Northern war News.
We copy the following from the Washington Star, (abolition,) of Wednesday evening last:
The Situation.
Daily and nightly reconnaissances over the river show that
Beauregard's array, or at least the advanced portion of it, is constantly shifting most of its positions.
Thus, on the night before last, it was discovered that its pickets near
Falls Church had been drawn in to very near the village boundaries, while those upon the
Georgetown and Leesburg turnpike had also been considerably drawn in. Nevertheless, the impression prevails in military circles here that
Beauregard is now massing most of his troops between Fairfax Court-House and
Leesburg.
That those moved a few days since from
Manassas Junction were advanced to that vicinity, as explained above.
It is further believed by the best informed here that everything that
Davis has been able to scrape together in the way of fighting material, not absolutely required elsewhere, has been hurried on to
Beauregard, and that the latter's army has been thus greatly increased.
His purpose is now, apparently, to tempt or to provoke
Gen. McClellan to leave his entrenchments, in which we hardly think he will be shortly accommodated, as he must advance against them or decline the battle the Secession authorities have been so long seeking, as their newspapers allege.
The latter course on his part will be scarcely less disastrous to his cause, under existing circumstances, than a defeat.
None here doubt
General McClellan's entire readiness to receive the enemy whenever they may imagine themselves strong enough to advance further in this direction, whether above, in front of, or below the
Federal metropolis.
No officers captured.
The stories saying that a detachment under
General Smith, on the night before last, captured a Confederate
Major and a Captain, are incorrect.
That detachment captured two privates of
Virginia cavalry at
Lewisville on that occasion, and killed two. No Secession officers have fallen into
Gen. McClellan's hands since he has been in command of the army of the Potomac.
Prisoner taken by a New York Boy.
Ball's Cross Roads, Sept. 10.--To-day one of the skirmishers of the New York 13th Regiment took prisoner a secesh soldier by the name of
A. P. Rose, belonging to the 18th Virginia Regiment.
He had been employed as a skirmisher to the right of his company, and got a ‘"little"’ too near the New York boy, who was laying low in the underbrush, and who brought his Enfield rifle to bear upon the secesh skirmisher in a manner convincing enough to cause him to drop his smooth bore and surrender.
The prisoner bragged, however, that he had helped on Monday to take two skirmishers of the
De Kalb Regiment prisoners, who had been sent to
Richmond.
He says there are 170,000 of the enemy within a radius of twenty miles of
Manassas Junction, but our troops will wait a long time if they expect
Beauregard to attack them in their entrenchments.
Jeff. Davis is not dead, he says, as we shall be apt to find out. There are portions of three Confederate regiments at Munson's hill, and their encampment is among the trees back of the hill.
The Confederates do not feel secure at Munson's hill, and are in some dread in being cut off by
McClellan.
The prisoner was taken to Fort Corcoran.
He alleges that he is a native of
Rochester, New York.
Our pickets at Ball's Cross Roads, and near Munson's hill, are in the nightly exchange of shots with the enemy.--Monday night some eighty shots were fired from a body of Confederates upon two of our pickets, but through the bad shooting of the enemy ‘"nobody was hurt."’ A pine tree in a good position near here, and within a mile of Munson's hill, has been trimmed on one side, and affords a capital look-out.
But two guns are to be seen mounted on the enemy's entrenchments on the crown of the hill, and the entrenchments themselves do not seem to be very formidable in character.
We hear that the enemy has some commanding entrenchments at Barcroft's Mill, a mile and a half beyond Bailey's Cross Roads, on the
Columbia Turnpike.
Arrest of an officer.
Yesterday the new gun-boat
Cores was completed, and taking on her armament went down the river with a force of marines, under a Lieutenant, to the U. S. steam sloop-of-war
Pocahontas, off
Indian Head, where they arrested
Capt. Dove, of that vessel, and returned with him to the yard, about 10 o'clock P. M. He is confined with
ex-Paymaster Gallagher, on board the steamer
Philadelphia, under a guard of marines.
It is not thought among the officers at the yard that he is guilty of any greater misdemeanor than that of making a few imprudent visits to friends on the
Virginia shore, which led to the arrest, in order that an investigation might be had as to whether he was indirectly giving the enemy information or not. It is believed that he will resume his duties on board the
Pocahontas soon.
The
Ceres immediately returned down the river again last night, and joined the flotilla.
She is under the command of
Capt. Elliot, who claims the additional title of ‘"
Reverend,"’ and who is known by many as the ‘"Fighting Parson."’
The war in Missouri--a military commission at St. Louis.
The Missouri papers are filled with accounts of skirmishes, military expeditions and arrests of prisoners.
The telegraph, however, has furnished the main facts.
Capt. Magoffin, a Southern officer, lately arrested at
Georgetown, Mo., has been tried, and, it is rumored, sentenced to be hung.
Eighteen prisoners arrived at
St. Louis on Friday evening, in custody of a military chard, from
Colonel Harding's camp at
Franklin.
They were captured from the surrounding district by the expedition sent off by
Colonel Harding.
Among the prisoners are several
St. Louis men, who were taken while on their way to join the rebel forces.
A military commission for the trial of offences against the military laws of
General Fremont's division has been organized at
St. Louis,
Major (now
Brigadier-General)
Sturgis presiding.
Among the prisoners brought before this commission was
John M. Graves, apparently about sixty years of age, a native of the
State of Georgia, and for the past thirty-five years has acted as editor of newspapers in different parts of the country.
His last effort in this direction was in
Nebraska, but previously he edited a paper in
Virginia and another in
Louisiana.
Recently he took up his residence at
Lexington, Mo., where he was arrested for hurraing for
Jeff. Davis.
The St. Louis Republican says that
Mr. Graves, although dressed rather shabbily, is evidently a gentleman and a scholar.
His demeanor before the commissioners was of the most polished character, and his language at once showed him to be no ordinary man. It was evident from his statement that he had always been a Union man, and that his shouting for
Davis was owing to the fact that he was not exactly himself.
He was consequently released on taking the oath of allegiance.
Dr. Steinhower and
T. J. Sappington, two old and respectable citizens of
Saint Louis county, were released on taking the oath, as were also
T. B. Grigsby, of Frederickton;
John Green, of
Potosi;
James Marr and Jerome Wall, of
Franklin county;
A. C. Roberts, of
Lexington; and
M. M. Lynch, of
Washington county.
James Tracy, who has three brothers in the
Southern army, was remanded to prison.
Among other prisoners in custody are
James C. Edwards, formerly
President of the North Missouri railroad, charged with treasonable practices;
Samuel M. Wells, charged with firing into a railroad train and assisting in burning bridges and destroying property on the North Missouri railroad, and
John Crow, late of the
Southern army.
At
Jefferson City, affairs continue as much as usual.
Extensive entrenchments are in process of construction for the defence of the place in the event of an attack.
