War matters.
The
Tazewell (Va.) Democrat, of the 18th inst., has the following:
‘
A report reached us on Thursday, through the mail carrier, that a party of Abolitionists made their appearance in
Gladesville, the county seat, one day this week, and took possession of the village.
A fight ensued, and a messenger was dispatched to
Russell for assistance.
Before he left, one of the ringleaders among the invaders was killed.
One hundred armed men went from
Russell Wednesday.
’
The Alexandria Gazette learns from
Washington that the fear that the bad quarters of the vast number of troops now concentrated in the city would soon engender some contagious disease, has been the cause of the strenuous efforts towards making the sanitary regulations lately established.
The President has been urged to possess the principal towns in
Eastern Virginia, but it is not probable he will do so. At any rate not until after the election.
The Post-Office Department does not intend to notice the proclamation of
Postmaster General Reagan, of the Southern Confederacy, announcing his intention to assume control of Postal affairs in the whole
South.
Mails for the
South will continue to be made up.
The principal hotels of the city, all of which have the
United States flag floating over them, are crowded, mostly with Northerners.
Northern troops continue to arrive in great profusion.
At the camp of the New York 7th Regiment is planted a branch of a pine tree, to which, by pieces of twine, is attached two crows, which the New Yorkers call Virginia Eagles.
The following letter, addressed by
Mrs. A. J. Donelson to
Gen. Scott, appears in the Memphis Bulletin, of the 19th :
I address you not as a stranger.
I was introduced to you in 1834, at the
White House, by
President Jackson, as "my niece,
Miss Martin, of
Tennessee." In 1835 I married
Lewis Randolph, a grandson of
President Jefferson.
In 1837 he died; and in 1841 I married
Major Andrew J. Donelson, whom you will remember.
In 1852 I saw you frequently in
Washington.
I write to you,
Gen. Scott, as the only man in the country who can arrest the civil war now begun.
When it was announced that "
Gen. Scott had resigned." a thrill of joy ran through the
South.
Cannon told the glad tidings, and my heart said, ‘"God bless him."’ Now it is said ‘"you will never fight under any other than the Star-Spangled Banner."’ We have loved that banner.
We have loved the
Union.
But the
Union is gone, and forever, and I wept as each star left the field of blue, and set in night.
Now we have another field of blue, and soon our fifteen stars will shine upon our right.
The stripes are all that is left of the banner you have borne victorious in many battles.
Of
you I may ask it, but not the usurper and his Abolition band, who now desecrate the honored place once filled by our
Washington,
Jefferson, and
Jackson — of
General Scott I ask it — stop this war. Say to the
North, you shall not shed your brother's blood.
The sons of
Tennessee and the
South have buckled on their armor, and are ready for the fight.
We will fight this battle, every man, woman and child, to the last cent in our pockets, and the last drop of blood in our veins.
The
North boasts of its strength.
If this boast be well founded, it were
cowardice to destroy the weak.
But "the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong!" God will defend us when our husbands and sons go forth to repel the invaders of our homes, our rights, and our soil.
Then count the cost, Hero of Battles, and let after ages bless you.
‘
Three companies of Tazewell volunteers were in camp last week, undergoing a regular drill by their respective
Captains.
All are making rapid preparations for service.
Capt. T. V. Williams, our worthy young townsman, expects to leave next week with his company for
Lynchburg, their place of rendezvous.
’
The New York Herald, of Tuesday, contains an avalanche of trashy dispatches from
Washington, out of which we sift the following :
There is no truth in the statement about the fight between the two steamers at the mouth of the
Potomac.
It was intended to be sent into
Virginia, to incite the people to action.
The blockade of
Richmond is so perfect that it is impossible for a steamer to leave that port.
A regiment of Canadians have volunteered to fight for the
Government, and have been accepted.
The President is highly pleased at the proffer.
A citizen of
Massachusetts, who left here suddenly when the city was in danger of being attacked, and who stated at
Harrisburg that he was bearer of dispatches to
Governor Andrew, of
Massachusetts, and at
Boston was announced as bearer of dispatches for
Governor Curtin, of
Pennsylvania, was barbarously seized on Saturday, and had his head shaved.
The President has been much urged by leading men to order the occupancy of the principal towns in
Eastern Virginia previous to the vote of the
State upon the
Secession Ordinance, but it is improbable that troops will advance upon
Virginia soil previous to the election.
The Government has its settled plans, upon which it will act no matter what the result of the election will be.
Alexandria may possibly be occupied, and from strategical, but not from political reasons.
The
Secretary of the Treasury has been officially notified that attempts are being made to evade the blockade of the
Lower Mississippi by shipping contraband articles per boat from
St. Louis to points in
Kentucky, and thence overland to
Tennessee and further South.
He is determined to put a stop to this illegal traffic.
He is now advising as to the best means of doing this effectively, and will issue stringent orders at the earliest possible moment.
A dispatch from
Chambersburg, Pa, is of such a peculiarly interesting character that we lay it before our readers.
The "small-pox" report is a weak invention of the enemy :
Seven hundred
Virginia troops have arrived opposite
Williamsport, on the
Potomac river, twenty-six miles south of this point.
It is believed here that they intend to make an irruption into the southern borders of this State.--Affairs grow interesting here.
A gentleman who passed them on their way from
Martinsburg, says there were Indians in the ranks, believed to be Cherokees, from
North Carolina.
Williamsport is twenty-eight miles from this place.
The people of the whole
Cumberland Valley, particularly at this point, are very much excited, fearing an invasion by a strong corps of ten thousand men. They do not fear permanent conquest, but forays exhausting their resources.
There are three thousand troops at this point.
Maryland has no troops to resist an advance of
Virginians.
A Union man living in
Maryland, who is vouched for as entirely reliable, says he was at
Harper's Ferry on Friday night, and saw sixteen Indians in one squad, but did not see more.
He says small pox is known to exist among the troops at
Harper's Ferry, but to what extent it prevails is not known.
From a characteristic letter, dated For trees
Monroe, May 14, published in the New York Herald, we copy the following :
The planting of the six-pounder on the bridge yesterday was the signal for an immediate and precipitate evacuation of the village of
Hampton by all the women and children, and two old guns, all that could be raised in the neighborhood, were planted by the Secessionists on a bridge leading into their village, about a mile from our advanced picket.
There are three companies of infantry and one of dragoons, it is said, at
Hampton.--There may be a larger force, but it is not likely.
The
Harriet Lane and
Monticello will prevent the transportation of any guns or munitions of war from
Norfolk to
Hampton to assist in an attack on the fort.
It is hardly known how many men there are encamped about us, but we can see from the parapets the white tents of a Georgia regiment gleaming in the green woods on the
Virginia shore, across
Hampton Roads.
The young
Cumberland, under command of
Boatswain Bell--now
Captain Bell--of the
Cumberland, frequently runs near in shore and looks over the camp, but has not been fired into as yet, although the visits seem to be received by the Georgians with bad grace.
A sharp look-out is kept on their movements.
We are not living so well at present in the Fortress as we could wish.
The Governor of
Virginia has given orders to cut off the sale of fresh provisions, vegetables, eggs, and, in short, everything.
The loss of these luxuries is felt, and we must now look to New York for our fresh provisions.
The health of all in the
Fort is perfect, with a few exceptions.
The reports of the prevalence of small-pox here, started by the
Norfolk papers, are entirely false.
Nothing of the kind has come under the cognizance of any of the officers here, and I thus contradict it in order to relieve the minds of our friends North of any fears as to our health and spirits.
The report probably originated from the appearance of tents up the shore, and I know I shall be doing a kindness to the
Norfolk people when I inform them that they are occupied by a doubly strong picket guard, ready for any emergency.
