fort Beauregard, Thursday evening, in retaliation, as is supposed, for the execution of
Burger, which they could scarcely have failed to witness, as the prisoner was shot in an open space within sight of the fleet.
No damage was done to the battery.--Some of the shells fell and exploded some distance beyond the
Moultrie House.
Fort Beauregard replied slowly.
Upon acquiring the range of the enemy's vessels with our rifle gun, one shot caused them to leave in a very hasty manner for their old anchorage.--
Charleston Courier, Aug. 28th.
Tired of fighting for the Tyrant.
Mr. J. D. Howe, of the 1st Missouri regiment, informs us that on the 2d instant two regiments, one from
Kentucky and the other from
Indiana, rebelled at
Rienzi,
Miss, and started South with their arms.
Four regiments of
Wisconsin troops were sent to intercept them, when a fight ensued, lasting from Saturday morning until night.
The
Kentuckians and
Indianians drove the Wisconsian regiments six miles in the direction of
Corinth.
At sundown the
Federals were reinforced by two
Illinois regiments, who came up in the rear of the rebels and compelled them to surrender.
They were arrested and sent to
Chicago.
An eye witness who walked over the field says he counted 353 killed; and another, who spent more time, says he counted over 600 dead.--
Jackson Mississippian, 25th.
The reaction in New York.
A gentleman who has arrived at his home in the
South, after a sojourn of about six weeks in New York — having been taken with a captured vessel in attempting to run the blockade — says the reaction for peace is making swift though silent progress.
Meetings of secret organizations and parties were held nightly.
One of these parties, said to comprise a very large number of the most influential citizens, have put forth the following remarkable propositions for a termination of the war:
- 1st.
A cessation of all hostilities, or armistice.
- 2d.
Each party to pay its own debt.
- 3d.
The resignation or deposition of Abraham Lincoln, and a new election in all the States for a new President.
- 4th.
All the rights of the South to be guaranteed by special amendments to the Constitution and a reconstruction of the Union.
- 5th.
Failing in the above, a General Convention to be held, and terms of separation agreed upon, with a treaty offensive and defensive.--Charleston Courier.
